Shingen Takeda 1521: I actually think that the Sasuke Retrieval Arc was one of the best arcs in the canon, second only to the Invasion of Pain Arc. I want to add my own twist, but at the same time, I don't want to take away from a great arc.
And what I'm going to do with Sasuke is the biggest conundrum I'm experiencing. Should he be saved or should he be allowed to sink into the depths of his depravity? The only definite thing is that he will have an eternal enemy that won't rest until he's dead.
Thanks to Rose Tiger and No-I'm not on Facebook for the support!
Collaboration! The Broken Bond Has Been Mended!
"This sacrifice is your duty to your nation; to the entire ninja world!" shouted Minato as he stood before the assembled Hi Army. Thousands of samurai and ninja stood below the Hokage Tower, eagerly anticipating their warlord's words. With the Fire Lord and Daimyo on his left, and Jiraiya and Tsunade on his right, Minato's voice rose as he issued a formal declaration of total war.
"War has plagued our nation for nearly a century now, and I would not thrust us into the maw of such a beast with faint regard for the damage it brings.
"But I realize now that this will not go as I wish. Orochimaru, Ryotenbin no Onoki (Onoki of Both Scales), and Ebi Yagura [1] must be stopped before they lead the world to ruin! We shall not sleep, we shall not rest, and we shall not stop until these monsters are wiped out!
"The Hokages past have promised with each war everlasting peace. I cannot and shall not promise you such a fallacy. I can promise you, however, that no longer will the fear of these tyrants loom over us like ash from a volcano. Are you with me?"
The roar of the legions of warriors was all the conformation that Minato needed. He extended his arms, effectively silencing them, and shouted, "Then let it begin! Unleash hell, my brothers!"
"That speech you gave was very stirring, Yondaime-sama," congratulated the Fire Lord as Minato removed his Hokage robe in the safety of his office. "You're a natural orator, just like your grandfather, Seigyoku-sama. Speaking of him, my father was a tad disappointed that he opted to not become the Nidaime. Tobirama-sama did an excellent job, but we all believed Seigyoku-sama."
"My clan never had any interests in politics," replied Minato as he poured two cups of green tea for him and the Fire Lord. "Truthfully, I only took the Hokage position at Hiruzen-sama's request. I was a hero to the village, and after Orochimaru's defection, they needed someone to believe in. I grew to love the job as the years went along."
The two sat at the Yondaime's desk and sipped their teas. "How is Naruto-kun?" asked the Fire Lord.
Minato smiled, and responded, "He was promoted to Chuunin just the other day."
The Fire Lord clapped his hands and jovially said, "You must be proud!" Minato nodded as he sipped his tea again. "I don't think I saw him during the declaration of war."
Minato's mood darkened a little and he answered, "I sent him and Nara Shikamaru on a mission that is vital to our war efforts. I'm sure you know about the Uchiha Tragedy."
"I have a limited knowledge of it," the Fire Lord said as he sipped his tea. "Uchiha Itachi murdered his clan in an attempt to fully unlock his Sharingan. Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Sasuke were the only survivors; Obito-san had just returned to the village at the time of the crime, and he arrived just in time to protect Sasuke-kun."
"You're half-right. There is more to the story than even I knew at first glance," replied Minato.
"Really?" asked the Fire Lord, his interest piqued. "What else happened? And what does this have to do with the war?"
"Uchiha Sasuke was attacked by Orochimaru a couple months ago during the Chuunin Exams. He was given a Curse Seal, a Fuuinjutsu that uses dark emotions in its victims to make them depraved and evil. Orochimaru activated this curse last night, and Sasuke-kun is presently en route to Otogakure no Sato."
"Not to sound harsh, but how can one Genin impact the war?"
"Sasuke possesses a fully matured Sharingan. If Orochimaru is allowed to take the boy, he'll be able to use that Sharingan to master the most complicated Kinjutsu in the world with little effort. He can then use Sasuke to eliminate us."
The Fire Lord leaned back in his seat and muttered, "Damn."
"It is because of this that I ordered Nara Shikamaru covertly to bring Sasuke back dead or alive; if he resists too much, kill him."
"But the Sharingan is endanger of going extinct!" shouted the Fire Lord. "Surely, you would like for us to keep one of our biggest advantages over the other four nations?"
"We still have Obito and Shikan," Minato replied. "They can rebuild the Uchiha Clan."
"If you say so," replied the Fire Lord. "Now, tell me the truth behind the Uchiha Clan massacre. I must now." [2]
The Sound Four sat in a clearing several miles away from where they left Jirobo and the Konoha-nin. They were panting in exhaustion from running at full speed for so long, but they felt comfortable enough to rest easy. They had seen the explosion from where they had left Jirobo, and felt the Konoha-nin's presence fade.
"What's taking that fat ass so long?" grumbled Tayuya in annoyance. Sakon nodded in agreement.
"I feel his chakras," replied Kidomaru. "It is very close." As if on cue, Jirobo stumbled into the clearing. His body was banged up badly, and he seemed exhausted.
"You took long enough," stated Sakon as he stretched his tired limbs. "You should have just stuffed your face like you always do; we would have been able to cover a lot more ground."
Jirobo grinned stupidly and replied, "Their chakras smelled so good. I had to savor the moment."
Tayuya grunted in aggravation and screamed, "Grab Shodaime-sama's container! My fucking back hurts from carrying your load, you fat fucker!"
Jirobo wordlessly moved toward Orochimaru's case. Kidomaru and Sakon looked at each other and nodded. The spider-nin created a golden arrow and produced a bow. He took aim at Jirobo, whose back was turned, and released. The arrow's flight was stopped halfway toward the ogre-nin and floated stilly in the air.
"Guess the jig is up," grumbled "Jirobo". He exploded into smoke and became Naruto. "I gotta know. How did you figure me out?"
Kidomaru chuckled and answered, "Jirobo always chastises Tayuya for her profanity. And he's much more abrasive towards us than you were." Kidomaru made a hand seal and shouted, "Ninpou: Kumo Bakudan (Ninja Art: Spider Web Bomb)[3]!"
The spider-nin spat out a massive ball of webbing fluid and watched with glee as it exploded all over the clearing, trapping the blonde Kitsune and his hidden comrades.
"You're the clowns Konoha entrusted to bring back Orochimaru-sama?" laughed Kidomaru. "You kids are jokes! Jirobo's fat ass was a weak link we had meant to get rid of a long time ago. You'll soon discover that I don't like to waste time like he does."
Three figures leapt through the late afternoon air, searching for something. Their bodies were obscured by the shadows of the foliage, masking their approach.
"How far off is the site of the explosion?" shouted the figure, obviously a man, in the center.
"Just a few hundred feet to our immediate right!" shouted a petite feminine voice, much younger than the first voice.
The first figure shouted to the third figure, "Search for survivors and stabilize them until Shizune gets here! Then catch up to us as quickly as possible!"
"Aye aye, mon capitaine!" the third figure, also a female, shouted before breaking rank to search the bomb sight.
Lee struggled to breathe as his rib dug deeper into his lung. Just before he killed Jirobo (whose corpse lay mangled in a crater a few yards away), the ogre-nin managed to get a lucky shot at his ribs. The Chishiotora kept watch over the injured boy. It gently licked Lee's face, hoping that its action would miraculously heal its young ward. A sudden rustling in the bushes caused the massive tiger to go on high alert.
It slammed its paws into the ground and several sharp pillars of rocks burst from the ground under the plant, intent on killing whatever was in the bushes. A column of water smashed into the Chishiotora, knocking it away from Lee.
The red tiger roared, causing a tremor and knocking the ninja that attacked it down. It pounced on the downed warrior and prepared to end the human's life.
Lee turned to the tiger and weakly shouted, "Stop!"
The Chishiotora stopped mid-bite. Much to the surprise of all involved, the Chishiotora asked, "Do you know this woman?"
The Green Beast looked at the ninja and incredulously murmured, "Haku-chan?"
"Yup," Haku replied. "Now, would you mind GETTING THIS TIGER OFF OF ME?"
The Chishiotora moved off of Haku and cautiously eyed her as she slowly got off the ground. "I followed after you guys about eight hours ago," explained Haku as she kneeled by Lee to heal him. "My back up went on ahead to see if they can catch up to Sasuke-kun.
"Where'd the tiger come from?" she asked, gesturing toward the Chishiotora.
"My name is Toramaru [4]," the tiger said. "I belong to the Tora Yokai Clan. I was asked by a man named Lee Daichi to watch over this boy after his death. I was also asked to bring him my clan's summoning scroll to sign."
Lee's face lit up and he excitedly asked, "My father is alive?"
Toramaru nodded. "He is stuck in the Makai."
"Can you take me to him?" asked Lee.
Toramaru sadly shook his head and answered, "I am sorry. Any human who enters the Makai will never return to Earth alive."
Toramaru laid down next to Haku as she finished healing a saddened Lee. "That's the best I can do. Your broken rib's gonna need to be surgically removed from your lung, but you should be alright. I'll stay with you until Lady Shizune gets here."
The Green Beast shook his head and replied, "Go ahead. Naruto-senpai and the others need you. Toramaru-sama will protect me."
Haku hesitated before nodding and racing off into the foliage. Lee turned his head from Toramaru, hiding his salty tears from the demon tiger. The Chishiotora still leaned over to Lee and licked his tears away.
Kidomaru laughed as he finished webbing up his prey. "I shouldn't eat you guys; you'd just go right to my ass. But if I don't, you'll just follow after us. And killing you guys has no downside; Oto and Konoha are at war already, after all," mused Kidomaru as he approached the first of the webbed Konoha-nin.
Before Kidomaru could begin to feast on his prey, a dragon made of pure electricity made its way toward the spider-nin. He nimbly leapt over the attack and watched as it collided with the ground before him. Kidomaru thrust his upper left arm out to block the powerful kick from the ninja above him. The spider-nin then thrust out his lower right arm into the ninja's throat, seemingly killing him. Kidomaru howled in pain as a powerful electric current surged through his body.
"Pretty good string of attacks. You used a Rairyudan (Electric Dragon Bullet)[5], and then sent a Raikou Bunshin (Lightning Clone) in to handle Taijutsu while you recovered from your Ninjutsu's nasty side affect," remarked Kidomaru. He gasped in shock as a kunai pressed up against his throat.
"Do you always talk this much?" asked Obito as he prepared to slit the spider-nin's throat.
"Wait!" shouted Kidomaru, stopping the Elite Jonin from ending his life. "Don't you want to know some vital information?"
The Uchiha Lord spun the spider-nin around and kicked him in his chest, knocking him away. "I'm listening," Obito gruntly replied.
"Tell you what. If you defeat me, then I'll tell you where Orochimaru-sama's base is," Kidomaru quickly said.
"Wait, Obito-sensei!"
The two ninja turned to see Hinata and the other Konoha-nin leap out of the bushes. "I'll fight this creep and find out where Orochimaru's base is! You guys head on to save Sasuke."
Neji stepped in front of Hinata and replied, "It is my duty to protect you, Hinata-hime. We shall fight this man together. Do you agree?"
Hinata nodded her consent. Obito sighed and then said to the Hyuuga-nin, "You two better stay alive. Haku-chan should catch up with us soon. *turns to the other Konoha-nin* Let's move out!" The other Konoha-nin leapt into the foliage, save for Naruto.
"Hina-chan, you better catch up to us," said Naruto sternly. He turned to Neji and said, "If anything happens to Hina-chan, I'm holding you responsible, got it?"
"Good thing I won't allow anything to happen," replied Neji as he dropped into a Juken stance. "Now go on ahead! We'll join up with you momentarily."
Naruto nodded and raced after his comrades. Kidomaru chuckled and then asked Hinata, "So the blonde one is fucking you, eh? That's cute." Despite the fierce look on Hinata's face, a slight blush crept over it, causing Kidomaru to break into a full-blown laughter. "If you want, after I kill your friend, I can teach you how to please a man."
"Shut your mouth!" roared an angry Neji as he raced toward the spider-nin.
Kidomaru spat out a glob of golden web and quickly fashioned it into an arrow. "Ninpou: Kumonenkin (Ninja Art: Golden Spider Spikes)!"
The spider-nin flung the arrow forcefully at Neji, who literally bent over backwards to avoid it. Kidomaru was so focused on Neji that he almost failed to notice the Hyuuga princess coming up behind him. He spun around with tremendous velocity and grabbed her wrist.
"Uh uh uh," giggled Kidomaru as he twisted Hinata's wrist. "I know all about your Juken, girl. Did you honestly believe that I would let you—"
Neji took advantage of the spider-nin's position and attempted to kick him in his windpipe. Kidomaru merely used his upper left hand to grab the boy's leg. "These extra arms ain't for show, kid."
He spun the Hyuugas around and flung them away in opposite directions. Kidomaru spat out several golden arrows at Hinata. The Hyuuga princess activated her Byakugan and smashed the arrows with the pinpoint accuracy of the Juken style Taijutsu.
Neji leapt at the spider-nin and began to furiously assault him. Kidomaru was barely able to deflect fatal blows, and his body began to scream in pain. He kneed Neji, stopping the ferocious assault and knocking the boy away. Kidomaru spat out a volley of webs at Neji, which Hinata quickly destroyed. He leapt away and made a hand seal. His injuries magically healed, and an evil smirk spread across the spider-nin's face.
"I'm sure you know my sensei, Yakushi Kabuto, and the abilities his clan possessed," began Kidomaru smugly as he stood up. "While my own replication isn't perfect, it's more than enough to keep me healthy while I kill you two!"
Kidomaru fired off a massive volley of webs, which the Hyuugas deftly dodged and destroyed. One of the webs hit Hinata, causing her to fall to the ground. More and more webs collided with her body until all that was left was a massive blob of webs. Neji leapt at Kidomaru, but a web to the face dropped the Hyuuga-nin.
"You guys are pathetic!" bellowed Kidomaru in amusement. "I was always taught to fear Hyuugas, but that was obviously an exaggeration.
"I grow bored with you two," Kidomaru nonchalantly said as he created another golden arrow. "Time to die!"
"Ninpou: Haretsu (Ninja Art: Explosion)[6]!"
The massive glob next to Kidomaru exploded, knocking him away and destroying his arrow. Hinata charged up her hand and cut the webs off of Neji's face.
"Are you ok, Neji-kun?" asked Hinata as she helped Neji sit up.
"Look out!" he shouted as he shoved Hinata out of the way. The arrow that was aimed at Hinata's head ripped through Neji's right forearm, tearing off a chunk of flesh on its trajectory toward the tree behind Neji.
"You're in my field of divination!"
Kidomaru spun around to see Hinata standing behind him, in a Juken stance. "Neji-kun, can you fight?" asked Hinata as Neji stood up weakly and dropped into an inverse of the stance Hinata was in.
"Let's do it," he grunted as they rushed the spider-nin. "Hakke Rokujuyon Serei Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Spirit Palms)[7]!" shouted Neji as he pounded his palms into Kidomaru.
"Two palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms!" roared Neji as he knocked the Oto-nin into the air.
Hinata followed the spider-nin and shouted, "Hakke Kasui Haratenami (Eight Trigrams Stream Palm Wave)[8]"
She began to strike Kidomaru all over his body, cutting the chakra network to pieces. The Hyuuga princess charged up chakra into her palm and smashed it into his body, sealing away a massive amount of his vile chakra. Kidomaru collapsed on the ground and remained unnaturally still.
Hinata rushed over to Neji and began to heal his wound. "Are you ok, Neji-kun?"
He nodded as Hinata's healing energies fixed his arm. "I've hurt this arm worse during a mission in Kusa. Lee-kun accidentally kicked me during a battle with ronin," chuckled Neji.
"Do you really think this battle is over?"
Hinata and Neji spun around to see a fearsome oni standing before them. Kidomaru's hair had turned grey and his skin brown; a third eye popped up on his forehead; and spikes began to pop up all over his arms.
"Do you like my makeover?" joked Kidomaru as he spun around for the Hyuugas. "I think I look good; do you?"
"H-How did you survive?" gasped Hinata. "That was our strongest combination jutsu!"
It was then that Neji noticed the pieces of gold scattered all over the ground where Kidomaru's body was. "You covered your body in that gold silk webbing. That's how you survived our assault," answered Neji.
Kidomaru laughed and said, "Ding ding ding! We have a winner! I cover myself in the stuff before every mission! I'm invulnerable, motherfuckers!"
'How do we seal his tenketsu if we can't touch his skin?' thought Neji as he appraised his strong, demonic foe.
"Using Taijutsu against you two is a complete no-no," mused Kidomaru. "You two are strong enough to rip me to fucking shreds. Guess I'll just have to improvise!"
Kidomaru vanished, much to the shock of the two Hyuuga-nin. After a few still moments, a golden arrow hit the ground right in front of Hinata. She leapt out of the way as more began to fall from the trees. Neji leapt directly in front of her and began spinning, activating his Kaiten. The spiraling shield of chakra knocked away all of the arrows, sending them two and fro across the clearing.
The shield dissipated, and Hinata flung a kunai at the hiding spider-nin. Kidomaru ducked just in time to avoid allowing the kunai to become embedded in his third eye.
"Pay more attention!"
Kidomaru leapt out of the tree he was in as Neji's palm collided with the tree bark. The spider-nin made several hand seals and shouted, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A massive cloud covered the clearing; Hinata leapt out of it to rejoin her cousin. A massive spider revealed itself, much to Hinata's disgust. It was covered in a brownish-orange shade with eight fearsome red eyes; two obsidian black pincers dripping with caustic venom; and eight sharp, long legs.
"This is the Kumo no Jirai (Land Mine Spider)[9]," Kidomaru said darkly as he landed on its head. "It's the largest spider demon in existence and it's mine to control. I'd love to see your Juken harm this behemoth!"
Kidomaru concentrated and watched with glee as a glowing red, vine-like pattern spread across the kumo-oni's body. The Kumo no Jirai opened its mouth and fired dozens of massive golden arrows at the two Hyuuga-nin. All Hinata and Neji could do was leap into the trees to avoid being impaled by the spider's projectiles. One arrow pierced the tree Neji was hiding behind a mere centimeter away from his head. He hadn't noticed it until it went through the tree.
Kidomaru smirked and thought, 'Gotcha, bitch!'
The Kumo no Jirai roared and sprayed Neji's hiding place with its acidic venom, literally melting the tree and forcing the Hyuuga-nin into the open. The giant spider then fired off millions of small projectiles at him, which Neji defelected with his Kaiten. Kidomaru created a bow out of his golden silk and another arrow and took aim at Neji. He waited until the Hyuuga stopped spinning to fire his weapon.
The golden arrow split the air in half as it jettisoned toward Neji, who stood at an angle opposite the arrow's trajectory. Kidomaru smiled with glee as Neji had yet to realize he was about to be ventilated by the archaic weapon. The arrow suddenly shifted slightly to the right, and Neji spun around and snapped it in two with a forceful Juken strike. Kidomaru cursed as Hinata's form popped up in his peripheral vision.
"You're pretty smart," Hinata said as she stood by her cousin. "No one outside of our clan knows about or has ever been able to figure out that the Byakugan has only a 359 degree field of vision. For you to figure that out in this short amount of time is something truly amazing, but Neji-kun and I have learned to compensate for this weakness."
Kidomaru growled and bang his fist into the Kumo no Jirai's head. The massive oni fired millions of tiny arrows, which Neji and Hinata leapt high into the air to avoid. The Oto-nin attempted to supplement his summon's onslaught. The Hyuugas merely destroyed every arrow that headed their way with quick Juken strikes.
Kidomaru smirked and thought to himself, 'So that's their game. They almost got away with it.'
The Oto-nin slammed his fist into the Kumo no Jirai once again, forcing it to fire more needles. Kidomaru waited until the Hyuuga-nin jumped into the air to pound on the massive spider's head. It roared in anger before spraying out its venom, forcing Neji and Hinata to separate. Kidomaru took aim at Neji's blind spot and fired.
Blood sprayed all over the clearing, and Kidomaru licked his lips in glee. Hinata dropped to the ground awkwardly, a golden arrow sticking out of the center of her chest. Neji knelt beside his cousin and cradle her in his arms.
"Hinata-hime!" he screamed as he clutched her closer. "Please be alright! Please!"
Hinata weakly smiled before whispering, "I-I saved you, t-this ti…"
The Hyuuga princess' eyes fluttered shut, and Neji roared in pain. He gently laid Hinata on her side and looked at Kidomaru with the most intense hatred ever.
"It's time to stop fucking around," Neji whispered as he made a hand seal.
Brass arm and leg weights appeared on the Hyuuga-nin's limbs. He made an inverse seal and loud unlocking sounds filled the air. The weights dropped to the ground, creating craters all around Neji.
Kidomaru burst into a raucous, maniacal laughter and shouted, "You think losing a little weight is gonna save you! I'm gonna kill you just like I killed your fucking comrade! Right in the fucking—"
"You talk too much," Neji replied darkly as he appeared before Kidomaru. "And because of that, you're now in my field of divination! Hakke Hyaku Nijuhachi Sho (Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms)!"
Kidomaru was so shocked by Neji's sudden burst of speed that he didn't even attempt to block Neji's flurry of attacks. Neji directed every single blow at the Oto-nin's heart. By the time the onslaught was over, Neji had stopped and restarted Kidomaru's heart one hundred twenty-seven times.
"Die scum!" screamed Neji as he sent the last blow into Kidomaru's heart, sending him flying into a tree and ending his life.
The Kumo no Jirai roared before dissipating, as the source of chakra keeping it tethered to the world had suddenly been disconnected. Neji gracefully landed on his feet and took off at full sprint toward Hinata.
"Hang on, Hinata-hime," he whispered as he picked his cousin up. "There's a ninja base not too far from here. I'll get you help!"
Neji vanished from the clearing, fleeing from the Shinigami in the hopes of saving his cousin.
Next Time: We've finally got Sasuke back, but Otogakure sent back up! And in five seconds, he splits up our whole group! I don't care if Orochimaru came here himself, I'll kill him and bring Sasuke back!
Separated! The Boogeyman Cometh!
1- New Character Bio (Ebi Yagura): The Yondaime Mizukage and the former leader of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu. Not much is known about him, but he did lead the Shinobigatana to battle with Namikaze Minato and his squad in the Battle for Umi no Kuni. I am going to leave his bio at this, he'll get a more in depth bio in Rosuto.
2- BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Took a page outta Bakamoto's, er, manga! You gotta wait a couple chapters for this!
3- Ninpou: Kumo Bakudan (Ninja Art: Spider Web Bomb): The user creates a bomb-shaped web that covers everything within a specific range in sticky goop when detonated.
4- New Character Bio (Toramaru): Toramaru is a demon belonging to the Tora Clan. He is a powerful fighter proficient in Doton Jutsu. His name is a combination of Tora (tiger) and the suffix for boy (-maru).
5- Raiton: Rairyudan no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Electric Dragon Bullet Technique): The user creates a dragon out of electricity and then sends it to destroy anything foolish enough to be caught in its path. The user uses his body as a conduit for the technique, leaving him temporarily stunned by the electricity coursing through him.
6- Ninpou: Haretsu (Ninja Art: Explosion): A Ninpou created by the Hyuuga clan to work in conjuncture with the Juken style of Taijutsu. The user spins their chakra around them and then fires it in a concussive burst, damaging any living thing around them.
7- Hakke Rokujuyon Serei Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Spirit Palms): Neji uses his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but only 8 to 16 times and sends the enemy flying with his palms. Used in conjunction with Hinata's Hakke Kasui Haratenami.
8- Hakke Kasui Haratenami (Eight Trigrams Stream Palm Wave): Hinata uses a two-handed Gentle Fist on the enemy several times from all angles before dashing in front of them and charging chakra within her palms and striking the enemy, draining their chakra.
9- Kumo no Jirai (Land Mine Spider): The Kumo no Jirai is the largest species of kumo-oni in existence. It stands at 22 feet.
I apologize for the delay. Prom and finals and other fun events. With graduation a few days away, I'll be free to do more writing.
