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-Tales of Destiny: Rebirth of the Genesis-Hakkyou no Yami
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I am currently working on the next chapters Naruto of the Four Dojutsu: Rewrite with my writing partner Hakkyou no Yami. Since school has been let out for a while, I have had time to work on it with him. However I also have work and other responsibilities, so we are not able to update them as often as we would like.
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The aged formed of Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair still, his head in his palms as he felt his whole world crashing down on him; with nobody to blame but himself.
He slowly lifted his head and looked to the side of his desk, staring at the document he had written not minutes prior, his seal and signature already applied. His eyes glanced over the document, each word he read making his heart grow ever heavier.
'As Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, and Clan head of the Sarutobi clan, I hereby decree the following.
Henceforth, Naruto Uzumaki, shall be treated as a fellow member of the Shinobi corps at all times, as is his irrefutable right. Should this command not be adhered to, those who commit the offense shall be stripped of their rank, and all privileges associated with the rank for no less than one year, and shall he imprisoned for the same length of time. Upon release, they shall be forced to go through a probationary term before they are returned to a subservient position, if there is no subservient position less than what they already had, they shall be sentenced to indentured servitude to a higher standing position of the Hokage's choosing, should the Hokage, be they past, present, or future, ever abuse this right to infringe upon the aforementioned right, the Hokage, and all those involved, shall suffer the loss of their position, permanent removal from their position, and they shall spend no less than ten years in prison. Upon their release from prison, they shall spend the remainder of their lives in indentured servitude to the village in a menial position with no chance to climb higher.
Furthermore, Naruto Uzumaki, shall be treated with utmost respect as a student of the assigned Jonin-sensei. Should the Jonin-sensei abuse their power as a sensei, should they attempt to sabotage him in any way, shape or form, they shall be immediately relieved of their position as Jonin, they shall be immediately be relieved of their team, and they shall face the capital punishment of a public execution, no chance for appeals granted under any circumstances.
Furthermore, Naruto Uzumaki, upon his entrance into the Chunin Exams, shall not suffer bias at the hands of the Hokage, be they past, present, or future, nor shall he suffer bias at the hands of any party under the Hokage's command, whether the affiliation is direct or indirect. Should he suffer bias at the hands of the Hokage, past, present, or future, or if he suffers bias at the hands of those under the command of the Hokage, past, present, or future, whether the command is direct or indirect, the person or persons who commit the act of bias against him shall be stripped of their position permanently, and imprisoned for the remainder of their lifespan at a minimum, with no chance for parole. Should the actions of those who commit the bias exceed the standard for life imprisonment, they shall instead suffer a public execution with no opportunity for appeals under any circumstances.
Furthermore, upon the second Naruto Uzumaki is given the rank of Chunin, he shall be forever more awarded the following rights: he shall be awarded the irrefutable right to leave and return to Konohagakure as he so desires, be it beyond the walls of Konohagakure, beyond the borders of Hi no Kuni, or even beyond the boundaries of the elemental nations. This right is absolute, and shall not be infringed upon by any past, present, or future Hokage's, nor shall this right be infringed by any party under the Hokage's command, whether it be directly, or indirectly. Infringement upon this right shall henceforth be considered a crime punishable by no less than surrendering of all worldly possessions, surrendering of all positions of power, and imprisonment for the remainder of their lifetime. Should their infringement upon the aforementioned right further than the minimum, they shall be subject to execution, no appeals granted under any circumstances.
Hiruzen read through the contract over and over again, looking at every sentence, every word, every punctuation in the contract, all the while contemplating Naruto's response to the contract. Would there be a portion he wanted adjusted, would there be something he wants added? So many questions whirled about in his mind as he pondered this. If Naruto wanted part of the contract adjusted, that could be good, or bad for Konoha. Then there was the matter of Naruto wanting something added, if he did demand something added, what possible repercussions could that have upon Konoha?
Then there was the council.
There was no doubt in Hiruzen's mind that the council would be firmly against this, no matter what proposal he put forth. Ever since they heard Naruto was the Jinchuriki to the Kyuubi, the same demon which had laid waste to Konoha, killed their kin, and slaughtered their comrades, even the most reasonable of the council turned against the boy, seeing the monster sealed inside of him instead of the boy himself. While over the years, the more sound and rational members of the council saw reason and started to view Naruto as the container instead of the contained, there was still a majority who stood against any proposal made to favor the blond Jinchuriki in any manner.
He sighed heavily, the position he was in was not in the councils favor. Konoha had suffered many setbacks in the past, the Kyuubi's assault upon Konoha, the war with Kumo, the Uchiha Massacre, their forces kept dropping like flies, and there was not enough new blood leaving the academy to make up for the losses, much less those that matched the deceased in skill level.
Konoha needed its Jinchuriki, more than it needed to placate a room full of councilors.
Slowly putting down the contract, he placed his hands on the sides of his chair and slowly began to push himself up.
"Sandaime-sama!" when suddenly, an ANBU charged through the still open door, seemingly out of breath, "Sandaime-sama I have news…"
Hiruzen looked up, frustration and aggravation clearly on his face. Under circumstances such as this, normally he would demand what was wrong to make the ANBU become exhausted just from trying to get to his office, but the events of the day had relieved him of any patience he might have had in this situation, "You had better have a damn good reason for barging into my office unannounced and-"
"Kushina Namikaze has just returned to Konohagakure!"
…
…
…
Hiruzen's eyes snapped wide as they could go so quickly, that the friction caused by them opening left a burning sensation on his eyelids, "What?!"he shot up and stormed around his desk, grabbing onto the ANBU's shoulders, "Kushina Namikaze is back?!"
The ANBU was shocked underneath their mask, "Y-yes. And as per your standing orders to inform you should Kushina Namikaze ever return to Konoha, I came here as fast as I could."
Hiruzen stared at the ANBU for but a moment, before he fully understood what he had heard.
Kushina Namikaze…the same woman who had been training her children to kill her other child for the last few years…
She had returned.
"Shit!" Hiruzen shouted in a moment of shock and frustration, shoving the ANBU aside as he charged towards the door to his office and ran into the hall.
Quickly turning around he shouted, "Naruto!"
He waited, listening, hoping to hear a response, anything, only to hear nothing.
Cursing he turned around in the opposite direction, "Naruto, where are yo-" he suddenly stopped mid-sentence as he caught something in his peripheral vision…and he inwardly gasped in a mixture of shock and horror.
Slowly turning his head, he inwardly prayed that he was not truly seeing what his eyes told him he was seeing. He prayed that it was a trick of the light, that it was wrong, that he was hallucinating because of the stress the day's events had placed upon his shoulders.
'Please Kami no.' he trembled as he stepped forward…looking at the clock on the wall.
The clock which he had just recently fixed to ensure it was always on the correct time…the clock he had seen day after day as he entered his office…the clock he had seen just before Naruto arrived…
The clock which was telling him…that he had been in that office, reading that document for over an hour.
Hiruzen's heart raced, his breath hitched as he felt the entire world crash around him.
How focused was he on that document that he allowed an entire hour to pass after Naruto had stormed out of his office? By now Naruto could have made it to the gates if he so desired and left Konoha by now, he could be halfway to the nearest border town by now!
And if he was still in the village, that was an entire hour he had ahead of them, by the time his ANBU found him Kushina would already have a-
'Kushina!' Hiruzen's fear enveloped him as he raced back into his office, shoving the same ANBU aside as he ran behind his desk. Without a single wasted motion, he pressed the very same button he had pressed mere hours before and shouted, "Attention, aid, this is a code red, all Shinobi are to find Naruto Uzumaki and bring him to my office! He is to be brought to be alive and unharmed! That is an order!" Hiruzen panted as he removed his hand from the button, and leaned against his desk, his knuckles turning white as he dragged his nails across the desk.
Hiruzen cursed as he slowly looked up.
Meanwhile, the ANBU who had been shoved twice by the Sandaime was staring at Hiruzen, trying to figure out what they were supposed to do.
Not more than a second after Hiruzen looked up did he snarl and unleash a massive burst of killing intent, "Well?! What are you still doing here?! You heard my orders, no go!"
The ANBU felt their heart stop for a second before quickly bowing, "Hai Sandaime-sama!" and swiftly vanished in a shunshin.
…
…
…
Hiruzen lowered his head and collapsed into his chair, while his hands slowly moved up, his fingers interlacing with each other as he pressed his forehead against them…a single question running rampant in his mind.
Why?
Of all the days Kushina could have returned to Konoha, why did it have to be today? Mere hours before, he had a rogue Chunin steal the forbidden scroll, and not long after that, the same rogue Chunin had to go and reveal the truth of the Kyuubi attack to the one person who was never supposed to know. The one person, who by being what he was, was an infinitely greater asset than the Forbidden Scroll itself.
The worst part of all this, was that the asset was not an object, a tool, no; it was a living entity, a being with thoughts, it had emotions…it had free will, and currently, all the cards were in his hands.
Hiruzen was no fool; he knew that a Jinchuriki, simply by being what they were, could never live a stable life, much less a happy one. The most he could ever do was make certain that the loyalty of the Jinchuriki was towards Konohagakure no Sato.
However, it appears in that endeavor, he had failed.
Sighing, Hiruzen slowly looked up and turned his head to gaze at the contract he had written, his last hope at keeping Naruto in Konoha.
His last hope, which was currently at the mercy of a vengeful woman who sought to destroy the very child she had given life to.
"…this is a code red, all Shinobi are to find Naruto Uzumaki and bring him to my office! He is to be brought to be alive and unharmed! That is an order!"
Hiruzen turned his head towards the village as the alarms blared, the same message he had given his aid echoing across the village.
Sighing, he looked up at the clock on the wall.
'One minute.' one minute…only a single minute had passed since he had given his aid that message.
Years ago, one minute was all it took for him and his ANBU to stop Kushina from driving a kunai into Naruto's chest, mere hours after he had been turned into a Jinchuriki by his own father.
But years ago, Kushina had been weakened from giving birth to triplets, and he had her outnumbered ten to one. She had only given in to his demands because of that, if he had encountered her alone, there was no doubt in his mind that she would have easily cut him down, before doing the same to Naruto.
That was years ago, and even then he stood no chance against her on his own, even while she was weakened from childbirth.
Kushina had over twelve years to improve herself, all the while; he had no idea how strong she had gotten, what skills she had at her disposal, or what weaknesses in her techniques she had destroyed.
As these thoughts traversed through his psyche, Hiruzen had to ask himself…if push came to shove…if he had no other option than to fight her directly…even with all of Konohagakure's Shinobi at his disposal…
Did he even stand a chance?
Meanwhile
"…this is a code red, all Shinobi are to find Naruto Uzumaki and bring him to my office! He is to be brought to be alive and unharmed! That is an order!"
This single message echoed across all of Konohagakure, from the residential district, where Shinobi awoke from their rest and quickly piled into the streets, to the slums where ANBU patrols doubled their efforts.
In the merchant district, a group of Chunin circled together as a Jonin began to bark out orders, "I want six of you heading north, check the alleys, the homes, any place the little brat could have hidden, I want them checked. You three…" the Jonin said pointing to three of the Chunin, "Circle the merchant district, check the sewers and stalls!" the Jonin turned around, looking at the others, "All of you with me, we are going to cover east and west, do not overlook a single place the brat could have hidden, I don't care if it is an abandoned warehouse or a trash can, if by some means he could hide there, look!" he snapped around, "You have your orders, now go!"
Without a second to spare, the Chunin departed, while the Jonin lead the remaining Chunin.
Scenes like this occurred all across Konohagakure, every Shinobi in the village, Genin, Chunin, Jonin, or even ANBU were searching every hole Naruto could have hidden in.
So focused were they on their task, that they never noticed the trio walking right down the main road.
In front of the group was a beautiful woman, on her feet she wore a closed pair of Shinobi boots, the edges of which seemed to be stained with dried blood. Wrapping around her lower body was a form fitting pair of Hakama pants, adorned with armor plates protecting the sides of her legs and her knees. Wrapped around her waist was a cloth sash, black as a starless sky, streaked with blood tinted stains. Adorning her upper body, hugging her generous bust was a tight fitting haori, adorning it was a series of overlapping metallic plates which protected her chest and abdomen, along with her sides and arms. Upon each shoulder was a pauldrons made of the same overlapping design so often found in the armor of the daimyo's samurai, and on each arm she wore a gauntlet, with each knuckle adorned with a metallic spike.
The woman herself was beautiful, her facial features were soft, accentuated by her pale yet fair skin complexion. Her eyes were a gorgeous violet color, seemingly glistening like a perfect gemstone. The beauty she already possessed was further enhanced by her bright scarlet red hair, which flowed down her back, reaching past her lower back, her face being framed by two long bangs, and her hair being partially held up by a single hair clip on the left side. Her beauty only marred by the angry scowl and furrowed brow which seemed to have been etched onto her features.
The woman was none other than Kushina Namikaze…widow of the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze…mother to Naruto Uzumaki.
"…this is a code red, all Shinobi are to find Naruto Uzumaki and bring him to my office! He is to be brought to be alive and unharmed! That is an order!"
Kushina snapped her head up to stare at the speakers which repeated the same message over and over again, a scowl adorning her features.
'So, that is your plan, Hiruzen?' Kushina snarled inwardly as her fist tightened.
"Kaa-sama."
Kushina turned her head to the two behind her.
Standing behind her was a girl wearing a closed pair of Shinobi boots, they were worn if the frayed edges were anything to go by. Wrapping around her lower body was a form fitting pair of Hakama pants, adorned with armor plates protecting the sides of her legs and her knees. Wrapped around her waist was a cloth sash, gray in color, stained with a fair amount of dirt. Adorning her upper body, hugging her bust was a tight fitting haori, adorning it was a series of overlapping metallic plates which protected her chest and abdomen, along with her sides and arms.
While not nearly as beautiful as Kushina, the girl was not by any means average. Her facial features were soft like Kushina's, but there was a certain sharpness about her facial features that distinguished her from Kushina's softer beauty. Her skin was not quite as fair, nor pale as Kushina's, in fact, her skin had a noticeable tan tone to it. Her eyes were a violet tinted blue color, which shimmered in the light of the night sky. In addition to all of this, upon her head she had long blond hair which was tied into a top knot.
The girl was Natsuki Namikaze…daughter of Kushina Namikaze and Minato Namikaze…sister to Naruto Uzumaki.
To the girls right was a boy wearing a closed set of samurai greave. Wrapping around his lower body was a form fitting pair of Hakama pants, adorned with armor plates protecting the sides of his legs and his knees. Wrapped around his waist was a cloth sash, gray in color, stained with a fair amount of dirt. Adorning his upper body, was a samurai chest piece, and on each shoulder were samurai pauldrons, and on his forearms were lightweight armor pieces.
The boy's facial structure was incredibly similar to the Yondaime, but there were rounded features that separated them, but the similarities were certainly there. His skin complexion was a noticeable tan, certainly not pale by any measure. He had electric blue eyes with pitch black pupils, and a single scar underneath his left eye, which seemed to be faded, suggesting it was an old wound. On top of his head, he had reddish hair, but the tone was marred by a lighter tone, making it an almost blondish red color. The hair seemed to stand up in spikes along the sides, with two long bangs framing his face, with the hair falling back, the light spikes overlapping as the hair fell down his neck smoothly.
The boy was Arashi Namikaze…son of Kushina Namikaze and Minato Namikaze…brother to Naruto Uzumaki.
Kushina looked at Natsuki, "Yes?" her gaze was hard, but there was a certain care in her gaze as she looked at her daughter.
Natsuki spoke up, her voice was soft, but firm and full of confidence and conviction, "Is it time Kaa-sama?"
…
…
…
Kushina turned around and walked up to Natsuki, staring at her softly, and allowed a small smile to come to her face as she placed her hands on Natsuki's shoulders, "Yes otome, it is time." Kushina turned her head to Arashi, her smile gone, "Arashi…"
Arashi nodded his head and reached behind him, activating a seal hidden from sight. A small pop echoed forth and cloud of smoke appeared, and from it, a single scroll, which Arashi held out as he spoke with a firm voice, "Kaa-sama."
Kushina took the scroll and nodded, "Thank you sochi." Kushina turned around, her back towards Natsuki and Arashi as she brought her thumb to her mouth and bit into it, drawing forth blood which then slowly trickled down her thumb. With a single motion, Kushina smeared the blood on the edge of the scroll, "Kai." and a cloud of smoke silently erupted from the scroll, and Kushina thrust her hand into the smoke, before rapidly pulling it out.
Natsuki and Arashi looked at Kushina's hand, and saw in its grip three Katana's, nearly tied together, each one sheathed in a white scabbard, the edges adorned with runic symbols that were unfamiliar to the common languages spoken in the elemental nations.
But the three Namikaze knew what they said all too well.
Kushina lowered her arm and untied the three Katana's, before tossing one to Arashi, and another to Natsuki, who quickly tied the Katana's to their respective sashes.
Kushina dropped the scroll which had once carried them and tied the Katana to her own sash.
As soon as Kushina finished, she turned her head to her children and spoke with a firm tone, "Search Konoha quickly, find the demon, and kill him."
Arashi and Natsuki nodded, "Hai, Kaa-sama."
Kushina spoke again, "And if anyone gets in your way…" she looked to them, her gaze hardened as she gripped the hilt of her katana.
Arashi and Natsuki spoke in unison, "Anyone who protects a demon, is no better than one."
Kushina nodded her head, "Now go…avenge your brother."
Arashi and Natsuki turned swiftly and headed in opposite directions, leaving Kushina by herself.
Kushina slowly turned around and looked up at the sky, sighing heavily as her hand tightened around the hilt of her katana, as she brought a single hand to her heart, 'Soon, my precious Sochi, you shall be free of your torment, and you may finally rest in peace.' her hand near her heart tightened as a single tear fell down her cheek, 'This I swear…Naruto.'
Without a single wasted second, Kushina sprinted in another direction, all the while, Konoha's Shinobi still failed to notice them.
Meanwhile
In the village of Konohagakure, the Shinobi were searching everywhere that Naruto could hide. Whether it be trash cans, the sewers, abandoned buildings, or even the tunnels in the Hokage monument.
However, nobody had considered to check the forests and training grounds just outside the village limits.
Deep in the forests surrounding the village, Naruto slowly walked down the dirt paths that twisted and turned through the forests surrounding the village. His head lowered, causing his hair to cover his eyes as his hands were hanging loosely at his sides.
After Naruto had left the office, he had walked through Konoha, looking all around as Konoha's citizens walked past him, each one glaring at him with hate in their eyes, their faces twisted into sneers as they passed by him, their hushed whispers laced with venom and contempt. All because he was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, all because he had been used the moment he was born to hold the beast back, by his own father no less.
It disgusted him.
He could no longer stand being within the main village, and had walked into the forests surrounding the village…as far away from the degenerates he had grown to despise.
At this time of night, he was truly the only person in the forest, everyone else patrolling the village or sleeping, or enjoying the night life.
As Naruto walked through the forest, his mind wandered, and he became so engrossed in his thoughts that he became unaware of the world around him. He heard nothing from the village behind him, nor anything from the forest.
Instead, his psyche was plagued with image after image as a thousand facts came roaring through his subconscious.
He had been abandoned by his own mother, who has been training his siblings to kill him one day.
All his life, he had suffered at the hands of the village, from the moment he was born, up until now, he had been a scapegoat for their grief, their suffering, their rage.
He had been made a street rat when the orphanage threw him out at a tender young age, all because the matron could not look past her grief and misery.
He had been denied basic human rights for something he had never been given a choice in.
He had been beaten and tortured, hospitalized for the sins of another.
He had been sabotaged from day one of his potential Shinobi career.
And the worst part of all of this…was that his own father, the man who had been revered as the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, had been the one to force this burden on him.
As these facts swept through his mind, his teeth ground together as his fists clenched so hard that his nails began to cut into his palms.
Unbeknownst to him, as his anger increased, as the images of his life flashed before his eyes, his pace quickened to the point he was running through the forests, he had actually gone off the dirt paths winding through the forests. The lights and sounds created by Konohagakure were dimming to the point of nonexistence.
Naruto kept running through the forests, the images of his past, every horrible thing done to him, ever sin committed against him, flashing before his eyes as his jaw tightened and his fists clenched tightly, blood seeping between his fingers as his nails carved into his palms.
Naruto kept running faster and faster, despite the fact his vision was blocked by the images that would not stop flashing in front of his eyes.
Because of this, Naruto never saw the stone sticking out of the ground, causing him to lose his balance, and come crashing down to earth.
Flopping onto the ground before rolling in a tangled mess of his own limbs, his bones creaking as he kept rolling, before he finally skidded to a halt.
Naruto made no movement other than the expansion and deflation of his chest as he inhaled and exhaled as he laid flat on the ground, his arms outstretched as his face was in the dirt.
He slowly started to move, his right arm bending as he drew it in closer, while his fingers dug into the ground. His hand was in a position where he was able to push himself up, instead, his fingers dragged through the dirt again, curling into a fist.
Swinging his right arm as high as he could in his position, he then swung it down, smashing his fist into the dirt, he brought his fist back again and brought it back down, his teeth bared as he kept swinging his arm back and smashing it into the ground.
His left arm bent as he swung his right arm, his fingers digging into the dirt as they curled into a fist, and he pushed himself up as he screamed, "Arrghh!" and swung his left fist into the ground, smashing blow after blow, left and right into the dirt he had just before been laying in.
Naruto's fists slammed into the dirt, each punch lifting up a billowing cloud of sand and soil as his face contorted into one of pure anger and hatred.
Naruto's face was twisted into a visage of pure anger and hatred as his fists collided with the earth.
Naruto had created a small pit just from his punches.
Naruto's breathing was hitched as he flexed his fingers, which were severely cut up from his pummeling the ground.
Naruto's breathing quickened as his teeth clenched and he looked up.
In front of him was a large tree, one of which stood tall and proudly over the others, a beautiful tree, unlike anything he had seen before.
But in his enraged state, he did not care, all he saw was another object to take his anger out on, "Arrghh!" he jumped up and shot at the tree, burying his fist in the bark over and over again before switching to the other arm.
As he felt his knuckles begin to peel from his abuse of the tree, he swung his leg, smashing it into the tree, his leg creaked as it connected with the tree.
Naruto was not oblivious to his pain, but his anger overrode his need to relieve the pain.
Naruto's eyes glared daggers at the tree as he struck the three with unrelenting viciousness as his anger, his hatred, every emotion he was feeling at that moment exploded outward in a violent burst.
All the while, the seal on his stomach pulsed rapidly in response to his anger, and a red glow began to escape it.
Naruto's eyes continued to burn holes into the tree as his once round pupils narrowed into slits, and a crimson tint began to bleed into his irises.
Snarling deeply as his canines grew longer, he pulled back his right hand and he roared in a tone riddled with demonic aggression, "Raaagghhhh!" and swung his fist forward…
Tearing a massive chunk out of the tree he was striking.
Naruto stood there, panting as his eyes went from cerulean blue to blood red, as his whiskers marks became thicker and infinitely more savage, as his nails lengthened slightly and sharpened to points.
Naruto's panting turned into strained growls as he erupted in anger, "Raaaaghhh!" and threw himself at the nearby trees, smashing his fists into the and severing their trunks, while he smashed his hands into the dirt and ripped up the ground in chunks, smashing his hands into boulders with such strength that they shattered like glass, while his legs tore the trunks of trees in two.
Unbeknownst to him…the power which strengthened him, the power which allowed him to rip trees and stone apart.
Konoha could feel it.
Kage Tower
Hiruzen looked between the two ANBU who had just arrived to his office, "Well?!" he snapped, his anger starting to affect him more than it normally would.
The taller of the two ANBU spoke, "Sandaime-sama, we have checked all over the village, and there is no sign of Naruto anywhere, it is plausible to suggest Naruto has left the village."
Hiruzen grit his teeth and smashed his fist into the desk, "Damn it!" he looked at the other ANBU, "Gather a team of trackers and find him! If Naruto gets beyond the borders of Hi no Kuni then-"
Hiruzen was suddenly silenced as he felt a horrible ominous presence overtake him…a presence he had not felt in years, but one he remembered all too well.
'No.' Hiruzen turned around and looked out his office window, and stared out in the direction he felt the presence originating.
He could faintly see a spiraling pillar of red ever so gently lifting out of the forests just outside the main village, within Konoha's walls.
Gritting his teeth, Hiruzen snapped his head around and looked at the ANBU, "So you checked 'all over the village' did you? Did it seem to escape your mind that the forests inside of Konoha's walls were part of the village?!" he said with his killing intent faintly leaking out.
The ANBU shivered under Hiruzen's hardened gaze, "Sandaime-sama I-I-"
The Sandaime ignored the ANBU and pushed past them, "Come! We have no time to waste!" he exited his office and headed out of the tower as quickly as he could.
The ANBU seemed shocked by what had just happened, but quickly followed the Sandaime as ordered.
All the while, the Sandaime lowered his head as he exited the Kage Tower, 'Please Kami, don't let me be too late.'
With Kushina
Kushina was running through Konoha as soon as she felt the burst of Kyuubi's chakra. Without a single second she had leapt over the various districts of Konoha as she headed towards the forests.
Kushina's eyes were ablaze with a fire of fierce and unrelenting intent.
"Kaa-sama!"
Kushina turned briefly to see Natsuki and Arashi tailing behind her.
Arashi leapt forward until he was next to Kushina as they headed across the roofs of Konoha, "Kaa-sama, the demon is-"
Kushina cut him off, "Yes Arashi, it is." Kushina turned her head forward as she reached for the hilt of her Katana before she stopped on a roof of a building that stood just outside the forest.
Slowly, Kushina gripped the hilt of her blade, and slowly removed it from its scabbard.
The blade itself shimmered with a silvery glow, and all along the length of the blade, silver-white etchings like the ones on the scabbard itself glowed forth brightly as more of the blade was revealed.
With a single swing, a vibrating hum sounded throughout the night air as she held the blade out in front of her, its shimmering glow brightly lighting up the silver blade.
Natsuki and Arashi stared at the blade, and looked back at their own.
Kushina stared forward as she spoke loudly, "Let us end this once and for all…tonight, the Kyuubi no Yoko draws its last breathe!" she shot into the forest with ruthless ferocity.
Natsuki and Arashi nodded to one another and drew out their own katana's, which were no different than Kushina's, and quickly followed her into the forest.
Kushina stared forward as her movements sped up as her eyes burned with the same ruthless intent as before, 'Hold on sochi…Kaa-chan is coming.'
Naruto
The forests of Konohagakure, outside the village walls and within them, had always been known as the most wondrous and beautiful trees in all of Hi no Kuni. Even the trees neatly groomed and tended to by the daimyo's gardeners, and botanists of such high caliber that they were artists in their own right, paled in comparison to them.
But now, an entire acre of the once pristine forest, laid broken and battered, as if they were but a pile of twigs stepped underfoot by a great beast. At the center of it all, was Naruto Uzumaki himself.
Naruto stood hunched over as he stared at the ground, his breathing heavy as his body shook from anger and agony.
Hissing loudly, Naruto fell to his knees as he slowly brought his hands up, his bones and muscles screaming in agony from such a simple yet strenuous motion. He stared at his hands, and beheld their form.
His hands had been cut and scraped so badly from his blinding anger, that he could see the bones and muscles underneath what was once skin. The bones were cracked, the flesh frayed, and blood seeped between his fingers from slashed veins and severed tendons.
But that is not what concerned him, no…what concerned him was the red haze which licked across his skin, wrapping around his fingertips, down his forearms, burning into the skin of his very body.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger as he looked upon his frayed hands, and watching as the Kyuubi's chakra healed them.
The cracked bones snapped back together and burned with a foul hiss as they splinted back together as if they had never been broken to begin with. The tendons morbidly flowed back, connecting to the bone like a foul tar before they were wrapped by the red flesh that was quickly enveloped by the very skin which so short a time ago had been ruthlessly torn from it.
As soon as it came, the red haze of the Kyuubi disappeared, like a morning mist in the rising day.
Naruto kept staring at his hands, now unscathed, undamaged.
…
…
…
As Naruto continued to stare at his hands, his teeth grit tighter and tighter as his eyes narrow until he could barely see through them as his lips curled into a snarling visage, "Arrghh!" and smashed both his fists back into the ground, as he panted and heaved as his malice and hatred spilled through him once again.
His eyes snapped back open as he thought of everything that had happened in his life, everything that had caused him to live his miserable existence.
His disgusting father's decision to seal the Kyuubi no Yoko inside of his own son, never once considering his well-being.
The decision of the Sandaime to tell the villagers what he was, too blinded by his duty to the village to know the misery he would suffer every waking moment of his life.
The villager's actions against him, using the Kyuubi sealed inside of him as a tool for them to make his life, from cradle to classroom, an unending and unjust hell.
Naruto's teeth tightened as the reasons for his misery piled up, and he snarled angrily.
Every crime committed against him, every sin from the simplest neglect to the most complex and ruthless beating he had endured in his short life, every single act of cruelty was committed by the same thing that had caused him misery his entire life.
Humanity…
While the Kyuubi may have attacked the village, it was the decision of a human that made him a vessel, it was the decision of a human that had made him a target in the same place he should have had the right to call home, it was humanity that had made him suffer every waking moment of his life.
Humanity had been the source of his suffering…from day one, to now.
As this fact burned into Naruto's psyche he slowly brought his hands up from the ground, and he stared at his hands.
His frail…weak…pathetic…human hands.
He slowly closed his hands into fists and lowered them, as he lowered his head, his hair covering his eyes.
'To any god who will listen…free me from this torment…'
Naruto's fists tightened as blood seeped through his fingertips.
'…free me from this prison…'
A single drop of blood dropped off his clenched and bloody fists.
'…release me from the chains of humanity…'
The blood drop smashed into the ground, and spattered about.
'…and free me from mine.'
The spattering blood stopped, forming a small pool of blood on the ground…all of a sudden, the pool of blood began to ripple slightly, like the ocean shore with a gentle breeze, and the blood began to bubble and swell like boiling water, as steam rose off of the surface of the blood.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes as he smelled the foul odor and looked down to see the small pool of bubbling blood, 'Wha-'
"Is that your wish?"
Naruto's eyes shot open as he suddenly stood up, lowering himself into a combat stance as he turned around towards the direction he had heard the voice come from.
Naruto's eyes widened further as he saw…
Nothing…
Naruto's eyes darted all over the place as he looked around, his eyes looking left and right as he tried to find the voice.
Meanwhile, the clouds above began to converge, darkening to become as black as sin.
Naruto kept looking around, "Who's there?" he heard no answer, and he shouted, "Where are you?!"
"Right behind you."
Naruto froze in place, as he heard the voice…
They were directly behind him.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly began to turn his head, his eyes slowly looking up as he raised his head.
His eyes widened in a mixture of shock, and a hint of fear, when he saw what was behind him.
Standing before him, was a man unlike any he had ever seen before in his life. The man towered above him, not just in his physical stature…
But in his very presence.
Naruto felt like a mouse standing before a hungry lion, just from looking up at the man's visage.
The man's facial features were unlike anything he had seen before in his life, his facial structure was soft, but a sharpness in the angles of his facial structures gave him a regality that no daimyo could ever hope to command. His eyes were round, lacking a pupil of any kind, or even a sclera, the whole of his eye was dominated by a swirling vortex of the most dark and unnatural cyan he had ever beheld in his life. Underneath each eye, Naruto saw what at first appeared to be streaks of silver, so pristine, so enchanting, that it made the midnight sky on a starry night seem like a cloudy day, but as Naruto unconsciously looked closer, his eyes saw that the things beneath his eyes were not simple streaks of silver, no…there was a pattern of runes and symbols so unlike anything he had ever seen, that he could not believe fully if such symbols had merit, or were made up by the figure whose presence dwarfed any he had felt in his life.
Upon the top of the man's head, he sported long hair that seemed to be composed of lines of silver and onyx, wrapped around one another like a swirling helix. The hairstyle itself seemed almost like an explosion of waving flickers of a roaring flame, with a mane of sorts flowing just past the middle of his neck.
And his skin, a shade of onyx so dark that he felt as if he was looking at a physical embodiment of shadow itself.
However, all the traits on the man's face were normal compared to the ornate and inhuman things which he saw.
Three horn-like spikes hovered in place around the man's visage, not one seemed to hover lower than the man's upper lip, and not one hovered even a bit higher than the top of his head. One spike hovered just off his forehead, swirling in an ornate helix shape, never once touching his skin, nor floating away from his head. Another spike floated just below his eyes, this one had the shape of a twisted branching claw, but kept the same horn-like visage, reaching up to almost touch the eye of the man whose face it hovered off of. The final spike, which hovered so close to his cheek it nearly touched, was like a branching spike, at the base, it branched off into three asymmetrical portions, with the central spike extending further up, before twisting and coiling into a loop shape.
Naruto at first thought the spikes simply floated there, but he then saw as the spikes moved about, orbiting the head of the man before him, like the moon does the world of which the elemental nations resides.
As the spikes became closer to one another, a sudden arc of energy unlike any he had seen before in his life connected the spikes before they continued their orbit.
Naruto's gaze then lowered as he tried to look away from the inhuman visage, and saw the clothing…no…the armor this man wore.
Starting at his feet, he wore ornate and regal greaves which looked to be composed of strips of blood red steel that wrapped around his feet, ankle, and shin, each strip of steel seemed to be welded together by black runes, whose darkness could only be matched by the skin of the man who wore them. This armor traveled up the leg, until suddenly, it was replaced, no more did the black runes hold the steel together, instead, the steel wrapping around the rest of the leg, leaving a large space in between them…but instead of armor beneath it, or even flesh…there was utter blackness, like a void or an…abyss.
The armor continued like that up the legs, crimson steel being replaced by black as the armor around the waist blocked the armors destination from view.
Around his waist there were plates of hooked and sharpened black steel which overlapping one another, hanging off the waist, covering the area just below where the man's crotch was. It was unknown to Naruto if such armor ran around the entirety of his waist, for there was more armor on top of that, and not even Samurai had armor so ornate as what he was seeing.
Hanging off of the man's waist were curved and sharpened pieces of steel, twisting like a root of a tree as it tore through the soil beneath it, reaching all the way past his knees, almost touching the ground that was beneath his feet. Unlike any armor he had seen before in his life, the ends of the armor seemed to glow with an unholy and inhuman red color. The closest he could describe the color he was seeing and how it affected the steel of his black armor was comparing it to metal heated in a forge…but that description did not do what he was seeing before him any justice whatsoever. These long strips of metal fell off his body all around his waist, with only the very front being free of them, and each strip ended in a hook-like blade which seemed to scream with a deadly curve unlike any he had ever seen.
These strips of metal also had accessories unlike any he had seen. Right where they came off his body, there were glowing orbs of the same color as the tone at the end of the strips that came off of his waist, glowing, writhing. To call them embedded jewels seemed not only unworthy…but insulting.
Across his abdomen, it was protected by overlapping strips of steel, not unlike the ones that came off his waist which seemed to link together like chain mail, covering every single inch of the body, leaving not even a single portion exposed. In addition, each strip was engraved in runes, and Naruto did not know if it was a trick of the eyes, the armor, or if what he was seeing was real, but the runes did not stay as they were, it seemed as though every time he looked at them, there was a different rune in place where another had been. The strips started off small near the waist, but they seemed to grow wider and more ornate in their wrapping around the body than the ones before, until finally, the strips interlaced, and formed what appeared to be ornate pauldrons on the man's shoulders, and like on his waist, these strips of steel hung off it, forming hook-like blades at the end, which seemed to be lit up with the same inhuman red color as the ones on the waist…on each pauldrons, two long strips fell past his elbows, and hooked outward on each side of the man's gauntlets.
The man's gauntlets were formed more similarly to the armor on his feet and shins, the dark runes fusing the steel strips together, but all along the length of the forearm, there were glowing orbs that seemed to write and churn…just like the ones on the man's waist. And wrapping around the man's fingers, were segmented plates, and at the very end of the digit, was a savage and unholy claw.
Naruto's heart raced as he stared at this man, whom was so different from any person he had seen in his life, he could not believe that such a man was possibly real, 'Am I hallucinating?' he tried to find some way to rationalize what was before him, 'Am I under a Genjutsu?' he quickly pulsed his chakra in an attempt to dispel whatever illusion he was under…
Nothing…
The man was still standing before him, and he still felt like an ant in comparison to this man's unyielding and potent presence.
This man…this…being…before him.
He was real.
With this realization, Naruto felt an overwhelming sense of dread, and felt his already small existence in comparison to this man shrink to practically nothing.
With a strained tone, Naruto finally spoke, "W-who, are you?" his voice was slow and careful, as his fists clenched as his muscles tensed, his pulse quickening as his breathing hitched.
The figure's lips curved into a smile and he spoke, "Who am I, you ask?" the being chuckled with an obvious humor as he spoke again, "Oh Naruto, I think you already know."
Naruto's eyes widened further, 'He knows my name?' the feeling of dread seemed to creep over him further as he felt his heart seemingly stop at the revelation that this man before him already knew who he was.
He knew he had never met this man before, how could he ever forget such a being?
So how did he know who he was?
The being seemed to see the turmoil in Naruto's eyes and smiled, "I see you are confused, let me give you a hint." he turned his body ever so slightly and took a single step forward, revealing the back of his head, which had two identical horn-like spikes floating off the back of his head, not once moving a single inch, and were curved in in ornate and spiraling manner, and slowly began to walk around Naruto, "Mere moments ago, before I revealed myself to you, before I even spoke to you, you asked something…" he glanced at Naruto with a small smirk on his lips, "Pay attention to the first part, and you will have your answer."
Naruto stared at him with confusion, even as he felt his heart rate pulse faster as the man walked around him. What did he mean? What he had asked before he had even spoke to him? He hadn't said anything, all he had done was-
…
…
…
Realization dawned on him, 'He read my mind?!' he asked himself in a bit of panic. His eyes glanced back at the man. Not even the Yamanaka, who were known for their mind based ninjutsu could do what he had done.
But what did he mean, pay attention to the first part? Naruto tried to think as he remembered what he had asked, 'To any god who will listen…free me from this tor-'
Naruto's eyes widened, 'No…no way.' he stared at the man who had stopped walking around him, and was now looking at him with a small smile on his face, 'He…he is a…'
Naruto gulped and finally spoke, "Y-you're a…God?" Naruto's usual feelings of doubt would tell him that this man was lying, that he was just somebody trying to deceive him…but the voice that told him that was unusually silent.
This man...was not lying at all.
The man…no…the God smirked wider, "Yes, I am." he allowed a chuckle to escape his lips, "Allow me to…properly…introduce myself." he stepped back and placed a hand out across his chest and grinned, "I am Shin'en, the Eternal Abyssal God…" his grin turned into a smile, "And I have made myself known…to you, Naruto."
Naruto could not describe what he was feeling right now…shock? Awe? Dread? Fear? No, there was no word he knew of that could describe the feeling he had right now.
How could anyone describe the feeling of standing in the presence of a God?
As Naruto tried to find words to describe his situation, Shin'en spoke up, a serious, but amused expression on his face, "Now…did you mean what you asked?"
Naruto's attention snapped to him as Shin'en proceeded to walk around him.
"Do you truly wish to be free of your torment?" he said as he held out one arm, his fingers outstretched, a look of questioning curiosity on his face, "Be…free…of your prison?" he interlaced his fingers together before swiftly snapping them away from each other before stopping as he stood behind Naruto, he slowly moved his arms, and placed them on Naruto's shoulders, causing him to stiffen as he felt the grip of the Eternal Abyssal God, literally, on his shoulders, "To be released…from the chains of humanity…"
Naruto's eyes were wide as Shin'en leaned over, his head so close to Naruto…
"And to be freed…from your own?" Shin'en grinned as he removed his hands from Naruto's shoulders and lightly moved past him, before swiftly turning around as he stood in front of Naruto, his fingertips pressed against one another.
Naruto looked up at Shin'en for a brief second, before he lowered his head.
…
…
…
The silence of the forest was deafening, not even a single chirp was heard, as if all of creation had turned silent, and focused all of their attention on this single moment.
Time seemed to freeze in place, and finally, the silence was broken…by a single word.
"Yes."
Shin'en's face betrayed no emotional change as he spoke, "What?"
Naruto slowly looked up, his eyes firm and without a hint of doubt as he spoke again, "Yes!" he shouted, "Yes! I want my torment to end, I want this leash around my neck that keeps me bound to my prison off! I want the chains of humanity to be ripped from me…" he became silent as he said quietly, "I don't want to be human anymore…please." he said quietly as he looked up at Shin'en.
Never once did his gaze falter, nor his conviction.
Shin'en grinned ever so slightly, "Good." he walked towards Naruto, "Very good." he stopped just a few steps away from him, "I am pleased that your conviction is steadfast and unyielding, Naruto." he chuckled slightly and said swiftly, "Very well! I shall grant your request."
Naruto's eyes widened as he heard Shin'en's answer.
Shin'en smiled as he saw the look in Naruto's eyes, "However…" he said sternly, while looking at the young blond, "There are a few…formalities…that must be addressed first." he looked down at Naruto's abdomen, "Let's start with the Kyuubi then, shall we?"
The moment Shin'en finished saying that, a bright and luminous orange light illuminated through Naruto's clothing, much to Naruto's shock, and Shin'en's apparent amusement.
Shin'en smirked as he stepped back, "Let us begin." he took in a deep breath…and closed both of his eyes
What would happen here, would change everything…
Shin'en exhaled, and his eyes snapped open, revealing his eyes glowing brighter than before as the essence leaked from his eyes, falling across his face like unholy tears. The essence then traveled down his neck and onto his shoulders.
At that moment, the steel strips bent like living tendrils and scooped up the essence, swirling it about in their grip as they passed it from one to another. The two long strips which hooked past his elbow slither back up and gripped the essence of the Abyssal God, and condensed it together, forming a tranquil sphere of his energies which they then released and allowed to fall gently into the hand of the Abyssal God.
Shin'en smiled as he lifted his arm, and looked upon the sphere of his energies as it pulsed in a mixture of colors unlike any that mortal eyes had ever seen, watching as they beautifully churned together, like a raging maelstrom, "Perfect." he smirked and looked at Naruto, and the glow that had not once lost its intensity, "I must ask that you hold still for this next part."
Naruto's only response was a single glint in both of his eyes.
Shin'en chuckled at that, "Very well." Shin'en moved the hand holding his essence, and reached it towards the glow on Naruto's abdomen.
"Naruto!"
Shin'en stopped the ritual and turned his head slightly, while Naruto looked up in shock, and a bit of anger.
Standing on the edge of the forest, clearly winded, was Hiruzen Sarutobi, flanked by two of his ANBU. As he was there, many more Shinobi arrived, each one armed and ready.
Each one staring in shock as they saw Shin'en.
Hiruzen was not complacent, he saw the inhuman man standing in front of Naruto, holding out an orb of energy unlike anything ever seen by his old eyes, and he saw the orange glow originating from Naruto's naval, right where the Shiki Fuin was located, "Naruto, get away from that man, he can't be trust-"
Hiruzen stopped as he felt a crushing killing intent fall upon him. It was so sudden that the only reason he was not on his knees gasping for breath was his experience in such situations, after surviving two separate Shinobi wars, not to mention the smaller wars in between…the other Shinobi, were not as fortunate.
"Kyuubi!"
Hiruzen's eyes widened, his face of shock replaced by horror, 'Oh Kami no.' he moved his head slightly, just in time to see three blurs shoot past him, standing before him, their backs turned, as if he, and his forces were not even worth their attention.
Kushina Namikaze…and her children, Natsuki and Arashi, had arrived.
All three had their attention solely on the blond Jinchuriki…the son and brother they had come to murder.
All seemingly unaware of the being who stood before him, or simply not caring for his presence, so blinded by their bloodlust.
Natsuki stepped up and spoke, "Kyuubi, the Namikaze family has returned, and we shall dispense the justice that was denied us!"
Arashi held his sword out, "October tenth, twelve years ago, you took something very precious from us that day." Natsuki readied her sword, as did Arashi, "For the brother you murdered Kyuubi, the one whose body you cruelly inhabit, we will take something equally precious from you." Arashi shouted in anger as the grip around his sword tightened, "Your life!"
The symbols on their blades glowed brighter then ever as they readied themselves.
Kushina swung her sword, as she shot forward, "Die Kyuubi!" and she shot forward, her sword held high, flanked by Arashi and Natsuki, their blades burning with white fire as they swung towards their target.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Shin'en simply stared at them, and sighed, mild annoyance straining his voice, and simply waved his free hand.
Kushina, Natsuki, and Arashi suddenly stopped in midair…before they were sent flying back with such speed, that the ANBU could not move a single inch when Kushina smashed into them, the bushes Arashi smashed into were flattened, and the tree Natsuki smashed into was cracked ever so slightly.
The three glowing blades they wielded did not go with them, having lost their grip, the three blades fell to earth, piercing the ground, before their glow became dull, until it was no more.
Shin'en snorted ever so slightly, before he turned his full attention back on Naruto, who was still staring at the group of Shinobi, "Naruto."
Naruto suddenly returned his gaze to Shin'en, and the Abyssal God could not help but smirk widely as the conviction in Naruto's eyes burned brighter than ever before.
Shin'en smiled, and spoke but a single word, "Good."
Before he thrust his arm into the glow of the seal on his stomach.
Breaking the Shiki Fuin seal.
"Arrgghh!" Naruto screamed in agony as the seal shattered, and the crimson glow of the Kyuubi's youki exploded out of him, burning through his clothing as it ripped across the ground, burning the entirety of the ground in all its entirety. Naruto screamed as his hands clutched at his stomach, burning them, and forcing him to cry out louder as the crimson haze smashed into the forest, setting the forest ablaze.
The crimson youki smashed through the forest, setting one blaze after another as entire trees were turned to ash, and the youki began to take a shape.
The youki began to twist inward as the youki took the shape of a cloud of crimson haze. The youki began to turn the ash into a bleached white tone, hardening, and condensing as the white ash began to take the form of complex shapes, forming a skeletal form. The skeleton was clearly that of a beast, one so unlike anything any mortal had ever seen. The ash created a warped skeletal frame that sprouted nine long skeletal tails, each one ending in a sharp and vile tip. The creatures back legs formed into a shape that seemed like a twisted mockery of the union between the legs of man and beast, the bones warping in unnatural and ugly manners, forming a skeletal foot, with each toe ending with a long sharpened claw.
The spine of the skeleton suddenly sprouted a series of ribs which wrapped around, forming into a ribcage, warped and twisted in both shape and function. As more bones formed from the ash, arms that were a twisted union of the form of the bones of man and beast took shape, and formed into arms ending in hands that had human-like digits, twisted into the vile claws of an animal. The beasts spine extended, forming neck bones, and in a twisted explosion, the bones of the spine exploded into a cloud of bony fragments, before the ash quickly swirled about it, reforming the spine…and creating the twisted canine-like skull of the Kyuubi no Yoko.
All of a sudden, the youki swirled about inside the skeletal beast, and the ash began to slowly form what appeared to be vile and twisted organs of some kind. But this was quickly hidden from view as the malevolent red youki of the Kyuubi clung to the bones like tight grip from a serpent. Suddenly, the youki shifted in form, forming a fleshy and more solid state as it formed muscles, tendons, veins and arteries, providing a strong frame upon the unnatural body it wrapped around.
The lingering youki stuck to the muscle structure, solidifying, forming a leathery layer on top of that, raw hairless skin that wrapped around every last inch of the body, the muscle frame, the build, the tone and structure, and as it reached the head, it wrapped around it, and the outlines of the eyeholes, nose, and mouth were evident in the skin…which began to twist and split like fresh dough being pulled away from each other, and in a single motion, the skin split open, revealing the gnashing inner jaws of the Kyuubi no Yoko as its prickled tongue lapped at the fangs which jutted out. At the same time, a light seam of skin appeared over the eyes, as nostrils tore open where the nose was, and a gust of air was inhaled by the great beast.
The skin began to quiver as the beasts hairless skin was adorned with fur, sprouting all across the nine bald tails, and all across its hairless body. The fur was a bloody crimson color, just like its youki. As the fur sprouted across the body, the flesh began to quiver as a pressure built up beneath it. In a single stroke, two long ears ripped from the skin like a dead flap of skin, the skin healed swiftly as the ears took shape and were adorned with fur.
The nose twitched as the abomination before them took in the scents around it, the sound of breathing echoed across the forest as the monsters chest expanded and retracted in rapid succession. The eyelids soon began to flutter, still being held shut by a few small strands of its new flesh…before they snapped open completely, revealing the crimson slitted eyes of the beast, glowing with an unmistakable malice.
After twelve long years…the Kyuubi no Yoko was free.
The Kyuubi seemed to simply stand there, before it slowly looked around, and its maw twisted into a cruel grin, and it roared, "Ragghh!" its howl of joy deafening those around it.
Hiruzen and the rest of Konoha stared in horror as they beheld the visage and living form of the Kyuubi no Yoko, who had been freed within the walls of Konohagakure itself.
But none more so than Kushina, whose eyes were wider than they had ever been as she looked upon Kyuubi.
And her still living son.
Sudden realization dawned upon her as this single fact was presented to her. After twelve years of believing her son had died, after twelve years of believing that the Kyuubi had overtaken her sons body, and was using his soulless corpse as a vessel, after twelve years of training her other two children for the singular purpose of killing him.
Instead, on the date she planned to end his life…she realizes that her righteousness was nothing more than cruel abandonment.
A single tear fell down Kushina's cheek as she was frozen in place, 'What have I done...?'
Kyuubi ceased its roar, and smirked darkly as it laughed aloud, "Haahahaaaaa! Finally, I am free!" its grin turned into a cruel sneer, "I am going to enjoy wiping that filthy ningen village off the map! I will trample it as I feast on the corpses of that blond bastard's village! Ragghh!" the Kyuubi roared again and turned itself around, preparing to make a beeline for the village to carry out its vengeance.
Only for it to catch the form of Shin'en in his line of sight.
…
…
…
Kyuubi's aura of malice, which had inspired terror in all ningen, as well as the other Bijuu, had been replaced by one of pure fear as the Kyuubi looked upon the being that stood before it, "Y-you…" the Kyuubi's voice trembled as it suddenly jumped back, its eyes trembling in terror as it stared upon the visage of the Eternal Abyssal God.
Shin'en seemed to smirk darkly as the Kyuubi's eyes showed the beasts unrelenting fear, "Hello…Kyuubi."
Kyuubi did not waste a single second in its mind, and swiftly turned tail and fled, the fear of the God before it, clearly staining its visage.
Shin'en chuckled ever so slightly, before he simply snapped his fingers.
"Raaghhh!" the Kyuubi roared in agony, as its legs snapped and shattered within its body, the bone fragments actually ripping through its flesh as its precious life blood spilled out of the open wounds created by its own body exploding inside of it.
Shin'en simply smirked as he slowly raised his arm, at first, nothing happened. But after a few seconds, a cloud of black dust formed in the center of the palm, swirling about in a torrent…before an explosion of energy erupted from the torrent of dust, condensing into a singular black void.
Pulling the Kyuubi towards it.
The Kyuubi, feeling its imminent demise trying to move its shattered limbs and claw its way from the black void, whimpering as its body was too broken to accomplish even that. Feebly, the Kyuubi tried to grasp at the ground with its jaw, only for its teeth to be dragged through the soul, as the void continued to pull it towards it.
All those presence watched in a horrified awe as they saw the mighty Kyuubi be reduced to a whimpering coyote trying to get out of a trap.
Kyuubi roared and finally managed to move a single claw to slow its progress as it begged, "Please, spare me! I'll do anything, please don't end me like this!"
Shin'en's response was a smirk as he twisted his wrist, increasing the strength of the torrent.
Kyuubi roared in agony as the sudden increase in strength ripped a larger hole in its flesh, "Please, spare me!"
Finally, Kyuubi's tails reached the black void, and in but in instant, the Kyuubi was ripped to dust as the void consumed it.
Roaring in agony, the beast flailed as it pathetically tried to halt its destruction by any means necessary.
A desperate and futile attempt.
The Kyuubi's tails were completely withered to dust, and soon enough its legs and lower body joined them in the void. The Kyuubi tried desperately to cling to whatever small chance of life it still foolishly thought it retained. Its body which had so recently been reformed was already being destroyed.
As the void consumed up to the beasts chest, it flailed about as its claws dug into the earth, and its arms bled profusely. The blood was also sucked into the void, flowing past the beast like a vile river in the sky.
The Kyuubi's arms were soon separated from the rest of the body as its torso was completely consumed, and the arms were painfully dragged in, reduced to dust.
All that remained was the disembodied head of the Kyuubi as it looked fearfully around.
As the void began to reduce its head to dust, it opened its maw to let loose one last roar of agony…only for it to be silenced in an explosion of black dust, swallowed by the void.
The Kyuubi no Yoko…was finally dead.
The Shinobi present were too shocked for words to describe what they had just seen. The Kyuubi no Yoko, who their Yondaime had failed to kill, being forced to seal the beast within Naruto, had been slain, and in such a manner that made the Kyuubi seem like a feral animal.
They all turned their gaze to Shin'en, awe…and terror…were the emotions felt amongst their ranks.
If this man could destroy Kyuubi so easily…what else could he possibly do?
Shin'en paid them no mind, and simply turned his hand over as he watched the void condense, until it became a marble sized orb, black as stone, swirling ever so gently with a mild red haze if you looked close enough.
Shin'en chuckled as he tossed the orb into the air and with a wave of his hand, made it disappear in a cloud of unholy smoke before everyone's eyes.
Shin'en turned his attention back to Naruto, who was panting heavily as the pain faded from his body.
Shin'en spoke, drawing Naruto's attention to him, "This is it, Naruto, the advent that will shape the course of the remainder of your existence. Once you accept this…there is no going back."
Naruto stared up at Shin'en and said clearly, "I don't want to go back." he slowly stood up, "I want my bonds cut, severed, burned and never to be remade. I want them all gone, I will do whatever I must to make this so." he said with a conviction that shocked all present, but pleased only one.
Shin'en's pleased glint shone outward, and he asked, "Anything you say?"
…
…
…
Naruto fell to one knee, and bowed his head, "If you take my old bonds from me, take them and remove the chance of them ever reconnecting…then…I will willingly swear my undying loyalty…to you."
Hiruzen heard this statement and he shouted, "Naruto no!"
Naruto paid the Sandaime no mind as he awaited Shin'en's response.
Shin'en looked upon Naruto with calculating eyes, and his smile turned into a grin, "Hahahahaaa! Wonderful, such conviction, I knew you were the one, I knew you would be perfect!" his grin turned into a smile as he held up a clawed hand, and reached towards the other gauntlet.
His clawed fingers neatly plucked a single orb from the gauntlet. The gauntlet quickly closed up the location where the orb had been resting, as if it were an open wound.
Shin'en held the orb in the palm of his hand, and looked at Naruto, "Raise your head, Naruto."
Naruto did as commanded, and looked into Shin'en's eyes, which were glowing brightly with his essence and power.
Shin'en spoke sternly, his eyes glowed brighter, "Recite…the oath." his eyes suddenly dimmed, and the orb sitting in the palm of his hand began to float between his fingertips, and his essence poured within the orb.
Meanwhile, Naruto's eyes suddenly glowed brightly, before dimming back to his cerulean blue color.
On the side, Hiruzen tried to move, tried to say something, anything.
But all he could do was tremble.
Naruto meanwhile, bowed his head…and spoke, "I, Naruto Uzumaki, kneel here before you, God of the Abyss, and ask of you to grant my wish. I offer in return, my willing and undying loyalty, to you, and only you…forevermore."
Shin'en smiled as the orb glowed bright with his energies, "I accept your price, Naruto Uzumaki…" his essence wrapping around the orb as it floated off his hand, and hovered downward, floating just in front of Naruto. Shin'en looked upon Naruto as he reached towards the orb with a single index finger, "…your wish…is granted." and with a single gentle push of his finger, pushes the orb into Naruto's forehead, where it simply faded into his skin.
Shin'en retracted his hand, placing it behind his back…and watched.
Naruto simply kneeled there, his eyes looking forward, and he blinked but once.
Suddenly, and without warning, that all changed.
"Agghhhh!" With a throw of his head, Naruto leaned back, and let out a guttural scream of agony.
At the same time, an explosion of power erupted from his body, cracking and demolishing the very landscape around him as cracks and waves of soil and stone were thrown about.
The ANBU commander, who had come to the sudden release of the Kyuubi's chakra screamed, "Scatter!" and quickly jumped out of the way of flying debris.
ANBU, Jonin, Chunin, and even Genin jumped out of the way as they tried to avoid being impaled.
One Jonin was too slow as he tried to shove his comrade out of the way, "Get going no-HUURGH!" and suddenly, a spike of stone pierced through his eye, right through his brain.
The Jonin who had been shoved out of the way screamed, "No!" and foolishly reached for them, "Agghh!" only for them to get smashed by a large chunk of debris, flattening them against their ground.
This scene was repeated all across the area, the only one standing tall against the onslaught of sudden power, was the Abyssal God standing not three feet from the powers source, a smirk gracing their features as they watched the events before him unfold.
Suddenly, and without warning, the energy that had been released stopped its thrashing, and was swiftly drawn back towards the source, stabbing into him like a thousand white hot needles, burning their way into his flesh.
As the power he had so recently released charged back into his body, Naruto stood up fully, clenching his entire body as agony unlike any other he had felt in his life exploded throughout his body.
Naruto either did not notice, or did not care, as the energy began to crawl across his skin, burning it down to every last surface of skin. The burnt char of his flesh traveled up his body, covering his legs, abdomen, back, and chest.
As his body burned in agony, he opened his mouth to let loose a silent scream…before it too suffered the same fate.
As the Shinobi were picking themselves up, one amongst them was staring in horror at the scene before her, Kushina Namikaze, her eyes were wide as they strained to stay open. She could not bear to see her child in such a state.
She quickly stood up and shouted, "Release my son now monster!"
Shin'en turned his attention to her, and smirked, allowing a cruel chuckle to escape his lips, "Son? This is your son…the same child moments ago that you intended to slay upon blessed swords?" he waved his hand.
One of the swords, still impaled in the ground suddenly ripped itself out and shot towards Kushina.
Kushina sneered at Shin'en, "How dare yo-" she stopped in her tracks as suddenly, she felt cold steel press against her throat. Glancing to the side, her eyes widened as she saw one of the swords…her sword…pressed against her throat, with nobody wielding it. It was just…floating there.
Shin'en continued to chuckle, "The same child, that you intended to reduce to ashes with the 'cleansing fires'…of your self righteous hate?!" he flicked his wrist as his chuckling turned into laughter.
The blade pressed against Kushina's throat began to disintegrate, began to turn to dust, until its physical form had been purged from existence.
Kushina's eyes were wide with fear and despair as she looked at Shin'en, who had easily calmed himself from his laughter.
Shin'en smirked at her, "Oh no, Kushina…"
Kushina's eyes widened, how did this man know her name?
"…you had your chance to be his mother, many moons ago…and you threw it away without a second thought…"
Meanwhile, as Shin'en speaks, the surface of Naruto's charred skin began to crack, arcing across the surface of the broken flesh, an unearthly, an unnatural glow erupting from behind each crack, as the char across his eyes, mouth, and nostrils swiftly disintegrated, and the same glow erupted forth like a roaring fire.
Kushina stared in horror at what she was seeing, while Shin'en seemed to give a pleased grin as he turned towards Kushina, "And now…"
The charred skin on Naruto's body began to fall off in large chunks, crashing to the ground, turning into dust.
"Your son…"
The glowing energies beneath the charred flesh intensified, his eyes, mouth, and nostrils like a tiny of unholy essence as the charred skin fell off again and again, lighting up the empty night.
Shin'en roared with a pleased grin, "Is mine!"
'BOOM' an explosion erupted forth from Naruto, a storm of light and his disintegrated flesh exploding outward.
"Aaaghhh!" Shinobi clutched at their eyes as they were too foolish to look away as the light burned their retinas, as if a fire was set loose inside of their eyes.
Kushina had been smart enough to cover her eyes, no matter how much she did not want to look away.
As quickly as the explosion had come, it had disappeared.
Kushina slowly uncovered her eyes, as did everyone else as they looked to where Naruto was.
Their eyes widened in shock as they saw the figure standing where Naruto had been moments before.
Standing tall, his head bowed, was a figure whose skin was fair, a luminous, but, inhuman white color. This fair complexion wrapped around a physical build unlike anything ever conceived by mortals. His abdominal muscles were firm, gently pressing out, while the muscles on his chest were neither too robust, nor too small. His shoulders were wide, accentuating his impressive appearance. His face was round, but the soft child-like parts of the face were nowhere to be found, replaced by sharp and regal edges that screamed 'regal' in every possible manner. His eyes, instead of the cerulean blue of Naruto, were a shade of blue that seemed like an endless void just from staring into them, whilst his pupils were the darkest and deepest onyx any mortal had ever seen, and unlike anything mortals could hope to recreate. Finally, his hair, no trace of the golden blond locks of Naruto Uzumaki, instead, his hair was white as snow, with black highlights framing the edges of his long hair, which retained a certain spiky form, with two jaw length bangs trailing along his jawline.
Most noticeably, the man was nude, his decency only being held by a cloud of dark and unnatural energies that smoked about his body, covering his lower body.
The energies of the abyss.
But none of this compared to the one thing that drew the attention of all present.
His right arm…
While at first, both arms were the same, each one sporting biceps with such obvious strength within them, that even the strongest Shinobi felt weak simply by looking upon them…that is where the similarities ended. Where his left arm was strong and firm, the hand being perfectly formed, while each finger ended with a slight hook in each nail.
The right arm was inhuman in every way.
Starting at the elbow, a black armor, its form a mixture or organic and inorganic form, wrapped around his arm. Through the back of the unholy looking appendage, a glow of energies, a tone of color that could only be described as being red like liquid fire, glowed out from a vein-like crack in the armor, which neatly arced off to the sides at even intervals. In the center of the glowing vein, sat a single circular sphere which floated in the liquid fire of the arm, a single burning red slit down the middle of it. The vein continued up to the back of the hand, where it suddenly stopped, the black armor wrapping around the fingers, but ceasing just before it reached the middle of each digit, instead of black armor, the liquid fire in his very arm took a solid shape, and each finger was replaced with a dastardly claw.
The man fell to his knees, his breathing heavy as the energies of the abyss snaked across his body.
Shin'en seemed to give a knowing smile, and he spoke, "Arise Naruto…Champion of the Abyss…"
The eyes of all present widened in shock as they looked upon the man who had appeared in Naruto's place.
That was Naruto?
Naruto slowly looked up, and after getting into a kneeling position, he pushed himself up as commanded, and bowed his head before Shin'en…
His God…
His master…
"I live to serve you, Lord Shin'en."
Sigh...ok, we are going to say this once and clearly...
Hakkyou no Yami and I worked tirelessly through computer issues, work schedules, amongst other things to bring out this chapter. If it were not for computer issues, this chapter would have been done weeks ago, if it were not for work schedules, even sooner than that, and if it were not for the other things...enough said.
The point is, that despite you anger at us for taking so long for us to update these stories...understand that we have lives that need to be lived, such as working, going to school, and trying to write this story out in a manner that is cohesive and makes sense. Would you prefer that we just throw out any random crap that came into our heads? Of course not, if we just threw random crap it, it would not matter how often we updated, NONE of you would read it. So please, bare with us as we make the stories tolerable to read ok?
As for the cliffhanger...ok, I am almost willing to bet most of the people reading this read the old version of the story, so after reading through the first parts of the story, you knew what was going to happen. To those who did not read the old version, I am sorry if the cliffhanger annoys you, but if we wrote any further than what we did with this chapter, it would soon grow to a hundred pages long. This was the quickest way we could end the chapter without making it longer and producing an unnecessary amount of complaints about the chapters length.
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This has been dracohalo117 and Hakkyou no Yami...stay tuned for our next update.