Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Innocence From Ashes
Chapter 16
0 reviewsWatching those he loves being cut down, Naruto becomes enraged, and Kyuubi's machinations are finally revealed.
0Unrated
Innocence From Ashes
Chapter 16
Warning... Mayhem and considerable angst.
Couldn’t be avoided people.
Tsunade was both appalled and horrified. The town had completely degenerated into murderous fury. Though it was considerably understandable, given Konoha’s and Kyuubi’s history, but to see the people, her people, filled with such… animalistic emotions. They were slobbering, literally slobbering on themselves, spittle flying in their gleeful rage. They grunted and cursed, and would not be reasoned. And the more the few valiant folk tried to help, the worse they became, no longer cognizant enough to distinguish friend from foe.
Ino fell, bleeding profusely from her head. A grizzled old shopkeeper cackled evilly as he ripped the clothes from her young and nubile body. Neji was being pulled down, and subjected to the same horrors as Kyuubi had. Shikamaru was lying in a bloody heap, two kunai protruding from his back. There was no sign of the Sand nin, or Hinata; Gaara, seeing what was happening, had taken his family away. Four men were jumping on Chouji, laughing with ill intent as they mauled one of their own. Kakashi’s nin dogs had vaporized; Pakkun had been viciously slain, and he had dispelled the rest lest they suffer the same fate. Gai and Lee were down, with Sakura, disbelieving tears streamed down her face as she stood over her husband and his mentor, protecting them with her desperate fists until she too was pulled down, and subjected to the same ignominy as Ino. Her fighters, her family, were being desecrated and killed.
Tsunade’s eyes burned, even as the ANBU were forced to retreat, taking as many innocents with them as they could. Her curse seal scrolled across her face as she bit her thumb and slammed her hand against the ground, even as Jiraiya did across the mob from her. Gamabunta and his slug counterpart appeared in spirals of gray smoke, and they were instructed to mow the violators down.
This anarchy, this whole scale slaughter of Konohans must stop. The townsfolk were even turning on each other. Knives were flashing, pitchforks stabbing, jutsu’s cast left and right.
Konoha was literally tearing itself apart before her horrified disbelieving eyes.
Iruka, holding the crying screaming boy he loved so much, wept himself, and wondered how everything could have turned out so ugly, so damaging. It was he himself that found Kyuubi, unconscious on the banks of the river just outside of Konoha. It was he and Jiraiya and Shizune that had bound him in Chakra ropes and brought him to the city. It had been their intention to bring him to the Hokage, who would in turn use him to find Naruto.
But towns people has seen them; seen and realized who their captive was. They’d gotten no farther than here, before they’d been overwhelmed. Shizune had sped off to fetch the Hokage, and things had degenerated from there.
And now, he had Naruto exactly where he was; safe in his arms. And it was horrible. He could feel the renewed innocence of his sweet boy burning up from the inside at what was happening now.
Oh, Iruka still hated Kyuubi, with every fiber of his being. This creature had slain his parents, destroyed his life, and the lives of everyone then alive in Konoha. He had killed the Yondaime, and had made Naruto’s life a living hell.
But… Kyuubi had lessened himself, obviously. Otherwise all three of them would have died five minutes into their capture, when Kyuubi began to rouse. He was not the Nine Tailed Demon Lord anymore. Still ninetailed, still a demon, but no lord. And Iruka was convinced it was because of what he’d done for Naruto.
He’d brought Naruto back from the dead, healed him, body mind and spirit, and had healed Sasuke as well, giving the wolf to his kit, because it was what Naruto had wanted. He had done all this… for love of Naruto.
And likewise, for love of Naruto, Iruka would set aside his hatred, his desire to kill for vengeance. For Naruto.
And yet, here Naruto stood, heart shattering, mind twisting, as he watched the only loving parent he’d ever known be brutally murdered before his eyes.
It was a crime on par with what he’d lived through in Sound; the utter destruction of all that was good and sweet and bright inside this amazing young man.
In Iruka’s arms, Naruto was dying all over again. And this time, there would be no resurrection. This time, Naruto would have to live or die with what was happening now.
When he heard the crack, and saw the Uchiha fall, he knew… it was over. Naruto would be no more. He would either fade, like he had in Sound, or he would simply die, inside, and the outside would follow.
For every Naruto, there must be a Sasuke. He’d learned that painfully over the years.
And all the bright hopes and dreams Iruka had nurtured in the last twenty four hours since he’d learned Naruto was alive and well and deliriously happy, vaporized in the heat of jubilant ignorance and murderous glee.
Like the dark boy who now lay bleeding and motionless on the bricks beside the creature that had given them all back what they’d so wanted, his boy, his Naruto, was dying right now in his arms.
As for Naruto, he was completely devastated. So much love and joy for so few days, and it was over. The bright day had ended in a storm of greater proportions than that of the one that had split the three of them asunder. All he knew and loved and found good in the world was torn to shreds in the slavering jaws of strangers.
And in the blank incomprehension that followed, his mind fractured, split, and then ruptured. The doors in his mind, once firmly closed, and then sealed over by Kyuubi, burst open, all of them, all at once. Every second of the past twenty two years streamed through those doors, flooding what was left of his mind, inundating his shivering spirit. Twenty two years of hate and distrust, pain and fear, humiliation and degradation that had reached a shattering crescendo a little over a week ago.
Hatred flooded his soul, rage swelled within him. Filled him, and then burst free, like a rain swollen deluge held back by a beaver’s dam.
He grew very still, blue slowly brightening in his eyes.
“Let me go, Iruka-sensei,” he said softly, venom lacing his voice.
And the nightmare that Iruka had thought arrived, was suddenly a thousand times worse.
Naruto remembered!
Naruto didn’t even wait to see if the man would obey, he flung out his arms, and everyone in a ten foot radius from him was flung violently away, Iruka included.
His chakra was boiling, a fuming inferno that his physical body simply couldn’t contain. The power rippled wider, pushing down friend and foe alike. He dropped to his hands, then his knees. Massive red tipped ears exploded upon his head, fingernails lengthened into deadly talons. Nine glorious red tipped golden tails burst from the base of his spine even as tawny fur exploded all over.
Naruto was no playful fox, no gregarious or frightened kit. He grew, elongated, rising higher and higher as his power continued to spiral out of control.
Windows shattered, bricks cracked, wood split. And still he grew.
The Hokage’s tower, once hidden by the surrounding buildings, was now easy to see from his new, much higher viewpoint.
And the wild riot, the murderous mob, was silenced and subdued by what now towered over them, golden tails lashing furiously at the sky, and the buildings directly behind Naruto were reduced to rubble. Black whiskers, as long as a train engine, bristled with rage. And two enormous sky blue eyes stared down at the damned city and its hellish denizens with hate.
Iruka fell to his knees, utterly demoralized. He’d seen this terrible sight before, twenty two years ago. Surely, it was now inside Konoha, not out. And the terrible demon had been red with red and black eyes, instead of gold with cerulean blue.
Once more, the Nine Tailed Demon Lord stood poised to utterly destroy Konoha, and it was Naruto Uzumaki, inside and out.
Chapter 16
Warning... Mayhem and considerable angst.
Couldn’t be avoided people.
Tsunade was both appalled and horrified. The town had completely degenerated into murderous fury. Though it was considerably understandable, given Konoha’s and Kyuubi’s history, but to see the people, her people, filled with such… animalistic emotions. They were slobbering, literally slobbering on themselves, spittle flying in their gleeful rage. They grunted and cursed, and would not be reasoned. And the more the few valiant folk tried to help, the worse they became, no longer cognizant enough to distinguish friend from foe.
Ino fell, bleeding profusely from her head. A grizzled old shopkeeper cackled evilly as he ripped the clothes from her young and nubile body. Neji was being pulled down, and subjected to the same horrors as Kyuubi had. Shikamaru was lying in a bloody heap, two kunai protruding from his back. There was no sign of the Sand nin, or Hinata; Gaara, seeing what was happening, had taken his family away. Four men were jumping on Chouji, laughing with ill intent as they mauled one of their own. Kakashi’s nin dogs had vaporized; Pakkun had been viciously slain, and he had dispelled the rest lest they suffer the same fate. Gai and Lee were down, with Sakura, disbelieving tears streamed down her face as she stood over her husband and his mentor, protecting them with her desperate fists until she too was pulled down, and subjected to the same ignominy as Ino. Her fighters, her family, were being desecrated and killed.
Tsunade’s eyes burned, even as the ANBU were forced to retreat, taking as many innocents with them as they could. Her curse seal scrolled across her face as she bit her thumb and slammed her hand against the ground, even as Jiraiya did across the mob from her. Gamabunta and his slug counterpart appeared in spirals of gray smoke, and they were instructed to mow the violators down.
This anarchy, this whole scale slaughter of Konohans must stop. The townsfolk were even turning on each other. Knives were flashing, pitchforks stabbing, jutsu’s cast left and right.
Konoha was literally tearing itself apart before her horrified disbelieving eyes.
Iruka, holding the crying screaming boy he loved so much, wept himself, and wondered how everything could have turned out so ugly, so damaging. It was he himself that found Kyuubi, unconscious on the banks of the river just outside of Konoha. It was he and Jiraiya and Shizune that had bound him in Chakra ropes and brought him to the city. It had been their intention to bring him to the Hokage, who would in turn use him to find Naruto.
But towns people has seen them; seen and realized who their captive was. They’d gotten no farther than here, before they’d been overwhelmed. Shizune had sped off to fetch the Hokage, and things had degenerated from there.
And now, he had Naruto exactly where he was; safe in his arms. And it was horrible. He could feel the renewed innocence of his sweet boy burning up from the inside at what was happening now.
Oh, Iruka still hated Kyuubi, with every fiber of his being. This creature had slain his parents, destroyed his life, and the lives of everyone then alive in Konoha. He had killed the Yondaime, and had made Naruto’s life a living hell.
But… Kyuubi had lessened himself, obviously. Otherwise all three of them would have died five minutes into their capture, when Kyuubi began to rouse. He was not the Nine Tailed Demon Lord anymore. Still ninetailed, still a demon, but no lord. And Iruka was convinced it was because of what he’d done for Naruto.
He’d brought Naruto back from the dead, healed him, body mind and spirit, and had healed Sasuke as well, giving the wolf to his kit, because it was what Naruto had wanted. He had done all this… for love of Naruto.
And likewise, for love of Naruto, Iruka would set aside his hatred, his desire to kill for vengeance. For Naruto.
And yet, here Naruto stood, heart shattering, mind twisting, as he watched the only loving parent he’d ever known be brutally murdered before his eyes.
It was a crime on par with what he’d lived through in Sound; the utter destruction of all that was good and sweet and bright inside this amazing young man.
In Iruka’s arms, Naruto was dying all over again. And this time, there would be no resurrection. This time, Naruto would have to live or die with what was happening now.
When he heard the crack, and saw the Uchiha fall, he knew… it was over. Naruto would be no more. He would either fade, like he had in Sound, or he would simply die, inside, and the outside would follow.
For every Naruto, there must be a Sasuke. He’d learned that painfully over the years.
And all the bright hopes and dreams Iruka had nurtured in the last twenty four hours since he’d learned Naruto was alive and well and deliriously happy, vaporized in the heat of jubilant ignorance and murderous glee.
Like the dark boy who now lay bleeding and motionless on the bricks beside the creature that had given them all back what they’d so wanted, his boy, his Naruto, was dying right now in his arms.
As for Naruto, he was completely devastated. So much love and joy for so few days, and it was over. The bright day had ended in a storm of greater proportions than that of the one that had split the three of them asunder. All he knew and loved and found good in the world was torn to shreds in the slavering jaws of strangers.
And in the blank incomprehension that followed, his mind fractured, split, and then ruptured. The doors in his mind, once firmly closed, and then sealed over by Kyuubi, burst open, all of them, all at once. Every second of the past twenty two years streamed through those doors, flooding what was left of his mind, inundating his shivering spirit. Twenty two years of hate and distrust, pain and fear, humiliation and degradation that had reached a shattering crescendo a little over a week ago.
Hatred flooded his soul, rage swelled within him. Filled him, and then burst free, like a rain swollen deluge held back by a beaver’s dam.
He grew very still, blue slowly brightening in his eyes.
“Let me go, Iruka-sensei,” he said softly, venom lacing his voice.
And the nightmare that Iruka had thought arrived, was suddenly a thousand times worse.
Naruto remembered!
Naruto didn’t even wait to see if the man would obey, he flung out his arms, and everyone in a ten foot radius from him was flung violently away, Iruka included.
His chakra was boiling, a fuming inferno that his physical body simply couldn’t contain. The power rippled wider, pushing down friend and foe alike. He dropped to his hands, then his knees. Massive red tipped ears exploded upon his head, fingernails lengthened into deadly talons. Nine glorious red tipped golden tails burst from the base of his spine even as tawny fur exploded all over.
Naruto was no playful fox, no gregarious or frightened kit. He grew, elongated, rising higher and higher as his power continued to spiral out of control.
Windows shattered, bricks cracked, wood split. And still he grew.
The Hokage’s tower, once hidden by the surrounding buildings, was now easy to see from his new, much higher viewpoint.
And the wild riot, the murderous mob, was silenced and subdued by what now towered over them, golden tails lashing furiously at the sky, and the buildings directly behind Naruto were reduced to rubble. Black whiskers, as long as a train engine, bristled with rage. And two enormous sky blue eyes stared down at the damned city and its hellish denizens with hate.
Iruka fell to his knees, utterly demoralized. He’d seen this terrible sight before, twenty two years ago. Surely, it was now inside Konoha, not out. And the terrible demon had been red with red and black eyes, instead of gold with cerulean blue.
Once more, the Nine Tailed Demon Lord stood poised to utterly destroy Konoha, and it was Naruto Uzumaki, inside and out.
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