Well, here we go again. The nonsense stops with this chapter, as Naruto faces off against Yagura.

7: The Two Lords: Blade vs. Staff


Mist covered the lake on which the Mist Village sat. There was no sound. Not the song of birds, or even the splash of water against the shore. A thickness lay over the land, ready to break like a dam. Across the lake, three figures watched the village in interest. One a very recognizable person as he wore a black Inari mask, and a black blade at his hip.

"Are we certain he's still around?" Jiraiya asked, keeping his eyes on the village.

"He is," both demon lords answered. "I can sense his presence clear as day," Naruto said, "He's here. And so are his forces...are Zabuza and Haku still coming?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "He didn't want to miss out on the fun," he said, smiling, "And Haku won't leave his side. Something's going on between those two, I think."

Naruto ignored his last comment, and stepped out into the open, "Gaara, stick to the plan, and don't use Shukkaku if you can avoid it."

"Right," the red-head sighed as he lifted off the ground on a platform of sand.

Jiraiya started off along the bank, "I'll keep watch over you two. If Yagura changes like you think he will, I'll summon a toad for help with him."

Naruto waved at him from over his shoulder, "I'll be counting on it."

Naruto continued his slow trek toward the village, feeling a sense of dread as he sensed a mass of chakra coming toward him. It wasn't Yagura, that much he knew. Yagura would feel more malevolent than this. No, this had to be his ninja forces. This won't end well for them, Naruto thought morosely. No sooner had those thoughts crossed his mind, than ten masked ninja flashed down in front of him on the surface of the lake. Naruto kept his arms crossed at his chest, well away from his sword, hoping to avoid conflict if he could.

"I've got no quarrel with you," Naruto said evenly, "Step out of my way, and I'll deal with Yagura, then you can be rid of him."

The apparent leader stepped forward, "Lord Yagura is only doing what is right, keeping our blood pure, and away from those filthy mutations you call blood-lines!"

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek to keep his growl in check. "So, you don't mind that your precious Yagura is a demon lord?"

"His power is a gift," the leader sneered, "He wasn't born with a sickness."

"Sickness?/Sickness?" Naruto, and, surprisingly, the fox, snarled. Each ninja in front of him flinched as a bright red glow erupted from the eyes in his mask. "You murdered entire families, and tore others apart just because you thought they were sick?!"

Slaughter these fools! The fox all but howled within his seal. They know nothing! The bloodlines are a gift from he who created me and they would squander and destroy his gifts?! Destroy them all!

Naruto fell the fox's chakra wash over him in waves that he only half resisted. To the ninja facing him, Naruto was shrouded in a bubbling red cloak of chakra in the shape of what could only be a fox, complete with long ears and a tail. Not just a chakra tail, but full, bushy yellow tail whipping around angrily.

"Wh-what?!"

Naruto reached up and removed his mask, revealing his darkened face, elongated fangs, and crimson-slit eyes. "Now I know why Zabuza and Haku came to me for help." Naruto's voice rumbled out, "You made a grave mistake in allowing my idiot brother lead you to this. Now you deal with Naruto Uzumaki, demon lord of the Nine-Tailed Fox!"

There no hesitation left in Naruto's resolve. He launched himself at the squad with a roar even as more appeared to attack. Naruto's blade was in his hand and whistling through the air within moments.

Steel met steel as his blade struck down on hastily brought out kunai.

Naruto gave a feral grin as he spun around, whipping his blade down across the ninja's middle, and slicing him open. His screams went unheard as his fellows rushed him in an attempt to overpower the young lord. The grin grew larger as Naruto brought his hands together, crossing his fingers. "Shadow Clone jutsu!"

=Moments Earlier=

"Dammit, that kid's gonna get himself killed!" Zabuza growled as he watched Naruto barrel into the fray, "He's insane if he thinks he can take on that many without help!"

Haku placed a calming hand on his shoulder before he could join the blond, "Master, please, just give him a chance," she pleaded, "you felt that monstrous chakra the same as I did. Lord Naruto's not giving them any leeway in this battle."

"Yeah, yeah, but that - Holy shit!" Both their eyes widened as Naruto performed his jutsu, and hundreds more of himself appeared. "I've never seen so many clones from one person before!"

"He is a demon lord," Haku said with just as much awe as Zabuza, "Such a taxing jutsu wouldn't effect him at all."

"Tch, to hell with waiting!" Zabuza growled and lept out, "I'm not letting him have all the fun!"

"Wait for me!" Haku yelled after him.

=x=

Jiraiya, from the safety of the treeline, was laughing himself silly at the two Mist ninja appearing on the lake, joining in the battle. Zabuza was so eager for battle, and Haku was worried for his safety, oh yes, he could definitely see a spark between the young kunoichi and the swordsman. Very note worthy if anyone were to ask him. "Never thought I'd get a little research done around here, and here I have a buxom bombshell, and two star-crossed lovers that don't know they're in love with each other," he laughed as he started taking down notes on his pad.

A cloud of sand drifted up to his position, "Shouldn't we be joining them?" Gaara asked, "Or do we still wait on Yagura?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Naruto hasn't called for help yet, and with those other two down there, I doubt that he'll need it. Especially since he's pulled out all the stops." he chuckled again, "Whatever those guys said to him, it must have really hit a nerve. The kid's not one to let his temper get to him...or the fox."

Gaara nodded, "Indeed, I felt the fox's chakra from here."

"Not a hard thing," Jiraiya said, "The fox's chakra is so thick and evil that I can still feel it's presence on the island in some places."

=x=

"Brat," Zabuza growled, "That's twenty-six for me!"

"Thirty," Naruto grinned over his shoulder, "There's more of me than you!"

"Gah, there's no point in out scoring me!" The Demon of the Bloody Mist said, "Using all these clones is cheating!"

Haku nearly sighed in exasperation at her master's childish attitude in battle. Killing was the furthest thing in her mind even as her icy blades flew through the air and found their homes in the bodies of their enemies. Her concerns were for her currently childish master and the young demon lord he was competing with. None of the forces had managed to touch either of them yet, though plenty of clones had gone down only to be replaced by more, and the ranks were thinning quickly.

Yet Yagura had yet to appear.

The lake was now littered with the bodies of his men, yet Yagura hadn't shown himself. She found that strange, even for the estranged demon lord. And as the lake ran red with blood, Haku could find no sense in the slaughter. Even though these people had killed so many of her friends, and caused the death of her family, she felt pity for them. Pity that they had been frightened into following Yagura, and deluding themselves to his cause of Kekkei Genkai destruction.

=x=

Yagura may not have been on the battlefield, but he was watching the carnage with interest from the wall of his village. A mad grin upon his face. "Marvelous." He smiled to himself, "Simply marvelous!"

A distortion in the space beside him appeared, "You seem happy with this turn of events. Are you not concerned with the losses?"

"Not really," Yagura grinned to the masked man, "This is simply entertainment to me. These people give their lives for me, their leader, and what they think is right...such fun! I can't wait until it's my turn!"

The masked man shook his head, "And you don't think that the Ninth Lord will be a problem?"

"FAH!" Yagura laughed, "He can't even control his demon!" He pointed down at the battle with his Bo, "He's only just managed to beat our brethren in combat by sheer luck, and brute strength. We've yet to duke it out."

"Just remember not to kill him," the man chastened, "I need him alive for my plans."

"Of course," Yagura nodded as he stood, "Neither of my brothers will go down easily, I can assure you of that - "

"YAGURA!" Naruto bellowed from below, "Stop hiding and get your tiny ass down here, you short shit!"

Yagura paused with an outraged look on his face, his brow twitching in anger at his brother's words. No one called him short and lived! The figure beside him chuckled at the blond's tactics. "He certainly has a way to get under people's skin when he wants, I'll give him that!" He laughed as Yagura took the bait and launched himself from the wall.

Yagura landed on the water, his face contorted with rage, his eyes locked on the blond as he finished off the last of his ninja. "Uzumaki!"

Naruto just grinned at him and hefted his sword to his shoulder, "Glad you could join us, Shorty." Zabuza chuckled beside him, adding fuel to Yagura's fire, "We thought you were gonna miss the party!"

Yagura sneered at him, "And miss the chance to beat the hell out of you? Not a chance!" The Three-Tailed Lord launched himself at the blond, his Bo whirling in his hands. Naruto just kept smiling.

"Gaara, now!"

Yagura halted at the shout, but not quickly enough as a maelström of sand formed above him, and spiraled down toward him. Yagura grinned and raised his weapon, making a circular motion above his head, a small stream of water appearing from the tip, before doing the same in Naruto's direction.

Haku watched in shock as a pair of mirrors appeared above and in front of the lord, and the sand that had been about to crash down on him, rushed through one mirror, and out the other, surprising Naruto.

He lept out of the way just in time with Zabuza right behind him. "Dammit, I should've known he'd use that technique!" Zabuza growled as he landed beside his apprentice, "That's where Haku got the idea for one of her jutsu!"

Naruto didn't reply or question him as Gaara appeared next to him, looking fairly miffed about being denied his target. "Those mirrors will be troublesome." Gaara stated, "And the water will effect my sand."

Naruto nodded, "We underestimated him, that's for sure." He said, smirking, "Did you know he could do that?"

"No," Gaara said truthfully, "I only know about his Coral Palm technique in the version two cloak."

Naruto sighed, "Then it's time to stop pulling our punches." He raised his hands and made a small hand seal, "Release."

Back in the forest, where it had ran to enact his plan, a clone sat under a tree, his knuckles touching as he gather chakra into him from the surrounding forest. Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, the clone was gone, and all the chakra it had gathered rushed back to the original. Naruto felt a rush of energy like no other. His demonic features faded, in their place his eyes were now gold, with a horizontal bar-like pupil along with two small orange markings under his eyes.

Gaara was slightly surprised by this, "You're resorting to sage mode this early on?"

"I want this over," Naruto told him, "I have a wife to get home to, remember?"

Gaara rolled his eyes and rose into the air on his sand, "I will never understand your attachment to that bribe of your's."

Naruto laughed, "And that's why Temari worries about you!" He roared before throwing himself at Yagura.

"Sand Senbon!" Gaara's sand rained down on the lake, Naruto darting in and out of the spray, avoiding the needle rain. The Third Lord used his Bo to knock them away, avoiding injury for the moment.

The senbon were just the distraction Naruto needed to get in close. Yagura was nearly taken by surprise at his speed, but the the two lords knew each other well enough that each other's strengths and weaknesses were obvious. Sword and Bo met. Sparks flew as the two lords pressed each other, neither gaining or giving ground.

In strength, both were equal. Yagura's stature had long made it difficult for him to fight people larger than he was. He spent years honing his strength to combat those that dwarfed him. Naruto was, to be frank, a brute. He had always had his strength. He simply needed control. Controlling his strength with the Tailed Beast inside him had been difficult, but the years had paid off. He had overcome many of his fellow lords, and most of them had had control over their demons, save for Gaara and the Mistress of Seven.

But they were evenly matched.

Naruto was using his sage enhanced strength, while he could feel Yagura drawing on the Three-Tails for power, the fact evident by the red haze around his body.

"Yield, Brother," Naruto pleaded, "I don't want to hurt you!"

"I didn't fight my way to become Mizukage, just so I could bow to you!" Yagura roared and pressed back, forcing Naruto back, his hand coming up to form a sign, "Water Style: Water Dragon!"

The water around him erupted as the technique rose and launched itself at Naruto, the gaping maw of the dragon coming down on him, only for the black blade to stab through it, and the water swirled and flowed into the blade.

"Nice," Naruto grinned, "But i think I'll have to give this back!" He slashed at him, relaunching the attack, doubled by the chakra stored in the blade. Yagura growled and dodged out of the way, his eyes full of hatred as the dragon sailed past him.

All the while the fight was going on, Zabuza and Haku were watching in wonder. At first, Zabuza had wanted a shot at the diminutive Kage, but the sheer pressure both demon lords were putting off from their battle was enough to stifle any attempts at getting into the fight. Haku was just plain frightened. Yagura was known for his control over his demon, and she knew that he wouldn't hesitate to use its power if he was pressed to far.

A fact that was beginning to register on the pair as Yagura became shrouded in red chakra. Not a true cloak that came over the lords when they used a small amount of power, but a simple boost they took from the beasts. That power, though they were matched, dwarfed Naruto sage mode chakra.

"This isn't a fight," she said to herself, "this is a war!"

"Got that right," Zabuza agreed with a nod, "To think I wanted to get in on that!" He grinned madly, "This is the sort of fight that makes my blood run cold!"

"You two should stay back," Gaara intoned from above, "Once my brothers get serious about a fight, Yagura and Naruto are completely unstoppable. You would surely die."

Zabuza looked up at the lord with a barely controlled sneer, "You think I would seriously stay out of this?" He laughed, "Boy, they may be levels beyond me, but this is something I just can't pass up!" He lifted the executioner's blade to his shoulder, "A death at the had of a demon lord is more worthy than dying at the hands of some random rogue ninja!"

With that, Zabuza gave a roar, and shot into the fray. Yagura, not expecting the sudden attack, barely managed to dodge as the blade glanced past his head, a few hairs falling from his head. Haku was right behind him, sending icy senbon toward him, driving themselves deep in the lord's flesh so much so that Yagura let out a shocked, pained cry.

"Water Style!" Yagura growled, "Gorgon!" A massive sphere of water appeared over his head, and shot out long whips of water toward the three, Naruto and Zabuza dodging easily, while Haku escaped bellow the icy surface of a mirror.

A mirror that appeared right above and all around Yagura. "It is best that you give in, Lord Yagura," she said, her tone emotionless, "While you have done unspeakable things, I have no love for killing."

Yagura sneered at her image with rage filled eyes, "A ninja that despises killing? And one that has a cursed power?" He cackled, "What disgusting things you say!

Haku prepared her senbon, but the water beneath Yagura erupted as the blond lord himself rose up and impaled his brother through the middle with his blade. His eyes were sad, yet determined as he stood before the mortally wounded Yagura, "You've earned your fate thrice over, Yagura." He told the lord, "I'll make your passing quick."

Yagura gagged and spat out blood, showering his front with a cascade of crimson, but a smile adorned his face as he regarded him, "You really think at chakra absorbing blade can kill a demon lord, Naruto?" He asked, reaching up to grip the blade, "You're a bigger fool than I ever imagined!" Red shrouded the lord, and Naruto was forced to leap away, as was Haku as her mirrors began to melt with the strange chakra flowing from the lord.

"What is that?!" Haku asked as she watched Yagura disappear under an even worse cloak of chakra, three tails springing up from the base of his spine. His eyes whitened, his mouth was a deadly maw of fangs, steaming with power.

"That," Naruto replied grimly, "is me on a bad day."

Zabuza's mad gleam rose to new heights, "This is amazing!" He laughed, drunk from the feeling the battle had stirred within him, "What are we waiting for, brat?! Let's finish this!" He lept forward again, his blade raised, ready to cleave Yagura in two, only for the red beast to look up at him lazily, and shoot out a clawed hand from his chest. He slashed the claw with his blade, cleaving it off, but another body rose from the stump. Zabuza, weighed down by his blade, could not stop, or even alter his descent, and the new torso fired a minature Tailed-Beast Ball form its mouth, hitting him across his torso, and spinning him away from the lord.

"ZABUZA!" Haku was racing to him in an instant, her arms outstretched as she caught his body. His blade sank into the lake from his loose grip, lost to him. Blood poured from his wound, staining the lake deeper red than it already was. Haku cradled his head against her chest in anguish, "You fool! What were you thinking!?" Tears spilled from her eyes as Zabuza offered her a weak smile from behind his bandages.

"You...know me...always seeking...a good death..." he mumbled.

"Idiot!" She yelled, holding him close, "What am I supposed to do if you die?!"

Naruto watched the scene unfold, rage bubbling up in his chest as the Nine-Tailed Fox raised his head in interest. Naruto turned his gaze back to Yagura, who was grinning at him from behind his cloak, "You die, Yagura!"

Yagura gave our a roar like no other and launched himself toward the blond. Naruto raised his blade as air starting swirling around it. As Yagura neared, Naruto brought the blade down. "Wind Style: Maelstrom!" A massive whirlwind erupted just as the stage two cloaked lord reached him.

=x=

Hinata felt a sharp pain in her chest as she rested on the beach looking toward Whirlpool Island, "Something doesn't feel right." She whispered to herself, her voice trembling, "It feels like...Naruto's crying."


Evil cliff hanger alert anyone? :P Anyway, I've had a few suggestions for a fourth pairing along the lines. It seems Fu is a popular choice among the readers. If you have any ideas you'd like to toss my way, PM me and let me know.

Heads up for the next chapter, because things are gonna get nuts!

Next time: New Lord