Perfect Storm Chapter 3
Yo
So I'm a little late but hey it was the holidays and things got busy. What can you do right? Anyways I hope you enjoy this new addition. I really appreciate all the support I've been getting and I hope I'll be able to write this story to be worthy of all your expectations.
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A silver-blonde haired boy, seemingly no older than 7, stood in attention, facing his enemy. The room they occupied was spacious and pitch black, disabling sight but greatly amplifying sounds. There were no windows, giving the impression that they were underground.
The boy's heavy breathing reverberated throughout the room. His shirtless visage gave away how bloody and battered his body was, the tell tale signs of welts already forming around his face and upper body.
Despite how damaged he was, the child did not seem to register any pain as his eyes never lost focus on what was in front of him.
A rippling shadow stood only five meters from him unmoving. The outline of the figure was that of a woman's, yet the addition of seemingly 5 sets of wings adorning her form revealed that she was something more. The shadowy figure rippled once again as a step was heard, before another and another.
"You speak of getting stronger in order to protect what's precious to you. How foolish. Look at what that has gotten you. Where is the strength you speak of now when you need it?" She looked down at the boy as she was reminded of his words to her just the previous day.
"Pathetic child…you are weak… so pitifully weak. What a disgrace you are to the powerful name I gave you. Tell me right now what your name means." The figure's tone belayed a deep disgust and fury. The figure finally stopped moving only a few feet away from her target.
"My name…" the boy hesitated for only a moment before hardening his eyes, refusing to allow tears to fall. "My name means maelstrom, a natural force of nature that wipes out all in its way without discrimination. It is a force without equal that decides what shall be allowed to live and what shall be washed away."
The woman considered the boys words before her teeth shined in a sick grin. The sound of a sharp smack suddenly filled the room. The boy struggled to get up from the blow, before wincing in pain. "If you know what you are then why are you so WEAK! Why do you spout your bullshit ideals to me when you are nothing!"
In a flurry of movement the woman descended onto the boy's downed form, picking him up by his neck only to deliver multiple devastating punches to the child's unguarded stomach. Throwing him across the room her power spiked, her form glowing white, allowing for the first light to pierce the darkness of the room. Her face, while twisted in a mixed expression of hate and amusement, still revealed how beautiful she would have been considered in society.
"You will never protect those you love. You will never even be loved. You will never bask in the light and feel its warmth. The only light you will know is the cold radiance of your light energy. A gift from me you were given without my consent. How I wish I could simply end your life now. The… euphoria it would bring, however brief. But no… that would be a waste. Your existence will be the weapon I use to exact my revenge. A perfect revenge to the man who cursed me with this hideous form and with you."
Her power peaked showering the downed, but still awake, boy with a dark energy, covering the room in an unnatural black. The power she was emitting made his power seem like a drop of water to an ocean. The only light now was from her blood red yes glowing ominously in the darkness. He wanted to die. The fear was choking him as he continued to stare at his maker.
"This power you feel. This is only half of the potential you can achieve from the bastard blood within you. I will bring this out of you, even if it requires your constant torment as a price. Be thankful."
The boy finally managed to get up from the ground and balance himself, before reverting to his fighting stance, a white glow appearing around him as a light spear formed in his right and left hand. Both his eyes shined a cerulean blue in contrast to his opponent. His body still shaking in fear but with a deep breath he stilled his movement and gave into the insanity growing inside him.
The woman regarded his actions with another grin. "Yes… good. You will master both the light inside you and the darkness that blankets you. Only then will you be able to fulfill my goal and be worthy of your wretched name. Only then will you have the chance to gain my love. Now come!"
With a scream, the boy charged his mother, the blind hatred in his eyes only cloaking the tearing feeling of his heart as he desperately tried to remember his vow…
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"…Mom… One day… I'll be strong. So strong that no one can oppose me. I'll surpass everyone, even you, so I can protect my precious people. Especially you…"
Naruto's heterochromatic eyes snapped awake from his sleep. Slowly surveying his surroundings, he slowly closed his eyes once again before opening them once more.
"Get… out… of… my… head." Naruto gave a resigned expression as each of his words were prefaced by lightly banging his head against the trunk of the tree he had been sleeping on just a few minutes prior.
Giving one last sigh he hopped off the tree landing in a crouch. Standing up, he looked up at the sun before giving a nod and beginning his trek out of the forest. It was almost the scheduled time after all and he did promise Kunou.
As he continued to his destination in a slow pace he couldn't help but grimace given the situation he was about to put himself in. All because of Kunou and her big mouth…
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Flashback
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"Master, we have a little problem…" Kunou stood, legs crossed, as she looked away to avoid Naruto's eyes. Naruto slowly got up from the boulder he was laying on just minutes before his student appeared before him with a conflicted look about her. His eyes narrowed slightly at how unusual this behavior was coming from the nine-tailed prodigy.
"Oh? And pray tell what is the problem?"
"Remember last week when we stayed up really late and you answered my questions?" Upon receiving a nod to continue, she sighed again before resolving herself to face him properly.
"Well my mom got on my case about it and she wouldn't stop questioning me. I tried to lie my away around it but it's no use with her. She caught me in a lie and well… you were brought up…"
"…"
"Master?"
Naruto raised his left hand to stop her anymore as his right hand squeezed the bridge of his nose. Looking up in the sky, Naruto fished his cigarettes out of his cloaks inside pocket and put one of them in his mouth. Lighting it, he took a long hit before exhaling. After a good minute of watching Naruto keep his gaze on the sky Kunou began to fidget in fear of what this would mean. Before she could worry further Naruto finally spoke.
"Just what was said?" His tone was devoid of any emotional, which only served to worry Kunou further.
"It's not as bad as you think. After all it wasn't like she didn't already have her suspicions about where I was going for all these months. She just didn't think it was worth bringing up because I always came back on time and okay. So when she finally asked for an explanation last week and I told her a master was training me she took it well. However she wanted to know whom exactly was training me and here is where the problem arises. She wants to meet you…"
Kunou left her sentence hanging as she cringed from the look Naruto was giving her.
"Come on master don't freak out this might be a good thing you know?"
"I've never had alcohol this early in the morning before…"
"Master! Come on think about it. If she approves of you, hiding from the other factions, not to mention training me, will be so much easier!"
Naruto momentarily paused unscrewing his flask before looking at her with a pointed stare.
"You seem to be under the impression that your mother, the leader of the Youkai in Kyoto, accepting a global criminal as a worthy guardian for her young daughter is within the realm of possibilities. That's all well and good but the reality is as soon as she realizes who I am she will report me to the proper authorities."
"No No No No" Kunou waved her hands and shook her head at the same time in an almost comical fashion. "We have no alliances with the other factions and my mom is… different. She loves her job and is constantly working to protect her people… probably to more of an extent than what she does for me. She wouldn't write you off so fast since she knows you have been training me."
By the end of Kunou's sentence her head hung as Naruto absorbed her words and the sadness ingrained in them. Underneath his stoic expression his heart began to twist as he saw how vulnerable his student was in that moment.
He sometimes forgot how young Kunou really was given her maturity and intelligence. He never questioned how was it that she was able to come and train almost everyday for hours since the time they met. He concluded a long time ago that because her mother was the leader of the youkai and she didn't have a father, Kunou was neglected the proper love a child instinctually desire. It certainly explained how he subconsciously began to connect with her after only a few weeks as well as how she came to have such an effect on him now.
In the end she still was just a little girl yearning for acknowledgment.
Kunou's eyes widened when she felt a hand land lightly on her head. Looking up she found Naruto looking right at her with a frown. Her eyes only widened further when he began to rub the top of her head in an affectionate manner.
"I guess we won't know unless we try right?" Naruto managed to bite off before looking away.
"R-Really? You mean it? You'll come?" Her smile seemed as if it was going split her face in half.
"Yeah. What the fuck why not."
"Hahaha. This… This is great! I'll tell her to expect you in 3 days. That usually is enough time for her to adjust her schedule. Anyways I better go tell her now then. I'm so excited! You're going to meet mom!"
Naruto's legs seemed to buckle slightly before he let gravity take him into a sitting position, the cigarette still smoking between his lips. The weight of what he just agreed to bearing down on him. Looking back at Kunou who was practically skipping away to her home, he twisted the cap of his flask and greedily drank the mysterious liquid inside.
Looking up at the sky once again he sighed. "Well, maybe it's finally my time to step into the light…"
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Flashback end
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The silver-blonde hybrid stopped his journey the perimeter of the estate where he sensed Kunou. "Well here goes nothing." With his hands in his pockets he jumped over the fence into the huge background.
As soon his feet touched the ground his sense went haywire as he immediately leaned back under a kick that would surely have decapitated him.
Fast… really fast. Interesting…
The mystery opponent continued the assault, twisting to use their other leg to kick down on him. Inches away from a devastating kick Naruto's power level rose dramatically before a force field of wind appeared around him and extended 10 feet away in all directions, meeting the enemies attack and pushing her away, but not before receiving a little damage in the form of a cut on her foot.
The force field held its form for a few seconds protecting him from all sides, even under him as the wind dug deep into the Earth. Naruto landed in a crouch, his hands still in his pockets as he righted himself.
Now he was able to finally study who his attacker exactly was. To his surprise it was a woman. An absolutely gorgeous woman. Her amber hair seemed to reflect the sun's rays with how bright and warm it seemed. Her heart-shaped face was adorned with matching amber eyes and full pink lips. Her body was hidden behind battle kimono but the way the cloth hugged certain parts of her body gave away how beautiful she was.
Naruto blinked when he realized how similar she was to Kunou. Almost like an older version… Oh I see. Realization hit him as he relaxed his posture and regarded the leader of the Youkai in Kyoto.
"That was quite the attack, Yasaka."
"You must be Naruto then. I hope you didn't mind my test. Kunou only mentioned you were a master class warrior. I wanted to make sure you fit the bill."
Naruto shrugged it off. "Understandable. I was never in any danger anyways, but it was nice to experience an exchange in combat with someone vastly stronger than what I've been accustomed too."
The now identified Yasaka twitched at the latent insult in his words. "So you don't consider me a threat?"
"Should I?" Naruto quipped, eyeing her. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours as the wind picked up around them, flailing Naruto's cloak behind him as well as causing Yasaka's hair to billow. Despite the wind both combatants were rooted to the ground, focused on each other. Their power levels were heightening at an astounding rate and Naruto was truly impressed by how much power this woman had. However…
"Hey master! Hey mom! I see you're getting acquainted?" Kunou bounced onto the sidelines with a megawatt grin plastered on her face. Whatever Naruto had been planning flew out the window as he dropped his energy levels and turned his student. This action did not escape Yasaka as she glared at the man who was taking her daughter away from her.
In truth Yasaka knew of Naruto's existence in her territory the entire time he was here but did not wish to look into it given how inconsequential it was. If the man wanted to camp out in the woods in isolation it was no skin off her back. She had plenty on her plate already dealing with all the other factions to try and mess with a potential stray clocking above ultimate class power.
When Kunou began to continually leave the compound Yasaka suspected she was training from sensing her fluctuating power levels throughout the day but did not know for sure if this man was involved.
The fact that he was made her wants to kick herself. Not only did Kunou gain a significant power boost from his teachings, the bond between master and apprentice was formed. She had always wanted to teach her daughter. She had always wanted to form a deeper bond with Kunou. It was because of this man that her own daughter was slowly casting her aside. She couldn't help it that work needed to be prioritized sometimes,
It was… infuriating.
"This is my chance to make things right before it really is too late. I will show her that I can be a better teacher."
"Kunou." Yasaka's voice may have sounded sweet but to Naruto, her fake smile and stance indicated something more insidious. "Why don't you sit over there in the shade? I was just testing your 'master' to see if he is all that you have cracked him up to be."
"M-mom?" Kunou stared at her mother for a few seconds before her eyes widened. Opening her mouth, Kunou was quickly silenced with a deadly look from her mother as the matriarch raised her power to the level it was before her daughter's appearance.
Throughout the exchange Naruto's eyes were locked onto Kunou as her eyes contained a dread. Something about this was nostalgic.
He hated it.
"B-but mom, this was not how…" Abandoning all form of flattery, Yasaka turned her daughter in a snarl.
"Kunou! Listen to your Moth-" She was cut off by a sharp pain and the feeling of wetness trailing down her cheek. Reaching towards her face she padded her right cheek and realized it was her blood.
If looks could kill, Naruto would be in cardiac arrest.
If Naruto cared at all though he didn't show it. His hands were deep in his pockets as he puffed away on a recently lit cigarette. Pulling the cigarette out of his mouth he took a deep breath before exhaling. The smoke formed around him like a screen and in that moment Yasaka's vision of him became hazy. It was only for a second or two but those moments were enough to see something.
A soft red glow illuminated the smoke and at first Yasaka attributed it to the sun but closer inspection revealed it to be his right eye. The sight put her off a bit. Did I piss him off?
"Brat." The single word snapped Kunou to attention. His tone was dangerous. "Do as your mother says, this won't take long." Looking between her mother and Naruto, she looked down and gave a quick nod before backed off and watching the fight.
This exchange only intensified Yasaka's anger. Looking at the blonde she counted to five to calm herself before smirking. "Let's begin" I will test him with my own reserves first. I don't think he will be worth needing to tap into the leyline.
Disappearing, the nine-tailed vixen sent a punch behind Naruto to his head, only for the blonde to tilt to the left, her first sailing through the space the blonde just occupied. Gritting her teeth at the mockery being made of her she disappeared again, reappearing at his side with a devastating kick, only for it to be stopped cold by a raised hand.
Bracing herself for a response she winced on reflex. When she realized she was still being held by her foot she opened her eyes, to see Naruto inches away from her. Not knowing how to react, she was unprepared for the smoke blown on her face, making her cough as well as eyes water. Pushing her away, she backed off only to continue her coughing fit, all the while trying to glare at this bastard of a man.
Motherfucker is mocking me. He is not taking this seriously. Why are my senses going haywire? This is ridiculous. My daughter is watching this!
On instinct the leader of the Youkai proved her worth by accessing the leyline and its infinite power. Her power grew to a staggering amount as Naruto flicked the cigarette out of his mouth and gave a frown.
Too bad. I liked fucking with her. Now I have to get a little serious.
In one second Yasaka was 10 yards away. In the next she was face to face with the blonde, right fist launched like a missile at Naruto, who met her punch with one of his own. The clash caused the ground to shake and give way as a five-yard crater surrounded the two.
In the next minute, the flurry of movement between the two fighters set one of the greatest taijutsu battles to stone in Kunou's mind as she watched the two people closest to her match her other. Something was off though.
I know for a fact master and mother can go harder. Oh wait, if they did I suppose I would be in danger wouldn't I? To think then that I have so much longer to go until I can match this much and it probably doesn't scratch the surface of what I need to be….
Naruto was grinning.
It was infuriating Yasaka. Every dodge and every clash and that ridiculous smile never left his fucking face. She wanted to kill him. At the same time she knew going past this level would bring more bad than good. Her hands were tied. Resigning herself to one last try she decided to go with her favorite surprise move.
Yasaka's tails suddenly dug into the ground, before uprooting a ton of dirt and rocks as she twisted her body 360 degrees in the air. As soon as her feet touched the ground she kicked off backwards towards the wall as the dust created a smokescreen for her. Her power level began to raise once again in proportion to her distance as she smiled at how shocked he will be.
Ugh, damn vixen. Now I need a shower. The hybrid may have lost sight of the female fox but her energy signature was the same. So she's waiting for me eh? Better not make her wait any longer. Clearing the dust with a gust of wind Naruto's eyes locked onto the location he thought his opponent would be only to gawk slightly at finding no one there.
But her energy signature stayed the same. There was no fluctuation. Unless…
Looking up Naruto finally spotted Kunou's mother who was now 20 yards away. His eyes widened at the genius move. So she managed to perfectly proportion her distance traveled with power output to fool me. I underestimated her. She has had at least a good few seconds to prepare something. I guess this is finishing soon.
At if answering his thoughts a beam of red energy raced towards Naruto only to meet a force field of wind. Gritting his teeth he yelled out he barely managed to careen the beam towards the right, disintegrating a few locks of his hair. The blast was incredibly powerful and focused. The ground where the beam struck had a hole the size of Naruto's head and it seemed to go on endlessly. The control and power output needed for the redirection caused a momentary lapse in concentration and in that moment Yasaka pounced.
Like a bullet she rocketed at Naruto, covering 20 yards in half a second and sending Naruto air born. Naruto, at the last possible moment blocked the punch, but the power behind was too much for him while off balance. Bringing one leg down to correct the situation, he began skidding along the ground. Holding on her hand, Naruto couldn't help but send a quick glance towards Kunou.
Like daughter like mother. I wonder if this woman realizes how much her daughter idolizes her…
Yasaka's next moves were then predictable, her punch also blocked, followed by her right leg until her left snapped towards the silvery-blonde at lightening speed. Naruto eyes the attack wearily.
Can't be helped. She probably knows already.
Kunou had the decency to blush as she spotted Naruto's look. Yes she had copied her mother's move but who wouldn't given the chance. It was damn effective. As her mother snapped her left leg towards her master Kunou stood up, wanted to see what happens next the most.
He won't be able to get out of it like he did with me. Not with her. What will you do master? Wait? Is that… Is it going to rain?
Time seemed to slow as Naruto watched the kick near him. Giving the woman a smile he looked up towards the sky at the darkening clouds. The subsequent power surge caused Yasaka to change her kick into a spring to leap away just in the knick of time from the lightening bolt that hit a fraction of a second later.
"Crazy bastard… You actually thought you could hit me with that?"
Silence pervaded the backyard as dust and smoke obscured the two amber haired vixens from the hybrid. For what seemed like hours there was nothing until they both picked up on a voice that gave a chill to the back of their spines.
"No… that… was meant for me…"
Naruto stood stock still as lightening danced off of him in random intervals. His eyes were pure white as he jerked a couple times. "Man that shit hurt. Almost forgot how much."
"You crazy bastard…" In a moment of relapse Kunou forgot she was talking about her master and instead adopted the moniker her mother gave him.
I didn't know he had mastered that loginus to the point where he could forcifully take weather attributes into himself. The control needed for that is out of this world!
Yasaka seemed to have no words for the sight before her. This man… no monster took a lighting bolt head on and is actually sealing the power inside him. The pain must be unbearable. She took a step to call for help when a she was stopped by a hand resting on her shoulder. Looking to her side, she was greeted by Naruto, who had regained his glowing blue and red eyes and was watching her with a blank look.
A moment later a crack ripped through the tranquility of the background, reminiscent to thunder.
He can go faster than sound… He hijacked the lightening bolt's ability to move at the speed of light!
"Do you yield?"
The simple question rocked her, as she didn't even realize he had used a finger as a base for a blade of wind now positioned on her neck.
It's my complete loss. This went terribly. I can't believe it. Kunou…
Looking at her daughter's wide eyes, Yasaka glanced down, her vision blurring a bit, going unnoticed by Kunou but not by Naruto as he narrowed his eyes at her display of emotion. Straightening up she hardened her eyes.
"I yield."
As soon as the words escaped her mouth both the wind blade and the aura of lightening around Naruto disappeared as he sighed.
"Well then… how about lunch?"
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Okay so this chapter was kind of a filler, but it sets the stage for the next chapter, which will be important and longer, really well. You saw a little into Naruto past as well. You are going to notice I'm going to speed up the timeline on things a bit. The reason is I want to get to cannon soon. This is still technically the prologue of the story. Yeah this will be epic in length and hopefully quality. Let me know if you have any questions or something in reviews. I'll post sooner now that I'm almost done with finals.
Ja ne!
