"Naruto" - Person Talking
'Naruto' - Person Thinking
"Naruto" - Summons/Bijū talking
"Naruto" - Summons/Bijū thinking
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" - Jutsu
Hey guys, it's Dom here bringing you a new chapter. Whoa, it's been quite some time huh? Sorry about the long wait, but man. You guys act like I died or something, haha. I was kinda forced away from the electronic world by my family for a bit, heading to the mountains for some campin' and fishin'. But yeah, I'm real sorry for you cool people who actually wait for this story. This chapter, it's kinda meh in all honesty. I really don't know the beginning of Shippuden all that well truthfully. This is where I kind of dropped off from watching and reading it, so for many of you it'll be a recap of what happened. It's all pretty canon. I've been in a pretty bad writing slump, which is kinda killing me since I've got two other fics I need to write, one I really need to write. But yeah, I'm back so hopefully I'll get over my writing slump soon. Anywho, you all know the deal right? Hopefully you haven't forgotten but if you have; read, enjoy, review and PM me if you wish. You came to read right? I won't keep you waiting, let's a go.
A Son Forgotten - Chapter 27
Four long years had passed through the Elemental Nations, little having changed over the course of the years. The nations had all remained neutral, peace seemingly prevailing over the many years as the times of war had seemed to have come to an end. Though, to say that things had not changed would be a false truth. The rumors of the traveling chef had faded and were eventually lost to the throes of time. Though, as that legend died another had sprung up in its place, this time, about an inn that also served as a restaurant for its guests.
(Scene Change - Taiyō no Kuni: Kyuukai Hostel)
Nestled in the beautiful and peaceful agricultural land of Taiyō no Kuni, the Kyuukai Hostel had opened up nearly three years ago out of the blue. Being in such a well known and beloved village, it was often overlooked by many travelers who were intent on visiting the other much more well known and famous inns. However, many famous guests have visited and stayed at Kyuukai such as the Raikage and his ninja, the Tsuchikage and his ninja, the Mizukage and her ninja, and even the General of Tetsu no Kuni, Mifune, and his samurai. Within Kyuukai now, a pair was managing the customers that were inside of it.
"Yes, I think we're ready to order. We'll take two orders of the Chef's Special!" A young man said as his date nodded eagerly, the two sharing a smile as the waitress smiled softly.
"They'll be right out." She said in a soft tone, heading towards the open counter to set the ticket onto the line.
"Naruto, two specials please!" Hisako said in a much happier and livelier tone, the eighteen year old blonde behind the counter flashing her a smile as he set down a tray.
"On it Hisako, here're the order of seafood for table ten and the chicken for table seven." He said as Hisako smiled back, taking the trays carefully as she balanced them before heading towards the tables.
After a year on the road, having traveled to nearly every land and village, Naruto and Hisako had finally settled down and opened up shop together in Taiyō no Kuni and thus the Kyuukai Hostel was born. Being in the intersection of Kaminari no Kuni, Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni; Taiyō no Kuni was a very popular and beautiful land that often attracted many tourists from all over. Though, the tourism hadn't caused much destruction to the nearby land like it had with Ichiba no Sato. Finding that they could meet many new people and have a successful business, they settled on the small plot of land that they were purchased.
Over the past four years, Naruto and Hisako themselves had changed both physically and mentally. Naruto, who now had recovered his memories, had changed very little in terms of mentality. He still held Hisako as his world and made sure that she was happy, healthy and safe no matter the cost. When it came to strangers, he was amiable and cordial until they proved to try and take advantage of himself or Hisako, which would cause him to lash out and cause either physical or psychological harm.
In terms of appearance, he was much taller then before as he stood at a height of six foot four. His hair had remained the same shade of platinum blonde and was as spiky as ever. His clothing hadn't changed either, the young man had on a simple uniform consisting of a long white cloth wrapped around his forehead, covering his hair like a bandana, though locks of golden blonde could be seen. Wearing a sleeveless black tank top revealing his muscular and scarred arms, he matched it with a part of black pants and sandals. Topping off his outfit was a simple white apron tied around his waist.
With Hisako, in terms of personality, she still had a mild case of anthrophobia though she did greet everyone who walked into their doors with a friendly smile. But with Naruto and those that she trusted, she had become a much more open and happy young lady. Physically, she had gotten a bit taller and was now standing at a petite height of five foot four. Though her hair and complexion had remained the same, they had a much healthier glow to them.
Her figure had started to become much more womanly, her breasts having filled out to a B, borderline C cup with her curves filling out to make a figure that even a few of the most beautiful would be envious of. Her outfit had changed a bit more then it had with Naruto, as she now wore a pink blouse and white skirt that went a little past her knees. Over that, she wore a beige apron that held her pen and order notepad. Wearing comfortable and slick-free white slippers, she topped off her look with her bandages that covered her eyes and her crimson scarf wrapped securely around her neck.
Overall, the two were regularly accosted for dates and proposals by those who entered their doors. Though, many were met with a swift and merciless rejection courtesy of an irate Naruto. For those who paid attention to them, it was obvious that Hisako only had eyes for one person and said person was preoccupied with keeping her and their little shop and home safe and healthy, though her chances at snatching him up for herself was much greater then anyone else's in the world.
"Oh, so this is the place eh?" A cheerful and mischievous voice said as the doors opened, a handsome young man along with a group of young ladies walking into Kyuukai.
"O-Oh, hello! Welcome to the Kyuukai Hostel, are you here for a meal or are you looking to stay?" Hisako asked as she bowed before the group, a few of the ladies shooting her a dirty look while the young man smiled handsomely at her.
The young man was about six feet tall, having blonde hair tied into a ponytail with a face that was a mix of boyish cuteness and handsomeness. Dressed in expensive and stylish clothes, he had an air of nobility with a mix of mischief and pride. The young ladies with him were all equally beautiful in their own right, also dressed in stylish and expensive looking clothes. However, the most interesting thing about them were the headbands they had tied around their biceps, having the symbol of Yugakure on them.
"I didn't know they had someone like this working here! We're just here for lunch beautiful, though depending on how it goes I might just stay the night!" He said in a suave tone, the ladies with him swooning as Hisako resisted the urge to cringe at his obvious attempt at flirting.
"O-Ok, right this way please." She said as she took a few menus and showed them to their table, humming a happy tone as the man behind her began to devour her with his eyes.
"Not bad, not bad at all. She's definitely a nine, would be a ten if not for those bandages." He thought while smirking slightly, taking in and ignoring the jealous looks his entourage were shooting Hisako.
Setting them down at a large table that accommodated the group of six, Hisako left to fetch them some water while tending to a few of her regular customers as the group continued to stare at her. The smirk never leaving his face, he was broken out of his stupor by a gentle nudge from one of the ladies, the young lady who nudged him giving him a jealous pout as he laughed.
"Mou, why are you paying attention to that girl Aiyo-sama?" She complained as the other ladies agreed hastily, shooting him pouts as he smiled at them.
"Come'on, you all think she's a perfect nine don't you? Get rid of those creepy bandages and she'd be a complete ten!" Aiyo declared as a few of the other customers shot him a glare at his outburst, getting angry and dangerous glares back from his girls.
"Ladies, calm down. No one here has the balls to do anything, especially since I'm a jonin of Yugakure." He said loudly with pride and mischief present in his tone, many who glared at him turning away at the piece of information.
"Thought so." He sneered as the ladies laughed loudly around him, though they quieted when Hisako returned with their water.
"Here you go. Are you all ready to order? Or would you like a few more minutes?" She asked as Aiyo smiled at her.
"I think we're ready beautiful. Tell me, are you on the menu by any chance?" Aiyo asked in the smoothest tone he could muster as he reached for her hand, Hisako becoming uncomfortable at his flirting.
"Umm, I'm not on the menu sir." She answered in an uncomfortable tone shifting a bit over so she was out of his reach, Aiyo smiling deviously at her as he moved in a bit closer.
"Aww, that's a shame. Someone as beautiful as you should be on it. Oh well, we'll all just take the Chef's Special then!" Aiyo said as Hisako nodded slightly, jotting down their orders before quickly heading into the kitchen.
Watching her leave, Aiyo reached out and tried to grab her rear only for Hisako to stiffen and move to the side to evade his hand. Blinking at his failed attempt to cop a feel, he started laughing loudly while getting glares from every other patron in Kyuukai. Ignoring them, he began to scheme and devise a way to get into the cute waitress' heart.
All the while, Hisako moved quickly into the kitchen while holding in her shaking. Once she was inside she headed directly to Naruto, who was adding the finishing touches a few dishes, before wrapping her arms tightly around him. Surprised at her sudden action, he was about to ask her what was wrong when he felt her shake slightly. His eye narrowing dangerously, he grit his teeth and clenched his fists tightly, obviously enraged that she was upset.
"Hisako, what happened? What's wrong?" He asked in a soft and gentle tone, returning her embrace as he squeezed her softly.
"T-There's a customer out there t-that's being extremely rude to the other p-patrons a-and he t-tried to t-touch me." She said in a shaky tone, relaxing considerably when she felt the warm and protective arms of the young man she loved.
"That so." He said in a low tone, Hisako tensing a bit when she heard it as it was a tone that promised painful things to the party concerned.
"N-Naruto, y-you're not going to hurt them are you?" She asked in a quiet tone, the blonde giving her a squeeze before asking her to take over the kitchen for a bit to ease her mind.
A bit reluctant at first, Naruto eased all of her protests when he gave her a quick peck on the forehead, giving her a full body blush as she smiled in a shy and embarrassed manner at him. After telling her where the orders where in their stage of cooking, he wiped the sweat off his brow and made sure he had his pen and notepad before heading out, Hisako giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she skipped back to the dishes.
Smiling a bit when he saw that she wasn't as shaken from before, he quickly lost it when he left the kitchen, the warm and amiable atmosphere freezing over as he scanned the vicinity of the dining room. Many who knew what he could and would do adverted their gazes save for a select few who were regulars at their little shop.
Locking onto the rowdy and irritating sound of loud laughter and chattering, he made his way over to Aiyo's as he caught the attention of a few of the girls there. The ones who saw him immediately blushed upon seeing his handsome features, fixing their appearances as Aiyo turned to glare at whoever it was that stone the attention of his girls. When he saw Naruto, he blinked in surprise before flashing him an easy going grin, waving at him while Naruto cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh, so the chef decided to check out who it was that was making this place a little more lively eh? Don't worry Chefy, we won't be here long. Just gotta grab that cute waitress of yours before I jet! Say! Can I take her to go?" Aiyo rambled happily as Naruto suppressed the rage that started to boil over in his veins.
"Leave." Naruto said in a cold tone, making a few of the younger ladies shiver at his tone while Aiyo raised an eyebrow at him.
"What did you say?" He said in an equally cold tone, standing up to glare at Naruto as everyone else watched with nervous stares.
"You deaf? Get out." Naruto repeated as Aiyo started laughing, holding his sides as he wiped away a tear.
"Oh, and what if I don't? Is the big, bad chef gonna do something?" Aiyo sneered, Naruto simply shaking his head at the obvious goad.
"To think that you're a shinobi. The standards much be lower then dirt if they let someone as disgusting as you in." Naruto said in an exasperated tone, Aiyo's brow twitching in anger as he grit his teeth.
The jab at his pride sending him over the edge, he lashed out and connected a blow against Naruto's cheek as many cried out in fright at the action, Hisako rushing out of the kitchen when she heard the commotion. Moving quickly, she stopped by Naruto's side and tended to his cheek when Aiyo grabbed her by the wrist. Tugging her roughly, he pulled her off balance as the ladies that surrounded him started laughing at her. Ignoring them, she pulled herself from his grip and continued to dab the small bruise on Naruto's cheek with a wet cloth.
"Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that? Do you even know who the fuck I am? I'm Aiyo Aizawa, an elite jonin from Yugakure! If you know what's good for you, you'll get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. As for you, you belong with me and not some piece of shit chef who can't even take a punch." Aiyo shouted as he glared at Naruto, the blonde never raising his head to meet his gaze.
Growing red with anger at the lack of respect, Aiyo was about to go off on another tirade when a brutal punch connected with his face, breaking his nose, busting his lip and knocking a few teeth out of his mouth. A cry of pain leaving his throat, he grabbed at the broken piece of cartilage as he stared with tear filled eyes at a rising Naruto.
"Hisako, please head back into the kitchen. You really don't want to hear what I'm about to do to this piece trash." Naruto said in a gentle but firm tone, Hisako nodding as she quickly moved back into the kitchen.
"Y-You bastard! D-Do you know w-who am I! I-" Aiyo was cut off when Naruto grabbed him roughly by the throat, leveling a frigid glare at him before dragging him out of the hostel.
Once they were outside, Naruto roughly threw him across the road and stood there as Aiyo got up. As soon as he was standing, Naruto moved in close before slamming a vicious palm strike to his abdomen, blood and spittle flying from Aiyo's mouth as he lurched forward. Spinning, Naruto smashed his elbow without mercy into his already broken nose, the wet crunch accompanying it being an unpleasant sound to anyone who heard it. Finally, Naruto tightened his free hand into a fist and delivered a brutal backhand to side of the near unconscious man's head, sending him crashing into the ground. Wiping the blood off his face and hands with the towel on his waist, he walked back into his shop before glaring at the group of ladies that Aiyo had come with.
"Get the hell out and take your trash with you. If I even smell you, I'll make sure you'll want to give up living by the time I'm done with you." Naruto growled as they quickly left the shop in tears, carrying away the broken and unconscious form of Aiyo.
Releasing an angry sigh, Naruto calmed down when he felt Hisako wrap her arms around him. Taking a few more breaths to calm himself, Naruto thanked her before apologizing to their customers, all of them waving him off and thanking him for taking care of the group that was causing them problems during their meals. Bowing to them in gratitude, he swapped with Hisako once more as he returned to cooking, Hisako tending to the tables with more of a natural smile on her face as peace returned to their little shop once more.
(Scene Change - Unknown Location)
Gathered around a dark chamber, figures in black cloaks donned with red clouds were in the middle of a meeting on top of a strange statue. As the hours passed, a pair eventually left while the rest remained, a sense of evil rolling off of all of them. Soon they started to depart one at a time, though a single pair remained in the chamber. Turning around, they revealed a pair of light purple eyes with a ripple-like pattern.
"Is something wrong?" A feminine voice asked with a bit of concern in her voice as the figure shook his head.
"Perhaps. I am getting a premonition that I may be overlooking something that might cause problems for us in the future." He replied before turning around once more, his eyes having a strange glint to them.
(Time Skip - A Week Later)
(Scene Change - Taiyō no Kuni: Kyuukai Hostel)
"Thank you once again for coming Yore-san!" Hisako said as she bowed to the elderly woman, who laughed good naturedly at her politeness before bidding the two owners farewell.
Smiling at the elderly woman's departure, Hisako began wiping down and clearing off the last of the tables in the dining room. They didn't have any guests staying the night so she was humming a little louder then usual, blushing when she realized that for the first time in a while they were alone together. A sweeter smile appearing on her face, she failed to notice the blonde in front of her until she bumped into him. Crying out a bit in surprise, she squeaked when she felt him wrap her up in a hug, breaking her fall and pulling her in close.
"S-Sorry Naruto, I wasn't p-paying attention!" Hisako said quickly as she flushed pink, Naruto laughing softly as he put her back onto her feet.
"It's fine, it's been a while since we didn't have to worry about waking guests." He said as she smiled sweetly and nodded in agreement.
The two falling into a comfortable and happy atmosphere, they talked about the happenings in and around their home. Hisako stating that a few of the housewives told her that there was a sale going on in a nearby village that she hoped to go to. Smiling, Naruto told her that he'd accompany her after watering and weeding the garden, bringing a warm smile to her face. Quickly cleaning the rest of the tables and sweeping the dining room, the two retired for the night, Naruto slipping into their small hot spring while Hisako contemplated joining him only to faint in her bed with a with a bright blush on her face. As Hisako dreamt of a happy future together with Naruto, said blonde was feeling something in the pit of his stomach that started to fill him with a bit of dread.
"Something dangerous is going to happen, and soon." He said to himself as he let out a sigh, his eye sharpening while black and crimson lightning danced around him.
(Time Skip - A Week Later)
(Scene Change - Sunagakure)
Deidara, with Sasori, travelled to Sunagakure to capture Gaara so the Akatsuki can extract the Shukaku from him. As they arrive, Deidara notes that the one who was in place there would be the first, while the one they sent under Orochimaru will have to wait. Getting passed gate security with the help of Sasori's sleeper agent Yūra, taking out any guards watching the sky, Deidara found that the village was artistically worthy of being blown up. Despite the stealthy infiltration, Deidara was quickly confronted by Gaara, who knew he was in the village due to the clay bird he was flying on not matching any species native in the Kaze no Kuni. Deidara was then forced into taking up the defensive, seeing Gaara's abilities to make his opponent worthy of him using his artistic ninjutsu on. Nearly being trapped in a prison of sand pulled from the surrounding desert, Deidara ended up losing his left arm trapped in some of the sand from Gaara's gourd, forcing Deidara to pull what remained of it off to prevent the sand from crushing the rest of him.
Seeing that he was nearly out of clay, Deidara hatched a plan that would end the fight: Using a C3 bomb on the village as a decoy with Gaara left defenseless in his act to protect Sunagakure for Deidara to use a clay bird. Though Gaara's sand stops the scheme, Deidara reveals that some of the clay in the arm Gaara took had mixed with his sand. Detonating the clay as Gaara uses his Suna no Tate, Deidara abducts his unconscious opponent with Kankuro in pursuit before Sasori gives Deidara time to escape. After waiting for Sasori, Deidara headed out with him to one of their hideouts in Kawa no Kuni to extract the Shukaku with the rest of the Akatsuki.
(Scene Change - Konoha)
"Thank you all for coming, we've received an urgent from Suna. The Kazekage has been kidnapped." Minato said, dropping a bombshell on the group inside of his office.
Gathered inside of Minato's office was Zabuza and Kakashi with their respective teams. Kakashi's team was the same, consisting of the three remaining Uzumaki-Namikaze children. Zabuza however, had insisted that he take on Anko's team in place of her while she raised their little Naruto. It took a lot of arguing and convincing, but eventually with the help of Kurenai and their friends, they managed to convince her to take a term of leave in order to raise Naruto.
The young ladies of Team 12 having filled out into their more womanly figures, Satsuki having become a near identical twin of Mikoto, down to the same hair style though hers was longer, as Haku and Yakumo resembled their mothers more then ever. All of them becoming rather bewitching to those who held affections for them.
Satsuki had changed her outfit to a sleeveless black blouse that hung tightly to her body, the Uchiha emblem etched onto the back of it boldly. She also had on the standard firm blue pants that most of her comrades had, bandaging it the same and equipping kunai holster in the same manner, though her pants were a bit flared out at the bottom. She had her wakizashi secured firmly above her equipment pouch. She topped off her outfit with her hitai-ate wrapped firmly around her forehead, wearing her flak jacket open.
Yakumo had styled her hair in a similar manner to her mother, cutting it short a little past her shoulders in a stylized bob cut. She wore a red qipao-style blouse that covered half of her biceps and her chest, wearing a pink body suit underneath that went to her thighs. She wore mesh legging underneath and boots that stopped short of her knees. She had bandaged her left thigh and secured her kunai holster there. She topped off her outfit with her tanto that was hanging on her right thigh.
Haku hadn't changed much in terms of appearance, her hair remaining the same. She wore a sleeveless dark blue kimono that went to her knees, matching detached sleeves that extended a bit past her hands to conceal them from view. Holding her kimono in place was a light blue obi with a snowflake pattern, with matching blue colored sandals. She had her hitai-ate hanging loosely by her side, bandaging her legs from her ankles up to her knees. She topped off her outfit with a pair of dark gray shin guards.
In terms of appearance, the young Uzumaki-Namikaze had remained relatively the same throughout the four years. Mito had become nearly an exact replica of Kushina and like Narumi, the bodies two had filled out to become more womanly. Their hair being a bit different then it was when they were younger, Mito's hair being long, ending a bit past her waist when let down, flowing and a bit wavy with an elegant, loosely tied knot at the back. Narumi's hair had become a bit spiky, getting the same bangs as her father, the blonde opting to style it into a long, spiky ponytail that ended mid-back.
Mito's outfit had changed a bit, now donning the traditional attire of a ninja from Konoha. Wearing a firm fitting blue shirt and pair of sandals and pants that ended mid shin, she topped off her outfit with her green flak jacket. Her kunai holster resting on her right thigh, it was bandaged in a similar fashion to how her mother's own outfit. Her hitai-ate resting on a black cloth that was tied firmly around her forehead. Covering her shins up to her knees were a pair of steel shin guards. But the thing that stood out the most on her person was the chokuto that was hanging behind her waist, a present from her godfather, that hung beside her equipment pouch.
Narumi had changed her outfit on the request of her godmother, now sporting a similar look to her sister. Wearing the same firm fitting pants and sandals but a loose fitting blue v-necked shirt. She had the same holder and the same bandages that covered her right thigh, but bandaged both ankles up to her mid shin. Underneath the loose blue shirt was a mesh one, ending a little past her elbows. Wearing her hitai-ate on her forehead, she topped off her outfit with a pair of combat gloves, and her flack jacket which was open opposed to being closed like Mito had it. Behind her waist was a medical bag, resting below her equipment bag. The most striking thing about her outfit being a small blue-green crystal necklace hanging around her neck that used to belong to her godmother.
Menma was a carbon copy of his father would it not for the crimson that tipped his hair. He wore a tracksuit with three stripes on the sleeves, mesh under-armor, a pair of black pants, and sandals, akin to how his father dressed when he was younger. However, he also wore the arm guards that his godfather had, styling his hair in a similar manner to the same man, in a spiky ponytail that ended near his shoulders. The most eye catching thing about his attire being a large scroll that he had strapped behind his waist.
"N-No way! W-Who did it and how?!" Menma shouted in confusion, his eyes wide at the fact someone had successfully abducted a Kage.
"The Akatsuki." Minato said in a low tone, his children freezing with eyes full of fear at the mention of the group their godfather had warned them about.
"Y-You don't mean..." Mito trailed off, Minato grimacing before nodding his head as the others in the room looked on confusion.
"What's going on? Are they really that dangerous?" Satsuki asked, voicing the concerns of the other occupants of the room.
"They're a group that Jiraiya and Orochimaru found out about many years ago. We don't know what their goal is, all we know is that they're attempting to capture every Jinchūriki and extract the Bijū that they hold." He explained as the eyes of everyone widened.
"I-If that's true, why are you sending Mito, Narumi and Menma out Minato-sensei?! It's like giving a steak to a hungry wolf!" Kakashi countered with worry evident in his tone.
"Don't you think I know that Kakashi! I don't like it either, but the other teams are out on their own missions. I know my children well enough to know that they can handle any situation they're thrust into, that's why I'm sending them out with another team for back up." Minato explained as Kakashi nodded his head slowly, Zabuza and Team 12 feeling a bit out of place.
After a few more minutes of explaining the situation, the group was finally caught up on the details concerning the kidnapping. The teams agreeing to a plan, they headed off in order to prepare for the journey ahead of them. An hour later, the group was on their way to Suna, worry for not only the leader of their ally but for the three who they swore to protect.
(Scene Change - Taiyō no Kuni: Kyuukai Hostel)
"Naruto, where are you going?" A curious Hisako asked as the blonde next to her finished packing the last of his equipment.
"I'm headed to Yugakure, I got a letter from someone that said they're expecting me there." Naruto said in a slightly apprehensive tone, mostly at the fact he would be leaving behind Hisako.
"Don't worry about me Naruto, I know what to do in case anything happens." She said in a sweet tone, a smile on her face as the blonde smiled back at her.
"Yeah, but I can't help it can I? It's the same when I tell you not to worry about me." He said in a teasing tone as she stiffened, a small frown marring her face as she hugged his arm.
"That's different. You always come back hurt when you say that." She said in a quiet and sad tone, the blonde's eye softening considerably as he moved to embrace her.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I promise to avoid being injured at all costs ok?" He said as Hisako nodded her head softly, nuzzling affectionately against his chest.
Breaking off from him reluctantly, Hisako quickly moved back inside as Naruto put on the small backpack, pocketing a scroll before checking himself once over to ensure that he had everything he needed or would need. Nodding, he brought his hands together in a cross shaped seal, gathering Ryuuton chakra, he created a multitude of Shin Kage Bunshin and had them transform into the small pebbles that laid in and around their little shop.
Gathering the transformed clones, he placed them in strategic places around their shop in the event something unpleasant happened. Double checking that the two dozen clones were placed in the best possible places outside, he gather the next dozen and placed them in with the pebbles that were in the vases that decorated various spots inside of Kyuukai. Finally, he went towards a number of seals hidden behind the counter of the reception desk, inside of the kitchen and both of their bedrooms, making sure that they were still working.
"There, shouldn't be a blind spot anywhere inside or out." Naruto whispered as Hisako returned, holding a bento in her hands.
"Here you go Naruto, I don't know how long you'll be gone so I made it for you. Just in case." Hisako said with a smile and a dusting of pink on her cheeks, the blonde blinking in surprise before taking the bento with a smile on his face.
"Thanks Hisako, you know I love your lunches." He said in a happy tone as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead.
Blushing furiously when she felt his lips on her forehead, she felt him remove them before she gently wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down a bit. Tiptoeing, she leaned up and captured his lips with her as his eyes widened a bit in surprise. After a few seconds, Hisako reluctantly separated from him but not without giving him one more quick peck on the lips.
"Remember that you promised me that you'll come back safe Naruto." Hisako reiterated once more as the blonde gave her a reassuring hug, squeezing her for added effect before they separated.
"You know I don't break my promises unless I have to Hisako." The blonde said as she nodded her head, his ironclad words always a reassuring thing for her.
"And remember, if anything happens you know how to contact me. I don't care if it's something as petty as a drunk getting a little too rowdy, you contact me immediately." He said in a stern but soft tone, Hisako nodding her head as he returned the gesture.
Giving each other one last hug, they parted as Naruto exited their building. Turning back, he waved a farewell to a worried Hisako who returned it with less fervor then she usually did when he went out to hunt or fish. Biting back the urge to bring her along, he turned and headed towards the north, where a very important friend of his had asked him to check out. Pulling out the scroll, Naruto opened it once more and scanned its contents, narrowing his eyes when he got to a specific line.
"Naruto, I'm sorry to have disturbed you once again but this time it is urgent. One of my most trusted ninja, Yugito Nii, was assigned a mission to the south of Kumo, near the border of Yu no Kuni and Shimo no Kuni nearly a week ago and hasn't returned or responded since. I have attached a photograph of her to this letter for reference and verification. I know that you are not a ninja, but I am asking you as a friend and not as the Raikage, to head towards the border and see if she is ok. The mission she was sent on was a simple escort mission, something that doesn't have to be kept confidential as it was for a merchant who was afraid of bandits. All the carrier hawks that we have sent have never returned and I can't afford to send any of the few ninja we have out without knowing the situation. I know that this is a dangerous, even suicidal mission but I am asking you as a friend to simply see if anyone knows anything about her. If you are able to find any information, I will be eternally grateful for your help. Once again, I know it is foolish, selfish and irresponsible what I am asking but I can't risk anything happening should something serious come up. My friend, I know that what I am asking of you is dangerous but I hope that you will be able to help Kumo and myself by doing this. - A"
"Damn it A, if you didn't help out Hisako that day I wouldn't be doing this." Naruto muttered under his breath before rolling the scroll back up and pocketing it once again.
(Scene Change - Border of Yu no Kuni and Shimo no Kuni)
A lone figure could be seen running through the woods as a pair raced behind to catch up to them. As they exited the thicket of trees, the one being pursued was a young woman who had long, straight, blonde, hair bound with taut bandages and dark eyes. She wore a short-sleeved black and purple blouse and black pants, both of which had a design similar to clouds on them, purple fingerless gloves and a chain of blue beads wound around her left hand. She also wore the standard Kumo forehead protector, sandals and kunai holster which was strapped to her right thigh. She also wore bandages around her arms and legs as well as a red belt around her waist.
"Damn, they don't give up do they!" Yugito cursed under her breath as she avoided another flash of lightning that ripped past the side of her head.
Her pursuers were a pair of men garbed in black cloaks with red clouds on them. One was a tan-skinned and tall man, appearing as a man well within his prime, retaining a very muscular build. He wore a white hood and a black mask, with his eyes being the only visible part of his face. The forehead protector of his home village with a scratch in the middle which symbolized that he was no longer loyal to it. He also wore brown nail polish and a dark green ring with the kanji for "north" was placed on his left middle finger. His entire body was covered with various stitches and predominantly appeared to be sewn together.
The other had medium-length silver hair that was slicked back and distinctive purple eyes. He wore his cloak open with no shirt, only pants under it revealing his Yugakure forehead protector around his neck and Jashin amulet. He also wore dark green nail polish and an orange ring on his left index finger, which bears the kanji for "three".
"This is getting tiresome." The larger man said as he released an exhausted and irritated sigh, shaking his head as his partner shouted at him.
"Then stay the fuck back Kakuzu! I can handle this bitch myself!" The silver haired man shouted as Kakuzu turned him out.
"If left to you, Hidan, you would no doubt kill her and ruin the entire plan." Kakuzu said in a calm tone as Hidan gained a few tick marks on his head.
"The fuck you say you bastard! Come here and say it to my face!" Hidan shouted in anger, his brow twitching in rage as the older man ignored him.
Passing the border and entering Yu no Kuni, Hidan glanced around before a wicked smile appeared on his face. Seeing his partner with an expression that usually was a forewarning of a massacre, he simply shook his head and returned his attention to the trail of their prey. Doing his best to ignore Hidan's rambling, Kakuzu felt his temper begin to boil over when the silver haired man began a long winded speech about sacrificing as many people as he found to Jashin.
"-nd then, Lord Jashin will no doubt see that I am a true believer of his faith and will!" Hidan said as his smile became a bit wider with bloodlust.
"Let's just get this over with, chasing her like this is beginning to waste our time. And you know that time is money." Kakuzu said as he sped up, Hidan blanching before growling and catching up to his partner.
(Time Skip - An Hour Later)
(Scene Change - Yu no Kuni: Forest Clearing)
Arriving in the middle of a clearing, Yugito leaned against a tree as she did her best to silently catch her breath. Grimacing, she clutched the wound on her side as she scanned the area for any signs of the two who were following her. Taking a shaky breath, she was about to continue when her instincts screamed at her to dive, following them as a three bladed scythe embedded itself where her legs were. Rolling back to a standing position, she glared at the two as they entered the clearing.
"Are you trying to kill her? If that hit you would've severed her femoral artery." Kakuzu said in an irritated tone as Hidan scoffed at him.
"Don't you think I know that? What am I, an idiot?" Hidan shot back as Kakuzu shook his head in the positive, another tick mark appearing on the silver haired man's head.
As they started to bicker, Yugito found an opening and took it. Channeling a bit of her Bijū's chakra to her mouth, Yugito took a deep breath that gained the attention of the two in front of her as she spat out a series of flaming mice at them.
"Nezumi Kedama!" She shouted as the mice chased after the two, forcing Kakuzu to split and move to evade the flaming projectiles while Hidan just stood still.
"Gah, that's hot you bitch!" He shouted as he patted out the flames at that burned his body, shooting her an angry glare before he charged at her with his scythe raised to strike.
Cursing again, Yugito ducked under a wide swing before finding that something had grabbed her leg. Looking down, her eyes widened a bit when she saw that it was Kakuzu's arm, detached from his body yet seemingly still working in tandem with Hidan. Panicking a bit, she tried to free herself from the grip of the arm only to find that it had an ironclad hold on her leg. Hearing something whirling towards her, Yugito turned her head to for it to snap to the side when Hidan's scythe cut her cheek.
"It's all set!" The silver haired man said in an excited tone, his eyes shining in a mix of excitement and joy.
"Remember Hidan, we're to capture her not kill her." Kakuzu warned in a stern tone as Hidan simply smiled at him, too happy to care about the underlying threat.
"Sure thing Kakuzu, just make sure she doesn't disrupt my ritual and we won't have a problem." Hidan said as he began drawing the symbol of Jashin on the ground using his own blood, Kakuzu sighing before locking onto the stunned figure of Yugito.
"Raiton: Raigen Raikōchū!" Yugito shouted as her body started sparking before she generated an electric light that blinded the two in front of her.
Managing to buy herself a few precious seconds, she turned and sprinted deeper into the forest as the light died down. Seeing her run off, Kakuzu released an exasperated sigh as he would have to be the one to drag her back once Hidan was done with his ritual. Turning, he saw the silver haired man lick up Yugito's blood from his scythe as his body turned black with white markings appearing over his body, his appearance akin to a skeleton.
"Hahaha! Now, let us begin!" Hidan shouted as he pulled out a retractable spear and impaled himself in the leg, crying out in a mix of pain and pleasure as he felt the link between him and Yugito.
(Scene Change - A Few Meters From The Clearing)
"Gah!" Yugito cried out as she felt a searing pain rip through her thigh, clutching it as she fell to the ground.
"W-What the hell?" She said in a pained tone, gritting her teeth as she furiously batted away the tears that stung her eyes.
Soon more pain exploded throughout various parts of her body as she cried out in agony, feeling something pierce her lower leg, shoulder, forearm and abdomen. Panting, she curled up in a ball in a futile attempt to stave off the pain that racked her body, her eyes half lidded as she struggled to remain conscious. Hearing footsteps, she weakly turned her head and saw Kakuzu walking towards her with a slightly irritated expression in his eyes. Glancing at her downed form, he shook his head as he continued towards her.
"You had better not die on us, we've wasted enough time chasing you." He said in an irritated tone, grabbing her roughly by the collar of her shirt and lifting her.
"W-Who are you." She demanded in a weak tone, Kakuzu merely raising a brow at her demand.
"Are you really in a position to be demanding anything from us?" He said in an incredulous tone, Yugito simply glaring at him in response.
"It won't matter if I tell you, you're not in the condition to attempt an escape nor are any of your comrades coming." Kakuzu said as he bound her arms and legs, gagging her with a piece of cloth as he slung her over his shoulder like baggage.
Despite her struggling, he returned to Hidan who was glaring at Kakuzu with unbridled anger in his eyes. Ignoring his glowering partner, Kakuzu walked past him and back to the west as Hidan huffed at him. Muttering something about greedy mummies under his breath, he reluctantly followed behind him as Yugito's struggling became more and more erratic and desperate. Feeling her strength start to fade, her eyes began to water a bit as she found herself in a situation where she couldn't find a way out.
(Time Skip - An Hour Later)
(Scene Change - Yugakure: Village Center)
The pair arriving in the heart of Yugakure with their cargo, Hidan let a wistful smile appear on his face as he glanced around the familiar surroundings that he grew up in. But as soon as his smile appeared it vanished, replaced with a disgusted frown when he saw the various signs that were put up to attract tourists. Scoffing, he turned back to face forward as a few people gave the pair a wide berth, obviously afraid when they saw the woman slung over Kakuzu's shoulder. Turning when the sound of a group of approaching ninja caught their attention, Hidan gained a broad smile when he felt the killing intent rolling off of him.
"If it isn't the most notorious missing-nin in all of Yugakure history." One of them said as they glared at the silver haired man.
"Not only that, but looks like he's fallen to petty kidnapping. Pretty pathetic if you ask me." another quipped as Hidan's smile fell, his mouth moving to a frown.
"Oi, you had better watch your fucking mouths." He said in a dangerously low tone, his eyes shining with malice.
"Oh yeah? Or what? You'll kidnap us like that woman? Please, if you ask me the only reason you're an S-Rank is because all ninja from Yugakure were just weak." A third added as Hidan began to tighten his hands into fists, glaring hotly at them.
"Kakuzu, do you mind if we make a quick pit stop. I think Jashin-sama wants an offering, a big one." He said in a barely controlled tone as Kakuzu sighed once again.
"Make it quick, we're already two days behind as it is." He said as he moved on ahead, leaving Hidan alone with the group of ninja.
"Hey, shouldn't we stop the masked freak too?" A ninja asked as they all nodded their heads in agreement, before one of them dropped dead.
"W-What!" They screamed and shouted when they saw the slashed throat of one of their comrades.
"You bastards are gonna pay for insulting me, none of you are gonna be leaving here alive!" He roared as he charged them, the group tensing before charging to meet him as well.
In the midst of the blood and gore that littered the ground, a blonde observing the scene turned his attention to the woman that was slung over Kakuzu's shoulder. Just by the clothing that she wore and the way her hair was styled, he knew that this was the woman that A was concerned about. Cursing under his breath, he debated on what his options were. On one hand, A had just asked that he find her and report back using a messenger hawk. On the other, he could try to save her and start a battle with two clearly powerful people. Grimacing, he released a sigh as he summoned a scroll from a seal on his wrist. Summoning a cloak and mask, he put them on before sealing away his backpack.
"Kekkai Genryuu: Giryuu Hourui." Naruto said as he placed his hand on the ground, a slight shimmer of the air all that signified that anything had happened.
"Let's hope I don't regret this." He muttered under his breath as he moved to engage Kakuzu, the man never sensing Naruto until he was sent flying off the side of the area by a brutal punch from the blonde.
Catching Yugito, he swiftly created two clones and swap places with them, one of the clones transforming into the image of a man Naruto had killed many years ago while bearing the headband of the ninja who were fighting Hidan, the other turned into Yugito. The transformed clones taking their places, Naruto quickly moved away from the location with Yugito wrap tightly around his arms. Back with the clones, the one who had transformed into Yugito laid motionless on the ground with its eyes closed. The other moving to pick it up, it was stopped and later impaled in the chest by an irate Kakuzu. Its eyes widening, it fell forward and dropped the transformed clone as Hidan finished up with the group of ninja.
"Tch, so they were smart enough to have someone sneak up on you. Surprised you were able to get jumped though Kakuzu." Hidan said with mirth and condescendence in his tone, Kakuzu glaring at the younger man before kicking the body of the clone away and picking up the other.
"While it is rather strange that they managed to get the drop on me, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Let's get going, no doubt your little spat will draw more unwanted attention." Kakuzu said as he slung the transformed clone over his shoulder, Hidan sneering at him while they left the massacre behind them.
(Scene Change - A Few Miles Away From Yugakure)
Releasing a sigh when he felt that there wasn't a change in the two men that were inside of his barrier, Naruto turned and let it drop, seeing a slight shimmer of the air in the distance. As the tension in his body fell, he glanced at the woman who was securely held in his arms. A bit taken back by how pale she was, he picked up his speed as he headed back to Kyuukai. As the minutes passed, he felt something was amiss and looked down, blinking in surprise when he saw her nuzzling against his chest like a cat would.
"A sure has a lot of strange ninja working with him." Naruto muttered as he ignored the sensation of her face against his chest.
(Scene Change - Hidan and Kakuzu's Location)
With Hidan and Kakuzu they were already past the border of Yugakure and entering Ta no Kuni, intent on returning as soon as they could. Seeing that they were nearing being three days over their intended capture date, they were being a bit careless in their journey. Trading insults back and forth, they were only dragging out their journey as Kakuzu had to remind Hidan that they were only wasting time bickering only to shoot an insult once he was finished.
"If you continue to complain we'll surely be three days overdue. Shut your trap and hurry it up." Kakuzu said in an irritated tone as Hidan's face reddened even more with anger.
"I swear to Jashin I'll kill you Kakuzu! You hear me!" He shouted at his partner, getting nothing but a scoff in return for his threat.
The two continuing to bicker back and forth, they failed to check up on their cargo, the clone silently storing everything of importance until the time came for it to be dispelled.
(Scene Change - Sunagakure)
After arriving at Suna, Teams 7 and 12 learned of the attack on Kankuro. Despite the failed attempt by the medics on-hand, Narumi easily cured Kankuro, thus demonstrating her vastly improved skill with iryō ninjutsu. Seeing that they were dealing with an unknown poison, Haku and herself developed several portable antidotes rather quickly. Using a piece of Sasori's clothing found on one of Kankuro's destroyed puppets, Kakashi was able to track him, thus leading them to Gaara. When Temari offered to assist them, Chiyo, another puppeteer and Sasori's grandmother, offered though it was more of a demand to go in her place.
"So that's the plan huh? I'm not too sure I like the idea of splitting up but I've got nothing else to go on." Zabuza said as Kakashi nodded at him, the two shaking the others hand as they split up to broaden the scope of their search.
While Team 7 tracked Sasori through the piece of clothing, the Akatsuki had sent out Kisame Hoshigaki to deal with Team 12. The two teams diverging when the Sasori's scent split into two trails, Kakashi summoned another of his hounds to lend to Team 12, the two heading off in opposite directions. Team 7 heading towards the forest while Team 12 headed towards the sea.
(Scene Change - Hanguri Gulf)
With Team 12, they were near the small gulf that made up the coast east of Suna. Scanning the area, they found no traces of the man Kankuro had described, finding it a bit unsettling that the trail ended in the middle of nowhere. But suddenly Zabuza found himself in the midst of an all too familiar bloodlust. Turning and drawing Kubikiribōchō, he blocked a brutal side slash from a tall, blue skinned man who resembled a shark. Narrowing his eyes, he saw the other man flash him a toothy and challenging grin.
"So you haven't died after all Kisame." Zabuza said in a low tone, his team tensing when they saw how rigid their normally calm and laidback leader was.
"You hurt my feelings Zabuza, you really think I'd kick the bucket that easily?" Kisame asked as he pushed Samehada against Kubikiribōchō, sparks beginning to dance as the blades grinded against each other.
Grunting, the two swordsmen pushed off each other and landed a fair distance away, both tense as they stared down the other. Tightening his grip on his sword, Zabuza shot a few concerned glances at his team as Kisame noticed them, grinning with a mix of mirth and amusement when he saw how concerned the bandaged man was about the young ladies who were with him.
"Who would've thought that you of all people would be concerned about others. You've really come a long way Zabuza, hahaha!" Kisame chuckled as Zabuza grit his teeth, his knuckles turning white with how tightly he was gripping Kubikiribōchō.
"Oh, I strike a nerve? Still feeling what happened to those orphans all those years ago huh?" Kisame continued as Zabuza froze, a cold sweat breaking out over his skin as Yakumo and Satsuki looked at Kisame in confusion.
"Quiet you!" Haku shouted as she threw a volley of senbon at Kisame, the man simply deflecting the needles with ease.
As he drew Samehada back, he raised a brow when he saw Satsuki glaring at him with her Sharingan in full effect. A broad smile breaking out on his face at the prospect of fighting against someone with a doujutsu, he rushed to engage her, knocking Haku aside as Satsuki quickly raised her wakizashi to defend against him. Gasping a bit when she felt the power of his blow, her arms buckled under the force as she felt her arm going numb. But before Kisame could do any serious damage, he was forced to back step when Yakumo appeared beside him, intent on taking his arm.
As he created a bit of distance between them, he smirked when he saw the three of them standing before a still stunned Zabuza. Shaking his head at the condition of the man he used to view as a rival, he slung Samehada over his shoulder and beckoned them to come. Though when none of them took him up on his offer, he simply shrugged his shoulders and flashed through a series of seals as Satsuki copied them, mimicking them as Kisame's smirk turned into a grin.
"Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!" The two shouted while thrusting their hands forward, the water near their feet forming into two sharks as they raced towards each other.
The difference in power could be seen as Satsuki's shark was noticeably more unstable and smaller then Kisame's, being easily overpowered and destroyed by the larger shark. As it neared them, it opened its jaws to bite down on Satsuki only to be frozen solid by an irate Haku. Blinking in surprise when the shark froze over and shattered, he saw that Haku had her hands held out towards it as she whispered out the name of her technique loud enough for him to hear.
"Hyōton: Jisarenhyō." Haku said as she brought her hand down, her eyes gaining a sharp edge to them as Kisame simply grinned at her.
Drawing Samehada once more, he found that he was moving much more sluggishly then he should have been. Blinking a bit in confusion, he grit his teeth and forced his body to abide by his mind's minimum demand of it. As pain ripped though his body, he found himself moving his arm when he wanted to blink. His eyes widening, when he tried to take a step forward with his right leg, his left eye would twitch. Confusion and a bit of intrigue filling him, he managed to turn and saw Yakumo with a small smirk on her face. Her hands in a seal, he finally found that he was trapped in a genjutsu.
"Ninpo: Heki Ranshinshō." She said as Satsuki and Haku drew their blades and rushed him down, intent on ending the fight as soon as they could.
Letting out a shout, they both slashed through the man, Satsuki slashing his throat while Haku split his stomach open. But instead of blood, water spewed from the wounds they inflicted before they were both trapped in spheres of dense water. Their eyes widening in panic and fear, Yakumo dropped her hands and moved to help them. When she neared them, the leftover pool of water from the sharks sprang up and trapped her in another sphere of water.
"Nice try girlies, but not good enough. Now, if I were a tenth of the shinobi I was that would've worked but I'm not." Kisame said as he moved to cut through the three, all of them snapping their eyes shut in a futile attempt to try and ease the oncoming pain.
But when a metallic clang rang out, their eyes flew open and widened when they saw that Zabuza was glaring at Kisame with nothing but hatred in his eyes. Growling, he pushed Kubikiribōchō against Samehada before he shoved Kisame back. Landing a fair distance away from the bandaged man, Kisame saw Zabuza raise his hands towards the three floating spheres of water before he closed his hand.
"Suiton: Suikaku." Zabuza said as the spheres rippled a bit before rupturing, the three ladies who were trapped falling and coughing as they caught their breaths.
Seeing that they weren't harmed, he turned his attention to the man in front of him. When he saw the look in Zabuza's eyes, Kisame quickly lost his grin as his mouth thinned to a small line. Their eyes as sharp as their blades, they approached each other at a steady pace while Yakumo, Satsuki and Haku watched with trepidation and confusion. When they were less then two meters away from each other, they drew and held out their swords towards each other.
"You know the stakes of this duel right?" Zabuza asked in a cold tone, his eyes sharpening when Kisame nodded his head stiffly.
"Yeah, loser not only loses their life but their sword and their pride and honor as a swordsman." He said as he tightened his grip on Samehada.
After their quick talk, they began circling around each other, taking precise and controlled steps as sweat fell from their heads. Then, as if on cue, a gust of wind carried small droplet of water as it fell between the two men. When it hit the ground, the two exploded with speed unlike anything the three kunoichi beside them had seen. Sharp clangs of steel meeting steel echoing loudly throughout the clearing, Zabuza and Kisame spun connected blades once more, both grunting as they tried to overpower the other.
Reversing his grip on his sword, Zabuza tilted it and slid Samehada off the flat of his blade. Stepping in, he slammed the pommel of Kubikiribōchō into Kisame's abdomen as Kisame raked Samehada across Zabuza's shoulder. His eyes widened when pain ripped through his shoulder, he rolled along with the spines of Samehada as he avoided the serrated blade tearing into him more then it had already. As he was rolling forward, he brought his heel up and slammed it on top of Kisame's head, stunning him enough to allow Zabuza to roll a distance away.
"Heh. Looks like you aren't as rusty as I thought you were." Kisame said in a tone filled with slight respect.
"Same to you." Zabuza quipped, tightening his grip on Kubikiribōchō as Kisame tightened his on Samehada.
"Then let's end this farce, whoever stands is clearly the better swordsman." Kisame said as his chakra surged to an immense level, Zabuza's eyes widening before he grit his teeth and let his chakra flow.
"Kubikiribōchō: Reigou Reisuiwari!"
"Samehada: Suikōjin!"
The two roared as they charged towards each other, Kubikiribōchō trailing behind Zabuza while Samehada was held in beside Kisame. With a cry the two met as their blades collided, a rending explosion of water, mist and sparks. Shielding their bodies with their arms to protect themselves from the sharp blades of chakra infused water, the trio looked up after a few seconds and saw a sight that would never leave their memories.
Standing back to back, were the two swordsmen, their swords drawn in front of them. Then, Kisame's mouth went form a thin line to a small smile as he hacked up blood. His upper body sliding off, it hit the wet ground with a wet thud. A solemn look in Zabuza's eyes, his bandages were soon tinted with a red hue as he fell to his knees. Turning, his team gasped in horror and shock when they saw that he was missing a large part of his shoulder. Releasing a sigh, he let a grunt out as he moved to sit on his rear, taking off his flak jacket and shirt as he used the ripped garment to stanch the blood that was flowing from his wounded shoulder.
"Tou-sama!" Haku screamed as she sprinted to heal him, tears welling up in her eyes as her teammates moved to aide her.
"I'm fine, it's nothing big Haku." He said in a joking tone, trying to ease the tension that was still lingering in the air.
"Be quiet! You always do this! You always say it's nothing big but it's always serious! Just please be quiet so I can work!" She shouted before chewing on her bottom lip in a bit of guilt, using her forearm to wipe away the tears in her eyes before she started to heal him.
"H-Hey, easy Haku! I'm injured remember!" Zabuza said in a panicked tone when Haku was tending to him a bit more roughly then she usually would.
"Satsuki, Yakumo, could you two check up on Kisame? I know I got him but I felt that something was off when I crossed blades with him." Zabuza said in a serious tone, getting the attention of the three as the duo nodded and went to see the other man.
"Z-Zabuza-sensei! C-Come quick!" Satsuki shouted in a mix of shock and confusion, Zabuza quickly rising despite his daughter's protests.
Making his way over to the two, Zabuza was about to ask what the problem was but found that no words left his mouth when he saw that the person he had bisected wasn't Kisame but someone else. The shaggy brown hair being a dead giveaway, Zabuza turned the body over and saw that it was in fact someone else. His eyes narrowing, he grit his teeth and clenched his fists tightly, rage boiling through his veins as his team gulped when they saw the anger surfacing on his face.
"I swear I'll kill you for this Kisame..." He said in a dangerously low tone, his voice sharper then his blade.
Haku steadying her father, she helped him to a sitting position while Yakumo and Satsuki checked the deceased man's body for anything of value, finding that there wasn't anything of importance on him. After a few more minutes, the group left the area behind, quiet when they were subjected to Zabuza's quiet fury.
(Scene Change - Unknown Forest)
"Seems like that one's finished." Kisame said as he brought his hands down from the seal that they were in.
"Heh, I can only imagine the look on your face right now Zabuza. You're probably pissed to hell right now." Kisame said with a grin on his face, heaving Samehada over his shoulder as he moved to return back to base.
(Scene Change - Kawa no Kuni: Akatsuki Hideout Entrance)
Reaching a dead end, Team 7 along with Chiyo were a bit apprehensive when they were standing in front of a cave opening, a strange chakra rolling out of it. Steeling themselves, they exchanged glances with each other and nodded, heading into the cave. After a few minutes, they entered a large chamber and stood in shock at what they were witnessing. Gaara was suspended in the air with the Shukaku's chakra being siphoned out of him, being drained into the large statue that stood behind him. But soon the process ended as Gaara's body hit the ground and remained motionless.
"W-We're too late..." Menma said in a soft tone as he gazed at the prone form of the Kazekage, a bit of anger and fear invading his heart.
"So our esteemed guests have finally decided to grace us with their presence, Deidara." Sasori said, his partner turning and giving them all a small smirk.
"Looks like it Sasori, hm." Deidara said in a mirthful tone, his eyes shining when he saw that all three of their next targets were right in front of them.
"You bastards! What the hell did you do to him!" Menma shouted in anger, his eyes narrowed as his siblings tensed.
"What do you think we did? We ripped out the Shukaku from him, exactly what we're gonna do to you three and the Kyuubi next." Deidara said as a cold sweat broke out on the three, all of them swallowing a lump in their throats.
As the tension escalated, the duo immediately split up. Grabbing Gaara's corpse with a bird made of clay, Deidara sped out of the chamber, leaving behind a stunned group of ninja and an impassive Sasori. Turning towards each other, they nodded as Menma and Kakashi split from the group and chased after Deidara. Mito, Narumi and Chiyo staying behind, they faced Sasori as the bulky looking man merely stared at them.
"So, you three are going to fight me?" He asked, his answer being Mito drawing her chokuto, Narumi adjusting the gloves on her hands and Chiyo holding her hands out to her side.
"Very well then, I will show you true art." He said as he held out his left arm and fired a barrage of senbon at the trio.
(Scene Change - Kawa no Kuni: In Pursuit Of Deidara)
"Get down here you bastard!" Menma shouted as Deidara flew above Kakashi and himself, his eyes burning with hate and anger as Kakashi had his hands held together.
"Calm yourself Menma, getting angry is just what he wants you to do." Kakashi said, having revealed his Sharingan before closing it and making a seal.
"Tch. What are you doing Kakashi-nii?" Menma asked as Kakashi continued to keep his seal, Menma raising a brow.
"Don't worry about it, I've got something up my sleeve. For now, don't lose sight of him." He said as Menma nodded, refocusing his attention to the man flying above them.
"Got it."Menma said as he began to string together a set of seals, Deidara glancing down with a wary expression when he felt the buildup of chakra from the two.
(Scene Change - Kawa no Kuni: Akatsuki Hideout Entrance)
Quickly summoning a set of kunai, Chiyo attached a thread of chakra through them as they began to float in the air. As everyone watched on, she let them loose on Sasori who rasied his tail to defend against the sudden attack a bit surprised by her sudden move. But he opted to remain silent and observe the trio, who began to ready their next move.
"Narumi! Mito! Please lend me your power! We've got to get Sasori out of Hiruko!" Chiyo asked as the sisters nodded their heads, a bit of confusion on their faces as they turned to face the large man in front of them.
"Hiruko?" Narumi asked as she Mito kept watch on the man in front of them.
"Yes, to defeat Sasori, we need to take out the puppet that he's hiding in. You two are the only ones who are able to do it. Narumi you've inherited Tsunade's superhuman strength and Mito you've gained Orochimaru's all cutting blade, you've both got what it takes to destroy it." Chiyo said in a comforting and encouraging tone, the eyes of the two lighting up when they heard her praise.
"Got it Chiyo-baachan, we'll smash that thing to pieces no problem." Narumi said as she adjusted her gloves once more, confidence brimming in her eyes.
"We just have to watch out for the traps that are hidden inside of it right? They're coated with the same poison that got Kankuro correct?" Mito asked, Chiyo and Narumi looking at her in surprise and awe respectively.
"That's correct, even the smallest nick will be fatal. To avoid them you need to know the ins and outs of the traps that he's set, to be able to react in time and still be able to launch a counter attack." She explained as the two began to sweat slightly, a bead of sweat falling down their faces.
"Well we're both lacking in both departments Chiyo-baachan." Narumi quipped as Mito nodded, Chiyo smiling at the two.
"Hmph. what do you think I'm here for? Do you think I'm some helpless old hag?" Chiyo said in a mirthful tone as she undid her bun, her hair falling freely.
"Compared to me, Sasori's experience is but a drop in a pond. And, the first move has already been made." Chiyo said as Mito and Narumi turned to face her, confusion evident on their faces once again.
"Here goes girls, it might tingle a bit! Sōen: Hitomi Gokū!" Chiyo said, whispering her jutsu as she held her hands out to the two young ladies, the two stiffening a bit before relaxing as Chiyo attached her chakra threads to them.
"We'll defeat him together girls! I've got the reaction time and the knowledge, you two have the skills and strength!" Chiyo shouted as Mito and Narumi smirked, returning their attention to the puppet in front of them.
"Let's go Mito-nee!" Narumi shouted as she cracked her knuckles, the sound echoing loudly in the cavern as her hands began to glow with a bright blow aura.
"I've got your back Umi-chan!" Mito said as she drew her chokuto, the edge glowing a with a pale white before shaping into a solid white aura.
"So you're all finally ready? You of all people should know... I don't like to be kept waiting." Sasori said as Hiruko began pulled its facemask down.
"Relax, we'll kill you soon enough." Chiyo said in a stern tone, leveling a glare at the puppet.
Soon the battle began, the two surging towards Sasori with enhanced speed due to Chiyo's jutsu. As Hiruko's facemask was ripped off, it's mouth opened up as the three avoided a hail of senbon that were fired out of its mouth. Kicking onto her hands, Narumi spun on her palms as she evaded through the rain of poisoned steel. Mito sidestepped and danced through the volley while Chiyo was able to easily move out of the way. But their attention was grabbed when a torpedo shaped arm was shot at them. The arm rotating at high speed, it began launching the wooden cylinders attached to it. The cylinders opening, each one released a large amount of senbon, creating a quick rain of poisoned needles in all directions.
"Die." Sasori said in a low tone, the eyes of the trio widening when they saw the sudden surge of steel.
But the sudden rain of senbon proved to be ineffective as the trio managed to evade them all, irritating Sasori a bit because even Narumi and Mito were able to dodge the sudden attack. Writing it off as luck or chance, he saw that the two were flanking him on both sides. The rest of his cloak ripping as Hiruko's tail shot out of it only to be locked into place, a brief surge of panic and anger filled Sasori when he finally caught onto what was happening.
"You damned old hag!" The puppeteer thought as Mito and Narumi closed in on him, their eyes burning as they readied themselves.
"Now you two, let him have it!" Chiyo shouted as she moved her hands, accelerating them a little more then they were moving before.
"Eat this!" The two shouted, Narumi slamming down on the back of the puppet with all of her might while Mito sliced up the larger parts.
"Of course... That's my grandmother for you... No wonder those two were able to evade all the traps that Hiruko had." Sasori spoke as he removed the cloak that covered him.
"You saw all of my attacks and used those chakra threads to control those two. Furthermore, you even managed to attach threads to Hiruko's tail from those kunai earlier, though I didn't catch on until its tail froze." Sasori continued, grabbing the head of the cloak that covered him.
"Indeed, though I was doing the best I could to suppress the chakra as much as possible to that it was invisible, you worked it out so well." Chiyo quipped as a noise of amusement left the cloak.
"Well, of course. Who was it who taught me to play with puppets? It was you." He added, pulling the rest of the cloak off.
Reeling the two back, they watched with stunned expressions when Sasori emerged from Hiruko's remains and revealed his true self. The trio were shocked to see his youthful face, considering that he had left Sunagakure over twenty years ago, yet looked so young.
"S-Sasori... Y-You haven't aged a single day..." Chiyo said in a stunned tone, Sasori merely tilting his head at with the same aloof expression on his face.
"I can't say the same for you, grandmother." Sasori said as he brought out a scroll.
"Well, I think we've chatted for long enough. I'll show you what I brought along. Killing him for my collection gave me a hard time, but I think it was worth it." He continued, opening the scroll as the kanji for "three" was written on it.
As the scroll released what was contained inside of it, the eyes of the three narrowed in preparation for what was to come. As the smoke cleared, their eyes widened for a myriad of different reasons.
"T-That couldn't be..." Chiyo said in a stunned tone, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"How is that possible?" Mito whispered as she stared at what was in front of her.
"What is that?" Narumi asked in a quiet tone, feeling a strange source of chakra from it.
"That is..." Chiyo trailed off, her voice barely a whisper as the smoke finally cleared.
"The Sandaime Kazekage." Mito said in a quiet tone, her eyes a bit perturbed by what she was seeing.
"Well then, let's begin." Sasori said as he attached his threads to the puppet, settling into a stance as the trio tensed.
(Scene Change - Kawa no Kuni: In Pursuit Of Deidara)
"Are you ready yet Kakashi-nii?" Menma asked as Kakashi nodded his head, opening his eye as Menma looked on in fascination.
"Geez, I don't have as much chakra as you and your sisters have you know. But yeah, it's ready. Let's go Menma." Kakashi said as his newly shaped Sharingan was present.
"Whoa, it's a new Sharingan." Menma quipped as he gazed at the eye, Kakashi grabbing his attention after a bit of time.
"Heh, don't worry about screwing up Kakashi-nii. Even if you miss, I won't!" Menma said confidently as Kakashi smirked under his mask.
"Hmph, that's if you get the chance Menma." Kakashi said in a confident tone as well, facing forward as they sped up.
Focusing his eye on Deidara above, Kakashi began to channel more chakra into it as something strange began to occur. The clay bird that Deidara was riding began to shimmer and lose its form as did Deidara. Soon, there could be seen a small black point where the spatial disturbance was originating from, located on the blonde man's chest. As they began to catch up to him, Deidara noticed that the point of space that was being manipulated began to shift towards his arm. Finally, the space collapsed on itself, taking Deidara's arm with it.
"Gyahhh!" Deidara shouted in pain, watching in morbid fascination as his arm and the blood that was with it seemingly disappeared.
"Guh! Shit!" Kakashi cried out as he held his eye shut with his hand, grimacing as exhaustion and pain surged through him.
"Ughhh..." Deidara muttered as he fell to his knees, feeling pain like no other course through his missing limb.
"I missed. I still can't properly control the location and size of the barrier limiting the area." Kakashi thought, removing his hand to try once more.
Feeling the same disturbance from before, Deidara quickly looked down and saw that Kakashi was indeed using the same jutsu with his Sharingan. Waiting for the same thing to occur, Deidara widened his eyes and quickly shifted his head over and the clay bird he was flying on down as the space his head had been at quickly collapsed in itself. Sweating as he marginally missed being decapitated, he turned and widened his eyes in surprise when Menma was beside him.
"Odama Rasengan!" Menma shouted as he drove the giant sphere towards Deidara, the man gritting his teeth.
As Menma neared him, Deidara jumped back off the clay bird, Menma's jutsu colliding and exploding when it connected with the construct of clay. The smoke clearing, Menma quickly created a number of clones as they grabbed the head of the bird, that contained Gaara, before landing on one of the many large branches that littered the ravine. Taking a moment to rest, Menma turned and saw that Kakashi's Sharingan had returned to its original state.
"Are you alright Kakashi-nii?" He asked, Kakashi nodding his head as he continued to pant in exhaustion.
"I'm fine, one way or another." The silver haired man answered, glancing forward as he tried to find a trace of Deidara.
Resting behind a large tree trunk, Deidara caught his breath as he peeked over the trunk. Seeing that the main threat was as exhausted as he was, he let a quiet sigh of relief escape his throat. Turning back, he began to devise a counterattack for the next engagement. While he was doing so, both Menma and Kakashi turned to face the direction that he was in.
"We'll get you." Menma said in a dangerously low tone, narrowing his eyes as Deidara let a small smirk grace his features.
"Gotcha, gotcha. I'll fight you again soon. Hm." Deidara said as he threw his voice, a trick he bitterly asked to learn from Sasori.
"You've let your guard down..." Kakashi said in a mocking tone, Deidara raising a brow as he turned to face the masked man.
When he did, Menma appeared once again beside him and delivered a brutal blow to the older man's face. Quickly creating a multitude of clones, he quickly formed a Rasengan in his hand as his clones grabbed and slammed Deidara into the ground. Letting a cry of triumph leave his mouth, Menma buried the deadly sphere of chakra into Deidara's abdomen, a silent scream of pain leaving his throat. Then, a subsequent explosion occurred as a large plume of dust and debris obscured the bodies of the two shinobi.
But as soon as the man began to slacken with the embrace of death, he turned into a misshapen pile of clay.
(Scene Change - Kawa no Kuni: Akatsuki Hideout Entrance)
"That's the Sandaime Kazekage?" Narumi asked in a confused tone, Chiyo and Mito grimacing when they heard her statement.
"Apparently he disappeared suddenly from Suna over ten years ago. From the reports that I've read, they never found his body either." Mito reported as Narumi's eyes widened with the information presented to her.
"It's no rumor Narumi, Mito. It's been over ten years since the Sandaime Kazekage vanished from my village. Sasori... You..." Chiyo trailed off as she leveled a hard glare at him, his face never changing.
"Hmph, for your age Grandmother you're still quite sharp. But I think we've had enough idle chatter." Sasori said as he directed his puppet forward, Chiyo quickly pulling in Mito and Narumi back.
But as soon as they were pulled, the puppet sped up as it held out its right arm. Suddenly, a multitude of blades in the shape of a claw opened up from its arm. Narumi panicking a bit, she grit her teeth and brought her arms up in a defensive position while channeling more chakra to them in preparation for the blades. Her concerns were for naught as Mito narrowed her eyes at the oncoming bladed claw, tightening her grip on her chokuto while channeling more futon chakra into it.
"You're not touching my sister!" She shouted as she defended Narumi and herself by blocking the blades, sparks flying as her chokuto began to slice through the puppet's blades.
"Hmph. Let's go girls." Sasori said in an amused tone, the siblings narrowing their eyes in anger at him.
"Nice work Mito!" Chiyo shouted as Narumi narrowed her eyes upon seeing a twitch of Sasori's fingers.
Flashing through a set of seals, she finished as Sasori pulled a finger back. The motion causing a compartment on the puppet's left arm to open, a large number of arms shot out of the opened compartment. Taking a deep breath, Narumi let her chakra surge as she let loose an all consuming blaze of fire. Seeing her sister using a katon jutsu, Mito quickly channeled more chakra into her chokuto before firing off waves of sharp, futon infused chakra blades.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
"Futon: Fuchikaze!"
As Mito's chakra blades passed through Narumi's fireball, they ignited and increased in size as they sliced and set ablaze the tendrils of arms that were racing towards them. It wasn't just Mito's jutsu that was enhanced by the others, Narumi's fireball devoured a few of the wind blades and the chakra that was used to construct them, enriching the amount of oxygen that was inside of the orange sphere. The resulting mix caused the fireball to superheat into a lighter colored, borderline white sphere that incinerated the arms that it passed through.
"It's too late." Sasori said as the puppet's arms opened up at the elbow joints, firing tied kunai that ensnared the two kunoichi.
"Mito! Narumi!" Chiyo shouted, trying to pull them back to no avail as Sasori's fingers twitched once more.
From the same openings, a pipe was extended as it fired a dark purple cloud of gas that consumed the two. Her eyes widening Chiyo shouted at them not to take a breath while Sasori kept her from reeling them back. Wincing as her lungs were still a bit winded from her jutsu earlier, Narumi was about to give in when Mito narrowed her eyes once more. Gritting her teeth, she began to rapidly spin her chokuto while building up chakra inside of it. As it began to glow white once more, she released the chakra as a concussive blast of wind that severed their bonds, blew away the poisonous gas but also send them flying back with cuts littering their bodies.
"S-Sorry about that Umi-chan, I couldn't think of another way to get us out of there." Mito said with guilt in her voice, Narumi flashing her sister a thankful smile.
"A few cuts over a slow and painful death, I'll take the former Mito-nee." Narumi said in a grateful tone, taking large gulps of precious air.
"These girls... Doing such a reckless and dangerous thing to escape the poison fumes. They really are Kushina-chan and Minato-chan's children." Chiyo thought as Sasori's puppet sent another volley of kunai at them.
When the rain of poisoned steel neared them, they were knocked from the air before they could reach the trio. A bit stunned, Mito and Narumi glanced up and saw that two more puppets had joined the fray. Holding out two smoking scrolls, Chiyo leveled a hard stare at Sasori who's expression hadn't changed from the beginning of the battle.
"Oh, it's them." He said in a monotone, Chiyo sealing the scrolls up once more as she attached her threads to the released puppets.
"The first ones you created. Your Mother and Father." Chiyo said as the puppets surged forward to meet the rival puppeteer.
Placing their hands together, they quickly attached wires together before flying ahead. Dancing around in the air, they quickly sliced through the remains of the arms that Sasori's puppet had. Detaching the remains of the arms, it was pulled back before reengaging the two puppets. Pulling out their respective weapons, they collided in a flurry of lightning fast blows. After a quick clash, they pulled their puppets backs as they stared down at each other.
"Amazing..." Mito said with awe, her eyes wide as she admired the quick clash of steel and skill that happened before her.
"W-Wow... Chiyo-baachan is amazing..." Narumi said with reverence as she complimented the elderly woman's skill despite her appearance.
"Hmm, seems like it's about time I got serious." Sasori said as the puppet of the Sandaime Kazekage opened up, black sand flowing out of its mouth.
"So, that puppet uses the Sandaime's jutsu..." Chiyo said as he looked at the spectacle happening in front of her.
"It's been a while, eh? This is the jutsu that caused the people to see the Sandaime as the strongest after all." Sasori quipped as Chiyo glared at him, Mito and Narumi looking on in nervousness.
"What is that?" Narumi asked as she started to channel chakra into her lungs, preparing for unleashing another jutsu.
"The most feared weapon in the sand, the Iron Sand." Chiyo said in a serious tone, explaining the mechanics behind its uses.
"It was based on a previous host of the Shukaku, that the Sandaime created it after. It can be changed into any form and the weapons to suit the situation can be created. Due to his unique ability to convert his chakra into a magnetic force, it's been something that hasn't yet been replicated." Chiyo explained as Mito and Narumi's eyes widened, though a flash of confusion passed through their faces.
"But if that's true, then how does a puppet have the same exact ability as the Sandaime?" Mito asked, Chiyo leveling a hard glare at Sasori as the red headed man merely smiled and inclined his head slightly.
"That's because it's a human puppet, a puppet that was created from an originally living being. Because of that, it retains its chakra, including any unique abilities." Chiyo said as Mito and Narumi felt a chill run down their spines.
"Girls, you must leave now!" I will handle it alone from here." Chiyo ordered as she readied herself, Mito and Narumi shooting her incredulous looks.
"No way Chiyo-baachan! We're in this together!" Narumi shouted as she turned to face Sasori and his puppet, fixing her gloves as she glared them down.
"Umi-chan is right. We're not leaving you behind all by yourself." Mito said as she tightened her grip on her chokuto, letting more futon chakra flow into it.
At their declaration, Sasori moved his fingers as his puppet held out its hands and fired the Iron Sand in a bullet-like manner. Her eyes widening, Chiyo was about to drag the two girls out of the way but stood a bit stunned when Narumi quickly buried her fist into the ground and ripped up a large piece of earth to act as a shield. As her sister pulled up an earthen shield for them, Mito weaved a barrier made of wind. The combined defenses proved to be strong enough to withstand the rain of Iron Sand.
"Interesting, you two aren't as weak as you appear." Sasori quipped as Mito and Narumi ground their teeth, forcibly calming themselves at his jibe.
"Come'on Mito-nee, let's end this clown." Narumi said in a cold tone, her chakra surging as she rushed forward.
"I've got your back Umi-chan." Mito said as she moved to cover her sister's blind spot, watching with wide eyes was Chiyo.
Sasori manipulating the sand, it recompiled into long spears that shot towards the two charging girls. Dodging and weaving their way between them, they avoided getting hit as Sasori and Chiyo looked on in a bit of shock at the fluidity and grace their movements carried. But then, the puppet of the Sandaime Kazekage quickly opened its mouth once more as its chest compartment began to glow. Suddenly, all of the Iron Sand that was scattered over the battleground began to collect and form into a two shapes, one being rectangular while the other was triangular.
"Girls! You two must get away!" Chiyo shouted as she moved her puppets forwards to intercept and collect the girls.
But her puppets were rendered useless when the block of Iron Sand collapsed on them before scattering and recompiling. The sand lodged in their joints rendering them immobile as Chiyo grimaced. At the same time, the other block of Iron Sand had spears shot out towards Mito and Narumi. Narrowing her eyes, Narumi rushed forward and slugged the block in front of her, sending it flying back towards Sasori. Moving to the side, he watched as it lodged itself in the wall behind him. Turning back to face the two, he saw Mito slice the other block in half before reducing it into tiny cubes.
"Amazing... They've already begun to see the pattern of Sasori's attacks. Even without my assistance, they're holding equal ground with him. Truly, they are the children and apprentices of Konoha's finest." Chiyo thought as she watched the two evade through the rain of spears and sand with much more ease then before.
"Remember Mito-nee. Before he attacks, he always moves his fingers no matter what. That's the weakness of puppeteers. Keep your eyes on the movements of his fingers, hands and arms." Narumi said in a calm and calculating tone, her eyes constantly shifting between the three parts she listed.
"Got it, depending on the angle, motion, speed and direction he moves them, the puppet responds accordingly. Just a bit more and we'll know exactly what he's trying to do." Mito added as her sister nodded in agreement, tightening her fists while she did the same to her chokuto.
"So they're starting to catch on. At this rate, it'll take more time to finish this. It'll take a bit of chakra, but I'll finish this now." Sasori thought as he moved his hands in a different manner from before, the blocks colliding together as Mito and Narumi watched with trepidation.
"Satetsu Kaihō." Sasori said as the chest compartment on his puppet began to glow with a brighter light, the combined blocks sending an endless branch of Iron Sand down on the duo.
Their eyes widening, Mito began to fired more blades of wind to stanch the incoming branches of Iron Sand to find that the more she cut down the more they were replaced. Then, the branches of Iron Sand finally descended on the two as a violent explosion of dust and debris blanketed the area, the cave collapsing. The aftermath of the jutsu was Mito and Narumi covered with wounds ranging from superficial to mild. Gritting her teeth, Mito placed her hand over a deep wound on her abdomen while Narumi clutched her shredded arm. Couching, she felt their strength quickly leaving them as Chiyo looked on in horror.
"Sasori, don't tell me...!" Chiyo trailed off as Sasori merely tilted his head in confirmation at her unaired question.
The two about to trade words once more, Chiyo stopped when she saw the sisters beginning to sway on their legs. Her eyes widened when she saw the fall to their knees before falling face first into the ground.
"The poison is very effective. The body instantly become numb and immobile. If left alone, they would have three days, but...I don't plan on giving them that time." Sasori said as he moved his puppet forward, a pair of blades leaving its arms as he descended down on the two.
When it neared them, Chiyo looking on in horror, the puppet was suddenly slashed apart and shattered when Mito and Narumi suddenly rose and attacked it. Their eyes narrowed in anger and focus, Mito spun and reduced the airborne remains to firewood while Narumi turned whatever she could touch to splinters. As the remains of the puppet fell, the two quickly moved back to Chiyo's side as the structures made of Iron Sand began to collapse with the lack of control.
"Narumi, Mito... You two..." She trailed off, Mito focusing her attention forward while Narumi turned to address the elderly woman.
"An antidote. I was able to make five with the time I had. After all that though, we've got two left." Narumi reported as she returned her attention to Sasori, clenching her fists as Sasori gave them a curious look.
"We've got three minutes of immunity to his poison, let's not waste them." Narumi reported as Mito nodded her head, Chiyo stunned by the prowess of the two before her.
"How can they still move. They should have been affected by my poison. Unless... Impossible! Did they have an antidote? But how? Creating an antidote capable of countering my poison would require that they don't make a single mistake, no matter how small." Sasori contemplated as he watched Narumi heal herself, Mito and Chiyo of their wounds.
"So... She's a medical ninja..." He thought as he looked at the slightly winded form of Narumi, who was taking deep breaths at the amount of chakra that she used.
"Hmph. Using another human puppet would be a waste not to mention useless. Ha, I wonder... It's been quite some time since I used myself." Sasori said as he removed his robe, the eyes of Mito and Narumi widening while Chiyo simply stared at him.
"So that's why he appears to not have aged a day." Chiyo said as they took in his form.
"He made himself into a human puppet." Narumi said as she stared at his body, taking in every detail as her sister did the same.
Holding his arms out, Sasori let out a large, twin stream of fire from the nozzles implanted into his palms. Ducking behind the large rubble that littered the battlefield, the trio bit their time as Mito rushed through a set of seals. Glancing at her sister, Narumi saw her shooting her a look and she nodded. Weaving a set of seals as well, they sprinted out of their cover before taking a deep breath and letting their jutsu loose.
"Suiton: Ja no Kuchi!"
"Futon: Shinkūha!"
The two shouted as they let their own jutsu fly wild, Mito summing a snake-like wave of water that was enhanced into a violent torrent of water by Narumi's jutsu. The wave of reinforced water quenching the inferno that Sasori was firing, his eyes widened when he saw the wave approaching him. Quickly jumping back, he avoided being swept up in the torrent as he continued to unleash his flames as he spun his hands, tightening the stream of fire as a large cloud of steam consumed the area.
Suddenly, the stream of fire ended as one of the scrolls that were on his back vanished. Backing out of the steam cloud, Narumi's eyes widened when the spiked cable wound around his waist shot out and slashed into her side. Wincing, she was about to grab it when it was severed by her older sister. Moving protectively in front of Narumi, Mito send a flurry of wind blades at Sasori who dodged out of the way. Glancing back, she saw her sister already mending the wound before letting a pained sigh escape her mouth.
"Die." Sasori said as he rushed towards Chiyo, ignoring the two as Mito and Narumi ground their teeth.
Grabbing the cable, Narumi halted his advance as he forced him out of cable. Stopping just a few feet away from Chiyo, he glanced back and looked in shock at the tenacity of the two kunoichi behind him. Tightening her grip on the cable, Narumi let a roar leave her throat as she yanked him back as Mito readied her chokuto.
"Get over here!" Narumi roared as she cocked her arm back before slugging him square in the chest as his puppet body shattered into many pieces.
"Take this!" Mito shouted as she let a large amount of futon chakra into her blade, elongating it as she danced around, reducing every airborne piece into scrap wood.
Panting, the two glanced around and let a relieved sigh escape their mouths when they saw that nothing was moving once again. Turning to go back to Chiyo, they were about to move but froze when they heard the sounds of clattering limbs. Turning again, they saw that the remains of the destroyed puppet were reassembling. Their eyes wide, they jumped a safe distance away as his head finally attached itself. Chiyo then brought out her Shirohigi: Jikki Chikamatsu no Shū in an attempt to level the playing field.
"You two, you've done more then enough. The antidotes worn of has it not?" Chiyo said as the younger kunoichi stiffened before relaxing, turning to give her a smile.
"Come'on Chiyo-baachan, you should know how we are by now." Narumi said in a chipper tone, a smile on her face as Mito shook her head.
"We've come this far, it's only natural that we see it to the end." Mito said with a smile marring her face, Chiyo shaking her head at the two.
Seeing that he was outnumbered, Sasori then used his Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen, allowing him to control ten times as many puppets as Chiyo. Since Chiyo's puppets were designed to work together, a trait lacking with all of Sasori's puppets, her puppets fared far better than his, although they were eventually overwhelmed by Sasori's sheer numbers.
"I've got his puppets under control, focus on Sasori!" Chiyo ordered as Mito and Narumi closed in on the puppeteer.
Slashing through any puppet that got within her range, Mito kept her sister out of harms ways as Narumi clutched something tightly in her hand. Spinning on her heel, Mito sliced through three more puppets that tried to flank Narumi, while Narumi delivered a brutal backhand and kick that shattered a pair of puppets that tried to take Mito's back. When they were finally within range, Narumi pulled her arm back and threw the Shishikubi Kannon that was given to her by Chiyo.
When the small ball was thrown, it quickly grew to a man-sized lion's head with thirty-two large fangs pointed at Sasori. The puppeteer seemingly stunned at the object flying towards him, he was unable to react when it collided and pinned him to the wall behind him. As it did, a large sealing array was inscribed on the wall, Sasori's eyes closing as he was seemingly sealed away by the Fūinjutsu: Shishi Heikō.
"Ha... It's over..." Narumi panted as she held her side, glancing around and seeing that nothing was moving or twitching in the slightest.
"Yeah... Chiyo-sama, please take the antidote." Mito said as she handed Chiyo the vial, the elderly woman nodded as she reached out for it.
But before she could grab it, the eyes of the two younger kunoichi widened when they saw that Sasori wasn't in fact dead. Throwing reason away, they quickly rushed forward as Sasori moved to stab Chiyo in the back with a katana. Chiyo turning when she heard the sound, her eyes widened when she saw that Mito and Narumi were the ones who were stabbed. Mito's and Narumi's abdomen being the targets.
"Mito-nee... Chiyo-baachan, take the antidote." Narumi said as she held her abdomen, gritting her teeth as Mito and Chiyo looked at her with wide eyes.
"She... While the swords still in her, she's stopping the bleeding and healing herself. What skill in the medical arts." Sasori silently praised in his mind, sliding the blade out as Mito and Narumi let out painful cries.
"That's right, this sword is poisoned as well." He said as the two on the end of the blade started to sway once more.
But in soon, Mito injected her sister with her antidote while Chiyo injected Mito with hers. The eyes of Sasori, Mito and Narumi widening with the act, Narumi clutched the sword in an attempt to stop him from leaving. Seeing that, Sasori detached his arm and moved back only to widened his eyes slightly when he felt something pierce his chest. Glancing down, he saw that it was the puppets of his parents, both having blades in their hands that were connected to his core.
"In the end, you were careless Sasori... Even with a puppet's body, you would still need something real that controls chakra." Chiyo said as Sasori just stared in shock at his grandmother.
Moving towards the two downed girls, she started healing them only for Sasori to comment that they would die even without the poison, the amount of blood that they've lost being far greater then what they could regenerate even if they were jinchūriki. She cut him off however when she told him that it wasn't just any jutsu as the eyes of the two opened slightly, Sasori looking on in silence. As he stood there dying, he informed the two about something that he felt they would like to know.
"I have heard that the two of you have a brother..." Sasori said as Mito and Narumi looked up at him with tired eyes.
"Of course we do... Menma-nii is safe with Kakashi-nii..." Narumi said in an equally tired tone, Sasori's mouth moving into a mocking smile.
"That's not what I meant. I was talking about the brother who isn't a jinchūriki." Sasori said as Mito and Narumi's heads snapped up to look at him with rage filled eyes.
"Shut your mouth you bastard. Don't you dare say his name in front of us." Mito growled out as Narumi glared hard enough to bore through his skull if possible.
"Hmph, I thought it would be amusing to tell the two of you... That your dearest brother might not be as far as you all believe." Sasori said before laughing darkly, his laughter eventually fading away as his life force left him.
"Come now, let's go." Chiyo finally said after a few moments of silence, Mito and Narumi mulling over the words in his head.
(Scene Change - Kawa no Kuni: Menma and Kakashi's Location)
When Chiyo, Mito and Narumi arrived, Deidara knew that Sasori must have been dead. Knowing that, he could only get in the last laugh about his partner as he prepared to leave. He was caught by Team 12 and forced to flee as he was now heavily outnumbered. Upon remembering his clay bird was still around, Deidara bit off some of it and used another substitution, allowing a Jibaku Bunshin to take his place in an attempt to both kill his enemies and flee. Satsuki saw this and tells everyone to get away. Deidara then swelled up and detonated. As the dust settled, Kakashi collapsed from exhaustion, explaining that he used his Mangekyō Sharingan to send the explosion to another dimension. With Menma carrying Gaara's body, the two teams headed back to Sunagakure.
(Scene Change - Sunagakure: Meadow)
Stopping in a grassy field near the village, Narumi checked on Gaara and pronounced him dead, making the other jinchūriki and villagers upset with the revelation. Chiyo moved towards Gaara and tried to use her Kishō Tensei as she did earlier with Mito and Narumi, but didn't have enough life force left to bring Gaara back to life. The three sibling gladly lent her their own chakra, and Chiyo began the jutsu once more.
"Hmph. The future starting now, will surely be different from the time I lived in. Menma, Mito, Narumi, the gift that the three of you share will no doubt change the future. Should any of you wish to become the next Hokage, you will no doubt be greater then those of the past." Chiyo began as her hands began to glow with a brighter blue then before.
"Mito, Narumi. Next time, instead of risking your lives for an old woman like me, I want you two to protect those who are important to you. A woman with the spirit to match any man's is indeed a true rarity in this world. The two of you will surely become kunoichi that will surpass those before you, myself included." Chiyo continued as her breathing began to slow, tears flowing from the two young ladies she addressed.
"You three, I know that it is asking a lot but you are the ones who are able to even imagine what it is that Gaara has gone through. Please, help Gaara for me." Chiyo said as her voice trailed off into a whisper.
Soon, the eyes of the Kazekage began to flutter open before he slowly stood up and looked around. Seeing that he was in the middle of a meadow, he was about to question what it was he was doing there but he was quickly embraced by his sister and brother, the two having tears lacing their eyes as they squeezed them tightly. At the scene, the floodgates of the other ninja gathered finally broke down as a few of them let their tears flow at the sight of their Kazekage, alive and well. As they stormed to check on their Kazekage, Mito, Menma and Narumi watched with fond eyes before they turned somber, glancing down at the still form of Chiyo.
"Chiyo-sama..." Mito whispered with tears streaming from her eyes, moving a hand up to brush them away.
"Chiyo-baachan..." Narumi said in a soft tone, holding the elderly woman's hand as she sniffled and batted the tears away from her eyes.
Letting a grunt escape his throat, Gaara stood up with a little difficulty, everyone watching as he made his way over to the group. Standing before them, he let a solemn and thankful look fill his eyes as he closed them softly.
"Everyone, say a prayer for Chiyo." He said in a soft tone, everyone closing their eyes as they thanked her for what she had done.
(Scene Change - Kawa no Kuni: Deidara's Location)
A battered Deidara emerged from the ground, lamenting of his clone explosive failing before deciding to find his severed arm as it would soon begin to rot. A bit later, Deidara met Tobi and Zetsu after they found his severed appendage, stating he fulfilled his position in capturing Gaara when Zetsu wondered why he did not capture any of the Kyuubi jinchūriki as well. He then comically tried to choke Tobi to death after being accidentally insulted three times by him when the masked ninja refused to give Deidara back his arm. Sighing, Deidara had what was left of his right arm as he set off to have it sewn back on by Kakuzu along with a new left arm to replace the one Gaara had crushed.
(Scene Change - Taiyō no Kuni: Kyuukai Hostel)
Humming a happy tune, Hisako was closing down shop for the rest of the day. A bit relieved that no one had requested to stay the night, she let a small smile grace her face when she imaged Naruto walking through the front door before whisking her off her feet and holding her lovingly. Giggling softly at the thought, she wrung the towel in her hand before going back to cleaning. When she heard the front door chime, she went out to greet the person when she froze. Standing in front of her with hostile auras were the same girls who Naruto drove off earlier, though this time they were larger in numbers. Gulping a bit, she kept her smile and moved to greet them.
"H-Hello, welcome to the Kyuukai Hostel. C-Can I help you?" She asked in a polite tone, the women scowling angrily at her before moving towards her as a strange breeze blew when they neared.
Seeing them close in on her, Hisako took a step back in fright as they smirked at her reaction. Turning to her companions, the apparent leader of the group motioned for them to go around the shop, many smiling darkly when they started wrecking the shop. Panic, fear and confusion filling her being, Hisako was about to tell them to stop but was stopped when the leader of the girls grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked Hisako towards her, a cry of pain leaving her throat.
"Shut the fuck up you little bitch. Do you know what happened to us when we got back to our village? We got chewed out by Aiyo-sama! All because of that blonde fucking bastard that works here!" She growled out as Hisako grabbed her wrist, making her blink in confusion.
"D-Don't call Naruto that!" Hisako said in a stern and angry tone, the woman holding her hair blinking before smirking.
"Fuck you. Girls, show her what happens when you mess with us." She ordered as the sound of their shop being destroyed caused Hisako to start to tear up and grit her teeth in anger and sadness.
"S-Stop! Why are you doing this!" She demanded, getting a slap in return for raising her voice by the woman holding her.
"Watch your mouth you little bitch! Don't you dare raise your fucking voice at me!" She snarled, Hisako stiffening before letting a little giggle escape her mouth.
"Oh, and just what's so funny!" She demanded, slapping Hisako once more as the younger girls head snapped to the side.
"I-It's just so funny... None of you would have done this if Naruto was here. T-That just proves how w-weak and s-scared you are of him." She said with a smile on her face, ignorant of the ugly bruise that was starting to form on her cheek.
"You little! Fuck this!" She shouted as she grabbed Hisako by the throat, pulling her out of the shop as her comrades followed behind.
"You've just signed your death wish you little bitch. Once we're done with you, Aiyo-sama will decide just what to do with you.
As they bound and gagged the silver haired girl, they quickly left the shop intent on heading back towards Yugakure. But when they stepped out of the shop, they dropped to their knees when they were face to face with an all too familiar blonde. Before the woman who was holding Hisako could say anything, she had Hisako removed from her arms before they were shattered from the shoulders down. Her eyes widening, she was about to scream only for her lower jaw to be grabbed and ripped out. Gurgling as blood began to pool around her feet, all she saw was a glint of steel before everything went black.
For the other girls inside of the shop, they experienced the same pain as they were broken in horrific and gruesome ways. Even the girls who were around the age of thirteen weren't spared as they had their arms and legs shattered before they had a blade driven into their throats and ripped out the side. Each and every single member of the group that came inside with the intent on destroying the their shop found themselves murdered in the most painful imaginable. Then, it all shattered and they found themselves standing outside of Kyuukai with Hisako standing in front of them.
"Excuse me? Is everything alright?" Hisako asked in a concerned manner, the group panicking as they quickly left the establishment.
Blinking in confusion, Hisako tilted her head in confusion before turning to head back inside. But she froze when a warm and familiar presence made itself known to her. Turning quickly around with a bright smile on her face, Hisako froze when she saw the man she loved holding another woman in his arms, the face of the woman nuzzling against his chest. Unable to form a coherent sentence because of what was before her, she remained quiet as she heard him approach.
"W-Why is Naruto with a w-woman!" Hisako thought as a myriad of different scenarios played out in her mind as to what could have happened.
"Hey Hisako, I'm back." Naruto said with a smile on his face, Hisako stiffly smiling back at him as he tilted his head in confusion.
"H-Hello N-Naruto. W-What are you d-doing with that w-woman in your a-arms?" Hisako asked as Naruto blinked in confusion before replying.
"Uuu... T-That's my spot!" Hisako thought tearfully as she watched Yugito continued to take in Naruto's scent.
"She's someone who is related to that letter I was talking about earlier." Naruto replied, a bit more panic running through Hisako as her delusions became a bit more wild.
When she was about to reply back to him, she gasped when the woman in his arms moaned softly and started nibbling on the collar of his shirt. Her face exploding in a brilliant crimson hue, she could only watch as Naruto seemed to ignore what was happening to him, opting to give his undivided attention to her. Taking a shaky breath, Hisako was about to speak when the woman moved once more, this time her mouth missing Naruto collar and landing on his neck.
"Mmm... Tasty..." Yugito mumbled as a radiant and content smile formed on her face, Naruto turning a bit pink at the action only served to cause maximum damage to Hisako.
"Hey, stop that." Naruto said in a tired tone, shaking his head as he tried to remove Yugito's lips from his neck.
"W-What! Y-You're supposed to b-be w-with m-me but y-you're flirting with a-another w-woman!" Hisako said in a panicked voice, her tone filled with hurt and sadness.
"H-Huh!? Flirting? I'm not flirting with anyone!" Naruto said in a reassuring tone, only for it to fade when Yugito shifted around once more.
"Oh~, that's the spot..." Yugito moaned as her body shivered in a mix of anticipation and pleasure, Naruto and Hisako freezing at her words.
"Y-You should just explode!" Hisako cried as she ran back inside, tears falling from her eyes as Naruto panicked and ran after her.
As he tried to calm the crying Hisako down, the clones that he placed outside returned to their original forms as they tried to find a plausible excuse for why Yugito was clinging onto him and nibbling on him. When they found an excuse that would have worked, one that didn't involve telling her about what actually happened, they dispelled themselves. Integrating the memories of the that his clones had, he had to suppress a smirk when he found that his clones had a rather nice genjutsu casted on the girls who were going to wreck their shop.
(Scene Change - Unknown Location)
"What's the status on the subject?" Hiruko asked, the personnel working around the large light green liquid filled cylinder that had a body floating inside of fit.
"The clone appears stable Lord Hiruko. There have been no disturbances with the brainwaves or physical composition with it." One of the scientist reported as Hiruko nodded, walking towards the tube as he smirked under his mask.
Floating inside of the tube was a female version of Naruto, her blonde hair reaching her rear. She stood around five foot seven, having a rather perfect complexion and figure, it was a seemingly perfect clone of the blonde that Hiruko was trying to emulate. Satisfied that the project was going as planned, Hiruko left that section of the lab and entered a separate section. As he entered, he put on a protective mask as he glanced at the various cages that lined the interior of the lab.
"What's the status of the experiment?" He asked as one of the scientist turned and bowed to him, directing him towards the main monitor in the center of the room.
"It's been rather unfruitful Hiruko-sama. We've failed to find any compound or substance that matches the samples that we received. All efforts to handle it in an attempt to analyze it results in contamination and death." They reported as Hiruko nodded, glancing at the black substance that resided inside a small test tube in a multilayered containment seal.
"Is there anything of value that you can tell me?" Hiruko asked in an impatient tone, the man nodding his head.
"The only thing I can tell you is that it causes whatever is infected or contaminated to be forced into an uncontrollable frenzy." He reported as Hiruko nodded while turning to face the container once more, watching as the liquid released a purple and black haze.
(Time Skip - A Few Hours Later)
Back in the lab, in the silence of the night the soft beeps and hmm's of the machines was all that could be heard. In the section of the lab that contained the female clone of Naruto, it could be seen floating softly in the light green liquid of the test tube. On the side, the graph that monitored her brainwaves started to beep as more activity was being registered on it. Slowly, the clone's eyes fluttered open softly as she gazed ahead with blank eyes.
"Onii... Chan..." She thought softly as her mind had the image of a familiar spiky haired blonde, his smile brighter then the sun as he held his hand out to her.
A Son Forgotten
And that's a wrap. It's been five years since Naruto's "death" so the ages of everyone are around eighteen. And yeah, a certain mummy got himself a vial of the Virus, we'll see what happens right? And the clone? Oh snap, what's gonna happen? Would it be considered twincest, incest or selfcest if Naruto and his clone hooked up? Meh, I might know what's gonna happen but even so, shoot me what you cool people thing. If you've got questions, shoot me a PM and I'll try to get back to you cool people. Welp, till next time people. You all stay awesome.
C3 - C3: A-Rank, Ninjutsu, Kekkai Genkai, Hiden; Deidara's most powerful large scale bomb, that once activated becomes an enormous statue that Deidara drops on his target from above. Its explosive power was great enough to potentially destroy a large portion of Sunagakure. In its first known demonstration, Deidara had already prepared the explosive clay for this attack. Once activated, the bomb instantaneously increases its proportions before being subsequently dropped, where it extends both its "arms" outwards until they are completely horizontal.
Suna no Tate - Shield of Sand: B-Rank, Ninjutsu; A technique that is unique to Gaara. Whenever Gaara is about to be harmed, a shield of sand will automatically surround and protect him. The sand will react regardless of Gaara's will, even protecting him from self-inflicted injuries. The defensive power and versatility of the sand is where this ability truly shines. Before, the shield was formidable in both speed and strength — capable of withstanding considerably strong attacks and blocking fast projectiles. However, it could be defeated with extreme speeds and a great amount of brute force, as was the case with Rock Lee's Ura Renge. Gaara can also change the shape of the shield and its density, to increase both speed and defense. Whenever one form of this defense is breached, Gaara has been shown to improve and create other more powerful defenses. Gaara can also completely surround himself in the shield to further increase his defensive capabilities. He then uses the Daisan no Me to watch his opponents' movements and control sand as necessary to battle them. In addition to being extremely dense, this sand-sphere can form spikes from its surface to spear any would-be attacker. This formation can be used in mid-air. Before, Gaara can use this technique to shield himself from his opponent long enough to perform his transformation into Shukaku, though with sufficient force, this defiance can be breached.
Shin Kage Bunshin - True Shadow Clone: S-Rank, Ninjutsu; Similar to the basic Bunshin and Kage Bunshin, this technique creates a copy of the user. However, the clones are corporeal instead of illusions. The user distributes a certain amount of chakra to the clone, the amount given determining the strength and durability of the clone. The clone is capable of performing techniques on their own and can even bleed. By using Ryuuton chakra to create the clone, the user creates a clone capable of many feats. The main advantage of the Shin Kage Bunshin is the fact that the clone can be killed and remain "dead" and can be dissected and examined until the chakra running through them runs dry. Like the original Kage Bunshin it can't be distinguished from the original with the Sharingan, Byakugan or Rinnegan.
Nezumi Kedama - Mouse Hairball: B-Rank, Ninjutsu; The user transforms their spit into a flaming ball of hair that assumes the shape of a mouse engulfed in flames, which then continually splits into individual and similarly ablaze hairs. These flaming projectiles pursue the intended targets before exploding, once they come into contact with an object.
Raiton: Raigen Raikōchū - Lightning Release: Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar: B-Rank, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu; This technique blinds the target with an extremely bright light that appears to emanate from the user's body. Those caught in the light are then caught within a genjutsu, allowing the user to either escape or counterattack.
Kekkai Genryuu: Giryuu Hourui - Barrier Illusion Dragon: Stronghold of the False Dragon: S-Rank, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Kekkai;
Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu - Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique: B-Rank, Ninjutsu; The user shapes water into the form of a large shark and thrusting their hand forward, sends it hurtling towards the opponent at high-speeds, resulting in a powerful impact. The user can also ride inside the water shark to dramatically increase their swimming speed.
Hyōton: Jisarenhyō - Ice Release: Earthen Consecutive Chains of Ice: B-Rank, Ninjutsu; The user, either through physical contact or remotely, causes ice particles to form on a target. If used on a living creature, the target will freeze to death unless they are able to mould chakra. By coating themselves with chakra and dedicating all their energy to keeping themselves warm, they can avoid death; if they use their chakra to perform a technique, they will start to rapidly freeze again.
Ninpo: Heki Ranshinshō - Ninja Art: False Body Pathway Derangement: B-Rank Genjutsu; An genjutsu created by Yakumo after Anko told her about Tsunade's true Ranshinshō. While it doesn't physically disrupt the electrical senses that control the body of her target like Tsunade's does, it does have a similar effect. Deceiving her target's mind, Yakumo causes their body to respond much slower then they perceive it to, their intended actions losing sync with their actual actions and causes their body to misinterpret the information that is sent to each limb. This genjutsu can be countered once the target understands the mechanics behind it, and are able to dispel it once regaining control of their limbs and actions.
Suiton: Suikaku - Water Release: Water Break: C-Rank, Ninjutsu;
Kubikiribōchō: Reigou Reisuiwari - Decapitating Carving Knife: Chilling Steel Cold Water Splitting: A-Rank, Kenjutsu; After many years, Zabuza has improved upon his original Reisuiwari, adding constantly moving water on the edge of his Kubikiribōchō to greatly enhance its cutting power. This fast moving edge of water can also be released and fired, cutting through most things with ease.
Samehada: Suikōjin - Shark Skin: Water Shark Blade: A-Rank, Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu; Kisame points Samehada towards his opponent and then envelops it with water, which is then manipulated into the form of a shark. Kisame then thrusts Samehada forward, either releasing the shark as a projectile that flies towards the opponent and explodes into a burst of water on contact or using the newly formed shark blade to greatly augment the power of his thrust.
Sōen: Hitomi Gokū - Puppet Performance: Skilful Achievement with a Human Body: A-Rank, Ninjutsu; A puppet performance technique where chakra threads are attached to various spots on a person's body; the head, torso, both arms, and both legs. The person being manipulated gains the ability to not only use their own techniques, but the skills of the puppeteer as well. The origins of this technique lie on the battlefield. When a puppeteer's puppets were all destroyed, they would begin using corpses. To perform this technique with a living person would normally require both parties to cooperate with each other. However, a highly skilled user can control the target by force if the person is severely weakened or damaged rendering them unable to resist.
Odama Rasengan - Big Ball Spiraling Sphere: A-Rank, Ninjutsu; Menma created the Odama Rasengan during his years of training with Jiraiya; while training to break out of genjutsu, he accidentally released his chakra and created a huge Rasengan by accident. It uses the same concept of compressing spinning chakra in one's palm as in the original Rasengan, only increasing the amount of chakra involved. Because there is even more chakra being compressed to a higher density, the ball releases its energy immediately on contact, thus increasing its destructive power beyond that of the Rasengan. When using it Menma needs the assistance of a clone to form it, though he is able to wield it with a single hand.
Rasengan - Spiraling Sphere: A-Rank, Ninjutsu; The Rasengan is an A-rank jutsu created by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, by observing the Tailed Beast Ball. Minato spent three years developing the Rasengan; his intention was to take the shape transformation of one's chakra to the "highest possible point" and combine it with his chakra's nature affinity, creating a technique that did not need the aid of time-consuming hand seals to control. On shape transformation alone, the Rasengan is still a powerful, versatile, and difficult technique to learn and master.
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique: C-Rank, Ninjutsu; A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth either as a massive orb of roaring flame or as a continuous flame-thrower. The scope of the attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The released flames will engulf their target, and leave a crater on the ground's surface. This technique apparently requires more than average chakra reserves and most genin should not be able to do this technique.
Futon: Fuchikaze - Wind Release: Wind Edge: B-Rank, Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu; A relatively simple jutsu that involves the use of a blade as a medium to channel and fire ones chakra as a concentrated blade of wind. The cutting power of the chakra blade is dependent on the amount of chakra and how skilled the user is in manipulating and creating their futon natured chakra. The greater the skill and precision the chakra gathered on the instrument is, the greater the cutting power. Using this jutsu while in the presence of fire will cause the blades to catch fire, causing much greater damage to whatever they connect with.
Satetsu Kaihō - Sand Iron World Method: S-Rank, Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai; This technique uses Iron Sand to create a gigantic sphere of branching spikes. The user first creates two masses of Iron Sand of opposing magnetic fields and then merges them together. This causes the magnetic forces to instantly increase and the repellent force created by the two opposing magnetic fields scatters the Iron Sand across a vast area. The Iron Sand spreads in spikes that branch off irregularly, making it almost impossible to get a clear overview of what is happening. This also makes evading the spikes nearly impossible. Even if the opponent has managed to evade getting hit, the Iron Sand spikes will have filled the entire surroundings, cutting off any escape routes. With the opponent trapped, the user is free to attack in person. With Sasori soaking the Iron Sand in his lethal poison, the technique is even deadlier, as one nick will bring fatal repercussions.
Suiton: Ja no Kuchi - Water Release: Snake's Mouth: B-Rank, Ninjutsu; The user generates a spinning column of water which takes the form of a snake with a gaping jaw. This snake can twist and follow its targets and swallow them. After it has swallowed them, it turns into a river that carries the targets away.
Futon: Shinkūha - Wind Release: Vacuum Wave: B-Rank, Ninjutsu; The user takes a deep breath and spins while exhaling, compressing the released air into a solitary blade of wind that covers a substantial area around the user, due to their circular motion. The resulting sharpened blast is large enough to slice through multiple targets located a significant distance from the user, causing grievous injuries to those hit.
Shirohigi: Jikki Chikamatsu no Shū - White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets: S-Rank, Ninjutsu; After unraveling the carrying scroll, the Chikamatsu no Shū appears from the gate crest. Using the Kugutsu no Jutsu to manipulate them at will in what is known as the "an amount matching ones fingers" method. With this puppet collection it is literally possible to use one puppet with each finger — each boasting a power matching a thousand puppets put together. However, to use all of these secret mechanisms demands extremely high class expertise and skill. These ten puppets were created by the first puppeteer Monzaemon Chikamatsu and later came into Chiyo's possession, the use of which earned her great fame. These puppets are very powerful, as Sasori claimed that there were rumors that they had been used to take down an entire castle at one point in time. The Chikamatsu no Shū has terrifying prowess in taijutsu, ninjutsu, Bukijutsu, and so on. Furthermore, as they can change their numbers by combining, the number of abilities they can show becomes even greater. The puppets were constructed in such a way that they all can work in tandem with each other both offensively and defensively.
Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen - Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets: S-Rank, Ninjutsu; To begin this technique, Sasori removes one summoning scroll from his back. He then opens his right chest compartment to emit more than a hundred chakra strings, which reach into the scroll. From the scroll, more than a hundred puppets wearing red cloaks emerge. As even the most elite of puppeteers cannot control more than ten puppets a time (one per finger), this technique is proof of Sasori's superiority with regard to the Kugutsu no Jutsu. Also, normally a puppet's movement is dependent on the will of the user, and as such there will be a time lag between the user's commands and the puppet's response. However, since these hundred puppets are directly connected to Sasori's core, there is no time lag between Sasori's will and the puppets' movements. Sasori claimed that he had brought down an entire country with this technique. Many of the puppets however, were destroyed during Sasori's battle with Chiyo and the Uzumaki-Namikaze sisters, although they did manage to destroy some of Chiyo's Shirohigi: Jikki Chikamatsu no Shū. While these one hundred puppets lacked teamwork, they apparently used sheer attrition and numbers to overwhelm their opponents. Even when they decrease in numbers they do not become less dangerous as it merely allows Sasori to focus more on the remaining puppets. As with all of Sasori's puppets, all the weapons wielded are coated in his special poison, which would kill the victims after three days of painful paralysis.
Fuinjutsu: Shishi Heikō - Sealing Technique: Lion Closing Roar: A-Rank, Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu; This sealing technique completely blocks the target's chakra with a sealing formula drawn on the ground or a wall. This is done by closing all the tenketsu of the person caught in the middle. When the target is sealed, a stylized kanji for "close" or "shut" appears in the middle of the sealing formula. To successfully seal the target, one has to get them exactly inside the sealing formula. This requires great accuracy and is very difficult. Various methods can be used to make this easier. For instance, one can prepare a puppet or a ninja tool like the Shishikubi Kannon with this sealing formula.
Jibaku Bunshin - Suicide Bombing Clone: A-Rank, Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai; After creating a Kage Bunshin, it will then ingest some explosive clay and explode, creating a diversion that can be used to escape. With a "suicide bombing announcement" the enemy's wariness is heightened and this opportunity is used to switch places with a shadow clone. The explosion is said to be strong enough to destroy an entire forest. This technique requires an adept usage of verbal tricks; with this foundation of using many "arts" to trifle with the enemy, it certainly fulfils its purpose.
Kishō Tensei - One's Own Life Reincarnation: S-Rank, Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu; The user, giving their life force to the target, uses all their chakra as an intermediary. This technique can be used on both the living and dead. Using it on the living can save and restore the target from an otherwise fatal condition but will leave the user greatly exhausted. When used on the dead, the user will find certain death in exchange for the soul of the deceased. While in use, the released chakra shines a pale-blue color, and if the user's own chakra is insufficient, a third party can assist.
