The Littlest Sannin II: Sound in Autumn
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Sequel to The Littlest Sannin
Chapter 10
(Mt. Omashu)
Anko tossed the kunai up and down. She looked over her shoulder to see the others coming up the stairs. Kin and Tayuya were carrying the stretcher. Kimimaro was just behind them, his eyes looking for danger.
He's gotten strange after Shizune left. Anko thought. When her uncle told them what happened to Oto, she felt her gut clench and after he gave the new assignments he pulled her aside.
(Flashback)
"Anko…"
"Save it." She said. "There is nothing I can do for the survivors and I am not leaving my brother."
"Kabuto is alive still." Orochimaru told her.
"I heard you. But my brother needs me more than my potential honey. I can't…I won't abandon my brother for anyone."
Orochimaru nodded.
(End Flashback)
I'm sorry Kabuto. But Naruto is my brother. She thought as Jiraiya caught up to her. "Almost there." He said with a grin.
"Send a toad ahead" she said and the Toad sage recognizing her mood didn't argue and sent a toad to scout ahead.
Anko looked at the four girls around her brother and suddenly she got a chill.
Kami, please let them all make it. She thought. It was the same chill she got on that night when the Kyuubi came and she lost her birth parents. It was the same chill she got on that day when those bastards tried to rape her and Naruto protected her. It was the same chill she got on the day of the finals of the Chunin exam.
She prayed that the chill wasn't foreshadowing more trouble.
XX
Natas looked down. "They are nearly here." He looked over his shoulder. "General, prepare the welcoming reception."
The skull knight slammed a gauntlet covered fist to an armor covered chest an turned to do as ordered.
"Oto and Konoha your fates and destinies are wrapped in one single thread. I did what I did to ensure…" Natas left it hanging and walked away from the ledge.
XX
"It will be better soon Naruto-kun." Haku said walking on the left of the stretcher.
Temari on the right looked at her, but it was Tayuya who spoke up. "Fucking right it will be. We'll kick bonehead's ass and show him that he does not fuck with our man."
Kin bringing up the rear of the stretcher shook her head. "We do need to be reasonable. Natas has gone toe-to-toe with the Sannin and Naruto."
"We're not going to fucking play nice." Tayuya said. "I aim to cheat to win."
"And so will Natas." Haku said. "He's been pulling string for some time if what I heard Lady Tsunade and the others talking about."
"Well we'll just have to cut them." Temari said. Her huge battle fan was strapped to her back and strapped to the inside of her forearms were to smaller bladed fans. She'd learned there were battles that needed in close fighting and learned from the scrolls Naruto and his family had given her after she was sent to them from Suna.
Ahead they saw the Sannin stop. "This can't be good." Kin muttered.
"Its not." Anko said stepping back. "There are black robed guards with strange lances lining the stairs, and one is standing in the middle of the path."
"Then we fucking bowl them over the edge." Tayuya snarled. "We need to get to the top."
Anko agreed with the red head. Natas has another hoop for us to leap through. Fantastic. Remind me to thank him when I see him. Anko thought her had tightening around the handle of the kunai.
XX
Tsunade's fist clenched. "More games." She snarled seeing the path blocked.
"He never said he would make it easy." Jiraiya said. They were nearly to the top. Another twenty stairs and they would have made it.
Gaara stepped forward with Hinata. "Roadblock." He said in his cold tone. She put a hand on his forearm. "Lady Tsunade, allow us to deal with this." She said. The young Hyuga had changed a lot since the Chunin exam. Her betrothal to Gaara had given her confidence as she got to know him more.
The gourd on Gaara's back opened and a stream of sand flew out.
The robed knights blocking the way didn't react and Gaara stepped before the Sannin.
"Move or die." He intoned placing a hand on the mountainside.
The one standing in the middle of the stairs shook the helm-covered head. "My orders are to allow none to pass."
"Bastards." Came from Tayuya by Naruto.
"We are to take the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi and destroy the rest." The General said.
Gaara tilted his head to the side. "You know what I am then?"
"Gaara, the container of the one tailed demon." The General said.
"That…but more importantly, I'm bored now." the sand lashed out and to the shock of the knights the mountain wall exploded out as well raining sand on them.
The General lurched forward to attack Gaara as he was focusing on burying his troops, but the knight found his path blocked by the Byakugan blazing eyes and Hinata in a perfect Gentle Fist stance.
"You shall not pass." She said and only his armor saved him from the initial strikes, but he felt the metal crack under the assault as she drove him back.
He saw that his troops were entombed in sand and he could only watch as Gaara made a fist. "Mass Sand Burial!"
The sound of a dozen knights being pulped weakened his resolve.
What are these ninja? Lord Natas warned me they were like no other warrior I've faced before. He thought as his breast plate shattered under Hinata's attack. Two of them took me and my knights without even trying.
His last thought was to curse Natas as Hinata's strike hit his neck and death claimed him.
Jiraiya let out a whistle as the young pair showed their skill. Gaara's sand returned and he used the sand he converted from the mountain rock to clear the path and send the remains over the side to the ground far below.
Gaara turned and gave a grin even as Hinata slipped under his arm and gave him a one armed hug. The young couple were a powerful pairing and Jiraiya could see what Naruto was thinking.
His eyes went to the unconscious blond and knew that Naruto had a powerful pair of friends there that would follow him and make whatever village he led even more powerful. This thought solidified Jiraiya's decision to do whatever needed to be done to put Natas in his place and wake the boy he and the other Sannin thought of as their child. Our son.
XX
They reached the top of the mountain and stopped after passing through the stone arch. There was a circle of stone pillars and in the middle was a stone slab. Natas stood behind it and with him eleven other people.
Kimimaro clenched his hands around the grips of his bone swords seeing Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
Behind them arrayed loosely was Kano, Reptile, Smoke Kitana, her loyal bodyguard Sonya, the monstrous summoned monster Goro, Cyrax, Frost and Jade.
"How nice, visitors." Natas said in a mocking tone. "And I have no snacks prepared."
"Cut the shit. You said if we brought Naruto you'd take that seal off him." Tsunade said.
Natas put a hand to his chest. "Did I say that? Hm, I don't recall. I know I was planning on taking the Kyuubi…"
They saw the skull mask tilt to the side. "NO!"
He stepped around the stone alter and they would swear he was upset. "HOW? What did you do to her?" he demanded.
"To who?" Tsunade asked. She had a sneaking suspicion what and who Natas was talking about.
"The Kyuubi! It should have been days before…" the skull mask looked at the Sannin. "You didn't realize she passed."
"I guessed." Tsunade said. "She said her time was nearly up."
"How did you talk to her? The Seal should have isolated Naruto and her minds…"
"I had the help of a Yamanaka mind walker." Tsunade said.
Natas seemed surprised by this. "You trusted…" Natas seemed to shake himself. "Then our business is done. Kill them all." He ordered his troops.
"That's what I'm talkin' about mate." Kano said pulling two wicked looking knives. He smirked at Temari. "Hello luv. You still owe me a scream."
Kimimaro moved to face Scorpion, his bone scimitars twitching, ready for blood. Haku found herself one on one with Sub-Zero while Anko was facing Kitana and her bodyguard Sonya.
"Nothing personal." Kitana said pulling out her bladed fans. "But Lord Natas wants you all dead now."
"Nothing personal as I kick your asses." Anko said pulling out the trench knives from her back sheath. She'd prepared for battle and this was just the start
Gaara and Hinata were facing off against the staff wielding Jade and Frost who created a pair of ice daggers. Gaara had sand swirling about him as Hinata gave him a quick kiss then took up her Gentle Fist stance, her eyes showing that she had the Byakugan activated.
Smoke stood facing Kin and Tayuya. "Yeah, we're going to fuck you up big time loser." The flute user said and Kin pulled out several senbon with bells. "Let's dance."
To the shock of both girls, Smoke seemed to shimmer then split as the shadow ninja Noob Saibot formed and drew a wicked looking sword from his back.
"Two or ten, it won't matter dickless. You're all going down." Tayuya snarled as she began to use her flute.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the ground shake and he leapt aside just as Goro's fists impacted where he'd been a moment before.
He's different than before. The former Hokage thought as he shed his robes leaving him in his battle armor.
"RAWR!!!" Goro let out another yell and leapt. The four armed monster was a power to be certain, and the former Hokage knew that he would need to be careful this go around as he doubted the same thing would work again.
Tsunade knelt by Naruto's stretcher while Orochimaru and Jiraiya stood facing Natas and one of his freaks.
"Cyrax, take the toad sage." Natas ordered and looked at Orochimaru. "We meet in combat and you won't be leaving here alive Snake Sannin."
"It is you who won't be leaving here Natas. I will defeat you and you will remove that seal from Naruto before I kill you." Orochimaru said summoning Grass Cutter even as Natas drew a blade and smirked.
"The Raijin!" Tsunade said. "How did you get that blade?"
Natas laughed. "The thief who stole it from Konoha told me I would have to take it from his cold dead hands, so I did." Natas looked at Orochimaru. "Your death will be quick Hebi-teme."
Tsunade could only watch as her friends and family fought while she protected Naruto. Her eyes taking each battle and she knew any of them could end in the blink of an eye.
Hold on Naruto. We're nearly there. She thought her eyes moving to the alter and she knew her son would have to be placed on it. Just not until Natas is unconscious and soon after that…dead. Tsunade
AN: Let Mortal Combat…oops…(scratches back of neck) Sorry. Um, anyway the battles atop Mt. Omashu have begun.
Someone asked me about the title "Sound in Autumn" and well autumn is fall so hence…well I thought it was a clever play on words. Sound in fall… (looks around) Okay, no one appreciates different ways.