Author's Thoughts in the process of writing:
February 24/2023: Ohohohoho. You can finally go wild here ahahahhaah. You waited for this so long! Muwahahahahahaha. This is your reward for finishing the chunin exam arc! Have fun future me!
September 13/2023: Six months, huh?
March 10/2024: One year, huh?
February 17/ 2026:
Three years... a whole lot has happened. University life really can suck the soul out of you. Every time I write, I remember the state of the world we are in. My distant brothers and sisters are being massacred and I am just... here. My cousins are in danger and they can't come back yet. One stray missile and-!!
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I have already drafted out half the novel but haven't published anything. I can't bring myself to.
Let me just write for myself. At the very least, let me write for the past me that cheers me on...
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(Chapter contains mature/ triggering themes. Please be very careful while reading. Some parts are based on real life events/cases.)
Contains Gore! Beware!
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Ch. 23:
Ryūki.
The temple sat in a quaint basin surrounded by low, frost-tipped mountains; a thick, quiet lull smothered the birdsongs and insect chirps as if the streaks of blood soaked snow had evaporated into a miasma of rust and fat.
Heavy, limp bodies were dragged to be burned; requiring quite some effort from the Yuugakure unit.
"Agh! Gosh, look how pig-like these are!"
"The prey must be abundant."
"Doubt that. There's just snow here," he patted the corpse's belly, "No way they all got fat like this."
Another shorter one near huffed and puffed as he dragged one through the deep snow. Applying chakra to the soles of his feet did no good. He thumped his lower back and stretched after hurling the body into the pile.
"Aagh! How long is Ryūki-sama going to take? I'd rather be back at the basement with the females than breaking my back here."
Burning bloody, water-filled sacks took a lot of effort in the cold. They couldn't get a fire started so they just left the pile there for the wolves, if there were any at all.
Within the temple, Ryūki filled in bags with the many, many scrolls and books carefully hidden away in the archives. Some of them were of local customs and folklore, some of various ritual ceremonies and made-up history, some of academic theories, theology and lots of records. He scanned through each and every one of them first, making notes on the side and bookmarking some important titles and collecting the loose sheets and tablets. Behind him, two of his subordinates sealed ancient artifacts and relics they could pry form the walls and shelves into massive scrolls. When one was exhausted of chakra, another came in to take his place.
A mere three days was enough to strip a temple bare and erase a small population of two thousand or so civilians dependant on the temple. It wasn't hard at all for the group of sixteen but just a little troublesome to round them all up while the guards and warriors disturbed their activities in pouring pest control. Sure, the pesticides might cause this garden to be barren for years, but, they had better things to worry and look forward to.
They were very close to their goal, whatever that might be- only Ryūki- sama knew- and he never disappointed them in the past three years.
Three years ago, they were exiled under the guise of a mission. They thought they would die having to become the first prision guards of the terrifying Tailed Beast's host.
They had heard of many horror stories of the host dying to the vile methods of the beasts and causing calamity over entire countries.
It was fortunate that the host was resilient, able to contain the Nine tails well. They had never seen it. Except two of Ryūki-sama's closest aides. And that's why they were here. Anything Ryūki-sama deemed important was important to preserving their lives too.
Truly, Ryūki was an excellent leader. Despite being 'exiled', they had food, women, and now, wealth, they could indulge in with abandon even under the noses of the Fire Nation's best shinobi.
Often they would find it amusing and joke how the ANBU guarded them, they guarded the Jinchuuriki and the Jinchuuriki guarded the Beast. Perhaps the ANBU were also guarded by other things.
Back at the Hell's Valley, Ryūki poured over every bit of information. Every myth, every experiment. His assistants helped him categorise. He realised some data included human experiments. It was among a set he procured from Otogakure.
The data was meticulous and flawlessly documented. Some even had citations. His breathing hurried. Seems like he was about to find out what he was seeking.
...
Case recorder: Kabuto
Case Number: 1392 Date: xx
1) Name: 1023 M
2) Place and price of specimen procurement: ...village at 200 yen.
3) Age: xx
4) Relations: xx parent deceased
xx parent Donor
xx sibling (Case 1393)
4.1) Family History:
5) Blood types: HTt
5.1)Kekkei Genkai:
6) Physical appearance: xx
7) Blood data:
1- 25222
2-53222
3-24221
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10) Psychological evaluations:
11) Physical evaluations:
A)Head:
a)Eyes:
b)Nose:
c)Teeth:
d)Tongue:
e)Throat:
f)Ears:
g)Scalp:
h)Facial Muscles:
i)Facial skin:
j)Chakra path:
B)Limbs-
a)Right upper
b)Left upper
c)....
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C)Spine-
a) Cervical-
C1-...
C2-...
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C7-..
b) Thoracic-
T1-..
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T12-..
c) Lumbar-
..
d)Saccral-
..
e) Coccygeal-
..
D)Heart and Blood system-
E)Skeletal-
F)Chakra Meridians-
G)Chakra Type-
H)Brain-
I)Musculature-
J)Reproductive-
..
..
..
23) Suggested Modifications :
-Case study:
Date:
Methodology:
History:
24) Material and equipment requirement:
25)Surgery Date:
Complications:
Recovery:
...
...
...
...
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40) Final Evaluation:
.........
Every case was a complete evaluation of the body, mind and chakra.
Ryūki couldn't help but admire whoever documented and experimented on all this. It was a treasure!
Just the data was enough to guess and the methods used to experiment! And it wasn't just humans. Animals, summoned creatures, obscure and immaterial!
He laughed as he read on gleefully.
"Only a true bastard can do this!"
Somewhere far away in the distant land of Oto, a snake-faced sweeper sneezed.
...
Hiruzen knew something was going wrong somewhere. He realised there was a grave mismatch in what was being reported to him.
He was reinstated as Hokage yet it seemed he lost most of his authority he had when he was originally on the seat.
An information gap. Information was the entire reason shinobi existed.
And he!-He was Hokage!
The one person who all information was supposed to be within reach of his mere fingers!
He knew. Some of his subordinates had started masking and misreporting to him. He wouldn't have found out hadn't Fugaku and Shikaku mentioned the Kyuubi trial broadcast.
He had watched it too. He was there in person when it was filmed. Yet what was broadcast publically throughout Konoha was a heavily edited version that he had no knowledge of!
Baby Naruto! Cut up and presented as a monster! And he only finds out about this months later! About a trial which he himself presided over!
The trial only exiled him for a period of 4 years stating unstablity of a newborn Jinchuuriki. They exiled him temporarily just in case the child suffered some complications and released the Kyuubi.
Konoha couldn't risk another Kyuubi attack. They couldn't risk the infant falling ill or the seal not holding in the middle of Konoha.
The first five years of a child's life is the most dangerous. Infant mortality was a continuous concern despite the better medical systems.
It was a fear of a fragile Jinchuuriki (human container) that could break anytime.
His wife, Biwako, died because Kushina was weak during childbirth and that gave a chance for Madara!
Namikaze Naruto would be sent to a special facility designed to act as a secondary seal, strong enough to externally suppress the Kyuubi should he break.
It was supposed to be just that!
And the televised broadcast, made it into a trial that judged a monster! A hero, being described as a monster!!!
Twelve ANBU knelt in front of him.
Two were splayed out in a bloody mess behind him with broken jaws.
His Adamantine staff cracked the floor where it rested. His anger couldn't be cooled but he kept it low. For now.
"Take them away. Call in Shikaku."
He needed to tally up his information again. And there was a lot of explaining to do to Fugaku.
He had a suspicion, something larger than what he fears is happening.
He needed to be cruel now and consolidate his position first. Even if he had to execute certain Konoha villagers.
.....
It was a time of worry for the citizens of Konoha, civilians and shinobi alike.
The Hokage had gone mad.
He had imposed martial curfew on the village and military law was in place.
It was only recently that they began leaving their state of mournings and now they had to worry about the strict hand of the Third Hokage.
A few strongly worded restrictions and laws were drafted out and posted. Anyone not complying was immediately hunted down.
Clan heads held daily meetings with him and reorganised their ranks.
The Uchiha especially mobilised to carry out his hunting orders. A few whispers began among the shinobi about their 'arrest without trial' approach. They wouldn't listen to anything besides orders. Some even had to arrest close friends with stiff faces.
It had been a month since then.
Hiruzen donned his black armour and surveyed the waiting escorts outside the window.
He had gotten 70% of Konoha back under him in the past few months. Turns out, the abrupt exit of the Fourth left a gap for many to infiltrate the ranks and hearts of Konoha's shinobi.
Most of those loyal to him and Minato had either perished or overdrafted and injured themselves in the Kyuubi attack. What was left were the neutral fence sitters and other factions that competed for them.
He knew he couldn't trust any of the clans 100% either. But he had to maintain a certain level of forced cordial relations with even parties dissatisfied with each other.
He was exhausted from trying to prevent a civil war. He was exhausted from the grief that filled his veins.
Today, he needed to, despite all objections, check on Naruto. To verify if his reports of him were true. It was supposed to be undercover but somehow became semi-public knowledge.
He couldn't send anyone else.
And so, he set out.
.....
The creature was confused. The place was brighter than before. The fabrics were soft against its skin. The diaper didn't itch so much.
There were two new people in his cell painting the walls and decorating. The other two with him, mother and child, were gone.
"Hurry up, we've got half a day left!"
"I'm trying!!"
They rushed through the cell and tidied up everything. Ventilated the place and fed some unscented alcohol to the small creature.
It began to get a headache and felt drowsy before passing out in the new crib.
....
Hiruzen felt the journey too long. He finally reached Hell's Valley. ANBU and Ryūki's team came up to greet him. He was impatient and urged them to get on.
Every gate he passed, quadruple verifications were made for each member accompanying him. At last, after a period of two hours, they reached the deepest level.
He hurried in, anxious and his eyes fell upon a shock of blond within a wooden crib.
He came close and gently caressed his small open palm, no larger than his thumb and felt a small sob choke him. He looked exactly like the pictures Ryūki occasionally sent.
Sarutobi Hiruzen tenderly picked up the babe, trying to be careful not to wake him, slowing checking all over. He felt thin. Fragile. Bony.
It felt wrong somehow.
He held him for an hour, slowly rocking him in a daze. Oh, he looked so much like Kushina! And Minato, the boy's golden hair suited the baby so well!
As if to answer Hiruzen's expectations, Naruto stirred and partially opened his eyes, large ocean blues peeking through sunny gold lashes. It wasn't for long though and he drifted back into an uncontrollable slumber.
....
Five hours outside at the outermost hate, Hiruzen interrogated every member of the ANBU and the Yuugakure team. He had brought along two mind reading Yamanakas to cross check.
Everything tracked.
Except the bony frame of Naruto.
Ryūki racked his brains to come up with a plausible excuse that left Hiruzen sceptical but quiet. He promised to get a better nursemaid for him.
"He's about a year old already," said Hiruzen.
Ryūki understood then.
"Oh, yes, we'll be starting on solid food soon too. It-His diet will be included in the report."
"Increase the reporting schedule to once every ten days."
Ryūki heaved a great sigh of relief after Hiruzen left reluctantly. He couldn't relax yet as Hiruzen took his team to check out the borders nearby.
He went back to his chambers to continue pouring over data.
The creature, the child and the mother were put together once again at the tenth hour of the night.
It still hadn't woken up.
....
The Barren Exchange.
It was a dusty scroll wrapped in thick brown strings. Parts if it had been eaten by insects and Ryūki had to use a brush and water to carefully unroll the scroll out. A stand mounted magnifying glass and an illuminated glass table helped him discern the overlapping ink.
A crudely illustrated diagram and old kanji were interwined into a corrupt scene.
Karma, sacrifice, consumption, sin, sex and blasphemy.
It was about a forbidden ritual.
A method to please and control yokai.
At the cost of one's afterlife.
The method was vile.
It tore away any humanity and replaced it.
It was exactly what he needed.
.....
Ryūki checked out the creature. It was out of its cage. He made a small cut on its arm. It gave a yelp as he did it.
Slowly, over the course of fifteen minutes, the wound stitched together.
He smiled and made a note on his clipboard. The paper on it looked very much like Kabuto's cases.
Slowly, for the next twelve days, he evaluated the creature from every possible angle. Noting down even the tiniest detail. If he wished, he would've counted each strand of hair too.
Teeth, joints, flexibility, muscles, skeleton, eyes, ears, penis, everything. Both internally and externally. If it stitched back before he finished noting it down, he'd just slit it open.
The Choinoke mother trembled and covered her child's ears, blocking out the creature's screams.
...
Uchiha Fugaku cried as held his young babe in his arms. Sasuke nuzzled his face into his shoulder as if to comfort him with his tiny body. He was out in the courtyard pacing slowly.
Hiruzen had come back and handed him a small envelope. Till now, ten days later, he still didn't dare to show it to Mikoto.
Packed in was a small photo of a sleeping child and a lock of golden hair.
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(A/n) Trigger warning!
Abuse, torture, rape, Gore.
Please skip till the next bold text note.
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It was hell.
The cuts never stopped.
When the cuts were paused, burns came in. When burns were causing too much smoke, it was pinches, hooks, shocks. Repeatedly, every minute, methodically.
He'd work on one part for hours. When it thrashed around, he shackled it. When it tried to bite, he took out its teeth and muzzled it. When it dared to back away from him deeper into its cage, he intensified his experiment as a lesson.
Slowly in a few weeks, he taught it to present itself in a way convenient for him. When he wanted to check its arms, he'd place a small desk and lightly tap it. The creature would hurriedly place its hands on the desk palm facing upwards. Then he'd work on its fingers with pliers.
Bones were crushed one by one starting from the left pinky working thrice on each finger till reaching the right.
He made notes on what recovered first and how much time the recovery for each part was and what differed between their pricesses. Then asked his assistants to make some notes too while he was gone to read some more scrolls for inspiration.
The Choinoke woman wasn't needed much anymore. Her sobs disturbed him. So he lent her to his men instead. Along with her child.
Case: 218.
It was the seventh case he came across. That's when he realised what the experiments were trying to achieve.
Immortality.
And he realised something else. He was closer to it than any of the hundreds of experiments this particular Otogakure scientist had done. The answer was practically in his palms.
...
A thirst filled its mouth as the starved creature watched the food lady get rammed against its cage. She was naked and her skin was bruised purple.
Some men leered from behind her as they cheered their collegue on.
It hadn't been fed by her for three days already. It had lost a lot of blood. It couldn't muster up the strength to reach high enough to suckle.
Her eyes met his. They were bloody and hollow.
"Hey, didn't that monkey guy say to give it solid food?"
"Ah, shit."
One of the men went to fetch something. He came back with a slice of red flesh and a few dripping pieces of skin. He threw it in front of the creature and signed, "Eat."
Its dazed gaze and her hollow one both lowered to the slices.
A tender cheek, attached to a familiar pair of lips and small ears slid into a puddle. The sight of it slowly seeping into the bedding made her scream. She reached into the cage, possessed, yelling unintelligibly, clawing at the meat.
Her fingers barely grazed some blood before suddenly she went limp. Her eyes remained frozen on the lips that matched hers.
"Eh, she's dead?"
"Ah, I haven't finished yet."
"Continue then," and they laughed.
It watched everything, understanding nothing. The thirst was too painful. So, it lowered itself to push the pieces, one by one whole, down its throat.
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Clink.
Tap. Tap.
The dreadful taps awoke it from its unconsciousness. Reflexively, it placed its hands on the desk.
"Hmm, quick response."
Wham!
A scalpel pierced a finger to the desk. Not even a whimper or flinch was dared to be expressed. It was taught not to.
He checked off something on his clipboard.
"Hmm... Musculature and Skeletal is taking too long to write out. It's getting a bit tedious,"
Ryūki rubbed his chin. His eyes had gotten more sunken, cheeks more sallow, but, there was an excited glint in his eyes. He was getting closer, he knew.
His men had already completed a few of the needed rituals to test things out.
"Family History... this one. This one is the clue."
He thought about it as he shifted to the next item on the case checklist after the tedious musculature.
Reproduction.
.....
(A/n) End of trigger warning!
Six years. Sixty one months. One thousand eight hundred and thirty six days. Forty-four thousand and sixty-four hours. A madness had lulled its terror into numbness. Hurt was a habit, a necessity.
For six years and all the hours within it, it was reduced to a broken doll.
Deep down below the confines of the earth, lay a voiceless monster, lightly asleep.
It opened its eyes one night, after swallowing its tears in the quiet of its dripping bowels and blood and looked up to behold the most beautiful miracle in its accursed life.
A pair of pupil-less, sorrow filled, white milky eyes met its slitted red ones from beyond its cage.
For that brief momentum, a deep terror filled its chest.
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Author's Thoughts:
Kinda gave up writing out the whole form for the experiment case. Was taking too much time. Will maybe do in future edits if I have enough energy.doubt
Doubt there are any readers left tho. Oh well, I'll read it myself then.
I am just scratching the surface level of the political side. Might go in depth in a rewrite later (or at least when I recover my memory). Who cares about novel pacing at this point lol. This is a book for Naruto nerds anyways. People reading this 10 years after the end of Naruto Shippuden are serious geeks. (Yea, I'm talking about you, yes, you.)
Last note:
I'm sorry but this was written with every ounce of hate towards people who commit such acts. It's a promise from me that they will be destroyed completely (at least in this book).
Their existence gives me nightmares every night.
For those who know, yes, it's the files and everything connected.
This book, I promise, is a happy ending. It's the least I owe to the characters.