Chapter 21
Doffy scowled slightly, looking behind him as the rest of his team followed him. They had been traveling for several hours now but they hadn't made as much progress as he had hoped. With his and his family's speed and strength, a trip to the Land of Sound would take no time at all. Unfortunately, they were not the only ones that were with them on this mission.
His gaze focused on Team Asuma and Yamato, the one's responsible for they're rather slow pace. He didn't really think about how they would affect their travel time when Tsunade mentioned them. Now, he was beginning to regret that oversight. He could just leave them here and go on ahead, but he had a feeling that the Akatsuki would be more prepared this time. He might just need a couple extra hands.
"H-how… how much longer till we get there, sensei?"
Choji's tired voice met his ears, Doffy resisting the urge to growl at the overweight ninja. He didn't have a problem with his weight. He knew that something like that didn't decide or limit one's strength. Speed and stamina on the other hand…
"Still quite a while to go Choji. Do you need to take a break?"
Asuma seemed a bit winded himself. In all honesty, he was surprised that the man was doing as well as he was. With just one look Doffy could tell that he was in much better shape than Yamato was. Well, he was the Old Man's son, he expected nothing less.
"We'll stop by the Valley of the End and rest for a bit. For now, keep going."
No one replied, another couple hours of silence going by as the group made their way to the Valley of the End. As soon as the two stone statues were in sight, Choji put on a burst of speed, quickly reaching the stone shore of the river and dropping onto his knees, panting heavily.
They caught up to the large ninja a moment later, Sakura having a face of disapproval at Choji's current state. She stood next to the boy, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Seriously Choji? We weren't even going that fast. You don't have to be so dramatic."
The boy seemed to growl lightly, a fire erupting in his eyes as he dragged himself to his feet.
"Are you kidding me? I've never moved that fast for so long in my life! You're just used to it!"
Doffy chuckled at the confused look on Sakura's face. He wasn't that surprised, but it was interesting to see it in action. Sakura had spent a lot of time next to powerful ninja like himself and Lee. It seems that their training trip didn't change that either. Sakura wasn't exactly a social butterfly, so he wouldn't be surprised if she spent all her time training with Kakashi and Tsunade instead of the rest of their class.
She truly didn't understand her own strength, and how far ahead she was of her peers. He idly wondered what would happen if she and Ino sparred now…
"Naruto."
He turned his head, looking at Shikamaru who had called his name. He had a bored look on his face as always, but his eyes showed something else. The boy was determined, and was clearly ready for a fight.
"What is it, Shikamaru?"
The Nara heir rubbed the back of his head, sitting down on a large rock behind him.
"Now that we have a second to rest, we should probably talk about strategy. You and Lee could probably rush in their no problem, but the rest of us have those pesky things called 'human limitations'. So, what's the plan?"
He grinned at Shikamaru's quip, re-orienting himself so he could address the entirety of his team.
"Our objective first and foremost is stopping the Akatsuki. First, we have to locate the Hidden Sound village, where the Jinchuuriki is being kept. Second, we'll find where the Jinchuuriki is being held. The survival of the Jinchuuriki is secondary. If you have to, kill her so the Akatsuki can't keep them."
He looked around at the team's reactions, sighing slightly at the deadpan look Temari was giving him.
"But…?"
He chuckled at Temari's obvious contempt, deciding to give in.
"But do all you can to save her. Happy?"
The Desert native nodded happily, Doffy looking back toward Shikamaru who had questions.
"That's fine but do we have any info at all? What enemies are we facing and what kind of numbers could we expect to face. No offence Naruto, but if we're going against an entire Hidden Village, we'll need more than just us."
That was true, from his point of view anyways. To ordinary ninja, taking on an entire enemy village was suicide. It would normally require an army of ninja to take a Hidden Village down, especially one that most likely knew they were coming, but they weren't ordinary ninja.
"Normally you'd be right, Shikamaru, but we have a couple advantages."
The boy seemed to be in deep thought, nodding after only a moment.
"Yes, we're not going there to take down the village, but extract a prisoner, meaning we can sneak past most opposition. Also, based on the report of your last encounter with the Akatsuki, they don't want to fight us. Most likely they'll try to avoid a fight and let the grunts do the heavy lifting."
Asuma nodded at Shikamaru's words, continuing his line of thought.
"We mustn't forget that this isn't a normal Hidden Village either. Orochimaru probably only made this village for political power, nothing more. It most likely isn't as large or as powerful as we're imagining."
Doffy looked to the north, toward the Land of Sound, and stretched his Haki, trying to locate the village. He found nothing. He looked back to his team.
"True but let's talk about the real threats here. Our biggest issue will be fighting the reanimations. Orochimaru probably has several prepared for us so here's the ground rules. Team Asuma and Yamato, the two of you make sure you don't leave Lee's side."
The people in question gave him a puzzled look, Doffy explaining.
"The Reanimations can only reliably be defeated by sealing them away. The reason you're here is to immobilize them so that can happen. I have no issue doing so with my abilities, so I don't require your help. Lee would gain much from your help though, so I want you to stick with him."
Sakura spoke up, questioning his decision.
"But why not with Temari or even me? Lee's the second strongest of us, so wouldn't he need the least amount of help?"
Doffy stretched, getting tired of waiting around. He answered Sakura's question nonetheless, reaching into the pack strapped to his leg.
"The reason they're with him is because he's the second strongest. You and Temari are stronger than Team Asuma and Yamato from a combative level. Asuma might be up there be he has to stay with his team. Lee is there to benefit from their help and protect them during this mission."
He pulled out a couple of scrolls from his pack, throwing one to each of them. They grabbed one, unfurling it and glancing at the contents inside. Ino asked the question first.
"What the heck are these?"
He chuckled slightly at her outburst, explaining shortly after.
"Those scrolls have the Eight Trigrams seal on them. You can use them to seal away the Reanimations temporarily."
Shikamaru caught his wording, wanting an explanation.
"Temporarily?"
"Yes. After a while, the souls within the seal will be able to escape if nothing is done. Specifically, a source of chakra needs to be applied to power the seal and keep them contained."
"Couldn't we just power the seal during the mission then to keep them contained?"
Doffy nodded at Shikamaru's question.
"You could, but that would be a loss of chakra you might not be able to afford depending on the situation. Do what you have to. Now, everyone ready?"
He turned before they could answer, pushing off the ground and into the air. He cleared the large cliff and used his strings to pull himself forward. He felt the rest of the team follow him, finally entering the Land of Sound. He got to work immediately, his Haki stretching outward as he attempted to locate the Hidden Village.
An hour had passed before he found it, several strong Aura's several miles away from their current position. He relayed the news to his team, unable to keep the grin off his face. He sped up, everyone else quickening their own pace to keep up.
"Man, I don't know if I can handle this Shikamaru. Are we really gonna be fighting S-Rank nin- "
He stopped listening to Choji when his Haki found something. Someone was coming from their right, no, a couple people were, and they were fast. He knew this feeling as well, his Haki having trouble predicting their movements. They were Reanimations.
"Get down."
His order was calm, and his team responded well. They dropped under the tree line and onto the forest floor, Doffy moving toward the two figures to intercept them. He heard them before he could see them, the destruction of the canopy making way for bullets of water and fire to rush toward him. He was prepared though, his strings pulling his body around the projectiles and closer to his prey.
He recognized one of them as soon as he saw them, his snow-white hair and blue armor giving away his identity. The Second Hokage rushed toward him, jumping off a tree branch and lashing out with a powerful kick. Doffy grabbed the appendage, stopping it in its tracks and pulled the Kage closer, throwing a powerful punch into the man's face.
There was a loud crack, a shockwave echoing outward from the force of his punch pushing away the nearby branches. The Kage flew backward buying him some time to talk to his team. He looked downward, his Haki carefully watching the other approaching figure.
"Keep moving toward the Hidden Sound! I'll take care of them! Lee, you're in charge!"
His team moved quickly, not questioning his orders. He looked back just in time for the second challenger to appear. He didn't look familiar, but his aura certainly was. The man was rather short, but clearly had no issue with hand-to-hand combat.
The man rushed in close, kicking off the trunk of a tree, throwing a quick jab toward his face. Doffy dodged the attack, driving a knee toward his opponents' stomach with frightening speed. The man grabbed Doffy's knee, allowing him to push himself into the air and absorb the force of the attack.
A quick rush of chakra and a fireball flew from the man's mouth, flying toward him. He scoffed at the attack, his strings whirling around him and creating an absorption seal, trapping the flames. His Haki sensed someone else appear suddenly, the new figure rocketing toward the ground. He looked down, seeing a copy of the man as the original stuck onto a tree.
'A Shadow Clone?'
The Clone placed its hands on the ground, its chakra surging as it ingrained itself into the ground. The earth rose quickly, forming a dragon that swiftly made its way toward him. Doffy jumped backward, away from the stone Dragon and watched as the original began to move, landing atop the dragon's head.
He pulled an arm back, ready to send a string to slash through the man and the dragon. The animal opened its maw, bullets of earth flying toward him as the rider let out a breath of white-hot flames. The bullets ignited, several scorching stone projectiles now hurtling toward him.
Doffy swung his arm forward, releasing the strings he had built toward the attack, infusing them with Lightning Chakra. They cut through the air, each one carefully aimed to spear through each of the projectiles, destroying them. The strings continued forward, ripping apart the rising dragon and impaling the man atop of it. Doffy grabbed hold of the string that pierced through his opponent, manipulating it to wrap around his enemy.
He pulled, lifting him into the air and launching him behind himself, toward the clone that had moved from its earlier position and trying to rush him from behind. He grinned at the attempt, watching the clones surprise with glee as its original rocketed toward him. His grin dropped when the 'original' within his strings puffed into a cloud of smoke.
The thought-to-be clone reached him in his surprised state, grabbing onto him and shifting his weight. He was surprisingly strong, the man throwing him out of the air and toward the ground. Doffy sent his strings outward, grabbing onto the surroundings to stop his momentum. His eyes tracked his enemy, watching as he expertly kicked off the trees to intercept his slowing form.
His opponent kicked off one of the trees with great force, the bark underneath his feet turning to dust as he launched himself toward him, trying to drive Doffy toward the ground. Doffy raised a palm toward the man's approaching figure, Fire Chakra surging through him.
"Overheat!"
The beam of molten strings burst form his palm. His opponent was in the air and would have no way to dodge the attack like this. He gathered chakra in his other palm, preparing for his attack to land on his opponent's head and wrap his enemy in strings.
There was a puff of smoke, a clone appearing beside his opponent and pushing him slightly, allowing him to dodge his Overheat. He scowled, his Haki gathering around his body as the mans slammed his feet into his stomach. The strings slowing his descent quickly snapped, Doffy landing in the earth with a crash.
He felt the earth cave in underneath him, a shockwave echoing outward and causing several trees to become uprooted; a rather impressive attack. He slowly got to his feet, jumping out of the crater and rushing toward his opponent. The man waited patiently, Doffy adopting a grin as he threw a powerful haymaker.
He dodged, his form seeming almost liquid as he elegantly maneuvered around his attack. The force of Doffy's punch continued onward, the trees in front of him splinting from the force. He drove his elbow backward, aiming toward the opponent that had quickly moved behind him. The man ducked underneath the attack, shifting his footing and sliding back in front of him.
The man pushed off the ground, a fist rising with impressive speed and force toward his chin. Doffy moved his head to the side, dodging the blow. He lifted a leg, preparing to slam his knee into the man but was forced to stop. He felt a pull, seeing the fist that he had dodged turn into a grapple, grabbing the back of his head and pulling his head downward.
He saw a knee rise; the man using his other arm to grab his head and drive his knee toward his face. He grit his teeth, quickly moving one of his hands in front of the man's knee and pushed, stopping the attack. A puff of smoke, and his Haki sensed two clones near his legs. He tried to turn but the one grabbing his head wouldn't let him.
The two clones near his legs kicked at the back of his knees, his Haki bearing the blow but his legs still buckling, forcing him on his knees. He growled, Fire Chakra gathering in the hand in front of the man's knee.
"Overheat!"
His strings burned through the man's leg, Doffy using the same hand to form a fist and drive it into his opponents' stomach. He met no resistance, the one in front of him promptly exploding into smoke. Another substitution. He stood and turned to his left, his strings lashing outward and grabbing a hold of the clone. He pulled it closer toward him, his other hand wrapping around its face and squeezing tightly.
Lightning Chakra flowed through him, thoroughly electrocuting the clone in his hand until he was met with another puff of smoke. He turned to the remaining one, the real one that had backed up and currently in a fighting stance.
"Seamless substitution techniques, seal-less casting of two different elemental ninjutsu, high-strength Taijutsu with a high level of skill and improvisation while mixing in ninjutsu to assist you. Heh heh heh! If this is how good you are while under Orochimaru's control, I wonder how good you would be if you were free from him. You may not have as much firepower as me or Pain, but you're more skilled than either of us. I expect nothing less from you."
He watched as the Second Hokage burst from the canopy, landing next to the man.
"He's still alive? He must be fairly powerful to survive against you in your younger body."
The man nodded, a large smile on his face.
"Yes, he's better than I could have hoped for, sensei. You truly have grown, haven't you Naruto? Do you think you can handle the two us?"
He smirked, his chakra pouring out of him as his strings unfurled from his body. He lowered his stance, looking at his opponents.
"Heh heh heh! You worry too much, Old Man! Don't worry, I'm done holding back!"
Vergo ran quickly across the forest floor, the rest of their team following close behind him. His haki burst forth, quickly finding the Hidden Sound that Doffy had sensed earlier. There was a mass of auras a few miles ahead, all of them underground. He turned his head, relaying the information to everyone else.
"The Hidden Sound is an underground village. It's just a couple miles ahead."
His team nodded, Shikamaru wondering what their next move would be.
"What now? If the ones fighting Naruto found us, then the Sound probably knows we're here by now."
He nodded, thinking quickly. The village being underground worked to their advantage somewhat. It reduced the effectiveness of the Sounds numbers. The problem would be finding they're way through the 'village' and to their target.
"It changes nothing. We'll just have to fight our way through for now and wait for Naruto to catch up. If we can barge in and cause a distraction, Naruto can sneak in afterward and grab the target. I'll track his position, so we know when to leave."
They kept moving, quickly coming up to a group of Sound ninja guarding a staircase, an entrance to the village. Vergo moved, putting on a burst of speed and appearing next to the group in an instant. His eyes darted quickly, counting the number of opponents he was facing. Five; all Jonin.
He stepped toward the one to his left, his hand darting out and firmly wrapping around the ninja's throat. He squeezed, snapping the ninja's neck and heaving the corpse behind him. It slammed into another ninja, sending him tumbling whilst Vergo slammed a fist into an oncoming kunai, shattering it.
He turned to his right, toward the ninja carrying a broken kunai knife and lashed out with a harsh kick. The ninja quickly brought her arms up into an 'X' position, trying to block the attack. Her arms snapped, the woman crying out briefly as she was sent flying backward, slamming into and through a large tree.
Vergo quickly sidestepped, dodging the thrust of a sword from the ninja to his right. His hand darted out and grabbed the offending appendage's wrist. He maneuvered himself behind the ninja, bring the arm with it and bending the arm backward, well beyond what the man's shoulder should have allowed with a series of snaps.
The ninja dropped the sword, Vergo swiftly kicking the handle of the airborne sword and launching it toward the last standing ninja, impaling him through his chest. Vergo launched a short but powerful punch to the ninja he was holding, impacting his back and shattering the man's spine. He dropped quickly afterward, Vergo releasing him.
Everyone had caught up to him at this point, Vergo giving them a brief glance.
"Geez, Lee, you could have given them a fighting chance at least."
He pondered Choji's words for a moment before nodding his head to the last enemy, the one pushing his dead comrade off himself.
"Don't worry, I left one alive."
The Leaf Jonin, Asuma he believed, walked toward the survivor.
"You left him alive for intel I assume? Smart."
He nodded, watching as Asuma dragged the Sound ninja back toward them.
"Yes. It would be better than aimlessly wandering around the Hidden Sound. If we have an idea of what direction to go in, we might not need Naruto to accomplish our objective."
Asuma tied up the survivor's hands, making sure he couldn't make any hand-signs. He sat him up, looking him in the eye.
"All right let's make this simple. You're going to tell us how we can get to the Jinchuuriki. If not, then I'll have Lee here do to you what he did to the rest of your friends. Only difference is I'll make sure he keeps you alive. Deal?"
The bound ninja replied with nervous laughter, giving him his answer.
"Go to hell."
Vergo replied with a swift and powerful kick to the head, shattering his skull and killing him. He moved toward the staircase, his Haki searching the village.
"We don't have time for an interrogation. We'll just have to find the way ourselves. I can sense the most powerful chakra at the lowest part of the base, so we at least have a direction to go in."
He went down the stairs, quickly met with an eerie hallway lit with candles. He looked around, seeing several doors lining all the walls. It was just like he thought. This place was built and designed to confuse anyone who didn't already know the layout of the facility, or village. Everything looked the same.
He ran through the hallway at a moderate pace, the team following while checking all the doorways for possible avenues. They were all empty rooms; distractions. Eventually, they came to an intersection, three paths to travel through. He stopped, briefly looking down each hallway.
"So, which way?"
He pondered Shikamaru's words before sensing with his Haki. Two of the hallways seemed to be empty of enemies, but one did have enemies, the one to their left. This was rather difficult. The enemy could have placed them strategically, knowing they would go to the most heavily defended area as a diversion. Meaning, that one of the other two paths was the proper way to go.
Still, he wouldn't be fooled so easily. If the offered paths seem unclear, simply make your own. He looked down, sensing the large auras directly beneath them. They went rather far down, at least a mile. He raised a fist, throwing a punch down at the ground below him.
"Hang on."
His warning may have been a bit late, but he wasn't going to stop now. His fist impacted the ground, the Earth Chakra infused with in exploding outward. He felt difficulty as soon as he tried to manipulate the walls, the earth resisting his attempts to manipulate them. They didn't stand a chance.
The floor and walls shifted, Vergo spreading out his Haki and carefully sensing each enemy throughout the Sound Village. The room at the bottom of the base was very large, making the enemies in it capable of blocking or dodging his attack. The countless number in the small hallways were a different story.
A round-about stair case was being built underneath him, a path directly to the large room below. Throughout the base, the walls around various enemies suddenly expanded, slamming into the Sound ninja and crushing them into paste. He frowned slightly, sensing several survivors. Reanimations, perhaps.
Either way, a large portion of the enemy had been dispatched, but at the cost of a large amount of his chakra. He took a breath, turning to his team.
"I was able to take out a large amount of the enemy and shifted the hallways throughout the base. This stair case leads directly to those large chakra signatures, and hopefully our target. With the layout of the base changed, the enemy will have a hard time defending the Jinchuuriki. We should get moving."
He moved down the stairs, being careful not to fall or trip while he was moving. Because he created this staircase, there were no candles to light it, so they were in pitch darkness. He heard Asuma's voice as they moved.
"You said you were able to take out a large portion of them. How many is that exactly."
He thought about his answer for a moment before responding, feeling a slight chill as the air got colder as they descended.
"Not many regarding the Sound as a whole, if that's what your wondering. This underground village is very large and probably has multiple entrances than just the one we found. I would have no way to take out the enemy as I did earlier throughout all the Hidden Sound. The village is too big, and the walls are resistant to manipulation."
He was met with no response, Vergo finally reaching the end of his custom stairway. He created a small hallway for them to gather in, a hole formed in the ceiling of the large room in the deepest part of the Hidden Sound. They gathered around the square shaped-hole, gazing into the enemy below.
They hadn't noticed its creation, so they were free to observe for now. What he saw was… interesting. There was a gargantuan stone statue, a grotesque thing really, with two open hands and multiple eyes. He saw two Akatsuki members standing atop two of its fingers, 8 other figures on the remaining figures. They were translucent, like illusions, but all of them had their hands in a seal.
Before the statue lay a girl, their target, with red bubbling chakra flowing out of her, toward the maw of the statue. He narrowed his eyes, seeing something else. The room was filled with ninja, and two reanimations. He recognized one of them, the enemy that had stolen Sasuke's eye three years ago. The other he didn't recognize, but he knew he was powerful, probably stronger than the two Akatsuki members.
His main concern, however, was the other woman in front of the statue. A corpse. He was about to bring it up when one of the Akatsuki members spoke.
"Damn, this is a helluva lot better than waiting three days. Seriously Tobi, I didn't think you had it in ya!"
One of the illusions responded, a joyful and playful voice filling the room.
"But of course! Tobi is a very good boy and a big help! That's why Leader wanted Tobi's help!"
"Enough. Concentrate, both of you. I want to get at least a quarter of the second Jinchuuriki's chakra before we're interrupted."
He gazed closely at the illusion that spoke. He couldn't make out many details because of the aspects of the illusion, but he did see that this 'Tobi' was wearing a full-face mask. Whoever he was, that one was a problem. Before, they had a few days to respond and get to Gaara, and they were just barely late to save him. Now, it was only about a day and a half supposedly, and they were apparently already working on a second Jinchuuriki.
They had to move, quickly. They couldn't let the Akatsuki continue to extract this Jinchuuriki's chakra any longer.
"Temari, keep the grunts away from us with your wind. Sakura, take care of anyone who gets too close. Yamato, take care of the one with white hair. Team Asuma, we're going to take down the large Reanimation."
He was about to drop down when Asuma stopped him.
"Hang on Lee, I recognize the big guy. That's the Third Raikage. He's not going to go down easy."
He thought for a moment before nodding.
"Fine then. You help Yamato take care of his target while I take him on myself. Once your done, assist me in taking him down. They want to gather as much of the Jinchuuriki's chakra as they can, so the two Akatsuki members won't fight unless they need to."
Asuma gave him a worried look, surprising him.
"You sure you can hold out against him?"
He nodded without hesitation, waiting for Asuma to get ready.
"All right. Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, you all know what to do. Work with Yamato to restrain the target while I get in close to seal him."
They nodded, Vergo taking that as the signal to move in. He grabbed onto the ledge of the hole and swung, planting his feet onto the ceiling and launching off it, propelling himself toward his opponent. He felt a gust of wind, seeing several of the Sound ninja go flying, razor sharp winds cutting into them.
Vergo reached his opponent, the Thrid Raikage looking him in the eye as he approached. He sent out a punch, his Haki wrapping around his hand as Earth Chakra further enhanced his attack. The Raikage sent his own attack, their fists clashing for the first time. He grimaced slightly, seeing Lightning Chakra explode from the Raikage's body, disrupting his Earth Chakra.
A shockwave exploded outward, their fists being the epicenter of the explosion of air pressure. The ground cracked underneath them, a small crater forming under the Raikage as he held back Vergo's attack. Vergo pushed off the mans fist, landing on the ground and rushing forward, ignoring the lightning crackling off the mans body and latching onto his own.
He lashed out with a fist, tearing through the Lightning Armor and landing a powerful blow to the Raikage's jaw. His head shifted as the blow landed, a shockwave of force echoing past him and crashed into the wall to the Raikage's right, an eruption of dust forming as the wall exploded from the impact.
The Raikage merely tilted his head back to its former position, fighting against Vergo's strength as he continued pushing against his jaw.
"It's been a long time since I've seen someone who can dish out a blow like that. Let's see if you can take as much as you can dish out."
The Raikage threw a fist of his own, Vergo quickly leaning backward and dodging the blow, throwing a kick to the man's side. The Raikage caught the kick, lifting Vergo upward and throwing another punch to his airborne body. Vergo brought up his arms, blocking the blow that would have impacted his chest and was sent flying back ward.
He reoriented himself in the air, landing on his feet and stopping his momentum. He shook his arms for a moment, trying to regain feeling in them again. He was impressed. But he wouldn't be beaten so easily. He took a step forward, taking his stick of Bamboo out of his jacket when he saw a rush of movement to his left.
The white-haired one, the bone user he had fought was rushing toward him. He ignored the Reanimation, a wall of wood separating the two as Yamato and Team Asuma engaged them. He focused on his current opponent, then looked past him at the large statue, seeing the Akatsuki members looking in their direction.
"Well, you got here a bit faster than expected. Well done. This is the second time that we meet, though we've yet to meet face to face. Tell me, where is your King?"
He recognized the voice, the one that had spoken through Guy's clone. He straightened his back, folding his arms behind him while griping his weapon tightly.
"Naruto doesn't have the time to deal with such pathetic opponents. I saw it fit to spare him of the trouble of dealing with these puppets of yours."
The illusion of the man chuckled, seemingly amused.
"Is that so? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he truly did, but I think he's having other issues at the moment. Hidan, Kakazu, keep extracting the Jinchuuriki's chakra. You can fight or flee after I say we're done."
The one with the scythe spoke next, questioning his orders.
"Fight or flee? I thought we were supposed to be running away or some shit. You sayin' we don't gotta anymore?"
His partner growled at him, seemingly already knowing his leaders meaning.
"Think for a moment you imbecile. That rumbling from earlier was an Earth Jutsu. They obviously made a path down here themselves or else they never would have gotten here so quickly. They probably also made sure to collapse the tunnels and other forms of escape, leaving the only exit the way they came through. If we want to leave, we'll have to fight them anyways."
Vergo ignored their banter, instead focusing on the Third Raikage, who was currently rushing toward him at incredible speed. Vergo unfolded his hands from his back, bringing up his bamboo in a defensive position while infusing it with Haki. The Third Raikage reached him less than a second later, a hand covered in lightning cutting through the air and racing toward him.
"Hell Stab: Three Fingered Assault!"
Temari ducked underneath a high kick, lashing out with her metal fan and striking the attacking ninja in the stomach, sending him flying toward his comrades. They quickly caught him, Temari turning quickly and lashing out with a kick, aiming at the group of ninja. A compressed blade of wind formed, enhanced by her chakra and rushing toward the group.
"Tempest Kick!"
The blade of wind crashed into the group slicing into them and the wall behind them. She turned facing the next group of ninja that rushed toward her. She heard a battle cry, a ninja coming up from behind her and attacking, but she ignored it, opening up her fan.
She heard a sickening crack, a fist appearing and slamming into the face of the ninja behind her. The man went flying, slamming and embedding himself into the nearby wall, unconscious or dead… probably dead.
"Nice punch", she complimented, gathering her chakra into her fan.
Sakura chuckled from behind her, the two standing side-by-side.
"Thanks. Wanna team up on this next one?"
She nodded, releasing a large gust of wind at the charging group of ninja. The powerful wall of wind slammed into them, lifting them off the ground and into the air, sending them flying backward toward the wall.
Sakura slammed her palms onto the floor beneath them, her chakra traveling through the ground and into the wall, spike of hardened stone jutting outward, waiting for the enemy's arrival. She turned away as she looked toward the next group, seeing them a bit hesitant after their previous display.
"Man, Lee wasn't kidding when he said these walls are hard to manipulate. I don't think we can keep doing that anymore."
She nodded, putting away her fan and pulling out a pair of hand-fans instead.
"Fine by me. We'll just get up close and personal."
She ran toward the group of ninja, seeing them gain a bit of confidence after she put away her large fan. One of the ninja ran ahead of the group, weaving hand-signs and taking a breath. She knew what technique he was using.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The fireball raced toward her, a pitiful one compared to Sasuke or Naruto's. She ran past it, swiping her fans at the attack and channeling her Wind Chakra. She created a funnel of wind, a small tornado around the fireball, absorbing it. She spun, bringing the tornado of flame with her and launching it directly at the enemy.
The ninja seemed frozen at the run of events, not reacting as fast as his allies and unable to get out of the way. Temari kept moving dashing in front of an enemy ninja. The Sound ninja swiped a kunai at her, Temari sidestepping and dodging the attack, her Wind-infused fan slashing at and through the man's sides, causing him to collapse.
She ducked, dodging the slash of a sword and spun, kicking out a foot and throwing the attacking ninja's feet out form under him. She swung both her fans at the airborne ninja, a hammer of wind slamming into him and launching him across the room. She turned, seeing another enemy run toward her.
She launched her fan toward him, using her chakra to manipulate the wind around it. The ninja tried to dodge, but she made it curve, slicing through the man's stomach and arcing back toward her hand. She caught it with a flourish, lashing out with another Tempest kick at a ninja to her right, taking him down.
She jumped backward, Sakura at her back as the ninja began to surround them. She smirked slightly, looking around her.
"I'm at five, how about you?"
She could hear the girl's smirk through her words.
"Seven."
She hmphed, twirling her fans in her hands as she sought another target.
"Don't get too comfortable with that lead, it won't last."
She pulled her fans back, infusing them with Wind Chakra. She saw the Sound ninja make several hand seals, Ninjutsu of all elements being launched toward them. She and Sakura jumped into the air, the two using the techniques they had learned to kick off the air itself. Temari positioned herself above a group of enemies, rocketing down toward them a second later.
She swung her fans downward, a massive blast of wind slamming into the ground and sending the surrounding ninja flying. She landed in the crater her attack had made, quickly spinning and forming a vortex, pulling in the enemies she had just blasted away, disorienting them.
She turned her fans parallel to the ground, then spun with as much force she could must, releasing a gale of sharp, focused Wind Chakra.
"Tempest Cyclone!"
A circle of razor sharp wind expanded out from her as she continued spin, slicing into the enemies her earlier vortex had pulled closer toward her. She stopped after a few turns, looking around carefully for anyone still moving. She was met the pained groans of the survivors, and a rather annoyed look from Sakura.
"Show off."
She smiled sweetly at her, juggling her fans.
"Told you not to get too comfy. Now come on, there's still some stragglers left."
Sakura nodded, the two moving through the air and taking out anyone they could. They were all rather weak, at least compared to themselves. They had taken out a couple small groups before Sakura had gotten her attention.
"Look Temari, over there."
Sakura pointed to the direction of the last large group they had fought, spotting two Sound ninja caring for the wounded. She narrowed her eyes, looking to Sakura.
"What should we do?"
Sakura looked contemplative for a moment before sighing.
"We can't afford to have more distractions. Let's take them out."
She nodded, agreeing with her. Killing an enemy that was attacking you was one thing, but killing someone who couldn't defend themselves? That was another line to cross. She wouldn't kill the medics, but they couldn't risk them healing their comrades either. They would knock them out for now and let them tend to the wounded when they were done.
The two ran toward the Sound ninja, Temari now getting a better look at their new opponents. It seemed like only one was a healer, a girl, the other placing himself and a large sword between his teammate and them. She could hear him call out a warning to his teammate, his grip on his sword increasing.
"Heads-up Karin, we've got trouble. Hurry it up."
"I'm going as fast as I can you imbecile. Just… do something about them!"
Well. They clearly got along well.
Temari reached the swordsman first, her fans slashing at ninja. He ducked under one of her fans, his sword coming up and blocking the other with a grunt. She was surprised he could block her at all. While she wasn't as strong as the rest of her family, she was no slouch.
She snapped out of her thoughts as the swordsman's cheeks puffed up, Temari quickly disengaging and flipping backwards, barely dodging a high-pressure stream of water. She followed the attack, watching it cleanly cut through the stone wall on the other end of the room. She turned back toward her opponent, seeing Sakura reach him and throw one of her powerful punches.
The man had been watching them fight it seemed, not even bothering to try and block the attack. Temari started moving, going to assist Sakura and take the swordsman down. Sakura threw another punch, and the swordsman didn't dodge this time. No, instead, he threw himself into it. Temari's fans were already moving, carefully concentrating her Wind Chakra.
She watched with surprise as Sakura's fist landed, and an eruption of water burst forth, her hand going through the swordsman's body. The man grinned, Sakura pausing in surprise as he raised his sword, bringing it down a moment later.
Temari swung her fans, a small but accurate blade of wind slicing through the swordsman's wrist holding up the sword. There was a splash of water, the sword falling and Sakura snapping out of her daze. She used her free hand and grabbed the sword in mid air, slamming the butte of the handle into the mans head. That, too, exploded into water, the man jumping backward to his teammates side.
Temari stopped next to Sakura, eyeing the swordsman curiously. He had a strange ability but it had to have a limit. His body seemed to always be made of water since he didn't see her attack coming when she sliced at his wrist, so there was probably a limit to how often he could shift forms, or he had to constantly have a source of water or chakra to sustain his form.
"Alright Karin, we really have to go!"
The red-head scowled, but Temari could tell she looked tired. Multiple ninja were getting on their feet, seemingly fully healed again.
"God Suigetsu, can't you do anything right?! Fine, let's get going then!"
The two ran toward a door way at the end of the room, on the other side of the enormous statue. The ninja they had revived followed them, Temari pulling back her fans.
"Wait Temari."
She stopped, looking at Sakura who stabbed the sword she was carrying into the ground.
"There's no point in stopping them. We should help the others and get the mission over with for now."
She eyed the group fleeing the room before sighing, putting down her weapons. She turned, looking at her teammates as they continued their battles. Lee caught her attention first. The power he and his opponent were displaying was frightening. She could feel their blows from here, and she was not eager to put her self in the middle of that, not yet.
That left one other battle. She looked to Sakura, who nodded, silently agreeing with her decision. The two moved quickly, aiming for their new target.
Yamato watched as his opponent slowly turned toward him, moving away form the wooden wall he had placed in his path. He felt Asuma and his team land behind him, the four readying themselves for the fight ahead.
"Hmm, it seems I will have to dispatch you before I am able to have my rematch with Lee. No matter. As we have never met, I will introduce myself. I am Kimimaro, former leader of the Sound Five."
Yamato nodded to him, drawing upon his chakra and waiting for an attack.
"You're a polite one, aren't you? I'm Yamato, Jonin of the Hidden Leaf."
Kimimaro walked toward them slowly, a sword of bone quickly forming in his hand.
"Polite? Yes, I believe it is only right to act as such in front of others. Unfortunately, you'll find there is a difference between politeness and kindness."
The Reanimated ninja rushed toward him, Yamato quickly slamming a hand to the ground. His unique chakra blossomed outward, wooden pillars bursting through the ground with tremendous force, arcing through the air toward his opponent. Kimimaro dodged around the wooden spears with grace, his attacks missing and slamming into the ground.
Yamato jumped back as Kimimaro reached him, dodged a slash from a sword of bone and watching as Asuma charged in, his trench-knives in hand. Kimimaro brought his sword up, blocking the first slash from Asuma. Asuma moved his attacking hand quickly, moving the blade behind Kimimaros and pulling the ninja closer, his free hand moving to slash through his side.
Asuma jumped back suddenly, bones jumping from Kimimaro's chest and threating to stab through Asuma. Yamato watched as Asuma's team responded, seeing Shikamaru manipulate his shadow and chase after Kimimaro as soon as Asuma began his retreat.
The Sound Five Leader saw the shadow and moved quickly, the bones from his chest re-absorbing back into his body. Yamato placed his hands on the ground, wooden pillars rising from the ground to impede Kimimaro's path. The Sound ninja weaved around the pillars, running away from the shadow that was using his pillars shadows to continue expanding.
Yamato's chakra surged, forming two large walls around the Sound ninja to trap him in place. The shadow expanded, splitting into several tendrils to ensure there was no escape. Kimiamro charged at one of the walls, his form changing as a drill of bone formed on one arm. A tail of flesh and bone spouted out from him, his skin darkening as the drill of bone slammed into the wooden wall, tearing through it without resistance.
Shikamaru stopped his shadow, calling back to him as the grouped up, waiting for Kimimaro's next move. He approached them slowly, the drill from before disappearing and using his now free hand to reach at the nape of his neck.
"God, this guy's body is disgusting. What's with those bones anyway?"
Yamato watched as Kimimaro pulled, a whip made of his spinal cord slowly being formed. Asuma began to explain, raising his trench knives in participation.
"He's probably a member of the Kaguya clan, a clan that uses their bones to fight. They're harder than steel and he can create them from anywhere. Be careful."
Yamato nodded, glancing at Asuma for a moment.
"Know anything about this new form then?"
Asuma shook his head, stepping in front of his team protectively.
"No, I never heard that they could do anything like this. It probably increases his strength somehow, so be careful and cover me."
Yamato quickly nodded as he clapped his hands together, Asuma rushing forward to go on the offensive. He created large wooden stakes behind him, turning to Choji behind him.
"Here, can you use these to attack him. I'd prefer if you all stayed as far away from this fight as you can. Just wait for an opening."
Choji nodded, his hands and arms growing larger and grabbing the wooden spikes, tearing them out of the ground. Yamato turned back to Asuma, the two attacking each other expertly but neither able to land a blow. He saw Ino stand next to him, her hands in a seal and watching the fight closely.
"If I get chance, I can use my Mind Distraction Jutsu to immobilize him for a second. I have to be at least this close to him though."
He nodded, sending small pillars of wood to attack Kimimaro who destroyed them before they could accomplish anything.
"Alright, wait for my signal and then launch your technique."
She nodded toward him, Yamato focusing his attention on holding Kimimaro down. He watched as Asuma ducked under the slash of his sword, kicking away the hand that was holding the whip and kicking at Kimimaro's feet, reveling hidden switch blades in the soles of the mans sandals. They sliced at the ninja's ankles, Wind Chakra making them able to just barely cut deep into the hardened bone underneath.
Kimimaro lost his balance, Asuma jumping upward and planting his feet on Kimimaro's chest, springing off him and separating them. Yamato saw his chance.
"Now!"
Choji threw the spears in his hands, the wooden stakes cleaving through the air and spearing through Kimimaro. The strength behind them stunned the Sound Ninja, the sharpened ends digging into his skin but shattering against the hardened bone underneath.
Ino released her technique, taking control of Kimimaro's movements and stopping him from moving.
"H-he's pretty strong, and the technique isn't working as well as it should! You'll have to hurry!"
Yamato was already moving, pillars of wood with sharpened iron stakes popping out of the ground and latching onto the ninja, trapping him. Shikamaru's shadow was moving before Choji had even thrown his spears, reaching Kimimaro's body quickly.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Stitching Jutsu!"
His shadow spread around Kimimaro's body, several spears of darkness rising a moment later and impaling Kimimaro. He was careful, targeting several of his joints to ensure that Kimimaro couldn't use his bones to block the attack. They speared through his body, then dug back into the ground, holding him down.
Asuma moved quickly, unfurling the scroll that Naruto had given him and placing a finger on his Kimimaro's forehead. Asuma jumped back, a spear of bone launching outward and trying to stab him, but Asuma dodged it, a tether of chakra following the finger that he had touched Kimimaro with. He toughed the scroll, using his own chakra to pull at Kimimaro's.
"Seal!"
There was a moment of struggle, Yamato tightening the wooden shackles around Kimimaro's body. He saw Asuma struggling, Kimimaro resisting being sealed away. He heard a roar, seeing Choji rush past him and launch himself into the air.
The boy reared a fist backward, launching his attack when he got close enough, his fist expanding several times its normal size. Yamato saw the Sound ninja form several sharpened bones to deter Choji, but he didn't stop, slamming his enlarged fist into Kimimaro with impressive force.
Kimimaro's concentration was broken, Asuma now able to pull Kimimaro into the seal. Yamato watched as Kimimaro disappeared, seeing a sad smile on the pale boys face. He said something, but he was too far away to hear. Yamato ran over to Asuma, seeing him pant lightly as he knelt next to the scroll.
Yamato looked at the scroll, picking it up and rolling it back up. He placed it in his pouch, helping Asuma to his feet.
"You alright?"
Asuma nodded, gently pushing him away and standing on his own feet.
"Yeah, just didn't expect it to be that difficult. If he was that hard, then how hard is it going to be to seal away the Raikage?"
The rest of Asuma's team met up with them, Shikamaru hearing Asuma's question.
"I don't think it'll be quite the same. From what he was saying, Kimimaro was a member of Orochimaru's forces and probably very loyal as well. He was fighting against the sealing because he was loyal to Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. I don't think the Raikage will be of the same mindset."
Yamato nodded addressing Team Asuma.
"Right, speaking of the Raikage, we should get moving and help- "
He stopped when a loud crash sounded behind him. He and Team Asuma turned, their guard raised as they tried to find out what had happened.
"Gah, dammit! That fucking hurt! How can someone so small hit that damn hard anyway?"
Yamato's eyes widened seeing one of the Akatsuki members climb out a crater, the one with a scythe. A second Akatsuki member landed next to him, the two not even facing their direction.
"Perhaps you should try and dodge next time, Hidan. If you're going to complain every time you feel pain, then maybe try to avoid it in the first place."
Two ninja landed across from them, Sakura and Temari. Yamato understood now. They must have finished the other ninja around them and attacked the Akatsuki members, trying to stop the ritual.
"Oh, shut up Kakuzu. Are we going to fight or run, cause honestly I couldn't really careless at this point. I just want out of this stupid cave or village or whatever the hell it's supposed to be."
Yamato looked toward the exit behind him, creating wooden walls to block it off. He turned back, seeing one of them, Kakuzu glare at him. He met him with his own determined eyes.
"It seems we'll have to fight our way out. Try not to die again, Hidan. I'm getting tired of pulling you back together."
"Tch, whatever. The pink-haired bitch is mine, so stay out of- "
Kakuzu grabbed his partner by the back of his collar, throwing him behind him and toward Yamato and Team Asuma. Hidan landed promptly on his face, getting up quickly and clearly slightly peeved.
"The hell Kakuzu!?"
His partner walked toward Sakura and Temari slowly, black threads coming out of his sleeves.
"These two are obviously the stronger of this bunch and I don't trust you to not get killed by them. Deal with the weaklings for now. I'll take care of them."
Hidan growled, grabbing his scythe from behind his back. Yamato could hear him grumbling about something but didn't pay attention to it. He gathered his chakra, and slammed a palm to the ground, wooden pillars rising and rushing toward their new opponent.
Hinata panted heavily, her legs burning as she continued the exercise. She looked over to her trainer, watching as he calmly read a book with his one eye.
"H-how much longer do we have to do this S-Sasuke sensei?"
Sasuke glanced over to her, then looked up. He looked back toward the book.
"Till the sun sets, probably."
She heard Neji sigh beside her, clearly getting a bit frustrated at their 'training'.
"And how exactly is stomping on the ground going to help us?"
Sasuke closed the book, walking up to them.
"Well, since you've used most of your chakra this morning for our ninjutsu training, we're moving on to physical training. Naruto and Lee have created several techniques that require the absolute limit of skill and strength to perform. They may seem rather strange, but they work. Don't bother to ask me how the physics of it work because I honestly couldn't."
Sasuke sighed, stretching his legs.
"The first technique requires a large amount of strength in the legs. This one eventually leads to a couple others and is very useful so it's best to start here. At the very minimum, you have to be able to kick the ground ten times in the blink of an eye. If you can, well…"
Hinata gasped lightly as Sasuke disappeared, a voice sounding behind her as she quickly spun.
"You can move at extremely high speeds for a short distance."
Neji nodded sagely, a hand cusping his chin.
"Yes, you're right, that makes no sense at all."
Sasuke merely shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets.
"Like I said, it works. This training may seem strange but it all works out in the end. Anyway, keep going. After tonight, we'll be switching between physical exercises and ninjutsu training every day."
Hinata sighed, looking at the falling sun in the sky. Sunset, huh? That left her with about another hour or two of training before the sun began to disappear over the horizon. She jumped up and down a bit before slamming a foot down onto the grown. Neji continued as well but decided to make conversation with Sasuke as he trained.
"So… you said this leads to different techniques… right? What other techniques could we… learn?"
Neji had to stop every now and then to exert himself, but Sasuke answered nonetheless.
"Honestly better to just show them to you when you're ready. There's no point trying to show you now, and it'll give you something to look forward to."
Neji nodded, the two Hyuga continuing their exercise until the sky began to shift colors. Sasuke clapped loudly, startling her and forcing her to look at him.
"That's enough for now. We should head back home for now."
Hinata leaned forward, nodding rapidly as she tried to move on jellied legs. She almost fell over until Neji caught her, helping her back to her feet. She looked at him with a small smile.
"Thanks, Neji."
He nodded, the two following Sasuke as they made their way back to the Uchiha Compound. She stared at Sasuke's back as she thought back to her past, thinking about the young Uchiha. He had changed a lot since the academy. Back then, he always seemed so angry, so cold and full of hate. Now? Things seemed to have changed.
He was quiet now, but far kinder as well. He was more understanding, patient and calm. Before, he always seemed so frustrated, trying to chase after Naruto's shadow. It wasn't like that anymore. The two seemed like friends now, maybe even more than that. Sasuke seemed to trust Naruto in a way that she believed his younger self never could.
Whenever he talked about him he always mentioned how much stronger and better Naruto was than him. Before, that admittance would have been out of anger, out of wounded pride. But this Sasuke seemed proud of it. He seemed to revere Naruto as someone he could look up to and be proud of, no longer a goal for him to reach and attain. It was a startling realization, and it was even more baffling that Sasuke never seemed to realize that the change even happened.
She couldn't help but wonder what would happen of this Sasuke met his younger self…
"Hinata, is everything ok?"
She blinked owlishly as she realized she wasn't walking anymore. She shook her head and gave Sasuke a smile and a small yet slightly nervous thumbs-up.
"J-just fine!"
Sasuke nodded, turning back to their home, or rather, what was left. It seemed that the construction crew had already gone to work in their absence. She had forgotten that they were going to be tearing down the house today to make room for this new mansion Naruto wanted. Luckily, the crew were kind enough to gather and pack everyone's belongings.
Sasuke sighed, grabbing a couple of very large bags and hauling them onto his shoulders. He turned to face them and gestured his head further down the road.
"I'll come back and get everyone else's stuff. For now, there should be an empty house we can use further down the road."
The two nodded, following Sasuke toward the front of a small house. They walked in, Sasuke barely managing to squeeze into the door. Hinata walked in, coughing as soon as she took a breath. She waved a hand in front of her face, trying to get the dust away from her mouth.
"I-it's a little dusty…"
Sasuke nodded, holding a hand in front of his mouth.
"Start opening the windows and meet me out front."
The three opened all the doors and windows in the home, meeting outside at the front door. Sasuke stood in front of the door with a hand outstretched, Hinata having an inkling of what he was about to do. There was a rush of chakra, a blast of wind rushing through Sasuke's palm and through the front door.
Clouds of dust erupted out of the windows around the house, Hinata giving Sasuke a dead-pan expression at the strategy.
"Well that's one way to do it."
Sasuke and Neji walked back in, Hinata following close behind them. She stretched her legs, trying to get the sore feeling out of them but not quite managing to do so. Sasuke headed toward the kitchen, calling out to them as he did so.
"I'm going to start making food and grab everyone else's stuff. You guys get settled in for now. There are three bedrooms here so pick whichever you want."
Hinata nodded, and walked throughout the house, walking in to one of the bedrooms and gazing lovingly at the bed. She plopped down on it with a content sigh, glad to be off of her aching feet. She ignored the small puff of dust that erupted when she did so, to comfortable to pay it any mind. She stared at the wooden ceiling in thought, wondering how she even got here in the first place.
A few days ago she was a member of the Hyuga Branch family, under constant scrutiny from the Main Branch, constant expectations thrust upon from both the Main and Branch families. She was free from that now. Naruto had saved her from the clutches of the Hyuga, whether she wanted it or not.
No, she knew this was what she wanted. She was so tired of the Hyuga and their way of life. But that didn't mean she was through with them. She may not have agreed with Neji's ways, but she wanted the same thing as he did. She wanted to free the Branch family, and to do that she needed strength.
She sat up, looking at the window beside her and toward the setting sun. Naruto was out there right now, no doubt fighting some insanely powerful enemy with a grin on his face, just like always. He was always so strong, so unbelievably powerful. She wanted to be like that, to be able to do whatever she wanted because he was just that strong.
With Naruto's help, she could do it. With all of their help she could free the Branch family, and show her father that she didn't need him or his family, she had one of her own.
'Naruto, you're probably in another fight for your life, aren't you? Knowing you, you're probably enjoying every second of it.'
Doffy was not enjoying this fight. He had failed to account for the fact the these two were once student and teacher. The two covered their strengths and weaknesses perfectly, moving in perfect sync with the strength and skill only a Kage could possess. The two truly had earned the name Hokage, and they were giving him a wonderful time.
"Ever White!"
White strings erupted from his hands, Doffy infusing them with Fire Chakra, turning the sea of strings into a scorching wave of death. The two enemy ninja jumped into the air, dodging the attack. Doffy raised his hands upward, the strings rising with him.
"Flap Thread!"
The strings formed together to create hundreds of flaming spears. They burned through the air toward his enemies, the two Hokage acting quickly to negate the attack. The Second Hokage took a breath, weaving a large amount of chakra.
"Water Style: Water Shockwave!"
A torrent of water exploded outward, slamming into his strings and causing an explosion of steam. His strings cooled but they kept moving, the two Kage shifting in midair to dodge the spears.
"Black Knight!"
The spears next to them shifted, forming multiple string clones with their palms facing outward.
"Overheat!"
Their voices were all in sync as multiple beams of flame fired out toward his opponents. Doffy saw Tobirama give Hiruzen a look, already wary of what was about to happen. Hiruzen turned toward him, his voice echoing out suddenly.
"Look Naruto! He's going to- "
There was a flash of light, and Doffy knew what Hiruzen was talking about.
'Motherfu- '
He jumped to the side, feeling a kunai graze against his Haki enhanced skin, Tobirama appearing next to him while carrying Hiruzen on his shoulder. Doffy grit his teeth, a pulse of chakra moving through his body and finding the Flying Thunder God seal that was placed on him. He placed a hand on his side, destroying it and jumping away for his opponents.
'He knows the Flying Thunder God as well. How wonderful.'
He charged his opponents, Hiruzen rushing to meet him. Lightning chakra flowed through his body, enhancing him as he lashed out with a powerful kick. Hiruzen ducked under it at the last second, pulling out a kunai to slash at the leg rooted to the ground.
Strings sprung from the leg Hiruzen was aiming at, Lightning chakra causing them to move quickly and erratically, spearing through the Third Hokage in multiple places. Doffy jumped suddenly cutting the Lightning chakra as Tobirama fired a wave of water toward him. He landed on a branch, watching as Tobirama covered the Old Man as he recovered.
Doffy jumped off the branch, rocketing toward the Second Hokage. Tobirama took a breath, gathering chakra.
"Water Style: Severing Wave!"
A jet of water erupted at high speed, Doffy jumping off the air and dodging the attack. He lashed out with a kick, sending a blade of wind toward the water user. Hurizen had clearly recovered, slamming a foot down and creating a wall of bedrock in front of his attack. The blade of wind carved a scar into the wall but couldn't cut through.
Doffy charged toward it anyway, enhancing his body with Lightning Chakra and tightening his muscles, acting as a human torpedo and slamming into the defensive wall. He burst through with ease, landing on the ground and ducking under a punch from Tobirama.
He grabbed the mans arm and lifted him off the ground, throwing him toward Hiruzen who moved around his airborne sensei and rushed toward him. Hiruzen sent an open palm toward him, Doffy jumping backward from the attack, not prepared for a blast of wind to erupt from the man's palm, slamming into his chest.
The wind disrupted his Lightning Armor, Doffy firing off his strings toward the Third. Hiruzen weaved around the strings, tracking the near invisible needles perfectly and gathering more chakra, firing several fireballs into the air. Doffy kicked off the air and changed direction, watching as the flames arced through the sky and chased after him.
His Haki sensed Hiruzen make a Shadow Clone, spears of stone rising from the ground at a fast pace. He dodged both, feeling waves of heat splash against his Haki and stone crumble near his Lightning Armor. He turned, hearing another attack come toward him, Tobirama recovering from his throw.
"Water Style: Surface Cutter!"
A blade of water moved along the ground, Doffy bringing up his hands and curling into a ball, raising his defenses to its peak. The blade of water slammed into him, cutting into his forearms slightly. He pushed, shattering the blade of water, and gathering his chakra, firing multiple bullets of water at the arcing flames above him, extinguishing them.
He jumped off the air and into the sky, aiming for the clone making the Earth Spears. He raised a finger, firing a string toward the opponent. The clone jumped back, seeing the attack coming. Doffy manipulated the string in midair, bouncing it off the ground and off a nearby tree, landing it on the back of the clone's neck.
Hiruzen glanced at his clone in confusion and wasn't prepared for his clone to land an earth-shattering punch to his temple. Hiruzen went flying, Doffy grinning as he called out the name of his technique.
"Parasite String!"
He turned to Tobirama, wanting to deal with him while Hiruzen was distracted. He forced the Hiruzen clone to create signs, making it perform a fire jutsu toward its teacher.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Annihilation!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Their jutsu combined, the clone disappearing a second later, but it was too late. A massive wall of flame marched toward Tobirama, who tried to fight against the attack.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
An equally large wall of water met his wall of flame, the two forces meeting and exploding into a massive cloud of steam. But Doffy wasn't paying any attention to that anymore. He turned to where Hiruzen was flying, moving quickly and gathering his chakra.
"Break White!"
Two large waves of strings formed from his palms, one racing toward Hiruzen just as he landed, the other just beside him. Hiruzen looked up, but wasn't fast enough to escape, the sheet of strings wrapping around him. The other worked perfectly, Tobirama appearing right next to Hiruzen with the Flying Thunder God, just like he thought he would.
His strings bound around them tightly, ensuring they wouldn't go free and formed a round sphere around them. He reached into his pouch quickly, grabbing a brush and ink and quickly drawing on the sphere holding Tobirama.
The man watched him curiously, looking at the seal he was making through the reflection of his cracked sunglasses.
"Rather impressive work young man. I must say, little Saru raised a fine successor."
He gave the Second Hokage a look, not replying. The seal was done, Doffy making a seal with one hand and placing another on the seal he created. The seal began to glow, the Second Hokage deciding to give some departing words.
"Keep the Leaf safe, young shinobi."
The Second disappeared, being drawn into the seal. Doffy pulled, his strings following his hand and forming a much smaller orb, the seal still written on it. He placed the orb containing the Second in his pouch, quickly absorbing the shell left behind to get some of his chakra back.
He walked over to Hiruzen's prison, drawing the seal once again at a much slower pace. There was a silence between the two, Hiruzen patiently watching as Doffy continued his work.
"Your hands are shaking, Naruto."
He stopped, his eyes shifting upward to look the old man in the eyes. He was met with a soft smile causing him to scowl. He continued his work, steadying his hand. Hiruzen kept talking.
"It's ok Naruto, it wasn't your fault."
He growled at the man's words.
"Shut up old man, I don't need your pity."
Hiruzen chuckled lightly, leaning back his head in his prison.
"Yes, you're far too strong for that, aren't you?"
He didn't respond, trying to finish the seal and steady his hand.
"Damnit."
He swore under his breath, his strings moving to erase a mistake he made in the seal. He continued, stopping briefly as Hiruzen continued to speak.
"It's rather funny. You were always one who had no issues speaking the loudest, being the center of attention. But in times like these, you are always so silent. Perhaps if I had raised you better, you wouldn't be so closed off."
He felt the brush in his hands crack, forcing him to stop. He looked up, seeing the old man with a somber smile on his face. He knew what that smile was, it was one filled with regret.
"Shut up old man. You did just fine."
He continued, being careful not to further damage his brush.
"Did I really? Maybe if I had done something different, been harsher with Jiraiya perhaps, we wouldn't be here now. Maybe I wouldn't have to leave you with my mistakes."
He looked up, his brush moving mechanically as he formed the seal.
"Mistakes?"
Hiruzen nodded sadly, unable to look him in the eye.
"Orochimaru, my other two idiots I call students. I may not have been around for a while, but I have a feeling those two are putting everything on your shoulders. They see the same thing I did, the potential for you to be the greatest Hokage our village has ever seen."
He snorted, agreeing with the old man.
"Yeah, you've certainly got that right. Why they're so insistent on it I'll never understand."
Hiruzen chuckled, shifting slightly in his white prison as he explained.
"It's an effect you have on people, Naruto. Though I can't quite explain it, you have the ability to make people trust you with everything they have. Maybe its your strength, or just your personality. Who knows."
He looked up toward the old man, eyeing him curiously.
"Did you want the same thing then? You wanted me to be Hokage as well?"
Hiruzen nodded, looking into the sky reminiscently.
"Yes, I wouldn't have minded you being my heir, but I wanted it to be your choice, not mine. I knew that for you to truly be a great Hokage, it had to be your choice, I couldn't force you into it. I'm betting my students don't agree."
Doffy didn't answer, his silence answering the question.
"I can't tell you how much I wish I had done things differently. Did just a bit less paperwork, less time arguing with my bull-headed son. I wish I could have shown you how much you and the Leaf meant to me."
He stayed in silence, getting close to finishing the seal.
"It seems you're almost done. Protect the Leaf for me, will yo- "
"Old Man, you did a wonderful job. Thank you, for everything."
He stared at the seal in its completed form. His hand placed upon it, chakra coursing through him and through the seal, trying to activate it. It never did. He looked up, seeing an empty prison as ashes blew through the trees. The Third Hokage had moved on.
Doffy turned around, facing toward the Hidden Sound village. He jumped into the air, his Haki sensing Lee and the others deep beneath the surface of the earth. He had had enough of this. This was going to end, now.
He arrived directly above Lee and the others and fly straight into the air. He passed the clouds, and hung int the air for a moment, looking at the setting sun. He turned back toward the ground, kicking off the air and rushing toward earth. Chakra coursed through his body, leaking out of him as it pumped through his body.
Lightning coursed through him, his Haki covering him completely as he slammed into the surface below. The crust of the earth shattered, a scar forming across the land from the force of his impact. Bedrock exploded outward and into the sky as he made contact, a mushroom cloud of atomized rock forming above him.
Doffy kicked off the air to stop his moment, stopping just above the ground of the room Lee and his team were in. He grinned, his rage boiling as the Nine Tails chakra began coursing through him. He looked up, releasing a blast of chakra to clear the smoke and debris around him.
The light from the orange sky above him wasn't much, but it was more than enough to tell him he was where he was supposed to be. He faced the grotesque statue siphoning off the Jinchuuriki's chakra. He pointed an open palm toward it, the Nine Tails Chakra responding to his will. He felt it try and take over, the hatred of the Nine Tails, hundreds of years of malice and rage trying to overpower his own.
It never stood a chance.
"Maximum Overheat!"
Author's Note: Ok, terribly sorry about the wait for this one. We don't really have an excuse other than more hours at work, us finally watching My Hero Academia, and falling in love with it, and us trying to 100% the new spiderman game. It took a bit to get the money for the ultimate edition but we're enjoying every penny of it damn it! No joke, Spiderman is one of our favorite comic book characters (as in literally one of us, the other isn't that into them). Still even have an old Spiderman blanket from when we were, like, ten, and we still use it!
In all seriousness though we'll try not to have another bout of laziness again. It really came down to we didn't want to write cause there were other things to do or watch. MHA, Dragon Ball Super, Overwatch, JoJo, and so on. To mitigate that, we're announcing that the next chapter will be around this Saturday! Give or take a day. So yeah, let us know what you thought of this chapter. We thought it was a bit 'meh' since we're getting back in the swing of things so give us a chapter or two to get used to it all again.
Oh, and we forgot to give a thank you for the guy that recommended us on reddit. Thank you Ayethatsdre for the compliments and the recommendation! We appreciate it!