Chapter 31: Regret
"what a waste, I spent well over a decade training that boy." Orochimaru watched as kabuto drew his last breath, his corpse devoid of any signs of life. "Naruto,... It's been fun but I'll be taking my leave now Jiraiya". Reaching his own limits Jiraiya couldn't do anything to stop him.
Petrified with what he's done Naruto eyes froze in shock. Approaching kabuto the smoke caused by the distruction began to clear. Once again frozen in place Naruto saw blood splattered everywhere. Looking into his palm Naruto shuddered "I am a monster... What have I done!". Enveloping him in an embrace shizune comforted him "No you're not, Naruto.... you're the best of us". Tsunade followed suit and embraced him from behind "You were protecting me... Thank you, I owe you my life".
Naruto remained unresponsive his emotions in utter chaos. Within him a demon writhed in ecstacy " Finally, this is what ive been waiting for!!" The demon fox released a heinous amount of his red Chakra and fed it to Naruto corrupting him as he took over Naruto's body. His eyes turned from a calm blue to a blood red his teeth became fangs and his nails grew into sharp claws.
Next to Naruto Ash placed his hand on his shoulder tapping into their bond he forcefully entered naruto's mental world. "Froga!!" Calling out to Naruto Ash looked for him throughout the maze like sewers before he found an open area, Naruto unconscious in the center of the room covered in red Chakra.
"What's this, how did you get in here frog?" two giant red eyes glared at the univited guest. Apon noticing the monster hiding in the dark Ash cowered in fear, the bloodlust in the air was enough to kill someone. Taking a step back Ash tripped and fell but he didn't stop and began crawling away while his eyes remained fixed on to the monster before him. "Ughh" naruto's cries reached Ash and in an instant he forgot about the demon, all he heard were the cries of his friend. Running over to his side Ash attempted to ripp off the red Chakra invading him but his hands simply went through without affecting the demon's chakra. "Stop what you're doing frog.... or I will, kill you" ignored for a second time the beast stayed true to his word a miniscule amount of his endless Chakra seeped out of his cage that flowed forwards in waves to kill Ash.
Unlike Naruto, the demons life wasn't tied to Ash and his death would be of no consequence. Managing to grab hold of Naruto, Ash experienced something new. An unusual sensation in his mouth. Without his intent his tongue moved as if it has a mind of its own and shot out of his mouth.
His tongue wasn't the same, for one it glowed a bright white, lighting up the dark room. It moved of its own accord defending him from the red chackra atempting to take his life. "Where did you get that?, it's not something that you are worth to weild, hand it over to me and I may spare your life". The tongue effortlessly ripped through the demon's chakra.
And Finally it's final target the Chakra enveloping Naruto, piercing through his tongue latched on to Naruto and pulled him out. "I will remember this day and I will enjoy devouring you when I am one day free of this accuraed cage!!" a burst of killing intent was released from the demons cell as he tried to claw through the bars in anger. Ash carried Naruto and fled far from that place as fast as he could while carying Naruto with his tongue.
Naruto woke up to find himself in a familiar place. "What's going on..., Ash?". Standing guard Ash waited for Naruto to get up and shared the events that happened up to now. "Thanks, but enough about me you're tongue did all that... That's can't be normal check in with chief toad he should know something" after their conversation ended the two awoke in the real world, Naruto regained control of himself his features returned to normal.
To everyone else everything happened in a few short moments,when ash touched Naruto he magically calmed down. "It's ok I'm fine now.... Can you two let go of me now" Flustered, the two let go of him in embarsment. "That's not how you treat a worried Lady Naruto" Jiraiya walked with a limp as he bled from his arm and bite wounds on his neck neck.
Naruto appeared to be in a daze as he walked forward his eyes empty and hollow. 'His first kill, it had to happen some time but it's a shame that it was kabuto... Naruto once thought of him as a comrade'. The closer Naruto got the more he could see the grousome outcome of this battle. A final step and he could see him, a single tear ran down his cheek.
Naruto stood there in silence for a long time. The others gave him the space he needed watching him from a distance. His pure intentions led to an outcome he didn't once consider. After getting his thoughts straight he did the only thing he could he carried kabuto in his arms and buried under a tree on a nearby hill. "The sun is about to set, it'll get dark soon let's go back... We all need some rest Naruto" Jiraiya insisted they returned to the hotel. Saying his goodbyes to Naruto Ash returned to Mount myoboku.
Back at the hotel Naruto went straight to bed skipping on the ramen dinner Jiraiya offered to buy. The other three weren't troubled by kabuto's death, they've already witnessed their fair share of blood shed. "That boy... Do you think he'll give up on being a ninja" Tsunade mumbled as she slowly drank her sake. "Haha as if, you'd have a better time trying to convince me tonton can fly," Jiraiya downed a whole bottle of sake in one go. Tonton grumbled at the joke like it wasn't the first time she heard it.
"You have a lot of faith in him" Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya curious as to where his confidence stemmed from. "He's just like his mother.... hot head like an angry bull and he never goes back on his word, or so he says Ahahaha". Jiraiya placed his sake down, a nostalgic smile on his face as he looked at his reflection in the sake turn into kushina's smiling face.
"....Tsunade-" Jiraiya about to move on to a different topic got cut off by Tsunade "That's Lord fifth to you, Jiraiya". Shizune and Jiraiya turned to her in silent shock and confusion "Lady Tsunade are you sure". "Just like that, I had a whole speach prepared!" Jiraiya and shizune, both confused by her uncharacterist actions blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"What, should I turn you down then?" Picking up onTsunade's threat, Jiraiya tried to calm her "No Lord fifth, please pay me no mind". Turning to the front, Tsunade explained the reasoning behind her sudden decision"I have my reasons shizune, I wount let what happened in the past define the future... This time, I'll be there when I'm needed the most"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone