A/N: Hi everybody! Since you guys liked the last chapter so much, I put up another one within this month. Anyway, congrats to those who were able to figure out the identity of the Inuzuka boy in Chapter 45. Brownie points are awarded to:
Felix the Eeveeetrainer
czgohan
blacksinger
GraityTheWizard
Silver Warrior
Psycho King
firebird45x
flavoroftheday
Congrats to you folks!
A Fox among the Hounds
Sannin Showdown
Shizune could only look in sheer horror as her mentor was impaled by the Kusanagi sword. The sword dug deep into Tsunade's stomach and came out through her lower back. Quickly healing herself and Aomaru, Shizune and the nin-ken moved to help Tsunade, but a crushing wave of killing intent from Orochimaru kept them from coming to the Slug Sannin's aid.
Jiraiya and Gamabunta rushed in as well, but were boxed-in by Manda and forced to continue battling the Snake Alpha.
"A foolish move, Tsu-hime," Orochimaru remarked, pulling out the Kusanagi. "That strike was meant for that meddling brat, not you. Something tells me that letting him live would only create another thorn in my side." Chuckling evilly, he brought down the Kusanagi once more, aiming to skewer Naruto.
But before the blade could meet its mark, it was intercepted by a smaller blade. Tsunade had picked up Naruto's kodachi, using it to parry the Kusanagi.
"And something tells me that letting him live will create one of the greatest Kages in Konoha's history," she retorted, pushing back the Snake Sannin. "You're not getting through him, slimeball. Not while I'm still around!"
"Pah!" Orochimaru spat. "Kage? That title is meaningless. I've seen missing-nin more powerful than those over-glorified guard dogs. Only an idealistic fool would still want to become one of those."
"Only a fool would aspire to be Hokage." That was what Tsunade had told Naruto. A wave of guilt swept over the Slug Sannin. The boy had looked downright insulted, and Jiraiya himself had been none too pleased, considering that their recently deceased sensei was none other than the Sandaime who had given his life to free the Shodai and Niidaime's souls from Orochimaru's twisted ministrations.
Sacrifice. That was what the title of Hokage symbolized. It meant sacrificing what they held dear for the greater good of the village. Nawaki had sacrificed his future; Dan had sacrificed his love; Sarutobi had sacrificed his life, and Naruto had nearly followed suit. Tsunade felt downright ashamed. She had been selfish, spending the last fifteen years in a drunken haze, but no more.
"You're wrong Orochimaru," Tsunade said suddenly. "The Hokage is actually one of the strongest people in the world, because a Hokage's life revolves around sacrifice. And you know what, bastard? I would gladly give my life to protect Konoha and those loyal to it!"
"Then we'll just have to remedy that, won't we, Tsu-hime? If you want to stick with the brat and follow Sensei's ideals, I'll be glad to send you both over to him!"
Orochimaru brought down his sword several more times, only to have each strike blocked by the kodachi-wielding Tsunade. "Why do you even bother to protect that boy? You have no obligation to him! And that village? Have you forgotten that it was their petty wars that took away your brother and lover?"
"Au contraire, Snake-bastard," Tsunade snapped. "It is within my line of duty to protect Konoha and its loyal shinobi because I AM THE FIFTH HOKAGE!" At the outburst, she connected Orochimaru with a powerful kick that sent him flying several meters backwards.
"Impressive, Tsu-hime," the Snake Sannin cackled madly. "I'd never expect you to have such an aptitude for kenjutsu." He leapt up into the air, before landing back on Manda's nose. "But let's see if that can save you from the power of the Snakes!"
Tsunade grit her teeth, knowing that she was too injured to take on the Snake Lord. However, she still had a few tricks up her sleeve…
"Ninpo: Souzo Saisei!" Activating the seal on her forehead, Tsunade was enveloped in a burst of chakra that healed her wounds instantaneously.
Shizune could not believe it. Her mentor had actually used the Souzo Saisei. While the jutsu did a lot of good by healing all of its user's wounds despite their severity, it had one major drawback. By speeding up the cell division, the user's lifespan was shortened every time the Souzo Saisei was used.
Orochimaru grinned maniacally. "So you healed your wounds… But I highly doubt that that would save you from Manda's wrath! Prepare to die Tsunade!" he crowed as Manda charged towards the blond medic.
"Think again, Teme!" Jiraiya yelled as Gamabunta landed heavily right in the Snake Lord's path. "Now, Tsunade!"
Nodding, Tsunade cut her palm with Naruto's kodachi. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" she cried, slamming her bloody hand onto the ground.
There was a tremendous cloud of smoke and Tsunade rose higher and higher into the air. When the smoke cleared, the blonde was standing between the eyestalks of a giant slug. The unexpected appearance of the slug temporarily halted the battle between the Toad Boss and the Snake Lord.
"Lady Tsunade!" greeted the slug in a pleasant, feminine voice. "It's been years since I last saw you."
"Yeah," agreed the female Sannin. "It's nice to see you again, Lady Katsuyu, but it's best if we save the pleasantries for later. Right now-" She pointed to her former teammates and their summons. "-we have bigger fish to fry."
"Understood," said the slug known as Katsuyu, slithering towards the two other Alpha Summons.
"About time you showed up, Katsuyu," commented Gamabunta. "Hope you can still hold your ground against this jerk."
"Do not fret, 'Bunta," reassured the Slug Queen. "I may have not seen a fight in years, but I definitely did not let my skills go to waste."
"Can we save this for later?" asked Jiraiya, perched atop the Toad Boss' nose. "Evil, psycho snake-man at twelve-o'-clock."
Orochimaru sneered nastily at the Toad Sage's remark. "Is this another one of your pathetic attempts at humor, Dobe? Since our days as a team up until now, you still are immature."
"You don't have to worry about that anymore, slimeball!" Tsunade yelled. "When this fight's over, the Sannin will be no more!
"Katsuyu," she commanded. "Please take Shizune and the Inuzukas to a safer location."
"Yes Milady." In a manner similar to the bunshin technique, a smaller slug separated from the original, scooping up Shizune, Naruto, and Aomaru before slithering out to safety.
As soon as Shizune and the Inuzuka duo were out of sight, Tsunade initiated the summon battle by having Katsuyu spit acid at Manda. However, Manda managed to evade the attack and retaliated by wrapping his tail around the Slug Queen, literally squeezing the life out of her. Gamabunta intervened by swing his tanto towards the Snake Lord's head, only to have Manda clamp his jaws over the blade.
"Crap! We're trapped!" growled Gamabunta as he tried to pull his tanto out of the Snake Lord's jaws.
"Not quite," Tsunade replied, jumping off Katsuyu. "Katsuyu, NOW!"
The Slug Queen burst into thousands of smaller slugs, only to reform a distance away, inadvertently pulling her out of the Snake Lord's death grip.
His tail now free, Manda used it to throw off Gamabunta, making the toad release his hold on the tanto. However, Manda was not done yet. He spat the giant blade towards Gamabunta and Katsuyu, aiming to impale them both. Fortunately, the Toad Boss managed to jump out of the way, and the blade imbedded itself into the ground, a few meters away from the Slug Queen.
Tsunade dashed towards the massive tanto, and using its hilt as a lever of sorts, she launched herself back onto Katsuyu's head. She was about to attack the traitorous Sannin once more, when Jiraiya stepped forward instead.
"Step back, Tsu-hime," he said. "I'm finishing this once and for all. Yo 'Bunta, let's grease the pan and preheat this oven, shall we?"
"Alright," Gamabunta replied testily. "But this is going to your tab."
Jiraiya quickly flipped through the hand signs as the Toad Boss spat out a copious amount of oil. "Katon: Gamayu Endan!" A fireball emerged and ignited the oil flow, which in turn fueled the raging flames, increasing the fireball's size.
The fireball came in contact with Manda, creating a veritable inferno of smoke and fire.
"That should do it," cheered Jiraiya. "Nothing in creation could survive something like that."
"I think you'd better recant your statement," Gamabunta replied, pointing to what looked like a colossal piece of charred snake molt.
Jiraiya was flabbergasted. "What the-? How?" he sputtered. "Where could have that snake gone?"
"Under your nose and one step ahead as it always has been!" bellowed Manda as he reared up from underground and dove towards Jiraiya and Gamabunta, mouth agape and ready to bite them.
"OH, SHUT UP!" Tsunade roared, ramming Gamabunta's tanto blade right through the Snake Lord's maw. However, her victory was short-lived when Orochimaru's tongue constricted around her neck.
"You will rue the day that you interfered with my plans!" he screamed, as the slimy appendage wound tighter around her neck.
"Oh yeah?" Tsunade snarled, wriggling free and taking hold of the tongue that nearly strangled her. "Well you'll rue the day that you decided to mess around with my loved ones!" Yanking the Snake Sannin forward, Tsunade cocked back her fist and slugged him as hard as she could.
As Orochimaru went skyward, Tsunade jumped after him, sending kicks and punches along his way.
As they both came back from their ascent, Tsunade landed back on the tanto's hilt, whereas Orochimaru continued plummeting towards the ground. However, turning into a human pancake was still too good a death for the Snake Sannin in Tsunade's eyes. Grabbing him by the tongue once more, she hauled him up like a yo-yo and beat him several more times, while latching onto his tongue the whole time, making it look like she was playing paddleball with the traitor as the ball.
As a battered Orochimaru rebounded back for another beatdown, Tsunade swung, but missed completely.
"Maybe you should stop," suggested Katsuyu, as she observed a pained expression cross the Slug Sannin's features when she missed. "Your muscles have finally reached their limits."
Tsunade snorted as she continued her assault on the unfortunate traitor. "Naw, I'm just a bit rusty, is all. Nothing that a little warm-up couldn't fix, and I have the perfect training dummy right here." She emphasized her point by sending Orochimaru earthbound with a particularly vicious punch.
Realizing that this was his chance, Orochimaru attempted to flee the battle, but Tsunade had caught up with him.
"And where do you think you're going, slippery snake?" she snarled, unleashing another flurry of kicks and punches.
In a last-ditch effort to defend himself, Orochimaru's tongue shot out once more, wrapping itself around the Slug Sannin's waist. "Die, Tsunade!" he screamed, as he brought forth the Kusanagi in an attempt to rid himself of his former teammate once and for all.
"Not in this life!" Tsunade replied, freeing herself from her teammate's tongue and using the Kusanagi's blade as a lever to launch herself high into the air and punched the ground with a chakra-enhanced punch, sending Orochimaru airborne once more. "Game over, dirtbag!" she shouted, giving him a spin-kick that sent him flying twenty feet, before using another super-punch that catapulted him into the tanto before he landed onto Manda's head.
"Give it up, Teme," Jiraiya called from atop of Gamabunta. "It's over!"
"Never!" Orochimaru cackled madly. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I'd surrender to any of you fools!"
"You're the fool!" Manda managed to hiss despite the blade sealing his mouth shut. "Your idiocy has cost me my meal today! It is only this accursed blade that prevents me from devouring you right this instant! You will pay dearly for this!" The Snake Lord gave another angry hiss before returning to the Summon Realm.
Orochimaru could only stare blankly at the spot the Snake Lord occupied, when the crunch of gravel brought him back to reality. He looked up to see his former teammates staring down at him in disgust.
Jiraiya was quick to remark. "Well, how the mighty have fallen."
Orochimaru choked out a bitter laugh. "You really think you could defeat me? I, who have achieved immortality?" he crowed, peeling off his face to reveal the true visage of his host's body. He looked at Tsunade. "Even if you will not heal my arms, I'll simply find another way."
"Oh, that is just wrong on so many levels," Tsunade commented.
Jiraiya simply glared at the man he once considered as his best friend.
'This isn't Orochimaru,' he whispered to himself. 'The Oro-teme I knew would never defile a human body for his own personal gain. This has to be someone else…'
"I'd hate to cut this reunion short, but something came up," Orochimaru sneered as he phased into the ground. "'Til next time, dear friends."
Jiraiya and Tsunade dove in to prevent the villain from escaping, but it was too late. Orochimaru had once again evaded the long arm of the law.
"Well, at least we managed to catch his whiny little assistant," Jiraiya muttered. "That's one traitor down for the books."
"I beg to differ, Lord Jiraiya," said Kabuto as he weakly got up. "A word of advice, you really shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch."
"Jiraiya, come on! Grab 'im!" Tsunade screeched, lunging for the bespectacled medic.
The Toad Sage joined his teammate but Kabuto was able to slip through with a Kawarimi no Jutsu before using the Shunshin to disappear without a trace.
Tsunade stared at the spot where the young traitor vanished before punching the ground in vexation. "Damn it!"
"Knock, knock!" Jiraiya chirped as he, Tsunade and Shizune entered the hotel room where Naruto and Aomaru were currently staying as they recuperated from their battle against Kabuto.
Naruto put down the magazine he was reading. "Ero-Sennin! Granny Tsunade! Shizune-neechan! What brings you here?"
His greeting was replied by a "Don't call me that!" and a couple of punches to his head, courtesy of Jiraiya and Tsunade. At his bedside, Aomaru rolled his eyes in that doggy manner of his.
"Great news, kid!" Jiraiya announced cheerfully. "The mission was a success!"
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really? You mean-"
Tsunade ruffled Naruto's spiky locks. "Yep. Ya got yourself a new Hokage, kid."
"Look at it this way, Gaki," said Jiraiya, a perverted grin flitting his lips. "Now your girlfriend back home has a fighting chance for recovery."
Tsunade's expression was incredulous. "He did this for a girl?"
"Yes, I'm doing this for a girl," said a very embarrassed Naruto. "But she's not my girlfriend! We're just good friends." Beside him, Aomaru snorted as if to say, "Keep telling yourself that."
"But in all truth, ya did good, kid," Jiraiya quipped, eyeing the Shodai's pendant dangling from Naruto's neck. "Never thought that your little wager would actually bring back a leader. Then again, Tsu-hime always was a bad gambler."
Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, do you really think that Granny Tsunade would make a good Hokage? She drinks, she gambles, and she ain't fooling anyone with that 'fountain-of-youth' jutsu of hers."
"Brat…"
Naruto turned to see Tsunade looming over him with fire flashing out of her eyes. She brought up her finger, and the blond screwed his eyes shut, expecting another finger flick, like his last encounter with the Slug Sannin. However, the pain and the flying sensation never came. Instead, there was a slight poke on his forehead.
Taken aback by the Sannin's gentleness, the younger blond opened his eyes to see Tsunade smiling at him. "You're a really miracle in the making, kid. I have a feeling that you'll become an excellent ninja and a great Hokage in the future."
Naruto blushed. "Really?"
Tsunade kissed him on the forehead. "Really."
Naruto pumped his fist into the air before jumping out of bed. "LOOK OUT WORLD, 'CUZ HERE COMES NARUTO INUZUKA, FUTURE HOKAGE!!!"
A/N: And that was the conclusion of the Search for Tsunade Arc. Dang, that thing was a doozy to write, so take my word for when I say that I know that it's cluttered. I had to go to just to look at the episode synopsis to finish this thing. All-in-all, I think this chapter is most canonically accurate on I have written so far, but there are still changes, of course. After this, I'd probably write a few filler chapters before proceeding to the Retrieval Arc. That's right, folks! This story's almost done. But don't fret. As I said, I am projecting for a prequel entitled The Tale of the Claw, or a sequel called Secret of the Tails. Stay beautiful, and don't forget to read and review!
Love and peace,
N & B
P.S.: While you guys wait for my updates, feel free to check out a new story that I have put up as my side project. It's a parody of Charlotte's Web entitled Kurenai's Web. I know you think that parodies are probably the lowest form of literature, but seriously please give this one a chance. Reviews are greatly appreciated.
