The first night had passed without incident. The second night had been silent.
But upon the third night since the attack of the Hakaju, Naruto found himself wary while watching over the daimyo's palace. He didn't know why, precisely. The moon was brighter and fuller every night. That had been enough to dissuade the skeleton so far.
Something felt off though. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was the calm before the storm.
"Such a good night, isn't it, Naruto?"
Or perhaps it was the unwanted company.
Naruto snorted but didn't speak as his ears focused on the speaker that he couldn't address directly. Not yet at least.
Orochimaru chuckled, leaning against a distant tree top as he watched the Bijuu from afar. "I see you're guarding the Fire Daimyo. I'm sure he's enjoying the idea of having a Bijuu as a guard dog."
Naruto's eyes scanned towards Orochimaru's position, miles away, and gave him a warning glare.
He was humoring the snake's presence, and Orochimaru was aware of that. "I'm sure the only reason you haven't mentioned my presence is you're wondering if I'm involved in this ordeal," Orochimaru reasoned with a pleased hum. "Sadly, I can't claim any such thing."
Naruto stared at him a moment longer before looking at the moon again. He believed Orochimaru wasn't behind this, but he had no doubt the snake was here for his own research, his own curiosity.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw the blanket of clouds coming on a steady wind. Not rain, none that he could smell or hear yet, but it would be thick enough.
"Ahh, you're wondering the same thing. It can't appear in the day. It hasn't appeared with the moon out. Will it appear with the clouds?" Orochimaru wondered with a hum. "I certainly hope so. I'd be disappointed to not have a show after my journey here."
The clouds crept over the sky, and Naruto felt the fur on his back stand up. He growled, loudly, knowing full well it would awake and alarm the palace.
If the Hakaju came, they'd be ready. If not, he could just use Orochimaru as an excuse…win-win.
The guards and servants all began to rush around the palace, getting ready for a potential attack. Some tried calling out to him for an explanation, but he ignored them.
It didn't take them all long to realize he was staring up at the approaching clouds.
Silence fell as they all watched the coverages slowly move over the crescent moon, obscuring its silver glow to plunge the land into a deeper darkness.
The tense moment lasted for a long time before Orochimaru stiffened at the sound of rattling bones.
And they were coming from right behind him.
With a snarl, Naruto flared his chakra and the golden light erupted around him, pushing away the darkness.
Until the darkness held fast against the rays and took shape. That large, beastly form, shrouded and hidden in a cloak of blackness ripped from the very abyss itself.
The bones rattled like the musical instruments of the underworld, echoing ominously across the lands.
A beast of heavenly light against a monster of deathly darkness; It was like something out of a legend.
And Orochimaru found himself right in the middle of it. "It seems I picked my seat too well for this event," Orochimaru muttered to himself, feeling the tension growing thicker and thicker between the two giants. There was much he could learn from this battle, but being in between them was a great risk
Still, Orochimaru was not a Genin fresh out of the academy. It was best to wait until one or both of them moved. If he tried to vacate the area, he might draw their attacks onto him, intentionally or instinctively.
For a moment that stretched on and on, neither moved while daring the other to be the first to act.
Naruto, ultimately, broke the stalemate and leaped at the Hakaju. But his foe responded by rushing low. Orochimaru flickered away just before they made impact. The Hakaju rammed its head into Naruto's chest while the Kitsune growled as he bit down on the back. His fangs pierced shroud and spine, ripping them from the body.
The Hakaju's bones rattled like thunder in a storm and Naruto kicked back just before a great many rib bones extended in an attempt to stab him.
"Seems you actually want to fight this time!" Naruto snarled with a feral grin. "Good, I wasn't looking for more cloak and claw shit."
The Hakaju's bones began to regrow as it remained hunched over from its missing bones.
"Asuma! Stay with the Daimyo! Orochimaru is lurking about!" Naruto roared out.
"Why, I'm hurt Naruto," Orochimaru said in mock offense, observing from the top of the palace roof. "Do you think I came all this way for a mere daimyo?"
Naruto ignored him. He didn't trust Orochimaru to not pull something, either for benefit or just to do it. But he was a little too focused on rushing the still-healing Hakaju, which jumped up in response. Perhaps because it was a skeleton, it reached a far greater height than Naruto expected, leaping over him and landing on his back.
Before it could even try to bite him, all nine of his tails grappled it from all over and slammed it into the ground, head first. The golden hairs tore and ripped at the shroud, stripping it to reveal the skeletal monstrosity beneath.
Naruto conceded it was more like a reptile. He wasn't smart, but the way its legs were positioned and shaped was less like a dog or fox and more like a lizard's.
"Hmm, so it does have a tail," Orochimaru observed with a hum.
Naruto frowned as he watched the Hakaju rise up again, its body shaky from all the broken bones. "I don't get it. You can't beat me head-on. Why are you-" Naruto stopped suddenly as he felt something.
Many, many things crawling on his back. The Hakaju's minions, created from the bones of its victims. They had covered Naruto while he and their master fought.
"Huh. So this is what fleas feel like," Naruto mused before flaring his chakra, hard and strong.
The many human-sized skeleton monsters on him tried to absorb the rich chakra but found themselves overwhelmed as the sheer power of the Bijuu chakra tore their bones apart into ashes.
To Naruto's annoyance, this somehow fed into the Hakaju still, the creature rapidly and suddenly healing much of the damage. Not all, and the shroud was still in tatters, but it had definitely used some of Naruto's chakra to heal itself.
"You'll run out of bones long before I run out of chakra," Naruto remarked with a growl.
In response, the Hakaju struck out at Naruto with its front limbs.
Naruto caught it with one hand, burying an open-clawed strike into the ribcage with his free hand. The Hakaju's rattling grew weaker just before Naruto yanked his fist out.
And as he did, the Hakaju vanished, nothing more than a shadow.
Naruto stared at where his foe had been seconds ago before looking up as the moon's light came out from behind the clouds.
A soft cheering came over the night, drawing Naruto's eyes to the palace. The servants and soldiers were cheering at his victory. Some of the soldiers outside the palace had been busy fighting off some of the skeletal minions, and they raised their spears in cheer as well.
But it was to the roof that his eyes fell, his ears focusing on a soft clap.
"Well done, Naruto. Hardly any effort," Orochimaru remarked coyly. "Though, I do wonder as you do; why the assault? Why discard its stealth? Just what did you do to provoke it, Naruto?"
Naruto snorted. "Orochimaru is on the roof."
The soldiers shifted from cheering to alarm.
"Until next time, Naruto," Orochimaru remarked before he vanished.
But even as he sped back to the Land of Sound, he felt the watchful eyes of Naruto, making sure he left.
Hours later, as the night began to wane, he reached his base once more and was unsurprised that Kabuto was waiting for him. "Lord Orochimaru. By your expression, I take it all went well."
"Amusing if nothing else. Interesting certainly," Orochimaru remarked with a chuckle. "Naruto is proving to be an interesting subject to research."
"Forgive me, My Lord, but I find it hard to believe that Naruto Uzumaki could be interesting to observe," Kabuto remarked skeptically.
"Oh? I seem to recall even as a human, he left you pushed to the limit of your healing abilities," Orochimaru reminded with a toying tone.
Kabuto's face darkened at the reminder but didn't speak against it.
"That foolish boy died in that Valley. I can't say for certain it's a side effect of the transformation itself, or Naruto himself coping with his new situation, but there is something interesting in his eyes now," Orochimaru mused. "He's still just a young child, but even now he has the look of one who hordes secrets like treasures."
"I'm afraid I don't follow," Kabuto admitted.
"Perhaps if you meet with the new Kyuubi, you might, Kabuto," Orochimaru encouraged. "For now..."
The snake Sannin pulled out two scrolls, holding each between a pair of fingers.
"We have some samples. I'd recommend we look into this alleged Gashadokuro first. Naruto is going nowhere, relatively, but this creature may prove a nuisance once it serves the purpose of as a practice dummy for Naruto," Orochimaru reasoned.
"True. I'm genuinely surprised you know nothing about this creature's origin, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto commented, taking the indicated scroll.
"That is all the more reason I want its secrets unraveled," Orochimaru remarked. "After all, if Naruto can't find a way to put it down for good, the Land of Fire will eventually run out of villages, and many of my potential "volunteers" with them."
Elsewhere
Once the night had ended, Naruto had been midway back to Konoha when he ran into Jiraiya traveling atop a relatively small toad. After the summon was dismissed, Naruto told of his recent battle.
"Damn, so it can attack as long as the moon is obscured," the Toad Sannin cursed to himself from on Naruto's snout.
"Yeah, and it gets better. Orochimaru was there," Naruto remarked dryly.
Jiraiya gave him a look. "Are you sure he's gone?"
"Positive. No clones, no snakes, nothing. But Asuma stayed behind, just in case," Naruto assured, crossing his arms. "Trouble is, I don't think he's involved."
"Really? Where's that vote of confidence coming from?" Jiraiya asked, unconvinced but curious.
"Trust me, I wish I didn't think that. He's an easy explanation for this," Naruto grunted. "But the bastard was kind of scared when the skeleton showed up. If he's somehow responsible, he's definitely not in control of it. But this doesn't seem like him either. If it was to test me, he wouldn't have unleashed it up here, right? The fact I sensed it all the way at the beach is a bit crazy, I know."
"All good points. Doesn't rule him out, but it does lower him on the suspect list," Jiraiya remarked. "I just got back from talking with the Toads. They're pretty sure it's not Orochimaru either. Mainly because they confirmed this bares all the marks of a Gashadokuro. Though, their word for it is Hakaju."
Naruto blinked. "Hakaju?"
Jiraiya nodded. "Grave Beast. The Elder Toad Sage said they used to appear frequently long ago, before the Elemental Nations."
Naruto hummed. That was interesting, that the Summons and the Bijuu, both giant beasts, used the term Hakaju instead of Gashadokuro. Did that mean something? Maybe, but it wasn't really important right now. "Let me guess, we got to find its grave or something?"
"How'd you guess?" Jiraiya asked idly.
"Pervy Sage, it's a giant undead skeleton and the Toads call it a Grave Beast. If there is a trick to killing it, I'd be surprised it wasn't involving a gravesite of some kind," Naruto pointed out bluntly.
"True enough," Jiraiya accepted. "But yeah, we have to find where this thing calls its grave. Trouble is, that could be anywhere. They are normally caused by a lot of people, soldiers normally, dying at the same time. Their despairing souls cling to the living world and pool their chakra together to form a shared avatar of their restless nature."
"Creepy," Naruto remarked. "Why haven't we heard of these things before? The Ninja Wars happened, and I don't think the ninja villages just covered it up, right?"
"I mean, we could have, but no, nothing like this has shown up," Jiraiya confirmed. "The Toad Elder can't discern the cause either. It's not you, inherently, but the jury is still out on the Shinigami seal."
"Well..." Naruto paused. "If it was the seal, then I think we know where the Grave is."
Jiraiya grimaced. "Yeah. For the record, Naruto? I didn't think your...body survived, but I did search for...anything. If it wasn't vaporized by the transformation, it certainly wasn't at the river."
Naruto took a deep breath. They were talking about his own corpse. That messed with his mind so much that he tried not to think about it. "Jiraiya," he said suddenly. "I never doubted you did. It just seems the most straight forward idea I can come to in this confusing mess."
Jiraiya nodded in understanding.
"So, before we run off, mind telling me what we have to do when we find the Grave?" Naruto asked bluntly.
"There are three ways to deal with a Hakaju, according to the Toads. They can usually be appeased and laid to rest, but we'll have no idea how to do that until we get there," Jiraiya explained.
"So potentially impossible or complicated. Next?" Naruto prompted.
"Option two is we just seal it away," Jiraiya explained.
"Why is that a solution to everything? Doesn't that just put the problem off for someone else?" Naruto asked in annoyance.
"Sometimes that's all humans can do," Jiraiya answered sagely. "The last is we destroy it. It can be killed at the grave, but the trouble is, it's a lot stronger there. I'm not sure Gamabunta could handle that fight without risking his life, even with me involved."
Naruto suddenly looked up with a frown, almost tipping Jiraiya off.
"Wow! Hey, what's up?" Jiraiya asked in alarm.
"Sorry, sorry, just...something I didn't mention. When I fought the Hakaju last night? It was acting different. Aggressive, I mean stupid aggressive. It was...actually pretty easy to fight?" Naruto remarked. "There's no way that its grave is at the Daimyo's palace, right?"
"No, it would have appeared even in sunlight if so," Jiraiya said with a frown. "Still, that is interesting. You don't think Orochimaru is controlling it, but the thing attacked you openly with him around? No stealth, no hit and run?"
"Not a bit. I don't know if Orochimaru somehow provoked it for me, but...yeah," Naruto hummed with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe it was just pissed off?"
"I think most undead perpetually are, according to legends," Jiraiya responded. "Still, that is a piece to the puzzle. Maybe this thing has a grudge against Fire Country, and Daimyo triggers a "must kill" response?"
Naruto groaned. "Dammit. Okay, we're getting nowhere. Let's just head up to the Valley of the End, check for the Grave and my corpse, and go from there."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jiraiya agreed as Naruto began heading north. "You do realize you're going to have all our neighbors up north sweating bullets, right?"
"Yeah, but the Daimyo sent word out to them about our boney friend. So, it should be fine. I mean, they'd want us to get rid of the Zombie Bijuu before it wanders into their lands," Naruto pointed out.
Meanwhile
There is a moment when life decides to present someone with the pure scope of how much things had changed, or how tiny they were in the grand scheme of things.
For Ami, the world decided to do both today.
She had been a student in Konoha's Academy but had failed the true exam along with her other teammates. After that, her parents had decided it was best to move back to her mother's hometown, a small place up in the north of Fire Country.
She sometimes felt disappointed with her life, an average civilian girl learning an average trade when she had been once trying to be a ninja. But she didn't dwell on it long, usually. She found her pleasures in life where she could, and tried not to linger on what-ifs.
Until today.
It had been just like any other. She had been out looking for a shop that could give a quick morning breakfast. Then, the wind changed direction, ever so slightly. Then the entire village grew silent as they felt a soft trembling in the ground. It didn't feel like an earthquake, no, but rather footsteps…giant footsteps.
A gentle rumbling could be heard in the air, almost like a distant growl.
Even here, everyone had heard the news, the stories and the rumors. A Bijuu freely walked amongst the Land of Fire, a new Kyuubi with fur that shined like gold in the sun.
Many began to head to the edge of the village, to see if it was him, to see it for themselves. More came to see what the commotion was all about.
And as Ami's feet carried her across the streets, she found herself staring across the landscape to see the sight that gathered them all.
A giant fox towered above the trees, walking over them as if they were blades of grass. The massive tails flowed in the breeze like something ethereal and mystical.
He was so close that one tail tip was almost above their heads, but it was so long that there was no chance he would even accidentally step on the village.
Ami could hear the murmurs of amazement. Concern in some, but sheer awe was the flavor in the air, as she looked around at the mesmerized faces before looking back out at the walking force of nature.
He turned his head, and his great azure eyes looked over them all. Some felt a rush at being noticed and realizing there truly was no danger, for there was no malice in that face, no hunger or hate.
But all Ami felt was a strange epiphany…for she knew who this was supposed to be, who this creature had once been. She had met him, years ago.
Naruto Uzumaki. A boy from the academy that she had bullied. She remembered him as a clown, a dead last, a failure.
And now his towering figure walked across the lands like a god. Adored or feared, he was known and he was respected for the power of the Bijuu could decimate a village like this in an instant. If the legends were true, he might even be immortal.
Yet when his powerful gaze slid over the crowd and passed by her, there was no pause. No recognition. Not even a double take.
He was a Bijuu, and she was just Ami. Not even a footnote in the world's memory.
And so she stared upon his dreadful majesty and silently wept in despair of her own inconsequentiality.
Meanwhile
It didn't take them long to reach the Valley of the End. While Jiraiya went to work searching, Naruto absently took in the place.
This place evoked a morbid feeling in him. This was where he died, and where he was reborn. Where his best friend had killed him and the bane of his life turned him into something...more.
He could still see the aftermath of everything; the damage done to the valley from his initial battle with Sasuke. Some damage to the legs of the statues, and places in the cliffs where they had slammed each other into.
Then there were the more...obvious signs of what came after. His massive paw prints where he had dragged himself out of the river, the part of the forest he destroyed catching Sasuke, and more.
It all replayed silently, right before his eyes, right up to the point where he left with Kakashi.
"Well, it's definitely not here. It would have attacked by n-" Jiraiya said as he left the river, pausing as he looked up and saw Naruto's sorrowful face. "Naruto? I know it's a stupid question, but are you...okay?"
"...I don't even know anymore," Naruto admitted with a deep breath. "You know, when I said I'd be Hokage? I always said it with a do-or-die way of thinking. Cause I might have been a dumbass at times, but I knew what being a ninja meant. I knew it meant I might die. And yeah, nearly dying is scary as shit the first few times. But...the idea of dying, trying to get to the top? That never really scared me."
Jiraiya said nothing, just letting Naruto talk.
"It's just that, when it's do or die, you kind of assume that the "die" option means it's all over. You don't expect to get another shot at life, let alone being a Bijuu," Naruto continued. "Even if I could take human form, I doubt I'd ever get the hat. They'd probably tell me I was overqualified or something."
Jiraiya nodded absently. "I, umm, did find something down at the very bottom of the river," Jiraiya informed, getting Naruto's attention as he held it up. "It's not your copse, but..."
It was his orange jacket. What was left of it. Almost half of it was destroyed, leaving only one sleeve intact. The other side had been vaporized off. It was a miracle any of it was left.
Naruto only looked on with sad, tired eyes.
Jiraiya sighed heavily. "Naruto? If it's okay with you, I'd like to bury this."
Naruto didn't react for the longest time. "Just...not here. Kami only knows it'd get poached by one of our neighbors," he paused, glaring up across the border. "Especially those listening right now."
Jiraiya nodded, unsurprised they had watchers. "I'll find a good spot, Naruto. I don't know if it'll help, but..."
"It can't hurt," Naruto finished softly while still eyeing the other side of the river, before closing his eyes and allowing a bit more of his chakra to let slip. The air grew heavy and thick with his power. "Today isn't a good place to push your luck with me. Any of you."
Jiraiya glanced across the border, wondering just who had done something foolish enough to provoke Naruto right here and now. "If they don't cross the border, just let them be, Naruto."
Naruto growled in consideration, opening his eyes. Jiraiya didn't know what he was staring at, but he got the impression that Naruto managed to get his message across.
"Come on, I need to head to the Daimyo's palace to tell them what I've learned," Jiraiya said, putting Naruto's jacket into a sealing scroll.
Naruto grunted before turning away. With his back towards the river, he made one final warning.
"Be careful if you cross this grave of mine, all of you."
End of Chapter
Well, a nice bit happened here. Quick, onesided fight with the Hakaju. Yeah, straght up fight, Naruto uses this thing like a training dummy. Orochimaru also showed up, and they visited Naruto's "grave" at the Valley of Ends. Naruto also madei t very clear to everoyne that he is NOT in a good mood right now.
Still, that was about it for now. Until next time!
Early viewing of chapters 23-24 avaliable on my pat-reon:
p a treon . com (slash) akumakami64