A/N: Time for the invasion. Let's get the party started! XD
Glad that you guys enjoyed the fight last chapter. Will continue to ensure this lasts. Heh.
By the way… be prepared for some hot-blooded stuff from our favorite blond. I've often imagined fights of Jinchuurikis as much more... you get my point.
I Will Believe
Chapter 38: No more Mr. Nice Guy
They had received the signal for the invasion.
It was a simple clear cut order for them to execute the actions, seeing how they've been preparing for the past few hours. However, the moment the snake summons appeared, every single Suna and Oto Shinobi felt a chill go down their spine.
A deathly cold voice had echoed throughout the area of the forest, "Fuinjutsu: Kekkai Masshou. (Sealing technique: Boundary Eraser)"
Before the invaders could begin to comprehend just what exactly was going on, the ground beneath their feet glow an aqua crescent, before they could literally feel the chakra rush past their bodies, rising into the air, forming multiple leashes as they tied themselves around the summons, forcefully dragging them through the cerulean arc on the ground. In a flash, all the snakes disappeared in cries of agony, for as all should understand that no matter who, or what, being pulled through a dimension of space and time against one's will was an extremely painful experience.
"A real pity that you just happened to attack from the east. Very well, Kamio Ryusei, at your service." Fazing into existence before the very group of Suna and Oto Shinobi, he completely surprised them and caught hold of their attention, before a whole arsenal of jutsu was sent crashing at them, killing most of them in an instant. Those that survived were perhaps treated to a fate worse than death for the specialized ANBU team led by the famous Seiryuu ensured that none would leak out the news that their first main wave of attack was subdued.
It wasn't long before their bodies were impaled with kunai. Their senses were flooded with the pain for those steel weren't aimed to kill. They were used to lock them to the ground so that nobody would be able to escape. And as three ANBU stepped forward, the more seasoned shinobi understood just what was going to happen next.
Information gathering was a really specific skill, and usually one would have to be extremely tender in obtaining said info. However, amongst those skills, one branch completely went against those logics, and that would be interrogation and torture.
Mitarashi Anko was an expert in that field, and knew exactly which bits of the human mind or body to attack and assault. It was really… well, refreshing for those in her department to see her back and well. Though they would never say it out loud, they were very impressed with the results she obtained from their prisoners, and even some of the rookies were treating her like a role model.
What could they say? She was Genbu of the Shi Fukei. The scene before them alone was enough for them to understand why. The teams under her had clashed right on with the invaders, determined to hold them at bay. Anko had been leading them, and they were all successful to a certain extent, where they made sure the enemies had more mortalities than they did, until a few of them started summoning snakes through scrolls and adding to the fire power, causing more than a few more men of theirs to die in the most gruesome way possible.
Anko had enough and had called on her right as the snake summon contract holder, utilizing her chakra through the seal she had imprinted on her arms, forced all snakes present into submission, and with a hiss as command, all the reptiles turned on their summoners and before long, it was over.
It was unfortunate that Anko was too busy getting intelligence of the Suna Oto alliance, otherwise, she would have noticed the gazes of respect that was sent to her from all directions. The first wave attacking the North of Konoha ended in failure.
In the west, with her Byakugan blazing with determination, the group sent to head off the invaders comprised primarily of taijutsu and weapon users. The information Jiraiya provided showed that other than summons, the Suna and Oto shinobi were going to rely on their 'tough' bodies and weird weapons to surprise the Konoha ninja and gain an advantage in this battle.
"Hakke: Sanbyaku Rokujuuichi Shou! (Eight Divinations: Three hundred and sixty one palms)" Demonstrating exactly why she was known as Byakko of Konoha, Hyuga Kireki unleashed the epitome of the Hakke Shou Ougi, sending those that dared stand in her way into oblivion.
Needless to say, this first wave was wiped out without much trouble. Furrowing her brows, she examined the injuries before ordering her troops to spread out and conceal their presences, leaving the corpses of the enemy flung all over the place. The second wave would be in for a surprise when they came upon this scene……
To the south, Minagi extinguished the last of the invaders with a well-timed Dai Ryuka (Great Dragon Fire) along with her subordinates combined Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Element: Great Breakthrough). It hadn't been too much trouble. What Suna and Oto had to offer in terms of ninjutsu was nothing compared to the sheer talent Konoha had.
Oto could use sounds to mesmerize them, true, however, those were proved meaningless since Minagi had beforehand, placed a genjutsu barrier around the area, preventing any attempts in disrupting any of the five senses of her comrades to take effect. Suna simply relied on wind and earth attacks, though a couple did show fire skills. Unfortunately, before Suzaku of Konoha, there was no contest.
Nevertheless, this was just the beginning. The second wave was coming in…
Back at the stadium……
"I should have expected this from you Orochimaru." Sarutobi sighed as his favorite student years ago held him hostage, before he was trapped in a barrier of some sort, where it was held together by four jonin-leveled shinobi. Shishi Enjin, or so Orochimaru had called it.
Truth be told, he was impressed, for there was one layer within, along with the main layer outside, preventing the captured from breaking out too easily. Judging from the purpled hue of the barrier, he supposed it either had deadly poisons within or flames of the highest intensity to counter those that neared it.
Shaking his head slowly, Sarutobi grimaced, "Apparently, I was a fool to have even trusted in you back then."
"That you were sensei, for it was you who had let me leave, where I could perform more experiments of the most exotic kind. Do you not see that my chase has led me closer to immortality than any knowledge that you would be able to pass on to me?"
"Again with that silly goal. One could never be immortal in this world." The Sandaime Hokage removed his cloak to reveal a battle gear that had not been worn for quite some time. "The burden one would have to withstand is far too great for one such as you to experience."
"Is that all you can say Sensei? I had no idea that you had shriveled to such a pathetic existence where you would give such sentimental comments. What happened to the God of Shinobi?" Orochimaru mocked as he readied himself for combat, intentionally insulting his sensei's pride to get a response from the seemingly numb, old man.
"Tell me Orochimaru." Sarutobi ignored his previous comment and stared at him right in the eyes, "Do you truly believe you are able to conquer Konoha?"
Narrowing his eyes in contempt, "Tch, you never change, sensei. Still placing so much faith in a broken village I see. Hmph, I will not only crush you, but I'll make sure to destroy every single one of its citizens, eliminate their existence just to spit on your grave."
Closing his eyes, Sarutobi steeled himself for the battle that was to come, "Blind hatred will get you nowhere…"
"It is more than that, you old fool. Revenge isn't enough to satisfy me. Total, complete obliteration would be a much more agreeing motive. After all, I'm doing this place a justice. To think that they would even lower themselves to attack a helpless seven year old kid for merely having something thrust into him at birth shows the value of this so-called honorable village. Oh, did I forget to mention that it was the Fourth's son that was on the receiving end of all this? My, my, sensei, Minato would be turning in his grave – "
"Don't you dare mention that event Orochimaru! Do not think that I am ignorant to the spies you have present within my village." His eyes, blazing with fury, opened once again to reveal that very sense of presence, that aura of authority, to show just why he was once feared as a shinobi. Gone was the kind-hearted old man that solved everything through peace. In his place stood a seasoned warrior with years of experience stacked up within his body, where the muscles themselves would remember the many scars obtained from the battles he had been through.
Orochimaru gave a snide sneer, "Ah, but of course, I did wonder how they seemed to have such timely 'accidents'. No matter, they were of little importance. Let's be honest, Sarutobi-sensei, all my men did was be the catalyst, your villagers, your prized citizens were the reactants." Holding up a finger, he waved it slightly before putting on a disapproving expression, "To think this was what the Yondaime gave up his life for. How pathetic…"
"Doton: Doryudan! (Earth Element: Earth Dragon missile)" As commanded, the chakra seeped within the roof and formed the head of the beast, firing multiple mud blasts at the amused Sannin.
However, it would seem that his amusement didn't last very long.
"Katon: Karyudan! (Fire Element: Fire Dragon missile)" The fire cloaked the blasts, not only increasing the damage they could deal, but also vastly upping the velocity at which they were travelling. Orochimaru barely made a Tsuchi bunshin (Mud Clone) in time before he escaped from that particular spot.
Sarutobi didn't stop with that, and continued with his arsenal of techniques, "Katon: Kinka! (Fire Element: Golden Flames)" The missiles that had been fired before suddenly exploded into sparks, showering the snake-nin in a storm of gold, forcing him to once again go on the defensive.
Clamping his hands together, he commanded the element once more, "Katon: Hisen! (Heat Arrows)" The flickering embers re-ignited themselves even after Orochimaru evaded them, forming the sharp instruments of death as they once again seared towards the Sannin.
Gritting his teeth at these petty annoyances, Orochimaru countered with Fuuton Daitoppa, determined to end these little games once and for all. However, that was all Sarutobi needed as his hands worked on a new set of seals, "Doton: Doryu Shibari! (Earth element: Earth Dragon Bind)"
Orochimaru's eyes widened as the roof separated, allowing huge amounts of mud to latch onto his torso, spinning into a huge dome around him, capturing him within the sparks and the wind he had blown mere seconds ago.
Amongst the cries of agony within, Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, "Fundo Kourou! (Steel Cage of the Flaming Earth)"
An explosion that blasted the earth confinement to pieces, revealing an unharmed Orochimaru, who was merely glaring daggers at the Hokage, "Not too bad, sensei. I see your skills are impressive as ever."
"The same could be said for you Orochimaru. Nice use of Dogyo jutsu (Earth Fish) back there, fitting for a snake like you, tunneling into the ground to escape."
Not even bothering to fall for his taunts, the snake Sannin instead formed seals, "Fuuton: Mugen Daitoppa! (Wind Element: Infinite Great Breakthroughs)" Seeing how this was a close off area, the wind would cause shockwaves that could reverberate after being deflected off the walls of the barrier. The manipulation of chakra within this jutsu showed that indeed, the Sannin was not without talent in this field of Shinobi arts.
However, the Sandaime was more than ready for this, "Doton: Goshi Yama! (Earth Element: Five Finger Mountain)" As the technique suggested, a hand-shaped obstacle appeared from the ground, increased to the highest density possible, deeply rooted to the ground, protecting Sarutobi from the damage that could potentially be caused had Orochimaru's jutsu hit.
Orochimaru frowned and did his trademark jutsu, "Senei Tajashu! (Multiple Shadow Hidden Snakes)" From both arms, the reptiles emerged hissing with want for blood as they tunneled through the winds, heading straight for the barrier Sarutobi was hiding behind.
To this, the Sandaime could only smirk as he formed a ram seal, "So. (Block)"
The finger-like structures closed the gaps between them in an instant, hardening in order to prevent the snakes from penetrating this defense.
Realizing what the old man was up to, Orochimaru snarled, "Oh no you don't! Katon: Kibaku Tama! (Explosive Jade)" From his lips emerged a huge ball of shining red, as though the chakra had been solidified after immense pressure was applied to it internally, compressed to the extent where crystals were formed, before it was released and sent towards the mountain.
Sandaime shook his head, "Too late. Shuu. (Collect)" The 'fingers' curled inwards, easily crushing the snakes, rendering that threat useless before Sarutobi issued his next order, "Hou. (Release)" Sending chakra into the mountain, the fingers gained elastic momentum as they were flung back to their original positions, with the remains of the snakes in one big mangled heap, clashing right on with Orochimaru's technique.
The explosion rocked the surroundings as the smoke slowly cleared.
"Shin. (Extend)" Obeying his command, the earth-made structures reached forward, lengthening towards the Sannin that deftly evaded their approach.
"This is beginning to get annoying." Orochimaru growled, "Raiton: Zansatsu! (Lightning Element: Slash of Death)" White bolts of energy appeared from his palms as they shredded bits of the 'fingers' off, however, it would seem that the strength of earth was not to be underestimated.
"Setsu. (Intercept)" Forming a tiger seal this time, the 'fingers' suddenly increased the speed at which they were moving, impaling their tips without hesitation into the area around the Sannin, with all five firmly stuck into the roof.
And here was where the epitome of ninjutsu was truly shown. Not the knowledge of it, but the execution. This was exactly why Sarutobi was known as the God of Shinobi.
Maintaining control of the structure with his right hand, his left hand flashed into a series of different seals after he had flung a shuriken at the dodging Orochimaru, "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" One turned to many as the Sannin had new threats to evade.
That was the distraction needed and Sarutobi wasted no time, clenching his right fist, he activated his chakra source for the kill, "Atsu! (Press)" The 'palm' of the mountain instantly surged forward, and taking advantage of Orochimaru's lapse of attention, it successfully crashed down onto the snake sannin, leaving no room for escape as it was deeply imprinted into the ground.
Rotating his neck once, Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at the sudden silence from his 'student'. He was not naïve as to believe that would have taken Orochimaru out. It was more what the shinobi was scheming that had he worried.
A few slicing noises were heard, before the 'fingers' along with the 'palm' fell to pieces as though they were common wood. Narrowing his eyes, he sighed as Orochimaru appeared once again, only this time, he had the legendary sword Kusanagi within his hand. His eyes held a glint, not unlike that of a snake staring at its prey, and judging from the stance he was in, perhaps it was time to summon Enma.
"Well done, Sarutobi-sensei. You managed to make me reveal this weapon so early in the game. I had no idea you were in such a rush to die, old man." His sneers were coupled with the nonchalant swings of the blade, which managed to cause cracks to appear in the roof due to the condensed chakra it was expelling.
"Hmph, I see your arrogance continues to blind you." Sarutobi formed yet another set of seals, "Do you actually think that I'm going to let you have your way with this battle?"
Orochimaru titled his head, "Why yes! I have just the thing for you in fact. Wouldn't it be nice if we were to bring back some… old friends, for instance?" His maniacal smile widened as realization dawned on Sarutobi, who could only speed up his seal formation while the Snake Sannin clapped his hands together, before slamming them into the ground, "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei! (Summoning: Exchange of the Underworld)"
"Katon: Karyu Endan! (Fire Element: Fire Dragon Flame Missile)" Taking in a huge breath, he blasted the flames directly at Orochimaru, intending to stop him before the coffins even began to rise. This was one of the most area effective jutsu in his arsenal, and though he doubted it would be enough, it should temporarily prevent them from rising.
Imagine his surprise when the coffin simply rose through the golden flames, as though immune to heat as Orochimaru gleefully shouted, "First!"
Eyes widening, the Sandaime Hokage decided to increase the intensity, and release the breath of fire, before shouting, "Fuuton: Tori no Uta! (Wind Element: Song of the Birds)" In pulses, bird-shaped chakra was fired towards the flames, amplifying their effect as they sliced through the air, cutting all that stood in their way. The first coffin was bombarded and halted for a short period of time in the air.
However, the second coffin was already appearing, "Second!" Orochimaru's grin couldn't have been wider.
Now knowing there wasn't much choice out of this, Sarutobi gritted his teeth and pulled the cancelation jutsu, "Damn it, not the fourth as well!"
Before he could finish however, the top of the fourth coffin was already seen, and at this rate, he definitely wouldn't make it in time. The Snake Sannin had such a proud look on his face that someone decided he needed to be rewarded for his sheer haughty personality.
"Uurrrrryyyyyyyyaaa!!!!" A single punch to the right cheek, with said fist twisting right into his jawbone, shattering it upon contact, sent Orochimaru flying backwards, spinning in the air.
He could barely react before a deep, masculine voice was heard, one that made him feel fear for the first time in so many years, "Rasengan!" Before he could even utter, the blue orb was driven into his torso.
Given the reason that Orochimaru's hands had left the ground, the jutsu was slowed down by a huge extent, hence allowing Sarutobi to successfully cancel this forbidden jutsu and send the fourth back to where he was supposed to be.
Orochimaru snarled in a pain as he flying roared, "Seneijashu!" The snakes attempted to twirl themselves around the one using Rasengan, however, it was a bit late for said person had already released the jutsu which left the Snake Sannin falling pathetically to the ground in a heap.
The high speed at which Orochimaru was slammed away countered by the vicious spins of the Rasengan had pretty much caused that particular body of his to be rendered useless.
A blonde woman with huge bust stood to the left of Sarutobi, "Man, sensei, you're getting old."
Sarutobi smiled, "I shall accept that statement when you've released yourself from that genjutsu."
"Oooh, he's got you there Tsunade."
"Hush, you!"
A taller male with spiky white mane-like hair stood to his right, "Well, well, well, this is what I call a reunion."
Orochimaru coughed up blood as he tried to get up using that butchered body of his, "You… you! D-Didn't Itachi… and Kisame…"
"Lose to them?" Tsunade snorted, "You're joking right?"
"Apparently immortality made people stupid." Jiraiya laughed, "Man, that felt good. Wanna try it again?"
"Absolutely." The blonde cracked her knuckles menacingly as she glared at the Snake sannin.
Finally getting up, Orochimaru gave a roar as he opened his mouth wide. The act that he was about to perform was gruesome beyond belief, where actually a separate Orochimaru appeared from within his mouth, crawling out of a skin almost, just like that of a snake, before an all 'new' Orochimaru stood before their eyes, with saliva dripping and all that. The look of fury on his face was apparent, and the complete hatred he had harbored was revealed for all to see.
"Great. Somehow I didn't think he was going to take that lying down." Jiraiya scratched his head, "But I have to say… that was one disgusting…"
"Don't say it. It'll ruin my appetite."
"Ah, my bad, hime."
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow as he stared at his two students, "Just what took you so long?"
Jiraiya sighed, "You do realize that devising a seal to protect the entire village from the chakra backlash in case the two Jinchuuriki decide they are going to have some fun is quite taxing for one as old as me."
Tsunade nodded, "The medical facilities needed help, and so I had to spread Katsuyu all over the village. That took a while. Gomen nasai."
Orochimaru, to everyone's surprise, laughed at this point, "Efficient as always. I don't suppose you could enlighten me on how you got through the barrier?" His eyes were murderous, the sarcasm dripping from him in waves.
Jiraiya smirked, "Nothing a simple water seal couldn't handle. One has to obey the rules of elements after all."
"Why you…"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes as the lids on the coffins fell to reveal two people that she thought would never appear before her again.
"Now, you've pissed me off, Orochimaru. One does not mess with the dead!" Her voice was tightened to a snarl as Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder in order to calm her down.
Orochimaru laughed sickeningly, "Oh, but I do. I'm not just anyone now, am I?" He held up two kunai with paper slips hanging off them.
Noticing the array of the seals, Jiraiya's face hardened, "Things have just rose to a whole new level of shit."
"I would watch your tongue around me, brat. Good to see you still haven't changed." The Shodai Hokage spoke in a strangely quiet voice. "Didn't Saru teach you anything?"
Sarutobi couldn't help but wipe at his eyes as he faced his two successors, "It's a pity we had to meet under these circumstances…"
The aqua-haired one turned to Tsunade, "Yo hime. All grown up I see."
"Grand-uncle… I…" She bit her lips, alternating her gaze between her two most respected relatives of all times.
"It's good to see you, Tsu."
"Kuso jiji… you have no idea how much I missed you…" Tears were already gathering in her eyes as memories of their happy days surfaced in her mind.
The Shodai chuckled, "You haven't changed one bit."
Nidaime Hokage turned his head slightly, "Seeing how we're in our battle gear, I assume the young man behind me is the one that summoned us."
Orochimaru smiled in a disgustingly sweet manner, "Why yes. However, I think that the casual chit-chat should end here. Why don't you two get on with your jobs?" Slowly placing the kunai into the backs of their head, Orochimaru's smirk widened by the second.
Shodai gave a simple sigh, before looking right at the three standing before them, "It appears that we cannot escape the fates of war. Forgive us, Saru, Tsu, Jirai-gaki."
"Jiji!" Tsunade shouted in despair as the orbs of her grandfather turned pitch black, showing how his emotions had been erased from his mind.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth as he held onto Tsunade, not letting her go lest she got herself hurt on impulse. This was exactly like Orochimaru, using kin to hurt you first.
Sarutobi steeled himself as he stood up straight once again, "You've crossed the line Orochimaru. Those who mess with time are not let off at the end of their journeys!" His fists were clenched and his eyes burning with determination.
"That would not be a worry of mine, for I, only I, am eternal." His grin was positively insane with glee as he raised Kusanagi, "Kill them all, leave none alive."
Taking slow steps forward, the two Hokage, now mindless killing drones gradually built up momentum as they began to recover what had been their fighting capacities before they died.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted as he stood ready.
The Nidaime was already charging towards him, fists ready to pummel him like he did so many times when he was just a child. Gritting his teeth, Jiraiya formed the seals, before yelling, "Ninpo: Hari Jizo! (Ninja Arts: Hidden Needles of the Earth)"
The Nidaime took no notice as he drove his hands into the armor, completely unaware of the sensation of pain for this was simply a body made out of mud, cloaked over a dead human sacrifice.
Using the chance to ensnare the Nidaime within his mane, Jiraiya spun around, before flinging said man into the barrier, before yelling, "Katon: Endan! (Fire Element: Flame Missile)"
The fireball completely engulfed the man, preventing him from moving as Jiraiya scorched him from head to toe, before releasing his hold on him.
Tsunade on the other hand, was already engaged in a hand-to-hand combat with her grandfather, trading blows with surpreme accuracy, and shrugging them off like they were nothing. One wouldn't expect a woman her build to pack much defensive strength, but with this one, they were sorely mistaken.
A single uppercut to the chin sent the Shodai in the air, before she rammed him with her shoulder, bashing his arms away from the torso before she completely tore into him with her punches, unleashing them in a furious frenzy, before ending it by firstly drawing back her arm, and smashing it into his face, blasting him a good distance backwards before she stood back to back with her perverted teammate.
"Wow, you certainly aren't pulling any punches."
"The person I see right now, is not my grandfather."
"Ah, good observation."
"Shut up pervert."
"Now that hurt, hime."
"Heh, you know you love me."
"… Did I hear that right?"
"Who knows?"
"Did I seriously hear that right?"
"We're all pretty serious here."
Jiraiya laughed loudly as Tsunade giggled to herself. This was very much like old times where the two would spend ages in useless banter, teasing one another, egging each other on as they stood together to fight off their enemies.
Sarutobi could feel his heart at ease seeing how these two students of his came out. When compared to them, Orochimaru was but a bug, a dirty, slimy bug waiting to be crushed.
Forming the seals for the boss summoning, he took in a deep breath as he faced Orochimaru head on.
"Ninpo Kuchiyose: Enko Ou, Enma! (Ninja Arts Summoning: Boss of the Apes, Enma)"
"Long time no see, Sarutobi. I trust that you have made up your mind?"
"Ah yes, Enma. I apologize for letting my mistake drag till today."
"I see, well then, let's get started. Henge!"
Feeling the familiar weight of the black rod in his hands, Sarutobi smirked wildly at Orochimaru's snarl, "Perhaps if we hurry, we might make it home for dinner after all."
Down in the arena……
Naruto, was in a word, pissed.
First of all, he had to say that he really didn't think he would be that worried when he saw Orochimaru take Sandaime-jiji hostage. However, he soon had to learn that splitting his attention between the insane one-tailed Jinchuuriki before him and stuff that was happening in the background was quite a severe mistake.
The crazed Gaara wasted no time in sending a demonic claw of sand that was attached to his arm crashing into him, grabbing him, before repeatedly slamming him into the walls.
As much as Naruto hated to admit it, that had hurt like a bitch.
He had tried to stand up, but unfortunately, it would seem that the redhead had learnt his lesson and proceeded to choke him. That didn't work too well, as Naruto had replaced himself with a Kage Bunshin that instantly exploded. That had caused a distraction.
He looked around to find Ino and Sakura running towards him, as though determined to fight this battle together. However, he decided that they had much more important things to do at the moment than get injured facing a nonsensically berserk Suna-nin. Hence, he had decided to be the gallant fool and block the incoming sand bullet stampede from the two girls while sending a kage bunshin to tell them where exactly they were to be.
That of course, earned him blasts of intense pain as he fell to the ground once again.
Raising his head, he could see the puppet dude laughing at him while the blonde female staring at him with curiosity laced with slight condescension, however, that was not what made him feel at ease. No, it was the sight of Jiraiya and Tsunade smashing through the roof and confronting Orochimaru that got him to calm down.
For one second.
Then Gaara was on him again, bashing and crashing and doing all kinds of stuff to ensure that he did not get off the ground to form an attack. Of course, the redhead paid no attention to the amount of stuff he destroyed; let alone the number of people he almost killed by flinging the rubble around.
The ANBU were at their respective positions ensuring that none of the invaders got out of this arena alive, and four of their best were currently securing the area outside the purple barrier. They were hand picked by the Shi Fukei to ensure the safety of the Hokage. Their order was to survive until the four guardians returned.
Of course, Naruto knew that his order was to subdue this stinking sand bastard, but at this moment, after being smashed into the ground for the fiftieth time, something within him just snapped.
Oh, it wasn't the brain or mind or anything specific like that. It was just anger taking over. And if Kyuubi could experience this sight, he might have been surprised, for this time, he actually had nothing to do with the boy's rage.
The redhead had yelled gleefully as he continued to pummel the Konoha nin, wanting to torture him for as long as possible, before wiping his existence off this earth. It wasn't until the fact that his elongated sand-arms were actually 'removed' from his torso that he began to realize something was wrong.
The next moment, he could firmly feel a fist ramming itself into his cheek, drawing not just a bit of blood before he stumbled backwards. The face of a thoroughly pissed off Naruto appeared before his and cerulean orbs glared menacingly into his.
What happened next had Kankuro and Temari staring with their jaws open, unable to take in the scene before them.
The blond had just appeared in the blink of an eye, grabbing onto Gaara's hair, before flinging him around in a circle, gathering momentum, and finally brought their youngest brother's face smashing into the ground. The crater that the attack formed due to the chakra backlash showed just how serious Naruto was.
Temari had never deemed the blond to be one so violent, but at that moment, she begged to differ. For a moment there, it would seem that Naruto was even more aggressive than her brother.
After the initial attack, Gaara was caught in a daze, while Naruto continued his assault, this time choosing to grab the redhead's real arm, slamming him into the wall, before pulling back both fists and simply raining them down on the redhead's torso at a speed that seemed blurry to the naked eye. Gaara never had the chance to be affected by gravity, for the punches simply kept him on the wall.
Naruto didn't stop there, with an angry growl, he grabbed Gaara by his throat, before dragging him across the arena as he picked up speed, making note to force his torso as deeply into the ground as possible, before releasing wind chakra in his hand as he threw Gaara into the air with a deadly slice.
The next move was to charge both arms up with concentrated wind chakra, thinned out into blade like projections, before he held them in the air, catching Gaara just as he fell, digging into his flesh, drawing multiple roars of agony from him before Naruto forcefully brought both hands down to the sides, ripping the imaginary blades of wind through the redhead's torso, relishing in his screams as Naruto didn't even look back at his writhing form.
Just as quickly, Gaara was back on his feet, murderous intent completely unveiled as he summoned sand on his arms once again as he morphed more into the miniature version of his demon, "You shall pay for that!"
Naruto didn't even blink as he simply executed a quick Shunpo, getting behind Gaara, before vehemently pulling him around, crashing his right fist directly into his face once again, adding in a few kicks to start a juggle, before he himself leapt into the air, and stretched out his arms.
Gaara could only widen his eyes all he could see was a yellow blur before Naruto drove that arm into his throat, not letting go as he travelled at high speed out of the arena, heading for the place where his Kage Bunshin had told his teammates to be at.
Temari and Kankuro had to shake themselves out of their reverie, before they took chase. All along, they saw trees smashed down everywhere, and for some reason, the idea that Naruto had probably crashed their brother through all obstacles didn't seem too far out of reach.
"Now!" Narrowing his eyes as Sakura and Ino both launched their respective all-out offensive jutsu, Gaara found himself being bombarded from all three sides, with Naruto's re-use of the Mugen Senkuu blasting him back a huge distance.
Actually panting for breath, the redhead slowly regained his footing as his beady eyes scrutinized the three that dared interrupt with his desire to kill.
"You… you… all of you! Shall die for standing in my way! I'll prove my existence by killing all of you!" He roared as his chakra flared again. It just went to show that physical attacks could only go so far when fighting a Jinchuuriki.
Naruto didn't have a problem with that. In fact, he was seen taking in a deep breath and letting it out, a huge grin on his face, "Now that felt good."
Sakura chuckled, "Yes, yes, we're sure you enjoyed beating the crap out of him, now mind if you actually finish the job?"
The blond raised an eyebrow, "You really are a know-it-all. But damn, do stay like that please, I'm not sure I prefer you any other way."
"Psh. Whatever. Ino! You ready? You're up first after all." Sakura looked to her grumbling blonde friend.
"Yes, she gets all the flirting while I do all the work. Nice allocation of effort you've got there." Ino drawled as she readied her chakra and hand seals.
"Oh grow up Ino-pig." She retorted as she tried to hide her blush.
"And be all mature? Where's the fun in that?" Her expression of mock horror did fit her personality well, and Naruto couldn't resist giving her a kiss that very moment.
"Ino, did I ever tell you that you're sexy when you do that?"
Batting her eyelashes on purpose, she assumed a pose, "Do what?"
"Very funny Ino, now please, get on the task at hand?" Sakura spoke as she pointed to the slightly confused Gaara, "We do have an enemy here you know."
"You're just jealous I get all the fun."
"Don't antagonize me too much then."
Without warning, sand bullets were fired at the duo, and to his surprise, the three of them disappeared in an instant. The next second had Gaara wondering just why it was so hard to control his body movements.
"Shinranshin no jutsu, success."
Gaara's eyes widened as he stared into the same pale blue eyes as the blonde that had acted like a good-for-nothing fangirl smirked, her expression entirely one of a predator waiting to taste her prey, "Why don't we let the violence begin?"
A huge forceful blow landed itself in Gaara's back as he spit out the saliva in his mouth, his mind still reeling from the attack. The voice of the rosette sounded from behind, "Yes… I agree, it's time to get the show on the road."
Hence, it was to Temari's utmost shock, to be treated to the sight of one Sabaku no Gaara, flung around like a rag doll.
First of all, I would like to thank DarkHeroOrion and Pudgypudge for reading through this chap to check if my action scenes were up to standard. I've been dozing off in that department lately, so a bit of confirmation never hurts.
Hm. I would say I did okay. The Sarutobi bit was better than the Naruto bit. But meh. If you wondering why Kankuro was missing in the end, it's the same as Canon. I just skipped that bit.
Also, on a sidenote, the four guardians were only dealing with the first wave. So yes, the Suna and Oto ninja got owned pretty quick. But remember, in war, there's no such thing as just one all-out attack.
So, sorry for the late update, and thanks for bearing with me, but if you enjoyed this chapter, the next would be even better. After all, it's all out war with this one, along with true kage-level fights, completely unlike those pussy stuff in the manga.
So review and tell me your thoughts. Until then, cya. XD