Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Key Through the Heart ❯ Binding Shadows in the Dark ( Chapter 16 )

llIVoice of Destiny/Inner Sakura

“Normal Talking”

Thoughts/Sound Effects

“Flashback dialogue/Japanese/Emphasis of words”

“Demon speak”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Key Through the Heart

A fanfiction by Andrew J. Talon

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, or any of the characters or properties mentioned in this story. The story's mine, the concept is mine, but everything else is not mine. And I'm certainly not writing this for profit.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Iruka sighed happily as he shut off the shower, pushing aside the curtain and letting the steam waft into the air. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped over to the sink and reached for his toothbrush.

 

A tug on his entire body, a cloud of smoke, and a coughing fit later found Iruka staring at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, in the middle of the forest.

 

“Iruka-sensei?” Naruto ventured nervously. Iruka groaned, and made sure his towel was secure.

 

“Yes Naruto, nice to see you too. And alive, though your timing is as good as ever,” the chuunin scowled. Sakura blushed heavily.

 

“Um, I'm sorry sensei! We just, um, saw that we needed to open the scrolls, and, well… Uh…” The pink-haired girl averted her eyes.

 

Iruka sighed, and shook his head. He smiled.

 

“Well, can't be helped. I'm glad to see you all made it though. Come on, let's get you in.” Stiffly he turned and began walking into the imposing tower, Team Seven following. They went down a hard stone hallway, finally reaching a pair of large stone doors. Iruka deftly shoved them open and walked through, ignoring the gawks he attracted from other ninja in the vast chamber. Particularly from Mitarashi Anko, who licked her lips and smirked as the chuunin approached. Iruka fought down his blush.

 

“Team Seven has made it, with both scrolls and all members,” Iruka reported in a business-like tone, not looking in the direction of any snickers he heard. Anko grinned.

“Oh, I can see that,” she purred suggestively.

 

Damnit, damnit, damnit! He mentally chanted to himself as he blushed. The purple-haired woman's grin grew.

 

“Well, if that's all, then I'll just be going,” Iruka said flatly, turning and heading back for the exit, one hand securely around his towel.

 

“Wait up just one minute… Iruka, was it?” Anko called. He sighed and turned around, as Anko walked up, still grinning.

 

“The Hokage wanted to talk to you about something when you came here… So stick around. The place could use some eye candy.” She winked, which made Iruka's blush even worse.

 

“Do you have a change of clothes for me?” He asked. Anko grinned.

 

“You can send for them, but it'll take a while…”

 

“Dandy,” Iruka stated. “Well, no reason for you three to stand around all day. The quarters for the teams should be in the same place…”

 

With that, Iruka turned and walked out the double doors, his face burning bright red at the cat calls and whistles that followed. Naruto followed, also rather embarrassed for his sensei and glaring back at Anko, who merely smirked sexily.

 

“This is not what I was expecting,” Sakura mumbled, her inner self chanting Look! Look! Look! Damnit, so we're promised to Sasuke! Doesn't mean we're dead!

 

But it's Iruka-sensei!

 

So? He's hot for an older guy!

 

And WAY too old for me…

 

Not too old for you to just look, you prude…

 

Naruto blinked and stared as Sakura's face switched between teasing and murderous. He gulped, and increased his pace to match Iruka's.

 

“Er… Iruka-sensei? What's with Sakura-chan?”

 

Iruka sighed and shook his head.

 

“Naruto, there are some things about women you're just going to have to find out for yourself…”

 

“Indeed,” stated Kakashi, appearing behind them. Naruto and Sakura immediately began talking at once.

 

“Kakashi-sensei, am I glad to see you! In the forest, we got attacked by this transsexual-freak-!”

 

“He bit Sasuke-kun and-!”

 

“We fought this huge battle, and I totally kicked ass-!”

 

“Naruto got eaten by a snake and I had to drag us all to safety-!”

 

“WHAT?!” Iruka bellowed into the conversation, making Sakura and Naruto flinch. Sasuke snarled at his teammates.

 

“Damnit, you shouldn't have told him about it!” The Uchiha seethed.

 

“Oh, what, we shouldn't be worried about you? The great, invincible Sasuke bastard?” Naruto shot back. Sakura bit her lower lip but stood firm.

 

“Kakashi-sensei needs to know… And besides Sasuke-kun, you're not the only one that Orochimaru messed with!”

 

The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop ten degrees, as both Iruka and Kakashi wore twin expressions of shock.

 

“Orochimaru?!” Iruka gasped. Kakashi grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder and looked into his eyes.

 

“What did he do to you? Tell me!” The jounin demanded. Sasuke scowled.

 

“He… Bit me… And put a weird seal on me,” he stated, extremely reluctantly.

 

“Where?” Sasuke turned slowly to one side, lifting up his hair from the back of his neck. He gritted his teeth as he felt it react, as though the seal was unwilling to be seen.

 

“… I see,” Kakashi stated simply, flatly. He turned to Naruto and Sakura.

 

“You two are allright otherwise, correct?”

 

Naruto flinched, and Kakashi mentally noted that he would have to teach the blond better control of his emotions.

 

“Um, the guy put this seal… On me too… He didn't bite me! Just used his hand and put it… On my stomach,” Naruto got out, eyes indicating the significance of `stomach'. Kakashi sighed.

 

“All right… Naruto, Sakura, go with Iruka to the infirmary and get checked out. I'll be by soon to see your seal, Naruto, but for now I need to seal Sasuke's. Immediately,” he finished in a tone that would clearly tolerate no dissent. Sasuke's scowl deepened, but he followed his teacher anyway, ignoring the concerned expression on Sakura's face.

 

“Kakashi-sensei, you'll take care of Sasuke-kun, right?”

 

“Yes, I will. Now go. Oh, and Iruka?”

 

The chuunin frowned.

 

“Yes Kakashi?”

 

“Might want to see to the towel,” the jounin said quietly, with a hint of amusement in his tone. Iruka looked down and blushed heavily. His towel was nearly undone. With a scowl he pulled it up and tightened it around his waist.

 

“Yeah, thanks,” he snorted, ignoring the blushing Sakura as he led her and Naruto down the hallway towards the clinic in the tower.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

The Third Hokage sighed as he made his down the hospital hallway. His long robes waving with every step, his keen eyes found the door he was seeking. Stepping up to it, he knocked.

 

“Come in,” was the reply, and the Hokage entered, the hospital door sliding open with barely a whisper.

 

Leaning over his daughter, Ichiraku Teuchi was looking over her still form with anxiety. Sarutobi closed the room door behind him and approached, keeping his distance out of habit. Protector the Hokage may be, but sometimes a little distance was needed between the shield and the target.

 

“Naruto made it to the tower, safe and sound,” he began without preamble. Teuchi turned away from Ayame and nodded, a slight smile on his wrinkled face.

 

“Good… I take it though, he ran into some trouble?”

 

“Orochimaru,” Sarutobi said simply, and the current ramen chef bared his teeth in a snarl.

 

“The snake…? What's he doing back here?”

 

“At a guess, nothing good,” Sarutobi said quietly, discretely casting a privacy jutsu around the room. “Combined with our recent diplomatic problems with Suna, and something seems to be brewing.”

 

“Invasion?” Asked Teuchi. Sarutobi frowned.

 

“Possibly… Countries in desperate straits do not always see reason. But enough of that. What is her condition?” Sarutobi nodded to Ayame. Teuchi sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Even my master couldn't have predicted Naruto getting the Keyblade, and his notes on anything like that occurring were purely theoretical. It was considered almost impossible.” Sarutobi chuckled.

 

“Well, he is Konoha's most surprising ninja,” the Hokage noted.The ramen chef sat down in a nearby plastic chair, one hand to his chin in thought. Sarutobi nodded and became serious once more.

 

“He's changed… Not as though he's being influenced, but more like he's being truer to himself. More mature, more thoughtful…” Sarutobi smirked slightly. “Far more sarcastic…”

 

“The Keyblade seems to bring out the true power of its bearer's inner self, not to mention it serves to link his heart to those he cares about,” Teuchi mused. He shook his head as Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.

 

“You mean… That's what happened here? He formed a link to Ayame?”

 

“Looks that way,” Teuchi agreed. “Whether it was acting to increase his resistance to… His tenant's influence, or increase his power… Or both… It's hard to tell.”

 

“She can't tell you?” Asked Sarutobi. The ramen chef shook his head.

 

“When she came to she didn't know what had happened. I brought her here to be checked out just in case, but everything's… Normal, for lack of a better term.”

 

“Normal according to the medic ninja… Or normal according to you?” Sarutobi asked. Teuchi shrugged.

 

“Her chakra coils, such as they are, look fine… But there is definitely left over magical energy inside her. The link is offline, but not broken.”

 

“Hmm… Of course, the real question becomes… Why Ayame?” Sarutobi mused. “Why would the Keyblade link her heart to Naruto's?” The Hokage looked at Ichiraku.

 

“Do you have a theory?”

 

“Several, actually,” Teuchi confessed with a wry smile, “but nothing firm. I'll have to do my own tests… And keep Ayame-chan from finding out.”

 

“Of course,” Sarutobi agreed. “And Naruto as well… He's got enough on his mind as it is at the moment.”

 

Teuchi nodded, and turned back to his daughter, as the Hokage turned and exited. The old ninja frowned as he spied a black bird sitting on the window. He stared at him… Before flying off. Sarutobi shook his head, and used a teleportation jutsu to return to his office.

 

Everything looked precisely the same as always, aside from one slight detail…

 

The Hokage smirked.

 

“Jiraiya. Nice to see you again.”

 

A chuckle was his response, as Jiraiya the Sannin appeared, landing lightly on the floor with a grin and dramatic wave of his long white mane.

 

“Sensei, always a pleasure to see you,” he returned. Sarutobi shook his head and walked to his desk, sitting behind it.

 

“What brings you home? Surely not the chuunin exams,” the Hokage commented, rummaging in his desk for his pipe and tobacco. Jiraiya smirked.

 

“Yes and no… Heard about Snake-bastard showing up again and decided to drop by, see what I could do.”

 

The Hokage nodded, lighting his pipe and breathing in the rich smoke, before exhaling a smoke ring.

 

“I see… By the way, how is Mickey?”

 

“Feisty and round-eared as ever,” Jiraiya noted, settling down in the chair before the desk. “To be honest though, he ranks as my number one reason why to never get married. His wife is always hounding him, heh.”

 

“I'm sure there's a woman out there who could tame you,” Sarutobi responded with a grin. Jiraiya smirked.

 

“We all have our callings, Sensei, and that isn't one of mine,” the Toad Sage replied. “Now then… What's the bastard been up to?”

 

“Looks like he's after the Sharingan,” Sarutobi noted. “Though he also seemed to have some interest in Uzumaki Naruto.”

 

“The Kyuubi brat?” Jiraiya asked with a frown. “The Sharingan, I can understand-Bastard's always been obsessed with jutsus. But why a jinchuriki?”

 

The sannin grimaced, a terrible thought entering his mind.

 

“You don't think…?”

 

“I doubt he knows,” Sarutobi replied. “And even if he did, I doubt he would care all that much. Even while we were world-hopping, he learned little about that.”

 

Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully, as Sarutobi went on.

 

“It probably has more to do with Naruto becoming the bearer of the Keyblade.”

 

Sarutobi inwardly smirked at the gob smacked expression on his former student's face. Still got it, he thought.

 

“… Kid has the lousiest luck,” the Toad Sage declared at last, shaking his head. “What does Teuchi have to say about it?”

 

“Not much… no one could have predicted that the Keyblade would choose Naruto. From what we've seen, and what Naruto's told me, the Kyuubi now has a direct link to Naruto's heart, if he uses it's chakra to power the Keyblade. If he uses it without the Keyblade, things should be as the Fourth Hokage designed, but…” Sarutobi sighed. Jiraiya frowned.

 

“Hard to tell, hm? Well… I'll give the seal a look-over, see if it needs modification, and look the kid over too,” Jiraiya stated.

 

“If that damn thing's chosen him, it's best he knows what he's in for.”

 

“Jiraiya, I'm trying to keep that from him until he's ready,” the Hokage stated. Jiraiya snorted.

 

“If he's old enough to kill, and old enough to be chosen by the Keyblade, I say he's old enough to be told the truth.”

 

“Right now he's got enough stress on him,” Sarutobi argued calmly. “Adding more is not going to help. He needs to become aware gradually… And besides, it's not as though we actually know what the future holds for him?”

 

“No… But we both know what will happen if he falls,” Jiraiya said quietly. The Hokage nodded.

 

“He knows this… And beating it into his head will not prevent it. I want him to try and live normally as long as possible… He's begun to make friends, allies, people who trust and care for him. I don't want him withdrawing behind his mask because he's afraid of hurting them.”

 

Jiraiya took a deep breath… And blew it all out, shaking his head.

 

“Your call, Old Man… I just hope you're right.”

 

Sarutobi looked out of one of the windows in his office, a pair of birds flying in the clear blue sky. It was a peaceful sight… But one that reminded the Hokage of how easily that peace could be broken.

 

“So do I,” he replied quietly, puffing his pipe.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“I have to seal this, quickly,” Kakashi stated, finishing drawing the circle of intricate patterns on the ancient stone floor. Sasuke sat in the middle, shirt off, hunched over, the curse seal mark glaringly obvious against his pale skin.

 

The Uchiha frowned.

 

“What is the danger of this thing? When it activated, I felt…”

 

“What you felt was not true power, Sasuke,” Kakashi stated, voice hard and serious. Sasuke felt a slight familiarity with the tone. It reminded him of his father, when he had done something foolish. He schooled his face into it's usual apathetic expression and turned his thoughts away from his family.

 

“What do you mean?” Sasuke asked. Kakashi sighed, standing up.

 

“The seal does not give you more power, Sasuke… It simply allows you to mold chakra more efficiently, because it molds more of it for you.” Kakashi walked over to in front of Sasuke and crouched down, seeing eye to eye with the Uchiha survivor.

 

“Not only that, but… It influences your mind. It alters your subconscious, slowly twisting you into a mindless tool for its maker.”

 

“Orochimaru,” Sasuke answered his own unspoken question. Kakashi nodded grimly.

 

“It lets you mold chakra more efficiently, but it can only do so much. If you rely on it… It becomes a handicap, like an addictive drug. If I don't seal it now… And if you use it, then your development stops right here.”

 

Sasuke's eyes widened, and then narrowed. He felt so betrayed… All that raw power, he'd felt invincible… But it was only an illusion?

 

“… Do it,” he said at last. Kakashi nodded, his single visible eye softening.

 

“This will hurt, immensely,” the jounin told him. Sasuke made no response, just increased his focus. Kakashi stood up and walked behind the Uchiha, making the appropriate hand seals.

 

“FÅ«ja HÅin!” Kakashi roared, slamming his hands down on the seal. Sasuke screamed in agony as white-hot pain burned through his body, his eyes closed as tightly as he could get them. Abruptly, the pain subsided, and Sasuke collapsed to the cold stone floor, breathing steadily. He stared into the darkness of the room with blank eyes.

 

A pair of black boots entered his vision. Sasuke tilted his head up, barely able to move, but it was enough to see the figure of the man standing over him, seemingly clothed in darkness.

 

“You have been connected,” said the man, quietly but with a commanding presence that fell over Sasuke like a pile of rocks. Sasuke took a shaky breath.

 

“… Who… Are you?” He asked. The man continued to stand there, unmoving. Part of Sasuke's mind wondered what had happened to Kakashi, why he wasn't doing anything about this intruder…

 

“Tied to the darkness... soon to be completely eclipsed,” the man went on. Sasuke just felt more confused, more angry… And more fearful, though this he defiantly shoved deep into the pit of his chest.

 

“What… Do you mean?” Sasuke got out with gritted teeth. Everything seemed to grow darker, his vision fading, the cold stone underneath him no longer uncomfortable.

 

“There is so very much to learn. You understand so little… But in time,” the man said, clear and ominous through the fog consuming his mind.

 

Sasuke finally closed his eyes, giving into a dreamless sleep.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Kakashi frowned down at his student and tried to make sense of his rambling… He then looked where he was staring. His blood ran cold.

 

“Hello, Kakashi,” a hissed, high-pitched voice spoke out of the darkness. Kakashi's lone visible eye widened as the pale form of Orochimaru entered the dim light of the chamber. He was dressed in a Konoha jounin uniform, same as Kakashi's, with a Konoha hitai-ate across his brow.

 

“Orochimaru,” the Copy Ninja snarled, stepping in front of Sasuke. Orochimaru smirked.

 

“Oh, how you've grown since the last time we met,” he crooned. “You already know that seal? Most impressive…”

 

“What do you want?” Kakashi growled. Orochimaru grinned.

 

“What do I want? I can't just visit old friends? Reminisce about yesterdays? I should think you would appreciate it.”

 

“There is nothing you have done for me to appreciate,” Kakashi returned angrily, “and whatever it is you've come to do, I will stop you.”

 

Orochimaru shook his head, a small laugh escaping his lips.

 

“I don't need to do anything more… Sasuke-kun is already mine. Soon, he will come looking for me. Soon, I will have him, and his wonderful bloodline.” The Snake Sannin licked his lips with a leer. Kakashi held down the rage he felt, as well as the doubt that creeped behind it.

 

“Sasuke is a Konoha ninja… He would never go to you. Not to your empty promises, and shadows bound in the dark,” Kakashi retorted. Orochimaru laughed again.

 

“Really? Are you so sure? Even you have to have seen the darkness inside him… The rage. He lives for vengeance, he needs it. He has no other ties to this world than that. And if I can give him the means to kill his brother, well…” Orochimaru licked his lips again, and Kakashi felt the doubt rise in him. He'd seen Sasuke's anger, all too well, his desire to be the best to take revenge…

 

You've also seen him with Naruto and Sakura, a voice within him pointed out, gently but firmly. He cares for them, or at least is beginning to.

 

“You're wrong… He won't join you… He is not as lost as you might think,” the jounin got out, quietly but more confidently than before. Orochimaru snorted.

 

“Do you really think the Kyuubi brat can save him? Or the pink-haired girl? Even with the Keyblade, the boy cannot save Sasuke-kun. No, Kakashi, Sasuke is like me. He wants power… And he knows where to find it.”

 

The Raikiri formed in his hand in an instant, Kakashi performing the hand seals so fast few ninja on the planet could have made them out. The raw power of lightening crackling in his hand, Kakashi glared in sheer determination.

 

“Then I will destroy you, to keep him safe. Even if I die, at least you will be gone!”

 

This declaration, so full of heart and conviction… Was laughed at by the mad Sannin.

 

“If you think you can, then do so,” Orochimaru shrugged, laughing as he turned his back and began walking away. Kakashi tensed, ready to charge, slam the screaming Raikiri through the chest of the Sannin…

 

But the crushing weight of reality fell on him, and the jounin let the Raikiri die.

 

Give my life to destroy him? What was I thinking?

 

Kakashi knew there were few ninja who were a match for him, but Orochimaru was definitely out of his league. Not only in sheer power, but also in experience. If he had charged… He'd have given his life for nothing.

 

So Kakashi watched Orochimaru vanish into the darkness, fists clenched, and feeling as though he had failed his old sensei once again…

 

- - - - - - - - - - -

 

Sorry for the short chapter. My new math class is eating up a lot of my time and energy. Still, this gets us to the preliminaries of the Chuunin Exam, which will be covered next time.

 

Teuchi's just full of surprises isn't he? Don't worry, I will reveal his past and connections, but slowly. I don't want to give everything away right off the bat after all.

 

Expect to see more Heartless and more strange occurrences, as the Heartless gain more interest in Konoha.

 

Yes, I do like Iruka/Anko, but I'm also fond of other pairing for our favorite chuunin schoolteacher, so like with Naruto you'll have to wait and see.

 

Now, time for some omakes!

 

By "The Dog"-

 

Momochi Zabuza growled under his breath as he looked at the two men across from him, both

of whom proved to be worth opponents. One of them was Auron, a quiet, focused, and

determined man. Even his very apparel seemed to radiate an aura of focused determination.

The other was a... pirate by the name of Jack Sparrow. He was the opposite of Auron in

dress and persona, especially all the trinkets in his hair. But this was quickly proved to

be just an act, for he proved to have a most cunning mind.

 

But the victory was Zabuza's, and he couldn't surpress a smirk as he laid down his cards,

revealing three 4s. "Three of a kind." Zabuza said, giving the both of them a challenging

glare.

 

Jack merely smiled as he said "Sorry mate, but I win. Four of a kind." He laid down the

four 5s in his hand. However, as he reached for the pot, Auron spoke up, saying only "This

is my game, and you're not winning it." before laying down his hand...

 

A royale flush.

 

As Auron pulled his winnings to him, Jack gathered up the cards and asked "So, another

hand lads?" Auron and Zabuza both nodded in agreement, Jack smiling as he dealt the cards again.

 

By Yamimaru

 

Omake 1

 

Naruto stared at Sasuke's outfit for a moment, then burst out laughing.

 

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT DOBE?!?!"

 

"Just wondering how much the emo full-body condom cost you. And why in hell are you

wearing those bandages? Did you start cutting yourself or something. And please tell me

you haven't started listening to My Chemical Romance."

 

Sasuke stood staring at Naruto, mouth hanging wide open in shock while a few of the people

who had heard Naruto started laughing.

 

'How the hell did the dobe figure out that I listen to MCR?!?!'

 

By Andrew J. Talon

 

(Inspired by A-Kun)

 

It was one of their first off-world jobs, ever since Jiraiya had donated some old Gummi ships he'd “borrowed” from the Heartless, and Team 7 was irritated.

 

“Okay, does it make sense to any of you that the villains our clients face just seem to enjoy mucking up their planet for the heck of it?” Naruto asked.

 

“No. Then again, I'm wondering why they haven't just given that solar-powered technology of theirs to the rest of his world to stop all this `pollution',” Sakura snorted.

 

“The whole group is a bunch of weak, annoying, whiny fools,” Sasuke grumbled.

 

“Shhh… There's the target,” Kakashi murmured, though he too was annoyed by their current job. They'd had the audacity to claim his book wasn't environmentally friendly (whatever the hell that meant)! Did they expect Jiraiya-sama to write his masterpieces on rocks?

 

The target was some greasy-haired guy wearing an exceeding tacky suit with animal furs lining it. Naruto snickered about “Cruella de Ville's soulmate,” which led to Sakura telling him to be quiet… But they really shouldn't have bothered.

 

“We are the Planeteers! Time for you to pay for your crimes against the Earth!” Bellowed their clients. Kakashi slapped his hand to his forehead.

 

“So much for our sneak attack,” Sakura mumbled, as the Planeteers began to “let their powers combine”.

 

“Earth!” The target was simply standing there, staring in stupefaction at the teenagers and their magical spectacle. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

 

“Fire!”

 

“Wind!”

 

“Water!”

 

Sasuke pulled a Demon Wind Shuriken from his pouch and let it fly.

 

“Heart! GO- OH MY GOD THE BAD GUY'S BEEN CUT IN HALF!” The Planeteers screamed, as the target fell apart-Literally. They turned a collective glare at Sasuke, who shrugged.

 

“What?”

 

More omakes to come! As always, please review and keep reading! Suggestions and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism always welcome, as well as new omakes!