Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.
I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.
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.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm back again. I know it's been a little bit of time since I've posted. Christmas in fact was the last time I posted and I posted two chapters as a special to celebrate but since then I've had a slowdown in my creative juices. Chapter 40 was a little tough for me to produce as well as me just feeling a combination of not being in the creative mood and just busy with other things. But Chapter 40 is finally done and here for everyone to read so I'm glad for that. A well deserved flashback is set in this chapter that explains something that happened a few chapters back. Some character interactions and dialogue as well as some action. All that and more is packed into this chapter.
But most importantly of all however, it's now time for me to give a very special and big shoutout to fellow Author who goes by the name of Yukigrewger2 for giving me the inspiration and advice on a cool scenario for Naruto's character. I don't want to spoil anything but he came up with this concept all on his own and proposed the idea to me. The second I read it I was super ecstatic like a kid in the candy store. So many ideas spawned off my head from that initial moment of reading it and dozens more have come since then. I immediately decided to use this in the story and after telling him I would he was happy. This was many months ago, damn well nearly a year ago and I am extremely sorry that it took me this long to finally implement this idea of yours into the story. I'm not even sure if he's still a reader, but if he still is or isn't I just want to give you a shout out and say this one is for you and the praise for this idea of his should go to him. He deserves the recognition. I humbly thank you Yukigrewger2 for all of your continuous support from back in my early days of this story and for sticking around for as long as you have, it truly means a lot to me as a fellow author and reader on this site. It's people like you insanemaelstorm and R-king 93 that makes me want to continue writing this story.
Chapter 40
Second Stage Preliminaries: Elimination
"If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body to attack. When heaven and earth are open together the perilous path becomes righteous forever. This… something is the secret way that will guide us from this place today." Sakura read aloud for everyone to hear. The group was in a medium sized room with two overhanging balconies a floor above them and hanging up on the far wall at the same height as the balconies was a large frame with a parchment paper inside. On the paper was the same set of words Sakura just spoke. The paper was extremely old, decades old in fact as the corners of the paper was crumbling away and brown in color.
"What does that mean?" Kiba asked with a confused look contorting his face. Akamaru let out a little whine of confusion as well since the little puppy couldn't make heads or tails of what the riddle could possibly allude too. Sasuke looked at both scrolls and then the riddle on the wall with a frown on his face. "I think it has something to do with the scrolls." The Uchiha speculated with another glance to the scrolls. "I agree. I think it's safe to open the scrolls now. The riddle mentions the words Heaven and Earth a lot and the whole point of this test is to get to the tower with both scrolls." Naruto added on as he gave a nod to Sasuke's logic.
"Well let's open them then." Kiba suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. "We'll open ours first." Sasuke said as he and Naruto each took a scroll and opened them up. The two Genin could see the Reverse Summoning Seal light up and knowing that something was coming they through the scrolls on the floor away from them just in time.
A large plume of smoke erupted from the two scrolls as the outline of a person could be seeing silhouetted by the white smoke between them. Everyone took a step back as the smoke cleared and the last person the rookie nine were expecting to see showed up. "Iruka sensei?!" The Genin exclaimed in shock especially Naruto who hasn't seen much of his favorite teacher in the last few months. They only saw each other briefly before the exams started where the Chūnin took the Uzumaki family out to eat but before then the contact that any of the classmates have had with their old-school teacher was close to zero. "Hey guys long time no see huh?" Iruka said with a warm smile on his face. "Sensei what are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he was happy to see his old teacher once again.
"We Chūnin were instructed to welcome all of the participants that make it to the tower and I got the great fortune of being assigned to you guys… although it would seem it's more than just Team 7." Iruka noted as he gazed upon twelve individuals instead of three. "Well strength in numbers and all that…" Naruto trailed off with a small chuckle which died in his throat. The raised eyebrow and the disbelieving stare Iruka was casting his way wasn't helping the explanation. "Uh huh…" Iruka trailed off.
"Anyways I was sent here to tell you guys that you passed the Second Stage of the Chūnin Exams, congratulations guys!" Iruka exclaimed with a warm smile. Hearing that the Genin hopefuls had an immediate reaction. Sakura collapsed to her knees in exhaustion as all the tension left her body. She was glad that it was all over now. She didn't think she had enough stamina to go on anymore. Kiba shouted in joy and similar reactions were coming from many of the others however Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding and so did Sasuke as he showed a more simplistic reaction.
Seeing the fanfare coming to an end Kabuto opened his teams scroll and a Chūnin emerged in much the same fashion as Iruka did. Seeing Iruka in the same room with him the ninja was understandably confused. "It would appear that they came as a group." Iruka answered before his fellow colleague could begin to ask a question. "I've already explained things to them."
"Well it would appear this is where we part ways, good luck in the exams from this point going forward and thanks for the scroll." Kabuto announced as he waved to the rookies while walking out of the room. He had a polite and very honest disposition surrounding himself as he left the room and most of the rookies didn't think twice about the older boy as they watched him leave and even Naruto himself couldn't really detect anything wrong with Kabuto but a small agitated stirring in the back of his mind grounded him again in reality and reminded him of the fact that for some reason Iris didn't trust the boy.
"You guys might as well open your scrolls as well and get this over with." Iruka suggested with a wave of his hand. The next to go was Team 10 who summoned their guide who got a quick explanation from Iruka as well. Naruto passively noted that the Chūnin Team 10 summoned and the one Kabuto's team summoned were also two of the many Chūnin that participated as sentinels in the First Exam. They had the same sharp eyes as they did back in the classroom as they busted the Genin caught cheating. Although half of those instances were instigated and rigged by Chaos herself but there was no need to ever reveal that to anyone.
"Ok I guess we're up then." Kiba said with some enthusiasm dripping from his words. He was known for his optimism so this didn't surprise anyone. With the other scroll in Shino's hands the two boys tossed the scrolls to the ground after unraveling it but nothing happened. The Reverse Summoning Formula on the scrolls did not light up and activate like everyone was expecting it too. "Wait… what's going on here?" Kiba grunted in annoyance as he wasn't making the connection. The look on Iruka's face soured as he looked towards Team 8. "Guy's, did you open these scrolls while still out in the forest?" The rookie's former sensei asked in a disappointed tone of voice as he glared at Team 8.
"What… no! We didn't open these scrolls. We picked this earth scroll up from another team after they had opened it." Kiba said as he quickly shut down the idea that they had opened the scroll before they were instructed too. 'Then that means…!' Iruka silently thought to himself as his sharp mind started to connect the dots together especially after he looked at the group again and saw how beaten up and bruised they were. The truly looked like a veteran group of shinobi that just came back from a S – Rank mission.
Naruto saw where Iruka's thought process was leading him and he cut him off before the teacher could go on a panic filled rant. "We're all ok Iruka sensei. That trap was nothing we couldn't handle." Naruto said as he put a reassuring hand on the older man's shoulder. Iruka wanted to protest but the look in Naruto's eyes stopped him. Walking over to the scrolls on the floor Naruto took another look at them to see what was wrong and he immediately figured out what. Back in the forest when they had picked it up he was far too tired and exhausted to properly look over the formula written on the scrolls but now with a little bit of rest he could see the scrolls through a fresh pair of eyes so to speak.
This version of the Reverse Summoning Seal worked in two halves. Team 8's Heaven scroll's seal worked fine and there was nothing wrong with theirs. It was the earth scroll that was the problem. Because the other summoning array on the Earth Scroll was activated it caused the Reverse Summoning Array in the Earth scroll to lock itself and not connect with its Heaven Scroll counterpart. "So, what does this mean then Iruka sensei? If this scroll doesn't work, then what does that mean for us?" Kiba asked as a frown started to form on his face. Hinata already had a worried look on her face as she felt uneasy about her teams' fate.
"Guy's I'm sorry, but if you brought a scroll that has already been open then that means you can't progress any further than this." Iruka said with a sad and disappointed frown covering his face. He didn't want any of his students to fail in this type of way. "What!" Kiba screamed in outrage as the other rookies voiced their concerns as well. Naruto felt a lump form in his throat as he didn't want Hinata and by extension the rest of her team disqualified. 'I should have checked the scrolls more. Maybe we could have found them another scroll in time!' Naruto berated himself as he silently gritted his teeth in self disappointment. Realistically he knew that he and the rest of his classmates were in no condition to fight another team but Naruto didn't want to admit that to himself.
The rookies tried to argue against this verdict and while Iruka truly felt for his old students he couldn't bend the rules. Not even for them. "I'm sorry guys but rules are the rules and I can't bend them, not even for you." Iruka said with remorse laced in every word he spoke. 'I won't accept this. There has to be another way.' Naruto thought to himself as he turned away from the rest of the group and started walking towards the exits. "Where're you going Naruto?" Hinata asked in concern as she saw the look of anger on her best friend's face.
"I'm going to go get your team a new scroll." Naruto said in a short-clipped response. He was deeply bothered by this new development and his emotions were starting to run wild. "Hold on Naruto you can't, you're in no condition to go." Hinata pleaded as she started to walk up to Naruto to stop him. "I'm afraid I can't let you go Naruto. Once a team enters the tower they can't leave. Those are the rules." Iruka said in a sad but hard tone as his words and implications were clear. He wouldn't let Naruto back out of the tower. Naruto clenched his fist in anger as he felt powerless to help Hinata and her team. He didn't know what to do and it frustrated him to no end.
Before anyone else could speak the door to the tower opened and a person walked in. Naruto's eyes widen in surprise as he quickly recognized the new presence in the room. "Karin…" Naruto muttered as recognition was clear in his eyes. "Hello…" Karin whispered out as she slowly walked into the room. Her clothes were dirty from being out in the forest alone and having to sleep on the ground most of the time.
Hinata ever so slightly frowned as she took notice of the fact the same red headed girl from the first exam who Naruto was staring at was back again and they knew each other somehow. "What are you doing here?" Naruto questioned as he momentarily forgot his anger. "I needed to find a safe shelter. I couldn't stay in the forest any longer." Karin admitted but she left out the part about her following Team 7 to the tower.
"Who is this girl Naruto?" Kiba asked as he was not so subtly checking out the red headed girl that just walked into the room. Hinata couldn't identify the feeling that was starting to well up in her stomach right now but it was an ugly feeling that much she knew. "This is Karin. I saved her in the forest." Naruto explained as he waved his hand in Karin's direction. "Hello, it's nice to meet you all." Karin said as she bowed slightly to everyone present. The others made their greetings and the conversation quickly returned to the fact that Team 8 didn't have a scroll.
No one knew what to do until Karin herself pulled out the Earth Scroll they needed and passed it over to Hinata. That stunned Team 8 into silence since they didn't know what to do. Karin quickly explained that since her team was already disqualified she had no need for her scroll and since it was the scroll they needed she had no problems parting with it. The others were speechless at Karin's actions especially since she was a stranger to them but the glasses wearing girl insisted that they take it. The pit that was forming in Hinata's stomach stopped growing at Karin's selfless act but it did leave her confused.
"Sensei can we use this scroll?" Kiba asked as he wanted to make sure that this scroll was valid. His hopes were through the roof and he didn't want them to be shattered but he had to ask. The others looked to the young Chūnin teacher for his answer as well and seeing the hopeful looks on all his former students faces Iruka sighed as he thought back to a conversation he had with Kakashi.
'They are no longer your students Iruka. They are my soldiers and more importantly they are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. You can't baby them anymore. They need to grow up and grow into their own.' Iruka thought as he repeated the same words Kakashi told him in his head.
Looking at Team 8 Iruka could see the hopeful looks on their faces… well except for Shino but the sentiment was there. "Yes, I don't see why not." Iruka said as he watched the hopeful looks on everyone's faces turn to happy expressions. Karin found herself swept up into the crowd as the entire group was led to a resting area within the tower. They were told to wait their until they were called. With nothing to do the group unanimously decided to all rest and relax after their hectic time out in the forest. As a general past time, the group decided to introduce themselves to Karin who was stuck in-between a diverse group of Genin. She was trying to inch her way over towards Naruto subtly but was stopped at every turn by the interactions of her new peers around her.
As for Naruto, he was laying down on a comfortable couch trying his best to rest and recover his chakra which was easier said than done considering the advanced seal placed on him. He also had a few things churning around in his head that was preventing him for relaxing. One of them being his encounter with the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. Why would the rouge ninja who is wanted in every village venture back to his former home that he was banished from and why would he specifically target Naruto and Sasuke. It didn't make sense and if any part of his elaborate plan to find them had failed he would have had to fight his way back out of the village with a handful of shinobi on his heels that could fight him and potentially kill him.
That was Naruto's major concern now, but another minor one was also plaguing his mind. It was the almost unnoticeable tension that hung over the group that seemed to be centered on him. He didn't know what it was but it only sprung up after he awoke from being unconscious. It deeply bothered him especially since he noticed that something wasn't right with Hinata and the others. They all seemed to be pretty worn out. More so than what should have been possible.
Finally, his connection to his daughters was muted almost to a level of non-existence. He could barely feel them or their energy even though they were right there with him. He was seriously contemplating going into his mindscape to see what was up. He still wanted answers for the impromptu vision he shared with Eva earlier and what they saw. All of the many crazy things that have happened over the last few days was a lot for Naruto to take in. Closing his eyes, he prepared to do exactly that as he knew leaving the connection between him and his daughters alone in the state it was currently in would be detrimental in the long run.
"Naruto…" Hinata's soft voice spoke up as Naruto felt a weight settle down next to him on the couch causing his head to dip a bit. Panning his eyes up Naruto let a soft smile come across his face as his best friend's beautiful lavender eyes staring back down at him. 'Beautiful eyes? Where did that come from?' Naruto thought shyly as he adverted his eyes away from Hinata. "Hey… Hinata… what's up?" Naruto stuttered a bit as he adjusted himself in the couch. Hinata noticed this change in Naruto's behavior as well as the tiny tint of red on his checks. This caused a tiny jolt of elation to travel through Hinata as it filled her with feminine confidence to know that she inadvertently caused this reaction out of her friend.
"I wanted to see if you are ok. Everyone else is resting up, how are you feeling?" Hinata asked as her lavender eyes watched Naruto's facial expression change once again. "Yeah I'm ok. My chakra isn't regenerating nearly as fast as I would like. I think it's because of whatever Orochimaru did to me." Naruto explained with a frown as his hand instinctively trailed down to his stomach where his seal was. Hinata flinched slightly at Naruto's words which caused the frown that already was on the blond-haired boy to increase.
"Hinata… I've been meaning to ask you a question that's been bugging me." Naruto proposed as he added a spark of insistence to his voice. It was an indicator to Hinata that Naruto wasn't going to back down from his line of questioning. "What is it?" Hinata asked as she already had a good guess stirring in the back of her mind. "What happened after I blacked out?" Naruto asked as his deep aqua blue eyes pierced into Hinata's lavender ones. Hinata adverted her eyes and lightly clenched her arm which was an action he noticed her doing frequently ever since he woke up. Hinata hesitated to say anything as she tried to bring herself to meet her best friend' eyes but she was having a difficult time forming her words.
"I've noticed the way the others have been acting lately… the way they sometimes look at me. The way you've looked at me." Naruto said with downcast eyes as he watched a flash of guilt and regret cross Hinata's face and eyes. "It reminds me of the way the villages used to look at me." Naruto trailed off as he looked away from Hinata. Deep down the looks everyone was sending his way was getting to him but Naruto didn't want to admit it. Opening up to Hinata had always been a bit easier as his walls naturally fell when she was around. Naruto twitched in surprise when Hinata rested her hand on his head with a compassionate yet guilty look on her face.
"I'm sorry Naruto, it's just really scary what happened?" Hinata apologies as she scratched his hair absentmindedly which he wouldn't admit to anyone but it was one of the best sensations he's ever felt. He didn't even think Hinata was aware of her own actions. Her choice of words however brought Naruto out of his trance as his heart was filled with a bubble of fear and apprehension. "What happened?" Naruto asked as he looked into Hinata's eyes who had a look of resignation in them.
Flashback Begin
A rush of frigid cold air chilled everyone's skins to the bone as an energy wave knocked everyone off their feet. 'What's going on?' Hinata questioned herself as she was knocked off her feet. Down below her she could see a cloud of mist and energy bands flooding out of a white ball of energy. Next to her Kiba was holding on to the tree with his fingers digging into the bark. Shino was latched onto a nearby tree with Iris held tightly to his chest with her clothes rustling in the growing wind. Hinata's Byakugan came to life as she gasped in shock. All this energy was coming from Naruto.
With her all-seeing eyes Hinata saw Team 10 was entering the clearing from the other side of the forest and piggybacking off Ino's back was none other than Chaos herself. She was unconscious just like Iris who went under only a few moments ago, A tall lanky man was standing near Naruto who was covering his face as he tried to hold onto his balance. A slimy grin was on his face as he watched the scene before him unfold.
Within moments the sphere of silvery white light dissipated and a sight that Hinata, nor anyone else has ever seen revealed itself. Naruto was standing there with a deadly look in his stormy navy blue eyes. Naruto's skin was deathly pale with no color in them whatsoever, all the while his vibrant golden blond hair turned snow white with a slight glistening sheen to them. His headband had icicles growing around it sticking up into his hair with two larger icicles spiking up to look like horns. All in all, it looked like he was wearing a royal crown made from ice and crystal. His hands grew sharp claws made from crystal clear ice that looked extremely deadly and as he exhaled a breath of air a smog of frigid cold mist flew out in front of his face showing just how cold the air around him was.
"Naruto…?" Hinata whispered out in worry as she put a hand over her mouth. She had very little training in sensory skills but she didn't need to be. Her Byakugan was extremely sensitive to Yōki due to the many years she's spent around Naruto. Currently she was seeing just a bright sun of Yōki encroaching in on her vision. Naruto's jacket was blown open and his stomach was exposed to the world. An aqua blue gem was sticking out of his belly button and his 8 Trigram Seal was shrunken down and imprinted on the surface of the gem. Evangeline had undergone her transformation as her wings turned a sickly black while spitting out black snow.
Naruto was currently staring down Orochimaru who had a sickly smile on his face as he returned the stare in full. "My, my, this day keeps getting better and better. You've turned into a full demon. I don't sense a single ounce of chakra from you." Orochimaru announced as he licked his lips. 'A full demon?' Hinata repeated in her mind as she gripped her jacket tightly. Hinata could see the others who could hear Orochimaru's words start to have a questioning look in their eyes and that caused fear to grip Hinata's heart.
Before anything could be done Naruto fazed out of existence as he crossed the distance between him and Orochimaru in under a second. Orochimaru's torso was ripped in two by Naruto's claw like hand as a shockwave of freezing air blasted the area behind Orochimaru's body. A shocked look was on Orochimaru's face as he looked down at his disconnected body that was falling to the ground. Naruto had a vicious snarl on his face as he watched Orochimaru's body fall limply to the ground. Hearing the rustling of the others in the trees surrounding him Naruto started to snarl even more as he took a menacing step towards who was closes to him.
That person just so happened to be Sakura who was on a nearby tree branch and not only was she freezing cold but she was terrified of her teammate standing across from her. The killing intent emanating from him was nearly at the level of Orochimaru's when he first showed up, but this felt darker and more primal. The tree branch underneath Naruto's feet were frosted over to the point that large icicles were forming on the bottom of the branch that would impale any unlucky soul if they were to fall.
'He's going to attack Sakura! I don't think he's in control.' Hinata panicked in her mind as she felt the muscles in her legs tense. She was scared out of her mind right now since she's never seen Naruto release this much Yōki before, nor has he ever looked this menacing while doing so. With her Byakugan she could see that all this suffocating Yōki was originating from the gem sticking out of his stomach and upon seeing that very familiar stone the Hyūga princess was reminded of the time Evangeline lost control and the same gem stone was sticking out of her stomach in the same spot. 'That stone again. Just like last time, it's the cause for all the Yōki coming from their body. What is it?' Hinata questioned as she tried to rack her brain for an answer but its plainly obvious that she didn't have one.
Before Naruto could act on his current action he sensed movement behind him. Turning around he could see Orochimaru's severed halves fusing together using dozens of snakes that were connecting the body parts together. With a sick laugh Orochimaru rose to his feet while sending Naruto a look of well contained giddiness, interest, and respect. "You took me by surprise there. That was a very speedy attack. Perhaps…" Orochimaru started to monologue before he was quickly cut off by a powerful claw strike that nearly took of his head. He had to block the swift attack with his Kusanagi blade that hummed in vibration from the impact. 12 more unseen swipes by Naruto and blocks from Orochimaru followed in the next 3 seconds that had the old Sannin taking a few steps back as he was losing ground to the Uzumaki before him.
Orochimaru couldn't take this sitting down and knowing he had to leave before his presence became known to the village decided to take matters into his own hands. Gaining a few feet of distance from Naruto the snake Sannin swung his Kusanagi blade which was covered in a veil of purple energy at Naruto who had lunged forward with a claw strike covered in a trail of frigid mist. Orochimaru's strike overpowered Naruto's attack and sent him flying into a nearby tree where he splintered the bark with his ruff impact. The poor tree instantly froze the second Naruto came into contact with its surface all the way down to the splinters themselves turning them into tiny crystalline particles that flew away from the center of impact.
"Today has turned out to be one of the most successful days I've ever had. I must thank both you and Sasuke for that Naruto. I wish I could entertain myself with you a little longer but I've overstayed my welcome. It wouldn't do to become greedy. My patience will reward me with an invaluable prize in the future. Tell Sasuke I will be waiting for him. Until we meet again Naruto Uzumaki." Orochimaru said as his body started sinking into the bark of the tree branch he was standing on. The last thing anyone saw of Orochimaru was his snake like eyes boring a hole into Naruto's skull.
With the original object of his hatred and ire gone Naruto released a frustrated roar that vibrated off the nearby trees and sent shivers up everyone's spines. "Sakura! You need to move! Grab Sasuke and get away!" Kiba yelled in concern as the pink haired girl was still a little too close to Naruto who was now looking for a new target. "What's going on with Naruto? What happened to him?" Sakura questioned as the person before her was not her teammate. "Don't worry about that right now, just move!" Kiba barked as he saw Naruto turn his attention back to Sakura.
"Naruto don't do it!" Hinata screamed as she lunged from the tree branch she was perched on when Naruto tried to jump from his tree branch to Sakura's. The childhood friends collided in mid-air as Hinata tackled Naruto into a nearby tree with all her strength.
"Hinata!" Ino and Kiba yelled as they witnessed the shy girls bold move. 'This is so troublesome.' Shikamaru thought as he jumped down from his position to enter the fray. Chōji the ever-faithful partner that he is jumped down alongside Shikamaru without a second thought. Although the Akimichi clan heir was feeling scared on the inside.
Growling in pain and anger Naruto kneed Hinata in the stomach and sent her tumbling back with a strong thrust kick to the chest that nearly took the wind right out of her lungs. Coughing to regain some air Hinata had a look of fear on her face as she saw that her jacket was accumulating tons of frost all over it. She could feel that her skin was freezing cold from coming contact with Naruto and that was only for a few moments. With a snarl, Naruto was about to lunge at Hinata but instead a sharp pain shot through his head as he gripped his now snow white hair in his hands with an intense look of pain on his face. Hinata's Byakugan was still active so she saw what was happening inside Naruto's body and what she saw caused her to panic.
"No Kiba get back!" Hinata yelled in warning as she saw Kiba trying to approach Naruto from his blind spot. Hinata jumped away from the branch she was on as Kiba skidded to a halt. Seeing Hinata jumping back the rational part of Kiba's brain decided to take control as he dove off the path he was taking down to a tree branch a few stories down. It was just in time too as Naruto released a pain filled scream that accompanied a shockwave of pure Yōki. Everything within a 30-foot diameter of him was completely frozen solid in a thick layer of crystal clear ice. Black snow was falling on everyone and they could feel their skin burning at the touch of it. "What was that?" Kiba asked incredulously with his eyes wide.
"Shikamaru!" Hinata called as she beckoned the intelligent Nara over to her side. "Hinata what's going on?" Shikamaru questioned as he could tell Hinata had the answers he needed. "I can't explain everything in detail right now. We are running out of time. That pulse of power is like a timer. It's going to happen again and it's going to be bigger the next time. It's going to keep on escalating." Hinata explained as she gazed on worriedly as Naruto took his hands off his head as the pain receded. "How do you know all this?" Ino questioned as she along with Chōji stood behind the two. Chaos was laying limply across Ino's back and while the Yamanaka didn't want to voice it, Chaos was actually very heavy. A lot heavier than a girl of her age and physical stature should be. It simply didn't make any sense.
"You've seen this happen before?" Shino questioned as he joined the others with Iris securely in his arms. Kiba jumped onto the branch as well with Sasuke slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry with Sakura bringing up the rear. "Yes, and we don't have much time. I can stop him but I'll need your help." Hinata said as she could see Yōki stockpiling itself inside of Naruto again and this time just as she suspected it was of a greater quantity than last time. "Well then what's the plan?" Chōji asked as they watched Naruto search the area for them. Shino pass Iris over here to me." Hinata requested as her teammate did just that. Hinata plucked a strand of hair off of Iris's head and everyone gasped when that blond strand of hair turned into an orange and red feather. "Here's what we need to do." Hinata considered as she specifically looked to Shikamaru given his intelligence.
Naruto was scanning the forest for the ones who just attacked him and he wouldn't have to wait long. Two identical grey drills spinning at ridiculous speeds tore through the branches below him and forced him to leap out of the way. Landing on a tree upside-down Naruto growled in agitation as the twin human sized drills banked in midair as they came in for another attack run.
Hinata was scaling a nearby tree with all the speed she could muster as she was getting into position. Chōji and Shikamaru were nearby as they watched Naruto dodge Kiba's numerous attacks while attempting to strike Kiba and Akamaru down. Kiba wasn't making any progress but he was keeping Naruto off balance who was now starting to hold his head in pain again. Seeing this Kiba made a beeline straight for Naruto's prone form who noticed him coming. Swiping his hand in front of him a powerful shockwave knocked Kiba off his course and slammed him into close by tree. Naruto roared in anger as he lunged at Kiba's vulnerable form with his icicle claws ready to impale Kiba in the throat.
Before Naruto could kill Kiba his entire body stopped dead in his tracks. "Shadow Possession Jutsu complete." Shikamaru muttered with a bead of sweat rolling down his face. His hands were in a specific hand sign and his shadow was extending in a thin line from his feet all the way over to Naruto's shadow permanently connecting the two together. "Now Chōji, go!" Shikamaru advised as Chōji nodded in agreement. Making several hidden hand signs Chōji's body rapidly expands to nearly 4 times his original size. His body was completely round as he shrunk his arms and legs into his body like a turtle. Chōji was a complete sphere at this point. "Expansion Jutsu!" Taking off in a roll aided by a burst of chakra acting as a propellant Chōji was soon spinning at an incredible speed as he shattered several branches and other obstacles in his way. "Human Boulder!"
Naruto braced himself as Chōji smashed right into him and sent the both of them into the ground multiple stories below. The impact was so powerful that it left the ground cratered and shattered as spider web cracks shot out from the epicenter of the impact. Copious amounts of steam were pouring off of Chōji's body as the air was getting colder and colder. "Chōji get back!" Hinata called out as she dropped from the tree she was on. In her hand was a red and orange feather. A very familiar feather. It was Sōkyoku's feathers.
Seeing another attacker coming for him Naruto rolled out of the way at the last second as Hinata's fist slammed into the ground in causing a billowing cloud of steam and a min shockwave of white light shot out which managed to burn Naruto's skin causing him to scream out in pain. With a roar of anger from Naruto the temperature in the area plummeted to just a few degrees above zero. Taking off at high speeds Naruto shoulder tackled Hinata into a nearby tree causing her to scream out in pain. Steam was coming off of both Naruto and Hinata as Sōkyoku's feather was protecting Hinata against the copious amounts of Yōki Naruto's body was leaking off.
Hinata could see that another buildup of Yōki was starting to arise inside of Naruto as he took a swipe at her that she on sheer instinct managed to deflect with a block maneuver from her continuous training in the Gentle Fist Taijutsu art. She barely managed to defend herself with the speed Naruto was moving with. Pushing Naruto off of her which was easier than she imagined since he was weakening being in contact with Sōkyoku's Hinata slammed her palms into Naruto's chest with a burst of chakra.
Skidding back with a grunt of pain Naruto had to defend himself from an onslaught of fast and powerful strikes from his best friend who was trying her best to hit the gem exposed on his stomach. Blasting a palm strike past Naruto's head Hinata forced Naruto to duck down right into a quick strike that came extremely close to hitting the gem. Naruto was going to retaliate in anger but at the last second, he jumped away just in time to dodge an animalistic claw strike form Kiba who using his unique Inuzuka Clan Taijutsu was able to fend Naruto off for a brief moment causing him to retreat to the other end of the clearing.
Growing in a feral manner Naruto's claws started to grow longer as well as the ice around his forehead. A steady downpour of snow was flooding the clearing in a mini snowstorm like fashion. Despite the fact all of the Genin were holding one of Sōkyoku's feathers it didn't stop them from feeling the freezing cold winds bearing down on them which was hampering their movements and causing steam to emanate from their bodies. Sōkyoku's feathers were generating a protective field around each of the Genin while also generating its own heat which was causing all of the fog and steam to billow around them as it comes into contact with the freezing cold air around it.
Without warning Naruto dropped to his knees as pain ripped throughout his body. Hinata could see that Naruto was going to release another pulse of Yōki from his body again and knowing that it was going to be bigger than the last time she understood that now was her chance. After the first cool down period, she took notice of the fact Naruto's reserves had increased in size as well as the amount of Yōki currently circulating within his body. He was becoming stronger with each pulse of power he released. Hinata wasn't sure how long his body would last against the strain it was under but she had to remind herself that this was Naruto she was thinking of here and if he were to finally collapse it would be long after everyone else had already fallen.
Mustering up all her remaining strength Hinata took off with a speed she was not known for. Naruto tensed as he tried to move but a combination of the building Yōki within his body and the fact that unbeknownst to him his shadow was now once again trapped by Shikamaru's Jutsu who was in a nearby tree holding up his hand sign with a small scowl of concentration on his face forced the grim reality into Naruto's mind that he wasn't getting away.
Appearing in front of Naruto with a flourish Hinata slammed her palm directly into the gem with Sōkyoku's feather sticking directly to her outstretched palm. A crippling pressure rippled out from the epicenter of contact forcing both childhood friends apart in a violent explosion of Holy Aura and Yōki with Hinata and Naruto's screams being muted. Hinata thought she was going to serious hurt herself on impact with whatever was in her way but she found herself in the cushioning arms of Chōji who enlarged his arms just in time. Naruto's limp body slammed through a tree and fell to hard ground below with a muffled grunt of pain.
When the dust finally settled, it was to reveal a massive crater in the ground that caused the collapse of several trees in the area as well completely turning the clearing the group was in into an unrecognizable battlefield. As for Naruto, the ice that had built up on his body had melted and his frosty colored hair had returned to the vibrant shade of golden blonde that he was known for.
"Naruto..." Hinata struggled as she tried to regain her breath. Hinata could barely feel her chakra but somehow her Byakugan was still active. With it the indigo haired heiress was able to see that Naruto's chakra system was in turmoil. Sōkyoku's aura was trying to seep into his chakra coils but they were overflowing with Yōki.
With the battlefield cleared everyone came out of hiding with Ino carrying Chaos; Shino holding onto Iris; and Sakura carrying Sasuke over her shoulder. "Hinata what just happened here?" Shikamaru questioned simply with a straight face. He had a tad bit of sweat rolling down his face from exerting himself. He wasn't going to say it but actually holding down Naruto those two times actually used up the vast majority of his chakra. "We should find a place to rest and hide first Shikamaru." Ino added in as she gestured to the three incapacitated people the group was carrying. "Right."
The group settled down in a nondescript clearing far from the battle zone which ended up taking them a little off their chosen course but they decided to make do with the situation they were in. The campsite had a large tree with a hollowed-out trunk that was the perfect setup for a shelter. Naruto and Sasuke were laying down underneath the shade of the large tree. They had damp towels laid over their foreheads keeping their fevers downs; while bandages were wrapped around their bodies covering up their many battle wounds.
Everyone was huddled up inside the hollowed-out tree near the entrance patching themselves up from the few wounds they managed to incur during the battle. 'What's going on with them?' Hinata asked in her mind as she held both Iris and Chaos in her lap.
The two little girls were subconsciously clinging to Hinata like a lifeline and they themselves were running a fever. Hinata was trying not to show it but Iris skin was hot. It's naturally very warm on any given day like you were outside on a summer day but now it felt like the sun was on her skin. As for Chaos, her skin was always cold. The metallic materials beneath the surface of her skin had cooling properties that kept the Angeloid from overheating so easily, however that never stopped Chaos from overworking herself and overheating which is her equivalent of getting sick. Hinata felt her skin tingle from the dark energy and aura that Chaos naturally gives off but thanks to her many years of knowing Chaos it didn't really affect Hinata that much.
"Hinata…?" Shikamaru questioned as he sat down next to his fellow heir. He took note of how close Hinata was holding the girls and how she was silently gazing at Naruto's still form. He watched as her lavender eyes turned towards him and the lazy Nara could see the worry in her eyes. Shikamaru sighed as he didn't want to pressure a close friend of his in such a chaotic time but he needed too. Shikamaru and Hinata were actually very good friends as they've learned about each other over the long time they've been associated with Naruto. "It was Eva… her power completely overtook his body. Their Yōki was supercharged by whatever that crystal we saw on Naruto's stomach was. It possessed them." Hinata quietly said with a frown on her face.
"Do you know what that crystal is?" Shikamaru questioned as he thought about what he saw a little while back. "I don't and neither does Naruto. It's actually bonded to Eva's body, so I was quite surprised to see it show up on Naruto's body." Hinata explained the best she could while readjusting Chaos in her lap who as per usual was squirming around and not staying still despite the fact she was unconscious. Hinata wasn't even sure how that was possible but she's learned that anything is possible when it concerns Chaos. "What's all this talk about Yōki and crystals? What's any of that mean anyways?" Kiba asked with a grunt of confusion. Shikamaru and Hinata shared a quick look between each other before looking back to Kiba. Everyone else was paying close attention to the conversation as well judging by the inquisitive looks in their eyes.
"Yōki is a separate energy source that is similar to chakra but also different." Shikamaru started off while directing his attention to Kiba. "A different energy source?" Ino mumbled with a blink of her blue eyes. "It's an energy source that is not born in humans. We can't use it unless you have a bond with a being that does." The Nara explained with his usual lazy expression. "A being like Evangeline." Sakura plugged in as she showed her understanding of the concept. "Yes. Eva was born with Yōki but due to how she and Naruto have bonded over the years and the uniqueness of their relationship she can mold and create chakra as well, but at most she can only manipulate chakra that comes out of Naruto's body." Shikamaru finished with a predictable sigh escaping his lips for having to talk that much.
"So, Naruto can use Yōki too." Ino asked for confirmation. "Yes, it's a major factor that's responsible for his ability to create and use Ice style Ninjutsu. His Chakra and Yōki have blended together into a stable flow that is stronger that they are apart." Hinata took over with her whisper like voice. As always, her voice isn't very loud and even when she rarely tries to raise it you would still find that it's not that high in volume.
"Really?" Kiba blinked as he processed this in mind with Akamaru tilting his little head to the side in a cute manner. If Chaos were awake right now; Akamaru would be nowhere to be found as the little puppy is scared of the psychopathic girl. Due to Chaos's aura, she pushes away any animal she tries to get close to regardless of her actual intentions. They can sense the darkness and madness that constantly swirls around her and because of their natural instincts animals avoid her the best they can.
"Unlike chakra, Yōki is controlled by emotions. The stronger your emotions the stronger and more potent your Yōki becomes. However, that also means the harder it is to control and the more dangerous it becomes for the user and those around them. It's happened many times before over the years where Naruto has hurt himself by accident because of that very reason." Hinata stated as she again readjusted the girls in her lap. Iris's head was starting to slip off her shoulder. Hinata was lucky that Iris and Chaos were small for their age, Hinata herself was on the very small side for her age as well so she was having some difficulty with holding both twins in her lap at the same time all the while trying to keep them comfortable.
Hinata did wince in pain however since her left arm and shoulder was killing her. When Naruto shoulder tackled her earlier he plowed straight into her shoulder injuring her badly. Hinata also found it a little difficult to breath since every breath she took was extremely cold. Small wisps of cold air were escaping her lungs from the damage she took earlier when Naruto hit her in the chest. This had Hinata concerned as she checked herself over with her Byakugan and discovered that she had a lot of residual Yōki attached to her body. Sōkyoku's feather was doing its job in healing her but Hinata noticed that it was a very slow process. Most of her energy was focused on trying to enter and heal Naruto's body without harming him further with her conflicting energy.
"So, it's a double edge sword?" Kiba questioned as he tried to understand what was told to him. "In a way, yes if he gets too emotional it could affect his ability to control his power. But I'm more worried about what has happened to him now." Hinata mumbled as she looked at her long time best friend. The care and worry that was in her eyes was clear for everyone to see and her classmates felt for the heiress as they knew just how close the two best friends are. Kiba grunted as he turned away from his teammate. That look in her eyes was not something he wanted to see.
"We are in a bind right now. Team 7 is down and Sakura has to look after them. We still need to find our scrolls and carry out our plan." Shikamaru declared as he stretched his shoulders. Hinata nodded at this as she attempted to put Iris and Chaos down next to their father but something unexpected happened. Naruto's face twisted into a visage of pain the moment Hinata set the twins down next to the blond-haired boy. The girls themselves started to squirm and moments later small sparks of energy started to flash between the three blonds which scarred the others especially Hinata.
Hinata quickly took Iris and Chaos away from Naruto with a speed she usually doesn't show. "What was that?" Kiba nearly shouted while holding a hand over his heart. Hinata's Byakugan was on in an instant and she gasped at what she discovered. "His body is rejecting them. There's so much Yōki in his body right now that it's hurting him for the girls to be close to him." Hinata explained as she brought the girls back into her arms. They settled down quickly afterwards but soon that wasn't enough as smaller sparks were trailing between the family members. "I don't think they can be around him if this is what's going to happen." Sakura stated as she had a cautious look on her face.
"I don't think they can be around each other either." Hinata added on as she noticed that Iris and Chaos were starting to reject each other as well. Naruto's body was in so much turmoil that it was affecting Iris and Chaos as well. "Are they rejecting each other as well." Shikamaru questioned as he looked at the discomfort between the two sisters. "Yes. Shikamaru do you think you can take Chaos for me. I'm pretty sure she would behave if you were to watch her." Hinata suggested as she passed the tiny terror over to Shikamaru who had a look of annoyance on his face as he took the Angeloid into his lap. He wouldn't admit it but he did have a soft spot for the little apocalyptic Angeloid. His fascination on what made her tick turned into a steady but growing bond of friendship. Chaos looks up to Shikamaru like an older brother. It also helps that her advanced intellect actually surpasses Shikamaru's but she hints and teases him about it and rarely ever shows this ability.
"We need to find our scrolls and come back." Hinata stated as she channeled some chakra into Iris which prompted her to turn into a small teddy bear pendant. Doing the same to Chaos the little girl turned into a black choker with a small link of chains on it. Shikamaru picked Chaos up and placed her around his shoulder as a place to hold her while Hinata pinned Iris to her headband around her neck. With some more talking Teams 8 and 10 decided to spit up and find their scrolls with the promise of coming back to Team 7's hide out. None of the members of the Uzumaki family could be around each other for the time being so it was best to separate them for their safety. Hinata estimated that Naruto should wake up in a day or so given the state of his body.
After helping Sakura set up some traps and defenses in the area to protect their hidden camp her classmates gave her a final farewell before taking off.
Flashback End
"So, that's what happened." Naruto mumbled as he looked towards his best friend with gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you Hinata, for everything." Naruto said in a grateful tone as he didn't realize he placed his hand over Hinata's. He was so caught up in his gratitude that he glossed over that action. Hinata however felt this and her face grew cherry red as she panned her eyes down to their joined hands. A growl from near them caused both friends to jump as they saw Kiba with a scowl on his face. "I think you've thanked her enough Naruto." Kiba said as small ounces of jealously was crawling into his voice. Hinata backed away from Naruto as she tried to force the blush that was on her face down but Naruto grew a scowl on his face as he knew what Kiba was driving at.
"You've got to be kidding me, this is going to be such a drag." Shikamaru moaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Jutsu Library
1.) Shadow Possession Jutsu - This is the signature secret technique of the famous Nara Clan. The user extends their shadow on any surface even water and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through. It's also possible to split one's shadow, either to trap more opponents at once, or to create a distraction.
2.) Expansion Jutsu - This is the signature secret technique passed down in the Akimichi clan that increases the user's body size by converting their calories into chakra. The user can freely alter their size at will when using this technique, and can use it for an extensive period of time. A common application of the techniques gives the user a very round appearance by mostly increasing the size of the abdominal section, which is done in order to use the Human Boulder Jutsu. Other, more common applications increase the size of the entire body, turning the user into a giant.
3.) Human Boulder Jutsu - A threatening taijutsu trick that converts the user's large frame into a destructive weapon. The user first uses Expansion Jutsu to make themselves into a human-sized ball, then they tuck in their limbs and use chakra to propel themselves into a powerful roll. Its effective use of weight and the force of rotation make for an even greater lethality than appearances would let on, enough to pulverise someone's hand with but a mere touch. It is difficult for the user to turn in this form. This technique has the added effect of plugging up the user's ears.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys so how was that? A lot has happened in this chapter. The teams have all passed with a minor hiccup on Team 8's side. Karin shows up and manages to save the day at the last second (I bet you guys didn't see that coming). With all three teams now safe in the tower it gives Naruto the chance to finally rest after the stressful and taxing ordeal he and his classmates went through. Here he unwinds and has a conversation with Hinata that has a tiny side effect of causing him to delve into his feelings. (Puberty is kicking in for him). Hinata reveals what happened to Naruto after he passed out at the end of Chapter 37.
Naruto undergoes a transformation that Yukigrewger2 dubbed Winter King Mode. In this mode Naruto is a full demon. Not a single ounce of chakra is in his system or any of Sokyoku's for that matter. His power dramatically increases but do to the fact that he is still young it does take a toll on his body even if it's not completely evident. His insane stamina allows him to hold this form longer than what his body should be able to handle. Just like Eva his powers slowly increases over time with each pulse of power he releases but with that the strain on his body is also increased as well. If hinata and the others didn't stop him he would have collapsed on his own a little while afterwards, but by then they would have been dead.
After the battle Hinata and the others set up shop in the small tree that Team 7 uses to hide in. Hinata and Shikamaru shed some light on what they all just witnessed as well as explaining a little bit about Yoki to those present. They also learn that because Naruto's body is in so much turmoil right now the girls can't be around him. Sokyoku's holy aura is hurting Naruto and this in turn causes his Yoki rich body to reject her. The same could be said about Chaos's energy as well. This conflict makes it impossible for the family to stay in contact with each other. In a sense you could say they've all been magnetized and they are rejecting each other.
Finally you can see that Kiba hasn't quite let go of his jealousy over Naruto and Hinata's close relationship. (Puberty) As Shikamaru would put it: It's such a drag.
That's the end of Chapter 40 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 1/28/17
