Naruto's POV (Irminsul - Southern Swamps)
Naruto seemed to find trouble wherever he went. The life of a shinobi was often one of risk and violence. Naruto was shocked at how frequently new locations led to the same old threat of life and death. Missions, certified exams, and now even a new world. And all of it seemed utterly determined to have him killed in one way or another. Naruto didn't fear it, but sometimes it bothered him. Naruto was confident in his training and satisfied with his drive to ensure his livelihood. And yet, as his hands fell into an all-too-familiar hand sign, Naruto felt an invisible weight settle over his shoulders.
Naruto paid no heed to the crocodiles as they closed in. Instead, he activated his jutsu, prepared to beat back these foes.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
As a massive cloud of smoke covered Naruto, the crocodiles all roared in hunger. Some leaped through the air, others sped through the water, and some simply spewed jets of water toward him. As they approached, a massive number of Naruto burst through the smoke, all matching their roar, as the clan of crocodiles and army of blondes clashed in a mob of anarchy.
A crocodile attempted to swallow two clones whole; the first jumped over the effort, launching himself high into the air. The second managed to bounce back, avoiding the lunge. In an impressive display of power, the clone kicked through the water, landing a powerful kick to the underside of its jaw. The powerful kick sent the upper half of the crocodile's body into the air, where the second clone finally came down. Landing a powerful falling ax kick that spiked the giant croc into the murky water below, its weight slowly, making it sink into the soft mud.
One Naruto threw another directly at a flying crocodile. The croc happily swallowed the blonde whole, bodily smashing the second. Before it could move onto another target, however, it screamed and writhed before it threw up bloodied and disgusted-looking clone. The beast lay still after.
Another brave clone attempted to catch a landing crocodile. Seeing its foe, the creature tried to snap him in half with a bite, but the waiting clone caught it, holding open its maul with his arms to keep it from closing. Suddenly, the crocodile laughed as a jet of water shot from its mouth and cut the clone in half.
Three Narutos effortlessly dodged around another larger croc, each slashing at various spots as they did. However, the beast did not mind; its thick scales were too large for the small Riptide to slice through. And it merely snapped repeatedly at its dedicated attackers.
As a crocodile tail swiped a clone away, another sent a slice of chakra into it, which seemed ineffective. The clone scrambled away as the angry creature chased after it.
Another clone dodged a sneak attack from a crocodile underwater. The massive beast breached the water but cried in fear as the clone caught its tail and managed to spin the beast with grunts of effort. Another croc tried to help but was slapped away by his ally. The clone laughed at such before chucking the first crocodile at the second. The two collide with a deafening crash.
But the chaos below was merely part of his plan…
"Hey, dumb lizards!" Naruto called from high up on a tree; while his clones had begun the battle with them, he had headed up here. An aerial view had been helpful for one of his old tricks. "Those are all clones, in fact, their special clones! Maybe you all should surrender; you said it yourself, we shinobi tend to be powerful. Do you really intend to risk your clan? Why not seek a more valuable prey?" Naruto half asked and half pleaded.
"We fear not your parlor tricks, you hairless ape!" The leader of the clan bellowed indignantly. He sat back, watching comfortably as his subjects fought the clones before him in a bloody clash. "We will simply crush all you have to offer!"
Naruto sighed heavily as he made another hand sign. "I tried. I tried to stop this, but whatever… Walking Landfield Jutsu!" Suddenly, several of the clones stopped fighting. Their bodies began to glow from the inside, and their forms swelled. The crocodiles all froze in bewilderment, not sure what they were seeing. Naruto watched as the leader, however, seemed to curl defensively. Seemingly somewhat aware of the threat, but unable to offer aid for the others.
Before they could genuinely react, the glowing clones erupted violently. The water stopped the worst of the flames, yet the force of the chain reaction of the explosion sent viscera and scales flying all the same. The dying hiss and roars of crocodiles were heard as the series of explosions rocked the area around them. Several of the massive trees fell into the swamp. Small waves of water surged around from the disturbances. New holes in the ground were formed and filled with water instantly. Naruto watched it all, a mix of smoke and mist cutting off the whole picture. Yet the blonde watched at least six of them die from the explosions, their bodies ripped apart and lives violently snuffed out. "I tried…" Naruto said sadly to himself. He fell towards the ground as he cautiously decided to check for survivors. However, as he drew close to the cloud of smoke and steam, six shapes shot through. Naruto jumped up and spun in the air as he called out. "Uzumaki Style: Rising Spiral!" As he spun, he slashed with Riptide in a circle, unleashing a spiral blast of chakra that managed to knock away the ambushers and dissipate the cloud.
Naruto landed, staring at the surviving crocodiles. The larger leader had obviously survived the explosion, having been in the back, and looked mostly fresh. The rest had singes and even some wounds but seemed unbothered. All of them glared angrily, seemingly determined to kill him.
"I'll ask you again," Naruto spoke, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the crocodiles. "You've bit off more than you can chew here. I don't have any reason to fight you; you're unrelated to my goals. I understand you have to eat, but you are unable to eat m-"
"You- you despicable human! You slaughtered my kin! And now you ask for a reprieve?! You murder, then lecture? We kill for food and territory; we were born with that drive, as all life is. We embrace the cycle of life while you disgusting humans disrupt! No predators, yet you prey on all. The most successful hunters, and yet you do not hunt. You sicken us, and we will feast on your body for the transgressions you have committed!" The leader ranted, infuriated.
"I was defending myself!" Naruto cried out. "You all even said I'm not much food. How are you justified?!"
"You aren't even supposed to be here human…" The leader spat. "Save your foolish philosophy for creatures foolish enough to buy into it. We prey on or become prey. We feed or starve, we kill to eat. We defend what is ours. Our existence is infinitely more in tune with the world around us. NOW LET US FINALLY FEED KIN! THESE HUMANS HAVE LITTLE CHAKRA! HE SHOULD BE DEFENSELESS NOW!"
Naruto sighed bitterly as he sheathed Riptide. His clones earlier had shown the creatures were resistant to both his blows and even the slashes of Riptide. Of course, they were weak from the inside, but that was both gross and risky. Truthfully, this wasn't the kind of fight he could hold back in. And Naruto worried that the others would do as well as he did against them. They were murderous and killed merely for pleasure… Yet the weight increased as Naruto prepared to defeat them. So as he prepared his move it was with certainty of how it would end.
The blonde had often headed back in his fights. Naruto had never wanted to kill, even if his profession demanded it. He was certain he had done so before, but in the rush of battle it was different. And never so many at once, was this all shinobi were good for? But yet again, he found himself preparing to do so. Naruto couldn't see a different solution; he needed them not to pursue him, to ensure they didn't become a threat to his friends, and to survive this. The solution was simple… This wasn't like Gaara and Neji; Naruto couldn't afford to lose here…
"I tried…" Naruto spat tiredly. With dread in his voice he activated his jutsu. "Draw of the Maelstrom: Slicing Storm!" Naruto spat out as a tear slid from his eye. As Naruto drew Riptide and flooded chakra from and out of the small blade, there was a boom as the concentrated wind was gathered, condensed, and shaped into small blades. The crocodiles, sensing that this was unavoidable or perhaps simply the end, froze as they watched the slice create a massive storm of wind chakra blades. However, the storm only gathered for an instant before it surged forward. The crocodiles, even their more giant leader, were lifted into the air and sliced into pieces. Unlike the blonde's earlier attack, the wind blades were unimpaired by their tough scales. Cutting through instantly and ending the life as often as crippling the reptilian clan. As if the attack wasn't devastating enough, the crocs were sent careening into trees, the muddy water, and each other. Naruto watched with tired eyes as his actions tore the Crocs asunder. As the technique ended, Naruto eyed the devastation and marched forward.
The area directly in front of him had become a watery, muddy clearing. The trees were cut to pieces and torn from the ground. There were deep grooves in the ground all around the area. Making the water lower and inconsistent throughout. Naruto stood now on dry land as he continued to march. Three crocodiles lay around him as he drew close to the end of the aftermath. Each lay dead and dismantled. Naruto's grip on Riptide tightened at the sight. Finally, he arrived at the end of the aftermath. There laid the last three crocodiles. Two were nearly at the top of the leader, both of them were cut in half. Naruto eyed them as he drew close, realizing the last one was still alive. The leader of the crocodiles stared at him lazily; it was missing each leg but one, its body was covered in grizzly cuts, and each breath it took seemed to be with great effort.
"It- it seems we… we were prey today." The leader spoke lethargically. "Deserved for having fallen to a despicable creature like yourself."
Naruto felt sick being surrounded by the life he had snuffed out. His eyes now fully shed tears, knowing he had done what he had done. "I warned you… I told you that this would happen."
"HAHAHAHA!" The croc bellowed before writhing in apparent agony. "You feel pity for your enemies. You humans truly are strange. We may share intelligence, but… we could be no more different. We embrace the cycle of life; you must prey upon or become prey; there is no good or evil, merely survival or death. Life is a savage existence. Something you weak humans will discover. Now finish me off…"
Naruto growled in frustration and eyed the creature as he stalled. Its injuries were certainly lethal, and it was obviously going to die soon. Every second would surely pass in deep pain. Naruto had even taken its family from it; regardless of reason, Naruto had effectively killed it already. "You're wrong. I'm sorry I didn't do more, but there is so much more to life than… this savagery."
"Save me the lecture."
Naruto felt tears slide down his face as he once again flooded Riptide with chakra; so much wind nature chakra was held within it, creating a breeze from the blade itself. Naruto held up a hand in prayer as he thrust Riptide into the creature's neck. So enhanced Riptide was that it pierced instantly. The leader of the Krookorook clan died with a silent breath. Naruto sheathed Riptide and looked around him, eyeing the devastation and gore with shame. He shakily walked past it all, marching about ten feet away before dropping to his knees. More tears fell before Naruto lurched to the ground, emptying his stomach in a violent physical display of his shame.
'Why did I do that?! I could've run, I could've spared them, I should've done something, anything else!' Naruto slammed his fist to the ground. 'Who the hell am I to decide who lives or dies?!' Naruto festered in his upset feeling before the context of the situation settled into him. 'Just like before, I've done things I'm not proud of on a mission. But yet again, I am unable to even think about it; the mission comes first… is this truly what being a shinobi is-'
"FANG OVER FANG!" A familiar voice roared as suddenly Naruto was hit with a blur. Naruto was sent careening into a tree, the force of the blow embedding him into it, as well as knocking Naruto out of his mental stupor.
Naruto groaned as he pulled himself from the tree. 'Another fight?' He looked up and was stunned by what he saw.
Before him were Kiba and Yuno, both covered in some black odd markings painted on their skin, small triangles threaded along all visible skin, their eyes seemingly an unnatural red. Yet it was clearly them and even better they seemed well. Though had Kiba been the one to attack him?
But seeing his friends lifted Naruto's mood. He stood and smiled at them happily. "Awesome, I found two of you already! The others were worried about you guys; I was too! I'll overlook the sneak attack, so we have to find the o-"
"He hasn't realized," Yuno spoke with a smarmy smile. "You should've taken him out then and there. Would've made this simple."
"HA! Bastard surprised me that it was so easy to catch him off guard!" Kiba roared in response. "Besides, I wanted to make sure he had the chance to fight back. Can't show him who's boss without letting the weakling try to fight back!"
"We should be cautious. Your information on him is dated, Kiba. He's much stronger than you realize. Much more of a man~!" Yuno replied with a creepy smile.
"Won't matter with our master's gift, I'll kill him with ease!" Kiba bragged.
"Now, now," Yuno chided. "The masters want our friends alive for their plans. Besides, I'd like to have some fun with him~."
"Fine! But only after he learns who is better!" Kiba agreed.
Naruto merely stared, surprised, at the two. 'What the hell happened to those two, they look and are acting so strange. This is all confusing… though one thing is clear. They intend to fight!' Naruto thought in shock as the two charged forward.
X-X
Notes
13.) This arc will cover many things, but one of them will be the differences between Terra and Earth. Not just physicality but societally. As I'm sure it is apparent, the world of Terra is a "savage" world. There is no written law or overseeing government. No crimes or attempts at morality. The world is built upon the idea of savage survival. Something that Naruto will obviously struggle to deal with… (Character Progression Woo!)