Title: The Everlasting Sins

Rating: Rated T.

Pairings: Canon pairings for Naruto, along with slight NaruHina near the very end of the story.

Genre: Adventure.

Summary: A sin lasts forever, even if other things do not. Naruto's debilitating disease doesn't, nor does his hatred. His past, however, forever continues to follow him. Smart, powerful Naruto. Rewritten in collaboration with The Sin of Justice, the original author.

Regarding Q&A: Any questions regarding the story can be asked via PM or review to either me or The Sin of Justice.

Beta: N/A—Help wanted.

Warnings: Language, violence, and moderate blood/gore.

Category: Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist crossover.

Uploaded: February 18th, 2013

Key:

"Normal dialogue."

Thoughts—for everyone, including Bijū.

/Mental conversations./

Please note that Bijū cannot "speak" unless their host is inside of the seal, and please enjoy the story!

(Section Break)

"Ready?" the leader asked. The three subordinates nodded. "Let's go, then."

Initially, they hadn't expected Uzushiogakure to be like this. From what Miss Kushina had said of her birthplace, it was a magnificent village filled with happy people. She had said that it was destroyed in the Third Shinobi War, but this amount of damage was insane. It was completely demolished and small pieces of buildings were everywhere, torn apart further by erosion and the weather, their finely-chiseled surface deformed.

"My God," one of them muttered. The girl subordinate, Ayame, nodded absently, taking in the scenery.

The leader looked at them. "We need to go," he ordered. "The Lord Hokage shouldn't need to wait for the retrieval of his son."

"A-ah, of course," the third one replied. "The scent?"

"This way," the leader responded, pointing to the left.

"Come on," Ayame huffed, pushing the first one.

"I can walk myself," Jinta mumbled, pulling himself out of Ayame's hands. "Come on, Akiyo."

"Y-yeah," Akiyo said, jogging towards them. "How much farther, Captain?"

"A minute, maybe," the squad leader replied.

"The scent's old," Akiyo informed. "The only other thing here is the sea and debris."

"How can you tell?" Ayame inquired. "You're not an Inuzuka like the captain is."

"I trained to improve my senses," Akiyo admitted. "Can you smell anything, Jinta?"

"A little bit," Jinta replied. "Not the Lord Hokage's son specifically, but there's definitely a human smell here."

"Very good," the captain praised. "We're almost there."

They nodded.

(Section Break)

Kakashi glanced uneasily at the approaching island. He had made it there especially quickly since he was technically on a solo mission. He hadn't heard the name since Miss Kushina had told him of where she was before she met his teacher.

"How much longer?" he asked the boat driver, taking a boat sine he wasn't willing to exhaust himself in case of possible enemy ninja. The rower shrugged and mumbled a number. Kakashi nodded gratefully.

"Why are you going to the ruins, anyway?" the man asked. Kakashi fingered his headband and the man accepted the answer. He thought he heard a muttered a few words about money, but ignored it.

He's counting on me, Kakashi thought. He knows that Squad Two won't be enough. I'll make his decision count.

(Section Break)

Ed's face, now covered in the pasty white of half-mixed dough, was a sight to behold. While not outwardly showing any emotions, he slowly wiped it off and looked at what had become of his kitchen.

"Really," he sighed, looking straight at the probably-going-to-be freeloader in his kitchen. Naruto smiled sheepishly, a bit scared. "And what exactly prompted this?" he asked, motioning towards the messy room with a wave of his hand.

Naruto chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head slightly. "Kurama suggested I add the vinegar to the dough."

"And what was in the dough?" Edward questioned, his voice like that of talking to a child.

"Flour, baking powder, water, salt, and some baking soda," Naruto hesitated. "Is something wrong?"

"It's a simple chemical reaction," Edward muttered, clapping his hands together and cleaning the kitchen instantly. "Vinegar and baking soda cause an extreme reaction that creates something similar to a boil-over. How much you added, though, seems to be the real question."

Naruto looked at him in amazement. "How did you do that?!" he asked eagerly. "You just clapped and then—boom! Clean kitchen!"

Ed looked at him, a bit amused. "Alchemy," he answered. "Why?"

"Kurama said you had some kind of power, but I thought it was just some type of ninja technique!"

"Kurama doesn't know much," Edward noted. "Not compared to me, anyway."

"Then what is alchemy?" Naruto questioned excitedly.

"Alchemy?" Ed blinked. "You're interested, then?"

"Of course!" Naruto replied. "Though, it's probably a lot of work."

"You have no idea," Edward laughed. "I'll tell you, though."

"Really?"

"Really. It'll be useful later on, kid."

(Section Break)

"Here?" Ayame inquired. The captain nodded, crouching down and looking at the floor.

"The scent just stops," the captain murmured. "Can you sense anything, Akiyo?"

"I sense a faint chakra signature, but I'm not sure where," Akiyo replied. "It's quite a lot, so I don't think it's the Lord Hokage's son."

"Whose, then?" Jinta wondered. "We should be on guard."

"Yeah," Ayame agreed. "Captain, look at the ground here. It doesn't look like it was attacked."

The captain looked towards where her finger was pointing, running his calloused hands over the floor. "It's smooth," he realised. "Someone's been here."

"Who?" Akiyo asked. "It looks like someone restored what was right here."

"Maybe there's something underneath?" Jinta suggested.

"Perhaps," the captain responded. "If there is something under, how can we get there? None of us are any good with earth techniques."

"We could always use our exploding tags if we're careful," Akiyo said. "As long as we keep our distance and control the blast, everything but where we're aiming should be intact."

"I suppose so," the captain admitted. "It's a good idea. Get out one, everyone, and place them in the middle. We'll detonate them on three."

"Roger," Ayame grunted, slapping the explosive tag onto the ground on top of the other three. They all began channeling chakra into their respective bombs before jumping away, barely escaping the scorching heat of the explosives.

"Did we get it?" Jinta asked. The captain shrugged.

"Let's see, shall we?" he grinned.

Looking towards the entrance, they were surprised to find that nothing had broken. Nothing.

"What the hell?" Ayame muttered. "Captain, what—"

The captain shushed her and made a gesture towards the entrance. Sure enough, it was slowly crumbling.

"What is that thing made of?" Jinta pondered. "Do we try again?"

"I doubt that's necessary," a new voice chimed in. Squad Two turned around to face a gray-haired man.

"Kakashi!" Ayame exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"The Lord Hokage instructed I come and help you," he smiled. "I can sense chakra better than any of you."

"Do you have any proof of your statement?" the captain questioned calmly, fingering a kunai in his pouch. Kakashi nodded and slowly pulled a scroll out of the pockets on his vest before tossing it to him.

Giving it the once over, the captain nodded. "Do you have any idea of what we can do?"

"Nothing, really," Kakashi replied cheerfully. Jinta made a disbelieving noise in the back of his throat. Kakashi chuckled a bit. "We're going to have to dig through the stone. Explosives don't work—all the damage that was done to these buildings wasn't because of explosions."

The captain debated internally for a moment before nodding. "How long will it take?" he asked.

"Not long," Kakashi replied. "A day or so."

Akiyo glanced at the new man warily. He interferes...

(Section Break)

"When?" Naruto asked.

"When?" Edward repeated. "As soon as you can cook a decent meal."

"B-but—"

"I had to stay on a deserted island for a month to be able to learn alchemy. Be grateful that I'm telling you what alchemy is just in exchange for a meal," Edward replied.

Naruto sighed. /It's not my fault that I grew up without the knowledge of cooking,/ he pouted internally.

/You had all the resources at your fingertips, stupid,/ the fox replied without a second thought. Naruto grumbled to himself.

"I'm going to go outside for a little bit," Ed said aloud, interrupting Naruto. "Someone's here."

"Already?" Naruto wondered.

"Of course. They're ninja, you know," Edward responded. "Go outside the back door of this room and go left. Third door on the right, there's some more ingredients. Try something simpler."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're certainly eager," Edward muttered, laughing, and began his trudge to the stairs. After a long few minutes, he finally reached the point where he sealed off the underground house. They're out there. They originally tried explosives, but then discontinued. Judging by the sound of it, they're digging. Edward made a humming noise before clapping his hands together and transmuting a reinforced wall behind him. Best let the kid not hear any of this. He's too naïve to know of actual violence.

Edward finally turned around and straightened his clothes. He clapped his hands together once more and put them on the floor, deconstructing the barrier and reconstructing it into the floor. He saw five surprised faces—Is that a dog? he wondered—and smirked.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," he mocked, bowing. "What can I do for you?"

(Section Break)

Kakashi hadn't expected someone to appear out of a wall that disappeared with a red glow. There was a boy—A man, maybe, he thought—inside. Kakashi assessed him quickly: golden hair in a ponytail with side-bangs, shorter than average, black t-shirt, black pants, black combat boots, golden eyes, a strange symbol hanging around his neck that looked like a snake, and a bone-chilling smirk. Squad Two quickly recovered and went into defensive positions. Kakashi stayed put, although his muscles tensed.

Squad Two looked utterly confused as the man bowed to them in a mocking manner. Kakashi fingered a kunai in his pouch before putting on a cheerful mask.

"Hello," Kakashi greeted. "We're looking for someone."

"Oh?" the man replied, the smirk never leaving his face. "Is that a reason to try to both dig and blow up my entryway?"

"I'm afraid so," Kakashi chuckled. "We can sense a chakra signature here."

"I'm afraid to tell you that it's only me and my acquaintance here," he replied, seemingly casual. It put Kakashi on guard. "Perhaps a description would help?"

Squad Two regained composure and the captain of the group began speaking. "Short, looks around eight. Blonde and spiky hair, blue eyes, whisker-like marks on his face. Does that match anyone?"

The man shook his head slowly. "No, it doesn't. Why are you looking for him?"

"He's missing," Ayame replied vaguely. "He's quite important to our client, you see."

"I'm afraid I can be of no help," the blonde apologised. "If you excuse me—"

"Who are you?" Kakashi interrupted. "No one should be in these ruins."

"Well, this is getting complicated, isn't it?" the boy laughed. "I'm just a passerby."

"Why are you here?" Kakashi continuing interrogating. The smile on the man's face began to dampen the slightest bit.

"I'm looking for something. Thought the ruins would be a good place to start, so I decided to make a harmless little shelter underground." The man frowned. "You probably shouldn't be interrogating me, Ninja. I'm not doing any harm and I can file against you with a complaint to your village leader."

"We just need some information," Jinta butted in. "We don't mean anything personal."

"I'm sad to say you'll need to find your information elsewhere," the boy ground out. "If you would please leave, I can get on with my morning."

"It's unfortunate that you can't leave," Kakashi said. "You appear to be withholding information."

"You are all insane," he muttered. "Leave me alone."

Kakashi took a kunai out from his pouch and twirled it around his finger. "We will resort to force unless you come clean," he warned.

The man made a grunting noise before clapping his hands and pressing them against the floor. Kakashi looked at him curiously until, before he knew it, the red glow was back and the wall reappeared. "That wasn't very productive," he chuckled, "but it did help."

He looked over at Squad Two, who each had a look of light fascination on their faces. "Come on," Kakashi beckoned, "we should find somewhere to sleep for tonight. We can go over this later."

(Section Break)

Edward sighed in annoyance, restoring the wall behind him back into the floor so he could walk down the stairs again. Annoying ninja, he huffed. They always bother me. Hopefully they didn't recognise me, however.

He walked towards the stone doorway that led to the kitchen, slowly reaching the hall on the other side before turning left and finding the correct door. He opened it up, wondering where the kid went. He looked around the room, inspecting it. Something was off.

"Where are you, kid?" he murmured. He walked towards the room that the child had woken up in to find him sleeping on the bed. He sighed again before looking at the boy more closely.

Underweight by a small amount, he noted. Three defining whisker-like marks on each cheek. They're almost like scars—definitely from Kurama. Blue eyes from when he was awake. Light blonde hair that looks like it could have been a sunshine yellow once upon a time, although now it's slightly limp and dead. Not enough nutrition. His skin's pale—doesn't get out much, then. From what I've heard, his village doesn't exactly like him, so that's not necessarily his fault. A tiny bit shorter than the average person his age. Bones are showing and there's a definite lack of muscle. He could be a walking skeleton. Being this skinny isn't good. He appeared to have a slight lack of balance when standing, implying that he doesn't do running or anything of the sort. With the pathetic condition his body is in, I'm surprised that he managed to live ten years without Kurama's help.

Edward rubbed his temples. I think I bit off quite a large portion here. I can chew it, but it'll take a while if I don't want to choke. He inspected a couple of health aspects before going back to the storeroom. I know from experience that he needs a specialised diet. I don't exactly want to give my food away, but we'll see what I can do about the influence I'm under for now.

This kid's in for a hell of a ride, he thought. Konohagakure no Sato is looking for him. Son of the Fourth Hokage, from what I can tell. The gray-haired man is Sharingan no Kakashi, Kakashi of the Sharingan. The Fourth Hokage trained him, now that I think about it. Did he send Kakashi of the Sharingan for a specific reason? Sending such a powerful ninja after a single child, even if the child is your son... It'd make much more sense to send the most powerful tracker rather than a powerful ninja. Perhaps he was expecting some type of fight to break out? One of the ninja back there on the team looked extremely nervous, but his posture was definitely relaxed if you looked deep. Perhaps the Fourth doesn't trust that man. Picking up a few ingredients here and there, he set off for the kitchen. I wonder why, though. Is he a spy, then? Konohagakure no Sato's always had some issues when it comes to allegiance, but a spy is new. Who would even spy on them? It's not like they're secretive.

Unless the man spying wants to be secretive. Perhaps a high-ranking ninja doesn't like how things are being run. From what occurred back with the Uchiha Clan, something wasn't right. Things were set up. A lot of things were set up. He began skinning the apples he picked out. Konoha seems to be in danger. I doubt the kid would care, but innocent people don't deserve to get caught up into this.

He sliced the apple into many pieces before putting both the skins and the sliced apple into a bowl. His hatred for Konoha is a bit blinding. His naivety is astounding, honestly. A prodigy in his own right, yes, but he isn't all-knowing. I'm not either, but I've certainly lived long enough to know better than him. He turned on the stove and put on a pan on, waiting for it to heat up. They'll come here again tomorrow morning, those ninja. They know I'm hiding something. I don't particularly want to fight, but I won't just let them accuse me of things. Hopefully they're aren't blinded by wanting to complete their mission. From what I can tell, however, things are going to get complicated. He dropped what was in the bowl into the pan to caramelise, adding a sprinkle of brown sugar. He began mixing up some dough. That third ninja—the one who didn't talk—doesn't seem hostile. He has two motives here. What are they?

He began kneading the dough, adding dry flour at regular intervals and stirring the apples to make sure they didn't burn. I'm not sure. Only time will tell. In any case, I don't want them back here. It took me about a day to make this house and I don't want to make another. I'd have to relocate as well. It'd be a pain in the ass. He spread the dough out and sprinkled a bit of sugar over it before cutting it. I wouldn't mind relocating, though. I'm easily found here now that the kid's shown up. Where to go, where to go... He grabbed the pan with the apples and spread them out onto the cut dough, rolling each one up into a vague dumpling-like shape. I think we'll be alright for now. If we have to move, I'm not going far. I rather like secluded islands. Perhaps to Nami no Kuni, Land of the Waves. I heard that it's gone into a level of poverty, though. He smirked as he set the dumpling-like apple things onto a tray and into an oven he heated up. Well, transmuting a little money never hurt anyone. As long as I have enough for food, that's all I need. For now, we're alright here, though.

He cleaned up the mess he made as he waited on the oven. The kid wants me to train him in alchemy. I have a feeling that, if I do, he'll do something incredibly stupid. My feelings, according to Alphonse, are generally correct. I can always hope I'm not, but I don't think I'll be incorrect. I can't just not teach him alchemy, though, after the little display he showed me. To have that much conviction is rare. I tried teaching it before and it never worked out. The same fate won't befall him, I hope. I'm not sure anyone deserves to die in the ways they all had. Human Transmutation seemed to be the death of all of them, though. Kind of amusing, in a way. The oven finally dinged and he took the pan out before sprinkling fine powdered sugar over everything. I'm not sure what's exactly amusing about death, though. Perhaps the fact that I can't die?

He set out two plates and put a few on each one. Naruto doesn't seem like the stupid type, though death can make you do stupid things. He doesn't have any loved ones, though, so I wonder what will happen. As far as I can tell, not much. If I do get around to teaching him alchemy, there wouldn't be much point in it if he doesn't use it for other people. I'm not sure I'll teach him alchemy if he doesn't have anyone he'd be using it to protect or help. He shaved a cinnamon stick over each one. I suppose that's a fair exchange. Teach him alchemy in exchange for him only using for others' sakes. He's too naïve currently to do that, though. Currently, he technically did offer me something of equal enough value, although it's a pathetic offering. It'd be like going to the Truth and trying to offer your brain for more knowledge. That's actually a really bad analogy. He picked up both plates and began walking to the sleeping boy's den. I can't think of a good analogy. It's too early.

Strolling down the halls, he sighed again. He pushed the door open and set one plate on the chair by the far side of the room where he had sat where the boy had originally woke up. Edward walked up to the sleeping boy, shaking him awake. I'll see what he can do. If he gives a good answer to the riddle—if he gets that far—I'll train him anyway. Currently, he's recovering and can't even cook. We'll see what happens. The boy groaned and flipped over. He tried again with the same response.

Edward ended up just pushing him off the bed.

(Section Break)

"So?" Ayame inquired. "What's up, Kakashi?"

"I could definitely smell a scent similar to the Lord Hokage's on the man that greeted us. It's probably the smell of the Lord Hokage's home." Kakashi made a small humming noise. "He didn't want us there. I wonder if he found out about their connection."

"Unlikely," the captain of Squad Two inputted. "The scent was almost too faint to detect. I didn't notice it at first. The Lord Hokage's son either is there willingly or unwillingly. From what we could tell, there's a chakra signature there."

"That's a problem," Jinta noted. "I couldn't sense the blonde man's chakra. It's like he was invisible."

"Should we still attempt to dig it up?" Akiyo asked.

"No, he'd know," Kakashi muttered. "Your captain and I will go. We can hide our chakra signatures easy enough to get inside. I trust you can take care of yourselves?"

"Of course," Ayame replied. "When will you leave?"

"At midnight," the captain responded. "We'll prepare dinner for now."

The three other members of Squad Two each made small noises of agreement, setting out to find things necessary to make it through the night.

(Section Break)

"Let's go, Kakashi," the captain ordered. Kakashi nodded swiftly and stood up, casually strolling to the destination.

"We can Shunshin in, now that we've seen the stairs he was standing on, yes?" Kakashi reaffirmed. The captain nodded. "Let's go, then."

"Right."

Edward knew something was wrong the minute a light wind blew down the hallway.

(Section Break)

In response to Guest: No, Naruto will not be "returning" to his village. At the end of the story, he won't be in Konoha. I apologise that it made you a bit saddened, but I would like to let you know that Naruto isn't going to see the "error of his ways" and go all "good" again.

Wow, so many reviews after only three chapters! I thank everyone for following/favouriting/reviewing—it really makes me happy :P I apologise for taking so long. I got pink eye, a cold, my ankles started swelling again (they're sprained). I couldn't really see and we got some really hefty schoolwork. Then I went and got an eyelid infection, too. Then I decided I wanted to finish the 300 episodes of One Piece I had to watch...yeah.

I also have no idea if that recipe works.

For some reason, the bold decided to go crazy in this chapter, so I apologise for that, too.

Well, thank you for reading! If you review, virtual cookies. If not, that's fine too. As long as you like the story, everything's all good!

Shameless advertising: If you're a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist and Harry Potter crossovers, I have a story called Molten up. It's a bit drabble-y. I also have a Naruto one-shot called A Way to Win, if anyone's interested.