Author's Note: My greatest apologies for the delay! I actually had wrote out, the entire chapter but, I just didn't like what I wrote. So I scrapped it and began anew. But with all the things going on and midterms on the way, I did not have time to work on it. Now some things I wanted to address.
I've been told that I made Naruto too pretty. What I have to say is that my depiction of Naruto was heavily based off D from the Vampire Hunter D series, a true masterpiece in my opinion. Obviously my Naruto isn't a carbon copy but still, I wanted the whole 'Ethereal and Otherworldly' approach. However, I will say this. My Naruto is not perfect. He will make mistakes and be outclassed in certain fields of the shinobi arts. You have to remember, he has all of Madara's skills and knowledge.
Tons of people have asked me where Naruto stands in terms of strength. I'd say some where in the upper Kage levels. Not quite able to compete with Hashirama and Madara just yet. Remember, he's only 14. He can't compare to those two in their prime currently.
Anyways...hope you enjoy!
Oh, this another original chapter by the way.
Chapter 8: Fire and Ice Part 2
'A moonless night. A perfect night.'
A grim mask set upon Naruto's face he went stealing through the marshes of Wave country. There were things that needed to be done before he moved against Gato. Things that he needed to know for certain. Ever since they came to Wave a two days ago, there had been too many inconsistencies throughout the mission.
For one, where had Tazuna received the money to hire out shinobi when all of his resources were pooled into a major construction project? He had seen the bridge and it was truly an architectural behemoth. The amount of material and labor alone should have crippled the old man financially yet, he still had the resources to hire out a c-rank mission? It made no sense.
Another thing that puzzled him was how brazenly Gato was operating in Wave without any caution what so ever. Wave was a major port that linked to the southern ocean and its countries. How could his activities go unnoticed when, undoubtedly, Suna would send several of their shinobi on escort or retrieval missions to Wave due to their shared treaty? And where exactly was that fool of a daimyo who should be driving Gato out of his country? It simply made no sense that Gato had entrenched himself so deeply into Wave so quickly.
No. Naruto needed answers and he was going to get them tonight. Hence the reason he was currently headed over to the Wave Daimyo's palace for a visit. Unannounced and unnoticed of course.
As he glided through the tree tops Naruto pondered over the events of the last few days. After Tsunami's son had his little outburst, he had to keep Sasuke from committing homicide outside of the mission parameters. It wouldn't look good on the record if their team was going around and murdering young civilians after all. He had expected the young Uchiha to return still fuming and sullen in the morning but was pleasantly surprised to find him back to his usual aloof self. Now that had piqued Naruto's interest. Sasuke tended to brood and for long periods of time when he became upset. So what changed now?
Coming upon a clearing that marked the outer grounds of Wave's royal palace, Naruto could see that the outer walls were a heavy mix of wood and stone, most likely to keep the structure from sinking into the soft ground. More than likely the inner palace was all wood and bamboo as any other material would prove to be too heavy into the marshes. Naruto inwardly scoffed at how the palace relied too heavily on the outer defenses and natural terrestrial advantages. The surrounding flat wetlands that had a near ever present mist, was ideally great for rebuffing armies and withstanding sieges. Conversely, it made it very simple for a small team or a single individual to sneak in unnoticed and go about his business.
As he approached the outer fortifications under the cover of darkness and mist, Naruto could tell that the walls were manned with a low number of guards, marked by the small number of torches moving about. Weaving his hands through the necessary hand signs, Naruto preformed a most useful Earth jutsu derived from Madara's memories. The Uchiha himself had taken it from the Shodaime Tsuchikage… right before he killed him.
Pressing his body forward, Naruto melded right into the stone and slowly passed right through the barrier. Carefully pushing only his face out the other side, Naruto made sure that there were no watchmen to discover him. The downside to this jutsu was that Naruto could no longer use his sensory abilities or anything else for that matter. He could have just used Kamui appear on the other side, unnoticed, but where was the fun in that? No, he decided long ago that he would not become overly reliant on his sharingan. It would only serve to reduce his overall capabilities and hamper any future endeavors of his.
Flitting through the shadows and hiding himself in the various flower beds, Naruto cautiously approached the palace itself. It was a traditional oriental mansion, nowhere near the grandeur of the Fire Country's royal halls but, still, impressive in its own rights; the artisans working around the various bodies of water to give the manse a very natural form of aesthetics. It was actually quite similar to one of the compounds of the Senju that Tobirama had built just to the south of Konoha on one of the clans many holds.
The Wave palace was built in the shape of a two-dimensional house. The initial half of the building built in a hollow rectangle with a large garden and pond in the center. At the back was the main palace where the daimyo, his family and various court officials resided.
Naruto pooled his chakra to his finger tips and toes, and he began to scale the palace. Once on the roof, he crouched low and took notice of all guards and their positions. Two stationed at every corner and four of them making rounds around the interior garden. Walking over to the left wing of the building and crouching at the very edge, he drew a single kunai and, with a lazy flick, threw it into the pond.
It landed with a very audible plop, causing the guards to bristle into action.
"What was that?!"
"Is someone there?!"
As they all darted forth and toward the edges of the pond, Naruto patently waited. "Must've been my imagination." One by one they slowly went back to their posts, except for one who kept suspiciously examining the fading ripples in the water. He eventually shrugged and turned around, intending to head back to his post.
Faster than a human eye can follow, Naruto reached down, clasped a hand over the guard's mouth and hooked an arm under the man's underarm and hoisted him onto the roof. Keeping his hand securely locked over the guard's mouth and nose, as to keep a sound from getting out, Naruto locked gazes with the man's wide and terrified eyes. His own starting to bleed a crimson light.
With a quiet whisper of,"Tsukiyomi," he gleamed all that he needed to know.
"Haku," a gruff voice called. "Get me some water."
As Haku entered the room, she noticed the large thin man lying motionless on the bed and as her gaze matched his she let out a sigh of exasperation.
"You know," she started off tiredly. "I'm beginning to think you're enjoying this too much Zabuza-sama."
"Enjoy," he said loudly. "The hell is there to enjoy about being barely able to fuckin move and being fuckin fed by some ungrateful brat who put you in the damn situation in the first shittin place!"
"Language, Zabuza-sama," she chided.
"English you idiot! Now where the fuck is my water!"
Haku sighed again. Her master was so completely unreasonable when he was bored. It was the whole reason he was in this mess to begin with. Had he planned his attack and done it at the opportune moment instead of charging off swinging his sword like some Neanderthal, they would be in some nice inn with a warm bath and pockets filled with money instead of this dump in the middle of a swamp.
"Oi! Brat! Stop that!"
"What," she asked with forming a confused frown.
Zabuza simply rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that horseshit! I recognize that look. You were thinking less then pleasant thoughts about me!"
Haku simply huffed. "The world doesn't revolve around you Zabuza-sama," she said cheekily. Of course reality might not, but Haku's world was certainly centered on him. However, he didn't need to be told that. Sweet Sage knows that his head was big enough as it is.
"The hell it doesn't! I'm Zabuza Awesomeness Momochi! Bitches line up for me and the rest of the world can line up and kiss my beautiful and finely shaped ass!"
'Pale and lumpy more like it,' Haku thought as she poured some water into a glass.
"Speaking of fine ass, you gonna tell me who the muthafucka who got into your pants was?"
Dropping the glass onto the floor and causing it to shatter into a thousand pieces, Haku spun around and chocked out an indignant," W-w-what!?"
Zabuza frowned at the shattered glass and said, "No need to break the china. It costs money too ya know?"
"B-back up a minute," she spluttered. "What do you mean g-got into my p-p-pants?!"
"You heard me," he said accusingly. "A couple days ago you come back all red and shit. You refused to look me in the eye and stuttered your way into bed."
Being reminded of that morning caused Haku's porcelain skin to turn a fine shade of scarlet. "See," Zabuza said while pointing accusingly with his nose. "You look like a school girl that got to meet her crush!" Haku went from scarlet to a deep crimson and quickly averted her eyes. Seeing this Zabuza's eyes narrowed a frown quickly marred his brow. "Haku," he said carefully. "You weren't molested were you?"
Haku's eyes went wide at this statement and when she thought about it, strictly speaking, yes she was. At this realization Haku's blush took on a previously undiscovered shade of red. Of course it all melted away when Zabuza opened his mouth and returned to his crass self.
"Nah, what am I saying? Who'd touch your flat-as-a-board ass? I mean seriously, any idiot with a half brain would take one look at you and say, no girl is that level. Most likely some kid who spends too much time with mom's make-up or likes to wear his sister's clothes. Hah! You'd probably scare away just as many women as men."
Zabuza began to laugh uncontrollably and continued on his little soliloquy at Haku's expense. All the while ignorant of the spilled water on the floor rising up and forming several needles above his manhood.
Naruto had been sitting on top the Wave Daimyo's palace, digesting the information he had just uncovered when his head shot up and looked around sharply. He could have sworn he just heard a high-pitched scream. For one reason or another, Naruto felt inclined to draw his legs tighter and closer together and curl up, close to his core… Where had that desire come from? Bah! He quickly dismissed such a foolish notion and sent his thoughts back on track.
The Wave Daimyo was dead.
Had been for several months now. Apparently Gato had managed to off the local lord with some hired help. Obviously not Zabuza as the assassination was impressively a nonviolent method. Long-term exposure to a poison in controlled doses, made to look like the Wave Daimyo died of disease. It was only found out after he died that he was poisoned.
Secretly Naruto was impressed. Assassinating a daimyo, even one of a minor country like Wave was no small feat. Even more remarkable was the fact that it was kept hidden from him. In the last five years, three daimyos, including the Wave one, died. Of the other two, one died directly by Naruto's hand and the other by more subtle means. Yes, it was impressive that Gato had become so capable. Impressive and disturbing. Obviously the midget tyrant needed to be disposed of as within a few years, he might prove to be a significant thorn in the side.
Another interesting fact was that Wave's throne, currently sat empty. Apparently only a male could inherit the throne and, as the Wave Daimyo had only one daughter, it would be her future husband who would take the throne. In all honesty, things were playing out quite nicely. If he planned this right, he could have the country within Fire's grasp in a legitimate matter with no room for argument or controversy.
Yes, once Naruto removed Gato, it would be the daughter of Wave that would provide all the necessary tools. Interestingly enough, it was her that had lent the money to Tazuna to hire out Konoha shinobi. It made sense, there was no way that the old drunkard of a bridge builder could pull the resources for any shinobi involvement on his behalf. Now if only he could get his hands on those treasury receipts that no doubt were drawn up for the loan to Tazuna.
Placing a single finger on the ground, Naruto did a sensory check as he had been doing every five minutes. It's not paranoia when you have dozens upon dozens of people who would like your head for various reasons. Sending out a small pulse of chakra, he was thoroughly surprised to find three fairly large chakra signatures. Two of the charka sources were strong, he guess them to be jounin level. The third however…
The third was far too large for his comfort. Even the old Sandaime Hokage didn't have reserves that big. Sure, maybe in his youth he would have matched up, possibly surpassed this signature but still. Who was this person?
Could it be Suna's jinchuuriki? Shukaku's chakra levels would be higher but perhaps the seal was limiting the chakra output similar to his own. No, if it was the one-tails then the fox would have awoken from its slumber in response to being in such close vicinity of one its siblings. Besides, he couldn't feel a secondary source within the third signature. Whoever this was obviously quite powerful in their own right and not a jinchuuriki.
Naruto stood up as it was best to leave immediately. No need for a confrontation with unknown party of obvious strength when he was busy trying to take over a country. It was best if he left and returned to the others. Within a few days all of this would be taken care of and he could return to Konoha. The thought of how much paperwork that must have piled up in his absence gave him a headache.
Shaking his legs loose, as they were tense from having sit down for so long he turned towards the direction that the town was located in. Walking over to the edge of the roof, he bent his knees and, with a powerful jump, he launched himself into the night air, his black garb completely obscuring his frame and his pale blonde hair broken with the black streaks all but invisible.
As he landed with a soft thud, his impact cushioned and lessened with chakra, several hundred meters away; he broke into a silent run and dashed to his fellow Konoha shinobi. A minute passed as he flew through the spongy marsh when he realized he was being followed. It seems that the trio of unknowns had a sensor of their own and were diligently following his trail.
He again contemplated using Kamui get them off his trail but, if they were so eager to dance why be so discourteous as to turn them down?
Mei Terumi was angry. She had come to this forsaken back water of a nation in the hopes of finding that thickheaded idiot Zabuza and getting him to return and help fight against Yagura and his regime. And if he refused she'd cheerfully beat him to death. Of course when she arrived at Wave, it turned out the country was even more of a dump then she'd previously thought.
Really, you'd think the country would be in much better shape when it has a major revenue in shipping and fishing. Normally she'd just blame greedy nobles and poor management on their part, but she could tell something ran deeper here. And her intuition told her that bonehead of a swordsman was right in the dead center of things. As usual.
So she decided to head over to Wave Daimyo's palace and get a few answers. Admittedly traveling to a feudal lord's home in the dead cover of night when you're a highly trained killer might not exactly get you the most endearing of welcomes but, she just came from a long and boring journey, was dead tired and desperately wanted a warm bath. Her two travel companions weren't exactly helping her mood either.
Chojuro, bless him, was a sweet boy who, while shy, was an incredibly gifted swordsman. Gifted enough to be a member of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman of the Mist. Incidentally, he was the only swordsman of the mist. The other six had run off on their own little paths.
Mei snorted. 'Six paths. As if there's anything remotely holy about this particular group of idiots.'
And then there was Aoi. Former hunter-nin and grade-A asshole. Honestly, he was so insensitive and rude. Always making comments about her…single status. It wasn't her fault! She was busy running a fuckin civil war! If it weren't for the man's usefulness, she would have turned him into a pile of ash long ago.
Mei barked out,"Aoi!"
"Y-yes?" Judging by her obvious irritation, the former hunter-nin was hesitant to respond. Mei Terumi was famous for her temper…and the violence that came with it.
"See if you can spot anything unusual. I'd rather not run into any trouble right now."
"Yes, ma'am," he said rather quickly. Aoi activated his hidden implanted Byakugan. Veins bulging on the left side of his face, his expression one of tight focus.
Suddenly, the man blanched and his face turned into, what Mei considered, a rather impressive resemblance to a fish. It soon turned into a deep scowl. Obviously he was displeased.
"Uhh…Aoi-san," the young swordsman asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"
"Sweet Sage of the Six Paths!" He muttered.
"…Are you going to just gape all day Aoi or are you going to tell us what you see?"
"Mei-sama there's a huge chakra source at the top of the palace. It makes Ukataka's look puny," the man said with a matter-of-fact tone.
""WHAT!?""
Chojuro yelled while Mei hissed. Mei quickly sent a withering glare towards Chojuro for being so loud, causing him to mutter out an apology.
Mei contemplated what that meant. The only chakra signatures that surpassed Ukataka's were the jinchuuriki of the Nanabi, Hachibi and Kyuubi. Which meant Takigakure, Kumogakure or Konohagakure were currently in Wave. She really couldn't afford to alienate or cause grief with any nation in her situation. Suddenly a thought occurred to her.
'Oh no…what if that idiot Zabuza runs into the jinchuuriki?! He'll cause an international incident!'
Jinchuuriki we're highly prized weapons of war. Killing one practically meant a declaration of war. Which is why they are almost never sent out of their respective villages. Who would be stupid enough to let their jinchuuriki wander about in some backwater nation?
"If it's bigger than Ukataka-san's, then doesn't that mean it's one of the higher ranked ones? Shouldn't we leave, I mean I heard the Hachibi jinchuuriki is capable of fighting on par with the five Kages. They even say that he can fully control his bijuu!"
"We'll be fine Chojuro," Mei said reassuringly. "Even if it's the Hachibi, I'm positive nothing will come of this." However, the unsaid 'I hope' rang loudly in all three heads.
"No," said Aoi carefully. "I remember the Hachibi from the last war. Killer Bee was his name and even his chakra reserves weren't this big!"
Chojuro made a very unmanly squeak and Mai covered her face in one hand.
'Of course,' she thought. Not only does she run into a jinchuuriki but, it just happens to be the one with the most powerful and terrifying of the bijuu. The nine-tailed fox. Destroyer of nations and a veritable force of nature. When the Yondaime Hokage died, the world didn't know whether to celebrate the death of Konoha's greatest shinobi or curse their luck that the Leaf had gotten their hands on the most powerful of the nine.
"Dammit!" Aoi hissed with obvious venom. "Damn it all to hell!"
Her luck would get worse. "What happened now Aoi," she asked exasperatedly.
"He's a sensor. And I think he's spotted us."
Mei's eyes went wide. Scenarios flashed through her head as her battle honed mind sought to find the most logical path to every possible outcome. She was strong. Very strong. She had no doubt she could take a jinchuuriki…so long as it wasn't fully trained to unleash its bijuu. Admittedly, Konoha has had fourteen years to train theirs. Aoi was a veteran of many battles, and, by his own admission, he has taken on jinchuuriki before. Chojuro, despite his personality, was a fierce opponent. Yes, they could take on the kyuubi jinchuuriki.
"Hang on," Aoi said. "It's heading away from here. Towards the direction of that village we passed."
Chojuro let out a large sigh and promptly sat on the ground. As relief began to wash over Mei as well, a small frown formed her lips. The adrenaline from anticipating a battle had thrown off her previous weariness and she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"Aoi," she called. "What do we know about the nine-tailed jinchuuriki?"
The man crossed his arms and put on a thoughtful expression. "Realistically? We know absolutely nothing aside from the fact that it's a male. After the Yondaime Hokage's death, Yagura sent spies, just like all the other nations. Yet, no one found out anything else. Apparently they have some law in Konoha where its punishable by death to be even heard talking about him."
"Wow. And I've always been told Konoha was really soft. That sounds like a thing the Mizukage would do," piped up Chojuro from his spot on the ground.
Inwardly Mei was also surprised. Konoha has always had a reputation as being a very lenient village, despite their overwhelming military power. Thinking to herself on how no one knows anything about the nine-tailed jinchuuriki, she couldn't help but feel that they had a golden opportunity to uncover some information. Nodding to herself she looked at her two escorts.
"Come on. Let's follow him."
The two shinobi looked at her, looked at each other and then looked back at her. Chojuro then gave a small laugh and said," You know Mei-sama. For a second there I thought you were asking us to chase down a jinchuuriki."
"Don't be silly Chojuro," she said while smiling sweetly. At this the men sighed in relief. "I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm ordering you to. Now get your ass up and let's move."
"Y-yes Mei-sama," the swordsman said as child would, responding to a scolding.
"Good," she said simply and then turned to Aoi. "Do you have anything to say?"
"N-no! Of c-course not!"
"Then let's be off, shall we?"
As all three began to chase down the lone jinchuuriki, they kept having to switch directions as he attempted to lead them astray. Luckily, with Aoi in the front they weren't about to lose him any time soon. Said man, however, had been grumbling the whole time.
"Hmph…back in my day we never chased after unknown men in the middle of an operation. Especially if the enemy may be out of you squad's combative league. Even if there is information to be learned that was previously unattainable."
Unfortunately for him, Mei was hearing bits and pieces of his tirade and began putting together her own conclusions of what he was saying.
'Chasing men?...out of my league?...unattainable?'
"Aoi," she called sweetly.
Aoi, who could feel pressure building on the back of his head, responded nervously without looking back. "Y-yes, Mei-sama?"
"Shut up or I'll kill you."
"Y-Yes, Mei-sama," the veteran shinobi gulped.
After a moment of two of silence, Aoi stopped dead in his tracks and looked around frantically. Not knowing why they stopped so abruptly Mei asked him why he suddenly ceased the pursuit. "I-I lost him. I can't find him! It's like he just vanished!"
"Did he get out of your range Aoi-san?"
"No, he was still well within my line of sight. How did he just disappear?"
Mei looked at Aoi skeptically, not believing someone with a chakra capacity of a jinchuuriki could just vanish from the Byakugan like that. Abruptly Aoi's head shot toward her direction with a panicked expression and he said frantically, "Mei-sama he's-"
"Right behind you," a deep voice finished.
Naruto gazed down at the group that was gaping at him at dispassionately. They certainly were an unexpected ragtag group. A Swordsman of the Mist, a Mist shinobi with a stolen Byakugan judging by the chakra coming off his left eye and a kunoichi with Kage level chakra reserves. If it wasn't against his nature to, he would have laughed at their expressions.
Although they weren't anywhere in his league, the woman had piqued his interest. Her chakra was unique and not just because of its size. It had a strange texture to it…and the density of her chakra…he could swear that it could match his own. But how was that possible? He was a hybrid between Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki and on top of all that he was a jinchuuriki. He was a singular entity. Unique in existence. How could a single, unknown, woman match his chakra?
Focusing away from her chakra he looked at the woman herself for the first time and memorized her form. He decided that she was a fabulous specimen of the female species. Tall and thin yet filled with luscious curves. Pearl-like skin glistening even under a moonless night, auburn hair long and cascading down her back and green eyes that shone with intelligence and elegance; she was singularly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Naruto drank in her intoxicating profile. Absolutely enthralled with her eyes, those soft emeralds that fit perfectly with her poise and figure worthy of that of a queen. Yes, there was pure majesty in her. One, which brought forth a side of him that he had no idea existed. He never felt such a…a desire before. Everything about her seemed to call out to him. Her full pink lips begging him to claim them, her soft curves pleading for his caress and her near red hair, imploring him to run his hands through the silken strands.
Indeed he….wait a minute…
'Red hair?'
Suddenly the enchantment on him was gone and any form of wanting passion was receding. Ice poured back into his veins and filled his heart once more. His eyes narrowed and the machine that was his mind was back in full force and processing the recent revelation. A single whisper from his lips broke the silence between them and filled one of them with dread.
Mei spun around to face the sudden voice that came from behind her. Preparing to throw herself into a battle she halted as she beheld the jinchuuriki that they had been chasing. He was standing on a branch of a dead tree that made him practically undetectable against the night sky. Completely covered in black, with two swords strapped on each side of his hips and something large on his back, she could just barely see the details of his face.
And what a face it was. Ivory skin that reflected what little light there was, smooth angular features that were fixed with a stern demeanor. And easily the most stunning sapphire eyes that she had ever seen. He looked like one of those angels from the elder tales.
Yet, there was something wrong despite his angelic appearance. The aura surrounding him; was it his chakra maybe? It was so dark, so absolutely freezing cold. She could feel it smother and suffocate the world around him. And for all the beauty those eyes held, there was a great terribleness to them. Empty…they held the promise of annihilation. Merciless and relentless. If he were an angel, then surely he must be the emissary of Death. For what other station could justify such remoteness that the world itself seemed an anathema in those eyes?
Mei shuddered as those eyes seemed to bore right into her soul and devoured her. He was just…wrong. Was this the evil of jinchuuriki? If Yagura brought forth madness and massacre, would this one unleash oblivion? Suddenly the thought of facing this monster became a far too daunting challenge.
The jinchuuriki stirred, his eyes narrowed and something flashed across his face. His eyed pierced through the night and fixated solely on her eyes. And Mei was filled with dread as he whispered a single name into the night.
"Uzumaki."
Her secret. The one her mother told to keep to herself no matter what. The legacy of one of the most powerful clans to ever exist ran through her veins. If it ever got out who she was and the legacy she carried, the Shinobi World would hunt her down to depths of hell to get their hands on her. She had no choice now. She had to face this monster and kill him.
Apparently the jinchuuriki was along the same thoughts, as his forearms crossed and a hand gripped each katana and drew them forth. Beside her, Aoi and Chojuro tensed. "Prepare yourself cousin," his deep rich voice announced. "You face the head of our household."
'Cousin!'
Unfortunately she couldn't speculate on his words because he moved. And boy did he move. He shunshined right behind her between the three of them and swung one his blades at the back of Aoi's head. Aoi barely had time to duck as the katana clipped some his elongated blue hair. She didn't doubt for a second that if it weren't for Aoi's Byakugan, that he would have been decapitated.
As she moved to throw a kick to his now vulnerable and open left, she was forced to twist her neck to the side as the other sword stabbed forward even as Chojuro was made to bring forward Hiramekarei to block a strike. Then, with a powerful spin, he forced all of them to move backwards.
As her eyes locked forwards, she caught sight of his face trough locks of watery blonde and black locks. He smirked smugly as he twirled his katana in his hands.
And then it began. An onslaught of whirling blades that they were forced to dance around and dodge. It was ridiculous! Mei fumed that it was they who were on the defensive when it was three against one. "Aoi! Chojuro," she barked.
They looked at her and nodded and jumped back as she flashed through several hand seals and called out, "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!" [Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique]
The jinchuuriki looked thoroughly surprise, Mei noted smugly, as she spewed out a large cloud of blazing molten rock above his head. He quickly blurred out from underneath the burning mass but Chojuro was on him in a flash. He was forced to bring both his swords up as Hiramekarei smashed into him. The momentum of Chojuro's swing in addition to the swords own weight launched the jinchuuriki into the air and sent him to the descending lava.
A flash of irritation crossed his face and he threw both Katana into the ground as he quickly twisted his body and formed a tiger seal. "Fūton: Daitoppa" [Wind Release: Great Wind Breakthrough]
The wind jutsu propelled him backwards and scattered the lava into the trees, causing it to melt right them and ignite a forest fire. As the jinchuuriki flipped backwards and landed on his feet, Aoi was on him. The former hunter-nin slashing away at him with a pair of kunai. Backtracking fast and swaying side to side, the jinchuuriki snatched one Aoi's arms in a vice grip and landed a vicious kick to his chest that sent the man flaying and hitting a tree with an unpleasant crunch.
However, Mei moved before the nine-tailed jinchuuriki could get his bearing and dove toward him with her leg extended. He was forced to bring both arms up in a cross from keeping her heel from smashing into his face. As her leg impacted his forearms, the ground beneath them gave way and shattered, creating a jagged crater. He pushed against her leg making her backflip in order regain her footing but she caught out of the corner of her eye, Chojuro smashing down with Hiramekarei in hammer form.
There was a loud crash as Mei landed on her feet to see the jinchuuriki jump out of a dust cloud. She raced forward and engaged him in a short taijutsu battle. His speed was incredibly impressive and his style was unique yet familiar as well. In fact, it was similar to her own. A bastardized version of the Uzumaki style mixed with numerous forms from the Mist. Another clue as toward his 'cousin' comment.
As she ducked beneath a palm strike, she sent a strike right for his ribs, which he blocked by raising a knee. She twisted to the side as she knew there was a blow coming from above. As her feet pivoted on the earth, she felt his grip wrap around her wrist, yanking her back. Seeing his fist cocked back and poised to do some serious damage, Mei took a deep breath and expelled a mist of corrosive acid.
The haste at which he let go of her and flipped backwards several times to create distance impressed her. He gave her a look that she somehow translated into; two?
She gave a small chuckle as his look of incredulousness flashed into annoyance as he was forced to lean backwards and dodge a kunai sent towards his head from Aoi. Before he could retaliate, Chojuro swung forward with Hiramekarei and began to take various swipes at him. The jinchuuriki's dodging and swaying only increased in fervor as Aoi joined the fray and took advantage of Chojuro's wide swings to give his own slashes with elongated kunai. As the kyuubi jinchuuriki jumped backwards to put some space between himself and his assailants, Mei took advantage of his attention being focused on her two escorts. Jumping over them, she saw his head snap up towards her, and she shot several globs of lava towards him.
The direction of their assault forced him to retreat into the burning trees. As he landed in the branches that were being licked by flames, he crossed his arms. "Impressive," he said. "Most impressive."
"Well," Mei said. "You're no slouch yourself. At least you're worth us having chased down."
He gave a dry chuckle. "A fair lady has asked for a dance. It would be remiss of me to deny myself the pleasure of your company."
Mei flashed him a seductive smile. "Oh my," she purred. "Such elaborate words from such a rough man. I hope this routine of ours hasn't hurt that over enlarged head of yours."
Mei inwardly cheered as she saw the corners of his lips twitch upward. She counted making the grim looking young man smile, as a victory. "Not at all, dear lady," he drawled. "You've been adequately entertaining."
Mei raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Only adequate? I must say that your words wound me. Perhaps I should reciprocate the favor?"
"Then shall I take that as consent to increase our tempo?"
"My dear sir, I have a busy schedule. Any and all haste will be much appreciated," she said sweetly.
"Uhh…Mei-sama…I don't think-," Chojuro began.
"Oh relax. We interrogate him. Then kill him. Then we move on. It's simple."
"Did you forget the part where he's a jinchuuriki," Aoi half asked half yelled.
Mei's cheeks took on a slight pink hue. She had indeed forgot about that little tidbit of information. She would have to immobilize him before he could transform into his jinchuuriki state. It world only complicate things unnecessarily.
"Well," the young jinchuuriki said lazily. "I suppose at your age you would need to get things done as fast as possible.
"Oh crap," Aoi muttered.
"He didn't," squeaked Chojuro.
Mei's eyes mind went blank. Pure rage shook her frame as her chakra began melting the ground beneath her. 'I don't care how good looking or scary he is. He's dead!'
Mei launched herself at the young jinchuuriki.
Naruto was silently amused at the reactions his remark had gotten. The two shinobi looked like the world had ended and the Kunoichi…what had the Swordsman called her? Mei. Yes, Mei seemed apocalyptic. No matter how beautiful the woman, they were all just as riled up the same way. In fact it seemed the more beautiful the woman, the easier her buttons were to push.
Anko was simple enough. All he had to do was drop a single line of being inferior and her competitive nature riled her up. Mikoto the same way. Her jealousy streak was always amusing. Tsume of the Inuzuka would always make crude comments filled with sexual innuendo towards him and the Uchiha matriarch would end up ranting at him for hours in private as if it somehow his fault.
Actually…it was his fault. Naruto would not deny that he gained a primal pleasure in holding the attention of a female.
Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by a roar of a tigress. The woman who had proven herself to be an Uzumaki through her reactions to his accusation had launched herself at him with unadulterated rage in her eyes.
Naruto jumped from the burning tree he was standing on and met Mei's fist with his own. The impact caused between the two caused a shockwave that whipped the winds around them. Naruto grinned. It was time to get a Kage level battle on for real.
They both traded blows in the air with enough strength that would shatter solid stone to rubble although, they weren't on the same level of brute strength that Tsunade could unleash. Thinking about the former Senju matriarch, Naruto realized that he now found another cousin in the world. And both of them happened to be Kage level kunoichi.
Naruto sighed as he broke away from his clash with Mei. Sweet Sage! Is this what the noble clans of Uzumaki and Senju been reduced to? Him and two violent and short tempered women? It was a depressing thing. Ancestors above and below, what had he done to deserve this?
Naruto then realized that Mei had slammed her hands onto the ground after completing a jutsu. A summoning? The Earth began to shake. Well that answered his question. As cracks began to appear within the ground, an ominous glimmering came from deep within the bowels of the Earth. The fissures grew wider and farther, swallowing trees and chunks of rock. Naruto was forced jump far away as several geysers of molten lava shot into the air.
Naruto grimaced as the entire night sky took on a dark and threatening orange glow. Naruto was forced to return his attention towards Mei as she wove together more hand seals. "Yōton: Tajuu Yōryuudan!" [Lava Release: Multiple Lava Dragon Bullet]
Naruto watched, impressed as several spouts of lava shot upwards several stories and took on the forms of dragons. The numerous colossal molten dragons roared into the sky. Naruto was forced into activating his sharingan. This just became far too dangerous to take lightly. Using his sharingan to predict the pathway of the dragons and the splashing lava, Naruto put all his finesse into evading and circumventing. He had no desire into to be turned into ash.
Putting some room between himself and the lava constructs, Naruto drew the gunbai off his back. This was the first time, he was in a serious battle and it was high level one too. He couldn't help but feel a sense of insane joy as he would be able to unleash his more destructive jutsu. A predatory simile etched itself on his face as his ancient blood sang in him.
Taking the gunbai, he raised it high and began swinging it in a circle, summoning the winds to him. As the wind began to pick up into a veritable storm, the lava dragons began to reform in even greater numbers. Smiling to himself, Naruto swung Madara's gunbai forward and called, "Fūton: Gokuryūha!" [Wind Release: Prison Dragon Blast]
A miniature hurricane came forth and tore the dragons asunder, while igniting itself on fire and turning into an absolute twister of fire. Devastation given physical form, as storm and fire ripped the earth apart and left a trail of scorched black land until it swept over the ocean and eventually imploding in a terrible nova.
Burning winds raged about and Naruto was forced to use a minor Earth jutsu to summon a wall of rock to protect himself. As they subsided, Naruto realized just what he had done. He may have inadvertently killed a family member as well as alert every person for miles around to his presence. That, and change the landscape for miles permanently. Damn, that attack took a lot of chakra. However, he still hadn't lost even a quarter of his chakra.
"Hey!"
Naruto turned wide-eyed to see a ragged Mei send a chakra enhanced fist into his face. His neck snapped to the side as her fist dug into his flesh and lifted him off his feet. He went flying through trees and landed in a puddle of mud and water.
'Ugh…it had to be in a marsh…'
Still holding onto the gunbai, he was about get up before his world exploded in pain. Mei had shot down from the sky and firmly planted her feet into his abdomen. As blood, expelled from out of his mouth, her fist once more crashed into his head, sending it back into the mud. As she began to pummel away at him, the side of the gunbai came up and smashed into her face sending her flying off him.
As he got up and wiped the blood from his mouth he took a good luck at her from across the marshy clearing. Her clothes were torn, there were small singe marks on her and blood poured down a cut from above her right eye. They charged at each other with a war cry.
Their battle lasted for another fifteen minutes. Neither side giving quarter. Each using the epitome of their respective shinobi arts. Blow after blow, jutsu after jutsu; they were lost in their dance, never breaking the lock between their eyes.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu" [Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique]
"Hyoton: Hakuryuukou no Hōkō" [Ice Release: Roar of the White Emperor Dragon]
The massive torrent of water released by Mei was completely overtaken by the sheer mass of white icy frost that Naruto unleashed from his mouth. Mei barely had time to save herself from being frozen before she evaded.
Naruto could see the shock clearly written Mei's face as she looked at him. "Hyoton," she asked in astonishment. Naruto gave her a wolfish grin. "You're not the only one with an elemental kekkei genkai. Although, I only possess one."
She laughed. "With your skills I think it's one too much." She huffed as, no doubt, her lungs burned for oxygen. "You've been holding back, haven't you?"
She got a small smile. Was it her imagination or was there some sorrow to it? "Sorry, but it's time for me to end this. There are things that I need to have done here."
Naruto walked over to Madara's gunbai and yanked it out of some rubble with a strong tug. As he started towards her, she was overcome by exhaustion and stumbled but caught herself before she hit the ground. "I would prefer to end this with you on your feet," he said sincerely.
"Ha…I'm not going down just yet…"
"Of course, I would expect no less."
"Can…can I ask you something?"
"Oh?"
She looked at him, and he was surprised to see so much emotion in her eyes. "What did you mean, when you called me cousin? Are you an Uzumaki as well?"
Naruto appraised the woman who he found so regal and majestic in that one moment. There she stood, battered and bloody with a torrent of emotions raging in her eyes yet, proud as any of her ancestors that came before.
"I am Naruto of the Senju and, yes, of the Uzumaki as well."
A single lone tear dragged itself through the blood and dirt caked across Mei's face. "So I had family left after all…huh…who would have guessed."
Tilting his head, Naruto hefted the old war fan over her neck and said, "If you are ever in need of haven or home, feel free to seek me out in Konoha."
She looked at him incredulously before giving him a sad smile of her own while averting her eyes downward. Barely audible, she whispered, "Thank you."
Author's Note: What better way way to woo a woman then to beat her into the ground with an over-sized fan, eh? Well...probably a few million, actually. But, yeah, I made Mei an Uzumaki through her mother's side and I know this has been done before but, I think you'll enjoy where it goes.
And yes! Naruto has been given Hyoton! I think I made it pretty obvious though. I only make metaphors about Naruto and Ice(or some synonym) about every few paragraphs throughout the story. Have no idea why people thought I'd give him mokuton. Far too overused in my opinion. I realize I didn't really explore his ice release but there will a part of the story where he goes heavy on it.
Next chapter will wrap up wave cuz I'm tired of typing about it and have some plots I wanna explore.
CHALLANGE!: I've placed two allusions in this chapter. One to Star Wars and one to Inuyasha. Whoever finds both and PM's me or puts it in the reviews first will have a character in the story named after them!
Hope You Enjoy!
CE-NEX. Signing off.
