Angel of Death

Chapter 5

The first step to building an empire of any kind is the gathering of allies. Whether your goal be building your empire in the business field, founding or taking over a country, or founding or taking over a village the first and most important practical step is to find yourself the right allies. – Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama

Tenten tredged quietly through the forest back towards the groups camp site. She’d awoken from her sleep due solely to the call of nature and as such had to answer. She was still sleepy though and since she wasn’t on watch duty tonight was resolved to get a decent amount of sleep. She paused however as a muffled noise caught her attention and summoning a pair of kunai from… somewhere the girl crept slowly towards the noise. As she neared the source however her eyes widened in recognition of what it was, yet like a moth to flame she continued her approach.

Peaking around a tree her guess was confirmed as she found Naruto with his back against a tree, his pants pooled around his ankles. At her side angle she could easily make out the size of his hard saliva coated and judging by Haku’s nude, sweat covered form cum coated prick and the kneeling form of Haku as her mouth descended back upon his dick while her hand stroked what her mouth wasn’t taking in.

‘Kami I’ve become such a slut I can recognize the sound made when someone’s sucking a dick.’ Thought the girl absently.

Despite this revelation the girl continued to watch as the older kunoichi sucked off the younger gennin. Finally the blonde could take no more and tossed his head back while Haku pulled off of him just in time for the first spurt to hit her face followed by four more leaving her face covered in cum. Seeing this and knowing they’d snap back to their sense’s soon the leaf kunoichi left the sight for camp.

---

It was a quiet morning, something Kakashi was thankful for after the day he’d had. At the moment the large group of shinobi were loaded up within two boats using the ores so that they could travel across the water. In the boat that he and team seven occupied sat Kimmimaru while Haku sat in the boat occupied by Tazuna, Gai and his gennin team. They had however stayed an extra day within the clearing so that he and Gai could get their gennin up to a decent level of stealth.

Naruto it seemed was the only one who didn’t need the training as the kid was like a ghost when he wanted to be, there one instant and gone in the next leaving not a trace of his presence. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of sympathy for the NTF (Naruto Task Force) if this is what they’d been dealing with after his pranks. On the other had this had given him a sense of wonder in that Iruka of all people was able to catch him. In truth it was kind of scary how silent the kid was, he had all the markings of a perfect assassin.

Sakura and Sasuke however had been in desperate need of the training and as such needed the most help. It seemed that neither of them had put any effort into the development of their stealth skills which had at one point been a necessary skill taught at the academy. Gai’s team however had been better off, the year already under their belts being the reason why most likely. Despite the fact that they were supposed to be training however the gennin had still somehow managed to pester him about Naruto and his connection to the two Kiri-nin. As it was it was only due to his experience with Gai that he’d been able to tune them out as well as he had.

Naruto however groaned his head tilted back as his closed eyes were directed at the star filled sky above him. The blonde had been utterly exhausted yet he hadn’t been able to keep the small smile from off his face. Like the others he’d spent the previous day training however his focus had been solely on his kenjutsu, his taijutsu would need more work and time than he had on hand. Haku and Kimimaru had been more than willing to lend him a hand in his training in an effort to get the rust off of him. Even with his exhaustion he knew he’d be fully recovered by the time he they reached land.

Whatever the case he was fully satisfied with the results of his training. He had noticed that his body was already starting to respond quicker to his mental signals, though not to the level he’d last been at. He had also noticed that someone had been watching his training but hadn’t really minded much as he hadn’t sensed the slightest bit of hostility aimed at either his two friends or himself.

“Naruto-san.” Said a voice breaking him from his musing.

Opening his eyes and glancing at the speaker he was not surprised to find the kunoichi of team Gai sitting beside him.

“I was wondering how did you know Haku-san and Kimimaru-san were there the other day?” asked the girl, her question catching the attention of every other leaf nin as the two boats sailed said by side.

“They stepped into my perimeter.” Answered the blonde shortly closing his eyes once more.

“Ok but what does that mean?”

At her question Naruto sighed but otherwise remained silent. After a few moments Tenten huffed in annoyance just before the blonde spoke.

“If you were to stand within a body of water you would then be able to tell whenever something interacted with that body due to the ripple effect created by touching the water. Now ones perimeter is the area surrounding their bodies. Experts especially shinobi and samurai always pay close attention to that area. There are techniques and kekki genkai that specialize in this area some that can even extend it, the Byakugan being a prime example.

My technique has a similar effect as the Byakugan in that it allows me to sense anyone that enters my perimeter even at the very edge of it. Even if I’m asleep I will know immediately if that area has been breached. As far as I know only the Hokage and Iruka have been able to slip into my perimeter without my notice, even the ANBU do not escape me. The only others capable of such a thing are innocent babies who lack any form of hostility.” Finished the blonde closing his eyes once more.

Needless to say those who were in range to hear this information where either impressed or awed by such a technique. The sole exception to this being the sole Hyuga within the group who mentally scoffed at the blonde comparing his technique to the might of his clans Kekki Genkai. Gai and Kakashi however found themselves deep in thought, each knew the boy spoke the truth regarding an experience shinobi watching his perimeter however neither had ever thought of creating a technique for that sole purpose. Despite this Kakashi knew that such a technique would prove invaluable especially in stealth ops, this he realize would even explain how the boy always seemed to outmaneuver his pursuers.

“Quiet we’re nearing the island.” Said Kimimaru bringing all chatter to a halt.

Naruto took that moment to go over the plan that they had come up with. Team Gai and Haku would disembark first with Tazuna towards his home. Team 7 and Kimimaru would go ten minutes later and Naruto would track them while the team picked off anyone who would try and hit team Gai from the rear. Basically they were dangling the bait and when the fish when to grab it the shark would come up from behind.

After what felt like barely a few moments the blonde felt a tap on his arm, his signal to go and took off his glowing blue eyes easily seeing through the mist. In very little time at all they had reached a moderately sized house sitting over the water finding Haku calmly waiting for them outside. When Naruto finally came to a stop both Sakura and Sasuke were bent over panting while neither Kakashi or he himself were even winded

He was actually pleasantly surprised by his two teammates during the academy neither of them had much stamina, and even at his relatively slow pace just now they shouldn’t have been able to keep up like they had. Physically Sakura had always been at the bottom of the class and Sasuke while good hadn’t been that great stamina wise himself. The fact that they weren’t laid out on the floor said a lot about there training.

Whatever the case he was tired so without a word the blonde moved on following Haku into the house quietly introducing himself to Tazuna’s daughter Tsunami, who looked to have just crawled out of bed, and followed Haku to the guest rooms for some quality shut eye.

---

He awoke to find himself once again in the plains that made up his soulscape. He was surrounded by flames and wind blowing so strongly it was visible. Despite this he could not feel the heat of the flames nor did they damage his clothing. As if they had a mind all their own his feet began moving carrying him deeper into the combination of elements.

Finally he found himself in front of the familiar wolf that was Tenryo. However it was the figure that swept down from above that caught his attention the most. The figure was that of a massive bird it’s shaping instantly reminding him of the Houou (Mythical Phoenix). This was only further reinforced by the fact that the bird was made entirely of fire that was seemingly golden in color. As the mythic creature touched down he was not surprised to find it towering over him its height dwarfing even that of Kyuubi’s beast form. While Kyuubi stood at about fifty meters (164.4 ft) this creature stood at what had to be 61 meters (200.13 ft) with a wingspan about half of that.

As the creature lowered to face him he found that its iris possessed the same fire like shine while the rest of its eyes could not even be made out. Reaching a hand out he ran it along the creatures beak not at all surprised when his hand didn’t burst into flame.

“Beautiful.” Whispered the blonde in awe.

“You have grown in the time we have spent separated young one.”

The voice while feminine was filled with power as it was would’ve no doubt made anyone else shudder. Naruto however simply relaxed sure he could feel the power but the deep tenor voice had given him a since of calm that had once been absent. While Tenryo filled him with a sense of security this sensation was a new one. He could not for the life of him remember a time when he’d ever been calm or relaxed even in his younger years every day had been a fight for survival. When he had been joined by Haku, Kimimaru, and the others that fight had not stopped he had merely gotten an advantage of numbers to his side.

This new presence however engulfed him within its warmth, telling him in no uncertain terms that the battle was won. This creature in all its majestic glory would allow no further harm to befall him.

“Young one I have searched you, alas the time has not yet come for you to hear my name. That time however nears us and grows closer even as we speak. I look forward to that day.”

With that message Naruto found himself fading away from the plains that made up his soulscape his last sight being that of the two majestic creatures that dwelled there.

---

She awoke with a start her form quickly coming into a seated position the sheets falling at her waist allowing for her bare breast to be seen red hair silhouetting the curves, not that anyone was around to see such a sight. Despite the way she’d awoken a bright smile was upon her face as she’d allowed all that she’d learned to be digest. It was not the first time she’d awoken in such a way, the first being a little over a decade ago on what had to have been one of the worst days of her life, with only the destruction of her home comparing.

The vision she’d had however had filled within her a void that had been created on that dreadful night twelve years ago. She remembered the fist time she’d had such a vision as she’d awoken crying for the deed she was to commit cursing the world but doing as she was commanded all the same. There was no wonder to many why she’d done as she had after hearing of the deaths of both her husband and newborn son.

Now for the second time in her life she’d received a vision from the Shinigami one she’d been waiting for far longer than she was comfortable with. What she’d seen had filled her with such emotion that she had no idea what to do torn between weeping, and flying into hysterics majority of the time. Still she had been preparing for this for over a decade and now the time had finally arrived, she couldn’t be happier.

Her body had moved her on autopilot and before she’d even realized it she’d cleaned up and dressed herself in the appropriate clothing. As she left her home for her office she believed today would be a great day and soon she, Uzumaki Kushina would reclaim that missing piece of her heart, her only son.

---

Breakfast that morning was a silent affair as the large group went about eating there meals. Naruto and Haku had been the last to arrive though had done so before anyone could touch the food aside from Tsunami who cooked it.

“Okay listen up.” Called Kakashi catching the rooms attention.

“Haku-san, Kimimaru-san, and I will be scouting this place out for the next few hours. You all can use this time to rest more if you like. Tomorrow we will restart our training and will do so until the clones arrive.” Finished the cycloptic jounin.

Everyone nodded at that, it had been an idea Sakura had pitched of having clones henged into one of the groups to escort another henged as Tazuna to his home. Following this suggestion the sole blonde of the group had created a group of shadow clones for the job one transforming itself in Tazuna’s likeness while three more took on the forms of Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke respectively.

With that Naruto stood and left the room without a word, not surprising to his former classmates though both Kiri-nin shared a look which did not go unnoticed by Gai and Kakashi. Nearly twenty minutes later found the blonde standing within a small clearing within the forest that dotted Nami no Kuni.

“You can come out now.” Stated the boy calmly.

“Let me guess, perimeter right.” Said Tenten in annoyance as she emerged from the foliage behind him.

“No, you were standing upwind. The scent of machine oil is unusual here.” Answered the blonde as he turned to face her.

“It’s been quite some time Ten-chan.” Said the blonde with a small smile.

“How long?” Questioned the girl with gritted teeth causing him to raise an eyebrow.

“How long have you remembered me? How much longer were you planning to avoid me if I hadn’t called you out?” demanded the teenage kunoichi her tone carrying both anger and hurt.

“I have remembered since I woke up in that hospital bed last year. As for me avoiding you I had hoped you’d forgotten me I didn’t want you wrapped up in my problems again.”

“Damn it Naruto you don’t have to protect me anymore! I’m not that same little girl that could be picked on and pushed around. That’s why I became a shinobi in the first place to change that. After you disappeared that night I swore I’d get strong enough so that I could find you again. Every day for seven years I’ve worked myself to the bone for that goal and now you’re back and trying to keep me at arms length!”

“The situation isn’t the same Tenten. It isn’t villagers I’m worried about now. Just like you I’ve changed, I’m not the same person anymore. I’m a killer; a murdering bastard with so much blood on my hands I’ve lost count of the bodies.” Said the blonde.

“You think that matters to me all shinobi are killers it’s our way of life. However what does matter is that I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you.” Said Tenten.

“Wait a minute if this is about that shit last year…” started the boy only to be cut off.

“So that was you then too. I thought it was a dream I conjured up from my subconscious that you’d come save me when I was about to be raped in an alley.” Said the girl with a sad smile.

“I was talking about all that time you’d look out for when we were little. You made sure I ate whenever I got hungry. You chased all the bullies away, you were the first person to get me a birthday present.” as she said this she fingered the small fox face pendant that hung from her neck.

“Yet all of your problems were because you were close to me.” Said Naruto calmly.

“Naruto I’m an orphan even without you things were still difficult, maybe more than they would have been. Sure you may not have been able to do anything but you’d have been there to talk to me when I needed you.”

“What do you want from me Tenten?” questioned the blonde leaning against the trunk of a tree.

“I want my best friend back. And you to fuck me like you did Haku.”

As she said this she was barely able to keep the last sentence in her head still she walked up on the boy placing her hand upon his chest. For a moment they just stood there her looking into his eyes before he closed them and she fell upon him wrapping him tightly in a hug crying softly with a smile on her face. So preoccupied were they neither one noticed Kimimaru silently leave the area.

Twenty minutes later found him standing across from a panting Tenten. Somehow the girl had managed to convince him to spar with her kenjutsu only. While the girls sword wielding skills were good she was still nothing compared to foes he’d faced in the past. She’d realized this and somehow was able to trick him into teaching her more about kenjutsu.

“Are you sure you want this Tenten?” questioned the blonde only to receive a determined nod.

Suddenly Naruto’s entire countenance changed and the girl found herself struggling to both stand and breath. Out of nowhere a pressure had crashed upon her forcing both the air out of her lungs and her knees to the ground. It was different than killing intent though, she’d felt it plenty of times during the passed year to know the difference. Finally the pressure faded and she found herself breathing yet her body still trembled.

“That was spiritual pressure. It is simply put me letting loose the restraints I hold on my energy allowing it to flow off of me freely. As I am capable of separating my chakra into its base components such ability is granted to me. From now on I will teach you all that I know about kenjutsu. At most right now you can fight maybe six men, I will teach you to engage one hundred. You know how to disappear, to hide, I will teach you to become truly invisible.”

“Invisible.” Gasped out Tenten slowly standing to her feet.

“It’s not impossible. Invisibility is a matter of patience and agility. You must always mind your surroundings. Theatricality and deception are powerful tools, you will be more than a man or woman in the eyes of your opponents. Just remember you asked for this.”

As Naruto finished Tenten found herself shivering upon seeing the disturbing smile upon his face.

---

Two hours later found the blonde once again alone within the clearing. Lee had shown up about 15 minutes prior to collect Tenten for some reason or other. Tenten had pouted but had complied as she followed the green clad boy out of the clearing. At the moment the blonde was seated with his back against a tree examining the two summoning scrolls he’d been granted. Theoretically he knew all about the C-ranked technique. It was a time space technique used to summon a familiar that you had a contract with to your side more often than not used for battle.

The Karasu contract consisted of three levels of summons. The First level consisted of small normal looking birds which were used as scouts and messengers. The second consisted of what some would call medium sized birds growing up to about fifty feet from beak to tail. These could be used as to carry passengers and for fighting using wind techniques. The final level consisted of birds growing up to about one hundred feet from beak to tail, about as large as Gamabunta was said to be. These were rare as they were the most powerful of the bunch their powers easily outstripping those of the lower classes.

The Kitsune contract was much the same, however they didn’t operate in the family scheme like other contracts. The Kitsune were celestial beings and members of the Kami’s court. They were also known as the army of Inari and as such worked much like any military would. When you summoned the Kitsune they came in regiments.

The scouting class would allow you to summon up to twenty of them each about the size of a puppy while the leader would be about the size of an adult wolf. The second class were the warriors which generally came covered in armor a battalion of fifteen could be summoned about the size of a full grown horse with up to three tails. The next class consisted of the elemental warriors numbering ten each of them capable of manipulating a single element symbolized by their fourth tail. The fifth tail granted them a second element, the sixth a boost in chakra reserves, seven gave regeneration, eighth increased their height. Of course it was rare for any to receive so many tails and took thousands of years.

It had been on Ryoko’s induction into the army that the ninth tail had been revealed as well as the third element. While originally nothing more than a mass of chakra taking the form of a kitsune Ryoko had been granted booth a physical Kitsune form and a humanoid one by the Kami. This however was in exchange for her taking command over the army.

Shaking the thoughts from his head the blonde quickly found the empty slots for signing on the Karasu contract. Piercing his thumb on one of his sharper than average canines he quickly went about signing the contract and placing the handprint in the empty slot becoming the first to do so. Almost as soon as he did so the scroll rolled itself shut and disappeared in a cloud of ninja smoke, while a slight itching sensation traveled along his back which he easily ignored.

Thankfully the technique only required five seals I (Boar), Inu (Dog), Tori (Bird), Saru (Monkey) and Hitsuji (Ram). For a few minutes he just ran through the seals so that he could do them quickly without fumbling through them. Finally content he once again pierced his thumb and ran through the seals aiming to channel a small amount of chakra into them. However in spite of what he aimed for his chakra was seemingly sucked from him before finally it stopped allowing him to slam his hand to the ground and activate the technique. As expected there was a large cloud of ninja smoke which blocked his sight momentarily and was quickly swept away by a breeze. When the smoke cleared a giant bird stood perched before him, though nowhere near as massive as the phoenix his zanpakuto spirit.

It was pitch black reminding him of the darkness in which he often took comfort and solice. It had four blazing red eyes, much like an angered demons along with wickedly sharp black talons. Before he could even comment the creature began to shrink until the point it took on a whole new form. Standing before him now was that of a woman about sixteen years of age.

She stood at the height of 5’5” with a single pair indigo colored eyes. She wore what he could only be a battle dress which looked to be made of spandex. The dress was a dark blue color which looked similar to a leotard in design, at the hips a golden belt was placed while what he considered to be flaps of fabric fell down her legs only managing to cover her pelvic area. She wore a pair of dark blue leather boots that went up to about the middle of her thighs. This went along with the long gloves that went up to the mid point between her elbows and shoulders. Finally she wore a hooded cape the same color blue the hood of which folded over her face forming a beak.

“So you are the one father spoke of.” Said the woman her tone calm betraying no emotion.

“I am Kurohime, daughter of Kurorasu, leader of the Karasu clan. You are Shinigami-sama’s apprentice, Mibu Naruto correct.”

“I am, it is a pleasure to meet you Kurohime-san.” Said the gennin with a slight bow.

“As you know no one aside from Shinigami-sama has ever been aloud to summon us. As you are the first I am to act as you liaison to the clan and as such am your personal summon. This means I am to stay with you from this point on. For now however I must return to Azerath and inform my father I will see you upon my return.”

Receiving a nod from the male Kurohime proceeded to disappear with a cloud of ninja smoke.

---

When Naruto made it back to Tazuna’s he found himself just in time to be called for lunch. He had spent a few hours practicing with his new zanpakuto hoping to get used to the feel of it. Despite the fact that a zanpakuto was practically weightless to their wielder it was still wise to get used to the weapon. He’d used it during his spar with Tenten and found that his motions were sloppy at least for him. Unlike Tenro his new zanpakuto took the form of a katana, which meant he’d have to get used to the time it took to unsheathe the blade and adjust to its length accordingly.

While he was still training with the blade Kurohime had returned with some new information for him. Apparently the tattoo on his back, of the black wings were actual wings sealed away. It had been a gift to him from the Karasu clans head showing his link to the clan. Kurohime was to teach him to fly upon their return to the village after securing some measure of privacy to train. However for discretions sake she was now taking the form of a regular raven and was perched upon his shoulder.

Needless to say eyebrows were raised upon seeing him walk in with a bird on his shoulder but everyone shrugged it off. As he sat he surprised everyone by placing not one, but two swords down beside him. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the sight it was uncommon for shinobi outside of ANBU grade to use one sword, yet he carried two. The first he easily recognized as the kodachi the blonde had fought him with during the evaluation. The second however was new the hilt was a rich crimson red with gold diamond designs while the guard was shaped like a star. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the girl, Tenten eyeing the sword warily meaning she’d seen it before.

“So it finally manifested, how long?” Said Kimimaru with a raised eyebrow.

“It manifested yesterday, I just had to summon it which took some effort.” answered Naruto getting a nod from the pale skinned Kiri-nin.

“What do you mean, manifested?”

Kakashi inwardly praised Sakura for asking the question, this way he wouldn’t have to interrogate the blonde himself.

“Well like I said yesterday I have a Kekki Genkai, which I shared with Haku and Kimimaru. To simplify things what it does is create a weapon connected to the soul of a person with it. Since it manifest within the wielders soul, you have to summon it to the physical plane which takes a shit load of concentration, which is why I left to do so. Because of this though no one else could ever use it against us, yet makes the weapon weightless for its wielder. That’s really all I can tell you without giving too much away.” Answered the blonde.

“And you can actually share this?” Asked Sasuke eagerness dripping from him in waves.

“I can do so but it’s not as easy as it sounds. In fact when I shared it with my friends it only worked do to them possessing weapons that were already unique.” Answered the blonde.

“Unique?” asked Tsunami her eyes shining with interest in the subject.

“Well there are a few swords in existence older than even shinobi known collectively as the Demon Blades.” Answered Haku catching the groups attention.

“They received their moniker for being bloodthirsty blades wielded by equally bloodthirsty samurai. The Great Demon Blades as they were known could not be broken, cracked, bent, or dulled. They had no problem cutting through steel weapons or solid iron. During our travels we stumbled upon them and they accepted us as their wielders. When Naruto shared his Kekki Genkai with us, it allowed the blades that already had personalities all their own to link with our souls granting them an extra boost in power. Because of this we who had no family became one, taking the Mibu.” Answered Haku.

“So that would make them what your brothers?” asked Sakura.

“Our relationship is complicated. I could think of them as my brothers one minute and my lovers the next it’s much the same for them.”

“That seems kind of weird.” Said Lee quietly.

“Not so much if you think about it. Kekki Genkai only stay around due to inbreeding, without it the blood would thin too much and the bloodline would fade. It’s why clan restoration laws are the way they are.” Said Kimimaru calmly drinking tea.

The conversation that stemmed from this would leave many of those gathered there with a whole new view of the world.

AN: That’s it chapters done. It took a while but I finally finished it. Anyway thanks for reading, please review and I’ll see ya next time. LATER.