Chapter 7: The Spinning Crane Technique.
AN: Ok so this chapter has been kind of a stop-and-go type chapter. I would start work on it only to my inspiration or desire to continue which is kind of a pain to deal with. Thankfully after what must be close to a year, I have it done. So sorry for the log wait but I hope you like it.
(Land Of Gold: Slavers Tent City).
Over the last week, Kushina and Minato had watched as the slavers moved about their tent city laughing, joking, and playing various games. From time to time they could see a few of the slavers pull a few helpless young girls out and have their way with them. Some of them looking no older than twelve years old before just as quickly tossing them all back inside their cells like one would a measly dog. It was a sight that enraged Kushina but she was a skilled kunoichi and so was able to school her emotions for the time being.
By now Minato had recovered to the point that while he wasn't as fast as he used to be he was now able to move around the nearby area fairly easily. A few loose bandages were still wrapped around his torso and arms but they were now far fewer and were likely to be gone by the end of the week. They only really existed because Kushina was unsure if it was wise to remove them all fully. A fact he thought to be utterly ridiculous as he felt perfectly fine.
"He is moving away". Minato said softly as he watched as one of the two guards standing at the outermost ring of the tent city made to relieve himself of his drink. Once the man was no longer in sight of his partner Kushina started to move at the unspoken command to begin the attack. Kushina raced forward at such high speed that the second guard had no time at all to react to her sudden appearance. In seconds his blood coated her blade in a deep red crimson. Minato meanwhile dispatched the other without a sound being made by the man and with that, the two were inside the small tent city. Their movements were slow and monotonous but it had ensured that nobody inside knew that anything was wrong. The two entered the second ring after only a few minutes of this and picked the locks to the holding cells that housed the many prisoners.
"Keep low and move slowly. You should be fine so long as you don't make too much noise". Kushina said as she gestured to the north in the general direction of the village. Once that was done the two continued to dispatch the few guards still left standing and moved slowly inward. After a while, it seemed like all the guards had disappeared seeing as there was none in the general vicinity which put Minato on edge.
"This is far too easy Kushina-chan". Minato said as he didn't at all like the ease the two had in dealing with the guards and how easy it was to get this deep inside their camp without some sort of alert going off. Something was clearly wrong here but before either of the two could think anymore on the matter a sudden explosion sounded from in front of them. With eyes as wide as saucers the two watched as the main tent was sent skyward at such a high rate of speed that in seconds it was but a mere pinprick in the blue cloudless sky. Returning their eyes to the ground the two watched as the form of a mountain of a man walked out of the smoke to reveal himself.
"By the sage he's massive". Minato said as he readied himself for the fight to come. Kushina also got into a fighting stance and waited. The two didn't have to wait all that long as the man soon began to spin around in an obvious attempt to decapitate them with his comically large broadsword. But both were able to either block the attack or jump out of the way of the blade and miss the attack altogether. The man, however, didn't seem to care as he just pressed the attack all the harder. Spinning and slashing at the two in an oddly beautiful dance of death. The way he moved seemed vaguely familiar and it wasn't long before he realized why that was. It was the Spinning Crane technique. But that didn't make even the slightest bit of sense seeing as the last petitioners that he knew who used that technique had died out more than a century ago when a neighboring clan had deemed them too great a threat and so attacked them in what was later dubbed the Red Wedding. So he was either one of the few descendants that may yet exist in the world or he was just a lowly grave robber who had taken ageless techniques he had no right to in the first place. No matter what he was the man was a clear and obvious threat to the success of their mission and so needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. The thought of calling down Nagendra was quickly dismissed by the two as they would first need to question him and one couldn't question a burned corpse which, of course, meant fighting him. A task neither of them were looking forward to. With but a look Kushina readied herself for the man's next attack.
The man seeing that he was getting nowhere soon started to race towards the pair. His eyes filled with a seemingly unended rage but for what reason neither of them knew. Minato seeing this soon sent out various jutsus trying to slow the man down but he was clearly trained as he also sent his own back. Jumping back Minato fired a few more jutsus off but like the last time, the man was able to counter anything that was sent his way. Minato knew that if he wasn't subdued soon he and Kushina were likely in for a world of pain. Looking her way the two soon jumped into the trees and readied themselves for the next round of attacks that were no doubt about to be sent their way.
"Uzumaki Style: Great Barrier no Jutsu". Kushina yelled as a bluish barrier formed all around them locking them inside an area that was about three miles on all sides. The man however didn't seem to acknowledge this most recent development instead opting to go through a series of hand signs.
"Fire Style: Fire Tornado". The man said as four tornados formed and raced at them at great speed. Thinking fast Minato ran through his own set before a few blasts of highly condensed wind shot forward disrupting the tornado's rotation and killing the attack.
"Hmm, it seems my client has reliable intelligence. It seems you're much more skilled than the last foolish ninja to enter this side of the sea. You lot should know better than to mingle into the affairs of your betters". The man said as he raised his hands up before the blue sky grew dark and ominous.
"What are you doing"? Minato asked as he readied himself for whatever was about to happen.
"You ninja have your chakra. We have our mana. Let's see which is the more useful shall we"? The man said as he shot his hands forward and an ark of lightning shot at the pair. Jumping to the side both Minato and Kushina watched as the tree they were both on was effortlessly cut in half and was soon engulfed in fire.
"You both a fair bit faster than the last ninja I faced. No matter I can go much faster". The man said as he shot another round of lightning attacks at the two. It wasn't long before the green field was a hellscape of burning trees and blackened soil.
"We can't keep running. You need to keep him busy while I try to siphon off his energy". Minato said as he pulled out a seal and wrapped it around his custom-made kunai.
"Be careful Minato-kun I love you". Kushina said before speeding forward trying to force him to focus only on her.
"I love you too, Kushina-chan". Minato said as he raced into what little was now left of the surrounding forest which wasn't much at all anymore. Dropping low he waited for the opportune moment to attack. He had but one of his custom-made kunai left and if he should fail matters were going to become substantially more difficult. Thankfully Kushina was able to force him close enough that he was sure he could plant the seal and siphon off his energy. Focusing every last bit of power he had he shot forward the world becoming but blurs of blues, blacks, a few bits of green, and of course reds. Appearing behind the man Minato planted the seal and at once the man yelled out in fury but it seemed mana and chakra were compatible though he could tell the seal was having a hard time fully stabilizing onto his network. Something to puzzle out when he got back home. In a way, he was kind of looking forward to solving this particular puzzle. But then again he was always one for a good puzzle. Being from a clan of highly trained assassins such things were to be expected and he wasn't one to fail to match somebody's expectations of his skills.
"Kushina-chan I'll leave this to you. I'm going to see if we have anybody else still caged inside the camp". Minato said as he jumped away and the barrier started to disappear into nothing. In the following hours, the pair would free everybody still inside the sizeable camp and find a letter listing a drop-off point. They guessed this was where the man had been given their info but that raised a few uncomfortable questions. None more so than the fact that only the upper echelons in the village could even see such classified information which meant only a few names were left. One name shot into the forefront of their minds. Danzo Shimura.