Anthem Of My Dying Day

Episode 1 :- The True Meaning Of Friends

Flashback

Slowly Naruto make his way from the Leaf-Hokage office, leaving his nin-comrades behind. His team failed retrieving Sasuke back, from being running into Orochimaru's fangs while Chouji, Neji, and Kiba has been treated in Konoha Hospital, after injured severly in their battle with the 4 special Sound-nin. He tries to comfort himself, but he couldn't after thinking of what must he do to face the anger of Konoha ninjas, especially Sakura who is madly-deeply in love with Sasuke.

..."Goddamit, Naruto!!! You've promised me to bring Sasuke-kun back, where is you promise???!! Please, Naruto... Please, I don't wanna hear you lame and silly excuses again!!!! Out of my sight, now... Now!!!"...

The painful words of Sakura echoes continuously in his ears. At first, Naruto also shocked with the words which came out from Sakura, but he realises that love can turn people into silly, dumb, blind and finally being selfish... for not considering the hearts of other people. And his final conclusion is, love is useless at all...

This time, Naruto fells that he must get rid of his feelings of love and caring from his heart, besides to be heartless and full of cruelty. Yes, that is his final decision about those sad incidents he just faced before. His love and caring towards Sakura and Team number 7, his concerns of his nin-comrades, the feelings of being taken cared of Tsunade-bachan, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei... He must get rid of those craps in order to be the strongest. After all, it doesn't means that he has to achieve the rank of Leaf-Hokage in order to be strongest.

While he is on his way to his apartment, he meet with a wanderer who is walking past him. the, the wanderer suddenly stop and glared to him with an eye of a heartless hitokiri.

"Your stories of life is too sad for me to hear... Uzumaki Naruto...", the wanderer voiced. "h... h... ho... how do you know my name??". Naruto fell extremely surprised to know even a wanderer knows everything about him... too weird... extremely weird... total-double-too-extremely weird!!!! "Aah, a good question... but its too foolish for me to answer it... hey, Uzumaki... I know a suitable place for you in your search for power and to be strongest...", the wanderer adds. Naruto's eyes blinked after hearing the words from the wanderer. This sounds obvious for him, since he only knows Konoha Village are only the place where the strongest ninja are produced. "Where must I go, wanderer-san??", Naruto finally voiced. The environment become silent for a minute just before the wanderer spit out the words that are totally shocked Naruto... " Japan, where the highly-skilled samurai are produced!!! Ah, when you reach Kyoto the city of bloods and demon, find a man be the name of Kenshin Himura 'Battousai' in Ishin Shishi Inn, he is the successor of the 200 years old Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu sacred sword technique... he will be pleased to teach you, only if you promised to use the sword technique to defend the weak and to protect the innocents.. I bet he will teach you, because your heart is pure, although these damn villagers won't believe in you...".

"Kenshin Himura... as known as Hitokiri Battousai... I'll remember it..", Naruto thought for a moment.

"Hey wanderer-san, thanks for your information... actually, who are you and why are you here?? You're not from this village.. I bet", Naruto asked the wanderer.

"When you've mastered Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu techniques, you will have to meet me first before applying to be the member of Tokugawa Hitokiri Force... My name is Yoshinobu Tokugawa, leader of Tokugawa Hitokiri Force... remember that!!! Don't you're ever die before achieving your dream!!! That is our deal as an honourable samurai and from now on, you're not ninja anymore, you're one of us, the samurai!!!", the wanderer speaks before he continues his paces as a wanderer.

"ahh... He is one of the Three Demons of Tokugawa!!!! He acknowledged me as one of them, what an honor... ", the thoughts suddenly crossed his mind. He is touched by the words from the wanderer. yes, this is the first time where someone acknowledged his abilities and doesn't discriminate him when his own comrades and villagers have done such harsh things to him. Samurai honours his comrades more than himself, especially during ceremonies or in battles. Compared to ninja, the relationship between a ninja and others only limited in certain situation, just like in battles or during works. Naruto's experiences tells him that.

Without any doubt, Naruto decides that he must go to Japan, to achieve his dream to be the strongest, leaving all of his sad and painful memories behind...

End of Flashback

"Hey, Uzumaki... Wake up!!! Uzumaki!!!"

Naruto opens his eyes, to watch The Three Demons of Tokugawa standing towards his patient-bed in Kyoto Hospital. Yoshinobu Tokugawa the leader of 13th Batalion of Meiji Army Force, Saitou Hajime Fujita Gorou the leader of Kyoto police force and finally his future kenjutsu master, Kenshin Himura Battousai who has backed-off since Tokugawa Shogunate fell upon the power of the new government, the Meiji Government.

"Where am I ? Am I alive? Is this heaven??", there goes his stupid question.

"Of course you're alive, bonehead... lucky you, I don't kill a 13 years old Genin...", Saitou voices as he try to lit his cigarette in the special ward.

"Hey Saitou-san, you are not allowed to smoke in the hospital... didn't sessha just told you that, de gozaru??", Kenshin voiced to stop Saitou the heavy-smoker to lit his cigrette.

"Fuck, bullshit... after all, he's okay now... look at him, okay and even more energetic to spit out some ahou question.. see..", Saitou objected.

"Saitou-san, you just won't be so polite to our new family member, aren't you? Be polite even once to our Naruto-kun... he's still a young person after all..", Kenshin tries to lecture Saitou about the art of morality.

"Okay, okay... enough of your bloody-ass polite lecture session... they keep on stabing my ears, to be honest...", Saitou voices out his unsatisfaction but later interupted by the loud voice of Yoshinobu.

"Can't both of you just keep quiet... unless if you want our Naruto to get killed by just hearing to your fool arguments, do you!?" Yoshinobu scolds both of them.

That time Naruto just giggles with joy and fun, thinking of them accepting Naruto as their new family member.

"Nobody would accept me as a member of their family, especially after they knows about the Kyuubi monster in my body... don't all of you even scared with Kyuubi??" Naruto's question makes them to be silent for a moment before Kenshin finally voices.

"Naruto-kun, although you're the Kyuubi container, but you are still apart of our family... that doesn't make you a monster at all... for your information, sessha am an orphan too, while Yoshinobu's shogunate parent exiled him from the Edo castle because he killed his uncle Tokugawa Keisuke the betrayer, and Saitou's parent exiled him from Aizu resident for killing a man who plotted on destroying Aizu... Our pasts aren't totally that different, right? That makes us a family, bonded by the spirit of the samurai inside our heart... right, Naruto-kun??".

That words really makes Naruto filled with tears. Nobody says that precious words to him, even Tsunade-bachan didn't mentioned about it before. That words really touches his heart a lot... Kenshin comforts him, while Saitou and Yoshinobu watch the touching moments with smirks on their lips.

"Hey, brat... we are samurai, we don't have any fear of your Kyuubi... We're even worse than your Kyuubi, and that's why we earned the name of The Three Demons Of Tokugawa from your former Konoha Village...", Saitou adds.

"Uzumaki... from now on, we are your trully friends, we fight together, we share the pain and joy together, just let us know your problems and we'll settle them.. even with our swords... okay??", Yoshinobu tries carefully to comfort Naruto.

For the first time in Naruto's life, he honestly replys back in the words of "Thanks, my friends..."

-End of Episode One-

The touching part in this fanfic... where Naruto finds out out that The Three Demons of Tokugawa accepted him as their family member without even looking at his life history... I mean, no discrimination and prejudice at all... The most touching part in this fanfic is yet to be come, when Naruto comes back to his Konohakagure and meet with Tsunade to discuss the peace treaty between Konohakagure (Fire Country) and Kyoto (Japan)...

to be honest, do my fanfic sucks?? I'm not so confident in writing stories... please give a lil bit of teachings and tips on how to publish a better fanfic... Onegaishimasu!!!

Okay, some information on The Three Demons of Tokugawa + The Apprentice:-

The Demons of Tokugawa

Yoshinobu Tokugawa - An abandoned child of the Tokugawa Feudal Family. Being exiled from Edo Castle after kills his uncle, Tokugawa Keisuke who betrays his father, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Learns Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu from Kakukoshin Niitsu (Seijyuro Hiko the 14th), who after that teaches Kenshin. Due to his extreme despair, lonliness and sadness, he modifies the whole Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu into the dark one which later his steps are followed by Naruto. A 27 years old guy who never smiles and possesses a white and greyish hair, results from his feelings of sadness and despair.

Kenshin Himura - An orphan, saved by Kakukoshin Niitsu (Seijyuro Hiko the 14th) from the bandits which before that, kill his friends. He learns Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu and later involves in Bakumatsu Era between Shogunate soldiers and the Imperial reformist samurai. he joins Ishin Shishi under the Imperial reformist conduct, and earns his name as Hitokiri Battousai. He has once married but his wife, Tomoe killed in a tragic incident during his fight with the Tokugawa Ninjas (that's why he hates ninja). After the government possesses power to overthrow Tokugawa Shogunate, he dissappears without any trace and reasons at all, being a wanderer and brings a reversed-edged sword, as he vows not to kill again to atone for his fallen comrades. A 22 years old charming, smart-looking guy and possessed an X scar on his left cheek. He never settles the fight between him and Saitou Hajime, as the unsettled fight later has been told in the history as the legendary sword-fight which will only ends when one of them dies.

Saitou Hajime - A son of Aizu Feudal Daimyo, which later exiled from his family by his father after kill his father's friend, who plotted on destroying Aizu. he wanders around Japan for a year, alone before Kondo Isami (Shinsen Gumi President) invites him to join the Shinsen Gumi. He becomes the Captain of 3rd Division which executes misconduct shogunate officers and hunting hitokiris. He has encounter wihh Battousai several times, but don't have any chances to settle the score. After the falls of Tokugawa Shogunate, he joins the Meiji Police Force to continue applicating his principles of Aku, Zaku, Zan (Slay The Evil Instantly). A 25 years old who likes eating soba and smoking and as seen as the immortal unsang heroes of the Shinsen Gumi due to his strong will to survive during the Bakumatsu era which impresses the samurai of the Imperial forces. A sentimental guy who often seen visiting his fallen comrades graveyards, praying and sometimes sitting next to their graveyards and smoking, especially his best-friend's graveyard, Okita Souji (Captain of 1st Division of Shinsen Gumi) who dies because of tubercolisis(Tibi) a day just before the new government takes places.

The Apprentice

Uzumaki Naruto - A son of Arashi the Konohakagure Yondaime, and the Kyuubi vessel. Arashi sacrificed his life to seal Kyuubi into Naruto to save Konoha Village. The villagers always looks Naruto as a monster and often mock, torture, insult and discriminise him. After the Sasuke Runaway incident, he grow up blaming himself for being so weak and finally after crossed path with a wanderer, he decides to go to Japan. He later meets The Three Demons Of Tokugawa and team up with them to defend the weak and innocent lives. He learns Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu with Kenshin but due to his extreme feelings of blaming himself for unable to stop Sasuke and make Sakura happy, the despair and sadness, finally he end up his sword-fighting lessons by following the steps of Yoshinobu... modifies the whole techniques of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu into Dark Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. He changes his name into Kankyo Kanashii (Sad Surroundings). To be honest, this new Naruto is completely heartless, cold-blooded, and has no feelings at all since he has totally getting rid of his feelings of love, joy, the heart of youth, energetic, curious and other feelings when he is a ninja of Konoha Village.. by killing so many opponents (about 700 men, all alone by himself) in a big war between the goverment soldiers and Satsuma rebels on Sapporo, Japan.

Disclaimer - This is a fanfic only, has no connection with the history and those who is still alive or has deceased.

Stay tune for Episode 2 - Two Different Places, Two Different Situations