~ A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy Forever ~
A hand closed a dusty old book with a resounding *thwack.
Naruto looked down at the rather interesting documentation. It should've just been a myth but all the names were scribbled out as if someone was trying to hide information.
He let out a chuckle. 'I really should focus more on my studies.' He thought. He really should have considered his exams were close. Nonetheless he kept the book on its shelf in his room and sat down on his bed.
He couldn't believe how fast the past four years had passed. He was now 8 years old, turning 9 in a few days.
Nothing too much out of the ordinary had happened. However, he was growing fast. Physically, Emotionally and Socially. While he still refused to talk to his mother, his relationship with his sister was being described as adorable by his father. It was mostly due to his habit of doting on her every move. Nonetheless, his sister didn't mind so he wasn't going to stop doing it anytime soon. His relationship with his father was as strong as always.
But other than family, he had made significant progress with his only friend, Satsuki Uchiha. They had much to bond over, considering that they had many things in common.
Both were considered prodigies, both had a father that pushed them and both were discriminated against. Only in Naruto's case it was the majority of the civilian populace and his own mother, in Satsuki's case it was his entire clan, excluding her family and a few others.
Moving onto more cheerier matters, while he and Satsuki were both qualified to pass the normal course at 7 - like her brother - they had stayed for two extra years in order to finish the advanced course. The advanced course wasn't taken by many students as it was mainly used in war times and had a requirement of needing a jounin who was willing to not only teach but also undertake the child as an full time squad mate and an apprentice.
The advanced course was different from the beginning of the academy. You were told to choose between the shinobi fields. The student could choose any three field courses, one field specialization, one weapon specialization and was forced to take taijutsu.
First, the students must choose which taijutsu style(s) they want to learn.
For Satsuki, it was her clan's interceptor fist style. For Naruto, he wanted two styles. He would become a master of both and create a new one. The two styles were the hummingbird style and the Goken style. He also wanted to learn the Frog Kumite but it wasn't an option.
Second was the optional courses.
Satsuki chose to go with ninjutsu, genjutsu and advanced shurikenjutsu. She was already proficient in all three and was suited for those fields due to her talents and the sharingan. Naruto instead decided on Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu and advanced trap making. His choice was a bit odd but considering that he thought of Jiraiya as a role model, it made sense. He had high reserves which already made him extremely suitable for ninjutsu and he also had an extreme aptitude for fuinjutsu.
Third, came the field specialization. Satsuki chose that she wanted to specialize in frontline combat which was thought provoking. Because while she would - in the future - have the skills required, their teachers thought that she was more suited for a more subtle specialization like scout. Satsuki however decided that she would stick with her own choice. Naruto's choice was also quite odd. He had chosen to specialize in spying. Spy, was an extremely odd choice as barely a couple of ninjas ever even thought about it and fewer succeeded.
As he was thinking about paying a visit to his family's training ground, he was brought out of his thoughts when his sister shouted out his name.
"Nii-chan, come down please! Tou-san just went for his work!"
Naruto sighed. He really wanted to train. His exam was in just a few weeks. Nonetheless, he couldn't leave his sister alone. Getting up, he opened his closet and responded -
"I'll come down in a few minutes, Rin! Don't go anywhere and stay put!"
"Alright !"
~
Naruto looked in his room's mirror as he finished clothing himself.
He wore a cream t-shirt with an Uzumaki spiral on the front, an orange jacket with black stripes and baggy grey shinobi pants. Simple yet presentable.
Naruto grabbed his textbook to study for his theoretical exams and started heading downstairs. As he was walking down the stairs, he heard - what seemed to be - a conversation. This confused him. He thought there was no one at home. Maybe his mother had returned. She was due to return today.
If that was the case then he was glad he had properly dressed himself. He could say goodbye to his sister and go to train for some time to clear his mind. As the voices seemed to get louder he focused his ears to listen to the voices.
/
"So mister, what are you doing here ? Tou-san isn't home right now."
"Well, I'm not here to speak with your Tou-san. I'm here to speak with you and maybe your brother. Say, would you like to play with me ?"
"Yeah! What would you like to play ?"
"Hmmmm... How about shinobi ? You like playing shinobi ?"
"Yeah! Let's play!"
"Sure! just let me take out my kunais and shu-"
/
Naruto was extremely scared now. Had his father sent a shinobi to take care of his sister ? But surely his father would've told him if he was sending a shinobi. However, as Naruto listened on, his suspicion grew until he finally heard the man say -
"Sure! just let me take out my kunais and shu-"
Instantly, alarms went off in Naruto's head. Not even thinking, he dropped his textbook and ran downstairs and straight into the living room to see a sight that sent shivers down his spine.
There on the couch, was a shinobi in a red outfit with a headband that had a distinct symbol on it. The symbol of rocks, the symbol of the village hidden in stone, Iwagakure. To make it worse, his younger sister was there with the enemy ninja, sitting beside him playing with a kunai.
As soon as the ninja saw him, he grabbed
Naruto's sister and held her roughly in an uncomfortable grip with a kunai to her neck.
"You're hurting me mister! Please stop!" Rin said, struggling against the stranger's grip.
"Shut up you brat! If you keep whining you're going to find a kunai lodged through that throat of yours!" The stranger threatened.
"Hey! Look, leave her alone! Whatever you want, you leave her out of it! She's innocent!" Naruto shouted at the stranger.
"Shut your mouth, you ungrateful turd! Do you even know what that murderer you call a father did! He killed hundreds of people in less than a minute but they weren't just people. They were fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters and cherished friends and comrades! And your bastard of a father murdered every single one of them mercilessly! What crime had they committed? Fighting to protect their own country? Fighting to protect their comrades? Fighting to protect their family? Just like your father hurt my father, I will hurt you and your sister! I will slaughter you in the most painful way imaginable and leave behind your corpses! In this world of cruelty, no one is innocent !" The stranger shouted with intense emotions as his eyes filled with tears of anger. The stranger whipped out a kunai and held its edge at his sister's throat.
"Look, I don't know exactly what my father did to you but don't hold my sister accountable for crimes that my father committed! She's innocent! For god's sake she is only four years old!" Naruto managed to muster out. At this point it was extremely hard for him to hold in his anger. His anger was like an ugly beast, rearing its head and begging to be free of its bindings.
"You want to know what her crime is ? Being born to that murderer, that is her crime. And as the judge I declare her guilty! The punishment shall be death!"
Without warning, the stranger drew back his kunai before readjusting it to his sister's neck. The stranger looked at him, giving him a maniacal grin, before applying force to the kunai he was holding. Slowly but surely, the kunai dug into his sister's neck drawing blood. The crimson liquid seemed to dramatically drip down the blade of the kunai onto the floor, staining both, the carpet and Naruto's world, red.
As he saw the stranger's blade draw his sister's blood, Naruto snapped.
Whatever part of him was keeping his anger restrained was no longer of any use. He felt an unfamiliar feeling stir within his gut. He didn't know if it was a metaphorical manifestation of his anger or some sentient being was living within his gut but whatever it was it seemed to fuel his anger. Hot, red anger burned within his veins. His vision was no longer accessible. All he saw was red and the bare trace of the stranger. A voice inside him seemed to echo with power, bellowing in animalistic fury ordering him to -
'kill, kill, kill, kill, Kill, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL ,KILL ,KILL ,KILL, KILL !'
Naruto's eyes changed to blood red, his pupils becoming slits and his body became covered with foul chakra.
'Give in to your rage!'
'Let your hate run rampant!'
'Don't fight it!
'Just let go!'
Naruto was no more. Now, there was only his fury.
Without warning, Naruto jumped towards the stranger, grabbing him and throwing him before he could react. He gently placed his sister on the couch, as warning bells went off in his mind. He turned around just in time to see dozens of kunai coming his way. Seeing his sister unconscious besides him, he didn't even think before acting according to instinct.
He let the kunais pierce him, causing his body to look like a pincushion. It didn't matter to him. Whatever harm may come, he would never allow it to hurt his sister. Turning around to look at the stranger, his eyes narrowed into a predatory gaze. Looking into the stranger's eyes, he charged. With speed surpassing that of a 9 year old, he rushed forward, grabbing the man once more and running straight through the walls onto their backyard, the kunais sticking out of his body falling off in a rather gruesome display.
However before he could do anything else, the stranger pulled out a tanto and stabbed him in his stomach. Blood fell out like an endless fountain as the man retracted his sword. Then he stabbed again and again and again and again.
"Die!" The stranger shouted, seeming to enunciate his words by stabbing Naruto.
By this point Naruto's body was bleeding out rivers of blood. However, It didn't seem to affect Naruto at all. All stab wounds were instantly healing, with the only reminder of them being the red steam that was being released from Naruto's wounds. The stabbing only seemed to anger Naruto further.
The stranger - realising his attacks were bearing no fruit - jumped back to create some distance.
"YOU! YOU DARE COME INTO MY HOME AND THREATEN MY SISTER AND THEN TRY TO RUN AWAY! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL RIP OUT YOUR HEART AND FEED IT TO YOU!"
"We'll see about that won't we, brat!"
The stranger smirked and before Naruto could even think to move, the stranger ran through a series of handsigns -
"Doton : Doryuudan no jutsu (Earth style : Earth dragon blast)"
Just as he finished his handsigns, a dragon made of mud and rocks rose out of the ground and charged at Naruto.
Time seemed to slow down for Naruto, as the entire world around him slowed down. Even in anger, Naruto knew he couldn't stop the attack heading his way. Even with whatever boost of power he was getting the earth dragon would grievously injure him. Accepting his fate, he closed his eyes and braced for impact.
/
However, instead of darkness, he was greeted with the vision of a sewer-like room. In front of him was what looked like a cage. The cage was in rather bad quality, as the blood red chakra that seemed to be present in the atmosphere had corroded the bars. Before he could ponder further, a single red eye opened.
Hate. Anger. Fury. Despair.
All of it swirled together in a toxic mixture only to be ingrained into the eye of whatever it belonged to. It was as if he was looking in the eyes of Death itself. The creature's gaze seemed to turn his knees to jelly and make his throat dry.
"Are you going to lay down your life just like that? I thought you were puny meat bags that fought to live? Has the definition of humans changed in the time I was trapped?" the eye spoke with a surprisingly low yet deep voice.
"What?" It was the only thing Naruto was able to force out of his mouth. Internally, he was questioning his own sanity. Why was he talking to a giant floating eye that looked like it could make shinobi veterans soil themselves?
"Bah! I'm just kidding! As if you humans could ever stop being annoying. It's ingrained in you as hate is in me. So tell me brat, why the hell are you so eager to lay down your life? Life problems? Hahaha! Nonetheless, my dear jailor, seeing as you've come to my humble abode, tell me, what is it you truly desire? Power? Fame? Family ? Whatever it is I assure you I have enough power to fulfill it! Anything you could ever want could be yours. All I need, dear jailor, is an equal reciprocation of my favour. So, I ask you again, What Is It You Truly Desire?"
"Power. You can control my body for all I care. All I ask is you kill the stranger and protect my sister. I'll give you whatever you ask but all I ask is you fulfill my wish."
"Yes! I can smell your despair! Of course I'll fulfill it! Tell me now, what do you offer? Your life?"
"Anything you want. I don't know how to come back here, but kill my enemies and my life is yours!"
"Very well, brat. I end your enemy and in exchange, you owe me a favour. I'll decide when to call in the favour but remember that you are now in my debt. You've 'made a deal with the devil' as you humans say. Farewell for now. I'm sure we'll be meeting again soon enough!"
Just as the eye finished speaking it moved towards Naruto. And for the first time in his short life Naruto felt absolute fear.
A giant Fox with nine even bigger tails behind him. The fox was easily 300-350 metres while on all fours. Its tails seemed to be as tall as 600 metres. The fox had the most cruel grin on his face as if he was about to massacre some humans. It opened its giant maw and roared loudly.
/
Naruto's eyes snapped open. He looked to see where the stranger was when he noticed something wet staining his entire body. His clothes were dredged in a crimson liquid substance he was all too familiar with. Blood. His hand was sticking out of the stranger's chest. A little debris lay scattered about him.
His mind took time to process the situation at hand. Soon, he came to a conclusion. The demon fox had controlled his body and killed the stranger. Killed . As much as he would like to convince himself that it wasn't his mistake, that the man that now lay dead at his feet with a hole in his chest - courtesy of Naruto - was the one in the wrong. That the man had forced Naruto to kill him. It was self-defence. He felt a wave of nausea wash over him. Naruto was disgusted with himself.
His train of thoughts broke as he felt pain erupting from his body. Looking down at his body, while there seemed to be no physical injuries, it seemed that using a demon's powers hadn't been the ideal choice. His entire body was screaming in pain and there were black marks on his arms that branched off, much like his veins. Or his Chakra network.
His entire body shook in pain as he tried to keep himself awake. It didn't work.
Just like that, Naruto collapsed.
~
"How are you feeling, Naruto?"
He was brought to consciousness by his father's words of concern. Looking around, his eyes were still adjusting to the bright lights in the room he was currently in. He was probably in a hospital, if the white room and the bright lights were to be believed. Testing his capability to speak, he coughed a few times. Seeing as his throat seemed to be in adequate condition, he spoke.
"I'm fine, Otou-san."
"Good! I didn't know what exactly happened and I won't prod you for details but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need anyone to confide in." Minato said, with a gentle smile on his face.
"Of course, Otou-san. How is Rin?" Naruto asked, a concern for his sister present in his voice.
"Rin is completely fine. Thank you, Naruto. I want you to know that you did a great thing by protecting your sister but if you and Rin are ever in trouble I want you to come straight to me. Don't engage in whatever threat may come."
"I understand, Tou-san. I know it was recklessly but the shinobi held a kunai to her neck and I couldn't bear to see it."
"Obviously, I understand Naruto but don't ever do anything like that again. You don't know how worried I was when I got the news of your injuries. Also, I want you to know that you aren't alone. In the few days you were in the hospital, other than myself a few classmates of yours, Sandaime-sama, Satsuki and even Itachi came to visit you. Heck, even Jiraiya-sensei came in after a few days of getting the news."
"Yes, of course. By the way, where is Rin? Am I to assume she didn't come to visit me because she is resting?" Naruto asked, albeit with a light tone.
Minato's eyes darkened slightly, as he seemed to age just thinking about something.
"She is... Kushina is taking care of her. She took a few days of leave and is at home nursing your sister."
"I see. It is only natural for a mother to want to take care of her own child."
Even though Naruto was smiling it didn't quite seem to reach his face. Minato could only sigh. It was only logical for Naruto to be upset. Kushina had never done anything of the kind for him. Sometimes, he wondered if he made the right decision letting Kushina be around Naruto.
"Look Naruto, like I said I'm here for you. No matter what."
"Of course, that is what family is for is it not?"
This time when Naruto smiled, Minato knew that it was real. And for that moment, It was the only thing that mattered.
Sooo...
What do ya think ?
I'm sorry if the chapter seems a bit rushed, but it kinda is.
Starting next week I have back to back exams. So, I probably won't have much time to write.
Btw, this chapter has three references. One of a video game, one is of a poem and the other of a tv show.(Hint: two of them are in the conversation between Naruto and Kurama and the third is in the title) If anyone can correctly guess them they will get a shoutout in the next chapter.
Bye.
