Neokenshin: Oh man I hope everyone didn't think I forgot about this story.
Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Kasumi, Haku, Akane, Arashi, Akemi: WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU BEEN!!!!!!!
Neokenshin: Guess they did think I forgot.
Kasumi: Do you know just how long we've all been waiting! And not to mention all the readers too!
Neokenshin: I'm really sorry! After I redid the Chuunin Finals, I just felt like I had no more ideas on how to finish the fights! I mean I had TONS of ideas for what happened after all of this...but it was just getting past this part that really drove me insane! I mean I still don't know if I pulled this chapter out right anyway!
Hinata: Well...we forgive you. Just don't worry us like that!
Neokenshin: Ok, I wont. Well let's get some things started here. Akemi is used with permission from Dragon Man 180, and Naruto is not owned by me, but by Masashi Kishimoto. Also I wanna send a belated birthday wish to Haku and Kasumi. Happy belated birthday girls!
Haku: He remembered!
Kasumi: It's a good thing he did...or he'd be in WORSE trouble!
Neokenshin: Uhh...well...let's get back to the story!
Chapter 20: The Battle for Konoha: Part 2
(Akane and Arashi's fights)
"Kabuto! Just what do you think you're doing here?" Akane said.
"So the Kyuubi no Kitsune decided to join me." Kabuto said, removing his mask and robe. "Too bad you showed up too late for Orochimaru-sama's grand appearance."
"Just what do you and that snake think you're going to accomplish" Akane said.
"Simple. Konoha will be destroyed, and Orochimaru-sama will wear a new fox pelt as he takes his place as the greatest shinobi ever!" Kabuto said.
"You laugh now, but I'll see to it that doesn't happen!" Akane said, throwing off her kimono to reveal her garb. She was clad in high cut skirt with a red tunic top, trimmed in gold. Her long legs were covered in fishnet and she wore solid black ninja boots. Her arms were covered in gold arm guards, embossed with an image of a nine-tailed fox. She took out a black hitai-ate that had the same nine-tailed fox that was on her armguards and tied it around her forehead. On the front of her belt was a pair of sai and on the back she kept a Fuuma Shuriken.
"So I see you've changed clothes. Something more trashy I see." Kabuto said.
"Only your immature eyes could say something about true beauty." Akane said, turning to see Naruto take off. "But before we start, I need to send a message to someone. KUCHYOSE NO JUTSU!"
"You summoned me Kyuubi-sama?" Hishou said.
"Yes. Follow my kit and keep watch over him." Akane said.
"It will be done, Kyuubi-sama." Hishou said, taking off in a burst of flame.
"Now to attend to the task at hand." Akane said.
"Then follow me." Kabuto said, running out of the halls to the rooftops.
"Thought it was always ladies first." Akane said, running after him.
Kabuto lead Akane to an adjacent rooftop. She could see the remaining ANBU dispatched to guard the feudal lords. She also noticed the four genin positioned in a rectangle shape, forming some sort of barrier jutsu. She finally saw Kasumi and Hinata rushing in to enter the barrier just as it formed. What really caught her eye was the female genin of the four.
"That must be Kin's sister Tayuya!" Akane thought. "Orochimaru will stop at nothing to pursue his ambitions.
"Kabuto! Why do you serve that worthless snake? Don't you know your abilities could be put to better use as a Konoha Medic Nin?' Akane said.
"Oh please. This village is nothing to me. Why should I use my talents on worthless things?" Kabuto said.
"Worthless? You call receiving training from possibly the greatest medic nin ever worthless?" Akane said.
"Who, you?" Kabuto said. "Heh, you're worse than me!"
"No you fool. I was talking about Tsunade! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be the medic nin I am today!" Akane said, rushing in to attack Kabuto. She quickly landed a few swift strikes to his arm, hitting pressure points to disable the blood flow.
"So you want to play the pressure point game?" Kabuto said, hitting the points to release his arm. "I can play that as well!" Kabuto returned the favor by striking Akane in the chest and in her shoulder. Akane easily shook the hits off and released the sealed pressure points.
"I can tell this is not going to be an easy fight." Akane said.
"So, I see. Trying to get your revenge once again, Orochimaru?" Arashi said. "You tried last time and failed miserably! The only thing you did was give me my lovely vixen wife."
"I should have destroyed that pathetic demon when I had the chance! And now, Arashi, I plan to destroy you as well." Orochimaru said, removing his robes. He was in his normal ninja gear, except he now wore the Shadow Gem in an amulet around his neck.
"Don't make me laugh Orochimaru!" Arashi said, removing his own robes. He was in normal jounin gear, except he now wore a solid white coat with red flame trim. On the back was the trademark spiral, but there was also a picture of a nine-tailed Kitsune in front of it as well. Around his leg were several of his trademark three prong kunai, each with special tags used for his Hiraishin no Jutsu. "Lets get this on Orochimaru! I'll enjoy ridding the world of you!"
"That may be, but I think we should make this a private affair." Orochimaru said, noticing his four genin surrounding the roof. "Sound Four, seal the area!"
"Heh with pleasure!" said Jirobu
"This is going to be fun!" replied Kidomaru.
"Well it's better being crammed with you smelly idiots." Tayuya said.
"Come now, we need to let Orochimaru-sama have some fun." Sakon said.
"I agree, brother." Ukon said.
The four formed a few seals and immediately sent out chakra. "Shishienjin! (Four Flames Foundation). Suddenly a purple barrier began to surround Orochimaru and Arashi. Orochimaru planned to make sure no one would interfere with their battle. But that was not to be the case.
"Orochimaru, what is this!" Arashi said.
"We need some time alone. This will be perfect for us." Orochimaru said.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" said two familiar voices. "HYDRO STORM! STARBURST CANNON!"
Suddenly out of nowhere Kasumi and Hinata came flying from one of the other buildings, using their attacks as propulsion. They barely made it inside the barrier before it finished forming, and now Orochimaru had two more ninja he had to deal with.
"Kasumi, Hinata! What are you two doing here!" Arashi said.
"Easy. This snake freak has something that belongs to me, and I want it back!" Kasumi said. "Now hand over the Shadow Gem, Orochimaru!"
"So it seems the little fox girl is back on her feet?" Orochimaru said.
"Shut it! I want the Shadow Gem back, and I want it now! You may have gotten the best of me last time, but with my Otou-san and my sister backing me up, you won't win this time!"
"Your words are big for a little fox girl." Orochimaru said.
"Whatever. So are you going to give up the gem, or do I have to take it from you personally?" Kasumi said. She was ready to attack Orochimaru at a moment's notice.
"You insolent little girl. You don't even know what power these gemstones hold, do you? Each of the ten stones holds a particular element that gives the user full control over that element. With such power, combined with jutsu, anyone could become the ultimate ninja!" Orochimaru said.
"Ten power gems? Wait, that can't be right?" Hinata said. "There's only eight gemstones, and we have all of them except for the Shadow Gem!"
"Then you obviously don't know your knowledge of the elements." Orochimaru said.
"He's right Hinata. In nature, there are ten elements that control everything. There are four primary elements; Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire; Four Secondary Elements, which draw their power from two of the primary elements: Ice, Lightning, Wood, and Metal. Then there are the two Higher Elements; Light and Shadow." Arashi said. "Each of these elements has a conflicting element, such as Fire and Water, Wind and Earth, Ice and Metal, Lightning and Wood…"
"And Light and Shadow." Kasumi said.
"I think I get it now. Sasuke, Naruto, Chouji, and I have the Primary Elements, Haku's Ice element is a combination of Water and Wind, Neji's Lightning element is a combination of Wind and Fire…" Hinata said.
"Which means the Wood element, born of Earth and Water, and the Metal element, born of Fire and Earth, have yet to be revealed." Kasumi said. "So there's two more who can possess the powers."
"Precisely. Thanks to those foolish elders who cast the gems away, the powers of the secondary gems were sealed in the primary gems." Orochimaru said. "Now that you and your little friends have started releasing that power, the primary gems are able to tap into their full potential. Once the final two gems are unlocked, and Sasuke belongs to me, I can use their power to finally become the most powerful shinobi ever!"
"What do you mean Sasuke will belong to you!" Kasumi said. "You won't lay a finger on him!"
"Oh but you see, I will. Sasuke is to become my new vessel. I tried with that fool Itachi, but he turned on me and disobeyed my orders." Orochimaru said.
"I get it now…you want the Sharingan!" Arashi said.
"That's not the only thing I want." Orochimaru said, slowly peeling the skin away from his face. He soon revealed the face of a young girl. "I also happen to need a new body as this one is beginning to decompose."
"He's a girl! Wait, what is going on?" Hinata asked.
"I knew it. Sarutobi-sensei was right! You knew you couldn't live long enough to learn every jutsu in the world, so you used that kinjutsu to extend your life!" Arashi said.
"What jutsu was it?" Kasumi asked.
"Fushi Tensei…otherwise known as Living Corpse Reincarnation. With it he can transfer his mind and soul into the body of his choice, taking along with him all of his knowledge of jutsu, and gaining whatever abilities the host has. Only problem is that he has to perform the jutsu every three years because he hasn't found a suitable host that could withstand his power." Arashi said. "If he had a proper container, then he could remain in that body for a lifetime."
"And that's why…that's why you put that cursed seal on Sasuke!" Kasumi screamed!
"Of course. He has passed every test with perfect scores and I see that he is fit to be my new body." Orochimaru said, pulling the fake face off once again to reveal his normal face.
"And with the Sharingan, he could learn just about any jutsu he wanted!" Hinata said. "Add the power of the Shadow Gem, and he'd be even more dangerous!"
"So that's it. You come to Konoha to get revenge on not becoming Hokage, and to take Sasuke for your own selfish plot!" Arashi said.
"I also came to pick up my gemstones as well. Now if you'll kindly hand them over to me, I can proceed to kill you." Orochimaru said.
"The only way you'll get my gem is to kill me anyway, and that won't be happening!" Kasumi said. She was about to rush in and attack Orochimaru when Arashi stopped her.
"No, not yet. I'll handle him. For now I want you two to stay back in case anything happens. We obviously have an advantage, but for now we should keep an eye on him." Arashi said.
"But Otou-san…" Kasumi said.
"No buts this time Kasumi. As of right now I am not your father, but your Hokage. This is easily an S-ranked fight, and as the two genin on my team, I expect you and Hinata to follow orders." Arashi said.
"Yes, sir." Kasumi said, feeling a little down.
"Keep your head up, princess. I have two of the best kunoichi in Konoha to support me, and there's no way I'd let their skills go unnoticed. Just be patient. I'll make sure to save you a piece of the fun." Arashi said, with a smile.
"You bet! We got you covered!" Kasumi said.
"Yeah! I'll take care of healing and defense, and Kasumi can do secondary attack!" Hinata said.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Arashi said, drawing a kunai. "Ok Orochimaru, it's time we finally put you to sleep…for good!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Orochimaru said.
"Bah, stay still you worthless animal!" Kabuto said. He had been trying to attack Akane, but couldn't land any hits on her.
"Worthless? Animal? I'll have you know that the fox has one of the most elegant coats known to man! Not only that, but we happen to be quite intelligent for an 'animal'!" Akane replied. "You just don't have any concept of true beauty!"
"Beautiful? The only thing beautiful about you will be when you're hanging on Orochimaru-sama's mantle!" Kabuto said. He focused chakra into his hand to form a chakra scalpel. "Now, let me get started skinning you alive! I'll start with those nine tails first!"
"You think you're going to lay a finger on my tails? I think not!" Akane said, running up to Kabuto. Kabuto tried to strike at her, but she did a handstand on his shoulders, then jumped down slamming all of her tails on him at once. "IRON KYUUBI (Iron Nine Tails)!!!" The hits did intense damage to Kabuto, even cracking open his head. Kabuto was only fazed, since Akane knew he could easily shake this off due to his healing and regeneration abilities.
"You know that hurt…and I mean REALLY hurt!!" Kabuto said, placing his hand over his wound to heal it.
"If you think that hurts, then you'll hate this!" Akane said, forming a few hand seals. "SYRINGE SPEAR!" She slammed her hand to the ground as if performing a summoning jutsu, but instead of a beast being summoned, she now held a giant syringe. (The same one she scared Naruto with when she was getting the blood sample for his transformation pills). "You know, I went a little overboard with Naruto using this, but I doubt it will be a problem for you Kabuto."
"Oh so you plan on giving me a shot?" Kabuto said. "But doctor, I happen to be in good health."
"That may be true, but I plan to use this to put you to sleep for good!" Akane said, lunging the spear at Kabuto. She kept up a rapid assault of thrusts, but saw that Kabuto was just toying with her. "Why won't you die!"
"I happen to have a very good diet of killing weak ninja like yourself." Kabuto said, dodging her thrust. He then rushed in and stabbed Akane with several needles. "I hope you like my new form of acupuncture. I coated each of those needles with a special poison that dissipates chakra."
"Oh please, you think some lame…uh…whoa." Akane said, feeling a little woozy.
"For a little added bonus, I happened to use the energy from some ofuda talismans as the catalyst for my poison. That should have an effect on your demon blood." Kabuto said.
"You bastard! I'll…I'll…" Akane said, falling to one knee. The poison was quickly affecting her and she could feel her chakra draining. Normally her demon blood could neutralize any poison, but due to the effect of the ofuda energy, her blood was being purified. If she didn't think fast, she would not only be out of chakra, but she ran the risk of even being killed.
"Even though I merged with Akane's soul, you'd think we'd become a hanyou. But I guess since the Kyuubi part of me was more powerful than my human side; I ended up becoming full demon. Now would definitely be a good time to be like Kasumi." Akane thought.
"Thinking about your eminent death, Akane?" Kabuto said. "I figure making it as slow and painful as I could would be much more enjoyable."
"This is really bad. I have to finish him off now, or I'm done for! The only think I can think of is to use the Shikou Kitsune Houka Taihou, but that could only speed up the effect of the poison in my system. Well, I guess I have no choice then." Akane said.
"Man I feel so useless waiting like this!" Kasumi said, watching Arashi and Orochimaru go at it.
"Kasumi, you know Arashi-sama said he wanted us to wait. I mean maybe he wants to wear him down, then have us help finish him off." Hinata said.
"I know, but guarding the Shadow Gem was my responsibility. It should be my responsibility to get it back." Kasumi said. "I should just combine all my energy for real this time and just kill him in one shot."
"What do you mean by that?" Hinata asked.
"Remember my fight with Temari and how I told her I was going to summon my full power?" Kasumi said. "Well in reality, I only used like 5 percent of my Illumina Power."
"You mean your combined chakras powered up your Illumina abilities that much?" Hinata said, remembering the power of Kasumi's Starburst Beam.
"Yeah. And I can imagine what it would do for our Illumina attacks, or even if we used the Shikou Kitsune Houka Taihou." Kasumi said. "But seeing as how the two of us combined only equals the power of an eight-tail, we only have our Illumina attacks at our disposal."
"Then I guess that's what we need to work with." Hinata replied. "But for now we should just wait."
"That's what I'm afraid of. I'm sure by now Orochimaru has tapped even deeper into the Shadow Gem's power, and he's even more dangerous than before. Plus with his forbidden jutsu in his arsenal, I get this weird feeling that one of us may not make it out alive…and he's not the one that won't survive." Kasumi said.
"You seem to be slowing down, Arashi-kun." Orochimaru said, dodging a kick from Arashi. "I thought you were supposed to be the Yellow Flash of Konoha?"
"Orochimaru, haven't you learned? Slow and steady wins the race." Arashi said, throwing one of his kunai at Orochimaru. "But it never hurts to use a little bit of a booster every now and then! HIRAISHIN NO JUTSU!" In an instant Arashi vanished, only to reappear behind Orochimaru. He grabbed his thrown kunai and delivered a sharp strike to Orochimaru's back. In a fluid motion he threw the kunai over Orochimaru, then used another Hiraishin the moment the kunai was in front of Orochimaru's face. Arashi followed up with two harsh slashes across Orochimaru's face. "Oh darn…now I've gone and messed up that pretty snake face of yours."
"Insolent fool! You dare strike me?" Orochimaru said, placing his hand on his face. When he removed it, the cuts he suffered were gone. "Now it's time I show you what the Shadow Gem can do!" His hands began to glow in a dark purple aura. He formed a few hand signs, almost as if he was performing the Housenka no Jutsu…except it was much more different! "KAGE HINOTAMA NO JUTSU! (Shadow Fireball Jutsu)" Orochimaru then began to blow thousands of dark fireballs at Arashi. He tried using his Hiraishin to evade the fireballs, but Orochimaru had other plans. "Don't think you're going to avoid these. I have them set to your chakra signature! They will follow you no matter how much you run."
"What!" Arashi, Kasumi, and Hinata said together.
"Hinata, we gotta do something now! Forget waiting around." Kasumi said.
"Well what did you want to do?" Hinata asked.
"You should know this. I mean you're the one with the Hyuuga ultimate defense." Kasumi said.
"I'm the…that's right!" Hinata said.
"Otou-san, over here! Throw your kunai behind us!" Kasumi said.
"Huh, what do those two have planned?" Arashi said. He figured he might as well go along with what they have. "Ok, here goes!" He through his kunai behind the two Kitsune girls. "Hiraishin no jutsu!" In a flash he appeared behind Hinata and Kasumi.
"Hinata, do it now!" Kasumi said.
"SHUGO HAKKE ROKUJYUU YONSHOU!" Hinata said, as she began moving her hands at a blazing speed. She created her chakra dome and they began to notice the fireballs were dissipating.
"I knew it would work! Hinata, just hold up as long as you can. Otou-san, do you think you can get in one good strike if I can set you up?" Kasumi said.
"Just what do you have planned?" Arashi asked.
"Only this." Kasumi said, forming a few hand seals. "KATANA NO RANPU!" Kasumi pulled her hands apart to form her Light Katana. "Ok, Take my Light Katana, and give me some of your kunai."
"Wait a minute. Kasumi, this sword is made of pure light energy and chakra, correct?" Arashi asked.
"Yes. It should be able to inflict some heavy damage against Orochimaru, now that he's using the Shadow Gem's power. I know that normally I can only wield it, but as long as I keep a consistent stream of chakra into it, it will stay solid." Kasumi said.
"That's a big risk you're taking." Arashi said, taking her katana. He could feel the intense energy pulsing from the blade and knew that it held great power.
"Trust me…I've faced odds just as bad back in the Great War." Kasumi said.
"Uhh, I don't wanna sound negative, but I can't keep this going forever." Hinata said, starting to tire out.
"Alright. Hinata, when I give the signal, stop your defense and get out of the way fast! Otou-san, you go to the center and I'll send clones out on each side to help give cover." Kasumi said, taking three of Arashi's tagged kunai. "Ok…Hinata, NOW!"
Instantly Hinata dropped her jutsu and the three immediately scattered. Kasumi sent out three shadow clones on the flanks to draw attention away from Arashi. Orochimaru thought it was a simple trick, only to learn it had some hidden potential.
"Just what are you…" Orochimaru said.
"What are we planning…well this is it!" Kasumi said, throwing the first of the three kunai. She tried throwing it above him, but Orochimaru blocked it with a kunai of his own. She then followed up by throwing the second kunai, mixed in with two regular kunai from her clones. Once again Orochimaru saw through the attack and easily blocked the kunai, causing them to fall at his feet.
"Perfect. Now to finish this." Kasumi thought. "Otou-san, go for it!"
"Gotcha princess! HIRAISHIN NO JUTSU!" Arashi said, appearing in the air where the first kunai was deflected. "We got you now Orochimaru!"
"Arashi! I don't think so!" Orochimaru said, blowing another spray of dark fireballs at Arashi.
"Hey stupid! Forget about me?" Kasumi said, rushing towards Orochimaru with a kunai in her hand. "I told you I want the Shadow Gem back!"
"Never!" Orochimaru said, turning the fireball jutsu towards Kasumi and her clones. Kasumi knew she couldn't avoid the fireballs, but she knew she had a good backup plan.
"AQUA SHIELD!" Hinata said, creating a shield of water in front of Kasumi and her clones. "Hey, did you forget that fire is weak against water, snake breath!"
"You test my patience!" Orochimaru said. "I will make you suffer…" He was slowly cut off as Kasumi got close and did a handspring off his head. At that instant she pulled out the third kunai and placed it behind Orochimaru while he wasn't looking. "You think you can defeat me?"
"No, I know I can defeat you! Too bad you can't cover your back." Kasumi said.
"What are you…!" Orochimaru said, before he was cut off by Arashi. Arashi used the second kunai to move into position as Orochimaru was fixed on Kasumi. He then used the third kunai to deliver a brutal slash to Orochimaru. But the strike wasn't finished, yet. Kasumi had one last thing up her sleeve.
"Girls, attack him while he's dazed!" Arashi said.
"Gotcha! HYDRO STORM!" Hinata said.
"With pleasure! STARBURST CANNON!" Kasumi said.
"What the!" Orochimaru said. He barely had a split second to react as the girls' attacks hit him head on, resulting in a mild explosion.
"Orochimaru-sama!" Jirobu said.
"There's no way!" Tayuya said.
"Oh please, that kind of attack is nothing to Orochimaru-sama." Kidomaru said.
"Got him!" Hinata said.
"No we didn't!" Arashi said, noticing the smoke clearing. He could see a battered Orochimaru, and was sure that he was pissed!
"Just great! I thought that…" Kasumi said, before getting nailed by a sharp punch from Orochimaru.
"Kasumi!" Hinata said, before getting the same thing.
"Orochimaru! Just what is…" Arashi said, receiving the same strike.
"You pathetic fools! I told you, I cannot be beaten! Yet you still try like you have a chance!" Orochimaru said, dispelling the three clones. "Well no matter, I'll finish all of you once and for all!" He then looked to the sky as a large snake came out of his mouth. The snake then spit out a sword with a glowing blue blade.
"Oh man…hey what is that!" Kasumi said, getting her bearings back.
"Yeah, that doesn't look like any normal sword." Hinata said, shaking off the strike.
"That's because it's the Sword of Kusanagi!" Arashi said.
"The what!" Hinata and Kasumi said together.
"The Sword of Kusanagi. It's a legendary blade that was said to be protected by Orochi, the eight-headed serpent. It is said that the blade can even damage adamant!" Arashi said.
"You mean that sword can do damage against something made of diamond?" Kasumi said.
"Exactly, and the fact that Orochimaru has it, means that he's even more dangerous!" Arashi said.
"Oh man, what are we gonna do!" Hinata said.
"One thing…hit him with everything we got! Otou-san, I can keep my Light Katana going as much as I can, but after Hinata and I hit him with an all or nothing blast, you'll have a short amount of time to finish him if we can't." Kasumi said.
"All or nothing, Kasumi what are you talking about?" Arashi said.
"Hinata knows. You should too, Otou-san. My match with Temari…that was just a small part of what out powers can do now. If we take it to the full extent, you're gonna see power that rivals Oka-san's in her full demon form!" Kasumi said.
"Kasumi, that's madness. You two could kill yourselves with that kind of technique!" Arashi said.
"Well it's better than letting that maniac have control of all of the Illumina Gems." Kasumi said. "I've fought someone just as bad as him, and that was without my Kitsune ability, or even the ability to channel chakra for that matter!"
"Kasumi…you really want to go through with this?" Hinata asked.
"Hinata you don't know how destructive the power of the Illumina Gems can be when in the wrong hands." Kasumi replied. "My friends and I were lucky when we recovered the gems. If Orochimaru got his hands on our gems, including the two remaining ones, his power would surpass that of even Oka-san in her full demon form…over tenfold! That's why we have to destroy him and get the Shadow Gem back at all costs! Like I said, what we're gonna do is an all-or-nothing attack. Either we win, or we die. That's how it's going down. "
"Kasumi, I can tell you're quite determined about this." Arashi said.
"I am, Otou-san. Besides, there is no way I will ever let that worthless excuse of a snake EVER lay his hands on my boyfriend!" Kasumi said. "You hear that! Sasuke is MINE!"
"You speak loud words for a dying fox." Orochimaru said, licking the blade of the Kusanagi Sword. "Now which one of you should I kill first?"
"You aren't killing anyone today Orochimaru!" Arashi said, thinking that Kasumi's idea was suicide…but maybe she was right. "I'm not finished with you yet!"
"Then let this dance continue, Arashi-kun!" Orochimaru said, rushing at Arashi.
"Girls, I'll hold him off. Just do what you need to do and finish this so we can get out of here!" Arashi said, blocking Orochimaru's blade with Kasumi's Light Katana.
"Let's go Hinata." Kasumi said. Hinata followed her to get a small amount distance from Orochimaru and Arashi. Thanks to that barrier, they didn't really have much to work with. They turned to face the fight between Arashi and Orochimaru and began the preparations.
"Alright Hinata, just do what I did in my match. First gather and mold all of your remaining chakra and Kitsune chakra together, like this." Kasumi said, focusing her mind as she began to gather and mold her chakra.
"Okay. I gotcha!" Hinata said doing the same. The two concentrated everything they had until they achieved the same purple glow.
"How are you holding up Hinata?" Kasumi asked.
"I'm ok…I can start to feel a little strain, but it's not serious." Hinata said. "Now what do we do next."
"Now, tap into the power of your Illumina Gem and draw out all of its power. Let that power flow into your chakra and combine with it." Kasumi said. Her gem started to glow intensely as she began to draw from its power. "You should start to feel a strain on your body as you draw in this power."
"Yeah, I can feel it now." Hinata said. "But I can definitely feel my chakra and power combining and it's becoming more intense."
"Ok, keep drawing it all out. I don't know how much more it going to get…but we should know shortly when we're at our max." Kasumi said, as her chakra began to change from purple to white.
"Kasumi…I don't know if I can keep this up!" Hinata said. Her purple chakra started to darken to a deep blue.
"Just a little more Hinata!!!" Kasumi said, straining until she finally finished gathering her energy.
"Got it!" Hinata said, breathing heavily. Both Kasumi and Hinata now pulsed with a white and blue glow. "Kasumi…this power…is this what you felt earlier?"
"That was just a small part Hinata. I could never imagine it being this intense!" Kasumi said. "Well there's only one more thing to do."
"Kasumi, what are you talking…" Hinata said, before Kasumi took hold of her and hugged her.
"Hinata…if we don't make it out of this alive…I want you to know…you've been the best friend and sister I could ever have. If I have to go…I'm glad you could come with me." Kasumi said, with a tear forming in her eye.
"Ka-kasumi…" Hinata said. She could feel Kasumi's body trembling. "You're scared…aren't you?"
"Hinata, I'm terrified! What we're about to do…we may never see Naruto and Sasuke ever again." Kasumi said.
"I know. But…like you said. It's better that we die ant take Orochimaru with us, than live and have him take control of the Gems." Hinata said, tightening the hug.
"Yeah. You're right." Kasumi replied.
"But like I told you on that day…you and I will never be separated. Our bond is eternal, Kasumi. I'm serious about my promise. We're gonna make it through this together…or we die together." Hinata said.
"Thanks Hinata." Kasumi said.
"Don't mention it. Now lets finish this snake and go home." Hinata said, releasing the hug. She knew what was going to happen next. Orochimaru would be standing down the face of a high powered Hydro Storm and Starburst Cannon with no where to run. The only thing the girls could hope for was that their attacks would be enough to completely finish him off. As the two began concentrating every ounce of energy they had for one all-or-nothing shot, the Sound Four began to get suspicious.
"Just what the heck are those two fox girls doing?" Sakon said.
"Hmm, seems to me they are planning to attack Orochimaru-sama." Ukon replied.
"Why do people even try? Orochimaru-sama is way too powerful for anyone to defeat him. I don't see why that stupid Hokage is even trying to take him on." Kidomaru said.
"That's probably because you don't have the brain capacity, you six-armed idiot." Tayuya said.
"Oh and you're the smart one?" Kidomaru replied.
"Least I have the smarts to know just how useless this fight is." Tayuya said. "Why doesn't Orochimaru-sama just kill these three so we can go home."
"Orochimaru-sama wishes to display his superiority in battle. And we'll give him the time he needs." Jirobu said.
"Whatever." Tayuya thought to herself.
"Looks like those two are almost ready. I hope they know what they're doing." Arashi said, blocking another slash from Orochimaru. He had taken some serious damage from the Sword of Kusanagi, and wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up. He could even see Kasumi's sword begin to weaken. "Hmm, looks like she's running out of chakra. But I have to give her and Hinata more time!"
"Arashi-kun, why do you continue to do this? Do you think your little girls will have any chance against my newfound power? Why not just die, and then the fighting will be all over." Orochimaru said.
"That's one thing I'll never do! As Yondaime Hokage, I swore I would protect Konoha with my very life. What you see from those girls is the same thing. This village is their home, and they are two of the finest kunoichi genin who have made the same promise." Arashi said. "You may not know this, but this village has meaning to every person that lives here. Whether they be ninja or not, each person does what they can to protect their home, and that's why you will not win this day." He clashed swords with Orochimaru, hoping to stall for more time.
"Your words mean nothing. I will kill you and that pathetic creature you call a daughter. I will destroy Konoha and claim Sasuke as my own. And I will take control of the Illumina Gems and use their power to become the ultimate shinobi!" Orochimaru said.
"Then you've already shown that your demise is eminent." Arashi said, glancing at the girls. Kasumi gave a small nod that told him they were ready. He then pulled a kunai out of his pocket and threw it just behind the two girls. "And it looks like that time is now! SHUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" In a flash, Arashi vanished and appeared behind the two girls. "Goodbye Orochimaru!"
"What in the…" Orochimaru said.
"Orochimaru! I gave you a chance to hand over the Shadow Gem and leave Konoha…but you refused." Kasumi said, holding the ball of light that contained every ounce of her chakra and power.
"Now we, the First and Second Princesses of the Kitsune Clan pass judgment on your crime. We condemn you to death!" Hinata said, as a constant stream of water swirled around her.
"Orochimaru…DIE!!!" Kasumi and Hinata said together. "KITSUNE ILLUMINA ALL OR NOTHING ATTACK: AQUA STAR EXPLOSION!"
"Wait a minute…you should be nearly dead!" Kabuto said, as he saw Akane stand on her feet.
"Maybe I should…but if I'm gonna die, then I'm taking you with me!" Akane said, as she formed hand seals. "Now Kabuto…witness the power of the Kitsune Clan!" Waves of fire began to surround Akane, all in preparation for the Kitsune Clan's most powerful jutsu. "KITSUNE ROIYARU RINJI NO JUTSU: SHIKOU KITSUNE HOUKA TAIHOU!" Instantly a giant flaming fox head appeared in front of Akane. The mouth opened and spewed a wave of pure flame directly at Kabuto.
"What! But…" Kabuto said, being engulfed in the flames.
"Burn Kabuto!" Akane said, pushing more of her depleting chakra into the jutsu. She could only watch as the flames consumed him. His screams continued until they slowly died down, showing he had been cooked alive. Akane released the jutsu to see a flaming, smoldering mess that used to be a human named Kabuto.
"You had much potential Kabuto…yet you sided with Orochimaru. Why you did, I'll never know." Akane said, falling to her knees. "As for me, I'll use my remaining chakra to hopefully slow the poison in my system. If Tsunade were here…maybe she could help me." Akane formed some seals and placed two fingers on her forehead. "BODY SUSPENSION JUTSU!" With that jutsu, she fell to the ground in a state of suspended animation. She knew that only one person could release the jutsu and hoped that when it was released, she would be cured of the poison and the purification.
Kasumi and Hinata fired their combined attack at Orochimaru. Their combined attacks swirled together as they headed to their target.
"Foolish girls." Orochimaru said, forming a quick seal with one hand. Unknown to the girls, he created a barrier out of the energy from the Shadow Gem. "They think they will pierce my shield, but they're wrong." Unfortunately for Orochimaru, the power the girls exerted was more intense than he thought.
"Just a…little more…" Kasumi said.
"Almost…there…" Hinata said.
"Girls…just hang on…" Arashi said, holding his shoulder. He had suffered a sharp jab from Orochimaru's blade, and tried to prevent more bleeding by feeding chakra into it.
"Such a worthless attempt. They'll soon see…" Orochimaru said, starting to notice his shield cracking. "Are they piercing my shield? This isn't possible!" The shield then cracked more until it broke from the pressure of the attack. "HOW DID THEY…" Orochimaru was consumed by the girls' energy, forcing him back into the barrier his subordinates created. However…it wasn't enough to finish him off, but only wound him seriously.
"Orochimaru-sama!" Kidomaru said.
"Quickly, release the barrier!" Sakon said.
"Fine." Tayuya said.
The Sound Four released the barrier as the energy from Kasumi and Hinata's attack died off. Orochimaru was lying on the edge of the roof, motionless.
"We…we did it." Kasumi said, falling to her knees.
"We really…got him!" Hinata said, trying to hold herself up.
"Girls…that was unbelievable!" Arashi said.
"I…told you Otou-san. This would rival…Oka-san's power…in her full demon…form." Kasumi said, breathing heavily. "Oh man…I can barely move."
"Yeah…me too." Hinata said, catching her breath.
"I told Orochimaru…there are many ninja in this village who would give their very lives to protect it." Arashi said.
Indeed his words were true. Just in the crowd below, Kakashi and Gai had gotten the upper hand and taken out nearly all of the Sound and Sand ninja. In the streets of Konoha, Anko, Ibiki, Jiraiya, and even the former Ino-Shika-Cho team had fought back the ninja, while Gamabunta had made mincemeat of the giant three-headed snake. Even Hiashi and Hizashi showed the prowess of the Hyuuga, as the two defeated round after round of ninja with the Juuken Style.
"If he had only listened…" Arashi said, looking at Orochimaru's motionless body.
"Listened to what…your pathetic words!" Orochimaru said, slowing getting to his feet. "I told you…my ambition will not be stopped." As he got to his feet, he thrust his arm out, sending a snake at Kasumi. Arashi moved her out of the way, taking the snakebite in his shoulder.
"GAA!!!" Arashi cried, as the snake injected venom into his arm.
"Looks like my chakra venom will be a fine parting gift for you." Orochimaru said, slowly moving towards the three. "And now…I give you a final gift. It's a trick I learned from that foolish Tsunade, except I've changed it to my taste." Orochimaru said, forming some seals with one hand. "KAGE NEMURI NO JUTSU! (Shadow Sleep Jutsu)" Slowly a dark energy was released from Orochimaru, headed directly at Arashi.
"No…he can't!" Hinata said.
"Otou-san!!!" Kasumi cried.
Using the last of their strength, Kasumi and Hinata jumped in front of Arashi, taking the full force of Orochimaru's final jutsu. As the black energy consumed them, the two girls fell into a deep sleep.
"What did you do to them!" Arashi said, cringing in pain.
"I had intended to put you under a permanent sleep, but I guess those two will do." Orochimaru said, feeling the damage from the battle. "Now Arashi, I will take my leave. But mark my words…I will have Sasuke, and Konoha will be destroyed!" He began to fall to his knees, but the Sound Four came and supported their injured leader, helping him escape.
"Orochimaru…you'll never get away with this." Arashi said, looking at Kasumi and Hinata who had now fallen under Orochimaru's jutsu. The last thing he saw before he blacked out himself was a beam of light shooting out of Hinata's power gem.
Man...I never thought trying to pump out chapters like this would be so difficult! Now that I've gotten past this milestone...you're probably wondering some things. Kabuto's dead, Naruto's now a Kitsune Hanyou, Kasumi and Hinata are under a permanent sleep jutsu, Akane is slowly dying from the poision in her system, and what is the effect of the poison in Arashi's system now. Plus when will Sasuke undergo his Kitsune transformation, and also when will Tenten and Ino arrive as the new Metal and Wood Knights. Well...these are things to look forward to in my later chapters. Man I'm finally glad I can put these to good use! Oh and...Thursday February 15...Naruto: Shippuden! The Time Jump episodes are finally here!!!!! WOOT!!!!