Hi! We're back, picking up from right where we left off!
"What the heck is that!?" Naruto pointed to the monster in front of them.
"A monster?" Zatanna squeaked.
"I know that's a monster, monsters already exist in my world!" Naruto shouted. "But none of them appear by burning someone alive from where I come from!"
"Well, it's not like I'm an expert on demonology or anything!" Zatanna shouted back.
Meanwhile, the Demon strode towards his stampeding kin. "My brethren have me hundreds to one..." He chanted. Opening up his hand, flame materialized, which then revealed a long sword. "...therefore I shall fight with full power until the battle is won!" Etrigan fearlessly leaped into the horde. With a great arc of his long sword, several demonic heads went flying. A serpentine demon bit down on his shoulder, eliciting a shout of pain from him. Etrigan punched its head, shattering the skull. He continued to swing at others, and those who didn't get out of the way fell to the floor. Quickly, the demon breathed a trail of fire, incinerating a large swath of the horde.
It was clear that Etrigan was a cut above the other demons. But he was still outnumbered, and the two teens in the back weren't confident that he could keep this up. Looking between Etrigan and Zatanna, Naruto had a feeling he had to intervene sooner or later."Zatanna, do you have any spells that could help out?"
Zatanna struggled to think. "Just some minor environmental trappings. And I can duplicate people, though..."
"Wait!" Naruto stopped her. "That last one!"
"But you can already can make copies of yourself! What good would that do-" Naruto looked at her, and it finally dawned on her. Grinning, she said "Ekoms dna srorrim!"
A dozen Narutos, this time by someone else's will appeared. They all grinned, and brought their fingers together in cross-symbols. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Instead of the standard poof of smoke, a large explosion erupted. What was once 12 Narutos became twelve hundred Narutos. Now the demons had an even larger army to contend with. "Hide, Zatanna!" One shouted. The rest charged straight in.
Etrigan stomped a foot down on the skull of an unfortunate goblin. He was caught off guard when another leaped on his back and began stabbing him with a pair of daggers. "AHH!" Etrigan threw it off, and released a breath of flame against a group charging straight at him. Most were burned to ashes, but a rhino-like one managed to survive and tackled him to the ground. Etrigan materialized a mace to beat him off, but this one was stronger and held his ground, while his comrades pounced on Etrigan. Just when it seemed the horde finally overcame the yellow demon, the Narutos grabbed hold of them. Although they were not as strong as the demons, they managed to pull them off by pulling on their faces and eyes. That was all Etrigan needed to get back up.
Quickly he ran one through with a massive sword, and threw a fireball at another. One of the Narutos managed to drop kick a smaller demon at Etrigan's feet. Etrigan looked down at one the blondes. "An intriguing trick, you possess..." He then witnessed another clone stabbed with a tendril from an offending demon before disappearing in a puff of smoke "...yet I fear you will do little for relieving our distress."
Naruto could only blink at him. His translation spell didn't catch the rhymes, and it just came out even weirder than he would have heard otherwise."You have a funny way of talking, you know that?" Naruto asked. Another clone was sent flying across the ground screaming before he poofed away. "Anyway, I'm full of all sorts of tricks." He grinned as he pointed to himself. "Just watch me!"
The demon only gave him a small grin. "We shall see, little man." He suddenly turned and impaled a demon that tried to sneak up behind him. "Show me if you have a plan!" The demon and Narutos jumped into battle together.
Zatanna looked from behind the boulder. Although the Narutos did little to directly turn the tide against the horde themselves, they were enough to help move the odds in Etrigan's favor, in a battle of distraction followed by execution. "Yes!" Zatanna said as she pumped her fist. "We can win this!" She didn't notice one disgusting looking demon creeping up behind her. Suddenly, several tentacles shot out, binding her limbs and gagging her mouth.
"Hang on, Z!" A Naruto clone burst from underground, trying to attack the creature, but it stared him with its tentacle and slammed him hard enough on the ground to make him burst.
"Surprised, I must admit!" Etrigan complemented Naruto as he grabbed a demon by the head and smashed it into the ground. "In no time, we will make this horde submit!"
"Thanks!" One of the Narutos said as he kicked a crocodile demon across the face. "Uh...I think." An ogre came upon him as it dragged a massive hammer across the ground and slammed him. Naruto took the brunt of it with his shoulder, staying conscious but dislocating his shoulder in the process. "Ah!"
The demon got ready to deliver the killing blow, but Naruto was still in the game. Quickly, he rolled away, popping his shoulder back into place. "Everyone, to me!" Naruto shouted. The remaining clones ran to him, all lined up. They grabbed each other's ankles, as the one who acted as an anchor planted himself and threw the others like a flail. Though the others did nothing to actually kill the demons, they were thrown with enough force to knock them down. That was all Etrigan needed to finish them all off with a breath of fire, straight from the gates of hell itself. The entire horde was destroyed, and both individuals were relieved to be rid of them.
As the other Narutos disappeared, leaving one left, Etrigan raised his eyebrow. Before he reduced his numbers, Etrigan caught a glimpse of an orange aura. "You are quite a warrior, boy." Etrigan complemented him. "Perhaps you should inform me of your ploy."
Naruto gulped. "P-p-ploy?" Naruto stammered.
"A hue of flame I saw on you." Etrigan explained. "No mortal can pull such strength out of the blue."
Naruto twiddled his fingers. "Well, uh, that's something I generally don't share with a lot of people." Suddenly, his expression changed. "Zatanna!" Naruto ran back to her hiding place, a confused Etrigan trailing behind him.
Zatanna struggled in vain as she tried to pry herself out of the tentacles, but this thing was stronger than it looked. The tentacles on her limbs were disconcerting, but not the worst thing. It was the tentacle around her mouth, gagging her and keeping her from casting any spells . She tried to slip her hands out of its grip, but it seemed to react and tighten its grip. The creature turned her upside down, and opened it's predator-like mouth. "Let her go!"
The demon stopped, and slowly turned its gaze towards Naruto and Etrigan. Hissing, it lifted Zatanna above its head and crawled on its crab-like legs to better position itself. "Been a while, it has, Zemongo." Etrigan growled. "I should have burned you long ago."
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted. "What he-Wait, you know this...thing?" Naruto asked.
"I do indeed." Etrigan shrugged. "All demons know the names of their kin, for it's part of our creed."
Naruto blinked. "Huh. That's...interesting."
Suddenly, a tentacle came down; Naruto barely got out of the way in time. "Whoa!" The demon (Zemongo, as Etrigan called him) flailed its limbs wildly while keeping Zatanna out of reach. Naruto made a couple more clones for a head on attack, but the demon obliterated them all with its many limbs.
Etrigan landed a blow on its giant head, but its rubbery constitution absorbed it. Quickly, it ensnared Etrigan and threw him up in the air. The yellow demon quickly retaliated with fire out of its maw, but it didn't seem to do anything to it. "Fire-proof, I see." Etrigan growled, clenching his fists. "Then a pancake, I'll make you-" With a mighty whip, it flung the demon into a rocky outcrop before he could finish.
Sensing that it didn't have much time to eat its meal, the creature quickly opened up its maw and tried to drop Zatanna into its mouth. Zatanna screamed through her gagged mouth as she saw it's entire mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth. "Oh no you don't!" Naruto ran in and multiplied himself as he plugged up its maw. "Hang on, Z!" Naruto initially reached for a kunai before remembering he no longer had sharp weapons. "Damn it!" Naruto reached up and grabbed the tentacles around her mouth. "Z, think of a good spell to use once I pull this off!" Naruto struggled, as did the creature, choking on the clones and trying to spit them out.
As more tentacles came towards Naruto, Etrigan reappeared and threw down his sword, slicing the tentacles. "Make you pay, I will." Etrigan growled. Etrigan then materialized a mace. "When I'm done with you, you'll be screaming overkill!" Etrigan savagely went to work, beating on its lower body, which seemed to not have the same spongy constitution as the rest of the body. A leg shattered, and the creature struggled to maintain its balance before it fell over.
That was exactly what Naruto needed, as he successfully pulled the tentacle off Zatanna's mouth. "Etib ruoy eugnot!" The demon bit down hard, destroying the clones...and just stopped as it's green eyes widened, feeling it's fangs pierce its tongue. It screamed and flailed wildly. It released Zatanna, whom Naruto caught on the way down. "Thanks." She breathed.
As Naruto helped her to her feet, he looked at the demon with an intense stare. "Time to end this." He growled, palming his fist. He took a deep breath, and shouted "You, spikey!" Etrigan managed to make his adversary lose footing again and fall as he turned to him, looking confused. "Yeah, you!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Spikey?" Etrigan wondered.
"Give me a boost!" Naruto yelled as he ran towards him.
In that moment, Etrigan understood. "Seems you have a trick up your sleeve..." Naruto jumped up as Etrigan held out his fist. "...let us see what beating he receives!" Once Naruto's foot touched his fist, Etrigan pumped his arm up and threw Naruto into the air.
He quickly made another clone, and held out his hand. As gravity began to take hold again, the clone began to mold his chakra. "Here's a new variation!" Finally, the rasengan formed in his hand. The demon's eyes widened, somehow knowing it was finished. "JuurFuetsu Rasengan!" Naruto's Jutsu collided with the demon, not only creating a massive crater under its body...but exploding the poor cephalopod as well.
A green goo splattered over everyone, causing Zatanna to gag. "Eww!" Naruto cried as he stepped out of the mess he created. "Well, at least this is better than being eaten alive." He said.
"I'm not so sure." Zatanna groaned as she desperately tried to fling the slime off of her.
"Sorry." Naruto muttered, also taking a moment to "admire" the things entrails.
Etrigan approached them both, staring them down. "A fine warrior, you are." Etrigan said, suddenly grabbing the genin' s hand and roughly shaking it. Naruto was nervous, as his hand was dwarfed by the demon's. "Respect you have earned from my Avatar."
He released Naruto, and went up in flames. When the flames disappeared, Jason Blood was in his place,and perfectly clean. Naruto and Zatanna blinked. "Uh..."
"Yes, I suppose I owe you both an explanation." Jason said as he loosened his tie. "And you owe me one as well, boy." Naruto gulped. Jason sighed. "But...I think you are both in need of a major clean up. I saw a lake up ahead where I was tossed. I don't sense anymore demons, so I think we'll be okay."
Indeed, there was a lake. "Hold on. I'm going to perform a mystical scan." A green aura surrounded his hand, which he waved in front of him. Nothing seemed to happen, and apparently that was what the vessel was hoping for. Jason turned to them. "Well, get in."
Zatanna would have turned red if she wasn't covered in green slime. "Hold it right there! Opposite sexes bathing together, HELLO!"
Jason sighed, rubbing his hands together. "I admit, I'm far from up to date with the youth of today. But I do understand modesty and chivalry, better than you two in fact." Turning back to the lake, he made a foggy mist that divided the lake in two. "I'm afraid this is the best I can do. There's nothing stopping either one of you from crossing over to the other side, but the mist is thick enough to make sure neither of you peeps." Jason turned around. "Leave your clothes by the shore; I'll clean and dry them good as new." With that, Jason walked behind an outcropping.
The two teens stared at one another. "Uh...so..." Naruto began.
"Naruto." Zatanna held up her hand. "You're a really nice guy, and I trust you." Naruto sighed with relief. "However, if you DO peak on me, I swear I'll cast a spell that will take away what defines you as a boy. Capish?"
Naruto gulped. "Yeah, understood." Naruto turned around and walked to the right side of the lake. "I'll stay here. I like being a boy..."
The water did its job. In no time, Zatanna was clean as a whistle. The water was also perfect temperature to, and very relaxing. Just what she needed after the chaos from a few minutes ago. But still, there was one thing that weighed heavily on her mind, something she needed to hear a second opinion on. Sighing, she said "Hey, Naruto."
"Z, I swear I'm staying on my side! Please don't make my penis disappear!"
Zatanna face palmed herself. "TMD, Naruto!"
"Huh?"
"Too much detail!"
"Sorry!"
After a moment, both calmed down. "So Naruto...what do you think of him? Mr. Blood?"
It took a moment for him to respond. "Honestly...guy gives me the creeps. He doesn't look kid friendly, and there's that whole monster thing going about him. I mean, is he a guy who turns into a monster, or a monster that turns into a guy?" Naruto took a moment to carefully word what he wanted to say next. "But given the strange things going on, I think he means it when he says your dad wanted him to take care of you."
Zatanna sighed. Even if everything he claimed was true...she hated the fact that her father was still a prisoner of Fate. And right now, she didn't even WANT a guardian...
Naruto sighed as he scrubbed his hair. "Hope that helps, Z..."
"Your clothes are ready."
Naruto looked up to see Jason Blood, standing on the water holding his clothes like he was his butler. "AHHH!" Naruto panicked.
Jason only quirked his brow. "I thought it appropriate to come to you directly and have you change before the young lady on the other side." Naruto nervously nodded. "Well, come along then." Jason turned and walked on the surface. Naruto took a cautious peak behind him, and followed after him.
Finally, the two were clean and dressed. Jason got a fire going, and prepared to tell his story. Just one problem: the two teens were not being very talkative. "I...guess you aren't interested in why I transform?"
"Oh, no no." Zatanna tried to assure him, waving. "We're interested! We just...uh..."
"I see. You're afraid to ask." Jason sighed. "I understand your desire to be polite, but to be honest, I find that approach rather aggravating."
"Okay then!" Naruto spoke up. Feeling confident, he stood and pointed his finger at him. "Then why do you turn into a dorky-looking monster!? Why does it talk funny like that? And how the heck can you walk on water?"
Jason blinked, and narrowed his eyes at him. "I ALSO don't appreciate such a direct and crass approach, so be careful with your next words...boy." He growled.
Naruto's eyes widened, and a thin layer of sweat began to form on his face. He planted himself on his butt, and scooted towards the fire."Sorry."
Jason sighed. "Let's just get this over with." Mr. Blood gathered up some sand and sprinkled it over the fire. "It has been centuries since I have shared my story with anyone, your father being the exception, Zatanna."
"Centuries?" Zatanna asked.
"Indeed. It has been so long, often I almost forget my birthplace: Camelot." Zatanna's eyes widened, while Naruto, being ignorant of the implications, just listened. His eyes finally widened when the sand began to fly over the fire and form a majestic castle overlooking a large village. It seemed to zoom in when it focused on a trope of knights. "At its peak, Camelot was beautiful, peaceful, and just. But an empire attracts many enemies, like Morgaine le Fey, who had seduced King Arthur and attempted to usurp the throne for their bastard child."
The image changed to that of a woman in a torn gown, her hair flailing about as if it had a mind of its own. She seemed to be throwing projectiles similar to some of the ninjitsu that Naruto had encountered before. "Merlin, the royal wizard, opposed her. But even for all his power, he could barely hold off someone as powerful as Morgaine le Fey." The knights charged, but most of them were assaulted and pushed back by her spells. One in particular had his helmet knocked off his head, and fell off his horse as well. The Knight stood...and revealed himself as a young Jason Blood.
Both Naruto's and Zatanna's eyes widened. "...How long ago was this?" Naruto asked.
"This was over a thousand years ago." Blood sighed. "But my immortality is no gift."
"How did that happen?" Zatanna asked.
"Patience, child. I'm getting to that." Jason answered. "As the battle raged, it was clear armor and swords would not be enough." He highlighted Morgaine and her forces quickly gaining the upper hand on the knights. The young Jason was fighting valiantly, but he couldn't hold off the dark horde on his own. "So Merlin entered the fray, summoning a powerful demon he had bound and sealed: Etrigan the Demon." The wizard planted a large stick into the grass, seemingly creating a hole in time and space into a fiery dimension. The same demon that shook hands with Naruto a while ago appeared. "How Merlin acquired him was beyond my understanding, but the demon did his bidding." Indeed, Etrigan leaped into battle in a bloody combination of swords, fire and brute force. "Seeing the demon, I was inspired to push on in spite of my injured state. And in my false bravado, I got careless."
As Jason raised his sword and prepared to behead the sorceress, she turned and seemingly summoned a sharp blade from the ground, piercing his heart clean through his armor. "I cannot recall what happened afterwards; everything I learned was second-hand, from Merlin's mouth. With the help of the demon, Merlin drove back Morgaine. However, he feared she could one day return. Casting a spell, he bound Etrigan to me, resurrecting me and keeping Etrigan bound to the mortal plane. However, it also cursed me with immortality."
As the two teens were enraptured in the show, Jason continued. "With my help, we were able to keep Camelot safe, for a time. Merlin knew the kingdom's time was near, and expected me to protect the entire world from dark magic." Jason sighed, dreading what was coming next. The sand showed the same castle from before in flames. "Try as I might to fight it, Merlin's vision came to pass, and neither I nor the demon that shares my soul could stop it. Ever since, I have wandered, self-teaching myself what magics I could find."
The sand finally dispersed, leaving the teens in awe. "I'm so sorry." Zatanna whispered, clenching her fists. "I can't imagine what that's like."
Jason only nodded. "I have seen many things over the millennia. Endless wars, friends and enemies passing while I remained young...I suppose you could say I've become desensitized to it all..." He then looked into Zatanna's face. "But I cannot imagine what you're going through. Losing a father, yet having him so close." Zatanna looked away, not wanting to be reminded of her father. "If we get out of here, Zatanna, I promise I will try my best to take care of you."
Zatanna looked back at him, and smiled sincerely. "Thank you, Mr. Blood."
Jason smiled slightly, and turned to Naruto. "Now, there is the matter of you."
"Huh?" Naruto tried to think of the best way to express himself. "Well, to make a long story short, I'm from another world."
Blood quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"The team came to our world first, and we followed them back here."
"And you do not wish to return?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment. Did he want to return...? There wasn't really anyone back in the village for him to return to. The third was gone, his closest friends were with him. Sure, there was Iruka, the Pervy Sage, Kakashi-sensei...and then he realized he was no longer alone in the village. Naruto finally looked right at Jason. "Of course I do!" He declared. "There are times where it can get lonely, but I've made too many friends to just leave the village behind!"
Jason nodded. "And what of your powers?"
Naruto did his best to explain his ninjutsu. The man seemed to accept his explanation. "Fascinating. It's almost as if your people are naturals at magic, though it seems the mechanism is different. Magicians and sorcerers here tap into the energy around us, but it seems you use the energy...this 'chakra' you speak of...inside you."
Naruto blinked. "Uh, I guess if that's the way you want to think of it..."
"Still, this does not explain that presence I felt inside of you."
Zatanna noticed that Naruto was turning visibly pale. "Naruto? What's the matter?"
Jason narrowed his brow. "Well? Out with it, boy!"
Naruto breathed, and looked down on his knees. "I'd rather not say." He finally said.
Slowly, Jason stood. "I apologize. I would normally not pry into this, but I don't have the luxury. If we're going to survive this, I need to understand ALL you are capable of...and if you could become a liability." Reaching into his coat, Jason pulled out what seemed to be a rusted coin with a gap in the middle. "Lie down and hold still. I promise this won't hurt."
Naruto reluctantly complied as the trinket was placed on his forehead. "O Animam Puram, aperei libane et tu mihi ferre..." A faint, yellow aura surrounded both Naruto and Jason Blood as Zatanna looked on...
Jason expected to be floating in a void when he entered the boy's subconscious. However, he felt his feet touch down on a hard floor, ankle deep in water. "What in the-?" He almost kicked off his shoes on instinct, before remembering this wasn't real.
"Who are you!?" Jason spun around and came face to face with an enormous canine face. The only thing standing between him and the beast were iron bars. The beast swiped his claws at him, and bit at the bars, causing the man to stumble back.
Seeing that there was a barrier between them, Jason relaxed and straightened up. "I see. It makes sense." Jason walked closer to him. "Based on my experience in the orient, I'd say you are a...kitsune, correct?" The beast snarled, which to Jason just confirmed his hypothesis. "You do seem like a fox...but rather ugly, unfortunately."
Kyuubi only roared back in response. "Release me!"
"Now why would I do that?" Blood smirked. His eyes moved paper seal on the left, and the keyhole. Someone deliberately put this youkai inside of the child. "So how did you wind up inside this poor child, if you don't mind me asking?"
"For generations, I have been imprisoned in human vessels, or enslaved by the Uchiha! For a fleeting few minutes, I was free. Until that cursed Hokage imprisoned me!" Kyuubi shouted.
"I guess that's enough for me to understand." Blood sighed. Straightening his lapels, he said "As tempting as it is to let loose a murder machine at our disposal, given our current situation, it probably wouldn't be wise. It seems the child does not have complete control over you; I can barely control Etrigan myself. And if I were to remove you forcefully, I can see he would die." With that, Jason pivoted the opposite way and began to walk away. "Farewell."
"Be careful." Kyuubi growled, slowly grinning. "In time, Naruto will give into hate, and set me free. The villagers...the Akatsuki...maybe even the loss of his precious Sakura...will be all that's needed for him to remove me of his own free will."
Though Jason did not respond, his face grimaced. If this boy carried a demon within him his whole life, and was ostracized for it...that was a distinct possibility...
In the real(?) world, about three minutes had passed. "Uh...are we done yet?" Naruto asked.
"Quite." Jason said as he took the trinket off his forehead.
"So..." Naruto began as he sat up.
"I've learned all I needed to." Jason replied to his unasked question as he placed the charm back in his pocket.
"Learned what?" Zatanna asked.
"It is not my place to tell you, Zatanna." Jason said. "However naive and ill-mannered he may be, he is an honorable boy. Of that I can assure you."
Naruto blinked. As boorish as he came off...he was actually a pretty cool guy.
"Why don't you two get some rest? I've a feeling we won't get another respite." Naruto and Zatanna reluctantly agreed, and drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, Jason kept watch over the horizon. Both to keep guard, and to brainstorm on a way out.
Wotan saw the whole thing play out in his mind as he meditated, his person hovering off the ground. In his lotus position, he snarled. "I knew I should have just sent the girl there." He said. The torment would have been much sweeter to witness if she had no one to protect her. "No matter. It seems I will have to take this matter into my own hands." Yellow lightning erupted from his finger tips into the air above him, opening a portal. "In that realm, my powers are magnified anyway. It will be all too easy."
With that, he flew straight into it.
UTC 11:00
Tower of Fate
Salem, Oregon
Back in the Tower of Fate, Dr. Fate also came out of a meditative trance. Quickly, he created a portal in the shape of his sigil on the floor. Without hesitation, he floated into it.
His feet touched down on the strange soil, but they were not Fate's gold boots. Instead, they were black loafers. The Helmet of Fate lay on the ground by them. Slowly, the gloved hands of Giovanni Zatara picked it up, looking right into the helmet.
Zatara has returned! For now, at least.
Anyway, here are some translations in case you were curious:
JuurFuetsu-Gravity Axe
Blood's spell, translated from Latin:
O pure soul, open your doors and bear yourself unto me