Naruto: A Second Chance, Undone

T

The Dapper Mog

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Original poster
The Steady rocking of the ship had grown comforting over the last several months. Sounds of the ocean, the rolling waves crashing into the hull, the occasional cry of a gull when near shores, and the music of the sea that felt as haunting, yet beautiful, as a siren's song. They were now as natural to his ears the sound of his own voice. A heavy mist hung in the air, a grizzled man leaning over the edge of the ship, gazing out into the night. It was cold tonight. The storm this morning had come in suddenly, but it never seemed as harsh as it could have been. All the stories he'd heard about storms at sea, yet each time this vessel encountered a storm, the damage was minimal, or nonexistent.

Yet, this feeling of impending danger just wouldn't go away. An empty jug lay knocked over beside him, an arm hanging lazily over the side of the vessel while the other supported him and held him upright. A low groan escaped his throat as he rose to full height. Why wouldn't this damn feeling go away? He was becoming increasingly irritated by it. The captain had told them keep watching for any authorities, as it was likely with their last visit to port, people wouldn't be happy with them. Of course, that was days ago, and they hadn't encountered more than a couple passing vessels that weren't even worth raiding.

The wind caught the mainsail, a strong gust pulling the ship and his body in an easterly direction. It was strong, almost enough to force the rather well built man to stumble. That was strange. With a grunt, he turned, the sound of the wood being walked upon demanding his attention. He turned, pulling the bandanna from his head to reveal his scarred forehead and close cropped black hair. The source of the sound was a cloaked figure, his face primarily covered in the shadow of his hood. Where the hell had he come from?

"Ey, who the hell are you, and how did you get on this ship?"

The stranger simply glanced at him before lowering the hood of his cloak slightly, just enough to reveal his dark blue eyes, narrowed and clearly lacking patience. After only a couple seconds, the expression softened, almost as if a mask had been pulled over his face.

"Hmm? Oh, I see. I suppose you mean me. Right? Well, I was just looking for someone I used to know. Last I knew she was sailing the world with some unsavory people. You have the look of one of them."

While not the educated type, Goei could still tell when someone was talking over him in an insulting manner. Through gritted teeth, he grunted and drew the broadswords from his hips, twirling them beside him.

"I really don't appreciate being talked down to. Who the hell are you talking about? Answer quickly, before I start slicing."

The figure stifled a chuckle, glancing around him. The deck was empty, the majority of the crew clearly asleep. This man was the only one on watch. Must be reliable.

"I suppose, now that I think about it, she would be using an Alias of some sort. What with this, uhm, line of work. If you can call it that."

The man's reply only served to irritate him further. Clearly, he must have been talking about the captain. After all, she was the only woman on the vessel. Still, whatever his reason for seeing her, it couldn't have been good. What with his strange entrance in the dead of night. While they didn't know much about her, it wouldn't be surprising if people were looking for her.

"What business do you have with the captain? Speak quickly."

Goei's blades twirled in his hands, his feet shifting slightly to prepare to move for an attack, if it were necessary.

"Business? No business. This is just a courtesy call of sorts. A visit with a old friend. Of course, it isn't any of your business, regardless."

With a growl, Goei began to move, only to stop abruptly at the familiar voice of his captain, shouting from behind him.

"Goei, enough!"

He stopped, glancing back at her as he lowered his blades with a sigh.

"Captain, do you know this man?"

The woman shifted her favorite hat, taking a step out of the shadows, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him intently. The memories came back in a flood, and though he looked different, it was certainly him. If he sought her out, it couldn't be good.

"Yes. From a long time ago. Goei, you may go below deck and rest. I will handle this."

Goei didn't like this at all, but, he knew better than to argue. He began walking by her, flashing a sneer at the man before he opened the door leading into the crew quarters.

"Yes, captain. Be wary."

The door close behind him, and the woman took a few steps closer to the cloaked man, removing her hat with a heavy sigh, using her other hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Well, well, it's been a long time. What is it that you're calling yourself these days? Captain Scylla? A little on the nose, don't you think?"

The woman smirked at his words, resting a hand on her hip while placing her hat back atop her head.

"Maybe. I think it's rather fitting. Considering what I can do. So, what brings you here? I don't imagine you went through the trouble of seeking me out for a social call."

The man chuckled briefly, lowering his hood completely so his entire face was visible in the dim light of the night. The confident smile was so familiar. He grew into a handsome young man, and now if anyone could attract a crowd, it'd be him. The charisma of a god, the looks of a hero from a fable, and a voice smoother than the softest silks, it wouldn't surprise her in the least if he were here on behalf of some group of warriors or a town she'd ransacked. Yet, his expression certainly didn't seem antagonistic.

"Social, sure. However, to say it's without an additional purpose would be false. We both know full well that I'm not fond of falsehoods or half truths. No, sensei, we have a great deal to discuss..."
 
The sound of clashing steel rang out, echoing off the walls of the narrow valley. Cries of pain followed suit, followed often by dull thuds. Within the boundaries of the valley lay several shinobi, many of which were on the ground, blood surrounding their prone forms. They were dead or dying, their still fighting comrades standing above and around them. Four remain standing, at least four on the ground. One of the men called to the others, a stern pride and courage behind his deep voice.

"Stand strong! She's only one woman!"

Opposite them stood a single figure, clothed in a dark cloak, the thick cloth hiding her figure effectively. She couldn't have stood more than five and a half feet tall, but determining her musculature would prove difficult, due to the sheer amount of cloth the cloak was created from. The hood hid her face, and the distance of even only a few meters between them was still enough to obscure details.

"Captain Soma, she's so fast. How are we supposed to..."

The man to his right was interrupted by another swift movement from the enemy, one of their comrades was struck, a blade appearing through his chest and out of his back as he fell backward. The cloaked woman was wielding one of their own blades, taken from one of their comrades that she had already slain. The three uninjured shinobi all turned, ready to attack her. She was gripped onto the shoulders of the newly wounded shinobi, her small frame compressed into a sort of crouch, her feet planted on his chest. As soon as they moved, she jumped from him, throwing his body to the ground from the force of the leap. This time, she continued moving, darting about the valley almost too quickly for them to see.

"Damn you...Ibiki, Kota, keep your guards up! We can still win this, find an opening, and strike! Dont't get careless!"

The two men beside him nodded, watching her to the best of their ability. It was obvious that she outskilled them. At the least, she was so fast, it was almost impossible to track her movements, let alone react to them. They needed to press her, to lead her into revealing an opening. Ibiki and Kota performed handseals, preparing the use of a ninjutsu, while Soma channeled chakra into the long greatsword he held above his head, prepared to strike.

In a moment, the two shinobi exhaled streams of flame on either side of them. As expected, she was prevented from continuing to move around them, and she charged towards them. This was their chance! Soma moved forward, preparing to drop the blade in a horizontal arc. However, before he could, something flew by him, grazing his arm. He heard a grunt of pain, glancing back to see the young man named Kota with the katana now piericng his chest.

"No!"

Ibiki had cried out. When Soma's previously diverted attention returned to his enemy, she was already upon him, her foot striking him in the face, throwing him back to the ground, sliding to a stop next to his allies. He glanced back at his allies, allowing his fear to be proven accurate. Ibiki held Kota in his arms, the blade had pierced his heart, his death was nearly instantaneous. The feeling of rage was only growing, his blood boiling, increasing in intensity with every death this monster was causing. Why was this happening?

"Damn you, you witch! I'll kill you! Stand still!"

The woman stopped almost abruptly, the movement generating that blur ceasing as the figure stood opposite them, on the cavern wall. The cloak clung loosely to her form, gravity pulling it down toward the ground, creating a strange visual, with her standing on a near straight vertical surface.

"How dare you kill Kota! Why are you doing this?!"

The woman seemingly cocked her head slightly to the side, her arms either tucked in or crossed in front of her.

"Why? Strange question. After all...you are the ones...who attacked me...you should have left us alone..."

The two men scowled angrily, preparing another offensive. They still needed a viable opening. At least now she was unarmed. This would be their best chance.

"So...you said to...hold still...well...what are you waiting for?..."

Ibiki growled, visually trembling as his rage boiled beyond control. Looking at his comrades, listening to the nigh emotionless sound of her voice and her creepy way of speaking was getting under his skin. The broken up speech was particularly unnerving. This woman...was she some kind of demon? It didn't matter. Not now that she had killed Kota. She had to die.

"I...I can't take it! I'll kill you, you monster!"

The woman's stance altered, her gravity shifting ever so slightly. The wall beneath her feet cracked from a sudden onset of force. Ibiki charged, his captain calling after him, but not fast enough to stop him.

"Ibiki no!"

In a blur of movement, the woman leapt from the wall, her foot barely touching the ground before she moved towards him in an aggressive lunge. Ibiki swung his katana down in a vertical arc. Cloth flew, and for a moment, they thought he had struck home. However, Soma had seen from behind him that she had juked him, leaping up beside him. In the moment that his blade was clear of the cloak, he looked to his right, just in time to see the woman's knee coming at him. It struck with a force he wouldn't have imagined. The pain was brief, however, a numbing sensation overtaking him as he fell back. The world seemed to slow down around him, his vision darkening. It was strange, like the very world around him was fading away. Had she really hit him that hard? What was happening?

Between the numbess and the delerium, he barely even felt the slicing sensation as something pierced his chest, it went through him and back out so quickly. Or, maybe that was just the delierium. His mind was going, consciousness fading, and his thoughts went back to the fiancee' he left at home. Her smile. The smell of her hair. The sound of her weeping as he left to his assignment the day after she told him he would soon have a son. He was dead before he hit the ground.

"Ibiki!"

Soma cried out, watching his comrade, his friend, fall to the canyon floor, dead. Another victim. Why? His fists clenched out as he watched her land gracefully on her feet. He couldn't see exactly what happened, the cloak partially obscuring it, as well as his perspective from behind Ibiki. This was terrible. It was all wrong.

"That word...I hate...that word."

The woman said flatly, looking down at the body of the man she had just struck down. With a steady hand, she reached down and picked up the fallen shinobi's blade, holding it out beside her, then pointed it at the captain himself.

"You brought this on yourselves. We only wanted...to be left alone...yet you came again...and again. You took what you wanted...killed those who refused...to accept your claim of our homes. This is...nothing if not...retribution."

Soma stood ready with his blade, listening to her words. What was she talking about? It couldn't be...that was almost eighteen years ago. Then again, it's possible...but why now? Was it really just circumstance that they happened upon her when rooting out the threat of some sort of rebellion or coup in the region?

"Whatever you say, they're just words. You've killed my men, my friends. You will pay for this."

The woman dropped her blade slightly, tilting her head again. At this distance he could make out a portion of her face. She looked young, too young for all of this. Barely an adult. Her eyes, though. They showed a pain of someone much older. A sense of rage too, greater than any he'd ever seen before. What was she?

"Your choice of words is...interesting. After all...how many of...our friends...were killed by you and your comrades? This goes...beyond a few lives...a few shinobi. This is about entire lives destroyed...about freedom...pride...honor...and punishment. You cannot understand...not while you...still live."

The woman's words were beginning to make even less sense. What was she on about? It was becoming difficult not to just tune her out. Especially with the way she spoke.

"You're right. I don't understand. But, that doesn't really matter anymore. For my comrades, I must kill you. To avenge their deaths. I will make you pay, you monster!"

Soma raised his sword just in time. In a flash, the woman charged again, their blades clashing between them. She was surprisingly strong, pressing him. The rather large man had to press his feet into the ground firmly to hold his stance. For a moment, he met her gaze, but was shocked at what he saw. Her hair covered her right eye, but her left was clearly visible, and as opposed to the prior appearance, those normal but sadness filled eyes, they were pitch black. Worse than that, crimson red irises appeared afterward, streaks of red spreading out from them. What the hell was she?!

"I...am not a monster!"

The woman cried out, pressing him even more aggressively. A series of blows were thrown, slashes that lacked the prior speed and finesse. They didn't even seem chakra fueled. She was getting careless and acting on her rage alone. This was his chance. Taking a step back to allow her the misconception that she was asserting control, he moved forward. As soon as her balance was shifted, he threw his blade in a wide horizontal arc, throwing her back forcefully. Now was his chance, she wouldn't be able to react. Quickly, flooding his blade with his chakra, mixing in his lightning nature, he utilized the backswing of his weapon to fire a powerful arc of lightning at his opponent.

In mid air and caught off guard, even with her impressive speed, she didn't have the ability to guard against it. A gasp escaped her lips, her strange eye widening and brightning as she was bathed in blue light, before being forcefully struck with the attack. A explosion followed, throwing her back across the canyon. The woman hit the ground hard, skidding to a stop as her cloak smoaked burned from the flame. With a heavy exhausted sigin nearly completely drained of chakra, Soma moved toward her, almost forced to use his large sword to support his weight. That had to have done it. She lay motionless, her cloak still burning.

Still, he had to be sure. Upon reaching her, he rose his blade high, ready to bring it down in a fierce stab. Unfortunately for him, between his exhaustion, the subtlety of it, and his assuredness of her defeat, he didn't notice the movement beneath the cloak. Out of nowhere, something strange, bright crimson and violet in color, shot out from the cloak, striking him and impaling his right shoulder.

"Gah!"

Soma cried out, his arm falling limp beside him as the blade clattered to the ground. He looked to the strange object. It felt like a thick spear, or more accurately, a rounded lance. But, it seemed to glow with what appeared to be chakra, blazing with a sort of eerie light. It was like hardened flesh in a way, yet it almost seemed like a manifestation of pure chakra. What the hell was this? What the hell was she? He just couldn't grasp it. His gaze fell to the cloak as it began to move, the woman standing upright, allowing the burning cloak to hit the ground. The appendage came into view, sprouting from her left shoulder and leading into his shoulder.

When the burning cloak hit the ground, he could tell whatever the hell she was using, it had also protected her somehow. However, he could see her left arm holding her left side, blood seeping between her fingers. He had hit her after all, but, not well enough to make it fatal. Damn. She must of had just enough time to defend herself with this weird jutsu of her's. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain as the apendage was forcefully ripped from him, pulling him forward almost hard enough to throw him to the ground, but out of sheer resolve, or perhaps stubborness, he caught himself, remaining upright.

The strange appendage pulled back into her, and she took a step forward, glaring at him angrily before twirling her body around, throwing the back of her fist into his face, knocking him back towards the canyon wall. Soma hit the suface hard, beginning to fall and slide down the surface before being forcefully caught by his throat, and held against the wall. The sky seemed to be darkening. No, not just the sky. Everything. Damn it all. He was losing consciousness. No, wrong again. He was dying, wasn't he? The bloodied man coughed as blood poured from his wound, his eyes closing and half-lidded as he looked at her, still somehow maintaining a fierce gaze.

"I am...impressed. Soma, was it? Well, I will...remember your name."

Soma managed to choke out a half hearted laugh. Even in his defeat, he didn't want to give this witch any satisfaction.

"Yeah? Well, I suppose even a monster like you isn't unkillable right? You bleed, after all. One of my friends will find you...and we will all be avenged."

The woman's grip surprisingly didn't tighten. Soma could tell, even with how angry his words made her, she was still wounded. Her strength was diminished. Sure, he would die here, but, with any luck, she would too.

"That word again...you call me a monster...but you don't know me. I can... show you a monster, if you'd like. You wounded me...and I...am hungry..."

The woman's voice trailed off, a strange thing to hear with how quiet and emotionless her voice typically seemed to be. What did she mean by that? Her eyes seemed to grow even brighter, and his vision dimmer. This was it. He would never see his friends again back at the village. But, at least, he could hope they would discover his death, and if she somehow survived, avenge them. These thoughts were the last to grace the mind of the shinobi known as Soma of the Cloud. He saw the woman leaning in close to him, the numbess of his body not allowing him to tell what she was doing, but he could hear her, in his last moments. It sounded like...
 
Rain buffetted the roof of a small establishment, the middle of a rainstorm that had been persisting for the past two days. It had been ages since the region had experienced so much rainfall. It was almost as if it was just another omen foretelling the hard times that were coming back around. Two men entered the building, a chime sounding as the door opened, then closed. They both were donning uniforms representing the Hidden Cloud, down to the highly recognizable forehead protectors. Both were also quite young, no older than 21, but looked haggard to the point of exhaustion. They sat at the bar, sighing tiredly as they glanced at the man behind the bar. His back was turned to them, but, his bright blond hair was the first thing they noticed.

His attire was formal, and his bright earrings reflected the dim light of the bar splendidly. They were bright enough that the two men felt like if they looked closely they could see their reflections in them. Yet, they felt that getting that close to him would be unhealthy, to say the least. He was slender, but clearly well toned, a little above average height, and he stood with a sort of confidence that they hadn't seen since standing at attention before their superiors. When he turned around, the beaming smile almost startled them. These days, the bad looks were common, especialy in the neighboring regions where all the problems had been arising lately. The man dropped two full glasses in front of them, leaning on the counter while supporting his head on his palm, he eyed the two men through his glasses.

The shinobi glanced at each other, then back to him, clearly confused. The man simply laughed and shook his head a bit.

"Oh, you're wondering why I didn't ask you for an order? Well, this is the finest ale you'll find for, oh, I don't know, three hundred miles? Point is, gentlemen, the first is always a free."

A slight smirk followed his words, only to be followed by what they could have sworn was a wink. Although it put them off a bit, they chose to ignore it, grabbing the glasses and taking a large drink. A content sigh escaped them both as the now empty glasses hit the bar. The ale really was fantastic, and with how rough the day had been, the coldness and the bold flavor was great. They flashed the man a smile before one spoke up.

"You weren't joking. That's some good stuff, Mister. Say, could we get another couple mugs of that?"

The man nodded with a smile, standing upright before taking the glasses over to refill them. Meanwhile, the two men began speaking to each other.

"So, Giri, did you hear about Soma's squad?"

The other young man, Giri, nodded grimly, looking to his companion.

"Yeah. Awful business. I don't know why this hell started erupting in the last few months. Talks of rebellion and a coming war, its terrible. Even with the orders to remain vigilant, I didn't think any of our squads would have been openly attacked."

His voice grew heavy and weary, betraying the youth in his eyes. The two men had seen a lot, but felt far worse for the patrol that found Soma and his people. Even only hearing about it, the place was a mess. Blood and bodies everywhere, and only a portion of the captain himself. The report was so strange.

"Hard to believe the reports, right? I mean, they said the captain was partially eaten. How messed up is that?"

Giri only nodded solemnly, his expression brightening slightly when the man returned with their drinks. His smile hadn't faltered, but Giri was sure the man had been listening. Then again, shinobi probably came in and told him their horror stories all the time. Such was one of the curses of working as a bartender. You had to be everyone's friend, and listen to their awful lives every day. What a drag that must be.

"Thanks, pal. Been a long day. Nice to take a load off and throw back a few cold ones."

The bartender smiled again, shrugging slightly.

"You fine young men must work very hard to keep people safe. You have my utmost respect for that. I couldn't help but overhear you a moment ago. Ghastly business that."

Giri and his companion both took brief drinks of their ale and nodded to him. It felt good to finally hear something like that from a citizen here. The dirty looks were sometimes so difficult to handle. After all, they were just trying to keep people safe, to help maintain peace. It wasn't like they were the ones that made the decsions that hurt people all those years ago. Still, in a way, Giri couldn't blame them. Pain took a long time to heal.

"Ghastly, yeah, that's an understatement. We appreciate your kindness, though. A lot of people around here treat us pretty harshly, Mr...uhm..."

The man flashed him a confused glance then appeared to understand with look of recollection, his smile broadening.

"Ahhh, you may call me Hanatoro. A pleasure. It's no trouble. People around here are old enough to remember when the expansion occured, when it started and the fighting was the worst. You gentlemen are a reminder of that, so they likely view you as aggressors."

Giri smiled and took another quick drink, frowning a bit as the man who introduced himself as Hanatoro continued. Did people really see them as such? When the expansion occured, he was only a little kid. He had nothing to do with that, all he wanted was peace and for people to be safe.

"Well, all that aside, thanks for the drinks, Hanatoro. I'm Giri, and this is my friend Hoshi."

The other man nodded, then proceeded to fishish his second drink. It was really hitting the spot, plus, this Hanatoro guy was really friendly. Definitely refreshing.

Hanatoro smiled and nodded at them in response to the introduction, then took their empty glasses to refill them again. The two men were beginning to feel better. Sated and calm. Yet, something was still ominous in the air. They glanced around the room at the other patrons. They were all really still, like they were passed out.

"Sheesh. You get a lot of blackout patrons here, Hanatoro?"

Hanatoro returned with their glasses, glancing at the other couple patrons and chuckled briefly, placing the glasses in front of them.

"No, no, not usually. Sometimes we get a couple late at night though. Typically the clientelle here is very lively."

His reply wasn't surprising, but, Giri couldn't help but get a really bad vibe from one of the passed out men at the table in the corner. Something just felt off. Hoshi, on the other hand, just happily downed his third glass of ale.

"Hey, Hoshi. We should probably be calling it a night, don't you think? We have to report in first thing in the morning."

Hoshi sighed heavily and let his empty glass clang against the wooden bartop. He knew he was right, but, this ale was just hitting the spot so well tonight. In fact, he was beginning to feel really tired. It was probably best to just head back and get some rest.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, let's get out of here. How much do we owe you?"

Hoshi glanced over the Hanataro, who's smile had never faltered for a moment. Though, something about the way he was looking at Giri was rather unsettling.

"Oh, don't worry, young man. These drinks are on the house. The ale is cheap. It's the drug I've been putting in it that's expensive."

The man chuckled for a moment, but it slowly dawned on him. His legs were beginning to feel numb. The sensation he was mistaking for a slight buzz was suddenly increasing significantly. He felt ill, and dizzy.

"W-what?"

Giri looked at Hoshi, then to Hanataro before starting to lose his balance on the stool, falling back to the floor with a painful thud.

"Ah! No way!"

The two men both struggled, beginning to crawl away towards the door. It was apparent that the drug was really beginning to take effect now. The paralysis was spreading up their bodies slowly. They called out to the other men in the bar, none of which responded in the slightest. What the hell?

Hanataro slowly rounded the bar, his hands in his pockets as he looked over them with vicious intent in his eyes. The light reflected harshly off his glasses from this angle, hiding his eyes as he approached them, a wide grin crossing his face.

"You fine young men and your superiors owe me, and many others, far more than your coin could ever cover. Though, to say that you can't repay me personally wouldn't be accurate. I can think of a few ways..."

Hanatoro's voice faded out into laughter as he continued walking toward them in his controlled and methodical pace. It was apparent he was enjoying himself. The fear was catching the two men now, grasping at their hearts more aggressively by the moment. Why was he doing this? What could they have done? Worse, what was he talking about? What was he going to do?

"Oh, don't be so frightened. Just think of all the fun we can have! Speaking of..."

Hanataro stopped when he finally made his way to them, his grin taking a sadistic and downright grisly image as he raised his hands up, pulling dark gloves over his fingers.

"Shall we get started?..."