A/N: Edited this chapter on 1/19/2018
My breathing was heavy and labored. In, out, in, out...
My feet launched me from branch to branch. In, out, in, out...
It was behind me. It was chasing me...
Breathe, Niko, breathe...
It was dark, I couldn't see. Where was I? How deep was this forest?
In, out, in, out...
Was I even in the forest? It was too dark to tell. I was blind.
In, out, in, out...
Splash.
Water?!
No.
Mud.
It's cold. Thick. Heavy.
I'm sinking.
I don't want to go back into the Abyss!
Take a breath, Niko.
I can't! I'm drowning!
It's cold.
I don't want to go back to the Abyss!
Wait. Hands. I feel hands! I'm saved.
"Let me out, Niko."
No! Not you! Anyone but you!
The hands pushed me down.
"Let me out! Let me feed! We had a deal!"
What deal? I can't remember! I'm still in the mud!
I'm.
Still.
In.
The.
Mud.
"No can do. We had a deal. It's time to pay."
I'm.
Still.
In.
The.
Mud.
"When will you let me out, Niko?"
I'm.
Still.
In.
The.
Mud.
"If you don't want to go back, you'll let me out."
I'm.
Still.
In.
The.
Mud.
"Trust me, it'll be much more fun this way! For both of us! You'll love it."
I'm.
Still.
In.
The.
Mud.
"Wake up, Kenta! Wake—"
—up!"
There were hands on my shoulders, hands shaking me. No! Not the mud! Not the...
Katsumi?
Wait, what the hell had I been dreaming about? I can't quite... oh.
I remember.
Him.
The voice in the ssʎqꓯ.
There was a price for getting out of the ssʎqꓯ. I don't remember what it is. I don't know what he wants, other than to be "let out." I don't know what that means or how to do it. I think something really bad would happen if I did.
I'm so cold right now.
You know, how in fiction, when you bring someone back to life, how they often come back wrong? Undead, changed, possessed, evil, or just off? Not the sacrifice yourself to bring someone back sort of resurrection, but the necromancer tampering with the natural order sort.
I think I might have been the latter.
I was a living brown note, after all.
But I also think there's more to this than meets the eye.
I sat up. Takeshi, Katsumi, and Haruka were all kneeling around me, and all of them looked as pale as ghosts — and that's saying something considering two thirds of them were black.
"Did... did I wake you?"
"And most of the surrounding rooms," Haruka muttered. "You were screaming in that other language of yours and thrashing. You had claws too..."
I looked down at my futon, blankets, and night clothes, which were all shredded by claws I most certainly did not have. My throat burned — I was utterly parched — and my body ached.
This wasn't the first time this had happened, not by a long shot, but it was by far the most vivid. And I'd never done this much damage before. I hadn't had a fit in months, so why now?
Utterly unprompted, the images of Yamanaka Ino and Uzumaki Naruto flashed in my mind's eye. Why them? What did it mean?
"·sๅnoS"
My head snapped towards Takeshi. "What did you just say?"
My teammates and sensei nervously looked among themselves. "Kenta," Katsumi worriedly spoke, "he didn't say anything."
But I heard it. I heard the word souls, clear as day, in ɥsıๅɓuꓱ.
Him.
I was hearing Him even while awake.
What the fuck.
I shook my head. "I need to walk."
Extracting myself from my shredded mass of sheets, I grabbed my mask, strapped it to my face, and then marched out of the room, heedless of the protests of my teammates or the fact that my clothes were barely rags hanging from me.
It was dark outside, but the sort of dark that occurs naturally, with the moon, stars, and occasional house light providing the tiniest bit of illumination to keep it from being the total, utter blackness that had been the ssʎqꓯ. But despite the lack of normal light, the infrared glow of the world's warmth painted the landscape in soothing colors that lacked names in any language. And though it did not illuminate the world in the same way as visible or infrared light, the glowing, similarly impossible-to-name colors of chakra around me also soothed my troubled mind.
If I had to guess by the position of the alien moon and stars above me, and by the chill in the air and the dew on the ground, it was early morning, just before the dawn. I felt surprisingly well rested, even considering that I'd just woken up from one hell of a nightmare.
A leaf ninja, out despite the early morning, spotted me and my disheveled appearance. He hopped over. "Sir, are you alright?"
I blinked owlishly, though he couldn't see it under my mask. "Yeah. I... ah... it's not as bad as it looks. I'm not hurt or anything. Thanks, though."
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get like that?"
"I do mind." Instead of speaking further, I tilted my head back and faced the moon. Ironically, it and the stars were the one things I could not see with my byakugan, for they were beyond the edge of my range. I could see where they were only if I looked without my dōjutsu, though I could tell where they were by the shadows they cast.
Seeing that I wasn't going to answer, the ninja said, "If you say so." He hopped away a second later, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
...I don't want to go back into the ssʎqꓯ.
I didn't sleep for the rest of the early morning. There wasn't really that much time to sleep anyway if I wanted to have breakfast and shower before the second stage of the exam began. It didn't really bother me, as I was more than awake enough already.
While Haruka and Katsumi had gone back to their own room, Takeshi hovered around me, despite my insistence that I was fine. I suspect that Katsumi had asked her friend to look out for me. I must have scared them quite badly last night. I'd insisted that it was just a nightmare, but they didn't believe me. I just wish I hadn't been lying through my teeth.
Breakfast was a simple affair — eggs, toast, and bacon in very large amounts. Carbs for now, protein and fat for later. Sure, I had food packed in my scrolls, but that was no reason not to stock up on energy now. Takeshi seemed to pick up what I was doing without me needing to prompt him, and served himself a double-portion of food as well.
Once we were fully ready for the day (and test) ahead, the two of us reunited with the girls of our team. Haruka gave us directions to the training ground in question, which was some distance outside of Konoha's walls. We hurried there as fast as we could; it wouldn't do for us to even cut it close, let alone even risking the chance of being late.
A bit annoyingly, we got there a full half-hour early. I think the excitement of last night and the anticipation of today put a bit more of a spring in our step than we'd normally have had. Fortunately, at least for me, Mitarashi Anko was already there. She was easily the sexiest woman here so far, and I was more than willing to allow lust to replace that bit of my emotional capacity that had been laden with dread from the night before.
What can I say? Tits are distracting, and that's a good thing right now.
The curse seal on her neck was also interesting. It was a symbiote, but more on the parasitic end of the spectrum. Chakra was sucked out of her body, consumed, twisted, and mutated by the tiny entity within, and then pumped back in, up to her brain in a hair-thin stream.
Alright, Orochimaru, do you show up now?
"Hey! Cloud ninja!" Ino was waving to us as she walked towards the gathering area.
Curious as to what she had to say, I moved to meet her half-way. "You spoke with your father, I take it?"
"Yeah, I did. It's not as bad as I was expecting. Just a little emotional nudge that makes feeling certain emotions easier and others harder, but not impossible. It also amplifies whatever you're currently feeling. In all honesty, as far as genjutsu and mind jutsu go, it's basically harmless."
I sighed. "That's a relief. Honestly, I was getting a bit over-worried it was something more malicious, but that basically fits with what I'd sensed. The idea of someone messing with my head, or my teammates' heads, really, really bothers me. Thank you, Yamanaka Ino." I bowed my head respectfully.
"No problem. My dad and I are going to drag Naruto to more advanced chakra-control lessons so he stops doing that. Even if it's harmless, it really is quite rude."
"I'm guessing he's a friend of yours?" I probed.
She smiled happily. And was that the faintest trace of a blush I saw? "You could say that."
We're developing a harem!Naruto here, I'm sure of it. That sounds like fun... I do hope the little idiot's also one of those stupidly overpowered ninja that can smash through anything, or he's going to be too distracted to handle Kaguya. And meanwhile, I've got to deal with the ssʎqꓯ haunting me. That's so not fair.
"Alright then. Thanks for the information." I turned to head back to my group, though at the last moment before I was out of conversational earshot, I shouted back, "I'll avoid shooting you full of holes during the exam as thanks!"
When I got back to my team, I reported, "Downgrade Uzumaki's master threat rating a bit. I was overreacting."
"Well, that's a relief," Katsumi said.
"It's still emotional manipulation, but I think even mere words might be more potent in the short term," I continued. "Also, speaking of Masters, we need to implement Master/Stranger protocols. I can verify with my eyes if it's a physical or chakra disguise, but we need something for a psychological attack or if I somehow get separated for you."
"Classification for Definition?" Takeshi suggested.
"Like if I said, 'What is a Striker?' and you defined it?" Katsumi clarified. "That's good. Won't work in the future, but right now it's fine."
"Agreed. Alternatively, we could list off the rankings of the one we're talking to," I suggested. "Even if someone guessed the definitions, they'd need detailed info on us to guess the appropriate ranks and classifications," I said, throwing in my two cents.
"Or we could do both?"
"Mixture," Takeshi affirmed. "Randomly."
"That takes care of that." My attention wandered back to Anko, who was talking with some of the chūnin assisting her in this exam, then to her tits, and finally to the clusters of approaching shinobi that were slowly filtering in. Among them, I could see Gaara and Naruto approaching from different angles, both immediately obvious due to their bright chakra. "Containers incoming," I alerted my team.
When the Suna jinchūriki's team arrived, both Temari and Kankurō flinched when they saw my mask, while Gaara gave me a bored stare. But, other than that, they did not interact with us at all and continued closer to the booth set up in front of the fence. As for the other three...
My team did a good job of ignoring the three of them, of pretending that they hadn't noticed the rich blue, the bright red, or the brilliant orange of their uniforms among the sea of brown and gray outfits that made up the majority of the gathered genins' clothing. Unfortunately, the reverse wasn't exactly true — a swordsman with an oni mask, a black woman with a bound but exposed chest, and a big, shirtless, black man with a dragon mask. We ourselves didn't exactly blend in, even among other weird outfits.
"Dragon guy!" Naruto shouted, stomping up to me.
I turned my head vaguely in his direction. "Yes...?" I drawled, slow and lazy. The chakra was still swirling around his head, so I swatted at it with my own and pushed back until he was standing in an invisible cloud of my own chakra. His hair stood up from the static it induced, while his posture wilted a bit.
With a little less bravado than just a moment before — this contest of willpower made manifest was definitely swinging in my favor — he said, "Can I talk to you? Alone? It's about yesterday."
"If you don't mind my teammates hanging out with yours..." I answered.
"We don't mind," Sakura said. Sasuke shrugged.
"Alright, Uzumaki Naruto." I looked back at my teammates. "Thinker/Blaster and Striker." I motioned to the two in question. "The game has already stated. Understood?"
Both my teammates nodded.
"Let's go."
We sat behind a large boulder, out of sight and hearing range of the gathering crowd of genin. "Let's make this quick. I don't think either of us want to fail this."
"How the hell do you know about Kurama?!"
"... I can see him inside of you. I suppose I can tell you how since I already know that secret of yours." I fought down the temptation to unmask myself to him. Instead, I lied-by-omission, "I'm a very powerful sensor. I can feel the world around me and see things that are hidden, including what's inside that seal of yours. Now, if that's all you wanted to know..."
Naruto shook his head. "Kurama wanted to talk to you."
"... A bijū... wants to talk with me. Well, at the risk of being squished by a very angry, very big fox, why not? I assume you're not going to just summon him out here."
Instead, Naruto offered his hand. "Just grab my hand. Kurama will do the rest."
I hesitated. This would be his chakra directly interacting with my own. Naruto wasn't acting like this was a trap, but early Kurama was very hateful. I couldn't exactly trust him, right?
My curiosity got the better of me. Relenting, I grabbed his hand, then splashed as my feet landed in the water.
I blinked. My mind rebooted from the sudden change.
That was fast. That was really fucking fast. The only obvious change to myself that suggested I hadn't just been teleported, was that despite my byakugan suddenly being deactivated, I could still see through the mask on my face. It made sense; I was now in the sewer of Naruto's mind, and he couldn't possibly understand what the world looked like through a byakugan.
In front of me, Kurama lounged on his side in a pose that was a cross between that of a canine and that of a human. He looked basically how he'd been drawn in the series, with one notable exception: Kurama was most definitely an anatomical male.
Holy fuck, go away furry macro fetish. Now is absolutely not the time for you. Stupid brain-between-the-legs. "You're not what I expected," I said.
"And you're the first person to react to my presence with arousal," Kurama replied, clearly amused.
I looked down at myself. Shit, I had a boner. I mean, I almost always had a boner considering the whole double puberty thing, but having one now was just ridiculous.
"It is remarkably refreshing not to be looked at with fear or defiance," the massive bijū said. "A shame it had to be you who sees in that way."
"Oh?" It was hard not to be offended by that. "And might I ask why I'm the problem?"
"My brat, Naruto, was just starting to trust me. He came to me, not long ago, desperate for any comfort. I earned his trust and gave him gifts, some of which I... neglected to tell him about. In exposing them, you hurt him and, by extension, his trust in me," Kurama explained.
"I really don't like having my mind influenced," I countered. I didn't need my byakugan to see the annoyed twitch of Kurama's tails. They all drooped at the same time, stilled, and then went back to their usual waving. "You don't either, I'm guessing."
"What I've done is hardly mind control. I don't care what you think," he growled. But he must have, or he wouldn't have defended himself, I figured. "All I care about is you staying out of my host's business, or else."
"Well, that was the plan. My orders were to avoid contact whenever reasonably possible," I said. "But if you don't mind, what is the 'or else' you had in mind?"
Much to my horrified surprise, his hand-paw shot through the bars and snatched my ethereal form, dragging it into the cell. I screamed. The bijū pinned me to the floor with a single, massive finger-claw. "The seal protects Naruto from me. You? You're fair game. And while I can't harm you physically, I sure as hell can torment you in other ways. And just think, that bloodline of yours accelerates your perception of time based on how much chakra you have. If, hypothetically, I gave you a bit of mine..." He leaned over me, his breath hot and rancid on my skin. "You'd be stuck in here for a very long time."
He withdrew his claw, allowing me to stand once more. "Right," I agreed hastily, "No messing with Naruto. Who you apparently want to have a harem. Why?"
"I can feel what he feels," Kurama explained. "I have been imprisoned for a very long time in two jinchūriki who didn't have the same anatomy as me. I need this. And if the brat just so happens to get some much-needed love at the same time, who am I to complain? He's already a far better host than my previous ones."
"Well, if you need relief," my mouth began. My eyes widened. What was I saying?! No, mouth! STHAP! "We could always, you know..."
No.
Why, mouth?
Why did you betray me?!
...
I just propositioned to the Kyūbi for sex. I am so dead. I am so very dead.
...
Why hasn't he squashed me yet? Why hasn't he said anything?
I opened my eyes again. Kurama's staring at me, a snarl forming on his lips.
No. That's not a snarl. That's a grin.
A deep rumbling filled the seal's cavernous chamber — Kurama's laughter. "You! Never has a human entertained me so! Hah! Don't be ridiculous."
Blushing furiously, I replied, "As much as I'm mortified that I actually suggested it, I... wasn't actually joking. I'm... yeah, I'm just going to go now."
"You amuse me, Kaminyojin Kenta. I might just take you up on that offer one day," Kurama laughed. "But until then..."
Then, just as abruptly as I'd been drawn into his mindscape, I was free once more. Still blushing, I looked at Naruto. "Were you listening to that?"
"Nope, couldn't hear a thing," Naruto answered. He seemed honest about it too. "What did you talk about?"
"Mostly private stuff. He didn't want me bothering you, but, ah, I think we sort of became friends. Maybe?"
That seemed like the right thing to say, for Naruto's face bloomed into a brilliant smile. "Kurama's a bit of a jerk. He didn't tell me what he did to me and now everybody is mad at me for messing with their heads, but I think he means well. It's good that you two are friends. Maybe we can be friends as well."
Oh, Naruto, stay innocent. Blush finally fading, I cleared my throat. "Well, um, let's get back to our teams."
"Right!"
"What was that about?" Katsumi asked as I rejoined them.
"Err... I'll tell you later. It was a bit strange. Now, the test..."
My cousin handed me a paper. "The proctor handed out these waivers and gave us thirty minutes to read and sign them before we can get our scroll," she informed me.
I took it and read through it quickly. It was standard stuff, no liability, blah blah blah. The interesting bit was that in signing it, you basically surrendered your human right to life to the other examinees for the duration of the test — the duration being however long it took you to exit. It was carefully worded, but it effectively gave carte blanche to kill, even if there were preliminaries.
If I happened to have given my signature a little bit more flourish than usual, it had nothing to do with me being excited to kill. That said, I must admit, I had murdered before, even in my first life. I swear it was justified, but I must confess, killing thrilled me like nothing else before, and nothing else since. (Well, except for propositioning a bijū, but that's in a category all on its own.) Oh, I knew it was a horrible thing, and I hated myself for liking it, but...
And I mean, nobody forced me to become a soldier for hire, nobody insisted I become the world's best sniper. Maybe that's the reason I don't give a fuck about love and why I didn't mourn the loss of my old family.
You know, I'm not really a religious person, but maybe there was a reason I fell into the ssʎqꓯ. I'm about 80% sure that's not why, but the thought lingers...
Anyway, with the forms signed, we were allowed to trade for our scroll. I jotted down which teams had which scrolls and where we were set to enter the Forest of Death from. Unfortunately, it seemed we had only Earth scrolls like us on either side of us, so we'd have to travel a bit to find a good team to fight.
And speaking of fighting... "A question for the two of you: while I will do the utmost to ensure you win, how hard should I fight in the beginning?"
"What do you mean?" Katsumi asked. In her hand, she held one of the numerous small rocks she was charging with her explosives chakra. Thanks to an application she'd found with her other bloodline, this one would explode into lightning, not fire.
"I'm fairly sure that with some of my larger cannons, I could fire one shot that smashes us a tunnel from here to the tower, but it would utterly drain me. Or, I could merely fight with just my bow and line of sight. The battles would be harder, but we'd neither give up our position and it would give you two an opportunity to fight. Hell, I could even completely back off and let you two do everything, only swooping in to save you at the last minute if something goes wrong."
Which it probably would.
"Obviously, I would love to minimize risks and expedite your exams, but this is meant to be a test of your skills." I faced each of them in turn. "I can't in good conscience steal this opportunity from you. What do you say?"
The two of them turned to each other. Once again, a silent conversation passed between them, one that I could read well enough but didn't act upon until they spoke aloud. "Kenta, we would like to do this test ourselves, with two exceptions. We would like to use your eyes, and we would like you to interfere only in dire situations," Katsumi declared.
"And you're in agreement with Katsumi, Takeshi?"
He nodded and gave me two thumbs up.
"Then I will protect you if you need it, and otherwise let you fight for yourselves." I bowed a little bit. "And on a more personal note, I think that decision will reflect well on your reputation in the eyes of Lord Ay."
"There's that," Katsumi acknowledged, "but mostly we want a good fight."
"Well, if you want a good fight," I began, simultaneously tallying up everyone I could see from our gate, "Here are your options..."