Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Fox and The Phoenix ❯ Preliminaries ( Chapter 17 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

The Fox and The Phoenix
(Sono Kitsune Oyobi Sono Fenikusu)

Key

S.S = Sick Shit (is more than likely NC-17 and etc.)

*thinking*

"talking"

*thoughts progressing into speech"

'substitute for italics' (Kyuubi or Soriyu at times)

//telepathy//

::scene change:: (more for my reference than anything else)

~POV~
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Summary: Naruto's 6 years old, his caretaker, Iruka, was killed by bandits, and he was left orphaned. Well, until a mysterious wanderer appeared...


A/n: The only person who gets a cookie, pocky, and an Omake is Ragnarok, since the only other guess was wrong. Sorry Ace, but enjoy this new chappie! (And Ragnarok, pick a short scene from any chappie that you may want an Omake written about, ne?) Ace, good guess, and I was 'this' close to making it be Arashi (Yondaime), but I realized I had no way to incorporate that in this chappie,...yet, yeah.


Chapter Seventeen: Preliminaries


~Author~


::Tower::


While Anko informs Sarutobi of the recent developments with Orochimaru, in another part of the tower, Naruto was hyperventilating.


"Yes, it's been so long...six years if I can remember. Did you miss me?" a chilling voice asks, said voice belonging to only one person.


*He was dead, he was dead, I saw the corpse!*


Naruto backs up, away from the scrolls that still pour out summoning smoke. The other three Genin eye him quizzically, wondering who it could possibly be that it would scare the boy so much.


"Come now, don't you want to give your old man a hug?" the person asks as they step from the smoke, to reveal...


Iruka.


The tell-tale scar across his nose, and arms outstretched to embrace the blonde. Heedless of his own paleness, the blood that runs down his arms, and even the gaping wound in his side.


"No! You're not Iruka otou-san...you're not! He's fucking dead! I saw him killed, I saw the corpse! You're just some worthless bastard using a henge! A lying trickster!" the boy screams, backing up further despite his own words, shaking his head in a desperate attempt to rid his mind of the unbidden memories that Kyuubi can no longer control. "You're...not...fucking...real!"


He growls these last words, rushing forward with an killing intent to rival Kyuubi's, and landing a heavy punch into the man's face. The sound of bone shattering assaults the ears of all present, as the man flies back into the adjacent wall. The other genin are stunned, not knowing what the deal was, but Sakura snaps out of it first.


"Why'd you punch him Naruto?! What if it was just a test, you don't know if that's who you think it is anyway! You're such a ba-!" she's cut off as Haku clamps a hand over her ever running mouth, telling her to be silent, as he looks over to the boy. Taking deep breaths, Naruto complacates himself with the fact that this is probably another village shinobi playing a trick on him, but that notion too is erased when he hears this next voice.


"Gaki! Did you have to hit me that hard? Ouch...think you broke my fucking cheekbone..." the person exclaims, climbing out of the rubble, and rubbing their reddened cheek. Today was just full of surprises wasn't it? Surprises that Naruto didn't like, he was definitely ready to kill the woman that stood in front of him.


"Why would you do something like that?"


The woman shrugs, standing up and dusting off her clothing.


"Do you know how much that hurts me? Do you even fucking know what I was going through that night?!"


Again, the woman shrugs, looking down to the floor however.


Naruto seethes internally, she had went too far with the jokes this time. She knew how he felt about that night, but she had went there. It may have seemed harmless enough, but no, she had to use the henge of how he looked right after he died, the henge of his corpse.


Haku and Sasuke look between the two people, both wondering how this would turn out. Sakura watches, looking interested as to how Naruto would handle this.


Heated glare still set into a firm lock onto his face, the boy manages to grind these few words out before turning on his heel, and stalking off into the other room.


"Three years. I am...not speaking to you again for three years 'Sanziya', you went too far." he states, confirming what he thought about his mother at the moment by not using 'kaa-san'.


Sanziya has the grace to look rightfully ashamed. Haku and Sasuke staring disbelievingly as they follow the pissed Genin as well, none taking the time to see the hidden smirk on her face.


"Phase One completed, the demon will break soon." she states into a hidden microphone, laughing at the fact the brat couldn't see through the first henge, let alone this second one.


"Good, return to base, we'll proceed with the next phase shortly."


"Right."


The woman poofs out, but unbeknownst to her, Sakura had heard the whole little convo, and was now in a mental debate with herself.


~Sakura~


Should I tell him? I mean, yes I hate him, but should I let him get into such a conflict with his mother that she didn't even do?


*Shannaro! Let the two demons suffer! Don't tell him!*


But I have to, imagine how we would feel in that situation?


*Why would you tell him anything though? He's the reason your father is dead!*


Yeah, but...maybe father was wrong, and not Naruto.


*NANI?! FATHER WAS NEVER WRONG, HOW CAN YOU EVEN SAY THAT?!*


I'm going to tell him, regardless.


*YOU TRAITOROUS WHORE! FATHER MUST BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE AT THIS!*


Shut up, I've been wrong all this time, so I'm going to make things right.


~Author~


Well, while we can suppose it was a good thing that the pink-haired child has decided to turn over a new leaf, it was another matter to get the blonde to believe her.


"But Naruto, I'm telling the tru-!"


"Save it! This is probably another of your tricks! You haven't cared before, so why are you bothering to help now?!"


"I'm sorry for what I've done in the past, I'm not saying we can be friends, but I just want you to trust me on this! Just once!"


Naruto frowns, putting a hand to his chin. Haku wonders wether or not he'll strike the girl, silently urging him towards that course of action. Sasuke is stuck on thoughts of killing his brother, and Orochimaru's final words to him.


'You'll seek me out again, I'm sure of it.'


"Alright...let's say you are correct in this...assumption of yours. Give me one reason I should believe you." the blonde jinchurikki asks, glaring at the Haruno.


"Because it's the truth." she says, and is surprised when another voice joins her own. Looking over to the direction it came from, she is utterly surprised to see our favorite Phoenix woman stepping out of...well, nothing really, a dark corner of the wall I suppose. Zabuza close behind her.


Naruto pointedly looks away, still listening, but not wanting to see his mother at this particular point and time. Sanziya sighs, taking a drag off the cancer stick nestled in-between her fingers.


"If you don't believe me ask Zabuza, the people at the bar, and the people at the gates. We've been to those places since just a few minutes ago, I was shifting through darkness and heard you two arguing about me. So I came here. Not to mention...Naruto, did you get a good smell of this person? Ever stop to think about that?"


The boy is shocked into realization, he 'had' gotten a slight scent of the person, despite Kyuubi not being there, and they didn't smell like Sanziya. She smelled of fire, darkness, booze, and the occasional cigarette. That person, that 'imposter', had smelled of...they smelled like..water, flowers, and pine.


Not at all like anyone he knew, but now that he had their scent, it'd be a simple matter to hunt them down. Not many had the same unique scent after all.


"Alright kaa-san, I am sorry for doubting you. I realize now that you would never do something 'that' mean, even if I really angered you. Forgive me?"


Sanziya smiles, revealing white fangs to all present as she does, and ruffles his hair with her cigarette free hand.


"Of course, Naru-chan." she tells him, taking a final drag before crushing the death stick underfoot. "Now, unless I am mistaken, you do have another piece of the exams ahead. Come on you guys, I'll explain about the scroll's purpose on the way, since I'm pretty sure you didn't get one while in there."


::Prelims, 4:57am, Tower::


After Hayate finishes explains the next piece of the exams, coughing the whole way of course, a random leaf ninja withdraws (not Kabuto), leaving the numbers even, and the first battle appears on the screen.


'Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akadou Yoroi'


The boy shakes off Sakura's futile attempts to get him to back out of the fight, standing his ground as the others head upstairs and off the battlefield. Yoroi getting ready across from him as Sanziya poofs down beside the raven-haired boy, whispering something to him.


"I have seen the seal, another like you wears the same. Be wary, do not activate your Sharingan in this fight, do not use any chakra if you can help it. If you do, the curse will take you over during the match, and possibly kill you. I'll hasten to stop the match if it comes to that however. Now kick some ass!" she tells him, a big smile on her face as she poofs back into the stands. Sasuke smirks at her choice of words, readying himself.

"Begin!" Hayate states through a series of coughs.

Yoroi immediately rushes the boy, hands glowing a fuzzy blue as he latches one onto Sasuke's head. The boy feels a pull from his chakra pool, and his body getting slightly weaker.

"You...you're draining my chakra!"

Yoroi smiles malevolently.

"Figured it out huh?"

::Meanwhile, in the stands::

Sanziya and Naruto both eye the Oto-jounin, knowing the feeling he radiates is no way in hell normal. Not to mention he smelled like Hebi, of course, he could just be around snakes alot, like Anko. But that still unnerved them.

Orochimaru, the disguised jounin of course, is mentally praising Yoroi in his mind.

*Good, good. With his chakra drained he'll be forced to rely on the seal.*

::Back to the match::


Sasuke hasn't given in just yet, and finds enough strength to kick the leech-like boy away. Said boy rushes forward, hands outstretched to attack. Sasuke wearily dodges each move, knowing that Yoroi wants close combat.

"Go Sasuke! Don't let him beat you teme!" Naruto yells from the stands, Sasuke forming a plan in his mind as he listens to the cheers of his blonde teammate and Sakura.

As Yoroi rushes once more, Sasuke dodges, disappears and reappears below. He delivers a powerful upwards kick similar of a move Lee performed on him during their match. As Yoroi continues his ascent upwards, Sasuke then appears beneath him and prepares the Kage Dansu. (Shadow Dance)


However, Sasuke’s seal reacts to his energy and spreads itself to cover the boy's face and neck.

Sanziya is ready to hop over the barrier to stop the match at any given moment.

Meanwhile, Sasuke flashes back to his teammates’ concern as well as Sanziya's words, feeling bad that he has worried any of them, and he vows to fight it as the seal retreats back into itself. After performing several punch and kick combos, Sasuke comes down hard with his Shishi Rendan (Lion Combo) kick to end it. Both participants fall to the ground, landing motionless. Sasuke then uses the last of his strength to pull himself up to his knees, Yoroi unmoving.


"Winner: Uchiha -cough- Sasuke!" Hayate states, bringing his hand down in an air of finality.


Sanziya and our freaky eyebrowed Taijutsu Master Gai are impressed that Sasuke could have learned Lee’s moves just by using the Sharingan.

"Usually that cannot be done without years of training." Gai states, Sanziya nodding in agreement. "That last move reminds me of something Kakashi would've done when he was younger."

Those words were stated in sadness, he was missing his 'eternal rival.'

Sanziya closes her eyes in respect and a silent prayer, while on the other side of the stands, Anko stares at the Uchiha, stunned.

*He pushed back the curse seal...impossible! He's able to control it! Haha, take that 'sensei'!*

A smile flits across Orochimaru's face, he's liking these developements.


On the fighting floor, Sasuke is totally worn out, and begins to fall back down to the floor when Sanziya appears up out of his shadow on the floor, catching him.

"We're going to seal that mark." she whispers to the boy, her tone leaving no room for argument. She looks into the stands, motioning for Haku to follow her as they exit.

As the trio walk out of the room, Naruto notices Sasuke holding his neck and asks Sakura if she also saw Sasuke develop bruises during the match. The girl remembers her promise to Sasuke not to tell Naruto, and replies that she doesn’t know.


Soon the next match - Zaku Abumi vs. Aburame Shino - begins. Zaku immediately jumps into the arena, Shino taking his sweet time on the stairs just to rile the boy. When he gets down there, he eyes the spiky haired Oto-genin, askance.

"If you fight me now, with those broken arms...you'll never be able to battle again."

"Shut up, I don't need your advice, we're here to fight, not worry about each other's health."

Shino shrugs, not bothering to get into a stance as Hayate shouts 'Begin!'.

"Zankuhaa!" (Air Slicer) Zaku yells, pulling his right arm from his sling, and aiming it at Shino. The boy puts up his arms to block as a fierce gale of wind comes forth to send him flying into the adjacent wall.

::Somewhere in the Tower::


Sanziya has Sasuke sitting on the floor, an expanse of different characters written about his face and torso in her blood to trail down to a circle of characters drawn about the floor and draws several characters in vertical rows down Sasuke’s arms and back. She then performs a series of twenty-five hand seals to finish the sealing.

"Ichi Chouin: Baindo no Ishinosotsuu!" (First Sealing: Bind of Wills) she states, and places her hands on his seal. Haku nearby in case something goes wrong. The characters written in the circle move up Sasuke’s entire torso to surround the cursed seal, the characters on his face move down to cover the seal. "If it tries to activate again," The Phoenix jinchurikki tells Sasuke through his pained screams. "The power of the Bind of Wills will hold it in, but if it does activate again, you tell me alright? Then I'll layer on the second sealing. Not unlike most binders, this relies on your will as it's main source, it can be shattered if your will to suppress the curse shatters. If you lose faith in your power, if you doubt yourself, the curse seal will reactivate."

Sasuke manages to eek out an affirmattive response as he collapses.

The sound of clapping is heard from the entry way, and hiss-like chuckling follows that sound. Sanziya, steeling her body so that she will not attack, turns around to find a golden and crimson eyed Orochimaru behind her.


"I'm impressed Sanziya, not many could perform that, and you certainly couldn't copy it. I thought you were dead, where have you been all these years, hm?"


Sanziya suppresses an ever growing urge to rip out the throat of the man in front of her, as she had every day she had ever laid eyes on him. Soriyu, however, watching from his cage, doesn't like the look in the Hebi's eyes, and pushes chakra into the woman's coils. Her nails turn orange, growing the length of a pocketknife, hair spiking upwards and turning golden, eyes turning green as the Mangekyou appears, unbidden, and her facial features taking on a broken pattern that looks somewhat like feathers.


"I'll tell 'you' nothing, it's 'your' damn fault that place is gone anyway! Now what do 'you' want?...Traitor?" she asks, her voice higher due to Soriyu's chakra, she sounded somewhat like a screeching bird.


Orochimaru takes a step back at the chakra she emits, on guard, but continues to speak.


"I have come for Sasuke, I would take the other Uchiha, or yourself for that matter, but you both are too powerful. So why not take the next best course of action and get the boy who does not 'have' power, but seeks it?"

Sanziya growls at his words, sinking into a different stance, she wasn't planning to use Taijutsu this time, or was she?

::With Shino and Zaku::

"You should always have an ace in the hole." Shino states, remaining unharmed by Zaku’s attack, calmly waiting as bugs emerge from underneath his skin. Zaku watches in horror as the Kikaichuu soon surround him. With the bugs behind him and Shino in front, Zaku’s chances of winning are slimming. Kikaichuu attack their prey in mass groups and consume it's chakra.

"If you doesn’t give up now, you will never fight again. Either myself or the Kikaichuu, depending on your choice of action, will end this now." Shino states, looking at Zaku.

"I'm not gonna lose to you!" Zaku states, going through his little flashback, and deciding to go for his final attack. He lifts both arms up - one pointed at Shino, the other at the Kakai bugs and attempts to perform Zankuhaa. He laughs. His ace was to make it seem as though he couldn’t use his right arm.


::With our two high powered adversaries::


Orochimaru admits to Sanziya that the recently made Hidden Village of Sound is under his control. Sasuke is apparently the supreme piece of his plan to achieve his ambitions, and those fighting for him in the prelims are mere sacrifices.

"I'm not letting you take this boy, Orochimaru. I can kill you here and now, noone would be any the wiser. What's stopping me from doing that, I ask you?"

Orochimaru gestures to where Haku stands, aforementioned boy has a clone of Orochimaru behind him, and a kunai at his throat.

"Coward." she spats out at him, not standing upright, but keeping her stance.

"Well? Don't you want to save that boy?"

Sanziya laughs, a screeching laugh that chills the Hebi's bones.

"Why do you laugh?"

"Do you honestly think I am that foolish Orochimaru?! As soon as I sensed you I had dragged Haku into the darkness. That's a clone."

The tell-tale poof confirms her statement as the clone disappates. Orochimaru curses inside his head at the woman. She would ruin his plans.

::With our fighters::


Zaku prepares his attack to find that nothing is happening. He looks down at his hands to find the holes in his hands that release the Zankuhaa have been forcibly blocked by the Kikaichuu. The pressure is too great and his air cutter finds its release at Zaku’s elbows, thus shattering Zaku’s arms. Shino finally backhands Zaku into unconsciousness to end the match.


Everyone is in awe of Shino, and Neji does a Byakugan scan to investigate Shino’s bodily makeup. He learns that Shino is of the clan that gives their bodies to bugs at birth. They can control the Kikaichuu bugs with their mind, and in exchange, allow the bugs to feed off their own chakra.


"That's insane." Tenten states after hearing the new info.


Meanwhile, Dosu and Kin look after their fallen teammate as he is taken to the medical wing. Dosu explains to Kin that Shino must have stuffed bugs into Zaku’s air holse so that if he fired the Zankuhaa in such a state, the energy accumulated would seek an exit and thus expand. The resulting force found such an exit at his elbows, so now Zaku’s arms are useless.

*I'll avenge your loss Zaku, if not for you, but for Orochimaru-sama.* he thinks, watching after the stretcher.


Shino walks back into the group, telling his teammates he expects them to win as well.

Soon, the next match is announced: Tsurugi Misumi vs. Kankurou.

::With Sanziya and Orochimaru::

"Well, you've lost your edge in this battle Orochimaru, now tell me what else you plan to do while here. You haven't just come back for a visit."

"No, of course not, you always did see through things like that didn't you? Well for one I'm going to kill my former sensei."

"Not if I can help it, Hebi-teme."

"Well, we certainly know where Naruto-kun gets his language from."

"You've met Naruto?!"

"Yes, we had a nice 'chat', I dealt with that troublesome seal of his too."

"You fucking asshole! What did you do?!"

"You'll see for yourself."

"Bastard!" she yells, lunging for him, hands balled into fists as she makes to slam one into his face. He dodges by a hair, smirking all the while as her fist sinks about a foot into the marble pillar behind him.

"You must know that there’s no point in using the seal. Sasuke is an avenger. He will seek power no matter what kind or how evil." he states, grinning at the woman as she pulls her fist out of the pillar, and going over towards Sasuke. Sanziya stops his trek forward, jumping down in front of him. Orochimaru only smiles, beginning to walk away through the door once more. "I'll have that boy Sanziya, I'll have him, and you as well."


The Phoenix woman stays on guard until she's certain he's gone, and the clone dissapates. Then she sinks to the floor, Soriyu withdrawing his chakra so that her features revert to normal. Well...as normal as she gets. She looks into the darkness of the door Orochimaru exited through, tears falling down her face as her fingers dig into the stone beneath her, nails cracking and drawing blood.


"I'll never be yours Orochimaru, I'd rather die before that happens." she says to herself, and in her distress, the carefully sculpted henge she has placed over herself completely drops to reveal her true body. She is covered with blue skin, symbols that look suspiciously like the infinity sign adorn her face, neck, hands, and possibly the rest of her body, her eyes are a frightening shade of ivory with purple pupils. The woman's hair remains unchanged, the tips only turning white, but her lips are a shade of deep blue that looks like lipstick. She covers her face with her hands as she allows Haku to step from the darkness, the boy staring at her in shock, and she tries not to let him see her face.


"Nee-chan?" he asks, coming towards her despite his instinct to run away, the last time he even saw her like this was six years ago, and that was when he found her with the kunai to her wrist...


"Haku." she breathes out, not standing up or looking at him at all. "Take Sasuke to the medical wing, tell them I want to ANBU guarding him at all times until he awakens. Don't tell anyone that you've seen me like this."


"What about Za-?"


"Especially not Zabuza."


Haku nods his affirmative, going to get the unconscious boy, and heading out for the hospital wing. The woman looks out after him as he disappears down the corridor, sighing, and smiling again before putting up the henge again.


'You'll be okay? You seem pretty shaken Sanziya.'


*I'll be fine Soriyu. Don't worry 'bout me, ne?*


Soriyu mentally nods to her, but can't help knowing that she too, was on the edge of her sanity. This Orochimaru guy was bad news for anyone possessing something he wanted, and for anyone he just plain 'wanted'.


"Well, gotta get back, I don't wanna miss Naru-chan's fight!" she states, masking her fright and pain as she slips into the darkness back into the arena stands.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Anaki: I am awesome!


RC16: Pretty good I guess, but still an evil cliff.


Anaki: -shrug- So? Since when do you care about the readers?


RC16: -glares- Touche.


Anaki: That first pic from the last chappie is itching to be drawn you know, also, anyone who can also draw Sanziya in curse form is welcome to try. Lvl three curse btw for anyone wondering. I would do it, but I have 'no' drawing skills.



RC17: I wanna see some good pics too! Come on guys, you know what to do! Draw and review!