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: March 24th, 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)
Edward awoke with a small groan, holding his head. Damn fights, he thought, pained. They always leave me feeling like shit.
He sighed and swung his legs out, the warm flesh of his feet hitting the cold stone on the floor. He grimaced slightly as he stood up, shivering from the intense temperature drop that came from him getting out from under the warm blankets of his bed. Glancing towards them, the alchemist watched the blue light race up to the covers and made them straight again. He muttered at his own laziness before walking out of the room, pulling on a long-sleeved red cloak on the way out. The blond raised a hand to stifle a yawn and rubbed his eyes, trying to make his way to the storeroom for coffee beans. He sensed that his guest wasn't quite awake yet and decided to prepare something—anything, really—for the boy. Ed walked inside the storeroom and looked around haphazardly, spotting the crate of coffee and some other ingredients. Picking them up, the man spun around and trudged towards the kitchen, immediately boiling a kettle of water and grinding the coffee beans. When it started whistling, he pulled it off and stirred it into the ground beans, waiting for them to dissolve before taking a sip and wincing at the bitterness before it enveloped him in a familiar warmth. The addict breathed out in content, smiling slightly into the cup. He looked at the supplies he grabbed before shrugging and preparing a meal that absolutely did not contain dairy.
After twenty or so minutes, he finished and took a bite of one of the leftover nutrition bars, shrugging again at its taste. It was healthy and that's what the scrawny kid needed, so he didn't bother making anything elaborate. The blond picked up the dish and began carrying it towards the spare bedroom that he wasn't sure why he had, sensing that his probably-going-to-be apprentice had awakened. Knocking on the door with a short rap before entering he grinned as the kid groaned and tried to go back to sleep.
"Breakfast, kid," he greeted. "I need to tell you something, too."
"What?" Naruto mumbled, sitting up reluctantly and taking the plate from the older male.
"Konoha came yesterday," Edward began quietly. "Kakashi of the Sharingan and what looked like Squad Two. Kakashi of the Sharingan was the student of your biological father. Squad Two is famous for their tracking skills, despite their young age. It's been quite a while since I've seen a Konoha ninja."
"Did they try to get me?" Naruto inquired, voice nearly trembling. He was very nervous, Edward could tell.
"Yes." Edward took a deep breath. "Not only that, but our location here is no longer safe. As much as I regret leaving here, I'll think it will be a good idea to go back to the mainland near here to stay for a while until we can move to another country." The alchemist sighed. "You finished half of the books, right?"
"Y-yeah," Naruto replied, a tad confused. "Why are you asking?"
"If you've finished them, I can store them away. I don't want to carry a lot of stuff in a big bundle, so I'll use alchemy to make it smaller. If done carefully, even the smallest words on the pages should be preserved," Ed explained. "Until then, I need to get started on the library."
"Why not just leave everything unpacked?" the Kyūbi Jinchūriki asked. "Wouldn't it be easier?"
"I tend to stay in the same location for a long time," the older blond responded. "There's never been a need to move on short notice due to my seclusion, so I see no need to stay like I'm on the move. I haven't needed to do that since the Third Shinobi War, and a nasty one that was."
"The war that this village was destroyed in?" the Uzumaki questioned. "That wasn't that long ago, was it?"
"No, it wasn't," Edward confirmed, nodding. "Eat up and read something. I'm going to start compacting the library."
Naruto nodded and took a bite, chewing and swallowing.
(Section Break)
Kakashi bit his lip under his mask, not eager to hear the inevitable scolding and sadness from the Lord Yondaime when he returned with the bad news. He knew that the Lord Hokage was very much looking forward to seeing his lost son again, but Kakashi had a feeling in his gut that the Yondaime was hiding something. Not only that, but the believed traitor on Squad Two—was Akiyo his name?— slipped up and showed that he was a spy from Kirigakure. He wondered why the country battling with bloodline limits were spying on other villages as he dragged the tied-up traitor through the village. The man had a smirk on his face the whole time and Kakashi figured he'd end up committing suicide once thrown in jail. I probably would, too.
Kakashi sighed as the rest of Squad Two walked in a circle around the traitor. The silver-haired ninja waited patiently for the girl, Ayame, could jog ahead slightly so he could walk without hesitation. She gave a nervous smile that he returned absently with a small incline of his eye. The brunette breathed out in relief and turned around, trying to break up the crowd of civilians to let them through. Kakashi sighed again and looked towards the Kiri ninja. He was curious about the reasoning behind "Akiyo" going traitorous. The Lord Hokage'd figure it out, though. As the group approached the Hokage tower, the man let a small trickle of blood fall out of his mouth as he made eye contact with Kakashi. He let his lips stretch into a devious grin full of red with slightly crazed eyes before he fell forward, unconscious. Kakashi swore and rushed into the welcoming lobby, only showing the receptionist the dying ninja before rushing into the Lord Hokage's room. The Copy-Cat Ninja could sense the tension in the room as the ANBU stiffened and pulled out their weapons when he barged in, Squad Two following close behind. He threw the traitor on the ground and looked towards the slightly stunned leader of the village.
"He bit his tongue. He'll bleed out in a few minutes."
Minato nodded and quickly signaled for an ANBU to take him to a sanctioned hospital room. The ANBU, a female, bowed her head in acknowledgment before taking the ninja and forming a hand seal, disappearing in a swirl of leaves. The tension remained, diminished only slightly by the Yondaime's acceptance. "At ease," Minato commanded in a playful tone, sitting back down before turning serious. "He was a traitor, then?"
"Yes. From Kirigakure," Kakashi replied. "He was reporting to a ninja with a Kirigakure headband. I'm not sure of the purpose, but if he lives, it can be found out."
"Only with Inoichi, however," the Lord Hokage muttered. "And my son?"
"We did find his chakra signature, in the ruins of Uzushiogakure," Kakashi said sadly, bowing his head. "He was accompanied by a man who could have possibly taken him by force. The captain of Squad Two and I both attacked him, but he was using odd jutsu that could possibly be an unknown bloodline, which would explain why your son was so far underground. He fought with dual blades."
"And what did he look like?" Minato inquired, fingering his cloak nervously.
"The first time we arrived, I couldn't remember what the man looked like after we saw him," the silver-haired ninja answered. "From what I could tell, he had long hair that was pulled back. A bit short, possibly around sixteen or seventeen. He spoke with a wise tone, so he could be using a jutsu similar to Lady Tsunade's. He wore something dark blue or black; it was hard to see it. I couldn't sense his chakra. He also told us that, due to us compromising his location, he would leave."
Minato sighed in exhaustion, leaning back. "Any other defining features?"
"Golden eyes."
Minato suddenly sat up. "You're sure he was around sixteen?"
Kakashi blinked, then nodded. "May I ask why, Lord Hokage?"
"He sounds like someone I saw once, when I was much younger," Minato responded, lifting his nails to his lips before noticing his actions and putting his hand back down. "That couldn't be possible, though. What of his attacking style?"
"The captain could answer that a little better. He was observing through the most of it and my Sharingan wasn't of much use other than following his movements," the Sharingan user said, gesturing towards the slightly startled man behind him.
"Go ahead then," the blond requested, looking towards the brown-haired man.
"The enemy was using two swords in an unknown style that seemed mostly reliant on flexibility and strength. He also was able to clap his hands together in a position similar to that of a person praying before slamming them on the floor, allowing him to attain his swords out of the ground." The brown-haired captain stopped before continuing. "He also seemed very bloodthirsty. I could tell he wanted to kill Kakashi, but restrained himself. It is possible he is mentally unstable, as he didn't appear like this at all before the two of us came into his underground cavern. Not only this, but using the same prayer-like position, he was able to push his hands against the wall and seal off all of the exits. It is possible he is a skilled Earth user or is using a kekkei genkai, otherwise known as a bloodline limit."
"You're sure of this?" the Namikaze queried, tone slightly shaking. This is too familiar.
"I am absolutely positive, Lord Hokage," the captain replied evenly, bowing his head and stepping back.
Minato dragged his teeth across his lip. "Cat, please notify the intelligence division that there is a man out there who may possibly not be able to age. Ask them to gather as much information as possible on the man. If he lived on Uzushiogakure, he must have come to the port town nearby to get supplies. Have them send over a team to my office for information gathering. That is all. You are excused, Squad Two. Payment for this mission will be delivered to your bank accounts. Do not speak of this mission to anyone, and if they ask, please tell them that it got complicated and is now classified."
Squad Two nodded confusedly before bowing and leaving, minds swirling.
"Kakashi," Minato said, turning to face his former student, "I thank you for your work on this mission. As sad as I am that my son is still missing, we at least know where he is. I will not be contacting you about this mission again. Please wait until another mission comes up. Payment will be delivered to your house by a Chūnin. Ask him for the seal before accepting anything. If a ninja from Kirigakure of all places can get in, I have no doubts that other ninja are also spying in on the village. You're dismissed."
Kakashi nodded and took his leave. I was not expecting that. Did Natsuki or Miss Kushina cause something to occur while I was gone? The Copy-Cat Ninja shrugged. Not my business.
(Section Break)
Edward breathed out in relief as he packed away the last box of small books. There was only three in all, pretty good, if he said so himself, for condensing an entire library the size of his house when he was a child. He yawned and made his way to the kitchen for another coffee. The golden-eyed man walked through the house, his feet making a soft thunk as they went through the candle-lit stone hallways. He was sad to leave behind his home of twenty years, but figured that once in the port town he could live in a rental apartment for a while. Speaking of which, Ed thought, pouring room-temperature water into a kettle for boiling, I need to find that island again.
Snapping his fingers, he made a small noise of lazy disbelief as he saw himself use the same method his commanding officer used to light fires. The alchemist sighed as he waited for the kettle to boil, not wanting to bother with anything other than coffee. He yawned again and used the leftover ground beans from earlier that morning when the kettle started boiling. Sipping the black liquid in content, he looked towards the vague direction of the room his guest was in. Might as well start, yes?
Edward chuckled bitterly at his own vagueness. With the condition of his training, that is.
(Section Break)
Gaara held his head in discontent as the afternoon came. His mother hadn't shut up and left him alone and it was causing him quite the headache. That, and he wasn't sure why his father had ordered him and his siblings to Konohagakure. Besides, he wasn't allowed to "prove his existence" here and, if he said so himself, that was completely unacceptable. What was the point of "living" if he couldn't actually exist, if he couldn't feel himself slowly being chipped away as he killed someone? The boy let his face drop into an emotionless expression before lifting his head and gazing out into the cheerful village. He muttered something inaudible under his breath before standing up from his seat on the roof. Letting Mother's sand take him back inside, he stepped down from the platform it had created. The Jinchūriki then walked over to the window, letting the light wind blow into his face. He heard the light treading of his sister behind him, but didn't move.
"Gaara?" Temari asked softly. He said nothing in answer, but listened. "Master Baki said that we'll be leaving tomorrow. He said that Konohagakure was getting suspicious of our presence. If you would like, we could go out for dinner tonight."
Temari bit her lip as she waited for his response. She'd tried desperately for ages to get her brother to open up to her. The wind-user really did want to help him, but she wasn't sure how. Eventually, she just decided to do little things like a family in hopes that he wouldn't become a monster like the stories of previous Jinchūriki had forbade. Her eyes widened slightly as he inclined his head ever-so-slightly. Her mouth broke out into a smile. "Tonight, then," she concluded before leaving quickly. I wonder if Konohagakure has had an effect on him. It's a shame that we're here for such awful motives, although I'm not quite sure what they are.
(Section Break)
"We're leaving tomorrow morning, kid," Edward said as the younger boy entered the kitchen-like room. "You feel up to it?"
"Health-wise, sure," Naruto answered. "You said you had something to tell me?"
"Yeah," Ed replied, leaning against the stone counter. "Kurama probably told you to come to me for the sickness you had, right?" He waited for Naruto to nod his head. "He also probably told you that I'd train you, right?"
Naruto paused before nodding. "Yeah, he said something about that."
Edward grinned. "Is it safe to assume that you believed him?"
"Well, yes," Naruto responded, shifting a little bit. "Was he...wrong?"
"No, not really," the golden-haired man said. "However, there are several conditions in which I have that you must fulfill if you want to learn from me. I'm older than Kurama there—I'm not going to teach you for no reason. The other people I've taught before you have always messed up, so I'm being very strict on you, got it?"
Naruto nodded again. "What are the conditions?"
"Use it only in self-defense. Never start the fight using what I can teach you." Edward paused, looking towards the demon container. "Don't be foolish and not obey the laws of the subject. That'll bite you very, very hard. Always use common sense and don't show it off. Also," Ed continued, "you have to confront your family."
There was another pause. "My family?" the blonde queried, downcast. "Why my family?"
"Even if you don't like it, you have their blood inside of you," the alchemist replied. "Currently, I'll train you so you are strong enough and mature enough to understand the mistakes you've made leading up to this point. Once you can understand them fully, you will go back to confront your family. It does not matter if you hate them. By confronting them, you can even kill them. Whatever you do at that point is your own choice. You should find your own solution. I can't just tell you to forgive them. We both know you probably won't."
(Section Break)
In response to Peter Kim: I believe it's called Alkahestry. I've already decided the plot and the whole thing about Alkahestry is kind of a plot thing so you'll see when it comes up, yes? Sorry for not being able to answer :(
In response to Guest: Well, yeah, but I want to reply to everyone...D: Yeah, I figured that it was pretty obvious, but my dearest advisor thought naught. And RuneScape was a very addicting game. Too bad I only got about 100 quest points in the long hours I spent. (Then again, I fudged up two of my old accounts that were higher level, so...) But, you know, they had an update called The Evolution of Combat and everything's so different! It's weird.
Crap, I'm tired. RuneScape is so much more fun than I remember! (I'm running on adrenaline right now god why is it so weird feeling)
No excuse for being late. Basically, my stomach hurt and school sucks and spring break is next week and I'm sad and my mouth hurts and ow. That and my RuneScape clan is very addicting :p Be happy I decided not to just put this off until next week and instead upload Molten. (I actually don't have any words for this weekend's Molten, so I guess it worked out...?)
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.