Here it is folks! The long awaited story, Frozen in Time.
Just wanted to thank Wilson for sticking with me. It was a long journey for me to finish this chapter lol.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Naruto. What I do own is this laptop and Microsoft Word.
Fifteen years ago, Konohagakue no Sato
"Where did tat demon go?" A drunken voice slurred out.
"He went tat way!" Another drunken voice shouted out. "Afta him!"
A boy, who looked no older than five years old, ran as fast as his little legs could go. Despite his age, he was able to outrun grown men but everyone has their limits, including him.
Spotting a dark alleyway, he ran inside and hid behind a dumpster. He silently prayed that those drunken men would not think of looking for him here.
Naruto trembled as he peeked out from behind the dumpster, fear taking over his body. "Why, why does everyone hate me?" He asked himself in a timid voice. "I didn't do anything to them…"
Not noticing that he was leaning backwards, he knocked over a nearby trashcan.
His eyes widened as he watched it happen in slow motion. The metal trashcan slowly fell to the ground, the contents inside it spilling out and caused a loud disturbance.
"What was that?"
"There! He's hiding in that alleyway!"
"He's trapped like a rat!"
Naruto heard their footsteps coming closer and closer and he turned around, his eyes searching for a way out.
He couldn't find a way out but instead, he found a strange object hiding in the trashcan.
"Well, well. You thought you can fool us huh?" An overly large man asked, liquor clearly present in his breath.
"You won't get away from us so stop running. It'll be a lot less painful for you." Another man said, laughing.
Now, at his age, Naruto couldn't understand why they would come after him every night but either way, they did.
"St-stay back!" He shouted. "Do-don't ma-make me-me hu-hurt you!"
The group of men laughed, "Go ahead demon. I'll even let you throw one punch before we beat your ass."
Finding anything that he could pick up, Naruto's hands found themselves on that strange object and hesitantly picked it up. His eyes widened when he realized that it was a Katana…
A strange one too…
He slowly pulled the blade out of its scabbard and waved it weakly in front of the men, "St-stay back, I have a sword."
"You think you a real man now, holding that weapon?" A man asked, "Well, you aint ever gonna be a man! Yous just a demon!"
Naruto backed away and tightly closed his eyes, his small fingers tightly gripping the hilt of the blade. He was too afraid to use the weapon to defend himself and that was when it happened.
A bright light exploded from nowhere and surrounded the area, causing everyone to shield their eyes from the light.
"BOY!" A loud voice roared. "Open your eyes."
The loud voice commanded him to open his eyes and he willingly obeyed. What he saw in front of him caused him to quiver with fear. A beast straight from the myths was standing in front of him.
A winged Dragon…
"What are you afraid of boy?"
Unable to answer, Naruto stared in awed as he took a small step back.
The beast came closer, waiting for an answer. "Tell me boy, what are you waiting for?"
"…you…" Naruto answered in a small voice.
The mighty dragon roared and flapped its wings around, causing the small specks of ice to fly everywhere.
"Search for me boy. Search for me and when you finally do find me, roar out the name …"
Everything after that was a blur as the light became brighter and brighter, causing Naruto to look away and shut his eyes.
When Naruto opened his eyes, he felt a strange power in his body, something that he never felt before.
The men saw the light dying down and saw that this was their chance to strike but that was a grave mistake. Not even registering the fact that Naruto wasn't there anymore, the men slowly fell to the ground, beats of their heart beating for the final time.
Several ANBUs who was watching the event leaped from the roof and landed on the ground, slowly surrounding the child. "Drop the weapon and please follow us to the Hokage." The man in a weasel mask said. "Resist and we will be forced to restrain you."
But Naruto wasn't listening; he quietly tilted the sword forward, daring them to come get him.
"No… I have something to do…"
"Men get him!" Weasel shouted but the order itself was suicidal.
ANBU, a rank given to ninjas who had attained the skills worthy was considered to be the best but sadly, the best wasn't good enough on this night.
On this night, one boy single-handedly slaughtered thirteen ANBUS, forever marking this day as the Bloody Night.
Present day, Konoha Dungeon
This place, this strange foreign place was giving him the willies. Jiraiya could feel the hair on his back standing up. It was so dark that not even the sun could penetrate its darkness. Their only source of light was from a single candle and even that was being swallowed up by the night.
As he calmly walked behind Tsunade, he was cautiously watching his back, almost if there was something hiding there, waiting for him to drop his guard.
It was aside from the fact that this prison was three kilometers outside and away from the village, aside from the fact that it was holding some of the most dangerous criminals from Konoha, and aside from the fact that they entered through an ultra secret door that not even the guards knew about, freaked him out.
He didn't even know this place had an underground chamber, let alone a staircase that was endless. He was sure that they had been walking for over twenty minutes now and when he looked up, he estimated that they were several hundred feet underground.
This was definitely not a good sign.
Jiraiya turned his attention back to his teammate, watching her carefully stroll down these stairs with a candle in hand.
"So where are we going?"
"To his cell." She calmly replied.
Much to Jiraiya's disappointment, that wasn't the answer he was looking for. He wanted a more detailed answer but he held his tongue back. Even though he was left in the dark again, incurring Tsunade's wrath right now was not the best of times.
But Jiraiya wasn't a person who would give up so easily. The word wasn't included in his dictionary.
"Whose cell is it?"
Tsunade sighed, knowing that her teammate could only be kept out on the dark for so long. It just amazed her that he went this long without asking her for more information.
"As you probably know, we're several hundred feet below ground."
"Yes. I know that but whose cell is it?"
"Well the reason for that is because we're going to seek out his help."
"His help? Just who the hell is he?" Jiraiya asked, irritation clearly present in his voice.
"He was someone that Sarutobi sensei locked away decades ago. I can't remember how long but it was for a really long time. According to sensei, he was left with no other choice but to lock the person down here. He said that his power was so strong that it became a danger to himself and to everyone around him."
Jiraiya frowned, not liking where this explanation was going. "Then how come I've never heard anything about this before?"
Tsunade rubbed her head nervously, "Ah that was probably my fault. I totally forgotten about him when I became Hokage and with everything going on, it was a miracle that I found sensei's report about him."
"I still don't know about this Tsunade…" Jiraiya argued. "He could do us more harm than good. Are you sure you can trust a man that our sensei personally locked away? I know I wouldn't."
"We don't have a choice right now Jiraiya! The Sound is already in the village, decimating and destroying everything as we speak. We're taking a huge gamble by coming here. Do you seriously want me to turn back right now without him? Do you want all their sacrifices to be in vain?"
"Do not give me that bullshit Tsunade! If you told me about your plan earlier, I could have done something to help but you decided that you wanted to do this alone." Jiraiya harshly answered, probably a bit harsher than he originally intended.
The tired Hokage couldn't handle this stress anymore and collapsed on the stairs, tears falling to the ground. "Help me… Jiraiya… Please… help me…"
There, she had finally said it. All her problems, all her stress, all her worries...
The Toad Sannin sighed as he crouched down next to her. He flashed her one of his great smiles before pulling her into a one arm embrace. "Everything will be okay Tsu-hime. I promise."
"How can you say that? Our forces have been greatly weakened. Our top fighters, Neji, Hinata and Shino were wounded in battle against Kisame and Hidan while Lee, Gai and Kakashi were left in critical condition by Madara and Pein. How can you calmly tell me that everything is going to be okay?" Tsunade cried out, tears coming out faster. She squirmed in Jiraiya's arm, trying to pull away but he wouldn't let go.
Even with just one arm, he was going to protect her from all of this. Everyone saw her as a figure of hope, a mighty tree that stood firmly against all odds but even the greatest of trees will collapse under pressure if it was not taken care of properly.
He wanted to do something for her, regardless of the injuries he had withstood; he was going to do something for her. Even if he was useless on the battlefield, he was going to be there for her, supporting and protecting her all the way.
As he rubbed her back, trying to calm her down, his thoughts were on the battle on the surface. It was at the crack of dawn that the Sound forcefully invaded the village. Summons came slithering upwards from the ground, catching everyone by surprise.
The emergency alarm rang but it was too late. Their forces were weakened and with seventy percent of their jounin unable to battle, this was a one sided match. The Sound somehow knew that they were weakened from their assault on Akatsuki and used that very moment to strike.
"Damn that Orochimaru…" Jiraiya cursed. Sensei was a fool for not killing the bastard that night and he was a bigger fool for even trying to bring him back. He should have killed him when he had a chance as well…
Tsunade continued to cry, crying for the first time since her lover and little brother passed away. As she held on to Jiraiya tightly, she could feel his presence calming her down, little by little and it was then that she knew, he was always going to be there for her…
She needed to stand strong, her ninjas needed her to stand strong and most importantly, the village need her to stand strong in their time of need.
As she slowly released her grip, she saw the gentle smile that Jiraiya was giving her and she blushed slightly.
"You okay now Tsu-hime?"
She only nodded, unable to find her voice. Jiraiya pulled her up easily and that surprised Tsunade, seeing as how he only had one arm left.
"Let's go. We can't let Orochimaru and Sasuke destroy this village. We will show them that the Will of Fire still burns even after this event."
After Jiraiya's words of encouragement, Tsunade found the strength to believe in herself once more… to be able to stand up and continue the journey.
She continued to guide him down, assuring him that it was only going to be a few more steps. A new determined look replaced that fake mask of determination but that wasn't the thing that worried Jiraiya at the moment.
It was those seals along the wall. From the time they began their journey, there were only a few seals along the wall but as they went down, they began to increase. Being the seal expert that he was, seeing protection seals along with suppression seals was not exactly comforting.
Whatever was down here, it could not be good…
Another thing that he noticed was that the temperature was dropping. It was actually getting colder as they went further down. This wasn't natural. It was suppose to get warmer as they got deeper into the earth, not colder.
That was the second sign that told him that whatever was down there wasn't exactly the friendliest thing on earth.
"Say Tsunade… What does the council think about this?" Jiraiya asked. As much as he loathed those fools, they were pretty useful when the shit hit the fan. They might be old and senile but if it was one thing that they excel at, it was at information and tactics. "Do they trust this man that you're about to make an offer to?"
Tsunade shrugged her shoulders, "All of them were clueless, not really sure if they knew what I was talking about but when everyone left the room, Koharu, Homura and Danzo stayed behind."
"Did they tell you that it was a suicidal plan to begin with?"
"No, in fact, those three were kind of scared shitless. You could kind of see Koharu shaking when I told them that I was going down here."
"Great…" Jiraiya said, muttering to himself. If those three were scared of this one guy, this was definitely a bad sign. Usually Danzo was power hungry; doing everything he could to ensure the stability and survival of this village but if even the likes of him was too scared of this guy, then whoever he was… must be that strong… or dangerous.
"But that doesn't matter," Tsunade continued, "We need his power right now."
"His power is nothing if you can't control him Tsu-hime. You know that." Jiraiya pointed out. "I hope you have it under control…"
"Me too Jiraiya… Me too…"
Inside Konoha
While the Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin were off on their quest, the mighty village of Konohagakue turned into an all out battlefield. The scent of blood could be picked up from miles away. The surprise attack by the Sound caught the entire village off guard and the casualties were increasing with every second.
The Konoha ninjas were bruised and exhausted but they were determined to continue fighting or die trying. This was their village, their heart and soul went into this and they weren't about to let some outsider burn it to the ground.
"Look out Konohamaru!" Chouji shouted.
Konohamaru, now a fast growing Jounin and heir to the Sarutobi Clan, quickly turned around, witnessing several Sound Ninjas coming towards him with swords. He skillfully sidestepped them all, swinging his Bo-Staff around. As he passed through them safely, he cocked his head to one side and smirked, "Better luck next time Sound… oh wait. There is no next time."
Just when he slammed his staff into the ground, the ninjas who attacked him earlier dropped dead to the floor. Konohamaru then leaped back, now back to back with Chouji with their weapons raised as the circle of sound Nins became larger.
"Can we pull that attack off once more Chouji?"
The Akimichi heir panted slightly, feeling the fatigue hit his body, "No can do little buddy. I'm almost out of Chakra."
Konohamaru gritted his teeth, "Damn it to hell. Where the fuck can that old hag be?"
"Young Master, do not lose focus. Remember your training and we will get through this." Enma replied, communicating his thoughts directly to his master.
"I hate to burst your bubble Enma but it looks like I won't see Aunt Kurenai for dinner tonight." Konohamaru chuckled, "If you see her, tell her I'm sorry."
Raising his weapon over his head, he forcefully pushed back the Sound, prepared to engage them in the fifth round of combat.
Before either of them could do anything, a small hole in the circle opened and Juugo walked in, a small sadistic smile on his face. "Playtime's over boys…" He cracked his knuckles and charged forward, intending on beating them into the ground.
Chouji wanted to leap away but his legs wouldn't move. His eyes widened as the gigantic fist came down on his face but before it could connect, Konohamaru's staff intercepted the attack.
"Sorry but you're not going to hurt my buddy here." Konohamaru firmly said.
Juugo pulled his arm back and licked his lips, "Looks like I found me some good prey."
"Sakura!" Ino shouted, "I need some help over here."
"INO IM BUSY TOO DAMMIT!" Sakura cried out in frustration as she finished closing up this ninja's wound.
"Sakura!" Shizune yelled back, "I know you're tired but please, keep your cool. A medic who can't contain her emotions is useless here."
Ever since the attack, she had been here, using her skills as a first class medic to heal the wounded. She had lost count of how many wounds she had closed and how many people have died on the table today.
She held back her tears, scolding herself. This wasn't a time to cry. Mourning will come later but as for now, she had a duty to perform.
"CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME A HAND HERE?" Ino shouted for the second time. This time, several medic nins that were on break quickly jumped onboard. She immediately told them the problem and they went to work.
Once Ino saw that they were continuing the process, she felt her legs gave out and she finally collapsed onto the floor. Eight hours straight she worked. Eight hours. There was barely any chakra left in her system and she needed a break.
A break from this tent and maybe all this fighting…
She sighed as she hoped that everyone was okay. The surprise caught her team off guard as they were the first ones to jump into the battle. They came back from a mission that morning and as tired as they were, each of them went to their battle positions.
Chouji to the battlefield, Shikamaru to the strategic and management tent and herself to the wounded.
As much as she wanted to join her friends in action, she couldn't. Her skills as the team medic were more valuable back here than it is over there.
"Stay safe guys…" She whispered.
Shizune, on the other hand, was busily working on people who were in critical conditions. Years of being Tsunade's apprentice gave her seniority over everyone and her skills weren't a slouch either.
Exhausted as she was, she wasn't going to quit yet. She heard the stories from their mouths, the horrors of the battlefield and it was enough to keep her going. Shizune looked over her shoulders, seeing most of the medics slowly unable to function. She couldn't blame them. It was war and it was tiring.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Those who are able to work please continue. Those who need to rest, take a rest but please remember, we need everyone to pull through this dark time. May Kami protect these soldiers and their families."
"What the hell is up with this bitch?" Kiba roared, "Why can't she just stay fucking still?"
Karin giggled as she easily dodged another Gatsuuga. "Come on big boy. Why don't you show me how to really ride that thing?"
"Karin, stop messing around and kill him already." Suigetsu ordered. He flipped over Tenten, narrowly avoiding her sword and held the Kubikiri Houcho firmly in his hands.
"DIE BITCH!" He screamed as he ran towards Tenten but the weapon mistress smirked as she threw her scroll into the air.
Kiba saw what she was doing and his eyes widened. "Oh shit."
"Sorry but today's the day where you meet your end! Sougu Tensasai!" Tenten yelled.
Before Suigetsu knew what happened, it started raining weapons. No, it poured weapons down from the sky. He raised his weapon over head to shield himself but it wasn't possible. He grunted as a kunai fell to the ground, barely missing his nose.
"Holy crap!" Kiba yelled. Akamaru yelped in surprise as he pulled his master to safety.
Karin jumped away too, not wanting to get impaled by those weapons. She looked back and saw that her partner was stuck in the middle of the assault.
Tenten waved her arms around slowly, almost as if she was dancing on air. With each movement, her scroll was slowly circling around her opponent, raining down weapons of destruction.
As of now, no one had lived through this attack and talked about it. The only person that could probably do it was Neji but that was a different story. When the dust cleared, she panted slowly but a grin on her face. Her opponent couldn't have survived, it was impossible.
Her eyes widened when Suigetsu stood there, with the huge sword hanging loosely on his shoulder. "What…?"
The Sound Nin smirked, "You can't kill something that you can't pierce. My turn now bitch."
In a split second, Suigetsu disappeared from his spot and reppeared in front of Tenten, giving her a clean cut across her stomach. Blood gushed out as Tenten fell to the ground, rolling away from the attack. She managed at the last second to push her body away but it wasn't enough.
"Tenten!"
Within moments, Kiba abandoned his opponent and appeared by her side, holding her head up. "Tenten! Stay with me now. Come on girl! Fucking stay with me!"
"Ki… Kiba…" She replied, blood coming out from the side of her mouth.
"Hold on! I will save you. I swear." Kiba replied, panic clearly present in his voice.
"Uh-uh. I don't think so dog-boy." Karin sweetly replied, "But you were right girlie. Today will be the day you meet your end."
High above the buildings stood Orochimaru, the last member of the Sannin. His pale white skin and serpent slit pupils watched the mass destruction erupt throughout Konoha. It felt good to be back in this village, to see all the chaos and mayhem happening before him.
Riding on top of his summon, Manda, together they headed for the Hokage Tower. Underneath him, he heard the screams of ninjas as they met their death by the hands of his apprentice, Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke felt alive as he ran through the village, testing the sharpness of his blade on anyone and everyone that was in his way. Friend or foe alike, he was sharpening his skills. He had to be the best and once he found out where Itachi ran off to, he would go hunt him down.
The entire village was his playground and today, he was going to show them why they should fear the playground bully. While his mentor went one way, he went the other, heading straight for the medical area where most of the prey was probably hiding. There had to be someone in this pathetic village who can match him in skill.
Before he took another step, his senses were tingling like crazy and his body stopped. Standing before him was the Root Unit. Orochimaru told him about these guys. Just slightly above ANBU in skill but there was one difference. They only listen to Danzo.
"Uchiha Sasuke…"
Speak of the devil; there was the old coot now. Sasuke stabbed his sword into the ground and looked up. "What does a dead man want with me?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes, "Kill that traitor."
Just as their master spoke, his orders were absolute. Any less meant death.
Sasuke quickly picked up his sword and before anyone knew it, the Root Unit was dead without a second thought. "You're next Danzo." He pointed his sword at the warlord's direction but to his surprise, the man was already gone.
Sasuke shook his head, disappointed at the man's action. He should have known that Danzo was a coward, a rat who ran when the battle wasn't in his favor.
Dungeon, inside cell number 327
This was his cell. Door number 327…
There was no one down here but him and darkness. Not even the light was brave enough to come down here.
"Why won't you talk to me?"
"Am I not ready to hear your voice?"
His silent pleads remained unanswered.
"What must I do in order to make myself worthy enough to be in your presence?"
The man had been asking the same questions for years now and yet, it was always the same thing.
Silence.
He sat there, alone, with a light blue hilt, covered by a white sheath. It does not matter if his clothes were tattered or even if he had clothes on. He was alone in here and it had always been like that.
This man continued to meditate, waiting for the day that his questions were heard and he could continue his goal.
Yes… his goal. While the outside world may have forgotten about him, he had not forgotten about them. It doesn't matter if he was locked down here for ten or ten thousand years. He will complete his goal.
His strong hands slowly caressed the hilt of the blade, feeling the smooth bumps on it. Over the years, he had grown attached to this sword and the blade was like an extension of his body.
"Are you still judging my worth?"
"I'm not afraid anymore."
They thought he was crazy, speaking to the sword but he knew better. He knew that there was something there, waiting for his time to be released…
In his dreams, the blade took a physical form, the form of a winged dragon. Its scales were blue, covered in ice. As he took a look around, he was standing alone in this field of ice, just him and this mighty beast.
"Who are you?" I called out, a question that would remain unanswered for years.
The dragon lowered itself, as if it were measuring me. "You still can't hear my name can you boy?"
I can feel the ice around me,
I can hear the beast's voice echoing throughout the field…
Like it's crushing me, like it's swallowing me up.
I could sense the beast yearning to break free, but it couldn't.
It wouldn't.
Every time, it would ask me that same question, if I could hear his name and every time, I would respond no.
Just like the dream, it would never end. It was always the same one, that field of ice…
"Do you want me to know your name?"
"Then tell me your name…"
The man still recalled the first time the beast spoke to him outside of his dreams, his first and his last.
It was when he found this blade, in an alleyway and when his fingers gently touched the hilt, a strong connection was forged and the beast's voice roared loudly in his head.
The dragon spoke to him clearly that night, "Search for me boy. Search for me and when you finally do find me, roar out the name …"
But he never heard the end of that sentence. Powers exploded out from his body like water overflowing from a dam. He didn't know what this feeling was but it felt good.
It was also that same night that he was entrusted to keep this sword safe… until he was able to accomplish his goal…
"I will patiently wait for the day when I can finally hear your name."
Inside of this dark and cold room, where even the brightest of light will not dare to enter, there alone sat a man who goes by the name of Naruto.
Dungeon Area
Stopping just outside a large metallic door, Tsunade looked around, making sure that this was indeed the right one. In fact, this was the only door in sight. Door number 327…
Jiraiya walked up behind her and he found a lot of seals attached to the door and wall, even more than before. Whoever or whatever was in there… he couldn't even find the right words to describe his feelings right now.
Tsunade held the candle carefully to the documents in her hand, slowly reading the words on it. "According to these official documents, he's in here. He's been in here for the last fifteen years, isolated and imprisoned for his crimes…"
"Who's in here?" Jiraiya asked, his question that went unanswered before.
"Uzumaki Naruto." She replied as her eyes began scanning down the paper. "Charged with the crime of first degree murder and the manslaughter of thirteen ANBUs."
Jiraiya let out a low whistle as Tsunade read off the list. If he wasn't freaked out by this man, he would have been impressed. "So how old was he when he committed this crime?"
"Five."
"F-five?" The hermit stuttered out. "What, how?"
"It doesn't say. I guess sensei didn't feel the urge to put that part down."
The Hokage's eyes scanned over the documents a couple of times, making sure that she had her facts straight. When she felt that she was ready, she grabbed the handle to the door but before she could open it, Jiraiya put his hands over hers, stopping her from opening the door.
"Let me ask you one more time Tsunade. Are you sure that you are one hundred percent positive that you want to bargain with this man?"
She sighed and nodded her head. "I've made up my mind Jiraiya. This is the only way."
"Aside from the fact that this is highly unethical, the man might be mentally unstable." He pointed out.
"Let this be weighted on my conscience Jiraiya. Not yours."
Jiraiya then sighed but he smiled as well. "You don't have to do this alone you know."
Tsunade returned his smile with one of hers and together, they opened the locked door.
What they got when they opened the door was totally unexpected. They were expecting some old dusty air but what they got in return was a gust of cold frigid wind. The cold winds caused Tsunade to quickly hide behind the door, letting Jiraiya feel the full effects of the icy cold room.
When the winds finally passed and died down, they slowly entered the room, using the small candle to light up the torches inside the darken room. According to the unused torches on the wall, it was safe to assume that no one came into the room since the prisoner was imprisoned here.
As the room was finally lit, their expressions were filled with shock when they saw a man, sitting in the middle of the room with a sword laid before him… meditating.
Both sannins weren't expecting to see a young man sitting there peacefully. They were expecting to see a crazy lunatic that would run towards them the moment the door was opened.
Jiraiya himself was the most surprised. He was expecting some kind of attack, some sort of underhanded trick so the prisoner could escape but it never came.
They stood there, unsure of what to do. "Should we check if he's dead?" Jiraiya asked, whispering to Tsunade.
The Hokage shook her head and instantly saw a pulse from the man's body. "He's not dead." She whispered back. She slowly approached the man, making sure that her footsteps were loud and clear.
"Uzumaki Naruto." She spoke out, standing before him. "Do you know who I am?"
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, showing them to Tsunade. She couldn't help but shudder when she noticed that his eyes were like ice.
"No." He replied. He did not know who this person was, seeing as how he was locked down here for an unknown period of time.
"I am Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage."
Naruto stayed quiet but his eyes were carefully watching the one arm man standing by the door. He looked back and gestured for her to continue.
"To make this short, the village of Konohagakure is at war and we require your assistance."
"Not interested." Naruto coldly answered. "I have no business with this village."
The next thing that Tsunade said surprised Jiraiya. "If you help us, I will release you from this hellhole."
He marched forward, unable to contain his anger any longer. "What the hell Tsunade? Release him? That wasn't in your original plan! Your plan was to momentarily borrow his service in exchange for a lighter sentence!"
"Well the plan has changed." She argued. "There was never a set plan anyway."
"Then give me one good reason to trust this psychopath? How can you be sure that he won't go crazy and kill us all?"
Even though Naruto was still in the room, he ignored their comments. He still couldn't hear the dragon's name and until he heard it, he wasn't going anywhere. No matter how long it took, he wasn't going to leave until he heard it.
He watched as the two bickered back and forth and Naruto sighed, "Please leave the room. You asked me a question and I answered it. There is nothing more for us to discuss."
"Well, the boy has spoken Tsunade. Let's leave him to serve out the rest of his lifelong imprisonment."
"No." Tsunade firmly replied. "Listen boy, what will it take for you to lend us a hand?"
Konohagakure, the Hokage Tower
Orochimaru laughed to himself as he slowly approached the tower, savoring the moment. It wasn't everyday that he got to come back to the very village that banished him and successfully destroy it. It took three years of careful planning and fifteen years of hatred for him to succeed.
Many have mocked his plan but in the end, he was the one who had the last laugh. He wished they could see him now… but unfortunately; he had to silence those non-believers… permanently.
Even though he has Konoha where he wanted it, there was something bothering him. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find his two former teammates anywhere. It was almost like they abandoned the village to save themselves.
This was just too good to be true. Those two cowards actually ran away, abandoning everything!
"Ahahaha!" The Snake Sannin laughed. "Today, KONOHAGAKUE FALLS!"
"You disappoint me Shikamaru. You seriously disappoint me." Sasuke stated as he threw the Nara across the field. "Is this the best you can do?"
Shikamaru clutched the wound on his chest as he scooted backwards, needing time to come up with a plan.
"Do you want to die without putting up a fight?"
Shikamaru only gritted his teeth. He didn't have many options left. He wasn't even expecting Sasuke to come after him first. He expected him to go straight for the Hokage Tower, to complete his mission but like always, there's a miscalculation and this time, it was going to cost him dearly.
"Why are you doing this Sasuke? Did Orochimaru mistreat you or something?"
The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Don't make me laugh Nara. To me, you're like a little bug that I can crush without a second thought but I won't. You see, I need some information and you're the smartest person in this goddamn village. So you're going to tell me one thing and you better tell me the right answers the first time around."
"Like hell I would." Shikamaru replied, spitting the blood out of his mouth.
Seeing that his opponent needed a little demonstration of his power, Sasuke slowly called forth the famous Sharingan and charged forward. Before Shikamaru had the chance to do anything, he felt Sasuke's sword impaling itself through his right shoulder.
Shikamaru screamed in pain as the sword pierced through the shoulder. He wanted to fight back, to shove Sasuke away but his body wasn't responding at the moment. It was on the verge of shutting down due to the abundance of pain shooting through his mind and body.
Sasuke twisted his sword around in Shikamaru's shoulder, promising more pain and suffering to his opponent if he didn't help. "I want to know the location of the Uchiha Secret."
"What secret?" Shikamaru uttered, using his last ounce of strength to answer Sasuke. "What makes you think I know what you're talking about?"
That's when Sasuke yanked the sword out and lifted Shikamaru up by the throat. "You are so helpless and pathetic right now Nara. I can easily crush you… but I won't."
Shikamaru, at this point, was in so much pain that he couldn't lift his own hand to save himself. The pressure from Sasuke's hand was slowly cutting off the oxygen from his body. "Fine… If you won't tell me, I will slaughter everyone here. Starting with those tents over there."
His eyes followed where Sasuke was pointing to and saw that he was pointing towards the medical area, where Sakura, Ino and everyone else was working to save the lives of others.
"Ah… So you do know what's at stake here." Sasuke replied when he saw the worried in Shikamaru's eyes. "Let's take a visit there shall we?"
Without hesitation, Sasuke threw his opponent across the field, effectively into the tent. He could hear the screams coming from the medics, the frantic cries of wounded men and it was like music to his ears.
"SHIKAMARU!" Ino cried out when she finally realized that it was her teammate that came crashing down into the tent. "Are you okay? What's going on?"
"Hang on!" Sakura yelled as she began emergency treatment on his chest wounds. "Stay with us Shikamaru!"
Shizune shook her head in shock as she watched Sakura begin the treatment. "Who could have done such a thing?"
She found her answer when the tent was cut in half, exposing everyone inside. "Honey… I'm home."
Everyone looked up, fear in their eyes and shock written across their face. No one was able to believe it but there he stood, Uchiha Sasuke, his eyes filled with malice. "What? No welcome? No greeting?"
Sakura shook off her surprise and growled at her former teammate. "Back away Sasuke. You have no business here with the wounded. We have nothing that you could possibly want."
"You're so rude Sakura." Sasuke mockingly replied. "Is this how you welcome your first love home?"
"If you don't back away Sasuke, I'm going to kill you." Sakura threatened. "Don't think I'm still the weak little girl you once left behind."
She motioned for Ino to take over as she stood up firmly, her eyes glaring at Sasuke. "I'm serious here Sasuke. Leave now or I will not be held responsible for my actions."
"I think you got it wrong…" Sasuke slowly answered.
"It should be me that should not be held responsible for my actions…" Sakura's eyes widened when she felt Sasuke's arm drape themselves around her shoulders as he chuckled lightly.
She couldn't see him move from his spot. No one did and before anyone knew it, he was already standing beside her, poised to kill her before anyone could help.
"You may have improved over the years Sakura but know this, the difference between me and you is still too large to be compared." With his free arm, he slowly removed his sword from the sheath, preparing to show everyone why he was called a tensai during his academy days.
Faced before him was the object of his goal, the Hokage Tower. Manda hissed slightly as the snake slithered around, eating all the ninjas that foolishly tried to attack him. Orochimaru licked his lips expectantly, but just before he could give the order to Manda to demolish this building, he heard two distinct cries of Kuchiyose no Jutsu before puffs of smoke appeared.
Sensing the arrival of two other beings, Manda wisely slithered backwards. Even though he was deemed the king of the serpents, even the king had to act wisely if he wanted to keep his throne…
The Snake King sniffed the air and hissed, "The air smells like shit now Orochimaru… I require 200 sacrifices instead of my usual hundred."
Orochimaru knew what the snake meant. Whenever the price doubled, it meant that it was trouble. Big trouble.
"Katsuyu… Gamabunta…" Manda hissed out. "I thought I smelled something like ass."
"My mate was kind of disappointed that I didn't bring her back a snake skin wallet last time." Gamabunta retorted as he took a puff of smoke from his pipe. "I won't make that mistake this time."
"Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party." Orochimaru chuckled. "It's too late anyway. The party's almost over."
Jiraiya, on top of Gamabunta, shrugged his shoulders, "What can I say? I like to make a big entrance."
While Jiraiya continued to joke around with Orochimaru, Tsunade's eyes flashed with anger. "OROCHIMARU!" She yelled. "I will have your head today! For your past and present crimes against Konoha, I sentence you to a swift death!"
The Snake Sannin merely laughed, unfazed by the empty threat, "Who do you think you are Tsunade? My executioner? I will crush Konoha today and tomorrow, this will be the spot for my new village!"
"Don't count me out just yet Orochimaru. As long as I still have strength in my body, I will defeat you here and now!"
Orochimaru bared a sinister smile, "I will enjoy crushing you!" He immediately tapped his foot on Manda and together, they charged forward.
"Aim for Jiraiya first!" Orochimaru yelled out. "He's weakened at the moment."
Gamabunta saw Manda approaching and blew the smoke from his pipe into the serpents eyes, causing it to writhe in pain.
Even though the snake was temporarily blinded, he released his acidic spit, burning anything that it touches. Scoring one lucky hit, it forced Gamabunta to jump up.
"Gimme some oil 'Bunta!" Jiraiya shouted.
"And do what with it?" The Toad King asked. "You only have one freaking arm!"
"Let it rain down fire!"
Gamabunta then realized what his summoner wanted and prepared the necessary oil. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was having difficulty with the hand seals. "One hand seals… What a bitch." The hermit replied as he hastily went through it again.
"Hurry up ya old pervert." Gamabunta yelled.
"One arm here!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at the display between those two. Always getting on each other's nerves.
"Tsunade-sama? Let us do something to help Gamabunta." Katsuyu answered, speaking up for the first time since the battle.
"What do you have in mind Katsuyu?"
"Let's trap the serpent so he has nowhere to run."
Seeing where the plan was going, Tsunade jumped off the Slug and while she was in mid-air, she began performing hand seals.
When she landed on the ground, she forcefully slammed her palm against the ground.
"Doton: Shi Kabe no Jutsu"
Before Manda and Orochimaru could recover from the smoke, four earthen walls shot up from the ground, trapping them on the spot.
"GO JIRAIYA!" Tsunade shouted. Everything was set up for him now.
Jiraiya managed to finish the complex fire jutsu with one hand and he eagerly put it near his mouth.
"Katon: Gamayu Endan"
When combined with Gamabunta's oil, this was a lethal technique, more powerful than any regular fire jutsu.
With four walls trapping Manda, that snake had nowhere to go.
They watched as Manda hissed out in pain when the fire scorched his skin. Gamabunta landed on the ground, his arm reaching for the small dagger behind his back. This wasn't over, he could feel it in his bones. The snake probably had another trick up its spine.
When the smoke cleared, Tsunade took a closer examination. Her eyes widened when there was nothing here but a fake corpse. "Jiraiya! Manda went under!" She yelled out her warning but it was too late.
The ground started shaking underneath Gamabunta and the first thing that the toad did was leap up into the air. "Hang on Jiraiya!"
Manda sprung up from the ground, his mouth wide open to eat the toad. "I have you now you fat piece of shit!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened when he realized that it was a diversion. He cursed at himself for not realizing this any sooner.
The Snake King jumped upward, bearing its fangs, waiting to sink its teeth down into the flesh of his enemy. Its fangs, dripping with poison, will slowly kill anything that they touch. No one had survived its poison…
Gamabunta twisted in mid-air, a feat impressive for a toad his size and took out the dagger. Just as Manda was close enough, the large toad brought the dagger down, stopping the attack from coming any closer.
Seeing that her summon couldn't jump upward, Tsunade told Katsuyu to move closer to where Manda is.
"Katsuyu, we have to help them. Gamabunta can't do much while he's like that! Let's throw some acid into the air!" Tsunade shouted. The slug answered back by spitting out several balls of acid towards the snake.
Jiraiya smirked when he saw those dark green balls of acid, an idea already forming in his head. "Bunta! Hit them with your water bullet!"
"Why?" Gamabunta grunted, forcefully trying to push Manda away. The snake had gained some strength since their last encounter.
"Let Orochimaru have a taste of his own acid!"
"Alright." Gamabunta took this opportunity to put his webbed feet on Manda's face and leaped upward, avoiding any further attacks from Manda.
"How dare you?" Manda hissed out. "You dare put your feet on my face?"
The Toad King didn't bother to reply as he took a deep breath. "Suiton: Teppoudama!"
Orochimaru's eyes widened when he saw the combination between Tsunade and Jiraiya. Perfect as always and it was then that he realized that this was one fight he couldn't win. Looks like he'll have to use his trump card.
Seeing Manda hissing in pain reminded him how lucky he was to jump off in time.
"Orochimaru… The next time we meet, I will eat you." Manda threatened before dismissing himself.
The Snake Sannin landed safely on top of the Hokage Tower as he watched Jiraiya and Tsunade dismiss their summons before landing on the tower themselves. "Clever. Very clever indeed."
"It's over Orochimaru. Give it up." Tsunade stated, cracking her knuckles.
"Even though you might have stopped me, what's stopping Sasuke-kun from killing everyone? One way or another, Konoha will burn today!"
What Orochimaru got in return wasn't what he expected. They were supposed to run off, hurrying to locate where Sasuke is and stop him but instead, they were standing here grinning at him.
"Oh we're not worried about your little pet Orochimaru." Jiraiya replied, "In fact, it's you who should be worried. You'll be so lucky if your Sasuke-kun is even alive by the time you reach him."
"Fools! What did you do?" Orochimaru snarled. When none of them answered, he angrily turned around and jumped away. "This is not over Tsunade, Jiraiya! This is far from over!"
Jiraiya was about to follow Orochimaru when Tsunade stopped him. He turned around, confusion written on his face. "Why?"
"Let him go Jiraiya. We have bigger things to worry about."
"It's time to say goodbye Sakura…" Sasuke whispered, his right hand steadily gripping his weapon.
It looked like he would need to provide an example of what would happen when people do not abide by his demands. Pity, he actually liked Sakura too…
Before Sasuke could fully unsheathe his sword, a gust of cold frigid wind blew into the area, causing everyone to momentarily forget about the tension and shiver.
Ino was the first one to experience the sudden drop in the atmospheric pressure. She rubbed her arms slowly, keeping herself warm. There was something odd about this. They usually don't get winter around these parts of Konoha. In fact, it rarely snowed.
Before anyone could move, a large amount of Chakra erupted into the area.
Sasuke's senses went crazy, everything in his body was screaming for him to run, to leave this place and retreat. His legs were trembling slightly but his eyes were quickly searching for the source.
Without any warning, the sounds of blood gusting out caused everyone to turn to the source and when they finally located it, their eyes widened, especially Sasuke's.
The Uchiha didn't even feel anything hit him, let alone the cut on his arm. He quickly pushed Sakura away, thinking that she was the one who caused it. "Dirty trick Sakura. I didn't think you had it in you to do it but now you're going to pay." He sneered.
Sakura looked up, surprise in her eyes as well. "I wasn't even the one who cut you!" She argued as her left hand started to glow green to heal her cut.
"DIE!" Sasuke roared as he dashed forward, intending to impale the girl with his sword.
Shizune saw Sasuke move a split second too late and lifted her sleeves up, revealing a set of miniature darts. She ran towards Sakura, intending to fire her poisonous darts at the Uchiha while Ino started preparing for her family Jutsu, praying that she would complete it in time.
Sakura saw Sasuke coming towards her, a small smirk on his face as he lowered his sword. As she waited for Sasuke to come closer, she saw her life flashing before her eyes and that was when she knew, she was going to die.
All those times she argued with Ino…
All those times when she worked alongside Shizune…
She was going to miss them both dearly…
"Sayonara guys…" She whispered, closing her eyes.
Before Sasuke had the chance to stick that sword between Sakura's eyes, a man appeared in front of Sakura and Sasuke, blocking the attack.
"Sa…"
"…Kura!"
Sakura heard people screaming out her name and she slowly opened one eye, wondering if she was dead or not. When she finally opened both eyes, she saw a man standing in front of her and her eyes slowly moved from him to the weapon that he held in his right hand.
A Katana…
Without any hesitation, the man adeptly brought the blade up, knocking the sword away from Sasuke's hand and gave him a huge upward slash across the chest, one that would definitely leave a scar.
Sasuke howled in pain as man's Katana sliced across his chest. It felt like he was burning in the hottest of fire and at the same time, drowning in the coldest of ice. The blond didn't stop there, when he saw Sasuke staggering backwards, he ran forward and raised his sword. With one swift motion, he brought down another slash on Sasuke's chest, leaving an identical slash.
An X shaped wound on the pale chest of Uchiha Sasuke.
Everyone stood there amazed, especially Sakura. All of them watched as this man, unknown to them, easily pushed Sasuke around without breaking a sweat at all. They could tell that whoever this man was, he was skilled in Kenjutsu.
"That was… hot, yet cold..." Ino muttered. "Violent, yet peaceful… Cruel, yet gentle…"
The trio watched quietly, unsure if this man was friend or foe but as the saying went, an enemy of my enemy is my friend.
"Who is he Shizune?" Ino whispered.
"I don't really know. I've never seen his face before." Shizune replied.
Standing at almost 5'10, the man had untamable blond hair but the most striking feature about him was his eyes. As the girls stared into his blue cerulean orbs, they felt a chill throughout their body. It was almost as if the man was composed of nothing but ice.
"He needs a new wardrobe." Sakura stated. As a matter of fact, the man arrived in nothing but tattered clothing, nothing but white shirt and pants that looked like he had outgrown them years ago. The worst part was that he was barefooted. Unimaginable, walking around with no shoes. It was the ultimate fashion crime.
There was an unbelievable amount of pain going through his body right now as Sasuke fell to the ground, unable to pick himself up.
The wound on his chest was making it difficult for him to breath.
As Sasuke slowly pushed himself up, he stared at his new opponent, his Sharingan glaring at the man.
How was it that he couldn't even see the man move? He couldn't even see the man swing his sword either. It was almost like a mirage…
His Sharingan was supposed to detect and copy all movements from the human body but just now, he couldn't see the man's attack. It was faster than what his eyes could follow.
Was that even humanly possible?
When Sasuke finally got back up, the man was at his side in an instant, stabbing his blade through Sasuke's left shoulder this time.
The feeling of hot and cold ran through his body again, causing the Uchiha to release an animalistic roar of pain. Just as quickly as the stab happened, the man yanked the sword out and slammed his foot into Sasuke's stomach, sending him flying back to the ground.
As the Uchiha lay there, desperately gasping for air, his eyes were slowly reverting back to their onyx state. "Fuck you." Sasuke venomously spat out. "I swear I'm going to kill you for this."
Instead of looking at his opponent, Naruto stared at his sword, disgusted by the blood that covered the blade. With one flick, the blood was removed from it. He then approached his opponent, ready to deliver the final blow that would end this battle but before he could do that, snakes shot up from the ground, causing him to dodge and step away from Sasuke.
Not letting the snakes stop him, he twisted his body in mid-air, using his foot as a pivot and with one swing, beheaded them all with ease.
"Ku ku ku. Look at what you did to my precious Sasuke-kun…" Orochimaru said as the legendary Snake Sannin appeared from the ground. "I should kill -"
He never got the chance to finish the threat as Naruto's blade came within inches of his neck. Orochimaru flipped backwards and landed right next to Sasuke, his eyes glaring at the man.
This must be the person that Tsunade and Jiraiya were so confident about. This must be him; the man who single handedly stopped his plans. It was all because of him that his plan failed. He made it a point to remember him for future references…
"The next time we meet, I will kill you myself." Orochimaru snarled. "Watch your back."
Putting one hand on Sasuke, the Sannin started to melt into the ground, leaving the battlefield completely.
Sensing that there wasn't any more danger, Naruto sheathed the sword back into its scabbard.
Holding the weapon tightly in his hand, "I still didn't hear your name today…"
The sword then emitted a light pulse… almost as if it heard Naruto but it wouldn't reply with an answer.
As Naruto stared into the city, he could tell that the invasion was almost over. Only the clean up remained…
"Maybe after this, you would answer me."
"Pathetic. You bugs are truly pathetic!" Juugo roared out. He swung his fists around angrily, disappointed by the fight. "Is this the best that Konoha has to offer?"
Chouji collapsed to the ground, unable to stand back up. He sported multiple fractures to his ribs and legs and right now, he was having double vision. He couldn't even see the enemy clearly anymore…
Konohamaru, on the other hand, was in no better condition. While he took the blunt of the attacks from the Sound Ninja, he was sporting multiple injuries throughout his body. It was a miracle that he was able to pick up his own weapon.
Juugo sighed as he revved his arm back, intending of crushing them with his fist but before he could get far, a familiar cold gust of wind blew into the area as a strange man slowly walked in. The Sound Nins that formed a protective circle around the fight turned their attention to the new man. Juugo himself stopped his fist in time just before it reached Konohamaru's face.
He stared at the man, confusion written on his face. "One man? They sent one man after me?"
The curse-seal user shook his head in disappointment. "Kill him. Konoha has greatly disrespected me with this."
The Sound Ninjas ran forward, their weapons rose to strike and kill but before they realized it, the man who once stood in front of them wasn't there anymore.
In fact, the man was now behind all of them, his back to them as well.
"Disrespect?" Naruto's voice echoed. "No… The Sound has disrespected me by sending me a weakling…"
Juugo laughed, "I'll crush you like a bug."
Naruto stared at the man, his huge body towering over his. "Is that so?" His hand reached for his sword and his thumb pushed his sword out from the scabbard slightly.
The moment he did that, the Sound Ninjas who went after him before dropped to the ground, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition.
Chouji saw the mutilation with his eyes and quickly put his hands over his mouth, trying to prevent himself from vomiting. Konohamaru wasn't so lucky and vomited the contents of his stomach out. The sight before them was so gruesome that not even they wished for this on their enemy.
Juugo unleashed a roar of fury as he pushed for more power. He instantly transformed into his curse-seal level 2 form and with this much power at his disposal; no one was going to stop him.
Naruto only gave his opponent a second look before he unsheathed his sword. "Should we dance for old time's sake?" He quietly asked.
The Sound Nin sent his fist flying straight into Naruto's face however before it could reach; his arm fell to the ground, in three different pieces. Juugo's eyes widened, surprised to see the man moving this fast but before he could do anything else, his own body started to fall apart.
Before this man knew it, he was already dead.
The last thing in his mind was the thought of hot and cold from the blade.
Chouji and Konohamaru couldn't believe what just happened. This man just defeated a monster without even trying.
Just who on earth was he?
Konohamaru wanted to ask for his name but before he had a chance to do it, the man disappeared without a trace, leaving them to ponder on who he was.
Suigetsu leered over the Konoha pair menacingly as he silently stalked his prey. He was having too much fun here. These Konoha Nin were certainly entertaining. Karin rolled her eyes as she stood on the sidelines, waiting for her partner to finish the job.
'Silent killing. Silent Killing. For the love of god, just finish the goddamn job.' Karin thought. 'No one cares if the art of Silent Killing is appreciated or not!'
An alarm suddenly exploded from within Karin's head, screaming at her that someone dangerous was in the area. Her eyes tried to pinpoint the exact location of that person. Her eyes widened when she realized that this person was standing in front of them the entire time.
"Suigetsu! Back away!" She yelled.
Suigetsu was just about to bring down his weapon for the final blow when he heard the warning from his partner. "What? Why?" He shouted back.
Not heeding her warning, he felt something cold slicing through his arms, his weapon dropping to the ground while he screamed in pain.
The mist slowly dispelled itself when the caster was injured, allowing a small gust of frigid air to blow into the area, allowing everyone to see again.
Kiba and Akamaru stood near Tenten, protecting her but what surprised them both was that Suigetsu was on the ground, snarling at the man in front of him.
"Who the fuck are you?"
Naruto didn't answer, his eyes glaring straight at the woman in front of him. Karin felt herself shiver as she stared into the man's eyes. His icy cold blue eyes.
She didn't need to use her special ability to tell that he was the man who set off those alarms in her head. "Suigetsu, we have to leave now!"
"What? No way!"
"FOOL!" Karin yelled out. "He will kill us both if we don't leave now!"
Suigetsu uttered a low growl as he picked up the sword with his other arm. He glared daggers at the man before Karin appeared next to him.
"Next time we meet, I'll kill you."
Karin merely glanced at the man before disappearing, leaving them alone. Naruto turned to Kiba and saw the wound on Tenten's stomach. Akamaru slowly growled at the man.
"Down boy…" Kiba whispered. "We owe him our lives…"
Standing on top of the Hokage Tower, the only building that remained undamaged, Tsunade and Jiraiya surveyed the damaged caused by the Sound.
This village and everyone in it were incredibly lucky today. Who knows what would have happened if they didn't convince Naruto to help them.
Tsunade shuddered to think but deep down, she knew what would have happened.
The village would have fallen to Orochimaru and Konoha would have been burnt to the ground.
Maybe, it was for the best that things did turn out this way. It was a hard blow to the village but it will recover. She'll make sure of it.
A loud cheer erupted from the village as the Sound hastily retreated, the ninjas running and jumping over the wall once they realized that the invasion had failed.
Tsunade sighs, rubbing her arms slightly. "We sure were lucky…"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, searching for Naruto. "Where the hell is he? Did you see what happened when we let him go? He disappeared on us! He could have fled the village for all we know!"
"Don't worry too much Jiraiya. The man's going back to jail." She assured. "I only needed to borrow his strength for a little while but now that's over, he'll go back."
"And what if he doesn't comply with your rules?"
"He won't have a choice."
What the both of them didn't know was that this was only the beginning. The beginning of his story.
As those two stood above the tower, watching the chaos die down, they failed to realize that a cold storm front had begun moving towards them…
Time had begun to move forward once more…
Author's Note: Hm... This is my first time crossing over into the realm of Bleach and merging that of Naruto. I don't know what to expect from this nor do I know where I'm going. All i'm asking is that you readers just be patient and wait for me. I won't disappoint you. I promise.
Now, just hit that review button right there and let me know that I'm doing a good job!