Chapter 11: In Which It Collapses
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
~ T.S. Eliot
o0O0o
The world dissolved into chaos.
Sasuke watched Naruto—still masked but it had to be Naruto; no one else could perform that jutsu he had first seen rip a hole through a water tower on a hospital roof—lose all muscle control and plant himself face-first into the ground. A memory, unbidden, shot through Sasuke's mind; a memory of a bright-haired boy sinking down off the black rod that had skewered him with only a whisper of "ow."
"Naruto-sensei!" Mako cried again, desperately.
Sasuke shot forward and grabbed the boy's arm, jerking him back from his suddenly exposed spot. Only Mako's surprise at being tugged kept him compliant until he seemed to realize that he was being pulled away from his sensei, who looked—for all accounts—dead.
"Oops," murmured Noboru lightly, as if his actions hadn't just killed the one he had been so desperate to recruit.
Kiba struggled against Neji's hand as Naruto's hand fell from its restraining hold on the Inuzuka. Sasuke could see the veins around Neji's eyes bulge.
"Akamaru!" Kiba cried desperately.
He fell to his knees beside his partner, running his hands across the dog's body. Akamaru let out a pitiful whimper, but Sasuke ignored it. Akamaru was still conscious enough to be complaining, at least. Naruto was completely silent.
"Kiba, where's your med-kit?" Shikamaru demanded as he raced forward to take the position Kiba left empty.
Kakashi stepped forward to stand next to Sasuke, just behind Mako. But Noboru raised his hand and withdrew another weapon from between his fingers, this time a sharpened kunai.
"I would prefer to take my specimens alive," Noboru said in a condescending voice. "But I can make do with a corpse. Do you really want the boy's death on your head, Hatake Kakashi?"
Sasuke wasn't all that surprised that Noboru knew who Kakashi was. Not only was Kakashi in pretty much every bingo book across the continent, Orochimaru had always enjoyed appearing omniscient. It stood to reason that his recruits would enjoy the same kind of twisted power trips. Slowly, Kiba glared up at Noboru, his eyes suspiciously wet.
"Murdering bastard," he growled.
"I haven't killed anyone yet," Noboru declared with a scoff. "But even I don't know the consequences of Raiden-sama's escape from death. I wonder if he'll live through it."
Sasuke kept his eyes on Noboru rather than looking down at the figure prone on the ground like he wanted to. Noboru gave the group one more wave before the ground beneath his feet started to swirl like an eddy. A similar whirlpool of earth appeared beneath the giant ninja that held the boy, Kaito, captive. Sasuke could only stare as the ground pulled all three figures like a dark whirlpool. The earth closed in over their heads and suddenly stopped moving, leaving a stillness inside the tunnel that no one penetrated for a moment.
"Sensei!" Mako suddenly jerked forward and dropped to his knees beside the masked body that lay facedown on the floor of the tunnel.
Shikamaru moved from his standing position to hunker down beside Kiba and tend to Akamaru. Sasuke watched Mako shake his teacher's shoulders uselessly.
"Wake up!" the boy cried hopelessly.
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke shoved the boy aside, knowing no amount of mere shaking would be enough to summon consciousness back to the still figure. Sasuke didn't even look at where the boy ended up as he pulled Raiden's body over to his back and lifted the mask off his face. With his Sharingan still activated from the battle, Sasuke could practically memorize every feature of the face before him: the familiarity of the dark marks that stretched across the cheeks, the way the eyes were closed peacefully, the color of the skin and the hair. It was a little thinner than the face he had grown used to seeing in his dreams and memories. But it was Naruto.
"His chakra patterns are unstable," Neji announced from behind Sasuke's shoulder.
Sasuke finally turned his eyes to scan over Naruto's body. He couldn't see inside the body like the Hyuuga could, but he trusted the man to care enough about his friend to be sure Neji was telling the truth. There was something wrong with Naruto, something connected to that poison Noboru had used. And what was that jutsu? The figure of Raiden had dispelled like a Shadow Clone, but Sasuke knew it wasn't one. Kage bunshin couldn't be poisoned, couldn't bleed.
Sasuke seized the front of Raiden's—Naruto's—shirt and bent down close to the prone figure. Even knowing that this was Naruto only left more questions. All Sasuke wanted to do was demand some answers, but the picture of Naruto's face—still and unmoving—was also familiar. It was dark here, instead of light as it had been in the battle of Pein, but it was the same. Sasuke could do nothing for his friend. Sasuke bared his teeth in a low, discreet sneer.
"If you die here, I'll kill you myself, dobe."
Not expecting an answer, Sasuke straightened in shock when the body in his hands shifted slightly.
"Couldna ev'n scratch m'fore'ead, teme," muttered the blond.
o0O0o
Kiba heard Naruto's sleepy voice and turnd most of his attention back to Akamaru. He could feel the dog's pain almost as if it pervaded his own body.
"Naruto." Neji reached out a hand to steady the young man.
"Gimme a minute," muttered Naruto. "I'm not dying. My brain just thinks I am."
"Thinks you are?" Kakashi repeated incredulously.
Shikamaru passed a fever-reducing pill to Kiba, who pressed it close to Akamaru's tightly closed jaw. He keened softly to entice Akamaru to open his mouth and slipped the pill in. Close by, Mako pressed into to the small crowd huddled around the young man suddenly back from the dead.
"Naruto-sensei?"
"You're still dead, kozou," Naruto muttered with his eyes closed.
Kiba's eyes shot up as he frowned at the casual way Naruto dismissed his student. One thing that had remained true no matter what mask Naruto was wearing was the way he cared about those precious to him, and Kiba knew Raiden cared about his students. That had been evident even from the first day, when Mako had tried to pull a prank on Kiba. Mako ignored the dismissal and wrung his hands together.
"Noboru-teme took Kaito," the boy announced with dread creeping into his voice.
Naruto's eyes snapped open and fell directly on Mako. Kiba almost thought that he saw a flash of terror pass through the wide blue eyes before it was effectively smothered down by an expression that flashed like lightning, terrible across a face that usually smiled far too widely for its own good.
"Right." Naruto pushed the growl through gritted teeth.
Sasuke's hand slowly slipped from Naruto's figure as he pushed himself up straight, making his spine almost into a steel rod. With his legs folded beneath him, Naruto brought his hands together and pressed the backs of his knuckles together until they turned white.
"Naruto," Neji called urgently. "We have to—"
"Wait," Sasuke commanded.
His attention more on Naruto than Akamaru by now, Kiba recognized the growing circles around Naruto's eyes. Still, when Naruto looked up suddenly with eyes that were utterly the wrong color, not to mention the weird pupils, Kiba almost believed that Raiden and Naruto could be two different people.
"They're going deeper underground." Naruto got to his feet with a frown. "I can barely feel Kaito."
"Sensei . . ." Mako bit his lip worriedly, but Naruto ignored the boy and glanced at his teammates instead.
"Akamaru?" he asked with a tad more worry than was professionally necessary.
"I gave him a fever-reducer along with a soldier pill," Shikamaru answered for Kiba. "Without the antidote, there isn't much else—"
Kiba suddenly surged to his feet, grinding his teeth as he did. He didn't want to hear that there was nothing else he could do for his partner. Akamaru had been closer to him in battle than any of his comrades, even Shino. It was required between Inuzuka and their ninken. They had to be closer than anything. And he couldn't accept that Akamaru was just lying on the ground, suffering, while Kiba was doing nothing to stop it. His eyes snapped with anger as he glared at Naruto.
"Where's that damn snake-in-the-grass Noboru?" Kiba demanded, his teeth bared in a harsh growl.
Naruto glared at Kiba in return. His narrowed eyes made him look like a ghastly oni in the dim light of the tunnel.
"We don't have time, Kiba," growled Naruto. "We'd have to get Noboru to give us the antidote after we find him."
"I can do that." Kiba knew something about making people do what they didn't want to. He was sure he could convince Orochimaru's lackey.
"Naruto's right," Kakashi interjected suddenly as he stepped up to stand beside Naruto. "Akamaru needs better treatment than what we could give him while trying to chase an enemy."
Kiba's jaw tensed, but he made no reply. He was too busy trying to silence that small part of his mind that echoed Kakashi's observation.
"We can't leave him behind," Shikamaru protested as he, too, stood up.
Suddenly, Naruto straightened and looked at Kakashi.
"I can get Akamaru back to Konoha," he declared.
Kiba's eyes snapped back to Naruto's unfamiliar face.
"How?" demanded Kiba.
"You gonna use your seals?" inquired Mako in a very quiet tone, like he was still afraid he would get chewed out.
"No." Naruto shook his head without looking at the boy. "But I still have the toad contract."
He shifted his attention back to Kiba.
"I can get one of the toads to bring you and Akamaru back to Konoha in a flash," Naruto explained, waving one hand to demonstrate the speed he was sure he could conjure. "But you have to take Mako back with you."
"What?" protested Mako immediately. "Sensei—"
"Mako," Naruto snapped. "Don't even think about it."
There was no give in Naruto's voice. No sign that he could be talked out of his current plan. Kiba's mind wandered just far enough to recognize the way Naruto sounded every time he vowed that he would bring Sasuke back to Konoha.
"I'm going to get Kaito back." Naruto finally rounded on the boy and bent down low enough to stare the kid in the eye. "And you are going back to Konoha where you should've stayed in the first damn place!"
Mako flinched at the obvious anger in his sensei's command. Kiba had to admit, he knew how the kid felt. He didn't want to leave his friend behind. Mako and Kaito were obviously close. And if the dynamic of Raiden's little group stayed true even without the secrets and the mask, the two boys were more like brothers than anything. Kiba wondered what they would do if one was considered dead and then suddenly was alive again.
Kakashi stepped forward, placing the boy between him and Naruto.
"You can summon a toad?" Kakashi pressed, presumably to get the conversation back on track.
Naruto nodded hurriedly.
"Gamajimmu can carry the three of them," he replied. "It'll be a tight fit, but it'll be fast."
"This toad can get Akamaru back to Konoha?" Kiba demanded abruptly. "Fast?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder at Kiba and nodded. Kiba's mouth twisted in distaste. He hated having to make this decision, but he knew his options. Finally, he nodded once, decisively.
"All right. Take Akamaru back. I'll stay with you guys."
"What?" Naruto turned around fully to stare at Kiba with wide eyes.
Kiba didn't want to explain himself. It was just a matter of who needed him more. Akamaru needed that antidote, and Noboru was the only one that had it. Besides, Naruto was acting strange, and Kiba wanted to see him go back to the way he was supposed to be. He couldn't just leave and trust a friend to the darkness of Orochimaru's lair.
"I'll trust Akamaru to your summons." Kiba folded his arms over his chest as if that ended the argument.
"You gotta be kidding," muttered Naruto, more shock than sarcasm in his voice.
"You think I'm gonna let you outa my sight, hothead!" Kiba shouted.
Naruto's face suddenly took on the quality of the Hokage Mountain. His round chin, stripped free of any Henge or disguise, was set hard as he clenched his jaw.
"Naruto," Shikamaru called.
Naruto's eyes quickly turned to Shikamaru. Kiba kept his arms crossed and his frown pinned on Naruto.
"What do you want to do?" asked the team leader.
Naruto looked shocked for a moment that Shikamaru would ask. But then, a solemn mask overtook Naruto's features and made him look years older than Kiba ever thought the hyperactive ninja could.
"I need to kill Orochimaru," Naruto finally said. "That's my mission."
"And ours is to help you," Neji interjected.
Naruto shook his head but made no retort to Neji's comment.
"Kaito . . ." he began instead.
Kakashi stepped up and laid a hand on Mako's shoulder abruptly.
"I've studied Kaito's seal along with Sakura," he announced. "I know how it's tied into his bloodstream."
Naruto stared at Kakashi with his teeth seemingly fastened together. Kiba wondered briefly if Naruto was trying to set a record of how long he could keep silent.
"What do you want to do, Naruto?" Shikamaru repeated.
Naruto's shoulders slumped.
"I want peace," he murmured.
Before Kiba could comment on that strange statement, Naruto stooped down and snatched up the mask from the ground. He rested the white and red face on top of his head as he straightened and brought his hands up in front of him in a familiar hand seal. In a puff of smoke, a man dressed in Raiden's clothes with Naruto's face, complete with unnatural eyes, stood in the midst of the Konoha team.
"We'll split up," announced the original Naruto. "Kakashi, take Neji and find Noboru. My clone can help you."
The copy of Naruto nodded once without opening its mouth.
"We'll go after Orochimaru," Naruto continued with a glance that encompassed Shikamaru and Kiba. He didn't even look at Sasuke.
Naruto turned away quickly, his hand diving into his pocket. He withdrew his hand again in a fist. Kiba watched Naruto hold his hand out to his clone. The copy took something from Naruto's hand—something small, like a pill—and tossed it into its mouth.
The clone raised a free hand to its mouth and punctured its thumb with a sharp eyetooth. The digit immediately started bleeding, and the clone was quick to run through a series of hand seals and slam the palm of his hand on the dark ground of the tunnel. A small red and orange toad emerged from the puff of smoke that resulted from the summoning jutsu. Naruto's clone straightened but kept his hand hovering over the amphibian's body.
"Take the dog and the boy back to Konoha," the clone ordered. "They need medical attention."
Even Naruto's clone didn't sound like Naruto. Naruto was never that calm or that professional. Mako winced as the toad opened its mouth and shot out its tongue as if it were trying to catch a pesky fly for a meal. The tongue attached itself to Mako and yanked the boy off his feet and into the toad's mouth. Kiba couldn't help the disgusted grimace that crossed his face as the toad's mouth morphed to take in the human boy while its stomach remained the same size. Once Mako had been successfully swallowed, the toad turned its head and did the same thing with the wounded body of Akamaru. Then, with a ribbit that sounded more like a belch, the toad disappeared in a small cloud of smoke.
Naruto's next steps took him directly in front of Kiba, who was still staring at the spot where the toad had disappeared and wondering how that particular move worked. Naruto better be sure Akamaru didn't get digested.
"You sure you don't want to go with?" Naruto demanded.
Kiba shook his head once, like the dog he was so closely related to, and grinned at Naruto.
"Nah," he drawled. "Someone's gotta cover your ass for you, hothead."
"Just try an' keep up with me, dog-breath." Naruto scoffed with a crooked grin.
Kiba smiled despite himself. It was about time Naruto started acting like Naruto again. Naruto raised his hand and pulled Raiden's mask fully over his face. Then, with the familiarity of Naruto safely hidden away, he looked back at Kakashi. The clone beside the older man mimicked Naruto's movements, covering its face with the white and red mask. Naruto said nothing, only nodded once—whether he was passing silent communiqués to his clone or bidding farewell to his sensei, Kiba wasn't quite sure.
"Let's go," Naruto commanded.
He turned on his heel and started to hurry further down the tunnel. Kakashi and Neji followed the clone back through the hold that Naruto had punched through the earthen wall with his Rasengan. Kiba and Shikamaru took up positions close behind Naruto, flanking him on either side, which left the rear to Sasuke.
Kiba glanced back once as he hurried after Raiden. Sasuke had clammed up as soon as Naruto had taken his mask off, and he hadn't spoken since. He was acting almost as pissy as he was during that initial trip to Ame no Kuni. Kiba sneered at the Uchiha in the rear of the party and faced forward again. You'd think the guy would be happy to see Naruto alive again, but, no. Sasuke-teme had always dealt with people only as ghosts or obstacles. Kiba doubted Sasuke even knew what to do with a Naruto suddenly back from the dead.
o0O0o
Sai knelt on the metal platform and rested his knuckles on the floor beside his bent knee. He waited patiently, counting the number of inhales until the man in front of him finally turned to face him.
"I did not summon you."
Sai stared at the floor instead of looking up as he spoke.
"Danzo-sama," he began in a deadened voice he hadn't used in years. "I have heard some rumors concerning our new allies."
"Rumors?" Danzo repeated, somehow managing to match Sai's apathetic voice while still conveying an air of impatience.
"The shinobi that Raiden brought back from Kumo to act with us in our war are closely connected with Kumo's jinchuuriki."
This was a risky mode of information gathering, and Sai knew it. Anything that Danzo revealed could not be repeated, and Sai was running the risk of his former master growing suspicious. But this was the most legitimate that Sai felt he could bring up in front of Danzo while still grasping at a connecting to Naruto. It had been Hinata who confirmed that Kumo's jinchuuriki was, indeed, the same Kirabi-sensei the two Kumo-nin had been talking about when a chuunin in the Hokage Tower had escorted them to an inn-styled room. Sai supposed that the Hyuuga's special knowledge of Kumo made sense, in view of Kumo's past dealings specifically with the Hyuuga clan. He was only glad that the knowledge was his now.
"It is of no concern," Danzo announced.
Sai kept his face expressionless as he tried to determine if Danzo was simply refusing to give out information to one of his subordinates or if he was truly unconcerned with the connection.
"Kumo now has the only jinchuuriki left in the Five Nations," Sai observed.
No one had ever found where or what Akatsuki had done with the bijuu they had already collected. Or, if any particular nation had recovered a bijuu, no one was admitting to it.
"His strength could be invaluable in the war against Oto," continued Sai. "Since Konoha lost its jinchuuriki."
Sai felt Danzo's attention sear onto him with a sudden intensity that made Sai want to raise his head and meet whatever conflict was coming face-to-face. But he did not move from his kneeling position, taking the humble pose of a servant willing to give everything to his master.
"Its jinchuuriki?" Danzo repeated slowly. "You can't say his name? You were on a team with him for some time. And you have remained embedded in his society for four years."
It was a subtle jab, a reminder that Sai only remained because Danzo hadn't called him back. Sai was rarely called back to report to Danzo or to take on ROOT missions. His commander had become Godaime Hokage, and there were even days when Sai could forget that he belonged to Danzo. Sai kept his head down and studied the lines of Danzo's legs. Despite the man's obvious deformities, his stance was firm, unrelenting. He was not a man to be underestimated.
"A jinchuuriki can be a powerful weapon," Sai said instead, sticking doggedly to his subject instead of following Danzo's trail. Danzo wouldn't expect him to be distracted, anyway.
"Uzumaki Naruto was never a good weapon," Danzo scoffed as he turned his back on Sai's kneeling form. "His ancestor, Uzumaki Mito, was a better example. The boy is too much like his mother."
Sai finally broke his rigid pose and glanced up, surprised at the mention of someone so closely connected to Naruto. He had been with Naruto's friends for nearly five years, long enough to know if anyone knew of Naruto's family, no one spoke of it. His bonds were with his friends, his comrades. His teammate was his brother, and his sensei was his father. What surprised Sai the most was that Danzo was willing to reveal something about Naruto's past that no one else seemed to know. Suddenly, Danzo turned around, his limp once again firmly in place as he faced Sai. The young man kept his face blank and upraised. It would only look suspicious if he suddenly ducked his head like a kid caught looking at something he shouldn't be.
"It no longer matters," Danzo declared. His cane tapped the metal floor gently. "It no longer matters. Provisions are already made for Kumo's involvement. This war will not last much longer."
Sai bowed his head back down in acknowledgement of the point, but he refused to say anything that would appear to concede the issue.
"Go," Danzo commanded shortly.
"Yes, Danzo-sama." Sai sketched the man a short bow then pushed himself to his feet. The information he had gotten was interesting, if not less than Sai had hoped for. Nothing Danzo had said was completely incriminating—not that the seal on Sai's tongue would allow him to repeat it at any rate. Sai turned and prepared to leave ROOT Headquarters.
"Sai."
Sai turned around to face Danzo before he realized that his name hadn't been a call for attention. Danzo was simply musing, almost curiously. Danzo didn't even look at Sai as the old man leaned over his cane.
"I find it strange that you have held on to that name for so long."
Danzo sounded like an old man playing shogi, noting the curiosities of society without actually intending to do anything about them. Sai did not react.
"Your mission ended with the death of the jinchuuriki years ago," observed the old man. "And yet you still call yourself by that name."
"It is the name all of my current comrades as well as the citizens of Konoha know me by," answered Sai with a smile that closed his eyes gently. "It would be very confusing if I suddenly changed my moniker on them."
It was true, but it was nowhere near the reason Sai continued to be Sai. He had known no one outside of ROOT headquarters for the first sixteen years of his life. His identity had been defined by a number, by how he ranked within Danzo's troops. For a brief time, his identity had been tied to the one person who had challenged him, his "brother." But now, he was Sai. That was what he answered to, and that was what his friends called him. So, Sai smiled his lousy fake smile at Danzo and refused to change who he was.
Danzo reacted to Sai's smile about as much as Sai had reacted to Danzo's jab at his connection to ROOT.
"So it would," he commented softly.
Danzo waved one hand in an absent command to leave. Sai bowed his head while Danzo turned away again. Standing, Sai spun on his heel and tried not to look too eager to leave.
"But you would be foolish to forget who gave you that name."
Sai's steps faltered briefly, but he didn't turn around to acknowledge Danzo's comment. He continued walking with even steps, feeling the slight tickling on his neck that indicated the kikaichu hiding in his clothes was getting rather restless.
o0O0o
Naruto wasn't sure why he was leading. Sure, he could use the excuse that he was able to sense every chakra that scuttled around Orochimaru's dank, hidden base while he was using senjutsu. But Kiba's nose was almost as good as Naruto's nature-entwined senses; he knew that from experience. Naruto could feel Kiba's agitation lacing through his chakra system, making his energy signature a little more jerky than usual, like little jolts of electricity were running through his body. Naruto knew Kiba hadn't wanted to send Akamaru away on his own, but it wasn't in Kiba to leave his friends behind on a battlefield.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, seemed completely calm. The calmness was a little unnerving.
"We've got a ways to go," Naruto announced. "I can feel where he is, but I can't guess at the way these tunnels go."
He didn't dare ask Sasuke if he could aid in the navigational process. Bringing up his time with Orochimaru would just be stupid; besides, Sasuke was doing a pretty good job at ignoring Naruto's existence.
"Why can't we just blast through like before?" growled Kiba.
"'Cuz we're the assassination part, dog-breath," Naruto growled back. "We're trying to sneak, not storm in."
"It's probable they already know we're in," muttered Shikamaru.
Naruto grimaced at Shikamaru's evaluation. Though he did have a point. Either Noboru had informed his master about Raiden's presence—in addition to five Konoha shinobi—or Orochimaru had his own kind of surveillance in his territory.
"I could always try to fake him out with a clone." Naruto shrugged, not really meaning it. He preferred to use kage tensei in situations where he knew he would take more hits than he cared to deal with immediately.
"What kind of clone was that, Naruto?" Shikamaru suddenly interjected.
Naruto turned his head to look at the genius, wondering if this was a good topic of conversation in enemy territory. But, then again, he did promise Shikamaru an explanation.
"Kage Tensei," Naruto finally answered. "It's a shadow clone, but it's real."
He had come up with it in Konoha, shortly before Pein had attacked. He had needed a way to meet Pein on an even playing field. If the occasion arose where Naruto had to face Pein on his own—and he knew it could happen; Akatsuki was after him, not any of his friends—Naruto wanted to be able to hold his own without involving anyone else.
"Kage bunshin can't be real," Kiba protested from Naruto's side.
Naruto just shrugged.
"You used a summoning seal?"
The sudden theory made Naruto look back at Shikamaru. Naruto chewed on his lip as he remembered the scrap of paper Shikamaru had used during his initial confrontation. Stupid genius. Maybe it would have gone better if Naruto had just confessed then. Shikamaru was a genius, but he could also keep a secret. Maybe Naruto wouldn't have had to take off his mask if Shikamaru could've been helping him keep his secret instead. But Naruto shrugged off those thoughts. It hadn't happened that way, and Naruto wasn't going to beat himself up about what he should've done.
Besides, Shikamaru's genius brain was pretty much on the right track.
"A seal to anchor the clone to this realm and then about a liter of my own blood, so it can mimic a body's insides," Naruto explained. "It can get injured and bleed without dispelling. Unless I release the jutsu or the seal is destroyed, it stays."
"But it's based on the kage bunshin?" prodded Shikamaru.
"Yeah, that's what I started with."
Naruto had perfected the Kage Tensei technique in Konoha, taking advantage of empty training fields and people's tendency to let him have breathing space. He was fortunate no one had seen him charging his clones with a fully formed Rasengan, praying this time the clone wouldn't disappear in a cloud of smoke. Naruto had been so surprised when a figure of himself had dropped down to the ground with a swirling hole in his guts that his first reaction had been to run to get help. Luckily, he remembered what he had been doing before he made a scene.
Of course the ten minutes it took him to convince his brain his body didn't actually have a gaping hole in it after he had dispelled the successful kage tensei hadn't been nearly as pleasant.
"So, you still gain all its experiences," Shikamaru stated.
Naruto kept his eyes forward as he realized what Shikamaru was asking. Well, not really asking, he supposed. If that dark tone was anything to go by, Naruto guessed that Shikamaru had just figured out the main drawback of Kage Tensei.
"Because it's my blood—it can't be anyone else's," Naruto murmured. "I feel what the clone feels when it dispels."
He could feel Kiba's eyes on him, burning through the thickness of his coat. Even Naruto could follow the logic that if he felt the effects every time his kage tensei dispelled, the reason he had collapsed on the tunnel floor was because he had been as sick as Akamaru. That blow to the head hadn't helped matters.
"So, you've died . . ." prompted Shikamaru.
Naruto took the time to glance up at the ceiling of the tunnel and quickly counted up the number of clones he had used against Nagato as well as the times he had died within Konoha.
"About six times now," Naruto finally answered. "Well, seven."
He shrugged and used one hand to gesture behind him. He hadn't included that time he was facedown on the tunnel floor. He hadn't really died, though, so maybe that didn't really count after all.
"You've died . . ?" Kiba gaped without slowing down.
"It's how the jutsu works," snapped Naruto before Kiba could say anything more. "It's my blood, and it's my nerves. The clones have copies of everything. So I get the experience. All of it."
"The receptors in your brain collect all the messages from the clones' nerves once they dispel." Shikamaru took up the explanation, sounding more like a scientist than Naruto knew he could. "That's why your brain thought you were dying. It was processing the effects of the poison on your clone."
"Yeah, so now I know how it feels," muttered Naruto. "I guess the heat was too much for the seal to remain intact."
The team of four moved into a larger opening, a cavernous expanse lit only by the pale glow of effervescent algae and slime gathered on the damp walls and in the shallow pool of still water just to their left. They paused in the opening while Naruto looked around, searching for chakra signatures it seemed only he was now able to sense.
"You've perfected everything that Orochimaru wanted," Sasuke murmured, low and biting.
All of Naruto's focus shifted suddenly to Sasuke where he stood at the rear of the team. Naruto struggled to remember if Sasuke had spoken a word since he had forcibly yanked Raiden's mask off. Sasuke knew who he was now. That was one of the worst outcomes Naruto had imagined from his coming to Konoha, and now Sasuke knew. Somewhere, some diety was laughing at him.
"You can die as many times as you want, and it doesn't even affect you," Sasuke accused.
"Like hell, it doesn't!"
Naruto bristled. Hadn't Sasuke been paying attention to Shikamaru? Naruto typically didn't complain about the effects of Kage Tensei; he knew the cost he was willing to pay. But Sasuke only sneered at the mask that covered Naruto's face.
"I was right," he said dericively. "You don't know what it means to be human."
"Teme," growled Naruto, advancing on Sasuke.
"Ku ku ku."
Naruto heard the low, mocking chuckle and felt his stomach sink. He had been paying so much attention to Sasuke that he had forgotten what he was looking for. He hated still being an idiot.
"It seems you have turned quite passionate, Sasuke-kun," laughed the low voice.
Ignoring Sasuke for now, Naruto turned to face the cavern. A sudden flame lit up the space and revealed the cloaked man standing on a ledge on the far side of the tomb-like room. Naruto could just make out the narrowed, yellow eyes in the new light.
"Who knew you would be so eager to return to me?" Orochimaru smiled widely.
o0O0o
Sakura set down the tea in the center of the living room like a good hostess before grabbing a cup for herself. Hinata was kind enough to take a cup of the green tea, and Chouji snatched up a mug almost absently, like he was just feeding his habit of taking what sustenance was before him. Shino and Sai both remained empty-handed. They were missing Lee and Ino, but both had assignments that kept them busy. Ino was with her father the whole day, and Lee had a mission with his genin team that took him outside the village. The five of them inside Sasuke's house had gathered despite their missing numbers and listened almost silently as Shino recited the conversation that his kikaichu had overheard between Sai and Danzo.
"You're saying Danzo knows that Naruto is alive?" Tenten deadpanned.
"I do," Shino responded. "Why? He did not speak as though Naruto were dead."
Sakura nodded with only half her mind on Shino's way of speaking. But Danzo had all but called Naruto Konoha's current jinchuuriki. He had to know that Naruto was alive, if not more immediately about the mask Naruto had returned wearing.
"Is it possible that Konoha made Naruto's identity a secret," Chouji mumbled, "the way everyone knew he was the host for Kyuubi?"
That particular secret wasn't a secret anymore. It had been moot point after Naruto's funeral and the end of the jinchuuriki. But Sakura could still remember the day Naruto had unceremoniously blurted out his greatest secret: the demonic nine-tailed fox was sealed inside his own body. The sight of Chouji's frown made Sakura shake her head, trying to dislodge the memory that had settled so heavily in her stomach.
"No," she finally answered. "Tsunade-shishou was shocked when she saw Mei's henge. I don't think she had any idea Naruto wasn't dead."
"But if Danzo did know, what does that mean?" pressed Tenten.
"Danzo may have provided Naruto with the means to fake his death," Shino observed. "How do I know? Shikamaru mentioned a seal."
Sakura frowned despite herself.
"He did," she agreed. "But he said it was like a summoning seal. That doesn't sound like the one Sai has."
Sai lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug, almost apologetically.
"Mine bears more resemblance to Orochimaru's Ten no Juuin."
Four heads snapped to look at Sai, who looked distinctly uncomfortable with the sudden attention.
"It's tied into my nerve endings so that my tongue is paralyzed," he explained shortly.
Sakura wondered how much of the lack of information from Sai was because of the seal. It didn't help also that at least two people who had been in on the initial theory about Raiden were now out of the village. Sakura drew a little bit of hope from the idea that Shikamaru and Neji, if they even suspected Raiden could be Naruto, would protect their friend with their lives.
Suddenly, Sakura heard a soft, croaky garrumph. She frowned and looked around just as Tenten tensed, withdrawing a kunai from her wide sleeve. Sakura followed Tenten's gaze to a small creature hopping along the engawa of the house.
"That toad has more chakra than it should," muttered Tenten.
Toad? Sakura suddenly jumped up and opened the paper door of the living space. A red and orange toad hopped through the open doorway as if it were the most common thing in the world to invite a toad into a house. Then, the toad opened its jaws in a wide arc, and a human foot shot out of its mouth.
Chouji's eyes suddenly widened, and he slammed the mug of tea down on the tatami so hard a splash of hot liquid overflowed the cup and splashed onto Chouji's hand. The large ninja didn't seem to notice, however, as he lurched forward and wrapped his large hand around the thin ankle. It wasn't large enough to be Naruto's, Sakura realized with a start, but who else would be vaulting feet-first from the inside of a toad?
Sai jumped to his feet and planted himself beside Chouji as another foot appeared from the toad's mouth. Sai quickly caught a hold of the flailing appendage and pulled alongside Chouji. Sakura watched in strange fascination as a boy's lower body slowly emerged from the toad's mouth as if the toad itself was an anomaly in the space-time fabric. Sakura recognized the damp, slimy form of Naruto's oldest student, Mako, about the same time as Mako's head popped out of the toad's mouth.
"C'mon, stupid mutt," muttered Mako.
His eyes were scrunched closed as his arms reached into the belly of the toad, apparently still attached to something within the creature. Sai and Chouji gave a final almighty tug and drew the boy out from the toad's grasp. Mako's hands held tightly to the front paws of a familiar, large white dog.
"Akamaru!" Sakura cried as the dog slumped onto the floor with a whimper, Mako following suit by sliding away on his stomach with his hands still clasping to Akamaru's paws.
Mako's head jerked up at Sakura's cry. He dropped his hold on Akamaru and scrambled to his hands and knees as Chouji and Sai released his ankles. Mako's eyes widened at the sight of Sakura bearing down on him, and he scrambled away. Sakura judged from his movements that the boy, at least, was not too injured. Akamaru was a different story. Even from her preliminary glance, Sakura could tell something was seriously wrong with the ninken. As she knelt beside the giant dog, Mako shuffled forward and stretched out his hand. He slammed down his palm toward the still-small toad, but the creature simply jumped backwards and let Mako's hand crash on the tatami in front of the toad.
"Stupid toad!" Mako shouted. "You couldn't drop us off at the hospital?"
The toad emitted a small ribbit and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Mako!" Sakura snapped.
Mako spun around, sitting back on his heels. His eyes widened again when he saw five different ninja staring back at him. Apparently, his mind hadn't taken in anyone other than Sakura.
"Oh, crap," muttered the boy.
o0O0o
Kakashi skidded to a stop across the rough floor of the tunnel when he saw the spindy figure bearing Oto's symbol on his forehead. The man Naruto had named Morashima Noboru looked just as supremely confident facing down three shinobi as he had facing seven. The statue-like man stood just behind Noboru, still holding Kaito in his arms like a vice. The marks, like tiny tongues of fire, had spread across the skin on Kaito's face, and Kakashi was sure he saw black marks traveling down the boy's arms
The masked figure of Raiden drew up beside Kakashi. Naruto balled his hands into fists and squeezed so hard that Kakashi heard his skin squeak softly, like fresh leather. Neji slid to a stop on Naruto's other side, his eyes widened to take in all of their opponents as well as the boy.
"Kaito's chakra coils are expanding," Neji stated quietly. "His chakra is too chaotic for his body."
Kakashi couldn't see within the boy's body like Neji could, but he recognized the signs of the curse seal taking affect. Kaito was losing control to a condition he hated. And Naruto was become increasingly desperate with every passing moment. Kakashi made a snap decision and shifted his weight so that his left shoulder blocked Naruto's line of sight to Noboru.
"I'll take care of him," Kakashi declared.
He could feel both Naruto's and Neji's attention pinned on him suddenly, but Kakashi kept his eye on Noboru while his right eye remained closed. The Sharingan threw off his depth perception too much for him to keep both eyes open while running.
"Be careful, Kakashi-sensei," murmured Naruto close to his ear. "Last time he threw a poison at Sasuke, not even his Sharingan could tell the difference."
A small part of Kakashi's heart indulged in a leap when Naruto called him sensei once again. But the greater part of Kakashi hoped that Noboru hadn't heard anything of what Naruto had said. Just because the Konoha team now knew Raiden's true identity didn't negate the need to be cautious around Oto. Kakashi turned his head just enough to meet Raiden's white and red mask and smile carelessly under his mask.
"Go help your student," he urged in a tone more reminiscent of teasing his genin students than ordering a team.
Raiden's mask gave no clue as to his thoughts, and Kakashi knew he would have much more luck at reading Naruto's emotions if he could see the man's face. Naruto was always too expressive. Maybe the mask had actually been good for him—barring the underlying fact that he had used it to hide his identity from Konoha and make sure no one knew he was alive. But they'd get to that later.
Naruto finally gave Kakashi a short nod and jerked away from the man's side. With a speed that had increased the last time Kakashi had seen his student, Raiden ran along the tunnel wall and executed a half-flip that landed him behind the giant ninja that held his student captive. Neji followed him without further instruction, planting himself before both the Oto-nin and the captive boy. Satisfied with the division of troops, Kakashi focused his entire attention on Noboru.
"Aw, I wanted to talk to Raiden-sama," pouted his opponent, sounding completely unconcerned at the change in lineup.
"Maa," Kakashi sighed in return. "I guess you'll have to make do with me."
The pout abruptly fell off Noboru's face as he stared at Kakashi, his eyes lingering on the obvious scar running through his right eye.
"Indeed, Hatake Kakashi," the man murmured.
Kakashi saw the man's movements a moment before they actually occurred, giving him enough time to withdraw a kunai and bring it up to meet the silver senbon in Noboru's hand as the Oto-nin charged him. Kakashi's mind was racing even as he deflected blows from both of Noboru's hands. The man was apparently ambidextrous, not favoring either hand as he attempted to find an opening in Kakashi's defenses. And his senbon were made of metal rather than the traditional wood. The change in material made the needles more like medicinal needles than weaponized ones, which fit with what Naruto had said. The man liked poisons and chemicals. Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if Noboru had the same type of medical expertise that Orochimaru had demanded of Kabuto.
Kakashi brought his kunai in front of his face suddenly as Noboru's metal needle jabbed at his face. His other hand grasped Noboru's wrist to keep him from drawing any more needles. Noboru froze in the stalemate the two combatants had created.
"That eye was transplanted for you, wasn't it?" pondered Noboru, staring into Kakashi's eyes. "I would love to study the surgery. Who performed it?"
Kakashi gave the senbon in front of him a hard shove and forced the sudden feeling of violation to the back of his mind. Noboru twisted his right hand free of Kakashi's grip. Kakashi shifted and tried to twist the younger man's empty left hand backwards to pin his arm behind his back, but Noboru slashed at Kakashi's wrist with his senbon, forcing Kakashi to retreat.
Kakashi jumped back and stared at Noboru with both eyes open. The man wasn't using any jutsu that Kakashi could copy and then use against him, which made sense with as much as Noboru seemed to know about the Sharingan—or at least Kakashi's Sharingan. The Kamui was still available to him, but in such a confined space, Kakashi couldn't use that technique and guarantee the safety of his teammates. He had to keep Noboru's focus on him.
"Why are you so interested in Raiden?" Kakashi demanded.
For a moment, Noboru looked as if his mind had removed itself from the battle. He gazed at Kakashi with the wide-eyed wonder of a student learning something fascinating.
"Have you ever seen him die, Hatake-san?" Noboru queried.
Kakashi did not respond, trying to keep the so-recent image of his most promising student face down on the ground of a dark tunnel, or face up lying in the rain by the side of a river. Noboru didn't seem to notice Kakashi's silence.
"He bleeds as any other man does," the Oto-nin continued. "I have been close enough to see the light go out of his eyes. He dies, and yet he lives. It is fascinating."
Fascinating was not the word foremost in Kakashi's mind. But every moment Noboru spent extolling the mysteries of Naruto's strange way to avoid death, he neglected the two ninja trying to save the boy. Kakashi could just barely see Neji dart between flailing appendages to grasp at Kaito while Naruto reigned down blows on the giant's tough head. With his new arts in senjutsu, Naruto was probably as tough as the ninja's impenetrable skin. Noboru kept his focus on his fascination.
"He could be a powerful ally," murmured the high-ranking Oto-nin. "Unfortunately, he seems to prefer to remain independent."
Noboru cast a glance toward the space where Naruto and Neji fought. Kakashi quickly shifted his weight to call the young man's attention back to his opponent. He wasn't sure of his success, as Noboru chin tilted down to allow him to keep both Kakashi and Naruto in his peripheral vision.
"I do not think your methods are endearing him to your cause," Kakashi commented, forcing his voice to be casual.
Noboru finally turned back to Kakashi with a look of sad resignation.
"Oh, I knew Raiden-sama would never ally himself with Oto as soon as Kaito -kun disappeared," Noboru lamented.
Kakashi could only be happy that Noboru didn't seem to have the flair for the theatrical or dramatic like Kabuto always had. Instead, the man seemed genuinely saddened by the knowledge that Raiden would never be an ally of Oto.
"Raiden-sama would never deviate from his path once he has decided on it." Noboru stepped away from the scene of his comrade's battle, apparently unconcerned when Kaito ended up in Neji's arms, knocked unconscious from the stress of having his tenketsu blocked.
"Then why your continued interest in him?" prodded Kakashi.
Part of him didn't want to know the answer, but he had been a soldier for too long to disregard an opportunity to understand his enemy's motives.
"Because it would be invaluable to have him answer my questions during his dissection," Noboru deadpanned.
Kakashi saw the motion forward a moment before Noboru attempted it and took full advantage of the precious seconds he had. He flicked his wrist to send the kunai in his hand sailing for Noboru's head and leaped forward to join in the fray once again. As Noboru ducked to avoid the flying weapon, he suddenly winced and let his right arm hang limply by his side. Kakashi recognized the attack and changed his direction abruptly. He called a Raikiri to his hand without much thought and brought his hand down swiftly across Noboru's left thigh.
Noboru twisted his body sideways and brought his left hand up in a sloppy one-handed seal. Kakashi's Sharingan saw the transportation jutsu and tried to grasp at the faint edges of chakra surrounding the man.
"Wait!" cried Neji from his position behind Noboru.
Kakashi blinked then felt the chakra he had failed to catch reappear behind him. Quickly, he spun around so that he was shoulder to shoulder with Neji, facing Noboru once again. The young man had his left hand encased in a dull, green light, performing the Shosen Jutsu on the large gash Kakashi had left in his thigh. From the look of it, Kakashi guessed he had at least nicked the femoral artery. Even after treating himself on the field, Noboru would not be able to fight both Kakashi and Neji, especially now that his right arm was practically useless thanks to Neji's Jyuuken strikes from behind. Noboru grimaced and looked up at Kakashi.
"You seem to have me at a disadvantage." Noboru tried to turn the grimace into a smile and only succeeded in twisting his mouth into an ugly shape.
"Probably wouldn't happen if you didn't talk so much, Noboru-teme," growled an additional voice.
Kakashi found the idea of Naruto reprimanding someone for talking too much ironic, but he was more relieved that Naruto had apparently defeated the giant Oto-nin to worry too much. Naruto came to stand beside Neji, carrying an unconscious Kaito over one shoulder like a sack of rice. Noboru effectively wiped the twisted expression from his face as he stood partially maimed and faced his three opponents.
"I may have been mistaken before," he noted quietly. "Are you Konoha's ally, or are they yours, Raiden-sama?"
Naruto lifted his free hand and pulled his mask just far enough away from his face to spit a glob of clotted blood and spit on the ground. For a moment, Kakashi almost forgot that the figure to his side was a clone and not the real Naruto. These clones that could bleed were throwing him off a bit. Slowly, Naruto hoisted Kaito's body onto Neji, leaving his hands free.
"Wanna see how easy it is to live after your head's cut off, bastard?" Naruto returned with a bite.
"I'll leave that to you, Raiden-sama," Noboru said with a short bow. Apparently, even he couldn't tell the difference between the real Raiden and one of his special clones. "Even I know when retreat is the best option in a battle."
Suddenly, Raiden's mask appeared behind Noboru's useless right shoulder as Naruto held a kunai to Noboru's throat. Kakashi wondered when Naruto had made another clone until he glanced to his right and saw only a shocked Neji holding an unconscious boy. Naruto was no longer there.
"Not until you give us the antidote." Raiden's voice was cold and demanding.
That couldn't have been Hiraishin. Naruto didn't have the seal, nor had Kakashi seen him throw anything that could have a seal on it. Naruto had simply teleported himself behind Noboru, in which case his Shushin was far above and away most jounin's. Hell, Kakashi hadn't seen anyone that fast since Minato-sensei.
Naruto really was turning out like his father.
"I gave the boy nothing," answered Noboru carefully.
"No," growled Naruto. "The one in your senbon."
Noboru's eyes widened.
"Are you still feeling its effects?" he wondered aloud, his voice taking on a tone of awe. "I thought it was a clone I had poisoned, but then the effects wouldn't transfer to you. Was it a substitute? When I took your body from the wall of Konoha, it disappeared in a similar manner."
Through all his suddenly excited ramblings, Noboru was growing uncomfortably close to the truth. Kakashi saw the fingers holding the kunai against's Noboru's throat tighten.
"You're a careful bastard." Naruto's voice dropped even softer. "Where's the antidote?"
Slowly, careful to keep his hand in plain view of the two ninja in front of him, Noboru reached into the small pouch at his waist and withdrew a glass vial. Kakashi saw the subtle flit of the masked man's chin and stepped forward obediently to grab the vial. Suddenly, Noboru flicked the glass container into the air and spun around on his good leg to face Naruto. Kakashi made a choice and dove after the antidote, tracing its path through the air with both eyes. He felt the ground quail suddenly beneath him just as the antidote landed in his gloved hand. When Kakashi turned his attention back on his former student, Raiden stood just in front of a large hole in the tunnel floor. Noboru was nowhere to be seen.
"Kuso," muttered Naruto through gritted teeth.
"Can you still feel him?" Kakashi demanded quickly.
"No." Naruto's answer was just as quick, if not slightly muffled by his mask. "He must have transported out of the base. He won't stick around here to defend hebi-teme."
"Quite the loyalty Orochimaru inspires."
Neji's tone fully implied that he would roll his eyes if it wouldn't affect his Byagakun so much. The Hyuuga stepped up to Kakashi and shifted the boy in his arms to a slightly more comfortable position. Kaito showed no signs of waking.
"Do we meet up with the others now?" asked Neji.
"There's an easy way to let them know we were successful," Naruto protested before Kakashi could answer, "and Kaito needs to go back to Konoha."
Kakashi only grasped what Naruto meant when he held his empty hands in front of his masked face and positioned the first two fingers of each hand into a cross shape.
"Wait," Kakashi blurted. "If Kaito needs to get to Konoha, wouldn't the fastest way be to summon a toad?"
Raiden's mask tilted in a way that made Kakashi think of a curious kodama, more spirit than physical.
"Yeah," Naruto finally answered.
"Do you have the blood to do that?"
He understood the basics of Naruto's strange new jutsu. Obviously, it had the means to appear to be bleeding, and as long as the blood was the same as Naruto's, the summoning contract would work.
"Of course," replied the clone shortly.
"We should also make sure the antidote gets to Akamaru," Kakashi added, just to solidify his argument.
The masked Raiden finally lowered his hands with a huff.
"Fine."
"Can we trust the others to be all right?" Neji cast a suspicious glance at Kakashi, and Kakashi wondered how much the Hyuuga had figured out already.
"Don't worry." Raiden waved one hand through the air as he approached Neji. "Boss'll be fine. He's got Sasuke with 'im."
Neji looked as if he would spit out a response to that last comment, but he kept his lips pressed tightly together. Kakashi nodded in approval; this wasn't the time for that particular outburst. Not yet.
"What do you need?" he demanded of Naruto's clone.
The clone took Kaito back from Neji, leaving the mask over a face Kakashi felt like he hadn't been privileged to see for near enough time.
"Just wait until we get to a place big enough," replied the flesh-and-blood copy. "We don't need to be so sneaky this time, and Gamatatsu's wanted to get out for a while."
Kakashi didn't remember the names of all the toads like Naruto did, but he trusted his student. At least he had managed to convince him not to dispel without warning. Either Naruto had forgotten about the memory transference quality of kage bunshin or he had been fully prepared to neglect the consequences, as usual. But Kakashi had seen enough to know that the sudden knowledge of wounds he hadn't even sustained could distract Naruto. That was something he didn't need if he was going to be facing Orochimaru.
o0O0o
Sasuke looked up at the figure of Orochimaru and glared.
"I never thought you would return here of your own will, Sasuke-kun," noted Orochimaru, and yet his voice showed no surprise. "You were so determined when you took your leave."
Sasuke clenched his teeth together and refused to answer. A part of him was surprised Naruto hadn't shouted out some ridiculous threat by now. The scene was similar enough to warrant it, and wasn't that what Naruto had always done when confronted with either Sasuke or Orochimaru? But Naruto's masked face only stared at Orochimaru in complete silence.
Naruto stepped away from Sasuke abruptly. Sasuke tried to follow his movements while still keeping his eyes on Orochimaru. The Konoha traitor seemed to take notice of the addition to the Konoha team with relish.
"And Raiden-kun as well," Orochimaru exclaimed delightedly. "Noboru-kun told me you would be along soon."
"You took my student," Naruto growled in a voice very unlike his usual one.
Sasuke's head suddenly snapped to Naruto as he wondered just how in control Naruto was. Sasuke hadn't seen it often—he hadn't even felt it from Raiden since he had met the man in Hafuko—but he still remembered the feeling of a dreaded, crimson chakra that covered all traces of Naruto's own. But then, staring at Naruto's back, Sasuke saw Naruto make jerky hand signals behind his back. Shikamaru and Kiba were already shifting their weight carefully, but Sasuke either couldn't remember what the hand signals Naruto was using meant or if the hand signals was something Konoha had come up with while Sasuke had been . . . missing.
"You care so much about that boy, Raiden-kun," Orochimaru continued, apparently not noticing Naruto's silent communications. "Why do you show such interest in a child that you have no connection with?"
"Because no one deserves what you put them through, bastard," muttered Naruto.
Sasuke couldn't sense any poisoned chakra from Naruto's figure, so he focused his attention on Naruto. But then, a sudden movement from Orochimaru sent his head spinning back. Orochimaru opened his mouth and let a mass of thin brown snakes emerge from his throat, as if his stomach contained a nest of the creatures. The snakes split themselves into two groups, one heading for Shikamaru and Kiba while the other streamed as one entity toward Raiden. Almost without thinking, Sasuke leaped forward and took up a place beside Naruto.
Shikamaru jumped away from the extended snakes' heads and landed on the wall of the cavern. He had barely gotten his stance planted when the earth under his feet shifted and crumbled. He let himself fall to avoid the fangs that shot out of the ground and raised the chakra knife in his hand to meet the snake's fangs. Gravity did its work better than anything, bringing him away from Orochimaru's summons as he fell toward the floor of the cavern.
"Oof," Kiba groaned as Shikamaru landed directly on his chest.
Sasuke withdrew his kodachi and swept the blade across the nest of snakes. Most of them were decapitated immediately. Naruto picked up most of the rest with a sweep of his hand and an extension of chakra that looked like Kaze no Yaiba. Sasuke saw one last creature inching its way toward him and savagely stabbed his blade into the snake's head, pinning it to the ground. Beside him, Naruto remained frozen in a crouch.
"Shikamaru doesn't have enough light," Naruto muttered to himself. "Sasuke, we need fire."
Orochimaru closed his mouth then coughed up a shockwave of chakra that kicked up loose particles of dirt. Sasuke raised his arms to shield himself from a shower of earth that pelted the two shinobi like small cannon blasts. One clump struck his right calf and broke apart. Sasuke refused even to grunt at the bruise he knew would be there within a few seconds.
"What do you propose I set aflame?" he demanded.
Naruto held out his right hand, palm up, as the cloud of dust that resulted from Orochimaru's latest attack shielded him from Orochimaru's eyes. For a moment, Sasuke couldn't tear his eyes away from the growing ball of blue chakra in Naruto's hand. Then, surprisingly, the ball didn't stop growing. Sasuke could feel the still, stale air in the underground lair shift as the jutsu in Naruto's hand drew the air around it into itself—slowly at first, and then with such force that Sasuke's hair whipped toward the vortex. The simple Rasengan Sasuke remembered had transformed itself into a giant shiruken shape, its blades slowly spinning the same direction as the wind.
"This," Naruto answered, his voice deadly cold.
Sasuke nodded and ran through a series of hand signs he had known since he was eight. He pinched his thumb and forefinger together and held them up to his face like a whistle.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu."
A stream of fire shot from Sasuke's mouth and condensed into a large fireball. Beside him, Naruto cocked back his arm and lobbed the jutsu in his hand like he was playing ball. The shiruken-shaped Rasengan sailed through Sasuke's fireball, picking up the flames as it went. Naruto shouted out a warning to Shikamaru and Kiba just in time for Kiba to burrow into the ground, providing a flimsy shelter from the heat that stormed the opposite end of the cavern were Orochimaru stood. Sasuke could still feel the heat sear across his sensitive eyes from where he stood.
It was Naruto's style, to make a jutsu so large there was no way an opponent could escape from it.
The flames died down as the blades of wind sunk into the wall of the cavern and obliterated Sasuke's view of Orochimaru. Sasuke studied the damage left behind from his and Naruto's combined jutsu. A large deep gash stretched across the earthen wall horizontally while the fire had scorched the earth dry. Small tongues of flames still licked the edges of the straight scar, casting a ghostly light on the fighters still scattered in pairs about the cavern.
"Jeez, ya think you went a little overboard?" Kiba called out, dusting himself off.
"Do you see him?" Naruto hissed at Sasuke instead of responding to Kiba.
Sasuke peeled his eyes open wide and studied the cavern. A figure, badly burnt but still standing, hovered against the wall. The light from the fire behind him sent his shadow streaming out in front of his body.
"I see him," growled Sasuke.
"Shikamaru!" Naruto snapped, command issued in every aspect of his voice.
"Got 'im," murmured Shikamaru.
A shadow, long and thin, stretched for the still figure. Sasuke worried for a moment that Orochimaru was simply faking. Another moment and he would leap out of the way just before Shikamaru's shadow connected. But the figure didn't move, and Shikamaru's shadowy jutsu pinned Orochimaru into a frozen position.
With the new light, Sasuke could see the skin scorched off part of Orochimaru's face. The peeled-back skin revealed a younger-looking face than Orochimaru had any right to have. The eyes were the same yellowed, narrowed gaze, but a lock of hair that fell past Orochimaru's nose was dark red. Shikamaru shivered as Sasuke heard Orochimaru chuckle.
"You have gotten stronger, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru noted. "But I hadn't thought such a blatant attack was your style."
Well, Sasuke could hardly argue with that. But, as a matter of principle . . .
"I was able to stab you in the heart once," Sasuke commented easily. "Now you're going to die for good."
A/N: Really, did you ever think I could kill Naruto, of all characters? I am very glad to get this chapter out after the non-entity that was February (we'll just call it a black hole and be done with it). But I have also realized that I didn't get quite as far in the action as I wanted to before the end of the chapter. Yet another reason I dislike fight scenes.
Bare with me, here. I've still got a couple confrontations to go and we start back with what it means for Konoha for Naruto to be alive. (looking forward to that, I admit)
Sincerely,
Fia
Gamajimmu – I decided to give the toad that Jiraiya uses to infiltrate Amegakure in the manga a name (it's the one that stays small when Jiraiya kind of emerges from its mouth). He's basically a transport toad, and he never has any lines in the manga that I know of.
Kaze no Yaiba – A Ninjutsu technique that involves making a blade out of the Wind element. After forming the needed hand seal, a cutting whirlwind will envelop his opponent and cut them to pieces. Unlike a real sword, which can face resistance, the wind blade will be able to slice with little difficulty.
Kamui – Hatake Kakashi's Mangekyou Sharingan attack. Kakashi can use his Sharingan eye to send an object to another dimension.
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu – A Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. The ninja does the necessary hand seals, draws chakra from their mouth into their chest and them immediately exhales it. They then blow a stream of fire, which erupts into a large sphere of flames.
kikaichu – the Aburame destruction bugs, implanted into clan members at birth.
kodama – A tree spirit in Japanese folklore. I was actually thinking of the little beings in Princess Mononoke as an example.
Shosen Jutsu – Mystical Palm Technique: This medical ninjutsu allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chakra from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. Pretty much a standard for any med-nin.
