357Hey there. I've finally had enough as this story in particular has been flowing in my head. From years of imagination it surfaced, so I believe the time is now right to allow this fiction to blossom. This will officially count as my second story.
I will be working on this as well as my other story, Goraikou Senpuu.
Lastly, unlike my previous story, I will not reveal who I will pair Naruto with. If I decide to do a harem, it will be small.
Let me be the first to tell you that I am my worst critic. You pointing out the obvious will only serve to piss me off. So please people, no flames, but constructive criticism and positive feedback is always welcomed. Yeah, good feedback feeds my inspiration and drive! Let's try to make those obese, shall we?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach.
Last of the Human Sacrifice - Enraged from losing so much, Naruto died in the final confrontation with the Akatsuki...not expecting to be taken by the Shinigami of the Seireitei. With everything that had happened to him, he isn't the same. Now having a different demeanor, how will he live out this life?
Chapter 1 – Final Thoughts
Naruto stood defiantly against the remaining of the Akatsuki in silence, bleeding profoundly as his breaths became heavy. Across the barren wasteland of a battlefield stood Madara, battered, bloody, and exhausted as he panted harshly.
The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan user slouched as blood escaped his lips and his other wounds. "You will not escape child." The ancient shinobi spoke in hate, gritting his teeth as he gripped his broken arm. "I will have the Kyuubi no matter what you do. While you are strong, you are at your limit. It's not hard to tell." The golden-haired man snarled, hearing the mockery in the legendary shinobi's voice.
Naruto heard his bloody opponent laugh. "Look around you! Tell me, what do you have to live for? Most of the shinobi here are DEAD! Konoha has fallen, you know that!" The Kyuubi host growled angrily as tears welled in his eyes. "I WILL take what's MINE!" With the last of his strength, Madara charged as he began to make hand seals.
Naruto pulled on Kyuubi's power and took his golden form for the last time as his chakra gathered black and white particles within his hands. The dense chakra form larger before the jutsu was supported by one hand as the Kyuubi host lifted it high above himself. Dark blades began to surround the reddish-black ball as it begun spinning rapidly, alarming the Uchiha.
Madara summoned Susano'o before he called, "Yasaka's Magatama!" The triple tomoe disk that was connected by a strong wrap of chakra was thrown. Naruto's eyes became slits as he finalized his jutsu and rushed to meet the attack. Giving everything he had as he thought about his loved ones, tears of anguish spilled from his eyes as he shouted, "Rasenshuriken no Bijuu-dama!" (Spiraling Shuriken of the Tailed-Beast Bomb) The two attacks clashed before a grand explosion ensued.
The dust cleared to show Naruto's chakra shroud dissipate. He couldn't see Madara anywhere. A warping sound was heard behind him before he was stabbed through his chest, just missing the golden-haired man's heart. The last Uchiha smirked triumphantly as the rest of his mask was broken.
"I…I told you. My plan will come to fruition. But you will pay for killing Sasuke! He was an essential part of my plan!" The staff part of his fan weapon was further impaled into the Kyuubi host, forcing more blood seep past his lips as tears slid down his whiskered cheeks.
"I…I couldn't even avenge the ones I lost…This can't be it..." More tears came from him as he felt the weapon graze his beating heart, making him cough up blood. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, Iruka, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, Temari, Kankuro…
One by one, their faces showed as he remembered their time together before Naruto's heart began to ache, both literally and figuratively. He lost everyone. He had to kill this deluded Uchiha. Rage was rekindled in his heart as the tears stopped. Resolve lied within his azure eyes as the jinchuuriki silently went into his seal.
He still had one more promise to keep.
Appearing in the sewers of his mind, Naruto walked to the kitsune demon and stopped. The fox did not speak a word, only looking at its host in apathy. "Just because I let everyone else down, doesn't mean you have to fall in that category as well." The wooden cage was released, allowing the fox to stretch to its full height.
The golden-haired man's eyes were shadowed as he continued, "I will set you free before I die. All I ask is that you kill Madara, should he be alive afterwards." The sage looked at the demon with a fiery spirit with a small sense of brokenness to himself. The demon fox gazed at his jailer quietly, watching the sage as it observed its container.
Silence reigned as they both stared at each other. "No." The golden-haired man stayed silent as he held himself from jumping to conclusions. The massive fox held something in its eyes, wanting to continue.
The Kyuubi softened its features as the demon began to explain. "The seal bonded us together. If you perish, so will I…" Its eyes closed as something akin to a smile graced its maw. "And I am content with that." The human sacrifice looked at its tenant in surprise.
"I will go with you to the end. I've seen enough of this world many times over and yet, never have I seen such determination and compassion from a human." The Ninetails said, mirth dancing within its blood-colored eyes depths. "You were an enigma to me. You never reacted like the rest of the ningen that I've encountered. Even now, you came to release the seal and free me…why would you do such a thing when all I have done is cause you pain?" The tailed beast slowly swayed its tails, staring at its jailer.
Naruto gave a bemused smile to the humongous fox. "I had given it some thought…and tried to place myself in your situation." The youkai slightly tilted its head, confused. The golden-haired man began speaking once more. "To be immortal, depending on only yourself until someone sealed you into a human. All you see is darkness, no one there to comfort you in any way."
The sage chuckled bitterly. "It's a wonder that you didn't go insane, but you have your integrity. Seeing you hostile and angry all the time, made since. And I didn't help with my antagonizing…"
The kitsune demon stood in silent shock, listening to its container. "I saw Kirabi and his interaction with his demon and I began to regret missing the chance to make a bond with you…even if you would've rejected it." Remorse was shown in the jinchuuriki's azure eyes before he looked at the fox. "I…I guess this was my way of apologizing to you for that." The dying Uzumaki finished, waiting for the demon's response.
Kyuubi remained silent as it gazed at its jailer. The Ninetails closed its eyes as a smile formed on its vulpine features before it spoke, "You remind me so much of that man..." The kitsune chuckled as a memory crossed it's mind. "Thank you...Naruto. Consider your apology, accepted." Both demon and its jailer looked each other in respect as they began to fade from one another's sight.
"End our existence in a fiery blaze!"
Naruto snapped his attention back to consciousness and spun quickly, bear-hugging the ancient Uchiha. "What are you doing!" The last Sharingan user asked with fear laced in his voice, not expecting the sudden grab. Madara began to feel the malicious chakra of the Ninetails along with its host.
Crimson chakra exploded from the sage violently, engulfing to two shinobi. Naruto finally decided to answer the question. "I'm finishing this, dattebayo!"
The wizened ninja panicked. He couldn't break free from the hold and he was to low on chakra to do anything. The remaining Uchiha cried, "Fool! You'll kill us both!" The jinchuuriki's eyes gleamed with resolve as he stared back into his enemy's eyes, grinning triumphantly.
"Believe it, ya bastard."
The chakra became a blackish red before Naruto roared along with Kyuubi with everything he had before a colossal explosion of epic proportions took place, devastating everything within a hundred-mile radius.
Smoke from the debris began to clear to reveal two bloody bodies inside a massive crater. One had its face etched in horror as a small fire burned the dead human, charring its flesh. The other body had its blue eyes opened halfway, seeing the final life he succeeded in taking. Life began to fade from his eyes as the last human sacrifice moved his consciousness to the seal for the last time.
There that laid in the broken cage was the Kyuubi, laying on its side as its eyes dimmed from its life fading gradually. Slowly, it moved its head to see the golden-haired man sprawled on the ground in front of it, blood seeping from the side of his mouth.
The blond sage began to have tears slide down his cheeks with the memories of his life coming to the forefront of his mind. Tears continued to flow as his last regret was not saving everyone from their deaths. There was nothing he could do as he too would fade into nothing but a memory. He never achieved any of his dreams…
It was great that he was given the chance to do so though.
"See you…around…Kyu…" The last breath of the Yondaime's legacy faded, his eyes devoid of life. The dying fox stared at its jailer in melancholy before its colossal body became smaller as red mist clouded around it. The demon took a more human form out of respect for its last container, still laying on its side next to the deceased shinobi. A hand placed itself on the one of the hands of Uzumaki Naruto before holding it with a weak grip as its strength dissipated, gazing at the dead host with its half-lidded crimson eyes. Finally, the great Kyuubi no Kitsune passed, following its jailer.
Naruto stared at his bloody steaming body with a chain attached to his chest, its length near his freshly destroyed body. The golden-haired man had been looking at his body for the past days, silent and motionless the whole time. He felt numb looking at his own corpse. "Is this it?" The shinobi whispered. A crimson particle the size of his hand floated to his vision. His azure eyes gazed upon it, feeling a familiarity from it.
The former shinobi slowly lifted his hand and turned it with his palm facing upwards. The small red ball gently landed on the hand. The whiskered cheek man felt warmth emitting from the little blood-colored orb. It was pleasant, he thought. The crimson globe began to disappear within his hand like a slow moving flame before it faded away. Heat from within washed over his being, lingering inside his core before it dispelled slowly.
Warrior instincts came in as he moved from the spot he was on quickly, dodging a monstrous tail. Naruto looked to see a large, dark creature in remnant of a bull. Its body was on all fours with a long tail with grotesque spikes at the end. Its face was replaced by a demonic bone-white mask with red barbed-like patterns on it, its features giving a hateful expression with deathly yellow eyes glaring at the newly deceased ninja.
"So the child has some skill in dodging." The evil creature sneered with its tail whipping about.
Naruto was silent, his eyes narrowing at the monster. "What are you?"
The devilish giant growled, "The one who will eat your wondrous energy!" The dark bull ran at the golden-haired man, surprising him with its speed.
The shinobi tried to pull on his chakra before finding none. His eyes widened in shock before he nimbly avoided the monster. The blond backtracked, creating more space between him and his opponent.
The whiskered-cheeked man tried to feel for his chakra again, only to feel emptiness once more. He looked around before his eyes glanced at his corpse, revelation enlightening him. "It's because I'm dead!" The ninja thought as he understood why he didn't have chakra. Chakra was the essence of life…
The bull kicked around in anger before charging at the azure-eyed man again. Being caught off guard, the attack slammed into Naruto. One of the bull's horns hooked on to one of the golden-haired shinobi's chain links before it snapped off. The ninja shut his eyes in pain as he held back a yell, tumbling along the dirt before rolling back on his feet, clutching his chest.
Naruto looked at his chain to see that he lost half of the length. "This chain is a part of me?" He asked, dodging the bull again. The blond growled from the one-sided fight. He wasn't having this.
The monster swung his tail viciously. The ninja side stepped the appendage before attacking. The blond decided to try its mask first, running before jumping to the creature, surprising it. Naruto narrowed his eyes darkly before executing an elbow strike on the evil being's forehead, cause the mask to crack widely upon impact. The monster began screaming in agony, thrashing about as it knocked the former sage away from it.
Glad that the creature had a weakness, the shinobi rushed in, dodging the attacks that were sent to keep him away. The bull's eyes widened in fear as it saw the spirit that it tried to eat flipping over its tail as the man descended to its face once more. The shinobi glared at the evil creature before he gave a war cry and spun, lashing out in a kick. The foot met its mark as it destroyed its mask, causing the creature to give its final pain-filled howl. The monster dissolved away, disappearing into nothingness.
The warrior landed, panting. The chain on his chest pulsed violently, making him yell out in anguish. Frantically looking at his chest, he saw the chains eating themselves at a very rapid rate. He only had a quarter of the chain left and that was going away faster that what he would have liked.
Another dark beast appeared, cackling as it had observed the former ninja. It was dog-like with very sharp claws. Its mask was like the last creatures, but the red markings were going across its face diagonally in a blood-like fashion. "You killed that fool of a hollow! Amusing, but you're time is up! Your reiatsu is calling and I won't deny myself any longer!" The canine monster pounced, claws poised for the kill.
Naruto, despite the pain in his chest, rolled to the side before bouncing back on his feet, backing away from the on-coming enemy. "So this thing is called a hollow?" He ducked under a swipe meant for his head before upper-cutting the evil spirit with a strong punch, forcing it away as it cried out in pain.
The shinobi thought of the two creatures saying that his energy, this reiatsu was attracting them. That meant that more will be coming after him. The blond grimaced from the conclusion.
Another thought passed the azure-eyed fighter's mind as he got ready for the angry monster. The energy that these hollows want, could he utilize it? "Am I able to draw this reiatsu out to use it?" He wondered. Before he could finish, the dog beast cut his side, nicking the chains on his chest in the process. The golden-haired man fell one knee as he clutched his chest and gritted his teeth forcefully, his left eye closed tightly as a growl emitted from his throat, trying to endure the pain.
The evil canine spirit laughed. "It's over!" The monster took off, predatory eyes gleaming. "You're mine!" Naruto shook in fear as the creature rushed towards him.
"Is this where it ends?" He could only hear his heart beating. "I died…to be eaten?" His heartbeat's volume increased as the despair washed over him. The shinobi felt a rush of energy as he unconsciously grasped it. The golden-haired man's eyes glowed as he lunged at the creature in a last-ditch effort.
"Die!" The monster yelled. Naruto cranked his left hand back before he gave a thrust, getting inside the beast's guard in the process. The monster looked at the blond in fear as it heard the fighter roar before pain came unto him. Blue reiatsu was expelled from the ninja's hand, destroying the dark feline's mask in one strike. The hollow screamed as it too met the same fate as the monster before him.
Huffing heavily, Naruto could feel it. The reiatsu that flowed in him. It felt lighter than the chakra he was accustomed to. His body seized up, pain throbbing in his body as his chest felt like it was collapsing on itself. The chain only had one link left.
Hearing footsteps, the former sage clutched his chest and turned slowly to see a petite woman coming his way. She had dark-shaded purple hair that framed her feminine visage as the back of her hair flared out near her shoulders.
She wore a black shihakusho that was fashioned after shinobi wear. On her arms were black ninja-styled sleeves that went from about half way up her hands to her upper arms. On the small of her back was a short sword in remnant of a kodachi inside its sheath, blue with gold trimmings on the bottom. Her dark eyes were calm and calculative, assessing the situation at hand as she felt the pressure around him building.
Forcing down the shaking of his body the former living shinobi asked with narrowed eyes, "Who are you?"
The woman stared at the suffering man with well-hidden surprise. "Lieutenant Soifon of the 2nd division of the 13 Court Guard Squads. I'm here to help you." The blond stood up as he tensed himself. The female's mannerisms were certainly ninja-like. How could he believe her to be Shinigami? He expected the death god to look demonic, not an attractive woman. Appearances can be deceiving, he supposed.
But was she telling the truth?
The kunoichi-like woman began to walk towards him. She was a few feet away before she grabbed her weapon in a back hand grip, pulling it out. The azure-eyed man glared at the woman intensely before he went on the offense, attacking her fiercely. Soifon's eyes widened, not expecting such a violent reaction. She dodged the attacks nimbly and with grace, barely able to find an opening to stop the ex-human from attacking.
Naruto dropped in the middle of his assault suddenly, shaking as he grabbed his body and shouted to the heavens as his last chain link corroded. A white substance rushed from where his chain resided to his face, slowly enveloping him. Soifon covered her face from the debris flying around.
A woman with yellow eyes, chocolate skin with shoulder-length vibrant purple hair that flared out at the sides appeared next to the shinigami, grimacing from the event before her. She wore the same black garments like the female next to her, except she had a white haori to complete her uniform. The cloak was orange on the inside and had two horizontal marks inside a diamond on the back, giving the significance of her position. Lastly, the woman had a black cloth tied in a bow around her neck.
"Soifon, what happened?" The newly arrived woman asked.
The female shinigami answered, "He has begun the hollowfication process! Yoruichi-sama, I don't know what to do! Yamamoto-sotaicho wanted this man alive!" The woman now known as Yoruichi gritted her teeth, revealing her feline-like canines.
She began to think of the possibilities of sending him to the Rukongai through a Konso. It could take months; years even, to find him, if he was blessed to arrive in an upper division of the Seireitei. It would definitely keep him alive. The old captain was specific in his instructions as he wanted the man brought to him, but this event wasn't foreseen at all.
Half of the mask was on the golden-haired man's face before something peculiar transpired. A very light red glow illuminated on the mask. The former shinobi slowly to a standing position as the hollow-creating process began to halt. His hand gripped the mask before he ripped it off of his face, shocking the two shinigami.
"I…" The blond man panted as he slammed the mask where the chain used to be, filling up the hole that tried to form. "I refuse!" The hole was no more as his chest was back to normal. Naruto glared in determination, with his left eye having a black sclera and a golden iris.
The women before the former sennin stood in awe and trepidation. "No one…no one has ever stopped the hollowfication, let alone ripped off their mask!" Yoruichi thought. Both warriors were on their guard, not sure if he was in the right state of mind.
The whiskered cheek man's eye faded back into his normal deep blue. The blond gazed at the second woman that came, taking in her appearance. He thought of her as quite beautiful. Her golden eyes held warmth in their depths, but a concealed melancholy lied there as well.
The woman in question felt naked at the shinobi's rather piercing gaze. She saw much sorrow and anger in the azure eyes along with blaze of strength. The violet-haired woman began to wonder. "His eyes…what has he gone through?" The cloaked woman wondered in curiosity.
The golden-haired man turned his attention back to the woman that he first met. "Soifon, right? Why were you getting ready to attack me?" He asked calmly as he stayed on his guard.
The woman in question replied firmly, "I wasn't going to attack you..."
The male's azure eyes narrowed. "That wasn't what it looked like to me..."
Yoruichi, sensing the tension beginning to rise spoke, "She wasn't going to harm you. She was preparing to send you to the Seireitei." The golden-haired man heard the tanned woman's soothing alto voice as he remained silent, eyes never leaving the kunoichi shinigami. "Soifon was going to use a technique called Konso to send you to our realm. It's used by tapping a soul on their head with the bottom of our swords." The white-robbed shinigami finished, hoping that the blond man would understand.
The whiskered cheek man continued to stare at the woman with the two bandaged ponytails. He saw her narrow her eyes, becoming frustrated from his eyes bearing into hers. He found truth in the brown-skinned female's words and no deception in the petite woman's eyes. His facial features relaxed, accepting the explanation.
"So it was a misunderstanding…" He stated softly. The ninja bowed his head lightly as he spoke, "I apologize for attacking you and for rushing to conclusions, Soifon-san."
The smaller shinigami softened her gaze, seeing the man trying to make amends from misinterpretation from earlier. The woman shook her head. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I should have elaborated on what I was going to do." The golden-haired man gave a little smile before turning to the other female.
The yellow-eyed woman gave a comforting expression as she spoke, "I'm glad that we have an understanding. My name is Shihoin Yoruichi, captain of the 2nd division of the 13 Court Guard Squads . And you already know my second in command, Soifon." The golden-haired man gave a sheepish look as he scratched the back of his head, making the tanned woman give a bemused smile. The younger of the two women found her cheeks lightly giving a pink tinge to her face from embarrassment, which to her relief, went unnoticed.
"Uzumaki Naruto." The male introduced himself, giving a warm smile to the two shinigami. The golden-eyed shinigami found the man in front of her rather charming, his expression all the more attractive to her. And his reiatsu radiated impressively for someone who had been dead for a while now. Still, it never alleviated the concern she had for him.
The ninja-affiliated shinigami was grateful that the golden-haired man loosened up, even if it was a little. It was certainly more welcoming that the piercing stare from earlier. He was a warrior of some kind that much she knew, but he fought with no hesitation to kill. Had she had been someone of a lesser level she was sure that she wouldn't have came out unscathed. But she had to wonder; what exactly was he?
Yoruichi gave a solemn gaze before she asked, "So what exactly happened that made you react violently to my protégé?"
Naruto stared at her as he replied, "Two hollows tried to kill me earlier. I thought she was going to try and finish me too." Both women noted that he knew what a hollow was. "I was dead for a couple of days before those things tried to kill me." He finished, becoming more distant as he thought about his final battle in the living realm.
The two women's eyes widened in shock. "What?" Soifon asked. She couldn't believe that the person in question had not been dead for as long as she thought. "I thought he had been dead for at least two weeks, but to be killed and have this much power from the start…"
The cloaked shinigami became silent, watching his countenance, seeing the hidden sorrow with his eyes. Concern showed on her feminine visage for a moment before she pressed on, softly speaking, "Your Chain of Fate should have lasted longer than it did."
The blond looked at her grimly and replied, "The first hollow I fought broke that in half. Afterwards, it started to eat itself. I can only guess that fighting the second hollow sped up the process…"
Soifon nodded. "How did you kill the two hollows?" The lieutenant asked, asking a question that her master was about to pose.
"The first one died by taijutsu while the last one died by reiatsu." The shinobi answered with his eyes gaining a sharp quality to them, something the two female shinigami noticed. While the shinigami were surprised, they had a question.
"What is taijustu?" The petite woman inquired, rather intrigued. The newly killed soul inwardly slapped himself.
"It's hand-to-hand combat." He said, fighting the memories of learning the skill. The kunoichi death god nodded, hoping to have spar with him later, should he choose to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. His style of speed and unpredictability was nothing she ever encountered before.
The dark-skinned woman focused on what he said. Apparently he knew what reiatsu was too. "Tapping into that so early…" The captain thought to herself, becoming more impressed by the minute. She had one last question, even if she was hesitant to pose it.
"…Do you remember what happened to you before you died?" Yoruichi asked, knowing that she may be touching on a sensitive subject for him.
Naruto looked to the sky with a distant gaze. "I wish I didn't…" He thought quietly before shaking his head blankly, making the chocolate-skinned woman narrow her eyes in concern. She believed that he was lying but did not press the matter.
"Well, let's go. We've been here long enough and I'm sure that hollows may arrive here if we linger." Soifon walked to the side of her superior, pulling her blade from its sheath and stabbed the air before twisting her weapon. A traditional Japanese door way appeared and opened, light shining at its entrance.
The smaller shinigami stood at the door as she observed the golden-haired man quietly. She felt that the blond fighter was hiding something, but she understood that it was a sensitive topic. Soifon turned and entered the wooden gate first, disappearing into the light.
Yoruichi began to walk with Naruto following her slowly. The captain watched the man with soft eyes. The former shinobi stopped, turning back to look at the wasteland once more. The lands that he familiarized himself with and memories that associated themselves with it…he somehow knew that this was the last time he would ever be there.
A delicate hand gently grabbed his shoulder. He turned to see the tanned beauty with a soft expression on her features. The golden-haired man looked back at the ruined earth before him, lightly touching the woman's hand before softly sliding her hand off of him. The yellow-eyed shinigami's concern grew as it showed on her countenance, but understood as she waited for him.
Slowly, the former shinobi turned his back to his homelands as he walked to the remaining woman that stood next to the bright doors. Naruto looked at Yoruichi as ready as he could be. She stared at him for a moment, seeing his azure eyes hiding the torrent of emotions within its depths. The tanned captain turned, beckoning for the ninja to follow her. She disappeared within the depths of the door's light.
The former jinchuuriki paused in his steps as he looked at the Elemental Nations for the last time. Water welled in his eyes as he thought of his lost loved ones. They were his life, his purpose.
"I will never forget any of you." Two tears slid down his cheeks as he turned away, entering the doors that light brilliantly illuminated from. The doors closed with the last of the shinobi generation leading towards a new life.
Alright, I'm finally finished with this chapter. I will be taking my time with this story since it's been in my head for a few years now.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review.