Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Yeah, this took WAY longer than a month x.x I'm so sorry. But please review so I know you're still with the story? I need to have a driving force, ya know? XD
Amaterasu- Sasuke
Tsukuyomi- Itachi
Other characters will come in a the tailed beasts in later chapters.
Kyuubi's form bubbled around Naruto like molten lava as he sped forward, the crimson aura spilling onto the ground and scorching the moist earth. His sheer power was far greater than that of any of the legendary Bijuu, and the Raijuu knew that; yet the weasal still charged at him with pure rage in its eyes. It wanted Amaterasu dead before the god could return to his bridge in the sky and return someday to attempt to kill it once again.
'How dare you protect the thing that wants our kind dead! Kyuubi, you're a traitor!'
The Raijuu seethed and its small body slammed into the ground, burrowing deep underground. Its screeching and growling died off beneath the thick rock and soil and Naruto came to a halt, kicking up large stones. The red aura around him simmered down and slithered down his large frame, turning the dirt a deep black as it seeped into the ground.
It was the painful cry of the small Bijuu that woke Amaterasu, his obsidian eyes opening slowly to see the Raijuu burnt and bleeding on the torn-up ground. It hissed and hacked up blood, trying its hardest to get up and run from one of the many tails that twisted and jerked forward in an attempt to wrap around it and crush it.
"... A Bijuu...?" the god mumbled to himself, finding it strange that he wasn't able to sense the presence of it, even though it was only a few yards away. His whole body felt exhausted and everything he used to feel as a deity was gone. He now knew what it felt like to be a mere human. He felt as if his bones could break almost too easily in his new body, as if he could only do so much before his mortal limits came into play, as if he wasn't himself anymore.
Naruto smirked when his fourth tail was able to successfully wrap around the creature's back leg, the appendage twisting until the tip of it was at the Raijuu's bloody neck.
"Tell me the reason for why you're after him," the blond priest asked, referring to Amaterasu. As Kyuubi's power oozed from him and burned the other Bijuu, he was left unscathed, his taught body firm in place. "Surely the gods don't want us dead, so--"
'But you're incorrect, Kyuubi,' the Raijuu bared its fangs, eyes wide and fierce. 'You have not been preyed upon by Izanagi yet, I presume. That bastard of a god has gone mad with power and has decided that our kinds' mere existence poses a threat to him! He sent his sons after the Houkou and almost succeeded in dispatching him, but he escaped and has hidden himself away deep in his forest,' it growled. 'They came for me next, destroying my home and the animals I watched over! I came here to dispose of him so that he can't kill anymore of our kind! So I suggest you step aside, Kyuubi, before I tear your harbinger to shreds!'
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He could hear the demon within him laughing, the sound vibrating like a bell in his mind. He opened his mouth, speaking the words that the nine-tailed fox fed to him:
"You can try as you might, dear Raijuu, but I would crush you here and now before you could even attempt it," the priest released the weasal and watched it fall, a ball of electricity forming around it. The creature hissed again and Naruto only grinned. "I will handle the sun god. Go back to your home and repair it, there is no need for you here, in my territory."
The Raijuu growled deeply before barking out a quick reply of 'kill him, Kyuubi' and shooting up into the sky, creating a swirling hole in the whisp of gray clouds above. As it left, the dark clouds let loose the rain they had been trying to hold in and Naruto let the fox's aura seep back into his body. He tried his hardest to lock the power as far into his mind as he could so that Amaterasu wouldn't detect it.
Running a large hand through his messy and wet hair, Naruto turned around and grumbled a 'kai', the barriers he'd put up burning away slowly. Luckily, the villagers were nowhere to be found (probably at Sarutobi's home), but Amaterasu was fully conscious and watching him with wary eyes, still slumped against Naruto's hut.
"Ah, you must be... confused as to where you are," the blond tried to play it off like the raven hadn't seen what'd gone on. He didn't want to have to erase the man's memory again, and if he acted the right way and played his cards right, then there wouldn't be a need to. "I found you washed up on the shore and brought you back to my village--"
"You were able to fend off the Raijuu," the god interrupted him suddenly, dark eyes calculating. "Fairly easily..."
"Well, that thing's been attacking our village for years now," Naruto lied with a frown. "I've gained a lot of experience on how it fights... But what did you call it? A Raijuu?" his charade went as planned and the suspicious gaze in Amaterasu's eyes melted away, replaced with curiosity and intrigue.
"That power of yours... It's something I've never seen before."
"I'm a conjurer," Naruto lied once again, "I can manipulate fire, but to the point that I can actually draw it from anything," he crouched down in front of the dark-haired male and looked straight into his eyes, cerulean waves clashing against firm, dark cliffsides. "But what I want to know is where you came from. When I brought you here, our village's high priest took a look at you..."
He could see the god's body stiffen ever so slightly. He could tell him a little piece of the truth, couldn't he?
"He told me that you were neither human nor demon--" his eyes widened and his reflexes kicked in, his body leaping back when an elbow attempted to make contact with his skull. He frowned at the other man. "What exactly was that for?"
Amaterasu glared at him.
"You know what I am."
"Correction, I know what and who you are. But you don't need to worry because I'm only here to get you back to the Heavenly Bridge, not spread your secret to all of Japan," Naruto snickered, using his humor to lighten the tense mood.
The god seemed skeptical, but his body eased up.
"I'm a priest," the blond said with a big smile. "I praise and worship the gods, especially you, Amaterasu," he lied again. "When our high priest told me who you were, he assigned me the task of returning you to the Heavenly Bridge so that the sun could return to the sky. I'm not here to harm you at all, only to help you."
The rain fell harder and Naruto grumbled curses under his breath, not liking his luck so far. He walked past the confused Amaterasu and looked in both directions, looking for any villagers that could spot them leaving. He turned, noticing how droplets of rain slid underneath the younger-looking male's eyes and fell like tears to his chin. He had to admit, the youth was the prettiest thing he'd seen in a long time.
"You're going to help me?" the god shifted and stepped closer to Naruto and ran his dark eyes ovcer the man before him, as if inspecting him for some physical appearance that would prove he was lying. "Why should I trust a human like you? If I've learned anything of you mortals it's that you lie, cheat, and kill in order to get what you want. Maybe you want me for some other more selfish purpose," his stance suddenly became more defensive.
Naruto held his hands up in a peaceful gesture and smiled reassuringly.
"A religious man does not ingulge in selfish deeds, only in selfless ones."
Amaterasu relaxed once again and stood there, a beautiful statue being rained upon by the skies that missed their god so. He tilted his head back and his black orbs took in the dark sky and light grey clouds, his pink lips pulling into a thin line and brows scrunched together in an oddly attractive away. Yes, Naruto had definitely never seen someone so beautiful in his life. Were all gods that stunning and gorgeous? The statues and pictures of them in the old temple surely didn't do them justice if so.
"Then I will trust you, Priest," Amaterasu spoke smoothly. "And if you can return me to the Heavens, then I will bestow upon you a gift."
Naruto laughed lighty. "I don't need a gift. And please, call me Naruto," he tightened the belt of weapons that was slung loosely around his hips and, once again, glanced around to see if there were any villagers. He could hear the loud voices of two of the village's welders in the distance, but he knew they could leave before anyone showed up. "Now, if you'll follow me, we're going to head to Toyama."
"Naruto," the deity's voice was deep, "what is the purpose of going to Toyama?"
"That's where I get my ammunition from," the blond grinned and shook the belt around his waist. "An old friend of mine lives there and will provide me with some things I'll need for this trip. We'll also have lodging, so come along," he said with much enthusiasm. "Oh, and we need to do something about your name. Amaterasu is a give-away to who you are, you know? Let's go with a more human name. How about...?"
"Sasuke."
Naruto, who had been pushing aside thick underbush so he could clear a path into the forest, turned his head and tossed the male a questioning look. "Sasuke?"
"It was the name of an old villager I met decades ago," the raven explained. "He was the only person to ever treat me and my brother with kindess and hospitality."
"Ah... then Sasuke it is," the priest then continued to shove away thick vines and broken branches, cursing when he got absolutely no help from his 'traveling companion.' He asked the other politely to help him, but the only reply he got was a monotone 'hn.'
--
Five hours into their journey and Naruto was starting to get annoyed by the heat. He was already tired from walking so long and he was starting to wonder if Ama--Sasuke was able to break a sweat at all, considering the god was walking at a leisurely pace behind him without a single drop of sweat marring his pale complexion. Heaving a sigh, Naruto veered off to the right and plopped down on an old, fallen tree.
"Why are we stopping?" Sasuke asked, still standing on the dirt path that would lead them straight to Toyama.
"There's no sun and it's still so hot," Naruto complained and wiped sweat from his forehead and neck with the bandages wrapped tightly around his forearms. "How can you tolerate the heat in that thick kimono?"
The dark-haired beauty glanced down at his garbs, as if noticing them for the first time since he'd woken up earlier. His eyes held a sense of adoration for the pretty silk, Naruto noted, once the boy lifted his head up to stare back at him.
"I'm the Sun God," he answered. "I produce the heat of day, so I'm immune to trivial matters such as becoming too hot."
Naruto frowned.
"Now why didn't I figure that out myself?" the blond tapped his calloused fingers on his right knee, glad he was able to let his real self out. The one thing he hated about being a priest was how he was expected to talk, with perfect diction and elegance. Now that he was out of his village, he could relax and speak how he wished to. "But it's getting darker the farther we go," he added. "I can hardly see anything," he lied. He had Kyuubi's perfect vision to aid him in the dark.
"You're a conjurer, correct? Create fire and light our way."
"You know what? I'm going to tell you the truth. I'm tired of walking and want to rest here for the night, if you don't mind. It should be evening by now, anyway," Naruto admitted, refusing to walk anymore that day.
Sasuke nodded his head in understanding and sat down next to his companion on the fallen oak. He was beginning to find his attire annoying for their journey, despite how gorgeous it was. Lifting a thin arm, he inspected the silky sleeve, then opened his hand and stared at his palm.
"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, leaning forward and scratching the back of his neck. He also looked at the pale palm of the sun god and raised two eyebrows.
Furrowing his own brows, the raven concentrated on his hand and smirked when a small flame errupted, shooting up two feet before simmering down and engulfing his hand. He moved his limb from side to side, a red streak following it.
Naruto looked stunned, but then grinned.
"I suppose you're not completely mortal?"
"I can summon some of my original power... but nothing near what I used to have. It seems as if my father didn't strip me of everything. I can still capture the Bijuu..."
The blond was dumbfounded. So he did want to kill his kind...
"Why do you want to do that?"
"Safety precautions," Sasuke replied with a frown. "The Bijuu are the tailed beasts of Japanese legend... they're powerful creatures that live among nature and are told to be mostly peaceful. But as of lately, they've been attacking people and craving more power than what they already have. So my father decided to destroy them before they could become powerful enough to destroy us. But only two of the tailed beasts actually pose a real enough threat as of right now; the Orochi and the Kyuubi."
Yes, he should consider me a threat, the demon chuckled within Naruto's mind. As for Orochi, I haven't seen him in decades. I did feel his presence in the Asahidake mountains a few years ago, though. That snake could still be there, for he doesn't migrate too often.
"My brother and I haven't had much luck finding either of them, unfortunately. We've located three of the other Bijuu, but none of the others," Sasuke laced his fingers together.
That's because they've taken human containers, boy, Kyuubi crooned in amusement. Go ahead, tell him that. I think it would be quite enjoyable to help him on his hunt for my brothers.
Why? Naruto spoke mentally, confused.
You may not have known this, but I do know that they hunger for more power. I have felt most of their auras flare in the last couple of years and they crave the chance to overthrow the gods and take their place as rulers. I, myself, enjoy the peace that the current gods provide, so I do not approve of my brethren. If I had to choose, I would dispose of them.
"One of the elders in my village told me about the Bijuu once, I believe," Naruto lied through his teeth, deciding not to go against Kyuubi's wishes. He trusted that fox more than he trusted himself. "He informed me of what are known as Jinchuuriki, human containers for the Bijuu who don't want to ever be found."
"Containers?" Sasuke was intrigued, his dark eyes lighting up ever so slightly.
"The Bijuu will hide themselves in an expecting mother and live inside her child, to be born as a part of the baby once it's born," Naruto explained. "So they could be inside a human somewhere, to prevent capture."
After he said that, he watched as the male's expressions ranged from intrigued, to confused, to angered, to frustrated, then to determined. It was much different from the indifferent person the blond had seen only a couple of hours ago. Watching the god stand up and walk back toward the path, he blinked.
"O-Oi, where are you going?"
"To Toyama as quickly as possible. I would like to ask others if they've heard of the Jinchuuriki or know where they might be," Sasuke answered, swiftly stepping over stones and fallen tree branches in the middle of the path. He didn't pay any attention to the grumbling blond that ran to catch up to him, for he was too concerned with finding the beasts.
He would return to the Heavenly Bridge after disposing of every single tailed beast, then he would regain his place as Amaterasu, the sun.