Been a while. Here's chapter 7.
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(Flashback)
A man with shoulder length silver hair was out in a prison yard, chiseling out rocks with a pickaxe. A whistle blew and he stood up straight and wiped his brow. All the prisoners then shuffled around to line up and return their tools. Upon reaching an inspection table with other tools on it, he spots a sharp screwdriver. Grinning maniacally, he discreetly swipes it and stores it in his sleeve before continuing to his cell.
In another part of the prison, 2 very tall and very fat men are laying in their cells, stuffing their faces with buns. Reaching for another one and not realizing they were gone, the man brought his hand up and bit his hand, hard.
"OUCH!" He looked down and said "BROTHER! We are out of food!"
The other brother, who had a goatee and a unibrow, was snapped out of a daze. "Oh. We are."
"I need food! I will starve without it!" And if on cue, his stomach rumbled unnaturally loud. "Wait!" He shouted. "I smell something delicious!" He then walked over to the bars, and without any effort bent the steel to allow a very large opening for him to step through. His brother followed curiously, wondering what did smell so good.
A few moments later, they arrived at the cell of the silver haired man, and he smiled and beckoned the brothers to join him. After they gave the bars the same treatment, the brothers sat happily eating another crate of buns.
"It was worth the risk, getting those buns, don't you think? Fuijin, Raijin? Said the man.
The brothers vigorously nodded, their mouths full.
" I can get you even more delicious food, if you come with me. The man who gave me my strength will surely reward you both as well."
"The man you told us about?" Asked Raijin.
"Yes...Orochimaru-Sama." He grinned wickedly again.
They proceeded to simply bust out of the prison in between guard shifts. They didn't want to attract attention from Konoha more than they had to, the silver- haired man had somewhere to be.
(Flashback End)
Team 7 met up at the South Gate as Kakashi instructed them to, all 3 with a bag on their backs, but Naruto only had a few scrolls with his supplies sealed in there. Regardless, he still carried a slightly smaller bag so his pouches wouldn't be overfilled.
Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke and nodded at his team. "Alright, the prison is a few hours away and Mizuki has a day or so head start on us. Let's check there first and then work out a strategy. Move out!"
They proceeded to run full speed, with Kakashi in the lead and Sasuke in the back with Naruto and Sakura on the sides, in a diamond formation. As Kakashi said, they arrived in the prison in 3 ½ hours, stopping once so Sakura could rest. Once they arrived, the Chunin guards led them to Mizuki's cell. Kakashi bit his thumb, quickly ran through his hand seals and said "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Jutsu!) and in a puff of smoke appeared a small pug with a blue Konoha headband on his head.
"Hey Kakashi. What do you need?" Said the dog in a deep voice.
"Pakkun. Could you please help us track some escaped prisoners? This is one of their cells."
"Prisoners?" Questioned Sakura. "I thought it was only Mizuki who escaped."
Kakashi shook his head. "Mizuki had help from Fuijin and Raijin. The legendary stupid brothers. Their strength and speed has almost no equal, but as the name suggests, well...they're stupid." He eye smiled.
They all sweatdropped and Pakkun just moved to the bed, sniffed a few times and nodded. "Alright, let's go outside and see if I can't find the trail and where these guys went."
XXX
Mizuki was dropping his prison clothes and slipping on a grey vest with no sleeves, showing off his large arms and muscular body. Fuijin and Raijin were kneeling around a hot pot in another part of the house, happily waiting for it to be ready. A woman with dark eyes and long black hair which was braided down her back with jaw length bangs, framing either side of her face was kneeling near him.
"Mizuki…" She whispered. "Please...stop this. Don't go to Orochimaru. He will corrupt you."
Mizuki looked down at her gently. "Tsubaki. Don't worry. Orochimaru will give me the power I deserve, and with that power I can take revenge on those Konoha idiots who locked me up. Maybe if I kill the demon brat, they'll see me as a hero as well." He grinned, remembering all the times in the academy he tried to sabotage the Blonde Jinchuriki, but the boy avoided his efforts and succeeded in the academy anyway.
Tsubaki looked pained. Mizuki told her all about how evil the "demon trash" was but she had never heard much about him other than an occasional prank. How could that be evil? But she did know all about Orochimaru's crimes, and wondered how Mizuki's ideology could be so twisted.
Mizuki finished stocking up on food, he turned to the brothers who had just finished eating. "We're leaving. Go outside, I'll be right out. They nodded and walked out with satisfied grins on their faces. Mizuki then turned to Tsubaki again, but before he could say anything she ran towards him and hugged him tightly.
"Please Mizuki...stop this. You were such a sweet man. Do not go to Orochimaru, you know he only uses people as pawns. I'm begging you, please stay, for me." She cried. Mizuki only looked down on her calmly before he gave a quick chop to her neck, knocking her out.
"Pft, love. I have no need for that. Only power." He grinned wickedly as he walked out. He approached the brothers, who were standing there with stupid smiles on their faces. "We raid the Nara clan laboratory first. Orochimaru-Sama left the materials I need for my next level of power. Once I have that, we head to Otogakure. Got it?"
"Yes!" They said in unison. Then, with impressive speed they took off through the forest.
A few hours later, Team 7 arrived at Tsubaki's house on the far outskirts of Konoha. "They were here." Said Pakkun. They also left a few hours ago, but their scent is strong inside the house." Kakashi nodded. "Let's check it out. We may be able to find some clues. Let's make it quick." The 3 genin nodded and followed their sensei inside. Kakashi narrowed his eyes upon seeing a woman sprawled out on the floor. He approached her still body and crouched down. He placed a finger on her temple and sent out a quick pulse of chakra to attempt to wake her up. A few seconds later, the woman began stirring. Her eyes shot open and she quickly sat up, shouting "Mizuki…!" She then noticed Kakashi crouched next to her with a calm expression on his face.
"Ah, so you seem to know him." Said the Jonin. "Care to explain?"
Tsubaki hesitated. She didn't want to sell out her fiance. But he was heading down a dark path that was sure to end in disaster. Maybe the Konoha ninja could save him, or bring him to his senses. She wanted him back. "Mizuki is my fiance. He came here with 2 big men that looked very similar. He asked me for food and supplies. But...he mentioned Orochimaru. He believes Orochimaru will give him power to exact revenge on Konoha…" She trailed off.
"That's certainly alarming." Muttered Kakashi. "Orochimaru is more than likely just using Mizuki as a pawn. Do you know where he went?"
"No...I tried to persuade him to stay but he just knocked me unconscious." She trailed off.
Naruto listened intently. He always got a bad vibe from Mizuki at the academy and this only seemed to confirm his suspicions that he was a piece of shit human. Sasuke surprisingly was also a little perturbed. This woman obviously loved that man and he threw her away...kind of like someone else did. Sakura was appalled, she couldn't believe someone would treat his fiancee like that.
Kakashi stood up. "Let's move out. We need to make more haste now." Team 7 approached the door and Tsubaki shouted out "Please stop him...I want him back!"
Kakashi just eye-smiled again and called out as they left. "We'll catch him, don't worry."
XXX
Mizuki and the brothers were on their way to a Nara clan lab in the middle of the clans part of the forest. Orochimaru had stashed some of the ingredients he needed to reach the level of power he had been promised. But he needed to be quick, he was sure Konoha had already sent a team after him. He was sure he could destroy them, but he wanted to be by Orochimaru-Sama's side as soon as possible. He turned to Fuijin and Raijin and nodded. They nodded back slowly and they picked up the pace, racing towards the Nara clan forest and within it, their lab.
XXX
Pakkun landed deftly in the grass in front of a moderately sized building a kilometer or so inside of the Nara clan forest. Kakashi and his genin landed right behind him and the Jonin sighed when he saw the 2 Nara clan guards laying in the grass unconscious.
"So he was already here. I wonder what he would want from this lab? He has no affiliations with the Nara's." Said Kakashi.
"That woman mentioned Orochimaru when we asked about him. Maybe Orochimaru left something here for him." Said Sasuke.
"It's a possibility. Orochimaru often gives his pawns power through artificial means and this is a lab the snake can easily slither into. I'll send a message to Konoha to come treat these guards. Let's move out! Pakkun!" The dog nodded and they all leap into the trees again, following Mizuki's trail.
A few kilometers ahead in a rather large cave, Mizuki was busy pouring out the various liquids he would use to attain the next level of power he was promised. He poured the last vial of a black colored liquid into a table with various compartments with small floodgates. He pushed a button and the gates opened, and every liquid rushed towards a central canal, mixing, and then landing into a test tube.
"It is ready." Sighed Mizuki contentedly. He raised the tube to his mouth and drank the contents in one gulp, with Fuijin and Raijin curiously watching. He then sat down and closed his eyes. "Yes. I can feel myself getting stronger. If this keeps going, I will have no equal!" He cackled. He sat there a few moments more, basking in his own strength, when he felt a presence outside. "Ahh, so Konoha finally sent their backups. Let's go see who they sent."
Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke were crouched in a tree a couple of meters away from the cave. Pakkun had already been desummoned and Team 7 was about to devise a strategy when Kakashi shouted "Look out!"
The branch they were standing up shattered in an explosion, and Team 7 landed in a clearing where Mizuki and the stupid brothers stood. "Ah, Kyūbi. So nice to see you again." Grinned Mizuki crookedly. Naruto simply narrowed his eyes.
"Oh!" Shouted Fuijin. That one has pink hair! Kind of like cake frosting!" He said, pointing at Sakura. "Let's get her!"
"You are right! And that one has silver hair! They look funny. Yes! Let's get them!" Shouted Raijin. Kakashi and Sakura looked at each other and sweat dropped, before hopping away and the brothers jumping as well with speed that looked unnatural for their size.
Mizuki still stood there, grinning at Naruto. Suddenly, Naruto said "Sasuke, go with Kakashi. I can handle him on my own." Sasuke hesitantly looked at him, then suddenly nodded like he remembered something, and hopped away.
"So you don't want to have your friend see you die. How thoughtful." Chuckled Mizuki.
"I thought he'd be better use with our Sensei." Stated Naruto coldly. "I'll be done with you in no time." As he spoke, his eyes seemed to ice over and harden, turning into a freezing, unbreakable blue.
"Humph." Grunted Mizuki. "So the demon seems to think he is strong. I'll show you just how wrong you are. I'll kill you! Your friends! And lay waste to your village! Nothing can stop me now!" He shouted maniacally.
Naruto sighed, deactivating his seals and drawing his sword slowly, the black blade gleaming off the sun as menacingly as ever. He got into a ready stance, putting the weight on the balls of his feet, ready to spring into action. Mizuki simply grinned, only taking out one Kunai. "That sure is a nice sword." He mocked. "Maybe I'll present it to Orochimaru-Sama so he can add to his collection."
Naruto simply jumped forward, but much slower than he was capable of, to catch Mizuki off guard with his next attack. He brought his sword down in a straight swing, and Mizuki simply blocked, still being much stronger physically. Naruto then grinned and suddenly disappeared, before appearing behind Mizuki and kicking him in the back with a chakra enhanced kick, sending the man tumbling end over end for a few meters. "Maybe I don't need my sword." He thought, and resheathed it.
"So it seems you're not as helpless as I thought. Very well, let's see how long you last, Kyūbi." Mizuki then disappeared himself, before appearing in front of Naruto and sticking with a straight punch. Naruto brushed the fist aside before jumping up and coming down with an axe kick, which Mizuki was barely able to bring his arm up to block. The ground underneath him buckled, and the Ex-Chuunin took this opportunity to grab Naruto's ankle and tossed him towards a tree. The Genin simply flipped in midair and made his familiar cross-shaped hand seal and out poofed a clone behind him, with he used to kick off and stop his backwards momentum, landing deftly on the grass in a crouch. He then shot forward, appearing before Mizuki again and rearing his fist back, which became coated in Wind Chakra. "Fūton: Senpūken!" (Wind Release: Whirlwind Fist!) He shouted and stuck his opponent in his abdomen before he could react, sending him flying back in an explosion of a violent wind storm and through 3 trees before slamming harshly into a 4th and slumping to the ground.
XXX
Kakashi and Sakura landed in another clearing with Sasuke landing behind them seconds later. Before them stood Fuijin and Raijin, who grinned numbly and waited for the "Ninja with yummy hair" to make a move. Kakashi whispered to Sasuke and Sakura "We don't be able to overpower them. Our best bet is to out smart then." He proceeded to whisper some details to his team.
Sasuke and Sakura jumped into the trees and hid themselves while Kakashi made a few hand seals before slamming his hand onto the ground. "Doton: Doryūheki!" He shouted (Earth Style: Mud Wall!) and 4 walls proceeded to spring up around the brothers. It was at this point Sasuke and Sakura both threw a few kunai with explosive tags at the walls as they formed, managing to slip them in before the walls came in contact and formed the structure around the brothers. A large explosion then rang out, blasting the walls apart, and throwing the brothers away from each other. Strangely enough, they were only slightly singed from the explosion. Sasuke took this opportunity to throw various shuriken with ninja wire attached at Raijin, who was flying towards a nearby tree. He successfully managed to wrap the wire around the tree and ensnare Raijin, and made a few quick hand seals himself. "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!) and the wire which he had in his mouth immediately caught on fire, and a large fireball blazed along the line, rushing towards Raijin and right before it struck him, he raised his arms and snapped the wire with an angry grunt. He jumped away just in time for the fire to make contact with the tree and explode as well. Fuijin then ran over to his brother, who had an angry look on his face.
"Shall we crush them now, brother?" Said Fuijin.
"Yes." Said Raijin simply before they both took off running towards Kakashi. Seeing this high speed, Kakashi lifted his headband to reveal his own Sharingan, before jumping straight up as the brothers struck at him with a straight punch. He flipped over and landed behind them, and struck at Fuijin with a straight kick, which connected but didn't move the giant at all. The giant proceeded to quickly turn around and backhand Kakashi away, and the Jounin barely managed to block before he was thrown away. He landed on the ground on his feet but skid a few feet back, before grimacing and jumping into the tree himself.
"He is scared, brother." Giggled Raijin.
"Yes. Next time he comes out, we crush him." Smiled Fuijin.
Kakashi sat in the tree watching the brothers with a bored expression on his face. It was at that moment that he heard a rustling and Sasuke and Sakura jumped to his side.
"What will we do, Sensei?" Asked Sakura. "None of our attacks work."
"Genjutsu." Said Sasuke. "We have to trap them in an illusion. Seeing that they're even more stupid than I imagined, it should work."
Kakashi sighed and nodded. "Pretty much. How good are you with your Sharingan Genjutsu, Sasuke?"
"I can manage. The problem will be getting close enough to cast one, they move faster than I can react to." Begrudgingly admitted the Uchiha.
"Let's see." Said the Jounin thoughtly. He then made a familiar cross shaped hand seal. A clone poofed into existence and it made another hand seal. It then transformed into a copy of Sasuke.
"This is a Raiton: Kage Bunshin. (Lightning Release: Shadow Clone.) It'll shock them upon dispelling, allowing you a brief moment to get close and make eye contact." Stated Kakashi.
Sasuke nodded, he would have to get his timing damn near perfect. "What can I do Sensei?" Asked Sakura hopefully, looking for a chance to impress Sasuke.
"Mmm..try to not get smashed." Eye smiled the Jounin before he hopped down and the Sasuke-clone followed. Sakura hung her head in shame upon realizing she couldn't help much other than throw a few shuriken. Sasuke then hopped to a different tree to get a better vantage on the clone, leaving the pink haired girl alone.
XXX
"Ugh.." Groaned Mizuki. That attack hurt, and demon was fast. This would've been it for his old self, but thankfully he could still fight with his improved body. He picked himself out of the tree rubble and stood up, cracking his back. He then walked back toward the clearing where Naruto stood nonchalantly. "Maybe you aren't as bad as I originally thought, you demon, but now I'll show you why I'm your superior!" He took a deep breath and a large burst of a Chakra escaped the Ex-Chuunin. He began to get even larger, and his skin began to turn orange, with black-tiger like markings appeared on his arms and face. "Let's see if you can keep up now!" He laughed with a deeper voice, and took off in a burst of speed. He appeared in front of Naruto who ducked his straight punch, and the blonde retaliated with his own straight punch at Mizuki, which managed to connect and send the transformed man skidding back a few feet.
"Why can he still hit me!?" Thought the man in frustration. "I obtained the ultimate power from Orochimaru-Sama!" He then ran towards the blonde and launched a series of punches who were nimbly dodged, before the blonde back flipped away.
Naruto then laughed, only further enraging Mizuki. "Your power is nothing but a lie...Mizuki-Sensei." Said the blonde mockingly. "You can't achieve true power through some stupid experiment. I guess your visions of grandeur were nothing but illusions. You were among those who tried to make my life difficult. You'll pay dearly, here and now." He finished cooly.
Inside of Naruto's head, Kurama watched the fight unfold with a mild interest. "I guess the idiot is quite capable of holding grudges. This is very different from how he usually behaves, I wonder what brought this on. Regardless, I'll enjoy watching the one called Mizuki die." Chuckled the Fox.
Naruto then proceeded to make his familiar cross shaped seal, and 2 clones poofed into existence, with 2 immediately shooting forward and landing a kick each under Mizuki's chin, sending him flying up. The original then went through a few handseals and with shouted out "Suiton Mizurappa!" (Water Release: Wild Water Wave!) A large stream of water shot out of the blondes mouth and fanned out, keeping Mizuki aloft. He then made a different set of seals, and shouted Raiton: Kangekiha!" (Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration!) Pumping high amounts of chakra into the Jutsu, his arms became alive with sparks which grew louder and larger by the second. Finally, he shot the sparks, which resembled small thunderbolts up the stream of water, and into the silver-haired man. The electricity crackled dangerously, before Mizuki's scream of pain shot out through the clearing.
"AAAAUUUUGGHHHHHHHHHHHHhhh..." A piercing cry rang out before gurgling out and a body falling harshly back to earth.
Naruto then walked over to Mizuki slowly, slightly frowning at the smell of burnt flesh.
"Hmmm.." Rumbled Kurama. "Did you kill him?"
"No. He isn't worth the effort. I did fry all of his nerve endings, so his life as a Shinobi is over. Regardless, let's go see how Kakashi is doing. But before that, he crouched down and pulled out a scroll, and making a half tiger seal, he activated the chakra within the ink of the Prisoner Transport Scroll. He used his other hand to touch Mizuki's forearm, and sent out another burst. The body disappeared in a poof. He then disappeared himself in a swirl of leaves, thinking "Alright! Finally got that sealless shunshin down." He grinned.
XXX
Kakashi had sent out his booby-trapped clone 1st, following behind it underground using the Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu (Earth Release: Hiding Like A Mole Technique) and after a few moments of Fuijin mock trading blows with the clone, it let itself get smashed, giving a large shock to his opponent. He took that opportunity to jump out of the ground and use one of his most basic but versatile visual Genjutsu. Fuijin locked eyes with Kakashi, watching the 3 Tomoe spin around in his eye hypnotically. The large man swayed, and simply fell to the ground, fast asleep. Kakashi sighed and looked over to see Raijin busy with his other clone and Sasuke. Thankfully he hadn't noticed. He quickly pulled out the scroll Naruto had given him and went through the same motions, and Fuijin's body was gone.
Naruto appeared next to Sakura, who was still hidden in the tree. "Hey Sakura, care to fill me in?"
"Naruto you idiot! Don't scare me like that!" She angrily whispered.
"If that scared you...you have a lot to work on as a Shinobi." He said with a raised eyebrow.
That served as a reminder that she was again, not helpful in this fight and hung her head as a rain cloud appeared over her. Naruto sighed and said "Well?"
"Kakashi-Sensei put one of those idiots in a Genjutsu and now Sasuke-kun is trying to do the same." She grumbled.
Naruto diverted his attention to the Uchiha, and was doing a fine job of working in tandem with his clone to land some impressive Taijutsu maneuvers. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was too large for the blows to have much effect. Kakashi then appeared beside Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I assume Mizuki was taken care of?" He said.
Naruto grinned and pointed to his pouch, and Kakashi responded with an eye smile.
"Now," Said the Jounin. "Should we help Sasuke?"
"Let's have faith!" Exclaimed Naruto. "Just watch."
It was at this point Sasuke had enough of messing around. He nodded to his clone and it jumped up, while he went for another barrage of blows.
Raijin laughed. "It will not work, puny boy. I-"
He was cut off at the clone landed on his back and pressed both hands to his temple and dispersed itself, giving a large shock to the man, with a direct pathway to his nervous system. Raijin collapsed to his knees and Sasuke again ran forward, eyes wide and Sharingan spinning rapidly. I sidestepped and Raijin numbly lunged forward, trying to knock him away, but the large shock has impaired him much like it did his brother. Sasuke then cast his most powerful Sharingan Genjutsu, and instead of falling asleep, Raijin was paralyzed. The Uchiha then smirked and turned around.
"Damn...You.." He groaned before the rest of Team 7 jumped down and Kakashi delivered a chakra enhanced chop to his neck, successfully knocking him out. After having sealed Raijin away, Kakashi stood up and eye-smiled at his team.
"Well..that was troublesome. Let's get back to Konoha, shall we?" Everyone nodded gratefully and off they took into the trees.
XXX
A few hours later they were in Konoha, walking into the Hokage tower. They climbed the stairs, and after a moments, reached the Sandiame's office. Kakashi knocked, and waited.
"Enter." Called Hiruzen. He smiled upon seeing Naruto and his team, which Naruto reciprocated.
"Team 7 reporting the success of the search and capture mission of Mizuki and his accomplices." Spoke Kakashi, while digging 3 scrolls out of his pouch. Hiruzen nodded and an ANBU materialized in the room, and bowed to the Hokage and Kakashi before receiving the scrolls, leaving as quickly as he appeared.
"Why did he bow to you, Kakashi-Sensei?" Asked Sakura.
"Well…" Kakashi started, before Naruto interrupted. "Kakashi-Sensei used to be an ANBU captain." He stated nonchalantly. Sasuke managed to raise an eyebrow, and Sakura exclaimed her surprise. Was her Sensei really that strong? She realized she was further behind her team pretty often, and he felt like she was powerless. Another rain cloud appeared over her said and she shut up.
"Hehe.." Chuckled Kakashi. "That's in the past, Naruto. Now I'm just your beloved sensei!" Everyone sweatdropped and Hiruzen cleared his throat.
"Distractions aside, any other details to report?" Asked the Hokage.
"No sir, other than Mizuki's fiance still lives in the outskirts of town and she might have some more information about his affiliation to Orochimaru."
Hiruzen nodded. "Very well, dismissed."
Kakashi turned to Team 7 and said "I'll give you guys 3 days off. Meet at our usual spot then. See ya." And was gone in a puff of smoke.
They bowed to the Hokage and exited. Once outside, Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Naruto. Spar with me." He said.
Naruto looked into his eyes and saw a spark, something that told him Sasuke wanted to improve his abilities instead of just validate his superiority complex. "Alright, you got it. Meet me at our training ground." He grinned. He then disappeared in a swirl of leaves and Sasuke nodded, before frowning and muttering "Show off.."
"Sasuke-Kun" Spoke up Sakura. "Can I come? I may learn something. I know I need to improve."
"Hn." Said Sasuke. "Don't care." But he thought "You may finally start to realize it. I hope you do before it's too late."
Sakura was thrilled he didn't reject her like always, so he followed him to their training ground. When they arrived, they saw Naruto sitting cross legged on the posts. Sakura jumped into a tree to observe, and Sasuke walked up to Naruto.
"You ready?" Asked the Uchiha, ready to show Naruto the results of his secret training.
In return, Naruto just raised his head, revealing a pair of purple ringed eyes that looked to be almost glowing.
And unbeknownst to all of them, Kakashi was sitting at the other side of a clearing, watching his students. "Well...Hopefully he doesn't kill him!" He eye-smiled.
XXX
That's a wrap. Please review, it serves at motivation to keep writing. That cuts down time between chapters. :)
