Alright as of friday the 1st of December, 2006, 6:49, Nobody has successfully guessed the "pale man"'s identity. No, Not Orochimaru... No, not Seshomaru...No, not Sephiroth either...Nice guesses, but I cannot tell you until somebody gets it. Earn a clue by reviewing, or just win.
Reviewers have yet to submit a fun idea for me to play with, so nothing yet...
New reviewers include but are not limited to: vines-throughXfate(huzzah!)...Sasuketeme(love the name)...Brogramn...MingShun...LeweL...Lewel again...ClintonBradford(I actually know where you live...)...Quathis...Kyuubi no Shingami...the-eighth-sin(soul edge is gangster, but not the sword)...and Turok1(there are others, but the one I am talking about could kick sephiroth's $$...)
Disclaimer! I don't own Naruto, any of the characters from it, nor any other source I reference. Credit will be given in parenthesis if I borrow an original idea, excepting the material relating to the "pale man"...ON WITH THE SHOW!
"Blah"-person speaking...'Blah'-person thinking..."Blah"-Demon speaking...'Blah'-Demon thinking
Leaves of Steel, chapter 3
Training ground 8
Naruto backed away from Morino Ibiki-sensei, who had just threatened him with metal objects and his skin. "Ibiki-sensei...why do you want to test this out so badly?" Naruto asked, shaking.
"Hai, Naruto. I want to test your so called 'abilities'. This is the only way to see how to train you. Plus, if you could unlock the power I think you are leaving latent, then I might get a pay raise. I might be able to get a new T.V. or something. So if you do good, I'll treat you to...'what's that thing Iruka said he liked? oh yeah' ramen, okay?" Ibiki was using all he knew about Naruto to help both of them.
Naruto, easily baited by his favorite noodles, sat quietly with a smile on his face. "I like ramen! Test away Ibiki-sensei!" he said, grinning.
Ibiki pulled out three senbon needles and asked Naruto "Are you ready?"
Not waiting, or caring, for his response, he threw one straight at Naruto's right arm. The needle stabbed into Naruto's arm, all the way, but didn't come out the other side.
"Aaaahh! Ibiki-sensei! The needle! it hurt...wait...no it didn't..." Naruto screamed, and became puzzled at the needle's sudden disappearance.
He stared at his arm in puzzlement, and watched as the hole sealed itself. He could feel the needle become less solid, then vanish.
"Ibiki-sensei...It's gone...the needle melted or something..." Naruto said in disbelief.
"Naruto-kun, can you feel the needle anywhere in your body? If so, try to isolate it." Ibiki ordered.
"Hmmm...nope, I feel some weird stuff though...woah! I can make it move...kinda...it's hard." Naruto said, able to make the "weird stuff" move through his body slowly.
"Naruto-kun," Ibiki started, "could you possibly try to bring the "weird stuff" to your right index finger? I'll see if anything is happening." He said, holding Naruto's wrist inquisitively.
"I can try." said Naruto, focusing on his chakra, moving it against the "weird stuff" and pushing it through the tip of his right index finger.
The skin that made up the tip of his finger moved aside, to allow a small spike of solid metal through, It's size fluctuating with his chakra's ebb and flow.
"Naruto-kun..." Ibiki said, jaw wide open, "The metal of the needle came out through your finger, and appears to be changing rapidly." Ibiki said rather intelligently, quickly regaining his composure.
Ibiki wasted no time in shoving every senbon and kunai into Naruto's flesh. Naruto didn't feel a thing.
"Ibiki-sensei, did you just stab me repeatedly? I felt tha...tha...th..." Naruto's speech slurred, and he fell unconscious.
'Whoops, better get him awake, but first...' Ibiki pulled out a sketch book, and rapidly drew the Kunai sinking into Naruto's body. He pulled back the skin to observe the metal infusing into Naruto's body. The spike at his finger dispersed, and there was oddly no blood, only a metallic ooze.
'intere...!' Ibiki's thoughts were interupted by metal vines flying out of Naruto's open wound, and ripped it close. 'Holy crap.'
Tainig ground 8, 4 hours later...
Later, when Naruto woke up, he saw Ibiki assembling metal weapons all around him, from shuriken to iron shields, even a katana. Naruto felt fine, like he hadn't been stabbed at all.
"Ibiki-sensei, what do you plan on doing with that metal?" Naruto asked, comfortable with his body.
"I plan on training your strength and endurance by weighing down your body from the inside. my discoveries about your powers have concluded at this: you appear to be able to absorb and control the metal both subconsciously and consciously, as well as immunity to metal. No physical changes other than that, though." Ibiki said to the blond-haired child.
"Aww...no cool hair or muscled build?" said Naruto, being ever so close to braking the fourth wall.
"You read too much manga, kid." Ibiki retorted.
Naruto tried to get up, feeling incredibly heavy. He tried to move the metal he could feel all throughout his body, and relied on that instead of his bones and muscles.
"Alright..." Naruto said shakily, as he rose to his feet.
"Naruto, Your first test is to block a katon jutsu that I am going to throw at you sometime during the next thirty seconds, understand?" Ibiki said quickly.
"Hai, Ibiki-sensei." Naruto said, as Ibiki turned away.
" Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!!!! Ibiki called out
Time slowed to a crawl as the massive fireball moved closer and closer to Naruto. 'Crap I'm going to die! KYUBI! I NEED YOUR HELP!'
Naruto's mind
'Kyubi isn't here right now, but I shall aid in his stead.' A voice, as dark as the Abyss Naruto knew so well, a voice, that called out to him, like a beacon.
Vast amounts of metal exited Naruto's body, forming into a shield that deflected the Fireball and Immediately wrapped around Ibiki's body, covering all but the head. Naruto's gauntlets sent out waves of metal up naruto's arm, forming into full arm gauntlets, spiked and black, with a pure black aura.
'Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!' The voice echoed In Naruto's mind, forcing the gauntlets open hand to close slightly.
CRRAAK! Ibiki's arm shattered. "AAAGGHHH!! NARUTO! STOP THIS! STOP THIS!!" Ibiki screamed in pain.
'I said KILL HIM!' the voice shouted again.
'I won't Kill him! I...WON'T!' Naruto's resolution easily dispelled the metal, pulling it back into his body, the gauntlet gave up their size, the excess metal returning to Naruto's arm.
Ibiki fell to the ground with a thud. His right arm's lower half looking pretty messed up. Naruto ran over to him, and made a metal splint, resetting the broken bones with a snap. "I'm sorry Ibiki-sensei, there was a voice that helped me deflect your jutsu, but it almost took over. I'm so sorry" Naruto said, tears rolling down his face.
"ah...N-Naruto, get me to the hospital, I need medical attention. NOW!" Ibiki shouted.
"Before you ask, Naruto, " said Ibiki, being carried by 2 shadow clones. "You are forgiven, I shouldn't have tested you like that, I was being too hasty in testing your abilities. My fault." he finished with a pained laugh.
Naruto gave out a singular laugh, and his face turned towards the ground. "But now...you'll never accept me as your apprentice, will you..."
"That's not true Naruto!" shouted Ibiki, "As you interest me, with your powers. I am used to pain, I didn't get to be a torture and interrogation specialist without some broken bones. I am going to mentor you, wether you like it or not."
"You mean it!? You'll still teach me, even after all of that? You rock!" exclaimed Naruto vigorously.
Naruto carried his sensei to the hospital, unaware of the presence in his body.
Naruto's mind, Kubi's cage.
'I should have taken the man's soul sooner. I need to be free. First a sword, then a sphere, now a kid, what next? A nine-tailed fox? I don't think we'll be seeing him EVER again, will we?' the voice said to itself, a evil laughter ringing through Naruto's mind.
End of chapter 3
Well, then... It would seem we now have a greater need to identify the pale man, don't we? If you find out the answer, you've done good. I WILL NOT reveal the identity of the pale man until someone figures it out. The story will go slowly, and may be confusing until then. So do your research!
Rate and Review, Flames will be ignored, Good Ideas Incorporated, and contributors mentioned in detail! I'm going to publish the next one on wednesday, a bigger lapse. Sorry for the lateness of this one. Valēte omnēs!