Anthem Of My Dying Days

Author's note

- Sorry for the late update, I think I haven't update this story for a long time, I guess.

- With a box of cigarette and a coke, I have a feeling that now is the time to wrap it up!!!

- Anyway, thanks for the reviews... more reviews, more updates coming soon, yeah!!!!

- Okay, back to our stories...

Chapter 12 : Mirror, Mirror

It was a cold night, with the cool breeze that even the toughest one can feel it on his face. Of course it is not the Ki or the sensation of killing, only a normal cool wind, as a sign of there will be winter coming soon. Winter season, the season that Naruto hate most.It is the season where he lost contacts with his comrades including his sensei Kenshin Himura, his Ishin Shishi no Hitokiri movement, his rival Miburou Shinsen Gumi and the old-samurai-style Japan. the Konoha Taijutsu Tournament is getting hot, with only 4 semi-finalist could make their way in, with much of blood and sweat sacrifice. But for Naruto, no sweat and no blood which can signifies his own effort, and that is how he hate fighting with the nins who are much weaker than him. He always memorizes on how he enjoys fighting against the stronger samurai, which can cause him at least severe wounds and fatal injuries. Example, too many... Makoto Shishio of the Shadow Hitokiri, Saitou Hajime of the Shinsen Gumi, Gentatsu Takatsuki of the Aizu Clan, Miyamoto Hitomi of the Edo Imperial Guards and many more. And that is how he atone for the samurais that he killed, in order to restore the Meiji government and to defend the weak and innocent citizens.

Naruto's rival in the semi-final fight is a jounin that he had once cross-sword against, a jounin from the Hyuuga Clan. A jounin which had once an arrogant nin, who always talk about fate and destiny which makes him stronger.The fate and destiny which had pushed him to the fullest. Unfotunately, this kind of fate and destiny joke is another sense of humor for Naruto, since he himself do not believe in fate and destiny. Remember, the recent Naruto is not the way Naruto before, although he share the same thinking methods as the former Naruto. The recent Naruto doesn't hesitate to tell the truth, even though it hurts, adding his nasty words of "motivation" and the stories of his struggle to survive during the Bakumatsu Era.

Slowly, he took his guitar, and started to play a few songs, as an exercise to get used with his guitar, a normal things to do before you start to play some difficult songs that requires advanced plucking and strumming techniques. He then stopped for a while to light a cigarette, before he started to play a song, a song which had been his memories for the fallen comrades during his fights against the Tokugawa Shogunate regime. Not far from Naruto's small hut, there sat Kakashi, Sakura and Sai, having their eyes on Naruto, watching him playing guitar.

All last summer in case you don't recall,
I was yours and you were mine forget it all,
Is there a line that I could write,
Sad enough to make you cry,
All the lines you wrote to me were lies...

The months roll past the love that you struck dead,
Did you love me only in my head?
Things you said and did to me,
Seemed to come so easily,
The love I thought I'd won you give for free...

Whispers at the bus stop,
I heard about nights out in the school yard,
I found out about you...

Rumors follow everywhere you go,
Like when you left and I was last to know,
You're famous now and there's no doubt,
In all the places you hang out,
They know your name and know what you're about...

Whispers at the bus stop,
I heard about nights out in the school yard,
I found out about you...

Street lights blink on through the car window,
I get the time too often on am radio,
You know its all I think about,
I write your name drive past your house,
Your boyfriends over I watch your light go out...

Whispers at the bus stop,
I heard about nights out in the school yard,
I found out about you...

(Found Out About You - Gin Blossoms)

Naruto finished his last puff of the cigarette before tossing it away. He lifted up his head, looking up to the sky while raising his left hand, touching every snow dropped from the sky. The song that he sang just now really touched his heart, leaving sad experiences behind. And the only way to eliminate the sadness is to fight against the evil and corrupted enemies, the only ways of atonement for his past sins. he took of his long coat and his shirt before he walked a few meters to the front. The only clothes that he have was just a gi (baggy pants), an insane training routine that he always do during winter... sharpening his skills and techniques under the cold winter, while only wearing a baggy pants.

"I'll surpass you, Himura-sensei!!!"

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, Do-ryu sen!!

"I'll surpass you too, Seijyuro Hiko the 14th!!!"

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, So-ryu sen!!

"I am Seijyuro Hiko the 16th, and I will try to achieve something...!!!"

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, Kuzuryu-sen!!

"..Or die for nothing!!!"

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, Amakakeru Ryunohirameki!!

"Let the dragon chooses its fate, its destiny and its way of life!!!"

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, Kuzuryu-zan!!

he stopped his kata stance, reminisced alone. His face looked as he had just met with a ghost...

"Goddammit, that's... that's the new techniques... developed from the Kuzuryu-sen style... No, No, No... I must be dreaming right now... damn, have to find sake... Shit, run out of cigarettes!!!".

"Fuck, have to find a bigger tree than this old tree...".

The big tree in front of Naruto broke into pieces when he launched his new, but deadly technique... a technique that not only can slice an enemy into nine pieces, but also can pierce the enemy through nine attacks, thus letting the enemy to feel the most severe pain before he dies. That shows how the basic techniques of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu can be innovated into the outerageous skills of a sadistic killer.

"Damn, I musn't use this skill to fight weaker one, or else...", he muttered alone.

Meanwhile...

"Kakashi-sensei, I have a great fear Naruto-kun will use that kind of technique against other participants tomorrow... Damn, he's getting much stronger than before!!!", Sakura, spoke, trembling in fear.

Sakura still in her shocked position, after looking closely towards what Naruto had done with the big tree that even Tsunade the Godaime wasn't that strong to smack the tree down. Her heart pounced fast, while thinking that her effort to save Naruto from his madness became a failure. Her tears ran over her cute cheek, while remembering Sasuke, the one the she love most and the recent Naruto, his only true comrade that recently has turned into a killing-enthusiasm manslayer that she nearly don't recognize, had ran away and back with their own personality.

"Damn it, I couldn't do anything to save Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun... what must I do, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sakura, you must let them go for their own goals and dreams... I can't change them the way they're before, and this is the best thing that i suppose to do...", Kakashi replied back, slowly.

Kakashi was the one who most disappointed with the fled of Sasuke to Otokagure and Naruto to Kyoto, as he was once a teacher to them, a teacher that teached them the way of the true ninja. Sasuke is still a ninja, that is the most happy news that he heard from Tsunade. He always expected that Sasuke will never betray the principle of ninja, only to be blinded by the revenge towards his brother Uchiha Itachi. But the situation is trully different from Naruto. He quitted being a ninja, and getting rid of all of his jutsu, leaving only Rasengan in his mind. He turned into a samurai, and finally being the master of the samurai by learning the deadly Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, which was said to be the only ancient sword-fighting technique which requires the user to sacrifies his soul, and finally being a Hitokiri just like Himura Battousai or a loner just like Seijyuro Hiko the 14th. In Kakashi's mind, Naruto betrayed the principles of ninja and surrendered himself to the devil, which tainted his soul with madness and evil. That is why Kakashi was very disappointed with Naruto, due to Naruto's will to be the strongest and finally he got the title of the strongest Hitokiri by tainting his soul with madness, despair, hatred and evil.

Naruto woke up early in the morning, trying to make himself as busy as bees by washing his own hakama, gi and his other clothes. Before that he switched on his radio, as the song "Stand By Me" by NOFX was starting to be played.

"Oh, that interesting old-song... I love old songs...", Naruto smiled while carrying his dirty clothes to be washed. He made his way to the nearest river and soaked his dirty clothes as he started washing his clothes.

"These activites always makes me think that now I'm a housemaid, not a samurai anymore... the age of samurai has gone for a long time, away with my memories with Ishin Shishi movement... I'm trully missing Katsura-sama's growling about his not-so-tasty meal, Takatsugi-sama always singing horribly while playing his shamisen, Kenshin-sensei and Tomoe-dono always arguing about anything, Ishida-senpai and Rei-san always spend their times chating with me while drinking tea, what a sweet memories to be remembered..."

"I'm trully missing them...", Naruto having a deep thought while washing his clothes.

"Ah, there's another sweet memories that I almost forgot... Yeah, Hikaru-dono, our inn's keeper... she always wash my dirty clothes, cook for me... He he he, during the night before the Ishin Shishi troops entered Kyoto, Hikaru-dono and me drank too many sake and finally drunk.. that night I had accidentally screwed her in my bedroom... erghh, terrible...", Naruto spoke loud to himself as he finally noticed somebody behind him.

"What, Naruto?? You had sex with your inn-keeper??", Kakashi and Sakura shouted loudly in disbelief towards Naruto.

Shit, they heard it... Uhh, there goes my big secret...

"Accidentally... I was completely drunk that time, and in the morning I got up from sleep and finally noticed her beside me, naked... but she's pretty and hot, and she's good in it too..", Naruto continued washing his clothes.

"Tsunade-sama will be so furious when she knows about it... 'Naruto fucked his cute inn-keeper a night before his Hitokiri movement entered Kyoto'... I wonder what Anko's thinking when she hears about it?? Maybe she'll beg you to spend a night drinking expensive wine with her on her bed... she's hot, you know??", Kakashi spoke towards Naruto while reading the newer version of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Oh, I'm glad if Anko really does that... just like what wiseman says, grab the chance!!! but if it is Tsunade-sama want to spend a night drinking champagne with me on her bed, I'm not so sure if I should accept her offer or not... She a bit old even though she has a pair of big breast, 4D cup size..", Naruto continued washing his clothes.

"What are your reactions if it is Hinata who insists on begging your to sleep with her?? It would be fun, isn't it??", Kakashi aked, showing his curious face.

"Hmm, impossible... she's too naive for that stuffs but if she wants to, I'm glad to give her a piece of mine...he he...", Naruto showed his lustful face, causing Sakura to led a little gulp.

"Uhh, Icha Icha Paradise's influences... You're totally ruined for sure...", Sakura arranged her words.

"That's a lil bit of men's life... You'll never know about it, no matter how hard Sasuke-teme fucked you that night...", Naruto completed washing his clothes and quickly lit his cigarette.

"Naruto!!! Shut up!!! Never speak about that again!!!".

"Okay, okay... as you wish, miss Sasuke-Fucked-Your-Pussy-Hard... He he he, having fun teasing people, that's great...", Naruto brought his clothes and dried them by hanging them under the sunlight.

"Naruto!!!", Sakura shouted and suddenly numb as Kakashi showed his confused face towards Sakura.

"You have grown now... Sakura...", Kakashi sighed.

Naruto then grabbed his 'old friend' and make his way to the Konoha Taijutsu Arena, wearing his old long coat, his hakama and gi, black and white in colour which is the old uniform of the hitokiri movement. He continued smoking while ignoring his former teammates, Sakura and Kakashi who were walking behind him.

"Uzumaki Naruto of the Ishin Shishi No Hitokiri and Hyuuga Neji of the Hyuuga Clan, please step forward facing your opponent!! You have passed the first round, the quarter final round and now you're in the semi final round, winner will be declared after one of you knocked-out unconscious and i hope there will be no murder here!!!"

The crowd cheering loud, as both fighters made their way into the arena, hoping that the Hyuuga prodigy will win against the bastard famous hitokiri who had once the sworn enemy of every ninja villages.

'I will have no mercy against you, since you're the famous manslayer of the hitokiri movement, you got that clear??!!", Neji scowled in his confidence tone as he step into his famous Jyuuken style.

Naruto slowly posed into his battou-jutsu style, while his hand gripping the handle of his sakaba-tou hard. he smiled with an evil look as his eyes glared forward his opponent, ready to end the life of his opponent.

"The fight starts now!!!!"

Neji quickly dashed towards Naruto with his full speed, launching his Divination Field taijutsu when Naruto, who stood still there whispered in a slow tone.

"Shunten-satsu..."

Naruto dissapeared from his standing place, making way too dificult for Neji.

"Damn you, Naruto!!! Byakugan!!!", Neji activated his Byakugan and began to trail Naruto's whereabout, but still he failed, Naruto's quick pace was too fast for Neji to sense with his Byakugan.

The crowd had various thoughts about Naruto's ability but the same concept that they were thinking is... incredible!!!!

Naruto appeared behind Neji and launched his battou-jutsu, giving no chance for Neji to dodge or to fight his technique back.

His blow caused Neji to be thrown away to the walls around the arena. The crowd began to cheer as Naruto sheathed his sakaba-tou back with the godlike speed.

"My speed is equal to my master, Himura Battousai... My force is equal to my former rival, Saitou Hajime of the Shinsen Gumi... my Ki level is equal to my so-called 'brother', Yoshinobu Tokugawa of the Imperial Tokugawa batalion 7... there's no way you can defeat me...", Naruto spoke as he finally released his full Ki, causing some of the crowd who didn't have enough mental strength to fall unconscious.

"I knew it... the Chakura of The Emperor!!!", Neji trembled in fear, steeping back slowly as he saw the remaining crowd knelt down, as they were forced to do that.

"Oh, you call it the chakura of the emperor? We call it the Ki of The Shogunate..", Naruto spoke in proud tone, as he slowly walked towards Neji.

Neji felt that he was fighting against the famous warlord who united Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu as he saw Naruto walked proudly among the crowd which were kneeling upon him. The Ki that even made Uchiha Sasuke, who watched the whole fight scene to kneel down and trembled in fear.

"Damn you, Naruto!!! why did you have this awesome power??!! It supposed to be me, not you!!!", Sasuke cursed Naruto as he watched Naruto walked slowly, acting as the shogunate himself, towards Neji. Sasuke have the power to be among the strongest ninja in Konoha, due to his bloodline limit, the inheritage power of his clan... the Sharingan, and he had developed his Sharingan into Magenkyou Sharingan in his struggle to kill his brother, and now to surpass Naruto. But still he never suceeded in every attempts to surpass Naruto.

"This is the true power of Naruto Uzumaki, I see... he don't show his abilities yet until now... I'm sure this is the moment where he shows us how he obtains the title of The Shadow Manslayer, the successor of Hitokiri Battousai... the Chakura of The Emperor, no one knows this jutsu before, only the late Sandaime and now, Naruto themselves know...", Jiraiya spoke to Tsunade, to remind her of Naruto's true abilities.

"Damn you, Jiraiya!!! Naruto shouldn't enter this tournament!!! His abilities now are beyond any Kage in this world, and now he's fighting chuunin and jounin only!!! He'll kill them all, I swear!!! He'll kill them all!!!".

"hush, Tsunade... if Naruto will kill them all, then why did he spare Sakura's life three days ago?! Think Tsunade, think wisely!!! Even though he didn't have sympathy or any feelings of love, he may killed her as well!!! Do you know what this means??".

"What??".

"Aha, Naruto doesn't want to involve us in his matter... but I can see now that he is battling with his second persona... my guess, actually.".

"Better don't talk shit this time, Jiraiya... or I'll kill you now!!!".

"Wo wo wo, I'm serious dammit!!! His inner persona is his another personality who loves killing and watching blood spreading all over the places, or I trusted him as The Shadow Manslayer, the hidden Hitokiri who contributed a great help to Ishin Shishi during the fall of Tokugawa Shogunate by eliminating the remnants of the Tokugawa soldiers in Sapporo, now can you understand it?".

"Maybe, it's a hard truth... that's why the recent Naruto is more soft than the former one... yeah, as same as Kenshin Himura who tries hard to defeat his inner persona, Hitokiri Battousai!!! I got it!!! You have brain back there, surprisingly!!!".

"Hah, I'm the genius one!!! You are the one who always feel envy of me!!".

"Genius my ass!! Fuck you, Jiraiya!!!"

"Raise your hand, admit your defeat... I won't kill you...", Naruto spoke as he exhaled the cigarette smoke. The smat badass samurai began his psychological attack, instead of using his sword to win the match.

The whole crowd watched the fight with their full attention, hoping that Neji won't be another nin who had disgraced Konoha by admitting his defeat by the samurai, after Sakura.

"Too afraid to answer??!! Just raise your hand and admit your defeat... is it hard enough?! I'm afraid I can't stand longer till my 'other Naruto' will come out and if 'he' does come out, you wouldn't have the time to say goodbye to your clan... I give you five seconds until he goes out and replacing me, I'm sure he like to watch blood dripping wet from his Nagasone Kotetsu after the last 3 years in Kyoto!!", Naruto began to smoke, while standing arrogantly in front of Neji. His hand gripped Nagasone Kotetsu hard.

"Damn, he's calling out for Kage no Uzumaki The Shadow Manslayer!!! Everyone, prepare for any unwanted incident now!!!", Tsunade shouted to all of the crowd as she feel the Ki or should we say the murderous intent of Naruto is getting stronger and stronger.

The wind blew hard, as the leaves flew around Naruto. The leaves spinned fast around Naruto and finally burned by fire, resulting from Naruto's overwhelming Ki. Another sign of Naruto's overwhelming abilities, how ironic.

Every Hyuuga family members watched the situation and prepared if anything happens to their prodigy, even though they know the consequenses of fighting against the Seijyuuro Hiko of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, the master of all sword techniques.

"Five..."

"Four..."

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

"Ze..."

"I surrender!!! Naruto, you win!!!".

Naruto glared sharp towards Neji, who had raised up his hand while his head looked down dissapointingly. He lowered his Ki back to normal, and tossing his cigarette to the left.

"Another fight without any bloodshed, how boring...", Naruto spoke as he walked to the exit gate of the arena, with a loud cheer plus 'boo' voices from the crowd, leaving Neji alone in the middle of the arena.

That day, in the evening...

Kurenai was standing in front of Konoha memorial stone, remembering her precious moments with the late Azuma. There were so many precious moments with his beloved Azuma, only to be seperated when Azuma died in his fight against Hidan of the Akatsuki. Love will never die, only to be brought along with the person until he or she dies, Kakashi had once said this to Kurenai. It was too fast that she even can't cherished the moment with Azuma, the precious moment that she'll remember for the rest of her life.

She heard somebody walked towards the memorial stone, as she looked behind to see Naruto brought a bottle of cold sake and some sticks to be burned, as an honour towards the dead one.

She could only watched Naruto, who dressed in his full samurai fashion, along with his long coat, burned the sticks and knelt in front of the stone, praying for the dead. Naruto stood up and stepped behind before he bowed towards the stone. Then, Naruto opened the bottle and drank before he took out a small cup. He poured the sake into the cup and placed it in front of the memorial stone. He also placed a rose there.

"A formal occasion when a samurai visits a grave or a memorial stone...", Naruto spoke as he lit another cigarette.

"Naruto? You have changed a lot...", Kurenai arranging her words, not to make Naruto felt angry with her.

"Nothing have changed here... I am a samurai, and I'm always a samurai...".

"But you have the nindo of being a hokage... a hokage is a ninja, not a samurai..".

"Hokage is no longer for me, I'm happy with what I am now...", Naruto tossed the cigarette and lit another one.

Kurenai looked at the face of Naruto, only to see the sadness on his ambient eyes.

"I've been through Bakumatsu era, where most of my comrades got killed in order to seek for justice, to build the new government, to defend the innocents... everytime when I stepped in front of every memorial stone, I will always think of that... not to forget, the Shinsen Gumi and the Tokugawa soldiers who fought against us, they still a samurai to be honoured even though we are in the opposite fraction...".

"I guess we have the same destiny, Naruto... we fight for the justice, to defend the innocents... even though one of us will die, but we still need to continue our life...".

"Kill or to be killed, that's our duty... by hook or by crook, we must do it... nothing will change...".

Kurenai nodded in agreement.

"May Azuma-sensei rest in peace... Kami-sama will guarantee that...", Naruto spoke, ending his conversation as he started to walk to his small house, leaving Kurenai behind.

This Naruto has been growing up a lot, Kurenai thought alone.

Naruto stopped walking to his small house when he saw Sasuke standing in front of his small house, while Sakura sitting on the ground, crying.

"No Naruto!!! Don't fight him!!! Please, I beg you!!!", Sakura suddenly shouted while crying.

Naruto exhaled the smoke slowly and snapped his glare towards Sasuke, who was drawing his Kusanagi.

"Naruto!!!", Sasuke shouted loudly.

"yes...?".

"FIGHT ME!!!"

- End of Episode 12 -

Author's note

- Next chapter, Episode 13 - Till The Day I Die

- Hint for the next episode : I won't tell you anymore... otherwise, there will be no surprise!!! he he he...