The Golden Fox [Naruto Fan-Fic]

Chapter 13: Trails of the Heart

Chapter 13: Trials of the Heart

Dawn in the Hidden Leaf was always a sight to behold. Yuuhi Kurenai was sitting on the roof of her apartment complex with her knees buried into her chest. She was thinking over what happened last night and the story that Senzairu had told her. She really wanted to hate him, but she was now confused more than any other time in her life. She loves Asuma, that much she knows. However, her love for Senzairu never faded.

Flashback...

Senzairu took a step closer towards her, "That battle...I didn't expect to survive. The technique didn't go through properly, because I was also trying to take out Shikaku-sensei's opponent as well. My guess as to what happened is that I was blown hundreds of yards away for not executing it correctly. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hut and being tended to by an old man.

I was informed that I was out for weeks. He was surprised that I even survived; I was too. He told me that when he came upon my body, that my breathing was shallow, but the tattoo on my left arm was glowing orange. I didn't know why until I had enough strength to summon a phoenix, which wasn't for about 2 weeks. He healed me and I had intended to come home, but he knew what my tattoo represented and he made me an offer.

Kurenai looked at him with a questioning look, "What was the offer?"

"He said that if I wanted to get stronger...He would take me to a man he knew, to help train. At first, I was about to say no, but then I thought about mother, Shizune, Asuma, sensei, and you. So, I decided to take him up on his offer. A means to an end, eh?" Senzairu laughed to try and lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

Kurenai narrowed her eyes. He quickly spoke in hopes of not making her mad, "Well moving along, he took me to his friend, Taizen Gogyou, who was skilled in taijutsu and kenjutsu." "In fact, his sword style, my sword style the 'Divine Wrath', is the brother style of the 'Heavenly Sword', similar principles but different in many ways."

"So, what happened while training with this, Gogyou guy?" Kurenai asked, seemingly interested.

"I trained under him until I was about twenty two. It took me up until I was twenty to master his sword style and his fighting style about another two years. It wasn't hard, since taijutsu was always one of my strong points, plus training with my mother since I could walk helped too." He informed the women he cared for deeply.

"Why didn't you come back after your training? What is the reason for that?" She asked him with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Not really a reason, just something I had to do."

"What was so important that you couldn't let your family and your friends know you were alive?" She asked.

Senzairu looked down at the ground as if he was angry with it, while clenching his fist, "My vow... my vow to uphold my master's dying words. After my training was complete, I was going to return to the village. I went to a town about two days away from my master's location to stock up on goods for the trip back to Konoha. When I got back, he was cut up and bleeding. He told me while he was dying that a Cloud-nin, named Aisu, with the legendary 'Dragon's Fang', had attacked him using the Wicked Wind style. My master then told me his reason for training me. He told me that his friend saw the tattoo on my arm and knew that I had the phoenix contract. It was his duty, as the user of the Divine Wrath, to protect the map and keep the location of the map hidden. It was also the duty to protect the location of the Dragon's Lair, but that was lost in the destruction of his people about twenty years prior. He told me of the legendary 'Phoenix Claw', which was my first time hearing about it."

"So what did he tell you next?" Kurenai asked.

"He told me that he had a map with the location to the Phoenix's Nest. He told me where it was and that I should burn it when I get it. He also told me that I needed to return to the nest, and after that seek out Minashu Ryuho. I knew going to the nest was for the purpose of getting the sword, I didn't know what the other part was for. With his last words, he told me to that I had to get stronger because the look in that Cloud-nin's eyes showed nothing, but evil and destruction. He then died in my arms." Senzairu said the last part in a low tone.