Clash in the Snow Country: Legacy Version
Chapter 11- Intentions
10:14 am
Bakeru allowed himself to smile at the three genin he was now facing. Yes, it had been a good choice to take the form of his master in front of them, and they were reacting just as he had anticipated. Anxiety. Uncertainty. Apprehensiveness. Self-doubt. And above all else: fear. Deception was the trademark of the shinobi, after all, and they didn't know who he was, or, more importantly, what he was. As far as they were concerned, he was Orochimaru, which would mean that their reactions to him would be influenced by their own views of the Hebi Sannin and ultimately degrade their performance and fighting abilities, the girl especially. Of course, his master might object to using his form for his own usage, but he had been told they would not question his methods as long as he succeeded in his mission.
His plan had seemed so simple: talk to Uchiha as Uzumaki while the genuine article and Haruno were in the midst of their own training. Due to their driven personalities to work and improve on their skills, the two of them should have been working for hours, leaving him plenty of time to talk with the Uchiha and get him to come willingly. If he had taken out either Uzumaki or Haruno beforehand, there was a likely possibility that someone would have noticed them missing and that would have raised suspicion among the rest, making his dealing with Uchiha that much more difficult. He should have had plenty of time to talk to the Uchiha, subdue him, then take out the other two quickly.
Yet, against his predictions, both of them had shown up at Uchiha's room only a short hour later. Seriously… what were the odds of that happening!?
Bakeru took a few strideful steps to them. "How long has it been? A few months since our encounter in the Forest of Death? How time flies when friends are apart."
The girl spoke first. "W-we're… not… f-f-friends."
"On the contrary. I've grown to like you three," 'Orochimaru' said, a hint of mockery in his voice. His eyes then settled right on her, and she seemed to freeze up completely at the sight. "Come now, Sakura-chan. Surely you aren't the same frightened little girl I saw back then. You carry yourself so differently now. For example, you're actually standing when you look at me, instead of collapsing to your knees." He gave a low laugh towards her, to which she reacted by looking down at her feet, tears fresh now.
As one, both Sasuke and Naruto moved a little closer to their teammate, glaring at him fiercely. He chuckled again. "So… Naruto-kun… how are the old bags doing?"
Naruto snarled. "Upset that they didn't get the chance to kill you when they had the chance." He cracked his fists next. "But that's perfectly fine with me because now I get the chance to avenge Ojisan right now!"
"Oh… I certainly hope you try, Naruto-kun. I am most curious to see the full extent of your abilities and if they meet the expectations that the rumors about you say they do." He let out another laugh, mimicking his master as best he could. To add salt to the open wound, he shot a quick look at Sasuke while still talking to Naruto. "Just remember: you don't have my old teammates to protect you this time around."
The statement made Sasuke visibly flinch, though neither Naruto (who was shouting some insult) nor Sakura (still looking downward) saw it. Did… did he… just confirm that Naruto had spent time with the other two Sannin!? He took a quick look at Naruto, as if seeing him for the first time. So then… if he really did spend time with them… did he really get trained by Jiraiya? Had he really been the one who killed Haku? And most importantly: did his brother have an interest in the blond? Or was it just more of the same lies? Urg… he didn't know!
Naruto, on the other hand, had his mind racing as fast as he could. What to do, what to do? Oh, how he wanted to kill the snake bastard right now. There was just one problem. HOW!? This was freakin' Orochimaru here! It's not like it was some random missing nin or Yuki-nin. Out of the corner of his working eye, he looked at both Sasuke and Sakura. The girl was still sobbing slightly, but she didn't look like she was about to run. He still couldn't believe how easily Sakura was mastering the Doryuuheki! He could still remember how much he struggled just to get the earth to cling to his palm and she did it on her first try! And as if to rub it in his face (intentionally or otherwise), she did it effortlessly too! That was so not fair!
Speaking of his female teammate, he wondered anew why someone like her would talk to someone like Neji. Apparently she got some chakra control advice from him, so maybe she asked Neji for help? Or could Neji have actually asked her for help on something? Or maybe they just bumped into each other while they were out and started talking? He gave a mental shrug and made a note to ask her about it when they didn't have one of the Sannin trying to kill them. His glance then shifted to his other teammate and he saw that Sasuke looked a little shaken as well, but Naruto felt that once the fighting started, he would snap out of it. Just don't panic,Naruto told himself. If they worked together, they just might have a chance…
… the same chance that three ants had to a dinosaur…
He shook it off. No. They were going to meet this head on and they were going to win! Somehow. They'd think of something… hopefully. His mind began running through possibilities and scenarios as he tried to form some kind of battle plan. Yeah… as long as they kept their cool and worked together, they would win this!
And that's when Sasuke smacked him hard on the head.
"Hey!" Naruto roared, forgetting all about Orochimaru at the moment and focusing his attention on the raven-haired ass that just hit him. "What the hell was that for!?"
"For your stupid little insult competition about me earlier," Sasuke said, partially lying. It was more for the fact that Naruto kept so many damn secrets that he didn't know what to believe about him. Though the insult part was a nice added touch.
"Oh, come on! It's not like that was anything new, dumbass!"
"You didn't have to be so happy about it, idiot!"
"Well why couldn't you tell it was a fake me earlier and save us all the fuckin' trouble!?"
"Well why couldn't be honest about your life and not keep so many damn secrets!?"
"Easy! My life, my secrets, MY BUSINESS!"
"Not when it concerns me!"
"SHUT… UP!!"
And with that, a thoroughly enraged Sakura grabbed both of the boys' heads and slammed them together, making both Sasuke and Naruto recoil with pain throughout their bodies. "We have Orochimaru - an S-class Nukenin, the killer of the Third, and the greatest threat to Konoha - out to get us and you two choose now to start fighting!? Snap out of it or I'll be the one bringing on the pain, GOT IT!?"Sakura roared at them. Inner Sakura was yelling much more vigorously in her mind as she imagined various ways to deliver on that promise.
"Yes ma'am," both boys answered automatically. With that, Sakura let them go, making both of them crash down onto the deck, with Sakura shaking her head at them like a mother disapproving over her children.
Inside the ship, the movie crew - while filming the entire thing and peeking out however they could - all sweatdropped at the sight. Those three were now fighting amongst themselves instead of against the big, creepy, overpowered shinobi opponent. "Are… you sure… we're going to be… alright?" Hidero asked nervously. After all… these three were supposed to be their best fighters on this suicidal journey to the Snow Country. If they couldn't keep their cool with just one enemy (ignoring the fact of how powerful this enemy was!), how the hell were they going to be able to handle themselves at the Snow Country?!
"They'll be alright…" Kaijo responded, though his body was shaking just as badly as the majority of the people. "Maybe… probably… I hope…" Those last two words were said in a very low and meek voice.
"Of course they'll be alright," Makino said, sitting in his director's chair. He reached into his pocket, grabbed his pipe, and put it in his mouth. "In fact, they couldn't be better."
The others looked at him in complete disbelief. "And how… pray tell… did you come up with that notion?" Koyuki asked him.
"Easy." The old director lit his pipe. After breathing out a puff of smoke, he continued. "Look at them. Sakura is no longer quivering in fear, while Naruto and Sasuke are more at ease. A complete turnaround from just a few moments ago." A smile etched on his face. Oh, this was going to be big! How often did someone get one of the Sannin in the movies!? They'd be nominated (and win!) for Visual Effects, Original Screenplay and, of course, Best Director! "And that, my young friends, is going to make all the difference." He briefly wondered if this was a ploy by one of the boys, or even both of them, to overcome their fear and nervousness. "Make sure you've got a wide angle shot of those three."
Back on deck, Sasuke and Naruto picked themselves up, while Orochimaru looked slightly annoyed. "If you three are done now," he looked directly at Sasuke and beckoned him. "Come now, Sasuke-kun… it is time to leave."
"Leave?" both Naruto and Sakura repeated.
"Why, yes. In his room, Sasuke-kun agreed to come to Sound with me."
Naruto and Sakura looked at Sasuke, one with fury in his eye, the other with disbelief in hers. "I did not!" Sasuke immediately shouted.
Naruto was pissed. Sasuke-teme was still thinking of leaving!? Did he have no shame or honor at all!? "Why you motherfucking-traitorous-son-of-a-bitch-asshole! I can't believe that you're still thinking of abandoning Konoha after all of this!"
"I'm not," Sasuke insisted angrily. With that, he took off running towards the enemy. Bakeru quickly shifted into a Taijutsu stance as he looked at the speeding Uchiha coming straight at him. That little brawl with Uzumaki had done wonders for him, allowing Bakeru to see just how well he could mimic someone, even of the shinobi class, when he had access to their full memories. The results had surprised even him and as a result, he was more than ready for these three brats. He let Sasuke's memories flow in his mind. Not to anticipate the boy's moves, but to know what his moves were.
Uchiha Sasuke. Specializes in close to mid-range combat. His Sharingan is currently at the three tomoe state, allowing him to see the opponent's moves ahead of time and counter them, as well as copying opposing jutsu. Possesses the Heaven Curse Seal and using it to its second form. Currently adept in using both Katon and Raiton class ninjutsu. His Taijutsu skills are formidable and his speed is especially top notch. Overall threat: mid-B class.
Snapping his Sharingan on, Sasuke ran up to Bakeru, throwing a quick right punch towards him. Bakeru swiftly used a left outward block and caught his hand, immediately throwing a right hook to the Uchiha's chin. Sasuke threw his head backward to avoid the strike, just as the shapeshifter knew he would. With his eyes looking upward, Bakeru fired a quick right kick into the boy's stomach. Sasuke gasped as he felt some of the wind knocked out of him, but moved into his own kick to Bakeru's hand, forcing him to let go before the kick could connect.
That's right, Bakeru thought to himself. Keep the boy off balance. Don't give him the chance to attack continuously or use a jutsu.
Sasuke backflipped back to the deck, and launched himself from the deck to his opponent. Wait for it… wait for it… After a brief exchange, Sasuke jumped back a ways, bringing his hands together.
Interrupt!
Bakeru's right arm stretched out, much to his opponent's surprise. It shot right through Sasuke's hands, stopping the sequence, and grabbed the boy's throat. "No Katons for you," Bakeru muttered. Shifting his weight, he turned around and threw the boy right towards the ship's main mast. As a credit to the boy's skill, he manage to reposition himself and land on his feet, like a fly clinging to the wall.
Just as Bakeru knew he would. The boy would now attempt to use the mast as a brace to launch himself at him, hoping that the unexpected speed would catch him off guard. Too bad it wouldn't work.
Just as Sasuke launched himself, Bakeru's other arm shot at him as well, striking the boy again in the stomach. This time, with the added force of Sasuke propelling himself, as well as the abrupt force of Bakeru's punch to Sasuke's already sensitive stomach, it was too much for the boy this time around. Sasuke let out a very loud and painful gasp this time around, when Bakeru noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
Oh no you don't.
With a simple gesture, Bakeru grabbed Sasuke's shirt collar and hurled him with all his might right at his blond teammate, who was on the second seal for his signature Kaze Kiwa. Naruto only had a split second to notice the human bullet coming right at him and act accordingly. But for someone like him, that split second was more than enough to adapt to the situation. Naruto style.
Abandoning his wind jutsu, he swung his right foot up and met Sasuke's neck. Naruto gave the other boy a smile that said 'You'll-Thank-Me-For-This-Later'. Using a little more force, Naruto diverted Sasuke away from himself and kicked him in a completely different direction.
Right… at… Sakura.
A second later, Sasuke collided into Sakura and both crashed down onto the deck, clearly surprised, embarrassed, and very flustered as Sasuke landed right on… well… right on her. A perfect shot.
"WHAT'S YOUR HAND DOING THERE!?"
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!! BLAME HIM!!"
Then together, "NARUTO!! YOU'RE DEAD!!"
Aw… music to his ears.
Naruto grinned to himself as he charged the snake. If that didn't give Sasuke and Sakura a reason to get together and talk - whatever it was they had to talk about - and sort out their problems… he didn't know what would. Plus, it got him a couple of good laughs. A perfect win-win situation, if he did say so himself. "Now remember you two… don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"NA-RU-TO!!" He could just see their faces go supernova perfectly in his mind now. Bakeru now focused his attention on Naruto, letting the boy's memories flow through his mind now.
Uzumaki Naruto. Also specializes in close to mid-range combat. Particularly skillful with the Kage Bunshin, allowing him to swarm enemies with sheer numbers. Demon host of the Kyuubi itself, allowing him to draw on its chakra on top of his already large capacity, on top of heightening his senses, most notably his sense of smell. Has at least one jutsu of the Katon, Suiton, Doton and Fuuton class, but especially skilled in the last one. Overall threat: high B-class.
Naruto threw a quick punch at Bakeru/Orochimaru, who quickly blocked. Naruto then spun around with a heel kick aimed at the man's face. Bakeru ducked the blow and did a quick head shot to Naruto's face. Naruto stumbled backwards, withdrawing several shuriken and tossing them at the shapeshifter. He's using the shuriken as a distraction so that he can use a jutsu. More specifically the Kage Bunshin. Calmly, he caught them and threw them back at the boy, who jumped in the air, his eye clearly focused on Bakeru's arms.
Perfect.
Interrupt!
As Naruto brought his hands closer for the seal, Bakeru's tongue shot out of his mouth, much like his master's did. It traveled right through Naruto's hands and wrapped around his throat securely, though the boy was able to react quickly enough to bring his hands and take hold of the tongue before it could choke him completely. "One of you is more than enough, Naruto-kun." Twisting his tongue, he rolled the boy around and slammed him down headfirst onto the deck.
"Nasty!" Naruto shouted from his position. "This thing is gross! Stick to the arms stretching out, would ya!?"
Bakeru snorted. Typical of Uzumaki. Complain about the 'nasty' tongue, rather than the fact that he'd just had his head bashed into the ground. And if he had been the type to engage in banter, Bakeru might have commented on it out loud. Instead, he whipped Naruto around and sent him flying back towards the other section of the boat. "Don't even think about it, Sakura-chan," he said as he withdrew his tongue back into his mouth.
Haruno Sakura. Capable of only short range combat, with very limited long-range tactics. Is quite skilled at detecting and displaying Genjutsu and recently began developing her own. Her speed and stamina are far less than her teammates, but has a fierce temper. Currently able to use only the Doton class. Overall threat: low C-class
The girl - who was halfway through her Haruno Sakura - froze on the spot. "If you value that pretty little head of yours staying on your shoulders, I would suggest that you don't get in my way."
Sakura gulped as her hands fell to her side, while the two boys slowly got to their feet as well. Bakeru faced them anew. "It seems your skills have improved… some." He addressed the two boys, sticking out his hand, beckoning. "Now… if you are done, let us take our leave."
"Screw you," Sasuke said, breathing easier now as he regained his breath. "I'm staying with my team - " he stopped in mid-word and corrected himself. "My friends." Part of Sasuke couldn't believe he just used the F word. It sounded so… foreign to him. Though both Sakura and Naruto looked at him completely dazed. Apparently they were just as surprised as he was that he said that word. "So go suck a lemon and get out of here!"
Bakeru shook his head. So the Uchiha wasn't going to come willingly, was he? Resolved to staying with… Bakeru paused as he considered. Well… why not? "Fine. If those two mean that much to you, bring them along as well."
All three of them gawked, while the movie crew seemed to stop breathing. Except Makino, who merely grinned at the sight. Temptation on all three of them! That would surely get the audience's attention! The tension would be so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife! It was absolutely perfect!
"WHAT!?" Team 7 shouted all at once.
"I said: bring them with you." Bakeru repeated. Surely his master would not object to this. And if he did, when they did all get back to Sound, it wouldn't matter either way. His master would have Uchiha and could dispose of Uzumaki and Haruno if need be. He pointed at Naruto. "Come with me and we'll make you stronger than any Hokage that came before. We'll make it so that you learn how to harness the Kyuubi's power that lies within you. Completely under your control." From the boy's memories, he knew that offer would not tempt Uzumaki in the slightest, but it was something that his master would say and it was important to keep up appearances. Now to appeal to his nature. "I also have access to vast amounts of different types of jutsu. Techniques you never even imagined. Come with me and you'll be able to go wild with your original creations."
He looked at Sakura now. "As for you, my methods might be… overwhelming for one such as yourself, but we can work around that. We can make you stronger. Much stronger." From the girl's memories, he knew that was what she wanted: to no longer be left behind and to be able to fight on par with her teammates. "Come with us, Sakura-chan, and we'll be able to appeal to all of your ambitions and goals."
"You're… serious?" Naruto spoke out. He couldn't believe the Snake Bastard would actually want him and Sakura tagging along. What was he, senile or something!?
The man nodded. "But of course. Remember, I told you in the Forest of Death. How 'I wonder what would've become of you had you been born in my village'. You had told me that you would 'make it your mission in life to torture me to death.' Let's find out if you can do it. I always enjoy a… challenge." He beckoned them once again. "What say you?"
Silence reigned for what seemed to be an eternity, when in reality it was but a moment. During that single moment, no one seemed to breathe, no one seemed to move, save for the three youngster's eyes looking at each other. The wind blew across them all, while a small cloud cover was starting to form, as if to add to the tension. "What say you?" Bakeru repeated again.
The answer finally came when both Sasuke and Naruto moved. Towards each other. Bakeru raised an eyebrow as the two boys continued to move towards each other, their eyes never leaving him. Slowly Sasuke overlapped Naruto, completely concealing the smaller boy behind him and out of Bakeru's sight. Now… what were those two planning? He found no precedent for this in the memories, but that was hardly surprising. These two were more than capable of thinking stuff up on the fly.
Immediately, Sasuke - with Naruto behind - took off running towards him. Sasuke then shot to his left, aiming a kick to his side, while Naruto emerged. His Oboro was active and he aimed a solid right punch to Bakeru's gut. The man lifted his leg to intercept Uchiha's kick, while blocking Uzumaki's punch. That didn't stop either boy as they set in a new attack, forcing Bakeru to backflip out of their way. Once he landed, they were on him again. He guided Naruto's newest punch to his side, then shot his elbow directly in the boy's face. He was barely able to stop Uchiha's latest kunai strike to his face. He caught the boy's hand and twisted it. Before he could break the bone, Uzumaki came at him from the air, a kick aiming for his face.
Again, Bakeru was forced to retreat to avoid the blow. With both attacking at once, he couldn't let the memories flow to guide him again. One was strenuous enough to do, but two at once was not possible. He'd have to adapt his tactics. He saw that Uzumaki quickly grabbed a kunai and began performing the one-handed seals. Stretching out his arm again to stop the process, it was blocked by Sasuke's kick. The boy then rebounded off the ground and launched himself at Bakeru, a punch intended for his face. Bakeru barely had time to jerk his head aside to dodge it.
"Kunai Soufuu Atsu!"
Bakeru swore mentally as he jumped up to avoid the wind blast. He then used both of his arms to intercept Uchiha's next punch, as well Uzumaki's incoming kick while still air bound.
Then the right side of his face exploded in pain.
WHO!?
"SHANNARO!!" Sakura yelled, driving her punch as hard as she could now. That resulted in the Orochimaru-look-alike flying through the air and slamming into the main mast face-first, leaving a few cracks behind. After a moment, Bakeru slid down the mast and fell down on the deck, his butt in the air. Ouch. That hurt!
"GO TO HELL!!" Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all yelled at once. "AND TAKE THE SNAKE WITH YOU!!"
"And there's the creep's answer to his offer," Makino said dramatically from his position, while the others were gawking at the sight. "And what teamwork, what drama, what tension, what a punch! Tell me we got all that on camera!"
Bakeru groaned as he rubbed his face, both front and right side. Ouch, boy did that hurt. He had underestimated the girl's strength. A big mistake, it seemed. But from her memories, she didn't indicate such levels of brutality. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to her reaction to hitting Mizore in the face. He shook his head as he got to his feet. It mattered not. He would not make that mistake again, though perhaps Haruno's overall threat was higher than he originally surmised.
"I thought I told you," Naruto said loudly, drawing Bakeru back to reality. "Drop the act!"
Act? Bakeru repeated mentally. Then he remembered what they had just said. But… how did they know!? What gave him away? "Act?" He repeated out loud, trying his best to sound amused. "You dare speak to Orochi - "
"Can it," Sasuke interrupted. "You may look like him, but whoever you are, you're not him. Orochimaru doesn't negotiate to the extent you do. He takes. Plus, your fighting skills aren't on par for someone like him."
"When you're around Orochimaru," Sakura spoke up this time. "You feel… terrified. Unclean. You want to run for your life. But with you… that isn't there. At first glance it is, but once we all calmed down, that feeling isn't so apparent anymore."
Bakeru said nothing for a moment. Then he gave a soft laugh. "Oh… you three are good. I'll admit, I'm rather impressed. You really do have brains in those heads of yours." He gave then a cheeky grin. "Who am I, you ask?" That grin bloomed into a full smile. "Why… I'm you."
With that word, Orochimaru shrunk down, assuming the appearance of Naruto once again. The closed eye sprang open as Bakeru said "And you…" With that, he assumed the appearance of Sakura, still chuckling under his breath. He closed his eyes as he said "And you…" Finally, he took the form of Sasuke. "And when I say that I'm you," he slowly opened his eyes, letting the three genin get a good look. "I mean that quite literally."
The fully developed Sharingan had replaced the green eyes.
The looks he got from the three - Sasuke especially - were priceless. Uzumaki's face changed into pure disbelief and moaning, mouthing the words 'Oh, give me a break! We don't need more of that crap!'. Haruno was just plain shocked and at a complete loss. Uchiha himself looked like someone had struck him in the face and spat on him all at once. The said person recovered first. "What the fuck!?" Sasuke said. "You can't copy a bloodline… much less mine!!"
Oh… hurt him in the pride, did he? Why didn't he think of that sooner?
"Maybe it is real, maybe it's not," Bakeru said ominously, as though their opinions mattered little to him, which they did. He examined his hands with his new eyes, testing them out. "Quite useful, these eyes are. No wonder my master craves them so." He grinned at the Uchiha and beckoned him again. "And don't think that I'm limited to just your eyes. As you saw, I was able to use Naruto's techniques (Naruto began mouthing off at that) expertly. I could probably even do your most powerful moves if I wanted to."
He heard Uchiha join Uzumaki in shouting various threats and could see the boys' minds working, wondering just how such a thing could be done. Not that Bakeru was about to tell them.
Truth be told, as a shapeshifter, he could take the appearance of anyone or anything. Within reason, of course. He had to keep approximately the same amount of mass as his original form. He could cheat in certain ways, such as making his limbs thinner to make them longer, not that such a thing was easily noticed. The same could be done with his tongue. He also had to keep a solid form, as he was unable to become liquid or a gas. His molecular structure wouldn't be able to hold itself together in that case and it was problematic enough as it was now.
While he could take any appearance he chose, doing so was no more effective than a henge. He was still limited to the capabilities of his original form, which was more than enough to pass as a civilian, but not for a shinobi. To truly mimic a person, to be able to accurately become that person in appearance, skill, mannerisms, and personality so that he could deceive even their closest friends and relatives, he needed two essential requirements. Or as he called them, ingredients.
Blood.
That was the first ingredient. Blood contained a person's genetic code: the DNA. The complete blueprints of a person's physical composition. Every individual was unique in some way. Some were naturally faster, while others had more stamina, and still others were stronger than their peers. And all this was stored in their DNA. All he required was a small amount of the person's blood. His own DNA structure was designed to absorb and assimilate another's blood into his own through his left arm. That feat had been exceptionally difficult during the experimentation, but it did eventually become a reality.
Memory.
That was the second ingredient. Physically becoming another was a great way to fool another, but it was only half of the equation. Physical characteristics alone were not enough to know the internal matters of a person. How they acted, their mannerisms, the way they spoke, and other such details, the things that would not come from DNA. To do that, he needed access to something that was intangible: The person's mind. Their memories. The very core of their being. How to access the mind had been just as challenging as it had been to assimilate a person's blood, but they did eventually succeed at that as well.
The answer came in the form of the kinjutsu Sentakushi Nou Sakujo. While that technique only affected a small portion of the victim's mind, it did solve the crucial part on how to enter a person's mind and bend it to your will. It took about seven months of tinkering - and the complete sanity of six unfortunate 'volunteers' - but they were able to modify the Sentakushi Nou Sakujo to suit his needs. With his right hand, he could force a person to relive all their memories like a movie. During this process, both victim and himself would see the person's entire lifespan literally flash before their eyes and then all that memory would imprint itself in Bakeru's mind. A rather painful feat, considering how much information was obtained in a split second. There was also the fact that he couldn't forget or erase the memories he retrieved. Those memories would constantly flow through his mind and he would see all the annoying little details of their lives. That would drive the undisciplined mind crazy with just one person's memories, and if done too many times, drive even him insane. As such, he didn't use this ability unless it was absolutely necessary. Including these three, it made four times total. He doubted that even his master, no matter how advantageous this ability was, would be able to handle more than five life memories before he went mad.
As for the victims themselves, since it was human nature to recall bad memories more prominently than any other type, after experiencing all their memories in one go, they would be reliving the worst moments of their lives for the next day or so at least. Naturally, due to the fact that the victim was also experiencing this process, that meant they could fight back and interrupt it since it didn't paralyze them in any way. So to make sure that no one on Team 7 would hinder him during the process, he drugged their drinks. If he could have drugged Hatake as well, he wouldn't be in this mess now. He tried to do that by getting the man to participate in the drinking contest, but he refused. Not wanting to push his luck and give himself away, he abandoned that idea.
The memories were also the secret on how well he was able to recreate Naruto's - and the other two's as well - jutsu as accurately as he could. All he had to do was view the memories on the creations of them to learn exactly what he needed to do. Uzumaki, being the experimental type, already experienced all the dos and don'ts of his jutsu, allowing him to copy them.
Bakeru looked over the genin as he spread his arms in a mocking gesture of surrender and defeat. "What's wrong? Don't believe me? Is this form too hard on your eyes?" He shrugged. "How's this?"
The form of Sasuke shrunk a few centimeters as his hair receded, leaving a smaller version of Uzumaki's hairstyle. His muscle span increased slightly, while his clothes became jet black in the way of a long-sleeved shirt and thick pants. The sandals themselves changed as well into combat boots. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke watched in silence, while noticing the freak's face especially. It was like when they blinked, they saw a completely different face, except it was the same. After a moment of looking, they understood why.
The freak had taken all three of their images and mixed them together, making a rather handsome boy around their age. "Better?" he asked them, laughing softly.
"He's… got my hair…" Naruto said in spite himself. Even though it was the wrong color, it was the right style.
"And my eyes still…" Sasuke commented angrily, his mind formulating on how to handle the situation.
Sakura couldn't help but ask. "What about me?"
"Your large forehead," came the answer.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Both boys grabbed Sakura and attempted to restrain her from jumping their enemy, while she was yelling 'Let me at 'im!' over and over, while Bakeru calmly chuckled under his breath. Amazing how the smallest things could set people off.
As Naruto and Sasuke attempted to calm Sakura down, they wondered why this freak was doing all of this. Why was he constantly assuming different forms of them and even making a new one altogether? "Come on, Sakura-chan," Naruto pleaded as they held on. "It's not that bad..."
Bakeru snorted. "What would you know about girls? You're still in denial about that kiss you had with the Hyuuga Heiress."
All three stopped in their tracks, while Naruto's face turned a shade of red that would have put Hinata's blushes to shame. "Oh come on! DOES EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT THAT!?"
Inside the ship, Makino answered while snickering under his breath and glancing at the camera. "They do now. Tell me you got his face on camera!"
Naruto looked to see that Sakura and even Sasuke were snickering under their breath. "STOP THAT!"
That's when he noticed the black-clothed freak right in front of him. Bakeru's fist slammed right into Uzumaki's stomach and sent him flying back. Almost simultaneously, he swung his leg around and kicked Sakura aside, while his other hand hit Uchiha's face. "Pay attention, brats," the shapeshifter called out mockingly. "Don't get distracted."
Naruto rubbed his stomach as he and the other two got up. Now that was low! Using his personal memories and experiences against them! This guy had some serious payback coming. Sasuke and Sakura stood up as well, while Sasuke wiped his face with his hand. "Sakura. Stay back. The asshole and I will handle him."
"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, both angry and annoyed. "Lest you forget the person who actually hit him and - "
"The teme is right, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, as both Sasuke and himself readied themselves, while the girl's jaw dropped as she looked at him in disbelief. Both remembered how brutally beaten she had been against that big Yuki-nin Mizore and they weren't eager to put her in that sort of situation again. It was better this way. Especially since they knew for a fact that this freak wasn't Orochimaru.
The shapeshifter took a stance that vaguely resembled Rock Lee's. "Come, children…" he beckoned them. "Let's see how well you handle fighting your own shadow."
(Author's Note) And so ends part 1 of Bakeru's fight with Team 7. Originally, I was aiming to get it all in one chapter, but to make things easier (and preserve my sanity), I decided to break it up into two chapters. So how was this chapter? I admit I don't think it went as smoothly and it seemed a lot harder for me than previous chapters, but maybe I'm overreacting slightly.
Speaking of Bakeru, you'll see that I showed just how extensively his ability to shapeshift really is. Story reasons are explained above.
My personal reason for doing this?
It wouldn't be any fun if Bakeru couldn't perfectly copy Naruto and the others. I mean… if all Sakura and Sasuke had to do to figure out which Naruto was real and which was fake was to have them both do the Kaze Kiwa and one could and one couldn't… what fun would that be? So I decided to allow Bakeru the means to almost perfectly mimic the trio via the usage of blood and memory. As far as I'm concerned, that's all I needed for him to copy them. And since I was going this route, I figured what the hell, and allowed him to get the Sharingan as well. It's a bloodline and he had a sample of blood to use. Made sense to me.
Admittedly, while my goal was for Bakeru to be able to perfectly copy them and completely fool others, I don't think the scene with Bakeru/Naruto and Sasuke came out as well as it should. That was the main reasoning why Sasuke didn't notice the imposter like several reviewers thought he would, along with the facts that he was angry so he wasn't thinking straight and Naruto's secrets. He was supposed to be completely fooled, but I'm not sure I pulled it off adequately. Oh well… I tried. That's all I can say.
To ArmorOfGeddon and any others wondering why Orochimaru doesn't use Bakeru as his host body, I assure you I have a reason for that. I just didn't get to it this chapter. I plan to for next chapter, so just be patient a little while longer. Fair enough?
And in case anyone is wondering when we'll actually get to the Snow Country and back to the main storyline, I still have a few things to do for this Boat Ride Arc after this fight with Bakeru, so it shouldn't be too much longer. I estimate about more four chapters, give or take.
Sentakushi Nou Sakujo--Selective Memory Eraser/Does as its name suggests. It can erase anywhere from a few selective up to a person's an entire mind. Most times, this jutsu is used on captured enemy shinobi to turn them to the captor's side or to erase a person's memory of a specific time or event. The problem with the jutsu is that if not used properly, in terms of application and distribution, it can just as easily backfire on the user; at worst, turning the user into a vegetable for life. (Upper A-Class Kinjutsu.) Original technique created by Tellemicus
I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Also, any jutsu that Tellemicus created that are used in this story belongs to him. Big thanks to paintball-gamer for beta reading this!
