This happens to be my second fic. My idea for this story came from an anime that a friend of mine recommended I watch. I hope you enjoy what I feel will turn out to be an exciting tale filled with drama, action, and the occasional bit of romance, of course.
Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Naruto. Don't we all wish we did?
Chapter 1- The Games Begin
Shrill screams and ferocious growls filled the air. The sky was clear that night, and the moon cast its eerie glow among the Hidden Leaf Village and its attacker. His tails lashed, toppling trees, smashing mountains, and forming tsunamis that crashed to the shores. The shinobi of the village desperately fought to eradicate the strong force, evacuating homes, tending to the casualties while simultaneously giving all they had to hold their large opponent back. It was clear that only one person could stop this destructive force.
An explosion of white smoke engulfed a section of the surrounding forest, catching the attention of the nine-tailed fox. The demon smirked as he assessed the ninja standing before him atop a giant toad, revealing rows of deadly fangs as he stilled his movements. He faced the Fourth Hokage while the ninja below scrambled to clear the battle field. Gamabunta flicked his bulbous tongue, tensing for what he thought would be a fatal fight to the finish.
"I suppose that there's a reason that the Uchiha has not accompanied you," the blonde said, his stance relaxed. One arm rested casually by his side while the other was placed on his hip.
"The bastard didn't want to be around after giving his last order." Kyuubi snorted in distaste. The red tails behind him swished once, sending a great gust of wind through the surviving foliage. "He knew I would tear him to shreds for this." The fox shot a sly look at the Fourth. "And what of your girl?" Kyuubi questioned, his voice resonating, filling the hollows of the Hokage's bones. "Surely she would not hide during a battle."
"No," the man confirmed, donning a sly look of his own, "she wouldn't, which is why I ordered her to stay in the hospital where she belongs right now."
"I can imagine that she is not pleased with your decision," the demon chuckled in his deep voice. He then broke out into full blown laughter, his body trembling with mirth. "I hope you are aware that you could never hope to defeat me without her," the red fox mocked. "After all, no mere human could hope to defeat a being of near limitless chakra and strength."
The strongest shinobi of Konoha straightened his stance, instantly losing his casual demeanor. "You're right," he agreed, "I could never hope to defeat you." The ominous tone of voice placed the Hokage's opponent on edge. He backed away in fear when the Fourth quickly created the hand signs for a jutsu he recognized. What was the idiot doing? Surely he knew that this would result in his own death. Kyuubi glared, staring into the blue eyes with a determined gleam in their depths. How the beast loathed the ones that were always willing to sacrifice everything for others; they were always the dangerous ones.
"But I sure as hell can make you wish I did."
It was then and there that one baby boy had saved the Hidden Leaf Village, and possibly the whole world, completely unaware that not only he had done so, but that in time . . .
Naruto Uzumaki would come to do it again.
Xo 12 Years Later oX
It was just about the right time again. If he was correct, then five to six other shinobi would join him in a possibly fatal war to obtain the ability to have one wish granted. The last war ended in disaster, indeed, but this one would be worth it. He had trained long and hard for this right.
"Hear my plea."
Straying strands of a brunette's hair flew about a pale face.
"Offer your flesh for me to control; I will offer my fate into your hands."
The snapping of cloth echoed in the empty, abandoned section of the grounds.
"Should I be deemed worthy of possessing the untouchable, grant me your alliance."
A Summoning Circle slowly spread beneath his feet, the black symbols faintly glowing an eerie green.
"I possess the skills of an elite and a sufficient amount of chakra to sustain your form."
Blood pooled within his hand, and slowly slid to his finger. He used it to mark a straight line on his forehead, directly below the curse mark symbolizing a bird sealed in its cage. He plunged his hands to the ground in the center of the seal which flashed in response.
"Come forth to me!"
Pale, pearly eyes flew open as released chakra flowed freely about him in waves. The whole building was illuminated with neon green light.
He wore a confident smirk. I have drawn the strongest beast of all. There is no doubt concerning that.
An explosion rocked the grounds of the residing clan, shattering glass and sending the culprit to a heap on the ground. He sat up, ignoring the sharp pains in his back.
"What was that?"
With strained breathing, the Master quickly ran though the compound, searching for the source of the explosion. Coming across his own sleeping quarters, he found a splintered door that was jammed so that he could not open it. Pounding it once, he managed to topple it breaking off a section of the wall as well. A picture frame fell to the floor, the crunch of glass barely occupying his mind once he caught sight of the mess before him. Among his bed, which was split in half, and the other debris sat a girl that appeared no older than him in age. Moonlight shone through the whole in the ceiling lighting her fiery red hair which shielded his view of her naked, rosy flesh. Piercing, golden eyes regarded him casually as she crossed her legs and leaned back, further exposing her vulnerability.
"Perhaps my master is a pervert," she stated, her voice clear and confident, with a hint of sarcasm, "since he has neglected to summon my garments with me."
Said Master blushed heavily, averting his gaze and glaring at the destroyed door at his side.
The female cradled her head in her hands and pouted. "What luck I have. My master is the silent type as well."
Neji Hyuuga was not happy.
XoXoXoXoXoXoXo
He was in unimaginable pain. He could barely register his surroundings. The only thing he could process was the endless spasms of pain that shook his body as a foot collided with his unprotected stomach over and over and over again until he had lost count, and he was barely conscious. Liquid graced his dirty face; saliva most likely, sliding down his cheek. He dared not remove it. If he did, then the punishment would be much worse. Then, the harsh words came.
"Monster!"
"Demon!"
"Murderer!"
He curled into a ball, shielding his ears and body from the beatings delivered by a few thrill seekers. They all wanted a piece of the demon child. But who was that? Not him of course. He had never killed a soul! He loved his village too much, even if his village did not love him. It was that place he was born after all. Maybe he had done something horrible in his past life that was carried on into this life or something of that nature. Then, he was the demon child after all, wasn't he?
Waiting for his attackers to leave, he slowly stood up, preparing to crawl home if he had to. The ragged boy stumbled, clutching his stomach barely protected by a torn black shirt that seemed larger than his already skinny body. Layers of dirt were caked in his tangled blonde hair. His eyes were a dull blue, bordering on gray, and one was half closed and bruised with blood trickling down the lid. He had to get home.
The heavens decided to make further mockery of him. Steadily, it began to rain making his journey through the dark streets that much harder. He could barely walk as it was. Maybe all existing life hated him since some unforgiving tree decided to block his path with its root. He tripped, his body falling into a puddle, soaking his back. His vision was trained on the cloudy night sky. Slowly, everything faded and blurred around him. Maybe he could sleep forever. Then he wouldn't have to worry about being in pain anymore.
Quick footsteps entered his delicate ear. He only stirred when the rain seemed to stop falling. Maybe the heavens decided to have mercy on him. He slowly revealed his blue eyes to the brunette hovering above him, a scar slashed across the bridge of his nose. Cancel that; he was in hell already.
The lips above him moved. He was saying something, but he couldn't hear what. It was too faint. Black disturbed his vision again, but behind the darkness of his eyelids, he was granted the sight of a fearsome beast, one who growled revealing sharp fangs and possessed some red form of energy that made up its body.
". . .to."
". . .ruto."
"Naruto!"
Naruto groaned as he returned to the waking world, his lashes slowly separating to reveal sapphire blue eyes. His alarm clock for the day stood beside his bed, annoyed and with hands strategically placed on his hips in the form feminine fury. It really did kill the male attributes of a guy when you picked up women's habits.
"Naruto! Hurry up already!" Iruka complained, frowning at the ruffled appearance of his student.
He finally sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning while the academy teacher continued his rant.
"It's about time you wake up," he said. "It's rude to make your fellow classmates wait, you know."
"Good morning to you, too, Iruka-sensei," Naruto grumbled.
"Don't 'good morning' me, Naruto," he snapped. "You're running late for class and -,"
"Time for some ramen, then!" Naruto interrupted mid-rant.
"Hello, I was saying something!" Iruka yelled, the vein on his temple throbbing noticeably. "Fine then, see if I come by your place to warn you again if this is how things turn out!"
Iruka disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving Naruto to his own devices. The academy student scratched his head curiously. Iruka-sensei seems wound a little tighter than normal today. He shook it off as nothing, preparing himself breakfast - a cup of ramen noodles, of course - and dressing in his usual orange jumper.The blonde finally deemed himself ready for the day. If Iruka caught him still outside of the academy, he'd probably clobber him.
Naruto walked through the streets of the village, his hands stuffed inside of his pockets. He curiously watched masked figures dart across his path toward the hospital. In their possession was a limp body, covered in blood. He shuttered a little, wondering what happened. It's probably nothing. Some ninja most likely got hurt in the line of duty.
He found himself bored to pieces inside of class two hours later. Tapping his fingers randomly on his desk, he watched the clouds roll by outside of the window as Iruka droned on about "cattra" or something like that. A few rows ahead of him, Sakura Haruno nodded her head animatedly as she took notes, occasionally glancing at Sasuke Uchiha. He growled low in his throat once he realized that every other girl, with exception to Hinata Hyuuga, took part in the same activity. What was so good about the bastard anyway?
The blonde sighed, resting his head on his hand as his attention was again caught by the clouds. It was no wonder now why Shikamaru did it; it was addicting, especially when you were bored. He really wasn't in the mood to cause mischief today. Not after the dream he had last night. It wasn't the sight of his past that troubled him but rather the monster that remained fresh in his mind before he awoke. What was it? And what about the masked figures that were carrying the body earlier that morning?
Realizing that the rest of the class was leaving, he assumed that they were going to have another weapons lesson outside. He blindly followed, leaving the chatting students and fan-girls crowding their Uchiha behind.
"Naruto!"
The blonde paused in his walk, realizing that Shikamaru had called his name. He wondered why the Nara would want to speak to him vaguely. He continued down the hall to the training grounds right outside of the academy for weapon's practice, his classmate joining him at the same pace.
"You've been uncharacteristically quiet all morning," he ventured, receiving no response in return. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the blue-eyed idiot, who continued walking as if he wasn't there. Usually the boy would be willing to kill for attention, and now that he had it from someone, he was ignoring them.
"Hey, did you hear me?" He asked, stepping in front of Naruto and blocking his path while running a hand through his short ponytail.
"We're gonna' be late if you keep stopping to try and interrogate me," he answered, side-stepping the Nara and continuing down the hall.
His "stalker" frowned. Since when did Naruto ignore someone and use sophisticated words such as interrogate. He was even more troublesome now that he was confusing the hell out of him. "What's up with you, today?" Shikamaru tried again, blocking his path once more.
"I'm fine," Naruto said, gaining a foxy grin in response. He stopped short, his mouth slightly agape in a small 'o' when he saw the figure coming down the hall. It looked to be a relative of Hinata from his class. He had the same pearly white eyes as she did - they were kind of creepy in his opinion - and his chestnut brown hair was tied into a low ponytail. His clothes were a little more on the baggy side but they seemed to fit him perfectly. What caught his attention was the red marking on his forehead peeking out from under his protector; it resembled three round feathers almost, that were connected to each other in the middle and spiraled out like a star. He stumbled back when he was granted a glimpse of a red-headed girl that was obediently following him. But as quickly as he had seen her, she disappeared. The boy entered a different classroom without acknowledging the presence of the younger students.
"Hey, Uzumaki," Shikamaru spoke up. "Don't tell me you want a piece of that Hyuuga kid and Sasuke."
He coughed violently at the question. "W-What do you mean by that?" Naruto questioned. "Who would want a "piece" of a guy like him?"
"He's Neji Hyuuga of the Hyuuga clan. He has a handsome face, strong body, and a great mind. He has zero enemies, and if you ask any girl who she'd like to date, without including Sasuke of course, it would be Neji Hyuuga." Shikamaru smirked when he noticed that Naruto didn't deny wanting a piece of Sasuke.
"Do you mind listing the things that would include a male's reason for wanting a piece of him?" Naruto requested, feeling slightly insulted.
"Those are some of the reason's a male would want a piece of him," Shikamaru retorted. "If you swing that way, if anything. Most of the guys here just wanna' see if they can take him out. It's rumored that he's been undefeated for the longest time now. He is a Hyuuga after all."
When Naruto gained a sly look, Shikamaru knew that the normal Naruto was back. "If I didn't know better," he said, "I'd say you wanted a piece of Neji."
It was Shikamaru's turn to hack violently. "Geez, you're so troublesome! I don't partake in foolish rivalries or girl tendencies!" He insisted. "Besides," he said grimly, "something doesn't sit right with me about that guy."
The two boys finally made it outside where a few student's awaited the rest of the class and Iruka. If Shikamaru was suspicious, then maybe Naruto wasn't seeing things.
XoXoXoXoXoXoXo
"Katsume," Neji called. In response to his call, the red haired girl joined him on the roof of the Ninja Academy, fully clothed in a red and golden kimono that complimented her hair and her eyes. The obi was orange in color and wrapped carefully around her seemingly delicate frame.
Neji monitored the activity below them while interrogating his summon. "Have you been able to identify any other summons or their partners."
"No," she answered, looking at him. "Or must I remind you that I don't have the ability to detect any remote summoning techniques?"
"That's right," the Hyuuga stated, remembering. "It's only the Kappa who will be able to detect such a thing, a dangerous opponent that can call themselves to the real world." He turned on his heel, clearly revealing his disappointment in his summoning by turning his back to her.
Katsume rolled her eyes before grinning widely and changing the subject. "I don't suppose you noticed that blonde boy who saw me," she said casually, examining her crimson, sharp, talon-like nails.
"What did you say?" Neji whirled around to face his servant, an astonished look on his face.
"Don't tell me you're deaf as well, Master," Katsume sighed, completely ignoring his question.
"That's absurd! No one should be able to see you, ninja or not!" Neji growled, accusingly.
"You wound me, Master," she stated dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. Donning a serious face, she corrected him. "However, you must not realize that whether I reveal myself or not, another summoner will, at the very least, be able to sense my presence."
"Impossible," he clipped out. "The blonde you are referring to is Uzumaki Naruto who has no talent whatsoever in the field of the ninja arts." Neji calmed himself again. "It would benefit us more to keep an eye on Sasuke Uchiha. One spawn from the Uchiha clan is more likely to call a powerful summon than a dead last such as Naruto." He glared at the female, daring her to say a word otherwise. She remained silent to his satisfaction. "Come on then," he beckoned. "Let's see for ourselves who else in this village has joined this silent war of ours."
"As you wish, Master," Katsume complied. She would play the Hyuuga's game for now. He was a haughty, conceited fool if he did not realize the potential the boy he deemed "dead last" possessed. Especially given the strong resemblance to another deceased ninja Naruto had. I'll keep an eye on you for now Naruto Uzumaki. It would be a shame to have you die without even entering this war.
Katsume followed her summoner off of the roof who remained unaware of her new commitment against his command.
Meanwhile, at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, our favorite ninja's favorite place to eat, piles of bowls stacked up into a leaning tower slowly, but surely.
Shikamaru shook his head over his first, half-empty bowl while sitting beside the world's most unpredictable ninja and his crazy eating habits. He should've known it was a mistake to offer lunch to Naruto, but he couldn't help it. All morning he kept wearing a pathetic look on his face, remained silent even when Sasuke tried to goad him into a verbal conflict, and actually managed to hit his target without bragging or cheering. The other students must have taken it as a sign of the apocalypse or something of that nature.
"Hey," he called, annoyed and disgusted by the slurping ramen monster beside him. "Did you happen to hear about the incident that took place in the village this morning."
This abruptly stopped Naruto from stuffing his face. "I only saw these creepy masked men heading over to the hospital," he replied. "What was it about?"
"First of all, they're called ANBU. They're specialized ninja that are occasionally seen and often known for chasing down missing-nins that run away from their village."
Confused, Naruto pursued the concept. "And why are they assigned that?"
Shikamaru sighed at his classmates idiocy. "You don't pay attention at all in class, do you? Missing-nins carry the secrets of their village so in order to keep these secrets, the ANBU of a village is sent to destroy the threat. They wear masks to hide their identity." He left the topic on ANBU to rest since Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "Anyway, there was a murder."
Naruto gasped in horror.
"The victims were a normal family of five. My dad didn't tell me all of the details but he did tell me that there was no recognizable weapon. Reports say that the weapon may have been - they're not sure because of evidence from the wound - a long blade. It could have been a katana or a lance or something like that." Shikamaru watched his reflection rippling in the ramen bowl. "They're disturbed because it seemed completely random. They might even close the academy early so that -,"
A clatter on the counter disturbed the ramen and drew the Nara's attention to Naruto, whose bowl was overturned, the noodles and broth spilled over.
"So have they caught the guy or is he still running loose out there?" Naruto exclaimed, his hand trembling faintly.
"No," Shikamaru answered. "He's still running loose." His attention returned back to his own bowl. "They don't have any clues, no fingerprints or anything. The only evidence they have is from the wound itself. And there are no witnesses to the murder, either." He watched Naruto cautiously settle back into his seat, the ramen long forgotten. "Are you okay, Naruto?" He asked, looking unsettled as well.
"I'm okay," he answered, unnaturally pale, considering his normally tanned skin. He began to clean up the mess he made.
"Sorry," the Nara apologized. "This isn't proper discussion during lunch is it."
But he payed the apology no heed. The only things registering in his head were the images of the ANBU rushing the dead person to the hospital and the beast that ended his dream earlier that morning.
Later that afternoon, he wandered to the training grounds that would later belong to his team, ignoring Kiba who also inquired about his health - he wondered why the dog lover even cared - and all other activity around him. He sat on the grass, leaning against a tree and remembering all of the strife he was forced to endure and a passing comment that the Third Hokage had said to him. "I still think you're wrong old man."
"Why? It can't be impossible!"
"Listen, Naruto," Sarutobi begged, sitting beside the ten-year-old on his bed. "You want to be able to change every single person's opinion about you, even if you don't know why they hate you and become the Hokage."
"What's wrong with that? I'll do that and save every single person out there from danger like no Hokage ever could before!"
"You don't get it Naruto," he pushed softly. "For each person you persuade otherwise, there's one that holds fast to their belief. For each life you save, there's one life that's lost."
At dinner - he was at the ramen stand again - he reflected on his own understanding of it. He sometimes realized how his dream was short-lived and that indeed he couldn't change everyone's opinion of him or easily become Hokage. But that didn't mean he would standby and let that stop him. Sometimes, when something terrible happens, it's true that you can only save a handful of people, even when you try your best. But he didn't have to like that notion. As a rising ninja, it was his responsibility to protect the citizens of his home village, and no matter what, he would live by that.
"Goodnight you guys," he called to Ayame and Teuchi. They waved their goodnight and continued working, Ayame chatting amiably with her father.
"That boy sure is trying his best, isn't he?" The "old man" said, preparing another bowl.
"He sure is. He's getting better and better. I can feel it," Ayame agreed.
"Challenge him to something, and guaranteed he'll find some way to overcome it," he continued.
"He's a really good kid, isn't he?"
"I guess that's one way to put it," her father said, cautiously. Ayame, stopped cleaning the counter to observe him. "If that kid's not careful, he'll only be setting himself up for some serious disappointments in life."
Naruto froze when he saw that beast appear before him again. He fell to his knees clutching his head when images appeared in his closed eyes: a skeleton standing over a body slumped over and lifeless over a desk, the silhouette of a snake guarding the entrance to an underground lair, a masked boy with long hair in a bun, another boy in a desert village whose face was taken over by some demon, and a man holding a lance, observing the leaf village. He stood up shakily, his senses on high alert. He needed to get home. . . . now.
The streets were completely empty now that it was getting late, his hurried footsteps echoing about him. An ominous wind blew about him making him shiver. He looked up when another person's footsteps reached his ears. A boy with red hair watched him, black rings around his eyes making him resemble a raccoon. He stopped walking, and as a result, the boy walked towards him. A gourd on his back, leaked with sand and brushed his shoulder as he passed. He vaguely recognized the boy which startled him since the guy creeped him out.
Then he spoke. The raspy sound sent another bout shivers down his spine. The words uttered made his heart clench in panic. "You better hurry up and summon someone, or I'll personally see to your death."
He turned to address the hostile speaker, but he was already gone.
He finally made it back to his apartment, shaken and trembling like a leaf in a violent gale. Opening the door, he was surprised to find the lights on, illuminating the whole apartment. Iruka sat at his small table in the dining room, asleep with his arms folded and head cradled in between. Shutting the door, he quietly attempted to tiptoe pass the chuunin. One creak of a floor board ruined his efforts, for his teacher started instantly and caught him red-handed.
"What are you doing coming home late at this hour, mister?" Iruka immediately questioned, a frown marring his scarred face.
At this point, Naruto was hardly in the mood for a lecture. "What are you doing in my home at this hour, sensei?"
Iruka immediately drew back as though burned. He looked away, staring at a random spot on the floor. "I was worried. You were acting strange all day, and now this," he whispered.
Naruto caught the comment and averted his own gaze in guilt.
"It's nothing," the dolphin said, straining a smile. "Anyway, I'm glad you made it home safely." The chair scraped against the floor as he left the table. Iruka grabbed the door by the handle and turned the knob slowly as if unsure about whether or not he wanted to leave. "I hope you're okay," he said finally, exiting the apartment with a mumbled goodnight.
Guilt now consuming him, Naruto, despite the dangers he could possibly endure and against his better judgement, left his apartment again. He silently leapt into the night, entering a clearing bathed in moonlight. A stream large enough to accommodate his body babbled and caught the moon's rays. Crickets chirped merrily, and a wolf cried to the great orb in the sky. The field was filled with sound that comforted him while in mental turmoil. The clearing he currently stood in was one of his favorite spots in all of the Hidden Leaf Village. It started when he was still a little boy. He would sneak away from the busy streets of Konoha and come to train or do his own thing. It was basically one of his hangouts ever since.
He sat under the outstretching branches of a tree and calmed himself, falling into a light sleep that he escaped from much later into the evening. Even after he left his favorite place, Naruto failed to notice the faint signs of a summoning circle etched into the bark of the tree that supported him for half of the night.
Even while most of the village lay asleep, others remained wide awake, wandering about the town, attending to night shifts, or giving spiritual entities grand tours of the village they lived in. Neji Hyuuga fell into the last of the three categories for the conscious.
"So what do you think?" Neji asked. He and his servant stood atop the head of one of the four Hokage, observing the sleeping Konoha below. "The view's pretty amazing from here, isn't it?"
"You're right," Katsume agreed, "it's a great spot. If we had come here first, we could've have completely avoided our trip through the village."
"But all you can see from up here is the village's layout. You can't get a sense of Konoha unless you experience the places in person."
"Maybe for some," the red-head stated, "but there's a bit more to my abilities than that of your own. Now, the outlying communities may be more difficult, but for example, I can tell you exactly how many leaves make up that tree over there," she bragged, pointing to a tree that stood an impressive distant away from their current location.
She placed a hand on the small of his back, and together, they jumped from the head of the Nidaime. They easily glided through the air under Katsume's influence towards the general direction of the Hyuuga estate.
"I do hope you are ready for this war, Master."
The young Hyuuga smirked in response to his summon's concern. "I've been prepared for this war for many years, now."
"I'm glad to hear you say that." Katsume sincerely smiled at him, lighting up her heart-shaped face. "Neji."
I hope you enjoyed your first taste of "Dream Catcher" my good readers! Should you have any questions or comments of course, please review!
Considering my terrible schedule, I will try my best to update whenever possible.