Author's Note: I'm so glad Mei and Zabuza's interaction got such a good reception. I was afraid that people would think I was making a disservice to the character by havinh Mei whipping him like that. Glad to see you find it as hilarious as I did.
Also, the story just broke the 500K hits! Yay!
Nothing much to say here. Enjoy the chapter:
Chapter 44:
Kirigakure's Hope
or
Ready for the Prison Break
…
Land of Earth, Undisclosed Location
The mountains of the Land of Earth are one of the most inhospitable places of the entire Elemental Nations, with only the Land of Wind's Demon Desert managing to be close in such terms.
The mountains had everything that made them unfit for humans being to live there: no trees to harvest lumber, no fertile land that could be farmed, very little available water, an extremely strenuous terrain difficult to traverse, much less to build a village on, and the only animals who dared to live there were large, ferocious beasts that were constantly fighting each other, usually for food, who didn't mind the collateral damage their fights could cause. Yes, such combination of factors made the mountains a place completely devoid of human beings.
Just like Han wanted.
Han, known as Han of the Steam Armor, while technically being an Iwa ninja, preferred to live alone, far away from civilization. He was an extremely tall man, wearing a crimson armor that covered most of his body, and his face being obscured by both a mask that covered his mouth and nose, and a red conical straw hat. Being a jinchuriki, the man had faced discrimination and scorn from his peers most of his life, that's why he chose a life of quiet solitude.
While he was preparing some food, Han could hear the footsteps of several men. Whenever the Tsuchikage had a mission for him, he would send a squad of ninja with the news and details for his mission. It was an agreement he reached with Onoki, the current Tsuchikage; he would be allowed to live alone in peace, but he would work for Iwa whenever they needed him. It was a better alternative that being a missing-nin. Besides, that way he could get the supplies he needed to survive in such an hostile environment.
However, there was a problem: these men, the four of them, weren't Iwa ninja. In fact, they didn't look like ninja at all. They were wearing robes akin to religious men, had their head shaved, and their skin was dyed pitch black with white patterns, almost emulating bones. Han deduced they had to be some sort of cultists.
"I don't know who you are," Han calmly said as he stood up. "But if you value your lives, you should leave this place immediately."
The weird looking men grinned, and unsheathed ritual daggers. Such a strange weapon to bring to a fight.
"Sorry, you sinner, but our High Priest has asked us to get you," one of the cultists said, grinning widely.
"Alive, unfortunately. Janshin-sama won't be happy, but the word of our High Priest can't be denied," another cultist said, as he menacingly advanced towards Han.
"So make our jobs easier and-"
The third cultist never got to finish his sentence. In a blink, Han appeared before him, and blew a hole in his chest with a brutal punch, his fist bursting though the man's back. Han shook the man's lifeless corpse from his arm, and shot a murderous glare at the other three.
"Who wants to go next?" he asked.
A moment of silence. Then, the three remaining cultists' face contorted with rage, raised their daggers, and charged at Han.
"FOR JANSHIN-SAMA!" They yelled in unison.
Meanwhile, hidden above them, two men wearing black cloaks with red clouds observed the fight. One was a young man with slick silver hair combed backwards, who carried a large, three bladed scythe. The other was a taller man whose face was covered by a mask, leaving only his bloodshot green eyes visible.
"Your cultists are so inefficient, it's almost hilarious, Hidan," the second man commented.
Hidan just shrugged, and chuckled. "I know. But I didn't bring those fuckers here to do our job for us, Kakuzu. It was you who wanted to asses our target before taking him on. Who cares if they die?"
"We aren't going to do much assessment if they die so quickly," Kakuzu noted, as he observed how Han cooked a cultist alive with an attack that involved steam. "Look, he already killed three of them."
"We aren't going to kill him, and Jashin-sama demands sacrifices. It doesn't matter if it's a faithful or a heretic, even if Janshin-sama prefers the latter. It will grant us a swift victory," Hidan explained.
Kakuzu frowned, and glared at his partner. "Do not let those superstitious beliefs of yours make you think you're invincible and fumble the mission. It took us way too long to locate Han to fail now."
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING BY SUPERTITIONS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Hidan yelled at Kakuzu as he grabbed his scythe. "Fucking take back those words or else-"
"Hey, who the hell are you!?" Han asked from below, after noticing the two Akatsuki.
Kakuzu's glare intensified. "Way to go idiot, he saw us. Now we lost the element of surprise."
"Oh, who the hell needs that! I'm sure this fucker ain't that strong! Come on Kakuzu!" Hidan shouted as he leaped at Han.
Kakuzu groaned loudly. "One day, Hidan, I'll find a way to kill you. "
…
Seas of the Land of Water, Mei's Transport Ship
Sasuke and Sakura moved to the latter's cabin, of which she shared with Karin and their sensei, Shizune, to discuss the pinkette's less than stellar attempt at getting closer to Sai.
"You know, the point of asking you to go talk to Sai instead of me is because you are better suited for this kind of situations," Sasuke pointed out.
Sakura groaned. "I know...but the guy called me ugly! We just met, and he called me that! And he had the gall to claim it was an 'affectionate nickname'!"
"Anyway, while the guy was being fished back to the ship, I asked some questions to the others, mainly if they knew about him," Sasuke told her.
"And what did you find out?"
"Apparently, he's an ANBU. And not just that, but he had been trained as an ANBU all his life, " the Uchiha revealed.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "That's...odd. ANBU or not, all ninja are required to graduate the Academy."
"I thought that as well. But apparently, he's part of some sort of experimental training in order to produce agents better suited for black ops," Sasuke explained.
"No wonder the guy is so socially awkward. I didn't know the Hokage allowed for this kind of brutal methods. Isn't that the reason there's a rebellion in Kiri?" the pinkette asked.
"Yes. But you can voice your concern when we get back. As for the time being, we should keep an eye on him," Sasuke decided.
"Shouldn't we focus on the mission at hand instead?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke snorted. "We're not Genin anymore. We can do both things."
Sakura blushed a bit in slight embarrassment. "Right, sorry."
"By the way, where is Karin? I haven't seen her in all day," Sasuke wondered.
…
To answer Sasuke's question, Karin was with Neji on the latter's cabin, of which he also shared with the other male members of their team. As previously stated, there was nothing much to do on a plain transport ship other than talk with others, eat or make out, and Karin and Neji decided to do the latter.
However, after their make out session, they decided to just relax, and remain snuggled on Neji's small but comfortable bed.
"I don't know how can I resist being far away from you for so long," Karin moaned, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to stay with Neji once the mission began.
"They say absence makes the heart to grow fonder," Neji replied. "The longer we are apart, the more we want to see each other again."
"Even then. Sometimes I envy Naruto-niisan so much. He gets to see his girlfriend all the time. How I wish you were on my team," Karin continued.
"Maybe, but it was our fate not to be teammates," Neji replied. "That doesn't mean that our bond is any weaker, though."
Karin smiled, "Of course not," she said as she kissed him in the lips."But maybe once this mission is over, we can ask for some vacation days. To spend it together, you know."
"While that sounds enticing, I'm afraid I will still be busy preparing my promotion to Jonin. Leisure time will have to wait," Neji replied.
Karin frowned, and crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted a little. "You're no fun. You already train and a lot, and are among the strongest ninja of our age. Isn't that enough for you?"
"No, not until I don't achieve the Jonin rank," Neji replied. "There's always room to get better. What about you Karin?"
"What about me what?" Karin asked back. "Are you implying that I'm weak or I don't train enough?"
"Far from it. But I wonder if you plan to stay a Chunin forever," Neji asked.
Karin raised an eyebrow. "I just got the rank not even a year ago. I don't think I'm ready to go for another promotion so soon."
"Why not? You're strong, and one of the kunoichi with the greatest potential I've ever seen. You could easily become Jonin before reaching adulthood," Neji observed.
Karin blushed a bit. "Y-You think so?"
"I wouldn't say that if I didn't think it. You only need to push yourself further," Neji advised.
"Hey! I do push myself really far, thank you very much!" Karin protested, as she fixed a hard stare on her boyfriend.
Neji, however, smirked. "You think so? In that case, you wouldn't mind training with me and my team one of these days?"
"Oh, please. Sakura trained with you guys. If she can do that, then so can I," Karin confidently replied.
"You sound very sure of yourself," Neji noted.
Karin smirked at him. "Of course I am. I'm very strong and have a lot of potential, right? And since I'm so sure, let's make this more interesting: if I manage to resist everything your training routine throws at me, you'll take a few days off to spend with me. No missions, and no training."
"And what if you fail?" Neji asked.
"How dare you suggest I'm gonna fail," Karin stated, sounding half-indignant. "Let me think...if I fail, I'll admit you're right, and I'll continue training alongside you until you deem me worthy."
"Both outcomes involve getting closer to me," Neji observed.
Karin frowned once again. "And you're complaining?"
This, time it was Neji who smirked at her. "Not in the slightest."
Neji then moved closer to Karin, and the two teens continued kissing. That's it, until somebody knocked the door.
"UGH!" Karin groaned. "Go away! We're a bit busy here!"
"I'm sorry to tell you that make out time is over. We arrived at Mei-san's base," a voice the two of them recognized as Tenten informed them.
"Awesome timing," Karin snarked, as she rolled her eyes.
"I feel you, sister. Haku-kun and I were getting intimate too when Lee told me to look for Neji," Tenten replied.
…
When they said that the first stop would be Mei's base, everybody imagined that they would go to some sort of town, small city, hidden fortress, or even a campsite. Yet instead, looming over the transport ship was an even bigger metal ship, way bigger than the one that hosted the preliminaries during the Chunin Exam finals at Konoha.
The huge ship was also surrounded by a thick layer of mist, probably created by the ninjas on board, in order to keep the ship hidden from any kind of sea patrol.
Once the smaller ship was closer to the bigger one, a gangway was placed between the two of them so the Konoha ninja could access Mei's base.
"That...that's your base?" an incredulous Kiba asked.
"Of course," Mei replied. "The Land of Water is not exactly big, and if I had a base on land, it would have been found and razed sooner or later. But by establishing my command center in a ship, my forces and I can be constantly on the move and avoid Yagura's trackers.
"I do have a few decoy bases in the mainland in order to distract the enemy, though," Mei added.
"That's a very intelligent thing to do," Kakashi praised.
"Aw, thanks. But I have to admit this idea was born out of experience and necessity rather than wit or intellect," Mei conceded.
Ameyuri took a step forward. "Everybody, get on board the ship! There's much to discuss and prepare, so time is of essence!"
"Our personnel will show you your new cabins, as well as all of the ship's place of interest. And unlike this one, it has places where you can spar and train," Chojuro continued. "We hope that you find the Kirigakure's Hope to your liking."
After a few minutes, all of Konoha's ninja were aboard the Hope, and the smaller transport ship took a different direction.
"All of the Jonin, come with me to the War Room so we can discuss your first mission for the rebellion. Everybody else will be briefed once a plan had been devised. For the time being, feel free to roam the ship and see everything she has to offer," Mei instructed the Konoha ninja.
…
Everybody took on Mei's offer, and decided to explore the ship. Much to their joy, the ship had multiple training and sparring rooms where the idle ninja could blow some steam and keep their skills honed. Plus the rooms were extra reinforced so the fights wouldn't damage the rest of the ship. Made sense for the ship to have such rooms, since Mei's ninja needed a place to train.
Naruto and Hinata wondered if they could resume the make-out session that was tragically interrupted when Haku told them they had arrived, but neither of them were in the mood after such a jarring interruption.
The blond jinchuriki then suggested to continue his training in Lightning Release, something Hinata didn't mind at all.
"Lightning Release: Spark shot!"
After doing the required hand seals, Naruto pointed two fingers forward, releasing a ridiculously small electrical bolt.
"Dammit!" he yelled, as he stomped his foot in frustration.
Spark shot was a D-Rank jutsu, and the weakest and most simple Lightning Release jutsu. Yet Naruto was having trouble mastering it. His other thirty nine clones weren't having a much better time either.
"Calm down, Naruto-kun. Frustration rarely leads to success," Hinata wisely advised.
"I can't help but feel like that when I fail to master such a simple jutsu as this! I mean, I completed a jutsu my biological dad was unable to! I'm better than this!" Naruto replied.
"Even with clones, you can't expect to master everything the first try. I mean, you told me it took you weeks to combine elemental chakra with the Rasengan, right?" Hinata pointed out. Naruto reluctantly nodded. "This is the same. Now, let's continue, shall we?"
"Maybe you could give me some advice? There's something I must be doing wrong," Naruto told her.
Hinata looked pensive. She brought a finger to her lips. "Hmmm...oh, I know! I'll use my Byakugan and see how you mold your chakra before using the jutsu. That way I can see if you're doing something wrong."
A devious smile appeared on Naruto's face. "Hinata-hime, if you wanted to see me without clothes, you only need to ask."
Hinata turned incredibly red. "W-WHAAT!? T-That's not what-I mean, I would never...!" she started to babble.
"Relax Hime. You should know that I'm joking," Naruto laughed.
"W-Well, it wasn't funny, I don't like when people insinuate that about me or my clan," Hinata protested, her normally pale face still pink. "And I wish you stop doing it."
"I do it because you're adorable when you get that flustered," Naruto replied, still showing that roguish smile.
"Well, do you want me to help you, or not?" Hinata huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Okay, okay, sorry," Naruto replied. 'Boy, I think I did that way too many times already. Hinata-hime doesn't anger easily, but I better do something to make up for that just in case.'
"Byakugan!"
Naruto and his clones repeated the jutsu a couple times, under Hinata's watchful gaze. They didn't need to go it a third time.
"Okay, I think I know what you're doing wrong," Hinata said.
All clones looked at her, expectant. "And that would be?" the original asked.
"You release the chakra way too early. You need to let it build up for a while before casting the jutsu," Hinata stated.
"Oh, I see," the original Naruto replied, and both he and his clones proceeded to do the jutsu as Hinata advised. "Like this?"
This time, the lightning bolt was thicker, even if it still didn't have enough power.
"Yes, like that! Good job!" Hinata cheered.
"Hey, wait a minute," a clone said in realization. "Both you and Sasuke use lightning jutsu instantly. How's that?"
"Practice," Hinata said, as she shrugged. "When I started, I also had to spend a couple seconds building up the chakra so I could release the jutsu properly. As time passed, my skill improved so I needed to do it less and less."
"Of course," the blond replied, then he turned at his clones. "Alright guys, let's work on this so by the end of the day, we can do it instantly just like Hinata-hime does!"
A chorus of "Right!", "Yeah!", and "Sure!" replied, as the army of clones began to work on the jutsu with even more enthusiasm and energy than before.
Hinata giggled as she kept watching over the clones trying to master the jutsu down. However, it seemed like the training would come to a stop, since her Byakugan saw somebody who was about to enter the room. Somebody who was rather close to Naruto for personal reasons.
"Naruto-niisan?" Karin asked as she entered the training room. "Oh."
"Oh, Karin-neechan, hi!" the original Naruto said, while the clones were still focused with the training at hand.
She looked around, and saw Hinata among the army of clones. "Is this a bad moment? Are you busy?"
"I'm training with Hinata-hime, don't worry!" the original Naruto said, as he created an additional clone. "I hope you don't mind talking to a clone."
"I guess not," Karin said as she shrugged.
"Cool then!" the new clone said, as he left the original and his "siblings", and went to talk with Karin. "So, what's up?"
Karin and the Naruto clone exited the training room, so the original and his girlfriend could train alone.
"Naruto, I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to answer honestly," Karin started, looking at Naruto in the eyes. "Do you think I'm strong?"
"What? Of course you are!" Naruto replied. "Why ask me that? You think you're not?"
"Well...Neji pointed out that I could be stronger than what I'm now. That I'm not 'fulfilling my potential'," she said, making air quotes. "Do you...agree with him?"
The clone looked pensive. "Well...you do have a lot of untapped potential. But I'd say you should improve at your own pace. Neji is a genius. Guys like him improve at an insanely fast pace. Normal people like you and me should take it easy."
Karin raised an eyebrow. "You, normal? I think you're actually closer to him than you're to me."
"Well, I kinda have the clones, so my case is special, hehe," the clone laughed. Then, he remembered something. "But then again, you do have Shadow Clones too, right? You can use that to get stronger faster than normal."
"I can't make as many clones as you. My limit used to be four, and with a lot of training I managed to push it to five," Karin explained.
"Hey, even then, it's still something," the clone replied. "My dad's limit is six, yet he still used them to great effect. You should try that too."
"Alright, I will," Karin replied, as she let out a weary sigh.
Something the clone noticed. Worriedly, he deiced to press on a little. "Is everything between Neji and you alright?"
"Neji-kun is as loving as ever. Is just that recently..." Karin began, and paused for a bit, before sighing again. "Neji-kun nowadays seems to be overly focused on his ninja career. He's been working on his promotion to Special Jonin like crazy, and now he wants to be Jonin."
"And you think he's neglecting you?" Naruto asked.
Karin rubbed her arm. "A little bit, yes. But I can't blame him for wanting to look for his future. Is just that I'm afraid that I might be a load to him. I don't want to drag him down."
"Well, you can always train more. Push yourself to-"
"It's not that," Karin interrupted the clone. "I worked very hard for my Chunin promotion, and I'm very happy with it. While I don't plan to stay a Chunin forever, I wasn't looking forward any further promotion anytime soon. But after talking with Neji it made me feel...inadequate."
"If you're happy with the way you are, then you shouldn't try to change that. Let Neji progress at his preferred pace, and you progress at your own," Naruto said with a shrug. "Funny, I got a similar conversation with Hinata. She seems to think the same as you."
"She has to, given that you're her boyfriend, and I know that she isn't a genius," Karin replied, placing her hands on her hips. "So, anyway, what do you think I should do?"
"Try to get a promotion whenever you want it, and most importantly, whenever you feel you're ready. If you're not ready, it won't matter how much you want it," Naruto told her. "I'm sure Neji will understand your reasons."
"Let's hope he does," Karin replied. "Anyway, thanks a lot for talking with me. Now I feel a bit better about both myself and my relationship with Neji."
"Hey, what's family for?" the clone heartily replied, and chuckled. "I'm sure I can always talk with you if I ever have a problem."
"You can, but I don't have your spirit, so don't expect me to be of much help. Other than having somebody listen to you," Karin replied.
"Sometimes, having somebody to listen to you is all what you need," the clone said before dispelling in a cloud of smoke, leaving Karin alone.
…
Ship's Cafeteria
Feeling she could get some food after doing some light training, Rin decided to head to the ship's cafeteria. As expected from such a place that served as the rebel's main base, the cafeteria was a huge place, full of long tables and benches attached to the ground.
It was relatively early, so there were only a few people scattered through the many, many, tables.
"Well, at least I'm not going to have any problems finding a place to eat," she chuckled.
After picking her food, she headed towards the nearest table, until a shout followed by laughter caught her attention. Looked around, she saw that the commotion came from one of the tables towards the middle, where a trio of Konoha ninja were also eating while chatting a bit. Taking a better look at them, she realized that they weren't some random ninja, but Kakashi's Animal Squad.
The silver haired Jonin did talk to Rin about his "cute little Genin" (now cute little Chunin), but she never met them properly. Maybe now there was a chance to do so, and also befriend some people of her age group. From what Kakashi had told her, they were very friendly. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards their table. None of them seemed to notice her presence until she opened her mouth.
"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit with you?" Rin politely asked, putting on her best smile.
"Sure! The more the merrier!" the brown haired girl cheerfully replied as she patted the empty seat next to her. "I'm Tamaki, and these are my friends and teammates, Kiba and Shino!"
And indignant bark came from under the table.
"Oh, and Akamaru. Sorry for forgetting about you, boy," Tamaki replied, as she handed the now visible dog a treat, which he happily munched.
"Hi there," Kiba replied, just as energetic as Tamaki.
"Hello," Shino said in his usual monotone.
"Nice to meet all of you. My name's Rin Nohara," the medic-nin introduced herself as she took a seat.
"Wait,, Rin Nohara? THE Rin Nohara?" Kiba asked in shock. "As in, Kakashi-sensei's deceased teammate who came to life by mysterious means!?"
Rin chuckled awkwardly. "Yup, that's me."
"Awesome! What does it feel to be dead?" Kiba asked. Tamaki's mouth curved into a frown, and kicked Kiba under the table. "Ow, what was that for?"
"Don't be so rude! That was such an insensitive question, you jerk!" Tamaki chastised him. "Rin clearly had a really bad time, and she doesn't need us to remind it to her!"
"While I agree that Kiba could have used a bit more tact in his question, his curiosity is not misplaced," Shino calmly interceded. "So far, Rin is the only person we know to come back from the dead."
"What about the Hokage Orochimaru revived with that forbidden jutsu?" Tamaki asked.
"They don't count, since not only were they zombies, but according to official reports, they had no knowledge of what happened to them or where did they go after death," Shino explained. "Knowing with exactitude what awaits us after death is something everybody sought to know."
"I'm afraid I have to disappoint you, but I don't remember anything after my death either," Rin admitted, then she smiled. "And while I appreciate your concern, you don't need to walk on eggshells around me. I already came to terms to what happened to me, and accepted my new situation."
"That's something good to hear, Rin-san," Shino praised.
"Okay, let's change the topic to something less grim, then," Tamaki leaned close to her, and smiled wickedly. "Given that you were Kakashi's teammate, can you tell us stuff about him when he was our age?"
Rin smiled back. "Oh, plenty! What do you wish to know?"
"Was Kakashi always late to the team meetings?" Kiba asked.
Everybody eagerly awaited for the answer.
"Actually...no," Rin said, to everybody's surprise. "He used to be pretty diligent back then. He was never late to a meeting, and often chastised those who did."
"Unbelievable. And what happened to make him change like that?" Tamaki asked.
Rin sighed, as her expression darkened. "Well...Obito happened." The mood immediately grew much somber when the female medic-nin mentioned her fallen teammate turned Akatsuki. "Did Kakashi...tell you about him?"
"No, he didn't," Shino replied. "And given the circumstances, I find understandable that he prefers not to reminisce of events regarding him."
"Yeah, sorry for unintentionally bringing that up," Tamaki apologized.
"No, it's okay. I think if I talk about it with somebody...I think I'll have an easier time getting over it," Rin replied.
"Even if talking about a traumatic event is indeed good for the psyche, do not feel pressured to do so if you don't feel ready," Shino continued.
"Yeah, what he said. You owe us nothing," Kiba added.
"No, no. I want to do this. I need to do this," Rin said once again. "You see, Kakashi back then was nothing like you described. He was always punctual, took his missions very seriously, followed the ninja code to the letter, and believed the mission was more important than your teammates."
Needless to say, the Animal Squad was taken aback by such revelation.
"Kakashi? The same 'those who abandon their teammates are trash' Kakashi?" Kiba asked in disbelief.
Rin nodded. "Actually, that line wasn't from Kakashi, but from Obito. Obito used to believe that your teammates were more important than the mission. You see, Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, forsook a mission to save his teammates. When the repercussions of such actions were felt, everybody shunned and ostracized Sakumo for his decision, including the very same people he saved. It was so bad, he was eventually driven to suicide. That's what made Kakashi adopt such a mindset regarding missions."
"What happened then?" Kiba asked.
"During a mission in the Third War, I was captured by enemy forces. Kakashi wanted to complete the mission, while Obito wanted to save me. Eventually, Obito went to save me on his own, but was outnumbered and outmatched. He would have died there if Kakashi didn't appear to save both of us. However, we weren't safe. The enemy made the cave we were in to collapse. Kakashi tripped and fell, and he would have been crushed by an avalanche if Obito didn't push him out of the way, and took his place," Rin explained.
A somber silence followed. Given their sensei's usually carefree attitude, they would have imagined that Kakashi had such a harsh background. They had to admit that the silver haired Jonin was really good at masking his emotions.
"Before the cave collapsed completely, Obito had one last request: to have his left eye removed and implanted on Kakashi, who lost his own left eye on the mission. After that, Obito died. Or we thought he did," Rin finished her tale.
"So that's how Kakashi got his Sharingan," Tamaki commented.
"Yes. Obito's death affected him deeply. He believed it was his fault that he died to begin with, even if he really didn't. But given that he's part of a terrorist organization now...well, I don't think that will cheer him up much," Rin commented.
"I'm sure your and your sensei's death also affected him as well," Shino deduced.
"How can a man keep going after so many loved ones die like that?" Kiba asked bitterly, as his mind started to think in his loved ones. "When this mission is over, I'm going to tell my mom and sister how much I love them."
"Careful Kiba. People who say that in stories usually end up dead," Tamaki pointed out.
"Yeah, but this isn't a story, this is real life," Kiba retorted, crossing his arms.
"You know...I never imagined Kakashi being a sensei," Rin interceded, changing the topic.
"Why do you say that?" Tamaki asked.
"Well, from how he used to be when were teens...I don't think he'd had the patience to teach. Kakashi is a genius who pretty much got everything right the first try. He might have had exceedingly high expectations of his students, and would have tossed the towel in frustration when he saw that wasn't the case," Rin told them.
"Well, you're not that far off," Kiba admitted.
"We were the first team Kakashi-sensei passed," Shino began. "We don't know the exact number, but a few other teams were assigned to Kakashi-sensei before us. He tested them, found them unworthy, and sent them back to the academy."
"That's it, until we came and passed that test!" Kiba proudly boasted. Akamaru happily barked in agreement.
"That sounds more like it. You three must be really skilled if you managed to pass a test from Kakashi," Rin praised them.
"Actually, I don't think you're following. You see, Kakashi didn't want to test our skill or strength, but our teamwork," Tamaki clarified.
Rin raised an eyebrow, and a memory came to her mind. "Wait, are you talking about the Bell Test?"
"Yea! You know it already?" Kiba asked.
Rin nodded. "Minato-sensei made us take that test as well."
"And how well did you do? I'm sure you passed since you became their students, but was it difficult?" Tamaki asked.
"Did the Fourth had to tie somebody to a log?" Kiba asked as well, bitterly remembered that moment.
"Actually...Kakashi got the two bells in less than five minutes," Rin stated.
A deafening silence ensued as the Animal Squad processed Rin's words. They knew Kakashi was one of the strongest ninja Konoha had at the moment, but to do something like that...
"Wow. And you said your sensei was the Fourth?" Kiba asked in disbelief, his eyes open wide.
Rin giggled a bit. "Minato-sensei said that he was going to go easy on us since we were newbies. Well, Obito and I were, Kakashi had been a ninja for some years already. Guess he didn't think Kakashi could be so good."
"Thank goodness Kakashi doesn't expect that level of skill from us," Tamaki said in relief, not realizing how lucky she was. "Not that we don't give our all."
"Guess he knows he's the exception rather than the rule," Rin replied. "Anyway, now that I told you all this, I hoped it help you understand Kakashi a bit better."
"It was. I could never imagine how much suffering that man went through. Now that we're armed with this knowledge, we can give him proper support of any kind," Shino concluded, as he adjusted his shades.
"Good, because he's going to need it," Rin agreed. "I believe that our return, and especially what happened to Obito broke him even further."
"Anyway, enough to talk about Kakashi-sensei. Tell us about you!" Tamaki interceded, changing the topic.
"Me? Well...there's not that much to say. What do you want to know?" the medic-nin asked.
"For starters, what have you been doing since you're back among the living. I don't think we've ever seen you once," Kiba pointed out.
"I've been working at the hospital. I wanted a quiet and calm job away from everything so I could think about all what happened to me after my death and resurrection, and get adjusted to this new era. A lot can change in fourteen years," Rin replied.
"Understandable. And what made you change your mind? Given that you're in a mission to a civil war," Shino asked.
Rin took a deep breath, and sighed. "Because Kirigakure had a big role in my death, and I need to face that."
…
War Room
Mei, her inner circle, and most of Konoha Jonin were standing around a large rectangular table with an equally large map of the Land of Water on top of it. The map had several figurines that represented several points of interests. Kirigakure was the biggest. There was also a boat figure that symbolized the ship they were all on.
"Alright, let's get down to business," Mei began. "During these past months, the rebellion have been preparing to invade Kirigakure and end this civil war already. The invasion should have happened already, but a certain event became a major setback to my plans.
"Ao, my spymaster and head of my intelligence network, was captured during a skirmish. Ao knows almost everything about the rebellion. Our future plans, which of our bases are decoys and which are the real ones, the location of our secret hideouts...everything. As you can probably imagine, the invasion can't happen as long as Ao is in the hands of the enemy," Mei concluded her explanation. "Unfortunately, I don't have enough forces to liberate Ao, so that's the main reason for coming to Konoha for help."
"So, Ao defected to the rebellion? Interesting," Shisui thought. He had clashed with Ao quite a few times during several skirmishes following the Third War, and wondered if he would have to fight him again.
"If you don't have enough troops to assault a mere prison, what hope do you have to take over a major village?" Asuma asked. Other Jonin started to murmur, many of them apparently agreeing with Asuma.
Mei, however, smiled at the question. "Most of my forces are spread around the Land of Water, hidden, keeping on tasks vital for the rebellion in secret. If I make them come out of the shadows and join me this soon, they won't be able to work undercover again. If I do that, it has to be when we invade Kirigakure, not earlier. Besides, that way Yagura thinks that our forces are much smaller than they really are."
Her explanation seemed to satisfy the Jonin's doubts about Mei's chances in the war. The rebel leader continued.
"This is the Crimson Citadel," Mei used a pointer to refer to a castle figurine on a small island. "During the Second War it was a military outpost, but it was later converted into a prison. My spies report that Ao has been taken there for interrogation. We need to liberate him, as well as the rest of the prisoner rebels there, as soon as possible."
"How do you know Ao didn't spill the beans already?" Kakashi asked.
"Like most spies and intelligence gatherers, Ao has been trained to withstand the worst forms of torture. It will take a lot of time to break him, if they break him at all," Mei replied. She clearly had a lot of faith in that man's ability to remain silent. "And even if they have mind reading jutsu, they won't work since there are protective seals carved into his head."
"So, what's the plan?" Kurenai asked.
"The Crimson Citadel only has one entrance: a dock that's heavily guarded, and only opens its doors whenever a ship carrying supplies or prisoners enters or leaves the place. Unfortunately, no such ship is scheduled to arrive in a long time, so if we try to pretend we are going to bring prisoners or supplies into the prison, we'll raise suspicions, and our plan will be foiled," Mei told them.
"How are we going to enter, then?" a Konoha Jonin asked.
Mei smiled once again. "That's when you guys enter. One of the reasons I contacted Konoha, and hired several specific ninja, is because they have summoning contracts of flying animals. We'll employ some of those animals to infiltrate a small team whose task will be to open the main gate. Once the mission is a success, the rest of the forces will invade the prison on small but fast boats, kill the guards, and release the prisoners.
"Lastly, it's imperative that news of the prison break does not reach Kirigakure. If Yagura realizes what happened, he will be waiting for us. Any questions?" Mei asked, scanning the small crowd. Upon seeing no raised hand, Mei smiled once again. "Good. You're dismissed. Now we'll decide which ninja will form part of the infiltration team. For security's reasons, we'll use the standard four man squad. Anything bigger would draw too much attention. You'll receive further information shortly."
With the briefing concluded, everybody left the war room, and prepared for the incoming battle.
…
Like with the other ship, Sakura would have loved to go to the dock and admire the vast oceanic sight, but there were two major reasons stopping them from doing that. The first one was the constant veil of mist that followed the ship everywhere, making sightseeing impossible. And the second was that dock access was heavily restricted for security reasons, forcing the pink haired kunoichi –and nearly every Konoha ninja– to remain indoors.
Fortunately, the ship had quite a few living rooms made for a comfortable stay. Going to one of them reserved for Konoha ninja, Sakura saw Ino in the one she entered, sitting on one of the cushioned benches.
"Ino!" Sakura called her blond friend as she walked towards her.
"Oh, hey," Ino replied. "What's up?"
"Nothing. I heard we're going onto our first mission soon, and decided it would be good to rest and relax a bit, in order to be at one hundred percent," Sakura replied, as she took a seat next to Ino.
"You read my mind," Ino replied. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Shoot."
"Why did you punch that guy into the sea? What did he do? Did he insult you or something?" Ino asked.
"You can say that. It was literally the first thing he did and, well...even with my flawless lady-like behavior, something like that can bring out the worst of me."
Ino chuckled. "You don't have to tell me. Anyway, what made you approach him in the first place?"
"I wasn't that interested, but Sasuke-kun was suspicious of him. He has our age, yet we never saw him in the Academy nor the Chunin Exams. We did some research, and found that he started his ninja career as an ANBU."
"As an ANBU?" Ino parroted, raising a visible eyebrow. "I thought that you had to be at least a Chunin to be admitted there?"
"My thoughts exactly. But if he's truly an ANBU, I'm afraid I won't be able to get anything out of him by simply asking, or tricking into giving me the answers I want, is not going to work," Sakura complained as she slumped a bit.
"I hope you don't expect me to probe his mind, do you?" a very wary Ino asked.
"I would never dream asking you that unless it was a life or death situation," Sakura replied, but Ino remained tense. "And no, this is not the case."
Ino finally relaxed. "Good. But you know, you got me curious. I'll see if I can talk to this guy, just to see if he's as bad as you describe him."
"He's even worse, but you don't have to take my word for it," Sakura replied with a shrug.
"Huh? Sorry for intruding, but who are you talking about?" a new voice said, making Sakura and Ino to turn at the newcomer, and saw Hinata walking towards them.
"Oh, hey, Hinata. Just some guy who got on Sakura's nerves, and she and Sasuke think he's up to no good," Ino quickly summarized.
"I see," Hinata replied as she not so much took a seat as she let herself fall on the bench, letting out a tired moan.
"You look exhausted. Were you training?" Sakura asked.
Hinata nodded. "Mmhmm. I don't know where Naruto-kun gets so much energy. Well, I do, but you know what I mean. Says he wants get promoted to Jonin as soon as possible."
"Let's hope he doesn't get exhausted too much. I heard we're going to launch our first attack on Kiri forces in less than a day, and we're going to need him," Ino said, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Trust me, someone who is able to exhaust Naruto has not been born yet," Hinata replied, with a tired smile. "He'll be fine."
"Sasuke-kun is the same. He wants to do nothing but train and get stronger as soon as he can. I don't know why he needs to be so much power so soon," Sakura added, raising her arms in frustration. "He'd be more happy if he learned to relax."
"Well, Sasuke-san lost many loved ones..." Hinata looked at Ino warily. "...that night."
"It's okay, Hinata, you can say it," Ino replied. "It's not like I'm going to have a meltdown if you mentioned that day by its name. What kind of kunoichi I would be if I had such a fragile psyche?"
"Anyway, due to what happened to the Uchiha back then, maybe he wants to get stronger to make sure he can save the loved ones he still has, should something happen to them," Hinata explained. "In a way, I feel the same. I know that I couldn't have done anything to save my father, but I want to become stronger, even if it takes me a lot of time, so I can protect my loved ones."
"That's...a very good reason," Sakura replied, then she looked down at her lap. "Guess I was among the lucky ones who didn't lose anybody important that night."
"Your parents are civilians, so of course nobody would want to target them," Ino pointed out.
"You know...I just realized that we're going to do with Kiri what the Uchiha tried to do with Konoha," Hinata realized.
Sakura and Ino stared at her in mild shock, realizing that there was some truth to her words. This made them feel a bit uneasy.
"But then again, it's not the same. The Mizukage's such a bloodthirsty tyrant, it inspired half the ninjas of Kiri to rise against him. The Uchiha wanted to take over due having an imaginary chip on their shoulder. We're still the good guys, and we're helping the right side win the war," Sakura argued.
"And what if we were hired by the Mizukage to help him crush the rebellion?" Ino pointed out.
Sakura was taken aback by such a harsh question, but nonetheless managed to come up with what she believed was a satisfying response.
"Then I'm sure Hokage-sama would have turned their request down, no matter how much he was willing to pay us. Shizune-sensei said that, even if we're professionals and not a charity, Konoha and its ninja are devoted to make the world a better place, and I don't know how helping Yagura keep the hat would align with that," Sakura replied. "Besides, if Hokage-sama wanted to gain favor with the Mizukage, he could have deported Zabuza-san and Haku-san back to the Land of Water, but he didn't do that."
"That's a fair point," Hinata conceded. "After all, the First Hokage created the village system as a way to pave for an era of peace."
"And now we're helping spread that peace even further by helping the right side of this conflict to end a years long civil war!" Sakura enthusiastically declared.
"Let's hope you're right. I'd hate to see that, after we help them win, the rebels turn out to be worse than Yagura ever was," Ino mentioned.
"You're actually getting ahead of yourself. We didn't help the rebels win yet," Hinata pointed out.
Sakura smirked at her. "'Yet' being the key word here."
…
Meanwhile, in one of the ship's private training areas, Zabuza was in a sparring match against Ameyuri and Chojuro, the two of them against him. So far, the older swordsman was doing a good job keeping them at bay, and making it look as if fighting his two younger colleagues was a boring task.
Ameyuri charged forward, her swords crackling with electricity, and thrust them towards Zabuza, who used his much larger blade to block them, then pushing back, using his superior strength to knock the redheaded swordswoman on her back.
"Somebody should have told you that direct confrontation with an enemy that surpasses you in both height and muscle is a bad idea, little girl," Zabuza sneered. Ameyuri snarled, baring her sharp teeth.
While Zabuza was taunting Ameyuri, Chojuro sneaked from behind, and tried to slash Zabuza with his Hiramekarei, but the moment the blade descended, Zabuza casually sidestepped, and used Chojuro's momentum against him by tripping him on his legs, making him tumble on top of the still fallen Ameyuri.
"And you, I'll give you credit for sneaking on me from behind like that. However, your silent killing would be far more effective if you didn't breathe so hard," Zabuza pointed out, as he rested his Executioner's Blade on his shoulders.
"Get away from me, four eyes!" Ameyuri snarled as she pushed Chojuro away.
"S-Sorry!" the bespectacled swordsman stammered.
Ignoring Chojuro, Ameyuri's eyes focused on Zabuza once again.
"Let's see how well you like this!" Ameyuri crossed her swords in front of her face in an X, producing a white electric flash. "Thundersword Ninja Art: Eye of the Storm!"
Ameyuri spread her arms wide, and started to spin at a rapid speed, turning herself into an electric sharp twister, which quickly moved towards Zabuza.
"I kill dozens of enemies with this technique alone! Let's see how well you fare against it, 'demon'!" Ameyuri boasted.
Zabuza wasn't impressed. The moment Ameyuri got close to him and was about to tear him to shreds, Zabuza instantly vanished and reappeared behind the spinning kunochi. The taller ninja then kicked her in the back of the knees, sending Ameyuri back to the floor.
"AUGH!" she cried, unwillingly dropping her swords.
"Let me guess, those enemies were all cluttered and with little space to move, am I right?" Zabuza asked. "As you can see, that move is pretty much useless in a battle with few people and plenty of space to move. Not to mention that you could possibly harm your allies with that as well."
Chojuro, meanwhile, remained locked in place, watching Zabuza dissing Ameyuri once again.
"I always thought Ameyuri-san was so strong, yet Zabuza-sempai is toying with her like that...what chance do I have...no! I can't think like that! Mei-sama says that I can be strong, and I'll show her faith in me is not misplaced!" Chojuro thought, as he raised Hiramekarei above his head, and charged once again, letting out a battle cry. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Zabuza turned around, and looked at the now emboldened Chojuro unamused. Making display of his uncanny speed, Zabuza vanished and reappeared centimeters away from the blue haired swordsman, who let out a shocked yelp.
Zabuza grabbed Chojuro by the neck, and raised him in the air, making him drop the Hiramekarei, falling to the ground with a loud clang. Zabuza then proceeded to slam Chojuro against the ground on his back.
"Owwwww...!" Chojuro cried in pain.
"If you two are the best Mei has to offer, then the future of the Seven Swordsmen, as well as the rebellion, is pretty bleak," Zabuza chided, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Don't flaunt yourself as all that! We all saw how Mei-sama wiped the floor with you back in Konoha!" Ameyuri fired back.
Zabuza smirked, walked towards Ameyuri, and crouched before her in order to look at her in the eyes. "Yet here I am, wiping the floor with you two. What does that say about you?"
Ameyuri couldn't say anything but angrily snarl at her fellow swordsman.
"Come on, you two, we're not done yet! I might not have much time, but I'll make sure to whip you up into shape by the time we have to invade the village!" Zabuza shouted, slamming his sword into the ground for added emphasis.
Watching the spar from above, on a special box, were four people. One of them was Mei, the rebel leader, admiring her newest investment. The remaining three were three of her ninja, two men and a woman.
The first one was rather young, the same age as those who belonged to the group called "Konoha 15". He had shoulder length white hair with a light blue tint at the tips, purple eyes, and a pointy tooth sticking out of his mouth. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with blue stripped wrist warmers and leg warmers.
Next to him was a rather tall and fit girl, with long dark blue hair that fell down her back, with a long bang covering half her face. Her eyes, or at least her only visible eye, was also dark blue. Like the young man besides her, she was wearing the same type of attire, only with a Chunin flak jacket over it.
Behind the two of them was an even taller man of unknown characteristics, given that his whole body was covered by a black hooded cloak, and his face was obscured by a Kirigakure ANBU mask.
"So, what do you think?" Mei asked the others.
The white haired boy showed a toothy grin. "I did hear a lot about Zabuza-sempai, but seeing him in action is even better."
"Of course you'd think that, Suigetsu," the woman replied, crossed his arms over her chest. "Let's hope Zabuza-sempai is just as good in the battlefield."
"You seem to doubt him, Miyako," Suigetsu pointed out.
"Zabuza-sempai already tried to depose the Mizukage once, and his plan was an utter failure. I think we'd be better off without him," Miyako insisted.
"Zabuza-chan is impulsive, yes, but also skilled. And his failure to depose the Mizukage didn't detract from his reputation, far from it," Mei pointed out. "Just for that, it's more than worth it to have him here. Besides the obvious fact that he has one of the seven swords."
"What about you, Kumori? What do you think?" Suigetsu asked the masked man, who merely moved his head to acknowledge the question, but remained silent. Suigetsu frowned. "You know, you may think that being all silent and mysterious makes you cool, but I know for a fact that everybody thinks you're a pretentious asshole."
"Enough chitchat, I think it's about time for Zabuza-chan to meet you, given that you'll be under his command," Mei stated, as she jumped from the box, followed by the other three.
The moment the foursome landed, Zabuza turned around, and glanced at them inquisitively. Mei merely smiled, and started clapping.
"Impressive, Zabuza-chan. I knew I did the right choice by bringing you with us," Mei earnestly said.
Zabuza growled irritatingly. "Could you stop calling me Zabuza-CHAN!?"
"Of course not, Zabuza-chan," Mei replied, keeping that beautiful but unbelievably smug smile. "Anyway, now that you've already met Ameyuri and Chojuro, and tested their capabilities, I thought that maybe you should meet the rest of the next generation of the Seven Swordsmen. This handsome young man here is Suigetsu Hozuki."
"Glad to meet you, Zabuza-sempai. I've always been a great admirer of your work, and hope that one day I can equate your body count" Suigetsu greeted him with one of his unnerving smiles.
"Hozuki? Are you related to Mangetsu?" Zabuza asked.
"Mangetsu was my brother. Most of our clan, Mangetsu included, was killed because we sided with Mei-sama. I'm all what's left," Suigetsu replied, though he didn't sound especially hurt or mournful.
"If you're his brother, how is that you didn't inherit the Hiramekarei?" Zabuza asked. "Weren't you his apprentice?"
"No. Chojuro was Mangetsu's apprentice. Due his untimely demise, Chojuro's training is incomplete. Hopefully, you'll put a remedy to that," Mei interceded. "Suigetsu was training to become a Swordsman one day, but he wasn't assigned a sensei yet."
"And you want me to train all these brats?" Zabuza asked, almost groaning.
"By virtue of being the only Swordsman who completed his training, yes," Mei replied with a shrug. "Anyway, this lovely young woman here is Miyako Kiui."
"Mei-sama has faith in your abilities despite your track record, so guess that I'll follow your orders," Miyako replied, not too thrilled to meet Zabuza.
"And lastly, this man over here is Kumori Nashi," Mei said, pointing at the masked man.
Kumori didn't say anything, just nodded.
"A talkative one, huh?" Zabuza snarked. "I like those the most. So, where are the remaining two?"
Mei looked confused. "Which remaining two?"
"You know, for both Samehada and my sword. I'm sure you had a backup plan in case you weren't able to get me back into the fold," Zabuza said.
"Oh, I was pretty sure I could get you back 'into the fold'. I have a lot of confidence in my diplomatic skills, so preparing a replacement for you wasn't necessary. As for Samehada...well, you know that sword is different from the others, since it's the sword who chooses its wielder, not the other way around. But I hope to have it back one day."
"You'll certainly need something better than what you have gathered here if you hope to kill Kisame one day. He wasn't Fuguki-sama's apprentice for nothing," Zabuza retorted.
Mei smiled once again. "Zabuza-chan, soon you'll see that what I've gathered here has way more to offer than you think."
…
Later that afternoon, all Konoha ninja were summoned to one of the ship's largest rooms, which was mostly devoid of all furniture, with the exception of a small platform. Mei Terumi and some of her closest allies were on top of it. The rebel leader took a step forward, and began talking.
"Are all of Konoha's ninja here? It looks to me nobody's missing," Mei stated, smiling once again. "Anyway, we've been talking with your commanding officers, and you're about to do your first mission working for us. Our first endeavor will be taking over the island prison named the Crimson Citadel.
"The plan is a simple one, but it has to be done as fast as efficiently as possible. Using the night's darkness as a cover, a team composed by four ninja will sneak into the prison from air. The infiltration team will proceed to disable the guards manning the dock gates, and open them. Once they're opened, the rest of our forces will board the prison, killing all the guards, and releasing all the war prisoners.
"One last thing: once the attack begins, they will try to send a message to the village warning them about what we're doing. Such thing can't happen, so keep your eyes open for possible birds or small boats trying to leave the prison.
"Your commanding officers know all the finer details of this operation, ask them to debrief you even further if you still have any doubts. Time is of essence, and we need to act as soon as possible. Meaning that the attack will take place this midnight."
Naturally, such announcement caused many of the Konoha ninja to murmur among themselves, some of them even wondering if they can get ready in such short notice, while the most veteran ninja told them that they've been training for such unexpected situations like this one. Thankfully, the whispers didn't last long.
"The infiltration mission will be lead by Ameyuri Ringo, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist currently serving the rebellion," Mei motioned her arm, and the younger kunoichi took a step forward. "As for the rest of her squad...can those Chunin belonging to the Tactical Squad, I believe that was the name, take a step forward, please?"
Again, more murmurs ensued as Shikamaru, Ino and Choji left the crowd and came closer to the platform.
"You three? Good," Mei smiled. "Ameyuri will explain the finer details of your mission now. You could also try to get each other acquainted a bit better." Mei then turned at the rest of the crowd. "Several smaller ships should arrive soon. My men will organize you in several larger squads and tell you which ship you need to board.
"That's all. Good luck, and I hope all of us can make it back in one piece."
The short briefing finished, the crowd dissolved as the Konoha ninjas left the room and got ready for the incoming mission. Chojuro then walked towards Mei
"What do you think, Mei-sama? Do you think we can pull this off?" the young swordsman asked.
Mei turned at him, and smiled. "I have to think we can. But something tells me that I did the right thing by asking Konoha for help. I think we're in for an spectacle."
…
Land of Earth, Undisclosed Location
Enveloped in cloak of Tailed Beast Chakra, Han dashed towards Kakuzu at an almost lightning fast speed. Kakuzu then made three hand seals, and channeled chakra.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
However, it wasn't Kakuzu who fired the jutsu. A monstrous masked being made of a pulsating mass of threads and tendrils opened its mouth, breathing a massive firestorm forward. Han's speed was so great that he was unable to change course, and he was engulfed by the wave of fire. However, despite the great devastation caused by the attack, when the fire and smoke dispelled, Han didn't look any worse for the wear, and resumed his charge.
As Han got closer, he wound a fist back.
"Erupting Propulsion Fist!"
Steam started to come from his gauntlets' holes as Han delivered what it would be a devastating attack towards Kakuzu. However, the strange creature that used that fire jutsu appeared between Han and the Akatsuki, taking the brunt of the attack. Its mask shattered in contact, and the mass of tendrils and threads lost all form and shape, and fell to the ground.
"Damn, that's the second heart I lost to this guy," Kakuzu inwardly cursed. Besides his Fire Heart, he had also lost his Wind Heart. Now only Water, Lightning and his own Earth Heart remained.
"You're strong, I'll give you that," Han admitted. "That won't make me any more merciful towards you once this fight ends."
Hidan chose that moment to appear from behind and tried to slash the jinchuriki with his three bladed scythe. However, like it happened the previous three times, it harmlessly bounced on the Iwa Ninja's thick armor.
"You know Hidan, it'd be great if you could stop being so absurdly useless," Kakuzu groaned.
"Oh shut your mouth! It's not my fault! Who the fuck wears an armor this heavy nowadays?" the Jashin priest complained. "This shithead has to be as old as you are, Kakuzu!"
"Erupting Strong Foot!"
Hidan found himself at the receiving end of what it could be easily considered the most brutal kick ever delivered.
"FUCK YOUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuu...!" Hidan screamed as he was sent flying into the air, before he crashed against a large rock.
"That one isn't very strong, but for some reason he refuses to stay dead," Han observed. "Which wouldn't be so bad if he could remain silent for more than ten seconds."
"Trust me, if I knew a way to kill him, it would be long since that man drew its last breath," a resigned Kakuzu said. "Then again, you're my current target."
Kakuzu made a hand seal, and his two remaining monsters attacked Han. The masked monsters opened their mouths, releasing a stream of water and a bolt of lightning, respectively. This forced Han to fall back, as he made several hand seals.
"Boil Release: Heat Cutter!"
Han created a long blade of pressurized steam, and threw it forward like a javelin. The monsters jumped aside, but that's what Han expected. His true target was Kakuzu, since he knew that if he was able to take him down, then those strange beasts would go down with him.
But when the monsters moved aside, Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he-?"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
Han turned around to see Kakuzu in front of him, his fist, now blackened, wound back. He wasn't fast enough to dodge it, and much to his shock, the punch packed enough force to crack his armor. Not letting his enemy time to breathe, Kakuzu then delivered Han a kick to his face. Han, however, managed to grab Kakuzu's foot before the attack could connect.
"I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!" Hidan shouted as he landed near the two, and delivered a swipe of his scythe to the armor's cracked zone.
This time, the armor gave in, and Hidan's scythe managed to slash Han's flesh. The jinchuriki disengaged Kakuzu, and jumped backwards a few time, as he clutched his wound on one hand.
"Sorry, kid, but you've already lost," Kakuzu stated.
Han couldn't help but chuckle. "You made me bleed once, and you think you already won? You guys are sure confident."
"Trust me, that's all what we need," Hidan said as he licked the blood of his scythe.
The Janshin cultist then transformed. His skin turned black, as white, bone-like patterns appeared across it, giving him an appearance similar to the other cultists Han fought before. Except this time, it was obvious it wasn't body paint. Hidan then cut his hand, and used his own blood to draw around him a circle with a circumscribed triangle.
"Kakuzu, would you kindly...?" Hidan asked, almost in a submissive tone.
Wordlessly, Kakuzu's hand clutched Hidan's throat, and started to strangle his partner, much to Han's confusion.
Han then noticed that something was very wrong. He started to feel as if somebody was strangling him as well. Han's hands instinctively flew towards his neck in a vain attempt to break free from the strangling, but he was unable to do anything. He struggled as the lack of oxygen started to take its toll.
"Wait a minute...his jutsu! Whatever happens to him, it happens to me too! I have to stop them!" Han realized at last.
But it was too late, and before the jinchuriki could do anything, his entire world turned into darkness...
Author's Note: So yeah, goodbye, Han. Sorry if you were expecting him to have a bigger role in this story. And the thing is, I actually added the parts with Han pretty much right before I sent the chapter to betaread, since Han was going to be caught offscreen. There are two reasons for this:
-The first one, some reviwers asked for the jinchuriki who weren't going to appear in the story, that there was at least an implication that they gave the Akatsuki a big fight before they went down.
-The second one was a rant from DryBonesKing, an author from one of my favorite Naruto fanfics, "True Potential", who made a plead for other authors to use the jinchuriki other than Naruto, Gaara and B a bit more.
So that's why, even if some jinchuriki won't play big roles in the story, they will at least be shown giving their would be captors some hell before they go down, so I hoped you enjoyed Han's fight. Conversely, I will try to give some jinchuriki a bigger role in the story than I had originally planned. Then again, I won't promise anything, since this story is getting way too crowded as it is now.
An added benefit is that it allows me to include some action in the slower chapters like this one. But hey, fleshing out relationhsips is important too! This chapter has Naru/Hina, Neji/Karin and a little Sasu/Saku, Rin meeting Kakashi's team and they learning more about their sensei, more Naruto/Karin family moments, and Hinata, Sakura and Ino having some friendly chat. I'm really proud how many interactions and relationships I managed to put into this chapter.
Once again, thanks to gio08 for betareading this chapter.
Anyway, the next two chapters will be far more action packed as the rebellion assaults the Crimson Citadel. In the meantime, don't forget to review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!