SALVATION || Naruto Fanfiction || PART 1

Chapter 4: The Walk

Shinori awakened in a vast, frozen expanse, seemingly endlessly. The ground was covered in a thick layer of snow while towering formations of ice-like mountains pierced the heavens. In the center of this world was a gigantic tree made completely of ice. Its branches were thick and twisted, some of which went higher into the sky than some of the mountains. The tree pulsed with soft, ethereal light, illuminating this whole world. In the sky, weaving around the mountains was a massive creature. It was a heavenly ice dragon that looked serpentine-like, similar to the one he used against Kakashi. The difference was this one had scales that glistened like diamonds. Its eyes were all one shade of maroon. Its body was long and further down it turned into a whip-like ending, a spear point at its end. It had small wings across its body.

"This is no place for a king." The dragon spoke. I was circling the air around Shinori. Its voice was loud and deep enough to frighten that of Shinori. The boy was in pajamas, shivering from the snow and cold environment. They had no clue what to say so a young lady said it for him.

"Hey! Don't scare him on his first visit! He'll never come back!" A young lady said to him, she was around his age. Her hair was a snow white and she appeared to be in her late teens. Her hair was long and shimmered like freshly fallen snow. Her ice we a deep and icy blue. Her outfit entailed a classic pale blue kimono with snowflake parents weaved into it."He does not have a choice! When I summon him he will arrive!" The dragon said, its voice so loud it nearly burst Shinori's eardrum.

"Anyways! You've finally properly used us in battle! Congrats, by the way, I am the spirit inside of your sword, I am your sword! My name is Hayamiya! Wait I'm not supposed to tell you that yet!!!" She said as her face became a tomato from embarrassment. "It is fine Hayamiya, he already knows my name, I told him. In case you forgot it is Okami." The ice dragon said, still in the air. Shinori was confused no words could even be spoken.

"Names are an important part of building trust," The dragon said from the skies, "By invoking my name during an attack, its power will grow exponentially at the cost of freezing the sword and draining chakra. When the sword is completely frozen she has to thaw out for a day or two afterward, but you know this already." The dragon said as Shinori was barely capable of shaking his head in understanding. "Yup! And by saying my name..." She trailed on for a few seconds thinking. "Well nothing happens but it's good to know! As Okami said it builds trust. Plus I'm not completely useless! I even have my own chakra network! Well, it's yours but... WAIT I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT EITHER!!!" She said before running away crying into the mountains of ice.

"And who are you..." Shinori dared to ask the dragon in the sky. His courage bloomed through his voice, he was no longer scared.

"I am a demon, monster, I am the reason people notice you when you walk in a room. I am the reason for this ice!!" He exclaimed proudly. "I go by many different names but only you will know my real one. I used to be inside of your body, fragments of my chakra and power are still inside of you. Now I am sealed in this sword!"

This was a lot for a dream. He needed time to comprehend all of this information, it was a lot but not enough to completely fry his brain. "I understand." He said before nodding his head in understanding. "Why do you lend me your power? If I am, and this sword, is your seal why don't you despise me." The white-haired boy asked the dragon.

"I have no choice and neither do you. If you noticed our chakra is knotted and intertwined. If I die, you die. If you die, I die. I can use your chakra, you can use mine. Until this sword was made our chakra leaked uncontrollably, which is why you often lowered the temperature of rooms when you entered. But that is all for now!" The dragon said as Shinori started to sink deeper and deeper into the snow.

"Wait! I still have questions!" Shinori pleaded, but it was too late. He was forced awake. All of this new information gave the boy a headache. It was early morning, early enough to go on a walk to process all of this. Luckily he had no missions today so he could relax. The white-haired shinobi had gotten dressed and exited his room through the window. Walks always helped him to process information. The genin looked up to see the Hokage heads built in stone. He had always felt distant from the village, was it because of Okami? The boy simply sat atop a building watching the sunrise above the statues.