Chapter One: War Upon the Rainfather
Kisame was not normally one to admire the outdoors. It was in his nature to always be moving from one spot to the next, eagerly searching for a great foe to test his metal against. Here, however, on this island, it's such a paradise that even a jaded man like him couldn't overlook its serene beauty. Eden was what Naruto named it, after some ancient fable's mythical paradise that had long been forgotten by most.
There was a stillness here that relaxed him. All around him, white cherry blossoms fell like lazy snowflakes in gentle yet pronounced winds. Those falling petals were the only indication of time, sluggish as it was, slowly drifting on air currents, fluttering around aimlessly. All around him was pure green grass with patches of white petals and flecks of vibrant pink and purple flowers blooming like eyes peeking through a bush. The trees were dark, with bony branches sagging with excess blossoms.
He looked so out of place here, his thick black and red cloak like a blotch of ugly color against a masterpiece landscape. Naruto obviously spent great amounts of time tending to the island's flora; gardening had always been a hobby of his.
Kisame walked in the paradise forest for over an hour, all of it spent in comfortable silence, simply taking in Eden's beauty. Animals were few and far between, and the incessant droning of insects was mercifully sparse. All that was left was the gentle hum of the wind, the slightest cracking of twigs, and the crunching of grass and pebbles. Even his thoughts seemed more muted than normal. It was no wonder Naruto picked this island to hide from the world; this island was so isolated and naturally protected that not even the Five Great Nations knew of its existence.
Well, "natural" might be pushing it. While it is true Eden had a lot going for it, being a small, out-of-the-way island outside of any recognized dominion, its current guaranteed safety came from its owner. The stories of this part of the sea say ships could be pushed back or turned around by sudden currents, winding up hundreds of miles off course in areas that didn't even make sense, like they were plucked from the map and dropped wherever. It's become something of a fisherman's tale; the cursed waters hide something the gods only know.
Yes, this place was certainly protected, but not by anything natural.
Eventually, he came across a cliff. Carved stone beings framed the beginning section of stairs, diagonally zigzagging across the face of the cliff. One was a man with goat legs and a chiseled torso crisscrossed with scars and grievous battle wounds; he played a pan's flute peacefully. The other was a fair, nude woman to the waist, her snake-like torso curling around a stone base, her stomach hollowed out, as if something had burst forth from within. Both were twice as tall as men and had only faded patches of color. However old these things were, the splendor was still there. Kisame stopped at the algae-coated stone, which served as a border along the stairs. He looked down.
Here, at the center of the island, is a hole where a volcano once stood. Naruto had told him the story when he first came by. A violent eruption had blown a hole straight through the ocean and collapsed the surrounding mountains. The sea water sucked upwards, forming a giant lake capable of fitting four battleships from the northern to the southern tip and seven battleships wide. Excess water overflowed to the West, creating a modest waterfall. Its height wasn't all that special, but it was wider than any other Kisame had ever seen. By rushing-water standards, it was rather gentle.
Towards the back of the lake, to Kisame's East, was the palace. On the turquoise waters was an estate, close enough to the slope of the crater that giant pillars had enough solid floor to hold it up. A series of traditional-style buildings, some square and wide, others more rectangular and tall, capped by oversized roofs with curved edges.
The sharkman caught movement. Halfway between the palace and the waterfall was a peer-like construction with some sort of canopy at the end, one with that same distinctive style of roof. The figure was too far away to get any details on, but the long, dark-blue hair told Kisame who it was. She disappeared under the roof.
Where one was, you were sure to find the other.
His descent down the stairs began. The atmosphere of this place was so nice that he decided to enjoy the leisurely walk down without haste, taking advantage of this overcast afternoon as much as he could. He really needed to visit more often.
When Kisame began walking over the wood of the peer, he eyed the crystal waters enviously. From where he stood, all he could see were light ripples caused by the wind. He knew from experience that life teemed beneath the surface, with sea-dwelling species carving out a new home in this protected cradle. You would never know by just looking at it from above.
Just then, he noticed something: a smell, the savory taste of marinated meats roasting over a fire. It was only when the wind blew hard that he noticed. Dinner was going to be delicious.
Kisame crossed under the ornamented roof. The space was lightly decorated with carved figures and murals, a collection of fishing rods, and folded chairs on one side leaning against a desk with an assortment of drawers. Naruto and Hinata were tangled together on a wide hammock, tied to two of the six red pillars holding up the canopy. A wild mess of blond strands buried itself into the woman's chest like a pillow. One hand gently stroked and curled the hair around her fingers in idle affection, while the other held up a splayed paperback, which she read aloud softly. There was a band of gold and bronze on her ring finger.
The words stopped, and Hinata's head turned in his direction the second he crossed into the shadowed deck. She seemed curious more than surprised, but then she had probably known of his arrival for a long time now. Even by Hyuga clan standards, Hinata's observation skills were by far the keenest he'd ever seen; no doubt those feature-less eyes had seen him from the moment he stepped foot on the island. Possibly even before that.
"How's it going, lovebirds?" Hinata seemed happy in his presence. Her husband didn't move. "You know, I really am jealous of this place you guys have. If only I had the time," Kisame added with a slight, dry chuckle.
"You say that like you don't have an open invitation." Hinata placed the book's open page on a small drawer stand next to them. "Is this visit for fun or something else?"
Kisame placed a hand on his hip. "And you say that like you don't know the state of the world. I'm sure you've been peeping in on things."
"Not recently, no." Hinata's fingers kept combing through her husband's blond hair. "Looking that far away takes a lot out of me. What's going on?"
Small, beady eyes locked onto the man lounging on the hammock. "Things have been rather unstable lately, my lord. The beasts are no longer acting as they should. Several of them have split off into an enemy faction, while the rest have sided with their respective nations. Only Yagura remains true."
A voice called out to him, but there was no sound. It was a cold, knifing thought that plunged into his mind.
The Akatsuki?
"I'm afraid I'm all that's left," Kisame said with a heavy voice, only briefly losing his casual tone. "The others got a bit too wild and pushed their luck a bit too far, giving the great nations no other choice but to collectively declare them public enemy number one."
Another thought pulsed in Kisame's head in a half-second headache. He gave only a slight wince at the brief pain.
The villages?
"Strong, still unified under the banner of Shinobi. They don't have the slightest clue as to what's brewing in their own homes." He laughed, his sharp, triangular teeth briefly visible. "You could say I'm a bit too effective."
It had been Kisame's duty for many generations to keep the eight tailed beasts in line with the Nine-Tailed Fox's decrees. The Nine-Tails was the de facto leader of the nine spirits, possessing an equal amount of chakra to the other eight combined. In every incarnation, it was the one that governed how the others acted. However, it was only a matter of time before one of the ageless creatures rebelled, for one reason or another.
That was where he stepped in. Given power by a previous avatar of the fox, Kisame was his voice and his sword. It was he who tried to reason with the eight and, should the situation require it, slay them so the next incarnations could take their place. He was also the one who took over as leader during the rare instances in which a Nine-Tailed incarnation was killed. The other tailed beasts are usually reborn in just a handful of years, the variance depending on the method of their death, but the Nine-Tailed Beast, so grand is its power, takes decades at the minimum to reappear.
Over the years, Kisame has managed to keep the secrets of the tailed beasts safe from the outside world, ensuring the beasts kept their mouths shut and killing those who were too curious for their own good.
Unfortunately, things are different now. Due to the circumstances leading up to Naruto's birth, it had been well over a century since Kurama walked the earth. It is no surprise that Kisame's control over the eight waned after such a long gap. Even after Naruto was born, he could not establish his authority until he matured. In reality, Kisame has been the only one keeping everything together for nearly two hundred years.
Things had gotten so bad that Kisame had been desperate enough to go with a more radical solution. Joining a group of uniquely powerful individuals called the Akatsuki, his plan had been simple: help them in their goal to seal all nine of the tailed beasts, kill whoever remained after they got the first eight, and keep them locked up for Naruto to decide their fate when his powers fully matured.
Unfortunately, that plan failed. Many of the members were unstable and bold, drawing the eyes of the whole ninja world to them. He was the sole survivor of that organization now, and the beasts that had been captured were released back into the world. Saying they were mad about the imprisonment would be an understatement.
Finally, his head lifted from Hinata's chest. The quality of the air changed slightly; it was heavier and carried something sweet and musky with every breath. Naruto turned his eyes toward him. When contact was first made, Kisame had to resist a sinking sensation, as if those blue eyes were violent whirlpools trying to drag him under. A civilian would've dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as phantom water pooled in their lungs. It spoke volumes that Naruto could casually let his chakra seep out like that and yet Hinata was completely unaffected.
Kisame smiled. Yes, he was maturing nicely. "Finally going to speak to me in person, Rainfather? I much prefer that over the intrusive thoughts."
Naruto smiled. "How about we talk over dinner?"
…
The fire pit was a thick, circular stone structure that was wide and tall enough to be used as a makeshift dinner table. Three of the six wooden chairs were occupied, and an L-shaped lounge stuffed into a corner was used as a storage rack. Kisame had removed his robes and set aside his great sword, wrapped in bandages. The dying fire at the center of the circle warmed his blue skin, thickened by layers of muscle and exposed to the cold air.
Kisame was the oldest of three and wore his age like a proud veteran wears his scars; Naruto, meanwhile, was carved with smooth cheeks, a sharp jaw, and a round chin, looking boyish despite being in his early twenties. His blue eyes are deep with levity, optimism, and a mischievous love of spontaneity, whereas Kisame was a predator, observing his surroundings for fellow predators and prey alike. His clothing was similarly opposite to his; Naruto's jacket was loose, his dark sweatpants were baggy, and his sandals open-toed; he was about as laid-back in clothing as he was in personality.
Hinata was a soft beauty with a gentle face and nurturing soul; by far one of the kindest people Kisame had ever met. Her voluminous hair was free to fall over her shoulders, spilling down the muted pink shirt, ending just before the ankle-length skirt. She was a delicate wallflower in appearance, and her mild-mannered personality gave an unsuspecting eye the impression that she was harmless. However, those who knew Hinata well were aware of the hidden depths of her personality; the fierce intelligence and determination obscured by a delicate smile, and with powers rivaling both Naruto's and his own, this Hyuga was far more than she seemed on the surface.
Naruto was walking around them, picking up empty plates, glasses, and used silverware from the other two. The BBQ pork he had smoked for the better part of a day had filled their stomachs with delicious, tender meat literally dripping with flavor. The sides Hinata had made were gobbled up just as voraciously.
"I'll be back with the drinks," he called out while walking towards the stairs leading to his porch. This fire pit was built on a square cutout of land, close to the shoreline but far enough away to not worry about flooding, and close enough to their estate to be convenient. The pagoda-style pavilion provided decent shelter against average rainfall.
"So, Kisame,..." Hinata trailed off, trying to think of the right way to phrase her words on the spot.
"Yes, princess," he replied. The nickname was a tease of the fact that Hinata was, technically, still the heiress to the Hyuga clan. She hated that term; Kisame, and Naruto, for that matter, were the only two people in the world that could get away with calling her that.
"You wouldn't happen to have any updates on my—ya know, my clan?"
He saw right through that. "Your clan, or your parents and sister?"
"Just tell me," she pleaded, slightly embarrassed.
He got a chuckle out of that. "About the same as last time you asked. Still looking for you and all that."
He eyed her with curiosity. "If you're so curious, why not check in on them yourself? If my understanding is correct, you should be able to."
"I can only do that in certain scenarios." A faint blush colored her pale cheeks, and dull eyes looked off in some random direction. She would do anything to not look at him right now.
Kisame's lips peeled back in a toothy, lopsided grin. Well, that reaction answered a few things. "Oh, I see, so that's how it is. How amusing. If that's the case, I would've figured you to be omniscient by now."
Hinata turned cherry red and started staring at the ground in utter humiliation. Kisame couldn't resist such tempting bait. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, princess. All it means is that you get some practical benefits on top of the extra lovin'." He chuckled. If the theory of spontaneous combustion was a fact, then Hinata was on the verge of proving it.
"Careful," Naruto warned. He carried a plate of sake and three wooden cups carved into squares as he returned to the gathering. "Get her too riled up and we're both dead men," he said in a deadpan manner. Already filled with some of the alcohol, he walked to Kisame before Hinata, offering them their drinks. While Kisame casually grabbed his, Hinata nabbed hers in desperation, hoping a future buzz would kill her current embarrassment. She had it down before Naruto had taken his second step.
Kisame took a modest sip from a wooden corner. The masu enhanced the slight fruity sweetness of the chilled sake, leaving behind a warm and almost smoky aftertaste. It was nice. Naruto sat back down and took a sip himself, leaving the plate with the bottle on the rim of the fire pit. "Well," he said, raising his own masu, "care to talk business?"
Beady eyes flicked from the glow of smoldering fire to Naruto. "Number Two, Four, and Five have allied with Danjo, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth."
Hinata, already about to chug her second drink, stopped. "What?" She seemed bewildered at the idea that three-tailed beasts would join up with a Daimyo for any reason.
"They approached Yagura about it as well and asked him to join up. He told them they were insane and to never mention his name again, then contacted me, and, well, here I am now." He emptied the last of his cup in one long pour.
"Did he get any information out of it?" Hinata continued with her sip.
"Sort of." Kisame placed his masu on the stone with a clack. "He didn't get details, but he was able to infer a few things. What it comes down to is this: with your powers split, they think now is the one and only shot they have at usurping you."
Naruto was in the middle of pouring himself a second drink, and Hinata her third. "So they're going after mom too, huh?" He thought for a second. "I wonder, is my kin pulling the strings or Danjo, and what does he even get out of it?"
"I can't say I know one way or another. Those three have been in hiding for a couple years, and now I guess I know why. They've been doing everything they can to avoid my information network; the only reason we know anything now is because Yagura didn't turncoat."
There was a pregnant pause. For a chunk of seconds, the only sounds were the slight crackle of sticks in a dimming fire. Naruto was systematically running through the possible responses he could have. No matter what he came up with, however, one simple fact could not be ignored.
He turned to his wife. There was already a slight pinkness to her fair cheeks. "I'm going to have to return to the Leaf; I don't see any way around it." Hinata slid her free hand over to one of his, holding onto him like dear treasure and threading their fingers together. "I can't abandon her, knowing she's their other target. I know it's going to be hard on you, but...I'm sorry." He looked to the ground.
Hinata reached out and gently cradled a whisker-marked cheek. Their eye contact was soft and intimate. "If you were the type of man to abandon his parents, I wouldn't have married you in the first place."
Kisame looked at them with more curiosity than anything else. "Are you going to spill the secrets of the beasts?"
"Not if I can avoid it." Naruto turned back to him, his hand still holding Hinata's. "There's going to be enough drama already, even without those secrets." He spoke the next sentence with a dry, humorless sarcasm. "Don't forget, I'm the one that kidnapped the precious Hyuga heiress." Blue eyes rolled. "I'll be amazed if Hiashi doesn't try to kill me in the first minute I'm back."
Kisame laughed. "Well, if nothing else, things should be more entertaining for the next while." He rolled his neck, cracking a few joints. "Oh, before I forget, the supply drop is this weekend; should I add anything to the list?"
Naruto thought for a second as he finished his drink. "Uh, I don't think—oh yeah, actually, we do! Think you could pick up some more birth control? We're running pretty low—ow!"
A wooden cup conked him in the head. A cherry-red Hinata stared daggers at him. "What?" He pleaded, rubbing the right side of his head. "You forgot them when we were out. C'mon, he's offering!"
Hinata turned in the opposite direction, unable to look them in the eye. Naruto leaned over his chair towards Kisame, one hand shielding his mouth from a very embarrassed wife. "Add them to the list," he whispered.
Naruto got up, making a point to be as loud as he could while doing so. Hinata turned to him as he closed the distance. She squeaked when arms effortlessly picked her off the chair. Some words of protest were given, but they were promptly ignored. One arm went under her legs, securing them along with her skirt, and the other wrapped around her chest. She was positioned as if she were still sitting in her chair.
Naruto sat back down with an even more embarrassed Hinata tucked against his chest. "Hey look, I picked up a tomato!" He said it with a hearty laugh—almost a giggle, really. An elbow to his chest didn't stop the laughter. Try as she might, Kisame could still see the twitching lip of a suppressed smile; she was enjoying herself. She looked at him and, realizing her restraint wasn't enough, buried her face into the crook of Naruto's elbow.
"What a pair you two are." Kisame stood up from his chair. He walked to the outdoor couch, the one holding his folded robes and supporting Samehada.
With the hand not gripped by a humiliated wife, Naruto held up a flask, black porcelain painted with gold, by its thin neck. "Hey, are you sure you don't want to stay the night? C'mon, I've got more where this came from!"
With his cloak fully donned and his sword secured to his back, Kisame waved him down. "As tempting as the offer is, I promised Yagura I'd be back before the morning. We got some fresh blood recently, Suigetsu, and Yagura's already threatened to kill him a couple of times. Like oil and water, they are." He walked towards the stairs.
"One more thing, before you go," Naurto stopped him. His voice was serious now, but not authoritative. "That cloak—why do you still wear it? I thought you said the Akatsuki were all dead, so why hang on to that?"
Kisame looked at the burning sunset, looking for words that would say the right thing without revealing too much of himself. "The same reason why you still have his headband." He continued down the wooden steps, making it clear he wasn't going to answer anything else on the topic. "I'll be seeing you soon, Rainfather."
Alone again, Naruto and Hinata exchanged looks. "Sorry if I went too far," he said softly against her ear. "Sometimes you're just too cute to resist."
Hinata moved his arm around her neck like a scarf. "No," she mumbled against the fabric. "I know it's me; it's dumb still being afraid of people knowing we do... things. We're married, after all."
"I think our parents scarred you." The hand around her legs began rubbing her thighs, more as a form of comfort than anything else. He forced a chuckle. "Oh, the irony."
Sensing the need for a change of mood, Naruto gently tilted her head back with the arm around her neck. She moved without resistance. They looked at each other, her face still several shades of red.
There was a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I think we need a change of topics!"
Their conjoined bodies were aflame with burning chakra; Naruto and Hinata lay together on their wide outdoor lounge, bodies entwined in tender unity. They shared sweet kisses filled with passion, inflaming already raging desires. With strong hands gripping her hips, he pulls her closer to him in a reflexive movement for minutes on end, the sensations of their skin slapping together rattling Hinata's gasps of pleasure. Her back arches into a delicious C, her head resting on his shoulder, her eyes tightly sealed, teeth chewing on swollen lips to stifle her voice.
Naruto smiled, seeing her face like that. He could feel her pleasure flowing into him beyond just the physical sensations. There was no distinction between their energies anymore; one flowed into the other without a beginning or end; sensations, memories, and emotions all rode on the exchanged chakra, giving one perfect insight into the other. For Naruto, however, there was something extra.
There were only a few ways to tune oneself into natural energy. The vast majority of them nowadays do so through Senjutsu, mixing the principles of ninja arts with nature's energy to become powerful sages. There were other roads a sage could take, however. Depending on how loose your definitions of Senjutsu and sages are, the oldest method of tapping into nature energy actually predates Ninshu, from which modern Ninjutsu came.
Tantra is the oldest method humanity has to access the ubiquitous life energy that flows through the universe, much like blood through the veins of a physical body. When two bodies of opposition connect, be they male and female, passive and aggressive, positive and negative, Yin and Yang, and so on, the balance between their engines flows into the other, creating a pathway for those with experience to access nature's energy in a far more efficient and potent way. Those who reached the peak of Tantra were called either Bodhisattvas or Sages of the Void.
Void or emptiness—these describe the Nirvana the Bodhisattvas praised. They preached that it was only at the very crest of a synchronized climax between two souls that, for that instant, they had a peek into Nirvana, momentarily creating a path to harnessing energy from the Pure Lands. For that one second, their individualities melt away, much like how drops of water merge with a lake; their bodies become empty shells as their true selves become one with all for that single moment.
These Bodhisattvas were said to have great power long before the Sage of the Six Paths ever taught Ninshu; from manipulating the weather to altering the topography of a whole continent or even reshaping the constellations, they were revered as gods by ancient men and women.
Naruto wasn't a true Sage of the Void yet; he was an imperfect Bodhisattva, but he was well-versed in tantric teachings. In that split moment of sensual unity, as his wife cried out in ecstasy while her muscles jerked and stiffened, he was one with the whole island. His consciousness spread out to cover everything, from the fish in the lake to a mantis on a blade of grass three miles away and the dragonflies on a marsh; for that one instant, he was everywhere.
The coppery taste of blood stained the moment of climax. There, at the edge of his island, were two boats. In his mind's eye he saw volcanic smoke plumes in their wake, the stench of sulfur so powerful it was choking. Three dozen people held themselves within, their collective bloodlust so potent it was like walking into a rancid butcher shop. Four tail-like tendrils sprouted from one of the boats; it was eruptions along those tails that created the black smoke.
Awareness returned. Under the pagoda again, Naruto lounged on his wife's trembling back like a monkey on a tree branch; Hinata's neck was all he could see. Normally he would be holding onto her pliable curves by now, peppering her with tender kisses accentuated with feathered groping and gentle caresses. What he saw poisoned their moment of loving bliss.
Eden and its close waters were protected by a barrier, one put up by one of the past avatars of Kurama. It wasn't a simple ninjutsu of any kind, not even of Barrier or Sealing origin. The nature energy surrounding the island itself had been manipulated. It was beyond any form of chakra-derived detection or interference; nature had been bent under that ancient power, forcing the world itself to protect the island. However, there were two categories of people that could, in theory, breach it. The first are sages, their union with nature energy giving them the ability to sense its distortions and manipulate it, and there were also the Tailed-Beasts who themselves were massive conglomerations of nature energy given physical form.
The ability to slip through the barrier, coupled with the vision of four tails erupting in volcanic smoke; it had to be Son Goku, known to the humans as Roshi, leading this little assault. Given what Kisame had told him earlier, he didn't think they'd be making moves so quickly.
"Damnit," he muttered under breath, eyes wide in realization. They were close.
His wife heard that. She didn't have the energy to move her head. Through heavy breathing, she managed to gasp out a couple of words. "Something…wrong?"
"I have to go," he stuttered. "Some party crashers are about to dock at the beach." Naruto rose on his knees.
"...what?" She made a weak attempt at rising with him, but Naruto's torso nudged her back into the cushions. Naruto's physical energy was in a league of its own. Being an Uzumaki and a Jinchriki on top of that was a recipe for great physical stamina and resilience—a deadly combination just like his mother. Pushing Naruto to even more extremes was the life energy still circulating throughout his body. Even though it hadn't been for ritualistic purposes, his and Hinata's last round of sex had invigorated his body with Senjutsu, something that, being an imperfect sage, happened automatically.
"Shhh," he whispered. "This is my responsibility, so don't worry about it, 'K?" Fingers weave against fingers with gentle pressure. He spoke with a warm breath in her ear. Her body was so hypersensitive at the moment that even that made her twitch. "This won't take me long, I promise. When I get back, I'll take you back to bed and hold you the rest of the night."
Hinata found the strength to rise up on her forearms, her sweaty face flushing a bright red hue. As much of an ego boost it would be to believe that was entirely because of himself, at least some of it was the alcohol still running its course. Her tolerance was infamously low, and it would be awhile before her coordination was back to normal—another reason why he didn't want her to follow him into this fight.
"I'll hold you to that," she said. They kissed. It was a soft parting of ways, an unspoken promise to return to each other. Carefully cradling her face with one hand while the other separated from hers, Naruto lowered her cheek back onto a pillow.
After over an hour together, he finally disconnected from her; she gave a little mewl. On powerful legs, Naruto reached down to grab his forgotten jacket from the floor, giving it a few flaps to make sure it was clean, before pulling it over Hinata's shoulders. It was big enough on her to cover from neck down to her thighs like a blanket with some slack to give.
"As penansh for leaving me out here," Hinata mumbled into the pillow. "I'm topping nexcht time."
"Oh no, what terrible fate awaits me?" He smiled, giving one of her heart-shaped hips a playful spank. She insulted him, or at least he thought what she said was supposed to be an insult. It was hard to make out with the pillow in the way.
Naruto's smile bent into a grimace. His blue eyes looked off into the distance, where his vision had taken him, now glowing with an inner fire. He could smell their killing intent like hot waves of rotting meat. They were all going to pay, first for the bertayle, and now for interrupting his and Hinata's time together. How unfortunate for them, that he would be entering the fight stronger than normal.
"Come back to me, naru," Hinata muttered, making sure her voice was clearly audible this time.
Naruto's face softened with her little voice. "I'll come back, princess. That's my number one priority, I promise."
In a split-second dash he was gone, almost like a flash.
…
Two boats lazily drifted close to shore. Both raised a specific black flag flapping in rushing wind: what looked to be a bestial skull with four bony crossbones fanning out from behind. Standing on the beak one of the ships stood a figure with crossed arms, eyeing the approaching island with trepidation. On his back a scroll of sealing half as long as he was tall and thicker than his torso.
Roshi was a weathered man in red, more stone-faced than sculptures and less compromising than mountains. It was that stubbornness that set the course of his life; it was no surprise to him that he was here now, at least in theory. For the first time in decades butterflies fluttered unabated in his stomach. He always knew that, one day, he was going to break free of Kurama's will, but standing on the edge of battle with his elder brother sparked nerves like few things could, even though his power was cut in half at the moment.
Has he always been so obtuse, always this uncompromising, militant man, or was it just in this life? He couldn't remember. Right now he was Roshi, a man born to the HIdden Stone Village, but he was Son Goku, the Four-Tailed king of all monkeys first and foremost. There were fragments of previous lives, split one or two second epiphanies that gave him insight into the lives he had once lived. That was the way it was for all Tailed-Beasts; live until something kills you, be reborn years later as someone different, and start again.
Roshi stroked with his ginger beard. Most of his people were inside, but there were a few stragglers on the deck behind him, doing final inspections on the rotating kunai gun or loading cannons. In the fight to come they would be utterly useless but he decided to let them keep their routine. The only reason why they were even here was because that idiot Danjo had required it to allow this mission to proceed. Foolish daimyo, too sheltered to see just how little his money or his political power was worth in the presence of forces of nature.
Over the span of a few minutes hardened eyes watched as the stars of the night were smothered by thick storm clouds expanding outwards from the island, as if it was the thing producing them.
He recalled the rain. It was the obvious reason why Kurama was known as "Rainfather." It hadn't always been there, he knew, but he couldn't remember the specifics anymore. The most popular legend was that the fox had done something so terrible in the past that the gods refused to look him in the eye again. It was an absurdly exaggerated explanation, but after a certain amount of time, explanations became more like fables than reasons. Regardless, the source of the rain didn't matter to him, because the effects were undeniable.
There have been reports of entire villages being submerged in his unnatural rain, even turning entire deserts into wetlands. However, there was always more to the story. The rain seemed to be alive with something primal, as if the drops were distilled from pure dreams and passion. Those who were weak in body and mind and spent too much time in the rain became possessed with frenzied emotion, losing all connection to humanity and regressing to basic animals.
But that wasn't the whole story. Kurama's rain also seemed imbued with fertility. Plants and trees grew at an accelerated rate, with saplings becoming full-grown trees in a day and a handful of seeds becoming a lush garden in hours. Animals touched by the rain mated constantly, often tearing each other apart in the process. Pregnancies lasted for only a few hours, and animals gave birth to dozens of deformed infants. These mutants were often disgusting parodies of their native species, mewling and groping at anything they could reach with their vestigial limbs. They carpeted walkways and forest floors alike. Virginal girls became pregnant overnight and gave birth to similar creatures mere hours after waking, who sometimes tore themselves free with claws and teeth before escaping into the twilight.
Kurama has been given many epithets over the millenia. He was known as the "Rainfather", the "Frenzied Fox," "Bringer of Joy," "Sage of the Wild," "Nine-Tails," and "Primal One," most of all, but he still had many more lesser names depending on the region.
Normally, fighting him directly would be suicide for it would take perfect cooperation between all of the other eight to give them any real hope of clawing away victory, but he was weakened now, several times over. Now they know his newest vessel is split in two, the Yin becoming the mother known as Kushina and the Yang becoming the son known as Naruto. From all his digging, no one knows what happened. Most of Roshi's siblings didn't even seem to know that their brother's chakra had been split at all.
He knows for a fact one does know. Kisame, the little mortal brought up by Kurama many generations ago to be his pet, his enforcer. The Tailless Tailed-Beast some called him; Roshi took that as an insult, to put that fake in the same league as spirits such as them was a stain on their existence. The last straw had been his capture months ago, with Kisame attacking him unprovoked then handing him over to a group of humans to seal away. That had cemented his hatred of Kurama's executioner; he would be the one to finally burn that mortal to ash for daring to pretend to be one of them.
The island got closer and closer, and the clouds continued to swell, the wind fluttering more acutely. A shoreline of white sand was just a few minutes away. Roshi could feel something solid like a weight pressing down on him; a presence, a shadow. Kurama knew he was here.
A tendril of vibrant yellow and red sprouted from beyond the line of trees, well past the beach, the size of a radio tower. Dozens of rigid spines erupted outward across its length, from which drops of moisture held in perfect suspension. It was a gigantic Sundew, a carnivorous plant, curled into itself like a whip about to crack.
Roshi, eyes wide, yelled at his men to halt.
The plant snaps out faster than sound.
The ship next to him was cut in two in an instant. Even he had a hard time keeping track of the tendril; these men and women, ranging from chunin to mere civilians, they probably had no idea what had even happened before falling into the water.
The plant curls back into itself. Roshi only had enough time to make a single hand sign before the plant once again broke the sound barrier. The superstructure behind him was blown to pieces. Screams filled the air, muffled only by the splashing of bloody water and splintering of wood and metal alike.
Chakra pools at Roshi's feet. With extra force he jumps into the air, breaking the wood just under his feet. A second later a third, long sweep of the plant eradicated what little shape had remained of his ships. The dark water was now littered with the wreckages, clustered together to form a small radius of splintered pieces of wood—from thick masts and destroyed hauls to hand-sized pieces hooking onto tattered sails floating along the surface.
Smoke and lava burst from his feet, turning his legs into a single, continuous stream of eruptions propelling him forward. Globs of molten rock sizzle water or burn sand as he flies overhead; his hands never separate. The giant plant curls back into itself for another attack. Roshi's cheeks balloon; before another lash cracks the air three molten meteors spit from his mouth. The fist destroys the tip in a wet explosion, the other two hit more towards the root. The toppling thing is engulfed in raging flames before reaching the ground.
What happened next happened in a fraction of a second. If this battle had been recorded then the attack would have lasted a single, still frame. A five-fingered palm decorated with white scarification, the size of Roshi many times over, rammed into him from the front. The force spread unnaturally even, like being crushed by a boulder so big that it could flatten your whole body in an instant. Before he hit the ground it was gone.
Bones cracked while organs ruptured and skin tore. A fiery trail carved its way through tumbling trees, breaching the beach and landing on wet shoreline. Though back to normal, Roshi's body was still extremely hot; the moisture around him bubbled and steamed in his presence. The trail leading up to the shore was deep enough to be considered underground but, once hitting the sand, it had become more like waves of silk sand in a desert.
"Dammit," he coughed blood. It's been a long time since he'd been hurt this bad; had to be decades. He could feel organ meat knit itself together as bones began mending back in place. He sighed in pain. Humans don't truly appreciate the luxury of anesthesia
"Up, Roshi!" A voice barked.
The old man rolled out of his sandy grave with a groan of pain. The sea was to his back, Roshi faced the forest. In front of him a man with whiskered cheeks and blond hair left in messy spikes. He stood at the meeting point of sand and tree, in nothing but a pair of dark orange sweatpants a size too large. Around his neck a crystal gem that shone dull even in the dead of night with no stars or moonlight, with only the flickering of nascent forest fires for light.
"Ah, so full of surprises as ever…" his sentence trailed so he could stand on shaking legs. He uttered a single syllable under his breath. The seals of protection across his scroll, little more than strokes of ink to an ignorant observer, burned away into ash. "So who told you?" The killer steel was back in his voice.
"You're an idiot if you think I can't sense your murderous intent across the ocean, Roshi." Naruto crossed his slender but muscled arms. It wasn't a lie, technically Kisame had nothing to do with this incident. One of the fringe benefits of sage arts was the ability to feel and read emotions; nothing all that useful in most circumstances, but it worked wonders when trying to snuff out a hidden enemy, or in this case a warning siren for approaching danger.
Roshi dusted some sand from his knees. A little wave of water filled in the hole he just crawled away from. "Try not to take this personally, Naruto. Our brother has been the same in all of his past lives, you are simply paying for his mistakes from centuries past."
"You'll have to forgive me for not taking that all too seriously," he jerked his head to the side. "You even lit my forest on fire, you ape."
Roshi suddenly slammed his palms into the sand. Molten cracks split the sandy shoreline; in the span of a few heartbeats, the whole beach seemed to bulge a few inches, a small potbelly of pressure building up from underground. Geysers of lava and toxic smoke peeled back the cracks into ugly, bleeding wounds of molten rock.
Naruto is in front of Roshi a second before the mound ruptures in a great eruption. Roshi deflects a fist with a forearm, and Naruto sidesteps two quick jabs. A swipe of his elbow cuts into Roshi's cheek. That single second gave Naruto leverage. Two punches loosen teeth; Naruto grips Roshi's ginger beard and pulls him closer. As soon as one hand lets go, the other springs forward to shoot Roshi's jugular with the tips of his knuckles. A flat palm bashes against his right cheek before another smashes his nose into an odd angle, the piece of armor bridging his face snapping.
His concentration breaks, and the pressure fades, released by the volcanic vents still belching toxic gas plumes and oozing molasses-slow lava. The ground begins to settle.
The bleeding Roshi spins on his heel off to the side, dodging another fist; his knee rises in a quick strike into Naruto's gut. The young man spits out air speckled with globs of saliva. A single molten ball shoots from Roshi's mouth in a counterattack; it was all he had the concentration for in the middle of such a quick melee. Naruto bends his knees far enough for his back to briefly be a finger's distance away from the ground. Roshi seizes the opportunity. A fist springs back and shoots towards Naruto's head. In the microseconds before impact, volcanic smoke leeches from his arm as glowing lava drips from his pours like sweat.
A great red palm once again smashes into him out of nowhere, this time from his side. Like last time, the hand appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Roshi is a ragdoll in motion, hopping across the white sand like a thrown pebble skipping across a lake. After the fourth bounce, he continued to tumble like a log. Roshi's scroll rips away from him after the second bounce, rolling into the waves as its master continues down the beach.
With a spring, Naruto is back standing straight; he claps his hands together. Two red arms appear above his head, each one bigger than a full-grown man. They seemed mismatched; one arm was slender with long and delicate fingers, while the other was stout and thick with powerful muscles. White lines acted as tattoos, forming geometrical kaleidoscopes with ancient symbols carved into the fingers. Together, they formed a mudra hand sign: two thumbs linked, with four fingers spread out on either side like wings.
A cluster of giant venus fly traps, in their dozens, if not hundreds, bloom around Roshi like a school of frenzied piranhas. The smallest bite at his ankles and hands as he scrambles to his feet. These aren't normal carnivorous plants; those delicate petals form teeth that sting and rip flesh like real bone; even with enhanced strength, he couldn't even rip the plants or uproot them. It's like they were made out of twisted steel wire spun together. A dozen different bites in a dozen different places hook into Roshi, pulling him back to the sand and chaining him in place.
Naruto, still holding his stance, briefly separated his palms but kept his fingers connected. The ethereal arms above him didn't move. He clapped them back together. The green and purple mandibles of another venus flytrap sprung from the sands like a bear trap. Big enough to swallow a boat whole, those jaws spread wide like a hippo's maw. Quicker than a single heartbeat, the restrained Roshi and a chunk of beach were eaten.
The hairs rimming the petals begin stiffening like jail bars. The two lobes forming the trap begin to fuse, hermetically sealing off the outside world. The trap was complete. Now the digestion can begin. Naruto taps his thumb pads together twice. From glands within the mouth, acid strong enough to dissolve concrete is leaking and pooling.
Inside, fingers interlock against fingers to form a tight dome.
Fire and molten rock exploded from within. A great red ape wreathed in angry flames tore itself free, four tails with sprouted bones lining their length. Naruto's stance broke at the force, the disembodied hands dissolving once they did. The ape was so much bigger than the trap it had sprung from that the thing wouldn't even be able to wrap its mandibles around a single finger. Son Goku landed on the ground, and the earth crunched under his weight. His immense size made up for the distance between him and Naruto several times over.
The air changed; it was hotter, dryer. The water closest to the Four-Tails boiled and steamed in his presence. The weight of his chakra was a physical weight upon the whole island. Something burnt poisoned the air.
Roshi loomed over Naruto like a skyscraper, growling with his great incisors exposed. "Please, Naruto, do not struggle." The voice was like a booming earthquake. "I wish for this to be painless. Allow yourself to be sealed."
Sealed, huh? Some pieces were starting to fall into place. Naruto raised his fingers once again and eyed the monstrous beast as if it were lesser than him. "I'm warning you, Son Goku, I'm more than just another vessel for Kurama. Just because I can't transform doesn't mean I'll go down easy!"
His hands slapped together again. Two pairs of giant red arms mirrored Naruto's movements above his head, creating the image of six praying hands. Tailed-Beasts can only be physically hurt by one thing.
"Sage Art: Reality Mandala!"
The next second, the world changed. The forest was gone, the sound of waves crashing on the shore silenced; it was daytime, the sun high in a blue sky devoid of even a single cloud. Son Goku looked around him in stunned confusion. This arid land was cracked and uneven, devoid of green, and surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. He knew this place. If he was right, then to his East should be...
The Village Hidden in the Stone is a collection of ninja living inside a mountain carved out to form a natural barrier for the village. It sat on the horizon's edge, a beacon of both hope and concern. The gorilla turned its horned head back to Naruto.
Hovering in the air, flying on a giant red hand splayed out, Naruto drifts closer to him, hands now separated. His face was different now; the whisker marks were thicker and darker, with similar shading around his now-red eyes, giving him an almost feral look. His pupils squeezed into needle-thin slits. Black lines created psychedelic shapes and patterns across his torso and arms, like the white tattoos on the red limbs he keeps creating.
"In this bubble," Naruto stated, "we should be free to exercise our full power without risking the outside world." He reaches out and grasps the air, as if holding something solid. "Come, Thyrsus." A weapon appeared, distorting the world around it in a wavering heat mirage. It was an ornate wooden staff topped with a pinecone and covered in lush, thorny vines, swelling at several points in clusters of grapes.
The hand stops about three hundred feet away from Four-Tails and triples that in height off the ground. Three individual grapes are plucked from the staff. "I warned you, Son Goku; I'm more than just another Kurama."
He tosses the swollen fruits to the ground. As they fall, they glow.
Sage Art: Beasts of the Wyld
Two of the grapes ruptured. Emerging amongst a shower of juices, giant wolves made of twisted vines with a lion's mane of rose petals fall the rest of the way, descending on Son Goku with bramble-like teeth. In any other context, they would be giant monsters, but they only reached the waist of the Four-Tails. They were as nimble as they were beautiful, dodging and running circles around the big ape's attempts to swipe them away.
The third grape touched the ground before rupturing, behind the now distracted Tailed Beast, currently prying one of the wolves off its shoulder. From the berry birthed a monstrous bear on its hind legs, equal in height to Son Goku minus a head. Its teeth were sharpened bone, its claws the size of buildings, with clusters of red, purple, and blue fire lilies flowering in splotches hundreds-strong across its bark-like body. From its right eye socket bloomed the large flaps of the red rafflesia plant, speckled with white dots.
Naruto swung Thyrsus, pointing at his fellow Tailed-Beast. "You'll be a lesson to the rest of them, Son Goku!"
Another stone shinobi fell. Hinata ducked under a fist encased in a suit of rock coming at her from behind without looking. With a spin of her waist, a palm strike hit the man dead center in the chest. A plume of chakra so condensed it was visible expelled itself, like a bullet hitting a target and continuing on. Motionless and without sound, he fell face-first into the sand.
From the pouch secured to the back of his waist, the last of the invaders pulls out a kunai, and the bloody man goes on the offensive. Two swipes of the knife are dodged with perfectly timed steps. Her hand caught his wrist, controlling the arm holding the knife. A painful twist releases the weapon. A kick to his gut with her bare feet sends him back, giving Hinata just enough distance for a finisher.
Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!
The first two hits were in the chest; needles of chakra were drilling into the enemy, but it was more powerful than normal. Hinata could feel Naruto's own chakra still coursing through her pathways; it was thicker, heavier, and so much harder to control than her own. On the fifth step, the sixteenth consecutive hit, she could feel the chakra points she was striking completely implode under the pressure. On the seventh and final step of the attack, a burst of sixty-four strikes, Hinata could feel the man's organs begin rupturing under the barrage. Four seconds was all it took.
The final invader dropped to the ground. The bulging veins around her eyes receded. Still a bit tipsy and tired from her previous activities, Hinata let out a sigh of relief that it was over. Naruto's jacket was all she wore, now zipped around her neck. From a distance, it looked like she was wearing a dress.
Hinata had been content with letting Naruto deal with whatever it was that had landed here. At the time, her mind had been so foggy that she hadn't really thought about who it could've been or how they could've slipped through the barrier. The noise of the battle had spooked her. Maybe it was because of how emotionally charged their sex always was, but her normal confidence in his abilities kept getting pushed out by this worry, this fear of something bad happening to him.
These men touching shore had been her call to action, despite her impaired state. It seemed this group of five were leftovers from the messy jumble that was once a ship or two. With Naruto's chakra amplifying her normal abilities several times over, her Byakugan had been able to see every inch of this five-mile-long island. She turned her head toward the forest.
Except for that.
A giant sphere of distorted space, so big that the tallest trees barely scraped at the halfway point. Even amplified, her eyes could not see through it. Whenever she looks at it with her eyes activated, all she can see is herself reflected over and over ten thousand times, even if it's just an instant glance. A short but spiteful migraine would always appear after the fact as well. Whoever it was, they were certainly powerful if Naruto needed to use the Mandala. Who knows what kind of monstrous battle they were having in there?
The sphere suddenly cracked, like a mirror, yet it made no sound; it was unnerving. Hinata's eyes went wide. It shattered. Before the first thought reaches the surface, she's off, racing towards where the thing had once been. She jumps through the forest with familiarity, rushing yet still avoiding burning bushes, random pools of lava, and running around entire sections now filled with burning trees. She can feel Naruto, this six sense, this tingling along her spine; she knows what direction he's in.
The area Hinata arrives in is a patch of forest almost completely untouched, close to another section of shoreline. There, resting his back against a tree, is Naruto. Beaten and bloody, with his right arm in particular burned, from fingertips to portions of his neck.
Frantic, Hinata jumps down. "Naruto!" She calls out
One of his eyes opens. He sees her crouch down beside him, dressed in just his jacket. It's a shame he doesn't have the presence of mind to enjoy the sight. He mutters those thoughts aloud to try and ease the tension.
Her hands held the burned arm, and the healing chakra leaked out. Hinata isn't a medic; all she's doing right now is trying to ease the pain. She's no Sakura. Besides, it's looking like Naruto's advanced healing has already taken care of the worst of it, though she still wants him to see a proper doctor, but that may just be her emotions speaking again.
"I don't think so," she said, playing along. "Personally, I think you would look better in my clothes than I do in yours." She forced a laugh.
"Please," Naruto muttered through bleeding lips. He was clearly exhausted. "What a horrible thought. If the day ever comes where I do that, put me in the ground and save the world from that ugly Hehe."
"I don't think so," Hinata says, moving her hand slowly downward. "I'm keeping you for as long as I can."
"Care to fill me in? Can you?" She asks, looking at him in his drowsy eyes.
His breath was haggard. "I was about to kill Roshi, and the coward signaled one of his cohorts to reverse summon him out of there."
"I thought they couldn't do that while in the Mandala."
"If I had had more chakra, it wouldn't have been a problem, but I didn't store any Senjustu while we were together." Naruto's head tilted downward. Lines of blood trickled down his face. "I wasn't expecting this."
"But I did learn some things." He barely sees her through heavy eyelids, but he does manage to string words together. "It's worse than I thought. We have to go back to the village; I have to help mo…" His words are cut.
His body, now limp, drops onto Hinata's lap; still breathing but unconscious. His wife calls out to him, but her pleas echo into the night, fruitless. Naruto's final thoughts are burned into her mind.
The war has begun.
(End of Chapter One)
Author's Notes: Naruto has always had a special spot in my heart. I remember sitting down for the English premier all the way back in '05 on Adult Swim. And while, nowaday, I have the presence of mind to say there are many problems with the series, and many many better written shows out there, this franchise will always be more personal to me than any other objectively better show I come across now.
That said, however, when writing this I wanted to play with the world a bit. Personally, I have no interest in fanfics that just retell the series but with only one or two twists, to me that's just boring. I hope I gave enough sparkling of the changes to the world in this one to give people some idea of what's happened, because I'm not just info dumping the whole thing in the first chapter; never do that.
A funny little tidbit, recently finished the Hell's Paradise anime, great show, will be buying the whole manga, but holy crap was there a lot of overlap with this fic lol. It's mainly the influence, as I really wanted to expound on the ninja monks and their lore/abilities, so I ended up drawing a lot of influence from the same spots that Hell's Paradise did, so I retroactively changed a few things cause there was so much overlap lol. Hell, go read another story of mine, The Undivided, if you wanna see just how long I've been playing with these influences, and that started in 2018.
On a final note, I have no idea if I'm gonna continue this. This was more something I worked on whenever I needed a break from Undivided. I might if a lot of people like it but, even then, I don't know for sure. I have 60% of the story line in my head already, it's just more about flushing out the details chapter by chapter if I go any further.
Meh, let me know what I think, and if I should continue this 'cause right it's legit up in the air.