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A/N: I really need to do better about posting over here as well. Sorry about that!
Season Four of Invincible has ended and I...had to take this request. Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated! Do tell me what you think!
Even so, I was hesitant to post this, then they went and fleshed out a ton in Season Four. I could say more, but that would spoil things.
As such, this chapter was all me, no co-writer for this one. I promise you won't be disappointed. I gave this one my all!
Every review truly does help, large or small, any feedback is better than nothing at all. They keep us writing.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. They're tributes to legends far greater than little 'ol me. I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, word by word. Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that. In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
This iteration of Naruto is both a blessing and a curse to those around; because unlike the others...
...this is a direct reincarnation of him, stubborn as all hell, and determined to save people.
...even from themselves. You'll soon see what I mean. Now, away we go~!
"This is foolishness."
"Oh? Could it be that the mighty Grand Regent is threatened?"
"Threatened? By a mewling infant?"
"By your son, Thragg."
"He is not my son.
"Yes, he is. You're the only I've been with, and at your command no less. Are you that afraid?"
"I fear nothing!"
"Then you'll hold him."
"You forget your place, woman.
"Not at all; I'm very aware of said place. I'm already dead. I've little left to lose."
"You were foolish to face the Rognarrs in your condition."
"I wished to test myself. I paid the price."
"I could kill the boy."
"You could, but you will not. You cherish every Viltrumite life. We are too few already.
The death of every Viltrumite leaves a void in me. Were those not your words?
"Why is he blonde?"
"I do not know. But he has your eyes."
"...I suppose he does, for what little it matters."
"It does matter. I'll be dead soon. You see my wounds. My heart is damaged. The doctors cannot stop the bleeding.
The birth did not help. Test his DNA. He is yours. I've been with no other. I did my duty."
"Does he have a name?"
"He does. I shall tell you it in exchange for your mercy."
"You speak of mercy? To me?"
"I do, sire. Don't let me die like this. Grant me a warrior's death. Kill me."
...very well. I will remember your name. You have done your duty well this day, Altera."
~Origins.
Rebirth
"Is that a child, sire?"
Thragg did not immediately respond.
Sat upon his throne, he regarded the small, mewling infant in his arms in disbelief.
Wrapped in swaddling clothes of white and grey, the curious boy stared up at him without an iota of fear. Dark eyes-his eyes!-framed by a messy mop of blond hair and strange whiskered marks that tripled either side of his cheeks. The latter was undoubtedly deformity. To be expected. Such was what happened when they tried to breed with their reduced numbers. He supposed he should count himself lucky that the boy still had all his fingers and toes, given that he'd been cut from his mother's belly at such a young age.
Yet despite that, he had not cried since his birth. Not once. The surgeons confirmed this.
Was that weakness on his part? Of the body? Or the mind? Or was it strength?
He wasn't sure.
Truth be told, this was the first child born since the Purge. It had been a whim. An experiment. Something to defy the odds, an act of spite against the Great Betrayer and that which had laid their race low. And should he ever FIND HIM he would TEAR HIS HEAD FROM HIS SHOULDERS and CRUSH IT IN HIS PALMS-
"Grand Regent?"
Thragg blinked, the red mist of his rage fading as he he reluctantly returned to reality.
General Kregg, his second in command, stood at attention before him, hands clasped behind his back. In truth, he'd forgotten he was even there, but he noticed him now; just as he noticed the man's good eye was firmly focused on the boy.
Something spasmed in Thragg's chest just then. He felt...protective; indeed, a curious urge bloomed in his hardened heart; a desire hide the boy away from the world at large.
Scowling, he stomped such that foolish feeling down.
He was the greatest of Viltrumites; he had no need for such...sentiment.
Kregg however, seemed curious. Perhaps he was intrigued by the first Viltrumite newborn since the Scourge. Perfectly natural.
"May I approach?"
Thragg grunted. "You may."
Kregg did so, pausing just within arms reach out of respect. "He seems healthy."
Of that much, there could be no question. "He is."
His gaze rose. "His mother is dead, then?"
Why did that make him feel numb...?
"Yes."
Kregg frowned. "Unfortunate. Atlera was weak. She should've known better than to pick a fight with those filthy beasts."
Thragg granted him a glare in return. "Do not disparage her. She served her purpose...even if she was foolish."
His general bowed his head. "Apologies. I spoke out of turn."
"Indeed you did."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Argall's bones! Were they truly so stunted for conversation that they could not communicate properly?!
Or was General Kregg merely reluctant to show weakness in his presence?
Neither answer appeased the Grand Regent.
The death of every Viltrumite left a void in Thragg's heart, and the loss of a pure-blooded female was a deep wound indeed. Their race would suffer from this loss. It made the mission of Nolan-among others-all the more important. Their people could not continue like this. They were less than fifty already, and their numbers grew thinner through battle. Even if there was a child for each of those lives lost, it would still not be enough to
Kregg leaned forward inspect the boy. "Have you named him?"
He had not. His mother had. Kregg did not know this.
"I have."
A white lie, one he was willing to tolerate.
Kregg frowned d"I'm sure you've chosen a mighty title for him-
His son laughed and punched upward with a tiny fist to strike Kregg in the face.
Hard.
The good general withdrew with a startled grunt and a bloody nose besides; his legs carried him back in a clumsy stumble, one hand clutching bloodied visage. He looked completely, utterly incredulous. Angry, even. But only for a moment. Something akin to a smile crossed his scarred visage and a rare laugh burst out of him.
"Impressive!" he coughed in surprise, regarding a bloody hand. "As expected of your bloodline! To have such strength, even as a babe...its unheard of!"
Thragg considered himself beyond such mirthful noises...but he did permit himself a smile.
Just a small one.
The boy would suffice for now.
Very well. Perhaps it was best to allow the other Viltrumites to meet him.
Their-his!-people could use something to rally around. It may was well be his bloodline.
Not that he would ever admit it aloud, however..
Laying a hand over the boy's body, he was immediately rewarded; the babe reaching out to grasp his thumb and squeezed.
There was strength in his small hands.
It was...not unpleasant.
Not at all.
"Heed my words, general." he raised his voice, commanding his Second's full attention. "This is my son, my heir. Argall's bloodline has been lost; it may never be found, and even I will not live forever. Send word to our people. They are to return to Viltrum at once and meet their prince."
Here at last, the man balked. "All of them? Grand regent, we are still less than fifty-
"Do not make me repeat myself."
Kregg bowed his head, uncaring of the blood still dripping from his nose. "Your words, our deeds."
Thragg watched him depart, waiting until the doors to the chamber closed behind him.
Only then did he deign to look down to the babe in his arms.
"Nathaniel." he instructed him. "You will be the death of our enemies. You will bring order. You will bring strength. And one day, you shall bring me the Betrayer's head."
Was it his imagination, or was his son smiling?
Did he understand him, already?
At such a ripe young age...?
Surely not.
(~)
Naruto Uzumaki understood every single word.
Likewise, he understood that his work was very much cut out for him.
Still better than being dead, he supposed; he'd take reincarnation over death any day.
The irony wasn't lost on him; he had chosen death, willingly died alongside Sasuke, and been granted life instead. He was sure the Shinigami was laughing at him; or perhaps the God of Death had simply taken pity on him, tossing a bone his way. He'd willingly sacrificed himself in his last life after all, put his soul on the line to achieve victory, even if it was a Pyrrhic one.
Yes, he had chosen death and gone do his end gladly.
And Death, quite simply, said no.
"You choose to die? Is that so, Naruto? But whose Death is it? Yourself? Your people? Your planet? No. You may have chosen Death this day, but Death has not yet chosen you. You have work to do."
Now here he was, reborn, cradled in the arms of a man he didn't recognize, well aware that he was in terrible danger.
Death, he was beginning to think, had a rather twisted tense of humor; that, or he'd ticked him off.
From what little he could sense of this man's emotions, he knew he was powerful.
Also quite dangerous; very much so-he could kill easily as he was now.
Probably best to play along for the time being.
Likewise, this new body of his might be small-for now!-but from what he understood, that would soon change. That little punch had been a test just now, and it confirmed his suspicions. This body was radically different from his last one; he wasn't entirely certain if that was a good thing. He could feel the strength burning deep within him, nothing at like what he had before. Even as an infant, he felt strong.
So.
Much.
Stronger.
Despite that, he couldn't hear Kurama's voice. Couldn't feel his presence. Didn't even know if he had any chakra.
But he did have his wits, his empathy, and his silver tongue. Retaining the ability to sense the emotions of others was also a plus.
Surely that counted for something, right?
Strange, he usually didn't think this much; usually he went with the flow. Maybe it had something to do with this new body of his. He found himself being downright tactical. Then again that might be a good thing. Going about this the normal way would apparently net him nothing more than a shallow grave. In his prime, he might've been able to put a decent fight, but his present body was very...squishy.
Gotta be sneaky, ya know?
Sharper thoughts aside, his immediate goal remained very much the same as it had been in his last life; he still considered himself to be a good guy, and likewise, firmly on the side of good. From what he had heard and seen thus far since his "rebirth" he had the sinking suspicion he'd been reborn on the wrong side.
His gaze swiveled up to his "Father", considering Thragg intently.
Definitely not a good guy. Not entirely bad though, either.
Not yet.
But then again, had he ever been given the opportunity to be anything more than what he was? Probably not. From the sound of it, none of these "Viltrumites" had the chance to evolve beyond their given roles. If this "Thragg" was a bad guy, then he all he had to do was make him good, right?
Naruto watched Thragg.
Thagg watched him right back.
Neither budged. Unstoppable force met an immovable object.
The funny thing was, Naruto really wasn't sure which was which here.
'Yikes, this guy's dangerous. He could crush me like a bug. Guess I'd better start with him first.'
Alright, he had his mission. Reforming a super-warrior-race that presently encompassed fifty people and turning them into a force of good...
.
..
...well, it sounded rough, but not impossible.
He'd fared better with worse odds before.
How hard could it be?
A/N: You guessed it!
Here we are, giving Thragg's side a shot. We'll see how this goes.
The difference being! Unlike Apples, Multitask, and Vanguard, this is a reincarnated version of Naruto, known as "Nathaniel" in this world, and ohhh boy is he going to be busy.
There we go~! Would you like this to remain a story? Yes? No? Maybe so? Make yourselves heard! Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this particular story, and others. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
BEWARE~!
(Previews!)
Lucan peered down at the seemingly harmless child. "He doesn't seem all that strong to me.
The boy grabbed his nose and tweaked it, causing him to jerk back.
"I retract my statement!"
Thula laughed. "Serves you right."
"You laugh, yet you're the one in charge of guarding him. I pity you...
x
The boy was quick!
Thragg caught his son's fist, grunted in approval when he felt a twinge of pain and tossed him over his shoulder.
His son planted both hands on his head midflight, twisted, and landed atop said shoulders.
Then he boxed his ears.
Pain!
A laugh burst out of him. "Good!"
x
Feisty.
Anissa tilted her head.
Thula sighed. "Anissa, no.
"Anissa maybe...when he's much older."
Thula arched an eyebrow in muted disbelief.
"What? Even I have standards. Besides, Thragg would kill me."
Thula made to speak, only to yelp as the boisterous brat bounded up out of the crater, grabbed her braid, and swung her toward a building. Unfortunately she struck Lucan in the process, who was only just rising and sent the two of them sprawling in a tangled mess of limbs. Nathaniel showed no mercy and dove on them, crumpling them both into the ground with a diving kick.
Anissa elevated her opinion of Thragg's son further still. Feisty, fierce, fiery boy. She'd expect no less.
"C'mon, now!" Nathaniel threw his head back with a cackle. "I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!"
He rounded on her, all smiles.
"You're next!"
Oh fu-
The prince's uppercut caught Anissa's chin and sent her rocketing up out of the atmosphere.
x
Thadeus felt a chill come over him. He couldn't say why. Only that it did.
x
Nolan sneezed. "That felt like a personal attack...
Debbie tutted. "Nonsense. Come here, hold your son."
x
Conquest awoke to a black eye and the scent of food.
What was the brat up to now?
"I made pancakes!"
"That sounds disgusting...
The brat pouted.
...I'll take ten."
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be much longer, you have my word!
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work~!
Warm regards,
~Nz.