A/N: Here's chapter 13, a little longer than usual. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 13
Moving swiflty through the forest, the Jounin rapidly closed in on her destination. The Raikage truly had come up with a brilliant plan-after all this time, Kumo would finally obtain one of the world's most powerful kekai genkai. Having expected both the paper test as well as a relatively unsupervised survival test, each of the six Cloud Gennin were outfitted with tiny, relatively undetectable communication devices from which they could communicate with each other, as well as with Yugito, the only Jounin sent with the two teams. It was thanks to this planning that they were able to easily pass the first exam (able to communicate while appearing to merely be mouthing to themselves) and coordinate the attack on the Hyuuga's team.
Not ten minutes ago, her teams had completely overwhelmed the Leaf gennin. The Hyuuga girl's byakugan was all but in their grasp and she was the only one left standing, albeit barely thanks to chakra exhaustion. Then that boy and his team apparently showed up and in under a minute had defeated both of her teams in a surprise attack. Even with the element of surprise in their favor, she was surprised that her teams had lost. They were the best Gennin that Kumogakure had to offer, most of them more than qualified for Chuunin rank. For them to lose so easily against another Gennin team was certainly worriesome. Still, the Raikage had planned ahead for such an eventuality, that's what she was here for-if anything went wrong she was certainly the most qualified to ensure the success of this mission. Afterall…who can fight off a Jinchuuriki?
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Slowly, very slowly, Konohamaru opened his eyes. His whole body ached as a lingering after affect of the lighting jutsu he had been hit with. He was certainly shocked by what he found upon glancing around. The last thing he expected to find was a pile of unconcious Cloud shinobi tied up with a still relatively unharmed Hyuuga Hanabi sitting next to them, fast asleep.
"Oy, Konohamaru, you awake over there?" asked a voice from his left.
Turning, ever so slightly so that he could see the source of the voice, Konohamaru inquired, "Naruto-niisan?"
"Yeah, sorry we were a little late…" replied Naruto with a somber look.
"Relax Naruto, he'll be fine. I'm pretty sure there won't be any lasting damage." came Ino's voice from his other side. Shifting ever so slightly, Konohamaru found her tending to an unconcious Amado, treating his arm with salves and bandaging it.
"Why does my body hurt so much?" asked Konohamaru.
"It's just a side-effect of lightning jutsu. In this case, the voltage caused every muscle in your body to contract simultaneously. The severity of the muscle contractions themselves would be enough to cause you to be sore for a few days, but add to that the fact that several muscles, such as your biceps and triceps have conflicting motions, and you ended up with some muscle tears. I patched you up as best I could with my limited medical jutsu I learned from Sakura. As far as I can tell, all the actual damage is gone, you should be fine within a day or two." replied Ino.
Nodding at the explanation, Konohamaru continued, "How long was I out?"
"Only about 10 minutes-we got here just as that kick hit you." answered Naruto.
"We need to get out of here as soon as possible." came Sai's voice from behind the group of Cloud Gennin. Seeing the questioning looks of the remainder of the group, he elaborated, "I found communication devices on each of them, they're broadcasting to an external source, so it's entirely possible that this situation was planned and there may be additional shinobi coming."
Despite the situation, Naruto smiled. Ever since his little warning earlier, Sai had been relatively tame, even bearable. "Good work Sai, well then, let's get a move on, we'll head back the way we came. Ino, make sure we aren't going to run into any other teams." With a puff of smoke, several clones appeared, three picked up one of the exhausted rookies and the remaining one leafed through the Cloud nins' possessions, finding and taking the scrolls for both his and Konohamaru's targets. With their task complete, the Leaf Gennin vanished from the area.
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She heard, rather than saw or sensed, the approach of what she assumed would be a minor inconvenience. Moving as silently as she was able to and with her shinobi-trained senses, the slight ringing of the bell was clear as day. Halting, she said, "Go ahead and come out, I know you're there." Despite her rush, it was a trifle exercise to knock off a Gennin team-wouldn't set her back more than a moment or two and her presence in the forest needed to remain unknown to the anyone.
With her keen senses, she noticed the incoming rush of a projectile and, dropping low, avoided it. A large, red, triple scythe passed over her head. As it passed, she found that it was connected to a large chain and, with a flick of her assailant's wrist, the scythe changed direction and once again headed for her, this time in a slash towards the ground. Rolling out of the way once again, Yugito came out of the roll in a defensive stance standing to face the attacker.
"Hmmm…still not quick enough. You've got some good reflexes, even if my attacks are the slowest in Akatsuki." came a voice in front of her as two shadows made their way into her view. Black cloaks with red clouds, bamboo kasa adorned with bells, ringed fingers, painted nails, and slashed forehead protectors-they certainly fit the bill of Akatsuki.
"Shit." thought Yugito. This was definitely not what she needed right now.
"Hidan, be careful, this is the Nibi's jinchuuriki. Let your guard down and you're dead."
"Why do you tell me that every time we fight someone? You know as well as I do that that's not an issue for me. Excuse me for one moment while I offer a prayer to Jashin."
"*sigh* There you go again. Must you do those stupid prayers all the time?"
"Shut up Kakuzu." yelled the first, before continuing his prayers. Finished muttering to himself, he continued, "I may not like it either, but the dogma of faith is strict about this stuff. Besides, I need to pray more than ever as this mission goes directly against my teachings. After all, carnage is a central part of the faith of Jashin, intentionally keeping someone alive just doesn't sit well with me."
"I really don't have time for this." interrupted Yugito. "I have more important ways to be spending my time. But, now that I know that you're Akatsuki, looks like I have no choice. I swear by the name Nii Yugito, I will kill you."
"Kill us? Battle cries like that always irritate me. And irritation makes me want to just slaughter everything. You're making it really difficult for me to follow our mission and intentionally leave you alive."
"Shut up Hidan, our orders are everything." Kakuzu interrupted his rant.
"There is an easy solution to all of this." Hidan said, thoughtfully. Turning his full attention to Yugito, he continued, "Why don't you just let us capture you?"
"Don't fuck with me!" screamed Yugito having had enough of the strange pair. Launching herself off the tree she was on, she rapidly approached the pair.
Smirking at her approach, Hidan flicked his wrist, returning his scythe to his hand and jumping to meet the oncoming attacker, swung it forward attempting to cleave her head form her shoulders. Pulling out a kunai, Yugito blocked the strike and, using her superior speed and flexibility, twisted to bury the kunai to the handle into the left side of Hidan's chest. The initial threat taken care of, Yugito jumped over Hidan, placing her foot on his shoulder and pushing off towards the other Akatsuki member hands already flashing through seals. "Raiton:" she called, lightning chakra rushing through her hands. Suddenly, sensing an approach from her right, she was forced to interrupt her jutsu and duck low to dodge, surprisingly, the same scythe from before. 'Impossible. I'm sure I pierced his heart.' she thought finding the source to be none other than Hidan, kunai still protruding from his chest.
That moment of surprise cost her as a porcelain mask extended itself from Kakuzu's back to point over his shoulder. With a few hand seals and a cry of "Fuuton: Atsugai." from Kakuzu, the mask issued a powerful wind blast which slammed into Yugito with the force of a truck sending her crashing across the ground. Immediately pressing the advantage, Hidan rushed the kunoichi's prone form scythe once again raised in preparation. With a gleeful smile on his face, he brought the scythe down towards Yugito who was just beginning to stir. His smile disappeared however, as his progress was suddenly halted as the air pressure began to rise and a blue chakra laced in shadow encompassed Yugito's form. With an explosion of chakra, Hidan was blown backwards and looked up to find where once stood a simple kunoichi now an easily 30 foot demon cat stood above them. Demonic chakra surged, blanketing the forest with killing intent.
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As Yugito's demonic killing intent washed over the forest, the majority of the Gennin within found themselves frozen with fear. This was not a fear that they could just shake off, but one that immediately began to seep into their very souls.
Within the village, villagers close to the forest began to cry in anguish as the power washed over them reminding them of the events of 15 years past. Even back in the Hokage tower, the monstrous amount of chakra being emitted could be felt.
"What the hell is that?" asked a shocked Tsunade, halting from her paperwork and glancing towards the source of the disturbance. From where she stood she could just make out the tips of the demon's twin tails peeking out over the treetops. Immediately, a full contingent of ANBU appeared in her office. Pointing to one team she said, "Find Jiraiya and tell him to come support us. The rest of you, with me, it appears that there is a jinchuuriki loose in the Forest of Death." With that said, she jumped out the window to the neighboring rooftop, ANBU team in hot pursuit running at top speed towards the demonic presence.
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Seeing the retreating forms of the Hokage and ANBU, a man made his way out of the shadows of a nearby building. Jumping onto the side of the Hokage tower, he effortlessly scaled the building, silently entering the window into the Hokage's office. Finding it deserted, as expected, the shinobi proceeded through the secret side door which brought him into the Hokage's private residence. Entering the private library, the man began to shift through the multitude of scrolls. Finally finding the one it was looking for, the man grinned in triumph. Adjusting his glasses, Yakushi Kabuto grabbed the scroll, carefully replacing those which had been moved and began to make his exit. He smirked; Orochimaru's plans were coming together perfectly.
-----Flashback-----
"Kabuto, I have an assignment for you." Orochimaru said sweeping into the lab.
"What is it Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto replied instinctively.
"I have just received some very interesting information from our good friend Danzou." Orochimaru elaborated. He didn't need to explain that 'good friends' was about the furthest thing from what he and Danzou were. He had every intention of stabbing the old war hawk in the back at the earliest possible convenience. Not to mention he had no doubt that Danzou felt very much the same way. But, for now, the man certainly had his uses, not the least of which being that his information network was second to none-not even Jiraiya could claim to have his hands in half as many jars as Danzou. "Whether he intended to or not, he has provided us with several golden opportunities. First off, I need you to ensure that these two folders get delivered to the Raikage and Tsuchikage, respectively. Each of them will find the contents priceless and we will obtain ourselves the beginning of respectful relationships with them. This could of course come in handy for the future. More importantly, Kumo will doubtlessly send the Nibi's container to Konoha along with some Gennin to further their quest for the byakugan. From what Danzou tells me, Akatsuki is on the move which means they will likely target her while she is in Konoha should they get the opportunity. Use the distraction to obtain the Scroll of Sealing-it apparently, amongst other things, contains information on this retched seal."
-----End Flashback-----
Exiting the tower, Kabuto couldn't help but feel exhilarated as he made to exit the city. 'It won't be long now…Soon Orochimaru-sama will be back at full strength.'
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What is with this jinchuuriki?" asked Hidan pulling the kunai from his chest. "It's turned completely into its biju."
"We need to make this fast Hidan. With that amount of demonic chakra, the Konoha nins' will surely have noticed."
In an instant, the demon was directly in front of Kakuzu, clawed paw already descending to strike. Flashing through hand seals, Kakuzu activated his 'Doton: Domu.' As his already tanned skin darkened and turned black, like asphalt, he reached up with both hands attempting to stop the beast's thrust. For half a second it seemed as though it worked as the paw's momentum ceased momentarily, but the sheer force of the blow caused the ground beneath his feet to crumble and the Akatsuki member was crushed underfoot into the ground.
This all happened so fast that it was over before Hidan could even move to assist or attack. Dodging the stones kicked up by the explosion of force, he began to charge towards the towering form, only to find himself looking into the beast's jaws. 'Uh oh…' he thought as a swirling vortex of flames flashed to life within the demon's open mouth. Feeling the heat of the flames wash over him, Hidan jumped out of the way as best he could, receiving only minor burns.
'So, this is the two-tailed demon cat.' thought Hidan, hiding behind a tree. Unfortunately for him, with the increased senses provided by the Nibi's chakra, Yugito was able to sense his position. Without any warning, shadows burst through the surrounding foliage, piercing his body from every angle.
Turning her attention away from the skewered man, Yugito stepped back, checking the condition of Kakuzu. The moment her foot left the ground, a gigantic fireball filled her vision. Immediately conjuring up another flame like the one used against Hidan, she attempted to counter the incoming attack. Shockingly, her attack proved insufficient to counter Kakuzu's flames and the gigantic cat was blown backwards, singed. Staring down at the Akatsuki member, she found not the man's body, but a being made of what appeared to be black wires with two masks sitting side by side. Sweeping both of her tails at the creature, managed to strike it with the second as it dodged the first, sending it crashing away. Turning in search of the missing Akatsuki member, Yugito felt cold steel enter her leg. Looking down she found the apparently impossible to kill Hidan with his scythe buried in her left hind leg.
His initial smirk to triumph disappeared as he removed the weapon to find that he had merely pierced the chakra projection of the demon cat which was encompassing her body, so no true injury remained. No torn muscle, no blood, nothing to even slow down the enraged jinchuuriki.
"Raiton: Gian!" came Kakuzu's voice from nearby. Surprisingly, a massive bolt of lightning erupted from the air above the transformed jinchuuriki rather than from where the jutsu had been called from. Ill prepared, Yugito's massive form was encompassed in lightning driving the cat into the ground and momentarily stunning it. Using this paralysis to his advantage, Kakuzu jumped from his position onto the back the downed cat, black strings extending from sewed joints which appeared to be poorly holding his body together. Worming their way through the chakra projection as though through water, Kakuzu's threads began to search out Yugito's body's position.
Standing up and stretching after being caught up in Kakuzu's blast as well, Hidan felt himself get struck from behind. Using his hand to flip back to his feet, he turned to face his attacker only to find the dead eyes of what appeared to be a human many years ago. What little skin remained on the body was slowly peeling off even as the creature stared at the surprised Akatsuki member.
Yugito, it seemed, while unable to physically move herself, had utilized the ability that the Nibi no Neko-mata was so famous for-manipulating the dead. Sending her shadow into the earth beneath her currently prone form, she latched on to the decomposing beings from Chuunin exams past and bent them to her will creating her own, personal miniature army.
Back with Kakuzu, he had finally found the physical body of Yugito contained within chakra construct that they had been fighting. But, no sooner had his threads begun to wrap around her was he struck from behind by something very powerful and heavy sending him careening off of the cat's back, his threads pulling against the body actually snapped, but not before digging into Yugito's skin. Once again activating his 'Doton: Domu.' Kakuzu and his attacker crashed into the ground.
Emerging from the hole, Kakuzu found himself standing almost directly next to Hidan and surrounded by a myriad of zombies-some human like the one in front of Hidan and some animal like the tiger which had jumped on him. Without warning, the dead creatures attacked, moving surprisingly fast. Only a moment after engaging in a furious taijutsu match with them, Kakuzu skidded backwards holding the jaws of the same tiger as Hidan attempted to slaughter the already dead ninjas. "Enough!" shouted Kakuzu, using a kuwarimi with one of his masked creatures. "Katon: Zukokku!" he shouted as the fire elemental released a blast from its mouth which quickly expanded in all directions, obliterating the army of undead. Jumping back next to his partner, he wiped the blood that stained the ends of some of his threads onto Hidan's scythe. "Hidan! End it, but don't kill her!" He called as he saw the cat getting back to its feet.
Ignoring the charging demon, using the blood still dripping from the wounds he had received, Hidan quickly formed a circle containing a triangle, the symbol for the Jashin religion, around himself. Licking the blood from the scythe, his skin began to turn black with the exception of where his bones were which showed as white giving him a skeletal appearance. Removing a metal stake from within his cloak, he quickly drove it into his own chest. Not an immediately killing blow, but one that would cause the victim to quickly lose blood, strength, and eventually their life if left untreated.
With a roar of pain, the demon cat crashed to the ground, the chakra immediately dissipating leaving only Yugao-bleeding profusely from the hole in her chest which matched the one Hidan was sporting-who immediately collapsed to the ground in a heap. The entire battle had taken less than 10 minutes.
Picking up the rapidly draining body, Kakuzu said "Let's go. You complete your ritual once we're clear of the area, I need to ensure that this girl isn't going to die on us." With that, the two disappeared from the scene.
By the time the Konoha shinobi arrived, the battle was over and the area was a wasteland. Small fires still burned around the clearing which showed obvious signs of battle, but there was no sign of the demon, jinchuuriki or otherwise.
A/N: And that'll do it for now. A little bit of both Akatsuki as well as Orochimaru. I'm still looking for more input on what everyone wants in terms of both new chapters and jutsu (see previous chapter's A/N for more details). As always, R&R.
Jutsu Library:
Fuuton: Atsugai-Wind Element: Pressure Damage
Doton: Domu-Earth Element: Earth Spear
Raiton: Gian-Lightning Element: False Darkness
Katon: Zukokku-Fire Element: Head Mincing Pain