Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Crow: Takai Kitsune ❯ Dark Fox ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: The Wolf Demon 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.12.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 683 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.12.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 683 | Status: Completed
The Crow: Takai Kitsune by The Wolf God
Disclaimer: The Crow is owned by James O'Barr and Dimension Films. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, and Cartoon Network.
Author's note: This story takes place three years after the Chunin Exam arc but there will be a few slight changes since this is an AU tale. This story will have nothing to do with the "YuGiCrow/Black Robin" universe. This is my first Naruto story, so judge it if you must. Now, my fellow wolves and Crow-ites, on with our little dramasterpiece.
Chapter 1:
Dark Fox
Sakura Haruno sat in the waiting of the Hidden Leaf Village hospital. She was quiet while the medic-nins were examing her fellow Team 7 member, Naruto. Just a few hours ago, Naruto fought against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. Naruto was badly injured during the battle against the serpant. She was waiting for the medic-nin while worrying about the outcome of the ninja boy's being. The medic-nin finally stepped into the waiting room with some rather grim news.
"How's Naruto?" Sakura asked.
"We were able to patch up his wounds but I'm afraid the next several hours would be critical," the medic-nin replied.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"There is some internal bleeding to a few organs in the boy," replied the medic-nin.
Sakura felt a surge of worry upon hearing the medic-nin's words, so she ran into the room to check on him. When Sakura stepped into the room, she noticed the host of the nine-tailed fox was really worse for wear. Naruto had various bruises and cuts all over him, not to mention a bandage wrapped around his chest and stomach. Sakura walked up to him and held his hand while remembering all the times she treated him like a spoiled child. Whenever Naruto was being immature, she would get all pissed about it. But over time, she realized Naruto wasn't just a merry prankster or a headstrong ninja, Naruto was a determined and kind kid. Although she claimed to have the hots for Sasuke, Sakura felt something for Naruto. Was it perhaps a feeling of love?
'No, Naruto is just a friend,' Sakura said mentally. 'Why do I feel this way about him? I'm in love with Sasuke, not Naruto.'
She tried to shake these feelings off but they were gnawing away at her. Not taking it any more, Sakura leaned over and kissed Naruto's temple. She decided to leave so he would get some rest and heal his wounds. When Sakura came back to the hospital the next morning, she saw Hinata sitting next to her secret crush's bed, crying.
"Hinata? What's the matter?" Sakura asked.
"I-it's Naruto. He's...he's dead," Hinata said while wiping away a few tears.
Sakura gasped. Just last night, she saw Naruto lying in bed with very severe injuries all over him and now right out of the blue, he was dead. Sakura collasped on her knees and cried. The boy she claimed to despise so much is now gone. Looking back on all the times she said she hated him, Sakura realized it was very foolish. Hinata knelt herself down and hugged the pink-haired girl and they spent their time in Naruto's room, mourning for him. Word of Naruto's death spread quickly throughout the Hidden Leaf Village. Every person who knew Naruto best, even his sensei Kakashi, were saddened. The Lord Hokage decided to hold a funeral for Naruto with his own expense. During the funeral, everyone paid their last respects except Sasuke, who was with Orochimaru at the time. Little did everyone know, a crow was watching them intently.
(Cemetary)
It was a gloomy afternoon in the Hidden Leaf Village. Rain was pelting down on the decorated casket of Naruto Uzumaki. The crow flew its way to Naruto's future gravesite. It landed on the casket and cawed as it sensed movement. The bird flew as the door slowly creaked open. A blond-haired boy dressed in ceremonial garb screamed and fell out of the casket. Naruto struggled to his feet as he saw a bird sitting on a tombstone.
'Welcome back from the dead, Naruto,' The bird said in Naruto's mind.
"Where-where am I?" Naruto asked.
'You're here in the boneyard, my friend,' The bird replied. 'You are dead.'
Naruto's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "Dead? How can I be? But I'm alive and well."
'No, my friend. You are dead,' stated the crow. 'Orochimaru killed you while you tried to help your friends.'
Naruto suddenly felt a flashback playing in his mind's eye. In the flashback, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were in the second phase of the Chunin Exam. All they had to do was take the scroll they were carrying to the tower within the forest. Orochimaru disguised himself as Naruto and attacked Sakura and Sasuke. It was pretty rough for them, they had on the business end of Orochimaru's attacks until Naruto showed up. He did battle against Orochimaru. Sasuke was paralyzed with fear as his Team 7 comrade fought valiantly. At one point, Naruto summoned the power of the fox demon within him and destroyed a giant serpant that was summoned by Orochimaru.
Naruto managed to snap Sasuke out of his panic state when he said, "Are you all right...scaredy-cat?" This provided Orochimaru enough time to seal the fox demon's chakra and throwing Naruto across the forest. Sakura tried to save him but she was a split second too late. Her kunai missed its mark and Naruto fell to his death. As the flashback ended, anger began arise within him.
"Orochimaru did this to me!? I'm gonna destroy him for this!" Naruto screamed. "I'm gonna make him suffer for killing me and kidnapping Sasuke!"
'I'm afraid it's not that simple,' said the crow. 'Since the nine-tailed fox is within you when I brought you back, you're too weak to face Orochimaru in battle.'
"I want to kill him right now!" Naruto shouted.
'You can't! He will destroy you if you face him now,' the crow said. 'Now come with me, we have some serious training to do.'
Naruto conceded to the bird's wishes. He closed the casket door and left the cemetary to begin his training for his mission of vengeance. Everyone arrived at the burial ceremony and everything went as planned but little did they knew, Naruto has returned from the grave. Afterward, Sakura returned to her home. She lay herself on her bed as she looked at Naruto's headband. She clutched it to her chest while wiping away a few tears. Sakura closed her eyes and cried herself to sleep.
(Three years later)
Three years had past since Naruto was killed and so much has changed. Sasuke left Konoha to seek out Orochimaru and eventually became his apprentice. Sakura also became an apprentice to another sensei, Tsunade. Sakura has blossomed into a very beautiful woman. Lots of guys have been asking her to go out on dates with them, especially Rock Lee, but Sakura turned them all down because her heart belonged to Naruto. She always thought about Naruto ever since the day he died. Sakura was sitting in front of a mirror while combing her hair. She suddenly heard the sound of a crow coming from outside. So she walked up to the window to look at it but the bird flew away. Sakura closed the window and slipped under her covers to sleep. Outside, a creature was stalking the streets of Konoha. The creature's eyes were red and cat-like. Its face was covered by unkempt blond hair and wore a tattered and torn blue and white robe. It growled deeply while searching for its quarry. The creature scared a few stray cats away as it walked toward Sakura's house. The monster scratched at the door with its claws as it growled.
Sakura woke up by the sounds of scratching and growling. She grabbed her kunai from the nightstand and crept toward the front door. She placed her free hand on the doorknob and quickly opened the door. Sakura didn't see anything and breathed a sigh of relief but she was tackled by a dark figure as it began to choke her. The monster roared as Sakura let out a few choked screams. As she struggled to free herself, Sakura looked at the visage of the creature underneath its long dirty blond hair and immediately recongized it, the monster attacking her was Naruto.
"N-Naruto?" Sakura choked out.
Naruto stopped his attack on Sakura upon hearing his name. He felt another flashback creeping into his mind. This time, he remembered when he first met Sakura at the Ninja Academy. Sakura beat the holy hell out of him for stealing her first kiss with Sasuke and Naruto almost got the chance to kiss his crush while he transformed into his rival for Sakura's heart. He even remembered the first day of his Genin training, Naruto was tied to a post and was hungry. Sakura was nice enough to give him her riceball to eat then the flashback ended.
Naruto reverted back to his normal state as he released Sakura. She sat herself and let out a hacking cough. Naruto looked at her as he blurted out, "Sakura?"
"Naruto," Sakura said as she held out her arms to him.
The undead ninja boy collasped into Sakura's waiting embrace. She stroked Naruto's long blond hair as he cried silently. Although she did her best to comfort him, Sakura herself started to cry. She was happy to see Naruto again for the first time in three years.
"So I'm glad you're alive," Sakura said through her tears.
"I'm not really alive, Sakura," Naruto said. "I'm dead."
"Dead? You can't be," Sakura said. "You're here now, Naruto. That's all it matters."
She held Naruto for it seemed like a long time. Sakura felt curious about Naruto's sudden return from the dead. So she decided to find Kakashi and Anko and ask them about it but first, she wanted to give Naruto a long overdue haircut. She released Naruto and went into the kitchen to get the scissors.
"Uh, Sakura? What are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"Cut that long hair of yours, it doesn't look good on you," Sakura replied with a mischevious smile.
Sakura dragged Naruto into the kitchen and sat him down on a chair. She drapped a large cloth over him and proceeded to cut his hair. After an hour or two, all of Naruto's long hair was on the floor. Sakura grabbed some hair gel and spiked up his hair a bit.
"That's much better," Sakura said. "I want you to come with me to Kakashi-sensei."
"Why?" Naruto asked.
"He may know something about your return," Sakura replied.
Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him away from the chair. They walked to Kakashi's home and knocked on his door.
"Sensei, are you home?" Sakura shouted.
There was silence. Sakura knocked on the door several more times until she heard footsteps. Kakashi opened the door as he greeted, "Sakura, it's been a long time."
"Hello, sensei," Sakura said. "Kakashi, you're not gonna believe this."
"What is it?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura moved out of the way as Kakashi gasped upon seeing Naruto. He felt water coming out of his eyes due to the overwhelming shock to see his former student alive.
"My god. It can't fucking be," Kakashi said. "Naruto, is it really you? I thought you were dead."
"Yes, I am dead," Naruto replied sadly. "Why did I came back from the grave all of a sudden? Does it have something to do with my powers?"
"It's best for you two to come in," Kakashi said as he escorted his former students inside the house.
Sakura and Naruto sat down on the couch as Kakashi said, "Naruto, there's a reason you came back from the dead."
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
"My friend Obito would used to tell me about a legend that involves a crow," Kakashi replied. "A crow would take a soul into the afterlife for everlasting peace. But when a soul is tainted with sadness, the crow must return the soul to this plane of existence for justice."
Sakura remembered seeing a crow outside of her window before she was attacked. Although she wasn't familiar with the legend of the crow, it did began to make sense to her.
"I did see a crow back at my home," Sakura stated.
"The crow serves as Naruto's link between this world and the next," Kakashi said. "The crow's power combined with that of the demon fox, he has unlimited chakra. But if the bird were to die, Naruto will lose his powers and becomes human."
Sakura gasped upon hearing what Kakashi said but Naruto didn't care. He wanted revenge on Orochimaru no matter what the circumstances are. A few minutes later, Anko walked into the door with a box in his arms.
"Hey, Kakashi, I'm home. I got someth--," Anko said but stopped in midsentance when she saw a blond-haired boy. "N-Naruto? No way!"
Anko dropped her box and ran to hug Naruto. She hugged him tightly as she said, "Naruto, it's good to see you again!"
"Likewise," Naruto said with smile as Anko released him.
"How did you come back?" Anko asked.
"The legend of the crow," Kakashi said. "He came back to get revenge on Orochimaru."
"Good," Anko said. "But Naruto shouldn't go after him looking like that. A good costume change is in order."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"That burial garment of yours has got to go," Anko replied.
"I have that old ANBU outfit in the closet," Kakashi chimed. "I'll go get it."
Kakashi ran to his bedroom to get his old ANBU uniform. Kakashi carried a black ANBU uniform on a wired hanger and handed it to Naruto. It consisted of a black shirt and pants with elbow-length fingerless gloves, toeless boots, armor on the forearms and shins, a breastplate, and a kunai pouch attached to the right leg of the pants. Naruto removed his tattered burial robe and donned the ANBU uniform. Anko picked up her box and opened it to reveal various paints inside.
"Now for a finishing touch," Anko said.
"Uh, what the hell is with the make-up?" Naruto asked.
"It's for you, silly boy," Anko said with a smile.
She set the box of paints on the nightstand and grabbed a brush. Anko painted Naruto's face except his eyes and lips. She grabbed another brush and dipped into some black paint. Anko painted Naruto's eyes and lips black then painted whiskers on his recently painted white cheeks. Anko cupped Naruto's face carefully as she said, "Now you're ready for vegeance on Orochimaru."
"Aww, yeah!" Naruto cheered. "Ready to kick some ass now! But I don't want anyone to know I'm here."
"I think I can take care of that," Sakura said as she draped her blood-red scarf over the lower half of Naruto's face and tied it in a knot.
Naruto's new look was new complete. He was really ready to go after Orochimaru now. Before he could make his leave, Naruto wanted to speak with Sakura first.
"Kakashi, Anko, can I have some time alone with Sakura?" Naruto asked.
"Sure," Anko said. "Come, Kakashi, let's leave the two love birds alone."
Anko grabbed Kakashi's arm and dragged him out of the living room. Naruto looked at Sakura as he asked, "How's Sasuke doing?"
Sakura didn't wanna to answer that question but she wanted to tell him about what happened to Sasuke and Orochimaru.
"Right after you died, Sasuke joined him so he could become stronger and face his brother," Sakura replied as her voice began to quiver.
Naruto felt his inner rage boiling within him. The very thought of his former team mate training with the monster who killed him was disturbing.
"Don't cry, Sakura," Naruto said as he hugged her. "I vow to rescue him from that rat bastard no matter what the circumstances are."
He pulled the scarf down from his face and kissed Sakura's forehead. "I'll see you around, Sakura. I have a snake in the grass to kill."
With that said, he pulled his scarf back up, opened the door and left. Sakura watched Naruto leap onto the roof of a nearby shop and disappear in the pale moon light. She yearned to tell Naruto about her true feelings toward him but that was something for another time.
Hinata was getting ready for bed. She already got out of the shower and put on her pjs. Just as Hinata was about to slip under her blankets of her bed, she saw a blond-haired ninja running across a few buildings from her bedroom window. Hinata couldn't make out his features because of the scarf covering his face but she did noticed the ninja had blue eyes and looked a lot like her secret crush, Naruto. A mere view of the passing ninja somehow caused feelings within Hinata to flow through like a raging river. She fell on her bed and grabbed her pillow. Hinata held her pillow tightly as she wiped away a few tears. It seemed she still had't gotten over Naruto's death after three long years. Hinata never got the chance to tell Naruto just how much she loved him. Now that Naruto's back, Hinata may finally have that chance.
'I know that was Naruto,' Hinata said mentally as she hugged her pillow tighter. 'I don't know how he came back but I don't care. I will tell Naruto that I love him, dead or alive.'
To be continued...
End note: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my new Crow story. Naruto's Crow attire was based on Hotsuma's from the Shinobi video game series. I thought it would be a good idea to have him dress up like a shinobi since shinobi are known killing their enemies with stealth. Anyway, future chapters may contain lime scenes or reference and if you're put off by it, don't read. As for pairing, I won't spoil on which girl Naruto will be with in the third chapter but I will say this, Sakura will not be paired with Sasuke. Well my fellow wolves and Crow-ites, enjoy the first chapter of my Crow/Naruto story until next time.
May the wolf spirit guide thee.
Disclaimer: The Crow is owned by James O'Barr and Dimension Films. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, and Cartoon Network.
Author's note: This story takes place three years after the Chunin Exam arc but there will be a few slight changes since this is an AU tale. This story will have nothing to do with the "YuGiCrow/Black Robin" universe. This is my first Naruto story, so judge it if you must. Now, my fellow wolves and Crow-ites, on with our little dramasterpiece.
Chapter 1:
Dark Fox
Sakura Haruno sat in the waiting of the Hidden Leaf Village hospital. She was quiet while the medic-nins were examing her fellow Team 7 member, Naruto. Just a few hours ago, Naruto fought against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. Naruto was badly injured during the battle against the serpant. She was waiting for the medic-nin while worrying about the outcome of the ninja boy's being. The medic-nin finally stepped into the waiting room with some rather grim news.
"How's Naruto?" Sakura asked.
"We were able to patch up his wounds but I'm afraid the next several hours would be critical," the medic-nin replied.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"There is some internal bleeding to a few organs in the boy," replied the medic-nin.
Sakura felt a surge of worry upon hearing the medic-nin's words, so she ran into the room to check on him. When Sakura stepped into the room, she noticed the host of the nine-tailed fox was really worse for wear. Naruto had various bruises and cuts all over him, not to mention a bandage wrapped around his chest and stomach. Sakura walked up to him and held his hand while remembering all the times she treated him like a spoiled child. Whenever Naruto was being immature, she would get all pissed about it. But over time, she realized Naruto wasn't just a merry prankster or a headstrong ninja, Naruto was a determined and kind kid. Although she claimed to have the hots for Sasuke, Sakura felt something for Naruto. Was it perhaps a feeling of love?
'No, Naruto is just a friend,' Sakura said mentally. 'Why do I feel this way about him? I'm in love with Sasuke, not Naruto.'
She tried to shake these feelings off but they were gnawing away at her. Not taking it any more, Sakura leaned over and kissed Naruto's temple. She decided to leave so he would get some rest and heal his wounds. When Sakura came back to the hospital the next morning, she saw Hinata sitting next to her secret crush's bed, crying.
"Hinata? What's the matter?" Sakura asked.
"I-it's Naruto. He's...he's dead," Hinata said while wiping away a few tears.
Sakura gasped. Just last night, she saw Naruto lying in bed with very severe injuries all over him and now right out of the blue, he was dead. Sakura collasped on her knees and cried. The boy she claimed to despise so much is now gone. Looking back on all the times she said she hated him, Sakura realized it was very foolish. Hinata knelt herself down and hugged the pink-haired girl and they spent their time in Naruto's room, mourning for him. Word of Naruto's death spread quickly throughout the Hidden Leaf Village. Every person who knew Naruto best, even his sensei Kakashi, were saddened. The Lord Hokage decided to hold a funeral for Naruto with his own expense. During the funeral, everyone paid their last respects except Sasuke, who was with Orochimaru at the time. Little did everyone know, a crow was watching them intently.
(Cemetary)
It was a gloomy afternoon in the Hidden Leaf Village. Rain was pelting down on the decorated casket of Naruto Uzumaki. The crow flew its way to Naruto's future gravesite. It landed on the casket and cawed as it sensed movement. The bird flew as the door slowly creaked open. A blond-haired boy dressed in ceremonial garb screamed and fell out of the casket. Naruto struggled to his feet as he saw a bird sitting on a tombstone.
'Welcome back from the dead, Naruto,' The bird said in Naruto's mind.
"Where-where am I?" Naruto asked.
'You're here in the boneyard, my friend,' The bird replied. 'You are dead.'
Naruto's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "Dead? How can I be? But I'm alive and well."
'No, my friend. You are dead,' stated the crow. 'Orochimaru killed you while you tried to help your friends.'
Naruto suddenly felt a flashback playing in his mind's eye. In the flashback, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were in the second phase of the Chunin Exam. All they had to do was take the scroll they were carrying to the tower within the forest. Orochimaru disguised himself as Naruto and attacked Sakura and Sasuke. It was pretty rough for them, they had on the business end of Orochimaru's attacks until Naruto showed up. He did battle against Orochimaru. Sasuke was paralyzed with fear as his Team 7 comrade fought valiantly. At one point, Naruto summoned the power of the fox demon within him and destroyed a giant serpant that was summoned by Orochimaru.
Naruto managed to snap Sasuke out of his panic state when he said, "Are you all right...scaredy-cat?" This provided Orochimaru enough time to seal the fox demon's chakra and throwing Naruto across the forest. Sakura tried to save him but she was a split second too late. Her kunai missed its mark and Naruto fell to his death. As the flashback ended, anger began arise within him.
"Orochimaru did this to me!? I'm gonna destroy him for this!" Naruto screamed. "I'm gonna make him suffer for killing me and kidnapping Sasuke!"
'I'm afraid it's not that simple,' said the crow. 'Since the nine-tailed fox is within you when I brought you back, you're too weak to face Orochimaru in battle.'
"I want to kill him right now!" Naruto shouted.
'You can't! He will destroy you if you face him now,' the crow said. 'Now come with me, we have some serious training to do.'
Naruto conceded to the bird's wishes. He closed the casket door and left the cemetary to begin his training for his mission of vengeance. Everyone arrived at the burial ceremony and everything went as planned but little did they knew, Naruto has returned from the grave. Afterward, Sakura returned to her home. She lay herself on her bed as she looked at Naruto's headband. She clutched it to her chest while wiping away a few tears. Sakura closed her eyes and cried herself to sleep.
(Three years later)
Three years had past since Naruto was killed and so much has changed. Sasuke left Konoha to seek out Orochimaru and eventually became his apprentice. Sakura also became an apprentice to another sensei, Tsunade. Sakura has blossomed into a very beautiful woman. Lots of guys have been asking her to go out on dates with them, especially Rock Lee, but Sakura turned them all down because her heart belonged to Naruto. She always thought about Naruto ever since the day he died. Sakura was sitting in front of a mirror while combing her hair. She suddenly heard the sound of a crow coming from outside. So she walked up to the window to look at it but the bird flew away. Sakura closed the window and slipped under her covers to sleep. Outside, a creature was stalking the streets of Konoha. The creature's eyes were red and cat-like. Its face was covered by unkempt blond hair and wore a tattered and torn blue and white robe. It growled deeply while searching for its quarry. The creature scared a few stray cats away as it walked toward Sakura's house. The monster scratched at the door with its claws as it growled.
Sakura woke up by the sounds of scratching and growling. She grabbed her kunai from the nightstand and crept toward the front door. She placed her free hand on the doorknob and quickly opened the door. Sakura didn't see anything and breathed a sigh of relief but she was tackled by a dark figure as it began to choke her. The monster roared as Sakura let out a few choked screams. As she struggled to free herself, Sakura looked at the visage of the creature underneath its long dirty blond hair and immediately recongized it, the monster attacking her was Naruto.
"N-Naruto?" Sakura choked out.
Naruto stopped his attack on Sakura upon hearing his name. He felt another flashback creeping into his mind. This time, he remembered when he first met Sakura at the Ninja Academy. Sakura beat the holy hell out of him for stealing her first kiss with Sasuke and Naruto almost got the chance to kiss his crush while he transformed into his rival for Sakura's heart. He even remembered the first day of his Genin training, Naruto was tied to a post and was hungry. Sakura was nice enough to give him her riceball to eat then the flashback ended.
Naruto reverted back to his normal state as he released Sakura. She sat herself and let out a hacking cough. Naruto looked at her as he blurted out, "Sakura?"
"Naruto," Sakura said as she held out her arms to him.
The undead ninja boy collasped into Sakura's waiting embrace. She stroked Naruto's long blond hair as he cried silently. Although she did her best to comfort him, Sakura herself started to cry. She was happy to see Naruto again for the first time in three years.
"So I'm glad you're alive," Sakura said through her tears.
"I'm not really alive, Sakura," Naruto said. "I'm dead."
"Dead? You can't be," Sakura said. "You're here now, Naruto. That's all it matters."
She held Naruto for it seemed like a long time. Sakura felt curious about Naruto's sudden return from the dead. So she decided to find Kakashi and Anko and ask them about it but first, she wanted to give Naruto a long overdue haircut. She released Naruto and went into the kitchen to get the scissors.
"Uh, Sakura? What are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"Cut that long hair of yours, it doesn't look good on you," Sakura replied with a mischevious smile.
Sakura dragged Naruto into the kitchen and sat him down on a chair. She drapped a large cloth over him and proceeded to cut his hair. After an hour or two, all of Naruto's long hair was on the floor. Sakura grabbed some hair gel and spiked up his hair a bit.
"That's much better," Sakura said. "I want you to come with me to Kakashi-sensei."
"Why?" Naruto asked.
"He may know something about your return," Sakura replied.
Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him away from the chair. They walked to Kakashi's home and knocked on his door.
"Sensei, are you home?" Sakura shouted.
There was silence. Sakura knocked on the door several more times until she heard footsteps. Kakashi opened the door as he greeted, "Sakura, it's been a long time."
"Hello, sensei," Sakura said. "Kakashi, you're not gonna believe this."
"What is it?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura moved out of the way as Kakashi gasped upon seeing Naruto. He felt water coming out of his eyes due to the overwhelming shock to see his former student alive.
"My god. It can't fucking be," Kakashi said. "Naruto, is it really you? I thought you were dead."
"Yes, I am dead," Naruto replied sadly. "Why did I came back from the grave all of a sudden? Does it have something to do with my powers?"
"It's best for you two to come in," Kakashi said as he escorted his former students inside the house.
Sakura and Naruto sat down on the couch as Kakashi said, "Naruto, there's a reason you came back from the dead."
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
"My friend Obito would used to tell me about a legend that involves a crow," Kakashi replied. "A crow would take a soul into the afterlife for everlasting peace. But when a soul is tainted with sadness, the crow must return the soul to this plane of existence for justice."
Sakura remembered seeing a crow outside of her window before she was attacked. Although she wasn't familiar with the legend of the crow, it did began to make sense to her.
"I did see a crow back at my home," Sakura stated.
"The crow serves as Naruto's link between this world and the next," Kakashi said. "The crow's power combined with that of the demon fox, he has unlimited chakra. But if the bird were to die, Naruto will lose his powers and becomes human."
Sakura gasped upon hearing what Kakashi said but Naruto didn't care. He wanted revenge on Orochimaru no matter what the circumstances are. A few minutes later, Anko walked into the door with a box in his arms.
"Hey, Kakashi, I'm home. I got someth--," Anko said but stopped in midsentance when she saw a blond-haired boy. "N-Naruto? No way!"
Anko dropped her box and ran to hug Naruto. She hugged him tightly as she said, "Naruto, it's good to see you again!"
"Likewise," Naruto said with smile as Anko released him.
"How did you come back?" Anko asked.
"The legend of the crow," Kakashi said. "He came back to get revenge on Orochimaru."
"Good," Anko said. "But Naruto shouldn't go after him looking like that. A good costume change is in order."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"That burial garment of yours has got to go," Anko replied.
"I have that old ANBU outfit in the closet," Kakashi chimed. "I'll go get it."
Kakashi ran to his bedroom to get his old ANBU uniform. Kakashi carried a black ANBU uniform on a wired hanger and handed it to Naruto. It consisted of a black shirt and pants with elbow-length fingerless gloves, toeless boots, armor on the forearms and shins, a breastplate, and a kunai pouch attached to the right leg of the pants. Naruto removed his tattered burial robe and donned the ANBU uniform. Anko picked up her box and opened it to reveal various paints inside.
"Now for a finishing touch," Anko said.
"Uh, what the hell is with the make-up?" Naruto asked.
"It's for you, silly boy," Anko said with a smile.
She set the box of paints on the nightstand and grabbed a brush. Anko painted Naruto's face except his eyes and lips. She grabbed another brush and dipped into some black paint. Anko painted Naruto's eyes and lips black then painted whiskers on his recently painted white cheeks. Anko cupped Naruto's face carefully as she said, "Now you're ready for vegeance on Orochimaru."
"Aww, yeah!" Naruto cheered. "Ready to kick some ass now! But I don't want anyone to know I'm here."
"I think I can take care of that," Sakura said as she draped her blood-red scarf over the lower half of Naruto's face and tied it in a knot.
Naruto's new look was new complete. He was really ready to go after Orochimaru now. Before he could make his leave, Naruto wanted to speak with Sakura first.
"Kakashi, Anko, can I have some time alone with Sakura?" Naruto asked.
"Sure," Anko said. "Come, Kakashi, let's leave the two love birds alone."
Anko grabbed Kakashi's arm and dragged him out of the living room. Naruto looked at Sakura as he asked, "How's Sasuke doing?"
Sakura didn't wanna to answer that question but she wanted to tell him about what happened to Sasuke and Orochimaru.
"Right after you died, Sasuke joined him so he could become stronger and face his brother," Sakura replied as her voice began to quiver.
Naruto felt his inner rage boiling within him. The very thought of his former team mate training with the monster who killed him was disturbing.
"Don't cry, Sakura," Naruto said as he hugged her. "I vow to rescue him from that rat bastard no matter what the circumstances are."
He pulled the scarf down from his face and kissed Sakura's forehead. "I'll see you around, Sakura. I have a snake in the grass to kill."
With that said, he pulled his scarf back up, opened the door and left. Sakura watched Naruto leap onto the roof of a nearby shop and disappear in the pale moon light. She yearned to tell Naruto about her true feelings toward him but that was something for another time.
Hinata was getting ready for bed. She already got out of the shower and put on her pjs. Just as Hinata was about to slip under her blankets of her bed, she saw a blond-haired ninja running across a few buildings from her bedroom window. Hinata couldn't make out his features because of the scarf covering his face but she did noticed the ninja had blue eyes and looked a lot like her secret crush, Naruto. A mere view of the passing ninja somehow caused feelings within Hinata to flow through like a raging river. She fell on her bed and grabbed her pillow. Hinata held her pillow tightly as she wiped away a few tears. It seemed she still had't gotten over Naruto's death after three long years. Hinata never got the chance to tell Naruto just how much she loved him. Now that Naruto's back, Hinata may finally have that chance.
'I know that was Naruto,' Hinata said mentally as she hugged her pillow tighter. 'I don't know how he came back but I don't care. I will tell Naruto that I love him, dead or alive.'
To be continued...
End note: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my new Crow story. Naruto's Crow attire was based on Hotsuma's from the Shinobi video game series. I thought it would be a good idea to have him dress up like a shinobi since shinobi are known killing their enemies with stealth. Anyway, future chapters may contain lime scenes or reference and if you're put off by it, don't read. As for pairing, I won't spoil on which girl Naruto will be with in the third chapter but I will say this, Sakura will not be paired with Sasuke. Well my fellow wolves and Crow-ites, enjoy the first chapter of my Crow/Naruto story until next time.
May the wolf spirit guide thee.