Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Yeah, it's been way over a month since I last updated :sweatdrop: PLEASE forgive me? Hopefully this makes up for the long wait? Alas, the journey for the Bijuu shall begin!
Konohamaru stiffened where he sat and clutched the fabric of his kimono just above his knees, his eyebrows drawing together underneath his dark brown bangs. There was a small ounce of fear that swam through his veins, but he knew he shouldn't be afraid of the mysterious man knowing his sensei's darkest secret. If Naruto wanted to, he could just pin the male down and have Konohamaru rip his memories of the past five minutes from his mind. It was that easy, so he knew he had no reason to worry. The raven obviously had no godly strength, anyway, despite the student's assumptions.
Naruto's face was only inches away from smoldering eyes and he could feel the grip on his rosary become tighter with every passing second. Their was a heat that seemed to be oozing from the pale boy's fingers and it burned the priest's skin, causing him to jerk back and the string that held the rosary beads together snapped apart. The round beads shot in various directions and one hit Uku, Ayame's tanuki, scaring the small creature. It leaped in the air from the bed of blankets it was nestled in and scampered underneath the wooden cabinet that was close to the window.
"I asked you a question," the dark-haired man snarled, his calm demeanor gone. Something burned in his pitch black eyes and he sat up more, color returning to his face, which had been sickly white. Now that Naruto paid more attention, he did look too beautiful to be a normal human...
Naruto could feel heat rolling off of the other's body in waves and shifted his glance to Konohamaru, silently telling him to take action. Something was happening to the unknown boy and he needed to put an end to it. If he really was a god, then it wouldn't be a good thing to wait and see what happened.
Nodding his head, Konohamaru slipped his right hand into his left sleeve, slowly pulling out an exorcism slip. But instead of the usual kanji on it to get rid of demons, it held the symbols for the word 'erase'. He shifted back onto the balls of his feet and before the soon-to-be victim could turn his head to see what was going on, he slammed his palm against the back of the raven's skull and his body went slack immediately, his eyes shutting as he fell forward.
Catching him, Naruto frowned.
"The heat that was coming from him proves he's Amaterasu," Konohamaru stated.
"No, it doesn't prove anything," Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. He was annoyed with what he had gotten himself into, especially after having to hide his identity as the harbinger for the Kyuubi no Kitsune not too long ago. It'd only been five years since he first came to the small village. "He could be a conjurer."
Konohamaru stared at his teacher. "Naruto-niisama, conjurer's can't produce heat from their own flesh. They manipulate it from their surroundings. He's a god, I know it!"
"Shhh!" Naruto smacked his pupil on the back of the head. "Fine, I'll admit that there's a good chance he's a god, but we'll need to take him to Yamato-san to find out. Don't you dare tell anyone about this unless I say you can, alright?"
The brown-haired teenager nodded furiously and stood up, running to take a peak outside. There were a few villagers wandering about, but not too many. Ayame's home being on the outskirts of the village certainly came in handy for once and he stepped back, waving his hand to Naruto. "There's hardly anyone around, so if we hurry, we could probably get to Yamato-sensei's home without being seen. Do you want me to help you carry him?" he was eager to help, since he'd never been so close to such a beautiful and worshipped being before.
Naruto lifted the still nameless man into his arms and winced when he noticed that the other's skin was still scorching hot. "No, I can handle it. Just... run to Yamato-san's hut and tell him about what happened. He's the only person we can tell. Not even Iruka-sensei can know about this."
Konohamaru nodded and took off, leaving Naruto alone with the self-proclaimed Amaterasu. Heaving a sigh, the blond priest glanced down at all of the beads on the floor and grumbled quietly, holding a hand out and a piece of parchment falling from his sleeve. He took a hold of it and muttered a "kai!" before all of the beads collected themselves in the air in front of his hand and mended themselves back together.
He'd never shown such powers in front of the villagers or Konohamaru because he didn't want them to find out he used Kyuubi's powers to do most of his priest work. He didn't really have any talent to become a priest, so he had to use the demon's magic to his advantage.
"Ok, Ami, let's see if you're really a god or not," he snickered and headed out of the small home, not a soul in sight. There was light laughter from the row of huts closer to the center of the village, where Sarutobi lived, but he wasn't worried. As long as there was a group of five or less, he'd be able to rewind their memories. It was a useful technique to use when someone happened to stumble upon him when he lost control...
Shaking his head, he let red seep into his light blue eyes and he moved through the area at an inhuman speed, no one noticing him at all. He cut through vines that were hanging from the old, tall mangroves and came to an abrupt stop in front of a church-like structure that was covered in weeds and white roses.
"Naruto-niisama, Yamato-sensei's waiting inside," Konohamaru was waiting by the door, his hand on the wooden handle. His voice was low so that if anyone was spying on them, he wouldn't be heard.
Nodding, Naruto stalked forward, avoiding the small ants that were marching across the cracked cement. There was the sound of wooden chimes within the building as he entered, his pupil shutting the door behind him and eyeing the slumbering god that was in his teacher's arms. Standing against the wall, he watched Naruto approach the alter-like stand near the back.
"Ah, Naruto-kun," Yamato, an aged man with silk garbs on his frame and cinnamon hair, greeted the entering priest with a kind smile and weary eyes. His footsteps were light on the old stairs that spiraled down from the top floor, sandals worn out from constant use. "It has come to my attention that you might have found... a god? And not just any god, but Amaterasu, the Sun God?"
Holding out his arms, he presented the boy to his elder, careful not to drop the limp form. Yamato approached the both of them and stared down at the unconscious face of the supposed diety, his hand moving to press against the skin of the male's forehead. He drew his fingers back, though, as the heat coming from the other's flesh burned him.
"Strange..." he muttered before narrowing his eyes in a thoughtful way. "He's definitely not human, for no human could withstand having a temperature like that... Nor is he a demon, for he would've shown his true form when touched by my hand."
Konohamaru perked up at that statement, his toes curling in excitement. It was possible that the unknown gentleman was Amaterasu... and if he was, then the boy had been in the presence of one of the very gods he worshipped. He bit his bottom lip and listened on as Yamato continued on with his theories.
"He is either a god or a conjurer," the oldest priest commented with finality.
"He can't be a conjurer because he's producing the heat himself, not manipulating it!" Konohamaru shouted, eager to prove that the man was indeed a diety.
Yamato turned to him and gave him a small upturn of lips before rubbing at his wrists and sighing. "You're right..." he turned back to Naruto. "Do you know what you have stumbled upon? A god has fallen from the sky, meaning chaos will soon come upon Japan. Amaterasu, the god of the sun, has been thrown from his perch on the Heavenly Bridge and the sun will not shine until he is returned."
Naruto groaned and brought the god back to his chest, wishing he hadn't set out to bring back the fish from the docks that morning. He'd tangled himself up into something no one in their right mind would want to become a part of.
"It's your job to return him, Naruto-kun," Yamato said. "Fate has bestowed upon you quite the task."
"Why do I have to do it?" Naruto didn't understand why he couldn't just let the man wake up and find his own way back. The human side of him understood what he was supposed to do and accepted it, knowing it was a task far too important to shrug off; yet the demonic side of him, the part of him that had been warped by Kyuubi's presence within him, wanted nothing to do with the divinity.
"You know that you have to do it," the priest replied in a firm tone. "There is a legend that says when a diety falls from the sky, they fall to the earth to be found by the one and only person who can help them. You are that one person he has chosen."
The blond sighed.
It looked like there would be no way for him to escape destiny.
It's ironic, really... A god falls at the feet of the one person that can help him, and that person happens to be a demon...
xXxXx
Most of the villagers were outside of their huts when Naruto and Konohamaru were on their way back to Ayame's home, all of them whispering loudly and throwing fearful looks to one another. They were all gathered together in the center of the village, pointing up at the sky and muttering prayers.
Naruto hissed inwardly as he noticed the dark and grey sky, no clouds in sight.
"I was hoping the clouds would mask the sky for just a little longer... They've all noticed that there's no sun."
"What should we do, Naruto-niisama?" Konohamaru asked, worried. "We can't just tell them that Amaterasu has fallen, can we?"
"Our best bet is to take him and leave the village. If worse comes to worse, Yamato-san will tell them of what happened, but for now, we need to slip outside of the borders and get as close to Toyama as we can," the blond rubbed at his temple with one hand while the other supported Amaterasu's still slack body. "No, what am I thinking? You need to stay here, Konohamaru. I can't take you on a journey like this."
"What?.!" the child looked at his sensei in dibelief. "Don't leave me here, I can help--"
"No, you can't. You're needed here to take care of Sarutobi-sensei... Besides, I'll need someone to take my place as a head priest here in the village."
"You're going to let me be... head priest?" the brown-haired boy blushed lightly, clearly happy that the one man he looked up to was going to let him take his place. "You don't think I'm too young?"
"Not at all," Naruto smiled. "Just make sure you do a good job and stay alive, alright? You'll have to go up against some tough demons. Now..." he reached out and patted Konohamaru on the head, ruffling his hair softly. "Take care of everyone for me and tell them that I left to visit family in Hokkaido."
Konohamaru smiled slightly. "Hai, Naruto-niisama. And make sure you get Amaterasu back to the Heavenly Bridge as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, I will. I am the great Uzumaki Naruto, aren't I?" the priest grinned toothily and stood up straight. "I'll see you around, twerp," then he spun on his heel and took off toward his own hut, passing swiftly by people who were praying and hoping that the lost sun wasn't some kind of omen.
Shoving back the hanging beads in the doorway, he sat the god down on the floor and propped him up against the wall so he could gather some things to take with him. It was strange how his life turned around completely in just a few hours... and he wasn't sure if it was for the best or not.
"The harbinger for the Kyuubi no Kitsune is to help a god return to the Heavenly Bridge..." he whispered to himself. "I think fate's just trying to mess with me."
Grabbing a good lot of exorcism slips and extra trinkets that he could use on his journey to Toyama, Naruto placed them securely underneath his tight belt of weapons, his eyes seemingly dark as he turned back to the sleeping god. He was about to embark on a journey that had suddenly sprout about because of that man... and he could possibly die while doing so. There were demons out there a lot stronger than Naruto's many former opponents.
"It's best not to think of it in a negative light," the blond said to no one but himself. "I should see this as an oppurtunity to strengthen myself... and to maybe find myself some glory," he grinned. "I am helping out Amaterasu, after all."
He glanced over at said diety and an expression of worry washed over his face. Amaterasu looked so young... He might've been a god, but he was still a boy, all alone in a place he wasn't familiar with...
Naruto shook his head and whined childishly. His fatherly instincts were kicking in, making him feel a lot older than he actually was.
"Well, Amaterasu, we have a long journey ahead of us... since Toyama is two days away from here," he sighed and bent down to place his hands underneath the man's arms, lifting him up into the air and bending him over his shoulder.
A crackle of thunder suddenly shook the ground beneath him and he narrowed his eyes at the familiar tremors. Thunder couldn't shake the earth unless it came from the Raijuu...
"Why now? I haven't seen that thing in ten years," Naruto tightened his hold on Amaterasu and exited his hut, wind blowing wildly around him. All of the villagers were heading toward Sarutobi's large home, still praying that the sun would come up soon. Dark clouds moved in from the ocean and lightning struck down into the water.
"The gods have turned against us!" one of the village men shouted in fear, holding his wife and small boy to him.
"That's no god," Naruto snarled and lowered Sasuke off of his shoulder, looking down at his sleeping face. "You seem to bring me bad luck, Ami," he mumbled and laid him against the doorway.
'Amaterasu!'
Naruto's eyes bled to an incarnadine red and he snapped around, slitted pupils focusing on the small weasal-like creature that had screeched the man's name with a dark loathing. It flew from the sky, wrapped in crackling light that slowly disappeared as it got closer, wide eyes full of anger.
"It's after him?" Naruto growled and ripped three exorcism slips out from behind his weapon belt, moving his arms at an almost impossible speed. He thrust a slip behind him, shouting 'shogaibutsu' and creating a small shield around Amaterasu. He then took the other two in both hands and flung each one to the side, yelling 'hirogari'.
The space around them closed off so that the villagers wouldn't be able to see him use Kyuubi's power. Now he only hoped that Amaterasu wouldn't wake up in the middle of the fight to witness Naruto as the demon. Naruto could only erase a person's memory once and he might need to do that later on if neccesary.
'You protect that wretch?.!' the Raijuu growled loudly as it flew closer to the priest. Its voice echoed throughout Naruto's head and the blond slid back, pulling out one of his guns and aiming.
Pulling the trigger, he watched the bullet burn up before it could even reach the beast and he snarled in annoyance. It looked like he would definitely have to resort to using all of Kyuubi's power for the first time in a long while.
"I hope I don't break apart the shield I put up..."
Then Naruto's body was engulfed in red and the color rose up high, taking the form of a hissing fox. Nine tails swung around violently and a dangerous growl was all the warning the charging Raijuu got before Naruto lurched forward.