Author's Notes: Hmmm...the latest chapter got much less reviews than usual. Wonder if it was because people thought it wasn't up to par, or because the website was acting up and notifications didn't work properly. Here I'm hoping is the latter. Anyway, hope this chapter is far better received then. Enjoy:
Chapter 45:
The Crimson Citadel, Part I
or
Mission: Maybe Possible
…
Midnight came sooner than expected, and everybody was ready for the attack. But first, the infiltration team needed to do its job.
Through the dark sky of the night, two large animals flew above the sea. They would have been seen if there was a moon, but thankfully, it was in its waxing crescent phase, so there was little natural light that could betray the infiltration team's presence. That's why it was so important for the attack to be carried out as soon as possible.
The two animals in question were a giant hawk, and an equally large beetle. Riding the bird was Sasuke Uchiha, its summoner, and he was carrying Ameyuri and Shikamaru on its back as well. Shino was the one riding the giant beetle, and behind him were Ino and Choji. All six of them quickly saw the Crimson Citadel.
The prison in question was a rather large military base that encompassed nearly the whole island. It was surrounded by a rather tall and thick wall, with only a single entrance in the dock. Many ninja patrolled the walls, and multiple searchlights scanned the area with powerful beams of light. However, they only scanned the surrounding water, and paid no attention to the sky. It was obvious why Mei had chosen an aerial drop.
"Fly closer to the southeastern wall. We'll land there," Ameyuri instructed Sasuke.
"The gates are east of the island. Don't you want me to drop you closer to the dock?" Sasuke asked.
Ameyuri shook her head. "There are far too many searchlights there, and the risk of being seeing is too big."
"Alright then," Sasuke agreed.
The two flying beasts headed towards the area Ameyuri instructed, and as expected, it was the safest zone to land.
"Alright, let's go!" Ameyuri said as she jumped from the bird.
Shikamaru softly groaned, and followed her. Ino and Choji joined them a couple seconds later. With their job done, Sasuke and Shino returned to the rebel fleet located not far away from then.
The four infiltrators, upon landing, immediately hid in a dark alley between two small buildings.
"Everyone accounted for? Alright then, listen up. See those two towers at each side of the dock? According to our intelligence, that's where the gate switches are. We will also place a bunch of explosive notes on the towers and some sections of the walls for additional damage. Both of them need to be activated at the same time in order to open the gates, so we need to split up in two groups of two. Choji, you'll come with me. Shikamaru, Ino, you'll be the second team," Ameyuri stated.
"Actually," Shikamaru began. "I believe that you should go with either me or Ino, and have the other go with Choji."
The redheaded woman raised an eyebrow. "And you say that because...?"
"Choji's abilities are more combat focused, as are yours. On the other hand, Ino and I fill a supporting role better. That's why the ideal teams should have one combat specialist and one support," Shikamaru reasoned.
Ameyuri fixed a hard stare on the Nara genius. "I don't like being contradicted, pineapple head. On the other hand, you make a good point, and given that it's your team, I'll take your word. Blondie, you come with me, and help me take the northern tower. You two can go together, and take the southern one."
"What do we do with the guards? Should we kill them?" Choji asked.
"Not yet. If those manning the searchlights don't see any guards patrolling the wall, they'll get suspicious. Try to avoid confrontation until you're close to the towers. And even then, try not to cause a ruckus," Ameyuri advised. Then, she shot them an unnerving smile. "But once the gates open, the fun will begin and you can go all out."
Choji and Shikamaru laughed a bit awkwardly.
"Can I go with Choji instead?" Ino uneasily pleaded.
"Nope! Enough chitchat, we can't waste anymore time, go, go, go!"
The group of four split in half. With Ameyuri and Ino taking the northern tower, and Shikamaru and Choji taking the southern one.
…
Now on their own, Shikamaru and Choji proceeded to cover the place in explosive tags. So far, Shikamaru watched the surroundings, while Choji placed the explosive notes. While doing so, Shikamaru also learned quite a few things from the guards and the searchlights.
One, the guards were in groups of two or three. Some of the groups of three were made of Chunin, while some Jonin made half of the groups of two. The groups of three patrolled the longest sections of the wall, while the groups of two the shortest. Also, he noticed that the searchlights illuminated the area not currently being patrolled.
"Not to blind the patrollers, or to keep the least amount of area unwatched? Probably both," Shikamaru deduced.
"Alright, explosives placed here, let's move towards the next one!" Choji whispered, then he made a hand seal. "Reverse Multi Size Jutsu!"
Choji shrank to the size of a marble, allowing Shikamaru to pick him up and place him inside one of his flak jacket's pockets. Just as he did, Shikamaru heard a patrol coming his way. The lazy Nara rushed to hide behind a couple of wooden crates, which were big enough to barely cover his lithe body.
"Thank goodness for this jutsu. Otherwise, trying to hide somebody as big as Choji would have been nearly impossible," Shikamaru thought in relief, as he watched the guards passing by. There were two, and one of them was a Jonin.
Choji brought up the idea of using Transformation to turn into a pair of generic Mist ninja and pass as guards, but while the idea was good, Shikamaru turned it down, since there was a chance that they were asked something, and unable to respond, their disguise would become apparent. No, they couldn't be seen.
Once the guards were far enough, Shikamaru continued advancing, not as fast as he'd wish if he wanted to remain hidden. The fact that a patrol had just passed meant that he had some time before a searchlight would illuminate the area. However, upon reaching a certain point, Shikamaru found an obstacle impossible to surpass.
Two searchlights cast two beams of lights over the wall at specific intervals, in a way that it was impossible to avoid the light and thus being discovered.
"Troublesome lights," Shikamaru groaned.
"What's wrong?" Choji asked from his pocket.
"We're so damn close to the tower, but this section of the wall will be nearly impossible to watch due those searchlights. And we can't disable them without alerting our presence," Shikamaru explained his shrunken teammate.
"Hmmm...maybe we could use my size to our advantage? Even if the search lights illuminate me, at this size the guards from the towers will think I'm a rodent or something like that, if they see me to begin with," Choji explained.
"Not a bad idea, but at your size, it would take you forever to cross this section," Shikamaru pointed out. "Not to mention that a guard that saw you closely wouldn't mistake you for a small animal."
"Then what do we do?" Choji asked.
An idea started to form in Shikamaru's mind. "The fact that we haven't been found yet means that none of those guards are sensors."
"Sensors are rare. What about it?" Choji asked.
Shikamaru smirked in return. "Do you think that somebody will notice that one of the guards has a little stowaway inside their ninja pouch?"
"So it will be guards themselves who will bring me to the tower. Great!" Choji replied, smirking in return. "But how are you going to get into the tower then?"
"Don't worry, I'll think something," Shikamaru replied, as he took Choji from his pocket, "Okay, here comes a patrol, get ready!"
From his hiding spot, Shikamaru waited until the guards passed him. Then, silently, Shikamaru approached the unsuspecting Kiri ninja from behind, and let Choji latch onto the guard's ninja tool pouch on his back. The guard suddenly stopped. Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat before he returned to his hiding place.
"Dammit, did he notice me?" Shikamaru worriedly thought.
"Are you okay?" one of the guards asked the one carrying Choji.
"Well, I just noticed as if somebody was trying to pick my pouch," the guard in question replied.
"Please do not grab your pouch, please do not grab your pouch," Shikamaru mentally begged.
"But there's nobody here and my pouch doesn't feel any lighter, so guess it was just my imagination," the guard replied with a shrug, as he and his partners continued their patrol.
In the background, Shikamaru silently sighed in relief. When the guard passed in front of the tower, he saw something -presumably Choji- jumping out of the guard's pouch -and the guard once again complained about feeling something- and successfully infiltrated the tower.
"Okay, got an idea, it's a bit risky, but it's the best I have," Shikamaru thought.
Once the guards were out of sight, Shikamaru started to run as fast as possible while trying to remain silent. The searchlight's beam of light came dangerously close to him. The Nara then stopped, and made a hand seal.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
In a poof of smoke, Shikamaru turned into a pile of crates just as the searchlight illuminated him. Thankfully, it didn't raise any suspicions. Once the light passed, Shikamaru turned back to normal and rushed towards the tower, in order to rejoin Choji.
"Once they notice those crates are no longer there, or that they weren't there before, it will be too late," Shimamaru thought, mostly to try to relieve himself from the stress he was enduring.
"Shikamaru!" Choji whispered from inside the tower. He was still in the lower floor. "Good job!"
"We haven't finished yet. We need to disable those guards and open the gate," Shikamaru reminded Choji.
"Yeah, but that part shouldn't be hard. We no longer need to be stealthy, and we have the element of surprise," Choji replied. "So, you immobilize them, and I knock them out?"
Shikamaru smirked. "Sounds like a plan."
…
Meanwhile, to the north, the kunoichi proceeded as well with their side of the mission. However, their approach wasn't as subtle as Shikamaru and Choji.
"I'm sensing a patrol. Two ninja. Do you think you can take them out?" Ino asked.
Ameyuri smiled evilly, showing those scary sharp teeth. "Just watch," the redhead said as she unsheathed her trusty twin swords.
"Remember to leave one alive!" Ino reminded her.
"Don't sweat it," Ameyuri casually replied.
The Mist kunoichi silently walked behind the patrolling duo. In an instant, she grabbed one of them from behind, and slashed his throat open, preventing him from shouting. His partner reacted too late.
"What the? We're under-!" But before he could give the alarm, Ameyuri slammed the pommel of one her swords into the man's throat, rendering him mute. She then hit him in the bridge of his nose, knocking him on his back. She then proceeded to immobilize the man, who struggled against the rebel swordswoman.
"Come on, blondie, I can't keep him like this for long!" Ameyuri protested.
Ino rushed towards her, and placed her two hands on the man's head.
"Mind Yokel Jutsu!"
Suddenly, the man stopped struggling. Ameyuri tentatively released him. The man then stood up, and remained there, almost as inert as an inanimate object.
"What did you do to him?" Ameyuri asked, as she waved a hand in front of the hypnotized ninja, who didn't react.
"The Mind Yokel Jutsu pretty much turns an opponent into a puppet of mine. He won't do anything unless I order him to. I can also speak through him. Sadly, the effect isn't permanent. The stronger is the target, the shorter the jutsu will last," Ino replied. "I also have access to most of his memories, so if they interrogate us, there won't be any problem."
"That's some killer jutsu you have there, blondie. Not just for intelligence gathering, but you can also force somebody to commit suicide," Ameyuri praised.
Ino shook her head. "I do receive sympathetic damage from the jutsu. If my target is harmed when it's under my control, I do suffer the same harm. Lethal injuries mean I go down as well."
"Well, you can always force them to jump off a cliff, then undo the jutsu before they hit the ground. Easy and clean," Ameyuri suggested.
Ino crossed her arms, and frowned. "You do have a terrible mind, anyone ever tell you that? I'm afraid what I'd find if I scanned your mind."
Ameyuri merely shrugged, not affected by Ino's critics. "I like to think myself as being efficient at my job. Anyway, enough chit chat, time is of the essence."
Both of them made the same hand seal.
"Transformation jutsu!"
Ino transformed into the ninja Ameyuri just killed, while Ameyuri herself transformed into a random Kirigakure ninja.
"Okay, let's go," Ameyuri said.
The two disguised kunoichi and the mind controlled ninja walked towards the tower, trying not to look suspicious. So far, whenever they crossed another patrol, or a searchlight illuminated them, no alarms were raised, so their plan was working so far.
"These guys have red uniforms. I always thought that Kirigakure's clothes were blue?" Ino asked, while looking at the mind controlled guard's uniform.
"It was. To represent water and all that. Guess that it's red now to represent blood," Ameyuri replied with a shrug. "Well, it works to our advantage. That way, you Konoha guys won't mistake one of them for our own, or vice-versa."
They continued their walk in silence, though when no one was watching, they tried to hurry a bit, since Ino's mind control would end anytime soon. Eventually, they managed to reach the tower without much incident.
"Okay, I'm going to release the jutsu," Ino said, making a hand seal.
After undoing the mental link, the guard reacted as if he just woke up from a very strange dream.
"What? Where am I?" the guard asked, looking dizzy.
The answer came in the form of two blades piercing his gut, killing him in a couple seconds. After hiding the body, Ameyuri and Ino stormed the tower.
"Alright, stealth is no longer an issue, let's cut loose!" the redheaded kunoichi said as she rushed upstairs.
…
Back in the southern tower, Shikamaru and Choji had already disabled the few ninja inside the tower, and were waiting for Ino to contact them, since they had to open the door at the same time. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait much.
"Shikamaru, Choji, are you there?" they heard Ino's voice in their minds. "Ameyuri and I have taken over the northern tower, what's the situation?"
"Wow, that was fast, given that your tower was much farther away than ours," Shikamaru commented. "On our side, Choji and I also took over the tower as well, and we're waiting for your signal."
"In that case, let's open the dock gates so the mission can begin," Ino replied.
"Don't forget the fireworks," Choji asked. Both he and Shikamaru smirked evilly.
…
Not far away from there, but far away enough not to be seen by the searchlights, a fleet of transport boats awaited. The sea was thankfully calm, and silence filled the air, something that greatly benefitted the rebels. Unfortunately, the ansty troops aboard the boats weren't as calm, as expected from somebody who was about to storm a high security prison.
Of all the rebels, none was more restless than Mei Terumi. While she was trying her best to maintain a cool and collected facade, the rebel leader was stressed. She risked a lot on this operation, and if the Konoha ninja weren't up to par, then the rebellion would end there. Then again, she didn't get far by playing it safe.
Her mission was to liberate Kirigakure from Yagura and his reign of blood, not to simply survive as outlaws.
The redhead woman walked towards the prow, where one of her ninja was scouting the prison with a spyglass.
"Nothing yet?" Mei asked.
"I'm afraid not, Mei-sama," the scout replied, not taking his eyes from the target.
"I see. I thought we'd have news from them by now," Mei replied, sighing.
"The infiltration team just departed. It will take long to complete their mission. I think it's best not to get too impatient and-"
But the scout was interrupted by a chain of loud explosions that illuminated the night sky. Several of the watchtowers crumbled down, while at the same time the dock gates started to open.
Mei and her scout watched the display with their mouths agape.
"...incredible!" was the stunned guard's reply.
Mei, however, quickly recovered, and smiled in satisfaction. "I knew those Konoha ninja were good. Now is time to show them that we're just as good as well! Everybody, sail forward to the prison!"
A wave of cheers and shouts erupted in response to Mei's orders, and as she instructed, the fleet of boats quickly sailed towards the island prison. The chaos ensued made sure that the defenders would be unprepared to stop their arrival. Mei's boat was the first one to invade the prison, and the rebel leader herself was the first one to set foot on the island.
"Attack! We need to push them out of the dock!" Mei commanded as she rushed to meet the first wave of defenders. Her hands flew through hand seals as she was ready to spill the first blood. "Boil Release: Skilled Mist Jutsu!"
Mei released a cloud of burning mist from her mouth, instantly burning a trio of unfortunate defenders. The others, seeing what Mei was capable of, wisely fell back, and attacked from afar. Mei merely smirked.
"The end of the Blood Mist begins tonight!" she shouted.
…
Meanwhile, atop the highest floor of the main building inside one of the offices, was the warden. The warden had already seen and heard the rebels' attack, and was getting ready to respond. At that moment, the door of his office burst open, and a shaken ninja barged in.
"Warden-sama! Mei and her band of criminals are attacking the prison!" the ninja informed, panting heavily.
"I noticed. Now calm down. They caught us by surprise, but we'll show them what mistake they made coming here," the warden replied, as he picked his iconic weapon. "Try to hold them as much as you can, while I go and activate our special defense mode."
The guard grinned when he heard those three words. The rebel trash won't know what hit them.
…
Loyalist and rebel forces clashed for the control of the dock, trading blows, kunai, shuriken and elemental ninjutsu. However, it was clear that the rebels, with the surprise factor on their side and their -for the moment- superior numbers proved to be too hard to keep contained, as more and more rebel ninja came out of the still arriving boats.
"Don't let them pass!" cried a prison guard.
"They're too many!" replied the other.
"Don't dare to let them advance a single millimeter!" the first guard angrily replied.
But those failed to inspire the defenders to fight with more ferocity or determination, as the Rebel-Konoha alliance soon broke through the defenders' line, forcing them to fall back, and taking over the dock. Cheers soon ensued.
"Mei-sama, they're retreating to the innermost zones of the prison," Chojuro noted.
"Just as expected," she then turned towards her army. "This isn't over, far from it! Now we will be forced to split and fight on several fronts, but I believe we can do it. Fifth division, secure the dock and start setting up an infirmary! Second division, to the armory! Third and fourth divisions, to the barracks! Everybody else, with me to the prison blocks!"
…
Meanwhile, under the main building cluster, the warden reached his destination, a small, empty room, with a complex seal pattern drawn on the wall in front of the door. He placed his hand in the exact center of the pattern, and send a pulse of chakra. The seals started to glow with a blue light.
The warden smirked as chains of seals started to glow, leaving the room and spreading through the whole prison.
"Let's see how much you like these, you rebel scum," the warden said as he left the room, ready to meet those daring enough to storm his prison.
…
Befitting their role, Kurenai's Assault Squad was leading the charge against one of the points of interest Mei had deemed a priority, the barracks, where most of the ninja who guarded the prison lived and slept. Accompanying them was also Miyako, one of Mei's best swordfighters, and hopeful for the new Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Taking over it would provide an additional foothold for the rebel forces. Of course, the loyalist Kiri ninja weren't going to surrender it without a fight, and a large contingent of them rushed to met the rebel forces mid-way.
"So, the rebel scum has brought some Konoha trash in a pitiful attempt to bolster their strength? Pathetic!" a masked ANBU Kiri ninja sneered, as he unsheathed his katana. "Kill them all!"
One of them made a hand seal. "Water Release: Hidden in the Mist Jutsu!"
Soon, a thick mist formed, covering the battlefield. The rebels stuck to each other, expecting the enemy to resort to a silent attack.
"I'll take care of this!" Naruto said as he started to make hand seals. "Wing Release: Cyclone Vortex!"
The jinchuriki cast his hands forward one over the other, and a horizontal tornado shot from them, dispelling the mist.
"Keep the mist active!" the same ANBU as before ordered, and other two Kiri ninja proceeded to recast the mist jutsu. "Somebody kill that blond brat! He's a Wind Release user!"
Several Anbu leaped into the air, and unleashed a barrage of shuriken and kunai at the blond. Hinata appeared just in front of him.
"Naruto-kun, stay behind me!" Hinata asked, as she activated her Byakugan. "Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms!"
"Huh? That's new!" Naruto thought, not recognizing the jutsu's name.
Hinata started to move her palms forward in a pushing manner, so fast they became blurry, releasing thin streams of chakra from the palms of her hands, deflecting every one of the steel projectiles that were falling at them.
"Whoa, amazing jutsu, Hinata-hime!" Naruto praised.
"Thank you. I created it because I realized that, with the Heavenly Spin, I can only protect myself, and I can hurt my friends and allies if they're too close," Hinata explained.
"Good thinking, Hinata-san," Haku praised as well. He then started to make hand seals. "But you aren't the only one with something new to show. Ice Release: Ice Dragon Crystal Blast!"
Haku made the same hand motion Naruto did a few seconds ago, but instead of wind, he created a large, serpentine dragon made of ice, which flew at the cluster of enemy Kiri ninja, letting out a roar. The dragon then crashed headfirst into them, exploding into multiple sharp icicles, which seriously injured many of them.
"And that one has Ice Release? I thought that that bloodline was extinct!" an enemy ninja cried, as he removed an ice shard from his arm.
"Don't stay like that looking like idiots! Counterattack already!" the head ANBU ordered.
The loyalist Kiri ninja started to made hand seals of their own, as the rebels prepared for the incoming barrage of attacks.
"Water Release: Water Gun!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Several watery projectiles and waves flied at the rebel group, merging into a massive, chaotic water torrent.
"Counter that quickly!" Miyako ordered.
This time, it was Kurenai and Haku who took a step forward, as both started to make hand seals as fast as they could.
"Ice Release: Ice Barrier!"
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
A large wall of stone erected behind a smaller wall of ice. The wall of ice was broken by the incoming barrage, but the stone wall successfully absorbed them without breaking. At least for the time being.
"Thank Kami you're an Earth Release user," Miyako told Kurenai. "Are there many more among you?"
"I'm afraid not," Kurenai replied. "Earth affinity is rare in Konoha. Most of them there have fire affinity."
"Yet none of your students are, as I can see," Miyako pointed out. She then heard something, and turned around, her katana in front of her. "Watch out, I think there are some ANBU hidden in the mist ready to strike us!"
"Hinata, can you see them?" Kurenai asked.
"I'm trying, but this mist is laced with chakra, and it's interfering with my Byakugan!" Hinata replied, as she forced her eyesight as much as possible. "But the chakra is more concentrated in many points around us, I think that's them!"
The whistling sound of several kunai flying at them filled the air, but so far, nobody reported being hit. Yet everybody had the feeling that they did miss on purpose. And, indeed, Kurenai managed to see one of the Kunai embedded into the ground, and the Jonin's eyes widened in shock.
"Explosive notes! Take cover!" the genjutsu mistress warned.
Everybody fell back as explosions surrounded the battlefield, sending rebel ninja flying into the air, and briefly dispelling the mist before it reformed itself again. Seconds later, it was followed by the sound of blades clashing, and people crying in pain.
"Dammit, they used the explosions to scatter us and kill us one by one!" Miyako cursed as she stood back on her feet.
Her acute hearing picked up somebody sneaking behind her. An ally wouldn't do that. Turning around, she raised her katana in return just in time to block a swipe from an enemy Kiri ninja. The two of them struggled a bit, until the blue haired woman forced him back with a kick to the gut. She gripped her katana tightly as she delivered her counterattack.
"Water Release: Razor Stream!"
She swung her blade while she moved at the enemy ninja, who jumped back further, avoiding the slash by mere centimeters. He smirked at her for missing, but soon he felt a sharp pain crossing his body, and a bleeding scar formed across his chest.
"H-How...?" the surprised ninja asked.
"A sharp, condensed blade of water cast through my sword, so thin it's invisible to the eye, but any less lethal," the blue haired girl explained, before slashing his throat. "Did knowing that make your death any better?"
Meanwhile, Kurenai's team was also fighting against a group formed of standard prison guards and masked ANBU that had them surrounded.
"Give up, you're outnumbered!" an ANBU taunted therm.
Naruto smirked in return, as he made a hand seal. "You think so? Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
An army of orange and green clad blonds emerged from thin air, pushing the Kiri ninja backwards, as they engaged in combat, but not without retaliating with their kunai, shuriken and mostly water jutsu.
"Good one, Naruto! Everybody, keep pushing forward!" Kurenai shouted as she placed a couple enemy Kiri ninja under a genjutsu.
Then, that moment, several circular sealing patterns started to appear all around the prison. The patterns were black at first, but they started to glow with a blue light.
"What's this? A trap?" Haku asked, taking a step back.
"Probably some sort of defensive measure. Stay alert!" Kurenai warned.
Naruto, however, opened his eyes wide upon recognizing some of the seals.
"Wait a minute...those are Uzumaki seals!" Naruto indignantly pointed out.
The seals produced multiple smoke explosions, which dispelled quickly, revealing something the rebels weren't expecting. Across the battlefield, multiple metallic golems had appeared. While not as large as the one summoned by Jirobo, they still towered over any normal human. Like Jirobo's golem, they also had a stocky build, with massive upper body and shoulders, long arms ending in massive, gauntlet-like forearms, a small head with a v-shaped visor, a small but armored midsection, and short legs ended in massive boot like feet.
They were covered in red plating, with multiple sealing patterns craved around their bodies. Their heads had a small gray metal plate with Kirigakure's symbol, as if they were wearing forehead protectors.
"Ha! The Warden activated the Chakra War Golems! You're so screwed!" an enemy Kiri ninja laughed.
The two nearest golems identified Team Kurenai and Miyako as enemies, and stomped towards them.
"The seal on their bodies, they are also Uzumaki seals!" Naruto realized in shock, but also in anger.
"It seems that Kiri didn't returned as empty handed from the invasion of Uzushiogakure as we thought," Kurenai bitterly said. "Anyway, we haven't been ordered to retreat, so keep fighting!"
"I plan to!" Naruto stated as he started to form a Rasengan in his hands. "I'm going to teach those assholes to use stolen knowledge from my clan!" Once complete, Naruto rushed towards the nearest golem, and smashed the orb of chakra against its chest. "Rasengan!"
The sphere of chakra exploded, but rather than shatter the golem to tiny pieces, some seals on the mechanical construct started to glow, and the golem began to absorb the chakra of Naruto's attack, much to the blonde's bewilderment.
"The hell!?" an indignant Naruto asked, and jumped back before the golem could smash him to pulp.
"The golem used the attack to empower itself!" Hinata noticed. "Don't use ninjutsu, or you'll make them stronger!"
"Then what are we supposed to do? Those thing are made of metal!" Haku pointed out.
"We'll do what we can, Haku. Hinata, see if you can find a weak spot," Kurenai asked.
"Maybe we should attack the articulations. Those parts can't be armored if they have to move," Miyako deduced.
"Alright, I don't think we'll need it so soon, but time to ask for reinforcements, " Naruto bit his thumb, and made five hand seals, before slamming his hand into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Naruto summoned a huge, aquamarine toad with yellow eyes and a green back. His only piece of clothing was a orange sash around his stomach. He was also carrying two katanas to his back.
"Hi there, Naruto. What can I do for you?" the sword fighting toad asked.
"Gamahiro, I need you to help us deal with those annoying golems, as well as the Kiri ninjas dressed in red. Can I count on you?" Naruto asked.
"Sure!" the toad replied as he unsheathed his katanas. "Let the fun begin!"
With Naruto standing on his head, Gamahiro jumped into the battlefield, just in front of Naruto's friends and allies, creating a shockwave that knocked those near him back., and started to deliver multiple swipes at the prison defenders.
"Golems, fire upon that creature!" an ANBU ordered.
The few golems present cast one hand towards the large toad. A hole opened in their palms, releasing a stream of fire from it. Gamahiro was forced to step back.
"Ouch! Ouch! It burns!" the large toad complained.
"Don't worry, I'll help you!" Naruto said as he started making hand seals. "Water Release: Water Gun!"
Naruto fired several water missiles at the golems from his mouth, reducing some of the fire.
Following Naruto's example, Miyako rushed forward while making hand seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
The blue haired kunoichi expelled a huge wave of water from her mouth, countering a couple of the golem's flamethrowers. Other Kiri rebels followed her example, and did as well, saving the giant toad.
"Thank you!" Gamahiro replied, as he slashed a nearby golem in half with one swing of his massive katanas.
"The toad can clear the path for us! We must defend him from the enemy attacks!" Miyako ordered.
"Right away, ma'am!" several Kiri rebels replied.
…
Not far away from there, Kakashi's Animal Squad, alongside Rin, were fighting against a group of enemy Kiri ninja, with neither side pushing the other back.
"Aburame Secret Art: Swarm Spear!"
Shino extended his arm forward, and from his sleeves shot a spear made of bugs compressed together in a tight formation. The spear pierced a Kiri ninja, who vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"A shadow clone," Shino pointed out. "Some of them must be using them to bolster their numbers."
"In that case, we should find those who create shadow clones and take them out. They should be the Jonin," Tamaki deduced.
"Good idea. Why don't you take Kiba and Shino go and try to find them?" Kakashi suggested. "I'll stay here with Rin."
Rin stared at Kakashi disapprovingly. "Kakashi...you don't have to be afraid to leave my side. Even if this is a war, I can take care of myself. It won't be a repeat of the last time."
"Oh, I don't do it for that, Rin. I don't think these three need me to hold their hand all the time, right? They're old enough to do some dangerous tasks without their old sensei," Kakashi jovially replied, before turning at his students. "Now go, I'll create an opening."
Rin continued staring at Kakashi with worried eyes. Certainly, there were a lot of issues that needed to be solved.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the island prison, Shizune's Medical Squad was acting as support of the rebel division tasked with taking the armory. They mostly stayed behind the front line healing the injured, while Sasuke and other ninja protected them.
And just like it happened before, the prison guards got unexpected reinforcements in the form of chakra golems, who were making a number on the rebel forces.
"Alright, done! You're good to go! Give them hell!" Sakura told a Kiri rebel she just healed.
"I will! Thank you, medic-san!" the rebel gratefully replied as he returned to the battlefield.
"Unless we find a way to get rid of those annoying chakra absorbing golems...we'll we're not going to last long," Suigetsu complained, as he dodged a massive metallic fist from one of those mechanical monsters.
And to prove Suigetsu's words true, one of the golems managed to break the rebel's lines and stomped towards the medic-nin, busy healing the wounded. Fortunately for them, Sasuke cut his path, and forced the golem to engage him in a fight.
"Good one, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura praised.
However, the Uchiha didn't feel he was doing any good. Ninjutsu, his specialty, was out of the equation. Genjutsu was useless on a mechanical being, even if it had chakra, and his sword alone failed to make any dent on that metallic shell.
"Sakura, I'm not doing that good," Sasuke admitted, as he dodged a fist slam. "Maybe your fighting style might be better suited to deal with this thing!"
"You think so?" Sakura asked. If Sasuke was having trouble defeating an enemy, then what chances did she have? But then again, she couldn't deny his request of help. "Alright then, here I come!"
"Either that, or I'll have to use the Mangekyo Sharingan," Sasuke bitterly thought.
The moment Sakura was at close quarter range, the golem tried to squash her with its fists, but the pinkette gracefully dodged them with a surprising show of speed, and jumped as she reared her fist back.
"SHANNARO!"
The effect was instant. The moment Sakura's fist connected with the golem, it made a huge dent on its chest plate, before sending it flying back a few meters.
"Just as I expected. These golems aren't meant to deal with overwhelming physical force. Sakura, you must join the front lines and help them out," Sasuke told her.
"But what about the wounded? I'm a medic-nin," Sakura replied.
"Don't worry, we can go on without you! Make sure those golems don't cause more wounded among our troops!" Shizune told her.
Sakura nodded. "Alright then, take care!"
And the pinkette joined Sasuke in the battlefield.
…
While the bulk of the rebel army fought on the ground, Ameyuri and Asuma's tactical squad remained in the walls, in order to disable the island's defenses, such as the searchlights and the kunai launchers.
"You know, we could take a few of these for the village," Ino commented, as she inspected one of the captured kunai launchers.
"Seal it inside a scroll if you wish, but don't waste much time on that!" Ameyuri told her, while she engaged on a couple enemy Kiri ninja, who suddenly stopped moving. The redheaded girl noticed that their shadows were linked to Shikamaru's. After quickly dispatching them, she turned at the Nara, and said: "Thanks, but it's not as fun if they don't move or defend themselves."
"Hey, look at that! What's going on?" Ino asked, noticing the Chakra Golems popping up across the battlefield.
"What are those things?" Choji asked.
"I don't know, but guess we're going to find out real soon!" Shikamaru pointed out as he stepped back, as two Chakra Golems had just materialized in front of them.
"Ameyuri?" Ino asked, a question unsaid but implicit.
"First time I see these things," the swordswoman said as she also cautiously stepped back.
"That armor looks strong," Shikamaru observed.
"There's no armor my Thunderfangs can cut through," Ameyuri boasted as she channeled lightning chakra through her trusty blades, making them crackle. "Cover me! I'll take them out!"
Ameyuri leaped at the closest golem, and tried to pierce its armor. A seal on the golem's plate glowed, and the lightning of Ameyuri's swords was absorbed, robbing them of their cutting power.
"What?" she asked in shock.
"So they can absorb chakra too. Boy, this is all kinds of troublesome," Shikamaru groaned.
"Let's try physical attacks then. Choji, your turn!" Ino told the Akimichi heir.
Choji nodded and clasped his hands together. "Partial Multi-Size Jutsu!"
Both of Choji's arms suddenly grew, as he reared one of them back, before delivering a devastating punch to the closest golem. The machine, however, managed to cling to the Akimichi's fist. He then proceeded to pound it with his other hand.
Shikamaru made a hand seal. "Let's take care of the other. Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"
Shikamaru easily bound the other golem, but soon he realized how strong the metallic construct was, forcing the Nara to spend large amounts of chakra to keep him in place.
"Damn! I don't think I can hold him for too long...!" Shikamaru warned.
"Make it walk to the edge of the wall! Let's toss it into the water!" Ino suggested.
Shikamaru nodded, and forced the golem to do as Ino said. When the mechanical creature was in the edge, the two kunoichi delivered a flying kick each to the chest, knocking it over the wall, before falling to the sea. Following his team's example, Choji also tossed the golem clinging his fist into the ocean.
Their enemies defeated, Ino looked at the battlefield below her, and noticed the amount of golems that had appeared, and were giving the rebel forces a hard time.
"I don't think we'll be able to bring all the remaining ones here and toss them into the sea," Ino commented.
"No, but we can't give up. Come on! We need to clear this section of the wall if we want to increase our chances of victory!" Ameyuri shouted, as she lead the Tactical Squad forward.
…
Mei herself was leading the offensive against the main prison block. Going with her was Gai's Close Combat Squad, Zabuza and Chojuro. Due to being the most numerous division, as well as the one with the most heavy hitters, they had the least problems making way through the enemy lines. That's not to say that they didn't had any trouble the moment the golems started to appear all around the prison.
"The hell? They absorbed my jutsu!" an enraged Mei shouted.
"My sword isn't doing as good against them either," Zabuza snarled. "And I doubt any of my assassination techniques may work on them either."
Gai, however, was feeling rather excited at such prospect.
"So, the enemy is immune to ninjutsu? Alright then, good thing the Youth Squad is here! Neji, Lee, Tenten, focus on the golems! Let everybody else deal with the human opponents!" the green clad jonin ordered. "Show them the power of your youth!"
The three of them nodded, and in perfect synchronization, they crossed their arms in front of their face, before spreading it downwards, releasing three overlapping bursts of chakra.
"Gate of Opening, open! Gate of Healing, Open!, Gate of Life, open!"
Neji and Lee slipped into their usual fighting stances, while Tenten unsealed a pair of katanas from a small sealing scroll.
"Go!"
Lee charged at a nearby golem, and started to throw punches and kicks at an extremely quick speed, not letting the mechanical construct counterattack and forcing it to step back. Neji did the same, with quick palm strikes that, even if it couldn't disable his opponent like a human, still managed to produce a similar effect.
Tenten started to channel an ungodly amount of chakra through her swords, which started to shine with a radiant blue glow, so bright, it was almost like looking directly into the sun. The ensuing aura made the swords look much longer and thicker than they were.
Two golems stomped towards the dango haired kunoichi. Tenten smirked, as she leaped above the mechanical monsters.
"Strong Sword: Armor Splitter!"
Tenten made two diagonal slashes forming an X, before falling behind the golems. At first, it looked like it didn't have any effect, but after a couple seconds, the slices made themselves known, and the golems fell apart.
"Good work, you three! Keep destroying the golems, and the prison will be ours!" Mei cheered, as she engaged a couple of enemy Kiri ninja.
Suddenly, the gates of the main building opened, and more guards and golems poured from them. However, they made a hallway in the middle, as if somebody of utmost importance was about to appear.
"The warden is here!" a Kiri ninja shouted.
"The warden?" Mei asked. "Good, if we take him out, we'll be much closer to winning!"
"Taking me out? While I admit that you're a strong kunoichi, Mei Terumi, I find that unlikely," the warden said, as he stepped out of the gates.
The battle came to a halt. Mei, Zabuza and Chojuro were frozen in shock when they saw the warden. A tall man, with a brown moustache and a beard, wearing a cap over his head, and a dark brown poncho over the typical Kiri Swordsmen attire. He was holding a strange weapon that appeared to be an axe linked by a chain to a hammer.
"Jinin Akebino," Mei said, astonished. "You are the warden?"
"Hello to you too, Mei-san. Zabuza-san, I'm not surprised to see you here. Come to finish what you started all those years ago?" Jinin asked, making Zabuza to grip his sword tighter. Jinin's eyes then rested on Chojuro. "I don't know who you are, but I see you have the Hiramekarei.. It's sad to see so many swordsmen turning on their village."
"What are you doing here? Being a warden is certainly a job below your capabilities," Mei pointed out.
"I spoke against Mizukage-sama's regime and way of ruling the village. He thinks I can't be trusted, so he sent me here. But I'll show him that I'm as loyal to Kirigakure as anybody else," Jinin replied.
"If you disapprove of Yagura, why are you still loyal to him?" Mei asked, taking a step forward. "I know you, Jinin-san. You're an heroic and honorable man, why are you still loyal to somebody so corrupt?"
"Because it's our duty as a ninja to remain obedient to our superiors. If not, chaos and anarchy will ensue. It's not my place, nor anybody else's, to judge the actions of our Kage," Jinin retorted. "Tell me, Mei-san, in case you succeed in your endeavor and become the new Mizukage, will you encourage people who don't support you and your ways to wage another civil war against you?"
"It's not the same thing! Yagura's reign of terror needs to end! People sees us as nothing but bloodthirsty murderers! It might not look like it now, but I'm doing this to save lives!" Mei protested.
"Sure, tell that to yourself. Why don't you-" but Jinin's question was left hanging when he noticed a certain green clad Jonin. "YOU! You're alive! No, it can't be...no, wait, you're not him. His son, perhaps?"
Gai took a step forward as well. "Yes, I am Maito Gai, son of Maito Dai. It seems you remember my father."
"Hard to forget the man who slaughtered the Seven Swordsmen on his own. You have no idea what we had to do in order to silence the rumors that the pride and joy of our village had been defeated by a mere Genin," Jinin bitterly said. "Did you come here to finish what your father started?"
"I came here because the rebels hired Konoha to help them in their campaign. Regardless of what happened in the past, I bear no ill will towards you," Gai sincerely said.
"Jinin-san, please," Mei begged once again.
"Enough," Jinin firmly stated, putting an end to the conversation. "You and your followers are traitors to Kirigakure, and the punishment for treason is death! Everybody, attack!"
"Zabuza, Chojuro," Mei took a step backwards. "I think you two should be the ones to deal with Jinin. Be careful, he's a hardened veteran who fought in the Third War."
Zabuza and Chojuro took a step forward. The former looked confident, the latter not so much.
Ninja from both sides left the three swordsmen some space to fight unmolested. Zabuza and Jinin stared at each other defiantly, while Chojuro attempted to hide behind Zabuza's back.
"You look good, Zabuza-san. It's true what they said? Were you in Konoha all these years?" Jinin asked.
"Not by choice," the masked swordsman replied, as he rested his sword on his shoulders. "But that's irrelevant now. Once the rebellion triumphs, I'll be closer than ever to realize my ambition of becoming Mizukage."
"You were always way too above your head, Zabuza-san. Youth these days..." Jinin then looked at the trembling Chojuro. "What about you, boy? What's your story?"
"I...I..." Chojuro stammered, before gathering some courage to speak up. "I fight under Mei-sama to end the Blood Mist!"
"You must think you're so noble, destabilizing a ninja village so our enemies can take us out easier. But that won't happen under my watch, you hear that!?" Jinin shouted, as he charged at the duo.
Zabuza and Chojuro adopted fighting stances. The fight of the swordsmen was about to begin.
…
OMAKE: SAI'S SECRET
The Fourth Ninja War had taken a turn for the darkest. Despite Madara and Obito not capturing the last two remaining jinchuriki, Naruto and Killer B, they still managed to recreate the Ten Tails. The beast's power was so great, not even the whole Ninja Alliance was able to deal any lasting damage.
"This is hopeless!" Sakura cried. "No matter what we do, that monster just shrugs it off!"
"There's no such thing as an invincible foe. That thing must have a weakness. We need to find it and exploit it," Sasuke replied.
"Yes, we can't give up now! There's too much at stake!" Naruto said.
"If we did, all the people who died in this war would have died for nothing.." Hinata sadly said.
"That sounds pretty nice, but what can we do? That monster will kill us all!" Sakura shouted.
"I believe I can be of help," A new voice said.
Naruto turned around, and saw the ex-root agent, Sai, smiling as if the end of the world wasn't about to happen.
"You? No offense Sai, but I don't think you have enough power to tip the balance in our favor," Naruto dubiously said.
"Actually, I believe do. I have a secret power I haven't used yet, but I don't think I can keep holding it back anymore, given the circumstances," Sai said, before creating a giant bird out of ink, jumping on top of it, and ordering it to fly towards the Ten Tails.
"Sai, wait!" Naruto cried.
"That idiot is going to get himself killed," Sakura deadpanned.
Meanwhile, Madara and Obito looked at Sai, flying at them alone. The zombified ninja smirked, amused.
"Look at that, Obito. A single insect think it can take out a god," Madara said.
Obito chuckled. "Let him try to harm the Ten Tails. This is going to be fun."
When he was over the head, Sai jumped off of the ink bird, and delivered a single punch to the ten tailed abomination.
That punch was all what he needed.
The punch was so powerful, I created a shockwave that shattered the ground and rocks around it, generating a loud booming noise. The Ten Tails cried in pain, before it fell down to the ground, motionless, and lifeless.
Everybody stared at the scene with wide open eyes and mouths opened agape, as their brains tried to understand what their eyes just saw.
"The Ten Tails...it's dead!" Obito said in shock. "That guy killed it in one punch!"
"Who...who are you?" Madara said, experiencing fear for the first time in decades.
"People call me Sai, but it's not my real name. Well, it's more like a diminutive of my real name..." Sai then pulled out his hair, which happened to be a wig, revealing a shiny bald head underneath. He tore off his Konoha uniform, revealing that he was wearing a yellow jumpsuit, red gloves and boots, and a white cape that billowed dramatically despite the lack of wind. "...Saitama."
"ONE PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH...!" somebody cried in the background, as an epic guitar riff began to play.
Saitama then happily ran towards the amazed and terrified Obito and Madara, both of them knowing that this would be their end.
"I hate crossovers so much..." Madara muttered.
Author's Note: One of the good things of introducing Sai, is that I could finally use that Omake. Any One Punch Man fans out there? Because boy, it's a pretty enjoyable work.
So, the attack on the Crimson Citadel begins, and the first roadblock our heroes have to face in the form of Jinin Akebino. By the end of this arc, all seven swords will make an appearance, and some of them will change owner.
Some readers requested Hinata to have her anime only "Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms" attack, so there you go. At first I thought that it was made redundant by the Heavenly Spin, but I realized that the former can be used in ways the latter is impractical. And don't worry, it won't be the last time she'll use that attack.
Now, onto what I think is the biggest foreign element this arc has brought so far: the chakra golems. While I always played to introduce them, they wouldn't show up until much later. I had an idea for a future arc of Naruto and Karin (as well as more Konoha ninja) traveling to the ruins of Uzushio to recover some of the lost Uzumaki fuinjutsu knowledge, among them the chakra golems.
What changed my mind? The Boruto anime Kirigakure arc. When Shizuma and the rest of the wannabe swordsmen broke into the vault where the Seven Swords were kept, they triggered a security mechanism that summoned several self moving puppets to stop them. Said puppets turned out to be hilariously ineffective, and their only purpose was to give the wannabe swordsmen a good target to test their swords and remind the audience what they could do. After seeing that, I decided that maybe I could combine both ideas, and have Kirigakure develop the chakra golems as a secret weapon from the fuinjutsu knowledge they looted from Uzushiogakure. That way, I could also make Kiri into a more formidable opponent. Anyway, hope you like and find them interesting additions.
Thanks a lot to gio08 for betareading this chapter.
I think that's all. In two weeks, the resolution of the Crimson Citadel mini arc. In the meantime, don't forget to leave a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!