Yukihana: To all of my readers: Thank you SOOO much for reading this, favoriting, alerting, and reviewing this story.
Hisako: Itachi and Kisame did not go to Konoha in this-therefore; Sasuke didn't know where he was.
Yukihana: The scene where Jiraiya was gambling on dice? I totally ripped that off from Toph in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Yukihana: And a note to all: The poll will close at the end of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
Shikamaru: 4
Shino: 2
Itachi: 11
Neji: 12
Kyuubi: 9
Lee: 1
Gaara: 3
The Namikuji Sannin
Konoha no Gogyou Tokage
Sarutobi Hiruzen's death hit Suzume hard. He had been the only one who had believed in her when she was young, the only thing that prevented her from falling into the endless and inescapable chasm of insanity. He had been her anchor, the reason for her loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato and Hi no Kuni.
She couldn't bring herself to come to the funeral-she was already having a hard enough time coping without watching other people fall apart. So she stayed home. Okay, not really.
The Uzumaki had picked up quite a few bad habits in the past few months besides battle lust. Gambling and drinking had been two. She paid for the latter with the former. Suzume had yet to lose to anybody in any sort of gamble, and had gained quite a few ryou through it. Needless to say, the blonde spent the next day or so completely wasted inside of various gambling dens.
The third day was simply spent moping and reminiscing about the past until she heard a knock on her door. Suzume got up and opened it, extremely surprised when it revealed the Sannin Jiraiya. "What do you want Jiraiya-san?" she asked bluntly. The blonde was not in a good mood and had no wish for visitors of any kind.
The Gama Sennin sighed. "Can't I at least come in?"
The blonde shrugged, but opened the door.
"Thanks." Jiraiya said as he sat down on her couch. Suzume sat down on the chair across from him before speaking her mind. "Like I said, what do you want?"
The older man's mouth thinned. "I didn't think you were alive."
The Uzumaki's eyebrow rose. "And that would matter why, exactly?"
"You didn't actually think the Yondaime would have left you without a guardian, did you? Both me and Tsunade were assigned as your god parents."
"Nani?"
"Sarutobi-sensei said you were dead. He had your best interests in mind, but I don't think you lived the life he wanted you to."
Suzume looked down so that her bangs shadowed her face. "No." she whispered. "I don't suppose I did."
"But," Jiraiya said, "Now that I know you are alive, I suppose it isn't really proper not to tell Tsunade about this."
Suzume folded her hands in front of her mouth in a very Sasuke-like manner. "You're telling the truth, but there's something more. Now that Sandaime Hokage-jiji is dead, you need a Godaime. You aren't really suited for the job because of your irresponsibility. You want Tsunade to be the Godaime, and you're using me as a tool to persuade her to come back."
The Sannin raised both of his eyebrows. "You're a sharp one. Your assumption was correct. It was either Tsunade or Kakashi."
At the mention of the Copy Nin's name, Suzume frowned. "Do not speak of that man in front of me." She ordered in a clipped tone.
Jiraiya blinked in surprise. 'Huh? Why does she hate Hatake?' he wondered. "Ahem. Anyways. There is also the matter of Sarutobi-sensei's will."
"Will?" Suzume muttered in confusion.
The Gama Sennin nodded. "He left you two scrolls. I have no idea what's in them. Anyways, we have to get going in thirty minutes. Meet me at the north gate at that time."
The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Give them here." She said.
Jiraiya shrugged, before pulling out two scrolls and tossing them to Suzume. "There ya go." He said. "Remember, the north gate in thirty minutes." He said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
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And, just as the Sannin had ordered, the kunoichi was at the north gate in thirty minutes exactly. She raised an elegant blonde eyebrow at the Sannin when he showed up five minutes later. "Well." He said, "Shall we go?"
The Uzumaki snorted, following Jiraiya as he exited the gates.
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Suzume felt her eyebrow twitch dangerously as Jiraiya walked off with some civilian woman. 'Ero-sennin…' she thought, 'You are such an idiot!' Sighing in a futile attempt to control her rage, she turned around and got the two of them hotel rooms. Separate hotel rooms. Muttering under her breath, she walked up the stairs and plopped down on her futon.
Unrolling the first scroll, she began to read it.
Dear Suzu-chan,
If you are reading this, then I'm dead. Don't take it too hard, it was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, I am an old man, as you consistently pointed out. I would put some inspirational speech in here if I thought you would read it. You'd just call me an idiot if I did, however.
On the other hand, I have something of grave importance to tell you. You are the only person besides the councilors and I that knows the truth of the Uchiha Massacre by Uchiha Itachi.
After the massacre, I sent Itachi to spy on an organization named Akatsuki. He joined the group immeadiatly and began sending me information on it. Akatsuki is currently compromised of nine S-Class criminals, which originally numbered ten before Orochimaru left the group. Their goal is a frightening one-control of the ninja world. They plan to gain this through capturing all of the tailed beasts and extracting them, a process which will kill the jinchuuriki. This is a warning to you. Be extremely careful-you are nowhere near the strength you need to match any of them at the moment.
What I need you to do is act as an in between agent for Itachi and the Godaime. In the other scroll are two letters; one of the Godaime and one for Itachi.
Another thing: I know of your elemental taijutsu and I will freely admit that it is extremely unique and clever; nobody but you could have figured it out. For your Katon taijutsu, you know the answer; you just don't want to acknowledge it. You have buried all of your knowledge and memories of Itachi under blissful ignorance. I can understand that you don't want to face your emotions that surround the man and that night. But you are undermining yourself by not using the knowledge and the taijutsu style that he taught you- the Tobikaji-ryu. (Flying Fire Style) You know this as well as I do, so don't pretend you have no clue as to what I'm speaking of.
Also, on a happier note, I have sealed the crystal ball that I used to observe the whole village with in the second scroll as well. I still remember how pissed it made you that I could stop most of your pranks before they happened. You use it by channeling you chakra through it and focusing on a particular chakra signature.
Good luck in the future. Make Konohagakure proud. Become a strong kunoichi and protector; I know you can do it.
Love,
Sarutobi Hiruzen
Suzume felt a tear trickle down her cheek. 'Hokage-jiji…' she thought sadly. 'But he's right. I'm only holding myself back by refusing to use Ita-chan's taijutsu. I guess I should get used to the movements again…But first, I need to figure out where he is so I know how to give him his letter' the blonde thought as she gave a cursory glance at the second scroll. She quickly unsealed the crystal ball and channeled chakra through it, causing it to glow blue before it cleared.
The ball showed Itachi wearing a black cloak decorated with red clouds, accompanied by a blue-colored, shark-like man dressed in a similar fashion that had a bandaged sword slung over his back. To her surprise, the two shinobi were standing right outside of the hotel she was in. 'Ita-chan must have figured out where I was somehow…' Suzume realized.
"I'll go in alone. Stay here, Kisame." The Uchiha ordered. Sushi grunted in annoyance, but stayed put. Itachi pulled a conical straw hat out of his cloak and donned it before entering the hotel.
Suzume put down the crystal orb, grabbed the second scroll, and unsealed the letter for Itachi. She stepped out of her door and walked down to the hotel lobby. When the jinchuuriki got there, she nodded in acknowledgement to the older shinobi. "Hello Ita-chan!" she murmured cheerfully.
The nukenin smirked slightly. "Hello, Suzume." He said. "Do you have it?"
The Uzumaki nodded, handing the letter to Itachi. "There you go, Ita-chan. You should leave soon, or Ero-Sennin might find you."
The Uchiha's smirk widened. "Of course, Suzume." He murmured, patting the kunoichi on the head. "I'll see you soon." He murmured. "Very soon."
The blonde snorted. "See ya later, Ita-chan."
"Goodbye for now, Suzume." Itachi said, before leaving the lobby. The kunoichi shook her head in slight wonder, going back up to her room.
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"I am the Great Jiraiya, Sage of Myobokuzan! Woman flock to me in their millions! I will not be fooled by a simple genjutsu!"
"Would you shut the fuck up, Ero-Sennin?" Suzume growled.
The Gama Sennin blinked owlishly, staring at the blonde in front of him. "Eh? There's no one here?"
The blonde snorted. "Of course not. What gave you that idiotic idea?" she said, blatantly lying through her teeth.
Scratching his head in confusion, he muttered "I could have sworn…" under his breath.
"Anyways!" he shouted, clapping his hands together. "I have a jutsu I want to teach you!"
The Uzumaki merely raised an eyebrow. "You're teaching me a jutsu?" she asked in confusion and slight disbelief.
"Well of course!" Jiraiya said, "It's my way of repaying you for helping me out with this mission. It's called Rasengan, by the way. Let's go outside, this might get a little bit messy."
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"Alright!" the Gama Sennin said, still scarily cheerful. "There are three steps to learning this technique. The first one is this-!" he said, as dramatic music suddenly started playing and he pulled out two…
Water balloons!
Suzume raised her eyebrows, unimpressed.
"Don't look at me like that!" the Sannin said. "The first step is to burst this water balloon using only chakra." He announced, before holding out his water balloon and bursting it within seconds. "This step represents the rotation for the technique. Don't worry if you don't get it right away, it's pretty hard."
The blonde glared at the Gama Sennin. "Shaddap Ero-Sennin! I'll finish this step by the end of the day!"
Jiraiya smirked. "Is that a bet?"
"It sure as hell is. 1000 ryou."
"Deal."
The two shook on it. Jiraiya shook his head and walked away. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he heard a large explosion. Whirling around, he felt a bead of sweat slide down his face. 'Damn…that's kind of scary…' he thought.
Walking back to the kunoichi, he handed her a stack of bills, looking at them regretfully. "Ahem…The next step involves a rubber ball." The Gama Sennin said as he pulled out the before mentioned object. "The objective is the same as the first step: burst the ball. Since this is a hollow rubber ball, it is much harder to burst. This represents the control for the technique." Jiraiya dropped the ball on his palm, focused his chakra for a few seconds, and burst the ball with a loud pop. "Good luck on this."
Suzume took the second ball and began to focus her chakra. 'Rubber is much thicker than a balloon, and air is much harder to manipulate with chakra. This uses the same sort of control as the first step, except it uses much more power and chakra.'
Closing her eyes, she concentrated. 'Feel the chakra,' she told herself. 'Feel the flow. Channel it through the ball. Then rotate it. Fast and powerful, fast and powerful!'
The Uzumaki pushed the chakra outward, doing her best to cause the ball to explode. The rubber stretched a little bit, but was nowhere near to popping.
'Damn,' she thought, 'this is going to take a while.'
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It was the next afternoon that Suzume finally managed to explode the balloon. And yeah, it was definitely an explosion. There was a large boom that was probably heard throughout the whole town. Jiraiya nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard it. 'That Suzume is really something else…' he thought with a wry grin as he walked back to the hotel.
Once he got there, he pulled out a normal balloon. "The third step," he told Suzume, "is all about combining the previous steps and adding another factor: control. This step requires you to create the whirling mass of chakra and the same amount of power, but instead of popping the balloon, you want to control your chakra so that you form the Rasengan inside of the balloon. When you master this step, you will be able to form the Rasengan and use it in battle." Holding out his hand palm up, he preformed the step perfectly. "Without the balloon, the Rasengan should look like this." The Sannin said as he popped the balloon with his free hand, revealing a perfect sphere created by an almost artful rotation of chakra.
Suzume nodded, crossing her arms and taking on a superior expression. "Well, you can actually do something useful. That's a first."
"Hey!"
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Unfortunately for our blue-eyed wonder, Jiraiya found a lead on Tsunade's location, so Suzume had to work on the third step on the road. It was annoying, having to watch out for obstacles on the road and focus on rotating her chakra at the same time, though the blonde would freely admit it probably did wonders for her chakra control.
The next memorable place they stopped at was a gambling den in a town named Fujikaze. Jiraiya had walked up to one of the dealers, and Suzume had stuck to the shadows, quietly observing the conversation.
"So…I'm looking for a teenager. Wears a green kimono with pink trim, shoulder-length blonde hair done up in a high ponytail, honey-brown eyes. Sound familiar?"
"Well, around here, gambling is our lifeblood. You want information? You're going to have to gamble for it. How about this…100 ryou for each time you lose." The dealer said, pulling out a cup and two die. "You know the rules for dice. Pick."
"Even."
The dealer shrugged, shook the cup, and dropped the dice on the table. The cup, when pulled up, revealed a five and a six.
In the background, Suzume snorted. Charging her foot with a small amount of earth chakra, she stomped on the ground, flipping over the five and replacing it with a two. Jiraiya blinked, barely believing his luck. 'Perfect timing, Suzume. Nice one.' He thought.
"Well then. About that girl…"
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An hour later, the two leaf-nin found themselves just outside of Tanzaku no Sato.
"We are now one step closer to the end of our journey!" Jiraiya shouted, extending his hand toward the castle at the back of the town.
Suzume gave him a stare that clearly meant are you serious? , saying "You're a Sannin, Jiraiya. Yet you go around screaming like a schoolgirl and manage to be even more annoying then Sasuke-teme. That takes effort, you know."
The Gama Sennin pouted.
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A voluptuous blond-haired woman looked around warily. 'I never win.' She thought. 'This is bad…' Whirling around, she yelled "Shizune!" before rushing out the door. When her assistant finally caught up to her, Tsunade began speaking again. "We're leaving. Now!"
The younger woman frowned. "Can't we at least see the castle before we leave?" she protested.
Konoha no Namikuji Tsunade-Hime (Konoha's Slug Princess Tsunade) sighed. "Fine! But quickly!"
And that was how the two medic kunoichi had found themselves where they were at the moment.
Tsunade glared angrily at her former teammate and his accomplice, while Shizune kept her finger on her senbon launcher.
Orochimaru chuckled, and Kabuto smirked.
"I need you to do me a favor." The Hebi Sannin said.
'Erratic heartbeat, his face looks pale and feverish, and those arms…' Tsunade observed, already diagnosing the nukenin's problem.
"I'm sure you've already figured it out." Kabuto said. "We'd get somebody else, but you, Tsunade-sama of the Dantetsu no Sannin alone can cure it."
"That wound on your arm is not normal…." The blonde pointed out. 'Is it some sort of secret seal or curse?' she wondered. "What did you do to it?"
The nukenin smirked. "It's just a little memento from when I killed the Sandaime."
"You really are…" Tsunade murmured, snarling at the Hebi Sannin.
"Now now, Tsunade, don't give me that look. Everything with form is destined to crumble. It is the same with people. You should know this, as you have lost two of your most beloved."
Kabuto's eyes widened slightly. 'She lost the two people she loved most? Orochimaru-sama…you are very cruel.'
"Ahh…" Orochimaru murmured, smiling cruelly, "Those were most certainly horrible ways to die…"
Shizune growled at the traitor as she pulled up her right sleeve and prepared her senbon shooter. She quickly released the five needles, sending them flying towards Orochimaru. Kabuto moved just as fast, blocking five senbon and catching one. 'These are poisoned…' he realized as he watched a sickly green liquid drip off of the weapon.
"Calm down Shizune." The blonde medic ordered.
'That lieutenant…she's good.' Kabuto observed.
Tsunade chuckled. "Hmph. You haven't changed a bit, have you Orochimaru? You know how I am, don't you? Don't kid around with me." Suddenly, her expression morphed from carefree to furious as her fist smashed into the wall behind her, causing it to crumble. "I'll…kill you!"
'Destructive!' Kabuto shouted in his mind as he leaped away from the shockwave. 'And fearsome. She's single. Definitely single.' (Hey, it's in the English Manga!) "We're not here to fight. We're here to negotiate."
"I said it once. Get out of my sight."
"You're the only one who can cure his arms!" Kabuto protested. "We're not saying it will be a one-way bargain. Can't we make a deal?"
"I'll give you to the count of five. You'd better be gone by then, or else!"
"Please, calm down! It will be a good barga-!"
"5."
"4."
"3."
"2."
"1."
"I can revive your brother and the man you loved with the forbidden seal I have developed." Orochimaru offered.
Tsunade paled. "You haven't killed us yet." The Hebi Sannin said. "Does this mean we have a deal?"
The blonde medic looked down, her eyes slit eyes.
"Don't you want to see them again? Tsunade?" the nukenin said, pushing his former teammate into his bargain.
'Nawaki…Dan…' Konoha no Namikuji Tsunade-Hime thought, remembering the names of her loved ones. "If I agree to your bargain…what will you do?"
"I hate to lie to you…I will destroy the leaf."
Shizune's eyes widened. "What? Destroy Konohagakure no Sato?" Turning to her mistress when she didn't immeadiatly reply, she shouted "Tsunade-sama! You shouldn't listen to the offers of these liars! Your brother and my uncle wouldn't want you to do it either! Are the wishes of two people worth more than your dreams and wishes? Have you forgotten them, Tsunade-sama? I understand, yet even if reality is like this-!"
"Shut up Shizune!" Tsunade ordered.
"Like I said earlier, we hope to come to a peaceful resolution. Also, the jutsu needs a sacrifice of two living people, which you must supply…"
Orochimaru smiled grimly. "We should get going Kabuto. Tsunade…we anxiously await your consent."
Tsunade looked down at her hand fisted around her necklace, on the verge of crying. Shizune stared at her wordlessly.
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It took another hour to find where Tsunade actually was. When Jiraiya and Suzume entered the pub she was in, the Namikuji Sannin was already half drunk.
"So…Why are you here anyways, Jiraiya?"
The Gama Sennin sighed. "To tell the truth, Konoha has issued a request for you to become the Godaime Hokage."
Both Shizune's and Tsunade's eyes widened.
"The Sandaime was killed…."
Tsunade nodded. "I heard."
"So your answer..?"
Tsunade closed her eyes briefly, remembering her earlier talk with Orochimaru. "I decline…It's impossible."
Jiraiya snorted. "I remember in the past, you used to say the same thing when I asked you out on a date."
The blonde medic chuckled. "Life isn't money. It can't be gambled that easily. Anybody who does so is a fool. The Shodaime and Nidaime were so focused on attaining peace that they died in the middle of their dreams. It's no wonder Sarutobi died-he was too old to live in his dreams."
The Gama Sennin growled lowly at his former teammate.
"The job of Hokage is worthless. Anybody that would want such a stupid position is completely and utterly foolish."
That was the breaking point for Suzume. But she was smart enough to know that there was no point in yelling at the kunoichi across from her. Instead, she took out her immediate frustrations on the full sake bottle she was holding it by crushing it in her hand. Standing up and getting out of her seat, she called, "I'm going to go now, Jiraiya." In a clipped and icy tone.
"Wait." The Gama Sennin said. "Shizune, could you go book a few hotel rooms for us? I'm going to talk to Tsunade for a while."
The brunette nodded as the thought, 'Jiraiya…It's up to you.'
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"So…when are you going to meet up with Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she turned to face her fellow Sannin.
"I could tell from Shizune's facial expressions. But…you shouldn't make such hasty decisions. Whatever he offered you, I want to make one thing clear. The past Hokage protected Konohagakure with their lives. They were willing to bet their lives on that dream. You should understand how they felt. If you do anything to betray Konoha…I'll kill you."
"It has nothing to do with me."
"Only a murderer would show no emotion in the event of a friend or family member's death. You aren't like that, are you?"
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A WEEK LATER…..
"Oi, Suzume, wake up!"
The jinchuuriki blinked the sleep from her eyes as her vision cleared. "Eh, Shizune? What's up?"
The brunette smiled slightly. "You were sleeping like a rock. Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. By the way, what day is it today?"
Tsunade's assistant paled. 'Oh no…Today's the day when Tsunade-sama will meet Orochimaru..!'
"Suzume-chan, stay in the room!" she ordered as she began to exit the hotel through the window, but stopped when a kunai hit the wood beside her head. Looking in the direction that the weapon had come from, Shizune's eyes widened when she saw Jiraiya in an absolutely deplorable condition.
The Gama Sennin leaned against the window sill before speaking. "That damn Tsunade…she poisoned my sake. I can't feel my chakra and my whole body stings. I can't even hold chopsticks."
Suzume snorted. "And you're always talking about what an amazing ninja you are. This is pathetic, you lame-ass!"
Jiraiya glared at the blonde. "Even in her fallen state she's still the best medic known to man. She's one of the few people that can make an odorless, tasteless, poison. Even though I was drunk, to catch me off guard like that…she hasn't lost much of her skill, that's for sure."
Across the road, an Oto-nin crouched behind a wall. 'For Jiraiya-sama to be here…that alone turns things sour. But for Suzume-kun to be here as well…this may get messy. I'll have to report this to Orochimaru-sama immeadiatly.'
Back on the roof, Suzume looked sideways at Shizune. "You know…I think it's time you told us what exactly happened with Orochimaru."
The brunette bit her bottom lip. "I wanted to believe in Tsunade-sama, so I didn't say anything. But…we don't have much time! I'll explain on the way there. Follow me!"
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Inside the castle walls, Orochimaru and Tsunade stood opposite each other.
"Your response?"
"I will heal your arms…if you keep them away from Konoha."
"Agreed."
The two former teammates walked closer to each other. When they were within arm's length, Tsunade activated a technique. But before the orb of chakra could touch Orochimaru, a kunai shot from one of the tiled roofs and forced the Sannin to separate. The thrower of the kunai, Kabuto, landed behind Orochimaru.
"What is this…" the nukenin said, enraged. "To come so far and betray me, Tsunade-hime! I trust Kabuto and his expertise in the medical field. You on the other hand…You know, I really did intend to revive those two and I even promised not to harm Konohagakure."
Tsunade chuckled. "I knew the part about not touching the Leaf was a lie. But to see those two again, to hear them, to touch them…But I'll really be able to see Nawaki and Dan again...The moment I felt that on my lips, I realized I was a total fool." She was crying now. "Those two's faces, from just remembering them…to think that I've become this blind….I loved them. I still love them! I want to see and hug them. But their dreams were the same; they both wanted to be Hokage. The dream that those two bet their lives on-seeing that come true was my wish. You've said that all things with form decay. Only this feeling-love-will never decay."
"So the deal is off then. I suppose I have no choice.
Tsunade glared at her former teammate before performing an ax kick, causing the land around her to turn into a crater. "Here I come…OROCHIMARU!"
The Hebi Sannin chuckled. "Now that I think about it, I've never fought you before."
"I'll kill you right now, you bastards!" the Namikuji Sannin shouted as she pulled off her robe and slammed her fist into the wall where the two Oto-nin had been standing.
Leaping back, Kabuto turned slightly to Orochimaru. "This place is too enclosed. We have to get to somewhere with more open space." The nukenin nodded in agreement, and they both leaped across the rooftops, away from the pissed Senju.
She followed them until they got to a grassy field, where she caused another crater with a missed punch. All three combatants were breathing hard.
'Tsunade-sama seems short of breath.' Kabuto thought as he popped a soldier pill into his mouth and disappeared.
A few seconds later, a hand burst from the ground underneath the kunoichi. Leaping up, the Namikuji Sannin slammed her fist down into the hole that Kabuto was formerly in, while said shinobi rolled out of the way.
Kabuto quickly preformed a series of hand seals, forming chakra scalpels. Carefully dodging Tsunade's attacks, he placed his scalpels on her chest and left leg.
The two shinobi broke apart, and the pain caused Konoha no Namikuji Tsunade-Hime to crouch down low to the ground to keep her balance. 'So this kid can use medical techniques…' she realized. 'And he's rather good with them too…To be able to cut my muscle like this is very impressive.'
The Oto-nin quickly dodged between Tsunade's taijutsu again, landing another hit to the muscles around her respiratory area.
"Well." He said. "Orochimaru-sama wants you alive, so I didn't aim for the neck. Either way, you shouldn't be able to move around right now.
The Namikuji Sannin smirked, blurring behind the younger medic and elbowing him in the back, hard, sending him flying.
'Most impressive.' Kabuto thought. 'Either the jutsu didn't work properly or she has ungodly stamina…either way, I need to get serious.' But as he tried to move his hand, his leg twitched. 'What? This isn't caused by the muscles-it's caused by the nervous system! How-!' his thoughts were cut off as Tsunade punched him in the cheek, causing him to go airborne.
Tsunade chuckled. "You seem to have realized…I turned my chakra into electricity, scrambling the signals of your nervous system."
Orochimaru smirked darkly. 'To have spent so many years away from battle and still be this strong…you are truly impressive, Tsunade.'
The Namikuji Sannin herself went through a series of seals. 'Healing it all the way through would take too much chakra…' she thought as she healed the injury in her breathing area.
Kabuto's eyes narrowed. 'I can use eighty percent of my body…' he thought, getting up stiffly, pulling out a kunai, and beginning to swing it in an arc down to his arm. He stopped however, when a puff of smoke appeared on the battlefield, revealing Shizune, TonTon, Jiraiya, and Suzume.
"Ah…You haven't changed any." Jiraiya said. "Still have those wild eyes…"
Kabuto smirked. "Suzume-kun..."
The jinchuuriki shook her head. "I always knew something was wrong with you. Never would have tacked you off as a traitor, however."
The Oto-nin smiled grimly. "You always were smarter then you acted, Suzume-kun."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Anyways…Orochimaru-sama, could you take off your left bandage?" The silver-haired boy asked.
Jiraiya closed his eyes momentarily before opening them. "Heh. Shizune, is there anything you can do about the poison?"
"Sorry, I can't do anything by myself."
"Alright, I guess I'll have to go like this." He said, biting his thumb and performing the Kuchiyose at the same time as Kabuto. Problem was, he summoned Gamakichi, not Gamabunta, while Kabuto summoned two large snakes.
"I'll take Jiraiya." Orochimaru said from atop his snake. "The rest of them are yours." Kabuto nodded in agreement before the two snake summons rushed towards the four shinobi. Luckily, each of them leaped out of the way so none of them were crushed.
Jiraiya flipped through a few handseals, placed his hand on the ground and called out "Doton: Kawa no Yomi!" (I know it's written differently in the manga, but it means the same thing. Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)
Meanwhile, Shizune threw a volley of poisoned senbon at Kabuto, who managed to dodge and place a chakra scalpel on the brunette's chest.
"Ninpou: Dokugiri!" (Ninja Art: Poison Mist) Shizune called out as a cloud of purple gas exuded from her mouth. Kabuto dodged by going underground and grabbing Tsunade's ankles when he resurfaced, severing the muscle there too.
Orochimaru extended his neck in an attempt to hit Jiraiya, who called out "Hari Jizou!" (Needle Jizou) before he was encased in a large coil of steel-sharp and -hard hair.
'Damnit!' the Gama Sennin thought as Orochimaru bit his neck.
Kabuto quickly knocked Shizune out with an elbow to the neck. Tsunade paled. 'No…No…No, she can't be dead!' she told herself as she looked over her apprentice's body. The slug summoner didn't even notice when the white-haired boy tried to punch her.
The Oto-nin blinked when he felt his fist gripped in a firm hand. 'Tsunade was weak-that's not her hand.' But smiled grimly when he saw that it was Suzume who had entered the fight. "Finally got pissed enough to start fighting?"
"You bet." The Uzumaki said.
Tsunade's eyes widened. "NO! I may not know your name, but I know this is a battle you cannot win! Get out of here!"
Suzume smiled grimly. "Nah…This is a mission that is beneficial to our village….for that fact alone, I would happily die!"
"Hehe…You were always the philosophic one, weren't you?" Kabuto said, ripping his hand out of the jinchuuriki's grasp and backing up.
"That doesn't matter now. Eat shit!" Suzume shouted as her fist began to glow with chakra. Kabuto's eyes widened in slight surprise as he flipped backward, immeadiatly grateful for his decision as the ground beneath the Uzumaki's fist exploded.
The Oto-nin looked down. "To have strength on the level of Tsunade at such a young age…You are truly an impressive kunoichi, Suzume."
The taijutsu specialist chuckled darkly. "Enhanced strength isn't my only ability, you know." She said as she threw off all of her weights and uncovered her Byakugan, activating it.
Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "You must protect it in some way…" he murmured.
"Quite correct. There is a seal written on the inside of my hitai-ate that will destroy the Byakugan when I die. An unfortunate side-effect of this is that it consumes much more chakra to use while my hitai-ate is covering it."
Up on his snake, Orochimaru eyed the unprotected Tsunade. 'Now is my chance!' he realized, leaping off his snake and bringing out Kusanagi at a perfect angle to skewer the medic.
Suzume whirled around as she saw Orochimaru's attack. 'No!' she thought, 'I can't let that happen!' Her mind made up, the Uzumaki pushed as much chakra as possible into her legs, only hoping she wasn't too late.
Both of Tsunade's hands went to her mouth after taking in the sight in front of her. Suzume had gotten there in time to prevent Kusanagi from hitting the Namikuji Sannin, but, in the process, took the sword through the left side of her stomach.
Orochimaru frowned as he ripped the sword out of the girl's stomach. "I didn't mean to hit you, you know. If you would just step aside…."
"Like hell I'll step aside, bastard!" the jinchuuriki shouted as she snapped an earth chakra-enhanced kick into the nukenin's jaw, sending him flying. Jumping up behind him, Suzume quickly opened the first and second gates before pulling out a roll of bandages and using chakra to wrap them around Orochimaru. The Hebi Sannin, in his deteriorated state, was nowhere near as fast as he normally was, allowing the jinchuuriki to finish her technique. Rotating at an inhuman speed, Suzume kicked off of the man's back at the last possible second, escaping the large impact that she would have sustained.
Suzume landed next to Tsunade, panting heavily. Focusing some of the Kyuubi's chakra into her hand, she placed it on her wound, speeding up the healing process.
"Why…" Tsunade muttered. "Why the hell did you do that?"
The jinchuuriki smiled bitterly as she turned her head to face the Namikuji Sannin. "Because…Like it or not, you are very important to the survival of the leaf. And I'm not. It's sacrificing a pawn for a queen. Quite logical, really. Besides, you would have a whole village full of people who would cry for you if you died. On the other hand, most would celebrate my death, and not a single one would cry. True death only comes when you are forgotten-when family members stop telling stories about you and friends stop visiting your grave. If you keep doing that for the ones that have passed away, they will never truly die, for they will live on….in your heart." Suzume said, looking up to the sky and placing a hand over her chest. "They will always live on."
The Senju behind her smiled a true smile for the first time in many years. 'Suzume-san….thank you so much for this…You have opened my eyes once again.' When the Sannin next opened her eyes, they were full of determination. "Let's do this!" she shouted, drawing blood along with her former teammates.
Orochimaru stood on top of Manda, Jiraiya on top of Gamabunta, and Tsunade on top of Katsuya. The slug spat out acid at the snake, who quickly wrapped around the slug, who then dissipated into thousands of smaller invertebrates. Gamabunta attempted to stab Manda with his blade, but was stopped by the serpent's mouth. The toad grabbed the snake's tail, while Tsunade slammed the blade into Manda's mouth, closing it for a significant amount of time. The snake growled before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Jiraiya also dismissed his summons.
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "There is another jutsu I can use to regain my arms. Until then, my fellow Sannin, until then…" he said, as both he and Kabuto disappeared in a puff of smoke.
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"So yeah." Tsunade said. "I'll be the Godaime."
Jiraiya smiled. "That's good. I didn't even have to tell you that Suzume's last name is Uzumaki…."
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?
"Ahaha, Tsunade, calm down!"
"Never!"