Ishikengo no Kami
Author Notes:
Hello again! Thank you for continuing on to this chapter. I hope you enjoy it as well. Few things first again:
Disclaimer: I have no rights to the character, setting, story and otherwise that have been taken from the original manga and anime Naruto. I will make no money from this, nor do I intend to cost the holders of the original work's rights any money. I do this not to cause trouble, but to express a great appreciation for a wonderful series. I request that the original creator and those who have the rights to it to not look upon this not as a mean spirited infringement, but as a great compliment and free advertising.
Thanks: I would like to give a big thanks to my friend Joe, whose characters and ideas I am, in part, using. Finally, thanks to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei for creating Naruto in the first place.
Denotation:
"Speech"
'Thought'
-Sound-
Japanese/Techniques/ect:
Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Naruto's mass-summoning of Kage Bunshin
NOTE: Sorry about the really long delays. If it's not one thing it's another (and writing fight scenes are really tough). Also, as a small warning, this is without any beta reading. Sorry if it's a little rough (I've done what I can on my own, so hopefully it's not bad).
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Hinata ran on. She didn't know what else to do.
Naruto had suddenly run off into the woods without a word; She'd been so surprised that it had taken her a moment to react. She'd fallen even further behind when she couldn't match Naruto's speed. Now she wasn't sure where he was.
What had happened? Why had he run off like that? She was confused. But all she could do for now was search.
"Byakugon"
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"W-who are you?" Naruto pushed himself to his feet, struggling to think quickly. 'Fox-boy?'
-Humph- "My name is Xiao Xing," Naruto found he couldn't place her accent. "And I am here kill you."
Within the instant, she was upon him. Naruto barely managed to avoid the sudden furious blow. Backing up, He threw a wild kick only to have it blocked with ease. The following punch slammed into his stomach, knocking him backwards to the ground.
Rising to his feet, he fell back on an old favorite and summoned his clones. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Suddenly several Narutos, all sporting the same cocky grin, appeared in the air plunging at the strange woman.
With a small smirk, and a quick couple hand signals, Xiao Xing swung her hand in front of her. A bolt of lightning lanced out from it and arced between the clones, dispatching the group in a mere moment.
"It will take much more than that, I'm afraid." She paced towards him as he bore his teeth in frustration.
"Then much more it is. Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
The forest's trees bent under the weight of the small army that had suddenly appeared. Hundreds of the same face smiled confidently from all around.
"Hah! Think there's enough now?"
"What's the matter?"
"Cat got your tongue?"
"Think you can take us all?"
"No." Xiao Xing spoke, looking steadily around her. "I know that I can."
"Hah! Yeah right!"
"Think you got enough electricity in you for us all?"
"Let's go!"
and the air was filled of Naruto.
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Alucard trudged on down the road. His hair hid his face as he walked, dripping rain onto the ground. Shallow footprints in the fresh mud stretched out behind him.
It seemed the debt had been canceled. It was time to move on.
The soft sound of rain gave way briefly to a loud blast, as somewhere in the distance far behind him the air burst with lightning.
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Naruto sat on the ground, stunned and burned. All the clones were gone, and the ground itself around Xiao Xing had been burned black. The woman's gaze had not left him.
"Was that enough electricity for you? I'm sure I can do more." A strange pulsating light drew Naruto's gaze downward. A glowing orb of golden energy orbited Xiao Xing's wrist, like a mini satellite.
"What…"
"Pathetic. With so little strength, what could you hope to accomplish?"
"Don't count me out yet!" A last remaining clone who he had hidden during the attack dropped from the tree next to him and began focusing the swirling chakra in Naruto's hand. "I'll show you my strength!"
"It doesn't matter, it's over for you now anyways." Lightning crackled around her fist as she dove forward, thrusting towards Naruto.
"Rasengan!"
The two attacks collided with a burst of energy. The area around them swirled with energy, the already battered trees bending even further away. The light and crackling energy made it hard to see, but the two combatants faced each other.
'She's still smirking! Damn her!' Spurred by the slight, Naruto started pushing the woman back. "Don't underestimate me!"
The smirk only intensified. "That's my line, little fox." A small flash caught Naruto's eye. By Xiao Xing's wrist, a spark began to flicker into existence.
-Ftt ftt-
Suddenly, the spark burst into a second sphere of golden light and began orbiting her wrist opposite the first. Xiao Xing's chakra intensified, bursting with incredible energy. Naruto was being pushed back. He was being pushed back fast.
Naruto's back erupted with pain as he slammed into a large tree, leaving a huge dent in the trunk. Xiao Xing didn't even wait. Her hand, still covered in electricity, thrust at Naruto's chest.
NO!
Naruto burst into pain.
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Hinata rushed between the trees. The explosion she'd just seen… Was Naruto all right? It had been a long ways off, but she ran as fast as she could.
'Naruto-kun…'
Another great blast erupted in the distance.
She redoubled her speed.
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Pain. Great burning pain filled Naruto's stomach.
Kill her!
Blearily, Naruto looked up. In the distance he saw Xiao Xing standing up slowly, next to a tree that had been snapped in half.
Kill him!
'Huh?' Why was she over there? And what had broken the tree?
Tear them to pieces!
The pain grew even greater, causing Naruto to double over again. His vision was filled with red. His world with pain. In the distance, Xiao Xing stared at him with wide eyes.
Kill them all!
Naruto struggled to think. His chest was uninjured. Xiao Xing's attack hadn't hit him. Something had intervened.
Crush them! Kill!
Naruto found himself on his feet. Energy coursed through his body. Pain threatened to make him pass out.
KILL!
Xiao Xing's expression turned from surprise to hunger. A great purple chakra swirled up around her, twisting and contorting. Slowly, two eyes formed in the energy above her.
A great feline roar bellowed forth.
Pain surged through Naruto, finally overriding his last hold on consciousness. As his eyes closed he saw Xiao Xing rush towards him, crackling with energy.
No!
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The world grew even darker as night began to fall.
Hinata surveyed the area around her with growing dread. She was in a small clearing which had recently been made notably larger. The trees all around where bent and broken. The ground had been blasted bare. Something big had happened here.
'Naruto-kun…where are you?'
She had a bad feeling about this. As she walked around, something caught her eye. It was a piece of fabric. She could tell it had originally been orange, but was now nearly dyed completely red.
She choked back the tears. He had to be around somewhere. There was no time to cry; He needed her.
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A long ways off, two figures walked through the woods in the dark and rain. "Well done, Xiao Xing." It was the firm voice we have heard many times before. "You worried me for a moment when you almost lost control, but things are turning out well."
"Yes, sir. But I still don't understand. Why…"
"I have my reasons. This is just another step towards my goal."
"Sir." She continued to walk on in silence, but occasionally stole glances at the man beside her.
"Now, to prepare for the next step…"
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A memory of being dragged…
Naruto opened his eyes and sat up, slowly, almost falling off.
He was still in the woods…but not the same area. The ground was carved from stone. Pillars arose from the ground in several directions. As Naruto slid off the stone pedestal he had been laying on he noticed an intricate pattern scribed on the floor all around him. In the center, it swirled in to where he had been laying.
'Something's…wrong here…What is it?'
He still ached all over. Every part of him complained about some injury or another. However the biggest pain from before, the blinding pain in his stomach, had disappeared. Something made him lift his shirt and look down.
The seal was gone.
'HAHAHAHA!'
A great red energy swirled up around Naruto, writhing and expanding in all directions. An unseen wind ruffled his hair and shirt. Naruto stood in shock. The seal was gone. The Kyubi's chakra was growing from within him.
And he had no control over it.
This was bad. Really bad. The Kyubi was dangerous. He was dangerous now. If the Kyubi took control…or if he left his body…
He had to keep him away. Away from everyone. The Kyubi would hurt people. Kill them. 'I…I have to stay away from everyone, so no one will get hurt. I have to…'
As the deep gleeful laughter from within grew, a smaller sound from the outside drew his attention towards the bushes. His blood froze in his veins from fear.
'No…'
"N-Naruto-kun?"
'…
…Hinata…'