Manicherryblossom33
Active member
Awards
Thanks to an epic random four day weekend caused by wonderful winter weather, my test day was delayed! And I got the chapter written early! Yaay. Hopefully I'll get more free time soon. I haven't been lazy in a long time. I almost forgot what it felt like. Anyway enjoy chapter 21!
Naruto fanfic ch 21
SASUKE'S POV [AKANE VILLAGE CAVERN]
FLASHBACK STARTS HERE
Sasuke tried to slice the invisible wall separating him and Kiba from the beast and the others with his chidori blade, but was blown back. Landing on his feet, he cursed under his breath.
"What is this?!" Kiba demanded to know, pounding on the wall. "Hinata! Sakura! Naruto! Can you hear me?! Hey!"
Sasuke glared. The beast, which seemed to be made of black fog, was blocking all three of the others from his view. Kiba had passed through him as if nothing were there, but Naruto had been deflecting solid, deadly attacks.
He had to get to the others. Now. But how?
Susano'o? No. It was too large. He could bring even more of the roof down on them. Mangekyo? No, that could also do more harm than good...
There was a tearing sound, not unlike ones heard from a slaughterhouse, and Sasuke jumped, mentally noting he hadn't smelled this much blood in a long time. Such a strong stench could only mean someone was gravely wounded. Sakura and Hinata were screaming.
"Naruto!" Kiba yelled, evidently catching on and desperately trying to knock the wall down. "Hinata! Guys!"
He felt a light hand grab his shoulder and reacted instantly, flipping the sword around to hold against the red haired woman's throat.
But he was doubtful. This woman wasn't like the Mami Naruto had described. Her hair was short, and pulled back into a smooth pony tail that trailed to her shoulder blades. And she was wearing armor, on top of a red dress and shorts with ninja weapons strapped to her back and hips and scrolls attached to both arms.
She radiated power and trust. And her expression was blank, yet serious. Mami was supposed to an irresponsible temptress wearing "too much makeup" and a kimono. They couldn't be the same person.
"Stand aside, Uchiha Sasuke and Inuzuka Kiba." She ordered.
Skeptical, Sasuke stepped out of her way.
She approached the wall and did a few hand signs, chanting something before revealing a small marble that grew bright blue in the dark. The beast roared as it was sucked into the marble, clawing at the walls and lashing out at...
Sasuke flinched as they came into view. It was Naruto. His blood was everywhere, and he wasn't moving... Or breathing...
Sasuke took off, with Kiba at his heels. The wall and monster gone now, he was able to reach them.
He landed on his knees and skidded to a stop beside Naruto. His eyes were open, but...
"Naruto." He said. "Naruto!"
Nothing.
Sasuke grit his teeth, angry and not liking the scenarios he was imagining...
He leaned over, pressing his ear over Naruto's back, where his heart was, only to have his own heart sink.
"No. No..." He said, denying it.
"There's so much blood... I can't get it stop...! Sasuke...!" Sakura panicked.
Sasuke widened his eyes. No. No... He would NOT allow this.
He lit up his hand with chidori, just the right amount, and pressed it over Naruto's heart.
Nothing.
He tried again. Each time he became less hopeful. Each time, his heart sank even deeper.
Please, he prayed, please let this work.
He gathered more lightning style chakra and attempted, once again, to jump start Naruto's heart.
It worked. Naruto gasped, and coughed up blood, letting out shallow breaths as he looked Sasuke in the eye.
"Don't pass out again." Sasuke ordered, his hands shaking. As small as they had been, he had used chidori too much for one day...
Sakura was trembling. The amount of green medical chakra she was applying to Naruto's wound wasn't helping. The wound was too deep and too wide. Sasuke could see split bone and muscle and a certain thought occurred. What if he survived, but couldn't be a ninja anymore? It would be worse than death for him.
"I'm sorry...!" Sakura's hands dropped, as if she had been trying to hold up the sky. "I can't do it..."
Her shoulders and arms were shaking uncontrollably, but she grit her teeth in pain.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry! But if you have any chakra left, you need to try and burn his wound shut--"
"That is pointless." The red haired woman said. Sasuke turned to see her standing over them, arms crossed. "Burning it shut will not heal the internal damage, which will kill him no matter what you do."
"Shut up!" Sakura shouted. "We're going to try anyway. Right, Sasuke?"
"You can try but it will ruin you, Sasuke." The red haired woman told him. "Do not think yourself a demigod. I can sense it. Your chakra network has had it."
She knelt, gently placing her hand over Naruto's cheek, stroking his forehead, brushing blood soaked hair out of his eyes.
He recognized her. "Yuu...ki..."
"Move." She said, gently nudging Kiba out of the way.
She lit up her index finger with white chakra, and with a flick of her wrist, drew a seal in the air over Naruto's injured shoulder/back. Sasuke blinked as something green and broiling hot rose out of the wound and passed into the seal, as if it were a doorway to another dimension. Yuuki clapped her hands together, and time seemed to reverse. The blood on the floors, walls, and Sakura's clothes was purified. It flowed back into the wound, and stayed there as the bones and muscles repaired themselves. The torn skin fit together like shards of a glass cup. Yuuki did the signs for ram, dragon, and boar, and hot steam flowed from the cracks until they were nonexistent. Yuuki produced the same marble she had used earlier, and the seal was sucked into it.
Sasuke blinked. He couldn't believe it. There was no wound... Not anymore. Naruto's shoulder was perfectly fine now. He was sleeping, and breathing easy.
"I... I don't believe it." Sasuke said, in awe for what could have been the first time ever. "How... How did you do that?"
"Incredible..." Sakura said, eyeing Yuuki with greater respect than she had ever shown to anyone, including Tsunade. "Is he okay now?"
"Yes." She assured them. Then, as if he were a sack of flour, she lifted Naruto up by the arms and pulled him onto her back. It was an odd sight, but Sasuke was grateful.
Naruto was alive.
He sighed in relief, leaning forward on his hands.
"I'm sorry." He told Sakura, who took his hand.
"It's not your fault." She said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm so ashamed. I shouldn't have let him take that hit. It came out of nowhere! What was that thing anyway?"
"They're called guardians." Yuuki answered. "I have warned him about them before. Outsider Ninja usually die when they face them. That's why he took it on alone. If he had not been here, all of you would've been mutilated by the time I arrived."
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked. "How did you get through?"
She gestured to the closed off exit.
Yuuki smiled. "It's called the ripple seal. It allows us to pass through solid walls, floors, and objects. He could've helped you escape that way, if there weren't so many of you, plus the hound. I'm sorry I wasn't quicker. Get up. We should head there, so we can rest properly."
She nodded at the door.
"What's in there?" Kiba asked.
"Nothing dangerous, I assure you." Yuuki promised. "It was not here before, which means it can only be the ruins."
"Uzushio?" Sasuke asked, doubtful.
"No." Yuuki shook her head. "A different set of ruins. Ones I have not seen in quite some time."
FLASHBACK ENDS HERE
SASUKE'S POV--PRESENT TIME
"Indeed, this is nostalgic." Yuuki laughed.
Sasuke looked around. White walls and floors. They didn't seem to be constructed of any wood or brick, or even plaster. Just flat, smooth surfaces. How on earth...
"What is this?" He asked. "I thought you said these were ruins."
Yuuki nodded. "They are. However, only pure blood Uzumaki may see them. What do you see, everyone?"
"Just bright white walls." Kiba answered. "It's nothing."
"No, this is what tells our history." Yuuki gestured to the walls. "Inscribed are the rules, origins, and family tree of our clan. I am the only pure blood Uzumaki here, so only I see them."
"Then, this is just like that stone!" Kiba pointed out. "The one the Uchiha have. Right Sasuke? The one you can't read without sharingan."
Sasuke glared at him. He wasn't supposed to talk about that.
"Calm yourself, Sasuke." Yuuki advised. "Your stone cannot be destroyed anymore than these walls can."
"So... What do they say?" Sakura asked, curious. "Exactly."
Yuuki giggled. "Well... I suppose I can tell you a little... You see, it was a very long time ago. Back when we were revered as the most powerful clan, more so than the other members ki yonin shi. All of our jutsu were sealing jutsu, and every one of them were drawn in blood. Our own blood. We sealed away entire continents, and enemy clans. We captured beasts, and recorded history. We were very snobby, and hung up on ourselves. Until... We fought in a great battle with the Hyuuga clan. They defeated us without spilling a drop of blood, and it was then that we dedicated ourselves to learning foreign jutsu. It was at this time that we began developing new fuinjutsu, ones that weren't drawn in blood. We discovered that these were much weaker than the jutsu of old times, and after some test runs, we made a discovery..."
"What discovery?" Sasuke asked.
Yuuki held up her hands. "Our blood itself IS power. It is our DNA, our blood, our very essence that makes us different from other families. We don't know why, but it is the secret to our long lives, our powers, our immense chakra, everything. It is because of that that a decision was made. In order to ensure our survival, marriage outside the clan became forbidden, so that our true power would never wane. It would remain dormant until the time when we would use it to defend ourselves."
"So... What about Naruto?" Kiba pointed at the still-unconscious Naruto.
Yuuki looked over her shoulder at him (she was still carrying him). "Yes... He is precious. One of only a handful of half bloods born in over a millennia. He is a pillar to both Konoha and our clan. But the veterans of our clan prefer to despise him rather than lean on him. To them, he is a threat to the wishes of our ancestors. And he was not born into our company, making the matter worse. A half blood, to them, is a worse humiliation than dying outside the battlefield, and a greater threat than any rival family. If he were to marry outside the clan, and created a quarter blood, then to them, we would be that much closer to complete annihilation. We narrowly avoided it before, when Seto's father betrayed us. We have a strong will to live..."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What did they do?"
Yuuki hung her head in shame. "After he and Uri found us, they were relieved to find that he was mindless, comatose. But then Seto threatened Tsuna, and Naruto was awoken by the will to fight, in order to protect him. After that, Seto was approached by the veterans, who demanded he be restricted. Seto ordered Mami... To try alluring him. When he rejected her, she became intent on being his ruin. Ever since, they have been at odds with each other. Mami, laughing smugly, and Naruto, staring her down."
"So... What is she planning to do?" Hinata asked. Sasuke looked at her. She had been VERY quiet up until now. Though the red eyes and cheeks told him she had been crying before...
"I do not know." Yuuki answered. "But if I had to guess, I would say she plans on taking everything away from him until he cannot refuse her any longer."
"But that's ridiculous!" Hinata declared. "Even if he did lose everything, he still would not go to her."
"Do not be so sure." Yuuki said. "Even the strongest of heroes will bow if what they truly care for the most is taken from them."
She didn't say anything aloud, but when she and Sasuke locked eyes, a silent understanding passed between them.
"It does not mean they are weak," Yuuki continued, "but lost. And when you are the most lost, only someone else can show you the correct path. To me, Uri, Tsuna, and Kairi, Naruto is our guiding light. We can and will do anything for him."
"Even betray your clan?" Sasuke asked.
Yuuki nodded. "Sometimes, it is inevitable."
"Are you coming with us to Uzushio?" Hinata asked, hopeful.
"That I cannot do. At least not at the moment." Yuuki said. "But I will escort you out of these ruins."
She turned, and took one wide step so that she was a needles width away from the far wall.
A doorway appeared out of nowhere, revealing a room that was identical to their current one.
"This way, young ones." She called. "It's very easy to get lost in here. Stay close to me."
Naruto fanfic ch 21
SASUKE'S POV [AKANE VILLAGE CAVERN]
FLASHBACK STARTS HERE
Sasuke tried to slice the invisible wall separating him and Kiba from the beast and the others with his chidori blade, but was blown back. Landing on his feet, he cursed under his breath.
"What is this?!" Kiba demanded to know, pounding on the wall. "Hinata! Sakura! Naruto! Can you hear me?! Hey!"
Sasuke glared. The beast, which seemed to be made of black fog, was blocking all three of the others from his view. Kiba had passed through him as if nothing were there, but Naruto had been deflecting solid, deadly attacks.
He had to get to the others. Now. But how?
Susano'o? No. It was too large. He could bring even more of the roof down on them. Mangekyo? No, that could also do more harm than good...
There was a tearing sound, not unlike ones heard from a slaughterhouse, and Sasuke jumped, mentally noting he hadn't smelled this much blood in a long time. Such a strong stench could only mean someone was gravely wounded. Sakura and Hinata were screaming.
"Naruto!" Kiba yelled, evidently catching on and desperately trying to knock the wall down. "Hinata! Guys!"
He felt a light hand grab his shoulder and reacted instantly, flipping the sword around to hold against the red haired woman's throat.
But he was doubtful. This woman wasn't like the Mami Naruto had described. Her hair was short, and pulled back into a smooth pony tail that trailed to her shoulder blades. And she was wearing armor, on top of a red dress and shorts with ninja weapons strapped to her back and hips and scrolls attached to both arms.
She radiated power and trust. And her expression was blank, yet serious. Mami was supposed to an irresponsible temptress wearing "too much makeup" and a kimono. They couldn't be the same person.
"Stand aside, Uchiha Sasuke and Inuzuka Kiba." She ordered.
Skeptical, Sasuke stepped out of her way.
She approached the wall and did a few hand signs, chanting something before revealing a small marble that grew bright blue in the dark. The beast roared as it was sucked into the marble, clawing at the walls and lashing out at...
Sasuke flinched as they came into view. It was Naruto. His blood was everywhere, and he wasn't moving... Or breathing...
Sasuke took off, with Kiba at his heels. The wall and monster gone now, he was able to reach them.
He landed on his knees and skidded to a stop beside Naruto. His eyes were open, but...
"Naruto." He said. "Naruto!"
Nothing.
Sasuke grit his teeth, angry and not liking the scenarios he was imagining...
He leaned over, pressing his ear over Naruto's back, where his heart was, only to have his own heart sink.
"No. No..." He said, denying it.
"There's so much blood... I can't get it stop...! Sasuke...!" Sakura panicked.
Sasuke widened his eyes. No. No... He would NOT allow this.
He lit up his hand with chidori, just the right amount, and pressed it over Naruto's heart.
Nothing.
He tried again. Each time he became less hopeful. Each time, his heart sank even deeper.
Please, he prayed, please let this work.
He gathered more lightning style chakra and attempted, once again, to jump start Naruto's heart.
It worked. Naruto gasped, and coughed up blood, letting out shallow breaths as he looked Sasuke in the eye.
"Don't pass out again." Sasuke ordered, his hands shaking. As small as they had been, he had used chidori too much for one day...
Sakura was trembling. The amount of green medical chakra she was applying to Naruto's wound wasn't helping. The wound was too deep and too wide. Sasuke could see split bone and muscle and a certain thought occurred. What if he survived, but couldn't be a ninja anymore? It would be worse than death for him.
"I'm sorry...!" Sakura's hands dropped, as if she had been trying to hold up the sky. "I can't do it..."
Her shoulders and arms were shaking uncontrollably, but she grit her teeth in pain.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry! But if you have any chakra left, you need to try and burn his wound shut--"
"That is pointless." The red haired woman said. Sasuke turned to see her standing over them, arms crossed. "Burning it shut will not heal the internal damage, which will kill him no matter what you do."
"Shut up!" Sakura shouted. "We're going to try anyway. Right, Sasuke?"
"You can try but it will ruin you, Sasuke." The red haired woman told him. "Do not think yourself a demigod. I can sense it. Your chakra network has had it."
She knelt, gently placing her hand over Naruto's cheek, stroking his forehead, brushing blood soaked hair out of his eyes.
He recognized her. "Yuu...ki..."
"Move." She said, gently nudging Kiba out of the way.
She lit up her index finger with white chakra, and with a flick of her wrist, drew a seal in the air over Naruto's injured shoulder/back. Sasuke blinked as something green and broiling hot rose out of the wound and passed into the seal, as if it were a doorway to another dimension. Yuuki clapped her hands together, and time seemed to reverse. The blood on the floors, walls, and Sakura's clothes was purified. It flowed back into the wound, and stayed there as the bones and muscles repaired themselves. The torn skin fit together like shards of a glass cup. Yuuki did the signs for ram, dragon, and boar, and hot steam flowed from the cracks until they were nonexistent. Yuuki produced the same marble she had used earlier, and the seal was sucked into it.
Sasuke blinked. He couldn't believe it. There was no wound... Not anymore. Naruto's shoulder was perfectly fine now. He was sleeping, and breathing easy.
"I... I don't believe it." Sasuke said, in awe for what could have been the first time ever. "How... How did you do that?"
"Incredible..." Sakura said, eyeing Yuuki with greater respect than she had ever shown to anyone, including Tsunade. "Is he okay now?"
"Yes." She assured them. Then, as if he were a sack of flour, she lifted Naruto up by the arms and pulled him onto her back. It was an odd sight, but Sasuke was grateful.
Naruto was alive.
He sighed in relief, leaning forward on his hands.
"I'm sorry." He told Sakura, who took his hand.
"It's not your fault." She said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm so ashamed. I shouldn't have let him take that hit. It came out of nowhere! What was that thing anyway?"
"They're called guardians." Yuuki answered. "I have warned him about them before. Outsider Ninja usually die when they face them. That's why he took it on alone. If he had not been here, all of you would've been mutilated by the time I arrived."
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked. "How did you get through?"
She gestured to the closed off exit.
Yuuki smiled. "It's called the ripple seal. It allows us to pass through solid walls, floors, and objects. He could've helped you escape that way, if there weren't so many of you, plus the hound. I'm sorry I wasn't quicker. Get up. We should head there, so we can rest properly."
She nodded at the door.
"What's in there?" Kiba asked.
"Nothing dangerous, I assure you." Yuuki promised. "It was not here before, which means it can only be the ruins."
"Uzushio?" Sasuke asked, doubtful.
"No." Yuuki shook her head. "A different set of ruins. Ones I have not seen in quite some time."
FLASHBACK ENDS HERE
SASUKE'S POV--PRESENT TIME
"Indeed, this is nostalgic." Yuuki laughed.
Sasuke looked around. White walls and floors. They didn't seem to be constructed of any wood or brick, or even plaster. Just flat, smooth surfaces. How on earth...
"What is this?" He asked. "I thought you said these were ruins."
Yuuki nodded. "They are. However, only pure blood Uzumaki may see them. What do you see, everyone?"
"Just bright white walls." Kiba answered. "It's nothing."
"No, this is what tells our history." Yuuki gestured to the walls. "Inscribed are the rules, origins, and family tree of our clan. I am the only pure blood Uzumaki here, so only I see them."
"Then, this is just like that stone!" Kiba pointed out. "The one the Uchiha have. Right Sasuke? The one you can't read without sharingan."
Sasuke glared at him. He wasn't supposed to talk about that.
"Calm yourself, Sasuke." Yuuki advised. "Your stone cannot be destroyed anymore than these walls can."
"So... What do they say?" Sakura asked, curious. "Exactly."
Yuuki giggled. "Well... I suppose I can tell you a little... You see, it was a very long time ago. Back when we were revered as the most powerful clan, more so than the other members ki yonin shi. All of our jutsu were sealing jutsu, and every one of them were drawn in blood. Our own blood. We sealed away entire continents, and enemy clans. We captured beasts, and recorded history. We were very snobby, and hung up on ourselves. Until... We fought in a great battle with the Hyuuga clan. They defeated us without spilling a drop of blood, and it was then that we dedicated ourselves to learning foreign jutsu. It was at this time that we began developing new fuinjutsu, ones that weren't drawn in blood. We discovered that these were much weaker than the jutsu of old times, and after some test runs, we made a discovery..."
"What discovery?" Sasuke asked.
Yuuki held up her hands. "Our blood itself IS power. It is our DNA, our blood, our very essence that makes us different from other families. We don't know why, but it is the secret to our long lives, our powers, our immense chakra, everything. It is because of that that a decision was made. In order to ensure our survival, marriage outside the clan became forbidden, so that our true power would never wane. It would remain dormant until the time when we would use it to defend ourselves."
"So... What about Naruto?" Kiba pointed at the still-unconscious Naruto.
Yuuki looked over her shoulder at him (she was still carrying him). "Yes... He is precious. One of only a handful of half bloods born in over a millennia. He is a pillar to both Konoha and our clan. But the veterans of our clan prefer to despise him rather than lean on him. To them, he is a threat to the wishes of our ancestors. And he was not born into our company, making the matter worse. A half blood, to them, is a worse humiliation than dying outside the battlefield, and a greater threat than any rival family. If he were to marry outside the clan, and created a quarter blood, then to them, we would be that much closer to complete annihilation. We narrowly avoided it before, when Seto's father betrayed us. We have a strong will to live..."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What did they do?"
Yuuki hung her head in shame. "After he and Uri found us, they were relieved to find that he was mindless, comatose. But then Seto threatened Tsuna, and Naruto was awoken by the will to fight, in order to protect him. After that, Seto was approached by the veterans, who demanded he be restricted. Seto ordered Mami... To try alluring him. When he rejected her, she became intent on being his ruin. Ever since, they have been at odds with each other. Mami, laughing smugly, and Naruto, staring her down."
"So... What is she planning to do?" Hinata asked. Sasuke looked at her. She had been VERY quiet up until now. Though the red eyes and cheeks told him she had been crying before...
"I do not know." Yuuki answered. "But if I had to guess, I would say she plans on taking everything away from him until he cannot refuse her any longer."
"But that's ridiculous!" Hinata declared. "Even if he did lose everything, he still would not go to her."
"Do not be so sure." Yuuki said. "Even the strongest of heroes will bow if what they truly care for the most is taken from them."
She didn't say anything aloud, but when she and Sasuke locked eyes, a silent understanding passed between them.
"It does not mean they are weak," Yuuki continued, "but lost. And when you are the most lost, only someone else can show you the correct path. To me, Uri, Tsuna, and Kairi, Naruto is our guiding light. We can and will do anything for him."
"Even betray your clan?" Sasuke asked.
Yuuki nodded. "Sometimes, it is inevitable."
"Are you coming with us to Uzushio?" Hinata asked, hopeful.
"That I cannot do. At least not at the moment." Yuuki said. "But I will escort you out of these ruins."
She turned, and took one wide step so that she was a needles width away from the far wall.
A doorway appeared out of nowhere, revealing a room that was identical to their current one.
"This way, young ones." She called. "It's very easy to get lost in here. Stay close to me."
Last edited:
