Ben-10: The One True Monster
A/N response to the comments: This got a bit long. ')
I don't dislike talk no jutsu, I believe people can talk it out sometimes, but Benji kinda overdid it. The fight scene was longer, so talk no jutsu dialogues were also much longer. Plus, unlike in the original where Naruto rode on Gamabunta, Way Big was the one fighting so it was easier to talk lol.
1. But Gaara's development here will be a bit different. Him becoming friends with Naruto won't change, but another factor will come in. Unlike Naruto, Benji doesn't want to attract people. Deep down, he still wants to be friends with others, but like he mentioned in the previous chapter, the "Ben" part of him doesn't want friends.
So influenced by Benji, Gaara won't become open just yet. But now that he knows there are a lot more people than he initially thought, he would reconsider his hatred for humanity.
2. Simple. Rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke was also a big factor in their character development, but Konoha Crush contributed barely anything to Naruto's character. But Sasuke found out how powerful Naruto became in this arc, so it's more about Sasuke than Naruto. Simply put, instead of rivalry between each other, Sasuke could get his motivation by envying Benji, and Naruto could do something similar. Benji could replace that rivalry as the source of motivation.
3. Orochimaru wouldn't know who Way Big was, since he wouldn't expect a kid (a genin participant) to be it. But Kabuto would know about it so he could tell Orochimaru about Benji behind the scenes. It's possible he could figure out something's wrong with Benji's jutsu. But I haven't thought about this route properly.
4. There were only three who knew about Benji's source of power (Omnitrix): Hiruzen, Masato and Iruka. Hiruzen is dead now, and Iruka doesn't actively try to find out. In fact, he trusts his pupil, Benji, so Iruki wouldn't know about it at all. Masato knew the most, though he didn't believe it, lol.
So outside the three, the only one who could find out the truth is Jiraiya, because of his connections with Mount Myouboku (the mountain of toads). To avoid spoilers, I won't elaborate on this part.
A/N: Chūnin (中忍) has always been spelt as "Chuunin" because it's hard to write "ū" on computer, but I accidentally used a lot of Chūnin instead of Chuunin while writing this chapter (on my mobile). So on a side-note, let me remind the readers that Chūnin, Chuunin, and Chunin are all alternative spellings of the same word.
Alright, thanks for your questions and support! Now enjoy!
[Cut]
Atop the Mount Hokage-iwa overlooking the Konohagakure village stood a young man with white hair and red eyes, seemingly spacing out. He wore a red jacket and a forehead protector that didn't have a symbol carved in it.
"Konohagakure no Bakemono…" he thoughtfully muttered. "I'm this close to finding you, Ben Tennyson."
He then turned around, walking away.
"Maybe I will find you next time for sure."
Sensing a presence up on the Hokage-iwa, Jiraiya stopped in his tracks and decided to take a look. It was like a few dozen kilometers away, but Jiraiya was sure. Probably because that particular individual has hell of a presence.
"What's this about?" Kakashi asked, seeing Jiraiya's cautious lookout.
"Ah, no, nothing," Jiraiya replied. "Anyway, c'mon, tell me about the Konohagakure no Bakemono! I really, seriously want to know!"
By Konohagakure no Bakemono, he meant Benji's transformation, Way Big. But it was common sense that Konoha ninja, especially the witnesses, must keep the identity of the real user a secret to protect him.
"Didn't you hear?" Kakashi said with a poker face. "It's Lord Third's summon."
Thus, under Masato's leadership, the jonins decided it would be covered up as the late Hokage's summon. It was a lie, but not an ugly one.
"I don't believe it!" Jiraiya said. "Didn't that old man only summon monkeys?"
Yeah, being one of Hiruzen's closest pupils…
"You're talking like you know everything about him," said Kakashi. "Maybe it's his grandson's doing, then. You see, his name also has "Konoha" in it."
"That doesn't make sense," Jiraiya deadpanned.
Hiruzen's grandson, Konohamaru, was still in elementary school.
"If you don't want to tell me, it's fine! Just tell me who can give me an answer!"
Oh, no, this middle-aged man is a tough one. The copy ninja inwardly remarked. My specially-trained swindling techniques aren't working. Maybe I need more training.
"Why are you so dead-set on it?" Asked Kakashi.
"Back then I was on my way to help the guards," the Toad Sage explained. "You know, the enemies summoned some nasty giant snakes, so I was going to summon my toads. But he appeared and took them all out with a single kick."
"Oh, I see…"
"… all while carrying Shukaku."
Absolute mad lad, Kakashi thought.
"If you really want to know," the copy ninja said. "You'll have to pay Masato-San a visit."
"Masato? I want nothing to do with him."
"You two are still at it?" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "At any rate, that's the best clue I can give you. That or go ask the elders, that is."
Jiraiya felt conflicted for a moment; but he knew talking to Masato wouldn't be as big a pain as meeting the elder advisors.
"Masato, that bastard and I were competing for it…"
"You two are really two sides of the same coin," Guy chimed in. "Staying single and doing all kinds of crazy things. I mean, Kakashi and I compete with each other sometimes, but we are still good friends!"
Kakashi rolled his eyes but agreed with Guy anyway.
"Yeah," he nodded. "Maybe a wife would help you settle down– ah, sorry, you must have way passed that age."
The copy ninja and the Intense-brows sensei is referencing the fact that both Jiraiya and Masato are not married; the former for a reason and the latter being a womanizer. Being a ladies' man made it hard for Masato to settle down with marriage.
But both Kakashi and Guy, however, are over ten years younger than Masato, even, while Jiraiya is, like, 50 years old. So marriage isn't a concern for the kouhai, really. Not that they have ever worried about their life partners, though.
"Oi!" Jiraiya felt personally attacked. "I can't… just handle that Masato. He and I fought for the "biggest pervert in Konoha" position!"
Kakashi and Guy deadpanned in response.
"I don't think he's a pervert," Kakashi said. "He's just a womanizer…"
"Perhaps. But he's such a despicable man who leaves women crying!"
Guy looked interested. "Oh, I didn't hear about it, but how?"
The toad sage clenched his fist. "Women cry… when he doesn't accept their invitation to drink with them!"
There was an awkward pause, with everyone else looking at Jiraiya.
"That's an unforgivable action, right?"
"Who knows," Kakashi shrugged. "So that's it. Please excuse me, I have some matters to attend to, so…"
"M-me too," Guy said.
And so the two jonin kouhai disappeared quickly from Jiraiya's sight.
[Cut]
Chapter 11: That One Wanted Criminal
"Congratulations, Benji-kun," Iruka-sensei said.
Yeah, it's just I was discharged after being hospitalized for a few days. It's something so trivial that I still feel embarrassed over it. But doctors suggested I stay at the hospital to check my chakra levels and find anomalies, in case there was one. But it's just that I was exhausted after using a lot of transformations and fighting a lot.
"Thanks, Iruka-sensei."
Sensei was the only one who came to see me released from the hospital, since Masato-nii was probably busy again. Not that I mind though.
That was nothing to celebrate about.
"So you're going back home?"
"Right," I nodded. "Sorry for the extra work, sensei."
"Nah, it's alright," he said with a smile. "Alright then, I have some matters to attend to, so, see ya."
"Hai…"
Apparently, after the battle, Sunagakure surrendered to Konogakure after finding out their Kazekage had been assassinated long before the conflict was plotted. The answer they could give was that Orochimaru and co might have tricked the Sand village. Both villages now don't have a leader… But at least Suna didn't suffer from the fight.
I heard from Shikamaru that it was possible to keep the damage to a minimum because of me. But I couldn't help but think… If it's true. Or was there any other way to reduce the damage even more?
People can't help looking back at the past, no matter what, huh…
In the last few years, there were a lot I missed. I forgot some years of my life, literally. I'm amnesic and it sucks.
Not only was I unable to save Lord Third, I also didn't attend his funeral. Forgive me, Old Man…
I couldn't attend the funerals of my best friends, too.
It sucks. Mostly because most things I missed were funerals.
With regret and sorrow, I dragged my heavy limbs back to my house, only to be greeted by a bizarre sight.
"This is…"
A corpse. It was so bizarre it didn't seem to be from this world. Yes, exactly, I knew what it was.
"A monster from Null Void?"
I couldn't be wrong. I wish I was, but even after over a decade I've not seen this species, I could still recognize it.
"Oi, what are you doing? Go in."
I was about to jump, but it turned out to be Masato-nii, much to my relief.
"Oh, that…" he said, glancing at the corpse. "Such a nasty creature, right?"
With dry gray skin and tentacles hanging from the undersides, and bat-like wings on its back, the creature didn't have eyes but a big mouth with scary, white fangs.
I was confused because Masato-nii didn't show any sign of surprise or shock. If anything, he casually seemed to know what it was.
"What is that?" I asked.
"A forbidden summoning jutsu brings these kinds of things," he casually explained. "I don't know who can do the jutsu, but these things are nasty. Though, they are not very smart, so in short, they are easy targets."
These kinds of things are Null Guardians. They exclusively live in a pocket dimension called Null Void, and any one of them being here isn't a good sign by any means. Though, in fact, these creatures are sorta protectors of null void. They're not harmful or anything…
"These things came during…"
"Yeah, during that battle. There were like 30 of them, but Ino-Shika-Cho and some other ninjas handled it fine. They're not much of a threat."
"... it's relieving to hear that."
"What?"
I shrugged. "Nothing. Never mind. Ah, I'm thinking of taking a bath, so…"
"Go on ahead, I'll take one after you," he said.
I dodged the topic, but the fact that these things exist in this world isn't a good sign. Just what is going on… I need to talk to Professor Paradox about it.
"Oh, whoa, if it's not… Masato the Tracker of Tenzaki-style Tracking Technique?!"
An unfamiliar masculine voice stopped me in my tracks. To me, he sounded like he was mocking. I quickly turned around, to be greeted by the sight of two grown men staring down each other.
What the heck.
Oh, this person, he is…
"Yeah, you are right in front of that "Masato's" house," Masato-nii retorted in a monotonous voice. "Are you here for another drinking challenge, Jiraiya… sensei?"
"Not really, but if you're up for it, count me in," the man, Jiraiya-san, replied with a grin.
This is the legendary ninja who trained Naruto. But like Masato-nii mentioned, he must have at least one drinking competition with the bro.
"Then why are you here?"
"Kakashi persisted, he wouldn't tell me about it, so I came here to ask you personally," he said, "by any chance, do you happen to know who summoned the Konohagakure no Bakemono?"
"What if I do?"
"Tell me who it was."
"Lord Third," Masato-nii answered with a serious face.
"Don't lie!"
Konohagakure no Bakemono (The monster of the Leaf)? What is that? It sounds kinda awesome to my ears though.
"Maybe his grandson, then," Masato-nii said with a grin.
"Kakashi said the same! Or did he actually say the truth, hmm…" Jiraiya looked troubled, cupping his chins deep in thoughts. "Now that I think about it, it actually looked like a monkey. Except he might be too tall. Or his legs were too long, maybe."
I decided to push my bathtime to a later time and join their conversation.
"Um, what is… that Konohagakure no Bakemono?"
Masato-nii whispered just two words to me and winked. "Way Big."
It didn't go unnoticed by Jiraiya-san, but it's not like he could figure it out anyway. But I immediately realized what it was.
Maybe I really was the monster of the Leaf. I mean, it sounds badass, right? I wouldn't mind such a nickname. Omunitorikkusu no Ben-Ten, Konohagakure no Bakemono, yes. Both are epic.
How about Benji the Tracker? Okay, I'm not gonna reconsider learning that jutsu, all right. Sorry, family.
"Kid, you know something?"
"No, uh, not really, sir," I excused myself out and went into the room for a bath. The two went on talking for like half an hour. I mean, they really got along well, in spite of what it seemed to be. I don't know what's the story between Masato-nii and Jiraiya-San.
"Isn't he… that kid?" I overheard Jiraiya-san asking something like that.
Masato-nii responded like, "yeah. He doesn't remember anything though."
"Did you tell him about his mother?"
"No, I haven't."
There was a pause, but it's not like I knew what they were talking about.
"... Maybe it's for the best."
But at any rate, I guess I should be more careful about it, since Masato-nii is going to such lengths to hide my ability. At this point, I wasn't particularly interested in "secret identity," stuff anymore, but to protect others, I must protect myself and my family first.
This is all for the best. It is.
And then that evening, I asked him the details about it.
"Is it even morally acceptable… to use a dead person's name like that?"
"Lord Third looked out for you, you know," he said, "I mean, he watched over the entire village, of course. But you were an anomaly, so we talked about you a lot. He said he would take responsibility for making you a shinobi."
"Why would he even do that?"
The smell of fried eggs tackled my senses really hard. Soon, Masato-nii turned off the stove and brought the fried eggs onto a plate.
"He made you a shinobi so you would protect the village. It was also his advice… to disguise your transformations as his summons, in case people couldn't accept them as normal. He probably foresaw this, too."
"…"
"Even then, a child having this much potential will eventually bring danger to himself," he reminded, "so you know what to do."
"… I suppose so."
The tea felt lukewarm to my senses. It wasn't reaching my heart.
"Sorry, Benji," he said.
"For what again?"
"I can't protect you all the time. The world outside is much harsher than it seems."
"You don't need to apologize, nii… san. You know, there is little that can surprise me. Don't worry about that."
"You're such a good kid. I guess I can leave you alone and consider getting married myself, huh…"
"Where does that come from?"
Well, I can't blame him. I'm part of the reason he stayed single, and I've been a burden for years. Sometimes I hoped he would get married soon. This household with just two men… isn't really doing well with housework.
"Oh, that's right, you'll start working tomorrow right?"
By work, he meant the ninja missions. I didn't want to stay around doing nothing, so I thought of working my body a bit.
But with the battle that happened last week, I don't think there would be many mission requests for now. Maybe it's another cat-searching job again…
"Yeah, I thought it over."
"Is that so?" He said with a straight face, "then take care of the house tomorrow. I'll be late."
"You're just going out drinking again!"
[Transition]
I jinxed it.
It was indeed another cat-searching job. A D-rank mission, fitting for my rank (Genin). Easy and safe. I was hoping for something less cliched but it's not like I had a choice.
"Maybe I should search around this lake…" I muttered to myself, sneaking around in the bushes and among the trees.
I concealed my presence using Big Chill's intangibility and invisibility simultaneously. Animals like cats are incredibly sensitive creatures. So I need to be extra careful about it.
Oh, by the way, that's the reason why I have a high mission accomplishment rate! I can catch these little creatures way better and faster, and more carefully than anyone! Probably. Sadly, I've never owned a pet. Maybe one of my ex-girlfriends had one.
"Shhhh…"
Oh, bingo, I think I've already found the cat!
Or not! It was just the sound of leaves rustling… It was such an ominous wind. What's this feeling?
At that moment, two ominous figures suddenly appeared on the sidewalk next to the lake. It seemed the two used a jutsu like body flicker to teleport here.
"Sh, now we've avoided the mess, right, Itachi?"
Itachi?
Their appearance indeed drew my attention. The two wore the same uniform – a sweeping ankle-length black cloak adorned with high collars and enigmatic red cloud-like symbols. It was such a weird fashion taste that I couldn't help staring at them, but well, they were ninjas.
Fashion taste of a ninja is either so cool or… so lame. And if there was an "in-between," this attire definitely fit the title.
They also wore straw hats with dangling thingies, and one of them even had a large weapon meticulously covered in bandages, casually slung across his back.
"Have we?" The Itachi guy replied, "Also, you could've been more careful."
But because of their collar covering their mouth, I couldn't tell which one was Itachi-san.
In an immediate moment, two more figures appeared before the first two. They both were konoha ninjas, whom I instantly recognized to be Asuma-san and Kurenai-san. Asuma-san is the jonin leader of Shikamaru's team, and Kurenai-san was also a jonin leader of Kiba's team.
I thought I wasn't the type to meddle in the matters of the strangers, but this got too interesting, so I decided to eavesdrop properly. Are they old friends of the jonins?
Unbeknownst to the four, I flew out of the bushes and took a proper look at the guests. One of them had a frightening, almost inhuman look with bluish gray skin and a weird facial bone structure. And gills? Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to insult or face-shame you.
The other person had a pair of red eyes… with this particular pupil pattern. This is… Sharingans!
"It's been so long, Asuma, Kurenai…" the Itachi person said.
Now that I matched the voice and the person, Itachi-san was the one with Sharingan.
"You're not from this village. What's your business here?" Asuma-san said, "you could only know our names if you were shinobi of this village."
Itachi-san lifted his hat, giving them a good look at his face. This left both jonins shocked.
"You're!" Asuma-san calmed down, "this is no doubt…"
Itachi-san removed the hat, revealing a Konoha forehead protector with a scratch across the symbol on its metal plate.
"You're… Uchiha Itachi."
So he really was a Uchiha. Hmm, this is weird. I've heard that Sasuke is the only remaining Uchiha…
"So you two already knew Itachi?" The inhuman-like person also removed his hat, "I'm Hoshigakure Kisame. Now we all know each other."
His eyes were kinda scary, almost like those of a wild beast. His forehead protector also bore a scratch across its symbol, which resembled Kirigakure's symbol? So he is a Kirigakure ninja.
I could only hope scratch marks on their forehead protectors weren't some kind of fashion trends among ninjas.
"I guess we were bound to meet eventually," said Asuma-san, "now I have the duty to take you on!"
Eh, they're not guests? You're gonna fight them?!
"Itachi, the people from your village seems to dislike you," said Kisame-san.
"I know who you are," Kurenai-san said, "you're a former mist (Kiri) ninja and a suspect in the murders of several daimyos and in scheming of the destructions of other countries. Therefore, you are a missing nin that Land of Water is searching for together with the other countries."
"You're both S-rank criminals in the bingo book," Asuma-san remarked, "Itachi, you have the guts to come back to the village after that incident you caused!"
"Asuma, Kurenai," Itachi-san coldly threatened them, "please don't interfere. I don't want to kill you two."
"I never thought a man who killed his own comrades would say those words," Asuma-san replied boldly, "I know you have a motive. What's it for being here?"
"This guy is so annoying," Kisame-san drew his sword, "shall I kill him?"
I was surprised, but I almost acted on a whim to freeze that sword in a milisecond and break it into pieces before it could hurt anyone. It was… I'm not sure if it was possible, but at least, the sword safely shattered the platform instead of harming anyone.
Oh, it's just an intimidation.
I must commend how Asuma-san and Kurenai-san calmly faced without a reaction.
"Doesn't look like we have much of a choice," Itachi remarked, "they won't let us leave so easily. But don't go too far; your work can be over-excessive."
"Then it's decided?"
It wasn't that I didn't have faith in Asuma-san and Kurenai-san, but I prepared myself to meddle in case the situation would get worse.
Immediately, Kisame-san swung his large sword at a high speed, but it was stopped by Asuma-san with his knives. Behind him, it seemed Kurenai-san cast a genjutsu and vanished.
Guess I don't need to help them after all—
SAID TOO EARLY!
For a moment already, the sword was already pressuring Asuma-san, but then the bandages on the sword suddenly became unwrapped to reveal the weird tooth-like-shaped spikes on its blade. And with a swing, the spikes scratched the jonin's arm, which he narrowly escaped.
"My sword, Samehade, isn't meant to cut people," Kisame-san mocking bragged, "but rather to slice them into tiny pieces!"
With a loud cry, he swung that Samehade or whatever big fat sword at Asuma-san again…
This time, however, it was halted mid-air, grasped ahold by an invisible force, which was a narrow save on my part.
I assumed the Ghostfreak form and managed to grab his sword with my telekinetic grasp jutsu, all while staying intangible and invisible.
"What is this? Interesting," Kisame-san looked surprised for a moment until he grinned.
But his strength was indeed formidable. The best I could do was either stall his sword or bring it down to the ground and hold the sword in the cracks. I chose the latter and pushed down the sword into the concrete platform.
Itachi-san also seemed surprised, but he didn't let his guard down. Though in Ghostfreak form, I could see through her genjutsu, but I couldn't tell what she had planned to do.
On a side-note, the most surprised was probably Asuma-san. To him, it looked like the Kiri's missing nin was fighting against his own sword.
When she appeared again, she immediately captured the target – Itachi-san, in illusionary tree-like binds, which was a genjutsu, too.
"It's over," Kurenai-san appeared over his head and apparently tried to stab him with a kunai.
I guess she doesn't need my help—
JUDGED TOO EARLY!
Somehow Kurenai-san and Itachi-san switched places and now she was the one in the bind!
Okay, I don't know how to help this one. Just holding down this sword was making me busy enough already…
There, Itachi-san threw in a cool line.
"Genjutsu of that level doesn't work on me."
Great, I'm going to copy that line later.
Soon she vomited blood, but somehow she broke the jutsu and proceeded to fight with Itachi-san, which the latter reacted fast, delivering a kick. She blocked the attack, but was thrown into the lake anyway.
"Kurenai!"
Okay, man, now is the time. Take care of yourself, Asuma-san.
With the telekinetic grasp jutsu, I moved her body away from Itachi-san who followed into the water. She wasn't knocked out, but that must hit pretty hard. Meanwhile I left Asuma-san to his own devices, albeit with a bit aid every now and then.
Itachi-san must have figured out something was odd already, from the erratic but perfect movements that kept Kurenai constantly away from him. But he could never make a good guess about me by himself.
At least, Asuma-san seemed to have gotten the hang of it fighting Kisame-san and even caused him to bleed. Until the latter cast a water jutsu.
He didn't say the jutsu out loud, but a fish-like structure made out of water emerged from the lake and went straight for Asuma-san.
This is a problem. I don't think telekinetic grasp was enough to stop it all! So I could only move Asuma-san.
Thankfully, the savior didn't arrive late.
Another structure made out of water collided with Kisame-san's water jutsu and canceled it out conveniently.
"You just got here?" Asuma-san asked.
The one who answered was Kakashi-san… the one who also cast the water jutsu that nullified Kisame-san's.
"Nah, I've been here," Kakashi-san replied, "I was leaving it up to you guys."
That was a lie. But it wasn't a good time for me to say.
I put down Kurenai-san behind him, but he didn't really react to it.
"Is that your jutsu?" Kakashi-san asked, while completely devastating Kisame's water jutsu.
"Uh, no," Asuma-san sweatdropped.
"So you're here… Hatake Kakashi."
"That's why you have the same jutsu as mine," Kisame-san said with a chuckle, "I never thought I'd see someone other than Itachi with those eyes. That said, you must be the copy ninja, Kakashi."
"This is surprising," said Kakashi, "These were the two suspicious people seen in the tea shop. I didn't think it'd be Itachi Uchiha and the Kiri Mystery Man, Hoshigakure Kisame."
"Well, well, I'm honored."
"You're one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and your sword is Samehade."
"Heh," Kisame-sam chuckled in response, "I heard you fought Zabuza before…"
"That's right."
Oh, I remember that right. Zabuza was also one of the seven swordsmen of the mist.
"Don't forget our mission, Kisame," Itachi warned him.
Mission?
"What's this mission you speak of?" Kakashi-san asked.
"We're looking for something," Itachi-san answered, almost surprisingly.
"What are you looking for?"
"... unlike Kisame, I won't waste time," Itachi-san said, pulling out shurikens.
That was when I shone! I freezed those shurikens with my telekinetic grasp–
WRONG!
Kakashi-san suddenly summoned a wall made out of water around him. But Itachi-san never threw those shurikens. Was there something I missed?
"Your insightful eye is remarkable, Kakashi," Itachi-san said.
"Isn't that right…?"
My attention was set on Itachi-san so I missed that, too! A clone appeared behind Kakashi-san and stabbed him in the back!
"A shadow clone?!" Kurenai-san exclaimed. "His speed is incredibly fast!"
I could see that. Maybe there must be a trick or two there.
But at least as expected, Kakashi-san didn't go in blind. The one that got stabbed turned out to be a water clone.
"Nice one, Kakashi!" Kurenai-san said, charging in to attack Itachi-san from behind.
But Kakashi-san in the flesh jumped out of the water and stopped Kurenai, defending her with his body.
"Kurenai, get down! This is a shadow clone!" He yelled.
From the looks of it…
No, am I going to be late again?
I'm being too slow in this erratic and unpredictable ninja battle between the jonins and S-ranked wanted criminals… I can't always be like this, if I want to help more people.
The world is vast. There are but stronger enemies out there. But to help more is to conquer!
Telekinetic Grasp — Advanced Rescue!
With that, I pulled back Kakashi-san and Kurenai-san away before the clone exploded. So it was an explosive clone…
Kakashi-san seemed suspicious but he didn't really care. Maybe he knew it was me, but didn't want to raise unwanted distraction.
"Be careful," he said, "that guy became an Anbu captain at age 13."
But Itachi-san hasn't shown anything impressive. I suppose there must be more to it.
"... we haven't seen his full power yet!" said Kakashi-san.
"It's impressive that even without an Uchiha blood relation, you can use Sharingan to that extent," Itachi-san said, "however, your blood isn't like ours. So that eye doesn't suit you. I'll let you experience the Sharingan of our clan's true power!"
But as Itachi-san talked, Kakashi-san looked shocked, commanding his comrades to close their eyes, which they followed.
"... just do as I say," he said, "only another person with a Sharingan can counter this technique."
Another Uchiha-exclusive jutsu? Interesting.
"That's correct," said Itachi-san, "as long as one has Sharingan, some resistance could be made… to this Mangekyō Sharingan."
Mangekyō Sharingan. (万華鏡写輪眼)
"However, this is a special eye jutsu (dōjutsu)," he added, "Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi. Only another Sharingan user with the same blood as mine has a chance to resist this!"
Tsukuyomi. (月読)
Then Kakashi-san is in trouble!
With that, Kakashi-san was stunned, as his Sharingan made eye contact with Itachi-san's before he was brought to his knees on the surface of the water– much to the surprise of his colleagues.
"Kakashi, what happened!?" Asuma-san asked.
"Urgh, it's not over yet," replied Kakashi-san, panting.
I don't know what is going on, but I know what I need to do.
I pushed the three jonins away with my telekinetic ability once again, surprising them all. But hiding in the shadows wasn't helping me much.
"I knew someone was here," Itachi-san remarked, "but I can't see any chakra movement–"
During his speech, I turned into Ripjaws underwater and jumped out of the lake, revealing my scary predatory mouth filled with scary teeth.
Seeing the unexpected, Itachi-san swiftly jumped back. His speed was impressive.
The follow-up was done by Kisame-san, who tried to slice me with his sword— until it met a tough, nigh-indestructible purple rock and was put to a stop.
Chromastone!
"Come on, your Tsukuyomi," I blurted confidently, "because genjutsu of that level won't work on me."
I mean, yeah, Chromastone is immune to genjutsu due to his internal energy manipulation. I won't elaborate. Additionally, I can hover above the water surface, and make it look like I'm using chakra control to float.
I grabbed the Samehade and tossed it away, alongside Kisama-san who made a backflip in the air until he regained his balance and feet back on the surface of the lake.
"Who are you?" Itachi-san said, making a serious expression for the first time.
"For you two criminals…" I grinned, with hands on my waist, "I'm your worst nightmare."
[This scene will continue later.]
The mind of Tenzaki Masato is busy.
Yesterday, he had the chance to have a good talk with Jiraiya, whom he hadn't personally met for years, even. He came to meet Masato to ask him about the monster of Konoha, which was disguised as the late Third Hokage Hiruzen's summon. But the true identity of that "monster" is… Masato's nephew, Benji Tenzaki!
He wasn't sure if he should reveal the answer to Jiraiya. He knew Jiraiya wasn't a bad person by any means, but in the end he ultimately decided to leave the middle-aged Toad Sage out of the problem.
"Isn't he that kid?" Jiraiya asked, as the kid walked into the room.
This man was one of the few people who knew about Benji's situation.
Masato the tracker nodded in response, "yeah. He doesn't remember anything though."
He didn't honestly know what was wrong with Benji's amnesia, but part of him also hoped the kid would never recover his lost memories. Because…
"Did you tell him about his mother?" Jiraiya asked.
"No, I haven't."
"... Maybe it's for the best. It's such a tragedy and all… but if he eventually remembers, what do you plan to do?"
"I don't know. But Jiraiya-sensei, I don't think you should meddle in this."
Jiraiya raised a brow, but he wasn't mad. He decided to change the topics.
"Oh, that's right. We were talking about that Konohagakure no Bakemono. C'mon, tell me."
"No, uh, I have circumstances," Masato shrugged.
"So you really do know 'em!" The toad sage sighed. "Anyway, if you don't want to tell me that much, fine. But I need you to relay a message to whoever that is."
"… maybe I can do it for you."
"Heh, great, thanks, so the thing is…"
Jiraiya then talked about an international criminal organization called the Akatsuki. Made up of nine S-rank wanted criminal ninjas, they started with small, inconspicuous tasks like spying and gathering military secrets. Orochimaru used to be part of it, until he quit recently. According to Jiraiya's information, the organization formed into groups of two and started collecting jutsu-related things.
"I see. So they might come after bakemono?"
"That's a possibility, but I don't think they've heard about it… yet. The Bakemono didn't exist before…" Jiraiya looked back at Masato, trying to read his expression. "Right?"
"True. How about the nine tails?"
The host of nine-tails is Naruto Uzumaki. Masato is one of the few people who actually know and acknowledge Naruto's origins. But other than that, Naruto being a tailed beast host is almost common sense in Konoha.
"I'll take care of that kid," Jiraiya said, "but, just keep your monster away from Akatsuki, remember that."
Masato nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks, Jiraiya… sensei."
"How rare of you to actually thank me. Oh, before I forgot, one of Akatsuki's members is… Itachi Uchiha."
"?!"
It was like a series of flashbacks flashed inside Masato's head.
"That's a problem, right?" Jiraiya said.
"N-no, I think it's fine. No way he'll remember, right? It's been seven years…"
The toad sage could tell how anxious Masato felt just from his visual reaction, but it wasn't far off to say he felt the same about Naruto. But Masato had a different reason.
"Don't do anything stupid…" Jiraiya warned him before taking his leave.
Well, after that, Masato did warn Benji, but as he didn't want the kid to be worried, he omitted the things about Akatsuki and such. And in no way he would let him know about Itachi.
Masato doesn't have a personal grudge against this Itachi person. But he must avoid a head-on meeting with Itachi at all costs.
"He used to be such a good kid, didn't he…"
But Masato had no way to find out why such a "good kid" became an international wanted criminal and joined something as shady and dangerous as Akatsuki.
"Then I'm going out," Benji said.
"O-oh, be careful," Masato said before calming himself down with a sip of tea. He watched the kid leave the house before taking a seat.
"Maybe I should take a day off today," he muttered to himself.
Why should he even be this worried about the kid? He could handle any threat fine. Even when that Suna kid Gaara transformed into the Sand Spirit or whatever that gigantic tanuki was, he handled it with style.
But to Masato, Benji was like his own kid. The man's been taking care of him for a long time. Even if Benji became something godlike, Masato would still be worried…
… with all that said, Masato is the one who irresponsibility comes home late most of the time.
ARGHHH…
But it was a knock on the door that snapped him back to reality.
"Hello, Tenzaki Masato-sama, are you home?"
He wiped the sweat on his forehead and walked up to the door, opening it.
"Yeah, I am Tenzaki… Masato…"
He flinched upon seeing the visitor, who was dressed up in an all-black suit. But it didn't have any red cloud-like symbols on it. It's just… a western suit. With thick sunglasses the visitor wore, Masato couldn't see their eyes. But it was a man with a strong, tall body.
"It's convenient that you're home."
"R-right," Masato nodded awkwardly.
"I brought an invitation from the Mansion for Tenzaki Masato-sama," said the man.
"An invitation?"
"Yes, the mistress of the Mansion wants to personally meet you and have a talk over… something marriage-related."
"The mistress of the Mansion…" Masato realized who he meant, muttering, "oh, that rich, lousy woman."
Unfortunately, the identity of that "rich, lousy woman" won't be revealed to the audience, since they are… a fanfic-exclusive character.
"Yes, that rich, lousy woman, sir."
"Oi, you shouldn't–hold on, marriage-related? Don't tell me… she wants to marry me?!"
"Oh, of course not, sir, it's about your nephew–"
Masato felt embarrassed but at the same time enraged, either because he wasn't "chosen" or because his kid was "chosen" instead.
"What! She wants to marry my… That's impossible. Absolutely ridiculous!"
"Sir, calm down and listen."
Even the enraged Tenzaki man decided to cool himself down due to the calming voice of the man.
"In short…" the man explained," she wants your nephew to be the fiancé of her daughter."
It made the Tenzaki man narrow his eyes and feel puzzled. Her daughter is like a year older than Benji. No, age gap isn't a problem, but their age is. Masato wasn't a person up for "arranged marriage," unless love was involved. In fact, he was a true love believer through and through. Forcing an engagement (basically a contract) on children just didn't sound right.
"I understand but tell her I'll come meet when I'm free," he replied as calmly as possible.
"Thanks for listening, Tenzaki Masato-sama."
"... but I will probably refuse. Tell her that, too."
"I see, I can understand. Now please excuse me, sir."
"..."
What left Masato puzzled wasn't the fact that that lousy woman was considering his nephew as her potential son-in-law candidate. That woman is a tricky, twisted client. He figured that there must be an ulterior motive behind such a move.
"Oh, is that Kakashi?"
Masato got a glimpse at Kakashi running over a rooftop. But he was moving at such a high speed that all the Tracking ninja saw was just his afterimage, probably.
Kakashi left the "job" to Asuma and Kurenai since he already had an appointment to meet up with Sasuke. But it didn't feel right, so he decided to excuse himself and go meet up with the two jonins just in case.
"What's this feeling… Ah, dammit, I'm following him!"
And yeah, he decided that on a whim to tail Kakashi. It was how Tenzaki Masato arrived at the Akatuski crime scene and became a witness.
Now back to the present.
Masato almost puked blood upon seeing what was happening.
He followed Kakashi, sensing a commotion, but it was much worse than expected. In addition, his nephew was involved! He did remind Benji to stay low, but the kid had gone and done it , all after Jiraiya alerting him to keep Benji away from Akatsuki!
That… is… Chromastone, right? Masato silently wiped the sweat off his forehead as he secretly watched the scene unfold. And he's fighting Itachi… It's fine as long as Benji doesn't detransform.
But the older Tenzaki himself wanted to be nowhere near Itachi, and interrupting the fight to drag Chromastone/ Benji would definitely raise more suspicions from Itachi.
No, he mustn't. He mustn't let Itachi know the truth at any rate. So Masato ultimately decided to silently watch it.
Kakashi knew it was going to happen. Part of him was kinda impatient due to the fact that Ben-Ten came in too late. But he also noticed the boy had been aiding him and his colleagues all the time during this battle, though he wasn't sure if Asuma and Kurenai knew. Most likely they didn't.
But it was already in the favor of Itachi and Kisame. So he was grateful that at least now… he wouldn't have unnecessary losses.
"Itachi, Kisame, you two…"
Chromastone/ Benji decided to drop the honorifics for the criminals.
"What are you after in my village?"
"Oi, aren't you rude?" Kisame said, "at least introduce yourself before asking a question."
"I believe I've said enough," replied Chromastone calmly, with his smile replaced by a serious expression. "I'm the protector of this village, Konohagakure no Bakemono, hence your nightmare."
Uh, he's gone and done it. Kakashi stared at Chromastone's back. He's accepted the nickname too easily, but it would be tough for us if he went around telling people that. Sigh…
"Then I will introduce myself, too–" Kisame started again, only to be stopped by Benji.
"No, thanks, I've already heard about you."
"Let me tell you," Itachi said, "we're after the Fourth Hokage's Legacy."
"What is he talking about?" Kurenai said, the same question Benji wanted to ask.
Don't tell me… Masato thought. Minato's kid…
Masato and Kakashi were the only ones who knew the answer. Sensing that, Chromastone glanced back at Kakashi, demanding a reply.
Are they after the Fourth's wealth or something…? Benji thought. Since they are criminals… they might as well be treasure hoarders.
"Are you after… the Nine-tails sealed within Naruto's body?" Kakashi said, "I know you two aren't the only ones. Your organization is called… the Akatsuki, right?"
There was a pause.
So they're after Naruto. Benji had heard enough. I need to stop them…
"Kisame!" Itachi said. "Take Kakashi with us. The others can die."
With that, Kisame charged toward the opponents, only to be stopped by Chromastone immediately.
"Did you forget I exist, old man?"
Kisame grinned in response, only to get punched in the face by a rocky hard fist that sent him flying. Afterward Chromastone tossed the Samehade to the bank, asserting dominance.
Kisame quickly got up and made a hand sign to cast his water style jutsu, until he got blasted in the chest, hence canceling the process.
"... You really are strong…" he said, getting up as he saw his cloak smoking.
He didn't really know what Chromastone did there, but it was such a dangerous attack indeed.
"Oh, I forgot to hold back," Chromastone stated nonchalantly, "maybe shall I break some bones for you…"
At that time, Kakashi collapsed and lost his chakra control, dropping into the water. Kurenai and Asuma had their eyes firmly closed still, so they couldn't pull him out in time, so Chromastone quickly flew back and saved him, putting him on the bank afterward.
But Chromastone didn't know a way for normal people to face Itachi. So there were three vulnerable targets he must protect… Against two enemies. Itachi… He couldn't guess how strong Itachi was. As for Kisame, he seemed pretty manageable.
"Arrogant, are we?" Kisame said, picking up his Samehade.
But even with his trained body and years of experience piled up, he could feel the pain. Those rocky punches… could kill.
Kisame wanted to fight. But…
"Forget that, Kisame," Itachi stopped him, "I don't know who he is, but he's strong. And it will be a meaningless fight. We're not here to fight a war. Even though it's a shame to leave… Let's go."
"I finally… got excited," Kisame gritted his teeth, "but that's too bad…"
But he listened to his co-worker anyway and the two swiftly left the scene.
Chromastone wasn't in a condition to follow the two. He had vulnerable people behind him, and the best option was to just let them go.
"They're gone," Chromastone said, "You can open your eyes."
Only after making sure Itachi left Tenzaki Masato jumped out of the forest and took Kakashi from Chromastone's hands. Asuma and Kurenai opened their eyes.
"Are you okay, Kakashi?" Asuma asked.
The copy ninja nodded, but he was totally exhausted physically and mentally, otherwise uninjured. But the use of Sharingan strained his stamina and Itachi's tsukuyomi just made it worse.
"You are… Oh, Masato-senpai's kid, right?" Kurenai asked, "So you came to help."
Both Masato and Chromastone nodded in response. Then Chromastone weaved a fake hand sign, canceling his transformation—
But upon returning to human form, he ultimately dropped into the water… since he didn't actually have chakra control of his own. Kurenai and Asuma widened their eyes out of surprise, but Benji shrugged, coming up with an excuse.
"I used too much chakra during the fight," he said, and then swam up to the concrete bank, climbing out of the water.
"Then we must take this guy to hospital," Masato said. "Also, Benji…"
The brunet looked back, saying nothing. But Masato knew what was keeping the kid occupied.
"Don't worry too much. Alright, we'll have a talk later. Wait for me at home."
The kid nodded and gradually left the scene.
"Your kid is awesome, right…" Kurenai remarked, "saving us from Itachi and all. Even Kakashi of the Sharingan couldn't handle it."
"I guess, but he just has the right answer to problems, sometimes."
Not just sometimes. At this point, Masato wouldn't be surprised if Benji had a solution for any problem. But Masato of all people also knew that… relying on others might make one weak. It was exactly what happened to Masato himself in the past… until he found himself again after the death of Lord Fourth Hokage. But it was already too late.
He didn't grow strong enough in time.
"Neither of his parents is a ninja," Masato muttered, "even then, he somehow has that spirit. I'm not sure if it's a good thing."
"But it's a good thing that he wants to protect others," Asuma noted, "instead of abusing his powers."
"Right…"
Is it really okay that way?
[Transition]
Masato wasn't to scold his kid. But he was fully aware that this particular incident would trigger bigger problems. It was a losing battle on Kakashi's side, and Benji played a pivotal role, which at least he managed to save everyone. Masato tried to think it over if it was really a good choice. Nonetheless, he also knew Benji didn't have any other choice.
In the village of Konoha, the essence was rooted in being shinobi, not heroes. The codes governing the shinobi way starkly differed from the moral compass of a hero. So Benji's internal identity crisis has led astray, confusing between the images of a hero and a ninja. Shinobi occasionally do the job with their life on the line, but it wasn't really okay in Benji's eyes, which Masato also noticed.
"With this happened… now the Akatsuki might be after you next time."
"Please don't worry–"
"You gave me nothing but worries today," Masato said, "if Akatsuki comes after you, the fight might be unavoidable, but otherwise, you need to stay away from them."
"..."
"Especially that Uchiha Itachi, you must avoid him at all costs. Unless you have no other choice but to fight him."
"He's dangerous, but I can handle him fine."
"That's not the point. Do you know how much we did to cover up your identity?"
Benji didn't have any arguments against it. He couldn't deny that he was careless.
"... sorry."
"No need to apologize," Masato sighed, turning on the stove, "also one thing you must absolutely follow. Never show your human form to Itachi."
Benji nodded in agreement, but it wasn't without questions.
"May I know the reason?"
"Sorry, Benji, now isn't the time yet," Masato said. "There are certain things in life you don't need to know."
"Is it about my past?" Benji asked.
"Who knows… but you'll eventually find it out one day."
Now this chapter has come to an end. Thanks for reading and your support!
Since one of the most famous characters in Naruto has been introduced, I want to know what readers think of him. Not as a reader of this fanfic, but rather as a Naruto fan. So if possible, please comment your thoughts on Itachi Uchiha as a character.
Aside from that, this chapter might be the last BOTM chapter I published this year (2023). I will be focusing on other fanfictions, and the next chapter won't be uploaded before 2024, lol. In addition, my work schedules are kinda packed now till 2024 February. So the updates will be slow, but I can continue the normal uploads from February to April. Beyond April however, I'm not sure how my schedules will play out, due to personal reasons. So that's about it, alright.
Before I wrap things up, let me promote my newest fanfiction addition, Kamen Rider Alterum (Version 2). Yes, it's just version-2, a rewritten version of an older fanfic, but tokusatsu fanfic in general is an underrated genre so I want to advertise it. So if you are interested in an action-packed Ben-10-themed Kamen Rider fanfiction, please do check out the fanfic in my profile. And if you're interested, please leave a favorite and a follow on that story!
Thanks for reading, everyone.
Chris Chronos.
6.12.2023