Happy Valentine's everyone! And, as promised, two old friends reunite!
I went through a lot of shit to get this done, and I can honestly say, I'm happy with how this turned out.
I have to say though, I'm a bit disappointed in this fics decreasing popularity. I used to get at least 5-7 reviews per chapter, but now I'm getting 2 or 3. And just as I'm putting out longer updates; what happened guys?
And as to what happened to the Medusa-snake? That'll be addressed this chapter.
Don't get me wrong, the fic isn't even close to being done! We still have all the good stuff with Arachnophobia and Asura to deal with!
And if you didn't know, my time's been sapped by Nisekoi and Fire Emblem: Awakening; both of which are addictive and frustrating.
Last note, I apologize in advance for the crappy love scene. Romance isn't my strong suit.
But anyway, here's Chapter 10! Enjoy!
- x - (Chapter 10: Glue) - x -
"...H….He...Hey! Pigtails! Get your ass up!"
'H-huh?'
The darkness around her was quickly replaced with the sight of a corpse staring right back at her.
Well, that's one way to wake a girl up.
She shot up, and clutched her stomach in a failed attempt to hold in the bile rising in her throat.
It didn't work.
The dead Sound nin was bathed in a mix of undigested food and stomach acid.
Poor bastard.
The Leaf Chuunin whose voice she'd heard, was standing next to her, looking on with a mix of surprise and amusement.
His face went back to one of complete seriousness.
"I need you to go with the rest of the civilians to the shelter," he said, back to her, "I'll buy you some time."
"What? No way! I can fight!"
He looked her up and down (not in the perverted way), analyzing her.
"No offense, but you're no shinobi. And we can't have you interfering and getting hurt."
She growled and pulled out a small roll of cloth from her bag. She fastened it around her arm, the engraving of a skull glinting off the metal plate.
"What were you saying?"
He face-palmed and muttered, "Listen girl, I don't want to have to protect some brat playing ninja. Now just run along with the others and stay out of the way!"
He rushed forward, kunai plowing into the gut of an Oto nin. He went down, blood trailing from his mouth.
Unfortunately for him, in the moment of overconfidence, a Kishin Egg had snuck up behind him, it's eyes were wide and glowing red as it wound up for the attack…
"Maka!"
Soul leapt out into the hall just behind the monster, morphing into a scythe as he did so.
The scythe-meister leapt forward, catching the weapon easily, slicing through the beast like a hot knife through butter. The ruby-red cracked soul was quickly absorbed by the blade, allowing Soul to pulsate at the newfound power.
She turned to the stammering Chuunin.
"I reiterate. What were you saying?"
Not waiting for a response, she ran off, in hopes of finding the others.
- x - x - x -
"So what's going on exactly?" she asked her weapon as she ran.
"Well, you know those white feathers we all saw? Those were all part of a massive village-wide genjutsu. The ninja from Sound and Sand used the moment of weakness to attack."
She ducked a swipe from a Kishin Egg and slammed the butt of Soul's hilt into its face. The beast cried in pain as it was knocked back, nursing its cracked face. A quick swipe from Soul's blade silenced its cries permanently. The scythe absorbed yet another evil soul.
"Alright! Keep this up, and we'll make up for those 99 souls we lost fighting Blair in no time!"
"Ugh, don't remind me."
Another quick series of slashes put down a group of Oto nin that had attempted to surround her. They were down and out, left to bleed to death by the duo.
"Anyway," continued the white-haired weapon, "After some of the Leaf Ninja were kind enough to wake us, Stein ordered us to assist the Leaf in any way possible. He thought we could use this opportunity to assert ourselves as allies of Konohagakure."
Maka nodded. That certainly made sense.
The two rushed into combat once again.
- x - x - x -
Naruto was staring down at his Uchiha teammate getting his ass handed to him by the partially transformed Ichibi Jinchuuriki. Any attempt to engage the demon in taijutsu was suicidal at this point, since half his body was coated in the very sand he could use to crush you. Genjutsu was out, since he didn't have anything strong enough to fool a Bijuu's eyes, and Ninjutsu? Well…
The self-proclaimed avenger flew through hand seals.
'Ne, Tora, Inu, Ushi, U, Tora!'
"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"
A steady stream of fireballs flew from his lips, the small wisps containing shuriken as a hidden secondary attack.
"Suna Shuriken!"
Pellets of sand struck the opposing technique, effectively putting out the fire, and halting the shuriken.
It was a stalemate so far.
But not for long.
Sasuke charged forward, the fallen shuriken flying behind him, connected to his fingers with chakra wires. He flung his hands forward, the thin cable wrapping around the Suna nin.
"What!?" he shouted in a distorted voice.
'Hebi, Tatsu, U, Tora!'
"Take this!"
"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"
From his position in the trees, Naruto decided to help out. He leapt into the battle, already flipping through hand signs.
'Tora, Ushi, Inu, U, Hebi!'
"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"
The wind jutsu collided with Sasuke's fire technique, turning it a ghostly blue. The technique slammed into Gaara, causing an enormous fiery inferno.
The two leapt out of the way of the blast, which enveloped the surrounding trees in flames.
"Nice shot, dobe."
He nodded, "You too, teme."
- x - x - x -
"Dammit, these bastards just keep on coming!"
The ash-blonde meister and dirty-mouthed weapon were surrounded by a sea of Kishin Eggs.
"Incoming!"
A rather large shuriken tore through a row of the creatures, before deforming in a pink ball of light. The weapon returned to her meister's hand in the form of a Kusarigama.
Flying above them was a black-haired teen on a flying skateboard, mowing down Kishin with a pistol in each hand.
The first pair seemed to be doing well, until one of the monsters jumped off a roof, descending on the unsuspecting duo. It flew, claws poised and ready to strike.
"Shield Star!"
The monster flew back, hitting the wall behind it. The structure collapsed, burying and most likely killing a good majority of them.
"Thanks Black*Star," she said, slicing through another and taking its soul.
"No problem! It's only natural for a God to be kind to his subjects!"
"...Yeah, sure."
Kid flew down from his earlier position.
"Maka, you go on ahead! Black*Star and I can handle things here!"
She nodded and sped off, Soul muttering about how he should've brought his bike.
- x - x - x -
The two conscious members of Team 7 looked over at the crater that was made by the blast. The surrounding trees that hadn't been completely burned were badly scorched, some of them still on fire. The sand that filled the area before had been turned to glass under the intense heat.
Suddenly, a sand-encased arm burst out of the glass, pulling the owner of said arm to the surface.
"Excellent! You two will be perfect for proving my existence!" he shouted, laughing hysterically. His voice was flipping between the normal murderous tone he normally had, and the distorted voice of the demon Shukaku.
"Dammit, how is he not dead!? That last attack should've turned him to ashes!" shouted Sasuke, Sharingan swirling.
Naruto grit his teeth, "We need a plan. How long do you need to get another Chidori up and running?"
"About half a minute. But if I can't get a clear shot at him, it's all over."
He nodded, "I'll get you those thirty seconds. Make them count."
Sasuke nodded back, flipping through hand seals.
Naruto charged forward, forming a set of seal-less Kage Bunshin. Some of them transformed into weapons, leaping into other's grasp.
The initial wave was reduced to nothing as Gaara swung his tail. The second ones used the brief opening to unleash all hell on him.
Some swung their weapons, others drew their swords. They all swung upward, sending the Jinchuuriki flying.
Recovering from his earlier stunned state, the Demon Container righted himself in midair, preparing to fire another Renkuudan his way.
But it never came.
Naruto had jumped high into the air at the beginning of the assault, and had created a clone to use as a springboard. He shot through the air, using gravity and wind chakra (by reducing air resistance) to increase his force.
"HYAH!"
And he planted both his feet straight into Gaara's forehead.
The blow was powerful enough to shatter his skull (and definitely would have if he wasn't using his Sand Armor) and sent him flying down at astonishing speeds. He struck the ground with incredible force, causing his "skin" to crack, all along his body.
He shook off the sand, much like a dog would shake off water.
"Now, Sasuke!" he shouted, having landed safely from his earlier attack.
'Saru, Tatsu, Ne, Tori, Ushi, Hebi, Inu, Tora, Saru!'
"Chidori!"
He leapt off the branch and down into the pit that Gaara had fallen into, right-hand-first.
The attack plunged into Gaara's left lung, emerging out the back in a shower of blood. The lightning-covered fist was still sending off stray sparks as he tried to pull it out.
Only to find he couldn't.
"What the!?"
Gaara gave him that insane grin, hands gripping the Uchiha's forearm tightly. The fallen sand around them enveloped the Avenger in a sphere-like cocoon.
"NOW DIE!"
"Shit!"
"Sabaku Kyu!" he roared as he closed his fist.
A sickening crunch echoed through the now silent area. Gaara's eyes were wide with glee as he opened the cocoon to reveal…
The splintered remains of a log.
"What!?"
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
The injured Sand Nin couldn't move in time as the fireball consumed him.
Sasuke touched down next to his comrade on a tree branch.
"Che! Got him!"
"Heh. Again, nice shot," he said, lightly punching him in the shoulder.
"And again, you too," he said, punching back.
"ROAAARGH!"
The two snapped their attention back to the Sand's Jinchuuriki, who looked like he'd been through hell.
It was clear the sand around him had leapt to his defense again, but it was futile. Red burns littered his skin, and molten glass solidified under the absence of flame. He stood tall, before falling to his knees and screaming.
"DAMN YOU UZUMAKI!"
And he fell face first into the dirt.
"...H-hey! We did it!"
"Not yet, look!"
Sand had begun to swirl around him, covering him in a coat of tan. The cocoon grew larger and larger, lines of purple appearing and running down it.
Gaara's head was soon covered as a snout and nose developed. The redhead was out cold, his smile seemingly frozen on his face.
Soon, they were looking at a full-scale Ichibi no Shukaku. The beast looked down at them with a critical eye.
"So you're the bastards that knocked Gaara out, eh?"
The belly of the monstrosity grew to an enormous size, as his fist reared back to attack.
"See you in hell!"
And the Bijuu slammed his hand into his stomach, expelling a Wind Jutsu.
"Fuuton: Renkuudan!"
"Shit, move!"
The two split off into opposite directions as the technique tore a gigantic gash in the forest. And it didn't stop there.
The gust tore through the outer ring of Konoha, inadvertently killing one of the Giant Snakes that Orochimaru had summoned using Kuchiyose.
"Haha! Whoops!" he looked back at the destroyed landscape, "Oh well, at least those little f*ckers are dead! Hahahaha!"
His screeching laugh echoed throughout the land, as the two Konoha nin regrouped far away.
"Sasuke, do you have any fire techniques that'll overpower his wind move?"
He shook his head, "No way. That things a Bijuu, and I'm out of chakra."
He scratched his neck nervously, the seal burning bright red, "Counting out this seal that is."
(*WHAP*)
Naruto slapped him upside the head.
"Don't be stupid. Kakashi told you to never use its power under any circumstance."
"Well, with things going as they are, if I don't do this, we'll both be dead anyway. So unless you have anything like those summoned snakes that can take on a f*cking Giant Tailed Beast in combat, we're out of options."
"...summoned…snakes...huh?"
He stood up, nicking his right thumb on one of his teeth. The small cut healed up rather quickly, but a small stream of blood remained. His eyes turned red, and his birthmarks grew darker, wider, and deeper.
"Dobe, what the hell are you doing?"
"...I have a plan."
Crimson Chakra swirled around him as he formed handseals.
'I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji!'
He placed his left hand over his bleeding right, and slammed them both into the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A massive cloud of smoke appeared from nowhere, rising as tall as the Ichibi itself.
"Eh? What's this?"
The smoke cleared as a colossal webbed hand fanned it away. A loud deep cough permeated the area, as the creature responsible spoke up.
"Dammit Gaki, what the hell did you summon me for now!?"
The toad boss, Gamabunta, stood tall above the 100 foot trees, tanto still within its sheath.
"Sorry boss, but I got one hell of an opponent to deal with," he said, features back to normal.
"W-what the!? Naruto, are we on a talking frog!?" shouted Sasuke, bewilderedly.
"Oi! I'm a toad! T-O-A-D! Ya' got it?" he grumbled at the Uchiha.
"Never mind that!" he shouted, getting both their attention, "We have much bigger problems to deal with."
The smoke cleared, allowing the summon to see his designated opponent. His eyes narrowed, and he drew his blade.
"You always manage to get yourself into sticky situations, don't ya' kid…"
"Got that right," he muttered.
"Fuuton: Renkuudan!"
The incoming blast caused the Boss Summon to leap away, the two boys on his head sticking their feet to it with chakra.
He came crashing down as the technique devastated the rest of the forest.
"Ha! My turn!"
His webbed fingers weaved through some hand signs, as his cheeks bulged. He shot the jutsu with a battle cry.
"Suiton: Teppodama!"
The cannonball-like blast slammed into the Bijuu, turning the majority of its body to mud. It shrank in size dramatically as said parts fell off in clumps, it's user unable to control the now heavy, moist dirt.
"D-dammit! Well how about this!"
All the glass around them flew into it's body, replenishing its earlier size.
"Ha! That trick won't work anymore!"
The Bijuu proceeded to fire off several Renkuudans, which were either dodged by the toad, or halted by an adjacent Teppodama.
In short, it was a stalemate. Again.
After a good 15 minutes of this, Bunta stopped, out of breath; Shukaku was in a similar state.
"Listen...kid," he said, panting, "This isn't working."
"Gee, ya' think?" muttered Sasuke.
"Shut it," Naruto said, "What are you proposing, Boss Toad?"
"We can try a combination henge. Give me something with fangs and claws and I can grab him. All you need to do is wake up the pasty kid on his head, right?"
Naruto shook his head, "No, that's not a good idea. Gaara's been eating human souls, turning him into a Kishin Egg. If I get the chance, it's my duty to kill him."
"Not to mention," started Sasuke, "The Henge is an illusionary technique with no material behind it. If you do manage to grab him, it'll make no difference."
"That's why it's a combination technique. The Gaki here has a special take on the move thanks to his...tenant, that allows him to actually change shape," Bunta explained, "It's how he does that thing with weapons."
Sasuke nodded, idly making note of the use of the word 'tenant'.
The toad boss moved into a ready position.
"Alright, I'm going to charge him," he said, "Naruto, get ready."
"Right," he said, forming the handseals.
The Boss Summon leapt forward...
'I, Inu, Hitsuji!'
"Konbi Henge!"
An immense cloud of smoke rose up around them. They burst out of the cloud like a rocket, the transformed Summon grabbing the Tanuki by the throat.
"Urgh! What the- Kyuubi!?"
Sasuke looked down at his feet to see orange fur, large ears, and piercing crimson eyes glaring at his fellow Bijuu. He almost pissed himself (not that he'd ever admit it) before reassuring himself that it was just a Henge.
'Geez...Why'd Naruto have to choose THIS of all things?' he thought.
Meanwhile, as soon as the faux Kyuubi had stopped abruptly, Naruto leapt forward, the sudden halt granting him even higher speed. Once again, he channeled wind chakra to decrease his wind resistance, flying toward Gaara's limp form at top speed.
He created another seal-less Kage Bunshin, this one transforming into a large scythe. The pole was silver, the upper blade jet black, the lower half silvery-blue.
"HUAAH!"
And with a mighty cry, he swung the blade, coming to a stop several yards away, standing atop the Bijuu's body.
Silenced reigned for a few moments.
…
…
...
With a blinding light, the clone vanished into nothing, as the original stood tall. Blood spurted from the Suna nin's new wound as his top half fell forward, his bottom back.
"It's finished," he said, without looking.
And at that, Shukaku's body exploded into a shower of black ribbons.
Gaara's unconscious form fell from the sky. Naruto wasn't faring much better, not used to being suddenly thrown into freefall.
But a (now-webbed) hand caught the two, before they could plummet to their untimely death. It then lowered them to ground level, letting the knocked-out boy roll off.
"Thanks Boss Toad," said Naruto.
"Che! Next time a Bijuu's involved, you can leave me out of it!" he said, crossing his arms, "But yeah, you're welcome I guess."
He smiled back, wiping the mix of sweat and dried blood from his face.
(*PLIP*)
"Ack! What the heck?"
The ruby-red cracked soul had fallen right onto his forehead, striking him right above the eyes. It bounced off the metal of his hitai-ate and onto the sandy earth below. There wasn't much of an impact; it was like a balloon that had lost its helium falling on you.
"Huh? Is this Gaara's soul?"
He glanced down at the Jinchuuriki, whose wound had somehow healed. The boy was still breathing, so it definitely wasn't his.
"So what? Is it Shukaku's or something?"
…
"Nah, that's not possible. It'd definitely take more than that to actually kill a Bijuu…"
Thinking little of it, he picked it up just like all the rest. The soul permeated his skin, disappearing.
He stretched out a bit before throwing a few, experimental punches. He felt stronger somehow; he couldn't really explain it.
(*KROOOM*)
Another explosion rocked the grounds. He glanced up at the far-away Hokage box, only to find it surrounded by purple flames.
"...Hey, Bunta!"
"Eh? What the hell do you want now?"
Ignoring the comment, he asked, "Do you think you can get me over there in under 5 minutes?"
The Toad followed his finger, before speaking, "I can get you there in 2. Hop on!"
And the two set off.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, who'd jumped off after Shukaku's "death", sat down on the sand-ridden grass, opposite the blacked-out redhead. He was definitely suffering from chakra exhaustion and he could barely feel his legs.
And in the silent clearing, he heard him mumble in his sleep.
"Mother...why...are..you not speaking?"
- x - x - x -
(*FOOOM*)
Several trees were roughly turned into pancakes as the Toad Boss touched down.
"Alright! Thanks Boss Toad!" he shouted, running off.
"...Some kid he is…" he muttered to himself, returning to the Mount Myoboku.
The blond nin busted down the locked door, before climbing the winding staircase. He created more seal-less clones, having them run ahead to eliminate and/or trigger any traps they could find.
Several memories of his disposed copies hit him, one being roasted by a fire technique, another getting shredded by razor wire. The next was done in by a hail of kunai from hitting a tripwire while the other stepped in what appeared to be a bear trap.
'They may be stupid, but those Sound nin are creative, I'll give them that," he said, as the memory of a clone, tripping over something and falling face first into caltrops, reached him.
Finally, he reached the top. The two surviving clones were there waiting for him, hengeing into weapons.
He burst out the door, emblazoned katana in one hand, small ninjato in the other. A tall orange-haired man noticed him.
"Hey! What the hell!?"
Wordlessly, Naruto rushed him, swinging the blades with intent to kill.
"F*ck!"
The "big-boned" man was forced to drop the barrier, lest he get his arms cut off. With one of its four supports gone, the barriers crumbled, allowing ANBU to charge forward in an attempt to save their leader.
One of the masked ninja kicked the man in the face, engaging him in combat, allowing Naruto to run in as well.
He caught up to a group of ANBU, and ran alongside them.
"Listen kid, I'm grateful to you for breaking down that barrier, but you need to leave now. Orochimaru's way out of your league," said the boar-masked one.
He shook his head, "No way. I'm the one who got you guys in. Besides, I owe him for hurting my friends in the forest."
Ox resisted the urge to facepalm, "Look brat. We're just trying to keep you from getting killed. When Hokage-sama hears that, there'll be hell to pay."
He smirked, "Then I'll just have to do my damndest not to die then."
The ANBU shook his head, wondering if the kid was suicidal or something.
"Whatever then. It's your funeral."
The group continued wordlessly through the artificial forest.
- x - x - x -
"It'sss over Ssssarutobi!" cried "Orochimaru" laughing madly.
Said Snake Sannin had been acting a bit oddly for the past few days, the majority of which was observed and noticed by his chief henchman Kabuto. Maybe it was that his eyes were glowing a brighter gold than usual, or that he would spurt random wisps of black energy.
Whatever the case, the Snake was using an entirely new set of techniques. While they had gone with the original idea of using Edo Tensei, that's where the plan ended. The Sage had taken to creating an arena of blackened arrows upon the ground, which sent anything caught in them flying.
The Third learned that one the hard way, with thousands of replicated shuriken flying back at him.
Substitution was out as well, since chakra would bounce right off the arrows too. It was almost like it was some kind of magic…
Anyway, only the Shodaime's techniques got through, creating the forest around them, tearing up the roof in the process. He and his revived brother were currently engaged in combat with their elderly successor, leaving the Snake cackling with glee…
And completely open to behind.
With a swift punch, Orochimaru was sent flying right into the circle he'd created.
The ninja responsible charged after him, inadvertently stepping on an arrow…
He was sent flying forward, right into the Sannin's waiting Kusanagi.
"Shit, Boar!"
The Cat Masked nin almost charged in after him, but was quickly stopped by Ox.
"Don't do it! You'll just end up the same way!" he shouted.
The woman cringed, and calmed herself, drawing her ninjato from its sheath at her back.
"Right. Sorry Ox."
He nodded slowly, and prepared himself for what was to come.
"Suiton: Suiryuudan!"
With a loud battle cry, the jutsu was launched with a single hand seal, Tatsu. Said dragon careened toward its intended target, the Third Hokage himself.
Thinking quickly, he used Enma to vault out of the way. He flew high into the air, and let the staff extend. He swung it hard, down onto Hashirama's head.
The blow was strong enough to draw blood, but the wound healed quickly enough to avoid any long-term damage. The First looked up at the Kage with a slightly irritated look.
Meanwhile, the water dragon that had missed, crashed into one of the vectors, ricocheting off it and back on course.
Sarutobi quickly whipped out a kunai and tossed it into one of the vectors as well. This one halted before sending itself flying directly into Tobirama's forehead.
With his concentration utterly destroyed, the jutsu fell apart, the water evaporating back into vapor.
Meanwhile, the group of ANBU were watching the fight with a critical eye.
"It would appear that anything that touches those odd arrows are redirected in the direction they point," said Bear.
Ox nodded, "It'd explain what happened to Boar."
"It appears to redirect chakra as well," said Naruto, referring to how it deflected the water dragon, "Otherwise the old man would've tried Kawamiri or something."
"Huh? You're still here!?" asked Neko, slightly surprised.
He nodded, "Like I said, I've got business with the Gay Snake Pedo. And I plan on killing him for what he did to my friends."
"You're shitting me," said Ox at his declaration, "You're definitely strong for your age, probably Tokubetsu Jounin in fact, but you don't have a shot in hell fighting this guy! He's in a whole other ballpark; you lack the strength, speed, and experience."
"Strength….Experience….Speed?" he muttered.
His eyes grew wide and his mouth flew open, before it clamped shut in his classic prankster grin. He formed another Kage Bunshin, this one taking the shape of the scythe from earlier.
Naruto rushed forward, ignoring the shouts of the ANBU behind him.
He leapt into the air, weapon at the ready…
And landed right on one of the arrows.
This time, the ANBU did facepalm.
But it wasn't over yet.
The arrow sent him flying ahead, the blade still in his grasp. He shot forward at inhuman speeds…
"HUAAAAAAGH!"
And the scythe blade went straight through the Snake Sannin like a hot knife through butter.
The man fell forward, face frozen in a silent scream, as he fell to his knees. His skin turned black, as he muttered one last word…
"D-dammit…"
And he exploded in a shower of onyx, a purplish soul left behind.
'Did that...actually work…?'
However, his body fell to the ground, seemingly untouched, as if the dead part of him had peeled right off his skin like a second layer.
"So it's the same way as with Gaara then," he muttered, approaching the soul, "Does this mean that even Orochimaru was one of these Kishin things? And what's with the purple soul?"
Shrugging the internal questions off, he reached down to grab it.
'Ah well, I guess I better take it anyway.'
And the second he touched it, the whole world seemed to go black around him.
And he felt pain. Unbelievable, inconceivable pain. It was like someone had taken a sledgehammer to every inch of him, let him heal, and smashed him again. Like someone had set every fiber of his body on fire. Like jumping into a vat of boiling acid times 50. He felt a rush of energy as his eyes rolled back into his head…
And it vanished, quickly as it had begun.
The world was restored, and he fell to his knees, the feeling of slight pain still present.
"W-what the….hell..was that?" he muttered, panting.
- x - x - x -
It was in this brief lull that several things happened.
Without a conscious controller, the bodies of the first two Hokage crumbled to dust.
And as they did, so did the forest created by the Shodaime.
And since the trees were the only thing holding the demolished roof up in the first place…
Naruto experienced his second forced freefall that day, rubble and debris caving in on top of him.
- x - x - x -
"OROCHIMARU-SAMA!" shouted the 4 barrier members.
The wounded Sound 4 ran to his side, using their shoulders as support.
As one, they formed a half Ram seal, disappearing in smoke.
- x - x - x -
By the time Maka arrived, there was nearly nothing left.
Piles of wreckage littered the floor in a sea of detritus. A small amount of trees slowly crumbled away into nothing, leaving the area even more barren.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Sound Four escaping. She readied Soul and prepared to attack…
"No," came a gruff voice, "Leave them be."
She turned to face an elderly man, covered in head-to-toe battle armor, using a giant red bo staff as support.
"I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage of Ko-"
"Oh, Sarutobi-sama! I remember you from the last time I was here! You were Naruto-kun's grandfather, right?"
'Naruto...kun, hm? Interesting...'
"Well, I must be going," he said, standing up straighter, "The battle is not over yet."
He vanished in a plume of smoke.
Soul transformed back into his human state.
"Damn ninja tricks. Wish I could do that," he muttered.
(*BZZT*)
Stein's voice came over the radio:
"It seems the enemy is retreating. Regroup under the Hokage Monument immediately."
(*BZZT*)
The comlink went dead.
Soul started to walk off.
"Come on Maka, let's go," he said.
"No, you go ahead," she said, "I'll stay a little longer and catch my breath."
"...Alright, suit yourself," he spoke back, "I'll send Kid or Black*Star to pick you up when they go past here."
"Thanks…"
He disappeared down what remained of the stairs.
I sank to my knees and fell back on a pile of rubble.
'This is a complete disaster. My one chance to see Naruto again, and a war breaks out. And I never even got to say hello again...'
"Mmphrgl!"
"!"
The small mountain beneath her started to move, displacing itself in some areas.
Finally, the source of the movement poked its all-too-familiar head out.
"Dammit, what's the big idea, sitting on me!?"
"N-Naruto?" she asked hopefully.
He opened his eyes wide and blinked twice.
"M-maka-chan?"
- x - (Naruto POV) - x -
I was prepared for a number of things after the invasion broke out. Another group of Kishin Eggs, a ninja army, a legion of samurai, even the One-Tails himself.
But nothing could've prepared me for the girl of my dreams smashing her lips against mine.
Unsure of what to do, I let instinct take over, as she let go of my head and wrapped her arms around my neck. I placed my hands gently on her hips as I enjoyed the single greatest moment of my life.
Her soft lips tasted like some foreign fruit I couldn't quite place the name of. They were sweet and thin. It was odd really.
And yet amazing all the same.
I then felt a strange poking sensation poking the corner of my mouth. I realized it was her tongue, begging for entry.
I promptly obliged, as the two danced in an unrelenting battle for dominance.
Soon enough, my stamina unfailing, won the fight.
But it was clear I hadn't won the war.
She wrapped her long, slim legs around my waist, and we went down, my back first, the kiss never breaking.
We went at it for another minute before we finally broke, rolling over, panting for breath.
"You taste like ramen," she said.
"You taste like envelope-glue," I said, earning a playful poke to the chest.
- x - (Maka POV) - x -
We laid there, panting and out of breath for a few moments, before I spoke up.
"Naruto...I have something to say."
His gaze returned to me, giving me his full and complete attention.
"I can't really explain this, but…"
"Every time I'm with you, I feel stronger, like I can take on the world without breaking a sweat. I feel like I can take down the Kishin with my own two hands. When I'm in your arms, I feel safer, like you'll never leave my side. I feel….I feel like I want to stay with you forever."
"I guess what I'm trying to say is…"
"I love you Naruto Uzumaki. I always will."
There was a moment of silence between us as his blushing face stared back at me with wide eyes. With each passing second, I felt like my heart was slowly breaking, looking at his shocked expression, fearful of what he might say...or might not say.
Finally, physically incapable of taking another second of it, I spoke up again.
"S-so Naruto, will you be my boyfriend?" I asked timidly.
His expression quickly changed to that of pure joy as he leaned in and captured my lips with his.
We broke briefly.
"Yes."
And we kissed again.
- x - x - x -
And we did so with a renewed passion, as sparks continued to fly. I took top again as we-
(*AHEM*)
I looked up, and was confident that my face resembled the likeness of a tomato at the sight of Kid, who was blushing as well, Liz, who was squealing fangirlishly, and Patty, who was, as usual, laughing on the floor.
"Erm, Soul informed us that you'd need a ride," said the currently red-faced reaper, "That is, if you two are done osculating-"
"Kid!" I yelled, half embarrassed, half annoyed that our kiss had stopped.
"Go on Maka," said the boy beside me, "We'll catch up later."
"Y-yeah, alright."
We stood up, and kissing him on the cheek, and walked off with them, sending a small wink over my shoulder.
"Omigosh Maka, who was that? How do you know him? Is he a ninja? A weapon? A meister? C'mon spill it!"
Liz's incessant rambling went on and on. But I didn't hear any of it. All I could think of was the overwhelming happiness of confessing my feelings, and how he'd returned them wholeheartedly.
- x - (Naruto) - x -
Watching my girlfriend disappear down the steps, I sighed contently, knowing that the girl I'd loved for so long was finally mine. And I hers.
I looked up at the sky again, happily.
'It looks like I was right that day.'
"Things did get better…"
- x - x - x -
Well, sweet Mother Theresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz, I did it! I completed the update!
(Credit to TeamFourStar's Attack on Titan Abridged for that last joke)
Don't worry, as I said, the story's far from finished. Not to mention, this chapter may or may not get a revision in the future for some of the scenes ("Orochimaru"'s battle in particular).
So yeah, the DWMA is as of that day, an official Hidden Village with an alliance with Konohagakure. The Village Hidden in the Death, or Shigakure.
I dunno' I'm still working on names. I'm open to suggestions, so PM me or Review to let me know what you think!
Next update will be mid-March, since I'm taking a brief hiatus.
'Til Then!
- Objection234 (Akane Sasu Sora on YouTube)