Rebirth of the 4
A Naruto Darksiders Crossover
Written by Silent Soul Ken
Rating: M for Mature
Reason: Blood, Violence, Gore, Language
Summary: The legendary Four Horsemen are dead and the angels and demons fight from realm to realm destroying them. The Charred council has no choice but to bring back the four but they only have enough power for one… War…

Prologue

The Charred Council watched from their flaming realm as yet another realm fell to the war of heaven and hell. "Now that the horsemen have perished, we no longer have our enforcers to ensure the stability of order and balance." One council member said in an angered tone.

"And our power is dwindling with each lost realm. How are we to restore the balance if we have no one to act as our hand?" The second ask.

"We must reinstate the horsemen again." Stated the last member after a bit of thinking.

"But we only have enough power for one. The others must be found by whoever we choose as our first. And wouldn't that take time?" The second asked.

"It is better that we have one then none!" The last shouted.

"Who would be able to muster the power of a horseman? Even the bare minimum will destroy whoever wields it… besides, if an angel or demon received this power, they would have no reason to listen to us." The first gripped.

"Then we use a human." The last said.

"Where would we find humans?" The second asked.

"There are many realms and one of them is bound to have humans inhabiting it… we only guarded one realm, but there are several. We must look to find a new War." The third said.

"Very well…" The first said. The flames then dimmed as a view appeared, and suddenly, they were zooming through the cosmos, stopping to see a world in one realm, only to discard it and continue looking. They had searched several realms, and frustration was clear as the flames crackled and flared. "This is a waste of time! We will not find a suitable replacement for War! And even if we did, the human would have to physically build their body to fit the part of War!" The first snarled.

"There are a few more realms left… we must see if they hold what we need. And as for having needed to fit the part, humans, if given time, could surpass expectations…" The last said.

"Then patience is needed?" The second asked.

"My patience is thin!" The first growled.

"Very well. This is the last… if not, then we are doomed regardless." The last stated after a bit more of searching.

The final realm came to view, and the council not only found what they were searching for, but more. It was a realm of humans who had tapped into their own primitive source of magic, and could use this magic for bending the world around them. If they had to estimate, this culture of humans would be 3 steps below from their own appointed time of Apocalypse. At their current state, the strongest of these humans could probably face the lesser demons in a straight up fight; however, they would not be a match for the Greater demons. If the council had to estimate, it wouldn't be until another 5 centuries until this kingdom was ready to participate in the war of Heaven and Hell. However, seeing as the battles are slowly seeping into each realm, and no Horsemen to keep to these forces in check, this realm will never the get the chance, and would eventually turn out as the first realm's humans did. In fact, by what the council could tell, demons have already taken a foothold into this realm, and though these demons were more animal like than usual, the council could feel their very presence in this realm of man.

Because of this, the council realized that they needed to find the candidate for their horsemen before any more Demons could take notice of this realm, and began to seek out a human with a soul that most closely resembles War's own, the closer to the original, the easier for the human to be forged into the new horsemen.

They searched and looked, peering into the souls of everyone they passed, until they came upon a village surrounded by trees, and having been torn by the signs of battle.

"I sense him… he is here within the village…" The third stated.

"About time… Hurry up and reveal him already…" The first snapped.

"I wonder what kind of warrior he will turn out to be?" the Second inquired.

It had just finished raining in the village hidden within the leaves, and the citizens had just finished up mourning the killed in action, mainly the death of their beloved third Hokage, who gave their lives in the conflict to force their enemies to retreat. The village was in disrepair, and many citizens, both common and Shinobi, were contributing their part to repair the damage done to their village during the invasion. Many lives had been taken, and the past few days had been spent in mourning, but the village of the Hidden leaf was one that believed in the will of Fire, and as such, knew that it was time to move on and push forward.

Running along the streets of Konoha was a young man with spikey blonde hair, blue eyes, whisker like scars on the sides of his cheeks, and wearing a matching pair of an orange jacket and pants, heading toward his home after a long day of training. This was Naruto Uzumaki, an orphan of twelve years of age, a young Genin of Konoha, and the container of the powerful demon, the Kyuubi. All of Naruto's life, he had been forced to face every challenge that came his way alone, standing alone, with no one to hold his hand or stand with him, facing the trials and tribulations alone. Despite this, Naruto has become a young man who is fearless in the face of any adversity or hardships, a young man who will fight for what he believes is right and would never waver or retreat from any force that came against him, a young man who is so greatly stubborn, that if even his body was to be eviscerated and destroyed, he would still refuse surrender. The village truly didn't understand the treasure they had in Naruto, and though his body and mind lacked experience, his heart was already a great warrior, a great hero. He had the soul of potential greatness.

Which was probably why he easily drew the attention of the Charred Council, as the Horseman War was very much like this young man.

"This is our Horsemen?! He is but a child!" The first yelled out.

"Young he may be... however, his soul's being matches that of War's… and he shows great untapped potential." The third stated.

"Is he truly worthy of the position of War?" The second questioned.

"We do not have time to search for another candidate… the other kingdoms are fast approaching this realm!" The first commented.

"Then he must be made into the new War, this last realm and the Balance depends on it." The third stated.

Darksiders: Rebirth of the Four

Naruto had just finished training for the day, and was heading home to change into comfortable clothing, and to then head to the ramen stand to eat. Naruto had managed to convince Kakashi to try and teach him how to do the Chidori technique like Sasuke, however, the lecture went over Naruto's head, and he missed the finer details of the requirements for the technique. As such, it resulted in Naruto wasting more chakra then what was needed, fuming it out like smoke from a chimney, and never even came close to forming anything noticeable for the Jutsu. If Naruto had paid attention, he would have heard as Kakashi explained that Naruto would have needed the right type of chakra elemental affinity to pull it off properly. Well, despite the frustration Naruto faced trying to perform the technique, he was still in a good mood due to the fact that his team was actually starting to notice him, and see him as more than the goof ball kid he was back in the academy. Naruto smiled, happy to have finally gotten that much from someone. Now that just left the rest of the village, and a butt load of jutsu to learn, and he would be Hokage yet.

Deciding to take a shortcut down a back alley to get home sooner, he suddenly stopped as right there in front of him was an odd sight. It looked like a ring of fire on the ground, however, in the middle of the ring was a flaming hole that continued down into an abyss. Before Naruto could think on it any further, a flaming hand suddenly shot out of the hole, and though Naruto's now honed Ninja skills allowed him to react in time to dodge back, he still wasn't fast enough, as the flaming hand managed to grab ahold of the collar of his orange jacket, and with such great force, managed to pull him into the flaming ring, Naruto barely having a moment to yell before the ring closed in on itself.

Naruto yelled as he was dragged through a tunnel of flames, the heat near blistering, to the point that Naruto was forced to shut his eyes as the hot air blew into his face. He squint his eyes open just in time as he came out of the portal, and made contact with the ground.

Naruto brought his hand to his head, shaking off the inertia he had felt, and the brought his other hand to the ground to push himself up, getting to his knees and elbows. He finally regained his senses, and then Naruto opened his eyes to a hellish sight, as it quite frankly did look like he descended into hell.

"Huh?! Where am I? Don't tell me I died and ended up here!" Naruto yelled out.

"Silence mortal!" A voice boomed behind him. Naruto then turned to see three giant rock formations shaped like faces with gaping maws and angry eyes filled with fire and flames. "You are before the Charred Council, and will speak when spoken to!" The first head spoke.

"He is scrawny and short… are you sure he is the one to take up the mantle of War?" The second questioned.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto inquired.

Flames suddenly erupted from the first idol which was followed by an exploding voice so great, it caused Naruto to lose his footing. "BE SILENT CHILD! WE HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR TOO LONG AND OUR PATIENCE IS THIN!"

Naruto managed to regain his footing, but then registered what the statue had said. "Searching? What for?"

"Right now, your world is on the brink of destruction…" The third solemnly stated.

"What? What the hell are you talking about!?" Naruto yelled out, now feeling concerned.

"As we speak… armies of angels and demons are battling, their war slowly drifting to this world! It will be their next battleground!" The first answered.

What these statues were talking about was unbelievable by anyone's standards, especially for someone who lives in the realm of Shinobi where someone could claim to be a phantom, a monster, or even a god, but have it turn out to be a sort of unheard of Jutsu, and propaganda to drive fear into the hearts of anyone who see and hear. Naruto, despite how gullible he is, would unfortunately fall in the first category. "Angels and… look, I don't know who you guys are, or even care what you want with me… just send me back home now so I can go and eat some Ramen…" stated off hand.

"If you don't bother to hear us out, the threat will still come, and your world will fall to ruin, and everyone you care for will either suffer or perish…" The third stated.

Naruto paused at that. "What do you mean?"

"We are the Charred council, and we have been charged with ensuring that balance remains…" The third commented.

"However… the Balance has been destroyed due to a plot! In order to restore the balance, we would send our enforcers to punish those that would break this treaty… however, they were destroyed and lost!" The first yelled out.

"So… You now know what we intend to ask?" The second inquired.

"Umm… no… not really…" Naruto answered dumbly.

"Not too bright, is he?" The second asked.

"A fool like him would inefficient!" The first bellowed out.

"He has time before they arrive, and with time comes wisdom and understanding. Besides, it is a simple matter to instill knowledge when needed." The third commented.

Naruto didn't like that they were saying such things in front of him without the slightest bit of respect. "HEY! DON'T GO TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE!" Naruto yelled out to catch their attention, his hands balled into fists.

There was a moment of silence, before the third began to speak again. "To put it plainly, you are to act as a replacement for our fallen enforcers."

The moment Naruto heard that, he already knew of his answer, as he had more important things to take care of then to act as someone's enforcer. It's hard enough trying to get the recognition of the village. "What? I can't do that… I've got my own life and dream to accomplish!" he yelled out.

"And you can accomplish this dream without people or civilization I imagine?" the Second asked.

"Well… I uh…" Naruto stuttered, unsure how to answer that.

"ENOUGH! You must choose now! Become a horsemen, or perish with your world and people!" the first yelled out.

Naruto then tried to think of a way that would offer him a way out of this responsibility. A thought then occurred to him. "If Angels and Demons are fighting… wouldn't that mean that by the time they get to my world, they'll have less troops then when they started, right? I'm sure that a Shinobi could probably fight them off at that point, right?"

"Do you really believe they are not aware of this?" the second asked.

Naruto then thought about that. "Wait, what will they do?"

"The same thing we are doing now… except, they will not grant the option of choice…" the Third answered.

"Wait a second… you mean they'll be forcing people to go to war?! They can't do that!" Naruto yelled out, now feeling desperate.

"They can and they will, Mortal! If you do not become a Horseman, then you have no chance of protecting your race!" The first stated.

Naruto began to think very deeply on this, deeper than he ever did in his life, especially since the fate of his world now depended on this decision. "If I do this… I won't be able to become Hokage… I'll be giving up on my lifelong dream. However… if I don't…" Naruto then began to think about all those who have started to notice him, to see him for the real him. His precious people. "then all those who matter to me will end up paying the price.." Naruto then looked to the council, his eyes harden with resolve. "Are these guys really stronger than a Shinobi? Is me accepting this position you offer the only way to ensure the safety of my world?"

"The strongest of your people would be enough to face the lowest of demons… but any stronger, and they will perish within seconds… unless a demon would make it sport…" the third advised.

Naruto's eyes widened at that. The strongest of them wouldn't even be enough? Naruto now knew that he had to do this, or else all that he had worked and protected for would fade. "Then…" he hesitated, but then steeled his resolve. "fine… I'll accept."

"Then come forth our new horsemen…" the first bellowed out, chains suddenly appearing and shooting out at Naruto, wrapping around his arms and legs, lifting him up in the air. "Come forth our new 'War!'"

"Hey, What the…?" Naruto yelled in surprise.

"This is not a painless process… in order to become War, your body will need to be… readjusted…" the third stated.

"Wait, What?!" Naruto yelled out, slightly nervous now.

Suddenly, the chains stopped lifting Naruto into the air. "Hold it!" the first yelled out, and Naruto was then brought closer to the statue. "I sense a demonic presence within the child!"

"A demon within a human? What sorcery is this?" The second questioned.

"It seems they have used their primitive magic to make this boy a container to better control the demon…" The third commented.

The area suddenly began to rumble. "We cannot have our new War be swayed by a demon's presence… it must be removed!" The first demanded.

Then, from below, a fiery hand emerged and position and leveled in front of Naruto's stomach. Rearing back, it then stabbed into Naruto's gut, Naruto screaming as it burns into him. Then, it began to withdraw, pulling on something. As it did, a red glowing orb came out with tendrils still being pulled from Naruto, and when it was fully pulled out, the hand tossed the orb in front of the council. The orb then lay there, and soon, cracks appeared until it finally burst apart, and from the orb, the Kyuubi appeared in a shrunken form. Instead of its towering mass, it was now at least the size of Naruto.

"What the? But how?" Naruto was in shock. He never thought he would see the day that he would see the Kyuubi outside of his mindscape. That he would see the day that the burden placed upon him at birth would ever be lifted. Sadly, he was exchanging one burden for another.

At that moment, more chains then appeared again, and hastily wrapped around the demon fox to restrain him.

"W-What the hell! What's going on? Where the hell am I?!" The fox yelled out in surprise. The fox then struggled in its restraints, and after a bit, took notice of Naruto. "The brat? What are you…?" The fox then took notice of the flaming stone statues of the council. "What… are you…? Wait!" The Kyuubi then closed its eyes, images flying through its head of when it was one being, when it was the Juubi, a great being with horns and fire, and the image it saw was being hurled into a flaming portal, losing its power, its strength… and then… "The Charred Council…" At this, the Kyuubi curled its lips.

"You know of us demon?" the Second questioned.

"Not me personally, no… my original form did though… before it was sent into a portal that sent it across time and space, losing its power so that it wasn't even a shadow of its original self… What reason am I here for? Last I remembered, I was stuck inside the brat!" Kyuubi questioned.

"You are not of our interest…" The first stated with little care. "You are but an annoyance… now that the child is no longer under the sway of the demon, let us begin…"

The chains that were wrapped around Naruto began to lift upwards, and moved Naruto toward the pool of lava that surrounded the area.

Naruto then began to panic as he started to be slowly lowered into the molten liquid. "Wait a sec! Hold on! I can't survive in Lava, I'll burn up! Can't we talk this over?! Isn't there another way?!"

"Do you ever shut up?" The second questioned, just before Naruto was instantly dunked into the liquid magma, yelling in agony before being muffled.

Kyuubi unintentionally stared in horror at Naruto's suffering. Having its life dependent on the brat's had made the Kyuubi a bit concerned for Naruto's survival, and seeing him dunked in lava made it fear for its own existence.

"Wait! Stop! Don't destroy him!" Kyuubi yelled out in a panic.

"BE SILENT DEMON! This holds no concern for you!" The first one yelled.

"You have nothing to fear… the bond in which you and the human had shared has been severed. Now let us concentrate." The third stated.

"Oh… why didn't you say so…?" Kyuubi stated nonchalantly.

There then came a few wild splashes in the lava as something was desperately trying to reach the surface, followed by the screeching sound of a body's inside's steaming and boiling. Then suddenly, a blackened skeleton with chains on the wrists shot out of the magma, flames licking at the final remnants of flesh, the skeleton shaking in agony before slowly sinking back down.

Then, the chains began to pull up, becoming taught as it lifted the cargo from the lava. What the chains pulled out was a large molten rock, which hardened into a baseless form as it left the liquid fire and crashed into the ground with a heavy thud.

"Awaken our new HORSEMEN! ARISE WAR!" The first commanded.

The rock then began to become riddled with cracks, and soon began to break apart. Then, with great force, the shards of rock blew off with such concussive force, that Kyuubi had to cover its eyes.

When Kyuubi opened its eyes to see what came out, they widened. Standing in the center of the debris was Naruto, but changed somewhat. On his legs, he had on a pair of armored footing and leggings, and a red sash wrapped around his waist. His chest was now bare, with a symbol of an upward facing crescent with a line running through it. On his right hand was a metallic fingerless bracer which covered all the way to his elbow and on his left hand was a much larger gauntlet with claws, the glove twice the size of Naruto's normal hand. On his shoulders, he had on two pauldrons, one that had a spike on it, the other that had an angry face on it. Connected to these pauldrons was a tattered red hooded cloak, which flowed down Naruto's back. Naruto's face was pretty much the same except now the whisker marks that once marred his face were now gone, replaced by a symbol that was on his forehead, an upside down version of the symbol on his chest. His hair had lengthened spiking out even more with two long strands going down to the base of his neck. Finally, the final detail and change was that his pupils were still blue, but he now had a white aura glow that came from his eyes. Other than these changes, he was still the same Naruto. Save for the occasional difference's Naruto was the same however he was slightly more built than before possibly to support the armor on his body. Naruto stared down at his hands, shocked to see his new form.

"Woah…" Naruto stated, a bit speechless. He flexed his fingers and arms as he did he felt a force inside of him boiling inside. He examined his large gauntleted hand on the back of the hand the gauntlet had a moaning face on it. He looked at his body noting the symbols.

"Now comes the matter of what to do with this demon…" The third commented, the attention now turning toward Kyuubi.

"BAH! We do not have time to bother with this! Just eradicate its soul!" The first suggested.

Kyuubi's eyes widened at that. "Wait! Don't do that! Please!" They Kyuubi struggled in its restraints, and even attempted to blast off destructive balls of condensed chakra toward the council, but nothing was working as the attack would dissipate before it even hit, and its struggles were fruitless as the chains held tight. A hand of flames appeared, and slowly moved toward the struggling Kyuubi, when suddenly…

"Wait!" Naruto yelled out. Naruto has always resented being saddled with the Kyuubi since the day he was born, as having it has always been more trouble than it was worth, and he was greatly overjoyed with having the over powerful fur ball removed once and for all. And yet, he didn't feel right about resigning the Kyuubi's soul to eternal oblivion. "Isn't there something else you guys can do aside from destroying it? I mean, if you guys are powerful enough to bind it against its will, don't you think you could instead hire it as something to work under you?" Amazingly, Naruto had thought that up on the fly, and was articulating it to the best of his ability, knowing full well that the Kyuubi's fate rested in the decision of the council.

"Hmm… the mortal makes a good point…" The third commented. "Very well… the demon shall now follow the ruling of the council… or else suffer fading into nothing…"

"I guess it's better than ceasing to exist…" Kyuubi stated.

The Flaming hand then reached out and grabbed the Kyuubi, ripping it from the chains suspending it in midair.

"Horsemen! Since you made the suggestion… you shall be charged with working alongside the demon from this point forward!" The first commanded.

"Wait! What?/Wait! What?" Both Naruto and the Kyuubi spoke as one in shock.

"The Demon holds great knowledge and wisdom beyond your short existence… so now you may call upon it for advisement should you need it. Also, he will make sure you remain obedient to the will of the council…" The third stated.

In that instant, the flaming hand then began to compress the Kyuubi into the red orb again. The hand then lowered down toward Naruto, and slammed the orb into Naruto's left gauntlet, causing Naruto to wince from a searing pain in his left arm. Instantly, the metal of the Gauntlet then changed to an orange-red color, and reshaped into a metallic claw similar to the Kyuubi's own.

"You can't saddle me with this brat again! It's not fair!" Kyuubi yelled.

"Great! I'm the Kyuubi's keeper again… I just had to open my big mouth!" Naruto complained.

"Silence!" the First yelled, causing Naruto to jump back in surprise. "You made the suggestion Horsemen, so you take responsibility!" The first yelled to Naruto. He then turned his attention to Kyuubi. "And would you prefer we have your soul dissipated instead Demon?"

"Fine!/Fine!" Both Naruto and Kyuubi exclaimed.

"Before you go, you will need a weapon… however, you are not yet strong enough to wield Chaoseater, the sword of your predecessor War. We will give you this instead…"The third said. From the ground, cracks appeared, and from it, lava boiled upward, and a sword began to appear, the hilt coming up first. Naruto reached for it and grabbed the hilt, and he pulled it out to reveal a large sword about as wide as his torso and as long as his arm. "This sword is Bloodchaos… it is… a unique sword that will grow in strength and size with its wielder till it is the same as Chaoseater… However, its power will be nowhere near Chaoseaters… Think of it as… a practice sword…" the third said.

"Also you must learn of your duties Horseman! Your task for now is simple! You must go and find other mortals to become the other three horsemen!" The first shouted.

"What? Why do I have to do this?" Naruto snarled. "Don't you have the power to find the others, and make them like you did me!?" Naruto yelled, holding up the sword and pointing it at them.

"SILENCE! Do not question the Council! If you wish to save your world, you will need the other three! Alone, your power is not enough to face the oncoming onslaught, but with the other three horsemen, will be able to rout those who challenge you!"the first bellowed.

"We will give you their weapons… you may use them in combat if needed… when you find the other replacements for the Horsemen, you must hand them their weapons and give them four trials… What those trials are, we will leave to you to decide, and when the time comes, we will grant you knowledge of the other three to best test them… does that sound hard?"the second asked. Naruto bared his teeth but kept his lips silent.

"We will impart you knowledge of the horsemen as they were when they lived, and you must find those that would best match their very souls…" The third said. The fires glowed and became blue, and then smoke came forward and began to swirl around Naruto and it flew to his head, Naruto inhaling the smoke instinctively. As he did, images flashed through his head; a thin man with a skull mask holding a scythe in his hand. The man took the scythe and he split it into two separate scythes, holding them in a reverse grip. He slashed and attacked quickly. He then combined the two to make a larger scythe to attack with, and sometimes a figure appeared behind him, and it would attack, sending enemies flying. He saw a woman with long purple hair. She wore a gauntlet in one hand and wielded a whip in the other. She was surrounded by several creatures. She flourished her whip, and then began to attack. Her whip was quick and deadly as it quickly knocked groups of enemies away. She moved it with a clear angry force, each strike making the ground explode, sending rocks into the air to rain down. Any enemy that evaded the whip and attempted to get in close, she attacked. She punched, kicked, kneed, grabbed and slammed any that avoided the whip. She then saw a large enemy, and moving her whip side to side, she sent the whip at the enemy. It didn't do much and the enemy eventually grabbed it.

She smirked, pulled slightly, the whip extended, and then she gripped tightly and flew toward the enemy. She held up her gauntlet, and suddenly a large hand appeared and grabbed the enemies head. The enemy grabbed the hand, trying to pull it off but the woman landed on his shoulder, her hand still held up. She then jumped and moved her hand up, the enemy rising up with her. Then, she brought it down, and the enemy fell and crashed into the ground. She hovered a few seconds, and spinning, she punched the ground where the enemy was. The large fist then slammed down into the enemy, and she landed and then retracted her whip and smirked. She walked away, putting the whip on her waist.

A man walked forward. He had a long scarf that was tattered at the end. He had a metal mask with glowing eyes; he looked utterly normal, save the fact that his lower arms and hands were covered in metal. On his waist were two strange items that Naruto had never seen, and the man was surrounded. He grabbed the items from his waist, and holding them level to his enemies, fire spat from the ends of the items. The enemies then had large chunks blown out of them, some missing legs arm with a single burst of flame, others literately decapitated in a bloody mess. He then jerked his hands and something popped out the side of the item, strange pods that fell out, and he then took out another strange pod and put the things back in the item. However, the enemies took advantage of this timeframe, and were rapidly on him. He spun the items in his hands, and then put them to his waist and got into a fighting stance. He waited, and then he began to attack quickly, punching and kicking the enemies with such rapid precision, it was almost impossible to see. Naruto saw him grab the items and occasionally making them burst out flames in combo as he fought. He then began to spin, getting his hands on the ground, his legs then outstretched, kicking the enemies away. He then flipped forward, landing on his feet, and he then jumped up and grabbed both the items and put them together, and the items began to change and merged together to form another strange weapon. It looked like a rod, but the inside was hollow. He held it up, and energy gathered around the front end, and then a large energy blast shot out and crashed into the ground, and the enemies were sent flying, burned and/or missing body parts. He landed on the ground and spun the items in his hand, and then placed them on his waist, and he walked away, his scarf flowing behind him in the wind.

"I see you are confused… what is it?" The second asked.

"What was that last weapon? I've never seen it before." Naruto said.

"Humans called them guns… they are weapons of great power, and they have the potential to fell even the mightiest of beasts with one shot… you will be imparted the knowledge of them… that will come later… Time is short… however, we will grant you one day of solace… do what you must in that time, for you will not get another chance to do it…" The last spoke.

"Now Go Horsemen! Prepare for the oncoming horde that shall descend upon your world!" the first commanded. The flaming hand then reached down to Naruto's chest, and pushed him into a flaming portal that materialized behind him.

-Konoha, an Alley-

Naruto stumbled back, the portal closing after. He looked around. He was in a dark alley from what he saw, and the buildings were repaired. He was surprised… how long was he gone? He looked at Bloodchaos, and he placed the blade on his back, where it magically lodged into place. He then walked forward, and not wanting people to recognize him, he grabbed the hood with his smaller hand and pulled it up over his head. It effectively casted his face into a shadow, the only noticeable indication was the glowing eyes and the symbol on his forehead. He walked forward, his armor clinking with every step, and he came into a street and looked around. From where he stood, he could see a majority of the buildings were fixed, but there were quite a few buildings still hollow, as builders made the foundations, but had not the time for the building. Naruto looked to see people walking down the street, and saw quite a few looking at him suspiciously. He ignored them, and began to walk, heading to his apartment. He silently continued, listening to people mingle. As he walked, he stopped at a dango shop to hear some jounin talking. Moving, he leaned against a pole and listened.

"Did you hear? Lord Jiraiya brought back Lady Tsunade, and she became hokage!" A man said.

"Yeah, but he was really hurt, and Shizune-sama is still unconscious." Another said.

"Well, even he has his limits. I still don't understand though what he meant. He said if only that brat was still around, he would've had a better chance of bringing her back without complications." The man said. Naruto felt a pang of guilt creep up in him. No doubt the old perv was talking about him, but the question in his head then rang again. How long had he been gone?

"However, she's not doing a good job of being Hokage, is she?" The first man said.

"Well, it's better than having no Hokage. Shizune-sama was always dutiful… if there would be a way to cure her, than maybe things would be better." The second said.

"Cure her? What's the problem?" The first asked.

"Shizune-sama was hit with an unknown poison… it is taking all our medics to keep her stabilized." The second said.

"Hmm… that is a problem." The first said. Naruto closed his eyes, and he then opened them, and walked away, heading for the hospital. As he walked, his mind tingled, and he heard a voice.

"Where are you going?" Came the Kyuubi's hateful voice.

"I'm going to heal that woman," Naruto said.

"Do you even know what you are doing?" The Kyuubi asked.

"I'd rather go and try something than to sit back and do nothing." Naruto replied. With that, he began to run, his bulky armored form not as fast as before, but fast enough that he was able to reach the hospital within minutes. He looked up and slowed his pace, and he then walked forward, pushing the doors open and entering. He then looked around, and he could see several people there looking to get healed by a nurse or doctor, many of whom were not present. As he walked forward, a few turned to look at him, but he ignored them and went to the doctor's table, and using his small hand, he grabbed the patients book and flipped through it, looking for the name Shizune, which he found in room 208. He knew that room. It was for intensive care, and was usually guarded. He would have to take care of the guards. He closed the book, and walked into the hall, heading for the room.

-200 hall-

Naruto stepped forward. He could see the guards at several doors. He walked forward, and two of the guards watched him go by, and then they stepped from their post and followed him. Naruto kept walking, ignoring them, and then he stopped as the guards from in front stepped up to him. "Who are you and what business do you have here?" The one in front said.

"I wish to see Shizune… I believe I can help her." Naruto said.

"What method would this be?" One guard behind asked. Naruto could hear the shifting of their feet.

"Does it matter? I might be able to save her, isn't that enough to go in?" Naruto asked.

"No it isn't… you should leave now before things get ugly." One in front said. Naruto heard a sword unsheathed and that the others were grabbing a kunai. Naruto closed his eyes.

"I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't move, I will make you…" Naruto said, opening his eyes which glowed brightly. They then attacked. Naruto turned so that his pauldrons blocked the incoming attacks; he then sent his arms out, his big fist slamming into the ones that had been behind him. They grunted and blood spurted from their lips as his gauntlet sunk into their skin. They both crumpled and fell. Naruto's other hand hit one, and then he raised and punched the other, making him spin onto the ground. Naruto looked. The two that had been hit by his big gauntlet were bleeding and moaning. The one by his smaller one looked unconscious, but fine. "This gauntlet… isn't for show… I should be careful with it." Naruto said. He then saw several other Shinobi ready to fight him. Instinct took over as he suddenly slid forward and punched a Shinobi with his small hand and blocked attacks with the large gauntlet. He continued to punch and even kicked, tripped, punted, and even stomped his opponents. By the time Naruto dealt with the last one, there was a pile of unconscious or wounded Shinobi around him. He looked at his hands, which were bloody, but he knew they weren't dead; they were grievously wounded, but would survive. He wondered if he was doing more than good now.

He walked forward, making sure not to step on their fallen bodies, and he reached the door. He placed a hand to open the door, but found it locked. Angered, he kicked the door in, and it flew off the hinges and clattered into the room. He saw a large open space, and in the center was a woman lying on the ground where intricate patterns surrounded her, a Jutsu, and around it were three circles where three men sat, glowing green energy flowing from them into the woman. They turned to see Naruto, their Jutsu evaporating. They jumped in front of Shizune in a ready fighting stance. "An assassin!" They shouted. Naruto walked forward, and they charged at him. He lazily knocked them away, sending them falling to the ground. He approached the woman and looked at her. She had short black hair and was dressed only in a sheet. He saw the sweat pouring from her face, and heard her lungs wheeze as they tried to draw air.

"Do you even know how to heal someone with advance poisoning?" The Kyuubi asked. Naruto was silent his eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

"No…" He said angrily.

"Useless… well I've been poking through my memories and I remembered a healing spell… however, since you don't have the magic energy yet, I'll use your life force." The Kyuubi said. Naruto was about to ask, when his gauntlet glowed, and his hand jerked up. Naruto grunted as his hand got hot, and then from it, a figure appeared. It was the Kyuubi, however, he only had an upper torso, and his form had changed. He was now thinner than before, and he had hands. The ears had shrunk slightly, and his face was more humanoid, but still distinctly a fox's. The Kyuubi turned to the woman and examined her, and he then floated forward. "You're risking your life for a woman you don't know? Tch I'll never understand you." the Kyuubi said.

"I'm grateful for that." Naruto said.

"Shut up… I need to concentrate!" the Kyuubi said, and he held up both hands, which glowed with blue light. As it did, Naruto grunted as he felt his strength drain from him slightly. He clutched his chest where his heart was thumping rapidly. Naruto then felt it stop, and he looked to see the Kyuubi push the blue ball into the woman. She glowed with a blue light, and her eyes opened, blue light streaming out of her. She rose from the ground slightly, and then lowered and panted. She looked around, and grabbing the sheet, she sat up just as the Kyuubi retreated into the gauntlet. She looked at Naruto, who stood up, and began to walk away.

"Wait! Who are you!?" She called out. Naruto stopped, and his gaze fell to the doctors who had come to, and were staring at Shizune, their jaws dropped. He then turned his head slightly, his glowing eyes meeting hers.

"A friend." He said, and he walked out of the room. Going to another room, he went to a window, and jumped out, leaving the woman to the three doctors who ran to her, utterly flabbergasted.

-Outside the hospital-

Naruto landed on the ground, rocks spiking up as he did, but he felt no pain in his legs. He stood up, and looked at the sun which was starting to set. "Heh… by the time they recover, you'll be long gone!" The Kyuubi snickered. Naruto was silent as he looked at his gauntlet, stained with blood. He lowered his hands, and walked forward as he headed for the only place of comfort for him. He walked forward, so deep in his thoughts, that he never saw the girl with pink hair walk past him, stop, and then turn around.

Sakura looked at the red hooded figure, her gaze fixed as she wondered, for her mind had caught the tiny detail of blond on the figure's chest. Hesitant, she walked forward, following the figure to ascertain his identity.

-Ichiraku Ramen-

Naruto looked to see the shop was empty, and with the setting sun, should be. He stood there, not sure if he should go in or just run. He then walked forward, his head lowered so his hood hid his face even more. He saw the empty chair, and sat down. He then heard footsteps. "Hello! What can I get you sir?" Said the cheerful voice of Ayame.

"Miso Ramen." Naruto said.

"Ok! Dad?" Ayame called. Naruto raised his head. Ayame was with her father, working on the ramen. Ayame then tilted her head slightly. "You know… there's a guy we know who also eats miso ramen, usually with extra pork." Ayame said.

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked.

"He uh… went missing," Ayame said.

"It's a shame really… he was such a bright young man," Ichiraku said. "Good future ahead of him."

"I see…" Naruto said. He always remembered the kindness of others, but these two, Ichiraku and Ayame… they were the first to show him that. He grabbed his hood and pulled it off revealing his face. The two turned to give him the ramen, and then they froze, Ichiraku dropping the ramen bowl, smashing onto the floor.

"Naruto? Good- where have you been?" Ichiraku asked.

"Everybody was worried!" Ayame stated.

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto… your friends have been worried sick! They've been disobeying orders, and a few have been put on probation as a result." Ichiraku said.

"I see… I'm sorry." Naruto said. Suddenly, the sound of the flaps pulled back was heard, and Naruto turned his head to see Sakura.

"Naruto! Wh-where have you been?" Sakura asked, tears in her eyes.

"In a place I didn't wish to be, and a situation that I'm now a part of…" Naruto said.

"Why didn't… you… you idiot!" Sakura said angrily. Naruto remained silent.

Sakura stared angrily at Naruto. "Do you have any idea what we all went through? What we all thought? I thought you were captured by some enemy, imprisoned, being tortured... a week went by with a search party, and after that, everyone started to think you were dead... after 2 weeks, your friends started to accept you were dead as well, and I started to mourn for you… I was still mourning for you, thinking about how I would never get the chance to thank you for saving me from Gaara... or even get the chance to make up for my bad behavior toward you... and here I find you sitting down eating Ramen... Damn it all Naruto!"

"Trust me when I say Sakura that this is not what I wanted... I... was taken..." Naruto stated solemnly.

More tears brimmed at the edges of Sakura's eyes. "By who? Kami Naruto, please just give me a straight answer!"

Naruto remained silent for a bit, but then gave his answer. "...you wouldn't believe me even if I told you... and even if I did what good will it do? As much as I hate my new task, only I can stop what's coming..."

Sakura's eye widened in shock at what Naruto was insinuating, and then they leveled into glare in anger. "You're leaving again? Aren't you?"

"...Yeah... and I'm not coming back... EVER! I'm sorry, but this is the last time I'll see you again... good-bye."

He then stood up and walked out. As he exited the Ramen bar, he came to a sight. Surrounding him were villagers and Shinobi, most of who were looking at him with disgust or mistrust. He heard their mutterings, his ears sharpened so he could hear their words. He heard demon, freak, traitor... He narrowed his eyes, and he turned to Sakura, Ayame, and Ichiraku.

"I have to go." Naruto said.

"Naruto!" Ayame shouted, tears brimming her eyes. "What about your dream!? What about becoming Hokage?!" She asked.

"…My dream is no longer possible… so I… have to give up my dream…" Naruto said, nearly choking on his own sorrow, and he turned to walk away, and heard it clearly as it was shouted by a random person within the crowd.

"Good riddance!" Naruto stopped, and looked at the crowd.

"These humans are so fickle and pathetic... first they resent you for having me sealed inside you against your will, yet you want their respect and you sacrificed everything for them... and now, after you gave up your goal and dream to protect them, they still show you resentment... These insects know not of pain and sacrifice…" the Kyuubi said from the gauntlet. Naruto looked at them all, leveling a blank stare at everyone.

"I just wish I could leave this place with a better conscience and with more than just your hatred... but that appears to not be possible at the moment... good bye…" He said. Ayame, Sakura, and the old man watched him go, Sakura staring at him in both anger and sorrow. And with that, Naruto walked from Konoha, his home, his future, his dream… now gone. The future was now no longer his to determine or decide, and so, bore the burden of maintaining the stability of everyone else's future upon his shoulders, even if he would never be praised for it. For he was now Naruto Uzumaki, the Horseman of War.