Hello, friends! How are you twisted individuals doing? Fantastic!
I'll tell you now, not much happening in this chapter, at least as far as action and plot progression goes. This is mostly fleshing out characters and providing a little background info. I've done my best to keep it entertaining, and hopefully it'll show.
Well, that's about it for now, so on with the story!
XXXX
Yugito's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock.
'It's not just a rumor? The Rokubi really is in Kaminari no Kuni?" Yugito asked.
"Yes, and she has been forrr overrr a thousand yearrrs." Hinade said quickly, starting to lose her patience with her host.
"Wow...So, Raikage-sama was right all along..." Yugito whispered.
"Dead-on. Now, if you want to get Narrruto out of this place, I advise you to stop asking questions and rrrelease me. If I have to do it myself, you will be in forrr a LOT of pain."
'Do it yourself?'
"YUGITO!" the Nibi roared, causing a sudden spike of intense pain in Yugito's head that nearly sent her to the floor.
'Alright, alright!' Yugito conceded.
A moment of concentration and a burst of freezing blue flames later, the Nibi no Nekomata became the room's third occupant. And this time, she wasn't dressed to impress. In fact, she looked for all the world like one of the "Marauder Girls" often featured in several of the adult magazines she'd seen in Raibu's apartment. The black riding boots, tight leather pants, unzipped leather jacket over a white tank top, leather gloves and short, "stylishly disheveled" hair.
She even appeared to be slightly older than she was the first time; maybe early twenties as opposed to late teens. Of course, she still had a body that could make a succubus jealous, but with more feline features. Most notably, a pair of ears on top of her head and a tail, both covered in fur in the same shade of blue as her hair.
And though Hinade's cat-like eyes were delivering a scathing glare, Yugito couldn't help but be reminded of someone else...
"...Why do you look like Kurohane?" the teen asked, subconsciously fidgeting under the demoness' gaze.
"Hmph, she is imitating me, not the otherrr way arrround." the Nibi replied curtly. "Kurrrohane can't be morrre than fifty yearrrs old, and this has been my trrrademarrrk look forrr some five millennia now." considering that she used to work for the Shinigami, Hinade wasn't at all surprised that a member of the Raven clan was mimicking her style.
She had suspected as much just from the Princess' outfit, but the scythe was the true giveaway. While Hinade's actual weapons of choice were a pair of shape-shifting Kusarigama with extendable/retractable chains, she had used a scythe briefly while she was waiting for those weapons to be completed. Famously, at least in the Spirit Realm, she had used a scythe to battle Minos(1), formerly one of the three Judges of the Dead. Somehow manipulated by the Shinigami's brother, the God of Chaos, Minos had begun to send every soul that came his way straight to Hell, regardless of whether or not they deserved it.
Once the Shinigami had noticed this, he sent Hinade to investigate. Though it happened nearly three-thousand years ago, tales of their battle were still told throughout the Spirit Realm, as far as Hinade knew. And, being that it was really the only thing Hinade herself was ever famous for, she was most often depicted as a scythe-wielding catgirl clad in black leather. That said, she highly doubted that Kurohane's attire and weapon were mere coincidence.
"Right...So, what, exactly, are you going to do?"
"I told you, I'm going to talk to Rrraikoku." the Nibi replied, still glaring.
"W-What should I d-do?" Yugito gulped, the catgirl's harsh look finally getting to her.
"You've done quite enough alrrready, don't you think?" Hinade all but growled. "But, if you want something to do, you can sit rrright therrre, shut up and act norrrmal. You can handle that, can't you?" the demoness then disappeared in a flash of blue flame.
Yugito said nothing. She sat back in her chair, tucked her legs in and wrapped her arms around them, then rested her head on her knees and began gently rocking back and forth. Originally, it was a habit developed as a way for Yugito to keep warm when the Sandaime Raikage decided to leave her out in the forest, or up in the mountains for "survival training". Then it developed into a way for her to shut out the world when the man would put her in "The Hole" for disobeying orders, often for days at a time with no food and little water.
Once again, Yugito found that she wasn't as "grown up" as she thought. Yes, she was a strong, proud and independent young woman; but the scared, lonely, vulnerable little girl from years past wasn't exactly dead and buried.
(Outside The Water Management Facility)
Hinade looked out from under the cover of the facility's main entrance and frowned deeply.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." she mumbled to herself as she watched the rain come down as if it were being dumped from a bottomless bucket.
And as if that wasn't bad enough, there was still the pseudo-sentient lightning to worry about. While it wouldn't kill her, even in her significantly weakened state, a good bolt or two could certainly knock her out for a few hours. Not to mention it would hurt like a bitch.
"Ugh. This is going to suck, plain and simple." with a heavy sigh, the Nibi steeled her resolve and set out into the raging storm.
The second she stepped out from the cover the building provided, it was like she had just fallen into a river. The water soaked her instantly, and the howling winds might as well have been a strong current, eager to carry her off to her doom. But Hinade didn't waver even an inch. She owed Kyuubi a lot, probably more than she even knew, and even Naruto himself had done her a great service by helping Yugito. And if Hinade learned anything in her time as the Two-tailed Demon Lord, it was that debts were to be paid; no exceptions.
Even the vile Hachibi bent to that rule, though he often killed those he owed debts to after he repaid them.
So, the Nibi marched on through the storm and disappeared into the tree line.
(Naruto's Mindscape)
Naruto had successfully taken every settlement within Fire Country's borders, and had set up a secondary stronghold in the Tanzaku Quarters, a few miles Southwest from Konoha. But the fact that he hadn't seen hide nor...carapace of Shizaru's forces put him on edge.
'I'm not letting him get off another ambush.' Naruto thought, remembering what happened after the last lull in the action. 'He's probably expecting this on some level, but I think I'll bring the fight to him nonetheless.' and so, Naruto geared up his army for an assault.
However, just rushing in wasn't a viable option. Naruto wanted to test borders and defenses, hoping to draw out any nasty surprises and make plans to counter them without damaging his main forces. The first test would consist of a simple platoon of Darkness Clones and Hellhounds. Naruto wanted to see if they would be able to cross the Tsuchi no Kuni border, and how far they could get if they managed that.
Worst case scenario: the platoon would be wiped out as soon as they even came near the border. If that happened, at least he'd probably get a look at whatever killed them, as well as an idea of the enemy's power and/or numbers. So, even if the worst happened, the results would still be useful.
Best case scenario: the platoon would make it to the border without incident, and get at least a few miles into enemy territory. Perhaps a couple might even get close enough to Iwagakure for Naruto to get an accurate picture as to what was going on there. Iwa was already heavily fortified on its own, but it would be nice to see what Shizaru had done to beef up security.
'Let's get this show on the road.' Naruto thought as his "test platoon" moved out from an outpost some ten miles from the Earth Country border.
Within minutes, Naruto's platoon had reached the border of Kusagakure, the small country situated directly between Hi no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni. There, they were suddenly, and somewhat predictably, attacked by Specters and Demolishers in numbers rivaling their own. Fortunately, these were enemies Naruto and his army had great experience in dispatching, and lost only two clones and a Hellhound in the battle. From there, the platoon traveled across Kusagakure, encountering only light resistance. However, a couple of Hellhounds had been devoured whole by Earth Country's notorious "Death Worms". But when they came to a deep canyon, carved over centuries by a mighty river than had long since been diverted by a manmade dam, all hell broke loose.
Specters, Demolishers and Arch-viles came charging at them from all directions, quickly surrounding Naruto's soldiers and picking them off one by one. Fortunately, a small gap was still open in the enemy formation, and Naruto's platoon went for it. Unfortunately, the gap led them right into the canyon, effectively sealing their fate.
But it wasn't the demons and the Shadow Beasts that did them in. No, it was the massive horde of giant insects that came pouring out of holes that suddenly opened up in the walls of the canyon. Their similarity to the "Jumper" bugs led Naruto to figure that these were the "Warriors" Shizaru had told him about earlier. They were bulkier and seemed more heavily armored than their flying brethren, and had six legs as opposed to eight. Four of the appendages were used for walking, though looked more than sharp enough to be used as weapons. The foremost pair, like the Jumpers, was folded up along the side of the bug's head, ready and waiting to impale anything that the bug had its eyes on. That is, if its gigantic, scissor-like mandibles didn't do the job first.
"These are the Warriors I told you about." Shizaru said, sounding distinctly amused. "Your little group had a good run, but it ends here."
True to the demon's words, Naruto's platoon was hit hard and fast, overwhelmed and slaughtered without putting up much of a fight at all.
"Warriors exist solely for ground combat, and have evolved perfectly to suit that role. Their armor is far tougher than the Jumpers', and they are physically several times stronger. But that doesn't count for much, as they're still quite weak in the grand scheme of things. But they're absolutely lethal as a swarm, and I've got literally millions of them." Shizaru chuckled. "Ah, I can hear the cogs turning from here."
Indeed, Naruto's mind was running a million miles an hour, figuring out ways to use this new information to his advantage. However, the fact that his platoon never made it into Earth Country didn't escape him. The canyon, Naruto realized, was Tsuchi no Kuni's main supply route; basically the front door to the country. There was no wondering why it was so heavily defended, even in real life.
If he wanted to make any progress, he'd need to find another way in.
'Hmm...I don't think numbers are going to do it; he's always going to have the advantage on that front.' Naruto then remembered his first run-in with the Arch-viles and had a "lightbulb moment". 'If I could get just one clone into his territory, I could have it open a portal to the Shadow Realm and have hundreds of troops right at his doorstep in an instant...The problem is just getting one there in the first place.'
With the amount of soldiers Shizaru apparently had at his disposal, Naruto didn't think it was an exaggeration to say that every square inch of Tsuchi no Kuni was being constantly monitored and/or patrolled by something. He would need one hell of a distraction in order to infiltrate the country, and that would only be about one-fourth of the battle.
(Zombie Brothers' Hideout)
With the storm still raging outside, Kakuzu found that he had absolutely nothing to do in the cave, beyond desecrating Hidan's "corpse". This was done by sewing various body parts together, and Kakuzu had no qualms about twisting and breaking limbs to achieve ridiculous and unnatural poses. However, there was only so much he could do before the novelty wore off, and he'd get no entertainment out of the pictures he took until he showed them to the rest of the Akatsuki members.
After that, the patchwork sociopath had taken to reviewing his battle with the Two-tails Jinchuuriki. He discovered that his defeat stemmed from the fact that he relied too heavily on intel. After having dead-on information on all of his targets for decades, he'd begun to take it for granted and automatically assumed that his intel was top-notch.
The information he had acquired indicated that the Nibi's vessel would barely provide a decent challenge, let alone a legitimate threat. And he had been confident in his ability to adapt to and overcome any aces the girl had up her sleeve. Kakuzu had grown complacent in his own power, as well as the quality of the information he gathered, and had been caught completely off guard by the Jinchuuriki's abilities.
"Hmm...Even so, I'll still be paying that councilman a little visit before we depart from this accursed country." Kakuzu grumbled to himself before standing up. "Might as well report this to Leader-sama..." he frowned behind his mask, knowing that the Leader wouldn't be happy with the news. "Just so you know, I'm blaming the majority of this clusterfuck on you." he said to Hidan.
Of course, the Jashinist didn't respond. Even if he was conscious, his bottom lip had been stretched out grotesquely and sewn to his forehead, and his tongue was sewn to the tip of his nose. His hands were sewn to his ears, and his right leg had been broken at the knee and twisted up and back so his foot could be sewn to his chest. His left leg was untouched, since Kakuzu couldn't think of anything to do with it.
Kakuzu walked to the very back of the cave and held his right hand in front of his chest in a half Ram seal.
"Kai." he muttered, and the wall of stone wavered and pulsed, revealing itself to be a mere illusion.
When the Genjutsu lifted, a massive boulder stood in place of the natural cave wall. On the boulder, a large piece of paper with the kanji for "Forbidden" written on it. This piece of paper acted in concert with four identical copies, each hidden in different places within a mile of the cave, to create a Five Seal Barrier.
Kakuzu sent out a small pulse of his chakra, causing the seal to glow bright red for a few seconds before the boulder rose off the ground and into the ceiling of the cave. As he walked into the hidden chamber, Kakuzu sighed heavily when he heard a set of familiar voices. He didn't want to have to explain his situation to everyone.
"And then this guy comes running out of the house and starts screaming, 'That was my wife!' and crying and cursing me out like nobody's business, un." a male voice said, sounding like it was coming from a radio.
"What'd you do?" another male voice, deeper and rougher than the first, asked.
"That's just it, I didn't do anything! I just kinda stood there, listening to him rant and rave. I swear, he didn't stop for nearly ten minutes, and when he did he just looked up at me, still crying. After all that, all I could say was, 'That was a woman?'." the first voice spoke again, followed by a loud, barking laugh from one person and quiet snickers from at least three others.
"She didn't look that bad, Deidara." came a deep, raspy voice.
"Sasori, my man, if she wore one of our robes and a facemask, you could've mistaken her for Kakuzu, un."
Kakuzu twitched.
"You do know that he can hear you, right?"
"Yeah, and?"
"...The next time we meet, expect to get your ass kicked." Kakuzu growled.
"What I said was actually something of a compliment, but I look forward to seeing you try all the same, un." Deidara, or rather Deidara's oil-slick-rainbow projection, taunted.
"Enough." the voice of Akatsuki's leader rang out, causing them all to snap to attention. "We have been awaiting your arrival for some time now, Kakuzu."
"Forgive me, Leader-sama, our mission ran into some...complications."
"'Complications'?"
"We are unable to capture the Nibi's host; she proved to be a great deal more powerful and skilled than intelligence suggested, and she had back-up."
"Interesting...Go on." the Leader ordered, his grey, multi-ringed eyes staying locked onto Kakuzu.
"We...Hidan set a trap for the Jinchuuriki in an isolated area, outside of Kumogakure, that she was known for frequent. The trap worked, but we had no way of knowing that she had someone with her, who was also caught by the trap. Unfortunately, that someone happened to be the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Kakuzu turned his head to look at the two who had been assigned to that particular Bijū vessel.
"What? Don't look at us that way; we just got assigned to him. We had no way of knowing where he was." the taller of the two, in fact the tallest member of Akatsuki period, defended.
"Kisame is correct; even Sasori's spies routinely lose track of him." the shorter figure nodded, his fully-matured Sharingan eyes locked onto Kakuzu in a manner similar to the Leader's.
"The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is notoriously difficult to keep tabs on." the large, hunched figure next to Deidara said.
"Back to the matter at hand." the Leader said, obviously not one for mundane conversation. "I assume that the Jinchuuriki managed to split you and Hidan up and defeated you both in single combat?"
"I can say for myself that was the case, but not for Hidan." Kakuzu said, thinking back to the mysterious and terrifying being he'd met in the sewers.
"Explain."
"The Nibi's vessel defeated me handily, but I managed to escape. However, when I got to Hidan, I found him unconscious, having been drowned, and the Kyuubi's vessel was..." Kakuzu paused, trying to find a way to word what he'd seen in a way that would make the Leader less furious. "Mutilated." he couldn't think of any.
"...Are you telling me that Hidan killed a Jinchuuriki?" as predicted, the Leader's blood was beginning to boil. The Kyuubi, being the most powerful of the Bijū, was also the most important to Akatsuki's goals.
If the Yondaime Hokage's seal worked like they thought it did, then the Kyuubi would die along with its host. And if the Kyuubi was dead, then there was almost no point in going after the others, which would leave the entire organization without a purpose.
"Not Hidan; someone or something else was down there with us. He was there when I found Hidan and the Kyuubi vessel, and I doubt it was a coincidence. I don't really know how to describe it, but he had this...aura about him that was just downright frightening. He wasn't human, I know that much."
"Hmm...Describe him."
"He was around Kisame's height, about six-foot-six, but had a leaner build. He wore a robe similar to ours, but all black and with a hood instead of a high collar. I couldn't see his face at all."
"Wait a minute...did he speak sort of like Itachi; monotonous, no feeling or emotion, but with a weird, creepy undertone?" Deidara asked.
"That's about right, but he sounded somewhat bored when he spoke to me." Kakuzu nodded.
"Then I think I saw that same guy last week at a small dango shop two miles West of Rice Country. He just came out of nowhere and asked me what time it was." Deidara's form shuddered. "Only person I've ever met that's creepier than Zetsu, un."
The figure that looked like a giant venus flytrap turned slightly in Deidara's direction, but didn't say anything.
"...Kisame, didn't you say that you saw someone matching that description a month ago when we were in Tanigakure?"
"Hey, that's right, I have seen that guy before! Yeah, I had just found this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served awesome crab cakes. I ordered a plate and turned around to see this guy standing two feet away from me, just staring at me. He kept it up for a good twenty seconds, then said 'Nice sword' and vanished. And I don't mean Body Flicker or anything like that; I mean that I blinked and he was gone. Heh, to be honest, I thought it was a ghost until just now." Kisame chuckled.
"That would explain why you didn't leave after the encounter..." the much shorter figure next to Kisame said.
"Come on, Itachi, I bought you some of those crab cakes, remember? I think you'd agree that those things trump ghosts any day of the week."
Itachi just nodded slowly, already planning a trip back to Tanigakure in the near future.
"We should look into this; it can't be a mere coincidence." Sasori suggested. "A week before he defected, one of my spies saw a man matching these descriptions speaking to Orochimaru. Until now, I thought it was just another one of his lackeys."
"...Wait, you have your spies following your own teammates?!" Deidara hissed.
"Not specifically, but if they happen to see you out and about, and I'm not with you, they may take it upon themselves to tail you and report their findings." the puppet master replied.
The Leader then cleared his throat loudly, putting a halt to any further conversation.
"Sorry, Leader-sama." Deidara and Sasori chorused.
The Leader just snorted and shook his head slightly, while the shorter figure next to him rolled its steel-grey eyes and muttered something under its breath.
"We will look into this, but our primary concern remains the same. Kakuzu, you showed up just before I was going to call for you to attend this meeting." the Leader sighed. "The fact that you failed to capture the Nibi Jinchuuriki is of no consequence now, seeing as how the Kū Ring we obtained turned out to be another fake."
"Damn." Kakuzu muttered. "So, Orochimaru still has the real one?"
"We don't know. From what Sasori's spies and Zetsu have been able to find, Orochimaru still has the hand that Itachi cut off, and it still wears the ring. However, that very ring is the one that we acquired."
"This leads us down two possible avenues." the figure next to the Leader, Akatsuki's only female member, spoke for the first time. "Either Orochimaru himself planted the fake, and still has the real ring; or even he didn't know it wasn't real, which is the worst-case scenario."
"If Orochimaru didn't know it wasn't real, then we are at square zero, gentlemen." the Leader said, his eyes scanning over everyone present. "Without that ring, we won't be able to seal the Bijū, which makes going after them and the Jinchuuriki a pointless waste of resources and man power."(2)
"So, are we to drop whatever we're doing and search for the ring?" Kakuzu asked.
"No, we will still be taking missions; the organization still needs funding, afterall. But finding that ring is now our top priority. Be on the lookout for any information regarding its whereabouts. If you discover any leads, you have permission to abort any task to check it out."
"And do try to be subtle about it, will you? We don't want the true importance of the rings getting out. If our enemies were to find out, they would either try to use it as leverage against us, or destroy it and ruin our entire operation." Konan added.
"But don't our rings have protection seals on them?" Kisame asked, looking at his own ring.
"Yes, but do not forget that our most formidable enemy has one of the greatest seal masters in the world at their disposal." the Leader pointed out. "The protection seal Sasori and I developed is indeed very powerful, but if anyone could break it, it would be Jiraiya of the Sannin."
"Then...shouldn't we kill him, un?" Deidara asked, lightly scratching his head.
He was suddenly the victim of icy glares from every member of Akatsuki.
"Before he has chosen an apprentice to carry on the Icha Icha Empire? I think not." surprisingly, it was Konan who said this.
"...'Icha Icha Empire'? What the hell is that?" Deidara asked, his head cocked in confusion.
"Deidara...You dare preach to others about 'true art', yet you are unfamiliar with the works of Jiraiya-sama?!" Sasori snarled.
"Tch, I should shave your face off." Kisame snorted.
"Were you not so useful, I'd have your status as an Akatsuki member revoked." the Leader all but growled. "But I do believe in second chances. Sasori, educate him."
"Of course, Leader-sama. Come, Deidara, you have much to learn." and with that, the images of both Sasori and Deidara disappeared.
"We need to improve the screening process." Kisame shook his head.
"We have a screening process?" Itachi turned to his partner with a raised eyebrow.
"...We need to develop a screening process." Kisame corrected.
"Speaking of people whose qualifications are questionable, where's Hidan?" Itachi asked.
"Heh, burn." Kisame snickered.
"Hidan's dead...You know, for the time being." Kakuzu shrugged.
"Oh yeah, you said he was drowned. Wait, wouldn't you normally have restarted his heart by now?" Kisame questioned as he scratched his chin.
"Normally, yes; but the Nibi Jinchuuriki managed to overload my Lightning heart and it was destroyed. With this storm, I can't risk going outside to acquire another one. She also destroyed my Water heart."
"Wow, she took two of your hearts?" Kisame whistled. "Maybe this delay in our plans is a good thing."
The Leader turned to look at Kisame, as did the rest of the Akatsuki members. "Hm?"
"Think about it. If a mere Jinchuuriki, the Nibi's no less, managed to do that to Kakuzu, how do you think the rest of us will fair against the demons themselves? That three-tailed shark was no joke; and it wasn't even a Demon Lord!"
It was true, the very first "Bijū" the organization had attempted to capture had killed two of the original members and nearly Kisame himself, who had been a new recruit at the time, as well as their main spy within Kirigakure. After he took it down, it was discovered that the beast wasn't the Three-Tails itself, but its companion, "Samehada": a gigantic, three-tailed shark with the ability to "eat" chakra and youki. However, as a reward for proving himself a worthy member of Akatsuki, Kisame was allowed to keep the demon to do what he pleased with it.
In the end, he chose to have the shark's soul sealed into his sword, and its chakra sealed into himself. This resulted in their current appearance and abilities.(3)
"He does have a point, Leader-sama." Kakuzu said. "Perhaps this time can also be spent finding better ways of locating and capturing the Bijū. I mean, let's face it, our current way of doing things has met with...mixed results." that was being polite about it.
"True...We cannot afford a repeat of the Yonbi debacle." in a rare moment of outward frustration, the Leader sighed heavily and ran a hand through his spiky hair.
"If it's not difficult, then chances are it's not worth doing." Konan said, attempting to console her partner in her own way.
"If it's easy, then it's likely a set-up." Kakuzu dropped a little pearl of wisdom.
"Words to live by." Kisame said, adding a sagely nod for emphasis.
"Hm. Well, since there is nothing else for us to do, I suppose we will be returning to the base." Itachi said, noting that Zetsu was already gone.
"Hidan and I won't be able to leave this cave until the storm passes, and from what I've heard, that can either be ten minutes or ten hours from now." Kakuzu said, obviously annoyed at his predicament.
"As soon as the storm lets up, move out and don't stop until you're out of Lightning Country."
"Understood, Leader-sama." Kakuzu bowed, then turned to leave.
"Wait, Kakuzu." Itachi called out suddenly.
"Yes?" Kakuzu turned to regard the shorter man.
"The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki...do you know what happened to him?"
"Hm, I almost forgot about him. You said he had been mutilated, correct?" the Leader returned his attention to the oldest member of Akatsuki, barely registering Konan's departure.
"Yes, but the...man that I saw in the sewers assured me that he was still alive. Honestly, I didn't see how that was possible, considering the kid's condition."
"...If anyone could've survived something like that, it would be a Jinchuuriki. In fact, the intelligence we've gathered suggests that the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki has a history of surviving quite grievous injuries. I'll have Zetsu look into it." the Leader shrugged nonchalantly.
Considering that he had been furious at the prospect of Hidan having killed the Kyuubi's vessel, this was a very odd turnaround. Kisame, Itachi and Kakuzu took note of it, but chose to remain silent on the matter.
"...What was he like?" Itachi spoke again, looking at Kakuzu with the kind of subtle intensity that was one of his trademarks. "The Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, I mean."
"He is incredibly powerful for someone so young, and the way he carries himself suggest that he is an experienced fighter and killer. He's also got quite a mouth on him." Kakuzu chuckled slightly as he remembered what the masked boy said to Hidan. "When you encounter him, do not take him lightly. Hidan can tell you more about his fighting style and abilities, but I know that he can pull off some devastating Ninjutsu attacks and he's skilled in Kenjutsu."
That last part caught Kisame's interest. "Kenjutsu, eh? Sounds like it'll be a good fight. What kind of blade does he use?"
"A black odachi; four-foot blade, one-foot handle. He also carries it without a harness, or anything else attached to his person."
"Ah, free carry? Intel says that he's not particularly tall, so that would make drawing such a long blade easier. Any idea what style he was using?"
"Not one that I recognized, but, again, you'd have to ask Hidan about it to get any real details...That is, if he even bothered to commit anything to memory."
"...We really do need a screening process." Itachi drawled.
"Perhaps, but, for now, we've got far more important matters to attend to." the Leader said.
To anyone else, there was nothing special about his tone. But to the three members of Akatsuki still present, the subtle changes in the pitch and tone of his voice were dead giveaways. When he said "we", what he really meant was that he had more important matters to attend to.
"Kisame and I will be at the base within an hour, and I think I speak for both of us when I request that you put up a sound suppression seal in your room." Itachi said, his right eye twitching ever so slightly.
"...I'll think about it." the Leader then disappeared, along with Kisame and Itachi, as the Astral Projection technique was cancelled.
Now alone in the secret cavern, Kakuzu chuckled to himself. "After all this time, why am I still surprised by their behavior?"
Kakuzu had been the first of its current members to join the Akatsuki eleven years ago. This was a few years after the organization had gone from a group of Amegakure shinobi trying to end the Third Great Shinobi War by means of peace negotiations, to the most efficient and powerful band of mercenaries/criminals ever assembled. By the time he had joined, only three of the original Ame shinobi remained, though Kakuzu didn't see how.
The three Ame shinobi were no-names, not even in the Bingo Books, and were screw-ups of the highest order. For two of them, that penchant for botching missions and ruining plans resulted in their deaths at the hands of Kakuzu, who literally tore them apart in fits of blind rage. Neither the Leader or Konan seemed to mind him killing two of their last three remaining companions. In fact, they didn't seem to care about any of the thirteen partners he had killed to-date. They once berated him for killing his partners faster than they could find replacements, but that was the extent of it.
However, this latest crew was full of keepers, Hidan aside. There were some understandably rocky starts, as was to be expected when egos clashed. Like Orochimaru stalking Itachi, and Deidara picking fights with Itachi, and Kisame threatening to kill Itachi in his sleep, Sasori wanting a Sharingan-wielding puppet, and Kakuzu drooling over the bounty Konoha had on Itachi's head...But, with the exception of Orochimaru, everyone had worked out their differences after a year or two.
Sure, they still bickered all the time, but they no longer wanted to kill one another. Once they all found their niche within the organization, most of the feuds were put to rest, most notably between Kisame and Itachi. And with the bad blood between them gone, each member noticeably loosened up, letting more of their personal quirks show.
Of course, for the most part, they were all a bunch of hardasses, as Kisame put it. Serious almost to a fault, usually only laughing and smiling when it served to creep out/taunt an opponent. Understandable, considering what they did on a daily basis. Being serious on-the-job was a must, and being an Akatsuki member wasn't exactly a part-time thing.
"Oh well, looks like we're going to be getting a bit more downtime from now on." Kakuzu said as he walked out of the cavern and allowed the boulder to fall back into place before reactivating the Genjutsu that concealed it.
As he walked back into the main campsite, Kakuzu was confronted with a very odd sight. The three Mud Clones he'd made to watch the entrance were shirking their duties, opting instead to play "hot potato" with Hidan's hilariously-contorted body.
One of the clones happened to catch sight of the man out of the corner of its eye and froze in its tracks, allowing Hidan's body to fall to the ground. The other two clones started to complain, then snapped to attention when they, too, saw their creator.
"Sorry, Boss, but, uh..." the clone closest to Kakuzu scratched the back of its head sheepishly. "Kinda figured that guarding the entrance was a moot point."
Kakuzu glared at the clones for a few seconds, then shrugged and looked down at the "corpse" at his feet.
"...Let me show you fools how it's done." and with that, Kakuzu kicked Hidan's body up into the air and gave it a solid headbutt that sent it sailing back towards the clones.(4)
(With The Nibi)
'I just had to come to Lightning Countrrry, didn't I?' Hinade though as she trudged through the forest, using the trees as cover from the wind and the lightning.
If not for a minor youki shroud, she likely would've been waterlogged by now. Even with the dense canopy, the rain was still coming down in sheets, as if there were a bunch of monkeys dumping buckets of water from above.
But it didn't much matter to Hinade at this point. Sure, she would complain about it, but she wouldn't let it stop her, or even slow her down. All she had to do was find a good-sized clearing and she'd be in business.
Luckily, she soon found one, though it wasn't exactly a natural one. The craters and cracks in the ground, and the uprooted and/or broken trees testified to that. It took a few seconds, but the Nibi eventually recognized it as the place Naruto and his clones had used as a training ground the previous day.
'Well, this is actually betterrr than what I'd hoped forrr.' in such a dense forest, finding a natural clearing as large or larger than this one was like finding a winning lottery ticket lying on the ground.
Now came the hard part: getting Raikoku's attention without getting the humans'. A youki pulse was a surefire way to get both, but that would undoubtedly create unnecessary problems for Yugito. A good, earth-shaking roar was a close second, but Hinade doubted that she could produce a sound close enough to thunder to fool the people of Kumogakure.
'Wait, they prrrobably won't even hearrr it! All of Kumo's buildings have at least some soundprrroofing, and all the wind and thunderrr should do a decent job of masking the sound at theirrr end.' assured of her decision, Hinade sucked in as much air as she could, then unleashed what might have been her best roar to-date. In her human form, at least.
The sound carried for miles, even in the storm, and Hinade was certain the Rokubi had heard it. Now all she had to do was wait for the former phoenix to show up. Afterall, it's not like the bird had anything better to do; the storm itself was an indicator of that.
The Nibi didn't have to wait long. Just over five minutes had passed before she felt a youki signature that absolutely dwarfed her own, even at full power. Up above, the storm started to exhibit some fairly odd behavior. Lightning would shoot from the clouds, only to be drawn back up and into another cloud. And all the lightning appeared to be going to one specific cloud; which was moving cross the sky, against the wind, at a high rate of speed.
As it got closer, Hinade's keen eyes were able to make out a distinct head, body, a pair of massive wings, and six long, smoke-like wisps trailing behind. The gigantic bird circled in the sky above the clearing for over a minute, creating a funnel cloud that had the Nibi wondering if her fellow Bijū was trying to bring a tornado down on her.
Those worries were assuaged when the creature suddenly went into a dive; then all-new fears reared their ugly heads.
'Uh-oh.' Hinade had a good idea as to what was about to happen and used her youki to stick herself to the ground, then hunkered down as low as she could.
As one of the Shinigami's agents, Hinade had experience with the Raven clan; Lord Garandou especially. While he could change his size at will, the soul-eating avian wouldn't allow himself to be seen in anything other than his true form as a matter of pride. Normally, this would've made landing a tedious affair in heavily wooded areas like the Great Phoenix Forest. Garandou's remedy for this was to go into a dive towards the chosen landing site, pull up at the last second and use a single, incredibly powerful flap of his immense wings to clear the area of any objects.
It was damn effective. The force of the wind generated by the maneuver could actually flatten the ground, send multi-ton boulders flying, and uproot even the largest of trees. It goes without saying that it did wonders for clearing out enemies as well.
Sure enough, as the huge cloud-bird neared the ground, it pulled up and a single flap of its wings unleashed a blast of wind nearly rivaling one of the Ichibi's Wind Shear attacks. The only things that remained stationary were firmly planted to the ground and lacked enough surface area for the wind to push against.
With an almighty crash, the Rokubi's feet touched down, again similar to Lord Garandou's preferred method of landing.
'Forrr someone who bitches and moans so much about being a demon, she surrre seems to have embrrraced the "Menacing Entrrrance"...' Hinade thought as she stood up and brushed the dust and debris from her clothing and hair.
"Who dares challenge me?!" the Rokubi boomed.
"Well, someone's in a foul mood..." the Nibi had to stop herself from giggling at the unintended pun. "Bad choice of worrrds, I know."
"...Hinade..." the bird demon narrowed its glowing white eyes.
"Glad you rrrememberrr me. And could you quit with the "Big Bad Demon" voice? It's just plain irrritating." Hinade frowned. She never understood why so many high-level demonesses felt the need to sound like their male counterparts.
Yeah, it worked wonders on the sexist humans who tended to automatically assume that everything powerful was male, but beyond that the "B.B.D.V." had no use at all. Yet Hinade had met hundreds of demonesses that basically lived their entire lives posing as members of the opposite sex, even in the company of their own kind.
"What do you want?" Raikoku demanded, her voice taking on a slightly more feminine tone.
"Well, hello to you, too." Hinade huffed. True, she wasn't here to make small talk, but she counted Raikoku as a friend and was somewhat offended by her rudeness.
"It's been nearly three-hundred years since we last saw one another." the Rokubi reminded. "Since then, I've been completely alone up here. No one visits me anymore, no one comes to pay tribute, and the only worshippers I have now are creepy cultists!"
As a phoenix, Raikoku had been accustomed to being revered and beloved by mankind. In the past, humans had built entire shrines just for her, and catered to her every whim. The finest foods from all over the world were brought to her, along with gifts of the brightest gemstones that could be found(5). When she flew over human settlements, people used to run from their homes and crowd the streets, staring up into the sky with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Mere glimpses of her magnificent form became the subject of stories passed down through generations, getting more and more fantastic with each iteration.
Now, as a Bijū, humans cowered in fear at the mere mention of her name. Her fly-overs now cleared streets instead of filling them. Tales involving her usually included "eye-witness accounts" of her swooping down and plucking humans from the ground as snacks. Blessings became curses, and the bedtime stories parents would tell their children went from the stuff of fairy tails, to the stuff of nightmares. Instead of telling children that the great Phoenix would bless them if they good, adults told them that the wicked Rokubi would devour them if they were bad.
Hinade sighed; Raikoku still lived in the past.
"I know I haven't been the grrreatest frrriend, but I'm morrre than willing to make up forrr lost time; laterrr. Rrright now, time isn't a luxurrry I've got."
"Hmph, figures. After three centuries, my only 'friend' comes to visit; only because she wants something." the Rokubi snorted.
"I'm sorrry, okay? What morrre do you want me to say? I like to trrravel and explorrre, you know that." it was a lame excuse, and Hinade knew it.
"I do know that, but I thought you would've made some time for your friends in your oh, so busy 'schedule'. You even told me you'd come to visit, but I guess that was a lie." the Rokubi scoffed. "That's what we demons do, is it not? Lie, cheat and deceive."
"I didn't tell you that I'd visit; I prrromised. You know as well as I do that a demon's worrrd is theirrr bond. We follow thrrrough on ourrr prrromises, and we pay ourrr debts." Hinade growled, taking issue with the accusations.
"That doesn't change the fact that YOU did NOT follow through on your promise! Perhaps it is the fact that you began as a different being, but your 'word' is a good as garbage, in my experience."
The Nibi growled, but held back the string of vulgarity that was howling to be unleashed upon the other demoness. She didn't come here to make Raikoku even angrier, and besides that; by default, the Rokubi was orders of magnitude stronger than her.
The mere fact that Hinade hadn't been zapped into oblivion was an indication that Raikoku wasn't as angry as she appeared to be.
'I hope...' Hinade sighed as she looked up into the eyes of the three-hundred foot tall bird. She idly noted that the purple arcs of electricity that streaked across the Rokubi's body occasionally illuminated the skeletal structure within. The effect was incredibly unnerving. "Look, I didn't come herrre to get into it with you, okay? You want to know why I haven't visited? It's because I've been in hiding forrr most of those thrrree-hundrrred yearrrs."
"Hiding?" the Rokubi cocked her massive head to the side in confusion. "From who?"
"The Shinigami."
"I thought he was your superior?"
"He is...Was...I don't rrreally know anymorrre." Hinade rubbed her right arm nervously. "See, unlike you, I've learrrned to live with being a Bijū. In fact, I love it! The powerrr, the frrreedom, I was intoxicated by it all. Thrrrough the centurrries, I had forrrgotten that it was only a temporrrary gig, until a legitimate rrreplacement for the Nibi could be found. When the Shinigami came to inforrrm me that time was up, I wouldn't hearrr it. Instead, I found the demon who was supposed to be my rrrplacement and killed him, hoping to show that I was morrre deserrrving of the title.
My insuborrrdination had a heavy prrrice. The Shinigami decided that I had been corrrupted by the powerrr of the Bijū, and came to take me back by forrrce and wipe my memorrries. So, rrran. Since then, I've been alterrrnating between rrrunning and hiding forrr two-hundrrred and ninety-two yearrrs."
"But...how do you hide from a God? Especially one that personally created you?" the Rokubi asked, drawn into the Nibi's story.
"Becoming a demon made me a Varrriable(6), so he's been forrrced to trrrack me the old fashioned way. Howeverrr, eighteen yearrrs ago, he finally found me. I led him on a chase forrr seven days and nights, acrrross fourrr countrrries, beforrre he finally corrrnerrred me nearrr Kumogakurrre no Sato. I was desperrrate to escape, so I did the only thing I could think of at the time; I sealed myself into a newborrrn human. As you know, the Gods arrre forrrbidden, by theirrr own laws, to dirrrectly interrract with any beings of this plane of existence. Since I didn't fall into that catagorrry, he could do as he pleased to me. But, once inside the human infant, I was out of his rrreach.
Frrrom that point on, I've been stuck inside of a human girrrl, whom I have serrrved as a teacherrr, frrriend, and even a motherrr." Hinade smiled at the thought of her earlier days with Yugito. Back when things were somewhat less complicated.
"..." Raikoku couldn't really find anything to say. Suddenly, her issues seemed trivial, almost petty, next to Hinade's.
The humans didn't like her anymore, boo hoo! Hinade was being hunted by a freaking GOD!
"Speaking of my vessel, she is parrrt of the rrreason I've come to you." Hinade said.
"...Very well..."
"My vessel has rrrecently found a frrriend in a Jinchuurrriki frrrom anotherrr village. I assume you've hearrrd of the grrroup of humans calling themselves 'Akatsuki'?"
"Yes. The cultists that worship me often speak of them and their quest to capture the Bijū. A fool's errand, if you ask me."
"Do not underrrestimate them, Rrraikoku. Rrriju made that mistake, and was nearrrly capturrred. My vessel and the otherrr werrre ambushed while away from the village, and he was...severrrely wounded, to put it lightly, helping my vessel fight them off. Kyuubi is doing herrr best to heal him, bu-" the Nibi was cut off by a high-pitched squawk from the Rokubi.
"KYUUBI?! THE Kyuubi was sealed into a human?!"
"Yes, she was sealed. You'll have to ask herrr forrr the details. That brrrings me to my next point. She alone may not be capable of fully healing herrr vessel's injurrries, and might need the help of the human medics in Kumo. But, because of the storrrm that YOU arrre causing, help can't be sent. I need you to calm down and call this thing off, otherrrwise the boy may die."
"...And why should I care if Kyuubi's vessel dies? I'd probably be doing her a favor by letting him perish. Once he dies, she will be freed." the Rokubi reasoned.
"Oh, I don't know about that." Hinade smirked. "You see, Kyuubi has taken quite a liking to herrr vessel, almost like I have my own. But herrr love for him rrruns farrr deeperrr. So deep, in fact, that she had chosen him as herrr mate."
Raikoku's white eyes looked about ready to fly out of her skull.
"W-W-WHAT?!"
"Mm-hm, she's turrrned him into a hanyou, marrrked him and everrrything. They've even...consummated theirrr rrrelationship alrrready. Still think she'd thank you forrr letting herrr vessel die?" Hinade grinned when the giant bird gave a visible shudder of terror.
Honestly, just the thought of what Kyuubi would do to anyone even remotely responsible for Naruto's death was enough to cause nightmares.
Raikoku may have loathed her status as a demoness, but that didn't mean she had a deathwish. And even if she did, there were easier and far less painful ways of committing suicide.
"In that case...we might have a problem..." were she capable of it in her current form, Raikoku would've been blushing in embarrassment.
"What do you mean?" Hinade inquired.
"I'm afraid that I do not know how to stop the storm..."
"...I'm sorrry, therrre must've been something in my earrrs. It sounded like you just said you can't stop the storrrm."
"Because that's what I said."
"HOW?! How do you not know how to stop a storrrm that YOU crrreated?!" the Nibi fumed.
"Stop blaming me for this! It's not my fault!" the Rokubi snarled.
"Yes it is! You...Wait a minute..." the leather-clad demoness looked up at the two-hundred foot tall bird, her expression completely blank. "Afterrr all these yearrrs...you haven't even botherrred to figurrre out how yourrr new powerrrs worrrk, have you?"
"..."
'Sometimes, I rrreally hate my life.' Hinade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "So, you'rrre telling me that you had no idea that you could crrreate violent thunderrrstorrrms on a whim?" the Rokubi shook her head. "What about yourrr otherrr abilities?" another negative. "...So, you've done nothing but sit arrround and brrrood and mope forrr the last three centurrries..."
"Hey!" the Rokubi growled.
Overhead, the clouds suddenly grew another shade darker and several bolts of lightning crashed down around the clearing. Upon seeing this, Hinade had a "lightbulb moment".
"Calm down. Yourrr angerrr is what's doing this. Do you have any idea how dangerrrous you arrre? Six tails worrrth of powerrr, and the ability to contrrrol weatherrr patterrrns, yet no desirrre orrr knowledge to utilize it. Do you know how many of yourrr prrrecious humans yourrr storrrms have killed overrr the centurrries? How many homes they've destrrroyed? How many childrrren they've killed and orrrphaned?"
"I-"
"No. No morrre talking frrrom you. Now, you listen. Just like my vessel, you arrre still little morrre than a child, despite yourrr age and capabilities. You need to stop living in the past and acting like the worrrld rrrevolves arrround you."
"I don't-"
"Everrr since I firrrst spoke to you, virrrtually everrrything that comes out of yourrr mouth has been about you, and you alone. About what the humans used to do forrr YOU, how they admirrred YOU, how they worrrshipped YOU, how YOU used to be so beautiful, how no one visits YOU, how no one talks to YOU, how YOU are sufferrring, how life has been unfairrr to YOU, how YOU have been turrrned into a 'monsterrr', how YOU didn't deserrrve what happened, how the otherrr demons disrrrespect YOU, how I brrroke my prrromise to YOU. It's always about you, you, YOU; and it's been that way forrr the entirrre millennium that I've known you." the Nibi finished her rant, loving the feeling of finally getting all that off her chest.
"..." Raikoku stayed silent, wracking her brain for anything to refute the other demoness' claims and coming up blank.
"I can't say I rrreally blame you forrr yourrr behaviorrr. If I had been a phoenix, I'd likely be a spoiled little prrrincess as well."
Raikoku visibly flinched at the remark. Being constantly praised and pampered had done her no favors in the self-sufficiency department. Even now, she mostly relied on the cultists to bring her food.
The electricity arcing around the bird's body died down to mere sparks and the storm had all but vanished. It was still pouring down rain, but the lightning, thunder and hurricane-like wind had ceased.
"Rrraikoku..." Hinade called, her voice no longer holding the harsh edge from before. "Do you want to be morrre than what you've become? Arrre you rrready to live up to yourrr title? And beforrre you starrrt, being a demon, even a Bijū, does NOT mean you arrre obligated to rrrain death and destrrruction down on the land."
"I...I need to think about it..." the Rokubi replied, looking at something off to her left.
Hinade sighed, having expected such an answer. "That's fine. I've got to go and check on my vessel, but how about I meet you herrre again, say, sunrrrise tomorrrow?"
"Yes, I will have reached a decision by then."
"I'll see you then. Just be surrre to keep yourrr emotions in check, no matterrr what choice you make." of course, the Nibi knew that, for Kumo's sake, the storms couldn't completely stop. They had become the village's trademark over the centuries, as well as one of its primary defenses against invaders.
Hopefully Raikoku would be receptive to training in manipulating her power, then she'd be able to create storms through will alone instead of anger and depression.
(Naruto's Mindscape)
Once again, we find Naruto basking in the afterglow of a plan gone right. After two more failed attempts at busting through Shizaru's defenses in Earth Country, Naruto had decided on a three-pronged attack consisting of ground units, aerial units and subterranean units numbering four-hundred in total. He'd even added two new creatures to the mix.
The Rippers were some of Naruto's earliest Shadow Beasts. They were large, humanoid lizards with tough, armored hides and powerful builds. Weaponry included knife-like teeth, extendable claws, and a tail that would shred flesh like a whip or shatter bone like a club. Originally meant to be the regular infantry units, they had been replaced by the faster, more agile and more terrifying Slayers.
Naruto still kept them in reserve, but had never really found a legitimate use for them until now. They were still quick in their own right, and their physical strength would most certainly come in handy.
The second new unit took the form of a large, disk-shaped floating fortress, inspired by a movie Naruto had seen once. Called "Locusts", they were actually prototypes of something that was planned to be much, much bigger. And considering that the prototypes already had a diameter of over a thousand feet, the finished products were sure to be absolutely immense.
The Locusts were built for two purposes; transport, and destruction on a massive scale. They housed other, smaller aerial units within themselves, protecting them from attacks and allowing them to be deployed right in the middle of enemy airspace. As for the destruction part; the Locusts were also equipped with borderline-ridiculous amounts of chakra and slightly less excessive amounts of youki. When the time was right, this energy was channeled into a gigantic copy of the Corpser's laser-eyes and released as a focused beam capable vaporizing everything within a three-mile radius(7).
At least, that's what it was supposed to do. As it stood, the R&D department was still trying to figure out exactly how the Corpser's eyes worked, and if anything could even handle having that much concentrated energy forced through it without blowing up itself. At the moment, the Locusts were limited to dropping energy bombs on the enemy. They still packed a nasty punch, but it was incredibly difficult to top a giant laser. At least, in terms of sheer awesomeness.
Tactically, bombs held the advantage over the "Mega Laser". They didn't do as much damage individually as the laser would, but they allowed for more precise destruction. This was especially true because of the chakra cables attached to the bombs once they were dropped. Similar to the Rasen Tekidan, the cables kept the bombs stable until impact, but they also allowed the bombs to be guided to specific targets in mid-fall.
With the Locusts providing cover from above, the ground units managed to reach the large canyon in record time and with no casualties. Though, by that time, the canyon was more of a crater, having been annihilated by a particularly large bomb from one of the seven Locusts. But from that point, not a minute went by where Naruto's forces weren't engaged in combat. Even so, the battalion managed to force their way across seven miles of land before the enemy's sheer numbers got to them and their advance ground to a halt.
Naruto knew his battalion had no hope of overcoming Shizaru's forces; not when they were outnumbered at least thirty-to-one and already being surrounded. However, they were never meant to reach Shizaru's main base, or even do any significant damage along the way. Just as before, they were sent to test the enemy's defensive capabilities, and hopefully draw out some of Shizaru's yet-unseen soldiers.
They had done their job perfectly.
Along with the Warrior bugs, another Klendathu caste was revealed; one that served a dual purpose as anti-air fire and artillery units for enemy ground forces.
According to Shizaru, they were a subspecies of the Tanker caste, dubbed simply "Plasma Bugs". This stemmed from their ability to fire huge bolts of plasma from the special chambers in their abdomens. These bolts could be fired with enough force to send them several miles into the air and were able to make short work of the heavily-armored Locusts, sometimes with a single shot.
But their presence only made Naruto's grin widen. The Locusts were far enough into enemy territory that it didn't matter if they were shot down or not. In fact, Naruto's primary plan hinged on them being destroyed. Beyond the Grals being transported within them, the Locusts also harbored several dozen Darkness Clones. When the Locusts were destroyed, those that managed to avoid the blasts jumped out and scattered across the land, disguised as pieces of debris.
The clones just had to avoid detection a bit longer while Naruto prepared for the final phase of his plan.
'The beginning of the end, Shizaru.' Naruto thought, biting back the manic cackle that was trying its damnedest to burst out.
"Hm, those 'UFO's' of yours certainly are something. Unfortunately, that 'something' happens to be 'utterly impractical'. I will tell you now, more armor will get you nowhere; I suggest you to come up with something a bit more maneuverable next time." Shizaru remarked, his tone indicating boredom. His thoughts, however, showed that to be little more than an act. 'The boy has never really been one to sacrifice speed and agility for power and durability. Those ships go completely against his design philosophy, as do his new lizard-men.' the Archdemon stroked his chin as his mind went to work.
He reasoned that Naruto was simply trying new things, or perhaps attempting to bring a bit more balance to his army. But a part of Shizaru just wouldn't let him accept such obvious conclusions. That part said that the hanyou was up to something, and that the new units, specifically the ships, were meant to draw attention away from something else.
"I'll take it under advisement." Naruto said with a half-yawn.
Beneath his hood, Shizaru's right eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. "...Tell you what, since you managed to get so far into my territory, and killed so many of my soldiers, I'll answer another two questions." despite his words, Shizaru sounded distinctly unimpressed. "What would you like to know?"
It took Naruto a couple seconds to think of something that he felt only Shizaru himself could answer.
"That little disappearing act that you do; how do you pull it off? At first, I thought it was some kind of teleportation technique, but now I'm not so sure."
"Ah, you want to know the secret in hopes of learning how to do it yourself." the low grunt that came from Naruto's side confirmed the statement. "Well, if it's that important to you. No, it's not a teleportation technique or anything of the like. The man I learned it from called it 'Shinsoku'(8), and it's nothing but pure speed."
"...You've got to be shitting me..." Naruto muttered. He'd actually been hoping it was a time/space technique, as it would most likely have an inherent flaw that could be exploited.
"I assure you that I'm not. Though, I should've said 'acceleration' as opposed to outright speed. Think of your top running speed and how long it takes you to achieve it. Now imagine being able to reach that speed, from a standstill, in an instant, and being able to slow down just as quickly. That's what the Shinsoku is." Shizaru let out a small chuckle. "Think of it as something akin to, say, shooting yourself out of a cannon. Without the drawbacks, of course."
"A cannon, eh?" Naruto remarked, trying not to let his jealousy show.
It didn't work. "Aw, don't be sad." Shizaru taunted. "The Shinsoku, and so much more, can be yours; all you have to do is join the team. The winning team."
"...But if you're winning, what do you want me for?"
"You'd have to ask Lord Arcarian about that. All I know is that he thinks you will somehow ensure our victory in the coming war. Exactly how you're supposed to accomplish that is anyone's guess, but it is generally agreed upon that we need to make you as powerful as possible. That was your second question, by the way."
"I...Dammit!" Naruto growled.
"And here I was, thinking you had finally learned to watch what you say. Oh well, on with the game." Shizaru made absolutely no effort to hide his amusement.
(Konohagakure no Sato - Secret Tunnel System)
Within the laboratory hidden in the deepest part of the tunnel system, Hinata Hyūga stirred.
"W-Wha..." her voice came out as an oddly deep rasp. He throat was bone-dry and something was wrong with her mouth. 'What's going on? What happened?' Hinata thought as she looked around. 'That's weird...I don't remember activating the Byakugan...No, it's not active at all...'
Even so, she still found herself able to see the entire room without turning her head at all. Behind her, she spotted a patch of spiky blonde hair sticking up over the headrest of a chair facing away from her.
"Na-Naruuu..." Hinata tried to speak, but something was most definitely wrong with her mouth. She felt like she'd just returned from a particularly unpleasant visit to the dentist.
The Hyūga heiress instinctively reached up to feel if anything was amiss, but quickly retracted her hand when she felt a sharp prick on her cheek. Upon looking at her hand, she began to tremble.
'It...It wasn't just a nightmare...' Hinata thought, eyes wide in utter horror.
"Hinata," Naruto's clone called as he walked up to the transformed girl, "please calm down."
The glare Hinata fixed "Naruto" with would've made even her stoic bastard of a father wet himself.
"Caaa-Calm..." try as she might, Hinata still couldn't get the words to come out properly. So, instead of conveying her frustration and outrage verbally, she decided to do it physically.
Unfortunately, her conscious control of her new body wasn't quite up the snuff. When she attempted to lash out with her lethal claws, she managed to perform a small hop before landing flat on her face.
"That's why I asked you to calm down. You have no experience in controlling that body, and the last thing the Boss wants is for you to hurt yourself trying to hurt me. And considering all the trouble Kurohane went through just to get you here unharmed, I doubt she'd appreciate it, either." the clone said, making sure to keep just out of the spider-girl's considerable reach.
"K-Kuro...hane..." Hinata mumbled, words slowly but surely becoming easier to produce.
"The Boss sent her back here to help you. She's the one who got you out of that forest before the ANBU arrived."
In the back of her mind, Hinata thanked the Raven Princess. She had no doubt that, had the ANBU seen her in her current state, they wouldn't have hesitated to strike her down. However, something else "Naruto" had said sent up red flags in her head.
"B-Boss...?"
"I am just a Darkness Clone; the real Naruto is currently on an S-Class mission as part of a group of escorts hand-picked by the Hokage himself. Anko is also part of that team, just so you know." the clone informed.
Hinata's entire form seemed to deflate slightly upon hearing that, but the sorrow was quickly countered by anger and, oddly enough, happiness. She was angry at herself for not noticing that the "Naruto" before her was a mere clone, and at the same time happy that the real Naruto had been given such a grand opportunity.
"Your 'official' sensei, Yūhi-san, came looking for you earlier. Don't worry, she wasn't harmed, nor was she told about what really happened to you." the clone said.
Hinata just nodded, then attempted to push herself off the ground. Her upper body lifted effortlessly, but the rest of her stayed put, much to her annoyance.
"I see..." Naruto's clone sighed. "Well, it looks like there's quite a long road ahead of us, eh Hinata?" seeing the confused look on Hinata's face, the clone elaborated. "We'll need to run a couple of tests first, then get you used to this new body of yours. Hopefully we can get you to a point where you can change back to your human form, before your sensei blabs and the entire Hyūga clan comes barging in."
"Like they care..." Hinata's eyes widened at how easily the words came out.
"Well, looks like step one is already coming along. If we're going to do this, we'll need to be able to communicate properly." the clone crouched down in front of Hinata. "But, for now, let's skip to step two: Motor Skills."
Hinata blinked as a sudden shiver of dread ran through her body. Something told her that the clone was grinning behind that mask, and that this wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Hinata knew that she should've been far more alarmed than she was. She knew that it was in her nature to panic when put into a situation that took her outside of her comfort zone, and few things did that like being turned into a giant spider. And yet, all she could think about was how much of a pain it would be to learn how to walk and talk all over again.
XXXX
As per usual, there was a change of plans in the midst of writing this chapter. Some things meant for this chapter have been pushed back to the next one in favor of some stuff that I basically thought up on the fly. So I'll have to ask you to bear with me for one more chapter of the Kumo Arc. I probably could've finished it here, but that would make this another 30-40K chapter, and probably would've taken another month or two. Hell, part of the reason this one took so long is because I actually forgot that I was trying for smaller chapters.
Had I kept that in mind, I might've finished this a month ago! See, I spaced things out too far because I thought I had a shitload of room to work with. When finally remembered my plan, I had to scale everything back, which meant a lot of cutting and rewriting.
Originally, I planned on putting a fight scene between Pondera and Sankaku. But as I was writing it, I kept hitting brick walls. No matter what I did, I just couldn't come up with something I really liked. So, instead of wasting more time on it, I just scrapped the idea altogether. Sorry to those would wanted to see it, but I take my action scenes very seriously. If I don't feel it's up to snuff, I'm not going to use it.
I also fleshed out Hinade's character some more, revealed more of her backstory and exactly how she came to be sealed within Yugito. I've been wanted to do this for a while, as the Nibi kind of served as the "Token Nympho-Catgirl" before, and she deserves better than that.
(1) Yes, it's the Minos from the Dante's Inferno game.
(2) In this fic, the rings Akatsuki members wear are actually vital to their operation. In the actual series, they appear to be little more than somewhat symbolic accessories.
(3) Yep, Kisame is the Jinchuuriki of the Three-tailed Shark, Samehada. Though, technically, both he and his sword share the title.
(4) Yeah, not even Kakuzu is immune to the effects of sheer boredom.
(5) She's a bird, so she has a thing for shiny objects.
(6) "Variables", in short, are beings that are "immune" to the Gods' omniscience. They'll be explained in more detail in the next chapter.
(7) Cookie to those who can tell me where the "Locusts" come from.
(8) Another easy one. Cookie to those who tell me where the Shinsoku comes from AND who taught it to Shizaru.
Well, I think that's about it. As usual, don't be shy with the questions.
For those who care, my other Digimon fic, "Tamer of the Night", is being discontinued. I came up with a much better storyline for it some time ago, so it'll be back at some point. As in "not soon". I've got enough to worry about with two Epics currently on my plate.
Also, I'm looking for a second home for my fics, as I've lost a good deal of "trust" in this site in recent months. If anyone out there can make some recommendations, that'd be great. Archive Of Our Own is currently at the top of my list, but I'm still on the lookout for more options.
Jason Out!