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Naruto's POV (Ruins of The Den - Western River Plains)
Evening
The battle between them and the Runic Wolves had been short but chaotic. Naruto and Sasuke had easily defeated their forces even while holding back a fair bit, but they had worn themselves out all the same. Similarly, Kiba and Choji needed to catch their breaths as well. A mix of rations and water allowed the group to relax and regroup. They were lounging on top of the collapsed entrance of the Den's prison. Nearby, the giant corpse of Fenrir.
Naruto had noticed that Muri was not dining with them and instead seemed to be kneeling in front of Fenrir's corpse. The Okama seemed remorseful and whispered something quietly to itself. It was almost like a prayer but much less formulaic than any prayer he had heard before. Naruto subtly split off from the others and approached his summon.
"Muri, are you alright?" Naruto asked as he stood next to his summon. However, Muri did not respond vocally but with their link. Naruto could feel the terror and anger Fenrir had felt as Naruto and Sasuke had bested him. The despair and disbelief of the other wolves, the pain it drew out of Muri. 'Empathic, of course, you're not; for someone as perceptive as you, that must've been terrible. I… wish it didn't have to go that way.'
'I know Naruto. Even while you struck the finishing blows, I felt no malice in your heart… in truth, I recognize this is merely life. We sometimes fight, and in combat, we may die. It's something this mission has made clear to me, something other Okama know all too well. It just feels… wasteful. Fenrir, at one time, was an honorable and respectful Clan Boss. For a nonsummoning clan like his own, becoming a creature worthy of the boss title is no small feat, and deep down, he truly loved his clan. Perhaps he deserves this fate, but all the same, I find myself wondering if there isn't a better way. Even the Okama would've struck him down… is that the way of the world, Uzumaki… I merely wash wishing the Great Sage would guide him to a peaceful afterlife.'
'I couldn't be certain myself. I've learned that this last year, the world is much bigger and more complex than I imagined. People come from all over, all with their own stories, mot, invitations, and dreams. But all too often they stand in each other's way. They hurt and take from each other, and it doesn't stop. It blows my mind even in an entirely different world without us humans; the constant warfare and loss is a problem. I became a shinobi to pursue my goal of becoming Hokage. I wanted to become Hokage to prove that I could be loved and matter. Now, I want to become Hokage to make my village a better place for everyone, but as I continue, I keep finding more and more wrong in this world. It seems like everywhere I go, violence follows like it's the only answer to a problem. I can't pretend not to get it, but recently I wonder… Makes me wish there was some "Great Sage", at leas then I could take comfort in someone trying to right all these wrongs…'
'A shinobi who questions violence, such is why the Okama chose you, Naruto. It was why such a strong empath like myself was placed with you. No regular human would do, they exhibit much too many negative emotions consistently. But somehow your different… The Okama sees things similarly to you and wants to improve our world and yours. But we've lacked the strength and influence to pursue the goal; strife and time have weakened our drive to truly pursue it. But the more time I spend around you, Naruto, the more certain I am that you are what we've needed.' Muri echoed.
'I don't know about that, Muri, I just killed Fenrir. Hell I'm just a regular guy. I can barely become a shinobi worth a damn yet alone affect two whole worlds.'
'Self-defense, I can feel your guilt for it, Naruto. Don't play unbothered. That compassion within you, it is something shockingly missing from most being nowadays. Besides knowing you I'm being over generous.'
'Touche.' Naruto rolled his eyes, and he kneeled down next to Muri. The raccoon's eyes widened when Naruto bowed deeply to the downed Fenrir. 'I'm sorry it came to this, Fenrir; I promise one day to make Irminsul a better place for those like yourself. I'm unsure when it'll be, but you have Naruto Uzumaki's word. I hope you find peace, Fenrir Runic.' Naruto stood, offered one more small bow, and offered an arm to Muri. The blonde grinned as the stunned raccoon scampered onto his left shoulder. 'Don't worry, Muri, I meant every word.' Naruto promised as he and Muri rejoined the others. The raccoon seemed somewhat relieved by the blonde.
While Naruto and Muri were busy talking, the others packed up and discussed strategy.
"From what our scouting earlier showed, the Chakra Anchor, a physical chakra manifestation of the link between Terra and Earth, has been encased in a barrier. This is concerning because Muri informs us that if someone could gain control over such, they could effectively control all summonings in and out of and gain massive sway over Terra as a whole. Considering the Master's movements thus far, they are likely responsible. Our plan is relatively simple; we will strike out within a few hours of daylight. Muri will allow us to bypass the barrier, at which point we'll engage the perpetrators, likely this "Master."" Sasuke broke down. "Yuno, Kiba, and Choji, what can you tell us about this master?"
"I remember a woman. She seemed somewhat in control of the wolves, though I doubt she is this Master. When Choji and I were taken, I can remember a distinct chakra smothering us. Her chakra felt different, noticeably weaker for one." Yuno responded, rubbing her head all the while. "The rest is blurry for me."
"I can't remember too much, but I can remember the attack and my detainment." Kiba chimed in. "After I got my ass kicked by Gaara, I got taken to medical. Akamaru and I were catching some sleep when suddenly wolves appeared in the room. Exhausted in a small space and being well and truly out numbered, they managed to subdue Akamaru and hold me down long enough for us all to be teleported. Left behind my boy too. I arrived smack dab in the middle of that cave from the Runic Camp, and the wolves let me go, but I still couldn't budge. Suddenly, this Master bastard showed up in front of my face. I can remember a rough description. Tall, tan, and muscular, with long dark braided hair. Somehow, he was holding me up in midair with a single finger and used that same trick to force my mouth open. Suddenly, I felt my whole body freeze, my mind stopped, and I only cared what he thought, and my anger… grew. I wanted nothing more than to show you all I wasn't nearly as weak as you thought. To prove my strength to everyone and myself through my service…"
"That's what I saw when I freed Choji. It seems the seal manipulates emotions to extremes to coerce the victim to follow the user's orders. That gives us two culprits," Yuno added with a nod.
"So the master is definitely a male then!" Choji agreed. "I saw the same guy when I got taken! He even did the floating thing to me… though now that I think of it…"
"What is it, Choji?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. "This situation is much too serious for us to not explore all the thinking we are privy to."
"Well, now that I look back on it, I remember thinking he was moving his fingers a lot more than any normal person does. It managed to snag my attention, and I realized why just now. It reminded me a bit of how Kankuro from the exams fights, almost like he was manipulating a puppet." Choji explained.
"So we have a mystery woman, and we now know what the master looks like and that he may be a puppeteer," Naruto concluded. "Why are we moving so quickly anyway? We haven't even found everybody yet."
"Two reasons, Uzumaki," Sasuke explained. "Firstly, the others are more than likely together. Our group has thoroughly explored the North and South and most of the West. Meaning the only area we haven't explored is the East. With Hinata, Shino, Lee, and Sakura still missing, they are almost certainly there; likewise, with their skills and intelligence in mind, they most likely have gathered like ourselves. If they did, they would eventually decide to investigate the Chakra Anchor just as we are."
"So you figure heading there gives us a decent chance to find the others and deal with a problem we'd need to either way," Naruto nodded. "At that point, worse comes to worse, we'd have eliminated a threat and know where to look anyway."
"Well said, Blondie!" Yuno snarked with an earnest smile. "Wouldn't it be better if we waited until morning, however? As interesting as these crawling demons seem, we risk dealing with them if we strike tonight."
"It's a risk," Sasuke admitted. "However, it's one we need to take."
"He's right." Kiba agreed, Choji nodding as well, much to the bemusement of Naruto and Yuno. "Can't blame the two of you for not knowing as non heirs, but so many of us being missing at once is a major deal, the jinchuriki of the Leaf even more so than the former. If the other villages learned of this, they might devise absurd ideas."
"Great a race against time," Naruto complained. "On top of a world full of somewhat hostile intelligent life, and a band of mysterious shinobi so villainous one of them openly calls themselves "The Master" great."