A Dull Edge

"Speech"/ 'Thoughts'

"Soul Edge/Nightmare Speech"/ 'Thoughts'

"Tailed-Beast Speech"/ 'Thoughts'

Telepathic communications will be between [ ] to distinguish these exchanges from an individuals thoughts.

Chapter 4: Pressure

Following his new female acquaintance to her family's business, once led inside, Naruto was immediately hit by the scent of metal, oil and polish. Various weapons, from kunai to crossbows and everything in between, lined the walls, while some shelves and mannequins held armor or other protective clothing and supplies. Tenten told Naruto to come to the checkout counter when he was finished selecting his purchases. Unsure where to start, Naruto opted on replacing the subpar kunai he still had from the Academy. While Naruto grabbed a few dozen new ones, Soul Edge finished gazing around the shop and felt disappointed with the lack of European-style arms and armor. His eye spied Tenten standing at the counter, catching her gazing on him. Beaconing her over, Soul Edge decided to see what passed for armor these days.

"Tell me, child, is gambeson or brigandine available for purchase?"

The confused tilt of the girl's head was telling enough that she had no idea.

"What of scale or chainmail?"

"Chainmail? Why would you want butcher's equipment?" Tenten asked, her confusion growing at both the unfamiliar terms and odd inquiry. She saw the eye become focused, analyzing her words. She heard a low hum come from the weapon.

"I see…" Soul Edge said before dismissing Tenten, who returned to her place at the register, wondering about the unknown items Soul Edge spoke of. She recalled Naruto saying he found the sword in some ruins, and he had been there for a very long time. It was no secret how little was known of the past before the Sage of the Six Paths gave the world chakra, so maybe Soul Edge… Her eyes went to the sword again: its broad, double-edged structure with a slight inward curve near the hilt, combined with the shape of his guard, was an unheard of design.

'…this just makes me want to see if Naruto'll sell him!' Tenten unashamedly thought. Of course, she was also completely aware Soul Edge was, in all likelihood, just an unusual relic of one of the many villages destroyed during the Warring Clans era.

While Tenten pondered over Soul Edge's possible origin, Naruto was asking his partner a few questions, [What are you trying to learn?]

[I want to see how much of the world as I knew it is gone] Soul Edge answered, continuing with, [So far, I'm convinced the cultural and technological progress of this world is mostly Japanese, with hints of Chinese.]

His eye glanced around the store and focused on the lighting and radio Tenten was listening to.

[…though technology has advanced in odd ways] he added after a reexamination of his surroundings, recalling this 'electricity' invention from Naruto memories. The blond resumed gathering supplies for himself, having selected a decent stockpile of kunai and shuriken, and now moving on to medical supplies. As he pushed his cart to said section, Naruto passed the clothing one. Hearing Soul Edge tell him to halt, Naruto telepathically asked what was wrong.

[You need a proper combat uniform.]

[What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?]

[It's too noticeable and lacks functionality] Soul Edge stated, to which Naruto rolled his eyes.

He managed just fine with what he had, and reminded the sword of the multiple times he hid from Jōnins and Chūnins in these clothes. [I don't need a new outfit!] Naruto reaffirmed his stance on the subject; however, Soul Edge's response wasn't what Naruto expected.

[You misunderstand. I recommend a new combat uniform, not daily wear] clarified the Spirit Sword, though he added, [Granted, a lot less orange would be nice.]

Ignoring Soul Edge's shot at his orange garments, Naruto asked what the point of a separate combat outfit was. The sword remained silent for a few moments.

[…I believe one of my former foes may still be alive] Soul Edge answered, deciding it would be easier if he told Naruto the truth. [Isabella Valentine used a artificial soul created through alchemical means as a substitute for her own, when Cervantes stole it. This stopped her aging process and may have granted her eternal youth.]

Naruto outwardly appeared normal, but he was sweating bullets internally as his weapon spoke. Naruto remembered her from the oral autobiography Soul Edge gave him, and quickly realized why her existence was lethal for the both of them. The woman hated Soul Edge for various reasons – mainly his role in the death of her father and using her as pawn in his plans.

[Yeah, that's bad. How does a combat uniform help us here?] Naruto nervously inquired, knowing the chainsword user was just as likely to kill him as she would Soul Edge. While he believed the formerly-cursed weapon should start over, Ivy wouldn't hesitate to end both of them.

[The bingo book, Naruto. We inevitably will appear in its pages, so I believe it wise for you to hide your face so Ivy won't know who to look for.] Soul Edge further explained he would soon assume a more conservative form to further prevent themselves from being discovered. Naruto agreed with this action, heading to the clothing section. Resistance had been replaced by urgency, the blond searched for clothes which would suit his purpose. Unfortunately, Naruto's fashion sense was basically nonexistent, increasing the difficulty of his task.

Deciding to keep things simple, Naruto picked out a gray pair of gloves, a black turtleneck, a gray vest with numerous pouches, along with a pair of cargo pants in a night camouflage pattern. Soul Edge complimented Naruto on the functionality of his choices, before recommending he also get a mask.

[One which completely covers your head is our best bet…] Soul Edge advised, seeing Naruto grasp a traditional ninja mask. The article covered everything, excluding a small gap for his eyes, which worried the weapon. Ivy was a stickler for details and would use ANY clue available to her advantage, no matter how small.

'I can't risk it! His eyes must be hidden!'

Eye shifting in multiple directions, Soul Edge found a few solutions with varying results. The first were a simple pair of tinted glasses… easily destroyed or lost. Denied. The next option he saw were colored contacts in a display case. Changing Naruto's color would solve the issue, but he doubted his wielder would go for this, especially not when option three existed.

A simple white kabuki mask with opaque orange lenses hung among other masks of varying designs and colors on a rack. Calling the item to Naruto's attention, Soul Edge explained his concern, to which Naruto agreed with, under the saying of 'better safe than sorry'. Pleased with their selections so far, Naruto added a comfortable pair of boots to his cart before walking to a waiting Tenten. She rung up everything except his chosen clothes, recommending he try them on first before buying – an advice Naruto heeded. After ensuring his picks fit, Naruto returned and finalized his purchase.

After a few minutes of measuring out an equal exchange – Naruto having to get an extra set of his combat outfit barring another mask – to ensure he got his money's worth, Naruto left the shop with his purchases sealed away. Resuming his walk home, Naruto could feel Soul Edge's agitation, often hearing more of those foreign words Soul Edge briefly spoke during their first meeting. When Naruto inquired about what distressed the sword, he only heard a sigh.

[This situation… I am trying to figure out the best way for us to avoid anyone from my past] Soul Edge answered, simultaneously calculating the probability of who else could have survived to this day. Obviously, humans like Talim, Sophita, and Taki were long expired… However, those like Zasalamel or Edgemaster…

Immortals like them not only would still be around, but they were also the greatest threats to them. Not to mention Soul Calibur undoubtedly still existed, hidden away like himself not too long ago. To make matters somehow even worse, Soul Edge had begun to feel long-lost fragments reawaken, corrupting the environment and people around them. Soon, pretenders would emerge, gathering souls for themselves.

He and Naruto weren't ready for this. Not even close.

'This isn't even considering explaining how other Soul Edges exist to my wielder's fellows…'

An audible sigh escaped from the sword, catching Naruto's attention, before he was told to keep his eyes forward. Doing as told, the novice swordsman decided the roofs were the fastest way home, leaping onto the nearest one and accelerating to his residence. This proved to be the right choice, as he cut his travel time by over seventy percent.

Opening the door, Naruto opened his mouth to say ,"Home sweet home!" but Soul Edge spoke first.

"We need to talk."

Door shut and locked, Naruto removed his jacket before hanging it on a nearby chair. Taking off his sandals as he walked to his couch, Naruto sat down with Soul Edge on his lap. The shinobi felt his eyes grow heavy before slumping over sideways, laying across the couch with his head near Soul Edge's hilt. Naruto opened his eyes to see himself in his mindscape, sitting cross-legged on a watchtower, with Soul Edge sticking out from the stone a foot away from him.

"I'll be blunt. We're fucked," the sword stated with his eye on Naruto, before he listed those from his past he believed still lived, then informed the human of his dormant fragments awakening and the dangers they presented. To say Naruto felt the pressure was an understatement, as he currently felt solid steel boulders fell upon his shoulders.

"We need to figure out not only how to rid ourselves of my fragments without getting caught by Ivy or any other hostile party, but also how to keep your fellows from separating us."

Soul Edge knew it was only a matter of time before someone proved able to at least somewhat control themselves long enough to locate multiple fragments and form their own Soul Edge. This eventuality would result in the pair being in massive trouble for their deception. They sat in silence, the wielder unsure what to do while the sword struggled to find solutions to the obstacles in front of them.

"…maybe we should tell the old man" Naruto hesitantly suggested, Soul Edge's smoldering eye soon burning a hole in his head. Naruto next words seemed to cool the heat in the sword's glare. "I mean, we don't tell everything… but we can craft a story which has more than a fair amount of truth in it but hides the more… damning evidence."

Soul Edge looked away in consideration. They'd have to very careful and explain why they kept this from Naruto's teacher, but this was a start.

"I need to come up with our cover story. I'll contact you if I need assistance or if I've finished." Naruto was ejected from his mind, leaving Soul Edge alone to think. The ancient weapon closed his eye, concentrating on the task ahead. Naruto awakened with a small yawn before getting off his couch, heading to the pantry to heat up a cup of ramen. As he waited for the noodles to cook, Naruto pulled out the storage scroll housing the items he purchased earlier, followed by the one holding the vast amounts of valuables he still had to sell.

"Despite how much I bought at Tenten's, it didn't make much of a dent," Naruto spoke aloud, before retrieving his snack from the microwave. Uncaring of the temperature, he quickly ate the noodles, wondering if he should heat up another cup, but surprisingly chose not to. Instead, the blond Uzumaki pulled out the scroll Sasuke had given him. The Uchiha's words regarding upholding his fallen clan's traditions and values echoed through Naruto's mind.

Putting the item back into his pocket with a deep sigh, Naruto went back to the couch to retrieve Soul Edge. The living weapon showed no reaction to his wielder's actions as Naruto secured the blade to his back, before leaving his residence to sell the remaining treasures to the people Tenten informed him of. He then planned on depositing all the money to his bank account, ending with looking into a new home.

'Hopefully, I can find somewhere more private,' Naruto thought as he began walking to the location the older girl instructed. At first, nobody bothered to look at Naruto, but some noticed his sword's current state of stillness. Gossip travelled fast, especially regarding the village pariah so many had heard of with the sword with Hell in its eye. It did not take long for one of the masses to throw a glare in Naruto's direction. Sensing the fool's intent, Soul Edge's eye immediately snapped open, and another villager had the (dis)pleasure of gazing into the abyss.

[…coward…] spat the spirit sword as the fool turned, followed by the rest of the sheep refusing to so much as glance at his owner. A sense of satisfaction coursed through both sword and wielder.

[…thanks.]

[Like I said… nothing but sheep] purred Soul Edge at Naruto's token of appreciation. His walk went peacefully, locating his destination in a quarter of an hour, where he spent around forty-five minutes selling off the rest of the jewels and gold. A bonus came in the form of the money being directly transferred into his bank account, eliminating his next task. Excited by the large number he saw representing his wealth, Naruto thanked the buyer for his business and left with a spring in his step.

[I recommend you keep this monetary gain to yourself] advised Soul Edge, continuing with [There's no telling what kind of gold-digging parasite would try to attach itself to you should they learn of it.]

[I live in the red-light district… I know that.]

Naruto felt amusement from Soul Edge as he walked along, wondering where he should go to find a realtor. While he walked, Naruto noticed his position was rather close to the training grounds. Recalling he and Soul Edge still needed to test the sword's limits, Naruto decided to look for a new home later. After locating a secluded area in the grounds, Naruto went to unwind Soul Edge, but the sword had other ideas.

"Cease. Make a Shadow Clone."

Naruto paused, a questioning gaze in his eyes, but the sword merely stared at him expectantly. A clone poof-ed into existence a few seconds later, its creator still wondering its purpose. Still not revealing anything, Soul Edge now told Naruto to remove the chains. Figuring the sword wanted to teach him something, the shinobi's hands went to unbind his weapon/partner.

The moment Naruto's hands touched metal, the clone leapt forward with a fist cocked back. Startled, Naruto found himself on the ground with a throbbing jaw and bruised cheek.

"What did we learn?"

"Those clones are assholes!" Naruto growled as he sat up, immediately dispelling his clone.

"True, but that is not the answer," Soul Edge responded with a bit of mirth in voice, "Why didn't you dodge?"

"I was too busy undoing the fu…!" Naruto began to shout but stopped himself. His eyes went the chains. The tightly wound chains requiring a few seconds to unwind.

'A few seconds I wouldn't have during an ambush…'

"Good. You see the same problem I do," observed Soul Edge, "I will show how to strap me to your back in a way which allows for quick-drawing later; first, I want to test my ability."

Naruto nodded, gingerly rubbing his injured cheek, before another realization hit him. "Wait, how did you direct my clone to attack me?"

Soul Edge explained after the clone was created, he could feel a fleeting connection to it, and quickly told the copy to strike at Naruto the second he touched the chains. "I wasn't expecting this to be possible, but it'll prove useful." Soul Edge finished by adding, "I originally wanted the clone to serve as a moving target."

Explanations over, Naruto stood sword drawn in the same fashion as when he faced Kakashi, blade low near the grass. So far, all they knew was Soul Edge retained his nigh-indestructibility, soul-eating, skill/memory transfer, and shapeshifting abilities. Now, it was time to see if there were any other tricks they could play with.

Naruto thrust his right hand towards the sky as if to grasp something, eyes closed in concentration. After nothing happened for a few seconds, Naruto ceased his action. "OK, failed at attracting lightning. What's next?"

"I doubt this will work, but I want to see if you can perform Soul Wave."

Nodding, Naruto stood slightly hunched over and appeared to be hugging himself for a few moments, before standing straight, with Soul Edge's eye looking somewhat pleased.

"I felt it starting, but without souls, it won't work. At least I know it's in reach."

"Alright, let's keep going," Naruto urged, his weapon quickly agreed with this course, resulting in an hour of experimentation which gave less-than-favorable results to Soul Edge, but he expected this. As he was now, any elemental or attacks were impossible to execute, as the formerly cursed sword lacked the energy needed to fuel these attacks. They had tried substituting with chakra; however, the results were abysmal, as neither fire nor lightning formed in any amount.

Neither understood why, but the sword chalked it up to either both his and Naruto's inexperience with using chakra, lack of souls, or Inferno being inactive. The third potential reason seemed the most likely, as Inferno was Soul Edge's connection to the Astral Chaos which enabled his powers in the first place. Of course, once they started collecting souls, they would test these out again, but that would come later. Right now, Naruto currently held a pair of nun-chucks in his hands, expertly swinging the weapon around as he repeatedly struck a tree.

"Raphael!"

Naruto now grasped a rapier, using a single arm to maneuver the dueling weapon to poke and prod at his wooden target. In rapid succession, Naruto thrust his sword into the tree at multiple angles, before pulling his arm back and putting his whole body into a final thrust, burying the entire blade into wood. With a bit of effort, the trainee yanked his sword out, wondering whose style he would be practicing next.

Naruto loved how the memory transfer allowed him to know how to correctly wield numerous weapons within seconds. Combine this knowledge with Soul Edge's shapeshifting, and Naruto easily saw himself becoming a weapons master! And the knowledge didn't stop there – oh, no, far from it! Taijutsu styles long forgotten, and even noncombative skills, were just waiting to be accessed.

Of course, not only did Naruto need to be physically capable of performing a great many of these techniques, his body – his muscles, particularly – needed to remember these movements and be able to withstand the many different motions. This was his current engagement, constantly changing weapon type to see how long his body could withstand the shifting weight and movement.

Sweat poured off a topless Naruto, his sore arms struggled to hold up a hefty axe Soul Edge resembled. The weapon shifted back into his zweihander form as Naruto finally gave in to his exhaustion, blade impaled into the ground, still held by shaking hands. Panting like a dog left out on a summer day, Naruto felt his knees nearly buckle, prompting him to use Soul Edge as a crutch.

"This is enough for now. Catch your breath, then we will return home."

Naruto heard his muscles cry in protest of further movement, recalling how long the walk would take. Changing to a more comfortable position with his rear on the grass and bare back against the cooling metal of Soul Edge, Naruto leaned his sweat-soaked hair on the metal, regretting his error of not bringing water with him.

"Yo."

Naruto cracked an eye open to see his sensei emerging from the trees heading to him. Squatting down on his heels, Kakashi handed his undoubtedly overheated student a bottle of lightly-cooled water to help him recover. He waited for Naruto to finish greedily gulping down his water while ignoring the excusing glare of Soul Edge.

"How long were you watching us?" The weapon demanded, restraining his anger at the violation of their privacy.

"Eh, just for the past twenty minutes. Gotta say, it's really smart what you two are doing," Kakashi answered, unaffected by the sword's glare. "Shifting weapons to keep your opponent guessing is a good strategy. Not to mention unexpected," the masked man complimented the odd pair, before asking if they had any plans.

"No…" Naruto answered, panting every few seconds "But tomorrow… I'm going to… see a realtor."

"Yeah, I'd get a bigger place if I had the money too," Kakashi admitted, before asking Naruto if he wanted to be carried home. After seeing his student nod, the teacher grabbed Naruto's clothes before slinging his student over his shoulder. Soul Edge had shifted into a kunai which Naruto held, as Kakashi dashed over roofs to the young genin's residence. Once inside his apartment, Kakashi laid Naruto on the couch, before tossing his sweaty shirt and jacket into a laundry hamper.

Figuring Naruto was going to clock in for the night, Kakashi headed to the door, but a sudden request from Naruto made him turn around.

"Sensei, can we do a bandit extermination mission?"

"I don't think the team is ready for that yet, Naruto." Kakashi stated, walking over to where his student was lying. Pulling a chair over, Kakashi sat down asking why Naruto wanted to take on a mission like this so soon when they've only been a team for a few weeks.

"I know these missions are only for the purpose of blooding new shinobi, and I want to rip that bandage off sooner rather than later or when I'm not prepared," Naruto answered tiredly, looking at Kakashi. "At least, under these circumstances, it'll be our choice."

Kakashi hummed in consideration, before replying, "Let me talk to a few people first, then I'll get back to you on this" Kakashi paused before adding "Sasuke and Sakura will have to agree with this too."

Naruto shook his head in agreement before turning on his side towards the couch. Kakashi left, sighing as he exited. He hadn't expected Naruto to be interested in that kind of assignment, let alone for those very specific reasons. Exiting the housing complex, Kakashi wondered if his colleagues were available right now, as they were the ones he wanted to speak to before deciding whether or not to grant Naruto's request. He started heading towards the Jōnin Standby Station, knowing at least some of his fellows were there currently. Sure enough, when Kakashi arrived, he saw Kurenai, Azuma, and Gai sitting at a table, locked in conversation.

The silver-haired man had to hold back a cringe when Gai called him over in his typical fashion. "Kakashi! My youthful rival come join us!"

Despite the fact Gai was one of the people he wished to speak to, Kakashi prayed his self-proclaimed rival wouldn't enter an hour-long speech about youth. Taking his place among his comrades, Kakashi greeted them, before asking how their individual teams were progressing so far.

Kurenai Yūhi, a red-eyed woman with black hair, wearing a dress woven from bandages, spoke first, "I've noticed a natural synergy between Kiba and Shino as they seem to cover each other's weakness – Shino being more long range while Kiba prefers the frontline," the female sensei explained, adding, "Hinata is perfect for surveillance, while also possessing sufficient chakra control to become a medical shinobi."

Azuma, a tall man with a grizzled appearance, went next. "Right now, I've been trying to break Ino out of her fangirl state – which hasn't been too hard – but Shikamaru, while a genius, seriously needs to get some motivation. Chōji is the only one who seems to be taking this seriously," Azuma stated with a sigh, but did say they had potential to become an excellent team like the previous Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

After Azuma's brief words, Might Gai, a man with thick eyebrows and a black bowl-cut hairstyle, gave a broad smile full of sparkling white teeth. His own team was formed a year before the others, giving them much more time to develop. "Yosh! My students are progressing marvelously! Rock Lee has learned to unlock more of the gates, Neji has perfected his clan's techniques further, while Tenten has finished creating her own multi-weapon-based style! I'm so proud of them!"

Everyone in the vicinity groaned internally at both the man's volume and enthusiasm, but allowed him to speak. While his fellows spoke, Kakashi realized how little his own Genins had progressed in comparison, having only done teambuilding exercises. Granted, they had taken a lengthy mission to Naruto's ancestral home, but that didn't excuse Kakashi's lack of effort, as he could have taught them on the way and back… They were behind and it was his fault.

"Thanks for telling me; now I know how bad I am at this," Kakashi admitted with a sigh. He explained his lack of progress, having no clue where to start improving his students individually, let alone as a team. Their response wasn't one he expected.

They laughed.

"And this why you don't fail every team," Azuma chuckled, patting Kakashi on the shoulder comfortingly. "You have to learn to be a teacher – that takes time and practice."

Gai and Kurenai nodded in agreement with Azuma, before the latter spoke, "If you need help, then perhaps we can start having our teams train together to help build comradery and give some teaching methods you can try for yourself," Kurenai offered.

Gai quickly spoke as well, hoping to add another incentive, "My student Tenten mentioned the odd weapon young Naruto possesses. I'm certain she can assist him in properly wielding it!"

Hearing Naruto's name reminded Kakashi of why he came here, and now seemed like a good opportunity to bring up his student's request. They too were surprised upon hearing the young blonde's request, similar concerns quickly coming out. Kurenai immediately spoke out on the how unprepared Team 7 – Sakura especially – was for such an assignment. There was no argument from Kakashi, but he did have to agree with Naruto's point of dealing with this… rather delicate issue in a controlled circumstance.

"This could be used to teach them the seriousness of the profession they've chosen," Kakashi reasoned, knowing a harsh wake-up call may be needed to break his pinkette out of her fangirlish ways.

Azuma agreed with this, then gave a suggestion. "Perhaps all of our teams can do this together after a month of joint-team training sessions," he reminded the others his and Kurenai's teams were also unblooded, and wanted to use the shared experience to foster comradery and trust between them. Gai's team could also be present to help their peers as they had already taken these kinds of missions, and thus could share how they coped with delivering death.

With this plan agreed on, the group of four began forming plans on when to meet and how to help each other's teams improve. Kakashi felt this was the right call, and made a note to thank Naruto for unknowingly causing him to go to his fellows. He might not know how to teach, but as he listened to their suggestions and recommendations, the masked man felt this would change.

CUT! CHAPTER OVER!

I'M BACK!

Sorry for long wait, I have to admit that I haven't had much desire to write these past months but I've gotten the fire back and I don't plan on letting it leave again.

Now, this chapter shows how weak Soul Edge is at the moment and given that his fragments are causing trouble, he and Naruto might be real deep it soon. At least Kakashi will be getting some help in teaching a group which is something I think most of us can agree he sucked at.

One on one the man could do but a group? He sucked hard. Well, here that won't be an issue as the other Jounin will give him a hand.

Anyways, that's all from me, time to work on Man and Machine.

Remember to review, your opinions and ideas are read and appreciated!

Later! Greyblueflames burning out!