Disclaimer; Don't own Naruto
Chapter 28
Uzumaki's Family
Kannon's warning was what had saved them. It might not have been wise spending years to master such a technique as being able to take over the mind of a bird and then learn to fly, blowing off other training as a result, but it was moments like this that made her truly appreciate Yamanaka Kannon's amazing ability to control a bird and scout from the sky.
Future generations of the Yamanaka family would be able to master the technique faster now that Kannon had found the way and the key.
Meiyo ran everyone forward at full speed. She was worried about Keiji and the others, but now was not the time for such worries. As such she tossed the worry aside. Keiji could handle himself.
She held back her sigh of relief when Keiji and his group, all of them, came into sight of her byakugan. As expected Kannon had been sent ahead, blood running down his arm. The moment Kannon joined them, Hinata made a set of seals with her hands Meiyo recognized.
"Good work Keiji-kun." Meiyo thought with a grin. "Those of you best at traps hold up and set some, all levels but extreme upper canopy." Meiyo commanded.
"But what of the others bringing up the rear?" Ino protested.
"Worried about Keiji no doubt. Those two have been inseparable since he saved her life. Seems like the ultimate curse of the Uchiha clan is to forever be stalked by lovesick puppies. At least this one seems to actually care about him and Keiji seems slightly smitten with her to.
"I best keep my eye on the situation just encase if she has plans to seduce him for her own ends. I doubt it as I sense nothing malicious from her, but the best hide their presence well. Still, I should alleviate her worry." Meiyo thought. "They have already been warned." Meiyo grinned at Shikamaru and Temari. "Good thing you sent Hinata with them. It lets me speak to Keiji." Meiyo explained.
"Speak to Keiji?" Temari asked confused.
"The byakugan." Shikamaru guessed with a grin. "You can see Hinata and she can see you."
"Correct. Hinata may not know the hand codes we use, but Keiji can translate well enough and show her which ones to send." She admitted, not surprised Shikamaru had figured it out so fast, he was a Nara after all and that family was well known for its amazing ability to strategize and work out puzzles.
Meiyo came to stop and started to set traps, several of the others also stopping. They set them up on all levels but extreme upper. Keiji would be sure to make sure they kept to the tops and go over the traps.
She grinned as she noticed several of Tomeo's Kikai sitting on the traps, clearly marking them for Shino.
"Smart thinking Tomeo-chan." She silently complemented. "What ever ones Hinata-chan's Byakugan misses Shino will find."
They finished setting the traps and ran to catch up to the others.
"We made a fair bit of distance before stopping last night, and we have made lots today. We should be at the river soon." She stated.
"Than what?" Temari demanded.
"We follow it down stream and pray we can make it to Sanctuary." She answered.
"Wouldn't that be leading our enemies to you?" Shikamaru pointed out.
"He seems worried about that. Good. It means he truly does seem to care. I have never been wrong when reading the personality of another, but there is always a first." She thought, pleased he truly did seem to be worried. "Hai, but we have much better defences and far more fighters there. We will be able to eliminate them.
"Easily." She added silently. "The rest of the younger Chuunin, almost all of the Genin, and a few Jounin, along with four ANBU members, are guarding that base. We will be able to crush those following us without needed to fear for and protect the civilians."
Shikamaru looked sceptical, but didn't argue. The sound of rushing water reached her ears as they approached the river. She spun around mid leap and sent a message back, reminding Keiji that they were heading down stream and to not cross the river.
She could see those pursuing her now. They were still behind Keiji's group, but she was a little worried at the apparent lack of numbers. Hinata sent her back several sets of signals, and Meiyo bit back the foul curse she wanted to spew. The message was not a good one.
"Damn." She cursed.
"What is it?" Shikamaru demanded.
"The group chasing us has split up. Another group is moving to head us off. If we are going to get the civilians past them we are going to have to send a group to counter them and lead them on a false trail." Meiyo answered. "Uzumaki, Tsume, Inuka. Head to our eastern flank and see if you can't slow them down." She ordered without hesitation.
"Hai." All three responded before splitting from the group.
The three of them had done this many times in the past. Usually she would go with them as well, but she couldn't afford to leave the main group right now. The safety of the children was more important.
"Why those three?" Temari asked her in clear confusion.
"Tsume and Inuka to find them and Uzumaki to fight them off if they fail or are discovered." She answered.
"I'll go with." Naruto offered, and bolted after the other three.
Meiyo was stunned by the offer, but didn't protest. Naruto had proven himself adept at combat and had quickly become a close friend with Uzumaki. In truth she felt a little better that Naruto was going with them.
"That boy has the potential to be ANBU by now if he took the test." She thought grudgingly. "He has both the power and the right determination to be a good entrance level ANBU."
"Oi, Naruto." Shikamaru shouted in protest.
"You have Gaara and Sasuke, you don't need me." Naruto shouted back as he caught up to and joined the others.
"Let him go. His Kage Bunshin no Jutsu will help them out of a tough spot if they get into one." Temari cut off any further protest.
"How troublesome." Shikamaru growled.
If it was one thing Meiyo had learned about him, it was that Shikamaru was overly found of that saying. She turned her attention to what was going on ahead of them. They ran for several more minutes, the sound of explosions reached their ears after several minutes, well after Keiji and the others had by passed the set traps as she had expected they would.
"They found our traps." Meiyo explained. "Keiji and the others have almost caught up and should be joining us soon."
Her prediction was right. Keiji joined them just as Nikuyaku's warning of the river reached them. The river was now to one side, the forest to the other. Through her byakugan Meiyo could see the enemy closing the distance. The traps had slowed them down, but hadn't stopped them.
"Damn, at this rate they are going to catch up before we can get to a defensible position. Uzumaki, Tsume, Inuka, Naruto, you had better delay that group moving to flank us or we are going to be in big trouble." She thought in slight annoyance. "It will be a pain to have to show them my true potential and power before I am one hundred percent certain I can trust them. Even the best friend can turn into an enemy when jealousy rears its ugly head."
A shout from Zihna in the lead prevented her from cursing aloud by pure will alone. They had been cut off. She felt a twinge of fear for Tsume and the others, but set it aside. No doubt the flanking group had been big and Tsume hadn't been able to draw them all away.
"Let us hope he drew enough away that we can handle what is ahead." Meiyo silently prayed as Gaara set up his wall of Suna in a dome around the kids to defend them. "Useful ability that. Out of everyone here, he panics the least. He seems to care about everyone and the children find him amazing. Judging by his attitude he did not have a pleasant past, but is trying hard to make up for past mistakes. He is very intriguing." Meiyo thought as she spun around, deflecting an attack coming at them with her Kaiten.
Around her Zihna, Neji, Hinata and Hanabi also countered the sudden rain of projectiles with their own various levels of Kaiten.
Neji and Zihna were on par with power and Hanabi showed potential. Hinata showed the weakest, but her specialty lay in different areas, areas Meiyo had never thought possible and found amazing.
"Perhaps an exchange of skills is in order. Kannon's animal controlling for Hinata's medical expertise. I wonder what other skills we can trade. Perhaps meeting Shikamaru's group was the best thing to have ever happened to us."
Meiyo put the thought aside for now, this was not the best place for an in depth analysis of trading skills.
Through her Byakugan Meiyo tried to keep track of the entire field. Shikamaru was standing next to Gaara on a sled of floating suna, the best place he could be. Temari was countering projectiles and occasionally attacking with her fan, the chakra imbedded wind ripping up the forest and giving the enemy less cover to attack from while threatening them with falling debris at the same time. It was kind of amusing to watch the panic on their faces as the forest fell around them.
With the large group of people fighting, there was little room for large techniques to be thrown out without fear of hitting others. The enemy also had a much larger force set into two lines.
They managed to continue to inch down stream, but they were getting nowhere fast. The ones that had been pointed out to her to be Yashero's shinobi were attacking them head on with back up support in the form of Jutsu's and thrown weapons coming from the ones labelled as Kenari's.
While fighting one on one with one opponent, Kenari's shinobi were hitting them with needles and shiruken, no doubt dipped in poison judging by the effects it had on those hit.
Those with Byakugan and those with the Sharingan were holding up all right, their ability to see or predict the attacks letting them counter them and help defend others. Temari was using her fan to defend herself and Tenten was able to easily deflect attacks coming her way.
Kannon, already wounded, took several hits, but Ino caught him before he could fall and Kageko quickly came to her team mates rescue.
"Useless, floundering bird, why do we even keep you around." Kageko snapped in irritation.
"Less yapping and more fighting you useless shadow hiding coward." Kannon snapped back, those his voice was slightly slurred from the poison.
Meiyo resisted the urge to shake her head in amusement. Those two argued over everything no matter the situation, but neither had ever failed to defend the other or to support each other.
Ino helped Kannon over to Sakura, who was being defended by Hinata. Meiyo was relieved to see that the Genin from Konoha were defending Chiyu and Doku. Both were skilled and she was impressed with their abilities and pleased to see all four of them working together.
Kiba and Akamaru where spinning around all over the place, using the speed and unpredictability of their attacks to keep relatively safe while Choji was using his strength to lift boulder and trees to use as weapons that would scatter concentrated groups of their opponents.
The other fought in their own styles and unconsciously started to form their Genin team groups with a few exceptions. Sasuke and Nori seemed to form up as one team. Ino stood behind Keiji and was doing a surprisingly amazing job covering his back with several different forms of well placed, low level genjutsu or a well placed kunai.
A shinobi, clearly Jounin level, appeared before Kageko. Kageko leaped back out of physical attack range, to run smack into a fire Jutsu fired off by one of Kenari's Shinobi. Meiyo felt her heart flutter in fear, but Kageko quickly landed and rolled along the ground, smothering the flames before she could be burnt too badly.
Her rolling left her almost at Chiyu's feet, who quickly turned her attention away from healing a nasty gash in Nikuyaku's leg, who quickly returned to the field, to start healing the burns on Kageko's body.
Meiyo let out the breath she had been holding, spinning around in another Kaiten to counter another series of attacks. When she came out of the spin she noticed Gaara had erected a suna wall around the medics, relieving them of the pressure they had been under.
"Good." Meiyo thought in relief. "That is one man I can grow to admire." She admitted. "He is concentrating all of his chakra on defending those unable to defend themselves. No wonder he is Kazekage. He is putting his people's, or in this case allies, safety first before his own."
She had a few seconds breathing space and used it to her advantage to scope the field out again. Two new people, both wearing black and red cloaks and straw hats that hid their faces, blocked the path ahead of them.
She had no idea who they were but their very posture sent warnings rushing through her system. They seemed board and unconcerned about what was going on around them. The only other thing of note was that the one called Yashero was fighting Genma and Lee, easily fending both Jounin off and trying to make his way to Kiba.
She signalled Keiji and Nori over to assist the besieged Jounin, silently impressed with just how powerful Yashero was, but unable to deal with him at the moment herself. The two in front of them worried her.
Meiyo joined Shikamaru and Gaara on top of the suna shield. She had been fighting for some time, but she was hardly exhausted or even pressed. This was nothing to her. The main problem was that she couldn't be everywhere at once and these shinobi were not mere chumps she could just defeat easily without reviling more then she wished to.
"There are two men off to the side that have only been watching thus far. Their power is strong, stronger then anyone else here." Meiyo calmly told them.
"Where?" Shikamaru demanded.
"There." She pointed off to the side. "One has a big sword wrapped up on his back. The other has no distinctive features I can see." She explained.
"The one with the sword must be Kisame." Shikamaru cursed.
"Is he strong?"
"Strong enough, but he isn't the one we should be worried about. It's his partner." Shikamaru grumbled.
"The one you said was Uchiha Itachi. They are on our path."
Both Shinobi did seem strong to her, but she was sure she could get them to move. Shikamaru had already warned her about them and she had no doubt that out of the two, Itachi was the strongest, maybe even stronger then her. She didn't want to test that out in their current situation.
It was true she had full training on how to deal with a Sharingan user and had defeated many of them in the past, Keiji and his father among them. She trained with Keiji constantly just for that reason alone. And while neither Keiji nor his father were the strongest users of the Sharingan in Seika, they were not the weakest either.
"Beating the Sharingan is all about eye placement. Many of the Sharingan users come to rely on their ability to trap their target in a genjutsu or to read their targets movements that when they can't it throws them off balance, making them extremely weak against taijutsu. Also, if they can't keep up with what they are seeing, they are also made useless." Meiyo told herself as she studied her two obstacles
"I could take one of them at a time, but not both. I have no choice but to summon him. Akadoku has a natural resistance to Genjutsu's so he should be okay. I just need to get them to move so we can make it past them. I do not want to cross the river if it can be avoided. Akadoku it is than. If that doesn't work, than we cross the river and pray we all live." She thought determined.
"Damn." Shikamaru cursed from her side.
"We will have to remove them." She stated calmly, having already come to her decision.
"Remove them? And how do you plan on doing that?" Shikamaru demanded.
"I did not want to show this, but the situation leaves us no alternative. I will need room if I am to summon him." She answered.
"Him?" Shikamaru questioned.
She ignored Shikamaru's question as she leaped down from the suna wall and calmly walked out onto the water, stopping a few feet out. She bit her thumb, preformed several seals, than slammed her hand on the water.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu; Akadoku." She shouted.
She was erupted from the river as Akadoku appeared with an explosion of smoke and a hiss.
His frill was fully opened, his fangs barred as he hissed and lashed his tail, causing water to shoot up in a spray. He looked like a far larger image of Dokutsume, and indeed he was the younger snakes older sibling and partner to Doku's brother.
Meiyo was just glad he had answered her summons and had not been held up by Doku's older brother, leading her to believe that they were not currently on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, Akadoku owed her nothing and while he offered his services to Doku's older brother for free, they were partners after all, she was not so lucky as to get off so easily. Every time she was forced to summon him, it cost her.
"Meiyo-chan, are you willing to pay me for my services." Akadoku asked in their usual ritual after she had summoned him.
"Hai, Akadoku-san. I apologize for summoning you." She answered respectfully.
"Huh, things were getting boring. I see your party has grown larger since you left Seika." Akadoku commented.
"Hai."
Good. He had answered her unasked question about how everyone's parents were doing and how the battle had been going without her having to ask. If Akadoku was bored, it meant that the battles were quieting down and everyone from Seika was more or less all right.
"Anyone I have to leave alive?" Akadoku asked, surveying the battlefield.
"Iie." She answered.
"Good." He grinned.
Akadoku slithered forward with such speed that almost any other shinobi would have went flying off his head and rolled over his back. Meiyo was use to his lightning fast movements and had braced herself, locking onto his scaly hide with chakra.
They charged straight toward were the members of Akatsuki were blocking their path, bowling over all stupid enough to get in their way instantly killing or maiming the baka's.
Meiyo ignored them in favour of their targets, currently standing on an oak tree further down the bank. One was clearly Kisame, meaning the other could only be Itachi. Both stood their ground, seeming uninterested in the very large snake shooting their way.
Kisame, for that was who it had to be with the sword strapped to his back, performed several seal with such speed even she had to admit she was impressed.
"Suiton; Daaibakufu no Jutsu." Kisame shouted.
A pillar of water shot from the river to collide with Akadoku's head with such force that it sent Akadoku careening slightly off to the side, thus going past an unmoving Kisame and Itachi to crush the trees to the side.
Meiyo was impressed by the strength of the jutsu and had nearly been dislodged herself. Few had ever been able to deflect Akadoku's full speed and she move Kisame's annoyance level up a few notches. Itachi hadn't moved and seemed disinterested in the fight. That was fine by her. She didn't want to fight them, just get them to move so they could get passed.
Akadoku regained his balance and hissed at their targets in annoyance.
"Akadoku-san, flame." She shouted.
"Hai."
Akadoku fired a stream of poison at the two men. Meiyo quickly formed several seals.
"Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu." She declared as a stream of fire shot from her mouth to mix with the stream of highly flammable poison Akadoku was shooting from his fangs.
The entire field was light up as the resulting blast of fire made its way towards the two unmoving members of Akatsuki.
Once more Kisame made seals while Itachi did nothing.
"Suiton; Suijinheki no Jutsu."
A stream of water shot from Kisame, interrupting the flow of fire. Steam rushed out in all directions when the two jutsu's collided, fogging up the battlefield.
"Alright, this is getting really annoying." Meiyo grumbled to herself.
Akadoku shifted under her and the sound of his tail crashing into trees reached her ears. This time both members of Akatsuki did move, leaping clear of the attack as the tree they had been standing in was obliterated into matchsticks.
With her byakugan she saw Shikamaru gather everyone in and start them moving into the mist, no doubt planning to use it to cover their retreat. Above her a loud scream from a falcon let her know Kannon was in the air again, most likely scouting ahead to make sure the trail was clear.
"Good thinking." She silently complimented them, as her eyes remained focused on the two members of Akatsuki.
She formed several more seals while Akadoku coiled himself under her.
"Katon; Housenka." She shouted, several blast of fire shooting up into the air at her two targets.
She had to keep the two of them occupied with her so Shikamaru and Temari could get the others through and away.
Her attack missed and she wasn't surprised, but she seemed to have both of their attentions now. Itachi still hadn't attacked her, but his eyes were now focused on her. She made sure to keep her gaze to the side so as not to look into his eyes.
Kisame looked both delighted and annoyed. Delighted at having found a good play toy and annoyed at having to deal with her at the same time. Itachi said something to Kisame, what she wasn't sure, but Kisame did grin and step up, drawing his big blade while he did so.
Itachi, on the other hand, turned his back to her and was clearly intending on going after the others, leaving Kisame to deal with her.
"Oh no you don't." She silently vowed.
"Akadoku-san, we can't let them cut the others off." She shouted.
"Hai." Akadoku agreed as he shot forward again.
Kisame formed several seals, than shouted out his jutsu.
"Suiton; Suijinheki no jutsu."
A large burst of water came rushing at them bigger than the last time he had done it. It was like a giant tidal wave was rushing at them.
"Meiyo-chan." Akadoku shouted.
"Got it covered. Just keep them distracted." She shouted back as she started to form seals.
"Doton; Doryuuheki no jutsu."
A wall of earth erupted between them and the oncoming tidal wave. Meiyo had built it in such a way as to deflect the water away from where Shikamaru and the others were.
"Nani." Kisame shouted in disbelief.
Akadoku easily scaled the defensive wall and shot out over the water to land on the other side, landing in front of Itachi and swinging his tail around in a giant sweep to stop the man's retreat, his massive tail ripping up trees but missed Itachi, who had managed to dodge the attack and was now glaring at her in clear annoyance.
"He still doesn't see me as a threat, only an annoyance. Fine by me. The more they underestimate me, the more time I have to give to Shikamaru and the others." She thought as she formed seals again.
She had no doubt Itachi knew what she was doing, his Sharingan would show him her every move, but she could still hope to distract him and force him to pay attention to her if she kept her speeds high enough.
"Katon; Karyuu Endan."
The blast of fire that erupted from her mouth rushed towards him in the shape of a dragon. Kisame appeared before him and slashed with his sword, dispelling the attack by devouring the chakra.
"Shit, that's going to be annoying, good thing I avoided close combat."
Kisame rushed them this time, sword held to the side as Itachi's eye twitched.
"Damn he's fast." She cursed. "Gomen Akadoku-san." She apologized as she leaped from the snakes head just as Kiasme's sword slashed in front of the snake, his sword stealing all the chakra holding Akadoku here.
"I expect to be paid later." Akadoku stated calmly as the technique was dispelled. "I will see you around."
Akadoku disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Damn I didn't think Itachi was that strong. To use a Kanashibari no Jutsu so fast and efficiently was something not even I could do." She moved Itachi's power up to near a kage's level, if not greater.
"Kaiten." She shouted, countering the rain of kunai Itachi had thrown at her, all with a minimal amount of effort that made her wonder if he was lazy or just one hell of a show off.
She came out of the spin and ducked under Kisame's swing at the last second, losing a bit of her hair to his sword in the process. He seemed surprised she had dodged, though by now he should have at least expected her to be that good.
"Bastard." She snarled. "You are within my deviation." She commented with a smirk.
"Nani." Kisame demanded.
"Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou." She declared, than rushed forward.
She struck the stunned man twice, than four times, than eight, than sixteen, then she was forced to jump back as Itachi came to Kisame's rescue, having clearly recognized the technique and what she was doing, interrupting her jutsu. She back flipped out of the way, losing more hair, this time to Itachi's kunai.
"Kaiten." She shouted again, picking up a whirl of dust and deflecting the kunai Itachi had thrown at her.
Four screams from Kannon sounded the all clear. Grinning, she rushed at Itachi and Kisame, completely open. Kisame was catching his breath, half of his vital tenketsu points sealed. Itachi calmly raised a kunai and threw it at her.
She formed several seals behind her back, and let the kunai hit her dead in the forehead. Kisame grunted a laugh while Itachi narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Her body exploded in a wash of smoke to reveal a log.
In the mist from the original clashing of her and Kisame's jutsu's, he could not track her with his Sharingan. She raced ahead and came out of the mist, her byakugan now clear and able to see the others ahead of her, everyone accounted for.
"Good work, Temari, Shikamaru." She silently congratulated them. "You gave us a bit of time. Alright my friends, now that we are clear, you know what to do."
Sure enough Genkakau fell back to the rear of the party and started to form a long sequence of complicated seals. Meiyo leaped off to the side, knowing just what he planned on doing. It wouldn't stop Itachi, but it would slow the others down. Her byakugan could clearly see that the other mercenaries had made it past the mist and were no longer hesitant about moving on now that Akadoku had been unsummoned.
She was exhausted, having used up a very large portion of her chakra in summoning Akadoku and fighting Kisame. She had no doubt Kisame was also exhausted and being half sealed messing up his chakra control. She prayed Itachi would remain by his partner's side. If Itachi did come after her right now, she would be in big trouble.
So far only the mercenaries seemed to be after them, Kenari and her scent hounds in the lead. They did get caught in Genkaku's trap, but Kenari was no fool and broke all three layers easily. Yashero's shinobi were not so smart and Meiyo had no doubt that the trap would have been efficient had Kenari not been there to rescue them.
"Just how many men does Yashero-san have? He has lost the most out of everyone but his numbers don't seem to dwindle much. I will grant that they haven't fallen into the same trap twice, but they still keep walking into things a Genin could avoid." She wondered.
She had no doubt that the enemy was going to catch up, and soon. Already Kenari had almost caught up to her. They were going to get tied down again. There was no way they were going to make it to the base, not with everyone exhausted.
Kenari had been holding her shinobi back. Meiyo was half empty from fighting Kisame and the others were in no better condition.
"We have no choice. We are going to have to cross the river. I had wanted to avoid this, but we are going to need the back up." She thought in defeat.
She caught up to the others and ran ahead to meet up with Shikamaru, who was at the head of the part.
"Everyone cross the river." She commanded.
"Nani?" Shikamaru demanded. "You said no matter what don't cross the river."
"I am changing that now. Everyone cross the river." She commanded.
She fell back to Iruka and Genma, Shikamaru following her, clearly wanting an answer to his question. Genma had taken some damage from fighting Yashero, but Sakura seemed to have healed him and was working on getting some chakra back into Genkaku.
"Iruka, Genma, once we cross the river and reach the tree line you must both fall to your knees and bow your heads. No matter what happens, DO NOT MOVE." She commanded.
"Nani?" Iruka asked confused.
"Just do it." She commanded as she fell back again to Gaara's side.
He wasn't a youkai, or even half youkai, but it would be best to follow procedure as if he was just to be on the safe side. She most definitely didn't want to offend the rulers of the other side. She was risking a lot by bringing Genma and Iruka onto the land as it was.
She caught sight of Uzumaki and the others through her byakugan, all of them looking fine and annoyed, as if they had spent the entire time running around in circles, and they probably had been. Good. Uzumaki was the key element in this next scenario.
"Gaara, remain on this side until Uzumaki catches up to us. They will be here in a moment."
"You told us not to cross the river." Gaara stated calmly.
" I am rectifying that order now."
She ran forward again to run next to Iruka and Genma. "Remember, no matter what, drop to your knees at the tree line and do not move from that position."
If she did this right, if they obeyed her, they just might live. It was a big gamble bringing both adults onto these lands. She could only hope that they passed whatever test the lord and lady of these lands might give them.
Everyone who needed to be warned had been and she led them across the river. Gaara stayed behind as she had asked him to, standing on the bank and waiting for Uzumaki and the others. She fell back to the rear.
Naruto stuck close to the three shinobi from Seika, trusting them to know the terrain, until they split up, Inuko and Uzumaki running off to the side and ahead of them. With his enhanced senses, thanks to Kyuubi, he could pick up the scents of the enemies that were close by and still trace Inuko and Uzumaki. He had no doubt there were too many opponents for them to efficiently distract.
"We will just have to draw as many of them away as we can." He thought determined.
All of them could tell right where the enemy was. When they got closer, Naruto unleashed his chakra, letting it swirl around him in a red vortex, trying to draw as much attention to him as he could.
His temporary team mates looked at him in shock as his chakra solidified round him in the image of Kyuubi, four tails lashing behind him. His eyes were red and slit and his fangs and nails sharpened. His whiskers became more defined.
Unlike the fist time and several other times right after the first, Naruto was in complete control and still able to think rationally, even though Kyuubi was calling for blood and shaking in excitement on the other side of his cell.
It was a small price to pay for Kyuubi power and co-operation. If letting the kitsune ride his mind in combat helped smooth things over between them, then Naruto was willing to let it go, though he drew the line at eating raw meat.
He raced ahead of Tsume a blazing form of chakra. The enemy troop was expecting them, Naruto's chakra had to be sensed a mile away at the moment, but they didn't expect a horse sized kitsune and a swirling vortex of claws.
Most of the enemy troop froze when the saw the youkai possessed boy flying straight at them. Naruto tore through the centre of the group, but didn't stop and turn around, instead he continued on.
He didn't kill very many in the initial strike, but he did wound many and cause a lot of confusion. The swirling tsuuga of Tsume also added to the confusion as she followed in his wake. It didn't take long for the enemy to send a unit after them. It wasn't all of them, but it was enough to at least give Shikamaru and the others enough of a break that they should be able to at least fend them off without being taken down right away.
They continued to run with their enemies behind them. They kept just enough of a lead to keep out of immediate attack range while still being close enough to continue to give the enemy the illusion that they had a chance to catch them. He caught a strong whiff of Inuko' scent, and leaped up into the tops of the trees, followed by Tsume.
The enemy didn't have that kind of warning like scent, and ran head on into the field of traps set by Uzumaki and Inuko. The field dissolved into a mass of battles and explosions as traps triggered and ambushes were sprung. Naruto held back on techniques and kept the fight to Taijutsu. In all of the confusion jutsu's could quickly be used against the user and his or her allies.
His world narrowed to him and the opponents within his sphere. He kept track of the other three by scent and almost wished that Kiba and Akamaru were here. He had never fought with these three before so they had no rhythm.
Uzumaki he was able to figure out quickly enough. The two of them had similar personalities and abilities due to their relationships with kitsune's. Tsume, on the other hand, fought differently then Kiba did. She was less wild and more controlled. Inuko and Tsume were also use to fighting with three instead of two so their techniques were slightly different then Kiba and Akamaru's.
He adapted of course, one couldn't be a good shinobi if one could not adapt to changing environments. He didn't worry about killing, only knocking out and taking care off. There were too many opponents to worry about following through with a kill.
When the last one went down in a moaning heap, they wasted no time in running back towards the river to meet up with the others.
"What is she thinking?" Tsume questioned as the scent of the others reached them, as well as the scent of blood and many opponents.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, dropping his chakra form, his wounds already healing slowly.
None of them got out unscratched, though none of their wounds were fatal, just annoying. Kyuubi healed Naruto and the youkai blood flowing through Uzumaki and Tsume also increased their healing abilities.
"She's crossing the river." Uzumaki exclaimed in disbelief.
"I though she said not to cross the river." Naruto stated confused.
"Things must be really bad then." Tsume snarled. "Uzumaki."
"Hai. Naruto, you have my permission to walk my lands."
"Huh." Naruto looked at Uzumaki in surprise, but didn't question him.
The sound of the river reached his ears the closer they got, as well as the scent of blood and the scent of many unknown people. There was also a hint of something else he didn't recognize, but none of the others seemed concerned so he dismissed it as unimportant.
Inside, Kyuubi stirred and became a little restless. Naruto ignored the Kitsune in favour of feeling relief when they came into the clearing and spotted the others. Hinata among them and looking relatively uninjured. A quick head count accounted for everyone.
Uzumaki said something to Gaara as they ran past him to join up with the others Naruto wasting no time to get to Hinata's side. She smiled up at him shyly before turning her attention back to the army that appeared before them. That was when all hell broke loose.
(break)
Uzumaki and the others appeared. Naruto seemed confused, but was otherwise following the others lead.
"You have my permission to enter my lands." Uzumaki stated to Gaara as they ran past him.
Gaara blinked in surprise, but did follow Uzumaki and the others across the river to join the others at the forest edge.
"Everyone stop." Meiyo commanded as they reached the tree line and turned about to face the river.
Kannon, still in the body of a falcon, gave a screech indicating imminent danger before landed on the tree branch and cancelling the jutsu. The falcon he had used blinked in surprise, than took off. The first falcon he had used was still asleep and resting on one of Gaara's suna sleds.
"Iruka, Genma, down on your knees with heads bowed now." Meiyo shouted once they had stopped.
Both shinobi looked at her in surprise, but did follow her orders.
Kenari and Yashero appeared on the other side of the river. Kenari came to a halt, her hounds whimpering and refusing to go further. She called her warriors to stop, but Yashero sneered and his warriors continued forward.
"No doubt her hounds have picked up the scent of the taiyoukai of these lands and know better than to cross the river. Kenari knows to trust her hounds' instincts and has called a halt. And, once again, Yashero-san's stupidity is shown as his warriors cross the river. Baka's. At the rate they are going he will have no shinobi left by the end of this race." Meiyo thought in contempt.
At her feet Genma and Iruka twitched, clearly wanting to rise up to defend themselves from the attackers who had foolishly crossed the river.
"Do not move." Meiyo repeated firmly.
The ground trembled, the trees shock. Yashero's warriors came to a stop, a look of pure terror and horror on their faces.
"Do not move." Her voice was calm.
She was not worried about her or the other children safety. The lord and lady of this land refused to harm children, but adults were considered corrupted and often tainted and unwelcome.
Behind her, Kageko stood ready to use her Kagemane to hold them both in place if necessary.
Her fur was a bright, golden, yellow. Six tails lashed behind the female Kitsune that landed between them and the enemy shinobi. The ground shock as she landed and she bared her fangs in a challenging roar before charging Yashero's shinobi. The wiser ones quickly ran back across the river, the not so smart ones standing to fight. They died quickly in the fangs and paws of the furious Kitsune.
"No matter what happens, do not move from the position." Meiyo said firmly as both men looked ready to bolt.
Meiyo had no doubt that their experiences with Kyuubi brought about this reaction in them. Behind her Kageko clasped her hands together, ready to snare them should they bolt.
The kitsune was not as big as Kyuubi had been, maybe a half to a quarter of the size, but the power she wielded was not slight. She chased the men to the river, but stopped at the edge, snarling in rage and frustration.
She would not cross the river as it was no longer on her lands and the men had taken nothing to give her cause to chase them.
Kenari was still standing on the other side, looking slightly disturbed, but remaining calm. Her hounds trembled at her heels. She walked slowly backwards, ordering her charges to do the same.
Meiyo was impressed and upped her respect for the woman. Kenari was one hell of a tracker and a wise woods master. Meiyo silently hoped that a peaceful resolution could be met with the woman as Kenari continued to earn her respect.
The threat gone to her lands, the kitsune turned her attention to them. The shinobi from Konoha and Suna were trembling in fear and apprehension while the shinobi and civilians of Seika were calm and wisely whispering for the others to remain so.
The kitsune walked calmly up to Genma and Iruka, who were both trembling in fear and awe at the might of the creature standing before them. She stopped and lowered her head, sniffing each of them once, then stood up and paced around them.
"You smell of blood." She stated, her voice soft and loud all at the same time. "You have spilt blood in the past, though I do not scent the smell of innocent blood upon you."
She stopped before Genma.
"You defend these children?" The kitsune question him.
"Hai." He stammered out.
She lifted her paw to her mouth and nipped it, then held her paw above his head, allowing a single drop of her blood to land upon him.
"You have my permission to walk these lands for as long as you are here and defend these children. But the moment you spill innocent blood, your life will be forfeit should you touch these lands again. Should you wish to enter these lands after leaving, you must once again ask for permission"
She turned her attention to Iruka, sniffing him, than took several steps back in clear surprise.
"In all of my life I have never met an adult as pure as you. You do not smell of blood and have an innocents around you I have never seen before." She declared.
She raised her paw to her mouth and nipped it again, allowing five drops of blood to land on Iruka's head before moving her paw around and, somehow, managing to remove his forehead protector and draw a symbol on his forehead with the blood she had spilt on him without harming him.
"For as long as you live you have my permission to walk these lands and the lands of my family ere the day you draw innocent blood." She declared. "For never have I seen one with a soul as pure as yours."
She took several steeps back, than shimmered and was enveloped it a golden light before shrinking down to human size. When the light left her, the kitsune stood before them in human form.
Golden eyes were still slit and all six tails still stood behind her. Her hair was golden red and her kimono was the most elegant thing any human had ever laid eyes on.
"Meiyo-chan, it has been a while." The kitsune greeted her.
"Deryala-sama, please forgive our intrusions onto your lands, but we were in a bad fix." Meiyo bowed polity to her.
"The children of our long time standing allies of Seika are always welcomed on these lands." Deryala declared.
"Arigato." Meiyo bowed again.
Daryala turned to Tsume next.
"Katsuki-sama's Heir is always welcomed on these lands." Daryala bowed politely to Tsume. "It is good to see you again Tsume-san."
"I thank you for permitting me to visit your lands, Daryala-san." Tsume bowed politely back.
Daryala turned to look at Naruto and Gaara.
"Perhaps introduction and explanations about you two are best left for latter." Daryala commented.
"Ah, sure." Naruto stated, clearly confused as to what was going on.
Gaara merely bowed politely to her.
With the absence of bloodshed, the shinobi from Konoha and Suna were slowly starting to relax a little. It was clear to them that this Kitsune was a friend of those from Seika.
"Now that the formalities are aside, are you just passing through or can I convince you to come to the castle to rest for a while and share news?" Daryala asked.
"I would appreciate that." Meiyo answered. "We have many wounded and chakra deprived among us."
"Then let us go to the castle, where we will tend to your wounded and you may rest before continuing your journey."
"Yeah." The kids from Seika shouted.
Now that all formalities were aside, Meiyo stepped aside and Uzumaki went flying past her strait for the Daryala.
"Obasan." Uzumaki shouted as he caught the kitsune woman up in a giant hug.
"Uzumaki-chan." Daryala greeted the excited boy warmly.
"How are Jiichan and Bachan doing?" Uzumaki demanded.
Daryala chuckled. "They are fine."
As if the ice had been shattered, the rest of the children from Seika swarmed the kitsune, having absolutely no fear of the powerful creature. Even the teenagers greeted her warmly.
Meiyo turned her attention away from the scene to glance down at a stunned Genma and Iruka, who both looked like landed fish.
"You two can stand up now." She commented casually.
Both adults looked up at her, than slowly got back to their feet. Most of the others from Konoha and Suna were sceptical of the situation and kept a distance from Daryala with one hand always near a weapon.
Naruto was right in there with Uzumaki, as were many of the children from Konoha who had been dragged in by their friends from Seika. Daryala managed to regain order and suggested they start moving.
Meiyo agreed and crisply ordered everyone to stand down and get moving. Now that they were safe on these lands, there was no need to keep a proper formation. She took the lead with Daryala and the others followed in various pairs and groups.
"By sundown I will finally be able to change my clothes and have a nice, hot bath and wash my hair. We can have a decent, home cooked meal and I can get a full nights rest." She thought somewhat dreamily.
"You have others with you not of Seika." Daryala commented.
"Hai." She agreed, her voice showing her exhausting for the first time as her adrenaline finally ran out.
Behind her she could see the other shinobi start to show the same signs of exhaustion. Many were leaning on others for support and Sakura, Hinata, Chiyu and Doku were going through the ranks, stopping the worse of the bleeding and taking care of anything that could be a danger before they made it to the castle. Everyone was going to sleep deeply tonight.
Right now Meiyo just wanted to sleep walk, but Daryala was owed an explanation. The children of Seika had long been permitted to seek amity on these lands. It was only fair for Meiyo to explain why she had brought others with her and the possible danger she had brought to these lands.
She explained the situation to a silent Daryala, who listen with clear interest. Her parents had fought Vouma-sama after all and were long standing allies of Seika. The news of Kyuubi stunned the kitsune, but Daryala wanted to consult with her parents first before making a move against Naruto.
Eventually Meiyo grew too exhausted to continue the story, going so far as to actually having to drop the byakugan. Daryala thanked her and moved forward to walk alone; clearly wanting to think on the news she had learned. Meiyo just grinned and allowed Tsume to catch her as she finally permted herself to pass out.
Well, there is the next chapter, sorry it took so long but I didn't like parts of it and had to change it before posting. I put Meiyo as the main Character for this fight to introduce the reader to some of her abilities and gain an understanding of just how powerful she is. The rest of the story should focus on the group from Konoha now.
The kitsune family will be around for a few chapter, than I don't think we see them again. Mostly they are just an introduction to Uzumaki's family, we will meet Tsume's later, as in the next book latter.
Next chapter we return to Kurenai and the kids and should be a faster update. See you then.
