DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto.
The Fate of Demons
By FCY Warrior
Resolve
Kakashi was a realist. The biggest of his generation. He had been from the days of Genin right up to ANBU. Even back when they were still a team, Obito had told him to 'shove the sharpest kunai you can find right up your arse' after hearing the nonsense that spouted out of his mouth.
Sensei appeared impressed at his skill level at such a young age, but Kakashi always had a sinking suspicion that he was, in fact, disappointed in him. A pair of pitiful navy eyes told him such story. At the time, he didn't understand why. Though in his time at ANBU, he learned the importance of having an optimistic comrade by your side. Someone like Obito or Rin; maybe even Minato sensei.
It seemed that he was completely alone in this world.
That it was just him and his mind. Together.
Forever.
But then he realised that he wasn't. He still had Minato-sensei. As long as he stood by his side, he would not pull himself into depression.
By the time he had come to this realisation, it was too late. In a blink of an eye, half of the village had been annihilated, along with the shreds of hope still lingering in his heart.
He still remembered his robe flailing in the wind as he passed him to encounter the nine-tails. He remembered sticking his arm out to stop him. From leaving the village. From leaving him. He remembered standing in front of his grave at the funeral, ahead of anyone else.
A pang of remorse phased through him as he looked at the lifeless body of their leader. He wasn't even able to congratulate his sensei for becoming Hokage.
Kakashi continued a changed man after that day, delving further and colder into assassination missions. Desperate to forget. Obito. Rin. Minato-sensei.
Until one day.
He was returning from an intel gathering mission set by the Hokage, each mission was as anxious and nerve-racking as the last. Just thinking of it made him want to lie in bed for the whole of eternity. His legs though had other ideas, as he soon found himself at the memorial.
It had become more like a habit. ANBU Black Ops procedures required active personnel to pay respects to departed souls. Though he was certain they didn't mean as frequently as him. Whenever he had found himself with a shred of time, he remembered himself in front of the prestigious plaque. Today seemed like any other, but he was to be mistaken.
He squinted over all the names engraved onto the rectangular stone plaque. Resentment. Agony. Anguish. In every name and every row. His gaze peered over to a peculiar area, where the rest of his team lay. Their names had been engraved together in a confined area which could be seen from a couple of metres away. The names... they were a constant reminder of what he had failed to do.
Musing away his emotions, his eyes fixed onto a particular name. Minato Namikaze . A gear turned and clicked in place. Kushina-sama... had been... pregnant. With Naruto.
Another gear turned. So that meant that Naruto was out there.
Somewhere.
With no one to care of him.
What had he been doing all this fucking time?! He had left sensei's child for dead and failed as a student. But that didn't mean more lives would have to suffer because of him, right?
He looked up at the sky. Stars were glowing on the darkness of the early evening. 7 pm. With a heavy sigh, he flashed away.
"I apologise sir, could you repeat that?"
Kakashi stood in the middle of the room, in a half crouching position with his body hunkering over his right leg which was sprouted up for his right arm, clad in traditional ANBU attire.
A resigned breath escaped his lips "Do NOT approach Naruto, Inu. Do I make myself clear?" The Third affirmed, his back looming over him, his gaze peering out to the clouds that had formed shortly after his arrival.
If he thought his ears were deceiving him the first time, he was sure of what had just come out of The Third's mouth was real. Too real. It felt as though Kakashi was meeting his younger, colder self.
"May I know why, Hokage-sama?", he inquired. He would adopt him and protect him, something others had failed to do. There was no flaw in his line of action.
"If you were to do so, you would be positioning him as a prime target. Spies within the village would relay the gathered intel to their respective villages, giving them a way to exploit us. That would lead to further friction between nations and more needless lives being lost."
The Third it made it sound as though it was a disaster waiting to happen. Though he understood the circumstances as to why that was the case, since he has a village to protect, couldn't he be a bit more considerate towards Naruto's feelings? The kid's probably been through a lot, and he knew that he had no right to try and help him. But he had to at least try.
"Additionally, following the circumstances of the Fourth, I would like him to be kept away from any ninja intervention.", his gaze still fixed on the clouds, "And besides the only people who know about his case are the ANBU, the Elders and myself."
"I beg to differ. You fully know the extent of their mischievousness, yet you do not do anything about it." Rage added itself. "These people can barely keep their mouths shut, let alone keep a secret."
"He is out there, famished and vulnerable, with a village breathing down his neck. All his life he has known nothing but hate and solitude." His rage subsided. "Is it not it fair that he experiences something other than hatred?"
"Inu", the Hokage's shoulders relaxed, "he's been placed in the orphanage, and is under the supervision of the care lady."
There it was again. Another excuse.
"Hokage-sama", he interjected, "with all your respect, you and I both know that she despises Naruto. Her hate encourages the other children to act like her. In fact, Tenzo even tells me how she allows kids his age to-"
SLAM. An intense wave of killer intent washed over him. Kakashi forcefully his head up. He had created a crater on the table, splinters of wood flying out on impact. The Third pierced his eyes. "Enough Kakashi. We have gone over this. He is in adequate condition and that is final." he stated, ending the conversation instantly. Killer instinct subsided soon after.
His body numbed all over. The armour around his torso tightened. Does the Third also hate Naruto for what he is, like the villagers? Does he blame him for sensei's death? Adrift in his thoughts, he didn't realise was staring at a large wooden door until he regained control.
His hand outstretched towards the door knob, before a thought reverberated through his being.
"You shouldn't have become Hokage." Unable to quieten his disdain, he slammed the door.
The swift footsteps of above him raced across into the room.
He didn't care anymore. They could be plotting to kill him for all he knew. But he wasn't going to let that stop him. Naruto, where are you?
"I apologise sir, could you repeat that?"
Hiruzen could see the tiredness engraved in the ANBU-clad ninja's posture. Shoulders looked slightly slumped, load supported by his slightly quivering arm, mask covering more of his face than usual to hide the bags that had set below his eyes.
He should have probably cleansed himself before coming to him, but he could see the urgency and restlessness within his posture. It was cruel, becoming ANBU captain at such a young age. With it came moments of delusion and loneliness. It hurt him to be the one to bring him out of the delusion.
"May I know why, Hokage-sama?"
He knew what Kakashi had gone through and distancing him from a close member of his family may not be a good idea, but he had to think of the village first. The village that all the earlier Hokage had strived to preserve. For him it was a simple choice.
"I beg to differ. You fully know the extent of their mischievousness, yet you do not do anything about it." Kakashi's tone aggravated. "These people can barely keep their mouths shut, let alone keep a secret."
It seemed that to him, it wasn't.
"He is out there, famished and vulnerable, with a village breathing down his neck. All his life he has known nothing but hate and solitude." His rage subsided. "Is it not it fair that he experiences something other than hatred?"
The tension was overwhelming. He had to do something. He needed time to think.
"...Tenzo even told me how she allows kids his age to-" Quiet
It had been said before he knew it.
Silence ensued.
Kakashi pulled himself up from his crouched position, hair obscuring his eyes. His frame turned, and his legs carried him towards the exit. He paused, his hand in mid-air, and veered his eyes toward him. He shivered at the coldness of his gaze.
"You shouldn't have become Hokage."
A slam rang through his brain, and his rational train of thought returned. His eyes averted from the place Kakashi's black cold eye had been and focused on the place Kakashi had been, before plopping down on his chair.
Slumping on his chair, he raised his arm, palm facing the window. The 3 ANBU that had entered the room readying themselves to stop the grey-hired ninja stopped upon seeing the arm raised up and paused, as if asking the silent question of 'Are you sure?'. Seeing no more input from their leader, they returned to their positions.
Bringing his arms up to massage his temples, thoughts of Naruto and his whereabouts clouded his thoughts. Gazing out of the panel of windows, he looked to the sky. Clouds were compressing into larger ones, obscuring the stars above. 'Where did I go wrong Biwako?'
He was going to find him himself. That's what he told himself after exiting the building. Looking back to see the building one last time before departing, he peered into the rectangular window of the main room where he had just been. From his viewpoint, all he could see was the dimly lit ceiling of the room, as the building towered over him. Almost as if challenging to break his resolve.
Daring him to break the rules.
A drop violated the screen.
Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.
Another drop.
He lifted his head up to the sky. He had to find him fast, it would not be long until rain would come. Starting his search for the lost boy, he failed to notice the pair of aged eyes looking at him from above.
How long had he been searching? He didn't know.
Probably, an hour without fail. Light glimmered against the rain drops that had settled onto surfaces, as sounds of joy reached his ears. No explanation was needed as to why that was the case.
Every ninja knew why.
From missions outside of the village, he realised this was common treatment of the holders of the tailed beasts. They were usually perceived as demons, the general public never really knowing the depths of information. Most assumed, no one thought.
Gliding between rooftops, a scowl deepened on his face. He had searched everywhere he could possibly be, yet there was no trace of his him. His blond hair should distinguish him from the rest of the village, whose hair is most likely a light chestnut or a jet-black shade.
Yet, he came up with a blank. An idea popped into his head. Why didn't he think of this before? Biting his skin off, blood oozed out of the wound. He smeared it onto his left hand and weaved some hand signs. "Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique."
"Yo!" A brief stint of surprise appeared on his summoner's face before composing himself. Upon seeing Kakashi's distressed face, he allowed him to speak.
"Biscuit, I need you to track down Naruto." He looked straight at him in the eyes.
His voice sounded raspy, as if he hadn't had a glass of water in a couple of hours. He looked a complete mess, Biscuit noticed, but decided not to push it any further. Besides, his everyday summon is Pakkun, so he wasn't going to let this opportunity slide. But he had to wonder: why?
"Okay, but I require his scent to locate him, and besides it's raining. Even if there was a scent, it would have most likely disappeared by now." He demonstrated by lifting his paw, catching some raindrops and washing away some of the dirt that had gathered when he stepped on the rooftop.
That's when he realised. He had no leads on Naruto. He punched the rooftop in anger. He should have thought about this sooner. Looking around the area, he located a cracked wall in the shape of a punch just ahead of him in an alleyway.
That punch... no one has that kind of power. The scent of malice reached his nose. The Nine Tails. Could it have taken control of Naruto? Does he still have control of him?
"Biscuit there" He pointed at the area only to notice the light-coloured canine not there. He looked again at the peculiar area. Biscuit was on the way there.
A small grin appeared on his face. Kakashi, he told himself, you're becoming unintelligent.
He soon got his feet moving and caught up with the astute dog.
He landed next to the dog, inspecting the impact. "The scent is recent, maybe from about 1 or 2 hours ago. I can smell demonic chakra, I'm sure you can too." He took another sniff. "The demonic chakra over-runs the subtle hints of soft natured chakra, most likely from Naruto." he pointed towards the thin spills of blood splattered across the ground. "That blood trace also smells like the chakra. "
"Can you find him?" He queried, focusing on the rupture, and then the hound.
"We cannot waste time talking Kakashi!" Although Kakashi is a veteran ANBU, signs of fragility and fractures in his mental state surfaced during the past minutes, he noticed. He had seen very little of such occurrence during his time as his second summon. And he had to wonder, was he still the boy he had met all those years ago? He would talk to Pakkun later.
"Follow me."
A few minutes of anxiety ensued. Kakashi pursued the hound through streets and alleyways, wondering on the condition of his sensei's son. Biscuit would swerve to the right or left, into alleyways and avenues. Kakashi deduced the boy had this planned, to deliberately make him hard to find.
Another turn. This time, rather than a few perplexed faces and clear road ahead, they encountered a mob, weapons bathed in blood with wide grins stretching along their faces.
" -inally got what it deserved." He appeared to be leader of the group. "He will not get up any time soon. Hahaha!"
"Whadaya' say? Let's get a drink in celebration of the death of the dem-" The follower's head was severed of his body, killing the man instantly. His eyes were still open in shock at what had just transpired.
Their eyes widened eyes in shock. Those who were unfortunate enough to notice, saw a blur of black and grey. Weapons stuck out in all directions, big or small, with no perception of the location of their enemy. Beads of sweat raced down their faces as they waited for their killer to show himself.
"Hey!" A drunk person, who appeared to have heavily drunk, funnelled his way to the front from the back of the pack.
He looked down at the head. "Hey! Wha' de hell!" He picked the head up, ignoring the pool of blood below him. "We wer just gonna go out to drin-" The two heads bounced on the ground.
The leader stepped forward. "Whoever is out there come out!" His voice was shaking with fear but was masked well under a layer of despise. His katana was held out in front of him, in a manner which would pierce anyone's heart who would step in front of him.
The white haired ANBU landed ahead of him. He kicked him in the leg faster than the casual civilian eye could see, loosening his grip slightly. The ANBU followed through by kicking the weapon away, embedding it within inches of another civilian's throat. His gaze returned to the elite ninja for a moment, before noticing the withdrawal of air from his lungs.
"Where's the demon you speak of, civilian?" He spoke in a controlled, oppressive manner as his hand constricted around his throat when he said the word demon. That meant that he hated him too? Then why was he doing this?
His vision was blurring as the lack of oxygen was getting to him. He forced his eyes to focus on the ANBU. "First... let me... go..." The ANBU considered for quite a long time, his mask still facing him like pray. He was going to die. Then at the last moment, air returned into his lungs.
"If you hate him too, why don't you join us? I'll let it pass, a today is a day to be remembered as the day the demon died." The civilian took a swing of alcohol from the drink. Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "I will not ask again." He unscathed his tantÅ.
He didn't have time for this. The ANBU phased away from his sight, before the civilian felt a blade to his neck. "Where is he?" The voice behind him was cold and level, inserting fear into the man. "Th-the alley, th-third to the right, on your l-left. Why do yo-you-?" The leader stammered before his life was no more.
The followers' eyes widened at the sight of their deceased leader, and some prepared to attack the ANBU. They were going to honour the saviour of the village. That thought quickly dispersed when the ANBU captain turned and levelled a stone face to them. They froze. What is this? Some questioned. The urge of death intensified... as though... they would not be living for much longer. The fear was not excruciating but challenging, just so that their eyes were rigid in that position. Their pupils were frozen in place.
Then, in an instant, he was gone. The feeling receded and they were able to move. The intelligent cowered for their lives, they knew who this man was, whilst the ignorant remained in position, intent on facing off with the dog masked ANBU. A pity they wouldn't be able to make it very far.
Blood splattered everywhere as bodies fell to the ground one by one. Slashes, stabs and gashed across the bodies. Every vital point for a quick and easy death. Chunin and Jonin patrolling the area saw nothing but a mismatched massacre. An ANBU versus a mob of civilians. There was no chance.
This would later go down as one of the worst slaughters in the village's in history. Neighbouring nations queried the leaf's safety over civilians. Some questioned his loyalty to the village. Others questioned his mental well-being. His reasoning?
ANBU BLACK OPS ACT.
Protocol #196. Those involved in the tormenting of a jinchuriki belonging to the leaf of the village are to be executed immediately, provided there is enough evidence for the act.
They broke the Third's law.
AN: 6 favorites, 7 follows and 91 views and counting.
I'll keep on referring to those numbers as a source of encouragement. That's just the way I am, the higher the numbers the happier I get.
This is was not the full chapter. I just felt as though it was a good ending point for now.
Thank you for being my first reviewer, Maxine, on my first ever fanfiction. It really does motivate to keep on writing. (On the topic of motivation, thanks to geardagum for his comment) Onto your review, well, I know it was harsh, but it had to be. Naruto being an orphan, a hated one at that, should have surely gone into depression, and I felt as though the anime didn't include capture those scenes - probably due to its worldwide tag of 'family friendly' content- so I felt like writing my own version with a few twists. Hope you will enjoy the events I have planned.