Hello and welcome to chapter 5 and in this chapter, the Horyus will battle against the Five Kage. Now, as you can imagine, Naruto is going to sit this one out, since the Kage already know just how powerful he is. I'm sure some of you are wondering "Why are these guys going up against the Five Kage when Naruto told them that they're on par with him?". Well the answer is simple, action speaks louder than words and the Kage didn't actually see their battle against Organization XIII, and neither did anybody else apart from the people who were there. True they all saw their battle against Xehanort, but they don't know exactly how powerful he was. Anyway, I also established that Suì-Fēng will be hunting down the Horyus to kill them, but there's something I didn't establish in the previous chapter, which I'll reveal in this chapter.
Something I forgot to mention about this fight was that the Kage weren't going to face the Horyus alone. They're actually going to be facing them with two helpers for each of them.
Chapter 5:
In the Shinobi World, the Gummi Ship exited the portal that connected it to the World of Science. The ship then hovered over the Five Kage Summit location, which was once again in the Land of Iron where the last summit was held before the war. When it landed, the ship opened up and the Horyus were immediately greeted by shinobi from each of the five great hidden villages. Among them were Konoha's Shikamaru Nara and Shizune, Suna's Kankuro and Temari, Kiri's Hotaru Tsuchigumo and Chōjūrō, Kumo's Killer B and Darui, and Iwa's Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi.
"Hey guys," Naruto greeted.
"About time you got back here with your friends, you knucklehead," Shikamaru smirked.
"Honestly, you've kept the Five Kage waiting for a while," said Temari.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
Temari got a good look at Naruto's teammates. "Shikamaru, are you sure those guys are the Horyus Naruto helped form?"
"Yeah they are," Shikamaru informed her. "I'm surprised that you're even asking me that question. You did see them fighting against Xehanort, didn't you?"
"I know, but even then, I expected more," Temari acknowledged.
"That makes two of us," Kurotsuchi agreed upon seeing Aang and Sakura, taking notice of how young the two were. "These two especially don't look all that impressive, if you ask me."
Sakura felt a bit intimidated by Kurotsuchi, though Aang was more open.
"High, I'm Aang," Aang held out his hand, gesturing for a handshake.
Kurotsuchi was confused by the gesture at first, but she pushed that aside and said, "You seem like an innocent boy."
Kurotsuchi then shook Aang's hand. "Just so you'll know, innocent kids don't last long on the battlefield."
"Oh believe me, I know that all-too well," Aang replied.
Sakura felt a bit concerned about what Aang and Kurotsuchi mentioned.
"Yow ya fool, you seem cool," said Killer B to Inuyasha.
Inuyasha was confused by Killer B's slang and asked Naruto, "Is he always like that?"
"You get used to it after a while," Naruto answered.
"I think it's going to be a long while," Inuyasha sweat dropped.
"You must be Sora," said Chōjūrō. "It's good to meet you."
"Nice to meet you to," Sora replied. "And you are?"
"Chōjūrō," Chōjūrō answered.
"Oh that's right," Naruto remembered he was supposed to introduce everyone to his friends and allies from the Shinobi world. "Guys, these are my friends from the Shinobi World, Chōjūrō…"
"Hello," Chōjūrō waved. "I'm one of the Ninja Swordsman of the Mist."
"Fellow Jinchūriki, Hotaru Tsuchigumo," Naruto gestured to Hotaru.
"It's a pleasure to meet each of you," Hotaru bowed.
"And Killer B," Naruto gestured to Killer B.
"That's right fool, ya fool," Killer B rapped.
"Darui," Naruto gestured to Darui.
"What's up," Darui said simply
"Kurotsuchi," Naruto gestured to Kurotsuchi.
"Yo," said Kurotsuchi
"Akatsuchi," Naruto gestured to Akatsuchi.
"Hello," said Akatsuchi.
"Temari," Naruto gestured to Temari.
"You all seem tough, or most of you I should say," said Temari.
"Kankuro," Naruto gestured to Kankuro.
"Hey, wanna see a puppet show later," Kankuro teased.
"Shizune," Naruto gestured to Shizune.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person," said Shizune
"And you've already met Shikamaru Nara," Naruto gestured to Shikamaru.
"Yeah, such a drag," Shikamaru sighed.
Naruto then introduced his fellow Horyus to the others. "And these are my new teammates from the Horyus. Sakura Kinomoto."
"Hello," Sakura bowed.
"Inuyasha," Naruto gestured to Inuyasha.
"Hey," said Inuyasha.
"Spiro," Naruto gestured to Spiro.
"The pleasure is all ours," Spiro tipped his head.
"Aang," Naruto gestured to Aang.
"Good to meet you," said Aang
"And you already know Sora," Naruto gestured to Sora.
"Hey there," Sora waved his hand.
"No offence Naruto, but I don't see how much of a fight Aang and Sakura can put up against enemies," said Temari. "To be honest, they don't even look like fighters at all."
"Maybe, but don't underestimate them," Naruto replied. "Remember, I didn't look like I stood a chance against either Neji or Gaara back during the Chunin Exams and look how those turned out."
"Touché," Temari complied before noticing everyone exiting the Gummi Ship. "And who are these guys?"
The ones she was talking about turned out to be Syaoran, Tomoyo, Kagome, Tasha, Katara, Kairi, Kero, and Yue. Sakura, Inuyasha, Spiro, Aang, and Sora introduced them rather quickly.
Just then Tsunade arrived. "Alright enough with the introductions, let's get going."
Everyone did just that and entered the Five Kage Summit building. As they walked, some of them couldn't help but wonder about Tsunade.
"Naruto, is this the Legendary Sucker you told us about," Inuyasha asked bluntly.
"Yeah, that's Grandma Tsunade alright," Naruto answered.
"She looks more like a modal to me," Syaoran commented.
"You think she's a modal, wait until you see Lady Mizukage," Chōjūrō commented.
Sakura remained silent.
Moments later, the group entered the Five Kage meeting room where they greeted by the Sixth Hokage Kakashi Hatake, the Fifth Kazekage Gaara, the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumī, the Fourth Raikage Ay, and the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki along with Mifune general of the Land of Iron. However, they were also greeted by the leaders of other shinobi villages including Shibuki the leader of Takigakure, Shizuka the leader of Nadeshiko Village, Tsukino the leader of Tsukigakure, Ryuka Tenrō the leader of Yumegakure, Sumaru (recently made Sixth Hoshikage) leader of Hoshigakure, and Orochimaru leader of Otogakure.
"It's been a while, Naruto," said Shibuki.
"Long time no see Shibuki," Naruto shook Shibuki's hand.
"Hey there handsome," said Shizuka in a flirtatious way.
"Oh, Shizuka, I didn't expect to see you here," Naruto gasped.
"Nice to see you to," Shizuka winked.
"Are you done yet," Ay called out.
Everyone looked at the Five Kage who were all sitting in their chairs waiting to meet the Horyus in person.
"So you're the Horyus Naruto told us about," said Ay. "You all don't look like much to me. Two of you are just children."
"Perhaps, but one of you is just an old man," Spiro pointed out, gesturing to Ōnoki.
"I am the Tsuchikage young dragon, have respect," Ōnoki replied.
"Respect is earned, not given," Spiro pointed out. "In any case, what have you requested us here for?"
"We have all heard from Naruto that the five of you are on par with him in terms of power," said Kakashi. "However, we wish to see that for ourselves and find out just how powerful and coordinated you are as a team."
"What are you suggesting, if I may ask," said Aang.
"We will test you to see if you are what Naruto says you are," Ay got up off his chair. "It will be battle, the five of you against the Five Kage."
Aang and Sakura both gasped upon hearing Ay's proposal. Inuyasha simply raised his eyebrow, Sora was confused and so was Naruto, but Spiro took a good look at Ay's eyes and saw what kind of person he was.
"How will this work," Spiro questioned.
"It's simple actually," said Mei. "You five will go up against the Kage along with two others from each of our respective villages in a battle royal."
"The match will be over when all members on either team is unable to continue," said Gaara. "Also, Naruto will be left out of this match, since we all already know what he's capable of."
While most of the other members were reluctant, Spiro came out and said, "You're on!"
Aang and Sakura were shocked to see that Spiro was actually agreeing to this.
"However, I do have one request," Spiro continued. "If there are any retired Kage from either of your villages, let them fight alongside you."
"Well, I guess that means I get to evaluate your stats as well," said Tsunade as she cracked her knuckles.
"Spiro are you crazy," Sakura whispered. "These guys are strong they have to be to lead entire villages filled with ninja."
"Did you even look into the Raikage's eyes," Spiro noted. "You can tell just by looking into his eyes that he is the type who believes actions speak louder than words. If we have to prove ourselves to these village leaders, then that's exactly what we'll do."
Sakura wasn't too sure.
"You don't have to fight if you don't want to Sakura," said Inuyasha. "We can handle these guys without you."
But Sakura wasn't about to leave her team to face these guys alone. While she was still confused by other issues and was reluctant to face these guys for fear of someone getting hurt, in the end she was more afraid of leaving her friends to face this challenge alone.
"I'm staying," Sakura said with confidence.
From up above, a White Zetsu was observing their conversation and disappeared before Naruto could sense it's presence.
In Kinone, Fūka was atop the giant tree at the center of her village when she received a message from her White Zetsu spy.
"Excelent my White Zetsu," said Fūka. "Keep an eye on Naruto's friends, but stay out of his sensory range. If Naruto happens to notice you, make sure you send him my message, that we'll meet again and when we do, he's mine."
Everyone made their way towards a special place where the battle against the Horyus and the Five Kage was going to take place. As they walked, they talked some more, with Syaoran getting a good look at Mei and saw what Chōjūrō meant when he implied that she was even more of a modal than Tsunade. Naturally, when Tsunade heard this, she wasn't too happy and butted heads with Mei about who's more beautiful than the other, much to the others' amusement.
Soon enough, they all arrived at the spot, which just so happened to be the island turtle Naruto and Killer B stayed during Naruto's training to control Kurama's power.
"I remember this place," Naruto acknowledged. "This where I learned how to harness Kurama's power…"
"It's also where our battle will take place," said Ay. "We will all start at the center and face off in an all-out war. Remember, when one team loses all of its members the whole team fails and Naruto will not be fighting alongside you. He will stay out of this while the rest of you battle against us and out subordinates. Also don't hold back because we won't."
"We have every reason to hold back, sir," said Spiro. "But if you insist, I at least will fight all-out if it comes down to it. However, I cannot say my teammates will do the same."
"Well I'm going all out if I need to," Inuyasha was quick to reply.
"After everything I went through, I don't need to go all-out," said Sora.
"I personally hope I don't have to go all-out," said Aang.
"I don't like this at all, but I'm not letting my friends face you alone," said Sakura.
Everyone else was place in special seats around the battle arena. Unbeknownst to almost everyone, Soul Reaper Suì-Fēng was also watching, having just entered the Shinobi World through the Senkaimon. Along with her were her lieutenant, Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkōtarōemon Ōmaeda, and several Stealth Force members. They were all observing the Horyus as they went face-to-face against the Kage and their subordinates. Being a professional assassin, Suì-Fēng could have attacked and killed the Horyus without much trouble. However having seen the Horyus battle against Xehanort, she was being cautious since she didn't know the full extent of their powers. For all she knew, the Horyus could be faster and stronger than her, in which case, an attack would send her into the lion's den. Her lieutenant on the other hand wasn't too sure.
"Captain, why are we observing them rather than killing them," Marechiyo asked.
"We don't know how powerful they are, Marechiyo," Suì-Fēng answered bluntly. "You saw that battle with Xehanort. If we attack them right now without knowing the full extent of what we're up against, we might as well be signing our own death warrant."
Flashback:
"So what are your orders, Head Captain Yamamoto," said Suì-Fēng to Head Captain Yamamoto during the captain's meeting.
Yamamoto turned to Suì-Fēng and told her, "Captain Suì-Fēng, take your forces to the World of the Living and hunt down these Horyus. And when you find them…" Yamamoto opened his eyes further. "Execute them!"
"I must protest sir," said Byakuya in his usual calm manner. "We don't know the full extent of their powers. If Suì-Fēng were to attack them without knowing what she's in for, we might as well be throwing her into the lion's den."
"Yeah, Byakuya has a point, Head Captain," said Toshiro. "We need more information on them before we can launch and effective attack."
Yamamoto thought about it for a moment before saying, "Perhaps, yet at the same time, the World of the Living and the Soul Society are in utter chaos, so doing a proper investigation is something we cannot afford right now. We must move swiftly if we are to restore balance to both."
"Indeed, but Kuchiki and Hitsugaya aren't wrong," Suì-Fēng pointed out. "Unless I know what I'm up against, I might as well be throwing my life away for nothing. So my forces and I will observe them first before making our move."
End of flashback:
"If we're going to attack and kill them, we want to know what each of them is capable of first," Suì-Fēng informed her "idiotic" lieutenant.
"Oh, okay that makes sense," Marechiyo acknowledged.
Not far away, Fūka's White Zetsu spy was also observing what was about to go down.
On the other side of the battlefield, Naruto was sitting next to Shikamaru.
On the battlefield itself, the Horyus and the Five Kage and their followers arrived at the center of the island turtle. It was there that the Raikage gave them more information.
"Alright, this entire battle field will be encased in a powerful self-repairing barrier so that no one outside will be harmed from anyone's attacks during this battle," Ay explained. "Kumo will provide the lead on that. Now once this battle gets going, don't any of you hold back because we won't; we will come at you as if we intend to kill you and you must come at us as if you intend to kill us."
"Kill," Sakura gasped.
"But we don't want to kill any of you, and I doubt you want to kill any of us," Aang pointed out.
"There are those who do and you must be prepared for when you face any of them," Ay countered.
Before Aang or Sakura could say anything, Spiro answered, "He's right you two."
Sakura and Aang turned to Spiro.
"Don't forget, each of us has faced individuals who had every intention of killing us at some point," Spiro went on. "Remember that woman who tried to kill Sakura earlier."
Sakura realized what Spiro was talking about. While she didn't want to remember that event, she knew that it didn't change the fact that it happened. Aang also realized what Spiro was talking about. During the Hundred-Year War, almost everyone in the Fire Nation was up to capture him and would have killed anyone who stood in their way.
While they were doing that, Kumo's barrier team had created the Self-Repairing Barrier, the very same one they used to try and keep Naruto and Killer B safe from the Akatsuki during the war. Only this time they were using it to keep the battle between the Horyus and the Kage contained so no one outside would get hurt.
"Alright, let's get this started," said Ay as he and the other Kage prepared themselves.
The Horyus also prepared themselves.
"Alright then," said Spiro.
Moments later, both groups charged each other and the battle began. Ay, Killer B, and Darui went for Spiro; Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shizune went for Sora; Mei, Hotaru, and Chōjūrō went for Sakura; Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari went for Inuyasha; and Ōnoki, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi went for Aang.
Up in the audience the others were watching as the fight unfolded.
"Do you think they'll be alright," Tomoyo asked as she held her video camera to record the fight.
"I guess we'll have to watch and find out," Syaoran answered.
"I have faith in Spiro," Tasha commented.
"I'm sure Aang will be okay," said Katara. "After all, he's the Avatar of my world."
"And I know Inuyasha will be fine," said Kagome. "I've seen him handle powerful opponents before like Ryūkotsusei and So'unga. I'm sure these guys won't be too much problem."
"And Sora fought deities like Hades and Chernabog," Kairi informed them. "Honestly, I'm more concerned for the Kage on how long they can handle Sora."
"I still can't believe he took on the Greek lord of the dead and survived," Syaoran acknowledged. "Still, Sakura managed to save our world from an eternal slumber. Not to mention that they all, along with Naruto, were able to take out Xehanort and Organization XIII, which we all witnessed."
"Yeah, but that's the thing," said Shikamaru, getting everyone's attention. "While the Kage did see the battle with Xehanort, they didn't see the battle against Organization XIII so as far as they know, Xehanort was just a pushover compared with Madara and Kaguya. Besides, Naruto was the one who pushed their luck by claiming that they were on par with him and he proved his worth by outrunning the Raikage, the fastest shinobi around."
"So then in other words, they want to test Naruto's claim," Syaoran acknowledged.
"Yeah, that sums it up," Shikamaru sighed.
Elsewhere in the crowd, Naruto and Hinata were watching the fight together.
"Do you think they'll be okay Naruto," Hinata asked with concern.
"I have faith in my team, Hinata," Naruto answered with a smile.
Hinata mirrored her boyfriend's smile.
On the battlefield, the Horyus were trading blows with the Kage and their helpers. The battle was all-out with both sides trading blows with one another.
"SHOT CARD…!"
Sakura activated the Shot Card and fired multiple energy blasts at the Kage from up in the air, using the Fly Card to keep herself air born. However, Gaara was quick to respond with his sand.
"WIND STYLE: SKY SAND DEFENSIVE WALL…!"
Using his Sky Sand Defensive Wall, Gaara blocked all of the energy blasts from Sakura's attack. Before Sakura could attack again, Ay appeared in front of her.
"Where did he come from," Sakura thought with a surprised look on her face.
Ay then attempted to punch Sakura in the gut, but Sora intercepted the blow with his Keyblade. But Ay was quick to respond and kneed Sora, sending him crashing into Sakura and they both dropped from the sky.
"WOOD…!"
Acting quickly, Sakura used the Wood Card to create a blush to soften their landing. She could have used the Sand Card to do this, but opted not to for fear of giving Gaara more sand to control and use against them.
"My turn," Shizune prepared one of her signature attacks.
"NINJA ART: POISON FOG…!"
Shizune exhaled a thick cloud of poison at the Horyus.
"I don't think so," Spiro shot a wall of fire from his mouth which burned away all of the poison, but not without some consequences.
*KABOOM!*
The result was a big explosion that sent both groups flying in the opposite direction. If it weren't for Gaara's sand shields and Sora's barrier magic, at least one of them would have been burned.
"Everyone okay," Sora asked.
"I think so," Sakura answered.
"That one was on me," Spiro admitted.
"I guess it could have been worse," Aang answered.
"You worry about your own hide," Inuyasha commented.
The group then looked and saw the Kage and their allies emerging from the sand shield Gaara created. But surprisingly, they also saw that the Kage were further protected by what appeared to be giant bubbles. What was more was that Hotaru was wielding what appeared to be a specialized bubble pipe. When the sand shield went down, the bubbles all popped.
"Is this all the power you have, Horyus," Gaara questioned. "How disappointing… I was expecting more from you, especially you, Sora. Perhaps Xehanort wasn't as big of a threat as we assumed."
"Indeed, and I've seen many powerful enemies throughout my lifetime," Ōnoki complied.
"Don't underestimate use," Inuyasha countered back. "You haven't even seen us at our full potential."
"If that's so, then stop holding back," said Mei. "Give us everything you've got."
"You might wish you hadn't said that," Spiro narrowed his eyes.
"We'll see about that," Killer B rapped. "Fool! Ya Fool!"
"He sounds like one of those Hip Hop loving Americans I've heard about," Sakura thought as she sweat dropped.
Suddenly, both Mei and Hotaru weaved hand signs.
"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU…!"
Mei and Hotaru both used the Water Dragon Jutsu, creating a serpentine dragon each made out of water that lunged at the Horyus. Noticing the dragons, Aang used his Waterbending skills to manipulate them into attacking the Kage. But before he could do so, Ay came up with lightning speed and punched him in the face. The force of the punch sent Aang flying into several trees. Naturally, Sakura flew after him to help, but again, Ay came up in front of her and punched her in the gut. Again, Sakura was sent flying, but unlike Aang, she crashed into a cliff wall and they were both knocked out, or so it seemed.
"HEAL…!"
Acting fast, Sora used his healing magic to heal Aang and Sakura before they could be declared unable to continue the fight. Ay tried to strike him, but Sora was faster and blocked his attack with his Keyblade.
"You're fast, no question there," Sora acknowledged.
"I can't believe that old man can rival Sora in speed," Inuyasha gasped.
"Indeed," Spiro agreed.
However for the other Kage and their subordinates, the amazement was the other way around.
"Sora is able to match the Raikage's speed," Tsunade thought. "That's the second time, no the third time the Raikage has been matched in my lifetime."
"Other than Naruto, there's not shinobi who's faster than I am, not since Naruto's father, Minato Namekaze, died," Ay informed the Horyus before separating from Sora. "Naruto himself stated that you five can match him in your own ways, but so far, it would seem that his words were little more than that. Two of you are already out of the picture and there are only three of you remaining."
"Don't count us out just yet," said Aang as he and Sakura got back on their feet. "I'll admit, we did struggle with you before, but I think we have you figured out now."
"TIME…!"
Sakura activated the Time Card, temporarily stopping the flow of time and allowing the Horyus to regroup.
"Huddle," Sakura called out.
The Horyus huddled together.
"What are we going to do," Sakura asked, showing a bit of insecurity.
"We're going to defeat them," Inuyasha answered.
"We must not act rashly, Inuyasha," Spiro pointed out. "We already made the mistake of underestimating them and they got the upper hand on us early on."
"Maybe, but I think I have them figured out now," Aang informed the others.
"Even so, we can't defeat them while they're all together," said Sora. "We need to separate them, that way they'll be easier to take down."
"I'm not too sure about that," Sakura replied worryingly.
The others took notice of Sakura's insecurity.
"Are you okay, Sakura," Aang questioned.
"It's just that," Sakura started. "I can't… I can't think of them as our enemies, no matter how much they want me to. I… I don't want to hurt them."
"News flash kid, they don't feel the same way right now," Inuyasha pointed out. "They told us to go all out with intent to kill and that's exactly what we have to do."
But this only made Sakura mad. "FORGET IT, I WON'T HURT THEM…!"
Before Inuyasha could yell back, Aang told her, "I get it."
The others looked at Aang with various expressions. Inuyasha was confused, Sora was concerned, and Spiro was mutual.
"When I had to face General Fong of the Earth Kingdom army, we tried various ways to get me to enter the Avatar State," Aang explained his story. "But with each attempt, we got no results, until the good general decided to attack me. Naturally, I didn't want to hurt them and thanks to my airbending skills, I was able to evade attacks from him and his soldiers"
Aang then turned to Sakura. "But when Katara got involved, he buried her right in front of me, literally, and I ended up entering the Avatar State, causing a lot of destruction and hurting a lot of people."
Sakura was shocked at Aang's story and it made her think of her battle with Yue and how her failure almost cost everyone to lose their memories. If not for Clow Reed's instrument, it would have been permanent.
"Sakura, don't make the same mistake I did," Aang informed his friend.
"If you don't want to participate in this Sakura, you don't have to," Spiro informed his comrade. "You can fly to the bleachers and undo your time stopping spell while you're there while we finish off the Kage."
Sakura was somewhat relieved that her friends were giving her the option of backing out of the fight. However, Sakura also realized that while she didn't want to hurt any of the Five Kage or their subordinates, she couldn't just leave her friends. Taking a deep breath, Sakura found new determination and got back on her feet.
"I'm staying," Sakura informed them.
"You sure Sakura," Sora asked.
"I'm not letting you guys face this alone," Sakura answered. "I mean, this is a test for all of us, isn't it?"
Before anyone could answer, the Time Card's magic was undone and the Kage and their subordinates came in for another attack.
"NINJA ART: BUBBLE BUMB…!"
"WATER STYLE: GIANT VORTEX…!"
"LIGHTNING STYLE: BLACK PANTHER…!"
"LIGHTNING WATER DRAGON…!"
Hotaru, Chōjūrō, and Darui utilized separate jutsu techniques at once. Hotaru blew dozens of bubbles from her pipe, Darui released black lightning in the form of a panther, and Chōjūrō directed a large volume of water from the surrounding sea at the Horyus as a powerful vortex. All three attacks were immediately followed by a combined attack from Ay and Mei as Mei used the Water Dragon technique with Ay inverting his lightning release into it. Acting fast, Inuyasha and Spiro countered with attacks of their own.
"WIND SCAR…!"
"GOLDEN BLAZER…!"
Inuyasha used his Wind Scar to slice Chōjūrō's Giant Vortex and Mei and Ay's Lightning Water Dragon in half while Spiro used his Golden Blazer to destroy both Hotaru's Bubble Bombs and Darui's Black Panther.
"WIND SCYTHE JUTSU…!"
"WIND STYLE: SAND STORM DEVISTATION…!"
"FIRE STYLE: FIRE BALL JUTSU…!"
Temari, Gaara, and Kakashi came in from the other side and used their fire and wind style techniques respectively. Realizing this Aang stepped in and used his air and firebending to cancel out or redirect the attacks.
"PARTICAL STYLE: ATOMIC DISMANTLING JUTSU…!"
Ōnoki came in from above and used his Atomic Dismantling Jutsu against the Horyus, trapping them inside a cubic barrier around them with a sphere in the center. However, before the barrier could contract, Sora leaped into the air and sliced the sphere in half with his Keyblades.
"We're getting nowhere fast," Inuyasha acknowledged.
"I agree," said Aang.
Suddenly, walls of sand surrounded the Horyus. While they tried to move, they found that their feet were stuck in the ground, preventing them from moving.
"SAND TSUNAMI…!"
Gaara surrounded the Horyus with his Sand Tsunami technique, encasing them in a giant sphere of sand.
Inside, the group was a bit terrified, some more than others.
"What's going on," Sakura gasped.
"Gaara's going to crush us," Aang gasped.
"We have to get out of here before that happens," Spiro pointed out.
Acting fast, Sakura activated one of her cards.
"FIREY…!"
The moment Sakura activated the Firey Card, it appeared in its physical form and melted the sand into glass before Gaara could use his Sand Burial attack. This caught the Kage and their subordinates by surprise, but things got worse as Aang used his earthbending on the glass, sending shards in all directions. Gaara and Hotaru used their Sand Shields and Bubble Domes to protect everyone while Ay used his Lightning Chakra Mode to deflect the shards.
"EVERYONE, SCATTER," Spiro called out.
The Horyus then split up in five different directions. Realizing that they had to do the same to pursue them, the Kage and their subordinates went after them. Again, Ay, Killer B, and Darui went for Spiro; Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shizune went for Sora; Mei, Hotaru, and Chōjūrō went for Sakura; Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari went for Inuyasha; and Ōnoki, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi went for Aang. All five groups didn't stop until they reached a certain spot on the island.
In the audience, Suì-Fēng and her group were still watching.
"Captain, this is getting intense," said Marechiyo. "Those five look like they're going to get serious. Do you think they'll show off their full power?"
"Shut up and watch," Suì-Fēng ordered. "When those fools show off the full extent of their abilities, they'll be left exhausted afterwards and that's when we'll strike. In doing so, we'll likely force their sixth member to act and we'll get a good idea of what he's capable of."
"You want to have their sixth member attack you in response to you attacking his friends," Marechiyo gasped.
"If we're going to assassinate them, we need to know the full extent of each and every one of their powers," Suì-Fēng pointed out. "If all six were fighting right now, that wouldn't be an issue, but he isn't and from what preliminary reports have told us, that blonde one is possibly on the same level as Ichigo Kurosaki during his battle with Aizen, maybe even higher."
"He sounds terrifying," Marechiyo gasped.
"And that's why for now, we observe," said Suì-Fēng.
Elsewhere in the audience, Naruto and the others were watching carefully as the other Horyus were holding their own against the Five Kage and their subordinates. As they watched, Kurama detected the presence of Suì-Fēng and her squad, and the White Zetsu spy.
"Naruto, I sense a presence," Kurama warned his Jinchuriki.
"What's going on Kurama," Naruto asked.
"Not only is there a White Zetsu, but there are multiple unknown spiritual beings nearby," Kurama answered.
"Are you sure there's a White Zetsu, buddy," Naruto questioned. "I thought those things were gone."
"So did I, but obviously not," said Kurama. "But that's not all. This White Zetsu carries a familiar presence, the same presence as that woman who tried to consume your chakra."
"But how," Naruto gasped.
"Naruto, what's wrong," Hinata asked.
"Hinata, Kurama says we're being watched," Naruto informed his girlfriend.
On the battlefield, the Horyus were all holding their own against their opponents.
On one part, Sora was trading blows with Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shizune. Kakashi went in first, wielding the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, a weapon once used by Tsunade's granduncle, Tobirama Senji. Sora responded by blocking it with his Keyblade, rather easily, even when Kakashi added the White Light Chakra Sabre, a sword passed on to him by his father. Sora then kicked Kakashi away only to be punched in the face by Tsunade, sending him flying into a wall.
"NINJA ART: POISON FOG…!"
Shizune used her Poison Fog against Sora, but the Keyblade Wielder was quick to respond.
"FIRAGA…!"
Sora used his Firaga spell on the poison fog, but remembered too late what happened earlier with Spiro. Again, there was a big explosion, but this time, Sora was ready for it as he used his barrier magic to protect himself. But then Kakashi came in with the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, infusing it with his lightning style chakra. He then struck Sora with the Lightning Blade variation of the Chidori Sharp Spear, used against Danzo. Noticing this, Sora raised his Keyblade and defended himself from the oncoming attack just in time before flinging the lightning away, much to Kakashi's shock (no pun intended).
"This kid's tough," Kakashi acknowledged.
"I'm actually surprised he's still standing after I punched him," Tsunade pointed out.
"We'd better be prepared for the worst then," said Shizune.
Sora then raised his Keyblade and used another spell.
"THUNDAGA…!"
Sora summoned several bolts of lightning against the three shinobi. Acting quickly, Kakashi used one of his lightning style attacks.
"LIGHTNING BLADE…!"
Kakashi raised his hand into the air and cut the lightning bolt coming down on him in half almost instantly. At the same time, Tsunade and Shizune barely managed to evade the lightning bolts coming down on them. With his Keybade raised, Sora charged at Kakashi and Kakashi, with the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, charged at Sora.
On another part, Inuyasha was meddling with Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. The Sand Siblings were having difficulty taking down the half-demon samurai as he kept coming back for more.
"WIND SCYTHE JUTSU…!"
"WIND SCAR…!"
Temari used her Wind Scythe Jutsu against Inuyasha, only for him to cut it in half with his Wind Scar. Kankuro then used his Puppet Master Jutsu, making his Black Ant Puppet approach Inuyasha from behind. Turning upon realizing that he had been tricked, Inuyasha noticed the Black Ant puppet too late as it trapped him inside.
"Got you," Kankuro smiled with victory.
"Don't be so sure," Inuyasha replied from inside the puppet.
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER…!"
Inuyasha broke free with Iron Reaver attack, cutting the Back Ant to pieces, only to be met with a powerful flamethrower blast from Kankuro's Sasori puppet. Kankuro learned from the information he got from Sakura Haruno that the puppet's flamethrowers were powerful enough melt stone and incinerate metal kunai so he knew that this was nothing to sneeze at.
"Word of advice, samurai," Kankuro commented. "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen."
But much to Kankuro's surprise, Inuyasha emerged from the flames, looking more pissed off than hurt.
"Well fortunately for me, I can take the heat," Inuyasha replied.
"But how," Temari gasped. "Those were strong enough to melt stone instantly."
"My kimono is made from the fur of the Fire-Rat," Inuyasha informed the Sand Siblings. "You can't burn me that easily. And it's stronger than any man-made armor."
"We'll see about that," Kankuro then used another of Sasori's functions.
Sasori twisted his wrists like door knobs and shot pressurized streams of water from the pipse in his palms, similar to a water cannon. Again, Kankuro knew from Sakura that these streams, thanks to the flamethrowers, were powerful enough to crack solid stone. The moment these two streams struck Inuyasha, they sent him flying a few meters back, but they weren't enough to bring him down. Just then, the Father and Mother puppets came in and tied Inuyasha down with razor wires they linked together in an attempt to cut him.
"Give me a break," Inuyasha groaned. "Yura's hair was scarier than this…!"
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER…!"
Using his Iron Reaver Soul Stealer, Inuyasha cut right through the wires like they were ordinary strings. The mother puppet then came in and tried to spear Inuyasha with its serrated katana. However the moment the sword struck Inuyasha's kimono, it shattered, much to Kankuro's surprise.
"Kankuro, perhaps you should step aside," Gaara suggested.
On another part, Sakura was struggling with Mei, Hotaru, and Chōjūrō. If anything, she seemed to be more on the run than her teammates were. Rather than fighting her opponents, she was on the defensive while they were on the offensive.
"WATER STYLE: RAGING WAVES…!"
"VAPOUR STYLE: SOLID FOG JUTSU…!"
Hotaru spewed water from her mouth in a waterfall-like fashion while Mei released a cloud of highly acidic mist from her mouth.
"SHIELD…!"
Sakura used the Shield Card, protecting herself with her barrier magic. Normally, the mist Mei used would have melted chakra-based defenses, but Sakura's defense was made of magic not chakra, so the mist had no effect. However, Hotaru's water attack, along with Sakura's insecurity caused the barrier to break.
"What's the matter with you," Mei questioned. "Why aren't you fighting back?"
"Yeah this fight seems too one-sided," said Hotaru. "I was expecting a little more of a challenge from the one directly responsible for sealing Xehanort away."
"Could it be that she's too weak to fight now," Chōjūrō questioned.
"No, it's not that," Sakura answered. "I don't want to fight you. You're Naruto's friends and I won't fight friends."
"Admirable, but right now, you must see us as your enemies," Mei pointed out. "I you think this way…"
"I can't," Sakura replied. "I can't see any of you as my enemies. We may not have met, but you're still… Naruto's friends… and I won't fight friends…"
Sakura then shouted. "FORGET IT, I WON'T FIGHT YOU…!"
But Mei countered, "You're enemies aren't going leave you alone just because you refuse to fight them. I know that from experience. It's fine that you don't want to fight your enemies, but if you don't even have the will to fight, you or someone you care about will just become another victim."
Upon hearing what Mei mentioned about being another victim, Sakura remembered what happened to Ventus and Terra when they were possessed by Vanitas and Xehanort respectively. She also remembered all the times when either the Clow Cards, Madoushi, or Eriol had put everyone around her in danger for one reason or another.
"I don't want that to happen," Sakura acknowledged.
"Then use what you've got and see if you can stop me," Mei then prepared one of her signature techniques.
"LAVA STYLE: LAVA MONSTER JUTSU…!"
Mei used her Lava Monster Jutsu on Sakura, sending a wall of molten lava at her.
"FREEZE…!"
Acting quickly, Sakura used the Freeze Card to freeze the lava into obsidian, but Mei came at her again.
"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU…!"
Mei used another Water Dragon.
"FLY…!"
Sakura used the Fly Card to get into the air and fly away, but was met with Hotaru's exploding bubbles.
"Got you," Hotaru smirked.
The bubbles exploded the moment Sakura got too close to them. Hotaru used her bubble dome to protect herself, Mei and Chōjūrō. Moments later, Sakura fell from the plume of smoke and into the water below. The moment Sakura entered the water, she woke up and swam for the surface, only to be face to face with her opponents.
On another part, Spiro was exchanging hits with Ay, Killer B, and Darui. Ay had learned his father's Thrust of Hell technique and used it to try and stab Spiro. Unfortunately and to his surprise, not only did Spiro catch it, but his draconium armor wasn't even scratched. Darui then came in with his own attack.
"GALE STYLE: LASER CIRCUS…!"
Darui created several beams and shot them at Spiro. First a halo of bright energy spread around Darui's hands, then it encircled it, and from that, the beams shot out at Spiro. However, the moment the beams touch Spiro's armor, they bounced right off like light reflecting off a mirror and were ricochet in all directions.
"What the hell is going on," Ay questioned.
"My armor is made from draconium, the hardest metal in all of Draco Sanctuary," Spiro explained. "It also has elemental-proof properties, able to withstand any elemental attack thrown at it. Liquid nitrogen cannot freeze it, molten lava cannot melt it, water slides right off, and lightning bounces right off. Even Naruto's Truth-Seeking Orbs have a hard time breaking it."
Spiro lifted his right paw to show a small dent in his armor made by one of Naruto's Truth-Seeking Orbs.
Flashback:
While the Horyus were traveling from the World of Science to the Shinobi World, Spiro was explaining what his armor was made of and how tough it was.
"So your armor is elemental-proof," Aang asked.
"It is," Spiro answered. "It's not invulnerable, but it can withstand elemental attacks better than any other known material. It's more fire and heat-proof than tungsten, more water and frost-proof than nylon, and can block lightning better than either wood or rubber."
"You have nylon in your world," Sakura asked.
"Well if it's so elemental proof, how is it that you dragons were able to forge it," Naruto questioned.
"Do not underestimate the Metal Clan, Lad," Spiro explained. "There's a lot about my world you don't know about just as there's a lot about your worlds I do not know about."
"Well let's put it to the test," said Naruto as he summoned a Truth-Seeking Orb.
"Very well," said Spiro as he put his right paw up.
Naruto then launched his Truth-Seeking Orb at Spiro, striking him at his right paw. But to his surprise, the orb didn't destroy his armor or his paw for that matter. Spiro then clenched his paw and, using his armor's claws, sliced the Truth-Seeking Orb to pieces.
"I don't believe it," Naruto gasped.
End of Flashback:
"I see," said Ay.
"Perhaps you would prefer I take my armor off," Spiro questioned.
"No," Ay answered. "As tough as your armor is, all armor has chinks and you just showed me one of those chinks."
"Even so, will you be able to handle me before I take you down," said Spiro as he prepared to attack.
On the last part, Aang was "dancing" around Ōnoki, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi.
"LAVA STYLE: QUICK LIME JUTSU…!"
"EARTH STYLE: MOUNTAIN JUTSU…!"
Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi used their techniques in tandem with one another. Kurotsuchi covered Aang with a larger quantity of quicklime. Since Aang had never seen this before, he didn't know what bending art to use against it and was soon covered in it. At the same time, Akatsuchi created two enormous rock formations that close in on the young Avatar from opposing sides with tremendous force. However, once the quicklime was all-over Aang, he used his seismic sense and quickly figured out that the substance was technically earth. He also took notice of the rock formations closing in on him. Using his earthbending, Aang manipulated the quicklime and smashed both formations into pieces at the same time.
"What the hell," Kurotsuchi gasped.
"How is he doing that," Akatsuchi questioned.
"I'm not done yet," Aang then threw the quicklime at the two shinobi.
When the quicklime struck the two shinobi, Aang hardened it, immobilizing the two instantly. However, Aang noticed Ōnoki appearing behind him from the air as he prepared his Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.
"PARTICAL STYLE: ATOMIC DISMANTLING JUTSU…!"
Ōnoki struck Aang with his jutsu, and while Aang created a wall of air to protect him from the initial blast, he was sent flying into a large rock, in the distance. The moment Aang hit the rock, he fell to the floor, taking him out of the fight, if only momentarily.
"I'm surprised," Ōnoki stated. "I expected more from someone who's the Avatar of his home world."
Aang then slowly got back on his feet while Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi freed themselves from the quicklime.
"And I expected more from someone like you, but honestly, you're not the first old man I fought in my life," Aang replied, remembering his bout with his old friend, King Bumi.
"I see," Ōnoki acknowledged. "Well…"
Suddenly, Ōnoki's back problem kicked. "Ow, oh my back…!"
"Are you alright," Aang gasped.
Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi also too notice of this.
"Grandpa," Kurotsuchi gasped.
"Maybe you should stop here," Aang suggested, concerned for Ōnoki's condition.
But Ōnoki quickly recovered (or at least it looked like it) and attacked again. "Don't let your guard down."
"STONE GOLEM…!"
Ōnoki created a large, humanoid creature composed of rock from the giant rock Aang slammed into moments ago.
On battlefield 1, Sora took another punch to the face from Tsunade. But again, he quickly recovered, partly because of his healing magic, but mostly thanks to his Keyblade.
"How are you able to withstand my attacks," Tsunade gasped.
"I'll admit, your punches are formidable," Sora acknowledged, showing blood drooling down his lower lip. "But I know some demi gods who hit harder than that."
"HEAL…!"
Sora attempted to use his healing magic, but Shizune intercepted him and knocked him to the ground.
On battlefield 2, Inuyasha was being pursued by Gaara's sand attacks.
"SAND TSUNAMI…!"
"WIND SCAR…!"
Gaara came at Inuyasha with his Sand Tsunami attack but the half-demon countered it with his Wind Scar, cutting the attack in half. But it did more than that as the attack struck the barrier, cracking through a few layers. Luckily, the barrier squad were able to regenerate it, but this gave the Sand Siblings an idea of just how strong Inuyasha was.
"SAND COFFIN…!"
Gaara caught Inuyasha off guard and trapped him with his Sand Coffin.
On battlefield 3, Sakura was evading attacks from Mei, Hotaru, and Chōjūrō.
"RAGING WAVE…!"
"LAVA MONSTER…!"
Mei and Hotaru shot their Raging Wave and Lava Monster techniques at Sakura but Sakura, using the Fly Card evaded them. Needing a distraction, Sakura took out another card and activated it to keep her opponents occupied.
"This should hold them," Sakura activated her card.
"ILLUSION…!"
Three illusions appeared on the battlefield, one in front of each of them, one for Mei, one for Hotaru, and one for Chōjūrō. The moment those illusions appeared, the three stopped fighting.
"Master Utakata," Hotaru gasped.
"Ao," Chōjūrō gasped.
"My love," Mei gasped.
Before either of them could realize what was going on, Sakura activated another card.
"WAVE…!"
On battlefield 4, Spiro was being bombarded by attack after attack from Ay, Killer B, and Darui.
"LIGHTNING STYLE: EMOTION WAVE…!"
Darui sprayed water from his mouth at Spiro and quickly mixed in lightning. The moment the attack hit Spiro, it was supposed to electrocute him, but again his draconium armor blocked it. Not only did the waster slip off, but the lightning followed in suit, much to Darui's surprise. Next thing the dragon knew, both Ay and Killer B came at him from both sides.
"DOUBLE LARIAT…!"
Ay and Killer B came at Spiro with their signature Double Lariat in an attempt to decapitate him. But once again, they couldn't harm him because of his armor. But at the same time, Spiro could feel the pressure of the attack and instinctively knew he had to get out of there before it was too late.
"NOVA TWISTER…!"
Spinning around rapidly while surrounding himself with intense flames, Spiro used his Nova Twister to get out of his adversaries' grip and send them flying several meters in the opposite direction. While in midair, Spiro stopped spinning and literally looked down upon his opponents.
On battlefield 5, Aang used his earthbending to break the golem into sand only to be met with a punch from Kurotsuchi. Normally Aang would have evaded the attack, but Kurotsuchi came at him from the air and it was right after the destruction of the golem. Once Aang was on the ground, Kurotsuchi made her move.
"LAVA STYLE: ASH STONE SEALING JUTSU…!"
Kurotsuchi spewed out a thick cloud of ash from her mouth, which wrapped around Aang to retrain him. Since Aang was disorientated at the moment from being punched, the young Avatar wasn't able to use his bending to control the ash.
"PARTICAL STYLE: ATOMIC DISMANTLING JUTSU…!"
Ōnoki moved in and used his Atomic Dismantling Jutsu on Aang while the young Avatar was immobilized. However at the last minute, Aang's eyes and tattoos began to glow.
On battlefield 1, Sora was able to get back on his feet and intercept an oncoming sword slash from Kakashi with his Blade of the Thunder Spirit. Suddenly, Sora switched Keyblades from the Kingdom Key to Oathkeeper. Next thing Sora knew, something strange happened as his clothing began to change.
On battlefield 2, Inuyasha was going in one on one with Gaara who had gone under stage 1 of his Jinchūriki transformation. While Inuyasha found this a bit tedious, he knew that it was only a matter of time before Gaara got serious. Next thing Inuyasha knew, Gaara had taken on Shukaku's form and his Tetsusaiga began to glow.
On battlefield 3, Sakura had trapped her opponents in a network of tidal waves. Suddenly Hotaru took on the form of her Tailed Beast Saiken, freeing herself, Chōjūrō and Mei from the waves and Sakura now had to deal with a monster. If that wasn't bad enough Mei took on a chakra mode similar to Ay's.
On battlefield 4, Spiro used his Nova Twister once more and moved repeatedly around his three opponents, creating a fiery vortex. While this vortex did not harm directly, it took away the breathable air, making it hard for them to breath, the heat from the flames made it even harder. But at the last moment, Killer B took on the form of Gyūki and broke the vortex. Ay then came in and used his Iron Claw on Spiro.
On battlefield 5, Aang had entered his Avatar State and was able to break free of Ōnoki's Atomic Dismantling Jutsu. However, that didn't last long as Aang knew he had to defeat them quickly. Using his bending arts, he created a ring of rotating fire, a ring of rotating water, and a ring of rotating stones around a sphere or air.
With, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Kagome, Tasha, Katara, and Kairi:
"What's happening down there," Tomoyo gasped.
"It looks like Aang is going into the Avatar State," Katara gasped. "I don't know what's with the giant monsters."
"They must be the Tailed Beasts Naruto told us about," Kagome correctly deduced.
"Then things are about to heat up," Tasha concluded.
Suddenly, a small rabbit-like creature appeared in Syaoran's lap, catching his attention.
"Hello," said the rabbit-like creature.
"Who are you," Syaoran questioned.
"Mokona Modoki," said the rabbit-like creature. "And I know who you are, Syaoran Li."
On battlefield 1, Sora had transformed. His clothes were now colored white and grey with the kanji for "light" (光) on his pants and hood. This new form shocked Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shizune.
"What is this," Shizune gasped.
On battlefield 2, Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga had taken on its diamond form as he prepared to attack Shukaku. But the next thing he knew, the Diamond Tetsusaiga turned red for some reason, surprising him and his opponents.
"A Red Diamond Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha gasped in confusion.
On battlefield 3, Sakura noticed that Mei had enveloped her entire body in a coating of lava. If that wasn't enough, she also sensed Aang, Sora, and Inuyasha's energies and realized that they're getting serious.
"I'd better end this quickly," Sakura sighed. "I need a card that can end this without hurtning anyone, but what?"
Sakura then remembered the one card that could stop them and thought, "That's it…!"
On battlefield 4, Spiro was still getting the Iron Claw from Ay. But the next thing Ay knew, Spiro grabbed his wrist and managed to pry his hand from his face, much to the Raikage's surprise.
"My turn," Spiro prepared for attack.
On battlefield 5, Aang, now in the Avatar State, started chasing Ōnoki, Akatsuchi, and Kurotsuchi across the battlefield. Ōnoki tried to stop him with his Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, but his back bothered him again.
"Ow-oh, my back," Ōnoki cried before Aang ensnared him with his waterbending.
In the audience, Suì-Fēng observed Sora, Aang, and Inuyasha attacked the Kage in their stronger forms. She also noticed that Spiro was overpowering the Raikage with nothing by brute strength and that Sakura just refused to fight.
"Captain, are you seeing what I'm seeing," said Marechiyo.
"Quite," Suì-Fēng replied. "It seems that the girl is the weakest link in their ranks. However, these Horyus are powerful. The dragon is overpowering the Raikage with brute strength and he seems to be their leader. The monk was chasing the Tsuchikage and now has him ensnared. The half-demon samurai is giving the Kazekage a run for his money. The dual swordsman is holding his own against the Hokage. And the magician refuses to fight the Mizukage. The only one who isn't fighting is the ninja, so we'll have to get him to fight."
"How do we do that," Marechiyo questioned.
Suì-Fēng drew her sword and answered, "A group is only as strong as its weakest link."
On battlefield 1, Sora was taking in his new form and was amazed by his new form, but he didn't have time to fully appreciate it as he resumed his battle with Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shizune.
"LIGHTNING BLADE…!"
Kakashi came at Sora with his Lightning Blade infused Blade of the Thunder Spirit, but Sora was quick to respond and countered with his Keyblade. Sora then pushed Kakashi back before he instinctively jumped into the air and hovered before launching a series of light projectiles at the current Hokage. This shocked Kakashi, but he quickly regained his composure and used his Blade of the Thunder Spirit to deflect the projectiles as they came at him. Next thing Kakashi knew, Sora charged at him and locked his Keyblade with his Blade of the Thunder Spirit.
"When did Sora get so strong," Kakashi thought. "I know he was strong before, but still…"
Tsunade then came in and tried to punch Sora in the face with her fist.
On battlefield 2, Inuyasha was shocked to see that his Diamond Tetsusaiga had turned red. Deciding to test out his swords new form, Inuyasha arched his sword and swung hard.
"ADAMENT BARRAGE…!"
A bombardment of red diamond shards flung out from Tetsusaiga and flew right towards the Sand Siblings. Gaara protected himself and his siblings with Shukaku's sand, but much to his surprise, the shards that missed them went straight for the barrier and went right through all 36 layers like Asuma's blade once went through a tree and a bolder long ago.
"No way," Kankuro gasped.
"It went right through the barrier," Temari gasped.
"Not even Naruto and Killer B together could do that with just one attack," Gaara acknowledged.
"That's only the beginning," Shukaku told Gaara. "Kurama warned us of Inuyasha's sword. It has a form that could cut through Tailed-Beast Chakra and disable Tailed-Beast forms."
"Then we have to avoid that at all costs," Gaara acknowledged.
On battlefield 3, Sakura realized exactly what she needed to do to end the battle with the Kage without hurting any of them.
"WISDOM WOLF DECAY…!"
Opening its mouth, Saiken released a dense corrosive gas at Sakura. However, Sakura was able fly out of the way with the Fly Card and few up to the top center of the dome.
"Where's she going," Chōjūrō asked.
"I don't know," Mei replied. "But she must have some sort of plan. I doubt she'll leave her friends high and dry."
On battlefield 4, Spiro head-butted Ay and started to physically overpower him with his brute strength. He then shot a firebeam at him, which only grazed Ay, but it was enough to penetrate his Lightning Style Chakra Mode, much to Ay's shock.
"GOLDEN BLAZER…!"
Spiro then fired his Golden Blazer directly at Ay, sending him flying to the edge of the barrier. His Lightning Style Chakra Mode deactivated upon hitting the barrier and Gyūki then picked up Ay as he looked at the dragon.
"You alright Bro," Killer B asked.
"I'm fine," Ay answered.
On battlefield 5, Aang was about to surround Ōnoki with his earthbending, but Kurotsuchi, acting on instinct, did something unexpected to save her grandfather.
"PARTICLE STYLE: ATOMIC DISMANTLING JUTSU…!"
Without warning, Kurotsuchi used the Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, though an unrefined version, and attacked Aang with it. This action caught everyone off guard, even Kurotsuchi herself.
"Granddaughter, since when did you learn the Atomic Dismantling Jutsu," Ōnoki questioned. "For that matter, when did you have the Kekkei Tōta?"
"I guess I've always had it considering that you're my grandfather," Kurotsuchi deduced before noticing that Aang was coming at them. "Anyway, we'll have time for that later! We've got an Avatar to handle first!"
Suddenly Kurotsuchi noticed Sakura flying towards the center of the dome ceiling.
In the audience, the others noticed what Sakura was doing and were wonder what she was up to.
"What's Sakura doing," Kagome asked.
"I have a feeling we're about to find out," Katara acknowledged.
"Captain," Marechiyo questioned.
"This should be interesting," Suì-Fēng narrowed her eyes on Sakura.
In the air, Sakura flew up to the center of the dome and called out to the others.
"HORYUS ARRISE…!"
On the other battlefields, the others heard Sakura's call and turned their attention towards the ceiling of the barrier. Noticing Sakura was up there, they stopped their battles with the Kage before flying up to where Sakura was.
"Sakura, what are you doing up here," Aang questioned.
"I wanted you to get up here to keep you all safe," Sakura took out one of her cards.
"SLEEP…!"
Sakura activated the Sleep Card and with the other Horyus out of the card's range, it flew around the battlefield, spreading magical sleeping powder all over the battlefield. The Kage and their subordinates tried to fight back, but because the card's powers weren't a form of genjutsu, they couldn't release it. One by one, they all fell asleep, even the Jinchuriki and their Tailed Beasts fell victim.
"Well, that was anti climatic," Sora raised his eyebrow.
The barrier group noticed this as well and took down the barrier. Naturally, most of the audience wasn't happy with how the Five Kage were so easily defeated nor even how they were defeated.
"Oh are you serious…?"
"And it was just getting good…!"
The others however were relieved that it was over without any serious injuries.
"Thank the spirits it's over," Katara sighed.
"Yeah, but why didn't Sakura just use that earlier," Kagome questioned.
"Who knows," said Tasha.
"At least they managed to finish this without seriously injuring each other," Kairi pointed out before noticing that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Syaoran?"
Once the barrier was down, Naruto went up to his fellow Horyus and was rather mixed about how they handled the Kage. "Well, that was anti climatic."
Sakura simply giggled sheepishly at Naruto's comment. "Well, I didn't want anyone to get hurt," she answered before she got a depressed look on her face, remembering what Mei mentioned to her during their fight. "But, I'm worried."
"Worried, about what," Aang asked.
"Well," before Sakura could explain, Suì-Fēng came in with her zanpakuto activated.
"STING ALL ENEMIES TO DEATH: SUZUMEBACHI…!"
Suì-Fēng released her zanpakuto, Suzumebachi, transforming it into a black and gold gauntlet, with a small chain linking it to a stinger-like blade her middle finger. The "stinger" was about twice as long as the normal length of Suì-Fēng's fingers, slightly increasing her striking distance. The colors and pattern resembled those of a hornet.
"NIGEKI KESSATSU…!"
Suì-Fēng then attempted to sting Sakura with her zanpakuto. Sakura sensed Suì-Fēng's presence, but was too late to react to the oncoming attack. But before Suì-Fēng could sting her a second time, Naruto, who also sensed her presence, grabbed her wrist and stopped her at the last second.
Naruto then held Suì-Fēng and questioned, "Who the hell are you?"
Suì-Fēng was surprised by Naruto's speed.
Sakura and the others noticed Suì-Fēng. Next thing they knew, a butterfly-shaped stamp appeared in the spot where Suì-Fēng had struck Sakura, which was her heart. If that wasn't bad enough, Sakura started coughing up blood, much to her horror.
"Sakura," Tomoyo gasped upon seeing this on her video camera.
"Who is that woman," Kagome questioned.
"I don't know, but she doesn't look friendly," Katara answered.
"We better get down there," Tasha then led the others into the arena.
"I'm gonna ask you again, Lady," Naruto growled at Suì-Fēng. "Who the hell are you and what have you done to Sakura?"
"I am a Soul Reaper," Suì-Fēng answered. "That mark on your friend is what will spell her doom."
"What do you mean," Inuyasha demanded.
"It's called Hōmonka, or Bee Crest Flower," Suì-Fēng explained. "The moment I stab your friend in that same spot, she'll die instantly."
This knowledge horrified the Horyus and their loved ones.
"Take that thing off," Kagome drew her bow and prepared to shoot Suì-Fēng, her face filled with hostility.
"Who gave you the right to do that to her," Katara got into an octopus stance and prepared to strike Suì-Fēng with her waterbending, her face equally filled with hostility.
"You Horyus are a threat to the Soul Society, and there for you must all be brought down," Suì-Fēng answered.
Before anyone could say anything else, Marechiyo entered the battle and activated his Zanpakuto.
"CRUSH THEM: GEGETSUBURI…!"
Marechiyo's Zanpakuto transformed from a sword into an over-sized spiked ball attached to a long chain, similar to a flail. Marechiyo then threw the spiked ball at the group, forcing them to scatter. Suì-Fēng managed to get away and she opened a Senkaimon back to the Soul Society.
"Where are you going," Sora demanded.
"Consider yourselves lucky, Horyus," Suì-Fēng answered as the rest of the Stealth Force rejoined her and Marechiyo. "We were only here to observe you, but next time you won't be so lucky."
The entire Stealth Force then went back to the Soul Society. Sora and Naruto wanted to follow her, but Spiro knew better.
"Let them go," Spiro told them. "We need to help Sakura."
Moments after the Senkaimon disappeared, the Five Kage woke up from their sleep and rejoined the group.
"What happened," Tsunade questioned.
"Sakura's been poisoned by someone called a Soul Reaper," Naruto answered.
In the Soul Society, Suì-Fēng made her way to the Captain's meeting after giving Marechiyo a good beating for interfering with her conversations yet again, much to the other lieutenants' amusement. While Marechiyo took out his humiliation on them, Suì-Fēng gave her report to Head Captain Yamamoto.
"What did you learn," Yamamoto questioned.
"The Horyus are stronger than I expected," Suì-Fēng explained. "The magician was able to put the Five Kage to sleep all by herself. What's more, the samurai and the dual swordsman were able to unlock new powers, but they haven't learned the full extent of them. When I tried to kill the magician, the ninja caught my attack, and he wasn't even using his full power. I managed to leave a Hōmonka in the magician's heart, but it's only a matter of time before they figure out how to get rid of it."
"Obviously, we underestimated the power that they possess," Mayuri acknowledged.
"Indeed," said Yamamoto. "As much as I hate to do this, all captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads along with their lieutenants will have to take on and kill the Horyus personally."
"But Head Captain," said Shinji. "If all of us go there with our restraints off, we'll only cause mass destruction to the World of the Living."
"I'm sorry, but there is no other way," Yamamoto reluctantly admitted.
All the captains reluctantly agree, well, almost all of them.
In the World of Science, Syaoran was in front of what appeared to be a small mansion, guided by Mokona. Upon entering it he sat that there were two Mokana, one white, which was the one who brought him here, and one black. Behind them was a mysterious woman who looked like she had been expecting him.
"Welcome Syaoran Li," said the woman.
"Who are you," Syaoran questioned.
"I am Yuko Ichihara," the woman identified herself. "Now then, shall I grant your wish?"
And that was chapter 5. Okay, maybe this battle was a bit underwhelming and could have used a bit more action, even the characters didn't like this. However as they say, brains are better than brawn and Sakura defeated the Kage by outsmarting them. Now as you can see, I had Tsunade, Shizune, Temari, Kankuro, Chojuro, Hotaru, Killer B, Darui, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi participate in this battle as well. Now before you question how Kakashi can still use the Lightning Blade safely without the Sharingan or how Ay and Kurotsuchi know their father and grandfather's jutsu respectively, let me explain. For Kakashi, he actually used Lightning Blade in the first Horyus when battling against the Heartless and the Nobodies near the end of that story. Keep in mind that I wrote that before it was established in Boruto or the light Novals that Kakashi couldn't use it safely without his Sharingan. Basically, that weakness doesn't exist in this continuity. As for Ay and Kurotsuchi, well, you can thank Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi for that. I'll explain in detail another chapter.
Anyway, I also introduced Yuko from XxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. I've heard some of you mention Syaoran gaining the powers of Syaoran from Tsubasa. But if I'm going to give him those powers, there's only one Clamp character I can turn to for help, Yuko, okay maybe two or three if you include the two Mokona, but you get my point. Also I gave Sora his Light Form from KHIII and Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga a new form by combining two of it's previous forms. Both of these are unrefined of course, but you can't expect perfection the first time around.
Anyway, the next chapter will have the Horyus recuperate after their battle against the Kage, or will it?
Chapter 6: Recovery