章 142: Chapter 2: Hell and Heaven: Second Blade
Hell and Heaven: Second Blade
A small boat moved quietly across the misty water, its light grey hull blending in nearly perfectly with the foggy background. Upon the bow of the small schooner, Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze leaned forward on the rails and sighed as she looked into the thick curtain of the impenetrable mist. It had been two whole months, before Jiraiya had returned to Konoha with more information about Naruto and the current situation in Kiri, and the news wasn't good. It seemed the Village of the Bloody Mist had somehow become even bloodier in the recent weeks. All over the map, rebel forces that had laid dormant only weeks before had suddenly taken up the fight once more against Yagura, attacking peripheral ninja outposts and performing nuisance raids against the Mizukage's supply lines. The rebel forces themselves were divided up into several separate factions distinguished by numerous different clans and organizations, all with different interests. At the center of these groups was the small group known as the Burēbusu (Braves). They were neither the largest of the group of the rebels nor the most dangerous but they were the most notorious. They were the ones that attacked the most strongly fortified positions, took on the most dangerous tasks and had the greatest successes compared to the rest. What was most striking about this particular group was that they seemed to be more focused on saving people more than just killing enemies. Sometimes, people needed a symbol of hope, and they had become that symbol. Surprisingly they were led by Zabuza Momochi, the Kirigakure no Kijin and someone they now called the Shinkushi(Crimson Death). Jiraiya's contacts had told him that a boy matching Naruto's description had been spotted amongst this same group. A part of Kushina was excited to see her son again, to have a chance to finally apologize for everything she did and didn't do and mend broken bridges. But the other half of her was scared; scared of what he may have become, of how he may react when he sees her.
Behind her, the team Minato had assembled to bring Naruto home rested on different parts of the ship. Kakashi stood leaning against the mast, his signature orange Icha Icha book pulled out and stuffed in front of his face though the lack of perverted giggles and an occasional fidget told Kushina that he felt far more anxiety than he would have preferred displaying. It made sense that the Yondaime Hokage would send his last surviving student for this mission. Kakashi was a tracking specialist and a powerful shinobi in his own right. Closer to the stern of the ship Jiraiya, much like Kushina, was leaning against the rails looking uncharacteristically worried as he waited for the ship to make port. Near him, Uchiha Itachi sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in complete silence. He had stayed in that position the entire voyage so far and showed no signs of moving. The final addition to the five man team was resting in his cabin below on the lower decks of the ship. Like Itachi, Sarutobi Hiruzen had also volunteered for the mission once he had heard of it. Both Minato and Kushina were more than a little shocked to see the legendary Shinobi no Kami come out of retirement to go find his surrogate grandson.
After a few more hours of sailing the small schooner stopped about a mile away from shores of Kiri. The five ninja jumped off the ship and used water walking to run across the surface of the sea and reach land, so that their movements would be inconspicuous. They stopped outside a medium sized town. From there Jiraiya went off alone to meet the contact that had given him the information. It was a fairy normal procedure for a mission but each member of the five man squad had personal feelings about the mission and that turned their anxiety into restlessness. About an hour later, Jiraiya came walking back, a frown on his face.
"This isn't good." He told them as soon as he reached their location. "According to my contact, the rebel forces are already on the move. Apparently they're gathering together in order to try to coordinate their efforts against Yagura."
Sarutobi frowned. "This does complicate things." he agreed. "If the rebels of Kiri are gathering for an attack against Yagura then our window for the mission will be far more limited than we thought. With the area far more hostile, both sides will have their forces on full alert so we will have to be careful."
Jiraiya nodded. "If there is a battle though, then there's a good chance that we'll find Naruto there. The problem is getting close enough to convince him come home without actually getting caught up in the fight."
"What do we do then?" Kushina asked, deferring the decision to the former Hokage, who was by far the most senior member of the group and therefore the squad leader by default.
"In order to find Naruto, we will have to get in contact with the rebels." Hiruzen decided. "Jiraiya, do you know where the rebels are gathering?"
Jiraiya nodded. "They're supposed to meet somewhere near the Sanada mountains, towards the East. We should be able to get there by tomorrow morning if we push the pace."
"Then let's go." Kushina stated, already running off in that direction.
o0o
Night had fallen hours ago, but for the squad of high level ninja moving at a pace which would have left most chunin puking from exertion, it was nothing more than a walk in the park. They weaved their way around the trees occasionally stopping to hide from a stray Kiri patrol now and then. As Kushina ran a strange yet familiar sensation alerted her senses and she along with the rest of the group slowed to stop.
"Did you sense it as well?" Hiruzen asked, quietly. Nodding heads answered his question. Closing her eyes Kushina extended her senses to take in the little details around her.
Screaming. That was the first thing she noticed right of the bat. It was very faint, probably about a few miles or so away from their current position. The second thing she noticed was the smell of burning flesh and fire.
"There's something going on up ahead." Jiraiya confirmed. "From the looks of it, it could be a battle. Should we go check it out?"
"Is that wise?" Kakashi asked. "Drawing ourselves into a battle?"
"If there is a battle it's likely to be between the rebels and the loyalists." Hiruzen deduced. "Depending on what happens, we might be able to follow them to the location of the gathering."
Unanimously agreed, the group moved towards where they had sensed the fire, expecting a battle of some sort. What they found, however, wasn't a battle. It was a massacre. A small village had been set ablaze its inhabitants currently being rounded up and being dragged into the Konoha team crept around the edges of the clearing, careful to conceal their presence and hide their chakra signature as they observed the situation. At the head of the Kirin nins Jiraiya spotted Jinpachi Munashi and Kushimaru Kuriarare of the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Though they could not hear exactly what was being said from their vantage point, however, whatever had been said it didn't seem to be enough to spare the villagers as the two swordsmen began indiscriminately killing the villagers en masse. Kushimaru used his signature Nuibaru to pierce through several people and used his wires to tie them together like rag dolls, letting them die slow and painful deaths as they were crushed in the mass of writhing bodies. Jinpachi's Shibuki was just as, if not more, brutal that the other, using his explosive sword to create a swathe of flying body parts and bloody flesh.
Both swordsmen carried identical expressions. They were the expressions of someone who were used to unleashing great amounts of agony and pain on their victims, and were absolutely getting off in doing so. Kushina gripped down on her katana until her knuckles turned white. Only the knowledge that killing the two murderers would result in an international war between Kiri and Konoha, thereby botching any possibility of being reunited with her son stopped her from interfering with the massacre. Fortunately, someone else was willing to do exactly that.
"Hrunting." The word had not been yelled or shouted and yet it had somehow echoed around the entire clearing. Immediately, a red light flashed across the air so quickly that many who had witnessed it wondered if they had really even seen it in the first place. Jinpachi paused for a moment to blink and then looked to his chest to see a gaping hole in the middle where his heart should have been. The surprise attack had its intended effects as the rest of the shinobi in the clearing stared at their leader in a mixture shock and disbelief. Before any of them could make a single comment a rain of swords came flying down upon them. Most of the ninja there had enough common sense to dodge through the air though a few reacted too slowly and were cut down by the onslaught. As they landed, chaos erupted as members of the Hozuki clan began rising up from the ground from small puddles of water and attacked. Battle raged as rebel forces took on the remaining loyalists.
Kushimaru whipped through his enemies using his signature Nuibari to piercing through several rebels and using ninja wire to crucify them on the nearest given surface. He was forced to duck however, performing a near perfect split, as a man sized Kubikiribōchō cut through where his torso had once been.
"Zabuza." The masked shinobi stated. "It's been some time. I never thought you of all people would run around the Mist selflessly saving the lives of others. What happened, did you finally find a donor to get that heart transplant you've always wanted?"
The former member of the seven swordsman smirked under his mask of bandages. "Funny. I'll have you know this wasn't exactly my idea. But unfortunately our leader has something of a hero complex and I'm just going along with it."
"Ah, the infamous Shinkushi." Kushimaru chuckled. "It's a shame. I was interested in crossing blades with the man that could apparently get you to follow him. Who knows? Maybe I'll get the pleasure of hunting him down after I kill you."
"Why wait?" a voice from behind him asked. Kushimaru's instincts kicked in and he leaped to the side just as black falchion nearly cut off his arm from behind. He turned around to face this new opponent. A boy in red wielding a set of falchions, one of darkness and another of light, stood before him. His mop of golden locks were as bright as the sun. His blue eyes were cold glaciers that bore into the figure in front of him. "You can face me right now."
Kushina's heart stopped when she saw Naruto for the first time in five years. It was the first real look she had bothered to give her son since the day she had first held her twins in her arms thirteen years ago. An onrush of emotion flooded he heart, joy, pain, relief and regret, as she watched her sochi stare down one the Legendary Swordsmen of the mist. For the rest of the Konoha group, to say that they were shocked would have been akin to saying that Tsunade was a little bad at gambling.
"Naruto's the Shinkushi?" Kakashi whispered in disbelief.
Jiraiya frowned knowing this would only complicate things further. You couldn't just take away a key leader in the middle of war and not expect repercussions.
Hiruzen and Itachi were the quickest to get over their surprise. The Sandaime now sported a proud smile on his face as he watched Naruto. He had always known that the boy would go on to do great things but even he never imagined that Naruto could have accomplished something like this so early in his life.
"Naruto…you truly are the most unpredictable and surprising person I have ever met." Itachi thought with a slight smile slightly mirroring the former Hokage's.
Zabuza glared at the new interloper. "What the hell gaki, I was fighting him!"
"Sorry Zabuza." Naruto answered, silent rage evident in his voice. There were many things in this world that could piss him off, but murdering innocent people for enjoyment was definitely near the top of the list. "But I'd like to be the one to kill him if you don't mind."
Zabuza, immediately recognizing the source of Naruto's ire took a step back and nodded. There were many things Zabuza would have risked his life for but fighting a former member of the seven wasn't one of them. 'It was nice knowing you, Kushimaru. I hope Kami has mercy on your soul because the gaki will show your body none.'
The battle erupted and Kushimaru sprang towards and sent a sharp stab towards Naruto's unguarded vital point. Naruto blocked the sharp needle like sword with Kanshou and immediately spun around to counter with Bakuya, aiming to slice off the man's sword arm. The masked swordsman twisted his body out of the way, dropped onto the ground and tried attacking Naruto's knees. Naruto jumped and slammed both feet down on to the sword. The reinforced stomp buried the steel sword into the ground threatening to break it. In the same movement Naruto simultaneously brought down both falchions in a pincer movement towards Kushimaru's throat. Kushimaru threw his head back, feeling the swords graze across the edges of his mask, before yanking his sword out of the ground and black flipping away from the crimson clad blond in an attempt to gain some distance. Naruto didn't follow. Instead he simply returned to his earlier stance, drawing both his arms away from his torso, leaving it completely bare. It was a stance that invited attacks to the fatal openings it left and as Zaubuza best described it, 'you'd have to be bat-shit crazy motherf*cker with balls of iron to use that kind of style.' The entire exchange lasted only two or three seconds at most and now both swordsmen drew back from one another, analyzing their opponents and planning out their next moves. A breeze passed through the clearing, rustling Naruto's coat.
"Impressive," Kushimaru commented. "Not only did you stop my attacks you also managed to cut my steel wires I used to try to entangle you, at the same time." True to his word, threads of steel wire that Naruto had cut to prevent himself from being caught now littered the ground between them. "You're quite skilled for someone so young."
"Save your critiques for someone who gives a damn." The blond snarled. This time, it was Naruto that started the confrontation, projecting several nameless blades and launching them at masked swordsman forcing him to dodge to his left, leaving no avenue for escape. Naruto lunged forward to intercept him.
"Spirit and technique!" he shouted, throwing the twin swords at his opponent. The spinning black and white blades circled around at Kushimaru who just barely managed to deflect both blades. "Flawless and firm." Kushimaru lunged with Nuibari and thrust it at Naruto's open throat. Naruto swayed his body to the side, barely dodging the attack as Nuibaru grazed his neck before tracing a second pair of blades and parrying it away from his throat with Bakuya. Those who watched just wondered why Naruto was reciting poetry.
"Our strength rips the mountains." Naruto continued chanting. "Our swords split the water." He thrust Kanshou at Kushimaru's chest forcing the swordsman to leap back, while taking a defensive stance. Suddenly, the pair of blades Naruto had thrown earlier came spinning back towards Kushimaru. With little time to dodge the twin blades cut through the swordsman's flesh making him gasp in pain. "Our names reach the imperial villa. The two of us cannot hold heavens together."
Naruto leaped into the air. He flooded both swords with chakra but instead of just strengthening them, he used his chakra to destabilize the very compositions of the swords themselves, the massive amounts of energy used to create those swords now a unstable existence. Before the disbelieving eyes of those who watched, the swords extend behind him, the steel growing into splintered wings making Naruto look like some kind of angel of death.
"Crane Wing Three Realm!" he shouted as he brought down both swords upon his enemy. Kushimaru's eyes widened in surprise at the oncoming attack. Having nowhere to dodge, he futilely tried to block the oncoming attack with Nuibaru. The twin swords exploded and the steel shattered, each fragment becoming a jagged knife aimed at the enemy. Kushimaru never stood a chance. His body was torn asunder as the shrapnel ripped through his flesh and sent him flying back into a collapsing house.
Tracing a new set of blades Naruto walked towards dying man. Kushimaru coughed up blood. The majority of his vital organs had either ruptured or had been completed destroyed and not even Tsunade herself could have saved him from his wounds. Looking up into the frigid eyes of his soon to be killer, he whispered. "What… are you?"
"My name is Aozaki Naruto." The Naruto answered quietly. "And I am your death."
"Aozaki?... kekeke… I see." Kushimaru smirked in amusement just before the boy swung. The entire fight had lasted less than twenty five seconds.
Silence reigned across the clearing as the lone head rolled across the ground. Naruto closed his eyes and sighed as a light breeze blew by playfully rustling his hair and coat. Even to those that had known Naruto and already watched him fight with incredible skill over the past few months, it was still quite a battle to have witnessed. For several moments, nobody spoke. They knew instinctively that somehow words would detract from the profound sense of catharsis that they all seemed to be currently sharing. Now was a time to reflect upon the battle, to think about the lives they had taken, the lives they had lost and to remind themselves just why it was they were fighting.
"Naruto!"
And just like that it was ruined. Annoyed, Naruto turned towards the sound of the voice that had called him. He had sensed the five chakra sources in the trees earlier, before he had killed Jinpachi with Hrunting. Assuming they were some kind of back up force for the Kiri nins he had waited for them to come to make their move, to come to the aid of their compatriots so that he could counter ambush them. When they continued to observe, he had switched his assumption to the role of smaller rebel factions or foreign shinobi teams sent to monitor them by neighboring Hidden Villages that must have been anxious at the recent upheaval in Kiri. He was half right. What he did not expect however was to see that woman, he refused to call her his mother, again. A flood of emotion passed through his face, sorrow, pain and then rage.
"You." He hissed, as he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "You!"
A mixture of leftover adrenaline from his previous fight and his own personal emotions clouded Naruto's judgment and caused him to panic. Immediately his flight or fight instincts kicked in, and like most situations he had even felt them he chose to fight. Kushina's run slowed to a hesitant stop as Naruto let loose an uncharacteristically feral roar and lunged towards her, his twin swords, still bloodied from having killed Kushimaru, arched behind him. Naruto didn't see anyone else. He couldn't hear Sarutobi calling for him to stop. He couldn't see Itachi, Kakashi or Jiraiya already rushing forwards to stop him. All he could see or hear was the woman responsible for so much of his pain and sorrow. The woman that was partly responsible for having taken away his real mother.
The reaction was immediate one both sides. Sarutobi had already summoned up his bo staff and slammed it into Naruto's abdomen, forcing the blonde's body to come to a lurching halt. Itachi got behind Naruto, grabbed his left arm and twisted it behind his back forcing him to drop Kanshou. Jiraiya also landed behind him and wrapped his arm around Naruto's neck, holding him in place. And Kakashi had pulled out a Kunai and blocked Bakuya inches away from Kushina's face. Kakashi couldn't help but notice that the white and silver falchion nearly cut all the way through the carbon steel of his own blade. The reaction of the Kiri rebels came nearly a second later. Zabuza appeared behind Itachi and Jiraiya, his Kubikiribōchō poised to cut them both in half. Haku also appeared nearby creating dozens of ice senbons around the group and Suigetsu also formed behind Kakashi, a kunai poised at his throat.
Kushina had frozen and like Naruto, was unaware of anyone else around them. She couldn't tear herself away from his eyes, terrified of what she saw within them; Hatred, anger, she had already expected those, but most of all pain, the pain of having been betrayed, the pain of having been abandoned by those you trusted. Naruto's crystal blue eyes were now the Kyuubi's red as a crimson shroud slowly began enveloping his body, his mind threatening to give into the bloodlust of the fox's chakra. The tense standoff continued for several moments when Naruto closed his eyes before finally relaxing his body. The red chakra receded and he dispelled his projections. When he opened his eyes again, they were a clear emotionless blue once more with no signs of any of the rage they had contained moments before. The rebels followed his lead a second later. Zabuza relaxed from his stance and hefted his cleaver on to his shoulder, not exactly poised to attack but still ready to strike should the need arise. Haku dropped the ice senbon and Suigetsu removed the kunai from Kakashi's throat. Hesitantly the Konoha group did the same. The entire time neither Naruto nor Kushina took their eyes off one another.
"I don't know what you're doing here," Naruto told her coldly, "And personally I don't care. If you're here to take me back to that hell hole, then you're wasting your time."
"Wait, Naruto please come home. Your parents have missed you these past five years and they regret what they've done." Kakashi told him. Naruto's eyes flickered to Kakashi before moving back to Kushina.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" He asked coldly. "Since the day I could form coherent thoughts, I've never once considered Konoha to be my home and I've never once considered the Namikazes to be my family." The words cut into Kushina's gut like a rusty knife. "You are not my mother. The only parent I ever had was my real mother, Mana Aozaki and I have no reason to give a damn about what some random woman thinks."
Tears swelled in Kushina's eyes and her legs gave out from under her as she broke down crying into a sobbing wreck. Naruto wouldn't forgive her. She had lost her own son and even worse she had been replaced by another woman. The worst part was that she knew she had no one else to blame but herself for this fiasco.
"I'm so sorry my sochi-kun," Kushina whispered as she sat on her knees chanting a stream of apologies.
"Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled. He may not have been the most sensitive of persons but there was something fundamentally wrong in principle about a woman that was a tough and exuberant as Kushina breaking down in tears.
Naruto glanced at the Toad Sannin. "And who the hell are you?"
"I'm Jiraiya. I was supposed to be you godfather." For once, the Sannin abstained from his usual pomp and exultation when introducing himself.
Naruto raised a brow, "Funny, I don't ever remember having talked to you once."
Jiraiya tried hard to suppress a cringe at that statement as he frantically tried to remember if there had been a time he had even once acknowledged Naruto's presence in the Namikaze household. He slumped his shoulders in shame when he couldn't.
"As much I enjoy watching a good drama," Zabuza drawled, as he cut in. "I really don't think this is the right time or place to be doing this right now." And that was the truth of the matter. By now most of the villagers had fled in fear leaving behind only the corpses of combatants. As much as he wanted to help them their presence would only bring them more danger and having to escort civilians to their group would only slow them down. Soon Yagura would be sending reinforcements and they would have to make their escape quickly.
Naruto nodded, easily ignoring the sobs of the woman behind him. "We should start heading back." He agreed.
Suigetsu walked over to where Jinpachi had died and hefted Shibuki in to the air, the sword he had dropped prior to the ambush which by some miracle managed to survive the attack. Suigetsu gave the sword an experimental twirl in his hands and said, "Just so you know… I'm keeping this. The next time though, could you try not to destroy the legendary weapons of the guys you face? Not all of us can just waltz around creating any sword we want just by looking at them you know."
Naruto resisted the urge to face palm. It was good to know that his friend knew his priorities.
o0o
"Why are you following us again?" Naruto snarled. Both the rebels and the Konoha team had quickly set off from the site of the battle as they headed towards the Sanada Mountains though not before Naruto had left behind a couple hundred clones to bury the dead. They were close now and dawn was soon approaching, the red orb already creeping over the horizon.
"Our mission was to bring you home, Naruto." Itachi told him in his usual monotone. "Until that mission is complete, we cannot return to Konoha."
"You know damn well as I do, that place has never been my home Itachi-nii." Naruto hissed. "And even if you all managed to overpower me and try to take me back by force, which I admit you could probably do, I'll have you know I can create swords inside my body. I could probably stab through all eight of my vital points in less than a split second and kill myself before you even come close to taking me."
Sarutobi was taken aback by that. "That's a little extreme isn't it, Naruto?"
Naruto snorted. "Jiji, there wasn't a single day that passed by in that village when I haven't considered killing myself. You should know better than most that there are far worse things in life than death."
The old man nodded sadly. He had an inkling of what the blonde had gone through during his time in Konoha but he never imagined that it had been so bad Naruto would have been willing to end his own life to escape it. Behind them, Itachi shifted, but gave no other reaction to the anger he felt at Naruto's treatment during his childhood.
A sniffle came from the rear of the group where Kakashi and Jiraiya were supporting Kushina who had silently been weeping tears for most of the way there. "Naru-chan." She whispered
"We're almost there." Naruto called out. The group emerged from the woods into a large clearing where the rebel camp had been situated. The camp was situated within large stone barricades that formed a wide square within the clearing. On each corner tall watch towers had been erected to keep a look out on the nearby surroundings. Inside the fortifications rows upon rows of tents had been pitched, denoting a large amount of inhabitants. The guards at the entrance immediately recognized the group and let them pass, but only after Naruto and Zabuza had finished explaining why five konoha nins had been in their group. Many people bustled around the inside, some cooking on open fire pits, while others were bandaging the less serious injuries and wounds of comrades and friends. The Konoha team couldn't help but notice how the Kiri rebels seemed to look up to Naruto despite his young age. As they walked towards the center of the camp many politely called out greetings and Naruto answered them concisely in turn. It was strange to see grown men showing a thirteen year old child, albeit an extremely powerful thirteen year old child, such deference and respect. Even Itachi, who had become an Anbu captain at the same age as Naruto, remembered how hard of a time he had trying lead squad members that were more than double his age at that time. Here, Naruto had neither the advantage of coming from a powerful clan nor was he even a native to this country and yet he commanded their absolute attention as though he had been doing so his entire life.
Finally they reached what was obviously a command tent, judging from the fact that it was simply far more sizable and ornate than the rest. They walked in and saw a woman talking to some men. When she saw them she gestured for the men to leave which they did and left the group alone with her. Jiraiya giggled perversely. The woman was very beautiful. She had long flowing auburn hair that came down to her ankles. She wore a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that left her shoulders and her generous cleavage bare, a sight which Jiraiya greatly appreciated.
"Sorry we're late Mei." Naruto greeted
"Naruto, Zabuza." The woman greeted, "It's unusual for you to be this tardy. Did something happen along the way?"
Zabuza chuckled. "Actually I met some of my former comrades in the seven last night. I have to admit it was pretty nostalgic seeing them again." Mei widened her eyes and looked to Naruto for a more detailed explanation.
"We came across Kushimaru Kuriarare and Jinpachi Munashi in a sizable patrol last night and defeated them." Naruto explained. "They were slaughtering a small village down by the mountains a few miles away from here. There's no way in hell Yagura would have sent two of the Seven Swordsmen for a routine patrol. If my guess is correct then I'd say that Yagura is very close to finding our hideout if he hasn't already."
Mei nodded in agreement with Naruto's assessment of the situation. "I agree," she said, "I knew we couldn't expect to hide forever but I didn't think he would find us this quickly."
"Yagura's always been a resourceful bastard." Zabuza added his own two cents in. "It just means we'll have to gather our boys faster."
Mei hummed in thought as her eyes drifted over to the Konoha team and widened in recognition. "Naruto-kun." She called sweetly, "Could you please explain to me why some of Konoha's most dangerous ninjas from the Bingo Book, two of them being a Sannin and the former Hokage, are here right now?"
Oh boy. She added the -kun suffix to his name. Naruto knew that could either be really bad or really good and he wasn't sure which one it was right now. Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Mei, remember how you said my past didn't matter as long as I was loyal to the rebellion. The situation's changed."
The kunoichi's eyes flashed dangerously. "How exactly?"
Naruto suppressed a sigh and began explaining the story of his childhood, about the Kyuubi, his neglect, his training, and how he had run away and met Mana that same fateful night. Throughout the story Kushina had lowered her head in shame unable to meet the gaze of anyone that looked her way. Haku glanced at Naruto and felt a twinge of sympathy, also knowing what it was like to not have any real parent figure until he had met Zabuza. As for Zabuza though, he just shrugged it off. After all he had seen far more tragic stories before during his life. When he had finished Mei sighed as she sat back down onto a small chair rubbing her temples in circular motions to ease her headache before looking up to address the Konoha team. "And I suppose you're here to take him back to Konoha." It wasn't a question.
"While I agree Naruto may have been wronged," Sarutobi began, "His family desires a chance to make amends and even then there are many of us besides his immediate family that miss his presence and wish for him to return."
Mei mulled over this carefully for a moment before replying. "When Naruto first joined us, I was told that his mother was Mana Aozaki, a former Kiri kunoichi who I had always admired even before the purge but I never imagined something like this would ever happen. The rebels of Kiri have no desire for a war against Konoha," She told him "nor do we intend on going against your wishes. However, the organization of our forces is closer to that of an alliance between the many rebel factions that had banded together to fight. Being a leader of one of the Burebusu, Naruto technically doesn't have to answer to anyone and therefore there is no one here that can force him to return. He explicitly stated from the very beginning that his loyalty lay only with his ideals and that he intended to leave once Yagura and his forces had been defeated. We accepted this condition despite its inherent risk since Naruto was and still is a necessary ally. As Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, he is the only one amongst us who can even hope to defeat Yagura."
For the Konoha team it was a lot of startling information to swallow at once. To begin with, the fact that Naruto was the leader of the Burebesu came as a bit of a surprise! In hindsight while Zabuza had never shown Naruto the same deference they had seen from many of the Kiri rebels during the time they been there, Zabuza had always turned over the actual command of the group to Naruto and accepted his decisions without question. The idea that one of the most blood-thirstiest of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen of the Mist would look to a thirteen year old boy for leadership, regardless of how powerful and intelligent that said boy may be, was nearly incomprehensible. If that wasn't mind boggling enough, Naruto was apparently now the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko. Once more, they realized it was probably something they should already have known. During the confrontation when Naruto had almost killed Kushina, he had been leaking out a fair amount of the Kyuubi's chakra. That should have been obvious. However, the main question now was how the hell did Naruto come to possess its chakra!
"Wait a minute," Kakashi said reaching for the back of his pouch and pulling out a tri-pronged kunai. "Sensei needs to know about this. Would you mind if I summoned the Hokage here right now?" Mei nodded in response.
Naruto's gaze lingered on the Hiraishin kunai before he scowled. "I really don't feel like having to deal with that bastard right now. Can I leave this to you, Mei?" He asked her.
The buxom woman nodded, really hating the fact that she had chosen to become the overall leader of the movement against Yagura. Naruto dipped his head in gratitude and walk towards the entrance of the tent. As he did so, Kushina moved to follow him, most likely to try and talk to him again.
"Don't," he snapped at her coldly. He really did not want to have to deal with his former family right now. He shook his head and nearly stormed out of the tent followed by Haku and Zabuza. Silently, Hiruzen also slipped out of the tent and followed Naruto, something the blonde haired Jinchuriki did not object to. As they made their way outside, Naruto gestured for the Sandaime to keep walking with him.
For a few moments, they walked quietly down the endless aisles of tents, until Zabuza finally decided to break the silence. "So you're the son of the hotshot Yondaime Hokage huh?" he shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe I didn't see the resemblance. Still I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised huh? It's just like Mana to adopt some neglected kid."
Naruto hid his surprise, not having heard much about his mother's past. "I wasn't aware you knew her."
"I never knew her personally but I did meet her once." Zabuza told him. "Back when I was about fifteen during the time I joined the Seven Swordsmen," he recounted, "Yagura began ordering the execution of a few clans calling them traitors of the state. Back then, no one could have even imagined that it would lead to the Kekkari Genkai massacre it became… well, no one except Mana that is. When she organized a large escape with a bunch of survivors from those persecuted clans, Yagura ordered me, Raiga and a large Anbu squad to wipe them out."
Naruto stopped to stare at Zabuza. "Raiga? As in Raiga Kurosuki? Wasn't he also a member of the Seven?"
Zabuza nodded. "Yagura wanted to use this opportunity as a show of force… to show what would happen to those that opposed him."
"What happened?"
"I got cocky." Zabuza admitted sheepishly, as he scratched his head. "At the time, Mana had a reputation for being softhearted, idealistic and naive and like a complete fool I mistook that for weakness." He shook his head chuckling. "Heh, she completely destroyed us. From the very get go she turned the tables against us and made me know what it felt like to be completely outclassed. The only reason she didn't kill us that day was because she would have been ashamed if she 'killed a bunch of immature brats'."
Haku widened his eyes. "She must have been very strong for you to say something like that Zabuza-sama."
"I admired her for her strength." Zabuza admitted. "But most of all I admired her for her conviction. She wasn't strong despite being kind and idealistic. She was strong because she was kind and idealistic. Think about it Haku. She lived a country where hundreds of people were being slaughtered every day and yet, no matter what, she always did her best to save everyone she could, not once wavering in her beliefs. Anyone else would have become disillusioned and lost faith in themselves… most people did. But Mana Aozaki held on to her conviction like iron through the hell she had lived through her entire life."
Naruto snorted. "She was very strong. She kicked my ass in every one of our spars." He agreed. "Why didn't you ever tell me about this before?"
"You never asked." The Demon of the Mist replied, smirking under his mask of bandages. "But to be honest, when I first saw you in Nami no Kuni I knew you had to be her son. You had the same eyes as she did… Strong eyes. That's why no one ever doubted you when you told us you were her son. Even if you look nothing alike, you act so much like her it's uncanny."
A faint and melancholic smile touched Naruto's lips. "I like to think that ninety five percent of all good things within me began with her. The other 5 percent began within jiji here, along with Satsuki-chan, Itachi-niisan and Mikoto obasan."
Sarutobi smiled warmly, "She must be a great person for both of you to speak of her so highly."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "She was."
"Kid, please tone down that sappy shit." Zabuza gagged. "You'll make me throw up and then I'd have to undo my bandages."
Naruto just chuckled. Parting ways with Zabuza and Haku, Naruto and Hiruzen continued to walk towards a small hill on the west side the encampment. As he reached the top of the hill a small breeze passed by and ruffled his hair for a several moments. Tension left his body as he relaxed, releasing a large sigh as he did so.
"It's been a long time Naruto." Hiruzen smiled, opening his arms for a hug, one which Naruto eagerly returned.
"I missed you too, Jiji." Naruto told him.
"I wish you informed me of your departure beforehand, Naruto so I wouldn't have had a heart attack when I saw your name on the emancipation document a few days after you left."
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "I'd been planning the emancipation form thing for a few years actually, but my actual running away was something more spontaneous than anything. Sorry about that."
Sarutobi chuckled. "Don't worry about it Naruto-kun. I'm just glad you're alright."
"So, how's Satsuki?"
"She is doing well Naruto but she misses you quite dearly."
Naruto grimaced nervously. "She's isn't too angry that I left is she?"
"She was furious when you left." His surrogate grandfather told him, sympathetically. "But she was more heartbroken later on by your absence."
Ugh." Naruto groaned. "I feel bad, I really do. I know I should have sent a postcard or something but it was too risky jiji. I couldn't have done it without having it tracked back to me. Maybe I should visit sometime when all this is over."
Hiruzen smiled. "That seems like a great idea, Naruto… You might want to wear a helmet though." He added with a small smile.
Naruto nodded dejectedly. "I know." Satsuki would probably try to punch straight through his skull the minute she sees him.
"Naruto!" a familiar voice called. Naruto closed his eyes and instinctively flexed his hands the way he always did whenever he prepared to trace Kanshou and Bakuya. He recognized the voice far more than he would've liked. It was the voice of the man he had perhaps detested more than anyone else. Turning around he spotted Minato Namikaze, the man who was the most responsible for his pain and suffering, striding towards him. Naruto knew all too well how much he looked like the man and he absolutely hated it. Behind him, Naruto spotted, the rest of the Konoha team walking close behind. "Naruto, it's good to see you again my son." Minato said coming to a stop before him.
"A parent that abandon's their own child is no parent at all." Naruto snarled. "You know damn well as I do that you have no right to call me your son."
A pained expression crossed the older blonde's face. "Naruto, I know I wasn't the best father in the world but I still care about you and I want us to be a family again." Minato told him, hoping to earn his forgiveness.
"You mean the family that abused and neglected me for eight years?" Naruto asked, his tone snarky.
"Yes… but we want to make it up to you. I want to make it up to you as a father."
"A father that stuck a demon in my gut and pretty much left me to die in a village." Naruto asked in the same tone.
"Naruto, What do you want me to say?! I'm sorry!" Minato cried frantically.
"Oh, you're sorry for treating me like complete trash and letting the villagers use me as a punching bag?" Naruto asked angrily.
"It was… a very precarious situation at that time." Wow, even Minato had to admit that sounded pretty bad.
"Well then clearly that justifies everything and I should completely forgive you." Naruto told him in a voice that was far too sweet to be true.
"You're… being sarcastic aren't you?"
Naruto smiled fondly. "Yeah, I learned that from my real mother, you know, the one that actually loved and took care of me when I was little."
"… Right." The Yondaime answered awkwardly.
"The mother I would never have met if you hadn't been such horrible parents."
"Right… that mother…" For the love of all things holy, this was getting depressing. Well depressing for him anyways, he had no idea what Naruto was thinking. Still, Minato pressed on bravely. "Naruto, sensei told me you used the Kyuubi's chakra. How did you come into possession of the fox?"
Naruto glared at him. "Why? Does Konoha want its weapon back?" He drawled, his voice laced with barely restrained fury.
"N-No, I just… I just wanted to know." Minato told him sadly. What was he going to do? He couldn't force Naruto to come back to Konoha. That would only end in disaster and from what he had heard from Kakashi and Jiraiya, taking Naruto away by force would only earn the hostility of the rebel Kiri-nins for taking away their hero.
Naruto glared at him suspiciously for a moment before rummaging one of his pockets and taking out a small crystal pendant. He tossed it at Minato and the latter caught deftly and noticed that there were several advanced and complex sealing arrays inscribed into the structure of the gem. "That's a memory crystal." He told him. "I sealed some of my memories in it so you can just concentrate your chakra into it to activate it."
Hesitantly, Minato followed his instructions and focused his chakra into the crystal. A bright flash flared momentarily, briefly blinding those who stood in close proximity. A moment later, they opened their eyes to find that their surroundings had completely changed. The found themselves in the middle of a dirt path, probably somewhere near the border edges of Hi no Kuni (Fire Country) if the surrounding lush green forests were of any indication.
"A genjutsu." Kushina whispered in awe. "I see, the seal must have converted his memories into a series of illusionary images."
The sound of laughter caught the group's attention and they looked towards the sound to see Naruto flying high in the air, whooping in enjoyment. He was riding on a large double bladed sword. The blades had been shaped into large spades, wide enough so that Naruto could rest his feet on top of them as platforms, and were joined together in the middle by a large two handed hilt. Naruto used the sword to gain several meters of altitude before plunging from the sky, pulling out from the dive just above the ground besides a silver haired woman. The woman wore a grey trench coat with a black shirt and blue jeans underneath.
Mana chuckled as she glanced at Naruto. "You know, I think you're having a bit too much fun playing around with your new sword."
Naruto returned the smile with one of his own as he stood on his makeshift platform. Naruto smiling, for Kushina the very idea was so alien to her it has virtually incomprehensible. It was not the sardonic sneers or bitter smiles he had worn earlier but a true smile, denoting genuine happiness and joy. It occurred to her she had never seen her son smile before and watching him do so now was like basking in warm sunlight. For a moment she felt nothing but burning envy for this woman who seemed to receive all of her son's smiles, laughs and affection like a commodity.
"Hey don't blame everything on me, Kaa-san. You're the one who made me this custom blade so I could do this in the first place." He responded teasingly. "And besides… it was one of the few birthday presents I ever got." Naruto's voice deflated near the end, something Mana clearly noticed.
She frowned for a moment before smiling once more and ruffling his head. "Well, I'll see what I can do to fix that." She promised, making him brighten up and smile once more. "I have to admit though," she continued. "You did a damned good job of improving the Futon and Anti-Gravity fuinjutsu arrays I already inscribed onto the thing. Your idea of using Katon Fuinjutsu to create a jet propulsion was absolutely genius. That's something I haven't even considered."
Pleased with the praise, Naruto grinned and decided to return one of his own. "I did learn from the best after all."
Mana chuckled. "Suck up… So have you thought of a name for the thing yet?" she asked.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "A name?" He paused for a moment. "I guess I should name it since all my other special swords have names. I can't just go around calling it 'that sword' after all. Hmmmmmm… what about Hiryu?" He asked her
"Flying Dragon, huh?" She smiled. "It's a fitting name considering its abilities."
"Yosh!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air. "From this day forward this sword will be known a-"
"#$%^&*&^%$#$%^&*&^%$#$%^&**&^%$#^$^%!"
Both Naruto and Mana stopped dead in their tracks as an inhuman roar shook the very earth they were standing on. Naruto swung around and widened his eyes in disbelief as he saw a malicious red streak of chakra hurtling towards them at unimaginable speeds. Naruto reinforced his eyes and to his growing horror, he saw what could only be the chakra form of the Kyuubi no Yoko coming right for him. Thinking quickly after deducing that the Yoko could only be after him, Naruto flared a burst of chakra in to the newly named Hiryu and streaked off away from Mana, ignoring her shouts of protest.
Sure enough the crimson red streak immediately adjusted its trajectory to come after him. Scowling, Naruto poured even more chakra into his sword increasing his speed even further. Hiryu had been Naruto's twelfth birthday present from Mana, given to him only a few weeks prior. In itself, Hiryu was a testament to human ingenuity and the unlimited potential in the art of sealing. Mana had used her elemental seals to create Anti-Gravity and Wind seals within the layers of steel in blades in order to create a sword that could not only fly at extremely high speeds but also maintain a stable platform for its user at the same time. From there Naruto had further enhanced its already heightened speed by adding flame elemental seals onto the rear blade and aligning them so that its flames would maintain a jet propelled thrust. Though Naruto hadn't fully tested its capabilities yet, he already knew for certain that Hiryu could easily break the sound barrier as it was doing now.
Yet no matter how much chakra he pumped into the sword, the red chakra beast was steadily catching up to him, threatening to overcome the gap if he didn't do something drastic anytime soon. He zigzagged through the nearby canyon, ducking through crevices and whizzing past tree top canopies, but not matter what he put between himself and the fox, the Nine Tails simple destroyed them as though they were mere trifles and kept gaining distance on him.
'Is this it? I am really going to die?' Naruto thought. He could feel his chakra coils burning from the exertion and his concentration slipping over the control of Hiryu. Fearing for his life, he looked back at the oncoming pursuer and that moment of distraction was all that was needed for him to crash into a tall tree branch sending him spiraling out of control and into the rocky cliffside. He reinforced his body to brace himself for the oncoming collision but even so, he could feel his ribs crack under the impact as he watched the Kyuubi hurtle towards him before his world went red.
o0o
He was in a field of blades. Naruto rose from where he was lying down and checked his surroundings immediately recognizing them for what it really was, Unlimited Blade Works, the physical embodiment of his innermost perceptions, his very soul itself. But why the hell was he here now?
"So, my container has finally decided to visit me." A voice behind him drawled.
Naruto whirled himself around and nearly flinched at what he found himself facing. It was the very same nine-tailed monster that had attacked Konoha twelve years ago. The giant fox was pinned down on each limb by monolithic black gears. Golden chains which Naruto recognized to be Enkindu were wrapped around his body further binding the already trapped fox.
"You're… You're the Kyuubi." Naruto said, unable to get his mental capabilities beyond the already obvious. Instinctively he traced a copy of Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands and held them in a defensive position. "What's going on? What have you done?" He growled.
The fox snorted. "I couldn't have done anything if I tried, kit. I you're going to blame someone then blame your father he's the one that fucked up the sealing twelve years ago."
Naruto's glare hardened. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Kyuubi laughed bitterly. "If you haven't realized the answer already then you must be dumber than I thought. The answer is already in your hands moron."
Dumbfounded, Naruto's thoughts drifted to the twin sword in front of him. Kanshou and Byakuya represented the principle of Yin and Yang. They were named after the blacksmith that had forged them and his wife after she had thrown herself into the furnace to give those swords divinity through human sacrifice. Because of their 'married' status, Kanshou and Byakuya contained a strong bond of attraction and therefore it was said that they would always find its way back to the other even if they were separated. Naruto widened his eyes as realization dawned upon him. "Yin and Yang are two parts of the same whole," He said, more to himself than anyone else. "Because they're two parts of the same existence, one cannot exist without the other." Growing horror pervaded his voice as he looked up at the Kyuubi angrily. "So it's only natural there should be some kind of attraction between the two! Even if it was slow at first that force of attraction could easily over time wear down any seal that tries to contain it! You knew this didn't you!" The Kyuubi smiled but didn't answer. He didn't need to. A stream of curses erupted from Naruto's mouth. "You son of a bit-" A hand gently grabbed his shoulder, causing him to instinctively whirled around and face in that direction. To his shock and bewilderment, he found himself facing Mana once more. "Kaa-san what… how… I… what?
Mana smiled momentarily in amused at her son's state of confusion before her expression turned angry immediately making Naruto wonder if it was even there in the first place. She drew her hand back and rapped it against the side of his face shutting up any more of his pathetic attempts to form a proper sentence. "Did you really think I wouldn't follow if you just went flying off like that?" She asked, her voice stern.
"B-but I." Naruto began, unable to form coherent thoughts. Looks like an angry Mana was something he was not prepared to deal with.
Mana grabbed both sides of his head and leaned forward until their foreheads almost touched. "It isn't a kindness to try and keep me away from danger Naruto, especially when that danger involves you." She sighed as she tried to make her surrogate son understand what she was trying to say. "I told you the day we met that you weren't a burden to me… and since then you've become something much, much more. Every time you grieve I share a part of that pain. Every time you laugh, your happiness becomes mine. The moments we've shared, the trials we've endured, all those things have made you a part of who I am. So there's no reason to feel guilty about putting me in danger. It's my duty to protect you… because you are… my son."
Unshed tears welled in Naruto's eyes. "I… you… Thank you." He settled for the simple answer, unable to form a more complex sentence than that at the present.
Mana smiled briefly for a moment before becoming serious once again. "Naruto, right now I'm communicating with you through you seal but that won't last long. Your seal is breaking apart and I don't know how long I can keep it contained."
"The Yang Chakra of the Kyuubi is trying to get to the Yin and break out." Naruto told her. "Can you reapply the seal from the ouside?"
Mana nodded, hesitating a bit. "I can but you're going to have to subdue from the inside first. It's the only way to keep the chakra stable enough for the sealing."
Naruto's eyes widened. "How am I supposed to do that?!" He asked, "I mean, I could try and use Enkindu but even then it's a longshot."
"Maybe but it's our only hope." She answered. "I'll see what I can do to help you from the outside."
The Kyuubi, who had been listening intently until now finally decided to speak up. As much as he tried to deny it, he would've been lying if he said he wasn't a little touched by the speech Mana had given earlier. In a way, it reminded him of his own relationship with the Rikudo no Sennin (Sage of Six Paths) many centuries ago. "You know," he told them. "you look like you could use some help. If Naruto here can hold down my Yang Chakra long enough then I could force my consciousness into it and put it under control again. After that, the little missy here can reapply the seal."
Mana frowned in suspicion. "And what would you stand to gain by helping us, Kyuubi? Unless…" Mana's eyes widened in horrified realization. "Don't tell me you actually enjoy being inside my son!" She accused, pointing her finger at the Kyuubi in accusation while being completely oblivious to the double entendre in her choice of words.
The giant fox did a spit-take as he choked in mid-breath and starting coughing to try to regain control of his lungs once more. "What!? No! I-it's not like I like the kit or feel responsible for this mess or anything!" the Kyuubi yelled, angrily. What would otherwise have been an extremely frightening expression was turned comical by the fact that he was obviously very flustered, a shade of red clearly noticeable on his cheeks. "And don't say it like THAT! It makes me sound like some kind of pervert! It just that I'd much rather be here than be under Madara's control again! Y-yeah that's right! I'm just looking out for my own interests!"
'The most powerful of all Bijus… is a tsundere?' Both Mana and Naruto shared the same thought although neither was foolhardy enough to give voice to it. '… And who the hell's Madara?'
"Look we're wasting time right now!" Kyuubi yelled, focusing their attention to the matter at hand. "My Yang half is almost done breaking through your seal. Naruto, release the Yin half of my chakra to me! You and I are going to have to subdue Yang long enough for your mother to reapply the seal again!" With only a little hesitation, Naruto grabbed the small paper seal attached to one of the gears and ripped it off releasing Kyuubi from his bonds. The enormous gears shifted off of him and Enkindu slid off him as well as the fox stood for the first time in many years and gave his muscles a tentative stretch. "Damn kit, you have no idea how good this feels."
Naruto smirked. "You know, it has been a about a decade or so since you've last been out. Are you sure you're not going to get rusty on me?"
The giant fox snorted. "Kit, you could lock me away for a hundred years and I'd still be deadly at the end of it."
"That's enough." Mana interjected. "Naruto, my connection to your mindscape is starting to break just like the seal. Once I'm gone it'll be up to you and Kyuubi to subdue the Yang Chakra. Once you've done that I'll seal it from the outside."
Naruto nodded, his expression conveying the doubt he felt. "Right. Fight and beat the giant red chakra fox of death while begrudgingly teaming up with the said fox's twin half. No pressure, got it."
Mana smiled before leaned down and embraced Naruto reassuringly. "You have nothing to be afraid of Naruto. Maybe if you were alone your burdens would have been too much to bear. But you're not alone. I'm right here. You will always have me here by your side. Now… let's take this furball down." Mana's smile shifted into a smirk, "After all, I didn't raise my son to be a freaking wuss, now did I?"
Naruto grinned. "Hell no!"
With that, the connection vanished and Mana disappeared as she returned to the real world. Meanwhile the seal completely deteriorated letting the Yang Kyuubi into the mindscape as a giant red fox rose up from the ground of his mindscape and faced them menacingly several hundred meters away. For a moment, Naruto recognized the absolute ridiculousness/epicness of his current situation. Seriously what other thirteen year old, or any human being for that matter, expects to singlehandedly face down the Kyuubi no Yoko inside his freaking mindscape?
The Kyuubi glanced at Naruto noting his expression. "We're going to have to pin down Yang long enough for me to take control of it." He smirked, "So are you good to go, Kit or do I need to give you some time go get all sentimental and shit?"
Naruto snorted. "Sorry but we Aozaki's don't do sentimental. We kick ass!"
With that he traced three swords. Kanshou and Bakuya were in his left and right hands respectively while Hiryu was traced right below his feet letting him close the gap in an instant. With Kyuubi following close behind, a battle of the ages was soon underway.
o0o
It took an overwhelming three hours for Naruto and the Kyuubi to finally subdue the Yang Chakra. Throughout it all, both combatants had been bruised and wounded many times, Naruto especially. There had been several moments when defeat seemed imminent for the two, only for one of them to pull something completely insane out of their asses and somehow make it actually work. In the end though, Kyuubi finally managed to stun the Yang Chakra fox just long enough with a weakened version of the tailed beast ball for Naruto to tie it down with Enkindu. It was a mixture of pure luck and half-assed guesswork that gave them the victory. Enkindu was an anti-divine weapon that had been forged to hold the gods themselves. The higher the divinity, the stronger Enkindu's restrictive properties were. Against a non-divine being however, Enkindu was nothing more than an extremely strong chain. Surprisingly however, the Kyuubi itself seemed to possess a high degree of divinity. It made sense though since Kitsunes have long been worshipped as kami by Shinto Buddhists after all.
"You know," Naruto began as he stared at the now fully formed Kyuubi sealed behind gigantic steels bars of his cage. Mana had reapplied the seal immediately after they had subdued the Yang Chakra. "I thought you would have been angrier considering we sealed you back into me."
The giant fox snorted. "I always keep my word, kit. I promised to help you and so I did. I have my pride after all." He paused for a moment, seeming to hesitate about something. "… Hell, I should actually be thanking you kit. You got me back my full chakra and besides… When you caught Yang with those chains of yours, you could've sealed us separately and taken my chakra for yourself. Did you know that?"
Naruto nodded. "I knew."
"Then why didn't you?"
Naruto gave him a tired smile. "Because I don't take something that's not mine without permission. That would be rude and my mother taught me better than that."
The Kyuubi stared at Naruto in a mixture of shock and disbelief for several moments before chuckling. "You know what, kit, you're alright.Damned if I know how, but you're a lot better than the other pampered and prissy containers I've had before. Tell you what," the fox told him, "if you ever find yourself in trouble, feel free to draw off of my Chakra. I can only give you a small portion of it from here but who knows what might happen in the future."
Naruto's eyes widened. He certainly wasn't expecting that. He grinned. "You know what, Kyuubi? You're a pretty alright guy yourself. Thanks."
Kyuubi snorted. "My name is Kurama, kit. You can call me by my name from now on."
Naruto did an informal two finger salute. "I look forward to working with you in the future then, Kurama." He said smiling as he severed the mental link between them and returned to the real world.
Naruto's eyes fluttered open as he found himself by the rocky cliff side he had crashed in hours ago when he had been fleeing from the big ball of malevolent chakra. He laughed out loud in disbelief as he got onto his feet. He had done it. Not only had he survived a battle against the Yang Chakra but he now also had access to the full power of the Kyuubi no Yoko. "Did you see that kaa-san?! That was easy?!" He yelled, pumping both fists into the air as he turned towards Mana and froze. "…K-Kaa-san? He whispered.
(Naruto OST - Sadness and Sorrow *Start*)
Mana's face was extremely pale, her face sweating bullets as she struggled for breathe while leaning back against the cliff. But what made Naruto's heart stop was the fading image of the Shinigami beside her. It didn't take Naruto long to figure out what happened.
"Shiki Fujin. (Dead Demon Consuming Seal)" Naruto said, his voice barely audible. "Why? …Why would you do it?!" Naruto yelled, pain and anguish clear in his tone. Didn't she understand? Didn't she realize that his life was meaningless without her? Didn't she know how much pain it would cause him to watch her die? That it would be worse than death itself? "Why did you give your life… for someone like me?"
"Is it strange," Mana asked, her voice weak as she drew Naruto into an embrace until their foreheads touched "that we would want to give our lives for the people we love?" She smiled having said her final words as she closed her eyes for the last time, a small peaceful smile on her face as though she was sleeping.
The crushing despair in Naruto's wide eyes was almost palpable as the bright and innocent face he had sported only moments before was replaced with a pained and anguished one stained by tears. Kushina watched in silent agony as Naruto changed. The light left his cerulean eyes as they became the cold, emotionless glaciers they were now. His face looked harrow and stone cold. Quietly, Naruto rested his face in to the crook of Mana neck. His silent misery soon became wracked sobs that echoed across the valley and then even those became louder as he began screaming curses at the world, cursing it for taking away the one person he had ever loved. Needless to say, for those who were forced to watch this horrid scene, his cries were downright gut wrenching.
And all the while, the sun set into the horizon as the world continued to revolve, unaffected by the cries of a lone boy.
General RTS: Those of you who didn't see Mana's death coming clearly didn't get my hints when I referenced, Kiritsugu, Natalia and Ur (Fairy Tail) as Mana's inspiration. While some of you might complain that it didn't give Mana the development and story time she deserved, I would like to point out (again) that Mana's importance (much like that of Kiritsugu, Natalia and Ur) doesn't lie within her present actions as a character but as a catalyst that shaped the main character. She will receive the attention she deserves but it will be done posthumously as we explore Naruto's character. Mana's death really made me realize how much of a tragic hero Naruto is. He spent his entire childhood being abused and ignored by his own parents and when he actually finds someone that loved and cared for him she was torn away by his own past. And at the end of all those hardships the only reward he gets are the twisted ideals that broke all the great men that pursued them to the end. (Archer and Kiritsugu= Hence the name Broken Swords.)
In terms of character Naruto used to be a lot like his canon counterpart during his time with Mana when she was still alive. Sure he was much more intelligent but he was a generally happy, idealistic kid that enjoyed goofing off every once in a while. However, with her death, Naruto becomes more bitter, cynical and jaded. We will of course explore how this happens in the later chapters. Naruto in this story is a very conflicted and byzantine character, far more so than canon, especially when it comes to his former family. One of the primary reasons he has a hard time bringing himself to forgive them is because they were indirectly responsible for Mana's death, but at that same time he can't even forgive himself since he considers himself to be directly responsible for Mana's death. Mana's final words to him basically stated that she gave her life because she loved him. So not only does Naruto blame himself for the death of the person he loved the most, the very idea of being loved is an anathema to him now. The way he sees it, people aren't supposed to give their lives for him, he's supposed to give his life for them. Though he doesn't realize it, the thought of having people love and care about him secretly terrifies him now.
Secondly it is impossible to overstate Mana's importance in the development of Naruto's character. She and archer were the biggest influences in his life and they can pretty much explain 95% of all his character quirks. She was pretty similar to what Zabuza was to Haku, except on a much larger scale. To begin with, Mana was far kinder towards Naruto so rather than seeing himself as a tool, Naruto sees himself as her legacy, the product and continuation of her ideals and principles. That's why he can't stand the thought of acknowledging the Namikazes as his family. Every time they refer to him as their son or try to pretend like they're his parents, he sees that as them trying to steal credit for what Mana had done to raise him, thereby undermining all the kindness she had shown him; to him acknowledging them as family would be an absolute betrayal to his mother. On a more minor scale, Naruto also feels a bit of an obligation towards the Aozaki name. When he saves others and becomes a hero, he wants people to know that it was Mana that made him to who he was, not the Namikazes. But so long as the Namikazes continue to associate with him, people (morons) will always see him as the 'Hokage's son' which really pisses him off. On the flip side of the coin however he knows it's a bit of a hypocrisy since his ideals demand absolute selflessness and he'll often wonder what Mana would say if she was still alive. On one hand Mana was a very forgiving person (which Naruto wants to emulate) but on the other hand she was also the one that told him it was alright to be selfish sometimes. Thus there's a lot of internal conflict here in Naruto.
In conclusion, if Mana was still alive, he would've been perfectly willing to forgive the Namikazes. They would have never been a family again but he would've been willing to be something of a friend. Mana's death however becomes a game changer.
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