Ch. 2 : Remembering, Deparating
A/N : Well, that didn't take so long then, did it? I am proud to present, for your entertainment, Chapter two of 'Nulla Gratia'.
Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto, Overlord, or any obscure references to other owned or written material, either official or those of fandom. They are all property of associated parties.
XxXxXxX
- Namikaze Residence : Naruto -
It didn't take him very long at all to gather up what few items of value he had. His tools and weapons were already together in preparation for his training at the academy. His clothes were a bit harder to manage, but he eventually just threw a few of his favorites into a duffel bag and called it quits there. A few pairs of jeans and some black cargo's. A handful of black or crimson undershirts, and some button shirts to go over them. He barely owned anything of sentimental value and what he did wasn't worth carrying around with him, so he decided to leave them were they were.
The apartment was quite with only him inside, and it was somewhat unsettling. Especially now that it could no longer really be considered his home. Contrary to what many might have thought, his father had never felt compelled to own a large home. Not if he didn't have people to fill it, was his reasoning. Shortly after Naruto had been born, Minato had bought a comfortable apartment closer to the center of the village, so he could be within easy reach of his office.
Naruto scowled in disgust at the thought of living so close to the city, and slung his duffel over his shoulder. He was supposed to meet up with the others in half an hour. He wasn't sure what would happen if they were late leaving the village, but he wasn't particularly inclined to hang around and find out. He wanted to be gone before anyone woke up. No doubt he was going to hurt Teuchi and Ayame's feelings by leaving without saying goodbye, but he was never good with sentiment. He shook his head. No it was better this way.
He bid one last farewell to the building he had slept in for so many years before making his final exit. The set of keys that had been in his possession since he was old enough to leave the house on his own found a resting place on the table beside the door, and the boy locked it behind him as he stepped out into the brisk night air.
XxXxXxX
- Run-down Apartment : Lee -
Rock Lee could hardly contain his excitement as he bounced around his small home, collecting items here and there. He had wondered what it was like outside Konoha for his entire life, and now he had the chance to find out for himself!
He had expected to have left the walls on what should have been his first mission four years ago when he had finished the academy. His plans were set back when the Hokage had seen fit to extend the amount of training Shinobi had to go through in the academy. Earlier years were still focused on academic pursuits such as mathematics, deception, history, and the theory of tactics and such. The Hokage's intervention resulted in three more years being added to the time table, these focusing more on physical aptitude and fighting prowess. While the initial graduation age had been set at twelve, the new one was at fifteen. Sixteen for Lee himself, having been held back for remedial training.
Because of the changes, someone book smart could manage through the initial stage, but those without the stomach to do what had to be done were soon weeded out after that point had ended. There was speculation that the Fourth was trying to make an army of 'super-soldiers' from the next generation, but he insisted that he was simply trying to prevent unnecessary Genin casualties.
Ironically, Lee had had no problem with the old academy, and was managing to stay above failing, along with everyone else of his class, despite his unique handicap. After things were changed though, it got much more challenging. To the point that he had been sent back a year, landing him in Naruto's class.
He chuckled quietly to himself, the sound echoing in the empty apartment.
At first he had been full of hate. He had resented the shame of being placed in a class of those younger than him. He had resented the teachers that looked at him like he was a moron, or even worse, a cripple. But most of all he had been resentful of Naruto.
It seemed like all of his weaknesses and shortcomings had manifested themselves perfectly mirrored in the blond boy. Naruto had been born into a powerful family while Lee had no family to call his own. Naruto had a natural capacity for Chakra and could fuel techniques that would tire other students for much longer. Lee couldn't even feel his. Naruto was loved by everyone. Lee? He could fall off the end of the earth, and no one would even notice he was gone.
And yet, the blond was nothing like he expected him to be. Well, he was at first. As soon as Lee had seen how Naruto was treated, he expected him to be an ass. Arrogant, assuming, consumed by greed with a superiority complex. Some of that was true. The blond did see himself as superior to most of the village, but they were civilians. Who wasn't superior to them? And he did have his moments when he could be rather arrogant. But... he was more than that.
Lee smiled and folded the clothes he had picked out absently, as he thought back to the day he and Naruto had really gotten to know each other.
XxXxXxX
- Konohagakure Academy : Lee & Naruto 8 Months -
"Alright you guys, that's enough. We'll call it quits for the day. Go get cleaned up and we will continue this bright and early tomorrow morning."
Lee wasn't the only one to cheer at the words, though the act felt shallow to him. His fellow classmates could be satisfied with a day well spent, but he had made no progress at all. His unique handicap was well known across the academy, and it was the bane of his existence. The inability to manipulate his Chakra made a large portion of his training almost entirely pointless, and it frustrated him to no end. His only solace seemed to be that physically, there was nothing wrong with him. At least his Taijutsu was fine.
His thoughts were interrupted when Naruto approached him, which came as a surprise. The blond seemed to be studying his movements, and Lee was reminded that Naruto had been acting strangely for the last couple of days.
"Good afternoon, Naruto-san. Can I help you with something?"
Naruto stared at him strangely for a moment before leaning against the training post beside him
"You have been trying to use the clone technique, haven't you?"
Lee's eyes slid to the ground, and he nodded. It was embarrassing for the boy to point out his failure to use one of the three simplest techniques taught in the academy.
"Yes, I have. I still seem to be having some trouble with it."
"You've had trouble with it before?"
"Oh yes. I have been trying to perform it successfully for the last two years. Every time I seem to get close, it just gets harder to do."
The younger boy frowned at the new information, and cocked his head to the side.
"You have been trying to do something you obviously can't for two years now? Doesn't that seem like a major waste of time to you?"
Lee was both surprised and angry at that, and he glared at the him.
"Well what else should I do? If I don't find some way to be able to use that technique, I will never be able to become a Shinobi."
Naruto rolled his eyes and straightened himself. For a moment, Lee thought he was going to leave and he didn't blame him. He wasn't expecting what came next though. The boy's fist lashed out, faster than he could react to, and it seemed like he had put all of his weight behind the blow. The haymaker knocked him to the ground, and Lee could only rub his jaw and stare up in shock.
"I just put you down, and I didn't even touch my reserves. Doesn't Iruka-sensei teach us that there is more to being a ninja than just flashy techniques? Just because you can't use your Chakra doesn't mean you should give up on your training when you can't pass that obstacle. Instead, maybe you should think about focusing on something else, and make yourself an expert on that field instead."
"What do you mean? What else is there that I could base being a ninja off of?"
"Well, you have some of the best Taijutsu in our class. Hell, even that asshole Mizuki has complimented you on it before. With some focus, you could become something really special."
Lee snorted in dismissal, but it was obvious that he wanted to believe him. Naruto offered him a hand, and helped Lee to his feet while the boy considered the suggestion.
"Is... is that even possible? I never considered that before. Would they even pass someone with only physical ability?"
Naruto turned his back to Lee, and put his hands in his pockets.
"Do you have any other choice?"
He didn't wait to hear Lee's answer, but he stopped when the older boy called out to him.
"Naruto... One day I will get you back for that punch. Just you wait."
Lee wasn't sure what to expect, but the feral grin definitely wasn't it.
"Good. I look forward to it more than you know. You have too much potential to just waste, Lee. Show them what you can do."
Lee stood up straight, and a new flare had started burning in his eyes. Naruto wouldn't know it for some time, but he was now Lee's best friend. And that went a long way.
XxXxXxX
- Run-down Apartment : Lee -
The weeks following that conversation had been some of the best in Lee's life. Now that he wasn't pouring countless hours into trying to force his body to do things it was incapable of, his Taijutsu and physical power grew in leaps and bounds.
He had wanted nothing more than to show his progress to the instructors, but he hadn't at Naruto's behest. The order had confused him, but Naruto had explained that it would be far better for him if they only saw his progress on the day of the examination. How could they fail someone who kicked their ass in a physical bout, after all?
Lee's new goal in life was to become proficient enough in hand to hand combat to defeat whichever instructor he was paired with on the day of the examination, and he had been confident enough that he would pull it off. It was a pity that he wouldn't get that chance now. He had been looking forward to seeing the look on Mizuki's face when he wiped the floor with him.
With his clothes folded neatly and put away for maximum efficiency, Lee made another lap in his apartment looking for anything else he needed to take with him. Being an orphan, he had no one to say goodbye to, nor any pictures to pack. The only other thing he deemed fit to bring was a gift Naruto had given him on his last birthday. A pair of heavy, solid knuckle dusters with pointed studs protruding from each knuckle. He hadn't had the opportunity to use them in battle yet, but he had practiced with them relentlessly since he had gotten them.
Lee checked his clock and finished packing quickly. Naruto would be arriving at the rendezvous point soon, and he didn't want to be left behind. Though he definitely wouldn't shed any tears if they left before Anko got there.
He threw his bag over his shoulder and cast one last look at the apartment he had called home for so many years. It had served its purpose, but he wasn't exactly sorry to see it go. In a choice between traveling with Naruto or staying in Konoha without him, it was no contest. He left without looking back.
XxXxXxX
- Red Light District Apartment : Anko -
For the first time in months, Anko was cleaning her apartment. Well, maybe not so much cleaning, as sifting through the various levels trying to find some clothes that she could take with her when she left the village. Her efforts were hurried, and she wasted no time on ceremony. Her only ticket out of the village was leaving in less than an hour, and she would be damned before she allowed it to slip between her fingers.
After some time spent searching, she managed to find a replacement trench coat, some more sets of body mesh, mini-skirts, and sashes. She piled them onto a sealing scroll she found lying around, and secured them with a flourish of Chakra.
With her clothes taken care of, she continued kicking random debris to the side, looking for anything else that might be useful. She came up with a handful of kunai, a rouge exploding tag, and a box of half-eaten dango. Though she wasn't sure how long the latter had been there, and wasn't willing to risk it.
Before she was finished packing everything away into her backpack, she hesitated when she saw a pair of picture frames lying face down next to each other. One was of her and Iruka, with her hanging off of his back and Iruka... looking terrified, as usual. She smiled happily as she thought back to the day the picture had been taken. Naruto and Lee had been sparring on a weekend, under Iruka's supervision when she showed up, bringing a camera along with her.
XxXxXxX
- Training Ground : Naruto & Co. Three Months -
"Very good, Lee! Naruto, you have to watch his punches and kicks, or he will slip under your guard like that every time."
Naruto grunted as he tried to shake off the pain in his thigh from the solid blow Lee had managed to land. Sometimes he wondered if he had made the right decision to put Lee on the different track.
"Yes sir!"
"Well would you look at this? Two Genin hopefuls, beating each other senseless and I wasn't invited to watch?"
Iruka sighed in exasperation as he saw Anko approaching out of the corner of his eye. Ever since he and Naruto had run off a couple of drunks harassing her, the Snake Mistress had taken to following them around whenever she saw them. It was endearing in a way, now if only he could get her to stop slashing Naruto open whenever she got within kunai range.
Sure enough, as soon as he thought it he heard Naruto shout in exasperation and turn around with a bleeding laceration on the side of his neck.
"DAMMIT, Mitarashi-san!"
"Oi, brat! How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?"
"And how many times have I told you to stop cutting me! Oh fuck you Lee, we're paused!"
Lee laughed out loud, having gotten a cheap shot at Naruto's ribs from his distraction.
"Such language, Naruto-kun! It is unbecoming of our great Hokage-sama's son!"
"You're dead!"
For a moment Iruka considered jumping between them before Naruto decided to get serious on Lee's ass, but his survival instinct talked him out of it. Naruto hated it whenever someone brought up his social status, so naturally Lee would do it all the time just to piss him off. How the two were such great friends was a mystery to him.
"You know, Anko-san, I'm probably going to end up carrying one, if not both of them, to the hospital later on thanks to you."
Anko's only response was to grin as she stood next to Iruka, watching Naruto try to pummel his companion into a bloody mush while Lee was trying to taunt him, evade his attacks, and laugh all at the same time. The more Lee would dodge, the more Naruto would get pissed, which would make Lee laugh harder, which pissed Naruto off even more. It was a vicious cycle.
"So, Anko-san. What brings you out this way? "
Anko looked at him innocently and smiled.
"What? I have to have a reason? I can't just pop in on my favorite-ist Chunin in the whole wide world?"
Iruka didn't shiver at that. He really didn't. Anko must have sensed that, because she laughed and pulled a camera out of her pocket.
"I just got back from a surveillance mission a few hours ago. They gave me a camera to take some pictures with, but there is still some film with. I figured there was no point in letting it go to waste."
Iruka laughed as Anko spun on her heel and aimed the camera toward the dynamic duo.
"Hey Naruto-kun! I love you!"
"Wait, what?"
His momentary distraction was enough for Lee to land a solid haymaker to the side of his face, at the exact same time as the camera flashed.
"Got it! Thanks Lee."
"No problem. That's for the first punch, Naruto-kun. We're even!"
Naruto stood up, rubbing his jaw and glowering.
"The hell you say!"
XxXxXxX
- Red Light District Apartment : Anko -
Anko laughed quietly to herself in her empty apartment. The rest of the day had been spent using the remainder of the film. Most of the shots had been pointless ones that were disposed of shortly after being developed, but others had been duplicated and kept. The first shot, of Naruto getting punched in the face, had been kept as blackmail material in case Naruto got a little moody at some point. No one outside the four of them had seen it yet, but that didn't mean it would always be that way. It was useful to keep Naruto complacent sometimes, though they had agreed not to overuse it.
The picture in her hand had been taken by Lee himself, who had insisted on getting pictures of him with all his 'precious people'. Even Naruto had gone along with it and agreed to pose for some of the pictures, much to the surprise of everyone.
It had been a great day for Anko, and she had kept many of the photos. The one of her and Iruka was the only one she had deemed worthy enough to frame though. She told herself it was only because of the look on Iruka's face, and she was almost ready to believe it. The chance to get out of the village was only part of the reason she was willing to travel with Naruto, after all.
At that thought she glanced at the clock and cursed loudly. She had lost track of time, and they were scheduled to meet soon. She tossed the pictures to the side, not bothering to take them with her. She was gone before they hit the ground, so she didn't see the picture of her and Iruka land softly on a pile of discarded underwear, nor the other picture shatter, the glass breaking cleanly down the middle. Right between the smiling faces of herself, and her old sensei.
XxXxXxX
- Konoha Academy : Iruka -
Iruka sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair. It had taken him a few hours, but he was finally finished grading the last set of tests and preparing for the final exam that would be held tomorrow. He knew he wasn't going to be there to see everyone graduate, but he still wished all of his old students nothing but the best of luck.
With everything ready for his temporary replacement to take care of things, he stood up slowly. He had spent many fun years in this same classroom, teaching the younger students and trying vainly to keep them all in line. Teaching had always been one of the things he loved to do. It was peaceful, but still rewarding. He had watched children of all paths of life and upbringings, from clan heirs to street urchins, grow up and get stronger in these walls. He was going to miss it.
He remembered the first time he had seen Naruto in his class, and his discussion with the Hokage about his son's behavior in class.
XxXxXxX
- Hokage's Office : Iruka & Fourth One Year Two Months -
"Iruka-san? The Hokage will see you now."
"Thanks."
Iruka was glad the wait was finally over. He had been sitting around for the last half hour before the Hokage had a spare moment to see him. Still, the Yondaime was an important man, and he was fortunate that he could spare any time at all.
The secretary gave him a flirtatious smile on his way past, and Iruka couldn't help but grin. The moment was gone before he closed the door behind him though. This wasn't a conversation he was particularly looking forward to. The room hadn't changed much since the last time he had been in, a few weeks ago, but the seemingly endless stack of paperwork was still present. It was a good reminder for the Chunin that he had gotten off lucky with only having to grade the occasional written test.
The Fourth noticed his arrival, and greeted him warmly, though he didn't look up from the paper he was looking over. His face was a little haggard, and there were dark rings under his eyes, as though he hadn't been sleeping well lately.
"Ah, Iruka-kun. It's good to see you. I understand you had something you wanted to speak with me about?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. It's about Naruto, actually."
Minato looked up in mild surprise, and the signs of fatigue stood out alarmingly.
"Naruto? He isn't in any trouble, I hope? I understand that he can be a bit of a handful."
While Iruka knew he was addressing the strongest man of the village about his own son, his personal views as a teacher overrode those of any bias he might have felt out of the need for self-preservation. Basically, he was going to tell the truth, regardless of how much it might piss off the Hokage.
"Actually, its not that he's a trouble-maker. The opposite, actually. His attitude seems to drive away his classmates to the point that they are... afraid to approach him. I have been keeping my eye on him since I first noticed, and I have to say that he seems to have some rather worrying tendencies."
Minato nodded seriously and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
"Such as?"
Iruka swallowed nervously, hyperaware of how dry his mouth was. The Hokage must have noticed his discomfort, as he smiled reassuringly.
"Iruka, don't worry about telling me whatever it is. If he has been acting up, just say so and I will have a word with him. Just because he is my son doesn't mean he is going to be treated any differently."
"Of course, sorry Hokage-sama. Well it seems like he is in a perpetual bad mood. Every time I see him he is frowning, and it is almost like he is stopping himself from losing his temper."
"I see. Have you tried talking to him about it?"
"Yes sir. He denies being actually upset about anything, but I don't think he is being entirely honest. Its almost like..."
"Like what?" The Hokage prodded.
"It's like he doesn't realize he's doing it. As though he isn't capable of feeling anything else."
Whatever reaction Iruka was expecting, it wasn't that. Minato simply sighed loudly and rubbed his forehead.
"I was hoping it wouldn't happen, but I guess I'm just not that lucky."
"I... I don't understand."
The Fourth chose his words carefully, unsure of what exactly he could tell the man. On one hand, it wasn't like it was some SS-class secret with the punishment being death(though he would be immune anyway). On the other, it was pretty personal and he wasn't sure if it was his right to be spreading around his son's business to anyone who asked.
He finally decided that if you couldn't trust your teacher, who could you trust? He dutifully ignored the fact that he was trained by Jiraiya. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?
"Iruka. You have heard the stories about how the Kyuubi was defeated, correct?"
Iruka frowned at the seemingly complete conversation change.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"And that the price to be paid for the beast's downfall was the life of our Sandaime Hokage?"
"That is what we were told, yes."
"Well you see, there is more to the story than was officially announced. Needless to say, whatever you hear in this room stays in this room, do you understand?"
Iruka blanched at the harshness in the man's tone, and wondered what he was getting himself into.
"Of course."
"Good. Everyone knows the seal was of my own design. Meant to destroy the Kyuubi, at the price of the caster. It was supposed to trap the spirit of the demon into a newborn vessel, resulting in the child becoming a Jinchuuriki."
"Supposed to?"
"The seal was extremely intricate, and even I'm not entirely sure I knew everything about it. The problem is, the Sandaime knew even less. He did remarkably, considering he only had ten minutes to learn everything he could about it, but not even the God of Shinobi could memorize the entire process in that short of time. I planned to be the one to use my technique myself, but because of everything that happened that night, the Third somehow convinced me to take his place. He wasn't ready to use the technique, and in the end it failed."
"It failed? But... but the demon was conquered! We won. How can you say that it failed?"
"We might have been saved from the initial destruction, but the Kyuubi is still out there, gaining strength and with a vendetta against Konoha. And the price? The price was far more than anyone knows."
"More! Sarutobi-sama is dead! What more could possibly have been sacrificed?"
Minato glanced at the lone picture that sat on his desk. Kushina was lying in a hospital bed, looking exhausted, and he was standing beside her, with his arms around her shoulders. In her arms, was a little blond bundle.
"Basically? My son's soul."
XxXxXxX
- Konoha Academy : Iruka -
The teacher winced as he remembered that conversation. He could hardly imagine what it must be like for Naruto, being cursed shortly before his birth to have all the goodness within him sacrificed, for the good of the village. For the first time since he was a foolish Genin, Iruka questioned the actions of his home's wisest leaders.
It wasn't all bad though. From that day onward, Iruka had strove to be less of a teacher and more of a friend to the boy under his wing. Sure the kid had seemed incapable of laughing, grinning, or even showing compassion in any form to another living being, but he wasn't all bad. The fact that he actually exerted himself to help Lee out was only one proof, though that came a few years later.
He could honestly say that Naruto had come a long way from the social wreck he had once been. While he still wasn't too good with feigning compassion, normal positive emotions didn't seem to be outside of his grasp. He had learned to watch his temper as well, as opposed to lashing out at everyone who seemed to wrong him, like he used to do.
Naruto wasn't going to be a social butterfly, that much was for damned sure. But Iruka was proud of his student, and was confident that the kid would turn out alright. If only things hadn't ended up the way they had. The teacher honestly had no idea how Naruto was reacting to basically being exiled from his home by his own father, no less, for the sake of the villagers. He knew this much at least, Naruto would never be the same. Despite whatever hopes the Yondaime might have, Konoha was no longer home for Naruto. Iruka could only hope that the boy didn't decided to mark it as his enemy.
With that final thought, he knew his place wasn't here anymore. He was only a school teacher, and a Chunin at that. The village would appoint someone to take his place, and life would go on. The rest of the graduating class would get along without him. Two of his students were going to need more help than the rest would, and he had every intention of seeing them through to the end. Wherever that may be.
He gathered his bag in the corner, full of things he had packed earlier that day after leaving the Hokage's office. Before he left, he slid his hand over one of the desks at front of the classroom. The same seat Naruto had occupied for his entire term. That seat held more history than even Naruto knew. His hand slid to the underneath of the desk, and he felt the familiar grooves that had been there almost as long as he had. 'Iruka was here'...
The teacher laughed sadly one last time and hefted his bag onto his shoulders. It was about time for him to leave. He would hate for Naruto to leave him after all. He didn't look back as he pulled the door to behind him.
XxXxXxX
- Konoha Main Gate : Naruto & Co. -
Naruto arrived at the scheduled meeting place to find Lee already waiting for him. The boy was surprisingly quiet, though he still smiled warmly at Naruto. It was possible that he was just nervous about leaving the village for the first time. If he wasn't leaving by order of his superiors, Naruto might have felt the same.
"Ah, Naruto-kun. It is good to see you here so soon. I had hoped to talk to you before the others got here."
"About what?"
Lee fidgeted a little, shifting the weight of his pack. He was uncomfortable about something, that much was obvious.
"Well, I just wanted to be sure that you were alright. This is a terrible thing that your Father is being forced to do, and-..."
"Lee, it's alright. He isn't being forced to do anything. He is simply making a decision that will probably end up with the best possible outcome. I don't blame him for that. He's protecting the village, it is just coincidence that I happen to be on the other side of that protection."
Lee frowned at his best friend, but Iruka appeared from the darkness before he could press him about it.
"Ah! Iruka-sensei. I am glad that you have still decided to join is on our quest!"
"Lee, it's not a quest."
Iruka chuckled at Naruto's attempt to quell any ideas Lee might have been getting. The dark haired boy would not be put out however, and he grinned even harder than before, his teeth somehow reflecting the light from the half moon above them.
"Nonetheless! I am still pleased that he will be traveling with us as we... Uhm, what exactly are we going to do?"
"You know, that's a damn good question. So Naruto, what are we going to do?"
The blond was about to ask why he was apparently elected to be the leader of the group, but was cut off by the sound of a kunai whizzing through the night air. He jerked his body to the side in an attempt to dodge what was no doubt aimed for his cheek.
Anko had foreseen his dodge though, and in fact he evaded into the throwing knife. Naruto prodded his cheek and examined the blood that came from the light wound, before pulling the knife from the wooden wall it had lodged itself into.
"I love you to, Anko-chan."
A strangled gasp came from one of the rooftops to Naruto's left, and he hefted the kunai with as much speed as he could. He was rewarded by a shriek of surprise, before a pop and a burst of smoke. Knowing what was coming, Naruto just closed his eyes as, sure enough, Anko leaned over his shoulder to lick his cheek.
"Aw, I never new little Naru-kun felt that way about me. I'm flattered."
Both Iruka and Lee watched the exchange, twitching slightly.
"Well, now that Mitarashi-san is here," Anko pouted when Naruto switched back to the formal title. "We can be on our way."
The blond readjusted his duffel bag on his shoulder, and walked through the gates, nodding to the Chunin guards on duty.
"So, Naruto, I take that to mean that you do have a plan after all?"
Naruto shrugged without looking back. The three fell into step beside him along the road. If they were on a mission of some kind, they would be tree hopping to cover ground faster. As it was though, they had nowhere to go in a hurry, so they were taking their time.
"I wouldn't really call it a plan, but yeah, I have a general idea."
"Ha! I had no doubt that Naruto-kun would know exactly what to do for us to be rid of this awful predicament! So what are we going to do? Meet some people at another village? Travel the world as highly skilled mercenaries? Fight evil in all of its forms!"
The more Lee talked, the more excited he seemed to become, until he was practically running in place.
"First, we're going to find a clearing."
"...huh?"
XxXxXxX
- Seven miles North of Konoha -
"Alright, this should do fine."
While trained to go out on constant high-stress missions, traveling at high speeds and strung out on caffeine and soldier pills the entire time, Anko wasn't used to plodding along at civilian speeds. So when Naruto called for a stop, she dropped her stuff where she stood and sat down, sighing happily.
Iruka was likewise happy to sit down for a minute. Being a school teacher didn't exactly call for exertion or long bouts of travel, though he was starting to get back into the routine of things. He hadn't taught his entire career, after all.
Lee though... Lee was still running in place, seeming to have no end to his stamina reserves.
"Success! We have finally found a suitable place for Naruto-kun to enact his master plan!"
Anko glared over at the kid. Back in Konoha, she had thought the boy simply acted the way he did around Naruto in order to embarrass him. Never had she suspected that he was like this all the time.
"Oh my god, do you ever shut up!"
Iruka just chuckled softly and shook his head, causing Anko to groan and lean back, lying down on her back, staring up at the stars.
"I think I was better off with the villagers."
"Would you three shut up for a minute? I need to concentrate here."
The trio glanced over at Naruto in surprise, who was kneeling over an unrolled storage scroll. Iruka made his way over and looked over Naruto's shoulder in interest.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to figure out how to unseal the contents of this scroll. It's some kind of variation of the standard seal that I'm not familiar with."
Iruka looked it over for a minute, calculating the various runes scrawled across its surface. After a moment he realized what it was, and smiled.
"You wouldn't be. This is a blood seal. It's like a storage seal, but instead of general Chakra, it uses a specific blood sample to unlock it. We don't even teach about these in the academy. There's really no reason for amateurs to know about them."
Naruto nodded, but then groaned in frustration.
"Great, just great. I need to get at what's inside, but I don't have the right blood sample."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Who gave you this?"
"The Hokage. Why?"
Iruka grinned and tapped him on the chest.
"You're the blood sample. Because you are his biological son, it should open for you as well."
Naruto nodded and pricked himself on the thumb with a kunai. The minute the blood hit the parchment, the seal started hissing, a slight pillar of steam emitting from it as whatever was supposed to happen happened.
Pretty soon the seal cracked down the middle, and the Tower Heart appeared atop the scroll amidst a plume of smoke. Iruka stumbled back in surprise, not expecting something of such substantial size to appear. He had expecting a map or something, not a... whatever the hell that thing was.
"What the-..."
"Oi, brat! What the hell is that?"
Naruto ignored Anko and Lee, and got closer to the Tower Heart, trying to figure out how he could activate it. Last time it seemed to be brought to life by his anger, but now it was motionless. He placed his hand across its side, ignorant of the blood still slipping down his finger from the self-inflicted cut.
The moment his blood smeared along its side, the cool marble seemed to heat up instantaneously, almost burning Naruto's hand. He made to jerk back from it, but his hand had a mind of its own. It remained pressed against the glass like material, despite the scalding heat.
The Tower Heart began humming, slowly at first, but quickly gaining in intensity. In less than five seconds, even Lee was pressing his hands against his ears, trying to block out the sound boring through his brain.
When before the colorful smoke swirling within the mysterious artifact were white and blue, it seemed to change. The smoke closest to the blood mark grew a dark black, before brightening into a horrifying shade of red. Not all of the smoke changed all the way though, and much of it remained black, until the white and blue was replaced entirely.
The entire time, Naruto was still standing with his hand pressed against the Heart, and his head leaned back as far as it would go, spine bent so he was facing directly upwards. A scream escaped his lips, and he roared up at the heavens from the pain and sensations coursing through him.
"Naruto!"
Lee did his best to ignore the agony lancing through his mind, and charged towards his best friend. Whatever that thing was, it was hurting him and he planned to get it away from him. Without any other ideas coming to mind, Lee slammed into Naruto as hard as he could, in an attempt to separate him from the orb.
As he did, the Tower Heart seemed to have finished whatever it was doing, and the horrible buzzing slowly died down until it was no more. Still, Lee lay on top of Naruto for a moment, trying to hold his friend's jerking body down before he hurt himself.
"Oh my god! Naruto!"
"I swear to god, Namikaze! You better not die on me!"
With the help of the two adults, Lee was able to hold the blond down until he stopped spasming underneath them. When the episode ended, he lay disturbingly still, unmoving, but breathing steadily. As though he were in a deep sleep.
"I... don't believe it. The Tower Heart, it..."
The three humans spun around in the direction of the unfamiliar voice, and each drew their weapons in preparation to defend their friend. On the other side of the clearing, a few yards away stood a hunched over figure with a glowing light orbiting just above his head.
"Oh don't worry about your friend, I'm sure he will be fine. We met before, and he might very well be exactly what we are looking for."
Far from trusting the little creature, none of the trio dropped from their positions. Gnarl was far from intimidated though, and hobbled over to their side, examining the boy behind them. As he watched, the boy's eyes slowly started to open, and shoved Lee off of him, from where he had been almost leaning entirely over him.
"Naruto! You're okay! Talk to me."
Naruto blinked in confusion as he stared up at the four faces that were directly in his vision.
"What the hell hit me?"
Gnarl cackled deviously and turned his back on the boy, returning to look at the Tower Heart, which was still burning brightly and had black and red plumes of smoke dancing inside.
"What hit you Sire, would be the power of Destiny. The Tower Heart doesn't form a blood bond with just anyone. In fact, I haven't seen it do anything like this since it's creation."
Naruto frowned as he stared at the Minion Master, and spoke in the same way a hospital patient would, who is under the effects of strong pain-killers.
"You're... you're real?"
Gnarl nodded happily, and Naruto just allowed his head to fall back into the dirt.
"Ah, shit."
The small creature snapped his fingers, and a small hoard of brown creatures appeared from the treeline, armed with wooden cudgels and filthy loin cloths. Half of them ran to the glowing orb and encircled it, lifting with obvious struggle. One of them yelled loudly about it being hot, but the others only grunted and strained.
The other half circled Naruto and started jumping up and down excitedly.
"Da Masta!"
"Ova'lord!""
Gnarl smacked one of them across the back of the head in irritation.
"All of you morons, back up and give the Master some space! He has just gone through quite the ordeal."
Lee seemed to have finally had enough, and started shouting loudly.
"What the fuck is going on here! Who-what-, whatever! Who the fuck are you!"
Both Iruka and Anko stared in shock at Lee as he swore loudly. It was the first time he had ever said anything profane, and neither of them thought he had it in him. Iruka was worried about his mental state, while Anko was just... Anko.
Gnarl meanwhile was completely unconcerned by the outburst, and was busy directing the Minions to lift Naruto as best they could.
"I will explain later, but we cannot stay here! There are some of your 'Ninjas' coming this way from the direction of your village. We must get out of here before we are discovered. They must not know of our existence!"
While none of them wanted to trust the creatures, Naruto was back on his feet by now, and was staggering away behind Gnarl. They all made a snap judgment call and followed along, Lee offering Naruto a shoulder, and helping him carry his weight. While they didn't trust Gnarl, they did trust Naruto. They would sort this out later.
By the time the four man Anbu squad arrived, they were the only ones in the clearing. All they found was a broken blood scroll, four sets of human prints, and roughly two dozen smaller prints they had never seen before. One of the group took a sample of the strange prints, and another the blood scroll before returning to Konoha. A separate team would be sent to investigate. They were just to return to the Yondaime and explain what they had seen.
The burst of foul energy had been felt all through Konoha, and not a single person didn't feel it. Those old enough to remember found it comparable to the Kyuubi's own Chakra. It was far from the same though, and some would argue that it was actually worse. While it wasn't as strong as the Kyuubi's, it was far more... Evil.
A/N: Finally, the second chapter is out. This took me longer to write than I had thought because of the character development. I have always hated writing flashbacks. Hopefully this will be the end of them though, it should be all forward from here on. Maybe... Now, just to clear some things up before I get bitched out by all you haters. Naruto did not in fact, have his soul ripped out. The Fourth was just using it as a way to explain to Iruka that Naruto's 'good side' was taken as part of the price that had to be paid. Their conversation continued after what is shown, but I didn't type it all up because I am lazy. Sue me. You can team up with Kishimoto and Triumph Studios while you're at it.
Real quick, a big big shout out to Effiron for his help with the Type 2 error. No clue what it was, but I got it handled. Thanks bro, you're a life saver.
Finally, my thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and my sincerest sympathy for everyone who broke their finger just before they could push the button. I hope you feel better soon. Really soon. Wink, wink.
Stay Frosty...
- Nikolai