Thank FUCK I managed to get this chapter out at last, I could not get into it at all! See this is what happens when you only plan the end result, but not how to get there. Piece of advice to all you writers out there, the middle is always closer than the end, so pay more attention to that for now. And so that I don't end on a condescending note, I'll make sure you all know that I kept my word and this chapter is over 5000 words long to make up for the lateness!
Disclaimer: Urgh... I'm running out of series to use for my "one page one episode" rule. I'm spending way too much time trying to find decent manga and anime.
Taking time out to create his own war
The ocean waves crashed in the background, a booming orchestra adding to the tension in the air. Naruto felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if a spirit was bearing down on him. He watched as Takumi settled down next to the captive man, resting his neck against the fat, bloated arm. The prisoner paid him not the slightest bit of interest, his beady eyes fixed upon the Ekokaeten with a deep hunger that unsettled even the sword.
Takumi chuckled at his captive's growl, taking some sort of bitter pleasure from it. He rested his arm on his knee as he watched Naruto through the eyes of a coyote. "From the look on your face, I doubt you know a damn thing about those swords." he said, eying the blade much like his "friend" did. "That stupid expression, you probably haven't even spared it a moment's thought, am I right?"
Naruto's brow twitched in annoyance, an insincere grin appearing on his face. This guy was really asking for it, and Naruto was becoming less and less reluctant to give it to him. Why the hell did he need the help of such an asshole? "It's not like there was a manual left in that cave." he replied, unable to hide the feelings in his voice. "The hell you expect me to know anything?"
He was met with a look of irritating amusement as Takumi smirked at him. The old blacksmith slipped his arm around the back of his prisoner's neck, the crazed man's snarl raising a semitone at best. "You're not gonna tell me to apologise for that are you?" he asked, leering at Naruto with the arrogance of someone who clearly thought little of those around him. "All right then, how about we make a deal? First I'll tell you a couple of things about those blades… then we'll have a real fight to decide that sword's fate. That sound reasonable?"
Of course it didn't, few things could sound more suspicious. But it wasn't like Naruto had a choice; he doubted intimidation would get him very far against this man. If he wanted to find whatever it was Kisame had sent him here for, he had to get this guy to willingly comply at almost any cost. "I guess I'm all ears then." he said, as he removed Eko from his back and took a seat on the cold stones. With the sword resting beside him, and his chin propped on his hand, Naruto stared as he awaited his promised explanation. "So what's up with wanting to destroy them and stuff?"
He felt his neck sprayed with foam from the sea, cooling down his heated head. Takumi let out a faint, cynical chuckle suggesting he had all the cards in his hands. "Looks like you can be a good boy when you want." he goaded, his laugh turning into a low cough that by no means detracted him from the moment. He gave a sigh and looked up at the ceiling, relaxing once again as he wore a look of nostalgia. "Back when I was a brat, about your age, I lived nowhere near the glamorous life of wholesale slaughter that you probably enjoy. I was just an apprentice blacksmith, working for my dear, sweet master here." he pulled his captive's head in and gave him a rough kiss to the beard. His apparent master tried to gnaw Takumi's face off, but his lack of neck prohibited that. "I had no idea he'd been commissioned by some Shinobi to make some special weapons. The bastard kept that under his hat, playing me like a fool.
"Thing is, even when it came back to bite him in the ass he didn't show a second of remorse, did you buddy?" Takumi continued, lightly slapping his master's cheek and almost losing his fingers in the process. "He was mad as hell when those swords turned on him, but once he was bandaged up he got right back to it. Unfortunately for him his employer had disappeared, and he was left with only half assed methods. You could say that's the reason he's like this now."
Naruto had shifted position since Takumi had started talking. Now he sat with his arms folded, and his eyes as narrow as the mind of a hungry boar, with the intelligence to match. "I don't get what you're saying." he said, causing Takumi to glance over to him in surprise. For a moment he had actually forgotten Naruto was there, he was so caught up in reminiscing. He watched as Naruto raised his hand, pointing to the deranged blacksmith chained to the wall. "So… that's the guy who made the swords? And what the hell are you talking about, employer disappearing? Why should I care?"
It seemed the situation was now reversed, as Takumi put on a dangerous grin that had much greater effect than Naruto's earlier one. He unhooked his arm from his master's shoulder and leaned in close to look at Naruto, letting him see all the teeth in his mouth. "The reason you should care, is because that sword of yours is unfinished." he explained, taking sour delight in the stunned look that appeared on Naruto's face. He could only tell that this look would increase as the story went on, and so his urge to continue grew further. "Each of those swords possess desires, if it's hunger, bloodlust, pride, whatever the fuck they've got. You know why this is? Heh heh heh heh, of course you don't. Each of those swords... has a human soul inside them!"
The air grew tense, the silence that came disrupted only by the chained master's barks. Slowly, Naruto and Eko's attentions turned to each other. Both of them shared the same thoughts, but neither could form words to go with them. They just stared silently, unable to utter the slightest response. "Of course, the Ekokaeten was the last of the seven to be created." Takumi continued, attracting the bewildered attention of his audience back to him. "This may be tough for you to understand, being a moron and all, but this Shinobi who hired boss man here had a pretty special trick. I don't have the slightest idea how he did it, but that sword beside you is proof enough. Pity is, the guy vanished before he could kill of enough of the soul inside that sword to keep what was needed. Of course, there's that and other things."
The silent look on Naruto's face caused Takumi's smirk to fade away. Within moments his dark look was back, as if his past was the only thing that shed some kind of cruel, twisted light upon his mind. He lifted himself up to his feet and dug his hand into his pocket, watching as Naruto did the same. "That's enough talk, let's get down to the real stuff." he said, as he took something small enough to stay hidden in his clenched fist. "I suggest you put that sword somewhere out of reach, he'll only go for it."
Naruto did a double take, glancing at Takumi's hand before looking at it again. The blacksmith held not a weapon of any sort, but a key. When he turned towards his master and made for the locks to the chains, Naruto realised that it wasn't Takumi he'd be fighting. "Wait a minute, what's going on?" he demanded, as he quickly grabbed hold of Eko. The blade was barely aware of what was going on, understandably so. "I don't get it, what're you doing?"
"No sword, and none of those ninja tricks either." Takumi replied, taking a step back from his master. One of the chains was unlocked, and the deranged prisoner was already lashing out not at Takumi, but for the Ekokaeten. Naruto hesitated, rightfully. It wasn't just that bound guy who wanted the sword, it was Takumi too. But if those were his conditions, then there were no two ways about it.
While Takumi headed for the second lock, Naruto jumped back to the tide. The water was too volatile for him to stand upon, but fortunately it was shallow. "Hey, Naruto, what're you doing?" Eko protested, unaware of the situation from his thoughts. Naruto didn't give an answer; his eyes were focused on the earth wall above. It took some quick thinking, but then Naruto pulled the blade back and hurled it with all his might. Eko called out in shock, but soon disappeared over the tip of the small cliff above. With the great sword out of the way, Naruto hurried back to dry land.
"Good boy." Takumi said, as he paused by the lock, with the key already inside. His master was failing after Naruto, not even glancing at his old student. "Here're the conditions. You beat this thing bare handed, you win. You die, you lose. Got it?" he asked, without waiting for an answer. With a flick of his wrist his prisoner was free, and he stepped out of the way. Perching himself on a tall rock, he readied himself for what he knew would come, and what Naruto could guess.
The slobbering master lumbered from his bonds, his husky breath slipping out from his decaying throat. The chains of his shackles dragged across the stones like rain on metal, an incessant rattling that followed his slow and disharmonious body. For someone that had shown so much vigour, it seemed like he had forgotten quite how to move. But that didn't stop the cold thirst in his eyes, the only thing he needed to go on. He snarled with each step, his sharp teeth filthy and rancid.
His steps were slow and short, but his resolve was strong. He staggered towards Naruto limply, his snarls rising in pitch as he steadily quickened his movements. He was like a wounded bear, enraged and craving his kill. The sweat secreting from his repulsive body mingled with his bloodlust, both the scent and feeling were decisively inhuman. Naruto didn't wish to look upon this disgusting thing any longer, and so he closed the distance in just a few steps, before throwing his fist into the master's swollen stomach.
The walking corpse stayed on his feet, lurching over from Naruto's punch. But he disobeyed all the results that should have been shown. He wasn't taken off the ground, nor did he make any sound of pain. The wayward Shinobi was shocked, how could something like this be so unaffected by his strength? But then the putrid artisan succeeded in revolting Naruto further, by releasing the content's of his stomach all over the boy's tensed arm. "FUCK!" Naruto yelled, pumping his foot into the master's stomach. He could feel the warmth of the puke through his bandages, and shivered in revulsion as the juices ran down his fingers. Almost every sense in his body pleaded with him to get the sickening stuff off, but the one sense that counted told him not to. Instinct dictated that trivial things would get him killed, so he would have to cope for now.
"That's right boy, stand strong." Takumi called out, his voice antagonising the only one of Naruto's five senses the vomit wasn't irritating. He looked up at the spectator with clear annoyance, why the hell did he have to fight like this? There was one thing he knew, if that gross thing threw up on him one more time, screw the training, both it and Takumi were gonna die. "Show me that the sword isn't corrupting you, and you'll get what you came here for!"
Once more Naruto cursed, but this time it was in his mind. If that was all he needed to do, then it sounded easy enough. Problem was, there were few things that sounded less desirable right now. Hell, he'd rather give Samehada a good meal of his chakra than fight this wretched thing. But of course such options were out the window. After all, he'd made a promise to Gaara, hadn't he? He wouldn't come back until he'd done what needed doing. Swallowing his surprise, and silently praying that was all he'd be swallowing, he rushed his opponent with the intent of staying away from the mouth.
The master's movements were beyond predictable, though Naruto's were probably not much better. Massive mallets of meat swung through the air, throwing a rotten smell around that physically injured Naruto's trained nose. Naruto returned the punches with sharp accuracy, but soon learned brute force was ineffective. Could it be that this monster didn't feel any pain? It failed to react to any of Naruto's attacks, the best he got was the occasional stagger and the worst another case of upheaval. This fight was by far his worst, he'd sooner be getting his ass kicked by Hyuuga Neji than hold his own against this beast.
"OOOOAAAAHHH!" Naruto bellowed, as his body was suddenly rejuvenated. Falling back into the Taijutsu training he sorely lacked, Naruto proceeded to step around the walking sack of flesh with bouncing movements. He delivered rapid punches and swift kicks, aiming not to take the enemy down quickly, a so far futile dream, but instead to cause certain muscles to become sore and tense. He remembered words that Uchiha Itachi had once spoken to him, while the silent crow had watched him training with Kisame. "A man whose left leg is injured, will certainly prefer his right." was what he had said. It was a funny piece of advice, but it was something that had stuck with Naruto well. Now was the time to test how effective it really was.
The former blacksmith still failed to respond to pain, trying desperately to claw at Naruto with overgrown nails. But that was fine, even if he couldn't feel it, the effects must surely have been working. When Naruto dealt stronger attacks, the creature had developed the tendency of leaning to his right. "So that's your good leg huh?" Naruto thought, as his foe trudged over to him once more. Maybe then he did feel the pain, but was just unable to respond to it? Or maybe he couldn't. In either case, Naruto had learned some interesting things. Unfortunately the arrogance in his smile was compensated by shock to his eyes, as he was suddenly struck from behind.
"What an idiot." Takumi murmured, as Naruto was hit by a wave. The moment of blindness and shock was all that his old master needed to charge Naruto to the floor, forcing him beneath the water. Naruto bucked under the weight of the fat slob on top of him, he really felt like a walrus was pressing himself upon him. But this walrus acted like a bear, clawing and slashing as it tried to fulfil its desire of tasting Naruto's flesh. Naruto did his best to hold the creature off, his strong hands holding the fleshy wrists of his opponent, and his knees pressing against the enemy's chest. But his head was submerged, and the sudden assault had already winded him. "Letting something like that pin you underwater. Looks like there's nothing behind that sword and your ninja tricks."
Naruto struggled beneath the behemoth, his teeth bared as he fought to keep the air in his lungs. It would be so easy to cut this thing apart, he had to resist his instinct to use his Wind Palm. Doing that would make this whole thing pointless, but was it worth risking his life over? "The hell you talking about stupid, you gonna wuss out now?" his inner self demanded, mentally thumping Naruto across the head. The metaphysical attack made him shake his head, throwing his negative thoughts out of his mind. There was no space for thinking here, acting was all he could do. And so with that clear in his mind, he acted.
In the harsh, freezing water of the sea his body was quickly going numb. But he managed to shift the weight between his knees in time with a punch he threw at the former blacksmith's head. With great effort he managed to roll the massive mound off of him and reverse positions, sitting on the cushion that was his opponent's stomach. Holding the arms down was no longer necessary, this animal flailed uselessly under the tide, experiencing the winter Naruto had been forced to cope with just a moment ago.
In his half aware state, Naruto raised his fist to pummel the last breaths out of his foe's face, to get this damn thing over with. But his numb arm was heavy, his hand wouldn't tense properly. And more than that, he could see there was no need. The former blacksmith was old, and in his bestial state he was stupid. He had as well as forced the air out on his own, and had nothing left to keep him going. Naruto stepped off of him; the deed was done.
The waves hit Naruto's stomach, but he didn't care. He stared at the corpse that was too heavy to float, watching as the tangled mass of hair shimmered around a surprised face. Had Naruto not known any better, he'd have guessed this person had been dead for hours. But thinking that, Naruto realised there was no pride in this kill. That person really had been dead for a long time.
He heard Takumi enter the water, but didn't look to greet him. He could feel the now master-less blacksmith standing beside him, surveying the body that was slowly being pulled away by the tide. "Well I'll be damned." Takumi muttered, as he looked over Naruto's soaked body. "Not a drop of his blood on your hands, even though you've got one of those swords. Guess that shows something, but I can't say for sure what that is."
He received no response to his words, which was completely fine. He looked from Naruto back to his former captive, before jerking his head and turning away. As he stepped through the cold surf however, he felt his vest suddenly tighten behind him. Naruto was gripping his clothes, but still kept his attention elsewhere. "He was your master, wasn't he?" the boy asked, unsettled and angry at the lack of sympathy that someone with the same name as him was showing. "You got nothing to say?"
"My master died when he made those fucking swords!" Takumi growled, thrusting his shoulder forward and forcing Naruto's grip off of him. The two stood with their backs to each other, if possible the divide between them had grown ever larger. But by this point, Takumi wasn't the only one who didn't care about the other's opinions. "Don't get me wrong you piece of shit, I fucking hate the outcome. If I thought for a second you would have won, I'd have taken you on myself. But you stayed true to the end, so I have to as well. So let's just get this over with, and get you the fuck off of my island."
Naruto looked over his shoulder as Takumi left the water, making his way towards the tunnel that would lead back to the forge. It seemed that harsh exterior held little inside, just bitterness and anger. It was enough to make the most virtuous of men a cynic, watching this guy's cold back. With a sigh, Naruto looked up to the place he had thrown the Ekokaeten. "Guess we'd better get this over with." he thought, before leaping up to fetch his startled weapon.
The dark and dusty forge was just a cauldron of grief to Takumi's eyes, but he refused to show it for even a second. As he heard the boy who defeated his master trudge up the staircase behind him he set about shoving junk off of a nearby anvil. Here he sat down as he awaited the arrival of the boy and the blade he really had no desire of seeing right now. When he caught sight of the blond hair he jerked his head to the crate not too far to his left. Once Naruto was seated he leant forward, holding his hand out expectantly. "Well give it over then." he ordered, watching the Ekokaeten solemnly. He could feel the hesitation from Naruto, and privately knew that the sword was giving the same feeling. But he said nothing as Naruto slid the blade off his back and handed it over.
"So what's the deal then?" Naruto asked, resting his arms on his sodden slacks. He was pretty sure he would catch a cold like this, hopefully his heightened immune system would protect him from anything worse. Takumi took no notice of his discomfort however, and looked the blade over as if it were an old and dusty tome. He lifted it just as easily as Naruto did, an impressive feat considering that this man apparently had no Shinobi training. But there was no way Naruto was going to commend Takumi for anything, at least not until he'd done something worth recognising. "You better not get any bright ideas."
The red haired blacksmith growled in response, watching the ruby sheen that glanced off the metal that was Eko's blade. "A stupid idea would be all I need to outwit a moron like you." he said, his eyes narrowing as he lifted the blade higher. He ignored Naruto as he received and enraged grin, but could feel the bloodlust that had first put him off the boy. "Looks like this sword is missing a few materials, not to mention the soul is entirely unfiltered. A thing like this should have lost its mind a long time ago, if it can even process thought."
"What a grumpy old bastard."
Though Naruto smirked at Eko's remark, his expression was surprisingly fleeting. Takumi had suddenly begun glowering at the sword, a spiteful look of negative desire. There was no denying it; he had heard Eko clearly. But that was impossible, only Kisame and Naruto could hear the blade's words, only someone who could be called a wielder of one of the seven swords. If Takumi could hear it, then he had to be like that. There was no two ways about it. "Fucking cocky piece of shit." Takumi grunted, as he turned the blade in his hand and balanced the tip on the grimy stone floor. Then he gave it a light shove, knocking it to the ground with a resonating bang before anything could be done about it. Then he went on with his words, stopping Naruto's protests ahead of time. "Looks like the soul seal is still intact, so he's not going anywhere fast. No damages either, looks like it must have grown into its size."
Naruto picked up his fallen sword, glaring at Takumi as he dusted the blade with his hand. Who the hell did this bastard think he was, doing as he liked like this? If it weren't for all the confusing things he was saying Naruto would have already laid into him by now. The fire in his veins and the ice in his eyes conflicted with each other, threatening an explosion of anger that would see this man in several pieces, in several places. "Better start making sense soon old man!" he growled, his not so quite fury resonating with the Ekokaeten's indignation.
"I'm saying don't expect results fast!" Takumi replied, rising to his feet and ignoring Naruto's discontent like he had everything else about the boy. He cast his hand around his dark workplace, his leering eyes fixed upon Naruto for each moment as he introduced the musty space around them. "You want me to turn that thing into a bunch of horseshoes or crowbars, can do! But this place is in no condition to deal with something like this! And to top it off, I never worked with those blades in person, so I don't know shit that didn't come from my master's notes! You want that sword finished, and you want it done fast right? Well then don't expect to sit on your ass while I wave my magic hammer, cos it ain't gonna do a fucking bit of good!"
In an instant Naruto was on his feet too, suddenly feeling sick of being sworn at. Every bit of bloodlust Kisame had honed into his small body was begging him to at least knock Takumi's ego to the ground. It was only his reason that kept him from doing just that. Though his nails dug into the base of his palm, and his teeth threatened to crack in his jaw, he had to face one harsh reality. All that stuff Takumi had just told him didn't make a shred of sense to him. On his own, he definitely would get nowhere. So though it pained him immensely, he stepped past his apparent relative and made for the open doorway, before pausing at the entrance. "Fine, I'll do it your way." he said, his words antagonising to speak. He did his best to keep his head up, refusing point blank to let Takumi see his injured pride. "What do you need?"
"Wood." Takumi replied, in a quick and strict tone. He seemed hurried for someone so against working on the Ekokaeten, but Naruto was starting to think that this was just this guy's nature. If that was true or not however was inconsequential; it already felt like he was under the command of some self righteous asshole. In fact, it almost made him laugh to think, but it was almost like working for Gaara. "And coal. And a lot of ore. There's a mine at the back of the island that should have those things, but you better hope you know a thing or two about barriers. Cos there's one there that won't let anyone inside. Call it my master's insurance."
He watched from the shadows, looking to Naruto in the light. Whether the boy could get past the barrier or not was down to chance, but it was a gamble he had no problem with making. What surprised him however was Naruto's reaction. All the kid did was nod and head off, leaving Takumi to whatever it was he needed to do. "For such a smart mouth, he's got some heavy thoughts in there." he mused, as he turned back towards his forge. He could care less what was going through the brat's mind right now, his other priorities were pushing forward. However without his usual efficiency, Takumi slipped his knuckles against his waist and glared at the ground, nearly making the shadows recline from nerves. "But who the hell does he remind me of?"
The warm sun had met its high, and prepared to rest easy for another night. The still clouds and cool sea breeze invited sleep to all those who fought against it. The trees swayed lightly as their consciousness drifted, letting out faint snores as they caught an early nap. In amidst these trees stood Naruto, who after three hours of avid searching had finally found the mine Takumi had spoken of. He hadn't thought to ask for directions, and sort of regretted it now. He had wasted stamina in using Kage Bunshin to aid him, even if it was only a little.
Looking now he understood what Takumi was saying about the barrier. Though it was invisible to the naked eye, Naruto's chakra awareness allowed him to feel the veil cast over the mouth of the gaping cavern. It wouldn't surprise him in the least if he was the first visitor to this place in years. More than just being impossible to enter, he got a dark feeling from this cave, like a great emptiness filled its inner reaches. Of course, he had faced emptiness often before. But in this case, he didn't like it in the least.
"Feels like it's pulling you in, doesn't it?" Eko asked, his voice strangely quiet for something that could only be heard by some. But Naruto had to agree with the blade; this cave just felt wrong for some reason. Still, he had no other choice according to Takumi. Then again, he could easily see this as another attempt to get him killed and lose the Ekokaeten. He let out a sigh, gripping his aching forehead. Since when did he get so unbelievably paranoid?
Casting aside his doubts and worries, Naruto made his way closer to the cave embedded in the grassy knoll. He could see the four seal tags on the mine's entrance, they didn't look like all that much. Then again, his knowledge of barrier Jutsu wasn't exactly top form. He was gonna have to take a risk here, one that could cause serious damage. "Hey- the hell are you doing?" Eko exclaimed, as Naruto suddenly drew the blade into his grasp. Of course, he wouldn't be taking any risks at all. "You son of a-"
CRACK!
The Ekokaeten was swung around in a rapid slash, leaving a long thin horizon in the now visible pink barrier. As soon as the field was disrupted, Naruto was treated to a strange sensation as the entire mine inhaled. Air dashed past him towards the narrow opening and forced its way inside, as if the wind itself was beckoning him forward. The power of the air and the pressure caused the barrier to shatter, and Naruto was now literally pulled inside the cave. He panicked for only a moment, then grabbed onto the wall of the cavern. With his chakra he made his hold firm, so that not even the forces of nature could drag him into the darkness. "What the hell is this?" he thought, closing an eye that was struck with dust. Was the mine really trying to swallow him or something?
Then the cave calmed, the gust subsiding and Naruto's balance returning to him. His eyes fluttered open and shut as he tried to get the dirt out of them. He still couldn't comprehend what had just happened, but stranger things had certainly happened. "Think this is the only entrance?" Eko asked, as Naruto released his grip on the stone wall. His wielder glanced to him in hand, before giving a half hearted shrug in reply. "Either something down there just sucked in a lot of air, or some crazy bastard vacuum sealed this place."
Naruto chuckled at the suggestion, his shoulders shaking as he rubbed his sore eyes. He looked blearily to the shadows up ahead, spotting lanterns lined up against the wooden supports. This mine had clearly been well used at one point, or at least dealt with by a professional. If this place was really like that, then why do something as strange as Eko suggested? Naruto barely formed that question in mind before his grin slipped, and his feelings from before suddenly found their way to the surface. What was that bastard leading him into?
