Chapter Text
Naruto Uzumaki: Unwilling Medium
Chapter 21: Who Knows the End?
AN
And back to NU:UM. I'll be publishing two or three before moving on this time, so that readers can look forward to a week or so of content. It's going to be a fun chapter, enjoy!
Obito's POV (Jashinist Hideout - Land of Fire)
Obito was a patient man, albeit a vengeful and vindictive one. It was only his great patience and desperation that allowed him to hold on. Allowed Hidan and Hudana to continue to live long enough to sprout their nonsense. Allowed the rest of the cultists to continue to form so-called trials. It was a feat of patience, truly…
He set his foot down gingerly, gritting his teeth and gripping his fist so tightly they ached. A man of Obito's caliber did not cry out in pain, but one could've mistaken his deep breaths for muffled cries of pain. The burning hot coals beneath his feet seared, and Obito could feel his flesh melting and baking on the soles of his feet. The urge to jump away, use Kamui to become intangible, or simply run away from the coals was great. But Obito was made to walk the massive bed of burning coals beneath him, and the sharp burning mass was a rough and sharp surface, meaning Obito moved even slower. Gingerly measuring each step, absorbing the pain the best he could, and taking the next step. The only saving grace he had available was that his skin was suffering so deeply.
His soles had hardened and become slick with fluid. Obito was certain there wasn't a patch of flesh on the bottom of his feet left unburned. It helped dull the pain, however, and Obito didn't dare let himself be consumed by it. Unless he continued his trek, the matter would only become more dire.
It was roughly a ten-yard patch of burning coals. The leftovers from the celebration held in his honor the day before. An event he had been unconscious during, luckily, in his opinion. Obito was keen on anything to escape these loons. The bonfire from the event had been kicked out to create an even field of ash and burning coal. Obito's feet had been soaked beforehand, a necessary concession he had insisted on. And the second task had been set, Obito was to endure the march of the Burning Trek.
Just as in the last task, it was deceivingly simple; Obito had to walk steadily across the burning field. And if he did so without increasing his speed or breaking his stride, he would have succeeded. Jashin would be pleased, and Obito determined to pay the Jashinist and their god back.
Obito nearly let loose a howl of pain, his left foot became wet for a moment before the heat and flames sapped that away, blisters forming on his soles and bursting at once. Obito ignored it; he forced himself through another series of steps. Mechanically forcing himself through it all.
The trial had left him sore and stiff beforehand. Painful and absurd to be certain, but relatively easy. Nothing worse than what Obito had suffered in the past, nothing worse than what the world would suffer if he failed. However, the man would readily admit that this was a step up. The pain pooling in his feet shot up his body in pulses, each one of them filling his thoughts with nothing but the pain. Yet Obito merely grunted through the worst of the pain and continued forward.
"Your friend is performing well. I've never seen anyone come close to succeeding in this task." Humota nodded sagely along as Obito continued his torturous march. The leader of the cultist branch, Hidan, and Hudana themselves were seated off to the side. Treating his suffering and struggle as little more than a show to go with their drinks. The witnesses to his feat, they claimed. Though Obito suspected Hidan merely enjoyed seeing him humbled, a reversal of their power roles was not the case. Obito could admit perhaps he had been rough to the man, reduced to a head. He would ensure that whenever this was all over, he was downright cruel in the future.
"For a pansy normie, he has shown some real balls." Hudana agreed, sipping a bottle of beer, and helping Hidan get a sip of his own from her lap. The pair ignored the beer dripping from the stump of his neck and soaking the woman's lap.
"Heh, he might not be visionaries like ourselves," Hidan replied with a chuckle. "But he was the shadowy leader of our little team."
"Stop spreading that information!"
"Oh, come on, the Akatsuki is dead and over with!" Hidan snapped back.
Oh, Obito's vengeance would be cruel and unusual. But first, he had to endure this. Each step was torture, but the overwhelming pain was familiar. It felt like it put cracks within his very perception. His mind wandered, perhaps his body's desperate attempt to cope with the absurd pain.
He saw Kakashi and him sparring for the first time. That day, it had felt like he was fighting a god, not his rival, not someone at his same level, but a god. A being incapable of mistake, of being outshone. He could remember Rin doing her best to cheer them both on. Oh, she reacted more for Kakashi, but her kind heart made her attempt to be fair. Those days had been simple, days Obito had taken for granted back then, but now realized they had been the best days of his life.
He remembered the darker part of those days. The time at home with his Uchiha clan, a group of people who never seemed keen on him. He had been like an alien among them, too boisterous and open for the intelligent and moody crowd. Too untalented and unrefined to impress them. Even Obito's own parents had been strangers to them. They had never understood their son, and he them. But those hard times had only made the times with team Minato all the better.
Obito saw the rainy day, and he had lost that happiness. The day, somehow, Kakashi had been driven to kill Rin with his own hands. Oh, even then, he had understood things were different. That Kakashi must've been forced, or the situation somehow explained it. All the same, Obito relived the fury that had overtook him, the insatiable hunger for violence that led to his rampage.
Then he only saw darkness…
X-X
Obito awoke to the cheers of Hudana and Humota, and he was face down on the floor. His feet felt cold; they throbbed with pain. But somehow, and in some way, the heat was gone. Had he somehow failed? Had his will been given in? However, Obito could still hear the crackling of coals behind him. Raising his head, he looked back to see Humota using a bucket of water to slowly douse and put out the coals. He was laid out in front of the field. Obito had managed to cross to the other side.
"Another trial down! Perhaps Obito here really can be a splendid follower of Jashin!" Hudana complimented, stooping over to slowly lift Obito to his feet. "I've never seen anyone actually succeed at the Burning Trek! Even my twin brother failed it back in the day!"
"I'm going to kill you all…" Obito drawled.
"Oh come on!" Hidan cheered from Hudana's free shoulder. "That performance was the stuff of legends. Years from now, I'll regale the bloodthirstiest disciples of Jashin with this tale! And with that, the second trial is done! You've earned some much-needed rest."
"The first reasonable thing anyone has said." Obito drawled tiredly.
"By partying!" Hundana, Hidan, and Homuta cheered as one. Suddenly, the rest of the cultists returned, music began to play, the culist began to rage and fight, and dancing thrived around him. The three leaders thrust Obito into a free booth and literally started to pour liquor onto him.
Obito could only sigh dejectedly, knowing that tonight and the next day would be wasted. Those fools would get him drunk and exhausted, then subject him to some asinine trial which would truly just be some sort of insane torture…
X-X
The day of partying and supposed rest came to an end relatively quickly. Obito spent much of it lying up, attempting to keep his feet elevated so they could heal. From his laid-up position, Obito watched it all.
Eventually, the evening and the day came to an end. The Jashinists mostly pass out or retire with one another for a different sort of party. And as they did, all that remained was a dozen or so men and women, who moved with the equally exhausted Hudana, Homuta, and Hidan to begin preparation for the subsequent trial.
It was clearly a much more in-depth and intense one than the last. Obito had been dragged over to what appeared to be a medical office. There were barely any accurate healing instruments within, but Obito saw bone saws, scalpels, and more in abundance. Hudana and another Jashinist forcibly strapped Obito down to a chair. Seals covering every inch of its body, and its arms and legs bound to the seat. As they did, two more walked into the room, wheeling a cart full of syringes with them.
"What are we possibly doing now?" Obito asked tiredly. He watched lazily as they prepped the room around him. He was sure whatever this was would be trying and insane. And as tired and worn out as he was, struggling or resistance would be impossible anyway. And as insane as this lot was, Obito suspected this wasn't for nothing.
Ever since he had completed the second trial, Obito had felt a weight settle on him. It caused no pain, it wasn't physical, it didn't even strain his attention. But somehow, Obito was aware that something was watching him. It felt old and powerful in a way he hadn't felt since he met Madara all those years ago. Yet somehow this was even… more.
It made his skin tinge, the hairs on his arms and neck standing on end. Somehow, it affected his mood; Obito felt more snappish than usual. His normal revenge fantasies against these fools came more often. And before, where it was just dark frustration building up, it had now become detailed wants. Whatever was watching him did so with an attention that felt loose and uninterested. And if this was the effect of that, Obito felt that gaining more of it would be for the worst.
"That would be simple, and you're lucky indeed." Hidan began a rant as he was placed on a simple metal table in front of Obito. "For this, a trial that will test you mentally instead of physically. Lucky for you, considering the sorry state the last trial left you in. This one is called "Finding the Eye of the Storm!"
"That sounds stupid."
"No, it's gonna knock you stupid!" Hidan joked. As he did, Hudana appeared beside Obito, hands full of syringes. Obito attempted to struggle, but the chair prevented him from stopping. Hudana plunges one syringe after another into Obito's arm. "This stuff right here is some of the highest-grade narcotics the market has to offer. Cost us most of these loyal Jashinist savings to get. But with our diligent work, we have acquired most of the best shit we could find."
"You drugged me?!"
"Oh, don't turn your nose at me, Tobi. We're literally professional killers, kind of odd to turn our noses away from drugs like killing is any better. Besides, there's no time to complain yet; they should be kicking in already."
"I'm not feeling anything," Obito replied hatefully. "This ain't shit-"
Obito would've continued, but suddenly he forgot how to speak…
Hashirama's POV (Great Leaf Gate - Hidden Leaf Village)
Hiruzen and Hashirama strolled along the walls of their village. While only one was visible to most, the sight of two Kages, the first one ever and the only one to survive their term. As they did, Hashriama would occasion a forceful pulse of energy from within him. It seemed his death had given him new abilities, which he was blessed to use to defend his home once again.
"It seems my granddaughter is less than pleased with my return. I can plainly admit the circumstances are less than ideal. Seeing a family member brought back, it must be quite the weight on her shoulders." Hashirama spoke to Hiruzen; the isolation on the wall was crushing to the man. Given a second chance, sort of, and here he was, stuck on guard duty.
"Tsunade has always been a temperamental young woman," Hiruzen said with a sage smile. It was odd seeing someone he had known in his life. While Hiruzen had never been his own student, he had heard of the man from his brother. Back then, he had been a hopeful and inexperienced green-eared shinobi, full of potential, hopes, and dreams. Now the man was at least in appearance his elder. He spoke with a tone that was warm and familiar, despite being the grandfather among the two of them; Hiruzen had him beat. "One burdened with a responsibility that cost you your life and me my youth. While I'm sure she's overjoyed with your return, she also recognizes the trouble brewing now. These spirits and apparent Shinigami are grave threats, ones that she'll be tasked to deal with. You must be patient with her and recognize that it will take time. Besides, does it not fill you with warm pride to serve the village you created once again?"
"Of course!" Hashirama said with a boisterous laugh. "I never thought I'd get to see the progression I and so many of my comrades worked to create. It makes me more than happy to see that it panned out. The homes have become larger and much more luxurious. The people are more numerous and higher in wealth and spirit. To think my hairball idea would grow so much, I had worried during my death what would become of it."
"You worried for nothing," Hiruzen replied warmly. "Your brother worked just as tirelessly as you did and came up with so many ideas. If not for him, Kami knows how my own first term would've gone."
"Four Hokages, to think this village would have such longevity."
"Five. Well, actually, technically six."
"Six?! Unless I'm not considering something that seems off."
"Well, there was you, Tobirama, me, Minato, but then he died tragically young, me again, and now Tsunade," Hiruzen explained plainly. "For obvious reasons, the post is less than healthy to maintain."
"Such is the burden of any leader." Hashirama nodded in response. "But I must admit to some level of confusion. Before my death, I had created the village systems to end the bloodshed; my brother was tasked with seeing through when I perished."
"He tried, Kami knows he tried just as hard as I did. But Tobirama never held the same hope as you and I; the constant struggle for power between the villages did not change merely because they were in new groups."
"Strange…" Hashirama pondered. "I have figured that fewer but more massive groups would stop the battles from being as frequent, even create and spread incredible living weapons. I figured with that much power contained within each, they would have no choice but to be peaceful… mutually assured destruction."
"Mutual assured destruction, I remember you and Tobirama crafting that idea all those years ago. It was the one thing we never agreed upon. The idea of grouping the villagers wasn't a bad one per se, as it did, at least numerically, lead to fewer outright battles. But it made those battles all the more devastating when they did happen. In time, the change was undone, as people were disenfranchised and further divided by hate; more villages came. Seeking to become the next great one. With the newer agents weakened by the established ones, and new weapons attempting to overcome them, war came again. Honestly, sir, I was never certain what you were thinking with the jinchuriki idea."
"Come now, Hiruzen, the idea was ingenious! A human candidate chosen by willingness and ability, the tailed beasts were one of the biggest problems of my time. Finding a way to not only solve the tailed beast problem but also use their might to help others seemed a worthy solution. I had even considered the reactions of the other newly formed villages. With the nine-tailed beast in my possession, there would be tension and fear; they would worry about me coming and silencing them with ease. So I spread them out, made sure each corner of this land had one in its possession, and in doing so made the use of them pointless. Point one at your rival and see it returned. I didn't have the benefit of hindsight…"
"Wait, you said willing?"
"Well, of course, it would be inhumane to force the issue."
"Doesn't jinchuriki roughly mean human sacrifice?"
"Yeah, not forced human sacrifice… we weren't forcing it, were we?"
"Well, yes, who the hell would volunteer for that?!"
"Someone selfless, someone determined to aid their home, a patriot!"
"Jinchuriki are universally hated; they would be signing up for a life of strife and loneliness. Of course, we would never find one. Besides, Mito had no choice in the matter!"
"Of course she did, as did her replacement. Two Uzumaki prepared and trained for the great duty, who were their replacement?"
"Uh, well…an infant…"
"The fuck?!"
Naruto's POV (Mist Pier - Hidden Mist Village)
The seven of them were seated along a pier. Waiting for the crew of the ship to be ready to set sail. The plan was simple: the seven of them and a very light ship's crew would board the vessel, and there they would patrol a perimeter around the village. A sitting duck, they were sure the thorough Zabuza wouldn't look past. Once he did well, they would confront him.
And for the first time since this mess started, Naruto felt an eerie calmness fill him. Despite his fear and hesitation, they had managed to defeat Kisame, a S-rank shinobi and relentless spirit. In doing so, they had made the Mist safer, perhaps the entire world. Naruto had never been one to ignore those in need, and while this Medium thing was a huge hindrance, it could be a chance for him to do good.
Yet the words of the old, strange creature rang in his head. The assurance that somehow Zabuza would be an even worse struggle was a frightening one. Kisame had been holding back, more than even he had known, apparently, and yet the man had nearly overwhelmed them. It seemed that even if they could hurt the spirits, even if they let them touch them. That this would be no traditional battle. It would take more than that to end Zabuza. Naruto experimentally flexed his hand, forming a Rasengan, yet unlike last time, it didn't shine with the same strange glow as before. Despite Naruto's recent success, his apparent powers were alien to him.
"Uh, so one question?" Chojuro asked the others, taking the time to rewrap his sword in bandages. "What exactly is the plan here?"
"Well," Shikamaru said with a stressed chuckle. "We don't really have one, I imagine Naruto and them charged headfirst towards that first ghost without one."
"Hm." Shion sounded off arrogantly. "Speak for yourself. During that last battle, I managed to use my powers effectively. If given more time, that fiend wouldn't have had one chance to hurt my beloved."
"Anyone who touches Naruto dies." Hinata sagely agreed. "Shion and I, as the rightful rivals for Naruto's heart, have agreed on such."
"The two of them are friends now?" Haku asked interestedly.
"The potential for a harem is increasing!" Jiraiya cheered.
"It only makes sense," Shion explained. "Naruto has many redeeming traits. He's an actual hero."
"The Mizukage has already shown how incredibly seductive Naruto can be." Hinata continued on. "Some strong defense is necessary."
"You know I normally don't like when they get like this, but if it protects me from spirits…" Naruto hummed.
"Ignoring that lunacy…" Shikamaru stated plainly. "I actually do have a plan of sorts."
"Oh, thank Kami…" Chojuro said with a sigh. "I thought we were gonna confront Zabuza with nothing but our luck…"
"Of course not," Shikamaru said with a chuckle. "With Shion here, we have a surefire method of combating this spirit. All we need to do is get Zabuza into a position where she can do her thing. If given a shot, can you exorcize it?"
"Within reason, Kisame was able to resist my powers. Spirits can't just be outright outpowered. Even with my own might, it may take some real effort to force them into the next life." Shion mused. "If I had time to use one of my incantations, though, I might be able to do it before Zabuza had time to react."
"Easier said than done." Haku chimed in. "Master Zabuza was quite the cunning combatant; he won't be caught off guard easily."
"But we're not fighting Zabuza, are we?" Shikamaru said with a smirk. "Kisame acted differently from Zabzua. It was pretty clear the guy was in full control of his actions, but Zabuza wasn't. Even in the middle of combat, the guy seemed uninterested. But he attacked all the same; he must be under orders from the Shinigami, likely to kill Naruto."
"Okay, how does that help us stop him?" Chojuro asked with a raised brow.
"We use bait…"
X-X
"I hate this plan!" Naruto roared, kicking fitfully. The blonde was tied to the mast of their small vessel. Haku and Jiraiya were floating next to him as guards as their boat cut through the water. Naruto was soaked as sea mist constantly sprayed on him.
"Now come on, Naruto." Shikamaru hollered from above. Next to him stood Chojuro, blade readied, and a concerned, but Naruto noted unmoving Hinata. "This is the best way to do it. Zabuza is going to gun for you. So we'll serve you up gift wrapped, and nail the creep when he comes."
"I understand Zabuza is the enemy, but can we refrain from insulting him?" Haku asked politely.
"He is kind of forced into it." Jiraiya pointed out.
"SO AM I!" Naruto added.
"Okay, well, I'll refrain from insulting Zabuza, but no dice for you, Naruto. Although this is a drag, this will be the perfect setup. He goes to murder you or whatever, Haku and Jiraiya defend you, then Shion smokes him." Shikamaru said with a proud nod. "Shion, are you ready up there?"
"YEP!" Shion bellowed high above the rest of them. He couldn't hear it, but Shion was chanting to herself quietly above them. Whatever energy she was stirring up felt powerful. While Naruto was tied to the front, and Shikamaru and co were around him to try to ensure his safety, their ace Shion herself was positioned above. Allowing her to see everything and have the perfect moment to exorcize Zabuza.
"What about the crew! This is too risky! Maybe we should take them back!" Naruto pleaded.
"Shikamaru thought of that too." Haku countered apologetically. "Besides, you gave me your word we'd handle Zabuza."
"Yeah, I assumed I wouldn't be helpless during that!" Naruto roared. "What about the weapons that old weird thing gave us?!"
"A good backup plan," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "But he gave you those and seemed confident we'd still be in trouble. If things fall apart, having a good backup is essential. Besides, I remember you saying, and I do quote you here. "I don't trust that weird alien thing, fuck him."
"Damn my mouth!" Naruto bellowed. "Seriously, Hinata! Shion! Are either of you gonna help me here?!"
"Bribed them already." Shikamaru said with a shit eating smirk.
"With what?! They both come from money?!"
"Oh you'll be taking them both out for a date after all this!"
"Oh come on!"
AN
A shorter chapter here, but just felt right. The next chapter will be longer as we get into the Zabuza confrontation. I liked the shorter chapters for this story, and expect some more twists and turns before it's said and done.
Hope you enjoyed it. Show some love and peace!