Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail
!Warning! Mild Torture
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By Any Means
Chapter 14 - All Roads Lead to Rome Pt 4
Opening - No Pain, No Game by Nano
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Erza… There is no such thing as freedom in this world."
Erza startled herself awake as she took deep breaths. "...A dream? When did I fall asleep?" Slowly she stood from the rest chair on her suite's balcony, half-wishing she had dreamt of the blond-haired mage she'd been slowly getting to know over the last few months instead.
She took a few steps forward, staring out to the shining sea as the sun set. "It's been so long since I've given that time a thought. I've been so busy with the guild and all of our missions as of late… I miss all of you. But…" Erza closed her eyes and shook her head before opening them with a look of determination. "No. I need to move on." Her thoughts briefly went to Naruto and she smiled. "Rob… I think I may have found someone that I can share my pain with, my heart with. I think you would like him. He's smart, funny, and he cares about me. There's still a lot I don't know about him but I think whatever it is that he's keeping from me I can help him work through it."
A knock at her door brought her back to the present as Lucy peaked her head in. "Erza!"
"Oh, Lucy?" Erza turned toward the other girl as she stepped back into the hotel room.
"You're still not ready? I thought you said you and Naruto were going on a date," Lucy noted, pointing out that Erza was still in her bathing suit from when she and the others had enjoyed the day on the beach.
"I am! Er… I mean yes, he and I are," Erza blushed as she remembered Naruto turning her idea to meet up and enjoy their winnings into a date. Looking at the clock by the bedside she requipped into a red dress and shoes, striking a pose she looked at Lucy, "Is this appropriate enough?"
"Mm, you look great! Naruto won't know what hit him!"
0o0o0 Two Hours Later 0o0o0
"He stood you up!" Lucy yelled in shock after Erza had come storming into the casino to find her, dragging her away from the game she and Natsu were playing.
"I feel like such a fool! I sat by myself for an entire hour! I should've known he wasn't really interested in me," Erza lamented, a gloomy aura settling around her.
"This doesn't make sense? Why would Naruto stand Erza up? Come to think of it I haven't seen him all day… or Sasuke. Could something have happened to them?" Looking at Erza Lucy expressed her concerns. "Erza it doesn't make sense that he wouldn't show up. You said it was his idea for it to be a date, so there's no way he would miss your date. Something had to have happened to him. I think also Sasuke as well. I don't think anyone has seen either of them since last night."
"I swear if those two fought again…" Erza gained an angry look as she ground her fist into her palm.
"I don't think the resort would still be here if they fought each other. Something else must've happened."
"It is weird, that we haven't seen either of them all day," Erza pondered as she thought about it.
"We should find the others. Something isn't right," Lucy suggested.
"Yes, let's-" Erza was cut off as the entire room was suddenly pitch black. A gunshot rang throughout the building and the lights returned a moment later.
"A gunshot!?" Erza questioned
"What happened?" Lucy asked as her eyes readjusted to the light. As they adjusted she noticed that everyone else in the room had disappeared.
"It's been a long time hasn't it sis?" the two turned to see a blond haired man shuffling a deck of cards.
"Sis?" Lucy looked to Erza with confusion. "Why is he calling her sis?"
"It… can't be." Erza couldn't believe her eyes. "You're safe?"
"Safe?" the man leered at Erza as he shuffled the deck some more.
"No… I mean…" Erza couldn't find the right words.
"Erza what is going on, who is this?" Lucy asked unsure of the situation.
"Oh? You didn't tell your friend about us? Sis, I'm hurt."
"H-his name is Sho… but I thought…" Erza didn't know what to say or think.
"You thought what? That you could get away with what you did forever? That while we suffered you could live in the lap of luxury?! Well that time has come to an end Sis. It's time for you to come home," Sho then spread his arms, splitting the deck of cards in two between his hand and let the cards fall to the ground. And as they did they could hear screaming come from the cards.
"What in the… The people are inside the cards?" Lucy looked in terror as on the face of each card was either a resort guest or employee.
"You seem curious," Sho stated as he lifted a card with the frog mascot trapped inside.
"Help me!" The man pounded away at the card.
"Magic?" Erza questioned knowing that Sho had no magical ability from their past.
"That's right. I can use it now too Sis." Sho grinned toward both female mages as a magic array suddenly lit up beneath Lucy and an elastic rope wrapped around her tightly.
"Ahhh!" Unable to keep her balance the blond girl fell over.
"Lucy!" Erza cried out as a catgirl appeared behind them.
"Nya! Feeling full of life?"
"Millianna?! You can use magic too?" Erza didn't know how much more she could take. Not only were both Millianna and Sho OK but were standing before her casting magic.
"Long time no see Erzy!" The catgirl waved enthusiastically.
"Let Lucy go! She's my friend!" Erza demanded.
"Friend?" Millianna tilted her head in curiousity.
"We used to be your friends too, remember, Sis?" Sho said from the other side of Erza.
"They were friends?" Lucy thought as she struggled against her bindings.
"Y-yes." Erza felt uncomfortable as she uncharacteristically reached for her left arm with her right and pulled it in close.
"Of course you do! Until you betrayed us!" Sho barked.
Erza looked away in shame.
"Don't be so harsh on Erza, Sho." Materializing from thin air, a blockman appeared next to Sho with his arm wrapped around him. "A dandy man must keep his emotions in check. You know?"
Lucy couldn't believe her eyes, "Blocky!"
Looking to Erza the blockman addressed her. "It's been a long time. You've gone and grown quite voluptuous." He gave her a thumbs up.
"Is that you… Wally?" Erza asked unsure.
"I don't blame you for not recognizing me. Compared to the "Mad Dog Wally" you once knew, I'm a much more well-rounded person."
"You can use magic too?" Erza spoke quietly.
"It's nothing to be surprised about. Anyone can use magic once they've figured out the trick." Erza's heart stopped at the voice coming behind her. "Isn't that right Erza?"
Turning and backing up Erza stared up at the metallic jawline of Simon. "Simon?"
"Erza! Who are these guys?! And what's this "Sis" business about?!" Lucy cried out as the elastic bindings tightened, forcing her to arch her back painfully.
"He's not my real brother." Erza looked away from everyone. "These are my old friends."
"Your old friends? But I thought you were a member of Fairy Tail since you were little?"
"This was before then." Erza then looked back up at her old friends. "Why are you here? Are you the reason Naruto and Sasuke are missing?"
"I told you already didn't I Sis? We're here to take you home!" Sho answered.
"And what about my friends?"
"We don't know about them but as for Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel they have already been dealt with," Simon replied, his left eye glowing a menacing red.
"Let Lucy go. She has nothing to do with this."
"Don't worry about her. Let's go home Sis." Sho leaned forward as he grinned once more.
"Better do as we say or…" Wally stretched out his arm and pointed at Lucy before it transformed into a blocky gun.
"Eee!" Lucy squealed as a red-dot appeared on her head.
"N-no! Please!" Erza begged.
Wally's arm disappeared and reappeared behind Erza.
"Stop!"
A gunshot rang throughout the hall as her vision blurred. As she fell, Erza couldn't help but feel like this was her fate. A temporary moment of freedom before having to return to hell. And as she fell she all she could think of was the missed opportunity to eat a wonderful dinner with the man she was falling in love with.
0o0o0 18 Hours Ago 0o0o0
"I am going to kill whoever is on the other end of the line," Naruto thought as he pulled out his emergency communication lacrima.
"Unless the world is ending, I don't want to - "
"The shitheads got captured," Tayuya cut in, her face serious.
"...Fuck. Okay. Any details?" Naruto ran a hand through his hair, immediately switching to mission mode.
Tayuya shook her head. "Nothing. All I received was the emergency signal."
Hand tightening around the lacrima, the blond sighed. "Of course. What was the last location they gave?"
"...I'm showing somewhere out in the forests near Hargeon. Presumably right in the middle of the viper's den."
"Alright. I'll head over immediately."
"What about the mages?"
"...I'll make something up later. Keep me informed if you hear anything Tayuya."
"Roger."
The lacrima dimmed as the call ended, Naruto swiftly pocketing the orb.
"Damnit Shika, Shino… How did you get caught?" he mumbled to himself as he pulled out a sealing scroll. He quickly retrieved a plain black cloak and various ninja tools, before returning the scroll to his pocket.
"Don't you two die on me…" The now hooded blond turned and began racing out of the park.
From the shadows two red eyes peered from an alleyway. "And where do you think you're going Dobe?" Sasuke thought as he followed, keeping a small distance between himself and the blond.
All day he'd been watching the Dobe and Erza have fun and at long last Naruto had made a mistake. For a moment he thought about contacting Kakashi, but knew the old man wouldn't get here in time and he wasn't about to let the blond shinobi disappear and do whatever he wanted.
"You may be stronger than me Dobe, but I'm not going to let you do as you please."
0o0o0 Outside Gato Corp, Several Hours Later 0o0o0
Naruto crouched among the treetops, eyeing what he assumed to be Gato Shipping Corps. "Spotlights, check. Patrols, check. Dogs, check. Goddamnit, it looks like a fucking military base."
He sighed as he contemplated various ways of gaining entry to the facility. "Well let's see… I could stealthily take out one of the patrols and make my way in, but they'd discover them in a few minutes. Or I could just rush in from the front and take out anyone who gets in my way…" Naruto shook his head, dismissing that last idea, before pausing as a proverbial lightbulb went off.
"Hey, Sasuke, get your ass up here. Might as well be of some use since you followed me."
The raven haired tagalong stepped out from where he was hiding, annoyance written on his face. "Tch, you knew?"
Naruto just stared at him. "Really? You thought you were hiding from me? Get off your high horse." "No way am I letting him know I only noticed about halfway here because I was too distracted."
"Hn." Sasuke jumped up to the same tree branch Naruto was on. "...So what do you want?"
"You're going to play distraction for me," the shinobi stated seriously.
"...Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You're going to charge head on and make a big distraction so I can infiltrate and find my agents."
"And why would I do that?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Because..." the aura around Naruto shifted. "...if you don't, I'll just throw you down there."
"Haah?" Sasuke could only stare at the blond.
"Too late. Away you go!" Quick as a flash, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's collar and threw him right toward the front gates.
"Damn you dobe!"
Explosions and screams soon pierced the air as Sasuke began fighting for his life, while Naruto carefully slipped by and into the shipping facility. The blond couldn't help but to pat himself on the back for his moment of quick thinking as he picked the lock on a door and slipped inside.
"Huh, this looks like a lobby area. Hopefully I can find a facility map somewhere…" Sticking to the shadows he moved up the receptionists desk, currently unmanned due to the commotion outside. Quickly rifling through the drawers, he pocketed several "approved guests" lists and other papers before finding a floor plan. "Bingo!"
Studying the map, Naruto decided to check out the warehouse first. Not only was it large enough to possibly conceal several hidden areas, but he could check the inventory and see if there was any truth to the info he'd gotten.
Decision made, he silently ghosted his way through empty hallways, occasionally sticking himself to the ceilings using chakra to avoid the one or two man patrols that weren't pulled to deal with Sasuke. Soon enough, he was picking the lock on a side door to the main warehouse.
Shutting the door behind him as he entered, he waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once he could reasonably see again, he quickly moved onto the cargo boxes. Kunai in hand, he carefully pried the lid off the first box, revealing what looked to be standard issue ANBU armor. Surprised, he moved a few rows over and repeated the process, this time revealing row upon row of newly made kunai.
"What the fuck? It looks like they're shipping enough gear and weaponry to supply an army!" he thought, glancing around the massive warehouse. The blond's mind raced, trying to connect all the dots. "This… this is not good. I need to find Shino and Shikamaru, then grab Sasuke and book it."
Discarding stealth for the sake of speed, Naruto returned to the main building. He finished clearing the first floor, and then the second floor, knocking out every guard he encountered, still unable to find either of his men. Recalling the floor plan as he stepped onto the third floor, he made a beeline for Gato's office, slamming the door open immediately upon arrival. No one was present though, and Naruto took the opportunity to raid the office. Several important trade documents and account statements later, he managed to find another floor plan, although this one showed a few extra additions not present on the first. One of which, conveniently, was labeled as T&I.
"...No one's that stupid, right?" he thought to himself. If Gato was doing business with Shinobi, then he had to know about the precautions one would take to prevent them from gathering info on you. Nevertheless, Naruto was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he proceeded with all due haste to the second sub basement.
Speeding through the basement, he found the area marked on the map. He was going to slow down and try to scope out the situation first, but a pained cry echoing from further down the hallway spurred him on. Not wasting any time, he formed a Rasengan and blew up the door leading to the interrogation chamber.
The dust cleared, revealing Shikamaru and Shino strapped down onto medical tables. Shino currently seemed to be unconscious, while a short figure - "Probably Gato, I'd heard he was a pipsqueak" - wielding a bloody kunai was standing over Shikamaru, who was bare from the waist up, revealing numerous bruises, slashes, and burns.
The short figure turned to speak to another person, cluing Naruto in on their presence. "Shit, I didn't even sense this guy…"
"Oi, what the hell is this, Zabuza? I thought you said you flushed out all the rats?"
Naruto eyes widened as he took in the man he'd last seen in Bosco.
Zabuza shrugged, flippantly rising from leaning against the wall. "I did. This one's new." As Zabuza got a good look at the new intruder, his brow raised.
"Oh? It's the brat. Glad to see you still alive and kicking."
Overcoming his shock Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Zabuza, you son of a bitch."
Glancing back at the two restrained shinobi, the Demon of the Mist gave a snarky reply. "These two yours? ...Somebody's moved up in the world." He gave a dark chuckle. "This is just like old times." Hearing that, Naruto dropped into a defensive stance.
"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" Gato cut in, red in the face. "Do your job already, and get rid of him! And then kill these two, we need to stay on schedule."
"Shut up already," Zabuza said, appearing behind the CEO and knocking him out. "Much better, I can't stand him when he opens his mouth."
Zabuza placed a hand on the hilt of his sword as he turned back to Naruto. "You want your friends back?" He nodded at the blade sheathed on Naruto's back. "Show me how much you've grown. The only way you're getting them back is if you beat me." The shinobi's eyes glinted maliciously. "You'd better come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise…" he trailed off, his point made.
Naruto bowed his head, his eyes shadowed. "It's funny you think they're my friends. They just work for me." He looked up, sending a frosty glare at the two behind Zabuza. "Hell, if you kill them I won't have to pay them." The blond smirked. "Not that I do pay them. I mean, what's money in the face of getting revenge against the bastards that destroyed your entire life?"
"You really are a cold bastard, aren't you kid? First you lead all those mages to their deaths in Bosco and now you're doing the same here. And here I thought you'd changed after saving those slaves in Hargeon and all the other acts of heroism. Not that the people of Fiore are rushing to thank you. There's quite the reward for your head these days," Zabuza taunted.
"Heh, like I care. I was just trying to lure Kyosho out. Seems my efforts weren't wasted if you're in Fiore now."
Zabuza glared at the blond shinobi. "Do you really think anything has changed since then? All you've done is paint a target on your back. What you did with Jose was a cute attempt kid, but now they know you're still alive and I can't return until you're dead."
"Then I guess it's about time I paid back my debt." Naruto glared, unsheathing the katana on his back.
The two stared at each other, looking for an opening to exploit. Finding none right off the bat, Zabuza smirked. "I suppose you can call yourself a swordsman now, you've at least got the form down." He drew his zanbatou and dashed forward. "Now to see if you can put up a fight!"
Jumping back out through the doorway, Naruto retreated into the open area full of machinery that occupied most of the sub basement, his opponent right on his heels.
Dodging to the left, Zabuza's swing sliced a wooden crane in half, the two halves crashing down and throwing up a cloud of dust. "C'mon brat. Don't just run, fight me!"
"Shut up!" Naruto appeared behind Zabuza, attempting to slash him, but the older shinobi swung his sword around impossibly fast, smacking the blond away with the flat of the blade. Naruto used the momentum to to rebound off an empty cargo container, flying right back at Zabuza and launching a flurry of attacks.
Parrying the attacks, Zabuza threw a snap kick at Naruto, that was blocked with the blond's knee. The older man laughed as he swung his sword down at the blond, watching as it was deflected off to the side. Taking the small opening, Naruto thrust his elbow into Zabuza's face, releasing a burst of chakra which pulped his opponent's head, before the figure dispersed into water.
"Good, good! You're actually able to keep up with me somewhat," Zabuza's voice rang out from the darkened area. "How about we stop playing around?"
Instincts screaming, Naruto dropped to the ground as Kubikiri Boucho flew through the space previously occupied by his neck, only to roll to the side as Zabuza appeared and caught the blade, sending an overhead attack at him. Naruto kept rolling as Zabuza kept sending attack after attack down at him, until he managed to roll underneath a magic carriage refitted as a forklift.
That didn't deter Zabuza though, as his next attack sliced the vehicle in twain, causing it to explode. He immediately raised his weapon to deflect several kunai before spinning in place, bisecting Naruto as he tried to sneak up on him from behind again. The nukenin's eyes widened though as that Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke; the real Naruto, singed and sooty from the explosion jumped from the wreckage and managed to land a hit on Zabuza's left arm before being swatted away by the zanbatou again.
The two once more stared each other down, before Zabuza started chuckling. "Heh...hehe. How's it feel to get first blood, brat?"
Naruto frowned. "It doesn't mean anything. You're not dead yet."
Zabuza raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Oh, getting conceited now are we? Well then, let's-"
"Dobe, I'm going to fucking kill you!"
Both combatants looked to the side, to see one battered, dirty Sasuke.
"Not now, Sasuke. I'm in the middle of something."
"Shut it! I'm going to-" He was cut off as Zabuza appeared in front of him, already in mid swing. Fortunately, Sasuke had just enough time for his Sharingan to swirl to life, giving him the chance to dodge out of the way.
The older shinobi paused, letting the new arrival back away. "I don't fucking believe it. An Uchiha?" He turned to Naruto. "And he's with you?...he...hehahaha!" Zabuza let out a crazed laugh. "This day keeps getting better and better! You just wait one moment Uchiha, and let me finish with the brat here..."
Still high on adrenaline from fighting off all the guards, Sasuke rushed Zabuza. "Don't get in my way!"
Before he could even make it halfway though, a figure blurred into existence between the two, throwing several senbon that caused Sasuke to abort his charge.
"I'm sorry about this, but Naruto-sama and Zabuza-sama are busy. If you don't mind, I will keep you company until they're done."
"I was wondering when you were going to show yourself Haku," Zabuza said, returning his gaze to the blond.
"Dammit, I told you to stop following me everywhere. You'll just get in my way." Naruto glared weakly at the girl, to which she responded with a small giggle.
"I don't have time for… wait, you're the woman from the hot spring?!" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow in confusion as his Sharingan pierced the darkness and revealed the interrupter.
"A pleasure to meet you again, Uchiha-san. It's good to see you in better condition than last time," Haku said, keeping herself interposed between Sasuke and the other two.
Said raven haired shinobi/mage just resumed glaring at her. "Hn."
The sound of metal striking metal drew both of their attention as Zabuza and Naruto began fighting once again. A small frown crossed Haku's face as she watched the two.
"...Naruto-sama…"
"Why the hell are you so obsessed with the dobe?"
"Because he's my master!" Haku said brightly, her mood doing a 180.
"...Why the hell would you follow him?" Sasuke looked at girl incredulously. She had to be crazy.
Expression turning nostalgic, and then melancholic, she answered softly while staring at her past and present masters fighting. "...Many reasons. But he needs me, and I have sworn to be there for him."
Sasuke couldn't help but stare. "She's definitely weird. But now that she's distracted…"
Before he could even complete a single step, 3 senbon pierced the ground where his foot would have landed and an oppressive aura bore down on him.
"I believe I told you to leave them be, didn't I Uchiha-san?"
Back with Naruto and Zabuza, both sported several new wounds, but whereas most were superficial on Zabuza, Naruto had taken a few good cuts. Each new cut sharpened his focus, drove him to attack more viciously. The edges of his iris' began to darken, first to a murky purple, then to a deep crimson. He constantly repeated a mantra in his mind. "Faster, stronger...like I use to be."
This didn't go unnoticed by Zabuza, but, against all expectations, the man began to frown behind his bandages. "Is this truly your limit brat? If it is…"
Suddenly, the older man stood up straight, causing the blond to jump back, wary of his opponent's sudden move.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
The question shocked Naruto so much he dropped his guard. "What are you talking about?"
"This is pathetic... sure, your skill with the sword increased, but that's it? You're not any better than the last time we fought. Have you been sitting around on your ass since our last fight?" Zabuza slammed his sword into the ground in frustration.
"I guess I was wrong about you…" he hefted his large blade, grasping the hilt tightly. "I'll just have to finish what I started back then!" Zabuza charged forward, Kubikiri Boucho dancing through the air. Attack after attack slammed into Naruto's hastily constructed guard, the blond desperately parrying the heavy blade off to the side each time.
The shriek of metal filled Naruto's ears and sparks danced across his vision. "What the hell?! I was able to keep up with him before, but now it's all I can do to divert his attacks! And what the hell does he mean I'm not any stronger than before… I've trained until I've puked up blood, until I've broken limbs, until I'm so exhausted I pass out on my feet…" Unfortunately, Naruto's thoughts distracted him, as he did the one thing he shouldn't have done against an opponent wielding such a heavy blade.
He blocked.
Panicking, Naruto braced his left arm behind his sword, trying to hold the other shinobi's blade at bay. Taking advantage of the mistake, Zabuza began to hammer attack after attack into the blond, driving him to his knees.
"Die, brat!" Zabuza gathered all of his strength and brought his sword down. Naruto's sword buckled under the attack, managing to disperse some of the force. As the sword shattered, a hasty barrier of chakra was formed, catching the cutting edge of the blade. While it prevented Naruto from losing a hand, a sickening crack rang out as his forearm fractured. The force of the blow was so great that even with most of its momentum spent, it still managed to throw the blond back into another retrofitted magic carriage.
"Guh!" The blond coughed up blood as he slumped to the ground, eyes dull. "Is he right?" That thought meandered through Naruto's cottony train of thought. "Am I really that weak?"
"By yourself, maybe… But you have me, don't you?" a whisper slipped through his mind.
"You…"
"Yes, that's right, me. The one who is always here for you, who will never abandon you…"
Outside, Naruto's left eye slowly turned crimson, causing the approaching Zabuza to pause. "Alright brat, moment of truth. Show me what I want to see."
"Just relax, surrender yourself to me. I'll take care of everything. I'll kill Zabuza, and then those two annoyances who keep following us…"
"...Kill them?"
"Don't worry, everything will be-"
"...-to! Naruto, you son of a bitch, get up!"
The blond's eyes, lazily fell to the side, looking for who was yelling at him. "What... was his name again? ...Oh, it's Sasuke…"
Haku looked on as the Uchiha began berating her master. "Naruto-sama, I know you can do this. Don't give in!"
"How the hell can you be so weak? What happened to the asshole that beat the shit out of me just two days ago?!" Sasuke's fist clenched in anger. "What happened to the dobe who'd regularly spar with me until the training ground was destroyed and then drag me back to the guild?! What happened to the man I respected who could fight on par with Erza!"
Naruto just stared as the raven haired shinobi/mage continued on. "...Er...za?"
His gaze zeroed in on blood dripping from in between the Uchiha's fingers, where his nails had cut into his palm. So red. "...Erza…"
The voice from before cut back in. "Don't think about her, think about the now. Someone's trying to kill you, you know."
Naruto's gaze drifted back to Zabuza, who was staring at the blond impassively. The blond's gaze shifted to Kubikiri Boucho. "...sword...Erza?"
A memory flashed into his head, of the day he'd asked Erza to help him with his swordsmanship.
They were out behind the guild hall, and Naruto had asked for a spar. Erza had soundly beaten him again and again. When he complained, she just shook her head, saying his form was terrible. He'd complained again, saying he never had an actual swordsmanship teacher. She'd looked to the side for a moment, before smiling and saying she could teach him, if he was okay with that. That smile sent electricity through his mind.
"Erza...I'm a mess, aren't I?"
"Enough with the girl! We have to focus on the fight! Let me have control, use my power!"
Naruto's eyes closed. Her smile reminded him… of that flowing warmth just at the edge of perception.
"No, you fool! You can only rely on yourself, on me! Don't deny it!"
Naruto opened his eyes, now a glowing cobalt blue, facial decorations fading into view. The voice was gone.
"...Teme, I didn't know you cared," Naruto jeered as he levered himself up.
"Hn." Sasuke just folded his arms, refusing to look at the blond.
"Naruto-sama…" Haku sighed out, a relieved look on her face.
"You set this up, didn't you Haku?" the blond asked, calmly wrenching his forearm back into place and wrapping it with a torn off sleeve.
"Maybe," she said, smiling.
"Finally brat," Zabuza cut in. "You made me wait way too long for this."
"Sorry about that. I didn't have my head on straight."
The older man snorted. "That ain't the half of it, if what Haku told me was true." He readied his sword. "Enough talking. Let's get back to the fight."
"You're on, No-eyebrows."
A vein pulsed in Zabuza's temple. "I'm going to kill you brat."
"Get in line." Naruto smiled cheekily.
This time Naruto led the fight, his enhanced speed and strength, not to mention increased durability letting him go head on with Kubikiri Boucho while unarmed. Not one to leave an advantage behind, Zabuza constantly threw attacks from Naruto's left, where he couldn't defend as well.
Sasuke's eyes were narrowed, Sharingan spinning madly as he watched the renewed fight. "What the hell is that energy?" he mumbled out loud.
"Hmm, I believe it's called senjutsu? It's actually Naruto-sama's greatest technique, or at least, that's what his sensei claimed," Haku explained, eyes never leaving Naruto.
"Such power… dammit dobe, why is it you that always get what I need?" the Uchiha thought somewhat bitterly.
After several exchanges, Naruto and Zabuza were both panting lightly. Despite a few more cuts in his cloths, the blond more or less hadn't taken any more damage. Zabuza, on the other hand, was limping, with multiple bruises covering his body and blood dribbling from his mouth.
"Dammit brat. This hurts a hell of a lot more than it did last time."
Smiling viciously, Naruto replied, "Of course it does. Last time I was running on fumes. So, do you want to call it here?"
Zabuza snorted. "Don't be absurd. I do have a job here. I'm supposed to be guarding that midget. So I'll keep fighting til you put me down."
"If that's what you want..." Naruto trailed off, before his voice came from behind the older shinobi. "...then I'll deliver!" One senjutsu enhanced blow to the back of the head courtesy of a Kage Bunshin knocked Zabuza unconscious immediately.
"...That was anti-climatic." Naruto sweatdropped. "I thought he would be able to dodge that."
Haku sighed as she walked over to her former master, absentmindedly checking his pulse. "Naruto-sama, I believe Zabuza-sama wanted to do one of those final attack clashes that's really popular nowadays."
"...Oops?"
"Oi, Dobe."
"We'll talk later Sasuke." Naruto waved him off as he released sage mode and looked to Haku. "You think you can take care of them?" He pointed to the unconscious forms of Shikamaru and Shino, who were still strapped to the medical tables.
Haku nodded. "Of course, Naruto-sama."
"Dobe!" Sasuke yelled, eye twitching.
"What?" Naruto carelessly glanced back at the fuming Uchiha.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Well…"
0o0o0 2 Hours Later 0o0o0
"... and one time Naruto-sama-"
Sasuke groaned slamming his head into a wall. "Dear Sage, she just keeps talking about the dobe…"
"Haku, please, that's enough!" Naruto begged, frantically trying to get the girl to stop revealing every little embarrassing thing he'd done since they'd met. "You said you'd never speak of the rubber ducky incident again…"
Said girl just giggled as she finished treating the now awake Zabuza. "There. No more fighting until you heal up, Zabuza-sama. Otherwise I may not be able to prevent permanent damage."
Said shinobi just grumbled. "Stupid flashy techniques that damage internal organs… whatever happened to the good old days when people just cut each other down with a blade?"
"Ugh, so troublesome."
"Shika, you're awake!" Naruto turned to his associate, surprised. Both Shikamaru and Shino had been placed on a blanket on the ground after being treated by Haku.
"Of course I am. How could I stay asleep with you yelling like that?" the Nara said from his position on the ground. After a quick glance at the still sleeping Shino, he hesitantly asked, "...How's Shino doing?"
Sobering, the blond turned to Haku. She shook her head slightly, before replying. "In the long run, he should heal up fine. However, some of the drugs used to try and pry information from the two of you reacted… poorly with his insects."
Shikamaru clicked his tongue, hiding his feelings. "...How poorly?"
"As far as I can tell, he lost about 3/4ths of his allies."
Naruto winced. Losing that many of his kikaichu would be like losing a limb or two to another person.
"..."
Zabuza's grunt broke the tense atmosphere. "He's still alive, so stop bitching." He ignored the glare from the Nara and Haku's sigh at his abrasiveness.
Turning back to the blond, he gestured at the unconscious form of Gato on the ground. "Well, go on then. You beat me. He's all yours."
Sweatdropping, Naruto picked up the small man and threw his body onto the same table recently occupied by Shikamaru. After strapping him down, the blond gestured for Haku to bring Gato around. As she waved smelling salts under his nose, Zabuza spoke up once more.
"Careful, brat. Kyosho doesn't let their secrets go lightly."
"ugh… what happened…" Gato's eyes fluttered open as he regained consciousness. Suddenly, they shot open wide as he recalled the exact circumstances that led to his little "nap."
"You bastard! How dare you do this to me Zabuza! I'll have your head for this! Don't think you can-" The shipping magnate was cut off as Naruto focused his killing intent on the small man.
"Gato. You and I are going to have a little chat. But first…" A quick application of a basic fire jutsu heated up a kunai Naruto requiped. Seeing Gato staring at the knife, Naruto's eyes squinted shut like a fox's. "I believe I owe you a little something for taking care of my subordinates." He slowly moved the superheated kunai closer and closer to the man's face, the heat causing him to flinch back.
"W-wait, stop it! Don't, you can't-AAAAHHH!" The man's shrill screams echoed out as Naruto placed the kunai against his face almost tenderly, leaving an ugly burn. Naruto maintained his expression, ignoring the smell of burning flesh.
"That's one for Shika. This next one's for Shino…" Reheating the kunai, all that could be heard was Gato's sobbing.
"...please don't…"
"And did you stop when they pleaded with you?" Not waiting for a response, Naruto focused his chakra into a thin blade. In one quick motion, he severed Gato's left arm at the elbow and used the kunai to cauterize the wound.
"AAAGGHHH!" The man thrashed around, only the restraints keeping him on the table.
Staring at the spectacle, Sasuke wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he was disgusted. Kakashi had managed to instill a basic respect of life in him, and this was violating it in every sense. On the other, this man was connected to the people who had had a hand in the death of his family. Suffering was to be repaid in kind, according to Uchiha traditions.
As Gato's cries finally lowered, Naruto casually pinned the severed arm to the table with the kunai. "Now that that's been taken care of… Let's talk about your shipping business." He put on a congenial smile as he sat down on the edge of the table. "Business seems to be booming recently, doesn't it? That's gotta make you happy." He leaned over the man. "There's only one problem with that. You, and the people you work for, took something very important from me. And I'm not the kinda guy who just lets something like that go, ya know?"
Trembling, the short man vigorously nodded his head in agreement.
"Good. I knew you could be reasonable. Now, this can all be over if you just tell me everything you know about your employer." Naruto kept up the smile.
At the mention of betraying Kyosho no Issan, Gato's pale face paled even further, and he began to sob again.
"No, I can't, please, you don't understand-"
He was cut off as Naruto's hand grabbed his face, effectively muzzling him. "I don't think you're in a position to refuse me now, are you? Just who exactly do you think I am?"
Confusion and fear warred on Gato's face. Seeing he didn't know, Naruto sighed. The blond maintained his hold on the man and turned to Haku. "Haku, what was that name they used to call me?"
"Hmm? Oh, you mean the Hitokiri?"
"Yeah, that's the one." Naruto turned back to Gato, his eyes now a demonic crimson.
Gato seemingly froze up, eyes wide and pupils dilated before he started screaming and thrashing, desperately trying to escape.
"Ooh, that's a reaction I haven't seen in awhile. Did you know someone from Bosco that I killed?"
Naruto relaxed his grip enough for the man to speak.
"Monster! Save me, please, someone, anyone-"
"Enough." Naruto's grip re-tightened and he brought the full weight of his killing intent upon the man. "You will tell me what I want to know, or I swear by the Sage, Hell will seem like paradise to you."
The terror was too much, and Gato broke under the strain. A wet spot formed on his pants where he pissed himself, and his eyes were rolling madly in their sockets. He started babbling, most of it gibberish.
"-heneverwintoomuchdarkandlightcouncildestructiontraitor-!"
Suddenly, a glowing seal appeared, the exact same as the one on Jose. Before Naruto could react, the seal activated, the explosion instantly killing Gato. Silence reigned in the aftermath.
"Like I said," Zabuza began, "Kyosho doesn't let their secrets go lightly."
The blond stood up, staring impassively at the corpse. "I got enough. He mentioned a traitor in the council…" "Could he have meant a traitor among the kage council? Were we betrayed by one of our own?"
Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by being slammed against the wall by Sasuke.
"You…" the raven's Sharingan spun madly. "You're the Hitokiri?"
"I totally forgot he was here." "Um, about that… don't tell Kakashi, okay?"
"You're insane!"
Naruto shrugged in the Uchiha's grasp, nonplussed. "Aren't we all?"
"Uchiha-san, kindly unhand my master," Haku said, a serene smile on her face as she placed a senbon in a pressure point, causing Sasuke to lose control of his body. He collapsed to the ground, only able to glare.
A serious expression on his face, Naruto crouched down in front of him. "Look, Sasuke. I know there's been a lot of shit that's gone down today. But I told you, didn't I? Everything comes at a price. This just happens to be part of mine. If you still want training, you'll keep quiet about this."
If Sasuke was able to access his Mangekyou freely, the glare he was giving the blond would have reduced him to ashes.
"Now, I'm going to let you cool off down there for a bit, and when I have Haku remove the temporary paralysis, I'm expecting your cooperation, okay?"
Knowing he wouldn't get an answer, the blond turned back to the others. "Shika, did you and Shino find anything else noteworthy here?"
Sighing, the Nara spoke up from outside the room. "Nothing you probably haven't already seen. Although there was one sub-basement that was locked down too tightly for us to try and enter given our limited timeframe."
"Ah, you mean that 4th one?" Zabuza nodded in recognition. "Not even I had access to that floor. Gato was the only one who did as far as I knew."
"Hmm, interesting," Naruto mused. "Let's take a look at what he was taking such pains to hide." Looking at the prone form of Sasuke, he smiled. "We'll be right back. Don't go anywhere now."
Using his sword as a crutch, Zabuza led the way, Naruto supporting Shikamaru with Haku bringing up the rear. Soon enough, the party was confronted with an imposing steel door, etched with intricate seals.
Laying Shika against the wall, the blond approached the sealed entranceway. "Well, that certainly looks like it might be a pain to deal with." He formed a clone, which then reached out to trace the seal script. Upon making contact, the seals lit up, and the clone was subjected to a lethal dose of electricity, causing it to pop.
Wincing, Naruto crossed his arms. "Tch… Well, I kind of expected something like that." He stood, staring at the door, eyes following the various loops and whorls while muttering under his breath.
"Naruto-sama?" Haku questioned, wondering what he was doing.
Distractedly, the blond pulled out a scroll, brush, and inkwell. "Not now Haku. Trying to figure out how to disable this."
"You know seal work brat?" Zabuza scoffed. "You don't look like you have the head for that."
"Hey, I'll have you know that any Uzumaki worth his salt is at least halfway decent at fuinjutsu," Naruto replied, eyes still on the door as his hand began to trace out a counterseal.
The hallway was silent except for the sound of brush on scroll. Finally, Naruto capped and put away his inkwell and brush. Raising the scroll, he glanced back and forth between it and the door several times before nodding. "Alright, that should do it." He turned to the others. "Watch and be amazed!"
With a flourish, he rolled the scroll back up and formed a handseal around the scroll. As the paper lit up with chakra, he moved the scroll to his right hand and thrust it into the door. "Kai!"
The whole array lit up, glowing blue, before cracks rapidly spread throughout. With a noise like breaking glass, the seal shattered, the array's pieces dissolving into chakra and dispersing into the atmosphere, leaving a plain steel door.
"Hmph, show-off," Zabuza sneered, impressed despite himself.
"He he, I'm awesome, right?" Naruto bragged, beaming.
"So the entrance is open then?" Haku queried, standing from where she had been leaning against the wall.
"Behold!" The blond grabbed the door handle and gave a mighty tug, only for the door to remain firmly in place. "Ara?" He looked at the door in confusion, giving it another tug with the same reaction. "What in the world…"
As if to answer his question, a new seal array faded into view.
"Pff, 'any Uzumaki worth his salt' my ass," the older shinobi snickered.
"Shut it," Naruto snapped, eyes roving over the new seal. "For the love of… They had a locking seal hidden behind the defensive seal?"
"Is there a problem, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked, seeing the blond begin frowning heavily.
"...This seal… I can't solve it. It's way too complex."
"So what do we do now? Leave it?" Shikamaru asked from his seated position.
"Hell no!" Naruto immediately vetoed. "I want to know what's behind this door. What could he possibly be hiding with this much security?" Eyes panning to the Nara, he asked for help. "What do you think, Shika? How do you get through an unlockable door?"
"Troublesome," the brunette said with his eyes closed. "...If you can't unlock it, then just destroy it. If that doesn't work, then I say we just leave it. I want to get out of here"
"I thought of that already, asshole," Naruto jabbed back. "But this seal also has a way of preventing damage to the door…" He trailed off, eyes clouding over in thought. "...I wonder…"
Charging up a Rasengan, Naruto slammed it into the door, creating a small explosion. The new array lit up as the attack collided, and as the dust cleared, the door was revealed to be unharmed.
"So did that have a point or were you just venting?" Zabuza snarked, only to have the blond ignore him.
Another Rasengan spinning into existence, Naruto this time kept his attack from dissipating, trying to drill through the array. This time, the array began to blink, before the Rasengan suddenly shrunk, disappearing quite suddenly.
"So the array drains energy from attacks and bleeds it off into a pocket dimension...useful I suppose, but extremely volatile." Naruto stared at the door, before smirking. "Let's find its limit, shall we?"
Clasping his hands in prayer, the blond ceased all motion, becoming as still as a statue. Slowly, the red facial decorations of his Sennin Mode appeared. Opening his glowing eyes, the blond held out both his hands. A Rasengan began to form, before growing larger than the previous two. Soon, the chakra orb had expanded to nearly the size of a person. His attack ready, Naruto let out a shout as he slammed it into the door.
"Senpou: Oodama Rasengan!"
Like before, the seal lit up and began to blink. This time though, the blinking began to speed up and the Oodama Rasengan didn't shrink. The array began shifting colors, moving slowly from blue to yellow, and then into red. Naruto was sweating, beginning to feel the drain as his Sennin Mode began to run out.
With one last yell, Naruto pushed the last of his senjutsu chakra into the attack, the array a solid red. Suddenly, there was another shattering sound, before the stored energy released itself in a giant explosion.
Coughing ensued as the four shinobi were engulfed in dust. "Is everyone alright?" Naruto asked.
"Hai, Naruto-sama."
"Troublesome."
"Watch it brat, or I'll gut you."
Sweatdropping at that last one, Naruto sighed. A quick application of fuuton chakra cleared the air, revealing the twisted remains of the door. "Ha! Take that! No measly door can stand up to my power!"
"Well, what's in there?" Shikamaru impatiently asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to that..." Naruto walked through the doorway and the room automatically lit up. His eyes widened before almost immediately narrowing, and the three outside could feel the spike in his killing intent.
The killing intent was restrained as they entered the room to find out what had caused Naruto's anger. As they entered, they were greeted with row upon row of cages, some empty, some partially occupied, but each showing signs of use.
"Slaves…" Naruto growled out, noting the brand on the cheeks of those closest to him. Seeing them flinch at his expression, he tried to calm himself.
"Kuso… this mission just keeps getting more troublesome," Shikamaru stated as he hobbled into the room. "What should we do with them?"
"We're going to free them," Naruto ground out from behind his teeth.
"And where will they go brat? How are you going to explain them to any authorities that come to pick them up? And you know just as well as I do that they'll end up right back where they started and it won't be long before they're in chains again." Zabuza stated coldly.
"And so we do what? Kill them?" The slaves backed away in fear at the question.
"So asks the cold blooded manslayer," Zabuza retorted with shrug.
"I don't kill those that don't deserve it."
"Say that to all the aristocratic kids you killed. How is this any different?"
"Because they deserved it." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the older shinobi.
"Naruto-sama! Zabuza-sama! Now is not the time to fight each other. If Naruto-sama says we should free them, then that's what we should do," Haku said as she came between the two.
"Fine. Just meet me in Gato's office when you're done with the filth." Zabuza stalked off, a sneer on his face.
0o0o0 Gato's Office 0o0o0
"So did you man up or are we now babysitting what, a few hundred people?" Zabuza asked as Naruto walked into the office with a frowning Shikamaru and a fuming Sasuke.
"There were only 78 of them that we could help; Haku is tending to their wounds and making sure they're fed." Shikamaru answered as he and the others gathered around Gato's desk.
"How could you want to kill all of them!?" Sasuke yelled slamming his palms against the desk. "They're innocents!"
"Innocent or not they're liabilities kid. They've seen our faces and when Kyosho finds them and forces out of them who helped them it's not us they'll go after first. That little girl you've got an eye on? The baker you buy bread from every week? Everyone you care about will pay the price all because blondie wants to play hero!"
"Then we'll just have to make sure Kyosho doesn't need them." All eyes turned to Naruto.
"What are you going on about?"
"If Kyosho knows it was me then there'd be no need to go after them. These people...they know nothing other than that they were captured and made into slaves to be sold off. They have no connection to Kyosho. If I take the fall... " Naruto nodded as the idea began to solidify.
Shikamaru barked out a strained laugh. "Are you insane? You want them to come after you?"
"Shika we've been going about this the wrong way. From the beginning I've been chasing after them, when in reality I should've been having them chase me. We've barely made any progress over the last 3 months trying to track them down. No more."
"No." The three shinobi turned to Sasuke. "If you become a target for this group then you're endangering all of Fairy Tail!" he snapped.
"I'm not going to let that happen," Naruto stated resolutely.
"And how are you going to do that? Because from what I've been able to tell so far you don't even know who is going to come after you!" the Uchiha pointed out angrily.
"I'll figure something out! It's better than getting these people killed now," the blond fired back
"Why do you even care!?" Sasuke yelled, Sharingan activating, confused and frustrated by the blond. "You're supposed to be the Hitokiri, the manslayer of Bosco, right?! The killer of a thousand innocents! What makes this different?"
"You know nothing about that!" Naruto's eyes bled into a crimson red. "You weren't there. You haven't seen - you can't possibly understand!" Naruto lashed out, destroying Gato's desk, sending papers flying everywhere.
As the two stood there, crimson meeting crimson, Shikamaru plucked a falling piece of paper from the air. A quick glance was all he needed before he decided to interrupt the building storm.
"Oi, you guys. I think I've found something." He didn't flinch when three angry gazes landed on him. "Does the "R-System" ring any bells?"
0000000000000000000
Ending - Black Board - Nano
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