Chapter Ten
Vibe Check
He was kneeled in front of his friend's corpse. His knees are buried into the mud, a mix of blood and dirt, but he did not dare look away from the whiskered face. The boy, his brother, looked so calm now. Like he had finally found something he has been searching for.
The boy's eyes are closed but he remembers them being the most serene aqua, like a pool of pristine water. His skin, which had always been so perfect and unblemished, is now covered in dirt and blood. Even his whiskers now no longer held the same impact on him as they once did. He now just felt… pain in his heart the more he looked.
He reached forward and pulled his brother into his arms, letting his head rest in his lap. He caressed his cold cheeks as he tried to hold back his tears but they still fell onto the blonde's face. "Why did I do it? I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to kill you."
He sobbed and pulled his brother's lifeless body into his chest. Why did he kill him? The Mangekyo is not worth this pain!
"Forgive me, Naruto!"
"Do not beg for forgiveness, traitor."
He froze when he heard the garbled voice of his dead brother, but he could not find the strength to pull away. He could only panic as he felt a pair of hands reach up for his neck and squeeze.
"You do not deserve forgiveness!"
Sasuke fell back and he was horrified to see the dull blue eyes under blonde strands of hair glaring down at him as he was pushed onto his back. He tried to grab the hands that are strangling him but he couldn't pry the fingers away no matter how much strength he used. This couldn't be happening!
"N-Naruto! S-stop… please!"
"You killed me! You drove a Chidori through my chest!" His dead eyes turned deranged as he clenched his hands around his throat tighter. "But don't worry, I'll give you forgiveness. I will drag you to hell with me and we will have plenty of time to make up!"
Sasuke felt his vision wavering, darkening, more and more…
Until…
Sasuke startled awake in his, sitting up to find his entire torso and face covered in sweat. His sheet is on the floor half off his bed while his pillows were sent a few feet away. His room is dark with the only light being from the lamp on his desk, which he had kept on overnight when he was reading chakra manipulation theories.
He almost didn't recognize his bedroom, more haunted by the nightmare he just woke up from, and he was having some kind of panic attack. He had never had a nightmare this bad before, most just leaving him a little disoriented at most. It is clear to him that his mental stability is at risk now more than ever.
And it's happening at the worst time.
He has served the Snake Sannin for the last two and a half years ever since the fateful day of his nightmare. He had killed his best friend, his brother in all but name, and with that blood he unlocked his Mangekyo Sharingan. He was so proud at that moment that he turned away from his village and his weakest links that he did not give the corpse a second look.
He started to look back on that moment over one year ago, months into his education under the Sannin. He no longer had the comfort in knowing he had people to watch his back, and every moment in the snake's village was spent looking over his shoulder. He had to always be prepared to kill those around him, instead of being relaxed around someone he could begrudgingly trust.
So why did he actually kill his friend? He knew that even in the feverished out-of-body events that led to his murder, he never would have desired the life of his teammate. Clearly, he would have stopped him from trying to take him back to Konoha, but not at the action of murder. It wasn't like he would have had to do it as the blonde would have never done the same to him, even if he would have every right to.
Even to this day, with all of the guilt he felt now, he could not even begin to explain why. Why did he kill his friend?
He rubbed his head before groaning and gave up on that line of thinking again. He needed to prepare for today's activities and that meant he needed a clear head to do it.
"I'm so sorry, Naruto. Forgive me."
Sasuke got out of his bed and stripped out of his clothes that are now drenched in sweat. He had a personal shower and bathroom, a perk of being the best shinobi under Orochimaru's service, so he didn't have to leave his room and go to the communal shower to get cleaned. Only seven others have this privilege, three of which are his squadmates and the ones that he could even get close to trusting.
Once he was finished showering, he dressed in a loose periwinkle purple kimono top and midnight blue pants with a matching thick cloak he kept around his waist. He tied a purple braided cord around his cloak and pants with his katana sheathed at his back. He never did like wearing the dull gray and purple uniforms of the typical Sound shinobi but there had to be something that showed his allegiance to the Sannin, hence the use of the braided cord around his waist.
But today will be different. I'm no one's puppet.
With everything on him, his scrolls he had prepared the night before all sealed away in his wristguards, he exited his room and began walking down to the one person he cared most in this world now. She is annoying, especially when she developed a crush on him, but she is the last ties to his dead brother he had. She is an Uzumaki, a pure blood one at that, but she did not have their typical unique abilities.
For one, she could not manifest the infamous chakra chains that had been used by all females of the infamous clan. She could not easily learn or apply seals like her clan, which is a staple to the Uzumaki name. The only thing she had is the special regenerative chakra that can heal and refresh any individual but only by biting her.
Because of this, she had been quickly discarded and ignored by Orochimaru since she couldn't do the things he wanted. If not for Sasuke finding out about her clan of origin, she would have likely died in the shadows of this village. But he will not let her come to harm, not after losing the last person he cared about.
Who would have thought my brother was my distant cousin.
If he was grateful to Orochimaru for anything, it is the knowledge he provided. Not just jutsu and advanced theories, but to learn of past and current events had opened his eyes to the world.
He finally reached the door he wanted and he knocked on it a few times. "Karin?"
The door immediately opened to show the redhead young woman putting on her glasses while wearing her dark cloak. "Sasuke, are we going now?"
Sasuke smiled softly and nodded his head. "I want you to get Jugo and Suigetsu and wait for me at the exit. I have to handle something first, okay?"
Karin's face softened but she nodded her head and quickly gave the Uchiha a hug. "Be careful, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke reluctantly returned the hug, an action that is still foreign to him, but he quickly let go and softly shooed her away. "Go, I'll meet you there."
Karin nodded and began running down the halls to get their two teammates that will be coming with them.
Sasuke just watched her leave before his eyes slowly narrowed and his soft smile turned into a rough frown. He twirled around and walked the opposite direction that would lead him to the Sannin's personal quarters.
Now let's kill that loose end and be on our way.
"It's FUCKING RAW!"
Naruto heard the shout from his office, startling him from his midday bookkeeping. He needed to look over the numbers and begin setting aside the fund to pay for the employment of a temporary crew for his second restaurant. It may take a bit to get that place into a decent noticeable popularity where it can sustain itself so he needed to be careful about all of the numbers lest he screws himself over big time.
He left his office in a hurry and made his way to the front where he was sure the problem was occurring. Sure enough, he had opened the swing doors that divided the bar and the kitchen to find a pigman staring down Stephen with an upset look on his face. He could taste chili pepper and melon coming from the man but the cherry from Stephen was just not gonna fly.
"I-I-I'm sorry, sir," Stephen began stuttering and shaking in fear and anxiety. "You o-ordered the steak medium rare."
"There's too much red and pink for this to be medium rare!" The pig tossed his plate on the table as he spoke. "Do you know who I am? I was the most famous food critic when I was alive!"
"And now you're dead," Naruto interrupted as he walked up to the man's table. "Funny how that works."
"Who are you?"
Naruto grinned at the pigman and tilted his head to the side. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I run this bar and grill. You are disturbing my customers and my peace so I want you to sit down and talk to my staff with respect. Okay?"
The demon's piggy face turned red from anger and his fat belly knocked over his glass as he moved around the table to confront Naruto. "I will be talking HOWEVER I WANT until I am satisfied. The customer is always right! Now why don't you-!"
Naruto rammed his hand into the man's portly stomach, cutting him off with a surprised gasp, and he reached further in until he found his spine. It was not that difficult despite the amount of organs that were in the way. The pigman didn't know whether he could scream with the amount of pain he was in and any sound he tried to make was only a strangled gasp.
"So that's where all this bravado is coming from." Naruto grinned as he grasped the vertebrae tightly. "Now listen here you shit-eating fat bastard. I do not care what your world has made customers to be, but in my world the customer either treated the staff with respect or they were forcefully removed from the restaurant. But this is Hell, I have no qualms to do any of those things, and since you are a Sinner you won't die if I just rip out your spine right now."
He tugged softly once and the man now screamed loudly. It seems like that was enough to get the voice out.
He had to place a silencing seal on the man to continue his epic monologue. "So I'm going to do myself a favor. I'm not even going to rip out your spine and let you respawn. Instead, I'm just going to leave you out in Cannibal Town and let them do it for me."
He created two clones and had them disappear with the famous food critic. And surprisingly, after all of that, not a single drop of blood fell in his restaurant - although he will definitely have to wash his hand of the blood. Thankfully, it was only layered on his arm like a paste rather than dripping onto his wood floors.
"Apologies for that, folks," Naruto grabbed a napkin from the table and began wiping his arm. "Accept free beer for the next half hour and one appetizer of your choice."
That got a few cheers and he chuckled at that. He likely didn't need to do that for them, worst things have happened in the city, but screw it at least it'll keep them satisfied and coming back for more.
"Are you okay, Naru?"
Naruto looked to see Charlie near him looking at his face in concern. He smiled and nodded his head before turning to look at Stephen. "You okay? Need a break?"
Stephen took a deep breath before shaking his head. "No, I'm fine. I'm just going to get a drink real quick."
"Take all the time you need, Steph," Naruto patted the man's shoulder softly. "I'll handle the waiting until you feel comfortable coming back."
Stephen nodded appreciatively before making his way to the back quickly.
I'm sure he will be fine. Naruto looked at Haku to see the boy spacing out while looking at a glass in his hands. Just go to him, already! Fuck!
Giving a groan, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That was quite the show," he heard a familiar voice chuckling and he had to look over to see if he was correct.
He was. Beelzebub was leaning over the small wall on one side of the entrance while wearing a pink-orange-black themed outfit consisting of a loose croptop and bikini shorts. She had a lollipop in her mouth while she grinned at him.
"Auntie Bee!" Charlie launches herself at the Sin and giggles as she is caught. "What are you doing here?!"
"I came to see the place you worked at!" Bee hugged the Princess tightly. "I heard from the big man that you were working for a new friend and I had to come make sure you were doing well!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the woman's antics but she quickly turned to him and he saw something new. There was a weird hunger beneath her eyes, but the aura she carried is an orchid and yellow - an expectation of him. That made him feel like a piece of meat that is to be examined harshly by a critic that really hated the restaurant.
"Oh! That's Naru!"
Bee smirked at the clear petname given by the Princess as she let go and motioned to Naruto excitedly. That's cute.
"You met him at the party, he's the one who saved me!" Charlie now beamed at Naruto as she motioned to the Sin of Gluttony. "Naru, you've met Beelzebub. She's like an aunt to me, I hope you don't mind her showing up suddenly."
"Oh no, I actually invited her at the party," Naruto chuckled as he got a look of shock from the princess. "Granted, that was before I knew her name and before I saved you."
"We will have to think of a new reward if you impress me, now that I think of it," Bee gave a teasing grin with a flash of canine teeth. "That reminds me, are you ready?"
Naruto tilted his head in thought before nodding his head. "I think I should be. I just have to go wash my arm and I will be right over with some drinks. When Stephen comes out, just order anything you want. I'll take the hit for today."
"Such a gentleman," Bee laughed before nodding her head. "I will wait at a booth in that corner so just come sit when you are done."
Charlie watched the interaction silently, more surprised that her aunt had the desire to give anyone the chance to impress her. Most of the time, she would just have her fill of them and then throw them to the side once she was done. She did not actually think there would be a moment that this would happen, and she found herself jealous.
Why?
Naruto walked to the back just as Stephen was coming to the front and he told him of the special guest they will be having for a few hours. He made sure to stress there was nothing to be nervous about, no matter how dangerous she was, and that he should just make sure she gets everything she wants. The boy looked like he was going to have a breakdown at the thought of having to talk to the Sin of Gluttony but he pulled himself together enough to do his job.
The former shinobi quickly washed his hands and arms of the blood. It had started to crust and it unsettled his stomach at the feeling it had on his arm hairs. Once he was done with that he grabbed a pitcher from the shelf and walked to the bar where he can mix a drink for him and Beelzebub.
"Having a date in front of two girls who have crushes on you?" Haku teased without looking up from the glass he was washing. "That's not very nice, Naruto-kun."
"It's not like that, Haku-chan," Naruto chuckled as he added a few strong liquors to make up half the pitcher. "And it seems to be a trend that people have crushes on me, I'm just that damn sexy. You, Stephen, Helsa, I guess Charlie, and a daughter of the Goetia. I'm a hot item."
Haku snorted at the boy's words, but a blush appeared on his face as he was brought up as one of the people with a crush. "Such a shame you're not gay."
"Can never say for sure, I'm definitely not in the best mind space to be deciding anything on love right now," Naruto chuckled as he began filling the rest of the pitcher with soda. "I've been so starved for love I don't know if what I desire is friendship or a significant other, but if it was you I might make an exception."
"Such a tease," Haku rolled his eyes. "Just be careful, you might get ravaged if you continue to joke like that."
"Oh yeah, and what makes you think you can beat me in pure strength to take that?" Naruto walked away with the last joking comment and Haku shook his head amusedly.
He grabbed two glasses on his way out from behind the bar and finally made his way to the booth.
The table already had three platters in front of the Queen Bee. One plate of nachos with extra jalapeño cheese dip, one plate with extra bar burger sliders, and the last one had a party ramen that he had been able to replicate into the Ichiraku recipe. He was not surprised with the amount of items on the table but he was more surprised by the size of said items.
"How in the hell did the food get that big?" Naruto raised an eyebrow as he slid into the booth across from the woman eating an enlarged slider. "That's not even a slider anymore, it's a full on deluxe."
"Go big or go home, y'know?" Bee flashed her teeth again and Naruto laughed at that.
"I get you, I get it." Naruto shook his head as he poured them both a drink. "What do you think so far, Bee?"
"Food is alright so far, now all that's left is the company." She looked at him now and something simmered underneath.
But her aura hasn't changed, but at least there wasn't disappointment yet.
"Indeed, company matters," Naruto nodded his head as he took a chip and dipped it in the cheese. "Anything you'd like to talk about first?"
"I was going to give you the honors," Bee grabbed the chip out of his hand and ate it. "You did invite me even with the threat of death so I thought I'd be nice."
Naruto huffed at his chip being stolen but he had a grin on his face anyway. He wasn't really upset, it was amusing more than anything. "I appreciate it. Okay, then I guess I'm wondering about what a Prefect Hellbeast is. I was told to ask you."
Bee hummed as she grabbed some chopsticks to begin eating the ramen. "Hellbeasts are not an entirely new species. We were made by the big man upstairs. However, during the fall, I began modifying the genes of the ones that fell with and after us to better live in this new environment."
She widened her eyes slightly as she slurped on the ramen. This is good! She chewed the noodles in her mouth before exhaling a bit of steam. "Wow! That's good!"
Naruto chuckled and bowed his head. "Thank you, I made it to be nearly similar to my favorite ramen back home when I was alive. So what makes the hellhound I fought different from others?"
"Hellbeasts have a hierarchy so that when they go into battle, they fight in packs and have a structure that allows them to operate well. Most of the hellbeasts today are just regular as there have been no wars for some to assume their higher roles. But the one you fought is a Prefect, the middle ranked version."
She held up five fingers as she swallowed more of the ramen. "You have five tiers of the hellbeast hierarchy. At the bottom is the Standard, after that you have Centurion, then Prefect, the one you faced. The two above those are Tribune and then Legate. Each one has specific roles and responsibilities."
"The Centurion is marked by the Roman numeral 5 and are the second in command of all hellbeast packs. They are slightly bigger than standards, depending on their size beforehand. The Prefects command their packs and are distinguished by the numeral 10. They are more reactionary and have a modified intelligence to be better than their lower brothers and sisters."
"So that's why he was easily commanding the mercenaries," Naruto thought to himself but was listening intently.
Beelzebub nodded her head. "Tribunes and Legates are more dangerous. The Tribunes are given the numeral 50 and usually command two to five packs at a time. They are significantly bigger and smarter than before. Legates have the numeral 100, and are afflicted by a Curse that grants them a unique power, usually tied to the life of their commander who cannot be another hellbeast. They command up to five Tribunes and are like Generals in mortal understanding."
Naruto nodded his head at that. It was similar to the shinobi ranking system back home. Genin, Chunin, Jonin, Anbu, then Hokage. Each denoting greater power than the last and therefore more danger. But he was confused about one thing.
"What are the numerals for? Just to distinguish rank?"
"You can distinguish rank through appearance alone," Bee shook her head as she finished off the ramen and began downing her cup. "The numerals are to signal how many Standards they count as. Five, ten, fifty, and one hundred Standards are worth their higher ranks."
"So I fought a Prefect, which counts as… ten Standard hellbeasts?"
"Got it," Bee smirked at him. "And you did it quite easily, too. Mind telling me how?"
Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "I don't mind sharing. I projected my intense emotions, anger and wrath mostly, and from there I took his soul. Think about it as eating his existence and now he rests in my stomach."
Bee widened her eyes and blinked owlishly. "Say sike right now."
"I'm not kidding," Naruto laughed and shook his head. "To be honest, I didn't even think that would happen. I thought he would just die and I wouldn't have to worry about anything else. But I guess I'm just more powerful than I thought."
"That doesn't put into perspective how dangerous you are," Bee said as she focused on the blonde more than before. "Funny, most of the dangerous ones leave a specific vibe - one that you seem to lack."
"Is that a good thing?" Naruto quickly ate a chip before the woman could steal it from him. "Not this time."
Bee huffed but had a smirk on her face. "I'm still deciding that for myself."
"I'll take that as I am doing well," Naruto smiled softly and rested his chin in his palm. "I didn't think I'd be having a conversation with the literal Sin of Gluttony herself, if I was honest, but it's nice to know you are a chill person. Your emotions taste good, very intense but that's alright."
"Hm," Bee downed her refilled cup. "I heard that there was a turf war here this morning."
Naruto snorted and shook his head. "If you can call it that. I'm still waiting for one of them to calm down before I have a talk with them. That will not be happening again from them, I'll make sure they understand it."
Bee liked the sound of that from him. It didn't sound threatening or even as if he was going to make sure the lesson was fatal. Instead, it felt like he was giving more chances and that it was a stern talking to - like a father about his children. It reminded her of her father when he talked about her younger years and how he had to be stern and punishing at times, especially during her more rebellious years.
I want to go talk to my dad now. Beelzebub had a small smile on her face before stretching in her seat. Maybe he will have some words about this Sinner and his powers. "I should be off."
Naruto nodded his head and began cleaning up the plates to more easily bring them to the back. "Is this where I get killed or I get to ask for a second date?"
Bee laughed and shook her head. "I like your vibe, and you have surely made me interested in you. It doesn't hurt that you have a pretty face, too, so I'd like to see where things go with you."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that and looked at the Sin. Did she just say she wants to go on a date? And I'm attractive? Talk about a confidence booster!
"I have a party on Monday next week and I want you to come. I'll send someone to get you and bring you down."
"But Sinners aren't allowed to leave Pride, I thought," Naruto questioned as he slid out of the booth to stand with Bee.
"Special permissions are allowed when desired, just so long as you are in the ring for Extermination no one really cares," Bee smiled before leaning forward and kissing Naruto on the lips. "That's your reward for making this an enjoyable time. Hope to see you again at the party."
Naruto watched as Bee left his store, his eyes widened in surprise as he just stood there silent.
I… I'm not getting that quiet afterlife, am I? Fuck, this is as bad as the times I saved all those princesses as a shinobi!