So, I've been gone. I've been busy, as in, super fucking busy. It'll be that way for a long time, so chapters will come fewer and far between. It'll take longer for chapters to be released, either 3-4 weeks between each update. In the meantime, I've already started on the next chapter.
I have already decided on pairings, so please stop asking. I don't want to reveal that just yet, but it doesn't matter much. Romance will not be a focus, and the only reason I have pairings at all is that it'll help further the plot and it is a chance for character development. But then again, since everyone keeps asking, the "main pairing" is NaruHina, but it won't be the standard NaruHina you've all likely read before.
Liverpool is in an honest-to-god title race this year. I mean, as of right now, w 2 points separate 1st from 6th, which makes for a very entertaining high-stakes competition, but... I just finished watching the Liverpool vs. Manc City game, and it was entertaining as fuck, but the result has me feeling hurt. I mean, we could've won the damn game, but we missed a sitter and we fell asleep when we conceded the first goal. I feel like we SHOULD'VE won! But alas, it wasn't meant to be. :(
I got nothing to say, other than that new Baby Keen album goes crazy. It's got hits. 7/10.
Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and let's get on with the story.
General narration
"Talking"
Flashbacks
'Thinking'
Narration
Yami speaking
Bijuu talking
'Bijuu thinking'
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Naruto Shippuden, nor the Naruto Manga. They are owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto. I only own "Narrator" and other OC's.
Narrator: As was shown in the last few chapters, Naruto has been going through it lately. Dealing with taking two lives, flashes from the past, the mystery around his heritage, and inner darkness threatening to come out any time. Naruto has a lot threatening his mental well-being, and that will slowly take its toll on him. But in what ways, that remains to be seen…
After being dumped off into Ebisu's care, Naruto quickly got over Ebisu's lack of training. The man had little to teach him.
Soon after, he met a perverted old man by the name of Jiraiya. Jiraiya was a powerful man. A master of many jutsu, and wielder of the Toad Summoning Contract. One of the Three Legendary Sannin. By a twist of fate, Naruto has met this man.
They don't know it, but this man will be the one to guide the young shinobi to a path filled with unbearable anguish and no recompense. He will be the man to alter the prophecy, and he is the one who indirectly set Naruto's path.
Maybe if they never met, the world wouldn't have gone to resemble hell. But then again, if they never met, there'd be no world left to complain about.
Three weeks after meeting Jiraiya and starting his training in Kuchiyose no Jutsu, Naruto is still struggling. He has been forced to stay on near-empty reserves for the entire time, and he's been giving it his all the entire time. It's no surprise he's collapsed so frequently. In fact, it's surprising he hasn't collapsed more.
Jiraiya groans. It's been three weeks now, and Naruto has had little progress. He needs to take drastic measures to ready him. "You've been training like this for three weeks. It's not working, so it might not be worth it."
"Hey, that's not true! I've been trying as hard as I can, so give me a break here, dattebayo!"
"Maybe you are. Maybe you're not. It doesn't really matter, because your hardest isn't hard enough."
Naruto flinches. He looks down and clenches his fist. He's trying so hard, and for it to not be enough? His eye flashes dark for only an instant.
"If you want to succeed in the Summoning technique, then you need to try as if your life depended on it."
Naruto bears his teeth. "What do you think I've been doing, you bastard!? I've been training so hard I collapse! I could die if this keeps happening, and you're saying my effort isn't enough? If you have time to complain, then teach me better! Show me a trick, dattebayo!"
Jiraiya looks away. "A trick? Well, I don't know if I should."
"You aren't going to teach me?"
Jiraiya looks sternly at Naruto. "You need to put your life at risk. And that is no joke. Even knowing that, are you still willing to do it?"
"Of course! I always risk my life. There's no point in trying if you don't go all the way, dattebayo!"
"All right. Follow me."
Naruto and Jiraiya walk toward a hidden location. "Hey, are you sure that if I do what you ask then I can summon toads?"
Naruto is answered by an Earth-shattering sucker punch to the gut, knocking him out.
'To tap into his enormous chakra and use it, I'm certain it is extremely difficult to control that kind of power. It's also true Naruto's small body is too weak a vessel for the Kyuubi no Yoko's chakra. It's likely that because that chakra puts such a burden on it, Naruto's body naturally suppresses not only the fox's chakra but also most of his own.
If the key to drawing out the Kyuubi's chakra is danger and emotion, he has to physically experience them until he learns to summon the chakra on his own. Please forgive me for what I'm about to do. Minato, Kushina…' Jiraiya picks up Naruto and takes him to a hidden location.
…
Once at his destination, Jiraiya drops Naruto, forcefully waking him up. "Wh-where am I?"
"Naruto, starting now, your training is over."
"But I haven't done anything wrong!"
"Naruto! You must stare death in the face. To stave off the horror of death, you must release enormous chakra. Once you experience that, you'll learn to release the red chakra. If you don't wish to die, then do something about it. Now." Jiraiya pushes Naruto with extreme force, pushing him through bushes until he reaches the other side. He is now falling down a deep, bottomless ravine.
'Alright, Naruto. Now we will see two things. If this power has been given to the correct person, and if that power is a blessing or a curse.'
As Naruto falls, his first thought is to use his chakra to grab onto the rocks. Whenever he grabs onto a rock, he slips, cutting his hands, and keeps falling.
'It is impossible Naruto. You have to recognize that. You are falling far too fast and the rocks are too slippery, and with the limited control of chakra you possess, it'll be impossible to cling to a rock. You must see that you need to depend on the Kyuubi's chakra. You have to turn the key yourself.'
As Naruto falls, he thinks about his situation. He has no solutions, and if things go on, he'll really die. Die, die, die… He hears the pounding beating of his heart even over the rushing wind in his ears. If nothing changes, then soon, he won't be able to hear his own heartbeat. It'll grind to a halt. He'll die, die, die… DIE!
…
When Naruto opens his eyes, he is inside of a dark, murky sewer. The air, the walls, and the lighting are all tinted yellow. He gets up out of the water and looks around. Behind him, he hears a roar and a twisted giggle.
It's coming from the darkest corridor around him. It even has wisps of an almost black mist, oozing out and contaminating other hallways, rusting the walls, and polluting the water.
'This feeling… it's the red chakra. And something else.' Naruto walks down the corridor, deeper in the maze that is this sewer, and closer to the beast. He turns the corner and leaves the corridor, entering a chamber.
His eyes widen. He is in a massive chamber with a cage at the end of it. The gate of the cage is held by a slip of paper. Likely a seal.
When he gets closer, he sees a massive beast, grinning at him and showing off its razor-sharp teeth. Its eyes are a blood-red color with thin vulpine-slit pupils. It's surrounded by a red aura.
"Come closer, little boy." Naruto obeys. As he nears, claws come out of the cage, narrowly missing him. Naruto skitters backward.
"How wonderful it'd be to kill and eat you. But this accursed cage confines me." The beast narrows its eyes. "It's that infuriating sealing jutsu."
Naruto trembles. "You-You're the… Kyuubi no Yoko." The fox grins in reply, displaying all its sharpened fangs. "Of course! The red chakra is this guy's chakra."
"Why are you here, foolish boy? What do you want? Or have you simply offered yourself to me so that I may feast on your marrow?"
Naruto glares at the fox. "Okay, baka-kitsune. You are in my body and you owe me rent. As payment, I'll take your chakra. You got that?"
The Kyuubi watches the boy. Its grin slowly gains more power, and then it starts chuckling. "Hahahaha!" "Hehehehehe!" Another voice was heard.
After the fox stops laughing, the other voice is still heard lingering. "Hahahaha!" The other voice guffaws hysterically. Naruto looks around trying to identify where the voice is coming from. "Hahahahahehe!" The voice's laughs deplete into chuckles. It sounds like it's coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
"Well, Hikari. You really are such an idiot. I expected you to be rambunctious, dense, and naive, but I never expected ignorant." A miasma-like black mist collects between Naruto and the Kyuubi. The mist coalesces into a humanoid shape, then gains mass. The mist gains color and identifying features, even clothing. Once over, the figure created from the darkness shows itself.
It looks like… Naruto. Same skin tone, hair, clothing, except his eyes are red and pupilless, surrounded by black sclera. "Wh-Who are you?"
The other Naruto grins maniacaly. "Shouldn't it be obvious right now? I'm you."
Naruto takes a step back. "Wh-what? What do you mean? I'm me, dattebayo. Uzumaki Naruto."
Yami gives Naruto a sly smirk. "Hehe. No, we're Naruto. You and I are us, but we are also each other."
Hikari's expression is stumped. "Uh, I don't understand."
"What else is new?" "What else is new?"
"Hey, that's not very nice, dattebayo!"
"It's not supposed to be, idiot! Am I really this dumb?"
"Hey!"
"I guess I have to explain everything to you, Hikari."
"Why do you keep calling me Hikari?"
"If you'd let me explain, then you'd know I was going to talk about that! Baka Hikari."
"Hmph!"
"Ahem. Let's start off with a story. Once upon a time, in a certain place. there lived a blonde-haired boy. This boy, unfortunately, was an orphan."
Hikari narrows his eyes. He has an idea of where this is going.
"This boy was the pariah of his home. He was hated, ignored, and neglected. He was abused in all ways. Physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Now, what matters most in this story are the latter two, since they go hand in hand.
The boy was surrounded, by negativity. He suffocated in it. He was force-fed it until he got his fill, and his neighbors still fed him more. No matter how much he ate, drank, breathed, or swallowed, he was still fed negativity. He was fed so much that he began to choke on the excess. Even then, the world kept going."
Hikari clenches his fists and clenches his jaw. His pupils dilate.
"If things kept going on as they were, the boy was bound to be overwhelmed. He'd likely die because of the negativity. He'd be controlled by it. Maybe even be a part of it. Who knows what he would've done? Maybe it'd start out small, like self-deprecation, self-hatred, and low self-esteem."
Hikari looks down at the floor.
The Kyuubi doesn't comment. It only watches on with a vulpine grin plastered on its face, fully enjoying the excitement of the show.
"Then, the negativity would likely worsen. The boy would try other ways to numb himself. Apathy, hatred of those who hate him, and a never-ending search for a distraction from the abyss swallowing him whole.
It'd worsen even more until the boy would start to blame himself and loathe himself. His insecurities would magnify until he truly hates himself. The boy would think he doesn't deserve happiness, so the boy would punish himself. Try to be the butt of the joke, let himself be beaten by bullies, and even… self-harm."
Hikari's head jerks up so fast, he nearly got whiplash. He glowers darkly at Yami and bares his teeth.
Yami's smirk turns into a maniacal grin. "Every action is started and ended by thought. Everything in between is also controlled by thought. Now, when the boy's negativity and darkness gained enough power, he started having certain… thoughts. He hated his life, so he'd start thinking about what death is like. Questions would be asked."
"Shut up…"
"Questions like 'What is death like?', 'Is death painful?', 'What if I were dead?', and 'Would anyone miss me if I died?' With these questions being so frequent in the mind of the boy, is it any wonder that one day had the thought 'I would be better off dead.'"
Hikari grips his head. The headache he has feels like it could crush him. "Shut up."
"And again. Since every action is started, ended, and controlled by thought, once he had that thought, should his future actions be much of a surprise? The actions of his thoughts. It's no wonder he attempted suicide once."
Hikari charges at Yami, aiming a haymaker at his smug face. "I said SHUT UP!"
Yami smiles maliciously at Hikari. He catches his fist, blocking the punch. "Oh! What power! If that had even a little more oomph to it, you might've hurt me."
"Shut up, teme! Who the fuck are you?!"
"Oh, that passion! You'll make me blush~. Hehehe, I told you before, I'm you."
"What does that even mean, you sleazy bastard?"
"So impatient. Fine, I'll tell you." Yami fakes a dramatic hurt pose. "You're so cruel to me, Hikari. Always ruining my fun. Now, to continue the story of the boy. He survived his attempted-"
Hikari's scalding glare silences Yami for a second. His eyes widen, and then he smirks. "-reduction of experience. After that, subconsciously, his brain realized it had two options. One, either let the boy stay as he is and eventually cease to exist. The second was forcefully stabilizing the boy's emotional and psychological state, no matter how crude, unstable, or ineffective the method.
We were that solution. Our mind forcefully split and separated the bright, positive emotions, thoughts, and memories into you, Hikari. You are the light half of us. The mind then isolated the dark and negative thoughts, memories, and emotions onto me, Yami. I am literally the other half. The dark half."
Hikari's eyes widen. He… he isn't himself? And this Yami. He's him, and him he? It's hard to wrap his head around, but for some reason, he can feel that Yami isn't lying. He can feel the symmetry between them. Like they were mirror images of the other. Like they are both incomplete.
"So you feel it eh? I was going to explain that. First off, I can read all your thoughts. You, as the dominant personality have the privilege of being in control of our self. But I, as the dormant or recessive personality have the ability and privilege of being able to read and know all our thoughts. After all, I am you. You are me."
Hikari bites his lip. Damn. This is so much more complicated than he thought. He is getting a migraine just thinking about it. So this Yami is basically him, but evil?
"No, I am NOT evil. Nor am I a monster. I like to think of myself as the smarter half. The realist. The one who deserves to be in control. We may be equal, but NOT the same.
When we split, our body changed as well. Our chakra split as well. You, Hikari, possess our rich, dense, and powerful Yang Chakra. Our physical energies. That is not to say you don't have Yin Chakra or spiritual energies. You do, and in equal amounts even, but that is only because Yang cannot exist without Yin. The Yin chakra you possess is so weak and diluted since it is basically my leftovers being shared amongst your massive Yang reserves.
I possess our magnificent, complex, and sublime Yin Chakra or spiritual energies. In other words, I am in possession of half of our chakra. I also have equal parts Yang Chakra, but it is nothing more than your leftovers that have been diluted and weakened by being dispersed by my Yin. I am telling you this for a reason.
You came here looking for the Kyuubi's chakra in hopes of surviving, right? Well, here is the problem for you. You don't have access to the Kyuubi's chakra."
"What?! Then how the hell are we going to survive, dattebayo?!"
"Quiet, you insignificant Ningen! If you would listen first instead of acting, then life will be much easier for us all, you ignorant monkey!"
"Quiet, you baka kitsune!" "Quiet, you baka kitsune!" They really are similar.
"You didn't let me finish. The Kyuubi isn't at its full power. It has been split into two because of the Yondaime's seal. Specifically, the Yang half of the Kyuubi is sealed inside of us."
"That's pretty cool! I didn't know that!"
"I'll give you that. It is pretty cool. But, this information is important. Since I have Yin chakra, and the Kyuubi has Yang, our chakras are in contact. Yang naturally searches and connects with Yin, so I have access to the Kyuubi's chakra. Not you."
"So what do we do? Only you can do something about this!"
"You could give up possession of our body to me! I'll become the dominant personality, while you remain in eternal slumber, forever resting and healing from our trauma!"
Hikari glares sternly at Yami, completely unshaken.
"No? Didn't think so. I would take forceful possession of our body if I could, but I can't. Not yet. So, here's what we are going to do. Raise your dominant hand."
Hikari raises his right hand. So does Yami. They are both right-handed. They share the same body, after all.
"Now, we'll connect our hands, perpendicular to the ground."
Hikari and Yami touch hands. Fingers on fingers, palm on palms.
Hikari feels chakra enter his right hand. It feels like his own, but not. It feels like the opposite of his chakra. If he could describe it, His chakra would be a body, and the chakra entering his hand is the shadow belonging to the body, cast by the sun.
So this is Yami's chakra. His missing Yin chakra. The color is… red and black. More like black with patches of red.
Hikari watches as his and Yami's hands merge, becoming opaque and connected.
"I have merged our right hands together. It's the most our body can handle for now. The chakra in our hands are merged, in sync, and connected. Through my spiritual energies, you now have access to the Kyuubi's chakra."
Hikari feels so much stronger already. He grins. He is about to thank Yami but stops when he sees Yami give him the darkest expression he has ever seen on a person. "Do NOT thank me, Hikari. I didn't do this because I like you, or because I want to. I did this because I HAVE to. If you die, I die. If we die, The Kyuubi dies. I have plans. I have goals and ambitions. I will fulfill them no matter what, even if it means helping YOU!
I don't like you. In fact, I hate you! I want you to disappear and cease to exist! But again, Yin cannot exist without Yang. My first goal is to take over our body and be the dominant personality. Connecting our chakras was the first step. Because Yin seeks Yang, and vice-verse, over time, our chakras and minds will connect further, and at an exponential rate.
One day, all we are will merge. All our chakra, all our power, all our thoughts, emotions, memories, and personalities. Even our goals. This process cannot be stopped nor reversed. You need my power to draw on the Kyuubi's power, so whenever you use either of our powers, the process quickens and makes it easier for me to gain control of your body. When that happens, one of two things will be the result.
One, you take it all. Everything, all the power, thoughts, and the body. You absorb me and I cease to exist. Two. I can be the victor. I can take full control of the body, the power, the mind, the thought. When that happens, I take it all, and you cease to exist.
That is my first goal. To destroy you and take control of this body. I will be Naruto. But, that is step one. Your dream is to become Hokage and protect your friends. My true goal, my ambition is to take vengeance upon those who have wronged us! To make them suffer ten-fold what we have!"
Hikari growls at Yami. "You are fucked up! I will not allow that to happen, you hear me?!"
Yami grins maniacally and chuckles. "Hehehehe. That won't be the end. No, my next step is to destroy Konohagakure no Sato, and everyone living inside! Shinobi, men, women, civilians, elderly, and children. All that live in that cesspool will be ground to dust! There will be some exceptions. I'm not heartless. I still care for our friends, and I have nothing against toddlers.
After that, well, I don't know. My allies will be rewarded handsomely but after that? Maybe taking over the world? Have it be under my rule? Yeah, that sounds fun, dattebayo!"
Hikari pales. He takes a step back and trembles. His legs grow weak and he collapses. His pupils dilate and his palms sweat. "N-no… No, no-no. No! There's no way you are me! There can't be! I could never be so evil! You are a liar!"
"I never go back on my word! That's my nindo, my ninja way! I am not evil. This is my form of justice. This is my dream and my vow. I never break a promise. I promise you that I will destroy you, Konoha, and anyone standing in my way. I will be the King! I will be the Alpha and Omega. I will become Uzumaki Naruto. That is my promise. And I NEVER go back on my word!"
Hikari clenches his fist and grinds his teeth until he feels a molar crack. He stands up and glowers at Yami. "I promise to stop you. I will gain your power and keep control of my body. I will protect my friends and anyone living in Konohagakure no Sato. There will be no exceptions. I will help my friends and make new ones. I will become the greatest Hokage of all! That is my vow. I will be seen as a human being, and I will be cherished, not feared. I will remain Uzumaki Naruto. That is my promise, and I NEVER go back on my word, dattebayo! You are not me, and never will be, you damned imposter!"
Hikari glares sternly at Yami with a frown. Yami grins at Hikari with malice and glee. "Fufufufu. Challenge accepted! Make this interesting for me, Hikari."
The Kyuubi smirks from within the cage. 'Hehehehehe. This human… This human is so interesting. I'll make sure his death will be as painless as can be when I am freed, as long as he provides me with entertainment in the meantime.'
"Oi. Baka-kitsune! Give us some of your chakra will you?"
The Kyuubi grins and exhales a steaming hot breath. "Hahahahaha! Well, I suppose I can't kill any one of you, can I? After all, this seal is enforced by the Shinigami itself. If you die, there's no guarantee that I'll be fine. Your courage is most impressive, children."
Orangey-red chakra flows from out of the bars of the cage. It surrounds and consumes Yami, and then heads toward Hikari. It flows into his arm and surrounds him, concentrating around the limb.
"Very well. As a reward for making it this far, I will loan you my chakra. Try not to waste it."
Yami fades into mist and recedes into the mind. The Kyuubi slinks back inside the cage, and Hikari is forcefully kicked out of his mindscape.
Narrator: Naruto- no- Hikari has met his other half, Yami. Yami and Hikari are opposites in every way. They will struggle against themselves and each other for many years in an effort to gain a minute advantage over the other. One day, these two will merge. When that happens, the Naruto we all know will cease to exist.
I know how this story ends. Yami alters Hikari's actions to an extreme degree and Hikari has to pick up the pieces of things he has destroyed. Hikari is an ignorant, naive, and idealistic fool that is driven by words and concepts. Yami is an ignorant, barbaric, and hateful monster in a human disguise that is driven by the past and is guided by words.
When separate, they bring out the worst in each other. So when they are separate and work together, you have a naive, ignorant, and foolish hypocrite that destroys everything they touch. They bring about disasters and destroy the lives of people around them, with their only justification being empty words founded on and backed by nothing.
The shinobi world is not ready for the power these entities will amass, and even less ready for their inevitable union.
When Naruto opens his eyes, He is in the ravine once more, Falling toward his death. He feels the two new chakras flowing in his right hand. 'Got it.'
He bites his thumb and does the seals. Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A massive storm of chakra is released from his hand. First is his standard blue. Then comes the black and carmine from Yami, and lastly, the bright orangey-red from the Kyuubi. The smoke from the jutsu is so large and dense it fills the ravine.
Naruto lands on the soft, fleshy back of a massive 30-meter toad with a pipe in its mouth and a vertical scar along its left eye. It's holding itself aloft by using the friction of his limbs to slow his descent.
"What's this? Where in the world am I?"
Outside the ravine by the edge, Jiraiya smiles at his pupil. 'Looks like he managed to release the chakra of the Kyuubi no Yoko all on his own this time. But still, I can't say he's proficient at it yet. He overdid it with the chakra's power. To summon him of all things.'
Meanwhile, Naruto giggles and laughs about his achievement.
The toad writhes its body. "You little snot!" Naruto falls and tumbles off of the toad's head, falling in its snout.
When Naruto gets up, he looks at the massive toad glaring at him in the eye. "You little snot! Just whose head do you think you're dancing on top of? Well, let me tell you.
I am the wise and powerful Gamabunta-sama, The Chief Toad. You kid, are an idiot. Now shut up!" Gamabunta's scream created powerful winds that had Naruto fall off the toad's snout. He managed to keep himself alive by hanging onto the toad's pipe.
"Just when I finally get to breathe some fresh air again, I find some punk kid on top of my head.
Oi, Jiraiya! Where are you, Jiraiya?! Just what do you think you're doing?"
Outside the ravine, Jiriaiys cringes. "Yeesh. This doesn't look good. Even I can't handle Gamabunta. He's a true handful. It would be a pain in the neck if he found me out, so I'll hightail here while I still can."
Back in the ravine, Gamabunta belts at the top of his lungs. "Jiraiya! Show yourself, you buffoon!"
Gamabunta looks at Naruto, who is dangling off his pipe. "Hey, brat. Where is Jiraiya? You know, the idiotic lecher who calls himself the Toad Sage. Where is he?"
Naruto's lower lip quivers a but. He is terrified of this toad. He's massive, mean, and intimidating.
"Look, I'm giving you an order, and if you can follow it, I'll even consider making you my henchman. So tell me where he is!"
Naruto uses his chakra to stick his body onto Gamabunta. If he didn't he would've fallen. "Okay, okay! Calm down. If you're talking about Pervy Sage, he's on the cliff up there, Chief Toad." Gamabunta looks up the ravine. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"What business do you have with Pervy Sage anyway?"
"That's the same thing I want to ask that pervert! I mean, what in the world does this fool want with me? Summoning me in a dank, dinky place like this?"
Naruto rubs the back of his head. "Well, actually, the funny thing is that I'm the one who summoned you. You see, I fell off that cliff and thought maybe you could save me. So thanks, boss!"
Gamabunta scrutinizes Naruto. He tilts his head back and bellows out deep chesty laughs. "Give me a break. What does a little kid like you know about that? There's no way a puny thing like you could have enough power to summon up a being like me."
"No, no, It's true, dattebayo! I mean, I really truly summon you, dattebayo!"
Gamabunta laughs once more. Naruto growls, taking it as the boss mocking him. "You have said whatever you wanted since you came here, but no matter what, I'm the one who summoned you. That means I'm your master. You have to start respecting me and doing what I say. You got that?"
Gamabunta grumbles a bit. "What was that? You've got some nerve. Who do you think you're talking to? A meaningless little squirt like you, barely old enough to stand, and you dare to say to Gamabunta-sama, the Chief Toad, that you are his master?"
Gamabunta releases his tongue and spits out his pipe, using his tongue to capture Naruto. He puts him on his back and using as much strength as possible, jumps out of the ravine, crashing on the cliffside above. Naruto falls off of Gamabunta, falling to the ground.
"Woah! That was really cool!"
"Hahaha. I hate to tell you this, you little snot. But even if I were willing to believe that you summoned me, and that's a really big if, but if you're the type of guy to fall off of my back that easily, then there's no way I could ever accept you as my equal, much less as my master."
He flicks Naruto away. "Since it's been so long since I was in the world, if Jiraiya doesn't need me, I'm going for a walk."
Just as the Toad boss was leaving, Naruto caught his attention. "Wait!"
"Go home. It's clear to me that you are incapable of serving as my henchman." Gamabunta laughs and hops away.
Before he can get too far, he feels something crawling on his skin, or running for that matter. This thing jumps off his back and on his face. It's the kid. He looks crazy determined. "If gaining your respect depends on staying on your back, well then-" He sits on the toad's snout. "I'll just make sure I don't get off your back for the rest of the day, no matter what, dattebayo!"
"Excuse me?"
"That's right. And when I do, then you'll have no choice but to recognize me as your undisputed master!"
"Tch. If that's what you want, but don't think I'll make it easy on you." Gamabunta shakes his body and begins bouncing. He gyrates and skews his body in many directions in an effort to shake off the annoying, arrogant human boy on his face.
Naruto loses his grip many times, but keeps a hold of the toad as best he can. He tries to use chakra to stick to the toad's skin but doesn't have enough to do so. He is stuck depending on his own pure body strength.
...
The Toad and the boy continue with the et for hours. The Toad tries any trick possible to bet the boy to fall off, and the boy uses strength that he doesn't even have to keep up. It reaches a point that the Toad is tired and the boy depleted. Bunta never expected the kid to be this good. He has his respect now.
Even then, he refuses to lose to him, no matter what. Before he ends this, he'll show the kid some respect. "Hey kid, what did you say your name was?"
"It's Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!"
"Well, Uzumaki Naruto, I hope you don't hold it against me if you die."
Gamabunta jumps high into the air, crashing into many trees, uprooting them from the Earth. He then jumps the highest he has had, crossing the other side of the ravine toward where Jirayia is, and falling into a shallow lake by the waterfall.
Naruto starts falling off, but before he can do so. He summons a dozen shadow clones to hang onto him and pull him back on the toad's head.
The toad huffs in frustration.
Naruto giggles and then chuckles. "Hehehehaha! How do you like that, Chief Toad? I'm still on your back! That's right! I beat you!" Naruto freezes and his eyes grow heavy. He stumbles and faints, falling off of Bunta's head. With the way he's falling, he'll really die!
Before he can hit the ground, Bunta uses his tongue to catch the kid and break his fall. 'How unlucky. And you almost made it too. Too bad for you, your body gave out on you.' He places the kid back on his head.
Jiraiya watches from afar and smiles. He pulls a scroll from off his back and unseals it. He throws it toward Bunta. It lands in front of him and unfurls, displaying its contents to him. It's the summoning scroll, and inside is a new name he hasn't seen before.
Uzumaki Naruto. So, he really did summon him. Jiraiya is not only a lecher but also a scoundrel.
Gamabunta leaps into the village and drops Naruto off in front of a hospital. This is his way of honoring the kid.
In Naruto's hospital room is Shikamaru, who plays shogi by himself. 'Man, is the kid ever going to wake up? Waiting is such a drag.' Shikamaru hears the sounds of sheets scrunching together. The likely cause is the stirring blonde in the bed. "Finally decided to wake up, huh?"
Naruto squints his eyes to protect himself from the harsh glare of the lights. "Where am I?"
"The hospital. They said you've been out cold like this for three days straight."
"Three days?" He immediately jumps out of bed. "Shikamaru, when does the final competition begin?"
"Tomorrow."
Naruto grabs Shikamaru by the collar of his shirt. "Why the hell didn't you wake me up sooner?! I've got to get ready! And where is Pervy Sage, dattebayo? The old coot's supposed to be supervising my training!"
"Hey, get a grip! I don't know what you are talking about!"
Naruto lets Shikamaru go. He runs around the room looking around. "Where are my clothes? Where did they put them?"
"Would you knock it off?!" He managed to force Naruto to listen to him. "Now listen. Don't freak out the day before a competition. Resting is the best thing to do."
Shikamaru sees Naruto slump. "Hey, are you alright?"
Naruto's stomach growls. He looks back at Shikamaru with anime tears. "I'm really starving."
"Is that it? Man, stop scaring me like that." Shikamaru's eyes widen slightly, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, look at this." He bends down and pulls up a fruit basket. It's filled with apples, pears, grapes, bananas, and a pineapple.
"I went to all of this trouble to get this for Choji, and then the doctors told me he couldn't have any. What a drag, but at least we can eat it. Before you ask, it's nothing serious. Choji is in the hospital for a bad case of indigestion. He ate one rib too many."
Naruto bursts out laughing. "Man, I should've figured. That's just like him, dattebayo!"
"Yeah, well, you two are lucky you have me, or you wouldn't have any visitors." Naruto stills a little and slumps slightly. No one visited him? Not Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, Hokage-Jiji? Not even Sakura?
Shikamaru can see where this is going, so he calls out to Naruto. "Here." He tosses him an apple.
Naruto catches it. "Oh wow. This looks delicious." Naruto goes to take a bite but stops before his sharp canines can pierce the flesh of the fruit.
"Hm? What is it now?"
Naruto chuckles. "Let's eat this in front of Choji. It'll drive him crazy!"
"Man you're evil. I like it."
They head out of the room to find Choji, but on the way there, Naruto freezes.
"What is it now?"
Naruto trembles a little bit. "Shikamaru. Something bad is happening. I can feel it. Follow me."
"But the fruit-"
"-Drop it and FOLLOW ME!"
Shikamaru drops the basket and runs after Naruto. This day has been such a drag all because of Naruto. He's only been awake for five minutes, dammit!
…
Sakura walks into the hospital to bring Lee another flower. The second she walks in, she feels something is off. The waiting room, hallways, entrance, exit, and the perimeter of the building are empty. Even the receptionist's desk is empty. "Where is everyone?"
She shrugs and walks up to the desk to the desk to check-in. While she is doing so, she fails to notice a shadow creeping up behind her. When she turns around to figure out who it is, she finds no one. She shrugs thinking it must've been her imagination.
She picks up her flower and walks to Lee's room. She changes the water in the vase by his bed, and adds a new flower, replacing the old one. She's done this every day for nearly a month now. She makes sure to be as quiet as possible to not wake Lee up. Before she leaves, she fluffs Lee's pillow and holds his hand, sending him a silent prayer. "I hope you like the flower, Lee-san."
She leaves and heads home.
The shadow that was following her emerges again, except now more details about the person are seen. The outline of a gourd can be made out.
The door to Lee's room opens and creaks ominously. The figure from the shadows walks toward Lee, with slow, but intentional steps. The sound of its footsteps echoes out on the tiles and reverberates around the room, leaving a feeling of dread in the air.
The figure stops walking once it reaches the foot of Lee's bed. It's Gaara, looking at Lee impassively. He flinches and groans as he holds his head. He gets a splitting headache remembering his battle with Lee. The fear of pain! The elation of a challenge! But what he remembers most is the unbearable emptiness he felt at failing to finish him off. He failed to validate his existence.
And worse, is Guy's words. His words of compassion and mercy. His words forced him to remember an easier time. A reminder of lonelier times, of his most painful times. 'What am I?' Rings out a voice. Garra digs his nails in his head and lets out a muted scream. The headache morphs into pain so unimaginable that no sound escapes his throat as he expresses his agony. Lee did this to him. Unacceptable.
Gaara uncorks his gourd and encompasses Lee in his sand. The stinging smell of iron wafts around the room as the sand digs under the sheets to get under Lee, and over to hold him down.
Gaara breathes hard, ragged breaths. His breathing is difficult and raspy as he struggles to gulp down precious oxygen. His sand reaches Lee's face. Before Gaara can clench his hand, his eyes widen as he realizes why he can't. 'My body… I can't move my body.'
Naruto runs at Gaara. "Teme!" He lands a wild haymaker on him. Because Shikamaru was using his shadow possession, he also felt that punch. Thankfully, he was able to keep the jutsu active.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you rat?"
"Oi, Naruto. Take it easy. I'm using my Kageshibari no Jutsu, so when you're bashing him, you're bashing me too!"
"Sorry, Shikamaru."
Sand falls to the ground. The punch broke through the sand armor on Gaara's cheek but failed to hurt him. He looks at the duo impassively, feeling completely unthreatened.
"Out with it, what were you trying to do?"
Gaara stays silent.
Naruto's fist clenches. "Teme! Are you gonna tell us what you were gonna do?"
Gaara's expression stays the same, yet turns darker somehow. "I was going to kill him."
Shikamaru gasps. Naruto glares. "What?"
'This guy's one cool cucumber. He's not even phased by my Kageshibari no Jutsu.' "You already beat him once in the competition. What's your problem? Was that not enough for you? Do you have some kind of personal grudge against him or something?"
"I have nothing against him. It's nothing that complicated. I simply want to kill him, that's all."
Naruto's eyes narrow into slits. "You know what? You're sick in the head! You're crazy, dattebayo!"
"Yeah. You think we're just gonna just stand by and let you do whatever you want? You sick, selfish psycho." Despite his words, on the inside, Shikamaru doesn't feel the same. 'This guy really gives me the creeps. There's always been something weird about him. Scary. If he decides to make a move, I'm not sure we'll be able to stop him.'
Gaara tilts his head a little, showing he isn't affected by Shikamaru's jutsu, yet no one seems to notice. "If you don't stay out of my way, I'll have to kill you as well."
"Well let's just see you try it!"
"Woah, Naruto, calm down." Shikamaru tries his best to hide his fear. "We watched your match against Lee. We know you're tough. But you know, Naruto and I have a few little tricks up our sleeves as well. We were holding back during the competition. There are things you haven't seen yet. On top of that, it's two against one. Don't be a fool. Just take my advice and go quietly." 'I hope this bluff works.'
Gaara's eyes narrow. "I'll say it again. If you get in my way, I'll kill you."
"And I'll say it again. Let's see you try it!"
Shikamaru whispers to Naruto. "Back off, will you? We don't want to go there! This guy fights like he's mad. Like he's a demon or something!"
"He can act like a demon if he wants to, but you know what? I got the real thing inside of me."
Unfortunately for them, Gaara heard it all. "A demon huh?" He closes his eyes. "My demon is as real as yours is." Naruto stiffens a tad.
Gaara opens his eyes once more, showing the same dead look as always. His dead, teal, doll-like eyes suck the life out of the room. "From the day I was born, my upbringing is not what most people would consider a happy one. To ensure that I became the strongest of shinobi, my father had cast his ninjutsu in me, infusing my unborn self with the Sand Spirit. I destroyed the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster." Gaara looked Naruto in the eye when he said that. Naruto's eyes dilate and he pales.
"The spirit's name is Shukaku, and it's said to be the living reincarnation of an old, ostracized, and isolated monk of Sunagakure no Sato who'd been sealed up in a jar of tea." Naruto starts trembling some, like an earthquake building up in his body. Is that what he will become? An evil monster smitten to curse the world and its inhabitants because of his isolation, and imprisoned for near eternity? Will he become like this monk? Or is this Yami's influence?
Shikamaru, however, keeps his cool. "Yeah, a demonic jutsu. But to use it on a baby? Before it's even born? Man, that's messed up."
Naruto missed that detail before. He stares at the ground for a minute and looks at Gaara with bated breaths. 'Can it be true? He has one inside of him as well?'
"Gee, what a swell guy your dad must've been. He really must've loved you a lot." States Shikamaru sarcastically.
For some reason, Naruto flinches as if struck. He gets a headache as he hears voices from deep within his head. He can feel Yami's chakra swell in his hand. He can feel the burning anger and hatred coming from Yami toward someone or something. And the Kyuubi's chakra feels... light.
"Bwahahahahaha! Bwahahahahaha! I love that lazy Ningen! Hahahaha!" It's the Kyuubi, laughing hysterically at what Shimakaru said. By the sound of its voice, it's making fun of something, hinting at unknown knowledge.
For some reason, Naruto feels like the Kyuubi is mocking him. He decides to ignore this, for now, and focus back on Gaara, managing to catch his mouth twitch slightly.
"You speak of love?" The deadness of his voice fills the room, returning the feeling of dread that was broken by Shikamaru's joke. "Don't measure me by your standards. Love. Family… The only emotional ties I have to my family are the ones I'd like to wrap around their necks. There are only ties of hatred.
Given life by the death of my mother, I was brought into being and nurtured as the salvation of the village. I was the Kazekage's child. My father taught me the innermost secrets of the shinobi. He pampered and protected me and left me to myself. For a time, I thought that was love. And that was when everything started."
"When what started?"
"Are you gonna tell us or not?"
Gaara smirks a little and looks back up. He grins maniacally and his eyes become bloodshot, showing how little sleep he gets. "In the six years since I became six years old, my father has tried to end my existence more times than there are grains of sand in my gourd."
Both Naruto and Shikamaru shiver, but Shikamaru is able to recompose himself. "Hmph. You just got finished saying how your father protected and pampered you. So which is it? Right now, you sound full of shit."
Gaara's grin relaxes to become an empty smile. It looks like a smile, but his eyes don't match. They show endless pain, hatred, and insanity. The area around his eyes remains still and unmoving in complete contrast to the twitching muscles of his lips.
"Those who get to be too strong are apt to become feared. The jutsu that gave me birth had unbalanced something in my mind. Even the fools in my village realized I had 'emotional problems'. My father, the Kazekage, created me as his ultimate weapon. But I eventually became a threat to the very village I was meant to save. I couldn't be controlled, therefore I was faulty. And as you know, a faulty weapon is broken. We get rid of broken weapons since, at that point, they are the equivalent of trash.." No one says anything. Naruto, however, remembers Haku mentioning this before.
"By the time I was six, I became a figure of terror to the villagers. To them, I was a relic of the past that they wished would be forgotten. So you see, I had failed at the one purpose for which I was given life. What then was left for me in this reality? So why go on living?" Naruto's mouth hinges open. It's just like Haku's words. This was what ruined her-him, and now it ruined Gaara?
"For a long time, I couldn't find an answer to that. But to live, you need a purpose. To have no purpose and to exist for no reason is the same as being dead." Naruto's eyes widen. He takes a step back and pales further.
'I-I know exactly what he means. The thought process, the experiences, the demons, exactly. He-he's exactly the same as me'
"Then in time, the answer came to me. I saw the way people looked at me and heard what they spoke about me. They called me a monster and looked at me as one. In fairy tales, monsters attack, destroy, and consume humans. And whenever my life was targeted, I often was left with no other choice than to defend myself. It just so happens that I never learned of restraint. After knowing all that, is there any surprise as to what my conclusion was?
To put it simply, my reason for living is in the killing of others. For years I lived in fear of those who were sent to murder me. But now I am at peace. Isn't that everyone's goal? To find their own peace.
I killed many would-be assassins. And it was while I was doing it that the truth was made clear to me. I live solely for myself. I love only myself. I need only myself. As it was the death of my mother that first gave me life, it is only natural that as I live I would need the death of others to sustain me, and to make me almost happy to be alive. And there is no end to it. As long as there are people to kill in this great, wide, crowded world, I will never disappear. I will keep on existing."
Naruto bites his lip. His bright, deep blue eyes dilate in conjunction with his trembling body and contrast with his sickly pale skin.
'I was alone for so long too. I didn't know what I was here for, why I was alive, until Iruka-sensei came along. He saw what was in me. He gave me a purpose. A-a reason to live, dattebayo! If I had nothing, at least I could live to protect Iruka-sensei, and die for him!
But this guy had nothing. Just like me, except he has no one. He had to find the answer on his own. And this is what he came up with. To kill in order to live. Could I have ended up like that if I never had anyone?'
He clenches his fist. He looks up from the ground to look into Gaara's eyes. They feel just like Yami, his supposed other-self. He has his answer now. 'We're so different, but we're so close to being the same. No, I don't think I can beat this guy. He is stronger than me, and his beliefs are rock solid.'
The revelation that Gaara is both stronger than him and firmer in his ideals rocks Naruto to his core. If Gaara is stronger than him, then can he defeat Yami? Naruto takes a shaky step backward.
Gaara activated his sand and removes it from Lee. He surrounds himself with it.
"He shouldn't be able to do that with my Kageshibari on him! Oi, Naruto." Shikamaru sees Naruto frozen and unresponsive, still looking at Gaara. "Hey, wake up! Oh fuck, this is such a drag!"
Gaara aims his sand at the duo. "Now, make me feel alive!" The sand charges toward them.
Before it can reach them, it's knocked off course by Lee's adult clone. Might Guy has come to save Naruto and Shikamaru. "That's enough. Save it until tomorrow. That's when the final competition begins. You're just wasting it today. Is that what you want?"
Gaara grips his head, as unwanted visions from the past flood his mind. His breathing turns ragged and shallow as he struggles to breathe. Eventually, he forces himself to calm down, albeit for a little while.
He holds his head and walks out of the room slowly. As he reaches the door, he turns back to look at everyone present. "All the same, I will kill you all. Just you wait, I will feed on all of you. See you in the exams, Uzumaki." Gaara walks out, leaving everybody with an uncomfortable foreboding feeling."
That night, Naruto was able to leave the hospital. He was gifted a free meal at Ichiraku, and now he is home. He showers and gets ready to sleep. He tosses and turns, and stares at the moon, finally realizing he can't sleep. There is too much on his mind.
This is the first time this month that he has been able to relax. There was the First Exam and everything that came with it, as well as the visions. Then there was the Second Exam. His second kill, his encounter with the snake pedo, that dream he had about Gaara, and then there is Karin. The Uzumaki.
Then there is him memorizing the Byakugan hand seals, his meeting with Jiraiya, and his training. There was his first encounter with the Kyuubi, and now he finds out that he has an alternate personality trying to take over his body. And to top it all off, the talk and interaction with Gaara.
Naruto can feel a migraine coming in. He rubs his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. He sighs. He can't sleep, and he has a fight tomorrow. He has to do this or he won't be able to rest.
He sits up on the bed. There is so much to go over and too much to understand. Somehow, this all feels interconnected.
He gets up and searches for a notebook and something to write with. Once he has what he needs, he starts writing down what he feels is fading from his mind. He writes down the hand seals of the Byakugan first and then sets the notebook down. Time to sort everything out first. Starting in order.
Kabuto. His words -no matter how hard he's tried- have been stuck in his head, ringing out in his ears, and echoing in his skull until every syllable and decibel has been etched in his brain.
"I checked all records and I couldn't find anything documented about him. All orphans have a record of who their birth parents are and their familial origins since documents to give them up for adoption and any possible inheritance left behind needs to be recorded, but Naruto doesn't have them."
Those words. 'I don't have any sort of legal documents that could help me find my origins. Every orphan has a record of their birth parents and their families because documents are needed to give them up for adoption and to adopt them. Inheritance is also a concern.'
Naruto clenches his fist at the thought. 'If there is no one to give me up for adoption, then I am, in legal terms, an abandoned child. I belong to Konoha in every sense of the word.' The thought makes Naruto's stomach sink. That is the single most depressing thought he has had in a long time. Maybe ever.
He is a ward of the state and belongs to the state. In a shinobi village, if the Hokage chooses, he could have his rights stripped from him. The only reason that isn't the case is because of the Hokage. At the same time, he is at the absolute mercy of the Hokage, and he never knew it.
The thought is nauseating. He can taste something bitter in the back of his throat. Should he confront Jiji about it?
No! That is a terrible idea! If he does that, then he gives the Hokage the opportunity to hold that over him. For his own best interest, he should feign ignorance. Because in this specific situation, ignorance is bliss.
Although, now that he thinks about it, since he is now a shinobi, he doesn't need any guardianship. He is his own guardian, so the danger he thought he was in is non-existent. The Hokage holds about as much legal sway over him as he does Kakashi-sensei. For that alone, he should be fine.
Good. He doesn't need that to further burden him. Just to be safe, he should still feign ignorance. After all, he is the container of the Kyuubi, and that means something for reasons he doesn't understand.
And there is the other half of the puzzle. 'With no recorded documentation of me and no way to forfeit guardianship, it would be impossible for anyone to adopt me. No one would be able to take me in and raise me unless I was allowed to be by the Hokage.'
Yet another aspect of his life that was absolutely controlled by the Hokage.
He can't help but release a low growl. His nails dig into the flesh of his palm. 'So no matter what, because the Hokage chose for it to be that way, I could never have a family? Why would he want that? And from Kabuto's words, it seems like this is only the case for me. Why? Why just me? Did Jiji never want me to be happy? What are his reasons?'
No matter how much pain it brings him, these thoughts won't leave Naruto's head. 'Jiji- no- Hokage-sama can't be trusted at all. He knows everything that goes on in the village. The only way that the information could not be found is if it was buried or destroyed, and the only one in the village with that power is Hokage-sama. That means that he planned this. He wanted it to be this way. He wanted me… to be alone…'
Tremors rack Naruto's body. He unclenches his fists, pulling his nails out of his flesh. Blood leaks out of the wounds. His right eye flashes dark. This hurts… so much. His body is healthy, yet the pain is agonizing.
No matter how hard he tries, a tear falls from his eyes. He tries to hold it in. He hugs himself to stop the shaking and he holds his breath to hold in his sobs. Even then, he can't stop the silent sobs from escaping his mouth and the tears running down his cheeks.
'Was my entire relationship with Jiji a lie? Does Jiji- no!- Hokage-sama really love me? Does he hate me just like the villagers do?' Despite all the hardships he's been through, this is one thing in his short life Naruto has never felt before. Betrayal.
Naruto bites his lip until he draws blood. He holds his breath and squeezes his body hard. He puts as much effort as possible to force himself to stop crying. He needs to hold it in. He needs to bury this pain in the deepest parts of his mind if wants any chance of getting through the night.
His right eye pulses as he wills the pain away. He can feel Yami's chakra retreat with his pain until Yami's chakra returns to his hand. He feels a slight burning in his hand, but that is fine. Compared to what he felt before, this is nothing. For now, though, his turmoil is calmed.
He takes a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
Good. He feels better.
Now, what was the other thing Kabuto mentioned?
Oh, right. Uzumaki. His name.
'For as long as I can remember, people have called me a demon, monster, an abandoned child, garbage. For so long, people have spoken to me as if I didn't have any parents. As if nothing human could ever create the abomination that I am.
Kabuto gave me a clue of my origins. Something to prove that I am a person. Something to prove that I didn't just appear someday, but was born. That I too am human! And all that needed to be known was my surname. There wasn't any certainty, but Kabuto presented a possibility that I was an Uzumaki.
And then there is Sasuke's encounter with Uzumaki Karin. Who would've thought that someone who shares my name was taking these exams as well?'
When he found out about Karin, he felt two things. First and foremost, fear. Fear of the unknown, Fear of Sasuke lying to him. Fear of false hope. Fear that he would be left disappointed and broken yet again.
But he also felt extreme happiness. Happiness at knowing that there are more people like him out there. Happiness that he wasn't alone in this cruel world. Happiness that he had family! And happiness at a new opportunity.
You can imagine his anguish at learning that there was no chance for him to find her. For now.
'At least Sasuke was able to tell me about her. She wore glasses which must be hard for a shinobi. But then again, the closet perv is a Jonin, so she too can be a kickass ninja, dattebayo! But what did she look like again? Pale skin, red eyes, and red hair.' Naruto's eyes widen.
'That's right! From my vision the day before the Second Exam! That lady protecting the blonde baby. She had pale skin and such pretty red hair, dattebayo! But, she and Karin are the only people I have ever seen with red hair. Is it something that they have in common…
Wait…
That red-haired lady. She was with a blonde man, and they were both protecting a blonde baby boy. She-she called that baby by name! It was… that baby's name was Naruto… I was that baby?' Naruto starts hyperventilating. He doesn't know why he got those visions, but he knows for sure they are real.
'Karin and that lady have red hair. Karin and I have the same surname. I must've gotten it from one of my parents. And-and… Those two people protecting me felt familiar for some reason. The lady, she-she said she loved me!
Red hair, Uzumaki, love, and protection. She was my Kaa-chan…' Naruto chokes on a sob. He was able to figure it out on his own. The woman with the gorgeous red hair was his mother. She died protecting him. She loved him enough to give her life up for him.
Naruto shudders. He rocks back and forth a bit on the bed, trying his hardest not to start bawling. No one lives in the apartment complex beside him, so no one would know, but even then, he refuses to cry. Crying makes you weak.
Even then, his breaths come ragged and heavy. He shudders after every exhale. Despite the pain of knowing about his mother's death, he can't help but smile purely at learning she loved him.
He, Uzumaki Naruto, the demon brat, the scorn of the Earth, the trash that doesn't deserve to be happy, HE. WAS. LOVED! That changes everything. He has a mother, and he was born! He was a person! He was HUMAN! If he died right now, he'd die the happiest he has been in his entire life.
'Wait? If Kaa-chan had pretty red hair, then why do I have spiky blonde hair?' Naruto recalls the other person who died protecting him that day. A blond-haired man. 'So he was my Tou-chan. Grr, damn it Tou-chan! You just had to give me your shitty hair. I wanted Kaa-chan's pretty hair, dattebayo!' He cries a mix of anime tears and real ones.
He might forever curse his father for stopping him from being as good-looking as he hopes his mother was, but at least he is happy he has two things to remember them by. His Uzumaki name that he shared with his mother -he assumes- and the spiky blond hair that he shares with his father, which he reluctantly thinks looks pretty cool.
'Wait. So if both my parents existed, and died together, then shouldn't Hokage-same know who they are?' Naruto narrows his eyes and looks out the window. He glares at the image of the Sandaime Hokage's face on the monument.
'I was really hoping it wasn't the case, but you did destroy my records. You took away my right to know who my family was! And you made the circumstances that made me suffer for my entire life! You made me broken and lonely, damn you! Sarutobi Hiruzen…' Naruto's eye flashes dark. He grits his teeth until he feels a molar crack. He glowers darkly at the Hokage head. Red and Black chakra envelop his right side, concentrating on his right hand, and blue chakra encompasses his left side.
"I will NEVER FORGIVE YOU! WE HATE YOU!" A black aura surrounds Naruto. He can feel his right hand burn. Yami's chakra spreads slightly and merges with his coils slightly below the wrist. Naruto doesn't notice. He is too busy glaring hatefully at the image of the Sandaime Hokage. Bitter tears spill out of his mismatched eyes. He has never felt hatred like this before. And he has never felt a pain like this either.
He pulls out his notebook and writes so he doesn't forget. 'Kaa-chan has pretty red hair and her surname is likely Uzumaki. Maybe red hair is a family trait?
Tou-chan has cool spiky blonde hair like me. Nothing else is known.
Figure out why we were chosen as the container of the Kyuubi.
Figure out what the Uzumaki are.
Sarutobi Hiruzen is an evil man. Don't TRUST HIM! HATE HIM! HE HAS DESTROYED OUR CHILDHOOD! NEVER FORGIVE HIM! INVESTIGATE HIM!'
They write that last bit in big letters. Despite the few words they wrote, it took up the entire page. Surprisingly, all the symbols are written perfectly, with not a single mistake.
Naruto breathes hard. He hyperventilates and tries to calm down. He goes to the kitchen for a glass of water.
…
Naruto feels unnaturally warm. He drinks two cold glasses of water, managing to calm his nerves, wet his mouth, and moisten his throat. But for some reason, he still feels warm. He fills another glass of water and dumps it on his head, managing to coll himself off. He feels aware now.
Looking down at his shirt, he grunts. Great, now his short is wet. He'll have to sleep without one tonight.
Naruto takes off his shirt, leaving it on the kitchen floor. He walks back into his room to sit on his bed. He stares at his notebook and looks up at the moon, finally feeling some semblance of peace and enlightenment. He opens the window by his bed and takes a deep breath of the late-night air.
So clean, so fresh. The herby and slightly earthy smells of the trees and the grass surrounding the village are being carried by it, wafting around and settling in every corner of the village.
This brings conflicting feelings to him. He loves the village. The area around the village, the scenery, the climate, the food, the smells, and he loves his friends. The few ones he's made at least. He couldn't think about leaving. He needs to be here for them. For his team!
No! That's just what Hiruzen wants him to think! Right? He wants to keep him loyal and blind. Indoctrinated!
But where would he go?
Naruto slaps himself, leaving a handprint on his face. Now is not the time to be thinking about that. He'll put those thoughts on the backburner for now. But just so he doesn't forget, he picks a fresh page to write his question down.
'Konohagakure no Sato. To stay, or to go?' He writes it in big, dark letters, covering the entire page. He makes sure to bookmark the page so he can come back to it.
What else was on his mind?
'That dream I had in the Forest of Death. I remember dreaming about Gaara killing an entire squad of Amegakure shinobi. He killed them all. And the way he spoke about it… the way he did it was so… artful. That feels weird to think, but it really was how it felt like.
But the dream was so strange. I know that the location in the dream was the Forest of Death, and I never knew of Gaara's sand ability until his fight with Lee.
And the faces of the Rain ninjas. I've never seen them before. I think I read somewhere once that you can't think of nor dream of people, things, or voices you've never seen or heard. It's like trying to imagine a new color in your mind. Wait, can I do that?'
Naruto takes a break from his ruminating to try to imagine a new shade of orange. He strains until a vein throbs by his temple. He gets a headache and becomes light-headed. 'So, it really is impossible, dattebayo.' He groans mentally.
Naruto shakes his head and ponders further on his previous thoughts. 'Based on the time of day, it seems like it happened around the time of Orochimaru's attack during the first day. But, there's no way I could've been there since I was fighting the Snake Pedo.
But… I made a clone during the beginning of the test, and it went in the same direction toward where Gaara was at. So that's it! My clone saw and experienced that, dattebayo! That's why I can remember it so well and why it felt so real!
But, how? What does this mean? Does my clone bring me back their memories when I sleep? No, not that. I haven't had other clone visions before or after. So, if a clone is active when I sleep, does the memory travel back?' Naruto's eyes widen.
'Sugoi! So I can be productive for all 24 hours of the day! I can sleep while my clone studies.'
Naruto takes his notebook and writes 'Clone might transfer memories during sleep. 1st time might be a fluke, so test it first. A good way to study if true.'
Now, that is something he needs to test some other time. For now though, what else was on his mind.
His eyes turn downcast. That's right. His second kill. That one felt different.
'With Haku, he asked me to kill him. It was a mercy kill at its core. But then, what about this next one? That wasn't the first time I took a life, but it was the first time that the only person ever in control of the situation was me. I came up with the thought. I pulled out the kunai. I summoned the intent, and I aimed the kunai at the ninja's neck, aiming for what I knew was a vital spot. That was all me.'
Or was it? Was it really him? He didn't know it yet, but that chakra he felt enter his system at that moment wasn't his. It was Yami's. He knows this now though.
'So, it must've been Yami's fault. He tried taking over and he killed the Amegakure shinobi. Yami took that life, not me! And I felt his chakra during that time with Haku too! It was him who killed Haku, not me! He has messed with my mind, and made me kill them! None of that was my fault!' He can feel his right hand burn a bit, almost in protest.
'I would never think of taking a life, but Yami would! He's evil. Yami isn't me! He can't be! That isn't in my nature, but it is in his! We're different creatures. He shouldn't exist. He can't! He is just some sort of spirit trying to possess me. Yeah-Yeah, that! It must be! That thing is a monster trying to steal my body. That story he made up about us being split personalities is about as real as me having a Doujutsu, dattebayo!'
Naruto perks up. 'Speaking of Doujutsu, what is up with my eyes? If I remember correctly, the visions I first got were made using my and Yami's chakra and focusing it on our eyes. Isn't a Doijutsu a special eyes technique? Looking at visions of the past fit's the bill, dattebayo.
But aren't Doujutsu genetic? Then again, I don't know anything about my old man. He could've had a cool eye power, dattebayo!
And I was able to memorize the hand seals Hinata made for Byakugan. I never memorize any jutsu, and this sequence was super long, so what made this one so special that I was able to remember it? Do I have Byakugan?
Nah! Guy-sensei said Byakugan is only in the Hyuuga clan. I'm not a Hyuuga. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! But, maybe my ability needs hand seals. Sasuke doesn't need to use them to activate his eyes, which is so broken! Why does Sasuke get all the cool stuff, dattebayo!?
But even if I don't have Byakugan, I can maybe use the hand seals as a clue to help me find my own hand seal sequence.'
Naruto grabs his notebook and writes in 'Byakugan hand seals may be a clue to my eyes.'
There. Naruto gets up from his bed and stands at the foot of it. He draws some of Yami's chakra, instinctively knowing he'll need it to do what he plans to.
He does the hand seals for Byakugan. Horse, Tiger, Boar- He makes sure to do them slowly and to charge as much chakra as he can to the seals-
Rabbit, Rat, Dog- He can feel the hand seals naturally draw on Yami's chakra without him having to focus on that-
Boar, Rabbit, Rat- He can feel the chakra naturally rush toward his eyes. He can feel them burn a bit-
Dog- He feels Yami's chakra come toward his eyes now-
And lastly, the modified snake seal- Naruto forces all his remaining chakra into the seal. He can feel every bit of energy in his body and even a large amount of Yami's chakra rush and concentrate around their eyes.
All of that chakra activated there, causing him the most unbearable pain he has felt since his visions from last month. He can feel many somethings poke from around his eyes and temples. He feels so much chakra flow in his eyes and skull. The density of it makes it feel as if his head will explode at any minute.
He can feel his eyes activate and do… something. His vision becomes black and white and he can suddenly looks everywhere at the same exact time. His entire body, especially his eyes are so sensitive that it's like a newborn experiencing the world for the first time.
His mental functions and his vision is being assaulted by the image of absolutely everything in a half-kilometer radius. The sensitivity and the violent overstimulation of his senses in conjunction with the wild imagery cause his mind to crash. Everything stops working and he stops feeling.
His eyes roll in the back of his head and he falls back on the bed. His body convulses and he spits foam from out of his mouth. He is having a seizure. Thankfully, Naruto managed to lie on his side, so he doesn't choke on his spit.
Naruto convulsions become less and less violent until only subtle twitches spark sporadically in his body. The chakra fades from his eyes and skull, relieving the pressure and assault on his brain and senses. The veins around his eyes recede back inside his skull, and the foam in his mouth leaks out, spilling on the bedsheets.
Naruto blacks out. His body forcefully puts him to sleep so it can heal.
It's safe to say Naruto did not have a good night of rest. If he rested at all.
...
Narrator: Naruto has met his first challenge to his ideals, and he is challenged by someone so alike to him. Gaara is a reflection of who Naruto could've been, could be, and is. Gaara is just like Yami, and nothing would make Naruto's blood curdle more than Yami.
Naruto has begun thinking about his reality and his situation, something he has never tried before. He has made breakthroughs in the mystery surrounding his origins and others in the reason for his suffering. In doing so, he has discovered his first true enemy. Sarutobi Hiruzen. Naruto will never be able to look at the Hokage the same, and his trust in humanity will forever be weakened.
And to speak further on breakthroughs, Naruto has made progress in his Byakugan. His eyes have been called upon by him for the first time ever. Even then, he has a long way to go before he can ever master his eyes, and even longer to reach what lies beyond. This was all because he started thinking and observing.
Naruto has started trying and has started paying attention. He will discover things he never could've before, and he will try things he never would've thought of. And these little things will accumulate, and create the most powerful and feared shinobi to have ever lived.
And his rival? He will become the most feared entity ever known on Earth.
In what way will this happen? Well, of course, I know how the story ends, but if I told you how it ended this early, there wouldn't be a story to tell at all.
All will be revealed, and once you find out, everyone will already be unrecognizable.
That's the chapter. Oh boy, Naruto has been going through it. From all his problems before, and Yami, the Kyuubi, Orochimaru, Gaara, his eyes, and now the Hokage... oh dear. He's. Been. Going. Through. IT. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
As you can see, this Naruto, for the most part, is the same as canon. What's different is that I made his normal personality an extreme aspect of him rather than him. Naruto's character is far too good. It's seriously unrealistic, especially after the Pain Arc. I love Naruto. He's one of my favorite MCs ever, but he acts like he can't feel any type of resentment, and that's the truth. I'll make sure his changes are gradual though. As an example of that, I've made this Naruto pretty foul-mouthed. That is a trait that I really like, and it'll stick. It'll worsen over time too.
The next chapter will be the end of the Chunin Exams Arc. And with that, comes something I've been teasing for a very long time. It's a pleasant surprise, and I'll tell you guys about it now. It's a flash-forward!
A lot of shit will happen in the next chapter, including the end of one mystery. For now, though, I hope you enjoy this.
Thank you for reading. As always, If you have any questions or concerns, even criticism, Please PM me or Review. I'll always answer.
This is Zippy, out.