Tenebroso

 

Title: Tenebroso

Author: ofphenwa

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Dub-con, incest, violence

Summary: Having obtained what he desires, Minato keeps a stranglehold of his most precious treasure, Naruto. Should Naruto be taken away from him, Minato will gladly burn the world down in his dark madness. Is there an end to the nightmare?

A/N: The update’s pretty late this time and for good reason. I was quite busy with packing and preparing for the move from Singapore to London and internet access is nil. Anyway, I hope that you will enjoy the next instalment of “Tenebroso.” ☺

Tenebroso 15 

Autumn had arrived in Konoha. The emerald green of the trees had transformed seemingly overnight into a riot of rich reds, yellows and brown. It also became cool enough to warrant slightly thicker clothing than usual for warmth. There was also an excited buzz in the air around the village – the annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival was approaching soon and everyone, both civilian and shinobi looked forward to the festivities, eager for some good fun and a chance to rewind.

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival still remained a novelty to Naruto even though he had already experienced it three times. This would be his fourth time and he looked forward to reliving the magical experience of a fair replete with colourful lanterns of various shapes and sizes, delicious food, games, music and drinks. And not to mention the beautiful women in gorgeous yukatas and kimonos. Jiraiya would obviously be gaining lots of inspiration soon. It was an experience, which he rarely enjoyed as a child, cloistered within his apartment for his safety. Apparently, the Kyuubi Festival had replaced this festival after the attack in his reality, a fact that depressed him a little.

Tucking his hands in his pockets, Naruto strolled through the streets, interestedly taking in the sights of the various preparations for the festival. His mouth watered at the savoury smells of various traditional sweets and foods being prepared. He looked forward to eating them soon. As he meandered, he could not help but see the Hokage Mountain in his peripheral vision – it just loomed over Konoha, too obvious and large to be ignored. Glancing at the stern visage of Minato’s face on the mountain, Naruto snickered to himself as he remembered Minato’s discomfort at the idea of his image so prominently displayed to the world. Minato had always been a private person despite his friendly personality. The statue was an affront to his sensibilities but he couldn’t refuse and break tradition.

Talking of Minato… His lover had been acting kind of weird lately. Not the bad kind of weird, more like…he was being more considerate and gentler than usual? Minato’s new behaviour had also spilled over into the bedroom; he now always asked for permission beforehand. While the sex was still great, its pace was generally slower and more – Naruto couldn’t help but feel his cheeks warm up - …romantic.

Naruto didn’t mind the changes (in fact, he relished it) but he did wonder what the cause for Minato’s unusual behaviour was. Before he could think further on it, a messenger bird flew overhead, reminding him that he still had yet to arrange a meeting with Jiraiya to discuss his former students in Rain and what to do with them. As a fellow student, he felt obligated to help the Rain trio avoid the tragedy that they had experienced in his reality and he hoped that talking with Jiraiya would be one step forward. Naruto wondered if Jiraiya was going to end up peeking at the hot springs at the festival tonight again or if he would be slumming it up in a bar with half-naked girls hanging off his arms or… Well, needless to say, Jiraiya’s vices and habits were comfortingly familiar even across dimensions.

---

“Hokage-sama.” A male voice dryly greeted him, its tone bordering on insubordinate. Remaining unruffled, Minato lifted his gaze from a report to see an elderly one-eyed man at the door. Silently observing the man with sharp eyes, he mused that Danzo would not be able to get his hands on the Sharingan so easily like Naruto’s Danzo had done if the plans went well. Otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome to fight him with those eyes as well as the implanted Mokuton ability he apparently possessed. Knowledge was power indeed and Minato was quite thankful for Naruto’s valuable information.

Because even without the Sharingan, the old man was still a very dangerous ninja, having been Sandaime Sarutobi’s rival years ago and Minato did not fancy tangling with him on the battlefield with the Sharingan. Having to tangle with him in the office was already bad enough. Putting aside the report, he neutrally said, “You’re late, Danzo.”

“My apologies. I was not expecting to receive a summons from you so early in the day.” Danzo slowly tapped his way to the chair in front of Minato’s desk and gingerly sat down, the very picture of an infirm elderly man. It was hard to believe that this man could actually still fight as well as a ninja in his prime. Danzo leaned forward on his cane and questioned flatly, “So. What does the Fourth Hokage want from an old retired man at this time of the day?”

Minato mirthlessly smiled, his teeth bared. As he replied, “Let’s cut to the case, shall we?” he opened the second drawer on the left side of his table and ran a chakra-coated finger across the back of the drawer to unseal a highly classified scroll. Pulling the scroll out and placing it in front of him, Minato kept his hand on it to ensure that Danzo wouldn’t snatch it away from him. He continued, “Everything about your organisation Root is contained in this scroll, dating from the time of its founding in the Second Shinobi War all the way up to…yesterday.”

To Danzo’s credit, he remained firmly stoic and calm. After a long moment of thoughtful silence, he shrewdly said, “So you knew. I’m impressed. But as I’m currently not languishing in a cell or dead, I presume that you wish to make a deal?”

Minato kept his smile on, modulating his tone into a polite one, as he replied, “Not quite…” With a snap of his fingers, Danzo suddenly found himself surrounded with black sinous lines forming a containment seal. “…I am commanding you as Hokage, Shimura Danzo.”

A closer glance had Danzo break out into nervous sweat – they were a time-space seal, to be more precise, a variation of the Reverse Four Seals Danzo had on his very own body. He could sense powerful chakra coiled in the lines, ready to activate and blast him into oblivion.

That impudent rascal…! When had he placed this seal…?!

Danzo could not see a way out, knowing that he was too slow to escape the Hokage, also known as the Yellow Flash, and that a single move could be his end. He had not expected this and he felt angry for not having foreseen it.

Oh…I see. He exploited my deliberate lateness to lay this trap. Clever and so simple…

Yet, he was impressed by the cleverness and sheer audacity of laying the trap within the Hokage Office itself, the highest sanctum of Konoha. It also displayed Namikaze Minato’s ruthless streak that was startlingly much closer to Danzo’s brand than Sarutobi’s.

Taking a breath to recollect himself, Danzo slowly nodded towards Minato, “Well played, Hokage-sama. I did not expect such a cold-blooded response from you; you who was appointed by Sarutobi as his successor… Impressive. Very well. What is it you ask of me and Root?”

Seeing that he had won this battle, Minato wordlessly took out another scroll and pushed it towards Danzo. He said, “Everything about the targets is written in this scroll. Read it carefully and instruct your subordinates to be cautious – all of them are S –Rank. Eliminate them by any means necessary as long as it’s not traced back to Konoha. Do you understand?”

Danzo took the scroll and opened it to skim through the contents and he was shocked to see whom the targets were and even more so by the extremely detailed information about the targets, which would have been almost impossible, to gain due to the high risks involved. Closing the scroll with a snap, he clarified, “Hokage-sama, am I to believe that the information has been verified and is current?”

“Yes.”

“…Understood, sir. May I be dismissed?” Danzo remained seated, still wary of the seal that surrounded him. Minato nodded and the seal flickered away, the oppressive pressure receding and letting Danzo breathe easier. He got up, bowed and walked to the door.

Before Danzo left, he heard Minato say, “I am not Sarutobi and neither am I as lenient as he. If you or Root ever step a toe out of line, I am within my full rights as Hokage to execute you and purge Root. It would be in your best interests not to antagonise me again in the future. Have a pleasant day.”

Danzo walked out of the room in a swirl of conflicting emotions. That had not gone the way he had expected; Minato had taken the reins from the very beginning and shown him to be someone not to be trifled with. His pride had been severely injured but at the same time, he found himself strangely approving of the young man. After all, if it had been him, he probably would have done the same…

“Looks like Konoha might be in good hands this time…”

---

Hours later, when the sun was setting and the shadows grew long, Minato tidied up the stack of paperwork before stretching his back with a groan of relief and audible popping sounds. He didn’t really like being stationary for so long and doing paperwork on top of that was quite a pain in the neck, both literally and figuratively. No wonder Sarutobi had seemed so gleeful on relinquishing the hat to him years ago… Grabbing the pile of paperwork, he pushed the door open and handed the stack to his secretary, a middle-aged ex-Anbu kunoichi with a smile, “Please file these and thank you, Sato-san.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama. See you tomorrow.” Sato gave a small smile as she took the papers. Minato liked her efficiency and discreetness. She was also intelligent, a quality Minato valued highly because it meant that she was able to quickly suss out the dross from the important work when the pile came in first thing in the morning, saving him the hassle of having to go through everything one by one. He supposed that it probably came from years of experience working in Anbu as an information specialist working to decipher encoded information.

With a cheerful whistle, Minato finally went home, satisfied that the day had gone well; especially the meeting with Danzo. However, knowing that man, it would definitely not be the last time Minato would have to tangle with him again. At least, he was certain that Danzo and Root would accomplish the mission that he had given them.

---

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival had finally arrived. On this special day, Konoha did not take any missions to allow her citizens reprieve for the occasion. Ninjas both male and female, gleefully took the rare opportunity to let their hair down and put on their finest clothes, eager for the festivities and games. Meanwhile, on the streets, you could see some people still running around, frantically making last-minute adjustments – it had to be perfect, for tonight was would be their only and best chance for them to shine (and hopefully get more patrons)…until the next year, that is.

As the sun began to set over the horizon, lanterns were lit, their ephemeral colourful glow brightening the darkness and complementing the stars. Soon, the full moon appeared, its bright and silvery glow haloed around it. It was almost overshadowed by Konoha beneath it. Konoha had transformed into a carnival-like wonderland with multitudes of shops lining the streets and hawking their fares, some as far away as Mizu or even Iwa, long-time enemy of Konoha. It was almost hard to believe that the Third Shinobi War had ended only two years ago.

Naruto hooked his hands in the belt of his burnished orange yukata simply embellished with his insignia of nine-lined swirls, reminiscent of his secret heritage and a nod to his new identity as the Fox Sage. He was surveying the streets before him, trying to decide what he should do or see first. The games called out to his inner child but the savoury and sweet smells of food tempted his stomach. He turned to his left, wanting to ask Minato for his suggestion but stopped short when he didn’t see him there. Oh, that’s right, Minato was still stuck in the office, handling some last-minute reports. Poor man. Minato had promised to catch up with him as soon as he could but Naruto wasn’t expecting him to be able to make it and didn’t want to stress him further with his expectations.

Naruto’s stomach rumbled, settling his decision for him. He turned towards the food section and followed his nose to his favourite stall. Soon, the familiar sign of Ichiraku Ramen was in sight and Naruto felt his mouth water, as he smelled the delicious scent of miso and pork broth wafting across to him, as if seductively beckoning him to partake of noodly goodness. Unconsciously, his feet sped up and he was soon running in all-out dash to the stall, calling out, “Hey, old man, gimme three bowls of miso pork!”

“Gimme three bowls of seafood, Teuchi-jiisan!” A familiar voice cried as a blur of red, green and blue cut in his path. Not pausing to see who the interloper was, Naruto put on extra speed, trying to get there first so his orders would get served first. The other person did the same, attempting to elbow him in the ribs as she did so. Naruto reflexively dodged and finally recognised her as Uzumaki Kushina, “You! I should have known it was you!”

“…Oh, why hello! It’s Naruto! I’m not letting you get there first!” Kushina grinned back unrepentantly, her short ponytail bobbing as she ran. Naruto childishly stuck out his tongue at her and pulled down his eyelid as he dashed ahead, leaving her in the dust, “Nyah nyah nyah, not a chance!”

“Why youuuu….!” Kushina applied chakra to her legs and sprinted forward, yanking Naruto’s collar back, causing him to choke. As he rubbed his throat, Kushina was ahead already as she cheerily waved back, “See ya later! Hope you get there before I eat up everything!”

“Oh, it’s on!” With a burst of motion, Naruto and Kushina were caught up in an impromptu race to Ichiraku, jostling each other neck to neck.

---

“Ugh, I’m so full.” “Me too.”

The satisfied duo were beaming as they paid the happy Teuchi enough to pay for the prodigious amounts of ramen they had eaten between the two of them. Naruto noted that Kushina was wearing a pale green and blue yukata with a wave motif with carps dancing in the cloth. The cloth seemed to shimmer in the lantern light, offsetting Kushina’s distinctive fiery red hair. He was constantly amazed by how beautiful his mother-to-be was and had to wonder at how anyone in his original reality could have forgotten such a striking figure.

“Hey, Naruto, I’m meeting up with my friend Mikoto later. Would you like to come along? Or are you waiting for your special boyfriend?” Kushina’s eyes were mischievous but kind. Naruto was about to answer jokingly but he froze as he realised the ramifications of Kushina meeting Minato and drawing the connections. It was going to be like the Fourth War (well, Fifth for him).

He gulped and decided that it was probably better to turn her invitation down just in case Minato did turn up despite his workload. It was such a pity because he was really quite keen to meet Mikoto, the lady who had been Sasuke’s and Itachi’s mother and if he was lucky, he could also meet little Sasuke and Itachi. (Naruto still boggled at the thought that Sasuke would actually be a baby. A baby! And Itachi would be only four, five years old?)

“Yeah, sorry, I’m waiting for him. You can go ahead and meet your friend Mikoto. Say hi to her and her boys for me, please?”

“Ok.” Kushina nodded. She then peered closely at Naruto and thoughtfully hummed, “You know, I haven’t seen your boyfriend not even once. I’m starting to wonder if he actually exists and you just said that to avoid further questions and fangirls. When will you introduce me to him?”

Naruto barely refrained from squirming in discomfort at Kushina’s observant comments. Seeing Naruto’s hesitance, Kushina laughed and placed her hand on her chest, “No bets involved, I promise!”

“Ah no, it’s just that…it’s really hard for me to tell you who he is…” Naruto painfully admitted, his heart pounding in his chest. It was so unbelievably hard to say the words. It seemed as though it was even harder than admitting he was from an alternate reality and the former container of Kyuubi. It made sense because Kushina was after all, not only his mother, but also one of his closest friends and the truth would hurt her.

“I don’t think…you will take it well. Because…” Naruto haltingly continued before he took Kushina’s hand, “Let’s go somewhere private.”

“…Okay.” Kushina smiled at him encouragingly and he felt even guiltier. Avoiding her gaze, he brought them to the fringes of the festival, near the Hokage Mountain where it was quieter and less populated. It was also quite dim, the moon having been temporarily covered with clouds. Taking a deep breath, Naruto finally turned to face her and said, “I’m going to apologise in advance. I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant to intentionally hurt you. I just…God, how do I explain?”

“What are you trying to say, Naruto? I don’t understand.” Kushina now felt rather confused by Naruto’s odd behaviour. It felt as though Naruto was confessing to her, not in the romantic sense but for having committed some sin. Naruto flexed his hands, feeling a nervous sweat break out on his skin. But before he spoke, there was a slight breeze behind him and someone spoke for him.

“What he means to say is that he is with me.”

Kushina gasped and she was staring wide-eyed at the newcomer behind him. Naruto had barely turned around when he was pulled into a fiercely possessive kiss and surrounded by an overwhelmingly familiar scent and presence. He felt a hand sneak under his yukata and brazenly give his ass a firm squeeze, causing him to jump in surprise. Then all too quickly, it was over and Naruto dazedly stared at the familiar back, his cheeks hot and his lips tingling. Kushina’s face had turned an unflattering puce as she accusingly greeted the newcomer, “You…!”

“Sorry I’m late, Naruto. And hello, Uzumaki-san.”

The clouds had finally moved, revealing the moon. In the bright moonlight, the distinctive white Hokage coat shone brilliantly. It was unmistakeably Namikaze Minato as he stood in front of Naruto, shielding him from Kushina's view.