Underlined speech is thought.
Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character.
Sections both underlined and italicized are quotes that a character said earlier in this story's timeline.
CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.
These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.
Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.
Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.
Bold words are author notes.
(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi faced off against Orochimaru one on one. Thanks to his lax behavior, the snake was able to slither away for a bit. This led to a short chase where Arashi had to ignore a fake injured girl. After reaching Orochimaru at a river bed, his clones started disappearing. He managed to get Orochimaru to watch Hinata's jutsu, which impressed him. Reacting instantly, Arashi blocked the sword and sent the snake away. After that, Arashi quickly used his Shockwave of Forgetfulness on Kabuto. He then had to stop Orochimaru from attacking Tsukura. After some conversation, Arashi was able to sent Orochimaru into the water with some attacks inspired by four of the masters. Orochimaru used that chance to escape leaving Arashi to speak with Kabuto.)
10-18-09
Just to let people know, I have added a new writing rule up at the top. Readers should familiarize themselves with this one as well. I will be using it in the next chapter.
"Snake's Den"
Arashi walked up to Kabuto with a smile on his face. "I hope that you enjoyed that little show Kabuto. That Orochimaru is pretty good at running away."
Kabuto smiled. "So you are saying that my name is Kabuto."
"Hai. You are Kabuto Yakushi. Before the case of the amnesia that you seem to have right now, you were known as a very skilled medical shinobi."
The memory-wiped man blinked in confusion. "A shinobi. I can hardly imagine myself being something like that."
"You don't seem as skeptical as you are saying. It's hard to tell If his memories are wiped or not. He could simply be buying time. Still, there was when he didn't obey Orochimaru's command."
"Is something wrong? You appear to be deep in thought."
"He's observant too. A born shinobi I'll bet. I am just thinking about your loss of memory. You are behaving much differently than other cases of amnesia that I have seen."
"So you have experience with amnesia. I am starting to think that you are the reason I can't remember anything."
"Avoiding the subject won't work on this guy. Interesting that he is naturally able to counter my conversation style. He could have been dangerous if he became stronger than Orochimaru. You are right."
Kabuto laughed nervously in response. "That was just a random guess. I didn't think that it would be true."
"Well, I don't really care if you know. In truth I am having trouble telling if your memories are gone or not. This leaves me with a bit of a dilemma. The main reason I wiped your memory is because you tend to be a cause of many unnecessary deaths. Since the battle was going my way, I had plenty of freedom to take this option. Striking the precise points on the head is very difficult. I am still not sure if it worked though."
"Well~, I hope you don't plan on killing me after going through the trouble."
"No, but there is something that I want from you."
"What is that?"
Hand-seals flashed for an instant. "Chakra Drain Jutsu." Arashi pressed his right hand into Kabuto's center.
Kabuto's eyes widened in surprise. "What is this? I can't back away. I'm trying, but my muscles won't move." His energy started to drain away. "I can't even fall down. It's as if his presence is keeping me up." To prove this theory, Kabuto fell as soon as Arashi stepped away.
"Thankfully, you had quite a bit of chakra to offer me. Now I can go after Orochimaru." With a high wave, Arashi directed Tsukura to follow him as he dashed down the river while pulling out one of his chakra restoring pills. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clone stayed behind as the original searched for any clue as to where Orochimaru went. He quickly noticed chakra residue from trying to cover such evidence. He blasted to his left, landing on the top of the trees. He then waved for Tsukura to come down to him.
The large owl carefully dived towards Arashi while making sure that the G-forces wouldn't be too much for the unconscious Hinata. The dive took a full minute. "What is it Arashi-san?"
"You've had a pretty good bird's-eye view of this area. I think that our slithery friend went somewhere in this direction. I want to ask you if there are any areas where you think he would have any underground bases."
"There is a semi-large clearing ahead. That would be a good place for such a hideout. I could also see and hear the snake disturbing the trees in that direction."
"Your eyes and ears are amazing things Tsukura-chan. Seeing such a thing from that distance wouldn't be too hard for me; but hearing would be impossible. … Did you know that Hinata's team in Konoha is a tracking team?"
"If I am not mistaken, they tend to use dogs." She let out a huff of amusement. "It's time for me to show my group's superiority. You can carry Hinata."
"Wait a second. I want to bring back a bit of our old routine." Arashi quickly ran through a transformation jutsu. "Okay, now." Tsukura dropped Hinata into Arashi's waiting arms.
As the large owl climbed into the skies, she shook her head in bewilderment. "Why do the strongest humans have to be either eccentric or evil? Isn't there a normal one anywhere? … And what was with that transformation anyways? Doing that only served to waste a little of his chakra. Maybe it is someone that Hinata knows."
Arashi chuckled as he thought more about when Hinata will wake up rather than where Orochimaru was. "I could really go for some teasing. Perhaps a nice burst of chakra will wake her up." Arashi concentrated before sending a large yet safe burst of chakra into the back of Hinata's head.
The Hyuga's eyelids clenched before starting to slowly open. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a blond haired head with black stripes on each cheek. "Naruto~-kun. This is a nice~ dream. It feels so~ real." She decided to focus on the sensations around her; the strong arms holding her, as well as the scent and the wind. Her eyes snapped open. "Wind? Scent? ARASHI-SHISHŌ~!"
The burst of smoke was quickly blown away as Arashi started laughing. "It didn't take you long to figure that one out."
"Put me down!"
"But up is better." Without warning, Arashi tossed Hinata's body up into the air.
Reacting quickly, Hinata reached her hand out and grabbed a branch able to hold her weight. In a single stream of fluid motion, she swung herself to the tree tops Arashi was running on. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I JUST WOKE UP! THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"
"If that could have killed you, then you would at least be injured right now. Since you are in perfect health, that little stunt I pulled couldn't have killed you."
"STILL, YOU COULD STOP DOING THOSE THINGS! I THINK THAT YOU'VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN WORSE!"
Arashi started running backwards so he could look Hinata in the eyes. "I have a good reason for that. That reason is that you have simply gotten that much stronger." Hinata developed a shocked expression. "You can think of my antics as a way to see how I gauge your strength. As you become stronger, more effective methods are required. I won't randomly toss challenges at you that you can't handle. You should really accept it as a way to train yourself to always expect the unexpected."
"You don't give me enough time to expect anything."
"Isn't what the word always~ is for."
She growled in frustration. "YOU'RE IMPOSIBLE!"
Arashi laughed. "I can't believe that you have forgotten what effect those kinds of words have on me."
Hinata's expression changed to a blank stare. "That's right. He takes them as a compliment. Can you tell me what we are doing right now?"
Arashi turned back to facing forward. "We are chasing after Orochimaru right now. It should be a good chance for you to put your Byakugan to use. Here is a little restoration pill you can use."
Hinata caught the small pill and swallowed it. "BYAKUGAN!" She focused on the chakra around her eyes and spread out her forward vision. Scanning the area only required slight turning of her head. "We are heading straight for him. He seems to be aware that we are following him."
"That's no problem. Among the three of us, it is very unlikely that he can lose us."
"Three~? Who else is there?"
"Tsukura. She hasn't gone back to where you summoned her from. She's actually right behind you."
Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin when she returned her Byakugan to a 360 degree vision. "How did you get there?"
"You underestimate the owl Hinata-chan. I believe that there are few animals, if any, better suited for the life of a shinobi than an owl. Their wings are designed precisely for making no sound when they fly, their eyes work well in low light and far distances, annd to top that off, they have ears that rival the abilities of bats."
"You are not exactly right Arashi-san. I am not among the owls whose ears are that good. You are talking about some of the smaller owl summons. I was born to have strong combat skills, but I can still use my chakra to further enhance my senses whenever I need to. This is why it is very common for Kumo tracking teams to be given a contract for summoning owls. Your's will be the first Konoha team we have been teamed with though."
Arashi chuckled. "Don't you mean to say that Hinata is the first shinobi outside of Kumo to summon your kind for~ insert number of years?"
Tsukura nodded. "It was around 80 years." She then blinked a few times as she focused ahead. "I just realized that we are chasing after an S-classed missing-nin with such a relaxed atmosphere about us."
Hinata let out an amused laugh. "It is something you tend to get used to."
"I imagine so. These two do not cease to amaze me. The bond they share is something to behold. Being summoned in the middle of noon was well worth being able to see this. I am going for a better view." Tsukura soared back into the high skies.
Arashi chuckled. "I think she has taken a liking to us. Why else would she bother coming down just to go back up afterwards."
"Arashi-shishō, I think we should focus on Orochimaru right now. He could get away while you are distracting me."
"I doubt that." Arashi's expression turned solemn. "Hinata-chan, we are doing this in hopes of finding Sasuke Uchiha; am I right. I know you want to find him partly because he was a comrade, but mostly because that is something Naruto-kun wants."
Hinata spent a few seconds thinking. "Hai, I am hoping to bring Sasuke-san back so Naruto-kun doesn't have to risk his life for it."
"You know Hinata-chan; that kindness of yours is one of your strong points, but your empathy is not always at its best."
Her eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"
"From the information I gathered about him back at the village in the short time before he left, I learned that he promised to bring Sasuke back. This is a personal goal he has set for himself. Don't you think that Naruto-kun's pride may take a blow when he realizes that he couldn't return someone he considered a brother, yet someone relatively uninvolved could?" Arashi looked back and saw Hinata in serious thought. "There, now if things go badly, she will feel more like she chose to leave Sasuke rather than feeling like she failed. Something tells me that Sasuke may be too far gone. That can happen when you are taught by someone who promotes vengeance."
Tsukura once again dived in on them. "I saw him leave the edge of the forest. He is heading for a group of scattered rock formations."
Hinata reactivated her doujutsu then nodded. "Hai, I see him too. It's strange though. We have been chasing after him for a while now, but he hasn't tried anything yet."
"You're right Hinata-chan. I have a feeling that he has prepared his base with numerous traps." Arashi grinned. "That doesn't matter. We just have to go around any traps he may have."
"And how do you propose that we do that Arashi-san. It isn't hard to lead someone where you want to in an underground base."
Arashi chuckled and grinned widely. "Then we just have to create a skylight."
"You can't be serious."
"No Tsukura-san, he is completely serious. I have seen that smile on his face too many times for me to think anything else."
"Do you even have that kind of strength Arashi-san?"
"I do, but I am thinking of pulling a little something from Tsunade's book of skills. I'm sure she won't mind me borrowing them for the moment."
Hinata's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Y-y-you can d-do that?" Arashi just continued running while laughing in a cruel way. "I asked if you can really do that."
"Of course I can Hinata-chan. I just haven't done it very often because I don't like using other people's techniques without them knowing."
Hinata's expression blanked. "What about when you imitate those masters of yours."
"They~ taught me those things. It would be an insult to their teaching skills if I didn't do those things. Who else but the original user can utilize attacks they have used countless times before in the best way? What I have in mind is a little different from the original's technique though."
Hinata let out a sigh as they left the tree tops. She focused her Byakugan and began a quick search underground. Luckily, she found nothing impeding her vision. Hinata quickly found Orochimaru just as he 'slithered' deeper into the base. She followed the staircase to the hall on the lower floor. This hall led to a shocking discovery. "It…its Sasuke-san."
"Good, just tell me where to punch through." Hinata pointed to a spot one-hundred meters away. It only took Arashi a second to reach it. "YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET ON TSUKURA!" Just as Hinata's feet left the ground, Arashi's hands blurred. "LIGHTING STYLE: CRACKLING FIST!" Seconds after his fist pierced the ground, the earth below them started to tear apart as if the power of a full scale earthquake was focused on that single area. The damage was more than enough to break through two levels of the underground base. Now in the area Hinata saw, Arashi examined what used to be an intricately designed room. Seconds later, a line of rubble was shaken off by a large snake. Both Orochimaru and Sasuke were revealed behind it. "This is a disturbing sight." Arashi focused his Keikegan upon Sasuke's Sharingan. "You may not know me, but I know you. I have to say that the purple rope is not a look that suits you. The rest of your look makes you appear more imposing than the one you wore back in Konoha."
Sasuke's eyes didn't even twitch at the name of his old home. They instead turned to Orochimaru. The snake Sannin glared at Arashi in frustration for a few seconds before returning to his usual cool exterior. "You've caused me quite a bit of trouble. Not only did you take Kabuto-kun from me, you also rendered all the time spent on setting traps a waste."
Arashi found this amusing. "Those things happen. Hanzō beat that lesson into my head many times when I trained under him."
Those words sent Orochimaru into a state of shock. "Han…zō. HANZŌ OF AME?"
"Who else would I be talking about? He was responsible for a portion of my training, though I have to say that he only got me started. Five of the six extraordinary people that trained me after that would have been able to defeat him in one-on-one fights. The sixth wouldn't have found it ridiculously easy."
As Orochimaru took this in, Sasuke slowly approached Arashi in his arrogance. "From what you say, you must be strong. Allow me to test my own strength." In an instant, two electrified swords clashed. Arashi then pushed Sasuke's sword away with deliberate ease. Sasuke quickly jumped back and punched his sword arm a few times before shaking it. "My arm was completely paralyzed. He's not using much more chakra than I am, so how did that happen?"
"It felt like a shockwave passed through your arm, didn't it. …Just to let you know…that is how you are supposed to use lighting element chakra."
Sasuke smiled with his eyes showing a form of enjoyment. "You should prove to be good practice for when I go after my brother."
"Sorry to disappoint, but I doubt that my fighting style is anything like his." Sasuke interrupted with another strike, which was blocked. The teen filched, backed off, and grabbed his arm. "I did not try to push my chakra into your arm when I blocked the first strike. I didn't give you any real hints." Sasuke struck his arm a few times. "Your arm shouldn't have any feeling back for a while"
Sasuke responded by sending out a blade of pure chakra out of his free hand. He then thrust the point multiple times. Arashi fluidly dodged the thrusts, going as far as to put a hand behind his back. That hand soon came out laced in chakra. "That's wind element."
Arashi struck the tip with his palm, followed by the chakra dispersing all the way to Sasuke's hand. The Uchiha recoiled in both surprise and pain. "That's a nice jutsu, but it is easily dispersed with a beam of wind chakra. If the vibration of your chakra was stronger, then defeating that sword wouldn't have been as easy for me."
"Vibration?"
"Of course. I believe you went through lightning manipulation training. Don't you remember how you had to support a kunai on solid rock and charge it with chakra so that gravity alone provides enough energy to sink the blade into the stone? It is the vibration that the lighting chakra causes that allows the kunai to pierce the rock. For the best lighting style jutsu, you must always keep the vibration of your chakra in mind."
Sasuke smirked. "Thanks for the advice." He charged again with his sword ready.
Arashi had time to sigh before sending out a large wave of pseudo killer intent. The moment of shock was more than enough time for Arashi to toss Sasuke out of the hole and block Orochimaru's sword. "Don't worry. I don't plan on wiping his memories if I can help it."
"Kukuku, then I should be thankful to what you've just done. Sasuke-kun has a perfect chance to escape."
"Not exactly. Hinata-chan is waiting for him. I wonder how a fight between our two disciples will turn out; though I seem to see very little of your own skills in Sasuke. That should make it more even than you against me."
"Tch, we shall see."
"I already wiped that river bank with you, which leaves watching those two. How does another temporary truce sound?"
Orochimaru growled in more frustration. "Only to prove that that girl's only strong point was that jutsu she used. I know for a fact that her talents are limited."
"Then this is a way to prove myself a better shishō who can offset talent with what he teaches. This should be fun." Arashi quickly went up to get a better view. His eyes were soon met with the sight of Sasuke and Hyuga facing each other, their doujutsu active.
I love ending chapters with cliffhangers like that. I rather make my readers anticipate the next chapter rather than fear what may happen. These kinds of cliffhangers also give me more incentive to write the next chapter. Till next time, sayonara.
Next Chapter: Accumulation; Return.
