Noctis Eternum

Chapter Two: Salvation

Author Notes: Here's chapter two everyone. I hope you all enjoy!


The mysterious man phased through the jail bars seemingly without effort.

Naruto attempted to scramble to his feet, but the chains dug into his flesh and he fell back onto the cold concrete floor. The masked man looked at him with what appeared to be amusement, seemingly sizing him up. The man had a weird orange swirl mask with a single eye hole in it. Naruto laid back on the ground wide eyed, 'This guy seems shady... I hope he is honest about wanting to save me. Either way it seems I'm screwed...' He thought depressed.

"If you want to escape from this hell come with me boy. I can save you"

Naruto finally got over his shock and wanted to know who the masked man was, "While I'm grateful, would you mind telling me who exactly you are?" he asked uncertainly.

The masked man nodded, "You may refer to me as Tobi, but all you need to know right now is that I am your friend."

Naruto took a moment to digest that before coming up with a response. He eyed the masked stranger with suspicion. The man could be simply telling him that to make him drop his guard.

"Really now? Why do you want to be my friend? I am a monster to these people, what makes you any different?" Naruto asked.

Tobi paused, making him tense, until he spoke, "I want to be your friend because I believe you did not betray your village, and you are not a monster."

Eyes widened in shock at the honesty coming from Tobi's voice. He did not notice Tobi's single red eye swirling slowly, or the monstrous smile underneath his mask.

Naruto knew many people who were indifferent or uncaring towards him, but not many people he knew of would want to be his friend, besides some of the people in his age group. That someone older than him actually cared enough to free him from his prison touched him.

"I can offer you protection and a real home if you come with me. Not everyone is out for you in this world, and I can promise you security and happiness." The man said succinctly.

Tobi stood by the cell door patiently waiting for Naruto to make his decision. They would not have all night before the dead guards were discovered so Naruto would need to decide soon.

Naruto felt conflicted. He had no idea what was going on; first he was betrayed by his own village, then a stranger had come to free him from the imprisonment the former had put him in. He knew that trusting a stranger was a bad thing, but in this situation it seemed he had no choice but to trust the masked man who had come to free him.

He was extremely suspicious of the man, yet a better solution eluded him, so he decided to ask the question that was nagging at him, "why would you help someone like me. What do you have to gain from me?

"Everything my boy," Tobi said with a cheerful tone.

Raising an eyebrow Naruto listened, "I have come here to free you, and offer you a place by my side in a village that doesn't hate you."

Naruto was instantly hooked; a place that doesn't hate him? Such a place would be welcoming after what he had gone through here, but he knew there was a price to be paid, there always is.

Naruto felt unsure of something, "Tell me something Tobi."

Tobi looked towards him. "What's the catch?" Naruto asked.

Seeing that Naruto wasn't as foolish as everyone believed him to be Tobi answered "It's simple. I want you to be my apprentice, and help me destroy the corruption in the world called the elemental nations."

Naruto's eyes widened. Destroy the elemental nations? Absurd; such a thing wasn't possible. Why did he want to destroy the world?

"Why?" He asked.

"The world is rife with corruption, the rich look down from their ivory towers and mock the poor as they rot, while the daimyos sit within their palaces of gold and jade watching the world suffer without lifting a finger," Tobi said passionately.

Naruto was listening intently, 'What he says makes sense. I can't deny this.'

Tobi reached a hand out, "I want you, Naruto, to help me cure this corruption. You have already seen how corrupt konohagakure has become, to it's very roots!"

"I...I can't believe it. I've wasted my entire life working for this damn village... with nothing to show for it!" Naruto cried in hysterics.

Salty tears ran down his face as memories of his life flashed. Times of team bonding with team 7 cracked and shattered. It was all a fucking lie.

He exhaled sharply as he felt warm arms encircle him in a hug. "There, there, child. It's going to be ok." Tobi whispered in his ear.

For some reason the feeling of Tobi's embrace filled him with a soft warmth. (Not Yaoi.)

"Naruto I know that you have had a harsh life but if you come with me I promise you a host of people who will value you as a person."

No one had ever been this kind to him. A demon like him didn't deserve such kindness from a benevolent man. Tears sprang freely as he sunk into the warmth embrace of his masked savior. It meant so much, especially from a perceived stranger.

"I can't ever express how much that meant to me, but I swear my loyalty to you alone Tobi-Sama," Naruto exclaimed.

Tobi instantly shattered the chains binding him with a swift swing of his chakra enhanced kunai. Lending Naruto his hand he helped him to his feet.

Tobi eye smiled at him. He never felt so confident in his life. He knew he was making the right decision. He took Tobi's hand and got to his feet.

Tobi shook his hand, "Come with me. The time for you to leave this festering village has come."

With that a distortion in the air appeared. He startled when Tobi's eye started to make a swirl like portal appear, but soon he didn't have time to think over it.

Naruto was sucked in, and for a moment he feared he was betrayed. Feeling momentary darkness he was squeezed into the strange portal, before dropping on his back.

He felt tired and painful spasms rocked his body as he knelt down against the soft ground.

He blinked, 'Wait, dirt ground? He looked around and gasped.

Naruto was teleported from his cell to a strange land. The land was drenched in water. The rain clouds overhead were unrelenting in its downpour. While it looked like a wetland for the most part he liked the overall scenery. It felt so different, and unique.

The soil beneath his feet felt real. It looked real. "Could this really be happening?" Naruto started laughing, "HAHAAHAH, I"M FREE!" He Threw his hands in the air and his laughs turned to cry's of joy.

He started sobbing in happiness. He looked at the grass, the water running down a nearby lake. The lake was shining in the moonlight, reflecting it's luminescence like a million sapphires.

Tears fell from his face at a dream come true, 'I left that hellhole behind for such beauty... truly amazing.'

Looking around he spotted a city in the distance. It was enormous in size from what he could see, with towers rising towards the heavens. 'Such beauty,' he thought.

He was broken from his thoughts by Tobi explaining what this land was. "This is Amegakure; it is our headquarters, and where you will be staying for the next few years."


Same time that night


Ox was on his way to the Hokage tower bearing the news that someone was massacring Konoha civilians. That was his original mission. Now... he was at a loss.

On his way to the Hokage tower he was spotting more bodies; each display of brutality more disturbing than the last. He spotted scarecrows made out of corpses, macabre artwork made out of blood, and even a huge ghastly forest made from the impaled leaf villagers. What took the cake was two bodies of Chunin hung from the tower.

What made these two unique was what was written below them, in their blood. "THE DEMON WAS HERE"

The horror of the situation did not escape him. 'The demon is in prison though...'

Ox knelt near the pile of bodies and found an orange jumpsuit. His fears confirmed he was about ready to head for the Hokage mansion, when a pale hand wrapped around his mouth.

He was dragged struggling into the shadows. He soon went silent. After a few moments Ox slowly walked out of the shadows. Ox looked the same, except for the sly grin stretched across his face. Yellow eyes peered out from his eye sockets. He put his Anbu mask on and headed for a new location.

Ox headed for the wealthier part of the city reserved for the high class merchants and Shinobi. This area was highly patrolled, and only Anbu were allowed to use the rooftops during night to travel. The roofs had seals on them that scanned the chakra of anyone in the given area for intruders.

He soon found his destination. He walked up to a four story mansion with a fancy obsidian gate. The house looked like only the most rich could afford. The house had a garden and hot springs fully built in. It looked like a huge party had only taken place hours earlier.

He walked up to the gate guards and flashed his Anbu tattoo. The gate guards greeted him, "Hey Ox. What brings you to a council members house so late?"

Ox looked at them with his Anbu mask guarding his emotions, "I am here to relay an emergency crisis. The Hokage is missing and I came to the closest figure of authority."

The gate guard looked shocked and let him pass, "Hurry then."

Ox ran past them and banged on the mansion doors with urgency. Soon a maid answered the door clearly flustered from the nights festivities.

She opened the door and looked worried at the Anbu at the door, "Hello Anbu-San, what can I do for you?" she asked with hesitation.

"Bring out the council members. We have an emergency crisis that demands their attention." He said seriously.

She gasped and ran inside to get her masters. He walked inside and waited in the living room. The rugs were made of the finest silk and the furniture was priceless. He stood brisk and waited.

Loud complaints and yelling could be heard for several minutes until several half drunk civilian council members came down the stairway. Most were dressed eloquently enough. He spotted chairman Haruno leading the angry council.

"Anbu! What is the emergency that demands the esteemed councils attention so early in the morning?" Sayako shouted.

He gave nothing away at the pompous woman's yelling, "Honored Council member I have a grave situation to report to you," He said while kneeling in respect.

Sayako and the rest of the council paid attention. They may hate the Kyuubi brat but they did not get to their positions by being idiots. They were very cunning and deceptive.

Sayako looked like she was interested, "Why have you brought such an emergency to my attention and not Tsunade," she said with distaste at Tsunades name.

His eyes lit up, though he hid it, "My lady I bear grave news. A large group of civilians and Ninja's have been massacred in the market, very near the Hokage tower."

"Wha...What!" Yelled a half awake council member. He was one of the overweight ones who earned money through illegal money laundering.

Sayako was suspicious, "Why are you here telling us this when you should be reporting to the Hokage?"

Ox replied, "I went to the Hokage tower, but when I got there I found myself shocked. I found a few survivors and they told me the culprit."

The council was now listening intensely with some even taking recording devices out. "When I first got there I found a few of the victims still alive, though they wouldn't stay alive due to their wounds."

He started shaking now, "I asked them what monster did this, and they told me the demon did it!"

They all gasped. "But the Demon is in prison!" Sayako shouted.

Ox didn't miss a beat, "I was getting to that. When I asked how such a thing was possible they told me how the Hokage thought the civilians and civilian born Shinobi were becoming too loyal to you, so she unleashed the Demon on the market district."

Some of them had their jaws drop and even Sayako had a hard time believing that. Council member Yamamoto fainted.

Ox continued on, "They told me that she plans on unleashing the demon on you tomorrow morning, and even set it free as payment for its services. When I investigated I found this." He took out a ratty orange jumpsuit that they all recognized.

Sayako grasped the Suit with rage, "Do you have any other witnesses to collaborate your story, Anbu" She asked with a deadly tone. Her pink hair shadowed her face.

He replied respectively, "Yes my two teammates here will offer their side." He gestured towards two Anbu walking into the Mansion. One had a Geko mask on. The other was a woman with a wolf mask.

"You two also agree with this story?" An old man in the back of the group asked

The two Anbu nodded. Geko took the spotlight, "I along with my squad was alerted to a disturbance when we heard a loud scream. We investigated and found to our shock a massacre."

At this many of the council members started whispering ,"We found the screaming belonging to a Jounin who unfortunately found his family murdered and crucified to his front door."

Many of the women started crying and the men looked disturbed, "We found evidence of demonic chakra and found the whole street in similar condition. Blood absolutely soaked the streets and it looked like whoever did it was a sick animal."

Geko starting choking up so Wolf continued up, "We unfortunately could not stop the Jounin from committing suicide when he found his family in such a condition. We then traced the massacre to the Hokage tower and interviewed any survivors."

Wolf took a deep breath to continue, "When the survivors told us that Tsunade had gathered them all in front of the Hokage tower for a special surprise we were shocked. We then learned that soon the Demon walked out from the Hokage tower and started to mock the victims for wrongly hating him."

Many of the members were silent by now. Frozen in horror at such events. Sayako asked the unspoken question, "what happened then?"

Wolf spoke, "What happened then can only be described as a nightmare come true. Tsunade ordered the Kyuubi child to slaughter the sheep as she called them. They begged and pleaded, but she simply told them that they were dying for treason. She told them that they were more loyal to the civilian council then her. She told them that they deserved to die!" Wolf yelled with anger.

Sayako was pissed by now. If what these Anbu were saying was true...then it was war.


Hours later, at seven a.m, deep beneath Konoha; ninja gathered together in hush whispers. In the very center of the room was a vacant podium. Almost a thousand Shinobi were gathered in the giant secret cavern usually reserved for evacuations.

They had all heard the rumors. A butcher had massacred hundreds of villagers in some sick game, though most did not know how. Rumors were rampant.

"Hey did you hear the Hokage massacred them..."

"Yeah man but it just doesn't sound right."

"I WANT TO KNOW WHO KILLED MY WIFE!"

Some even were weeping and crying at lost relatives. One thing all of these shinobi had in common though was they shared the same goal. The usual Konoha swirl displayed on their flak jackets were instead replaced by a white flame with the Kanji, "Village of hope."

A loud horn bellowed through the cavern silencing everyone. The horn was followed by a shunshin as their leaders appeared in the center of the room.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped up to the podium flanked by his entourage. They consisted of Gai, Kurenai, Anko, Yugao, and Asuma.

The elder former Kage had seen better days. The Sandaime's face look as if it could be carved from stone based off the expression he gave. Clearly their leader was disturbed by something. Hiruzen tested the mike before clearing his voice, "Hello my loyal Shinobi. I wish we had met today on better terms but sadly a great tragedy has occurred."

Wails of grief and rage assaulted his ears. His stoic visage however did not break. "A few hours ago a massacre took place that took the lives of many of our friends, relatives, and innocents."

The Shinobi screamed in anger at this.

Pausing the elderly Kage took a drink of water to parch his throat, "Tsunade our fifth Hokage has been rumored to be responsible for this. I do not know who personally killed those villagers as there are no verifiable witnesses. I urge you all to not believe in the ludicrous rumors that Naruto Uzumaki was the murderer of your loved ones."

Kurenai looked from behind her leader with a pained expression. Yes she knew what the Sandaime was saying was true, yet she had lost many friends in that massacre. Her heart burned for revenge. For now she would settle on ripping their true enemy to pieces.

Those same sentiments were shared with the rest of the Shinobi. They weren't idiots unlike the rest of the village. That was why they had been gathered here in secret. They had a purpose.

Hiruzen smiled warmly at seeing his Shinobi believe in Naruto's innocence. "I am grateful to you all. The will of fire burns brightly even in the darkest night. My students may have betrayed the will of fire, but I believe tonight we stand against that darkness created by the Tyrant Yondaime! Now is the time to act, while the village is in chaos!"

Cheers erupted as the Shinobi roared their approval. "Too long has the Tyrant Minato Namikaze corrupted our village with his evil. Over a decade ago I was forced from the Hokage seat by the upstart and put inside a cell. I only managed to regain my seat after he was mortally wounded during the Kyuubi attack, and I was once again overthrown after my former student launched a violent assault against our village. My students stood by and let me rot as that man subverted our youth and turned the ignorant masses against our core philosophies."

"You go Sandaime!"

"Yeah speak the truth Leader-Sama!"

The Sandaimes voice rose in righteous anger, "For too long have we waited for our opportunity to escape this dying tree. In one hour we launch our rebellion. We will gather as many of our comrades and flee to our new village that has been under construction for months. The civilians and council loyalists are arming themselves for their own attack. The time for us to act now has come!"

The roar was deafening. Hiruzen smirked as his Shinobi's spirits soared to the heavens. Though villages change he would keep the will of fire alive. Through these Shinobi he kept the spirit of Konoha alive. He had been planning this for a very long time. In one hour the battle would begin.


Happiness just couldn't describe what Naruto was feeling at the moment. 'I've had finally found a home where I might be accepted; accepted, what a strange term... I have never been accepted by anyone bar Ero-sannin, Iruka, and the konoha twelve.'

His blood boiled. That bastard Jiraiya had betrayed him. He pretended to care about him and even gave him a summoning contract just to use him. It was a good thing his contract with the toads had been severed by Jiraiya when he was imprisoned. He would hate to be reverse summoned after finally being free.

The wind blew against his form. His hair swayed as he gazed upon his new home with wonder and excitement. 'Forget that bastard. I have much better prospects here.'

The damp rocky ground was another sign of the different terrain. Noticing that Tobi wanted him to follow he hurriedly complied and walked beside him at a brisk pace. There was a dense mist at the moment, so visibility was poor. They were heading up to the gates until the guards noticed them, "halt, identify yourselves or we will attack!"

Calmly coming up close enough for them to become visible the guards exhaled sharply once they could see Tobi clearly through the mist, "Sorry Akatsuki-Dono we had mistaken you for a possible intruder"

Tobi waved them off stating that they were simply doing their jobs. "Naruto come," Tobi beckoned. Naruto followed Tobi inside the village as the gate closed behind them.

As they walked through the entrance Naruto simply couldn't contain his excitement, though his wounds tempered it a bit."Tobi are you sure that the villagers here will really like me" Naruto asked with a bit of wariness.

"Of course. Naruto the villagers here have nothing against you. You are not only a child but you hold no ill will towards them, so naturally they should welcome you" Tobi explained.

"I guess so." Looking at some of the civilians he saw that they were staring at him, no not at him, but at his cloths and wounds he had suffered at konoha's hands. He briefly felt happy that they were worried for him; even though he was a complete stranger.

After about twenty minutes they found a suitable hotel for their needs. The manager noticed Naruto in his filthy state and mistook him for an orphan; the manager was about to yell at Naruto to get out of his establishment when he noticed who his companion was.

"Hello Akastuki-Dono what can I do for you and your traveling companion," The manager exclaimed a little too loudly.

Not acknowledging the man's nervousness Tobi began in his usual commanding tone, "I require your best suite with two large rooms and the best luxury you can provide."

"Of course Akasuki-san. Anything for our villages protectors, and it is free of course." The manager tossed Tobi the keys and called room service to bring them up a gourmet meal.

Naruto followed his new master upstairs to suite five nineteen. Opening the door Tobi beckoned for Naruto to enter and when he did he was speechless. Inside was a pristine room branching to three others with the finest carpet, leather furniture, and silk curtains. Further inspection revealed a chandelier made from real diamonds. Two of the other rooms were bedrooms with king sized beds and the finest silk sheets, with pillows made from ostrich feathers found only in the deepest jungles. The last room was the bathroom boasting a big hot tub that could comfortably fit seven people, and a marvelous gold toilet.

Being rendered speechless Naruto only had one thought, 'I've never made a better choice in my life.'

"This...this is amazing," Naruto yelled.

The suite that Tobi had procured was reserved for the former disposed daimyo and Pein himself. For an orphan like Naruto it was the best service he had ever gotten. He had never even seen gold much less a golden toilet.

Walking inside he looked at all the expensive furniture with a sense of bewilderment. Looking at Tobi he had a sudden thought, "Tobi-Sensei what will you be teaching me", excitement filled his voice.

"well that depends on your skill level. I suppose that considering you will be my apprentice that you should be competent in all the fields. Here's what I want; I want a full list of all your abilities including Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu."

Naruto thought of all the skills he had, which he could count on the fingers of his hand and decided to answer honestly, "I know the academy style Taijutsu."

Tobi looked at him, "Show me."

Naruto through a quick set of Katas. Naruto extended his arms and started throwing punches and kicks. Tobi looked at him with his swirling Sharingan eye. The kata's revealed glaring holes in his fighting style.

Tobi couldn't believe just how bad Naruto was at Taijutsu, and he was quick to voice these thoughts, "You have the worst Taijutsu I have ever seen."

"Eh!?"

" Your stance is completely wrong and full of openings. If I had to guess the academy instructors mistaught you on purpose as you could never pass with that atrocious style"

"Hey!" It wasn't fair he didn't know any fancy fighting styles like Sasuke. The academy teachers always kicked him out of class until he met Iruka. By then the damage was done and his Taijutsu was more akin to a street brawler than any refined fighting style.

Gaining a thinking pose Tobi quickly thought of a replacement style that would fit young Naruto. "I think I have a style that will fit you, but you will need to work diligently because the style focuses on speed foremost."

"I understand Tobi-sensei. I will work until I drop!" Naruto brought his arm over his heart and spoke with conviction.

Tobi gave Naruto a stern gaze while wondering what other flaws Naruto had. "Alright now tell me what Genjutsu and Ninjutsu you have"

"I have no knowledge of Genjutsu, nor how to cancel it, as for Ninjutsu I only know four. They are the kawarimi, Henge, Rasengan and Kage Bunshin.

Tobi stared at him in bewilderment, almost unbelieving that he only had three Jutsu and no Genjutsu training.

Naruto shifted back and forth nervous. His new sensei wasn't going to drop him was he?

After a long moment of silence Tobi spoke, "Alright Naruto, I have decided that you will be trained in the ninja arts by members of my organization. Now I understand that I promised to take you as my apprentice but I won't have the time to train you from the ground up, so I will train you when I have the time and have you swapped between the various members of my organization." Tobi drawled.

Looking at first distraught that he might not become a ninja Naruto perked up after hearing that he would receive ninja training from his masters companions. "I understand Sensei. I will train until I am as strong as you!"

Tobi patted him on the head. He gave a megawatt smile, "You're the best Tobi-Sensei!"