Lies Are Entertainment

by NeonZangetsu

For what is life but a lie? A way to delude oneself into carrying on, surviving the day to day, finding a reason to be. Lies and tricks were but entertainment for one such as her. She was immortal. Eternal. But not infallible. A boy forms a pact with a woman cursed by the gods...and the world will never be the same. Insanity and humor abounds. NarutoxSalem. Possibly Narutoxharem?

3. No Strings On Me

A/N: PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?

EDIT: Flames and death threats hiding in the reviews can buzz off. Let's all get along, eh?

Sooo...very...tired...still, this chapter's a wild one. The gang and I worked hard. Hope you're reeeaaaady~!

There we go, 15,000+ words for you all before I head off to work. Can't wait to read your feedback when I get back!

Still, on a sad note; a baby bird just died in my little sister's arms yesterday while I tried to save it. We couldn't do anything for the little guy after he fell out of his nest. That...that's gonna depress me for a bit T_T

Henceforth, we're trying to update every RWBY story -and the others!- at least once a month. Daily updates have become impossible given our schedules, while weekly updates don't leave me and the gang enough time to put in our best works.

Remember, magic is bullshit at the best of times and in this particular tale, Salem has had a long, long, LONG time to train her skills and hone them to a razor's edge. Throw in a generous helping of immortality that lets her recover from just about anything short of a Truth-Seeking Orb then, heals her when she "dies" and well...yeah, she's not going to go down easily. If pressed to name at least one weakness, it would have to be her arrogance. That's it. We know she has physical strength in spades from what we've seen on the show her magic is dangerous enough.

Problem is, the Naruto world is filled with poisons and tricks and traps that have BEATEN immortals before. We've all seen it.

Another problem to note here? Salem. Is. Evil.

Unlike other tales I've written, she's not yet been tamed, calmed, or otherwise placated by a lover or children. She's free from captivity once again thanks to Naruto to be sure, but she's ready and willing to rebuild her power base and terrorize this world as she did the last one. Only thing stopping her at this point is caution and curiosity. Time will tell if Naruto can temper her, or gods forbid, if she actually manages to bring him around to her way of thinking.

As ever I own NO references, memes or themes. Of course everything wouldn't stay quiet forever.

Salem and Naruto are a JOY to write here. Such snark! Much chaos! Such wow!

"Allow me to enlighten you, Naruto. The God of Light doesn't want to kill me. You see, if I force him to act directly, I win. And if I win? He loses. He cursed me, and to release me from said curse would be akin to admitting his own foolishness. A god would never do such a thing. He will not act in the way you expect him to. If he still exists, he will use pawns, peons, proxies. He will seek to trick others with lies and half truths, coerce them into doing his bidding. But I have allies of my own and he will not find us lacking.

"Wait. Just now, you said us."

...I said not such thing. You imagined it."

"Pretty sure I didn't. Awww, you really do care~!"

"Sleep now, my little prince. Tomorrow your training intensifies."

~A Moment Between Two Lost Souls.

No Strings On Me

The assassins came in the dead of night, as assassins are often wont to do.

Salem wondered if it was a point of particular pride for them; some unwritten rule mandating any and all ninja must strike from the shadows. Perhaps there was. Who could say? Really, it all seemed rather silly to her. What point was there in attacking when you could barely see the sword in front of your face? Anyone with half a brain expected such these days. Foolish little things must've thought themselves terribly clever, striking under the cover of night. So naive. Back in her day Assassins at least had some flair.

She could've killed them with a snap of her fingers. Instead she waited in her bedroll as they crept closer.

Naruto slept soundly only a few yards away in his sleeping bag, protected by one of her most powerful wards.

Remarkably, the assassins didn't attempt to retrieve him as Salem thought they might. Not at all. No, they went for her.

Initially, she wasn't sure what their intentions were until she heard the rasp of drawn steel, saw her killer's blade flicker in the dull light as it swung back toward her throat. So very slowly. In the past, many had come to kill her in both daylight and darkness. They'd all failed. Be it poison or even seduction -one of he would be killers had been a particularly enterprising individual- none could stand against her. They'd only sent two men to kill her? How very insulting.

"She's...She's just a child." a big brute of a man wearing an Ox-mask murmured. "We weren't told of this."

Salem nearly blinked and broke her ruse. A child?! Were they blind?! She was-oh, right. She hadn't reverted to her proper form. She squinted in the shadows to find his partner, spying magenta hair hidden behind a Cat-mask. Oh? Her eyes drifted lower. Widened. Not a man, then. A woman. Well, good for her. They were both going to die all the same.

"Its doesn't matter, Ox." his partner hissed. "She's a threat to the village. She dies."

"Those weren't our orders, Cat." She heard something shift behind her.

"To hell with orders! Orders got Hayate killed!"

The Queen of the Grimm gave her would-be-victims a stay of execution as they bickered back and forth, the better to ponder. Anyone skilled enough to slip into the Forest of Death and evade the horde of Grimm within -not the mention that bloody dragon!- was either strong, foolish, or some heady combination of the two. She could use that. He contractor was growing in strength and power every day, but at the end of that day, he was only one person among many. Granted, he could field a small army, he still had his limits.

Until she shattered said limits, he would be weak. Vulnerable.

Could these two hurt her? Unlikely, but she confessed herself curious. She had yet to test herself since coming to this world. Blasting that fool into the ravine didn't count. When the woman drew her blade, Salem didn't even deign to rise. She let the blade rise and fall upon her neck; reveled in the brief flash of pain that followed, and went still.

It was good cut, Salem thought. Swift. Efficient. Clean.

Her poor neck never stood a chance; the impact alone sheared her head from her shoulders and sent it spinning into the undergrowth. Her body stiffened for a moment and went slack, like a forgotten puppet severed from its master's strings. Left behind to rot.

And yet Salem did not die. Her curse forbid it. As she knew it would.

A faint pulse of light regrew her body from the neck down; another made her whole again; a third restored her clothes and had her rising from from the bushes with a put upon sigh. Honestly, these children. She'd tried to behead herself ages ago. It hadn't worked back then, and it wouldn't work now. It only left her with another corpse to dispose of. Her own. She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, producing a silent pop in the base of her spine as she stretched.

She could have made herself known in an instant. Instead she cloaked her self in a shadow-spell and listened from her new cover.

"You didn't have to do that, Yugao." Ox-mask shook his head slowly.

Ah. A gentle soul, then. Just like Hazel. Perhaps he might prove useful after all.

"Yes, I did." The woman sheathed her sword with a bloody flourish. "The only good enemy is a dead enemy."

"We could have taken her in!" the giant butted his shoulder against hers, driving his compatriot back half a step. "Questioned her!"

"No!" the now-named Yugao rounded on him with a hiss. "Hayate tried that. He died for it! Besides, we were given bad information. She died just like anyone else."

A small smile plucked at the corner of Salem's mouth. Well, well, well. Seemed a certain someone was meddling where he shouldn't be. "He" could have been anyone. The God of Light, Ozma, or even that senile old fool who led the village. She couldn't afford to make assumptions. One wrong move and she risked uniting this entire village against her, if not the world. A few fragmented attacks she could handle at this stage, but anything resembling a coherent front was to be avoided until she could fortify her position. She didn't want be bested again.

But she couldn't let these two walk away, either. They would take Naruto. They would undo nearly a month of hard work.

Losing her contractor? No. That...that was unacceptable. She gathered legs beneath her and leaped.

Didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun with them, though.

"Surprise~"

Salem would forever remember the large one's reaction when she landed on his shoulders, kicked his companion away, and leaned over the man's broad back to sneer at him. He stiffened beneath her. As well he should, the braggart. She could well imagine how she must look to the poor fool, silver hair framing her pale face, hanging upside down with her selfsame sneer. While she might physically resemble a little girl, her smile was that of a grown woman, a cruel and twisted thing. Tyrian's madness always paled in comparison to her own. And that wasn't even the high point of her evening.

"That wasn't very nice of you, you know." she cooed, squeezing his cheeks. "You let your companion kill me. What if I died?"

She could see the gears turning in his brain in confusion. "Bwuh?"

Bwuh, indeed. His fear was delicious.

A girl could get drunk on this.

"Get away from him!"

"Do sit down, dear. Your betters are talking."

When his companion tried to rise, Salem flicked a lazy finger in her direction. Dozens of shadowy tendrils burst from the dark at their mistress's command and yanked Yugao backward. One found her mouth, another took hold of her legs. Still, she left the poor girl's sword arm unbound if only to give her false hope; to watch that hope wither and die. The woman drew her blade and desperately tried to saw at them, to no avail. She wouldn't be breaking through that anytime soon.

Which left the Queen with her prey.

"Now then," Salem hummed. "What to do with you...?"

The Ox Anbu gulped. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to talk this out between us...?"

"Hmm." Salem's smile didn't waver as she leaned over him. "Would you be willing to do the same if I invaded your home and attacked you?"

"Technically speaking you did...?"

"Irrelevant." she grabbed him by the face. "This forest is my home now. You're the one trespassing."

Although the man's mask hid his expression from her, Salem felt his terror all the same. Lurking just beneath the surface, held in check by sheer willpower. He'd seen her die. But for all his anxiety, he didn't cry out. Even as her fingers dug into mask and found the flesh beneath. Even when that hardened porcelain beneath it began to fracture and crack, still he didn't scream.

"Do your worst, then." she heard him grit his teeth behind it. "My will is strong."

"Is it now?" Salem's smile was just the wrong shade of vicious. "Lets test that, shall we?"

She gripped both sides of his head with her legs and flung herself forward, levered her victim facefirst into the ground with a vicious crunch. She heard what remained of his mask shatter as she climbed off him and glided some distance away. That wouldn't be enough to kill him, surely. She counted to three and sure enough he rose, clutching at his face with one hand. She glimpsed a bearded face, and a lone eye of purest silver gleaming back at her through parted fingers.

"This is nothing...!"

For only the second time since her rebirth, Salem stopped smiling.

"Those damnable eyes again." The words tore out of her with a hiss. "Well, well, well. Today's just full of surprises isn't it?"

She raised her hand and prepared a spell to pop the large one's head, only to stumble as something slapped her back from behind. The spell eeled out of her grasp, turning her magic sluggish. Her expression turned bleak as she realized who had struck her. She frowned and looked down, searching for the source. A lone knife jutted from her shoulder.

"Really, now?" Her right eye began to twitch toward Yugao. "That's just petty."

"Bite...me...

When she sought to pry it out and take a step forward, her legs buckled, sending her slamming down onto her knees. Pale fingers twitched into fists at her sides as incredible pain wracked her flesh from head to toe. She felt ill. Sick to her stomach. Everything began to spin and what little she'd eaten this evening threatened to come boiling back up her throat all over again. Anyone else would've panicked. She felt only a detached surprise as her every muscle clamped down. Poison? Hmm. Maybe these two weren't so foolish after all.

"Resistance is futile, I'm afraid." The man -Ox?- raised a hand in some silent sign she didn't recognize. "That venom could drop an elephant. I'd asked Yugao not to use it...

He made another sign.

"May you find peace in death."

Salem's amusement shriveled up faster than Vacuo.

"Peace, you say? Peace? Peace?!" She reared back with a hiss. "You dare speak to me of peace?!"

She drew her stiff fingers back, gripped her right arm by the elbow with trembling fingers and used it as leverage to force compliance from her traitorous limb. Ox balked at her, and she used that moment of confusion to strike. Pale fingers plunged through her chest to find her heart. She grasped it, tore it out and flung it down at the Anbu's feet, casing him to shrink back in disgust.

"You would kill yourself?!"

Salem sagged and leered at him with bloody teeth. "Not...quite."

Sure enough, her "death" activated the God's Curse, denying her rest. White light flowed across her body like milk, closing the gaping hole in her torso, restoring her body to its physical prime. All toxins and poisons were purged by the light that bound her, anything that might harm her removed and cleansed. Salem rose swiftly, shadows steaming from her shoulders as she stalked forward. Strong fingers gripped the knife's hilt and ripped it free from her flesh, casting it aside with a visceral spatter.

"I am BANISHED from death!"

Her remaining wounds closed in an instant and her hand lashed out, seizing the throat of her would-be assassin. She lifted him from the earth as though he weighed no more than a child. The man gurgled, hands flying to her limb, to no avail. He couldn't pry her hands free. Dark eyes bulged behind his mask as the Goddess of the Grim gripped his windpipe and squeezed, cutting his breath off in a rattling wheeze. Meaty fingers pried at her face and she scoffed at his weakness, unflinching as he tried to push her away. So fragile these mortals. Without any Aura, they broke so...easily.

"And you?" she leaned forward, her lips brushing the outer lobe of his ear, drinking his fear in like a fine wine, "I had planned to kill you. But I think your body will prove more useful." her grin turned crueler still, full lips curving into a ghastly grin. "You see, there's something I've been meaning to test."

Balefire burned white-hot in her off hand, glowing a pale blue.

"I told you I was banished from death, no?" she cocked her head to one side, holding up that gnarled green flame for him to see. It danced in his wide eyes, burning impossibly bright as cradled it loosely in her palm like a tiny babe. "In a sense, the same applies to those who serve me." she drew the words out, savoring the Anbu's confusion. His fear. She wouldn't be afforded such a banquet again for quite some time. "Come the end, I ripped their souls away and stole them for myself. I suppose you could say it was petty of me. And yet...

Blood red eyes drifted lower, falling to his chest.

"What we have here is a rare opportunity, one that might not come again. You rather resemble an old henchmen of mine. Ironic, no?" Oh dear, the man's face was turning blue. "I'd dare say you're the perfect fit for him." Best not to kill him yet with that in mind. She slackened her grip, allowing him to draw in a rasping breath. "I could torture you for information, but I suspect you won't break, much less serve me willingly." a pause followed as she considered the matter. "Will you?"

"No!" She watched the muscles bulge in his neck. "My loyalty is to the Leaf! Do your worst, woman!"

Salem inclined her head. "I believe you. For what its worth, I respect your resolve. Unfortunately for you, you no longer have a say in the matter."

Her palm gently pushed into his chest, forcing the flame into Ox's flesh. The man shuddered and shook with every inch, his body convulsing in her grasp while she forced the tiny ember deeper. Naturally, the Anbu resisted her with all his might, body and soul, hissing and spitting and thrashing and kicking out at her. But his will was no match for hers. He had but thirty summers to his name. She had many more. She brushed his resolve aside and withdrew her still-shimmering arm, frowning as it became corporeal once more.

With the deed done, Salem dropped him.

The once-masked Anbu didn't even think to attack her. He balked, hands flying to his chest as he patted himself down furiously. Behind them, Yugao cried out furiously, cries muffled against her gag. Salem ignored the foolish twit, instead watching her victim intently as fear and terror warped into confusion and then...aha. There it was. Hope. She always loved crushing that. It made the soul-crushing despair that followed all the more potent.

"What have you done to me?" the ruined Anbu rasped.

"I?" Salem tilted her head. "I have done nothing. Hazel, on the other hand...

Ox twitched. His face convulsed. "W-Who is Hazel? I don't understand. I feel...feel...oh gods...

His right arm flew up to seize his throat, fingers crushing against his windpipe with superhuman strength. Ox cried out and grabbed it with his left, only for that limb to betray him to. His legs kicked out wildly and threw him backwards once more, back slapping against the ground as he collapsed into a fresh fit of seizures. Silver eyes bugled as he gasped for words that wouldn't come. The screams that followed were hideous. It would have been kinder to kill him; to simply snap his neck like brittle kindling and cast his corpse aside for the maggots.

Salem was not kind.

Bones cracked as the Anbu's body twisted and shifted, making way for the new soul within. The same soul that was even now ruthlessly strangling Ox from existence. Skin rippled as the already large man gained yet more mass still, acquiring corded muscle atop that of of what its host had already worn. His face changed and shifted, no longer his own. Skin rippled, betraying him with each passing second.

Thirty seconds elapsed before the screaming ceased.

Without warning, Ox went limp, his cries cutting off. His eyes turned glassy for a moment, then hardened. Sharpened. Gained focus. Resolve. He set his jaw, pulled his hands away from his throat and used them to push himself upright once more. Rising on trembling legs, the man who had once been known as "Ox" steadied himself and looked left. He looked right. His gaze passed over the still-bound Yugao for a fleeting moment, then ignored his former companion altogether

Then he saw Salem.

For a moment, Salem wondered what he would do. Hazel's grudge had ever lay with Ozma, not the world. As far as she knew, Ozma wasn't here and would never return to this world. Hazel might be happy to learn that truth. Compared to the others, he was remarkably simple to understand. Cinder lusted for power and would push too hard, too fast. Watts wanted someone to stroke his ego. Tyrian was just...mad. Hazel was by far, the lesser of four evils. But his strength and Semblance were needed here.

A giant fist crashed into the ground as the giant knelt before her and bowed his head low.

"My queen." he sounded just as she remembered him. "What do you wish of me?"

Salem patted his head. "Welcome back, Hazel. There is much to do."

He gave her an odd look at that, but didn't question her, nor did he pull away. Good boy. He remembered his place. Explanations would come later. For now, there was no time, and there were loose ends to tie up. She doubted she'd find someone quite like Cinder or the others anytime soon. She wasn't even sure she wanted to try again. The ritual had left her weakened, almost alarmingly so. She would need time to recover.

"Rise. I would have you guard that boy." she gestured flippantly to Naruto, still blissfully unaware of the world as he slept within her ward spell. "I have tasks to attend to. I will answer your questions come morning."

That seemed to mollify him somewhat, for he stood and lumbered toward her Contractor. "As you say."

"Now, then...

Blazing scarlet eyes snapped to his companion.

...what to do with you? You do realize I can't allow you to leave here."

At some point, Yugao had finally cut herself free. Now she raised her sword in defiance. She did not run. She did not retreat. She stood firm in the face of death, tears running down her face behind her mask. Fool of a girl. She should've fled when she had the chance. Was she paralyzed by fear or-no, she was moving again. Poor girl.

"Monster...what did you do to Ox?!"

"He should be grateful. I gave him a purpose."

Yugao rushed her with a wordless battle cry, blade raised high.

Salem scoffed and assumed her true form in a rush of dark light. A bare palm slapped the blade from Yugao's hand when she struck at her even as another grabbed the Anbu by the face. In a single seamless movement the Queen of the Grimm pivoted on one heel and pinned her against the first tree she encountered. Pale fingers ripped aside the shinobi's mask with ease and dug into the right side of her face, steadily applying pressure to the sensitive iris beneath. Wait. Pressure...!

"Tell me your name, child." It wasn't a question.

"Go to hell, demon!"

No, no, no. That wouldn't do at all. She'd had her fill of defiance tonight. Salem tightened her grip and the young woman buckled with a keening whine. Her legs kicked wildly in the air as her entire body thrashed anew in a vain attempt to escape. Still, the immortal didn't relent. Her fingers hooked into claws, ready to rip and tear.

"I'm sorry, did you think think I was asking you?"

"Yugao...Uzuki...!" her prey rasped. "There! Are you happy now?! Just kill me!"

That would be easy, wouldn't it? She couldn't think of any real use for this one and no desire to repeat the ritual. By rights she should simply slay her. If she let her go now, she'd undoubtedly report to her superiors. Yet a fresh thorn of curiosity stayed her hand. These were the first visitors she'd suffered in nearly a month. It would be remiss of her to waste such an...opportunity. Hazel could be grilled for information at a later date; given that he'd possessed Ox's mind and memories.

On a whim, she decided to satisfy her curiosity.

"A strange name." she hummed. "Tell me, what do you seek in life?" An ugly thought occurred to Salem, then. "Why are you here, child of the Leaf? I thought I made it clear that I wasn't to be trifled with back in the ravine."

"We...were sent here to retrieve Uzumaki Naruto!" Yugao whimpered.

Salem didn't relent. She dare not. "And who sent you?"

"The Hokage!"

Well. That didn't help her at all. Was she speaking the truth? Yugao certainly seemed to believe it was. Which meant it might not be Ozma's work. But it could be. Blast it. She'd been hoping to find answers, but it didn't seem as though she'd be getting them. In any case, killing clearly hadn't been part of those orders. This little minx had been the one to escalate things. If she'd simply tried to snatch Naruto and run, she would've simply tanned the girl's hide and sent her packing with a good spanking. None of this would've been necessary.

"You seem to believe those words. How quaint."

"That boy isn't yours to claim!" Yugao snapped.

"WRONG." the word slammed down any hope of defiance, causing her prey to wilt. "He is mine. We made a pact, he and I. He is mine, and I am his." Until death did them part. Not even the Gods themselves could break such a binding oath as this. "I will release him in the coming days, but even then he belongs to me. You will not take him. You will not touch him. You will not come here again." Pale hands pinched her cheeks. "Now, I will ask you once more. What do you seek?"

Bloodshot eyes seared into her own. "Your death."

How precious. She wanted to be cute, did she? Salem cutely rattled Yugao's skull against the tree for it.

"Lie to me again and I'll open you from your belly to your brain and feed you your intestines." she hissed into the starstruck woman's ear. "Or perhaps you'd rather lose your eyes? I hear blindness is all the rage these days. No?" her lips pursed into an irritated scowl when the Anbu frantically shook her head. "Then tell the truth, would you kindly?"

Yugao's head lolled to the left in her grasp. When she spoke, it was a whisper.

...nce."

Salem strained to hear it. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that...

"Vengeance!"

Aha! Now they were getting somewhere.

"For whom?" Salem twisted her face viciously. "Yourself? Your family? A lover? What will you feel when you avenge them? Shame? Horror? Power?"

Yugao grit her teeth, her face twisting. Salem wrenched her neck and bared her teeth.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Justice!" The woman's voice broke into a sob. "Retribution!" Her head snapped forward to slam against Salem's with snarl, drawing a startled blink from her captor. "I'll make that bastard suffer for taking Hayate from me like that! Then I'll put his head on a spike! Now kill me or don't! Because I swear by the log, if you mock me one more time...!"

"Oh, you poor thing." Salem unbent enough to pat her cheek. "You lost your beloved, didn't you? Someone took him from you."

Bright eyes blinked rapidly. "W-What?"

She knew that feeling well; felt she could empathize with that kind of pain. Agree with her even. Ozma may have turned against her in the end -thanks in no small part to the Gods!- but this woman's love had been stolen away by fate itself. Killed. Murdered in the coldest of blood. Nothing else could possibly instill such seething rage in one quite so young. It drove her. Motivated her. Made her...pliable. It was so easy to recruit others when you knew what they wanted; it was why she often preferred the carrot to the stick. Men and women lined up to serve you when you promised them their heart's desire.

On a whim, Salem made her choice. The girl rather reminded her of Cinder; she simply sought retribution instead of power.

She was rather curious to see what would happen here. Just what sort of delicious despair would Yugao create in search of revenge? Would she find a new purpose once she had it? Would she break? Something else? The thought left her trembling with anticipation. Moreover, she wasn't willing to risk returning Cinder to the world. Not yet.

"How far would you go for your vengeance?" she wrenched Yugao's face back to hers. "What would you be willing to sacrifice?

Yugao went still in her grasp. "You're lying. You can't help me."

"Poor unfortunate soul. So sad. Such a shame...

"Don't mock me!"

"I would us a spell to locate him for you," a small smile wreathed Salem's face as her captive went still beneath her. "But there is a price."

"Spell? Magic?" Uzuki blinked rapidly, not quite comprehending what she'd just been told. "Do you mean a jutsu?"

"Ugh." Red eyes rolled. "You blasted people and your terminology. Call it what you will."

"How can you possibly do such a thing?"

"My powers are far beyond your understanding." Yugao set her jaw still and Salem hastened to cut her off before she had a chance to mount a verbal counterattack. "Now describe your beloved to me. How did he die? In what way was he killed? Spare no detail, no matter how scant. I would know his face."

Yugao spoke freely. Words flowed from her lips as she painted a picture of her beloved's death, his words to her the night before, everything. Salem listened intently to her captive, both bemused and silently furious in the same measure. What manner of fool rushed into death alone? Even Ozma wasn't fool enough to face her alone after their first spat. Yet this man had told his beloved where he was going, what he was doing, and expected to return despite the fact. Did his arrogance know no bounds?

Reluctantly, Salem released her captive. "Be still."

Yugao could've bolted, but she didn't. Her desires held her captive, stronger than any cage.

By contrast, the scrying spell proved easy for Salem. Effortless, even. Any half-decent mage could've used one during the Age of the Gods. She could pull images from the very air itself and did so now, if only to prove a point to the stubborn shinobi still wriggling in her grasp. She'd trained her skills well beyond morality and Yugao had left a wealth of information dangling at her fingertips. It was the work of minutes to find the knowledge she sought. The fool hadn't even tried to hide his handiwork. She knew his name now. Baki. A ninja of the Sand. Was that important? She wasn't sure.

Yugao watched the moment of her beloved's death with ashen eyes, saw the scene replay time and time again.

"What is his name?!" Once it finished, she grabbed at her. "Where is he now?!"

Salem chuckled. Did she expect her to give such information freely?

Silly girl.

"Swear yourself to me." She thrust her hand forward, causing the bereft woman to bounce back and reach for a knife. "Swear to guard my Contractor until he is of age. Swear that you will speak of what you witnessed here to no one. Promise me this and his name is yours." a coy smile touched her lips. "Why, I'll even tell you where he is sleeping at this very moment. Vengeance is just a discreet knife thrust away."

"My loyalty is to the Leaf." Yugao pursed her lips.

"Yes, yes, as you're all so fond of telling me." Salem forbore the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm not asking you to betray your precious village." a pale finger rose between them and her potential minion watched it, tracking that snow-white digit like an angry hawk. Good. She should. "Merely to honor the terms I've laid out for you. Nothing more." When Yugao still didn't budge Salem honestly considered blasting her for a moment. She needed the girl to be willing, or she'd never accept her offer. Such a pact could not be forced. "Honestly, if I had even a single minion like you shinobi, I would've conquered the world by now!"

"I can find him on my own." said kunoichi bridled. "You've shown me his face."

"Perhaps you could." Salem allowed with a patient smile. She could sense her resolve crumbling. "Perhaps not." Yugao's face twisted as she preyed upon her doubt. "What if he slips away? What if he goes into hiding?" Each word widened the rift in her heart. "Knowing his name and where he lays his head at night would open doors for you." Every sentence knocked bricks out of her wall of resistance. "Doors that might otherwise remain closed if you reject my offer." The woman's eyes fluttered shut and she knew it. She had her. "Well?"

"..."

"Are you willing to risk it?" Salem leaned forward, lips brushing her ear. "Without my help, you may never avenge your beloved...

Yugao's palm all but slammed into hers.

Salem's grin turned vicious.

"Yessssss."

Her newly claimed Anbu noticed the sudden shift in her smile, but it was too little too late. Salem's fingers were iron against hers as she pulled her close. Bright eyes widened as something shot down the woman's arm and into hers, burrowing beneath the flesh of her wrist like a beetle. Yugao grit her teeth against it, one eye snapping shut in a wince as crashed down to a knee. But she did not let go. For that, she earned some semblance of respect from Salem. Well, in as much as she could trust someone.

"What...what sorcery is this?!" she hissed.

"Why, I've merely sealed our pact." Salem pulled her arm away with a hum, content in her victory as the girl glowered at her. "What is done cannot be undone." Poor thing looked more resigned that betrayed at that, suggesting she'd suspected as much. "Should you attempt to speak of this night to anyone save me and my allies, you will die." She'd still made a deal with the devil anyway. How quaint. She must truly desire revenge. "That Grimm Parasite will silence you before the words leave your tongue."

"Grimm?"

Yugao grimaced, but didn't challenge her. A pity, that. Perhaps she had more sense than she let on. More than Cinder, certainly.

"The man you seek is named Baki." Salem held up her end of the bargain, rattling off the information that had been burned into her brain. "You will find him at the following address. You will find him heavily guarded. I would recommend waiting until that...thing isn't nearby. Tomorrow would be best."

Yugao scowled at her. "May I leave, then?"

Salem smiled indulgently. "You may. I'll see you tomorrow."

The Anbu flinched, but didn't look back as she picked up her sword. She didn't dare. Her choice had been made. Salem watched the battered girl's stiff back as she bent to retrieve her mask, dusted it off, and donned it once more. Only then did she turn to face her. Bright eyes swept past Salem, glancing toward Haze, who had continued his lonely vigil over Naruto. Perhaps sensing her gaze, the berserker looked up. Their eyes met. An ember of recognition stirred there.

Uzuki gripped her sword until her knuckles turned white.

"Do not throw away her mercy." Hazel intoned. "She rarely offers second chances."

His words hit the swordswoman like a physical blow and she fought down a flinch. "It shouldn't be this way."

"Yet it is." the giant shrugged, either unaware or simply uncaring of her ire. "For what its worth, I'm glad she didn't kill you. Life is precious."

In another life, Salem might've pitied the poor girl. Perhaps even tried to console her. Now? She was too tired to care. If she stopped to mourn ever ant she trod upon, she'd be swimming in a river of tears. Hazel was easily worth ten of some faceless Anbu whose name she couldn't even be bothered to remember. Had she even asked it? The concept of "Ox" had already begun to fade from memory, one more encounter among many in eternity. By tomorrow, she doubted she would even remember the man whose soul she had destroyed.

"Ox...

Salem frowned.

...is gone. Only Hazel remains."

"You're a monster." Uzuki whispered.

Was that her hang up? Such hypocrites, these shinobi.

"Am I?" Salem afforded her a slow blink as she drew herself up to her full, towering height. "You may be right. Perhaps I am. At least I'm honest about it." she shrugged when the Anbu didn't take her hand from her sword. "I do not seek to destroy solely for the sake of it. The fault there lies with you."

"How?! You killed Ox!"

"Yes. I did." Red eyes narrowed on her. "And had you retreated rather than attack me like a selfish child, I would've let you be."

Uzuki made a choking sound. "You make it sound like we're the ones to blame here!"

"Because you are, silly girl. I am not your enemy. Go. Now."

With one last longing glance at the being that had once been her teammate, Yugao Uzuki sheathed her blade and fled away into the night. Salem watched her go and counted the seconds, stretching out her senses as she watched her through the eyes of countless Grimm lurking in the trees and the forest beyond. Five. Ten. Fifteen. She finally relented when the Anbu woman finally broke the treeline and escaped back into the village.

Only then did she spare a glance for Hazel.

"Do you remember her?" she asked.

"Hrrm. Difficult to say." The giant turned away from his vigil and rose to his full towering height. "I feel nothing for her. This body however, does. She was a friend to its original owner." He thumbed his chin in thought. "I think...I think he would be glad that you spared her."

For some reason his praise pleased her. She rather liked the feeling.

Salem offered a small shrug.

"Enough of this sentiment. I need you to keep watch over my body for a moment."

"May I ask why?"

She grinned. "I need to have a...chat with someone."

He nodded silently. As she'd said, there was much to be done, and little time in which to do it.

Dropping to a knee, Salem touched a hand to the still-sleeping Naruto's stomach, and the seal within. Red eyes narrowed to thin slits as she began to work her magic. Not to restrict the array of course, and she certainly couldn't release it. She lacked the power to do so. No, for once, her intentions were actually somewhat benign.

"Now then, where is that blasted fox...aha!"

Her vision blurred.

---

(.0.0.0.)

---

Darkness met darkness in a rotten cage.

"So." Salem hummed, gazing up at a living incarnation of destruction. "We meet at last. You can stop playing dead, now. Naruto is fast asleep."

Silenced reigned supreme.

For a fleeting moment, Kurama honestly considered ignoring the Queen of the Grimm solely out of spite if nothing else. It was something he'd already done before; theirs was something of an unspoken agreement. In the beginning she'd let him be, and so had he, her. She clearly knew better than to try and hit outside of her weight class, and he wanted nothing to do with a woman who could summon monsters, let alone charm others with her silver tongue. Oh yes, he was well aware of her tricks. After all, he'd just seen some of them in action. He'd had a good chuckle watching the Queen of Grimm browbeat that Anbu into submission.

Not the soul-smashing bit. That was...concerning.

"Don't ignore me, beast." Salem's voice cut through his thoughts. "I know you're in there. Wake up! We don't have time for this!"

"Don't think I haven't noticed what you meddling with my host, demon." Behind the bars of his cage, a giant eye open as he stirred once more. "Why have you come here? Surely not to fight me. Even you would not be that foolish."

"No, no, no. Perish the thought." The Goddess of Grim spread her arms and granted him a sly smile. "I've come to bargain. I think we can help each other."

Rusty laughter shook the world, turning that smile into a scowl.

Kurama couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed. When had that been? He couldn't remember. Ages, at the very least. Kushina hadn't been able to draw so much as a chuckle from him. Nor had Mito before her. No, he remembered now. He hadn't laughed since the Sage. He wasn't sure he liked how it sounded. And this one was joking, surely. What could she possibly give him?

"You have nothing I want." with a final sigh he turned away from her and laid down once more. "Begone. This conversation is over."

"Don't I?" her voice called to him almost enticingly, heedless of his ire. "How does your freedom sound?"

He turned and pressed his snout to the bars. "You cannot grant me such a thing."

"No," Salem admitted freely. "But I know someone who can-

"YOU DARE?!"

Something in those words set Kurama off and he lashed out at this vile temptress with all his might; driving a mighty paw against the bars. Curved claws stabbed outward through the gaps between, passing well within an inch of Salem's visage to blast her hair back from her face. The water at her feet evaporated, hissing into angry steam to sting at her pale visage.

She didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

"Did you know I was a mother, once?" Salem spoke slowly, drawling into the silence that followed. "I raised four girls before they were taken from me. They were far more terrifying than you."

Kurama peered through the bars, giving this creature a second look. He didn't like what he found there. He'd seen evil in his day. He'd fought against more than a few in his prime, even been called it a time or two himself during his rampages. He knew what it meant to be feared and hated, loathed and cursed. He knew evil. Some said he embodied it, though nothing was further from the truth.

This?

This was not evil.

This was death itself.

Here stood a broken woman; a being denied her rest time and time again until something finally snapped. A creature poked and prodded to the brink of insanity. He could see it in Salem's eyes. She wore her mask well, but there were cracks in it, fractures keen eyes could see. Salem might smile and act like the doting parent or a gentle lover, but it was a ruse. She pretended to have emotions, played at being something she wasn't. She lived for chaos and destruction, for lies and entertainment, nothing more.

And yet somewhere in that stone heart of hers, she felt something for his fool of a host.

That was the only reason he hadn't bothered to intervene...yet.

"What are you?"

"Cursed." Salem's lips peeled back in a silent snarl and for a sliver of a second, those angry red veins seemed to pulse in her face. "Damned by the gods to walk the earth forevermore. You cannot kill me, beast. Not for good. The gods themselves cannot kill me. I cannot kill me. However...

Black flames leaped to her fingers as she spread them wide, angry and hungry alike.

"I can hurt you."

"Hrmph." a gust of hot hair greeted her. "Empty boasts!"

"I speak only in truth, and I have had eons to perfect my craft and grow in power." she intoned, eyes burning red. "Believe me when I say that, while I cannot necessarily kill you, I could cause you great pain. The only reason I do not is because I see no need to do so. Our interests are better served as allies than enemies. Do not. Test me."

She'd do it, too.

She might not be able to do half of what she claimed, but this madwoman was mad enough to try and had nothing left to lose. That made her dangerous. She could hurt him at the very least, and within the seal he had no way of fighting back. It would be a different tale if they met on the battlefield. Here, in his limited capacity? Not so much.

"What do you want, then?" he growled.

"What do I want?" Salem parroted the words back at him with a smile. It reminded Kurama of a shark. "That's a loaded question, isn't it? I want so many things. So very many things." She released a viciously short breath and the flames fled from her fingertips. "I want vengeance. I want justice for my children. I want the rest that has been denied me for thousands of years. I want an end!"

Here at last Salem's voice broke and Kurama glimpsed the tortured creature lurking behind her facade.

She concealed it quickly, yet the old fox saw. He knew.

"But since I can't have any of those things?" The mask slid back into place as she smiled once more. "I'll settle for Naruto. At least he offers me entertainment."

Ah, and now they came to the crux of the matter. "What is he to you?"

"As I said, entertainment." Slim shoulders rose and fell in a lazy shrug. "He was the first in eons to ask for my help. Me! The living embodiment of evil! Can you believe it?" she shook her head and touched a finger to her cheek, silently amused by some joke he didn't understand. "We have a contract, he and I, a bond that will not break until his death."

Yes, he'd sensed the damn thing. Meddlesome magic and irritating oaths. It was that which granted him a fragment of her power. Through it, she was making the boy strong. Not an entirely unpleasant thing, that. Naruto didn't cry or shout or whine anywhere near as much as he'd done at the beginning of the month. That alone was an improvement.

"You intend to kill him, then?" that would be problematic. It would take years to recover from the loss of a host.

"Heavens, no!" A peal of delighted laughter burst from Salem's lips, surprising him. "I dare say I fancy the boy. He's the first person to make me feel something in...well, forever." Was that a faint hint of pink in her cheeks just now? No, surely not. "I'm curious to see what he might become, given time." Her brow turned stormy. "As such, his death or humiliation would...displease me."

On that they agreed, at least.

"Insufferable wench." Kurama laid down once more, setting his jaws atop one paw as he regarded the small creature before him with the full weight of his gaze. "I suppose it would be too much to ask what your plans are beyond the Chunin exams?"

"Not at all." Salem waved a red-veined hand at him. "That's merely a means to an end. You see, my true goal is...

She told him and his mouth clicked open for the merest of moments.

Kurama snapped it shut five minutes later as she finished.

...and that's how it ends."

"You're certainly ambitious, even for an Immortal. I'll give you that much." He shook his head slowly, mind still whirling from what he'd just been told. Ambitious didn't even scratch the surface of what she'd said. By the Nine, this woman was greedy. "You do realize this "plan" of yours has a good chance of blowing up in your face, don't you? If even one thing goes wrong, you'll be in trouble. Nevermind if those gods of yours interfere...

"My dear, I'm counting on it."

A note of silence passed between the two almighty beings once more.

"Earlier, you asked me what I wanted." Salem's grin bordered on feral as she pressed her face against the cage, red eyes blazing in the dark. "I've just told you. If I have my way, that boy will take the entire world by storm, no matter what is thrown his way. Do we have an accord, then?"

"Mongrel!" Kurama snapped at her. "As if I would enter such a pact with you!"

Salem frowned.

"Although...there is an old saying I'm fond of."

The frown fled. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

Now it was Kurama's turn to grin. "I like the way you think...

---

(.0.0.0.)

---

Naruto knew Salem was in a good mood the moment he woke the next morning.

Because the Queen of the Grimm was humming to herself. Actually humming! She never did that! Never! Ever! Her smile usually meant death for him or worse; that she was going to up his training. Yet there she was, all but singing as she worked. It set off all sorts of alarms in his head, for all the wrong reasons. He sniffed, frowning as the faint aroma of breakfast -pancakes?!- reached his nose. She'd actually gone out of the way to cook for him? He usually had to hunt for it.

He pinched himself, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Who was this impostor, and what had she done with Salem?!

Once more wearing her childlike guise -a form Naruto was becoming increasingly fond of- the Queen of Grimm all but glided across the clearing with a visible spring in her step. Glowing green tendrils of magic trailed from her fingertips as she scoured trees and unwanted roots for miles in every direction. Earth and stone unwound at her command; the very soil writhed and twisted to obey her every whim. It was both beautiful and terrifying in the same measure...and he had no idea why she was doing it.

"Right." he smacked his lips. "Glad she's on my side."

What Salem could not remake or mold with her magic, she used Grimm to destroy outright. Huge packs of Beowolves and Ursa hacked away at the larger trees with military precision, cut them into great chunks of lumber, and dragged them deeper into the forest, from which he heard the sound of...hammers? Saws?

If Naruto didn't know better, he'd think Salem was building something. Or preparing to, at the very least.

Curiosity reared its head but he shoved that jack back into its box.

There were some things he just didn't want to know.

To make matters even more baffling, Salem was leveling the forest and directing her troops with but a single hand. One! Hand! She was using the other to cook for crying out loud!

Was that a "Kiss the Cook" apron she was wearing?! It was, wasn't it?! What was this, the twilight zone or something?

As he looked on and wondered whether he was dreaming or not, a steady stream of fire kissed the Grimmling's right hand. With her mind alone she held a skillet held above the blaze and commanded it to move with only a thought. Her brow creased and the contents within flipped, revealing another pancake. A flick of the wrist sent said pancake sailing through the air to land neatly on a glass plate.

Because she'd made a table and chairs, too. Of course she had.

Naruto flicked a wary gaze over his shoulder, half expecting to find the rest of the forest on fire. It wasn't. His suspicion deepened. Salem either had very, very, VERY good news for him, or the apocalypse had started while he was sleeping. Somehow the latter seemed more likely. The day Salem started acting like a housewife was the day Sasuke dyed his blond and started wearing orange!

Naruto flicked a longing look at his sleeping bag. "Maybe I should go back to sleep...

Too late. Salem noticed him.

"There you are, lazybones." her smile was infectious and he noticed the angry timbre was gone from her voice. "Good morning~"

She dropped everything she was doing, stepped into him and pressed her lips against his.

Naruto sucked in a startled breath through his nose as her hands gripped his jacket and pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss. Her mouth was soft on his and all but turned him to stone where he stood. Yup, he decided. Definitely a good mood. Salem had only ever kissed him the once before this, and this time it lasted. Her tongue teased his lips with dark promise as she leaned against him. She pulled away before he could think to hold onto her, let alone reciprocate, leaving his mind in a pleasant if somewhat frustrated haze.

"I've prepared breakfast for you." Thankfully, her words were there to pluck him out of it and she took him by the hand, tugging him towards the table. "Come, you must be hungry."

"Bwuh?" Naruto's brain rebooted and he shook his head. "I mean...breakfast? You're in a surprisingly good mood today...

"Am I?" she turned her head to blink back at him as they walked. "I hadn't noticed."

She hadn't?!

He dug his heels in, slowing her.

"Did something...happen last night?"

"Something might have." she gave him a secret smile as she guided him to the table, but said no more.

Naruto pulsed his chakra, but no, it wasn't a genjutsu. Nothing changed. The young girl before him remained the same. This was real.

Salem really had made him pancakes. They were still there when she pushed him into his seat. She'd even procured syrup and butter from gods knew where. Some of them were burnt, but the act warmed his heart all the same. He couldn't remember the last time some cooked for him. No. Wait. No one...ever...had.

"Don't you think that's a little unfair?" something stirred in him.

Tears stung at his eyes and he hastily scrubbed them away before Salem could see.

"As promised, we're going to switch up our lesson plan today." His mentor informed him primly as devoured his meal. "Last night you were nearly taken by an assassin-no, don't spit out your food." she beckoned back to him when his eyes widened and his cheeks bulged. "Swallow. Keep eating. I would see you fed for what is to come. Hazel and I prevented it. You have nothing to fear."

"Wait." Naruto held up a hand. "Who the heck is Hazel...?"

"Oh?" Salem's smile held a hint of smugness to it as she gazed over his shoulder. "He's right behind you."

"Hello."

Naruto's head whipped around with an audible crack, only just know noticing the absolute unit of a man looming behind him. Said giant slid into the seat beside him, leaving the young man reeling. Where in blazes did he come from?! He hadn't been standing there a second ago! Someone that big shouldn't be able to move that quietly!

"When did he come from?!"

"Me, of course." Salem answered him as she tucked into her own meal. "I summoned him using the body of said assassin as a catalyst. It wouldn't have been possible without it. They've proven quite compatible."

"Anyone important?"

"No one to concern yourself with." She dabbed her mouth just a little too quickly for his liking. "The matter has been dealt with. I don't expect them to try again."

"Not after last night. Hazel seconded.

That should have alarmed Naruto. A month ago it might have. He would've balked and shouted at Salem, said that she shouldn't kill, that killing was wrong, that killing in cold blood made you evil. But that was the thing about Salem. Morality had no meaning for her. She didn't see what she was doing as evil. She what she wanted, consequences be damned. He wasn't beginning to think she wasn't quite right in the head. Nevermind that, when had he become comfortable around so much death. Maybe it was because she threw swarms of Grimm at him on a daily basis and he had to kill those to survive.

Eh, at least she wasn't going around sacrificing his friends.

Mind you, he'd take issue if she tried to throw Shikamaru or Kiba into the meat grinder!

"Stil, why him?"

"Hazel was the most sensible choice given our lack of resources. Watts is nearly useless in this environment given your lack of technolocy," she ticked the name off her fingers, "Tyrian is mad as a hatter, and I don't think you're quite...ready for Cinder."

Naruto shivered. Something told him he wasn't prepared for whoever that was. "So you can just...call them? Just like that?"

"My dear boy, all my servants are bound to me. In death and beyond."

Naruto felt himself wince. "Even me?"

"No." she slashed a hand through the air, cutting him off before he could start to question himself. "You are no servant of mine. You are my Contractor. We have a pact." Honestly, he kept wondering why she empathized the word like that. It sounded important, very much so.

"If it makes you feel any better, I was only able to use Hazel's soul due a freak occurrence." When the blond tilted his head, she hastened to explain. "His host rivaled his physical prowess and bore a passing resemblance to him. Had I tried with anyone else, the ritual would've surely failed. As it was, the assassin's soul was consumed. It is not something I would do lightly.

"That's good...?"

"Yes, it is." she dabbed at her chin with a napkin and leaned back in her chair as she steepled her fingers.

Naruto leaned back, suddenly aware of the smile she was wearing. Very wary.

"Now, today we will begin with the art of intimidation."

"Neji Hyuuga will be a difficult opponent for you, even what you've learned." Her fingers drummed restlessly against the crude table. "From what you've told me, he seems the type to close the distance disable his enemy quickly and disable them with a series of precise strikes. I would have taught you a weapon art, but sadly I know none to speak of and I never felt the need to rely on one. Even if we were to try and find you one now, its too late for you to have anything more than a passable skill in it. You've learned to dodge, and your Aura will protect you now, but there's always the risk."

"Even if I use...that?"

"You can't control it yet." Her brow drew down. "I'd rather you save it for the exams. My power is a potent thing."

Not much point in denying that when they both knew it. "What about my Semblance, then? You said I have one. How do I use it?"

For once, Salem looked didn't have an answer for him. She looked...not helpless, she was never helpless, but her silence struck him all the same. Hazel remained curiously silent at his side.

"I know nothing of Semblances." Salem said at last. "Supposedly they unlock under great stress or in an instance of great peril.

Naruto perked up. "Is that why you've been pushing me so hard these last few days?"

She looked away. "No...?"

"Yes." Haze answered immediately.

Salem glowered bloody red daggers at him. "Traitor!"

"You owe it to him to be honest." the giant finished his meal briskly and chased it down with a glass of orange juice. "His life will be at risk soon."

"Bah!" she scoffed. "As if the Hyuuga boy could kill him."

"I wasn't speaking of him."

Anger bubbled up in Naruto's gut for all the wrong reasons. Not at Salem, but his opponent. Neji hadn't just defeated Hinata back in the Prelims. He'd beaten her. Broken her. She'd been coughing blood by the end. She'd need months to recover from those injuries, if not more. She might never be a shinobi now. They were family, weren't they? You didn't do that to family. Would Neji try to kill him in the Exam? It was a possibility. Then again, he might not care enough to try.

"This Hyuuga girl you speak of...are you fond of her?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, honestly confused by her line of inquiry. "Nah, I barely even know Hinata. She's alright, I guess. Didn't deserve to lose like that." his jaw tightened and he suddenly realized he'd smacked a fist into one palm without even realizing what he'd done. "Neji crippled her. Her teacher said she might never be a shinobi again. I'll make him pay for that."

"Is that so?" Salem seemed secretly pleased by those words. "But if you fight by his rules, you will lose. Make no mistake."

His hopes crumbled to dust. That was it? He'd trained this hard for nothing? Just like that?

...which is why you are going to cheat." Salem continued. "Shamelessly."

Naruto nearly fell out of his seat. "Eh?!"

"Don't you "eh?!" me, mister. If you are to succeed in combat against the best of the shinobi," Salem bulled on, leaning over the table, "You must have fear, surprise, and intimidation on your side." She waited for his head to bob in understanding before continuing. "For if any one element is lacking, your victory will be called into question. You must break your foe before you engage them, Naruto. Only then will you ensure victory...and have the accolades you seek."

Comprehension broke like the dawn. "So what you're saying is, I need to scare the shit out of him before our match?"

She clapped happily. "Quite so~!"

Naruto found himself matching her smile. There it was again. That strange feeling. It might have been hate. He hadn't experienced it for the longest time. He really hated that snaked bastard for knocking them around in the Forest of Death, and what he'd done to Sasuke, but this? This was a deeper kind of hate. More personal. Orochimaru was a foe he couldn't touch. Not yet. Neji was far closer to his level. In his heart of hearts he knew he could beat him; he just had to find a winning strategy.

"I want him to realize just how badly he screwed up." his fingers ground into fists, drawing angry red tracks against the skin there. "If he won't see sense, I'll knock it into him. If he won't apologize, I'll make him."

"And you won't kill him?" she asked.

"Not a chance. Death's easy. Living is hard."

"Ha! I like this one." Hazel slapped his back, nearly sending him flying. "He understands."

"He does indeed." Salem hummed her approval, rising from her chair. "Now then, your break is over. You will learn to evade everything Hazel and I throw at you in the next three days, or you will learn to die." a blazing blue flame ignited against her now open palm. "You will learn to fight with every tool available to you, or you will learn to die." Huh. Had she just repeated herself? "You WILL learn to control the powers I have bestowed upon you, or you will learn to die. Any questions?"

"Just one." Naruto raised a hand. "How does someone learn to die?"

Salem's smile terrified him. "I'm so glad you asked. Like this!"

In hindsight, he really should have seen that coming.

"Owwwwww...that was bullshit! I wasn't ready!"

"Too bad." Salem's smile grew. "DODGE!"

---

(.?.?.?.)

---

Time passed.

Naruto toiled hard under Salem's tutelage, working himself to the bone from sun up to sun down with the determination of a man possessed. There was scarcely time to eat and sleep before she flung him back into it once more. Time and time again he found himself pushed his limits then past them.

Openings? Close them or die.

Weaknesses? Eradicate them or die.

Enemies? Annihilate them or die. You have no choice.

Funny thing, that; the human body tends to adapt pretty damn quick with the constant threat of death looming over it. Hazel was a brutal taskmaster in his own right; not only did the man possess Aura for days, but his Semblance prevented was absolutely bullshit. The man couldn't feel pain! How did you stop someone like that?!

He soon learned the answer. Overwhelming force. Numb or not, the human body could only take so much.

The mind...well, that was another matter. He took Salem's lessons to heart and more.

Break the enemy before you engaged them. Alright. He could do that.

And then, quite suddenly, the appointed day arrived.

---

(.?.?.?.)

---

Victory was inevitable.

Neji knew it, hated it, and cursed it in equal measure. One could not fight fate. No matter how one might wish it. You could delay it, forestall it perhaps, but in the end destiny always came calling. He was destined to win this match, just as he'd been from the very moment fate paired him against Naruto Uzumaki. There could be no doubt who was the better combatant.

So why, why, why did he have a bad feeling about this?

Pale eyes swept across the arena to his opponent, easily visible in the hazy afternoon sun. Blazing blue eyes regarded him coldly. He'd not spoken a word to anyone until their match was called. Hadn't even moved until they called him down here. There was something different about him. Something...off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. At least he'd shed that ghastly orange jumpsuit of his.

Thank the log for small miracles.

In place of those hideous blue-and-orange rags of yesterday, Naruto Uzumaki had chosen less outlandish attire; gone were those absurdly bright colors, replaced by a long-sleeved navy shirt over which he'd thrown a pale grey vest and a pair of metal bracers for his forearms. The ensemble was complied accompanied by a pair of simple dark slacks with yet more light armor slapped over his vulnerable joints. He even had a shield of some strange bronze material strapped to his left arm. Did he think light armor and a shield would stop the Gentle Fist? Foolishness.

It made no difference to Neji.

A change of clothes didn't matter. Armor didn't matter. A hardened personality didn't matter. None. Of. It. Mattered. A weakling was still a weakling and destiny was still destiny. This blond buffoon had survived the prelims through a fluke and nothing more. There would be no miracle to save him this time; no lucky break, no timely rescue at the last moment. A month of training wouldn't train anything. It would only delay the inevitable. He would end this farce quickly and move on. Fate decreed it.

The proctor took one look between them and spoke. "I trust both of you are ready?"

Neji grunted. "Ready."

Naruto squared his shoulders. "Same."

Perhaps the man sensed the tension in the air. Perhaps it was some sixth sense of his. Perhaps he simply wasn't foolish enough to stand between two teenagers, one of whom was clearly out for blood. Who could say? Not Neji, certainly. Regardless, he backed away quick as he could, raised his arm and...!

"Begin!"

Neji flung himself backward.

Naruto didn't attack. He didn't move at all. He simply stood there.

The prodigy arched an eyebrow and shifted his left foot ever so slightly. Naruto didn't respond. He'd been prepared for a hail of kunai, a barrage of punches, or a storm of curses. Something. Anything. Not...whatever this was. The last thing he'd been expecting was a standoff.

"Aren't you going to attack?" he baited him. "You'll never accomplish anything if you just stand there."

Cold blue eyes narrowed to regard Neji for along moment.

...I keep my promises, you know."

In that moment, Hizashi's son felt icy fingers brush across his spine. He wasn't sure why, but gazing upon his opponent, he couldn't quite dismiss a pang of dread. Gone was the loudmouthed boy who'd promised to "kick his ass" back in the preliminaries. In his place stood...well. He wasn't sure what to call this strange calm. Unusual? Otherworldly? No. Absurd. But what was this he was muttering about?

"What promise?"

It was the wrong thing to say.

For a fleeting instant those blue eyes flashed red as an aura of pure murder burst from the blond. It smashed into Neji like a physical force, rooting him in place where he stood. In his mind's eye, something large loomed over Naruto's head, gone before he could get a good look at it. The whiskered warrior wrestled his killing intent down a moment later and hung his head, blond bangs shading his eyes from view.

"You don't even remember, do you?" he all but whispered the words. "I don't know why I'm surprised."

Naruto raised his gaze and for a moment -just a moment!- Neji Hyuuga thought he glimpsed a pule of flame shooting through those azure orbs.

"You know," the fool began slowly, "I promised her I wouldn't go into this fight angry...but I think I'm gonna have to break that promise. Congratulations. You've pissed me off."

---

(.0.0.0.)

---

Salem leaned back in the stands and smiled. "Well, that didn't take long."

Beside her, Hazel leaned forward, the seat creaking ominously under his weight. "You knew this would happen."

"But of course, dear Hazel." she patted the giant's forearm. "Naruto is many things, but cruel isn't one of them. He's a kind soul."

Hazel frowned. "Your certain he won't kill him, then?

"Naturally." her lips quirked into a smile. "His punishment must be more...severe."

The Queen of the Grimm took a long moment to revel in her minion's confusion as the air turned humid and continued to thicken.

She'd come to the arena wearing the guise of a young human girl, and as such, no one thought to question their presence. She'd received a few odd looks for her garb, but so long as she kept her powers and appearance hidden, no one batted an eyelash at her. Nor Hazel, at that. The Third Hokage had not made a second attempt to retrieve her Contractor, and clearly couldn't see through her magics. If he was aware of her machinations, then he was biding his time.

Unless Ozma had been called back by the Gods and possessed him. Nothing was impossible. Salem's lips pursed at the thought.

She really needed to find a way to ascertain whether her ex was still kicking around or not.

Across the arena, her gaze met that of a lone Anbu. Yugao stiffened beneath her gaze and averted her masked face, but made no move to flee. Salem contemplated the idea of stalking over there and grabbing the cheeky little thing by her ear, then discarded it. As amusing as it might be to embarrass Uzuki in front of everyone, it would blow her cover wide open. And her Tower hadn't been constructed yet. Once it was she'd have no more need for any such secrecy.

"She's been hiding from us." Hazel rumbled in her ear. "We'll need to deal with her.

"I've noticed." Such a loyal servant, Hazel. "Worry not. She's held her tongue. Our pact stands."

A dark brow rose to regard her with mild concern. "How can you be certain? She could have run to her masters by now."

"If she'd breathed so much as a word of that night, she would be dead."

Yugao still hadn't avenged her beloved yet. She was waiting for something, that much had proven obvious. But what? Was she gathering evidence? Preparing to prolong Baki's suffering? It didn't matter. Her patience with the girl had begun to run thin. She had upheld her end of the bargain, while the Anbu had not. She'd only gotten away with this this long thanks to her attention being focused...elsewhere. If the little chit still refused to exact vengeance by the end of the Exams, then she would be brought to heel. By force, if need be.

A peal of thunder ripped through the air and Salem's grin grew.

"Here it comes."

Naturally, the deck had been stacked against her Contractor from the very beginning. Salem had known that. She'd always known. No amount of regular training could hope to close the gap between Naruto and Neji. One was a prodigy in the world of physical combat. The other...was not. A month simply wasn't enough time to do anything more than build the most basic of foundations for a normal person. He'd never had a chance of winning anything resembling a fair fight.

So she'd cheated. Shamelessly. Why not? Morality was a crutch she had no need of.

After all, anything Ozma could do? She could do better.

"And so it begins."

---

(.0.0.0.)

---

And so it began.

High overhead, a lone cloud swept in to blot out the sun. Then another. Another. Another still. Neji risked a glance for them, frowning in quiet confusion as the once clear sky became overcast, that once sunny afternoon quickly becoming dark and cloud. A lone peal of thunder ripped through the heavens, threatening rain. A nervous murmur ran through the stands. Was this a jutsu of some sort? Surely not. The boy had hadn't displayed such prowess the last time he'd meant. This was either a freak occurrence...or someone else's doing. Wasn't it?

Naruto raised a hand, and the very clouds began to swirl ominously overhead.

Every fiber of Neji's being tensed. Bugger. This was going to hurt.

For a moment, the world held its breath-

"No."

Naruto exhaled, and the humidity vanished. His eyes dimmed as his arm fell. Though the overcast sky remained, those didn't look quite so dark as they'd been before, nowhere near as threatening. Neji didn't trust it for a moment. The fool had clearly been about to unleash something, only to restrain himself at the last moment.

"No...?" Neji parroted in confusion.

"You're not worth using that." Arctic chips of ice narrowed on him, skewering him a thousand times. "If I used that power, it would be over too quick. So, before we really get started," Now he began to roll up his sleeves, exposing strange ink scrawled across the length of his right arm flowing down to his wrist. "Do you want to forfeit?"

"What?!" Neji flung out his hand and took a stance. "No! Never! As if I'd surrender to someone like you!"

"Great." his opponent grinned. "Mind if I call in some reinforcements, then?"

Neji scoffed. "Your shadow clones? They can't possibly help you."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Ohhh, I ain't talkin' about them."

...I don't understand." Neji tensed.

"Don't worry. You will."

Naruto reared back and raised an arm. Pearly white teeth flashed in the sun. Then he bit his thumb, pearly white teeth sinking deep into the flesh of his right hand. Dark arterial blood burst from that palm to spatter the floor, bubbling and hissing where it struck the ground. Neji eyed it warily, still uncertain of what he intended or why the blood was sizzling so. Why maim himself? It didn't make any sense. His gaze strayed back to the ground, still stained scarlet, as his opponent ran a blood hand across his inked arm.

As if summoned by that very gesture, monsters burst from the bloody floor as the puddle grew and expanded.

Neji was thankful the crowd gasped first; because it hid the horrified sound he made when he saw them. Creatures of black fur and white bone crawled forth from the puddle of blood; first a wolf, then a bear, followed by a sizable raven. As he looked on, the avian fluttered up to land on the blond's shoulder.

Not a one of those grisly hell-beasts moved to attack Naruto; instead they congregated around him. Protected him. Neji felt his mind revolt at the sight of them. Through is Byakugan, their bodies burning with dark light, as though lit from within by some greater power. Just looking at them left him feeling ill. These were animals and yet not animals. Demons. Abominations. Unholy. Unclean. They only wore the shape of beasts, when in truth they were so much more. It took nearly everything Neji had to muster his willpower and not flinch.

"Ah, that's better." Naruto hummed, stroking the raven's chin. "Always better out than in, Salem says. Right, Raven?"

The nevermore cawed right back. He'd named that ghastly thing?!

"So you've learned a summoning jutsu." White eyes narrowed upon the beasts. "Am I supposed to be impressed? What are these supposed to be? Your pets...?"

The Beowolf at the boy's elbow snapped at him and Neji withdrew quickly. He could feel the beasts watching him as he did. That bear looked like it wanted to rend him limb fro limb, and the eyes of that bird...they seemed far too human for his liking.

"Hiding behind them, are we?" He scoffed.

From what little he'd seen of him back in the preliminaries, Neji suspected those words would get right under the young man's skin. They should've rattled him, set him into a shouting fit. An unhinged opponent off balance was an opponent easily bested. He knew this from experience. If he could draw Naruto away from...whatever the hell those things were, it would be an easy victory.

"Snrk..."

Neji was not prepared for the snicker that followed.

"Bahahahahaha!"

A peal of laughter burst from the fool as he doubled over, clutching at his sides. The raven cawed indignantly as it clung to his shoulder, but he continued to laugh anyway. His mirth was a sharp, throaty sound; almost as if someone or something were laughing with him. Neji shook it off and didn't take his eyes off him. Not for a moment. Was this another trick or some sort? Had he simply gone mad with fear? Finally, it became too much and the Hyuuga felt the tips of his ears begin to burn a bright pink.

"What's so funny?!"

When he finally straightened, Naruto's grin was just the wrong shade of vicious; as though he'd been expecting that very question.

"Oh, nothing." he sighed and wiped a final bemused tear from the corner of his eye. "Its just, y'know, I'm starting to think she was right about you. You really think you're in the right here." slim shoulders rose and fell in a pitying shrug. "That stick's shoved so far up your ass that you've been spitting splinters most of your life." a fist rose towards him, fingers twitching into a parody of a claw. "I'm gonna hafta rip it out. Not gonna lie Neji, its gonna hurt. Its gonna hurt a lot."

"Are you quite done prattling like a fool?"

Neji's hadn't thought he would enjoy this battle. He'd reconsidered. He was going to enjoy shutting that fool's mouth. Very much.

"Nah, just savoring the moment." Naruto raised a hand before his face, fingers clenched before his whiskered visage. "Tell me if you're impressed or not after you see this."

His hand swept down and the world burned black anew. This time, the veil didn't fall so easily and the Byakugan's ell encompassing vision went blind.

Neji Hyuuga plunged into darkness without end, and judging by the screams of the crowd, they had too.

"That girl...Hinata." a low voice came from the sudden shadow he found himself enveloped in. "She had hopes, you know. She had dreams. You didn't just take them from her. You crushed her." he turned, searching for it, but the words came from all around him. "She was your cousin, yet you left her spitting blood on the ground. Even tried to kill her at the end." Naruto waited, perhaps expecting an apology. When none came, his voice hardened. "I spent a long time thinking about that; about how I wanted to deal with you. I don't want to kill you, Neji. But you're going to wish I did."

"Coward!" the Hyuuga shouted into the void. "Show yourself!"

The veil dropped and Neji Hyuuga saw.

Naruto stood just where he'd left him...and yet he was changed. A mask of pure white bone concealed the boy's now pallid whiskered visage, edged with strange blue lines rippling in a spiral towards the center. Eyes of furious crimson leered at him behind that hideous facade, framed by dark sclera. What kind of mask was that? It resembled some sort of demonic beast, no, not a beast he realized...a fox. Another chill ran through him, this one far worse than the last. It was his eyes. Those eyes. Those damn eyes. They didn't even see him; looked right through him as if he were no one. As if he were nothing.

The lone Nevermore on Naruto's back cawed out in triumph and took wing.

It compatriots stepped back, edging away. It should've made Neji bolder about his chances.

Somehow, it only made him feel worse; because those three beasts weren't simply stepping back to make way for their master. They were bowing.

There was something wrong with his skin. It had lost all semblance of its color; what was once tan had now gone a sickly, pallid grey. No. Not gray. White. Pure as the driven snow. He could see crimson veins creeping up the fool's arms, pulsing with all manner of heretical life. Even his hair had changed, gone from healthy blond to ghastly silver. It made him look even less human than before. Not a man. Not a monster, but some terrible, horrible union between the two. Not even a slavering beast. He could've accepted that much.

Instead the boy he'd once called a fool just...looked at him. At him, through him, past him, down to the very depths of his soul.

Neji could feel his heart grinding into pieces the longer he looked at him, mind cracking with each passing second. He stepped back. A single pace, nothing more, yet it was a retreat all the same. His foe could have taken that opportunity to strike; to pounce, to do something, anything. But he said nothing. Nothing at all.

"You...abomination." The prodigy swallowed his anxiety and straightened his back, edging into a wary stance, "What in the world have you done to yourself...?"

"Sorry." those ghastly mask-jaws parted as he spoke, revealing the very human face and grin within. "I don't have time to explain."

Dread seized Neji's throat in a vice and compelled him to strike. He must. Now! Before it was too late!

Howling in desperate fury, he flung himself at Naruto in a cyan blur to ram an open palm against the blond's exposed chest. It was a reckless move made with all his might, meant to stab into the very heart of his chakra network and disable him quickly. Whatever that thing was, he wanted no part of it whatsoever. He had to end it quickly. One strike. One victory, before that thing could get its hands on him.

His attack found only empty air and he stumbled forward, nearly tripping over himself as he bled momentum.

Byakugan eyes bulged, searching for their prey and finding naught but empty air. "What?!"

Something tapped him on the shoulder and he struck backwards wildly.

"No." a low rasp answered. "None of that."

A clawed hand clamped down on Neji's wrist and ground the bones together painfully, turning his fingers weak. Agony turned his world red. The Hyuuga grit his teeth against it and palmed a kunai to his free palm. A single quick cut lashed out at the hand holding him, hoping to force the fool to let go of his wrist. Naruto jerked him forward instead and quite suddenly, that masked visage filled his vision.

Neji balked and tried to spin. "ROTA-

Not quick enough.

Crimson flooded his world clenched knuckles barreled into his nose at breakneck speed. The poor Hyuuga never saw them coming. He did not fall. Nor did he simply stumble. Oh, no. He flew. One moment he was scowling in confusion at the masked blond before him; by the next, his back became intimate with the opposite wall in a way no self-respecting shinobi desired.

He blinked rapidly, trying and failing to clear the stars from his vision; that single punch had blasted him clear across the arena. He'd nearly cracked his skull wide open.

"That one was for Hinata." Naruto lowered his fist, hideous eyes narrow and intent behind the mask. "The rest is for me."

Neji wrestled himself free from the wall and crashed to the ground on a bent knee, gasping for air that refused to come. Even then his head wouldn't stop spinning; what little he'd eaten this morning threatened to come boiling back up his throat in a raw storm of bile. He touched a hand to his nose as he rose. Bandaged fingers came away red. Impossible. For a moment, he hadn't even seen him move. He'd slipped into his blind spot with ease, moved again, and sent him flying. Where had he found this strength?!

All around him, the stadium had gone silent.

In place of the crowd's cheers Neji's heart hammered harshly in his ears, thudding like the drums of a great hunt out for his blood. He coughed once and tried to push himself upright, but his arms failed him. He could all but feel a hundred eyes boring into him. Judging him. Damning him.

And then he heard it.

"G-Get him!"

It was a faint voice, one he recognized all too well. Something ugly bubbled up in Neji's chest and he shoved it back down. It didn't end there. Another cry went up.

"Yeah! Kick his ass, Naruto!"

Tch. Blasted Inuzuka. How dare he?!

"Ha! Way to wipe that smirk off his face!"

Was there no end to this farce?! Only a few moments ago, they'd all been terrified of the monsters he'd summoned. Now with one punch and a few words, he'd suddenly won them to their side. Just the thought of it made him see red. Did they think him fated to win? Preposterous. A single lucky hit did not a victory make...!

"If you're not gonna come to me, I'll come to you." Naruto's voice rang out among the roars. "Get up and fight...unless you think its your destiny to lose?"

Neji snarled and slammed himself upright. "You dare?!"

"Yup." The blond tilted his head. "I've dared a lot of things lately. Now. Stand. Up."

Footsteps approached steadily, a steady staccato beat slamming against the ground. Not slow or languid by any mean of measure, but quick. Rapid. Naruto wasn't going to give him the time to find his bearings, much less recover from a hit like that. A scowl warped his face. His foe met it with one of his own as he surged forward. The beasts followed their master, matching him step for step. Would they reach him first? Or would he? Only a few minutes into the fight and already he found himself losing control. Was this fear? No! Never! He felt no such fear!

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Neji. Don't go passing out on me now!"

The Hyyuga swept himself into an ready stance and made ready to face him.

Naruto's mask cracked open yet again, revealing a ghastly grin.

'I've blundered, haven't I?' the thought hit Neji too late.

And then there was pain.

A/N: REFERENCES~!

Yup. You read right. Just did that. Yeeeaaah, Neji's in for a bad time. The baddest of times.

The brawl continues next chapter and it will be GLORIOUS. Clearly the "mask" isn't the only trick Naruto learned from Salem.

Speaking of which, remember, the Queen of the Grimm is still evil. Redeemable perhaps, but she's very much her canon self right now. She may possess a certain...fondness for Naruto, given that he's unleashed her upon the world again, but the moment you take that away you've got a human murder machine with an army of Grimm at her back, Grimm she can create from her own blood in the absence of those darkness pool thingies.

Soooooooo In the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly? It Keeps A Man Alive...

And of course, here are some previews for your care and time~!

References are references as always and I own absolutely nothiiiiing!"

(Previews!)

Salem watch from the stands and sniffled. "I raised that boy."

Hazel chuckled ruefully. "He's doing quite well, isn't he? To think he's holding back...

---

"Doesn't feel so good, does it?!"

For the first time in his life, Neji Hyuuga felt fear.

"What's wrong?" a low, bemused laugh answered him. "You were so quick to dismiss me before. What happened to all that arrogance?"

A knee slammed into his chin as Naruto tanked a gentle fist strike and lashed out, sending him flying backwards. He hit the ground, tumbled, flipped himself upright to avoid a summoned Beowolf snapping at his heel, and bolted for cover. Not a heartbeat later, a hail of sharpened feathers from the boy's pet Nevermore skewered where he'd been standing.

"Why are you running, Neji?!" Naruto sauntered after him, clawed hands flexing. "WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!"

---

"You took everything from me." She threw her mask away, exposing angry eyes and...oh gods. Her face.

Baki bristled. "I don't even know who you are.

Yugao drew her blade. "You will!"

---

"Hello, snake~"

Oh, dear. This...this boded poorly.

"Allow me to answer your question." Red eyes blazed through the smoke as she emerged from the blaze unharmed. "I do not grant wishes. I make pacts. Now tell me...what is your heart's desire? What do you hope to gain from life? Follow me, and you will have everything you ever wanted. All your desires shall be granted through me. Or you could resist and die. That's your choice, of course. So? What will it be?"

"Who are you?!"

"I am beyond your ken. Beyond your understanding. I am Salem." A lone finger rose, touching her chin. "That child is my contractor. He is mine. To harm him is to harm me in kind. I'm afraid he's quite busy at the moment, but rest assured...

Grimm began to spawn around her.

...I'll be more than happy to entertain you."

R&R~!