Better to Reign in Hell than Serve in Heaven

Better to Reign in Hell Then Serve in Heaven



Chapter 15



Paper Covers Rock



What the hell had he gotten himself into? He had never seen anything like the kid in front of him. It seemed as if sand was taking over his body as it grew even as he stood staring at the other being enclosed in the sand. The look in the other’s eyes scared him the most, emotional hatred. Most people when they feel anger direct it at certain things… the Kazekage seemed to have the unique ability to aim it at everything.



The smell of blood was almost overpowering now that he was in the center of the wormhole. It was the sand… drenched and retaining the smell no doubt helped along with the death of a multitude of forest animals. The only problem was that it was the same as the smell he had taken off the scout. The sent of fresh blood without an underlined sent that would indicate what it came from.



He needed help. His mission was to greet and escort the Kazekage, why the hell Hayate and Genma thought that he specifically was up to it, he had no idea. After all, he had in no way showed enough power to stabilize the other. In fact, he very much doubted anyone could stabilize him without knocking him out enough to remove the smell. Would it be polite to bring back the Kazekage out cold? Jiraiya had not exactly taught him about diplomacy.



“Let me out.”



“Kyuubi? I told you I did not want you using my mouth to talk.”



“No time now, while you are standing here, the Ichibi has almost finished transforming that boy.”



“Ichibi?”



“I’ll explain later, give me control.”



“We need him to get back to the village alive Kyuubi. You know what I think about death.”



“It will be your death if you don’t give…”



Pain lanced through Naruto as sand carved through his side reopening his previous wounds even as he escaped the brunt of the attack from the nasty looking claw like appendage that was now attached to the boy. He moved forward to attack aiming for the side that was without the hardened covering of sand to find hi9mself blocked by a wall of sand that tried to surround his hand he before he pulled back leaping away from him.



“Do you wish to kill us both?”



“Shut up.”



Naruto felt the other’s presence leave him at his words and found his chakra pool cut as the red chakra retreated back from where it came. Leaving him fully alone and unprotected to any attacks from the Kazekage. He ran from the other trying to gain some time.



“Damn it Kyuubi, I have no time for your hurt feelings right now.”



He received no reply and none of the other’s chakra was forthcoming, He would have to make up with his symbiont later once the task was completed. Right now, he had bigger problems running behind him and trying to kill him. Right now he was under the impression that he was only alive because the other was getting enjoyment hunting him down, though from the look in his eyes, Naruto doubt he had much time to be able to evade death if he did not take a more offence role.



He needed to get the boy away from the sand somehow. It seemed like so much a party of him though that his options where few if any. Not to mention he was even incapable to getting close to the other without finding a wall of sand in his way. His only choice left was his capture toad. The problem being that the other would probably kill it out of hand before getting captured by it, and that his earlier wounds were starting to act up as Kyuubi had even refused him healing once he disappeared.



He would have to end it quickly. His hands form the familiar jutsu that had allowed him to become Jiraiya’s apprentice as five other Narutos suddenly appeared. The wall of sand was only so big, if he could get him and his clones to attack from all sides, there was a possibility of hitting the target.



He left one of his clones behind to deal with setting the trap for the capture toad while he turned about and attacked head first at the boy behind him. His clones were effective, but if hit they would disappear. Right now he did not have the chakra to waste in making more of his shadow clones. Summoning toads took a lot of chakra especially when you aimed for specific toads.



His all out attack was having little effect as the sand continued to block their aim. When one seemed about to succeed, they would find themselves hitting sand. Though Naruto noticed a lag time between the aimed attack and the block with sand even if it was from all sides. He moved faster, adding a little bit of chakra into his legs and arms to increase his speed and power by overloading his muscles.



He was shocked to find the hit had landed on the other’s face to do absolutely no damage what so ever as he found yet more sand that seemed to completely cover his skin. The other clones seeing his success follow his example and increased their speed to break through the barrier that could only be constructed so fast. Suddenly they found themselves fighting a ball as the sand barrier completely covered up the individual inside from their attacks.



Now he was really stuck. While the capture toad could engulf the entirety of the sand and his target, the point was to remove the too, even worse now, the boy had locked himself away surrounded by the smells that was driving him further to kill. He would have to hope that with the barrier surround the boy now, that was walls would be thinner in order to break through it and get him out of it.



They moved forward to attack together to find that once again his defense had risen as none of them could break through the barrier. It was a close call as he moved away the moment he felt the memories of one of his clones pop into his head as it disappeared just as a sharp sand spike emerged from the sand ball just where he was at only a few moments ago. The other clones moved back but it had already taken two more of them.



He looked at the clone he had left fighting with him as memories for his other clone came back to him and he finally smiled. The preparations were done, now they just had to get him out. That meant the only fully power attack in his inventory. The two of them moved into place as the clone went through the movements as they willed the ball of chakra into being. This was the most powerful attack that Jiraiya had taught him. It was also their only hope of being able to separate the two.



With the ball formed they ran to the ball getting as close as they could before releasing the energy. The blast entered the ball cleanly burning through and leaving a glassy substance in its wake the blast from the other end shattered the sand in all directions as the boy was thrown from his enclosure. With what little time they had before the other could ready his defense again. The two of them grabbed hold of an arm and flung him at the trap that enclosed the Kazekage.



The sand around them stopped dead as the source of their power was removed from the equation. Out of breath and over worked Naruto fell to his knees as his last clone disappeared. Thankfully now that the danger was over, the small capture toad was able to move around and was more then concerned about his charge. Gamabunta had taken a liking to the kid after all and it would be a shame to get on his bad side.



Naruto just smiled at the toad in front of him before entering himself. His side was killing him as the wound still had not closed or was close to closing considering the workout he had given it but right now he had a prisoner he had to deal with before the others that felt the loss of his chakra came to investigate. Once inside he found the boy attacked to the walls of the frog just as Kakashi had been. Fully awake and trying to bore a hole through his head with his eyes. Once inside the frog the smell of blood was completely cut off and even more what little he had on him was overpowered by the smell of their surroundings.



“You make one hell of a first impression.”



“Release me.”



“Right now that would not be a good idea.”



“You will die.”



“See, that is exactly why I don’t want to release you.”



“…”



“I’m Naruto, a ninja of Konoha and its future Hokage!”



“…”



“Not very talkative are you. Well that is fine. Once we are outside the danger zone I can release you. To think that blood can turn you into…”



“So you saw it.”



“You don’t remember?”



“…”



“What do you last remember?”



“…”



“Damn it, I almost killed myself trying to get your ass…”



“I remember the smell of blood.”



Naruto tried opening up a conversation with the Kazekage a few more time only to be ignored as the other seemed to turn inward in thought but that was fine with Naruto for now. He was glad for the rest. The barrier surrounding the death field should have been taken down by now and the ninja investigating their battleground. Hopefully by the time his toad could get them outside the barrier the others would just start wondering where they were.



He felt their movement stop which was the clear sign that all was safe. He emerged with the Kazekage at his heels to find Kakashi before them. He had wondered how they had gotten out of the zone so quickly. His teacher had probably found the toad and removed them from the vicinity before the others could find them and learn his secret.



“Where are the others?”



“They are currently looking for you two once we found that the chakra signals were lost as we thought you had killed each other off with that chakra blast we had felt.”



“Should we inform them that we are found?”



“Once, you are taken to the hospital.”



“I do not need to go to the hospital.”



Both teacher and student looked over at the Kazekage who quite clearly as he had state did not need to go to the hospital. While Naruto on the other hand looked like he was dead on his feet even after his somewhat rest inside the toad.



“I rather you stay in the hospital until we find out what happened out here. It will give us an excuse to keep visitors away from you.”



“…”



Taking the other’s silence as consent, Kakashi grabbed both their shoulders and quickly transferred them into the hospital. Naruto was immediately descended upon by the nurses as they moved him towards the back so they would assess his injuries. The Kazekage followed glaring at anyone that seemed to wish to talk to him. He was curious about the boy. After all, what he had said had been true.



He remembered walking through the forest with his handlers to then be overwhelmed by the smell of blood. After that he could not remember a thing until waking up alone and restrained. He had been all too happy to see someone else entering the holding cell. As the Kazekage he was not allowed to be afraid. Emotions were useless to him. But he had never felt so alone since he first known that he was a monster.



“It’s ok. I want him to stay.”



“He is not injured and we need this room for…”



“Please. I want him to stay.”



He watched as the nurse left them in the room by themselves. Apparently when he was lost in thought she had tried to make him leave. As if anyone so weak could tell him what to do.



“Kakashi will inform them on what is going on. We probably won’t be seeing much of anyone until this incident blows over.”



Naruto looked over at the boy and saw that with his senses back that he was not much of a boy and looked to be almost the same age as himself. He looked older than before and just as introverted as he had been in the frog. He noticed that the other was fixated on the

Wound he had received at the battle though the nurses had already bandaged it and the bleeding had stop before enter their room.



“It’s just a scratch. I’ll be better in no time.”



“I was in full form?”



“No, it was just half. Part of you was your sand and the other was just you.”



“What are you?”



“I’m Naruto. I already…”



The blonde found hands gripping his neck in a chokehold as intense eyes stared down at him. He felt his air ways collapsing under the strain. He struggled but he had been weaken to start and with the oxygen denied to his body his strength was to weak to pull the other off. He could only stare at the other and he pushed harder willing the blonde below his hands to die.



The pressure was relieved and Naruto found himself looking straight at a pair of giant breasts. His attacker on the other hand found himself on the floor surprised as he felt about his face at the stinging mark he received from the slap by Tsunade. He had forgotten he no longer had his sand to protect him. He needed his sand back. It was what allowed him to be Kazekage. Here in the hospital he could not feel any sand at all. He was defenseless.



“What the hell do you think you were doing?”



“…”



“Tell be boy before I string you up by the neck and see how well you like it.”



“That is the Kazekage and a guest to our village.”



“I know who he is, but no one tries to kill one of my patients.”



“Thanks for the concern but…”



“Quiet. I’m kicking him out right now.”



“Please don’t.”



“He just attacked you and…”



“I want him to stay.”



“You’re just like that damn father of yours before he died.”



“You knew my real father?”



“Yes, now let me do my job and get the hell out of here before that damn council decided you are more trouble then you are worth.”



Both the young men fell silent as they watched Tsunade do her work. Now that Naruto could clearly see the other, he was surprised he had not recognized the Sannin before. She had not aged at all in appearance since the day he had left Konoha. Jiraiya would be displeased though. After all he was supposed to stay under the radar of his master’s old teammates.



“It seems that it is nothing serious even if you look worse for wear. It should take a couple of days of rest at most considering your excelled healing. I do not want to see you again for at least another month. The hospital can’t afford to feed that endless stomach of yours.”



Tsunade left just as quickly as she entered know that she knew that the boy would heal. Kakashi had caught her on the way to the council room with news that his charge had been injured after a clash with the Kazekage.



The Slug Summoner was more then annoyed with the tower for giving such a dangerous mission to a Genin team but could not fight it without putting Naruto in even more of a spotlight. She had agreed to watch over the boy when Jiraiya left once again to see for himself some disturbing rumors in a bordering land. Hopefully they would find some connections to the strange things that were happening on their own border. The council may think of it as nothing, but Tsunade was not yet ready to discount the events as commonplace.



Naruto found himself once again under study by the red head as the other took full account of his injuries. As the Sannin had done her job by opening the bandages and insuring the old injuries were healing the other had been able to take a good look at his scars and injuries many of them fairly old that he received from Jiraiya while training to the yellow and pink scars that still screamed out from his previous attack.



“That was not my doing.”



A finger traced the sensitive new skin that was the new growth on his chest after his traumatic incident. He knew what they looked like. Jagged marks that looked like someone tried to dig into him with a rough blade. Zetsu had wanted to be sure that he was marked in a way that could not be erased with healing. Even after his body was fully healed, he would be left with these signs.



“I was attacked by one of the Akatsuki.”



“You’re lying.”



“Do these injuries look like a lie?”



“They are not this careless.”



“Or they don’t care anyone.”



“…”



“If you don’t believe that is fine, I used…”



“I believe you.”



“What?”



No other words were spoken as the Kazekage moved away from his bedside towards the window that was allowing sunlight into their third story room. It was a small room with two beds. White with the silver flashes of metal were the only colors in the room. It was just an ordinary hospital room. He had not been in a hospital in a long time. Thanks to his sand protecting him from any harm even the few times he had tried to take his own life.



There had never been a need to enter a hospital, not even when his father died at the hands of the Konoha ninja. He could not blame them, after all his father had gotten more withdrawn after the death of his wife or so his siblings and uncle told him. His father always hated him personally for killing his mother in childbirth. It had been no surprise that he had gone crazy in his solitude. Yashamaru had tried to hide it the moment it was clear that his father was no longer mentally capable of handling his position.



It was later they learned that his uncle was the one who took advantage of his father in his weakened mental state. He gave his father monsters where they were only shadows and turned him against his own son. It was from his own father that he had first been called a monster. The other villagers had imitated him and seemed to convince themselves of that validity. In fact they almost convinced him as well. Baki was the only one he really trusted anymore.



It was Baki that had found out about Yashamaru’s plans. He had gone to confront his uncle himself hoping he could stop him before he did anything that could destroy the whole village. Yashamaru had acted so hurt that he had been accused. It was later that his uncle had attacked him with his men trying to kill him. He had killed them all but not before Yashamaru had told him that he had always hated him and that his mother hated him as well as all the villagers. That he was a monster that kills anyone that got to close to him and was better off dead.



At his uncle’s death, word got out that he had killed him for no reason. He was unable to tell others the truth without the truth about his father being known. Baki was the only one that really knew what happened and was there for him when his siblings turned their back on him.



His father had gotten worse without Yashamaru at his side directing his madness. Soon irrational orders were coming down and all he could do was watch as his village fell apart. The last straw had been his father breaking off all alliances with villages they had had peace treaties with for years. He had even gotten as far as hiring another village to take out key allies. The plot had been found out before it could be put to action and the result had been the death of his father and all his aids and councilors.



That had left a hole for the most powerful ninja had been killed and those that could take the place of his father were too scared or too proud to take over. With Baki’s support he had been able to convince the new council that he was the only person that would be impervious to assassinations and what the people needed now was stability. He had barely one the majority but that had been enough to make their plea with the land of fire. He was recognized as the Kazekage in name only. His people still despised him and saw him as the puppet king at Konoha’s strings.



It had been a long process to get this far, he was trying to build a broken village with twigs and string. The council was useless and they could never agree on anything. His people seemed to have lost their will and worst of all each day the voice in his head grew louder telling him to kill.



The voice started when he reached his maturity. At first he had ignored it then as time went by it became louder. He late found out that he had been an experiment that his father had approved to merge his new offspring with the Ichibi, the weakest of the legendary tailed beasts. What little information that he had pried out of Baki only made him more aware of the second presence in his head. He was a deadly presence that had overwhelmed him when he was weak. If he dared fall asleep too long, the other would emerge to cause havoc.



Baki was able to protect his people from him but there had been times when even he was outmatched by his other side. The villagers saw how much of a monster he truly was causing even more hatred towards him. Now there was talk of removing him as the Kazekage. They had no idea about all that he had done for them. Why he was no longer able to sleep.



He looked up as Kakashi entered the room. The blonde seemed in good spirits and greeted him enthusiastically. He envied the other’s ability to take things so easily, Just moments ago his other self had been release and was trying to kill him. Now he was smiling as if the new wound were nothing. He wanted nothing to do with them right now and turned away to look out the window he did not feel much like talking.



“The others from Sand are currently in the village. The one called Baki is demanding that I let him in but I’ve been able to discourage him for now.”



“Maybe I should meet them.”



“Until I know it is safe. I want the two of you here.”



“Kakashi, during our battle, the only way to calm the Kazekage was to remove him from his sand. His sand was tampered with. I highly doubt that he lets anyone near his most powerful weapon.”



“Are you telling me this was an inside job and right inside our territory? This could have been planned by them. After that last demonstration we had felt that Sand would no longer cause any problems but...”



“What I found in that barrier was not able to see things as allies or enemies and would have killed his own people as well.”



“Your opinion?”



“Watch his men, whoever did this wanted the Kazekage dead with as much chaos as possible. The traitor will act to finish the job and we will be waiting for him.”



The silver haired ninja left and the sound of a locking mechanism seemed to finalize their situation. They were stuck until he was attacked by his own man. He would have felt sadness had he thought it was any different. From what the blonde had said. His death would have given the faction that followed him over to the ones that hated Konoha for what they had done. It would have swayed the council to move against the village and bring their demise in the process. Sand would end if it tried to fight against Konoha at their current state.



“Thank you.”



“What for?”



“Had Kakashi gone to the council to inform them that my people were plotting to attack them again. Sand would have died.”



“I just told him the most reasonable explanation, Kazekage.”



“Call me Gaara.”