The Purple Flash of Kumo Chapter 33 (A Master of Purple Lightning) (Patreon)

Naruto

Pain. That's the only thing he could feel; his entire body was screaming in pain. He felt a burning sensation everywhere in his body. He tried to open his eyes, but a jolt of pain shot through him. Naruto groaned, and a silent cry escaped his lips; he wanted to try and see where he was, but even opening his eyes was painful.

"Naruto, don't move. Let me heal you." A soft voice spoke to him as he felt his consciousness slipping away like sand through his fingers. Yoruichi! That was his last thought as he fell into slumber.

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' "You have done well, Naruto!" His uncle's voice rang through the house; the house sang with the singer's song; everyone was celebrating; bright lights reached the skies; he was in the highest seat of honor, and his father and grandfather sat beside him. I'm wearing the Kage clothes, Naruto realized. They felt soft to the touch, but his family weren't the only ones in the endless hall.

All his friends were celebrating with him, telling him how he had proved himself a worthy warrior; his grandfather was all smiling, patting him on the back. Naruto breathed, and the heavy, delicious scent of meat and ramen reached his nose; everyone was proud of him.

"You made us all, Proud." His father shouted with a smile he had never seen before. Naruto found himself smiling back; his heart swelled in joy, and his eyes cried. His friends were drinking and eating. Omoi strangely had a different sword; Naruto recognized the black blade of Omoi's clan. The blonde felt a rush of joy; his friend had earned himself the Black Sword from his father.

His uncle was singing on a high podium, and with fans around him, he was drowning in fans.

Karui's face was red as she talked with Omoi, and for the first time, Omoi wasn't mumbling towards her or talking nonsense things.

Samui, Yugito, and Mabui were all sitting together, smiling and laughing. Naruto wanted to go to them when Yoruichi appeared right before him, a smile on her beautiful face.

"You have done well, Naruto. You have fully Mastered Purple lightning," her words made Naruto stand up. Suddenly, everyone wanted to see him using the legendary lightning. All their voices say one thing. Naruto made the hand sign without wasting a moment, but his hand remained normal. No purple lightning was dancing through his fingers, much to his shock; cold sweat formed on his forehead.

I can do this; Naruto wanted to say; his mouth hung open as his uncle disappeared. Suddenly, the hall was smaller, and the lights dimmed before blowing out, a trail of smoke left behind.

I can do this! Naruto screamed, as he did the hand signs, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again...

His hands were bleeding, his skin red and tearing, flesh below it; pain shot through his hands, and drops of blood fell on the floor.

Naruto looked up to see no one was left. All his friends were gone. Darkness had engulfed the hall; the joyful atmosphere had turned to ashes in his mouth; he could almost taste it, his throat felt dry, and the only one left was his father, whose smile had died away. His father rose on his feet, looming over him like a bear, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You are no son of mine." The words killed all the joy in his heart; he felt as if a sharp blade had pierced him, bleeding all over.

I can Do This, Naruto screamed in his head as he tried and tried to use purple lightning; the skin had peeled off like that of an egg, and blood gushed out, but there was no pain; his knees buckled, his forehead felt the harsh surface of the floor.

"You have disappointed me, Naruto." '

He woke in darkness to a cold, empty room. The draperies had been drawn again. Something felt wrong, turned around, though he could not have said what. He was alone once more. Pushing back the blankets, he tried to sit, but the pain was too much, and he soon subsided, breathing raggedly.

"Naruto, just stay still." Her voice sounded like that of an angel; for a moment, Naruto thought he was dead, but as his body was turned around, his eyes met Yoruichi's golden eyes, filled with concern; he wanted to reach out, to touch her cheek, he wanted to be sure he wasn't dreaming, but the pain didn't allow him.

He wanted to speak, but the pain was a cruel mistress; all that came out were muffled groans; he could hardly open his mouth; it felt as if it was snitched closed shut.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I will take care of you." Her voice was smooth and sweet, like honey. Suddenly, he wished she could sing. He didn't know if she could, but he wanted to hear her voice, like a light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Why is this taking so long? I wonder what Kyuubi is doing... wait, why isn't Kyuubi healing me right now? Naruto wanted to scream at him; his stomach was bare, and the seal lay on his stomach as it had laid since he could remember himself.

A complicated seal, sometimes Naruto wondered who in Kumo had been a master in Seals fourteen years to make this seal. Surely someone better than Sensei Shiiu, the man couldn't make a level five seal to save his own life.

"Naruto, look at me." He felt sleepy; her voice made him want to close his eyes and dream of better days.

"I will give you something to drink. You will sleep for two days." No, Naruto wanted to scream. No, he couldn't sleep for that long; he was already wasting his time in bed being injured. He needed to train to get better. He didn't want to disappoint his family, especially his father. She disappeared from the room but returned soon with a copper funnel in her hand and a white flask in the other; he could do nothing as she slipped the tip into his mouth.

Naruto wanted to close his mouth, for his teeth to break the tip; he wanted to stand up; he wanted to keep training. So what if he failed once? He only had three months, and one had already gone by; he couldn't sit in a bed all day. He needed to train. He needed to get stronger. He needed to prove himself and not stay in bed all day.

But his arms refused to move; they didn't listen to him as he felt the funnel tip on his lips. He wanted to bite hard, but his throat felt sore and frozen in place; his teeth felt like ice that could shatter by the smallest pressure.

Naruto felt the warm liquid sliding down his throat, sweet and warm. His eyes closed, and the last thing he heard was Yoruichi's smooth voice.

' "Where would you like to live?" Her voice is sweet. "Here with you. Why I would want to go somewhere else." They were together in a snug little cottage by the sunset sea. The walls were lopsided and cracked, and the floor had been made of packed earth, but he had always been warm there, even when they let the fire go out. He trailed kisses on her sweet cream skin; she giggled, a sweet one, more reasons to taste her; he felt drunk in her beauty. "I always wanted to visit Yassei." She spoke; her hair felt like golden strings on his hands. He always teased her when she said that. "You want us to live like the Wild Ones. You know Shinobis are not welcomed there." He reminded her always. But that did little to extinguish her desire; if anything, her bright face looked brighter, like staring at the sun. "I wouldn't mind it. In all the missions, we always have to do what they tell us. Sometimes, I wish we lived without rules, at least for a while." His lips had reached her jaw before finding her pink lips, inviting him to feast on them, the way they parted just enough for him to want to devour her. "One day. We will go together, just us." He promised before kissing her; she moaned in joy; her soft hands felt like a fire as they gripped his manhood.

"Naruto." Samui moaned as his fingers found the treasure just under her waist, wet and soft like heaven just for him. '

Waking up from his sleep, he saw her face nestled against his neck, her purple hair scattered around her shoulder back, some against his chest. Naruto felt her weight on his chest; her warm body felt like a nice, soft blanket; his hands twitched; he expected the pain to follow, but it never came.

His body felt stiff as he slowly moved his arm; for a moment, it felt as if they were heavier than normal; his arm went over her bare shoulder, his hand touched her beautiful dark skin, and his lips found the crown of her head, her body moved against his, her soft voluptuous breasts moved against his chest, he could feel her hardened nipples poking his chest as her golden eyes opened fully, for a brief moment she looked confused as he looked down at her.

"Good morning." His voice seemed to have helped her regain her composure; her arms moved like a blur as she enveloped him in a big, warm hug. Her lips took his breath away, but he quickly kissed her back; her wet tongue invaded his mouth, and her moan was a song to his ears. Soon, the need for air made them both pull away; her face flushed, and she looked adorable.

"You scared me, you moron." Her voice cracked, her golden eyes foggy with unshed tears; Naruto had never heard her sound so vulnerable; for someone who was an S-Rank shinobi, he knew she felt comfortable enough in his presence for her to show him this other side of her. Something she never showed in front of anyone else; somehow, Naruto felt good knowing that.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Naruto apologized genuinely as his arms brought her closer to him, her face beautiful and cute; his thumb caressed her smooth cheek, and her warm breath felt good on his face; she leaned closer, and her lips tasted his cheek. They cuddled closely; her warm body was the only blanket he needed.

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Later

After waking up, Yoruichi explained that the lightning had messed up his body and Chakra, explaining why he couldn't move two days ago. She then explained that his body was very fragile, so he prevented Kyuubi from helping him.

Naruto, of course, wondered why, but she explained that simply dumping a massive amount of Chakra doesn't automatically heal a body, and second, Kyuubi's Chakra was dangerous to his organs, and he needed to rely on it as little as possible.

Yoruichi even told him that if Kyuubi had tried to help, he could have messed him up even more since his wounds were more of an internal one. If Kyuubi had mistakenly given him more Chakra then needed to his organs to force them to heal, then his organs might have been destroyed beyond repair.

"There's a reason why someone needs perfect chakra control, and seven years of studying medicine to become a proper Healing Shinobi."

Every part of the human body could handle different amounts of Chakra; more or less chakra added could result in death, and it was different amongst some people; some people were born in a strange way, where their entire Chakra was stored somewhere specifically, instead of being spread in their bodies unevenly. A medical ninja needed to know about every condition possible before trying to heal internal organs; the organs were very delicate, and pumping too much or too little Chakra could cause them to die.

"Wait, but Kyuubi has healed me before," Naruto quickly pointed out. Yoruichi brought him and herself a bowl of ramen as they sat around a table.

"It's one thing to heal flesh wounds, but another to heal organs," Yoruichi explained as she mixed the ingredients in her bowl with Ramen; the scent made his mouth water; he grabbed the chopsticks, and just as he was ready to eat, he remembered something.

"When will we start again? Tomorrow, right?" Naruto questioned, a little tense. His failure didn't feel good, and he wanted to prove to himself that he hadn't given up. He couldn't do that if he didn't start training as soon as possible. He knew he was exhausted, and the pain hadn't gone away completely, but he wanted to show clear results by the time he returned; that meant he should definitely be able to use Purple Lightning before he was done here. If he couldn't do that much, he knew his father would be disappointed.

'You are no son of mine.'

Naruto gripped the edge of the table they were eating on; the wood creaked underneath the pressure; Yoruichi cocked an eyebrow, eying him, as she swallowed the rest of the nuddles that were left hanging from her mouth.

"We need to wait a week." "WHAT?!" Naruto found himself shouting. He didn't want to, but he had let himself lose control for a split second; Yoruichi narrowed her eyes at him before placing the bowl on the table with more strength than necessary, causing a sound to echo throughout the house and for Naruto to close his mouth.

"I'm your Sensei, Naruto, remember that," Yoruichi said, her voice cold and threatening, as she crossed her arms, looking at Naruto, who kept his mouth shut but could hardly contain himself. He wanted to train, and an entire week of not training sounded way too long.

"I-I know that I meant no disrespect. But I'm feeling better now. I need to train and not stand around." Naruto spoke with respect. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of pain, but he did his best to try and hide it. It seemed Yoruichi had noticed it.

"Naruto, you are my student. Your grandfather entrusted your safety with me, and I know about this more than you do, so I'm telling you. You will rest for the whole week, then return to your training." Yoruichi said with a voice that made it clear it was final; she stood up, gathering the empty bowls before walking out of the room.

Naruto clenched his teeth in anger; he cursed under his breath. He stood up with a huff, the chair falling down as he did, but Naruto didn't bother putting it back in place as he walked back into his room.

Yoruichi - Later

Was I this stupid when I was that young? She asked herself; as she rubbed the top of her forehead, her eyes drifted to the scar on top of her arm; the scar looked like lightning branches spreading from the top of her arm to the rest of her right arm, all the way to her wrist.

She understood Naruto's eagerness to prove himself to his family. After all, he was the son and grandson of two of Kumo's most important and strongest shinobis. His uncle was the Jinchuuriki of eight tails and was perfect at that, so she understood that he was under a lot of pressure to prove his worth, but that kind of desire could easily ruin everything. There was a reason why, out of all elements, lightning was considered the most difficult to master. For fire, there were cases of people trying to use Fireball, only for them to burn themselves because they weren't careful.

As her eyes went to her scar, Yoruichi still remembered her screams and the way her body went limp. Yoruichi felt tears behind her eyes, but she refused to shed her tears.

She had entrusted her that she wouldn't fail. And because of my foolishness, she's now nothing but bones under a grave, Yoruichi cursed under her breath, her eyes burning; she quickly swallowed hard as she forced herself into a sitting position. She knew Naruto wouldn't talk to her, but she would rather have that then lose another student.

Yoruichi suddenly shivered from the cold. Despite the house being warm and cozy, the bed didn't feel as warm without Naruto.

As her thoughts drifted off towards him once again, she knew telling him the truth about his parents would be difficult, especially about his mother.

'My grandfather would never lie.' Yoruichi recalled his words. She knew Naruto held his grandfather to very high standards, so if he ever found out that his grandfather had sent Shinobi after his mother, she wasn't sure how Naruto would take it; not only that, but Yoruichi remembered her father's words about the Uzumaki Clan's destruction.

' "It was Ay who made the plan. Kiri and Iwa wanted that clan gone, but they lacked courage, until Ay proposed the idea. Not only that, but the forces that attacked the clan that night, fifty percent of them were made of Kumo Shinobi alone." "Why?" Yoruichi had asked her father. She didn't understand why their Raikage would sacrifice so many of their troops just to destroy a single clan. "I don't know, but I believe our Raikage has personal vendetta against the Uzumaki clan. But never tell this to anyone. The whole village believes the Uzumaki clan attacked first. People won't believe you even if you tell them the truth." '

Yoruichi didn't know what changed, but twenty years ago, their Raikage became less brutal in his tactics; she didn't know what it was, but even if he regretted his past decisions, those people were dead and would never be alive again. A part of her wanted to tell Naruto the truth, but she knew her Raikage wouldn't take kindly to that.

Despite being a little moron, she still liked him. A part of her wanted to apologize, but she wouldn't do that; she was the Sensei, and it was Naruto's duty to listen to her and not do something reckless... Wait, Yoruichi thought, her eyes widening in shock; without thinking, she jumped from the bed and bolted out of the room; she wasted no time knocking and opened the door immediately.

Yoruichi's mouth hung open, his bed was empty, and the window of his room was open, the cold wind of the autumn blowing inside, the curtains flowing upwards from the wind.

"Naruto, you bastard." Yoruichi cursed; without hesitation, she activated her Lightning Armour and rushed toward the mountain; she knew that even with her speed, it would take a minute to reach the top.

Naruto, I will kill you after this, Yoruichi thought as she jumped towards the foot of the mountain; her landing made the ground break and split open as she rushed upwards; every stump on the ground caused it to break like glass.

Naruto - Earlier

"I have to be honest. Out of all your ideas, this is the worst one, brat. You should return." Kyuubi said with a growl, but Naruto ignored him as he ran up the hill.

He tried to use his Chakra to run much faster, but the moment he did, his entire body shook, and a jolt of pain spread through him like lightning, so Naruto decided to use the minimum amount of Chakra possible to be able to run upwards and not rely on climbing the old fashion way.

"I know how to do it now. I can do this." Naruto quickly defended himself; he felt the rain pouring down on his face, and multiple thunders were heard above him, the entire sky illuminated for a second each time a thunder struck down.

"No, you can't; your sensei said that natural lightning will kill you, moron, and she used much weaker lightning, and it still messed you up pretty badly."

Naruto was confused as to why Kyuubi even tried to stop him; as far as he knew, he wanted the downfall of humanity, so why try to stop him? But despite the words he heard, Naruto didn't stop; he still remembered his dream as clear as day. He wouldn't disappoint them; he would be able to use purple lightning.

"Brat, what are you even trying to prove? Why are you risking your life?"

"That I didn't fail." Naruto cried out, not bothering to talk mentally; he was almost at the top of the mountain.

"Brat, you didn't fail; you just had a small loss. Do you really think that your grandfather spent his whole life only winning? Turn Back!" But Naruto didn't turn back as he finally reached the top of the mountain; he breathed heavily as the rain kept falling down, in big drops now. A thunder suddenly struck down far away from him, illuminating the entire sky; after two seconds, the sound of the thunder reached Naruto's ears, like a huge horn blowing in the distance.

Usually, the chances of natural lightning striking him were slim, but the lightning was attracted to heights, and right now, he was on top of the mountain, and there was no tree near him; he was closest to the clouds.

Naruto took a deep breath, calming himself down; he looked up and took his position. He looked at the dark clouds that had enveloped the entire sky like a dark, cold blanket; he walked up near the edge of the mountain, and below him was the abyss.

Lightning struck after another, his eyes focused on each one, but none hit him...

Suddenly, every hair in his entire body stood up abruptly; Naruto's eyes widened as lightning struck down, hitting him square in the chest. His entire body was on fire; every vein felt like a hot knife inside his body. He extended his hands, trying to redirect it. He felt it closing on his chest, and it twisted a burning Poker on his chest. Naruto opened his mouth to scream, but all that came out were muffled screams of pain.

"NARUTO!!"

Naruto felt it; the lightning closed on his heart from all directions. Instinctively, Naruto slammed two of his fingers over his heart; the lightning quickly engulfed his left arm, leaving his heart, but the exhaustion was too much, and the pain only increased. Naruto gasped; suddenly, all air escaped his lungs, and everything turned dizzy; he could hear a voice calling to him, but he had no strength to answer as his eyes looked down at the abyss below.

Everything turned to darkness as he fell below...

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Am I dead?

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Naruto couldn't help but notice how his body felt weightless and as if he was floating in space, his mind drifting into a peaceful state of mind. He felt like he was on a cloud, his muscles completely relaxed, and his mind free from all worries and stress. All the tension and exhaustion seemed to have melted away, leaving him with a sense of tranquility that he had never felt before. He closed his eyes and let himself drift away into a dreamless sleep, feeling as if he could sleep forever in this state of pure bliss.

Am I Dead?

Feeling relaxed, Naruto tried to recall where he was, but as he tried to remember, all he could remember was the lightning. After that point, everything went dark; he had heard screams but not much else.

As Naruto lay on his back, his eyes closed in peaceful slumber, he suddenly felt a cold, wet sensation seeping through his clothes, jolting him awake. He found himself floating on a vast sea that seemed to stretch out infinitely in all directions. The water was eerily calm and still, yet its depths were as dark and mysterious as a bottomless pit. As he gazed upwards, he realized that the sky was a deep shade of midnight blue, dotted with tiny, shimmering stars that twinkled like diamonds in the distance.

The water barely reached past his toes. Looking around him, Naruto couldn't see anything else but the endless sea. It felt as if it went on forever.

Despite the endless sky above, he couldn't feel any wind around him, not even the slightest breeze brushing against his skin.

"Father," Naruto called out with a hint of anxiety, but there was no answer.

"Uncle," Naruto called out, yet no answer was heard. Looking around more, I saw nothing. Naruto's heart was racing as he swallowed the lump in his throat, desperately trying to make sense of what was happening. Confused and disoriented, he looked around and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision.

"Am I dreaming?" he asked himself. He rubbed his eyes so hard that they began to burn, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wake up from the nightmare.

"Jiji! Omoi, Yugito, Samui. Anyone??!!," Naruto shouted for his loved ones, but again, no answer. Am I all alone? Naruto thought, his fear increasing with each passing second. His palms were sweating.

"Yoruichi-Sensei!" He called out, but once again. No Answer.

He could feel his lower jaw trembling with fear and uncertainty as he closed his eyes.

"F-F-F-Father, please don't leave me," he murmured, his eyes welling up with tears that slowly trickled down his cheek, their salty droplets falling to the water below at that moment. Suddenly, he felt the water level rising, now above his knees, and it kept increasing.

"No!" Naruto shouted from fear.

"Mother!!" Naruto shouted in fear to the sky above as the water reached his neck. Reaching out his hand, the water came to his head. Eventually, his hand was below the water, and the sea's surface was going away as he sank into the darkness below.

As he struggled to break free from the water's merciless grip, suffocating and thrashing about, everything became a blur, and he felt himself slipping away into the abyss. A glimmer of light caught his eye, and he suddenly realized that he wasn't drowning after all.

The water's level started decreasing. With a swift movement, he pulled his head out of the water and gazed around him in confusion. The water continued to lower rapidly until not even his toes were submerged.

As he gazed around himself, he was standing in the middle of a colossal, pitch-black chamber devoid of any discernible features or objects, and not even the faintest glimmer could be perceived, leaving him in utter darkness.

Naruto's eyes were immediately drawn to the glossy black-red metal floor. But what truly captured his attention was the massive cage that loomed before him, its towering bars casting intricate shadows on the floor.

"I am inside my mindscape? Why?" Naruto wondered out loud as Kyuubi's dark red eyes opened behind the bars. A growl reached his ears as his face was revealed to Naruto.

"D-did you save me?"

"No. Why would I do that? Luckily for you, your seal is not ordinary; it knows you are in danger and forces me to give you Chakra, even if I don't want to." He snarled, baring his teeth as he spoke.

"I thought your chakra would damage my organs?"

"It was your heart brat. Luckily for you, the heart can endure more Chakra then all the other organs, so it didn't burst despite my interference." Kyuubi growled.

"I see," Naruto murmured before sitting down and looking at his hands.

"You know you would have died if it wasn't for me. Remember that brat, because I'm not in the mood to save your sorry ass every time you screw up." Naruto didn't say anything to that; he wasn't in the mood to talk.

I failed... I failed again...

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At first, he could see nothing, but after a time, the vague outlines of a bed appeared around him. The drapes were drawn, but he could see the shape of carved bedposts and the droop of the velvet canopy over his head. Under him was the yielding softness of a featherbed, and the pillow beneath his head was goose down. My own bed, I am in my own bed in Yoruichi's house, in my own bedchamber.

It was warm inside the drapes, under the great heap of furs and blankets that covered him. He was sweating. Fever, he thought groggily. He felt so weak, and the pain stabbed through him when he struggled to lift his hand. He gave up the effort. His head felt enormous, as big as the bed, too heavy to raise from the pillow.

How did I come here? Naruto tried to remember. He had failed again. And then... I fell into the abyss. Naruto reminded himself; for a moment, he wondered if Yoruichi had found his body in the morning at the foot of the mountain. Naruto wanted to call out for his family; he wanted them to be with him right now. Even his uncle's annoying music, he wouldn't mind it.

"Naruto, stand down. Don't move." His blue eyes found the source of the beautiful voice. Her eyes looked down at him. Sad, her golden eyes were swimming in a sea of red. She cried for me, Naruto realized, suddenly feeling his stomach twitch. He wanted to open his mouth, to apologize, but he couldn't do that much.

As he lay there, he felt a weight on his chest. He wanted to look, but his head just refused to move; his hand reached out, and his fingers found stiff cloth where he should have found the flesh of his chest.

Naruto drifted off to sleep before he realized it.

The next time he woke up, he felt the sun on his face. Something had changed in his room. A new bed was positioned right next to his, and Yoruichi's form was sleeping on top of it. Naruto moved; this time, it didn't hurt as much.

His hand touched the stiff cloth, and his chest was a huge pain and a bad ich. Naruto tried to stand up, but the pain reminded him not to move; Naruto pushed his head up the pillow so he could look down at his chest. After some struggle, as his head was positioned on the top of the headboard, he looked down at his chest; the blanket was covering him, and his fingers pulled the blanket away. Painful, but he ignored it.

A white cloth with bandages covered his entire chest, and the pain and the itch only increased somewhat. He breathed raggedly. He gripped the edge of the white cloth; he wanted to tear it away.

"Naruto." He breathed in; his eyes found Yoruichi staring down at him, her eyes blank, void of any emotions. Naruto wasn't sure what to expect as she stared down at him, almost like he was a stranger.

"Yoruichi." His voice came out weak; he hated being weak. "I-I-I'm sorry-" Yoruichi silenced him with a raise of her hand.

"I don't want to hear it." Her voice was cold, no longer sweet; now she sounded as cold as ice as she kept staring down at him.

"I take it you want to see what you did to yourself." Naruto ignored her blank voice and managed a small nod; she gripped the edge of the stiff cloth, and purple lightning danced on her fingertips as she slowly and carefully pulled it off his chest.

The sight made Naruto gasp; in the center of his chest was what seemed like a bad burn wound; his skin had turned dark reddish, it was smaller than his palm, it felt soft and smooth to the touch, and the pain felt like a trail of fire on his skin.

But the wound reminded him, just two or three inches to the left, and it would have been his heart. The wound had a darker tone at the center; it looked ugly, but Naruto knew he deserved it.

"I'm afraid I can't hide that, but looking at it every time you wake up will remind you how stupid you acted, that and the wound under your right foot." Her words were cold and heavy, but Naruto heard what she said.

"Under my feet?"

"The lightning came out through your feet because it was the nearest to the ground below. A similar scar is below your feet." Yoruichi explained with a blank voice; Naruto remained silent, realizing what he had done. What he had done to himself and what he had done to Yoruichi.

"Where did you find me?"

"I saw you falling to your death; as I was rushing up the mountain, I grabbed you mid-air and brought you here," Yoruichi answered, her voice not sounding melodic anymore. Naruto hated himself. He was the reason; he knew he hadn't listened if only he had listened.

"If you don't have any other question, then I'm going to my room." As she turned on her heels, Naruto watched her walk away.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said, his voice almost a whisper. He was sure she hadn't heard him, but from the way she stopped walking, he knew she had heard his apology as she turned to face him, her face morphed into one of anger, rage, and sorrow.

"Sorry." Yoruichi spoke the word with mockery as she approached his bed. "I told you to wait, I told you that you were wounded, but you didn't listen to me. You just thought that you knew better than anyone else and decided to get yourself killed. And For What?" She screamed the last part as she glared down at him.

Naruto had no words to say; all he could feel now was shame. "For your pride? For your ego? To make your family proud? You refused everything I told you, what would happen if you died. How do you think I would have felt?" Her words made him gasp; only now he realized.

He hadn't thought of failing again; he hadn't thought at all that he could fail and die. He hadn't thought of what Yoruichi would feel, of his friends, of his family. He hadn't considered them when he decided to 'prove' himself. He had only thought of his own wounded ego. He had thought that he would not fail. The chance of actually failing hadn't even crossed his mind.

"If you died. I feel that's on me." Her words made Naruto lower his head even more in shame, his forehead touching the bed mattress, his arms lying limply on top of his bed mattress; he had no words to say.

He had failed again, and the worst part was that he had thought nothing of his loved ones; all he had wanted was to prove himself. Her words felt like a slap in the face, worse than any lightning.

"You will stay here as long as I see fit. Once you're better, I will have you go through another training in the Whispering Wood, if you fail that one. Then we are done."

The words hung between them, huge, sharp, poisoned.

Naruto could do nothing but watch as Yoruichi left the room. He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Two Weeks Later

Silence. Naruto was sure the silence was worse than the pain. It had been two weeks, and Yoruichi refused to speak with him. All she ever talked was asking about his health. Naruto would try to start a conversation, but to no avail; she wouldn't acknowledge his questions and would ask again how he was feeling; once Naruto answered, she would walk out of the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts and regrets.

The fifth day was when he was able to walk outside. But due to his injury, his body still felt pain with every step he took. Kyuubi had been quiet. Naruto had tried to speak with him, but the silence was the only answer he received.

Once the first week passed, Yoruichi checked his whole body and chakra points to see if there was any other injury she hadn't noticed. Once she checked him, she gave him the good news that his body wasn't permanently damaged, besides the scars on his chest and under his feet. She had asked him if he wanted to cover them, but Naruto refused, saying he wouldn't try to hide his failure.

Now, after two weeks, he was ready to train again; if Naruto was honest with himself, he had expected Yoruichi to kick him out the moment he was healed, but yesterday she reminded him that today they would go to 'The Whispering Woods.'

Naruto had heard tales of the place; it was said that it was cursed, that whoever walked inside could never get out. The blonde nodded and didn't try to question her, despite knowing it would take quite a lot of walking to reach the place; it was in a hidden place in The Territory of the Land of Lightning. Usually, the place was full of mountains, but The Whispering Wood was located at sea level, at the foot of a six-kilometre-tall mountain.

According to Koo, the Whispering Wood was once used as a ritual site long ago when the Age of Bloody Clan Wars had just started. One of the most powerful clans at the time had captured and sacrificed over ten thousand innocent farmers who had nothing to do with the war; all were sacrificed in that Forest. It was said that to this day, you can hear the screams of people who wanted to escape. The sacrifices were made to fulfill an ancient Seal that was said to have belonged to the Sage of Six Paths. No one knew if the sacrifices achieved anything, but Naruto wasn't sure if the tale was true, but he knew that the Age of Bloody Clan Wars was the most ruthless one. The Chakra was forcefully unlocked the moment the child could walk on their own.

Naruto escaped his thoughts as he felt the sunlight on his face. He walked out of the house after mainly being inside for two whole weeks; he felt the gentle breeze on his face, the fresh air; he took a deep breath; it felt like this was the first time he had ever drawn a breath.

The gentle blades of the grass caressed his feet and shin, green and beautiful. Naruto heard someone walking behind him; he turned around to face Yoruichi; her golden eyes looked at him, blank and void of cheerful emotions. Naruto cursed himself for doing that to her.

"Yoruichi," Naruto called her. He wanted to start a conversation, but she threw him a green scroll, which he grabbed mid-air.

"That's a food scroll, Naruto. Don't try to lose that," she instructed with a bitter tone. Naruto nodded; from her voice alone, he knew she wasn't in the mood to talk with him yet.

They started their journey in the morning. Before long, it was dawn; they had spent the whole day running through the hills. The mountaintops made up the most of the sight. Out of all the villages, Kumo had the most mountains.

Once the sun set on the horizon, Naruto prepared the tents himself while Yoruichi made the Territory Seal. It was unlikely someone would attack them during the night in Kumo Territory, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Naruto prepared the food and started a fire. As they were eating, Naruto found himself unable to handle the silence.

"What awaits me in the Whispering Wood?"

"The Truth." She said as she took a sip from the soup Naruto had prepared.

"What do you mean 'The Truth'? The truth about what?" Naruto couldn't stop himself. While he wanted to know more about the place, the main reason he asked was to have a chance to talk with her normally.

"It wouldn't make a difference even if I tell you, but some people call that Forest as the place of regrets. I heard that your grandfather once went there." Yoruichi explained, her golden eyes glittering from the bonfire before her.

"Why would my grandfather go there?"

"Everyone have regrets Naruto. You shouldn't hold your grandfather in such a high pedestal, as if he could do no wrong." She said.

"What wrongs did he do?"

"Naruto, is better to ask him yourself, but listen to this. Everyone in this world makes mistakes, including me, everyone. Your grandfather, well, he did his own mistakes." Yoruichi said with a hint of bitterness, her sharp gaze meeting his, the bonfire between them.

Naruto wanted to say something to defend his grandfather, but a part of him could see the logic in what she was telling him. But Naruto couldn't help but remember all his happy memories with him. All the gifts he had given him. His grandfather was a good and successful man.

Outside of The Whispering Wood

"This is it?" Naruto asked, feeling a little disappointed. What he had heard from his sensei, he had expected a forest that looked straight out of hell, but instead, in front of them stood a normal-looking forest. The only signs that something was wrong here were the large banners positioned in a straight line, all saying the same thing.

"Danger. Return Back."

"You shouldn't underestimate it," Yoruichi instructed sharply as she placed her hand on the ground, amongst the grass. Her hand was engulfed by purple lightning; Naruto watched as the lightning spread through the area, soon reaching the banners, and suddenly, a burst of purple lightning spread around the air. The banner in front of them crumbled down as if it were made of sand.

"What did you do?"

"A Forbidden Territory Seal secures this whole Forest. Even if you had tried to walk inside the Forest, the seal wouldn't have allowed you. I brought the seal down; now you can enter." Yoruichi informed him. Naruto nodded and took a deep breath, ready to walk inside, he was ready.

When he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind, he turned around only to receive a big hug from Yoruichi.

"I still haven't forgiven you, you moron. But I like you, so I'm wishing you good luck." Yoruichi said to his ear, her voice cracking from the emotions. Naruto felt a surge of sadness in his heart, twisting painfully. How much he wished to apologize, to show her how much he regretted it, but he would do that after he completed this training.

"I like you, too. Sensei. I will return back, I will complete this training, and I won't ever make that mistake again." Naruto promised, hugging her back; he had missed how warm she felt, his face resting on the nook of her neck; he took a deep breath; she smelled like fresh flowers and strawberries from the shampoo she used whenever she took a bath.

They pulled away, her face slightly flushed; Naruto turned around and walked forward, not looking back even for a moment.

Deeper and deeper into the Forest. Naruto kept walking, yet he could see nothing amiss; every tree appeared normal, as did the ground. He had expected to see or hear an animal by now, but it was complete silence... Wait, why are there no animals here? Naruto asked himself as he looked around; the sky was empty, and no birds were in sight.

Cold, Naruto shuddered; his skin crawled as he let out a breath, his breath suddenly visible as it started snowing... wait, snowing?! Naruto looked up as he expected; snowflakes were falling from the sky; he extended his hand, and a snowflake fell on his hand. It felt like a fire on his hand, engulfing his hand like a chain.

Naruto clenched his teeth in pain as he fell to his knees. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, a cold breath caressing his cheek.

"What are you doing? Stand up, Naruto." Naruto looked to his right, but there was no one there; the sensation of a hand resting on his shoulder disappeared. Did I imagine that? The pain in his hand vanished as he stood up on his legs. Naruto took a deep breath; suddenly, he felt like he was suffocating, as he took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs.

A hand gripped his feet; Naruto looked down to see a hand that had come out from the snow and grabbed his feet. What!!! Naruto tried to free his leg when another hand burst from the snow, grabbing his other foot.

Noo!! Naruto wanted to scream but couldn't; his hand touched his face, but instead of lips and teeth, there was only smooth skin. He had no Mouth.

Nooo!!! Naruto wanted to scream as more hands burst from the snow, gripping his legs and pulling him below the snow. Their cold hand burned his skin as he sunk into the snow.

Noooo!!!!! A hand gripped his shoulder; the last one gripped his face as he sunk deep below...

.

.

Why did you follow that order?

"What order?"

You knew how much they were suffering, but you didn't care; as long as you did what the orders told you, as long as you were a good soldier, you wouldn't care. The voice mocked him.

Blue sky, his eyes opened, his whole body was lying on the surface of a sea, the water reaching just below his ears, and looming over him stood him.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked himself. But this version of him appeared different. His clothes were identical, but they were as white as snow, as were his hair and skin. He looked like a man made of snow, but the pits that were his eyes made it clear that this one wasn't made of snow.

Kagami. His voice echoed in Naruto's ears.

Why did you follow the orders?

"What orders?" Naruto asked again; his mouth was back. He sighed in relief. Kagami didn't answer; his hand extended towards Naruto, who gripped it; he was pulled upwards, and once he was back on his feet, he was in a different place. The sea was no more.

"The Land of Tea!" Naruto recognized the island and the sea where they had fought the Konoha Team; his eyes landed on the Genins, their faces facing the abyss below the water, their backs facing the sun, the waves moving their bodies around like garbage, their faces half eaten, chunks of their faces messing, fishes and crows feasting on them. He remembered Shikamaru, but as Naruto tried to remember the names of the other two, he found it difficult to remember them.

For a moment, it was silence; nothing could be heard but the sound of waves crashing on the shore until he heard the sound of the dead. Soft and terrible. They wept; they sobbed for their mothers. The skeleton of the ship was at the bank of the ocean.

"Why bring me here?"

Why did you follow the orders? The same question was asked again.

"It was my duty." The answer came out naturally.

You can try to fool your friends all you want, but I know the Truth.

"The Truth?"

You saw with your own eyes how much the Land of Tea was suffering from House Wagarashi. You knew they would continue suffering if Akni won that race, but you didn't care; you followed orders and even lied to your friends that you had no other choice. You even lied to yourself that what you were doing was for the good of them.

"Shut Up."

But the truth is. You followed orders because you didn't want to disappoint your family.

Naruto fell to his knees; he breathed heavily. "T-That's not true!" He cried out meekly; he heard him laugh over him.

Your first B-Rank Mission, your first real important mission, you wanted to make sure that everything would go perfectly, even if you had to close your eyes to the suffering of innocent people as long as your grandpa and your daddy were proud. You wouldn't care.

He was mocking him, his fingers digging deep into the sand, turning into fists. Naruto wanted to say that it wasn't true, but deep down, he knew that had been the reason. He had wanted to make his family proud, and he wouldn't care if Akni had won the match as long as his mission was successful.

Suddenly, everything changed again. Screams of pain reached his ears; blood flew through the air. A woman screamed, rushing to her father's injured father; a huge gash across his face and half of his nose was no more.

"We will pay back House Wagarashi. Please give us more time." The woman pleaded to three big men; one of them licked his lips as he grabbed the woman by the wrist.

"I can think of another way you can pay us." The man said with a cruel smile as he grabbed her dress; the woman fought back as the two other men grabbed her.

"Stop It!!" Naruto screamed in rage as he quickly aimed a fist at the first men, but he could do nothing but watch as his fist passed through his head like a ghost.

"What?!" Naruto quickly tried to attack the others, but his fists and kicks passed through them. The woman screamed as her dress was ripped open...

"STOP IT!!" Naruto screamed as everything changed; he was back on the shore with his other version standing beside him.

"I-I-I'm Sorry." Naruto cried out. His version didn't say anything. Instead, all that followed was silence.

Naruto felt as if someone was twisting his heart. He looked up to see that he was no longer at the beach. Instead, he was in a large round training area, and he recognized it right away. He had trained here quite often with Bee and Yugito.

In the center of the arena was a figure.

Naruto slowly approached him; he heard his voice as he approached.

"Why? Why Abandon Me?"

Naruto felt his heart fall into a pit; for a moment, he didn't want to believe it, but as he approached closer. The man was another version of him, but this one almost seemed decades older.

Naruto's eyes widened; this version was wearing ripped clothes, he smelled of shit and piss, his face covered in dirt almost like second skin, he had grown a long messy beard that reached his chest, his hair was all messy, and his blue eyes seemed blank, despite the tears, he looked dead inside. Scars covered his skin, all over his body, hidden by make up and pieces of clothing, but there were so many of them that it seemed this version would soon run out of body parts that weren't injured.

"What happened to you?"

This version gripped his head tightly. "I don't understand. All I ever wanted was to prove myself. And they all left me. One by one. Even Omoi." He cried out; Naruto choked on a breath.

This version had gone too far with training, so far that he no longer cared about anything else. Until he had no one in his life but training, his stomach churned, and before he knew it, Naruto puked on the ground.

Naruto breathed heavily. Is this the road I was heading towards? He didn't know, but he felt disgusted. He wanted to prove himself, but never to the extent of losing everything else.

Naruto wiped his lips and turned to face the older version of himself, but he looked at him with anger and disgust.

"You think you are better than me? I have no one but I'm much stronger than you." He boasted, and to prove his point, he stumped the ground, causing the entire arena to crack, bits of it falling into the abyss below.

"Power. Is that it? You lost everyone because you didn't care about anything else. How could you do this to yourself!!" Naruto shouted with anger. "All for Power." He spat the words with venom; the older version of himself clenched his teeth in rage, his face turning red.

"I will show you what I have achieved. I have Everything I could ever Want." He screamed before disappearing from his view. Naruto gasped, and pain spread through him as a punch hit his chest; he spat out blood as the other Naruto grabbed him by the head before head slamming him in the face.

Naruto screamed in pain; a rib was broken, and so was his nose, but the other version wasn't done yet; he disappeared once again. Naruto didn't see it coming, but he felt the punch on his left arm. Naruto screamed out in pain; his left arm was broken; the other version smirked smugly as he punched Naruto on the chin. Naruto spat out blood as he flew high in the air before smashing down against the floor at the edge of the training yard, only one meter further, and he would fall into the abyss.

"Look at yourself, you are worthless and weak. I proved my strength to everyone. Especially that traitor, Omoi." He laughed as Naruto stood up, his left arm burning in pain; he couldn't even move a finger.

"What did you do to him?" Naruto demanded with rage in his words.

"He stood in my way." The answer came out blank, without a hint of emotion, without a hint of remorse. Naruto felt sick.

"Now. I will kill you." He screamed as his entire body was engulfed in lightning.

Naruto's eyes widened, and suddenly, all the rage disappeared at the sight before him. He had expected to be purple, but instead, he was using white lightning.

"So you never achieved it," Naruto spoke with a hint of pity in his voice.

"What?"

"Purple Lightning, despite all the training you did, despite all the sacrifices you did for power, despite everything. You never achieved Purple Lightning like Yoruichi." Naruto spoke, and the pain disappeared as he made a hand sign with his right good hand.

"Neither Can You! You Will See It For Yourself. All We Can Ever Want Is Power. That's the Only Thing I need. Now DIE!!" Naruto's right hand was engulfed in white lightning as he rushed forward, meeting in the middle of the arena. Both punches collided, and a burst of electricity spread everywhere.

Naruto clenched his teeth, pushing back with all his strength, but his other version easily pushed him further and closer to the edge.

"You cannot win. I have all the Power I need!"

Naruto wanted to find strength but needed to be stronger; he was never strong enough...

.

Will I fail again? No, I can't fail Again...

.

.

"Naruto, think of all your most happiest moments in your life. Are your family included in them?"

Yoruichi's words to him on the first day of their training.

"We all feel fear, Naruto; the trick is to overcome your fear with bravery."

Samui's words to him.

"My father thinks of me as a failure, but one day. I will earn the Black Blade, am I afraid? Yes, I am afraid. But I will never give up; only by giving up do we truly fail."

Omoi's words to him.

"In the Darkest times. Hope is something you give yourself, that is the meaning of inner strength."

His father's words to him.

"Just let it flow through you. Find inner peace; only then can you truly use your gift."

Just let it flow through me. Naruto closed his eyes as he moved his hand away; his version's arm quickly struck his chest, and pain spread through his entire body as his version laughed.

.

.

"One."

"What is happening?" He screamed as the lightning surrounding his arm was absorbed by Naruto, all flowing through his body like a river, until it reached his index and middle finger, but it wasn't white lightning the one that engulfed his fingers. It was Purple?!!

"How?" He screamed as Naruto's eyes opened wide before thrusting forward, striking him in the chest; his version screamed in pain as he was blown away before smashing against the ground, his chest split open, blood gushing out like a violent river.

Naruto breathed heavily as he looked at his hand; purple lightning danced across his fingers. His heart swelled in joy, but he quickly looked at the dying version of himself, who couldn't even stand anymore.

"H-how? How did you do it? How did you find Peace. How did you let go of it? Of all your insecurities?"

"Because I remember what will always be more important. My friends and my family. You gave up on all of that just to chase after power. To prove yourself, but in the end. You were alone. And all that power was for nothing in the end. I'm sorry what happened to you. But I promise I will never lose sight of what is truly important to me." Naruto swore with genuine kindness and determination in every word. His older version looked at him before letting out a genuine laugh.

"I see. Well, I hope that you don't, I wish you good luck in the future. Uzumaki Naruto."

What? Naruto blinked in confusion at the name he used, but before he could ask what he meant. His other version turned into thousands of golden lights that quickly flew high in the air before spreading across the sky like falling stars.

Naruto closed his eyes in peace. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so peaceful.

Suddenly, the entire place shook; Naruto watched as the sky started cracking like glass. The cracks slowly fill the whole sky. Naruto closed his eyes as a bright, blinding light engulfed everything...

Yoruichi

Is he safe? Should I go look? She asked herself the same question for the tenth time now. She gulped loudly; her eyes kept looking at the Forest. But there was no sign of Naruto anywhere. It has been eight hours now.

"I should go." She told herself, but suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down in the middle of the Forest. Yoruichi felt the wind wave hit her face. Once it passed away, her eyes squinted; slowly walking out of the Forest was ... "Naruto." Yoruichi said his name with growing joy; her own face brightened up.

But she quickly noticed something new: his eyes; they appeared brighter, a brighter blue, full of life and joy. Yoruichi found herself smiling, as Naruto's face adored the most beautiful smile she had ever seen in her life. Once he walked out, the banner she had destroyed rebuilt itself, and the seal was closed again.

"So, did it work?" Yoruichi couldn't help herself but ask with a teasing voice.

"Why don't you try it?" Naruto challenged with a smirk as he took a stance she had never seen before.

Yoruichi wasted no moment before sending a bolt of purple lightning towards him. Naruto stood his ground; as the lightning struck his body, he was pushed back several feet away before stopping dead in his tracks.

Yoruichi watched in shock and amazement as he masterfully controlled her purple lightning; his whole body was engulfed by it, which slowly concentrated in the index and middle finger of his right hand, but she noticed something new.

His purple lightning appeared much brighter than hers; Naruto smirked at her before aiming his fingers upwards. A colossal burst of purple lightning escaped his fingers that flew towards the sky; the lightning was shaped like a long-neck dragon, flying through the air before exploding in a burst of purple electricity, its branches spreading for hundreds of miles around Kumo.

Yoruichi stood there mesmerized; she was at a loss for words. His body wasn't harmed; the lightning hadn't caused him any damage, not even the tiniest scar, despite being purple lightning.

Naruto slowly approached her before stopping a few steps away from her. Yoruichi smiled proudly.

After her first failure, she had promised herself never to teach again, and when Naruto had gone behind her back and got injured, Yoruichi had cursed herself for two weeks for going back on her own words, but now. Yoruichi couldn't help but smile in joy and happiness. She almost wanted to dance as she felt tears in her eyes.

"Naruto, Genin of Kumo. You are officially a Master of Purple Lightning." Yoruichi said proudly as the sun illuminated the entire area, basking them in light.

She watched as his entire face exploded in joy; suddenly, he engulfed her in a tight hug. She quickly hugged him back, but soon she heard him sobbing against her neck before she could ask what was wrong...

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I went behind your back." He apologized, something he had wanted to do for a long time now. She smiled softly as she hugged him close, kissing his forehead tenderly.

"I'm sorry too for not talking to you. I should have done more, perhaps. But I'm so happy to have met you, Naruto." Upon hearing her words, Naruto pulled away from her, his bright blue eyes looking back at her.

Without thinking, they closed the distance between one another. The kiss wasn't the usual lustful one but a gentle one—a kiss of beautiful feelings.

Every Like and Review is appreciated. I hope you all enjoyed this Chapter.