OMG, STOP! Please stop with the following! Just kidding, but be prepared for disappointment. lol I've been thinking a little more about the project and I'm now conflicted about including the harems I had planned. I fear it might ruin the story even more. But I have plenty of time to think it over, because right now I'm still in the process of altering some of the first half of the story and ending for later. So the harems aren't off the table just yet, but you'll know when I've made my final decision in a later chapter.
Before Naruto could make a nasty fall, Raven managed to save him by using her magic to take the shape of a giant purple glowing bird, catching him in midair.
As the two landed safely, the Titans gathered around Raven and the heavily panting Naruto, giving them enough breathing room. Raven had Naruto lie down with the back of his head on her lap as she placed both of her hands on his temples. Using her magic, Raven tried to ease Naruto's pain while also getting a better read on his thoughts and emotions. However, she struggled as she began to feel pain all over.
"UGH!" Raven groaned. "So much PAIN… loss… regrets!"
Raven stopped the treatment and began panting heavily herself just as Naruto started to breathe normally again, though he remained unconscious.
"What troubles him?" Starfire asked, her voice filled with worry. "Did I overdo it?"
"No," Raven replied. "This was Sebastian's doing. I knew there was something off, but I couldn't quite place it."
Raven dreaded not being able to do her own research in Naruto's mind much sooner, but she knew she needed to focus on the present. She looked at Cyborg.
"I'm going in. I expect to wake up on something comfortable when I get back," she said.
"Heh, sure thing," Cyborg responded with a smirk.
Raven concentrated as her soul, known as "Soul Self," left her body and entered Naruto, reaching deep inside his mind.
Inside Naruto's mind, Naruto confronted Kurama, who was now bound by demonic-looking chains.
"Kurama!" Naruto exclaimed, worry evident in his voice.
"It's like I am cursed to forever be bound by chains," Kurama replied, his tone laced with dark humor.
"This isn't funny, we gotta get these off!" Naruto insisted.
"Oh, believe me, I am absolutely livid… but at the same time, I can't help but find some hilarity in it all," Kurama said.
Naruto attempted to grab the chain, but as soon as he made contact, he was shocked by red electricity, knocking him down to the watery floor. This also shocked Kurama, making him drop to his bottom.
"What is this!?" Naruto exclaimed.
"A forbidden binding jutsu, I assume… possibly from that cult bastard," Kurama replied.
"You assume correct, but it's not a jutsu," a voice said.
Raven casually appeared beside Naruto, startling him so much that he almost fell back into the water. Even Kurama was shocked to see the hooded Titan, as there were very few known people left who could enter the linked minds of the fox and the ninja.
"H-How did you get here!?" Naruto asked, shocked.
"Soul Self," Raven replied deadpan.
"Soul what?" Naruto asked, confused.
"An astral projection," Raven explained.
"Ass-troll prediction?" Naruto repeated, still confused.
Raven sighed at Naruto's cluelessness. She understood him not grasping Cyborg's technology earlier, but believed her explanation could be understood by even a first grader.
"God, you're slow… I REACHED into your head using my SOUL," Raven clarified.
"Oh… okay," Naruto said, finally understanding. "But how?"
"I thought I felt a familiar presence, spawn of Trigon," Kurama interjected.
Raven took her hood off and raised her head, locking eyes with Kurama, who gave the Titan a deathly glare.
"It's starting to make sense now… You had a hand in all of this, didn't you?" Kurama accused.
"You'd be surprised if I said no… My father always did find ways of plotting behind my back," Raven replied. "But know this, Kitsune, all ties I've had with my father have been long severed… Not that I was ever on his side to begin with."
"Heh… 'Kitsune,' I have not been called that in ages…" Kurama mused.
Not following at all what was happening, Naruto interrupted. "Uh… guys? Mind filling me in?"
"This woman is the child of a powerful hell demon named Trigon, one of the few adversaries of Hagoromo that he encountered during his travels across dimensions many years ago," Kurama explained.
Naruto looked at Raven, having trouble believing Kurama's statement. "You're a demon?" he asked, confused.
"HALF demon," Raven corrected. "Kitsune, I haven't the slightest clue what my father's intentions are for you two, but we're on the same side. Please, allow me to assist you in any way I can."
Kurama made a low growl and lowered down to her level. "And why should we trust you?"
Raven walked closer to Kurama, meeting his eyes again, not showing the slightest bit of fear. "Because if what I've heard is true, we both have similar abilities when it comes to reading individuals' emotions. And you would know I've been speaking nothing but the utmost truth since my arrival."
"And besides…" Raven placed her hand on Kurama's nose, making Naruto tense up and catching Kurama off guard. "I wouldn't dream of harming a beautiful spirit such as yourself. I can feel the overwhelming hate inside you, but at the same time, there's a glimmer of love and peace kept deep within you that never left since you were but an innocent little kit, just like me."
The room went silent for a few moments, but Kurama broke the silence by laughing out loud. This began to creep out Naruto, as he had never heard Kurama laugh before.
"Wow… someone actually made him laugh," Naruto said, dumbfounded.
"Ah… she's just as naive as you are, Naruto!" Kurama laughed. "Fine… do what you can… but be well advised as to what happens when you cross the Nine Tails."
"Well aware," Raven smirked. "Hold still, please…"
A purple aura surrounded Raven's body as she began chanting a magic spell. Her aura then extended closer to both Naruto and Kurama until the room's light began to turn completely violet.
"Salasil min aldam walrahbati, tufk min makan alruwha. Eadun min aljafl 'atayt walaen kuli man yushawuh aism al'arwahi!" Raven chanted.
A white flash of light left Naruto's mind as he woke up. He looked around and noticed he was back in the infirmary again with Raven on another medical bed beside him. She slowly began to wake up as well.
"Ugh… This is not what I meant by comfy," Raven said, annoyed.
"Did you fix us?" Naruto asked.
Raven looked at Naruto, then looked down in regret. Without saying anything, the ninja could already tell she didn't have any good news to inform him of, but he hoped to be strongly wrong.
"I'm sorry… Sebastian's binding magic was too powerful, even for me… But at the very least, Kurama can move his neck around," Raven explained.
"What?" Naruto asked, confused.
"It wasn't a complete failure, but I managed to unbind half the chains. The rest can be released if the user is defeated, or by finding someone more well-versed in the mystic arts than myself. Even then, I can't guarantee the latter would work… This is one of a kind and otherworldly," Raven said.
Naruto barely understood what Raven was saying, unsure whether to feel relieved or more worried than before.
"So what're you saying? That I can't use Kurama's chakra anymore?" Naruto asked, flustered.
"You can, but only small portions. So I recommend using the same amount you used when you first fought Sasuke in the Valley of the End, or at the very least when you fought Neji in the Chunin Exams. If you end up using the Kurama Link Mode again, not only will the chains return, but it could kill you both," Raven warned.
Naruto's eyes went wide. He was not expecting his situation to get even worse and was unsure how to respond. Raven could feel his distress just by looking at him. She then walked towards the exit.
"Again, I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do," Raven said.
"Hey…" Naruto called out.
Raven turned around.
"How did you know about my first fight with Sasuke and the Chunin Exams?" Naruto asked, serious.
"Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell them about the Kitsune that lies within you," Raven assured him.
As Raven left, she put her hood back on, leaving Naruto alone to come to terms with his current predicament. The blonde then stood up and took his anger out on the wall, leaving a large hole in it. As Raven continued walking down the hallway, more punching and tossing of objects could be heard in the background. Raven continued walking, unfazed by the noise.
Elsewhere…
Night had fallen, casting an eerie glow over the hill where Sebastian Blood stood with four masked men clad in demonic armor. The group was gathered near a cave, its entrance littered with the bodies of the fallen, victims of their latest ritual. One of the armored men dragged a girl forward, her hands bound in chains, her face obscured by a head mask. With a rough shove, he forced her to her knees.
Sebastian approached the captive, his eyes gleaming with a twisted sense of satisfaction. He reached out and removed the mask, revealing only the back of her long, black hair.
"HOLY SHAT!" Sebastian exclaimed, a mocking tone in his voice. "It's always the beautiful ones that have to be sacrificed… damn shame."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "But hey, depending on whatever your religion is, maybe you'll be reborn back on your world with a better life."
Sebastian fancied himself a fair and just man. He bent down, peeling the tape from the girl's mouth, granting her the chance to speak her final words.
"Any famous last words, Princess?" he asked, his voice dripping with false kindness.
The girl's face was finally revealed—a long-haired Japanese beauty with a hime cut and lavender-colored eyes. It was Hinata Hyuga! Her expression was a mix of sadness and anger, having witnessed the slaughter of her people, some of whom were members of the Hyuga clan.
"Nokori no nakama o doko e tsurete itta nodesu ka!" Hinata demanded, her voice trembling with emotion.
Sebastian chuckled. "Your people? Oh, don't worry, we sold them off during our trip in Cambodia."
He continued, his tone casual. "And I know, we don't often do human trafficking, but we were getting pretty tight on money, so separating you from your sister was harder on me than it was for you, I assure you."
Hinata's eyes widened in horror and disgust as she processed his words. Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder, a mock gesture of comfort, as tears began to well up in her eyes. She had never encountered such cruelty before, the casual way he spoke of such heinous acts.
Tears streamed down Hinata's face, her despair transforming into pure, unbridled anger. "Watashi wa… Kono tame ni anata o koroshimasu!" she spat, her voice filled with fury.
Sebastian smirked. "Let's not forget who put herself first before her sister. What you did was noble and downright courageous, even though you both were screwed either way…"
He paused, reconsidering his words. "Well, scratch that, your sister gets to live…"
With a swift motion, Sebastian plunged a knife into Hinata's lower abdomen.
"GAH!" Hinata gasped, her eyes wide with shock.
Sebastian's smirk widened. "And you get to die."
To Be Continued…
