Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Naruto, Disney or any of its affiliated properties. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this now would I?
"The connection of our hearts…" : Speech (Bold for yelling ,Bijuu, or massive creatures)
'The connection of our hearts…' : Thought
King Louie's castle, an hour after Mowgli and Shanti met Hathi's troop…
The children were currently walking through the ruined and abandoned temples and homes that made up the domain of the orangutan king. With the help of Colonel Hathi's troop, a walk that would normally take them the better part of the morning was reduced to a measly hour's worth of a frankly amusing elephant ride so the kids were bursting with energy.
"This is strange – normally, we'd be surrounded by monkeys at this point. We haven't seen hide or hair of them since we got here – not even a stray monkey call!" Mowgli exclaimed in wonder as he looked all over the place for signs of life. Typically speaking, the monkeys and their king were a gregarious, if more than a little troublesome lot. That meant that they usually annoyed or even waylaid 'trespassers' to their perceived domains but this time, Mowgli couldn't even tell if a single monkey made its home here.
"Maybe they all left because they heard about Shere Khan and his power? It does make the most sense considering every animal in this jungle fears him as the apex predator…" Shantu said, putting a finger to her lips as they walked, missing a flash of brownish-orange fur flitting through the trees.
While this was a logical way to think about the situation, Mowgli knew all too well just how little the concept of prudence applied to the primates in question – that is to say, it did not.
"Nah, they're probably hiding out somewhere in these ruins so keep an eye out for any obvious looking traps or suspicious rooms…"Mowgli said as Shanti nodded her head a little uncertainly before slowly taking stock of her surroundings.
The children wandered the place for around twenty minutes and turned up nothing for their efforts. Now more than a little miffed, Mowgli grumbled as he picked up a fallen tree branch before taking a swing at some nonexistent foe.
"Darn it! How hard can it be to find one crummy monkey in this stupid place!" He shouted as Shanti walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his arm to lower the raised branch.
"Easy there mister before you take someone's eye out – don't lose your head so easily. Remember what Naruto and Tiger taught us in field training : hunting and tracking animals is a test of wits and patience and all it takes is one mistake to ruin hours of planning…that said, I do wish those crummy monkeys would be stupid and predictable just this once…" Shanti sighed out as the two children decided to kick back a little and recline on some fallen stone pillars as they waited for any noise.
Of course, they were in an Indian jungle in the later hours of the morning – the stone pillars were already comfortably warm from absorbing the heat from the sun's rays so it should come as no surprise that not even ten minutes into their short break session, the boy and girl fell asleep as the pillars' warmth seeped into their bones.
And just like clockwork, the very same primates they were looking for decided to show themselves just as soon as the children fell into the sweet embrace of Hypnos. Cackling in glee, the mischievous monkeys grabbed the children before dragging them into the depths of the ruins, Mowgli and Shanti none the wiser, so deep their slumber…
Meanwhile, back with Naruto and Tiger…
"Okay – first things first…we need to find Bagheera. I can find the kids on my own with my limited sensing abilities but it would hurt to have the enhanced senses of a predator on our side!" Naruto said as Tiger sighed before the two of them ran into the underbrush, making a beeline to Bagheera's preferred haunts (like a certain tree Naruto knew the big cat liked to lounge on during certain mornings).
"Take this seriously dear. Mowgli and Shanti still haven't finished their training and wrongfully believe that they are capable – surely I don't have to remind my own Master that hubris is the most dangerous thing for a hunter?" Tiger said as Naruto huffed in equal parts pride and shame.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Even if the big baddie in this world is little more than an animal, that's no reason to underestimate what he can do…, thanks Tiger!" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head while Tiger shook hers with a warm smile on her face.
"It is no issue dear husband – after all, while you are a wonderful person, like all of us, you do have your shortcomings. It's why a married couple is a complete unit after all!" She said as Naruto laughed jovially before the two of them delved deeper into the jungle until they arrived at Bagheera's location.
The cat in question was, as Naruto predicted, taking a cat nap while soaking in the sun's rays on a low hanging branch. Smirking impishly, Naruto grabbed the cat's tail before giving it a firm tug. Bagheera gave a startled yowl before falling to the ground. Looking around with a cross look, the panther's face fell into an unimpressed expression as he glanced at the grinning ninja flatly.
"Was that truly necessary Naruto? How would you like it if someone yanked on your ears while you took a nap?" He said as Naruto simply waved off his scoldings.
"Yeah, yeah – you know it's nothing but good fun! Besides, I only used a wee bit of strength when I pulled your tail anyway so no harm no foul right?" Naruto said as the panther heaved a great sigh before deciding to drop the matter.
"Nevermind that now, what was it that you needed me for? And to bring your mate with you as well – the matter must be quite serious indeed…" Bagheera mused as Naruto nodded before pointing in the general direction of the deeper parts of the jungle.
"Yes. Apparently what you expected has come to pass and now both Mowgli and Shanti are on a journey to find Shere Khan for their vengeance. Clearly, one can see that they are horribly outmatched, even if Shere Khan was a regular tiger at this point!" Naruto said as Bagheera looked shocked, even turning to Tiger Lily to see if Naruto wasn't pulling his leg (he did pull pranks on him before but none quite like this). Upon seeing her grim expression, the cat immediately leapt from the tree branch he was reclining on and loped over to Naruto.
"Alright, you have my assistance – what do you want me to do?" He said as Naruto thumbed his nose with a knowing look.
"We need your enhanced sense of smell to track the kids since my powers were weakened when I came to this world and have only grown weaker over time…I can barely sense the direction of their chakra so I'll need you to catch on to their scent trail once I take you close enough to where I sensed their energies." He said, grumbling a bit as he could feel his chakra as but faint embers in his cavernous reserves. What was once a boundless supply of energy had now dwindled into faint wisps of energy that he daren't exude, for the world he found himself in drank greedily of any raw power it could find, fast enough that no jutsu could really be cast. Despite what he might think of himself, Naruto was now no different from an average demigod given that he only had a superior body and durability on his side now.
"Don't worry Naruto, once we travel to new worlds, I just know your powers will return to you – this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to us after all!" Tiger said, walking closer to Naruto before giving his hand a light squeeze, her husband affording her a faint, but grateful smile.
"Okay then – lead the way Naruto! We must move quickly, for if Shere Khan has any agents in the jungle, they will either lead the tiger to his prey or take them to him!" Bagheera said as the trio then delved into the jungle to start their search in earnest.
Little did they know however, just how true Bagheera's warnings were, for the children were already at the mercy of said agents of Shere Khan…
Scene Break, King Louie's temple throne room…
Both Mowgli and Shanti were rudely awakened from their impromptu naps by the feel of water crashing down on their bodies. Gasping and sputtering in outrage, they tried to get up and survey their surroundings, only to find themselves bound, their hands and feet secured by some strong twine.
"Hey?! What's going on?! Shanti – are you also tied up like I am?!" Mowgli said struggling to free himself, only to be pushed back harshly as Shanti did the same.
"Stop squirming idiot! I think whoever did this to us put us back to back…a clever ploy to be sure…" Shanti said as she tried feeling for a knot to untie, to no avail.
They struggled a little before their captor made himself known, appearing from behind a broken down stone throne with a grand flourish.
"Ah, how are my new guests doing in my grand palace? Surely the accommodations are to your liking I trust? Hhehehe…" King Louie said as he ambled over to them with a smarmy grin on his ugly mug, all while the rest of his monkey army popped out from the shadows in the room.
"Louie?! What is this about – why have you done this to us? I mean, I haven't pranked any of your kind for almost a month now!" Mowgli said as Louie simply smirked, gesturing to door, which opened to reveal a shocking sight.
A great bear shambled into the room, its gait uncertain and wooden like a puppet on strings. Its face was set in a twisted grimace of pain as around its neck was a huge rock python, its coils wrapping around it like a macabre reptilian necklace. When the two got close enough, the snake lifted its head from its position on top of the bear's head before extending itself to evaluate the two humans with a critical eye.
"Exxxceellent~ Master Shere Khan will sssurrrely be pleased with the bounty we will offer him! He has been esssspecially insistent that we capture this boy and bring him to his domain…quite possibly as a sssacrifice??" The snake said as Louie let out a loud whoop while his minions all began to make a veritable cacophony of monkey noises.
"Shere Khan?! Why would you serve the likes of him? Surely you must realize by now just how ruthless he is – you are below him in the food chain and he clearly would not shy away from ending your lives when he sees fit!" Shanti said as Mowgli nodded, confused as to why these animals, who would normally never associate themselves with the psychopathic tiger suddenly becoming his subordinates.
"Haha, is that what you think little lady? Why you must take us for simpletons, to take Shere Khan at his word and becoming his partners(both kids rolled their eyes at this, Shere Khan saw no being as his equal, his ego knowing no bounds)!" Louie said as he glanced over at Kaa(no introductions are needed at this point – you know who these animals are) who hissed with a mirthful tone, his eyes suddenly shimmering with a kaleidoscope of colors.
"Things are changing around here little human – Shere Khan has been blessed by the gods and now wields incredible powers, powers that he has seen fit to share with us!" Kaa hissed as the children looked confused.
"Yes, yes! Kaa speaks the truth – didn't you perhaps wonder just how none of you could find any of my people in my kingdom until it was too late? Perhaps why my colleague and I are suddenly more charismatic and imposing? Well, the answer is simple – Kaa's hypnotic abilities have been improved to the point of being able to cast illusions so powerful you don't even have to look into his eyes. If you are the unlucky soul who gets to do so, then you end up like Baloo here, a mindless thrall for Kaa!" The orangutan said, relishing in the looks of terror on the children's faces, horrified to learn of Baloo's fate.
"That's dreadful! So you two were seduced by the offer of power? For what end?" Shanti said as Mowgli decided to chime in, furious to learn that one of his longtime friends had been reduced to a brainless goon for some stupid snake.
"Tch, you guys already live comfortably in the jungle so why do you even want more power? Speaking of which, I thought a braggart like you would have jumped at the opportunity to boast about your special power-up already!" Mowgli yelled as Louie growled a little and walked over to the boy before giving him a fine slap across the face with his massive hands.
The blow sent the poor boy reeling, his cheek so inflamed that he could barely feel the burn as his vision swam before his eyes. He then felt Louie's fingers grip his cheeks so he could look him in the eyes as the primate king began to speak in a reprimanding fashion, almost as if he was chastising his own son.
"Tut tut, still as insolent as always aren't you, you self entitled little shit? Well, I am a gracious ruler so I will grant you your request – think of it as your last wish before your Shere Khan chews on your bones for their marrow on the morrow. I was granted intelligence and dexterity rivaling you humans! Now all I need from you, peon, is the secret to producing the Red Flower! I would become a human at that point, nay, even more than human! I will establish my own empire and the humans will accept my rule!" Louie said, his eyes gaining a mad gleam.
"You're mad! Why we would we even help you with such a stupid idea?! Being human or more is simply not possible for the likes of you!" Shanti said as Louie turned to her with a dirty smirk, his other hand trailing up her sides before stroking her cheeks (his filthy fingernails made her cringe but she had to endure it).
"Oh, I wasn't giving any of you a choice. Shere Khan wants Mowgli brought to him and we will do that, after Kaa takes the knowledge from your compliant minds. Since he was kind enough to deliver you to me as well,I suppose our leader doesn't have to know about you – a little consolation prize for little old me~…" King Louie said, Shanti's face going pale at the implications.
"W-what do you mean?" She said, more than a little uncomfortable at the unsettling and dark fire burning in the ape's eyes.
"Why, I thought it was obvious! Every king needs a queen and a superhuman king like me needs a wife one step inferior to him – you my dear, have the great honor of being my bride!" He cackled, the kids speechless at the declaration before Mowgli yelled at the delusional ape.
"Are you crazy?! She's just a kid like me! Besides, what makes you think you can keep her here without her escaping or Naruto finding her and killing you?!" He said as Shanti looked down, hot tears sliding down her face.
"That'sss not any of our concccern…after all, my hypnosis will make your little friend all too happy to be with her husband. As for this Naruto, I am sure Lord Shere Khan will make quick work of him – until then, my illusion should serve to hide us from him." Kaa said, his eyes changing colors as he extended his head to the children yet again, who were helpless against him since Louie's monkeys forced their eyes open for the hypnosis.
Soon the two children fell into a hypnotic trance, the tell tale *ping* noise echoing in their heads as they wore dopey grins to match the gleeful ones on their captors' faces.
"Excellent Kaa! Now Mowgli – tell me the secret of the Red Flower. While you're at it, introduce me to this pretty little flower you've brought to me as well!" Louie said, grabbing Shanti before tearing her binds with ease. He placed her in his lap before stroking her hair, earning a pleased mewl from the girl, who was in her own dream world, and unaware of her body being molested.
Mowgli was all too happy to tell Louie all that he knew of fire – once he delivered the information, he told Louie that his bride was called Shanti and that she was his adoptive sister(the ape's eyes shone at that delicious little tidbit of information). Once that was done, Kaa and his thrall Baloo took Mowgli to Shere Khan's domain, leaving Shanti with the perverted ape.
Louie then waved to his army with a grand flourish.
"Begin preparations to make the Red Flower – it will be the perfect celebration to commemorate my marriage to Shanti, the new queen of the Ape empire and the first of my growing army of concubines!" He said, the female monkeys swooning at their leader's apparent 'charisma'.
Meanwhile, back with Naruto, Tiger and Bagheera…
With Naruto's sensing skills and Bagheera's keen nose, the trio had reached King Louie's temples. They met Colonel Hathi and his troop, and they told them that they were on the right track to finding the children. However, once they reached Louie's domain, both Tiger and Bagheera found themselves confused since the entire place looked like any old dilapidated ruin site.
"Where are the kids? I can't see anything?" Tiger said aimlessly walking about as Bagheera shook his head like a drunk trying to clear his head.
"What's wrong with you guys? I can clearly see some fire over in that ruin over there?" Naruto said, putting his hand on Tiger's shoulder. Immediately, he could feel the presence of dark magic cloaking his wife. A quick check on Bagheera also yielded the same results and so coming to the natural conclusion that his chakra must have protected him once again, he pulsed it through the bodies of his companions, dispelling the mass illusion placed upon them. Now free of the magic enshrouding their senses, they also saw the activity in one of the ruined temples.
"That's better – what was that anyway? It felt like something was pressing down on my very mind, forcing me to ignore my own senses…" Bagheera said as the three of them made their way to the temple.
"It was dark magic – something like Maleficent's fairy magic to be honest…she's not here though so I can't guess its source. It must have been sustaining the illusion that caught you guys…" Naruto said as he shared a meaningful look with his wife as the two steeled themselves for any type of confrontation be it magical or mundane.
Upon their arrival at the scene however, what greeted them was a sight out of some lurid fantasy novel. In front of them was a large orangutan (as big as one and a half men and as wide as two) who was cradling Shanti on his lap, his grubby mitts palming her bum while he jeered and whooped as five female monkeys danced in front of him on a stage illuminated with wooden torches.
Their response was as fast as it was wrathful – King Louie barely registered the presence of the intruders before his face was made intimate with the stone floor in a way no sane being would want to – his teeth broken and flying out of his mouth as his nose (or what passed off as one) was crushed (of course, it was Naruto who nigh on teleported to the ape's position as he slammed his head down from above). Bagheera routed the minor monkeys, a feat easily done given that he was a big cat and the monkeys were frightened by the easy takedown of their mighty boss. Tiger then rushed to catch Shanti, who went flying out of Louie's grasp when Naruto slammed his head down.
Quickly noticing that the poor girl appeared to be in a trance, she took her to Naruto, who by this point had tied the orangutan in metal wires, the ape already cutting himself bloody on the tight knots Naruto made.
"Naruto – please help Shanti! She appears to be in a similar type of trance we were in when we arrived here." Tiger said as Naruto nodded, positively incensed with what he saw the ape do – a fact shared with Tiger apparently, given her thunderous expression.
"Okay – give her here. Let me push my chakra through her body – that should set her right in an instant!" He said, taking hold of Shanti (he noticed her dopey smile and had to suppress a shudder at how empty minded it made her look) before dispelling the illusion.
Shanti then came to her senses and upon finding herself in Naruto's arms, let out a flustered squeak as her cheeks blushed red. She then paled as she remembered just what happened before Kaa took her under.
"Naruto! I can explain – Mowgli came and told me Shere Khan had returned to the jungle and we just had to try and take revenge for our fallen fathers! Surely you can understand – now we need to go and save Mowgli! Kaa has taken him to Shere Khan's lair!" She said as Naruto sighed before putting her feet on the ground.
"It's fine Shanti. You two are just kids after all so you are supposed to make mistakes. It's a part of growing up after all. I am just glad we got here in time to save you – you were in a deep trance and that stupid ape was doing something that he definitely shouldn't have been. Speaking of which, hold on for a moment…" Naruto said as he walked over to Louie, who was shrieking in pain as the wires effectively sliced his tendons on his arms and legs, leaving him open for Naruto, who took a dagger out of his pack before dragging its blade along his belly, disemboweling him before stabbing him through the eye.
While Naruto was brutally killing the ape, Bagheera and Tiger went to Shanti, who looked unfazed by what Naruto was doing (she would have done worse if she was able).
"Hey Shanti, what was going on in your head when you were in a trance? You had a strange smile on your face is all…" Tiger said as Shanti thought hard for a moment before she blushed furiously (she couldn't tell Tiger that she had a strange dream that she was a lot older and was cavorting with Naruto, along with a whole bevy of other girls to boot…).
"Errr…I don't really remember. I struggled to even recall what happened before I was hypnotized. Besides, shouldn't we be on our way to save Mowgli anyway?" She said as she walked off to try and get Naruto's attention, all while Tiger and Bagheera looked at her doubtfully.
"Wonder what's wrong with her? She looked embarrassed to tell us what happened…" Tiger said as Bagheera huffed quietly.
"Kaa's hypnotism puts one's mind into a pleasurable dream. The contents of said dream can sometimes be too personal to share I am afraid…" He said, looking away himself (ever notice how Bagheera shies away from Kaa in the first movie? He has experience being hypnotized…).
With Shanti now rescued, the team then reconvened to go after Mowgli, who seemed to have been taken to the mountain temples (the structures over a lava pool in the Jungle Book 2).
There were no illusions to hide the place from mortal eyes however, as the first thing the group noticed was Shere Khan pacing around Mowgli, who dumbly stood in place as the tiger mocked him.
"Okay – we have a situation here. I can't barge in and kill Shere Khan since he's too close to Mowgli for comfort. I'll have to be sneaky – Tiger and Bagheera, you two handle Kaa and his bear thrall. Shanti, you stay here for a bit until I bring Mowgli over to you; you'll need to take care of him until he shakes off his trance." Naruto said as Tiger hummed in assent while Shanti and Bagheera looked a little unsure.
Meanwhile, back with Shere Khan, he was playfully teasing Mowgli, drawing his claws out as they dripped with foul green magic.
"So, it's finally come down to this eh? You escaped my claws so long ago, only to come to me ten years later! How ironic – I can't decide whether the trance Kaa put you into makes for a fun game or not…oh I know! How about you walk over to that dais and I pretend to stalk you before I pounce and maul you to death much like your poor father? You won't have that foul Naruto here to save you – the voices from above have assured me as much!" Shere Khan said as Mowgli obediently walked over to the dais which was suspended over a pool of lava by three stone pillars.
Shere Khan then crouched on his haunches, flexing his shoulders before he leaped towards the defenseless boy. Just as his claws were about to kiss the soft flesh of the nape of Mowgli's neck though, Naruto rushed over in a burst of speed, pulling the boy to his chest as the tiger's claws raked through the back of his shirt, the thin wounds healing with a rush of steam.
"So, it wasn't enough that I killed you already. Now you come after innocents and expect to get away with it? I thought death was a lesson best taught once?" Naruto joked as he placed Mowgli close to some stone pillars before walking towards the tiger (he pulsed his chakra through the boy as well and with the tiger's attention on him, Shanti was free to sneak in and drag the boy to safety).
"Oh, it's you. I had hoped you wouldn't arrive but thankfully, you're alone. With my new strength, you are no match for me!" Shere Khan said, slamming his right paw on the dais, breaking one of the stone pillars supporting the dais as the lava below them jumped up around the platform, melting the surrounding tiles and isolating the two from the others.
Naruto was not impressed with the spectacle before him though, evidenced by his bored yawn as he walked lazily over to the irate tiger.
"You're still just a small fish in a pond Shere Khan. It never occurs to you that there's a whole ocean out there, and that in said ocean, there are fish way bigger than you. First off – I didn't come alone." Naruto said, the lava crashing down(given Shere Khan's confusion) to reveal Tiger Lily's trusted tomahawk come flying over to bury itself in the back of Kaa's head, the python collapsing as the corpse sagged around Baloo's neck.
Speaking of Baloo, since Kaa was dead, he broke out of his trance and quickly threw the snake's corpse off him in disgust, uncaring that in his fervor to get rid of Kaa's body, he unintentionally threw it into the lava – the residual magic in the corpse then exploded, blowing out another pillar as the dais started to sway precariously.
Bagheera then rushed over to Baloo, guiding the confused bear away from all the chaos while Tiger Lily mourned the loss of her trusty tomahawk (she wouldn't get it back unless Ella or Grimhilde summoned it back for her).
Naruto then calmly made a giant leap over to safety, leaving the frazzled tiger alone on a collapsing dais, the falling rocks making the lava pool below more than a little agitated.
"No! This is not how my story ends! I was supposed to kill you and all the other humans and that is what I will do!" Shere Khan roared as his eyes glowed green for a moment before he made his own leap to the others.
"Oh no you don't! What makes you think you can jump like that around a professional huntsman?" Naruto snickered as he threw a dagger into Shere Khan's unprotected stomach, breaking his jump as he fell unceremoniously on a section of the floor hanging over the lava.
The tiger's claws scrambled to find purchase on the stone flooring but to no avail- the stones flew out of their places the more he struggled and soon it was clear that Shere Khan was doomed to meet Kaa in the fiery pit below.
Naruto then called Mowgli and Shanti over before handing them two daggers.
"Here you go kids-here's Shere Khan ready to be dispatched. Now take those daggers and throw them at his face. If you're lucky you may hit him straight in the eyes!" Naruto said as the two kids threw the daggers at the yowling tiger.
Shanti's dagger lodged itself in the tiger's muzzle and Mowgli's dagger got stuck in its shoulders and with one last desperate yowl, the tiger fell into the roiling lava lake, never to plague the jungle again.
And that was chapter 50! A big one this time – we wrapped up Jungle Books 1 and 2 in one big arc and now we only need one interlude chapter before moving on to the next world! Anjali, Messua and Shanti will join the group a little later in the story (it'll make sense later, don't worry).
If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon on the 'search for creators' bar under DudeWithaMac (I only get free time on Sundays since money's extremely tight-details on Panacea chapter 14). Alternatively, you guys can follow this link:p#at#re#on.#com/DudeWithaMac (remove the hash tags). Reviews and comments are always welcome!