Author's Notes
Why hello my fellow people of the internet, welcome back to yet another chapter of Rise of the Nephalem rewrite! I hope you all enjoyed the first one, since I worked pretty hard on it, and put way more detail in it. For this one I believe that it is going to be a filler, just to give you all a breather from all the action that happened in the first one, so don't get too mad. Even though, there probably still will be action, though not right away. This is the Diablo universe we're also talking about here, there's never a moments of peace! Maybe… I guess this chapter is declared canon too then, since at the moment we're focusing more diablo stuff, well this is a crossover after all!
One more thing, thanks for the support, guys! Never thought the first chapter was going to receive such good reception!
P.S. Sorry for taking such a long time to release this chapter, have been busy with other things that real life has to offer.
"Human Speech"
'Human Thoughts'
"Otherworldly Being Speech/Bijuu Speech"
'Otherworldly Being Thoughts/Bijuu Thoughts'
Flashbacks/Transition
Jutsu/Techniques/Abilities/Powers
Anyways, enough rambling from me, it is time to start this shit!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Diablo, though I wish I did… maybe in an alternate universe somewhere!
Act Null – Prologue
Chapter II – Shadows of Hatred
The Next Morning, Naruto's Apartment
The blonde stood straight, overlooking the village he comes from; it is as colourful as ever, like a rainbow, the great stone faces of the previous hokage looking over their creation proudly. However, a nagging feeling at the back of his mind activated his danger senses. What happened yesterday was truly chaotic and unexpected, just the thought of his home being ravaged by demons from the burning hells doesn't stick right with him. Whatever it takes, he'll protect his home from these foul creatures, even if it has to be at the cost of his own life. Taking a deep breath, he decided to relax, practise some yoga exercises just to get that negative line of thinking out of the way. Though the truth still holds; that something big is being planned that none of them could see with the naked eye. It just seems as if everything was normal. Don't judge a book by its cover, nothing is what it seems to be. Either way, he has cleansed his soul of any corruption that might gnaw at his heart for today, feeling safe and protected by the gods of the Sahptev Faith. Today is supposed to be a day of relaxation and tranquillity, while the adults and higher ups plan this generation of genin teams.
A sudden stream of chilly morning wind filled his nostrils with the scent of breakfast, making him stop what he was doing as his big brother came up to the roof to put a plate of cooked small fry and rice on the table. Looking out into his village once more, he shook his head in the negative, decided that he would bring the discomforts forward to the one and only fox in disguise. Bowing to each other formally, the two sat down opposite of each other, with Naruto tying a napkin around his neck as to not get any stains on himself. Praying for the delicious food, he dug into it, as politely as usual, savouring every bite he could.
Kurama then decided to start off the conversation with a simple question "So, Naruto-kun, how did your morning rituals go?"
"They went fine, protected from any and all evil for today, nothing to worry about" The blonde responded with a smile. Knowing the little guy for as long as he could remember, however, he knew that there was something else on his mind.
Before anything could be pointed out though, Naruto decided to indulge him on what he's been feeling "I know what you wanted to ask me, and telling you now is the right thing to do".
"Go on, I'm listening, otouto" Kurama narrowed his eyes.
"There has been a foul smell of darkness surrounding the village lately and couldn't sleep well last night because of it" The young nephalem explained.
The fox in disguise decided to then suddenly give a light growl in slight warning as he realised what his little brother was talking about "I have been feeling it as well, and it makes my stomach churn".
"I understand that you are more in tune with nature then most humans, though I don't want my big brother lashing out, because that is what this background enemy wants" Naruto put his hand on the fox's shoulder, making him sigh in response.
"I know, I know, I just… urgh" Was his response as he grabbed his pounding head, bursting into smoke as he went back into the seal to try and recover from this heavy feeling.
The blonde looked on in sadness, it seems to be affecting his big brother a lot, and he can't blame him. He has to find the source of this powerful darkness, and fast, less the entire village gets consumed by it. However, a call from down below got his attention, finishing his breakfast quickly, as he has other business to attend to for today first. Looks like Kurama will be unresponsive for the day, fighting the sudden feeling of hate and malice within himself. A sickness that the fox has been trying to overcome for years after meeting his little brother for the first time, that all of a sudden became much stronger than before. Deciding to put that off of his mind for now, Naruto smiled fondly as he recognised the voice as his friend, Sasuke, from the academy. It seems that for some odd reason, this air of evil doesn't appear to affect the younger kids of this generation. It is practically an advantage, since they are still oblivious to the events of the outside world.
Either way, once he washed up his own plate, he thought whether or not to use the door, and to lighten up the mood, he decided that instead he'll pull a little prank on his best friend, who knows that can take it well. Smiling mischievously, he blinked away from his apartment instead, the only evidence of him ever being there is the slow falling napkin.
Konoha Streets, Early Afternoon
"You know by now to not jump-scare me like that!" Sasuke scolded his best friend lightly, bumping him in the shoulder.
In return, Naruto snickered at the successful prank, before patting him on the shoulder "That is why you should always keep your guard up as a shinobi. Because, when you're on my turf, you do not know what to expect".
The raven-haired boy sighed in return, knowing full well that his friend was right "I guess that makes sense, should've seen it coming after all".
"Now, is there a reason you brought me along?" The blonde asked, changing the subject.
"Well, taking a shinobi photo is the priority that needs to get out of the way, that is why I decided to take you with me for the ride" Sasuke explained with a shrug.
"Huh, what a coincidence" Naruto said simply, with the last Uchiha agreeing with a small nod.
They moved through the busy streets of Konoha swiftly, as they can't get a moment's of privacy, if the looks they receive aren't of any indication; the blonde with scorn and confusion, while the raven-haired boy with pride, praise and sympathy. Those stares and whispers were getting on their nerves, that is why they have decided to choose a more scenic and peaceful route to where they were headed. It was then that since there were less people around, Sasuke has decided to tell him about the strange heavenly light that's been radiating off of him ever since of being cured from the darkness; every time he would look at the mirror, it would always appear and freak him slightly out, which made the blonde in return snicker at the development, making a tick mark appear on the raven-haired boy's head.
Naruto decided to diffuse his best friend's hurt pride, and got straight to the point "That Sasuke, are the powers of light within you".
The last Uchiha's eyes widened in disbelief at this new information; looking at his hands, he saw the light's faint glow, before it disappeared "Powers of Light…? This isn't some fairy tale".
"It's not; since purging your own darkness, the High Heavens have seen great potential within you… they see you as a warrior of light, conqueror of evil… and you should be proud of it" The blonde responded with a smile, making his best friend gawk.
"Wow, never thought that heaven would choose an Uchiha for the job… but, there is still one question that's been bugging me; how exactly do I use this new power of mine?" Sasuke asked curiously, wanting to now get stronger than ever.
Naruto knew what was on his mind and smiled, before replying with a serious notion "I will teach you how to use it in time… though remember; with power like this, comes great responsibility".
"I understand, Naruto-sensei" The last Uchiha grinned.
The blonde sighed in comical irritation "Please don't call me that".
"Why can I not?" Sasuke asked with a dramatic dejected sigh.
"Because I said so" Naruto replied, a slight smirk hidden on his face.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi was staring at the photos of the two graduates; he was contemplating whether or not they were good enough for their ninja registration ID's. Though since there seemed to be nothing out of place, he opted for the positive conclusion and sighed, remembering the good old days when the kids he knew were younger. In the portraits, Naruto was standing upright, wearing his everyday mandarin coloured monk robes, holding the staff in his right hand, which was showing its usual golden ethereal glow, while Sasuke wore the standard blue collared shirt with his clan's symbol on the back. Both sported serious looks, conveying the message of being ready to walk through the doors and into the life of a shinobi.
"I have to say, the photographs look exquisitely professional" The old hokage complimented, getting the two to nod in return.
"What else can you expect from us, old man?" The raven-haired boy teased with a smirk, getting the blonde to chuckle along.
Hiruzen shook his head in the negative, before giving a big old smile on his wrinkly face "Well, for starters, I was expecting Naruto-kun to put on some crazy makeup for a prank".
Naruto's eyes then widened in pure disbelief at that accusation, before replying with pure denial in his voice, tapping his staff on the wooden floor in the process "How dare you accuse me of that kind of act jiji! I would never do such thing!"
"I know, I know, but something tells me that in another reality, you would've done something similar to that" The hokage chuckled at the reaction from his favourite blonde, making said blonde sigh at the fact that he could be right. It also made the hokage proud that he managed to finally get him annoyed at something, as mostly nowadays he's as cool as a cucumber. Nothing fazes him much anymore, unless it is a dangerous situation of course.
Hiruzen then decided to throw some words towards the young Uchiha with a smirk "Secondly, I was expecting the usual stare from the brooder of the class".
At this, Sasuke shook his head in complete denial, before spitting out some facts at the old man before him with the classic Uchiha clan smirk "Heh, always thinking so low of us, old man, you know that we are too mature for these kind of atrocities now".
The old hokage then took a puff out of his pipe, before nodding solemnly with a hum of agreement "But sometimes, there are times that we would want to look back at our past selves and compare to how we are now, and the progress we have made since then".
The two graduates looked at each other, before smiling at their grandfather figure, with Naruto being the one to respond, "Spoken like a true professor, hokage-jiji".
However, any further conversation would be interrupted, as the door creaked open slightly, a tad of brown spiky hair peeking out from a hole that is located at the top-centre of a grey helmet. As the little boy revealed himself, he held a dummy shuriken behind his back. He had sky blue eyes, and wears a matching-coloured scarf, which in fact was a bit too long. His clothing consisted of a bright yellow shirt, which bore the large red Konoha symbol on the front, and basic grey shorts which go down to his knees.
The two genin graduates decided to move out of the way as the kid started charging at the old hokage at the desk with shuriken in hand ready to strike, while screaming murder "Old man, I challenge you!"
Even though, the result would be him tripping over his own scarf comically face first. Hiruzen sighed at the act, it seemed that his grandson has been very determined lately, always sneaking up on him at the wrong or rights times, whatever chances he could get. Unfortunately, it seems that none of them have been working out for him, since the attempts were becoming a bit predictable. However, witnessing Naruto help a child that he doesn't know, just warms his heart; maybe there is still some hope left to keep the will of fire burning. His blonde surrogate grandson is a prime example.
"You must be careful where you step, young one" Naruto sagely said as he healed the kid's face with some of his light magic.
"What in the world tripped me?" The kid asked particularly no one, though there was a snicker of a response.
"Your own scarf, it seems to be a bit too long for your liking" The blonde answered with a small smile, while the kid looked at him in complete confusion and curiosity.
"Who in the hell are you?" The kid asked in slight suspicion, eliciting a sigh from the old man and the blonde.
"Konohamaru, is that the way to treat the boy that just helped you jump back up to your feet?" Hiruzen asked in a slight scolding tone, making the young boy slightly flinch.
"It's alright, after all, he is still a little brat… isn't that, right?" Naruto left the rhetorical question hanging in the air, which made the kid now known as Konohamaru point at him angrily, his cheeks in full pout mode.
"Hey, I'm not a brat! I'm Konohamaru Sarutobi, and you better remember it!" He declared, making the young nephalem chuckle slightly at that, since he was like that back then all the time.
Naruto then decided to bop the kid's head with his staff, making said kid's body be bathed in a faint sunray glow, before fading away completely like it was never there to begin with "Come see me again sometime brat. Oh… and by the way, my name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki to be precise".
And with that, the blonde walked out of the door, giving a bow to the hokage, though as he passed by his best friend Sasuke, he was smirking like mad as he watched Konohamaru's face in complete awe "Looks like you've got a fan, monk man".
"Don't even think about it, otherwise one of my pranks will come your way Mr. Uchiha" Naruto threatened lightly with his own, though it made the raven-haired boy shiver at the thought.
'Well, I guess it won't be that bad to hang around with blondie for the day' Sasuke shrugged as he also bowed respectfully to the elderly hokage, before leaving through the door.
'It's a rare sight to see Naruto-kun actually use that staff on someone, looks like he has taken a slight liking to my grandson' Hiruzen smiled at the sight of Konohamaru still in a shocked state while touching the top of his helmet at the same time, though, his wondering little mind was interrupted as a strange man in black came running in, adjusting his glasses in the process.
He sighed in relief that the child he was looking for was alright "Honourable Grandson!"
At this, the kid growled, tired of the nickname "You'll never take me alive! You big jerk!"
After he screamed that out of his system, Konohamaru ran off, pushing past his so-called 'personal trainer', always trying to show him shortcuts on to becoming a hokage. That specific trainer's name was Ebisu, who tried to chase after him, though was stopped by Hiruzen himself "Ebisu-san, I was hoping that I would have a little discussion with you about something".
"Right, lord hokage, what is it that you wanted from me?" Ebisu asked curiously, though looked back, as he wanted to continue his chase.
A smirk lit up on the old man's lips, before looking at a specific piece of paper "I have heard recent reports about your… skills while on duty".
'Uh oh' The man thought to himself, slightly sweating at the dangerous gaze the hokage was giving him.
Konoha Streets, Late Afternoon
The newly graduated genin were now once again wondering the empty streets of their home village, making small talk on the way to a secret training ground that the blonde uses to train on his own. Going through a much quieter route was the best option, as they wouldn't be bothered by as many people. Of course, the attention is nice, but it is not the usual kind of 'attention' two pre-teens would receive on a daily basis that is. However, their little trip would be interrupted by a small disturbance that is trailing behind them, which made the blonde slightly chuckle at the thought, predicting as much that a certain brat would follow them around. The thing is, he doesn't have to turn around, as even with such a simple disguise he is able to sense the kid's presence. Sasuke was the only one who had to turn around and sigh in annoyance at this, though Naruto just shook his head in response, a silent conversation going between them as they made eye contact.
"You know brat, you can stop hiding now" The blonde smirked as the kid flopped to the ground as his wall disguise failed miserably.
"For the last time, blondie, I'm not a brat! I'm Konohamaru! Secondly, how in the world did you even know where I was without looking?!" Konohamaru shouted while pointing at the monk.
Naruto turned around, a small mischievous smile on his face as he came over and tapped him on his helmet with his staff "I have eyes at the back of my head kid".
"Wha…" He answered smartly in response, making the blonde chuckle half-heartedly.
"I'm just messing with you brat… I can easily sense your chakra signature from a mile away" Naruto then truthfully answered with a logical explanation.
"Oh… I see… that is awesome!" Konohamaru understood as he learnt about sensory types at the academy the other day.
"Well, Naruto, I guess I'll leave this kid to you… so, I guess we'll talk about our training next time" Sasuke decided to finally speak up, waving his right hand as he started to leave back to his own apartment.
The blonde sighed at his friend's antics; it seems that Sasuke isn't that used to having extra company alongside him yet. It is very understandable, for the need to be alone sometimes, since being surrounded by screaming fangirls all the time might've made him a little more weary then before. It is difficult being the most popular student in class, and of course, the most hated as well. Well, if thinking about it this way, being wrongly hated for having a 'demon' in his gut, where the 'demon' is more human than the humans in the village itself. Quite ironic, isn't it? Either way, his thoughts were interrupted as the brat known as Konohamaru, decided to speak up after a while of awkward silence "So, boss, what are your plans for today?"
"Hmm, Boss? Where did that all of a sudden come from?" Naruto hummed out his response, making the young boy twitch an eyebrow.
Konohamaru decided to step in front of the pre-teen monk, pointing a finger at him while grinning, before shouting out his answer with a grin on his face "I want you to train me! That is why I called you: boss!"
"You're going to have to change your bratty attitude if you want me, a monk, to train you" The blonde smirked, making the child wide eyed in the process at the claim.
"I told you already that I'm not a brat! I'm Konohamaru Sarutobi, the next hokage!" Konohamaru declared boldly with a huge smile on his face.
Naruto tilted his head in thought, before smirking as an idea came to mind "Then prove it, prove to me that you're going to become the next hokage, show me what you already know… in fact, follow me".
'Just like that…?' The small child thought to himself while mentally grinning, following his new proclaimed instructor to the secret training grounds that only the blonde knows about.
Forest Ruins
"So, you said you wanted to become hokage, just to gain recognition?" The blonde tilted his head to the side, before staring up into the clear skies in thought as he listened to the small kid in front of him, sitting at an opposite log.
"Absolutely! I want people to stop seeing me as the 'honourable grandson' because of who my grandfather is, I want them to see me for who I am as a person!" Konohamaru revealed, getting a sigh out of the pre-teen monk, rubbing his temples, trying to think of a way to explain the truth to him. In all honesty, this kid is acting the exact same way he used to before when he was younger; hyperactive, annoying, unpredictable sometimes, and would proclaim his dreams a lot to the people. Hell, the brat probably even plays pranks and skips classes all the time. However, his thoughts were interrupted as he sensed multiple small demonic presences, making him smirk as he finally gets to show off to the little brat that nothing is always as easy as it seems.
"Listen, kid. If you want to become the hokage one day, have the support of the people and be recognised as your own person… stop with the bratty attitude and focus on improving yourself" Naruto started as he got up, making Konohamaru stand up as well, listening intently to his speech. Eyes widening at the response to his declaration.
"First of all, a hokage doesn't just have to train in their strength and skills in many techniques, but a hokage must require to have a good amount of patience, wisdom, virtue and have the guts to lay their own lives down to save the village and its people" Naruto continued his explanation, with the small boy's mouth wide open at the amount of information that is being pounded into his brain. As the blonde's aura started to glow a faint gold, the small impish creatures pounced on him, making the small child panic and scared, then his emotions flipped upside down as they fell to the earth, split in half just with a single swing of his staff, Konohamaru's mouth agape in awe as the green fields and stone ruins were bloodstained with demonic essence that was turned into dust and sent back into the burning hells.
"And finally, the world is unforgiving, so a village leader has to stay calm under pressure at all times in any situation, whether on a mission or political conferences. Whatever or whoever the opponent, you have to be on your guard at all times. Keep all these things in mind when you become a shinobi" The young nephalem finished his explanation with a smirk as he noticed the youngling's facial expression.
"You have to teach me how to do that! The way you done that was awesome!" Konohamaru was now star-eyed at his new idol before him, imitating his new mentor's earlier motions with a stick in his hands. The blonde scoffed at this and denied the kid's request.
"Sorry kid, though this style of combat requires a lot of patience and intense training, and I do not believe that this is the right style for you" Naruto bluntly stated.
This made Konohamaru pout big time, however, he grinned soon after, as he pointed at the monk with a determined expression on his face "Then I've decided! You will teach me and guide me until I can find my own fighting style! Screw that jerk Ebisu, you are now my new instructor Naruto!"
The blonde gave a big smile at the enthusiasm of the child, before letting out a light chuckle "I like your spirit kid, but in order to bring you into shape, we first need to start off with the basics…"
"The basics…?" Konohamaru questioned, the first thing coming to mind was the knowledge of how chakra works. However, one thing he didn't know, is that this training isn't just on the brains, but on the brawn as well, the monks train their students by making them go through a rough routine that the kid will later regret even asking for help. The grin that the blonde monk was showing didn't even help one bit.
Later, Evening, Forest Ruins
The two were sitting by the running river, one child panting like crazy from the training that he was put through, and the other catching and cooking fish for dinner with a spear that he made from big enough sticks that he cut from an oak tree. The peaceful silence of the rushing river and chirping birds was interrupted however as Konohamaru decided to speak his word out to his new instructor, with heavy breaths in between as he took a drink from his own water bottle that he luckily brought with him "Naruto-sensei… that was not training… it was brutal torture".
"Do you want to get stronger?" Naruto asked, getting a slight nod from the kid.
As the blonde caught the final fish for the evening, he responded to Konohamaru's nod "Have you ever heard of the quote 'Work Hard, Play Hard'? Instead of lazing about, you must increase your strength, stamina and durability in order to become a great shinobi in the future, increasing the knowledge and wisdom of the mind creates the balance between brain and brawn, just like the Ying Yang symbolises the balance between light and darkness".
The brown-haired child understood slightly where his sensei was going, though the sight of dinner distracted him and drooling he was before digging into the cooked fish. It made Naruto shake his head slightly at that antic, now he truly knows what the old man meant by 'comparing our current selves to the past selves'. Konohamaru is truly like a reflection of his young self. Eating his own fish at a slower pace, the blonde decided to look around at the ruins, and break the silence "Konohamaru".
"Yes Naruto-sensei?" The kid responded.
"Look around you, what can you see?" Naruto asked rhetorically, with his student looking around in a confused manner.
"Lots and lots of rubble… very old writing on walls and pillars that are collapsed, and nature? What's all of this about?" Konohamaru asked as he looked back to his newly graduated instructor.
"Decades ago, before this village was even built, this used to be a sacred temple that belonged to a legion of beings known as the Ancients, a race that was said to be steps above the human race, the first generation of the nephalem. They were worshipped like gods, though some mortals feared that they would bring the world under their control. However, years later the heavens sent the archangel known as Inarius to purge the entire race, and of those that remained, he would punish them for the overuse of their powers. So you see, even the mightiest of the human race were feared by the high heavens and the burning hells, they didn't even call them humans, they were seen as an abomination" Naruto finished his story, with Konohamaru looking around the ruins in complete shock at this new information gathered from the tale.
"No wonder I can feel the strange energy around this place… and all the animals around here too!" The naïve child with the helmet on his head pointed out.
'So, even he, a mere child can feel this energy… surely the ancients think he has potential as well, although unlikely, this could go either way' The blonde thought to himself as he smirked.
"It seems the spirits of the ancients think you might have some sort of hidden potential in you, if that appears to be true… then follow me" Naruto said as he stood up and walked off into the direction of a specific wall with ancient runes, with the kid following him with a big smile on his face.
"What is this?" Konohamaru asked, as both stared at the scriptures on the wall, surrounded by a faint image of a serpentine-like creature biting its own tail.
"This is a spell that will open the secret door to the inside of the Ancient's temple, if you are worthy enough, then you will be able to go through, if not, a magic barrier will stop you from coming in" Naruto answered his question, making the kid nod his head in understanding.
The young nephalem decided to kneel down on his right knee, as he put his daibo down, his hands in a prayer position and started chanting "By thy blood of the ancients, I hereby announce my presence through the name of my god Ytar, a child of the Sahptev Faith I am, a student wishes to undergo the trials of the higher race".
As he finished chanting, the ground started shaking as a trapdoor started opening, revealing stairs that go down into the darkness, though as soon as the torches lit up, it revealed a stone-brick design wall and stone stairs that lead to nowhere. It made no sense to the boy, but he trusted his sensei that he followed him down the stairs either way, though the only thing stopping Konohamaru was a blue barrier that seemed to shimmer into existence each time his foot came near.
"Wha… but you said the ancients saw potential in me! Was that a lie?!" Konohamaru shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at the blonde monk.
Naruto shook his head in the negative before responding "They might see potential in you, Konohamaru, but they also think that you are not ready yet to venture down into the temple".
The kid understood with a hesitant nod, and a slight huff of disappointment "All that build-up for nothing".
Konohamaru then sighed as the blonde gave another lecture of being the hokage "Another rule of being the leader of a village with the inclusion of being a shinobi; don't expect things to go your way all the time, sometimes Ytar has some other plans for you".
"Yes, sensei…" The kid dipped his head down in disappointment before straightening back up.
"Don't get too upset now, because I know another secret way in…" Naruto grinned infectiously, making Konohamaru do the same, following his new fun teacher through the woods.
To what they approached seemed rather like in a fantasy story; a massive lake and a waterfall at the end, however, walking around the entire thing Konohamaru noticed that there was another entrance into the temple behind the said waterfall, a secret entrance. What the blonde found rather odd is that there is no barrier preventing them from entering, which made him narrow his eyes in suspicion 'The entrance has been tampered with'.
"Be careful as we go inside, there could be unwanted visitors in the interior of the temple" Naruto warned, making the kid nod, before hiding behind his sensei's back. When the young nephalem lit his hand with an eternal flame, the two went in, not before praying to Ytar for the safety of the child behind him. Walking further in, they noticed that the entrance was already unlocked, making his suspicions true. The dark aura is now way heavier on the inside like it's right through the door, then it was on the villagers.
Temple of the Ancients
Walking through the iron door, they came upon a massive hall, with statues of what seemed like immortal heroes from long before the elemental nations even came into existence. On the floor was a giant marking of a compass, marked around with the star of David. It symbolised the world of sanctuary, however, at the end was a bloodstained pool with an unrecognisable body floating above, it's structure twitched as red beams of malicious energy entered it, like a catalyst of some sort. That kind of energy seemed to come out of strange people's hands, the rest of their bodies were covered in an ochre cloak, just so they could stay under the radar. Standing around in a circle. At the back of the cloaks was a symbol that he did not recognise. It is an image of a burning sun, surrounded in a circle with the inside of it coloured by strange sigils, while three daggers stab deep through the circle reaching near to the centre, creating a triangle-like shape. The blonde would have to ask his old man later for permission to enter the forbidden library, as he would need to do some research on this mysterious group.
'A ritual? So that's what the energy me and Kurama nii-san felt, however, I must stop it before anything could come out of this' Naruto thought to himself as he readied his glowing combat staff for action.
"Stand back Konohamaru, shit's about to get real ugly up in here" The blonde warned, his voice echoing through the big open space, with the kid nodding his head as he went to hide behind a pillar further away near the exit.
His little warning to the kid gained the mysterious cultist's group attention, making the evil whispers and chants pause at once. All of their heads slowly rotated a ninety-degree angle and stared at the young blonde, wherever he moved, the heads would turn the same way. It gave Naruto an uneasy feeling, before steeling himself and decided to first act with his words "If you don't leave this place at once, you will all be punished in the name of Ytar! The holy training grounds of the Ancients is not a place for you to be casting demonic rituals!"
The one that was standing on top of the double arching stairway, had a dark crimson cloak with silver outlining, who slightly tilted their head in response, before chuckling quietly with a raspy higher pitched voice "Any place can be corrupted through the use of darkness… those with hate can be manipulated, especially the weak minded and weak willed".
"You won't be corrupting anyone or anything once I send you back to the burning hells, demon spawn! In fact, I will make you disappear forever!" Naruto declared as he pointed his shining daibo at who seemed to be the leader of the cult.
The shadowed leader just seemed to stare blankly into the boy's soul, before staring at a pillar behind him, revealing a bony finger "Eliminate the intruders, make sure nobody escapes alive!"
'Shit… Night Stalkers, those guys are a pain in the ass' Naruto thought to himself as he prepared for combat. As the masked leader leaves through the heavy wooden door that is on the second floor, all of the entities that looked like people seemed to melt into their own pools of red, before reanimating themselves as humanoid shadow figures that have greyed out sharp teeth and bloodshot glowing eyes.
"Your sacrifice will mean a lot more to us if you just let it all go, nephalem…" The shadows whispered in unison, making the young monk narrow his eyes.
"You won't be sacrificing anything and anyone once I erase you all into piles of dust!" Naruto threatened, making the demons faze out slightly before vanishing into the darkness.
"Then you have sealed your fate" Their voices echoed around the temple, making the blonde calmly look around as everything was eaten by and turned into the void.
'An illusion… so that's how they make their victims go mad' Naruto scratched his chin in thought.
"You forgot one thing about me… is that I… am a warrior of LIGHT!" Naruto shouted in a determined voice as he tapped his staff on the ground, forming a golden runic circle on the stone-cold floors, making the shadows screech in pain from the light the monk was emitting.
"In'nā Honden (Inner Sanctuary)!" The young nephalem strained slightly to cast the technique, though eventually the complicated shining runes and sigils were emitting the light fully, with the centre, where the blonde was, shot out a beam of holy energy into the air, cleansing the corrupted illusion and turning everything back to normal, killing the shadow demons in the process.
Naruto wiped some sweat from his brow, before looking around to make sure no one would follow him, before turning his attention to the door on the second floor 'Now for the most treacherous one of the cult… I must be wary; his or it's abilities are unknown'.
As he started making his way upstairs, he called out to his little student "Konohamaru! Are you alright? Get out of here immediately and tell lord hokage about the cult here! Hurry! Konohamaru!"
However, there was no response from behind the pillar, and the metal door was completely shut, so there was no way of escaping, and Naruto started to worry. However, the worst kind of scenario came to his mind in the process 'Either he managed to escape, or… shit! Shit! SHIT!'
He didn't want it to be true, he really didn't. However, he had to trust his gut on this as he charged to the door and smashed it open with his bare hands, unknowingly using his foxy brother's chakra, which was bubbling around his closed fists. What he saw shocked him as he stared at his student struggling to escape from the sacrificial table that he was tied up to. Surrounding it were many lit candles, and the figure with the dark red cloak and silver lining standing right in front of it with a sacrificial knife in hand. The kid is crying and begging him to stop, however, to no avail. The blonde screamed angrily at the leader of the small cult group, before calming down slightly as he saw the chakra around his arms, though almost screamed out the order after "STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING THIS INSTANT! DON'T HURT THAT CHILD!"
"Oh, so you survived, nephalem… however, I'm afraid you are a little late to save your little student… he is already prepared for our lord and master" The elder cult leader chuckled in a raspy and creepy voice.
"Please, sensei… save me! I'm not ready to die this young yet! I have so much left to do!" Konohamaru was practically sobbing, making the said sensei enraged even further. However, he knew his emotions were also being toyed with so he would make a mistake and slip up. As the leader readied the dagger to sacrifice the boy, the monk moved into action by teleporting right in front of the cult leader, slapping the knife out of his hands that slid on the floor out of reach before punching the cultist right in the stomach with a tailed-beast chakra enhanced punch, landing on top of the leader and grabbing him by the neck, pushing the mysterious man to the wall.
"You shouldn't have made a move…" Naruto was practically holding back the anger, just so he doesn't kill the man. Slashing all the ropes that were holding Konohamaru hostage to the table by using an invisible force, the child got up on his feet.
"Oh my, look at that face… you sure are frightening when you are angry" The cult leader mocked with sarcasm.
"Konohamaru…" The blonde started off.
"Yes… Sensei?" The child barely whispered, still recovering from the recent events.
"I admit that I shouldn't have brought you in here, it was a mistake that put you in danger… I should've stopped our exploration trip on the first signs of a break-in into the temple, though I was naïve and thought nothing of it until it was too late. However, I want you to run, notify lord hokage immediately of this threat lurking in the background…" Naruto admitted his mistakes, making Konohamaru nod in response.
"Yeah, I forgive you… though, what about you?" Konohamaru asked in worry for his sensei's wellbeing.
"Don't worry about me, just go! I'll handle things from here!" Naruto shouted back in response with a determined expression.
"Don't die on me now, sensei!" The kid said as he ran off as fast as possible through the giant door that was once there.
'And I don't plan to… not until after I become hokage!' The blonde thought to himself with a grin that is widespread on his face.
"What a touching reunion… however, I can't allow that brat to escape!" The cult leader coughed, though before he could cast his spell, Heiwa no Jōtai was already at the man's neck, ready to cut the air from his lungs, the staff's ends shining a bright gold. He gulped at the blonde's serious expression, before he spoke.
"What are your true intentions, cultist? Why are you here?" Naruto questioned with a gaze that spelt murder.
The man in response chuckled, before it became an evil laughter that is not of this world, calming himself down in order to properly think. This boy reminded the cultist so much of justice, that it even is not funny anymore. He is just a true spitting image of him. However, the leader's response was truly something else that left the blonde on edge "You remind me of him so much that it makes my blood boil… although, if I kill you right here and now, then maybe master would be pleased…"
'What?!' Was the young nephalem's thoughts as his instincts told him to run, even when he stood his ground prepared to fight. Naruto was mortified at what he was seeing, even if he held a straight expression. He cannot show fear to the powers of darkness, otherwise it'll be easier to manipulate through his emotions. Earlier he was being hypocritical and let anger come through, showing that he is still human, and mistakes are often natural occurrences. To fix them is a choice, that he collectively decided to do in his mind.
The cultist's body was being rearranged, before exploding into many miniscule pieces, with shrapnel of white bone lodged into the remaining flesh that splattered onto the floor, staining it with red. Naruto was not expecting such morbidity, costing temporary blindness as blood managed to splatter into his eyes. It caused slight internal panic which made him stumble backwards, tripping over the sacrificial table and falling behind, creating convenient cover for him to wait out the disaster. Clearing his darkened vision, for what he foresaw was shocking as the cult leader's demonic soul was becoming the essence of the night itself. The transformation was so fast that the blonde did not even have enough time to stop it.
The being that was once a human body now resembled that of emptiness; blending in with the blackness of the room as the chilly wind howled, blowing out the candles in the process. The only thing that was visible of the creature were glowing bloody eyes and greyed out teeth that were as sharp as a nail's. It was floating above him, the feeling of triumph and pride already overwhelming.
Naruto stood and stared in complete shock as the monster of the dark circled him like prey 'An Elder Shadow Demon…'
"Sacrifice yourself, nephalem, your life will serve a greater purpose for my master " The demon echoed through the darkness of the room as it continued to observe the pre-teen from afar.
The blonde took two deep calming breaths in order to calm his mind, his vision starting to fade as the darkness increases in potency. Once the Shadow saw it's chance, the demon phased right through the boy; part of his flesh slowly becoming more vulnerable. That kind of pain was instant, without noticing at first, taking a delayed moment to register the information, before moaning in pain and dropping to one knee, his staff being the only source of aid and light, putting pressure with his free arm on the stomach to lessen the impact of the sudden attack.
"I will never surrender to the likes of corrupted vermin like you!" Naruto managed to hiss out in response.
In return, nothing came, making the boy tense up, shutting his ability to see and boost his other senses by tenfold, though the scent of the dead made him cough, overpowering his nose and losing concentration. A barely audible whistle was picked upon the wind, as he managed to barely dodge out of the way by falling on his side.
'Dirty tricks…' Naruto thought with a slight sneer.
On the other hand, the young nephalem failed to notice the air becoming much colder around him, dropping alarmingly to freezing temperatures, his hands frosting up as he tried to assist himself off the floor and stand up, to no avail. The elder shadow demon, laughed like a child at his victim's attempts before shouting in glee at his victory "Then die like the worthless human you are!"
Naruto became frozen solid, cuts appearing all over his body as shards of ice suddenly impaled into the boy's skin. The blonde never stood a chance against this unexpectedly powerful and tricky foe. His big brother always warned him about overconfidence being his defeat, and it seems that the time has come to show the blonde what it really meant. At least he'll die knowing he saved a life today, a very important one at that.
The Hokage's Office, A Few Minutes Earlier
Hiruzen was sat in his office doing his usual paperwork. A couple of shinobi were standing beside their leader. However, a troublesome thought came over his head as everyone were discussing the future of the new genin teams. The old man looked over at the photo of his surrogate grandson and can't help but think that something strange is going on, striking true as the chatter between shinobi stopped thanks to a flower vase smashing on to the floor without any kind of warning. It was then that a jonin wearing a mask over his mouth and nose narrowed his single good eye at the sudden change in room temperature, as well as the grim mood.
The said jonin then dared to speak up, his voice in concern "Is there something the matter, lord hokage?"
It was quiet for only a moment, though before the old hokage could respond, the door slammed open as a chunin ran in, with little Konohamaru rushing ahead to tell the terrible news to his grandfather. The little boy was panting, and the hokage decided to start off the conversation quickly as he has no time to ponder why or how everything is happening all at once "What is it, Konohamaru my boy, did you get in trouble again?"
However, before even Konohamaru could respond, the chunin did "No sir, he didn't get in trouble, the kid said it was an emergency!"
That was when all the ninja in the room stared at the academy student in attention, making him nervous, though he knew he had to tell them the boss is in danger! The hokage then responded in a serious tone "Go ahead Konohamaru, briefly tell me what the situation is, and I'll do everything in my power to help".
That was when the young boy took in a deep breath and shouted out the words loud and clear "Big boss Naruto is in danger! And is being attacked by scary looking monsters at the secret temple! You have to hurry!"
"Monsters? Can you describe what they looked like?" A woman with crimson eyes wearing a red mesh armour blouse asked calmly, not believing a single word he said as it could be all just a prank.
"I don't know, everything just happened so fast! Believe me, this is not a prank, it is an emergency!" Konohamaru answered desperately.
"Calm down, my boy… where is this temple you speak of? We must hurry and know it's location if we are to save Naruto!" Hiruzen replied as all the shinobi responded with a salute.
'Don't worry Naruto, reinforcements are on their way' The hokage thought at the same time as he took a puff out of his pipe, while looking out of the window, worried for his surrogate grandson's safety.
'I wonder what you got yourself into this time kid?' The one-eyed jonin thought to himself in worry.
"I guess it is time we slay some demons again, huh?" A jonin with neat spiky hair asked rhetorically, with everyone nodding their heads in agreement.
"Be careful, something unexpected might happen just like with the Mizuki incident yesterday, so be on your guard" Hiruzen warned.
Naruto's Mind, Present Time
The boy felt like he was floating, like a cloud without a care in the world. Everything felt dead to him, empty, like his soul was in two places at once. Something was missing inside… his heart slowing down until it could be heard no more. It was more than that… though he couldn't figure out what it was, but that single emptiness is what could crack his mind forever.
His eyes busted open, sensing a presence before him. Struggling to turn into that direction, he managed to witnessed what looked like an exact copy; much taller, blonde spiky hair just like his, though much longer and wilder. The man had a more refined figure, wearing a blinding white cape with the kanji for 'Fourth Fire Shadow' written vertically downwards, reaching to the bottom where the design of living flames burnt with honour and passion, while underneath wearing proudly the standard jonin uniform.
Naruto was in complete awe as he saw the resemblance, putting the two together clearly, before responding quietly as the words left his mouth automatically, reverbing through the void of space "tou-san…"
The man now known as the fourth hokage responded diligently with a proud smile on his face "Hello, Naruto… you've grown since I last saw you".
The blonde instantly floated as fast as possible to hug his father, feeling like a child again wanting attention. The man returned it back, while stroking his head gently. The fourth hokage then used it as a cue to continue his speech "I see that Kurama-san has taken my promise seriously, it's like he treats you as his own kit… he really has taken care of you well".
"Yeah… he is like a big brother to me" Naruto managed to say as he up righted himself to look at his father with a smile.
Then he looked around the place with a frown "This is such a gloomy place, how about we change the scenery a bit?"
With a click of his fingers, everything changed from a gloomy night to a brilliant radiant day, with fairy like particles of energy floating around everywhere, specs of shining stardust littering the sky. Naruto took his time to stare at the magical sights around him, before responding with a question that has been on his mind for a little while now "Why and how are you here, tou-san?"
"Listen, Naruto, I do not have much time, as some of my chakra that I put inside you before my death was to keep your brother at bay just in case something went wrong and repair the seal. However, that won't be an issue anymore… since you two have an inseparable bond. On the other hand, this is also concerning your confrontation with the elder shadow demon" He explained, making the blonde cringe at the last part.
"I am not mad at you if you're thinking that, in fact, I am happy that you want to protect the village and that the will of fire still burns. But you can't be overconfident and think that you can win every single challenge that fate might throw at you… you must think more strategically then just run in there without a plan" The older blonde continued.
"I apologise, father… I promise to never make the same mistake again" The son bowed, before the older look alike shook his head in a forgiving way, making the blonde raise himself and breathe a sigh of relief.
"That's good, at least you learn, now then… I think it is time that you unlock your true potential" The father revealed, as a steel door became visible with a luminant white glow coming from underneath. It was sealed, much writing and strange runic symbols littered it, before it vanished as the older blonde swiped some of his blood, steaming away before vanishing along with the complicated array.
"What do you mean, father?" Naruto asked, confused, before the look alike explained.
"Your mother was afraid that because of the power that you possess, including your big brother's, that you would go rampant and become corrupted since you were too young to wield such abilities of the race that you are. That is why we sealed it, until we are fully sure that you are ready until you're older… and with the monk's training I feel that the time is now" He stated with confidence that shined hope.
"I understand" Naruto said with conviction as he approached the door with his sealed powers inside.
However, as soon as he touched the handle, the father said something the blonde will have to keep in mind for the rest of his life "Here's a warning, my son… as soon as you open that door, your journey as a shinobi is going to become much more dangerous. Are you sure you'll be able to handle it?"
"Of course, tou-san! If my enemies are going to be stronger, then I'll just have to become stronger myself!" Naruto vowed with an infectious grin, before pushing down on the handle, as the door blasted open and the mystical energy that was piling up was finally freed into the system, the blonde's face filled with shock as everything turned blinding white.
One last thing put a comforting smile on the blonde's face, as Minato Namikaze said something that he wanted to hear for quite some time now "I shall be coming home sooner than you think, son".
Ancient's Temple, Present Time
The elder shadow demon's claws struck into the pre-teen's neck without any hesitation or remorse, feeling the high as the small droplets of blood started to drop down, staining the temple's floor red of the godly blood that's within him. Victory was within the creature's grasp! It's claws just need to go slightly deeper into the skin to fully reach the sensitive nerves that are part of the human body in order to kill him. Licking it's shadowy lips, the demon started to put pressure on the claws in order to cut off the nephalem's head entirely.
However, there was one thing that stopped it from achieving its many fantasies that the demon always dreamt of; the shiny glint that came from the blonde's body was a hard material surrounding his entire skin. This produced an entirely shocked look from the monster, as it should be impossible to cast abilities upon thyself since the entirety of his body was frozen!
It realised too late what that meant.
The entirety of the strange material that protects Naruto's body suddenly started to crack, before rays of heavenly light started to escape, brightening in intensity the temple has. The shadow demon panicked and quickly released its claws, fleeing to the darkest corner available to it, although not unscathed as the elder shadow demon was burnt from the sudden explosion of light, making it screech in agony.
As the light started to die down, so has the wounds of the creature started to heal. The boy has somehow turned out unscathed after the demon's assault, and Naruto was not in a good mood. His eyes were coldly staring into the abyss where it were hiding, while shining brighter than the golden sun itself, as the young nephalem's potential was fully realised "Playing the coward now, demon?"
It fell for the taunt as it started to phase out back and forth, the monster's voice echoing with an unpleased tone "Enough! You are supposed to be dead after that! I'll for surely kill you this time!"
The demon took the taunt to heart as it charged straight at the young boy, who expected the outcome, a small smirk marring across his face as he raised Heiwa no Jōtai, shining with a much stronger luminescence then before "My abilities are none of your concern to you, hell spawn… but this is where it ends for you!"
An extremely bright and crimson hot stream of flames erupted from the tip of the staff, hitting the demon directly into its corrupted heart. It started screeching in extreme anguish as the cursed darkness began to lift, and the demon to evaporate "Impossible! No one can defeat me, Trezuxul of the Shadows!"
Trezuxul's denial of defeat was cut short, the remaining smoke crumbling into golden dust, while Naruto watched on with disgust "Go back to where you belong… and never come to the surface ever again".
As the cursed darkness finally lifted, the blonde's body began to shut down, the drug inside known as adrenalin has been extinguished and all the injuries that were once there began to throb in shadow. However, he was caught by the sudden arrival of a one eyed jonin, who sighed in relief that he only just passed out from all the fighting that happened today "Thank goodness you're alright, Naruto… sorry that we couldn't arrive earlier, as we faced a few… obstructions on the way".
"Alright everyone, clear the area, make sure that there aren't any more of those stray shadow demons inside the temple" The jonin ordered as he put Naruto on his back.
"Hai!" Everyone replied in unison as they scattered to explore and clear the temple.
"What about you, Kakashi?" A green clad jonin questioned right after.
"I'll be taking Naruto to the hospital to get treated for any injuries, and he'll also have a lot of explaining to give to the hokage afterwards" The jonin known as Kakashi answered seriously.
The green clad nodded at that "Very well, that is a youthful decision dear rival, be careful when you head back to the village".
"Sure, thanks Guy…" The one eyed jonin said with an eyeroll, not fond of joking around at the moment of a serious situation.
'Hang in there, Naruto' Kakashi thought to himself in worry.
Late Evening, Konoha Hospital
The blonde groaned as he woke up to the blinding lights of the operating room. His eyes took a while to adjust after spending the time fighting blind against the demon of shadows. Medical ninja scurried with clipboards and tools in hand as they worked hard to heal a fellow shinobi. Although, not much is needed to be done since most of his injuries were healed, except get rid of the foreign dark energy that seemed to radiate within his body. As the blonde recovered, he also saw a familiar sight of gravity defying silver hair, and the robes that a hokage would wear. The ringing in his ears took a while to disappear, starting to hear all of the voices, especially the doctor, say something to the two shinobi that are awaiting his recovery "Uzumaki-san is in a stable condition now, all he needs is a day's worth of rest at least"
"Thank goodness he's alright" The old hokage sighed in relief.
"You're lucky that Hatake-san brought him in as fast as he did, any later and his injuries could've been much worse" The doctor warned, with the one eyed jonin giving a slight nod in agreement.
'Although, they wouldn't be worse anyways because of the nine-tail's chakra, as well as the Uzumaki bloodline… and, that one too' Kakashi thought to himself with a shiver since he felt the sudden explosion of power that came from the temple, which means the sign of the nephalem have truly awakened within the blonde. Many shinobi must've sensed it as well, as during that time he witnessed many of them tense even if they knew it wasn't the fox that escaped the seal but felt they should be worried about an incoming disaster that never came.
The voice of a pained moan distracted Kakashi from his thoughts however, as Naruto started to awaken from his sleeping state "Urgh, Jiji, Kakashi-san… what happened?"
"You passed out as soon as we arrived at the temple to save you, though we were interrupted by those pesky shadow demons before we could even reach the door" The one eyed jonin explained.
"The temple… that's right! Jiji, is Konohamaru alright?!" He suddenly sat up straight as he looked on into the old man's eyes with worry.
However, Hiruzen stabilised the boy's trembling and reassured him with the softest voice possible "My grandson is alright, Naruto-kun, and it is thanks to you for saving his life".
"Thank you Ytar…" The blonde sighed in relief.
"Now then, since it seems that you are alright now, why don't we head back to the office? You have a lot of explaining to do after what happened today" The old man decided to change subject as they walked out of the hospital room, getting the blonde discharged in the process.
"Sure, I'll make sure to explain everything in detail" Naruto sighed, it is going to be way more difficult to hide his bloodline now after all of that.
On the other hand, Kakashi placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, before calmly responding "Don't worry, Naruto, I have your back".
"Thanks, Kakashi-san"
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi was listening to everything that the blonde and the jonin both witnessed and experienced during the time of the attack of the elder shadow demon known as Trezuxul, before stopping them both in their tracks "Naruto, you do realise that it is not wise going into a hostage situation blind?"
"I know, lord hokage, I was brash and overemotional at that point in time and let my enemy provoke me. I should've stayed calm, collected and thought of a plan before going in" Naruto answered sincerely and formally, as this was now a collective mission report of the situation. For some reason, he somehow knew what his grandfather figure's next line in his speech was going to be.
"Good, at least you know how to rectify from your mistakes".
And that was the sentence from Hiruzen that triggered déjà vu within the blonde, it was like he was getting lightly scolded by his father again. Naruto kind of felt guilty about making him worry so much. Although, one thing was nagging the young nephalem at the back of his mind. Call it a hunch, but he had to trust his gut on this.
"Lord hokage, I request access to the hidden library" Naruto outright just said it plain and square.
The old man narrowed his eyes at this, before letting the blonde continue "I would like to borrow a certain scroll on sanctuary, there is something I need to look into".
"Where are you going with this? That scroll is dangerous Naruto-kun, it contains…" Hiruzen started with a slightly panicked state, before being shot down instantly with an easily recognisable name.
"The lost information from the scroll was originally gathered by someone known as Deckard Cain… ever heard of him?" Naruto smirked slightly, though the serious nature of the situation still remains.
The hokage slowly stood up as he made his way to a specific bookshelf with the speed of a hare, his hand reaching out curiously to a particularly large earth-coloured book before pulling on it, causing a slight tremble as the wall rose up dramatically "Say no more, Naruto-kun".
It took a few minutes for him to come out of the room with an old and tattered scroll under his arm. A large one it was, with the handles being a solid worn gold, with the patterns of a small compass star on either side. Hiruzen then put down the record of history on the table with a big thump, causing the pile of paperwork to jump in surprise at the sudden impact.
Hiruzen then sighed at the good old memories "I received this scroll from my old friend about thirty years ago, that was when my reign as hokage reached the milestone of a decade. Since then, he was never seen again, and I couldn't open it since".
"Because it is locked by a special seal that only lets certain people access it, just so it doesn't get in the wrong hands" Naruto instantly found the answer to the problem, as he analysed the scroll.
"Why exactly do you need this scroll Naruto?" Kakashi suddenly enquired as he was quiet for too long.
"When I was fighting the cultists, I noticed a strange symbol at the back of their cloaks, which gave me bad vibes. Call it a hunch, but if it is true, then the village is in much bigger danger then expected" Naruto replied, as the eyes of the jonin and hokage narrowed at this speculation.
'This is the first time I've seen Naruto this serious outside of his usual monk-self, he's more… knowledge driven' Both Kakashi and Hiruzen noticed the behavioural change and came to the same conclusion, before throwing it to the back of their minds for the time being.
"I understand your concerns and safety for this village, and that is why I allow you to research the scroll for any further information regarding our world of 'sanctuary' as you so called it for who knows how long" The old hokage nodded, before smiling as the blonde took the scroll under his arms.
"I would call it the elemental nations, though that doesn't really ring a bell with me, so I stuck with the old terms 'sanctuary'" Was Naruto's reply as the serious mood finally lifted.
"By the way, I stripped Ebisu-san from training my grandson ever since the recent report of his skills on duty, so, is it alright if I leave Konohamaru-kun to you from now on?" Hiruzen asked kindly.
"I would love to, as long as I'm free of course" The young nephalem gratefully bowed.
"There's no need for formalities any longer Naruto-kun, you are free to go… and if you discover anything in that scroll that is important, please come to me" The old man at the desk smiled.
"Of course, anything old man…" Naruto was about to walk out, before remembering something else he had in mind.
"By the way, I am planning to move away from my crappy apartment and would like to live inside the ancient temple" The blonde suggested to the hokage.
It took a while for the hokage to think, before nodding in approval "Of course, I'd do anything for my grandson, let me just get the paperwork sorted for you, but make sure to clear it of any pesky leftover demons before making it your home, understood?"
"Don't worry, I understand jiji, a monk has to protect his temple and history after all, right?" Naruto left the question hanging, as he left the office.
"Well, I guess I was not needed after all in the discussion, so I guess I'll be taking my leave now" Kakashi suddenly spoke up, about to jump through the window and go to catch up with Naruto, before being stopped by a firm gaze.
"What is it now, lord hokage?" The one-eyed jonin eye smiled, slightly irritated that he wasn't able to have a chat with Naruto.
"I would actually like to talk to you about the new generation that you will start teaching, as well as your new schedule" Hiruzen stated so suddenly.
"Oh?" Was the curious response of a jonin, before regretting his choice of staying seeing the hokage-smirk.
Naruto's Apartment, Moonrise
The moon shone ominously into the blonde's small study space in his apartment, the scroll slightly reflecting the silver rays, the gold glinting in response. A small table lamp was on, with him reading through the scroll as carefully as possible for any sort of important information that could be clues to the mysterious cult group that has been showing up in the village more often lately. Naruto managed to crack the seal on the scroll earlier since it was a quite simple lock seal, used mostly by the horadrim to hide any sort of secrets. He only had to use his chakra as a lockpick and guided it to the perfect spot to break it open. It's an old way of sealing, when there was a completely separate civilisation, before the supernatural wars between heaven and hell was taken to sanctuary at least. It was understandable why old man third couldn't understand what the symbol in the middle of the rolled-up scroll was. Since it was the time of that kind of sealing methods dying out when the Uzumaki clan came around. It would be brilliant to revitalise and use the old ways at some point in his shinobi career to at least surprise his enemies.
It was worth a try, though no guarantees it would synchronise well with the newer and modern methods of sealing. This thought made the blonde smirk. However, as he was reading the scroll, he came upon something that made his eyes widen in disbelief as he saw the same sun shaped symbol that was on the back of the cloaks of the cults that were back at the temple. There was another symbol beside it on the left that represented a triangle, with the inside of it being filled in with a symbol of a leaf.
"No, this is impossible… how can this be?" Naruto was shocked as he read the text underneath about the symbols, his eyes growing wider and wider on the news.
"These cults are still out there, and could be within our village's walls this very moment… or it is now one single cult in order to hide their tracks. I cannot be sure as of yet" The blonde became very thoughtful about the situation, before a voice snapped him out of it.
"Urgh… this was the worst pain I had in my life" A certain fox's voice echoed through the young nephalem's mind.
'Welcome back, Kurama-nii-san, are you feeling alright now?' Naruto asked, concerned for his big brother's health.
As if sensing his little brother's emotions, he sighed in relief and smiled while he quickly looked through the memories of the recent events that transpired "I'm alright now Naruto-kun, the sudden feelings of hate and malice towards humanity suddenly disappeared, and it is all thanks to you from saving me from my despair".
'It's alright, because I'd do anything for my big brother!' The blonde declared, with the fox nodding his head with an even bigger smile then before.
However, the bijuu then suddenly became serious "Naruto, you know that you just put a mark on your head after purifying and killing Trezuxul of the Shadows, right? Your journey from now becomes way more dangerous than you think".
'What was so special about him?' Naruto spat out as he continued to look through the scroll, becoming increasingly frustrated about the safety of his home and village.
Kurama is reading the infamous scroll as well at the same time, and understands the feelings of his little brother, before frowning as he realised an important detail "No need to get angry now Naruto-kun, and the reason for my own concern of your safety and your village is because Trezuxul was one of the top strategists at the council of darkness, and since you killed him, the Realm of Shadows will likely be in disarray once they find out he's gone".
'Bring them all on, I shall wipe their plane of existence for trying to hurt Konohamaru and my home' The blonde thought to his brother with a determined expression.
The great fox was baffled by the declaration, before schooling his features into the serious mode of a wise teacher "That maybe so, though you will need to get stronger alongside your teammates in order to prepare for the oncoming threats. Also, at some point you must reveal your true heritage to your team once you trust them enough".
'I know what you mean Kurama-nii, though I am a bit nervous about it… but I know that it is to make use of our full potential as well' Naruto relayed back his thought, the bijuu nodding silently in agreement at the answer.
"Do not worry my little brother, I will support you all the way until that day comes!" Kurama smiled, making the young nephalem relax.
Naruto thanked the heavens that he had such an awesome brother, before his expression turned serious as he rolled up the scroll and tucked it away in a sealed vault of his own 'Now then, about the two cults…'
"Yes, it is very troubling news that our third hokage will not like, though I am very curious as to why they are dormant at this very moment?" Kurama thought.
However, the fox's thought process was interrupted by his little brother 'They are awaiting their chance for a perfect time to strike, or for a signal to strike'.
"That is a very specified guess, otouto… however, we will worry about that another time, get some rest for an important day tomorrow" Kurama responded.
'Sure, Kurama-nii, I am feeling quite tired after almost dying once' Naruto chuckled silently.
"From this point on your training is going to get serious after team assignments, to make sure you never worry anyone again… especially me" His big brother responded with a malicious grin, making the usually calm monk shiver once in a life time.
Naruto smirked 'Understandable, and good night, Kurama-nii'.
"Good night to you too, otouto" Kurama responded as he already curled up like a fox would, severing the link for the night for personal space.
Little did Naruto know, was that the next day will become his busiest one yet.
End of Chapter
Hey guys! I finally finished with the second chapter after all this time! There were a LOT of writer's blocks since this is a chapter that focuses on it's own storyline, to which I think I am proud of? Though I don't know. To be honest, not the best at writing fighting scenes… tried my best to at least make it believable to the Diablo/Naruto universe? It is a very difficult crossover to build a world around… anyways, I haven't been uploading because real life has been getting in the way of things, like university for example, and also that I can be lazy too comes into the factor. I can't find time to write nowadays, though I'll try and get chapters out if I can once in a while.
Reviews Corner:
Volcasiron30: Who knows, I just might add one more girl to Naruto's harem, but ONLY one more… who knows, I might make a harem for Sasuke as well since he awakened the light within him like a secondary bloodline of sorts granted by the high heavens. I will let the old one stay up, thanks for the support!
SPark681: No offence taken!
Anyways, that is all I have to say for this chapter, and I'll see you all again in the distant future!
Flames will be ignored.
Ideas for this story are appreciated.
A critical/constructive review for this story would be nice, so I could improve my writing.
Favourites and Follows fuel my fire to continue writing (Even though I'll write anyways cause it's fun)
Your support in general is appreciated also.
Read on people!