Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Decisions of Moon and Sky ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Decisions

 

Author's note: I realize that I have been remiss in updating all my fanfiction. In my own defense I have been very busy with school and work and as such have had no free time. I want to thank everyone that has reviewed or appreciated the work that I have down so far, and continue to let me know what they think of my work. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that it lives up to your expectations.

 

 

Chapter 5

 

The forest was peaceful as Naruto made his way through its foliage. He had left his apartment nearly a quarter of an hour ago, yet he was in no rush to reach his training area. Events were weighing heavily on his mind and he knew that he was going to have to make difficult decisions about them soon. Yet, truth resonated from the depths of his affection starved being; no matter how odd or sudden this turn in his relationship with Sasuke, he knew he would not be the one to relinquish it. And if someone tried to make him? Well… he wouldn't be responsible for the resulting actions. A scowl crossed his angelic features as darkness passed behind his innocent blue eyes, momentarily turning them into twin chips of blue ice. His thoughts turned towards the village in which he was raised. He was only starting to allow his real emotions to surface and give them credence but to forgive the entire village for the misery he suffered during his short lifetime, well, they had another thing coming.

 

He continued to leap through the treetops, basking in the mid-morning sunlight that managed to pierce through the heavy branches above and play against his skin. His heart lightened as his thoughts turned back to his raven-haired companion. Perhaps his luck was changing if he could attain the thing that he desired most. The rest of his journey went much more quickly, his mind occupied with pleasant thoughts.

 

The Kyubii had been silent since it had directed him to go to the training grounds, however a steady, warm purr resonated through Naruto's being. It carried with it the assurance that he would never be alone again, now that the great fox had accepted him as its own. The fearsome beast chose that moment to make itself known once again.

 

“Kit,” the gruff rumble sounded. “Stop here, over by that pond.”

 

“Why?” Naruto queried.

 

“Just do as I say, brat. Respect your sensei!” He could feel the being smirk. “Unless, of course, you no longer wish for my training?”

 

“Whatever, stupid fox.”

 

Naruto dropped out of the canopy onto the springy loam beneath. Sunlight mottled the ground, the shadows cast by the trees above moving as their counterparts did in the gentle breeze. A bird chirped and flitted from tree to tree, before vanishing into the forest in a streak of brilliant red. The pond where the Kyubii had directed him towards was different for several reasons: one, unlike a normal pond that was usually lower than the rest of the ground, this one was on the top of a small mound. The second reason was that the closer that Naruto drew towards it, the more serene he felt, as if the pond itself was giving off a calming aura. Small, floating azure lights rose from the surface of the water and floated towards the surrounding trees where they were absorbed into the bark. All in all the clearing was no more than ten feet wide and about the same distance long. Naruto stood there in awe of the seemingly sacred springs until the Kyubii broke the silence.

 

“I know you said that you wanted to be my heir, kit, and that you wanted to train with me, but are you completely sure? This isn't something you can take lightly or back out later if you choose that you don't like the results. Once you choose, there is no going back.

 

“Are you sure of the reasons for why you are doing this? The sacrifice you make must be willing, you cannot go through with this simply to please me.”

 

Naruto's lips thinned as he pondered the questions raised by the Kyubii. After several moments of contemplation he answered with an assurance to his tone that had never surfaced before.

 

“I have made my decision. I will become your heir and you will train me. I will not be swayed from my course.”

 

“Then, kit, it is time to learn.”

 

A blinding pain shot through Naruto's body as the words left the Kyubii's mouth. The red hot embers began to burn in his stomach where the seal the Youidame had placed on him resided. Belatedly, he realized that he was grinding his teeth together as his body sank to the ground, seemingly of its own volition. He brought shaky fingers to clutch at his shirt, digging into the fabric in spasms until it rent under the pressure.

 

“Why…” Naruto grunted through the pain.

 

“Did you think that a technique that a human invented could hold a demon lord?” Except for the stress on `human', a humorous lilt was all the voice contained, no malice or bitterness could be found in it. The Kyubii explained through the ebbing tide of pain the reasons that he had chosen this spot. “This section of the forest is warded by life itself. There was once a shrine dedicated to Nature on this very spot until humans destroyed it several hundred years ago in their greed for conquest. The Kami heard the outraged cry of Nature and decided that no human should know of the existence of the sacred glade again. No human outside this glade can ever sense what goes on within it.”

 

The pain increased. Naruto looked down at his navel where the seal was glowing cherry-red against his tanned skin, the contrast as stark as his pain. The runes circling the spiral dimmed slightly before becoming so bright as to light the whole clearing. He looked at it with horrified disbelief.

 

“Was this all just… just a game to you then? Trick the human stupid enough to believe you?”

Despair began to run through Naruto's veins. Everything he had done, that the fourth had done as well, it was all for naught. He was a fool, and he knew that fact as the power of the fox surged against the seal. It focused on the first rune and pushed forward again. The pressure was immense, and just as painful; worse than the prickly sensation that a numb limb feels as the blood rushes back into it, because this limb was not numb. The pressing power was insistence, and eventually, as anything would under such stress, the first part of the seal cracked.

 

Naruto screamed, howling as a torrent of fire found release in his veins, rushing outwards through his chakra coils. The red chakra began to battle his blue, fighting and winning until it reached the part where the coils merged into his bloodstream. He screamed again as it began its work, entering the core of his being and changing the structure that designated him human. Bit by bit the power grew, feeding outwards through the broken seal like water would with the removal of its dam, until it reached the point where it could reach no more.

 

The lanky child cried out one final time, wishing that his torment might end so that he could find some peace - and something did give as the Kyubii's power reached his heart. An observer would have witnessed his body glow a vibrant blue as his chakra fought against the onslaught one more time, but the blonde's will acquiesced under the stronger force and flames of red overtook his aura and merged into it. The seal broke completely as the power that it contained was completely emptied into the Kyubii's vessel.

 

The pain broke and Naruto was left panting. The warmth of the Kyubii's presence enfolded him, accepting and apologizing for the trial that he had underwent and praising him for his forbearance. Tears streamed down Naruto's cheeks as he heaved for each prescious breath that was free from the overwhelming ache. How could he have doubted the being within him, the one who trusted him, who had been with him his whole life?

 

“Why didn't you tell me?” He whispered.

 

“Some secrets will remain my own until I deign to share them. In this case, we are forbidden to speak of the ceremony of passage, and only to use it when we are ready to accept an heir. Since you consented, the rite completed itself with little side affects.”

 

“You call that PAIN a little side affect?” Naruto regained a little of his spark that he had been missing for quite some time, the spark that allowed him to weather his trials with pride and courage, that allowed him to talk back to the great demon fox without fear.

 

The fox continued, used to his outbursts. “Now that the first seal of power was released, we can begin your actual training. You are my heir, and you are no longer a mere human. The chakra that I released changed the structure of your body, your DNA, to something that resembles my own. As such, you will be able to bear more of my chakra over time. Don't expect any rapid changes, Kitling, the chakra of demons words subtlety.”

 

“So what was that then?”

 

“Perhaps you could call it a test, to see if you were worthy to wield my power.”

 

“A test?” Naruto groaned and flopped on the ground to that he was lying on his stomach. His whole body tingled and ached but he managed to drag himself over to the pool and splash his face with the cool water that was welling up from the spring. “So you weren't trying to escape? Will there be more tests? Do I have to expect this every time?”

 

“Foolish brat,” the demon spoke fondly. “No, not all your tests will be like that. This one in particular was hard because your body was not built to handle the energy that demon's produce. Now that you are changed the other steps will be easier. Also, to strain against such a seal that was formed with a willing sacrifice required tremendous power and will. If I had done that anywhere else than this glen, then a shinobi would have sliced you apart to stop my rebirth - I know I will never taste freedom again, so why bother? I rather like keeping you alive.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Naruto whispered. “It's just-“

 

“Don't worry. I will never betray you as others have in the past. You can put your trust in me because it will not be unfounded.” He could feel the fox grin. “Now, get up. You're burning daylight.”

 

“Stupid fox.” Naruto murmured with a grin.

 

“Did you know that your shinobi teachings are not altogether true?”

 

“What?” Naruto said, shocked. He forced himself to his knees and then into a crouching position still next to the pond. “What do you mean?”

 

“They have been distorted from the context in which they were originally written as they passed down from generation to generation. I suppose that once the true power of the jutsu were obtained it served to distort it more. I remember back when I had three tails, what the ninja of that time were like.”

 

“Just how old are you?” Naruto asked in awe as he sat back down. It hurt too much to stand just yet.

 

“Far older than you could ever imagine.” The Kyubii responded with a grin.

 

“So if you are so old and wise, why did you attack Konoha?”

 

“That, kitling, is a story for another time. Today, I am going to teach you the true history of the ninja arts as well as how to apply that theory. I think that you are a little to worn out for much more.”

 

“But Kyubii!” Naruto whined.

 

“Uurasai.”

 

He pouted then winced. This was not going to be fun, and he wished that he could just return to sleep so that the Kyubii's chakra could heal him, but he knew better than to argue again with the Kyubii when he was so determined.

 

“The ninja, or shinobi, came from the teachings that they followed or the Shinobu waza, the art of stealth. The ninja never used to rely on fighting, but tried to resolve issues before it came down to that. Peace was something that all ninja strived for, and no one hungered for recognition when it came to their arts. Respect was earned, but not desired. “

 

“But what about the ninja villages and the Hokages?” Naruto interjected.

 

“I'm coming to that, brat. The villages formed not very long ago, only a few hundred years, and like I said the principals of the ninja had changed. Status and everything is normal now, but I'm talking of the ninja arts in their pure state.

 

“You see, the arts that the ninja learn today are Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. However there was another art lost to the ninja as a whole, which was Yojutsu. That humans you know as Tsunade and Jiraiya, were named after the practices, which is something that I find amusing. You see Yojutsu is the ritual borrowing of the spirits power, something that people have thought supernatural. The animal spirits that were commonly used were toads; Giraiu, snakes; Daijamaru, slugs; Tsunadehime, and spiders; otomowa kanahime. The summoning techniques that you currently use were developed from these methods. There are other, less known spirits are dogs, squirrels, cats, birds, and of course, foxes. Then you can go into the demon summons of the same types of creatures, but that is a lost art to all shinobi these days.

 

“Now, in each of the categories of Ninjutsu and Genjutsu there is an six step path to mastery. Unlike the common myth these days where you can only master one path or the other, the old ninjas were not considered a true master until they had learned both to the satisfaction of their masters. Taijutsu was actually a subclass of both of them, different styles for the different branches. A good ninja was one that always had a surprise up his sleeve, because if he didn't then he was dead.”

 

Naruto sat there and contemplated what the Kyubii said. “This is going to take a while to sink in.”

 

“Yes, I know. But we have more than enough time, and I remember everything as clear as if I had seen it yesterday. One of the perks of being a demon.” He smirked. “I think that I shall start to teach you to balance yourself with nature. That is where the strength of the youkai is drawn from.”

 

“How will I achieve this? I mean, I'm the dobe, the dead last in my graduating class and I couldn't even stop Sasuke from leaving this village.” Naruto muttered softly to himself, allowing old habits to surface. “I don't know about youkai, or anything that your talking about. I mean I understand the concepts of what you're saying but I don't understand. I'm never going to figure this out.”

 

“Where is the confidence that you had a minute ago? You are my heir. You will learn everything. It might seem like a lot at first, but don't worry. You'll find that I'm a much better teacher than that scarecrow of yours.”

 

TBC…