Crossover: Flame of Recca, Naruto, Hitman: Contracts
Disclaimer: I don't own what other people do. I do own me, though.
Feedback: Sure thing... I like hearing how I can improve :) I also like hearing people's opinions on things. I have a fragile ego and low self esteem -- please review?
BandsThisWasWrittenTo: Norther
Pre-fic Comments:
Before anyone jumps down my throat -- I'm citing the original source for the quote, and not trying to claim it as my own (which is plagiarism, and the kiss of death for any writer's career.) This is perfectly acceptable practice when quoting, but if you want me to get academic-picky, I can do a list of references at the end.
Many thanks to all of my reviewers.
Ranma Hibiki: Well, having something and not using it is a terrible waste to my (and therefore Matora's) semi-practical mind.
Lady Light: Flame of Recca... that was one of the very first animes I ever saw, so I have a soft spot for it :) I'd appreciate any links to any other FoR crossovers that are good...
animewatcher: Erm... the chapters are longer than my other fics. Still, I take your point.
Alex Darkfire: I've got a twist planned for Snake Face... beyond what I've told you IRL, of course.
HPackrat: I probably should have, but that would be too troublesome. (You can blame Alex Darkfire for pointing out the merits of Shikamaru's philosophy to me.)
"Back to the meaning of... LIFE!"
Metallica, "Of Wolf And Man"
"Okay, guys, we need a plan," I said as our group waited at our assigned gate into the Forest of Death. The only person nearby was a Chuunin examiner.
"Oooo, oooo, we use a sixteen hit combo on the first team we come across," Naruto yelled.
"Do you even know a sixteen hit combo," Sasuke asked, one eyebrow raised.
"No..."
"Gimme the scroll," I commanded.
"Why," Sasuke asked.
"If I hold it while human, and transform to my tiger form, it'll go to the same place as my clothes and zanbatou," I explained.
"Hey, hey, can't you use your shadows to get us to the Tower quickly," Naruto asked.
I winced. "Sorry, but the two of you combined weigh too damn much to carry like that -- you've both grown quite a bit and put on muscle."
"What about if you half-transformed," Naruto asked.
"I don't want anyone to know about it... it'd be easier for you two to walk there."
Sasuke passed me our scroll. "Meet us at the Tower -- we'll get an Earth scroll to match our Heaven."
I tucked it inside my satchel, then transformed into my tiger form.
Sasuke shivered. "That is so creepy."
Naruto grinned as the large, black striped orange tiger padded off into the Forest. "Matora-niisan is cool."
"Do you think he could make me a tiger, too," Sasuke asked. "It seems to make him pretty powerful."
"Nah," Naruto informed him, shaking his head. "Matora-niisan doesn't even share that with 'kaasan."
By now, the camouflaged tiger was invisible to their eyes.
Crouching, I hid in the undergrowth as I watched my two team mates. Perhaps they did think I was headed straight for the Tower, but I did need to keep an eye on my little bro. And if they thought I was far away, then they couldn't betray my position.
I groaned, a low growl emanating from my muzzle as Naruto strolled away to take a leak, not wanting to expose himself in front of 'Gay Sasuke'. (I was so proud -- bro had learnt so much of the art of annoyance from me.) Now that they had divided the team further, though, other teams would think them to be easy pickings. Given Sasuke's relative weakness (not possessing the trump card of the Kyuubi or the tiger, and still a neophyte when it came to his Sharingan), I decided to keep an eye on him. If he died, then we couldn't pass the Second Test.
Finally, after making noise and offending my sensitive nose, an orange clad blonde returned. As if to further tweak my sense of smell, though, the blonde didn't have Naruto's scent.
Sasuke, not being born yesterday either, noticed that the imposter had his shuriken holster on the left thigh and decked the idiot.
"What the hell are you doing," the imposter asked.
I rose, whiskers twitching as I smelt two others of similar scent.
"Where's the real Naruto," Sasuke asked.
"What are you on about," the imposter asked, trying to bluff his way out.
"Your shuriken holster is on the wrong side," Sasuke scowled. He didn't bother explaining any further -- no one else was around to impress with his knowledge.
"Unlucky! You figured it out," the imposter said, poofing back into a Rain-nin with a gas mask.
I roared, leaping onto one of the Rain-nin's team mates who, in a display of gross incompetance, had not noticed me. I severed the tendons on the back of both of his knees, effectively crippling him as he fell from his perch on a low-slung tree branch. The third member began to flee, and I ignored him.
Sasuke seemed to be doing surprisingly well for himself, utilizing Katon jutsu against the nin formerly henge'd as Naruto, so I left to find my little brother.
No one got to pick on him except me!
Again, I sighed.
Why did Naruto attract weird crap!
Case example number one right now, the huge snake attacking him. It was more than half a meter in diametre, and could have easily made up twenty Narutos with material to spare for, say, another legion or so.
Well, as with Sasuke, our team couldn't pass if Naruto died. I leapt onto the back of the snake, just under the head, and almost lost one of my nine lives when another tiger, approximately twice as big as me, leapt at the constrictor as well. It was white, and I couldn't figure out how it managed to hide itself in the Forest.
I swiped with my paws at the spine of the snake, managing to expose the bone but not cut through it and thus failing to sever the nerves inside it.
Kitten, the other tiger roared at me, before attacking the snake. This is no place for a cub -- the Tiger Boss is waiting for you up ahead! Get a move on!
I paused, replying in that peculiar feline way. You'll watch over my littermate?
As soon as the other tiger nodded, I bounded ahead.
What is it, I demanded in the voiceless manner of the tiger as soon as I saw orange and black. I need to get back to my team!
The other tiger, battle scarred and aging, glared at me. I've only got a few things to say, so I'll make it quick.
I rolled my eyes.
Cubs normally get told these things, so no noise. First, no handouts. There hasn't been a summoning contract with the Tigers, and there ain't gonna be one. Second, no help. You got problems, you deal with 'em.
Is there any point to being a clan, then, I asked.
The other tiger scratched his cheek against his shoulder. Some things, any tiger'll drop everything and attack, help you a bit. One of 'em's Manda's children -- that's why Shirokuro's takin' care of that scaly piece of crap right now, and why I'm gonna go and take care of it in a bit too.
Okay, I said. Anything else?
The Tiger Boss shrugged. Eh, you'll figure 'em out as you go along.
Okay, oyabun, it's been fun but I can't play no more, I gotta take care of some things, I said, leaving in a hurry.
Another white tiger stepped forwards out of the leaves, approximately the same size as Matora's tiger form. He looked good enough to eat.
Eh, you want him, you'll have to deal with that moral crap humans deal with.
Sire, I still want him... I think I'll follow him for awhile.
Just as stubborn as her dam, the Tiger Boss muttered.
"About time you got back, dobe," Sasuke said, as Naruto finally reappeared.
"Man, there was this huuuge snake, but these tigers got into a fight with it, and--"
"Did any of them have the Earth scroll," Sasuke interrupted.
"Um, no."
"Then I'm not interested."
"But it was huge! It could have fed the whole village for a week!"
"No scroll, no interest."
"Teme," Naruto muttered. "Boring, fuddy duddy ol' gay-Sasuke..."
"What was that," Sasuke demanded.
"Ano sa, niichan, why're you back," Naruto yelled, changing the subject. He had spotted Matora returning, zanbatou slung across his shoulders, since it was too long to carry any other way.
"I got bored," Matora shrugged. "And I got a good idea -- give me the scroll, I'll keep it safe."
Both Naruto and Sasuke threw a kunai each at the Matora-imposter.
"Ha," Naruto bragged, right hand holding a 'V for Victory!' sign and left giving the imposter the red eye. "Niisan already has the scroll! Biiiii!"
"This will be more fun than I thought," the imposter said, a cloud of smoke erupting as he dropped his illusion. A woven straw hat was on his head, with a Hidden Grass hitae-ate. He was wearing a white shirt with long tails, black pants, and a purple rope belt.
"You want my Earth scroll, right," the figure said. "Since you guys have the Heaven Scroll."
With that, he ate the scroll entire, his tongue emerging out of his mouth to a prodigious length.
"Man, I bet you're popular with your girlfriend with a tongue like that," I called out, smirking. "But I guess I'll have to carve the scroll outta your guts, now."
"Matora-niisan," Naruto cheered. "Ano sa, is the scroll safe?"
"Yep," I agreed. "I hid it, far away from here. Man, you guys can't stay out of trouble, can you?"
Naruto grinned proudly. "Nope!"
"Baka! That's nothing to be proud of," I said, pulling the zanbatou off my shoulders.
"Now, let's begin the battle for each other's scroll," the man said, eyes staring at Sasuke and Naruto. "With our lives on the line."
I lifted the handle above my head, angling the blade so that the tip was just above the ground and behind me, and the center of momentum was close to my own, so it was easy for me to turn. I ran at the man, my eyes changing to amber with slit pupils, as I leapt and swung the huge blade outwards, so it arced from my back to parallel to the ground as it came to collide with the stranger's head.
I breathed deeply as the man regarded me from where he had moved unexpectedly. His once-long hair was now shortened, strands of black buried beneath the earth by my zanbatou.
"I really wasn't expecting an attack like that from cute prey like you," he said, as Naruto and Sasuke continued to sweat. "But you cut my hair."
"Nothing says I love you like brute force and blows to the head," I retorted.
"Now my prey has run," the man frowned. "Your... brother remains, though."
"Prey? You're hunting Sasuke," I asked. "Sorry, but I need him for the exam."
"Prey like you should always be prepared to run," the man smirked. "In the presence of a predator, that is..."
"Get over yourself," I said, rolling my eyes.
As the man leapt at me, I leapt at the nearest patch of shadows and melted into it, changing position to about half a kilometer away from the fight. I put the zanbatou back on the sheath, since it would hinder stealth, then melted back through the shadows to Sasuke and Naruto.
"Oi," I muttered. "I'll take you one by one away from here, then I'll transform and we'll move further away."
"Awww," Naruto whinged. "But--"
Before he could make any more noise, I grabbed him and moved through the shadows with him.