Uploaded: 7/01/2013.

Written: 4/01 - 7/01/2013

Edited: 1/19/2014 - (Version 1.02)

Hello again! Krieg here with the next chapter of RftA! Sorry for leaving you all hanging like that: Had to deal with a theme park full of writer's block and bullshit.

Anyways, much of the Naruto character dialogues presented in this chapter were directly pulled from canon Naruto (chapters 500-505) in order to keep a semblance of canon events before Riful begins to screw it all to hell and gone. The first section is kinda meh, seeing as it's simply novelized canon, but the other half was rather difficult to write in such a way as to keep Riful from being OOC (Not too sure I was even able to prevent that to a degree).

Unsure how this chapter will be received due to its conclusion. The last section of this chapter is what has been holding me up this entire time. Love it or hate it, PLEASE let me know what you think!

FYI: My stories shall all be rated "M" for safety's sake. FanFiction is not responsible for the content presented within this story.

Disclaimer: I will make it clear that I do not own Claymore/Naruto or any of its characters, settings, storyline, and/or techniques save my own creations.

X~X~X~X~X

Redemption from the Abyss

X~X~X~X~X

"... Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy!"

At a secret location hidden deep within the forests surrounding Konohagakure, a new life was brought kicking and screaming into the world. While wiping hours-worth of accumulated sweat from his tanned face, Namikaze Minato, the 'Yellow Flash' and current leader of the Village Hidden within the Leaves, chuckled lightly in both relief and happiness at the sight of his newborn son.

"Ha ha... Look at me, I'm a father!"

Uzumaki Kushina, the 'Red-Hot Habanero' and latest mother in Konoha, breathed deeply to recover from the painful ordeal of childbirth as the other two women in the spacious candle-lit room, Biwako and Taji, cut the umbilical cord and cleaned the infant of amniotic fluids before wrapping him in a white blanket. Taji, ANBU member and a medical nin of great skill, quickly brought the bawling boy over to Kushina for her to see. Gazing lovingly at her crying child, a boy with whisker-like birthmarks, three on each cheek, and blond tufts of hair weighing in at a diminutive 6.2 pounds, Kushina couldn't help but feel something rise within her, something she had never before felt in her life; Motherly pride.

"Naruto... I finally get to meet you..." She whispered, tears of joy cascading down her cheeks. Taji, watching the two meet for the first time, couldn't help the smile that graced her lips. No one, save for the bawling child, made a sound lest they somehow ruin the moment for the new family. It lasted a second, though it may have been eternity, before the mother and child's tender moment was interrupted as Minato spoke up; As much as he hated to kill the moment the Kyuubi was, even now, trying to break free from its prison within the red-haired woman.

"Okay, Kushina! I know you're exhausted from the birth, but we've got to get the Nine-Tails completely sealed!"

Kushina took a couple of deep breaths before she spoke, gazing confidently at her husband as a slight smirk tugged at her lips. Taji carried the Infant away to perform a full medical scan on the boy with the Sandaime's wife, Biwako, as the couple renewed their struggle.

"Right!"

Minato placed his hands over his wife's engorged belly, just as he had been doing through the entirety of his love's labor. As he and Kushina began to channel chakra into the seals tattooed onto her stomach once more to stabilize the Kyuubi's prison, two pained cries resounded within the cobblestone room.

"NGHAAA!"

"KHAA!"

Minato quickly turned, keeping his hands over his startled wife's seal, only to see Taji and Biwako drop lifelessly to the floor a couple of feet away.

"Biwako-sama! Taji!"

"Fourth Hokage... Minato..."

The blond's blue eyes flickered to the source of the unknown male voice; Directly adjacent to the two fallen women was a black-robed figure, feet slightly spread apart to allow ease of movement in any direction. He stood at about 5'4", face and eyes obscured by a white one-eyed mask with what appeared to be a red, flame-like pattern painted across it from its left side to its right. He could discern some of the man's long and unruly black hair poking out from underneath the hood of his robe. The unknown figure was holding his son in the crook of his right arm. The other arm was hovering above the crying infant, uncovered hand held threateningly over the baby boy's face.

"... Back away from the Jinchuuriki or your son dies at the ripe old age of one minute."

X~X~X

'What an absolutely enchanting community these humans have created.'

As Riful walked down one of Konoha's lesser populated central boulevards, she couldn't help ponder over the oddities she had encountered throughout her stay within the magnificent city; Seemingly blind people that were anything but. Clothing that would have made many men from Turiel blush and sputter. Last, but not least, was how different and beautiful the architecture displayed within the city was compared to those she was acquainted with throughout her travels in her homeland. She hummed a old pub tune as she glanced up towards the moonlit sky, spying a couple of those strange masked shinobi garbed in their black uniforms under grey vests jump across the road; It never ceased to interest her how the powerless creatures she was used to for most of her life were suddenly capable of easily outclassing a run-of-the-mill Yoma.

'So much potential, even amongst their weakest links...' She thought, passing a small group of genin groaning about the abuses they had received from the the day's missions/chores. Based upon her initial observations of these shinobi and knowledge gleaned from Musashi, the warriors of this land were entirely different from the ones she was used to; There were no absolute 'Defensive' or 'Offensive' warriors from what she had learned thus far but instead well-rounded soldiers that, while unable to reattach limbs in moments like the silver-eyed halfbreeds of the Organization or extend their appendages like a Yoma, were exceedingly capable nonetheless; All this without taking in the flesh and blood of some inhuman creature. It made her wonder how they would compare in combat against a warrior of the Organization. She blinked as a rather devious thought entered her mind. 'Hmmm... Maybe I should put that potential to the test; Something that would allow insight into how they perform while under pressure... A light skirmish near the city border?'

She hummed in thought before shaking her head, passing under one of the city's seemingly-limitless street lights as meandering groups of humans chattered amiably amongst themselves.

'That will not do. As interesting as it would be, they would be held back by the normal human population lest those weak things be caught in the crossfire and, if they were able to evacuate the weaklings, there would likely be too many of them in one location to be fully effective. What I want is something that will force these warriors to showcase not only their combat capabilities and teamwork but their capacity for problem-solving as well as their command structure...' She idly played with her hair, brainstorming for other ideas, as she passed an elderly couple sitting on a street-side bench embracing each other lovingly. 'Perhaps the kidnapping of an important city official would open themselves up for study...'

As she continued walking down the street, raven hair and yellow sundress swaying gently in the light breeze, plans were quickly being concocted within her mind; A lengthy and dangerous search, filled with pitfalls and false leads, that would hopefully stretch these shinobi to their breaking point and allow Riful to analyze them, in a semi-controlled environment, to the most minute of details.

'Oh, that would be perfect! Now all I have to do is find the proper lure. A leader of some sort obviously, but one unable to use... What was it they called their abilities again... Oh yes, 'jutsu'. Would be rather pointless otherwise...' She stopped in the middle of the boulevard as a new thought wormed its way into her mind.'... Or maybe not? Would be interesting to see how one would react if they were held captive now that I think about it...' She shrugged before she continued on her merry way. 'I wonder if that 'Biwako' woman holds any sway amongst the city's leaders...'

Riful eventually stopped before a small and lightly-crowded convenience store, gazing at the artificial lighting as she became thoughtful; It had been over a year since she had entered this strange and wondrous world. Coming from a land where the primary form of light and heat came from a fire and where the primary fighting forces of the continent were made up of armies of what were essentially spear-wielding humans in steel suits, Riful was still trying to get settled into a world where pushing energy through metal cables to power things such as 'light bulbs' and cities of superhuman humans regularly used as escorts or assassins were the norm. Watching as one of the pole-like incandescent lamps in the store's ceiling flickered, causing the man working the counter to curse loudly, she momentarily pushed her plans to the back of her mind and began to imagine what other impossibilities these humans could circumvent.

'… Next thing I know they'll be capable of raising undead armies of past warriors or somehow weaponize the moon of all things...' She shivered at the mere thought. 'That would be a little too exciting for my tastes. Not like that they would ever be capable of such a-'

Riful's thoughts would have continued had she not felt a massive burst of yoki suddenly appear almost eight miles from her position. She froze at the enormity of it; Nothing, not even she and Isley's yoki auras combined, could possibly compare to the magnitude of pure demonic energy being emitted all those miles away.

'Wha... What is this?'

Narrowing her eyes, Riful quickly glanced at what few shinobi that were nearby to check their reactions; They continued on with their activities as if nothing was amiss. The Abyssal 'hmmm'd in thought as she stretched her senses to their maximum range, her jovial mood displaced by the new development; Were there beings similar to herself living in this world, why couldn't these shinobi detect them, and why wasn't she told of their prior existence? Turning away from the store's glass window, Riful began to angrily stride down the earthen boulevard, unknowingly losing her straw hat.

'Shit, why wasn't I told of this? More importantly, how could a monster of such power exist?'

She clenched her hands as she stomped down the road, generally amusing the few adults she passed and terrifying the few children that got near her.

'Musashi has been withholding some information... I think he and I need to have a chat when I get back...'

Riful stopped mid-step when she sensed the distant being's power spike. Looking out towards the horizon where the monster lay hidden from view with narrowed eyes, she grit he teeth in frustration.

'Just how much power does that thing possibly have!?'

She glanced around once more to see how the humans were reacting but, to her dismay, they were still not responding in any way.

'How can they not possibly sense that!?'

Riful watched what few shinobi that were nearby in thinly-veiled disgust before striding once-more towards her destination. As she made her way towards the closest city gate she began to channel a minute amount of yoki throughout her body in preparation to unravel into her awakened form and travel to a safe distance away from the city; She did not feel the need to meet this monster anytime soon, but this development presented a valuable opportunity to observe the thing along with the city's warrior population; An opportunity that could not possibly be ignored. As the massive arched gateway from the other night came into view in the far distance, Riful began to notice the few shinobi around her tense as she walked passed. It took her a few moments to finally reason why they were acting so; They were reacting to her yoki. This only served to confuse her; Why would they tense from her yoki buildup but not from the immense pulses from earlier? As they began to turn their heads to-and-fro in search of whatever was putting them ill at ease, she subtly hastened her pace towards the massive gate.

'No matter, If these fools cannot sense that thing's approach then they deserve whatever fate that awaits them ...'

X~X~X

"See, there it is again!"

The peace of the massive multi-leveled chamber housing the Barrier Team, built deep within the confines of the village and away from prying eyes, was shattered at the outburst of one of the three shinobi maintaining vigil over Konoha's detection array. Sighing for the fourth time that day, Hizuka Mizori glanced over towards what had her comrade troubled. As soon as she saw the faint red glow within the orb of water hanging still within the room she groaned in frustration; This was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

"Renji, for the last time, it's just an error in the system. Calm yourself..."

Sitting comfortably in a kneeling position on the opposite side of the spacious water basin that took up the majority of the chamber, Renji shot his robed comrade a look of contempt; Whenever something popped up within the grid, it was 'system defect' this and ''erroneous signal' that, even after the barrier was cleared of any flaws or defects by the Maintenance Division.

"I beg to differ, Mizori."

Mizori, having been sipping upon her small cup of herbal tea at the time, sat it back down before folding her hand together upon her lap. She stayed silent for a couple of moments before speaking up.

"... Very well. Tell me, Renji, why do you believe this occurrence to be any different from past false alarms?"

Renji grimaced, thinking of an explanation that would satisfy Mizori; He couldn't simply tell her that he had 'a hunch' that this was a legitimate contact as she was one who's life was dictated by logic. As he began to impart his reasoning to Mizori the head of the Barrier Team, Senjo Takashima, watched on with interest. Takashima, a jonin in his late forties with greying hair and thin build, had picked the two up in order to bolster the number of Detection Division members. They both held exceptional potential, Renji with his instincts and Mizori with her intelligence, but he soon discovered that with those talents came a price; Renji was brash and easily influenced by his emotions while all of Mizori's actions were dictated by logic and reason. While his training had helped curb the troublesome spots in their personalities, even managing to complement each other's skills on rare occasions, they still had the tendency to clash at the most inopportune times.

Such as now.

"An error! AN ERROR!" Renji roared, his face twisted with rage as he glared bullets at his teammate. "BULLSHIT! If it were an error, it would be flying all over the grid; Laws of physics, gravity, and your so-called 'logic' be damned!" Renji bellowed before pointing at the dull red spot within the detection grid, visibly trembling as rage that had been building since the beginning of their dispute was finally unleashed.

"It has been on the ground every damned time it has popped up! How the fuckin' hell is that supposed to be an error?! I mean, how can you-"

Mizori, beginning to feel the weight of the day's trials and tribulations press down upon her, was about to cut-off Renji's rant, pointing out once more that an error of that nature had appeared not even two weeks prior and that today's signature was so weak that she could possibly remove it with the application of a low C-rank Katon Technique, when Takashima beat her to it.

"Be silent, both of you..." His voice, calm as ever, ordered his two irate subordinates. He looked between the two chunin, pleased that they had ceased their pointless quarreling immediately, before turning his gaze to the center of the room. His wizened eyes, partially hidden under a lavender headdress similar to those worn by Shinto Priests, furrowed as he studied the pinprick of light within the detection grid. He ignored the looks (one curious, the other rebellious) his two subordinates gave him as he studied the light slowly moving within the levitating orb of water. A few moments of silence reigned within the marble chamber before Takashima finally turned towards the present members of the Interception Division.

"Yagujii, prepare your squad; We've got something."

The Interception Division's purpose was pretty self-explanatory; They were to intercept potential threats spotted within the village borders by the Detection Division and either assess them from a distance or take them to the T&I Division for questioning. The division was made up of six five-man squads whose duties rotated throughout the week in order to keep all of its members at peak health. Hyuga Yagujii, a Jonin known for his lightning-quick reflexes and preference for using a pair of chakra-conductive Tekko in conjunction with his clan's fighting style, was the leader of one of these six squads. He jumped out of his seat as soon as Takashima spoke. The other four members of the Interception Division within the room, having all been playing a high-stakes game of cards while drinking sake to pass the time, were a bit slower to come to attention.

"Where is the signature located and what can we expect?" Asked Yagujii, stoic in the face of what would have been another lazy day's turn of events as he began to take a quick tally of his gear. He, like most members of the division, was taught that a threat could appear anywhere, at any moment, and to regard everyone and anything as a potential threat, including allies, until proven otherwise.

Takashima glanced back over to the orb of water hanging within the chamber before answering the ever-serious jonin.

"It's currently in Sector D-11 and is heading towards the Eastern Gate as we speak. It seem to have been able to keep hidden up to this point... Expect someone either capable of masking their chakra signature along with possibly being able to use minute amounts of chakra in their techniques or a low-level shinobi; Could possibly be a holder of a Kekkei Genkai as well. Be cautious in your search and stay alert; I cannot truly gauge their strength as of this time..."

Yagujii gave the man a stiff nod before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves, an indicator of his using Konoha's variation of the Shunshin no Jutsu. The other four members of the division looked amongst each other before adjusting their earpiece radios and disappearing as well. Finally alone with his subordinates, Takashima looked back towards them and scowled as he affixed his own earpiece.

He had hoped they would take the obvious route and send the Interception Division earlier to confirm or deny their claims. Hell, he had even arranged the appearance of some of the signals over the past month in hopes they would utilize the Interception Division as they had been taught and eventually sniff him out. Alas, it seemed they still had much to learn...

X~X~X

The situation was devolving quickly for Riful as she strode towards the still-distant eastern gate. Not only had the weird being's yoki disappear without a trace, but she was also beginning to feel the painful burning sensation associated with the forced changes made when she changes her human form's physical characteristics; Namely, the age her form appears to be. To top it off, she could feel a squad of Shinobi moving in a search pattern towards her. She could feel their diminutive energy flittering to-and-fro amongst alleyways and rooftops, almost taunting her with their illusive presence as they hunted her like a pack of wolves. She had tried to throw them off her trail a couple of times, but such attempts seemed to be pointless as they would reacquire her trail almost instantly. As things were, a confrontation of some sort was bound to - Oh! Well, speak of the devil.

A tall man with a flowing mane of long, silky black hair and a face seemingly sculpted from marble eased into existence before her, his arrival signaled by a swarm of leaves and a minute burst of chakra. Riful stopped as he walked a couple of steps closer before he stood about six feet in front of her, sizing her up with weary eyes whom, she realized, belonged to the clan of the seemingly-blind humans. The other four shinobi whom she had detected immediately joined him, forming a loose circle around her to keep her contained and any onlookers out. Their appearance immediately drew the attention of every human in the vicinity, drawing them in like moths to a flame. A few seconds of peace, save for the low murmuring of the small crowd the shinobi had attracted, passed before the stoic Hyuga spoke.

"Who are you?"

It was a simple question, but it was ultimately meaningless; Under normal circumstances, Konoha would simply interrogate her. Nevertheless, Riful had found herself in similar situations in the past and, though she loathed it, found that imitating a civilian would usually end in her getting off the hook. Knowing this, she had begun to shiver while kneading her hands together as soon as the other four shinobi had teleported in (an ability she was keen on learning) to give off the impression of fear and discomfort.

"... I-I'm Katsuya M-mina, W-what's going on?"

If the man was surprised by her forthcoming response or softened by her little act he did not show it.

"I'm going to need you to come with me."

Though she was wary of the missing being, Riful knew that she had to remain calm if she had any chance of escaping this place with her identity intact. For that to happen, she had to keep him talking while she continued brainstorming ideas; Simply killing everyone here like she normally had in Turiel would be disastrous...

"N-not to sound rude, b-but why do you want to talk to m-me, shinobi-san?" She asked, bleeding some curiosity and more fear into her words to keep him thinking her to be just another civilian.

His way of response was to narrow his eyes and hold out his hand for her to take. As this was happening, Riful considered using her newfound abilities to replace herself with someone in the crowd and make a run for one of the nearby alleys, hopefully giving her enough distance to allow her to escape with her awakened form without being seen; The night skies would help hide her form as she propelled herself across the sky and out of the city...

'Why didn't I think of planning for something like this earlier, damnit?!'

She was startled from her thoughts when the ground beneath her began to suddenly tremble, as if something massive had crashed nearby. It was quickly followed up by a strange sensation that messed with her vision but, upon glancing at the encircling Humans, left many of them either pissing themselves or unconscious. What few humans that could withstand the unnatural pressure were looking to the northwest in fright. She followed their gaze until she too saw what held them petrified where they stood or lay. A silent ping of the creature towering over the city with her yoki confirmed her fears; The Beast was here. The monster, on first glance, looked to be a mountain-sized, fox-like creature with an upper torso and arms similar to a human, lower torso and head of a fox, and nine immense fox tails that filled the clear night sky with its intimidating display. Its crimson fur, softly glowing in the dark night, hid the lean musculature and steel-like bones that helped support its massive form while patches of black fur, going from its eyes and dominating the undersides of its two massive, rabbit-like pinna (AN: Ear flaps) gave it a fearsome appearance. Within its snarling maw were rows upon rows of meter-long canines, each and every one of them glinting with the promise of death.

As the unsettling sensation began to worsen, the massive demon in the distance turned towards her and, in a show of force, roared. The rancid air forced from its lungs shot forth like an avenging angel, ravaging everything that stood in its path. Riful could do nothing but stare in stunned awe is the pressure wave rushed towards her before being suddenly flung into the night sky like a ragdoll. As she flew through the air, she watched in detached fascination as people's clothes were shredded from their bodies as they too were plucked from roads or buildings and skewered mercilessly by an eclectic mix of pipes, wooden boards, and tableware. She saw that many of them were soon after crushed by buildings ripped from their foundations, ending their misery. She was carried ten blocks before the winds finally let her loose, throwing her head-first into the wall of an apartment complex already piled high with other debris. As she lay dazed by the impact more debris arrived, burying her in piles of broken masonry, splintered wooden beams, and shredded corpses. As she lay in the suffocating darkness, fighting hand and foot to keep conscious, the terrible noise began to fade away until she was left in silence. It was not too long after that her fight to keep conscious failed. As her eyes slowly closed in the darkness, giving way to a dreamless sleep, another pair of eyes flew open in the darkness.

X~X~X

Naruto woke up for a start, soaked in sweat under his linen bedsheets. He panted in fear, eyes rapidly panning across the ceiling and room fearfully, trying to understand where he was as he gripped his sheets tighter. It took some time for his eyes to adjust before he was able to make out some dim shapes within the darkness; A wardrobe, a bookshelf, a pile of dirty clothes, and the slight shimmer of the seals etched into the polished wood floor. It was then that he knew where he was; Home.

Naruto lay there, slowly coming down from his panic, before finally running a shaking hand over his face and through his hair. He slowly sat up from his soaked bed before flicking on the switch for the lights. They immediately turned on, momentarily blinding him. He groaned in discomfort as he reacquainted himself with the light before finally shuffling out of bed and walking tiredly to the small adjoining restroom. As he flipped the switch and entered the white-tiled room, he glared accusingly at the mirror hanging over the sink. His reflection glared back with tired silver eyes. The two held a glaring contest for a few moments before Naruto finally sighed and moved over to the toilet. As he lifted the seat, he mumbled a few words to himself.

"... Stupid dreams and stupid giant fox-thing."

X~X~X

I do have a reason for Riful getting a concussion, so bear with me here. Anyways, sorry again about the long wait and do please leave a comment/review.

KM

EDIT (1/19/2014)

Just a few touch-ups here-and-there.