Author's Notes: Slots open for alpha, beta and gamma readers. The first two rewritten chapters are dedicated to rabidbutterfly for reviewing twice in the original version. Reviews, constructive criticism and flames of any sort are welcome.
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Genre: General/Action/Adventure
Rating: M / NC-16; not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with possible strong but non-explicit adult themes, references to violence, and strong coarse language.
Summary: AU Naruto was never real. Kyuubi and the Yondaime were. Kyuubi and the Yondaime still are.
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Hellspawn
-By Shunkuzoku
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Chapter II
Fox and Sword
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He walked towards the lake hesitantly, taking slow deliberate steps as of afraid of what awaits him there. As he looked into the pool, what he saw surprised him. It was the reflection of a nine-tailed fox.
He watched, mesmerized as the surface of the lake rippled, yet the reflection did not waver. Curious, but afraid and unbelieving at the same time, he rubbed his eyes, blinked and looked again. As the reflection remained the same, he pinched his cheek and muttered a soft, "Itai..."
He touched the water as if approaching an unknown animal, and yelped in surprise when his energy started to deplete rapidly and the reflection of the fox grew slightly larger. He quickly snatched his hand away, and glared accusingly at the water, the surface of which the reflection had already vanished from.
Exhausted, he leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes in rest. His head now hurt, and he felt weak. He was angry, angry that even inanimate objects tended to cause discomfort to him. Angry at the whole village, for everything that they have done to him, and angry at the Hokage for being so irresponsible as to leave a child as vulnerable as he was suffer from the torments of the adults in the village.
And as he pondered more on his anger, he fell asleep under the tree which he had leant against.
Fear gripped his small frame, and he woke up with a start. The pain that had coursed to every fibre of his being was immense, and now he understood why, the reasons for the village's actions and the reason that the water reacted so violently to his uncontrolled Chakra.
He now recalled the horrible event that occurred five years ago in this accursed village of Konoha.
It was then that a great demonic beast, whose presence was unfit for humans, had attacked Konoha in blinded fury and grief. This blasted place had offended the demon immensely by killing his mate, and they would have paid for it. But his vengeance had not been replete. No, the blasted spiky head of a leader had sealed him, the bloody coward. He was now trapped in a pathetic body, and his memories forgotten, and lost, until now.
These humans dared seal him. They would soon regret, but for now, he needed to train until his strength returned equal to his original. Then, those unknowing fools shall be betrayed by their best shinobi. One that was but a disguise of their impending doom.
Yes, he had to be patient, for now, and then once again seek vengeance on this village that offended the greatest demonic beast – although he was now reduced to human – and twice no less. Now he was Naruto, and soon it would start. Soon, it would start.
Naruto stood up from where he had slumbered and looked to the lake that was once his home with an evil grin upon his face. The training would soon commence, but first, he had to get supplies.
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The blonde man walked into the shop and looked around, taking boxes of kunai and shuriken and placing them on the counter. Then, he noticed a rusty blade in one dusty, shadowed corner of the store, behind a rack. He walked over to it and gripped the large sword by its hilt, amused by its shape and size.
"How much for this?" he asked.
From behind him, the voice of the shopkeeper responded, surprised, "That one? You can take it free of charge."
He grinned. What the shopkeeper did was to be expected, as most people could not recognize a treasure as unrefined as the one he now had in his possession.
"Thank you," he muttered, and walked out of the store, kunai and shuriken forgotten, the sword now strapped to his back by leather sheath and harness.
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The blonde man stepped into his apartment, and cancelled the Genjutsu enshrouding him.
He disappeared in a cloud of smoke coupled with a soft 'poof'.
In his place now stood a boy not more than 6 years of age.
It was great, to finally have a decent weapon that he could use, and one of demonic origin as well.
The unnamed sword that he had, a treasure unrecognizable by most, would be the bane of Konoha.
These fools who so easily gave away a valuable relic to a stranger.
Hellspawn, he would call it, a suitable name for a blade owned by one of his heritage.
A demonic sword for one who was once a demon.
Now, he had to prepare to perform the sacred ritual that is required to bond his sword and himself into one.
He slit his wrist, the Chakra infused blood flowing from the injury collecting in the hollow sphere carved into the blade.
As he forced the wound to close, the blood in the hollow hardened and turned into a crystal embedded in the blade, eternally secured as a part of the sword itself.
The sword was now solely his and no one but he could use it.
But he was the sword's too, and nor would he be able to use any other weapons, except those that were part of Hellspawn itself.
Hellspawn was still incomplete, and he needed to collect its separate fragments. A weapon like it was more powerful in its complete form.
But he would not set out on his quest this soon. No, he would practice controlling Hellspawn before anything else.
Control of every part of oneself is important, and further training with Hellspawn would let him get accustomed to its weight.
For the next five years, Naruto's training would be solely dedicated to Hellspawn and it alone.
He and the weapon that was now part of him would truly be one then.
Tsuzuku...
