I don't own Naruto, or Any references I make to any Lovecraft works.
Bold is supernatural speech.
Italics is thoughts, flashbacks, the like.
A/N: So before I get started, I'd like to give my thanks to the faithful few, Kiiroi Senko, SPECIALGUY, Shyguy1818, and ozmose1991, this chapters for you guys(and maybe ladies), so you have them to thank for this one being finished so quickly. I let it sit in my uploaded documents for a few days to make sure that no one else was going to be on my special list. Now! On with the story!
-Chapter Eleven: Stories in the mountains before Leng-
Naruto had spent most of the night reading that book, he got to sleep at four o'clock, the apothecary Okin told him to awaken them at ten, after the coldest parts of the morning were past. Naruto was allowed a strangely large amount of sleep for the strange visions he saw, of weird beasts, demons, and of a ruler of a long past civilization. Naruto packed the scrolls that held his camping equipment into his black rucksack shortly after waking. The strange volume called the 'The Law of the Dead', it was a rather thick volume, telling of strange and far off places, beasts with descriptions he couldn't even fathom, and treasures, the likes of which would drive men to the ends of the earth and beyond into realms not wholly understood by man.
"I knew I've heard that name before." The nine tails rarely spoke of things that Naruto saw, it was especially rare that Kyuubi forgot things. "Alhazred is the man that was responsible for the sealing of Cthulhu, the ten tailed beast."
"Ten tails? I thought you were the most powerful?" Naruto heard the booming laughter.
"Silly boy, Cthulhu is on a whole different level than I am. The nine tailed beasts are each one piece of a key that would unleash Cthulhu, much like your seal, our power combined would open a gateway of sorts to the realm in which Cthulhu is locked. That's why it's imperative that Akatsuki never get their hands on all of us." The fox had intrigued Naruto, and terrified him at the same time. "Alhazred was the man that taught ninja how to use sealing techniques. He is in many ways stronger than he looks." Naruto saw the strong hands, the thickly corded neck, and the ancient looking sword next to him, the man was physically strong, and surprisingly youthful in the way he spoke, not like the Sandaime was, his slow, raspy speech. The man Alhazred spoke clearly, and his words were precise, each and every one meaning exactly what he wanted it to. "It's said that he's the only man who's ever attained true immorality."
"So then, you're saying that if I let the Akatsuki have you, then something even more terrible than you will be unleashed?"
"Far worse. There's things in the world that could make that Hokage of yours look like a small, helpless child. Some of these beasts would even give you and I a run for our money." Naruto shuddered at the mere thought of something strong enough to give him and his tenant a good match. "Pray that you never run into the being called Nyarlathotep. Even Cthulhu was wary of him, it's much like the relationship that your friend Sasuke and you have, neither of you is stronger, but just the same, if you were to fight seriously, the fight would come down to which one of you is more efficient and can go longer than the other."
"Regardless, we've got to find this plant, or Sasuke will die. I just got that bastard home." Naruto shouldered his pack, adjusted it so that it would fit well over his coat, and set it back down to wake Okin and Arima. Shortly after, Naruto and his charges were leaving the hotel, only to be stopped by a man dressed as a Samurai, a wakizashi and an old looking sword on his belt. "Alhazred wasn't it?" Naruto asked.
"I thought so, a Konoha ANBU, your demeanor was right, you make a good ronin. Anyway, I'm coming with you, I can't have four lives perish just because I was lazy." Alhazred was carrying a pack, a rather small one, but it was a pack no less. "Let's go, we won't be seeing the base of Leng for another three days. And then after that, we've got a three day climb to the caves where we can find our elusive plant." Naruto knew that the journey would be long, but he didn't expect the six day trek just to arrive at the mountain. He continued to feel pressed for time, not knowing how long he'd be searching for the plant that dwelt somewhere in a cave. There was no telling how long they'd be in the cave either.
"That Uchiha is strong boy, he'll make it through this." The Nine tails fox had hoped to comfort the boy.
"I certainly hope so" Naruto spoke to his permanent prisoner.
They made good distance, everyone had pressed the pace, and they made five miles more than they'd expected. The second day, the entire group entered the mountain range that must be crossed in order to reach Leng, the dreaded mountain in which the Law of the Dead spoke of.
"Kitsune, regarding the book." Alhazred started, they were sitting around the camp fire, Okin and Arima had already gone to sleep. "You bear one of the nine tailed beasts don't you?" Naruto raised his eyebrows beneath his mask. "I thought so, your aura says so. I have to tell you, there's a demon that dwells upon Leng that I want you to avoid at all costs. They call it the Crawling Chaos, he's composed of these black tentacles, eyes as red as blood, and teeth white as alabaster and hard as quartz." Naruto had read of the crawling chaos, that dark beast, a sketch of the demon had been done in the Law of the Dead. "If we do run into the beast, let me take care of him."
"That sword, it looks to be very old. May I ask of the origins of it?" Naruto pointed to the sword beside the man. The man chuckled, picking up the sword he drew it. The blade was shaped as a katana, but twice as wide, and three times as thick. Matte black was it's color, the hilt was shaped as a manji, a symbol for luck and well being. The handle was wrapped in cord, and ended in a round quartz stone, shined and polished to a sheen. The blade's name was Soulsplitter.
"The sword was found in a temple to some foreign God, they called Nyarlathotep." Naruto heard the name Nyarlathotep, and shuddered.
"The Nine tails said that Nyarlathotep was the only being to ever best Cthulhu in combat."
"Nyarlathotep is indeed a strong being, but I know nothing of his battle with Cthulhu. This sword was said to be the blade that destroyed the God." Alhazred sheathed the sword. "I only hope that we don't run into the Shoggoth, swords and other blades don't work on them." The elder man explained that the Shoggoth were great gelatinous creatures, much like a white blood cell, it consumed it's prey, and crushed it into pieces. Legends told of how they used to be slaves to the Elder ones, but revolted, at which time, naught was known of the location of them, some were said to have returned to the sea, where their homes were, others were said to make deep caves their homes, while even more were frozen in glaciers and arctic weather.
"But of all the weird creations I laid eyes on, the ones called Migo were the worst, the least formidable, but the most terrible to see."
Migo were spoken of in the Law of the Dead, gigantic insect like creatures, with six crab like claws, all of their joints bending away from the head, towards the large, lizard like tail. On it's back were four fins arranged in two parallel rows. Above those fins that seemed to have no real use, two monstrous fleshy wings rested. The head of the monstrosity was a head that resembled a centipede's. three eyes were present on it's face, as well as antennae scattered across the head and face. Alhazred also explained that it's skin was tough as a clam's shell, and the only soft spots were it's joints.
"He's telling you to dismember these things." Kyuubi chuckled.
"They're not massive, perhaps about five foot in length, maybe more, but they are fearsome fighters." Alhazred smiled as he pulled out his pipe.
The explanation of different things that were said to lurk in the caves of Leng went on into the night, more stories were also included, each of which was included in the strange book that Naruto now carried on his person. Pictures were drawn of weird beings with strange proportions. Many things that were drawn were very similar to Marine life and insects, the drawing done of Cthulhu showed a great beast on two legs, with arms as thick as massive trees, great membranous wings spread from it's back, and it appeared to bear a squid like head, bearing innumerable tentacles. On each of it's fingers and toes were great claws, described by Alhazred as designed for cutting and piercing. Next to the drawing of Cthulhu was what appeared to be a small person, the person came to about what Naruto assumed would be the ankle of Cthulhu, meaning that such a beast would be more than fifty feet tall.
"It was a big thing indeed, though I feel I might have gotten the scale slightly off, I'd say it was around forty feet tall, give or take, I had no accurate measuring tool at the time." Alhazred's wooden pipe leaked smoke.
"Still, forty feet is quite some height to aspire to." Naruto paused for a moment. "The Kyuubi tells me that you're immortal, and that you taught ninja how to seal." Alhazred nodded.
"I'm not quite immortal, I won't die of natural causes, and because of that, I've massed both great knowledge as well as physical prowess. I'm four hundred and forty two years old if you must know, I sealed Cthulhu when I was fifty nine, and taught the first sealing techniques at ninety seven. The ninja villages came to be not much longer after, I think it was forty years?"
"So you really are immortal? Life must get boring after a while."
"Never, I've traveled to realms of both demonic and heavenly beings, seen the bottom of the ocean, which is where I came across a sleeping Cthulhu, but was too fearful to confront it. I later got that blessing shortly after I found the Soulsplitter in Nyarlathotep's temple."
"Where is this temple?" Alhazred's laughter was quiet, but meaningful.
"It no longer exists, but it's ruins are in the underworld. It's a place I'd suggest you never go. Terribly hot." Naruto laughed this time. "Say, I'm tired of this Iwa place, they're too damn restricting on what I bring into their walls, what say you that I come to Konoha with you?" Silence was all that followed for many minutes. Konoha did technically have open citizenship to civilians, and a warrior who seemed to have fought so many strange creatures, surely had more artifacts of eldritch origins. What could Konoha gain from him, other than his being the lone teacher of all things that were seals? His sword, immense knowledge, and fragrant tobacco were on the list.
"I'll have to talk to our Hokage, but I'm sure that we could find something for you to do." Naruto spoke, his tone sounded sure, but inside, Naruto was unsure of what Tsunade would think of the man that was eight times her age. "It shouldn't be hard, there's always something to do around the village."
"I've got many skills, not just swordsmanship and the hunting of foreign beasts."
"No matter, let's get some sleep before the sun rises." Naruto knew that they would only be getting around three hours of sleep, but some sleep was better than none.
Morning came quickly, and so did the continuation of their trek towards the dreaded mountain Leng. This time, it had begun snowing, and the four travelers were already pushing through deep snow.
-Konoha-
Sasuke's condition had stayed much the same, he was still sick, and still coughing, often times blood would make it's way up to his mouth. Sakura sat next to him, making him as comfortable as possible, Temari was out getting tea for Sasuke, his favorite was green tea, which was said to have curative properties, especially for respiratory diseases.
Many of the Uchiha's teammates had heard of his illness, both his former teammates and the soldiers throughout the village. Rock Lee was walking home, carrying groceries when he heard it. A man who he knew to be a Jounin was sitting at a tea stand.
"That Uchiha is sick with consumption. Sounds like we'll finally be rid of that damn Uchiha family." Lee approached the man, grabbed his shirt and threw him to the hard dirt.
"Sasuke is an honorable man! Don't you dare speak slander of him!" The man stood up.
"I'll say what I want about whomever I please, you pathetic excuse for a ninja." In a flash, the man's nose was broken by the iron fist that smashed it with such power that he was sent rolling.
"You are the pathetic excuse for a ninja, with no honor." Lee sensed the man's friend and ducked as a sword passed right through where his neck would've been. An elbow to the sternum, and a right cross later, that man was laying flat on his back, unconscious. He walked over to the man who was still standing up, grabbed his hair, and pulled him to his feet, only to knock him down with a savage fist. Seeing the blood that he'd drawn, he stopped.
"What's going on here?!" three ANBU arrived on the scene. Lee explained the situation. "I see, it's unfortunate that these men can't be prosecuted, Sasuke was always a great ninja."
"He is still a great ninja! Naruto is going to the mountain of Leng in northern Iwa to get a plant that can cure Sasuke's consumption. Then he will return to his previous strength and restore the honor of the Uchiha clan!"
"Lee, your friends are very fortunate to have you. These two will be taken to the hospital and warned to be careful what they say, and to whom they say it."
"Thank you Neko-san." Lee bowed, and picked up his groceries.
The consumption was stirring up trouble outside of Sasuke and Naruto's lives, but village wide, The Uchiha was a very liked man by most, even branded as a traitor. Currently two fights were going on, Naruto was fighting the harsh mountain elements, and Sasuke was fighting for his life.
-Chapter Eleven: End-
Author's Note: Come on people! I'd like to know that people are reading my story! I know that Nyarlathotep and the Crawling Chaos are the same thing, but for this story, they're different. At first, it wasn't my plan to put Alhazred in this part of the story, but I decided to change things, in order to give Naruto an idea of what he's facing. I don't plan on having Cthulhu in this story, but much talk of him for this chapter. The fight with Lee and the Jounin was more because I felt that there wasn't any idea of what was going on in Konoha, and I wanted to show you that things are not carrying on as normal in Konoha. Plus, I think Lee would do something like that, being a man of honor and all. Maybe not to that extent. The Law of the Dead is the English translation of the word Necronomicon. Next chapter! Exploring the caves of Leng.