*AN: Second part of the update. We're starting to get into the thick of things!*
Two weeks later.
"They're making good progress." I said as I got ready for bed, placing my katana at its usual place by the headboard. "They may even be ready to handle the Akatsuki's weaker members, soon."
"Any word on those guys?" Fu asked from behind me, semi-worried, and I shook my head as I began undoing my armor.
"No, and that's what worries me. If they do move, we won't have but a few hours to respond, but the missions we're on right now have our members spread out. Those of us in the base will be the reactionary force. Not only that, but if they attack a jinchuriki without us knowing it, there will be no way in hell we can react in time."
"Ibukai!" Sepi yelled, bursting into the room, causing Fu to shriek and dive for her bed. I whirled around, a kunai in my hand, ready to unleash hell.
"Sorry, I didn't realize Fu was changing!" She said.
"Fu was changing?" I asked, looking at Fu, who was blushing like crazy as she pulled the blankets around her. Wait, she was changing behind me?! Now it was my turn to blush.
"Are you bastards going to help or not?!" Kurotsuchi demanded, shoving past Sepi.
"Maybe when someone tells me what the problem is." I said mildly.
"The hell do you think, idiot?! Han's been kidnapped!"
I gave a start of surprise. "When?!"
"Two days ago!"
I sighed. "I really hate it when the universe proves me right. Fu, get dressed. Sepi, assemble everyone in base, and call the rest of our members back. We have got to take the Akatsuki off-guard and give them a bloody nose so they stop focusing on the tailed beasts."
Sepi nodded grimly. "It's time, then?"
I sighed. "Assemble everyone."
I looked over the room. Besides the four total samurai, as well as Kurotsuchi, in front of me stood Sepi, Fu, Torune, and Guren.
"Alright, I'll keep this short." I said to them. "Han, Jinchuriki of the tailed beast Kokuo, was kidnapped two days ago." I looked at Kurotsuchi. "Any idea where they took him?"
"None." She said bitterly. "He got sent on another solo mission."
I closed my eyes briefly. We're gonna find him dead, if we find him at all.
"I...think he may be in the Land of Earth, still." Fu said, hesitantly.
I gave her a confused look. "Explanation?"
"I can feel Kokuo's chakra. It's in that direction."
Sepi and I both gave a start. "What now?" I asked. "You can track the tailed beasts?!"
"Lady Matabi can, if I ask really nicely and she concentrates really hard." She said with a slight blush.
I felt a grin spread across my face. "Everyone, gear up. We're leaving in one hour."
"But by the time we get there-!" Kurotsuchi started, but I silenced her with a raised palm.
"Oh ye of little faith." I said with a smirk. "I have a plan."
"We're all gonna die." Sepi said, and I threw a kunai at her.
... ... ...
We all gathered outside, Kurotsuchi still looking worried as well as pissed-off, and I bit my thumb and slammed my hand into the sand.
"SUMMONING JUTSU!"
Jeki wasn't much bigger than a wolf in his normal form, but in a few minutes, it wouldn't matter.
"Jeki." I greeted him.
"Summoner. You have need of me?"
"Wait, you have a summon with the same name as Zabuza's student?" Sepi asked me, and I blinked, not sure why I hadn't made the connection before.
"...I guess so, yea." I said lamely, and Sepi started laughing.
"I GET TO CALL HIM A DOG!" She yelled into the sky, only to be headbutted by my summon and sent flying into a sand dune.
"They're wolves, not dogs." I said, amused. "Anyways, Jeki, we need to get to the Land of Earth. Think you can carry all of us?" I asked.
"Yes, Summoner. Hold a moment."
I nodded, and I grinned as I heard collective gaps as Jeki started to swell in size until he was as large as Shukaku's full form.
"Alright everyone, climb aboard, Han doesn't have all day." I said as Sepi pulled herself out of the sand dune, spitting out sand in wet clumps, and I chuckled. Jeki lowered his head and I hopped aboard, standing on top of his head as the samurai were helped on my the ninja.
I turned. "Fu? Up here, please."
She hesitantly moved to stand beside me. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "We need you to tell us the direction, remember?"
She concentrated hard. "North-west." She finally said. "I'll give you adjustments as needed."
People for years to come would tell of the giant wolf that bounded over their homes, saying it was an omen for the trouble that was about to come.
... ... ...
"That's...an impressive door." I admitted.
Beside me, Sepi pouted. "No fair! I can't blow that one up like I did last time!"
I raised an eyebrow. "I missed that."
"Because you got suckered in by a Tsukuyomi."
"Oh, go to hell!"
We were standing in front of a huge door, almost like ones you'd see guarding a bunker. It was almost twenty feet tall and thirty feet wide, shaped in a half-circle, the bottom being the horizontal line. It had a clear line down the middle, but no amount of force would move it. It was clearly reinforced with seals, as our destructive jutsus had only barely managed to dent it. It would take a day at least to get through, and Fu had confirmed that less than a tenth of Kukuo's chakra remained. Instead of wasting our chakra, I had everyone take a step back and brainstorm ideas, which was what we were doing now, with Jeki, still at a large size, napping nearby.
"I could use Lady Matatabi." Fu suggested.
"Have you two practiced a tailed beast bomb?" I asked.
"...No." She admitted.
"Then that option is out." I said. "We don't have a destructive enough jutsu to get through there."
"My insects say that the rest of the base is reinforced with chakra as well." Torune informed me.
"Terrific." I said. "Simply terrific. That means we can't go through a different section of the base's walls."
"Dude. Fuck this." Sepi said. "Is there anything you can do to get through there?"
I closed my eyes.
Think, damn you! How do we get around the seals on the damn-?!
...That will take a lot of chakra.
Probably the majority of mine.
I sighed. "Yea, I do. I won't be of much help in the fight, though. Alright, everyone. Masks on and stand back. Torune, stick with Sepi. Fu, ranged attacks. Keep whoever is in there pinned down and unable to move."
"But-"
"We don't have a choice. Kurotsuchi, you keep an eye out. If we get Han out of there, get him to the Stone. Use Jeki."
They complied, and I put my own mask on, looking through the eye holes with determination, forming handsigns.
"Crimson Style: Blazing Thunder Dragon!"
"That one didn't work!" Sepi yelled at me, but I ignored her, waiting for the last second before the dragon hit.
Please let my aim be true.
"YAMEMASU!"
... ... ...
"They are trying another jutsu to break down the door. These guys don't know when to quit." Zetsu informed them.
"It does not matter. In a few hours the sealing will be complete, and the door will hold out for far longer than that." Pein's voice said as his image flickered.
Kisame shook his head, humored, as his new partner Kimimaro snorted in annoyance at the muffled yell of a ninja.
KA-BOOM!
In the newly-destroyed doorway strode a silver-haired ninja, face covered in a mask, the kanji for Kakumei catching the little light in the dark room and lighting up. Blood dripped off the left side of his chin, and he wiped it away.
"Akatsuki." He greeted.
"Kakumei, I presume?" Kisame responded.
"Akatsuki, respond to the base immediately to aid the on-site team. Kisame, Kimimaro, deal with the intruders so the sealing can continue. Zetsu, monitor progress." Pein instructed.
"Oh, shit." Sepi said as she entered the room. "The other fuckers are coming?"
"Language!" The afterimage of Min yelled.
"Go to hell, little girl." Sepi said, and the afterimages cut out as Zetsu sunk into the ground and the Gedo statue disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Kisame and Kimimaro stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing us, and Kisame grinned as he pointed Samehada at me. "Samehada recognizes your chakra, kid."
"I'm no more a child than you are." I responded, blinking several times as I realized the blur over Kimimaro and Kisame wasn't the darkness at all, but my vision.
"Samurai. Get Han and retreat. We don't have the numbers to deal with the rest of the Akatsuki." I glanced at Sepi. "I will deal with Kisame. You take Kimimaro."
"Got it!"
"MOVE!" I yelled, and we leapt into action. I unsealed my katana just in time to block Samehada, which shredded part of the sheathe. I was pleased to see the metal was still unharmed, and I leapt backwards so I could actually draw the damn thing, and I through the sheathe at Kisame, loaded with lighting chakra.
He dodged, but I grinned. "Katsu!" I said, unable to help myself, and the sheathe detonated.
It wasn't a big explosion by any means. Mostly, all I did was destabilized the balance of the chakra that I had channeled into it, causing a small detonation. It was the equivalent of a flashbang, honestly. It did blind Kisame for a second, though, which allowed me to body flicker in and slice at him, giving him a shallow cut across the side, and then get out again. It wasn't enough to do anything but annoy him, but I still felt proud of myself. My sword lit up with crimson lightning as I faced him, and he leapt towards me, only to be intercepted by Fu's scales as she flew up towards the ceiling of the spacious base.
He was midway through the handsigns for one of his infamous shark bomb jutsus when I attacked him. As I hoped, the drain on the violent chakra in my sword by Samehada was lessened considerably. While the sentient sword could still absorb it, it was too slow to have any affect, especially since no idiot locked blades in a sword fight. That was a good way to get yourself killed, unless you and the bad guy wanted to have a conversation in mid-fight, which was rarer than Naruto not being an idiot and Sasuke not being an emo.
Kisame would then turn to defend himself only to be attacked with scales again, and then I would move in when he attempted to retaliate.
In all the confusion, the samurai had gotten to Han and were currently carrying the almost-dead jinchuriki towards my summon, who was crouched down so they could get on easier.
Sepi and Torune also worked together well, although not to Fu's and my degree. Sepi had her scythe out and was using it to keep Kimimaro at a distance, while Torune attacked him from the other side, using a combination of Taijutsu and swordplay with his tanto in an attempt to get close enough to bring his parasitic bugs into play.
I glanced behind me quickly to see that they had gotten on Jeki and were looking towards us expectantly.
"GO!" I yelled. "We'll follow as soon as we can! Get to the Hidden Stone!"
Kurotsuchi nodded and urged Jeki onwards, who took off.
I let out a pent-up breath in relief and went back to attacking Kisame.
... ... ...
Sepi smiled as Kimimaro leapt forward, bone extended, as she let him past her guard, dropping her scythe and holding her hands out in front of her in her clan's signature jutsu.
She completed casting it even as he stabbed her, and she grinned. "I'm immortal, bitch! Mind Transmission Jutsu!"
He recoiled in shock as Sepi's body dropped, and then looked around at his arms and body. Torune moved towards him but he held up a hand.
"So this is what a guy's body feels like. It's weird not to have the added weight. And how do you walk around with that thing flopping around between your legs?!"
Torune sighed.
"Now, I'm gonna pretend to knock you down and then leap towards Kisame and kill him. Cool?"
He nodded, and 'Kimimaro' punched him, knocking him to the ground. 'Kimimaro' then leapt to stand beside Kisame, wasting no time in trying to stab him with the bone sword.
Kisame barely dodged, not expecting his ally to try to attack him. Torune came running up as the four of us surrounded Kisame, and I smirked.
"You know, Fishbait, I think I'm gonna miss these little fights of ours." I said. "Now, I think I'm gonna pay you back for the first time you kicked my ass."
He grinned, and before any of us realized what was going on, a huge blast knocked us all to the ground. Kisame recovered first, leaping towards the exit, and we turned to see who had caused the disruption.
My heart dropped to my stomach.
"Oh, fuck." Sepi whispered.
"Kill Kimimaro." I hissed. "We need to go now."
'He' pouted. "Do I have to? I can just keep him as a pet."
"SEPI!" I yelled, glancing frantically between her and the two figures standing beside Kisame.
"Alright, alright, keep your pants on." And with that, Kimimaro stabbed himself. As Sepi stirred awake, he blinked like he had just awakened from a dream, only to look down at himself in horror.
"That...wasn't according to plan." He said with a cough before collapsing.
Pein, for his part, simply gave Kisame an even look. "Retreat with Kimimaro. We will deal with your failure later."
I stepped forward. "Pein, leader of the Akatsuki, self-proclaimed god, and Konan, his angel of death. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Kakumei." He said by way of greeting. "This is the second and last time you have disrupted the plans of the Akatsuki."
"Yea, I hate to disappoint you, but it's gonna keep happening." I glanced at Konan. "Your sensei will be happy to know you're alive, by the way."
Surprise, shock, and alarm crossed her face, gone in the blink of an eye, but I had seen it all the same. Pein seemed to still, but he simply ignored the comment as he turned to the green-haired girl behind me.
"Seven tails. Surrender quietly and we will allow your comrades to leave."
I pointed my katana at him and stepped in front of Fu. "Not gonna happen."
"Hey, I think I figured a way out of here, but you're not gonna like it." Sepi whispered to me.
"What?" I whispered back.
"I summon a cat and get them to reverse summon us. The problem is everyone has to be touching me."
"The Akatsuki will never just stand still and let that happen." I said with a sigh.
"Which means we need a distraction."
"I'll go." Fu volunteered.
"No." I stated firmly.
"The best choice-" Torune started, but I cut him off.
"I'd never be able to look at Shino again." I said with a wave of my hand. "Besides, you wouldn't stand a chance. I, however, can neutralize their jutsus and have my Susano'o to rely upon."
"But your chakra-" Fu tried to say.
"I'm fine." I snapped. "Sepi, I want you and Miko to promise me something. Make sure the Kakumei get ahold of the tailed beasts. Kidnap them if you have to. Make a team of jinchuriki that can fight for themselves."
"You got it." She said firmly. "Fu, Torune, get over here if you wanna live."
"Ibukai-"
"Fu, for once in your life, listen to my orders." I glanced back at her, just once more. "GO."
The space around me erupted in black chakra as my Susano'o formed, with me pouring the as much of my chakra as I could into it. First the ribs formed, with the spine rising up with the skull hanging over me. Muscles formed a millisecond after, and armor right after that. I crossed my arms and looked at the Akatsuki leaders. In the background, I could hear Sepi complete her summoning jutsu.
"Dance with me, Pein and Konan! Show me what the Akatsuki can do!" I yelled, my Susano'o leaping for them.
... ... ...
Fu could only watch as Ibukai leapt away, his Susano'o unbreakable armor. For a second, she was elated, until Sepi finished giving her summon instructions and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Who...are they?" She asked, pointing, and Sepi looked up and cursed.
"Bad news. They are the Six Paths of Pein. Grab onto me!" She said, and Torune obliged, his gloved hand grabbing her arm. Fu, however, took an involuntary step forward as a scythe formed in the Susano'o's hand, causing the figures to leap away as it tore a huge chunk out of the earth.
She felt Sepi's hand grab onto her just as one of the figures stepped forward to take the scythe's next blow, throwing his arms out front as another figure supplied him with fire support, missiles crashing into the Susano'o. The scythe crashed into the figure, and the scythe's chakra was sucked away.
"Almighty PUSH!"
The Susano'o went flying back and Ibukai flipped once before landing gracefully on his feet.
"IBUKAI!" Fu screamed. "STAY ALIVE!"
In that instant, they were jerked away from that scene.
Sepi turned away, looking at the cat that had summoned them. "Thank you." She said, her voice hollow.
"Come, Mistress. Let us get you home." The cat said. "Follow me."