A/N: Still alive, still here, still updating despite life trying to kick my teeth in. Huzzah for that, I suppose.
We should have a double update tomorrow, Far From Home and Whatever Comes Our way.
That said, the last chapter of this story certainly divided the readers.
Good. Riveting stories often do that. I'd explain, but that would spoil things. I'll let the story speak for me.
Meanwhile, this story went and surged past 1,500 hundred reviews very quickly when I wasn't looking, 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, as I've been consistently doing for weeks now. Do let me know! In other news...
...thanks again to everyone for the support.
Long Covid may have put a dent in me, but it hasn't beaten me. Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
No Q&A this time, someone complained. Ah, well.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
Hope folks are enjoying this little OVA arc for the Kamo clan. We've worked hard on it!
No Q&A beyond that this this time, we've words to write and time's wasting!
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~!
Quote about sum's up Naruto's view on these things:
"Don't make me laugh~!"
~a future scene.
The Evil Within
"I can explain."
"I'm sure you can." Neji's smile promised pain. "Switch back. Now."
Damn brat. Just how many failsafes did he have in place, for crying out loud?
Sukuna rolled his eyes. "And if I don't? You'll...what, slit my throat open or something?"
"Or something." the blasted Hyuuga's grin looked calm, but his eyes were colder than ice as the knife pricked his jugular. "Switch."
"You heard him." Naruto sounded far too satisfied for his own good, the damn brat. "Swap with me for a bit. Unless you'd rather test my reversed curse technique...?"
If that was a bluff, it was a dangerous one. Had he planned this? No, surely not. What were the chances of that damn dirty Hyuuga standing guard over his body? Let alone waking up to find a knife to his throat? One in a million. Was this kid just lucky then? He wanted to say yes, but this brat seemed to have the devil's own luck at times. And that was saying something, coming from him!
"Tch, fine." he subsided with a sullen sigh. "I still have fifty-nine minutes left today, anyway."
"And you'll be free to use them once I've resolved this little mess. Take a nap."
Not like he had anything better to do. "Fiiiiine...
Letting go of the brat's body was like falling into a deep slumber and being plunged into ice water simultaneously; he always hated that. Better to be awake and in control of your own faculties than to have them stripped away from you like this. He didn't so much hear as he did feel Naoya -Naruto!- take back control; because his world went dark. Worse, he couldn't hear a single word he was saying; much less see through his senses. So he wanted to play that way, did he? Cheeky little shit, stonewalling him like this. No matter. He would have his revenge...
Naruto meanwhile rolled his shoulders with a pleased sigh. A wry smile split his face. "...it really is you, isn't it? No fair. You're older than me...
A flicker of something flashed across
...we need to talk."
"Sure." he glanced down to the knife even now holding him captive. "Mind putting that away, please?"
Neji didn't budge. "Once I'm certain its you and not that demon in your body."
A blond brow rose. "Want me to beat your ass like I did at the Exams?"
Silence stretched between them. "That was a close fight."
"Still beat ya with that underground punch."
...fair enough." His old foe-turned-friend smiled and put the knife away.
Then he punched him in the face.
Hard.
"Ow!" he yowled with a pained laugh, clutching his now broken nose. "What was that for?!"
"For making a deal with the worst monster imaginable!" Neji seized him by the shoulders and gave him stern shake, sending his head swaying to and from. "What were you thinking?!"
"Just~lemme~explain~!"
The shaking ceased.
"Talk."
Setting his nose and healing it with a judicious application of the Reversed Curse Technique, he glowered up at him. "Do you really think so little of me, Neji?"
"I don't, but this is beyond foolish, even for you."
Was it? Was it really? Naruto disagreed.
"See, that's what you fail to realize." he wiggled a finger his way with an impish grin. "Binding Vows are tricky creatures. They're not just a matter of words, but intent as well. Fortunately for me, I prepared a few dozen failsafes in advance."
Neji glowered at him. "How unlike you."
"Hey, hey, don't be rude, ya know." he could tell he didn't entirely believe him just yet, it was merely a matter of clarification. "Sure, I wanna try and save the surly bastard, maybe even redeem him as a backup plan on the off chance I accidentally become him...but c'mon now, I'm not gonna be an idiot about this. I know better." when Neji didn't reply, he tilted his head. "Did you actually think I was stupid enough to make a literal deal with the devil without some safeguards? Wait, you did? Don't make laugh~!"
"Tell me of these safeguards."
"Can't." he chirped back. "Took another Binding Vow keeps me from naming them directly. Some are places, others are people, a few are even items. You'll know them when you see 'em."
Neji yanked him upright. "When did you start planning for this?"
"From the moment I first heard Sukuna's voice." He tapped a finger to his skull. "I'm making peace with a piece of him. That's why this is possible in the first place. Besides, the grouchy bastard can't hear any of our conversation right now; I'm blocking him out. Its not something that's easy to do, mind, it takes a lot of energy, but I can when it counts."
"You do realize that if he does anything untoward, I'll have to intervene. I'll be watching you."
"By all means, please do." he clapped a hand over his comrades and thumped his chest. "I don't mind another fallback plan. But enough about me! How are you here? I know you died before me by a few days. Is that why you're older? Is time dilation a thing, here?"
Faced with such a barrage of questions, Neji couldn't help himself.
He settled in beside him with a heavy sigh.
"Well, it all started with...
(.0.0.0.)
The news spread like wildfire, just as Naruto knew it would.
Soon enough, other invitations were issued.
At long last, they began to move.
(.0.0.0.)
"Preposterous! Have you taken leave of your senses, Hanami?!"
"Not at all. I've simply made up my mind. As should you."
Jogo's anger was to expected. Really, it was.
Things had changed in their mountain hideaway while she was away. A great many things. Not only had Jogo grown stronger, but Dagon had evolved during her absence. Such was life and nature; one could not expect things to always remain the same, no matter how much one might wish otherwise.
.
..
...she wouldn't have it any other way.
Naruto had kicked the ant's nest; and with it, destabilized the old era. Now came the new.
Ah, she couldn't wait to see him again. He'd been powerful before but he'd surely grown since~!
"A human came by while you were gone, Jogo interjected suddenly, ruining her daydream. "A woman with a scarred forehead."
Her brow furrowed. "What did she want?"
"She proposed an alliance."
Why did she have a bad feeling about this? "And you considered it?"
"No," came the flat response. "I sent her away. She said she would return. Now what's this nonsense about a tournament?" his lone eye considered the letter clutched tight in her hand. "You would be able to enter if you revealed your face, but I'd have to hide mine, to say nothing of Dagon. Why should we go to such lengths? What're you planning?"
Ha! Victory! She'd prepared for just such an argument! "Because are the true humans, after all." she held out a hand to him. "The era that boy seeks would be a paradise for Cursed Spirits such as us. And this would be a fine way to reveal ourselves to the Jujutsu world as a whole. Wouldn't it be entertaining to see the gobsmacked looks on their faces?"
And it would give her a chance to see Naoya -Naruto!- once again, but she needn't reveal that.
Dagon grunted his agreement. "...as you say."
Good, that was one down. Now she just had to wait for Jogo's pride to rear its head...
"Scare the sorcerers, you say?" Sure enough, a toothy grin split her comrade's face. "Very well. We'll massacre them all."
Hanami slapped a palm against her forehead. "Jogo, no..."
"Jogo, yes! At least let me kill some of them!"
(.0.0.0.)
"Freedom at last~!"
Sukuna stretched with a long, languid sigh, and reached for the sky.
How long had it been since he'd last felt sunlight on his skin? An age, at the very least.
His admittedly temporary escape was made all the sweeter by the fact that he could FEEL the Hyuuga staring at him from afar-no, perhaps staring wasn't the right word. Glaring, more like. The older man was watching him like a hawk, ready to swoop in at the first sign of trouble.
Heh.
Someone wasn't happy.
Too bad, so sad, he was just so damn glad!
Countless eyes and ears were upon them; his presence in the Zen'in clan had not gone unnoticed. Not that those foolish old farts could do anything to stop him or the newcomer, mind you. Naoya -and by definition his- grip on the clan remained ironclad. Anyone who dared defy them would rue the day. Naoya had made many examples in the past. Not even Naobito dared defy him these days. Even if they knew the awful truth, that he had been unleashed, that he walked free among them...
.
..
... honestly, who would even believe them?
A shadow fell over him from behind, souring the sunlight and his good mood. "Hellooo theeere~!
Sukuna looked up, an annoyed scowl splitting his face. "Gojo Satoru. Move. You're blocking my light."
"In a minute." the smirking sorcerer leaned over him, sunglasses tilted down to revealing those infuriating eyes of his. "Am I speaking to Naoya right now?
"No." He tapped a finger to his forehead with a sneering smirk, only to wince as a jolt of pain shot through him. "Ow! I wasn't even thinking of killing him yet! What was that for?!"
Clever little shit, course he had a failsafe in place. He hadn't realized it pertained to his very thoughts. Should've known better when dealing with a Zeni'n. What a thoroughly annoying brat...and yet he almost respected his ingenuity. Almost-but he still wanted to throttle him for it!
Another jolt, another hiss of pain. Ow! Not again!
Gojo grinned and pivoted away. "Seems he's got you well in hand at the moment. C'mon, this way." he waved a hand over his shoulder. "Time's a wastin'. We've got work to do."
Sukuna fell into lockstep beside him. His right hand twitched, itching for blood. "Turning your back on me arleady? Bold of you. Do you really want to die that badly?"
He didn't even deign to look at him, the little shit. "You're kinda weak right now, so I'm not too worried."
Such arrogance...! "Just for that, I'll be sure to kill you first once I'm truly free.
Gojo grinned down at him. "Will you?
A third sharp sting of pain prevented him from following through on those words! Damn vow!
"You know," Gojo prattled on, "Naoya always was one for taking in strays, I just never thought he'd try to convert the king of curses himself."
His face twitched. "Nobody's converting me, you stupid sorcerer."
"No? It looks like he's well on his way...
They passed the training yard next; it was too much to hope he wouldn't end up accosted by the brats.
"Naoya!"
Right on cue!
His face twisted in a displeased scowl as Maki and Mai saw and their cousin, dropped their training weapons and subsequently swarmed him. Tsumiki and Megumi ceased their own duel and brought up the rear. Nope! Too many people! Sukuna bared his teeth at the latter duo in a snarl and realizing something was amiss, they wisely peeled off and let him be.
No such luck for the twins; they were fearless. Damnit.
He couldn't even lift a finger against them; the Binding Vow was ironclad, a vice clamping down on his thoughts as much as his body.
"You look different." Maki tugged at his sleeve. "What's wrong with you hair?"
Mai was too busy fussing over his face. "Did you get tattoos? No fair!"
The impudence of these brats. Did they not know their place?
Then came the begging, the pleading, the bargaining.
"Can you train with us today?!"
"We've gotten better!"
"Pleeeeaaaaase!"
...your stances were full of holes earlier." Double damnit. All these flaws annoyed him, he'd instruct them so long as they let him be. "If you're gonna do something, do it right. Like this here...and you need to be much more aggressive there...
The twins tilted their heads, adorably confused by his instruction.
Sukuna twitched in turn for an altogether different reason.
"For crying out loud! Like this!"
Face burning from the shame of it all, Sukuna found himself forced to showed them some proper Heian-era stances and forms in a briskly brutish manner as a bemused Gojo looked on. It only took a few moments; yet for him, they may as well have been an eternity. He'd never been more embarrassed in all his life. He could feel Naruto's silent amusement, and that only rankled him all the more. Moments became minutes. Minutes morphed into an hour before they finally met his standards.
Mai jumped him. "Thank you!"
Maki wasn't far behind. "You'e the best!"
Then they had the nerve to hug him once they he was done! HIM! The King of Curses! Hugged by children! He'd never live this down!
"Got it?" he snapped at them, clicking his teeth together. "Good! Now run a hundred laps around the compound! On the double!"
The brats made happy noises, thanked him again, scarpered.
Good. They knew their place after all.
Adorable little tykes.
The thought soured his smile and made him shake his head. Naoya was affecting him more than he cared to admit; but it was a two-way street. He took some small, spiteful pleasure in that. For just as he was beginning to feel more human, that boy would become more and more like a curse. They were corrupting one another. Heh. It promised to be entertaining! They'd see who had the last laugh in the end...
"Well, I'll be." Of courcse, Gojo Satoru had to butt in again. "I didn't think the Great Sukuna could be so such a softy."
He flipped him off. "I'm not, you fool...where's this person you want me to meet?"
"Don't you worry, Riko's right over here~!
He led him round the bend and out to the main entrance. There, flanked by another annoying sorcerer and a bloody maid of all things, stood a girl with dark hair and striking eyes. She took one look at them and flailed her arms excitedly, drawing undue attention to her outlandishly colorful attire. What kind of gaudy getup was that? A school uniform? Kids these days...
"Gojooooo! You're late!"
Amanai Riko was certainly...energetic.
By why introduce him to her at all, unless...
In an instant he understood. This was the Star Plasma Vessel, then, the one they were meant to guard.
She looked weak-shit! He winced, preemptively bracing himself for another jolt that never came.
Well, well, well. He could kill this one. She meant nothing to Naoya.
Maybe he'd play with her a little. Yeah, that might be entertaining. Although, would picking on such a weakling truly be fun...
"Who's this, then?!" she rounded on him, squinting like the child she was, oblivious to the danger. "Another subordinate?! He doesn't look like much!"
Aaaand there went the last vestiges of his pity.
Alright, then. She'd earned this.
Full roast.
"You're going to suffer soon, girl. I hope you realize that." A shit-eating grin split his face as she faltered. "The merger with Tengen will be the worst pain you've ever experienced; it will last for days as your body and soul are slowly assimilated, and you'll pray for an end that will take years to come...
Her smile shattered like brittle glass. "W-What...?"
Gojo sighed. "Aw, man. Now you'd done it."
Suguru rounded on him. "Oi!"
"What?" he stifled a yawn behind one hand. There's no point in sugarcoating it. Put on a brave face if you want, but death is death and life is life. Make up your mind."
His peace said, he walked away, reveling in the delightful discord he'd sown between the three of them.
He did so enjoy watching these humans squirm in existential agony.
Although, whether Amanai Riko gave into her fate, or defied it..
.
..
...well, that might be a little interesting.
A/N: Naruto making plans and Sukuna giving that tough love.
Star Plasma Arc is a go~! Hope you're ready for it!
Aaaand scene. We'll pick up here next time.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter~! 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.
Long Covid may have put a dent in me, but it hasn't beaten me. Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
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!
Read at your own risk:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING~!
SPOILERS AWAIT THEE~!
YE BE WARNED~!
(Previews)
Most are condensed to save time and space. SKIP THEM IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED.
"Yuuuuuuta! Its so nice to finally meet you!"
"Humans, curses, demons, they're all the same thing in the end, really.
Everybody wants something in this life. There are no exceptions.
The key, my dear, is figuring out what that something is.
And once you've attained that knowledge...
...then the advantage becomes yours.
That is why Naoya will die.
My brother is soft.
WEAK."
"He may be, but I'm not."
"What the-who the devil are you?!"
"SUCH A POOR CHOICE OF WORDS."
Yo. I hear you need a fifth member."
"And you are...?"
The young man cracked his knuckles.
"I see why all those fools fell to this...lesser version of you." his adversary scoffed and tightened their grip. "But I am not them. And those cousins of yours? We have plans for them-
Kill.
Naruto's world went red. His hands scrabbled, numb fingers clawing for a handhold on the arm choking the life out of him. Against all odds, he managed to find one.
Kill him!
He reared back and headbutted them, stunning them. Their fingers let go, buying him precious seconds to breathe. As they staggered he clenched his fist.
KILL THEM ALL!
He felt it cleanly; the moment their jaw dislocated under the force of his punch. He heard it clearly, his yowl of rage filling the air, shocking the crown into silence. He saw sit clearly; the sheer shock on his adversary's face as they staggered back, rubbing their face. A tooth came free under their thumb; they inspected the bloody molar for a moment before tossing it away, setting their jaw...and smiling.
"There he is...hello, Sukuna."
"You will come with us."
Mai ripped her revolver from her belt and began loading the chamber with bullets.
"Did you not hear me, child?!"
"Hush." she held up a finger. "Almost done."
Her task complete, she closed the chamber and pointed her pistol their way.
"One of these six bullets is special." she smiled, mimicking a shit-eating grin she'd once seen Naoya use. "You feeling lucky punk?"
She mentally pumped a fist.
Yes! She finally got to use that line!
No way was she wasting his gift on a scrub of a kidnapper.
"Oi, now." his eyes began to glow. "That's my friend. GET YOUR FILTHY MITTS OFF HER."
"Listen to yourselves! Have you all bothered to think about what kind of person you're trying to curse?!
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed! Looking forward to your feedback~!
Hope you have a great day,
~Nz.