Chương 1456: 47
Chapter 47
Battle, Akatsuki in a Snow Covered Land
Naruto grinned as he felt the salty breeze hitting his face.
He stood on the bow of the ship, staring out into the vast ocean. He'd seen it plenty of times before in recent months, but he'd never really had a chance to enjoy it. Not like this. The last time he'd been on a ship, he'd been dealing with personal issues-the whole "getting caught in the middle of a storm" thing also put a hamper on his enjoyment of being on a boat.
"You're such a child."
"Well, excuse me for being fourteen, Ms. I'm-Well-Over-Several-Centuries-Old. We can't all be ancient creatures of mass destruction."
"Just for calling me old, I'm going to be giving you indigestion for the rest of this mission."
"Ha! Like you could. We both know you can't do that. The seal won't let you."
"Oh, my. It seems the hairless monkey is getting smarter."
Naruto didn't rise to her bait and instead decided to switch topics. "Something on your mind?"
"Not really. I'm just bored."
"You've been getting bored an awful lot lately," Naruto commented.
This wasn't the first time Kyuubi had spoken up from within the seal with no real purpose in mind. Lately, she'd been talking to him a lot more. Their conversations varied widely, from stories of ancient battles long since past, to trading banter like they were doing just now. Naruto didn't really know why she talked to him so much, but he was grateful to her nonetheless. He was never alone so long as she was around.
"I hope you're not implying something."
"What would I be implying?"
Within her cage, Kyuubi sighed. "Never mind."
"Oi, brat!" the voice of his master shouted behind him.
"What do ya want, perv?"
Jiraiya frowned as he stopped in front of Naruto. "Is that anyway to speak to your master?"
"It is when he's a lecher," Naruto quipped, turning around and leaning against the boat. "So, what's up?"
"The director is getting ready to do the photoshoot." Jiraiya hitched a thumb behind him, indicating a point further up the ship. "Figured you'd want to see it."
Naruto grinned. "You bet your perverted ass I want to see it. Come on, Ero-Sennin. Let's go!"
"Damn it! It's Jiraiya-sensei to you, disrespectful gaki!"
Naruto laughed as he rushed across the deck, leaping onto the mast and wall running up it until he reached a rope that ran lengthwise across the second half of the ship. Grinning some more, he sprouted a single chain from his sleeves and used it as a pulley to shoot down to the other side.
Everybody else was already there-the director and his assistant, the cast and crew, Sandaiyuu, and of course, Yuki was standing in the center of it all, having the final touches to her makeup done.
"Ossu! What's up, old man," Naruto greeted the director, who gave a hearty laugh and tossed him a grin.
"Heard from Jiraiya that we're filming the next scene, did you? You're just in time."
"Of course. I wouldn't miss this moment for the world."
"Glad to hear it."
The filming soon got underway and Naruto found himself a place to sit and watch. The idea of actually seeing a movie being filmed was so completely awesome, and he didn't want to miss a single second of it.
It was an almost surreal experience to watch these professionals while they worked. Everybody completed their assigned tasks with efficiency, and the actors were all phenomenal. They worked incredibly well together, acting in seamless synchronicity-even Yuki, who he didn't have the best opinion of, worked in complete harmony with everyone else.
Yuki. Stuck up. Obnoxious. Self-entitled. Prissy. Naruto didn't like her, not one bit, but at the same time, he would admit that she was an incredible actress. She might have been a bitch in real life, but on the stage she was a goddess. Her skills at acting were beyond believable, and the emotion she put into each line and every scene made him wonder which Yuki was the real one. The one acting on stage, or the annoying drunk who complained about her lot in life and ran away from her responsibilities as an actress.
"Yashimaru!"
Yuki, or rather, Princess Gale, held one of her beloved companions close. Yashimaru had just taken a fatal blow for his princess. Blood gushed from an open wound on his side, and his breathing had grown ragged. The ashen pallor of Princess Gale's skin and the horrified look in her eyes seemed so genuine that Naruto wondered if the emotion might not be feigned.
"P-Princess," Yashimaru choked out, blood gurgling from his throat. "I-I am sorry. It looks like I won't… be able… to…"
"Yashimaru! Yashimaru!" The horrified look in Princess Gale's eyes grew wider still when Yashimaru's body went limp and still. "Yashimaru! I-I-hold on! Cut! Cut!"
The entire filming process came to a screeching halt.
"What?" the director practically shouted. "What's wrong now?"
"My teardrops," Yuki told him plainly. "I can't cry without my teardrops."
Naruto face faulted.
"Oh for the love of-would someone get Yuki her teardrops so we can get this ball rolling again! We're wastin' time here!"
Naruto stood up and rubbed his now sore nose. Yet even while trying to sooth his red and scruffed snoz, he couldn't help but stare at Yuki as someone put eye drops into her eyes so she could cry.
"Are you freaking kidding me?!"
"What an odd human this girl is. For someone to possess such an amazing acting ability yet not be capable of crying on command… it's rather shocking."
"I'll say. Isn't that like a standard skill that all actresses should have? And how come it sounds like you're speaking from experience?"
"Because I am speaking from experience. It's amazing what a man will do for a beautiful young woman who's in tears, the lengths they'll go to in order to please them. I couldn't afford to not have such a valuable skill set in my arsenal."
In the face of such infallible logic, Naruto could only facepalm.
"Figures."
"Oh. My. God." The director said as he and the rest of the crew stared in shock at the massive iceberg that now blocked their path.
Naruto didn't think he'd ever be able to come up with such an articulate response.
The iceberg had appeared sometime overnight. Their ship had almost crashed into it, and it was only thanks to the man piloting that they hadn't been run ashore. Naruto was grateful. Shinigami only knew what would sort of damage smashing into that could have caused to their hull.
"This thing is huge!" The camera man exclaimed. "It's going to take forever to get around this. We'll be off schedule by-"
"This is perfect!" the director exclaimed before the camera man could finish. "This is the best place to shoot our next scene."
"Eh?" The camera man appeared confused. Naruto didn't blame him.
"Don't you see?" the director grinned at his crew. "This iceberg appeared as if it was fate. It's like the movie gods are telling us to start filming on this thing!"
There was no stopping the director, and the others knew better than to try, it seemed. Naruto guessed they must have already experienced his brand of crazy and were used to it by now. The crew didn't even complain as they were tasked with unloading all of the equipment, sets and stage props.
Naruto watched from a distance of some meters, sitting by a fire and warming his hands alongside Jiraiya. He thought about making some clones and helping the crew set up and carry stuff, but decided not to. It wasn't his job to help them make their movie, only to protect them during its creation. Besides, his clones weren't always the most graceful of chakra constructs. It would be really bad if they ended up breaking stuff.
"Looks like you've got an admirer," Jiraiya said, knocking an elbow into Naruto's side. He grunted and looked over to see where his sensei was pointing. Yuki, who was also sitting near them, and glaring at him, he might add. If people could create jutsu from their glares, Naruto was sure he'd have just been frozen over.
This wasn't the first time Yuki had given him that glare. He'd been on the receiving end of it almost every time they were within seeing distance of each other-which was pretty much all the time since they had been on a ship. The only times he wasn't within her general vicinity was when Jiraiya guarded her, or when he was sleeping.
"That's nothing new," Naruto stopped looking at Yuki, having decided to ignore her glaring. "If anything, I think her hostile expressions have lessened."
Jiraiya glanced at Yuki for several seconds, then shrugged.
"Whatever you say brat. I'm not seeing it personally, though. It still looked like she's trying to kill you with her eyes."
Naruto grunted and cast his eyes across the vast land of ice. Snow covered fields spread out before him, a wonderland of pure white powder that appeared softer than pillows. Large cliffs jutted from the ground like stakes, their crystalline form glittering with the reminiscence of gems in the afternoon sun. The iceberg they found themselves on was truly massive. Estimating the length of things was a skill he'd picked up during his pranking, and he'd grown pretty good at it. At a rough estimate, he would have to say that this iceberg was, at the very least, three square kilometers in length. That was huge.
"I wonder… is something like this iceberg natural?" Naruto asked to himself.
"Did you say something, brat?"
"Not a thing."
The filming soon got underway. Naruto watched the cast film with one eye, admiring how professional the crew acted and the brilliance of the actors. Yet even as the film continued rolling, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Giant ass icebergs like this did not just appear overnight, did they?
"Brat," Jiraiya's eyes surveyed their surroundings with narrowed eyes. The man was no longer a lecherous pervert, but one of the three Sannin, a man whose power was known far and wide. "You feel it, don't you?"
"Yeah," Naruto mumbled, his own slit-like gaze searching the area. "We're being watched."
Naruto channeled chakra into his eyes. The strange mixture of half-human half-bijuu energy bled into his cornea and then his irises. His pupils turned a dark purple akin to amethysts and his sclera became pure black. His vision shifted spectrums, allowing him to see others as little more than colored silhouettes. Jiraiya appeared to him as a red silhouette with mixtures blue and brown, denoting his main affinity to fire and his two secondary affinities to water and earth. The cast members all appeared mostly as white with small splotches of color, which made sense, as none of them were shinobi and hadn't trained their elements, nor did they have much chakra. A little further out was…
"There!"
"Lord Moso!" Yuki in her role as Princess Gale pointed her sword at a man dressed to the nines in an elaborate mauve robe. "This is it. Your reign of terror ends here!"
Naruto didn't even bother stringing hand seals together. He channeled chakra into his left hand and made a fast slashing motion. A purplish wave of wind chakra enhanced by his own demonic properties flew from his hand and towards a large mound of snow.
"Hahaha!" Lord Moso laughed. "That is what you think, Princess Gale. However, without Yashimaru to protect you, you are-"
The blast of chakra slammed into the large hill and exploded with a fierce howl, like the raging of ten thousand demons.
"-what the heck was that?!"
Quicker than any of the people present could fathom, Naruto appeared in front of Yuki while Jiraiya moved to intercept the shadow that had leapt from the mound. It was a man with dull purple hair tied into a ponytail, who was wearing a strange bluish gray bodysuit with pieces of armor on it. The man pulled out a kunai just in time to intercept jiraiya's attack. Sparks flew during their quick clash before the two leapt away from each other.
"Ho ho ho!" Jiraiya laughed as he landed several meters from his new foe. "It looks like we've got some snow ninja in our midst."
"Jiraiya of the Sannin," Nadare Roga said. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Course you have, my boy," despite the situation, Jiraiya laughed gaily, as if he wasn't about to battle an enemy ninja. "Everybody has heard of the great Jiraiya-sama!"
"Hmph! I've always wanted to see how I'd fare against a Sannin."
"Well, now's your chance." Jiraiya spread his arms wide. "Show me what you can do."
As the two began to clash again, Naruto turned to look at the cast members who were staring at the scene in shock and indecision.
"Everybody get back to the ship!" he ordered as he created a dozen clones. "We'll cover your retreat!"
"W-what is-hey!" Yuki squeaked in shock when one of the clones picked up Yuki and ran towards the ship.
"Oh, no you don't!" a voice echoed across the iceberg. "Hyōrō no Jutsu!"
With his chakra sensitive vision, Naruto was more than capable of tracking the chakra as it raced along the ground, traveling straight for Yuki and his clone. Clicking his tongue, he swiftly used the replacement technique to switch himself out with Yuki. He and his clone then became engulfed in a pillar of ice.
"Ha!" A woman landed on the ground several meters away from where Naruto had been frozen. "That was easier than I thought. Are we sure this brat's really the apprentice of Jiraiya?"
As if responding to her words, the snow to her left rumbled and shifted as a man emerged. The two ninja appeared to be complete contradictions of each other. The woman was short, petite, with pink hair and green eyes. Meanwhile, the man was massive, a hulking monstrosity whose short black hair and beady eyes lent him a mean look. Just about the only thing similar between these two were their almost matching outfits and the arrogant smirks plastered on their faces.
"Hmph! It wouldn't matter if he was Jiraiya's apprentice," the man said. "A brat is still a brat."
"I suppose you're right," the woman mused before turning her attention to Yuki, who shook in place. "So, it's true, then. I didn't think it was, but there's no doubt about it. It's been a long time, Princess Koyuki."
Yuki's eyes widened in fear. "W-what are you…?"
"Now , now," the woman interrupted, "can we just skip the 'I don't know what you're talking about' spiel. We already know that you are actually Koyuki Kazehana, daughter to the former daimyo of Yuki no Kuni. And we also know that you have the Hex Crystal. There is no use denying it. Now, I want you to be a good girl and give that crystal to me."
Yuki's body shook, not from the cold, but from the terror overwhelming her heart. She shook her head back and forth, as if doing so would allow her to wake from this horrible nightmare. Except this was no nightmare, and she wouldn't be waking up from it anytime soon. This was real.
"So, your real name is Koyuki Kazehana," a voice spoke up behind the pink-haired woman. "How interesting."
"What the-"
The woman turned around just in time to receive a fist to her face. She was sent flying backwards, plowing into the snow covered ground and kicking up waves of white powder.
"Fubuki!" the big man shouted-only to double over and spit out a mixture of bile and blood as Naruto rammed a knee into his gut. Naruto wasn't finished, however, and he quickly pulled his knee back and slammed an elbow into the man's face. There was a satisfying crunch! as the snow shinobi's nose broke under Naruto's assault. As the shinobi's head snapped back like a pinata being smacked by a bat, Naruto spun his body around, fists drawn into his torso, and then launched his attack.
"Tsuin Kamikaze no Tatsumaki!"
Naruto launched both fists into the big man's torso. Twin blasts of tornado-like wind slammed into the snow shinobi, whose armor cracked as he was lifted off his feet and sent flying.
Naruto didn't bother watching the snow ninja's inelegant flight. He turned around, created a clone, and ordered it to grab Yuki, who appeared to have fallen unconscious, and run.
"Hyoton: Tsubume Fubuki!"
Several swallows, tiny birds made of ice, raced at his clone. Having already anticipated that something like this would happen, he body flickered in front of the birds.
"Kitsune-bi!"
Bright purple flames flared to life and surged forward like a wave. They melted ice and snow faster than Naruto could say "Hokage." The swallows were swallowed up by the massive wave of purple fire, which was so hot the ice didn't even have time to evaporate as it was melted with ease.
"What?!"
"This is the end."
Naruto appeared behind the startled woman, whose eyes had gone wide. She tried to turn around and face him, but Naruto didn't hesitate to shove a hand coated in wind chakra straight through her back. The strange contraption on her back didn't even afford her any protection. His hand sliced through it like a lava jutsu through through earth. The woman blinked, her head tilting to look down at the hand sticking out of her chest. Her body shuddered once, and then she died.
"Fubuki!" the large man yelled. "You little punk! I'm gonna kill you!"
Naruto disappeared in a body flicker as the man tried pounding his face in. As his foe stumbled forward, he reappeared behind the snow shinobi, a purple rasengan swirling within the palm of his left hand.
"Rasengan!"
"GRRAAAA!"
The armor held for a second, but the power put into the Rasengan combined with its grinding abilities overloaded the armor, shattering it. Naruto then thrust his hand directly into the man's unprotected back, grinding away at his spinal cord. Naruto's face became splattered with blood as the large shinobi went flying forward, where he plowed into the ground, kicking up large geysers of snow before rolling to a stop. He didn't get back up.
"Shit!" Nadare swore as his hand flashed through several seals. "Hyōton: Ikkaku Hakugei!"
The iceberg suddenly broke apart as a large white whale at least twenty times the size of a normal human burst up from beneath it. Jiraiya and Naruto were forced to leap away as it ascended into the sky, blocking out the sun. When it crashed back into the water, the waves it created nearly capsized the boat, where all of the cast and crew had been fortunate enough to get on before the attack.
"That was incredible! Tell me you got all that?" The director asked his cameraman, who held a large camera over his shoulder.
"Yep…" the man sounded shocked. "We got it."
"Good," the director nodded.
XoX
"Okay, so why don't you explain this to me one more time, just so I understand what made you think this was a good idea?" Naruto demanded of the bowing Sandayu. It was just a few hours after the battle. Yuki was still unconscious and resting in her bedroom.
The entire group had gathered together in what would normally pass for a dining room, but had since become a meeting room. He and Jiraiya were sitting on one side of the table. Jiraiya had his feet propped up and his arms crossed. On the other side sat the director and his cameraman. Naruto didn't really know why the cameraman was there but assumed he was kinda like the director's "yes man."
"I… I am terribly sorry," Sandayu apologized for the upteenth time. "It was never my intention to deceive you."
"If it was never your intention to deceive us, then you never would have lied," Naruto said dryly.
"Don't be so hard on him, brat," Jiraiya said. "I'm sure Sandayu has his reasons for lying to us. Right, Sandayu?"
"Y-yes, I do," Sandayu started to sweat under Jiraiya's stare. "I would have told you Princess Koyuki's true identity sooner, but because of the danger she would be in, I needed to keep it a secret. The princess doesn't know this, but she has always been in danger ever since Doto, her uncle, usurped the throne from her father. While Doto seemed to have forgotten her, or maybe he just assumed she died in the violence, I knew that the moment word got out that she was alive, her life would be overcome by great peril."
Naruto wanted to say that he felt for Sandayu's plight. He really did. It sounded like he and Yuki had gone through a very rough patch of life, and the man did sound genuinely worried for the former princess, but at the same time…
"You say you want to protect her, yet here you are, dragging her back to Yuki no Kuni, where her uncle is waiting. Explain this to me, because I seem to have misinterpreted something. How is that protecting her from great peril? It seems to me like you're leading her into great peril-not protecting her from it."
Sandayu flinched at the accusation, but held strong.
"I understand that this must make me look bad, and I won't deny that you are right-bringing her back to Yuki no Kuni is dangerous, especially now that Doto knows for sure that she is alive. However, we have no other option."
"What is it that you're planning, Sandayu-san?" asked Jiraiya. "You wouldn't drag Koyuki all the way here, putting her in mortal peril and possible death for no reason, right?"
"You are correct," Sandayu bowed his head to Jiraiya, "I do have a reason for bringing her here. However, to understand that reason, you must first understand what happened in the past."
"You see, many years ago, I served as a soldier in the army under Sōsetsu-sama's rule. We were a very peaceful nation, however, and so there was no real need for fighting. Perhaps that is why we were unprepared when Doto, Sōsetsu-sama's younger brother, led a rebellion. Using yuki ninja, he assassinated his brother in cold blood and then began a war of eradication. He killed everyone who was loyal to Sōsetsu-sama, mercilessly slaughtering them. I myself barely escaped with my life."
"What a boring sob story," Kyuubi sounded like she was yawning. Naruto quietly shushed her. He would admit that he felt sympathetic to what this man had gone through. "That's because you're a sap."
"Hush you."
"After escaping from Yuki no Kuni, I wandered the Elemental Nations for a year or so. Like everybody else, I had believed that Koyuki-sama had died in the fire, and I had been left destitute and without a purpose. But then… I found Koyuki-sama again." Sandayu sniffed and raised a hand to wipe the tears that had appeared before they could fall. "You have no idea how joyous I was when I had discovered that Koyuki-sama was still alive. She didn't know who I was, of course, but it didn't matter. Once I found Koyuki, I decided that I would help her out. I became her manager and helped her get into show business. We traveled around for a while, did a few gigs, and then we got contracted to do the first Princess Gale movie."
Sandayu paused for a moment, and Naruto could have sworn the man's eyes gained a sparkle where before there had been none.
"Koyuki-sama has always been an amazing actress, but when she started playing as Princess Gale, it was something else entirely. Every time I saw her act, I couldn't help but be amazed. She wore the face of a princess so well that I kept thinking to myself, 'this is what Koyuki-sama was born to do. She wasn't born to be an actress, but to be a leader for her people.' It lit hope within me again. Sometimes, that hope was the only thing that kept me going. That's why… when I heard from the director that the next movie was going to take place in Yuki no Kuni, I knew that we had to go back. It was like a sign telling us to go back and reclaim what rightfully belongs to Koyuki-hime, to take back what Doto stole from her."
Sandayu got down on his hands and knees, bowing before them, his head pressed against the ground.
"That's why I'm begging you, please help me take back the land that Doto stole from us! Help me reclaim Koyuki-hime's throne, so that she might rule Yuki no Kuni as she was meant to!"
Silence reigned. The director and cameraman looked at Sandayu with tears in their eyes, clearly moved by his passionate speech. Even Jiraiya looked like he was contemplating helping him.
Naruto wasn't as moved.
"That's nice and everything," Naruto started, "but have you ever asked Koyuki how she feels about this?"
"Excuse me?" Sandayu looked up.
"Yuki. Koyuki. The person you're dragging back to Yuki no Kuni in order to overthrow her uncle. Have you thought about how she feels about all this? Have you even asked her how she feels?"
"Uh, well, I-I mean, I did mention that we were going to Yuki no Kuni…"
"So, you told her that she was going back to the place where she was nearly killed but didn't say why you were really going."
"W-well…"
"And I'm guessing that you didn't even factor her feelings into account. You probably assumed that everything would work out once you got there, didn't you? I bet you thought that all you had to do was have her show up and Doto would just automatically lose, huh?"
"T-that's not it! I-"
"You know, I think it's really great that you want to help save your country. I really do. But, what you did, what you're doing, it isn't the right way to go about it. You can't just force someone into a role they don't want to take. You might want to save Yuki no Kuni, but does Koyuki? Considering she's run off on you several times ever since you told her that she'd be going to Yuki no Kuni, I can't imagine she feels the same way."
Sandayu remained silent. By this point, everyone was staring at Naruto, open-mouthed and gawking-even Jiraiya looked like someone had just shoved a toad down his throat.
Naruto didn't really know what came over him, but he felt angry for some reason. Heat surged through his veins, making him almost see red.
"The next time you want to someone to do something for you, you need to ask them first. You can't force them into doing what you want them to."
With nothing more to say, Naruto spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, passing by a startled Koyuki on his way out.
"Well," Jiraiya said into the now silent room, "while I don't necessarily agree with my apprentice on all points, I will say that you messed up big by not telling us about the real reason we were hired as bodyguards."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
As Sandayu began apologizing over and over again, Jiraiya looked at the door through that Naruto had left through.
And then he began giggling.
Smooth, brat. Real smooth.
XoX
Naruto sat outside on the deck, his legs hanging over the railing. The chilly night air ruffled his hair and cooled his body, which had grown abnormally hot for some reason. The coolness also served to calm him down.
"What was all that about back there? Why did I get so angry?"
"Mating season."
"E-excuse me?"
"It's a natural phenomenon that we demons go through. Once a year, our bodies became abnormally fertile and we seek partners to reproduce with. The anger you felt was likely caused by the old fart threatening someone you saw as a potential mate."
"W-W-WHAT?! Are you serious?!"
"Of course I'm not serious. I'm a chakra construct, Naruto. I don't have a mating season."
"O-oh."
Kyuubi giggled within his mind. Naruto could practically see the way she demurely held a hand to her mouth. "Did you actually believe me?"
"W-wha-no!" Naruto blushed. "Of course not!"
Kyuubi giggled some more. "If you say so."
"I do say so," Naruto huffed, then calmed down. "But, still, I wonder why I reacted like that. I mean, that didn't seem like me at all back there."
"What are you talking about? Of course that was you. You're always about defending others and getting upset on their behalf."
"No, not that part. I meant how angry I got. I was practically ready to throw Sandayu through a wall. I've never felt that angry before."
"Hmmm…" Within her abode, Kyuubi crossed her legs and idly stroked her tails. "Well, I'm not an expert on this, considering we're in uncharted territory here, but it might just be another side effect of your chakra mixing with mine. Humans weren't meant to wield a bijuu's chakra-even Jinchurikki have a seal that keeps our chakras separated. However, you're chakra has completely mixed with my own, which means there's no seal filtering out my chakra."
Naruto bit his lip as he tried to understand where this was going. "So, you're saying that because your raw, undiluted chakra is running through my coils, it's making me angry?"
"In a sense. My chakra reacts powerfully to emotions, mostly notably negative emotions like anger and rage. Your chakra is mixed with mine, so it makes sense that it would work the same way."
"I see." Naruto sighed. "Great. Just one more thing to worry about."
"So it seems. By the way, you have a guest."
"I know."
Naruto didn't bother turning his head as he spoke up. "Are you gonna keep hiding behind that pole?" When the person didn't say anything, Naruto patted the spot beside him. "Come on. It's easier for us to talk if I'm not shouting at you."
Nothing happened for several seconds, but then someone stepped out from behind the mast. They shuffled forward, stepping into the light from overhead lamps. It was Koyuki. She strolled over to where Naruto was sitting and leaned against the railing.
"Shouldn't you still be in bed?" Naruto asked curiously. "You've had a pretty hectic day. It might be better if you rested a bit more."
Yuki didn't say anything at first, and when she did speak, it was about something completely different. "I heard what you said back there. To Sandayu, I mean."
"You did, huh?" Naruto sighed.
"Why did you defend me like that?"
Naruto thought about what to tell her. He supposed there wasn't any harm in being honest.
"I guess it's because I just don't like the idea of someone being forced to do something against their will."
"I see." Koyuki looked thoughtful. "Does that mean you're not gonna force me to go to Yuki no Kuni."
"No, I am," Naruto admitted, making Koyuki stare at him with a flabbergasted expression. "But I'm not doing it so you can lead a rebellion and overthrow your uncle or anything like that."
"Then why?"
"Because it's my job," Naruto answered seriously. "I'm a shinobi. I was paid to do a job; to protect you while the Princess Gale movie is being filmed, nothing more. If you decide that you don't want to become the daimyo of Yuki no Kuni, then I won't force you. If you decide to lead a rebellion and take your rightful place as ruler, then you can be damn sure that I'll help you. However, I won't make your choices for you, and I won't force my opinions on you. That's not why I'm here."
Yuki stared at him like he'd sprouted a tail from his ass for several seconds, and then looked away. "You're really weird. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"Plenty of times," Naruto said as he took out a scroll and unrolled it. "Now then."
Channeling some chakra into the network of seals, Naruto unsealed several dozen bottles of Mount Myoboku Firebrand sake. He then gave the surprised looking Koyuki Kazehana a mischievous grin.
"Since we never really shared a drink last time, how about we spend the evening getting shit-faced?" he asked, lifting a bottle and lightly shaking it.
Koyuki's resulting grin was probably the most beautiful he'd seen in a long while.
XoX
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
Naruto stifled a groan as he was slowly roused from slumber. He had a headache. It felt like his skull had been split open by an axe and then several thousand shadow clones had dispelled after using his brain as a bongo drum.
Maybe putting a seal on myself so I could get drunk wasn't such a good idea.
"I'll say."
Naruto winced as Kyuubi's voice bounced around inside of his skull.
"Kyuubi? Why do you sound so awful? And please speak more quietly."
"The reason I am like this is because of you. Anything that affects the seal affects me too."
"So when I got drunk…"
"That is correct." Kyuubi huffed. "Honestly, what were you thinking, getting wasted like that? Now I have a headache."
"Whatever. I'm too busy dealing with my own headache to care about yours."
Naruto shut off the link before Kyuubi could retort. He opened his eyes slowly so as to not be blinded by any light and blinked when he saw the ceiling above him. It was just a plain white ceiling, but it wasn't the one from his room. He knew that because his ceiling had a crack running straight through the middle.
This bed is also a lot more comfortable than mine.
Naruto spent a moment just luxuriating in the feel of the super soft mattress on his back. It was seriously the most comfortable thing he'd ever slept in. He could just stay here for… ev… er…
"Hee hee hee…"
…?
Naruto turned his head at the sound of perverted giggling. His sensei, Jiraiya, stood by the door, a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. The man was scribbling down in his notebook like a madman and mumbling something under his breath. Naruto didn't know what he was mumbling about, and he honestly didn't care to know, so he did the first thing that came to mind.
He threw a pillow at Jiraiya's face.
"The hell are you doing here, perv?"
Jiraiya merely ducked under the pillow and grinned at his apprentice.
"Don't you think that's a question I should be asking? What are you doing in Koyuki-hime's room, brat? Better yet, what are you doing sleeping with Koyuki-hime?"
Naruto stared at the old perv like he was an idiot.
"What the hell are you talking about old man… eh?"
It took Naruto several seconds to realize what Jiraiya had said, and another several to realize what it meant. Slowly, as if the world might be inexplicably destroyed if he moved too fast, he turned his head.
Koyuki was sleeping right next to him, snuggled into his side. She wasn't wearing her Princess Gale costume anymore, but a simple pair of white cotton panties and a large T-shirt. Naruto shuddered when her breasts rubbed against his arm, and he realized with a start that she wasn't wearing a bra. And was her leg rubbing against his morning erection?!
W-what the hell?! When did this happen?! How did this happen?!
"Stop shouting. You're making my headache worse."
"S-sorry. But, seriously, what happened last night?"
"Hee-hee-hee…"
"Tch!"
Naruto realized with some annoyance that Jiraiya was still around, and thus decided to get rid of him.
"Kage Bunshin."
Several shadow clones appeared and rushed Jiraiya, who grinned like a loon as he began destroying them with a series of well placed kicks. He didn't even use his hands, which were still writing in his notebook.
"You're gold, kid. Pure gold."
"Shut up, you dirty old pervert," Naruto hissed. "Get out of here."
"Alright, alright. I know when I've overstayed my welcome." Jiraiya snapped his book closed. "I've gotten all the research material I need anyway. Have fun, brat. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Jiraiya left the room, closing the door behind him. Naruto glared at the door some more, as if he could still see Jiraiya.
"Tch. Damn perv."
"I'll say. Who knew someone as famous as Jiraiya was so lecherous," a voice said.
"I know," Naruto agreed. "You'd think he'd show a little more self-restraint when-" Naruto stopped talking. His eyes widened. He turned his head and found a pair of blue eyes staring back at him. "Uh… I can totally explain this."
"I highly doubt that," Koyuki's voice seeped amusement. "You drank even more than I did. I doubt you even remembered what happened last night."
Naruto withheld a grimace. Koyuki was right about that. He really didn't remember a thing.
"Does that mean you remember what happened last night?"
"That's right, but I'm not telling."
"Tch."
Naruto clicked his tongue and made to get out of bed, but soon realized he couldn't because Koyuki still had him in her grasp.
"Don't move. I'm rather comfortable right now and would rather not get up."
"What about your filming? The director's gonna be shouting for you soon, ya know," despite his words, Naruto still laid back down on the bed, allowing Koyuki to rest against him.
"It's still early," Koyuki justified. "The director won't be awake for at least another hour, so I've got time to kill."
"If you say so."
Naruto decided to not let himself be bothered by what was happening, even though a part of him felt really uncomfortable by his situation. Why was Koyuki so comfortable sharing her bed with him anyways?
"By the way," Koyuki started, causing Naruto to shift his attention to her, "did you mean what you said last night? That you weren't gonna try and convince me to become the princess of Yuki no Kuni again?"
"Of course I did." Naruto closed his eyes and mumbled. "You can't force choices onto someone, and honestly, what you do with your life isn't really any of my business. I was hired to protect you, nothing more."
"I see." For some reason, Koyuki smiled at him. "And if you were in my position, what would you do?"
"Do you mean would I try to overthrow my uncle and take my place as the daimyo?"
"Yes."
Naruto thought about it for a moment before coming up with his answer. "Yes, I would. If it were me, there's no way I could just sit by while some douchebag sits on my throne, especially not if all the things I've heard about Doto are true. I don't know about you, but I hate it when people walk all over me and try to take what's mine."
"Hm."
"But, it's just like I said, I'm not here to make you do anything. I'm here to protect you. If you decide not to teach your uncle a lesson, then that's your choice. However, if you decide that you do want to take your kingdom back, then just let me know and I'll shove a rasengan right up your uncle's ass for you."
"That was a very disturbing image you just gave me," Koyuki stated flatly, to which Naruto merely responded with a shrug.
XoX
Within the darkened throne room, Nadare knelt before Doto, the absolute ruler of Yuki no Kuni. He did not look up, but remained on bended knee with his head bowed in apology.
"So, Jiraiya and his apprentice proved to be too much for you, and now Fubuki and Mizore are dead," Doto said in a deep, bass rumble.
Nadare tried not to grimace at the blunt assessment. "That is… correct, Doto-sama. Fubuki and Mizore became overconfident and it cost them their lives." He did not mention his own failures. Doto did not take kindly to failure. It was better to place the blame on someone else than take the blame himself. He was sure Fubuki and Mizore wouldn't mind.
"Hm, it seems that I was correct. Those two are more than a match for you," Doto mused. Nadare gritted his teeth. "It looks like you two are up," the daimyo said to the shadowy figures standing in the background. "I do not care if Koyuki is dead or alive, but I want you to bring me that hex crystal."
"Heh," Hidan's mouth stretched into a twisted parody of a smile, "it looks like I finally get to kill something. I was beginning to get impatient."
"You're always impatient," Kakazu muttered.
"Tch! And you're a killjoy!"
Nadare glared at the floor as the two S-rank shinobi bickered.
He would not let those two mercenaries grab the glory meant for him.
XoX
It took two more days before they reached the port town. Naruto stuck with Koyuki for the rest of their time at sea. It seemed his words had earned her trust, or maybe she simply enjoyed the fact that he had no intention of making her do something she didn't want to do. He honestly didn't know, but he was grateful. The fact that she no longer glared at him, or did her best to avoid him, meant protecting her was a lot easier than before.
The groups disembarked one by one. The crew members charged with the props did all the heavy lifting, using machines to unload the larger props. Several people controlled trolleys and pushed them down the ramp and onto the docks. The director and his cameraman, who was always by the director's side, stood near Jiraiya, who had his arms crossed as he watched everyone unload-at least until he caught sight of Naruto and Koyuki disembarking together. Then he gave his apprentice a lecherous grin and a thumbs up.
"Honestly," Naruto wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You wake up in a girl's bed once and your sensei acts like you've been sleeping around."
"Well, you were caught in an awfully compromising position," Koyuki said.
"The woman's got a point."
Naruto stumbled as he walked down the ramp. "Ugh, I don't want to hear that from you," he said, though just who he was talking to, Kyuubi or Koyuki, even he didn't know.
After all of the crew members, props and equipment had been unloaded, the group loaded them up into several four wheeled contraptions made of wood and metal. The director called them four-wheelers, and said they'd been created by Yuki no Kuni to transport officials and famous individuals around. Naruto ended up in the vehicle with Koyuki, while Jiraiya went with Sandayu and the director.
"Ah! This is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed as he pressed his face to the glass and stared out at the winter wonderland laid out before them.
"You're like a kid," Koyuki chuckled from her place next to him.
"Tch. Whatever. Let me have my fun." Naruto pressed his face further against the glass, fogging it up with his breath. "This is the first time I've ever seen so much snow before. It's everywhere!"
"Do you really find snow that fascinating?"
"Well, maybe not fascinating, but it is different from what I'm used to. Konoha's weather is mild all year round. It never really changes. That's why I like traveling so much. It lets me see places and things that I've never seen before."
"I guess that makes sense."
"Do you not like the snow, Yuki-chan?"
"Not really." Naruto was about to turn around after hearing her words, but Koyuki moved first. His entire body went stiff when she leaned into him, setting her head near his and looking out the window. "Actually, I really hate snow. It's cold and frozen, an uncaring wasteland. My heart feels like it's become frozen like this snow."
Naruto ignored the breasts pressing into his back. Thanks to that damn vixen in his mind, he had some experience with seduction, so it was easier than it might have been. "If that's the case, then all you need is to find someone or something that can warm it up."
"Oh?" Koyuki's lecherous grin from back when she was drunk returned, but this time, it looked quite a bit more fetching. Naruto assumed it was because she wasn't drunk this time. "Are you offering yourself for the position?"
Naruto's scowl did an admirable job of hiding his blush. "No. Even if I wanted to-which I don't!" He quickly added upon seeing the mile wide grin on Koyuki's face. "I'm a shinobi for Konoha. There's no way a relationship between us would work."
"Are you sure that's the real reason you're saying that?"
"Of course."
"Hm, well, if you say so." Koyuki shrugged and stopped pressing herself against him.
"In any case, I was thinking more like having a purpose."
"A purpose."
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "I was once told that having no purpose is the worst thing ever. It leaves you feeling empty and unfulfilled. There's nothing worse than not having a purpose."
"So what's your purpose?"
Naruto opened his mouth to say, "to become Hokage, of course!" but quickly shut it when he remembered something vital-he might never become Hokage. Kyuubi had spoken about this at great length, how an immortal becoming Hokage would cause problems. The title of Hokage was meant to be passed down. What's more, if an immortal became Hokage, then it meant they would have absolute authority over Konoha for the rest of time. How long would it take before he got drunk off that kind of power? No, perhaps it was better if he didn't become Hokage.
"To protect the people I love." Naruto turned to give Koyuki a grin. "That's all I could ever ask for."
Whether it was because his answer stunned her, or for reasons he couldn't fathom, Koyuki said nothing. She offered him a soft, "thank you," and then leaned back in her seat, a contemplative expression on her face.
Naruto returned to looking out the window.
But he could no longer see the snow.
XoX
As their vehicles exited the tunnel, the cavern opened into a snow covered mountain side. Glittering white powder coruscated with light. Leaves rustled and trees swayed. A stiff breeze blew through the clearing created by the makeshift roadway, knocking snow off branches and causing it to whirl about in the wind. Overhead, the sun shone down, a bright obnoxious ball of flames that caused one to squint after being cooped up in the dark for so long.
"Well," Naruto started, opening the door and climbing out, his feet crunching the snow-covered ground, "I guess this is our stop, Yuki-chan."
Koyuki gave him an uneasy smile as she took the hand he held out to her. "I guess so."
She climbed daintily down and Naruto let go of her hand. He turned from Koyuki and looked around. The air was chilly and crisp. When he inhaled, his nose felt a sharp sting, the bite of frost, which agitated his sinuses.
"It hasn't changed," Koyuki murmured as she looked around, "even after all this time, nothing has changed."
"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" asked Naruto.
"Bad. I hate the snow."
"I don't think that's necessarily true." Naruto smiled gently at the girl, as if he could see through her. "I don't think it's the snow that you dislike, but what happened to you while you were here." Koyuki said nothing, allowing him to continue. "Either way, you don't need to worry. I'll protect you with my life." Grinning widely, he gave her a thumbs up. Koyuki looked at him for several seconds, and then looked away.
"I-I'll be counting on you, then."
"Hehe, leave it to me!"
"Yuki!" the director called. "We're getting ready to film."
"I'm coming!"
Snow crunched against Koyuki's heeled shoes as she walked over to the director. The other actors and cast converged and the director began doing what he did best. By his side, the faithful cameraman rolled the film as if he were making a documentary instead of a Princess Gale movie.
"You and Koyuki-hime seem to be getting a long," a voice said from behind him. Naruto turned to see Jiraiya standing on his left, arms crossed and a lecherous grin plastered all over his face.
"Don't look too into it," Naruto said, turning away from Jiraiya to look back at the cast. He could see Koyuki getting ready to act in her role as Princess Gale. "It's not like we're super close or anything. She just appreciates that I'm not trying to force her into doing something she doesn't want to do."
"And are you sure that she doesn't want to save this country?"
"No, I'm positive that she does want to save this country," Naruto continued watching Koyuki as she acted for the camera, "but she's afraid. Afraid of failing, afraid of being alone, afraid of losing everything all over again. She's running away."
"So why haven't you worked your magic yet?" When Naruto gave Jiraiya a dumbfounded look, the older man sighed. "Honestly, times like these makes me wish you weren't still a brat."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" asked a suitably belligerent Naruto.
Jiraiya opened his mouth to answer, but a steady stream of chakra caused Naruto to stop listening.
He glanced down at the ground. The snow was melting, turning to water and quickly washing away. Beneath that layer of snow was metal. Steel tracks meant for a train. Naruto knelt down and ran a hand over the tracks, his fingers tingling like lightning was racing through them.
"Kyuubi."
"Yes, I know. There's chakra running through these tracks. Something is coming."
Naruto shot to his feet and shouted at the people still filming. "Everyone! Get out of the way! Take cover and hide! There's something massive coming this way!"
The cast members didn't seem to know what to make of his words. Naruto clicked his tongue when he realized this and created several dozen clones, which moved off in all directions. Some turned on the vehicles and moved them off the tracks, others began shoving the crew along. Jiraiya had responded to his words quickly, helping the clones get people out of the way. Meanwhile, the real Naruto rushed up to Koyuki, scooped the woman into his arms, and ran off to find some cover. The woman was so shocked that she couldn't do more than squawk as he raced off the track and hid behind an outcropping of snow covered rocks.
"H-hey!" Koyuki finally regained her bearings as he set her down. "What was that all about?!"
"Shh." Naruto raised a hand to his lips, gesturing for silence. "Something is coming."
"Wha…?" Koyuki didn't manage to complete her sentence, because in that moment, a loud rumbling filled the air.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as it burst from the cavernous passage that they themselves had used minutes prior, a machine running along the tracks. It shimmered in the light, a long contraption of glistening steel composed of several different cars. Steam billowed from the front, shooting out of a chimney like smoke rising from a forest fire. A train. Naruto had heard about these technological wonders, but he'd never seen one in real life.
The train came to a stop several meters from their location. A large hatched opened in the back car, and from within that car a platform rose, revealing several figures. The first, a man seated on a miniature throne. To his left, the familiar figure of their previous foe with purple hair, the one who got away. The right, two figures bedecked in black cloaks with red clouds. Akatsuki.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
What are they doing here?
"Koyuki-hime, it's been a long time," the man on the throne said. "Come on out. Let's have a look at you."
Koyuki stiffened where she sat behind a rock. Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Yuki. Remember what I told you. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
Koyuki stared at him, wide-eyed and frightened. Yet, as she looked into his eyes, her body slowly relaxed. She nodded ever so slightly, causing him to crack a grin.
"Now then, why don't we see what these people want?"
Naruto stood up and walked out from behind a boulder. He ignored the purple-haired one, having already determined that he was the weakest, and instead focused on the other three. The one sitting on the throne was a big man with a square face and a large jaw. His small beady eyes were offset by thin wrinkles that ran down his face. His entire form was covered by a thick white cloak that was draped across him like a cape.
The other two were most definitely members of Akatsuki. One of them he couldn't see much of, because the man's entire body and face was covered. The other, however, had slicked back white hair, pale skin, purple eyes and carried a giant triple-bladed scythe.
"Are you Doto?" asked Naruto.
"I am," the man sitting on the throne said, "and who might you be?"
"I'm the guy who'd like you to get your big ass train out of our way," Naruto's response was swift and blunt. "I don't know if you've noticed yet, but we're kinda in the middle of filming a movie here."
"Kekeke," the man with slicked back hair laughed. "This brat's got a mouth on him."
"That is the Kyuubi brat, if I am not mistaken," the other one said, his voice gravelly and deep. "He doesn't have much of a bounty on his head, but since we're here, we might as well capture him for the leader."
Naruto glared at the two Akatsuki members. Blood pumped through his veins, accelerating as adrenaline was injected into his bloodstream. He could feel it, that burning excitement bubbling up from the back of his mind. He always felt it right before a battle.
"Doto Kazahana!" a shout in the distance stopped the fight that had been about to break out. "Today, your reign of terror ends!"
Everyone looked up. There, standing atop a snowy slope, stood Sandayu Asama. Garbed in the armor of a samurai and waving around a sword, the manager of Koyuki was surrounded by his fellow samurai.
"Five years we have waited for this moment, for the day where Koyuki-hime would return and claim her rightful place as our ruler! Now it has come at last and we, the faithful samurai who once served Sosetsu-sama, have come to claim vengeance! For Koyuki-hime!"
With a resounding battle cry, the many samurai unsheathed their swords and charged down the slope.
"What the hell are you people doing?!" Naruto heard Koyuki's shout. "Do you all want to die?!"
He looked at the train. Several sections of each car had opened up, revealing what could only be some kind of projectile launcher. Naruto didn't know what those things shot, but he knew that whatever it was wouldn't be good for anyone's health. He needed to do something!
"Not so fast!"
Eyes widening, Naruto threw himself backwards just in time to miss being sliced apart by a scythe. It struck the ground instead, becoming embedded deeply into the snow and probably the ground, too. The man gripping it lifted the weapon back up and placed it on his shoulder.
"I can't have you interfering," the man said, "especially since I'm getting bored." His lips stretched into a grin. "Besides, the leader's been on our case to capture one of you jinchurikki. Might as well be you."
Naruto gritted his teeth. He looked over at samurai and was just in time to see several hundred kunai get launched from within the train.
"Doton: Doryuheki!"
A wall made of earth jutted up from the ground. It spanned nearly 25 meters in diameter and was more than thick enough to protect the samurai from impalement. Standing atop the massive wall, Jiraiya hopped from one foot to the other.
"Did you think the great Jiraiya-sama would let you kill the people he's supposed to protect under his watch? Think again! The great Jiraiya-sama is a protector to all the innocent-especially the ladies-and he won't let you have your way!"
Naruto would have rolled his eyes at his sensei's grandiose speech, but the scythe trying to impale him through the head kept his attention on his opponent. He wove around the weapon, which cut through the air with a loud whistle. Fortunately, the guy didn't know how to wield it; he just swung the weapon around in a haphazard manner. Dodging this guy's reckless swings was easy.
With a kunai in each hand, Naruto avoided swing after swing. The scythe cut through the air above him as he ducked. It dug into the ground when he shoulder rolled out of the way. The akatsuki member came in swinging, but Naruto used his kunai to deflect the attacking weapon, creating a series of sparks that splashed against the ground.
"Heh, you're pretty good at dodging," the man said.
"And you suck at fighting," Naruto shot back. The akatsuki member opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto beat him to the punch. "Kamikaze Seikan!"
Blood flew from the akatsuki member's mouth-along with several teeth-and nose as Naruto's wind jutsu slammed into his face. The man with slicked back hair stumbled backwards, and Naruto capitalized on this opportunity to end the fight. Channeling wind chakra into his kunai, he tossed the blade right at the man's head. More blood splattered along the ground, tainting the snow, as the kunai went straight through his head, traveling through one side and out the other.
The Akatsuki member stood there, swaying on his feet before, with little more than a thud, he fell onto his back. Naruto waited for several seconds. When it became clear his opponent had been defeated, he turned around and began walking away.
"Naruto! He's not dead!"
Naruto rolled along the ground as Kyuubi shouted in his mind. A squealing sound not dissimilar to grinding reached his ears. He leapt back onto his feet and spun around to see the guy he'd just killed yank his scythe out of the ground and set it on his shoulder. A large hole in his forehead continued to gush blood.
"That fucking hurt, shit for brains," the white-haired man said. "I'm gonna fucking kill you for that." He licked the blades of his scythe. "Gonna cut you up real good."
Naruto didn't know what was going on. He had no clue how this man was still alive, when his brain matter should have been splattered all over the snow. But, he wasn't about to let this man know that.
"You're welcome to try," Naruto grinned, "but I can guarantee you'll lose."
"Ha! Let's see if you can back up those words, brat!"
The Akatsuki member swung his scythe as Naruto raised his kunai.
A clash of sparks signaled a renewal of their battle.
XoX
"Jiongu!"
"Doton: Yomi Numa!"
Thousands of dark black threads tried to impale Jiraiya through the chest, but they quickly retracted when the ground underneath Kakuzu's feet turned into a swamp. The Akatsuki accountant leapt into the air and back several meters. Meanwhile, Jiraiya stood back up from where he'd been crouched on the ground.
"Jiraiya of the Sannin," Kakuzu said calmly, as if he wasn't talking to one of the most powerful shinobi in the Elemental Nations. "I was wondering when you and I would meet. You have quite the bounty on your head. I'll be sure to collect."
"You must be Kakuzu, the infamous bounty hunter formerly from Takigakure, an S-rank nuke nin who was said to have fought against the Shodai Hashirama himself." Jiraiya grinned as he raised his hand and gave a "come on" gesture. "You can try and collect the bounty on my head, but it won't do much good. You're too old and decrepit to even think of fighting against a young stud like me."
Kakuzu didn't respond to the taunting. He only began making hand seals. "We shall see. Doton: Domu!"
"Katon: Endan!"
Earth met fire. Jutsu clashed against jutsu. The battle between S-ranked shinobi had begun.
XoX
Something was wrong with this Hidan fellow. It could have been how none of the damage Naruto did stopped him for more than a second, or it could have had something to do with his insane cackling. Either way, Naruto knew that there was something seriously, insanely, utterly wrong with this guy.
"Come on, you little fucking twerp! Is that all you've got!"
This guy's got a mouth on him. And is it just me, or has he gotten faster?
Hidan blitzed Naruto with a powerful series of incredibly quick slashes. Naruto was forced to backpedal when he realized that he could no longer match Hidan's speed. The white-haired man continued chasing after Naruto, laughing like a madman as he swung his scythe around like it weighed less than a bowl of ramen.
I need to do something. Maybe if I created some kind of opening…
Naruto tossed a kunai at Hidan and went through a series of hand seals.
"Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
What had once been a single kunai became twenty. All them were heading for Hidan, who didn't even bother covering his vital organs as he rushed forward. Blood spurted from fresh wounds, pouring down his body like streams. Several kunai had even pierced vital organs, but Hidan didn't stop moving forward. He was relentless.
"Ha! You think that will work on me! You can't kill me!"
His plan to make Hidan halt in his tracks failed, Naruto decided to try something else. He didn't have many jutsu in his arsenal, but what jutsu he did have were pretty powerful. One jutsu in particular, might work wonders on someone like this.
"Kitsune-bi!"
Fire lit up within his hands. A burst of ethereal flames engulfed his palms, coalescing into a tiny ball. Naruto tossed the balls at Hidan, who didn't have the good sense to dodge and took them head on. One slammed into his chest and the other detonated in his face. The first explosion knocked Hidan back, while the second sent him crashing into the ground.
Knowing better than to give his opponent a chance to recover, Naruto leapt into the hair, his body twisting in a corkscrew until he was perpendicular to the ground. Wind gathered around his fists. Just as he passed over Hidan, he unleashed a swift double punch.
"Tsuin Kamikaze no Tatsumaki!"
Two powerful tornadoes flew from his hands and slammed into Hidan. Snow shot from the ground like geysers, clouding his vision. Naruto finished his flip and landed several meters away. He turned around and looked at where Hidan had been. The snow cloud had cleared, allowing him to see the massive crater that his attack had created.
Did that kill him?
"Naruto! He's underground!"
"WHAT?!"
The ground underneath his feet was split apart by a triple-bladed scythe. Naruto jumped back and avoided being gruesomely impaled. A hand came out of the ground next, followed by the rest of Hidan's body. He leapt out of the ground, landing on his feet and grinning.
"Almost had ya there."
Damn it! What will it take to kill this guy?
"Ready or not, here I come!"
"Shit!"
Hidan attacked Naruto with a powerful swipe. Naruto raised his kunai to block the attack, but then doubled over when Hidan surprised him with a powerful kick. Naruto could practically feel his ribcage snapping as he was sent sailing through the air. He hit the ground hard. The world spun around, tumbling in and out of focus-until his back crashed against something solid and then everything went black. When Naruto regained his vision, it was to see a scythe swinging at him!
Naruto was given no time to react as the scythe cut into him with ease-
Poof!
-And then Naruto went up in a puff of smoke.
"What the-"
Hidan was given no time to finish his sentence as something impossibly strong slammed into the back of his head. He plowed face first into the rock formation that Naruto had previously been laid out on. The rocks cracked and dented, abrasions spreading like spider webs from the point of impact. Naruto, who appeared directly behind Hidan, went through a series of hand seals.
"Fuuton: Shinkugyoku!"
Naruto exhaled deeply, shooting several bullets of wind chakra from his mouth. The spheres of wind were launched in a wide-spread patterns, making it impossible to dodge all of them without aid from a doujutsu. Hidan had no chance. The wind spheres tore into him like his body was made of soggy paper. Blood splattered across the ground as holes appeared on his skin, revealing the red muscles, fleshy organs, and white bone within.
"Fuck!" Hidan swore. "That fucking hurts!" He turned around and glared at Naruto. "You're gonna fucking get it now, you fucking little turd!"
"Did you just call me a turd?"
"S-so what if I did?!" shouted a now red-faced Hidan. "It's okay to call you a turd since that's exactly what you are!"
With that, Hidan rushed at Naruto once again.
XoX
Koyuki sat on the sidelines, hiding behind a rocky outcropping, watching the battle take place. While some part of her scoffed at the pointlessness of these battles, another admired Naruto's strength as he fought against the ninja her uncle had hired. While the other ninja had yet to be defeated, it was clear to her that Naruto's enemy was the one taking the beating.
If he's this powerful, then maybe he can…
Koyuki banished the thought before it could fully form. There was no point in dwelling on such thoughts. She had made her bed. Now all that was left to do was lie in it.
"Hello, Koyuki-hime," a voice said from behind her.
Eyes widening, Koyuki tried to turn, but something powerful slammed into the back of her neck.
The last thing she saw was the white snow covered ground rising up to meet her.
Then darkness embraced her.
XoX
Naruto was breathing heavily. Sweat gathered along his forehead and dripped into his eyes, stinging them. He was getting tired. It was a first for him. Being a Jinchurikki and a not fully human one at that, Naruto had incredibly high amounts of stamina. He could fight for hours, flinging jutsu left and right, and not have to worry about exhaustion. Yet as the battle with Hidan progressed, exhaustion was exactly what he felt.
This guy…
The man came at him, scythe swinging recklessly. Naruto gritted his teeth as he threw himself backwards, but that did little to stop Hidan. The blades of the scythe suddenly extended as he threw it at Naruto, who raised the kunai in his hands in time to block. However, there was so much power put behind the attack that he was sent skidding along the snow covered ground.
He's relentless…
Hidan laughed madly as he came in trying to carve Naruto up like grains of wheat. Left with no other option, Naruto was forced to block the scythe bearing down on him-and ended up receiving a brutal kick to the chest for good measure. One of his floating ribs snapped as he was sent flying. It healed seconds later, but the pain distracted him enough that he almost missed the scythe falling from the sky like an avenging kami. Gritting his teeth, Naruto raised his arm and launched a chain from inside of his sleeve. It wrapped around the scythe, and Naruto yanked on the chain, knocking the weapon off course and sending it crashing into the ground. His back slammed into the earth moments later, and all of the air was expelled from his lungs in a loud woosh.
Naruto was given no time to recover. Hidan fell from the sky moments later, and he was forced to roll along the ground, narrowly avoiding the double heel stomp that would have surely caved in his chest.
If this keeps up… I might have to use that…
Kyuubi must have heard his thoughts, because she spoke up seconds later. "I wouldn't transform unless it becomes absolutely necessary. You have a limit to how long you can use it before it corrupts your body. You haven't trained with it enough yet."
Naruto dodged a swing coming his way, grimacing as it sliced through several strands of hair.
"I may not have much of a choice here…"
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Several clones appeared at his side. Two of them went after Hidan, to distract him, while the other two hung back with Naruto, who held out his hand and formed a rasengan. The two clones added their own chakra to the mix. Rather than simply helping him form a jutsu, however, they reinforced it with their chakra, one adding extra rotations and the other simply making it bigger. The clones attacking Hidan were dispelled seconds after attacking, but by that point it was too late.
"Oodoma Rasengan!"
Naruto slammed the rasengan into Hidan's face. The white-haired Akatsuki member was engulfed in a gigantic explosion. Blue chakra detonated. Bright flashes of blinding light burst in front of Naruto's eyes like fireworks at a festival. Snow and smoke and steam blasted outward from the explosion, sending Naruto flying several meters back. He flipped around, landing on his feet, sliding along the snowy ground until he sent chakra to his feet. He looked back at where the explosion took place and was surprised to see Hidan still standing-though not wholly intact.
"Fuck… that fucking hurt…"
Hidan was missing several body parts. His left arm was no longer there. It was missing from the shoulder down. Blood gushed from the stump like a water jutsu gone out of control, drenching his entire side. He was also missing a leg, his right. The entire calf had been blown clean off, and Naruto could see the bones jutting out from between the muscle fibers, which dangled from the missing knee like jelly fish tentacles.
"Little shit…" Hidan scowled at Naruto, his missing right eye making it look ten thousand times more menacing. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, you little fucking shit!"
Before Hidan could try to make good on that promise, another figure landed near him-the other Akatsuki member.
"Hidan, we're leaving," Kakuzu said.
"What?!" Hidan turned a startled gaze on Kakuzu. "Now?! You fucking kidding me?! I still have to pay this fucker back for blowing me up!"
"You cannot do anything in your condition," Kakuzu replied mildly. "Our objective is complete, so there's no need for us to stay here. Let's go."
Kakuzu did not give Hidan anytime to reply. He wrapped the other man in black threads that snaked out from his sleeves. Even so, Naruto could hear the profanity spewing from the white-haired man's mouth. Kakuzu didn't even pay Naruto any attention as he leapt away, landing back on the train, which soon took off.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted as he realized what was happening. "Where do you two think you're going! Get back here!"
But they didn't come back. The train continued moving, getting farther and farther away.
"Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu!"
A large burst of smoke appeared over the train. From within the cloud of white, a massive toad fell, landing directly in front of the train. For a moment, Naruto thought that would be the end of it, but then the last cart on the end suddenly disconnected from the rest. The train crashed into the giant toad, which unleashed a loud croak, while a giant air balloon came out from the top of the last car and expanded quickly. The air balloon lifted the car off the tracks. The car went over the cliff and descended to the depths below.
Naruto ran to the edge of the cliff and was just in time to see a giant zeppelin rise into the sky. It must have been on standby in case Doto and his goons needed to make a quick getaway. He glared at the zeppelin as it grew smaller in the distance, until it vanished entirely.
"Looks like they got away," Jiraiya walked up to Naruto's side.
"Seems that way," Naruto grunted.
"And Doto has hired Akatsuki," Jiraiya added.
"Yeah."
"That Kakuzu guy was a tricky opponent," Jiraiya continued, humming thoughtfully as he stroked his chin. "Though I'm pretty sure I know of a way to beat him now that we've fought. How about you?"
"I don't know," Naruto admitted. "That guy I was fighting-"
"Hidan."
"Right. Him. Anyway, that guy's not a very good fighter. He's fast and strong sure, but he doesn't have much technique. He just swings that scythe of his around recklessly. If it were simply a matter of skill, I'm sure that I could beat him."
"I take it there's something else to him that made defeating him difficult?"
"That's putting it mildly." Naruto snorted. "I don't know what's up with him, but for some reason, I couldn't kill the guy. No blew holes in his chest and threw a kunai straight through his head, yet he didn't die. No matter how grievous the injury I inflicted on him, he just kept coming, rising back up like a freaking zombie."
"I guess that explains his nickname," Jiraiya mused absently. "I had always wondered why they call him Hidan the Immortal. Not being able to die despite the injuries you describe would explain it."
"Great." Naruto clicked his tongue in clear agitation. "So, I'm fighting an immortal now? That's just what I wanted to do on this mission."
But still, what are the chances of me finding another immortal? Is he the same as me?
"Doubtful," Kyuubi answered immediately. "You are unique, a human who has been doused with so much of my chakra that you're body's very composition has changed. Your very cells have been charged with a power that humans were never meant to wield, which is what gives you your incredible regenerative abilities. The way you received this power must also be factored in. Only my jinchurikki could gain immortality this way-even if another jinchurikki went through the same thing that you did, they would not have gained immortality. That man is not a jinchurikki. Furthermore, his chakra is completely human, though there is something odd about it."
"What's so odd about it?"
"I… I am not sure. It just didn't feel… natural."
"I'm not sure I follow."
"I mean that, even though his chakra felt human, it felt unnatural, like the chakra didn't belong to him, or maybe like it was artificially created."
Naruto didn't really understand what Kyuubi was saying. Had Hidan's chakra belonged to someone else and he'd stolen it? That was what it sounded like she was saying, but at the same time, he couldn't say for sure if that was what she meant.
"Oi, brat. You listening to me?"
"No," Naruto said, snapping back to reality at the sound of Jiraiya's voice.
"Tch, disrespectful brat."
"Dirty old man."
"Anyway, let's make sure everyone is alright." Jiraiya turned back to the film crew and the samurai that had almost been killed by Doto.
Naruto followed his sensei's advice and also looked back at the crowd of people. It was only upon taking a quick head count that he realized someone was missing.
"Where is Yuki-chan?"
XoX
Koyuki Kazahana stirred. She felt groggy. Her head was pounding, like something had rattled her skull and damaged the gray matter within. She tried to open her eyes, but the light hitting her retina made her wince, like when you stepped into the light after spending several hours in a dark theater. The dull throb in her head increased to staccato bursts.
"Are you finally awake, Koyuki-hime," a horrifyingly familiar voice said.
Koyuki's eyes snapped open. Despite the stinging pain from the light, she stared in horror at the person sitting across from her. That was also when she realized that she'd been bound, her hands tied behind her back and her legs strapped to a chair.
"Doto…"
"It's been a long time since I last laid eyes on you," Doto's lips twitched, as if amused by the way she flinched. "You've grown quite beautiful."
"Don't try to flatter me," Koyuki tried to pretend the quaver in her voice didn't exist. "What do you want?"
"Now, now, my dear," Doto said in a patronizing tone. "There is no need to be so hostile. I merely wanted to speak with-"
"Fuck!" a curse interrupted Doto before he could go any further.
Koyuki and Doto turned their heads simultaneously. Hidan was leaning against the wall, the floor underneath him drenched in blood, a puddle of carmine which continued to expand. Kakuzu stood next to him, black threads slithering out of his sleeves and reattached Hidan's many missing body parts back on. Unfortunately, it could not do much about his missing eye, which had been blown apart by Naruto's Oodama Rasengan.
"That fucking hurts, Kakuzu! Can't you be more gentle?"
"No," Kakuzu did not stop stitching the white-haired man back together. "This is your fault for allowing yourself be torn apart like that. I won't baby you because of you're an idiot."
"Fucking money grubbing little shit!"
"Religious zealot without a modicum of common sense."
After staring at the two Akatsuki members, who had now degraded to childishly insulting each other, Doto and Koyuki looked back at each other.
"As I was saying, I merely wanted to speak with you," Doto continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.
"I don't believe you," Koyuki snapped a quick reply. "If all you wanted to do was talk, then you wouldn't have had your henchman kidnap me. What are you really after?"
Doto snorted. "Clever girl. Perhaps a little too clever. You're right, I am after something-the Hex Crystal."
"The Hex Crystal?"
"The legacy of the Kazahana family, I believe the key to finding it lies within the Hex Crystal," Doto explained. "After I… wrested control of this country from your father, I searched high and low for the Kazahana treasure, but could find no trace of it. For many years I worried that my brother had squandered it on his hobbies of tinkering with machines, until I hit upon a clue-the rainbow glacier. There is a keyhole there, one uniquely shaped to match the Hex Crystal. That is why I need that crystal. With it, I can finally unlock the Kazahana treasure and use the vast wealth to increase our country's power. In time, we'll even be able to compete with the four great nations!"
Koyuki remained silent while Doto calmed down. She didn't know about any of the things he was talking about, but she knew that he only wanted this treasure to increase his own power.
Not like it matters to me. I don't care what he does with this country, she told herself.
"So, all you want is the Hex Crystal?"
"That is correct."
"And you'll let me go if I give it to you?"
"Of course."
Koyuki already knew that he was lying. She could see it in his eyes. She could hear it in his voice. His body language spoke to her. As an actress, she was well-versed in the art of discerning truth from lies, and right now, everything bout Doto screamed that he was lying.
Still, what choice do I have? If I don't do this…
An image of Naruto appeared within her mind.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
Lier.
She took the necklace dangling from around her neck and placed it on Doto's outstretched hand. The man grinned as he brought the object close to his face-a grin that abruptly vanished when he got his first good look at the crystal in his hand.
"What is this?!" he bellowed.
"W-what?" Koyuki's eyes widened when Doto glared at her.
"Do you take me for a fool, girl? This isn't the Hex Crystal! It's a fake!"
He tossed the object away. The fake Hex Crystal slammed against the wall, where it disappeared in a small puff of white smoke.
"B-but, that can't be fake! It has to be real! The only way it could be fake is in…" she trailed off, her eyes widening. "Naruto."
"Naruto?"
"Jiraiya's apprentice," Nadare, standing behind Doto, said. "He is the blond one who fought and demolished Hidan."
"He didn't demolish me, you fucking-gah! Fuck, Kakuzu! The hell is your problem?!"
"You're my problem. Now shut up and let me work."
"Before coming Jiraiya's apprentice, I hear he was a genin under Kakashi Hatake's command."
"The Copy Ninja?" Doto looked interested.
"The very same." Nadare nodded. "Kakashi was there when you overthrew your brother. It would not surprise me if he told Naruto what he knows, in which case, it would make sense that Naruto would replace the Hex Crystal with a fake."
Naruto… he must have replaced the Hex Crystal with a fake while she'd been unconscious. Why would he do that? Was it because he didn't trust her? Was there some other reason? Why did she even care?
"There's nothing we can do, then," Doto determined coldly. "We'll simply have to lure them to my castle. Nadare! Escort our… guest to her chambers."
"Of course, Doto-sama." Nadare bowed to his master before grabbing Koyuki roughly by the arm and yanking her to her feet. "Come along, princess."
As Nadare escorted her out of the room, Doto left her with a parting comment.
"Congratulations, Koyuki-hime. You get to live a little while longer."
She wasn't sure that was a good thing.
First, please allow me to apologize for not updating this in so long. To be honest, my muse for this story isn't what it used to be. I guess that's what happens when you outgrow certain cliche's that you used. Despite that, I still plan on finishing this fanfic. It will just take a little while longer.
So, some of you already know this, but I published my second book a few months back. A Fox's Tail is the sequel to A Fox's Love. If you're interested, you can go onto Amazon and buy a copy. If you've already gotten a copy and enjoyed the story, then I'd be very grateful if you could leave a review on Amazon. Even something simple like "I enjoyed it." would be nice.
A Fox's Love
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