Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Authors Note (A/N): Hey everyone. I'm back with another update today. This is a shorter chapter than what I am normally known for but it is still very important. So I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 10
The Lair of the Demon
The sound of gentle water flowing was heard in the morning air. Out in the open water surrounded by dense fog was a small motor boat. At the moment however the boat wasn't using its engine. The operator instead was rowing the boat as silently as possible across the water. There were a few people inside the boat. The operator, and old man with a straw hat and slightly dirty clothes, and from the looks of it judging by their headbands 4 ninja.
"Tazuna. How far are you on completing the bridge?" Kakashi asked after a few minutes of silence. The old drunken man turned to the grey haired ninja and responded in a hushed tone. "About 75 percent done with it. However construction has been very slow lately since many of my crew members both quit and ran out on me or they were bullied into submission by Gatō. If this keeps up I won't have enough manpower to complete the bridge. The only saving grace is that we don't have to worry about money. Since Gatō controls the flow of money in the country all the supplies that my crew are using is free. No one is selfish enough to place tax on the equipment we are using since in the end it won't make a difference." Tazuna said with a sigh as his mind was clouded over by the troubles he was facing at the moment.
Since the entire country is broke it didn't make sense to scavenge money off of each other since in the end no matter how much money an individual had it would mean nothing since the buying power of the money was pretty much nonexistent and they would all still be getting less than what the actual amount the money they had was worth. Not only that but any excess money a person found themselves with would be seized by Gatō and his thugs.
Naruto silently shook his head at this as several thoughts ran through his mind. He was saddened to hear that the people of Wave were suffering to such an extent that they were losing their wills to fight. Since Naruto spent almost his entire life in the Slums district surrounded by nothing but homeless and sick people he knew better than most what it's like to suffer especially since he was a kid who often found himself biting off more than he could chew. However the difference here was the fact that the poor individual's that he spent his entire childhood growing up with never loss their will to live or fight. On a daily basis Naruto would see many of the broken families out and about sick and not sick trying to make the most of their day and trying to find places to sleep and eat for the night. Most of those times Naruto would be helping said families find buildings that were still intact and safe and he would often direct those families there in an act of kindness.
Hearing that people were simply giving up didn't sit right with Naruto. Closing his eyes Naruto got himself comfortable in the swaying boat. Sakura was still holding a conversation with Tazuna and Sasuke was sitting on one corner of the boat. He didn't say much to Naruto after the fight with the Demon brothers but he was watching Naruto closely now. It wasn't everyday he saw Naruto in active combat and even in spars Naruto never showed more than the bare minimum of skill needed for the occasion. Back in the academy Naruto showed off just a little more during the class spars but that was it.
Placing his hands in his lap and calming his breath Naruto was planning on meditating into his inner world. For the last hour or so Iris and Chaos were becoming agitated and he was trying to keep them calm and happy which was proving to be difficult so he decided to face the problem from within and at a different angle. The Yōki that Gōzu injected into his body to poison him was almost completely out by now and in the next 30 minutes it would be all gone. Eva had taken this opportunity to get some rest and sleep so that she could be ready when they got to Wave.
Noticing the sudden change in her teammate Sakura looked over to see Naruto becoming as still as possible. "Naruto are you going to do that meditating thing again?" Sakura asked curiously. The members of Team 7 have witnessed Naruto meditating for hours on end many times after their sparring practice was over. Naruto never really told them why he did it and even Kakashi didn't quite know why however he had a few theories and suspicions but he was keeping those to himself.
"Yes Sakura I am. I'm taking this time to rest before we get to Wave. Who knows what we might find their and I want to be well rested and ready for when that happens." Naruto explained as he evened out his breath some. "But your unresponsive when you do that weird meditating thing. It's like your mind is in another world, besides what about you wound?" Sakura pressed. She was right Naruto was usually unresponsive to them when he was meditating and she would sometimes shake him but he wouldn't even flinch or budge. "I'm fine; the wound is nothing to worry about. Also if anything happens out here I'll know about it. Thanks for the concern." Naruto said as he finally evened out his breath and relaxed all the muscles in his body. He could feel his consciousness slipping as he delved into his mindscape.
One thing Naruto was towards his teammates was that he was always polite to them. He wasn't sure how to approach them sometimes since normally he didn't know what to say to them. However he was always polite to them regardless. It could be said that many of the friends he made during the academy approached him first instead of it being him who sought them out first. The prime example being Shikamaru and Choji who he enjoys hanging out with a lot and just relaxing with.
Seeing him become unresponsive Sakura knew that Naruto was already gone so to speak. She frowned just a little since she missed her opportunity to strike up a conversation with her blond teammate. She was considering asking Sasuke out again but she was a little shy to do so in front of two strangers.
Naruto's Mindscape
Opening his eyes Naruto came face to face with the beautiful scenery that is his mindscape. Seeing the massive World Tree and the floating metal platforms looming overhead made Naruto feel at home. The massive mountain off to his right that was covered in a thick blanket of snow filled him with a very familiar warmth that over time he came to realize represented his deep bond with Evangeline. The giant bronze colored gate that was sitting at the bottom of Evangeline's mountain always intrigued him and he felt a small tug in that direction every time he came into his mind scape. Sooner or later he knew that he would finally be able to see what was inside of that cave but for now he would hold in his curiosity. The high cliff on the other side of his mindscape that was facing the setting sun always filled him with a strange desperation but he could never figure out why and the same with the small cave he could see behind the cliff.
Always enjoying the view Naruto took a moment to relax. With that out of the way he decided to go find Chaos first. Floating up high into the sky Naruto after a minute found himself landing on one of the many floating platforms filled with strange metal buildings and expansive grassy prairies. Seeing a small figure a few platforms away a smile formed on Naruto's face as he raced over to the figure as fast as he could.
Dropping down silently behind the figure Naruto got a mischievous smile on his face. Sneaking up behind the little figure without a sound Naruto suddenly lunged forward trying to grab the person in front of him but the second he tried the person disappeared and a weight settled down on his back. Hearing the trademark giggling he has become accustom to Naruto sighed with a smile. "Got you dada." Chaos said with a giggle. "I'll get you eventually sweetie." Naruto laughed as he sat on the ground with the soft grass beneath him. He shifted Chaos around so that she was now sitting in his lap. "How are you doing sweetie? Are you bored?" Naruto asked.
Chaos pouted and shook her head yes. "There is nothing to do Dada. I couldn't even play with those two clowns that attacked us earlier." Chaos complained childishly. Smiling gently at the little girl Naruto rubbed his cheek against her own. It was how they showed each other affection. "I know Chaos but your version of playing takes too long and we are on a tight schedule." Naruto pointed out.
The way Chaos [plays] with people usually ended up with them really hurt and she tends to drag out her play time. The thought of it makes Naruto frown but he knows it's in her nature. However he tries his best to stare her away from such tactics since basically what she is doing his torturing her opponents and that is not something he wants his daughter to be doing. "Hummmm. Then what can we do? I want to play with you dada." Chaos whined. She was getting agitated and Naruto could sense it. "I know sweetie. I want to play with you too but we are on a mission. Daddy has to focus and I can't do that if you are feeling this way." Naruto said as he rubbed Chaos's head. Pouting Chaos pressed her face into Naruto's chest with a whine escaping her throat. "I know. I know." Naruto said as he could feel Chaos's energy which was starting to leak out settle down.
"Come on let's go talk to your sister." Naruto suggested as he stood up. Chaos nodded and got comfortable on her favorite spot on Naruto. His back. She absolutely loved when Naruto would give her piggyback rides so that became her favorite spot. Chaos wrapped her arms gently around Naruto's neck and her head was leaning against his shoulder. Seeing that Chaos was comfortable Naruto made his way over to where the giant birdhouse was in the massive World Tree.
It took some time but they got their and Naruto with Chaos on his back found themselves outside of Sōkyoku's cage. Stepping inside Naruto set Chaos down just as the exit behind them disappeared. Suddenly little flames from candles lit up around the cage and Naruto and Chaos could now see Sōkyoku in all her glory towering over them. "Hello again Chaos, Father." The massive bird spoke up with amusement clear in her voice.
"Lady Sōkyoku." Naruto bowed in respect. Blushing Sōkyoku jumped to her feet and started flapping her wings comically. "How many times do I have to say it? Stop bowing to me you don't have to." Sōkyoku said flustered. Chaos was rolling on the floor laughing while Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle escaping his mouth. "Sorry. I keep forgetting." Naruto commented but he was lying. He actually found it funny how easy it is to fluster the ancient Goddess.
"Anyways what are you doing here?" Sōkyoku asked as she tried to regain her dignity. "I could sense how restless you and Chaos were becoming so I decided to see what was wrong." Naruto explained as he sat down on the floor. "I can sense the distress and great upheaval that the County of Wave is experiencing right now and it was causing my avatar some discomfort." Sōkyoku explained as she craned her neck down to look at her two small family members.
"I can sense all of the negative emotions and energy coming from the country. It's a lot." Chaos commented as she was messing with Naruto's golden hair. Contemplating this Naruto considered what he would need to do about the problem. "Well the only way that all that negative energy will go away is if we do something about it." Naruto said with determination in his eyes. Sōkyoku shook her head yes at this with a proud look in her eyes. Chaos giggled in anticipation as she couldn't wait to get to the country.
"We will be doing more than helping Tazuna build his bridge. We will help the country out from the inside as well. That is partially the reason why the Mafia is here. Not only so that we can set up a base of operation in this country but also so that we can give them humanitarian aid and relieve. And that is what we will do as well when we get the chance." Naruto declared as he already made his mind up on what he wanted to do when he got to the country.
"Then I can't wait." Sōkyoku stated happily.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Chaos cheered as she pulled her hands away from Naruto's hair and Naruto finally found out what she was doing. Chaos braided his hair and now he had a small braid going down passed his left ear.
"Hey Chaos what did you do that for?! You know I hate it when you do that!" Naruto yelled as he chased after the much faster and evasive little girl who was laughing maniacally with the biggest grin on her face.
Sōkyoku just had a warm look in her eyes as she peered down at the two blonds running around her massive body. However the warmth left her eyes as she gazed up out of her cage into the unknown. It looked like she was in deep contemplation.
Unknown Location
"So our target has entered The Land of Waves." A voice said. It was semi deep but is was calm, smooth, and charming and if a woman was to hear it they would definitely blush. "So he has. I wonder how much he has grown since the last time I saw him." A second voice spoke up. It was very feminine and girly but it was still arguably a man's voice. He has a sense of longing and curiosity in his voice as he spoke his words. Whoever he was talking about he must have met before and he was eager to meet him again.
"Yeah well I still haven't met this person you're so interested in Kyōra. Are you sure he is all you are hyping him up to be?" A third voice spoke up. It was deep and feral sounding. He had a skeptical yet curious tone in his voice. He was speaking to the man with the feminine sounding voice whose name we now know is Kyōra.
"Come now Jūra. He is a wonderful specimen. He even managed to crack my armor and he did that at the weak age of 7. I say that is impressive." Kyōra spoke up. All three men were in a small cave and you could hear the sound of crashing waves against a shore. The cave was very dark so it was impossible to see the three mysterious figures conversed. The now named Jūra seemed to smirk given the tone in his voice. "Is that so? So he is the same little brat that has been running interference with our plans? If you ask me he is a loose end." Jūra commented.
"Now, now Jūra the young man show's promise. After all I was the one to discover him. He defeated that buffoon Toiret at a young age and he did it in a manner befitting a demon. He demonstrated a power back then that we have been looking for." The first voice spoke up again. He had confidence in his voice and he was sure of what he was talking about. "If you say so Ryūra. If that is the case then I want to be the one to check him out this time." Jūra spoke up as you could hear a rustle of movement signifying that he was getting up.
"Stealing my prey from me Jūra how rude. I was the one to mark him." Kyōra said in mock hurt. "Well I'm the only one who hasn't seen this brat you all keep on going on about so I'm simply taking the initiative." Jūra defended himself however all of their conversation stopped when the light coming from the entrance to the cave was obscured by a figure.
"Milady?" The three men spoke up as a figure stood there clad in the obscuring light and shadows of the cave. "You may go Jūra however do not hurt them too much. We have a deal to keep." The woman spoke up with a purr in her voice. It commanded respect yet it hid a sadistic side to it. "I don't understand why we are working with that blasted Fallen Angel milady. We don't owe him anything." Jūra spoke up angrily. "Our interests are similar. He wants the little children that young man watches over and we want the boy and his little fairy. A win-win situation so that is why we are working with him." The woman explained.
"Whatever. I'll just see what he is made of." Jūra said as you could hear his footsteps leave the cave. A flash of lightning struck outside the cave and for the briefest moment you could see Jūra's form revealed but the most prominent thing to notice about him was the strips of black and white color that made up his form.
"Come on Gōra lets go meet our prey." Jūra said as he jumped off the cliff he was on into the water below. However further out into the untamed and wild sea a large dark spot could be seen slowly moving through the rough and unforgiving waters.
As soon as Jūra said that a deep low growl could be heard coming from the ocean.
With Jūra gone the woman walked away from the cave but the most curious thing was her shadow which was the size of a normal human being started to shrink exponentially. 'Soon I'll have you Evangeline and I'll make you watch as the life is sucked out of that boy you love.' The woman thought with a sadistic smile.
Naruto's Mindscape
"Dada I think we're almost there." Chaos said giddily as she was finally subdued by Naruto after a long chase around Sōkyoku's cage. Several times Naruto asked the majestic fire bird for help in catching the escape mistress but Sōkyoku playfully refused saying it was too much fun to see Naruto struggle to catch a 7 year old.
"Yeah I guess you're right. Alright girls I'm going to need you to focus now. We are in enemy territory now so we have to be on guard." Naruto stated as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. "Ok let's break some legs!" Chaos shouted excitedly. A little too excitedly Naruto thought but this was Chaos we are talking about. The best he could do was to guide her and rid her of her more destructive tendencies.
Shaking her head Sōkyoku blew a stream of fire at Naruto that erased him from the mindscape. Once Naruto was gone the signature smile on Chaos's face dimmed somewhat as she looked up at the massive bird that is her surrogate sister. "Do you sense it Lady Sōkyoku? Bad things are going to happen." Chaos said with a giggle but it was lacking something. It wasn't the same carefree and cheerful giggle that she constantly makes that sounds a little psychotic. It was missing something. It sounded empty.
"Yes I do. It would seem that an enemy from Naruto's past is finally making their move. All we can do now is protect him as he has protected us." Sōkyoku said as she looked at the little blond haired girl whose normally blissful face was clouded over in a torrent of emotions that no one else has seen on her face before. "They are coming for him and he may not be ready to face them all. That is why we must be here for him so he can draw strength from us. But I'm afraid there will be those coming not only for Naruto but for us as well." Sōkyoku said softly as she could see Chaos was in silent turmoil.
"I don't want anyone to take me away from Dada. I finally found someone to teach me all about love. It's not fair!" Chaos said as tears fell from her eyes. Seeing this display in front of her a soft look clouded over the massive bird's eyes. Craning her neck down Sōkyoku placed her large beak gently down on top of Chaos's head. "I won't let anyone take us away from Naruto little one. I promise you that. But I can't do it all by myself. Or rather I don't want to do it all alone. I need your help little one. Together we can stop what is to come." Sōkyoku encouraged gently.
Wiping her eyes Chaos looked up into the massive warm emerald eyes of the majestic Phoenix. "We can?" Chaos questioned. "Yes we can. You have a power inside of you that is not your own. It is powerful. More powerful than you can ever imagine. In fact you have two but the second one is one you've had all along." Sōkyoku explained softly. "I do? What is it?" Chaos asked. She wasn't aware that she had two powers inside of her. "Well that is something for you to figure out on your own little one." The goddess explained.
"This power inside of me that doesn't belong to me. Then who does it belong to? Do I have to give it back?" Chaos asked quietly. Despite how she acts Chaos was extremely intelligent and very sharp. She understood things she shouldn't and it was becoming apparent here. "Unfortunately yes you will have to return it but it won't be as simple. We'll burn that bridge when we get there." Sōkyoku softly said but when Chaos opened her eyes from wiping the tears that were gathering their instead of seeing the massive phoenix instead she saw her sister standing before her with her arms around Chaos's neck.
"We'll win Chaos but we have to be strong ok." Sōkyoku said with her emerald eyes shining the same as when she is a phoenix. However her eyes then turned blue and a mischievous smile overtook the blond haired girls face. Now hugging Chaos was not Sōkyoku but Iris instead. Reaching up Iris placed a soft kiss on Chaos's forehead. "Come on lets kick some butt." Iris said in a non-lady like fashion.
Slowly a smile came back to Chaos's face and she too got a mischievous smile on her face. "Yeah we'll teach them all about love."
The Land of Waves
Feeling his consciousness return to him Naruto sent a small pulse of chakra through his body that woke Evangeline up. Sensing the tiny burst of chakra coming from Naruto whose chakra was very still for the last three hours Kakashi looked up from reading his orange book.
"Back with us I see." Kakashi spoke up. Naruto's piercing cauldron blue eyes opened up at hearing Kakashi speak. However his eyes widened when he came face to face with Sakura who was in his face. He could see that her hand was reaching for his shoulder but the moment their eyes met hers widened in shock and fright. Jumping back slightly the pink haired girl looked embarrassed. "Sakura what were you doing?" Naruto asked blankly. "I was trying to wake you up. We're here." Sakura explained embarrassed. "Ok." Naruto said taking one last glance at his teammate before looking out at the shore line only a few dozen yards away.
Finally the boat pulled into a little dock with a few houses nearby. "Ok Tazuna this is as far as I go. Get home safely." The fisherman said as everyone got off the boat. Saying his thanks Tazuna and everyone else watched as the fisherman pulled off back into the water. "Ok Tazuna lets head straight to your house so that we can get unpacked and make our plans." Kakashi spoke up. Shaking his head Tazuna led Team 7 away from the dock towards a small path in the woods. Naruto secretly had Evangeline mark the location of the dock and entrance to the pathway for future reference and for Section 2 when they arrive.
Walking into the forest Team 7 resumed its formation unintentionally with Naruto again at the front. They walked for an hour or so and they encountered no problems. 'I feel something. Like there is a pair of eyes watching me. What's going on?' Naruto thought to himself. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end and his instincts and senses were starting to rise. Suddenly Naruto detected movement off the path in the forest. Naruto exploded into action. Naruto took out several Kunai and threw them into the forest and at the same time he started to circulate his chakra through his body in advance. Kakashi looked up from his book upon seeing this, Sasuke got out a Kunai and got into a defensive stance, and Sakura let out a small squeal of fright. Tazuna turned pale and looked like he was ready to jump out of his own skin.
When everything got quiet Naruto expanded his growing senses and when he didn't feel anything in the area and the pair of eyes he felt were no longer there he let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry guy's false alarm. I sensed movement in the forest and I reacted." Naruto said as he looked to Kakashi who just shook his head that it was ok. "You scared me Naruto that was dangerous." Sakura scolded as she held a hand to her chest.
"I'm sorry." Naruto politely said as he walked over to the bushes and what he found startled him. A small white snow bunny was trembling in fright since the Kunai Naruto threw actually managed to take of a few strands of its thick fur. Retrieving his Kunai Naruto grabbed the bunny and hugged him to his chest. "I'm sorry little guy I didn't mean to hurt you." Naruto said softly. [Oh Dada can we keep him!? Can we? Can We?] Chaos screamed in Naruto's mind the second she saw the bunny. It took everything Naruto had to hold back the now excited 7 year old girl who was seconds away from blowing her cover.
Naruto brought the bunny over to the others and Sakura scolded him for nearly killing the bunny. 'Something's not right. This is spring yet the rabbit's fur is white for winter. It's like it was domesticated or…' Kakashi thought right before his eyes widened when he heard the sound of something big flying through the air.
At the last second Naruto who was distracted with calming Chaos down sensed it as well.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN NOW!" Kakashi roared as he tackled Tazuna to the ground with him.
Authors Note (A/N): So there you have it guys. This mission isn't going to be as simple as Naruto and the rest of his team may think. It's going to be far different than how he would ever imagine. So what was Sokyoku talking about in regards to Chaos and who are those mysterious men who seem to have an interest in a very specific person in the Land of Waves and who was the lady who they all look up too. She seems to know Evangeline pretty well. And finally it looks like its time. Someone has arrived to pay Team 7 a visit so we all know what time it is.
That's the end of chapter 10 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 8/30/15
