Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.
Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), some moderate Dumbledore bashing (he's more manipulative than evil but mostly just stubborn), and who knows what else.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 28: The Festering Wounds of Hate
When their party finally left the restaurant, Satoshi sent Arashi to help Shizune escort the Hokage's entourage back to their hotel rooms while Aranami helped him take his group back to the guest house. He might have been slightly more worried if not for the fact that Arashi had stated there would be no trouble (his memories of what came after the meal unimpeded which told Satoshi it had only been the memory of the Hokage's speech or possibly the entire meal that had been blocked and not the entire day).
Unknown to anyone outside of those that knew about Satoshi's ability to relive time through his magic, the silent assurances that had been given to him by his older selves throughout their stay in Iwa had allowed for him to present a perfectly calm façade which had in turn impressed the Tsuchikage as it gave the appearance of absolute trust. Which was true; though not quite in the way the leader of Iwa saw it. Satoshi's trust was actually for his future selves to give him adequate warning should something go wrong rather than in the Tsuchikage's word, though he did trust the man up to a certain point.
His faith (and through him that of the twins) was something that completely baffled Tsunade and Shizune as they truly saw no reason for Satoshi and the twin's calm contentment; the two kunoichi unaware of any of the secrets that Satoshi held due to the fact that they were rather difficult to track down and Dobby couldn't find a person he'd never met in a place he'd never been (one of the limitations of elf magic). There were others that were just as stumped because of how young Satoshi appeared to be, though they didn't dwell on the matter as much as Tsunade and her apprentice did.
Once everyone was safely in their rooms or beds, Satoshi asked Aranami if she remembered who had sealed her memories and exactly what had been sealed. Ten minutes later, he'd had his memories of the meal sealed by his oldest self after unsealing Aranami's memories and removing his swarm before he used the time turner to relive the entire day. 'She' in turn sealed Arashi's memories for a second time before he too turned back time.
Satoshi had barely dropped the henge he'd been wearing before his middle self from the next day arrived to take Arashi's place followed a few minutes later by Aranami and he bid both of his selves goodnight before he collected his swarm and slipped into bed beside his daughter. As he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, Satoshi sent a prayer of thanks up to the gods and his ancestors for watching over them as diligently as they had during the hardest parts of their mission.
Bright and early the next morning, Satoshi and the rest of the delegation bid farewell to the Sandaime Hokage's entourage as they left Iwa in the company of the Tsuchikage and several Iwa shinobi so that the two Kages could travel to Suna together in order to preside over Suna's Tournament alongside the Yondaime Kazekage. Those in the delegation had been offered a place in the Hokage's entourage; however, Satoshi had politely declined after studying the seven new Chuunin and two Tokubetsu Jounin; stating that he would personally escort the injured home.
He did give permission for those adults traveling with him to join the Hokage should they wish (none did as they too were fairly tired, though a few were obviously torn as the Tournaments of Suna were always something to behold). The original delegation then remained in Iwagakure for one last night as did Jiraiya and Tsunade, who had both opted not to follow the Hokage to Suna. Jiraiya because he'd wished to spend a bit more time with his godson to hear first hand about his experiences during the exam and Tsunade because she worried her old sensei would try and talk her into returning to Konoha.
The next morning, the nineteen and a half individuals (the half being Satoshi's daughter) that had come to Iwa more than a month earlier set out for home with a small escort of Iwa shinobi that were slightly less suspicious than the pair that had escorted them into the village over a month earlier. They also traveled at a more relaxed pace so that Sukima and Hinata would have no difficulties in keeping up as the two of them were both still stuck using crutches for another week or two (Sukima's legs not quite finished healing despite his casts finally being removed and Hinata's foot still unable to bear her full weight).
Satoshi was not the least bit surprised when Jiraiya chose to travel with their group until they reached the border between Hi no Kuni and Na no Kuni. He was, on the other hand, both surprised and suspicious when Tsunade joined them as well; since it was a known fact that he was heading back to Konoha – the one place rumors stated the Slug Princess had no desire to set foot in. The problem was that Satoshi and his daughter had caught her attention, as had his little termites when it was noted by the powerful kunoichi that it had been two of the Genin on his team that had earned their Tokubetsu Jounin status.
They were a mystery and Tsunade disliked mysteries on general principle and she was nothing if not tenacious when hunting down the answers she demanded to solve the mystery. The fact that Satoshi refused to give up his secrets just to please a woman he didn't really know irked said woman to no end (something that amused Jiraiya to no end). Oh, he was never impolite and he treated the woman with nothing but the utmost respect; he just dodged and deflected her questions with practiced ease and feigned ignorance.
On the morning of their third day of travel, Tsunade would get just enough answers to leave her frustrated and far more curious than she'd originally been. Satoshi had been woken up early as usual by his daughter and he'd barely finished getting himself and Saki prepared for another day of travel when both of his older selves had grimly approached him.
He'd locked himself behind a privacy ward for nearly an hour to the confusion of more than half the delegation and their escort. When he stepped out of the barrier momentarily, there was an aura of grim determination and suppressed anger clinging to him as he signaled for his four teammates (or, in Tenzou's case, former teammate) to join him for a moment. Ten minutes later, the barrier was dropped and Satoshi whistled sharply to gather every one's attention quickly.
"What's going on, gaki?" Jiraiya demanded with a scowl of concern on his face; the man well aware that the twins were actually older versions of Satoshi.
"We are being followed by a group of individuals who are looking for a fight in order to settle old scores," Satoshi revealed promptly as he brought out the map he'd drawn from the memories he'd garnered from his Kikaichu on their journey into Earth Country. "They plan to intercept us here on this plateau since there is little cover there and the wide open space will allow them enough room to use their family's jutsu. That will be approximately one hour after we part with our escorts."
"How could you possibly know all that?" Tsunade asked with a frown as she peered at the map before glancing at Jiraiya who was nodding thoughtfully instead of calling the younger shinobi ten kinds of fools as she had expected him to.
"It's a gift and a curse," Satoshi cryptically stated before he turned to their escorts. "I suspect that you will wish to stick around to observe though you will need to make absolutely certain you appear to leave the area entirely or it will let them know that they have been noticed which will allow them to flee and attempt their attack in a less defensible location."
"It's a flat plateau with no cover; how is that defensible?"
Satoshi ignored Tsunade's biting question as he continued to lay down his plan to deal with the coming trouble and issue orders as he passed his unusually subdued daughter to Kakashi, "Kakashi, I'm leaving you to protect my little caterpillar; Team Four will be watching your back."
"Teams One and Two will be protecting our path out of Tsuchi no Kuni while staying close enough to aide Team Four should they need it. Tenzou, I want you to position yourself on the left side of the rim to make certain they don't flee to the north and so you can help Aranami and Arashi contain the battle; they'll give you the details once we move out. Kotetsu and Izumo will take the right to close off any escape attempt they make to the south. The five of you will also be responsible for rounding up the handful of individuals that will be lurking in the background. "
He addressed the five escorting shinobi once more at this point as he used a kunai to tap a point in the map, "If you climb up onto this rocky outcrop here, you will have a clear view of the unfolding events without getting caught up in any fighting or letting those hunting us know that we are onto them. Tsunade and Jiraiya, I don't care where you situate yourselves so long as you are well back from the edge of the plateau on the western side since that is the direction from which the instigators will make their appearance."
Satoshi looked up and pierced every single person with a diamond hard gaze over the top of his sunglasses before he gave his final orders, "I will be taking my position in the center of the plateau and you are not, under any circumstance, to interfere with whatever happens; no matter what you see or think you see. If you think you will have a problem following that order I need to know now so I can take measures to prevent you from turning an old clan feud and a few old grudges into what could potentially end up being the next Great Shinobi War."
No one said a word as Satoshi continued to glance between them for any signs of trouble brewing (he already knew there would be none but had no wish to take anything for granted). After a moment he nodded before absently pushing his sunglasses higher so that they hid his eyes once more as he finished, "Good. Arashi and Aranami already know what is required of them. Now, let's get moving people; I want this camp packed up five minutes ago!"
The eighteen people in Satoshi's group split up without a word of protest to break down the camp and pack their belongings while Satoshi passed all of Saki's things to Kakashi. He then set about unsealing a wealth of weapons and Weasley products that he promptly secured about his person so they would be at hand when he needed them. The last thing he unsealed were all three of his blades; the wakizashi pair Kushina had given him for his seventh birthday (just months before she died) along with the katana that had been a gift from his father on his twelfth birthday.
Off to one side, Jiraiya was restraining Tsunade; who looked like she wanted to bust some heads (preferably Satoshi's for his refusal to answer her questions and his near casual dismissal of her capabilities and Jiraiya's because he was holding her back).
"Jiraiya, what the hell…?"
"You've been trying to figure him out since you first laid eyes on him, Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya murmured and Satoshi tilted his face so he could hear better without appearing to eavesdrop as his hands continued to buckle his swords into place. "I know you think he's just some wet-behind-the-ears teenager; but there is a reason sensei honored him with one of the twenty cloaks of captaincy and it was not because he's some rich boy who bought his cloak or bribed his way to the top. Trust me; that kid is truly something to behold when he commits himself to action. If you want a chance to learn something about him, then just watch him."
Satoshi gave a mental snort and rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses as he straightened up and scanned their camp; pleased to see that everyone was ready to move out. He nodded a silent acknowledgement to the prompt execution of his orders and signaled Team Two to lead the way with Kakashi (who had Saki snug in her sling on his chest), Team Four, and Team One following in their wake. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune were next with Satoshi and his alter egos bringing up the rear of the Konoha contingent and their escort eying Satoshi with calculating eyes as they tried to figure out what just happened. The other adults in Satoshi's group took their places to either side of the line of teens and preteens in order to cover their flanks.
Sukima set the pace as the slowest member of the group and he used the long months of chakra control training that Satoshi had put him through to strengthen his legs, dull the pain, and double his former pace so that they could make up lost time (Hinata had an easier time of using her crutches because she only had one half healed foot as opposed to the two not quite healed legs that Sukima had to cope with). Satoshi noted the increase and set his Kikaichu to monitor the boy's chakra to make certain he didn't exhaust himself or do himself further harm and set back his recovery.
Two and a half hours later, they reached the point where their Iwa escort would have originally left them to continue on their own and Satoshi brought the group to a halt and asked Hinata to check Sukima's legs for signs of stress. He then met with their escort team and softly updated them with the information he'd learned through his Kikaichu and let them know he'd marked out a path towards the outcrop that would allow them to move without being noticed (his Kikaichu forming living trail signs to guide them).
Satoshi then sincerely thanked the three men and two kunoichi for their company and Iwa for its collective hospitality before letting them know that regardless of what happened from this point forward that he'd not place any blame on Iwa or Tsuchi no Kuni for the actions of a handful of individuals. He clasped hands with all five of them before the delegation as one bowed respectfully to their escorts; giving their unseen, if not undetected watchers, the impression that they were taking leave of their escort.
The escort simply stood and watched Satoshi intently for several minutes (their leader having a moment of indecision) before they turned and headed back towards Iwa for four miles before turning off to take the marked trail. They were duty bound to observe the coming confrontation so that they could give the Tsuchikage a full report when he returned to the village after the Tournament in Suna had ran its course. Satoshi nodded to himself the moment his Kikaichu reported that they'd set foot on the marked path; he'd already known they would be there to watch the coming battle but the confirmation was reassuring as it meant there had been no deviations in his knowledge.
"We'll reach the plateau in one hour," Satoshi stated flatly in a low voice that wouldn't carry on the wind. "We are currently being observed so keep it to our former sedate pace and the moment we set foot on the plateau, spread out and take your assigned positions. Arashi, Aranami; I trust you will know when to act?"
"On your signal, teichou-koi," Aranami flirtatiously confirmed earning herself a scowl from the Slug Princess.
"We've got your back, boss," Arashi added a moment later.
"Sensei-nii…?" Naruto begged softly, his voice quavering just the slightest bit despite his obvious efforts to keep his emotions in check.
"Everything will be fine so long as you stay focused on your assigned task," Aranami assured the blonde as she dropped her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Arashi and I are still here and you know what that means."
"Yeah, there's going to be collateral damage that's going to come out of my paycheck," Kakashi flippantly groused to cover up his own unease as he knew almost as much as Satoshi and Satoshi by no means knew everything (unless you counted what his older selves knew).
"Hey, you were the one that thought that giant, ugly, thousand year old statue would look prettier as a pile of rubble," Arashi huffed as he flicked Kakashi on the head.
"And it was your idea to ruin the Great Hall's ceiling by covering it with that hand-painted mural based upon the glossy inserts from Jiraiya-sama's first Icha-Icha book," Aranami added with no little amusement while Jiraiya nearly choked on the giggle he quickly swallowed when he caught sight of Tsunade's darkening scowl.
"Maa maa," Satoshi soothed before he caused himself far too much trouble. "We don't have time for this right now; we have to head out now or we will be late and the plan will be shot to hell faster than you could say dango."
"Papa, up!" Saki abruptly begged as she pushed away from Kakashi's chest and tried to wiggle out of her sling.
Satoshi hesitated for a split second before he capitulated and gathered his daughter to him, leaving Kakashi the sling. It was more normal for him to be the one to carry her anyway and Aranami had warned him that she would act up. Sitting her up on his shoulders, he waited for her to fist her hands in his hair before he signaled to the others to move out once more.
Placing his hands on Saki's ankles, Satoshi helped her maintain her balance as she bounced on his shoulders and giggled loudly. Satoshi felt a measure of peace fill his soul as he listened to her babyish laughter and purposefully added a skip and a hop every third step in order to make her squeal out loud in pleasure. The fact that Satoshi was at ease helped the rest of their group (bar Tsunade and Shizune) relax as they knew there was no way that Satoshi wouldn't be anything but tense if there was truly anything to worry about.
An hour later, they climbed up a short incline and stepped out onto a wide plateau that was dotted with sagebrush, greasewood, course grass that was brittle and brown, and a light layer of slush and mud from the snow that had melted during the morning sun. Satoshi called out to Kakashi and as the man turned around to walk backwards; he lifted Saki down off his shoulders, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and tossed her lightly through the air into Kakashi's waiting arms (his fellow captain catching her easily before tucking her back into her sling). The three newly promoted teams, their Jounin sensei, and Kakashi then doubled their pace while the other adults of the group spread out and headed towards their assigned positions; leaving Satoshi to casually make his way to the center of the plateau.
As he moved, he expertly checked his swords to make certain they wouldn't catch on their sheaths and slipped his wand into the snug shirt sleeve of his right arm (beneath the arm guard that held his wrist weights in place) where it would be in direct contact with his skin but not be in the way or in a position where it could be dropped, broken, or more importantly, seen. Once he felt he was prepared for anything, Satoshi began stretching out his arms and back until he reached the point of the plateau that he'd chosen as the place where he'd make his stand and turned to face his back trail as he casually reached down to unbuckle his ankle weights before stretching out his legs.
He'd just dropped the weighted belt from his waist and bounced a moment on his toes to adjust to the change in weight when three people appeared in front of him in a swirl of yellow dust that smelled faintly of pollen and honey.
"Ohayou," Satoshi called in greeting (his voice for once loud enough to be carried on the wind), immediately unsettling the two men and one woman as they'd expected him to be caught off guard by their appearance. "I've been expecting you and you're five minutes late."
"What do you mean you've been expecting us?" the bearded man on the left hand side of the woman demanded as he furrowed his brow.
"You and your hidden friends been following us since we left Iwa," Satoshi pointed out in a droll tone that suggested he thought the man daft for needing to have the obvious pointed out to him. "After the first few hours, it was quite obvious that you were simply waiting for our escorts to leave which means that you would rather no one learns of your intentions. And, as I said, you were five minutes late."
"Your attempt to distract us isn't going to work; we're here for the two Aburame brats and we intend to take them from you with or without your cooperation," the woman spat maliciously as she propped her left hand on her hip and glared down at Satoshi.
"What have those two boys ever done to you?" Satoshi asked in a deceptively casual voice.
"The fact that they exist is insult enough. It is our sworn duty to exterminate the blight that is the Aburame Clan for what they did to our clan twenty years ago and we're going to start with the two you dared bring to our village. Don't worry; we'll send their heads back to Konoha so their family won't worry about them. I have no quarrel with the rest of you; so if you just move aside we'll take the ones we came for and be on our way."
"I am sorry for the losses your clan suffered when they chose to attack Konoha either under the order of the Tsuchikage at the beginning of the Third Great War or because they were arrogant enough to think themselves strong enough to take the village on their own," Satoshi intoned formally in a low and dangerous voice as he attempted to keep his temper in check over the implied threat to his brother and nephew. "I implore you to reconsider your current course of action and walk away now before you make a grave mistake as I will neither step out of your way nor hand over the young men in question."
"Then you leave us no choice but to kill you and the rest of your party as well," the tall blonde on the other side of the woman arrogantly stated as he sneered at Satoshi.
"I will give you one more chance to turn around and forget you ever heard the name Aburame," Satoshi informed the woman as he blatantly ignored the blonde; his voice carrying sharply across the small stretch of flatland. "I urge you to put the past behind you and salvage what is left of the Kamizuru Clan by letting go of the hate that has been festering in your hearts. The path you are trying to follow will only end painfully and bitterly for you should you continue to blind yourself with your grief and anger."
The two men facing Satoshi were caught completely off guard by the fact that Satoshi seemed to know exactly who they were while they didn't really have a clue as to who he was; evidenced by the woman's next words.
"I don't know who you think you are…" the woman started to snap only to be cut off as Satoshi interrupted her.
"You want to know who I am…? I'll tell you who I am; I am Aburame Satoshi, eldest son of Aburame Shibi and his beloved Mayumi, brother to Aburame Shino, father to Aburame Saki, oldest heir to the Aburame Clan, and willing host of the Kikaichu," Satoshi loudly proclaimed as his Kikaichu began gathering in a massive cloud of midnight blue and black above his head as he unsheathed his wakizashi blades and held them so that the back of the blades ran along the back of his arms.
"I am the Jounin sensei in charge of Konoha's Team Four, a Jounin teichou of Konoha's shinobi forces, and a proud student of Konoha's Akai Chishio no Habanero. Should you not head my advice and leave now, while you still have the chance to walk away from this foolishness; I will became your greatest nightmare until the day your draw your last breath."
"Oh this is too perfect," the woman laughed as she sneered. "I should have known you were one of those foul Aburame given how similarly you dress and since you foolishly brought your daughter along with you, we can wipe out two entire generations in one fell swoop. We'll save you for last so you can see your daughter's life fade before your very eyes. I'll take great pleasure in roasting her alive while you watch helplessly, forced to face the fact that you were too weak to protect her."
"I feared I would be forced to teach you an abject lesson of humility but my honor demanded that I give the three of you an opportunity to come to your senses," Satoshi gravely informed them as he finally stopped holding himself in check, allowing his rage to show for once as he released an aura of intense killing intent and magic that spiraled out from him and spread across the entire plateau. "You will forever regret threatening my brother and cousin but you will forever suffer for threatening my daughter."
"What? No promises of a ghastly or messy death?" the blonde man asked snidely as all three Kamizuru members shifted uneasily beneath the weight of his killing intent.
"No, death would be far too merciful for the likes of you," Satoshi whispered as a maniac grin spread across his face and leaned forward slightly so that they could see his face clearly. "I want you to live and suffer for a long, long time as your memory of this day forever haunts you."
Satoshi then brought his right hand up to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. A heartbeat later, he crouched down as roughly ten feet of the plateau unexpectedly dropped three feet below the level of the rest of the plateau; the sudden change in elevation knocking the other three off their feet. Before the dust even settled, a huge transparent blue dome spread over top of the newly formed pit; effectively sealing Satoshi in with all three members of the Kamizuru Clan.
"May kamisama and the shinigami have mercy on your souls when you finally embrace your eternal sleep; for I will not," Satoshi proclaimed as he rose gracefully to his feet and settled into a defensive stance with both arms crossed loosely in front of him, the deadly blades of his sword pointed towards his opponents as they rested firmly against his outer forearms.
In response to his proclamation, both men threw their arms wide, the movement throwing the half cloaks they wore open as thousands of bees poured forth from inside of their clothing. The kunoichi on the other hand thrust her arms forward to allow the bees she carried (or possibly summoned) to pour forth from the ends of her sleeves. Satoshi calmly bent his knees as he watched close to ten thousand bees spread out to circle around him before they converged upon his location.
At the last instant, Satoshi shoved off hard against the ground and spun himself around as his magic and chakra pulled the moisture from the air around him to form razor thin whips of water linked to the twin blades he held in his hands that spiraled through the air all around him. As gravity reasserted itself, he was drawn back towards the earth and the blade-like whips of water swung out and through the rather pathetic swarm of bees (when compared to his swarm of millions) that had attacked him like a hot knife through butter. Those bees that he missed were easily dispatched by his angry swarm.
The momentum of the water blades flung the sticky honey that filled the bodies of half the bees outwards where it hit the ground well away from him (instead of showering him with the glue-like substance as intended) and his Kikaichu promptly fell on the sticky-sweet substance and devoured it within seconds; his swarm long used to cleaning up Izumo's chakra enhanced syrup after training sessions. Satoshi landed lightly on his feet a split second later, his brand new captain's cape swirling about his body elegantly as he spun to a stop so that he was once more facing his slightly stunned opponents.
The cutting blades of water were cut free of Satoshi's swords with a side swipe of his arms and they splashed harmlessly to the ground to join the rest of the water beneath him. Without waiting for the trio to make their next move, Satoshi drew more water from the air and allowed it to splash down onto the ground until the entire pit was covered in approximately a half inch of water upon which his feet rested thanks to his instinctive use of the water walking exercise. The water was then used to hide the thousands of water dwelling Kikaichu that were pouring unseen from two tiny holes at the base of Satoshi's ankles.
By that time, the trio had recovered enough to send another wave of bees at Satoshi; these ones each carrying a single exploding tag attached to their stingers. Satoshi narrowed his eyes as he watched half of them fly up towards the dome in an attempt to either distract him or cause harm to those that were watching their unfolding battle from the rim of the pit. Satoshi ignored them; secure in the knowledge that the moment they came within a foot of the ward, they'd have a very messy end.
He focused instead on the half of the bee bombs that were heading towards him as he spun on his heel and reformed the water whips on his swords before forcefully slashing his swords horizontally in front of his body with enough force that the whips broke free and ruptured into a thousand tiny spikes of water that were moving far too fast to see. The drops sliced through bees and tags alike; neutralizing more than two thirds of the tags while detonating the rest of them well out of range of his person.
He immediately followed his water attack with a wave of exploding senbon coupled with a handful of his compressed smoke bombs that obscured his opponent's vision and made it harder for them to avoid the shrapnel from the multiple senbon explosions that rained down all around them. By the time the smoke began to dissipate and the trio decided to split up to prevent themselves from making such an easy target, Satoshi had created two water clones and armed them each with one of the Weasley's portable swamps. A shadow clone was then made and sent off to summon a single scorpion in order to send a request for permission to summon the scorpion boss (the clone ordered to dispel the moment it had gained said permission).
The swamps were activated five minutes later and the flood of mosquito infested water that was unleashed added another foot of water to what Satoshi had drawn from the air earlier. The unexpected deluge of water caused his opponents to stumble and slip while the newly introduced magical insects headed straight for one of Satoshi's enemies with the single-mindedness that all magically conjured creatures displayed.
In the direct center of the chaos, Satoshi stood still as a statue with his eyes closed as he followed all three of the Kamizuru clan through the eyes of his swarm. Standing there as he was, Satoshi presented a tempting target; the Jounin appearing to be completely ignorant of his surroundings and the blazing white cloak that hung down his back overtop of the bright blood-red jacket he wore a bright beacon in the dreary landscape.
Like all venomous and deadly insects, his colors were intended as a warning to the foolish and the hungry; a clear and unmistakable warning to all creatures and beings that the one so brightly garbed was deadly and dangerous – attack at your own peril. Of course, there were always a plethora of idiots that were easily entranced by bright, shiny colors and they usually didn't live long enough to learn from their mistakes or pass their idiocy onto the next generation.
The bearded member of the Kamizuru clan and the woman closed in on Satoshi from opposite sides and used Hachi Senbon no Jutsu in hopes of catching Satoshi in a pincher move. Two thousand poisoned stingers shot towards where Satoshi had been standing just second earlier but he was already gone by the time the poisonous senbon like stingers impacted uselessly against each other in the center of the swamp pit.
Satoshi reappeared mere seconds later behind the bearded man and slapped him in the back as he called out a rather childish, "Tag, you're it!" before he threw several more of the tags towards the woman and disappeared once more. Two seconds later, the custom exploding tag Satoshi had attached to the man exploded and he was thrown face first into the putrid water of the swamp where he was attacked by thousands of Satoshi's water dwelling Kikaichu that stole half of his chakra before they vanished.
The woman, on the other hand, was showered with a wave of muddy swamp water that threw her up against the wall of the pit in the backlash of the larger explosion from those tags he'd thrown at her. The force of the blow left the woman more than a little dazed as she slid down to rest half submerged in the water where half of her chakra was drained in the same manner as her brother's had been. The taller, blonde brother came rushing forward at that point; every inch of his exposed skin awash in red hives and welts from the relentless attacks of the mosquitoes that had been plaguing him for the past ten minutes.
Satoshi popped up right in front of the man, scaring him so badly with his unexpected appearance that he screamed shrilly as he scrambled backwards. The man tripped over his own feet in the rush and Satoshi caught him before he fell, spun him around hard, and shoved him forward. Ten more times in rapid succession, Satoshi caught the man, spun him, and pushed him forwards and backwards in a never ending circle until the man was so dizzy that he twirled and staggered for several steps before he fell down sideways into the water beneath his feet the moment Satoshi stopped. Half of his chakra filled the bellies of Satoshi's Kikaichu as he fought to regain enough control over his limbs to lift his head out of the water.
Satoshi and his water clones, armed with hundreds of exploding senbon each, then herded all three foes back into the middle of the swamp with precisely placed explosions. This time, when two of them recovered enough to use the poison sting jutsu a second time, Satoshi allowed the needles to strike him; most of them harmlessly embedding themselves in his jacket or bouncing off his cloak and glasses. The few that did pierce his skin didn't even make him flinch as he simply stared right at his enemies while his water clones exploded spectacularly on either side of him.
Tilting his head sideways, he arched an eyebrow at the trio as of to ask; is that all you can do? They just smirked at him in superiority as they believed that he would be dead from the poison within mere minutes. The smirks slipped from their faces as they slowly realized that Satoshi hadn't been the slightest bit affected by the debilitating poison from the stingers that managed to find flesh.
Satoshi then smirked maliciously over the top of his jacket collar as he pulled a Slug Bomb from his pocket and threw it high into the air above the trio's head before activating it with an exploding senbon; causing a barrage of slim to drop down on their heads and faces as they'd followed the greenish-brown ball with their eyes. Satoshi then proceeded to reveal to his audience just who it had been to teach Naruto how to fight dirty and utterly humiliate his opponent.
Only, Satoshi took it one step further; driving those he faced near insane as he hit them with attack after attack without letting up. His attacks were not only embarrassing, they were borderline cruel and down right degrading in nearly every instance as he gave free reign to the burning fury that they had ignited in him the instant they threatened his daughter. The moment it looked like the three of them would pass out, Satoshi showed the true depth of his sadistic side as he fed each of them three potions; a general healing draught, a revitalizing potion, and an energy booster.
Nine minutes later, all three felt (even if they didn't look) as if they had just woken up after a good night's sleep. The eighteen year old then deliberately turned his back on the trio; as if implying that they were beneath his notice. Enraged (both by the earlier humiliation and the complete disregard) the three attacked at once; the blonde man using Hachi Bakudan no Jutsu and the bearded one using Hachi Senbon no Jutsu again while the woman summoned a gigantic queen bee. Satoshi then began his battle dance; his body gracefully dodging the incoming attacks while his swords flashed with deadly grace as he attacked and blocked the bombs and simply ignored the stinging bites of the poison needles that hit him.
The queen bee was a bit of an annoyance to deal with but after training for years alongside Izumo, the honey it spat at him was ignored and easily dealt with as his swarm devoured the sticky mess almost as fast as the bee could spit it out. The attempts of the summoned bee to stab him with its stinger were deflected by one of his swords as his other sword continued to destroy the exploding bee bombs with efficiency. After a few minutes, a well timed Glue Bomb tangled up the giant bee's wings and took away its advantage of flight; buying Satoshi a little breathing room as the memories of his shadow clone finally hit him. Satoshi then summoned a gigantic dark brownish-black scorpion with a reddish-brown stinger that practically towered over the now flightless bee.
"You'd better have a good reason for disrupting my schedule with your request, gaichuu," the grouchy scorpion growled as it rolled one eye up to glare at Satoshi where the eighteen year old was perched upon its shell just behind the eyes while its curled tail unfurled until the stinger at the tip was sitting just inches away from Satoshi's unprotected head.
"I thought you might like a chance to sample the flesh of a giant bee, Sorigayui-sama," Satoshi calmly stated as he ignored the threat poised above his head; knowing full well that the scorpion boss had no intention of hurting him despite appearances. "Soritsume told me it was one of the few flyers that you'd not had a chance to eat and this one was annoying me so I thought I'd gift wrap it especially for you."
"Oh…? I knew there was a reason that I kept an annoying little insect like you around," Sorigayui practically purred as he whipped out a claw and caught hold of the giant bee's stinger when it tried to attack the far larger scorpion and slowly drew the bee close enough that it could use its other claw trap the bee's head. "And such a fine specimen it is, too. I think I'll take this one home and share it with the brood; a celebratory feast in honor of the new cloak you're wearing. If you need me again; call me."
The scorpion disappeared a minute later, taking the trapped queen bee with it, leaving Satoshi to drop back to the surface of the swamp where he landed with nary a splash. No longer consumed by his blind rage, Satoshi used his wand to stun all three of his flabbergasted opponents; merely pointing his right arm at them with his palm facing forward as he spoke the Latin incantation three times under his breath.
A summoning spell collected them from where they'd been spread about the small swamp and a sharp whistle saw the pit floor slowly pushing its way back to the surface as the swamp water drained down into a gap that formed between the outer wall and the edge of the section that had been dropped (his Kikaichu rapidly retreating back into his body to avoid being buried beneath the earth). Without waiting for the ground to stop moving, he took a quick moment to clean and put away his blades before he dropped his eyes down to stare at the three people who'd dared threaten his family; his mouth curling up in disgust.
Once his hands were free, Satoshi knelt beside the woman as he pulled out the sealing kit he carried with him. He then took a moment to cast a rather obscure spell called the Dreamspeaker's Curse of Everlasting Justice over all three members of the Kamizuru Clan. The spell was rather intricate and designed for one purpose and one purpose alone; to force the person placed under the curse to relive a single memory or string of memories (whether real or artificial) each time they closed their eyes. And while it was not a dark spell it had been classified as such because of a rather cruel dark witch from the seventeenth century that had entrapped muggleborn witches and wizards inside of their darkest memory or deepest fears in order to torment them.
The spell had originally been created by a rather brilliant Native American Shaman to force those guilty of committing serious crimes (such as murder and rape) to relive their crime from their victim's point of view until the day they felt true remorse for their actions and repented. In order to break the spell, they had to accept that the action linked to the memory had been wrong and feel remorse for the harm they caused or intended to cause; if they just felt sorry for themselves for getting caught but didn't regret what they'd done, the spell would remain active for the rest of their natural lives. Many a criminal had been driven insane and driven to suicide by the curse while the small handful that had been redeemed had made the spell popular amidst the nomadic tribes that once roamed the North American continent.
After he'd finished casting the spell, Satoshi used a series of intricate seals and runes to lock three memories/visions into the curse; the memory of him giving them three chances to walk away, the memory of the humiliation they had suffered at his hand, and a created vision of what they'd intended to do to him and his family in the name of revenge (one where they would see everything from his and his family's point of view). It was a harsh punishment but should they truly learn from their mistakes the curse would fade and allow them to live out the rest of their lives in peace.
However, because Satoshi was integrating the curse with rune based seals that ran on chakra; the moment they lost sight of their redemption and began planning and plotting revenge against the Aburame Clan again, the curse would come back threefold and draw on every terrible thing they'd ever done and there would be no breaking the curse a second time. That was his insurance that these three people would never again seek to harm him or his family.
He'd just finished activating the last of the seals he'd placed on the trio when the dome that had encased the small battlefield shimmered back into existence before it vanished; an indication that his future selves had cancelled the ward now that it was no longer needed. He rose back to his feet at that point and staggered sideways as his exhaustion hit him full force now that his battle was over and his body was no longer flooded with adrenalin. A second later, he dropped down onto his knees and pressed his face against the muddy ground in order to avoid throwing up as his stomach cramped due to the large amount of poison in his system.
Taking slow, deep breaths, Satoshi managed to not embarrass himself by throwing up like a green Genin facing his first battle. An unexpected flare of chakra cutting across his senses had him up on his feet and his katana out in a flash as he sought to face the next potential threat. He faltered a moment later as he recognized the faces of Tenzou, Arashi, and Aranami a split second before he recognized both his own chakra signature and Tenzou's. It took him two tries to resheathe his sword as the small flash of adrenalin he'd felt when he'd thought he had to face another foe petered out and left him feeling even more exhausted.
He was down on his knees again mere seconds later, absently brushing off the smaller than normal, poison coated senbon that were still stuck to his jacket, cloak, and person. A hand falling on his shoulder had him arching backwards so he could look up into Tenzou's worried face and Satoshi gave him a weary smile and patted his hand to assure the man that he was just fine; if tired, achy, and still sick to his stomach.
Sighing, he closed his eyes for a moment and leaned back against Tenzou's legs as he tried to determine if he'd been seriously hurt or if it was just the sting of the needles and the irritating presence of the poison making his body ache. He instinctively batted away the hand that sought to unzip his jacket only to hear an exasperated voice order him to hold still. Opening his eyes he scowled up at the grim faced Shizune as she leaned overtop of him.
"I'm fine, just mildly exhausted," Satoshi insisted tiredly as he batted her hands away a second time. "All I need is a few minutes to catch my breath and we can move out."
"Baka, each and every one of those senbon stingers you were hit with were coated with poison; I have to get them out and pull as much of the poison out of your wounds as I can before your bloodstream carries it straight to your heart or brain," Shizune barked as she wrapped a hand around his left wrist and held it out of her way as she again reached for the zipper of his coat.
"I like a forceful woman and you are cute but really, I do draw the line at public performances," Satoshi dryly quipped to the shock of Shizune who froze as she gasped and spluttered in indignation while several choked laughs from those in Satoshi's party were quickly smothered. "Now that I've got your attention; the poison has been in my system long enough to do any damage it was intended to do and as you can see I'm still alive. I told you; I'm fine, just a bit tired and a touch nauseous."
"How is that possible?" Shizune asked as her brow furrowed in confusion.
Satoshi's attention was drawn over the woman's shoulder before he could answer when he saw Tsunade walk towards him only to stop and grow pale, her eyes widening and filling with sheer terror as she stared at him. Or more specifically at the blood on his face from where several of the senbon had torn little cuts as they'd been removed carelessly during the course of his battle. As a confused and partially offended look crossed Satoshi's face, Shizune snapped her head around to glance over her shoulder and she cursed the moment she caught sight of Tsunade already trapped in a panic attack.
Understanding filled Satoshi when he heard the words damned blood and panic over the course of the dark haired kunoichi's short rant; Tsunade suffered from hemophobia. He contemplated the risks of using another couple of spells while he was so exhausted as he fingered his wand tucked against his right arm only for Aranami to walk up and slap his hand away from the focus.
"Don't be stupid, teichou," she hissed the moment she had his attention. "You'd risk a paradox if you pushed yourself beyond your limits now and ended up unconscious when it was time to turn."
"How do we get around her continued panic if I can't clean up?" Satoshi snapped back, his weariness making it hard to think clearly which in turn made him irritable.
"Like this," Arashi declared with a smirk as he used a jutsu to pour a torrent of water over Satoshi and forced Tenzou to jump backwards, causing Satoshi to yelp in shock as he crashed onto his back and floated a few inches away as the water rapidly dispersed across the plateau.
"I swear… if it wouldn't create far too many complications and force an irreparable paradox in the very fabric of reality; I would so kill you where you stand, Arashi-baka," Satoshi rasped as he coughed up a bit of water and rolled over onto his stomach so he could crawl back up onto his knees.
"But you're no longer covered in blood… that is what you wanted, ne?"
Satoshi shot his older self a withering glare from beneath his now muddy and sopping wet hair. Shizune returned at that moment and berated the redhead for drenching Satoshi when it was still the tail-end of winter and he was in no condition to fight off a cold let alone something more serious. The woman then returned her attention to Satoshi as she resumed her attempts to heal him despite his feeble protests.
The entire delegation would end up camping at the western most edge of the plateau for five nights in order to allow Satoshi enough time to completely recover; Tenzou building a snug cabin for them to stay in after turning the battered and beaten Kamizuru trio and their accomplices over to their Iwa escort. The extra days of rest also allowed Hinata and Sukima's injuries more time to heal.
There was a small panic during their first night on the plateau when Satoshi's health took a turn for the worse due to the strain of pushing his body to live through close to six months in a period of just under two months and the intense battle he'd just fought. The sudden disappearance of the Uzutsui twins when Satoshi was forced to stop turning time or risk fracturing his mind and core from the added stress on top of his severely weakened state only added to the chaos.
Kakashi would be the one to explain the redheads' sudden absence away by stating that he'd sent them ahead to scout for any more trouble on their chosen course as was his right as the second in command of the delegation. However, that only worked on those that didn't know that the pair was actually older versions of Satoshi reliving each day. He told those that knew the redheads were the unconscious Jounin's alternate persona the truth; Satoshi had pushed his body beyond its limits and was just too exhausted to relive time any longer.
So, Satoshi spent their five days of rest curled up in bed sleeping off his exhaustion, the mild cold he'd caught from when he'd drenched himself, and the magical stress he'd built up over the two months of turning; his daughter snuggled contentedly beside him or playing within reach the entire time. On the morning of the sixth day, when they were preparing to finally resume their journey, the Uzutsui twins resurfaced in the form of a pair of shadow clones (provided by Naruto and Kakashi in turns).
Translations: Japanese to English
Akai Chishio no Habanero – Red Hot-Blooded Habanero
Baka – idiot
Gaki – brat
Hachi Bakudan no Jutsu – Bee Bomb Technique
Hachi Senbon no Jutsu – Thousand Bee Stings Technique
Hemophobia – the fear of blood
Hi no Kuni – Fire Country
Koi – a term of endearment
Maa maa – there, there or calm down
Sorigayui – the name of the scorpion boss that Satoshi summons derived from Sasori (scorpion) and ha gayui (impatient/irritated). This will be the basic naming scheme for all of the scorpions (much like Gama + name is for most of the canon toads like Gamabunta etc…)
Soritsume – a name made from combining Sasori (scorpion) and Tsume (fingernail/claw/talon/hoof); this is the crotchety blue scorpion that Satoshi had summoned back when the first wizard had found him just after his tenth birthday.
Tsuchi no Kuni – Earth Country
AN: And we see a little grandstanding, a bit of whoop-ass, and a glimpse of Satoshi's sadistic side. The Kamizuru Clan has been stomped flat again (but that doesn't meant he filler arch where they search for the rare bug won't happen - it still might if I can fit it into the story) and Satoshi is finally paying for his abuse of the time turner. Next chapter has a very small time skip but otherwise picks up from where this one left off. You can expect it to be posted on either Friday or Saturday so long as I'm not late again (I had a busy week writing). ~ Jenn
