-
The barrier stood, unharmed despite the many efforts that had been, and still were being conducted. Silence had befallen from within, meaning either that the barrier's strength and capability had been intensified, or that hatever had been occurring within had stopped. The latter was unlikely due to the birds, raccoons, and various other forms of wildlife that hadn't thought of, hadn't succeeded, or hadn't made to abandon their territory prior to the barrier separating the foundation from other sources of land. These creatures, undoubtedly, would still be conjuring noises, screeches, or be scratching at the barrier with intentions of freedom, but none were present.
Additionally, and perhaps more peculiar, was the fact that they could no longer peer within. Gone was the transparent, bordering on translucent, field, replaced with an unbreakable sphere of an ash black color. This was, of course, unexpected, bit explainable nonetheless. The lack of pellucidity remained unchanged, unlike the lack of sound. Suddenly, and without warning, sound returned, but it was odd. It was loud and painful for the close range occupants, booming clearly and causing the weaker willed to retreat or simply back away. The least fortunate were those who had been directly near the barrier at the time of the initial sounds, most of whom having gone deaf almost instantly.
The words that arose could be defined most simply as a monologue of sorts, one that revealed the diabolical plot that had been set forth by none other than the leader of the village himself, Sarutobi. This was not just a simple claim of him being guilty, it was an admission of the fact, overplayed and long, as if he were speaking deliberately to someone, almost manically, and definitely angry. He spoke of past plans, now failed and futile, of orchestrating a massive war, the likes of which that would surely wipe out a number of people so high that it was near genocide. He spoke of horrible things, experimentation gone right, and experimentation gone wrong. He spoke of "test subjects", orphans who had gone missing in the dead of night, being knowingly bought and sold by the owners of the buildings opposed to stolen.
He ranted over soiled plans, of a ruined weapon, of wasted time and effort, but it was the way that he spoke that hit the hardest on the initially unwilling listeners. He spoke as if he had been far more than just inconvenienced, he spoke furiously, madly, his rage of words spewed being high as the rate of missing, nameless children within this and surrounding lands. He spoke, not to them, but to he who he claimed to be the weapon. A weapon that was now broken, soiled beyond repair, defecting from its owners and being mocked for that decision.
The initial reaction was confusion, fear, and surprise, but the end result was ravenous rage to the elder man and all of his conspirators. It was time for a change.
-
"Orochimaru..." Sarutobi's voice growled, anger flashing through his dimly lit orbs. The pale man stood a few yards away, a smirk staining the snake-like face that was almost snowflake white, a sickly color as it contrasted his oily, black hair. The pair began to advance towards each other, sick glee in one's eyes whilst the other's held callous. He signaled to his underlings to keep back, remain away, earning a few odd looks in return, confusion in their expressions and uncertainty in their movements as they sheathed their blades and other weaponry, bodies tense and postures aggressive, protective.
A figure, dressed in a cloak that shrouded their identity, appeared within a shadow, watching with predatory eyes as the fight began. He smirked beneath his mask as a blow landed on its target, speckles of blood spraying out in a beautiful array. The other onlookers, however, were none too enthused, some of them edging forwards, as if to join the fight. Now he would just have to wait for the next phase of their plan to take hold.
-
The battle moved into a clearing of sorts, trees flanking every side, and Sarutobi was losing ground. How odd it was that, in Naruto's original dimension, these two were private allies, Sarutobi aiding in Orochimaru's gathering of resources, i.e. the orphans of the village, yet here that battled ferociously, as if they had always been bitter enemies. Naruto followed the fight, undetected by either side's forces, and watched with cold, calculating eyes. The barrier arose, although partially weak due to the missing other missing members of the squad, and the other members of both side's forces were locked outside. Each person who held up the barrier were encased with a protective barrier, preventing the Leaf Nin forces from attacking them and preventing them from maintaining the barrier.
The shadowed figure smirked again, his glowing eyes flaring with excitement. It was almost time.
-
Naruto's eyes widened, his light yellow pupils contrasting with his glowing blue irises, as he realized the time to strike had arrived. He removed his mask, deeming it unnecessary, and smiled dangerously. His eyes narrowed, pupils contracting, and he readied himself.
-
Orochimaru raised his blade, grin stretching his face beyond human capabilities, muscles taut in preparation of the oncoming strike. He never made it. Something, another blade, stabbed deep into his flesh, slicing open the left subclavian. However, the moment the blow had been made, the person jumped back, easily avoiding the large sword that had been swung his way. The cloaked figure's smirk was the only of his features viewable to either of the aged ninja, the dripping blade having, oddly enough, been removed rather than being left behind. Orochimaru's eyes widened as the once delayed pain came to full realization.
He screamed like he had never done before, which, had the circumstances been different, would have confused him. He had been harmed far worse in the past, so why did this injury pain him so severely? The person's blade had been barbed, small bits of skin and muscle having followed the peculiar kunai when it had left Orochimaru's flesh, and blood had been flowing at an alarming rate, far too quickly to be normal. Even the parts of him that hadn't been effected felt horrible, as if all of the surrounding tissue had been charred individually and completely without the nerves losing their ability to send messages to the black haired man's brain. It was overwhelming.
The cloaked person grabbed Orochimaru by his left arm, grip tightening quickly, and spun halfway, launching the man into a tree.
"Who-what the hell are you?!" Sarutobi demanded, unable to believe what had just happened. Throughout the previous battle and every other one to have come before it, Orochimaru had been far quicker in his responses, far more capable, even displaying this during the moment just before the person-no-the creature before him had struck. The cloaked figure tilted his head at Sarutobi, mouth falling into a slight frown, bemused.
"What?" A voice, Naruto's, asked, devoid of the harshness and cruelty he had displayed. He tilted his head the other way for a moment, glancing over towards where he had launched the now slumped figure of Orochimaru.
"Oh, him?" Naruto's voice asked, curiosity evident. The innocence he had displayed evaporated as a sinister mirth overtook him.
"Oh, don't worry about him, he's-wait," he cut himself off, seeming to realize something.
"I guess you might want to worry about him, I mean, I've never tried that technique on a living creature before, so I don't know the long term effects, not to mention the definite blood loss he's facing in the short term, but that's besides the point!" He pointed dramatically at Sarutobi, who only now noticed the slight blue glow that inhabited the space where the cloak's wearer's eyes would be.
"You should really be worrying about yourself right now, Sarutobi-San.~" Naruto cooed
-
Naruto stood before Sasuke, his eyes firmly pressing at the raven.
"Sasuke" Naruto greeted, sounding calm and collected. His lips twitched into a smile, and he was suddenly a mere few centimeters before the dark eyed Uchiha's face. He grinned insanely, eyes widening with a sudden madness.
"It's nice to officially meet you~"
-
Shikamaru sat, a few bandages here and there but otherwise unharmed, as he waited for reports on the wellbeing of everyone else who had gone along with him. They had all been too injured to continue, at least, that was what the report would say. Naruto was still out there, possible having lost consciousness from the exhaustion the must have set in after they had left. After all, not even Naruto could be capable of withstanding all that they had done, could he?
Had Naruto been killed by the final opponent? Had Sasuke slain the blonde? It seemed impossible, but as did many other things that had happened within the last few weeks. Impossibilities were now plausible, no matter how unlikely that might seem.
-
"Let me ask you something, Sasuke." Naruto's voice called as he walked towards the raven, who watched, confused, at the ongoing variations of Naruto's, behavior. Naruto circled back around him, seeming to have been pacing around the other, as if he were a shark.
"Do you comprehend the world in which you live?" He asked calmly.
"The thin cloth that represents reality? How fragile and breakable it is?" He continued to ask. He grinned grimly.
"Just like sanity, I would assume." He mused. He stopped a bit before Sasuke, but resumed movement after a few seconds.
"I hadn't been anticipating this, hadn't planned for this fight, but I will relish in your defeat. Only, I don't plan to harm you physically, oh no." Naruto's voice began to sound excited, and he quickened his pace. There was a sound, just on the edge of hearing, the sound of laughter. Of quiet, childish giggling, almost girlish mirth. There was a dark fog that began to surround the area, leaving only a circle of space in which they could move.
"You know, Uchiha, I'm not who you think I am." Naruto said suddenly. Sasuke made to glare at him, but was forced to shield his eyes as some kind of flare occurred, everything growing too bright in a matter of moments, too vibrant. It wavered after a few moments, like a trick of the light, before resuming in normal hues, although something was still off about the way everything looked. What was it? The sky began to look odd, switching to night after a few mere moments, but the moon was too bright, illuminating the area in a harsh glow. The water reflected it strangely, beginning to look less and less like water and more like flowing magma.
"THE FUCK IS GOING ON!" Sasuke finally demanded, horrified by the sight of all that was around him as everything grew increasingly distorted. Nothing seemed to remain still, everything writhed in a constant motion, as if they had been crafted by live maggots.
"SASUKE UCHIHA. For the sins committed by past selves and those of your kin, you are to remain within this reality." Naruto said in a loud, firm voice. He smirked, grin growing increasingly wide.
"Of course, there is a way out of this, if you really wanted to leave." Naruto began, softer than before. Sasuke refused to meet Naruto's eyes, having realized his pride to have been stuck by his own actions. Naruto's eyes became smug, his grin matching.
"You'll know what to do when the time comes. 'Til then, enjoy." He said, as if he were about to leave. He stopped suddenly, eyes widening.
"I just had THE BEST idea!" He exclaimed excitedly. Sasuke tried to walk forwards, but stumbled as what he saw of the world failed to match of his true surroundings. Naruto clapped his hands, all his malice seeming to have vanished.
"Oooooh, this is going to be the best! The original is going to love this idea, if he didn't have it already." Naruto grinned, nodding to himself, and tapped his temple.
"Now, if you excuse me, I'd best be on my way. Enjoy your newfound reality, I'm sure Sarutobi will love his." Naruto grinned evilly, taking out a kunai.
"But first-" he said, easing his blade at an odd level and angle, the tip touching his softer underside, under his ribs.
"I CURSE THE ONE TO HAVE GIFTED ME WITH LIFE AND SHALL AVENGE MYSELF WITH THE MEMORY OF DEATH!" He cried, once again dramatic, before slamming the blade into his own gut. He puffed instantly. Sasuke blinked, seeing the puff but not the vanishing of Naruto's body. The corpse fell, but yet it did not fall, even and any movement it made looked as a trick of the light, what was wrong with him?
"Naruto?" He asked, unsure. His body remained, and maggots escaped from the gaping hole in his lower abdomen. It was disgusting. He could hear the sound of another person landing, turned to face him. He just wanted to leave this place, he didn't care where to, no longer wished for the tutelage Orochimaru could grant him, he just wanted out, but the sight that greeted him was horrifying. It was a collective entity of squirming, moving maggots and worms, their eyes a dark, empty pit with only a pinprick of light to differentiate the pupils from the void.
"Sasuke-San, are you okay?" The voice of a medical nin asked, concerned. Sasuke screamed.
-
Naruto glanced towards the people outside of the barrier, who were desperately attempting to view inwards, to no avail. The memories of his duplicate struck him harshly, his body twitching once as a response, before he physically calmed, waiting out the conclusion of Sarutobi's monologue. Silently, he contemplated the actions of his double, perhaps they had been a touch too cruel?
'How hypocritical.' Naruto thought, thinking over his end game.
"Ya done yet?" Naruto asked sardonically, staring flatly at the man he had once respected and loved above all else. Sarutobi snarled at him, eyes narrowing cruelly.
"You can kill me, but the torment will never end, boy! Once I've breathed my last breath, the seal-"
"Deactivated." Naruto interjected. Sarutobi stopped mid speech, brow furrowing in confusion, and then in horror.
"You-?!"
"It deactivated, of course, when he died." Naruto continued, further interrupting Sarutobi. Before Sarutobi could further attempt to question the blonde, he changed the conversation quickly.
"Alight, enough of the pleasantries, it's time to get to business." Naruto said, almost formally.
"But, before we can move on, I want you to pick a number between one and ten." Naruto said simply. Sarutobi didn't respond, far too perplexed to speak. Naruto glared, smacking the man hard across the face.
"Pick a number between one and ten." He hissed.
"Or I will for you." Again, nothing. Naruto sighed, pulling himself away as he stood back upright. He had a few ideas of what he could do, he was an opportunist, after all, but he was having trouble picking which idea to choose. He had already systematically destroyed the man's reputation, having broadcast the speech the elder ninja had gave, amplifying it so as to spread the sound the moment the man had begun his speech, but what should he do to the man from this point onwards? Paralyze him? Destroy his nerves from the neck down? Blind him? Remove a limb or the outer layers of his skin? If he did all of them, it might be too much. He wanted the man to live after this, to endure with the memory of what the boy he had groomed and caused to suffer for so long, and that fact made it difficult to decide what he should do.
What could he do to him mentally? He could-no, he would worry over that later. An idea, fully for,Ed and beautifully gruesome, blossomed within his mind, and he approached Sarutobi one final time. He grinned madly, taking out the sword he had taken as a trophy, its unblemished surface glinting savagely in the sun's raw light.
"I'm going to cut off your arms~" Naruto told sweetly, his words befitting a song.
"And then I'm going to sever your spinal cord just above your waist." He told. He sighed, as if inconvenienced.
"Of course, then I'll have to stop the bleeding on your limb ending-bump-thingies, so I'm going to burn it all closed." He raised his weapon, grabbing hold of the man's right arm, pulling it towards himself and leveling it, taking aim, ready for the plunge.
"Imma count down, okay?" He asked all too sweetly. Sarutobi cried out, his energy having been spent far too severely for him to do anything else but struggle fruitlessly.
"Three," the blade touched his skin, pressing just light enough to not break the skin.
"Two," the sword was retracted, the wielder now absolutely confident that it would make its mark without fail.
"One." Sarutobi screamed.
-
Two Anbu were stationed before a cell door, the door having many seals through which chakra was drained, preventing whomever was inside from using or even activating their internal energy. Within this cell lay a single occupant, an old, withered, broken man with need of assistance for even the slightest of tasks. He, among many others, were held prisoner for treason, among many other atrocities, until they would be given a trial, a show entirely as, by that point, the minds of the many had been made up.
-
A cloaked figure stood atop the head of the fourth monument, the last of them all. He had taken as much as he could, all that should have-or eventually might have-been his was now safely within his possession. The masks, the scrolls, the summoning contracts, the riches, everything.
He had, however, left much in his wake. He had begun with a broken system, ruined and mucked with corruption so insidious and drastic that it could be related to a horrid blithe. He had torn out the roots of the ruined plant, the once proud, if not silent, organization now gone at his own hands. This was not to say that everything was fine and dandy, far from it in fact. While he had planted the seeds for growth, it would still take time for the wounded economy and status of Konoha to return to anything even resembling what it had once been before, the other villages ensuring that-having witnessed the events firsthand from ambassadors and representatives, and reported the issues to their own authoritative members of society.
He had been born, raised, and suffered in a broken home, a broken town, and a broken system, and he had fixed all that he had sought to destroy. There was closure to this, a feeling that justice had been served, but also something else. Even before he had come to this world, he had felt it: a smoldering, growing mass of power within him, violent and versatile by nature, but that energy settled surprisingly quick once the disastrous events had come to pass.
It was almost poetic, how the broken could fix the broken, how the shattered fragments of his once sound mind could piece it all back together, both with a hands on approach and one that came from the safety of obscurity.
"Or, perhaps." He mused quietly.
"I'm not as broken as I had thought."