I can't believe how long I've been thinking about this arc, without deciding what to put in it. It's this kinda carefree attitude that causes those downward spirals. Well, I've got it in check so it should be fine. That new style I mentioned should be pretty prominent here now that I've warmed up. And just a little piece of side info; I'm practicing a certain element which may or may not show up in this story at some point. At least some of you know what that means.
Disclaimer: Well, lets see what the explanation is the manga release tonight? Wish I could say I'm excited, but that last reveal was actually of little surprise.
Each wave a promise, a new hope reborn
The smell of salt carried through the air, drifting aimlessly with the cool wind. The blue sky was merely a backdrop for the transient clouds that drifted across its steady canvas. There were no sounds of life, no birds in the sky to make themselves known. Only the waves of the iridescent sea, and the fluttering of the sails invoked the sense of the ears.
Naruto listened to this soothing melody as he lay on the deck of the yacht, his hands behind his head as Eko lay beside him. The peace of the area washed through his restful body, taking away his energy like a siren's song. He could feel the boat rocking over the slight waves below, and tried to imagine what it was like to be an infant once more. The innocence of that time… had he ever known it?
He could feel Takaito's eyes upon him, even if he couldn't see the old sailor. The two of them had spent quite a bit of time talking earlier; Naruto had gained his share of laughs. But now the seafarer couldn't help but smile as he recognised the look that his passenger was wearing. To anyone who was alone at sea, you couldn't help but lose something. It was up to the person what they lost though. Some people lost their minds, sure. But to people like him, and supposedly Naruto, the only thing they could lose was themselves to nature.
"Nice place to be, lost at sea, eh?" he asked, speaking in a rhyme that had often gone through his head. He was certainly living up to Naruto's impression of him, but naturally he knew nothing of it. He earned a smile from the resting boy, and took that as enough of an answer. He turned his head back to the bow and studied his horizon, seeing something that always disappointed him a little. "We're not too far from land; I'd give it about a half hour."
Naruto, who had gotten caught up in the sea, lifted his head slightly as if expecting to see proof of this from where he lay. Of course it didn't work out like that, but the action itself was enough to get him moving again. Lifting himself to his feet, he made his way over to join Takaito at the wheel. He looked over to the place that was apparently his destination, taking the view in silently. At first he saw nothing at all, but then the thin strip of land came into view. He had to hand it to Takaito, even his own trained eyes had been beaten by whatever knowledge the old man possessed.
"So how long do you imagine you'll be staying there?" Takaito asked, without looking up from the wheel. Though he had never come to this island himself, he had already memorised the sea chart and was turning the wheel accordingly to avoid any of the unseen dangers. This part of the sea was notorious for whirlpools of all sizes, even if there were no big ones nearby there was a risk of getting pulled off course. "In case there's no one who'll bring you back?"
Naruto gave this some thought; it wasn't surprising he hadn't already done so. For what he was coming here for… it was unlikely that this was going to be over quickly. But for how long, he couldn't say for sure. "I don't know." he replied, deciding that figuring it out was pointless. "You'll stick around for a while right? How about I find out then get back to you on it?"
"Alright, let's do it like that then."
Naruto nodded gratefully, before turning back and hopping down to the place he had left Eko. He lifted the blade up and sat on the bench running around the boat, resting his weapon on his lap. "I haven't been here in… damn if I know how long." the blade mused, as he tugged at faint strings of nostalgia resting deep within. "The blacksmith… what was his name? I wonder if that guy's still around. From what I remember, he'd probably be mad as hell to see me."
"You think he'd recognise you?" Naruto asked, letting out a faint chuckle. What would happen when they met whoever was on that island? Was there anyone left who even knew about the seven swords? Neither Naruto nor the Ekokaeten could answer that question, though both of them hoped that it was the case. And then there was the Uzumaki… did that name still exist, or was Naruto the last remaining one? The questions continued to rise up inside him, until he could think of only one thing to say. "Hey ojiisan, can you go any faster?"
The old man laughed in reply.
Not ten minutes later the boat pulled into port, a small harbour that seemed like it had seen better days. Nothing more than a couple of fishing boats were in tow, it seemed like Takaito really was Naruto's only ticket out of here. Along the walkway ahead a couple of the islanders stopped to look at the new arrival, watching with looks of clear surprise. The boat hadn't even come to a stop before Naruto stepped off it, his blade in place on his back. He looked around the place with a positive smile, feeling in a remarkably better mood than when the island had first come into view.
"I'll drop by later ojiisan!" he called, waving behind him as he ran along the pier. The sounds of his footsteps hitting the sodden wood were welcome compared to the monotonous noises he had almost gotten accustomed to on the boat. Whichever way he looked at it, sitting tight like that definitely wasn't something he enjoyed. To compensate for his built up energy, he ran towards the two people working at the harbour, and elderly woman and a middle aged man. "Hoi! Could you give me directions?"
The man and woman looked at each other, both unsure about what to make of this bizarre looking stranger. Visitors almost never came to this island, preferring the larger ones instead. Taking into consideration the giant sword the boy possessed, they certainly couldn't guess his intentions. "Erm… you sure you've come to the right place son?" asked the man, clearly thinking that Naruto had come to the wrong place. "There isn't much here for anyone to be dropping by for, you know?"
But Naruto was of course certain of his location. Even Eko confirmed it, recognising the scenery even if his memories were faint. He gave a strong nod that confirmed it, but that just made the two islanders more uncertain. "I'm looking for a guy, a blacksmith by the name of "Uzumaki"." he said, hoping that his search wouldn't be too difficult. Unfortunately, the reaction of the two islanders indicated otherwise.
"A blacksmith named Uzumaki…" the man muttered, slipping his hands into a folded position as his eyes squinted a little. More than being unfamiliar to the name, he seemed to grow uneasy from hearing it. The older woman emulated the same, looking to the man with a troubled look. The two of them made Naruto feel unsettled, even Eko was waiting to be told they were mistaken. "That's got to be wrong right? Who in their right minds would come all this way to visit Takumi-san?"
"That's it!" Eko cried, causing Naruto to start a little. The sudden vigour of the blade was unmistakable; it felt almost like he was vibrating in excitement. Of course, finding out he was right could do that, but it left Naruto in a vulnerable position for suddenly looking over his shoulder. The islanders were giving him confused looks, which wouldn't make them any more helpful. "Uzumaki Takumi, no doubt about it!"
Invigorated by Eko's confidence, Naruto looked back to the man and the woman with a matching face. "Do you know where I could find him?" he asked, his hands unconsciously curling into fists. Though the look in his eyes made the islanders wary, he knew he would have to find out as soon as possible. Takaito wouldn't wait for him forever. "I have to find him as soon as possible."
The man and woman both looked at each other, but decided that Naruto was certain with his decision. They muttered quietly to each other, their words almost impossible to make out behind their covered lips. Once they'd apparently settled, they dropped their hands and looked at Naruto again. "Well, we can't tell you where he is at this moment." the man confessed, hoping this unpredictable stranger wouldn't take his words in a bad way. "You see… Takumi-san has disappeared."
Naruto froze, staring at the man in shock. That was the last thing he had expected to hear, and also the last thing he wanted to hear. It would have been fine if this Takumi person had moved, but to disappear was something else altogether. "What are you saying?" he asked, looking between the pair with a defined frown that Eko would have shared had he the capacity. "How does someone disappear on an island?"
"Oh oh oh, it's not like that dear!" the woman hurriedly replied, speaking up for the first time. It seemed she hadn't planned on speaking at all, judging by the sudden look of surprise and the way her hand raised to her mouth. Realising it was too late to back down now however, she regretfully continued. "Takumi-san often leaves his workplace unannounced; it can be a bit of a bother sometimes. He may be gone for a while, perhaps even days if you're unlucky!"
Her words didn't exactly relax Naruto, he wasn't sure he had a week to kill just waiting for this guy. From the looks of things he would have to go looking himself, but at least he now had a lead to go on. "Can you tell me where his workplace is?" he asked, trying to seem as unthreatening as he possibly could. "It's real important that I find him, I need his help with something that can't really wait. Do you get what I'm saying?"
It seemed for a moment that neither of them did. But neither of them wanted to be held up by him any longer, and he hardly seemed like the sort of person who would stay patient forever. The man stepped around Naruto, before pointing to a path that led up a hill and into the woods. "Well… first you have to make your way through there." he said, before he lightly gestured to the right. "Then take the turning along that way…"
It was a lonesome building, far from the company of the rest of the island. A small stonework building with a tall iron chimney, looking like time had really done a number on it. It was this building that Naruto now entered, stepping through the door-less entrance into the place that would give him some much needed answers to his oft asked questions.
A raven flew past, its midnight wings hitting Naruto's cheek as it screamed by. But Naruto didn't start; he had other things to focus on right now. He looked around the crumbled forge; everything was covered in a layer of soot. Could anyone even work in a place like this? It didn't seem to be the case. But from what those two back at the pier had told him, this was where Uzumaki Takumi did his work.
"Now what?" Naruto asked, thinking aloud. Though he knew he should be looking for clues to find this Takumi guy, considering the state this place was in that would be no easy task. He walked in deeper, peering through the pitch black shadows that stirred under the sound of his footsteps. He could see faint signs, gouges in the walls and floor. But the dirt encrusting them told of a struggle that was by no means recent. If anything had happened here, it had been long ago.
"This place… it's so weird." Eko murmured, as he gazed at the place he had been created. It wasn't something any human could understand, the feeling that this was the first place he was truly aware. To remember the day he was born, was it something that could be envied, or pitied? If there was even an answer to that question, Eko couldn't find it. Nut there was something else he found, something that quietened him even further. "I'm picking something up… the stairs."
It took him a moment, but Naruto managed to find the place Eko was referring to. A doorway to a small set of stairs lay hidden between a pair of worn cabinets. The darkness was complete down there; Naruto knew he would need to rely on his other senses if he was going in such a direction. So he carefully made his way over there, stepping into the tight corridor.
It was just a floor down, but when he reached the bottom Naruto really got the sense of being underground. There wasn't a shred of light to speak of, not even shadows existed down here. But Naruto had enough spatial awareness to make his way around, feeling blindly and taking each step as if he were walking on a bridge of paper. He knew he would find nothing like this, but short of an explosive tag he had no means of creating light. He only had one real option, and hoped it would be enough. He formed his seals and drew in a breath, before activating the Jutsu known as Biju Resonance Call. Then he let out a sharp whistle, his eyes closed tight as he watched for the effects to take place.
It was like an electrical current surged through the area, red sparks glimmered across the back of his eyes as the place he looked was given a vague outline. He looked around, but only got a slight idea of what he was seeing. However something managed to catch his notice. In one place, the sparks ascended up the stairs he had come down. And in another, they continued down a passage that looked suspiciously like a tunnel. "Well… I don't remember that." Eko commented, as he too studied the tunnel in interest. Since Naruto and Eko's chakra were synchronised together, Eko too benefited the effects of the Jutsu.
Taking that as a sign, Naruto made his way over to that tunnel. The sparks had already faded and he was acting on pure memory. But it was enough for now, it was the only option they had right now. He bowed his head as he climbed into the tunnel, feeling the cold earth walls with his hands. This tunnel had been dug out a long time ago, judging by the wooden supports his hands brushed across. Hopefully these meant he was safe from a cave in. Gaara had been concerned that Naruto would get lost at see, burying himself on an obscure island seemed even stupider somehow.
It was agonising how long this tunnel was taking. Naruto couldn't run like this no matter how much he wanted to. He had no way pf knowing which twists and turns the tunnels would take, using the Resonance Call repeatedly was harmful to his eyes. So like with most things he did, he moved on blindly in the hope he wasn't making a grave mistake. It wouldn't be the first time, after all.
He travelled like that for quite a while, feeling his way through the dark. But soon the smell of the sea came back to him, and the sound of crashing waves told him he was coming out somewhere. It was the light that came last of all, a brilliant white unfiltered by whatever lay out there. Though it would take a few minutes, the sight along filled Naruto with enough energy to push him into continuing on.
Suddenly he paused, frowning at another sound which almost blended in with the crashing waves. It was a roar that fitted with the rolling surf to the point of almost disappearing. But he just managed to catch it. It was the bellow of a man, a sound of rage and hunger that had Naruto starting for a second. But then there came another sound, one that didn't fit quite so well. "TALK YOU BASTARD!" yelled a voice, before a loud thud was heard. Uncertainty filled Naruto as he began moving again, deciding to investigate the source of this strange disturbance. He hurried his movements and the light grew, the purity of sight contradicting the bitterness of sound.
He finally escaped the depths of the cave, climbing out into a broad opening that made him stop in wonder. Wherever he was, he had no idea. It seemed he was in a massive indent to the form of the island, where all that was there were rocks. This place opened out to the foamy sea, water washing in and out as it slowly receded with the tide. Here the sounds of grunts and roars had grown to a dissonant harmony with the thunder of the sea, unfitting while at the same time belonging nowhere better. But the source of these sounds were still out of sight, hidden somewhere up ahead.
Naruto stepped through the snowy path, the stones such a brilliant shade of white one could be fooled into thinking they were in the midst of winter. The spraying foam from the ocean made this image all the more vivid, until certainty leant further towards it than reality. The crunch of each step was marred only by the density of the smooth stones, forcing the truth that little bit more upon Naruto. At the very least, it was cold.
The voices stopped. Naruto paused, but the grunts and groans had subsided without warning. The only sounds were the waves, and that last step Naruto took over the tiny rocks. For some reason, Eko was passing on an unspoken tension to Naruto, one that made the boy's ears prick up and listen out for the slightest sound. He still didn't know what those voices were, and he was beginning to think he didn't want to.
Then there was a sound, a low growl that seemed almost inhuman to Naruto. It was guttural, like some sort of dying rattle. Naruto listened to it, but it was indiscernible, no words formed from it. But then he realised, that it was discernable. In fact, what that bestial voice spoke was something familiar, infallibly so. The voice breathed "Eeekooo… kae… TENNN!"
Naruto instinctively grabbed hold of Eko's hilt, moving into a stance as he listened out for any further reaction. How could it be, how could someone have known about Eko? Moreover, what would happen as a result? Deciding not to put off answers unnecessarily; Naruto pulled the giant blade out and ran towards the source of the noise. The snowy pebbles scattered under his footsteps, all attempts to mask his noise disappeared. He tore around the wall of stone and raised his blade, facing the-
"What?" Naruto and Eko thought in unison, as their attentions locked on the grotesque figure before him. Something that looked disgustingly like some sort of hybrid of a fish and a bear was chained to the wall of rock, snarling at them with sharp, foaming teeth. It was dressed like a man, but in rags that no longer gave any indication of colour or style. But those things were no matter; the thing itself was a shocking sight.
He was a man, that much was certain now. But if not for his volatile attempts to break free of his bonds, he would have appeared as one of the dead. His grey skin held a faint blue tinge to it, his veins distinct and clear. His yellowing eyes were marked with red, evil stars leering out from amidst the walls of greying hair, and a beard so thick most of his chest lay hidden. The sight of this overweight, misshapen person would have turned Naruto's stomach, if not for the sudden sense of danger he received.
In an instant Eko was raised into the air, blocking the attacks that had come from above. He couldn't see his assailant's face behind Eko's form, but judging from the shape behind the ragged vest and jeans, it was a man who had attacked him, and a strong one at that. Wasting no time, Naruto pushed himself back to a better position, readying himself to take on this swift opponent of his. But to his shock, the enemy was already upon him, risking his own neck by ducking underneath the edge of Eko. He then brought his arms up in a sudden slash, cutting both of Naruto's with the small blades he wielded.
Naruto was shocked by the daringness of this enemy, and the pain of the attack forced him to drop Eko. But the cuts weren't deep enough to seriously wound him, and he was primed for a counterattack. Without wasting time to gather chakra, he threw his fists together into his enemy's chest. This attack, coming from someone capable of picking up a sword like the Ekokaeten, immediately stunned his enemy. But Naruto followed up with a knee thrust to the stomach, before ending with a sweeping kick that floored his opponent.
The rest was protocol. In the same movement Naruto pulled out his kunai and pinned his enemy's arms with his legs. The blade was against the attacker's neck even before Naruto had gotten a look at the guy. But now that he was down, Naruto had all the view he wanted. "Damn it… a Shinobi." grunted a man who was probably just past his middle ages. His sharp blue eyes locked onto Naruto's, looking over his heavily hooked nose to the blond boy. He had a look of discontent on his face, his curled lip and averted look showed that well. "This is pointless then. Get off me."
Naruto hesitated, as anyone in his case would have. But the pain of the way he landed on this guy had caused him to drop his blades, and Naruto was suitably prepared to put him down if the need be. He rose to his feet and stepped back, putting his kunai away and picking Eko up off the ground. Meanwhile, his attacker sat up, rolling his shoulders as he studied Naruto.
Naruto returned the gesture, glancing over the duck tail hairstyle and the thick sideburns, both of which were a deep shade of red hinted with flecks of silver. He had a worn face, like a sculpture made by a moody artist. His well built torso and oil stained clothes each gave Naruto a suspicious idea, one that he had little evidence to back up. "Are you Uzumaki Takumi?"
The red haired man looked up at Naruto with suspicious eyes, slipping his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter, before doing the obvious and lighting up. "Yeah, so what?" he asked, in a gruff voice. He gripped the cigarette tight between his teeth, keeping a strong hold on the only source of calm he had. Between this and the task he had been going at, he seemed to have a lot of pent up aggression. "You've got that sword. So you're one of the seven. What the fuck do you want?"
As violent as their meeting had been, Naruto felt a strange sense of relief. So this was the guy who would give him answers. But from the looks of things, only some of those questions would earn a reply. He knew he'd have to be careful if he wanted this situation to stay peaceful, more peaceful than their meeting at least. "I got sent here by another of the seven." he replied, trying to sound aloof without seeming like he didn't care. He gestured over to the blade on his shoulders, noticing that Eko was still wary about this guy. "Something to do with the sword, but I don't know what the deal is."
Uzumaki Takumi let out a sarcastic chuckle, taking his cigarette between his fingers and flicking the ash aside. He looked at the feral figure behind him, wearing a cruel smirk on his chapped lips. "Hey old man, feeling nostalgic?" he asked, goading the imprisoned husk of a human being into snarling again. Then he sat back, resting his arm on the boulder that lay beside him. "You wanna know what the deal is huh? Well I'll tell you what the deal is."
Naruto gave Takumi a serious stare, his feelings mixed in a chasm of uncertainty. Just who was this person, and that one behind him? This guy who could look so relaxed after slicing another man's arms open. Luckily the bleeding had already stopped, but that was hardly the point. Takumi had given up as soon as he realised Naruto was a Shinobi. That meant he wasn't. So where the hell did that bloodlust come from?
Takumi drew on his cigarette again, letting out the ethereal cloud of smoke in a blissful wave. He allowed himself only a moment of this, before flicking the nicotine stick into the sea. Almost immediately he was serious again, looking at Naruto with a glare that seemed to come naturally to the ravaged man. "The problem with those blades, is that they exist." he said, leaning forward to let Naruto see his darkened expression. He then raised his hand, poking the air with each word he came to speak. "Don't misunderstand. What I want is to take that sword, and the other of the seven, and send those things straight back to hell."
