Return from the Darkness - Kaijudo/Naruto One-Shot (Patreon)

Hello again friends and fans, Kairomaru here with Brody Meech’s one-shot. Brody was my very first patron and I decided that deserved a reward. Brody asked for a one-shot that was a Crossover. Since his crossover idea fit within the stipulations I set up I was able to write this. Brody wanted a Naruto and a Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters crossover with Naruto being Master Jaha’s acolyte that was lost in the Darkness Civilization. He also asked that it be a Naruto/Nadia pairing. So here it is, sorry it took so long Brody.

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Return from the Darkness – A Naruto/Kaijudo One-Shot

“Hey!” Ray called out to Gabe as he walked with Squeaky, Mr. Underhill, and the Darkness Civilization creature Slyth. Having finally met back up with Gabe, Master Jaha, Master Chavez and Master Nadia along with Gabe’s partner creature Gargle.

“Glad to have you back!” Gabe replied with his arms spread wide. The two friends quickly fist bumping. 

“Where’s Allie?” Master Chavez questioned as he walked over to the two teens.

“She banished us and stayed behind with Megaria to save us. Now we have to go save her!” Ray responded with his fist up determination rolling off of him.

“Every moment Allison spends with Megaria increases the risk that she’ll be consumed by darkness.” Master Jaha stated gravely. Ray noticing both Master Jaha and Master Nadia looking greatly saddened at that statement wondered if they had experience with someone being consumed by darkness. 

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Mr. Underhill called out causing the group of Kaijudo users to turn to see Allison’s father with a worn down and damaged sword and shield in his hands. “Heeyah!” the banker called as he thrust the weapon forward almost losing his balance in the process.

“If he thinks that Megaria is his wife, it is because she is using his most heartfelt desire against him.” Master Jaha stated. Nadia moved forward towards the father while Master Chavez spoke to Master Jaha.

“Even if he wasn’t in his current, uh, condition. Mr. Underhill will need to be watched every moment.” Master Chavez spoke while looking towards the man.

“Best not to have the distraction; I’ll cleanse his memories of the last few days and take him home.” Master Nadia replied as everyone turned to face her and Mr. Underhill. Nadia had placed a Cyber Virus on Mr. Underhill’s head, the small Water Civilization creature placing the man in a trance like state while it slowly cleared his memories of the last few days of anything relating to the Kaiju or their Realm.

“That would be for the best.” Master Chavez agreed before the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching the group. Jaha, Chavez, and Nadia quickly turned to look behind the group in the direction the sound was coming from and took up their stances, all three prepared to summon a Kaiju to battle whatever was coming towards their group. Ray and Gabe quickly dragged the still entranced Mr. Underhill back behind a pile of rock with Squeaky while Slyth simply disappeared. The footsteps continued to get closer and closer until a humanoid figure rounded the corner and entered the tunnel the Kaijudo Masters and Acolytes were in. The figure took a few more steps towards the group before stopping, the low light of the Darkness Realm revealed the figure to be a man around Master Chavez and Master Nadia’s age wearing worn clothing. What was once a long sleeved shirt of some kind no longer had the sleeves attached, the color looked like a dark black with possibly orange designs on it. The man’s tattered pants were a dark burnt orange and he was wearing a pair of black shoes. The man appeared to have blonde hair and bright blue eyes with three strange marks on each of his cheeks.

“No, it can’t be…” Nadia said in shock almost dropping her stance at the appearance of the person in front of the group.

“Do not be fooled, this is most likely a trick of the Darkness Realm. It is simply manifesting what we hold dear in our hearts. This place has all manner of ways in which to deceive those who are unfamiliar with it.” Master Jaha spoke though there seemed to be a slight tone of longing in the old woman’s voice.

“Huh, this again? I’m pretty much immune to the deceit of this Realm after so long. So who are you? Which creature stands before me in disguise, trying to taunt me with my own emotions and desires?” the figure spoke with a tired voice taking a stance of their own.

“Um, could someone tell us what’s going on here?” Gabe questioned while he and Ray looked over the pile of rocks they were sheltered behind.

“Nothing to worry about; just the Darkness Realm making those we miss appear before us as illusions.” Master Jaha stated to the two Acolytes her stance still strong though her eyes looked sad.

“I assure you I’m very real.” Came the man’s tired voice as a gauntlet activated on his right hand. The gauntlet was a mix of black and orange in color and clearly different from a standard Kaijudo gauntlet. Ray thought it looked similar to his after it had evolved. Bright auras of mana appeared around both of the man’s hands the one on the right hand a dark purplish-black while the one on his left was fiery orange.

“He’s using mana directly? Not in a spell or to summon a Kaiju?” Master Chavez questioned as he tightened his stance. Nadia stood there in shock, only a few times in the thousand years of history within the Temple Library was there mention of Kaijudo Masters that could use mana for anything outside of spells or summoning. 

“Stay strong, Master Nadia, we can expose this deception so long as we do not give in to it.” Master Jaha stated seeing the young woman clearly shocked and shaken by the appearance of the one before them.

“Master Nadia? Nadia is an Acolyte deceiver; you’ve just blown your own illusion.” The man stated as he started to move forward the mana around his hands intensifying.

“How would you know anything about it?” Master Chavez questioned a moment away from summoning a Kaiju to fight this being.

“Because we were Acolytes together, deceiver! Do not try and mess with memories that I hold dear!” the man growled before launching the fiery mana in his left hand at the group. Before it got even half way to the group Master Jaha quickly went through the stances to summon her partner Kaiju, Black Feather of Shadow Abyss. The specter appeared and blasted the ball of mana apart before taking up position in front of the group.

“Cease these actions unless you wish to be banished.” Master Jaha stated seriously while staring down the man.

“You even sound like Master Jaha, but I will not be deceived, show yourself before I get serious.” The man demanded as fiery mana once again engulfed his left hand.

“Just a thought, but maybe we could try talking this out?” Ray asked from behind the rock pile. “Who is this guy even supposed to be?”

“My lost Acolyte, Naruto, he was thrown into the Darkness civilization years ago when a certain incident took place. But no human can survive in the Darkness Realm for so long. They’d go mad or end up as food for the creatures that live here.” Master Jaha informed the Acolytes. Ray and Gabe both looked shocked at the information, an Acolyte had been lost in the Kaiju Realm years ago and they’d never heard about it. Ray noticed Master Nadia had dropped her stance and was just staring at the man across from the group his hands still engulfed in mana.

“Oh, I survived alright, no thanks to that bastard that betrayed us and threw me into the deepest depths of this place.” Naruto responded as he held his stance both hands trained on the group in front of him.

“Traitor? Who?” Gabe questioned in confusion from beside Ray.

“Do not concern yourself with that now, I will inform you once we are back at the Temple. We must get past this and save Allison before she spends too long near Megaria.” Master Jaha replied to the Acolyte as she stared down the one that took the form of her lost Acolyte. 

“Megaria? What does she have to do with this? Speaking of things that don’t belong; I have no memories of those two kids over there. What kind of visions are you trying to trick me with?” Naruto questioned as he loosened his stance slightly.

“Um, we don’t know you either, dude. So how can we be seeing you too?” Gabe questioned using his logical mind to try and reason the situation out.

“A good question, but you can’t possibly be Naruto; he would have been swallowed up in the Darkness by now. It has been far too long for anyone to survive being in this Realm.” Master Jaha stated while Black Feather hovered in front of her.

“It’s incredibly difficult at first; but once you know how to use your mana to manipulate the darkness it becomes much easier on the mind. I’d most certainly be dead if I hadn’t learned how to shield myself from the visions and illusions of this Realm.” Naruto replied lowering his stance but keeping his hands engulfed in mana.

“Naruto…is it…are you really here?” Nadia questioned as she took a step towards him.

“Stay where you are Nadia! This could still be a trick; we must determine his identity before we approach.” Master Jaha warned as she looked towards her supposed lost Acolyte. “Prove to us you are who you say you are.”

“I’ll do you one better, I’ll bring someone that can tell me if you’re real or if I’ve finally slipped up and fallen into the darkness.” Naruto replied before he went through a complex looking kata. “Shadeblaze the Corruptor!” A massive dragon appeared from Naruto’s summoning and let out an ear splitting roar.

“Why have you summoned me?” the giant Armored Terror Dragon asked Naruto as he looked around noticing the group of humans.

“Aw, don’t be like that Shade! I just need you to tell me if I’ve finally cracked or if these people are real.” Naruto smiled at his summon.

“So you find a group of humans for the first time since you met me and you instantly assume that you’ve gone crazy? Probably why you’re still alive.” Said the giant dragon Shadeblaze. Ray and Gabe were both staring in shock at the massive dragon; it wasn’t the biggest Kaiju they’d ever seen but it was much larger than anything they could summon. A few moments of staring at the group of humans and a couple of sniffs of the air told the Armored Terror Dragon all it needed to know. “You can relax a bit; you’re still sane for now, these are definitely humans.”

“Really?! You’re kidding…that means…Nadia…Master?” Naruto trailed off questioningly looking towards the two in hope. Master Jaha couldn’t keep a straight face; here was what could truly be her Acolyte still alive and apparently a powerful Kaijudo user that could summon and even befriend an Armored Terror Dragon like Shadeblaze the Corruptor. Nadia had dropped all restraint and rushed towards Naruto before grabbing him in a hug. The young woman was trying desperately not to break down into tears at seeing Naruto again. Naruto’s arms were quick to wrap Nadia in a hug as well, the young man also trying to keep the tears from flowing. He never thought he’d see her again.

“So Master Nadia knows this guy too, I guess?” Ray questioned as he and Gabe came out from behind the rocks.

“Nadia and Naruto were very…close, back when they were Acolytes.” Master Jaha confirmed as she dismissed Black Feather and walked towards the two hugging people a small smile on the old woman’s face.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” Nadia muttered as she buried her head into Naruto’s chest trying to keep him close as if afraid he’d disappear again if she let him go.

“I’d almost given up hope of ever seeing you again, Nadia.” Naruto replied as he hugged her tighter.

“Naruto, if you’ve been alive all this time why did you never come back? We were working on Veil crossing before the incident and you’d almost got it down. Why didn’t you force your way through the Veil and come back to us?” Master Jaha questioned her Acolyte as she stood next to the hugging pair. Shadeblaze was still staring down at the small humans and wondering if he could go back to what he was doing before getting summoned here.

“I couldn’t, Master Jaha, not when that bastard put this thing on me.” Naruto replied as he kept one arm around Nadia while pulling down the neck of his shirt to show a strange mark on his skin. “I tried over and over again to open the Veil but every time this thing would glow and I couldn’t get so much as a ripple to form.” Both Nadia and Jaha looked at the mark on Naruto’s upper chest while Master Chavez brought Ray, Gabe, Mr. Underhill and Squeaky over to the group.

“This is Water Civilization technology. It disrupts the flow of mana but only in specific ways.” Nadia explained having seen something similar to this before. Being the Duel Master of Water meant she knew many things about the Water Civilization of the Kaiju Realm.

“Specific in that it only blocks a single technique?” Master Jaha questioned as she looked away from the mark and towards Nadia.

“Yes, it isn’t capable of blocking off mana entirely but it can stop mana from being used in certain ways.” Nadia nodded back as she kept one of her arms around Naruto.

“Can you remove it and take him back to the Temple along with Mr. Underhill?” Master Chavez questioned hoping to free the lost Acolyte from being trapped in the Kaiju Realm any longer.

“I’m afraid not. I’d need technology from the Water Civilization to remove it.” Nadia stated sadly causing Naruto to pull her closer while telling her it was ok.

“Maybe Gargle can help?” Gabe questioned causing the Reef Prince to emerge from his backpack and walk over to Naruto before climbing up the man to get a look at the mark on his chest.

“Ooh, old technology not new, let’s see, yes, yes, Gargle fix.” Gargle stated in his odd speech pattern as he extended his fingers towards the mark. The mark glowed as the Reef Prince’s fingers tapped it multiple times before he pulled back. “Gargle fix!” The mark stopped glowing before falling off Naruto’s skin as small metallic parts in the same pattern as they were when they were still on his skin. Naruto stared at the spotless area on his chest in shock for a moment before pulling Gargle into a one armed hug.

“Thanks little guy! You don’t know how much this means to me.” Naruto thanked the Water Civilization creature with a huge smile that almost seemed to light up the constant gloom of the Darkness Realm.

“Great job, Gargle!” Gabe praised his partner while the Reef Prince celebrated in his own odd way. Both Master Jaha and Master Chavez looked at the scene with smiles before being interrupted by a very large dragon.

“Can I go back to what I was doing now?” Shadeblaze questioned his summoner looking down at the gathered group of humans.

“Oh right, yeah sorry buddy I’ll send you back right away.” Naruto replied while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“I can’t believe you summoned an Armored Terror Dragon at all. Why such a powerful Kaiju?” Nadia questioned with her arm still around Naruto.

“Me and Shade are buddies! I met him quite a while back and he’s helped me survive here. Isn’t that right buddy?!” Naruto asked the dragon with a grin. Shadeblaze snorted before answering.

“I’d have turned all of you to ash in seconds if you hadn’t been humans. Feel lucky to have survived being in my presence.” The Armored Terror Dragon growled out causing everyone to deflate at the dragon’s words. With a quick motion of Naruto’s hand the dragon was banished back to where it had been summoned from.

“Sorry about him, he isn’t the friendliest Kaiju around new people; or most people really.” Naruto said with a sigh getting flat looks from everyone else.

“We still need to save Allison. Nadia take Naruto and Mr. Underhill back to the Human World while the rest of us get her out of here.” Master Jaha commanded getting Nadia to separate from Naruto long enough to open the Veil and grab Mr. Underhill before taking them both back to the Human World.

Once the trio made it back to the Human World the two Kaijudo users quickly dropped Mr. Underhill back at his home before returning to the Temple. After a thorough shower for him, Nadia dragged Naruto to the Medical Area to check him over; wanting to make sure that such long exposure to the Darkness Realm hadn’t caused any adverse reactions to Naruto. While checking him over Nadia filled Naruto in on what had happened while he had been gone.

“So you’re the keeper of the Temple Library now? That fits you so well, always so studious.” Naruto remarked with a chuckle causing Nadia to smile before replying.

“You could have stood to be more studious.” Nadia retorted as she checked over Naruto’s mana flow.

“Na, I’m more of a practical in the moment kind of guy. Give me a Kaiju fight over heaps of studying any day!” Naruto grinned back at Nadia.

“You seem to be ok physically, though any psychological effects might take a while to notice and diagnose.” Nadia told Naruto as she allowed him to get fully dressed in new clothes.

“Yeah, hopefully this paleness goes away soon. Not seeing the actual Sun for so long has made me way paler than I used to be.” Naruto chuckled while Nadia rolled her eyes at him; he would always be the same apparently.

“So how did you learn to use mana like that? There is hardly any mention of it at all in the Temple Library.” Nadia inquired as she took Naruto to her quarters to rest.

“It took a long time. But after meeting several different races in the Darkness Realm a couple of the sentient ones were willing to talk to me. Usually after I had beaten them in a fight with whatever I could summon at the time. But I was able to learn about how they controlled mana, why they were so resilient and strong compared to us. After enough practice and hard work I finally was able to imbue my mana with an elemental attribute. Darkness came easier than Fire but I needed the Darkness to protect me from the Realm’s illusions and visions.” Naruto explained to Nadia as he lay down on her bed to relax for the first time in years.

“I see, this could be incredibly useful to us. Would you be willing to teach the others?” Nadia questioned as she sat on the edge of her bed next to Naruto.

“Sure thing, as soon as they get back with the Acolyte girl.” Naruto replied with a yawn. He had full faith that Master Jaha would make the rescue a success.

“How exactly did you befriend an Armored Terror Dragon? He’s your partner isn’t he, like Rusalka is for me.” Nadia asked looking down at the sleepy man that she cared so much for.

“Mostly stubbornness, that and my ability to dodge his attacks, I eventually wore him down and he developed a bit of respect for me. Though I’m pretty sure he’ll never admit to actually being my friend. He’s more stubborn than me in that way.” Naruto said before he reached for Nadia and pulled her down to lay next to him. “Now I’m going to get some sleep, so I need my good night kiss and my Nadia to hold.” Naruto yawned out as he nuzzled Nadia’s hair.

“Oh, very well.” Nadia huffed playfully before kissing Naruto softly on the lips and letting him snuggle into her more. Within a few moments Naruto was asleep and Nadia began to run her fingers through his blonde hair with a content smile on her face. She finally had her Naruto back, she never thought it would be possible but he had found his way back to her. With a sigh of happiness Nadia continued running her fingers through Naruto’s hair while awaiting the return of the others. She had to have the same faith that Naruto did that the others would all come back safe and sound. With Naruto back she was sure the Order of Kaijudo Duel Masters could face whatever would come at them in the future.

-End Chapter-

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There we have it. My first crossover! Brody I especially hope you enjoyed it. I had to watch Kaijudo, as I had never seen it before, to make this happen so I hope I’ve kept up the quality. It might be a little shorter than normal but the scenario Brody wanted wasn’t something that I felt could be dragged out for another one thousand or two thousand words.

Once again I’d like to thank Brody for being my very first patron! I hope you enjoyed your free one-shot and that I’ve lived up to your expectations.