Author's Notes
Hey everyone, I guess you can say that I have returned, though not really returned just yet. Welcome to the re-write of Rise of the Nephalem, I hope that you will all enjoy it, because I will be hard focused on this piece of work for a little while. There will be a ton of changes and new additions as well. About the pairings, they have already been decided by me, it will still remain as a small harem kind of thing, though I would like it if you don't spam pairing suggestions in the reviews, since it is kind of annoying. Feedback and Ideas are appreciated though. Naruto's personality might be a tiny bit different than the one in the story I wrote, though will mostly remain the same, hopefully. Kushina is an angel, and Minato is a demon. You know the drill.
Naruto's Harem: Naruto/Hinata/Tenten/Fu/Ino/Temari
P.S. I took some time to re-read this chapter a couple of times, and realised that there was one part in the chapter that I did not like how it flowed, and that is the section in the mindscape when Kurama was revealing Naruto's birthright. I also noticed that the first three chapters are prologue chapters, so I renamed it from Act 1 to 'Act Null'.
P.S.S. I have decided to change how the story starts after the transition, as it was not to my liking.
"Human Speech"
'Human Thoughts'
"Otherworldly Being Speech/Bijuu Speech"
'Otherworldly Being Thoughts/Bijuu Thoughts'
Flashbacks/Transition
Jutsu/Techniques/Abilities/Powers
Anyways, enough talk, let us get right into the action!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Diablo; they belong to their rightful owners Kishimoto and Blizzard.
Act Null – Prologue
Chapter I – The First Steps
During my travels, I have learnt many things. The Hokage understood my desire and hunger for great wisdom and knowledge and let me go for two whole years, under the condition of going with someone who has true experience in the field and the ninja arts. He thought it was best for the safety of my wellbeing as he knows how much the village hates me. And so, me and my big brother headed off into the wildlands of the elemental nations, where many occurrences and unexpected events are always present. From bad to good we went through it all, while training in the process to control my strange powers and abilities. Though he found out that it is not enough to sate me. I met many angels, demons and humans who were either kind-hearted or wanted my head. Though, he always protected me in the end since I was still pretty young. Seeing lots of potential in me, we decided to make our first stop in the abandoned remains of the Yshari Sanctum, located in the desserts of the Land of Wind North-East from Sunagakure. Seeping all the knowledge I could from a couple of ancient books and scrolls, not all what I found was even worth my interests, except for some strange prophecies of old, arcane knowledge and the stories of the beings known as Nephalem.
"Don't you think you had enough reading for the day?" The man sighed as he rubbed his eyes and shut his own book, an audible thud echoing throughout the ancient library.
"No, I still have not found what I'm looking for, and it seems to not be here" The blonde-haired kid responded, closing his own book, albeit gently unlike his older brother.
"What exactly do you seem to be searching for?" He asked the child in curiosity.
"The prophecy of the End of Days should be in here… though I can't believe it is not here in the temple" The ocean eyed child answered, though, the man knew that there was something else that the kid was hiding.
The older brother than replied with concern etched in his voice "Is there something else you're interested in? I know that look on your face always meant trouble"
"I knew you would catch on sooner or later nii-san… I guess I have no choice but to tell you" The blonde-haired boy responded with a sigh.
"You can't hide those kind of things from me Naruto-kun" The man chuckled, making the boy now known as Naruto pout childishly, causing his cheeks to turn tomato slightly, before calming down and revealing his other secret.
"I found an interesting legend on something known as the Spirit Stone, and I intend to find out if it's true"
"The Spirit Stone? Going power hungry much? I think I might have heard of something like that before" The red-haired man had a thoughtful look as he stared at the ceiling.
"The problem… is that most of the text here is unreadable" The blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, while sticking his tongue out slightly, showing the strange kanji on an ancient scroll that were smudged together, some even rubbed off because of the amount of dust it allocated.
"I believe that I might have a small lead as to what you're looking at… though, for this we will have to go to Ivgorod" He said as he looked at the text, making them both grin at the same time.
And then, we travelled to the Land of Ivgorod, specifically in the mountainous regions that surround the Land of Iron, the peaks of Sahptev. They were beautiful once you reach through the cold harsh winters, it's sanctuary full of nature and reserve, the small bits of white making it even more colourful. I have trained here for the rest of my limited time, also learning about the legend of the Spirit Stone from the local monks that were enlightened enough to speak to me about. While I was working on using my chakra, I was also under the tutelage of a monk by the name of Yūi. He taught me to the limits, even above as he saw the growing strength and potential in me. The training of my mind and body has been proven useful, as I was finally feeling the true balance within myself. I rid myself of any negativity, even Yami, my evil half, at the waterfall of truth, where I found the peace within myself. The monks here treated me kindly and taught me many things about the gods they worship. It feels like I found where I truly belong. Though unfortunately near the end of my two-year training trip, we had to go back home, to the place that birthed me: The Hidden Leaf.
It is strange about the irony when I was told the prophecy of the End of Days: as a strange glowing object fell from the heavens at great velocity down to the earth. We all saw it happen clearly from the top of the peaks. It looked like some sort of star, that was radiating strange and otherworldly magic that I have never even felt before. I would be down to investigate it all, though, there is no time to do that as the end of my trip is near. Then again, I do want to become a proud shinobi of the Leaf and will have to study at the academy for the rest of my time. It will be quite a pain, though big brother said it is good to make friends your own age once in a while… I guess that is true. I'll try my best at least. And so, saying goodbye to the monks of Ivgorod, we made our way back through the nations and to the Leaf Village. It was a fun journey, though unfortunately once we reached home, he had to go back into his seal, unless people would start to suspect things. In the hokage's office, I have debriefed most of my journey through the lands, which made my old man smile. Of course, I left out the strange star that fell out of the sky, or the stone that I am on the hunt for. Even Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, who I created a separate identity for. Either way, the reactions I received were mostly positive.
"Where has the hyperactive boy that pranked all the time disappear off to?" The old hokage at the desk asked solemnly with a sigh, before smiling once more at how much his surrogate grandson had grown.
"Thanks to the monks, I have finally found the peace within thyself, true balance of mind and body" Naruto replied with a small smile.
"You surely have outdone yourself this time Naruto-kun. To achieve such a thing at that young of age, you surely must be some kind of prodigy" The old man chuckled heartily, making the blonde shake his head in the negative and frown at that.
"I like to call myself more of a hard-worker, jiji" Naruto responded with a deadpan look.
"I apologise, I know how much you're not a fan of the word" The Hokage diffused as he calmed himself down.
"Well, you are all signed up for the academy Naruto-kun, go home and get some well-deserved rest" He let the blonde go and he bowed in thanks, leaving him to his own devices. Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed at the shutting door, looking back at the blonde who would be having fun and pranking others for attention, though it seems that this journey has changed him for the better after all. He was worried about his health and mental stability because of the way the villagers treated him, making Naruto even more vulnerable due to his young age, and it seems that he had made the right choice on sending him off for these two years.
'Progress is made by those who change, and without change, this progress cannot be made' Hiruzen thought to himself. It seems that his grandson has truly achieved the impossible.
Transition
During my travels, I have been told that I was special…
A prodigy of vast potential.
I seeked the powers and knowledge I solely desired,
Though it was nothing like I expected.
I came to Ivgorod, learning what I could,
Of the prophecies of old.
The books foretold of what I might become.
A star then fell from the heavens, encasing the world in darkness.
And that is when I knew, my moment has finally come to pass.
I shall go South-East to the Land of Waves,
To purge the magic that plagues the lands.
Present Day, Konohagakure, Four Years Later
'Since the first spark of creation, angels have waged the eternal conflict to defeat the forces of darkness and corruption.
Neither side ever gains sway for long as the two forces continue to clash for dominion over all of existence.
Led by the angiris council, their unity made them an indomitable force for light and righteousness;
Ariel, the archangel of hope.
Malthael, the archangel of wisdom.
Itherael, the archangel of fate.
Tyrael, the archangel of justice.
And, Imperius, the archangel of valour.
Angels, Demons... I fear their conflict will soon engulf the world of men.
And when it does, what hope will there be when even the wrath of angels, cannot be quenched'
The child looked over to the next page, seeing the context on all of the mentioned angels, though one particularly stood out from the rest.
An image of an angel with shining golden armour and a crown just levitating above his head, a magical spear in his hands radiating unearthly power.
'Imperius, archangel of valour, known as the greatest warrior in all of creation.
Revelling in war and combat, he has led the hosts of heaven to innumerable victories.
With Malthael's absence, it is Imperius who now rules over the angiris council, seeking
always to defend the high heavens from any foe'
Finally, the object of interest finally hit his eyes on the scroll, the image imprinted on it the same as back at the library in Ivgorod.
'The mind's eye, a legendary spirit stone created by the archangel, Itherael.
Infusing the powers of destiny, believing that one day that the person to open the tenth gate,
would amass a great control over their mind and body, cleansing the soul of the scars caused upon it.
Becoming the perfect champion of humanity, and the protector of sanctuary.
However, in order to master the control over the powers of fate,
one must traverse the high plains, while being challenged by the superior beings'.
"You don't seem to be in a rush today, don't you have to go to the academy soon?" His brother asked, getting a small nod from the blonde as he drank the mint tea from his cup.
"Of course I do Kurama-nii! I am actually very excited! Today is the day I become a ninja!" Naruto grinned, finished with his breakfast.
"That was surely fast…" Kurama responded with a chuckle.
"Polite and fast might I add" The ocean eyed blonde said with an all knowing look on his face.
"That over-confidence might be the end of you one day… also, anything interesting and useful in the scroll?" The red-haired man asked out of curiosity, to which in all honesty, there was nothing that the blonde could say to this, making the silence quite awkward as he got dressed and ready to go, coming up with an answer at the last second.
"Well… to be honest, there were quite a few interesting things about the Eternal Conflict, though most of it were about this dude named Imperius, nothing much about the Spirit Stone or the Hikō Ryū" He rubbed his head sheepishly, making the man chuckle deeply at that response.
"You shouldn't disrespect the names of the Angiris Council, Naruto-kun, especially Imperius, who might just send a curse your way if you don't watch your tongue" Kurama warned, getting the blonde to pout.
"I'm not afraid of this so-called council, nor of any curse" Naruto replied with a grin, getting a smile from his big brother, nodding in the process.
"Go on kid, show me what you got out there!"
Later, Ninja Academy
The blonde slid the door open to his homeroom class that he will be in for the last time. Looking around, the room was as bland as ever, with the exception of the left side of the wall being all window for diversity. He also spotted his favourite sensei, Iruka Umino, who was wearing the standard chunin attire except for the scar that ran across the upper parts of his face, right below the eyes. He bowed to his teacher as respectfully as usual, before going to the back and sat down calmly, awaiting his teacher's instruction patiently. There were many whispers and rumours going around in the class, though he mostly ignored them, since they were all pretty fake either way. Naruto was wearing the traditional dark orange monk robes that he was gifted at Ivgorod, and black shinobi sandals, with his trusty daibo, Heiwa no Jōtai (State of Peace), on his back, a faint ethereal golden glow adorning it's being. One particular student was interested in the blonde, a raven-haired kid by the name of Sasuke Uchiha, his brooding will have to wait as his eyes slowly averted the teacher and on to him.
There was a particular strong interest from the shy girl of the class, Hinata Hyuuga, who bore beautiful lavender eyes, which held great importance and power to them that she has yet to master fully. She blushed slightly at the way the blonde was radiating the calm like aura around him, making most of the loud students become quieter. Even the last surviving Uchiha, who usually broods most of the time, decided that it's best to sit next to this mysterious blonde, in order to get away from the fangirls that always seemed to swarm him. The teaching assistant, Mizuki, was always glaring at Naruto dangerously, before smirking at the chance to finally get him to fail from becoming a shinobi. Even though it could be difficult, he will succeed, and it will be that much easier to manipulate the demon brat to steal the forbidden scroll of sealing. It was a full proof plan that he's been waiting four years to unfold indeed, though the blonde felt the negativity aimed towards him, and knew that something was wrong. Either way, he didn't let it bother him, as he had a duty to become a shinobi of the Leaf.
'If only every single student of mine was just like Naruto; respectful, kind and hardworking' Iruka thought as he smiled at his favourite blonde, making the same blonde smile back in return. It seems that during the journey he changed quite a lot compared to the hyperactive kid he knew before, though didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. However, he was a man of positivity, and went with it all being a good thing. Naruto has been at the top of the class along with Sasuke for the straight four years at the academy, and now it is the first time that the two top students were sitting together in class. It is some progress, though not much as they both preferred to be alone, keeping their own secrets to themselves.
"Hey… Naruto, right?" Sasuke started off the conversation, albeit quite awkwardly.
"Yes, is there anything you need, Sasuke?" Naruto answered calmly, putting out his own question forward.
"Well I… was wondering if, we could be friends?" The Uchiha asked in slight embarrassment, looking away to hide the blush on his face. He had to admit, every spar they had, every challenge that he issued towards the blonde always resulted in a loss, making the evidence that he pieced together true at Naruto being stronger than him. It did irk him slightly at that, but it is the truth, so, he decided that in order for him to learn from the silent monk of the class, he decided to finally step it up and open himself slightly, though only to the blonde that was sitting next to him. A dent to his pride it might be, though for some odd reason, he is drawn to this kid. What makes him so special? And so, the blonde's calming voice and response brought him out of his deep thoughts, making him slightly shocked.
"Of course, I wouldn't mind some company from time to time, you're always welcome to talk to me about anything you wish, so long as it stays on topic" Naruto answered, his eyes closed and ears open, meditating until the start of the graduation exams.
"I… see, well, I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and…" Sasuke started, trembling slightly at the memories of the past.
"Nightmares, lack of sleep, and so I've heard about it all of what happened to your precious clan and family… it is quite a shame" Naruto interrupted, and the last Uchiha widened his eyes at the response, turning his head quickly, listening intently.
'How did he know…?' He thought to himself, in true shock.
As if hearing his new friend's thoughts, the blonde responded in kind "It all connects to the darkness of your heart"
"The darkness… of my heart?" Sasuke slowly recited, feeling his chest, and the thump of his own life within the single vital organ.
"Yes, beware, beware of the darkness, the darkness of your own heart will consume you to follow the paths of hatred and revenge" Naruto warned him, opening his left eye slightly, with the Uchiha witnessing that ocean blue, before closing it again to continue his own meditation.
"Your eyes, I can see right through them, that righteous burning anger will be your downfall one day" The blonde continued, making the last Uchiha very confused.
"What do you mean by all of this, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.
As the young Uzumaki was about to respond, the door to the classroom slammed open, revealing two females that barged in, panting as they grinned at each other; one had blonde long hair, which is tied to a high ponytail, and wears a high collared blouse and matching apron skirt, while the other had long pink hair, wearing a scarlet qipao dress with white circular designs and swamp coloured biker shorts. It seemed that they were friendly rivals since childhood, and already they were getting on the blonde's ire, approaching closer and closer while screaming and complaining at each other to who gets to sit next to their 'precious Sasuke-kun', making the raven-haired kid sigh in great annoyance at ruining their somewhat therapeutic conversation.
Approaching the two males, the girls looked over in shock, and much to their own annoyance, at the one who took 'their seat'. It was the blonde idiot, or so they called him. In all truthfulness, it was them who were acting like fools, putting shame on the kunoichi name. The weakness of shinobi have grown during this era of peace it seems. Naruto intends to fix that one day. He doesn't want his home destroyed because of the shinobi becoming more laxed now, does he? However, his thinking process was interrupted as the girls decided to shout their concerns his way.
"Hey, blondie, get off my seat!" The pink haired girl started off.
"I'm the one who entered the class first forehead girl!" The platinum blonde countered.
"Heh, not by a long shot, Ino-pig!" The pink haired one retorted, lightning flashing between their eyes.
The two males sighed at the behaviour of the two in-training kunoichi, before the blonde decided to speak up "Mind telling me why I should get out of the seat? Then again, I have been here for longer than you two have"
The girl, now known as Ino, decided to voice her problem "Yeah, you are sitting next to my Sasuke-kun!"
"Is that all?" The blonde responded, and the two stuttered at his blatant ignorance, slightly opening his eye again, taking in both of their disappointing appearances.
"If so, then may you please leave us alone, we are in the middle of a conversation" Naruto diffused the situation instantly as he closed his eye once more.
Ino wanted to retort, she really did, though she had no other words to say, before finding her own seat "Hmph, whatever, keep at your stupid conversation! Next time, it is I who will sit next to Sasuke-kun!"
The cherry haired kunoichi decided to give a small glare at the blonde, before responding to her rival's declaration "No way! I will sit next to Sasuke-kun! I won the race!"
"Heh, big talk coming from you, Sakura!" Ino smirked, lightning once again sparking between each other's eyes.
Sasuke looked over at the two arguing kunoichi, before bowing the best he could muster while sitting down "I appreciate it, Naruto-san"
"It is nothing Sasuke, no need to bow" Naruto responded with a slight nod, with the Uchiha straightening up once more. Nobody knows it, but the raven-haired boy has hid his first ever small smile on his face when coming into contact with the ocean eyed boy. What a mystery he is to him, though it seems he doesn't like giving out his secrets, which makes sense. Deception is one of the key arts of a ninja after all, right? However, he will come and speak to him personally about his problems, it seems like the right thing to do after the exams are over. Whatever this 'darkness' Naruto had warned him about is, he will intend to fix. The young blonde noticed this slight change in the Uchiha's attitude and smiled, as he saw within the growing darkness, a slight light of hope managed to peak through. And so, discreetly, he gave a small slip of paper to his friend, which contained the address to his apartment.
Sasuke looked at him in astonishment, putting away the slip of paper into an inside pocket of his collared shirt, before he noticed the blonde nod discreetly, with him nodding back in thanks.
"Alright students, settle down, settle down" Iruka suddenly spoke up, and because of Naruto's calming aura, everyone did as they were told, with the teacher quietly thanking his favourite, witnessing that his eyes were fully open now, as he was finished with meditation, listening at full attention.
"Even if you pass, or fail, I am still proud of how far my students have come. Now it is the time to prove that you are truly eligible to become a shinobi of the Leaf! Good luck, everyone" The academy teacher smiled as he finished his small speech, before starting to call out the names of the students in alphabetical last name order from his list. Even though it will take a while, he and the raven-haired kid had small talk from time to time, getting to know each other a little better. Sasuke started to feel more and more comfortable around the blonde monk and feeling that they were truly becoming friends. At first, he wanted power, though, from what he heard from him, it's best to finally drop the ambition that he has. The darkness still is burning away at him, though, fighting it off and staying in the light is what he'll do. However, it was time that it was his turn to take the first steps.
"Sasuke Uchiha" Iruka called, and followed the instructor out of the classroom, but not before getting a good luck fist-bump from the blonde.
'I would never imagine that my little brother would use the teachings of the Sahptev faith to purge the powerful darkness in an Uchiha's heart… even though I dislike them greatly, I will give this one a chance. Naruto truly is something else' Kurama thought to himself from within the seal as he watched through the blonde's eyes with a big toothy smile on his face.
The time quickly passed as the last Uchiha came back from his examination with a smirk on his face, his pride and superiority boosting up tenfold, showing up everyone, pretending to be the usual brooder as all the eyes of the fangirl's became hearts, lovestruck by his new appearance. However, once coming up to the blonde, his attitude changed to one of friendliness, spudding each other as Naruto prepared for the graduation, walking down the steps slowly and carefully with a tinge of grace. One kid with a dog partner tried to trip him up for a joke, though the blonde foresaw it as his own mischievous eyes gleamed at the poor attempt, before swiping the wild dog boy's pranking foot very discreetly, making said kid fall off his own chair, his little dog partner falling off his head in the process. The other kids just laughed at the unfortunate turn of events, while Naruto just smirked at poor… Kiba, was it? Yes, that's him. The one who always tries to act tough and be part of the crowd. In the background, while everybody wasn't paying attention, a small laugh came out of Sasuke's mouth, to which the blonde's counter-prank eased everyone's worries about the exams in the end.
Iruka just shook his head at the blonde's antics with a smile, it is one of those rare times when you get to see one of his infamous yet small pranks that are always effective, and the thing is, you never know when they will be coming. So, when it happens, you have to be there. Either way, he decided to exit his mind of endless thoughts, and called his name "Naruto Uzumaki"
Examination Room
The blonde stood at the centre, in front of the examiners; Iruka and Mizuki, to who was discreetly having a devilish smirk on his face, eyes turning a stygian black with bloody pupils just for a moment, before calming himself down as his best friend explained the rules to Naruto. Kurama, within the seal witnessed it all, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as many theories were starting to form in his ancient brain. With many experiences, he knew about demonic possessions, and body take overs, even demons going as far as disguising themselves as humans in order to gain access to forbidden materials in hidden ninja villages. It seems that this one was manipulating other teachers and possibly even students into doing his dirty work for him. The only one who Mizuki has yet to manipulate was his little brother Naruto, and he's standing in the way of one of the demon's possible evil plots to ruin the village. It's about time that he warns his otouto of the dangers ahead after all of this is over. However, for now, he would just let him focus on the exams ahead, just so he wouldn't stress him on more problems that are recurring in sanctuary.
"Alright Naruto, with this dummy beside you, please perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique)" Iruka started off, with Naruto doing as he was told, doing the necessary hand signs, and forming the right amount of chakra.
"Kawarimi no Jutsu" Naruto said calmly, and with ease transported himself to the location of the dummy, while the latter to where he was. He had been training so much, that he is able to use those basic techniques without hand signs at all, or even one-handed signs if need be. Though, he decided that it would be better to hold off on showing off until the time is right. He doesn't want anyone just countering his skills now, does he? Even though technically speaking, he is at the top of the class along with his new friend Sasuke, he still managed to not reveal his special techniques that he's been holding off for against the forces of the burning hells, for example.
"Impressive, you executed it with ease. Now, please show us how you are with Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)" Mizuki complimented, though on the inside was scowling at this change of events. From what he heard, the blonde was the worst in his class, he wasn't expecting him to perform the technique with such… ease. It seems that the information he was given on the academy students was completely out of date. No matter, once it comes to the last technique after this one, he is sure to fail because of his poor chakra control. He is certain of it! Naruto has sensed all this dark energy and emotions targeting him coming from the assistant instructor, Mizuki, and was right on the mark. However, he will keep that off his mind for now, he has an exam to pass.
Doing the necessary hand signs once more, he casted the technique, transforming into the perfect copy of the third hokage "Henge no Jutsu"
The two instructors were in complete shock, as they stood up and bowed at his presence, though once the transformation dispelled, they realised it was Naruto in disguise all along, smiling at the fact he fooled them both.
'That was a full-on solid transformation, and not just an illusion… I'm proud of you, Naruto' Iruka thought to himself with a smile, before marking something down on his notepad.
"Alright then, final stretch, please perform the Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)" Iruka said, with the blonde just nodding his head telling them that he understood.
Performing the hand signs for this particular jutsu one last time, as it is the most useless technique out of all the basics when in a confrontation with an enemy shinobi, he channelled as little amount of chakra as possible before casting it. Kurama was nervous for the kid in his mind, as when they went out on the journey, his chakra control was absurd, but since finding out that his… birthright, is out of this world, he remembered that he was tasked by his parents to look after the kid before they passed on. That is why, he has full confidence in his little brother that he'll succeed.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!" The blonde raised his voice slightly, in full focus and concentration, as two perfect clones appeared beside him, before huffing out as he let a sigh of relief, not knowing that his big brother has done the same. The two instructors were in complete awe, with Iruka being a proud teacher, while Mizuki flabbergasted at this development and unexpected turn of events. There is now no way to manipulate the brat since he passed the exams, and it seems that he has no choice but to do it all himself. Either way, it'll be easy, he is much more powerful then these pathetic mortals with their 'chakra and jutsus' that they're all proud of and treasure so much.
"I would like to say congratulations Naruto, you did an amazing job and am proud to call you a fellow shinobi of the Leaf Village" Iruka grinned as he gave the headband to the smiling blonde.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei! I will treasure this headband deeply with all my heart!" Naruto bowed in gratitude, as the academy instructor just waved him off.
"No, no, it's fine Naruto! No need for formalities! Say, would you like to come and have some ramen later this evening?" Iruka invited, with the blonde's smile turning into a full-blown grin.
"I thought you'd never ask" The blonde responded to the invitation with acceptance. After all, he haven't had his favourite food in years since his healthy-eating diet began.
Apartment
Naruto opened the door to his dead-like apartment. Honestly, he tries to keep it as tidy as possible every single time, though it seems that the dirt just keeps coming back like a damn rodent. Sighing in exaggeration, he shut the door behind him and took off his sandals, before going through his daily routine of meditation. Speaking of which, he still remembers that Sasuke is going to be coming over today, he said so after the small graduation ceremony before they went their separate ways. The blonde smiled at this; it seems that having friends the same age isn't as bad as he thought it would be. His big brother was right after all. Even though he is neutral with his other classmates, he feels that he can relate to the raven-haired boy the most, it is like they have this brotherly connection that even Naruto cannot decipher. He will help him get rid of the darkness within his heart, and that is the last thing he'll do. Lighting the incense candles, putting the amethyst and peridot crystals around himself, he began his daily ritual of meditation.
However, he felt a small pull from the back of his mind, which meant that his big brother, Kurama, wanted to speak to him from within the seal itself. It sounds urgent, and important.
'A private conversation, huh? It's not like we had those before' The blonde thought to himself as he accepted the invitation with a small shrug of his shoulders.
Mindscape
Naruto woke up in a large colourful opening surrounded by lots of green, high trees and a magical blue pool of energy that ripples every so often. It had other colours mixed in within such as orange, dark red, purple and holy white. It was a very satisfying sight to see as to how they all complimented each other, though he couldn't understand why in the world there were so many different energies mixing together like this. It was a strange phenomenon, though maybe a certain someone could explain it to him someday. Out of a large opening of an old great oak came a massive tangerine coloured fox, with nine calmly swiping tails, three onyx accented whisker marks on each cheek, and black like patterns that go from the eyes to the pointy ears on top of his head. His blood red slitted eyes would've shown aggression, though instead show great kindness towards his warden, or in this case, little brother. It seems that a red collar was shown around his neck, with a tag that sported the kanji for 'seal' on it.
The blonde balled his fist in slight anger as he watched his nii-san try to take the collar off from time to time, as it was uncomfortable and itchy as well. Who would even dare treat him like a damn pet? An animal, or a slave? He is a living being, with emotions, intelligence, and everyone just treats him like a mindless demon. It seems like his big brother is more of a human than the humans in the village themselves. Kind of a shame really at how far they've fallen, just to hurt a child that had nothing to do with the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago. It wasn't his fault that a ginormous fox was inside his belly… or mind, whatever.
"I know what you are thinking otouto, and I'm glad that you are sticking up for me, but I have some more important business that we have to discuss" Kurama started off calmly, easing him into it. The blonde nodded his head slowly that he understood along with a small hum, before the great fox continued.
"It is about your birthright; most if not all of them are viewed as abominations by both sides of the field; Heaven and Hell" He went straight to the point, searching for any sort of reaction, and wasn't surprised as he watched his little brother's eyes widen in disbelief, before taking a big breath and calming himself down.
"W-what are you talking about… my birthright?" Naruto asked, and that was the queue to continue the explanation.
"Your parents, Naruto-kun, were the greatest that ever lived in the elemental nations, though in reality their true identities remained a secret, and nobody ever knew that the fourth hokage that they worshipped was actually a demon in disguise. Quite ironic, don't you think?" Kurama explained, making his little brother's eyes widen in revelation, putting the pieces together.
"The fourth hokage… my father, a demon in disguise…?" The blonde questioned his own identity.
"That's right, though, just to make sure you know, that you are not a monster just because you're half demon otouto, there's more to this than meets the eye you see" The fox diffused the situation immediately, seeing his little brother calm down and breathe a sigh of relief, before continuing his explanation.
"His wife, an Uzumaki by the name of Kushina, was actually an Angel sent down from the high heavens to keep an eye on humanity, and meeting your father… she fell in love, unknowing of each other's origins, and did not care what each of them were. Together they were an unstoppable force that no ninja could face up to, given the run-on sight order by all nations in the bingo book. Later, your mother gave birth to you… the product of their love for each other" Kurama finished telling the story, reliving the memories.
"Nephalem…" Naruto whispered at the realisation as he remembered from the history books, making the fox nod at the answer.
"What happened after that?" The blonde then asked in complete curiosity after the revelation.
The ancient fox chuckled at his little brother's eagerness "They made a promise, a bound promise that the great fox vowed not to break, and until I fulfil that promise, I gain my freedom".
"What kind of promise?" The blonde listened in closer.
After a bit of suspense, Kurama smiled "To take care of you, Naruto-kun, to make you the best person and shinobi that you could ever become… to help achieve your goals in life".
At that, Naruto ran up to his big brother, and hugged his large furry body as much as he possibly could and never let go "I'm glad to have the best brother in the world… Kurama-nii".
"Me too, otouto…" Kurama replied as his paw hugged the blonde gently.
As they had their moment, the blonde decided to voice his thoughts as something has come up "Kurama-nii-san, would humanity have still existed if angels and demons never cross-bred?"
"That's a good question Naruto-kun… however, I believe that from one book we read at the Yshari Sanctum, I remember that one of the Angiris council members stood up to the others and saved your kind from extinction…" Kurama hummed in thought.
"Angel of Justice, right?" The blonde remembered.
"Of course, that's right, Tyrael… the angel that I respect, a lot" Kurama nodded his head in approval.
"You met him before?" Naruto asked.
The ancient fox nodded his head in confirmation, before cringing at the mention of a certain someone "Yes… I met him just before the bastard Madara Uchiha took control of me with his damn sharingan".
"What did Tyrael say to you before it happened?" The blonde continued asking, always intrigued by his big brother's stories.
"There is no denying that there is evil in the world, but the light will always conquer the darkness" Kurama recited the quote.
"And you took the quote to heart and changed yourself for the better" Naruto finished with a smile.
Kurama nodded his head in approval "That's right; because of Tyrael, I am the kind fox you know today".
The young nephalem grinned in response "This is why I admire you nii-chan… oh, I sense my friend Sasuke outside my apartment, I have to go".
"That's alright Naruto-kun, and I am also glad you made a friend" The fox said as Naruto vanished from the mindscape.
'One day Naruto-kun, you might just be able to best me in battle, and I'll be waiting for that day to arrive' Kurama smiled as he went back to his den in order to sleep.
Reality, Apartment
As the blonde woke up from his talk with big brother Kurama, he decided to just normally meditate for slightly longer before he heard a knock on his door. Opening his eyes slightly to check the chakra signature, he smiled as he recognised it as his friend, Sasuke from the academy. Using powers of the arcane, he unlocked the door with the use of telekinesis, a purple glow on the door handle appeared before the Uchiha's eyes, widening in the process as there was an audible click, hesitantly grabbing it and slightly slid the door open, in true wonder as to how he did it from far away though opened it either way, since the raven-haired boy thinks that he is invited in. Following the habits of his blonde friend monk, he took off his sandals and shut the door behind him, looking around the tidy and clean apartment and exploring slightly the inside, before hearing a voice what seemed to be coming from the bedroom.
"Sasuke, I'm over here, I apologise for not welcoming you earlier, how rude of me" Naruto said as he was standing in front of the door to his bedroom, before moving everything instantly to the living room with a click of his fingers, where they will both be having their session. It has the most space after all.
"How…?" The last Uchiha stuttered with widened eyes as he watched him do the magic. Literally.
"I trust that you won't reveal my abilities to anyone else, right friend?" The blonde asked, testing him in a trial of trust. He watched him nod in full conviction as they both sat down on soft meditation mats.
"Good, now then, please tell me all about the problems you've been having lately, from the top" Naruto started off the conversation.
Sasuke's hands started trembling, turning pale from being balled into fists, remembering all that had happened in the past. Even though, in order to fight this darkness, he would have to dive deep into his heart and mind, to fix and find all the lies and truths that he'd been told, tears starting to stream down his onyx eyes "Since the day of the massacre… I have had trouble sleeping, I was ashamed that I couldn't stop him from doing it, I was scared, and wasn't strong enough!"
Naruto listened carefully to all of his musings, all the pain in his heart completely visible; betrayed by an older brother, witnessing the bloody event of his parents being murdered in cold blood by the sharp end of the blade. Stuck in an illusion to be put out of commission, scarred for the rest of his life. He is surprised that the raven-haired boy has not committed suicide after all of this hardship, though the blonde has to commend on his iron will to keep going, even in the darkest of times. The Uchiha was told by his brother to hate and loathe him in order to be strong, and the blonde disagrees completely with that statement.
The young nephalem then responded to his story with true empathy "I see many mental scars on your being, you have suffered so much yet persevered through it all, losing family is hard, though at some point, you will have to move on. Through hatred and revenge you will only become corrupt and evil, it would be easier for the powers of the burning hells to manipulate you to their will"
Sasuke listened intently to what his friend was saying, though, he had to ask one more question, as he now thought over his motives once more, struggling to find an answer "How else would I be able to become strong if not through vengeance?"
"Companionship, Friendship and Love. All three of these things are important if you want to succeed in the life of a shinobi… let those people close to you be there for you, and from there, you will have something to protect, something precious" The blonde answered with a kind smile, with the last Uchiha responding with his own.
"Friendship, huh? Do you count as my friend?" He asked curiously, getting a nod from the young nephalem.
"Of course, would we be talking here right now if I wasn't?" Naruto answered with a grin on his face, getting them both to laugh heartily together.
"I see, very well, I would like to ask you one more question" Sasuke asked, and the blonde nodded for him to go on.
"Who are your precious people?" He asked in curiosity, as the young nephalem assumed his thinking pose.
"Hmm, I have old man hokage, Iruka-sensei, the Ichiraku family, my big brother and you" Naruto smiled, making the Uchiha smile also.
"You are my first precious person, Naruto" Sasuke said in slight embarrassment, getting the blonde to chuckle.
"I see, well, the more the merrier is what they say, Sasuke. Now, it is time to begin our meditation session, I would like you to reach deep into your heart, mind and purge the darkness from your entire being" Naruto said in a calm-serious manner, sitting down cross legged with the last Uchiha following his example, before the candles lit, and the crystals revelled in some ethereal glow.
Taking deep breaths of the incense from the burning candles, the two started meditating, with the Uchiha going deep into his heart, a dark immense aura suddenly surrounding the raven-haired boy. The crystals were now showing a deep aggression towards the kid, as they started slowly swallowing the darkness up. The blonde looked over at the child who struggled and decided to give him a boost of his own energy, stabilizing his friend in the process.
In Sasuke's Mind
He was walking down a dark road, shadows always seemed to follow him. Voices echoing in his head, telling him to take the path of vengeance. He was desperate to choose it, he really was, though from what he was told it was the powers of hell trying to manipulate him into choosing the wrong path. He will stay on the path of light, and that is what he'll do! He will not submit to the seductive shadows. He was told that the power of darkness is addictive, though at the same time it comes with a great cost at losing your soul. Sasuke was concentrated enough to not fall for the tricks, though, suddenly, he appeared in the old Uchiha district, frozen in fear as he watched his clan being mercilessly murdered one by one, including his parents one more time. Grasping his head, crying out in pain, a familiar voice echoing from the mouth of the one who he once admired, the fully matured eyes bore deep into his soul.
"Hate me Sasuke, live your miserable life in the village scurrying away in the darkness of your own suffering, come find me when you have the same eyes as mine!" The older brother of Sasuke said with a maniacal grin as he approached him with his sword ready to slice him apart.
"I'm over it, over it all. I will not bow down to the likes of you, to the power of darkness, I'm done crying over the past Itachi! Today is the day I purge all the pain you brought upon me from myself!" The last Uchiha shouted with new reclaimed vigour, bravery and conviction, as a strong light was emitted from his chest, forcing the now known Itachi to cover his eyes from his kryptonite.
"I see, then I have no choice but to kill you little brother. If you have stopped running away like you said, then accept your fate of death" Itachi said calmly, slowly approaching his little brother, holding his blade. Sasuke prepared himself as he grabbed on instinct a kunai that is made of pure heavenly light that appeared in his pocket, making the older brother halt slightly, before continuing his advance, then charging at his little brother with the intent to kill.
Sasuke has done the same, in full concentration now as he got rid of any fears he had before, and clashed with him head on, before with a flexible manoeuvre, ducking under the blade's swing in time, slashing Itachi's stomach, making him cough out blood.
During all of this, his eyes were starting to really hurt, as rubbing them to stop the pain didn't really help much. The older brother widened his own, witnessing the younger sibling's red eyes, one tomoe in each "I see, you have unlocked the sharingan, though you will never reach the power of my eyes if you continue to hide behind your little friends!"
Sasuke then grinned at the declaration of his older brother's "He is not just my friend; he is my precious person that I'm willing to protect with my life!"
Itachi was hurt by his declaration, he was surprised to the fullest that he couldn't submit him to the powers of darkness, before scowling and bursting into a shadowy being that glided towards him without mercy, with the intent to kill, a high-pitched raspy voice echoing through the mind "Then you shall die!"
"I've heard that many times before, demon" Sasuke smirked, charging at said demon and slicing it apart with the kunai of light. All the dead bodies all of a sudden turned into the shadowy beings from hell, surrounding the Uchiha on all sides as he tried to run and find more space to fight in.
"Now you shall perish and serve the Lords of Hell as a mindless slave for all eternity!" They all shouted at the same time.
"So, they were all Shadow Vermin demons that tried to manipulate you this whole time, interesting… mind if I join in? Sorry for the intrusion" Naruto suddenly appeared in his mindscape.
Sasuke grinned at the question that was given, before answering and fist bumping his best friend "Sure thing Naruto, the more the merrier"
"Heh, we should become demon hunters as a career choice path, if our ninja ones don't go as planned" The blonde smirked.
"Never knew you were one for humour" The Uchiha snorted.
"Just a suggestion" Naruto countered with his hands up in defence, before they both charged at the demonic shadows that tried to consume them.
Reality, Naruto's Apartment
The two were finished with their session of meditation, as waking up to find themselves still in the blonde's apartment, sighing in content at the fact that it was over. Sasuke was surrounded in a great holy light, his red sharingan eyes gleaming in a calmness that has never been seen before on an Uchiha. It feels great to feel happy once again, and on the plus side, unlocking his clan's infamous dojutsu in the process. Receding the light back into himself, he felt whole once again. A brand new him, a brand-new start. The darkness has been purged, breathing a sigh of relief. He will be the first to not suffer from the curse of hatred of his clan. He fought it off in a battle of pure wits and his own mental strength. He turned off his dojutsu. He won, won against the forces of darkness that tried to consume him.
"Thank you, Naruto… for everything" The raven-haired boy said with a bow.
"It is nothing my friend, remember, if you need anything… just come and talk to me" The young nephalem responded with a wave of his hand.
"I appreciate your offer; Monk man, I'll be leaving now" Sasuke said with a smirk at the nickname, before going back to his own apartment with a true smile on his face, that was adorned on him full blast for the first time. The blonde shook his head at the nickname he was given, though he let it slide. His Uchiha friend deserves this happiness.
"May Ytar bless your soul, my friend" Naruto said, before clapping his hands together, standing up and grinning.
"Now, about that ramen!" The spiky-haired blonde said excitedly, with Kurama chuckling to himself in his mind at the sudden change of personality.
'You truly are something else, Naruto-kun' Kurama thought to himself, a foxy grin adorning his face.
Ichiraku Ramen, Late Evening
"So Naruto, are you still aiming high for your dreams?" Iruka asked, as he watched his former student slurp the ramen up politely, savouring every piece of the meal he could.
When Naruto swallowed his food, he smiled "Of course I am sensei, just because I left for two years doesn't mean that I am following a different path"
"That's good to know, though your personality has changed quite a lot since then" The academy instructor pointed out.
"Is that so…? Training alongside the monks of Ivgorod sure can-do wonders if you know what you're doing!" The blonde grinned, getting a nod of agreement from his former sensei.
"As long as you had fun, It's all that matters" Iruka stated, the blonde smiling at that.
From there, it was just small talk in between bowls about general stuff such as team placements and training. Of course, the blonde told him a bit about his journey through the nations, and got quite curious about it, though the instructor decided to not delve deeper into the subject, and Naruto was thankful for his teacher to be respectful of his privacy and space. At one point, Iruka has asked about his new friend, Sasuke, to which made the blonde smile fondly. He told his teacher, that as a monk, he has the power of the holy spirits on his side and helped him exorcise the darkness from his heart. The last Uchiha had been happier ever since, and that made Iruka smile, it seems that the blonde always does wonders to those close to him, and those that are around him. He is glad that the kid that used to brood all the time in class, finally lighten up, though it seems to only those close to him, the only person precious to Sasuke is Naruto at the moment. To the rest of the students, he will always be that infamous brooder.
"Final bowl of ramen for me please, Teuchi-Oji-San" The young nephalem ordered, placing his third empty bowl to the side.
"Ayame! Another bowl of Miso!" The ramen chef shouted into the back, getting a response.
"Right! Tou-san!" She shouted back, getting the ingredients.
"You used to slurp up the ramen like there was no tomorrow kid! What in the world happened to that side of ya?" Teuchi asked with a chuckle.
The blonde responded with a fond smile "I have decided to be a much healthier kid since starting my training with the monks of Ivgorod"
"Well, technically bashed it into my brain, though still" The blonde finished with a shrug, as everyone laughed heartily, even Ayame who heard it just in time as she was bringing out more ingredients.
"At least you can come here any time you want now, right Naruto-kun?" She grinned.
"Well, you see, Ayame-nee, I still have my big brother to worry about…" The blonde scratched the back of his head as a nervous laugh came out of his mouth.
"You mean Kurama-san? I think he's a pretty nice guy… speaking of which, where is he?" Iruka asked.
"He told me that he will be away on a business trip outside the village for a while, said that he'll be coming back before the team placements" Naruto calmly answered his question. Even though it is a lie, a sin of mankind, it is only to keep his brother's true identity a secret from everyone. At least they believed him, which was a good sign of trust between the little group.
"I see, well, make sure to tell him to come by for some ramen kiddo!" Teuchi advertised, making the blonde smile once more.
"Sure thing Oji-san, I will! Thanks for the food!" Naruto prayed as he finished the last bowl.
"No problem! Come back anytime!" The ramen shop owner replied back with a kind smile.
"I'm not that bad, am I otouto?" Kurama questioned with an incredulous look on his face from within the seal.
'Well, according to your training regime and diet plans for me… yes' Naruto mentally smirked, making the fox sigh in exasperation at the small hits. However, the happy conversations at the ramen shop was interrupted as a chunin rushed through the curtains.
"Whoa, Mark, slow down, what's the rush?" Iruka put his hands on his fellow chunin's shoulders.
Said chunin was panting his heart out as he managed to calm himself down, a distressed look on his facial features "Big trouble, Iruka-san… you and Naruto are needed in the hokage's office immediately!"
"Calm down, what is the problem?" Naruto asked.
"Mizuki has stolen the forbidden scroll, please hurry to the hokage's office!" Mark stressed out as he bowed, before rushing out of the ramen shop. The two looked at each other, before shrugging and running after the chunin, but not before the academy instructor paying a nice handy tip.
'So, the demon in disguise has made its move…' The blonde thought, narrowing his eyes at this development.
"Yes, you better keep your guard up and protect your former teacher, I'm afraid Mizuki will be too much for him" Kurama responded, with the young nephalem nodding in agreement.
With Mizuki
'Those idiotic foolish mortals weren't expecting a thing! Being a chunin for so long and dismissing me as a lesser threat… the minds of humans are so easy to change and manipulate' Mizuki thought to himself, smirking all the while, feeling the adrenaline rush that started to act up in his human form. Once he delivers the forbidden scroll to his master, he will gain unrivalled power equal to one of the greater demons in hell's ranks. Licking his tongue lustily at thought of the praise the man would receive, he sped up his pace ten-fold to gain his promised power and promotion sooner. The power-hungry maniac was approaching his resting point; the shack near the outskirts of Konoha. His plans were to gear up and stream out of the boundaries of the leaf village without being detected. Another thing that he wanted was the destruction of the damned peace-loving village and prepared his demonic energy to summon a portal to the underworld.
However, in his human state it seems that it is not possible and cursed at the limitations of being mortal, though thought of the positives at the same time 'Damn this stupid body! Why did it have to be so fucking WEAK?! No matter… once I cross the borders, there will be no stopping me'
Hokage's Office
As the two ran into the office, they have noticed a couple more shinobi than usual; There were at least four jonin standing around, waiting for something to happen. Their attention was on the two, though especially the blonde monk. Iruka was kind of nervous about all this, though who wouldn't be if there's a dangerous situation in the Leaf? Especially if it's the most prized possession of the village itself being stolen? He has no idea how his favourite student can stay so calm. Even though he knew him the most and longest, next to lord third, he is still such a mystery to the teacher. However, now is not the time for musings, though one small inside question still remains; what drove his best friend, Mizuki, into stealing the forbidden artefact? He knows there was always some sort of scheme going in his mind, he knew about his jealousy of him, but he never knew that his fellow chunin assistant would condemn himself to stealing such a treasure for the sole purpose of attention. He never would do such a thing… right? Mizuki always used to play some sort of prank on him since childhood, maybe this is just some kind of hoax as well?
The blonde noticed Iruka's distress was on fire, not concentrating at the task at hand as much as he used to just recently, though something tells him is that his favourite sensei is contemplating whether to defend his best friend or not. He can understand those feelings, it might've not happened to him yet, but he was told stories of this kind of childhood friendship betrayal. The once human Mizuki was gone, he suffocated himself in darkness, practised demonic rituals in secrecy, and in the end, his soul was dragged under into the realm of the burning hells. All of this corruption just because someone wanted to be stronger, gain more power, acknowledgement… lead to this one single mistake; it is easy for demons to use humans as their own puppets, and not the other way around. Hell and Heaven are not forces to be trifled with so easily, they are something that mortals will never comprehend. However, maybe he might be able to do something about that, or maybe the blonde is just getting over his head with confidence. He should not delve into these kinds of subjects too deeply, as one simple mistake can ruin everything.
Two specific jonin had their attention on the young nephalem; one that had gravity defying silver hair, and another who had short, spiky neat black hair with a cigarette in his mouth. Both of them had their own individual thoughts. The one with the cigar was trying to figure out which monk tribe he is from, since the only ones he knew of when he was in the Guardian Twelve, were the Hi Sōryo (Fire Monks) of the Fire Temple. However, the other was smiling under his mask, at how much the blonde had grown in the past six years. It is amazing what a two-year trip can do to you; becoming more mature, knowing the scopes of the shinobi world better, and more importantly; the training that Naruto must've went through, which had to be quite tough. He might visit him later if he has the time to do so, to catch up after all of this is over.
Hiruzen decided to get everyone's attention with a single cough, before starting his speech "Do you know why you two were brought into my office at such short notice?"
"Of course hokage-sama, we were brought in because Mizuki has stolen the forbidden scroll of seals, as debriefed by the chunin Mark" Naruto decided to formally explain, as it was a serious situation, and Iruka seemed to be out of it at the moment.
"Very well, I will indulge you on your first mission; Be aware that this is a B-rank, if gone wrong it could move up a level. Your job is to subdue Mizuki and retrieve the scroll, bring it back safely" The old hokage revealed the mission details, before the blonde decided to raise a point.
"What if our opponent is not what he seems? Are we allowed to exterminate him?" Naruto questioned, getting raised eyebrows all around, and a shocked look from his sensei.
"Indulge me further, Naruto-kun, what exactly do you mean?" Hiruzen asked.
"Y-yeah, Naruto, w-why? Wh-what's with the extreme precautionary measures?" Iruka stuttered out.
"If you believe in spirituality and the paranormal, then you should know about demonic possessions and body take overs. There are those who would try and find an easy way to power, and the only way to do it is through demonology and witchery, do you see where I'm going with this? Those who are weak minded fools like Mizuki would get easily consumed by these powers, and get possessed by a demon if a ritual goes wrong" The blonde started off, before a female jonin decided to step in.
"If you're talking about this Mizuki being a demon in disguise, then there's no way that's possible" The female jonin denied.
"Yeah Naruto, come on, I know how much you dislike him, but to go this far to consider him as being a monster?" Iruka agreed with the female jonin, getting the blonde to nod in return as an answer to his metaphorical question. The instructor winced at this, before deciding to stay silent.
"So, what you are saying is that Mizuki has been secretly practising demonic rituals, and if one of them have somewhere somehow gone wrong, he was taken over, and his soul was dragged into hell. Am I getting this right Naruto?" Hiruzen summarised the blonde's explanation, getting him to hum in approval.
"That's right, to those who do not believe me, I will prove to you all that it is true… that Mizuki is in fact, a demon, a spy for the burning hells" Naruto declared, everyone's eyes in pure shock.
"That's enough, we have no time to squabble around, it is time that you two get moving, stop Mizuki from escaping the walls of the village!" The hokage ordered, getting an audible 'hai!' from both of them as Iruka finally escaped his train of rushing thoughts, vanishing in a Leaf Shunshin (Body Flicker) along with his student.
"Don't you think we should come with them as back up perhaps?" A man with bushy eyebrows and bowl haircut questioned.
Hiruzen then responded with a sigh "If what Naruto says is true, then it is only something he alone can handle, but as a precaution, I will send you guys out into the field just in case things go out of hand. However, I do believe that he can achieve the impossible like he always does"
"I have a question… what monk tribe is that kid from?" The black spiky haired man asked out of curiosity.
"I wouldn't dive into Naruto's personal life without his explicit permission, if you want to know, then you'll have to speak to him about it yourself, otherwise, it is just invasion of privacy" The masked silver haired jonin defended the kid, his lone good eye narrowed dangerously.
"Alright, I get your point Kakashi, relax" The smoker replied with his hands up in defence.
'Phew, close one' The now known Kakashi sighed mentally in relief.
While the two were conversing, the female jonin with long black hair decided to ask the hokage a question, as she doesn't fully believe the blonde "Do you think what Naruto said is true, hokage-sama?"
"If it is, Kurenai, then a possible troublesome theory is that we have cultist groups hidden amongst our people, practising demonic rituals in secrecy, preparing for something big" He answered, getting a nod from the now known Kurenai, before going back to the rest of the jonin group.
Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his temples 'This is going to be a long night'
Konoha Outskirts
"Do you think it was a good idea to indulge them on this kind of subject?" Kurama questioned his little brother's motives.
'I wanted to let them know the dangers that sanctuary hides, better to do it now then later' Naruto countered, getting a sigh of relief from the fox.
"I understand now, you just want to keep them safe and, in the loop, right?" The bijuu smiled.
The blonde then responded with a mental grin 'What good of a hokage would I be if I can't protect my own people dattebayo?'
"Heh, big dreams, big motivations I see" Kurama finished as he watched the scenes unfold, a foxy grin on his face shown as his little brother used the catchphrase that he hasn't heard in quite some time.
"Naruto, we're here" Iruka woke him up from the conversation he was having with his big brother and looked around at the clearing with the small old shack that seemed to be ready to collapse at any moment, though somehow was still standing through sheer will alone. Sensing a chakra signature from the inside, they both tensed up as a man waltzed out of the building like they owned the place with a scroll under their arm, a large fuma shuriken on the back, and the recognisable light blue shoulder length hair. As he turned to face them, his emerald, green eyes held malice within them, chuckling evilly at their misfortune. This is just perfect, Iruka is conflicted whether or not to face him like this, while the blonde outcast of the village was just calmly staring at him without fear and full confidence of his abilities. Do they even know who these mortals are facing? Have they come to sacrifice themselves to his master? If so, he would gladly destroy them right here, right now. Damn stupid halflings don't deserve the honour to live in sanctuary, though the evils insisted that he leave the kid alive… seems that there is something much deeper going on between the council of evil, then meets the eye. Why do they leave this kid alive, if there is a bounty on his head in both heaven and hell?
"Well, well, well… if it isn't Iruka and the demon brat, how ironic for you two to be here at such short notice" Mizuki started off with a gleam in his eyes, leaking killing intent.
However, Naruto was not fazed by the pathetic attempt, before trying to provoke him into revealing his true identity "You should speak for yourself… why don't you show us what you truly are underneath this human disguise?"
"Mizuki, listen, there is still hope for you… just come peacefully with us" Iruka tried convincing him, though it only seemed to fail.
The now declared rogue ninja chuckled lightly, before becoming full blown evil laughter "Look at you still crying for your best friend Iruka! Isn't that just pathetic? Since you're his friend, how about you join him in HELL!"
There were sudden black flames surrounding the chunin teacher, before it was completely put out by a mass of holy water, that was spouted from the blonde's mouth, getting the chunin wet in the process "Suiton: Seinaru Nagare no Jutsu (Holy Stream Technique)!"
Iruka was shaking in pure fear at the thought of almost dying, before he was put out of his panicked mode with a touch of calmness from Naruto "Are you alright, Iruka-sensei?"
"I'm fine Naruto… I'm still trying to process that he would actually try and kill me…" The chunin instructor basically whispered out, trying to process everything that was happening.
"Iruka, you have to snap out of it, either fight, or stay out of it and I'll handle him myself! Your choice… the Mizuki you once knew is lost forever" Naruto said seriously, eyes narrowed, always on guard as he was sensing for any signs of the human pretend demon.
"He's very shaken up by the twists and turns that just occurred" Kurama looked on in sadness.
'He should've stayed back at the hokage's office' The blonde thought back, with the ancient fox agreeing, though a sudden flaming fuma shuriken was launched from above the trees, Naruto's skin suddenly becoming as hard as diamond, a shield of blue around his entire body as he caught it with his left hand, the fire being put out instantly. He then threw the massive shuriken back to where it came from, as an audible spark was heard, meaning it was deflected. Mizuki then jumped down from the trees, as he created hand signs for a jutsu that the chunin used to know.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)!" The late Mizuki shouted as a ball of white-hot flame, much stronger then the original jutsu, was sent right at the two.
The blonde sped through hand signs, before slamming his hand on the ground, a holy silver water wall sprung up to defend them, in turn putting out the hellish flames, the result of a foggy area around the battlefield "Suiton: Gin Mizu Kabe no Jutsu (Silver Water Wall)!"
"Don't worry Iruka-sensei, I've got this under control" Naruto calmly said, his daibo now grasped in his hands, his eyes scanning intently for any kind of sneak attack.
'Naruto… I'm sorry for being such a burden to you, however this time, I'll fight alongside you' Iruka thought to himself in determination as he stood up and threw shuriken into the direction, he thought the late assistant instructor was. They heard the shuriken being deflected, and that is when the blonde decided to teleport behind him, with the light blue haired man widening his eyes in shock, before the blonde struck a sphere of purple arcane energy into his back, exploding and expelling the mist in the process. Hearing screaming as something hit the tree, the academy teacher witnessed the scene as Mizuki was bleeding out from the direct hit in the back, before he was surrounded on all sides by three jonin.
"For stealing the forbidden scroll and attempting to kill shinobi of the leaf, you are hereby arrested for attempted murder, extreme vandalism, stealing and treason" The man with the gravity defying silver hair by the name of Kakashi stated the severe consequences for his actions.
Mizuki then started chuckling, before it turned into evil laughter as he managed to barely stand "Why would I surrender to the likes of MORTALS?! I'm so close to the power I rightfully DESERVE!"
His body then started twitching, convulsing, rising into the air as if he was floating, everyone were confused and horrified at what was happening, the most brutal death anyone has seen of a man. The blonde narrowed his eyes before widening in shock "Everybody stand back! Arashi Isogu (Tempest Rush)!"
He spun his daibo at extreme speed and velocity that it created a wind turbine like effect, the explosion of Mizuki's body being cast aside like nothing as everyone stood behind him. The jonin were incredibly impressed with his skills, though they will worry about it later as everyone widened their eyes in true horror at what the former teaching assistant has become, especially Iruka, who was now shaking at realising what his favourite student said was true; spikes, claws and horns grew out from beneath the burnt like skin, it's body twitched from time to time, floating just above the ground, the demon's head rolling and swaying from side to side in an uncontrolled manner. Smelling of burnt flesh, everyone covered their noses, the only one able to take the smell being the young nephalem. Other entrails and innards can be seen hanging at the lower parts of its body. It is a truly horrifying sight that made Iruka puke out his dinner.
'I can't believe Mizuki actually turned himself into a monster just to gain what he wants… he really was a traitor to the village all along' The academy instructor thought to himself as he looked on in disgust at the monster that was once Mizuki.
"What in Kami's name is that…?" The green clad jonin said slowly in pure terror. However before anyone else could ask anything else, the blonde responded while he kept an eye on the monster.
"A Dark Thrall… demonically possessed bodies of former humans, they are twisted and mutated to the point of being unrecognisable, usually empowered by dark forbidden magic when they were still… living" Naruto explained, though suddenly the creature roared and sped at one of the jonin unexpectedly fast, the silver haired cyclops just barely dodging out of the way.
"I am finally free from human!" The Dark Thrall laughed in a deep gurgling evil voice, before charging at Iruka, being tackled by Asuma, while the green clad man used the infamous Konoha Senpū (Leaf Whirlwind) on the monster, sending it flying into the tree.
The thrall floated back up again slowly, gaining a shocked look from the bowl haircut jonin "Tough little bastard!"
"Stay out of this one Iruka, you'll only get in the way" Asuma suggested, with the chunin teacher nodding sadly as he watched the jonin and his favourite student fight it out with the demon.
'Why, Mizuki?' Was his only unanswered question before he heard the creature bellow in pain. As he swivelled his head to look into the direction of the scream, he noticed a frosty beam of energy colliding with the monster, before the blonde went in close and slayed it just by touching it with a single combination of abilities.
"No! I just escaped the human body… I'm not ready to die just yet! I have so much more work that needs to be done!" The Dark Thrall pleaded.
Naruto responded with a snort as he prepared the hand signs for one of his holy techniques "Heh, you won't be doing anything once I completely erase you from existence! Himitsu Gijutsu: Hyaku no Kamigami no Jōka (Secret Technique: Purification of a Hundred Gods)!"
The Dark Thrall's body suddenly was glowing with an ethereal glow of a combination of silver and gold, screaming in pain as steam started to come out of it's pores from the burning sensation, before the blonde decided to end its misery by extending his right foot forward, thrusting his daibo right into the demon's chest, before shouting out his final technique "Hikari no Nami (Wave of Light)!"
"I will NOT be defeated by a HALFLING like YOU!" The Dark Thrall managed to roar out while in pain.
"Too late for saying that, demon!" Naruto countered its argument.
A spiritual bell then dropped from the heavens upon the Dark Thrall, before the blonde slammed it into the demon, making it scream in agony, twitching and shaking, and finally blowing up into chunks of flesh. Everyone's eyes hardened at the sight of this kind of death. The battle with the demonic being was over, the body parts and demon blood evaporating into burning ashes, never to return to earth ever again, trapped within the burning hells for all eternity. Naruto exhaled deeply as he has not realised the breath that he was holding, before leaning up against a tree and sitting down to at least get some time out. He still has a long way to go trying to perfect these techniques, as they use up a lot of his spiritual energy, and it helps that he has a lot of it as well.
'The kid has much to learn, even if he is a trained and hardened warrior. However, once he masters all his techniques and strange fighting styles, even I will be afraid to face him on the battlefield' Kakashi thought to himself as he picked him up, before carrying him back to the hokage's office to report on the mission.
"Thanks, Inu…" The blonde recognised the chakra signature that has watched over him like a guardian angel when he was younger.
"No worries, though you may call me Kakashi from now on"
Later, Hokage's Office
Everyone were silent during the debriefing of the results for the mission from Naruto, who was sitting down on a chair in front of the old hokage. From what he was hearing, it seems that there is more trouble then he thought. Hiruzen has been slipping up lately, as somehow cultists managed to sneak past the barriers of the sensory division. Old age has been catching up to him it seems. The question is, what are they doing in Konoha? What are the goals of these cultists? These questions will be on his mind for quite a long time it seems, with no answer at all. His time as hokage is slowly coming to an end, he really needs to find someone worthy of being his next successor! He is getting too old for this shit! First a stolen scroll, and now demons exist. What next? He doesn't fucking know!
Sighing deeply in frustration, he took a smoke out of a pipe, before puffing it out in a cloud "Well, at least you have successfully completed your first mission Naruto-kun, and as a reward; you get two jutsus from the scroll, one from me, and the payment for a high B-rank mission, with the inclusion of the would-be bounty of Mizuki"
"I appreciate your kind donations, hokage-sama" The young blonde bowed with a smile.
"Please… no need for formalities, it makes me feel older than I already am" Hiruzen replied with a chuckle, getting a grin from Naruto.
"Okay, Old Man, so, am I free to go?" He asked, getting a deadpan look from said old man behind the desk.
"Of course, you deserve the rest after all that happened today" The Hokage nodded, Naruto bowing once again, before making his way to the door. However, before he could even walk out, the smoking jonin stepped in and decided to ask him the question that was nagging at his mind for so long.
"Hey kid, which monk tribe are you from? I only know of the Hi Sōryo" He scratched his chin in thought, getting the cyclops jonin to sigh and frown under his mask.
Naruto's whole entire being screamed mischievous, before responding with a smile "I am… part of the Sahptev faith, Monk of Ivgorod at your service"
The jonin widened his eyes in shock at the answer he was totally not expecting "Ivgorod? Sahptev faith? No way… that's just crazy! Their training methods are insane! How did you even survive?"
"Two words: Strong will" The young nephalem responded with a grin.
However, the female jonin decided to ask the question that has shaken the blonde up quite a bit on the inside, though didn't show it on the outside, as he looked as calm as ever "When we were facing off against that… thing, it said that you were some sort of 'halfling' before you killed it. What did it mean by that Naruto?"
Everyone was extremely curious, as they missed the detail, focused more on the battle then anything else, the only one on standby at the time being was the red eyed female jonin hidden in a genjutsu. Although, since the blonde never had a fake answer for that, Kakashi decided to step in "I don't know what you mean by that, Kurenai… he was always a human like one of us"
"I agree with Kakashi… even though his abilities are of strange origin, I believe they came from all the hard work and training with the Monks of Ivgorod! Very youthful indeed!" The green clad jonin just decided to hop on the bandwagon with his 'nice guy' pose.
'Thanks for saving my life you two… I owe them one' The blonde thought with a mental sigh of relief.
"She was onto us, though only for a second…" Kurama thought back while he released the breath that he didn't know he was holding.
"I see, thanks for indulging us, though I believe Naruto-kun is very tired, and is already gone to his apartment for his well-deserved rest" Hiruzen said with a small chuckle as the door to the office was quickly closed, a stream of air being the only evidence of the blonde ever being here.
"And it seems that chunin instructor decided to come along with him" The one-eyed cyclops added.
"Now then, meeting dismissed, you are all free to go" The hokage waved his hand as everyone left through the door one by one.
'Damn this stupid paperwork! Every day you just seem to increase two piles at a time!' Hiruzen seethed in his mind.
Late Night, Naruto's Apartment
"You didn't have to come with me Iruka-sensei, I can take care of myself just fine" Naruto sighed.
"I know, but not when you're so tired" Iruka countered with a smile, making his former student sigh with a negative shake of his head.
"Stop being such a mother hen sensei" Naruto said, bumping him in the shoulder lightly.
"Listen… I also came with you because I wanted to apologise for…" Iruka started, though was cut off.
"There's no need, Ytar has forgiven you… you were just trying to look out for someone who was a friend of yours once, even if he did turn evil. That is just part of your caring nature, your Will of Fire" The young nephalem said, bowing a goodnight to him, before gently closing the door as he entered his apartment.
'Thank you, Naruto… you really are something else' Iruka thought with a smile on his face before leaving.
End of Chapter
Well I'll be fucking damned! This rewrite is going to be a pain in the ass since this chapter is so damn long! Thirty-four pages on word! That's how insane it is! It makes sense because I have spent more time on the detail side of things. There are honestly a ton more details, and this feels way more original then I anticipated. However, original is good, and I would like your thoughts and opinions on this rewrite! Have a nice easter break everyone, I'll be coming back to writing soon in a couple of months, as this is any indication. Inspiration hit me and here I am, giving you guys something to read for once. And yes, Sasuke is not a total emo this time around.
I'll be hard focused on this story for quite some time, so be expected more frequent updates! Also, just to remind you guys one more time, please do not post harem suggestions for Naruto, as I have already decided on the pairings. It is kind of annoying.
Naruto's Harem: Naruto/Hinata/Tenten/Fu/Ino/Temari (Final!)
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you all in the next one!
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Read on people!