Disclaimer: *Twitch* I hate these things with a passion….wait.. there are many things I hate with a passion….*sweat drops* …ok….*sigh* I don't own Naruto…..never can and never will…unless I somehow manage to become an apprentice under Masashi Kishimoto. *pulls blue print out note the many scribbled diagrams…with Naruto in centre*
Kuroi's Note: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, I do have a life you know. *Notices blank stares* What? I do! For once the problem wasn't related to my..errr laziness. I am a blonde…I swear sometimes those stupid blonde jokes can kill brain cells….I blame it on "them" *glances around warily* "They" are evil…I swear….umm…*sweat drops* what was I talking about again? Every one should really be thanking my….friends…..*broods darkly* ..them and their damn blackmail.. *grumbles*
But! I'm in a good mood *nods head rapidly* NO MORE SQUARE DANCING FOR ME!!!!YAHOOOO!!!!! *spins in rolly chair* It should be banned! I killed myself when being spun in a circle…my partner made me fly! FLY! Now every time I move my right shoulder there's this pop, pop, crack thingy going on and it's pissing me off!….*ehem* err….sorry about that… I had to play soccer, girls against boys *grins* it turned into a full body-contact game. And the best part about that is….THE GIRLS BEAT THE GUYS!!!! *punches fist in air* Booya!
I owe a big thanks to alllllllllllllll of my editors! *grins* thanks you guys! And also to everyone who reviewed my story!!! Now on with the chapter!!!!!
"Blah"-Talking
'Blah'-Thinking
Blah- Past or also known as a Flashback 0.o
'Blah'-Someone speaking in Flashback thingy
/Blah\ -Inner self of character speaking.
* * * * *-New Scene
NEW! (Blah)- Very similar to Inner self, but…. Oh you'll just have to see, it only happens with Naruto.
NEW! *Blah* -Naruto speaking in his head to the first person from above….I think you'll know who it is by the first sentence the (Blah) person says.
Twisted Sight
Chapter 6: One Plus One Equals One
(Cast the calming apple,
Up and over satellites,
To draw out the timid wild one,
To convince you it's alright,
And I listen for the whisper
Of your sweet insanity,
While I formulate denials,
Of you affect on me…
-A Strange: A Perfect Circle
* * * * * * * * * *
He could smell it, that ever so delightful emotion. He could taste it in the air, even hear it, . Fear. Just like that from every enemy he'd faced. He grinned viciously, tilting his head to one side, like a curious canine staring at its prey before lunging forward to attack and kill. His eyes dipped to the hag's slender neck. Any normal human-being would never have noticed the steady beat against the pale flesh, but then again, one would be seriously mistaken if they thought Uzumaki Naruto was 'normal'.
(Let's kill them.) A deep rumbling voice sounding similar to thunder broke Naruto's chain of thoughts.
*Patience, we will have our chance.* He could feel his other half pace back and forth.
(Patience? I have been patient for far too long, kit.\ The fox chuckled humourlessly. /I don't trust these pesky little beasts, humans are parasites.)
*Indeed.* Naruto frowned lightly, his eyes calculating, absorbing every flaw in his environment. He'd spent a lot of his childhood and genin years in this office, the Hokage's office, and knew every nook and cranny by heart. *Don't let the bloodlust consume you. We might be able to use the Konoha warriors to our advantage.* The blonde felt the sudden change of emotions that told him the fox had finally calmed and was once more thinking rationally .
(Yes.) There was a cruel smile in that deep voice, one that Naruto had finally gotten used to. (But… Can *you* use them to your advantage? Can *you* use them as puppets, kit?) Naruto frowned. (Watch them die and be murdered?)
Naruto's eyes hardened, the red colour of the left eye burning crimson in the dying sunlight coming in through office window.
*These people are not who I first thought them to be.*
(Empty words, kit. You can not fool us. Deep down, you still hold affection for these humans.) The scowl that marred his handsome face revealed his more demonic features, his slatted eye burned brighter emotional with intensity. (You still feel, even when that light dims in the enemy's eyes. I can still feel your heart retch with guilt, pain, self disgust in the pleasure you feel when a bone cracks- of the warm blood staining your skin-)
*That's enough, Kyuubi.* Naruto hissed back in his mind, willing the memories to end.
Blood, so much of it. His breathing became erratic; red painted everything in his sight. He held his head within crimson hands, too much blood, so much death.
A horrible presence clogged the air; he couldn't breath. Cold crept its icy fingers into his limbs, reaching, grabbing the very core of his soul, of his being. Things blurred; his mind was growing fuzzy. A sudden urge to give in and just sleep away the hours was almost overwhelming.
*Stop it!*
He was reaching, trying to grab her pale hand. A small trail of blood trailed out from the corner of her mouth, just as crimson liquid dripped out of his own nose. His innocent sky blue eyes widened. The cold- he could feel it. No, he had to make it! Just one more step and-
*I said stop it! Now!*
(As you wish, kit)
Naruto lifted a shaky hand to his face.
"Naruto?" His glare focused once more on the woman before him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Naruto's behavior didn't go unseen by the godaime's keen gaze.
"Naruto?" He peered at her through the cracks in-between his fingers, his red eye gleaming with its own light.
"What?" He growled.
"Are you…." Tsunade rubbed her forehead. Migraines….. Her worst enemy had to be migraines. She glanced at him sadly, noticing the small object that hung around his neck. "You still have it." She stared at the pendant, the very same one she had given to him. She looked back into his face. Maybe the Naruto they knew was still there, somewhere in this strangers body.
"Is there a reason you wished to see me, Old Hag?"
The godaime sighed. At least he used the old nickname….
"Naruto, what happened to you?" he raised an eyebrow . "Why did you leave? We--I thought you were happy here." Tsunade's voice wavered. She thought back to the day everyone had finally figured out that the blonde shinobi was gone.
Naruto snorted, looking anywhere but her.
"Happy? How the hell could I have been happy? With the life I had?" They both knew it was a lie.
"Naruto." The demanding tone was truly fit for a Hokage.
Naruto's rich baritone voice bounced off the walls with mirth.
"Do you think you have command over me?" he sneered. "I am not a leaf shinobi, I do not follow your rules, I never have. At least, not completely." He pulled his cloak off, tossing it down next to him in a heap. He had done it on purpose so the woman's eyes could see the collar-like item dangling from around his neck. Her eyes widened upon seeing the three, perfectly cut lines sliced horizontally across the leaf-like symbol.
'He's abandoned us?' Her mouth hung open ever so slightly in disbelief.
"But why?" It felt like someone had just stabbed her with a knife and was twisting it deeper and deeper into her heart. She watched the young man stand and stretch. "What about team 7? Don't you miss them?"
"Yes, I did." His voice lightened, growing softer and filled with sadness. "They were the family I never had." The missing-nin sighed softly. " I have no right to wear this." Tsunade's pendent twinkled on the end of the silver chain. He gently placed it on the polished wood of her desk.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The young Hyuuga's slender fingers weaved the already bloodied bandages together. The injured shinobi winced feeling something 'pop' back into place.
"Hinata-sempai!" She looked up from her work and took notice of an equally worn out teammate. "Three more have come in. One is in critical condition, we aren't much help to him." The dark haired woman stood stiffly from her seat and headed to the emergency wing. Beds flanked her on both sides as she walked down the pale hallway.
'So many of them.' It had been years since so many half dead warriors lay in the Leaf village hospital. A shiver ran through the Hyuuga's body, she was at home when the phone call first came.
She looked up from her position on the floor where she'd been meditating, directing her chakra around her body as she saw fit, using it as a way to distract her distressed feelings. The phone's ringer continued to blare and didn't cease its barrage on her sensitive hearing.
'I'm coming, I'm coming.' she mumbled under her breath. 'Moshi Moshi, Hyuuga Hinat-'
'Hinata! Thank god I got a hold of you!' Hinata blinked her large eyes while staring at the receiver in confusion. Who in their right mind would be phoning her at-- she glanced at the microwave clock-- 11:40 P.M? Plus the noise in the background wasn't helping either. 'Hinata! Hinata! You there?!' She warily brought the receiver back to her face.
'Umm..-'
'We have a situation down here at the hospital!' Once more the ever so persistent voice interrupted her. 'Something's come up and we need every available shinobi medic here!' A rushed voice mumbled out something before the line went dead. The dark haired shinobi stared at the receiver once more before hanging it up and grabbing her uniform and supplies. When had her life become so complicated?
She stared down at the man in front of her. He was in a far more stable condition than any of the others. Hinata smiled grimly, but looks were always deceiving, she'd learned that the hard way.
The man, maybe in his late twenties early thirties, look pretty healthy. It was obvious that he wasn't of the Leaf, the pale metal which held the symbol of his village origins was foreign to her. The symbol twisted and weaved back into itself, forming a complex design similar to that of a multiple sided star.
She frowned, now that she thought about it, not one of the ninja that were under her care had forehead protectors with the inscriptions to the lands surrounding Fire Country. Hinata looked down at the man again, could they all be missing-nin? She checked the symbol again. No, from what she had heard and seen, a missing-nin had a line cut right across their home village's signature and there was non of his.
"What is the status on this one?" Hinata watched his breathing, nothing out of the ordinary just slow like one's when sleeping.
"All his vital signs seemed to be normal. He seems to be in an coma… but…" The pale eyed girl glanced up at the nurse with a questioning gaze.
"But?"
"We really aren't sure how to explain it," the nurse said, shifting nervously before continuing. "No one who brought him in told us what happened, actually they refuse to even say what happened in the first place. I think it would be best to see for yourself." She motioned briefly to Hinata's face before stepping back and heading to the next person. The shinobi medic paused, ready to start making the pattern of memorized hand signs.
Gold flickered just on the edge of her sight right by the only blind spot she had. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, she turned her head quickly trying to find the source. Nothing out of the ordinary, well as ordinary as you could get with so many wounded. Hinata frowned, her silly fantasies were finally affecting her head. She had always dreamed that the hyperactive, blonde boy would come back one day, and just maybe…She blushed. But….Those were dreams, and that is what they would stay as. She had a fiancé now.
She shook her head driving the confusing thoughts away. Right now she had a job to do. Focusing her chakra once more, she looked down at the man.
The pulsing veins of the Byakugan disappeared seconds later. Hinata could only stare down at the sleeping man, just stare.
It couldn't have been what she thought it was she had seen. Once again the veins appeared, then disappeared.
It should have been impossible…….
Hell! It was impossible!
But…..
Goosebumps quickly trailed up and down her pale arms.
He should have been dead! Not in a coma……
Because…..
His chakra.. Wasn't there……
* * * * * * * * * * *
His mismatched eyes watched her move from the corner of the emergency room, half hidden by supplies. Why hadn't he felt surprised? The corners of his mouth turned upwards a bit, leaving behind a ghost of a smile. He always knew that the shy girl's abilities would be best suited for the medical work, not as an emotionless fighting machine. It wasn't in her nature to hurt another being….She was too delicate and fragile of a soul to kill.
'Naruto-kun! Come play with me! Please!' A child no older than seven grinned cheekily up at the teenager. 'You promised, remember?'
He shook his head scowling darkly, something that he had been doing a lot recently. The past was one thing he never enjoyed reliving. Even if there had at one time been happy ones memories. A young medic stumbled over a stray object and fell forward, the blonde caught the girl around the waist to set her in a standing position. A blush grew aflame on her cheeks, something that was ignored altogether. Walking past the stunned female, he bee-lined to another wing ready to greet any and every one of his comrades and followers in person.
That is…….with images of a dark haired woman in his mind…..
* * * * * * * * * * *
Tsunade, fifth Hokage of Konoha Village, stared off into space. A small pendent and chain lay before her, the very same she had given to the 'village's number one loudest ninja' six years ago. A gift any shinobi would died to have given to them, since it was a sign of being favoured by their leader….a candidate to be the next in line as a Hokage.
'I have no right to wear something of this value.'
She picked up the piece of jewelry, watching it twinkle in the dim light.
'I was foolish to think I could become the next in line as Hokage.'
Tsunade's grip tightened.
'I do not deserve this villages honour, since I am the one who tainted it in the first place.'
She pulled on the necklace and latched it on.
'I can never be Rokudaime.'
"You foolish brat," she whispered, glancing out the window sadly. "What have we done, Yondaime?"
* * * * * * * * * *
The silvery light of the moon flickered softly through thick, leaf covered branches casting shadows in the deepest of places. A lone figure jumped stealthily from branch to branch, never even fluttering a silver leaf or twig. Something had disturbed the shadow's training and seemed to draw the agile being like a thirst starved animal to water; a faint whimper broke the thick silence, disturbing the smooth movements. The cloaked being sank into the shadows, like a wraith from hell, waiting…. A second whimper, closer this time. With slinky movements that could rival even the liquid flowing adulations of a big cats. Metal flickered, twisting and warping in the light.
Leaping gracefully to the cool ground, the shadowed being walked up behind the body lying limply on the ground. The dead man's neck was twisted at an odd angle, one that was impossible to happen naturally. Pale pink objects jutted out to one side of his rib cage, and the left arm lay limply, crushed most likely from a severe fall. A third whimper came to the left of the person, who spun around by reflex and instinct, aiming the long, slender, sword at the noise. Then the katakana was gently lowered, mostly out of shock and surprise.
There, lying curled up was a man, his body rocked back and forth as tremors shook him. A sleek, pale hand reached out to touch the man's shoulder. Screams erupted from him, causing the woman to back away. He in turn did the same, but in a less graceful matter. He half dragged, half carried himself away from the possible enemy that might threaten his life. He looked more like a rag-doll than a human-being. One arm lay uselessly at his side, while he dragged one leg behind him, it was almost impossible to tell what colour his outfit had been at one point in time since dry and fresh blood coated him from head to toe. Once his back hit the bark of a tree trunk, he cried out again.
"Get away from me!" He repeated the mantra sentence over and over again, gradually quieting down. The cloaked woman shivered, as soon as she first saw the shinobi, something had been amiss about him. Yes, it was a obvious reason that he was crazy, but…..
She had seen it many times in her life, the outside world she knew held no mercy for the weak and helpless. But this…..
She sighed before reaching out and touching the man's face gently. He flinched, but didn't scream. He didn't know who it could be, nor if she was a male or female. No he defiantly couldn't tell because…..
His eyes were missing…………..
* * * * * * *
Kuroi's Notes: …GOD DAMN IT! I finish this chapter and then wham! Right when I finish! I find a story! That has similar! I think I'm going to hurt something! *Turns around…and spots…a box of Pocky* ….maybe after I'm done.. investigating that box over there…..
Anyways Sayonara minna-san! And thanks again!!!