A/N: Here we are! Weekly update once more!
Suffering from what might be rebound Covid atm, sorry.
Its not quite as bad as that one week, but I still feel like absolute craaaap.
Somehow, this surged past six hundred reviews very quickly so here we are, ANOTHER early update!
Feedback really does kick me into high gear; if this chapter gets a good reception as well, then I'll do my best to update early once more. Do let me know!
Of course, it helps that I've been watching the latest episodes of JJK and reading the manga. If you thought Mahito was a menace, you're really not prepared for Kenjaku's Culling Game.
Speaking of games, I really do need to update other categories...
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Alas, in other news depression's starting to hit real hard these days. Seriously. Like a sledgehammer paired with concrete. Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head anymore. I don't even know why I'm feeling this way! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. On and on, round the bend, forever and without end! Its rather annoying; as though I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes.
Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes. Meanwhile, my doctor insists that I'm fine. Take a health walk he says. Go fishing. You'll be fine. Feh. Bloody liar.
We'll keep the Q&A brief this time:
Q: Don't make Naruto puss out here. He better not run!
A: At the end of the day, Naruto doesn't like being ambushed, and that's exactly what Hanami's done. She's chosen a bad time to stumble into him. Our boy is already running at roughly 75% given he's trained with Toji, dealt with a powerful petrifying curse that caused him to expend yet more energy before subsequently sealing it away, then bloody Hanami of all curses runs into him. All this in one day! Of course he's not keen on a fight.
But fight he will, even if that involves playing into his brother's schemes.
Q: Surpass Your Limits?
A: Glad someone got that reference. Naruto pulls out all the stops in this chapter.
Q: Wait, is Hanami a girl or a guy?
A: To make things easier, we're referring to Hanami as female here, given that her VA is a girl in the anime.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, quotes, themes or memes! They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I.
I'm just an old man who writes as a pastime. I don't make any money doing this, not a single cent.
This is ALL done for free. Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story.
Simple as that. In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
Remember, as stated last chapter, the names for Naoya's brothers are:
Naome (Eldest Son)
Natsuo (The Middle Child)
Natoshi (Second Youngest Before Our Boy)
Had to get a bit creative what with Slifer and the rest being so busy.
Chapter title, is of course, a reference to that Castlevania.
Castlevania Nocturne, to be precise.
"There's something you forgot about Jujutsu Sorcerers...
...stupid of me, I know...
I'd forgotten it too...
~The Moment.
Divine Bloodlines
She's stronger than me.
It was something of a humbling realization as the Special Grade's fist smashed into his right cheek; in terms of sheer physical strength it currently eclipsed him as he was now. Really, it couldn't be helped. No matter how powerful he'd become in the realm of Jujutsu Sorcery, he held neither the reach nor the range to engage her in an all out brawl. She wasn't going to give him any openings like Toji had; what few he saw were quickly accounted for as they fought on. Even with one of her arms sealed she possessed a plethora of techniques to drive him back and she didn't seem-ahcrapbaskets!
The Special Grade caught his first, grabbed him by the arm, and swung him down into the ground with an awful crack.
He felt something give in his limb and then he was flying, tumbling across the ground as she kicked him away.
"Your arrogance will be your downfall, boy."
It certainly seemed like it; because movement flickered through his peripherals; a rampart of jagged roots of roots ready to skewer his unprotected back and end his life. She'd thrown him towards them with the intent to skewer him. He was moving too fast to self-correct in time and they both knew it.
Close.
Too close.
Way too close! If get hits by that...I'll die!
The realization should've shocked Naruto -Naoya!- but all he felt was icy calm as he stared his death in the face. A surreal sense of sanity even now in this most dire of moments. That Cold enveloped him, ensconced him, enraptured him, stripping all his emotions away and leaving only arctic logic in its wake. All the world slowed to a crawl around him, the once-vibrant colors of the world fading to grey. His core temperature plummeted as a plume of frigid steam escaped his lips and in an instant he understood.
Yes.
That was it.
He felt cold as ice.
Likewise, his thoughts were just as calm, downright stoic even, as the Special Grade's attack filled his vision. After training with uncle Toji and dealing with that Curse earlier, I'm really not at my best. Did the curse know that? Is that why it chose now to attack? I can compensate by using Sage Mode, but if I take in too much natural chaka at once, I'll turn to stone. There no time. What can I use that's readily at hand?
The answer found him as a single mote of snow touched his nose.
His eyes widened. Realization rose with the moon.
...I think I can finally do it, now. No...I have to.'
Time reasserted itself with a bloody vengeance as the Special Grade's attack -a wall of jagged roots- surged up out the earth, stabbing at him from every direction. There was no escape. Spikes at his back, and more at his front. She had him. Really, it was a good attack all things considered; well thought out and impeccably timed. Dodging was impossible. Pointless, even.
So he didn't.
Ice coated his elbows and knees, water coalescing into wickedly sharp points atop the joints as he lowered his body temperature yet further. He took that very same ice and wrapped it around those four areas, followed by his hands and feet now, rapidly freezing the moisture in the air until it was harder than diamond itself. All this in an instant, less than a breath to coat his limbs with deadly frost.
Then he spun.
His body dissolved into a whirling dervish of death, slashing the brambles apart. One struck his neck, another his back, and a third his chest only for each spike to shatter into so much frost as they made contact with him. Nothing pierced his skin. It was simply unable to. He snatched up those tumbling shards from the ruined roots before they could strike the ground, reshaped them with Creation of All Things in his hands, multiplied them tenfold, then flung them blindly back at the Curse in a hail of frozen senbon.
A strangled sigh was his reward and the storm of earthen death stopped.
"You move well."
Evidently the Special Grade didn't; when his vision cleared, he saw that he'd skewered her from head to toe with his ice needles. Senbon could badly wound in greater numbers, but it only took a few in just the right place to bring down an opponent...
.
..
...well, a human opponent, at any rate.
Haku's technique was something he'd become intimately familiar with in his first life, but this was his first time using it in a proper pitched battle. It also confirmed Bloodlines weren't beyond him. So long as he'd both seen and understood the concept of it, he could reliably recreate a facsimile of it with his cursed technique. Ice mirrors were still beyond him, but this?
This he could do.
"Curious," the Special Grade regarded him intently for a moment as it plucked the icy needles from its body. "It appears you possess a versatile Cursed Technique. However!"
Her arms rose and the forest answered in a swarm of writhing roots, larger than ever before.
...what will you do now?"
Naruto looked up, grimacing a little.
Ice wouldn't be enough. Not against that.
Frost could slow the roots, even shatter some, but it didn't stop them. He raised one hand, right eye burning a baleful blue even as the other shone gold. If ice wouldn't cut it, he'd use something more destructive. Water? Pointless. Wind wouldn't work here. Fire was a valid option, but did he dare?
"Hesitating already, brat?"
Again with the Voice jabbing him! No, it didn't matter. He didn't want to hurt the forest, but there was no one else out here beyond them and the animals. That said, a measly fireball wouldn't suffice for something like this. He'd need something bigger. Stronger. LARGER. Powerful enough to eradicate everything in one fell swoop.
A memory came back to him, and the terror he'd felt upon witnessing it.
The largest fire technique he'd ever laid eye upon, bar none.
Fine. If that damn Madara could do it, so can I!
He inhaled deeply, flared his body temperature, drew energy into his lungs and screamed it back out.
"Great Fire Annihilation!"
Say what you would about the arrogant Uchiha and their flashy fire flares, but they got the job done, even as a cursed technique. Madara's went above and beyond. It was the penultimate fire technique, eclipsed only by Amaterasu in sheer destructive power. A wave of fiery death flowed forth from his lips, mowing down the roots in an instant...and the startled Special Grade behind it. Oh, dear. That scream sounded like it hurt-no, close his heart to it. The feelings of a Curse didn't matter here.
And neither did the dark, demented dirge currently ringing in his ears.
"Yes, that's the way! What a massacre! Excellent!"
Ten seconds.
That was the limit he could continuously breath fire without roasting his lungs.
He used every last moment, bathing everything in hellish napalm until the Special Grade stopped screaming.
...reluctantly, he let up and forced himself to inhale. Even then the sudden intake of cold air had him doubling over with a gasp. At the end of the day, cursed energy could only reinforce one's body so much, and no matter how easily he might be able to replicate it, this new body of his didn't like it when he used too much chakra. At his peak, this would've been so much easier. He was still aching from using the three gates earlier today and he'd already overtaxed the Reverse Cursed Technique repairing the worst of that damage.
'That attack was too broad. No way it did her in.'
Sure enough, something stood amidst the fire and flames.
"Fire's not enough either, eh?" he thumbed a bit of ash from the corner of his mouth. "Fine. I was looking to try out a new technique anyway...
"Ice and fire..."? The Special Grade righted herself, teeth bared in a grimace, baring ugly burns across its body. "Your cursed technique focuses on hot and cold, then?"
"Nope."
She tilted her head. "No?"
You let me stand still for too long, stupid! Never give your opponent time to think!
"Means no. Don't worry." He spread his arms wide, grinning fit to burst. "I'll be happy to tell you," revealing his hand would make his technique work better anyway. "Its in the name. Creations of All Things. Here, lemme demonstrate. Be a good girl and hold still, would you kindly?"
She didn't, of course, but blitzed him instead.
As expected. But he wasn't about to face her in a fistfight.
He pointed a finger her way, thumb and pointer finger raised to mime a gun.
'Focus your cursed energy. Harden it. Sharpen it. Draw it back, imagine the pressure in your mind and-
A threadbare whisper parted his lips.
"Bang."
His opponent recoiled, staggered by the sudden gaping hole in their chest. He knew better. That wouldn't stop a Special Grade, not for long, not one of this caliber.
"Bang!"
Another hole joined the second, right where their heart should have been. Violet blood spattered the ground.
"BANG!"
He gripped his elbow to steady his aim and laughed a little despite himself, a small smile splitting his face as his fearsome foe dropped to a knee with a startled grunt. He blasted that leg clean off at the shin. Momentum dragged her backwards, spilling gallons of tainted violet blood in her wake to leave her sprawled out against the ground. Even then he knew better than to approach. Arrogance had spelled the end of many a man greater than him, and he was no fool. Still he found himself grinning. Exhilarated, he took aim again.
"Not so tough now are you?"
An aggravated groan was his reward.
Not good enough. She was already regrowing her limbs.
Creation of All Things was a technique based on memory. He could recreate nearly anything he saw and understood the concept of. For instance, he couldn't recreate Gojo Satoru's legendary Limitless or Six Eyes because he couldn't understand them just yet. He'd tried several time and only succeeded in destroying his own eyes. Likewise, creating the Sharingan was also an act in futility for now; while he could use Amaterasu -at the cost of an eye!- he hadn't the faintest clue how to replicate Susanoo or Tsukiyomi.
But what he could create...
...what he had experienced before...what he knew...well. That he could use.
The pain was horrible. It felt like a thousand needless were being jabbed through his eyes.
Gold shimmered into serene swirls of almighty omniscient violet.
He could could see it now. The flow of his cursed energy.
"Huh. So that's what it feels like."
Released a long breath...
...and walked forward.
"There's something you forgot about Jujutsu Sorcerers." he waded through the charred grass ashes crunching underfoot. "Stupid of me, I know." three steps brought him to the crouched curse; three more, and he towered over her prone form. "I'd forgotten it too."
Had she visible eyes, he suspected they would've been wide open right now.
"Did you know?" he smiled down at her. Most sorcerers don't feel fear. Or rather, they do, but they choose to avoid it. Not me. I've tasted it to many times now and I've never ceased to learn from it. Fear is what keeps us alive, after all. We learn from her, study at her feet, and evolve because of her. She may be a harsh mistress at times, but if there's one thing I've learned in this life...is that you cannot progress...WITHOUT FEAR!"
His fist scythed down.
The world sparked.
"Black Flash!"
The Cursed Spirit buckled with a gasp.
No sorcerer in this world can use Black Flash at will. This is a known fact. Not even Satoru Gojo himself is capable of such. It is a random event; the sparks do not choose whom to bless, thus reproducing consecutive Black Flashes at will is nearly impossible...
.
..
...or so it had been, until this moment.
He slugged the Curse in her gut
"Black Flash!"
'Its simple really. If you have the eyes to see, if you understand how it works, the theory behind it, nine times out of ten...you can replicate it!
Jab.
"Black Flash!"
Hook.
"Black Flash!"
Uppercut!
"BLACK! FLASH!"
His hands swept in on either side of Hanami's armored head and clapped down upon her ears in a shower of black sparks. She reeled away and he leaped onto her chest, practically mounting her. His palms closed around the tree roots-horns?- jutting from her helm as a smile split his face. She gasped and his grin grew.
"This is where you're weak, right?"
And then...
He.
Yanked.
Them out.
She crashed backward with a shriek, clutching at the holes he'd left behind as he leaped away.
"Aww," he crooned at her quivering form, "Don't go hiding your eyes from me now...
She gurgled something that might've been a swear. He couldn't be entirely sure.
"Stings, doesn't it." he planted both hands in his pockets and tilted his head. "You're getting battered about by someone who isn't even a teenager yet. Wanna give up? We can still end this on friendly terms-
Through bleary vision, he watched the Special Grade raise a trembling arm; a towering flower rose from the earth in response, brimming with buds, each eyeless curse chattering angrily. There had to be dozens, no, maybe hundreds of the hungry little buggers. He could feel their malice from here, their hunger, their eagerness to sink their teeth into him and suck him dry. How flattering. Which meant they probably fed on cursed energy, so letting them hit was definitely an out. In that case...
"Nope." he raised a hand and focused with his new eyes. "Not dealing with that."
With his will, he pushed outward.
"Shinra Tensei."
He blasted the cursed buds away with ease but the drain of the technique proved was immense; so much so that he immediately regretted using it in the first place. Replicating the Rinnegan was one thing, but he had no idea it ate this much chakra. How did Nagato endure it?! I'll have to find a way to cut down on the energy drain, but-
A groan interrupted him. "What...are you...?"
Oho? The Special Grade was getting up again. Good.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he crooked a finger her way. "I might be willing to tell you if ya stop holding back. Unseal that arm of yours."
(.0.0.0.)
The boy was surprisingly capable for a human.
Capable and far, far, FAR too clever for his own good.
Was it possible to respect someone while hating them? Hanami did. She absolutely did.
Any other sorcerer -bar Gojo Satoru- would've been dead in a ditch by now but this one just kept coming at her! Not once had he tried to flee, though he certainly could have. Admittedly, it wouldn't make a difference if he did; she'd simply chase him down and take the Finger by force.
But he wasn't giving her any openings!
Whenever she thought she had a handle on his cursed technique, he yanked the rug out from under her! The longer this dragged on the more chances someone would notice. She wasn't fool enough to fight multiple sorcerers at once. She'd be overwhelmed and-what was he doing?
And now he demanded she unseal her arm? The gall of it all.
And yet...she was enjoying this fight! How contradictory.
Did this make her a hypocrite?
...stubborn boy." she righted herself with a growl, tearing away the fabric concealing her blackened limb from view. "How long must you continue this foolish resistance?!"
He didn't deign to respond; he just kept smiling at her and crooked a finger at her. That damn smile! She wanted to crush it!
With a growl, she placed her palm against the ground. "Did you know? Plants don't generate cursed energy...
"I'm aware, yes." her remark only amused Naoya for some reason. "Do go on."
"So my left arm steals the life from plants and converts it into cursed energy." she rumbled as the forest around them withered and died, its very life essence channeled upward into her arm. "But that never gets returned to me." she felt rather than saw the rose on her shoulder begin to bloom. "It all goes to this flower offering.
The crimson bloom on her shoulder opened, revealing a red eye shimmering with light.
"I didn't want to use this...Domain Expansion! Ceremonial Sea of Light!"
She almost missed the moment Naoya brought his hands together.
"Domain Expansion." he said something else just afterward.
Whatever it was, whatever secret he hid, she never heard.
It was a brief clash of Domains.
Less than 0.2 seconds, barely visible from the outside world. But in the moment they clashed...his overpowered hers entirely. She didn't even get to see what horrors he held within it; whatever they were, they completely and utterly overwhelmed her in an instant. She'd clashed domains with Jogo and Dagon before, but she'd never once been manhandled to such an extent. It was both exciting and terrifying.
The moment their domains broke, she burst forward. He'd injured her horribly, but she could still move. So where was-there!
She saw movement in the mist, formed an earthen spear with her hand, and ran him through.
His head snapped up with a wild grin, eyes gleaming. "Gotcha!"
The curse swore. "How did he-
And then there was pain.
Hanami realized her mistake a moment later as she felt his hand pierce her torso. He tore it free and she was the one to stumble back, struggling to keep her innards in as she heald.
Behind her, the boy blew out a quick, angry breath and climbed to his feet. The hole in his torso was already closing. Reversed Curse Technique?! At such a young age?!
"Nice trick," he rasped, grinning up at her without a care in the world. "Lemme show you one of mine."
He brought his palms together.
And the earth answered.
Roots burst from the earth, latching onto her limbs, forcing them apart as she was torn away from him. In an instant she found herself bound and helpless. How?! Command of the earth belonged to her, yet he'd usurped her technique in an instant-or had he? She could still feel her cursed technique within her, but the swarm of roots binding her down were so very much like her own...no, larger, he was growing actual trees...!
"Need a hand?"
Hanami gnashed her teeth.
"You're strong, Special Grade." By some small mercy, he didn't finish her off and deigned to approach her instead. "If I hadn't pulled out my Domain back there, you might've had me." A hand closed around her face and dragged her upright. "Can you do that again? I haven't had a chance to clash Domains with someone before you." bright eyes leered at her. "Its a novel experience, wouldn't you agree?
She growled at him. "Insolent human...
"C'mon, try harder. You're strong aren't you? I want to get as much data out of this as I can before we call it quits. So whaddya say?"
She tore herself free and latched onto him with her black arm.
"A hand that drains cursed energy, eh?" he considered her for a brief moment. Not bad, no bad at all. Unfortunately for you...
Her armor cracked. "...?!"
...Mine won't run out."
She'd noticed something earlier. He wasn't just attacking her ferocity, but desperation; the blind maddened frenzy of someone who had to win, who must win, no matter the costs. Even now with him in her grasp, he did not show the slightest sign of fear. Her armor splintered further.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid?" He glanced down at his right hand, idly frowning as she tried and failed to drain him dry. "That's my secret. I'm always afraid of losing everything. I like this life. Maybe not my Clan, but there are those I want to protect. And because of that fear! I will always! WIN!"
His fist scythed out, tearing away her arm.
"Now lets see how you really look under all that armor."
Clenched knuckles scythed down, cracking her helm. An amber eye glared out at him from within, framed by dark hair.
"I knew those weren't your eyes!" A peal of delighted laughter greeted her. "They were horns after all! What's your name, cursed spirit?!"
(.0.0.0.)
"What's your name, cursed spirit?!"
That actually gave the Special Grade pause.
Good. A lull in the fighting was just what he needed to distract her.
Oh yes, he could tell that this Special Grade was female under all that armor. It had taken him a few minutes, but the voice was a dead giveaway, and the fracturing shell on served to further confirm his theory. Almost made him want to break the rest of it so he could what she actually looked like, ya know? That or maybe make a new body for her. Legend had it that some of the more powerful curses could shift their appearances; he couldn't help but wonder why this one had chosen to look like...well, some kind of forest monster. It was clearly an act of intimidation on their part.
However! They couldn't disguise their voice!
...Hanami." she spoke slowly. "It has been...a terribly long time since anyone asked me that."
I knew it! She really is intelligent after all!
"Hanami, was it?" he gestured to the stump beside him. "Why don't you sit down?"
The entity before him wavered ever so slightly. "...you...you're not going to attack again?"
"Why would I?"
"I am a Cursed Spirit." she rasped back. "You are a Jujutsu Sorcerer. We are natural enemies."
Aha! She'd hesitated! Anything was better than brawling out here for real. They'd wreck the trees even more.
"Who decided that?" he jabbed a thumb into his chest. "I think we've done enough of that today, don't you? And despite what everyone calls me, I don't think of myself as a sorcerer. If anything, I'd call myself a sage...
"Oh?" her teeth grit together, gnashing loudly. "I dearly hope you have proof of that claim, else I might have to kill you for that insult-
He stomped a foot down and an entire forest instantaneously bloomed behind him to replace the one they'd destroyed. It cut down on his reserves viciously but it was well worth it for the baffled expression on her face. A beat of silence passed between the two of them. He grinned at her as a bead of sweat ran down his brow. This really was one helluva gamble..
...what is your name, child?"
Progress! He mentally pumped a fist.
"Well, lots of people call me Naoya, but you?" he smiled. "You can call me Naruto...
A/N: Aaaaaand cut! We'll call it there for today, I think.
That said, would you like weekly updates?
Do you want this to remain a story?
Yes? No? Maybe so? Make yourselves heard! Really need to hear from you, here. Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this particular story, and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself isn't popular? Well...I'll not continue it. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly? Hope you enjoy the previews.
We've got some new ones and some are...intense.
They've been expanded and then some!
I cut down on them to not spoil things.
Read at your own risk:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS AWAIT YOU!
YE BE WARNED!
(Previews)
"I'm home~!"
"What happened to you?!
You're covered in blood, Naoya!
Never you mind that! I made a friend~!
"Listen. That technique of yours is powerful, sure, but its also risky. And I told you to call me Gojo-senpai~!"
"I categorically refuse! Does it matter anyway? You have your Limitless, I have my Creation of All Things. We were born with these abilities."
"Maybe, but think of it like this. Dying to win and risking death to win are two completely different things. With a strong foundation, and a little bit of sense, imagination, even a pinch of regret, it just takes the slightest trigger to change a person...after all, this isn't your first life, is it, Naoya?
Wait, you know? How did you figure it out? I thought I did a good job hiding it from Maki and Mai.
You did for the most part, but its the eyes. People say eyes are the window to the soul.
Now, that we've determined that. Are you going to tell me you really are?"
Alright, fine. You win. My name, my real name is...
"You must be Megumi~! Nice ta meetcha. I'm Naoya."
The woman had a scarred forehead.
"Its a pleasure to meet you, Naoya Zeni'n. I've heard great things.
Have you all bothered to think about what kind of person you're trying to curse?!
"Oi. That's my friend. GET YOUR FILTHY MITTS OFF HER."
Finally, he had the cocky little brat. "Idle Transfiguration."
A fist barreled into Mahito's face, cratering it.
"WON'T WORK ON ME!"
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed! Looking forward to your feedback~!
Hope you have a great day,
~Nz.