Welcome one, welcome all, to the thirty eight chapter of Kage no Naruto. It's been a long run and it's going to get much longer before the end of this thing comes around. I mean, for god's sake this thing is creeping closer and closer to the two hundred thousand word mark and it hasn't even gotten to Shippuden yet, where most of the plot is going to take place! This story will be insanely long, so you guys had better strap yourselves in for the long haul.
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NARUTO SPOILERS
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This chapter was good in some ways and bullshit in others. On the good side, Pein and Konan have finally made it to Konoha. They can see the walls of the place.
Also, the autopsy of Pein's body and the interrogation of that one guy Jiraiya sent back are getting nowhere fast.
The four Kumo ANBU showed up at Sasuke's little hideaway and found only the dead Kumo dude from before, apparently his name was Jin.. But no sign of the emo queen. I think this is the first time in about fifty chapters that DIDN'T revolve around Sasuke.
As for the bullshit part, Naruto has mastered the Sage Chakra. I shit you not, he can take in Natural Energy and not even turn into a frog like Jiraiya did. The only thing that changed was his eyes, but according to Fukusaku that's unavoidable, so he has mastered creating Sage Chakra. The guy even says that he has surpassed Jiraiya. WHAT THE FUCK! I mean, if it's just on the Sage Chakra then I can understand, but there is a good chance that he means that he had surpassed Jiraiya entirely, which is bullshit.
To make matters worse, how the fuck did he master Sage Chakra so soon? Jiraiya almost certainly had longer at it then Naruto and he only got to a certain point. Jiraiya was a wise, powerful ninja, and he only got that far. Naruto, the ADD, can never stop moving for two seconds, jumps into everything without thinking, orange wearing bastard, mastered it where Jiraiya failed! WHAT THE HELL! This chapter had its good bits, but there was the usual deposit of horse manure courtesy of Kishimoto built into it as usual.
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SPOILERS
END
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Disclaimer: Fuck this, at the rate I'm going this thing will beat sixty chapters easy, so no more humorous disclaimer. If you need them that bad then go read the first thirty seven chapters. You guys still want one? Alright, one more for old time's sake. If I owned Naruto, Hinata would have a spine and asked Naruto out by now, you get the picture?
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Summary of last chapter
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Long chapter, well medium chapter, short, Naruto is working on creating a way to remove Anko's Curse Seal. He also finally came up with names for both his new home and his organization.
Itachi and Kisame survived the trap Naruto set at his old base and are now being assaulted by a group of Soldier Zombies
Sasuke finally got up and decided to go to Orochimaru to gain power. He knocked out Sakura and fled with the Sound Four, thinking that nobody knew that he was leaving.
He was wrong, the zombie known as Hildon saw Sasuke escape and immediately informed Naruto via portrait. What shall Naruto do in light of these events? Read the damn chapter and find out.
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Dark Heaven Castle (I'm going to write it like this, it's easier to remember)
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Naruto strode with purpose to the room where the Generals were kept when they were asleep, Ryuuma beside him.
They stood before the great cast iron door that sealed in their strongest warriors and Naruto put his hand upon the crack between the two doors and pushed. A seal flashed bright against the metal before the door creaked open, revealing several dozen stone sarcophagi.
Naruto spoke quickly "Sodom, Gomorrah, Samson, Sakumo, awaken!" And four of the stone coffins creaked open, the lids being pressed aside. From them rose four figures. A man in tight clothing with two retractable blades on his wrists with a scar on one cheek with dark green hair that hang in two long bangs. A tall, bald, dark skinned figure heavy with muscle that possessed six arms. A knight in creaking metal armor, the legendary Raijin sword in his belt. A white haired man with his face masked, an ornate Tanto upon his back.
Hatake Sakumo, once Konoha's white fang, was now awakened. Once Hokushin was rendered useless by a misdirection of Naruto's power, he took the shadow from the still living blob of flesh and metal and placed it into the body of Hatake Sakumo, who would best benefit from the Raiton affinity of the original owner of the shadow. He had lost one General and gained another.
Naruto spoke quickly as the five Generals got into a line, facing their master. "We have recently gotten word from Hildon that Uchiha Sasuke has left Konohagakure with the escort of the Sound Four. This is critical information that requires immediate action."
Gomorrah rumbled "Are we to kill the Uchiha and bring his body back?"
Naruto shook his head no and said "No, your mission has little to do with him, if he wants to take it up the ass from a snake, let him, I don't care. He'll end up killing himself and the snake anyways once Orochimaru tries to take his body. Your mission pertains to the Sound Four and potentially a few other targets."
A voice rattled from inside the armor "What targets master?"
Naruto reached into his coat and pulled out a few photos. Before he showed them he said "Your mission is to capture the Sound Four, alive preferably. Also, there might be a few other targets on this mission, if you see them, they take main priority. One of them is EXTREMELY important."
Sodom shook his head and asked "What are these other targets?"
Naruto showed them the two photos, upon them was the image of a young, bored looking man, and a man with green eyes and white hair. Naruto said "These are the additional targets, Nara Shikamaru, and Kaguya Kimimaro. Shikamaru, if spotted, is to be taken alive. I do not care if the Kaguya is living or dead, though I would prefer him to be alive. Either way I MUST have him. Kaguya Kimimaro is of crucial importance and must be captured if he is seen. That is, if he appears. Shikamaru is almost guaranteed to appear among the pursuit team Tsunade sends after the Uchiha, Kimimaro may not appear but if he does then he is the top priority. Understood?"
The Generals nodded and Ryuuma asked "What are we to do with the Konoha ninja sent after them?"
Naruto looked at the General and simply said "Aside from Shikamaru, they are useless." He needed not say more. When it came to Naruto, if something was useless, then it was to be eliminated, if they were on his side or not. Aside from Shikamaru, they were to kill the Konoha ninja sent after the Sound Four.
Naruto walked down the hallway and said "You know the route they will take, leave immediately." The Generals nodded and headed away from their master, to the fifth floor. There laid a large black gem, from it they could form a portal to any other piece of the gem, which Naruto had scattered among the countries. One of them was in Konoha's dense forests, put there in case he needed a distraction in the form of an attack on Konoha's walls. The pursuit team would probably have a bit of a head start, but they would catch up quickly enough.
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Konohagakure
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Shikamaru was getting ready to leave Konoha, with a pursuit team in tow. He had recently been promoted by Tsunade, so he was the leader of the mission. His first mission as a Chuunin was the retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke and to capture or eliminate those who hold him. It was either a B-rank or A-rank mission depending on the level of the ninja who took Sasuke.
His team had been hand picked by him, Neji for his Byakugan, Kiba for his nose, Chouji for his brute strength, and Lee for his speed. They were to move out immediately. Sakura tried to get them all to promise to bring Sasuke back, but the only one who answered her was Lee, complete with the infamous 'Nice Guy pose'.
They checked their equipment once more and then dashed off in the formation that Shikamaru had dictated at the gate. They moved at a quick pace, the day was sunny, things were looking good. But, for some reason, Shikamaru just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong.
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With the Sound Four
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The Sound Four were hauling ass, literally if you count the fact that they were carrying Sasuke in a barrel. The barrel was upon Jirobou's back as the four ninja rushed through the trees. They had a schedule to keep regarding Sasuke. If they didn't get him to Orochimaru in time for him to use the Uchiha as a body then there would be hell to pay.
Their mission had gone according to plan so far, but they couldn't let their guard down. Until they got to the border, they were in enemy territory and in considerable danger.
They had made it about a quarter of the way to their goal when a kunai came out of nowhere and buried itself in the ground at their feet. The four immediately froze and looked around. They didn't have to look for very long before they found the culprit, a Jounin with a Konoha Hitai-ate and a bad burn scar. Nearby was another Jounin with a toothpick in his mouth.
The Jounin with the burn, Raidou, said "So, what do we have here but four Oto ninja. Our lucky day, we were just getting back from a mission but it looks like we can possibly get a bonus now. So then, what's in the barrel?"
The four elites were immediately on guard, they knew who these men were, they could tell just by looking in their eyes and feeling the chakra that they held in check, ready to be used, seeing the tense yet relaxed way they held themselves and the experience in that one's voice. These men were Jounin, Elite Ninja. They weren't getting out of this situation easily, they all knew that.
On the other hand, they couldn't afford to fail their mission either. If they failed, they would die, if they were captured, they would die. All four of them knew this. Their only chance was to win the fight quickly, so they used everything they had. They activated the first level of their Curse Seals.
The two Jounin marked this immediately and ran forward; not looking forward to fighting some of Orochimaru's enhanced maniacs in earnest. They could have some weird power that would surprise them and in such a climate, surprise was almost synonymous with death.
Sakon threw a kunai, Genma spat out his toothpick and deflected the flying blade, and with that the battle began.
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With Naruto
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Naruto, after having sent out the Generals, Naruto retreated to the castle library. There were many rare books there that spanned from a few centuries to a few thousand years old. There was much knowledge to be gained there, and knowledge was power. He was reading a truly ancient text when Haku came into the room where Naruto was reading at a table. She sat down across from him and asked "Naruto-sama, may I have a word?"
Naruto nodded and said "Go ahead Haku-chan, I'm listening."
Haku nodded and looked to the side for a moment, contemplating how to put the question that had been bothering her for a while. Eventually she came to a decision and said "Naruto-sama, I have been thinking, and considering your abilities, there are a number of things that you could have done that you haven't. I am almost positive that you could have killed Tsunade at Tanzaku-Gai, and even after she escaped, you had a plan that you did not put into use. You are capable of achieving your goals, but you have not. Why is this?"
Naruto didn't look up from his book, but he smiled. He was wondering when someone would ask something like this. "I'm not surprised that you figured it out Haku-chan. You are right, in that fight I did not fight to my full capabilities. Do you know why?"
Haku simply shook her head, not knowing what else to say.
Naruto didn't take his eyes off his book as he said "There are actually several reasons. The first is that I was restricted by the presence of irreplaceable allies at Tanzaku-Gai. I had no desire to lose Absalom if I used any wide area attacks, or you for that matter. As for why I did not go ahead with my ace in the hole plan to kill Tsunade, it's because Jiraiya was in the same hospital, and if I loosed a virus there it would have killed him as well. I want Jiraiya's shadow so he can't be allowed to die. There is one other reason though."
Haku tilted her head to one side and asked "What reason is that Naruto-sama?"
Naruto took a paper bookmark and marked his place before he shut the book. Then he looked at Haku and said "Because Tsunade's survival is almost completely irrelevant to the achievement of my goals."
Haku's brow creased in confusion but before she could ask, Naruto cut her off and said "Let me guess, you're going to say something like 'She's my enemy so how is her survival irrelevant' right?"
Haku's eyes widened in surprised before she slowly nodded.
Naruto smiled and said "Because it's just as I said Haku-chan. Sure, Konoha may be a thorn, but it's not a deadly threat in the long run. In the short term, they are inconvenient. In the middle distance, a slight irritant, but in the long term, they are irrelevant. Why exert myself to destroy an enemy that will destroy themselves given enough time? The same goes for Akatsuki, Iwa, Kiri, and all the other villages. None of them will matter after the next few years, because they will be destroyed."
Haku was almost open mouthed at the sheer scale of the idea that the ninja villages and Akatsuki would all be gone in a few years, and the confidence with which Naruto said it. He truly believed what he said. But she had to ask "What makes you think that Naruto-sama?"
Naruto smiled and said "I'm glad you asked. That is because my main goal at this point will be accomplished within the next few years and once that occurs, I will be more than powerful enough to seize the world on my own with no assistance."
Haku was getting more and more surprised with every sentence. She opened her mouth but was once more interrupted. "I know, 'what do you mean? How do you intend to do that?' It's simple Haku-chan. There are a few things that I am looking for, once I find them, and I will, then I will be in a position to obtain immense power."
Haku leaned back and asked "What things are you looking for Naruto-sama? What do you need?"
Naruto turned and picked up the book he was reading and said "I need a certain book. Within that book lies the knowledge to ultimate power. Power far surpassing that of the Kyuubi, power equivalent to that of a lesser god. It will require much preparation and a lot of power to use the method but when all is said and done, the one who uses that method will obtain almost immeasurable power."
Before Haku could respond, he showed her the title of the book he was reading. Its cover was blank, but the title page said, in a scrawling cursive script 'The Blood of Heinrich Kemmler'
Naruto said "This man is the reason behind it all. Kemmler was a Necromancer that lived thousands and thousands of years ago. He was a madman, a monster, but brilliant. He learned true power and developed a method to turn himself into a god, but was struck down before he could use it. The method in the book I am looking for was attempted three times. First by Kemmler himself, second by one of his students almost fifty years later, and third by a vampire several years after that. All three attempts were interfered with and the people who attempted them eventually died as a result."
Haku asked "So, this man, Kemmler, wrote that book?"
Naruto smiled and said "Actually, he wrote four books, all containing true teachings of Necromancy, not that there are many copies of them left. The first three books he wrote 'The Blood of Kemmler, The Mind of Kemmler, and The Heart of Kemmler' can be found in this library, and they are the only surviving copies, all the others have been destroyed. The fourth book contains more knowledge still, including the method to make oneself as powerful as a god. That book, protected against destruction of any kind, is in the Elemental Countries somewhere and I will find it. I will find the fourth book written by the great Necromancer, I will find 'The Word of Kemmler'."
Haku frowned and said "If this book is on this continent, why hasn't someone used its knowledge then? Surely whoever possessed it would use it?"
Naruto smiled and said "Of course they would, if they knew what it was. Our people have only spoken one language for thousands of years, Japanese. It is the only language spoken all over the world, even though our continent is the only one that can support life. The fact of the matter is, this book was written millennia ago. Kemmler was not Japanese, he spoke, read, and most importantly wrote in the language of his home country. The language known as German. No one nowadays would be able to make heads of tails of it since German and Japanese are so different. I doubt that whoever has it has any idea about what it is."
Haku nodded, it made sense. "So, you know this language then?" She asked.
Naruto nodded "Of course. But before I can even hope to understand what is in the fourth book, I must read and master the techniques in the first three books, and must also be prepared to summon a certain being in order to get the most out of the ritual. Now then, if you would leave me Haku-chan, I have other business to take care of." Then he sat down and opened The Blood of Kemmler once more.
Haku stood up and prepared to leave but before she did she asked "Naruto-sama, aren't you a master Necromancer already what with the zombies?"
Naruto smiled at her naïveté and said "Haku-chan, my techniques are only using shadows to animate corpses, it's not Necromancy. That is much more difficult, but the results are better in some ways, worse in others. The zombies created through true Necromancy aren't intelligent like mine are, but they are much stronger, MUCH harder to kill, and much more expendable. It is best if I learn both techniques before attempting to learn the most powerful techniques of Kemmler. Now leave me in peace."
Haku nodded and obediently left, her questions and much else answered for her, her thirst for knowledge temporarily sated.
Naruto smiled as he read the ancient book, Haku was so curious; it was insanity to not call her cute. Still though, he had to find that book and before that he had to master the prerequisite techniques to what laid in the fourth book. He had to resist licking his lips in anticipation of what it would be like, what would it be like to be a god. That was the easiest path to victory, if that failed then he would rely on other methods, hence why he had created his army of followers and zombies. He was never unprepared.
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With Itachi and Kisame
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Itachi and Kisame had just been blown out of a cave, somewhat singed, and were now assaulted by a quartet of Soldier Zombies. Nice day so far.
Itachi went one way, Kisame went the other. That way they would limit the power of teamwork that the enemy would have. Itachi dashed into the trees, leading them a good distance away before stopping, and sidestepping a punch from one of the zombies. It hit a tree and the trunk cracked under the impact.
Itachi grabbed the zombie's arm and swung him into the second zombie as he came down from the trees. They both recovered almost immediately and faced him. Itachi took a pair of kunai from a pouch on his belt. One zombie dashed to the side while the other started doing handseals.
Itachi read his opponent's handseals and chakra and knew what he was going to do almost as soon as he did. The Goukakyuu no jutsu. The second zombie was coming around from behind to attack as the Uchiha retreated.
Unfortunately for the two zombies, Itachi was more experienced then that. He moved aside as the flames roared toward him from the first zombie, expecting the flames to act as a wall so that he could attack the first creature without worrying about the second. The second zombie however, didn't let the flames bother him as he plunged straight through them and dashed after the Akatsuki member.
So Itachi went to plan B, and chucked a kunai that nailed the creature in the hip, right into the joint between pelvis and thigh, and that slowed the zombie down a bit as he rushed the first zombie.
Now, Itachi knew that he probably wouldn't win in a fight against the zombie if it came down to Taijutsu. His technique might be better, but they were still fast and superhumanly strong. Itachi intended to finish the job as quickly as possible. He dashed in and avoided a punch that probably would have taken off his head if it connected, then he moved his right arm quickly and slammed his elbow into the undead person's jaw, slamming it shut and the momentum from the slam forcing the jaws open for a second.
That second was all it took as Itachi flicked the pellet of salt in his left hand down the zombie's throat.
Itachi turned and took another kunai in hand as the zombie grabbed its throat and started to choke, he tried to cough up the salt, feeling death come upon him, but it was no use. The zombie's mouth was forced open as a thick black substance poured from his mouth and floated into the air for a few seconds before it dissolved. It was the shadow that animated the corpse, the thing that Naruto bonded to the zombie's body to give it a semblance of life. The salt had broken that bond, so the zombie died. With the shadow gone, it was just another corpse. The zombie's skin grew paler and it fell to the ground, lifeless.
The second zombie faced Itachi down. For the first time in its life, the creature knew fear. It was afraid of death. Normally he probably would have ran but even though he feared death, he feared his master's displeasure more. It clenched its jaws tightly shut and rushed forward, kunai in hand.
Itachi blocked the kunai slash with his knife, but the metal cracked and shattered under the immense power behind the strike. Itachi moved to the side to avoid being cut and slugged the zombie across the jaw. As the zombie stumbled back from the unexpected punch, Itachi took a few senbon from his belt and threw them with pinpoint accuracy, hitting several pressure points.
The zombie, stuck with needles, fell to the ground, unable to move its legs. They may have been undead, but they were still physically human, they had all the weaknesses of a human body, including the pressure points. If they had broken bones, they would be slowed down, if they were struck in the right place, they couldn't move.
Itachi moved quickly and didn't wait a moment. The zombie's mouth was shut tight, so he took the salt in one hand and with a punch penetrated the zombie's throat, forcing the material into the creature. Soon the second zombie thrashed and choked before its animating shadow poured from its jaws and the zombie lost its life.
Itachi took a deep breath and put his hand to one arm. That strike he blocked had some real force in it. Even blocking it fractured his arm in at least one place. If the battle dragged on long enough, they might have even won. They were insanely strong physically, Sasori didn't lie about that.
Itachi turned and moved through the forest to where Kisame would be.
He found Kisame battling one of the zombies who had a katana. He was totally outclassed though. Every one of his strikes was blocked by Kisame, and he was almost always on the defensive. The flesh of one of its arms had been stripped away, revealing bone. To be expected, it had very little movement in that arm.
The second zombie lay on the ground nearby, grey and lifeless, its jaw forced broken open.
Itachi continued to watch as Kisame broke the zombie's sword and buried his massive blade into its shoulder, almost cutting off a large chunk of its body.
The zombie was relentless however and even with no movement in its arms it attacked, attempting to bite Kisame. The shark-like member of Akatsuki let go of his sword and grabbed its upper and lower jaws quickly and forcing down upon it, breaking its jaw so that it could not close.
Kisame then grabbed it by the hair as it jerked and attempted to get away. The zombie attempted several most likely bone-breaking kicks, but Kisame kept close so that the damage was minimal as he took a pellet of salt from his belt and forced it down the throat of the defeated zombie. He let go as it convulsed, spit up its shadow, and died.
Kisame let go of the thing and pulled his sword from where it was buried in the creature's side. Then he turned to Itachi and said "You're done too?"
Itachi nodded and said "Yes, these creatures were as Sasori described them, though I didn't think that they would be so strong."
Kisame regarded his arm with detachment and asked "You're hurt?"
Itachi nodded and said "Yes, I blocked one of their strikes directly; I will need a splint for a few days at most."
Kisame nodded and regarded one of the zombies "You know Itachi, we were lucky here today. Lucky that there were so few of them here and that they were unskilled as they are."
Itachi nodded. If they had been more highly skilled, or if there were more of them, they could have lost here today. Their bodies were immensely powerful; it was their minds that needed work. If things like this gained enough experience. Itachi restrained himself from shivering at the thought. Something like that would be an absolute nightmare.
Wordlessly, the Akatsuki pair set off from Naruto's old cave and headed south, where they knew there to be a good seller of information. With any luck they might be able to catch their prey's trail.
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With Shikamaru and Co.
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Shikamaru and his team had been traveling for a while now, searching for any clue of Sasuke, but all they found so far had been traps, traps, and more traps. They had found a battle site not long ago, where they knew there enemy were at some point, but they couldn't find any bodies.
It was obvious to Shikamaru what was happening. With elaborate traps like the ones they had seen being set up, they had to be taking breaks to rest, they were tired or something but they were stopping periodically. Shikamaru intended to use this to his advantage.
Soon they came across the enemy as they were resting. Neji spotted them before they could be sensed, and they approached slowly and carefully, all according to Shikamaru's plan for when this would happen. It was all very carefully planned out.
What he didn't plan on was Kidomaru having his webs spread everywhere to detect movement and for him to silently warn the others. Thanks to that, Sakon attacked with an explosive note attached to a kunai and scattered them. Soon afterwards they found themselves trapped in a large dome of earth courtesy of Jirobou. The other three moved on without him.
Shikamaru, Kiba, and Chouji worked together to break out of the prison of earth and the group moved on, leaving Chouji to deal with Jirobou on his own. Shikamaru feared for his friend, but all he could do was hope for his victory and that he didn't have to use the third of his family's pills. If he did, Chouji would die and it would be his fault for bringing him on this mission in the first place.
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With the Generals
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They moved quickly once they arrived and did no falter or rest for a moment. They kept on the Konoha ninjas' trail and didn't let them get too much of a lead.
Soon enough they had encountered the first target, Jirobou. They came to a quick decision and Sodom altered his course so that he would come in contact with the target and the enemy. The others moved on without him.
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With Chouji and Jirobou
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Chouji was worn out and tired. This guy was an absolute monster, no matter what he did it kept coming back to bite him. He just couldn't get a real hit in, and every time he tried he ended up getting hurt. He had even used the green and yellow Akimichi family pills to give him a boost, but that hadn't done him much good once Jirobou used his Curse Seal. The tall man slapped aside Chouji's most powerful attacks and there wasn't much he could do about it as the rush from the yellow pill wore off.
Chouji made his decision, to put the mission above himself. If Jirobou won here then he would be free to attack the others from behind and that wouldn't do well for Shikamaru and the rest. He had to stop him HERE. Chouji made his decision and swallowed the third and last Akimichi pill, the red one.
Chouji's chakra surged as the effects of the pill took their course. Chakra formed a pair of vast butterfly wings on his back as power flowed through his body. He effortlessly slapped aside the now Level two Curse Seal Jirobou. He landed a punch straight to the jaw that knocked him to the ground, and stood above him.
He simply said "This pill will most likely kill me so I have to end this quickly. This is for Shikamaru, my friends, Konoha, and everyone else. This punch is worth MY WHOLE LIFE!" Chouji yelled as he brought back a fist for the finishing blow.
Jirobou's life would have ended there if not for one thing, the humorous voice that sounded across the clearing. "Now, now, little fat boy, don't go killing my target now."
Chouji may have been determined, but he was still Chouji. His head jerked to face the direction the voice came from and yelled "WHO ARE YOU CALLING FAT!?"
The man in the tree smiled and chuckled slightly. He was dressed in tight clothing, with two retractable blades fixed to his forearms. He had a cloth on his forehead and his dark green hair was short in the back, and long in the front as it hung in two long bangs. He had a small scar on one cheek and though nobody could see it, he had the numbers and letters GZ-3 tattooed on his chest. He was Sodom, one of the General Zombies, even though Chouji didn't know it
He just ran at the mysterious figure as he sat on the branch and waited for the Gennin to come to him, smiling all the while.
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Okay, and that is the chapter, a facet of Naruto's plans revealed, a bit of zombie combat, and more combat to come next chapter. The Sasuke Retrieval arc has well and truly begun and I hope you enjoy it. See you guys later.
Until the next chapter,
Artful Lounger