Chapter 3 everyone.
I hope this answers some of your questions, and I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 3: Yondaime's Bargain and Naruto's Burden
She ran through the trees, looking at her white clothed companion.
"He's the fearsome Konoha no Bourei, eh?" She said out loud.
"Yes, he is." responded Naruto, was silently disappearing and reappearing in different places, matching the pace of Temari. She blushed in embarrassment, not meaning to say that so he could hear.
He had explained this ability a couple of minutes ago, soon after introducing himself, and after Temari and Gaara had gotten over their shock.
Flashback….A couple of minutes before
"Y-Y-ou're the Bourei?" stuttered Temari, watching him.
He looked so bored, though not one bit less than as fearsome as the stories had told. Instead of having red eyes that glowed when they looked at you, or blood splattered over his clothes he looked pretty decent, in a ghostly sense.
"Yes," He sighed, "I am the Bourei, the ghost of Konoha."
"That is why you were able to defeat me." whispered Gaara, to which Naruto responded, "No, that is not. You did not take the fight seriously, thus you lost."
"But, you're not supposed to exist!" Temari shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the ghost. "You're just an urban legend!"
He winced at the magnitude of her voice, thanking whatever gods were listening that no such voice existed in Konoha.
"No, I'm as real as you both are." He said, looking out over the distance, towards the purple squared dome. "But soon, I won't be."
"What do you mean?" Temari asked, curiously.
"Many things," He responded vaguely.
Temari sighed, knowing she would not get anywhere if she kept asking him questions he didn't want to answer.
"Let's go." He said, walking away from the two siblings, Temari following him.
The ground beneath his feet was freezing, something that Temari was curious about.
"It's death." Naruto said, quietly to the girl behind him. "Everything around me is cold because I feel of death."
Temari slowly nodded her head in understanding, right before Naruto sunk into the ground and disappeared.
"Are you coming, or not?" Naruto asked her, from 100 feet away.
"Y-Y-You," Temari stuttered, pointing a finger at him.
"Whatever you say next, think carefully." Naruto said. "I won't tolerate it if you scream."
"YOU JUST DISAPPEARED INOT THE GROUND, AND CAME UP OVER THERE!" She exploded.
He just sighed, and simply disappeared this time.
"I told you not to scream." He whispered into her ear.
She shuddered, and shook violently, as something cold passed through her. It was a numbing cold, but it still hurt, the pain of having your sense cut off from you for a second.
Naruto suddenly materialized in front of her, looking at her with deadly eyes." Since you've sworn loyalty to this village, I can't physically harm you." He said, looking at her. "But I don't need physical harm when you're numb."
He trailed a finger up her arm, running shivers down her back, as parts of it froze.
She whimpered slightly. He had changed moods so quickly.
"Now, the reason why I can do that," He said, implying he meant the disappearing and reappearing act. "Is because I am a ghost."
He looked at Temari, seeing if she understood. She nodded her head fearfully, as he cupped her cheek with his hand, burning into her skin with his cold fingers. "For a second at a time, I can travel completely without a material form. When in this form, there is absolutely no resistance." He looked deep into her eyes, boring into them with his blue ones. "None at all."
He let go of her cheek, and disappeared into the ground once more, reappearing exactly where he had been last time.
"C'mon, kyoukan-san." He called to her. (Kyuoukan means scream…or so it says)
She had only nodded, and touched her cheek, which was already beginning to regain some feeling.
They had been traveling every since, and the boy had kept disappearing everywhere, and popping up somewhere else, no sign of movement needed. It was strange, as he seemed to be traveling in a zigzag pattern, standing on one branch one second, and going on another the next.
He suddenly stopped, and winced in pain, as if something was hurting him.
"Naruto-san?" Temari asked, jumping down onto the branch beside him.
"We won't make it in time," he responded, the wince wiped off his face.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know any wind jutsu?" The ghostly man asked suddenly, staring at the square dome.
"If I had my fan with me…" She trailed off, seeing Naruto's eyes, cold and watching her, telling her she didn't answer the question. "Hai."
"I'm going to do something, and I want you to use your wind jutsu to blow me over there." He gestured to the square dome. "Now, stand back and use your jutsu immediately after I do it."
Temari did as she was told, and hopped onto another branch. The boy held his arms out, each facing one side of him, like a cross.
"Hyoumu Kusari, (ice fog chain)." He whispered to the wind, his voice echoing off it and allowing Temari to hear. He thrust out his arms, and from them came two chains, one from each sleeve, with the dagger nowhere to be seen. They wrapped around him, covering him completely. "Genson. (real existence)." He whispered beneath his armor of chains.
They suddenly tightened around the boy, and completely crushed him, causing Temari to gasp.
A fog drifted out from between the cracks in the chain, as they were slowly absorbed by it. A rattling could be heard inside the thick fog, as the chains began to move.
Still in shock, she did nothing.
The fog was ever expanding, as it was now covering Temari. The ground, and everything else was freezing, as it came into contact with the fog. She felt a layer of frost developing on her skin, as she wrapped her arms around her tight. She had never known something this cold, other than the touch of Naruto.
She heard chains clinking as they were moving in the fog, moving inside it.
"Now, you fool," A voice whispered into her ear, echoing into it. "Before it wears off."
It took her a moment to recognize the voice, and almost jumped when she found it was Naruto.
Remembering his words, she said, "But I can't do any massive wind jutsu without my fan, which you stabbed with that dagger of yours." She said to no one, not knowing who to say this to.
"Just use one," The voice whispered in her ear, as her skin tingled.
"Could you make it a little bit warmer?" She asked, shivering. She looked down at her fingers, to see they were covered with frost. The branch beneath her seemed like ice now.
Receiving no answer, she sighed. "Bourei-teme…" She whispered.
Soon after, she felt something pressing against her cheek.
"Just do it…" The voice said, whispering into her ear with a hint of exasperation.
She sighed, watching her breath come from her nose and mouth.
She did some handseals, and stuttered out, "Futon: Soyokaze. (Wind Release: Gentle Breeze, I think…). She held her hands to her mouth and blew, a small breeze coming from her mouth.
"Arigato." The ghost whispered into her ear, before he was blown in the direction of the square dome, covering the town.
Temari watched as the fog left, and gasped suddenly at her surroundings.
Everything was covered with frost, and the water that had previously been dripping off the trees was frozen, making this part of the once green forest into a cold, unforgiving land.
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He always hated using this form.
It was so reliant on others, others who could easily let him down.
Never trust anyone, unless that person was you.
That was his philosophy. He had learned that lesson a long time ago, on that fateful day, eight years ago….
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Flashback…This might answer some of the questions you had.
"R-Rejected?" questioned Naruto after a moment, a quizzical look on his face.
The line filled with the souls of the gone behind him looked at the young blonde haired boy, curious as to the Shinigami's decision.
"Yes, gaki. Re-ject-ed." The Shinigami said, the curves of his lips curved upwards to show the Shinigami's razor sharp and long teeth.
Naruto was at a loss for words. He didn't understand.
"R-Rejected?" He questioned once more, his voice going up an octave.
The Shinigami just smiled down at the boy, his palms now held flat against each other, his fingers tapping the others.
"I don't understand," Naruto mumbled, turning his face away.
"Then I shall explain," The Shinigami stated, still grinning and looking at the boy. Naruto leveled his head upwards, as the Shinigami gestured to the Gate, leading into Hell. "This is where you can find happiness, and eternal peace." He told him, "Beyond these gates, anything and everything is possible. You could find a loving family there," Naruto's eyes widened to impossible sizes as the thought of having a family washed over him and filled him with an unending joy.
"A family?" The little boy asked the God of Death, tears almost streaming down his face. "A real, loving family?"
"Yes, boy. You can find anything in there." He grinned more at the boy. "You can find friends there, and rivals. You can find a life, love, and the calm of death."
Naruto's imagination soared, thinking of the possibilities. Pictures of himself, running beside a loving and caring father, his mother holding onto him and laughing, as he skipped beside them flashed through his mind. A little dog, coming up and barking out a greeting to him, as he picked it up and cuddled with it, and cared for it.
The other souls in line were now getting restless, with the Shinigami telling them all the possibilities of the afterlife. All of them had heard the same thing over and over, while they had been living. "Don't go to hell. It's a bad place, where only the bad people went."
"It's a place where you can find your meaning." The Shinigami finished. "The place you can find the meaning of anything, except two things." The Shinigami grinned, looking down at Naruto, who had been listening attentively.
"What can't you find the meaning of in there, Shinigami-sama?" The little boy asked him curiously.
"Existence," The Shinigami said, lifting up on hand, "And why you can't go in there!"
The Shinigami laughed, both hands shooting out, and digging into Naruto's body.
He gave a sharp cry of pain, as the hands dug deep into him and grasped his soul. He wailed, as the Shinigami spread his hands out, tearing Naruto's soul in three, holding a green soul in his right hand, and a red one in his left.
"W-Why?" He asked, falling down on his knees, clutching his chest as it was slowly going numb.
The Shinigami ate both souls, as he watched Naruto.
"I shouldn't be the one to explain that, boy." The Shinigami stated lazily, licking off each of his fingers one by one.
Other souls got out of line to help Naruto, who was still clutching his chest. "Who? He strained to say, looking up to the Shinigami with one eye, as his other one was closed in pain.
"The man in my stomach, the reason for all your pain, all your suffering in your life." He said, clapping his hands together, and calling out for the next person in line, who wouldn't budge, fearing he would get the same treatment as the boy before him.
"Don't worry," The Shinigami said, gesturing to Naruto. "It's not going to be anything like his. That boy's a special case."
The man nodded, and walked slowly up to the Shinigami.
"Why?" Naruto managed to rasp out, before the Shinigami could have asked the soul's name.
The Shinigami sighed, before saying, "You are an impatient man aren't you?" He sighed again, before opening his mouth wide, and digging his hand into his stomach.
All the souls looked at the Shinigami, all of them sharing looks of disgust on their faces.
He pulled out a soul, colored yellow. "Explain, now." The Shinigami ordered to the soul, before turning around to face the blonde haired boy.
"Yondaime-sama…" muttered Naruto, looking at the former Fourth Hokage.
He looked the same as he had in all the pictures, except for the fact he had a ghostly tail instead of legs.
"Hello, Uzumaki-san." The Yondaime said, bowing his head before even looking at the boy. "I can explain everyth-"
He had put his head up, and was now looking at the boy with his eyes wide.
"HOW ARE YOU DEAD?" He screamed at him, pointing a finger at the boy. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE DEAD UNTIL YOU WERE AT LEAST 30!" He screamed at him, for no visible reason.
"Huh?" was Naruto's only response, before the Yondaime got back to screaming.
"Yondaime, calm yourself." The Shinigami called to him. "He's dead now, and screaming will only irritate us all." It was true, as all of the souls were looking at the yellow haired man, who still had anger in his eyes.
"But," The Yondaime was about to say, before the Shinigami cut him off with a swipe of his hand. "Remember your part of the bargain, Yondaime." The Shinigami told him, looking at the man threateningly.
The Yondaime just let out a disgruntled "Hai," before turning his attention back to Naruto.
"First, I would like to know how you died, and how old are you." The Yondaime said to the boy, his eyes glowing blue and piercing him.
In the soul's grasp, Naruto edged back a little, wary of the man in front of him. He didn't seem like the hero the village had made him out to be. He gulped audibly, before answering, "I-I'm f-five years o-old, Yondaime-sama." He said, getting out of the soul's grasp and bowing his head in respect to the dead man.
"FIVE YEARS OLD!" The Yondaime exploded, killing intent leaking from his body, causing all the soul's within a mile radius to shiver in forbidding. "FIVE YEARS OLD?" He repeated to Naruto, who only nodded in fear.
"I've told you before, Yondaime. Calm down." The Shinigami said, placing a hand on his back.
"Gomen," He mumbled, before turning to Naruto. "Was there a law of any kind that said that no one could tell you about the Kyubi?"
"The Kyubi?" Naruto asked, before remembering his talk with Danzo from before. "Yes, there was."
"THEN HOW ARE YOU DEAD NOW?" He screamed once more, as the Shinigami dug his hand into his back and he screamed even louder.
"I said calm yourself, Yondaime." He said, pulling his hand out and having the Yondaime drop down.
"I-Is he going to be okay?" asked Naruto, slowly walking over to him.
"Of course he is," The Shinigami replied, as a groan came from the prone form of the Yondaime. "He's the freaking Yondaime, he can take anything." He said mockingly, as the Yondaime got up.
"Gomen," He said again, this time bowing his head in shame, before turning to Naruto once more. "How are you dead though? The law should have protected you."
As Naruto explained his story, souls began to gather around, most of them having nothing to do but listen.
By the end of his tale, most of the souls had tears on their eyes, which were all wiped away quickly.
"That's so sad," muttered one of them, wiping a tear from her face.
"Must be a tough kind a kid to go through that." Another one said, sniffing.
"I'm sorry," The Yondaime muttered, looking at Naruto with tears also present in his eyes. "It's my fault. I should have just done what I was supposed to, instead of coming up with this stupid bargain." He told him, contempt lacing his voice near the end.
"Bargain?" The boy asked his elder, confused. He had heard both the Shinigami and the Yondaime say that, and he had a feeling it had to do with him.
"Lift your shirt," The Yellow Flash commanded to Naruto, who had immediately lifted the shirt over his head, leaving his upper body exposed to the world.
Many of the souls around him looked disgusted, and many of them turned around and threw up, much to the dismay of the Shinigami. Looking down to see what was wrong; Naruto found that a large hole was near the middle of his chest, right where his heart had been.
He gaped at it, as did the Yondaime, who looked ready to explode. "Don't do anything you'll regret, Yondaime." The Shinigami warned him, looking at him directly.
He just nodded, and told Naruto to put his shirt down, seemingly satisfied with something. "It's still there, which is good," He murmured softly to himself and went deep into his thoughts, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto.
"What's still there?" He asked the older man curiously.
"The marker," He said absentmindedly, still deep in thought.
"The marker?" Naruto repeated, questioning the man's answer. He did not receive a response for several minutes, and was about to turn to the Shinigami, before the Yondaime spoke. "Do you like Konoha?" He asked suddenly, hope filling his voice.
Naruto looked at him, and went into his own thoughts, just as the Yondaime had done before.
'Do I like Konoha?' He questioned himself, looking deep into his mind for any hint of ever doing so.
Images flashed, like the time with the green jump suited man with the black bowl cut hair, and the fat man with the food cart. He remembered the pain of being slammed into the wall by Zabuza, and the times he had to suffer through the glares of the villagers. He felt angry at the village for all the times he had to fend for himself, while he watched and heard as families laughed inside the warmth of their houses, not even thinking of offering the small boy standing in the cold a place to stay, or some food. His hands balled into fists as he remembered the times people had destroyed his things or the times restaurant owners chased him from their alleys while he had been digging for scraps of food. His eyes narrowed, seeing a rich couple with generous bellies laugh out of a restaurant with an umbrella over their heads and dressed in warm clothing, as he sat in the rain, his stomach grumbling and his rags getting wet.
"No," He answered truthfully, through gritted teeth. "I hate them."
The Yondaime sighed, and looked to the red skies. "Oh kami, this just makes it all harder." He said, running his hands through his hair.
The Shinigami laughed, as Naruto scrunched up his face trying to will the memories away and the Yondaime stroking his temples.
"Seems like you've just done something terrible, Yondaime." The death god chuckled, happy at the predicament. More hate meant more deaths, which would lead to more food for him. "It's gonna be bad explaining the bargain to the kid now."
The Shinigami laughed, before grabbing a chain with a dagger at one end off his clothes. He laughed once more, before throwing the chain at Naruto.
It went fast, but Naruto was able to jump away slightly, and instead of wrapping itself around his body, it wrapped itself around Naruto, the whole thing only going up to his thigh before stopping.
"What was that for?" He screamed at the Shinigami, who was still laughing.
"His bargain," He pointed to the Yondaime, who was still watching, "Will become your burden." He laughed once more, and Naruto felt the chain come to life.
It grew longer, and was starting to wrap itself around him like a snake, the dagger part being the head. Slowly and surly it made it's way around Naruto, digging the tips of itself into his skin, and causing him to bleed. (Forgot to mention in the last chapter that Naruto's chain has these thorn things on the chain part.) He cried out in pain, as the chain started wrapping more and more of him up, and soon, both of his legs and lower body were wrapped by the chains, with it still swinging around him.
"Wait!" The Yondaime cried to the Shinigami, "He's too young for this! We can't make him do this now!"
The Shinigami laughed, as more of the chain wound itself around the boy, his next words echoing over the screams of the boy. "You remember the bargain, Yondaime," He cackled, as his entire abdomen was now wrapped up. "For the price of having the Kyubi kept within him and using his power to protect the very village he now hates, he will be chained in death to Konoha!"
He cackled insanely, as the boy's arms were now starting to become wrapped in the animated chain, his face contorted in pain. They now completely wrapped his arms, as blood flowed freely from his entire body. Soon, he found the chain and dagger going across his face, cutting him deep. It fully wrapped around him, and the dagger part of the chain came shot forward, ahead of his body. It went back, and impaled itself directly through the chains and into where his heart had once been.
His screams died, as he was completely covered in the chains. He felt nothing but cold, as death swept through him once more, but stayed this time, covering him in the cold and numb of its feel.
The chains fell from his face, and unwrapped themselves from around his body, ending up only on both arms, and in an X position across his chest.
For the first time in his life and death, he did not feel himself moving. Even the breaths he had to take as a soul were gone, as he lay still standing up, hunched over and with the chains dangling off him.
"This is the price you must pay," The Shinigami said, looking down at the boy. He hadn't been expecting the whole chain to wrap around the boy. Then again, this was the first time a deal such as this had ever been struck with a mortal. "The price of one man's follies, becomes your sacrifice, your curse."
The boy looked up to the Shinigami, his eyes now a cold dead blue. "Why?" He whispered. He found his voice sounded awkward, as if it was not meant to be used to speak. "Why, Shinigami-sama?"
He suddenly winced and fell to the ground, as a fire erupted inside him, his mind hurting from the sudden intrusion of the flame. He gasped out, in his hollow and unusual voice, "What was that?"
"The pain of Life," The Shinigami answered, his vision now focused intently on the boy. The effect of the ghost chain on the soul of a once mortal boy, filled with both hatred and acceptance, was not something he could have foreseen. The very ground beneath his feet were freezing, and he was doing it without thinking.
"The pain of life…" Naruto echoed, as he looked down at his hands. They were a ghostly white, and he had a bad feeling. Looking skywards, but not moving his head, he sighed. His hair had turned white.
"Tell me, boy. What is your name?" The Shinigami asked him, still looking down.
"Uzu- AH!" He cried out, as the souls of the dead beside within a 20 foot radius were frozen and the ground cracked from the solidity of the ice. It was only by pure reflex that the Yondaime had jumped out of the way in time, and did not get caught up in the cold. Still, he felt it emanating from the boy, who was clutching his head in pain.
"I see," The Shinigami said, looking at him. "You are your own worst enemy."
Flashback End. Will continue in next chapter. Along with more back story on the Yondaime's bargain with the Shinigami, and the reason why Naruto has to protect Konoha.
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The village was bellow him, and he could hear the sound of the ninja as they wondered where the fog that floated over them had come from. It could have easily blanketed a whole block of houses and a couple buildings if it wanted to.
The ANBU standing guard over the square dome shivered, as the fog surrounded them. It was unbelievably cold here, as the ground was building was slowly starting to freeze. They were starting to see their breath, and the masks on their faces were developing a bit of frost on them.
It did not seem to be able to get inside the dome though, as it was staying away from it.
Suddenly, it was dying down, as it was being focused on a single point. Chains were heard, as a figure was starting to come from the fog.
He was dressed in white, and the fog seemed to be trailing behind him, joining with his body as he walked. He stood facing the dome like structure, where he could see four different figures inside it.
The ANBU watching were too shocked to do anything to stop the ghost like man, the cold also playing a part in this. While walking, he suddenly disappeared, ending up on the inside of the dome, the fog now a full part of him.
When he had left, the ANBU had expected the frost to have started thawing immediately after he had gone. Instead, it stayed there, permanently and as a testament to the cold the man brought along with him.
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This chapter wasn't meant to contain any action what so ever.
It was just to explain some history between the Yondaime, Naruto's "condition", and the Shinigami. I'll continue more in the next chapter, where he will possibly face off against the Sound Four, followed by Orochimaru, in an attempt to save the life of the Sandaime, or I'll explain the method behind the Yondaime's madness…
As far as pairings go, here's your choices.
Naru/Oc
Naru/Ino
Naru/Temari
Naru/Tenten
Naru/FemHaku (yes I kept her alive)
Naru/Whoever else you might think of
Any questions, or inconsistencies with the fic, please ask or tell me.
I'm off to go play 2Moons, or find another MMORPG, or go work on Force of an Echo,
Dokugin
Word Count: 4,391
Page Count: 11
Time: 7 hours…