A/N: Well, I got it done. It was rather difficult. I got writer's block at about 1700 words.

Anyway, please don't yell at me about the Dishonored being OP. Once you all know about him what I know, he won't seem any more OP than he should be. Trust me on that one.

Chapter 34: Recursion

"This is useless," muttered the armored Shinobi—Naruto heard the words in the intermittent moments as they transmitted with unrivaled speed across the field repeatedly. "Hiraishin is too fast."

Then it was over, and Naruto was standing next to Sasuke in front of Tazuna. The mist was thick around them. Sasuke had seemingly disarmed Zabuza—the massive broadsword was held out before him in a standard kenjutsu defensive-neutral stance.

"Nice to see you're done Yellow Flashing for the crowds," grunted Sasuke by way of greeting.

Naruto chuckled. "You know me too well, Sasuke. Plan?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Can't use the Sharingan in this mist. Senjutsu?"

Naruto nodded. "Cover me," he said as he lowered himself into a meditative full-lotus position. He breather deeply—in, out, in, and repeat. The perfect stillness, even in the thick of combat, was calming in a way—which was exactly what made Sage Mode work.

He opened his eyes, and saw Chakra. Zabuza's Chakra was thick in the surrounding mist, but Sage Mode saw things in more depth than the Sharingan on that level, though the Sharingan's other abilities were not inconsiderable. At any rate, despite the shrouding mist, Naruto saw two shapes off in the mist—he recognized the water of Zabuza and the ice of Haku.

Wait a moment… he thought for an instant. Where's—

The Dishonored was right behind Tazuna, swinging his blade, and Naruto still could not feel his Chakra. It was unnerving.

With a battle cry, Naruto leapt into action. Flipping onto his hands and spinning he kicked backward with all his strength. The strike connected with the Dishonored's chestplate, flinging him back a ways—but before the man had even hit the ground, he had used Hiraishin. Now he was striking a powerful blow at Sasuke—the Uchiha only just parried it with Kubikiriboucho—and then he was gone again.

The mist remained. Naruto glared into it. "That's one speedy bastard," he muttered.

Sasuke nodded, looking grim. "Can you lift the mist?"

Naruto laughed harshly, already forming hand seals. "Wind Style:" he roared. "Great Breakthrough!"

The rush of air blew the mist back and off the bridge. Zabuza, Haku, their armored ally became clearly visible. It was only for a moment—then Zabuza's mist began to creep in again.

Oh, no you don't… Naruto thought viciously. With a quick Hiraishin he was beside Zabuza and kicking him into the wall at the side of the bridge. This effectively broke his concentration—the fog immediately lifted.

Naruto quickly whirled to parry a strike at his side from the Dishonored's blades, which emerged again from the scrolls at his wrists. He used the impact to push himself away from his foes, back towards Sasuke—then, with another Hiraishin, he was on their other side, still flying in that same direction.

He spun in the air and plowed into the armored Ninja, kunai out, intent on prying off the mask and taking out the Shinobi beneath, but the armored man was having none of it. The man dropped his legs out from under them and performed an effective aileron roll so that the two landed with the crushing weight of the armor and the Shinobi within was all on Naruto.

"Momochi, go intercept the Uchiha," the Dishonored ordered coldly—Naruto didn't see whether the former Kiri-nin obeyed, being otherwise occupied with the weight atop him.

There was a momentary grapple, and then the Dishonored had pinned Naruto's hands and feet under him—and away from his Chakra core, making an escape by Hiraishin impossible. "There," hissed the skull-like mask with a chilling laugh. "Effectively neutralized."

Idiot, said Kurama's voice in Naruto's mind. In the next moment, the fox had lashed out with pure Chakra at the foe above them. The red-gold energy flowed out of Naruto's body and pushed the enemy Ninja off immediately. Naruto used the opportunity to leap up and settle into a combat stance, eyeing his foe warily.

But the damage was already done. Even as Kurama tried to retract the arm of Chakra he'd created, the Dishonored grasped at it. The metal fingers made contact and pulled.

In the opened cage where he resided, Kurama began to scream.

Naruto's eyes grew wide with shock and horror. The Dishonored was pulling Kurama's Chakra away from them. Cut it off! He screamed inward to the Bijuu. Cut off the tail—it'll grow back!

Kurama wasted no time. In an instant, the mass of Chakra—a full ninth of Kurama's available energy, was emerging from Naruto and entering the Kyuubi-shaped red emblem on the Dishonored's chestplate.

Once the red energy had all been absorbed, the Dishonored, slumped for a moment, and then he laughed—the sound was cold and cruel. "Contingency Kitsune has begun to fulfill his mission," he whispered. He looked into Naruto's eyes, and the blue lenses spun. "You cannot defeat me without the Fox's aid, Fool," he said. "But if you use his strength, it becomes my own."

"You have only one tail's worth of Chakra," Naruto hissed furiously. Kurama had become oddly silent—the boy feared for his friend. "It won't regenerate."

"No," said the Dishonored, "But it doesn't need to."

In a momentary Hiraishin, the armored man was mere inches from Naruto. His hand grasped at the boy's stomach, where the remains of Kurama's seal—and the connection his Chakra had to the outside—resided. Naruto was ready, though. He Hiraishined away, back to be in front of Tazuna.

Sasuke was near the center of the bridge, meeting Zabuza with a kunai with Kubikiriboucho. The Dishonored was farther back, near the end of the bridge.

"Are you all right, Naruto?" an urgent voice said from a pace behind him and to the left. "What happened?"

Naruto whirled to meet Kakashi's gaze. How did I not notice them? He berated himself. I have Sage Mode active! He was too single-minded—that was not good for senjutsu. He needed to keep an open mind.

"I'm fine," he said quickly. Everyone was here—both Teams 7 and 8—and that actually somewhat worried him. "Sasuke!" he called. "Fall back!"

Sasuke obeyed instantly. He struck one last powerful blow at Zabuza, which met the twin kunai the missing-nin was using. Using that force, he catapulted himself backwards towards the other Konoha Ninja.

He nodded quickly back at everyone, then turned to Naruto. "Plan?" he asked quickly.

Naruto clenched his fists, thinking. "Our priority is defense," he said, thinking. "But we also have to get them away as quickly and efficiently as possible. Any ideas?"

Sasuke blinked, and in an instant his Mangekyo Sharingan was active again. "Can we kill Zabuza?"

Naruto froze, then sighed. "No choice now. Try to leave Haku alive."

Sasuke nodded. "I can take Zabuza, then. But it'll have to be quick—compensating for my body takes a hell of a lot of Chakra."

Naruto nodded. "Tsukuyomi?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not unless I get a great opportunity. I'm not good enough at it for it to be worth that much Chakra."

"Kakashi, Kurenai, what are you two up for right now?" Naruto asked quickly.

"I'm at pretty full strength," said Kakashi quickly. "So is Kurenai. Should we team up against the Dishonored?"

"No," said Naruto, shaking his head. "You two take Zabuza. Keep him alive if you can, but that's no longer a priority. Sasuke, you and I are on the Dishonored. Rest of you," he met Shino's hidden eyes. "Protect Tazuna. Look out—the Dishonored can Hiraishin."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "What?"

"He said, Teacher, that I can Hiraishin," said the Dishonored from right behind Tazuna.

Naruto leapt into action. There were no Hiraishin knives between the Dishonored and Tazuna, so he was forced to simply leap in between them, shoving Tazuna out of the way with his body. He met the Dishonored's downward slash with two kunai. For an instant, he held the blade away. It extended outward from his enemy's wrist like an extension of his arm, pointing straight forward.

Then Sasuke swung Kubikiriboucho with a battle cry. The blade met the Dishonored's armor, but Naruto knew that the Dishonored had allowed it.

The armored Ninja was faster than either him or Sasuke. He was stronger. He knew Hiraishin.

Naruto grimaced slightly. If we fight him individually, he realized, we're outmatched.

It was a frightening thought—that already they were facing an enemy stronger than themselves.

But he wasn't stronger, because they had teamwork.

In the instant after Sasuke struck the enemy, the blade, flicked away from Naruto's defense and slid into the hole in Kubikiriboucho. The Dishonored pulled and spun.

The sword flew out of Sasuke's grip. The blade whirled, forcing Naruto to duck. Then the Dishonored was gone in another Hiraishin. The entire exchange had taken perhaps four seconds.

Naruto felt his heart sink.

The enemy had teamwork too.

His eyes met Sasuke's and he knew his friend had come to the same realization. Sasuke shrugged grimly.

Naruto nodded, eyes narrowed. They had no choice but to fight him.

"How are you doing on Chakra?" he asked Sasuke quickly.

Sasuke shrugged. "I've got enough, but it won't last forever. I'm going to have to try Sage Mode."

Naruto looked at him worriedly. Sasuke had never mastered the Snake Sage Mode as fully as Naruto had mastered the Toad. It was all too possible that he would be turned to stone, as Naruto often had nearly done while training.

But Naruto had been with Fukasaku. Sasuke had no such luxury. Or did he?

"Try summoning them, then," said Naruto. "You're not using it alone."

Sasuke shrugged noncommittally. "They're all too likely to turn on us," he said. "You sure?"

Naruto growled. "They've got no choice but to help," he said, putting his hands together and popping his knuckles. Hje watched the Dishonored across from them as Sasuke performed the summoning jutsu. The man looked as smug as metal could—just watching them in what seemed like amusement.

Naruto wondered if he felt that he would lose nothing by letting them do this. What was he playing at?

His eyes flitted over to the water. Kakashi and Kurenai were fighting Zabuza there, and Zabuza was doing remarkably well. Kurenai's genjutsu was not particularly effective against him, and Kakashi's abilities held no surprise. As Naruto watched, Kakashi was forced to leap back as Zabuza swung Kubikiriboucho around in a deadly arc, nearly bisecting the white-haired Jounin.

Beside him there was a puff of smoke.

Naruto looked quizzically at the small, wizened old serpent at Sasuke's feet. It was black and, though clearly old, still sleek as any snake. Its eyes were a bright, venomous green, and shadowed in purple, reminiscent of Orochimaru himself.

The snake blinked a few times and then lunged at Sasuke, who snatched it out of the air by its neck. His other arm (his left) then grasped its tail firmly—likely to prevent it from being used in any sort of taijutsu.

"Stop whining, Hebika," muttered Sasuke. "Don't recognize me?"

"No," hissed the snake, Hebika, in serpentine fury. "Who are you, boy?"

"The Snake Sage," said Sasuke flatly. "Long story. I need to go into Sage Mode, and I can't be certain I'll be able to keep stable. I need your help."

"And why should I help you? Who do you think you are?" spat Hebika.

Sasuke glared at him. "I am Uchiha Sasuke," he growled. "I was trained by you and the White Snake Sage in Snake Senjutsu, a little less than five years from now. Before that I was Orochimaru's—you know him—apprentice, and then his killer. I've returned here from the future to right my wrongs, and you will help me." Naruto saw his friend's eyes shift into the Eternal Mangekyo. "Tsukuyomi."

The snake screamed as best a snake could, but could not break eye contact with Sasuke. The Uchiha held its gaze for a full ten seconds before letting it fall limp. "I'll help you," it whispered. "Kami, what are you?"

Sasuke glared at its black length. "I don't know or care," he said flatly. "Swear on your fangs."

"I swear on my fangs that I will aid you in Senjutsu for this battle," Hebika whispered.

"Good," said Sasuke, placing it on his shoulder. He glared at the Dishonored with red eyes, whose pupils were beginning to develop a vertical slit superimposed over the Mangekyo sigil as he held still. "What are you waiting for, anyway?"

The Dishonored shrugged. "Much the same as you, Other," he chuckled. "Gathering Chakra."

Naruto focused his senses on their foe and found himself blanching in horror. "Sasuke…" he murmured worriedly. "He's got Sage Mode active."

"And Kyuubi Chakra mode," Sasuke observed as the Dishonored flashed golden.

The Dishonored eased himself into a Frog Kata fighting stance. "Two against one—such unfair odds," he snickered. "I had to even the odds somehow, no?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Kurama? he asked within himself, quietly. Are you alright?

I'll be fine, murmured Kurama, voice tight with pain. Kami, it's been a long time since I felt real pain. But I have no time for self-pity, do I? Take my Chakra, Naruto.

Naruto nodded. Thanks, furball. I'll see what I can do to help as soon as we're out of this.

He clapped his hands together, and all about him gathered the golden Chakra of the completed Kyuubi Chakra mode, the form that came with his friendship with Kurama. The Chakra garment it formed flapped about his neck as his eyes—containing both the slit of Kurama's Chakra and the horizontal bar of Toad Senjutsu—glared into the blue lenses behind which his enemy hid.

Beside him, Sasuke slid into a nearly-alien Taijutsu stance—Naruto had only seen it once before, when he faced Sasuke in the ruins of Konoha at the end of the future—which the Jinchuuriki recognized as that of the Dragon Kata—the Snake Sage's equivalent of the Frog Kata.

The Dishonored's skull-like mask was, of course, expressionless, but Naruto felt instinctively that he and Sasuke were being appraised. "Very well," said the armored Ninja, in an almost pleased voice. "If you are both quite finished pulling out the stops… we will begin in earnest."

A/N: Like I said, trust me on the Dishonored's power. He's not OP, any more than makes sense. As to why he's using Kyuubi Chakra mode, think of it like this—the Nine Tails' Cloak is when Kurama thrusts his Chakra on his host, pushing his aggression and negativity into it. But the Dishonored has no Kyuubi to do that, so he can only use the Kyuubi mode. He can't use the complete Kyuubi mode, though, because he's not friends with Kurama; he doesn't even have Kurama inside him.

As to why he let Sasuke do all that, he was holding still all that while, gathering Nature Chakra for Sage Mode. Since he held still for so much longer, his Sage Mode will last longer than either Naruto's or Sasuke's, which you might do well to remember.

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Please review!