{March 26th, 073}
"Come on! I've got people to kill and time to waste, so let's get a move on!"
"I think you got that backward…" Naruto deadpanned.
"I know what I said, now hurry up!" Anko grinned evilly, dragging her boyfriend through the streets with her.
The reason she was so excited was that Naruto was coming with her to work today. Apparently, the civilians were having a 'bring your daughter to work day,' where all the moms and dads would bring their little girls along with them to their shops or restaurants or wherever they worked and show them around to have some extra family time. Anko, after hearing about it, decided that she would participate...by having a bring your fox to work day, wherein she would drag Naruto along with her, after making him request the day off, to show off how she tortured and interrogated people in various methods. Needless to say, Naruto was less than thrilled.
"I still don't understand why we're doing this…"
"Because, you need to know that no matter how strong you are, I can still keep you in line," she grinned wickedly.
"You're so troublesome."
"And you sound like a Nara. Now, c'mon!" Anko dragged him towards a large building that looked somewhat like a cross between a prison and an office building.
"Well, this is...unique," Naruto commented dryly.
"Isn't it? Now, I've got three friends to play with today! Maybe you can help with some of 'em, hmm? There is that superstition regarding foxes, ya' know…"
"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I do have one fox that really does not like people...she might be willing to help."
"Perfect! Let's stop by Ibiki first. He's taking over the T&I division in a few years after the current one retires, so he does most of the hands-on work."
"Have I met Ibiki before?"
"Probably once or twice, why? Jealous~," she teased in a sing-song voice.
"Not especially…" he deadpanned. "Just impressed that you could hide one of your two friends from me."
"Hey! I have more than two friends, asshole!"
"Yes, my mistake. Four, including me."
"Fuck you!"
"Love you too, Anko."
A short walk later, the two of them reached the office where Ibiki worked. "Yo, Ibiki! I brought my fox!"
"You did what?" the scar-faced man glanced up. "Who're you?"
"Guess we haven't met. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
"And…?"
"I brought him," Anko grinned.
"Anko, he needs clearance to do anything here. Get clearance or get out."
"But Ibiki~," she whined.
"No."
"Naruto, pull rank."
"What? I'm not really supposed to-"
"Naruto," she threatened.
"Ugh," Naruto groaned. "Fine. Codename fox, registration 012607, ANBU Captain of Team Deva."
Ibiki seemed surprised but was able to verify his claim rather quickly. "Sounds good enough to me. Aren't you a bit young for that?"
"Sometimes I wish that were the case…"
"Good enough for me, kid. Good luck and don't do anything illegal," Ibiki waved them off. "And props for managing to put up with Anko."
"Sorry, did you say cut off your arm and feed it to you?" Anko asked sweetly.
"Alright, Anko, let's leave the nice head of the Torture and Interrogation department alone," Naruto sighed and led the potentially insane kunoichi away.
"Aw~, you spoil all my fun," she pouted.
"I thought watching you have fun was why I was here?"
"Good point! Let's go to my first victim of the day!"
{December 24th, 073 - Naruto's Mindscape}
"Kit."
"Ugh...Kyuubi? What the hell, it's Christmas Eve! I was snuggling with Anko?"
"You fell asleep so I brought you in here. Quit your whining."
"Whatever…" Naruto sighed. "So, what's up? Come to give me a Christmas present?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"No way…"
"Tch. Like I'd time this with your foolish human holidays."
"Kyuubi, have I told you that you're kind of awesome?" Naruto grinned. "Now, come on! Out with it! Don't be shy either."
"Tch. Bratty kits…" the fox grumbled. "I've decided that it's high time you learned to use the true might that is my chakra. I've seen you complete many great battles with my clansmen. Now it's time for me to show that I've not been subdued by some foolish human."
"That's awesome!" Naruto grinned. "I knew you'd come around. BUT! I have one condition."
"You have a condition on me allowing you to use my great power? Don't bring up such foolishness, kit."
"I want to know your name."
"Why-"
"Because I want to be your partner, Kyuubi. I don't really want to spend my time calling you 'fox' or 'Nine-Tails.' That sounds kinda weird, ya' know? You can call me kit if you want, but I want to call you by your real name."
"You aren't giving up on this, are you?"
"Not a chance."
"...Very well, kit. You understand the information I'm trusting you with?"
"I'd never betray your trust, Kyuubi. Not only did I work way too hard to get it in the first place, but we're also friends. I never hurt any of my friends if I can help it."
"My name...is Kurama."
"Alright then, Kurama! We're partners! So, how does this work?"
"Well, consider it like this," the fox explained. "There is my chakra, which is locked away in this seal, and there is your chakra, which is not. In order for you to use my chakra you would have to remove the seal and rip my chakra away from me before resealing me away."
"What the hell? No way!" Naruto shouted. "If we're actual partners, I'm not doing that!"
"Good answer," the fox grinned. "That's the standard way, but I can tell you, we would never be partners if you'd even attempted forcing me to give up my chakra. I'd rip you apart before you could try."
"Well, good. I'm not gonna just steal your chakra. I only use it in emergencies anyway, and you usually give that to me to keep yourself alive, anyway."
"Well then. I suppose you should open the seal then, shouldn't you?"
"Well, I trust you, but what will happen once I do that?"
"I become an equal cohabitant in your body. Should you fall unconscious, I could take over your body and do as I please. Should you allow me control, I could do as I please until I return your body. My chakra is your chakra to use as you will, so long as I give it to you, and your chakra is mine to use just the same. We are co-captains of the same body, though, because my soul is locked within yours, you are the primary owner."
"And you're really ok with all that? You have to understand I can't just give you possession of my body, probably ever."
"That does mean you will be able to accomplish the perfect Tailed Beast transformation though," the fox grinned. "The parts of my body you utilize will be controlled by you like extra limbs, though you may also give me control over them."
"So, essentially, I'm trusting you not to take over my body and go on a rampage and destroy my home and kill everyone I love?" The fox growled lightly. "Sounds good to me! I told you, Kurama, I trust you. We're friends."
"I suppose I will allow you to call us that if it makes you pleased to do so, kit."
"Love you too, Kurama," Naruto grinned. "So, let me take this seal tag here-"
Naruto was cut off by a hand grabbing his wrist. "Hold on there, Naruto."
"Dad…?" Naruto just stared... Looking back at him with a smile was his father, the Fourth Hokage. "DAD!"
"Naruto!" Minato said happily back, embracing his son for the first time in over seven years. "I missed you, my son."
"Damned Fourth Hokage!" the fox growled.
"Oh, shut it, Nineo!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "We'll finish after...whatever is happening right now. Let me have time with my dad."
"Tch."
"Sounds like you two are getting along," Minato grinned.
"Yeah, we're good friends, but he won't admit it." That got a huff from the fox. "But how are you here? I thought you were dead."
"I am. I just put some of my chakra here to help you out if you ever tried to remove the seal."
"Wait, you didn't want me to unseal the fox?"
"I mean...not recklessly…"
"So, you didn't trust me…"
"Now, wait a second!" Minato protested. "No, that's not it at all!"
"I'm just messing with you dad," Naruto chuckled. "So, you did? You wanted me to befriend the fox?"
"I was going for mastering his power, but I guess becoming friends isn't that much different. Although, if you're already unsealing him, why don't you go ahead and do that now?"
"Really? You mean it?"
"Yeah! I have another surprise for you!"
"Alright. Kyuubi-wait, since they're dead can I use your real name?"
"Do whatever you want, kit."
"Thanks, Kurama! Could you maybe hold off on your grudge with my dad when I unseal you? Once he disappears you can hate him again."
"Tch."
"That means yes in grumpy fox language," Naruto translated. "Alright. Seal, RELEASE!"
The invisible barrier that had separated the fox from Naruto glowed briefly before disappearing, the seal on his stomach under his shirt slowly going away.
"Finally, I'm out of that damned seal!"
"Good to see you out, Kurama!"
"Minato? Why are you here? And why is the fox stretching?" a new voice asked, sounding very confused.
"MOM!" Naruto shouted, jumping at the red-haired woman, immediately embracing her. "You're here too!"
"Naruto!" Kushina smiled and hugged him back. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, mom," Naruto sighed.
"So, what is happening? I thought I was supposed to help you pin the fox down so you could wrestle control of his chakra?" Kushina asked.
"No way! Kurama and I are friends. I just unsealed him so we could officially start our partnership! It's his Christmas present to me."
"I thought I told you that this was purely a coincidence. I don't celebrate your puny human holidays."
"See? He even admitted it!" Naruto grinned.
"Right…" Minato deadpanned.
"I have to tell you everything! I graduated from the academy after a year and got assigned to Kenzo-sensei. He was a bit of a man-whore, but actually pretty nice. We took the chunin exams after three years because Kenzo-sensei was too lazy, all three of us passed it! After that, I joined the ANBU with Itachi and I'm even captain of team Deva now! Oh, and I got these new eyes-"
"Slow down, Naruto!" Kushina chuckled. "We can't keep up! Since I don't need to use my chakra to help fight the fox, we have a bit of time here."
"Same here. I don't need to reseal the fox, so I should be here for a while."
"Wait, does that mean I could bring someone else in here?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"Er...maybe? Why do you ask?" Minato questioned.
"I want you to meet Anko. She's...kinda my girlfriend."
"YES!" Kushina exclaimed excitedly. "I want every detail! Nothing spared! How you met, how you got together, how you fell in love, your first date, your first kiss, your-"
"Kushina, relax a little bit," Minato told her exasperatedly. "I'm sure you'll find out in time."
"This is our son's first girlfriend and I will know every single detail past, present, and future or so help me I will rip my way out of Kami's grip and find out myself." Perhaps scary females were a thing of the father and son duo, as, along with her speech, Kushina's blood-red hair slowly rose and swung around wildly in aggression.
"...I suggest you do as your mother says…" Minato gulped.
"Right!"
{December 25th, 073}
"Morning, Anko," Naruto yawed, blinking away the sleepiness.
"...Your mom is terrifying…"
Naruto just laughed. "No more terrifying than you, snake princess."
"Pfft. Don't call me princess. I'm not some stuck-up hoity-toity brat."
"Mmm?" Naruto hummed, rolling over to face the purple-haired kunoichi. "But you're a princess to me."
"And you seriously deal with that fox every day? I thought he was gonna eat me alive," she shivered.
"He never forgot what you said about the sage," Naruto chuckled.
"That was almost two years ago!"
"I don't think he cares."
"Oh, shut up!"
"Mmm, gladly," Naruto grinned before leaning forward and kissing Anko.
{Later}
"I don't understand in the slightest why we're out here," Anko whined, sinking deeper into her coat. "This is the worst Christmas gift ever!"
"I told you already, Anko," Naruto sighed. "I made a promise and it's one that I intend to keep."
"Your promises shouldn't take away from my snuggle time…" Anko grumbled.
"We'll have plenty more snuggle time later, princess."
"I'm not a princess!"
Naruto just rolled his eyes and kept walking. The two were heading over towards the Uchiha district; Naruto dressed in full ANBU garb while Anko was just bundled up against the cold.
"Alright, you're gonna wait out here."
"You made me walk all the way over here...in the freezing cold...trudging through the snow...just to STAY HERE?" Anko demanded.
"...Yes?"
"WHY?!"
"I wanted to spend time with my Snake Princess."
"Dammit-mmmpH!" Anko blushed slightly. "You CANNOT win every argument just by kissing me!"
"True, but I can win some of them," he shrugged, putting on his fox mask. "I'll be back in two minutes."
"You'd better be…"
Naruto quickly traversed the compound until he came across an apartment with a single, lone resident. He knocked heavily on the door before waiting for it to open.
"What?" a voice demanded angrily, opening the door with a scowl. Young Sasuke Uchiha was standing there tapping his foot in frustration. "ANBU? What do you want?"
"Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto said, reaching into his bag, causing the young boy to tense up. "Merry Christmas."
"...huh?"
"Here. Merry Christmas." Naruto, under the guise as Fox, handed the Uchiha a scroll, before vanishing off in the distance.
"Who the hell was that…'' Sasuke grumbled, convincing himself that he didn't care nor did he want whatever was given to him. That lasted all of fifteen seconds before he resigned himself to opening the scroll and was overall pleasantly surprised by what he saw inside.
It was a fairly standard shinobi kit, one he could have easily acquired on his own, but it contained more than a few essentials. A sheet of chakra paper, several sets of shuriken, kunai, and senbon, medical tape, small targets for precise accuracy training, a jutsu scroll, and a smaller scroll which held a note inside.
'Dear, Sasuke,
Merry Christmas. I made a promise some time ago to someone very close to me and it's one I intend to keep. From one who knows the pain of losing loved ones to another, you're not alone.
Oh, and you probably already have access to that jutsu, but I wasn't sure of which one to pick. Fire-Style, Phoenix Flower Jutsu seemed appropriate for an Uchiha and one without massive chakra reserves.
~Fox'
Sasuke couldn't help the small smile on his face, though he was trying to convince himself that no one could understand his pain, let alone some random ANBU operative.
'...thanks…'
{March 14th, 074}
"You're doing what?"
"Care you repeat that, Fox?"
"Er...you're doing what, Captain?"
"Better," Kakashi gave one of his patented eye smiles. "I'm going to be leaving ANBU. Teams may get a bit of a shift, so Deva may not stay the same."
"I don't understand why you're leaving ANBU," Naruto shook his head. "I never thought you'd want out."
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I don't," Kakashi chuckled sheepishly. "Lord Hokage wishes for me to return to the general ninja ranks as a jonin."
"No way...you're gonna take a genin team, aren't you?" Naruto grinned evilly. "I can't believe it!"
"Oh, no, don't-"
"Ahahahahaha!" Naruto just laughed. "Oh, man! Wait til Anko hears about this!"
"Naruto, it's not-"
"Captain Kakashi! A jonin sensei! I never thought I'd see the day!" the redhead continued to laugh. "See you around, Kakashi-sensei! I gotta tell Team Deva! Ahahahahah!"
"..." Kakashi sighed and deflated slightly. "That could have gone better…"
{April 7th, 077}
"Oh, heya, Fox!" Kakashi waved, entering the Hokage's office. "It's been a few months."
"Kakashi," the old Third Hokage sighed. "I asked to see you two hours ago...you're interrupting an important meeting."
"Sorry about that. You see, while I was on my way I saw an elderly black cat who needed help crossing the street. After that, I had to go the long way so I wouldn't accidentally go under a ladder that was being used and then I just got lost on the road of life."
"That was the worst excuse I've ever heard, Captain…" Fox deadpanned. "And you're mixing them up. An elderly black cat?"
"Eheh…" Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"I've had a long day and at the moment could not be assed for protocol, so just stand there and be quiet for a moment while I finish this up, Kakashi," Hiruzen grumbled slightly, murmuring about being too old for this shit. "So, you understand your mission, Fox?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage. I'm to head an operation utilizing Team Deva and Team Ro to join the resistance group in the Hidden Mist, but to ensure that we cannot be tied back to the leaf by anyone but the resistance group themselves."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Very good, Fox. Helping a resistance group could be grounds for war, however, aiding the Mist against their tyrannical rule could provide us with a critical ally in the future. I trust you'll complete the assignment without fail?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage. I'll leave at once." With that, Naruto disappeared.
"Isn't he a bit young to be going off to war?" Kakashi asked.
"We're all too young to go off to war, Kakashi," the old man sighed. "There is never an age where it's acceptable. Besides, this is his last assignment."
"Oh?"
"Yes, Naruto has been working in ANBU for too long. He'll be joining you as a jonin sensei next rotation," the Hokage grinned devilishly. "And in a few years I can finally take of this damned hat!"
{April 15th, 077}
They were finally arriving at one of the few resistance outposts that the Hidden Leaf was actually aware of. The village had received a request for assistance by the supposed leader of the resistance, Mei Terumi, in exchange for a future alliance. Always one for peace negotiations, Hiruzen was rather interested, regardless of the risk that came with aiding a resistance movement against one of the major hidden villages.
Now that they were arriving, everything was starting to hit Naruto all at once. He was going to a warzone. He was about to fight in a war. It hadn't really hit him when he was given the mission. It hadn't hit him when he told Anko where he was going, nor had it hit him when the two engaged in their...ahem...pre-mission ritual. But now that he was approaching? It was a different feeling.
Sure he had killed before. Naruto had probably personally killed more than most ninja would see dead in their entire lifetimes. But a war was not something he had experience in. He was born during the tail end of the Third Great Shinobi War, and thus, rather obviously, had not participated in the fighting. This would be a new experience for him.
"Captain," one of the ANBU agents spoke, coming up to him. "The boat will be landing shortly."
"Thank you, Cat. Prepare your squad for departure."
"Yes, Captain."
A short hour later, the two groups, headed by Naruto, approached the rendezvous point where they were supposed to meet with a group of recruitment agents for the resistance. It was a large island with thick mist covering most of the forestry and rock formations.
"Halt!" a voice demanded in front of them, causing Naruto to signal the squads to obey. "Identify yourselves!"
"Squads Deva and Ro, requested to assist in the resistance by Mei Terumi," Fox replied.
"You got proof?"
"Here," Naruto tossed forward the mission request, as a ninja that had been hidden in some of the island's mist shot forward and took the scroll, disappearing off in the distance once more. Not that Naruto couldn't both see and sense him, of course, but they were there to assist.
"So, you're Fox?" the voice asked.
"Yes."
"Alright, the missive is real, but don't think that means I trust you," he said, emerging in front of them, flanked by eight ninja of his own. "I'm Ao."
"Pleasure," Naruto nodded. "This is Cat."
"Tch," Ao scoffed. "Alright, follow me. Try anything funny and we'll put you down. I swear, back in my day we did things ourselves instead of requesting aid from enemy villages…"
Naruto sweat dropped slightly at this, but signalled for his team to follow.
It was a rather difficult journey...well...not for ninja, but if they weren't ninja, it would have been. Through a thick cloud of mist, up a cliff, through a thick jungle-like forestry, and finally to a well-hidden clearing that had the telltale signs of a well-concealed Genjutsu protecting it from outsiders.
"Alright, until you get clearance from Lady Mei, only one of you is allowed past this point," Ao ordered. "I don't trust a full group coming past."
"Very well. Cat, you're in charge," Fox ordered.
"Yes, Captain."
"Lead the way."
"Back in my day, we didn't listen to orders from the enemy. I swear, kids these days…" Ao grumbled, leading the ANBU captain towards the camp.
A short walk led Naruto through the resistance campsite. Dozens of tents were set up next to each other; some were smaller, likely two-person sleeping tents, while others were much longer, such as what looked like a medical tent. They were heading towards one of the larger ones, though it was smaller than the medical tent. This was, as Ao said, headquarters.
"Lady Mei? The requested reinforcements from the Leaf have arrived," Ao said, in his usual gruff voice.
"Oh? Thank goodness, I'm so glad they would come to assist a damsel in distress such as myself," a female voice replied, her voice smooth and sensual. "Please, do come in."
"Right. Come on, don't keep Lady Mei waiting," Ao ordered, leading the young captain into the tent. "I swear, back in my day, we didn't wait, we just did what was expected of us. Kids these days…"
"Ao?" the female voice spoke again. "Shut up. Or I'll kill you."
"Wha-?!" Ao shivered after trying to protest but quickly shut himself up.
"Now, who is our guest? Is it only you?" Naruto looked in front of him and had to resist his jaw from dropping. She was tall and slender with pale skin, wearing a blue, somewhat revealing, dress with a mesh undershirt and pants. Her long auburn hair was styled into a herringbone pattern, with one long lock of bangs covering up her right eye.
Shaking off his surprise and mentally shivering at what Anko would want to do, which wasn't quite violent as one would expect, he answered. "No, Lady Mei. I'm Fox. My squads are outside by request of...Ao."
"I see," Mei turned and smiled, perhaps a little too sweetly, at the other man. Ao had moused up blue hair and an eyepatch over one eye. "Now, I'm sure our guests are rather...upset at being left out. You wouldn't keep them from assisting us, would you?"
"N-no, of course not!" he quickly answered. "I'll go get them right away!"
"Good, I was about to request that myself," she turned back towards Naruto as Ao quickly shot away. "Now, I don't suppose I may see the face of such a brave young man who's come to assist my cause?"
"We do have protocol, my Lady…" Naruto hesitated. There was something about her that just...commanded you to listen to her. It reminded him of Anko, which was terrifying.
"Well, it is just us in here. I'm sure I won't tell if you won't," she winked at him.
"W-well...I guess…" Naruto hesitantly removed his mask.
"My, such a handsome young man," Mei smiled, paying special attention to his one visible eye. "And a rather unique eye, too. Has the leaf been experimenting with new doujutsu or are you just a special case?"
"I'm afraid I can't give you any details, Lady Mei."
"Of course, I understand," she waved him off. "Now, perhaps we should get to know each other better before we begin to work together?"
Naruto was led further into a tent over to a desk, which Mei sat behind and gestured for him to sit across from her.
"Now, who do I have the immense pleasure of working with?"
"I'm Fox."
"Really?" she hummed. "While that name is...exotic...I was hoping for more of a personal connection."
"Er…"
"You really are quite young for an ANBU, aren't you? How old are you?"
"Seventeen, Lady Mei."
"How very impressive. Is there anything else you could tell me about yourself?"
"Um…"
"Such a pity," Mei sighed. "Then I guess we should get down to business, no?"
"I am to report to you and complete any tasks possible to assist you with your resistance. Myself and my team are at your service."
"Excellent!" Mei seemed to suddenly shift from flirtatious and sensual, to a war-hardened general in an instant as she started going over war plans. "Well, I'll start with news on how the war is going so far. As you can see from this map, the territories that we've lost currently outweigh what we've gained, which is why I've requested assistance from the leaf. While we are somewhat of a small resistance…"
{April 21st, 077}
"Target spotted, one-hundred meters. Formation Delta 00. Begin operation in T minus 30 seconds."
{April 25th, 077}
"Explosives planted. Target detonation in T minus five minutes. Escape plan Charlie 07. Arrow formation. Pursuit negative."
{May 1st, 077}
"Target on the move! Engage! Do NOT let him escape!"
{May 15th, 077}
"Mission complete. Return to base."
{June 7th, 077}
"Well, I must say, you and your team have done a phenomenal job," Mei smiled almost seductively. "I've received word that our plan was a success. Yagura himself is on the move."
"Nearly all major bloodline camps have been liberated, our numbers are nearing the loyalist's, and we've been able to assassinate his three most important generals. It's a wonder he waited this long," Naruto answered. "Though, if Yagura truly is the jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, we'll need to find a large and open area to fight him in. If we try to utilize any dense forestry, he'll simply blow it up and we'll be trapped in the foliage."
"You seem quite knowledgeable about jinchuriki," Mei replied smoothly, walking over just slightly too close to him...as in almost rubbing against him. "I don't suppose you're hiding something from me?"
"I don't know what you're referring to," he answered coolly.
"I must say, I'm very disappointed that I can't keep you," she sighed. "Just taking an ANBU captain would be a political disaster, but if I'm right, I really would be condemning my country, wouldn't I? Pity."
"Um, Lady Mei?" Naruto fidgeted.
"Very well," she sighed. "I suppose we'll just have to visit then, no? I'm sure they have lovely hotels in the leaf."
"Er...yes...they are quite nice from what I've heard."
"Wonderful," Mei smiled. "Back to business now, no?"
"Right."
"Well, Fox, as much as I hate to request this of you, I believe we could use your expertise on ridding the world of Yagura. It really is long past his time, you know."
"I'm still under your command, Lady Mei. If you wish it and it is in my power, we will complete it."
"How charming," she smiled. "However, there is something I know about Yagura. He's extraordinarily overconfident in his own abilities and won't necessarily bring an army alongside him. He'll work with a few trusted allies in a small group of elites when he comes to the battlefield."
"That seems...stereotypical for a tyrannical ruler, no? Seems rather suspicious if you ask me."
"Well, where there's smoke there's fire, Fox, however, I believe we should take our information as is for now." Mei looked at him. "I believe I need to be the one to kill Yagura as leader of the resistance. I'd like you, your top three men, and three of my best, to join me on a mission to assassinate Yagura."
"Are you serious? We've only been here for two months!" Naruto said back in surprise.
"Yes, but we've been fighting for years. It's about time we go all in, no? We can find out his movements and intercept him. You and your team will have to keep the rest of his ninja busy and I'll take care of Yagura."
"If that is your wish, Lady Mei," Naruto sighed. "I'll gather them."
{June 28th, 077}
The field was set. It was almost like a movie, Naruto mused, with how exact everything turned out to be. As per his suggestion, Mei found the most ideal location she could, mostly flat land with a heavy mist, only light forestry in the area. And as Mei predicted, Yagura walked knowingly into their group's trap. It was so unlike true ninja combat, as neither group even attempted to hide. Yagura knew they were there and was confident in his ability to destroy the resistance in one fell swoop, just as Mei was confident she could take out Yagura.
"So, Mei, this meeting is long overdue, wouldn't you agree?" Yagura was rather short, looking almost childlike, but with a completely dead expression, more devoid of emotion than even Itachi. He had messy grayish-tan hair, dead-looking pink eyes, and a stitch-like scar under his left. As his weapon, Yagura carried a large staff, taller than himself, that held a large green flower just below the hook.
"Yagura," Mei answered, rage filling her own eyes. "It's time that your reign of terror of the Mist be brought to an end."
"I see no issue putting down beasts for being beats," Yagura replied simply. "But you are standing in the way and sheltering those beasts. In fact, you are one of them yourself."
"You do realize that you have a literal Tailed Beast inside you, yet you're calling others beasts, right?" Naruto deadpanned.
"Captain!" whispered Cat aggressively. "Not the time!"
"What? He could at least use a different term…" Naruto grumbled.
"Your reinforcements are...interesting," Yagura commented. "Perhaps they will provide more of a challenge than if it was just you."
"I swear, kids these days always need to have pre-fight banter! Back in my day…" Ao grumbled.
"Ao? Shut up. Or I'll kill you."
"Well, let us begin then," Yagura said flatly, ordering his group of eight bodyguards forward as they engaged with Naruto and Mei's own six.
"If you would permit me to begin, Lady Mei," Naruto requested. "I believe I can clear the battlefield a bit more."
"I'd love that," she smiled.
"Very well. FORMATION ECHO 03!" Naruto shouted, before raising his right palm towards Yagura. "Heavenly Subjugation...of the Omnipresent GOD!"
A shockwave of gravity exploded out from Naruto at the epicenter, forcing combatants, both ally and enemy, back away from the leaders of the two groups. While the loyalists forces were caught off guard, the resistance, while affected by the shockwave, received ample warning to utilize the force to begin their assault against their opponents. Mei was completely unaffected.
"Such amazing power in someone so young," the auburn-haired resistance leader praised.
"Interesting," Yagura commented, also seemingly unaffected. "You shall prove an interesting challenge."
"I hope so," Naruto grinned wickedly under his mask.
Yagura charged forward at the two with his hooked staff, quickly engaging to begin his assault.
"Lava-Style, Fiery Rock Bullet!" Mei called, flipping through hand seals and launching several masses of melting rock at the Fourth.
He simply batted them away with his staff before reaching Naruto and swinging. Naruto ducked the swing and attempted a palm thrust, which the three-tails jinchuriki easily dodged.
"Almighty Push!" Naruto called, using the gravitational force to knock away Yagura's followup attack and ducking to make way for the attack he sensed Mei preparing.
"Water-Style, Water Dragon Jutsu!" Mei utilized the thick mist and the wet ground to form a towering dragon and sent it rocketing towards the recovering Yagura.
"Water-Style, Water Mirror Jutsu," Yagura replied, forming a perfectly reflective surface of water and tilting it with his staff. From the mirror, an identical dragon made of water was sent back at Mei's, the two attacks exploding back into water.
"Heavenly Attraction!" Naruto spoke, attempting to utilize Yagura's distraction to catch him off-guard.
"Not nearly enough," Yagura said simply, stabbing his staff into the ground and only moving a few inches before the technique failed.
"Lava-Style, Fiery-"
"Water-Style, Great Gunshot!" Yagura beat her to the punch and shot a head sized mass of extraordinarily pressurized water towards the auburn-haired resistance leader.
"Preta Path, Dual Absorption!" Naruto stood in between the two attacks, knowing that Yagura's would win, and held out his palms, absorbing the chakra from both of them.
"I see, so you're able to absorb chakra," Yagura commented. "That could be difficult."
"Incredible…" Mei murmured.
"Earth-Style, Earth Flow River!" Naruto shouted, quickly flying through the first set of hand seals before activating another. "Lightning-Style, Thunderbolt!"
Yagura watched as Naruto jumped into the sky and bolts of lightning rocketed towards the earth technique from his palms. 'Interesting…'
A large explosion took place, covering Yagura's form with dust and debris. "Do you think that worked?"
"Not a chance," Naruto shook his head. "I doubt he did anything more than swat it away."
"Very true," Yagura answered, swinging his staff to blow away the smoke from the explosion. "Though I must admit, I didn't come out completely unscathed. Lightning isn't so easy for someone like myself to shake off."
Sure enough, they could see little to no damage on his small figure. Nothing more than a bit of smoke from the electricity, that did little more than scratch him.
"Perhaps we should take this up another level?" Yagura suggested. "It's clear that alone I cannot hope to defeat or outlast the two of you. Wasting time is not something I appreciate."
"I suppose so," Naruto agreed. "Summoning Jutsu!"
From the puff of smoke, Naruto summoned three foxes. The center-most one was the size of his house, with seven tails swishing about behind him. On the left and right held foxes that were slightly smaller, but each the size of small houses themselves, and both of them held six tails. The center most one was an orangey-red color, while the two on his flanks were gray.
"Masaru! Katsumi! Osamu!"
"Yes, Lord Naruto," the center-most fox, named Masaru, replied. His voice was deep, though not quite at the level of Kurama's.
"Our opponent today is Yagura, jinchuriki of the three-tails. Water-style specialist," Naruto explained. "We're aiming to kill."
"I see, that could be trouble," Katsumi, the left fox, mused.
"We are fire types after all," Osamu, the right fox, agreed.
"Water-Style," Yagura interrupted, inhaling deeply as he finished his seals. "Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
"SWEET KAMI!" Naruto shouted, as he watched the approaching technique. To put it simply, it was a lot of fucking water. More water than Naruto had seen anywhere besides an ocean. Damn near a full tsunami came rocketing out of the Mizukage's mouth, trembling the ground beneath them in its pursuit to crush them.
"Osamu! Katsumi!" Masaru ordered.
"Right!"
"You got it boss!" The three foxes reared back together before opening their mouths in unison. "Fire-Style, Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"
A hellstorm of fire met the waves head on, the deflagration of the waves hissing as the boiling hot steam filled the air.
"Boil-Style," Mei called, utilizing the already present steam. "Acidic Haze!"
"Fall back!" Naruto ordered his foxes, the group quickly jumping back to avoid the heavily acidic mist. It's a good thing they did too, as Yagura appeared from the steam unharmed aside from a slightly singed coat and slammed his palm on the ground where they had been. Surprisingly enough, an eruption of coral game from the ground.
"Shame. It appears I missed."
"Pun intended I presume?" Naruto snorted.
"I don't remember allowing summons to this party," Yagura said, simply ignoring Naruto's comment. "I suppose I'll have to get rid of them first."
"Go ahead and try it, turtle," Masaru growled. Osamu and Katsumi, ever the disciplined ones, simply ignored the insult.
Yagura shot forward quickly with his palm thrust in front of him, aiming for the center-most fox, where Naruto was currently standing on his head.
"Coral Palm!" Yagura shouted.
"MASARU, DON'T!" Naruto shouted.
"Tch," the fox scoffed, slapping him away with a tail, but it was for naught. As Naruto jumped over onto Katsumi, his warning unheard, coral began covering the massive tail of the fox. "What in the blazes?"
"My Coral Palm attack," Yagura said, standing as he lightly dusted himself off. "The coral will slowly spread along your body, using your own chakra to power itself, until you are completely covered and immobile. You will then either suffocate or I will kill you myself."
"Tch, stupid human," Masaru growled, slamming his tail into the ground over and over. "Why won't this come off! Dammit!"
"This way, Masaru!" Naruto shouted, jumping towards the tail and holding up his palm as chakra began to gather in a deadly blue sphere. "Rasengan!"
Masaru help up his tail to meet Naruto's attack, which managed to shatter most of the coral. Unfortunately, it'd been on long enough that it was still slowly spreading to the rest of his body. "Damn, coral! GET OFF!"
"Masaru, head back home. I made a mistake. It's a bad matchup for you all," Naruto smiled, hopping back towards Mei, the two gray foxes holding the front.
"Tch. If you think this puny coral is enough to put me down…"
"It's not, but with that attack, none of you can do too much here," Naruto shook his head. "Between the elemental disadvantage and the fact that he can't touch you, you're too big for this fight."
"Whatever…" The fox dispelled itself.
"Should we stick around, too?" Katsumi asked.
"You make a good point. Together we can equal his water attacks, but they're too strong to brute force past alone. Not to mention, we're draining your reserves," Osamu agreed.
"Yeah," Naruto sighed. "Thanks for your help anyway. Sorry for wasting your time."
"I find that surprising," Yagura commented, raising an eyebrow. "I anticipated a much longer fight against them. You didn't think to utilize them in an attempt to outlast me or wound me?"
"I don't feel comfortable using them like that," Naruto shook his head. "They may be near impossible to really kill before they dispel, but they aren't my tools to use as sacrificial pawns."
"I disagree with you getting rid of a potential advantage, Fox, but perhaps you're right," Mei said, approaching the redhead. "Besides, we've been fighting for a while already. I believe that our units should be finishing up soon."
"Well then, I'll have to just finish you now," Yagura said simply,
"Kit, don't let him transform!" Kurama warned. "If he does, you may be forced to use my power to subdue him."
"Right," Naruto agreed, flying through hand seals at a speed that could make Kakashi jealous. "Wind-Style, Spirit of the Nine Winds!"
A massive, winged snake made entirely of windappeared above Naruto and roared before flying forward towards the Mizukage. Along its path of travel, the earth was ripped apart by the power of the wind, sending shockwaves and earth flying out in all directions. Even Naruto had to cover his eyes from the fallout, which unfortunately gave the Mizukage the perfect opportunity.
With a roar of his own, a vaguely turtle-shaped mass of black and red swirling chakra shot out of the debris at dizzying speeds, appearing completely unaffected by the B-Ranked wind-style jutsu Naruto shot at him. A simple punch, while perhaps underwhelming, more than did the job, colliding with the redhead's chest and causing him to shoot backwards with a grunt of pain and a light crack.
"Fox!" Mei shouted, before turning back to the Mizukage with a glare. "Boil-Style, Skilled Mist Jutsu!"
"USELESS!" Yagura roared again in a deep, demonic voice, charging the resistance leader with a vengeance.
He swung his three chakra tails aggressively with intent to kill, Mei barely dodging one after another, desperately trying to escape the onslaught. Left tail, right tail, center tail, right tail again, center tail again. The oppressive nature of the chakra alone was difficult to stand, but all Mei could do was dodge.
Eventually, the Mizukage roared again in frustration before stabbing all three tails forward together and successfully impaling the woman.
"What?" he asked in shock, as he found her begin to melt into a waxy substance in front of him, causing his tails to stick together slightly.
"Rubber clone," Mei said confidently. "Lava-Style, Fiery Rock Bullet!"
The first ball of melting rock collided with the turtle-like shell on the Mizukage's back before he sent out a shockwave of chakra from his tails, freeing them from the rubber leftover from the clone, and batting the rest of the balls away.
"RASENGAN!" Naruto roared, coming from above the Mizukage with a swirling mass of deadly blue chakra.
"RRRGHHH!" the Mizukage growled, intercepting the jutsu with his tails once again. They battled briefly for supremacy before the turtle won out, dispelling the Rasengan, and slamming a tail into Naruto's mask, shattering it instantly and knocking him away towards the ground. "RAAAAHHHHH!"
"Kit! THAT'S A TAILED BEAST BOMB! IF THAT HITS ANYTHING THIS ENTIRE AREA WILL BE DESTROYED!" Kurama shouted.
"I know that!" Naruto shouted back. "MEI! GET BEHIND ME!"
"What the hell is that?" Mei yelled back, watching in horror as a mass of blueish, reddish, blackish chakra formed in front of the Mizukage's turtle-like form in the shape of a large orb.
"Fucking tailed beast bomb," Naruto growled, landing in front of the Mizukage and lifting his headband to reveal his other eye. "Let's hope to Kami this works…"
"RAAAGHHH!" Yagura roared, firing the mass of lethal chakra towards the duo.
"PRETA PATH!" Naruto shouted back, using both hands in a desperate attempt to absorb the chakra...but it was too potent. He was being pushed back. 'DAMMIT!'
"NARUTO!"
"I KNOW!"
A massive explosion of chakra, smoke, and debris lit up the area where the two resistance fighters were standing, a shockwave from the impact point nearly being strong enough to push Yagura himself back, but he held his ground, staring at the point of impact menacingly. For a moment, nothing happened. "Finally...they're-"
"Wind-Style, Great Breakthrough!" The low ranked wind jutsu, while ineffective against Yagura, was more than enough to clear out the smoke and debris, once again revealing the two fighters towards each other.
"You…" Yagura growled, staring menacingly at his opponent. Standing there was Naruto, glowing bright yellow, in a different outfit. He now had an open cloak, six tomoe appearing on the high collar, with lined black designs around the sleeves. His stomach was covered by a black shirt, with glowing yellow designs and six more yellow tomoe. The black lines and patterns continued down his bright yellow pants towards his sandals. Perhaps the strange thing about it all, was that it wasn't an outfit at all, rather, it was pure chakra.
"Well, now, I had a feeling you held the Nine Tails but I never would have guessed this," Mei said, going back to her near seductive tone. "You really must stick around once we're finished here."
"Could you save the flirting for another time, Mei?" Naruto sighed, releasing the hold he had on her with one of his large, fluffy fox tails, reabsorbing it into his body.
"If you insist," she sighed.
"The Nine Tails...and fully mastered as well…" Yagura growled, taking a few steps backward.
"You're not leaving this place alive, Yagura," Naruto threatened. "Come!"
"RRRGH!" The Mizukage growled and decided that his current state wasn't enough. The red and black mass of swirling chakra grew from the size of a large lion to the size of a mansion, unveiling the full form of the Three-Tailed Giant Turtle. "RAAAHHHHH!"
"Yagura's allowed full possession of the Three-Tails. To kill him, you'll have to fully defeat Isobu," Kurama growled.
"Sounds easy enough…" Naruto deadpanned. "But I can't fully enter Tailed Beast state here. We're not supposed to advertise that the Leaf is aiding the Mist."
"You're already using my chakra, what's the difference?"
"The difference is one is a chakra cloak and the other is a giant fucking fox, Kurama!"
"Tch."
"Mei! We have to knock out the Three Tails to get to Yagura. Are you ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose," Mei smiled back. "Lave-Style, Fiery Rock Bullet!"
"Wind-Style, Gale Palm!" Naruto added, using the gust of wind from his palm to fan the flames of Mei's technique as it shot towards the turtle.
The turtle gave an unearthly roar as the lava hit its shell, but appeared to be unharmed. Opening its mouth, the fully transformed Yagura begin blasing bathtub-sized bullets of pressurized water at them.
"SHIT!" Naruto yelled. "Earth-Style, Great Mud Wall!"
The bullets collided strongly with the wall, but, utilizing the fox's potent chakra to reinforce it, the wall held strong.
"Can't you just absorb the techniques?" Mei asked.
"I don't know with something this big. I could probably redirect it at best," Naruto admitted. "It's a turtle so it should be weak to lightning attacks, right?"
"I only know fire, wind, and water," Mei shook her head.
"Give me some water to soak it with then, I'll do what I can," the redhead ordered, heading towards the turtle.
"Water-Style, Water Dragon Jutsu!" Mei called, using the turtle's water against it by forming another massive dragon and sicking it at the tailed beast.
"Lightning-Style, Thunderclap Arrow!" Naruto shouted, forming a large spear from lighting and hurling it behind the water dragon.
The two techniquest hit the turtle together causing it to roar in pain, its shell smoking slightly, but it still seemed unharmed, if not angry.
The beast roared again and began channeling chakra into an even larger orb in front of its face.
"Fuck, I don't have a choice, do I?" Naruto growled. "MEI! TAKE COVER!"
"Such a gentleman," Mei sighed, but quickly created some distance between the turtle and herself.
"Kurama? You're on."
"FINALLY!" Taking the tag from Naruto, Kurama took the reigns, allowing Naruto to transform into the full state of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. "ISOBU! YOU'RE DEAD!"
"RAAAGHH!" the turtle roared through its formation of the orb.
"Man, I missed being out in the open like this!" Kurama laughed, forming an even larger orb of reddish, blueish, black chakra in front of him. "And you were always my least favorite!"
The two tailed beasts fired their techniques together, the two massive blasts of pure chakra colliding. And then...they exploded.
The shockwave trembled the earth, leveling the area for hundreds of meters in a massive crater. The tremors could be felt kilometers away and for the next few weeks, the coasts would be plagued by dangerously large ocean waves. A flaming conflagration burst into the shape of a mushroom cloud in the sky, visible across half the Land of Water.
"THAT'S an explosion!" Kurama grinned, waving his tails excitedly.
"Make sure you got him!" Naruto reminded the fox.
"Tch," the fox scoffed, but proceeded to use his tails to start blowing away the smoke.
On the other side of the explosion lay a scorched turtle, struggling desperately to stand back up. Its shell was charred black, not an inch of the creature left unmarked by the explosion. As if the size of the fox's tailed beast bomb wasn't enough to prove his superiority, the difference in damage was more than sufficient. Kurama had some singed hair and some ash on his fur, but the Three-Tails looked like it was burnt in an inferno.
"I can take it from here, Kurama. Thanks for your help."
"At least let me finish him off first! I wasn't finished!" the fox protested.
"Fine...quickly…"
"DIE, ISOBU!" the fox laughed, slamming his tails into the turtle's shell over and over again. After a few minutes of the abuse, the shell cracked, and, after a comparably small explosion, the turtle was gone. All that was left was the unconscious form of Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage.
"Alright, you've had your fun."
"Tch. Whatever," Kurama scoffed, but allowed Naruto to take back the reins, quickly transforming back to his tailed beast chakra state and then back to normal.
"Well, it looks like you took care of everything didn't you?" Mei asked, walking up to the redhead, though in a slightly wobbly fashion.
"Are you ok, Lady Mei?" Naruto quickly approached and took her arm over his shoulder to steady her movements. "I apologize for my destruction and carelessness."
"Nonsense, I used various rubber jutsus to protect myself from the blast," she waved him off. "I'm just a bit...dizzy, that's all. Is he dead?"
"No. I figured you'd like to do the honors yourself, Lady Mei," Naruto led her over to the unconscious form of Yagura.
"You know? I would," Mei smiled. "But the honor should go to you. I wouldn't have been able to defeat him alone."
"If it is what you wish," Naruto agreed, approaching the form of the Fourth Mizukage. "While he may have been a tyrant, he was a kage, and as such, I'll give him a quick death."
"How very honorable of you."
"Human Path," the redhead spoke, firmly grabbing the Mizukage's head and removing his soul. After completing the jutsu, Naruto's eyes shot open, flashes of memory from Yagura's reign running past his mind. The war. The purges. Every execution. But what stuck out the most… "Madara…"
"What was that?" Mei asked curiously, wondering as to what the redhead was mumbling about.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," he shook his head. "Yagura is dead."
"But you didn't do anything."
"It's an...ability of mine. A quick channel of chakra to the brain," he lied. "An instant and painless death, however, it is worthless in battle."
"I see. Well, I suppose we should go make sure the others were successful as well."
"Indeed," Naruto agreed and the two stood and headed out in search of their comrades.