The Fox and the Hound
Chapter 20: The Legendary Three
Chapter Summary: What is Tsunade's choice and can Naruto really stop a Sannin from her goal?
Author Note: Moving right along peoples. I gotta make up for the inactivity XD. I do feel bad about this being pretty similar to cannon and there's a high likely hood you all are gonna burn me at the stake …. But we just need to add some players and change the Rasengan a bit and then move on… at some point I will remerge this with the following chapter cause they were meant to be together anyway but yeah.... that got delayed.
P.S. thanks fergnerd for spurring me back into action :D
Naruto frowned as he sat cross-legged on the bed he had just made moments ago in the hotel room. Shizune sat across from him just on the edge of the bed the perv usually occupied in a much more proper sit but the look on her face was clear. She was really worried about something.
It was a look that had been growing for the past six days. Shizune had been coming to the room to find him in the mornings and they both would go down for breakfast and just talk. TonTon and Ririshii would be nearby with Riri dozing in a sun spot while TonTon lay nearby keeping watch. It had been a very nice 'routine' they had set up and after they were finished she went to find her master and Naruto went to train.
But today was different on a lot of levels. Today was the day the bet was up. Tsunade would be looking to shove his face in the dirt and he was going to be proving her wrong. And yet when Shizune came in she merely came in, sat down and begun to wring her hands in front of her while TonTon oinked and nuzzled her arm.
Naruto had shared a looked with Riri before the shepherd had gone over and laid his head in Shizune's lap. Shizune smiled only slightly and began to stroke the smooth fur between his ears.
"Is everything alright Shizune?" Naruto finally found the courage to ask the woman after a few moments had passed. She stopped petting Riri and glanced up at him, the dark eyes looking very hollow and there were circles under her eyes. He really hated to see her upset but she had been progressively getting worse as the week went on. "You seem kind of out of it today."
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I just…" She cut herself off and looked away, almost looking ashamed.
"Is it because of the old lady?" Naruto lowered his voice and his head, trying to catch Shizune's eyes again. Usually if she was upset it was because of Tsunade losing a good bit of money or something the woman had said inadvertently. It was a good gamble to assume that it was because of the older woman that Shizune seemed so…lost.
"I don't know where she is." Shizune admitted and began to pet at Riri again.
"I wouldn't worry about it. Pervy Sage hasn't come back either and he was not at his usual bar last night so who knows where he is…maybe they're together or something."
Naruto had to admit that the little sensory seal that Jiraiya was having him toy with becoming useful the more he toyed with the thing. At first it drove him nuts, always giving a little mental nudge when someone came and went from the bar…but as the week went on he found ways of making it selective. It still bothered him some but he defiantly knew Jiraiya had not entered the establishment last night. His was a distinctive chakra that he finally became accustomed to.
"But today's the day that…" Shizune started to say but again stopped herself and glanced behind to TonTon who oinked worriedly as well.
"Today is the day I show her who's boss." Naruto puffed up proudly and tried to cheer up the dark-haired woman. Shizune was so nice it was hard not to like her so quickly. She reminded him of a worried older sister even though he did not want her to worry so much. "When she sees the Rasengan you guys are going to have to come back to Konoha with us."
Shizune went blank as she blinked at him and then down to his hand and then back up to meet his eyes. She expressed her concerns to him many mornings about his training regime. She was worried he would overdo it just like Jiraiya had been hinting at when he dangled the seals out in front of him as a distraction. But Naruto had spoken the truth when he said Tsunade should not have told him 'no'.
He had been aiming to prove them all wrong.
"You…you mastered it?"
"Yep!" Naruto grinned and nodded energetically. He had hardly slept the night before because he was eager to get back on the road towards home. Tsunade made a deal with him and he meant to have her keep it. "Well at least I think I did. It certainly looks like Jiraiya's example."
"But…you…how could you have done so in such a short amount of time?" Shizune glanced at the window and she at least stopped moving her hands. "Naruto, you are really surprising do you know that?"
"Yeah I get that a lot." Naruto blushed and stood up on the bed. "We should go find those two so we can show em. Maybe then she'll stop calling it a stupid dream…"
"I'm too afraid to know where she is." Shizune deflated again and Naruto blinked. He made the mistake of reminding her of her worry.
"You mean you know where she is then?"
"She's probably meeting Orochimaru." Shizune admitted guiltily. "Today was the end of the week he gave her to come up with an answer."
"An answer? What kind of an answer?"
"He wanted her to heal his arms so he could finish what he started in Konoha." Shizune's eyes dropped and she shuddered at the thought. "He offered to bring back her little brother and my uncle Dan in return. I never thought she would go through with it but she was not in the room this morning and she's only gotten more distant as the week's gone on…"
"What?! What are we doing here then?" Naruto made a quick snag for his kunai pouch and scroll bag. Ririshii jumped up as well and began nudging the window open to get out. "We gotta stop her!"
Shizune merely sat still for a while before standing smoothly and nodding in agreement. She came up beside him and patted his shoulder a bit. "I should stop her Naruto; I should have stopped her before now. You should stay here where it's safe Naruto."
Just as she stuck her head out the window a kunai went whizzing past her head. It caused her to stop back in shock and it caused Naruto and Riri to move forward. When Naruto stuck his head out the window he was surprised to find Jiraiya leaning up against the outside of the hotel heavily and he looked unsteady, like he had just run a long distance.
"Oi, what the hell happened to you?" He rushed forward to stand near the man and just waited to see what was going on. "You look sick…"
"Shizune…" Jiraiya ground out and the dark-haired medic swallowed and stood at attention near the window and Riri. "Where were they meeting?"
An in that instant Naruto's perception changed. Gone was the goofy old pervert, replaced by this towering man who for all intents purposes was angry. He was angry at being duped by a former teammate and angry about her betrayal to the village. Even though Jiraiya was addressing Shizune he inwardly flinched at the tone.
Even with the threat behind his words Jiraiya did not seem 'well' and after a few moments he sat heavily next to the balcony outside of the windows and panted.
"Master Jiraiya." Shizune came forward tentatively to inspect him and Naruto stepped back a ways to allow her. Something was defiantly wrong with the older man he was just not sure what.
Ririshii had begun to slink forward to sniff at Jiraiya, TonTon just behind his heels, but he suddenly stopped and perked up his ears. For a second he was completely focused on the alleyway across from them, ears erect and nose moving. Suddenly he began to raise his hackles and snarling. When the snarl turned particularly nasty Naruto turned to the dog to follow his line of sight but could not see anything as the cause.
"Riri?" He whispered uncertainly to the dog who did not even turn his eyes up towards him momentarily to confirm he had heard Naruto.
"Kabuto."
Naruto swore under his breath and fingered a kunai out of his pouch. Kabuto's was a scent Riri would know well because the gray-haired teen had attacked him after the preliminary rounds of the third round. At the time they were home and Riri was still hindered by the wound in his leg but he remembered that attack just like Naruto did.
It stood to reason that Orochimaru was truly here now. Kabuto was his little spy of course he was here and that just made it all the more real.
"Can you flush him out?" Naruto reached down to rub at the shoulders of the dog, finding each muscle tight and ready to spring. He was not sure flushing the spy would be a good idea, with Jiraiya acting like he was but out in the open they could at least defend themselves from him.
"Leave it." Jiraiya snarled. Naruto turned to see the old man's eyes in that same direction. "He won't come at us in this big of a group. Damn Tsunade, she slipped me something last night..."
"Lady Tsunade." Shizune whispered as she knelt in front of the older man to try to alleviate whatever it was her mistress had done to Jiraiya.
"Even in her fallen state she's still a medical specialist. She was about the only one who could create a tasteless, odorless drug to use against other ninja without them knowing it."
"And you fell for it." Naruto frowned, his attention still on the alleyway and his other hand still gripped around his kunai. Kabuto had come for him before this and he really did not want to take any chances.
"I was trying to get her to talk." Jiraiya snuffed at his jab but did not dispute the fact of it all. He was drugged and something big was going down. "Shizune, where is she? Isn't it about time you told us what is going on?"
Shizune hung her head in defeat, hiding her eyes with the dark black hair of hers. "I'm sorry. I wanted to believe in Tsunade-sama. That's why I couldn't say anything before. But now… I've already explained to Naruto, and I'm sure you already know what he wants from her."
"Yes but I don't know what he's offering her that she's finding so hard to turn down."
"Nawaki and Dan."
"Shit." Jiraiya spat and waved his hand at Naruto. "Naruto find me some water. I've got to get this out of my system. I doubt it will be easy given who made it but this is turning into a bad situation. Where were they meeting?"
"Near the castles, where he first approached us."
"And where the gaping hole is." Naruto murmured as he climbed back into the window. He hurried and found a glass and began filling it with what Jiraiya wanted. He came back out and watched as the man gulped the liquid and held it back out; Shizune watching impatiently.
Jiraiya was right. This was a bad situation. If Tsunade ended up healing Orochimaru's arms the man would be dangerous again. Not that he assume that Orochimaru was ever 'not' dangerous but he was slightly less a threat when he could not form hand signs.
After several glasses, Jiraiya forced himself up and glanced down at Shizune. "Lead the way Shizune."
"But Master Jiraiya…"
"You can barely move!" Riri turned finally from the alley and voice his own concerns. Jiraiya seemed to ignore them all.
"It will clear the more I move and we can't be wasting any time." Jiraiya growled. "If she's already meeting him we might already be too late to stop it."
And with that the man started off. He seemed well enough to move freely now but Naruto did not buy his assessment. He shared a look with Riri before glancing back at the alleyway.
"He left a few moments ago. Apparently Jiraiya was right and he decided it too risky." Riri growled and nudged his hand. "Can we help?"
"I dunno if we'll help or if we'll only be in the way." Naruto cringed and saw Shizune take off after Jiraiya. "But we gotta stop this. If we don't he'll only go after Sasuke after she heals him…or worse…"
It was not hard to get to the castles when leaping over the rooftops of Tanzaku town. It was not too hard to catch up to Jiraiya and Shizune either. The dark haired woman had taken the lead, intent to find her master and stop whatever was taking place and Jiraiya, though he was able to move, was still sluggish. Naruto worriedly took sideways glances at him as they rushed along. If Jiraiya was unable to fight what would they do, how would they stop Orochimaru?
When Shizune finally leapt to the ground and rushed forward they knew they were getting close. As they came to the same hole in the wall Naruto immediately noticed the new crater in the middle of the pathway. Riri and TonTon saddled right up to the hole and began to sniff around the opposite sides of it while the humans just stared.
"Well it looks like someone lost their temper." Jiraiya smirked a little. "Hime's not happy."
"She refused the deal." Shizune was letting out a huge sigh of relief and smiling as she closed her eyes. "Thank goodness."
A loud boom caused them all to turn in the same direction and without a lost moment both TonTon and Riri were off in that direction, noses to the wind.
"It sounds like the negotiations fell through." Jiraiya was laughing a bit as they took up the pursuit. "Which is good for us, still we should be ready."
Naruto set himself for just that. This was still a battle but at least Tsunade had not betrayed the Leaf Village into Orochimaru's hands. Shizune seemed to harden as well and she took up the lead again. After a few miles they found the tree line beginning to thin and soon they were on a flat stretch of grass with rocks and random brush scattered around.
But the point of interest here was the center stage of this open battlefield. Kabuto had returned to his master's side to aid him it seemed because he now was poised to strike at Tsunade who was on her knees shaking in front of the younger man.
Orochimaru stood nearby silently watching as his right-hand man dealt with his former teammate and seemed rather pleased with the outcome so far.
"Damn it…" Jiraiya cursed and was reaching for a smoke pellet and was tossing it between the two. Just as it exploded and caused Kabuto to back away they put themselves squarely between him and Tsunade.
Up close it was confusing to see Tsunade in her state. As the smoke cleared it was apparent it was Kabuto who was wounded not her. He, Jiraiya and Riri stood at the front and Kabuto merely grinned sadistically as his fight was interrupted.
"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune was kneeling in front of the older woman and pulling at the edge of her robe to start wiping away the little splatters of blood that adorned her face and arms. "Why did you over do it? Why didn't you call for me? I'm your attendant after all…I should have been here…"
The old woman made no move to reply or to reprimand Shizune. She did not even look up to him or Jiraiya she just kept staring forward.
"Hey what's the matter with her?"
"She has hemophobia." Shizune muttered as she continued to try to wipe off the blood.
"hemo-what?"
"She's afraid of blood." Kabuto's voice interrupted and Naruto swung around to focus back on him as Ririshii began to snarl again. "A rather unorthodox fear for a medical ninja to have wouldn't you say? But one easily exploited on a battlefield."
Now it made sense. Kabuto had cut himself to make his fight easier. He had done it on purpose.
"Long time no see Jiraiya."
All attention turned to the man standing behind Kabuto. He certainly did not look like the man/woman that had attacked during the Chuunin exams. Still the power that radiated off of him was still just as chilling and Naruto snarled. This was Orochimaru, he could feel it.
"Yo, I see you haven't changed either, Orochimaru."
Kabuto flipped away from them, returning to Orochimaru's side.
"Shizune, you take the guy in the glasses and I'll deal with Orochimaru, after Tsunade does something about my chakra…"
"She won't budge Jiraiya-sama, I'm sorry." Shizune stopped what she was doing and glanced up. "You know how bad her fear was don't you? It's only gotten worse since then."
"Well damn, guess there's no other way about it then." Jiraiya returned his gaze on the two in front of them. "Naruto…take care of Tsunade and TonTon."
Naruto nodded and flipped out a kunai. Riri positioned himself at Tsunade's side as Shizune stood to join Jiraiya. He knew what Kabuto was capable of and he knew damn well that Orochimaru had merely been playing with them in the forest of death. It was just like a few months ago in Wave. They would only be in the way if they got involved…
But he still felt useless.
Orochimaru was unwinding a bandage around one of his hanging arms and Kabuto was reaching up to paint a line of blood down across a tattoo on the blackened arm. Jiraiya was already dragging a nail across his palm and at about the same time Kabuto and Jiraiya did the same thing; summoned.
The only difference was the results.
Naruto found himself staring up at two several story tall snakes, Orochimaru on one head and Kabuto on another. In front of Jiraiya was….
"Oh heya Naruto? What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?" Gamakichi was grinning as he hopped around to get a better view. Once the little orange frog saw what was behind him he quickly picked up the pace and headed for Riri's head. "What the hell did you summon me for? I can't help you with that!!"
"I'm not the one who did it!" Naruto barked back, biting on his thumb and snarling as he went through the hand signs. He knew this was a bad idea; Jiraiya had not recovered enough from the drug Tsunade had hit him with. Whatever it was it had screwed up how he used his chakra.
So he had a use after all.
"I see you're still a bumbling buffoon Jiraiya!" Orochimaru was beckoning from atop the snakes. "No matter, I will deal with you now!"
The snakes raised up and opened their mouths, prepared to strike. If Jiraiya could not summon he would have to. There was no other way.
Just as the snakes came barreling down Orochimaru's dark laugh echoing in his head all Naruto could do was slam his palm straight down and go with the one he knew the best.
As the smoke cleared one snake was speared through its neck on a three pronged spear and the other was backing away hissing angrily at a golden shield. Naruto straightened back up and smiled at the familiar black coat of Gamaken and nodded to Jiraiya. He could summon toads, that was about the limit of his usefulness but if it helped Jiraiya defend himself that was okay for him.
"So the little nine-tailed brat is your student is he Jiraiya?" Orochimaru snarled from atop the remaining snake. The one Gamaken speared finally puffed away and disappeared. Jiraiya came up beside Gamaken and patted his side as he glared upwards.
"I wouldn't worry about him. Your opponent is me."
"Heh, when you're hardly a challenge in your current state. Tell me did Tsunade intentionally hinder you or were you just too blind to see what was happening here?"
"Stay with her Naruto-kun." Shizune came up in front of Naruto and looked up. Naruto did in enough time to see Kabuto barreling downwards and Shizune reacting accordingly. He glanced back at Riri, Gamakichi and TonTon and Tsunade who still seemed unawares and slowly backed himself up till he stood beside his dog.
"You really get yourself into some interesting situations kid." Gamakichi sat up a little using Riri's head as a sitting post. "You just like trouble or what?"
"Trust me if I could have avoided him again I would have." Naruto looked back to Tsunade again and frowned. He had seen her handy work and knew she was stronger than this. How could something so small as a few drops of blood stop her like this?
It became hard to follow both fights at the same time. Jiraiya was clearly not in control of his chakra yet and Shizune was at an impasse with Kabuto. It became increasingly clear they were slightly outmatched at the present. Even with Gamaken holding off the snake so Jiraiya and Orochimaru could fight each other one on one, the snake bastard was gaining and edge.
And that moment of attention away from Kabuto cost him. Shizune went flying backwards after Kabuto came out of the ground. She hit hard and did not immediately get back up again. The snake that was left whipped out its tail and began to squeeze it around Gamaken, who was in vain trying to loosen it's hold with his spear. Finally the toad was forced to puff away to save himself.
"Shizune!" Naruto moved to help her but was cut off by Kabuto but he instinctively moved to stop the incoming attack. For a while he was able to parry each of the blows Kabuto aimed at him but he was unable to throw in anything of his own and finally Kabuto landed a hit with his palm on his leg and turned towards Ririshii, now moving to help him.
The dog was of little deterrence to the more experienced teen at first and he knocked both he and Gamakichi away. Naruto tried to stand but found his leg would not support his weight. Kabuto closed in on Tsunade, slowly and smiling, those glasses of his illuminated by the sunlight above. Tsunade's eyes had become focused on Shizune, not too far away from where she was. The dark-haired woman was unconscious now but she was alright but the way Tsunade was staring at her she seemed too dumbstruck to realize Kabuto was closing in on her.
"Snap out of it baa-chan!" Naruto found himself calling out and struggling to his knees. "You can help her, just snap out of it!"
For a moment he believed he had reached her just a little bit because Tsunade sat up suddenly and smacked Kabuto's outreached hand away. But then she froze again, realizing there was still blood on her arm. Kabuto snarled and began to kick at the older woman and the more he did the more Naruto's blood boiled.
"Move, get up you idiot and MOVE. If he kills her Kakashi and Sasuke are never waking up…there won't be a new Hokage…get up!"
Finally when he pushed off with his foot he moved, the leg responded enough for him to actually move forward and get himself between Tsunade and Kabuto. Just as he slid between them Kabuto's fist met with his forehead protector.
The brunt force of it hurt like hell but he did not flinch, he merely snarled at the silver-haired teen. He could feel the blood trickling down his nose and forehead but that was not stopping him. He was not letting this traitor hurt Tsunade anymore even if she would not defend herself.
Kabuto for his credit looked shocked by his appearance. Slowly though that shock was turning into blind rage at being stopped by some little kid.
"Still too stupid to recognize when you should get out."
"I'm not gonna let you bully her!" Naruto barked and began to gather his chakra in his left palm. This was a make and break move but he had no other options. "I'm going to end this now."
He swung outward once the ball had reached its peak but Kabuto dodged just as Naruto almost reached him. As Naruto landed just behind the other boy a sharp pain lanced back through his leg and he smacked down again. He snarled and put his hand to the spot of most intense pain.
"I managed to put a crack in your right femur bone and you're still moving. You are stubborn I give you that."
The attack had at least accomplished one thing; Kabuto's attention was off of Tsunade.
"I can't hit him when he's moving; he's faster than I am especially with my leg like this." He winced and tried to stand up once more. "It would work if I could just HIT him but it's useless if I can't."
A blue flame appeared around Kabuto's one hand as he began to smirk down at Naruto.
"But you're reckless. You should have just run away Naruto. You should know from our last encounter that I am on a whole other level than you."
The kick came swiftly and to his side. He winced and tried to soften the landing and tried to get ready for the next one. This was an example of someone who liked to hold his power over others. But that was something about bully's that he knew too well.
Kabuto would toy with him and belittle him because his real satisfaction would come from breaking his spirit. It was why the silver-haired spy had begun kicking and punching Tsunade; they needed her alive to fix Orochimaru's arms but he could not just let her sit there when she was defenseless.
"I'm not running away." He stood slowly, allowing his leg to slowly acclimate to his weight again. He kept his palm rigid at his side and waited. If the only problem was the fact that Kabuto was too fast for him to hit him if he was moving too, maybe the answer was just standing still and having Kabuto come to him.
But that was a problem in of itself. He could recreate the jutsu just like Jiraiya had shown him but he was unable to do so as quickly as Jiraiya could. And Kabuto was too fast so he would hit Naruto before he could summon up the chakra to its fullest potential.
"Where's Riri, he's not with TonTon…." Naruto began to search Riri but did not immediately see the dog and could not take his eyes off of Kabuto for too long.
"Why…."
Naruto took a quick glance behind him. The kicking and dodging from Kabuto had maneuvered him right back to being in front of Tsunade. She still was shaking and her eyes were still unfocused but she had spoken.
"Why are you…"
"Because I have to."
"No you don't…." Tsunade began to shake again.
Kabuto had enough and was coming forward at a desperate speed. Naruto had to ignore her to try to pull off the Rasengan in a short amount of time. He knew he was going to fail at that point but he had to try…
"That's enough! Get out of the way! Run…"
Just before Kabuto outstretched kunai reached its mark reached its mark the ground beneath him erupted. Out from the hole came two Riri's at his ankles and one that latched onto and held down his wrist with the kunai. Naruto blinked at the snarling mass of dogs that pinned Kabuto to the very spot just in front of him.
"He…he went underground???"
Kabuto snarled but found he was relatively stuck to the spot the two dogs around his ankles had him. Naruto knew what this was now. Riri knew he would try to go for the Rasengan against a stronger opponent. But he also knew how long he needed to get the ball of chakra going.
He had to take this chance that Riri was giving him. He got the Rasengan to the fullest point he had gotten it to so far and then thrust forward towards Kabuto's abdomen. Kabuto still had one free hand and reached out to snag at his jacket as he got near but his attack hit before he could really grab hold.
Naruto felt the building intensity of the impact and two of the dogs holding Kabuto puffed away in a cloud of smoke. The one around his wrist let go and landed back behind Naruto. With nothing holding him in place Kabuto finally flew back and away from Naruto with the force of the attack until he hit a large nearby stone.
Naruto panted, watching as the silver-haired man and the crumbling stone falling around his slumped form. He was still on his feet but he was not looking up just yet. Ririshii came slinking up around his legs and wrapped himself around Naruto, snarling in Kabuto's direction.
"Did we get him? Did we get him???"
Slowly Kabuto's head came up. His chest was all burnt up and he was bleeding and panting. The attack had hit so how was he still moving? Why was he smiling like he had just won? Naruto went to reach for another kunai, not sure what the Sound Ninja was going to pull out next but suddenly it felt like something had knocked the wind out of him.
He gasped desperately to try to get air into his lungs but found he could only cough and pant and blink as his vision started to get blurry.
"What the hell? It never did this to me when I used trees as targets…what's wrong..why.. Shit why can't I …"
"You foolish, foolish boy!"
Naruto found himself in darkness. It could not be. He glanced around in the darkness only to find one red glowing eye peering at him. Where was the cage that held the fox at bay? Where was the seal and the sewers and the other landmarks he had passed the only time he had been here.
"It is so dark because you left yourself open to your opponent during your little stunt." the eye narrowed in on him. Naruto flinched and reached up to his chest, around the area Kabuto had tried to grab hold of his jacket. "He wasn't trying to grab you he was using his own jab."
"Well shit…" Naruto winced and held tightly to the fabric. "What do we do?"
"We? Well we die that's what we do." The fox was snorting angrily.
"Die?" Naruto froze. Was that really what had happened? No way, he was not dying, not yet. He had to make sure Tsunade got back to Konoha…he had to make sure Kakashi and Sasuke were alright. He couldn't die yet…he just couldn't…
"Please don't go…"
Naruto blinked for a moment. He felt heavy and like he was suffocating still but he was not in the cage with the fox. Instead he was looking up at a teal crystal hanging just below his chin. He focused in on it and began battling with his body's will to lose consciousness again. Slowly the feeling of suffocating was lessening but he still felt heavy… and like rain was hitting his chest.
Where did my shirt go? Why is it raining, the sun was out before…wait… He finally focused in enough on what was attached to the crystal dangling above his head and saw Tsunade bent over him, her arms outstretched and down towards him. I guess she is a medical ninja…is she crying??
He finally got his arm to work enough and he reached up to finger the little crystal and smiled.
"Remember our bet…" Naruto smirked at her happily when she gasped and sat up straighter to watch him. "You won't go back on your word will you?"
"Naruto!" Riri's face covered his own as the dog rubbed his head around his neck and whimpered. He wanted to reach up and reassure Riri but found he was again losing the ability to focus on things too clearly.
"You stupid foolish boy…" Tsunade was sniffing. She clasped his hand away from the crystal and smiled a bit. "I know we changed our bet…but I want to see you wear this."
Tsunade could not explain exactly what had just happened or why she was crying but she knew what she had to do. She slipped the teal green gem off from around her neck and placed it around his while laying his head down gently. He was unconscious again but he was breathing at least and that was enough for her right now.
This boy…this little Genin…had done the impossible. He had learned the Rasengan within a week. And his words still resounded in her head just as they had days ago when he changed their bet: ninja should not go back on their word and he would not so she would not.
"Is he alright?" The dark-eyed dog was whining again, sniffing at Naruto's face then up to hers. She nodded and wiped at her eyes. This was not the time for crying and she knew she had to get her head back straight to deal with Orochimaru. She had hindered Jiraiya needlessly the night before and stubborn as he was the drug probably still was in his system.
A loud crash snapped both of them to attention and when she looked up all she could see was Orochimaru speeding towards her, a snake's head and a sword coming out of his mouth.
"He's coming for the boy!" She flinched. Orochimaru needed her alive, the only other sensible target was Naruto. Ririshii came to the same conclusion because the dog was standing square in front of Naruto and she, snarling viciously as the Snake Sannin barreled down upon them. "No I can't…he'll…"
And without a second thought she pushed the dog aside forcibly, landing the dog nearby with a thud and winced as the sword cut through her chest. She glared at Orochimaru as those yellow eyes opened wide and in surprise up at her, his sword still protruding from her back.
Finally the pain lanced up to her brain and she gasped slightly as Orochimaru jumped back and swallowed the sword again. Tsunade panted as she glared up at him…she had forgotten how utterly freaky her other teammate had been but now she remembered.
"Tsunade…you are the one person I wouldn't want to kill."
"Save it." Tsunade coughed and winced again. He had done a lot of damage with that one attack. She was going to have to use her trump card to get back on her feet again. "If I do nothing else, I will protect this boy…"
"Whatever for? He's only a lonely Genin…"
"If he is so insignificant…" Tsunade dug in her heels and stood in front of her former teammate. She still felt unsteady and was still preoccupied by the blood on her arms and chest, but she could not let him touch Naruto. "Then why are you trying to kill him?"
Things came to a standstill as Orochimaru snarled. She brought her hands together and formed the release seal and began to draw on the chakra stored behind her forehead. This was why she had created such a reservoir in the first place but she also knew the risk behind it.
"Lady Tsunade don't!!" Shizune's voice carried over the wind as the seal began to do what it was designed to do. At least Shizune was awake again; that meant she could leave the boy to her while she and Jiraiya finished this like they should have years ago.
Kabuto called out for Orochimaru and behind him she saw Jiraiya coming up from his hole. This was it then. The three of them had come to this so quickly and so easily before but this time around it was not going to be against a common enemy; it was going to be against each other.
She scrapped her thumb against a spot of blood, not even noting the texture of the act of it anymore, and drew a long line against her wrist, just as Orochimaru's 'boy' was doing for him. She took one more look to the boy behind her, the dog slinking up to protect said boy, and the little orange toad hanging on for dear life to the dog's back.
"This ends here now. I should have done like they would have done a longtime ago and protected the village." The dog's chocolate eyes pleaded up at her for a second before she returned her focus to the task at hand and she slammed her palm to the ground.
There was a reason they were called the Legendary three…and this was one of those reasons. The dog stood unsteadily atop the white slug's blue and white head. To her side was Gamabunta's familiar red body and ahead of them both was a towering purple snake with teal eyes.
This was ending here today, one way or another. For the sake of Dan and Nawaki's memory, for the sake of the blonde behind her who did not know when to give up, for the sake of a village she thought she had left behind.
And maybe perhaps for the sake of the old man who had always listened, always cared, and always tried to do his best to show her the way she was just too stubborn to see.
Author note x2: Okay before you all burn me at the stake for …'skipping' over the last part of this battle…hear me out. It essentially boils down to the same fight. Same shit happens because really Naruto is out of the picture and I feel bad enough for this one being 'cannonish' already. Two and this is guilty on my part…I really…REALLY want to be to the next chapter and in all honesty nothing changes so why rehash it. We're already here because we like and/or love Naruto so we know what happens here right?
Okay you can grab your torches and pitchforks. I feel bad for doing it but doing it all the same….hopefully following chapters will make up for this failure :D