A/N: Wow. Good response for the first chapter. Anyway, leave lots and lots of reviews please. They are a pretty good encouragement.
Chapter Two: The Dysfunctional Team Seven.
It was late at night in Konoha. Naruto sat by himself in his shithole of an apartment. Tears leaking down his face as he absently slurped up his ramen. The salty noodles left a bland taste in his mouth as he swallowed hard. Then he slammed his chopsticks down on the ta le and slapped the cup ramen away making the contents splat against the wall.
He was tired. He had no real friends. No real family. Life was cold and grey without them. Naruto was in a deep depression due to his loneliness. He felt like the only way to put an end to it… was to hang himself and be done with it. No more loneliness, no more whispers behind his back, no more people belittling him for his shortcomings.
He grabbed a number of extension chords from his closet and tied them into a noose to fit around his neck. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he considered backing out. Should he? He didn't have much incentive to.
"Maybe I can give you a reason to live eh?" spoke a female voice behind him as though she had read his thoughts. Turning slowly he saw an elegant looking woman holding a glass of wine in her hand, one leg crossed over the other. She wore a white Miko outfit with two Tanto's at her sides with the Kanji for 'Heaven' on one and 'Hell' on the other.
Her hair shined like Silver with gold dust shimmering along as well. She had two different colored eyes, one a pale blue like rain water, the other a blazing orange color like fire. Her lips were painted black and two fangs jutted out from her upper lip. On her head was the tattooed Kanji of 'Four'. And finally in front of her was a pair of geta sandals, resting on the floor.
"Good evening Naruto Uzumaki. I am Four. (Shi.). Like the Number. Ergo the Kanji on my forehead." the female spoke with a charming smile and a sultry laugh.
"No offense lady, but if you're calling yourself a number, shouldn't it be 'Yon'? Cuz it sounds like you're addressing yourself as Death." The blonde asked while scratching his head. (A/N: For those who don't know. The words 'Four' and 'Death' share the same word 'Shi'. Which is why the Number four is labeled as a number of Bad Luck in Japan.)
"Maybe it's intentional. From the looks of things I'd say you're going to do something rash. Tsk tsk tsk. Poor boy. So alone. No friends or family. No real goal in mind. No sense of purpose. How sad." She spoke with a knowing smile.
"What the hell do you know anyway lady? This isn't your business! And how the hell did you get into my apartment?!" he yelled angrily since this woman was really annoying him with her haughty tone.
"I know plenty. And I came down the Chimney. Ho. Ho. Ho." She laughed slowly as though exaggerating the laughter.
"Kinda early for that kind of joke." The blonde retorted with a twitching eyebrow.
Four merely sipped her wine and spoke in a more serious manner "Indeed. But all Joking aside, I wish to offer you a proposal. You work for me, faithfully and loyally, and I promise you may live however you please."
"What kind of a deal is that?!" he yelled since this woman was highly suspicious.
"A very good one if you realize its value. Under my care and guidance, you won't want for anything. Fufufu. Poor miserable boy. So full of anger, wrath, and despair. You don't even know what to do with yourself. Instead of whining about it like a melodramatic bitch in a soap opera, why don't you actually try and change it? That's all I'm offering." She spoke with a piercing gaze, as though she were looking deep inside his very soul.
For a few moments Naruto was stunned into silence, something about her words… clicked in his brain. He never needed to kill himself, it was just a fruitless and reckless decision that he made without thought. Without regarding that there might be something better. He cursed himself for acting without thought and promised that he wouldn't do something so foolish ever again. If this woman was truly promising him something better then… what did he have to lose?
"Okay. You've got a deal." The Blonde spoke accepting his fate and resolving to live his life to the fullest under this woman's employment.
"Excellent. Now allow me to reintroduce myself. When you said that it sounded like I was addressing myself as 'Death' (Shi) instead of 'Four' (Yon), you weren't entirely wrong. It's a bit of a joke really I amuse myself with. I am the Shinigami, I refer to myself as Four (Shi.)" the now revealed Shinigami known as Four spoke with a smile.
"Hang on… if you're really the Shinigami, why'd you stop me from killing myself? Doesn't that defeat your whole purpose?" the blonde asked with a confused expression.
"True. But there are special exceptions which can or need to be made. You are something extraordinary. Now then, your job is relatively simple. You must perform whatever Jobs, I or my bookkeeper assigns to you. Simple as that." She explained while snapping her fingers which summoned a small girl in a black monk's cloak scribbling something into a black leather tome.
"This is Shizukesa, or Kesa-chan for short. She is my Bookkeeper. Isn't she cute? Don't be fooled by her appearance, she is well over three thousand years old. She'll be taking very good care of you from now on." Four elaborated while sipping at her wine.
The red eyed Bookkeeper looked up from her work for a moment and gestured to the apartment with her pen and spoke in a whispery voice "Shit."
"Got it one Kesa-san." The blonde spoke with a large sweat-drop since this apartment was indeed a shithole.
"Wait… you weren't scared by her voice? Everyone that hears her voice becomes terrified by her." The Shinigami spoke with a surprised expression, her eyes widened slightly.
"I thought her voice sounded nice. Like a little bell." Naruto replied in a blunt manner.
Four smiled and chuckled slightly "I see. You amuse me. Very well then, Kesa-chan shall be your manager from here on. She'll tend to whatever you need and assign various jobs for you. Oh, and since you'll be working for me, you're going to need the Eyes of the Shinigami. Here. See as I see." She spoke before planting her palm over his eyes. A strong tingling filled his eye sockets as she released him, an explosion of colors filling his vision as he nearly stumbled over.
"Don't worry. You'll get used to the new eyes. We'll be in touch Naruto-kun. And happy hunting! You'll get your scythe later from Kesa-chan." With that said she snapped her fingers and vanished from existence, leaving the whiskered boy with his new manager.
"So ummm. I don't suppose you can get me out of this Shithole apartment can you?" he asked while looking almost pleadingly at the Bookkeeper.
"Can do." Was all she said when she lifted him up and tossed him out the window with surprising strength that was disproportionate to her small body. Naruto screamed as he fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" he yelled out angrily since he got chucked for no apparent reason.
Shizukesa appeared on the rusty and rickety railing of the Apartment's fire escape an intimidating triple bladed scythe in her hand as she spoke in a quiet voice "Training." This prompted the blonde to begin sweating bullets, and run off into the night leaving a dust cloud behind him as his Manager gave chase.
Present time.
Narutovs eyes fluttered open as he awoke, his head resting on the lap of his Manager who was tenderly stroking his scalp. Her crimson unblinking eyes staring into his sapphire blue ones. "Hey Kesa-chan. Just had a dream, or more specifically a memory of how I got started on the job." He spoke with a large grin.
His manager merely nodded since she remembered the events quite well, more specifically her daily training of the blonde proved quite amusing for her.
"WILL YOU STOP SLACKING OFF AND HELP US BAKA?" yelled one Sakura Haruno, ruining the moment as she picked up litter from a river along with Sasuke who was also glaring at the blonde for his laziness.
"What? I'm helping." The Jinchuuriki quipped while pointing at the various Shadow clones who were helping as well.
"Pretty clever. That's my student for ya. Leaving clones to do the boring D-ranks!" yelled Anko with a bit of pride, Kakashi standing by with an eye smile directed at the blonde, giving him a thumbs up for taking an easy way out.
"HEY! DOBE! TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE THESE CLONES!" Sasuke demanded angrily, Sakura shouting her agreement and that she should be taught too.
At their demands a light bulb blinked over Naruto's head as he turned to the pair of Jonin with a malicious smile "Should I? We can call it a training accident."
Kakashi immediately grimaced at the idea. The Shadow Clone technique was specifically placed in the Forbidden Scroll because of its high Chakra consumption. Make one too many clones and your body would give out from Chakra exhaustion. The masked Jonin's guess was that's what Naruto was counting on should he have his way. "Let's not. I'd prefer not to have them killed because of carelessly teaching a Forbidden Jutsu."
"Damn. Way to spoil my fun." Naruto groaned while crossing his arms with a frown.
Anko laughed at his expense and yelled "Better luck next time Gaki-kun!"
Kakashi shook his head at their antics. Perhaps both Naruto and Anko were too much alike. Both had a certain pleasure in pissing people off for their own amusement. He then glanced at the Snake user and spoke to her "Say Anko, I've been meaning to ask. How are you so familiar with Naruto? I'm aware you met a few times but, well, I wasn't expecting you to be so… close."
"Oh. Ummm. He… helped me out a while back. I don't really wanna talk about it. It's personal." The purple haired woman replied nervously as she laced her fingers together.
Kakashi's visible eye widened as he pointed a shaky finger at her "Anko… you didn't…"
"What?" asked the Snake user as she raised an eyebrow.
"Did you umm… you know… do it… with...?" Kakashi asked nervously as he kept glancing between Naruto and Anko.
The purple haired woman's eyes filled up with realization as she spoke angrily "Kakashi Hatake. You've been reading that book too much. Get you head out of the gutter and put the book away, or else I'll burn it on top of your junk. Got it?" She threatened with a twitching eyebrow, forcing her Fellow Jonin to put away his book for fear of his manhood.
"What's the matter Kakashi? Jealous? Me and Hebi-hime haven't done the nasty stuff her. But her ass is mine." Naruto spoke, inserting himself into the conversation while groping his female Sensei's ass under her miniskirt.
She blushed a bit then spoke in a teasing tonr "Careful Naruto-kun. Those goods are expensive. Wouldn't want to soil them just yet would we?"
"No. We wouldn't. But doesn't mean I can't occasionally inspect them." He replied while giving her ass cheek a squeeze.
"WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT? THAT'S DIRTY!" yelled Sakura angrily at the lewd display.
Naruto merely gave her a charming smile and quipped "Why? You angry you aren't getting any? Mmm, you're kinda cute I guess with the pink hair and all. Declare that Sasuke is an Emo with a pencil dick and I might consider making you my cute puppy bitch."
At this, the Fangirl's voice got caught in her throat as a mental image of her wearing puppy ears while on a leash filled her head. She shook her head of that image since she wasn't into that kind of thing… or was she?
"Naruto-san? Must you always be so… crass?" asked Kakashi with a raised eyebrow, wondering why the blonde spoke in such a manner.
"Not all the time. But I like how it fucks with people's heads. Especially when it comes to questioning some guys masculinity. Like Sasuke for an example. You can tell he's trying to overcompensate for his underdeveloped penis." The blonde explained as if it were perfectly normal.
"SCREW YOU DOBE! MAYBE WE SHOULD QUESTION HOW BIG YOUR PENIS IS?" Sasuke snapped angrily since the blonde had constantly kept referring to his penis size.
"Touchy touchy. If I triggered you like that then I must be right about something. As for my junk, I certainly haven't had any complaints from my female companionship." The Jinchuuriki answered with a large grin.
"We… are getting off track here. Can we please finish up this mission and move on?" The Copy ninja asked to preserve his own sanity and move things along. With a bitter sigh, the Genin of the team nodded with The Real Naruto resuming his position on his Manager's lap.
Meanwhile.
Kizashi Haruno had just arrived home from another council meeting. A deep sigh escaped him, in recent months an 'anonymous donor' had paid him and his fellow Civilian council members exorbitant sums of money to keep their mouths shut and leave the Jinchuuriki alone. The money was far too good to ignore so he was satisfied with leaving the Demon brat to his own devices.
But recently he learned that Naruto was on the same Team as his daughter. So he angrily demanded the Hokage remove the boy from the Shinobi ranks for his daughters and the Uchiha's safety. The Sandaime dismissed him completely stating that Naruto was now apprenticed to Anko Mitarashi, and that once a suitable replacement for Team Seven had been found, then Naruto would be peacefully, legally, and quietly removed from the Team. Leaving Kizashi's demands moot.
The pink haired man shuddered at the thought of the Snake whore and Demon brat together. There was no telling what kind of trouble they could concoct together. The sound of a can opening came from the kitchen, causing the Ex Shinobi to look inside and find a woman with an orange streak along her bangs, wearing a black jacket and jeans.
Her amber eyes looked up towards him as she took a sip of beer. She chuckles then asks "Do you have any peanut butter? I prefer crunchy. More texture."
"What?" was the only intelligent reply Kizashi could muster.
"Ya know, Peanut butter? Tasty stuff ya scrape across bread? Sometimes put jelly with it? I'm not stuttering am I?" she spoke in a taunting manner. Kizashi swallowed a lump in his throat and pointed to a cabinet next to the fridge, with a smirk she rummaged through it and found what she was looking for. "Ah fuck it. It's smooth." She complained as she popped the jar open and used a butter knife to spread the peanut butter across a slice of bread.
"Wh-who are you? How did you get in my house?" he demanded while breaking into a cold sweat.
"Call me Mary. Nooooow, here's the thing, you've been receiving a lot of cash to leave Naruto alone yeah? The only rule was to leave him be, and you'd be paid handsomely. And now, you've broken your promise. So, I'm here to settle your debts and make sure you keep your trap shut." She spoke with a large grin pulling out a meat cleaver from her jeans.
"My Benefactor doesn't like being cheated. So now I'm gonna enjoy fucking shit up." Mary said in a near demonic tone, her tongue sliding across the blade.
"MEBUKI! CALL THE ANBU! CALL ANYBODY!" Kizashi screamed in terror as he lunged towards his room where he kept his old Shinobi gear.
"GO AHEAD AND RUN! MAKE THIS MORE FUN FOR ME!" yelled the voice of Mary as she slowly stalked after him. Her boots making a thump sound with each step. Kizashi slammed the door to his room shut and locked it. The footsteps slowly but gradually getting closer. Then… they stopped.
Thinking he had some time, he attempted to unlock the display case where he kept his old hear, but saw in the reflection, was his wife Mebuki. Bound in the nude and gagged with a large apple in her mouth. Her jaws spread too wide apart, and her teeth dug into the apple's flesh keeping her from speaking. Sitting on the blonde woman's lap… was Mary. A saucy grin on her face as she both sadistically and sensually dragged her cleaver along Mebuki's finely aged face.
A stream of urine fell down the chair's legs as the blonde woman lost control of her bladder and fell into blissful unconsciousness due to sheer terror. "Ohhhhh. And I wanted to play with her some more. She's not bad looking." Spoke the Amber eyed woman as she slowly walked towards Kizashi, rotating the cleaver in her hand.
Kizashi got into a sloppy Taijutsu stance showing off his distinct lack of training. Mary just chuckled as two clones appeared and grabbed him by the arms, with a smile they dragged him back down into the kitchen and ripped off his clothes. Then pressed him flat against the floor.
Mary smirked as she jammed an apple in his mouth, cutting off his ability to speak. She then eyed the nearby grill outside and asked while grabbing a large baster "Tell me… you ever been to a Luau?"
Back with Team Seven.
"D-rank mission to clean litter has been completed." Kakashi announced with his signature Eye smile. In response Hiruzen nodded, having just returned from a meeting with Kizashi which proved just as exhausting as paper work. Running Mission assignments was a welcome relief.
"Oi! Old man! How about giving us a C-rank already?" asked Naruto in a jovial tone, his Manager at his side scribbling into a black leather tome.
"Naruto! Address the Hokage with more respect! And your team is far too inexperienced for a C-rank!" yelled one Iruka Umino. Another person on the Blonde's shit list.
"Ya didn't have to yell. I'm hard headed. Not deaf. Oi, Old man. Isn't there like a prerequisite for number of D-ranks before a Team's ready for a C-rank? Oh and Iruka? This won't be 'my team' for much longer." The spoke while clearing out his ear with his pinkie.
The Sandaime nodded at the blonde's question and answered "Very good Naruto-kun. That's quite correct. Standard number is twelve to fifteen D-ranks before a team is considered ready for a C-rank."
The whiskered teen nodded and began listing off the missions they had done so far, counting them on his fingers. First was catching Tora, weeding a garden, walking a group of dogs, and most recently cleaning up a river. Which made four, meaning they would have to complete eight or more Missions. The blonde then got a gleam in his eye and spoke "Old man! Give us every D rank you have on file."
At this Iruka did a spittake from his coffee, not believing the blonde's attitude and at how he requested for every D rank mission. "Umm… are you sure about that?" Hiruzen asked while taking a drag from his pipe.
"Sure I'm sure. Just hand'em over and soon to be made army of Shadow clones will handle the rest!" the blonde replied with a large grin. Kakashi and Anko's eyes widening as they gave a solid thumbs up. Sakura and Sasuke quietly admitted… that they were glad Naruto abused the Shadow clone jutsu. While Shizukesa herself only nodded, fully expecting him to pull something like this.
"Th… that….. YOU CAN'T DO THAT! THAT'S CHEATING!" yelled the Scarred Chunin using his Big Head Jutsu.
Naruto merely shrugged and spoke while sharpening a throwing knife "Might be. But I don't recall there being an official rule prohibiting the use of Shadow clones to handle multiple D-ranks." At this Hiruzen could only chuckle since the boy had a point. Why make a rule for something when even Kage's are hard pressed to use the Shadow clone technique?
"Enough. I can tell you're pretty serious about this. If you're that determined to get a C-rank, then I won't hold you back. Plus from Kakashi's reports on the bell test, and since two Jonin Sensei will be present. I see no harm in permitting this. Your mission is to investigate an odd Cult that sprang up in recent weeks. So far we believed it was just a drunken group of delinquents and juveniles. But recently there have been signs of strange rituals being conducted. Animal sacrifices and whatnot. We are concerned that this might escalate into something worse if these claims are legitimate." The Hokage explained in a grave tone.
Kakashi and Anko both held impassive faces, they had seen many unusual things, and if this cult proved dangerous then things would definitely go downhill. Sasuke merely huffed but was grateful the Dobe was successful in getting a better mission, Sakura however looked quite spooked. Naruto himself scratched his cheek and asked "Who was the whistle-blower?"
"Normally, for security reasons, I wouldn't be able to answer that. But the informant has already given the Alias 'Four' (Shi)." The Sandaime answered while looking at the mission's file.
"Death? Informant calls himself Death? (Shi.)" asked Iruka with a nervous expression.
"No no! Like the number! Four! (Yon.)" replied Hiruzen with a wave of his hand making the Chunin sweat-drop at why someone went by the alias of an unlucky number. Suddenly an Anbu both Naruto and Anko identified as Yugao, aka Neko appeared and whispered something in the Hokage's ear.
A grim expression crossed his face as he spoke "You may begin your investigation immediately. Something… something just came up that requires my attention." With a nod, the two Jonin ushered the Genin out, Shizukesa following close behind. When they were gone, the Hokage immediately followed after his Anbu.
Minutes later.
"So Kizashi Haruno is dead?" asked Hiruzen as he entered the Haruno household with Neko.
"That's correct. We found Mebuki Haruno upstairs. Alive, but unconscious. We have already taken her to the hospital for treatment, but she's catatonic right now. We won't be getting any information from her till she recovers." Neko reported while guiding the aged Hokage through the crime scene.
"I see. So… where's the body?" asked Hiruzen since he hadn't seen any signs of blood or a body as of yet.
"Umm… about that… I hoped you had a light lunch. Or better yet, none at all." She spoke nervously while lifting up the lid of a grill. Smoke and steam coming out, along with the stench of burnt meat.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" The Sandaime yelped out in disgust at the sight of Kizashi who was clearly roasted alive, like a stuffed pig, as evidenced by the shriveled apple in his mouth. The charred and dark brown flesh making a horrendous stench which forced the Hokage to slam the lid shut and up chuck his lunch onto the floor.
"That was… my reaction too Hokage-sama. In the Anbu I have seen and done all kinds of nasty stuff. But this… I think that whoever did this really had it out for Kizashi." Neko spoke while adjusting her mask a bit.
Hiruzen rubbed the vomit from his chin, acknowledging Neko's opinion. It is true that nobody really liked Kizashi, not even his own wife. But whoever did this… they must've held some kind of a personal grudge. "Find out who did this. Find them." He ordered with a small snarl. While he wasn't saddened by Kizashi's death… the last thing he wanted was a psychopath roaming Konoha, especially with that bothersome cult hanging around.
Back with Team Seven.
"Still no word from the Hyuugas?" Naruto asked his manager as he held her hand. The small girl merely shook her head as a response. The blonde grumbled quietly to himself. The Spirit in question was becoming increasingly aggressive in its approach at the Hyuuga compound, then it just dropped off the radar? Spirit hauntings don't just stop out of the blue. It must be waiting for something.
"What about Rin-chan's remains?" he asked again, hoping to get the Finger bone charm so he might have a familiar. The girl glanced up at him and replied "Making progress." Being sure to keep her voice low enough the others wouldn't hear her. But still a shudder ran up Sasuke's spine making him feel cold for no real reason despite Konoha's warm climate.
"All right team so listen up! This cult has been quite secretive in its nature and practices. We don't have a whole lot of information on them. So we should be careful. I think it best that one of us infiltrates their numbers and figure out what they're doing in there." Spoke Kakashi as he began to formulate a plan in case things went sour.
"That might not be necessary Kakashi-san. I know someone that could help us out. She's not a Kunoichi per se, but she has… special talents." The Blonde offered in an attempt to make their job easier to which both Jonin nodded in agreement if it could help.
Great. Hey uh, Kesa-chan? You have that little compact mirror with you?" the blonde asked, prompting his Manager to pull out a small mirror from her monks cloak. With a grateful nod, he accepted it and opened it up with a click, followed by the brief Chanting of 'Bloody Mary'.
"You can't be serious Dobe. How's an old ghost story going to…" Sasuke spoke at finally being able to get one over on the Whiskered teen but was cut off by a female voice speaking behind him.
"Who's an old ghost story?" asked Bloody Mary herself with a grin. She approached the blonde and ruffled his hair a bit before planting a kiss on his cheek. "If it isn't my favorite brat. What you need from Auntie Mary mmm?" she asked with a large grin.
"Holy shit! Is that the REAL Bloody Mary?!" yelped Sakura while pointing at the amber eyed woman.
Mary chortled a bit as she faced towards the Pinkette "Fuck yeah I am the real thing. Little Bimbos huddle around telling ghost stories about me and giggle away as they think its cute to say my name three times in the mirror. They find it less funny when I feed them their own entrails." She spoke with a laugh.
Kakashi's headband fell off slightly, partially revealing his Sharingan eye. Sakura and Sasuke both jaw dropped while Anko wolf whistled. "Now Mary. I'm sure they'd be fascinated by your war stories. But back on topic if you please." The blonde spoke getting Mary's attention.
"Sure, sure, whatever you say. What ya need?" she asked while fingering the meat cleaver holstered at her hip.
"I need you to infiltrate that old shrine there and figure out what the cult members are doing. Think you can swing that?" the blonde asked with a charming smile.
"For you sweetheart? I'd butcher a whole herd of Long pig, and serve them up as Lasagna for the people on your shit list." She spoke with a sadistic smile planting another smooch on his cheek.
"Well that was a little dark. But I'll take that as a yes. Oh, and refrain from killing anyone 'less you need to." The Blonde commented as the amber eyed Spectre walked off.
"I don't make promises I can't keep." She replied while vanishing into thin air. Though on the ground there was a small puddle which rippled slightly.
"What's Long pig?" asked Sakura while scratching at her forehead.
"Probably better if you don't know." Naruto commented in a dismissive manner, making the two Jonin nod in agreement which made question marks pop over the heads of both the Fangirl and Uchiha.
Inside the Old Shrine.
Mary moved from every reflective surface in the Shrine, fortunately these idiots liked looking at themselves as evidenced by all the mirrors around. She noted that there were dozens of Hannya masks hanging from the walls, this place was probably the old Uzumaki Shrine which contained the mask of the Shinigami. If she alerted Four about this, she could be egregiously rewarded.
There weren't many Cult members inside, she couldn't see their faces because of the hoods on their robes, no matter what angle of mirror she tried, and stepping out of the Mirror realm would blow her cover. She sighed and watched them as they dumped buckets of blood into a large basin that was dug into the ground, one of them was busy tossing aside floorboards they had pulled up in order to make said basin.
"Should we wait for the others? The night is when the ritual shall be at its strongest." Spoke one of the cloaked figures.
"No. We cannot afford to wait. The blood will be spoilt by the time our fellow members arrive. This soil is teeming hatred. Old hatred. There is much anger and hate within these walls. We have only one chance at this. We cannot waste this opportunity!" spoke another in a tone of urgency. The others nodded in agreement with him.
Forming a circle around the blood filled basin in the ground, they began chanting in a Language that Mary couldn't understand. As their chanting grew louder and louder, the blood began to bubble and boil, steam began filling the room as the blood grew hotter and hotter. Mary could feel it even from within the Mirrors. She knew then… these people were actually trying to summon something. Something not of this world.
After some minutes the boiling blood evaporated into steam, but in the center of the basin was a large solid clump. It then began to move, arms outstretched to the ground as it pushed itself up, the slender legs appeared, one, then the other as the figure rose up from the ground revealing a female figure. The blood dripping off her skin exposing her pale, almost grey skinned flesh.
"That's our lord? He doesn't look anything like in our books." Spoke one of the Cult members in confusion.
"No you idiot! Something must have gone wrong! Kill this imposter and let's try again." Yelled another which made them pull out tanto's from the sleeves of their robes. The woman's eyes opened revealing deep amethyst colored eyes as she let out a loud scream, the force of it sending the Cultists into the walls and cracking the mirrors. The woman then bolted out the front door and run off in the nude.
Outside, Team Seven heard the girl's scream followed by her running out. "NARUTO! GET THE RUNNER!" shouted Anko as she and Kakashi rushed inside to arrest the Cultists. Without hesitation he dashed off towards the female who was running for her life… then she was flying.
She was now flying through the air. The blonde heard rumors that the Tsuchikage of Iwa had a technique that allowed him the ability of flight as well. Shaking his head, he knew he'd have to ground her before she got too high. Focusing his Chakra into his legs he lunged forward and pounced on the woman before she could take off above the tree line.
They rolled along the ground for a few moments until the Jinchuuriki was on top of her. The girl struggled in his grip, frantically kicking and flailing beneath him screaming in terror. Finally she used up her stamina and looked into his eyes.
For a moment the Blonde, felt a mental probe poke at his mind. He had been trained by Shizukesa to resist such things, but the probe was giving off vibes. Emotional ones. Anger, fear, and so on. His mental defenses caught the girl's probe in a vice like grip. But then something unexpected happened… a second one slipped by and began running through his memories… his childhood ones for a start.
A sudden pained expression filled her eyes. She saw the pain of loneliness, the feeling of not being loved by friends or family. The looks of loathing and the whispers. It was all there. She realized… he wasn't a threat. She relaxed in his grip and retracted both mental probes from his mind.
Sensing she had calmed down, he released her, unclipped his Scythe from his back and threw his Trench coat on her to cover her nude body. She accepted the gesture and slipped her arms through the sleeves, buttoning the coat closed and tying odd the bottom part to preserve her modesty.
"Come on. Let's go." He spoke in a gentle tone offering her a hand up.
She glanced between his eyes, and his hand. Her lip quivering slightly as though she were struggling to find the right words to speak. "Please…" was all she managed to choke out.
"Please? Please what?" he asked, wondering if he had hurt her.
"Please… make… a… covenant with me." She managed to speak as she found her voice. The blonde quirked up an eyebrow as he wondered what she meant by making a covenant. Without warning she lunged up towards him, her smooth and warm lips meeting his.
Her voice spoke deep inside his mind "Our Covenant has been made, servant of the Shinigami. Forever yours. Forever together. I, formerly known as Rachel Roth. Shall be your Raven. I will be your wings. I will be your eyes. My magic will be your tool. In return, there's a certain being I wish destroyed." When she broke off the kiss, she fainted dead away in his arms. A calm expression filling her face now.
"I know you're there." Naruto spoke calmly as Mary appeared from behind. A small smile on her face as her hand brushed against his shoulders.
"You must have guessed by now yeah? Those Cultists summoned her here. Though I don't think it was her they wanted." Spoke the Mirror Phantom with a look of interest in her eyes.
"Tell the Boss what you need to. But in Konoha? We'll tell them she was a human sacrifice they kidnapped. I think it best you vanish for awhile Mary." The blonde spoke as he picked 'Raven' up in a bridal carry.
"Sure thing. Ms. Four, should be able to dig something up. See ya around. It's always fun hanging with ya. Interesting things keep happening around you." She spoke with an amused expression then vanished out of existence.
Later.
It has been a few hours since the arrest of some Key members of the unnamed Cult. Team Seven (Anko included.) Were labeled as Heroes for rescuing the mysterious girl from being sacrificed. Or so the news went after the 'official report' had been made.
"Can you tell me your name? Where are you from? Where's your family? What's your date of birth?" Iruka asked in a rapid fire manner, as though he were trying to interrogate the poor girl.
"IRUKA! For Kami's sake man! Let the girl breathe! She's just had a traumatic experience." The Hokage angrily scolded. Not liking the Chunin's attitude in the slightest.
"But Hokage-sama, we need her to answer our questions before we…" the Scarred Chunin tried to explain himself but was cut off by the Sandaime.
"Enough! Get out! I've had enough of you Iruka!" shouted Hiruzen as he literally gave the Academy teacher the boot, right out the door.
Sitting in front of the Hokage's desk was Naruto, there to give the real story on the days events. Standing next to him was Anko who was giving the pale skinned girl a sympathetic look. "I'll be outside in case he comes back. Holler if ya need something." The Snake User spoke and left the office, locking the door behind her.
With a sigh, the Sandaime sat down with a tired expression and spoke "All right Naruto-kun. I'm aware that you're an 'Expert' when it comes to these types of things. Your Boss sent a very… persuasive letter convincing me to trust your judgment on matters involving the 'strange and supernatural'. So what's the real story behind this poor girl?"
"To sum it up, those Cultists were trying to summon something from another realm beyond this one. Instead, this girl is summoned. She referred to herself as 'Raven' and made a Covenant with me. I think that she must indeed have some form of a connection to whatever the Cult is trying to summon. And whatever it is… I guarantee that it won't be friendly." The blonde spoke in summary, while also providing a warning.
"Hmmm. With one group caught, the others will work hard to conceal themselves. And knowing the fanatically loyal types, we will have a hard time breaking them. If this is as bad as you say, we might resort to more… less than legal methods." The Sandaime spoke gravely while lighting his pipe.
"A bunch of cultists or an entire villages worth of people. Take your pick. Shouldn't be hard. I'm gonna take this 'Raven' with me. She might be able to shed some more light on things later." Naruto spoke as he got up and escorted the girl out with Anko following close behind the two as they exited the tower.
Outside the Hokage's window, unseen to the naked Human eye, is the Shinigami, identified only by the name 'Four'. Her different colored eyes narrowed as she muttered "So… Trigon's bastard child is here eh? How interesting. Naruto-kun, I wonder if you have it in you to slay a demon lord." With that she snapped her fingers and vanished to another part of Konoha.
The Hyuuga Compound.
At the Hyuuga compound, Hanabi Hyuuga was in her private bathroom. Dressed in her pajamas and preparing to brush her teeth. She squeezed the tube of toothpaste causing it to spill onto her brush. She then snapped the cap closed and began scrubbing at her teeth while humming a small tune. All the while she thought of Naruto.
He seemed like a pretty nice guy, though maybe a tad odd. She actually wanted to see him again, maybe get to know him better too. She suddenly felt cold as she spat into the sink, when she looked up at the mirror again, she saw that her mirror had fogged up. She tried to clear the mirror up with her hand, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't wipe it off.
Then, a letter formed at the top of a mirror. Followed by another, and another. Until it formed the message 'Hush now. Quiet now.'
Hanabi gulped as she shakily dropped her toothbrush to the floor, then the light bulb for the bathroom exploded overhead sending sparks about. Then an invisible hand grabbed the young girl over the mouth and dragged her into the darkness. On the ceiling, was a new message in red that reads 'She is mine. The Elders will not have her. Or the other.'
End chapter two.
Omake: Camping trip. (A/N: Happy Anniversary tomorrow to my girlfriends. Carly and Kiana.)
"Hahaha! Training! I'm gonna train! I'm gonna train to be Hokage!" chanted the voice of Konohamaru who marched through the woods… after having taken a wrong turn to meet his current teacher Ebisu. The scarf wearing boy marched along until he came across a campsite. Chock full of goodies and food.
"Whoa! Awesome! Heh. I wonder if this is the lair of a bandit." The boy spoke in a playful manner while holding up his fake Shuriken, trying to act like a real Shinobi.
"Hey. You touch any of my stuff?" asked a female voice behind him. When he turned he was met with the nude form of an ebony skinned woman who was stretching her arms. Her chocolate breasts out for the world to see.
"Ack! What the hell? A jungle bandit?" asked the young Sarutobi in shock, and a nosebleed forming.
"Okaaaaay that was a bit racist. But whatev. The names Carly. You're a little far from home kid. Then again… I'M far from home." The now identified Carly spoke in a casual manner. Sitting on a fallen log as she roasted a marshmallow over the fire.
"Ummm… lady? Where's your clothes?" the boy asked while trying not to stare at… certain places.
"Left them at home. Made a bet with my Girlfriends sister in law. Emily. We're in the woods, no clothes, with only a fully stocked tent. Thpugh the change of scenery is kinda nice. Last time I spoke with my boyfriend, he told me he had a dream about me wrestling down a bear. Haha! I might be a Dyke, but even I couldn't wrestle with a bear! Them suckers grow biiiiig." Carly spoke with a large grin then she felt the hot breath of something on the back of her neck.
Turning around she was met by the sight of a large grizzly bear, panting and sniffing at her. So far, it didn't show any signs of aggression. "Uhhhh, hey there Yogi. How ya doing? Ya like chocolate chip?" she asked while offering a cookie from a box labeled 'chips ahoy!'
The grizzly sniffed at the snack then ate it up from her hand. The young Sarutobi was amazed at the sight of this woman feeding a bear a box of cookies. Eyeing a camera he picked it up to take pictures of the sight.
Carly slowly rose up from her seat as she fed the Grizzly another cookie. Then the flash of a camera occurred which made the bear stand on its legs and roar angrily as it swung a law at her. She ducked under it and tossed the box aside yelling "YOU WANT SOME? YOU WANT SOME SMOKEY? COME GET IT BOO BOO!"
She sent several blows to the Bear's midsection as the camera flashed again. The bear grabbed her in its paws in order to bite on her head, she headbutted it on the snout making it reel back in pain. Letting out a war cry she jumped on the bear's back and grabbed it around the neck in a chokehold.
Another camera flash occurred as the bear tried slamming her against a tree. Holding tight Carly refused to let go, then bit the bear on its ear. With another roar of pain it rolled onto its back, but she released her grip and slid off before she could be crushed under its weight.
Having enough, the bear ran off whimpering and lowing into the woods. "THAT'S RIGHT! KEEP RUNNING YOGI! I'M GONNA MAKE A RUG OUT OF YOU IF YA !" Carly yelled after it while chucking a rock. Panting tiredly she wiped the sweat from her brow and spoke to the scarf wearing boy "I hope you got some good shots kid. My girlfriend Kiana is NOT gonna believe this one."
Elsewhere in Germany.
One Kiana tapped her pen against her desk then sneezed. She sniffled for a moment then spoke to herself "Bum Bums or Hanta-kun must be talking about me."
End Omake.
A/N: Did I need to add in Raven and Bloody Mary as guest characters? No I didn't. I just did for my own amusement. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and brief Omake. Please review!