Mar's Maelstrom
By The Obsidian Blade
Chapter Six-Alviss
Jack was panting on the floor. His body had many cuts and bruises. A kunai or tow was in his back. they wasn't deep enough to cause any real damage but deep enough to stay in and cause a hell of a lot of pain. He wasn't expecting this much pain when Naruto said training. The guy was a real task master when it came to training. The day after they left Naruto had him attack the blonde with his shovel. Let's just say that jack had more bruises that day then any other. And he was the only one attacking!
Naruto sighed as he walked over to the dark haired kid. The kid had no talent, well there was some but allot of years of neglecting his body pushed it away. But that was okay. From what he remembered Lee had no training either. So he would train him like Gai trained Lee. "Alright Jack, hold on." Naruto bent down and plucked the kunai out of his back before hovering his hands over the boy's back. Dark green chakra covered his hands as he healed the boy's cuts and bruises. After he was done healing jack he got up and started to walk away before looking back at the kid. "You might want to get up before I have you doing fifty suicide runs again."
Jack got up instantly and ran towards the blonde, not wanting to go through that exercise. "So where are we going?" Jack asked.
Naruto shrugged. "Back to camp. Sun's going to set pretty soon and we're leaving for the village you mentioned yesterday." Jack nodded before they walked deeper into he woods to their cam where they slept till sunrise
The two were sitting around the camp fire eating some of the tings that Jack planted at night. Naruto kept his gaze at the fire as he ate. "You know something jack, these are pretty good," Naruto commented as he looked at the strange potato he was eating surprisingly slow. "But I do have one question though. If you only planted these last night then how did these grow so fast?"
Naruto got up and put the fire out with a simple suiton jutsu before looking at jack and smiling slightly. "You can tell me along the way dude." Jack smiled and followed Naruto long the path.
"I love growing plants," Jack said. "Medical herbs, quick growing potatoes, its fun! My dream is to one day grow a vine that reaches to the sky. From the top of it I can see the whole world with my own eyes!" Naruto smiled.
"When you grow that thing I am going to have to climb it with you," Naruto said. "Don't want you to fall form that height." Jack smiled.
"Don't know when it's going to be since the vine is still my height." Naruto smiled at him.
"I have nothing but time on my side for now." Naruto sniffed the air for anything interesting before smiling a vulpine smile. "I smell people." The three walked over the ridge and saw a small settlement.
"We're here," Jack voiced out. "Pazu town. This is where I come to sell my produce and by clothes and food and stuff. A lot of travelers come here because of the market." He turned his head to look back at Naruto and smirked. "They even sell Arms."
Naruto smirked as well at the last part before walking into the town. "Since you know the layout of the town I'll fallow you." Jack walked in front of him and led him to a vender. The vender wasn't a cart like all the others but rather a carpet with a bunch of Arms on it. The guy that ran it sat before them cross-legged. "Uhm excuse me but we're looking for a Dimension Arm. Do you have one?"
The vender shook his head. "I don't sell dimension Arms. It's too dangerous. You trying to get somewhere?" Naruto shook his head.
"No, just trying to relay a message somewhere," Naruto commented before having Jack lead them to anther vender. This time it was an actual enclosed store with many things on the shelves. The person who ran the shop was walking around the shop putting stuff up. "Uhm do you guy's have a Dimension Arm?"
The woman nodded. "Yeah what type?"
"One that travels through space." The woman shook her head.
"Sorry but we're out. You can order one but of course we're on back order. It'll take, oh, I don't know, four years." Naruto shook his head. "But we have Dimension Erasing Rings. Say the girl next door is taking a shower. You can create a hole in the wall."
"Sorry ma'am but I am not a pervert," Naruto quickly responded.
"I'll take it-oof..." jack tried to say before he was hit in the chest by Naruto.
"Of course she can see it too," the lady said before putting it back. She then grabbed a bracelet that caught Naruto's eyes. It had ten small daggers coming of it beautifully "My personal favorite is the 'Ten dagger bracelet'. It becomes ten knives at once. Of course it's utterly useless when you loose even one. Such an ingenuous design."
"Uhm ma'am," Naruto interjected. "How much is it?" the woman looked at him.
"You know you're the first one to ask that. Everyone usually just leaves it do to the fact that it becomes useless if you loose one." Naruto smiled.
"I like the sharp and pointy things." naruto gripped the hilt of Kubukiri for emphasis. The woman smiled and motioned for them to the register. Before he could leave how ever he was talked by the lady while she rubbed his cheeks against hers and scratched his ears. At first his main priority was to get out of there but after he started purring he gave up that train of thought as he sat down like a fox and wagged swished his tail happily.
"So Kawaii!!!" the woman squealed with hearts in her eyes.
When the y walked out Naruto had the bracelet hanging loosely off his right wrist. "You know you wiped out half of our expenses right?" Jack asked.
Naruto looked at the dark haired teen before looking at the bracelet. "It was worth it."
Jack steamed up. "What do you mean worth it?! I thought we were saving up the money so we can find a way to relay that message!"
Naruto smiled. "But that's the beauty of it Jack we aren't going to pay for it. I am ninja so it'll all be good." Jack hung his head. Great, he was fallowing a psychopath.
Jack led them to another store. The place was more like a dungeon. The place went into the ground like one and even had the little barred window. The Arms wee behind several axe like bars with chains running along them. Two humanoid lizard like guards with axes stood on either side of the bars. "Uhm, do you sell Dimension Arms?"
The girl looked at him. Naruto blushed a little. The girl was hot. Inside his mind Kyuubi was ranting up a storm that she should be out there claiming him as her own. She knew him the longest and she was one of the few that knew his story and didn't care. He should be hers damn it! It was a shame that the kitsune law states that the male kitsunes should have more than one mate do to the fact that the female kitsunes outweighed the male kitsunes. He shook his head before pointing to the Arms. "I am guessing the bars are here to block out thieves."
"Yeah these aren't any cheesy five hundred pewter Arms." She sighed a little. The kitsune tail was too much to resist and fox ears were a little too much to resist. "I don't raise the gate till I have the money in hand" 'Or your hand in marriage,' she thought. Sure she could resist most men but the blonde had it made for himself.
The two inspected the Arms. They were beautifully made. The hand work was amazing. But the prices were outrages. "My vegetables only bring in one hundred pewter each," Jack commented. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Arms.
"None of these are it," Naruto finally said. "The one I saw was a magnificent door with a phantom like clown guarding it." the woman's eyes widened.
"The 'Gatekeeper Clown!" she yelled in shock. Naruto and Jack turned around to her. "It's one of the moist advanced Arms ever made. You're not going to find that for sale. Only a few more people have heard of it much less seen it. Nobody would have it except some king somewhere or a witch or the sculptor that made it!"
Naruto hung his head for a little bit before looking back and Jack. The blonde shrugged before walking out. "Oh well. I guess I get to have more to tell them now wouldn't I?" Jack smiled at the blonde before rushing off to catch up.
"So tell me my lovely friend," Babbo said after he jumped on the desk. "How much am I worth?" Naruto and Jack face vaulted and the shopkeeper jumped back in shock. "After all, if these tawdry baubles command such prices then surely I must be worth a fortune. And I don't mind being used by such a-oof!'
Before the metallic sphere could get any further he was hit upside the head by Kubukiri. "Now, don't have to freak the nice lady out." Naruto quickly grabbed him before looking at the woman. "To answer the question that you might ask, yes he's alive, no I don't know how, and I am on the same boat as you. I was definitely not expecting him jot be alive." Naruto and Jack quickly rushed outside as the blonde re-strapped Kubukiri to his back, leaving a wide eyed woman.
She quickly shook her head. Before smiling like a predator. "I got to tell the Women of Marchen Association about my find. They are going to flip after I tell them about foxy-kun. He is going to be the most wanted guy. Watch out foxy-kun because it's fox season all year round!"
Naruto shivered as he walked down the road. 'I just got the weirdest feeling that a whole bunch of women are after my tailed ass for marriage,' he thought.
"THOSE WHORES BETTER KEEP BACK IF THEY KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR THEM!!!" Kyuubi raged from within the seal. Naruto sighed as he and Jack continued to walk towards the town gate. His ears twitched before he stopped the dark haired kid. He quickly grabbed Jack before running at a normal civilian's speed towards an ally and setting Jack down.
'Why did you do that?!" Jack yelled.
"Quiet!" Naruto hissed as he put on his kitsune mask and 'glued' it his face with chakra. "We got company." Naruto's voice was serious and spoke of no room for any retort. "Good, you understand. Now keep your eyes peeled. I want you to know what could happen if you mess up slightly on an opponent with no regard for you life."
Three people walked into the ally. One was a large man with clown like lips. Another was a man with a bandanna covering his mouth and his jelled into a Mohawk. The last man was a cloaked man with his right arm in bandages. Naruto growled at the new comers. "What do you want?!"
One of them rushed forward to punch the blonde. Naruto grabbed the fist and flung the guy into the crates at the side. His body went limp as blood pooled around him from the wood digging into his flesh. Naruto could tell that he was still alive but he would most likely be paralyzed from the waste down. 'Looks like some one won't be having children of there own anymore.' He looked at the guy with a Mohawk and growled as he too tried to kill him. Naruto blurred out of sight, dodging the hit by mere inches.
The guy stumbled forward. Having missed his target cost him greatly. Naruto un-latched Kubukiri from his back and knocked the over the head, effectively knocking him out ass well as some brain damage. Naruto looked at the guy in thee cloak only to see him missing. He looked towards Babbo and found him missing ass well. "FUCK!" Naruto quickly sniffed the air for where the guy went off to before nodding to himself. He blurred out of sight. Not even a second later Jack blurred out of sight as well.
Unknown to him there was a fairy in the air. She had cyan blue hair and blue eyes. "OH dear I got to tell Alviss.'
Naruto found the group near a water fall. There was about twenty there give or take a few. 'Good,' Naruto thought. 'I have an advantage.' Naruto looked to jack. "Jack I want you to sneak up on them form the right, I will go left. Remember, be quiet and don't let them know that you're there."
Jack nodded before tiptoeing to the right. "You're cruel, you know that?" Kyuubi said.
'Why do you say that Kyuu-chan?' Naruto asked his tenant. The vixen sighed
"He isn't going to be unnoticed kit." Naruto nodded.
'I know that but I also know that ninja battles are sink or swim kind of ordeals. He isn't always going to have me to watch his back.' Kyuubi sighed at her love interests reasoning. This was the way he was like in ANBU as well. If his team didn't get the point they died on a mission. It was only twice but he got a big reputation for the sing or swim exercise.
Naruto blurred out of sight before reappearing behind a rock his hand ran through a series of hand seals before landing on two away from a complete set. He waited for jack to screw up. he knew the kid would. He heard the thieves get up and yell.
"Hey! What are you doing here kid?!" Jack froze up. All he did was slightly kick a rock. How could they possibly here that?! Were they using an Arm that amplifies sound?! Before any of the thieves could move Naruto ran through the last tow hand seals. "Suiton-Suikoudan-no-Jutsu!" Several columns of erupted out of the water and blasted nearby thieves, knocking them out. Naruto stepped out form the rocks and looked at the thieves. "I wouldn't touch the kid if I wee you," Naruto said with venom. The remaining eleven laughed out loud.
"And what can you do about it kid?' the guy in the cloak asked.
Naruto raised his right hand before speaking. "Weapon Arm. Ten Dagger Bracelet." The bracelet shimmered out of existence as ten long throwing knives appeared in the air, levitating. By some weird blue strings attached to the blondes fingers. "This is what I can do." The daggers made a bee line to the thieves. A few of them were able to dodge the strikes but the others got a light cut on the shoulder or some other place. The cloaked guy threw of the cloak and ran at the blonde.
His hair was ratty. Around his neck was a long necklace with a sword like pendant. His clothes looked cheap, something Naruto expected. Naruto's finger twitched on reflex to have one of the knives fling back and guard. It was a good thing he did it to as the necklace turned out to be a demonic sword like Arm.
The knife and the dagger clanged together loudly. Naruto gritted his teeth and jumped back while twitching his fingers so he could bring back the daggers into bracelet form. The blonde quickly drew Kubukiri before yelling at Jack. "Jack, get Babbo out of the sack!'
The boy nodded before running to Babbo. "You tow really think that you can escape here with your life!" the man yelled before rushing towards Naruto. The ex-ANBU's eyes narrowed before he blurred out sight. The man stopped. The masked kid was fast, a hell of a lot faster than him. But where did he go?! The kid couldn't just vanish, could he? "You're to slow." He heard behind him. The man's eyes widened on fear as he turned his head to see behind him only to see nothing there. His head slowly turned back to its original position. There in the strange armor was the blonde with the large sword to his neck.
"You move you die," the masked blonde warned in an ice filled voice. His eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious. Naruto sighed as he strapped Kubukiri to his back and securing his mask to his belt. He looked at Babbo as he looked at Naruto.
"I thought you were a ninja!" the metallic ball yelled. "I thought you were supposed to pay attention to your surroundings more."
"Well sue me if I slip up once in a while," Naruto retorted.
"BUT YOU… wait that scent." Naruto looked puzzled before he sniffed the air as well and growled. He looked at the new comer as he walked towards the group. Right next to him was the fairy. The new comer had black hair and blue eyes with two triangles under the left. His white blue trimmed shirt zipped up in the front as well at the sleeves. His black pants had a totem like chain at the left. Along his arms he could see black lightning like tattoos. His hands held many rings on his fingers that he guessed were Arms as well as the chain.
"Just as Bell reported, you broke the seal on Babbo," the new comer said.
"Yeah and you are pretty boy?" Naruto asked. Babbo and Jack sweat dropped. He just had to insult the guy. The new comer just flipped a barred ring into the air.
"Darkness Arm Caged Bird." Several bars erupted out of the ground around jack and arched towards the center. When they connected it turned to a small cage and Jack into a small plump bird. Naruto turned his attention to the dark haired boy before growling.
"There are a lot of things to get on my bad side." Naruto's chakra started to swing and spiral around him like mad. "Threatening my friends is one of them. Who the fuck are you?"
Alviss looked at the blonde as the tension rose dangerously. "It was I who invited you to Marchen. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Naruto stared at the dark haired teen for some time before scoffing. "Marchen eh, doesn't sound like a bad name. I do owe you some thanks for saving what's left of my sanity. One question though, why'd you turn jack into a bird?" Alviss looked at the blonde then at the sword and the bracelet before his gaze landed on Babbo.
"It seems that I lost my gamble," he mumbled. "Guardian Arm Thirteen Totem Chain." The totem like chain started tot flash before thirteen flames appeared around Naruto
"Aw this can't be good for my health," Naruto commented as he felt the earth tremble. The blonde quickly grabbed Babbo in his left before flipping of backwards. A large totem pole shot out o the earth in front of him. Naruto blurred out sight to reappear in front of the totem. He leaned against it and started to talk. "Enlighten me on why you attacked me."
"Do you realize what you done?" Alviss asked. "Do you realize what that Arm is?"
Naruto's gaze hardened before pushing himself off the totem. "And I should know why? He doesn't even remember his self."
"To keep and Arm like that you must have fought off a lot of thieves." Naruto looked Alviss for a second before nodding. "How many did you fight?" he snapped and all the totems shot back into the earth.
"Including this group I say over thirty," Naruto replied.
"Not bad." Naruto kept hi eye on Alviss before the two blurred out of sight. Before the two met in the center, Alviss with a long totem like rod and Naruto with the Kubukiri drawn.
"You know your pissing me off," Naruto growled. The blonde pushed off the blade and jumped back. "Enlighten me on why exactly am I here."
Alviss sighed before the rod disappeared. The Chess Pieces. Several years ago a militant group plotted to take over Marchen. Masters of deadly Arms called the Chess Pieces. Many Arm handlers rose tot the challenge. Though they sustained many wounds they chipped away at the power of the Chess Pieces. Then came the final battle that the Chess Piece's champion was struck down. His remaining allies scattered to the wind and retreated to the shadows." The teen took a deep sigh before continuing. "But now the now the survivors have begun to assemble!" Alviss blurred out sight and reappeared in front of Naruto with his fist cocked. Naruto pushed the fist back with his forearm and swung Kubukiri at Alviss's midsection. The totem like rod instantly appeared in his hands and blocked the sword.
The two continued to look into each others eyes before kicking off the floor. "Naruto, hurry up and throw me!" Babbo yelled. 'But that scent. I've met him somewhere before! Does he know me?'
"Let me get strait to the point," Alviss started. "The reason I brought you here is so you can annihilate the Chess Piece."
Naruto glared at the teen. "Yeah because attacking me is the way to get me on your side the quickest." Both of them continued to stare the other down, waiting for the other to move
"The person who took up the mantle of leadership came from another world like you." Naruto's eyes widened slightly before narrowing.
"You said from another world, does that mean he or she wasn't form my world?" Naruto asked.
"Exactly, he didn't come from your world," Alviss replied. "Both of you two are good. As he felled his foe his foe also felled him. To defeat the Chess Pieces I wanted another other-worlder. So I gambled knowing that I could get a child that can't fight or a corrupt man who would sell his allegiance to the enemy. Sure enough I got lucky with you as you have no need for Arms." Naruto's gaze kept on the teen before he popped his neck.
"I have a feeling aren't here just to tell me of the Chess Pieces so spill it," Naruto demanded.
"Your punishment." Naruto raised an eyebrow. Punishment for what crime? Sure he killed to people but that was in self-defense. He was pretty sure that no one would mind two less fleabags running around. Naruto watched the teen point to Babbo. "Babbo, whose seal you broke, was the Arm of the evil champion Phantom." Babbo looked dumb struck. How could he be evil? He was a gentleman for heaven's sake! "Using that Arm as his weapon, he killed my comrades, one after another! Countless friends were slaughtered!"
Naruto's mind began to fill with many image of how Babbo was on the trip. No of them struck evil or killer intent. Naruto's hand began to tremble at the thought of what Alviss was trying. He was trying to kill one of is precious people! That wasn't going top happen! He did not need another death of a person he let close. He didn't need another death that he could prevent. His grip on the hammer loosened, allowing the hammer to fall. "Good, let you evil take control," a voice hissed in his mind, "You will have the power to protect those important to you!" Naruto stabbed Kubukiri into the dirt before dropping to all fours. His skin started to turn pale. His hair turned silver. Pitch black started to envelope his eyes from the corners. His fur became black and silver. His smirk was vicious.
"You want to destroy him eh?" Naruto said in a demonic voice. "Then you're going to have to go through me first!" The blonde blurred out of sight at break neck speeds. Alviss's eyes widened at the kitsune's speed and transformation. Before he could react he was sent flying through the air and crashing to the floor. When he got up he could see the new silver haired teen in the spot that he was once in on all fours. He could see in his eyes that he was barely in control of what he was doing. Around the teen was black chakra that rose up in the air had the depiction of a fox with a single tail. "Babbo is my friend. I am not going to have another death haunting my mind!"
"Alviss's eyes widened as he saw a bit of blood on one of the kitsune's claws. He looked at his chest and saw a shallow claw mark. "A friend is it? That's an Arm not a human. Specifically the Arm of Phantom! It must be destroyed! So hand it over."
Naruto looked at him before chuckling darkly. "Sorry, I was bad at taking orders from people I don't like."
Alviss hung his head slightly. "I see, you need a stricter punishment." With that he motioned his hands upwards. Naruto smirked as he dashed towards Alviss. The ground crumbled under the force of his claws and feet. Naruto dodged several totems before he reached Alviss. His clawed hand was cocked back. Before he could land the strike he was forced to flip of the totem that shot out of the ground underneath him. His body flipped through the air. Naruto smirked as he kicked off from totem to totem towards Alviss. He blurred out of sight and reappeared in front of Alviss again. His fist cocked back and connected to the teen's forehead, sending him flying.
Naruto was about to rush after his opponent before a voice rang through his mind. "You are nothing like this Naru-chan. FIGHT BACK!" Naruto gripped his head in pain. His howls were in human. His skin felt like it was being stripped with a rust kunai. His bones felt like they were breaking into millions of pieces. His skin slowly turned back to its original color. The black in his eyes slowly seeped back into the corners. His fur slowly repainted them selves red and white as his hair slowly did the same thing but blonde. The black chakra turned blue before calming down into a low flame. Naruto fell to his hands and knees panting. What was wrong with him?! This never happened before. All he wanted to do was kill the dark haired teen. We wanted to feel the warm blood over his hands and the lick it clean. That was not like him!
He looked at Alviss as he slowly got up. His forehead was bleeding form the punch. "His personality may be different, he may have lost his memory but this Arm killed dozens of my comrades."
Naruto growled. Great just another person who was hell bent on revenge. Naruto got to his feet. His legs were still wobbly from the chakra change but he could still manage. He still had a lot of chakra left to fight with. His hands prepared to run through hand seals. "Babbo may have been a monster once but now all he can do is hop. The guy is practically harmless."
Alviss took a heavy sigh. The blonde was better than expected. "So you say now. But when his memory returns and he becomes the true Babbo again what will your 'friend' do?" Naruto looked at him strangely before his hands went back into position. "And even if it keeps the personality it has now do you think you're out of danger? For phantom will come."
Naruto looked at the teen strangely. What did he mean for Phantom will come? That made absolutely no sense! He was dead…wasn't he? Then realization struck him. The only way for someone to comeback from the dead was not to be alive. His eyes widened as he asked the question. "He's dead isn't he?"
"You are right in your assumption." Naruto cringed as the teen did another hand motion. His hands blurred through hand seals as the totems separated into several pieces and launched them selves at him. When he finished the seals he slammed his hand on the floor. "Doton- Doryuu-Heki-no-jutsu!" A large wall of earth shot out f the ground and blocked several of the flying totem pieces.
But the wall could only last so long. It finally crumbled and Naruto was dodging totem pieces by flipping and jumping form one to another. However everyone has there limits and Naruto was hit by a totem. Naruto fell crumpled to the floor. It seems the change in chakra took more of a toll on his body than expected. His skin still felt like it was being striped. If it wasn't for the fact that his body was in pain Alviss would be on the floor. Not him!
The blonde forced himself to his feet and watched Alviss. He forced himself into a tiajutsu position. 'Damn, I just had to loose it didn't I?' he asked himself. "I won't let you lay a finger on Babbo. I won't have that I on my conscious." After that statement Naruto fell unconscious. His body just wouldn't let him keep up the fight.
"A lovely moon," Babbo commented looking at the crescent moon. "A good night to die. So destroy me in one blow! But if you lay one finger on Naruto my ghost will haunt you forever! He is no mere other-worlder. He is my assistant. And no gentleman would allow himself live through the death of an underling!" Alviss looked at Babbo before sighing and walking off.
A/N Sorry for the way Naruto passed out but here is the way I think about it. The black chakra puts strain on the body. Add that to the stress of protecting Babbo and the strain of changing his chakra then you get how he passed out. It wasn't because he couldn't match Alviss but more stress related. Don't forget to review or the fat ninja man WILL pay you a visit at night. please don't complain about the black chakra as it is not the Kyuubi's but rather the ohter Naruto's
