Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Wars.
Crimson Gold
Chapter Four
Naomi panted heavily as she leaned against a tree beside Karasu, who was just as worn out as her. Sai stood nearby, prepared to defend them despite his own exhaustion. Karasu, who had awakened her Sharingan to the second level, was shaking slightly, her eyes glazed over with fear. She was remembering the night over half of her clan had rebeled against Konoha, her older brother Itachi having been on the front lines...killing his fellow clansmen in order to protect Konoha.
That's what she saw in Naruto's place as he hacked and slashed furiously at Orochimaru. In Naruto's place, Karasu saw Itachi weilding his twin ninjato swords, battling their father, Uchiha Fugaku...
"Who might you be, boy?" Orochimaru inquired as they broke the deadlock, the Kusanagi glowing orange from the heat of Naruto's sabers. Quickly sealing his current armor away with a simple thought, Naruto brought out his usual red and gold armor from the seal on his left shoulder blade, the grey armor retreating into the seal on his right. Orochimaru's eyes slowly grew wider with realization and slight fear, recognizing the blood red and golden armor.
"You know exactly who I am, White Snake..." Naruto snarled, his voice deepening and gaining an echoing quality to it as it became wraspy, twisted by the Dark Side as his anger flared even higher.
"The Bloody Hand of the Devil...Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto..." Orochimaru whispered to himself as he narrowed his eyes and steeled his resolve, slowly slipping into a sword stance. Naruto chuckled darkly, his dry laughter resonating off the trees and sending chills down everyone's spine, Orochimaru included.
"You fool... I am become Death..." Naruto slowly hissed as he looked up at Orochimaru, his red and gold eyes shining through the black T-shaped visor of his helmet. "I am the Darkness of the Heart, the Yang of Kyuubi...I am Bhayne..."
"..." Orochimaru stayed silent as he tensed, ready to counter any attack his opponent may use on him. Except one. Crying out in pain as his right elbow was crushed into dust by an invisible vice, Orochimaru's eyes blazed with fury as he glared at this 'Bhayne'. He tried to charge Bhayne, but he was thrown back into a tree by an explosive wave of lightning shooting out from Bhayne's raised left hand, originating from his index finger as he pointed at Orochimaru.
Howling in excruciating pain, Orochimaru found himself growing cold and terrified deep within his soul with every passing second that he endured the evil taint of the electricity. His flesh began to char and burn, smoke wafting off him as the electricity arced between the teeth in his mouth as he screamed in agony again. Shadows began to gather around Naruto's/Bhayne's form, the air growing colder with each moment that ticked by until everyone could see their breath clearly, their body temperatures dropping as the cold bit into their very souls.
The shadows then scattered, revealing another in Naruto's/Bhayne's place. He stood at 6'9" wearing a baggy black hooded cloak with unique designs along the right shoulder and sleeve, his sabers having combined to form a dual-bladed lightsaber, while his face was completely hidden in shadow. Red smoke began to rise off the man's energy blades as he slowly approached Orochimaru, who lay crumpled up on the branch in pain, unable to move or speak.
"I am become Death...I am become Bane of the living..." Bhayne hissed out as he lifted Orochimaru off the ground via the Force, slowly crushing his bones to dust one by one, starting with the fingers and toes and working his way towards the Snake Sennin's torso and head. Unable to even scream any more, Orochimaru's face twisted into silent horror and infinite agony. Before Bhayne could kill Orochimaru, he let out of bellow of pain of his pain, clutching his head as the shadows engulfed him once again.
"NOOO! I CAN NOT BE STOPPED!" He howled before the shadows vanished, revealing Naruto in his red and gold armor, panting heavily as he collapsed to his knees. His hands instantly shot to his helmet and tore it off, taking deep breaths in his panic. As he tried calming down, Orochimaru took that as his chance to exact his revenge. Slowly bringing his broken hands together in a single seal, Orochimaru's neck lengthened and shot forward, his fangs biting deep into Naruto's neck.
"AARRGH!" Naruto roared in pain, reacting instantly by grabbing Orochimaru's neck with both hands and ripping it apart. Orochimaru's head fell to the ground, his eyes wide with shock and anger as the life left his eyes, blood pouring from the two openings in both halves of his lengthened neck. Before Naruto could celebrate his victory, his eyes shot wide open and found himself in his mind.
Standing in the desert, Naruto saw only Orochimaru standing before him a few feet away. Snarling in anger, Naruto went to draw his sabers, but found he couldn't move, a flesh-like material having covered his body from the bottom of his chest down with both of his arms trapped in it as well.
"Kukuku...You didn't think you won, did you, Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru gloated, his lips twisted into an evil grin as his slitted yellow eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Naruto smirked in return, his being one of darkness.
"What are you smirking at, you insolent brat? Your body's mine now!" Orochimaru spat in frustration, aggitated by the red-blonde's grin.
"Hehehe...You didn't think you won, did you, Hebi-chan?" Naruto mimicked Orochimaru's words as he nodded behind the Snake Sennin. Turning around, Orochimaru's eyes widened in fear and shock upon seeing multiple figures. One was Bhayne, one was wearing a hooded light grey cloak- his face hidden in shadow- with two lightsabers in his hands, another was wearing black armor on his forearms, body, legs, and face with a black hooded cape and two red lightsabers in his hands, the visor of his helmet glowing a menacing red, and the last one was not a man, but a beast; a big one. The massive beast reared its head back and roared, the ground trembling in answer like thunder answering lightning.
Naruto laughed darkly as he watched Orochimaru get torn apart by the spirits inhabiting his body. Just as the flesh-like material vanished and Orochimaru was finally dead, Naruto's vision blurred and darkened before passing out entirely...
X
The next day, Asuka, Haku, and Naomi were sitting beside Naruto's bed in the tower that stood in the center of the Forest of Death. They were all silent as Naruto slept, exhausted from the suddenly increase and drop in power during his fight with Orochimaru. There were still two more days until the second part of the Chuunin Exams was over, so there was still time. He was wearing only a pair of black pants, a black and grey camouflage skin-tight muscle shirt, and a short-sleeve fishnet top underneath.
"H-How is he?" Tenten quietly asked in worry as she slipped into the room, her eyes still a little misty from crying. They all glanced at her before looking back at Naruto, who remained oblivious to their presences.
"He's not hurt, but...Something happened to him..." Naomi answered, still puzzeled by the frightening transformation her older brother had undergone.
"He was possessed by the Yang half of Kyuubi." Asuka answered coldly, her and her brother being quite sensitive to the subject. "When me and my brother were born, the Kyuubi was removed from my Mother by a masked shinobi as strong as, if not stronger than, our father. To protect Konoha, he had to reseal the Kyuubi, but his only option was to seal it into us. With the Sandaime's help, they split the Kyuubi's spirit and power in two, placing the Yin in me and the Yang in Naruto..."
"..." They were all silent as they digested her words. Tears welling up in her eyes again, Tenten sat down at the edge of the bed and leaned down, gently kissing Naruto on the lips as they slid down her cheeks, falling on his face. He didn't stir. Choking back a sob, Tenten wiped away the droplets that had fallen on his face, staying where she was.
Little did they know, Naruto could see everything, including his own body. Unseen by the others, he was simply a spirit of the Force, his Master standing beside him. He wasn't dead, but he wasn't quite 'alive' either, almost as if he was caught in the middle.
"I can't believe he slipped through the seals I placed over the main seal to keep him contained after that particular event." Naruto whispered softly as he placed a comforting hand on Tenten's shoulder as she brushed the hair on his body's head back, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to feel it.
"Yes, it is quite a distressing occurence." His master responded, thoughtful. "I believe it was because of the Dark Side energies that infect the Forest of Death combined with your righteous anger towards the White Snake for intending harm on your sister's person."
"Yeah, it probably was. It's part of the reason why I'm so adamant towards Asuka controlling her own emotions. She hasn't lost control of Kyuubi's Yin half yet, but I fear what may happen. The Yang half is the physical and substantial portion, but the Yin half is the mental and intangible portion. Only the Yin knows what it could truly do." Naruto explained softly as he glanced at Asuka. Even she couldn't see them or hear them. Haku, on the other hand, glanced in their direction, but it was as if she could only feel their presence, not see them.
"Your apprentice is quite impressive. She will grow stronger and stronger as time passes." The shadowy figure praised as they placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Never before in even my own time, have I seen one so compatible with the Force. Not even the strongest of Jedi or Sith born and raised at their respective Temples progressed so fluidly and easily in their training. They may have been adept at hand-to-hand, in one or two saber styles, or in the use of the Force, but never in all forms of their training like your apprentice."
"Thank you, my Master. Your praise means a lot." Naruto thanked the powerful Force user as he closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. His Master noticed the change in his mood and smiled faintly from within the shadows of their hood.
"Go. You've worried your loved ones more than enough." Naruto laughed weakly at that, but nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Master." Naruto approached his body and touched his left index to his body's forehead, vanishing instantly. Slowly opening his eyes, Naruto looked at Tenten and smiled weakly.
"...H-Hey..." He said weakly as Tenten let out a small sob when she tried to laugh in joy, smiling in return as she continued to shed tears.
"H-Hey, baby..." Tenten whispered as she leaned down and lightly kissed Naruto again. Naruto then placed a hand on the back of Tenten's neck and pulled her back towards him for a more loving and deeper kiss. Asuka cleared her throat, trying to break them up, but Naruto simply raised his free hand and raised his middle finger, flipping her off. Crossing her arms, Asuka crossed her arms over her chest and pouted childishly, which made Haku giggle slightly at her reaction.
"Sorry for worrying you..." Naruto apologized to everyone after he broke the kiss with Tenten, tiredly pushing himself into a sitting position as he slowly put his feet on the ground.
"Don't move. You're too weak right now." Asuka told him, but Naruto waved off her concern as he summoned a cane to his hand, the walking stick having been propped up in a corner of the room earlier that day. Using it to get to his feet, Naruto supported his weight on it.
"Again..." Naruto started sarcastically as he flipped Asuka again with an impish smirk, which again caused Asuka to pout childishly and slump down in her chair.
"Asshole..." She grumbled under her breath. Naomi shook her head at the love/hate relationship her twin elder siblings shared. That was when Naruto looked at Naomi.
"Naomi-chan?" Naruto asked to gain her attention. "Come take a walk with me."
She stayed quiet as they left the room together, leaving Haku, Asuka, and Tenten in the room to talk alone. The walk was quiet as they made their way to the empty arena-like auditorium in the middle of the tower. That was when Naomi rounded on him, unable to keep quiet any longer.
"You're such a jerk, Naruto!" She snapped angrily as she balled her hands into fists, her hands shaking slightly in frustration. "You and Asuka-nee-chan suddenly disappear out of the blue without so much as a 'good-bye' and then expect us to welcome you with open arms after ten years! Ten fucking years!"
"..." Naruto stayed quiet as he looked down at the ground, letting his sister get everything off her chest.
"You barely spend any time with us! You rarely even sleep in your room at the house! It's almost as if you didn't even come back!" The green eyed red head hissed as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, her eyes growing moist with tears. "You don't even spend any time with me any more! What happened to you, Naruto? What made you so cold? What made you so distant...?"
"Shh..." Naruto hushed his sister as he pulled her into a tight hug, Naomi having worked herself into a hysterical crying fit. Burying her face against her big brother's chest, Naomi wrapped her arms around Naruto and held him tight, sobbing into his shirt. "I'm sorry, Naomi-chan...I'm sorry..."
"You're s-such a b-b-big, st-stupid j-jerk..." Naomi stuttered into his shirt between sobs, holding him tighter as her body shook. Naruto smiled sadly as he gently rubbed the back of Naomi's neck, remembering how it would calm her down every time she started crying when they were younger. She would always go straight to him whenever her feelings were hurt by another kid or whenever she hurt herself while playing, knowing her Big Brother would always be there for her.
"Hush, Naomi-chan...Your big brother's here and he isn't going anywhere..." Naruto whispered into her ear as he kept rubbing the back of her neck. Slowly, but surely, Naomi's sobs quieted down until they disappeared all together, tears still falling from her eyes and seeping into his shirt.
"P...P-Promise?" She mumbled against his chest before looking up at him. Naruto smiled softly and kissed her forehead gently.
"I promise." Naruto swore as he ruffled his little sister's hair with a grin. "Now go get some rest. I know you've been up all night looking over me."
"B-But..." She sputtered, pausing to yawn tiredly now that she had been reminded about her lack of sleep.
"Naomi-chan..." Naruto said in a tone that Naomi recognized all too well. It was the same tone he used whenever he tried to get her to go to bed when they were kids; he always had been the more responsible one in their family, more so than their parents. Pouting slightly, Naomi gave in before giving her brother one last hug.
"Alright, fine." She drawled before letting go. "Just don't over-exert yourself, brother. You still need to recover."
"I won't, Naomi-chan." Naruto assured her as Naomi left. Once he was sure she was gone, Naruto moved the cane to his left hand before raising his right hand towards the large handseal statue across the room, drawing on the Force. His arm shook slightly as he raised the large piece of mason work a few feet off the ground. Easing it back down to the ground, Naruto sighed sadly. Normally, he'd be able to lift something five times larger with half the effort.
"Still too weak, eh?" A woman asked from behind him. Naruto sighed lightly as he glanced over his shoulder.
"Hello, 'Hanone'. Or should I say, Revan?" Naruto greeted before trying to lift one of the large stone tiles that covered the floor, raising it a few meters into the sky and rotating it in three different directions at the same time; the X-, Y-, and Z-axis. Revan smirked as she stood beside Naruto and noticed the bead of side sliding down the side of his face, wearing simple baggy black robes with the hood pulled up over her head. Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder, she forcefully took the tile from Naruto's inivisible grip before putting it back in its place.
"You really should listen to your sister, brat. Your body is still exhausted from Bhayne taking control." Revan told him as she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder affectionately. Naruto rolled his eyes, but listened and resisted the urge to keep testing his strength. He opened his mouth to say something, but Revan interrupted by biting his ear lobe teasingly, making him bite his bottom lip lightly.
"Oh, you little bitch..." Naruto hissed as he spun around in her arms and bit down on her neck, coaxing a soft moan out of the immortal woman. Smirking against her neck, Naruto bit down harder, making Revan whimper slightly in pleasure as her breathing grew heavier and her face became flushed. She liked biting and loved being bitten, but only by Naruto. Letting her go and standing straight again, Revan whined softly.
"D-Don't stop...please." She begged weakly as she leaned against him for support, blushing heavily.
"You're the one that said I needed to rest." Naruto teased as he started walking away. Well, he tried to when Revan snatched the cane from his hand and making him stumble, using the door way between the hall and the arena for support. Sighing, he turned to face the woman. "Damn it, Revan. Don't be a bitch..."
"Then gimme what I want." She responded cheerfully, sticking her tongue out at him as she looped her arms over the cane as she rested it across her shoulders. "Besides, I don't think it's possible for me to stop being your bitch."
"Hehe...Crazy woman..." Naruto mumbled under his breath with a grin as he nodded his head to the side for her to follow him. Cheering happily, Revan ran over to him and handed him cane back, looping her arm around his as they continued down the hall. Finding an isolated and empty room a fair distance from where any of the genin were staying, they dsiappeared behind the door, satisfying their lust for one another. Temporarily.
Stepping out of the shadows down the hall, Asuka sighed and shook her head.
'You need to tell her, brother. You'll regret it if you don't.' She thought to herself as she walked away, deciding to get some rest.
X
There were still too many genin teams that passed the second exam, prompting a preliminary exam to further thin the crowd. At the moment, Naruto waited patiently for his match, meditating as he sat in a metal bowl-like chair that he kept afloat via the Force, having slowly regained his strength over the past two days. He still kept his cane handy for whenever he wanted to walk, still a little too weak to walk for long without needing it.
Kankuro was beaten by Haku quite easily. Tenten had defeated Temari by a hair's breadth thanks to her armor. Chouji was beaten by Dosu. Shikamaru beat Kin through strategy. Karasu was defeated by Asuka. Shino reigned victorious over Zaku after clogging the tubes in the boy's hands with his kikaichu. Naomi, quite literally at one point, kicked Kiba's ass with relative ease after the Inuzuka tried to hit on her. Sai fought Ino and won after simply kneeing her in the stomach when she got too close. Hinata beat Lee after some effort, drawing off Naruto's presence for courage.
Naruto opened his eyes as the board lit up with his name and Neji's. Slowly hovering down to the arena floor, Naruto stayed seated and remained meditating as Neji took his place across from him.
"Fate has decreed that I will be the victor, cripple." Neji stated in a condenscending tone while scowling at him. "You should forfeit now and save yourself from an embarrassing defeat."
"Hm? Did you say something?" Naruto inquired curiously as he opened his eyes and looked at Neji. Even as Gai ranted about Kakashi and Naruto having a 'hip attitude', Naruto was truly curious as to what the boy had said, having not really heard Neji's words.
"Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji! Hajime!" Hayate exclaimed as he leapt away from them, coughing slightly. Byakugan active, Neji instantly charged Naruto, intending to end the fight quickly, but was thrown back by an inivisible force that was unseen by his eyes. Shocked by the fact he saw no chakra usage of movement from Naruto, Neji gnashed his teeth and jumped to his feet before tossing kunai at the sitting/floating young man, intending to figure out what he was doing.
Naruto smirked faintly and diverted the path of the kunai with the Force before making them sling-shot around him and speed towards Neji at twice their original velocity. Back flipping out of harm's way, Neji barely dodged one of the kunai as it lodged itself down the ring in the stone tile behind him, the others imitating it.
"What kind of sorcery is this?" Neji verbally thought out loud in frustration.
"It's not sorcery, Neji. Just a...trick of the mind, so to speak." Naruto replied, intentionally diverting Neji's mind towards the fact it may be a genjutsu. He snickered as the Hyuuga prodigy tried to dispell the non-existent genjutsu before busting out into laughter. "Oh, dear Kami...You look retarded!"
"What? You insolent peasant!" Neji snarled angrily as he charged Naruto again, hurling kunai at him relentlessly. Up in the stands, Tenten and Asuka covered their faces with their hands and looked down, hoping he didn't kill the Hyuuga for that comment. Freezing the kunai in mid-air and Neji in mid-stride with the Force as his eyes turned cold, Naruto leveled his gaze on Neji and slowly hovered over to him, standing up from his floating chair once he was within arm's reach of the Hyuuga...
Before smacking the boy away with said chair...
"Some people just need a high five...in the face...with a chair..." Naruto grumbled angrily as he sat back down in the chair and pinned Neji to the ground with the kunai thrown at him earlier, holding two at the boy's neck as he hovered over to him and poked him in the forehead with the end of his cane. "You, Neji, are one of those people."
"You'll regret this, commoner." Neji hissed at the red-gold eyed teen. Naruto simply gave him a beaming, cheeky grin as he laid the cane across his lap.
"Feel free to stop by at any time if you want another 'high five'. I'd be more than happy to give you as many as you want." Naruto offered cheerfully as he floated away and back to where his team was. Most of the guys in the auditorium laughed or snickered at Naruto's words, sans Gaara and Sai. Passing by Kakashi, Naruto bumped his fist against the man's gloved hand, both sharing a smirk.
"Nice one." The silver haired jounin commented as Naruto continued on to his team. As Naomi gave him a thumbs up with a grin, Naruto looked up at the board again and whined softly. The numbers were unever, meaning someone had to fight twice; unfortunately, Naruto was that person. His opponent was none other than Subaku no Gaara of Suna.
Groaning childishly as he hovered his ass back down to the arena, Naruto sat across from Gaara and waved politely in greeting.
"Hi." He chimed before chuckling in mock nervousness under Gaara's cold unflinching gaze, putting his hand down a moment later. Asuka palmed her face again, embarrassed by her brother's sudden affliction with mood swings and possible insanity. Naomi mirrored her actions as did Tenten.
"Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto vs Subaku no Gaara! Hajime!" Hayate called out, but before Gaara could attack, Naruto interrupted him.
"Wait, wait wait!" He exclaimed energetically with a look of panic on his face, making Gaara pause. He then got a serious look and tone of voice as he pointed at Gaara's feet. "Your shoes are untied."
He laughed his ass off when Gaara looked down at his feet as did several others like Kiba, Chouji, Kankuro, and Zaku.
"We are SO not related, retard..." Asuka groaned at him, getting flipped off for the fiftieth time by Naruto since they arrived at the tower. His action confused many, but they didn't think anything of it when they heard Naruto's next words.
"Hey, so uh..." Naruto started as he looked from one side to the other nervously before leaning forward. "When did you finally let go of your teddy bear? Yesterday?"
Temari couldn't hold back the snicker that rose up in her throat while Kankuro couldn't take it any more and cracked up again, both knowing exactly what Naruto was talking about. Even Baki was trying to keep from laughing. Gaara's eye twitched while Naruto continued with his 'witty banter'.
"It must suck being an emo when you can't cut yourself, huh?" Naruto inquired, surprising many since he was maintaing a straight face the whole time. Gaara's eye started twitching more violently, still appearing otherwise stoic and statue-like. "If we're playing the quiet game, then I most definitely lost this round..."
Hayate snickered slightly before coughing while the other jounin present in the room started snickering as well. Even Kurenai was giggling quietly from her spot as they all listened to Naruto make fun of his opponent. Blatantly.
"Oh, hey, look!" Naruto exclaimed as he made some sand on the ground rise up and move, making shapes with it. "I made a kitty!"
Now the jounin were laughing their asses off as were their students. Asuka turned around and started banging her head on the wall while Naomi covered her face with both hands and groaned in embarrassment, Tenten doing something along the lines of what Naomi was doing.
"So when did you come out of the closet? I saw how you were looking at Lee earlier." Naruto commented casually as kept forming random shapes and images with the sand. Lee blanched and huddled up in a corner, mumbling to himself about 'gay sand people' and wallowing in self-pity. Everyone else started laughing even harder, some finding it hard to breath. Hayate was an exception since he had difficulty breathing anyways after coughing fits, which was what he was having between fits of laughter. Gaara had now started twitching rather badly, both angered and embarrassed by Naruto's constant insults and jokes.
"I'm bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored..." Naruto paused, making everyone think he was done, but he simply took a breath before continuing. "...bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bo-"
"ENOUGH!" Gaara snapped in anger as he launched a tendril of sand at Naruto, who simply disappeared. He then appeared a few feet away.
"Are you blind? 'Cause, uh...I'm over here." Naruto commented as he raised his left hand to make sure Gaara noticed him. Repeating his vanishing act when Gaara redirected the sand at Naruto's new position, Naruto appeared on the other side of the room behind Gaara. "Seriously, man, do you need glasses or something? I'm right here."
Naruto was having fun messing with Gaara's head. He could feel his Master's embarrassment and found it funny. Revan did tell him to be a little nicer and have a good time every once in awhile. A small part of his mind wondered if she meant what he was doing now, but figured it as correct in the end.
"Do you want a 'high five', too? I'll gladly give you one." Naruto commented as he disappeared again, reappearing in front of Gaara before smacking said genin across the face with his chair, moving too fast for his sand shield to block him. Vanishing yet again before Gaara could hit him, Naruto appeared sitting in his chair again. Upside down. On the ceiling.
"Hi-yo!" Naruto called out cheerfully as he waved energetically from his place, watching as Gaara looked around the arena floor for him, only to glare at him once he located Naruto. Naruto disappeared yet again, reappearing above Gaara as he slammed his chair down on Gaara's head, knocking him out. Slapping a seal on the teen's forehead, Naruto sat back down and started hovering away again, grinning stupidly.
"U...Uzuma- Hehe..." Hayate tried to get out, but he was having difficulty trying to speak between laughing and coughing. Naruto then returned to Gaara's prone body and slapped a 'Kick me!' sign to Gaara's back before going back to his team. Sai was even smiling a little in sincere entertainment.
Back at the Hokage tower, Minato and Kushina were watching the preliminary matches from the office via crystal ball. Minato had passed out due to lack of oxygen from laughing too much while Kushina had her face buried in her hands, embarrassed by her son's insane behavior.
Naruto snickered when Kiba fell over the rail and his foot got caught between the bars, still laughing as he hung upside down...
XXXXXXXXX
...I have to apologize for the preliminary matches...I've been reading Deadpool stories lately and I guess the Merc with the Mouth's insanity rubbed off on me along with his version of 'witty banter'...