AN: One of my most profound interests is in the so-called "God Debate". Does God exist? Does the Universe have purpose? Or do we simply lead pitiless existences that are a brief flash of light between oblivion and darkness?
After the Jump!
-The Night Before-
Naruto sat on top of the tree, gazing out into the starry night sky. For the past week, he had followed the samurai, Yagyu Muneyoshi, while they traversed the forest, doggedly pursuing the steps of the ninja who abducted Hinata. Their search had so far proven to be fruitless, but never once did the blond contemplate the possibility of giving up; he would see this to the end.
At first, Naruto found the samurai's appearance to be frightening. He never betrayed a hint of emotion, and always spoke in short, crisp sentences. But gradually, Naruto got used to his presence, and on certain occasions, the samurai even regaled him with anecdotes. Naruto came to see the samurai as a fount of wisdom, always watching, always observing, always knowing. On many occasions, he had saved Naruto's life when the boy tried to eat certain poisonous plants, or even unwittingly tread on venomous snakes.
Tonight, he felt more at peace than he ever had in his life. Strangely, even though he was at the mercy of a killing machine, he felt safe; most importantly, he felt free.
"I see you are having trouble sleeping." a voice, whom Naruto recognized as Muneyoshi's, called out. Turning, Naruto wasn't surprised to see the samurai perched beside him; he was always silent, and the blond could never sense him sneaking up on him.
"Not really… I'm just thinking." Naruto muttered.
"I must say, for a child you always seem troubled. Your demeanor is grim, not at all like that of a carefree and innocent youth." Muneyoshi said.
"One can only be carefree and innocent if they do not know the world; the truth of life is an ugly thing. But someday, I still hope that I can find true happiness. Samurai-san… do you hate ninja? You kill them, so you must hate them right?" Naruto questioned.
Muneyoshi could only sigh and clutch his sword tighter. "Prejudice and hatred are ingrained into this world. The ninja you look up to, the Hokage, leader of your Hidden Village, is a man born of deceit. Like all of their ilk, they bring terror and fear wherever they tread; as samurai that stand for honor and loyalty, the ninja are our – mine – sworn enemies. But you ask me if I hate them: though some may answer in the affirmative, I for one have nothing but respect for their character, though I may find their actions contemptible."
Naruto fixed his attention at the sky, nodding at his answer.
"Tonight, you seem more troubled than usual. I want to sing you a song, something a close friend composed for me. For some reason, every time I see you, it reminds me of it."
For a moment, the two were silent, the only sound being the incessant chirping of the cicadas. Then the samurai broke out in haunting lyric.
"Beneath the light of the moon,
Lie vicious cycle tinged by oblivion,
As the pale light illuminates red,
So Hate is thus made.
Still idealism perseveres,
Through the sight of a little cub,
Flinching though he may meet death,
Yet unwavering nonetheless.
He who has seen the Truth,
Though guided and coerced,
He grows up rebellious,
Because he knows when the Reaper descends,
Intent on rending his Hourglass' sands,
The world would be changed,
And the primal cycle be tamed."
-The Next Day-
"I can smell the grit of the earth and the freshness of the soil up ahead… And something more…" The samurai motioned to Naruto, immediately increasing their pace exponentially.
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Yelled an irate Naruto.
"They are close, so you would do well to shut up." The samurai silenced the grumbling blond.
The samurai, however, was deep in thought. 'Naruto told me there were three ninja, but… one of them has strange chakra. It is dark, foreboding, but seems to be hidden rather well. If not for my abilities as a chakra sensor, I would not have noticed this… It almost seems the ninja is touched by a demonic power; I only hope the situation does not escalate. Perhaps it would be best if we could take dear Hinata and make our escape; I dread to think what might happen if we go against such a power.'
As they got closer to the Kumo ninja, the samurai began to notice something amiss. "Naruto, there's one more person up ahead. The chakra pool seems to be fairly large, and he or she seems to be fleeing the scene. Furthermore, two of the ninja are running away too. I do not know whether the person running away is Hinata, or the other girl kidnapped by the Kumo ninja you mentioned. The other chakra pool is currently in close proximity to one of the ninja." He refrained from mentioning that the other person was at the mercy of the demonic presence.
"We'll save the other one first! The one running away is safe for the moment. Let's go!" Naruto shouted characteristically.
Muneyoshi sighed. "Stop. It would not do to be brash in this situation. Come, follow my lead."
"Hey, what's the deal? I saw you massacre ninja like they were nothing, why so afraid of a single one?" Naruto inquired. To his ire, the samurai remained silent.
The pair moved through the forest as silently and as quickly as they could. Naruto had large chakra reserves, but still was pushed to the limit at the pace the samurai was travelling at. It was another half hour before the samurai motioned for Naruto to stop.
"They are just behind the clearing. Do not betray our presence." The samurai cautioned. Just then, an ear-piercing shriek, most decidedly female, echoed through the woods, startling the blond.
"W-what are they doing?" Naruto stuttered. The samurai did not deign to answer, his expression once again set in a grim mask.
"Stay here and wait for me. You possess valuable information, so I cannot afford to get you killed." The samurai said, dashing past the clearing.
"Like hell I will!"
Hinata was, in every sense of the word, broken. For how long she sat, bared naked to the world and bound to the tree, she did not know. At every lash of the whip, blood trickled down broken skin. Broken, like she was. All she could hear was the maniacal cackling of the demon who held her life in its hands; she could no longer feel the raking of the whip, the hardness of the boot, she could only lie there and whimper, and moan, and scream. But through it all, she still held on to some semblance of hope, like she did in life. Despite how hard life could be, despite how much she hated those looks of disappointment, she hoped, and that was perhaps her greatest strength. At present, she blotted out the pain and fear, instead fixating on the radiance of the sun, the happiness that life could sometimes bring. Like Naruto-kun…
Yes, not yet, she was not broken yet. She drew strength from the blond she had been watching for the last few months, the blond whom, though she was too shy to admit it, had stole her heart.
"Not giving in yet eh? I haven't had much fun since I last preyed on those hard-headed samurai, with all their codes and ethics and honor. Still, your essence is so much more… delectable. HAHA! You can't blame me! Nothing beats a pure innocent female!" The man, or demon, she knew as 'Kali' chuckled. "Aaaaah… I had hoped to draw it out, but time is of the essence. I must get back to the others before they suspect me… You understand don't you?"
All of a sudden, the man shrieked in rage. Hinata did not have the strength to see what had earned his rage, as she passed out immediately after.
Yagyu Muneyoshi burst through the clearing, and a horrific sight met his eyes. The ninja was torturing the poor, naked girl whom he had tied to the tree, and no doubt had worse in store for her.
"Every day, ninja show me just how deeply they have succumbed to the darkness. I thought I knew them, that despite everything, they did only what they had to, that they had loyalty to the comrades. Now you must die." With that, the samurai drew his gleaming katana, scything it down onto the man.
"Is that what you think I am? A ninja? You, my samurai friend, are as much a fool as they are. You disturb my tender ministrations, and that is punishable by death!" All at once, the man charged at the samurai, insanity clear in his ebony pupils. He seemed angry and happy, if that was possible, at the same time, as though he welcomed the thrill of battle as much as he hated his ministrations being compromised.
The samurai was taken aback at the man's apparent lack of self-preservation. He seemed to charge straight on into the katana, unheeding of any wounds he could potentially suffer.
"I will show you the true meaning of fear!" With a roar, the samurai swung his katana, intent on cleaving the insane man's skull in two. What happened next shocked the samurai. With a dull thunk the sword met the man's skull, but it did not hurt him; it was as though his skull was impenetrable. The charging man simply smirked and ripped the katana from the samurai's grip, leaving him vulnerable to attack.
"Oh no you don't! Katon: Goukakyo no Jutsu!" Out of nowhere, Naruto suddenly appeared flashing through handseals so fast it appeared as a blur. He spit out a gigantic fireball that immolated the man and anything else in the current vicinity.
"You disobeyed me. Still, impressive for a child." The samurai said, calm as ever.
"Huh… As if such a puny jutsu has even a chance to defeat one such as me. Let me show you my true form!" The man appeared unfazed by the fireball, even seeming to relish the flames that danced around him. With a yell, he was surrounded by a flash of light… only to appear once again as a fiery red-haired woman possessing unearthly beauty. "Remember my face, for it is the last thing you shall ever see!"
"As I thought. A demon; a Kitsune no less. Come Naruto, we have only one chance to escape. Get Hinata, whom you have fought so hard to retrieve, and come back to my side." The samurai whispered to Naruto. "Judging by the strength of its chakra, it is a high-ranking demon. We would stand no chance against it.
Without uttering a word, Naruto did as he was told, snatching the naked, unconscious girl into his arms.
"Mighty Kitsune, I know not what has driven your kind to prey on humans so blatantly; what of the laws your Father Fox set down for your race?" The samurai questioned.
"The Kyuubi? I am not privy to his fate! But I do know that he is dead… We have not heard from him for eight years! Now that he is dead, we are free to plunder the human world! Your souls will be the next ones I add to my collection!" Shrieked the fox demon, lunging at the samurai.
Deftly dodging to the side, the samurai put his bluff into action, "You are a foolish demon, taking on more than you can chew. Know that I am a contractor of Manda, Father Snake; I'm sure he would enjoy feasting on you!"
At this, the demon recoiled. "Manda! Not him!" The samurai nevertheless flashed through various seals and shouted, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
With a poof! The samurai disappeared, taking the blond and girl with him.
The fox's fearful expression changed into one of unbridled rage. A shunshin! The fool outsmarted me! Growling in anger, the demon could do nothing but once again disguise itself.
I will never forget this… samurai.
Muneyoshi and his companions appeared some distance away. The samurai sank to his knees, panting in exhaustion. "I'm not too proficient in ninjutsu, and that was the first time I tried teleporting others with my shunshin. At least we got out of there in one piece; quite a feat if I may say so."
Now that they were out of danger, Naruto noticed the various wounds Hinata had sustained. Despite the situation, the blond blushed at the sight of her bare breasts; taking off his orange jumpsuit, he clothed Hinata.
"Now that I have helped you, I hope you will uphold your end of the bargain. Do not resist, and I will guarantee yours and Hinata's safety." The samurai stated.
"But she's injured, we have to get her help!" Naruto cried indignantly.
"The Shogun's fortress is only two days away. I estimate you would take far longer to reach home; come with me now, and she will get the medical attention she needs."
Grumbling, Naruto acquiesced. The blond hefted Hinata onto his shoulders, and made their way Westwards.
'Now even the fox demons are coming out in the open; such a thing is unheard off. The Kitsune never reveal themselves. That the demon we fought was as high-ranking as it was is testament to their restlessness.' The samurai thought, glancing backwards.
There's a storm brewing in the horizon.
AN: That's it read and review please!