Demon Of The Hidden Leaf
Ch. 13- All Bets Are Off; Let the Sannin Showdown begin!
xXx
Stern, steely blue eyes glared hard at the two figures that stood before their owner. Kabuto Yakushi and the rogue-ninja Orochimaru were both standing nor more than a few yards away from a scowling Naruto and the other two Sannin. The blonde youth kept his gaze trained on the smirking figure of Kabuto, as the silver-haired boy stood with an arrogant air next to his apparent master.
"You know Naruto, if you're really so keen on staring at me you could take a picture. It won't be as great as the real thing I suppose, but I'd personally prefer it to having you hunting me down just to refresh your fantasies."
Naruto's response was to sneer before he answered back. "I'm just trying to figure out how it is a pathetic excuse for a spy like you managed to fool the Leaf village for so long, while I figured it out almost immediately. I mean, really, a genin who had to take the chunnin exams six times?"
"Well maybe the great village of Konoha isn't all it's cracked up to be, hmm~?" The bespectacled teen mocked.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent after that barb. The letter he had received indicated that there was once a connection between Orochimaru and a man named Danzo in the village, so while the rogue Sannin standing before him may no longer be a member of the Leaf village Naruto had no doubts that the two men still communicated through messages relayed by Kabuto. However instead of dwelling on this, the young chunnin decided that it was time to put an end to at least one member of that circle of traitors.
Across the grassy field Kabuto watched as the younger blonde pulled his zanbato from its sheath across his back and then settle it against the ground. Seeing the other boy's muscles tense for action he tutted shamelessly, a dismissive smirk sliding quickly over his face. "Oh come now Naruto, surely you don't think becoming a chunnin puts you in the same league as someone like me; a ninja with the strength to rival even the legendary Kakashi?"
Cool, blue eyes focused sharply on the arrogant boy before them while their owner just scoffed. "Feh, yeah right. You may believe that in your twisted little dreams, but you and I both know that deep down you're nowhere near that kind of strength. It's why you boast; you try to plant a seed of fear into your opponents before the match starts, because you aren't actually confident in your own combat skills."
"That's a pretty deep theory, especially for you Naruto." Kabuto exclaimed with an arched eyebrow. "What could possibly make you think something so silly?"
"Because," the blonde answered with a grin. "I used to do the same thing. But now..."
With that the young chunnin vanished from sight, his increase in speed surprising both villains because of its deviation from what they knew the boy to be capable of. Kabuto in particular felt his eyes widen when the Uzumaki boy reappeared right in front of him, that same grin still fit into place. "I let my skill speak for itself!"
Kabuto's body was knocked off its feet, and rocketed through the air by this point as Naruto landed a solid kick to the older boy's stomach. However instead of waiting around to see what his foe would do next, the blonde shinobi shot forth and followed the other boy through the air. Focused eyes and tensed muscles saved Naruto from being hit with a surprise spin-kick as Kabuto righted himself in the air, but they did nothing to alleviate his confusion once they touched down on the ground and the bespectacled rogue came at him with hands shrouded by chakra.
And while he may not have known the technique, Naruto did understand that attempting to fight it without intel could very well lead to his defeat. So after managing to stave off a number of strikes with the flat of his large blade, the young Uzumaki leaped back before moving quickly to stand back beside Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Alright, does somebody wanna tell me just what it is that's got Kabuto's hands to glow like that? I don't remember them ever teaching it in the academy."
Tsunade heard this last bit of information and balked, before going on to explain the technique. "Kabuto is using a form of medical ninjutsu known as the Chakra Scalpel; it requires the user to create a thin, sharp layer of chakra around their hands so that they can then act as the name suggests and cut carefully into a persons body."
"However the technique takes intense focus as well as superb control over ones own networks and outflow." Shizune chimed in, her voice layered with distress. "So for this boy to be capable of using it in combat means he must be very skilled Lady Tsunade."
"Maybe," the blonde Sannin countered. "But even the most skilled medic isn't always going to be capable of hitting their exact target during combat; especially without a dojutsu like the Byakugan. However this doesn't mean that boy is any less dangerous, which is why I want you to help Naruto in handling Kabuto, Shizune."
The younger medic-ninja shot her teacher a look as she replied. "Milady you can't be serious; that boy, Kabuto, surely has much more experience in combat than Naruto. Even with my help I'm hard-pressed to think he could handle him should Kabuto get serious."
"Which is why I'm sending you in with Naruto." Tsunade huffed, her amber eyes rolling at Shizune's lack of understanding. "Besides you saw what the brat could do against me, even if I did hold back quite a bit, I'm sure he'll be just fine. Now get ready, because it looks like those two are ready to begin."
Shizune looked over at Orochimaru and his right-hand man, and sure enough the both of them were turned and settled into tense fighting stances. The female ninja noticed that, even with his arms bandaged the way they were, the Snake Sannin still gave off an aura of pure evil. A shiver ran down Shizune's spine and her stomach filled with ice at the twisted grin that molded its way onto the pale man's face.
"So then that was your answer Tsunade; you refuse to help me? I offer you the chance to see your beloved brother, and the man you loved again, to hold them in your arms...and you're turning it down?" The malicious rogue-ninja's falsely cheerful facade quickly dropped and was replaced by a scathing glare as he finished speaking. "Surely you haven't magically gotten over your hatred for the village that sent your two most precious people to their deaths, and are now willing to defend it?"
The buxom woman standing across the field from Orochimaru knit her elegant eyebrows together as she slowly removed her green overcoat. Flinging the article of clothing to the wind Tsunade cracked her knuckles while continuing to stare down her former team-mate. "No, I haven't, but I refuse to allow any innocence that may be budding back in that cesspool to be snuffed out by the likes of you, and your twisted ambitions!"
As she made her declaration Tsunade thought back to the night before, and her talk with Naruto. The blonde had come to her while she was, admittedly, wallowing in indecision. She had seriously been considering Orochimaru's offer when her thoughts were interrupted by the young Uzumaki...
Flashback-
Tsunade had been so engrossed in her daydreaming that she hadn't sensed the younger blonde's approach until Naruto actually announced it. Her mind was too busy recreating what it was like to hold both her brother, and her lover in her arms; remembering the way they smelled, the way they sounded, how light her heart felt just seeing them smile. The memories came in rapid succession, though each one seemed to last for hours as the female Sannin lived through them for the umpteenth time since both young men's deaths.
Tears had just begun to well in Tsunade's eyes when her reminiscing was cut short by the sound of Naruto's voice. "It's seeing moments like this that make me wonder, if knowing my parents would have been worth the heartache I'd have suffered if they were taken away from me growing up, instead of on the day I was born. To know their love, only to have it snatched away by the unfairness of life; I can only imagine the pain that would cause. Just like I can only imagine the amount of turmoil you're in Lady Tsunade.
I won't pretend to understand, or give you hollow words of comfort, but what I will say is this: Imagine this pain you're feeling, being felt by a mother or a wife back in Konoha, and then multiply that by the hundreds bordering on thousands. Because that's all that will come of giving Orochimaru back his arms; an endless wave of pain and anguish. You know, Lady Tsunade, that the moment that slimy creep has use of his hands again his first order of business will be the destruction of the Leaf. Think of all the other women that live there, some of whom aren't even kunoichi, that will lose their lover or brother during the assault. And for what; a pair of cold, unfeeling bags of walking flesh? Orochimaru may return those you care about back to you, but I can guarantee you they will not be the same people you loved while they were alive."
At Naruto's words Tsunade stiffened; how had he figured out the villainous Sannin's deal with her? The blonde woman jerkingly turned her head to look up at the young chunnin standing behind her, and as she met his gaze a slew of emotion lodged itself in her throat.
Naruto's eyes glowed under the light of the full moon, their ethereal glow only heightened by the shadows cast by his steadily growing locks of spiked gold. Those gems that sat hard like sapphire during battle, and often blazed with the fierce flames of determination, were now liquid pools of the most clear ocean-blue Tsunade had ever seen. And yet even this outstanding sight was not what caught the woman's breath; it was instead the pure, raw emotion displayed in those brilliant spheres. Gone were the walls and shields that Naruto kept up to protect the ever dying embers of innocence within, and instead Tsunade could see into the very core of just who was Naruto Uzumaki. And while there were pains and angers she herself couldn't place, there was one emotion the buxom woman could indeed identify, because she herself saw it every morning and every night when she looked in the mirror. Loneliness.
And yet this boy, no older than a young teenager, held a sense of loneliness that far exceeded any that Tsunade had ever thought possible. It went beyond, and bordered on pure desolation, tinting the Uzumaki boy's gorgeous eyes with a sickeningly terrible sadness that Tsunade could see was just barely being kept at bay.
So intently did Tsunade stare, that the woman nearly found herself drowning in the fledgling chunnin's depths, and almost missed when he spoke again.
"I know you never told me about just what it was you and the snake talked about, but it wasn't too difficult to figure out after I thought about it. A woman like you, Lady Tsunade, there's only one thing I could imagine your old team-mate could offer you that would have you even considering his proposal. And while I can't tell you what to do, or how you should decide, I do wanna say just one last thing.
Hate Konohagakure if you must, Lady Tsunade, all I ask is that you don't let it blind you to the very real fact there are still innocent people within its walls who only want the same thing you did...to be happy, with the ones they love."
-End Flashback
Tsuande wasn't sure at the time, her mind far too buzzed at seeing such serious young man still so new to the world of shinobi, but after being left alone to think she garnered a small intuition about her fellow blonde's words. Naruto hadn't just been talking about the villagers when he'd spoken; he was also including himself in his final plea.
So while the mere thought of her old home still left a horribly sour taste in her mouth, and she had no actual intentions of staying around should she even choose to return and heal Naruto's team-mate and sensei, Tsunade did decide the boy was right. She couldn't just stand by and allow the vile man before her cause anyone else the same level of anguish she had suffered for so many years. Not because she was a shinobi of the Leaf, but because she wanted to honor the memories of those she loved. It was this desire that fueled the fire in Tsuande's eyes as she crouched into a fighting stance and glared at Orochimaru. "I hope you've made your peace with whatever devil it is you pray to you slimy snake, because after today there'll be one less Sannin in the world!"
Not bothering to wait for Jiraiya, or for Orochimaru to offer any sort of comeback, Tsuande launched herself forward with the strength of her powerful legs and rushed the pale rogue-ninja in a show of speed that easily eclipsed any Naruto himself had ever seen.
Orochimaru, angered by his female team-mate's refusal to aid him, had kept his eyes sharp and was able to keep up with her though even in his crippled condition. So when the Slug Princess came at him with a vicious haymaker the villainous scientist was able to lean back just in time to dodge, before lashing out with a kick that turned into a an aerial ax-kick once his first leg was stopped by Tsuande's forearm. His second attempt at a strike only proved marginally more effective however, his heel just managing to clip the buxom woman's shoulder, so Orochimaru used the momentum from it to work himself into a backflip that put space between he and his fellow Sannin. Never taking his eyes off the woman in front of him, the pale ex-Leaf ninja shouted to his right-hand man. "Don't just stand there looking foolish Kabuto; finish off Tsunade's puny apprentice and that brat!"
"Right away, Lord Orochimaru." The bespectacled teen bowed quickly before turning his attention on his targets and reaching into his hip pouch. 'Naruto by himself, while impressive, is still something I'm sure I could take care of. It's this other woman I'm concerned about; I don't have any real data on her. If I am to defeat them quickly, and help my Master, then I'll need to use it.'
Pulling his gloved hand from the small, round pouch Kabuto revealed that he was holding a small black pill between his fingers. However, the smug young spy didn't have the chance to use it like he'd thought, as Naruto noticed the act quickly and chose to rush him despite Shizune's warning.
Naruto had seen what taking a pill had done for Kiba and Akamaru back during the preliminaries, so there was no way the young blonde was going to give his enemy the chance to pull a similar stunt! Using his new bit of speed the last Uzumaki of Konoha swiftly closed in on his silver-haired opponent and unleashed a dangerous battojutsu with the ninjato strapped to his lower-back; the chunnin opting to capitalize on precise speed rather than the bulky power of his zanbato at the moment. This proved the right choice as Kabuto nearly dropped his secret weapon while dodging Naruto's initial strike before he managed to pull out a kunai and engage the younger boy in a clash of steel.
Orochimaru saw this as he ducked another of Tsuande's punches before contorting his body so as to avoid a flying spin-kick from Jiraiya. The prodigious former Leaf Jounin smirked as he managed a sweep of his old female friend's legs before smashing his forehead into the nose of his old rival. It was just as he'd thought; they were fighting him two-on-one, sure, but they weren't working together. The years apart had inevitably destroyed their sense of teamwork, and it clearly showed in how they each seemed to either get in the other's way or miss opportunities all together simply because they were so focused on landing their own attack. It was becoming so easy to predict their moves it was almost laughable, yet Orochimaru held himself back, as the ridicule could wind up helping them get their act together; and then he'd actually need Kabuto's help!
So instead, Orochimaru allowed himself to silently bask in the glory that was perceived victory while easily avoiding one of Jiraiya's fire-style techniques. "I'd be careful of that if I were you, fool, did you forget what those kinds of attacks do to the area around you?"
Both of the other Sannin halted in their incoming assault and took notice of just what their former friend was opening his mouth about now. However as they looked around, Tsunade quickly became angered at the sight that met her; small fires and started in the field and were holding steady. Feeling a vein pulse in her forehead, the beautiful kunoichi turned her hazel eyes on the one who'd cast the jutsu and began to shout. "You idiot, watch where you're throwing those kinds of attacks! We're trying to kill Orochimaru, not the wildlife! Ugh, leave it to the class clown to make a move without thinking; just stay out of my way Jiraiya, I'll handle this myself!"
With that Tsunade lunged forward again to re-engage their shared foe. Still standing back with a look of shock on his middle-aged face Jiraiya quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts before rushing after his old flame. "Maybe if you'd keep him still long enough my attacks would hit, instead of tear into the field Tsunade! What good is all that super strength if you can't even lock the bastard down with it!?"
Orochimaru had been given more than enough time to mold enough chakra before his fellow Sannin were upon him again, so when the pair closed in the man's mouth swelled to near bursting before a wave of fang-baring serpents spewed from Orochimaru's open maw. The overflow of snakes shot like a mass of slimy missiles and almost completely overtook the other two Sannin before they managed to each evade the attack. Keeping his slit, yellow eyes on the moving forms of his opponents Orochimaru opted to try and keep at least one of them at a distance, so turning to Jiraiya the pale rogue-ninja shot forth his freakishly long tongue and after wrapping it around the white-haired man's ankle, threw him aside like a rag doll. From there Orochimaru recoiled his pink mouth muscle and burst forward to engage Tsunade in combat again.
The woman had just touched back down on the ground when he was upon her, his shadow casting Tsunade into a small world of darkness right before Orochimaru's knee came crashing down onto her open palm. Knowing how dangerous that manicured hand could be though, the Snake Sannin didn't allow his former team-mate any time to act on her catch, instead he gave her another kick to block before his neck stretched and his gleaming fangs bit down into a mouthful of Tsunade's soft shoulder. Blood squirted from the wound while the arm itself spasmed from the burning pain that shot from the wound and down to her fingers. With a sick and gleeful grin Orochimaru then retracted his long neck, and tore a chunk of flesh from a grim Tsunade before using her lack of attention to deliver a quick but sharp kick to her cheek, which sent her flying back a bit. Landing safely on his feet the malicious rogue-ninja rolled the mouthful of meat around with his tongue, savoring the taste of the human flesh before swallowing it and the fine layer of lifeblood that marinated it. Licking his lips to catch the crimson rivulets trailing down to his chin, the psychopathic Sannin's mouth stretched into a feral grin at the look of abject disgust that had found its way onto both his ex-classmates' faces.
"You'll have to forgive me, I haven't eaten yet this morning and you my dear Tsunade just left yourself wide open, I simply had to have a taste. And might I just say...it was delicious."
Ice formed in the pit of Tsunade's stomach as she watched the disturbed monster in front of her slide his snake-like tongue over his lips again. She had known her former team-mate to be a creep of the highest pedigree, but the female Slug Princess had never imagined he would fall to something as barbaric as cannibalism. While still working her medical jutsu over the deep wounds Orochimaru had inflicted on her, Tsunade grit her teeth in frustration before turning to the man beside her.
"I hate saying this, but I need to tag out for a moment; this bite he took out of me was deep. I'll need a few minutes to fully recover from it, but I doubt the slimy freak will give them to me freely, so do you think you can hold him off till I'm better?"
"Hold him off?" The Toad Sage scoffed before settling into a ready stance. "Now that you aren't gonna be getting in my way I'll do a whole lot more than just 'hold him off'; I'm gonna finish him! I let that bastard get away all those years ago, but not this time, not after what he did to old man Sarutobi!"
With that the oddly-dressed man rocketed from his spot in the field to meet his enemy head-on. Fists and feet flew in a veritable whirlwind of movement as the Toad Sage tried to land any sort of blow against his old classmate using his Frog Kumite. The powerful attacks clipped and glanced off their intended targets however, Jiraiya's bulky frame built more for strength rather than speed despite his legendary prowess, which matched negatively against Orochimaru's more svelte frame and naturally superior speed. The difference was clearly noticeable as well, if the firm set of the Toad Sannin's jaw was anything to go on, and yet this only pushed Jiraiya to try harder in an effort to soothe his own growing anger at the situation.
On Orochimaru's end however the frustration, although much less noticeable, was more at the a third party than anyone on the field at the current moment. 'Damn you Sarutobi-sensei!' The pale rouge thought with a hiss. 'If only you hadn't taken my arms, this fool would be lying dead on the ground by now! I can't believe he's pushing me so much without the use of my arms; it must be I've neglected my training in favor of conducting experiments. If this is the outcome of such forgetfulness then I'll need to remedy the situation immediately upon returning to Oto.'
As he bobbed and weaved between his enemy's powerful punches Orochimaru silently seethed at himself for becoming so lax; there was a time when even without his hands the perverted fool would have been child's play! Using that anger to sharpen his senses Orochimaru found an opening as Jiraiya's left arm swung wide in an over-extended slugging. Ducking under it perfectly the villain drove his knee up and into his former classmate's stomach before firmly planting his shinobi-style sandal into the other man's face with a vicious spartan-kick. The sound of bones breaking and the sight of blood spattering into the air filled Orochimaru with a sickening degree of delight right before his ear caught the sound of grass being rustled from a hurried assault. Tsuande's incoming attack was a move Orochimaru scarcely managed to avoid, the wind pressure alone enough to tear a gaping hole in the mad scientist's tan robes to reveal the black body-suit underneath. He was just about to retaliate, when a sharp burning flared from his useless arms, the pain shooting up swiftly to his brain where it fired off like an exploding note.
This scant few seconds proved nearly fatal as Tsunade took advantage, and swiveled into a kick that almost hit home in Orochimaru's stomach. Instead the pale-faced Sannin managed to lurch back just enough so that only the jutting heel of Tsunade's sandal made contact. However with the speed and power behind the maneuver Orochimaru still came away with a sizable gash lanced across his now bleeding abdomen; the top half of his robe all but in tatters now while his bodysuit was quickly stained with his blood. Gritting his fangs in pain, Orochimaru fought through the harsh feelings of discomfort and leaped away in an effort to put space between he and his opponent. Unfortunately, Tsunade didn't seem to agree with that idea and quickly moved to follow.
Orochimaru cursed mentally before using the Kawarimi to escape being on the wrong end of Tsunade's fist. A bead of sweat tracked down the side of his white face as the Snake Sannin witnessed just what became of the log he'd swapped with. However this did allow the ruthless ex-shinobi the opportunity he needed to shed into a new body. The gross display lasted only a moment, but from a gurgle of saliva and fluid out came a new Orochimaru; his stomach now free of any bodily harm and his clothes fully restored.
And yet Orochimaru didn't have long to bask in the refreshing feeling of a subsequent rebirth, because the moment she was over her shock Tsunade's eyes sharpened once more with the will to see her former team-mate die.
Orochimaru was all set to evade this new onslaught when his sense of danger flared, and with nothing but years of experience and battle-hardened muscle memory allowed the crippled villain to keep from being swallowed up by Jiraiya's Toad Swamp jutsu. As he leaped into the air Orochimaru looked on as the ground he'd just been standing on caved and crumbled to form a deep pit, one that quickly filled with a bubbling black tar-like substance the evil snake summoner knew to be a deadly acid. However the pasty-faced individual was soon brought out of his musing by the roar of Tsuande's battle cry.
Tsunade hadn't ever actually seen her old team-mate's partial-rebirth technique and so was understandably caught off-guard for a moment before she managed to shake it off. To her, the man's new taste for human flesh was much more mind blowing than Orochimaru's personal techniques. So when the buxom woman noticed her white-haired friend attempt to trap the snake Sannin, Tsunade pushed herself into action. A battle cry easily slipped past her full lips as a crater formed from the point of the lone female Sannin's launch. The beautiful kunoichi moved like a rocket, tearing through the sky with her fist pulled back and ready to deliver a decapitating sucker-punch. The blow never landed however, as Orochimaru twisted around the offending limb with ease before striking out with another series of kicks. Tsunade blocked or parried them all before going in to drive her knee into the pale man's kidney.
A grunt of pain was all the woman needed to boost her ego, and etch a victorious grin across her face. Attempting to capitalize on her success Tsunade shot out with her elbow and slammed it clean across Orochimaru's jaw. Blood and spittle flew from the male Sannin's mouth before the shockwave sent him flying through the air, and down towards the charred field down below.
Not wanting to give her former friend any chances to recover Tsunade's move to follow was nearly instant. Diving like a torpedo, Tsunade's hazel eyes shot wide in disbelief as her prey suddenly snapped his head up, and a wicked-looking sword came shooting out of his mouth! The fabled Kusanagi blade was held tight by the snake summoner's tongue and cut through the very air itself as it moved to impale the older kunoichi anywhere it could hit.
"Damn it!" Tsunade cursed, her angle of flight and the speed at which she moved making avoiding the blade next to impossible at the current range. Knowing this, the woman settled for catching the long sword with her bare hand; Tsunade being extra careful so as to not leave behind any open wound for the blade's poison to enter through. However this move had forced the woman to use all concentration on the attempt, leaving Tsunade unprepared to defend against Orochimaru as he called back his tongue and used it to shoot him back towards the off-guard kunoichi. Tsunade gasped upon noticing just what it was her opponent was planning, but was saved from being bombarded when thick, white hairs wrapped around the ex-Leaf ninja's ankle and stopped him short.
"Let's see how you like being treated like a child's plaything Orochimaru." Jiraiya called out before whipping his head back and around.
Letting go of the blade in her hand just in time, Tsuande watched as her fellow Sannin swung their former team-mate around in the air before bringing the pale man down hard into the dirt. A resounding 'smack' filled the open air as Orochimaru's face met the ground, and any who saw it would be awed at the level of brutality the normally jovial Toad Sage was capable of. Even Tsunade found herself impressed with the level of strength put behind that attack, although that soon turned to worry as she watched the seemingly lifeless form of Orochimaru melt away into mud.
"Jiraiya look out; it was a mud-clone!"
The call came just in time, as Orochimaru's svelte frame erupted up from the underground; the tip of Kusanagi poised to drive straight through the other man's shoulder! Even with the close proximity Jiraiya normally would have been able to avoid such an attack, but an earth-rumbling expulsion of dark power threw the man off-center and allowed Orochimaru's stolen weapon to pierce flesh and muscle in a bloody fashion. Howling in pain, Jiraiya launched a desperate attack to remove the long sword from its place in his shoulder, only to watch as his ex-comrade disappeared via substitution.
Reappearing some ways away, Orochimaru grinned wickedly upon recognizing just where that foul chakra was coming from. Turning this same grotesque smile on his former friends, the mad scientist began to gloat. "I certainly hope you've taught those two everything you both know, because if not, then there's no escaping what's to come."
"What do you mean; what the hell was that just now!?" Jiraiya seethed while clutching at his damaged shoulder. "It was another one of your sick experiments, right? What did you do with that boy!?"
Tsunade only looked from Orochimaru, to the building mass of black chakra that birthed at the same spot she knew her apprentice and Naruto were currently battling Kabuto in. Worry began to settle into her features as the level of power steadily continued to grow, easily eclipsing what she'd known many Jounin to ever be capable of. The female Sannin was brought back to the field by the sound of Orochimaru's twisted laughter.
"It's not about what I've done you fool, but rather what little Kabuto has allowed done to himself. That blonde imbecile tried to stop him before, but Kabuto has managed to take the Oni pill, and with it he will now crush both little Shizune and that nuisance Naruto Uzumaki!
Sick of hearing the man's fiendish laughter, and silently desperate to make sure nothing happened to her apprentice, Tsunade channeled chakra to her legs and moved to separate Orochimaru from her path to Naruto and Shizune.
'I just hope I can make it in time.'
xXx
Naruto cursed his inability to catch Kabuto again as the silver-haired boy danced carefully away from the blonde's swipe of his ninjato. The battle had been going on for a far greater length, and a far greater intensity than what Naruto was used to, but the male Uzumaki made sure to keep his head level and not be overcome by impatience. Both he and Shizune were littered with nicks and bruises from the battle, each managing to escape anything more serious thanks to their quickly forged teamwork, although their lack of experience together showed in the fact their foe was still standing. Kabuto himself had long-since had his own shirt turned to ribbons by Naruto's blade while his torso now sported small lacerations due to the older boy beginning to run low on chakra.
Naruto had been impressed by Kabuto's obviously extensive capability with the art of medical jutsu, and was grateful for Shizune's wisdom on the subject as it had saved him numerous times throughout the battle. Though it seemed such luxuries would no longer be afforded.
When Kabuto finally managed to swallow his little pill Naruto knew something terrible was about to happen. The effects were almost instantaneous, with a violent pulse of malevolent chakra barreling down on both Naruto and Shizune which sent them skidding back. From their new placement on the battlefield both Leaf ninja watched as their opponent was lost in a wild tornado of ink-black chakra. A heavy pressure began to settle over the area and soon Naruto noticed Shizune was having trouble breathing.
"Hey, what's going on, what's he doing to you!?"
Shizune tried to answer, one could see it in the way her lips shaped to form words, but all that the kunoichi could manage were gasps for air before she dropped to her knees. The young woman braced herself against the tattered earth with her bare hands while staring in horror at the visible spectacle of power a feet in front of her. While being a medic-ninja one would think Shizune hadn't much combat experience, but being Lady Tsunade's apprentice afforded the brunette more opportunities than most seasoned chunin thanks to the many attempts on the older woman's life by angry debt collectors. And yet, even in all those years of service, Shizune was sure she'd never felt a power this evil before.
'Whatever that pill was that he took,' the woman gasped fitfully as she pondered. 'It's way beyond anything I know about chakra enhancement. T-This must be Orochimaru's handiwork.'
The display was over soon after it began, and Shizune was finally able to gulp down mouthfuls of air, but the woman soon lost it all again when she looked upon Kabuto Yakushi and his newly transformed state. Whatever ragged remains there had been of his high-collard shirt were stripped away by the flurry of chakra, leaving behind a clear look at the young rogue's bare torso; as well as the grotesque patches of white scales that now littered the tanned flesh. Along the teen's forearms were a series of raised spines, each one equally bone-white and at least four fingers thick, ending in razor-sharp points. Kabuto's fingernails had morphed into a dangerous set of claws too, while the veins pulsing in his wrist drew attention up towards his newly acquired physique. He wasn't overly muscled, but had become significantly blockier when compared to his original scrawny body. The muscles twitched rapidly however, showing Shizune that they were in pain from the nearly instant change. A shift of Kabuto's shoulders finally had the female medic-ninja looking at his face, and she nearly gagged at what was revealed.
A frightening mix of Kabuto and Orochimaru stared her down. A past-white patch of skin surrounded Kabuto's left eye, like a bruise, and lined the edge of his jaw along the right side of his face as well. His cheeks had begun to sink in on themselves, giving the boy a hauntingly similar look to the mad man he idolized while still allowing him to retain some semblance of self. Kabuto's ponytail had come undone, allowing his silver hair to splay wildly around his face and fan out around his neck and shoulders. Yet as horrid as the rest of this transformation looked, what Shizune found the most sickening was Kabuto's left eye...the eye of Orochimaru. It was just as sickly yellow, held just as much malice as the original that Shizune almost couldn't believe it was on any other person's face but the man himself.
Then Kabuto grinned, and revealed that his canines had sharpened as well, the new set of fangs gleaming under the risen sun. "I see my new look has left you speechless; it had the same effect on me as well the first time, so don't feel bad. Besides, I'd think it only natural that my Lord's work be recognized for the revolutionary masterpiece that it is."
"What the hell are you going on about; what masterpiece!?" Naruto cried out as he switched from his ninjato to Kubikiribocho. "All I see is that you've made yourself even uglier than before."
Kabuto's eyes narrowed at that insult, and a frown took the place of his smirk. "Trust a simpleton such as yourself to not see true genius even when it stands before them. What both you and Miss Shizune have just become the first outsiders to witness is the field test of the Oni pill; my Lord Orochimaru's personalized version of the chakra enhancement pill. Where the original merely replenishes chakra in a large burst, this new creation imbues those who ingest it with a fraction of my Lord's own power. It's similar to the curse mark, but much less fatal as the effects aren't permanent. However that time limit won't save either of you...because you'll both be dead long before I reach it."
With that declaration Kabuto vanished in a display of speed that far outclassed anything Naruto had seen from the older boy before. The shuffling of earth and grass behind him let Naruto know however that his enemy was trying for his blind spot, and allowed him to use a substitution so as to avoid having his head cleaved from his shoulders.
Reappearing beside a shaken Shizune, Naruto grabbed the woman's shoulder and hauled her to her feet just as Kabuto vanished again. "Come on Miss Shizune, you're supposed to be a Jounin right? Can you follow his movements or not!?" The blonde knew he'd gotten lucky that first time, Kabuto obviously wasn't used to the great increase in his speed, but the villainous teen was smart and Naruto had no doubt he'd figure it out soon. He needed Shizune's eyes if he was going to stand a chance.
Pulling herself from her stupor Shizune rapidly blinked away the still image of Kabuto's disgusting new form and focused on the battlefield. It was difficult at first locating her target, as he'd already been moving and she wasn't focused on him at the time, but Shizune's battle experience soon took hold and she was able to pin down the slippery traitor. "Yes, I see him, but Naruto I don't know how much good that'll do us. Neither of us has the power to beat him head on, and I doubt we'll be able to defend against him for very long even if we just stand still."
"I know that," the blonde conceded. "But all I need is one good hit and I think I'll have a way to at least try. Besides, I've felt this power before, back during the chunin exams. Orochimaru came at me and my team, so that he could put his curse mark on Sasuke, but before that he showed us a bit of his true power; this feels just like that. And while I may not have been able to beat him at the time, I do think I can take Kabuto, he said it himself this is a field test for that pill. That means he has no real understanding of the level of power he's got under all that scaly muscle, or how to control it."
Suddenly Shizune's eyes widened and she tensed her body for a fight. "I hope you're right about all that Naruto, because here he comes!"
Almost immediately after her warning Shizune thrust out her arm and launched a number of senbon from the mechanism on her wrist. Kabuto batted those aside with the spines on his forearm and went on to drive his knee viciously into the woman's gut. The hefty blow struck true and tore the ground out from under Shizune's feet before sending her barreling back in a heap of limbs. Still off the ground from his attack however Kabuto found himself ill prepared to defend against Naruto as he turned his zanbato on the transformed spy. A quick act of speed managed to save the older boy from being cut in half though, as he caught the massive blade in his hand and then twisted himself over the flat of it to land safely on his feet. Blood dripped from the open wound in Kabuto's hand but the teen payed it no mind as he pivoted to deliver a furious spin-kick to Naruto's chest; the sound of ribs breaking under the weight of his strike filling Kabuto with immense, twisted satisfaction.
Or at least, it would have, if it wasn't revealed Naruto had made use of the substitution technique once again. Growling in outrage at being deceived, Kabuto almost went to take his frustrations out on the still downed Shizune, but then a shadow from above alerted the older boy that his enemy was trying for an aerial attack. Turning his head up, Kabuto watched as Naruto came down fast, like a hawk swooping in to claim its prize, only this time when the blonde went to swing his mighty sword the bespectacled traitor simply raised his arm and blocked it with the spines jutting from his skin. The sense of satisfaction didn't last long however, as Kabuto watched his opponent make a single-handed sign...and a second Naruto appeared on the ground in front of him!
"You've really gotta stop thinking you're the smartest guy in the room you freak!" The clone taunted as he thrust his own Kubikiribocho forward in an effort to impale the transformed Kabuto. However, even caught off-guard the older boy's new speed allowed him to block this attempt as well, trapping the copied blade in between two of the protrusions on his other arm.
"And you've really gotta stop believing that you're any match for a shinobi of my caliber, Naruto." Kabuto hissed back before he jerked his left arm forward, bringing the clone in close enough so that he could dispel it with a well-placed kick to the sternum, before swinging his newly freed arm up to swipe his claws at the Naruto he still stood in a stalemate with. The blow hit home this time around...but only so as to reveal this other Naruto to be an exploding clone; the blast being powerful enough to rock Kabuto into a stumbling flyback that left his ears ringing and his vision white.
This was all the time Naruto needed to help Shizune recover before activating his Hidden Mist technique. The shroud settled slower than the blonde would have liked, but he assumed quickly that it was due to the lack of moisture out in such an open field, much like back during his battle with Ten-Ten. Yet despite this drawback both Naruto and Shizune were saved from being seen by Kabuto before it was completed, and so the pair were safe long enough for the blonde Uzumaki to enact the next part of his plan. Biting down on his thumb, Naruto quickly summoned a trio of wolves from their realm and held out the edge of his blade; the one still spattered with Kabuto's blood.
"You let yourself get hit on purpose." Shizune realized as she finished fixing his ribs with the help of the Nine-Tails. "It was all so you could use these wolves to keep track of Kabuto's movements in your mist."
"I said before that I could beat him, but I never meant in straight head-to-head combat Miss Shizune, he's still too fast for me even with my increase in speed. No, I'll need to do this the hard way, and hope that my skills in the Silent Kill technique prove sharp enough to finish him off. I should have the advantage though, since I doubt Kabuto knows too many ways to disrupt my mist, and probably doesn't have a whole lot of experience facing my type of fighting style."
"In any case I think it's best that we move from here," Shizune countered with a whisper. They'd kept their voices low, but now she believed it best they be as quiet as possible. "It wouldn't do to sit in the same spot he last saw me lay, just in case he decides to check here too."
Naruto nodded in grim understanding and, after sending two of his wolves away, moved with the other and Shizune to find a better hiding spot.
Kabuto himself had since recovered from his ordeal with the exploding clone and was furious with rage. Yes, his wounds had healed thanks to the power of the Oni pill, but that did nother for his wounded pride as it bled out from being humiliated by some Leaf village punk! And now he'd lost the other boy, as well as the stupid woman in this ridiculous Kiri technique! "What's this now, the great Naruto Uzumaki running away!? What kind of future Hokage flees in the face of their enemy? I truly expected better from someone Konoha decided was skilled enough to be given the rank of chunin, but I guess you really are all talk and no action; a true disgrace to the name Demon of the Mist! Zabuza Momochi's probably rolling in his grave right now!"
That last taunt seemed to do the trick, as Kabuto soon found himself twisting to avoid being separated from his lower-body. The last minute evasion however did still earn the transformed teen a gaping laceration along his hip before he reached out and snatched the large blade out of the air so it didn't get lost in the mist. Gnashing his teeth so as to fight through the pain, Kabuto held up the Kubikiribocho and gloated into the thick fog. "And now you abandon your weapon? Truly shameful Naruto; I expected so much more from you—Gah!"
The taunts ended with a cry of immense pain as a set of jaws clamped down in a grueling fashion on his right calf. The pain caused Kabuto to drop the zanbato before he turned to regard whatever had attacked him. He only caught a glimpse of the wolf, its fur lined with bright yellow runes, before the beast melted back into the mist. Kabuto didn't have much time to think on this though before a similar agony befell his left shoulder; this time the attacker had jump on his back, their claws doing extra damage as they sought out flesh to grip into. Blood trailed down the bespectacled teen's shoulder blade, leaving behind crimson stains that thickened whenever the wolf shuffled its jaw around the open wound in an effort to get more flesh to rip. Kabuto flailed a bit with the mighty animal clinging to his muscular frame before seemingly having enough and reaching back to grab the summoned wolf by the skull.
"Play time's over Fido!" The disgruntled villain snarled before closing his fingers tightly around the bones of the fierce predator, and yanking its mouth away from his damaged flesh. Small chunks of meat went flying through the air but Kabuto's anger didn't allow him to feel the pain of having his body torn apart, the adrenaline instead giving him the increased strength to whip his animal assailant over his shoulder and throw it to the ground. The impact proved more than the summon could take though, and it returned to its realm in a cloud of smoke. Huffing in a show of exertion coupled with indignation, Kabuto turned his attention back to the heavy mist that continued to cloud his vision.
"So is this your strategy then Naruto, to have your little pets come after me? Not very brave of you to let them take all the damage in your stead you know; very un-Hokage like." Anger mixed with the rush brought on by the Oni pill had left Kabuto's normally collected mind in a state of disarray and primal hunger. The power had literally gone to his head. As such, the bespectacled young man kept up his taunts while stalking through the dense obstruction that was Naruto's Hidden Mist technique, his enhanced senses being the primary tools Kabuto now used to find his prey. This allowed him to notice Shizune coming at him before the woman had even reach him. "Surely the apprentice of a Sannin can do better than this?"
Kabuto struck out in the direction he'd both heard as well as smelled the brunette coming from, a grin stretched across his face in show of malicious glee, and was thoroughly surprised to find that what he hit was not Shizune, but Naruto's ninjato as the blonde raised the finely-crafted blade to block his claws. Eyeing his unexpected adversary Kabuto quickly realized why he'd been confused; Naruto was draped in Shizune's haori top! The ash-colored cloth reeked heavily of the owner's scent, easily masking that of Naruto's own, and giving him an edge of surprise with this latest attack. Somewhere in the analytical part of Kabuto's newly warped brain the older boy had to give his foe a grudging bit of respect for the plan.
'But wait,' the silver-haired youth realized as he pressed firmly against Naruto's attempt to break his guard. 'If her haori is here, then where is Shizune!?'
The feeling of senbon needles impacting perfectly with his still wounded calf answered the rogue-ninja's mental question in a painful way. While the demon pill allowed for enhanced regeneration, it wasn't as fast acting as that belonging to a Jinchuuriki, and thus there were still open wounds for Shizune's weapon of choice to penetrate and begin spreading the poison coating the tips. Kabuto felt his leg burn immensely before his nerves flared in true agony; the poison seemed fast acting, and held in the small realm of rare toxins the pill did not grant immunity to. Something personally concocted by either the woman herself, or her Sannin master no doubt. However Kabuto didn't allow this to stop him, and he grit his teeth before barring down on Naruto with his full strength.
Despite his intense training the blonde found himself starting to buckle under the power of Kabuto's new form. Naruto's muscles screamed at him to get away with every inch those claws grew closer, and that's when he recalled his training session from a few days ago. Letting his defenses fall, and his body to go slack, Naruto twisted away from the oncoming set of razor-sharp daggers that were Kabuto's nails. Searing pain let Naruto know that he hadn't managed the maneuver unscathed but the free shot it gave him at Kabuto's entire torso more than made up for the temporary damage. Pulling his zanbato from its sheath against his back Naruto whipped the large blade around and sliced a clean, diagonal line from the older boy's right shoulder all the way down to his opposite hip. Blood sprayed from the wound like the spigots he'd seen water lawns back in Konoha, and Naruto quickly found himself spattered with the crimson life liquid. However the blonde didn't let this shake his composure, knowing that balking at the grueling display could cause an immediate shift in the tide of battle, and so when his blade met with the ground like he intended Naruto performed one of his favorite moves by using the handle of the large zanbato as a springboard that allowed him to land a viscous kick to the very center of Kabuto's sternum.
And while the older boy's new form obviously granted him a new sense of durability, Naruto's full-powered attack proved just strong enough to send the muscular boy flying off his feet and stumbling back while howling in pain.
But Naruto wasn't done just yet. Thrusting out his palm, the blonde Uzumaki unleashed his seal-less ninjutsu whose barreling power blasted Kabuto back to just where Naruto wanted him. "Shizune, now!"
"On it, Naruto!" The woman acknowldeged. Coming out of the thick mist the Jounin-level kunoichi sped through a series of hand-seals before unleashing a C-ranked earth-style jutsu. "Earthly Upheaval!"The ground itself rumbled dangerously before a series of deep cracks shifted the very plates themselves and left them to split apart and create a number of jagged miniature mountains along the battlefield. Leaping into the air so as to avoid being caught in her own attack, Shizune in her mesh shirt lined her right hand with a chakra scalpel and came down aiming to drive it straight through the disoriented Kabuto's spinal cord.
Unfortunately, the pair allowed themselves to get caught up in their perceived victory, and so neither of them noticed that Kabuto had actually regained his footing just as Shizune had made it into the air! So, just when the medic-ninja was within reach the bespectacled villain turned on a dime, and caught her by the throat.
Bringing Shizune close Kabuto chuckled darkly, his eyes lit with an evil flame as his grip tightened around the woman's soft neck. "Aw, and it was such a good plan you two thought up too; a shame you underestimated my ability to regain my balance Miss Shizune. Because that'll be the last mistake you ever make."
With that, Kabuto reared his hand back before driving it forward to bury it into the female ninja's stomach.
xXx
