A Deal with a Devil
Chapter 7: Hell hath no fury…
AN: I've really been on a roll with this one lately, and the ideas just keep coming. If you thought that me bringing Kyuubi back last chapter was a shocker; then wait until you see what I've got planned for this! Anyway, on with the story!
The blonde girl stood confident in her stance as she looked down on the three ninja that were before her. She had seen them through her host's eyes, but now she was seeing them through her own. She stretched the fatigue from her body displaying her well toned perfect body as if she were trying to entice her onlookers into a lewd act with her. However, as she did so, blonde locks became a dirty red and fell passed the small of her back. The bindings that held her hair into pigtails were destroyed and her eyes turned from a calm blue to a fiery, animal-like crimson with the final change to her appearance being the growth of fangs from her canines. Kyuubi smiled as she was enveloped in a silken kimono that shimmered in the light like flames across a forest fire. Her gaze turned to the young male Uchiha who had been staring as the transformation took place. "Pop those eyes back in that skull, son, you're making me all kinds of self conscious." She cooed playfully.
"I don't know how you were freed, but you will not…" Sasuke yelled.
"You have no say in the matter; not even the demon King himself could stop me. What makes you think you can?" spat Kyuubi as she turned to Sasu, who was cradling Naruto's unconscious body carefully. "Thanks, girlie, I couldn't have done it without you."
"W-what!?" Sasu gasped
"What do you mean what? Your creation was all part of the plan from the get go."
"No…" Sasuke mumbled in realization then turned to Kyuubi and through gritted teeth spoke, "You used me! You used my desire to free yourself!"
Kyuubi touched her nose, "Correct! You see the only way to free myself from the seal that was placed on me was to sneak my power out in small quantities through openings my host had made. I had planned to sneak another large portion out into that pink haired kunoichi, but Blondie's little stunt weakened the seal enough for me to get through and take my power back from both of you." Kyuubi put her index finger to her bottom lip and looked upwards as if thinking, "…though I thought the process would have killed both of you. Well, no matter, I wanted to spill your blood myself anyway." Sasuke and Sasu jumped in front of the unconscious Naruto with blade and battle stance at the ready. Kyuubi moved slowly toward the pair of Uchihas as taking a leisurely stroll. Sasuke and Sasu grimaced as with every step the demon fox took gravity seemed to increase ten fold.
Sasuke and Sasu, as if being of the same mind, made a move together. However, Kyuubi beat them to the punch and with movement so fast that neither of them saw what happened. Kyuubi put her clawed hands to their throats. "You see," She smiled evilly, "the power you relied on, was mine. Without it you're nothing but kittens."
"I-I won't let you kill Naru...to!" chocked Sasu as she kicked Kyuubi in the stomach, but found it to feel as hard as a boulder. Kyuubi laughed, but Sasuke saw something in her eyes, pain. Trying to send Sasu a message with a glance both the Uchihas kicked Kyuubi in the stomach again, this time they did it together. It took three trys, but Kyuubi dropped them and they sprung to their feet ready for battle. Coughing slightly Kyuubi recovered quickly, and smiled at her opponents.
"It's been a long time since I had to use more than one tail in a fight with humans, but just for good measure, and to make sure you don't full of yourself I'll activate three of my tails. Anything more would destroy you with my mere presence." Kyuubi made no distinct change in her appearance, but Sasuke and Sasu fell to one knee as the gravity increased so much that their muscles felt like jelly.
"You've had your fun, Kyuubi; be a good girl and heel." Sasu turned to see that someone was not only standing in this chakra induced gravity, but they were also treating it as if it was a morning stroll.
"You!" hissed Kyuubi.
VVV
Sakura jerked her foot slightly and disappeared from sight, Genbu stood quietly and quickly lifted his right arm in a block just Sakura came down on him with an impressive blow that caused Kirika to whistle her approval at the girl's ruthlessness. That was until Sakura was thrown by her own momentum as it bounced off of Genbu and sent her to the ground. "Good!" Genbu chirped loudly, "I'm impressed that you managed to obtain this move in such a short time!!" He walked over to her and lifted her to her feet. "It takes a genius level Chakra control to learn this move and many can't use it productively afterwards."
"Please don't praise me. I don't call landing on my butt every time I come out of it, productive." Sakura paused as she rubbed the pain from her tush.
"Yeah well you should see Genbu some times he uses it," Kirika laughed, "He lands on his face not his butt!" Sakura could not help but snicker, and was surprised when she saw Genbu join them. Had it been Sasuke or Naruto who had been the butt of the joke the reaction would have been much different. Sakura looked sideways at the horizon as the sun moved slowly to hide behind the earth.
"I've got to attend to some business," said Kirika waving goodbye, "Genbu, we will meet tomorrow at the Hokage's estate." She disappeared in a blur of movement leaving the pink haired Kunoichi and the giant scarred young man alone. Suddenly, Genbu's stomach gave a loud roar as it protested its emptiness. He blushed slightly.
"I guess I'll go get some food then." He said.
"You're more than welcome to join me for dinner; my mom makes killer miso soup."
"I wouldn't want to impose."
"After teaching me something that no one else knows in this village; I'm the one imposing, let me make it up to you."
"Well, hospitality is something your village seems in no short supply of. I will accept your offer."
Sakura and Genbu walked through the newly darkened streets of Konoha, each house they passed gaped as the saw the large young man walking with Sakura, to which he smiled passively, waved and continued. Sakura hadn't realized it, but there was really no one in the village that was equal to his height or weight. He must have been such a sight to see as he towered over much of the inhabitants of Konoha. It was about the fifth staring pair that Sakura and Genbu reached the Haruno house hold only to find a note taped to the front door.
Sakura,
Grandma and I have some things to take care of tonight, we will be back tomorrow morning, don't get too frisky bringing boys home. (There was a drawn, pink, smiley face winking) Anyway there is plenty of food in the fridge, have fun.
Love
Mom.
Sakura snatched the note from the door with a deep blush and crumpled it with everything she had. Her mom acted like such a Ho some times that she hated to live with the woman. Hopefully, Genbu had not seen the note before she ripped it off. "Well, it looks like there is not going to be anybody but us… Genbu." Sakura looked at Genbu who had stepped back from the door. "Are you alright?" She had noticed that the smiled had been replaced by the first platonic expression she had ever seen on his face.
"I'm fine; I must admit that I did not expect your mother to be so… so…"
"Loose?" Sakura sighed, "Grandma's like that too. They've acted like that since I've known them, all my life, but they are really respectable people. Both are strong kunoichi, and act that way as a weapon to disarm men."
"I see playing to man's base nature to catch them off guard, interesting." His smile returned. Sakura bid him to enter, but he stopped her before she could.
"Sakura, I have been debating this since you learned the warp step so quickly…"
"I haven't mastered it yet…"
"That doesn't matter now." Genbu reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a scroll. "I want to give you this. It is the most tightly held secret in my family since it began four hundred years ago. It is referred to as the masterless technique."
"What?"
"No one who has attempted to master it has lived."
"Why do you want to give it to me?"
"I don't know, but for some reason. I think you will be the one to make its secret your own."
"I can't take…"
"Please. I don't know why I'm compelled to give this to you, but I don't question these feelings. I think there is going to come a time when you will need this technique. I'm sorry; I will find some food on my own. Take the technique; do with it as you please…" Genbu gave a small push of his legs and disappeared in a blur of movement. For a moment, all was quiet as Sakura stood at her front doorstep. She looked at the small red wrapped scroll then back at the place Genbu had been.
"Cryptic much?"
VVV
Kyuubi arched her back and stretched her legs. She was almost feral at this point as she stared at the figure concealed behind the cloud of dust that had been billowing around the ring since the end of the Uchiha's battle. By this time nearly the whole village had come to see what the ruckus had been and were caught in the chakra induced gravity from Kyuubi. The recognition was apparent on her face from the first appearance of the figure as she unconsciously hissed. Sasu turned to look at the figure as the dust cleared and gasped as it became more and more visible. Suddenly, Sasu turned to look for Naruto but found that he was no longer where she and Sasuke had left him. She turned her head to the figure and realized who it was.
The dust cleared slowly an orange jumpsuit came into view, with spiky blonde hair and forehead protector that shone with Konoha's trademark leaf symbol. However, something was different in the boy she had known, his eyes cool and calm that took on a sharp look instead of the wild look he was known for. Kyuubi bent down and glared at the blonde. "Yondaime…" it was almost inaudible when spoken, but the Uchihas heard it and realized that they were not looking at the Naruto they knew anymore.
"Hello Kyuubi." Naruto responded, "Long time no see."
"No, don't you treat me like an old friend! I will kill you one way or another! I will destroy everything you hold dear. I will… I will…" Sasu noticed tears forming at the corner of Kyuubi's eyes, what the hell was going on?
"I'm sorry."
"W-What?"
"I'm sorry, Kyuubi. What I did to you was not right; I admit that, but I will not allow you to destroy innocent lives because of my mistake."
"You can't stop me."
Yondaime Naruto just stood quietly as he looked peacefully at Kyuubi with his hands in his pockets. Sasu turned to look at Kyuubi who had lost the confident murderous look in her eyes to be replaced by a look of hurt that she was trying desperately to cover up. Suddenly, Kyuubi regained her composure and looked toward Sasu and Sasuke, wordlessly and in the blink of an eye both of them were on top of Uchihas. Kyuubi with her claws outstretched and Naruto with his body in the way, taking the claws deep into his flesh protecting his friends. Kyuubi let out an evil laugh as she withdrew her claws slowly from Naruto's forearm that he had used to block. Kyuubi licked the blood from her fingers as if it were a fine wine and looked predatorily at Naruto. Naruto looked at Kyuubi with eyes that where not only unpained, but also filled with regret.
"You can't win, Yondaime…" Kyuubi began to rub it in, but was cut short as Naruto's wound healed almost instantly, "how is that possible? You're a human; humans don't heal that quickly!"
VVV
Kakashi had not been paying attention to the fight, he had gotten to the battlefield just as the chakra had become too much to stand upright in. He had found Kaze on her back next to the ring; she was covered in injuries and cuts. Kakashi didn't need to see the bad condition that she was in to know that she was hurt bad. Kakashi could feel her fading away. Kakashi pulled his new found daughter into his lap and cradled her head. He was no medic and had no idea where to start healing her, but Rin had taught him something a long time ago. What was it again? It was right after Obito's death and it was one of the things that had started their relationship; Rin had told him that if he should ever find someone who was willing to fight for their life but was dieing anyway that he should align the chakra paths in his hands with the chakra paths in the receivers chest and channel his chakra into the person. Rin had told him that this act would provide the necessary fuel for the body to replenish its own chakra and start the healing process.
Kakashi ripped open Kaze's shirt and aligned his hand on the spot that Rin had taught him was just below the collar bone between her breasts. Immediately he felt the rapid loose of chakra that Kaze was experiencing and for the first time in a very long time, Kakashi was scared. "You not some pervert are you? Interested in your own daughter?" came a small voice from the corner of his mind.
Kakashi turned to find that he was now in a picturesque meadow full of poppies and tulips and crowned by misty snow covered mountains. Kakashi turned and found that he was looking directly into the eyes of the very he was cradling. She was both standing in the fields and lying cradled in his arms. "Kaze?"
"Hello father."
"How is this…"
"It's a side effect of the technique you're using," she explained, "While you are performing it, the wounded person controls your reality."
"Kaze, you have to fight. You have to come back."
"Why?"
"I…"
"Yes?"
"I want to know you." Kaze smiled at her father's words and Kakashi knew that was what she wanted to hear when he said it. He did want to know her; he wanted to know her more than he had ever wanted anything else in his whole life. If he had known that she existed he would have dropped everything to be with her and her mother. It was one of the things he had promised himself; he would not be a part time father, and here he was with a daughter that had grown up without him.
"So you wanna play catch?" wondered Kaze.
End Chapter 7
AN: And that officially marks the halfway point. Also I'm terrible at Japanese so any help provided would be useful. Let me know what you think.