Disclaimer: Don't panic, Pablo, it ain't mine. Honestly, I have no idea why I just said that, but, whatever. I did the disclaimer, so I won't bore you anymore with this. And remember, my ass is asleep.
Author's Note: No, really, my ass is asleep. But enough about my ass. This, like Chapter 4, was rewritten in only two days. I deleted most of the future chapters I had written, 'cause, well... they sucked. I'm more of a 'In the Moment' type of writer than a 'Plan Ahead' type. It just makes more sense to me anyway. Now, a couple of things for your consideration:
One: The little prologue at the beginning is kind of the history behind Naruto's sword style and the branch of his elemental techniques. You will see more element attacks in future chapters, this I have planned.
Two: Akihiro's sword, once you get to that part anyways, looks like a greatsword from the video game Fable. No, this story will have nothing to do with the game. By the way, I personally think that even though Fable II was cool, it could've been one of the most epic games ever, like Mass Effect 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 are going to be, both of which I have preordered. Yayz!
But enough about me and gaming interests, cause I know you don't really give a crap. Meanies! Whatever, read the fic, tell me what you think. I'm not like those other authors who try to pressure you into reviewing. You either do or you don't, and whatever you choose, I don't really care. As long as you liked it, we're cool. Now I'm going to go cry in a corner until the end of the fic.
The Devil's Blade
An Epic reimagining of the Demon's Blade
By RisenInfection
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The Tensho-ryuu, the sword style used by the Devil of the Flood, is unique and ancient, dating back to a time where ninja were but a small minority compared to samurai. The Piercing Heaven Style is said to have been created by the legendary swordsmith Sengo Muramasa when he made a powerful nodachi for the Daimyo, Oda Nobunaga.
Though not much is known about the style, there are those that have witnessed it in use that can attest to the destructive power that the user wields with it, that user at the moment being one Uzumaki Naruto, the Thousand Man Slayer. Some say that the style and the sword are both inherently evil, corrupting the swordsman that wields it until his soul is darkened to the point of no return and the sword and style must be truly attained by killing the previous wielder. Whether this is true or not has yet to be proven.
One truth that is known about the style and the Muramasa nodachi is that Uzumaki Naruto is the ninth generation swordsman that has used the style, the eighth being the teacher of the killer, Shiokaze Akira, who was killed by his own student. Shiokaze Akira was not as renown as his student is, though in the samurai community, which has dwindled to near extinction during the rise of the Oomizu no Majin, as the Akekaze no Kami, the God of the Bloody Wind. It would seem that his student earned a title that matches his teacher's.
Another thing known about the style is one of the branches within: Godai no Jutsu. This branch or 'stance' is the control, manipulation, and use of the five elements (wind, water, fire, earth, and lightning). The attacks within the stance can range from a simple shield of wind, water, or earth to widespread destruction using a combination of the elements.
This is all we know so far of the Tensho-ryuu as Uzumaki Naruto is very adamant about keeping it secret, more will be reported as we learn more of the sword style and its wielder.
Report written and submitted by Hatake Kakashi, Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato
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Act I
The Devil Swordsman
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Chapter 5
Isolated Catastrophe
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Uchiha Sasuke grunted as he was blasted from the tree he had been running up to train his chakra control. His body reflexively flipped through the air once before he landed on the ground in a crouch. Standing, he took a deep breath and let it out before silently running at the same tree once more.
The raven haired boy barely noticed as he ran ten meters straight up, a half meter better than his last run. Quickly marking his place with the kunai in his hand, Sasuke was launched once more from the plant, small pieces of bark raining down with him as he fell and flipped through the air.
Landing, Sasuke panted slightly as he stood, fatigue starting to settle into his lithe frame. He looked around as he caught his breath. Kakashi, Sakura, and Natsuko were nowhere to be found and neither were the two other jounin who were accompanying Team Seven on their now A-Class mission. Looking into the sky, he sighed. The sun was just beginning to set, signifying that he had been training for almost the whole day.
Looking down at the ground, the Uchiha couldn't help but remember what happened the day before when he had a run in with Naruto. It had been short, and so had his temper, especially after seeing his teammates master the new chakra control exercise so easily, right after they had just been taught the exercise, too.
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The Makeshift Training Ground
Yesterday Afternoon
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Sasuke breathed hard as he glared at the tree he had been training on the whole day and he was only six meters up. If that wasn't enough, both Sakura and Natsuko had left the makeshift training grounds, having finished the chakra control exercise a couple hours earlier than him. It only served to irritate him.
Sighing angrily, the raven haired boy decided to take a walk to clear his mind of his anger. His thoughts strayed to five years ago when his beloved brother, Uchiha Itachi, had betrayed Konoha and had betrayed the Uchiha.
The then thirteen year old ANBU captain had mercilessly slaughtered the whole clan, starting with his best friend Uchiha Shisui. But for some reason, Itachi had spared Sasuke, though he left him with words to live in his hate and anger, that this was the only way to become powerful enough to kill the rogue Uchiha.
And that was exactly what Sasuke tried to do. From the day he woke up in the hospital with the Fourth Hokage smiling sadly over him to this day, he trained, he hated, he angered. He dreamed of killing his brother and he decided from that day when he was eight, that nothing would stop him from accomplishing this goal.
Only recently he had become even more spiteful. This samurai, Naruto he called himself, was strong. Sasuke would've been dumb to not realize that. The raven haired boy had been brought up like most shinobi though, believing that samurai were weak and that ninja were the superior race. Though Sasuke could respect the man's power, the story that Tazuna had told just rubbed the boy the wrong way. Someone had committed an atrocity similar to Itachi, but on a more grandiose scale.
He wanted to challenge the man, just to see if he was really like the bridge builder's story or just a fake, but, after seeing that battle between the blonde and Zabuza, Sasuke was very unsure of his decision. He wasn't in a hurry to die after all.
It made him wonder though, if he'd be able to learn the man's sword style and his power. He had eavesdropped on the conversation the jounin had with Naruto the night before, and was amazed at what the samurai had said. He hadn't known that. After all, the Academy only taught about ninja and the history of the Elemental Nations, only mentioning samurai in passing.
But that brought another thought. The blonde had said that all chakra was removed. He didn't want to lose what he had spent five painful years training rigorously with. Especially if he ever unlocked his Sharingan, he wouldn't give his bloodline up for any power, no matter how destructive it was.
Sighing, Sasuke looked up to the sky and noticed that the moon was just starting to rise. He must have been thinking and walking for at least an hour. Looking down at the base of a rather large tree, the Uchiha found the object of his thoughts: Naruto.
The masked man was sitting on the ground, his back resting on the bark of the tree with his nodachi sword resting along the left side of his chest. Sasuke couldn't tell if the man's eyes were closed or not, though the solitary breathing indicated the man was either asleep or meditating. The teenager guessed the latter.
Building up his confidence, Sasuke stepped up to the meditating man, intent on rousing him. He was surprised however as the man spoke first. "What do you want, Uchiha Sasuke?" The man's eyes opened and stared into Sasuke's charcoal eyes.
Swallowing his doubts, the Uchiha steeled himself. "I want to challenge you to a fight."
The man kept his eyes leveled to Sasuke's, staring at the boy with his soul penetrating red eyes. Sasuke began to sweat slightly as the swordsman, after what felt like an hour of staring, finally looked away as he rose from his spot on the ground. "I refuse your request."
The Uchiha's eyes widened. "What? You can't refu-!"
"What is it that you want to prove, Uchiha-san?" Though the man's voice was slightly gravelly and soft, it held a sliver of irritation to it as he interrupted the raven haired boy.
Sasuke looked to the ground and thought for a moment. What did he want to prove? That he was strong, that he was powerful, that he was better than his brother. But somewhere inside of himself, he knew he wasn't. His brother had been an ANBU Captain at thirteen, and what was he? Merely a genin fresh out of the Academy, and even though he knew he was the best out of his year, he knew he wasn't the best to ever come out of the academy. But, still he needed to prove this, if not to the blonde man, than to himself.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as the Uchiha's own eyes, even his posture, filled with solid determination. "I need to prove that I'm strong, that I'm powerful, that I could beat him, kill him."
The blonde gazed at the Uchiha for all of a second before he turned and started to walk away. "You... have a long way to go, Uchiha-san, before you could even scratch me. Maybe once you've grown a bit, I'll allow you to challenge me. But, as it is now, you are nothing but a child, whining for attention."
Sasuke felt something within him snap. Anger and hate flashed through the boy's eyes and before he could restrain himself, he lashed out, several kunai flying through the air as his hands sped through hand seals. Gathering air into his lungs, the boy yelled out, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" and breathed out a large ball of fire towards the blonde.
He was surprised that his weapons and technique hit his target. A sense of arrogance overtook him as a small smirk made its way to his face. So, he was surprised as not a second after the fire died down, he was in the air, his skull clutched within Naruto's rough hand. He was brought up to Naruto's eyes, and Sasuke felt a fear he hadn't felt since that night five years prior: the same fear he felt when he had stared into his brother's morphed eyes.
Before he knew what was happening, Sasuke was thrown through the air and collided with a tree. He fell to his hands and knees, breathing hard in pain. The raven haired teen looked up and could only stare at the blonde's emotionless red eyes.
"You're pathetic, Uchiha. You're too hasty and arrogant, thinking that you're powerful, when you're weak. You know, when I was your age... I had killed off five towns already and defeated thirty-two masters of the blade. What have you done?" Naruto questioned.
Sasuke looked to the ground, tears beginning to form in his eyes as his shell finally broke. He wasn't use to such harsh criticism, unless it had been from his father. "I-I haven't done anything. I wasn't able to stop him from killing them. I wasn't able to stop my own brother from killing my family. But, I promised myself... I would become stronger, powerful. I promised myself that I would avenge their deaths, even if it meant selling my soul to the devil himself."
He looked back up to Naruto and stared at the masked man. "C-Can you train me? With a power like yours, I could kill that man easily... I could actually achieve my goals."
Suddenly, an immense weight pressed down upon his body, forcing Sasuke down to his side, nearly suffocating him with an invisible force of... something. He panted hard as his lungs felt like they were being compressed by vice clamps... it almost felt like his very soul was being crushed by an immense pressure. Darkness just began to cloud his vision when the pressure went away just as instantly as it had come down upon him.
Sasuke panted heavily, trying desperately to fill his lungs with oxygen once more. "W-What the hell was that?"
"That," Naruto began to explain coldly, "was my reiatsu. I know you had been listening when I explained it, so I gave you a taste of it. You, like most ninja, cannot withstand the pressure of a samurai's reiatsu, this is why we try not to use it in your kind's presence." Naruto turned and began to walk away. He stopped two meters from the heavily panting Uchiha. "As for your question, I don't have the time or patience to teach a child how to breathe."
The blonde began to walk away again. "Perhaps, if you want to become stronger, you should try to master the techniques you already have at your disposal... you could try making them stronger or get faster at using them. Oh, and try not to seem so arrogant, Uchiha-san, it... is unbecoming of someone with your potential."
Though emotions warred inside Sasuke's head, a smile formed on his mouth. The blonde man, despite his attitude towards the swordsman, had given the Uchiha a piece of advice that could possibly propel the boy to new heights of power.
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The Makeshift Training Ground
Present Day and Time
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Sasuke sighed as he looked into the sky that was slowly starting to darken to night. He looked at his training tree and his eyes hardened with determination and resolve as Naruto's words of advice whispered through his mind. He would master the chakra control exercise, not until he reached the top of tree, but until it became second nature to him. Then, he would begin to master his fire techniques until he could do them with only one hand seal, and do the same with any jutsu he learned from then on.
Another thought went through his head. 'Maybe, just maybe, this is the way I was supposed to do this. Not through hate and haste, but through calm and skill. And then, I will kill Itachi and avenge my clan.' With that thought, he continued his training with a renewed vigor, never noticing as a pair of red eyes watched his progress.
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Somewhere Outside Tazuna's House
Morning of the Third Day
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Naruto watched silently as a brunette haired girl dressed in pink picked herbs. The morning haze made the scene look dull and drab, though the animals of the woods seemed drawn to the teenage girl. The scene painted the perfect image of innocence and kindness, but the blonde saw through the façade as he felt the familiar feel of the hunter ninja's energy circulation coming from the girl, something he recognized instantly... it was cold to his senses, like ice.
He watched as the girl stood, satisfied with the amount of herbs she had picked. Naruto then made his presence known as he walked out from his place behind a tree, startling the girl. The brunette's eyes widened for a moment before recognition set into her brown irises. "Y-You! What do you want?"
"To keep to a meeting I set with your master, Hunter-san," Naruto spoke softly so only the girl could hear. "Now, you are going to take me to him, girl, or I will reveal to the Leaf ninja's your true identity and the location of Momochi-san."
The girl looked taken aback by the threat, but complied nonetheless. "Alright... if he's expecting you, Majin-san, I shall take you to him." She began to flash through one handed hand seals. "Oh, by the way, I'm a boy."
Just as she finished the seals, Naruto snorted slightly. "And I'm the savior of the world." And they left in a Shunshin, the girl shocked that the man knew her secret.
Up in a tree above the small clearing, red eyes watched as the two left in the body flicker technique. Kurenai narrowed her eyes at the suspicious actions of the blonde man. 'What are you up to, Naruto-san?'
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Zabuza's Hideout
Five Minutes Later
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Naruto walked into the small hut that served as Zabuza's hideout with the girl, Haku he had learned her name was, at his side. Haku opened the door to the room housing the missing-nin and gestured for the blonde to enter. He looked around the frugal room as he stepped inside. The brunette girl followed him in, locking the door behind her as she moved to the side of, presumably, Zabuza's bed.
"Heh, I was wondering if you were just spouting bullshit when you said you'd meet me in two days," Zabuza's weak voice spoke from the bed. The man began to sit up, but had to ultimately have Haku help him lean against the headboard. "Uzumaki Naruto... I was wondering when I'd get to meet you in person."
Naruto only stared before he untied his mask's bindings and took it off, eliciting a small gasp from Haku as he revealed his face. He sat on a stool that was beside the bed. "You know... you look like crap."
"Heh," Zabuza snorted weakly, "well, I do feel like shit, ya know?" He leveled a glare at the blonde man. "Now, what the hell do you want? I don't really make it a point to talk to those I need to kill, though I don't really think I have a choice... do I?"
The blonde raised a hand to placate the injured shinobi. "I'm not here to start a fight, Zabuza-san. I'm here to end the one you're in now. I want to make a deal with you."
Zabuza's eye narrowed in suspicion. "And just what do you have in mind?"
"After I kill Gatou and another annoyance, I want you and your apprentice," he nodded toward Haku, who blushed slightly at the handsome man acknowledging her, "to accompany me to Konoha. There's something there that I need to find, something about my birth parents, if they're alive that is..."
"What else?" Zabuza questioned curiously.
Naruto sighed almost... tiredly. "There is something else. A few months before I went into exile, I found some ancient ruins, I had no clue what it was or the mystery it had held. A year ago, I went back to those same ruins. They hadn't changed since I had last visited them and I did some research with a colleague of mine. It turns out that those ruins are actually recently made and were meant for something other than making history."
"What were they made for Naruto-san?" Haku asked, curious about the ruins.
The samurai's eyes hardened as he gazed at his mask for a moment. "They... They were made to imprison something... something big. What it is, I've no clue, other than that it is powerful, more so than every shinobi and samurai on this earth. It could possibly even be stronger than the Kyuubi no Youko, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts."
"And let me guess, you want us to help you fight this thing, right?" Zabuza questioned. While he was one for a fight, he didn't want to be obliterated by some godly being because someone asked it of him.
Naruto just shook his head. "No, I wouldn't ask someone else to do what I should be able to do on my own. Anyway, if it helps you consider, I can pay you for your services. Any price, I'll pay it." The blonde stood and retied his mask to his face. He began to move toward the door when Zabuza spoke up, stopping him.
"We'll go with you, as long as you let me end Gatou. I never really liked the little rat anyway," the man spoke, surprising Haku with the turn of events.
"B-But Zabuza-sama, what about your dream, are you just going to give that up? I thought that was more important than anything," the girl asked in shock and surprise.
Zabuza looked to his lap. "I'm not a very insightful man or a very religious one for that matter. But, I believe, especially now with you here Devil, that when my coup failed and I got away alive, that was fate telling me I wasn't ready to be Mizukage... yet. I will still fight for that, but, I need some more excitement in my life, and this may be the only way I'm going to get it." He looked back to the masked man, who just stared. "We'll go with you, but you still have to pay."
The blonde nodded. "I will need you to still play this charade with the Konoha ninja for a little while more, at least enough to fool Gatou. I'll make sure you and only you kill him. I'm going now, before the others get suspicious. I'll see you both in four day's time." With that, he left the two alone to their thoughts.
"Haku," Zabuza spoke as he stared at the door the blonde man left through, "If anything happens to me, ever, I want you to follow that man."
The brunette's eyes widened in shock as she caught the medicine she was about to apply to Zabuza's wounds from falling to the floor. "But, Zabuza-sama, I-!"
Zabuza cut her off with a raised hand. "I said if, Haku." He sighed tiredly. "That man is going to go on to do great things for this world, whether he realizes it or not. I'd rather you be in his presence than killing yourself because I died. I want you to live, Haku, not die for something as worthless as a hopeless dream."
Tears welled within Haku's eyes as emotions danced within her brown irises. "Thank you, Zabuza-sama."
The man just shook his head dismissively. "Don't thank me, girl. Now, I need to rest for what's to come."
"Yes, Zabuza-sama," Haku nodded, a small smile on her face as she applied the salve she had made to her surrogate father's wounds.
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Tazuna's House
Several Hours Later
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The sky was beginning to darken as the occupants of Tazuna's house sat for supper. The group ate happily, Kakashi's genin chattering noisily as their sensei read his little orange book. Kurenai was talking adamantly with Tsunami, though the brunette jounin kept taking small, furtive glances of Naruto, and Anko and Tazuna were sharing a bottle of sake.
The peaceful atmosphere was then crushed as Inari stood, his fist slamming into the table. "Why are you all so happy? You're all just going to die anyway! Gatou's going to kill you all, and you just don't seem to care!"
Everyone silenced as they stared at Inari, though it was Naruto who broke the tension as he chuckled suddenly, though it had no mirth in it whatsoever. "You really think a man like Gatou is going to kill me?"
Though he felt fear when he looked into the blonde's eyes, Inari was defiant to the end. "He's done it before. He'll kill anyone that gets in his way!"
"I see," Naruto said as he stared sadly at the boy. "You lost someone to Gatou then, huh? Whoever it was must have been real special to you, for you to stand firm with this idiotic belief to a man like me." The blonde sighed as tears welled within Inari's eyes, the boy remembering who he lost. "You don't have to cry, kid. As long as you remember who that person was and the emotion you felt for them, they will always be with you in mind and spirit."
"That was very kind of you Naruto," Kakashi said, his visible eye 'smiling'. "I didn't know the Devil of the Flood had a soft spot in him."
Naruto glared at the man halfheartedly. "It's what reminds me that I'm still human. Just because I've killed the people I believed my family, doesn't mean that I don't try to remember them and the time I shared with them. I'm not one who is in touch with their 'feelings', but I let those I had loved live through me, even if I was their murderer."
That statement served to quiet the table as its occupants stared oddly at the blonde. He sighed as he stood with his mask and sword in hand. "I think I've said too much. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head to bed now."
The group watched him leave, most wondering about the blonde enigma, though Kakashi had to wonder just what was up as he watched Kurenai leave for bed as well ten minutes later. Bringing his book to view, he giggled, deciding to think about it later.
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Naruto sat on his futon, staring sadly at the mattress. 'Why did I bring that up for? The kid should have gotten the point. Stupid scarecrow, he just had to make me feel.'
What do you feel?
The swordsman looked up quickly as a melodious voice entered his head. 'There's no one here. Who just spoke to me then?'
I did, or are you trying to ignore me?
The voice spoke once more and Naruto admitted to himself that, besides her voice, this one was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard.
Don't make me blush you sweet talker.
Naruto growled in his throat. The voice was playing with him, it had to be. 'I know you can hear me as I think. Tell me who and where you are.'
Oh, I don't want to reveal myself yet, love. But I will tell you, I've been with you for a very long time, and I've seen every little atrocious act you've committed... and I think I'm in love.
The blonde looked down sadly. How could something with such a beautiful, melodious voice love someone like him?
Oh but I do, and always will.
Naruto's eyes hardened as he steeled himself. He didn't need such worthless emotions like love.
But you will, love. And when the time comes, you will always have mine.
Before Naruto could respond to the voice, his door opened, making him look up into Kurenai's red eyes. He noticed the woman looked apprehensive at the moment. "Is there something I can do for you Yuuhi-san?"
"Yes, there is actually," the woman answered. She turned and locked the door before going through a set of hand seals. The room shimmered slightly before the woman turned back to him. "I wanted to know why you met with Zabuza and his accomplice today."
The blonde sighed. He found himself doing that a lot lately. "I met with Momochi-san to make a deal with him. After this fiasco is settled and Gatou is dead, I will be returning to Konoha with you and the others. Zabuza-san and Haku-san will be accompanying me."
Kurenai's eye narrowed as she stared at the man, trying her damndest to read him, though he gave nothing away. "You do know that Momochi Zabuza is an A-Rank Missing Nin, correct? He and any accomplice will be killed on sight once we reach the Leaf's gate."
"If that were to happen, I'll kill whoever tries," Naruto spoke, his eyes half-lidded. "You need to understand something, Kurenai-san. Something is going to happen soon, maybe not now, maybe not in a year or so from now, but it will happen. And once it does, I'm going to need all the help I can get to stop it."
The woman was shocked by this. She didn't really know what to think at the moment. The man seemed genuine and Kurenai couldn't deny that the man also seemed depressed and withdrawn, like his thoughts were eating at him and he didn't know what to do. "W-What is it that's going to happen?"
Naruto looked at his hands and even though they were perfectly clean, he could still see the appendages soaked in blood. "I... I don't know. There's something out there, a being of great and destructive power. I can feel that power even now, it's so... chaotic and blasphemous. I don't know what or who it is, but I know an agent of it is here in the Wave, and I'm going to drag all the information I can from him, even if I have to cut him into pieces."
"That doesn't explain why you want to go to Konoha, though," Kurenai spoke, though she was still in a sort of daze.
"To know that, you'd have to know me and what I've done," Naruto explained as he looked to his sword.
Thinking for a moment, the woman moved from her spot against the door to Naruto's bed and sat on the mattress across from the blonde man. "I'm willing to listen, if you're willing to tell."
Naruto's eyes widened a fraction before he nodded, a small, genuine smile spreading upon his lips. "Okay, then, Kurenai-san, I will tell you my story, if you'll tell me yours."
Kurenai looked thoughtful for a second as she brought a finger to her chin. "There's not much to tell, but I guess I could, since you are being so generous with your own."
The blonde nodded his thanks and began his tale. "My story starts when I was three. I was found and adopted by a man named Shiokaze Akira and his family. He must have something in me because the next day, he began training me in his personal style called the Tensho-ryuu..."
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Tazuna's House
The End of the Week
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Naruto sat in the corner of the dining room meditating. Kurenai sat at the table, cleaning her kunai. The two had stayed at Tazuna's house to protect Tsunami and Inari. Kakashi, the night before, had speculated that Gatou was likely to send someone to kidnap Tazuna's family and use them as collateral. The blonde had agreed to this and volunteered for the job. He had been surprised when Kurenai had also volunteered, much to the disappointment to Anko.
Kakashi had nodded and said that he, his team, and Anko would be enough to handle Zabuza and his accomplice. Early that morning the Team Seven along with the special jounin and Tazuna left for the bridge.
The last four nights had served to surprise Naruto, as he found himself talking to Kurenai for a few hours each night, more than he had talked to any human in seven years. The woman was so much like he was, calm, collected, and quiet, though without the killing streak he had. He was glad the woman didn't show disgust towards him when he recounted the Kouchou no Zansatsu.
The blonde broke from his reverie as a distinct energy flow was heading towards the house. He stood and looked to Kurenai. "Get ready. It won't just be a couple of mercenaries like Hatke-san had thought."
Nodding, the woman collected her equipment and prepared herself. "I'm ready for whatever Gatou has planned."
Naruto nodded himself as he strapped his nodachi to his back. He turned toward the door just as the entrance was sliced through and fell to the ground.
"Knock, knock," a man in an eye patch joked. His companion, a man in a ski jacket smirked. The man with the eye patch grinned. "Oh look at this, a pretty lady and a guy playing samurai. I don't know which one I should chop up first."
The masked swordsman chuckled darkly. "The only one's playing samurai... are you idiots."
Both men looked dumbfounded at the comeback, giving enough time for pair of slender, bandaged hands to take hold of each of the mercenary's heads. The hands quickly twisted the men's necks, eliciting a sharp crack as the men fell to the floor, dead.
Naruto looked at the two Kurenai's standing over the men then to the one beside him. "A multiple body technique?"
Kurenai nodded. "It's called Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It creates a solid chakra construct that can be used in almost any situation, though it only takes one hit to dispel the technique."
"Oh," Naruto said, impressed with the technique.
Suddenly, something large and silver cut through the house's walls and through the clones. Looking outside, the two found a medium sized man dressed in red and white standing on the wooden walkway, a large double edged steel sword resting on his right shoulder.
The man chuckled. "It's about time I found you, Majin. Now, I'm going to kill you for what you did two years and deliver your head to his Highness."
Kurenai raised an eyebrow as she looked at Naruto. "A friend of yours I presume."
"No," the blonde said with a shake of his head. "But he's about to be." With that they both launched at the stranger, who chuckled as he raised his sword.
"Let's dance!"
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The Bridge
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Kakashi breathed hard as he fought Zabuza, his Sharingan eye spinning slowly as he tried to find the swordsman, but the thick mist that permeated the air limited his sight a great deal and played on one of the major drawbacks of the Sharingan. Two of his students were fighting Zabuza's partner as the other stayed with Tazuna, and Anko was hiding in the mist, looking for an ideal opening to strike.
The grey haired jounin quickly ducked as he heard the sharp whistling of metal slicing through the air. Zabuza's large sword passed over his head, the man trailing behind it in the open. Kakashi, seeing this as an opening, sliced the man with a kunai. He didn't expect, however, for the man to burst into water, revealing that it had just been a clone.
"Heh, so even the great Copy Ninja Kakashi can be fooled. Well, this just makes it more fun, then," Zabuza's voice sounded from all throughout the mist.
Kakashi sighed as his hair was dampened from the water. "Why don't you come out and play, face to face, Zabuza. You never know, it could be better that way."
"For who Kakashi? You? Your little snake in the tree? I don't think so, but nice try though," Zabuza said before he rushed at Kakashi once more, his sword held out to the side.
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On the other side of the bridge, Sasuke and Natsuko were fighting their own battle against Zabuza's partner, Haku. The two genin were trapped in a dome of mirrors made of ice and were repeatedly getting stabbed with senbon needles that the fake hunter-nin masterfully used, though she kept hitting non-vital areas, it didn't mean that it wasn't painful to experience.
Sasuke, finally, saw a quick blur as started to feel dizzy from pain and chakra exhaustion. 'Wait a moment!' New found energy coursed through the Uchiha's body. 'I can see his movements. It isn't perfect, but I can see it now.' Looking over to his blonde teammate, Sasuke addressed her. "Natsuko, I have a plan."
The girl nodded. "What is it Sasuke?"
"Distract him, I'm going to try something," Sasuke said, getting ready to go through a quick chain of hand seals.
"O-Okay," Natsuko said with a slight hesitation in her voice. Gathering her chakra, the daughter of the Fourth steeled herself. She put her hands in a cross shaped seal and called out her technique. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A cloud of smoke enshrouded the girl and once it cleared, eight stood where there had only been one. "Alright! Let's do this!" With that battle cry, the Natsuko's charged the mirrors with drawn kunai.
Sasuke watched intently, his just awakened Sharingan spinning slowly as he tried to see when the ninja in the mirrors would move and to where. Needles flew towards him, though one of the Natsuko's took the senbon for him, dispelling in midair. Through the haze of the chakra smoke, Sasuke saw another blur of motion. Completing a quick chain of hand seals, the Uchiha took a deep breath of air. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
Aimed at one specific mirror, a ball of fire was breathed out from Sasuke's mouth. He had timed it just a little too slow as the hunter-nin flew into the ice, the back of his leg getting singed by the flames.
Sasuke smirked at his small success. 'I can do this. I can predict where he's going to go. If I get my timing right, I just might be able to take him down.'
While the boy was thinking to himself, his opponent was not idle. Haku narrowed her eyes and prepared to attack the two genin once more. Deciding the Uchiha was more dangerous than the girl, Haku threw her senbon, unable to predict what would happen next.
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Tazuna's House
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Kurenai watched from her perch on the side of Tazuna's house as Naruto and the stranger, Akihiro, flew at each other, their swords clashing in blurs of black and silver, sparks flying from each collision of the blades. Naruto jumped back as Akihiro brought his large blade crashing down, destroying the wooden walkway that led to Tazuna's home.
The mysterious stranger launched himself at the retreating Naruto and spun, his sword swirling like a propeller. Naruto brought his sword up and caught Akihiro's blade with ease. "Who is it that you work for, Genjitsu-san?"
Akihiro chortled mirthlessly. "I'm not going to tell you a damned thing, Majin. No, in fact, I'm going to kill you and give your head to his Highness on a platinum platter. He'll like that." Breaking their deadlock, the man raised his sword and brought it down, but missed as the blonde swordsman stepped to his right.
Naruto, seeing an opening, stabbed his sword forward, but his nodachi was parried as Akihiro spun his blade up. He quickly back flipped as the man sliced his sword through the water below them in an upwards slash.
Landing, Naruto blasted forwards in a dash and used a well timed Sokudo to evade another slash from the red garbed man. Reappearing behind Akihiro, Naruto brought his sword over his head and successfully cut through Akihiro's back, though the wound was too shallow to be anything other than an annoyance.
The stranger grunted in pain before spinning, his large sword lashing out. Akihiro focused his energy into his greatsword and sent a blade of pure red energy screaming towards Naruto, who seemed shocked by the technique for a fraction of a second. Using another Sokudo, Naruto was able to dodge the attack, though he was forced to use his speed technique again as Akihiro slashed his weapon repeatedly, the blades of energy blasting from the tip of his sword.
Skidding along the water's surface, Naruto decided it was time to end the battle. Standing up straight, Naruto brought his sword up, aimed at Akihiro, who only laughed sadistically.
"Is that supposed to scare me, little devil? Well it doesn't, so I guessed you failed!" The man laughed as he shouldered his sword.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as a sphere of wind formed at the tip of his blade. "Then I guess you are ready to meet the King of Hell? Then I shall oblige."
Kurenai's eyes widened as a red light flashed Naruto's technique. 'That was quicker than when he used it against Zabuza. I don't feel that pressure, either. Is he not using that reiatsu he talked about?'
Akihiro laughed again. "I'm not going to die! Not in this lifetime!" He then rushed at Naruto, his large sword over his head.
"So be it," the masked man spoke. "Senpuudou!" A tunnel like blast flew at the charging man, the wind and water churning and spiraling towards Akihiro. Just as the blast reached the man, he brought his sword down, cutting through the technique and sending a large blade of energy towards Naruto. The blonde's technique died down as it was cut in half and the red garbed man's attack hit, exploding on contact with the swordsman.
A loud, boisterous laugh escaped Akihiro as he surveyed his victory. "I guess he wasn't as powerful as his Highness said. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now, I just need to find the bastard's head and I can leave this shithole."
Finding the man completely open, Kurenai launched two dozen kunai and shuriken at the man as she jumped towards him. She had expected a number of things the man could do, but smacking the weapons and her away in just one move with the flat side of his sword was not one of them somehow.
'Shit!' She thought as she crossed her arms so the appendages took the brunt of the lazy attack. The brunette crashed into the earth across from the house, repeatedly slamming into the ground before skidding to a stop on the balls of her feet. Kurenai panted as pain coursed through her body, but pushed it to the back of her mind as she drew a pair of kunai.
Akihiro chuckled as he approached the jounin, his dark eyes showing sadistic glee. "You know, if I wasn't in such a hurry," he seemed to lick his lips behind his red scarf, "I'd have a little fun with you, pretty lady. But, as it is, I'm going to have to make this quick." He brought his sword over his head and slashed down.
Kurenai raised her kunai and focused chakra into her arms, ready to try and stop what could be the killing blow.
There was a loud crash of steel, making Kurenai look up. Above her was Naruto, his sword held behind his back blocking the other man's blow and his mask gone, most likely destroyed by Akihiro's attack.
Naruto gazed into her eyes and then smiled. "Are you hurt, Kurenai-san?"
The woman was too shocked to speak, but shook her head nonetheless.
"I'm glad, then," he said, his smile still on his face. Kurenai admitted to herself that he was even more handsome when he smiled. The blonde suddenly frowned as he slashed his sword over his head, throwing Akihiro back a few meters.
Akihiro skidded to a stop and glared angrily at the blonde who turned towards him. "How the hell did you survive that?"
"You obviously think I'm some pathetic novice and that the power coursing through your body is like that of a God's," Naruto began, his sword at his side. He gazed at the man lazily as black energy began to coalesce around his body, eliciting a surprised gasp from Kurenai. "But you would be wrong. I am the strongest samurai to walk the earth since Oda Nobunaga. And because you tried to hurt someone I can call my friend, I'm going to obliterate you."
"Just try it," Akihiro retorted as a blood red energy formed around his body in a triple helix. "I'll just fucking kill you first." The energy encased the man in a cocoon-like structure. After a minute, the cocoon shattered, sending hardened energy flying everywhere.
Naruto spun his blade in front of him, swatting the glass-like debris away. When he set his eyes upon the being in front of him, the blonde knew he wasn't staring at a human any longer. The creature looked like a small but solid mass of muscle covered in pitch black skin and torn red and white clothing that had a canine head, claws, and feet.
'Akihiro' grinned, or did something akin to a grin, through his torn scarf. It was utterly disgusting. "Like my new form? His Highness was nice enough to bless me with this and a new energy form called Reiryoku. With this, I'm going to bury you."
"Kurenai-san," Naruto spoke as he glared at the monstrosity in front of him. "Get Tsunami and Inari to safety, then head to the bridge. I'll be there shortly."
The kunoichi looked shocked for a moment before complying. She did a few hand seals and left in a quick Body Flicker.
Naruto concentrated for a moment. Once he felt that they were all at least two kilometers away, he looked back at Akihiro. "I guess I'll have to finish this quick then. Feel honored, monster, I haven't had to use a fourth of my power in a very long time."
The thing just grinned. "Then I'll go all out on your ass." Focusing his reiatsu into his greatsword, Akihiro stabbed the blade into the ground. As soon as he did, four pillars of white hot fire launched into the air and formed into dogs. Giving a pseudo bark, the dogs rushed at Naruto who only stared, before a smirk crossed his face.
"This should be fun."
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The Bridge
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Sasuke's eyes widened as Natsuko fell into his arms, a pair of needles in her neck. "Y-You idiot! W-Why did you do that?"
The girl smiled. "B-Because o-out of the two of us, y-you're the only one that can win." She looked into his eyes with her own violet orbs. "J-Just promise me... that y-you will always p-protect our home a-and those precious to you."
The Uchiha nodded frantically. "I promise, Natsuko." In his mind he was afraid. 'Not again! Not another one!'
"T-Thank you, S-Sasuke-kun," Natsuko whispered before her eyes closed, 'dead'.
Sasuke shook with anger, sorrow, and hate. Anger at the girl in his arms who saved him, sorrow that he couldn't do anything for her, and hate at the ninja who killed her. In his mind, Sasuke knew that the blonde haired girl was his only friend, even if they only recently started talking to each other. The girl was the closest thing to a friend he had, and now she was gone because of him. 'It's my fault she's dead. If I had been better, faster, stronger, I could have saved her. I could have done something, anything!'
A lone tear fell from his eye, a tear of blood. He heard the ninja say something, but he didn't care. All he cared about, was killing the person who had killed his first and best friend, even if he was to blame for her death. He stood, blood red eyes with an atom-like shape surrounding his pupil glaring at the ninja in the mirrors.
"W-What happened to your eyes?" Haku questioned, shocked and mesmerized by the transformed irises.
Sasuke didn't hear her though. Darkness was starting to cloud his vision as his body began to feel heavier and heavier. His energy was continuously draining and he felt his chakra deplete rapidly. "I'm going to kill you," Sasuke started to walk forward, but suddenly fell to the ground unconscious.
Haku almost hyperventilated. She had been afraid for her life there for a second, but was glad that the boy depleted his chakra reserves to the point of collapsible exhaustion. Whatever had happened to his eyes, Haku knew that if he had used them, she'd be dead now. If they fought again, she was never putting anyone close to the boy in a death-like state if that was the reaction the Uchiha had.
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Anko huffed childishly as she held Zabuza in her Senei'Jashuu, her snakes binding the man and his sword. She pouted. "Ah, that was no fun."
Kakashi took a deep breath to calm himself. "Well, I'm sorry Anko, I just wanted to end this fast, so I set him up for you."
"Pfft, save your excuses, old man," Anko said, annoyed. She looked to Zabuza and grinned. "Now, what should I do with you, big boy?"
Zabuza tried struggling for a moment before settling to his fate. "You could try letting me go, you crazy bitch!"
The woman pouted once more. "I could, but where's the fun in that?"
"Put him down, Anko," a voice spoke, making the purple haired jounin look over her shoulder.
"Kurenai-chan! You're okay? I was so worried about you," Anko said slightly concerned.
The red eyed woman nodded her head. "I'm fine Anko, really. Now put him down, Zabuza is working for Naruto-kun."
Zabuza looked confused for a moment. "He told you?"
"What do you mean he's working for Naruto?" Kakashi questioned confused as Anko set the swordsman down and recalled her snakes. A strange wave of pressure and dizziness for a moment, before it died down as quickly as it rose, leaving the jounin confused for a second.
"She means that I'm paying him and Haku to play along with this façade," Naruto said as he appeared on the bridge in a blur of black. "Ah, and there's the audience." The mist that hung in the air parted, showing the group an army of mercenaries led by a short, fat man wearing a pair of expensive sunglasses. "I am to presume that you are Gatou, yes?"
'Gatou' smirked evilly. "Why yes, I am, Majin-san." He looked to his right where the girl that broke his arm was laying out a blonde haired girl and a raven haired boy as a pink haired girl rushed over and immediately began fussing over the boy. "You, you're the bitch who did this to me."
Haku stood and walked over to Zabuza and Naruto, standing defiantly against the tyrant. "And? What are you going to do about it?"
The man's face screwed up in fury. "You bitch! Boys, kill all but her and the pretty ones, I want to teach them a very special lesson!" The men behind Gatou roared in approval, but were drowned out as a mirthless laugh sounded from in front of them.
Naruto grinned. "I'm not going to let a group of low lives like you all even touch these people. I haven't used this move in awhile, so it's a bit rusty, but I'll still be done carving you all before you even touch the ground." He drew his sword and held it in a hanging guard. "You ninja, watch what a true samurai can do." Black energy spiraled around Naruto. "Now, are you ready for judgment?"
The grin on Naruto's face disappeared as he spoke his next words. "Tensho-ryuu! Daiku Kamae: Hachidori!" With the words spoken, Naruto disappeared. There was no blur, no sound, he was just gone. Then there was a sound, something akin to a hummingbird flapping his wings.
Gatou and his small army looked on confused, though the ninja just barely saw glints of light. Then Naruto reappeared once more, his back to the mercenaries and his blade dripping with blood. He swiped it to the side, flicking the sword clean. "They don't even know their dead... do they?" The blonde brought his nodachi up to his back and sheathed it with a click.
In that instant, small streaks of white light appeared through the men behind Gatou before they exploded into a fine, bloody mist as they fell into carved chunks of flesh, bone, and sinew. The ninja in front of Naruto had various reactions, though Sakura's scream of utter horror summed up most of their thoughts.
The short tyrant was hyperventilating as his blood covered face stared in terror at what had been nearly three hundred men. He turned and stared at the back of the blonde murderer's head. "W-W-What the h-hell are you, y-you monster?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder at the diminutive man then over to Zabuza. "As promised, Zabuza-san, he's all yours."
The Demon of the Mist pulled his bandages from his mouth and grinned, his sharp, shark-like teeth inciting even more fear in Gatou. He raised his sword to his side, and began a slow walk towards Gatou. "I'm going to enjoy this!" And he began to pick up speed.
Gatou raised his hands defensively as he began to back away. "W-What do want? Money, w-women, power? I'll give you whatever the fuck want, just don't kill me!" He pleadingly screamed as he neared the edge of the bridge.
"All I want," Zabuza spoke as he reached Gatou, his cleaver above his head, "is your life!"
And he brought the sword down...
Translation(s): None I think. If there is, well then tell me and I'll translate it.
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Technique(s): (Below)
Name: Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Fireball Techniques!)
Type: C-Rank, Offensive, Short Range (0-5m)
User(s): Uchiha Sasuke, Various Konoha ninja (Known and Unknown)
Description: After performing the necessary hand seals, a ninja inhales air via their mouth and, utilizing a large amount of fire chakra, spews a large fireball from their mouth, incinerating everything in range. The Uchiha clan uses the technique as a "coming of age" technique. This technique apparently requires more than average chakra reserves and most Genin should not be able to do this technique.
Name: Akihiro's Unnamed Energy Blade Technique
Type: No Rank, Offensive, All Ranges
User(s): Genjitsu Akihiro, Uzumaki Naruto (Known and Speculated)
Description: By adding reiatsu to one's sword while slashing, the user will blast a blade of pure energy at the target. By adding more power to the attack, the force of the impact will become even more powerful and destructive. It is speculated that Uzumaki Naruto can use this technique, as he had formed blades of water during his brief battle with Momochi Zabuza.
Name: Akihiro's Unnamed Fire Dog Technique
Type: No Rank, Offensive, All Ranges
User(s): Genjitsu Akihiro (Known)
Description: After transforming into his monstrous state, Akihiro will focus a large amount of reiatsu into his sword and blast pillars of fire (presumably lava) and form the flames into canine-like shapes. Akihiro has full control over these constructs and change their direction at any time. The technique died with Akihiro and is spectulated that Uzumaki Naruto can perform this technique, though it has yet to be confirmed.
Name: Tensho-ryuu! Daiku Kamae: Hachidori! (Piercing Heaven Style! The Ninth Stance: Hummingbird!)
Type: S-Rank, Offensive, All Ranges
User(s): Uzumaki Naruto (Known)
Description: After focusing in Naruto's own creation, the Ninth Stance, Naruto will vanish completely and attack his opponents with extreme speed. This attack is so fast that only the most well trained eye will ever be able to see it, and then they will only see a glint of light. Also because of the speed of the technique, once Naruto reappears, the victim's will not realize they until a minute later. This technique is classed as S-Rank for the complete slaughter it is capable of and the strain put upon the user. Though Uzumaki Naruto shows no pain on the outside, internally his muscles have torn and ripped, though almost instantaneouly healed. Why this is, is unknown.
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Author's Note: We are now at the end of the chapter and all the other crap, but that isn't important, as we are now, finally, at the end of the Wave Arc. Badass. Oh, and you just know that ending was badass too. If you didn't think so, well, whatever, I did at least, so... Ha! Anyway, this chapter had a couple things that I wanted to explain and ask, you the readers.
One: Zabuza and Haku are going to stay alive for awhile and will act as Naruto's bodyguards, though he doesn't really need them. They will play a larger role in Act II, but that a ways off from right now.
Two: Naruto's colleague will be introduced sometime before the Invasion of Konoha Arc. Just so you know, it won't be Kabuto, though it will be someone who works for Orochimaru.
Three: I should have addressed this first, but, meh. Yes, Sasuke got his ass kind of kicked by Naruto and felt a focused blast of reiatsu, but it is meant as a lesson in humility. Some of you may like Sasuke, I personally don't, though I cannot deny how badass he has made the Chidori, especially that attack Kirin. That was awesome, though Itachi is still the ultimate badass because he survived it. But, anyways, Sasuke needed some humility beat into him early on, so realizes what he did in the chapter.
Four: Yes, I gave Sasuke the Mangekyou early, maybe a bit too early. But don't worry, I have a plan. And no, it is not to God-Mod Sasuke. I will eternally dislike Kishi for that.
Five: I so could have made a lemon out of that scene with Naruto and Kurenai, you know the one where she's questioning him, but I didn't. Yes, I know self control. Pervs! *Giggles Pervertedly* Yeah, I know, I'm a hypocrite.
Six: The thing Akihiro turned into will be explained, but you think of it like Samurai Deeper Kyo. That is still one of my favorite anime's of all time.
Seven: Can you guess who his Highness is? If you can, well good for you, I don't have anything to give you though. Sorry! But don't let that stop you, hell, even if you get it wrong, you can still pat yourself on the back, from your pal Risen.
Eight: This is the last one. If you can't guess just who talks like this, smack yourself on the back of the head. It is quite obvious, but, whatever. I'm going to reveal her either next chapter or the one after. Ohhhh! I can't wait! But I'm going to, for suspense's sake.
Alrighty then! I'm done and out of here. I hope you enjoyed the story and feel the need to review, I like hearing from you guys, but it ain't needed. Oh, and have a nice Fourth of July, too. I finally timed one right to get it out on a holiday. Awesome!
Until next time, RisenInfection, out