Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor am I affiliated in any way with it, other than being a fan. Those rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I do own the OC's and any techniques and weapons I add to the story.
A/N: Zabuza may be seen in a new light, and the battle on the bridge comes to an end, but what happens next?
Chapter 10: Secrets and Shattered Memories
"Do you really think that the Hidden Leaf Village will accept us Haku?" Zabuza asked from his recovery bed. "There is a question of whether or not I am trustworthy, especially after the incident that gave me my moniker."
"Zabuza-sama, you really need to stop beating yourself up about that," Haku replied comfortingly. "Even if you could have done a better job controlling your temper, it was not your fault."
Zabuza did not reply as he sadly thought about the past.
Flashback
As a child, Zabuza was frantically running from the angry group of villagers he had just stolen food from. He had been an orphan shortly after being born, and had hated life at the orphanage, resulting in him leaving, preferring an equally hard life on the streets. He turned a corner and slammed into another boy, causing them both to fall over backwards, the loaves of bread Zabuza had in his arms flying free. The boy Zabuza had knocked over looked at him in slight annoyance before frowning and grabbing Zabuza's arm, pulling him into an alley. The villagers ran by, oblivious to where their quarry was hiding.
"Why did you just help me?" Zabuza asked.
"You're the kid who is always on his own right?" the boy asked. "I helped you because I had just recently learned a little on what that was like."
"What do you mean? You have parents don't you?"
"Yeah, but they have been ignoring me, ever since I was…selected. You are aware that the recent host of the Sanbi was killed? As soon as it is revived, the village will recapture it. Once that occurs, I will be made into its new Jinchuriki. Even my friends at the academy have been distant from me after they heard."
"I see. I'm sorry about that. Thank you for your help by the way, my name is Zabuza Momochi."
"Yagura."
Since that day, Zabuza and Yagura had been fast friends. It had been a few months afterwards when Zabuza went to the academy to check up on Yagura. He had never been interested in being a ninja, for he did not want to serve the very village that had done so little for him. As he entered the academy grounds however, a sight that would forever be burned into his retinas greeted him. His first and only friend was in a fetal position, being kicked and beaten by his entire year of fellow students. With a surge of rage, Zabuza noted that Yagura had a very deep cut under his left eye, likely inflicted by a kunai.
"You're gonna be a monster, you know that!?"
"Beast, why don't you just die?"
"We're doing ya a favor, puttin' ya out of your misery!"
Zabuza shivered uncontrollably. Before he even knew what he was doing, he had walked up to one of the training dummies and pulled a kunai loose from it before rushing the mob of academy students in a blind rage. After the resulting bloodbath, Zabuza was kneeling over Yagura, who was unconscious from the beating, but still breathing. Zabuza sighed in relief before he saw again the results of his handiwork.
"Kami, what have I done?" Zabuza asked himself before keeling over and losing his lunch. Afterwards, he had rushed Yagura to the hospital, and the Sandaime Mizukage offered Zabuza a place as a Kiri shinobi, and named him a candidate for the Seven Ninja Swordsman in recognition of his abilities. Though initially tempted to refuse, Zabuza decided that it was his best shot at getting stronger, so he could make sure no one ever laid a finger on the only one he cared for again.
The cut under Yagura's eye had required stitches, despite the best efforts of the medics and left a permanent scar. About a year later, he had grown much stronger and was named the Yondaime Mizukage after the death of the Sandaime, though both he and Zabuza recognized this as an attempt by the village council to control Yagura. This failed because Yagura refused to be a puppet and his first act in office had been to order the discontinuation of the bloody graduation exercise. Many assassinations were attempted, but Zabuza, having been made one of the Seven Swordsmen by Yagura, proved very good at preventing these attempts.
A few months later, the Sanbi returned earlier than expected and was recaptured and sealed within the young Mizukage. Zabuza had reassured Yagura that he would be his friend regardless. After all, they were both considered "demons" now.
End Flashback
But after that, Yagura had begun to act strangely. It did not take Zabuza long to realize that he was not himself and that someone was controlling him. When Zabuza tried to stage his coup, he was trying to get to the bastard who was using his friend as his puppet. He had almost succeeded in at least finding out who the bastard was, but a new member of the Seven Swordsmen, Kisame, was in cahoots with the man, and prevented Zabuza's coup from working.
Now he knew that Yagura was dead, and that the one who was behind it all was using the name of Madara Uchiha. Zabuza gripped the covers in silent rage. "Soon Madara, Kisame,"Zabuza thought. "I will make you both pay dearly for the crimes you have committed. I will not let this second chance go to waste, and I will see Yagura avenged, this I swear!"
….
"Yes!" Naruto shouted in jubilation having just attempted Hiraishin again. "Only ten feet away from the sealed kunai this time!"
"That's great, Naruto," Sasuke's voice said from somewhere off screen. "But before you celebrate your improvements, HOW ABOUT GETTING OFF OF ME!(A/N: I love the classic teleporting on top of some poor sap gag, they never see it coming on time)"
"Oh, whoops, sorry," Naruto replied as he hastily got up. It was the final day before the battle of the bridge would occur, and their training was nearing its end. He and Itachi had collaborated with Zabuza and Haku on what would occur this time around. Itachi and Zabuza would fight, but hold back so as to save their strength for Gato and his goons, while Naruto and Sasuke would be kept busy by Haku, until Naruto could convincingly pretend to knock the boy out.
Once Gato and his goons showed up and declared their betrayal, Itachi and Zabuza would take them out, followed by them giving an acted out negotiation before they all returned to the village. It was that simple.
After the day of training was finished, both boys returned to the house for the nights meal, with Itachi telling them that tomorrow was likely the day that Zabuza made his move, so the two would join him and Hinata on the bridge. Again though, Inari said it was pointless, that there was nothing heroic about throwing one's life away.
Naruto had enough once again. He had forgotten just how much Inari's defeatist attitude had pissed him off last time. "Let me tell you something brat," Naruto growled. "One of the people I look up to was the Sandaime Hokage, and you know how he died? When the Kyuubi attacked my village, he gave his life to defeat him. In doing so, he saved countless others, including those of my parents, who were going to do the same thing. He died protecting something important to him, and you know something? It was not even the slightest bit pointless. Nor was your father's sacrifice. Because of him, we are even more determined to stop Gato, and even your grandfather has not given up yet, even though the odds are stacked against him.
"When you say there are no heroes in this world, you not only insult the Sandaime Hokage, but you insult me as well through him. And worst of all, you insult the man who cared about you, even as he died. You have abandoned the ideals that he tried to pass to you. I have no respect for people with your attitude, and I would rather give my own life for something important, even if it seems like a worthless endeavor, than live knowing that I am a worthless coward. Remember that next time you want to run your mouth at me, you big BABY!"
Inari sobbed at this and ran back upstairs, and Hinata looked at Naruto in shock. "N-Naruto, you went too far! You made him cry!"
"I'm sorry, but he needed to hear that, even if I lost my temper when I told him," Naruto grumbled. "I don't deny that the kid has been through a lot, but that does not give him the right to spit on his stepfather's grave like that." Hinata's expression softened a little. "I'm tired, I'll be in bed." And with that, Naruto got up and left the dining room.
…..
The next day, they were just leaving and Naruto frowned as though he had just thought of something. Wordlessly, he created six Shadow Clones as they left. "What are you doing?" Sasuke asked with a frown.
"Just a hunch," Naruto lied smoothly as his clones hid themselves in the bushes near Tazuna's home.
….
Upon arriving at the bridge, they found all of the workers beaten bloody, but all left alive. "Naruto, Sasuke, you two are with me!" Itachi shouted as Zabuza and Haku came into view, the latter having discarded his mask this time around. "Hinata, protect Tazuna!"
"It is so good to see you again, Blazing Crow," Zabuza stated. "Though the feeling does not seem to be mutual with the brats, they are shaking with fear, poor things." Indeed, both Naruto and Sasuke were shivering as several Water Clones emerged, surrounding the group.
"Ha, we're shivering with anticipation for a rematch!" Both Naruto and Sasuke declared at once. And with that, they attacked, quickly making short work of the Water Clones.
"Well, well, you two seem to have grown up even more already. Haku, entertain them while I have my fun with their Sensei."
"Yes, Zabuza-sama," Haku replied as all fighters faced off with their opponents.
"So far, so good," Naruto thought as he and Sasuke dashed at Haku."Now I just have to make sure Sasuke does not kill Haku."
….
"You let my mother go!" Inari shouted at both of Gato's thugs, who had shown up earlier to take Tsunami hostage. They both turned to him as he charged and drew their swords with sadistic grins, only to freeze as the point of a sword emerged from each of their guts.
"You might want to drop your weapons," one of Naruto's Shadow Clones said with a smirk. "Where we stabbed you two was through painful, but not fatal points that are fairly easy to heal. It would not take much more than a twitch on my part to change that." They both immediately complied with the request. "Amazing what having someone at your mercy can do for their cooperation, huh?" the clone chuckled as the other four clones appeared to confiscate the weapons and tie the two up.
"I thought you were at the bridge," Tsunami said as one of the clones just finished with a knot.
"The original is, but he left us around, because he felt something like this would happen," one of them replied. "By the way, Inari, thanks for distracting those two for us. I see that you've pulled your head out of your ass since last night."
"Thanks, Naruto," Inari said, tearing up a little.
…..
"Damn these mirrors!" Sasuke cursed as several more senbon were stabbed into his torso. Despite being able to see Haku's movements, he could barely react to each attack, and Naruto was not faring much better. Meanwhile, Itachi and Zabuza were trading blows, Zabuza appearing to let Itachi have the upper hand. Finally, Haku made a discreet gesture to Naruto, and attacked again. Naruto whipped around as quickly as he could and threw a punch at the oncoming ninja, who allowed the blow to connect to his torso, making it seem like a lucky punch. Haku flew backwards and slammed into one of his own mirrors, and slumped, pretending to be knocked for a loop as the mirrors dissolved.
"I got him," Naruto said, faking shock.
"Nice one Naruto," Sasuke said as the former went to Haku with some cord, looking as though he was going to bind Haku's wrists. "Though it seems that you just happened to punch the exact right place at the exact right time."
"Any second now…" Naruto thought as he approached the groaning Haku.
"Gato, what the hell are you doing here?!" Zabuza demanded with Itachi's katana at his neck, as said gnome approached, leading his small army of thugs.
"Well, I got tired of waiting for you to do your job, and it looks like you failed miserably," Gato chuckled. "I wasn't going to pay you and your lackey anyway, you were asking for too much, so let's just say, I'm going to cut expenses."
Itachi frowned and said to Zabuza, "Well, it looks like we have no more reason to fight since you're no longer employed to kill my client. Can we call a truce?"
"Yeah," Zabuza said and Itachi removed his katana. Naruto pretended that he was just coming to the same conclusion and helped Haku to his feet. "Don't worry, I don't hold petty grudges against opponents employed by my targets, it's just business after all, but in the case of people who try to cop out of giving me my due…let's murder a midget."
"Get them!" Gato shouted to his thugs and they all ran forward, ready for a fight. What they got was a slaughter. Itachi and Zabuza easily mowed through them, the latter having use of his arms this time around. Gato never got the chance to get far before Itachi had him in a death grip around the neck and lifted him up. "Please, I'll pay you anything! Just let me go!"
"Oh, I will certainly take your money, for the people you stole it from," Itachi said coldly as his eyes took the shape of a three-point shuriken. "But you have forfeited your life, because even if I were to spare you, I will not defend you from the one you had the stupidity to try to double cross. Tsukuyomi."
Itachi's left eye bled a little as he put Gato in the genjutsu and tortured all of the information he would need to acquire all of the man's money out of him. Once that was done, he dropped the traumatized Gato and used his katana to put him out of his misery.
The bandits simply fled after that, not wanting to fight any more. "Good riddance," Naruto muttered, before grinning at a job well done. That was, until a black cloaked figure suddenly materialized out of nowhere in front of him and slammed his fist into the blonde's gut. Naruto spat out blood and collapsed as the man caught him and put him under his arm, dashing off.
"Naruto!" both Hinata and Sasuke shouted as they dashed after the man.
"Blast!" Itachi cursed as he tried to follow them, but his way was blocked by a bandage-wrapped sword.
"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Kisame chuckled. "Why don't we have some fun first?"
"KISAME!" Zabuza shouted as he dashed at his most hated enemy, his giant blade raised to strike the shark man down. Kisame backed up, raising his sword to block, causing both blades to lock.
"Well. Well, if it isn't my old friend Zabuza," Kisame grinned as sparks grinded between Kubikiribocho and Samehada. "I never expected to see you again."
"Oh, I actually hoped we would, though I am surprised I have the chance to avenge my friend so soon."
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet!" Itachi shouted from behind Kisame, launching said jutsu, forcing both swordsmen to get out of the way, and Itachi launched the Phoenix Flower Jutsu next, at which Kisame simply smirked and blocked with his large sword, which consumed the flames. Haku appeared behind the shark man and pegged him with several senbon, only to watch in horror as they were forced from his body and the punctures healed.
"What?" Haku asked to no one in particular, and backed up next to Itachi and Zabuza. Tazuna decided he would only be in the way, so he simply hid himself.
"Kisame's sword, Samehada, absorbs chakra and he can use it to heal himself," Zabuza explained shortly. "Our best shot is to wound him with weapons and taijutsu. I'm going to engage him, sword to sword. Itachi, it would be best if you backed me up with shuriken and kunai from a distance and used your katana whenever there is an opening. Haku, keep your distance and use senbon on him."
"Heh, come at me then," Kisame chuckled as he raised Samehada into a fighting stance. Zabuza charged with Itachi right behind him, and Haku dashing to the side to find a good angle to attack from.
…
The cloaked man paused in his escape. "Hmm, it will take me a few minutes to create a dimensional rift with no interruptions,since I have an unwilling passenger, which I am not going to get with the Kyuubi brat's teammates on my heels. I guess I am just going to have to kill them," he thought as he turned, Naruto groaning weakly.
"Give Naruto back now!" Sasuke demanded as he and Hinata came into view.
"Why don't you make me?" the man mocked. "But then, you would not want me to harm him now would you? If that is the case, you had better back off now."
"Don't try to bluff us! If you were going to kill Naruto, why go to the trouble of trying to kidnap him?"
"It is true, a live capture would be preferable, but our goals can also eventually be accomplished with his death. Care to try me?" the man asked as he held Naruto in a choke hold, prepared to snap his neck in an instant.
"If you harm Naruto, I will kill you!" Hinata declared her features distorted by rage, all her fear forgotten. Sasuke nodded in agreement as he raised a kunai… a particular one.
Naruto grinned and vanished, surprising his would be kidnapper, to reappear next to Sasuke, who was holding the Hiraishin kunai with a smirk, and formed a Rasengan. The man cursed as Naruto used Hiraishin again and appeared right in front of again, having placed one of the seals on the man's cloak. He never had a chance to dodge as the sphere was forced straight into his chest, flinging him back with enough force to blast right through the thick trunk of a tree to lie prone as he landed.
"Gotcha," Naruto said smugly.
"You all right Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "That was quite a blow you took before he tried to take you."
"I'm fine. I may be a Namikaze, but I have Uzumaki blood too, so I have a decent healing factor. He on the other hand should be out of luck."
"Oh, I don't know about that," the cloaked man laughed, to their surprise, and he rose easily, the part of his cloak that the Rasengan had hit, shredded completely, revealing his bare chest, which was completely unharmed by the attack. The man tore the part of the cloak with the Hiraishin seal on it.
"What…what the hell?" Sasuke demanded as Naruto and Hinata stared in fear.
"Not even a scratch," Naruto thought.
"This could be bad…" Kurama mused.
"Oh gee, you freaking THINK?!" Naruto thought snidely.
"I must commend you on catching me off guard like that," the man said while applauding mockingly. "I was not expecting you to have learned Hiraishin. Against most foes, that would have been endgame. But then, I am far from most foes…"
"What is he?" Sasuke and Hinata both thought.
"By the way…Sasuke," the man stated as he turned to the raven haired boy who stiffened in fear. "You seem to be a shadow of your former self… where did all of that hatred that gave you power go?"
Naruto's eyes widened while Sasuke growled, "What are you talking about?! I am strong enough to take you out! Chidori! 1000 Birds!" With that, his arm was shrouded in lightning chakra and he rushed the man, ignoring Naruto's cry of "Sasuke, wait!"
"Pathetic… come, I will restore your true self," the man said as a spark rose from his palm. His chest turned a blackish color as the Chidori struck it, not even scratching the surface of it. Sasuke's eyes widened as the man's hand went for his head, only for Naruto to quickly tackle Sasuke out of the way.
"This guy is clearly from the Elder Dimension," Naruto thought frantically, his eyes gaining a reddish pigmentation around them, and the pupils turning yellow with a block in them. "And it is also obvious that he knows about the time travel, and a little about what Sasuke was like before we turned time back."
"And he seems to know the Pulse Imprint Jutsu as well…" Kurama growled.
"If he restores Sasuke's memories, there is no telling what he will do. I can't let that bastard get a hold of Sasuke's head!" "Sasuke, you and Hinata stay back, I'll take care of this guy," Naruto declared as he rushed forward, ignoring their protests. Immediately, he and the cloaked man exchanged blows, but Naruto's frog katas were having very little effect as the man's chest and presumably the rest of his body turned black again. "What kind of ability is that?" Naruto demanded as he ducked a kick from his opponent, drew Arashikatta and struck, enhancing the blade with wind chakra.
"This is the power of the Elder Dimension's Kuro-Ko (Black Steel) clan," the man said as he casually raised his arm to block, the blade cutting the sleeve, but only causing sparks to fly from the arm. "Black steel is a very rare and strong material that only appears in a few dimensions, the Elder Dimension being the third most common location for it. Our Kekkei Genkai allows us to turn into this metal at will." With that, he kicked Naruto hard in the chest, throwing the blond back. "It also gives our strength and speed a boost, because the metal is actually lighter than flesh."
Naruto flipped on time to meet the man's next charge, ducked a punch, sidestepped a kick, jumped another kick and formed another Rasengan, this one bigger that he was tall. "Sage Art: Giant Rasengan!" The giant orb blasted into the man, flinging him backwards once more, but once again unharmed. The Kuro-Ko clan member did have the entire upper half of his cloak torn however, only the sleeve of his left arm still on from the waist up. His exposed face was nothing special, no facial hair and short brown hair on his head.
"Still not good enough," he said as he turned black again and charged as Naruto braced himself. Before they could attack each other again, Hinata and Sasuke leapt at the man, both casting hand signs.
"Fire Style: Giant Fireball Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Bullets!"
The fireball hit first, the man laughing as he took the hit, with no damage, before two water balls hit him, causing him to steam a little.
"Sasuke, Hinata, no!" Naruto cried as he quickly made a Shadow Clone and formed a Rasengan while the Shadow Clone immediately started adding wind chakra.
"Chidori!" Sasuke shouted again as he stabbed forward.
"Eight Trigrams: 16 Palms!" Hinata cried, rushing forth. The man laughed off the Jyuken strikes and kicked Hinata away, while Sasuke's Chidori struck his chest again, this time penetrating a few centimeters.
"I see, you managed to soften my skin marginally by heating it before rapidly cooling it," the man mused as he kneed Sasuke in the face, before grabbing his forehead. "But it was not enough. Now… Pulse Imprint Juts-" He was cut off when he was hit violently in the side by Naruto's Rasenshuriken, carrying him away from Sasuke as the latter fell to the ground, clutching his head in pain. After a bit of distance, the wind style attack expanded, causing the man to scream in pain.
"Oh no, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted running to his friend and helping him up. He detected a small bit of chakra in his head, not enough for a complete Pulse Imprint, but that was expected since Naruto interrupted the technique. With an incomplete pulse, who knew what was going to happen…"Hinata!" Naruto shouted as he carried Sasuke to where she had collapsed and she rose unsteadily to her feet. "You need to take care of Sasuke for me while I finish this!"
"What did that man do to him?" Hinata asked fearfully as Naruto helped to steady her.
"I don't know," Naruto lied before he dashed off to where the man had been thrown.
"Damn…it…" Sasuke snarled as several voices flashed through his head rapidly. "What is…this…?"
Multiple Flashbacks
"Do you truly wish to kill me, brother? Then hate me, and live, with no purpose other than destroying me with that hatred!"
"I do not have a dream, because I will make it a reality…I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain person…"
"You're still too weak…you don't have enough hate."
"I want you to fight me Naruto, right here, right now."
"There's no reason for me to put it on, because you won't be able to scratch my forehead!"
"Sakura…thank you."
"When two shinobi of a high enough level fight, they can tell each other's thoughts, without any words, knowing what the other is thinking through no more than a trade of blows. So Naruto, can you tell what I'm thinking? What's on my mind?"
"I've had enough of this, what the hell are you!?"
"I'm your friend! That's why I'm telling you, I'm not gonna let the likes of Orochimaru get a hold of you! But if you won't listen to reason, then… I'll break every bone in your body!"
"Just shut up already. What can you, who never had anything know about me? YOU WERE ON YOUR OWN RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, HUH? I'M SUFFERING NOW BECAUSE I HAD THOSE TIES, SO WHAT CAN YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS I FEEL?!
"It's true… I don't have a clue what it's like to have parents… or siblings… but during those times with Iruka-sensei, I can't help but wonder if that's what it is like to have a father… and when I am with you… I wonder if that is what it is… to have a brother…"
"Why Naruto? Why go so far for me?"
"Because, Sasuke, this is the first time that I've had a bond like this… that's why I'll do whatever it takes to stop you!"
"A bond…if that's the case…then all I have to do… is SEVER that bond."
"CHIDORI!"
"RASENGAN!"
"Your life was spared on a whim, nothing more. And this time, you will lose your life on a whim."
"I see you dead, at my feet."
"I see… well then, try to make it reality!"
"Sorry, Sasuke. That's the last time."
"He was ordered to do so by Konoha."
"He sacrificed everything, including his life…still fooling you to the very end."
"We now exist for a single goal…TO DESTROY THE HIDDEN LEAF VILLAGE!"
"You are laying waste to Itachi's sacrifice!"
"Do not say Itachi's name!"
"Sasuke, there is more in you than just your clan. Look into your heart, one more time…"
"You're all… laughing. YOU'RE LAUGHING…AT THE COST OF ITACHI'S LIFE! IGNORANT FOOLS! YOUR LAUGHTER SOUNDS LIKE CONTEMPT AND JEERING TO ME! I WANT TO CHANGE THEM TO SHRIEKS AND WAILS!"
"ALL OF YOU OUTSIDERS JUST SHUT UP!"
"Do you know what Naruto has gone through for you? No matter what he heard about you, he never once stopped thinking of you as a comrade! Even now…"
"The severing of all bonds is the ultimate purification! And that shall lead to the Uchiha clan's true restoration!"
"CHIDORI!"
"RASENGAN!"
"Do you remember? The entire village used to hate me…because I have the Kyuubi sealed within me… I hated them right back. I wanted revenge…one bad move…and I could have been like you. I used to think that I didn't have bonds with anybody…until I metyou and Iruka-sensei. I knew that you were alone like me and I felt better that there was someone around like me… I wanted to be your friend, but I never could. Because I was jealous of you. You were good at everything. You were my rival! You were my goal. I had nothing, but I built bonds. And when we had our missions as Team 7, I was always chasing you, trying to catch up to you. I wanted to be strong like you. Cool like you. I'm happy I knew you."
"Naruto, no matter what you say to me now, I'm not changing! I'm still going to kill everyone in Konoha, including you! So your only choices are to kill me and become a hero who saved the village, or just be another loser who was killed by me!"
"Neither! I…"
"What is it with you?! Why are you always messing in my business?"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE MY FRIEND!"
"But it's also because I'm your little brother that I won't stop, no matter what you say. Just like how you're protecting the village now, I will definitely destroy it. Goodbye."
"I always lied to you, telling you to forgive me. I always kept you far away, with my own hands…I didn't want…to involve you…but now I think… that maybe you would have been able to change father, mother… the Uchiha…if I had faced you from the start… tried to see things from your point of view and talked with you about the truth… but I failed, and no matter what I say now, it still won't reach you. That's why I'm finally going to say what I really think. You don't have to forgive me…no matter what you decide to do from now on… I will love you forever."
"Have you reached a decision…Sasuke? Crush the village…or…"
End Flashbacks
Sasuke was panting hard and sweating profusely. "What was that?" He tried to remember what had just gone through his mind, but the details were slowly trickling away, like water he was trying to keep cupped in his hands. All he could recall after a minute was a sense of great loss…and anger…
"That actually hurt a little, Kyuubi brat…" the man said as he rose again, some skin torn from his right arm where the Rasenshuriken had hit him. "But you still won't be able to beat me…"
"Darn… that wound isn't nearly serious enough," Naruto cursed mentally. "What doe s it freaking take to beat him!?"
"Naruto… you're just going to have to use that jutsu…" Kurama advised.
"But, I haven't finished it yet, and I don't know if I can throw it, even if I use it right…"
"I'm going to give you enough chakra for a three tail cloak… at this stage of your development, that's the most I can do without running a serious risk of killing you… but it should be enough to give you some protection from the backlash without the need for distance."
"I did not want to reveal you to them yet, but…guess there's no other option…" Naruto decided as the Stage 1 cloak flowed from him, three tails forming. Two extra sets of hands also formed as Naruto began to form a Rasengan with both hands, and the cloak's four extra arms also moved around the Rasengan, as it started to once again take the shape of a shuriken, but with the exception of the wind chakra blades, the Rasengan took on a rocky shell. "Come on… if there was ever a time I needed you to hold together, it is now… please, don't blow up in my face!"
Sasuke and Hinata were watching in shock as the cloak formed around Naruto. "W-what is that?" Hinata asked fearfully. As she activated her Byakugan and gasped in surprise as she saw a chakra entirely different from Naruto's. "What's happening to you, Naruto?"
"If that attack is more powerful than the last…" the man thought fearfully. "I can't afford to let it hit me. And if I charge, I'm just asking to let it hit me… time to get some insurance." His eyes fell upon Hinata and Sasuke and he dashed for them.
"Damn," Sasuke muttered as the man moved so fast that he was behind them before they could even realize he was coming at them. The man grinned as he reached to grab his hostages…only for Naruto to appear between them and him, completed jutsu in hand.
"What!?"
"I knew the bastard would come for my comrades again, so I made sure to put a Hiraishin seal on them when I helped them to their feet," Naruto thought with satisfaction. "It's over! Earth and Wind Style! Solid Rasenshuriken!" He rammed the jutsu into the man's torso full force, adding his cloak-enhanced strength to the blow.
"AAAARRRRRGGHHHHHHH!" the man screamed in agony as the jutsu left Naruto's hand, the force of the attack blasting them both back, Naruto still taking serious damage despite the protection of the cloak, which was dispersed. He slammed into Sasuke and Hinata, who skidded back, refusing to drop him. The jutsu exploded a short distance away to do its damage to the man.
Quickly, Sasuke and Hinata jumped back, taking Naruto with them, looking in awe at the power that put even a regular Rasenshuriken to shame. "Naruto, that was… amazing," Sasuke said.
The banged up Naruto still managed a cocky grin. "I'd give the understatement of the year award to you, but that was so much of one, that if I said it was an understatement, I'd win instead."
Sasuke chuckled before they heard, "Damn it… I underestimated you, Kyuubi brat… I have to retreat."
The team watched in horror that the man could possibly have survived, as he got up, looking like he had been on the wrong end of a bear mauling. He seemed absolutely mutilated. Gritting his teeth in pain, he raised his left hand, and the air behind him cracked. He started to stagger backwards into the resulting rift.
Sasuke snarled, and closed his eyes. "I'm not letting you get away!" he shouted, opening them, the six point stars in them surprising everyone present.
A/N: Cliffhanger! Longest *pant* chapter *pant* ever! I suppose it was my fault for including so many flashbacks, but they all had significance in my book. The return to the village will occur next chapter, after the conclusion of the Waves arc.
Sorry Anon, spades was what I meant to say. It's been a few years since I last played a card game, and I somehow got the terms aces and spades switched around in my mind between now and then.
Review everyone!
