Twisted Tales: Rapunzel – 02
As much as he wanted to search for his mother, he wanted to explore these lands as well as killing witches along the way.
He hated witches.
After a couple of miles, the air became tingly.
He looked at the sky, noticing that it was darkening.
Dark clouds were swelling in size.
"Ah, crap. I don't want to get wet," Naruto muttered and searched for a place to keep dry.
The place he found was hidden behind thick hanging vines.
He wouldn't have paid any attention to it if it wasn't for the rain, and as soon as heavy droplets poured from the sky, he used the cavern as a resting place.
The huge double-sided axe he carried around since the day his father died was used as a support and pillow.
The magical weapon was that handy.
"You do know that this isn't a cavern, right? It's an underpass of some sort. Shouldn't you check if there is a bear on the other side?" Kurama commented after a couple of minutes.
Even though its spirit was stuck with its murderer, it could still see and feel the surrounding.
"I know it's not so can you be quiet. I want to get some sleep. I hadn't slept for three days now," Naruto mumbled and sighed heavily.
He tried to get some sleep but eventually decided the damn fox was right.
If there was a bear nearby, it would disrupt his sleep. Being mauled to death was of concern as well.
Furthermore, if there was a bear close by, he would have something to eat.
Naruto got up and checked the other entrance.
It connected to a large clearing with a waterfall far in the distance.
There was also a tall tower without any sign of entrance, causing him to raise a brow.
Someone had built a tower here, and from the look of it, it was no ordinary tower.
"A witch tower?" Naruto muttered softly.
From its height, one had to fly up there.
Witches could fly.
It was something he couldn't do, at least at the moment.
His blue eyes flickered as he tried to sense the surrounding for any kind of unnatural energies.
Energies of the forest filled his being, strengthening his body and repairing any injuries he might had sustained, but it did not reduce the fatigue he had accumulated these past few days.
When there was no unnatural energy in sight, he stopped the technique and returned into the underpass.
He dropped back down against the axe and snoozed.
Whatever that tall tower was, Naruto decided he would check it out when the sun was up.
Sleep was more important.
But by the time he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
His stomach growled, demanding him to eat something.
"That's another great thing about being a spirit," Kurama commented. "You don't have to eat to live."
"Stop persuading me to commit suicide," Naruto growled. "I will do that and kick your ass once I hunt down every witch in the world! Or kill the bitch that cursed me. Whichever comes first since I have like eternity of time."
He hadn't aged since the day he was cursed.
How long was that ago? He did not remember.
His only real goal right now was to remove this curse and be with his beloved once more.
They were separated by life and death. Such was his fate.
"You can't kill them all. It's useless to try," Kurama said. "Magic is everywhere, in everything. Even you have it."
"I don't have magic," Naruto snorted and picked up his huge axe.
He ignored the annoying spirit trapped in his body and searched for something to eat.
There were a few birds here and there, chirping playfully and chasing one another.
He watched them for a moment, and soon enough, they were roasted over a small fire and filled his gut.
At least they weren't talking animals.
Those one screamed and begged when he skinned them.
They were animals. And even if they could talk, they were still animals.
It was troublesome to think of them anymore than that.
Naruto blamed stupid witches and fairies going about, cursing or blessing animals.
It was like giving them the ability to talk and think intelligently was a good thing.
It wasn't.
They were a lot happier being ignorance.
He was a lot happier when he was just a mortal.
"I sense something," Kurama commented.
"Hmm? You're being helpful, aren't you?" Naruto said and used one of the bird bones as toothpick.
He sensed it too.
A witch or an enchantress was nearby.
He picked up his axe and sneaked about.
In the shadow of a tree, he saw a woman headed out from the underpass and towards the tower.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. Illusion doesn't work on you right?
"Nope," Kurama confirmed. "And yes, that woman there is an old hag. Some kind of energy is keeping her young and youthful."
"I see," Naruto said and rubbed his axe. "Guess it's time to bash her head in."
"She's a witch, you know," Kurama commented.
"Now you're just being weird," Naruto said.
The fox had never cared for him before.
"And don't tell me things I already know. Witch, old hag, there's a different?"
He used his honed stealth to stalk the woman and narrowed the distance whenever the chances arrived.
"Rapunzel!" Gothel called out, oblivious to the fact that Naruto was raising his axe over her head to bash her skull in. "Let down your hair!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Rapunzel! I'm not getting younger down here – ack!"
The hammer fell.
Blood spurted and coated the axe en mass.
Naruto blinked once. Well, that was kind of easy.
She didn't even notice me sneaking up on her.
Shitty witch?