Five Months Later
"Very good, Kagami!" Chiriku proudly declared as Kagami moved green glowing hands over his scratched up fist from his recent spar with Kagami himself. "You've really improved on that, to an almost unusual degree."
The boy looked up from his treatment. "I enjoy it, the task of healing others. It is soothing, and gives me a purpose."
"Well, if purpose is what you are looking for, healing gives you a perpetual purpose." He gestured to Sora, who was being healed by their irritable healer Din. Sora was complaining, as he typically did while being healed. They shared a laugh... and then everything went to hell. Sora's complaining turned into a scream, piercing and vast, and a wealth of red chakra erupted from his body, sending Din flying back as a crater formed. The chakra oozed malice and rage, hate and violence. It was haunting...and familiar. "Kagami back, you can't-"
And Kagami drowned out the man as he rushed towards his first friend, and he pierced the veil of chakra easily. It did not hurt him, instead it filled him sank into his cells and lingered in the edges of his soul. He reached Sora, who was still screaming in agony, and put his hands on him. The chakra shifted, and instead of bursting outwards, shot through their connection, consuming Kagami's very essence... until Sora stopped screaming, stopped breathing...
Stopped living...
Horrified, Kagami went to heal his friend, his only friend, but found himself unable to focus and memories came flooding in...
Millions of memories of hateful eyes, in a distant village of Ninja. The Four faces of the Hokage staring down with unfair judgement. The abusive machinations of a pink haired girl, the bored laziness of an apathetic teacher... the betray of a teammate, and his near death at his hands. Fighting a fellow that controlled Sand, commiserating over their shared trauma... so many things, millions of memories, but none more potent than a name...
Naruto.
'That used to be my name... Naruto Uzumaki.'
And with that name came a weight unlike any other. Of false dreams, terrible senseis in that idiot Jiraiya and so much else...
And then darkness exploded in Kagami's mind as the weight overwhelmed all that he was, and a new being was born. Of Kagami and Naruto, warring between identities...
He awoke, seemingly hours later as Night had fallen, with Chiriku next to him. "So, you've awakened... what happened, Kagami?"
"He had Kyuubi's chakra in him, my ties to Naruto Uzumaki meant that I was a better vessel, so it went through me ... taking his life force as well." His knowledge of sealing and healing kicked in, the answer forming in an obvious way.
The man froze. "How do you ... who are you?"
"I am a clone, created by an accident... Naruto, my original form, entered a seemingly empty compound of Orochimaru. He was bitten by something with an experimental cursed seal. It transferred, and the mutagenic properties of the seal's compounds mixed with his DNA created me when Kyuubi's overwhelming chakra pushed it out. The energy form Kyuubi, containing so much power, empowered the DNA mixture to create a clone. Sharing Naruto's physical make up, I share his physical memories. All of them, though they lay dormant until I took in Kyuubi's memories... I remember being born, I remember the feeling of being expelled, it hurt, it was searing agony. I remember growing at a superhuman pace, Naruto once healed from having a hand driven into his chest. That was a goddess' touch in comparison... no... the trauma must have sealed off what I was, and now I know."
The man nodded. "And who are you, Naruto or Kagami?"
"Kagami, I am the new being, Naruto's memories lack love or emotion. I much prefer Kagami, I am responsible, intelligent, driven and mature. Mostly I am happy, and Naruto so rarely was. He never made his own happiness, and I refuse to fall into his patterns."
"You cannot stay here, not anymore, the other monks barely tolerated Sora, and they now are terrified of you."
He sighed. "At least I have the skills to survive... Thank you, for having me, for caring for me, for being better to me than anyone was Naruto. Can you not reveal this to the Leaf, where Naruto is from, for my safety and his?"
Chiriku sighed. "That much I can do... we burned Sora's body a few hours ago, I am sad to say you missed that. Would like his ashes?"
"Please... I will bury him around the world he never got the chance to see..."
"I will see you supplied, and then you must be off in the morning. For what little it's worth, I am sorry Kagami... you would have made an amazing Monk."
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a joy to write.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.