Author's Note: Many reviewers asked if Hagane is going to get Wood Release. The answer is no. As I already hinted, his Bloodline Limit has to do with gathering Nature Chakra, similar to Juugo. I did this because I didn't want both children with the same power.
Now, enjoy the new chapter, and see you at the bottom:
Chapter 38:
Senju Twins Rescue Part III
or
The Maw of the Beast
…
Choji started to open his eyes as consciousness slowly returned to him. The feeling of extreme weakness that made him black out was being replaced by a more comfortable sensation as his energy slowly, but surely, returned to his body. There was an audible sigh.
"Thanks Kami, he's waking up," Shikamaru's voice said.
Choji tried to stand up, but a small pair of hands held him in place.
"Don't move!" Tamaki's voice stated.
"Don't worry, I'm almost done here. Thankfully your wounds weren't too severe. But we need to do something about your exhaustion," somebody he recognized as Shino stated.
True to the Aburame's words, he only took a couple more minutes to heal Choji, prompting Tamaki to release him. She then handed him something he recognized as a ration bar.
"Here, eat," Tamaki told him. "Shikamaru said that you need to recover your lost calories, Sorry I don't have anything better."
However, Choji wasn't in the mood to reject anything, and welcomed the bar with open arms.
"It's okay, thanks a lot," Choji replied, as he started to eat the bar.
"It's a good thing you found us, or else Choji would be a goner," Shikamaru mentioned, not hiding his immense relief.
"How did you find us, by the way?" Choji asked.
"I had one of my beetles latched onto each one of you. Said beetles can release a specific pheromone impossible to smell except to others of its kind. That way I'm able to track all of you," Shino explained.
Both Shikamaru and Choji had to resist the urge to look their bodies for the aforementioned bug.
"So, I'm guessing that you got to fight other of those Oto ninja, and given that you're here, you won, right?" Shikamaru asked.
Tamaki nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, albeit barely. And they said the two we fought were the weakest. I can't even think what the others are up against," Tamaki wondered aloud, as she looked into the distance. "Wonder if Kiba is okay..."
"Should we go and try to help the others?" Shikamaru asked.
Shino shook his head. "That would be mostly unwise. We just spent most of our energy fighting, some, like Choji, to the point of collapse. Far from being of any help, we'd be a burden."
"Troublesome..." Shikamaru sighed.
The Aburame then perked up. "Somebody's coming."
Everybody minus Choji shot up, pulled out their weapons, and slipped into a fighting stance.
"It seems that if we don't go to the fights, the fight will come to us," Tamaki complained, as she inwardly prayed for this new enemy not to be too tough.
However, the tension was immediately defused, and replaced by relief, when the would-be enemies turn out to be Kakashi and Gai, being led by Pakkun.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Tamaki squealed in joy as she rushed to meet him.
"Thank goodness. Reinforcements at last," Shikamaru said, as he allowed himself to drop on his butt. "Strong reinforcements, might I add."
Gai asked the most obvious, yet fitting question that the situation demanded. "What happened here?"
"We already know about the Hokage's children's abduction. Naruto told Kurenai through a Shadow Clone, and she told us," Kakashi interjected, so they wouldn't have to start from the beginning.
"The kidnappers are a group of five Oto ninja. Some of them stayed behind in order to delay us. Choji and I fought one, while Shino and Tamaki defeated another, meaning that so far, only three remain," Shikamaru quickly explained.
"However, the two we defeated were the weakest members of that squad. Our partners will have a much harder time against them than we did," Shino added.
"Kakashi-sensei, Kiba is still out there! You need to find him and help him!" Tamaki pleaded.
"I smell both him and Akamaru," Pakkun mentioned. "He's not far away from here."
"In that case, there's no time to waste. Gai, can you take care of these four?" the Copy Ninja asked.
Gai would have preferred to check on his students, but this was a more pressing responsibility. Kakashi and the others would have to take care of them. He gave Kakashi his trademark "nice guy" pose.
"You can count on that, Kakashi! I'll make sure they return to the village safe and sound!" Gai energetically declared.
"The village? It is safe to return?" Shino asked.
"Indeed! The unyouthful invaders have been successfully repelled, once again proving that nothing can topple Konoha's steel-hard resolve!"
"...uh, can we go back now?" Shikamaru awkwardly asked.
…
Meanwhile, Naruto and his remaining friends continued the chase. Even if their numbers have been reduced to less than half of how many they started this impromptu rescue mission, seven was more than enough to deal with the last remaining kidnapper, no matter how strong he was.
Or at least, that's what Naruto liked to think. The scenario in which he failed to save his siblings was something he didn't dare to even think.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata called, almost in a whisper. When Naruto looked at her, she shot him a caring smile. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Naruto smiled back at her. He was so grateful to have somebody like her at his side in such a dire moment. Yes, he needed to stay positive. He then looked at Karin.
"Nee-chan, how far until we reach that scumbag?" Naruto asked.
"Not far. He's moving slower than us. We'll catch him in no time," Karin announced.
"We better get ready, then," Sasuke stated, as his hand instinctively reached the handle of his katana.
"Wait!" Karin suddenly said, startling the other six.
"Something wrong?" Haku asked.
"The man stopped! I think he's done running and plans to fight all of us!" Karin informed.
"This is a golden opportunity," Tenten interjected. "Naruto, when we fight the guy, you go and rescue your siblings. Then run back to Konoha. We'll cover you as long as we can."
"That's a sound plan. Even if he can do clones of any kind, there's no way he can fight on multiple fronts," Naruto replied.
"Wait!" Karin called again. "I'm sensing somebody else! He's in front of the kidnapper. It seems as if they're talking."
"We must assume this new ninja is an enemy if the two of them didn't engage in battle," Hinata stated. As she came closer, her Byakugan finally spotted Kimimaro, and the mysterious man he was talking to. She gasped.
"Hinata-hime?" Naruto asked, mildly concerned.
…
Kimimaro had stepped out of the dense forest, and landed in a green, clear expanse with few trees and a large lake, when he was stopped in his tracks when a man appeared before him. The newcomer also had white hair like Kimimaro, and unlike Kimimaro, he was spotting an incredibly smug smile on his face. He guessed the man was an ally, given that he was wearing the Otogakure standard uniform, but then again that could be a trick from the enemy.
"Hey there, going somewhere?" the stranger asked.
"Who are you?" Kimimaro asked, not lowering his guard for a minute.
"A friend, if you can't tell by the clothes," the man replied, apparently finding Kimimaro's lack of trust amusing. "Name's Mizuki, by the way. Orochimaru-sama left me here in case you guys were in trouble. And given that you lost your whole squad, it seems that you are."
"And you came here to help me?" the shirtless man asked.
"It should be obvious, isn't it?" Mizuki replied, as he walked over, tensing up the Kaguya clan member. "Relax, like I said, I'm a friend. Listen, there's not much time. I know you're way stronger than I am, so you must stay here and fight your pursuers. I'll take the children to the base. Then you take the Jinchuriki once you kill the others."
"How I know that you're telling the truth?" Kimimaro asked.
"You don't know. But you don't have much of a choice now," Mizuki replied, looking at something behind the Sound Five leader.
Not lowering his guard, Kimimaro turned around, and saw Naruto and his six remaining friends landing a few meters in front of him.
"Mizuki-sensei?" Tenten asked in surprise.
"He isn't your sensei anymore. He's with Orochimaru now. Did I tell you when my team fought against him in the Land of Sound?" Haku reminded his girlfriend.
"You did, but the idea of one of our teachers being a traitor was a bit hard to digest," Tenten replied.
"I doubt you'd be able to fight so many ninja, even if they're children, and keep them from taking the hostages back, don't you?" Mizuki asked.
Kimimaro hated to admit it, but he had no choice. He handed the children to Mizuki.
"If you screw the mission, I'll personally kill you," the white hair young man threatened in a rather cold and emotionless tone.
Mizuki replied with an unnerving chuckle. "I'm sure we won't have to get to such point."
Mizuki took the still unconscious children, and leaped away.
"NO!" Naruto yelled as he charged at the fleeing Mizuki. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
An army of Narutos came to life, but that wouldn't be enough. Kimimaro then slammed his hands in the ground.
"Dance of the Seedling Fern!"
A barrier of spiky bones emerged from the ground, impaling –and dispelling– most of the Naruto clones. Thankfully the real one was able to stop in time.
"Get out of the way!" Naruto angrily shouted.
Kimimaro remained impassible. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"NOW!" Naruto bellowed. His eyes turned red with slitted pupils. His cheek marks became bolder, as his teeth and nails grew sharper. A red aura started to appear around him.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
While Naruto charged against Kimimaro, Sasuke used the opportunity to summon a small hawk.
"Quickly, follow that man that's carrying two children!" Sasuke ordered the small bird.
The hawk cawed affirmatively, and took off. Kimimaro raised his head to look at the speeding bird. Sasuke started to sweat.
"If he destroys my summon, then we won't have a way to track where did Mizuki go!" Sasuke distressingly thought.
But much to his relief, Kimimaro ignored the bird, and looked at the seven Konoha ninja once again. Naruto shared that same relief. He looked at Sasuke and shot him a grateful smile.
"Good one, Sasuke," Naruto thanked him.
Sasuke just smirked at him in return, before turning his gaze back at the present threat.
"You were fifteen at the beginning, yet seven of you still remain. The strongest seven, I presume," Kimimaro began. "My teammates did a poor job at whittling down your numbers. But it doesn't matter anymore. Your path ends here."
"Listen, we still can salvage this," Tenten said. "The moment he is distracted, Naruto and a couple others should leave and follow Mizuki."
"Very well. I will go first, and test the strength of our opponent," Lee suggested.
"Alright, but take your weights off first. According to Karin, this opponent is near as strong as our Jonin-sensei," Tenten told him.
"But Gai-sensei told me to-" Lee attempted to protest.
"Gai-sensei's not here, and in his absence, I'm your direct superior. So take off your weights, that's an order," Tenten sternly stated.
Lee decided to obey, and did what he was asked to. He removed the weights under his leg warmers, and held them on each hand with their arms spread. Then, he dropped the training tools, falling into the ground with a deafening noise, leaving two craters at his sides. Everybody looked at the weights in shock.
"Lee, what kind of self-imposed handicap did you have when we fought?" Haku thought, doing a better job masking his shock than everybody else.
Kimimaro wasn't impressed, though. He slipped into a combat stance, ready to take whatever the Konoha ninja threw at him. Which happened to be a flying kick.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
The shirtless teen managed to block Lee's admittedly powerful flying kick without much difficulty, and push the green clad ninja backwards. However, other two Konoha ninjas attacked while he was doing that.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!"
Sasuke breathed a huge fireball at Kimimaro while Hinata cast a storm of lightning from her fingertips. The Oto ninja jumped out of the way before he could be hit, and aimed his hands at both Uchiha and Hyuga.
"Ten Finger Drilling Bullets!"
A bone bullet was fired from each of his fingers, five flying towards Sasuke and the other five towards Hinata. The former used his Sharingan to dodge –if barely–, the attack, while the latter thrust both palms forward.
"Vacuum Palm Wall!"
Hinata released massive vacuum shell that crashed against the bullets, but it failed to stop their momentum, and the bone projectiles embedded on Hinata's chest.
"HINATA!" Naruto yelled in shock.
But much to his relief, Hinata disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a shattered log behind.
"Shit, Karin-neechan wasn't exaggerating when he said this guy is strong. If we aren't careful, this freak might kill us all!" Naruto distressingly thought.
"I had heard so much about your clans, Uchiha and Hyuga," Kimimaro began. "But if you're the best your clans can offer, then Konoha had even less of a future than I had imagined."
Lee suddenly appeared from behind, and delivered a quick kick to Kimimaro's head, throwing him sideways. The Kaguya managed to regain balance and land on his feet, though.
"Not bad, but insufficient," Kimimaro replied, as spiky bones began to grow over all of his body. "Dance of the Larch!"
Kimimaro's body fired the bone spikes in multiple directions, many of them flying right towards the Konoha ninja. Karin and Haku were quick to react and defend.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
"Ice Release: Ice Barrier!"
Two walls, one made of solid rock, the other of deceptively hard ice, appeared between Kimimaro and the Konoha ninja. The bone missiles managed to pierce both walls, but they lost enough momentum to be safely deflected with mere kunai.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
From behind the destroyed walls, an army of blonds appeared and charged at the white haired teen, letting out cries of rage. Once again, Kimimaro remained impassible.
"Dance of the Camellia."
A pair of bone swords grew from each of Kimimaro's palms, detaching from his hands once they were complete, and rushed to meet the orange clad army. And, despite their sheer numbers, the Naruto clones were overwhelmed by the speed, endurance and skill of the white haired teen, who massacred the clones before either of them had a chance to lay a finger on him.
"Shit, this guy is way too strong!" Naruto thought as he felt his clones disappearing en masse.
While Kimimaro was distracted fighting the clones, Tenten saw a golden opportunity to attack, and leaped above the brawl while unfurling one of her scrolls.
"Naruto, get the real you out of the way!" Tenten warned while she prepared her attack. "Manipulated Tools: Rain of Steel!"
The scroll unsealed a multitude of kunai and shuriken at a fast pace, casting a rain of metal over the battlefield. However, the attack was of little help, as it mostly destroyed the Naruto clones, while Kimimaro easily deflected the weapons aimed at him with his improvised swords while he moved backwards.
"Tenten!" Naruto angrily shouted at the brown haired girl.
Tenten smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!"
Haku moved to attack. If Kimimaro managed to deflect everything they threw at him, then they needed to use something that would be impossible to deflect. He made several hand seals.
"Ice Release: Winter Breath!"
From his mouth Haku released an extremely cold wind that froze everything it touched. Kimimaro couldn't react in time, and he was engulfed by the dense blue mist, encasing him in a block of ice.
"Yay! Good one, Haku!" Naruto cheered.
Then, much to everybody's surprise, Kimimaro disappeared, leaving a log inside the block of ice.
"Everyone, he's underground! Watch out!" Hinata warned the others.
As soon as the warning left her lips, multiple bone spikes started to sprout from the ground. The Konoha ninja moved as fast as they could in order to avoid them, but the more bones appeared, the less space they had to move.
"Hinata-hime, where is he?" Naruto asked as he dodged the incoming spikes.
"Fifteen steps to the front and seven to the left!" was Hinata's response.
Naruto created a single Shadow Clone, which he used to help himself leap into the air as high as he could. While on air, he extended his hand, and made sure to fall in the spot Hinata had told him.
"Rasengan!"
The sphere of chakra released its energy into the ground, creating a massive crater, as well as cracking the ground in multiple directions. The attack had the intended effect, and Kimimaro was forced to leave his underground hiding spot. Sasuke appeared from behind, katana unsheathed.
"Fire Release: Burning Edge!"
Kimimaro barely had time to grow several spikes on his back which successfully blocked the fiery blade. He counterattacked by growing them even longer, forcing Sasuke to put some distance between the two of them.
"I admit you're strong. And your numbers make me fighting you quite more difficult than it should be," Kimimaro confessed. "But you should also know that I'm only using a fraction of my real power."
"Then why not go all out and finish us already?" Sasuke tentatively asked.
"While I admit you're strong, you're not strong enough to be deserving of my best moves," Kimimaro retorted, causing Sasuke to snarl. "But keep trying, and I might reward you with the strength of my full power."
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Before Kimimaro could react, many chains wrapped around his body. He wasn't perturbed, as mere chains couldn't be able to hold him back. However, the moment he tried to use his trusty Bloodline Limit, he found himself unable to gather chakra.
"What?"
"Ha! Reward that!" Karin shouted in a taunting tone. Kimimaro could see that the chains were coming from the girl's back.
While Kimimaro was being held, Haku made more hand seals.
"Ice Release: Ice Prison Jutsu!"
The chained Kaguya was encased in a large block of ice.
"Haha, yes, we got him! Good work you two!" Naruto congratulated both Karin and Haku.
"Well, we couldn't have done it if you didn't-oh shit!" Karin suddenly shouted.
"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, mildly alarmed.
"The guy's chakra level is rising!" Karin warned. "He will break out of the ice and my chains at any moment!"
"What!?" Tenten asked in shock. "How's that possible?"
"She's right! There's a foul chakra that's empowering his chakra network!" Hinata added.
"Guys, you need to go, now!" Tenten urged the others. "I'll stay here and help Haku and Karin hold this guy down!"
"But you can't do that! This opponent is way stronger than any other foe we ever faced!" Lee protested.
"We'll be fine. Naruto-kun will need you far more than we will," Haku reassured. "Now go, time is of essence!"
Without some hesitation, Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke and Lee left their three comrades to deal with the insanely strong Kaguya member.
"Alright, but don't you dare to get killed by this guy, you hear me!?" Naruto asked before leaving.
Karin smiled. "Don't worry, nii-san. I'm not planning to die today, and I don't think these two do either."
"Let's head up north, that's where their hideout must be!" Sasuke stated as he started to move, followed by the other three. "My hawk should have located its exact position by now!"
"Alright, let's go! Sasuke, Lee, follow my and Hinata's lead, we've been here before and know which path to take," Naruto suggested.
The others nodded and resumed their pursuit, not without having a lingering feeling of guilt about leaving their other three friends behind against such a powerful enemy.
And, indeed, after a few seconds, there was a burst of a very potent chakra that shattered Haku's ice block and Karin's chakra chains. Kimimaro stood there, with his stoic expression unchanged, looking at the three Konoha ninja with his dull eyes. There were black marks spreading over his body.
"Congratulations. Very few people push me to the extent of being forced to use the cursed seal," Kimimaro stated. "It will be of some consolation to know that at least you accomplished something before dying."
…
"Can you walk?" Ino asked.
"Yeah, I feel a bit better now," Sakura replied, as she weakly got back on her feet. "So, we beat those guys, what do we do now? Should we help the others?"
Ino scoffed. "Honestly, it's us the ones who need to be helped. I still can't believe that we beat those creepy twins."
As much as Sakura wanted to help the others, Ino had a point. In their current state, they would be of little help.
"How do you think the others did?" Ino asked, a bit insecurely. "I mean, I have faith in them, but we should have seen them already if they won their fights..."
"Well, we won, and we can barely move. Maybe the others are in a similar predicament," Sakura replied. "Besides, we didn't see those Oto ninja either."
Suddenly, that moment, there was a rustling in a nearby bush. Sakura and Ino tensed up, and adopted fighting stances.
"Sakura, if it's one of those Oto ninja, I swear I'm going to-"
"Arf!"
Ino was interrupted upon seeing Akamaru's small form running towards her. The little dog started to run in circles around the two girls, letting out happy barks. Soon, he was joined by Kiba, Neji, Asuma and Kurenai.
"Look, here they are," Kiba mentioned. "Good job finding them, Akamaru!"
"Arf!" the doggie happily barked as he returned to his master's side.
"Asuma-sensei!" Ino squealed in joy, and rushed to hug him. "Oh, I'm so glad that you're here..."
"I'm happy to see you in one piece as well," Asuma commented, taking a look at his student. "It seems that you two got roughed up a bit."
"That's putting it lightly," Sakura sourly added.
"What about Shikamaru and Choji? Are they alive?" Ino worriedly asked.
"Yes, they're fine. One of Kakashi's dogs told us that Kakashi and Gai found them, alongside Shino and Tamaki," Kurenai was the one who replied. "What about the others?"
"They resumed the chase of the kidnappers. Well, kidnapper, only the squad leader remains," Ino told them. "Even if he might be the strongest of the group, there's no way they can defeat the rest of our friends, especially since Naruto and Sasuke were among them."
Seeing the two Jonin there made Sakura realize of something. "Hey, what about the village? Did we beat the invaders?" The pinkette asked.
"Yes, the invasion is no longer a problem. Orochimaru and his flunkies had been successfully repelled," Asuma told them, making everybody unaware of the news sigh in relief.
"Maybe this day won't turn so bad after all..." Sakura replied.
"We'd better not celebrate in advance. The children of the Hokage haven't been rescued yet," Kurenai reminded everybody. "Kiba, Neji, take Ino and Sakura back to the village. Asuma and I will try to catch Naruto and the others."
"Understood," Neji agreed with a head nod, as he and the other three Genin turned back to the village, while the two Jonin went into the opposite direction.
As they moved to the north, Asuma noticed that Kurenai was becoming more and more tense by the minute. The fact that they hadn't found none of her students was probably eating her from the inside.
"I'm sure they will be fine," Asuma stated, drawing his girlfriend's attention. "Your students are way stronger than mine, and mine managed to come out of their fights alive."
"I try to think that, but you can never be too certain," Kurenai replied. "Not helped since the three of them, specially Naruto, have something that makes them desirable prey for scum of the earth like Orochimaru."
"Well, Orochimaru was in Konoha. Hokage-sama fought and defeated him. He won't be a threat to Naruto nor the others anytime soon," Asuma reassured her.
"Actually, that might not be the case. I think there's something more to this invasion that what it looks like." Kurenai replied. Asuma raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yes. He planned to use the invasion as a cover to kidnap the Hokage's children. So even if the invasion failed, he'd still get something out of it," Asuma replied.
"Yes, but remember what Naruto told us. Kabuto could have easily defeated and took him away, yet he told him about what happened to his siblings."
Asuma was starting to realize the implication of Kurenai's words. "Because he knew he'd do anything to get them back..."
"...including going out of the village, where he would be vulnerable and easy to capture while most of the adults are busy dealing with the invasion," Kurenai finished.
Now Asuma understood Kurenai's worries much better, since they went far beyond merely caring for her students.
"Fortunately, there still might be some time to stop such thing from happening," Kurenai stated.
Asuma nodded, and the two of them increased their pace.
…
"Wait a minute," Haku said, as if remembering something. "Those abilities...I knew I heard about them. You're a Kaguya Clan member, right?"
"Yes. It seems my clan's reputation is known even in countries beyond the Land of Water," Kimimaro confirmed.
"I thought all your clan went extinct when they launched that nonsensical campaign against the rest of the nation," Haku commented.
"True. But as you can see, at least one of them made out of that catastrophe alive," the white haired teen replied. "The same could be said about you, Yuki. Orochimaru-sama thought your clan fell prey to the Bloodline Purges, but it isn't the case."
"I would have died with the rest of my clan if it wasn't for the actions of a certain man," Haku replied.
"In that case, then we are alike. It was Orochimaru-sama who saved me from a certain doom and gave me a purpose. Now, to show him my gratitude, I serve and help him in every way I can. And he will be very happy when I bring him the last bearer of the Ice Release," Kimimaro then glanced at Karin, who tensed up upon being noticed. "And you...that red hair, and that jutsu...you're an Uzumaki, right? Orochimaru-sama also expressed interest in getting his hands in one of your kind."
The three Konoha ninja found his words sickening. While other Oto ninja would do that to seek a reward from the Snake Sannin, it seemed that Kimimaro did it just to make his master happy, something they had trouble deciding if it was worse or not.
Kimimaro finally looked at Tenten. "You, on the other hand, appear to be completely unremarkable. Your death won't be a big loss."
Haku nostrils flared in anger and was about to reply, but his girlfriend was quicker.
"How about if I show you how 'unremarkable' I can be?" the bun haired girl taunted, before crossing her arms in front of her face. "Gate of Opening: Open!"
Powerful surges of chakra coursed Tenten's body as she was enveloped by a glowing green aura. She then unfurled a small storage scroll and unsealed a couple of broadswords.
"Alright, I'll face this guy in close combat. Karin, Haku, you two cover me from behind with ninjutsu," Tenten stated.
Both Genin nodded affirmatively as they prepared to fight.
Tenten disappeared in a green blur, and reappeared behind the Oto ninja, ready to strike him down. Kimimaro, though, was already expecting this.
"Dance of the Willow."
Multiple bone spikes grew from Kimimaro's back, parrying Tenten's blows, and forcing the kunoichi back. Karin and Haku took the opportunity to attack.
"Adamantine Sealing Chain!"
"Ice Release: Piercing Icicle Shot!"
Haku formed a spear of ice which flew at Kimimaro, while Karin shot a chakra chain from the palm of her hand.
"Dance of the Camellia."
Two more bone swords grew from Kimimaro's hands, and used them to parry the attacks from Haku and Karin. He then turned back and engaged Tenten in a duel of sword fighting.
Despite his lithe appearance, Kimimaro had a lot of strength, albeit the brown haired kunoichi guessed that those black marks around his body had something to do with it. She jumped backwards in order to have some room for her next move. She spread her arms horizontally, and started to spin.
"Raging Blade-storm!"
In a few seconds, Tenten turned into a razor sharp tornado, menacingly moving towards Kimimaro. He Oto ninja tried to block her attack with his improvised swords, but he underestimated the strength of the kunoichi's attack, and his bone swords were blown out of his hands, and even got a few cuts on his chest before jumping back.
"Water Release: Water Clone Jutsu!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Multiple Karins and Hakus appeared around the original, spread in a semicircle around Kimimaro, and started to pelt the last Kaguya with senbon and kunai. Kimimaro merely grew more bones on his back and shoulders which managed to block the incoming projectiles.
Forgetting about Tenten, Kimimaro dashed towards the clones, generated two more bone swords, and started to skewer them with little effort.
"I think I should take care of your first," Kimimaro stated as he impaled a Haku clone, turning back into water. "You two are ranged specialists, plus I'm sure one of you is also a medic-nin. Don't worry, I won't hurt you much."
After destroying the last Karin clone, he moved to incapacitate the real redhead, who prepared to deliver an hilariously telegraphed kick. Kimimaro proceeded to block her kick, and then knock her unconscious.
However, Karin's kick packed far more force than her small form suggested, almost like being kicked by a large beast. Coupled with how little strength he mustered to block the attack, Karin's savage kick sent him into the air, spinning rapidly, before falling with a loud thud.
"Too bad I'm going to hurt you as much as I can, you creep!" Karin retorted, as she shook her fist at him in anger.
"How...how is that girl so strong?" Kimimaro asked as he slowly got back on his feet. "That looked like Tsunade's famed Chakra-Enhanced Strength, but there's no way that little girl could have been able to master it..."
"Nice hit," Haku praised the Uzumaki. "But now that he got a measure of your real strength, you won't hit him as easily."
Tenten landed near the two of them. Her green aura was no longer active, meaning that the power boost from the Gates had run its course.
"It seems that if we ever hope to harm this guy, frontal attacks are not a valid option. But we can do some damage by catching him off guard," Tenten told the Genin.
"Do you have any idea, Tenten-chan?" Haku asked.
Tenten smiled confidently, and nodded. "Haku, cover the whole zone with mist. Karin, use your sensing abilities to track him down. Let's stick together, and attack at the same time when the right time comes."
The two Genin nodded, and Haku made a hand seal.
"Hiding in the Mist Jutsu!"
A dense mist started to cover the area in a wide range, blinding all who were caught inside.
Kimimaro remained unimpressed at his enemies' new strategy.
"I can't help but admire your tenacity and inventiveness in the face of a superior foe," Kimimaro stated, as he looked around. "But in the end, the result will be the same."
'Yeah, keep talking you overconfident dumbass, that way you'll make my job even easier,' Karin thought as she silently lead her teammates where Kimimaro was.
"Because, even if I can't see you, all I have to do is use a jutsu with a wide area of effect to ensure you're hit," Kimimaro stated, sending chills down the spines of the Konoha ninja. "Dance of the Seedling Fern!"
The ground started to shake, and bone spikes started to burst from below. The Konoha trio aborted their offensive and ran away in different directions, trying to avoid being skewered by the sharp and hard bone spikes. Karin managed to do several hand seals.
"Earth Release: Moving Core!
A square shaped platform was elevated above the ground, wide enough for the three of them to stand. The bones kept popping from underground, but they didn't appear on the platform. However, they were so focused on the bones that they weren't paying attention to Kimimaro, who leaped towards them.
"Die."
Kimimaro delivered Tenten a kick to the stomach which knocked her out of the risen platform, and would have fallen to her death if it wasn't for Karin's timely reaction.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Multiple chains emerged from Karin's back, and all of them wrapped themselves around Tenten's waist, successfully breaking her fall, albeit Karin was almost dragged down.
"Thanks!" Tenten said from below, as she eyed the nasty looking spikes.
"Hang on there!" Karin replied.
While this happened, Haku created a sword made of ice and faced Kimimaro in hand to hand combat. This proved to be an abysmal decision –if unavoidable, given the circumstances– as not only was Haku a poor melee fighter, while his opponent was a skilled one, but Kimimaro's bone swords easily destroyed Haku's ice blade.
"Your gift is wasted on such an unskilled individual," Kimimaro flatly stated as he delivered another brutal kick to the Ice Ninja's chest, sending him flying.
"Haku!" Karin cried. Her first instinct was to help him, but she couldn't do it while carrying Tenten.
While he was mid air, Haku made one last attempt to save his life and made several hand seals. Hopefully he would be fast enough.
"Ice Release: Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals!"
An ice mirror appeared under Haku, and he was absorbed into it. Another mirror appeared at the edge of the field of bones, allowing Haku to land in a safe zone. Or at least, what he thought it was a safe zone.
"Impressive. You're resourceful indeed," Kimimaro's voice said from behind.
Haku turned around, and saw the white haired teen emerging from one of the spike bones in the ground.
"He can use his bones to travel, like I do with the ice mirrors?" A surprised Haku thought, taking several step backwards.
A bone blade grew on Kimimaro's palm.
"Now," Kimimaro advanced menacingly towards Haku. "I'll make sure you you're properly incapacitated. Don't worry, I won't kill you. However, this won't be pleasant."
In such short distance, Haku knew that there was nothing he could do to defend himself. Tenten and Karin wouldn't arrive in time to help him, and even if they did, they would only delay the inevitable. This ninja was way too strong.
"Dance of the Camellia!"
The bone blade lunged at him. Haku involuntarily closed his eyes, waiting for the stab.
CLANG!
A metallic noise was something he wasn't expecting to hear. He opened his eyes, and saw a figure of a large man standing between him and Kimimaro. Said man was carrying a massive broadsword.
"Lay a finger on that kid, and I'll put you through so much pain that you'd consider hell a paradise," the man threatened, as he released untold amounts of killing intent.
"Zabuza-sama!" Haku cried in joy.
Zabuza was able to kick Kimimaro backwards, who was still a bit stupefied over the newcomer's arrival. Karin and Tenten landed behind him.
"Oh thank goodness, some help at last!" Karin squealed, just as happy as Haku.
"You did a good job keeping this guy at bay brats, but you're no longer needed. From now on, I'll take care of this," Zabuza stated as he slammed his sword into the ground.
"Are you sure, Zabuza-sama? This ninja's strength is unlike anything I've seen before. You may need our help," Haku objected.
"I'm sure. It will be easier to fight without having you brats getting in the way. Even then, I'm not much of a team fighter," Zabuza replied. "Now take those girls and go."
"As you say, Zabuza-sama," Haku agreed, before running towards Tenten and Karin.
"If you think I'm going to let you go..." Kimimaro stated as he moved to intercept the fleeing Haku. However, it was the Kaguya who was intercepted, being forced to jump backwards to avoid a swing from Zabuza's blade.
"I AM your opponent, in case I didn't made that clear," the former Demon of the Mist snarled. "You don't have time to waste on such distractions."
Haku reached Tenten and Karin, and the three of them left the scene, while Kimimaro had to watch, powerless to stop them.
"I let all of them get past me. Sorry Orochimaru-sama, I failed you. I hope my failure doesn't compromise the plan as a whole," the last Kaguya sorrowfully thought. He then turned at Zabuza, and looked at him in subdued anger. "You will pay for that."
Zabuza snorted at the threat. "Somehow, I find that doubtful."
"I think I know you. You're Zabuza Momochi, the Swordsman of Kiri currently working for Konoha," Kimimaro observed.
Zabuza smirked under his mask. "I see you made your homework. Not that it will be of any help in the end, kid."
"Your profile of our Bingo Book states that you lack any kind of Bloodline Limit, hence Orochimaru won't have any use for you," Kimimaro flatly stated, then he eyed the Executioner's Sword. "Your sword, on the other hand, is something he'll appreciate."
"You want my sword?" Zabuza asked, before letting out a short laugh. "I'd say that you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers, but trust me, we won't reach such situation."
"I see you like to boast a lot. Let's see if you can back those boasts up with actual power," Kimimaro stated as he dashed towards Zabuza.
…
Meanwhile, to the north, the rescuers' group, now reduced to less than a third of its original number, continued their way through a route that was familiar to half of its members.
"As expected, the kidnappers are heading to the Land of Sound," Naruto observed. "Where Orochimaru has his main base."
"Do you know where it is?" Sasuke asked. That would make things easier.
"No," it was Hinata who replied. "We fought against his forces here, but were unable to track where they came from."
"Itachi was part of the investigation team sent here after your mission in order to locate the base, but he was unsuccessful," Sasuke commented.
"Then...are we going to find something a team of elite ninja failed to?" Lee asked, a bit worried.
"Thankfully my hawk should have been able to do that by now," Sasuke replied. "Besides, I have the feeling that they want us to find their base. Or at least, they want Naruto."
"I was already aware that this could be a trap," Naruto replied, knowing what Sasuke was implying. "But what else could have I done? Most of the adults were busy defending Konoha. It had to be us. Or at least, me."
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, you won't have to this alone! You can always count on me to lend you a hand, and I'm sure that I speak for Hinata-san and Sasuke-san as well!" Lee energetically declared.
Naruto couldn't help but smile a little.
"The Valley of the End is ahead. We're getting close," Hinata told the others.
The foursome entered the valley, half of them for the first time, and the other half for the second. While it didn't make much of an impression on Hinata and Lee, it made Sasuke feel uneasy. Even if he was an enemy of Konoha, this was the place where the greatest of the Uchiha had fallen.
Sasuke was aware of his clan's history. While official history books depicted Madara as a power hungry monster that took badly being passed for the title of Hokage in favor of Hashirama, Sasuke knew that the truth was a bit more complex.
In the years leading to his defection, and subsequent attacks on the village, Madara was growing paranoid and disillusioned with both Konoha and the Senju Clan that ruled it. He even tried to stir the Uchiha into throwing a coup d'état back then, but none of his clansmen listened to him, waving off his warnings about the clan's dark future as the ravings of a madman.
It was tragic that eventually, the descendants of those Uchiha decided to follow Madara's posthumous advice. Then again, given the results, it was a good thing that the coup didn't happen earlier. Since Konoha was in its beginning stages, a civil war so soon would have torn the village apart.
"Is this the fate of the Uchiha?" Sasuke asked himself. "To be consumed by hatred and lust for power that will lead us to our damnation?"
Itachi and Shisui always talked about rebuilding the clan better than it ever was, without repeating the mistakes of the past. Even if it was a grim thought, the youngest Uchiha wondered if they were fighting against a force far beyond any human, no matter their power.
"Ugh!"
Sasuke was snapped of his thoughts by Naruto groaning, and clutching his stomach in pain.
"Naruto-kun! What happened? Are you okay?" a worried Hinata asked as she rushed to his side.
"It's the Nine Tails," Naruto replied, breathing heavily. "He hates this place. He hates it a lot."
"In that case, let's move faster," Sasuke suggested. "The last thing we need is the Kyubi going out of control."
Fortunately, the Valley was small, and soon they were out of it and into the Land of Sound. Naruto felt the Kyubi growing more relaxed as they left the place away.
"What's with you and that place, you fur ball?" Naruto mentally asked the Kyubi. However, he was met with silence.
"Look!" Hinata said, pointing upwards. "Up there!"
Everyone could see Sasuke's hawk flying in circles over a point far to the northwest from their position.
"The hawk has located the base," the Uchiha announced.
"In that case, we need to get there as soon as possible! Kami knows what those assholes will do to my siblings!" Naruto urged, growing more antsy and restless.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, we'll be there before they can harm them in any way," Hinata reassured her boyfriend.
While Naruto and Hinata were focused on rescuing the Senju twins, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what kind of enemy was waiting for them at Orochimaru's hideout. Given that the leader of the kidnappers', that guy with the killing bones, was so insanely strong, he shivered upon having to fight against somebody even stronger.
He pushed those thoughts aside, realizing that letting fear consume him would be an ill advised course of action.
…
Undisclosed Location
Raindrops fell upon Obito as he clutched Rin's inert body close to him.
"This...this is hell..." the boy cried.
Darkness and rain. It was a fitting image for Obito Uchiha, equating the darkness of his heart and the tears pouring from his eyes. He clutched the girl's corpse near him.
"Rin...Rin!"
"Er...it might not be my place to tell," Guruguru, the imperfect Zetsu temporarily fused to his body, mentioned, startling the young Uchiha a bit. "But there's a chance that you might see Rin again."
Obito stopped crying, and perked up his head.
"Really?" he asked, his voice dripping with desperation.
Just like Guruguru had expected.
"Yes, we can do something to make sure you see Rin again," Guruguru continued.
"What is it!? Come on, there's no time to waste!" Obito desperately pleaded.
"It's not that easy," Guruguru replied, much to Obito's dismay. "It's a long and hard procedure, that demands a lot of effort and resources. If we are to do this, it has to be under one condition."
"Whatever! I'll do anything!" Obito cried.
"You must become a servant of Madara-sama, and do absolutely everything he says. There's no other way," Guruguru stated.
"Yes! Yes!" I'll do anything he wants! But please, help me save Rin!" Obito pleaded.
If Guruguru had a mouth, he would have smirked. Oh, Madara was going to be so pleased with this development.
"Alright then, listen closely, this is what we need to do first..."
…
"Boss?"
Obito was a bit startled as Zetsu, who had emerged near him, called his name.
"Y-Yes?" he absentmindedly asked.
"The Hokage's children are here," Black Zetsu announced.
"What should we do with them?" the White half asked.
"Leave them in one of the base's cells. We'll deal with them later," Obito replied with a dismissive hand wave. "What about the jinchuriki?"
"He's on his way here. From what we could see, they managed to find the location of this lair," the White half answered.
"He will be here shortly," Black Zetsu added.
Obito smirked. "Good, we won't have to leave an obvious trail of breadcrumbs in order to lure him here," the Uchiha then put on his new mask, an orange one with an spiraling pattern. "In that case, let's prepare him the welcome he truly deserves."
Author's Note: Of course, none of the Konoha 15 are still on an appropriate level to defeat a healthy Kimimaro, so here comes Zabuza to save the day. I'm sure you'll enjoy their duel.
So, we're getting close to the end of Part I, people! Just three more chapters besides this one to go! (which I have already written, by the way ;)) However, I should tell you that this story won't go into the Shippuden time frame after that. There will be one more arc (that I've been dying to write) that will take place between Parts I and II before we dive into Shippuden. It's an event that sadly took place offscreen in the original manga, but I think it deserves to be properly told.
Also, you guys really don't want to miss next chapter, since you'll finally see what made Naruto and Sasuke fight each other, this time for real.
Meanwhile, don't forget to review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!