Chapter 5
Summer Days, the Curtain Goes Up
Boom. Boom. Boom.
It was the sound of someone knocking on a door. A man was pounding his fists every now and then onto the door early in the morning trying to wake the occupants up to answer the door.
Boom. Boom. BOOM.
With each knock it was progressively becoming louder and stronger.
"This kid I swear. I'm going to knock down this door if he doesn't answer in the next minute."
He had one simple task which was to deliver a message to someone, but seeing how he was delivering it to a teenager there were bound to be complications in the process.
The man knocked again, "Wake up already you damn brat!" On his third knock the door finally opened revealing a naked and barely conscious Daisuke Tsubasa. His nose crinkled at the smell of sex that was coming off of the teen. The faster he could deliver the message and package the better.
"Your father has requested your presence at his office by nine o'clock in the morning. Do not be late. Here's a letter from him as well." He slapped the scroll containing the rest of the message onto the groggy teen's hand and walked off.
If he had stayed for a little longer he would've noticed Daisuke immediately sobering up and a frown set upon his face at the mention of his father.
Daisuke stared at the scroll in his hand a little longer with contempt almost as if he wished for it to spontaneously combust. "Fucking stupid messenger." He closed the door and walked to the couch in the living room plopping down and opening up the scroll. "Fucking asshole dad and his shitty fucking letters. The fuck does he want now?"
Skimming through the scroll, he rolled his eyes before tossing it into a corner of the room and muttered out more curses. Let it be known that Daisuke did not like his father at all and that was putting it lightly. Rubbing his eyes he glanced at the clock.
"Tch it's only six in the morning… fuckkkk come on." He rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands. "I've been doing what he's told me to do and he'd agreed to stay the fuck out of my life. What the fuck does he want now?"
Glancing at the clock, he took note that he had about three hours before he had to meet with his father. "Fuck me and I had a good night too." He and Sasuke had been going at it all night and had only fell asleep only a handful of hours ago. "Tch – I don't even feel like sleeping anymore. Shit, fuck you old man. Just to piss you off I'm gonna be late."
Heading back to the bedroom he grabbed a set of clothes to workout in. He had to burn off his frustrations somehow and Sasuke was still fast asleep to help him with anything.
"I hope this fuckin' day doesn't get any worse I swear."
Daisuke walked at a sedate pace towards the METI building with a scowl on his face. He was not looking forward to being berated and having his ear talked off by his father. 'I don't want another fuckin' lecture about the family or being a proper shinobi. Getting sick and tired of having to constantly hear his shit.'
After his training, Sasuke had prepared breakfast for both of them by the time he got back. It was a simple meal of steamed rice, miso soup, and a rolled omelet. The black haired teen had to give his girlfriend some props as she knew how to cook a meal to brighten up his day. Home cooking was the best if it was done right. 'Although she could lay off the tomatoes a bit. I know she likes them and all but god damn does she put a lot.'
The market street along the way was packed today as everyone was out shopping for groceries. It was one of many busy streets that had people bustling through the stores and stalls selling various goods.
Halfway through the street he immediately spotted a certain individual that had a familiar spiky mop of blond hair. His mood went from annoyed to shit in no time at the sight of Naruto.
"Oh just my fuckin' luck," he muttered. "This loser would be here of all god damn times."
Stuffing his hands into his pockets he kept a low profile and hurried his pace to his destination. Slipping by Naruto all the while stealing glances at what he was doing, Daisuke saw that he was buying something with his back turned towards him, he glared before deciding to get it over with and hopped onto the rooftops to travel faster.
It was just in time too as Naruto had looked behind him as if sensing someone was looking at him from behind. He shrugged to himself before going back to his list of chores he had to do.
Getting out of the growing summer heat, the black haired teen stepped into the building where his father's office was and walked up to the check-in at the front desk.
"I got an appointment with my dad."
The person looked up from behind the desk before opening a book and flipping through some pages. "Yes, although you are almost thirty minutes late to your meeting with Tsubasa-sama." They sounded annoyed at his tardiness, but he paid no mind to it, he was late on purpose anyways.
"Yeah, yeah tell that to someone who really cares. Can I go and see him now?"
"Here's your badge."
Snapping the item from the person's hand he clipped it on and made his way to the office. Arriving at the door he paused in front of it. There was a moment of hesitation before he shook his head and barged into the room.
"You're late. What have I told you about being punctual with your appointments? How many times do I have to go over this with you, you damn thick-headed child."
He rolled his eyes in response. "I didn't come here to get my ass busted by you. I'll just leave if you do, you got it old man?"
Seated behind his desk was the father of Daisuke Tsubasa and the Minister of METI, Toshiyuki Tsubasa. He was a man that looked to be in his late-30s if not early-40s. Black hair cut and styled militarily, he was of average height, with a grizzled face that had seen too much death in his life. As befitting his status as the Minister, he wore a plain black and white kimono with a small red crest emblazoned on his right and left side of his chest signifying he was the ministry leader. (1)
The first impression one would get would be that he looked like some sort of regent lord that was also a samurai. It didn't help the fact that he also had a katana next to him as well.
"Such insolence from my own son, where did I go wrong with you? I thought I disciplined you well enough when you were younger. If only your brother were here instead, at least he was a competent shinobi and son."
At the mention of his brother Daisuke's hands balled up into fists and gritted his teeth. "You leave him out of this," he seethed to him. "You shitty fuckin' excuse of a father," the black haired teen muttered under his breath.
Toshiyuki either didn't catch it or he ignored what his son said and continued on. "You must be wondering why I called you here. I read your team leader's report from your mission to the Land of Waves a couple weeks ago. I'm curious about some of the peculiarities that was written in there."
"Peculiarities? What? Like what do you mean by that?"
"There were things that were left vague in the report. It mentioned that there was a fourth individual that travelled along with you back home. Do you know who this person is? If so can you describe him?"
The bombardment of questions left him reeling and scrunching up his face as he recounted his memories. Fourth person? Was he referring to that blonde guy that seemed to be good friends with Kakashi? What the hell? Why was his father interested in him of all people? He despised that guy with every fiber of his being.
Who the hell was he to show up and play hero acting all chivalrous like some sort of knight? He couldn't explain it, but it pissed him off. Naruto was almost the exact opposite of everything that he stood for and believed in. I was only natural that their personalities would clash.
"Yeah some blonde guy with spiky hair came with us back from Wave so what?"
What was so god damn important about him?
"What was his name? I need a name boy." His father pressed on.
"Hell if I know? You think I give a shit about that guy?"
His father leaned forward on his desk. "Name. I. Need. A. Name."
"Naruto something, shit that's all I can remember! Why the hell are you so interested in this guy? He's some no name that came out of nowhere and helped us."
The head of METI leaned back in his chair with a contemplative look on his face. "Naruto…" he tested the name out. "Naruto huh?"
Frustration was beginning to build up inside him. "Yeah Naruto, are you going to tell me what's so important about him?" He was getting tired of having to talk let alone mention that guy's name.
"Mmm – no."
"No? What the hell do you mean no?"
"Leave. You're dismissed, the information you've given to me is enlightening and I'd like to reflect upon that in peace."
The rebellious teen tisked in annoyance loudly. "Yeah you're welcome you ungrateful asshole." He walked out and slammed the door on his way out, not giving his father time to give a response.
Too bad his father ignored his outburst and opted to focus on the familiar name. It was a thing that he hadn't heard of in years, almost eighteen years to be exact if the man remembered correctly. "Naruto and blonde spiky hair?" He had most certainly heard of that name before, but he couldn't place his finger on it.
"Why… I haven't heard that name since Minato-." He stopped. In his mind something clicked and the pieces started to fall into place. "No… No it couldn't possibly be… could it?" Reaching into a drawer he pulled out an old portrait that had four individuals smiling into the camera as their picture was taken. One was his wife when she was a child, the hulking man with white hair and red lines coming down their face was Jiraiya, and the other was a spiky blond haired kid with bright blue eyes.
Toshiyuki's body shook with mirth as it all started to come back together for him. "Of course – of course! How could I be so ignorant?" Later on he would have to check with the birth records and the academy registry to be sure. A smirk settled on his face as he remembered a fitting quote that he had read from a holy scripture called the Bible.
"And so… the prodigal son returns home."
I turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of the person that was staring from behind me. Huh? Was that one of Kakashi's students that was just there?
Hmm.
It was the male member of the team Daisuke. I could feel his glare from a mile if I wanted to. Didn't help that he radiated his annoyance with me like a neon sign.
Oh well, not my problem as I had other things to do on my checklist. Dealing with some guy that had a problem with me was not on it.
"Alright. I got the snacks and the groceries, time to make my way back to the house."
I've been a busy person since I got back sorting out my personal affairs and doing information research. The house had been kept tidied up by the Hokage ever since I left with the services of newly minted shinobi from the Academy. They did a fair job at keeping it clean and pristine while I was gone and thankfully they never entered the shed.
I should probably find something to thank the Hokage for keeping up with the residence. I'll worry about that later and figure out something suitable.
The paperwork was a pain to deal with trying to sort out the Emiya estate that had been left untouched for almost half a decade now. I couldn't imagine doing paperwork every day like the Hokage, I'm surprised he hasn't went insane from the amount he has to do.
My personal research on the other hand took up most of my time since I've been here. Digging through the government records was not something that I enjoyed. Reminds me every time why I'm not much of a bookworm. I had my own personal leads from the notes that I brought back with me, but even then trying to shift through over a hundred years' worth of information took some time.
It was only a matter of time before I found what I wanted, by then I should have everything tied up and can head back to the other side of the world. At most I would be spending a few months, maybe half a year, but no more than a full year to finish my business here.
As I walked up the street leading to my house I saw someone standing in front of the gate. It was Kakashi reading his book.
"Good morning Kakashi! Is there something that I can help you with?"
He greets me back in his usual lazy way. "Mind if we head inside first?"
"Suuuure…" It must be something important if he didn't want to talk out here… or maybe he's wanting to just leech off a free meal. "Wait. You just want a free meal don't you?"
Kakashi didn't even look abashed by my revelation. "Nope! Come on you! We can talk over breakfast!"
I sighed as he ushered me into my own house. I guess some things never change do they?
Situating ourselves into the living room I got to work on the meal. Nothing fancy, just broiled salted salmon, steamed white rice, miso soup, a little bit of pickles for the sides, small folded omelet, and steeped some green tea for drinks.
"So Kakashi, what brings you over here?"
"What? I can't visit a good friend at his house? Besides I haven't stepped foot in here in years!"
He was avoiding the subject until I brought the food. Of course. "Then you mind helping me out and setting the table?"
"Nah you got this! Besides I'm getting to a juicy steamy part of the chapter that requires my undivided attention!"
I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Geez Kakashi, if you were going to freeload you could at least chip in. This guy, I swear, was worse than Anko. At least she helped out when she wanted food. Huh, speaking of her I need to go and visit her some time…
Shit… she was going to be pissed. Oh… oh no. I'd better stock the fridge some more food in preparation and prepare a crap load of dango for her and maybe I can avoid getting knocked out by her. Maybe…
"Meals ready you pervert," I said.
"Finally! I don't remember you taking so long all those years ago Naruto!"
"Yeah, yeah enjoy the meal you freeloader."
We both gave thanks before digging in. "So, what's so important that we had to be inside to talk?"
"The Chunin Exams are coming up soon a couple of months. I'm submitting my team's application to be included in this year's trials so I need some help preparing and training them."
Well I had to give it to him for being blunt and straightforward.
"But why do you need my help? You're a capable teacher, look at me for example."
He pointed me with his chopsticks. "Yes that's you Naruto, but they aren't you. You're an exception to many things and my team aren't a part of that. This year's contestants are going to be grueling and the most highly profiled to be hosted in Konoha in years."
Highly profiled huh? I suppose so. Apparently this year's batch of academy graduates come from a high pedigree being a lot of prominent families. Uchiha, Hyuga, Nara, Inuzuka, and Yamanaka to name a few off the top of my head. Yeah this trial was going to be intense.
"I got a lot of people breathing down my neck to have my team to blow the exams out of the water."
I gave a little sympathy to him, "That must be a lot of pressure than to have them perform well."
"No kidding," he snorted. "And not just perform well, but with flying colors Naruto. There's going to be a lot of dignitaries that'll be visiting us and they expect me to have my team put on the best performance for them. No pressure right?"
If I were honest I could barely remember my own trials. At that point in life I was fairly determined to get through the system to gain experience and knowledge, and then leave it. I wasn't trying to be a shinobi, it was never my goal in the first place. It only provided the tools and resources for me to actualize my dreams.
"I can help you to take off some of the weight on your shoulders. Don't know what I'll really be able to do, but I'll try my best."
"You remember that little stint back at Wave? That's what I need for the next couple of months leading up to the trials. We're going to have to prepare them to crush the other teams that will be participating."
Yeah… that's asking a steep price.
"Even the ones from Konoha?"
"Yes. Even those from our own nation."
Well damn Kakashi that's pretty brutal of you. Haven't seen this side of yours in quite some time.
"How come? Pride as an instructor? Rivalries with other teams? Got a point to prove or something? Maybe a bit of grudge?"
"A little bit of everything. This is my first team and I do have a name to uphold you know."
"What? A name of being an avid reader of porn novels, freeloading meals, and offloading work to others?"
"Yup! You got it down just right!" he said with a smile.
My eye twitched in response. He was agreeing to everything I said just to irritate me.
"Alright, but I need a couple of favors from you Kakashi. I mean it." The tone of the conversation shifted from being lighthearted to serious on the flip of a coin.
I meant it too about him owing me a few. There were going to be a couple of things that I need from him to continue my research. Information and records that I wasn't privy to for not being an active shinobi any longer. My privileges as a retired Jonin could only stretch so far, but Kakashi's rights extended passed mine by miles. Former Black Ops squad leader and senior ranking Jonin allowed him access to records that were stricken and blacked out that I could prove to be useful.
Kakashi took note of the sudden change. "Favors? What kind of favors are we talking about here?"
"Information. Records. Data. Anything on a certain person."
"And who would be this person of interest?"
It wouldn't hurt to share the information with him as to who I was researching up on about. I trusted him enough not to go blabbing to anyone else except for maybe the Hokage if he was ordered to.
"Orochimaru."
That caused him to narrow his eyes at me. "Any particular reason why? That's some sensitive information for me to dig up for you Naruto. People will get suspicious if I started rummaging for documents about a top international criminal out of the blue."
Now I'm a little conflicted if I should drag a friend of mine into the world of Magi. The abilities I showed on the bridge could possibly pass off as Ninjutsu, but this information was sensitive and was a whole lot bigger than me in the grand scheme of things.
I sighed. Damn it, why do things have to be so complicated?
"Look it's just a hunch of mine alright? It's nothing too concrete or anything until I get that information that's locked above my rank. I promise you I'll share what I find out with you if anything comes up alright?"
He wasn't satisfied by the looks of it. "Look what more do you want?"
"Quid pro quo. If I exchange the information you want about Orochimaru then I want some questions answered fully that's been going around in my head."
I agreed to his terms, hopefully they won't be much.
"After I get you your classified documents. I want to know your dealings with the Far West and its associations like the Holy Church and whatever the name is of that other group."
My eyes closed and blew out a breath. I should've seen this coming. One way or another he was going to get himself tangled in all this mess with the Mage's Association and the Holy Church. I might as well do my best and agreed to his demands.
"I'll see what I can do then to get my hands on anything that might seem useful for you. You'll have what you want in a month or so depending on how busy the ministry of defense gets leading up to the exams. Remember our deal; I scratch your back, you scratch mine."
I nodded and thanked him for his help. This should help immensely with my research into some sensitive matters and speed things up considerably.
By the time our conversation ended we had already finished our meals and had been sipping on freshly brewed tea. It was matcha green tea, one of my favorites for a meal to help settle the food in the stomach.
"Later on today I'll be breaking it to them during our meeting about their nomination for the trials. I'm positive that they'll take on the challenge so would you be able to start training them today?" he asked.
Besides the fact that I need to greet Anko-nee and avoid getting beaten into a coma, I had everything squared away now. "Yeah sure, what time though?"
"In a few hours, maybe around four or five. I still have to head to the instructor meeting and pick up the application forms for them to sign."
I gave him a blank stare as he got up to leave. Really Kakashi? I thought you already had done all that. "Kakashi, shouldn't you… I don't know. Maybe have done that already?" I said as I gathered the plates to clean in the kitchen. "I thought you'd be more responsible than this, geez. Here I am trusting you to get what I need."
"You say something Naruto?"
Rolling my eyes I washed the dishes ignoring his response. I'm not going to get baited that easily you lazy freeloader.
"Oh and before I forget, we'll be at the third training ground near the memorial stone at around five. Thanks for the meal! See ya later!"
Simply waving behind me as he left I continued cleaning and spaced out momentarily. As I grabbed another plate I noticed on the counter that I had actually made another plate accidentally. I stopped what I was doing and stared at the plate full of food.
Why had I made another plate when it was only Kakashi and I that would be eating?
What made me make another plate that I didn't even notice when I was cooking?
No... I knew why I made that another plate when I was cooking. It was out of habit that I made a dish that had extra servings without even thinking.
"I love your cooking, Naruto."
Yes, unknowingly I had prepared another that was meant specifically for her.
I've been kept so busy lately with settling back into the house that I really didn't have any peace and quiet to reflect to myself. A shaky hand reached out to the plate to hold it. There was no mistake that I had made this plate to how she would've liked it.
An extra slice of salmon, a larger serving of rice and soup on the side for her insane appetite was all there for her.
"Naruto… I will always love you."
My breath hitched as I my vision started to lose focus.
I could still hear her beautiful voice in my head calling my name. I can still see her beautiful green eyes and immaculate golden hair if I closed my eyes. I can see her standing there in a field of grass and rolling hills with the wind softly blowing her hair and a delicate hand reaching out for me to grab.
Several tears rolled down my face uncontrollably and my heart clenched in pain. I bite my lips to try and control myself.
I miss her.
I miss her so much that it hurt.
"No matter what, I will always be with you… Naruto."
There was a connection between her and I that was simply indescribable. No words could ever be put into context about my bond with her. You could liken it to a fairytale at most, but for me it was something so much more.
Like two kindred spirits making a special connection by sharing a bond from an experience that drew us together to a higher state of being.
"Who else but me who'll be your sword, Naruto?"
When I open my eyes, the girl that I envisioned perfectly in my head is gone…
…and I'm back in my kitchen alone and a heart full of longing for her.
Setting the plate down, I wipe the tears off my face and set the plate aside for dinner later on. I shake my head and quickly finish washing the plates before heading out to my bedroom to lay down. Maybe take a nap before heading out to the training ground.
A heavy and depressed sigh escape my lips. There were still some things on my list of chores to do, but as of this moment I didn't want to do them, I'll just put it off for later. My body feels tired, I felt like the weight of the world came to rest upon my shoulders as I drag my feet to the futon.
Yeah… a nap sounds good right about now. I have about four or so hours before I have to meet with Kakashi and his team so I'm not pressed for time.
Hopefully I'll get a sound rest with this nap…
He dreamt.
He dreamt of a world that had an eternal spring that one could liken it to a utopia. It was a world that was cut off from the constant decay and destruction of the surface of the planet and although it is nestled in human history, has no connection to any other land.
Its daytime is filled with the warmth of spring's sunshine and the smell of summer; while its night is wrapped in the autumn air and stars of a clear winter.
Everywhere in the field, flowers of all kind bloom on gentle sloping plains. A forest could be seen in the distance, enveloped by the overlooking sky; its view evenly dividing the sky and earth.
There is no sign of human civilization that polluted its lands.
This was paradise in its given form that people could only imagine in their dreams.
In those perfect and beautiful plains of grass was a girl frolicking in the field with a serene smile. Her arms were spread enjoying the scenery. She turned towards him and looked at him. The girl was motioning for him to join her.
A hand reached out to him.
Yet he was nowhere close to do so.
There was a defined boundary made out of fire that separated her world and his world.
On top a desolate hill of swords he was on his knees; battered, bloodied, and broken.
His body was made out of swords.
He knelt there reaching out to the girl with his bloodied hands, desperately wanting salvation from the hell he found himself in. Countless swords grew out of him, but he took no heed of it, only concentrating on the girl in the utopia she was in.
He had survived through countless battles.
Not once did he retreat nor was he ever victorious.
He was alone atop a hill of swords
His swords that he forged from iron scattered all around him.
His life had no meaning.
That body was certainly made out of swords.
A silent cry escaped from his mouth as he desperately made to grab her hand from an impossible distance as if she would provide his salvation from this nightmare.
He made to stand but it was no use as his body locked up from the swords that sprouted from his body. It imprisoned him alone atop a hill of swords, trapping him in his hell.
Truly that body of his was made out of swords.
I woke up with my body completely drenched in sweat and I gasp in air greedily. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it.
I had that same dream again except that they were becoming vivid each time that I slept. Rubbing my forehead with my hand I check on the time.
"Shit," I cursed.
It was quarter till five o'clock. I was late by almost an hour now. Moving to get up, my vision swam causing me to fall back onto the bedding.
"Alright how about we just take it easy then and no sudden movements."
Getting into a seated position, I take off my usual ensemble and replace it the clothes that I usually wore back in Fuyuki City. A red and white long sleeve baseball T-shirt and a blue slim straight jean. I slid my gloves back on to mainly conceal the red holy shroud that was exposed on my right hand and the dark tan that blotched the skin.
Looking back at the time, I was definitely over an hour late now.
Oh well, Kakashi is a capable teacher with or without me there.
It wasn't far from where I lived so it shouldn't take too long to get there if I walked at a sedate pace.
My right arm grew hot suddenly and I felt the familiar pain coming back to it.
"Come on you stupid arm, don't act up on me now of all times."
After a few minutes of trying to keep it under control, it finally stopped and I let out a breath of air. "Phew… thank god it stopped."
One of these days this arm of mine is going to get me killed when I can't control the sheer amount of power that's flowing through it. I can't even begin to imagine how much power the Shroud of Martin was stymying.
I do know for one thing that if I released the shroud I could gain almost godlike power at the cost of dying from prana overload. The human body simply could not handle the amount that it produced before it would effectively shorten out the circuits and killing you. It would be akin to hooking up a nuclear fusion reactor to recharge a double-A battery.
In the distance I could see Kakashi and his team practicing on the river against each other.
Good they were still here and I didn't totally miss out on the agreed time. Wouldn't want Kakashi backing out on his deal with me as it'd make things a lot more difficult.
"Afternoon everyone," I waved to them as I got closer to the riverside.
They all stopped and looking at me, especially Kakashi with him raising a curious eyebrow. "You mean, good evening Naruto." He said blandly to me. "I know I'm pretty bad with being late and all." At this his team snorted at that. "But I didn't expect you to be this late."
"Ah sorry about that, I went to take a nap after you left but I guess I was a lot tired than I thought I was. Besides better late than never right?"
He shrugged in response, "Its fine, you owe me and my team dinner tonight then."
What.
"Um… you just freeloaded off of me earlier today."
"I can always back out of our deal you know."
Kakashi you're an absolute man-child underneath that exterior of a nonchalant and casual guy.
I waved him off, "Fine, fine whatever. Freeload off of me for all I care just don't renege our agreement." I'm starting to think this is a doppelgänger of Kakashi because I do not remember him being this infuriating.
"Hey what the hell? Why the fuck is this guy here?" It was Daisuke and he seemed none to please at me being here.
"Language Daisuke," chastised Kakashi. He turned back to me and stared at me as if I had something on my face. "Did you sleep well?"
Ah I must've looked worse for wear than I thought. I guess changing clothes didn't really help out much. "Not really, I've had better nights of sleep."
He shrugged, "I won't pry too much into then."
It carried another message: he'd simply find out later when he got his answers.
I'll add irritating along with being infuriating, he sure does love poking his nose in things he has no business in. Damn it Kakashi.
"Um – Kakashi-sensei, why is Naruto-kun here?" meekly asked Sakura. "Not that I mind or anything."
I look over to his students and the first thing that caught my eye was Sasuke staring intently at me. I take a step to the right slightly and her eyes follow with my movement. I take another step back to where I started and she's still staring. What the hell? An eyebrow slightly rose up in response, but I'll just mostly ignore with what's going on.
Kakashi clapped his hands together and one could feel a smile being radiated underneath his mask. "Well you see I spoke with Naruto earlier today and he so graciously volunteered to assist me in training you three for the Chunin exams in the coming months! Aren't you all excited at that prospect?"
My attention shifts back to the leader of Team Seven and I couldn't help but give him a weird look at how strange that sounded coming from him.
They all cringed and looked away from me.
I guess they still remember what I did to them back in the Land of Waves. A grin formed on my face as I remembered fondly training them. The three of them grimaced when they looked at me again.
Apparently Daisuke wasn't having any of it tonight. "But still! Why does he have to be the one? If you need fuckin' help then I'll just ask my other friends to help train us! They're jonin level shinobi too you know! Plus they're actually shinobi! Not some… hack or whatever the hell he is."
"On the contrary, he is actually the most qualified to train you all. Isn't that right Naruto?" He turned towards me as if expecting me to pick off where he left, but I held my hands up as if motioning for him to continue. Kakashi shrugged, "You see Naruto here currently holds the record of being the only person to date to have passed not only the Chunin exam, but also the Jonin exam in under a year!"
The look of disbelief on Daisuke's face was gratifying for some reason. "No fucking way. I call bull shit on that on so many levels."
On the other hand his two teammates disagreed with his sentiments. Wait what? Sasuke was disagreeing with him? Huh… well that's new.
Kakashi had a smug on look through his mask. "It's true, you can look it up yourself at the public records office." He crossed his arms together. "In fact he entered in both exams by himself and crushed the opposing teams in one sweep. Out of that entire years' worth of candidates, Naruto was the only one that came out of the trials successfully."
They all were looking in awe at me now being fully regaled by Kakashi's description of my trials for promotion.
Looking back on it, I was merciless when I fought the other teams. In both instances I solely used my archery skills to pick off opponents from afar leaving them no chance to even engage me at close range. Some would call it unfair that I didn't give my enemy a chance to fight, I simply called it being pragmatic.
It was one of the most important lessons that Kiritsugu gave to me. Unless you had to, always seek the path of least resistance, and to end it quickly and efficiently if possible.
Those people ridiculed and called me a disgrace when I sniped them from hundreds of meters away before they could close the distance. Pathetic really, I guess it's why I hold a certain amount of disdain for shinobi in general except for a select few.
A great many shinobi and kunoichi alike are a bunch of inveterate hypocrites.
These people demand honor like the proud warriors they are when they fight yet stylize themselves as assassins.
Don't get me wrong, they practice in many things that could align them under the Assassin Class if it were under the Fuyuki Holy Grail system, but at the heart of it they were far from it. In my honest opinion, they all paled in comparison to Hassan-i-Sabbah.
Now that was an assassin if I ever met one.
"No way, absolutely no way," said Daisuke still in disbelief.
"Wow… I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be surprised after the whole bridge fight," Sakura reasoned. "If he could summon a flaming sword and hundreds of swords I shouldn't be surprised he dominated the trials."
For Sasuke she kept on staring intently at me. Ok now I'm starting to get a little freaked out.
"And I'll let you all on in a little known secret." He leaned in for effect. "Not a single person was able to touch him let alone get close enough to breathe on him. Every single person he went up against got sniped and disabled with great efficacy. Because of that he gained a little ol' nickname out of it pinging him simply as Archer."
My eyes twitched and I grit my teeth at hearing that last word.
I held a considerably unhealthy amount of contempt for that word. There were two other individuals who held that title. They were also two individuals that I disliked a great amount.
One was a contradicting and insufferable bastard that tried to kill me to cause a paradox. The fact that he also tried destroying both my heart and soul, kidnapped both girls that I loved, and was a complete dick to me whenever we spoke left me with a terrible opinion of him.
The other was arguably the worst person I've ever encountered. He was the most arrogant and selfish asshole that no other person could ever compare period. Past, present, and future there would be no individual that could match that man in terms of his arrogance. Hell he makes arrogant people of all kind look incredibly modest in comparison.
I think I can still hear him cursing at me and yelling mongrel somewhere in the back of my head.
"You know as much as I love hearing you butter me up, which is very little, maybe we should start training?" I asked feeling a little bit uncomfortable about being talked about. I like to think I'm a modest person at heart and having Kakashi boasting about me to his team felt weird.
"The floor is all yours then Naruto-sensei!"
"Yeah how about not calling me that alright?" I said blandly.
Well looks like I'm being thrown into the pit again, I didn't even have a lesson plan. Might as well wing it as usual I suppose. "Alright I'm just going to take a wild guess and say that Kakashi here has had you all running team drills. That's all fine, but I'll be taking a more direct approach just like last time."
Moving to the middle of the field I project my bow, drive one end into the ground and start making a huge circle in the dirt and a smaller one inside it. The larger circle should be about a hundred meters in diameter while the smaller one inside it should be around five meters.
Standing in the middle of the circles I turned to them to explain. "Tonight we will be doing a simple exercise. From out the border of the circle to where I'm standing now should be about fifty or so meters. Your goal is to make it into this circle," I tapped the ground with my foot.
"Sounds easy enough," Daisuke said with bravado.
"Ah – there's a catch sorry to say. With my bow I'll be firing, non-lethal of course, arrows at you to prevent you from entering the inner circle. Bonus points if you can land a hit on me," I smiled at him. "But I doubt you will." It was a challenge to not just him either, it was meant for all of them. "You may attempt this as individuals or as a team, it's your choice. You may also use anything in your arsenal to accomplish your goal."
They all stuck together and didn't budge. Good, Kakashi must've been beating it into their heads to stick as a team and fight as one.
"Then you may now begin."
As one, Kakashi's team dispersed from my view and into the surrounding foliage. Seems like they were going to try and plan this one out. Sadly it would be futile, pushing chakra to my core to convert into prana I flood my circuits to my eyes and arms. Settling into a basic archer stance, I scan the area slowly and await their next course of action.
So far they were doing a decent job at remaining somewhat concealed. It wasn't fair for them since every time they changed positions or moved my eyes would pick up on the rustling of the leaves and bushes like a hawk. They still need improvement in the stealth area, then again I wasn't quite proficient at it either.
I preferred a more direct approach that involved being loud and causing mayhem all around.
The spiking of chakra from three different directions sent me into readiness. Bursting out of the foliage came dozens of shuriken and kunai that were whistling through the air at high speeds.
I take my time to count them all. There were 36 objects cutting through the air at me. Twelve of them in respective from their respective directions in which they were thrown.
The calculation in my head for how many arrows I need and where to fire happen simultaneously.
All I would need is four arrows to be fired in each direction. One half drawn to push the projectiles to clump them together while the other three would be quarter drawn to knock them all out. The ricochet will deal with the rest for me.
In the span for a regular human being to blink, I knock back my projected arrows and fired all twelve in rapid succession.
They all hit their marks and the field became silent once more.
'Ah, so they were just testing the waters eh? At least they've improved a bit since the last time.' That meant they were workable and could be trained.
Another volley came and I shot them all down once more. It was followed by another set before someone came blasting out of the trees racing towards me.
"WAIT STICK TO THE PLAN!"
Daisuke came at me like a bat out of hell all the while throwing shuriken and kunai at me to force me from my spot.
A fool's gambit.
"SAKURA! COVER DAISUKE AND RAIN IT ON HIM!"
Interesting. It seems like Sasuke was the one coordinating their efforts.
The two of them tried throwing some more to force me to turn my attention to them but it would be for naught. They didn't have the strength to propel them at faster speeds for me to prioritize it as a threat.
Before I knocked another arrow I reinforced my thigh and jammed the arrow head to blunt it. I wasn't supposed to be killing them after all.
Without even looking I fired the arrow straight into center mass of his body, sending him careening into the river. He didn't even have time to yell before he crashed into the water.
I paid no attention to it though before I twisted my body and fired off more projected arrows to deflect the oncoming barrage.
"Sakura! Split to the right!"
They were trying to flank me. Basic tactics. Time to make them dance.
Only quarter drawing the bow I let loose several arrows in front of Sakura to impede her path. She skidded to a stop before trying to backtrack. More arrows block that way too. The pink haired girl faced me before charging forward to enter the outer ring.
Sorry not going to happen.
A blunted arrow, this time at half draw, crashed into her; it rocketed her body into a tree and Sakura's back met trunk causing her to elicit a cry of pain and crumpled to the ground.
I cringed, 'Okay maybe drawing the bow at half wasn't so much a good idea then.'
The arrow that I hit Daisuke with was at a quarter draw and that alone was enough to send him flying. I erred on the side of caution against Sakura since she could take a beating, but I guess even that was too much for her.
"Katon: Gokakyu!"
The name of the signature technique of the Uchiha clan wrung throughout the field as Sasuke bellowed a mighty orb of roaring hot yellow flames the size of a bus at me.
Not bad.
I'll have to actually use a prana-infused arrow this time to dispel her technique. The arrow glowed blue and this time I did a full draw on my bow and aimed at her technique. Letting it fly, it struck true dispersing her attack into a swirl of flames that carried itself with the projectile into the wind.
It was only a distraction.
Sasuke kept her momentum and charged forward. She surprised me by how fast she was moving, high speed movement was undoubtedly her specialty. I could tell by the look in her face that she was in her element. I was going to let her in close to teach her a lesson.
Feigning shock onto my face, she noticed and smirked at the small victory she gained. Poor soul. I feel bad for what I'm about to do to her.
Sort of.
Not really.
Yeah I can be a downright bastard when I wanted to be.
The raven haired girl was only a step away from entering the inner circle.
Did you know bows could also be used like a bat?
Twirling the bow for effect my stance widens and grip the bow with both hands before tensing up the muscles in my arms. Her sharingan eyes saw this and she did her best to fully stop but her momentum continued from the speed she built up. Sasuke's mouth opened as my make-shift baseball bat smashed into her abdomen batting her away like a baseball out of a stadium.
Homerun.
'And the crowd goes wild! Emiya Naruto wins the World Series for the Fuyuki City Tigers!'
A small smile made its way on my face.
The sound of clapping caught my attention, it was Kakashi. "Nice moves you got there Naruto, would you like to give an explanation to how this exercise applies to actual combat?"
"Well to be honest it's just something that I came up on the spot really." I scratched the back of my head and look away sheepishly. When I looked back Daisuke, Sasuke, and Sakura were limping towards us in pain. "What I had in mind in this session is for you all to be able to work on your speed, agility, and reflexes. In a fight speed will be one of the most important attributes that determine the outcome of a fight."
I automatically assume a lecturing pose with one hand on my hip and the other in the air with my index finger pointing up as I talked to gesticulate along with my speech. (2)
"From what I've learned over the years is that whoever has the greatest speed generally dictates the fight. It allows you to get the first hit, reposition yourself, and retreat if you feel like you've bit off more than you can chew." God, I'm winging this so hard right now. I thought I'd help Kakashi with his lesson plans but really he's just dumping a majority of the work onto me.
I really hope they don't notice that I'm winging everything I'm saying including this whole training session.
"This focuses on you bursting your chakra to boost your speed to make it into the circle. When all three of you can make it in as a team then we increase the distance, so on and so forth. At the same time your reactionary senses and agility will be honed by the arrows that I shoot out from the center of the formation."
They all looked fairly roughed up from the first round, I guess I wouldn't mind making dinner for them as a treat after we're done. Not for Kakashi of course, but for this students.
"This… is some… bullshit, you're just doing this to get cheap shots at us," accused Daisuke.
'Eh – partially true I guess, they do make great for target practicing with my bow even if I don't really need it.' But no one has to know that either, I'm fairly confident he'd blow a gasket if I told him I was somewhat enjoying this.
"No. Pain is a great motivator to improve. It's better to bleed blood here than be dead in an actual fight. In here it's a controlled environment but out there any and everything goes, you can't predict what happens."
The fellow teen in front of me grumbled some more when I saw something move behind him. My eyes narrow at the sight of a bush to his back rustling near the bottom.
Expanding my senses throughout the field I felt another life signature near the vicinity of us that was sitting in the foliage, almost as if it were observing us. Knocking an arrow onto my bow I shot it towards the bush, barely missing Daisuke by a scant few inches which caused him to dive to the left by the time the arrow hit its mark.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?" he yells at me. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND YOU FUCKIN' CRAZY ASSHOLE? YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME! FUCK."
Tuning his incessant yelling out I concentrate my vision towards the general direction waiting for anything to happen. A second later a rat popped out, stood on its haunches before scurrying off back into the forest.
"YOU FUCKING ALMOST KILLED ME FOR A SHITTY RAT?" Daisuke continued his rant. "YOU EVEN MISSED, GOD WHAT THE FUCK!"
That only caused me to furrow my brows in suspicion. 'What was a rat doing all the way out here from the village? Let alone hiding in a bush. Who knows how long it's been there watching too.' It was too coincidental for a rat to be here of all things. 'Rats tend to live near man-made structures, so it doesn't make sense for one to be here. Unless…'
Unless Crown was here in Konoha with me.
It sounded crazy, honestly it did, but it was the only logical conclusion. What gave it away was the fact that it stood upon on its hind legs and looked at me straight in the eyes before running off. Most natural animals had the tendency to vacate the area when there's fighting going on, but that little guy had stayed there.
There wasn't a single bird in sight or any of the general fauna.
It reaffirmed my thoughts about who was here in Konoha with me.
'What could he want that he travelled across the world to find me?' I'll just have to ask that question when I confront him directly. 'Might as well knock two birds with one stone and do it when Kakashi's around. He can help answer any questions that Kakashi might have. Later on when I'm at the house I'll lower the bounded field around to draw him in.'
Lowering one's boundary field around a complex was a universal sign for any mage that they were welcomed in an establishment. 'Hopefully he won't take too long to notice and will introduce himself soon.'
"What is it Naruto?" asked Kakashi.
"It was nothing, just a curious little critter that was watching." I replied. I'll tell you later.
He nodded his head, "Getting a little rusty with your aim eh Naruto? Daisuke is right, you missed!" I'll be eagerly waiting.
"In your dreams," I scoff at him, "as if I would ever miss; was just a warning shot." Turning back to the three. "Since Daisuke here is cursing up a storm, I'm guessing you're all ready to go for round two. We'll take it up from the top again. You all know the drill."
As they disappeared into the surround forest to plan their next attempt I blew out a breath of air.
"Seems like trouble follows me everywhere," I mutter to myself. The thought of Crown following me across the world was unsettling.
It didn't bode well for the future.
"Welcome to my home everyone," he said plainly as the team behind him walked in tiredly.
All of Team Seven collapsed once they reached the living room of the Emiya Residence. They were sore, hungry, and thoroughly exhausted from the gamut that Naruto had them run through.
"Dinner will be ready shortly, shouldn't take too long."
A simple Hainan Ji Fan dish for them, Hainanese chicken rice, poached chicken breast in chicken broth, with a garnish of cucumbers, coriander and a side soup made out of the same chicken broth that had sliced daikon in it.
It should be a hearty and filling dish that should serve well enough as a post-workout meal.
As he cooked in the kitchen the members of Team Seven, sans Kakashi, were in a daze trying to process their training session with Naruto.
Imprinted into their minds was the sheer volume of arrows that he was able to fire from his bow without a single fault in his stride. No matter how many times they had showered him in shuriken and kunai they were all plucked out of the air by his arrows. No matter the amount of jutsu they shot at him they were struck down all the same.
At one point they had tried throwing everything they could at him for a solid minute from all around him.
It should be impossible for a human without assistance from a bloodline to defend against.
It should've been too much for him to handle against an unreasonable amount of attacks coming in all around him.
Yet he stood there in that circle countering and shooting down their futile attacks. They couldn't even manage to make him take a step to reposition himself. His feet was planted in the same spot throughout the night, it was like a bird trying to move a monolithic statue with the beat of its wings.
They couldn't even budge him a single inch.
And when they attempted to enter the circle, they were promptly blasted back out with no remorse.
"You all shouldn't beat yourselves up over tonight," he said from the kitchen. The trio picked up their heads off the table and looked over to him. "You all have significantly improved since the last time we've met. Don't think about it too much. By the time the exams come around, I give you my word that you'll be able to breeze through the other teams as if they were air. Just give it some time and the results will appear when Kakashi and I are finished."
"Ah – thank you Naruto-kun for assisting in preparing us for the upcoming exams." Sakura replied. "I'm sorry if we're taking up your time when you could be doing something else."
"Think nothing of it really. Kakashi and I exchanged some favors and worked out a deal so we both sort of benefit from it. Although he seems to be stretching the deal so he can freeload off of me for meals," he replied blandly at the last statement.
"Ahh~?" Kakashi perked up. "Did you say something Naruto?"
Naruto simply rolled his eyes, it was best to ignore it as it was Kakashi's signature bait.
"Anyways, it gives me something else to do instead of being cooped up in a building all day gathering notes for my research."
"Research?" Sakura's curiosity was piqued. She didn't expect him to be the type of person to stick his nose in a book.
"Historical research really if you're wondering. It's nothing big, just a personal interest as a hobby." He was lying with some truth sprinkled about, but they didn't need to know.
"T-That's pretty cool still! I haven't really met anyone else that's into doing a lot of reading and researching." For her it was admirable that someone like him had an interest in something that was similar to her field of study. The medical field required an extensive knowledge and insight with the human anatomy and physiology, even if it was a different subject must surely still require almost the same amount of effort she had to put in for her study.
The blonde haired man thanked her and walked out of the kitchen carrying four trays of food. "Bon appétit!" he said while laying out the trays in front of everyone.
The people at the table looked at him funny, "Um – excuse you? I can't tell if you just spoke gibberish or called us stupid." Naruto cocked an eyebrow in question at Daisuke before he snickered.
"Ah, sorry – slip of the tongue you see? I forgot that you people tend to not be multilingual."
Daisuke narrowed his eyes affronted, "What do you mean by "you people" huh?"
"If you can't tell, then there's no need for you to worry," he held a contemptible smirk plastered on his face.
"You-you!" He slammed his hands onto the dining table in anger. "Kakashi we don't need to eat here! We can go to Yakiniku-Q near the market district and I'll buy for us so I don't have to fucking listen to this asshole thinking he's all smart and shit!"
Kakashi snapped his book shut. "Quiet Tsubasa. It'd be rude for us to leave after Naruto has prepared a nice home cooked meal."
"You're just siding with him every time! What the hell is this favoritism bullshit?"
"Siding with him? No, not even close. I'm simply holding you accountable for whatever comes out of that smart aleck-y mouth of yours. Calm down and enjoy the meal Tsubasa. I don't want to hear you throwing another fit again tonight."
Naruto was back in the kitchen waiting for the leftovers from the morning to reheat. It was fun once and a while to poke at someone to elicit a reaction. He especially had it out for anyone that he generally perceived as annoying and Daisuke fit the bill to a tee.
Plus in his opinion it was just too easy sometimes.
"Oh? Did you not make any for yourself Naruto?"
"No, I accidentally made too much this morning when you came by. Besides I don't like wasting food."
He sat down next to Sakura and muttered thanks before digging in.
"Mmm – anyways, that was absolutely fantastic as always!"
Jabbing a pair of chopsticks at Kakashi he asked, "With how fast you eat, do you even get to fully enjoy it?"
"Yup! Every little morsel of food was greatly appreciated and enjoyed!" He was already back to reading his erotic novel.
"Of course you did."
As they ate, the team couldn't help but take notice at how well the food was prepared. It had the many hallmarks of someone who had perfected their craft for years. Everything was cooked to perfection and Daisuke, the person who disliked Naruto the most, could not deny that Naruto knew how to work the kitchen.
"Um, Naruto-kun," he looked over to his right to Sakura and found that she had cleaned her entire plate. "If you don't mind me asking, but where did you learn to cook so well?"
"Self-taught actually," her question started to make him reminisce about living with his father Kiritsugu. "It's a pretty long story actually, but I'm not sure if you'd like to hear it."
"I would like to hear it actually."
"Really?" He looked at her. "Heh – alright, I'll try and shorten it." And so he regaled her how he first forayed into the culinary world, starting off with how his new adoptive father Kiritsugu almost burnt down the house. In the beginning of the story he was smiling at how happy he was to live with his adoptive father after the fire, but as it went on it became more and more somber.
It came to a head when he started to talk about recent events.
"Yeah… I got to experience a whole different culture and its culinary arts. I especially enjoyed making this one type of… food… f-for…" He was blanking out again.
Just even referring to her was enough to cause his mind to stop to a screeching halt.
"Excuse me who?"
"…her…"
It was barely a whisper.
And then he stared passed them all blinking every so often with his mouth slightly open.
"Naruto?"
No response.
Uzumaki Naruto was no longer here, but Emiya Naruto was.
In his endeavor to share a story he had accidentally tripped and stumbled himself into a proverbial mental corner.
The past that he had tried to distance himself from was creeping up on him no matter how hard he tried to keep ahead.
She was the representation of his failure to uphold an ideal.
She was the manifestation of his hypocrisy and weakness.
And yet…
She was part of the key to his salvation from his own nightmare he found himself in.
"Naruto-kun!" Someone touched his arm and out of reflex he flinched away.
It was enough to break him out of the spell that he was in. Rubbing his forehead tiredly he apologized, "Sorry, seems like the training today took a lot out of me more than I expected it to."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, 'No, you were perfectly fine on the way back here Naruto.' He was lying through his teeth, but his students seemed to easily accept that answer. Like flipping a switch Naruto's entire personality flipped. 'His episode triggered at the mention of this person. What happened to you over the course of the years that you were gone? What tragedy befell to cause you to have so much mental scarring?'
The man in front of him reeked of posttraumatic stress disorder that anyone with a modicum of medical knowledge could spot from a mile away. From the way Sakura was holding onto Naruto she had caught on to his symptoms as well.
"I think I'll be going to bed early tonight, maybe some sleep will help me recover right?" He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but more so to himself.
"Yes, it does sound like you need some rest after today," she spoke softly. "Here allow me to help you wash the dishes while you go prepare to sleep alright?"
"No! I mean - please don't worry about it, I can handle myself."
Sakura acquiesced allowing him to do his thing without obstructing him. It was a silent affair and somewhat awkward for some as they began shuffling out and wish him well as they left his house.
"Thank you, I hope you enjoyed the meal tonight!" He bowed as they left. "Goodnight!"
"Goodnight Naruto and remember same time, same place," said Kakashi as he bowed back. A nod was more than sufficient as the blonde haired man closed the door.
As Team Seven walked away from the residence, Daisuke felt like he had to make some sort of comment on the situation.
"Geez what in the fuck just happened there? Dude you guys see how he fucking turned on a dime and went all emo!"
"DAISUKE! How dare you!" It was Sakura and she was riled up. "How dare you belittle someone that's suffering from PTSD?! Especially if he was our host for the night! Maybe if you weren't such a peacock asshole then maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't be insufferable; too bad you aren't!"
Mount Haruno erupted onto Daisuke as she grilled into him which devolved into a shouting match between the two.
"How dare me?!" he said incredulously. "The fuck you mean "how dare you" you bitch! You've been trying to ride his fucking dick the entire time!" Daisuke was already annoyed from having to meet with his father to start off his day and then having to deal with Naruto topped it off, he was a ticking time bomb that was just waiting to blow up.
Sakura coming to defense the person he despised was the thing that set him off.
Before things got out of hand Kakashi stepped in between them. "Tsubasa," gone was his laidback tone, replaced with an assertiveness of authority and power. "Go home and cool off. Now. I'll be talking to you personally tomorrow when we meet up. You too Sasuke, take him and head home. I don't want to hear anything you might have to say right now."
"Tch – whatever like I give a fuck," he grabbed Sasuke's arm and together they walked away.
A sigh escaped from Kakashi's mouth as he scratched his head. It was nights like this that he felt like he wasn't cut out to be a teacher of all things. The ironic thing was that his team back when he was younger was just as dysfunctional as the one he was mentoring. 'Sensei… if you were in my place, what would you do?'
"Sakura," he called to her tiredly. She was fuming about what her teammate had said, to be precise it absolutely made her livid. "Go home and take it easy. Don't get yourself too worked about it, I'll handle it ok?"
A frown crept its way onto her face before she nodded and wished her teacher a goodnight.
"Thing's never get easy do they?" He gave a glance at Naruto's home before hopping onto the rooftops to make his way back to his apartment.
The months leading up to the Chunin Exam was going to be tough and not to mention there was a funny feeling in his stomach that a storm was coming.
It was a type of feeling that didn't bode well for Konohagakure, he just hoped whatever it was – wasn't catastrophic.
When the time came Kakashi would have his answer.
It would be far worse than he could ever imagine.
When Naruto fell asleep that night, his mind was exhausted and ragged. His past was catching up quickly to him. The memories that he left behind was creeping back to the forefront of his mind and there wasn't anything that he could do.
They were equal parts good and bad memories, but even then it pained his heart and soul to think about them.
He dreamt kneeling down atop a hill of swords; broken and bloodied.
He had lied to himself and to others for coming back to his birth place.
In the end he was nothing but an inveterate hypocrite and coward who ran away from one person because he couldn't handle the shame of locking eyes with her even if she repeatedly forgave him.
There was no point in him coming back to this part of the world. There was a reason why he had left it in the first place and vowed to never come back.
Yet. Here he was, playing hero to a group of people that desired no heroes. They only wanted killers and murderers to carry on their name; for glory and power.
He dreamt of a lonely and desolate world filled with nothing but swords.
In the beginning he had her and many others, but as time grew and the battles they fought increased.
He was left with nothing but his swords and a lonely hill to stand upon.
Those hands of his held nothing which allowed him to use those swords that surrounded him.
But it was not what he wanted.
It was not what he desired.
He wanted his precious people to come back.
He wanted her to save him from the nightmare that he was soon finding himself to be in.
Slowly but surely he dreamt of being turned into a future self that held nothing but contempt and anger for the world.
This was the nightmare that Emiya Naruto found himself in.
The bearer lies there alone.
Forging his iron atop a hill of swords.
Thus, his life has no meaning.
That body of his was certainly made out of swords.
And so Emiya Naruto dreamt salvation from the world of swords he was imprisoned in.
Author's Note: First and foremost I'd like to apologize for the last chapter that was simply abysmal to my standards, I'm really sorry please forgive me. Looking back, the pacing was off and well one reviewer said the grammar was shot to hell which I wholeheartedly agree. I took my time with this and revised a lot of things so it hopefully doesn't sound too choppy.
The goals for chapter five was to give the original character some spotlight and get a peak of his predicaments. The Chunin Exams are coming up quickly and the stage is being set. The main focus really in this chapter was to lay in the foundations of Naruto's problems and why he's here in the first place through his dreams. That nothing is what it seems like and there are other reasons as to why he's back in Konoha in the first place which will be explained later on.
Things are heating up and with it the story to get to juicier bits that I got planned for later on which I can't wait to start writing on.
Also I'm looking for a beta-reader to keep me in check and help flesh out the story, so if anyone has an suggestions I'm all ears for it!
As always thank you for reading my story! Please leave a review if possible on any thoughts/critiques/concerns so that I may improve as an author! Again thank you for the responses and reviews you guys gave to me on the last chapter! I'm very grateful to you all!
Word count before A/N: 11,651