Chapter 21: The Deal

Tazuko stood alone in the middle of the Great Naruto Bridge. The explosives were all in place. All he had to do was wait. Finally a figure began to appear through the fog.

"So. We set?" Akuha asked.

"All you need to do is press this button." Tazuko held up the detonator.

"Sure you don't want to do it yourself?"

"..."

"Alright, alright." Akuha sighed, "Just give it here."

Akuha held out his hands for the detonator but Tazuko didn't bulge.

"Where's Zato?"

"...Really keen to meet our boss aren't ya?" Akuha frowned.

"..."

"It's cool." Akuha sighed, "You've done a lot of work for us and we did promise that we'd introduce you to the boss-man. So rest assured, you'll be meeting him by the end of the day."

"..."

"So just give it here." Akuha scowled as he held out his hand again, "The detonator. Now."

Tazuko hesitated. Akuha didn't bulge, his hand still outstretched and waiting.

…

"Now now, Akuha. That's no way to treat our little helper."

"Boss?!" Akuha cried as another man walked out of the fog.

"Greeting, little Tazuko." The man smiled slyly, "I am Zato. The head of the Iron Hand Mercenaries."

"Boss, you should have stayed back." Akuha scowled, "At least wait until I had the detonator."

"it's not a problem." Zato said as he walked up to Tazuko, "Today, our hard work ends. All thanks to you."

"You're Zato?" Tazuko said.

"Indeed I am. And you are our little mole. Thanks to you, my mercenaries managed to sneak into your village and then you go and get the explosives we needed to trap everyone in this village. You've worked hard and more than earned that kote we gave you."

"..."

"Have you given any thoughts as to where you'd go after your village is ours?" Zato asked, "I am more than happy to welcome you to our group, You're also free to live by yourself without joining us. Or maybe you want to leave and explore the world. The world is your oyster."

"..."

"But the future can wait. Right now, I need your help one last time."

And this time Zato held out his hand.

Tazuko stared at the detonator in his hand. For the longest moment, he hesitated. Until he finally walked up and handed Zato the detonator.

"Amazing." Zato breathed as he held the detonator in his hands, "With just a single push of this button, we gain a village all for ourselves."

"And from there we can build our power and begin conquering the weakling countries." Akuha grinned.

"And it's all thanks to this pathetic country." Zato chuckled, "A country of content fools who live off the teat of others. They know nothing of conflict.

"..."

"Come now, Tazuko. Don't look at me like that." Zato laughed, "That's why you betrayed them didn't you? Because you hate this country?"

"...Just push the button already." Tazuko scowled.

"Can't wait to see the fireworks? Neither can I." Zato said as he held up the detonator and pushed the button.

"What?"

"Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"

Tazuko's kote clicked and immediately water began to surround Zato. Before he could react, the water enclosed him and soon enough he was trapped.

"TAZUKO!" Akuha roared, "You betrayed us?!"

"I was never on your side to begin with." Tazuko smiled.

"I'll skin you alive!"

"Don't move!" Tazuko said, "I have your boss captive! I can kill him at anytime. Take off your kote."

"...Take off my kote?" Akuha scowled, "You think you can beat me without my kote?"

"I don't need to." Tazuko said, "Tell your forces to surrender or your boss dies!"

"...Heh."

…

"Hahahaha." Akuha laughed to himself, "Oh. You think you captured Zato?"

"What?"

"You don't think that Zato has never prepared for a simple water prison?"

And all at once, ice began to spread across the surface of the water prison.

"What?!" Tazuko cried.

Tazuko looked from the ice growing on his water prison to Akuha who only sneered at him.

"Tazuko! Let go of the prison!"

Hanafuda jumped in and pulled Tazuko away from his water prison, an instant before the ice finally enclosed the prison.

"You idiot!" Hanafuda cried, "If you didn't let go it might have frozen you too! At worst!"

"But Zato..." Tazuko winced as he got up, "He was right there. I captured him."

"Did you really?" Akuha grinned.

The frozen water prison crashed into the ground. An ominous moment passed before cracks began to break apart the surface. And all at once Zato broke out from the sphere, a mad smile on his face.

"Tazuko. You're not very smart are you?"

"..."

"A simple water prison? It was child's play to escape."

"How?" Tazuko scowled.

"...I have control over water." Zato chuckled, "Not just water. The solid ice. The liquid water. The air vapor. Even the lightning and plasma. All states of water are under my control."

"All states of matter?" Hanafuda cried, "That's insane."

"It's a bloodline technique of mine." Zato sneered, "It's not a kote technique."

"Impossible." Tazuko frowned, "That water prison was my technique. It was not your chakra to control!"

"That maybe but I have my own way to escaping your prison."

"How?!"

"My own water prison." Zato smiled, "I admit, you caught me off guard. You may be faster than my techniques but not my kote. One twitch and my kote released my own water prison. Once inside of yours. That chakra is mine to control. Mine to change. And once I began to turn my prison into ice, your prison was not hard to affect either."

"..."

"Tazuko!" Hanafuda cried as he stood up again, "Hold on!"

"Zato is mine!" Tazuko shouted, "I...have to kill him."

"What a courageous little scum you are." Zato sneered.

"Tazuko!" Hanafuda cried again, pulling Tazuko back.

"Don't stop me!" Tazuko scowled.

"I'm not!" Hanafuda said, holding him by the shoulder, "You're not alone, okay?!"

"Eh?"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

At once, four dragons made of water rose around the mercenaries and dove down at Zato, smashing down on him. Four Wave ninjas landed around Zato and carefully watched for any movement.

"We'll handle him." Hanafuda said, "You've done your best but leave it to us. We'll take down Zato if it'll kill us."

"It probably will."

The ninjas recoiled as Zato's voice came from the fog of their attack.

"You didn't hear a thing did you?"

Lightning began to weave itself through the fog.

"I control all forms of water."

Lightning burst forth from the fog and electrocuted all four of them.

"And unlike a water prison, your chakras are spread too thin to stop me from taking control." Zato sighed.

Hanafuda stood in front of Tazuko.

"How admirable." Akuha said, "But if I'm not wrong, aren't you the girl that got captured by those Konoha ninjas?"

"...No..."

"You are. Aren't you?" Akuha snickered.

"So what if I was?"

"You won't believe this, Zato." Akuha said, failing to hold back his laughter, "But this is the girl that went 'Don't think you're all that just because you caught me! I'm only the weakest of our village's ninjas!'"

"Is that so?" Zato snickered.

"S-Shut it you two!" Hanafuda cried, her face flushed, "I'll kill both of you if you take me lightly!"

"That's adorable." Akuha scoffed, "But it's far too late for your village."

"What?" Tazuko frowned.

"You know this offense won't be taken lightly." Akuha scowled, "This is war. Men! Attack!"

Akuha pointed forward, directing the mercenaries to attack. No one stepped forth.

"What?" Akuha frowned as he turned around.

"That's..." Zato frowned.

"Ice Release: Glacial Wall." Tazuko smiled, "The Hyogun is behind that wall."

"Fighting your little army of mercenaries." Hanafuda grinned, "It won't take long before she finishes up and comes here."

"...Boss?"

"This is a well done technique." Zato tapped his foot as he stared at the wall, "The chakra is packed much too thick for me to change it."

"As expected of the Hyogun."

"Hanafuda!"

"Sensei!" Hanafuda cried as another Wave ninja arrived behind her.

"We've managed to deal with the mercenaries inside the village." The ninja reported, "All that's left is the head."

"...Then let's move out." Hanafuda stood up as more and more Wave ninjas arrived behind her.

"...Boss, they think they've got the upper hand."

"How quaint." Zato said as he stepped up, "But all you've done is separate the most dangerous elements. Don't think that it won't all explode in your face."

"Charge!"

The cry arose amongst all the wave ninjas as they charged forth towards Zato.

Zato held up his hands and made his hand signs.

"State Release: Leviathan."

Water rose from under the bridge and came together in the shape of a titanic dragon. Ice scales coated it's watery body with bolts of lightnings crawling all across it's body and even the weaved through the mist that surrounded it's body and released from it's breath.

"Go."

The dragon rushed forward and smashed into the army of ninjas, flinging a terrifying amount of them into the air as the dragon raged through their ranks.

"Sensei!" Hanafuda cried as the dragon began to tear through the ninjas with ease.

"That technique is insane." Tazuko said stunned, "A ninjutsu that combines all four states of matter?"

"Ah! Tazuko, get back!" Hanafuda cried as she tried to drag him away from the battle, "We can handle this, just get back-"

The two of them jolted as a roar akin to the striking of thunder echoed through the air. With one last twist, the leviathan threw off the remains of the wave ninjas.

"N...no way..." Hanafuda whispered, "All of us...and we couldn't defeat one of his techniques?"

"Don't be so sad." Zato sneered, "You were all just people playing ninjas. You never had a chance against true power."

"...Tazuko run."

"What?" Tazuko said as Hanafuda stood in front of him again.

"Run...please." Hanafuda said through gritted teeth, "Run away. Away from this country. If you stay you'll eventually be hunted."

"I'm not leaving!" Tazuko cried.

"Look at you." Zato sighed, "You're nothing without the Hyogun are you?"

"CHAN BARA!"

The entire bridge shook as a bolt of lightning lanced down and crushed the leviathan into pieces.

"Your lightning." Sarada fixed her glasses as she tossed aside one of the ice scales, "Is so weak."

"They're..." Hanafuda breathed.

"Where did they come from?" Tazuko chuckled as he held his head in his hands.

"Sorry. We were going home until we forgot something." Konohamaru grinned, "So we came back."

"You can scold us later." Mitsuki said, "Right now, let's settle the fate of this country."

"Akuha. Those are?"

"The Konoha ninjas." Akuha sighed, "But...they're missing one."