Hey there everybody! Well, I am happy to say that apart from a few double reviews, which I did not count in the list, enough reviews were posted to keep Tsunade alive. I realize that it was mean to dangle her life on reviews, so in exchange, I have attempted to make this the most epic chapter yet. Without further ado, I present Chapter 11 of Blade of the Fox.
Previously…
Naruto's eyes narrowed, and, drawing his crossbow, he took aim at the pair. He hesitated for a moment, before sheathing the weapon and turning to the tower.
It was high time the white knight rescued the princess.
Working his way back to the Hokage Tower, he staked out the location until the inky darkness of the night was enough to swallow the whole building. Flicking on his newly-enhanced Eagle Sense, which he had refined with great practice over the several weeks he had been in the Leaf now, he noted the patrol routes of the guards, as well as a half-dozen possible entrance points. Choosing the most feasible, he began running toward the end of the building he stood upon, hurling himself over the abyss once he reached the edge.
As he soared to the wall of the Tower, he reveled in the familiar exertion. He reached against the wall, bracing himself so that he gently pressed his entire body against the stone for a heartbeat, pausing before his fingers scrabbled and found their grip. One arm burned as he reached toward another hold, and he pulled himself up, gripping the small ledge he had held in his hands with his toes. He glided up, ethereal, before he silently cracked open the window to the Hokage's Office, where Tsunade had worked just months prior. Sticking his head over the windowsill, he saw the room was empty, and silently slid in, latching the pane shut.
A quick rifle through the desk had him pull out two weapons; an arquebus of Shikamaru's design and subtle sabotage, and a pair of flintlock pistols the genius had been unable to change without arousing suspicion. He casually tossed the arquebus aside, before stuffing the one pistol into his weapons frog, and stuffing the other in his belt. I'll have to have Shikamaru make me a better pair, along with some holsters, he thought, making his way to the door. Pausing in front of the door, he pressed his ear to the wood, listening for thirty seconds until he was sure no one was passing by. Easing the door opened, he quickly slid through the gap, closing the door silently before slipping into shadow.
He slowly worked his way down the Tower, avoiding the few guards in the hallways by slipping into the recessed doorways as they passed. The fewer bodies, the better, he thought, slipping into yet another doorway as two servants strode past. If I'm going to get Tsunade out of here, they can't suspect I'm here until it's too late.
Finally, he reached the hallway leading into the dungeons. Across from the wrought-iron door was a desk, with a half-asleep guard sitting in a chair, supporting his head on a tall stack of papers as he yawned. Naruto slowly crept up the hallway in shadow, staying close to the wall opposite the door. When he reached the desk, he knelt low, slowly and silently creeping behind the guard as his eyelids drooped closed for a few seconds. When he was completely behind the man, his arm shot out, wrapping the man's neck in an iron hold. His eyes widened for a second, before Naruto squeezed harder, cutting off his oxygen supply. The man went slack, and Naruto released him. He was unconscious, but he wouldn't wake up for a few hours. Taking the keys off his belt, he opened the door, and strode into the dungeon.
The first level of the dungeon was basic cells; these were filled with a half-dozen criminals each. A quick survey revealed faces that he knew to belong to actual criminals from before the Invasion, so he left these be. Descending to the next level, he found a dozen cells, a third of them empty. Surveying the eight people in these, each with their own cell, he gasped in shock. In each cell, he saw a familiar face.
Shizune occupied the first cell, lying on her side with her back facing him. She wore a ragged tunic that barely extended to mid-thigh, and dirt-smeared legs were tucked against her body. Her one-beautiful hair had grown long and gnarled, reaching to her lower back. She turned as she heard the door open, and looked at the unfamiliar hood, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
Ino occupied the next cell, though her conditions appeared to be a small sight kinder than the others'; she had been allowed an oversized cotton shirt and breeches that reached mid-calf. Several holes marked the fabric, and she too rose to see the man.
A number of Kunoichi he had never met resided in five of the other cells. From their bearing, and the number of scars that marked their bodies, he had an adequate idea of why he had never met them; after all, ANBU wore masks.
In the final cell lay Hinata, curled into a ball on a filthy cot. She wept openly, ignoring the women around her and the man who had just entered their midst. She wore no clothing, and a number of bruises crossed her skin, focusing mainly around her breasts and inner thighs. A dark anger swept up in Naruto at evidence of Sasuke's brutality, and it was doubled by the knowledge of what had happened to the rest of her clan.
Wasting no time, he quickly strode to Shizune's cell, and pulled out the keys, quickly trying them until one fit the lock. He turned the key in the lock, and it opened with a quiet click. He opened the cell door, and nonchalantly sidestepped Shizune's attack with a broken piece of glass. "Are you going to kill me, Shizune?" he asked, pulling down his hood. "I, who was as a brother to you?"
"Naruto?" she gasped, and every eye in the dungeon was suddenly locked on him, rapt attention present in even Hinata's gaze. "How… what… where…?"
"No time," he barked out, and he roughly handed her the keys. "Unlock the others, and wait for me. I'm going to collect Tsunade, and then I'm going to get you all out. Move!" He charged past the remaining cells, shattering the wooden door with his shoulder. Now that this complication was added, there was no time for stealth.
As he entered the chamber, his first impression was of thousands of tags hanging off of dozens of ropes. Each rope trailed through a series of pulleys bolted into the wall, before they all met in a harness. Tsunade hung spread-eagled in the harness, naked and bruised. She hung face-up, so her entire body was displayed, and the tightness of the ropes prevented her from moving her head to see Naruto. Gritting his teeth in anger, he drew his sword, the rasp of steel echoing through the room.
"Finally come to end me, Sasuke? Or is it Madara?" she asked, her voice hoarse from disuse. He smiled slightly as he heard no trace of fear in that voice; she was just as strong as ever.
"While your incarceration was hardly a fairy tale, its ending will be a happy one," Naruto stated, stepping into her line of sight. The steel flashed, severing the ropes, and he caught her before she hit the floor.
"Naruto?" she whispered, her eyes wide with shock. He wordlessly shed his outer robe, and put it on her, the hooded robe covering some of her nudity. Now dressed in a long-sleeved white silk shirt, he lifted her bridal style, and quickly jogged out, holding her to his chest as she silently allowed herself to cry.
As he strode through the remains of the door, the last cell was being emptied, and the women fell in behind him as he led them out of the dungeon. They paused once, stealing the clothes of the unconscious guard for Hinata, and distributing the few weapons the man had between the women. In order to arm everyone, Naruto himself handed over his knife, bandolier of throwing knives, and one of the flintlocks. "How are we going to leave?" Shizune asked, hefting the guard's sword. Naruto thought silently for a moment, before forming a seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he declared, and four clones appeared before him. Ignoring the shock from the women, he ordered them to get six horses and three carriages from the stables. As they left, he turned to Shizune.
"We're going to leave through the front door."
A few minutes later, the doors to the Hokage Tower exploded in a cloud of fire, the booming report echoing through the Village. As Naruto's clones brought what he had requested, Naruto himself handed Tsunade off the Shizune, before tossing a scrounged torch into the bushes in front of the building. In a few heartbeats, a fire was roaring, quickly spreading. The ANBU women mounted the horses, and Naruto stuck Tsunade, Shizune, Ino, and Hinata into a carriage. Signaling the clone driving that carriage, he slapped the horse's flanks. The beasts launched forward, and as Naruto used the other as a diversion, he climbed onto the third himself, taking the reins. A clone jumped into the seat beside him, transformed to appear as Tsunade dressed in guard's clothing. He whipped the reins, and his team launched forward.
No sooner had they gotten onto the road than another carriage, accompanied by mounted militia appeared next to his carriage, falling for his fake Tsunade. Handing the reins over, he jumped onto the roof of the carriage, the wind whipping his clothing. Drawing both flintlocks, he fired the deadly shots. A heartbeat later, the two guards wielding rifles fell from their saddles onto the hard cobblestones, their heads destroyed by the burning lead.
One of the guards rode his horse alongside their carriage. Standing in the saddle, he quickly lifted himself onto the roof, ordering the driver to move closer to Naruto's own. As they gap between them narrowed, both men drew their blades, preparing to lock. When the other man was in range, Naruto took him by surprise; rather than remain on his carriage, he launched himself onto the other carriage, before engaging the man in a quick flurry of fencing grace.
Just like Jack, he thought, recalling the memories he had of a pirate ancestor's escape from London. As he pushed his opponent's blade skyward, he reached forward, drawing the man's flintlock and pressing it to his stomach. A loud report issued, and the man slithered off the carriage, a line of blood marking the wood. Naruto quickly dispatched the man driving the Templar carriage, before leaping back onto the roof of his own. More horsemen closed in, and he allowed them to get closer, dodging sloppily-fired arrows. When they realized that ranged combat wouldn't work, they tried to get onto the carriage, and he allowed them; a quick flurry of master swordplay ensured each was off in a few seconds. When finally there were no more men after him, he whistled for Kaze, and leapt into the saddle, leaving the carriage and clone for Sasuke to find.
At the sound of the explosion, Sasuke jerked awake in his bed, tearing the sheets off of himself. Ignoring the naked woman in his bed – some stable-owner named Rose – he quickly dressed in his armor, strapping a slim blade to his waist as he left the building in the former Uchiha Compound he had made home.
Grabbing the horse tied to the post in front, he swore loudly as he saw light and smoke in the vicinity of the Hokage Tower. A hard ride had him arriving there just as a squadron of guards poured out of the building. "What has happened here?" he screamed, his manner hysterical. The men looked nervously at each other, and when none of them spoke up, Sasuke cursed. In one movement, he drew his blade and decapitated the closest guard from his saddle. The others yelled out in shock as the head hit the dust. Pointing the blood-smeared steel at another guard, he repeated the question.
"There's been an escape sir. The Assassin somehow managed to get into the building and flee all of the Kunoichi… including Tsunade."
Sasuke screamed out in rage, and dug his heels into his horse's flanks, spurring him into the ranks of the squad. He lashed out left and right, cleaving bone and flesh. When his screams faded, none of the squad was still alive.
A squad of horsemen approached the Tower from the road, dragging a prisoner behind them, and Sasuke composed himself, before striding forward to meet the men. They pointedly ignored the bodies, dragging Tsunade into his sight. He let out a gleeful laugh, before he leapt down from the saddle, landing in front of the woman and kicking dust in her face. "Escape didn't work out so well?" he taunted, launching a kick into her stomach. In a flash, she had snapped her bonds and caught his foot, before rising. A plume of smoke erupted, and familiar blond hair gleamed in the writhing light of the flames. "Naruto…" he whispered in fear, and the guards shrunk back in despair.
"No," he said, releasing the Templar. "Just a clone. But I carry a message for you; your reign of terror is over. I am back, and at your every move, I will be there, undoing your work. A parting gift," he said, and a moment later, he exploded, sending Sasuke hurling through one of the windows of the Tower. The Templar hit the stone floors cut, bloodied, and burned, but as consciousness faded, he knew he would live. After all, how else was he supposed to get revenge?
Naruto strode into the Assassin Base, taking in the activity with a calculating glance. "Tenten!" he shouted, pointing at the woman, "take the ANBU, Hinata, and Ino into our med-bay and have Shizune look them over. Kiba, Sai! Head into the Village and scrounge up some clothing for them. Kakashi, head over to Anko's, and tell her that we have successfully freed Tsunade. Have her spread word of the event. Sonia, rouse Shikamaru and have him improve these." He tossed her the flintlocks, before he lifted Tsunade up in his arms, taking her to the Interrogation Room.
Once he was in the room, he set her down in the chair, and quickly entered the control room, changing the appearance to the room that Karin had awoken in. Rather than adding the seductive qualities, however, he quickly programmed the room to use just the basic comforting agents, before re-entering and sitting on the now-bed beside her.
The woman remained silent for a long time, and he sat next to her the whole time, allowing her to lean her head on his shoulder as she cried. He held her as gently as he could, his fingers making little circular patterns on her spine to relieve some of her tension. After an hour of silence, she began speaking dispassionately, telling him of all that had befallen her. He listened silently, barely managing to keep his anger under control.
"You are my Hokage," he said once she had finished. "As such, I will do whatever you wish me to do."
"I want you to kill Madara and Sasuke, Naruto. I know it will take time, but I want you to do this for me. And there is one other thing." Standing from the bed, she shrugged off his outer robe, leaving her naked as the garment fluttered to the floor. She bent over, and grabbed the clasp of his belt. "After being forced into sex, I want to be with someone I trust. Someone who will be gentle, and will let me take control if I so choose." Naruto's lips curled into a smirk, before he reached up, gently bringing her lips to his.
As she took control of the kiss, her nimble fingers unsnapped the A-shaped buckle of his belt, before pulling down on his trousers. He bucked his hips enough to allow her to remove his pants, and she pulled his boxers off afterward. She pulled his shirt off of him, before she paused to take in the sight of his body. She licked her lips slightly as her eyes roamed over the carved muscle and scar on his chest, before she reached down, gently grasping him. Swallowing nervously, she brought her head down, before engulfing him in her hot mouth.
As she began to work her head up and down on him, his neck went rigid, the veins bulging from his skin. Of course…Legendary Sucker, he thought, feeling one climax already coming. He grunted once, before he sprayed his seed down her throat. Tsunade, to her credit, did not gag; she did not laugh at the speed her ministrations had ended it; rather, she calmly and quietly swallowed, before straddling him, pushing playfully on his chest to get him to lie back. He did so, and she pumped him once, twice, making sure he was hard before guiding him into her. She paused for a few seconds when the tip pressed against her foes, and he saw fear flit across her eyes for a heartbeat. A moment later, however, it was replaced with determination and lust, and she quickly impaled herself on him.
Both man and woman gasped at the sensation, before Tsunade began riding him. She bucked her hips, rolled her hips, impaled herself repeatedly; anything to continue and increase the pleasure she was giving and receiving. Naruto's hands rested on her broad hips, waiting for her to tell him when she was comfortable enough to allow him to take control. Until then, he sat up, capturing her enormous breasts and sucking on the nipples, growling in pleasure as she quickened the tempo. The sound of flesh slapping flesh filled his ears, along with Tsunade's soft moans.
Finally, after thirty minutes, she let out a cry, tightening her walls against him as she came. She went slack against him, panting in his ear. "Go ahead," she whispered, nipping on his earlobe, and he gently leaned over her, making her lean back on the bed. He ran his hands over every inch of her bare form, eliciting goose bumps from her as his calluses rubbed the smooth skin. When he was sure that she was focused only on him, he began thrusting into her, her breasts jiggling slightly with each. He slowly increased the speed and power of the thrusts as her moans increased, until eventually his hips were a blur, and the sound of each individual thrust turned into one continuous noise. "Oh, yes!" Tsunade screamed, her eyes rolling back into her head. "Oh, fuck yes!"
He growled as she came again, and her orgasm tipped him over the edge as well. His growl transformed into an animalistic roar as he thrust into her harder, his seed spraying against her walls, filling her to the brim. When he was finally finished, he pulled out of her, locking lips with her in a long kiss, their tongues battling for dominance. Once that was over, they lay together, wrapped in each other's arms and legs.
"That was amazing," Tsunade laughed, arching her back like a cat. "God, I haven't cum so hard in decades."
"Glad I could be of service," he teased, and she swatted his arm playfully. They laughed for a moment, before he gently groped her breasts, eliciting a moan from her. "Want to go again?"
As it turned out, 'again' meant twelve hours of sex for the two. Dozens of orgasms later, Naruto dressed in his clothes, before walking jelly-legged out the door. A pile of clothes sat outside for Tsunade, and he brought these to her, before leaving to debrief his subordinates. Tenten reported that all of the women were going to make a full recovery, and were requesting to join. He gave an affirmative, and as she went to tell them, he turned to Kiba and Sai. They reported success in gaining the clothes, and told him that Kakashi was still at Anko's. Naruto chuckled at that, before turning as Sonia walked in.
"Shikamaru is currently working on improving the flintlocks," she told him, and he dismissed them all before turning to the windows. Smoke was still roiling from the direction of the Hokage Tower, but as the noon sun began its decent, he saw that the flames themselves had been contained.
Now that Sasuke is aware that I am here, things are going to get worse. But if I send a message… His thoughts were interrupted as Kakashi entered. "What news from Anko?"
"By now, half of the Village knows that Tsunade was freed, and that you are responsible. As a result, Sasuke's influence is already weakening."
"And the recruits? What have they been doing?"
"Jugo is dead, as you ordered. It was Kiba who performed the deed, though they worked together to bring him down."
"I sense there is something else you want to tell me," Naruto said, sitting in one of the chairs. He brought out a coin, and began rolling it over his knuckles as he gazed at the older man.
"I believe that you have performed a great action Naruto, the repercussions of which are going to drastically change the face of the playing field in this game of ours. You've done well, and as such, I believe the time has come for me to name your Master of the Brotherhood." Kneeling, Kakashi took Naruto's left hand in both of his. "You are our Master now, and as you bid, so shall we do."
For several moments, Naruto allowed himself to appear dumbstruck at the announcement, before he composed himself. "I want you to carry a message to the recruits," he began as Kakashi looked up. "Tell them that they are now Assassins in full. Their ranks are Master Assassin, and as such, they are to wear robes of the design of which I currently wear." Naruto cast his gaze over his robes, the ones he had taken from the cave in Suna. The recruits, as he had asked, had had the fur removed, and the plates were covered with a matte finish. "Each of them is to take as Apprentice two of the recruits I freed last night. And finally, get me some new robes fitting my new rank. Something black." Kakashi nodded, and a few seconds later, he was gone.
Naruto turned back to the window, observing his clothing and equipment. Ezio had modified his Roman garb with the armor, which he wore now. On his hip rested the kukri Gaara had made him, and next to that hung his father's katana, the handle identical to the irreparably broken knife Altair has once wielded, the remains of which he had tossed in Suna. In a special tattooed seal on his arm, he had sealed one his father's Kunai. All of my equipment originally belonged to someone else, he thought, running his hands down the front of his robes. It will be nice to finally have something of my own. Something to mark my individuality, while still maintaining the Creed. But if I am to change, I think that I should do one last thing in these clothes. It will be memorable.
Sasuke and Madara sat silently across from each other at a dinner table, both silently fuming over the burning of the Tower. A small feast was laid out before them, but they silently waited for the final item, which the cook had assured them would be out soon. The cook was a rather strange fellow; he was new to them, having just started today, but as Sasuke had killed the previous cook a week ago on a rampage, this was no surprise. He was young – his mannerisms still had that awkward teen in them – with black hair, green eyes, and a slightly paled complexion, as though he spent a great deal of time inside practicing his craft.
Finally, he came out, bearing a silver platter with a large, rounded lid on it. Steam seeped out the bottom, and he carefully placed the platter on the table, leaving the lid on. Bowing to the two men, he quickly left the room, leaving Madara to grumble and remove the lid himself.
As the lid came off the platter, Madara swore in shock and fear, stumbling back until he slammed into the wall. As Kabuto's sightless gaze stared at him from his severed head, Naruto's laughter echoed through the building.
Well, everyone, I hope you liked that. Review and tell me how I did.
-Zeratide, out.