Chapter 5- Inner Demons
~It was supposed to be a simple mission… an easy fetch-quest for some historical trinket. Right when we were on the cusp of completion, how did it escalate into a battle of this magnitude? We were attacked within our own walls by enemies I know nothing about, wielding abilities I've never seen before… I didn't know it at the time, but I was about to fight more than a monster… but a twisted reflection.
-Uzumaki Naruto
(Location- Forest Region)
"Unh…" Naruto was dazed, he couldn't see clearly. What had happened? Nergui had him by the throat, ready to crush him… was he dead? No… someone had pulled him back, but who was it? The soft, timid voice… the gentle touch… the very presence… they were all so familiar… "Hinata?"
"Please feel safe, Naruto-kun" Hinata spoke softly, giving him a warm smile. She was holding by his arms, so he was sitting up. Naruto wasn't fully conscious, he wasn't sure what he was seeing was real. But before he could say anything, Hinata had turned her head to Nergui. Hinata's shy and gentle expression had changed into a piercing glare. "You, who tried to hurt Naruto-kun…" she slowly let go of Naruto and stood up. Veins became apparent on her face as she triggered the power of the Hyuga Clan's advanced bloodline, the byakugan. Her feet shifted, as she opened both palms. Moving her left hand in front, her right facing down, she took her fighting stance… "I will not forgive you."
"KURAE!" Before Nergui could act, Hinata darted forward with incredible speed. Her hands shot forth and she struck her right palm against his stomach. Naruto's eyes widened as he started coming back to his senses…
Nergui flinched, surprised by the sudden attack by this strange girl, but he quickly regained his composure and retaliated with a swing of his long arm. The trees shook as his clenched fist struck the earth, caving the ground beneath… yet completely missing Hinata. "HAAA!" Nergui roared as he continued to swing down at Hinata… but despite all his power he was unable to touch her.
"Nothing but muscles… they won't take you far!" Hinata said, swerving out of the way of his fists and moving in close to strike him against the chest and stomach. Suddenly her eyes caught an incoming swing, and she quickly jumped back to avoid any harm.
"Grrr…" Nergui growled, staring at Hinata. There was a strange numbness in the places where she had struck… but even stranger were her eyes. "What's with those eyes?" he wondered, seeing the blank pupils and grotesque veins protruding from the sides of her head. "Advanced bloodline?" his eyes narrowed on the Hyuga girl, "Whatever. Makes no difference… and neither does the fact that you're a girl." Nergui took his fighting stance, clenching his fists and planting his feet firmly on the ground. "Whenever tricks you use… you'll die screaming, just like that loud brat." He spread his arms and clenched his teeth as he took some sort of grappling stance, "RHAAAA!"
"ANO?!" Hinata exclaimed as Nergui charged at her. She quickly jumped to the side, but Nergui immediately turned his body and swung his fist towards her… she couldn't outrun his incredible reach! Hinata kicked one foot to the ground to spin her body, allowing her to narrowly avoid his fist. Hinata retreated to safety, and gazed down to see the bit of her sweater grazed by Nergui's fist had been sliced open by his punch. If he had hit her directly, it could have been deadly…
"What was it you said about my muscles being useless?" Nergui sneered before lunging forwards again. Hinata tried to avoid, but she could move fast enough to escape the long reach of his arm. Hinata felt an enormous palm on the top of her head and his fingers tightening on her skull. She screamed as Nergui plucked her off the ground and held her up, face-to-face. "Don't. Underestimate. Me." He said clearly, punctuating every word.
"L-LET GO!" Hinata cried out, struggling to release herself from his vicelike grip. Quickly, she started jabbing her fingers into his arm over and over again, to no avail. The chakra emitted from fingers did nothing to his steely flesh.
"No matter what sort of skill or technique you learn… all are completely useless in the face of someone THAT MUCH STRONGER!" He roared, throwing Hinata to the ground.
"AAAAH!" Hinata screamed as she slammed into the floor. The veins around her eyes vanished as sweat poured down her face and her body trembled from the shock.
"You shouldn't have come looking for me…" Nergui growled as he glared down at her, "You know how many people I've killed?! Better warriors than you have died by my hands! You think that a little girl like yourself could hope to beat me, alone?!"
"You're wrong…" Hinata interrupted him, raising her head, "I didn't come for you… I only came for Naruto-kun. And that's not all…" Hinata's panting ceased, as her lips curved into a determined smile, "I'm not alone!"
"RASENGAN!" Naruto sprung from behind with a rasengan orb spinning violently in his hands. He pushed it with all his might into Nergui's back.
"AAAAGH!" Nergui screamed, his back arched as the sphere slammed into him. At that moment, Hinata sprung up into the air, veins became apparent on her face once more, as she struck her fingers against his right shoulder, this time not simply forcing chakra to attack his insides, but directly hitting the tenketsu. The shock suddenly wore off, and Nergui started lashing out wildly at the both of them, forcing Naruto and Hinata back.
"Would you look at that… I hit him full-on with the rasengan, and he just shrugged it off… damn, the bastard really is immortal." Naruto smiled, despite the circumstances.
"If that is true, then is it even possible for us to win?" asked Hinata
"By the looks of it, no." Naruto admitted. "An enemy who can take my best hit and make off with barely a scratch… It's just beyond anything I could've imagined, heh…" Naruto smirked, looking down as his body began to tremble…
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata noticed his trembling, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" Naruto answered, still looking down, "To think that such opponents could exist…" he clenched his fists and smirked, "The excitement is making me shiver with excitement…!" he then turned to Hinata. "Hinata… if you want to run…"
"No." Hinata said firmly, "I told you once before that I want to help you, and be by your side. Even if I don't make it out alive… I will not abandon you."
"Hinata…" Naruto was at a loss for words. He couldn't even begin to express his admiration of her unthinkable bravery. Suddenly, he turned his glare towards Nergui, "I don't care how strong you are, and I especially don't give a crap about that 'immortal' part…" as he spoke, chakra was gathering inside his body, "You challenged me when you disrupted my mission… and anyone who challenges me, no matter how strong, is just another stepping stone…!" the chakra was flowing through him, fortifying him with power… "HAAA!" Naruto roared as his eyes shot open and chakra exploded outwards. Dust flew into the air around him, as the blue chakra burned fiercely all around him. His feet shifted as he took a fighting stance, a smirk crossed his face. "Ready for round 3, bastard."
Nergui looked down at the ground, "Heh-heh-heh…" he began to chuckle… "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" he threw his head back in laughter, but suddenly changed his expression back to a serious one. "A stepping stone am I?" he growled, cracking his knuckles, "RHAAA!" he roared charged forward…
"GET BACK!" Naruto shouted, and quickly pushed Hinata back. Holding his fighting stance, he stood his ground as Nergui charged forwards and swung his fist… "RHAAA!" he screamed, his whole body slid back, his feet sank into the ground when he stopped Nergui's fist with both hands. "GRRR…!" Naruto growled as sweat poured down his brow. It was taking every ounce of his strength just to match Nergui's… but as long as he could resist him… "GOOD ENOUGH!" With all his might, Naruto threw Nergui's arm to the side and then leapt off the ground to deliver a kick to Nergui's jaw.
"Not bad…!" Nergui stumbled back and rubbed his jaw, "BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Before Naruto could react, Nergui slammed his fist against his head, the force lifting him off his feet and then painfully hitting the ground.
Naruto gritted his teeth. His head was in pain and he was deafened by the ringing in his ears. Thankfully his skull and neck were still intact due to reinforcing them with chakra… but he was in so much pain…
"You finally gonna stay down, now!?" Nergui began to growl when in response to his question, Naruto began getting back up. Enraged, Nergui kicked him while he was down.
"Grr…!" Even after being kicked, Naruto rose once more to his feet… only for Nergui to deliver another kick that flung him through the air like a rag doll before he hit the forest floor. "g… god… dammit!" He cried angrily.
"If you'd just stop getting up, it would save us both a lot of trouble!" Nergui mocked Naruto as he approached him. The difference in power between them was just too vast; Naruto was helpless against those blows! "Just face it… You're out of your league!"
"Ngh…!" Naruto clenched his teeth, and slowly tried to stand… only to fall back to the ground. Looking up, Naruto could see Nergui stomping in his direction once more. Again Naruto struggled to stand, this time trying to use his arms to support himself, but they were trembling so much, he just kept falling and Nergui was getting closer! "Damn it…" Naruto cursed silently. He wanted to get up, he wanted to fight… but his body wasn't listening to him… "Come on…" he said, he had to go on… he had to continue… "MOVE!" he screamed at his own body, as Nergui lunged at him…
"KURAE!" Hinata immediately appeared in Nergui's path, in her Hyuga fighting stance. Her eyes flared with all of Nergui's vital points in plain sight. "HAAAAA!"
"WHAT?!" Nergui gasped, as the girl's palm shot forward and struck his chest with enough force to stop his charge! Hinata's assault continued… striking again and again, even making him slide back a bit. "RHAA!" Nergui had enough and swung his arm down in an attempt to crush the young ninja, but once again Hinata turned her body just in time to avoid it. Nergui's fist hit the floor, sinking all the way to his elbow.
"TAKE THIS!" Hinata shouted, while Nergui was momentarily stuck. Chakra poured from fingers as she continued striking him rapidly over his upper arm. Nergui immediately pulled his arms out and attacked again, but Hinata was too fast, avoiding his sluggish attacks and continuing to strike.
"Grr…" Naruto growled, placing one hand against the tree trunk for support as he struggled to his feet… sweat poured down his face and his head felt like it had been split right down the middle. Looking up, he could see Hinata fighting against Nergui. She was putting up an amazing fight, using her light frame and quick movements, Nergui wasn't even able to touch her. But he noticed something strange. There were many clear openings that would've allowed her to directly strike his vitals, but Hinata didn't take any of them, and she was only aiming for his arm tenketsus… but why? They both knew that Nergui did not use either jutsus or chakra… and more than that, why did she keep hitting tenketsus that had already been sealed?
"Dammit…!" Nergui growled, moving his body in an attempt to avoid Hinata's attacks. It infuriated him to try and dodge such feeble hits… but invulnerable as he was, he was smarter than to go against something of which he knew nothing.
"(She fights using open palms, so she's probably aiming for internal damage… but she's not aiming for my organs and her hits are too weak to penetrate. Is she a complete amateur at open palm fighting, or is she just trying to distract me!? )" although Nergui didn't feel any pain from Hinata's attacks, his instincts just kept warning him to avoid them as much as possible. After so many years of fighting, those instincts were impossible to ignore. "I don't know just what you're planning…" he said, quickly stopping her hand by blocking it with his own, "BUT DON'T THINK I'LL WAIT TO FIND OUT!"
"AHHH!" Hinata screamed, bracing herself as Nergui landed a blow. She had moved backwards along his fist in order to reduce the damage as much as possible, but the sheer force of the blow sent her flying right off the ground.
"HINATA!" Naruto immediately stood up, his pain completely forgotten while anger surged through him. "YOU BASTARD!" He roared, leaping forward. Hinata was on the ground, and Nergui was about to crush her beneath his foot…
SMASH!
"AAAAGH!" Nergui screamed, his head flung back as Naruto's fist, burning with chakra, smashed square into his face with such force his body was sent flying through the air and crashed into the ground.
"Hinata! HINATA!" Naruto shouted desperately, kneeling down next to Hinata's body and raising her head. "Are you okay?! Talk to me!"
"N… Naruto-kun… I'm okay…" Hinata opened her eyes and smiled, but as her eyes moved to Naruto's hand, her expression changed to one of concern, "But Naruto-kun… your hand, it's hurt!"
"What?" Naruto looked down at his right hand. Some of the skin on his knuckles were ripped from delivering such a heavy blow. Naruto grimaced slightly, but the pain seemed strangely mild for all that blood… "Ah!" He and Hinata quickly got to their feet when they noticed Nergui getting up in the distance. They both gasped when they saw Nergui's face, and their question about all the blood on Naruto's hand had just been answered.
"GRRR…" Nergui snarled as he stood there, blood running down from his smashed nose. Naruto had packed so much power into that one blow, even Nergui was injured from it. If it had been anyone else who took that hit, their head would have flown right off. "That… hurt…!" he snarled, reaching up and pinching his crooked, broken nose before forcing it straight with a sickening crack. "I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!"
"AH!" Naruto gasped as he saw Nergui charging at them with his right arm raised and fist clenched… yet for some reason, Hinata didn't seem intimidated one bit. "Hinata…?!"
Veins appeared on Hinata's face as she stared intently at Nergui's arm. "Your arm is already dead." With a sickening crack, blood suddenly burst from Nergui's right shoulder.
"URGH…!" Nergui immediately froze, his eyes widened. "AAAAARGH!" For the first time, he screamed in agony as he fell to one knee, and his right arm hung uselessly. "What… WHAT'S GOING ON?!" he screamed, clutching his shoulder.
"There was a reason I kept striking the same point." Hinata glared at him, "My goal was not to disrupt the flow of chakra in his arm. By forcing so much chakra into that tenketsu alone, I did not merely close that point… I've completely destroyed it."
"So that's what you were doing?!" Naruto gasped, unsure of what shocked him more, the fact that Nergui was writhing in pain… or the fact that it was Hinata who did it!
"He relies so much on raw strength, without the use of his arms he'll be helpless." Her eyes narrowed on the opponent, "Unfortunately… it took almost everything just to accomplish this…" She then looked down at her trembling hands, which ached terribly from forcing so much chakra. Every time she had struck Nergui's tenketsus, she had used over a hundred times the amount of chakra normally spent in Gentle Fist Taijutsu… "I'm not sure if I have enough chakra left to destroy another tenketsu…"
"Then that's too bad for you…" Nergui clenched his teeth, gripping the wound tight. Calming down, he slowly let go of his arm. Blood ran down his arm, the skin and flesh surrounding that point had literally exploded from all the chakra Hinata forced through into it, and the pain was indescribable. "It doesn't matter if you took out this arm…" While his right right arm hung uselessly by his side, Nergui prepared to fight the two ninjas with his remaining left arm, "…All you've done is make this into a fairer fight!"
"With just one hand?! Just try it!" Naruto immediately took a fighting stance. Nergui roared as he charged at them, but Naruto wasn't scared… Naruto looked down at his hand, as chakra began to spin… Nergui lunged at him, about to crush him with his left hand… "RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted, striking the spinning orb right into Nergui's stomach. Nergui screamed as he was thrown through the air, hitting the ground hard. "Grrr… not enough…!" Naruto growled as he saw Nergui getting back up. He didn't realize it, but he was panting lightly… "GAH!" He ducked, narrowly avoiding Nergui's crushing kick, somersaulting behind him and getting up, "HAAA!" Naruto kicked the back of Nergui's leg, causing his knees to close and whole body fall to the ground. "RASENGAN!" he slammed it into Nergui's back and sent him flying. "Grrr…" Naruto growled, panting as Nergui hit the ground once more. He was about to form another rasengan, but stopped and scowled. "No… all the other ones I hit him with were just as strong and they didn't hurt him… no way this'll be any different…" He said to himself. The rasengan he used wasn't strong enough… he had add more power, "argh!" he exclaimed as he lost control of the orb, and the rasengan broke apart, "Dammit! It's not working!"
"What's wrong?!" Hinata asked
"Could it be… there's something wrong with the rasengan…? No…!" Naruto growled, "There's nothing wrong with it at all…! That's the problem…!"
"What do you mean?" Hinata didn't understand the problem
"I thought I had mastered the technique when I could form it without a clone… but I hadn't mastered anything! The rasengan… no… MY rasengan… is too weak!" Naruto growled. "It won't do anything if I don't make it stronger… and that's just the problem!" he looked at his hand, as the rasengan started spinning again, "If I add any more chakra…" the sphere immediately broke apart. "It won't hold together!"
"But why?!" Hinata turned her head, and saw Nergui slowly getting up.
"RHAAAAA!" Nergui roared like a wild beast as he charged towards the two leaf genin, his gigantic frame ploughing through trees and other obstacles in his way…
"Because…!" Naruto knew the rasengan well enough to understand the problem, "If I want to add power and put more chakra, I'll also have to change the way I spin it first! And that level of chakra control… I just don't have! It took me ages just to get it in this form… and to change it, I'd have to learn how to do the rasengan all over again!" he growled, "GET BACK!" he shouted, pushing Hinata back as Nergui reached them.
Chakra surged through his body once more… Naruto roared as he raised both arms to stop the punch. His feet dug into the ground and he slid several feet back. "GRRR…!" Naruto was sweating heavily, "(D… did he just get stronger?!)" he exclaimed in his head, as he struggled to resist Nergui's arm, which seemed heavier than ever… "AH!" his eyes caught onto movement, Nergui was going to kick him! Immediately Naruto let go of Nergui's arm and ducked, barely missing the kick. Naruto jumped back, trying to put some space in between them, but Nergui stuck to him, he wasn't about to let him have his way! Naruto was desperately dodging left and right, narrowly evading each of Nergui's punches. Although Nergui was only using one arm, the difference in power was still too vast! "AGH!" Naruto gasped as he moved his head just in time, and Nergui's fist grazed his cheek. Naruto panted as he felt blood running down from the cut…
Naruto's eyes opened wide, as that one pause he took turned out to be a grave mistake, as Nergui had kicked right in the stomach. "Ungh… agh…" Naruto gasped as he stood on his arms and knees, slowly getting back up. He was sweating heavily, struggling simply to breathe… but it wasn't because of the kick. "What's… going on?" he looked at his hands, he couldn't feel any strength in them…
"What's the matter? You seem to be struggling all of the sudden!" Nergui smirked. Compared to earlier, when Naruto was pummelling him with incredible strength and slamming him with the rasengans, he just seemed so feeble…
"Dammit… DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" Naruto shouted, as chakra burst out of him again. "HAAAA!" He sprung forward and smashed his fist, square into Nergui's face. "Grrr…" he growled, "WHAT?!" he gasped when he saw Nergui smiling… "AGH!" Naruto screamed when Nergui slammed him to the ground.
"Didn't feel a thing…" Nergui smiled evilly
"What's… wrong with me…?!" Naruto asked himself as he hit the ground. It felt as if he was getting weaker every second… then… it suddenly dawned on him. The way he was fighting Nergui, using chakra to fortify his body… that was the problem! Every blow he delivered, every move he made, it was draining him chakra! "NO…!" Naruto closed his eyes in frustration. Using that fighting style was the only way he could even compete with Nergui… but now he didn't even have the strength left to stand up!
"So that's it…" Nergui smiled, reaching down to the exhausted genin, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up, "You're all burnt out… and now you can't even fight back. From here on out, it'll be just like breaking a baby's neck." he smiled wickedly as his grip tightened, cutting off Naruto's air… "Here we are again… this was long overdue."
"Gh… KUH!" Naruto coughed and gagged as Nergui was crushing his throat.
"LET GO OF HIM!" Hinata shouted, charging at Nergui. "HM…!" She struck her hands over Nergui's wounded right shoulder. "HAAA!"
"AAARGH!" Nergui howled in pain, as Hinata attacked the crippling injury she had inflicted earlier. "GRRR…" closing his eyes, and clenching his teeth as he began to move his fingers… "Hm… yes…!" He smiled, gripping his right knuckle…
"WHAT!?" Hinata exclaimed… right before the back of Nergui's fist collided with her chest!
"H… Hinata…" Naruto's eyes opened wide as the world seemed to move in horrifying slow motion. Her mouth fell open as droplets of blood and spittle flew out. Her tiny body was lifted off the ground by the impact of Nergui's gigantic fist.
"My right arm isn't completely dead yet!" Nergui spoke, moving his fingers. Though it was painful, he still had more than enough strength to crush that annoying pest. Hinata sent flying before her back collided against a tree.
"N… no…" Hinata gasped weakly, as blood ran down the side of her head… "Na… ruto… kun…" her head hung low… her senses faded as her world turned to black.
Hinata…? Wake up… Hinata… please…!" Naruto stared in shock. "HINATAAAA!"
"You could've used your last breath more wisely…" Nergui said simply, tightening his grip. He wasn't going to simply strangle Naruto… he was going to snap his neck.
"How… dare you…" Naruto clenched his teeth, "Grrr…." he growled, closing his eyes. An evil aura seemed to loom overhead, as he began to change…
"Hm? What's this?" Nergui looked closer at Naruto, "Ah…!"
"RRRR…" his growling grew louder, more savage and beastlike. The whisker-marks on his face darkened, as his teeth grew sharp, like fangs. The nails on his fingers resembled claws more than anything… his eyes shot open…! "RRRROOWWR!"
"AAAAAGH!" Nergui gasped, when fiery red chakra exploded from Naruto's body, "WHAT THE…?! ARGH!" He was suddenly thrown back, and felt a searing pain on his chest. Looking down, he saw a fiery wound on his chest that resembled claw marks…
"GRRR…" Naruto snarled, like a fierce animal, as Nergui's blood dripped from his fingers. His eyes were no longer deep blue with innocence and determination, but red and slit, full of hatred to match this evil chakra… "I'll make you pay." Faster than the eye could see, Naruto charged into Nergui with all his might and tackled him to the ground. Nergui tried to shake him off, but Naruto sank his teeth into his wrist.
"GET OFF!" Nergui screamed, throwing Naruto into the air. Naruto flipped through the air and landed neatly on his feet. "agh… ah!" He was gasping, more surprised than anything. His invulnerability wasn't working! Naruto's attacks were able to freely harm him! "I… I sense it… this presence… a monster!"
"Monster… pwah!" Naruto spat Nergui's blood to the side, "That makes two of us…" He clenched his fists, moving the chakra towards his hands "RHAAAA!" he leapt forward, attacking Nergui once more and slashing against his side with his claws.
"URGH!" Nergui exclaimed, stepping back. He looked down at the slash marks on his chest, and could feel a lingering aura on them… the very aura that bypassed his defences! "For it to be capable of harming me… this aura isn't human… but that of a demon…!"
"HAAA!" Naruto kicked Nergui in the face, knocking him back a few feet. Nergui tried to hit him, but Naruto skilfully moved the chakra according to his body's movements to increase his speed and balance, and successfully evaded each of Nergui's attacks. "ORA!" he ducked down and slammed his legs into Nergui's ankles, kicking his feet out from under him causing him to topple over. Naruto jumped high up into the air over Nergui, putting all his chakra into his legs. "KURAE! (EAT THIS!)" He stamped down on Nergui's lungs, before hunching over to start pummelling Nergui's face.
As Naruto continued to savagely beat him, his eyes caught on to some movement, and sprung into the air to avoid a powerful hook from Nergui, landing neatly on his feet and took his fighting stance once more… "ugh…" Nergui stood up and coughed, blood dripped from him, and he had slash marks all over his body. "This demon… it's… the Kyubi?!"
"For what you did to Hinata… I'LL TEAR YOUR HEAD OFF!" Naruto charged at Nergui, this time he was going for the kill…
SMASH!
"AAAAGH!" Naruto screamed, as Nergui's fist smashed into his face, sending him flying through the air and hitting the ground. "W… WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed, having regained his senses… though his eyes and whiskers haven't changed back.
"Heh-heh-heh…" Nergui chuckled in the shadows. "To think that I would actually run into the boy who carries the nine-tailed demon fox…" he chuckled more and more, "You wouldn't believe my surprise. I had heard how the locals were said to have imprisoned the mighty demon within the body of a child… but I never would have guessed it was you!"
"Yeah… SO?!" Naruto sprung to his feet and charged once more… only for Nergui's fist to slam him down, harder than ever. "Urgh…! W-what?!" He knew for certain he wasn't running low on chakra. "D… did he suddenly get even stronger!?"
"You catch on pretty quick, fox-boy…" Nergui laughed… his voice deepening.
"AH!" Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he looked up at Nergui's face…
"Heh-heh-heh…" Nergui's body was changing in a grotesque way. Some sort of black armour was emerging from his skin. Upon closer inspection, that wasn't any armour, it was some kind of shell… "Grr…" he growled, sweating as the skin on his back began to stretch, as if something was trying to push through. "RHAAA!" He roared, as many insect legs were ripping through the skin, "AH…" he sighed, looking down. On his face, two long, leathery antennae reached to the sides… like those of a centipede…
"AH…!" Naruto gasped, backing off. Even with the power of the kyubi burning within, the sight of this monster… it terrified him!
"Heh-heh-heh…" Nergui began to laugh… "HA-HA-HAAA!" He threw his head back in laughter, and his new body could be seen clearly, "Transformation complete."
"W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU…?!" Naruto screamed, his body trembling with fear.
"Nergui the Immortal… yes… that's what we call my human side…" the creature spoke… "Since you were so kind to reveal your demon… I thought it would only be fair to show you mine!" Nergui smirked, "The Demon Centipede… Youma Mukade!"
"D… DEMON!?" Naruto jumped back
"Surprised… aren't you?" Nergui approached him. There was nothing Naruto wanted more than to run away, but his legs wouldn't move… "You aren't the only one here who carries a demon. Every single one of us are vessels!" He looked down at Naruto, "WHERE'S THAT ARROGANT SMILE OF YOURS NOW, FOX-BOY!?"
"AAAGH!" Naruto braced himself as he was thrown through the air by a blow from Nergui's shelled fist. His body crashed through several trees and skidded across the forest floor, carving a huge trench into the earth. At the end of the piled dirt, Naruto was gasping while his arms shook. He had guarded himself and fortified his defence with chakra, yet he was in so much pain… "AH!" Naruto's eyes widened, as he could see Nergui standing over him and his foot quickly descending!
The forest quaked as Nergui stamped the ground, and Naruto rolled out of the way just in time. As he Naruto got back up to his feet, moving half his chakra into legs… the other half into his right arm… "HAAA!" Using the explosive strength in his legs, Naruto sprung towards Nergui like a rocket, ready to swing his fist… "ARGH!" he gasped as Nergui swung his fist and hit him on the head, knocking him to the ground before he could even come close. Naruto groaned as he struggled to his knees… "AHHH…!" he gasped in fear as he looked up at Nergui's grotesque form.
"Hmph…" Nergui looked down at Naruto. "Look at you… kneeling there, quivering in fear… you're a disgrace to the noble demon sealed in your body, boy." Naruto gritted his teeth, trying to look tough… but Nergui was right. He truly was afraid of this monstrous man.
"Why did it have to be this way? Why does such power have to be given to the likes of you?" Nergui said, the centipede antennae moved around, brushing lightly against Naruto's body… "I can sense the fox… I can hear his cries of anger, and feel the rage of being imprisoned… right here." The ends of the antennae touched Naruto's stomach… Nergui frowned. "The demon I hold is no prisoner, but a part of me. Together, we are complete! But you…" he glared at him, "You vile ninjas have imprisoned him… you lock him in a cage and steal his power! Unforgivable…!" Nergui growled, before his lips curved into a smirk, "Mukade says we should rip your stomach open right now and let Kyubi die with dignity rather than be your prisoner any longer… and I'm inclined to agree!"
"Ah…!" Naruto closed his eyes, as Nergui was reaching for his face… "Huh?" he blinked, when he felt Nergui's finger gently touch his forehead…
"We know better than to waste such a rare and valuable power." Nergui glared at the headband… "This headband indicates you are a ninja, bound to the village. Tell me boy… why do you allow yourself to be enslaved by these people?"
"Don't you dare insult this headband!" Naruto slapped Nergui's hand. "This isn't just a sign that I'm a ninja, but a symbol of my goal to become Hokage!"
"Hokage? PWAH-HA-HA-HA!" Nergui burst out laughing. "Hokage… that's the village leader, correct? Not a bad goal, but tell me… just what makes you think they'll make you their leader?!"
"What?!"
"Open your eyes!" Nergui spat. "You have been given the powers of a demon and treated differently for reasons you can't control… I can see it." he looked into Naruto's eyes, "They treat you this way because they are jealous… because they crave your power! They'll never see you as anything other than their slave! They're just using you for their own gains, and once you're no longer useful… they'll dispose of you like trash!"
"N… no!" Naruto said weakly, still on his knees. He didn't have the courage to stand…
"However, you could join us… live among your own kind! We, who carry the power of demons." Nergui opened his hand and reached to him, "You have no idea of the powers you possess. As long as you remain their slave, you will never reach your full potential! You could earn the respect you so rightfully deserve, the kind you'll never gain by staying with these ninja!" he smiled, "So how about it? Will you join us?"
Naruto stood in shock, unsure of what to say or what to think. All that Nergui had said… was it true? The village will never accept him… they'll never make him their leader. Naruto had seen the power Nergui held, and now it was being offered to him for free! This was his chance to be among others just like him… people who would accept never shun him because he is different… wasn't that what he always wanted?
N… no…
Another part of Naruto's mind disagreed. The image of his village came into his mind. The heads of the Hokage carved into the mountain wall, all his dreams, all his friends… "(Iruka…)" he thought to himself… remembering the chuunin teacher who, while often scolded him for causing trouble, always encouraged him like a big brother. "(Sakura-chan…)" the pink-haired girl he's always had a crush on. Even though she never returned the feelings, it was fun just to be around her "(Sasuke…)" the image of long time rival came into his mind… followed by the image of his 'first kiss'… "URK!" Naruto's eyes opened wide, "GOD DAMMIT! I'M TRYING TO HAVE A SERIOUS MOMENT AND I HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT?!" he suddenly screamed out loud. Nergui sweatdropped. "Urgh…" Naruto sighed, as more memories came into his mind… his teacher Kakashi… Tsunade-obachan… and even the new guy. "(Ebi…)" he thought to himself. Though he hadn't known him long, Ebi did seem to have a lot of respect for Naruto, and he had sort of come to like the odd, fake sennin… and finally… "(Hinata…)" the strange girl who was always watching him… she was shy and had little confidence, yet she was trying so hard to change herself… and memories of the previous night when he had met her flooded his mind… "Hinata…!" his eyes shot open… and he looked to the side. Hinata lay there… injured by the person standing in front of him… "N-no… NO!"
"What?!" Nergui exclaimed in shock when Naruto slapped away his hand.
"You people attacked us and murdered people from my village! You stole a scroll that my friend valued like treasure! You even hurt Hinata!" Naruto shouted, "The people of my village may not accept me now, but I'll change that and win their respect! I made promises… to my friends…" he remembered the people who trusted him "To the village…" he placed his hand on his forehead protector "And to myself! I'll never take back my words, that's my way of the ninja, and you're telling me to leave that behind!?" he shouted, "You're nothing but thieves and murderers! I'll never join you!"
"GRRR…!" Nergui's teeth were clenched and the veins were bulging on his temples. Words could not express his rage at Naruto's refusal. "I offer my hand in friendship, and you spat in it!" he pointed at Naruto, "You could've had everything, but you've made your decision! You chose to remain a slave, so you'll die a slave!"
Naruto growled. Despite his speech just now, he still couldn't stop shaking. He was on his own against this monster, and for the first time… he just felt so small. "No…" he said quietly to himself, "This feeling…" he looked at his trembling hands… this wasn't the first time he felt it. "This is the feeling… that I had been forced to live with… every single day of my life." he closed his eyes and sighed. He then looked up at his opponent. Nergui… whose body was ugly and malformed from the demon he himself carried… seemed to represent all the twisted, ugly pain Naruto had to endure as a child. All his fears… all his anger… truly… he was facing his past, he was facing his demon…
"Hmmm…" Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes… suddenly burning red chakra burst forth from his body, surrounding him. It was surging through him, strengthening him. The power was incredible. He shifted his feet and raised his hands in a fighting stance. He held nothing back. It was all or nothing… if he didn't win, he would die.
"RHAAAA!" Naruto and Nergui roared, charging towards each other. The earth itself was trembling, and the ground cracked with each step…
Naruto leapt off the ground and spun through the air, kicking Nergui on the side of the head, causing him to stumble a few steps to the side. Nergui punched at him, but Naruto dodged his punch and swerved around him to the side, leaping upwards and punching him against the side of his face with all his might…! "NANI?!"
"Is that it!?" Nergui's eyes turned to Naruto whose fist was still pressed against his cheek… "LET ME SHOW YOU A REAL PUNCH!"
"AAAGH!" Naruto screamed when Nergui retaliated with an even stronger punch that flung him into the air, before hitting the ground. "Urgh…" he groaned, but gasped as he saw Nergui charging right at him! Naruto quickly got up and charged head on, but Nergui was far stronger, slamming down on him with the tremendous might in his arms. Naruto kept hitting Nergui, but they seemed to have no effect on him! Naruto gasped as Nergui grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him up… and screamed out as Nergui head-butted him, before swinging him over his head and throwing him into a tree. "Ah… aaagh…!" Naruto cried out, his eyes shut tight while his hands gripped his skull. Breathing heavily, Naruto got back up… while Nergui was approaching him again…
As the fight went on, things didn't change at all. No matter what Naruto threw, the giant withstood the blows and returned the favour with greater force. Even though Naruto was channelling the fox demon, the chakra alone could not match the full might of the centipede demon. Nergui and the Mukade were just too strong… Naruto couldn't win.
"Hah… hah…" Naruto was on his knees, gasping desperately for air. He was heavily bruised and bleeding from the blows he had received from Nergui. The red chakra was fading, and his eyes even returned to their normal shade of blue. "Grrr…" Despite his injuries, he simply refused to stop fighting… "HAAAA!"
Nergui swung his arm, swatting Naruto with the back of his hand and sent him flying long before he could come close. "You know you're too weak! You know you can't win! So why?! Why won't you quit?! WHY WON'T YOU STAY DOWN?!"
"Because…" Naruto began to stand once more… "I promised it… to myself… and to everybody… and I'll keep that promise… because…" he stood up straight; his eyes met Nergui's… "BECAUSE I AM NINJA!" At those words… the red chakra which had faded away was beginning to burn once more…
"B… because you are…? That's it…?" Nergui's eyes widened and he spoke in shock, as if he didn't believe what he was hearing. "THAT'S YOUR REASON FOR WASTING SO MUCH OF MY TIME!?" Nergui screamed, utterly fed up with Naruto's defiance, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! ENOUGH OF YOU AND YOUR… NINJA WAY!" the earth seemed to tremble with his rage, "I WILL END THIS RIGHT NOW AND KILL YOU WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"
"You are nothing… but a twisted creature… dark and hideous… just like my past…" Naruto spoke calmly… "It's as if I'm facing my inner demons… I can see them clearly now, in the form of you…" He took his fighting stance once more… "I will not allow myself to be haunted by them any longer… never again will I fear my past, just as I will not fear you…" his voice was filled with determination. "My inner demons… I am fighting them right now at this very moment… and I will destroy them…" As the Kyubi's red chakra burned all around him, his own blue chakra appeared… it surrounded his body… his own strength… the two chakras burning together…! "I WILL DEFEAT YOU!"
"HAAAAAAA!" Naruto and Nergui both roared as they charged towards one another… The boy who was forced to carry the heavy burden of the demon fox… against the willing carrier of the demon centipede…
-CRACK-
The two of them stood deathly still… their backs facing each other's… they had struck with everything they had… and now the victor would be decided.
"Ngh…" the two auras surrounding Naruto faded away, as his legs began to wobble…
"agh…" the centipede carapace on Nergui's body had shattered, and he was back to normal. His legs also began to tremble…
"Ungh…!" the two of them collapsed to their knees. Both their demons had been defeated… It was a draw.
"Heh-heh-heh…" Naruto began to chuckle, "I did it… I won…" he held his hands up. In it he was holding the scroll, ripped right out of Nergui's pack… "I finally got it back…"
"No… you… haven't… won anything…!" Nergui growled as he stood up, his chest looked like it had caved in. His breathing was ragged, it was painful to speak. Naruto had utterly crushed his chest, his ribs smashed and were piercing his own lungs… but he still had enough strength left in him to finish the boy…
"N… no…!" Naruto gasped, trying to get up… "ARGH!" he screamed in pain, falling back down. He had pushed his body too far and many of the muscles in his legs had torn from the strain. Right now he couldn't even get up…
"I… am… the winner…" Nergui began to walk faster… "I… am… invincible… I… am… Nergui… the Immortal!" he began to run
"Ngh… agh!" Naruto clenched his teeth, trying to stand… but the pain was too much and his legs were too weak; they buckled right under him and he fell to the ground. "No…! Not like this!" he gasped. He had enough chakra left to form the rasengan, but his own body wasn't obeying him. Even if he could still move… It still didn't change the fact that Nergui was practically invincible! "It's over…!" he closed his eyes in despair…
"No…" a gentle voice whispered into his ear… "It's not over… Naruto-kun…"
"What…?" Naruto opened his eyes, and was met by the gaze of Hyuga Hinata. She was sitting on her knees, speaking to him face-to-face "You said earlier… that you will never give up… because you are ninja…" she smiled, and held Naruto's hand… "You are not alone either… I will always be there for you…"
"Hinata… no… get away!" Naruto gasped, and Hinata turned around. They could see Nergui running faster and faster in their direction with a look of pure insanity in his eyes… "AH…?!" he gasped, as Hinata stepped in front of Naruto and lifted both his arms over her shoulders… "What are you doing!?"
"You once gave me the strength to stand up and fight… Now it's time for me to return the favour!" Hinata stood in front of Naruto, holding him up.
"Hinata… thank-you…" Naruto smiled… "Hmm…" his expression changed to a serious one, as he moved his hands forward. Reaching over her shoulders, while leaning on her body for support, he began to form a rasengan… "Ngh…!" he growled, struggling to keep it together. A normal rasengan wasn't going to affect Nergui… he had to add more power… but it was too hard to control… it was breaking up…! "No…!" Suddenly Hinata moved her hands next to Naruto's, so they encased the Rasengan as well…
"I have it…!" said Hinata, using her own chakra to stabilize the rasengan's spin… "Just keep adding power!"
"Right!" Naruto exclaimed, adding more and more power to the sphere, while Hinata concentrated entirely on holding it together. It was working… the rasengan began to grow! "Eat this…!" Naruto smirked, "Rasengan… special edition…!"
"GRHAAA!" Nergui roared, lunging towards Naruto and Hinata…
"Ra…" said Naruto…
"Sen…" said Hinata…
"GAAAAAN!" the two of them shouted at the same time, as they slammed the fierce, whirling sphere directly into Nergui's stomach…
"URGH…!" Nergui gasped, feeling the effects of the new Rasengan… "GRRR…!" he tried to stand his ground, but it continued to push him back, grinding fiercely against his stomach… "AGH…!" It wasn't stopping… it was going to drill a hole right through him! "AAAAAAAHH!" he screamed, and flew through the air, crashing through one tree after another, the rasengan still grinding into him. He didn't know how far it had thrown him, but it just wasn't stopping! "AAAH!" he slammed into a boulder, so hard it shattered to pieces… "Ungh…" he gasped… blood was dripping from his stomach, as it finally ended. There was a deep, spiral shaped wound on his stomach. It hadn't killed him… although it did come very close. "Ngh… you… I will remember this…!" he gasped, blood dripping from his mouth… "Those two… I will get my revenge… I swear it…! Next time… I… will… kill…" he gave one final gasp, and collapsed to the ground, into a pool of his own blood. He wasn't moving. Nergui the Immortal has been defeated!
"Y… yes…" Naruto gasped, unable to believe it himself. "We… we did it…! Hinata! WE DID IT!" he cheered, still hanging onto her for support, "Hinata…?"
"N… Naruto-kun…" Hinata smiled, still supporting him… "I… y… yes… we did… Naruto-kun…" she rested her head on Naruto's shoulders and closed her eyes…
"Hmm…" Naruto closed his eyes and sighed… this felt rather nice… "WHOA-OUCH!" he yelped when he fell on his butt, and Hinata along with him. "Ah! Sorry about that Hinata…!" he stopped when he saw she was sleeping. She too was completely exhausted by that battle… "Rest now… Hinata…" Naruto smiled… sitting there, with his arms still wrapped around her, keeping her warm as she slept. Holding her close, Naruto's eyes slowly began to close, as he eventually succumbed to his exhaustion…
T… hank… you… Hinata…
Y… ou're… welcome… Naruto-kun…
What started out as a fight over a scroll had become one of the fiercest battles in the history of Konoha… and has brought Naruto and Hinata closer together as well. Naruto has proven his strength and conquered his own inner demons, while Hinata courageously supported him to the very end, defeating Nergui the Immortal and the demon Mukade, finally recovering the scroll. However… things are far from over, with knowledge that these strangers also posses demons of their own, and the scroll back in their possession, it is sure that they will return in time. But for now… rest, Naruto and Hinata…
(To be continued)