50Author Note: Hello everyone. This is a new story that I decided to write when I needed a break from my other stories. I usually have hilarious, depressing, or incredible ideas swimming around in my mind. However, I don't always feel like writing an entire story just to get those ideas out. So, I'm using this story to share ideas with the world. I cannot say how often this story will be updated. So, please be patient.
Notes: This chapter has been rewritten to match my current formate as of 4/1/2020.
When the text is written like this, it means you are not reading a scene that is showcased on the television.
When the text is written like this, however, it means you are reading a scene that showcased on the television.
Please enjoy the chapter everyone.
Disclosure: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I do own my original characters, though.
Death Watching
Chapter One
Introductions of Counterparts
Naruto's eyes shot open, and he gasped for air. He grabbed at his chest, where his heart lay beating brightly. He took quite a few deep calming breaths while sifting through his recent memories. The last thing he could recall is using a suicide sealing technique. It was the only way he could think of defeating Kaguya Otsutsuki. That meant, if he remembers things correctly, he is no longer in the world of the living. For some reason, he had expected death to feel different, perhaps cold even. Instead, it is rather comfortable, like lying on a fluffy cloud.
Deciding to examine the afterlife, he shifted his head to the right. He noted that he is lying on an exquisite looking white couch that is exceptionally out of his price range. Two full fluffy black pillows rested on each corner, one that he just happened to find his head resting on. Honestly, he would have loved to own these pillows.
Snapping out of his pillow daze, he reluctantly sat up and glanced around the area. He discovered that he woke up in a strangely decorated room. The room itself is massive in comparison to his apartment. It felt like comparing a simple broom closet to a master bedroom. He didn't know how he felt about that tidbit of knowledge.
Sleek wooden flooring reflected the lights that shined brightly from the light fixtures in the room. The walls are a pearl white with a few framed pictures of varying landscapes hung up. A black coffee table sat a short distance away from the couch. What managed to catch his eye, however, is the incredibly thin advanced television hanging in front of him. Underneath is a black stand with electronics he couldn't recognize.
Opposite of the television is a large glass window that reached from the floor to the ceiling. It showed a fantastic view of a beautiful futuristic city. Buildings of glass and stone climbed their way to the heavens while glowing brightly. It is reminiscent of the towers you could find in Amegakure. The dark sky is almost entirely devoid of stars – which he admittedly found odd with how clear that sky is – but a bright full moon.
"Nice place, right?" a soft feminine voice asked lightly from beside him.
Naruto jumped like a cat in fright and tumbled off the couch onto the wooden floor. Quickly climbing back to his feet, he turned toward the voice and got into a defensive stance. It surprised him to find a young girl, but he continued to eye her warily. She has long flowing blond hair that reached her waist, and a child-like face. Her large round sky-blue eyes sparkled like stars as they peered into his own. She wore a white long-sleeve t-shirt that hugged her petite frame. The baggy jet-black sweatpants completed the outfit. If he guessed, he would assume she is around thirteen, possibly fourteen. That didn't really say much if she is a threat or not. Looks could be deceiving.
"Who are you?" Naruto exclaimed in shock, fighting down the urge to crouch and point at the young girl.
Her eyes flashed with amusement as a little mirth filled smile grew on her cute face. "You know, it's considered polite to introduce yourself first before asking another," she stated, tilting her head to the side slightly.
His stance faltered ever so slightly at the rebuttal. "I, um, I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he replied, stumbling over his own words.
The small girl's smile grew, showing some of her pearly white teeth. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto. I'm Kami," she replied with exceptional levels of mirth. Her eyes danced as her guest froze in place.
Just as Kami witnessed, Naruto froze in place with that critical information. This is just like his luck. Of course, he would wake up beside Kami. Why couldn't I just wake up in a ramen resort? Naruto cried mentally. He fought down the urge to pout. Now is not a good time to upset a goddess who rules over everything. Well, at least this confirms if I'm dead or not. Dear Kami, help me… he thought with a dramatic sigh.
"Oh, help you with what?" Kami asked with an innocent smile.
"Huh?" the blond boy said dumbly.
"You asked me to help you. What do you need help with?" Kami asked, her entire demeanor of perfect innocence. The spiky blond might have fallen for it if he didn't see her eyes. They had a look of someone who is messing with you and having fun doing it. It's a look he often gave people when he got caught up in mischief. He decided right then and there that he didn't like being on the opposite side of it.
"Just thinking over my luck on how I'm dead and woke up beside, well… you," Naruto exasperated before letting out another sigh. This isn't how he planned his afterlife experience to go. His vision started with white fluffy clouds and his loving family and friends waving and cheering at him. They would have an emotional scene with hugging and crying, followed with laughter and joy. Instead, he got a loli-goddess, which he believes might have a prankster side.
Sniffling caught the taller blond's attention. "W-what, did you not want to see me?" Kami said with tear-filled eyes while giving him the most hurtful look she could muster. Anyone who saw her in this state would assume Naruto popped her balloon, stole her lollipop, and killed her puppy.
Naruto's eyes widened in panic at seeing the small goddess start to cry. "What?" he choked out. "No, I'm thrilled to see you! I would rather see you than anyone else right now! I promise!" he rambled placatingly. The last thing he wished to do is get on the wrong side of a goddess. He imagined things would not go over well for him.
"You mean it?" Kami said, sniffling while wiping away her tears.
He nodded.
Kami's face did a complete one-eighty, a bright smile forming on her face. It almost gave the deceased shinobi whiplash. "Oh, goody! I'm so glad," she said, steepling her hands together.
At this point in time, Naruto's stance is completely forgotten from the surreal moment. His instincts told him that while she is extraordinarily powerful, she most likely didn't mean him any harm. Well, Naruto is never one to go against his instincts. He just hoped that they weren't wrong. An awkward silence filled the room for a few moments. "So, uh, where am I?" Naruto asked, staring into the smaller blond's pretty blue eyes.
"In my living room."
"Oh."
"Mhm."
"Why am I in your living room?"
Kami put a hand to her chin like she is in deep thought while humming. She tilted her head to the side. "I was bored," she stated with a half-hearted shrug. "Plus, I wanted the company, and I think we'll have a lot of fun together," she replied truthfully.
Naruto blinked slowly at her response, not entirely sure how to react. His prankster instincts are still on edge, and he trusted those as much as he loved ramen. "I see," he said slowly, "What exactly did you want to do together?" he asked her warily.
"We're going to watch some TV together," she chirped, shifting her eyes to her flatscreen television. "Of course, we're not going to be watching simple cartoons or dramas. Instead, we're going to watch exciting moments from other worlds that star you as the main character. I figured we can do this until I get bored again," she answered with a shrug.
"Worlds where I'm the main character?"
"As, well, you see, you're what I like to call a 'main soul.' That means you're a focal point for entire worlds of infinite possibility to be born around. Your very existence is destined to be interesting. So, while your life may have ended tragically short, other versions of you are still going strong!" she commented excitedly while taking a seat on her couch. She softly patted the seat beside her.
Naruto idly sat down beside that small goddess while pondering over everything he just learned. It's a bit confusing being told that multiple worlds revolve around him. It's kind of cool if he's honest with himself. "Alright, sounds like fun," he responded curiously. He wanted to know what other versions of himself are like.
"You accepted that rather easily," Kami said airly.
"In my life, I've learned to just accept things as they come," he stated truthfully, nodding his head sagely.
She hummed thoughtfully. "Okay, well, let's get started," she said as she grabbed the remote and the television flashed to life. The screen showed a vast forest. A deadly forest that Naruto had once been eaten by a giant snake in.
Training Ground Forty-Four, also known as The Forest of Death. It is said to have been created by the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju. The pure natural energy around the forest is so potent; inhabitants of the forest grew to incredible sizes with ferocious appetites. The training ground is mostly used in training ANBU to survive in hostile environments. However, sometimes for the unlucky genin, it's used for the survival portion of the chūnin exams.
This year it just happened to be hosting the chūnin exams where the objective is to collect either the Scroll of Heaven or Earth from an opposing team. You could simply steal the scroll stealthily or fight them into submission. If you desired, you could even murder the enemy. In this forest, anything went. The contestants knew what they signed up for when they went in. So, the fault of their possible death rested on their shoulders, and their shoulders only.
One such team rushing through the forest currently is Team Seven. It consisted of Sasuke Uchiha, famously known as the last loyal Uchiha to Konoha. Sakura Haruno, co-leader of the Sasuke Uchiha Fanclub. Finally, Naruto Uzumaki, a mysterious blond with a hidden past. Their current goal is to find a team and quickly escape the dead woods. At least, that's Sasuke and Sakura's goal. Naruto, on the other hand, has a different purpose. One that is always being accomplished as long as he stayed in the presence of the Uchiha.
The scene playing on the television zoomed in on the three members of Team Seven. Sasuke and Sakura both looked like Naruto remembered way back in his past. However, he looked completely different. Much to his horror, his other self didn't wear a smidge of orange! Instead, this Naruto wore a jet-black sleeveless t-shirt that showed off his sunkissed shoulders. A light grey jonin styled vest over top of it, dark grey ANBU styled pants with knee padding and black armored shinobi sandals.
Naruto stared at his counterpart with noticeable confusion. "I look kind of cool, but where is the orange?" he wondered out loud, receiving a deadpan expression from the goddess sitting beside him. "Also, this is kind of weird with the narration. It's like someone is reading me a story from a book, you know?" he commented.
The goddess personally liked what this version of Naruto is wearing a lot more than the horrendous neon-orange jumpsuit he wore back then. It isn't like she has a problem with orange, she rather liked the color. The issue itself is the disgusting design of the jumpsuit the younger Naruto wore. "This version of you was raised differently, hence the change in fashion sense," Kami replied evenly.
Naruto nodded his head in understanding, but that still didn't really explain one massive detail. "That doesn't really explain the lack of orange. It's the best color, and needs proper representation," he said in a deadly serious tone.
"Would it make you feel better if I told you that this Naruto still loves orange?"
"That would help, yes."
Kami noticed him looking at her expectantly. The goddess rolled her eyes. "He adores the color orange," she sighed.
"Good," he breathed a breath of relief, "At least he understands what the best color in the world is."
"That's still you," the small goddess stated, looking at him like he's an idiot.
"That only proves my point," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Kami opened her mouth to retort but quickly shut her mouth. She could see a losing battle and simply turned back to watching the television. Perhaps I should have chosen a smarter Naruto, but it wouldn't have been the Naruto I liked, she thought.
A powerful gust of wind tore through the trees, almost throwing Naruto far away into the lethal forest. Thankfully, he managed to keep chakra circulating through his feet and stick to the large branch underneath him. His well-honed instincts went on guard.
"What the hell was that?" Sakura screeched out in a panic, her emerald eyes glancing around the dark forest.
"A futon jutsu," Naruto answered automatically, "A powerful one at that. Stay on guard," he warned coolly.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, his body shifting into a defensive stance.
"Stop trying to act cool, Naruto-baka! This is dangerous! Stop trying to outshine my Sasuke-Kun!" The pink-haired girl screamed, raising her fist threateningly. It managed to hurt both her teammate's ears. The girl took a lot of pride in her lung capacity.
Naruto sighed heavily, regretting ever accepting this assignment. Damn you, Hokage-sama, he cursed mentally. He needed a drink, and that's saying a lot since he didn't even drink. Hell, he couldn't get drunk with his tenant washing out the poison faster then he could drink it.
"What's wrong with Sakura? She seems more…" Naruto asked before trailing off at the end.
"Bitchy?" Kami supplied.
"Yeah," Naruto accepted, "Why is that?" he asked, slightly concerned. His version of Sakura was a tad whiney in the past, but never so loud and bitchy. Well, maybe a bit noisy, but he was too at that age. Yes, she would call him a baka, but that was just her thing. In some way, it almost became endearing from her.
"This version of Sakura never had you as a punching bag in the academy. Her self-esteem took a bigger hit without your constant praises, and she became an even more die-hard fan of the Uchiha. You randomly popped up and out-classed the Uchiha in everything, upsetting her beloved. Now, Sakura berates you constantly to hopefully appease her desire's ego," Kami answered, summarising the information.
"Huh…" Naruto said, turning back to the television.
An older woman stood in front of Team Seven, in the process of deepthroating a scroll that they just happened to need. Her tongue slithered out and licked her lips. She even managed the impressive feat of touching her own nose. The disturbed faces of Team Seven didn't go unnoticed by the assailant who smirked.
"I can do that too, Sasuke-Kun," Sakura randomly blurted out, rubbing her throat idly.
The attacker, Naruto, and Sasuke stared at her with what could be described as a 'what the fuck' face. In the middle of a life or death situation, she says something that not only managed to throw them off but their enemy as well. If only she managed to do that without friendly fire.
The woman coughed into her hand, gathering the attention of the boys again, a little upset at the pink-haired girl for running her creepy entrance. She would manage though, they were still mostly disturbed with her scroll sucking technique. Not to mention, her tongue touching her nose would impress them enough to realize how big of a threat she truly is. "Sasuke-Kun, I've come for you," she said boldly, in a seductive way.
"You bitch!" Sakura growled, her emerald eyes glowing with absolute murder at this whore. She worked her ass off stalking him, collecting things he discarded – thank you old underwear – and even rubbing his face when he slept peacefully in his room. How dare this new girl suddenly appear and try to take away her prince charming!
"I, uh, appreciate the confession, but I'm not interested," the Uchiha said awkwardly, ignoring the cheering fangirl beside him.
"Oh, are you sure? I can give you the power you desire to kill Itachi-Kun," the woman said enticingly.
Naruto decided to observe this, as this decision would reflect on his current mission. If things went the way he expected, there would not be a full Team Seven any longer. Depending on the situation, there may not be any member of Team Seven soon. He could tell that their attacker is suppressing her chakra. Whoever this woman is, is extraordinarily dangerous.
Sasuke's eyes lit up like someone just handed him a gift basket filled to the brim with tomatoes. "Well, let's not be rash here. What type of power are we talking about here?" Sasuke asked cautiously. Never let it be said that he's an idiot, just power-hungry.
"Let me bite your neck, and I'll show you real power," the woman said, winking flirtatiously. Naruto felt disturbed, Sakura felt rage, while Sasuke is merely confused. Yes, she would bite him and grant him her infamous curse seal. The taste of power would have him running to her in hopes of further training. Then, she would have his sweet body all to herself! This is a lot easier than going after Itachi! The woman thought happily.
"This fight is a lot more… disturbing, then I remember," Naruto said slowly. He isn't positive, but he felt like there is a sexual undertone hidden throughout the dialogue. That made it a lot more disturbing to picture.
"Yeah," Kami snickered, "But it's pretty funny!" she stated, trying to stifle her laughter with her right hand. The disturbed faces and innuendos in this scene are great! She loved battle monologues.
"Hell no! If anyone's biting his neck, it's going to be me, you whore!" Sakura roared, losing herself in righteous anger. She charged headfirst at the woman who just raised an eyebrow. To the pink-haired girl, all problems in life could be solved with a mean right hook. It had yet to fail her.
Just as Sakura was about to smash the woman in the face, the woman raised her hand. What seemed like slow motion, but was truthfully relatively quick, Sakura got bitch slapped. The girl went flying with an incredible amount of force directly into a tree. Sadly, an exceedingly sharp branch happened to be in her route, which impaled her straight through the stomach. She screamed in pain before coughing up an impressive amount of blood before dying of shock. Let the world know, Sakura Haruno died via bitch slap.
"Sakura!" Naruto screamed at the television, eyes filled with horror. He may not have known this version of Sakura or liked her, but it's still Sakura. Watching her die in such a gruesome way is horrifying.
Kami gently patted the blond boy's back. "If it makes you feel any better, she planned on poisoning your ramen after the exams to make her Uchiha feel better," she said, not really caring about the girl. She has only ever liked Sakura in a few timelines, but for some reason, it's in her very existence to be an annoying bitch until she entered her late teens. Unbelievably, she would occasionally get even worse in her late teens.
That stopped Naruto from feeling bad right on the spot. It's one thing to poison him, beat him up, even mortally wound him, but it's a whole different issue to defile the food of the gods. Ramen is pure and deserved nothing less than to be savored and treated with respect. "Why would she hurt ramen," he said sadly, truly not understanding what could compel someone to do something so vile.
Kami stared at her companion and felt the urge to smack him on the back of the head. She just explained that this version of Sakura planned on murdering him in cold blood, but instead, he is worried about noodles. I think he puts ramen on a higher pedestal than myself… she thought wryly.
The woman blinked incredulously at the pink-haired girl's pathetic death. She didn't even hit her that hard, and she still managed to find a way to die. While that is undoubtedly impressive, it was not her original goal. Damn, not how is Sasuke-Kun supposed to pass the exam? Time for Plan B, she thought, ideas and plans raddling around inside her mind.
Naruto and Sasuke both stared blankly at their teammate's death. The smartest girl in the academy had managed to rush an enemy who is clearly far superior to them and died via back-hand into a tree branch. They both looked at one another before nodding their heads. If they survived this encounter, they would say she died an honorable death. Mostly because this is embarrassing for them.
"Sasuke-Kun, you've already failed the exam with her death. Come, join me, and I'll give you power that will rival Kage!" The assailant cried out passionately as if selling a product. Luckily for her, when dealing with Sasuke Uchiha, you could sell him a broken pen if you mentioned power.
Sasuke thought very hard about this offer. The woman is clearly strong and offering free power. The cons are, he would become a missing-nin, tarnish the Uchiha name even more, and leave his rival. However, the pros outweighed the cons. Power to kill Itcha had no price. The choice is evident to him. He isn't getting more powerful here, so why not go somewhere else? "I accept your proposal. Anything to kill him!" he said, spitting out 'him' like it's the vilest thing he ever put in his mouth.
Naruto's blue eyes narrowed as his hand slowly reached into his pouch on his hip. It appeared that Team Seven is officially disbanded. His mission is to watch over Sasuke Uchiha, a possible flight-risk, and to eliminate if he turned traitor. Much to the village's dismay, it appeared the Uchiha clan is about to be down one more member.
The woman's neck stretched out disturbingly and clenched down on the Uchiha's neck. A moan of pain and pleasure escaped the boy's lips. Just as quickly as it extended, her neck retracted back to her body as she licked the blood from her lips. The Uchiha's neck now sported a seal that immediately started causing pain to the holder.
Just before Sasuke passed out from the pain, a kunai lodged itself directly into the side of Sasuke's head. His body went limp and hit the massive wooden branch with a loud thump. Sasuke Uchiha died alongside his one-sided lover, a traitor to his village.
The woman blinked in shock as her plans went up in flames. Sakura's dead eyes flashed with horror, as her beloved perished alongside her. Sasuke's eyes stared ahead blankly. Naruto looked at the body of his deceased teammate before turning his attention to the woman who just gazed off into space. He didn't understand why his actions were so shocking. Sasuke literally said he was turning traitor in front of him. Did they honestly believe he would let that happen?
"You killed Sasuke-Kun," the woman mumbled absently.
"Indeed," Naruto said blandly.
"I killed Sasuke," Naruto mumbled in shock. He would admit, Sasuke and him have had their differences. His brother in all but blood continually trying to kill him and his friends, to name a couple. However, he didn't think he had it in him to kill his best friend, though.
"Yes, yes, you did," Kami commented, nodding her head sagely. She enjoyed a bit of dark humor, a secret only a few new. She found the suddenness of the Uchiha's death to be hilarious. Just by Naruto's counterpart killing that boy, he managed to screw up so many future enemy plans. Though, looking at Naruto's grief-stricken face, maybe she should have started with something lighter. She decided to do something to cheer her fellow blond up by summoning a hot bowl of miso pork ramen in front of him.
Naruto's nose twitched, signaling him to the smell of heaven. A fresh steaming bowl of hot miso pork ramen appeared to him in his time of sadness. A blessing from the ramen gods, perhaps? Is this their way to make him feel better for watching his two friends die in front of him? Thank you, ramen gods, Naruto prayed to his ramen gods, which did not go unheard by Kami, whose eye twitched.
"You're welcome, my child," the miso broth bubbled majestically.
Naruto's eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky. They are real! He thought out in joy.
Kami's eyes, on the other hand, opened in shock. They're real? She thought in confusion. There is a god of death, a god of darkness, and a god of light. However, somehow down the line, enough people worshipped ramen to create a god. To make matters worse, the false one just claimed credit for her kind deed.
The blond boy, unaware of the slight, slurped down his ramen hungrily. The sadness from his two teammate's death vanished when he realized they aren't his Sasuke and Sakura. They are that Naruto's Sasuke and Sakura. He lost nothing, and that's just fine with him.
Orochimaru, who disguised himself as a woman, stared at the dead Uchiha. All of his plans, all his dreams, ended by a damn blond and a kunai. He thought about this for a quick second. Minato Namikaze stole his rightful position as Hokage from him with a kunai as well, and he was also blond. He eyed Naruto warily, perhaps blonds are bad luck?
While the mysteriously perverted woman, as far as Naruto knew, continued her self-monologue, Naruto got to work. He quickly replaced himself and his teammates with shadow clones. He had no reason to stay in this damn forest any longer now that his real mission is completed. Sure, they lost an asset, and the Uchiha clan is no longer present in Konoha, but it was for the best. Hopefully, the enemies of Konoha would see this as a sign of weakness.
He soon reached the boundary of the forest and leaped over the fence. This, of course, got caught on camera, which immediately disqualified him from the exams. Luckily for this blond, he is already higher than a simple chūnin. Only a select few knew that, but soon they would all know.
The television turned off, signaling the end of the scene. It was one of the shorter ones, but it was interesting enough. Kami had already seen this one before, but she wanted to ween her fellow blond in. Admittedly, she shouldn't have chosen a rather dark one. Yami must be rubbing off on her.
"So, what did you think?" Kami asked curiously.
"Well, it was different then I remembered for sure. I was blown away by that gust of wind and eaten by a giant snake last time," Naruto said, shivering in disgust. "When I managed to get back to Sasuke and Sakura, they were both pretty beaten up. Orochimaru fought a little more with us before knocking me out with his glowing fingers. Sometime down the line, he gave Sasuke his curse hickey," he informed the small goddess.
"This fight, however, was a lot more vocal than I remember. Not to mention, a lot more disturbing. I am sad to see Sakura be, well, like that," he said, not happy with the way his friend was portrayed. "It felt shameful. Like she was disgracing her own memory, you know?" Naruto said dryly.
"Funny enough, that is actually one of her tamer version," Kami said, chuckling lightly.
"Seriously?" Naruto asked in shock.
"Oh yeah! There are versions where she goes crazy or more violent. Sometimes she even goes traitor alongside her dear Sasuke. I know of one version where she went yandere for you. She started killing all your friends out of jealousy and fear that you would love them more than herself," she commented, shrugging her shoulders.
"Yandere Sakura?" Naruto parroted. "That's, that's really scary to think about," he said, shivering.
"Yup."
"Are there any weird versions of myself?" he asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
"Of course! For example, there is a fun version of yourself that is a perverted bounty hunter that goes by the name, Senju," she giggled excitedly, blushing a little. Naruto gained a look of horror, which made her laugh harder. She understood why. One of Naruto's greatest fears is turning into a pervert like his sensei and master. His pure innocence couldn't handle being a pervert. At least, not yet, she thought.
"Oh…"
"Oh, don't feel bad. You're actually quite the ladies man," Kami said with a smirk, amusement clearly written on her face.
"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not."
"Better, probably. Anyways, you ready for the next scene?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Kami smiled before turning toward the television. She clicked a few buttons on her remote, and the screen flashed to life. The next scene began.
Author Note: I hope you all enjoyed that snippet. I would also like to clarify. All stories, unless I say otherwise, are written by me. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you come back for more.