Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Lacking Sight ❯ Interlude: Blind ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Once again, the exquisite taste of the miso ramen performed its magical restoration upon Uzumaki Naruto. Ramen was his oldest friend, his most reliable source of solace in the world since he had learned to eat it.
But you're not my only friend anymore, are you Miso? thought the blond gennin happily. I've got friends in Konoha, allies in Suna, in Wave, in Waterfall, in Snow and Bird and Tea... Hell, I even managed to find some out here in nowhere land.
Even better, Keisuke nii-chan and Haruka nee-chan are great training partners! So good, in fact, that Naruto had been spending most of his time pestering them to practice with him, even causing Keisuke to almost collapse in exhaustion on a few occasions. While Keisuke may not have liked it much, Naruto was having the time of his life, improving to the point where he almost didn't know himself.
His mastery of Kage Bunshin was such that he had been able to make one clone withstand a direct Jyuuken strike on one or two occasions, and even the combined detection skills of Haruka and Keisuke could never tell which one was the true Naruto anymore.
He was able to call up Rasengan almost at will, to the downfall of many rocks and logs taking the place of Keisuke through Kawarimi no Jutsu.
He was growing ever more skilled at recognizing the correct move for a specific situation.
And, most notably, Haruka's Byakugan had helped him to find his tenketsu points and awaken his own Rokujuuyon Reiude, at which Keisuke had been both magnificently proud and sorely chagrined, knowing that he was going to be buying a large amount of ramen when he returned to Konoha. While this opened up a whole new range of possibilities for Naruto, Jiraiya was nearly back to his full health, meaning that the grueling cycle of pain and gain would soon resume.
However, Keisuke had promised him that they would find time to work on it, and Naruto had faith in that, at least. So it was that he found himself in a local ramen restaurant, contemplating his new strength.
He would improve this power and become stronger. Then he would bring back Sasuke-teme from that bastard, the Snake Sennin. And when that was done, he and Sakura would wipe out Itachi and Akatsuki so that Sasuke would never abandon the village again.
Naruto knew that this wasn't an easy goal. There wasn't a day that went by when he didn't imagine himself or someone he knew getting hurt or killed on this redemptive, retributive crusade. However, this was what he had vowed to do, and because he was Uzumaki Naruto, he would see that it was done even if he had to crush his own heart and soul to do it.
Hopefully, though, that wouldn't happen. After all, when all this was done, there was still the Hokage name to earn. And now he had even more reason to see the Hyuuga Clan reformed: Besides creating a better world for his friends Hinata and Neji, Haruka nee-chan was nice–it wouldn't make him happy if she had to live with that kind of system. This also wouldn't be easy, but Naruto knew that accomplishing it would yield a powerful satisfaction.
The doors were wide open now. Uzumaki Naruto was about to walk through them, with style.
OoOoOoOoO
Normally, Keisuke was not the brooding type, but recent developments had shattered his hold on his high spirits, so now he was brooding on the rooftop of the hotel. His brown hair, untended since departing his old hot spring home, had erupted into a wild, shaggy mane that was threatening to reach the junction of his shoulders and neck. Two or three new scars had etched themselves into his arm and torso. The orange light of the sunset gleamed on his new sunglasses, and his brows were contracted as though he was squinting. He had no need to squint because of the sun, of course; he did so in concentration.
Keisuke had been witness to wonders in this past month. Some of them had annoyed him to the point where he wanted to head up some remote mountain and break things for a few days. Some of them had so astounded him that he had, for the first time since unlocking the very convenient Sixty-Four Ghostly Arms, wished that he possessed eyeballs. And then there were plenty that raised questions that even now were making his head hurt.
For all this, however, Keisuke believed that the good aspects of his new existence outweighed the bad.
Naruto, despite being obnoxious and stubborn, as well as an unstable demon container, was a fiercely loyal and dependable friend, and Keisuke had noticed that even his obnoxiousness was declining by degrees. Keisuke was more than glad to be his surrogate big brother, and was looking forward to teaching Naruto all that he could about their mutual power between Jiraiya's lessons.
Jiraiya himself, while hopelessly perverted, was a (mostly) competent instructor and an excellent source of amusement for Keisuke whenever he had his little misadventures with women.
Haruka, though she had developed a habit of teasing and criticizing him over the last few days (vengeance for Keisuke's prior misdemeanors towards her, no doubt), was also shaping up to be a worthwhile companion and practice partner, whenever Keisuke could extricate himself from Naruto. She had agility that put him to shame, and chakra control that made him wonder whether she was hiding her own set of Ghostly Arms someplace. After a few matches, Keisuke had even begun losing to her about one out of every three times. It hurt his pride a little the first time, and Haruka, of course, had rubbed it in, but he had long since gotten used to being bested by her. After all, two wins of three isn't half bad.
They had tried the synchronization a few more times, as well, and their cohesion in this state made even Jiraiya flinch. When Naruto had suggested that Ero-Sennin try to take them on, the Toad Hermit had backed out, “to go take the meds” which by that time he had thrown away. They'd all had a chuckle over that incident.
These were good times, that was for sure.
But was it what Keisuke really wanted to be doing? When he had awakened in his tomb and escaped the serpent's lair seven years ago, he had had only two things that mattered in his sightless world: Pain, and the determination to find and exterminate the demon that allowed him to wake up to that pain. This drive had halted momentarily when he'd reached Konoha and met Naruto the first time, learning that there was more than pain left in the world. But then the drive had renewed itself when he had discovered what had become of the Hyuuga, children of his child. Keisuke had set out from Konoha that day with the purpose of finding his old tormentor.
It was a purpose that was never fulfilled, though, and he had gradually slowed down his constant travel to savor the flavor of the places he went, to drink in the evidence of continued happy mortal life in the world; in short, he had been seeking this demon for so long without any success that he had grown placid.
Now that he was on the move again, his old personal crusade had reentered his mind, gnawing on the toes of his new happy thoughts. Should he resume the search? For a long time, he sat and turned it over in his head before coming to his decision.
What is it that's really important to me right now? He asked.
His answer was a blunt kunai that would have struck him if one of his feelers hadn't caught it five feet away and triggered his dodging reflex. Climbing to his feet, he stretched his arms for perception and found Haruka standing thirty yards away.
“Behind you, Keisuke-san,” she intoned with a smirk. They had been trading playful rear surprise attacks back and forth since the Daisuke incident. “Naruto-kun wanted to know if you'd be joining him tonight by the river at the usual time. He wants to go over his altered Reiude formation, but he worries that he may have overdone it this morning and wants to know if you're up for it.”
Keisuke could read the teasing attitude in her aura and the tone of her voice as he dusted himself off, but he wasn't up for playing her game at the moment. Unfortunately, Haruka's eyes were not anything special at the moment, so she failed to understand that.
Still smirking, Haruka said, “So, are you going to make it, blind man? Or do you need to lean on my vision again?”
Sighing, Keisuke gave in to the abuse. “I don't think so, Hyuuga. As I recall, the last time I synchronized for your vision, you cut it off abruptly and let me fall fifty feet before I could get my Arms untangled to feel around again.”
“That's what happens when you use up all those arms for seals.”
“Wasn't that the whole point of the exercise, to see how effective the Kokuin could be if I didn't have to save any Arms for perception?”
“Well, you could have tried a little harder to stay in range for the sync.”
“The same is true of you.”
“No it isn't; I had a rock face on that side of me.”
Exasperated, Keisuke thrust his hands into his pockets. “Fine, you win today. I'm not in the mood.”
Haruka frowned. “Oh, don't give me that excuse. I know you've got plenty of futile argument left in you.”
Keisuke shrugged, and moved to the edge of the roof. “Nevertheless.”
“Alright, so you really are in a sour mood,” said Haruka. “Well, your reflexes are fine, so you shouldn't have a problem meeting Naruto-kun this evening. I'll tell him that you will be there as planned.”
In response, Keisuke gave a nod.
Haruka nodded back. “I expect you to come back in a better mood. If Naruto-kun's attitude doesn't put a spark back in you, then maybe I will have a monster to hand over to Hiashi. Nothing human can keep moping around with that kind of energy nearby.” With that, she left.
Keisuke, however, remained on the roof a moment longer. That's right, he thought, I have a brother to live for...
Old demons weren't important now, if they even existed anymore. Naruto had a concrete path ahead of him with clear checkpoints and a defined goal at its end, while Keisuke's old crusade had no established direction and no end in sight. And Naruto was youthful and exuberant, fun to be around, while Keisuke's solitary journey had been a thoroughly depressing experience by comparison. And all of this aside, Keisuke still owed Naruto for the blood that had granted him his life and new power to live it with.
As Keisuke leaped from the roof into the sunset and headed towards the river, he also started down the new road of his life–the one that ran parallel to the that of the blond, orange-clad Hokage-to-be whose life's blood he carried in his veins.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Hyuuga Hiashi sat once again in his home, looking slightly perplexed and holding a letter from his contact on the outside. It was much briefer this time.
Hiashi-sama,
The Kyuubi container and his party present no obvious danger. I am pursuing them.
--Haruka
OoOoOoOoOoO
The legendary Toad Sennin removed the last of his bandages and sprang to his feet. He grinned; everything seemed to be in perfect working order now.
Good. Now we can get back to what we came out here to do...
That wouldn't be paying another visit to the bathhouse and leaving Naruto exposed again, would it, JIRAIYA?!”
The mighty Toad Sennin quailed beneath the second voice in his head. Little known among the common folk, Jiraiya had a conscience, which he was normally blind to, that liked to rear its head after an escape from a particularly bad misadventure. The name of that conscience?
Tsunade, Godaime Hokage-sama.
No, Jiraiya definitely would not be making that particular mistake again.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Orochimaru sat upon his high-backed chair and pondered the news that he had received. He had thought his old blind test subject to be no more. Seven years ago he had declined to pursue Keisuke because he felt it would be best to let the poor fool suffer and die in the wilderness and be consumed by beasts so that he could not be traced back to Orochimaru's facility. More pain for his escapee, no gain for his enemies.
But the blind man had not died, and now he was in league with the demon vessel that had sworn on his life to take his container away from him. To make matters worse, both of them were now under the protection of his old teammate, Jiraiya, who must surely be on his best guard now. Therefore, killing him was not possible at the moment. And it had turned out that both the blind man and the demon vessel were developing a power that neither had ever shown before, and which Kabuto had been unable to guage the full potential of. If this were allowed to continue...
OoOoOoOo End Interlude oOoOoOoO