Disclaimer: This is purely a Fanfiction story. I don't own any of the Characters present, nor DMC or any other concepts from existing works.
Author Note: Author note at the end!
Demon Talk: "Sparda."
Demon Thoughts: 'Sparda.'
Human Talk: "Sparda."
Human Thoughts: 'Sparda.'
Chapter 22: Humanity…?
'Oh no!' Mei thought in horror. Things had just taken a turn to the worst. "Zabuza, with me! Haku, Katarina, make sure everyone gets on the ship! Everyone else, follow us!" Mei hastily ordered, pointing to the shinobi around her who were previously trying to arrange the people on the ship.
She ended up pulling around seventy of her shinobi – a small force compared to the massive armada that Yagura had seemingly pulled all of sudden! – and sprinted on the water to confront Kirigakure's tyrant, among them were Zabuza, Ao, and Tsurugi.
On the other side, Yagura maintained his dispassionate visage, staring at the ships being loaded by the bloodline escapees, while Mei was making her way to confront him. Beside him, his two other generals stood, just as apathetic as he was.
The first of his two generals was Kaneda Suekichi. Kaneda was an unassuming-looking man, taller than Yagura, but by a small margin, with straight black hair that was parted in the middle and fell to either side of his head. He had thin perpetually closed eyes and had a satisfied expression that rarely left his face. He was wearing a traditional Japanese garments, in the form of Hakama pants and a Kimono top that was slightly wide in the middle and showed some of his toned muscled chest.
The second and the last of his three generals was a tall attractive woman known simply as Kagura. No one knew her last name, since she had joined Kirigakure a few years before Yagura started the Bloodline Purge, and had earned herself his trust. Kagura wore a revealing red outfit, which consisted of bandaged wrapped tightly around her chest and thighs, showing her midriff, arms, and legs with her white hair tied back by a multi-colored rope with bells attached to it. Her eyes were icy blue color,ed and she had multiple tattoos that resembled flower petals on the left side of her face and midriff as well as her left leg and was wearing red high heeled sandals. She also had an ANBU style blade sheathed on the same leg, with a pair of long knives sheathed on her waist.
"It seems you were correct in your assumptions, Kaneda. Mei fell easily to our trap," Yagura said, addressing his subordinate. Kaneda merely bowed his head in appreciation at his commander's praise. "Though, from the look of things, we severely overestimated Tsuyoshi's usefulness…" he trailed off, staring into the distance at the pillar of smoke, and the destroyed section of the prison.
They had all seen the blast of pure lightning that had blown overhead, taking an entire section of the prison with it. It was impressive, and even Yagura agreed to that.
'This Sparda person will likely be a bigger thorn in my side than Mei ever was.' He mused to himself. They were still compiling the data about the new visitor since their spy had only managed to give them a name, and a basic description of him. The information in the Bingo Book had been more helpful in that regard, but they also knew that most times Bingo Book entries can be overrated.
"I agree. It's embarrassing for Tsuyoshi to let so many prisoners escape from him. We assigned him an entire battalion of shinobi, he shouldn't have failed to this degree." Kagura added, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Now, now. I'm sure Tsuyoshi-dono did his best." Kaneda, the voice of reason and perception, interjected, the smile unwavering from his face. "Besides, this can be an advantage for us. We can sink them where they stand, and Mei will have to split her attention between us and protecting them. We can get rid of them all in one push."
Kagura hid a snort at Kaneda's input, while Yagura nodded along. Kaneda's logic and demeanor had been his greatest asset while rising in the ranks of Kirigakure. He wasn't particularly strong, but his ruthlessness and callousness had aided him, especially in the time of the purges.
Open bloodlust and hatred were one thing, but what Kaneda had was much worse in her opinion. He was like a crocodile, patient, and observant. He would wait for his prey to come to him for days, but once he had you in his sights, he would swoop in one charge, and snap your neck when you least expect it. That was how he got his position in the first place. The battle that had earned him the title 'Ōmono Kui,' when he took down his predecessor to Yagura's right-hand position.
"That is an excellent suggestion, Kaneda. How about you do the honors then and lead the army. I'm sure Mei won't be too much of a challenge for you, don't you think?" Yagura replied, his eye shifting towards the black-haired man.
"I could never, Yagura-sama. The honor of ending the Bloodline users should belong to you, and you alone. I could never take your place in the spotlight," Kaneda replied smoothly, bowing slightly.
Kagura did snort at that one. She knew of course, that that was a load of bullshit. Kaneda was crafty, but it would take a lot more than craftiness to give him an edge against Mei Terumī.
Yagura didn't reply at first, his unwavering gaze settling on his subordinate, before turning to the front again. "Perhaps you are right. I might not have been the one to start this war, but I should be the one to end it. Come then, Kagura. You will join me. Kaneda will stay and maintain order." With that said, Yagura immediately jumped into the water, his staff in hand.
Once she was sure he was a distance away, Kagura turned to Kaneda, smirking. "That was a good save, Kaneda. I hoped to one day see you grow some balls, but it seems I will be sorely disappointed."
Kaneda did not rise to her taunts. "Better to be a winning cheater, than a sore loser, wouldn't you agree, Kagura-chan?" he replied, a small smirk gracing his face.
Kagura's smirk dropped, throwing a frosty glare at the shorter man. "I will make you eat those words, along with a few knives, Kaneda. But not now." She threatened, then followed after Yagura.
"I wonder why I'm not so scared then?" he mused quietly.
Yagura's forces followed after their leader, a mass of shinobi running on water and charging towards the rebel army spearheaded by Yagura himself. From the opposite side, Mei and her troops sprinted to meet them in the middle in an attempt to keep the fighting away from their ships and the escapees.
The two forces clashed in the middle, Mei throwing a kick that was blocked by Yagura's hook staff who then pushed the woman away. Mei back-flipped, going through hand seals in midair, and launching a giant fireball from her mouth.
Yagura cut the chakra from his feet, dropping underwater, and evading the fire Jutsu while it impacted against the surface of the water, a blast of steam emerging from the contact.
Mei landed on the water, green eyes turning to face the emerging Mizukage. Water was dripping from his form, only for it all to leave his body as dry as it was. He twirled the staff in his hands once, before leaning behind it his back.
"Mei Terumī. The Rebel's leader. With your death, I can finally put an end to this ridiculous war you think you're competing in." Yagura said, a grimace covering his face.
"No, Yagura. We won't lose. You will pay for the crimes you have committed and all the lives you killed. By the end of this war, you will be the one who will meet their end!" Replied Mei, before charging him again.
Nearby, Tsurugi was clashing with Kagura. The red-themed woman was surprisingly holding her own against the former head of the Hunter-nin, her dual knives clashing with Tsurugi's tanto. A little further away, Ao was fighting as many Kiri loyalists as he could, throwing Kunai and practicing precise pressure point attacks. The one eyed-man was doing well, able to evade attacks from all directions, unknowingly thanks to the implanted eye he had hidden behind his eye patch. Further to the front, Zabuza was swinging Kubikiribōchō, chopping ninja left and right. A few Suiton Jutsu were sent flying towards him, to which he would substitute with pre-existing Mizu Bunshin and then paying back the casters by ripping them to shreds.
The battle continued, more shinobi pouring in from the loyalist's side, and replacing the casualties that were already sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the blue water painted red from their blood.
Zabuza grunted as he was forced to block one Suiton: Teppōdama with the flat side of his sword, the water bullet's impact launching him several feet back to the side of the Rebels, landing near Ao. Twirling his sword, he cut through a loyalists kunai, bisecting the man before he could close the distance to Ao.
"They outnumber us greatly. We won't be able to win. And with that blockade, there is no escape. We need to go back and hold up in the prison. We are bound to have an easier time there than here," Ao told the swordsman.
Grunting, Zabuza ducked, then rose and swung his blade in a wide arc, the blade flying and spinning in the air and carving through two more shinobi that hadn't managed to duck in time. Flying through hand-seals, the head of a water dragon formed from the water beneath him. The dragon roared, launching itself towards another shinobi; his scream covered by the rushing water and pushing away the others surrounding them.
"Yea, great idea cyclops. Turn your back to them and let them stab you through the ass! How about you just go and get down on your knees, and beg for whatever mercy they have left to give you?" Zabuza gruffly replied.
Huffing, Ao glared at the offensive shinobi. "I would rather have a chance of fighting and living another day than to just die and take everyone here with us, you brute! We don't stand a chance at winning this fight! It's better to minimize our losses for the rest of the war!"
"Fat chance that that's gonna happen. Besides, we don't need to win! We just need to survive long enough for Mei to kill Yagura!" Said Zabuza.
"This confrontation should not have happened this way!" Ao shouted back.
"You don't always get what you want, Ao! Deal with it!" Growled the swordsman. He never liked how stiff Ao was. Even at a time like this, he was sticking to his old-fashioned behavior of a Black/White world.
They suddenly stopped as a feeling of dread consumed them once they felt it happening. Both Ao and Zabuza had clashed with this particular feeling before, and they knew exactly what it was, turning to the source and finding what they feared.
Yagura was finally showing his true power. A power that Zabuza had barely escaped with his life the last time he felt it.
A whistling drew his attention, and if it weren't for the bandages around his mouth, Ao would have been able to see his grin. Actually, with his special eye, he was probably able to see it on second thought. "Finally. Took him long enough to get here!"
"What...Who? Oh..." Ao finished, as his eye caught sight of the cause of the whistling noise.
(Rebel Vessels)
"Haku! We're fully loaded up! All the ships are ready!" Chōjūrō said, sprinting from behind Haku.
"Good, Chōjūrō. Now we just need to..." she trailed off, her eyes locked on the battle before them.
To minimize time, they had arranged all four ships next to each other, extending a ramp between all of them to distribute people equally between them. They made that decision when they saw Yagura's forces, having to give up most of the shinobi with them to form a second line of defense to protect the ships.
So Haku and Chōjūrō had to make do with the few shinobi they could spare to help get everyone moving. Kiri had joined his two juniors, since his position as a medic was crucial, along with a few other shinobi like him. Now, they were stranded, waiting and watching as the two sides were in their own world.
As much as they wanted to join them, they knew that they shouldn't. Mei had been clear that they were never supposed to join any front-line battle, but being helpless and watching from the sidelines was not what they wanted either.
"It's not your turn to fight yet, Haku," Katarina said, sliding next to the brunette, and removing Ameyuri's arm from around her neck, while the swordswoman leaned on the front of the ship, her focus on the bloody battle only meters away. "Your time to join will be soon, but not yet."
"I know, Rina, but I can't help it. I feel so useless," she said.
Nodding in understanding, Katarina laid her hand on Haku's shoulder. "I know how you feel. I was once in your place too. But we have to trust them for now. Trust in Mei, trust in Zabuza, and all the others. They are all fighting on our behalf." She said, a grimace on her scarred face.
Haku realized then how selfish she was. If she was feeling helpless, then how bad could Katarina be feeling right now? Watching her sister fighting a battle that was in some way because of her. If she hadn't been captured and had her chakra sealed away, then she would be down there fighting with them now. If she hadn't been captured, they wouldn't have been rushed to do this mission, and wouldn't have fallen into this trap so blatantly.
Grabbing the older redhead's hand, she gave it an understanding squeeze, smiling at her surprised expression. "We have to believe in them. They will win."
Recuperating her smile with a smaller one, Katarina smiled grimly. "I hope they will..."
A sudden presence appeared on the battlefield, weighing down on them, a heavy blanket of malicious chakra settled around them, causing some of the weaker shinobi to fall to their knees, Haku and Chōjūrō included. Many civilians also dropped, falling unconscious from the pure dread that hit them.
A gasp from Chōjūrō had them both turning to him, watching his wide-eyed and helpless expression. They turned in the same direction and saw a red shroud covering Yagura, with three tails swinging behind him. Yagura's club was flying towards a wide-open Mei, with the hook aimed to pierce through her throat, and from her torn left sleeve – which allowed them to see the bruise covering her forearm and shoulder - knew that the auburn-haired woman wasn't going to evade that.
They then barely heard a whistling noise, before something whizzed by the ships, flying too fast for them to see what it was, and it was heading straight towards the middle of the battle where Yagura and Mei were.
Mei panted as she stared at Yagura, while the man was breathing slightly harder, but not as hard as her. Being a Jinchūriki granted him a measure of stamina and chakra that she couldn't compete with.
She'd already been injured when he used one of Kiri's special Kinjutsu attacks, the Suiton: Mizukagami no Jutsu, a Jutsu that created a mirror able to perfectly clone whatever was caught in its reflection. It was a Kinjutsu because using the technique required that the user have more chakra then the target to replicate them perfectly and all their abilities. The danger of not satisfying that condition is immediate chakra depletion and thus death.
But as a Jinchūriki, few had more chakra than Yagura. Her clone had copied her lava style perfectly, and she had allowed it to graze her, injuring her and creating a small plot of land floating on the surface of the water.
The shinobi around them knew not to interfere in their battle, giving them wide berth. Mei's eyes roamed over the battle around her, watching as her people fought each other, both bloodline and non-bloodline shinobi. They were all Kiri shinobi, and yet, because of this war, they were forced to fight each other instead of looking out for the other villages.
She watched as a pair of Kiri's loyalists clashed with one of hers, a bigger than the average shinobi. He proved to be stronger, throwing them away and slashing the head of the first. The second screamed in fury, arming an explosive note, and throwing a kunai towards the bigger man. He evaded the kunai, and slapped away the explosive note, only it was a feint, with the real note held in the second one's hand.
The note exploded, sending body parts and blood flying everywhere.
She closed her eyes, silently praying for their souls to find rest in the afterlife, then shifting a glare to the emotionless Kage, who seemed to pay no mind to the death of two of his subordinates. And why would he? Why would he when an entire squad seemed to take the two men's place, advancing on her troops?
There was no winning in this battle. No matter how anyone looked at it, the Rebels would lose. They were losing more men. They had civilians to protect. They were the ones considered the 'Insurgents' in their village. But she would never surrender. And she knew her men and women would agree with her. Too much was at stake.
"Are you done yet, Terumī? Do you see how futile it is to resist?" he said, gesturing around them.
"No. All I see is unnecessary death. All because they are following a mad man! A man that doesn't deserve and appreciate the position he entrusted with!" Mei replied, managing to get back to her feet.
"Your words mean nothing, Mei. They are as cheap as the person speaking them," Yagura shrugged, twirling his club. He watched as she took a stance to continue the battle. Growing restless from her stubbornness, Yagura decided he had to show her the difference in their power.
Red chakra exploded from his flesh, pores, and skin, producing the bubbling chakra that covered his form, a wide shell reminiscent of the beast inside him. Three long tails appeared at his tailbone, and Mei knew at that moment, that Yagura was done playing around. He was finally showing his trump card. His Jinchūriki chakra. The chakra of the Sanbi no Kyodaigame.
There was a slight distortion in the air, before he faded away, reappearing with a swipe from his clawed arm that she was barely able to duck under. She rolled away and launched a water Jutsu, a Suiton: Mizurappa into his chest. The jet water stream barely held him back, his chakra cloak protecting him from the blunt damage, while the water itself barely did anything.
Narrowing her eyes, she quickly blurred through more seals, slower than usual due to her injured arm but managing, all the same, her cheeks bulging as her bloodline built up in her mouth and throat. 'Yōton: Shakugaryūgan no Jutsu!'
She spat out a stream in short bursts, which solidified into molten boulders and flew with tremendous force towards the Jinchūriki Kage. Knowing that even with his cloak protecting him, that lava was more than likely to hurt him, Yagura dived underwater, blurring unnaturally. Mei tried to launch more lava boulders underwater, but they were significantly slower, and Yagura was much faster.
He surged behind her, swinging his clubbed staff, the hook launching to take her head off, and Mei froze, unable to move. The whole world froze, moving in slow motion, and all she could see was a flash of light surrounding the staff moving to end her life.
It all happened too fast even for her. One second she was mentally bracing herself for a very painful death, the next, something whizzed past her head, ruffling her hair and sent Yagura skidding back to the patch of land created from her Yōton.
Yagura's enhanced senses allowed him to see the incoming flying object and managed to shift his club to intercept the blunt tip of the spear, but the power behind the throw still threw him several feet back.
Snarling in rage at having his kill interrupted, the Bijū chakra enhancing his bloodlust, he heard a thud and turned to the spear that had thrown him away from Mei. The weapon had been deflected by his block, flying in the air before falling tip first into the ground. What drew his eyes however was the head impaled through the shaft of the spear. A face that he instantly recognized.
His brutish general, Tsuyoshi.
A new arrival in the tree line made itself known, a white-haired shinobi wearing a black cloak with red clouds over it. The wardrobe of a certain organization that was infamous throughout the Elemental Nations. The Akatsuki.
The man calmly made his way through the water, summoning a Mizu Bunshin and then disrobing his cloak. Even from the distance between them, he knew the shinobi kept his eyes on him and him alone. He handed the clone his robes, and surprisingly, also gave it a pair of blades that he would recognize anywhere. The Kiba blades.
The clone then jumped and landed on one of the Rebel ships while he made his way towards him.
Growling, Yagura roared, sending a chakra-wave that caused cracks to spread on the cooled lava beneath. He then pushed forward, cratering the patch of earth and sending rocks flying in the air, his destination the rogue outsider.
Sparda grinned, the hilt of Raijin appearing on his waist as he drew the lightning blade and met Yagura's charge, a shockwave blasting from them as lightning met club.
Fortunately for the Rebels, the Loyalists had retreated as soon as they saw their leader utilizing his Bijū's power, granting them a reprieve and allowing them all to retreat to lick their wounds.
Ao had quickly Shunshin-ed to Mei, picking up his injured leader and retreating with her back to the ship, with all the other combatants picking up their dead and wounded and doing the same.
Cursing as she stumbled to the floor, Mei was met with the worried eyes of her sister and Haku, as well as Chōjūrō's, who was sitting opposite to Katarina. "Dammit. I can't believe I was so sloppy," looking around at the ones around her, she smiled sadly. "I'm sorry for disappointing you all. I shouldn't have lost so easily to him."
Zabuza snorted from his place next to Ameyuri, watching the front of the ship. She could barely hear the clanging and whizzing of lightning as the two shinobi battled, explosions of water being heard. "You were on even terms with him until he started using his Bijū chakra. When it gets to that, a one-on-one fight with him is impossible." He said, seemingly trying to raise her spirits.
"Well, the Gaki seems to be doing a good job," Ameyuri interjected, pointing at the two not too far away.
"That's because Sparda's not a normal shinobi," Haku said, using her limited medical knowledge to help with Mei's wounds, while Chōjūrō had gone to get one of the medics. "Zabuza and I saw him fighting a demon, a giant one! He was as almost the size of this ship, but Sparda was fighting it on even terms."
"That's the first time I'm hearing about this," Katarina mumbled.
Zabuza grunted, taking over for Haku. "Yea. He ripped that thing to shreds on his own. He said it's what he does. He fights and slays demons."
"You think he has a chance against the Sanbi itself?" Ameyuri asked her fellow swordsman.
"I think he probably has the best chance between all of us," he replied, an unsure expression evident from his eyes.
A cough drew their attention to the Water Clone, who was looking at them with a raised eyebrow. "Are you all done talking about me as if I'm not here?" to their credit, only Haku showed embarrassment, while the rest shrugged.
"If you don't want people to ignore you, then you shouldn't be so quiet!" cackled Ameyuri. Her eye then zeroed in on the blades held in the clone's hands. "Now give me those blades! They're mine!"
Shrugging helplessly, the clone threw her the blades, knowing that the original was going to do the same. Blue sparks began to emit from the blades the second Ameyuri had grabbed them, with Ameyuri shivering in glee at having her old blades in hand again.
The other eyebrow rose as the clone watched the woman practically cream herself from holding her blades, before leaving her and turning to Mei. "The boss has a plan to get all of you away from here."
Mei heard the clone and responded. "And how exactly does he intend to get four ships through hundreds of shinobi and a blockade?"
The clone smirked. "Better hang on tight."
Naruto felt his Devil Blood boiling in excitement, an absolutely uncharacteristically huge smile spreading over his face. It was the first time since he faced Vergil in training that he truly felt he was being challenged. Even the battle with the Hokages had paled in comparison to the challenge that Yagura was providing him.
Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Fūinjutsu, and even Shurikenjutsu. None of that was being used in this battle. Only Bukijutsu, and to be specific, the two fields that they specialized in, which were Kenjutsu and Bōjutsu.
It was a battle of skill and strength, Yagura's chakra cloak granting him almost equal speed and strength to match Naruto's. Their skill in their respective styles was exactly equaled, as not a single movement was wasted between them. Yagura's decades of experience allowed him to match the difference in physical abilities. The two shinobi's intricate dance went uninterrupted as they sped through the water.
It was astounding. It was beautiful. It was deadly. It was destructive.
It didn't make sense!
'How can he match me?! No, he's even beyond me! How is that possible?' thought a furious Yagura. He was a perfect Jinchūriki. He had forced his Bijū to submit it's chakra to him! He was a damned Kage! So how was there someone alive able to defeat him?!
He sped away just in time to miss Sparda's downward slash, retaliating by swiping at his knees with his hook. Sparda jumped over the staff, pivoting his body and launching a side kick towards him, which he brought up his tails to block.
Another thing was the shinobi was not showing any pain being in contact with his Bijū's volatile chakra. Bijū chakra was poisonous to none Jinchūriki, afflicting the victims with intense chakra burns that required weeks to heal, even with advanced medical chakra techniques, and yet, the teen was completely unaffected.
It baffled his mind!
Another clash and they entered a battle of strength, their faces inches apart as lightning clashed with his Bijū chakra covered staff.
Then, he heard something snap. His eyes went to his staff, going wide at the fractures that covered his weapon of choice. The Raijin blade was overpowering his club. His weapon, with the chakra of a Bijū imbued in it, was submitting to the legendary stolen weapon of the Nidaime Hokage.
Something else snapped, but this time, it was inside Yagura's head.
Naruto's arms went to his face, doing his best to block the sudden explosion of chakra. He was sent flying away, skidding on his knees. Removing his hands, he saw something that was equally terrifying as it was hair-raising and sinister.
Where once Yagura stood, now was a chakra monster. He was made out of a dark red, nearly black layer of chakra, which enveloped him completely and took the form of a miniature Sanbi, giving Yagura a boost in size and muscles, complete with a spiked turtle shell and clawed digits. Pupil-less white eyes stared into him, and Naruto felt the pure hatred and rage that was in his opponent's eyes.
"Naruto, things got serious now! He's entered Version 2! He's going to be faster, stronger, and more ferocious than ever!" Kurama warned. "He can even use the Bijūdama in that form. DON'T let him!"
'Got it!' he replied, preparing himself.
Yagura roared a deep, guttural roar, even louder than the one he did before. Instead of blasting towards him, he sunk into the water, but Naruto was still able to detect his movement, the chakra cloak acting as a beacon.
He swiftly jumped forwards, and kept moving, evading giant pillars of pink rocks. On closer inspection, Naruto saw that they were Coral, sprouting from the sea and being manipulated by the Jinchūriki.
"Alright, time to get on with the plan!" he shouted, knowing his clone would hear him.
Planting his hands on the water, he pushed as much chakra as he could, the mark on his palms glowing from the excess chakra. He ignored the Corals that were now surrounding him, climbing over his limbs and shoulders in favor of pouring as much chakra as he could into the water. 'Meiton: Jajimento…'"-Suiton: Hahonryū Toribyūto!" he intoned, before the Coral wall completely covered him, along with the Jinchūriki appearing out of the water, twisting his body into a spiked ball, and dropping its full size on the place where Sparda was captured.
"Well, thankfully that's done. I was beginning to worry," Kaneda said out loud while faking the motion of wiping sweat from his forehead. "With how well he was doing against Yagura's first form, I thought he would be an actual threat. But its good to have a strong capable leader, isn't it, Kagura-chan?"
"Hmph," Kagura replied, watching as Yagura descended on the trapped shinobi. This was the reason why Yagura was unparalleled, his control over his Bijū ensuring that only another Jinchūriki or a Kage could stand in his way. The Rokubi Jinchūriki, which was the only other Jinchūriki Kiri had was a missing-nin, and even he did not dare confront a perfect Jinchūriki like Yagura.
Granted, having him in their ranks would have probably ended the war a long time ago, but at the very least, Utakata had chosen to remain neutral and did not side with either side, only remaining in hiding. They had a clue where he was, but as long as the Rebels did not try to recruit him, they would let him be.
"It's a shame about Tsuyoshi though," Kaneda continued to converse. "Replacing him won't be difficult, but it was so easy to anticipate his moves. But after seeing this Sparda fighting, there is no doubt in my mind that Tsuyoshi had bitten off more than he could chew."
Kagura ignored him, instead focusing on the feeling of foreboding that had suddenly formed in her stomach. She looked at the water, watching as it was flowing. Interestingly, it was flowing in the opposite direction, inland instead of out.
She looked up, knowing that the battle was far from over.
She was sure that Kaneda had noticed the same things she did. He was far smarter and trickier than she was. Why he was acting the way he was, she didn't know. But she would be sure to watch her back around him.
"SHIT!" Zabuza yelled, just about to jump ship to try to move towards the shinobi. Mei also tried to get to her feet, only to be held back by a grim-faced Ao, who slowly shook his head.
Haku's eyes were wide, thinking that Sparda had been killed and that they were next. They had no chance against an angry Bijū-fied Yagura and even less chance against the rest of his army.
A hand on Zabuza's shoulder forced him to stay put, Sparda's water clone being the one to grab him. Except, Mei noticed, it seemed that the clone had much more chakra now than he did a minute ago.
"Relax, Zabuza. Its all part of the plan." He said.
"You're the original, aren't you?" Ao said, confirming Mei's thoughts.
"Yes. I Kawarimi-ed with the clone that was here just when Yagura was going to impact. I needed to change places with the clone, and with me inside the Coral, he wouldn't see the switch. Now, hang on. Things are about to get rough for you," he announced, jumping forward and landing some feet in front of the ships. "Yagura! You missed!" he shouted, grabbing the Kage's attention.
Yagura roared in fury, going down on all four and charged towards him. Naruto, however, proceeded, performing the seal for his Jutsu. His chakra surged around him, the water in the ocean that was saturated with his chakra from his earlier Meiton Jutsu, the water component of his Dark Release. The Torrential Tribute would allow him to take control of any existing body of water, or create one from by drawing it from below the surface or from the atmosphere itself. The liquid would be completely under his command, bending to his will and commands unrestricted. It was necessary to control a massive body of water such as the ocean itself and to combat Yagura's Bijū's control over the element.
Placing his hands in the Ram seal, Sparda grinned widely. "Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha!"
The ocean was pulled from beneath Yagura's ships, the water draining and emerging behind him, lifting the four Rebel ships high into the sky. The wave was massive, the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave even lifting the ocean water high over the prison on the top of the hill. And surfing it was none other than Sparda himself.
"Hang on everyone!" Mei yelled over the sound of rushing water, her voice echoing over the distance. People shouted and screamed as the wooden ship creaked and protested, but held.
The shinobi around her were all using their chakra to stick to the ship, Haku and Zabuza each holding onto Ameyuri to hold her in place, while all the others were doing their best to stay put.
"WAAAHH!"
"WOAH!"
"YAHOO!"
Haku sweat-dropped at the last shout, the one from Ameyuri as she laughed and whooped in glee. She was certainly not acting her age at the moment.
"Live a little, girlie! You won't ever have the chance to surf a wave this huge again! And to think he did this with his chakra alone! His reserves must be massive! And you know what they say about men with massive chakra reserves, don't you, eh?" she cackled, poking her elbow into Haku's ribs. "At this rate, I might go through with my offer to bed him! Hahaha!"
Blushing furiously, Haku tried to ignore the images that were running through her head and shushed a growling Zabuza.
Mei glared at the crass woman, but there were small traces of pink on her cheeks. "This is not the time, Ameyuri!"
"Whatever! Let me have my fun! WOOOOO-!"
"AHHH!"
"Shit! Abandon ship! Everyone, clear away!" Kagura yelled, quickly tucking tail and running to the side of the gigantic wave. Kaneda was already gone, and she knew the snake had fled for his life the second he saw the wave.
There was a roar as Yagura showed his power, gliding over the waterfall-like wave, and was heading straight towards the caster. Regardless, it was useless. Their ships would be destroyed, the Rebels would escape. They had already lost by underestimating their enemy and thinking they were done for.
The Loyalists followed her commands, turning to the sides and running as fast as they could to clear out of the massive water wave's way.
'But there is no doubt about that. That man is extremely dangerous, even more so than Yagura if he was able to do something like this!' she thought, before Shunshin-ing away.
Naruto heard Yagura's roar, before seeing the Jinchūriki surf towards him, malicious anger like never before surging within him as he made a mad dash towards him. He was stuck since he needed to hold his position until the wave had reached the ocean so that the ships would be able to escape unhindered.
So he buckled down, steadying himself to take Yagura's charge head to head. Except, it wasn't necessary.
Just as Yagura jumped in the air to reach him, the smell of ozone permitted the air as a giant bolt of blue lightning smote the jinchūriki, sending his smoking form careening into the bottom of the wave.
He turned his head enough to see Ameyuri grinning widely, the Kiba blades sparking. He was familiar with the attack since Raiga had used it on him. Except that one had not been nearly as strong and blinding as the one he just saw. Raiga's Ikazuchi no Kiba was no match to Ameyuri's Sandāgēto.
Nodding in appreciation, he focused on moving the wave until they had washed away the Loyalist ships, the wave lowering, and descending with the Rebel ships.
Crashing into the ocean, the wave meld with the ocean water, the ships crashing into the water but thankfully still holding together.
Naruto landed behind the ships, on his knees, and breathing hard. It took a considerable amount of chakra to hold the wave together while also fine-tuning it not to crash haphazardly. That would have beat the purpose of the entire mission if his objective ended up dying.
He had also been fighting non-stop since clearing the prison and finishing off Tsuyoshi with his Lightning Cannon earlier. Exhaling a breath, he was just about to get to his feet and jump to the ship to finally leave this place when his eyes widened, turning to the beacon that had flared.
Groaning, Mei snapped her eyes open, turning to look for her sister. Seeing Katarina safe and in a similar situation to herself, she turned to check over Ao, then Chōjūrō then the rest of her group. Seeing everyone safe and sound, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Holy hell, that was a bumpy ride," Zabuza grumbled, cracking his back as he stood up. He grabbed Haku and helped her to feet. Ameyuri was next to him, exhausted and on the floor from having used what chakra she had recovered, but there was a satisfied smile on her face. Blasting Yagura had done her some good it seemed.
"Is there anyone injured? Anyone hurt?" Haku called out, hearing more groaning, but they were replying that they were fine, a few bumps and bruises but otherwise alive. Breathing a sigh of relief, Haku moved to the side of the ship, looking for Sparda.
Seeing him on his knees and breathing hard, but fine, she smiled. Just as she was about to call for him, he suddenly turned behind him, just as a figure burst from the water far behind. It was Yagura.
Mei cursed next to her, Haku only just noticing her at that moment. "Full speed ahead! We need to get out here! Use your chakra if you have to! Keep going and don't stop no matter what!" she ordered, then jumped over the side of the ship and ran in the direction of Sparda.
Zabuza went to follow her, with Haku following behind him. The swordsman turned to her. "Get back on the ship, Haku!"
"No! I don't want to watch; I want to fight with you!" she shot back.
Mei turned to Zabuza. "Zabuza, stay back! Cover the ships with mist and help them move with Suiton. Haku, your Zabuza's support! Don't-"
A shockwave passed behind them from Yagura's direction, and the shinobi all paled as they saw his three tails covering his mouth, blue and purple chakra spheres gathering above his white maw. The pressure kept increasing by the moment, but they were too far to stop him.
"Get back to the ships!" Sparda called from over his shoulder, drawing Raijin once more, but without igniting the blade. He raised the hilt to the sky, dark clouds gathering above it. A lightning bolt struck the hilt, with the hilt sparking from the electricity before it all gathered above to the hilt.
The hilt then began to siphon chakra from Naruto, the chakra building up over the hilt and forming a similar sphere to Yagura's, only it was sparking with Yellow electricity.
Mei headed his call, quickly turning to the ships, then going through her hand seals, and planting her hands on the water's surface. The tide was influenced by her chakra, boosting the speed of the ships and increasing the distance between them and the Jutsus behind them.
But she knew that if Yagura's Jutsu was not stopped, no distance would save them. Zabuza saw what she was doing, and followed in her steps, while Haku worriedly looked at the confrontation between Sparda and Yagura.
"Dammit Kid! What did I say?! I told you specifically don't let him start a Bijūdama! And what do you do? You let him form it!" raged Kurama in his head. His loud voice was causing a throbbing in Naruto's head, but he didn't have the heart to say that to the Bijū, especially since he wasn't wrong.
'I get it Kurama! You're pissed! How about you be pissed at me after I deal with it?' he shot back, gathering his chakra into the sphere of destructive lightning above his head. Slifer's signature Jutsu was charging slower than usual due to his lower chakra reserves.
He still had plenty of chakra in his tank, but this specific Jutsu required him and Raijin to resonate their chakra together, with the Devil arm supplying the lightning while he supplied the chakra. Since his chakra was lower than the Lightning being generated, it was taking a little more time to manage.
The Shuraiden had not been his first choice. He had considered the normal Rasengan, but he knew that the blue sphere would not manage long against the Bijūdama. The newly-named Meiton: Rasenganringū was his second option, but he was worried that his chakra wouldn't have managed to stabilize the Jutsu. So, he resorted to the last Jutsu that he thought would be able to fight against the menace before him.
He could have gone into his first Devil Form, but he liked to keep that as a last option if he was ever cornered. It was his still his first mission for the rebels, and he would honestly say that bringing out his big guns from the start would have been somewhat shameful to him.
His musings were interrupted when Yagura launched the ball of destruction, managing to build it up even faster than he could manage the Shuraiden. Cursing, Naruto charged forward, his body moving on autopilot. All he knew was that he needed to buy more time for the Shuraiden, otherwise, they were all as good goners.
Well, all except for him that is.
(On the Rebel Vessel)
Mei, Zabuza, and Haku had returned to their ship, after navigating the others so that they in a single line, with their's at the end. The least they could do was to provide rear-guard for the others to escape. That meant that they were all standing on the stern of the ship, beholding the sight of two destructive Jutsus being prepared for a final clash.
The infamous Bijūdama against whatever it was that Sparda was holding over his head.
Yagura, however, had the upper hand, shooting the purple sphere of malice towards Sparda. The sphere would blast through the shinobi, then continue on it's way to their ship, blasting them all to smithereens with the force of a couple of thousand explosive notes.
Smiling grimly, an expression that she had worn too many times today, Mei hoped at least the blast wouldn't reach the other vessels. That the others would survive this clash.
She was sure that Tsurugi would act as a suitable leader for the Rebels once she was gone. He was a competent and powerful shinobi in his own right. Kiri was also one of her best, even if he was still a little bit young. He was the same age as her younger sister, but he had potential.
'Speaking off,' she looked at her sister, seeing the acceptance in her eyes. Her scar reminding Mei of how she failed her sister in the first place. Tracing a bandaged arm over her sister's scar, Katarina meeting her eyes, the two girls smiled at each other.
"What the hell is he doing?!" Zabuza called out, drawing everyone's attention. They saw as Sparda charged to the Bijū bomb, and then held it back in place with his left arm, while his right arm was over his head, a magnificent and sparking sphere of lightning thundering over his arm.
Sparda skidded back on the water, struggling to hold the weight of the bomb in his hand. They saw the gauntlet on his arm exploding and vanishing into dust, his tanned skin turning purple as the blood vessels in his arm popped internally, and externally, actually, as wounds appeared on his left arm and blood exploded, showering him in his own blood.
The water around him splashed and erupted away from the sphere, a giant void beneath it as the sea itself tried to distance itself away from both shinobi and Jutsu.
"He's doing it! He's holding it back!" Haku exclaimed, excitement bubbling in her voice.
"Hate to burst your bubble, brat, but it's not over yet," Ameyuri interjected, pointing back to the scene.
What she was pointing at was a raging Yagura sprinting to the Bijūdama and pushing against Sparda's force, forcing the sphere to overpower Sparda's hold, and pushing them in the direction of the ships. Dark red chakra arms burst from his back, pushing against the Bijūdama.
Gritting his teeth, and feeling the bones of his wrist breaking and dislocating from his forearm and the same with the latter and his elbow, Naruto decided to end things. The sphere above his head released a static shock around them, electricity blasting around it, signifying it was fully charged.
"Eat this!" Naruto shouted, bringing down the Shuraiden on top of the Bijūdama.
The two spheres impacted, followed by a flash of light.
Then, came the explosion.
The Kiri rebels shielded their faces as a gigantic explosion rocked the ocean. The ships were pushed forward from the strength of the wind pushing into their sails, sending them flying forwards, while the ocean was tumbling and turbulent.
The ship rocked back and forth, the wood creaking and straining to hold itself. But none of them could miss the enormous white sphere that resulted from the explosion between the two Jutsus, flashes of lightning blasting forth.
Haku, being the nearest one to the side of the ship, heard the noise of a flying object, barely opening her eyes and catching sight of Sparda's body impacting the water a small distance away, and sinking underwater.
She quickly went to the side of the ship, struggling to stay upright with the tumbling vessel, and looked at where he fell. Seeing that he hasn't surfaced, she quickly jumped into the water, swimming down to find him. She grabbed him, and pulled him back to the surface, gasping when she broke through the surface of the water.
Zabuza was instantly next to her, taking the heavier body off her hands, and onto his shoulders. She heard Sparda hissing in pain, as Zabuza had to shift his injured arm, but he then contained his pain, and they carried him back to back to the ship.
The chakra explosion had thankfully settled, the ocean returning to its calm state. There was no sign of Yagura anywhere, but they wouldn't count him out yet. Setting Sparda down on the deck, Zabuza nodded at the nod of appreciation from the shinobi, setting his mangled arm gently in his lap and stepping back, allowing Haku to take it from there.
She was a better medic than he was, and he would put the whole 'admiration' that the girl had to the shinobi aside for the moment, at least until he was healthy enough again. It was the least he could do after the enormous effort the teen had expanded for them.
"Is…is it over? D-did we win?" Chōjūrō hesitantly asked, his face shifting from Ao's to Mei's. They were silent for a minute more, turning to look around them. The atmosphere was quiet, contradicting the situation they were in barely a few minutes before.
It was as though the bloodshed, the war, the destruction, the death was all a figment of their imagination.
"Yes, Chōjūrō." Mei started. "It's all over." She finished, smiling towards the younger boy.
They didn't know how it started, or who started it, but as soon as she said that, there were people cheering and shouting in joy. Smiling and laughing in pure joy, the escapees began embracing the other Bloodline shinobi. They also heard similar noises from the other ships.
A sense of relief and exhilaration flooded through Mei, her shoulders slumping at ease. She saw Ao standing next to her, a smile over his face. "Congratulation, Mei-sama. You succeeded."
She smiled at her oldest confidant, shaking her head. "No, Ao. We succeeded. And in no small part, thanks to him," she said, pointing her head towards the shinobi laying with his back against the side of the ship, with Haku fussing over him, while Zabuza was watching over them. Even Katarina had joined them there, throwing jokes at Zabuza and watching Sparda. Mei noticed the glint of interest in her sister's eyes and knew that Katarina was hooked.
"Yes. He did...phenomenal. Clearly, he performed beyond expectations. Dangerously so," he said, mumbling the last part to himself.
Mei sighed, knowing that Ao's paranoia was rearing its face again. It was a part of his personality, but to be quite honest with herself, Mei could not fault him at all. They had sent him to stealth through a fortress by his lonesome, then he managed to not only defeat the entire Kiri garrison inside the fortress but also its commander, which he had disfigured and placed on a pike for their enemies. He then proceeded to battle a Jinchūriki Kage and ended the battle in a stalemate, while protecting four fully populated ships.
Looking at the young man, Mei truly couldn't fault Ao's caution. Loathe as she was to admit, she was inwardly terrified of the man in front of her. If he, for any reason, turned against them then they probably wouldn't stand a chance in beating him. He would annihilate them all.
He was a scarier threat that Yagura ever was.
Naruto grimaced from the throbbing pain his arm was in. Granted, he probably should have expected that trying to stop a chakra sphere made from the thickest concentration of Bijū chakra was a no-no, but his body had acted on instinct.
In hindsight, he probably should have used his Inhaling Maw and absorbed some of that chakra, but he hadn't been thinking straight at that moment. The chattering from Haku also didn't help, as he was trying to think, but her fussing over him was proving to be distracting.
'Damn, why does it hurt so much?!' he thought.
"Because, you fool, you were hit with Bijū chakra. Bijū chakra is just as potent and dangerous as a Devil's chakra. It has the highest concentration of Datara's chakra. It will hurt you just as much as an attack from full Devil would. That's why I was warning you not to let him charge a Bijūdama!"
'Alright, alright, I know I should've listened, I'm sorry about that, but it's late now to talk about what should have happened. And why is my healing not kicking in now?'
"Because this is the first time your body is dealing with Bijū chakra in this condition. Give it some time and you will heal. Until then, you'll have to live with this!"
'...'
"..."
'Why do I feel like you're doing this on purpose? I think since your a Bijū, you would fix me much faster,' he asked.
There was no answer from his partner, and Naruto got the impression that Kurama was purposely ignoring him.
Sighing in agitation, he tuned back to the real world. "Haku!" he called out, silencing the girl. "Please, settle down! And give me a roll of bandages."
"Right, right," she mumbled, reaching into her pouch for a sealing scroll. She opened the scroll and unsealed a roll of bandage, flinching when she heard the sound of bones snapping back in place.
She watched with wide eyes as Sparda was resetting the bones of his shattered forearm, biting through enough pain that would send even some veteran shinobi into tears. The others around her also noted the same thing, Katarina and Zabuza looking at the scene in astonishment.
Resetting dislocated bones was one thing, but dealing in this way with broken bones was a whole different can of worms. The way he was expertly doing it also did not escape any of their notice.
'It's not the first time he's had to do it to himself,' was the common thought between them.
Setting the last bone in place, and then reattaching his wrist to his forearm, Naruto sighed in relief. The skin was inflamed, still dyed deep purple and red blood from the leftover blood that was washed away in his short dip in the ocean, but flowed again while he was resetting his bones, and ignoring the purple bruises and the swelling. He leaned his arm against his chest while reaching for the bandages with Haku.
The girl grabbed his hand, and softly lowered it down. She reached for his injured hand, and he raised an eyebrow as he turned to look into her eyes. She didn't meet his gaze, instead focusing on wrapping the bandages around his arm. After tying the end off, she took out another roll and made a makeshift sling.
She hesitated, gulping when she realized she had to get closer to tie it around his neck. She looked up and finally met his eyes, blushing when she saw his intense blue staring into her brown. He leaned forwards, their faces only inches apart, and lowered his head. Placing the sling around his neck, she exhaled the breath she held in her lungs, doing her best to calm her racing heart.
He leaned back, still staring into her eyes. Then he smiled. It was a small one, but she thought it suited him perfectly.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm used to taking care of myself, so, I appreciate your gesture."
Haku nodded back with a wider smile on her face. "It's fine. It's the least I can do after everything you did for us."
"Indeed," interjected Mei with Chōjūrō and Ao stepping behind her, sparing the girl from Zabuza's wrath, who was glaring at the interaction between them. From his clenched hands, she was sure he was just about to snap to break them apart when she spoke. "You did us a staggering favor in this battle. Not only did you cause this," she said, gesturing to the people celebrating and crying tears of joy and happiness. Children were playing around and chattering in pure joy, while family members were crossing ships, and reuniting together. "But you also saved my life. I owe you a great debt personally for that." She finished, with a bow of her body. Ao and Chōjūrō also followed, showing appreciation to the shinobi.
Suddenly noticing that the air was quiet, Naruto turned to the previously cheering people, noting the gratitude they had in their eyes, as the elders followed Mei's example, bowing at the waist, while the younger ones were clapping excitedly.
Naruto would admit that the feeling he had blossoming in his chest was weird, but it was also quite pleasant. The feeling of acceptance, of admiration. He was honestly happy to have such expressions pointed at him from so many different people.
It had been different when he got it from Fū, Rōshi, and Gaara since he actually cared for them and was willing to do whatever was necessary to make them happy. But these people, as far as they knew, he was only doing it because it was part of his job, his mission in Kiri from the Akatsuki.
Nonetheless, the feeling of acceptance had a staggering effect on him, and Naruto found himself building a connection with these people. These Humans. the citizens of another village that were a rival to his previous one.
Turning to Mei, he staggered to his feet, making sure not to antagonize his wounded arm. Already the pain from the broken bones had dulled, meaning that they were almost healed, while his skin was likely still burned from counteracting the Bijūdama. "I am at your command as long as you require my services," he said, nodding to the woman.
The people cheered again, accompanied by Mei's smile. Katarina went to stand next to her sister and asked. "So now what?"
Mei turned to her sister, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "Now... now we go home."
(A Week Later – Rebel Camp)
Naruto's eyes snapped open, grabbing the bucket of water that was just about to be dumped on him from the bottom and reversed it, throwing the water on his assailant. The person yelled in shock, while near the opening of the tent, he heard a woman's voice, giggling in amusement. Blinking his eyes, he sighed as Honoka spluttered from the water covering her, while Katarina was still laughing at the younger girl's predicament.
"Really, Honoka, falling to Katarina's prank? I thought you knew better," he said, sitting up in his futon and crossing his legs beneath him. He rolled his shoulders, hearing the cracking of his bones, his naked torso showing the flexing of his muscles.
Katarina blushed, then averted her face away, while Honoka glared at him.
"You could have pushed it away, or just grabbed it or something. You didn't have to throw the water on me!" She retorted huffing as she tried to fling the water in his direction.
Absently sidestepping the water, he jumped to his feet, going to retrieve his cloak, while she huffed behind him, going to her side of the tent, and taking off her wet top and bottoms. She took a glance over her shoulder, making sure that he was still looking away from her as she stripped to her unmentionables. Once she was reassured, she picked up another set of clothes and changed into them.
Meanwhile, Naruto had closed his eyes, taking a quick scan of the area around them for a few miles with his Sudama, as per his ritual whenever he woke up from his naps. He'd been doing the same since they moved their camp as a way to confirm that they were safe and hidden from Kirigakure's shinobi.
Opening his eyes, he summoned Krato's grieves without the gauntlets. He'd been doing that since the battle that had taken place a week ago, to give it more time to regenerate from taking the full brunt of his collision with the Bijūdama. The Devil Arm had healed since then, but he found he liked not having the gauntlets on his arms, since they were interfering with the Akatsuki cloak.
Once the grieves were secured, he turned to the exit, winking at a fuming Honoka as she stomped behind him, her hair still wet, while Katarina walked ahead of him with a grin.
The young Uzumaki girl had woken up the day after that fateful mission, stumbling through the camp and looking for him. She retained most of the memories she had as a spirit, even getting a few of his own that were transferred to her when she connected her memories with his. Thankfully, she only got a few.
She knew he was a good person, seemingly killing only those who deserved it. He killed demons as his main day-to-day operation. He was born to an Uzumaki woman, so he was family. He was also a Jinchūriki.
Unlike most people who would instantly fear him, Honoka was an Uzumaki. Sealing was in her blood, so she had her own unique approach to the information that he was a Jinchūriki. She had begged him to see his seal.
He made sure to stress how dangerous that information was, and just in a nick of time since he had a visitor that day. It had also been an interesting day for him as well.
(Flashback Start)
Naruto's attention snapped to the right, as he sensed something approaching from the east and moving at top speed. It seemed as though whoever it was flying through the earth. Recognizing the signature and knowing that there was a person he knew that could move so fast through the ground, Naruto quickly lowered his shirt, grabbing Honoka's hands.
"Honoka, listen to me. Go to Mei or Haku, and stay there until I come to you, understand? Move normally, don't run and stay calm, alright?" he gently said, pulling the girl to her stand up.
Honoka stuttered, slowly getting worried the more he spoke. Nodding in confirmation, she did as told, throwing a glance at him over her shoulder.
Once she was gone, Naruto walked to the other side of the tent, making sure to fasten the Akatsuki cloak around him. Taking a seat, he waited.
Barely a minute after, he saw the emerging form of Zetsu, his green flytrap appendages opening and revealing only the white half of Zetsu. Zetsu looked around him in the tent, taking a minute to look through the open flap before turning to Sparda and grinning.
"Hello! How are you Sparda-kun? Long time no see!"
"Zetsu. Or shall I call you Shiro Zetsu?" he questioned.
"Zetsu or Shiro is fine, no need for both. Pain-sama sent me to collect the payment for this mission, as well as to check for an update." He jovially said.
Nodding, Naruto retrieved a scroll from the inside of his cloak, throwing it to the pale-skinned man. Zetsu caught it, pocketing it immediately in his cloak.
"As for the update, I have gained their trust and they know now for sure that I can serve their needs, no matter what they were. I also clashed with Yagura," he revealed.
"Oh, did you now? So quickly already. And how was the Sanbi's Jinchūriki? Was he as strong as his position dictated?"
"Very much so, yes. But I should be able to handle him. I assume Pain-sama will request that we keep him alive, yes?" he asked the half-plant man.
Zetsu nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the Jinchūriki are needed alive for our plans to succeed. Are there any issues with that? Should we send Kisame to replace you?"
"No, no issues," he replied, his tone going colder at the insinuation that he couldn't handle himself and needing a replacement. "All the same, please inform Pain-sama that I need to speak to him when possible."
"Very well, I will inform him. Is there anything else?" Zetsu asked. Naruto noticed his yellow eyes twitching to the flap of the tent, and he recognized the chakra signature of someone who was trying to hide their chakra and trying to listen in, sighing when he recognized the person.
"No, that's all I have. I will wait for Leader-sama's call. Hopefully, it won't be at a bad timing." He said, trying to make Zetsu's stay as short as possible.
Huffing, Zetsu turned his focus back to him. "Well, I know when I'm not needed anymore. Until the next debriefing, Sparda-kun. Stay safe~" he said. His appendages closed around him again, and he began to sink into the floor.
Once he was gone, Naruto called out to the person. "Haku. You can come in now."
Haku shuffled outside of the tent, hesitantly raising the flap and entered the tent. She saw Sparda sitting on the one chair in the tent, his eyes piercing into her. She stared back into his, a surprising amount of steal in her eyes. He had only ever seen that look from her once, and that was when he had been on the verge of killing Zabuza.
"Who was that person you were talking to?" she asked her tone tense.
Tilting his head, Naruto leaned back in his seat, ideally crossing his arms over his chest. "That was my Akatsuki partner. Akatsuki functions in teams of two, and he was my partner. He is not assigned to this mission, but he still had to collect some information from me."
Nodding, Haku began to slacken, her slender shoulders slumping slightly. "How did he know we were here? Did you inform him of this location?"
"No. Members in the Akatsuki have special abilities. They are all... Monsters in the shinobi world. You are familiar with Kisame, right?" he asked. When she nodded, he continued. "Kisame is one of the more straight forward members. Enormous chakra, mastery over Suiton, and Kenjutsu. There are much worse nightmares in the Akatsuki."
"Monsters like you?" she asked, her eyes widening at how she phrased her words. "No wait, I didn't mean that you were a monster, I meant that they have special abilities like you! Your not a monster, but you're a nightmare!" she said, then immediately clamped her hand over her mouth.
Naruto raised an eyebrow as the girl fumbled for words, amusement shining in his eyes.
"I didn't mean that! You're more dreamy than a nightmare, but I meant...!" And cue full-face blush as she realized what she had just said. She covered her face with her hands, wishing the earth to just open up and swallow her whole.
Taking pity on the girl, Naruto cleared his throat. "I...get what you mean. And yes, there are Monsters like me. In fact, I think that there are worse monsters than me. I only recently joined, but I'm already weary of three of Akatsuki's members. They even give me a bad feeling."
Haku removed her hands from her face, a curious expression on her face. "Really? Why? What could be so terrifying about them that they would even spook you?"
"Well, one of them was supposedly alive for almost an entire century. The other was someone who's KI even gave me pause. I even learned that this particular shinobi fought with Yagura at some point recently, and managed to take him down. He is that dangerous. The last...the leader of the Akatsuki, and the most dangerous one of them all." He said, his mind flashing to the metallic ringed eyes. The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Kurama had been furious at Pain's allegations. His claims of being Hagoromo's incarnation had lit a fire under the Vulpine's tails. But even Kurama showed a certain amount of reluctance to confront the man. The Rinnegan's abilities were unknown even to him, but being the tools of his creation, Kurama also knew that they could be his end.
And if Pain had learned such abilities, then Naruto would have a harder time confronting the Leader if he also to guard his partner's existence.
"They why? Why did you join them if you think they are so dangerous?" she wondered, her mind reflecting the image Sparda had shown her. She saw three shadowy figures, glaring down at her. Their mere presence was enough to send to her knees as she gasped for breath.
"I have my reasons. Not many would understand them, but they make sense to me. Which reminds me. Why are you here Haku? What brought you here so suddenly?"
"Oh, Uh...I saw Honoka-chan. She had a worried expression on her face and was heading to Mei-sama's command post. She was acting a little bit weird, so I came to ask if you knew what was going on. That's when I heard you talking to someone. I am sorry for spying on you, but I was just curious." She said, placing her hands behind her back.
"Ah, I see. I sent her away. I didn't want the Akatsuki to know about her. A living Uzumaki could be...counterproductive to their plans." He said.
"So...you were protecting her..." she concluded, suddenly feeling a fluttering in her stomach. Happiness that he was the good person that she always thought he was. And, slight jealousy to the girl that was seemingly already taking root in his heart.
"Yes, in a way. Though, you also put yourself at risk there. If it had been someone else and not that particular person, then you would have put yourself at great danger. You shouldn't have done that." He berated.
Smiling sheepishly, Haku nodded in understanding. "You're right, I'm sorry for overstepping. I didn't mean to put anyone at risk." She then glanced to the side, shyly looking away. "Would you... would you have protected me like you did with Honoka? If the tried to attack me?" she asked.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, trying to see the direction of this conversation, but was pulling blanks. Kurama rolled his eyes in his head, deciding not to involve himself with Human Interaction. "A fight between me and another member of the Akatsuki definitely shouldn't happen in a place like this camp. The collateral damage alone would at the least have all of Kiri knocking on our doorstep."
Shaking her head, Haku replied. "That's not what I asked. I asked, would you defend from him if he decided to fight you? If he thought I was spying on him and wanted to kill me for it. Would you save me from him?"
Naruto grew silent, now understanding that she was bringing in emotion into this. He knew that she liked him from the memories of his clone, as well as the care she showed while on the ship back then. He had assumed that it was a fleeting thing, and she would get over them soon. He hadn't expected her to keep a tight hold on them.
Emotions were something that he did not have much experience with. He understood them, he knew how to be attached to people, how to care for them, how to love them. But he also knew that they made people biased. That they influenced people into making wrong and bad decisions. That they could send people down a path they might never come back from.
Vergil was a logical man. He had little emotions, but he knew how to control them perfectly. His master had also imparted that knowledge to him, but Naruto had a different upbringing than Vergil. Naruto used a mix of the two, common sense and emotions. More of the latter, but still a healthy dose of the former and it had served him well. It was the thing that made him different from Vergil.
But this situation was completely new to him. To have someone express romantic interest towards him was a new experience. Koyuki was the first, but the void that formed between them when he admitted his true age had sort of relieved him. Also, the fact that she was civilian hampered anything that could happen should he ever be discovered and revealed to the world with his true identity.
Haku was the exact opposite. She was a shinobi. She was close to his age. She was beautiful as well. So...what was there to stop him?
"I... would," he said, swallowing thickly. "You are someone... I care for, I guess. One of the few people that fight to protect."
Doing her best to calm the heat on her face, Haku asked one more question. "So, I am one of your precious people?"
"Precious... people?" He asked, pausing at the term. The term was self-explanatory, but he couldn't but feel as though Haku had a deeper meaning behind it.
"Yes, Precious people." She replied. Taking a few steps closer, she now stood opposite of Sparda, close enough that he had to look up to meet her eyes. "When I left Kiri the first time when the bloodline purges started, I was barely a child. I discovered my ability with Hyōton back then and showed it to my mother. Instead of pride, I was punished for having it. My mother was a member of the Yuki clan, but she escaped and married my father, a simple farmer. When my father learned that I, and by extension, my mother were from a Kekkai Genkai clan, he rallied a mob and tried to kill us."
Naruto did not interrupt, knowing that she was already having a hard time recollecting her past. It also didn't escape him that he was a magnet for tragic backstories. Every other person he had ever met had in some way or the other been treated to the worst treatment that the world could ever give.
"My father and the mob tried to kill us. My mother died protecting me, her body covering mine with pitchforks and knives through her back. I watched her die, begging me to run, to live. All I remember is tears. I unconsciously used my Bloodline, and killed them, including my father." She said, choking for a moment, and trying to hold back her tears. She turned away from him at that moment, not wanting him to see her tears. "I lived for a few days after that, picking food from garbage cans. Then, Zabuza-sama found me and took me in. He gave me a purpose. Trained me and made use of me."
She gave a short chuckle then, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "He always said that I was a tool, a weapon for his use. I accepted it, I didn't mind as long as I was something for him. I would have done anything he asked of me. The one I would give my life for. He became my precious person. And then...You happened."
She turned back to him, a smile lighting her up, a complete opposite to her red puffy eyes. Naruto could feel pure joy and happiness radiating off her. "When you found us and defeated us, you broke me. You broke my use to Zabuza-sama." She said. She then raised a hand to his lips, silencing him before he could interrupt. "You broke my belief that I was just a weapon to Zabuza-sama. You broke the shell that was around Zabuza-sama and showed us both the truth. The truth that we both cared for the other more than just as a master and weapon."
"Zabuza-sama confessed to me that he cared for me as though I was his own daughter. That we were each others' family. And that was the greatest gift I had ever been given. It was the single most important thing that has ever happened to me. And it was all thanks to you." She said, withdrawing her finger from him. "That was when I started thinking about you as another one of my Precious People."
She stepped away from, very much aware of the way her heart was beating in her chest. "I always thought we would meet again, but I didn't think it would be so soon. I was hoping we would meet when we are a little bit older. When Kiri is finally freed, and we have settled back in the village. A village that would accept us. We would then meet, and I would be able to offer you a place in the village, and you can have a home with us since you told us you were not part of any village. And then..." she trailed off, her blush returning to her face.
She heard a chuckle, and her face snapped up to Sparda's, watching as he began to laugh to himself. Suddenly aware of everything she had said, an ugly feeling began bubbling in her chest. She could see him laughing at her, calling her a 'Love-sick Kunoichi,' or something of the sort, and making fun of her feelings.
'Stupid!' she thought, cursing herself. Here she was, pouring her heart out to someone she had barely interacted with. She had only met him for the first time a few months ago, and then barely met him again four days ago. It was barely enough time to transition from acquaintances to friends, and she had already jumped a few steps forwards, confessing her feelings in a roundabout way.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she turned to leave, her face downcast, but was surprised when she was grabbed by her hand and pulled back. She was suddenly aware that she was now standing face to face with Sparda, her hands landing on his chest, while he looked down into her eyes, their faces only inches apart. Her breath was caught in her throat as he wiped away the tears that were building up in her eyes. He had an amused smile on his face -evident by the way his eyes were crinkled- which did not make her feel better.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just, I found how far you were thinking into the future slightly funny. Here I am, not even planning my next breakfast, but you were thinking about something that was to happen years from now," he said, grinning sheepishly. Haku smiled then laughed, realizing that there was some humor in the situation, and relieved that he wasn't making fun of her. "The answer to your question Haku is yes."
Haku blinked patiently while gazing into his eyes, and he realized that she wanted him to clarify. Clearing his throat, he tried to turn away but found himself stuck gazing into her brown eyes. "I guess... I do consider you as... one of my precious people." He said, stammering in his speech. He could even feel a twinge of heat spreading over his face, and realized that he was blushing.
He was once again thankful that he had a face mask that covered his lower face, but the snickering in his head made him realize that that wasn't the last he would be hearing about this from his tenants.
The smile that spread over Haku's face was enough to have him completely forget about his tenants and focusing on the moment. "I'm glad to hear that," she replied. One of her hands that were on his hands began to slowly slide down his chest, over his stomach before leaving his torso all together, locking with his hand that had grabbed her and pulled her back.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Naruto thought that he was making a mistake. That he was, once again, jumping into a situation that would end up being a nuisance, or would later regret. Another part of him, the part that had a much weaker voice, a voice that he would only sometimes hear, told him that he was doing good. That he was accepting a part of himself that he was always denying. Always forsaken. Always ignoring.
Naruto decided, he would listen to that voice this time.
'Precious people...eh?' he thought.
He realized that he did have such people. People that he would do his best to help, that he would use all of his power to protect. Vergil – even if he didn't need it!-, the Ichiraku's, the Sandaime- if only by a small margin-, Koyuki, Yugito, Rōshi, Fū, Tsunade and Shizune, Honoka- since the girl was growing on him! - and now Haku.
He had a few others, such as his father and Zabuza, but those were still on the fence. The first since he had not met the revived man yet, and the latter more along the lines of association with Haku.
He also realized, in some way, that he related to Kimimaro, but the bone user would sooner claw out his heart then function with him so that one was unlikely unless he was able to change him.
Feeling Haku settle her head on his chest, Naruto felt himself unconsciously relaxing and closing his eyes. There was only one thought in his mind at that moment.
'This feels nice...'
(Flashback End)
Since then, his relationship with Haku had changed. They acted normally during the day, but during the night, they would meet and just spend the night away, talking and getting to know each other.
Of course, that presented an issue with her tasks for the Rebels, so she started volunteering to the night shift patrolling the camp. That solved the issue with their meeting time since he used to stay up most nights and let Honoka sleep in the tent.
Some noticed the change in their relationship, which had some ranging reactions. Mei and the other adults didn't react, not interfering between them. Chōjurō expressed his happiness for his friend and relief since he assumed Sparda would be interested in Mei, which had Naruto and Haku bursting in laughter at the shy boy. Zabuza had been slightly difficult, trying, and failing in intimidating him. It took Mei dragging him away and giving him a few words to get him to settle down and accept that it was Haku's choice. He accepted it, if only barely.
The most interesting reactions had been Katarina and Honoka. Katarina had congratulated Haku for her bravery in being the one to show her interest. She was always a woman ruled by her tough demeanor, so she approved of Haku taking charge, even if she had wanted to see more about the rogue shinobi.
Honoka had, from the start, taken Sparda as her pseudo brother, even though technically, they were cousins, but she had acted protective. She was still new to the Kiri rebel group, and even though they were extremely welcoming to her, she had acted like a brat towards Haku. Things later settled down, and she accepted Haku after getting to know her, seeing the soft and gentle natured girl for who she was.
That was also another thing. Honoka had managed to fit in with the Kiri Rebels, finding herself forming a team-ship with Haku and Chōjurō. Her specialty also complemented them, since she was an Uzu Chūnin before the events at the island. With her Doton and Fūinjutsu, Chōjurō's Kenjutsu and physical prowess, and Haku's Hyōton Ninjutsu and Oinin skills, they proved to be an excellent Hit-and-run team. Especially so, once they were placed under Katarina's care.
He was made to join any mission that would happen involving intercepting Kiri shinobi, so he had joined them on their missions, keeping an eye over them.
During the days since the prison had been taken out of the picture, he had been asked to join missions, even if it was an escort, trying to circumvent any Rebel losses. It seemed that whoever was now in charge of the Kiri army – assuming Yagura had not survived the explosion of the Bijūdama, which he probably did - had learned from the events back then, issuing an "Escape on Sight" on him. Whenever any shinobi saw him, they would immediately retreat, leaving whatever supplies and weapons ripe for the taking of the Rebels. They even tried to rig their supplies, but Honoka's skills in Fūinjutsu came handy as she detected such attempts and disabled them.
Rebel morale was at an all-time high. With a proficient sealer, and a power-house like him on their side, as well as the massive increase in their numbers from the previous prisoners of Shinku Ana, they were reassured that winning this war was possible. His battle with Yagura had been witnessed by all, including the finale with the Yagura's Jinchūriki power.
They figured it was only a matter of time now.
Back to the present, Naruto followed Katarina, noting as soon as he exited the tent that Haku was waiting nearby. The second she saw him, she smiled and saddled up next to him, grinning mischievously. "So, what happened? Did Honoka listen to Katarina?"
"Hmmm...Yeah. She tried to dunk the water on me, but I flipped it on her. I think she learned her lesson, didn't you, Honoka?" he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.
Honoka huffed, her face going red and looking away.
"And since you're awake, I wonder why you let them?" he said, glancing at the brunette keeping pace with him.
"I knew she wasn't going to get one over you. Plus, I figured it would be funny," Turning to look at her teammate, she grinned at the girl trying to wring her hair of the remaining water. "And thankfully, I'm not disappointed." She said, giggling at Honoka flipping her off. The Uzumaki were an expressive bunch it seemed.
"Sure. Anyways, what do we have today, Katarina?" Sparda asked.
The redhead was now back in her normal outfit, wearing a single sleeved navy and red kimono top, with a red sash around her waist. She was also wearing black biker shorts, with a skirt over them with the same color scheme as her top. A pair of thigh-high boots with a Kunai holster on her left thigh, with shinguards similar to Mei's around her shins. Two long curved daggers were sheathed on her waist, her favored weapons of choice. Her Kiri headband was worn proudly on her naked bicep. The entire outfit was form-fitting, taut, and tight in all the right places.
"Mei is sending us on a priority mission. We got reports about monster sightings in Uma no Kuni. Mei wants us to check it out." She answered, calmly walking through the camp. The surrounding shinobi greeted them as they walked past, most of them were the shinobi that had fought against Yagura's men, while a few were from the group of fugitives.
The civilians had been taken to the Rebel's top-secret base, a place that only Mei, Ao, and Tsurugi knew how to find to keep them safe until the war finally ended. In particular, they were trying to keep as many of their Bloodline Families alive as they could in an attempt to repopulate the clans later on. Many of Kiri's clans were on the verge of extinction, including the Terumī and the Yuki clan, which were Mei and Katarina's and Haku's clans, not the mention the few others as well.
"I...Fail to see how that can be important to us. I was under the belief that Mei would use me to keep the pressure on Yagura. Why would she send me with you to another country?" Sparda wondered.
Turning to look at him, she glanced around and after making sure that no one was paying much attention to their conversation, answered. "Mei has reason to believe that the monster sighting can be related to a Nuke-nin from Kiri. One that she wants to earn his loyalty to join our cause."
That garnered Naruto's interest. For Mei to want to recruit a Nuke-nin, it meant that they were exceptional enough that she had to get to her side. Or, he was someone special that she couldn't allow him to fall under Yagura's control. And he could only think of one thing that would possibly interest Yagura.
"Let me guess. Someone special...like Yagura?"
Applauding his deduction, Katarina nodded. "Yes. We will be looking for Utakata, the Rokubi Jinchūriki."
(Mizukage Office - Kirigakure)
Sitting in the darkness of his office, Yagura was leaning back in his chair, his back to the door of his office, and staring at his village through the window of his office.
Befitting its name, the village was surrounded by a thick mist, with several mountains in the background, making it difficult to find by foreigners. Unlike other villagers, Kirigakure's architecture was composed of several cylindrical buildings, with the Mizukage's office being the widest and largest. Most of the buildings had vegetation growing on their roofs.
Even deep in his thoughts, Yagura felt the chakra source that was approaching his door, knocking on it, and awaiting his permission.
"Enter," he called, hearing the door open and close, as Kagura entered her Kage's room, taking a knee in front of his desk. The woman did not dare look up, knowing that Yagura was experiencing one of his worst moods in a long time.
He had been that way since his defeat at the hands of the Rebel's new shinobi. The one that had managed to stand up to him even while utilizing his Bijūs chakra. The only other time he had ever shown such behavior had been several years back when he had brought the dead body of a previous swordsman of the Mist, Jūzō Biwa, and with it, the Kubikiribōchō.
She took a glance at her leader, noting the bandages that he had on his face and showing from his neck, where he had been injured from the explosion of his own Jutsu. Yagura had since then locked himself in his office. Without his presence, their shinobi began to lose their confidence, falling to the repeated attacks by the Rebels, and losing their fighting spirit.
She quickly looked down as the chair spun, Yagura's pink irises locking her in place. "Kagura. I hope you have been doing well."
"Hai, Mizukage-sama. How may I serve you today?"
"It has come to my attention that we are now lacking. Mei's new henchman has shown that he is stronger than I gave him credit. Again, the Akatsuki are proving themselves a thorn in my side," he said, mumbling the second sentence to himself. Kagura still managed to hear him due to her previous profession but knew better than to question her leader. "We need to even the odds."
"Of course, Mizukage-sama. I am yours to command. What is my mission?" she asked.
"Your mission is simple, but failure is not an option. You will head to the border of Mori no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Our scouts have confirmed sightings of the Rokubi there. You are to find the Jinchūriki and return him here, alive. His Bijū will be extracted and placed in another container."
"Do you have someone in mind, Mizukage-sama?" she asked, immediately regretting her decision as Yagura's intent flooded into the room. The pressure weighed down on her, sweating building on her forehead.
A moment later, the pressure was removed, and she suddenly found her Kage standing over her head, staring down at her, reminding her of her place. "F-forgive m-me, Mizukage-sama."
Yagura indifferent glared down at her before he turned and returned to his seat. "Take two Hunter-nin teams with you. Your pick. Make sure this mission succeeds, Kagura, or it will be your head!"
"Hai, Yondaime-sama. I will leave at once," she said, rising to her feet and vacating the office, leaving her Kage to his thoughts.
Yagura turned to his window again, gazing into his reflection. His hand rose and traced the line of bandages showing from his neck, then going to the ones on his forehead. Deep in his pink eyes, a pair of Sharingan eyes flashed, spinning once then disappearing as though they were never there.
(Same time – Konoha Gate)
"Alright, brats! Look alive! Commander Anko is speaking!" grinned the pineapple-haired woman as she looked at her team for the upcoming mission.
The team consisted of three Genin, Shino, Ino, and Tenten. Anko was actually having a good feeling about this mission. She had never wanted to be a Jōnin sensei, since taking care of brats was more than she wanted to bargain for. But taking already trained brats and showing them the ropes was much more suitable to her.
"We have ourselves a B-rank mission in Umi no Kuni. We will be investigating rumors about a 'Kaima' monster roaming around those parts."
"A 'Kaima'? A sea monster? We are being sent to kill a monster?" Ino asked, a frown on her face.
"What kind of sea monster?" Tenten asked.
"No one knows," Anko replied, taking the moment to make sure her team was familiar with the debriefing of the mission. "Our mission is to go and investigate the issue, then try to deal with it if we can. If not, then we will request backup from Hokage-sama and they will continue the mission if it gets bumped up."
"It is illogical to assume that monsters exist. It could be something as simple as ex-shinobi using Henge or Genjutsu," the speckled shinobi said.
Anko nodded with the Aburame boy's assumption. "Exactly. We will be heading there to check the situation and find the truth. Uma no Kuni is made up of four main islands, three smaller ones circling the fourth. Hahajima being the main one. It's surrounded by the other three islands; Jiro, Taro, and Demon Islands. If we don't gather the necessary information about this incident, we won't be able to find a permanent solution. Any other questions?"
"Hai!" the three chorused while leaving the village proper. Anko smiled as she saw the three taking point, and arranging themselves without her instruction. Shino took the lead, spreading his bugs ahead of them to warn him of any incoming danger. Ino and Tenten took the sides, since they were both long-range fighters, while she took the back.
Suddenly flinching in pain, she clutched the mark on her neck hissing and trying to hold in her pain so the others didn't notice. Her Curse mark had been flaring up recently, even more so when she learned about her return to Umi. The place where she had been abandoned by her Sensei.
The mark settled, and she released a sigh of relief, glad to see that the Genin had not noticed her. Sighing, she decided to try to make do what she had. After all, what were the chances that she would have another reunion with her treasonous former teacher?
(Same Time - Otogakure)
"Kukuku...I am glad to see that you are back to your old self, Kimimaro-kun," Orochimaru said, his bandaged face only showing his grinning mouth at the teenager who was currently getting himself dressed in his new wardrobe.
He was now wearing a Kimono top similar in style to his previous one since he preferred that style as it allowed him to use his Bloodline to its fullest capabilities. The new one, however, was sleeveless, with fur linings on the sleeves and around his neck. For his lower part, he now wore a pair of dark grey hakama pants, that were customized and shredded at his joints and tied with bandages around his ankles, and shinobi sandals.
The change in wardrobe was a necessity since his body had gone through a transformation while he was unconscious. He was now beefier than he was before, his bones gaining double their previous thickness, while his muscles were compacted and tight, opposite from his previous streamlined appearance. Two bumps were also present on his temples, a permanent feature for the horns that would appear once he accessed his Cursed Mode.
"Hai, Orochimaru-sama. Forgive me for taking so long to recover, and not joining the mission to retrieve your future vessel," he said, bowing lowly to the floor.
"Don't you worry about it, Kimimaro-kun. It all worked out in the end. Sasuke-kun is now with us, and that is all that matters." The snake Sannin said, his eyes momentarily flitting to the room where Sasuke Uchiha resided.
The Uchiha had joined them barely two days ago, after the Sound Four, who were fully healed and doped up on drugs were sent to retrieve him. It was to his fortune that they had succeeded, if only just barely.
The Sound Four had engaged a team of Konoha shinobi, but they had managed to defeat them. Following that they retrieved Sasuke, and began the operation to evolve his Cursed Seal to its second stage. Unfortunately, that's where things went wrong again.
His elite force was taken down one by one, by Genin. Genin! Granted, they were mostly clan heirs, and of a higher level than normal Genin, but they were still Genin.
Jirōbō had been taken down by the Akimichi Heir.
Kidōmaru was done in by the Hyūga Prodigy, Neji.
Sakon and Ukon were defeated by the Inuzuka Heir.
Tayuya, by the Nara Heir, and the only Chūnin in the squad.
Kabuto had been the one to retrieve Sasuke from the sealing barrier and brought him back to the hideout. Granted, he had also been informed that Suna shinobi had also arrived to provide the backup. The children of the Kazekage splitting up and aiding their allies, Temari with the Nara heir, Kankurō with the Inuzuka, and Gaara with the Hyūga while the Akimichi received backup from a boy named Rock Lee.
Orochimaru would have been furious with them, but they hadn't survived their encounters, otherwise, their punishment would have made them wish they were dead. He was also glad that he had thought ahead and sent a missive to one of his tools to act as a diversion.
The man had managed to take over Konoha's correctional facility, releasing the prisoners and held the attention of Konoha's elite forces. It was only that which had allowed them to succeed in their mission.
As it was, the Sound Four were now gone, and with Kimimaro returning to him, he had the chance to build his elite force again. And he had just the people for this new team.
"Now follow me, Kimimaro-kun. I will be taking you to your new teammates. And I have a special mission for you that I'm sure you will enjoy." He said, grinning maliciously.
Kimimaro obediently followed their footsteps echoing in the darkness of the base.
"What would you have me do, Orochimaru-sama?" Kimimaro wondered.
"I am aware that you would like to have another shot at that shinobi, Sparda," Orochimaru replied, grinning as Kimimaro's emotions slipped by his apathetic mask, snarling at the mention of the man who defeated him and almost killed his master. "So, I will be giving you another chance. You are to find him and finish him off once and for all."
A smile lit up Kimimaro's face. A pure, bloodthirsty, vengeful smile. "As you command, Orochimaru-sama. I will make sure that he will never bother you again."
"Excellent, Kimimaro-kun, excellent. Our spies have informed us that he has joined with my old friends, the Akatsuki. It makes sense now why he was hunting me. I left them on…bitter terms," he revealed, which was an understatement to the reality of the situation. "So he is now my replacement in the organization. To have a chance to kill him, you will need a strong team that would be able to handle his partner. Taking on two S-ranked shinobi is not an easy deal."
Finally reaching the door he needed, Orochimaru stopped and smiled at the teen. "In here, you will find your new team." He said, twisting the handle and letting the door swing open.
Kimimaro followed behind his master, gazing at the three people in the room. The room was similar to the room in the other hideout, overlooking a large ring on the other side of the room. The first was a person he was familiar with, having already met her before. Guren, the wielder of the Shoton Bloodline.
The other person in the room was an older teenager, perhaps in his early twenties, yet he was already standing roughly at six feet tall. He had long black hair, with a bandanna wrapped around his forehead, with his fringe emerging over it but not covering his crimson eyes. His most distinctive feature was his red cloak, held in place over his shoulders and lower face by several buckles, with the Oto headband on the nape of his neck. Underneath his cape, his attire consisted of a black leather bodysuit. He also had a golden gauntlet on his left arm.
The last person in the room was a considerably shorter blonde teenage of her height, she seemed to have a very muscular build and physique. She has moderately short hair that was tied at the back with her right fringe mainly draping over the right side of her face. She had an oval-shaped face, blonde hair, blue eyes, a Roman nose, and pale complexion. Her eyes had a sullen vibe in them, and for all intents and purposes, she seemed to be dead to the world. She was wearing a mesh shirt with a yellow and black camouflaged sleeveless zip-up jacket over it. For her lower body, she was wearing black biker shorts with standard shinobi sandals. Her Oto headband was around her bare bicep on her left arm.
"The four of you will be my new Sound Four. I am sure you are all familiar with the past Sound Four. I hope you will not disappoint me the way they did." Orochimaru said, his eyes settling on each member. The Shinobi under the eyes of their master, awaiting their orders. "Kimimaro Kaguya of the North, Vincent Iburi of the South, Guren Miyajima of the West and Ani Megata of the East."
"Hai, Orochimaru-sama. Your wishes are our commands," Kimimaro said, taking charge of the situation. Turning to the shinobi, he glared at them, channeling a dose of his KI, which had thickened with his transformation. "Come on Trash! I will test your usefulness to Orochimaru-sama." He declared, then walked further into the room, jumping over the railing and waiting for the other to follow, which they did a moment later.
Orochimaru cackled as the sounds of combat filled his ears. Kimimaro, it seemed was still his most loyal follower, and he was sure the teen would prove to be his most useful tool.
Hearing the door open behind him, he waited until his two new visitors joined him. To his right stood Kabuto, the boy keeping his eyes on him, while on the left was Sasuke, gazing at the battle in veiled interest.
"Orochimaru-sama, we are ready to move to the Umi no Kuni base. Everything that we need has been contained and ready at your command."
"Excellent, Kabuto, excellent. So, what do you think, Sasuke-kun? Do you believe me now when I told you that I can make you stronger?" he asked, grinning wider at the roar that sounded only a few feet away.
Sasuke only watched as the hulking mass of flesh rejoined the battle, his eyes shifting into his Sharingan bloodline, and capturing the moment, the shadows flowing as smoke flowed with the movement of the black-haired man, while pink crystals flooded the room, only to be destroyed by an ivory Zweihander type sword. He didn't answer, only grunting in approval, which had Orochimaru smirking, licking his lips with his longer than average tongue as he also turned to watch the battle.
(Konoha Correctional Facility)
Hihi's eyes narrowed behind his mask, as he and the other ANBU teams with him were returning the escaped convicts after their attempted escape. He watched as the 'The Legendary Stupid Brothers' lumbered past him, their heads bowed down.
Apparently, these two were so strong that even binding them in the prison was useless, so instead, they were controlled by managing their food supply. Hence why they were being submissive, since they had been tricked into thinking they would never get to eat another meal if they did not return to their cells.
Following them was the instigator of the escape, a shinobi by the name of Mizuki who ended up being a spy of Orochimaru's. The man had shown a considerable amount of skill, learning so many Jutsu's and using them efficiently that it made him wonder why he was left as an Academy Instructor.
While true that being an Instructor was a critical position, but being in the time they were in now, it would have been better to have had him join the Chūnin leading missions and such. But what did he know? Minato had never met the man before, so he had no idea about the reasoning behind his position.
A small flare of chakra had him looking over his shoulder, watching as the Sandaime Hokage- the previous Hokage- walked into the scene, wearing a set of white robes belonging to the position of Elder of the village. It was his new profession after he had managed to convince Tsunade to take over as the Godaime, while he - once again - retired.
"Hihi," Hiruzen greeted, nodding to his secret successor. The ANBU nodded back, turning back to the scene of two men dragging the comatose Mizuki to a cell. It was a side effect from whatever it was the potion he had created had done to him. "So, who are our casualties from this mess?"
"Only two, sir. One Iruka Umino and one Tsubaki Nagashima. The first was supposedly Mizuki's closest friend while the latter was his ex-fiance. It seemed as though Mizuki had tried to recruit them, but they ended up disagreeing."
"Oh, Umino-kun," Hiruzen said, shaking his head in remorse. He remembered the boy, the son of two excellent and loyal shinobi who had given their lives to save the village during the Kyūbi attack.
"You know him closely, Hiruzen-sama?" Minato asked, tilting his head.
"Hai. He was another Academy Instructor along with Mizuki. He was the teacher for the current generation of Genin. I'm sure they will all miss him dearly," he said, crossing his arms behind his back. "He was even one of his academy teachers before..." Hiruzen said, trailing off at the end.
"Is that so? And how was he? Did he learn anything from him?" Hihi asked, doing his best to maintain a level tone. The matter of his son was still a soft spot for him, no matter how he tried to tough it out.
Hiruzen winced, now regretting opening the subject. "Not particularly," he ashamedly admitted. Sighing, Hiruzen decided to explain. "Unfortunately, Umino-kun's parents were few of the many victims of that day."
"So, in other words, he was just like the rest of the village?" Minato bluntly replied. "Blaming their death on a boy that had nothing to do with it."
Turning away, Hihi decided that he was done with the events of the day. The other ANBU did not need his presence, they were more than capable of handling the rest of the situation without him. Body flickering away, Hiruzen sighed as the previous Hokage left him.
It seemed that Minato was still having a hard time reconnecting with the village. Without Kushina's support, and with Naruto going rogue, the young Hokage was probably lost. His loyalty to the village was unquestionable, he was sure of that, but he was also sure that his trust in it was shaken.
Why would he care for the people who abused his son? Why would fight for the village that trampled on his legacy? Hiruzen had suffered dearly after his dear wife's death that night, but he still found his motivation to come back and try to lead Konoha once more. It was the only thing that had kept him going, busying himself and working tirelessly day and night to preserve the legacy of his predecessors. But what did Minato have? Nothing. He had none of that.
Looking back at the scene of the prison's secret entrance, Hiruzen wondered just how long would it take before Minato broke. Before the guilt, hate and despair began to affect him. Before he would begin to fall to the darkness of the shinobi world. No matter how confidant he was in him, Hirzuen knew that it was not a matter of If. It was a matter of when.
Orochimaru had fallen to it. Sakumo Hatake had succumbed to it and had seemingly dragged Kakashi with him. Itachi had been forced into it.
So then, when would it happen?
Post Author note:
Well…Now we know a few more characters. You have Kagura, Kaneda, Vincent, and Ani. These characters are from the Naruto Game (Search on google "Kagura Naruto game", but she will have a different backstory but still similar), Kengan Ashura, FF7, and last but not least is Attack on Titan. I will further develop their Background stories within the next few chapters, so no worries, but for appearance sake, if you didn't quite imagine them, you can check them out on google.
Felt like they would make sense. Kagura and Kaneda for their parts in their franchisees, while Vincent fits as an Iburi, the clan from Canon that can turn into smoke, and lastly, is Ani who is going to be the only daughter of Shin from the Boruto anime, who has the Bloodline ability to have any genetic material successfully bind with his body, so she was perfect to be added to the new Sound Four and from Orochimaru's Side.
Now, there should be only two more characters that will be added who are OC's, one we met in Danzo's army, and a few already guessed parts of her role in the story- LOL, you spoilers you!- and the last character will show up soon.
Also, I want to add, the idea behind the character of Ani (Annie Lockhart, but her Japanese Wiki name is Ani so I'm using that) and her background story was all the contribution of one of my reviewers, named Lucian Naruto. Seriously, he has some of the best ideas you can ever think of for story ideas. Like, some of them literally left me speechless. So the incorporation of Ani is his idea, and I won't take credit for it, but here she is. I figured Orochimaru would want to have a stronger Sound Four, and they were there, so why not.
They will sort of act like the Azula squad in the Avatar, hunting him down, but won't succeed for a while. We will start to see them mature and change the longer they interact with my Sparda until something changes, but that will be in the second part of the story, not anytime soon.
The last thing to announce, the next update will take longer. Sorry in advance, but I just can't do anything right now. My job is now officially 10/7 (hour/day)….So basically, I don't have a weekend, and what little time I have at home, is just me dragging my feet from couch to bed. I just need September to be over for things to go back to normal. I don't even have the next chapter started. So I have nothing. I hope to have the next chapter ready for you all by the first of October, max by 3rd,
Thank you for reading till the end of this chapter, and I hope you are all enjoying the story.
Well, hope you all enjoy life, and stay safe. Until next time.
PS. Don't kill me if you find so many spelling mistakes and the like, I just didn't have the time to proofread this chapter, but it is on my list of things to do, Promise! If you can help out by pointing out some of the mistakes, I would be very thankful!
Edit 12/9: This chapter is now fixed for spelling and grammar mistakes, so basically, proofread. Please, let me know if I missed anything.