Cold eyes

Chapter 23

I do not own Legends of Zelda or Naruto

Ronin sat by a dimly lit fire next to a lake. This was the first time he has ever be truly alone. He skipped rocks along the water. He sighed at his hasty retreat. There was a rustle in the bushes. He gazed in its direction in anticipation. A pair of soft white fangs glistened in the moonlight. Ronin smirked as a pup appeared in the bush. He trustingly held his hand out towards a pup. The small creature softly growled and bit Ronin's finger. Ronin winced slightly but held together. It soon realized the teen's intention. It rubbed its head in his paw. Ronin softly pet the pup.

"Hey there little guy. Where did you wander from?" Ronin asked. The pup barked to him. Ronin continued to toss rocks into the lake. The fire grew dimmer. Ronin tried to summon up cursed flames to reheat the fire. When nothing appeared he panicked a little. The pup sensed his distrest and became frantic as well. Ronin stopped himself and took a long breath. Ronin calmed himself and the pup. Ronin summoned up an orb of a warm orange flame. He threw it into the bundle of sticks. It hardly crackled. Ronin stood up.

"Come on pup. We need to find some wood." Ronin said guiding the pup into the woods marking were his camp was with soul flame. "Alright let's go." Ronin said as the two were embraced by the darkness of the woods.

(In the village)

A day after the invasion the shinobi and civilians alike constructed basic living quarters and medical buildings all around the ruins of the city. Lucky for Naruto, Hinata, Faron, Ren, and Lana, the Hyuuga residence was barely affected by the enemy shinobi.

As the five walked to the residence Ino's team and Kiba asked to go with them. The group happily agreed to temporarily house the other four.

"So… What are we gonna do?" Ren asked. Faron looked at him in confusing.

"You mean without Ronin?" Naruto asked. Ren nodded. "We will do what we can." Naruto simply retorted.

"I hope he is okay." Hinata said.

"Well now that I'm free…" Lana started. The gang faced her with dark eyes. "...I'll be a much better help and will be happy to provide it." They all groaned and continued walking. Lana twirled her thumbs and sighed lightly.

"Where did you even come from?" Ino questioned. Lana was caught off guard by the question.

"Well… I am a servant of the goddess Hylia. My first intention was to execute Ronin." Lana said.

"Why would you need to execute him?" Kiba growled.

"I was ordered to execute Ronin because of his misdeeds against the goddess Hylia." Lana said. "And before you ask, He once killed off a church full of holy people praying to Hylia."

"On purpose?" Faron questioned.

"His motives are unknown." Lana spat.

"Then how do you know if it wasn't Infurgu?." Naruto interrogated. Lana stopped.

"That would make more sense." Lana piece together. "Now I feel like a jerk."

"I bet you do." Hinata huffed.

"Why are you antagonizing me? I was only doing my job!" Lana questioned. She became extremely flustered.

"Because, you don't see the good qualities in Ronin. He tried to get to know you, he taught you to cook, he has done many things for you and for us and you don't understand how much he puts aside to take care of us." Ren growled. The group moved on and Faron stayed behind with Lana.

"Look Lana…" Faron started he just stood by her side. "You may not appreciate how much he has done for you but, he does have feelings. Infurgus has had a very bad influence on his life. When he gets back you may want to apologize to him back in some way or you could look for him." Faron patted her shoulder.

"Look for him? Knowing Ronin he could be anywhere!"

"Well you could find him with the help of Hylia."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No I telling you to help him in his trying time."

"Why can't anyone else do i?!"

"Because maybe an angel can guide him to the light." Faron turned and walked to the warehouse. Lana followed and they entered the house and settled in.

(With Ronin)

Ronin gathered large sticks and carrying them in an atomic barrier. The pup held a few small sticks in its mouth. The soft caw of a crow was in the distance. The night air was crisp and dense and Ronin smelt blood and ash on his body. Ronin notice the pup sniffing the around and pointing away from their camp. Ronin used his spectral sight and finds a small pack of boar. Ronin became slightly agitated but controlled his anger. He grinned at the opportunity of food and pounced upon the boar. He successfully killed two with his bare hands. He dragged them to the campfire.

Ronin threw sticks into the pit and lit the sticks on fire. He made a small knife out of magic and skinned the boars. He threw them in the fire and watched them cook. The pup sniffed the boars meat.

"You are gonna be a good pet." Ronin said. He picked up the pup and patted it. "I wonder…," Ronin lifted it higher. "So you are a girl." Ronin said rubbed her head. Ronin picked at the boar and fed a small piece of the slightly cooked meat to the pup. The pup ate the silver excitedly. "Made I should name you…" Ronin thought for a moment.

"Maybe your name should be Aki." Ronin said. Aki howled softly. Ronin put the pup down. Ronin ripped himself a piece of boar and ate it. He looked back off into the lake. He got up pulling of his shirt and washed it the best he could. He did the same with the rest of his clothes. When he finished he laid the clothes next to the fire to dry. He took the boar off the fire and fell asleep.

(With the gang)

The nine of them sat on the couch and rested from the day's events. Naruto, Lana and Faron resided to their rooms, leaving Ino, Shikamaru, Ren, Shino and Hinata in the living room. Ren poked fun at Ino as the other three watch in bliss.

"So Ino why do you like to get into people's soul?" Ren teased.

"I don't like it." Ino huffed.

"Because you want to raise their spirits." Ren smirked.

"That was a terrible joke." Ino groaned and covered her face.

"Stop it Ren." Hinata giggles at Ino's expression. Kiba snickered. Shikamaru and Shino just shook their head. Hinata stood up.

"See you guys later." Hinata said as she walks out the door. Kiba, Shino, and Shika follow her without a word, leaving Ino and Ren.

"Don't even start." Ino said immediately.

"Aww… Don't be like that." Ren sighed.

"What do you mean? You keep poking at me and I don't like it." Ino told Ren. Ren was surprise by her reaction.

"I'm sorry Ino. I didn't mean to offend you." Ren quickly apologized, he surprised her.

"I accept your apology." Ino said. Ren stood up and yawned.

"You can stay the night but, I'm turning in" Ren yawned. Ino rose from the couch and walked to the door.

"See ya later Ren." Ino said as she walked out the door. Ren waved goodbye and went to his room.

(Next day)

Surprisingly most of the village was restored in under 12 hours. Through the chakra and innovation of the shinobi in the village. Most of the civilians were relocated and were returning to their normal lives. Naruto walked out the house at six in the morning to visit the Lord Hokage's grave. Naruto wandered the village and to his surprise many civilians were still up and at it. Many gave Naruto a dark look as he walked to the graveyard. Naruto naturally ignored the stares but, something made him very uneasy.

(With Ronin)

Ronin woke up to Aki nuzzled to his legs. He observed the two boar and noticed a hole in one of the bodies. Ronin yawned as he rose of the rock. He cupped his hand and drank from the lake.

"Alright we need to get going. I plan on going back to the leaf a better person no matter how long it takes." Ronin whispered to the sleeping pup. Ronin grabbed his dried clothes and put them on. He picked Aki up and placeed her on his head. He grabbed his small pack and a handful of boar's meat and ventured onto a trail. Aki nuzzled in his hair as Ronin walked down the road.

Ronin passed by a merchant cart. There was a woman in the front guiding a horse while it dragged the cart. Ronin walked towards her to receive directions to a nearby place. To his relief, the lady started to speak.

"Hello!" The lady exclaimed cheerfully. Ronin turned and waved at the lady. She was in her early thirties. "Would you like to buy something?" She question. Ronin shook his head.

"Umm… no thank you. However where are you headed. I don't know anywhere close to here."

"Well…" The woman thought. "To the north there is a rather large camp I'm headed too…" She explained.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" Ronin asked.

"Not at all." The woman smiled. Ronin hopped onto the top of the cart and they pulled off.

"The name's Suko."

"Ronin, please to meet you."

"So Ronin why are you out here?"

"I here for… spiritual enlightenment."

"Spiritual enlightenment?"

"Yeah. I haven't had the best time in recent years."

"Oh. Sorry to hear that."

"It's alright." Ronin lies on the cart and put Aki on his chest. Ronin closed his eyes and sighed. He ate part of the boar meat and gave the rest to Aki. "So you mentioned a large camp. Why isn't it just a town or village yet?"

"Well. Lots of bandits raid the camp constantly. They never had the time or materials to construct one. Also they posses no shinobi what's so ever." Ronin looked off into the woods.

"Damn… They have it real rough out there." Ronin spat. "Why hasn't anyone helped them yet?" Ronin interrogated

"Well the camp doesn't advertise their problems and they can't reach out for help without proper protection." Suko stated. Ronin had an idea to help his bloodlust and his spirit.

"Maybe… I can help." Ronin piped.

"A single shinobi?" Suko questioned skeptically.

"I am a powerful ninja!" Ronin nearly yelled. Aki stirred. Ronin reeled back in hesitation.

"Ok hotshot." Suko said back. "We are about 3 hours out of the camp so you might be up there for a while.

"I'll be fine."

"Alright then." The was silence for a few minutes.

"So Suko what is your story." This question seemed to catch her off guard as she paused the cart. After a moment she continued forward.

"It's not a story you would want to hear." Suko's voice was dark and harsh. Ronin didn't go for a second push for her life.

(With Naruto)

Naruto continued to wander the streets until he came across a graveyard. He walked in until he was met by the grave. Naruto placed small flowers in front of the grave. He stood for a moment and his eyes welled up. He looked down and cried into the dirt. He sunk low. Naruto stayed and relieved himself of the emotional pain. After a minute he stopped. He bowed to the grave and left. To his surprise when he turned around, he saw many civilians scurry away.

Naruto simply walked back to the entrance after he paid his respects. Naruto avoided the streets on his return and jumped over the dark ones. As Naruto went forward and quietly dashed across the rooftops he met Faron on the roof the house. Naruto landed by his side.

"Hey Naruto." He simply greeted.

"Why are you up here?" Naruto asked.

"I just needed to think. To my surprise no one can sleep tonight. Ren, Hinata and Lana are in the living room and I couldn't be in the house." Naruto sat next to him.

"So what did you say to Lana?"

"I told her that she may have to go find Ronin. We are going to have some trouble here if almost all of us can barely cook."

"Well we can always get ramen. Me and Ronin lived off of it for a while when we were kids."

"Really? Explains why you guys eat it so much."

"Anyway… Lana might be the last person Ronin wants to see right now."

"But she is the most influential. Ronin needs an opposite to help him."

"But Infurgus left him. He has his own moral compass."

"But for all those years and his sadism, are you sure his moral compass might be a good one to go off of?"

"Probably not…"

"Anyhow, we don't have much to go off of if we wanted to find him. Ren and I only traced him by his cursed magic and with Infurgus gone, I think he may have lost that aspect of his prowess."

"So track him with his new fire. What did he call it…"

"Black flame."

"Right. So do you think we can track that magic?"

"Most likely. It is a death related magic. If we find some way to see it's tracks we can find him."

"But one problem remains."

"What's that."

"Ronin left twice and this time he might not want to see us."

"It isn't like he is leaving forever."

"I know but, he shooed Infurgus off and he was really upset when I tried to talk to him."

"We won't know unless we try Naruto."

"But I think maybe we shouldn't. We should let this situation take its course."

"But he could defect. I know he may have good in him but sometimes power is consuming. We need to send Lana. She might be his last hope."

"But like I said Lana might be the last person he wants to see."

"Well she can always just leave if that is the case but we must send her now or we may not catch up to him."

"Let's talk it over with the others. It's an immensely important matter." Naruto slid off the roof and landed on the ground Faron close behind. The two rounded the house and enter through the front door. Ren, Hinata and Lana were speaking amongst themselves.

"Guys." Faron started standing in the middle of the room. "This is important." The three stopped and gazed at him intently. "Naruto and I believe that we must find Ronin."

"Why? He said he wanted to be alone." Ren questioned.

"Yes but Faron said that Ronin might be struggling and we need to make sure he is ok." Naruto followed up. Ren gave him a questioning look.

"Is this about earlier?" Lana poked.

"It is about what I told you earlier. You might be the candidate to bring him back." Faron explained

"Are you serious! Ronin doesn't want to see anyone!" Ren yelled.

"That's not the point Ren!" Faron shouted. "He may need our help! He pushed us away to protect us from himself! We can't just abandoned him." Faron crept closer to Ren.

"We can fight over this!" Ren exclaimed. "Just leave Ronin be."

"You want to leave him alone in his time of need!" The atmosphere was tense and suffocating. Ren jumped at Faron. Naruto rushed forward and pinned Ren down. Ren's eyes were red and fiery.

"Get off me!" Ren yelled in a possessed voice and threw Naruto across the room. Naruto rebounded of the wall and rolled back into the room. "He doesn't need to be found!" Ren yelled.

"Malakite why do you care?" Faron questioned as he equipped his blade. Ren grabbed his own blade.

"If Ronin defects then we could take over this pitiful world. Infurgus is the final piece we need and I am not stopping until he is a pawn in my army!" Ren laughed. Lana just sighed and wrapped Ren's limbs in holy water. Ren cried in pain and crumbled onto the floor.

"Well I guess if Malakite is trying to manipulate Ronin, than I'll help." Lana scowled.

"Thank you Lana!" Naruto cheered.

"So how are you gonna find him?" Hinata questioned.

"I'll just ask the goddess. Now that I have my magic I can finally talk to her." Lana explained. "I'll bring him back and after that I'm done." Lana simply said. Before anyone could react, a bright light enveloped her and ascended her to heaven.

"So who has Ren?" Naruto said.

(With Ronin)

Ronin and Aki were playing on the top of the cart as they closed in on the camp. Suko whistled to Ronin.

"We are almost there Ronin. Stay alert, we could be ambushed at any moment."

"Alright Suko. Just keep moving, I'll let you know if anyone's coming." Ronin used spectral sight and observed the road ahead. Ronin saw the encampment. He couldn't see any bandits.

"Anything?" Suko questioned.

"Nothing." Ronin replied. Aki let out a small howl. Ronin chuckled at the cute display and pet Aki. As they finished the last leg the camp came into view.

"Welcome to the Tage's camp." Suko introduced. The cart rolled up and Ronin grabbed Aki and slid off.

"Thanks for the ride." Ronin thank as he handed Aki a handful of coins. Ronin and Aki walked off into the camp. He viewed drunken men slumped along tents and small children sleeping outside. Ronin spotted what seemed like a guard.

"Ma'am…" Ronin was immediately cut off.

"Buzz off kid!" The woman spat. Ronin gritted his teeth. "We have a problem?"

"Yeah we do. You douche." Ronin tried to walk away but, the lady grabbed his shoulder.

"If we have a problem let's solve it." The lady croaked.

"Let go." Ronin simply. The lady drew a knife. Others noticed this and joined the lady and surrounded Ronin. The lady sent blade towards Ronin neck. Ronin ducked and kicked her leg. Ronin flipped over and kicked the two men in front of him back. The lady curved the blade as she fell and stabbed Ronin in the arm.

Ronin simply ignored the pain and grabbed the lady by the neck. He pulled the knife out his arm and placed it against her neck.

"We still have a problem?" Ronin questioned pressing the knife on her neck.

"We have no problem here." The lady coughed. Ronin dropped her on the ground, grabbed Aki, and continued.

"Suko was right. This place is crawling with bandits." Ronin continued until he found a tent with Tage's tent draped across the top. Ronin walked through to see two people working inside.

"Hello." The man lightly greeted.

"How may we help you?" The young woman questioned.

"The names Ronin and I'm here to help you bring order to this place." Ronin declared. Aki barked quietly.

"Really? We haven't sent any request out." The man said.

"I came along with Suko the merchant. You must be Tage."

"Suko brought you. Then that's how you learned… Yes we need your assistance. The bandits have clearly over run the encampment and there isn't much we can do about it." Tage said.

"Yes and we have major financial problems. We can't order supplies and we are using the last of them to support the occupants." The woman stopped. "Where are our manners? I am Retsuko Hinoki and this my Father Tage Hunoki."

"Good to meet you. I think I can help with the bandit problem." Ronin turned towards the exit. "I'll be back in a few hours." Ronin left and flew off.

(With Lana)

Lana landed on the pad as she was greeted by friends and family.

"Lana it's good to see you. Hurry the Goddess wants to see you." Her father hugged her.

"I won't be here long. I need to help Ronin." Lana stated. She pushed off and walked towards the Goddess's hall.

"You don't have to help that monster." Her father said. "Leave him to rot."

"As angels we are entitled to help anyone in need and I can help him." Lana continued.

"We don't need to help a demon." Her father said.

"He is not a demon!" Lana countered. "He is just boy." Before he could counter Lana flew off. She landed at the entrance and dashed inside. She was met by the dark glare of the Goddess.

"You failed your mission." Hylia simply stated.

"We misunderstood him. Malakite is corrupting the human in him. If we don't help him he may become as atrocious as the story." Lana pressed.

"I'm not allowing you to help a thing like him." Hylia said.

"We can save him from himself." Lana defended. "Just let me help him."

"I will not give you a pardon. He is a waste of time, we have more important things to do."

"Why don't you have anyone else do the work. There are a whole bunch of angels doing nothing around here." Lana accused. "I promised to help him and you told all young angels to never break their word for anyone."

"You can't use my teachings against me."

"I can and will. Now tell me where Ronin is!" Lana glared daggers into The goddess.

"Find him yourself." Hylia spat venom towards Lana. Lana didn't retort and walked away.

Hey guys thanks for waiting. See ya!