Chapter 64: Tanzai's Quest

"What the hell has happened to this place?" Tanzai yelled out, as the village lay almost in ruin, the desert and the new invasion of creatures wearing it down to almost nothing. Tanzai was the only survivor of this attack, he thought he had killed the source when he killed the old man over five months ago.

"Damn you, King! Why haven't you done anything?" Tanzai yelled out once more. Tanzai spun around as he heard rustling in a building near him. Tanzai whipped out a kunai with a paper bomb attached to the end. "Who is there?" Tanzai yelled.

Tanzai spun around again as a large man, wearing armor, and a hidden mist village headband stood behind him, he was in the same form as the rest of the creatures, and he quickly swung at Tanzai. Tanzai jumped to the left, and the large fist of his attacker left a print in the hot desert sand.

"I can't believe even foreign ninja couldn't overcome this disease." Tanzai said as he threw the paper bomb kunai at the giant shinobi. The shinobi countered by throwing another kunai, the two collided in mid-air, and the bomb exploded, sending sand flying up into the air. Tanzai used this to try and escape, he jumped into a broken window in the building that used to be the village clinic.

This one...he's smarter then the others...

With Naruto and Crew

"Looks like we're almost there." Sasuke said, with Sakura hanging on his arm. The large team had been traveling across the great ocean for almost three days, and land was starting to show up on the horizon. "I wonder if those shinobi were killed by the villagers for going into their land randomly." Sasuke wondered.

"Thats a big possibility, but do you honestly think that ANBU-level shinobi would be killed by mere villagers?" Shikamaru replied. Sasuke bit his lower lip before shaking his head. "Its odd though...what if the village isn't there in the first place." Shikamaru continued.

"Then this could be a well-planned trap from the enemy." Sakura spoke up. Shikamaru nodded. "But I don't think the Hidden Mist would have sent all of that information on shinobi who have not been seen in five months, and with proof that they left the village heading in this direction as well." Sakura continued.

"Wait a minute, what the hell is that?" Kiba yelled. Everyone turned their attention to the docks, where a single man was standing, it was hard to see, but he wasn't moving. Hinata took a closer look, and detected no sign of life in this person.

"A Dead welcoming committee...man, doesn't that suck ass." Naruto said, everyone on the ship laughed a little, until the water started to shake beneath them. Naruto turned towards the captain, who was now laying face down, and the boat was going in its highest speed.

"Shit." Shikamaru said, and tried to move the captain, but he didn't move at all. "Guys, we have a problem, its like this guy has been glued onto the electric board!" Shikamaru called out. Sasuke quickly tried to help Shikamaru pull the man off, but he didn't move at all.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sasuke asked, Sakura and Hinata shrieked, Shikamaru and Sasuke ran back out to the lobby, the boat was changing direction and was heading right towards a spiky cliff. Naruto looked like he was in a state of shock himself.

"Naruto! Lets use the RasenDori!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto shook his head, but made the shadow clone jutsu symbol. Three Naruto clones appeared around him, and they quickly started making a Rasen-Shuriken in the real Naruto's hand. Sasuke quickly joined in, making his own Chidori.

Naruto and Sasuke jumped off the edge of the boat and connected with the cliff, the entire ocean started to shake as the the entire cliff was destroyed and almost turned into a beach. Naruto and Sasuke landed on the ground, they were standing on the place where a river and a cliff used to be.

"This must be it." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded in agreement, they quickly changed direction when Sakura screamed again, the boat had picked up more speed and was about to crash onto the rugged beach.

"Shit, they're coming in too fast!" Sasuke said. "Naruto, we've gotta move before its too late!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto and Sasuke quickly jumped to safety as the boat flew up into the air and went all the up to the point where it disappeared. Naruto and Sasuke's eyes grew wide as a fireball appeared in the sky and disappeared quickly.

"No.......No....GOD DAMN IT, NO!" Sasuke yelled and fell to his knees. Naruto didn't move, he just stood in shock, first the Hokage died, and now it seemed like his wife and friends just burned up in the sky. Naruto's life was officially falling apart.

With Tanzai

"Fuck! He got me!" Tanzai muttered as he was scrapped with a kunai from the giant. The fight had moved from the small clinic out onto the roof of an apartment building. The one and only apartment building in the village at that, and it wasn't too big either.

"Why don't you just fuck off!" Tanzai yelled as he connected a large kick to the gut of the giant mist shinobi. The man stumbled back. Tanzai quickly pulled out another paper bomb and threw it at the giant. It landed right on his chest, Tanzai tapped the bomb, and kicked the man once more, this time sending him off the roof.

"Here it comes." Tanzai said and quickly braced himself for a large explosion. There was no such explosion. Tanzai's eyes grew wide as he peered over the edge of the roof, to see the man lying on the ground, and the paper bomb slowly fading into his skin.

"What the hell is happening? Are they becoming smarter and resistant to weapons?" Tanzai asked himself out loud. The large shinobi got onto his feet in a matter of seconds. Tanzai reached in his pocket to grab another kunai. His pocket was empty. He was completely out of weapons.

"Well, I'll be damned. My Quest to restore this village is done. I'm gonna be the last one to fall to this disease after all...but this isn't going to happen easily." Tanzai said with a smirk on his face. Tanzai looked down and the shinobi wasn't there anymore. "Oh shi-" Tanzai said, but a large fist burst through the roof and connected with his jaw.

Tanzai felt and heard the crack in his jaw, and flew up into the air. Tanzai flipped, and tried to head for the soft sand, but the shinobi jumped up to his level. Tanzai's eyes grew wide and connected with the shinobi's. The eyes were red, instead of dark grew. Tanzai tried to block, but the fist connected once more, and Tanzai heard more bones break.

Tanzai crashed into the sand. Tanzai tried to scream out in pain, but his jaw wouldn't open at all. Tanzai jumped up to his feet, he looked up and the shinobi was diving towards him. Tanzai started to run, he had a broken jaw, and two broken arms, but he could still run, for the moment.

The shinobi easily caught up with him, and knocked Tanzai off of his feet. Tanzai blacked out when he landed on his head, he thought his life was over for sure.

"Naruto Uzumaki Rendan!" a voice called out, and that was the last thing Tanzai heard.

To Be Continued