Author's Note: Last wednesday marked a year since I published this story. Time surely flies, doesn't it? I never expected that, when I published this story, it would get such a great reception, or that it would break the 300K word mark as well. I mean, my longest story back then failed to reach such number and took me almost five years to write.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and see you at the bottom notes:
Chapter 35:
The Hokage's Swan Song
or
Don't think this is over already
…
In the middle of the forest clearing, the four Konoha ninja stared at each other, waiting for their respective enemies to make the first movement. Eventually, the one to attack first was Minato, who in a display of superhuman speed, dashed towards Jiraiya, ready to gut him open with one of his custom kunai.
Fortunately, besides giving him impressive sensory abilities, Sage Mode also enhanced Jiraiya's reflexes, allowing him to welcome Minato with a well placed kick to the face, which sent the former Hokage rolling backwards. His wife decided to take the initiative.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Multiple chains shot from Kushina's back, and flew at the Toad Sage. Jiraiya smirked, jumped at the chains, and started grabbing all of them. When the last chain was within his grasp, he pulled with his enhanced strength, sending Kushina flying.
"Anko, now!" Jiraiya called.
Anko nodded, and leaped as well to meet Kushina mid air. She then cast her arms forward.
"Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Many snakes emerged from both her sleeves, and wrapped tightly around Kushina's body, pinning her arms against her body, as well as immobilizing her legs. The Uzumaki woman fell to the ground with a thud, and struggled to break free from the snake's bind, but it was too great.
"Good, it seems that you found a way to restrain me," Kushina praised Anko. "But I'm afraid such trick won't work on my husband, ya know."
"We'll think something," it was Jiraiya who answered. "No ninja is invincible, and Minato is not an exception."
"I wish I could have your confidence, Hokage-sama," Anko replied, a bit panicky as Minato prepared to attack again.
Once again, Minato pulled out one of his customized kunai –Jiraiya wondered if the Impure World Resurrection provided him an infinite stock– and tossed it high into the air, just above the Hokage and the Special Jonin. Minato then teleported to the flying kunai, grabbed it with one hand while making a hand seal with the other.
"Shadow Clone Kunai Jutsu!"
Minato tossed the kunai downwards, which instantly turned into a dozen.
"Pa!" Jiraiya called.
"On it!" the small ancient toad replied. He took a deep breath, and blew a powerful gust of wind at the incoming kunai, dispersing them in every direction.
Anko decided that it was a good time to take advantage of Fukasaku's jutsu. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Anko breathed a stream of fire into Fukasaku's wind attack, which turned it into a fiery wave of fire. Unfortunately, Minato vanished before the flames could engulf him.
"Anko, to your right!" Jiraiya warned.
Anko pulled out a kunai and took a defensive swipe, just in time to stop a couple of incoming shuriken. Minato repeated the process multiple times, teleporting to one his marked kunai, pelting Anko and Jiraiya with shuriken, and disappear before they could counterattack. Sometimes, he tossed another of his marked kunai. The two Konoha ninja decided to fight back to back in order to have a better chance blocking his projectiles.
"Dammit! We can't stay like this! If all we do is just defend, he'll end up killing us!" Anko protested.
"Sensei, my marked kunai! Try to take them and toss them away!" Minato advised, while he continued his onslaught.
"I'd like to try, but you won't let me!" Jiraiya replied in frustration.
"Oh, sorry..." Minato sheepishly said.
"Leave that to us, boy!" Shima interjected. She opened her mouth, and used her long tongue to catch one of the kunai in the ground and passed it to Jiraiya who sealed it inside a scroll. Both Fukasaku and Shima repeated the process until there were no kunai left. Jiraiya then burned the scroll to make sure Minato couldn't retrieve them.
"I believe that's the last one, good job!" Minato praised them. "However, you should be careful now. Since I'm out of kunai, I'll more than likely try to leave a mark in your bodies, and once I do that, the mark won't be able to be removed, so make sure I don't get near you."
"I'll try," Jiraiya dourly replied, as he prepared for Minato's next attack, which didn't take any time to arrive, as he made a single hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Minato created a single clone, and the two of them made a single hand seal each.
"Fire Release: Majestic Hurricane!"
Minato's clone blew a massive tornado, while the original breathed a stream of fire into it, creating a tornado of flames which advanced menacingly towards Jiraiya and Anko. Luckily, Jiraiya was on his way to counter it.
"Earth Release: Multiple Earth Style Walls!"
Several tall and thick stone walls emerged from the ground, getting in the way between the fire storm and the two Konoha ninja.
Jiraiya tried to guess what Minato was going to do "I know Minato. Even if he's out of kunai, he only uses attacks of this scale as a distraction. He'll use it to get close to us and mark us. But thanks to Sage Mode I can sense where he is."
The tornado was enough to plow through the walls, but with each wall it destroyed lost some power, until it was completely dispelled.
"Wait, he's still far from us, where he could be...OH SHIT!" Jiraiya inwardly cursed in realization.
"Sensei, I'm over here!" Minato called, albeit it was too late.
Jiraiya and Anko saw that Minato had teleported where they had left Kushina, and dispelled the summoned snakes, releasing her.
"Of course he would try to save Kushina first," Jiraiya thought, berating himself for not realizing of that. "Even if it's not for love, being supported by an ally is the most logical tactic. Boy, this is going to be a tough fight..."
…
Meanwhile, back at Konoha, Itachi and Tobirama were continuing their duel. Some people saw the fight and wanted to help, but like Jiraiya before him, Itachi told them to go away, since the younger Senju brother was way too powerful for them.
"I think you shouldn't reject their help," Tobirama pointed out as he attacked Itachi with a flurry of kunai swipes.
"I don't do it out of arrogance. Very few ninja here are capable of fighting a Hokage on equal grounds," Itachi replied, as he parried the swipes with his katana, taking a step back each time.
"And you are?" Tobirama asked again. "There's a difference between compassion and condescension. Besides, your breathing is getting worse, and your movements are becoming slower and sloppier as a result, you won't last long against me."
"We'll see about that," Itachi defiantly replied, as he managed to expertly swipe the kunai from Tobirama's hand and kicked him backwards. He dashed towards the Second ready to slice him, but his blade ended up hitting an afterimage.
"Told you not to get overconfident," Tobirama's voice said from behind, as the reanimated Hokage sank a kunai in Itachi's back. But much to the Senju's shock, it shattered when it hit an invisible barrier. "...what?"
A red ghostly ribcage appeared around Itachi, followed by a giant skeletal arm made of pure chakra which tried to grab Tobirama. However, the Hokage reacted in time and dodged the ghostly fingers. A second arm and a skull appeared as well, creating a skeleton, or at least, the upper part of one.
When Tobirama noticed Itachi's eyes, he saw that the tomoes of his sharingan had merged with the pupils creating a pattern of a three-bladed shuriken.
"Mangekyo Sharingan," Tobirama mused aloud. His face frowned in disgust. "Tell me, whom did you have to kill in order to awaken it?"
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, that's none of your business," Itachi politely but firmly replied, before coughing a bit. "I don't like to resort to this, but I believe I have no other options."
"If you have mastered the Mangekyo Sharingan, combined with your skill in other areas, you weren't boasting when you claimed to be among the few who could fight a Kage on equal grounds," Tobirama admitted. "But make no mistake, yours is far from the first Susanoo I face, and with this body I possess it will be of little help."
"Let's see who's right then," Itachi declared, as flesh started to cover the skeletal chakra construct, giving it a more humanoid appearance.
Tobirama started to make hand seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
The Second Hokage expelled a massive wall of water from his mouth, ready to crush Itachi and his Susanoo like a Tsunami, but the Uchiha already had a way to counter it.
"Amaterasu!"
A wall of black flames appeared between Itachi and Tobirama, stopping the incoming torrent, since the flames not only couldn't be doused by water, but they could consume them as if they were fuel, raising a cloud of steam.
"Come, take the bait..." Itachi pleaded as he clutched his chest. His eyes were starting to bleed as well.
Thankfully, as Itachi had hoped, Tobirama used the steam as a cover and leaped above the wall of black flames, heading towards Itachi.
"Valiant effort, but like I told you, in the end, useless," Tobirama said.
"Don't be so soon at claiming victory!" Itachi declared as he was about to play his last card. "Sword of Totsuka!"
A sword made of yellow flames appeared on the right hand of Itachi's Susanoo, and used it to impale Tobirama, who was in mid air, and thus he was unable to dodge the stab.
"Nice hit, but this body can withstand any form of harm, including complete disintegration," Tobirama repeated. Then, he grew confused when the Susanoo grew a second right arm, whose hand was holding a jar. Soon the Second was starting to get pulled into the jar. "What the...what kind of jutsu is this?"
"The Sword of Totsuka will seal inside the jar anything it pierces, no matter how powerful," Itachi explained. "I won't be able to destroy your body, but I can make sure you won't be in a position to do more damage."
"I see," Tobirama smiled as he was being sealed. "Good job defeating me today, Itachi Uchiha. You did Konoha a great service you could feel proud of."
Once Tobirama was completely sealed, Itachi allowed himself to relax. His Susanoo instantly vanished, as his body was completely drained of energy, being replaced by extreme exhaustion and pain. His legs failed to support him, and the Uchiha collapsed into the ground face first. He could barely move any muscle of his body, and doing so caused him no small amount of pain.
The sound of the nearby battles reminded Itachi that there was still a battle going on around him, and he couldn't take time to rest. But once again, nothing came out of moving. Even if his body deigned to move, his eyes were also hurting like hell, and breathing was nearly impossible. He remained still for several minutes, waiting until somebody found him. Hopefully that somebody would be a Konoha ninja.
"Itachi!"
Itachi tried to turn around to see who called his name. He feared it would be an enemy, but if that was the case he wouldn't have been addressed by his name. Besides, the voice sounded familiar.
The fallen Uchiha felt a pair of hands turning him around, and saw his cousin Shisui staring at him with worried eyes.
"Oh, damn! Look at you! What happened here?" A concerned Shisui asked. With blood pouring from both his mouth and eyes, Itachi didn't look good at all. "Kurokaze-sama told me you were fighting a revived Second Hokage. Where is he?"
"I...I...defeated him..." Itachi managed to reply.
"What? How?" Shisui asked, before shaking his head. "You know what? Forget about it, you can tell me later," Shisui helped Itachi stand up, and had one of Itachi's arms surround his shoulders. "Let's take you to the hospital so Shizune-chan can patch you up."
Shisui made a single hand seal, and the two Uchiha disappeared from there.
…
Orochimaru was grinning widely as he traded blows with his former sensei. The idea that Sarutobi's staff was a living being that felt pain whenever it parried a blow from Kusanagi brought joy to the pale long haired man. However, he suddenly felt something that erased the smile from his lips, and was replaced by shock and incredulity.
"What!? I can no longer feel Tobirama...!" Orochimaru thought, mildly distressed. "How? There's no way they could have find a way to permanently kill a reanimated body..."
Of course, this change of attitude didn't go unnoticed by Sarutobi.
"What's wrong, Orochimaru? Something's not going as you planned?" The formed Hokage sardonically asked.
"No need to panic. Tobirama was the weakest of the reanimated Hokage. As long as Hashirama and Minato are still standing, the invasion can succeed," Orochimaru thought, mostly to calm himself down.
Just in case, the Snake Sannin decided to check how the others were doing. Hashirama was fighting Tsunade – oh, that was too good. Orochimaru wished he could spend more than a second watching his former teammate fighting her beloved grandfather–, and as expected, Minato and Kushina were still fighting Jiraiya and Anko.
However, he realized that, if somebody was able to nullify the Impure World Resurrection once, they could do it again. Better finish this as soon as possible.
"Everything's going just as planned," Orochimaru lied, then he went back to grinning. "Now, to keep going with the plan, let's send you to your grave, okay? Your place in the Memorial Stone is long overdue."
…
Meanwhile, just like how Orochimaru had witnessed, Tsunade was fighting alone against her grandfather. Hashirama summoned several wooden vines that lunged at the Slug Sannin, but they were shattered by a devastating punch.
"Come on grandfather, I know you can do better than this!" Tsunade taunted as she dashed towards the First and tried to kick him.
"I know. However, Orochimaru limited our power, so it's easier for him to keep us under his control," Hashirama explained as she dodged his granddaughter's kick.
Her face didn't reflect it, but Tsunade was grateful for such thing. She was aware of the power of her grandfather, and at full power, he could easily destroy Konoha, or any ninja village, no matter how big or how many ninja they had in their ranks.
"So that's why you haven't entered Sage Mode yet," Tsunade guessed.
"I usually save Sage Mode for the strongest opponents, but I believe that Orochimaru would have wanted me to go all out against Konoha," Hashirama replied. "So don't worry, what you see is what you're going to get."
"Good then," Tsunade bit her thumb and started making hand seals. "Then I should try to use everything I have. Summoning Jutsu!"
Tsunade slammed her hand into the ground, creating a huge cloud of smoke. When the smoke dispelled, Katsuyu the Slug Boss was under Tsunade. She took no time to notice their common enemy.
"Tsunade-sama...is that Hashirama-sama?" Katsuyu asked.
"I'm afraid he is, old friend," Tsunade replied.
"But...but how? Hashirama-sama died during the First Ninja War!" Katsuyu replied, shocked.
"It's too long to explain. Let's say that Orochimaru used his dark arts to bring my grandfather back to life as a puppet of his evil will, and is using him to help his forces destroy Konoha. We have to find a way to send him back where he belongs," Tsunade instructed.
"You can count on me, Tsunade-sama," Katsuyu stated as she charged towards Hashirama. "Acid Spray!"
The giant slug released a wave of yellow corrosive liquid at the reanimated Hokage. Hashirama jumped out of the way, but the acid managed to instantly dissolve all the wood he had summoned prior. Of course, that wasn't nowhere near enough to deter the undead Senju.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon jutsu!"
A serpentine dragon made of wood emerged from underground, and quickly wrapped itself around the giant slug. Katsuyu struggled a bit, before dividing into multiple smaller clones, which all scattered in multiple directions, with one of the smaller ones attached herself to Tsunade's shoulder.
"I'll heal you from any wound you might get," the small clone replied. "Do you want me to help you, or do you prefer if I help the rest of the Konoha ninja?"
"As much as it pains me to leave my fellow comrades to their own, grandfather is way more dangerous that whatever rabble Orochimaru had gathered, no matter their numbers, so I need you here so we can ensure he doesn't do any more harm to Konoha."
"As you wish, Tsunade-sama," Katsuyu agreed.
Hashirama made a hand seal. "Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!"
Several brown stumps started to grow around Hashirama, and as they grew bigger, they started to take an humanoid form until they became perfect replicas of the first Hokage, who dashed towards Tsunade.
The Sannin, on her part, started to gather chakra into her right fist, which started to glow with a flaming blue aura, before dashing to meet the wooden clones. She threw her fist against the clone she was the closest.
"Heavenly Fist of Destruction!"
The clone tried to catch Tsunade's punch, but came with such force that it immediately shattered into splinters. The other clones smartly tried to move aside, but Tsunade's attack creating a huge shockwave that also destroyed the ones which were closer, and hurled aside those which were the furthest.
Unopposed, Tsunade charged towards her grandfather, who waited for her in a fighting pose.
"You've become a very powerful kunoichi, Tsuna. I'm really proud of you," Hashirama warmly praised her as he dodged Tsunade's destructive blows.
"Thanks. I tried my best to live up to both you and granduncle. Though my ninja path wasn't as great or glorious as I had imagined," Tsunade sorrowfully replied, not ceasing to deliver blows.
"Every legend has its dark side, Tsuna. The important thing is never let said darkness to consume us. I know what happens when somebody let such thing happen," Hashirama stated in a grave tone. " You lost somebody precious to you, didn't you?"
"Yes," Tsunade replied. "My former fiancé, Dan, and Nawaki-chan...I lost both of them during the Second Ninja War..."
"Nawaki-chan is dead!?" Hashirama asked in shock. The fact that there was a Second Ninja War –and unbeknown to him, even a Third– was just an afterthought. "I'm...I'm very sorry to hear that. I wish I could have been there to comfort you."
The remaining Hashirama clones tried to ambush Tsunade, but they were body slammed by the reformed Katsuyu.
"It's okay, grandfather. There was a time in which I thought that there was no more in life for me, and I gave up to despair..." Tsunade's sight darkened for a second, before lightening up again, and gave a hint of a sincere smile. "But I was able to move on. I learned to love again...and let others love me."
"Does that mean that you're married?" Hashirama tentatively asked, while making hand seals. "Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu!"
Hashirama's left arm turned into multiple thick tree branches which tried to wrap themselves around Tsunade. Tsunade repelled the attack with a roundhouse kick, shattering the tree branches.
"Yes," Tsunade replied. "There was this man who always tried to hit on me since we were kids. A huge pervert, but also wonderful man. We have four children. Two biological, and two adopted."
Tsunade surprised herself when she realized that she was thinking of Shizune like a daughter. But given that she raised her since Shizune was just a kid, it wouldn't be that surprising.
"Really? That's wonderful! I'm so happy to see that you have such a wonderful life, Tsuna," Hashirama smiled at her. "That's why you need to try your hardest to stop me. You can't let that snake destroy what me and so many others worked so hard to build and preserve!"
"I will try my hardest. I still can't believe that Orochimaru went so far in his vendetta against Konoha," Tsunade mentioned. "To think that we used to be teammates..."
Hashirama was a bit taken aback by the revelation, but his surprise diminished when he remembered that he went through something similar in his life.
"Betrayal hurts the most when it comes from somebody we thought as a friend, doesn't it?" Hashirama sadly replied.
"We stopped being friends long time ago, but I was hoping Orochimaru wouldn't think of his former home with such disregard," Tsunade replied.
"From what I heard, many tried to destroy the village, and as I can see, they failed so far. Let's make sure Orochimaru becomes the latest in a long line of failures, shall we?" Hashirama asked.
Tsunade smiled, and nodded. "You can count on that."
…
In another part of the village, Asuma and Kurenai were holding off a group of Oto ninja while a group of civilians were being escorted to a nearby bunker.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
The enemy ninja close to Kurenai soon saw trees growing around them, their branches wrapping around their bodies, leaving them completely immobilized. Taking advantage of the state of their enemies, Asuma dashed towards them, while channeling his chakra through his trench knives. Unfortunately, two other enemies stood in his way, parrying his attacks with their kunai before the Sarutobi Jonin could reach their prey.
"Come on, give up, you're outnumbered!" one of the Oto ninja called them.
At that moment, several cloaked figures wearing ANBU masks descended from the roofs of nearby building, landing behind the two Konoha Jonin, which smirked at the attackers.
"What do you say now?" Kurenai taunted them.
However, much to her and Asuma's confusion, the Oto ninja started to chuckle, and looked even more confident than before. The two Jonin grew uncomfortable.
"You're still outnumbered," the same Oto nin haughtily replied.
In that moment, Kurenai turned around to see several of the ANBU tossing kunai and shuriken at the unsuspecting couple.
"WATCH OUT!" Kurenai yelled as two kunai appeared on her hands, and deflected some of the tossed weapons. Unfortunately, some find their mark on her partner's back. "ASUMA!"
"Argh!" the bearded man groaned in pain. "It's okay, it's just a flesh wound!"
"But you have..."
"No time to argue!" Asuma started making hand seals. "Wind Release: Dust Cloud Jutsu!"
Asuma exhaled a powerful stream of dust at the Oto ninja. Some of them were also making hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!"
Several Oto ninja answered Asuma's wind attack with a combined fire jutsu of their own, which even if it was weaker individually, together it managed to overpower the Sarutobi's attack. At the same time, the ANBU charged forward.
"Damn!" Asuma cursed.
Fortunately, his girlfriend had him covered. "Earth Release: Double Earth Style Wall!"
Two walls emerged at each side of the street, cutting both the Oto ninja and the traitorous ANBU from them, blocking both the fire attack, as well as stopping the ANBU from reaching them.
The duo's enemies merely jumped above the walls, but they saw, much to their shock, that Asuma and Kurenai had been replaced by multiple raging beasts, such as monstrous hounds, lions and wolves, making them instinctively step back.
"You idiots! That's just a genjutsu!" an Oto officer chastised upon seeing the trap, and dispelled it. Much to their shock, Asuma and Kurenai were nowhere to be seen.
"Uh, sir...do you want us to look for them?" an Oto grunt asked.
The officer shook his head. "They'll come out sooner or later. Let's continue with the invasion as planned."
Meanwhile, in a dark alley not too far away from there, Kurenai had just removed the kunai and shuriken embedded on Asuma's back, and was patching the wounds with her supplies of her portable med kit.
"What the hell just happened?" Asuma asked in frustration. "Those ANBU..."
"They clearly weren't ANBU. Orochimaru was smart enough to disguise some of his troops as our black ops units in order to ambush unsuspecting Konoha ninja, just like it happened to us," Kurenai reasoned.
"We need to warn others not to trust ANBU, or any masked ninja for that matter," Asuma added.
"I'll check if the area is safe," Kurenai suggested. "Can you move on your own?"
To prove his point, Asuma stood on his feet. "It hurts a little, but like I told you, it's just a flesh wound. I can still going on."
"Alright. But don't force your body too much," Kurenai replied.
Asuma nodded. And as soon as Kurenai left the safety of her spot, an orange blur appeared before her.
"Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto yelled, startled the Jonin a bit. "Thank Kami I found you!"
"Naruto, what are you doing here? And don't shout, enemy ninja are everywhere!" Kurenai replied.
"I'm not the real Naruto, but a clone," the clone explained. "Listen, something really awful happened..."
...
Thanks to Shisui's mastery of the Body Flicker, they managed to not only arrive to the hospital in a few seconds, but also bypass all the fights that were going on all around Konoha. Fortunately, the street where the hospital was in was tightly defended. Obviously, Konoha couldn't left such a vital spot unprotected.
"Hold on a bit, in no time you'll feel like new," Shisui reassured his cousin as they both crossed the hospital doors.
"Somehow...I doubt that..." Itachi replied, coughing more blood.
"I told you not to speak, dammit!" Shisui snapped. "I need a medic right now! Can somebody help us!?"
A pair of medic-nin quickly carried Itachi and placed him on a blanket on the floor, near all the recent wounded ninjas.
"Can you tell us what happened to him?" one of the medic nin, a woman in her late thirties with spiky red hair, asked.
"I think that chakra exhaustion, due using multiple high level jutsu, as well as the Mangekyo Sharingan. I think he might have something respiratory, since he has a hard time breathing," Shisui explained.
"Don't worry, I know what to do," the medic nin replied, and much to Shisui's confusion, she rolled up her sleeve, and placed her forearm near Itachi's mouth. "Bite."
Too tired to protest, Itachi did as he was told. His whole body was covered by a green aura, and all the superficial wounds started to heal. His pain and exhaustion vanished as well, as renovated energy coursed through his body. After a few seconds, Itachi felt much better, albeit he still wasn't in any condition to fight.
"Thank you, medic-san," Itachi said to the woman. "You have an interested ability right there. Are you by any chance related to a Genin named Karin Uzumaki?"
The woman smiled. "Indeed. Karin is my daughter. My name's Mariko Uzumaki. Pleased to finally meet the family of one of my daughter's teammates."
"I'm Shisui Uchiha, and the daredevil here is Itachi," Shisui replied. "Do you believe that this guy went and fought the resurrected second Hokage all on his own?"
"So it's true what they say..." Mariko replied, intrigued. "To think that a man managed to bring somebody back from the death..."
"Shisui!" a female voice he knew too well called his name.
"Hey, Shizune-chan!" Shisui greeted her back.
"What are you two doing here? Are you wounded?" the black haired medic-nin asked, worried.
"I'm fine, Itachi.. not so much. Dumbass went and fought the Second Hokage on his own. How he managed to win is beyond me. Fortunately Mariko here helped him," Shisui explained.
"The Second was also resurrected?" Shizune asked.
"What do you mean 'also'? They brought more people besides Tobirama?" Itachi asked, concerned.
"Yes. From what I heard, Hashirama has been resurrected as well. Tsunade-sama went to fight him. And apparently, Jiraiya-sama is fighting the Fourth and his wife, Kushina," Shizune told them.
"Then I need to go there," Itachi said as he tried to stand up, but Shizune and Shisui pushed him down.
"And where the hell do you think you're going?" Shisui chided his cousin. "You already risked your life once. You're not moving from here."
"Not that he looks like he can move too far," Shizune commented.
"Anyway, Shizune-chan, Mariko-san, Itachi isn't fully healed yet. I believe there's something affecting his lungs, so a medic should check that," Shisui instructed the two medics.
"Y-You don't understand..." Itachi insisted. "Those reanimations are also immortal. I'm the only one who can stop them..."
"That, dear cousin, is where you're wrong," Shisui replied, as he gave a confident smirk. "You already did your part, Itachi, now it's my turn. Shizune-chan, do you know where Tsunade-sama and the First are fighting?"
…
Back in the forest, Jiraiya and Anko continued fighting Minato and Kushina. Despite getting rid of the marked kunai, Minato proved to be quite resourceful by marking random spots in the ground, allowing him to freely teleport to those areas. The two Konoha ninja made sure that the Yellow Flash did not mark any part of their body, and so far, they had been successful.
With Kushina back in action, Jiraiya ordered Anko to deal with her so he could fight his deceased student without distractions.
"Rasengan!"
The two spheres of pure chakra clashed against each other, resulting in a massive explosion that pushed both the Toad Sage and the Yellow Flash backwards.
"My Rasengan should have overpowered his. Why it didn't it?" the Sannin asked in frustration.
"You were unable to infuse enough nature chakra to your attack, Jiraiya-chan, that's why," Fukasaku explained.
"See? This is why we told you to complete your sage training!" Shima protested.
"Dammit, Ma! I was busy raising children, okay? And I'm now Hokage! I don't have a lot of spare time!" Jiraiya snapped back.
"Excuses!" Shima scoffed.
"Can we save the lectures for later!?" Jiraiya shouted while dodging Minato's punches and kicks. "I swear I'll complete my sage training if we get out of here alive!"
"Do you have a plan?" Fukasaku asked.
"Think so. But first I need Minato to stop moving for a bit," Jiraiya replied. "Then I'll bury him with my Swamp of the Underworld. Once buried, the swamp will numb his senses to a point of near unconsciousness."
"Good luck, boy. Minato-chan wasn't known as 'The Yellow Flash' for nothing," Shima replied.
"Again, I have that part covered. Fortunately, Naruto helped me develop a new jutsu that will help me overpower his Rasengan," Jiraiya confidently said.
"Sensei, watch out! I'm going after you again!" Minato warned as his hand started to form another Rasengan.
"Don't worry kid, you won't catch me off guard," Jiraiya made a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Jiraiya started to form a Rasengan as well, while the clone infused it with elemental chakra, starting to grow in size, and its color changed from white and blue to orange and yellow. Minato watched the display with his eyes wide open.
"Is that...?" the former Hokage asked before vanishing.
Thanks to his sage-acquired sensory abilities, Jiraiya sensed Minato reappearing to his left, and dashing at him.
"Rasengan!"
"Fire Release: Rasengan!"
Both attacks clashed, exploding unto each other upon touching. However, Jiraiya's Rasengan quickly overpowered Minato's. Unfortunately for the white haired man, Minato managed to teleport back to his starting position before the explosion could ever touch him. His face was overjoyed.
"You...you completed the Rasengan! How?" the Fourth cheered in joy.
Jiraiya smirked. "The solution was surprisingly easy: use a Shadow Clone to stabilize the elemental chakra. The fact that neither of us could come up with such simple thing..."
"Yeah, that's-" Minato's expression went from happy to grave in a second. "Sensei...you shouldn't have told me that."
"Huh?" Jiraiya's confusion turned into horror when he saw Minato forming a Shadow Clone, then starting a Rasengan on one hand while the clone infused it with lightning chakra. "Shit!" Jiraiya quickly proceeded to do the same.
"I'm sorry, sensei, but I'm forced to use every bit of knowledge I possess to fulfill Orochimaru's will," Minato sorrowfully stated, as he dispelled his clone, and held the electric Rasengan in one hand.
"And of course, he gets it right the first time," Jiraiya groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, let's go! Ma, Pa, make sure he doesn't teleport before I can hit him!"
"We'll try our best, boy," Shima replied.
Once again, master and student dashed towards each other, meeting in the middle, with both elemental Rasengan about to clash with each other.
"Fire Release: Rasengan!"
"Lightning Release: Spiraling Thunder Blast Type Zero!"
Once again, when the two attacks met, they exploded in fire and lightning, trying to overcome the other, but none of them appeared to give up. That's it, until the two toads aiding Jiraiya sprung into action.
"Sage Art: Frog Call!"
Both Fukasaku and Shima started to croak loudly, producing loud, annoying sound waves whose effects became immediate.
"I...I can't move!" Minato realized.
Thanks to the pair of toad sages, Jiraiya's Rasengan managed to once again overpower Minato's, but much to his annoyance, the explosion only managed to destroy Minato's right arm, which quickly started to regenerate.
"You know, even in death, you still suck at choosing names," Jiraiya angrily stated.
"Aw, come on sensei, my names aren't that bad, are they?" Minato replied.
"Sorry, it's just...you're proving to be way harder to defeat than I expected. Either I didn't remember you being this strong, or I grew old," Jiraiya wearily replied. "Maybe both."
"Don't give up, sensei," Minato encouraged the Toad Sage. "If you managed to complete the Rasengan, I'm sure you'll be able to win this."
Jiraiya chuckled. "You know, as much as I'd like to take credit for that, it was Naruto who came up with the idea of using a clone. That kid is sure something."
"Naruto?" Kushina, who was fighting Anko, instinctively turned at Jiraiya. With all the commotion going on, both her and her husband had completely forgot about their son. "Jiraiya-sama, how is Naruto, is he okay?"
"Yes, you don't have to worry, Naruto is fine," though with the invasion going on, he wasn't so sure anymore. The thought was indeed distressing. "He's such a strong and resourceful ninja. He looks like a younger version of you, Minato, but personality wise I'd say he's more like Kushina."
"Even if I'd like to see how our son is doing...I don't want him to see us like this," Minato sorrowfully said.
"It may not be the best time, Jiraiya-sama...but can you tell us more about him?" Kushina asked, as she dodged a fire jutsu from Anko.
"Well, what can I say? He's very strong. And determined. There's nothing that can make him go back on his word or actions. Did you know that he became a Chunin on his first try? And he's just thirteen!" Jiraiya told them.
"That's...hearing that makes me so happy," Minato replied, as he tried to kick Jiraiya, which he easily blocked.
"Hey, Jiraiya-chan, Ma, didn't you notice that Minato-chan's movements are becoming...slower?" Fukasaku noted.
"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it boy!" Shima added, noticing it as well.
"He has lots of friends," Jiraiya continued. "And he's such a caring brother towards his other siblings..."
"What?" Kushina asked in confusion.
"Oh right, you don't know. Tsunade-hime and I married, and have two other children besides Naruto. Three if we count Shizune," Jiraiya told them.
"That's great, sensei. You really deserve her," Minato sincerely congratulated him.
"I always wanted Naruto to have at least a little sibling," Kushina added, as she tried to slowly punch Anko. "What about girls?"
"Ah yes, he recently got a girlfriend too!" Jiraiya remembered. "One of his teammates. Her name is Hinata Hyuga. They make such a cute couple. It may be too soon to say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they go all the way in the future..."
Then, at that moment, something happened. Minato and Kushina's movements keep getting slower until they stopped completely. Then, two beams of light came from above, illuminating the two reanimated bodies.
"Sensei...thanks a lot for taking care of Naruto in our absence," Minato tearfully said, as his body started to crumble.
"It pained me knowing that we would never be part of his life...or that we could even see him at all," Kushina continued, her body slowly disintegrated as well. "But knowing that he's happy...and that he had people taking care of him...that's all what I needed to know."
Everybody watched stunned how Minato and Kushina slowly vanished. All of them reached the same conclusion, that if a reanimated body found closure, then the jutsu would be unable to keep them attached to the mortal world. Turns out that the Impure World Resurrection wasn't so infallible after all.
"Sensei...now Kushina and I have to go..." Minato continued. "You've made a wonderful job keeping both the village and Naruto safe. Keep up the good work."
"And I hope both you and Tsunade-sama have a long and happy relationship," Kushina added. "I will wait until we can meet the two of you again, but...don't be in a hurry to see us again, ya know!"
And after that, Minato and Kushina's bodies crumbled completely, their souls returning to their rightful place in the pure world, leaving nothing but two piles of dust and ash behind.
"Goodbye, Minato, Kushina," Jiraiya told to no one in particular. A tear fell down his cheek. "You don't need to worry. As long as my heart beats, I will continue protecting both the village and your son."
"We did it! We defeated those reanimations!" Fukasaku cheered.
"Haha, yes! A fitting way to end such an abominable jutsu!" Shima agreed, before noticing Jiraiya's state. "Jiraiya-chan, are you crying?"
Jiraiya wiped out his tears, and chuckled. "Am I? It feels strange...I don't remember the last time these eyes shed tears..."
"Hokage-sama!" Anko's voice drew his attention. The Snake Kunoichi was kneeling besides the piles of ash and dirt that used to make Minato and Kushina's body. "Take a look at this!"
Jiraiya got closer, and noticed that there were a couple corpses, which appeared to be from random civilians, half buried between the dirt. Their expressions were horrified, as if they saw something unspeakable as they died.
"The Impure World Resurrection requires a sacrifice for each reanimated body," Fukasaku said out loud. "Guess that these poor souls were the victims Orochimaru used to bring Minato-chan and Kushina-chan back to life."
Jiraiya stood up. "Anyway, there's nothing more we can do here. Let's return to Konoha, and make Orochimaru pay for sullying the memory of my student and his wife...among many, many other transgressions."
Anko grinned sadistically. This time, Orochimaru wouldn't escape her wrath.
…
Tsunade was growing desperate. All her attempts to beat her grandfather had been fruitless. No matter how hard she hit, what kind of jutsu she used, the force that brought Hashirama back to life completely restored his body as if nothing happened to him.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
More tree branches emerged from the ground, and lunged at Tsunade, either to wrap around her, or to impale her. The blond Sannin tore apart a huge chunk on the ground, and used it as a shield. Then, while holding the chunk, she ran towards Hashirama at a neck-breaking speed until she slammed her grandfather. She repeated the process multiple times, sinking Hashirama a bit with each hit.
"Maybe if I bury you, you will stay down!?" Tsunade shouted.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu!"
Hashirama's arms turned into a mass of wooden vines that tried to wrap themselves around Tsunade, but the Slug Princess managed to jump back in time. Hashirama then unearthed himself, returned his arms back to normal, and dusted his armor off.
Tsunade stared in frustration, breathing heavily. She wondered how long she could keep going. She was strong and resistant, but unlike her grandfather before her, her energy and chakra reserves weren't infinite.
"Not bad, Tsuna, not bad. Think in a way of incapacitating me instead of defeating me permanently," Hiashirama advised.
"I'm trying. I really am," Tsunade scornfully said, but she was running out of patience, and most importantly, chakra. She could never image she'd grew to hate her beloved grandfather so much. But deep down, it was Orochimaru she hated, since it was him who started this whole mess to begin with.
"You've been doing fine. You're a strong kunoichi, I'm sure you-" Hashirama was saying before being interrupted.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
A rain of fireballs fell upon the first Hokage, who managed to evade them in time. A young man with black hair and a single Sharingan eye landed besides Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, are you alright?" Shisui asked.
"Shisui? What are you doing here!?" Tsunade asked, a bit stupefied.
"It isn't obvious? I'm here to help," Shisui replied.
"While I appreciate your thoughts, this enemy is way too powerful for you! You need to leave now!" Tsunade urged him.
"Don't worry, I know exactly what to do to take care of the problem at hand," Shisui replied, as his Sharingan eye took the form of a black shuriken against a red background.
"Mangekyo Sharingan..." Hashirama said to no one in particular.
While Tsunade knew of Shisui's advanced Sharingan, she wasn't aware of the unique power his eye possessed.
"Kotoamatsukami!"
Hashirama stumbled back, as if something smacked him in the head, hard. Except that it felt like he was being smacked from the inside of his skull. Then, he noticed something odd.
"My...my body...I can control it!" Hashirama said in jubilation, as he start to flex his fingers. "I'm free of Orochimaru's control!"
Shisui sighed in relief. "Thank goodness it worked..."
"Shisui...what did you do?" Tsunade asked in confusion.
"My Mangekyo Sharingan isn't like everybody else's. It's special. It has an unique ability called Kotoamatsukami. To explain how it works takes some time, so to simplify it you can say is a very powerful form of mind control. I used it to override Orochimaru's control with my own, but as you can see I decided to give him back his free will," Shisui explained. "It has the downside that it can only be used once every ten years, so I have to be careful when to use it. However, I thought that the situation demanded it."
"You did good, Uchiha-san," Hashirama praised as he walked towards him.
"T-Thank you, Hokage-sama. I do all what's in my power to serve and protect the village," Shisui stammered. It's not every day than a legendary ninja that came from the dead praises you.
"Shisui is one of the best ninja we have," Tsunade added. "Otherwise, I wouldn't allow him to become my future son in law."
"...son in law?" Hashirama asked in shock. Shisui visibly gulped. "Are you telling me that an Uchiha...is going to marry a Senju woman?"
"Uh, listen, grandfather, things have changed a lot since your time and-" Tsunade said before being interrupted.
"No, Tsuna, this has nothing to do with being a different time," Hashirama said as he menacingly walked towards Shisui. "There's one thing I must do..."
Shisui braced himself for what the Hokage was going to do. He was now regretting giving him back his free will.
"Welcome to the family!" Hashirama warmly said as he pulled a terrified Shisui into a bear hug. "Boy, if two people from our respective clans fell in love...maybe it would have helped to diffuse the tensions between the Senju and the Uchiha much faster."
"Actually, such thing would had happened, both of them would have been executed by their respective clans for treason," Tsunade pointed out. "I mean, you yourself told me how your friendship with Madara Uchiha went."
"Come on Tsuna… don't be so negative," Hashirama replied. "This is a historical event worthy of the biggest celebrations!"
"Uh, Hokage-sama," Shisui shyly said. "While I'm glad that you approve of my marriage with a Senju woman –even if Shizune-chan isn't a Senju by blood– I think that there are more pressing matters to attend now, like the ongoing invasion."
"You speak the truth, Shisui-san! Let's find that traitor of a snake, and give him what he deserves!" Hashirama declared, before Tsunade, Shisui and himself leaped away.
…
Orochimaru couldn't believe what was happening. First, his connection to Minato and Kushina was severed. Even if the thought was distressing, at least he was still in control of Hashirama, his most powerful reanimation. Of course, that didn't last, as the connection to Hashirama was cut as well. All of his reanimations had been defeated. How was that even possible?
And to make matters worse, Sarutobi smelled Orochimaru's fear and distress, which in turn made him more confident, and thus became more aggressive in his attack.
"Something wrong, Orochimaru? No more grinning?" Sarutobi taunted. "You looked so confident when we started the fight. Where did that confidence go?"
"I'll show you right now!" an angry Orochimaru replied as he cast his arms forward. "Mass Shadow Hidden Snake Hands!"
Many snakes emerged from under Orochimaru's sleeves, and just like it happened with Jiraiya, more snakes emerged from the mouths of the first snakes, and so on, until Orochimaru had summoned a truly ridiculous amount of snakes. The mass of snakes then took the form of a massive snake, with Orochimaru on its mouth, and lunged at the former Hokage.
"DIE, YOU FOSSIL!" Orochimaru shouted from the top of his snake-shaped snake construct.
"Fossil? I was expecting a more creative insult, coming from a man of your intellect," Sarutobi stated as he jumped back while making hand seals. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
The former Hokage breathed a massive wave of fire at the incoming snakes, which crashed against it, filling the air with loud hisses of pain. Sarutobi then noticed that the ground beneath his feet started to shake, and jumped back again just in time to avoid the mass of snakes, with Orochimaru lodged between them, violently emerging from below.
As Hiruzen kept moving, more and more snakes emerged from below, forcing the former Hokage on the defensive.
"There has to be more snakes here than in the forests of the Land of Fire..." Sarutobi thought. "Something didn't go according to the plan. Orochimaru is growing desperate, and that makes him even more dangerous."
Realizing he couldn't run forever, Sarutobi stabbed the Adamantine Staff into the ground, and commanded it to grow larger and thicker, until it became a really tall post Hiruzen could stand on top of. He looked at the ravenous mass of snakes, trying to climb the staff. He then got an idea.
Hiruzen pulled out a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it, and tossed it up, while making several hand seals.
"Exploding Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Upon falling down, the single kunai with the explosive multiplied by several dozen. Upon landing on the ground, Hiruzen activated all the explosive tags simultaneously, creating a chain of explosions that destroyed most of the snakes. Seeing that it was safe to get down, he commanded Enma to turn into its usual size and length.
"Is that all, Orochimaru?" Sarutobi taunted.
The Snake Sannin emerged from underground, casting a murderous glare on his former sensei.
"You talk as if this was nothing, when the truth is you're out of breath already. You can't keep my pace, old man," Orochimaru grinned again. "While I admit you put up a formidable fight, all what you did is rush towards your demise."
"Wood Release: Wood Binding Jutsu!"
That moment, multiple wooden roots emerged from below, and wrapped themselves around Orochimaru. It happened so fast and so suddenly that not even his Sharingan was able to foresee it and allow him to react in time.
"It is you whose near his demise, traitor!" Hashirama's voice said as he, Tsunade, and an Uchiha Orochimaru didn't know landed near the Third Hokage.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Orochimaru screamed in shock. "You can't do this! You are supposed to be bound to my will!"
"Not anymore, villain," Hashirama replied, as he crossed his arms, and shot Orochimaru and chilling glare. "I told you I'd find a way to make you pay for this, and I never go back on my word."
Orochimaru tried to break free, but the vines' grip was too hard. He found himself unable to gather and mold chakra properly.
"Don't bother. Those vines have an special poison that it's absorbed through the skin and greatly difficult the use of chakra," Hashirama explained, as he smiled confidently at his prisoner.
"Hashirama-sensei? Is that you? Orochimaru brought you too as well?" Sarutobi asked in shock.
Hashirama narrowed his eyes at the former Hokage, before he opened wide in shock upon realizing who was talking to him. "Saru? Is that you?"
"Yes, sensei, it's me. Despite the situation, it's good to see you again," Sarutobi sincerely said, as his stance relaxed.
"What happened to you? You look so old!" Hashirama exclaimed.
"Well, that's what happens when you get to live as much as I did," Sarutobi chuckled, as he shrugged a bit.
"Wait a minute..." Hashirama said in confusion as his gaze switched back and forth between Tsunade and Sarutobi. "How long have I been dead?"
"I'd say a little less than four decades," Hiruzen replied.
Hashirama looked at Tsunade again. "Wow Tsuna, it's amazing how young you look! Time seems to have no effect on you! What's your secret?"
Shisui cleared his throat. "Um, I believe we should deal with Orochimaru first. There's an invasion going on."
"Plus there are more reanimations as well. Jiraiya and Anko are fighting Minato and Kushina," Hiruzen informed them. "Stopping this accursed jutsu should be the first course of action."
"Ah, yes, very true, you two!" Hashirama replied, before his stare rested on Orochimaru once again. "I know that the caster of the jutsu can cancel it, so do it already!"
"I'd love to, but to do so I need to do several hand seals, and as you can see," Orochimaru struggled again against the vines to make his point. "I can't do it as long as I'm restrained."
Hashirama frowned, and his eyes narrowed in anger at the pale skinned man. "Okay then. But watch your movements carefully. I won't hesitate to end your life if you do something suspicious."
The First Hokage made a hand seal, and the vines released the Snake Sannin
"That's far from my intention," Orochimaru replied as he started making hand seals. "Impure World Resurrection: Release!"
Like it happened before with Minato and Kushina, and beam of light fell upon Hashirama from the sky, and his body started to crumble.
"Well, it's my time to go," Hashirama stated. "Tsuna, Hiruzen, I'm grateful to have the chance of seeing both of you again one last time."
"The feeling is mutual, sensei," Hiruzen replied.
"Say hello to grandmother when you see her on the other side...and tell her that everything's going fine," Tsunade said, as she wiped a falling tear from her cheek.
"I will," Hashirama then turned at the Uchiha. "Shisui-san, you're a great ninja, and will make a fine addition to the Senju Clan. Make my great granddaughter happy, okay?"
"I was planning to, Hokage-sama," Shisui replied with a sincere smile. "Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you but...Tsunade is going to be a grandma."
"Really? That's great!" Hashirama exclaimed, his body almost completely vanished. "I can't wait...to tell Mito-chan..."
And thus, Hashirama, the last standing reanimation, was gone, and his spirit returned to the place it rightfully belongs.
"Alright, now Orochimaru, let's rectify that mistake that I made so long ago," Hiruzen said as he turned at his traitorous student.
But much to his shock, Orochimaru was making more hand seals. He started the moment Hashirama vanished completely, and nobody realized until it was too late.
"Yin Release: Bringer of Darkness!"
In less than two seconds, the whole area was covered by a veil of shadows that blinded all present there. The darkness dispelled shortly afterwards, but Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen.
"Dammit, we let him escape again!" Tsunade shouted in frustration as she stomped her foot on the ground, making a small crater.
"Orochimaru has perfected retreating into an art form," Hiruzen said as he shook his head. "Anyway, a good chunk of his troops are still here. The moment they see their leader has abandoned them, they will flee. Let's make sure that happens as soon as possible."
"Actually, now that the threat of the reanimations has been dealt with, I believe I should return to the hospital. I'll be more useful there than fighting some mooks," Tsunade replied.
"Very well then. Are you with me, Shisui-kun?" Hiruzen asked the Uchiha.
Shisui nodded. "Lead the way, Hokage-sama."
…
Meanwhile, in the forests north of Konoha, the Sound Five were resting under a tree, keeping an eye on their valuable hostages. They've been waiting for quite some time now, and they were starting to grow antsy and bored. Kimimaro, however, remained as cool as ever.
"I think I see him!" Kidomaro, perched at the top of a tree, while looking through a spyglass, shouted to their teammates below. "Yeah, it's him!"
"About fucking time," Tayuya groaned as she started to stretch her limbs.
"Oh shit! He didn't come alone!" Kidomaru added, a bit distressed.
"How many people did he bring?" Sakon asked.
"Ten...twelve...fourteen! Fifteen if we count the Jinchuriki!" Kidomaru asked, as he descended down.
"Boy, I knew we should have tell him to come alone," Jirobo stated, as he crossed his arms.
"If we did that, he'd knew we're leading him to a trap," Sakon countered.
"As if the shithead didn't figure already that this is a trap," Tayuya scoffed as she rolled her eyes.
"Enough," Kimimaro quietly but firmly reassessed his authority. "We will proceed with the plan as Orochimaru-sama ordered, regardless of our personal opinion on it, understood?"
"What are we going to do now, then? I wasn't expecting that he'd be able to bring so many people with him," Kidomaro asked.
"How strong do you think they are?" Kimimaro asked.
"Given their age, I'd say they're Genin. A couple of them were wearing those flak jackets, so they have to be Chunin. But given that there was a Chunin Exam here some days ago, I guess that they have to be rookie Chunin," Kidomaru informed.
"It doesn't seem to be something we can't handle. Okay, for the time being, let's carry on with the plan. I'll think of something if something unexpected happesn. Jirobo, grab the kids," Kimimaro ordered.
The fattest of the Sound Five did so, and the Oto ninja headed back to their lair.
…
Not far from there, Naruto and his group were getting close. Naruto knew better than to ask an adult for help, given that they'd be busy protecting Konoha,. His friends, however, being either Genin or newly minted Chunin, wouldn't be that necessary in the village. Still, he had enough common sense to leave some clones to warn the adults about what was going on.
"They're moving!" Karin warned. The redhead was holding Hashirama's necklace, and used it as a way to track the twins.
"How strong do you think they are, neechan?" Naruto asked.
"I'd say...mid Chunin level, so I think -HOLY SHIT!" Karin cursed out loud.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.
"One of those guys is easily as strong as any of our Jonin-sensei," Karin fearfully stammered. "It's clear that Orochimaru really wants your siblings, niisan."
"But...we triple them in number!" Kiba pointed out. "That has to count for something, right?"
"When the gap of skill and power reaches a certain point, numbers lose their relevancy," Shino countered. "Or you think a hundred ants could defeat you?"
"So that's what we are to them? Ants?" Kiba sourly asked.
"Come on guys, we're strong! Keep the mood up. I'm sure we'll be able to beat them," Tenten said, trying to lift the morale.
"Besides, didn't you hear what Hokage-sama said about us? We're one of the strongest generations of Genin ever born!" Lee stated.
"That doesn't change the fact that most of us are still Genin, and the strongest of the Genin is still no match for the weakest of the Jonin," Neji countered.
"Then again, we can't go back. The children of the Hokage possess some pretty powerful Bloodline Limits. If Orchimaru got his hands on them..." Sakura shuddered as she rubbed her arms. "I don't even want to imagine."
"Listen guys, if you're afraid, you can leave. Despite being your commanding officer, I would never force you to go on a mission like this," Naruto gravely said. "Feel free to go back to the village and help there if you think this is too much for you."
"Who said anything about being afraid?" Sasuke replied, as if taking offense to Naruto's comment. "Even if I was afraid, I couldn't leave. Most of my clan fell prey to the machinations of the Akatsuki, and I won't let such thing to happen again to any other clan or family. And I'm a Chunin too, don't think you're the only one who can issue orders."
For the first time since the invasion began, Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Sasuke. That...means a lot."
"Naruto-kun" Hinata called him, her Byakugan activated. "We're getting close to them!"
Naruto's smile vanished as his body tensed. "Alright, everybody, prepare to battle! Fight like you never did before!"
OMAKE: Jiraiya's Daring Escape
OR: Chapter 32, What Could Have Been
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were about to fight, when the latter snapped his fingers. Four of his ninjas appeared around the two of them, standing in a square formation.,
"You know what to do," Orochimaru crytptically said.
The Sound Four nodded, and formed the Snake seal before clapping their hands together.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
With the four ninjas as its corners, a square-shaped force field was erected, trapping the two Sannin inside. The barrier was double layered, protecting the casters from attacks coming from both the inside and the outside.
"Now, Jiraiya, you're trapped here with me," Orochimaru stated, grinning widely. "There's no way for you or anybody else to break this barrier, other than defeating me and wait for the Sound Four to grow tired. But that obviously isn't going to happen."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Jiraiya confidently replied, as he bit his finger. "I'm sure there's a way to escape this place that you didn't think of."
"And that would be?" Orochimaru asked, amused.
Jiraiya made five hand seals, and slammed his hand into the ground. "THIS! Summoning Jutsu!"
Orochimaru got ready to fight whatever toad Jiraiya had summoned, but much to his bemusement and amusement, the toad was positively tiny.
"Ah Jiraiya, you never fail to make a fool of yourself," Orochimaru chuckled cruelly. "How is that puny toad going to help you?"
Jiraiya whispered something to the small toad, who disappeared on a cloud of smoke.
"You'll see shortly," Jiraiya replied, his confidence unwavering. "As a a fellow summoner, I'm sure you're aware of the concept of Reverse Summoning, right?"
The smile disappeared from Orochimaru's face as the implications of Jiraiya's words dawned upon him.
"Who's the fool now?" Jiraiya laughed before disappearing as well, leaving a befuddled Orochimar behind.
"Uh...boss? Do you still need us to keep the barrier up?" Jirobo uneasily asked.
Author's Note: As you can see, this arc was split in two parts, the first one focused mostly on Jiraiya, Tsunade and the other adults dealing with the invasion, while quietly building up to the second part, starring Naruto and his friends. With the Edo tensei zombies dealt with, Orochimaru defeated, and his army retreating, the first part is now over and thus we now focus back on Naruto and his friends as they try to rescue Hagane and Kaida from the Sound Five.
As you can see, this second half is pretty much going to be the Sasuke Retrieval Arc with Hagane and Kaida replacing Sasuke, and the whole Konoha 15 taking part in the retrieval, instead of just five (then six) people. Including Sasuke. Which is weird, since I don't think there has been a Sasuke Retrieval arc in which Sasuke remains loyal to Konoha.
I'm looking forward this second half of the arc because I will be able to do something Kishimoto failed to d:. Give Naruto's friends some much needed spotlight in order to flesh out both their personalities, abilities and growth. So no matter which one of the secondary characters you like, you're for a treat since ALL OF THEM, no exceptions, will get their time to shine.
Meanwhile, I look forward to hear your opinion on the first half of the arc. Especially the fight between Minato, Jiraiya and Kushina (and Anko, I guess). I hope you liked how I ended it.
And thus, don't forget to leave a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!