I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!
Just in case, here are some other disclaimers: I make no claims of ownership over Hiromu Arakawa or Noriaki Kubo in real life or their fictional works. May their great works be always appreciated. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who these people are and get the slight jokes I make in the chapter.
xXxXxXx
Mukade frowned as he jumped through the trees after his allies. His left hand was busily moving through rapid seals, while his right stabilized the man he had placed on his shoulder. Chakra was steadily leaking from his hand, poisoning the elder jonin. 'I managed to slip some poison into both Temari and Kankuro's food over the last few days, so as soon as I can place a little bit of chakra into them, they should be out in a few moments. Isago though is still proving to be difficult.' Mukade quickly cut off the flow of chakra as he noticed the taller jonin come to a halt in front of him.
"Do you all feel that? The air feels heavy with bloodlust…" A feeling of doom had settled quickly over the forest, and the sounds of animals fleeing towards the group was deafening. The trees rustled with the movements of animals leaping through their limbs, and from birds taking flight in the still night air. A sudden howling wind appeared, and blew past the warriors in the opposite directions. The wind stopped as suddenly as it had appeared, and the moonlit sky was suddenly darkened by a looming image. "We're too late…We need to find the Konoha ninja, they should be able to help us. If not, we are all going to be killed by the demon this night." Mukade's eyes widened at this, and he quickly moved forward with Baki. He reached a hand out, lacing it with poisonous chakra as subtly as he could. He faked perfect concern as he smirked inwardly.
"I'll head out with the kids and bring the leaf ninjas back to help. My medical and genjutsu skills will not be of much use against such an opponent." Mukade's hand landed lightly on Isago's shoulder, and the jonin nodded to him in response. 'I think I managed to tag him without him noticing. Good thing those punk kids are so exhausted at the moment that they can't see five feet in front of them.' Mukade put on a face of serious concern. "Good luck coming to grips with that demon. It uses wind attacks, from what I remember, so your jutsu probably won't be as effective either." Isago nodded just once, and turned to head out against the demon.
"Come on you two, let's get moving. The Konoha camp cannot be far ahead." As the three forms leapt into the trees, Mukade smiled, his grip on Baki tightening by the second.
xXxXxXx
Fuu leapt through the trees, her skin already crackling with lightning as her skin broke out into a carapace shell. Her hands reached out, claws forming to grasp and fling her through the trees as fast as possible. 'I'm not going to make it in time. The demon is going to become fully realized.' Grimacing, the kunoichi began to focus the power of her demon into her body flicker technique. In the blink of an eye, she had covered a mile of forest, and came face to face with a mountain of sand.
The demon appeared as a giant hunched over form, standing nearly thirty feet tall. The single tail that swept behind it blotted out the moon, and its eyes shown with a golden hatred for all living creatures. It was covered in various markings, indiscernible in the low lighting. Ears swept around the clearing, and a nose as large as a horse sniffed the air. Fuu felt her muscles tighten as the head shifted and came to focus on her position. The face of the demon split into a grin, and large teeth gleamed in the evening light. There was blood spattered all over the inside of the demon's mouth, and what appeared to be entrails littered along the forest floor.
"Well, crap. Looks like you spotted me, you sand dog." Fuu flashed into the trees, dodging a giant bullet of air that whipped past her. Looking back, she noticed the destruction of several trees, and raised her eyebrows in appreciation. 'Looks like the demon is in control…guess that means I get to cut loose tonight.' Fuu grinned, and began gathering chakra into her hands. A blue crackling light sprang to life, and her mint colored hair flickered in and out of the darkness. "Come on, big boy. Let's see if you know how to rumble." In an instant, the girl had flashed forward, coming within an inch of the demon's face, only to dodge to the side as tendrils of sand reached out to crush her.
"I'm no sand dog, you horny dung beetle. I'm Shukaku, the feared raccoon dog of the Desert of Endless Wind." The demon raised a paw from the ground, and a swirling ball of demonic energy formed. Fuu cursed and raised her hands in a splitting fashion as the chirping of lightning grew louder. In a single instant, a flash of energy obliterated a swath of forest fifteen feet wide. Fuu panted within the destruction, wincing as she felt the carapace shell reforming after the blast.
"Well, that was interesting. Never expected my lightning fist to be able to stop a Bijuu Ball…" Fuu jumped to the side, and pushed out more chakra. Four wings with tails on the end formed on her back, all of which disappeared in a blur of movement. "Now, let's see how you deal with mine!" A crackling orb of electricity and energy exploded in front of the Shukaku's stomach.
Fuu jumped to the side as a massive paw came to sweep her aside. She looked on in horror as Shukaku took a deep breath, and the sand reformed onto its side. 'I blasted over half of that thing apart, and it just reformed? Even the eight tails didn't have that kind of regeneration.' Her thinking stopped as the beast continued to draw in the surrounding air.
"Vacuum Sphere Barrage!" Swirling masses of destructive winds ripped from the beast, and howled towards Fuu. The female Jinchuuriki grimaced, and began flashing through the destruction, dodging with as much speed as she could muster.
"The best part about this fight, Jinchuuriki…I get stronger as the fight goes on, and the boy containing me weakens…" A lightning bolt arced from out of the darkness and struck the demon across the face. It turned a grim face on the bite sized snack that faced him. Sand reformed over his face, erasing the hole that had completely blotted out half of the beast's jaw.
Electricity crackled in the air, and a single waving tail was seen between Fuu's beating wings. "I guess I'll just have to kick your ass faster than. Though you are a pretty big boy to take down…" A smirk flashed across the girls face, and mandibles descended from her jaw, clicking together in anticipation.
xXxXxXx
Naruto had barely started to shake the tent of the Uchiha's when he sensed movement coming from within. In an instant, Fugaku Uchiha stood before him, sword drawn and leveled at Naruto's face. "Woah woah woah! I'm just the messenger!" Fugaku lowered the blade, returning it to his scabbard. Mikoto emerged from the tent as well, Sasuke standing by his side a moment later.
"The enemy ninja are approaching. Unfortunately, it feels like the Shukaku is on the rampage at the moment." Fugaku turned and burned his eyes into the two children. "You two must go with Suien to the village, and avoid this battle." Naruto began to speak up, but Mikoto placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, silencing him.
"You are not yet ready to face one of the demon containers Naruto. You will not be ready for many years to control the Nine-Tailed Fox in combat." Naruto grimaced and looked down. Ground crunched in front of the group, and they all looked up to see Noriaki and Hiruma in full battle gear.
"We are going to help our teammate. You should go with Suien and make sure that the children arrive safely at the village." Noriaki turned away from the group and drew his sword. The night air seemed to darken around the man, with a feeling of palpable weight settling into the clearing. "The sand ninja are approaching. You should leave before they arrive. The fact that they would unleash a demon on a diplomatic meeting does not speak well for a visit from such a group." Mikoto pushed past her children, and placed a hand on Hiruma.
"You should not go into this fight Hiruma. You are a young child, and probably Takigakure's only seal master. Will you go with our children while my husband and I fight on your behalf?" Hiruma shook his head, a sad smile forming on his face.
"Sorry, Mikoto-san. When I donned this headband, I became an adult, and I will give that life to protect my teammate, no matter what situation she gets herself into." The boy chuckled lightly, and dashed into the tree line, Noriaki quickly following. Mikoto moved to intercept the two, but Fugaku grabbed her shoulder.
"Let them go. Our own set of company has just arrived." Three figures landed in the clearing, but the lack of light in the night sky made them hard to discern. "Sasuke, Naruto, you two stay with Mikoto. As soon as Suien arrives from patrol duty, I want you to leave with him. We'll be along shortly after, so no matter what, do not come looking for us. Do you understand?" The boys nodded, and Sasuke drew his sword from his waist. His hands appeared to be shaking.
"Don't be scared son. We've trained you well." Fugaku smiled as his son steadied his blade.
"I'm not frightened. I'm excited." Fugaku smirked, and his Sharingan settled into his eyes.
"Good. Use that then, to protect your friend and mother." A moment later, he was across the clearing, his blade drawn out in the evening light.
"Wait! We are not enemies! We have wounded, and claim amnesty as allies of the leaf." The voice that called out was loud, but quavered with fear. A blade was poised at the man's throat, and Fugaku watched as sweat beaded into eyes held open with terror.
The man growled, and swung his sword down and away from the man, cutting the air. "You unleash a demon on the countryside, and expect us to not see you as an enemy?" The blade began to blaze with fire, and Mikoto steadied her stance around the two boys.
"We cannot control Gaara. The sealing did not go as planned when he was created. Even now, the demon is in control, and Gaara is fading from the world. Soon only the demon will remain." Mukade grimaced as he felt the two children behind him begin to faint. 'Guess I pushed the poisonous chakra through a little early. Oh well, better hope they don't have an attentive medic.'
"Why are they fainting? Are they wounded in any fashion?" Fugaku's face flickered dangerously in the light of his blade. The tomoes in his eyes spun, making a solid circle of black on a red background.
"They are merely children, and are tired from our journey to escape the demon." The man on Mukade's shoulder began to stir, and Baki blinked his eyes open to face an enraged Uchiha holding a flaming sword.
"What's going on Mukade? Last I remember we were chasing after Gaara…" Baki's voice was dry, and he coughed as Mukade lowered him to the ground. The man started to stand, and then doubled over with coughing, his left knee falling to the ground. "We need to stop Gaara, he is our village's responsibility." Coughing overtook the man once more, and he struggled to stand and stare down Fugaku.
"You are in no condition to fight. You should take the children and go." Baki grimaced, but nodded with the Konoha shinobi's suggestion.
"Mukade, you will accompany them, and help them fight against the Shukaku. If we are lucky, we will all get to see the morning dawn." The other ninja nodded, but tensed up as moonlight played into the clearing and revealed another man standing in the shadows.
"Well, I guess I'll be taking the children then, right Fugaku?" Suien stepped into the clearing, turning to look up at the sky. Though the moon had returned, it revealed not one, but three looming figures in the distance. "I think the fight with the demon is deteriorating quickly. You should hurry."
xXxXxXx
"You damned beetles are just too small and fast for your own good. If I'm gonna fight you, let's see how you deal with three on one!" Shukaku growled as sand ripped up from the forest floor, covering the entirety of the demon. Three forms, slightly smaller in size but each just as deadly emerged from the sandstorm.
"Damn it. I was just starting to come to grips with seeing one of your ugly mugs, and now I have three?" Fuu jumped to the side as a barrage of sand and wind raced past her, destroying much of the forest as it passed. "You are a much more annoying container than any I've fought before…" Another deluge of wind raced towards her, and Fuu barely managed to dodge to the side. 'Crap. I won't have as much time to talk to the demon and lure the medium out of hiding.'
"You weren't paying attention, little playmate…" Sand grasped around Fuu's ankles, and one of the Shukaku clones came around behind her to hold her in place. The two others flanked her on the left and right, each with a lecherous grin.
"You go first brother, you are the one who caught the girl…" A gritty hand reached out from the sand, and ran up her legs, and over her torso. Fuu gasped, and her rage focused a thousand times over. Lightning burst from all around her, and two final wings snapped into existence behind her.
"It's not nice to touch a lady so naughtily in public, Shukaku…Especially when other men are watching." In a blur, Fuu had closed the gap between her and the molesting demon, and punched the side of the giant tanuki's face. The sand crumbled in front of her, quickly reforming to her left. A buzzing sound filled her ears and Fuu pushed the lightning out from around her in a sudden burst. Wind crashed against the electricity, and the two forces raged. "Besides, three guys and just little old me? That sounds a bit rough, you know?" The demons grinned back at her, and a glowing orb began to form in each of their hands.
"You'd get used to it. Besides, it's not like we wouldn't take turns…" Energy blasts raced towards Fuu from all sides, and the girl disappeared in a blinding explosion. From the center of the blast radius, a single orb floated in midair. Six wings unraveled to reveal Fuu, unharmed from the blast.
"You liar. You said you would take turns, and then each of you goes after me like that? You're nothing but a big blowhard." All three of the tanuki grimaced at this, but then charged as one. Tendrils of sand shot out in every direction, but Fuu weaved through them as fast as possible, not letting a single tentacle of sand grab hold.
"Hold still, we know you can take us all now. It should be fun for you if you get all of our attention at once." Shukaku growled in frustration as Fuu continued to dodge and weave in between the oncoming onslaught. Her growing laughter only heightened the demon's rage. "I hate damn teases like you…Combination Technique: Three Kamikaze Burst!" The air in the clearing began to draw towards all three of the sand demons, leaving Fuu breathless. All of the sand suddenly lashed into place, on trees, over the ground, everywhere, but Fuu still felt herself drawn towards the howling maws. "Fire…" Wind tore through the undergrowth, tearing up the land, as three miniature tornados sprang to life.
'Shit, I'm not going to be able to dodge or counter that much raw power.' The three cyclones bled into one another, forming a monstrous storm from nothing. Clouds darkened the sky, and the swirling vortex began to uproot whole trees and boulders from the earth. Fuu felt sweat drop down her face as the demonic chakra left her form.
'Damn, guess I used up a bit too much of the Hive's power.' Sweat ran down Fuu's face as she prepared for the end. In an instant, eight kunai on a chain lashed around the maelstrom, and the raging storm disappeared. It appeared again a hundred yards behind Fuu, tearing up everything in its path.
"What the hell?" Shukaku's three forms growled and pulled back all of the sand tendrils. Fuu watched in fear as she noted that more sand was returning, created by the destructive wind attack. Each of the three forms now towered as tall as the original Shukaku.
"Fuu's right you know. Three on one is really unfair of you, even for a demon." A blast of pure energy lashed out from the darkness of the night, severing one of the arms of the demon.
"That's why we're here to help out. Since we are the heroes, we had to show up fashionably late…" Hiruma twirled a kunai in each hand, the heads of each glowing brightly. The killing implements flashed outward, and sunk into the Shukaku's arm.
"You think two kunai will do anything to me, you brat?" Shukaku glared down at the youth. 'That's the one that moved my tornado away…that punk.' The demon then noticed the grin across the child's face.
"You ever held a fire cracker, O Demon Lord?" The sardonic smile was clearly seen on Hiruma's face as an explosion severed one of the forms arm and torso entirely. "Now you have…" Fuu smiled in the darkness at her comrades, and charged the remaining demon form in the center. Lightning once more crackled over her frame, and the first signs of claws reforming could be made out in the flickering pall.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! Glad to have some support here." The girls punch caved in the shoulder of the centermost demon. Her follow up kick dented the demon's jaw. Sand quickly reformed over all the injuries, and the three shinobi grimaced in frustration.
"You bitch! You hit me in the face! Why the hell did you hit me in the face, huh? None of the others got that! I'm gonna kill you for that, you ugly hag!" A giant paw came up and knocked the girl back to the ground. Tendrils reached out to grab her, but Fuu was once more dodging and weaving among the infinite limbs.
"Noriaki, you take the one on the right. Hiruma, you get the one on the left. I get mister yappity here…" Three ninja charged into battle, each with a psychotic grin plastered onto their face. They were getting to dance with death; tonight was a good night.
xXxXxXx
Mukade leapt through the trees with Fugaku and Mikoto, fearing the moment when they arrived at the battle. 'We were held up for a bit, so Kakuzu should be in place by now. Still, I'm not happy about having to escape from two users of the Sharingan.' Mukade grimaced as a blast of wind whipped through the trees, knocking all three of the ninja off course while in midair.
"We're getting close. Mukade, you mentioned that you are skilled in medical and genjutsu abilities correct? You will remain in the rear then, with Mikoto, and aid those of us who return from combat." Mukade nodded in the moonlight, turning to look warmly at the female next to him.
"Be careful husband. I want to see you return well enough to train our son in the sword. You know I am nowhere near as good as you are." Fugaku nodded once, and his blade became wreathed in flames once again. Mukade grinned as the man disappeared.
'Dropping two Uchiha would have been a pain, but if I time this right, I can nail her with a genjutsu just as easily.' Mikoto still had her back turned to the sand shinobi, so he began gathering his chakra, beginning to form the necessary seals silently for his slow killing poison technique.
"You really need to not underestimate a leaf shinobi, Mukade. I wonder, do your allies know of your betrayal?" The man behind Mikoto froze, steeling himself so as to not give away anything. His hands ceased to glow with chakra as she turned to face him. "I ran a diagnostic jutsu on your comrade before he left with the others. I wasn't able to remove much of the poison, but I recognize the technique. It's one that Tsunade-sama found a cure to during the Second Shinobi War." Mukade spat harshly to the side, his face settling into a mask of hate.
"Damn it all. That bitch was always coming up with the counters to our poisons. Oh well, it should be enough to kill one of her apprentices at least." Mukade gathered a slight amount of chakra, preparing a substitution to escape. 'Come on, just look me in the eyes. Look me in the eyes and it's all over, you bitch.'
Mikoto's face never raised above the man's waist as her blade flashed out in the darkness. The trench knife in her hand gouged a clean gash across the man's stomach. He spluttered, and fell back on the ground. As Mikoto looked over his fallen form, her eyes met his. "Genjutsu doesn't work on the Sharingan unless used by another Sharingan user. I guess you didn't know that though…" Her blade flashed out in the night, and seemed to leave a perfect cut across the man's neck. Seals flashed quickly across her hands, and a stream of fire engulfed the man.
"I don't have time to deal with burying traitorous scum like you. Go burn in hell for all I care." Mikoto left the funeral pyre as the corpse began to sizzle from the heat, the sickening sweet smell clogging the air. In the shadows of a tree, Mukade willed his breath to halt.
'Guess it was a bit cocky of me to think I could take out an Uchiha. Still, thanks to that villager I picked up at the outpost, I get to live to tell the tale.' Mukade heard the sounds of footsteps leaving the area. He counted to ten then turned to leap back into the night. As he put distance between himself and his intended cremation, one thought raced through his mind. 'I hope Kakuzu is not angry that I left one of the Jonin alive.'
xXxXxXx
Naruto and Sasuke moved as fast as they could, flashing through the trees in the sparse light. Baki and Suien each carried one of the other kids as they raced towards the village. Naruto looked around him, and noticed the lack of ravine walls. He glanced over at Sasuke, who nodded in agreement.
"I think we're going the wrong way, Suien-san. Even though it's night, I can't see the ravine walls." Sasuke's comment caused Baki to stiffen, turning to place Temari down onto the ground. Suien paused when he noticed Baki stall for a second, lowering Kankuro down to the ground himself.
"I had hoped that we could have gotten a bit further before one of you brat's noticed…Guess I'll just have to kill you myself." Chakra flared around the man, and he charged suddenly at Baki. The jonin tried to dodge, but his movements seemed dull and slow. The blow collided forcefully with the man, and chakra lanced painfully into Baki's stomach. The older ninja crumpled in an instant, falling painfully to the ground. "Now then, if you two come quietly, I won't have to do the same thing to you…" Suien was surprised when he turned to face the two children. Sasuke had drawn his own sword, and his eyes were obviously red. Naruto had a kunai in each of his hands, and the boys seemed to be trembling.
"We're not afraid of some scum like you. But we are going to enjoy using all this training on someone right now." Naruto flashed forward in an instant, and Suien dodged to the side as kunai whizzed past his face. Sasuke's sword flashed in, and was deflected in a sudden blaze of chakra.
'Heh. If it wasn't for my chakra shield, that blow would have struck me clean through.' Suien turned and placed a powerful side kick in Naruto's stomach, expecting to send the youth sprawling. Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Suien felt his eyes widen. 'That clone had substance. If that brat is the container for the Kyuubi, I may be in serious trouble if he can make more.' Spinning with the kick, Suien knocked the blade from Sasuke's hand with a single thrusting palm strike. The follow up jab was charged with chakra, and plunged towards the boy's chest…before disappearing in another puff of smoke.
"You look a little surprised. Bet you didn't think I could copy a sword as well, huh?" Naruto burst from the ground, his fist connecting solidly with the face of Suien. As the man fell backward, he heard the rustling of cloth and felt a blue light fall across his face. From on high came Sasuke, his sword arcing above his head, glowing blue with chakra. His eyes were cast in an eerie glow, the red of the Sharingan piercing Suien's heart. The older ninja tried to throw up his chakra shield, but the edge of the sword passed through the hastily made construct with ease. Even still, the sword edge left only a deep gash in Suien's shoulder; the blow would have taken the whole arm off if not for the older ninja's skill and experience.
"You little brats! Augh! Damn it, why does it hurt so much!" Sasuke jumped back as a burst of chakra swept the ground, tearing into everything in its path. Naruto was not quite as lucky, and got spun to the side before landing ten feet away in a resounding thud. "You are so dead. Only the Namikaze has to live for me to get paid, but the warrant says the last Uchiha will be worth quite a lot, dead or alive." Sasuke froze, his blade's glow dimming considerably.
"What do you mean, the last Uchiha?" Sasuke's eyes had become black again, and he now trembled with fear. 'Damn, guess using both Sharingan and Kenjutsu really exhausts my reserves. If only I had more time to get stronger…'
"Oh, so you haven't heard, huh? Seems your brother went insane and killed everyone. Even now, my associates are hunting down your parents and killing them as well. But, the orders said that only the Namikaze brat had to live…so I get to cut into you as much as I want." Sasuke stumbled backwards, his sword clattering to the ground.
"Why Naruto? Why do you want him?" Suien smiled as he approached, his hand picking up the short blade on the ground. Blood from his wound ran down, slicking both the man's hand and the glinting edge. Chakra forged another edge around the blade, and the smell of blood boiling in the heat of the energy choked the air.
"Why? He's a container, of course. Kakuzu-sama will gather all the Jinchuuriki, and make Takigakure into a great nation on his own. He will return, and make this land his, and destroy all who oppose him. Your friend is merely a container, and a young one at that." Suien smiled as chakra raced down the stolen sword, lighting his face in the darkness. A wicked smile glinted, hungry for blood. "Better to get him now, before he becomes a problem later on. But all of that is meaningless to you…because now you die!" The man flashed forward, his sword lighting high in the night sky. Sasuke froze in place, his breath hitching in his lungs. He looked away as the blow began to fall, cringing from his own death. A moment passed with no pain, and then another. Sasuke blinked open his eyes to see Suien seemingly frozen in place, his chakra-edged blade revealing a face contorted in rage and struggling to move.
"Thanks for lighting up the clearing again…Without the moon and all, it's rather hard to gather enough shadows for my techniques." At just that moment, the moon flashed into existence again, as a bunch of clouds suddenly disappeared from the night sky. "Well, damn. Strange weather we're having, but hey, that's been known to happen." A large hand reached out and grasped Suien, followed by a frowning Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza. Tsume walked forward, and twisted the stolen blade from the man's hand before knocking him out with a punch to the face. She tossed it unceremoniously to Sasuke.
"Here, I think this is yours. Toughen up kid; the guy was obviously lying to you to throw off your game." Sasuke blinked, and retrieved the blade from the ground. Naruto stirred on the ground, groggily blinking his eyes before awaking. "Nice of you to wake up punk, now get ready to get moving. We need to get you all to a safe place for the time being. We're not out of the woods yet." Naruto schooled his questioning features before standing and brushing himself off. Chouza was tying Suien up in bonds of rope, and Inoichi was running a quick medical scan over Baki. Temari and Kankuro were likewise treated, and then placed under a sleeping jutsu.
"Until we know whether or not these three are involved in the plot to capture you, Naruto, we cannot have them mobilized." Tsume stood and called Kuromaru with a whistle. The dog came bounding forward from the woods. "We'll take you and the others to a safe place, then stand guard until we are relieved from the Waterfall Village. No matter what happens, keep quiet and stay down." Sasuke had recovered by now, and turned to shoot the woman a frosty glare.
"Any other advice, Tsume-sama?" Tsume smirked in the moonlight, her features surprisingly feral.
"Yeah; Just don't die!"
xXxXxXx
"So, the longer I let this fight drag on, the tougher you're going to get, huh?" A black shikakusho whistled in the night, the figure fading in and out of sight like a phantom. Following each after image, destruction from uprooted trees scattered across the landscape. "Guess I'll have to finish this quickly then." A black blade slashed down, and a rush of purple chakra carved a swath through the landscape.
An explosion of sand and stone scattered back, pelting Noriaki with various debris. The man's brown eyes did not blink as he scanned the darkness. 'That shot shouldn't have finished him just yet…so why is it so quiet…' A slight hissing sound caused him to quickly glance at the ground. Sand, in the form of desert snakes, were silently approaching his position. As soon as he looked at the creatures, they leapt into action, reaching out to strike and strangle.
"Shit. Guess I let my guard down a little." The after image blurred as the man jumped through the trees, coming to rest on a branch where he could look down on the summoned Shukaku. As he did, he noticed something interesting; the demon's arm had yet to reform from the last attack. 'It even seems to be losing sand…the medium must be tiring. That means either Fuu has stopped the container, or the demon is finally starting to consume its host.' Noriaki grimaced as he brought his blade in front of him again. "Either way, it means I need to end this match now…" Chakra began to swirl around the man, circling him in a deadly pattern.
"So, you finally decided to face me, man to demon, huh?" Yellow eyes pierced the darkness, staring directly into Noriaki. The eyes were filled with a terrible hate, and a desire to kill and destroy. Wind played through the clearing, beginning to swirl around the open jaw that was filled with teeth.
"We end this with one final clash…" Noriaki dashed from his spot in the treetops, covering hundreds of feet in a single step. The demon roared, a deluge of buzzing spheres approaching as chakra gathered into a blade that appeared blacker than night. The edge of void slashed across the gale of destruction, and an explosion ripped the clearing, lighting the evening sky. Wind and energy lashed out in all directions, making the landscape look like an angry god had thrown a tantrum. Standing in the clearing was a battered figure, his clothes ripped down his left side, revealing numerous scrapes and cuts. "Sorry Fuu, I think I might have overdone that one a bit…I'm not sure, but I don't think the medium was in this one though…guess I'll find out when I wake up." The warrior fell backward, his gaze fixed on the stars in the sky.
xXxXxXx
Hiruma dodged another blast of wind, taking the chance to flash forward and place a few paper seals on the demon. The scripts began to flash and glow, and the beast growled in frustration as it pushed them from its arm in a blast of sand. Hiruma dodged to the side, and jumped behind a tree as an explosion racked his surroundings. Looking behind him, he noticed the large clearing left by the blast. Hiruma looked over the damage and smiled. 'Just one more assault like that, and I can form the boundaries…' Sand began to whisk back to the demon, reforming a claw that clenched in anticipation.
"So, you little pipsqueak, you gonna fight me or what? You've used that explosive trick on me once before, so I'm a little disappointed you would try that route again…" The sand demon stopped as two of the aforementioned kunai flashed out of the shadows. The demon ducked, surprisingly nimble for its size, and let the kunai sail over both of its shoulders. "See, that's what I'm talking about! I would have thought, after that first exchange, that you had a bit of talent, you know? Guess it's a bit much to expect of a punk your age." Sudden movement caught the demon's eye, and a rush of air flowed into the demon's maw.
A sphere of death whipped towards Hiruma, but the youth jumped over the destruction, which left a deep circular impact in the dirt. Hiruma grinned in the fading moonlight, and slammed a kunai into the dirt. "Not only did you miss, you just sealed your fate, Shikaku." The demon gave the boy a curious look, and reached a hand out to crush the youth. Only to stop as the demon came crashing into the ground.
"The sealing you are placed in is unique to every Jinchuuriki. It works only with sufficient chakra, and only if the seal master knows the exact nature of the tailed beast. As I was not able to determine your abilities beforehand, I had to make do with a field expedient." Shukaku growled, struggling to raise its massive head from the scarred earth. "I used each and every explosion and attack to create a square for sealing. Each corner had to be created by devastating attacks involving your chakra. The final piece was a bit of my own chakra combined with yours in the final location." Hiruma smirked as a low groan came from the beast.
"Those paper tags were meant to miss…" Hiruma smiled as the demon came to realize its doomed fate.
"Sorry, but I get to seal you away now, and lock all of that power back inside the medium." Hiruma's smile faltered as the sand began to crumble to nothing.
"Too bad kid. The real medium is fighting with that babe. Hope you get there in time to stop the bloodshed, though…" Hiruma swore, pushing through chakra to complete the sealing process. He leapt into the trees, and moved as fast as he could back towards Fuu's position. The fight had separated the three, each moving far enough away so that the demons could not coordinate and grow any stronger with the main host. Hiruma struggled to push more chakra into his limbs as he moved through the treetops.
"Fuu, just hold on a little longer…"
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"Oh how the mighty have fallen, Shukaku…" A crackling form of lightning burst through the treetops, smashing a fist into the giant head of a demon. The sand crumbled under the blow, and for once continued to flow away from the wound. 'Finally breaking down the demon's sand armor huh? Hope that means the container's alright…' The figure disappeared again into the forest, mint blue hair and orange cloth seeming to flicker in and out of existence.
An eye full of hatred followed the girl's movement, and a deluge of sand shuriken blasted from the body of the beast. Fuu dodged them easily, lightning arcing out and destroying those few shots that strayed too close. "Damn it, hold still and let me crush you, you insect!" Laughter taunted the beast, and it thrashed a massive tail of sand out through the clearing, only to have the blow caught by the young girl.
"Well, I would normally say that I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee…but that's another Jinchuuriki's line." Lightning arced into the night sky, revealing a large carapace forming over the girl's body. Her grip tightened on the tail, and a demonic smirk that revealed mandibles and compound eyes settled onto the sparking demon. "However, just like any good beetle, you are about to get rock and rolled…" The girl yanked with an other-worldly strength, as six wings framed her struggling form. The tail of the Shukaku began to separate, breaking off into sections. Giving one last tug, the tail ripped completely from the demon, which began to scream in pain and outrage.
"You bitch, I'm going to eat you alive for this…" Sand ran down in rivulets over the entirety of the beast, and multiple tendrils of sand shot out, trying to capture and destroy the girl. Fuu just shook her head in derision.
"This is what you're left with? The same old trick, all over again?" The girl smashed her hand into the dirt, raising a giant sphere of rock from the ground. It cut off the path of all the other tendrils, and the girl smiled in anticipation. "Well, like I promised, here's the rock…and now you get rolled." The girls punch launched the giant boulder towards the crumbling behemoth, nailing it directly in the stomach.
"I always hated popular music…" The beast crumbled to the ground, dissolving into rivers of sand. In the center of it all, Fuu spotted what appeared to be a young boy, falling from the sky. She flashed out from her position in the trees, and captured the youth out of midair.
'He doesn't seem to be dead…just in a state of comatose. We're going to have to have someone in the village work on strengthening his seal for the time being.' That thought was cut off as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She looked up to see Noriaki standing on a branch to her right, devoid of clothes on the left half of his torso.
"Man, guess that demon put you through the ringer, huh?" Fuu chuckled as the other ninja shook his head in denial. "Oh…so you just happened to lose half of your outfit in the woods, huh? I wasn't aware that Orikasa-san was out in the woods tonight?" Fuu's face had returned to normal, and the grin that lit her face was decidedly lecherous. Noriaki merely blushed, and shook his head faster.
"I got a little carried away with my final technique. I think I even passed out for a little bit there, but I managed to run into both of the Uchiha from before. They should be catching up any moment now…" A crunch of twigs showed both of the figures standing deftly on a limb, eyes ablaze with the Sharingan. It was easy to make out their features now, as the moon finally had no further obstructions. They looked to not have been touched in battle, and the black haired female jumped lightly into the clearing, her hands glowing green.
"Fuu, if you don't mind, I'll check over your wounds and that of the boy…" The girl barely nodded; the drain of the fight was finally catching up with her. Flames suddenly burst to life on Fugaku's sword as movement was detected from the left of the clearing. Hiruma appeared, panting and struggling while leaning against the tree. The crackle of the sword died out, and Fugaku moved to help the young man into the clearing. Mikoto glanced over at the boy, but returned her attention to the red-head in front of her.
"You all are suffering from extreme chakra exhaustion. Fuu, your powers should recover rather quickly, as well as yours, Noriaki." Her look turned grim as she turned to face Hiruma. "Hiruma, you need the most rest out of any of us. Sealing away a demon, even a part of one, is a major endeavor. You did well, but you need to rest if you are going to be of any use at all." The boy nodded, his gaze rooted on the earth in front of him.
"Right then, let's get moving. I for one don't want to know what other wickedness this night might hold." Fugaku stood, his blade flickering into life once more, casting a clear swath of firelight onto the ground. As the group left the clearing, two sets of eyes peered out from the darkness. Green eyes on red backgrounds gazed over the departing group, alongside pinkish red eyes that were framed by hair of silver. Black cloaks fluttered in the breeze, with red clouds fading into the evening light.
"Well, looks like we're gonna get fucking lucky, eh partner?" The red eyed man looked at the darker skin, teal eyed individual, a large scythe settling into his eager hands. "We have a chance to get three Jinchuuriki, and there will be so many heathens to offer to Jashin-sama!" The other individual grimaced at this, shooting an unhappy glare at his partner.
"Just because there is a variety of targets does not mean you get to offer them all…Besides, there are some rather nice bounties on some of those individuals, Hidan." The silver-haired man snorted in frustration, giving the other man a disdainful look.
"Damn money, it's always about money with you, Kakuzu." The other man spit lightly on the branch, toward his partner. "Money isn't the only thing that matters in the world, Kakuzu. Money won't reward you in the afterlife, you know? The only thing that matters, in this world and the next, is reverence." This drew a laugh from Kakuzu, a sound that was wholly terrifying. The other man merely frowned at his partner's response.
"I have a reverence for money then…Tomorrow we will make a rather lot of it if we do this attack right. We should be ready to strike before dawn, while they are still gathering and beginning to rest." Hidan grunted absently at his partner, and both slipped back into the shadows.
xXxXxXx
Well, that was a huge battle piece. That is the most combat I've ever managed to write in one chapter. I feel thoroughly drained. Also, the next chapter will have less battle, but more interactions of the Konoha ninja, followed up by the long awaited but not yet written, Naruto x Temari moments. Just the start of them, but once we are out of the battles and in the village, there will be much more of that. Continuing in this vein, the next chapter will also be a set-up for a small battle chapter. At the end of the small battle chapter, the next arc will start. I think I'll double post that week, because the small battle chapter is ridiculously small (9 pages!). I'll also be throwing up some comments at the end of the arc for that one, as there have been numerous good ones. Before I go, I would like to once again thank my beta Lazruth, and point out the happy news that we are over 100 favorites! Thanks to everyone out there! Until next time, read and review!