Chapter Seven: Why We Fight pt. 4

Snake-Eyes stared at the defeated leaf Kunoichi that lay in front of him with a look of new found respect in his eyes, not that she would be able to see it with his visor covering his eyes. In the last three hours, he had destroyed any illusions that she may have had about her progression as ninja. In his opinion it seemed like Guy-sensei had her only focusing on her skills as a long range support unit instead of having her work on her short comings. If he had truly wanted to kill her, he could have done so easily on multiple times over due to her inexperience in fighting in close range.

"Well at least, she was able to learn from her mistakes during our spar." Snake-Eyes thought to himself as he walked over to the defeated kunoichi to see if she was all right.

When he arrived, he noticed that, her arms were covered in bruises that he had inflicted on her. He felt a slight tug on his hearts strings at the sight in front of him. He didn't mean to hurt her this badly, but he needed to drive home the point that he was making to her.

"Damn Snake-Eyes, I think you went a little overboard in your lesson with her." Yugito commented as she approached the two leaf ninja.

Indeed, the spar if she could even call it that, had brutal to the extreme in so many ways that she briefly thought that he was going to kill Tenten on several occasions. Even Nibi had been shocked by the ruthlessness that Snake-Eyes had shown towards a fellow leaf ninja. It seemed like the rumors about the Hard Master was true. He really did train ninjas into become S-ranked warriors. It was at this point that Yugito felt a foreign chakra signature appear in her sensory range.

"Snake-Eyes, Tenten, we have unwanted company heading our way." Yugito warned as she got into a defensive stance in the direction that the unknown signature was approaching.

Snake-eyes immediately pulled out his actual sword and got into a defensive stance as he searched for the signature that Yugito warned them about. He almost founded instantaneously as it could easily rival that of a Kage's. His eyes widen underneath his visor as he recognized the chakra signature from anywhere.

"Stand down, you guys. I know who is coming towards us and I wish to fight him alone." Snake-Eyes ordered as he put away his weapon.

Yugito looked at Snake-Eyes as if he were crazy, which given the current circumstances was highly possible.

"Are you nuts, Snake-Eyes? Whoever is coming this way is easily a Kage-leveled shinobi and you'll need our help to defeat him." Yugito exclaimed in alarm as the presence came ever closer to them.

If Snake-Eyes had heard her, he didn't show it or acknowledge it as he was completely focused on the person who was coming towards them. As the minutes crawled by, his grip on his ninjatō's handle tightened in anticipation of the fight. However, just before they could visibly see the intruder, Snake-eyes felt the presences disappear only to reappear a few seconds later.

"I finally found you, brother." A cold and collected voice spoke up from behind them much to the alarm of Yugito and Tenten.

The group of ninja quickly turned on their heels to see one of the most feared ninjas in the elemental nations standing before them in all of his glory. It was Itachi Uchiha aka Storm Shadow, the pervious student of the Hard Master before Snake-Eyes. Any bounty hunter or hunter ninja worth their weight in salt would be able to recognize the man that single-handedly wiped out one of the founding clans of Konoha in a single night. The fact that he had achieved the rank of captain within Konoha's Anbu unit at the age of thirteen just made him even more intimidating.

Yugito didn't know what was worse, the thought of the Snake-Eyes, a person that she had slowly come to adore was about to fight an S-ranked criminal on his own, or the fact that Storm shadow had easily infiltrated past Kumo's defensives without anyone noticing. She looked at Itachi or Storm Shadow as he had quickly became known as following his massacre of his clan. He was wearing the all white uniform that had become his trade mark look even before he became Jōnin.

"It's been awhile hasn't it, Snake-Eyes. I haven't seen you in five years. I wonder if you have improved any since we last met." Storm Shadow asked as he pulled out a katana from its sheath that was on his back and got into his own defensive position.

Snake-Eyes said nothing as he waited for Storm Shadow to make his move. During his time training under his adoptive parents in his four year absence from the academy, Itachi had taken the time to help train him when Yūgao and Gekkou had to go out on missions. So he knew Storm Shadow's fighting style better than anyone else save for the Hard Master. Leaving him as perhaps the only one right now who stood a chance against him until reinforcements showed up. Heck at this point, Snake-Eyes would even take that annoying rhyming idiot known as the Killer Bee.

Tenten and Yugito stared at the two ninja with growing interest as they waited for the duel to begin. Yugito couldn't help but compare the two students of the Hard Master as they were so similar to each other in every way, but at the same time, they were different. It was like Yin and Yang had been made into two mortal forms on earth with Snake-Eyes representing yin while Storm Shadow representing Yang. She could tell that this would be the start of something big.

At the drop of a cherry blossom from one of the many Sakura trees that inhabited the training field, the two students of Hard Master rushed at each other at full speed. Within seconds, the sound of two swords clashing against each other echoed throughout the valley. Tenten watched in utter amazement as Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow tried to overpower each as sparks began flying off their blades. It was obvious to her that Snake-Eyes was beyond the level of a mere genin in terms of skill, just by the way, he was able to hold off his more experienced and older opponent with brute strength alone.

"Impressive brother, you have indeed improved since the last I have seen you. But I wonder how skilled are you in the duel of the three elements?" Storm Shadow commented as he broke off the sword lock and dashed off into the forests surrounding the training ground.

Snake-Eyes was able to quickly recover from being temporarily knocked off balance and gave chase to the older pupil of his sensei leaving the two girls behind.

"Wait Snake-Eyes, he could be leading you into a trap!" Yugito called out in the hopes of stopping him from leaving to no avail.

"Damn it!" Yugito yelled out in anger as she slammed her right fist into her left hand before turning to Tenten.

"We need to warn the Raikage and the Hard Master about this. There's no way Snake-Eyes can last very long against Storm Shadow." Yugito ordered her fellow kunoichi who simply nodded her head in agreement before popping a chakra pill into her mouth.

The two quickly dashed off towards the village in order to tell their respective leaders what had just transpired. With any luck, they could scramble a small force together and go after the two ninjas.

-X-X-X-X-X-

The Hard Master let out a sigh of defeat as he signed the document that would seal the release of Neji Hyūga from Kumo's captivity. If it had been up to him, he would have left the bloody idiot to rot in prison for nearly starting a war between Kumo and his brother-in-law's legacy. Unfortunately, for him it wasn't up to him as the Sarutobi was very clear that he was to save all of the ninja captured by Kumo by any means necessary. Hence, the current situation that he had been put in by the Raikage.

"Its times like these, that make me wish that my homeland was still around for me to go back to." The Hard Master muttered aloud as he watched the Raikage sign the peace agreement.

The Raikage could only mentally agree about missing the former land of Uzushiogakure despite it already being destroyed by the time he was born. The country was at one point called the sixth great shinobi nation despite them being significantly smaller than even the Land of Water is. Their skills in the art of sealing unmatched by all, not even the greatest of today's seal masters were on the same levels of Uzumaki seal user. Sadly it was this very gift that spelt their doom.

"Be as that may, Hard Master-sama. We have an accord now, and I will release the Hyūga after your student has impregnated a Kumo kunoichi of my choosing." E spoke as he handed a copy of the document over to his counterpart.

The Hard Master graciously accepted the document and gently folded it before placing it into outer robe. It was at this moment that the two elder shinobi heard the sound of two people running towards at the office. Thinking that it was a possible assassin, the two men jumped up and got into a defensive stance waiting for the would-be assassins to break through the door at any moment. Only to be greeted by the sight of Yugito bursting through the door out of breath.

"Raikage-sama, The S-ranked criminal known as Storm Shadow has infiltrated the village and is currently fighting Snake-eyes at the training grounds!" Yugito shouted while she tried to catch her breath indicating she came here as fast as she could, while Tenten was hunched over in the lobby on the verge of passing out.

The Hard Master instantly leaped into action and dashed out the door heading towards the ground where his current apprentice was fighting it out with his former apprentice. With any luck, he would arrive before Snake-eyes could be killed by Storm Shadow.

"I hope that Snake-eyes is smart enough to not to use the seven steps to the sun. He has yet to properly master anything beyond the third step, if he started using the fourth, fifth, six or even attempted to use the seventh then not even the Kyūbi's healing with save him from the damage his body will endure." The Hard master thought to himself, as he dashed towards the training grounds as fast as his old body could carry him.

He had promised his grandniece Kushina that he would try to look out for her child and he was going to keep that promise the best he could. The Hard Master would be the first to admit that he had failed miserably when it came to Snake-eyes' early childhood, but he would be dead and forgotten before he allowed Snake-eyes too needlessly through his life away in a battle that he couldn't win. It was at this moment that the E showed up closely behind him with a somewhat red face indicating he was not happy about this entire situation.

"Just what I needed at a time like this, a rogue ninja arrogant enough to sneak into my village and believe they could get away with it." E all but yelled out in anger as he kept up with the older man.

The Hard Master said nothing as he continued running to the battle at breakneck speeds.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Snake-eyes was panting heavily as he stared down his predecessor with a look of absolute hatred. His body was covered in small cuts and other such wounds from the bloody duel he had fighting. The only reason why he had managed to last this long against Storm Shadow was due to his incredible stamina and his unnatural healing abilities. His opponent was not faring much better despite his eight years of experience over him. The white clad ninja had a massive diagonal gash running across his chest while his wrist were cut vertically. The rogue Uchiha's snow white uniform was slowly starting to become blood red as his blood slowly seeped into it.

"I must admit you certainly have improved since we last met. But you are still a long ways away from being a significant challenge for me." Storm Shadow commented as he kicked back Snake-eyes and vanished into the forests with almost unnatural ease.

Snake-eyes quickly got into a defensive position with his sword in front of his body waiting for the inevitable surprise attack that was to come. The forest had changed over the course of the battle from large patches of bamboo to a forest of ancient oak trees that were perfect for a ninja to hide and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. Sure enough, a few seconds later several kunai knifes with red ribbons tied through the loop of the weapons came flying at him. He barely managed to deflect them in time.

"Impressive Snake-eyes, it seems that your reaction time and your hearing have greatly improved but you're still no match against someone who has "the ears that see"." Storm Shadow spoke from his hiding place while letting his voice echo throughout the forest trees.

Snake-eyes could only mentally agree with that assessment. Itachi was indeed one of the few people that had the rare gift of hearing that made the Inuzuka clan green with envy to the point of jealousy. In fact, that was one of main reasons why the Hard Master took him on as his apprentice. In combination with his years of experience over Snake-eyes, the genin was at a severe disadvantage of epic proportions. Just then, Snake-eyes felt a sharp stabbing sensation coming from his right arm causing him to look down. He found a throwing knife sticking out of the upper part of his arm. Without even thinking Snake-eyes pulled out the knife and tossed it to the ground only to suddenly feel extremely lightheaded. He quickly fell to his hands and knees as the world began spinning around him uncontrollably.

"You should already be feeling the effects of the poisons that were coated on that knife right about now." Storm Shadow comment from behind Snake-eyes with his ninjatō at the ready.

As Storm Shadow poised to strike Snake-eyes down, he was forced to dodge a flurry of shurikens that had been thrown at him by someone that had the audacity to interfere in the duel of the three elements. Only to notice the symbol that had been engraved into flat side of the throwing star. It was the symbol of the Uzumaki clan meant that one man that even Madara didn't dare cross back in his prime was coming this way.

"It seems that our duel will have to be postponed until another time, Snake-eyes." Storm Shadow spoke in his infamous monotone manner before disappearing into the forest leaving Snake-eyes behind who had passed out from the poison that was coursing through his veins.

A few moments later, the Hard Master appeared to find his current apprentice on the ground. He also spotted a discarded throwing knife on the ground that was no doubt had been laced with poison. Without even thinking, the old man rushed over to his fallen student and checked for a pulse. After a few seconds of searching for one, he found a very weak pulse indicating that Snake-eyes was still alive. The Hard Master let out a sigh of relief at the discovery that his student was still alive.

"Snake-eyes, you are extremely lucky to still be alive after your clash with Storm Shadow." The Hard Master thought to himself as he gently picked up his student before dashing towards the Kumo hospital for medical treatment.

Elsewhere

Orochimaru sat on his throne as he contemplated his next move in plans to destroy Konoha. He had long since abandoned his quests for immorality and had settled for total conquest of the shinobi nations and the Land of Iron. The weapons that he had acquired from Dotō Kazahana would help with this, but he still needed something that would make his victory absolute. The use of modified chakra virus to cripple Konoha's chakra dependant forces briefly flashed across his mind. That in itself was a problem, as the chakra virus was extremely rare and dangerous to handle. There was also the problem of exposing his forces to the virus as well as there was no known cure or vaccine for the accursed disease. He also had to worry about the possibility that Sasuke Uchiha would become infected. Orochimaru also needed to take into account the possibility that other four remaining shinobi nations quickly moving in and filling the power vacuum that he would create.

"What to do?" the Snake-Sannin thought to himself as pondered on his situation.

"Attack the other shinobi villages using the chakra virus and you shall be victorious." He heard a female voice hissing inside his head tell him.

The voice's suggestion about what to do, did make a lot of sense as it not only prevented the other four great Shinobi villages from taking advantage of the opportunity that he had created and it would greatly weaken them for future conquests. However, why stop there? He could attack all shinobi villages and cripple them before they realized what had happen. It was absolutely perfect!

"Soon, the world will know that wrath of Cobra!" Orochimaru loudly proclaimed before bursting into a fit of maniacal laughter that soon filled the halls of his underground bunker.

All right, here is the harem and their future code names

Tenten= Jinx

Kin= Scarlett (I know that Scarlett is a red head and Kin was a black haired girl, I will deal with it.)

Yugito= Cover girl

Hana= Mutt

Samui= G.I. Jane

Kurotsuchi= Lady Jaye

Shizuka=?

Here are the members of the New GI Joe.

Kamakura= Rock Lee

Neji= Long Range

B= Roadblock

Gaara= Dusty

Kiba and Akamaru = law and order

Shikamaru= Lt. Falcon

Kakashi=Flint

Darui=Duke

B= Footloose

?=Shipwreck

The people who form Cobra

Orochimaru= Cobra commander

Kabuto= Dr. Mind Bender

Karin= Baroness

Sasuke= Fire Fly

Itachi=Storm Shadow

Dotō Kazahana (The main villain in the Clash in the land of Snow) = Destro

Sakon and Unkon= Tomax and Xamot

Madara Uchiha= Serpentor

Sakura= Zarana

Obito= Zartan

Kakazu= Major Bludd

Nadare Rōga = Wraith

Zetsu= Fred the series

(?) A special surprise character