Chapter XX
A Nightmare followed by Thunderstorms
The next few days, the Copy Ninja continued to see the sapphire-eyed boy at twilight. Kakashi and Shikamaru were busy finding other playful puzzles to occupy his mind, but also to test different facets of his mental faculties. At each of his visits, Kakashi offered the object to his student then nourished him with his chakra before leaving. He stayed longer and longer in the cage and buried his nose in one of his books most of the time while the object in question overwhelmed the teenager's attention despite a non-existent and worrying concentration; he gazed more at the void or looked at the grey while wagging his tail or his leg. Nevertheless, to their surprise, Naruto solved them all with flying colours. The more he was put to the test, the more the time dedicated to solving them thinned out, to the point that Shikamaru came to wonder if Naruto had always had this level of intelligence in him and that he hardly tried to exploit it. He was cunning, sure, but thinking had never been his forte until now. Was it boredom that drove him to reveal new abilities? Or was something motivating him? They couldn't be certain. However, they were happy with Naruto's progress.
Shikamaru was the first to note that it was cooler than usual in the cell although the heaviness of it persisted. In addition, Kakashi had noticed that the blond's skin had stopped being hot and was gradually returning to a normal temperature. They put this strange phenomenon on the back of his physical recovery. Naruto's wounds had completely healed, including the one to his lower abdomen. As Kakashi had suspected, it had marked him with a scar. Since the stitches used were melting, he didn't need to remove them. Not only that, but his skin was regaining colour and his thinness seemed less sickly. Slowly, the teenager was getting back on his feet.
To the misfortune of the Copy Ninja, his fears had turned out to be true. Naruto was letting go of his shyness and was developing a growing and overwhelming attachment to him, constantly trying to touch him in some way. Sometimes he stared at him for too long minutes, making him very uncomfortable. And the more the days passed, the more the man with heterochromic irises suffered shocks of static electricity on contact. Not only did he startle often, but the recurrence increased, to the point that it was not normal… However, unable to find any explanation for this strange phenomenon, he shrugged even though the sudden jolts were unpleasant. Things said, as soon as the sapphire-eyed teenager got a little too pushy with him, it was Kakashi's cue to feed him before leaving. Of course, he had to promise him he would return in order to reassure him since Naruto prevented him from leaving, thus betraying an anxiety disorder due to the separation.
At this, they sought to expand Naruto's social circle in an effort not to let this attachment disorder get any worse. In order not to rush him or increase his stress, they limited themselves to the presence of Shikamaru, beyond the bars. Despite attempts to introduce him, the feral teenager still showed aggression and clung to Kakashi fiercely. However, he would eventually display some curiosity after a few minutes and that time would get shorter each time. This improvement had started when Kakashi stayed with Naruto when the other boy went out and that, they had understood it rather quickly. Obviously, the blond didn't like the two of them leaving together.
The last visit had been relatively positive despite Naruto's eternal distrust of him; he hadn't greeted him with a growl, his hair no longer stood on end, and he was content with loud hisses that betrayed his bad mood. If Shikamaru talked with him, Naruto would arch his back and turn his head while loudly grunting, clearly demonstrating his non-existent desire to exchange with him. His behaviour infuriated the two shinobis.
As long as Naruto refused to open up to Shikamaru, it was futile to attempt to introduce him to someone new.
During this week, Naruto was making progress, sometimes by leaps and bounds, sometimes by ants' steps.
At least things were moving forward…
By late afternoon, true to his internal clock, Naruto was asleep. He was dreaming … but his slumber was restless. His breathing was rapid and many beads of sweat slid on his forehead. Frowning, the boy changed position again and again without stopping. He groaned. He clutched his chest in an attempt to silence the pain that was overwhelming him. Another more acute one pushed him to tighten his neck until piercing his skin with his claws before curling up in a feudal position. His groans intensified. His breathing raced as he was possessed by jolts.
The teenager was aflame with pain.
With violence, Naruto woke up with a scream. He was sweating so much that he was completely drenched with his own bodily fluids. His breath couldn't find the slightest calm and his bulging eyes gazed into the infinite void. Voices, sounds of nightmares no longer left his ears, even as he clapped his hands over them in the hope of silencing them. Instead of this comfortable bed, he was on a cold, hard surface that made him feel as if he was sitting on thousands of needles. Unable to stay there a second longer, he left it, falling to the ground. He then found himself in the middle of the cage, on his knees, his back bent.
Naruto looked around. He saw the walls closing on him. More and more, they came closer to suffocate him as his body became tiny. He was gasping although each of his inspirations did not bring air into his empty lungs; the blond was asphyxiating under his own breath as he watched helplessly this entire room devoured him into oblivion. The clothes on his skin lacerated him, his hair pierced him and the sweat burned him…
A tear left the azure eye which darkened with despair.
In a howl of agony, the boy's hair—instead of igniting on fire—became electrified with a bluish white whose gleams of lightning swirled over his head, the fur at the end of his ebony tail took on an identical appearance. In this burst of chakra that escaped from his body, devastating lightning mixed with this destructive torrent that immersed the place in a chaotic light, lacerated the stone and pulsed through all the pores of his skin. All this created a hellish musical orchestra similar to a song of thousands of dying birds.
Energy currents mingled with the electrical system and messed with the weak balance; the bulb burst, the mechanism of the cameras exploded and the locks also jumped. This noise, the noise of the latches, Naruto had heard it.
In a rage engendered by panic and the most terrible fears, the feral teenager threw himself on the entrance of the jail to strike it with all his strength amplified by a phenomenal quantity of chakra. The opening slipped off its hinges and crashed against the crumbling wall. For the first time since his captivity, Naruto was able to step outside of this hell. From then on, a single abstract thought overwhelmed his brain circuits.
Get out.
Leave.
Run away.
Unable of reason, continuing to project his uncontrolled lightning seeming to possess a will of its own, Naruto reserved the same treatment for the second, much heavier door. Unlike the other, this one withstood the violent shock although it was hanging by a thread now. A cloud of dust rose and blinded his mad eyes. Not caring and obeying his instincts, Naruto rushed blindly. However, after a few steps, his whole body was paralyzed and refused to obey him. His shining irises focused on the cause of this petrification which made his blood boil with anger.
In front of him was this other human to whom he had deigned to give the benefit of the doubt.
Shikamaru was holding him captive with his Kagemane no Jutsu and only two metres separated the two teenagers. Horrified, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Confusion and questions began to torment him. Instead of flames, Naruto fired many lightning bolts in all directions that struck and marked the surroundings in their wake like sharp blades while restrained by his shadows. In addition, his hair and his tail suffered the same phenomenon of electricity. How and why? Naruto mastered the fire release and not lightning, but above all, he continued his ravages despite his technique of immobilization.
Behind him were the two Anbu members responsible for guarding the entrance, but being at the post to repel outside threats, they had little idea what to do against this blistering light show.
"What the heck are you doing?!" Shikamaru grumbled. "Get me reinforcements and Kakashi! I'm not going to last very long!"
They nodded before obeying the orders given by the teenager. Indeed, as he had told them, Shikamaru was quickly exhausted and struggling to contain Naruto who was demonstrating exceptional strength. By this very fact, his hands joined together under the seal of the rat were already victims of tremor.
The sapphire-eyed boy managed to take a step closer to him, briefly raising his palms ready to claw. His wild grunts sent a shiver of dread through the other, beading out a cold sweat. He feared what would happen once the technique was broken; he could only wait for reinforcements as he faced the rampaging beast alone.
Shikamaru was forced to use the Kage-Kubishibari no Jutsu to restrain him more tightly. Shadow hands of pure black drew over Naruto's body and wrapped around him who struggled even more fiercely. Given his condition and his crazy eyes, it was useless to try to reason with him, he was aware of that; only Kakashi could do that anyway. He did not know the nature of the nightmare that had plunged him into this state, but he suspected that it must be linked to the ghosts of his past responsible for his traumas and his amnesia.
Seeing him gasping for breath, Naruto moulded a greater amount of chakra to once and for all break through the strange shackles that was paralyzing him. Once free, he focused on his objective again and rushed off without worrying about the teenager—something that the other noticed. Shikamaru got in Naruto's way, ready to stop him and contain him until the damn reinforcements deigned to take over.
In response, Naruto braked. As their irises plunged into each other's and hearts beat in a similar rhythm, Naruto took advantage of this moment to do a leg crunch with his thin, nimble tail. As he did, his adversary—taken by surprise—tumbled, but the lightning licked his flesh before numbing his muscles. On his back, paralyzed for a breath, he saw the feral boy avoid him to continue on his way…
Determined not to let him slip through his fingers, Shikamaru rolled over onto his stomach and grabbed Naruto's tail briskly despite the pain and numbness the electricity produced as it penetrated his biological circuitry. This sudden grab was enough to knock Naruto off balance and make him fall. His face hit the ground as Shikamaru let out groans of pain. His whole arm was suffering from tinglings and no longer responded to him; at that, he was struggling to mould his equally useless chakra.
"Fuck," he swore to himself.
As Shikamaru recovered with difficulty, he saw Naruto on all fours staring at him with his rotten eyes of anger while growling. However, as the crazy electric current continued at the same intensity, those energy swords scourging all around evaded him although they brushed against him dangerously. The youngster understood that Naruto was not trying to hurt him or give him another shock that could be devastating for the proper functioning of his organs.
Naruto managed to recognize Shikamaru.
The teenager with dark irises was convinced of it.
Naruto was still conscious despite those feral instincts.
While looking at him aggressively, the blond got up and was about to turn on his heels to continue his escape… However, he was immobilized again. This time, a large and powerful wood wrapped around his body, legs, arms, and tail, so much that he couldn't move his head. Once more, Naruto struggled like his life depended on it, unleashing his lightning even more.
Reinforcements four in number had just arrived. Among them, Shikamaru recognized one of the two Anbu members and Yamato. Like the young shinobi before him, Team Seven's alternate had difficulty containing the unrecognizable teenager, much more so than when he was in his miniature fox form.
The artificial storm that Naruto created was of such violence that the ninjas could not approach or do anything, even come to the help of Shikamaru unable to get up… Rather, they did not know that he remained deliberately immobile. Although Naruto was raging more and more, his lightning bolts continued to narrowly avoid him; he feared he would be hurt if he moved, and drained of his chakra, he would only get in the way of the others.
With his brute strength and his use of lightning release, Naruto began to smash through the wood, letting out a shrill and horribly high-pitched howl. This inhuman, eardrum-ripping scream was so excruciating and painful that everyone was forced to clasp their hands firmly over their ears in an attempt to dampen the noise stabbing their ear canals … to no avail. Tinnitus stunned them and blood flowed from their deaf ears. This general destabilization allowed the feral boy to free himself from these bonds and launch a formidable burst of chakra filled with electricity in the direction of the shinobi who were electrocuted and propelled against the stone walls.
Without further ado, Naruto leaped on the detestable human who had immobilized him with his strange powers in order to grab him by the throat to choke him. The man could not defend himself since he was still greatly stunned by the monstrous screech coming straight from the realm of nightmares uttered a few moments before; at this, he was pierced by the lightning swords, increasingly crippling his now useless body. Naruto, palm open and brandished, prepared to deliver a fatal blow with his murderous claws.
"NARUTO!"
An immobility, a missing beat and a violent awakening.
That voice, that scream… Naruto slowly lifted his head and froze. In the distance, alongside other humans, Kakashi was there, standing at the end of this corridor. Kakashi was watching him. Kakashi had come for him. Naruto convinced himself that Kakashi had come to get him out of there, to save him from those humans who meant him harm.
It was the only true truth.
In the greatest of distress, Naruto had forgotten that Kakashi was not far away as Kakashi had told him.
The nasty storm he had spawned ceased his anger. His lightning hair reverted to its soft, spiky shape, as did the tip of his tail as the shine that made his sapphire eyes hypnotic faded. As his breath rumbled in the same way as the tremors took over his whole being, without taking his eyes off Kakashi, Naruto rushed to join him. In his frantic race, he almost tripped several times. Then, Naruto jumped on him to hug him.
Kakashi arched his back when the feral boy lunged at him, nearly losing his balance in the process. Upon contact, the Copy Ninja received an electric shock that made him shudder. He noticed that his student could not help but shaking like a leaf shaken by strong winds and that his eyelids remained firmly closed. Like the others, he didn't know how to react and was petrified on the spot for a few moments. A thousand and one questions swirled in his mind about what he had just seen, however, for now he could only worry and focus on the shocked teenager who was crushing him more and more in his embrace.
Mechanically, Kakashi embraced Naruto back and tried to run one of his hands in the mane more dishevelled than ever. Yet, no matter where he wanted to touch him, he suffered mild shocks; the blond was enveloped in a veil of static electricity that hardly seemed to leave him now. It was then that Naruto began to sob louder and louder until it became loud crying and his tears flooded the dark-blue clothes. The Copy Ninja ignored these unpleasant shocks, and in response stroked the upset boy's head.
"It's going to be alright, Naruto. It's over, I'm here. You don't have to worry anymore," he reassured him tenderly.
Naruto buried his face deeper in Kakashi's arms as his ebony tail gently wrapped around them, tightening the comforting embrace that drove away the pain that had drowned him in the darkness of despair.
Hellow! A few short words from the author!
I hope this story continues to pique your interest! This chapter closes the first book or the first act, as you prefer. Of course, the story is still at its beginning. The second act, with a very different atmosphere, will begin with the next chapter.
Thank you for your valuable reviews that give me a boost of motivation
