An Assassin's Legacy

Pain and madness

"Kurama..."

Kurama raises his head to look at Naruto when the boy calls him. There is something off about Naruto's tone and when Kurama sees Naruto he is immediately worried.

Naruto is standing at the door way, his clothes in disarray and eyes red rimmed, clutching at his shoulder in obvious pain.

"Naru!" Kurama rushes to the boy frantically just in time to catch Naruto as he crumbles to the floor.

Kurama cradles the young boy close and is going out of his mind with worry when Naruto starts sobbing. Kurama has never seen the boy look so obviously vulnerable despite being only ten years old. The boy looks like someone had ripped out his heart, wailing uncontrollably.

"Naru, what's wrong? What hurts?" Kurama asks frantically. Noting how the boy flinches when Kurama's hand comes in contact with his back, Kurama carefully moves the boy to the couch and lays him on his side.

"It hurts Kurama... It hurts so much..." the way Naruto's voice cracks with each word reminds Kurama just how you young the boy is.

Kurama knows that the source of pain is the boys back so he carefully tries to look all the while soothing the boy with soft words of comfort.

"Its alright Naru... Its alright. Shh..." Kurama had never comforted a crying human before but with Naruto it comes almost naturally. By the time Naruto's cries have faded to soft whimpers Kurama sees Nagin and Yuki enter the room both obviously worried. They look at Naruto horrified at his plight.

"What happened Kurama?" Yuki asks softly.

"I don't know, but I am going to find out."

Saying that Kurama gently lifts the back of Naruto's shirt. Nagin whose standing behind him lets out a sharp gasp. Kurama only barely manages to hold on to his own curse. Beside him Yuki is watching with a horrified look.

They had all seen the Mark of Eien in Naruto's back before but it was vastly different now. What used to be blurred vague line were now sharp black lines that depicted the cloaked skeletal figure holding the Sword of Eien. Two tattered wings extended from the cloaked figure, feathers twisted and lost and horrible looking but each feather was now defined in sharp black lines that left no doubt about what they were.

None of them had any idea what to do. The silence was broken by Naruto's soft words,

"Am I going to go crazy Kurama?"

Kurama held Naruto close.

"Its a curse Naruto... And trust me all curses can be broken."

That's all Kurama said as Yuki and Nagin joined in hugging Naruto.

They all stay like that Naruto falls into a fitful sleep. Once they are sure that Naruto is asleep Nagin asks softly,

"What does this mean?"

Yuki has no answer to that question neither does Kurama.

"I am not sure," Kurama says, "I... I think I used to know but now..."

Yuki understands Kurama's frustration. The knowledge lost when he became human was a lot.

"I think its the sword. Its just the theory but maybe the sword is calling for its wielder..." Yuki says thoughtfully.

"But why now? Why did the Mark become clear like that?" Nagin asks worried about what this means for Naruto. All of them are worried.

"I can try to summon something that can tell us more" Yuki suggests.

"I don't think we have much options. We have to find out what this means for Naruto. I know the location of some demonic scrolls still, maybe I can try and collect them to take a look."