How's it going ? Sakrosankt here with Chapter 2 of In Utter Darkness.
This chapter's a lot lighter than the last, and it's less intense. Enjoy!
"Speaking."
'Thinking.'
"Bijuu speaking."
'Bijuu thinking.'
Chapter 2: Repercussions
Naruto stirred as rays of light passed through the window and onto his face. He twisted and turned in bed before cracking open an eye, only to be blinded by the sun.
"Agh. What's going on?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes, noticing the strange texture on the right side of his face. 'The hell?' He felt around the right side of his face and traced the smooth cloth around his face: a bandage. Why was there a bandage on his right eye? Didn't the Kyuubi agree to give him his sight back? 'Did he go back on the deal?'
The thought was met with a laugh that resonated in the back of his head. 'Fool. I don't back out of my agreements. You might have my eye, but you can't use it yet. You–'
'What! Then what was the point in giving me your stupid eye!' Naruto mentally yelled in frustration. Now that this happened, it didn't seem like a very good deal after all.
'Silence! You dare to spit on the gift that I have bestowed upon you?'Naruto could hear the fox growl and bang against the steel cage. 'I should kill you like I did the others!'
'Ha, but you can't! You told me that yourself. Now tell me how to use this thing.'
'If your stupid mouth could just shut up and stop interrupting me, you would have learned that the secret is chakra.' With that, the Kyuubi ended the conversation. Naruto could still feel the bijuu in the back of his mind, but the fox was ignoring any attempts at further interaction.
Naruto grumbled before sitting up and looking around, noticing the various medical equipment hung along the walls. 'Oh, I'm in the hospital again.' Recalling the brutal attack by Nobu and his goons, Naruto cracked his neck and rubbed his jaw. Still sore, but fully functional.
Getting up, he went to grab the hospital gown that hung next to the bed, but to no avail. When he reached for it, he realized he was still much too far from the clothes to actually have gotten it; with only one eye, his lack of depth perception made it difficult to maneuver and handle things. With a little more effort, he managed to grab the sickly green cloth and drape it over his skin as he moved towards the door. He yelled in frustration as his hand missed the doorknob.
"Gah! This is so annoying! Stupid furball said to use chakra." Opening the door, he stormed outside to find the only person he knew who could help: the Hokage. "What the hell is chakra?"
XXXXX
"Hokage-san, this situation must be dealt with." Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the council room as Shimura Danzo stood up and relayed his concerns. "The public is in an uproar. They think the Kyuubi is back."
"I know, but what do you expect me to do. I've checked the seal and it's completely undamaged. I've called for Jiraiya's expertise just in case. He'll be here within a day." Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose before taking another whiff of his pipe; the stress was killing him.
"Then let him be judged under Konoha law. It's only fitting." This time, the speaker was one of the civilian representatives. Mutters of agreement filled the room.
"If he is judged by Konoha law, then he'll be sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment, if not death."
"Then it will be his punishment for committing such a crime." It was the most logical and most fair of any decision he could make, but it would only end with the death of a young boy, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was not prepared to sentence a seven year old to death.
"No, I will not do that to him. He deserves every right to live a proper childhood. After what he's done for the village, it's only right if he lives."
"He killed 8 children! It wasn't a scuffle, it wasn't a fight! It was a bloody massacre! And everybody knows it's him. There's no way he's getting out of this one unscathed." The Sandaime eyed to man who was speaking: another civilian.
"You make it seem like you want him dead." The Hokage leaned forward and glared at the man, only to have the other man stare straight back. His next words caused the Hokage to boil with rage.
"Well let's be honest. We'd all sleep better knowing he wasn't here."
"Fool! You understand nothing of what he's done! Be glad you're a civilian of Konoha or else you'd be dead this very instant." Hiruzen's words were laced with venom as he poured out a menacing aura that caused many in the room to cringe and shudder in fear. Only the experienced shinobi were unaffected by the wave of killing intent.
"That's enough." Danzo walked up and placed his hand on Sarutobi's shoulder before pointing his wooden cane at the man who envoked the Hokage's wrath. His face was pale yet gleaming with sweat as his entire body shook uncontrollably. Evidently, the Hokage and directed all of his wrath towards the one man. Nodding, the Hokage took a breath to calm himself before sitting back down. "Now, I may have a solution to your predicament."
When Danzo had a plan, it usually involved his own benefits, and so, Sarutobi Hiruzen was rather wary of the plot.
"Give him to me, and I'll make sure he's kept alive."
"Alive? Do you think your Root members are actually alive? They're mindless killing machines."
"Then he will be welcome." This time, Hiruzen turned to glare at Danzo. "My apologies, I didn't meant it to sound like an insult. Merely a fact."
The Hokage buried his face in his hands. On one hand, he could give Naruto to Danzo, which would ultimately end with Naruto becoming a mindless machine sent to destroy the enemies of Konoha, or he could give Naruto to the public and have him be judged by law; with the way he's viewed, Naruto would surely be executed. There was just no possible way out of it.
"I shall tell you my decision by the end of the week."
"Agreed, and if you do not, then I shall find him myself." Hiruzen looked down before nodding solemnly. There must be some way out that didn't end horribly. He would have to continue thinking.
"Meeting adjourned."
XXXXX
"Oh Naruto, what have you gotten yourself into…" Hiruzen took another whiff of his pipe, hoping the smoke would alleviate the stress and calm his nerves. He looked outside the window at the Hokage Monument, his eyes resting on that of Namikaze Minato. "Minato, what would you do…"
"It's about Nobu, isn't it?" The Hokage spun around and saw a single cerulean blue eye stare straight back at him.
"Naruto, how'd you get here? I had ANBU stationed everywhere in the hospital. They should've notified me when you were released." Naruto only laughed before sitting on the desk.
"Those guys were easy to avoid. If you're me, then you can go anywhere you want without being caught." He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Despite the gloating, Hiruzen knew it to be true. How else could the boy pull off pranks left and right? "But what's going to happen. You know, with Nobu."
"Tell me, how much do you remember." Naruto looked down at the floor, replaying the event in his mind. While the Kyuubi may have been in control, Naruto could observe everything. It was like watching a movie – he could see, but couldn't control. So when the Kyuubi decided to go slaughtering all of his attackers, Naruto could feel the blood on his hands and hear their screams as he clawed through their flesh.
"Everything." A tear dripped down his face. He may have lived another day, but once again, more people were hurt. This time, they paid with the ultimate price: their lives, and he remembered it all.
"Why'd you do it?" Naruto looked at the man he thought of as a grandfather. Would he too, turn and hate like all the others? Would he too, call Naruto a monster? It wasn't like it never happened. Many kids in the orphanage who had once merely neglected him became scared after seeing him defeat each opponent in his way. And now this.
"I…" Tears welled up as he forced himself not to cry. His greatest fear was losing the Hokage, and becoming completely alone. Hiruzen, sensing his distraught, leaned forward and gave the boy a hug.
"Speak. I will not judge. I'll protect you. I just need to know why." His words seemed to allay the boy's fear as the blonde took a deep breath before speaking.
"They attacked me. He came for me because I beat his brother. I didn't want to fight, but he pushed me down and kicked me. Then he started punching left and right. I just wanted to run, but he kept me down… and then…" Naruto trailed off as he brushed his hand against the bandage. Looking up at the Hokage, the old man nodded in understanding. "And it was dark. That's when I met him."
"Who?" Naruto looked at the ANBU standing in the room. The Hokage motioned for privacy, causing the guard in the room as well as the two hidden ones to exit. He motioned for the boy to continue, now that they were alone.
"The Kyuubi."
"…" This was not expected, although it would explain the sudden influx of the Kyuubi's chakra. 'Naruto met the Kyuubi. Oh dear.' "So I take it you know?"
Naruto nodded, understanding the reference to his condition.
"I never wanted to keep it from you, but you're young. You deserved to live a normal childhood, and knowing you're the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi would not have let it been possible. I'm sorry." The old man bowed his head towards the boy.
"It's okay, Hokage-jiji. I forgive you." Naruto flashed the Hokage one of his trademark smiles and laughed. "It was a surprise at first, but now I understand why people don't want to talk to me. It's fine though, I bet I'll meet lots of new people in the future, and I'll have loads of friends!"
As Naruto laughed to himself about the prospects of his future, Sarutobi Hiruzen broke a little inside. 'Such a burning will of fire, only to be snuffed out in the coming week. Life is cruel.''
"I'm not going to give you up." Naruto turned and raised his only visible eyebrow. He looked at the Hokage as if the old man had grown multiple heads.
"What are you talking about?"
"After the death of Nobu and his friends, the public have been in an uproar. They've been filing complaints," he motioned to the piles of paperwork on his desk, "and they've been asking for one thing."
"And what's that?"
"A trial. A trial by Konoha law in which you will be judged by the people, for the people. The only thing is, there will only be one outcome, and I'm sure you know what that is." Naruto looked down and slightly nodded. If he was to be judged by the public, the very same public that hated him and made his life difficult, then their verdict would only end poorly for him.
"The other option isn't much better. I would give you to Danzo and let him train you as one of his Root ANBU. The only problem there, is that those that come out of his program are killing machines. They have no emotion. They have no future, they have no past, and they have no name. They're only tools that Danzo uses to defeat our enemies, and I'm not going to let you suffer through the same fate."
"Then what do I do?"
"I don't know. I honestly, can't think of anything, but we have a week to figure something out." The Hokage blew another puff of smoke out of his pipe, ransacking his brain for any possible loophole in the problem. "A good student of mine is coming tomorrow to take a look at your seal. Kyuubi's chakra was leaking, and we think the seal might be damaged."
"The seal is fine. You're wasting your time old man." Hiruzen snapped his head up and looked at the source of the voice. It was Naruto's voice, just a little deeper and rougher. "Surprised?"
'What the hell?' Sarutobi stood up from his chair as he looked at the boy sitting on his desk. The bandage had been removed from his right eye, and placed over his left. The medical report had said he would completely lose vision in the damaged eye, so why was there a perfectly healthy eye staring back at him? However, it didn't seem quite the same. Whereas the boy's eyes were originally a vibrant hue of bright blue, the right eye was colored a dark ocean blue with wisps of red around the iris, mixing with the blue to form a violet gradient. The bright smile and wide grin was now replaced with a sinister smirk.
"Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Uzumaki Naruto, aren't I? I can't believe you don't recognize me. You must be getting old to have forgotten only after 7 years." 7 years. What had happened in 7 years? 'That's right. Naruto was born. Minato died, and so did Kushina. All because of the Kyuubi.'
"No." There was no possible way that the fox could have gotten control of the boy. If the fox was out of the seal, then why was the seal currently undamaged? Had Minato made a mistake?"
"Aw, but you know it to be true. That's right, Hokage-sama, it's me. Uzumaki Naruto. Or should I say, the one inside him." At the sound of the name, the Hokage burst forth and pinned the boy to the ground.
"What are you doing here?" The Hokage readied himself for a battle.
"Ouch. I was not expecting that. Lower your hand. Hitting me means you're hitting poor little Naruto as well." The fox laughed as Hiruzen lowered his fist, although the Hokage kept him pinned on the floor.
"I'll ask you one more time. What are you doing here?"
"Me? Well, I'm here because Naruto is here. Being in the same body, if he's here, then I'm here. Common sense, anybody?"
"Are you here to attack the village again?" Hiruzen prepared himself for the worst. With his armor donned every day underneath his Hokage robes, he was ready for any battle that might ensue. If anything, he was prepared to do what Minato had done before and seal the demon once more.
"Why does everybody think I attacked Konoha? Please. Get your facts straight before jumping to any conclusions. Then again I supposed I did attack, didn't I? Well, I never wanted to attack Konoha and unless your village became a breeding ground for hate and darkness, I'd never even need to step foot on your land. No, don't blame me. Blame the man with the Sharingan. Blame Uchiha Madara."
"Madara's dead. He's been dead for a long time."
"Then there's a man with the Sharingan running around who calls himself Uchiha Madara." That fact was rather strange. Why would there be anyone calling himself Uchiha Madara, knowing that the actual Madara died in battle against Hashirama.
"Why should I believe you? If I let you go, how do I know you're not going to destroy Konoha."
"Ha! That was the same thing Naruto asked me when we first met. Is my reputation that bad around here? Destroy Konoha? Lovely."
"This is not a joke! Answer me, or I'll seal you back into the hell you spawned from."
"Why won't I attack? Because that was not part of the deal."
"What deal?"
"The deal I struck with the boy. How else do you think I'm here?"
"Where is he?"
"In the seal." Suddenly, the fox was lifted from the ground and thrown across the room where he crashed into the wall. The Hokage was by him in an instant, his arm, digging into the fox's neck.
"Explain." The Hokage's eyes were filled with anger. Not the boiling anger that caused people to explode in fits of rage. It was a cold, deep resentment that was focused and refined.
"The Shiki Fujin always needs a prisoner." The Kyuubi tried to speak between the crushing forces against his windpipe. "He's warming the bench while I'm here talking to you."
"Then let him out."
"No can do. If he comes out, then I go back in."
"I have nothing to say to you."
"Don't you want to know the circumstances surrounding our deal? If you do, then get off." Hiruzen stopped pressing on the boy's neck and let him stand on his own. "You're fucking lucky I'm in this weak vessel. Don't think this means you can push me around."
"Noted." Hiruzen went back to his chair before motioning for the fox to sit in the one right across from him. "So tell me about this deal of yours…"
(One long explanation later.)
"Hehe. Sorry ojii-san. I didn't think he'd be that rude towards you." Naruto's bright blue eye had returned as he fiddled around with the bandage until it sat snugly above his right eye.
"That's quite all right. I actually expected worse, but he seems civilized enough. As long as he's not going to endanger the village, you can keep him." Naruto's right hand shot up and grabbed the bandage before ripping it off.
"Scum of the earth! What do you take me for, a pet? Let me kill him!" He shot forward to attack the Hokage before Naruto's left arm grabbed his right and held it back.
"No, you can't attack Sarutobi-jiji! He's a really nice guy!" Naruto threw himself onto the ground and wrestled with his right half.
"Nice my ass! I'll show him just how civilized I can be!"
The Hokage laughed at the boy's antics before sitting back down, positive that Naruto could handle the Kyuubi's sudden possession of his body.
"Now get out of here. I've got paperwork to do." Shooing the boy and the fox away, Sarutobi snapped his fingers and Tenzo/Yamato appeared in the room, donned in the standard ANBU gear.
"Hokage-sama. Your orders?"
"You heard that conversation, correct?" Tenzo nodded his head. "Good, then I want you to keep an eye out on the Kyuubi. Just because he's not going to attack Konoha doesn't mean he's not going to be dangerous. He's is, and I want to make sure Konoha is safe. Until I figure out what to do, he'll be on your watch. Go."
"At once."
XXXXX
"Aw yeah, it feels good to be back home." Jiraiya stretched his arms as he waltzed through the entrance gates of Konoha. "Maybe I'll even get some new research in. It's been a few years, right? There's definitely going to be some new faces. Hehe."
"Our apologies, but Hokage-sama requests your audience immediately." A team of ANBU appeared in front of Jiraiya and bowed. "Please, come with us."
'Shit, there goes my research down the drain. Oh well, I'll get some later.' Jiraiya nodded and allowed the ninja to take him to his old sensei. "Lead the way."
XXXXX
(Hokage's Office)
"You're the sannin Jiraiya?! Awesome! Ojii-san told me lots about you!" Jiraiya grinned as he sat down in the chair in front of the Hokage's desk.
"Yes, Jiraiya. We're glad you're here. I apologize for such short notice." The Hokage smoked on his usual pipe.
"Not a problem. When it's something like this, I'm always prepared. Shall we get started then?" The Hokage pointed at Naruto who lifted his shirt to expose the seal. "Looks perfectly normal from here, although I feel some of the Kyuubi's chakra leaking. Strange."
"Well yeah that's because –" Naruto tried to explain but was quickly interrupted by Jiraiya.
"Gogyo Fuin! (Five Elements Seal!)" Jiraiya's fingers glowed a deep purple before he tried to apply the seal onto Naruto. As his hand was reaching for the boy's stomach, his hand was knocked to the side.
"Try that again and I'll kill you." Jiraiya looked up in confusion and saw that Naruto's right eye was now visible, and glowing red with the Kyuubi's chakra.
'What the hell? Wasn't his left eye the one that was working?'
"Stop it. Both of you." Naruto seemed to snarl in frustration before grabbing the bandage and returning to its original position: over his right eye. Upon covering it up, Naruto blinked a few times before giving Jiraiya an awkward smile.
"Sorry 'bout that, he doesn't like being locked up."
"What the hell was that? Sarutobi, you want to tell me what's going on?" Jiraiya turned to the Hokage with a questioning look on his face.
"It seems like we'll have to start from the beginning… Naruto, would you do the honors?"
"Oh, all right. He might still be a little mad though…" Naruto switched the side the bandage was on and felt himself being tugged into the seal, his vision slowing shrinking as if he was getting further and further away before turning into black.
XXXXX
"Okay, I think I've got this down. You made a deal with the Kyuubi that's not against the rules of the Shiki Fuin. Whichever eye is open is the one that's out. While he's out, you're trapped in the seal, and he only comes out when he needs to protect you? Did I get that right?" Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine slowly appear as he sorted out the influx of information.
"Sounds about right. The seal is fine, and I don't think making any edits to it would sit well with the fox." The Hokage looked at Naruto as the boy nodded, indicating it was a bad idea to try and change the circumstances surrounding the seal. "So now that this entire situation has been covered, we need to figure out what we're going to do next. The public wants to put him on trial."
"And they'll just lock him in prison or even sentence him to death. That's no good." Jiraiya shook his head. "Unacceptable."
"The other option right now is Danzo." Upon hearing the leader of Root's name, Jiraiya stood up and looked at the Hokage.
"You wouldn't dare." Jiraiya gritted his teeth. The last thing he wanted for the boy was to be given to Danzo for training.
"Calm down. I'm not going to do that, although if I don't figure out another choice I'm afraid I'll have to." The Hokage motioned for Jiraiya to sit down which the latter finally did after taking a deep breath to calm himself. Jiraiya pondered for a brief moment before asking,
"Let me take him." Hiruzen looked at his former student in surprise.
"You? Aren't you too busy with your spy network to take care of a 7 year old boy?"
"Maybe, or maybe not. I can take him with me."
"It's dangerous." Jiraiya looked at the Hokage eye to eye.
"So is he. The Kyuubi's job is to protect him, and I'll be there too."
"The civilians aren't going to let you just walk out with him."Jiraiya grinned and his eyes lit up. He had a plan.
"Then here's what we're going to do. Naruto, listen up."
XXXXX
A blonde boy walked down the streets of Konoha, getting evil glares of hate and resentment from each passerby. He smiled to himself, remembering what the Hokage and Jiraiya had told him to do.
"This is going to be fun." He laughed as he started leaking incredible amounts of chakra, red tendrils swirling around him and enveloped his body in a dim red glow. The crowd screamed as they scrambled away from the boy. Whereas he once felt a lonely sorrowful pain, he now felt nothing but satisfaction as the people fled in terror.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his side and he flew across the street, landing on the ground with his shoulder grazing the pavement. A wooden post had erupted from the ground and jabbed him in the side. Tenzo stood across from the blonde, ready to restrict the Kyuubi at moment's notice.
"You're going to fucking die for that." The boy growled as he stood up before increasing the amount of chakra he as outputting.
'What the hell? The fox is blasting off huge amounts of chakra, but it's not focused or refined. It's going everywhere. It's like a thin layer being placed over the village." Tenzo shook his head, confused by the boy's actions. Not one to ask questions, he leapt forward and brought a fist to the boy's stomach.
While not strong enough to block it completely, the boy caught Tenzo's fist and rolled with the punch, letting it push him back a few feet. Tenzo continued the assault by leading with a hook to the boy's apparent blind spot: his left eye, but was rather surprised when the boy leaned back to dodge the attack.
With Tenzo still following through with the hook, the blonde rushed forward and delivered a punch right at Tenzo's shoulder joint. With the improper positioning of his hook coupled with the boy's punch, Tenzo heard a sickening 'pop' as his shoulder popped out of its socket.
Grunting in pain, Tenzo backed off and popped his shoulder back before moving it around to make sure it was fully functional and he didn't suffer any muscle damage. 'Damn, I'm underestimating him. He might be a kid, but the fox is still strong.'
"I told you. You're going to die."The boy rushed forward with a sinister smirk plastered on his face before he turned to the side and backed off. It was none too soon as a large fireball passed between the two combatants, obstructing their view.
"Tenzo, we will subdue the fox while you lock him down." Tenzo turned around to see a squad of ANBU appear from the rooftops. They too, had felt the Kyuubi's overwhelming chakra envelop the village and came to stop it. Tenzo nodded before preparing his Mokuton jutsus. The rest of the ANBU disappeared and reappeared next to Naruto proceeding to engage the boy in close quarters combat. Despite the fox's overwhelming stamina and chakra, the body was still that of a 7 year old boy, and it wasn't long before Tenzo was given the perfect opportunity.
"Mokuton: Shichuro! (Wood Release: Four Pillar Prison)" As the boy lay on the ground, pillars of wood sprawled from the ground and formed a giant cage around the boy. "He's done."
XXXXX
"Good morning, citizens of Konoha. This is a public announcement of the events that have transpired last night." The Hokage stood upon a large podium, erected in the village square. Almost every single villager had arrived to hear their leader's words. "7 years ago, our village was attacked by a force so powerful it cost us the lives of many great shinobi, including our own Yondaime Hokage. It is with great difficulty, that I say that the Kyuubi no Kitsune had broken free of parts of the seal, letting the fox take over Naruto Uzumaki's body."
Murmurs of 'what' and 'oh no' were shared through the crowd, yet the Hokage opted to continue.
"Rest assured, our ANBU and Sannin Jiraiya have taken care of the issue. The fox has been sealed to the best of our ability."
"Then let us give him a trial!" One of the villagers had yelled out, causing many others to shout in agreement.
"I apologize, but that request cannot be made at this moment." A series of 'aws' rang through the crowd. "He is much too dangerous for a public trial."
"Then where is he right now?" Another villager voiced his concerns.
"Naruto Uzumaki has been sentenced to jail in Konoha's maximum security prison. His time is undetermined, but his earliest probation will be 5 years. Until he is determined to be stable and the fox completely subdued, he will remain in his cell." At the sound of those words, the crowd began to cheer. Finally, in 7 years, they could sleep well at night, knowing that a powerful bijuu was no longer in their midst. The crowd dispersed, going home to prepare grandeur meals and feasts for the celebration.
XXXXX
Jiraiya turned around one last time and looked at the unmanned gates of Konoha. The guards had gone to listen to the speech, if not only for a few minutes. When he heard the distant roar of the crowd's cheer, his heart wrenched in disgust. 'Minato, this is the village you've left for your son. This is the village you died to save. I pray that you will forgive them.' He turned his back towards the gates, and walked away.
"Hey, gaki! Are you going to keep standing there, or are you going to get your ass over here?" Naruto Uzumaki turned his back towards the village and gave the white-haired sannin a grin.
"Sorry, Jiraiya-jiji! I'm going to miss this place." Jiraiya smacked the boy in the back of the head.
"It's Jiraiya-sensei to you now! Come on, kid. We don't have all day. We've got a lot of land to cross." The pair walked away, and disappeared under the cover of Konoha's forests, the cheering from the village faded into the distance.
This chapter turned out okay. It's neither the most entertaining thing I've written nor most deep and emotional, but it's one of those inbetween chapters that you need to get to where you want to go. Regardless of what I think, let me know what you think. Please leave a review and let me know what you how you liked or disliked the chapter. Thanks for reading!
-Sakrosankt