You know when you get an idea for a story in your head, and even as you think you may not be able to write it well even if it could be good in a better writer's hand you just can't resist until you find yourself with something that could be an opening chapter in your?
This is that story for me recently.
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Divide by Naruto
As an enemy army appears with weapons from before the Sage of the Six Paths, Tsunade canÆt help thinking that the exploits of Naruto and his two siblings should NOT feature so high in the importance scale... she blames Jiraiya. Xover
Adventure
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Chapter 1: Divide
ôSo, we rent a room in a hotel, pay for some day before we go inà and then leave though the windows?ö he asked as they entered the town, in a confused voice. Well, not so much confusion, as his tone made it clear he thought this was very stupid. Sazuke may have been a bastard that ran away with a village traitor, but convivence with him taught Naruto some ways to express his thoughts with few words, even if he didnÆt notice himself. àwhich was kind of a bad thing in their kind of business, but letÆs give it a pass for now.
ôThat is the plan, yes.öJiraiya answered, glad that the boy wasnÆt using his normal voice in his puzzled state. Seriously, saying the plan out loud? ôListen, itÆs not that hard if you think about ità oh right, forgot who I was talking to.ö
ôOi!ö
ôShut up and listen.öJiraiya cut his outburst down. That he was the one who teased the kid and caused it was no excuse. HeÆd need to teach the kid to control his mouth later though. ôRemember what happened the last time we were on a trip and ended up sleeping on a hotel, donÆt you?ö
How could he forget. Some day or other he still kind of woke up scared, how he who stood up to Zabuza, that weird nin who he was later told was Orochimaru himself and even Shukaku had been completely paralyzed just at the sight of Itachi. It was not killing intent like what he had faced before. It was a certainty: if that guy had wanted him dead, he would already had been.
ôIÆll take this as an yes.ö
He sometimes wondered what he would have done if Sasuke hadnÆt appeared then and woken him up. Would he had been able to even try to run, or struggle? Would he had been able to even try to move?
Was this what Sasuke was feeling when he was surrendering to that snake creep in the Forest of Death?
ôàBrat?ö
And to think there was a whole group of guys just like Itachi getting ready to go after him for the stupid foxà The only thing that scared him more was how his eyes looked in the mirror whenever he was thinking about them. They were the eyes of a haunted man, someone afraid of something attacking him from every shadow, that maddening wait for the certain attack, on the verge of giving upù
ôHey brat!ö
At this point he always slapped himself as hard as he could. He would not give up. He would not just lay down and let them take him. Not just because they wanted him. They didnÆt anyway, they wanted the stupid fox, and if they got it then what would they do with it? What would happen to Baa-chan, or Sakura-chan, or Konohamaru, or Shizune-neechan, or everyone else? Well they would not do anything, not on his watch! So what if they were strong, then he would get strong too, and kick their asses all the way to hell. He was Uzumaki Naruto damn it all, and he would never give up ætebayo!
He gave himself this little pep-talk every time this happened. But every time, there was still a bit of fear in his eyes that he just could not deny from himself.
ôNaruto? Are you alright?ö
Startled, the boy looked to the side the voice called him from, only now noticing the weight of a big hand on his shoulders. Looking at his companionÆs face, he saw his eyes, and they wereà worried for him?
Shaking his head a bit, he let himself have a small smile. Guess there was someone else that cared for him, even if he didnÆt act much like it.
ôYeah, IÆm fine, Ero-sennin. I was just thinking about what happened then.ö
Jiraiya just nodded. As much as the kid went through, Itachi had been able to defeat his old teammate years ago. He would be surprised if meeting the older boy hadnÆt left a lasting impression.
ôWell, as I was saying. They found out where we were easily. Too easily, and even had time to make a trap, as rushed as it was. Your teammate probably followed their track, but what is the most likely explanation for how they found us?ö
By the way Naruto kept looking at his face, it was clear the kid did not make the connection yet.
ôSpies, brat, spies.Use this thing inside his head.ö He said, poking the top of the blondÆs painfully. ôI may be wrong and they either lucked out or just asked around, but them having spies watching us in the towns near the roads that lead to Konoha is a possibility. Doing this, we may trick any existing ones enough to lose our track for a while.ö
ôSpies? But I didnÆt see any ninja besides usùö
ôThatÆs kind of the point kiddo. The best spies are those that are able to pretend they are not spies. Would you ever have though that Kabuto kid of working for Sound?ö
Not sure if he shook his head or nodded, he just kept looking at the older man.
ôMany arenÆt even ninjas, just civilians with good ears. Remember when I visited bars when looking for Tsunade-hime? Besides her visiting them a lot, people usually have looser tongues after drinking and someone there could have heard something. There are many people that gain their lives like this, just selling information they thought may be important.ö
ôYeah right, thatÆs just an excuse for you to get drunk!ö Naruto replied quickly.
ôKeep it down brat. So maybe I take an extra advantage of them, but that doesnÆt make what I said any less true. But that was just an example. Anyone around town could actually be a spy pretending to not hear what we say. So thatÆs whyùö
Getting the point and recognizing a boring lecture when he saw one, Naruto blocked his voice out and scanned the people around them. So, any one of those people could be an Akatsuki spy? From that guy near the restaurant to that stand vendor to that blond girl in pink slightly older than him that was buying some fruit?
Wait a secondà
That girlà it didnÆt really seem like she could be a spy, but there was somethingà weird about her. Not just her clothes, they looked a bit out of place among the civilians in town, a bit ôoutdatedö as the girls from his class would say, but that could just be for being from somewhere else. It was something in the way she moved? But he couldnÆt see anything wrong with her movements either. They didn't seem like a ninja's, but they seemed tooà trained to be civilian either. He just couldnÆt put his finger on ità
Then she turned away from the stand to leave, and he could for a brief second see her faceà and her eyes. They wereù
ôHey, are you listening to me?ö
Startled out of his thoughts once again, he just looked down at the hand in front of him, palm up as if waiting for him to give him something.
ôLet me guess, thatÆs a no?ö
Not giving an answer, Naruto just pushed the hand aside and tried to follow the small trail of blond hairù
ôOi! Let me go!ö
ôNo chance brat." Jiraiya replied, pulling the brat on his shoulder. "LetÆs go to the hotel where you can space out as much as you want while we finish our talk.ö
ôWait, I have to do something first!ö
Jiraiya just ignored him. Somehow.
<hr>
ôStupid Ero-sennin!ö Naruto complained, staring at the fire. He should be sleeping a while ago, but he just couldnÆt get that blonde girl from his head.
He didn't care what the old pervert said, it was not just because ôit was a pretty girl his ageö. He had Sakura-chan, after all! No, it was not just because he didnÆt meet better ones yet!
And anyway, he wouldnÆt deny she was very pretty, but that was not why he was thinking of her so much. It wasà her eyes.
He only saw them for a second, but he was sure. He could see in them the same thing he saw those mornings on his own: she was scared of something. She was afraid for her life at every step she took, but she kept going with all her might.
She kept going, but she was afraid she could die at any time.
So what if he only saw her for a few seconds, he knew, he could just feel it, she needed his help.
But the pervert didn't believe him!
Sigh. "How troublesome", as Shikamaru says. He knew he had nothing to do with her or her problems, but he just couldn't ignore someone in trouble.
If only he could be in two places at onceù
"...I am an idiot."
He could hit himself for this, seriously. So ok, maybe he wasnÆt the smartest of the people, but he was still one of the best pranksters, wasnÆt he? How could he just forget he could do something like that? So he cut down on the pranks after becoming a ninja for real, but seriously!
And thus, in ten seconds and a plan formed, he created three Kage Bunshins. Now that there were four Narutos, time to put it in action.
The plan was simple. One Naruto would go find the girl and offer any help he could. Two others would pull a prank the old perv, both to serve as a distraction andà because he really wanted to prank someone for a while, and Jiraiya deserved it in his opinion anyway. And the last Naruto would stay with the old man. As much as he had made him angry, he was still training him as his apprentice.
The plan went right as plannedà at first. The two Kage Bunshins filled the area around JirayiaÆs tent with their ôtrapsö, so much of them the only way they could get out without triggering any was by dispelling themselvesà with a bang. Jiraiya jumped with the sound, activating half of them and causing a chain reaction that did the same for the others.
ThatÆs where things went different. He did get distracted enough by them for not noticing there were two Narutos remaining or that one ran away from the camp, but didnÆt get angry. In factà
ôWait, do you mean that you have been able to do traps like thatà for years?ö, the older man asked, surprise clear in his voiceà and a not-so-clear glint of approval.
ôYup,ö he confirmed, crossing his eyes and nodding to himself. ôBeen doing pranks like those ever since I was little. I decided to stop them when I became a ninja, get serious you know? But you made me angry today soùô
His speech was interrupted by a punch on the top of his head.
ôYOU IDIOT!ö For some reason, Jiraiya was angrier from what he said than from the pranks he suffered.
ôOUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR æTEBAYO?ö
ôDo you have any idea what you have and just decided to throw away?ö Jiraiya massaged his eyes, exasperated. ôIf you trained those skills right, you couldàö
ôDammit, I think this will make a lumpàö
ôListen to me you idiot!ö Another hit on the head, this one bringing his new apprenticeÆs attention back to him. ôIÆm saying you could very well be a genius if you use your abilities right!ö
Alright, maybe he was embellishing it a little, but he could see some potential there. And if there was something Jiraiya was proud of... besides his writing... and his ladies skills... it was his abilities to see and draw potential.
ôWhat abilities?ö Naruto asked mockingly, ôPlay pranks?ö
ôThatÆs right!ö the answered proudly, as if announcing a great find to a surprised crowd.
Naruto was surprisedà but not for the reason Jiraiya wanted.
ôàyou say I may be a geniusà for playing pranks?ö he asked, looking at the man as if he had just said the sky was polka dots and was completely serious about it.
ôNot playing pranks, exactly.ö The toad sage admitted. ôBut the skills you need to make and pull them, if properly polishedà yes, I can see some nice potential there if you use it right. I was going to focus on your physical skills and your control at first since it seemed to be what you could do best and leave this for later in your training when you were more mature, but now that I know I need to change my plans a littleàö
Saying that, he went back to sleep, ignoring Naruto looking at him mumbling, confused. He was relieved though, looked like he would be able to really train the kid instead of focusing on controlling the KyubiÆs powers, try to get something usable from what he thought were his strong points, and cramming the finer points in his head hoping something stuck. Yes, this little discovery would really change thingsà
<hr>
And change things it did.
Jiraiya did work with the KyuubiÆs chakra and in trying to improve NarutoÆs abilities in physical combat, in strength, speed, resilience and most important technique and battle instinct, and made Naruto train the Rasengan technique until he could make it one-handed almost instantly. Naruto even worked himself in other improvements, like the Odama Rasengan, a giant Rasengan that needed much more chakra and control but also caused much more damage to its target.
However that was going to happen either way. The big change from his plans was the bigger focus Jiraiya gave to more mental fields like strategy, tactics, traps, disguises, acting, infiltration, proper planning and the like, things he once thought still out of the blondeÆs scope and patience for a while. Originally he would later find out he had a real knack for these fields, nothing on a NaraÆs level, true, but with flashes of brilliance that make him able to think outside the box and surprise almost everyone. This time, he was already expecting results like this, and was not disappointed, and did his best to turn these ôflashesö into as much of a default in battle as he could.
Naruto was a force to be reckoned, and now he was once more the mind that once gave nightmares to chunnins in his youthà but now, this mind was sharpened to its full potential.
àor would be, if the boy was ever able to concentrate.
Ever since the day he found out the boyÆs hidden depths, the kid has been having recurring nightmares, as if every night he has been reliving a vision of his death; and, probably related, he has been looking around all the time worriedly, as if waiting for something to arrive that is impossibly late.
He thought it would get better with time, it was probably just homesicknessà but even if the nightmares were more spaced, the paranoid behavior increased.
Jiraiya was worriedà but there wasnÆt anything he could do until the kid trusted him enough to tell him about it himself.
<hr>
ôDamn it! Not again!ö Naruto complained, being woken up by the same nightmare once more. They had stopped for a while, but now that he was finally returning to the village they just came back with a vengeance.
The dream featured not him, but the Naruto that was sent to help the girl. The Naruto that was supposed to help her and come back.
Well, featured is not the right word. It was more like if it was seen completely from his point of view. Like if it was a memory instead of a dream. But considering how it ended, he refused to accept it could be anything but a nightmare. As much as he acted though he had had beaten in his head that he wasnÆt invincible, but stillà he just could not accept that.
Besides, if there was something he knew that could do that, like, I donÆt know, Kage Bunshin could send their memories when dispelled, he would have noticed it a long time agoà right?
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ôIt is not long until we finally reach Konoha. If we stop to rest now we should arrive there around lunchtime tomorrow.ö said a young blond man to his two female companions, in a voice that was clearly trying not to sound nervous and failing miserably.
ôOh, cool!ö answered one of them, a lean but well-toned redhead. Her attempt was much better, but from the look on the other girlÆs face it still did not work as well as intended either. Not that the two could see her, since she was walking behind them, beside the carriage they were pulling.
ôWould you stop it guys.ö She said, with a little glare. Not that they could see it, but they just felt her pink eyes on their differently-toned blue ones. They didnÆt notice her eyes linger a little longer on the girl with a little jealously though. Not of her body, hers may not be as thin but her athletic appearance gave her just as many admirers for it, but her short black hair just did not compare to the otherÆs beauty. Not that she particularly wanted the present maleÆs attention in that way, but a little acknowledgement would be nice.
Shaking her head to push those thoughts away, she went back to the conversation at hand.
ôLook, I wonÆt say that I am a hundred percent comfortable to be going there, but it wonÆt really be a problem. It has been a while since we lost the war and I donÆt think I was even alive then, and as far as I know they hold no grudge for us anymore. Besides, I may not know Nemar that well, since he spent most of the time you were with us in the Land of Iron, but I think of you as my best friend Aya. I wonÆt just turn back and leave you two alone.
...plus, you know, you guys somehow made this an escort mission for me, so it would look bad for Iwa if I did that.ö
And they were quiet again. Seriouslyà She already told them she understood that they kept secrets from her, itÆs not like she told Aya any big Iwa secrets, did they have to be so melodramatic every time she mentioned anything related to trust? That made her feel even worse for her own secret reason for being there.
Better change the subjectà
ôSo, from what you told us this brother you two never met lives there, right?ö
ôYeah, he was out training for a while too but from what I heard he should be arriving again either today or tomorrow.ö Nemar answered.
ôButà he never met you two. Do you really think he is going to help with whatever it you the doctor needs?ö
ôWow Kurotsuchi, way to make it sound like we are only going to see him because we want something.ö
ôSorry Ayaàö she answered, ôbut thatÆs how itÆs going to look like. If not for him, for everyone else.ö
ôHe wonÆt.ö Aya said without a shadow of doubt.ö
ôIf you say so.ö Kurotsuchi answered, not hiding her skepticism. He may be their brother, but he didnÆt even know about them from what they told her. Someone that na´ve and ingÚnue would not survive much in the ninja world. Besides, ôThat still makes it look like it for everyone else.ö
ôThen letÆs just not tell anyone else. I hate to sound conceited, but it is an Uzumaki matter.ö Nemar replied matter-of-factly.
ôI guessà But I worry about Aya, you know?ö
ôYeah, I knowàö Nemar said, looking directly at her and smiling. ôThank you for caring so much for my sister.ö
ôIt was nothing.ö she said back, looking to the side to watch the road looking for a place to make camp and certainly not because she was blushing a little.
<hr>
He arrived just in time. It was kinda convenient, it would be hard to convince her he was there to help her and not just to try to hit on her like the ero-sennin said it if he had no real idea why she would need his help in the first place. àOf course, it would be nice if it wasnÆt something this weird in the first place.
Either way, the girl was clearly holding her own for a while, but he arrived just in time to see her being backhanded and her being finally caught, getting her weapon thrown away. Not even giving it a second thought, he answered it by giving a dropkick to the head of the creature attacking her, making it let her go.
As theà thingÆs attention focused on the new challenger that tagged himself in, Naruto got a hold of some kunais and shurikens in his pouches, before risking taking a look at the girl. She seemed very bruised, but not seriously hurt.
Then he attacked.
à
Alright, what was that thing, someone using a new kind of those cursed seal things Sasuke and those weirdos had? It looked like a mix of human and a weird animal, and hitting it felt like hitting a rock! Rasengan hurt the thing at least, but it was too quick for a direct hit and he was just chipping it, this would take forever!
ôWho are you? What are you doing?ö he could hear the girlÆs confused voice screaming, scared for him. ôItÆs going to kill you! Go away!ö
ôAnd let this thing do whatever it wants to you instead?ö he screamed back, ôNot on my watch!ö
ôVery well.ö said a third voice, which Naruto took a few seconds to accept came from theà thing in front of him; ôThen I will get rid of you before capturing my real target.ö
That said, it punched Naruto, who was sent flying. It was clear that the thing was just trying to drive him away before, but with the way it was staring at him now he would not give him the chance anymore.
Feh, like he would ever take it. Naruto stood up slowly, glaring at the thingÆs eyes, as clear a statement of not changing his mind as he could make without words.
Then the thing pointed at him.
Naruto just stared confused for a bità until the tip of the finger started glowing. And then the glow began growing.
It was some weird combination of a Rasengan and a lightining technique, maybe a bit of fire too from the heat he could feel even at the distance he had been thrown. It was a bright yellow sphere of pure energy, he could see some of the energy crackling around it. æDamn, if a Rasengan is powerful, that thing must be a monster! Grr, but my weapons donÆt work and I donÆt know any offensive long-range jutsuùÆ ôWHAT THE FUCK!ö
That sphere was a fucking projectile?
He jumped as far to the side as he could. Luckily he was able to avoid the blunt of it, but was still thrown by the explosion.
He looked to where he was earlier, just to sweat cold. That big a crater, if he had been hità
His musing was broken by being kicked in the head hard enough to rip off a civilianÆs, throwing him around once moreà
ôGAAAH!ö
àand leaving him open for more attacks even before he hit the ground. Three smaller spheres of pure energy hit him, with the strength of a weak exploding tag. One hit his back, another his left shoulder, and one hit his left leg just bellow the knee.
ôDamnit.ö he cursed, struggling to force himself up before that monster attacked againà just to hear more of that crackling. He looked up, and as he thought, the thing was charging another of those bigger spheres.
I can help you.
æOh damn, not now.Æ He thought despairing, as he tried his best to stand up so he could escape. æI do not need to deal with you right now together this thing!ö
àWhat?
æJust leave me alone!Æ he screamed in his head while giving up and creating a shadow clone to throw him out of the line of fire in exchange of sacrificing itself. æThis bastard is already being a pain in the ass enough without you in my head making it worse!Æ
He took a mental side note that the sphere barely seemed to slow down as it mowed through the shadow clone. He could feel a phantom pain as he saw it tore through the cloneÆs abdomen as a rock through wet paper.
You are not strong enough to defeat it as you are now. If you become one with me, my power and abilities will be at your disposal.
ôHah!ö Naruto jumped to the side as far as his good leg could throw him, avoiding a repeat of the kick to the head, then rolled forward to avoid the smaller energy shots and hit the guy right in the chest with as good a Rasengan he could already make without a clone. This guy may be powerful, but he was figuring out some sort of pattern for his moves, and all of them seemed to leave him a bit open. But he probably would fix this nowà
æYeah right, and then you make me go crazy and destroy everything. IÆd rather die than let you take over me and be free to kill as many people as you may want!Æ
I wouldnÆt do that. I swear.
æDo I look like an idio- DonÆt answer that.Æ he replied as two clones threw him over another big sphere, letting him hit the bastard in the back before he was able to recover enough to do his kick. The pattern didnÆt changeà æI was told stories about you. I fucking felt you. You can pass it as my own anger against Haku but I almost couldnÆt hold myself back when I were fighting Sasuke. And you want me to believe I can trust something with such pure anger and hate like that to not go on a killing spree as soon as he can? How stupid do you really think I am!Æ
This was so predictable it was getting fucking ridiculousà and this is what made Naruto more nervous. He was just doing the same thing over and over, even with Naruto already avoiding each and every attack. Was he expecting to get Naruto overconfident and surprise him when he slipped? Or was he waiting for something?
àI think I know whatÆs the problem. This may not sound very convincing, butà IÆm not the same voice in your head you are talking about.
The damned fox was not helping!
æOh yeah? Do you really think IÆd believe that just because youÆre changing your voice IÆd think there is a chance I somehow got another cursed voice in my freaking heaùÆ
Oh no.
æWhat?Æ He said angrily in his mind, but he also felt that something was wrong this time. It did not look like the monster was doing anything different though, so he looked behind himà
And saw frightened eyes as blue as his.
His eyes got wide when he noticed what was wrong. He was right in front of the girl. If he got out of the way, she would be hit û and she didnÆt look like she was good enough to evade it, much less survive.
But from what he saw of the hit Kage Bunshin, he staying there would not save her either.
He could see the small smirk in the creatureÆs mouth as it let the sphere goà then itÆs eyes go wide when it remembered its target would probably get hit anyway.
Naruto's mind had gone blank. If he ran away, she would die. If he stayed, both would. He had lost. She was going to die anyway. All he could do is give her up and save himselfù
ôLike HELL!ö
Naruto could not think right. He refused to do so, since he knew all his instincts would scream for him to get out of the way and save himself.
Adrenaline made him see the sphere flying in his direction slowly, scorching a trail on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he made shadow clones faster than ever, one behind him and as many as he could in front, and they all made Rasengans. This time, he would face the spheres head-on.
All Rasengans connected. The sphere did not really slow down though. It kept mowing down on the Narutos, despite the spiraling spheres on itÆs path.
But it did seem to get smaller each time it faced a Rasengan straight on.
Decided to do his all on this last stand, he put as much chakra on the Rasengan of the Naruto in front of him as he could. He did not care anymore what happened to him, he would not let this reach the girl.
And then when the sphere reached him, the last Naruto in front of him stroke.
They were pushed back sliding on the ground as the muscles of the last Naruto refused to stop pushing the Rasengan forward as much as he could. In front of the blue energy sphere, pushing the other way, was the yellow one, crackling like mad. The Rasengan was also pulsing like crazy, on the limits of NarutoÆs control before the energy exploded. At least, when it did so it looked like the other one would go with it.
àthat was going to hurt like hell though.
ôOOF!ö
The Naruto in front of him was hit byà somethingà going at them at high speed right before the explosion. He could feel his skin burning from the heat, and the other one was probably even worse, but at least whatever hit them made them be able to surviveà
Until the shrapnel of whatever it was that got the blunt of the explosion hit him. Even with the other Naruto on the way, he could still feel many pieces of metal piercing his skin.
ôeeeeeùö
And he just hit some sort of barrier right in front of the girl, just in time to see her shot one of those energy spheres herself back at whoever it was that attacked her.
And then he felt something he was sure was his own back crush his head into a pulp against the barrier.
ôYou awake now?ö he heard an apparently neutral voice ask, but familiarity let him notice the hidden tinge of worry on it.
ôYeah, donÆt worry Ero-Sennin. IÆm alright now.ö He replied, not bothering to open his eyes. Maybe now that it was over he could have a normal dream with Sakura and ramen or something.
ôAlright he saysàö the sage grumbled, but decided not to insist. ôSo, ready to finally return to Konoha?ö
ôYOU BET!ö Naruto cried as he jumped up. Just mentioning being back to Konoha had made him smile again, no matter how bad he was when he woke up.
He still worried for the kid though (well, he was a young man now, but he would forever be a kid in his eyes, like Minato earlier and how his sensei once said he was to his). Those nightmaresà at first he thought it was because of the harsh training, then that it was because of him unlocking some of the foxÆs seal. But those would have probably stopped by now, even if they were caused by the fox as he slowly got immunity for themà and they are getting worse as they get near Konoha? That was looking like something really bad happened and he is trying to suppress the memories. Butà what kind of trauma could it have been? And when did it happen?
Better stop thinking about that for now though, before the boy noticed and lost his good mood.
ôAlright twerp, letÆs go!ö
ôOi oi oi! Let me finish closing camp first!ö Naruto answered, amidst the two tents he was trying to put on his backpack.
ôStill? YouÆre so slowàö
ôWho are you to complain about anything?! You NEVER did your share!ö
ôHahaha! The Galant Jiraiya has minions to do this kind of lower work for him.ö
ôWho are you calling a minion, you pervert bastard!ö
Yup, the kid seemed alright. Better make him hurry to Konoha so he could talk with Tsunade-hime about his worries as soon as he could though.
<hr>
ôSo, this is Konoha.ö Kurutsuchi said as they reached the gates. It wasà nice. She had no big opinions of it yet. It seemed much more friendly and livelier from outside than Iwa, and had much more plant life, which kind of explains the name. But she was not fooled, she heard not just the stories but the more recent news, she knew that as peaceful as the place looked it still held a fierce hidden edge.
The small explosions she could hear where she expected to be the training grounds nonwithstanding.
ôHow are we going to get inside? I mean, itÆs not like any of us has anyone that could vouch for usàö
ôActually, we do.ö Nemar said, as he walked forward and presented a paper to the two guards on the gate.
To KurutsuchiÆs surprise, the guards let them through with no fuss, even though she wasnÆt even trying to hide her forehead protector.
ôRemember when we made a detour to Wave?ö Aya asked rethorically, ôRemember the bridge there? Nemar had a contact there that could vouch for us. Try not to do anything reckless though, else itÆs going to be on their head.ö
Kurotsucki nodded, but still held her breath until she was already inside the village.
The comment about the bridge sounded weird and out of place, but the two sometimes let something about their escapades before they met slip like that. She didnÆt really bother pointing them out much, the familiarity that implied felt kinda nice.
ôSoàö she asked, a bit nervous despite all she said earlier, ôwhat now?ö
ôWell, first we put the carriage somewhere safe.ö Nemar answered. ôAya is going to check his apartment to see if our brother is back yet.ö
ôOkie dokie!ö Aya answered with a big smile, before running and jumping through the village as if she knew the place. Kurotsuchi couldnÆt help but smile as she remembered the first time they met, the ANBU following her causing her to not be able to hold back a laugh.
They decided to rent a warehouse while they were in the village, a guy named Denbe being specially recommended for their good condition and prices and his politeness and niceness. As soon as they finished putting the carriage inside, Aya was back accompanied by the ANBU that had followed her earlier.
ôHey guys!ö
ôHi Aya. Was he there?ö asked Nemar, as if the ANBU was not even there.
ôNot yet. But Cat-san here said he should arrive today and is going to tell the Hokage we need to talk with them both, so they will call us when he is here. Is the doctor awake yet?ö
ôNot yet, but itÆs not like she needs to be there either. By the way,ö Nemar turned his attention to the black-haired girl, ôKurotsuchi, I think it would be better if you stayed with the doctor while we go there.ö
ôYeah, sure, no problem.ö As many kunoichi through the Elemental Nations, Kurotsuchi sort of idolized the current leader of Konoha, but she also had the sense to know that she was still seen as an enemy nin to many. And as in the best of cases their talk would be sensitive, if not private, she would not be very welcome there.
But that would mean she would have to stay with the doctor while they were thereà she had no idea why, but she gave her the creeps. It was nothing about the young woman herself, she did not look creepy and had a nice personality, but she had a weird auraà felt like she was not human enough but not enough to not be humanà
ôWell, until he arrives we have some free time. Anyone up for having a snack?ö She saw a dango stand on the way, and someone that looked like a decently strong kunoichi praised them quite a bit.
ôI found a nice ramen stand! Ichiruka or something.ö
ôàdid you sayà ramen?ö
ôYes I said ramen.ö
ôàö
ôàö
ôRAMEN!ö was all Kurotsuchi could hear as two trails of dust rose through the air from where the two siblings once were.
Damnà Oh well, hopefully their brother would not be as crazy for that. She didnÆt mind it from time to time, but just imagining a third person obsessed with it as those twoà
<hr>
ôAtchoo!ö
ôWhat, getting sick right when we are just entering the village?ö
ôNah, probably just someone talking about ramen.ö
Jiraiya could only sweatdrop at those words. ôUh, Naruto, normally you sneeze when people are talking about you, not about your favorite food.ö
ôActually IÆm quite partial to red bean soup too.ö
ôàI think you completely missed the point.ö
<hr>
ôTsunade-sama, what are you doing?!ö the black-haired woman screamed as she took the already almost-empty sake bottle from the HokageÆs hand. ôYou know you shouldnÆt be drinking while working, remember what happened last time?!ö
ôàno?ö
ôYou and Hiashi were legally marrying Naruto without their knowledge to both Hiashi and his dead brotherÆs children.ö
ôBah, the brat would have enjoyed being married to two pretty Hyuga girls, and I'm pretty sure the brat would do the impossible to keep them happy. I donÆt see what would have been the big problem. Specially with that stamina of his, doubt they wouldnÆt be satisfùö
ôAnd also HizashiÆs kid.ö Shizune interrupted as quickly as she could when she noticed where the talk was heading.
ôAh right, Hiashi had two girls. But three Hyuga girls is even better.ö
ôHizashiÆs child is a boy.ö
ôàOoh, kinky.ö
Shizune did her best to resist the urges to facepalm, hit Tsunade in the head with the bottle in her hand, strangle her, or nosebleed.
ôRegardless, you know full well that your judgement and analytical abilities, not to mention your motor skills, get really impaired whe you drinkùö
ôBlah blah blah, yea, I know Shizune. I am called one of the best medic-nin alive for a reason. ItÆs just thatàö The busty blonde gave a heartfelt sigh, before looking longingly to the window. ôNaruto is coming back. And soon.ö
ôAh, I see. You can barely wait for him either, uh? Yeah, youÆre not the only oneàö Shizune answered with a small smile, watching the village together with her sensei.
ôThat too. But itÆs mostly that I just know he is going to bring me a headache as soon as he arrives that I canÆt deal with sober.ö she answered shamelessly before taking a long chug from a new bottle.
Without taking her eyes away from the window, Shizune did the same with the liquid still on the one in her hand.
<hr>
I think I made the basic plot a bit too obviousà not that it would have lasted much longer than the second chapter before most of it was outright told to the reader though. Hope I at least let the crossover cryptic enough. So, how this fic was imagined: I was re-reading From Ramen With Love (it was a little silly, but I kinda enjoyed it) and with what we learned more of KB, Kurama and Minato couldnÆt help but imagine how scenes could go different - mainly the final chapters' battle scenes. Before I noticed I was thinking about doing my own version of a fic like it. Even asked permission from the author of FRWL to use a slightly changed Nemar. Aya was created from a joke in a Devil Survivor LP on SomethingAwful so I thought ô why not?ö. So yeah, no surprises on you guys expected by me on that front. The crossover was a separate idea that just merged with the other, and by the end they were just too closely tied up, only recently I thought of a way to separate them.
So yeah, not expecting compliments or anything, mostly just couldn't get it out of my head until written and just thought "why not show them since I wrote it anyway, even if it's not the SKT I mention from time to time?" Also, well, why not work on it since it's already started?
This is that story for me recently.
<hr>
Divide by Naruto
As an enemy army appears with weapons from before the Sage of the Six Paths, Tsunade canÆt help thinking that the exploits of Naruto and his two siblings should NOT feature so high in the importance scale... she blames Jiraiya. Xover
Adventure
<hr>
Chapter 1: Divide
ôSo, we rent a room in a hotel, pay for some day before we go inà and then leave though the windows?ö he asked as they entered the town, in a confused voice. Well, not so much confusion, as his tone made it clear he thought this was very stupid. Sazuke may have been a bastard that ran away with a village traitor, but convivence with him taught Naruto some ways to express his thoughts with few words, even if he didnÆt notice himself. àwhich was kind of a bad thing in their kind of business, but letÆs give it a pass for now.
ôThat is the plan, yes.öJiraiya answered, glad that the boy wasnÆt using his normal voice in his puzzled state. Seriously, saying the plan out loud? ôListen, itÆs not that hard if you think about ità oh right, forgot who I was talking to.ö
ôOi!ö
ôShut up and listen.öJiraiya cut his outburst down. That he was the one who teased the kid and caused it was no excuse. HeÆd need to teach the kid to control his mouth later though. ôRemember what happened the last time we were on a trip and ended up sleeping on a hotel, donÆt you?ö
How could he forget. Some day or other he still kind of woke up scared, how he who stood up to Zabuza, that weird nin who he was later told was Orochimaru himself and even Shukaku had been completely paralyzed just at the sight of Itachi. It was not killing intent like what he had faced before. It was a certainty: if that guy had wanted him dead, he would already had been.
ôIÆll take this as an yes.ö
He sometimes wondered what he would have done if Sasuke hadnÆt appeared then and woken him up. Would he had been able to even try to run, or struggle? Would he had been able to even try to move?
Was this what Sasuke was feeling when he was surrendering to that snake creep in the Forest of Death?
ôàBrat?ö
And to think there was a whole group of guys just like Itachi getting ready to go after him for the stupid foxà The only thing that scared him more was how his eyes looked in the mirror whenever he was thinking about them. They were the eyes of a haunted man, someone afraid of something attacking him from every shadow, that maddening wait for the certain attack, on the verge of giving upù
ôHey brat!ö
At this point he always slapped himself as hard as he could. He would not give up. He would not just lay down and let them take him. Not just because they wanted him. They didnÆt anyway, they wanted the stupid fox, and if they got it then what would they do with it? What would happen to Baa-chan, or Sakura-chan, or Konohamaru, or Shizune-neechan, or everyone else? Well they would not do anything, not on his watch! So what if they were strong, then he would get strong too, and kick their asses all the way to hell. He was Uzumaki Naruto damn it all, and he would never give up ætebayo!
He gave himself this little pep-talk every time this happened. But every time, there was still a bit of fear in his eyes that he just could not deny from himself.
ôNaruto? Are you alright?ö
Startled, the boy looked to the side the voice called him from, only now noticing the weight of a big hand on his shoulders. Looking at his companionÆs face, he saw his eyes, and they wereà worried for him?
Shaking his head a bit, he let himself have a small smile. Guess there was someone else that cared for him, even if he didnÆt act much like it.
ôYeah, IÆm fine, Ero-sennin. I was just thinking about what happened then.ö
Jiraiya just nodded. As much as the kid went through, Itachi had been able to defeat his old teammate years ago. He would be surprised if meeting the older boy hadnÆt left a lasting impression.
ôWell, as I was saying. They found out where we were easily. Too easily, and even had time to make a trap, as rushed as it was. Your teammate probably followed their track, but what is the most likely explanation for how they found us?ö
By the way Naruto kept looking at his face, it was clear the kid did not make the connection yet.
ôSpies, brat, spies.Use this thing inside his head.ö He said, poking the top of the blondÆs painfully. ôI may be wrong and they either lucked out or just asked around, but them having spies watching us in the towns near the roads that lead to Konoha is a possibility. Doing this, we may trick any existing ones enough to lose our track for a while.ö
ôSpies? But I didnÆt see any ninja besides usùö
ôThatÆs kind of the point kiddo. The best spies are those that are able to pretend they are not spies. Would you ever have though that Kabuto kid of working for Sound?ö
Not sure if he shook his head or nodded, he just kept looking at the older man.
ôMany arenÆt even ninjas, just civilians with good ears. Remember when I visited bars when looking for Tsunade-hime? Besides her visiting them a lot, people usually have looser tongues after drinking and someone there could have heard something. There are many people that gain their lives like this, just selling information they thought may be important.ö
ôYeah right, thatÆs just an excuse for you to get drunk!ö Naruto replied quickly.
ôKeep it down brat. So maybe I take an extra advantage of them, but that doesnÆt make what I said any less true. But that was just an example. Anyone around town could actually be a spy pretending to not hear what we say. So thatÆs whyùö
Getting the point and recognizing a boring lecture when he saw one, Naruto blocked his voice out and scanned the people around them. So, any one of those people could be an Akatsuki spy? From that guy near the restaurant to that stand vendor to that blond girl in pink slightly older than him that was buying some fruit?
Wait a secondà
That girlà it didnÆt really seem like she could be a spy, but there was somethingà weird about her. Not just her clothes, they looked a bit out of place among the civilians in town, a bit ôoutdatedö as the girls from his class would say, but that could just be for being from somewhere else. It was something in the way she moved? But he couldnÆt see anything wrong with her movements either. They didn't seem like a ninja's, but they seemed tooà trained to be civilian either. He just couldnÆt put his finger on ità
Then she turned away from the stand to leave, and he could for a brief second see her faceà and her eyes. They wereù
ôHey, are you listening to me?ö
Startled out of his thoughts once again, he just looked down at the hand in front of him, palm up as if waiting for him to give him something.
ôLet me guess, thatÆs a no?ö
Not giving an answer, Naruto just pushed the hand aside and tried to follow the small trail of blond hairù
ôOi! Let me go!ö
ôNo chance brat." Jiraiya replied, pulling the brat on his shoulder. "LetÆs go to the hotel where you can space out as much as you want while we finish our talk.ö
ôWait, I have to do something first!ö
Jiraiya just ignored him. Somehow.
<hr>
ôStupid Ero-sennin!ö Naruto complained, staring at the fire. He should be sleeping a while ago, but he just couldnÆt get that blonde girl from his head.
He didn't care what the old pervert said, it was not just because ôit was a pretty girl his ageö. He had Sakura-chan, after all! No, it was not just because he didnÆt meet better ones yet!
And anyway, he wouldnÆt deny she was very pretty, but that was not why he was thinking of her so much. It wasà her eyes.
He only saw them for a second, but he was sure. He could see in them the same thing he saw those mornings on his own: she was scared of something. She was afraid for her life at every step she took, but she kept going with all her might.
She kept going, but she was afraid she could die at any time.
So what if he only saw her for a few seconds, he knew, he could just feel it, she needed his help.
But the pervert didn't believe him!
Sigh. "How troublesome", as Shikamaru says. He knew he had nothing to do with her or her problems, but he just couldn't ignore someone in trouble.
If only he could be in two places at onceù
"...I am an idiot."
He could hit himself for this, seriously. So ok, maybe he wasnÆt the smartest of the people, but he was still one of the best pranksters, wasnÆt he? How could he just forget he could do something like that? So he cut down on the pranks after becoming a ninja for real, but seriously!
And thus, in ten seconds and a plan formed, he created three Kage Bunshins. Now that there were four Narutos, time to put it in action.
The plan was simple. One Naruto would go find the girl and offer any help he could. Two others would pull a prank the old perv, both to serve as a distraction andà because he really wanted to prank someone for a while, and Jiraiya deserved it in his opinion anyway. And the last Naruto would stay with the old man. As much as he had made him angry, he was still training him as his apprentice.
The plan went right as plannedà at first. The two Kage Bunshins filled the area around JirayiaÆs tent with their ôtrapsö, so much of them the only way they could get out without triggering any was by dispelling themselvesà with a bang. Jiraiya jumped with the sound, activating half of them and causing a chain reaction that did the same for the others.
ThatÆs where things went different. He did get distracted enough by them for not noticing there were two Narutos remaining or that one ran away from the camp, but didnÆt get angry. In factà
ôWait, do you mean that you have been able to do traps like thatà for years?ö, the older man asked, surprise clear in his voiceà and a not-so-clear glint of approval.
ôYup,ö he confirmed, crossing his eyes and nodding to himself. ôBeen doing pranks like those ever since I was little. I decided to stop them when I became a ninja, get serious you know? But you made me angry today soùô
His speech was interrupted by a punch on the top of his head.
ôYOU IDIOT!ö For some reason, Jiraiya was angrier from what he said than from the pranks he suffered.
ôOUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR æTEBAYO?ö
ôDo you have any idea what you have and just decided to throw away?ö Jiraiya massaged his eyes, exasperated. ôIf you trained those skills right, you couldàö
ôDammit, I think this will make a lumpàö
ôListen to me you idiot!ö Another hit on the head, this one bringing his new apprenticeÆs attention back to him. ôIÆm saying you could very well be a genius if you use your abilities right!ö
Alright, maybe he was embellishing it a little, but he could see some potential there. And if there was something Jiraiya was proud of... besides his writing... and his ladies skills... it was his abilities to see and draw potential.
ôWhat abilities?ö Naruto asked mockingly, ôPlay pranks?ö
ôThatÆs right!ö the answered proudly, as if announcing a great find to a surprised crowd.
Naruto was surprisedà but not for the reason Jiraiya wanted.
ôàyou say I may be a geniusà for playing pranks?ö he asked, looking at the man as if he had just said the sky was polka dots and was completely serious about it.
ôNot playing pranks, exactly.ö The toad sage admitted. ôBut the skills you need to make and pull them, if properly polishedà yes, I can see some nice potential there if you use it right. I was going to focus on your physical skills and your control at first since it seemed to be what you could do best and leave this for later in your training when you were more mature, but now that I know I need to change my plans a littleàö
Saying that, he went back to sleep, ignoring Naruto looking at him mumbling, confused. He was relieved though, looked like he would be able to really train the kid instead of focusing on controlling the KyubiÆs powers, try to get something usable from what he thought were his strong points, and cramming the finer points in his head hoping something stuck. Yes, this little discovery would really change thingsà
<hr>
And change things it did.
Jiraiya did work with the KyuubiÆs chakra and in trying to improve NarutoÆs abilities in physical combat, in strength, speed, resilience and most important technique and battle instinct, and made Naruto train the Rasengan technique until he could make it one-handed almost instantly. Naruto even worked himself in other improvements, like the Odama Rasengan, a giant Rasengan that needed much more chakra and control but also caused much more damage to its target.
However that was going to happen either way. The big change from his plans was the bigger focus Jiraiya gave to more mental fields like strategy, tactics, traps, disguises, acting, infiltration, proper planning and the like, things he once thought still out of the blondeÆs scope and patience for a while. Originally he would later find out he had a real knack for these fields, nothing on a NaraÆs level, true, but with flashes of brilliance that make him able to think outside the box and surprise almost everyone. This time, he was already expecting results like this, and was not disappointed, and did his best to turn these ôflashesö into as much of a default in battle as he could.
Naruto was a force to be reckoned, and now he was once more the mind that once gave nightmares to chunnins in his youthà but now, this mind was sharpened to its full potential.
àor would be, if the boy was ever able to concentrate.
Ever since the day he found out the boyÆs hidden depths, the kid has been having recurring nightmares, as if every night he has been reliving a vision of his death; and, probably related, he has been looking around all the time worriedly, as if waiting for something to arrive that is impossibly late.
He thought it would get better with time, it was probably just homesicknessà but even if the nightmares were more spaced, the paranoid behavior increased.
Jiraiya was worriedà but there wasnÆt anything he could do until the kid trusted him enough to tell him about it himself.
<hr>
ôDamn it! Not again!ö Naruto complained, being woken up by the same nightmare once more. They had stopped for a while, but now that he was finally returning to the village they just came back with a vengeance.
The dream featured not him, but the Naruto that was sent to help the girl. The Naruto that was supposed to help her and come back.
Well, featured is not the right word. It was more like if it was seen completely from his point of view. Like if it was a memory instead of a dream. But considering how it ended, he refused to accept it could be anything but a nightmare. As much as he acted though he had had beaten in his head that he wasnÆt invincible, but stillà he just could not accept that.
Besides, if there was something he knew that could do that, like, I donÆt know, Kage Bunshin could send their memories when dispelled, he would have noticed it a long time agoà right?
<hr>
ôIt is not long until we finally reach Konoha. If we stop to rest now we should arrive there around lunchtime tomorrow.ö said a young blond man to his two female companions, in a voice that was clearly trying not to sound nervous and failing miserably.
ôOh, cool!ö answered one of them, a lean but well-toned redhead. Her attempt was much better, but from the look on the other girlÆs face it still did not work as well as intended either. Not that the two could see her, since she was walking behind them, beside the carriage they were pulling.
ôWould you stop it guys.ö She said, with a little glare. Not that they could see it, but they just felt her pink eyes on their differently-toned blue ones. They didnÆt notice her eyes linger a little longer on the girl with a little jealously though. Not of her body, hers may not be as thin but her athletic appearance gave her just as many admirers for it, but her short black hair just did not compare to the otherÆs beauty. Not that she particularly wanted the present maleÆs attention in that way, but a little acknowledgement would be nice.
Shaking her head to push those thoughts away, she went back to the conversation at hand.
ôLook, I wonÆt say that I am a hundred percent comfortable to be going there, but it wonÆt really be a problem. It has been a while since we lost the war and I donÆt think I was even alive then, and as far as I know they hold no grudge for us anymore. Besides, I may not know Nemar that well, since he spent most of the time you were with us in the Land of Iron, but I think of you as my best friend Aya. I wonÆt just turn back and leave you two alone.
...plus, you know, you guys somehow made this an escort mission for me, so it would look bad for Iwa if I did that.ö
And they were quiet again. Seriouslyà She already told them she understood that they kept secrets from her, itÆs not like she told Aya any big Iwa secrets, did they have to be so melodramatic every time she mentioned anything related to trust? That made her feel even worse for her own secret reason for being there.
Better change the subjectà
ôSo, from what you told us this brother you two never met lives there, right?ö
ôYeah, he was out training for a while too but from what I heard he should be arriving again either today or tomorrow.ö Nemar answered.
ôButà he never met you two. Do you really think he is going to help with whatever it you the doctor needs?ö
ôWow Kurotsuchi, way to make it sound like we are only going to see him because we want something.ö
ôSorry Ayaàö she answered, ôbut thatÆs how itÆs going to look like. If not for him, for everyone else.ö
ôHe wonÆt.ö Aya said without a shadow of doubt.ö
ôIf you say so.ö Kurotsuchi answered, not hiding her skepticism. He may be their brother, but he didnÆt even know about them from what they told her. Someone that na´ve and ingÚnue would not survive much in the ninja world. Besides, ôThat still makes it look like it for everyone else.ö
ôThen letÆs just not tell anyone else. I hate to sound conceited, but it is an Uzumaki matter.ö Nemar replied matter-of-factly.
ôI guessà But I worry about Aya, you know?ö
ôYeah, I knowàö Nemar said, looking directly at her and smiling. ôThank you for caring so much for my sister.ö
ôIt was nothing.ö she said back, looking to the side to watch the road looking for a place to make camp and certainly not because she was blushing a little.
<hr>
He arrived just in time. It was kinda convenient, it would be hard to convince her he was there to help her and not just to try to hit on her like the ero-sennin said it if he had no real idea why she would need his help in the first place. àOf course, it would be nice if it wasnÆt something this weird in the first place.
Either way, the girl was clearly holding her own for a while, but he arrived just in time to see her being backhanded and her being finally caught, getting her weapon thrown away. Not even giving it a second thought, he answered it by giving a dropkick to the head of the creature attacking her, making it let her go.
As theà thingÆs attention focused on the new challenger that tagged himself in, Naruto got a hold of some kunais and shurikens in his pouches, before risking taking a look at the girl. She seemed very bruised, but not seriously hurt.
Then he attacked.
à
Alright, what was that thing, someone using a new kind of those cursed seal things Sasuke and those weirdos had? It looked like a mix of human and a weird animal, and hitting it felt like hitting a rock! Rasengan hurt the thing at least, but it was too quick for a direct hit and he was just chipping it, this would take forever!
ôWho are you? What are you doing?ö he could hear the girlÆs confused voice screaming, scared for him. ôItÆs going to kill you! Go away!ö
ôAnd let this thing do whatever it wants to you instead?ö he screamed back, ôNot on my watch!ö
ôVery well.ö said a third voice, which Naruto took a few seconds to accept came from theà thing in front of him; ôThen I will get rid of you before capturing my real target.ö
That said, it punched Naruto, who was sent flying. It was clear that the thing was just trying to drive him away before, but with the way it was staring at him now he would not give him the chance anymore.
Feh, like he would ever take it. Naruto stood up slowly, glaring at the thingÆs eyes, as clear a statement of not changing his mind as he could make without words.
Then the thing pointed at him.
Naruto just stared confused for a bità until the tip of the finger started glowing. And then the glow began growing.
It was some weird combination of a Rasengan and a lightining technique, maybe a bit of fire too from the heat he could feel even at the distance he had been thrown. It was a bright yellow sphere of pure energy, he could see some of the energy crackling around it. æDamn, if a Rasengan is powerful, that thing must be a monster! Grr, but my weapons donÆt work and I donÆt know any offensive long-range jutsuùÆ ôWHAT THE FUCK!ö
That sphere was a fucking projectile?
He jumped as far to the side as he could. Luckily he was able to avoid the blunt of it, but was still thrown by the explosion.
He looked to where he was earlier, just to sweat cold. That big a crater, if he had been hità
His musing was broken by being kicked in the head hard enough to rip off a civilianÆs, throwing him around once moreà
ôGAAAH!ö
àand leaving him open for more attacks even before he hit the ground. Three smaller spheres of pure energy hit him, with the strength of a weak exploding tag. One hit his back, another his left shoulder, and one hit his left leg just bellow the knee.
ôDamnit.ö he cursed, struggling to force himself up before that monster attacked againà just to hear more of that crackling. He looked up, and as he thought, the thing was charging another of those bigger spheres.
I can help you.
æOh damn, not now.Æ He thought despairing, as he tried his best to stand up so he could escape. æI do not need to deal with you right now together this thing!ö
àWhat?
æJust leave me alone!Æ he screamed in his head while giving up and creating a shadow clone to throw him out of the line of fire in exchange of sacrificing itself. æThis bastard is already being a pain in the ass enough without you in my head making it worse!Æ
He took a mental side note that the sphere barely seemed to slow down as it mowed through the shadow clone. He could feel a phantom pain as he saw it tore through the cloneÆs abdomen as a rock through wet paper.
You are not strong enough to defeat it as you are now. If you become one with me, my power and abilities will be at your disposal.
ôHah!ö Naruto jumped to the side as far as his good leg could throw him, avoiding a repeat of the kick to the head, then rolled forward to avoid the smaller energy shots and hit the guy right in the chest with as good a Rasengan he could already make without a clone. This guy may be powerful, but he was figuring out some sort of pattern for his moves, and all of them seemed to leave him a bit open. But he probably would fix this nowà
æYeah right, and then you make me go crazy and destroy everything. IÆd rather die than let you take over me and be free to kill as many people as you may want!Æ
I wouldnÆt do that. I swear.
æDo I look like an idio- DonÆt answer that.Æ he replied as two clones threw him over another big sphere, letting him hit the bastard in the back before he was able to recover enough to do his kick. The pattern didnÆt changeà æI was told stories about you. I fucking felt you. You can pass it as my own anger against Haku but I almost couldnÆt hold myself back when I were fighting Sasuke. And you want me to believe I can trust something with such pure anger and hate like that to not go on a killing spree as soon as he can? How stupid do you really think I am!Æ
This was so predictable it was getting fucking ridiculousà and this is what made Naruto more nervous. He was just doing the same thing over and over, even with Naruto already avoiding each and every attack. Was he expecting to get Naruto overconfident and surprise him when he slipped? Or was he waiting for something?
àI think I know whatÆs the problem. This may not sound very convincing, butà IÆm not the same voice in your head you are talking about.
The damned fox was not helping!
æOh yeah? Do you really think IÆd believe that just because youÆre changing your voice IÆd think there is a chance I somehow got another cursed voice in my freaking heaùÆ
Oh no.
æWhat?Æ He said angrily in his mind, but he also felt that something was wrong this time. It did not look like the monster was doing anything different though, so he looked behind himà
And saw frightened eyes as blue as his.
His eyes got wide when he noticed what was wrong. He was right in front of the girl. If he got out of the way, she would be hit û and she didnÆt look like she was good enough to evade it, much less survive.
But from what he saw of the hit Kage Bunshin, he staying there would not save her either.
He could see the small smirk in the creatureÆs mouth as it let the sphere goà then itÆs eyes go wide when it remembered its target would probably get hit anyway.
Naruto's mind had gone blank. If he ran away, she would die. If he stayed, both would. He had lost. She was going to die anyway. All he could do is give her up and save himselfù
ôLike HELL!ö
Naruto could not think right. He refused to do so, since he knew all his instincts would scream for him to get out of the way and save himself.
Adrenaline made him see the sphere flying in his direction slowly, scorching a trail on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he made shadow clones faster than ever, one behind him and as many as he could in front, and they all made Rasengans. This time, he would face the spheres head-on.
All Rasengans connected. The sphere did not really slow down though. It kept mowing down on the Narutos, despite the spiraling spheres on itÆs path.
But it did seem to get smaller each time it faced a Rasengan straight on.
Decided to do his all on this last stand, he put as much chakra on the Rasengan of the Naruto in front of him as he could. He did not care anymore what happened to him, he would not let this reach the girl.
And then when the sphere reached him, the last Naruto in front of him stroke.
They were pushed back sliding on the ground as the muscles of the last Naruto refused to stop pushing the Rasengan forward as much as he could. In front of the blue energy sphere, pushing the other way, was the yellow one, crackling like mad. The Rasengan was also pulsing like crazy, on the limits of NarutoÆs control before the energy exploded. At least, when it did so it looked like the other one would go with it.
àthat was going to hurt like hell though.
ôOOF!ö
The Naruto in front of him was hit byà somethingà going at them at high speed right before the explosion. He could feel his skin burning from the heat, and the other one was probably even worse, but at least whatever hit them made them be able to surviveà
Until the shrapnel of whatever it was that got the blunt of the explosion hit him. Even with the other Naruto on the way, he could still feel many pieces of metal piercing his skin.
ôeeeeeùö
And he just hit some sort of barrier right in front of the girl, just in time to see her shot one of those energy spheres herself back at whoever it was that attacked her.
And then he felt something he was sure was his own back crush his head into a pulp against the barrier.
ôYou awake now?ö he heard an apparently neutral voice ask, but familiarity let him notice the hidden tinge of worry on it.
ôYeah, donÆt worry Ero-Sennin. IÆm alright now.ö He replied, not bothering to open his eyes. Maybe now that it was over he could have a normal dream with Sakura and ramen or something.
ôAlright he saysàö the sage grumbled, but decided not to insist. ôSo, ready to finally return to Konoha?ö
ôYOU BET!ö Naruto cried as he jumped up. Just mentioning being back to Konoha had made him smile again, no matter how bad he was when he woke up.
He still worried for the kid though (well, he was a young man now, but he would forever be a kid in his eyes, like Minato earlier and how his sensei once said he was to his). Those nightmaresà at first he thought it was because of the harsh training, then that it was because of him unlocking some of the foxÆs seal. But those would have probably stopped by now, even if they were caused by the fox as he slowly got immunity for themà and they are getting worse as they get near Konoha? That was looking like something really bad happened and he is trying to suppress the memories. Butà what kind of trauma could it have been? And when did it happen?
Better stop thinking about that for now though, before the boy noticed and lost his good mood.
ôAlright twerp, letÆs go!ö
ôOi oi oi! Let me finish closing camp first!ö Naruto answered, amidst the two tents he was trying to put on his backpack.
ôStill? YouÆre so slowàö
ôWho are you to complain about anything?! You NEVER did your share!ö
ôHahaha! The Galant Jiraiya has minions to do this kind of lower work for him.ö
ôWho are you calling a minion, you pervert bastard!ö
Yup, the kid seemed alright. Better make him hurry to Konoha so he could talk with Tsunade-hime about his worries as soon as he could though.
<hr>
ôSo, this is Konoha.ö Kurutsuchi said as they reached the gates. It wasà nice. She had no big opinions of it yet. It seemed much more friendly and livelier from outside than Iwa, and had much more plant life, which kind of explains the name. But she was not fooled, she heard not just the stories but the more recent news, she knew that as peaceful as the place looked it still held a fierce hidden edge.
The small explosions she could hear where she expected to be the training grounds nonwithstanding.
ôHow are we going to get inside? I mean, itÆs not like any of us has anyone that could vouch for usàö
ôActually, we do.ö Nemar said, as he walked forward and presented a paper to the two guards on the gate.
To KurutsuchiÆs surprise, the guards let them through with no fuss, even though she wasnÆt even trying to hide her forehead protector.
ôRemember when we made a detour to Wave?ö Aya asked rethorically, ôRemember the bridge there? Nemar had a contact there that could vouch for us. Try not to do anything reckless though, else itÆs going to be on their head.ö
Kurotsucki nodded, but still held her breath until she was already inside the village.
The comment about the bridge sounded weird and out of place, but the two sometimes let something about their escapades before they met slip like that. She didnÆt really bother pointing them out much, the familiarity that implied felt kinda nice.
ôSoàö she asked, a bit nervous despite all she said earlier, ôwhat now?ö
ôWell, first we put the carriage somewhere safe.ö Nemar answered. ôAya is going to check his apartment to see if our brother is back yet.ö
ôOkie dokie!ö Aya answered with a big smile, before running and jumping through the village as if she knew the place. Kurotsuchi couldnÆt help but smile as she remembered the first time they met, the ANBU following her causing her to not be able to hold back a laugh.
They decided to rent a warehouse while they were in the village, a guy named Denbe being specially recommended for their good condition and prices and his politeness and niceness. As soon as they finished putting the carriage inside, Aya was back accompanied by the ANBU that had followed her earlier.
ôHey guys!ö
ôHi Aya. Was he there?ö asked Nemar, as if the ANBU was not even there.
ôNot yet. But Cat-san here said he should arrive today and is going to tell the Hokage we need to talk with them both, so they will call us when he is here. Is the doctor awake yet?ö
ôNot yet, but itÆs not like she needs to be there either. By the way,ö Nemar turned his attention to the black-haired girl, ôKurotsuchi, I think it would be better if you stayed with the doctor while we go there.ö
ôYeah, sure, no problem.ö As many kunoichi through the Elemental Nations, Kurotsuchi sort of idolized the current leader of Konoha, but she also had the sense to know that she was still seen as an enemy nin to many. And as in the best of cases their talk would be sensitive, if not private, she would not be very welcome there.
But that would mean she would have to stay with the doctor while they were thereà she had no idea why, but she gave her the creeps. It was nothing about the young woman herself, she did not look creepy and had a nice personality, but she had a weird auraà felt like she was not human enough but not enough to not be humanà
ôWell, until he arrives we have some free time. Anyone up for having a snack?ö She saw a dango stand on the way, and someone that looked like a decently strong kunoichi praised them quite a bit.
ôI found a nice ramen stand! Ichiruka or something.ö
ôàdid you sayà ramen?ö
ôYes I said ramen.ö
ôàö
ôàö
ôRAMEN!ö was all Kurotsuchi could hear as two trails of dust rose through the air from where the two siblings once were.
Damnà Oh well, hopefully their brother would not be as crazy for that. She didnÆt mind it from time to time, but just imagining a third person obsessed with it as those twoà
<hr>
ôAtchoo!ö
ôWhat, getting sick right when we are just entering the village?ö
ôNah, probably just someone talking about ramen.ö
Jiraiya could only sweatdrop at those words. ôUh, Naruto, normally you sneeze when people are talking about you, not about your favorite food.ö
ôActually IÆm quite partial to red bean soup too.ö
ôàI think you completely missed the point.ö
<hr>
ôTsunade-sama, what are you doing?!ö the black-haired woman screamed as she took the already almost-empty sake bottle from the HokageÆs hand. ôYou know you shouldnÆt be drinking while working, remember what happened last time?!ö
ôàno?ö
ôYou and Hiashi were legally marrying Naruto without their knowledge to both Hiashi and his dead brotherÆs children.ö
ôBah, the brat would have enjoyed being married to two pretty Hyuga girls, and I'm pretty sure the brat would do the impossible to keep them happy. I donÆt see what would have been the big problem. Specially with that stamina of his, doubt they wouldnÆt be satisfùö
ôAnd also HizashiÆs kid.ö Shizune interrupted as quickly as she could when she noticed where the talk was heading.
ôAh right, Hiashi had two girls. But three Hyuga girls is even better.ö
ôHizashiÆs child is a boy.ö
ôàOoh, kinky.ö
Shizune did her best to resist the urges to facepalm, hit Tsunade in the head with the bottle in her hand, strangle her, or nosebleed.
ôRegardless, you know full well that your judgement and analytical abilities, not to mention your motor skills, get really impaired whe you drinkùö
ôBlah blah blah, yea, I know Shizune. I am called one of the best medic-nin alive for a reason. ItÆs just thatàö The busty blonde gave a heartfelt sigh, before looking longingly to the window. ôNaruto is coming back. And soon.ö
ôAh, I see. You can barely wait for him either, uh? Yeah, youÆre not the only oneàö Shizune answered with a small smile, watching the village together with her sensei.
ôThat too. But itÆs mostly that I just know he is going to bring me a headache as soon as he arrives that I canÆt deal with sober.ö she answered shamelessly before taking a long chug from a new bottle.
Without taking her eyes away from the window, Shizune did the same with the liquid still on the one in her hand.
<hr>
I think I made the basic plot a bit too obviousà not that it would have lasted much longer than the second chapter before most of it was outright told to the reader though. Hope I at least let the crossover cryptic enough. So, how this fic was imagined: I was re-reading From Ramen With Love (it was a little silly, but I kinda enjoyed it) and with what we learned more of KB, Kurama and Minato couldnÆt help but imagine how scenes could go different - mainly the final chapters' battle scenes. Before I noticed I was thinking about doing my own version of a fic like it. Even asked permission from the author of FRWL to use a slightly changed Nemar. Aya was created from a joke in a Devil Survivor LP on SomethingAwful so I thought ô why not?ö. So yeah, no surprises on you guys expected by me on that front. The crossover was a separate idea that just merged with the other, and by the end they were just too closely tied up, only recently I thought of a way to separate them.
So yeah, not expecting compliments or anything, mostly just couldn't get it out of my head until written and just thought "why not show them since I wrote it anyway, even if it's not the SKT I mention from time to time?" Also, well, why not work on it since it's already started?
