The Wanderers
Chapter 7 – Hopelessness
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would be more swords.
Kakuzu vs. Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino
The Genin watched in horror as Gai's body struck the ground, the cold stare of their enemy freezing them in place. Shikamaru's eyes fixated on Kakuzu's face, truly understanding how terrifying a foe he truly was. Chouji felt like crying out for the teacher, but they all knew that he was already gone. With the enemy still in front of them, they wouldn't be getting a break to grieve. Kiba snarled and stared over at the two creatures, spying the crack on the lightning creature's mask with a wolfish grin.
"Shikamaru, look at that one" he whispered.
The Nara heir shook himself out of his stupor and considered a new plan.
We still have a numbers advantage, but he is far too powerful. He took out Gai-sensei with two blows.
His eyes widened as he realised what Kakuzu had been doing the whole fight.
He's been trying to keep us alive. He meant to capture us…but what changed?
He looked over at the two wrecked masks, before running through a new scenario.
I can't bind him at range for very long, and those creatures are still too powerful. Either he attacks or they do, but either way we can't hold on much longer.
Ino kept her stare on Gai's body, unsure how she was meant to react to it. She was horrified, that she knew, but as a shinobi her father had always taught her that you work your feelings out after battle. She glanced over the creatures before her eyes landed on the blue masked creature, its long arms hanging loosely beneath it. She took a measure of her chakra reserves and took an account of the battlefield. She turned her blonde head to Shikamaru, keeping a stare that they both knew before looking back.
Shikamaru moved behind her and nodded to Chouji while holding a kunai defensively. Kakuzu watched the group cautiously, knowing that despite his previous success the children were still a threat.
The fat one and the wild one are close combat monsters, strong enough to destroy a mask, while the Nara boy is an analyst. The girl appears to be some kind of medic. An impressive group, but I've had enough. There are always other bounties to collect on.
Kiba looked over at the remains of Team 10, unhappy they had left him out of their plan until he noticed the formation they had taken. He grinned and barked at Akamaru, who barked back at him defiantly. Ino drew a slow breath before putting her hands up in a seal, pointed at the water masked creature. Kakuzu looked at the seal curiously, trying to remember where he had seen that before. His eyes widened as he realised who the third member of the Nara-Akimichi alliance was, frantically putting his hands up in a seal to move the creature but wasn't fast enough.
"Ninpou: Shintenshin no Jutsu" (Mind Body Switch Technique)
When she had first learnt her family's signature technique her energy floated slowly towards the enemy in a straight line. However during their preparation, Ino had discovered a way to adapt her water affinity to the technique. As a result, her energy curved around and followed the moving creature until it hit the mask straight on. Her body collapsed to the ground, being caught by Shikamaru who carefully laid her on the ground before stepping in front of her and holding up his weapon. Kakuzu grinned for a moment as he saw the blonde collapse, then grimaced holding his head, an overwhelming sense of confusion and pain taking over him.
All Ino could see was darkness within the creature's mind. This wasn't new to her; most people she entered had large portions of empty space in their minds. She created a corporeal form for herself and began to navigate her victim's mind, trying to find the nodes that would allow her to control Kakuzu's mind. Inside her technique, time meant nothing so Ino was able to take her time searching.
After what felt like years, she came upon an odd looking scene. In front of her sat a broken down house on the bank of a river. The river appeared to be flowing upstream, and the house had impossible angles that Ino couldn't perceive without her head hurting. She shook her head and set her corporeal feet on a patch of nearby grass, remembering her father's lessons on how the target's mind tries to trick invaders.
"Wh…who are you?" came a young wispy female voice.
Ino stared at the broken door on the house, watching as the young voice came from a shadowy figure that manifested slowly. It took the form of a young woman, around the age Ino's mother would have been.
"Who are you?" she asked again.
Ino wasn't sure whether she should respond or not, she was always cautious about a person's mental defences when using Shintenshin. The woman looked around and she screwed up her face before beginning to cry. Ino instinctively took a step back, before her personality overcame her and she reached out to comfort the woman. The manifestation looked up at her with green eyes, reminding her of when Sakura used to cry as a child.
"Are you here to take me away?"
Ino hesitated, before smiling politely at the woman.
"What's your name?" she asked.
The woman stood up slowly before wiping her eyes on her nondescript dress.
"I'm…I'm…I don't know. Why am I here? Who are you?"
This is like no defence I've ever seen before. It's almost as if…
Ino put a caring hand on the woman's shoulder, "Did the bad man put you here?"
She hoped that it wouldn't set off any defences by mentioning Kakuzu, but if this was her link to controlling the creature she had to try.
The woman had a vacant look in her eyes before nodding slowly, "He…I don't know. It's all…twisted. Wrong. I remember faces…trees…water…"
The woman reached up and held her head as she struggled to recall.
"A man…he's looking at me strangely…oh god…"
Ino could only watch at the woman's internal struggle, keeping a sympathetic face on whilst being secretly fascinated by the situation. The woman screamed before dropping her hands and looking Ino directly in the eyes.
"Please…kill me…"
Ino stood back, "I…what?"
The woman straightened up, and Ino immediately noticed the difference in her demeanour. The woman stared confidently through green eyes at the young blonde.
"His mind is too powerful. You must kill me before he takes over again."
"But…I…"
The woman frowned and stepped towards the Yamanaka heir.
"Are you a ninja? Do it now! He will consume you otherwise."
Ino was hesitant, but held out a hand before manifesting a kunai and grasping it slowly. The woman dropped to her knees and offered her neck to the teenager. She saw Ino's hesitation, placing a hand on the blonde's shaking arm.
"It's okay child. You are doing a good thing."
Ino swallowed a vile taste in her mouth before pulling her arm back.
She gasped as she returned to her body, coughing loudly before attempting to pick herself up from the ground.
"Ino? What happened?" asked Shikamaru, not taking his eyes off their enemy.
The Yamanaka blinked several times to reassociate herself with her surroundings before looking over at the Akatsuki member. Kakuzu stop thrashing his head around and put his hands down, smiling through his mask at his opponents. He put his hands into a seal and ordered the water masked creature to attack them. When nothing happened, he tried it again before taking a look over his shoulder towards the creature. The mask had shattered as the threads that kept it together began to fall apart harmlessly.
"How…"
Ino smiled sadly as she reached into a pocket and pulled out a kunai, taking a glance at the blade before looking back at Kakuzu.
"You did it!" said a surprised Chouji, not sure what she actually had done but knew that with one more creature down the odds were turning closer towards them.
Shikamaru saw the distraction that the creature's death had provided, yelling a quick order at Chouji before pocketing his kunai. Chouji nodded quickly, reaching into his pack before retrieving a small bag. He reached in and pulled out several small brown balls, throwing one each to his teammates and two to Kiba. The Inuzuka recognised the medicine, swallowing one quickly while offering one to his constant companion.
Shikamaru and Ino swallowed their pills as Akamaru's normal white fur turned a dark red colour. Kakuzu turned back in a fit of rage, unwilling to wait any longer to get his revenge for his masks.
He ordered the lightning mask to attack the wild ninja while he vanished, reappearing directly in front of Shikamaru. The teenager's eyes widened as Kakuzu drew back a fist to impale him. Just as his hand turned the darkened colour, he felt all his strength leave him, unable to move at all. Shikamaru's face changed instantly to serious and he placed his hands into his newest seal. Their shadows were connected at point-blank range, and Shikamaru concentrated as he attempted to replicate the technique he had learnt from his father's messy handwriting.
"Kage Nui no Jutsu" (Shadow Sewing Technique)
Dozens of tendrils emerged from the ground around them, wrapping themselves around Kakuzu's body, holding him tightly. Making sure that technique had bound the tall shinobi; Shikamaru jumped back and cancelled his normal shadow binding technique.
The lightning masked creature moved swiftly towards Kiba, who barked an order at Akamaru before dropping to the ground in a four-legged stance. Lightning flew out of the mask's mouth, barely missing Kiba's legs as he bounded away from the attack. Having no eyes, the mask couldn't see Akamaru jumping over the top of it, spinning wildly as he sprayed urine over the mask. Kiba barely dodged another attack before letting Akamaru jump onto his back. Kiba leapt back and put his hands together into a seal.
Mum, you better be right about this technique.
"Jinjuu Konbi Henge: Soutourou" (Human Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf)
A giant plume of smoke exploded outwards from his position as they transformed into a giant two-headed white wolf that towered over their opponent. The wolf drooled on the ground before looking at its target. The creature fired a bolt of lightning at the wolf, but in this form Kiba and Akamaru's speed was comparable to Lee's, leaping away easily. The wolf landed on its back paws then dove towards the creature, spinning wildly in a gigantic whirlwind.
"Garouga!" (Fang Wolf Fang)
Aiming for the mask using its strong sense of smell, the devastating attack slammed into the creature. The millions of threads holding it together stood no chance as the mask cracked and shattered under the attack. The wolf landed on the opposite side and howled in glee before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Akamaru ran out of the smoke, growling at the remains of the creature as the smoke cleared revealing Kiba.
He had not practised that form before, only replicating a picture from his family scroll. Unfortunately for him he had not perfectly the technique, and as he dizzily picked himself off the ground he fell back down to ground unbalanced. He swore as he struggled to pick himself off the ground, feeling a tuff of fur glance his face. He went to comfort Akamaru, until he saw that the white puppy was over by the other Konoha ninja.
The fur touched his face again, Kiba catching a glance of the greyish-white blur before it disappeared again. He spun around, feeling like he was just missing it. He heard his companion barking at him, not sure if he had properly understood the dog's barks.
"What do you mean it's on me?" he yelled at the dog.
The white animal barked sharply at its friend, running towards him across the battlefield.
"That's not…"
Kiba looked behind himself, down at his ruined coat.
"WHAT THE HELL?"
Sprouting out of the back of his pants was a long grey and white tail, flipping about wildly on its own. Kiba reached back to grab it and the tail flipped away from his hand.
"What the…stay still…damnit…"
After a few attempts he finally grasped the fur, feeling the odd texture between his fingers. He could feel his own fingers through the tail, an odd tingling as he looked at it before turning around and showing it to the arriving Akamaru. The white dog leaned up and sniffed the tail, barking once before nodding and turning his attention away from Kiba. The Inuzuka heir let go of his tail, feeling an odd sense as the wind passed through the fur. He reached into his pocket and opened the Inuzuka scroll.
"Nothing…nothing…oh come on, how did I miss that?"
He swore under his breath as he read the scratchy writing under the Garouga technique. Akamaru barked as Kiba read out the note.
"If the technique isn't perfected before transformation, then the user will adopt an aspect of the creature."
Kiba looked at the shifting tail that almost reached the ground.
This…may take some getting used to. Why couldn't I have gotten the ears or something…
Chouji swallowed the soldier pill from his hand, feeling a surge of chakra as he saw Shikamaru bind Kakuzu with his shadows. The ponytailed boy nodded to Chouji as he jumped back. Chouji smiled at his friend's confidence in him, putting his hands into a seal.
"Bubun Baika no Jutsu! Both arms!" (Partial Multi-Size Technique)
His arms extended and grew towards Kakuzu, surrounding the Akatsuki member with his palms. Still unable to move his hands, Kakuzu was unable to completely cover himself with his shield. He glared in fury at the fat ninja smiled sadly before his face became serious as his palms collapsed inwards. Kakuzu screamed out in pain as the giants palms began to crush his body, which had begun to unravel itself as the threads failed to keep up with the pressure.
Chouji grimaced as the threads from Kakuzu's body attacked his hands, but after a glance to his fallen sensei he knew that he had to end it here and now. He fuelled all his chakra to his palms, as the threads continued their attacks for just under a minute before stopping. He gave a final squeeze before his chakra gave out, his hands retreating back to their normal size as he fell to the ground, exhausted. Shikamaru and Ino jumped over to the fallen enemy, staring in disgust as the bloody remains of the powerful ninja who had killed their teacher.
"Is he dead?" asked Shikamaru, not wanting to take any risks with Akatsuki.
Ino reached back and wrapped a note around a kunai before throwing it at the remains with a dark look on her face. The kunai exploded and all evidence of Kakuzu disappeared in the small explosion. Shikamaru nodded in appreciation, running over to help his teammate to his feet as Kiba and Akamaru wandered back to the group. Kiba blushed as they gasped at his appearance.
"Don't…don't stare at it…"
Ino squealed and ran over to the Inuzuka heir. Kiba couldn't stop her if he wanted to as she reached out and felt his tail carefully, running her fingers through the grey and white fur.
"Ooo" she cooed, trying to resist the urge to bury her face in the adorable tail.
Kiba blushed at the attention and snapped away, dragging his tail away from the excited blonde.
"It's not a toy!" he claimed, his hands folded on his chest.
The tail poked up across his shoulder and rested there, as if accenting Kiba's annoyance. Ino stifled a laugh at the odd scene, before looking over to her two teammates joining them.
"I guess it's done then" said Kiba, impressed at his companion's flawless teamwork.
Shikamaru nodded before looking sadly at Gai's body.
"We…should bring him back to where Naruto is."
The Genin nodded grimly, walking slowly towards the fallen Jounin.
"Should we try to help the others?" asked Chouji as they reached down and carefully picked up Gai.
Shikamaru took a look at Gai's face, closing his eyes as he shook his head.
"We're all almost out of chakra. We would just get in the way."
Kiba wobbled as he kept up his part of holding the body. His tail had completely thrown off his balance. It didn't help that Akamaru was lagging behind him, trying to swipe at it like a cat.
He's doing it just to spite me. I bet he's jealous.
They walked back through the forest towards where they had left Naruto, hoping that their companions would already be there, and that none of them had suffered the same fight as the once proud taijutsu master had.
Kisame vs. Itachi
"Suiton: Daikoudan no Jutsu!" (Water Element: Great Shark Bullet)
Itachi gasped out his last bubble of air and watched in horror as the giant shark sped towards him. He had been trapped in Kisame's giant water bubble for several minutes, unable to breath and couldn't keep up with the Akatsuki member's speed in the water. Itachi had tried to swim his water out, but it seemed to revolve around Kisame who had no problem keeping up with him. With no air his fire techniques were less then useless, and traditional genjutsu hadn't worked against Kisame's current form. His Sharingan had given him the knowledge to copy Kisame's techniques, but he didn't have the chakra to perform them.
Wait, maybe that will work…
He placed his hands together and concentrated as the giant shark bore down on him. He hadn't had a chance to practise this technique after copying it from a Kumogakure assassin with his Sharingan, but Kisame had presented him with no other option. He felt the pressure of the water against his eyes, but tried to ignore the attack as he activated the technique.
"Hijutsu, Garandoukara" (Secret Technique: Empty Void)
A small black orb appeared in front of his hands as the giant shark attacked struck him head on. The shark man's eyes widened as Itachi's cloak and body within began to shred, but not to the degree he had expected. The attack began to dissolve as the water around the two of them began to violently collapse into the small orb. Itachi struggled to swim away as the orb sucked in more water, the wounds he had taken from Kisame's attack keeping him from escaping his own technique's pull. Kisame had no issue keeping away from the technique, but wasn't able to produce enough water to keep up with Itachi's counter. In his advanced form he swore and swam towards the ground, planting his feet while waiting for the water to disappear.
Clever, Itachi. But I still have the advantage.
The shark man glared at Itachi as water cascaded underneath their legs. Itachi swore as he collected himself off the ground, his cloak barely hanging onto his shoulders as the black orb disappeared.
"You have lasted longer then I would have thought, Itachi."
His beady eyes looked into the Sharingan's staring back at him, unable to keep a wild grin from his face. Itachi pulled the remains of his cloak off and threw it to the ground, revealing dark body mesh and a blue set of clothes. Itachi considered and dismissed a plan of action as he dodged another water missile from Kisame's hands. Kisame had dispersed the water barrier around them, knowing that in his current form his opponent couldn't catch up to him in speed. Itachi got off several fire attacks on Kisame while countering the shark man's attacks, but his blue skin had just regenerated.
Itachi felt his chakra reserves diminishing as the battle had taken its toll on him. His Sharingan took very little chakra to utilise, such was his skill with the doujutsu, but after using Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi he didn't have much more to work with. He sighed at the situation, having resigned himself to the fact that he would have to kill his friend, but wasn't sure he was up to the task. He reached into a pocket and removed a small scroll, opening it slowly. Kisame held back, cautious of any action that Itachi did. Itachi smeared several drops of his blood onto a seal on the scroll before closing it and placing it between his hands.
Kisame stared in interest as Itachi ran through an unfamiliar set of seals with the scroll between his hands. Itachi had already shown him several techniques he hadn't known about during their partnership, but this seemed odd even for the Uchiha heir. Itachi threw the scroll onto the ground beneath his feet, slamming a hand onto the seal. A small puff of smoke arose from the scroll as Itachi pulled up his hand, a long katana appearing in his hand. Its hilt was a golden brown with small leaves carved into its wooden wrappings. As he held it with two hands, Kisame saw that the dull-looking blade was almost as long as Samehada.
"A sword? Really? I've never seen you with anything but a kunai."
Itachi twirled the blade around and pointed it at Kisame.
"I have never had cause to bring this out. This is my blade, Kanako."
Kisame grinned and threw a water missile at Itachi. The elder Uchiha swatted at it with his blade, destroying the attack as he began to run towards Kisame. He blocked several more attacks as Kisame saw how determined he now was to attack him. When fused with Samehada his skin was iron hard, and his speed was inhuman. When he saw Itachi duck under a water slice, he instinctively put up a finned arm to block it. Itachi appeared in front of Kisame and swung his sword at his chest.
Itachi didn't smile as he activated a technique he had created in conjunction with his blade. The blade hit the blocking arm and passed straight through it, becoming intangible until it completely bypassed Kisame's defence. The long blade struck Kisame in the chest, its sharp edge slicing into his blue skin. Kisame attempted to leap back from the blade but found his strength drained as Itachi swung the blade away from Kisame, cutting deep into his opponent. Kisame called out in pain, scrambling as his wound attempted to heal itself. Itachi pointed a finger at Kisame and several tendrils emerged from the earth, holding him to the ground.
"Your…trump card?" he coughed, his wound slowly closing up as he thrashed against the stone bindings.
Itachi drove the blade into Kisame's chest with a solemn look on his face. He dragged it across the shark man's chest and removed it, holding it with a single hand. Kisame screamed in agony and glared at Itachi's face.
"I never wanted to fight you, Kisame. But you threatened my comrades, my brother. I am sorry."
Kisame laughed as he began to revert back to his normal form. Samehada slipped out of his skin and dropped next to his body, its chakra spent as it failed to heal Kisame's wounds. Itachi looked over at the blade before activating his Mangekyou. Black flames erupted on the blade, causing it to thrash and struggle as it burnt away to nothing. Kisame watched in agony as his constant companion disappeared before his eyes, laughing madly as he struggled to stay conscious. Itachi looked back at his opponent through his pinwheel eyes, sensing that his opponent was very near to death. Kisame tried to shut his eyes to stop what he knew was coming, but was too late as he saw the spinning black on red image.
Kisame groaned, but as the world around him began to darken he realised he felt no pain from his wounds. He couldn't help but laugh as the world shifted and swirled until it became the island where they had met each other for the first time. He looked down and saw that his wounds were gone, and even Samehada was on his back. He turned around and saw a familiar cloaked figure sitting on the pier. Kisame sighed, he knew he was beaten.
"Why the display, Itachi?"
The elder Uchiha didn't move, simply looking out over the ocean. Kisame walked down the pier and stood behind his former partner.
"You can't let me die?" he asked, not happy with Itachi's illusion.
"Sit down, Kisame."
"Why should I? I've lost. There's no point to any of this."
Itachi moved his head slightly and looked over a different part of the ocean through dark eyes.
"I could make you, if you like."
Kisame sighed and knelt down, letting his legs dangle over the edge of the pier. He laid Samehada on the other side of his legs and stretched out his arms.
"Are you going to answer my question, Itachi?"
"Does the answer matter?" asked the former Akatsuki member.
Kisame laughed and looked at the sharks circling around the pier.
"I guess not. I'm not sure where you are going with this though."
Itachi moved his arm over the wooden planks and his sword appeared beneath it, resting in its scabbard. Kisame looked at the golden-brown blade that had defeated him, noting how inconspicuous it was.
"Kanako was my fiancé" stated Itachi, watching two sharks fight each other over a piece of dead meat.
Kisame reached over and picked up the sword gingerly, feeling the weight in his hands. It paled in comparison to Samehada in his mind, but the characters across the scabbard read the name that Itachi had mentioned.
"You named your sword after your fiancé? I never heard of her before now."
"I had it made after her death."
Kisame nodded, placing the sword back down and looking at his own blade. Samehada seemed content to set there, though Kisame knew that it was simply a part of the illusion.
"Can I ask you one thing, Itachi? Why did you betray Akatsuki?"
Itachi kept his gaze away from the shark man, but felt a twinge of remorse as he remembered their battle.
"I never betrayed Akatsuki. I was never with them to begin with. I just…needed a place to take my mind off things."
His companion nodded in acknowledgement at Itachi's reason, understanding that much. He found himself unable to be angry with Itachi, losing the battle had given him renewed respect for his friend.
"I get that. Is that why you brought me here? To justify your actions?"
Itachi collected his legs beneath himself as he stood up, his blade disappearing as he turned away. Kisame stood up as well, not bothering to pick up Samehada.
"I brought you here to apologise."
Kisame laughed again, the two of them began to walk down the wooden planks.
"Apologise? You kill me, and then want to apologise?"
They walked for a time, neither saying anything. Eventually Itachi turned and regarded Kisame through dark eyes.
"Is there anything you'd like to do?"
Seeing that Itachi wasn't going to let him go, Kisame considered his options. He thought about the many years he had been fighting, killing people. The face of the woman he had killed to protect his village's intelligence, after she had expressed an interest in seeing him outside of work. The small child that had been his hostage before he cutting it to shreds to force a warlord to pay homage to Kiri (Mist). He smiled slowly as thought about what he truly wanted to do.
He looked at Itachi's face, "I always wanted to go fishing."
Itachi wasn't expecting that, his face only able to keep stoic for a few seconds before cracking. He smirked before laughing softly, his eyes changing from stern to his new look that he gave his brother. He nodded slowly as Kisame kept a grin on his face, the Uchiha changing the scenery with a wave.
The two of them sat on a boat in the middle of a lake, dressed to suit. Itachi took a sip of his beer and tipped his hat to block out the sun. Kisame grinned as he reached up and pulled another fish into the boat. He looked over at the Uchiha's face, both of them chewing on pieces of grass as they brought in their fishing poles.
"This seems out of context, don't you think?"
Itachi smiled as he noticed a subtle change in his friend's demeanour.
"I don't know, I think it has a certain charm to it."
Kisame laughed and reached into their bucket of fish, pulling out a medium sized fish and snapped its neck in his hands. Itachi watched with an amused yet horrified face as Kisame bit down into the fish, spilling the guts over the bottom of the boat. Itachi crept back away from the spill as Kisame grinned as he swallowed the raw fish.
"That's disgusting, Kisame."
The shark man laughed and took another bite, "Itachi-san, you never had a stomach for good food."
"Kisame, that was alive ten seconds ago. You are twisted."
Kisame finished off the fish and threw another line out to the lake. They fished for another hour before Kisame asked a question that he had been thinking about for a time.
"What was she like?"
Itachi put down his fishing pole and smiled at his friend.
"Would you like to meet her?" he asked.
Kisame shrugged, his blue skin shining in the sunlight.
"You can do that?"
Itachi smiled slowly and waved his hands, "This is Tsukuyomi."
"Fair point."
The scene faded as Kisame's eyes narrowed.
"She seemed…pleasant."
Itachi smiled sadly as the image of his lover faded.
"She was. I miss her everyday."
"Can we get this over with? I'd rather not prolong this any longer."
Itachi sighed, looking at his friend with sad eyes. Kisame laughed as he looked at his former teammate. He reached over and patted him on the shoulder.
"You are a fool, Itachi-san. I'm not happy about this, but I think I understand you now. I suppose I should thank you."
He looked up at the false night sky, smiling through sharp teeth as he remembered the battles they once fought together. Itachi watched his teammate fade away slowly, as he began to unravel the illusion. He closed his eyes and cancelled the technique completely, opening them again to the remains of their battlefield. Kisame coughed up blood and gave a final laugh before his eyes closed and he stopped thrashing. Itachi deactivated his Mangekyou Sharingan and fell to his knees, the strength leaving his limbs.
I can't fall here…I need to find Sasuke…
He coughed up blood over his friend's body as the wounds in his shoulders pulled him to the ground. He swore and completed a hand seal before falling unconscious. A black crow emerged from his back, crowing twice before flying up into the air. The two former Akatsuki members lay side by side, their bodies spent, one of them broken with the other lying with a smile on his face.
I'm glad you got some peace, at least at the end, Hoshigaki Kisame.
Deidara vs. Kakashi, Neji, Sakura and Lee
"Lee-kun!"
The three Konoha ninja ran over to Lee's body, only just catching up to where Lee had run to. He had gotten over a mile away before throwing the clay insect as high as his arm could. The explosion has been the same size as the other bombs, but the group had watched in horror as it took on a sharp blue colour before dozens of shockwaves slammed into the ground. It had been without sound, though Deidara blocked his ears regardless. His favourite was a unique mix of techniques; clay fired at a high enough frequency that it was soundless, yet had highly destructive properties. He had designed it to assassinate well protected targets. Deidara looked back as he felt the technique finish, looking in frustration as he saw that the damage had been far off its target.
How did they move it? Some kind of space-time ninjutsu? Did I get them?
Sakura skidded to a stop next to Lee's body, her hands already preparing her medical technique. Lee lay in the middle of a crater, not moving as his skin burned a dark red from his technique. She ignored her teacher and Neji's arrival, focusing on trying to work out Lee's injuries. Using two fingers she cut into his green suit and pulled back the top half, gasping as she saw the state of his body. While he had taken no direct damage from the unique explosion, he had suffered the full effects of the resulting shockwaves, coupled with opening the Gates he was in a bad way. His skin was a sickly dark colour, with a line of red across his chest as a blood vessel popped underneath his skin.
Sakura placed her hands gingerly on his chest and leant her ear next to his mouth. After a few seconds she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to his chest.
"He's breathing, barely" she told her companions, who had taken defensive positions around her.
Neji concentrated his chakra directly to his Byakugan, expanding his vision until he saw where their foe was hiding.
"Kakashi-sensei. Behind a tree, a mile south-west."
Their teacher nodded, before taking a look at Lee's body. Sakura concentrated on healing the ruptured blood vessel in Lee's body, injecting a stimulant into his side in an attempt to wake him up.
"Sakura, will he live?" asked Kakashi, slicing a finger on a kunai before placing it on his other palm.
Sakura didn't respond, but her hands glowed brighter as she began work on his ribs. Neji glanced at his teammate's body through his Byakugan, keeping his cool as he saw the extent of damage within the taijutsu ninja's body.
"We are a target here."
Kakashi nodded, placing a hand on the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu"
A large dog appeared in front of him, slobbering on the ground as the large pit bull stared vacantly at its summoner. Kakashi nodded to the dog and placed his hand on its wide back, summoning a long platform on its back as the hound ambled towards Sakura and Lee. The pink-haired medic looked at the dog before swearing and concentrating even harder as her chakra levels plummeted. The dog sniffed at Lee's legs before barking at the girl healing him. She swung an arm at the dog, which bounced away, and continued to heal Lee valiantly.
"Sakura, let Bull take Lee. He can't stay here."
"But…"
"Sakura! Concentrate on the situation."
She glared at her teacher but stood up, letting Bull slip Lee onto his back. The dog barked and looked at the girl expectantly.
"Take Bull and Lee back to Naruto. Heal Lee as best you can, and rest."
The pink haired girl nodded and began to run towards their first location, the dog barking before running after her, keeping Lee steady on its back. Kakashi watched as the two of them disappeared into the forest, in the opposite direction their enemy was. Neji placed a hand into a Jyuuken stance as he closed the gap between the two of them.
"What now?" he asked; wary of how much chakra his teacher had left.
Kakashi looked over to the south-west.
"Has he moved?" he asked, wiping more blood onto his palm.
Neji looked over to where Deidara's last position was with his Byakugan.
"No, he hasn't. It looks like he's struggling with the loss of his arm."
Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement and placed his hand back onto the ground. Several objects disappeared into the ground, causing an almost unnoticeable tremor before the two of them were left alone. Neji could see what Kakashi was doing with his Byakugan, nodded as he figured out Kakashi's plan.
Deidara grabbed at his arm, his clay barely keeping the blood contained.
Damn bastards. At least they are gone. Shit, I need to get Kakuzu to make me a new arm.
He felt the ground beneath him tremble, his eyes widening as he realised how far he had miscalculated. He had almost no clay left, yet there were still enemies to demonstrate his art to. He jumped into the air as the rumbling got louder, barely dodging out of the way as a dog leapt out of the ground snapping at his ankle. He bounced off a tree and another dog bite at his leg, barely missing his skin. Deidara swore and clung to a nearby tree with his free hand, swinging himself up before landing with a curse.
"I hate dogs, hn."
He glared at the dogs circling around the bottom of his tree, until he noticed the headbands around the dog's heads.
Wait, those are ninja dogs. They can cli…oh shit!
Behind him Neji landed soundlessly before placing down his containment seal. Deidara had time to look around before staring directly into his pure white eyes glaring hatefully into his face.
"Hakke: Rokujyuuyonshou"
Deidara swore and put up his remaining arm, the tongue spitting out a small bird at the Hyuuga's face. Neji cancelled his technique immediately and began his whirl as Deidara leapt from the tree, his hand in a seal.
"Katsu!"
The explosion knocked Neji out of the tree, but other then that he hadn't taken any damage. As he fell, Neji observed the amount of clay left in Deidara's bags.
The explosions are less powerful when less clay is used. He doesn't have much left. Kakashi, it's on you now.
Deidara landed with his feet on the ground and turned around to run away from the close combat fighter, but found himself unable to move. He looked at his feet in horror as tree branches entangled his legs slowly, Kakashi rising from the ground with his Sharingan trained on the Akatsuki member. Deidara glared at him in hatred, knowing that he was stuck in a genjutsu similar to Itachi's, but couldn't do anything about it. He had planned to train against Itachi the moment the Uchiha had defeated him, but hadn't had the time since his inception into the criminal organisation.
"It's over" stated Kakashi, as Neji landed behind the bomber with his hands already in a Jyuuken stance.
Deidara noticed that he was concerned, his feet completely immobile while he could only glare at that hateful red and black eye.
"Over?"
He laughed wildly at the thought, all the melodrama amusing him greatly. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as the blonde laughed at them. Deidara shook his head and grinned, pointing his hands tongue out.
"Art never dies, hn. It is never over. There is always another audience, hn."
He ripped his shirt off with his free hand, revealing an odd pattern on his chest. Neji watched through the blonde's back with his Byakugan as Deidara put his hand on his chest and pulled away at the string holding the symbol to his chest. They watched in horror as a large mouth opened in the blonde's chest, a long tongue waved in the Jounin's direction. Kakashi put up a kunai,
"Are all of you monsters?"
Deidara laughed and looked right into Kakashi's Sharingan specifically. By opening his chest mouth he had dispelled the genjutsu, but Kakashi wasn't aware of that.
"Tell me something, Sharingan-bastard."
The two Konoha shinobi could barely follow his fast movements as Deidara reached into his bag, grabbed the rest of his clay and shoved it into the mouth in his chest. Neji leapt to attack the Akatsuki, his hands raised.
"Wait, Neji! Don't attack him!" yelled Kakashi, watching as Deidara's body began to fade as his veins blackened and popped out of his skin.
Deidara laughed at their hesitation.
"This is the most exquisite form of art, hn. You are right not to attack, but it doesn't matter, hn. Nobody here will survive!"
Neji saw the blonde's chakra concentrating on the mouth on his chest as he continued to fade.
Damnit, he isn't joking. Okay, concentrate. His explosions are based on clay, which he forms with a half-tiger seal. Wait, the clay is akin to Kakashi-sensei's Doton techniques.
His eyes widened as he realised, running as fast as he could towards Kakashi.
"His technique is earth-element based! If you hit him with a lightning attack, it should short out the explosion."
Kakashi looked over at the Genin with suspicion.
"Are you sure?" he asked as he ran through the seals.
Neji shook his head and stared as Deidara was almost completely incorporeal.
"Not really, but do we have a better option?"
Kakashi thrust his hand to the ground and gathered his remaining chakra. Lightning formed around his hand into a blade as he looked at his target. Deidara stared with a smile as his chakra gathered at his heart, his technique nearly complete.
"You can't destroy art, hn. Art disappears as soon as it arrives, hn."
He went to say his favourite word, but found the words stuck in his throat. He looked over at the two conversing Konoha ninja, several feet away. He pulled up his arm to look at, noticing how it was slowly turning back to his normal skin colour.
"What the…urgh…" he coughed violently as he looked down at his chest.
His vision was blurry, but he could barely make out an arm attached to his chest.
"What…is…this…" he asked, to no-one in particular.
"But…my art…" he cried as his eyes rolled back into his head.
His body fell to the ground as Kakashi withdrew his arm from his chest. Neji walked up to his teacher slowly while deactivating his doujutsu.
"Why didn't he blow up before your attack?" he asked, feeling a rush of fatigue at his constant use of his Kekkei Genkai.
Kakashi checked to make sure the blonde was dead before covering his Sharingan with his forehead protector.
"I put him under another genjutsu. He thought we were still talking."
"Smart. What now?"
Kakashi looked around the area, trying not to show how fatigued he was in front of the elder Hyuuga.
"We should try to find the others. The other enemies are likely as strong as this boy was."
Neji nodded, keeping his calm as Kakashi burned up Deidara's body as a precaution.
We can't have him exploding anyway. We can't take any chances with these people.
"Can you pinpoint anyone's location?" he asked.
Neji shook his head, not ashamed to admit his fatigue.
"I can't maintain my Byakugan anymore. But when I was looking before I couldn't see anyone within a few miles. We led this one away from the others for good reason."
Kakashi sighed then felt himself begin laughing as the fatigue wore him down. Neji watched his teacher's odd display, feeling compelled to do the same but his Hyuuga training kept himself from indulging.
"We should retreat and recover. Then we can provide support" he said, using his normal white eyes to survey the area.
Kakashi nodded in agreement, picking himself up and sighing before nodded again for Neji to lead the way.
Damn kids, I can barely keep up. I need more training.
Sakura and Bull landed at the base camp, the medic gingerly picked up Lee and placing him on a long stone. She completely removed the top part of his suit and discarded it, reaching back into a pocket before picking out a blood replenishment pill. She pulled out his mouth, and carefully dropped the pill in his mouth. She tapped a section of his neck that forced him to swallow the pill, before going back to working on his ribs. After a few minutes she felt her knees buckle but continued her job, taking note of all the scars on his body.
You better come out of this, Lee-kun. I won't forgive you if you leave my training half done. Hell, you wouldn't forgive yourself.
She covered up the cut she had made and pulled back. She looked at Lee's face through hopeful eyes, her abilities as a medic taken to the limit.
Maybe if I had worked harder…Lee-kun would have worked harder…
A twitch caught her attention, leaning her head above his with her ear to his mouth. After what felt like years, she sighed in relief as a slight gasp of sound emerged from Lee's mouth. She laughed as his breathing became more consistent, feeling her emotions spill out as tears rolled down her face. Lee coughed softly, drawing Sakura's attention like a mother hen.
"Lee-kun?"
With a considerable effort, Lee pulled up a hand as his eyes opened slowly. She smiled and wiped her eyes as he raised his head. His hand touched her cheek as he smiled painfully.
"Sa…ku…ra-sa…n…"
She held his hand with both of hers, laughing as she watched his recovery. Lee grimaced again and tried to bring up his other hand.
"Lee-kun? What's wrong?"
Lee coughed again, his fingers pointing to his chest.
"Ri…bs…Saku…ra-san…"
She looked down at where he was pointing and gasped as she realised she was leaning on his chest. She jumped up immediately, to the sigh of her 'victim'.
"I'm so sorry, Lee-kun. Are you okay?"
Lee didn't respond, his eyes closing slowly. She put her hands to his wrist and counted in her head. Noting his steady pulse, she could see no other wounds on his body besides the old scars on his hands.
I guess he just needs his rest. Kakashi-sensei said I should rest too. There might be others hurt when their fights are done.
She sat down and undid her forehead protector over her forehead. Running a hand through her dirt covered pink hair she smiled as she wondered what her mother would think of her current look. She had dried blood all over her dress and her arms were covered in scratches. The big dog that had accompanied the two ninja moved over next to her and barked before settling down next to Lee's sleeping body. Sakura took a breath before remembering the cache of soldier pills they had hidden when they had left Naruto.
Naruto!
She jumped up and spun around, mentally smacking herself for forgetting her friend. The gurney rocked as Naruto thrashed around in his sleep, strands of yellow hair falling to the sides as it caught on the sides.
Sakura ran over and tried to hold him down, "Naruto! Calm down!"
At her touch, he lay still. His eyes opened slowly to tired blue eyes, smiling as he saw Sakura's face.
"Hey there, Sakura."
She laughed and stood back as Naruto picked himself up slowly.
She put up a hand with a stern look, "Don't get up Naruto, you just survived more then anyone is meant to. Shizune-sensei said you shouldn't be able to move properly for at least a week."
Naruto laughed then held his ribs in pain.
"A week? Don't make me laugh, it hurts Sakura."
He looked around at his new surroundings, noting the odd similarities between the field that he had spent time with his parents in and the current area. His eyes landed on Lee's body, immediately noticing his scarred chest.
His eyes widened, "What…happened to Lee?"
Sakura looked down, sadly.
"He…was hurt fighting one of the Akatsuki members."
"What?"
Naruto swung his legs over and sat on the gurney until something clicked in his mind.
"Wait, you said one of. Itachi-sensei said there would only be one pursuer. How many were there?"
Sakura looked back at Naruto with surprise; you aren't as dumb as we think you are Naruto.
"There were four. We were fighting but got separated."
"No word from the others?" he asked, trying to get off the gurney.
Sakura pushed him back on, "No. Stay down Naruto, you aren't recovered yet."
The blonde ninja stared her at her face, giving a stare that would have made his father proud. Sakura stared back at him, not wanting to let him hurt himself, but in all the time she had spent with Naruto she had never been able to convince him once he set his mind on something. She broke the eye contact and sighed. Naruto grinned and her and tested his weight on the ground.
"You're going to get yourself killed, you know that?"
Naruto stumbled over to his pack, picking up his sword before groaning as he wasn't used to his body without the Kyuubi. The sword felt lighter in his hand, more receptive to his touch then before. Naruto took a deep breath and slung the sword over his shoulder.
"Naruto, where are you going to go? You don't know where the others are."
The Uzumaki survivor smirked at Sakura before testing his feet on the ground again.
"Sakura-san, I know exactly where they are. Or at least, where one of them is."
She watched as he disappeared, a small yellow flash taking his place. She sighed and walked back over to Lee's sleeping form. Popping a soldier pill into her mouth from the cache, she tried to concentrate on a meditation lesson her sensei had taught her.
Please don't let anyone be injured. No, that's a silly thing to think about. I need to recover as quickly as possible.
Hidan vs. Shizune, Shino, Hinata and Sasuke
To say that Hidan had become a monster would be an inaccurate description in the Konoha shinobi's eyes. It had grown slightly taller with its skin darkening to a pitch black with the same bone markings as before, but there were small red veins popping out of them as the blood seemed to flow outside of its body.
Its weapons had changed with his body, the long spike glowed subtle dark blue as it shifted and reformed randomly in its hand. Its scythe has consolidated into a single black blade, but the red hilt had turned to bone as a human skull carving covered the end as the long blade extended to a horrifyingly dark edge.
Since its cloak had been burnt off by Sasuke, the shinobi could see all the dark red spikes poking out of its ribs as it glared at the Konoha shinobi through bronze-red pupils. Most shocking of all were the two giant skeletal arms extending from its shoulder blades, more akin to the bones of wings then anything else.
"My god…" muttered Shizune, dropping her guard slightly in horror of the image before her. The creature that was Hidan stared at the group with an emotionless expression. Sasuke winced as Hinata struggled to keep the wound on his back shut, her chakra reserves almost empty from her previous assault with the seal enhancer. She reached into her pack and removed a roll of bandages, ordering Sasuke to take off his shirt as she removed the bandages with her teeth.
She trusted Shizune and Shino to protect her as she closed the outside wound, wrapping it tightly with the bandages before sealing it with medical tape. Sasuke grimaced in pain but picked himself from the ground whilst putting his cloak back on. He picked up Sanshou from the ground, taking his place next to his companions as Hinata swallowed a chakra replacement pill and stood up slowly.
The creature watched the ninja hesitate to attack him, noting the fear that was evident across their faces.
"Mortal children. You have but one purpose."
It didn't flinch as several highly toxin needles struck it in the neck, barely even registering that the attack had happened. Shizune swore as she pulled her sleeve back over her launcher, observing that the creature still had Hidan's apparent immortality.
"He shouldn't be able to use chakra" said Sasuke, his platinum blade held tightly in both hands as Hinata joined their line.
She stared at the creature through her Byakugan with fascination, unsure how to interpret what she saw.
"It's…there's nothing there."
"What do you mean?" asked Shino.
Hinata pointed at the creature slowly, "There is no chakra flow. No blood. Nothing. It makes no sense."
Sasuke laughed as he fought off exhaustion, "What about this guy makes sense? Nothing works. No techniques, no attacks, nothing."
Shizune stepped up to the Uchiha heir and slapped him lightly on the face.
"Snap out of it, Uchiha. We don't have time for this."
Sasuke felt his choler sky-rocket at the attack, but conceded the point. He sighed before stepping forward to an attack position. Shino stepped next to him and pulled him back with a stare.
"Uchiha Sasuke, I should take the front. Out of all of us, I have the most chakra."
Sasuke glared at the Aburame heir with his Sharingan, unable to understand why everyone was keeping him from attacking. Seeing Sasuke about to argue with him Shino whispered softly into his ear.
"You are our hardest hitter. The three of us will create an opening and you need to hit him with your strongest technique."
Sasuke scoffed, but backed off, letting his three companions make their preparations.
Placing its scythe on its shoulder, the creature pointed its spike at Shizune. Its bronze-red eyes regarded her with disinterest as its mouth slowly opened.
"Death by impaling" thundered from its mouth as the spike extended impossibly fast at Shizune, striking her directly in the chest.
She gasped and coughed blood over the ground as she put her struggled to put her hands on the spike. In response the spike fluctuated and pierced through her hands, drenching itself in her blood.
"Sensei!" called out Hinata, already on her way to help her teacher.
Shizune grimaced as she struggled to maintain her grip without losing consciousness. Using her Byakugan, Hinata watched as Shizune's chakra levels plummeted as she attempted to heal her own wound while the spike was still protruding out of her chest, unable to do anything about her hands.
"G…go!" she sputtered, grinding her teeth as she felt a wave of agony wash over her.
The three Genin nodded and rushed towards the creature with their weapons raised. Shino threw several explosive kunai at the creature, but it seemed unphased at it stared at its first target. Hinata threw several shuriken at its chest before attempting to run through a basic water attacking technique. The creature turned its head towards her and she felt the full force of its gaze on her enhanced eyes. Even without her Byakugan, she would have been able to tell what the creature truly was. She felt her vision darken as she struggled to maintain her free will against such an ungodly stare. The creature's eyes seemed to bore into her as a realisation dawned on her.
This…only a god…
The creature's eyes flickered as it watched the Hyuuga girl drop to her knees. Her Byakugan deactivated as her face began to gloss over.
"Death by terror"
Shino wanted to help his teammate as he saw her collapse to the ground, but knew he would suffer a similar fate if he didn't attack now. He sent a mental order to his insects, as well as an apology for what he was asking them to do. The hive within him buzzed in response, causing Shino to smile at their reaction. He didn't physically show the smile, but internally he was satisfied. He threw a pair of shuriken around the creature's head, pulling on the attached wires before hooking the shuriken to the ground behind it. The creature, having been satisfied with its dealing of the small dark haired girl turned its head towards the bug user.
It glared at Shino as the Genin put his hands out from his position several feet away. He watched Sasuke flank around quietly as his hive began to explode outwards from his sleeves, tracking along the wires towards the creature. It took no notice of the insects, unsatisfied that it couldn't paralyse Shino while he wore his sunglasses. Shino put his hand together into a new seal he had created, derived from a technique from his father's arsenal.
"Hijutsu: Inkouassaiki" (Secret Technique: Throat Crusher)
The bugs leapt from the wire and attacked the creature's face, stuffing themselves into its mouth and through the slits where its nose was. Shino concentrated as he felt the bugs clogging up the creature's throat. It continued to glare at him, before opening its mouth wide and shutting it tight with razor sharp teeth. Shino felt a mental cry as his bugs died in droves, the creature swallowing the hive with an emotionless expression. It still kept a tight grip on the spike impaling Shizune's chest, the young Jounin having erected two arms of water out of the ground to keep the spike steady as a strange looking lines appeared from under her mesh vest.
The creature took a final swallow then looked down at its chest as a long sword poked through its chest. Turning its head around to an impossible angle, it found itself confronted by two black and red orbs. Sasuke felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness as the creature walked forward slowly, dragging the sword out of its chest whilst maintaining its stare. Sasuke's eyes widened as his Sharingan warned him of the counter-attack, but his body couldn't react in time as the skeletal wings shot out at him.
The spiked wings impaled him through his body, lifting him high in the air before hurling him away, spraying precious Uchiha blood over the creature's body. Sasuke slammed into the ground and fell unconscious as his body bled from eight large wounds. The creature looked at his body dejectedly.
"Death by blood loss"
It took a step forward and let the sword inside its chest fall to the ground. Shino's face darkened as he looked over the battlefield, seeing all his fallen comrades. He felt in his pack for a kunai, observing as the creature broke off its spike from its hand, still keeping the spike in Shizune's chest but freeing up its other hand.
Shino jumped towards it in a last ditch effort, an explosive note wrapped around the kunai as he attempted to thrust it into the creature's face. The creature reached up with its free hand and let the kunai pierce through its black skin, touching the note with a finger to prevent it from exploding. Shino tried to pull away but the creature gripped his wrist and pulled him close. It opened up its mouth to an impossible angle, as a plume of purple smoke erupted from inside and covered Shino's face. It let his wrist go, watching the Aburame fall to the ground convulsing as the toxin began to overtake his body.
"Death by poison"
Its bronze-red eyes observed the battlefield, watching as Shizune removed the spike from her chest and fell to the ground coughing blood before laying still. Sasuke groaned then screamed as he failed to move his arms and legs, not able to feel any strength or chakra due to the wounds in his body. A black crow appeared from the sky and landed next to him, crowing loudly next to Sasuke's head. Shino couldn't move, his face in the ground next to the shattered remains of his sunglasses, having broken when he fell to the ground.
The creature took a moment before resting its eyes on the young girl who had begun to crawl away from it. It walked slowly towards her, the ground slowly burning beneath its feet as it arrived in front of the Hyuuga heir. It motioned to her with a finger, her body rising from the ground at its command. Her body turned around as it twirling a bone-like finger, watching as her white eyes widened in horror.
"You are strong-willed, mortal"
It took its scythe from across its shoulder and placed the blade next to her immobilised neck. Hinata could do nothing to stop the creature. She had barely survived losing her mind to its stare, and now she felt herself falling apart again.
Please…no…I can't…
The creature drew back the scythe.
"Death by decapitation"
Hinata felt tears fall down her face as she watched helplessly as the blade swung towards her neck. She closed her eyes, trying to think of her happiest moment in anticipation of her imminent death.
The scythe sliced through the air, the creature's eyes flashing as it took an account of the situation. It had expected the blade to slice through her neck, severing her head from her body. Then it would move on and finish off the other three before leaving to find more sacrifices to slaughter. However it was to be denied as the girl was placed carefully on the ground nearby, her head cradled as it touched the grass. Hinata opened her eyes slowly, unsure why she hadn't died yet. She found herself looking at a familiar orange jacket with a flush red katana strapped to its back.
I must be dead. He can't be here…
The creature rested its scythe back onto its shoulder as it regarded its new prey.
"The mortal who defied death…"
Hinata's saviour swore as he saw the bodies around the battlefield. He couldn't tell whether they were alive or not, but created a clone before stepped forward to confront the creature. The clone leant down and placed a caring hand on Hinata's face.
"Hey, you. You okay?"
Hinata smiled through tears as she looked at Naruto's face.
"Na…Naruto-kun…you came for me?"
The clone grinned and tapped his nose unconsciously, "I woke up and had an odd feeling in my chest. I knew you were in trouble."
Hinata reached up and fingered the pendent he had given her, trying to stand up but the clone stopped her.
"Hina-chan, you need to rest. I'll take care of him."
She wanted to protest, but fell apart at her crush's face, happy to let the clone guard her.
"It's immortal, Naruto-kun. It took all our attacks without stopping or falling down" she called out to the original, who nodded grimly as it drew its sword.
The creature watched the exchange with interest, "You would stand against a god? Foolish, foolish mortal"
The original Naruto glared at the creature before dozens of clones appeared around the creature. His skill with Kage Bunshin had gotten to the point that he didn't need the hand seal, each clone standing with a copy of Hirameki before each dropping a kunai at their feet. Hinata's eyes widened as she recognised the seal wrapped around the kunai as the Naruto clones levelled their swords at the creature. It held up its scythe, baring its teeth at the army of blondes.
The Naruto's concentrated and drew back their blades. The army disappeared in a flash of yellow before reappearing with their blades pointed to the ground.
The original sheathed his blade as the army dispersed, muttering "Fuuton: Saishuugishiki" (Wind Element: Last Rite)
The creature stared at the original and went to attack him, but found that it couldn't move. Naruto dismissed his first clone and leant down to help Hinata. She couldn't activate her Byakugan, so she didn't know what Naruto had done. She tried to look past him, but he blocked her view purposefully, shaking his head seriously with an expression she hadn't seen for a long time. The creature began to fall apart, long lines appearing on its body as it shattered into tiny pieces. Hinata tried to get up but Naruto shook his head,
"Don't Hina-chan. I…will…uh…"
Naruto fell to the ground as a wave of exhaustion hit him, still not recovered from his 'death'. Hinata gasped and dragged herself over to him, flipping him over and checking him for injuries. Naruto had a small smile on his face and muttered as he drifted to sleep.
"No…Hina-chan…I want more ramen…nooo don't…my raaaammmeeennnnn…"
She smiled and lent her head on his chest before falling unconscious herself.
Author's Note:
And so the two-chapter-long battles come to a close. What did you guys think of the format for the battles? Do you prefer the short battles broken up over the chapter, mixed in with the other fights, or long fights like in this chapter? Remember, this is around the Sasuke Retrieval Arc time period, so they are around that sort of strength level, with some a little bit higher but that's about it.
I should be able to get the first chapter of the Suna Chuunin Exams by next week.
Please review and tell me what you think. What can be improved, what you liked, I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.
Naruto Story Spotlight: A Chance to Change by Susie-Draegalia. A great time-travel story, with Naruto, Hinata and Kakashi all going back in time. Very interesting developments for Naruto growing up with Kakashi and him being pretty strong from the start. Definitely recommended.