Chapter 41 Memories

Brainiac, now know as Herbert West was standing over his old body with his arms crossed behind his back. He looked to Konohamaru.

"So with this all out of the way what should we do about him", asked Herbert.

Konohamaru lifted a purple glowing hand to the turned clone Menma. He closed his eyes and scanned his mind.

"Well he's going to be out for a while. Once dispelled his memories will go to all the clones, Naruto and you. However he will only go to your mind because that is his body. His mind will go back as a result. However you are no longer capable of getting memories from the other clones. Except your own", said Konohamaru.

"Well if you ask me everything worked out in the end. Naruto gets the memories of an older S-rank version of himself and I don't have to worry about turning into smoke. incidentally I think I'll take up smoking", said Herbert.

"That is not of my concern", said Konohamaru.

"Whatever you say. You know this could give us an advantage against Cthulhu. We can just snag a few Naruto's switch minds with clones and Naruto becomes something that stands a chance against squid head", said Herbert.

Konohamaru shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. This ritual causes wounds in the universe. To many and the universe dies. The universe can heal these wounds naturally but it takes time. I cannot recommend that despite it's usefulness. Besides to many minds in Naruto's head could create an identity conflict", said Konohamaru.

"Well considering he already has the fox, floaty geometric thingy, and himself to deal with as well as Menma here, I guess he wouldn't like a crowded mind. Oh well, not my problem anymore", said Herbert.

"Indeed, so how is the infiltration business going", asked Konohamaru.

"Well, the guys over with the meteor will get there soon, everyone else is far off. I can guess that the boss will find some useful stuff to get out of all this. Which means I get to play with whatever we finds. I can't wait", said Herbert.

"Well thats good to hear. Now about our guest", said Konohamaru.

His hand glowed brighter and instantly Menma was awake he looked up at the two figures in front of him. His face contorted into one of rage and disgust.

"What have you done to me", asked Menma.

Herbert smiled. He took off his mask to show his face. Instantly Menma's face changed to one of shock.

"Sorry I needed your body, you lost the multiversal lottery, sorry about that, I'd say try again next time, but seeing as you are now a shadow clone. Well you get the idea", said Herbert with a smile.

Herbert reached to a nearby table and grabbed a scalpel. He let it hover right over Menma's heart.

"Any last words", asked Herbert.

He said nothing, only glared at Herbert. A minute later the blade entered his chest and he dispelled out of existence.

Naruto woke up clenching his head. He breathed hard as his eyes were wide. He went over his memories. Why did he remember living with his parents, who was Jiraya and why did he kill him, why was all his friends older and acting strange. These questions piled up and he began to breathe hard. He remembered things he never experienced, he knew he never did. How was it he knew how to use techniques he had never even heard of. He looked around his room trying to contemplate everything. There were memories of a life he never lived stuck in his head. He stood up and walked from the bed trying to find help. He reached the door and successfully opened it. He took a single step out. Then suddenly he forgot all his new memories as if they never existed. He took one last breath thinking it was over before he passed out.

Naruto was in his mental library. He could see the place looked in absolute turmoil. Books were covering the floor and pages flew in a wind that was not there. He explored his mindscape.

"It seems as if your memories are not your own", spoke a familier voice.

Naruto turned around to see the figure that represented his eldritch powers. It's sharringan eyes staring at Naruto.

"What is going on", asked Naruto.

Spheres floated around the room going in all directions as if they were working for something.

"Your clone, the one you call Brainiac has given you access to memories of a world that is not your own. He did this for the purpose of getting a real body. He was successful, though the memories of the old one has entered your mind, due to the foxes influence. Your body in separating the memories safely. Locking them away", said the figure.

"So what happens now", asked Naruto.

A frozen sphere flew from the figure. Naruto looked at it in confusion.

"Follow me", said the figure.

Naruto was lead through the bookshelves of the library when he arrived at a door. It was a simple door with the word Menma written on it.

"This is where his memories are stored. You may go in, it is your mind after all. This will allow you to better absorb the memories at your own pace and not a forcible one", said the figre.

Naruto nodded and opened the door. There were bookshelves all over the place. He say the sections. They were separated by age and put in order. As he walked through he came upon a new section.

"Justsu", said Naruto smiling.

He began to inspect the scrolls and books of that section. He reached out to grab a book that read 'Spiraling Ring' He grabbed it only for it to disappear. Instantly he realized he knew how to perform the move. He smiled as he grabbed book after book in that section only.

Naruto awoke in what appeared to be a doctor's office. He was laying in a bed. His eyes trailed around the room to see it was empty. A single flower on the counter next to him. He sat up and wiped his eyes. He surveyed the room before clearing his dry throat.

"Hello", he said hoarsely.

After a second the door opened and a nurse walked in. She looked over to Naruto and smiled.

"Glad to see you are awake", said the Nurse.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"How long was I out", asked Naruto stretching while he asked.

"About a day and a half", said the nurse as she began to check the equipment around Naruto.

"I didn't miss anything did I", asked Naruto.

"Not at all the second phase of the exams doesn't end until tomorrow, you should count yourself lucky", said the Nurse.

Naruto nodded his head.

"So how long until I can leave", asked Naruto.

"Once the doctor get here and examines you it's up to him", said the nurse.

"Ok thanks", said Naruto as he laid back down.

After a few minutes the nurse left the room. Naruto lifted his arm. A black orb appeared in his hand surrounded by white rings. He smiled at how simple it was to make. No hand signs needed. He willed the spiraling ring to disappear as he went over what he could do. Unfortunately it wasn't much. Apparently he would have needed to have the parallel universe version of Kurama to do most of what he wanted. But he did have the spiraling ring ability and a stronger version that could decimate several city blocks. As well as the ability to fly using only chakra. It would have to do. Let Brainiac have his fun. Then maybe he wouldn't pester Naruto anymore.

Herbert woke up not long after he finished in that room. he absorbed as much information as he could without making his head hurt. He stood up slightly groggy.

"Well that was fun", said Herbert.

"What happened", asked Konohamaru.

"Nothing much just seeing how our pal Menma lived. Apparently he's from bizarro universe where everyone acts the opposite of how they do here. You'd think a mirror universe would have goatees but no, no goatees", said Herbert.

"Find anything useful", asked Konohamaru.

"Not really, well I find the stuff I learned interesting but most of it is rather useless in our universe. But I did learn a few things I could do. I got these nine masked creatures with interesting powers but they need more science to them. I'm sure I can find some use for them. I got a few other things but that can come latter. For now I have to get my face all fixed. Then find a way to make this skin green. I'll just make a clone to finish up all my work while I get this new body all nipped and tucked", said Herbert.

Konohamaru nodded.

"Well with you separate from Naruto, we don't have to worry about him getting your memories, he always was worried about that", said Konohamaru.

Herbert put a hand to his chin as he contemplated.

"Can't imagine why. I'd be honored to have my mind if I didn't already have it", said Herbert.

He shrugged. He created several shadow clones and smiled.

"Ok you finish up that prototype gauntlet, make sure it's pieces are given the whole blood healing chemical bath thingy", said Herbert pointing to a clone.

"You keep an eye on the infiltration thing and keep the bosses clones on schedule", he said pointing to another clone.

"And you, well get ready to fix this face into something manageable, get the scalpel and whatever else you need", he said pointing to the final clone.

He put his hands in his pocket and looked to Konohamaru.

"I'm off to powder my nose, don't touch my stuff", he said as he walked off.

"Fine, I'm going to go help with the infiltrators. I am curious to see if we are dealing with a living Color", said Konohamaru.

Naruto sat as he waited for his doctor to enter the room. He was thinking over his new abilities. He was careful to only touch Jutsu and nothing else. He didn't need the memories of a phantom in his head. He sat up when he heard footsteps. His door opened to reveal a familiar face.

"Hello Naruto been a while"

Naruto smiled as he saw who had entered.

"Nobutoshi. Is that you", asked Naruto.

Surely enough the very man that tested his Dojutsu and gave him many books to read stood in the door frame.

"What are you doing here", asked Naruto.

Nobutoshi smiled.

"I'm your doctor, If you ever got sick you would know that. Not that I'm saying I'd rather see you sick but, well you know. So how have you been. I haven't seen you in quite some time", said Nobutoshi as he sat in a nearby chair.

"Sorry about that, I've been busy with a side project of sorts. It is starting to bear fruit but for now it's still in its early stages", said Naruto.

"Well I wish you luck with that, so learn anything new about those eyes of yours"

Naruto shook his head.

"No not really, but they have saved my life more than a few times out there", said Naruto.

"Well I'm glad to hear it. So you're taking the Chunin exams already, seems a bit soon but I think you'll make it out fine"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, it has been a bit hectic but I'll manage. What about you, what have you been up to?"

"Well noting much, just the same old doctor I've always been. The last exciting thing I got to do was analyze your eyes", said Nobutoshi.

"Well a boring life is better than no life at all", said Naruto.

"I'm not complaining, I had my fair share of excitement when I was busy researching bloodlines"

"I can imagine, so how long do I have to stay here", asked Naruto.

"Well, I do recommend you spend the night. You'll be right as rain in the morning. However you can leave whenever you choose, your condition is not nor was it critical. Truth be told we can't figure out why you passed out", said Nobutoshi.

"Just had a lot on my mind", said Naruto.

"Well glad to hear you still use your mind. Most kids your age can't think. To many hormones not enough brain cells", said Nobutoshi through a small chuckle.

Naruto smiled. He stretched a bit before he stood up.

"I'd love to chat some more Nobutoshi, but my team is probably worried. I better let them know I'm fine", said Naruto.

Nobutoshi gave a small nod and smile. Naruto waved as he left the room.

Herbert had just finished his operation. His face was heavily bandaged. He laid there as his regeneration speed up the healing process. He was quite happy with the speeds he now healed. It wasn't long until Konohamaru walked in the room. Herbert could tell by the foot steps that whoever had entered was not as heavy as the clones.

"We seem to have a problem", said Konohamaru.

"Sounds like fun", said Herbert.

Konohamaru only shook his head.

"Just hear me out. The team sent to scout the meteorite to confirm whether it is a color or not has came across some trouble", said Konohamaru.

"What did they trip over a brick and die. Because that was just sad", pleaded Herbert.

"No they came across the Shadowed man", said Konohamaru.

Herbert said nothing. He slowly undid his bandages. Once he was done he grabbed a hand mirror next to him to examine his face. It was much like his old one though he appeared as a teenager and not a child. He also sported whiskers but no green coloring. He put down the mirror and stood up.

"Ok so what has our resident God done", asked Herbert.

"He only watched the clones from a distance. However they made out his features. He has a resemblance to something...troublesome", said Konohamaru.

"Ok that does not sound good. What did he look like. Zabuza, because I know the guy is literally held together by stitches but that's no reason to mock him", said Herbert.

Konohamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned under his breath. he turned back up to Herbert and took a deep breath.

"No, apparently the Shadowed man shares a resemblance to the deity known as Joshin", said Konohamaru.

"The murder god, but I thought he wasn't real", said Herbert.

"Not necessarily. I have a theory that whatever Outer God plagues us is known in this reality as Joshin. It could still be any other Outer God, but the fact that it chose to act as a deity of murder lets us know that it's goals are chaotic. There is a few Outer Gods that matches everything we know about the Shadowed man, but I think I know who it is", said Konohamaru.

Herbert turned back to Konohamaru.

"You know who the Shadowed man is then, well to tell", said Herbert.

Konohamaru nodded.

"Yes well, I believe he's..." That was all he could say before time stopped.

"It is not yet time for me to be revealed yet Yithian", spoke a chorus of whispers.

Konohamaru could not move, neither could Herbert. Yet they could hear the sounds of slow and deliberate footsteps. From the shadows stood the Shadowed man. He stood behind Konohamaru whispering into his ear.

"I would keep that information to yourself Yithian. Or do you want to see what I can do. I do thank you for creating the festering wound in reality. It will prove most useful", spoke the chorus of whispers.

The Shadowed man grabbed Konohamaru's head. His fingers like tendrils snaked across his face.

"Let me just help you forget before you find yourself in trouble", spoke the whispers.

Then the world went dark.

"perhaps it's time you all learn why you all are the puppets and I am the master"

Naruto walked down the hall to find his teammates as he walked down the hallway he noticed it got darker and darker. It wasn't long until he realized there were no doors on the wall and the lights were flickering. He could hear whispers and footsteps that timed perfectly with his own. He could feel a cold chill run up his spine. He looked around him. The lights behind him went out one by one. Then he stood in absolute darkness. He attempted to find some source of light but there was something soft moving on the floor. Naruto waited in the dark for his eyes to adjust. Slowly he could see something moving around him. Then it god bright. His eyes were now blurry. As he focused he realized what he was standing on. There was no more hallway. He stood on a pile of moving brown suckerless tentacles. In a moment of fear he tripped. he fell through a dark hole. A thick putrid miasma of colorless mist was everywhere as he fell. He fell for an instant yet an eternity at the same time. Time worked differently here. One moment he was falling the next he was in the mass of tentacles only to be falling again a second later.

He could see millions of black and yellow eyes staring at him. Naruto wanted to scream but he could not. He could only stare at the blinking eyes as they observed him.

" A wound in the reality we tread on, listen well to the song. follow fast my little pawn. And allow my plans to further spawn. To my Palace of Chaos we have gone. You now crawl like the fawn. Feasting on blood until the dawn "

After the whispers completed their rhyme Naruto felt sick He heaved until he felt a wiggling in his throat the he heaved. Leeches poured from Naruto's mouth like a wave . Some caught onto his skin and began to drink his blood. The unending wave of leeches spilled from Naruto's mouth never-ending. Then his eyes slithered from his skull. If the leeches were not still coming from his mouth Naruto would scream. His snakelike eyes slithered away but never looked away from Naruto. Naruto could see through them as they looked at him showing his pitiful form of an eyeless child with the leeches coming from his mouth. Naruto tried to breathe but he could not. He wanted it to end. Even if it meant him dying. His skin peeled and flaked off revealing the horrible misshapen form of a black thing covered in tumors. The worst part was Naruto got to see as this happened to himself and he could not close his eyes for they were no longer his own eyes. He could only watch as he melted away to become a giant bloated leach with a sickening human like face, wide serrated circular maw, and no eyes.

For the first time in his life Naruto knew insanity. It was so easy to lose ones own mind. He wanted to kill this sickening leech beast in front of him. But he could not. His arms had withered into nothing and he slithered around blind and hungry. He chewed the leeches that continued to pour from his mouth though he could not swallow. Pulsating and oozing as he squirmed. Inhuman gurgling sounds bellowed from his mouth and a sickly green fluid came out as well as the unending torrent of leeches. He slithered to the many watchful eyes around him hoping one would put him out of his misery. Though all that could be heard was the laughing sound of a thousand whispers. Naruto's eyes that watched him cried black tears, but not the tears of sadness. The tears of laughter and joy. Naruto felt hopeless.

Then as suddenly as it started it stopped. Naruto's eyes were back in his head and he was once more human. The eyes stared back at him.

"Remember who keeps you sane, I am your protector. Your nurturer, your friend. All I ask is to remain anonymous to you and your allies. Do not seek me out or that which you have seen will be your fate when you have outlived your usefulness"

And just like that Naruto was standing back in the hallway. Completely unharmed. He still remembered the horrible images he had seen and could feel his mind trying to snap into the glorious insanity again but he stayed sane. He wanted to scream, but he was to calm. He wanted to puke but he felt fine. It was there he realized that immunity to insanity was not all it was cracked up to be when your enemy is a God of Insanity who could turn it off. Naruto shuttered, it was all he could do. His eyes were wide and he was calm. Why was he calm he asked himself over and over again.

He took a deep breath to try and will the images away. It was over he didn't have to worry about anything. He began to laugh. Relieved that the horrible sights were now gone. As he laughed harder and harder he coughed once. He wiped his mouth. His eyes widened as he saw what came from his throat. On the floor in front of him was a single black leech with that horrible human like eyeless face. Naruto closed his eyes and stepped on it ending it's life. As he felt it crush under his boot his eyes gave way to black tears, but not the tears of fear or sadness, but of anger and determination..

"I am no ones puppet"

He said as he calmly walked away not daring to look at the remains of the leech. Had he turned around he would have been greeted by the visage of the shadowed man with a sick smile plastered across his face standing above the leeches remains.

Naruto had met with his teammates after the...incident and was able to let them know he was fine despite being pale and jumpy. He told them he wanted to be alone to get his thoughts settled they agreed. Naruto tried his best to push the thoughts from his mind. In the face of an Outer God he felt his will sipping. everything was becoming too much to handle and nothing was progressing as quickly as it should. Combine that with his ninja life and you have a recipe for disaster. He couldn't give up though. It just wasn't in his character. He had decided before that the Shadowed man was not one to interfere with his puppets. Obviously he was wrong for such a reaction to occur. He stared into a million eyes and was told in front his face that should Naruto attempt to seek him out or discover who he was he would make Naruto experience that which no mortal should have to live through.

He just had to accept that the shadowed man was out of his reach he could do nothing to him nor could Naruto stop his plans or even halt them. With Cthulhu only a decade away it was obvious that should he give up then everything was doomed. Naruto even briefly wondered if he himself caused the extinction of the human race would be the kindest thing he could do comparatively but in the end it would only infuriate the Outer God who had plans for Naruto. Should Naruto give up then Cthulhu would destroy everything, should Naruto try he would most likely fail and then complete whatever the Outer Gods plans were.

Thus he came to only one conclusion. He had to unlock his Eldritch form faster. Five years was much to long. If he was going to be apart of some twisted Outer Gods plans then he would use it against him. Obviously this Outer God wanted Naruto alive otherwise he would still be the leech. So it would stand to reason that it would make sure it's investment was actually worth something. So maybe it would keep Naruto alive. Naruto could use that.

His plan was simple, get Brainiac, Xel, and Konohamaru to find a way to hasten the process. With Konohamaru and Xels knowledge and Brainiacs skills in alterations it was possible. If the shadowed man truly wanted Naruto to be of any use then he needed Naruto alive. And Naruto was prepared to exploit the hell out of that. It wouldn't threaten a Great Old One or Outer God no matter how much he changes so the Shadowed man had no reason to stop it so long as Naruto made sure the shadowed man never knew he was being used. He may be a God but a puppet master without a puppet was not much of a manipulator, and this God loved to manipulate, and that was his weakness. Naruto went to sleep that night smiling. Once this exam was over things were bound to be much more interesting. That however could wait. Tommorrow the second exam would end.