Chapter 29

"Naruto!" Kurama roared, "What are you doing? This seal is going to drain all our chakra!"

The blond stoically ignored him. Even though he felt the Jinchuuriki seal fighting to block off his power, Naruto managed to keep forcing his healing chakra into Sasuke's body. The temple shook again as Kurama howled in frustration.

Kou lifted his arms, like he was about to take flight. But instead he smiled and gestured from side to side, drawing their attention to the glowing red markings on the walls.

"What do you think, demon?" He asked Naruto. "You'll be honored to know that I drew all of these myself. Of course," –He glanced over at Luka with distaste – "I made sure my treacherous son was ignorant to my efforts."

Naruto didn't respond. In his peripheral vision, he could see Sasuke's injuries rapidly healing. But he knew he wouldn't be able to resist the binding Jinchuuriki seal for much longer. With a desperate push, Naruto forced the flames around himself to grow even larger.

Kou looked impressed. "I commend you for such a brilliant display of brute force, and for resisting the seals for so long. However, I suspect that you will reach your limit soon."

Naruto bared his teeth, his entire body screaming with rage as he tried to take a step forward. But the invisible chains that were wrapped around his body held him firmly in place. With desperate strength, he managed to shift Sasuke's position in his arms, so that he was facing Naruto's glowing chest. The last thing Naruto needed was for the over-confident Kou to realize that Sasuke was healing.

He strained his senses, trying to discern the location and state of his comrades: but the barriers were shutting him off from the world. Naruto had never minded enclosed spaces, but in that moment he felt as if the building was growing smaller around him. Animal instinct rose in him, telling him to fight his way out, but he resisted in order to heal Sasuke.

Kou turned back to his son, who was holding onto a pillar for support. Pointing at Naruto, Kou yelled over the sound of roaring chakra, "Do you see now, my son? Do you see? This is no god; this is a man! And men cannot be gods! They are led by emotion and impulse, they are plagued by insecurities and fear!" His green eyes widened alarmingly, a single high laugh passing between his lips. "Luka, I have lived longer than the gods! We shall be the gods now, you and I!"

Luka shook his head. Slowly, and despite his injuries, he stepped away from the pillar and stood with as much confidence as he could muster. He managed a smile, sad and secretive, as he said, "No, father. You are just a sad old man who is still grieving for his lost love."

Naruto glanced back at the Clan leader.

He spluttered in rage at his son's words, but suddenly he was old. Kou seemed to crumple into himself, the passion and light vanishing from his eyes as his presence was diminished. For a moment, he was stooped and small, just a lonely man in his big leather boots. Naruto felt a strange tug in his chest, and for a second he almost felt sorry for Kou. But when he opened his mouth and spoke, the illusion was shattered.

"Luka, my son," He crooned. "I am going to kill you as soon as I finish with these Konoha rats."

"Hey!" Naruto growled. "Aren't you supposed to be his Dad? You're saying that you'll actually kill your own son?"

Kou laughed. Behind Naruto, Luka lowered his gaze, stepping backwards until he was leaning against the pillar again. Rather than answer, Kou began walking towards Naruto over the broken floor, his face contorting with madness.

"I am eternity!" He cried. "I have no children, only slaves!"

If Luka felt any pain at these words, he did well in hiding it. But he felt his shoulders slumping forwards, his body suddenly feeling very heavy. Kou grinned with malice, a manic light still glittering in his keen eyes. And yet he waited almost pensively for someone to respond to his words. His gaze was heavy upon Naruto, who was looking at him with a delicate mixture of pity and distaste in his eyes.

"Kou," He said, reigning in his chakra so that it no longer howled threateningly, and yet still shone brightly around Sasuke. "A man who cannot view others as anything but slaves always ends up a slave himself: a slave to his own selfish designs. You think you're above everyone else, but I have met many people like you." Here he added, with a fierce growl, "And I have beaten them all."

Luka stood utterly still, mesmerized by the sound of Naruto's voice. It was very deep, with a harsh and rough quality, and yet it was rich and pleasant to listen to. There was a great tone of command in the young Uzumaki's voice, and Luka could not help but think that all wise and great leaders should have such voices. It was a voice telling of great sorrow and many trials, but hope shone through like warming rays of the sun. And as Naruto spoke, Luka felt as though his injuries were healing, and courage flowed through his limbs. And as suddenly and strongly as wind passes over the mountains, he knew what he had to do.

With a yell, he sprinted forward, jumping with light and sure feet over the broken stone. His father, alarmed by his sudden movement, didn't react as he attacked the line of ninja hovering near the wall. They seemed fearful at the sight of their Clan's heir approaching; his hair streaming behind him like shadow, his deep eyes calm and steady, his face set with noble purpose. They hardly had the will to oppose him as he struck them down, his blows sure and fast.

Within seconds, it seemed that the group of Kou ninja were either fleeing or lying unconscious at his feet. Naruto stared at the tall and hard-looking man in awe, amazed that his aura of quietness was still about him even as he fought so fiercely.

Luka picked up a sword that was discarded near his feet, and pointed it deftly towards his still astonished father. Evidently, it had been a great while since Kou had seen such behavior from his eldest son.

"Come then, Father." Luka spoke with his soft, sad voice. "I will show you that I am not a slave to you, nor any other master."

Kou's shoulders became rigid. "My goodness, Luka. What on earth would your poor mother say, to see you turning your blade against your father?"

Luka smiled, sadly. "She would no longer recognize you, I fear, father."

With that, Luka started forward at a run. The blade in his hands began to glow as his chakra wove its way down from the hilt. With a strange jerk of his fists, Kou prepared himself for the attack, forming daggers of lightning chakra.

Luka charged at his father, raising the sword as if he meant to strike head-on. But at the last moment he leapt high into the air, spinning as he slashed the sword fiercely towards the back of Kou's head. Kou's only reaction to this was to raise his right hand, blocking the blade behind his head easily. There was a flash and much screeching as their two chakra's made contact.

When Luka landed and glanced down at the blade, he saw that it's edge had already started to melt. He felt a shiver of dread. His father was still much, much stronger than he was.

Naruto noticed his stress immediately, but before he had a chance to react to it, Kou raised his arm. Luka dove out of the way as lightning coursed down his father's arm, only to realize a split second later that the deadly bolts were now aimed directly at Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto reacted much more quickly than Luka could have. With an air of practice, he formed a giant arm out of chakra. In a motion too fast for the eye to decipher, it wrenched a large chunk up from the floor and held it as a shield. The lighting struck it head on, blasting the stone to pieces. The force of the hit made Naruto lurch forward violently, and Sasuke fell from his arms.

The blond cried out as Sasuke hit the ground heavily, rolling down the slight depression in the floor. He landed near where Sakura lay, her pink hair splayed around her and still smoking slightly at the ends. The effort of blocking the lightning proved too much, and the Jinchuuriki seal finally overpowered Naruto. With a strange lurching sensation, Naruto felt as if a door inside of himself was slammed shut, and his connection to Kurama was severed.

The flames around Naruto faded, and the room felt suddenly cold.

Luka let out a breath of relief before turning back to his father, saying with venom, "You go too far, father. I am your opponent here!"

"Child!" Kou sneered, taunting his son. "All those who do not stand by my side are my opponents! Be it one or a thousand: I shall destroy them all!"

Naruto felt a burning pit of rage rising up in his chest. It bubbled hotly in his throat and behind his eyes, but for the moment he contained it. This was Luka's fight, and Naruto was determined to let him have it. And so he shut his eyes, pulling the natural chakra towards himself in waves. He felt it filling him with energy, and his eyelids prickled strangely as orange markings appeared upon them, seemingly out of nowhere.

Even when he was bound, Naruto was not completely helpless. The natural world, at least, would always side with a Sage.

Luka rushed at his father again, and the room was filled with violent flashes of lightning as the two vanished with speed. Bending the flows of energy to his will, Naruto managed to form shields of chakra around Sasuke and Sakura. They would not be able to shield his friends from the lightning, but they would at least protect them from the debris that was flying about.

With this done, Naruto turned his attention back to the fight, only to stiffen in surprise as Luka's voice sounded in his head.

"Listen well, Naruto Uzumaki, for there is a tale I feel you must know, and fear this may be the only chance I have to tell it."

How he managed to convey his thoughts so clearly to Naruto even as he fought was a mystery to the blond, but he dutifully quieted his mind and listened. Naruto stared ahead dumbly as the view in front of his eyes faded, and a vision of a different world seemed to surround him. He looked around himself in awe, at a landscape that was obviously virgin: fresh, healthy, and untouched by time. He then found himself standing in the middle of a village with no idea how he got there. But his confusion was immediately overridden by his amazement.

This village was unlike anything that he had ever seen before. Rather than cutting down the trees to make way for their homes, these people had built their houses among or even around the trees. Many ancient, leafy boughs served as roofs for the houses that were built around them. There were many birds and small animals about, and the people moved quietly and gracefully through the long grass.

The vision changed again. Naruto gasped in horror as he saw that the entire village was destroyed, the ancient trees cracking as flames licked up their sides. Bodies lay charred and discarded on the bald earth.

Luka spoke then. "Long before the Clans of Uzumaki or Uchiha or any other even existed, my ancestors were peaceful forest dwelling peoples. But war broke out in their lifetime, and in fear they fled to the sea and boarded the ships there, searching for a place where they could live in peace. It was in this time - before the coming of the Sage of the Six Paths, who is the father of all ninja - that my father was born."

"Impossible!" Naruto thought, but he was silent as Luka's tale continued.

"After many weeks at sea with no land in sight, and provisions running low, the people began to lose all hope of salvation. It was then that a mighty storm came, and their ship was taken mercilessly by the sea."

Naruto's stomach churned as he found himself on the deck of a ship, built in a fashion that hadn't been used for hundreds of years. A mighty wave crashed over the ship, and several crewmembers were dragged, screaming, into the grey water.

"But in the morning, when the storm broke," Luka continued, "They looked out and saw, in the distance, an island looming out of the water. And it was upon this island that my ancestors made their home, and were happy for many years."

"A week before the day my father would turn nineteen, a storm like the one which had led them to the island blew in from the West. And just as their ship had been, a vessel was carried in by the waves. Having not seen anyone outside their Clan for many years, the people greeted these strangers with open arms, even though their language was strange and foreign."

"It took some time, but eventually their leader managed to communicate that he was a King from a distant land, and he had led his people away from war and suffering. Much as my Clan had done. And so they were welcomed to live upon the island as equals. Now, this King had with him a daughter named Eren, and upon her shone the light of nobility and strength. She had a strange and peerless beauty, and my father, then the son of poor farmers, fell in love with her instantly."

Naruto found himself standing in a crowd of excited people, who watched with rapture as a tall and noble-looking man gestured towards the thin woman at his side. Blinking quickly, Naruto was surprised to see that the princess looked almost exactly like Lila. Or rather, it was Lila who looked exactly like her. Glancing around himself, Naruto noticed a young man who he immediately guessed was Kou. He was a head taller than everyone else, and still rather lanky, but his skin was richly tanned from the sun and he was already quite handsome.

Luka went on. "But since a lowly farm boy could never approach a princess, my father grew frustrated, and thought long about how he could become worthy of her. His answer came unlooked for, carried through the veins of the earth. With the rising of the Sage, power began to stir in the men and women across the land. Their chakra had been awoken, and they found that new strength ran through them. My father was included in this. While others in his village were fearful, father experimented with his new abilities, slacking from his duties and soon becoming estranged from the others."

Here Luka paused, and for a moment Naruto assumed he was collecting his thoughts. But then, he realized that Luka was laboring. He forced his awareness to return to reality, and saw that the temple was on the brink of ruin. Luka and Kou still fought fiercely, despite the injuries which plagued them both, but Naruto could see that Luka's strength was beginning to fade.

The Kou heir forced himself to continue, but now his thoughts were scattered and broken, as if he were speaking over a bad radio connection.

"Pirates…found the island." Luka explained. "The people were lovers of peace, and had never wielded a sword, so they were helpless as their homes were plundered. My father saw this…opportunity. Using his new power, he fought…saving his village. He became a hero, began teaching others how to use their chakra. Soon after, he was appointed…leader, and he wed Eren, my mother."

Here, the flow of Luka's thoughts suddenly broke. Naruto realized, to his embarrassment, that he was seeing one of Luka's memories. Luka was sitting with Eren under a tree in a quiet glade, and thousands upon thousands of flowers were growing in the summer grass around them. The young Luka, a teenager at the time, was looking up at his mother. She had aged since the first vision Naruto had seen of her, but she was still incredibly beautiful. Her long black hair was tangled in the grass; her simple dress was as pale blue as the sky before dawn.

She looked down at Luka and laughed, a liquid sound, before saying in her strangely accented voice, "I know that your father can be difficult at times, Luka, but you must not begrudge him for it. He means well, for both you and your sister."

Luka scowled, wrapping his arms around his knees and pulling them towards his chest. "I just don't understand why he's so angry. It was the villagers who kicked us out, not the people here. Why does he have to fight people who've done nothing bad to us?"

Eren laughed again, and her grey eyes shone. With one slender arm, she yanked Luka closer to her side and ruffled his already messy hair. "My kindhearted boy," She said playfully. "I often wonder if, perhaps, you and your sister switched bodies in the womb. She is the one who would love to be a mighty warrior, while your heart has callings of a much gentler kind."

She smiled then, and Naruto saw where Luka had inherited that sad gesture. Eren smoothed down her son's hair, saying in her soft voice, "Take care not to become too passive, Luka. The day may come when you must make a terrible choice, and make a final stand for what you believe is right. If that should pass, will you have the courage to stand firm, Luka?"

The young man was troubled as he looked into his mother's grey eyes, not quite understanding her. Finally, he nodded. "I will, mother."

And overwhelming mixture of emotions passed over their mental connection before Luka ended it: love, sadness, rage, and grief. Naruto jolted as a pained cry reached his ears. He opened his eyes just in time to see a blade of lightning pierce Luka's side. Blood poured heavily from the wound as Luka stumbled, his back hitting Naruto's chest heavily. Naruto, who could do nothing but stand like a statue, watched as the man he already found himself calling a friend crumpled before his feet.

He glanced up at Naruto, his dimming eyes heavily lidded. "My final stand did not end well, it seems." He whispered, before going still.

Kou laughed, but he was breathless as he said, "An indignant fool to the end, my son. He could have fled to another body, but no! He chooses instead to die, like his sister and his wretched mother!"

Naruto howled in rage. He condensed the natural chakra around himself into a ball, sending it flying towards Kou with as much force as a cannonball.

Inhaling calmly, Kou held up an open palm, and the energy passed around him harmlessly. He grinned. "You surprised me with that little trick once before, Naruto Uzumaki, but it shall not work on me twice."

Naruto's golden eyes widened as understanding gripped him. "So it was you!" He cried. "It was you who attacked Ino and her students!"

Kou clapped a few times before sarcastically replying, "Well done! It appears that the beast does have a brain, after all!"

The hold the seal had on Naruto tightened as he tried to break free again, his arms getting pulled down to his side. He hadn't even noticed that, the entire time, they'd still been strangely hooked as if Sasuke was still in his arms.

"Sasuke."

Naruto glanced over at his comrades, relieved to see that the energy barriers had done their job. He didn't let his gaze linger there long however, not wanting Kou to turn his wrath towards his unconscious friends.

Naruto wracked his brain frantically as Kou approached, suddenly feeling the hopelessness of his situation. The chakra Itachi and Sasuke had given him was drained, so he couldn't use a genjutsu to buy himself time. The seals around him were so strong that he couldn't even move, let alone form a hand sign. Kou now expected him to use the energy in the air, and had a way to defend against it.

"I just have to hold him off for as long as I can." Naruto thought, his mind still bent on the safety of Sakura and Sasuke. "Just until someone else can come and help us. It's the only hope we have now."

With that, Naruto sent out his chakra in thin streams, prodding the barriers for weaknesses. Kou was approaching him with exaggerated care, and this gave Naruto enough time to muster his final defense. Tapping into the last reserves of his strength, he pulled back on the chakra strands as if they were ropes, and the temple rumbled. Kou stopped, glancing up at the ceiling.

For a moment, the ancient stone groaned threateningly. But then, with a mighty crack, massive chunks of stone came tumbling down towards Kou, daylight streaming in all around them. The symbols for the barriers and seals, undisturbed even as the structure crumbled, shone in the light. At the same time, enormous pieces of the floor that Sakura had upturned with her fists were blasted upwards, and the pillars shattered into pieces and flung themselves towards the enemy. Kou had only time to raise his hands before the stone was crashing down on him.

The ground shook, the sound of falling and cracking stone was deafening. Naruto watched eagerly, praying to whatever gods there may be that Kou was overwhelmed. But then, a glowing blue light came from the center of the assaulting stone, and white-hot ribbons of lightning crackled out. One by one, Naruto's weapons were crumbling, falling in harmless rubble around Kou's feet.

Naruto's eyes widened. Kou sneered. "Is that all?" He asked, even as he began climbing over the mounds of gravel, closing the final distance between them more quickly than before. Naruto scrambled to collect his chakra, but with a sinking feeling he realized it was too late. Kou wouldn't give him any time to come up with another trick.

Kou stepped into the pool of his son's blood, his big leather boots splashing loudly. Stooping fluidly, he yanked the battered sword from Luka's limp hand. He raised the weapon slowly, purposefully, aiming it at Naruto's heart.

"Don't worry, Naruto." He said, in that sickeningly smooth voice. "I shall possess your body before you die. I believe that, in your case, it will be easier to make you mine when you are at your weakest."

He tensed his arms. A strange emotion passed over his eyes. "And so passes the Guardian Deity of Konoha." He whispered.

He drove the blade forward. Naruto roared. And invisible force jolted to blond. Kou howled in rage as he realized, too late, that his blade would miss its mark. It pierced Naruto's shoulder, spraying them both with fresh, hot blood. Naruto grit his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain and he mustered the last of his strength, using the natural chakra in the air to keep the blade firmly lodged in his body, so that Kou could not withdraw it and stab him again.

Sasuke could feel the ground trembling. He could feel the dust in his lungs, his scalp prickling as he sensed that something terrible was happening. His body didn't feel as heavy as it did before, and he began to consider reclaiming it, even though it would mean facing the pain again.

There was a voice in his head, loud and urgent. "Wake up, Sasuke!"

Sasuke didn't respond. He didn't feel quite ready to awaken. And besides, who was this person yelling at him, telling him what to do?

The voice came again, louder and even more urgent, but this time Sasuke recognized it. "Wake up, foolish little brother! You must wake up now!"

Naruto cried out harshly as Kou overpowered him, pulling the blade from his shoulder with a sickening squelch of flesh. In his rage, he lifted the blade over his head and slashed down, creating a deep cut which ran across Naruto's torso from shoulder to hip. The blond howled again, but this time it was more out of rage than pain. Without Kurama healing him, Naruto knew that he would bleed out if this continued, but he still considered that a better option that being possessed.

"You bastard." He hissed, eyes flashing dangerously.

It was the sound of Naruto's enraged voice that finally made Sasuke stir. With the sensation of a swimmer coming up for a breath after going too deeply underwater, he broke through the surface of consciousness.

Unnoticed by the struggling duo, a pair of crimson eyes snapped open.

A/N: Shit's about to get real, you guys.