Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Heroes of Olympus.

Co-Written by Engineer4Ever

Fils de l'Amour: Mark of Athena

13: The Pirate's Life Ain't For Me

Naruto coasted through the air with a relaxed smile plastered on his face. He really never got to enjoy flight the last time he was able to do so, what with the psychotic Rabbit Demon Lady trying to absorb all of humanity with her 'Tree of Doom'. Now that he could take the time to enjoy it though, he regretted ever sealing it away.

This is what it feels like to be free. Something in the back of his head whispered. No responsibilities, no more fighting, just...free. No nagging from others, no more orders to be followed, and no more deaths. We could stop it all, and make a world where no one fights and dies for needless reasons.

"A world where no one fights or dies...that is my goal."

The memory of Obito's warped plan, a product of having his broken heart manipulated by a heartless momma's boy that was known as Zetsu and a deranged old man named Madara, snapped Naruto from his daydreaming. Naruto came to a stop and floated in the air as more troubling thoughts came forward. It wasn't like him to think about being 'free'. He liked having time to himself, yeah, but being a shinobi, having a sense of order and direction in his life, was something he enjoyed far more. He loved going on missions, he liked being useful, training to fight against opponents and, more importantly, helping others find peace with their life.

He sighed and rubbed his head. "Man, what am I doing out here?"

"Being an idiot?" Kurama suggested a bit too nonchalantly. Naruto glared down at his navel with mild annoyance before he shook his head and turned around. He didn't see the ship anywhere. Weird, he'd thought that they'd be back in the air in no time.

With a silent shrug, Naruto reached out and felt for the Argo's shinobi inhabitants. His eyes, previously closed, snapped open in surprise.

He couldn't feel the shinobi.

More importantly, he couldn't feel Gyuki.

"Naruto..." Kurama sounded just as uneasy as Naruto felt.

"I know." Naruto turned around tore through the air with a sonic boom not too far behind him. The air parted as a vapor cone formed in front of Naruto, and within seconds he was back over the Argo II, which for some reason was in the water.

Naruto frowned at the sight of a second ship alongside the Argo II. The other ship was just as large as the Argo II, but had black sails instead of white, and a tattered flag with a golden skull on it. There was something on the deck that made Naruto uneasy. He reached out with his connection to life that the Rikudo Senjutsu gave him–

"Naruto!" Kurama's warning came just a fraction of a second too late as a massive black ball with golden arcs of energy shot up towards them. It felt like a Bijudama, but something about it was off.

The most Naruto could do was bring the Gudōdama around and make a shield that barely held against the mysterious energy that was fired at him. The shield cracked as a second ball of the energy collided with the first and both expanded before they ruptured. The force of the attack made Naruto fall into the water. He emerged from the depths a second later, without Rikudo Senjutsu mode active due to the proximity he had with the others. If he tried to go all out so close to the Argo II, he could accidentally blow the ship up.

Naruto doubted that his friends, aunt and sister would forgive him if he accidentally blew them up.

That was not just chakra. Naruto thought with a groan as he climbed onto the moving ocean with the aid of water walking. Any ideas?

"I agree, that wasn't just chakra. Must've been partly made of that 'magic fog' stuff we keep hearing about." Kurama suggested as he gave his Jinchuriki some chakra to use. "It managed to duplicate the effects of a Senjutsu: Bijudama (Sage Art: Tailed-Beast Ball). I'm surprised it broke through your defense so readily."

Naruto frowned. He didn't like not knowing what this 'fog' stuff was, but it couldn't be helped. He ran to the Argo II and jumped up to the deck. The sight he found was, for lack of a better term, infuriating.

Piper was gagged and bound at the foot of a half-dolphin man and next to her was a knocked out Jason that was covered in bruises. The satyr Hedge was also unconscious, but he was bound far more heavily than the others. Leo, Frank and Hazel were also bound, but their mouths were free of gags. The shinobi were missing, but with a single second to reach out, Naruto found their chakra being used like they were in battle. He'd go help them in a moment. Percy and Annabeth were bound and glared at a golden masked man, who turned to face Naruto.

"Ah, and the God Slayer returns." The hideous golden mask hid the man's face, but Naruto could imagine the sneer the man's mouth had formed. "I see your 'God Mode' failed to last against Mark Ten."

"Mark what?" Naruto asked. The man let out a dark chuckle, echoed by the chattering laughter of his dolphin-men crew.

"Mark Ten. Ten! Get your ass over here, boy!" The masked man barked.

There was a loud stomp that made Naruto turn to face a very tall man, easily seven feet tall and packed with muscle. The man had a black body suit underneath awesome orange armor. His hair was spiked like Naruto's own, but it was a shade of red that reminded him of his mother's hair. The massive man's eyes were red and a scowl was settled on his face.

"Blondie, that thing's a robot! It's got-!" Leo was cut off as one of the dolphin-men punched him hard in the back of the head to get him to go down. Hazel and Frank started to open their own mouths, but when guns were pointed at their heads, they wisely became quiet.

Naruto tightened his hand into a fist and he glared at the masked man before he looked back at the giant. "So...Mark Ten?"

"Affirmative." Creepy, it even sounded like Naruto. Just...robotic.

The Golden Mask Dude barked out another laugh. "Mark Ten, tell him your primary objective!"

"Primary Objective: Absorption and assimilation of the chakra that belongs to the Kyubi Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki." The robotic announcement sent a chill down Naruto's spine. "Secondary Objective: Eliminate/Kill/Exterminate, Exterminate, Exterminate! Naruto Uzumaki."

"Yeah, no, that's not happening." Naruto scowled. He looked deep within himself and pulled on the chakra of Rikudo Senjutsu –

A powerful punch to the gut made Naruto double over and cough up a bit of blood. What the hell was that!? That felt like Han's punch!

"Your compliance is not required nor a factor. All interference to primary objective will be met with hostility." Mark Ten informed Naruto as he withdrew his fist from the blond's stomach. Naruto fell to a knee and cradled his gut as he tried to regain his air. That was just like Han's punch...and Naruto only survived that thanks to his Sealed Hatred Mode.

"Naruto, get some distance!" Kurama barked out. Naruto quickly used a seal-less Kawarimi with one of the dolphin-men right before Mark Ten could hit him with another punch. That poor dolphin man didn't have the same durability Naruto did and he was promptly turned into goo with the blow. Naruto knew that Leo would be groaning about the mess on his ship's deck after this was over and done with.

He overheard the Golden Masked Dude talk about selling his sister to someone named Sir-see.

Needless to say, Kurama had an easy time giving chakra to his now red-eyed Jinchuriki.

Naruto attempted to blindside the masked man with a flying kick aimed at his head that would've surely broken the mask – and knocked that head off of the guy's shoulders and straight into orbit – but his attack was thwarted by Mark Ten, who appeared between Naruto and his target. The golden cloaked Jinchuriki's leg was caught in Mark Ten's grasp. Naruto's eyes widened as his chakra cloak was sucked into Mark Ten's hand, like dust into a vacuum.

Kurama! He's–!

"I know!" Kurama snarled in return. "He's draining my chakra!"

"Resistance is futile." Mark Ten's monotonic voice droned. The hand tightened around Naruto's leg and just before either Biju or Shinobi could realize what was going to happen, the giant redheaded warrior whipped them at the other ship's mast. The golden pillar of a mast gave way to Naruto's body as he plowed through it and landed in a heap on the other deck.

"What the fuck was that?!" Kurama demanded.

Naruto shook his head and got back to his feet, his eyes locked on the approaching robot as he kept himself off of his nearly crushed ankle. Naruto felt the damaged area heal and clenched his hands into fists. "Dunno, let's ask him."

"All queries and complaints should be directed to Creator: Madara Uchiha." Mark Ten explained before he vanished in a blur of movement.

"...Oh, son of a-!" "GOD DAMN UCHIHA!" Both Naruto and Kurama voiced their displeasure, the latter far more upset than the former. Naruto brought his hand up and caught Mark Ten's fist centimeters from his face. Naruto's mechanical opponent caught the counter punch that was aimed at its head and the two sets of red eyes locked. Two chakra arms sprouted from Naruto's shoulder and over his head a Rasengan began to form. Naruto forced his fist free from Mark Ten's hand and their hands interlocked. The two strained against each other, their strength matched up evenly.

Naruto, succumbing to exhaustion of using God Mode, Kurama Mode, and Senjutsu, began forming hand seals with his left hand and Mark Ten's interlocked hand. Mark Ten's eyes went to its hand, which allowed Naruto to smirk as he took a page from Obito's book – thanks to Kakashi for acting out the genjutsu fight the two students of Minato Namikaze had – and drove his left knee into Mark Ten's chin. Mark Ten's head craned upwards and Naruto followed through with the Rasengan driven directly into Mark Ten's face.

The robotic man flew back from the attack and destroyed a good portion of the would be pirate's deck. There was an outraged cry, and Naruto turned to smirk at the Golden Masked Dude.

"So, got anything else Goldy?" he asked.

The man's shoulders trembled and a golden blade was pointed at Naruto. There had to be a scowl behind that mask. "For the record, boy, my name is Chrysaor. Know it well, for it will be the last name you learn before you die! Mark Ten, obliterate him!"

"Primary objective: completed."

Naruto turned and gaped at the sight of the robotic man getting back to his feet. He pointed at the robot angrily. "Are you freaking kidding me? I gave you a full powered Rasengan to the face!"

"Should've used a Bijudama! Atomize this bastard!" Kurama snarled.

Mark Ten used his left hand to push the damaged portion of his head back in place with a sickening mechanical crunch. His human-like face was shredded on the right side, along with the red hair that covered that side's scalp. Now a silvery skull was revealed from the top of the mouth up.

"Target: Kyubi Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. Primary objective: Assimilation, complete."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "What does 'assimilation' mean?"

"Query retort: Assimilation, to make part of, to absorb energy, culture, or information. Notification: With Primary objective completed, my secondary objective has been initiated." Mark Ten informed his mortal counterpart. He got back to his feet and grabbed his right hand in his left. The hand was jerked hard to the right one hundred and eighty degrees, a feat impossible for most humans, and a loud click was heard. The hand and the forearm armor were removed, revealing a mechanical opening like a...what were those things called?

"Chakra cannon, activated."

Right cannon, that's the word! ...Wait a second...

"Infusing Death Mist particles." Mark Ten's lone human-like eye narrowed. "Firing: Hell Blitz Cannon."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he jumped up as a massive black orb with golden arcs of energy coming off of it shot from the machine's cannon. The entirety of the cabin on the pirate's trireme was destroyed by the attack.

"Gah, not the poop deck!" Chrysaor's voice was heard crying from the Argo's deck.

Ignoring the son of Medusa, Naruto landed back on the aft of the pirate ship with his eyes locked on the robot.

"Well, that explains where the Bijudama-like attacks came from. Naruto, obliterate this thing!" Kurama snarled. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he put his hands in front of him as both he and Kurama took in Natural Energy. A small black orb of energy started to form in front of his hands and a large fox head formed around Naruto's body. The fox's mouth opened as the orb became the size of a beach ball. The orb was swallowed into the fox mouth and pressed against Naruto's hands.

"Senjutsu: Cho Bijudama!" The black orb rapidly expanded to the size of a horse as it fired from Naruto's hands and out of the now open fox mouth.

"Firing: Hell Blitz Cannon." Mark Ten's monotone order hardly had the same effect as Naruto's cry.

The two black orbs collided and battled against one another as they rose up into the sky. The attacks were at least fifty miles above the ocean before they detonated and caused a shockwave that nearly flipped both the Argo II and Chrysaor's ship.

Naruto and Mark Ten continued to stare each other down despite the violent rocking of the ship. There was some ruckus back on the Argo II, something about Frank being turned into a dolphin, but Naruto didn't pay it any mind as he focused his attention on Mark Ten. Red slitted eyes met metallic red orbs and narrowed while Kurama growled from his place in Naruto's mindscape.

The machine replaced his hand and turned to look to the left. "Chrysaor, your assistance is no longer required by this unit. Good day."

The robot's feet ignited and it rocketed off to the sky.

"...Is...Is it running away?" Kurama asked in disbelief. Naruto just stared in disbelief and slowly nodded. The Biju snarled. "It ran away!? It took MY chakra and then ran away!? What the fuck!?"

"Did he just run away!?" Chrysaor was just as displeased as Kurama if that shout was anything to go by, which reminded Naruto. He turned back to the Argo II and leapt from the pirate's ship to land behind the golden masked pirate in question. The rest of the demigods had gotten freed and Percy had his sword to Chrysaor's chest.

"Seems like you're the one outnumbered now, brother." Percy taunted. He pressed his sword closer to Chrysaor, who backed up into Naruto. The pirate turned and wilted under Naruto's angry glare.

Naruto did not forget the plans Chrysaor had for his sister.

"Dammit, it wasn't supposed to go this way..." Chrysaor snarled as he turned back to Percy. He made a feint with his sword, but Percy deflected it and unmasked the pirate with his own blade. Chrysaor covered his face as Frank, who turned into a bear, rushed towards the pirate. Chrysaor was knocked into the edge of the Argo's railing. He toppled overboard, despite Naruto's halfhearted lunge for the pirate's leg.

"Well, there goes that beat down..." Naruto mumbled disappointedly before he made some clones to go search for the rest of the shinobi. He turned back to the group and went around the deck to help the Seven recover from the attack.

"I knew it...They called me crazy, but I knew Skynet was real! Next we'll have to worry about them developing a way to keep us in check. Wait...What if they already have?!" Leo grabbed Piper by the arms and gave her a grave stare. "Tell me we're not in the Matrix!"

"Leo, you need some nectar. You were hit hard in the head."

"No, give me the blue pill first! I'm no one's puppet!"

Piper sent a look over to Naruto, who came up and punched Leo hard on the top of the head. While Leo groaned on the ground, Piper frowned at her older brother. "That wasn't necessary."

"No, but it got him to snap out of it, didn't it?" Naruto asked with a grin while he kept his chakra cloak active.

"...On second thought, get me a red pill...and an aspirin...ow," Leo said with a groan.

Naruto smiled in amusement before his smile fell and his eyes darted to the right. Before the demigods could stop him, he was already running across the surface of the ocean towards where his clone had dispersed.

What he found when he arrived at the area made his eyes go wide. Trees larger than anything Naruto had seen outside of Konoha's aptly named Forest of Death had grown from the ocean and trapped Kirabi. The Jinchuriki of Gyuki the Hachibi had gritted teeth as he tried to pry himself from his wooden prison. The other four members of Naruto's squad were panting.

"Naruto-sama, thank goodness you arrived. Sorry about dispelling your clone, but I could not let him realize we had support." Chōjurō expressed relief as he looked at the golden cloaked shinobi. His eyes went to his opponent and Naruto followed his gaze to a lone boy that seemed no older than Lacy.

The boy's hair was strange, as the right side of his head was covered in unruly, pure white hair and separated perfectly in the middle from the left's straight, black hair. A solid white headband kept bangs out of eyes that were a dulled dark brown. The young boy was covered in brown plated armor that bore the clan symbol of the Senju.

The boy stared at Naruto and blinked. "H-Hashi-nii?"

"Don't be fooled!" Kurotsuchi's voice was low and harsh as she glared at the boy. "He's got Mokuton and he's crazy as all hell!"

"You guys need to rest and recover," Naruto said calmly as he walked by the three. He closed his eyes and let his chakra flow out of his body. The three shinobi winced slightly as the Jinchuriki's chakra covered them in a weak shroud. Naruto looked no worse for wear as he gave his chakra to them.

The boy frowned and tightened his grip on the sword that was in his hand. "Hashi-nii."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto greeted with a nod. He looked at Kirabi and then at the boy. "Why have you attacked my friends?"

"Hashi-nii...I want Hashi-nii!"

Naruto's eyes hardened as the boy's killing intent lashed out at him. It was nearly as potent and powerful as Zabuza's, which said a lot for the boy's strength. He was definitely a jonin in strength, but the question remained, who was this boy?

Kurama hummed in thought. "I believe the boy is the foolish wood user's sibling. He is from the era of endless war."

What do y-?

"Naruto!" Kankuro's cry snapped Naruto from his silent inquiry as he leapt away from the sword blade that would've bisected him at the shoulder. The boy's eyes had narrowed.

"Where's Hashi-nii!" Naruto dodged the sword attacks with ease. He'd give the kid this much, he had tenacity. Speed could use some work, though.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Naruto said as he pulled out a kunai and blocked the next strike. He gave the boy a smile. "Why don't we just calm down and talk about th-?"

"Mr. Nine, it's Sandaime's time!" Kirabi's warning confused even Naruto for a moment, but it became clear as the familiar crackle of a lightning fist flew through the place where Naruto's head had been.

A massive dark skinned man with muscles bulkier than Kirabi's stood next to the small boy. He wore the traditional white Kumogakure armor that revealed a scar on his right pectoral in the shape of a lightning bolt. A mane of platinum blond hair poured down from his head and a bushy beard of the same color covered his chin. Green eyes looked into slitted red with an excited gleam.

"Ho-ho, nice dodge, boy." The massive form of the Sandaime Raikage, A, chuckled while blue chakra crackled around him. "I did not believe Kirabi when he said there was someone who had outpaced me and my son's Raiton: Chakra Mōdo (Lightning Release Chakra Mode)."

Naruto frowned and tilted his head in thought. "I thought it was called Lightning Armor?"

"Bah, my foolish brat renamed my technique." A scowled and crossed his arms. He grinned and held up his right hand. "Let us see if you can defeat me again, boy."

The Senju boy turned and glared at the Kage. "...I want Hashi-nii!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll find the Kami no Shinobi in a bit, kid." A waved off the boy's comment. He grinned and straightened his right hand until it crackled with lightning chakra. "Just sit there and keep Kirabi in place."

"Not cool, you old fool!" Kirabi spat as his struggles renewed.

Naruto put his kunai away and crossed his arms as he glared at the Kage. "I beat you before in Sennin Mōdo."

A grinned. "So I was told. You can outpace me, you know how to beat me, but you don't know a thing about the kid." He turned to the boy. "Do it now!"

"Hashi-nii!" The boy cried out as he stabbed his sword into the water's surface. There was nothing for a moment before Naruto felt a surge of chakra form beneath him.

"Move!" Kurama barked.

"I know!" Naruto shot back as he jumped up just as a massive hand the size of a human burst from the water. The greatest concern that Naruto felt towards it was the fact it was made of wood. Mokuton was something that was extremely effective against him.

Well, it was effective against Naruto unless he used Rikudo Senjutsu Mōdo, but where was the fun in that?

What? He liked to hold back sometimes. Like against Hercules, he didn't use the Boil Release: Unmatched Strength. The technique was amazing and extremely fun to use if his knowledge on it – gained by his universal understanding of Chakra and Ninshū – was correct (which it was): when one used the technique against an opponent that was stronger than them, their strength multiplied to fifty times that. Theoretically, if someone were to use the technique against a bully who could bench weights of two hundred pounds, the user would then be able to bench weights of ten thousand pounds with ease.

Hm, maybe Naruto should've used that and his Frog Kata taijutsu against Hercules...Nah, the Rikudo Uzumaki Naruto Rendan was way more satisfying.

Nothing beat a classic.

Back to the matter at hand, Naruto thought as he landed atop the clenched wooden fist in a crouch. He back flipped off of his perch when a lightning coated hand stabbed at him.

"Jigokuzuki: Yonhon Nukite (Hell Stab: Piercing Four Fingers)!" A snarled as his attack missed. The wooden hand he struck shattered and collapsed into the ocean while A landed calmly opposite Naruto. He curled his pinky finger in and kept it in place with his thumb. "Humph, let's see how you do against Sanbon Nukite (Piercing Three Fingers)!"

"There's no time for this. Kirabi needs to be freed before Gyuki is too weakened to cover his chakra." Kurama mused to his container. He scowled. "Loathe as I am to admit it, you may need to call on that insufferable Tanuki's seals to stop this quickly."

I can never enjoy a fight anymore. Naruto whined back in annoyance, getting a snort from his tenant.

"Believe me, Naruto, I know. However, we need to find that damn robot thing before it returns our chakra to Madara."

Right. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the blue lightning covered shroud that had covered the Third Raikage's right hand sharpened further. As the hand thrust towards him, Naruto called upon his Rikudo Senjutsu. His chakra cloak shortened into a simple jacket as his bodysuit turned black entirely and his skin lost the translucent glow it normally had. He kept his now orange eyes on the hand as it pressed into his chest and bluish-black markings appeared on the tip of the Raikage's middle finger.

"Fuin."

The moment the word left Naruto's lips, a trail of lines spread up from A's finger and covered his arm. The markings spread to cover A's body and the Raikage grit his teeth. His body froze and he was unable to move. The chakra expelled around his body cut out and he was kept in place by nothing more than will.

"Uzumaki..." He seethed lowly as the seals spread across his face. "You should all be dead...I made a pact to ensure it after you Uzumaki killed my predecessor!"

"I'm sorry that you lost the Nidaime–" Naruto was cut off as A raged.

"I was going to kill him!"

...Okay, didn't see that coming. Naruto blinked in mild surprise. He sighed and frowned at the Raikage as he lifted his hand to rest on A's head. "I guess all I can say is I hope you find peace in the afterlife."

The black markings turned into golden chains and A slowly began to deteriorate as his chakra, the one thing allowing him to stay on the planet, was sealed away. Kurama growled in light irritation as not only did his container use his least favorite sibling's ability, but he used it in a manner that was similar to how his mother would often seal him.

Stupid sealing chains are bullshit. Kurama thought bitterly.

"Juinjutsu: Kongō Fūsa (Cursed Sealing Technique: Adamantine Sealing Chains)."

Naruto stared impassively at the raging Raikage and waited until the deceased leader was completely gone, back to the Underworld, before he looked down at the boy with two-toned hair. Naruto descended from the air and the Gudōdama hovered listlessly around him before they formed a shakujō in his hand. Naruto looked at the weapon with mild distaste and forced it to take the shape of a simple Bo staff.

The shakujō was Madara's preferred form for the Gudōdama, and Naruto would not use the default shape.

Naruto's feet touched against water and he mildly felt annoyed that he had to rush this. The kid was strong – even if he was young, the boy with two-toned hair could still beat anyone on the Argo II easily. He had grown in the Warring Clans Era, died during it as well.

He had died young, full of both love and hatred.

Naruto gave the boy a sad smile as they connected through chakra, even if the boy wasn't aware of it. To die filled with so much anger and fear aimed at another – even if it was Madara – was no way to die. He was scared and wanted his older brother, Hashirama. It was his last wish before he died. He wanted to be comforted by Hashi, told that it was all going to be alright, told stories about their mother. He was the son of Senju Butsuma, younger brother to the prodigies Hashirama and Tobirama as well as older brother to the late Kawarama. He was Senju –

"Itama."

The name made the young clan warrior stiffen and raise his sword slightly. Naruto looked at the staff in his hand and planted it firmly in the surface of the water before he released it and took a few steps away. The Gudōdama staff remained upright as Naruto walked towards the younger boy. The boy backed up with each step Naruto took, his sword raised firmly while his eyes widened in fear. Naruto stopped and looked down at himself in the reflection of the water. His otherworldly glow and eyes were imposing, especially to someone who'd died against a group of people with unique eyes. He pursed his lips and took a deep breath. The Gudōdama staff vanished as Naruto's Rikudo Senjutsu was released.

"What is he doing?!" Kurotsuchi asked heatedly as she glared at the back of Naruto's head. With gritted teeth, she prepared to move. "That idiot!"

"No, wait!" Kankuro used his chakra strings to keep Kurotsuchi in place while he watched Naruto with a small grin. "He didn't get the members of the Alliance to put their faith in him because he was the strongest..."

Chōjurō followed Kankuro's line of thought and smiled lightly as he sheathed his massive blade. He still remembered when Naruto rallied the Alliance against the Ten-Tailed Beast, Obito and Madara. Chōjurō remembered how all of Konoha had so effortlessly thrown their faith into him and the rest of the shinobi quickly followed suit. He remembered the feeling of hope – that he believed they could win against such impossible odds of a man that could ensnare the entire in an illusion – that swelled up inside him as Naruto denounced any 'false' reality Obito offered him.

Chōjurō remembered that he had decided that day, the day that marked the End of The Fourth Shinobi World War, on October Tenth – Naruto's seventeenth birthday – that he would never doubt any of Naruto's plans ever again.

Naruto opened his eyes and smiled lightly at the young boy, Senju Itama. "There. Better, right?"

Itama's eyes lost their tears, but became very wary. Either the blond or the boy with two-toned hair could close the distance between them easily. His sword remained up, but Naruto gave it no second glance.

"Sorry about scaring you like that, Itama. I was really in the zone, 'ttebayo." Naruto chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Just got through fighting a big robot thing that drained my chakra, made by that teme Madara."

"...M-M-Madara..." Itama's grip around his sword tightened and his eyes squeezed shut as a tremble went through his body.

"He's not here," Naruto said quickly as he held his hands out. "Why don't we just sit down and talk about the First Hoka-Er, Hashirama?"

"Hashi...?" Itama looked at Naruto warily.

Naruto smiled widely and interlaced his hands behind his head. "Yeah, he seemed like a nice guy when we met, but we couldn't really talk much. The Nidaime – um, Tobirama seemed cool, too. A bit cold, though."

"T-T-Tobirama," Itama said as the sword lowered slightly. He furrowed his brows and a hand went to his head in pain. "Itai...H-Hashirama...T-Tobirama...Niisan...Itai..."

Taking a chance, Naruto moved cautiously to close the distance between them. He was almost an arm's length away when Itama lifted his blade back up and glared at Naruto through his cringe of pain.

"I...I want Hashi-niisan. I...I want Ha-To-Tobirama..." Itama's arms trembled as his eyes slowly squeezed shut and he cringed again. "Niisan...O-Otousan..."

"Relax, Itama, I don't want to hurt you," Naruto said softly. He gripped the katana firmly with his left hand, ignoring the blood he spilled as he carefully took the sword from Itama's hands. Itama didn't make it easy, but a surge of pain in his head allowed Naruto to throw the sword away.

"Itai! Itai!" Itama grabbed at his head, each hand taking a grip of the differently colored hair. "No! U-Uchiha! Otousan! Tobirama! Hashirama!"

"It seems that he's reliving his death." Kurama mused disinterestedly. There were only two demi-beings Kurama really cared about, and those were Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki and Naruto Uzumaki. Was it wrong that this boy died so young? Yes, Kurama was not a monster, he was a Biju. There was a difference. He just didn't care about humans, they were a horrible species and the so-called gods that ruled them were no better in his opinion.

If you're not helping, then shut up. Naruto returned as he put his hands on Itama's shoulders. "Snap out of it, Itama! The wars are over! There's no Uchiha here!"

"Oh, but Naruto Uzumaki, how wrong you are."

The voice made Naruto freeze and turn around to face the owner. Kurama roared angrily and Naruto's eyes burned with hate as they locked on the translucent form in front of them. With a mane of black hair that traveled down to his legs, red eyes that held three comma within them. He was dressed in blue plated armor with a massive fan strapped to his back. He had a small and amused smile on his face.

"Madara."

AN: There's that. So, tell me what you think.

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