Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys it's time. Orochimaru is here. (Also Rouge One is today! Hell yeah!)
Chapter 37
Predator's and Prey
Time slowed down for everyone present as Naruto coated in a translucent flickering blue aura flew through the air at blistering speed as he reached out his hands for his teammate. Orochimaru picked up on the sudden spike in chakra as his experienced eyes tracked a fast moving blue blur on an intercept course with his prey. Naruto's speed proved to be instrumental as he managed to reach Sasuke mere moments before Orochimaru's extended neck did. Naruto jumped to a far off tree branch with Sasuke hanging off his shoulder with exhaustion clearly written all over his face.
"Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he never took his eyes off of Orochimaru. He watched as the man retracted his neck back into its default position as he rolled it around to make the bones pop back into place. "I think so… you cut it close this time Naruto. He's too powerful… I threw everything I had at him but it wasn't enough." Sasuke wheezed out breathlessly as he sucked in ragged breaths. Using his new Fire Style Jutsu took its toll on him as he was now experiencing chakra exhaustion and fatigue.
Sakura jumped up onto the branch with them raced over to join her teammates. "Naruto you're back? What happened to you? Where are the girls?" Sakura fired off question after question as she looked pale and frightened. It was clear she was hanging on to her composure with sheer will power alone. She was scared and terrified of the situation they were in. "Sakura I'm fine. Just got a little side tracked on the way back. The girls are safe to." Naruto reassured in a soft tone. 'At least I hope they are.' Naruto silently thought to himself. Although he could feel their presence in the back of his mind again it didn't help ease his worry for them.
"Can you stand?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he helped support his weight. "Barely, I'm out of chakra from that last Jutsu I used." Sasuke replied as he tried to separate himself from his teammate but he didn't have enough strength to stand on his own. "Here take my chakra. It should give you a boost. It's not much though." Naruto said as he pumped his chakra which he made sure to lace with a potent layer of Iris's aura into Sasuke's body which had immediate affects. The stab wound he noticed Sasuke had in his leg sealed up in moments. The many scratches and cuts littering Sasuke's body also closed up and he felt his chakra return to him. "It's not much so you'll still feel tired but I need your help. We can't run from him. We have to stand and fight; and hopefully slip away during the fight if we can get him slowed down. Do you think you're up for it?" Naruto asked Sasuke with a serious gaze in his eyes.
Naruto knew running from someone like Orochimaru was pointless. He would catch them in moments and kill them. Their only chance is to fight and hopefully slip away while he's distracted or temporarily incapacitated. Sasuke's response was to give his ever common grunt but a small smirk was on his face. "That's if you can keep up." Sasuke shot back while rolling his shoulder. "That's funny considering which one of us is the faster one." Naruto replied as he felt his chakra raging throughout his body. He needed all of it if he was to even survive against a shinobi of Orochimaru's caliber.
"Well now this is interesting. I never would have expected you to make it back so soon. It's nice to meet you Naruto Uzumaki." Orochimaru greeted with a leathery tone of voice. His tongue was partially out as he stared down Naruto and Sasuke with barely concealed interest.
A shiver went up both boy's spines as they could easily feel the Snake Sannin's interest in them from a mile away. "Sorry to disappoint you but your pet snake won't be eating for a while. Orochimaru." Naruto glared back as he psyched himself up for the battle ahead of him. It was probably going to be his toughest one yet. He could feel Eva's ever comforting Yōki flowing through his chakra network as the two partners fully synced up. In the coming battle they would be fully in tune with each other and would be able to accurately and quickly respond to each other's needs and fight as one.
"You know my name and even managed to dispatched one of my summons. Very good. You might entertain me just as much as young Sasuke here did." Orochimaru said in anticipation as he felt Naruto's chakra stir. He wasn't a sensory type ninja but due to his age and experience he could instinctively tell when someone was using chakra around him.
'There's no point in hiding my Ice Style from him. I'm going to need everything I've got if we are to even have a hope in surviving this encounter.' Naruto silently contemplated to himself as he formed a sword in his hand made out of ice. This sword however wasn't the usual sword he creates. It wasn't the usual Wakizashi Type sword that fits his height and style of combat. This sword he created is called a Chokutō. A straight single edge sword of moderate length. Naruto's Wakizashi's that he usually creates are in essence shorter versions of a Katana. A Wakizashi is called the companion sword and is worn alongside a katana in what is called a Daisho pair. All samurai carry a Daisho pair on them to be recognized traditionally as a samurai. The Wakizashi's are rarely used and are typically good for indoor combat with their shorter reach and greater dexterity. This is exactly the attributes Naruto needs since with his inferior height wielding a katana would be generally impractical for him and would only hinder him. The Wakizashi was just short enough for him to wield with his dual wielding style and because the swords are short and mostly one handed Naruto doesn't have to worry about the two swords getting in each other's way when he fights. In the back of his mind Naruto did want to transition over to using a pair of katana when he gets older to keep within his comfortable fighting style.
After the Chokutō was fully formed Naruto tossed it over to Sasuke who caught it comfortably with his hand. Naruto then with practice ease and with barely a thought created his twin pair of Wakizashi swords in his hands to use in his favored dual wielding style of combat. Over the last few months Shoko has been teaching Naruto to use a more traditional one blade style of combat and that has been coming along smoothly but using a style he hasn't completely mastered yet would only end up getting him killed in this encounter.
"Interesting. The Ice Style Kekkei Genkai. You are full of surprises. Or is that even Ice Style at all?" Orochimaru commented as he took keen notice of the fact that the coloring of the ice was darker than normal. In fact, the ice was amethyst color which signified that it was filled to the brim with Yōki. "You'll find out soon enough." Naruto retorted as he slid into his preferred stance. One blade in a reverse grip behind his back while the other was in a standard grip held across his chest in a ready position.
"Very well. This experiment is going better than I could have ever possibly hoped for. I'll entertain myself with you two just a little while longer. After all you did interrupt me when I went to give young Sasuke a parting gift. I have to correct that error after all." Orochimaru said as he leaned his head back and opened his mouth. What happened next caused all of Team 7 to want to vomit. A snake extended itself from Orochimaru's mouth and out of the snake's mouth came the handle to a sword. A long double edge Jian unsheathed itself from the snakes mouth with the handle being black with grey bandages over it. A tan colored hilt and a jewel that looked like a snake's eye was also on the handle of the sword.
Once the sword was fully unsheathed Orochimaru caught it after it tipped over and fell out of the snake's mouth. The snake retracted itself back down into Orochimaru's throat and the older man leaned his head back down to stare at his prey who had visually disturbed looks on their faces.
"Come entertain me." Orochimaru goaded as he casually held his sword down by his side with one hand. 'Let's see if he's anything like her? What skills did they pass down to him other than the Nine Tails?' He wasn't taking them serious enough to actually use a stance. It was insulting but at the end of the day well earned. Even with all three of them combined they still didn't hold a candle to the Legendary Sannin before them. But it also didn't mean they weren't going to at least try. "Sakura get ready to leave at a moment's notice alright." Naruto warned as he turned and gave Sasuke a brief look.
Are you ready?
That looked carried that question and much more and all Sasuke did was silently shake his head yes. With that an unspoken agreement formed between the two as they took off so fast that Sakura couldn't even properly respond to Naruto's earlier statement. Naruto took the high ground as he zoomed down a branch that was situated above Orochimaru's position with Sasuke coming in from below at an angle. Both teammates were moving far faster than any Genin seen before as they became nothing but blurs. To Orochimaru they were practically speed walking. For Genin it was beyond impressive and Orochimaru was silently impressed himself but he's seen many people far faster than them. Far faster.
Naruto descended with a spinning overhead slash that Orochimaru casually deflected with a wave of his sword. Naruto felt the jarring vibrations shake his body to its core as he slammed into Orochimaru's lazy defenses that were apparently more than enough to stop him. Seeing Sasuke moving into position Naruto took his other sword and knocked Orochimaru's sword off course to give Sasuke a clear shot at his exposed mid-section. This never came to be as Orochimaru lashed out with a snap kick that knocked Sasuke's sword out of his hand and sent him reeling. Jumping off of Orochimaru's shoulder Naruto grabbed Sasuke's sword in his mouth as he blocked a simple thrust attack from Orochimaru who was still casually holding his sword with one hand.
Naruto with a shake of his head tossed Sasuke his sword back as he attempted to go low and get into the Sannin's guard. With his sword back in his hand Sasuke went high to balance out Naruto's attack but Orochimaru twisted his body around in a way that should not even be possible as both Naruto and Sasuke's attacks sailed above and below him with room to spare. Now horizontally in midair Orochimaru lashed out with a quicker slash than before in hopes of cutting Naruto in two but he wasn't expecting Naruto to stab one of his swords into the ground and use it as a pivot point for him to lash out with a round house kick. The blow was parried by Orochimaru who switched his slash attack to a defensive cover but as he recoiled he took notice of the light layer of ice that formed on his sword.
Smiling Orochimaru grabbed onto the tree branch they were fighting on and swung himself all the way around the branch to come up on Naruto's vulnerable side but Sasuke was right in position as he successfully blocked a strike from the Sannin's sword that would have caught Naruto in the head. Sasuke traded rapid fire blows with Orochimaru who had amusement clear in his eyes. He was enjoying himself much more than he originally anticipated and he was going to milk it for all its worth. Naruto now with safe footing moved back in with renewed vigor as he traded even faster blows with Orochimaru due to having two swords to use. Sasuke came in from behind Orochimaru's back and started hacking away at the experienced shinobi's defenses who was twirling his sword around his body from front to back blocking and deflecting each strike with precision the two boys simply didn't have.
When Naruto went high Sasuke would go low. When one would attack the other would defend. When one needed to maneuver themselves into a better position to attack the other would cover for the other and keep Orochimaru's attention occupied. When one was attacking head on the other would leap over their shoulder to press the attack. They were a well-oiled machine that had Orochimaru silently salivating at their talent and coordination. The Snake Sannin could feel his interest in both boys steadily increasing with each clash of swords and it was making him more excited as time went on.
Naruto and Sasuke pulled back to get some room to rest as the high speed combat was starting to take its toll on them. Naruto looked at his swords and noticed dozens of cuts littered all over them from coming in contact with Orochimaru's Jian. Naruto took notice that Sasuke's sword was in the same condition as well. 'That sword must be the Legendary Sword of Kusanagi that Shoko once told me about. She said it's so sharp and indestructible that it can cut through almost anything. Even diamonds can take considerable damage from it.' Naruto contemplated with a wary gaze at Orochimaru's intimidating sword. Luckily their swords were made out of pure Yōki. It wasn't completely invulnerable to the Kusanagi but it was decently resistant to it.
Naruto and Sasuke shared a look with each other as they both started to speed through hand signs each at a fast pace. 'Let's switch things up. We can't do much to him with Kenjutsu especially since we run the risk of breaking our swords so Ninjutsu is the only thing we can fall back on.' Naruto rationalized as he sucked in a huge breath. Sasuke was along the same mind set as he completed his hand signs at the same time as Naruto.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"
A massive tidal wave of flames came billowing out from in front of the Genin duo as the tree branch in front of them was incinerated from the intense heat which was on a crash course with Orochimaru who looked ecstatic at the combination teamwork his enemies were showing off. Orochimaru mouthed something but Naruto and Sasuke couldn't hear what he said due to the loud roar of their own attack. Before their combined attack could reach its target it was rebuffed by a billowing gale of ominous purple colored wind that was actually managing to shred through the fire storm with ease.
While this was going on Sakura wasn't being idle as she went about setting up simple traps to try to distract Orochimaru or even get him to set one off. She didn't think he would fall for one but the fact that he would become aware of them and devote some of his time to acknowledging them was her intent. He would be distracted at the very least. That was all Sakura could really hope for. Unfortunately, her plan wouldn't go as smoothly as she would hope. Indeed, Orochimaru was aware of Sakura's meddling and he was even aware of where all of her traps were and it was because of that reason he backtracked a few paces so that he could purposely set one off.
It was a simple trap with two kunai next to each other and a string attaching them. A trip wire in essence. Orochimaru quickly set the trap off as he back pedaled since Naruto and Sasuke seeing their combination Jutsu fail decided to press their attack once more by getting in close with Kenjutsu. Two smoke bombs were set off as a result of Orochimaru activating Sakura's trap and because of that Naruto and Sasuke couldn't see the Sannin's counter attack. Two vipers flew out of the smoke screen before either Naruto or Sasuke could react and slammed directly into the both of them. The snakes bit down on their swords shattering them in their powerful jaws as the momentum from the snake's slammed both Genin into nearby trees.
"You two should know better than to charge your enemy without proper spatial awareness. You should have been aware of what kind of trap your ally had set up so that you would know if it could be used against you." Orochimaru lectured as the two vipers which were revealed to be coming out of his sleeves were attempting to bite down on Naruto and Sasuke. It let the others know that he was using the Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu. A specialty and favorite of Anko's. Naruto quickly froze the snake trying to bite him as he jumped to his feet all the while Sasuke blew a small fire ball directly into the snake's face causing it to back off which allowed him space to return to his feet as well. Orochimaru smiled as he saw the damage to his two snakes when he retracted them.
Naruto glared at Orochimaru as he realized he would have to go all out. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as his chakra spiked to unreal levels as over four dozen shadow clones formed around them in the surrounding trees each with a serious gaze in their eyes. However, Naruto's chakra was still boiling over as he and his clones started to go through multiple hand signs while others started to clap their hands together in their signature stance. "Sasuke let's go!" Naruto called out as he and his clones took off in multiple directions as they surrounded Orochimaru and kept moving. 'I've never done this before but screw it!' Naruto thought as what he was about to do was something he's never done before.
"Wind Style: Gust Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"
"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!"
"Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!"
"Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu!"
"Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu!"
"Ice Style: Icicle Bullets Jutsu!"
It was an onslaught of Ninjutsu never seen before. Naruto was unintentionally taking full advantage of his status as a Jinchūriki and the host to a powerful entity like Sōkyoku. The amount of chakra Naruto was expelling was unreal and something a normal human being could never produce. The first to hit was Naruto's Ice Prison Jutsu as it froze Orochimaru's legs to the ground. The next to hit was Naruto's ground spears as they impaled Orochimaru in the legs who was now retaliating after getting over his silent awe at the sheer amount of chakra Naruto was producing as it expelled from him in rippling waves.
The multiple barrages of ice attacks converging on Orochimaru's position was being enhanced after passing through the funnel of Naruto's multiple wind related techniques. Naruto's water related techniques were forming walls of raging waters around the area to prevent Orochimaru from retaliating with any long range attacks as well as dousing his position to keep him disoriented. Sasuke wasn't idle either as he went through a quick chain of hand signs to prepare one of his favorite Jutsu. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Taking a deep breath Sasuke released multiple beach ball sized fire balls in rapid succession and each of them was red hot. His control of this Jutsu having improved after he started to hang around Naruto's apartment and subsequently Iris.
But that wasn't all to the impressive chain of attack. A few of Naruto's clones were hanging in the back ground and with a simple hand sign they used the Substitution Jutsu on Sasuke which caused him to switch places with that clone. With this new development Sasuke was now shooting a barrage of fire balls from a different location and angle. This was happening in a rapid sequence of events as the remaining clones were acting as slingshots actively transporting Sasuke to different angles to keep up the vicious onslaught that no Genin should be capable of producing.
Orochimaru wasn't being idle either as he took his Kusanagi sword and cut through the ice freezing him to the ground as well as the icicle shards impaling him in the legs. Once free Orochimaru masterfully deflected the copious amounts of wind enhanced ice shards flying at him with his Kusanagi sword causing the ice projectiles to shatter on contact with his weapon. He would have done more but the relentless flood of water pouring down on him was making it hard to move as the pressure of the water was heavy and he could also detect trace amounts of Yōki laced into both the water and wind buffeting him.
He wasn't making as much progress as he would have liked and Orochimaru was thinking of disconnecting the chakra from his feet so that the raging water would wash him off the thick tree branch he was fighting on and into a better position but he wouldn't get the chance as multiple fireballs exploded around him after they came in contact with the rushing water around them. The combo attacks did their jobs as massive explosions of steam and hot air was erupting all over the place disorienting the Snake Sannin even more than before. Soon the area was being filled up by a massive steam cloud that couldn't be seen out of and that was what Team 7 was hoping for. Naruto was ready to retreat as he and Sasuke shared a look of agreement. Sakura was nearby with a clone of Naruto standing protectively near her ready to take her away at a moment's notice since even as a group they wouldn't be able to take the Sannin down so escaping when presented an opening was their only chance. With all the steam created from their attacks covering the area it would make for the perfect opportunity to slip away. But unfortunately their chance would slip away as Naruto felt a spike in Orochimaru's chakra.
"Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes!" Orochimaru shouted as dozens upon dozens of large snakes shot out of his sleeve and coiled around his body in the form of a large dome shaped barrier that was preventing the gallons upon gallons of water that was falling from reaching him anymore. Now properly protected Orochimaru decided now was the time to go on the counter offensive as most of the snakes uncoiled from the barrier and lashed out at the closes clones surrounding him and with swift vectors they killed all of the clones producing the bone crushing water style attacks. The remaining clones switched focus to destroying Orochimaru's snakes who detached themselves from his sleeve giving him the opportunity to take off into a neck breaking sprint at Team 7.
Orochimaru's lower body transformed itself into a snake as he moved across the surface of the trees with increased speed and dexterity. Team 7 was higher up in the trees as they were trying to make an escape but seeing the very fast threat incoming Naruto without thinking rebounded off a nearby tree and rocketed himself back into the fray. His clones were doing their best to keep the extra snakes roaming around at bay but they were noticeably failing as time dragged on so Naruto had to make a move. Seeing the ridiculous speed Orochimaru was moving at now indicated to Naruto that he would need to step his game up to its maximum. "Acceleration!" Naruto yelled as his body took on a light blue hue as he was covered by the flickering cloak of chakra that looked like fire.
Naruto shattered the bark on a nearby tree as he shot himself straight at Orochimaru who had a look of anticipation on his face. Summoning his swords Naruto let out a bellowing war cry as he and Orochimaru clashed in midair. "Fascinating. You truly are a fascinating child. All of these impressive skills and techniques. I especially want to know what this technique is." Orochimaru commented as both he and Naruto clashed several times in the air before touching down on a nearby tree branch. "I'm sure you do but I'm not some object you can gawk at and experiment on!" Naruto retorted as he felt his feet touch down on the tree branch.
Naruto and Orochimaru disappeared into blue and grey blurs respectively as they ricocheted off of nearby tree branches as the sound of sword clashing could be heard all across the area. With his Sharingan Sasuke was able to keep track of what was happening but things were getting blurry and out of focus for him to track since his teammate and enemy were going at such high speeds it would make it impossible to see them otherwise. If he had a fully mature Sharingan then he would be able to keep up with their movements with no problem but a combination of him starting to tire out, and him losing chakra was making it hard for him to focus. Naruto on the other hand wasn't taking any chances as he tried to freeze Orochimaru's sword and subsequently his arms every time they clashed and he was met with some success as the Kusanagi sword was freezing but with each clash the ice would just shatter apart as Orochimaru would purposely smash his sword into Naruto's to get rid of the ice building up on it.
'I have to put an end to this! He's moving way faster than I am. He's just toying with me.' Naruto thought through gritted teeth as he stared directly into the slit snake like eyes of Orochimaru who had amusement and excitement in his eyes. "You are outperforming any expectation I may have had of you little Naruto. This is wonderful. I may just take you myself." Orochimaru boasted as he pushed Naruto back with a powerful swing of his sword. 'Take me? What does he mean by that? Was he really after Sasuke this entire time or did he have his mind on me as well? What's his goal?' Naruto furiously thought as he was quickly losing not only ground but the bout with swords happening between him and the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru was outclassing him in Kenjutsu by a fair margin and Naruto was doing everything he could to just stay alive and not get hit.
"I think I'm almost done with my little observation of you children. There's just one more thing I'd like to test out." Orochimaru stated as he suddenly switched gears. He was going fast before but now he was a blur even to Naruto. The experienced Shinobi came in from all sides as he battered Naruto's defenses who was doing every conceivable thing to not get killed. With his enhanced reflexes due to syncing up with Eva as well as using his Accel Turn it was allowing Naruto to just barely be able to anticipate and block Orochimaru's onslaught but Naruto was unable to get a counter attack in anymore as he had to completely switch his game up to a defensive strategy. Naruto's offense had been completely broken.
Seeing his opportunity Orochimaru came in from Naruto's exposed left side with his sword taking on a purplish haze. Naruto immediately felt like his body was set on fire as whatever energy was coating Orochimaru's sword was reacting negatively to Naruto's body. Without any effort at all Orochimaru slashed through both of Naruto's swords in one swift movement causing them to shatter in an explosion of destabilized volatile Yōki. Naruto was flung back from the mini explosion as his body slammed into a nearby tree causing the bark to cave in.
"That was Holy Magic… but how?" Naruto wheezed as he tried to regain the breath that was knocked right out of him. "Very good. So you are knowledgeable about the different kinds of energies in the world. That is very good. I've decided that you are too much of a worthy specimen to let roam free." Orochimaru declared as he went through a very specific chain of hand signs. "That's what he did earlier." Sakura exclaimed as she recognized the hand signs Orochimaru was performing. Without thinking Sakura took out several kunai and threw them down at Orochimaru while Sasuke catching on quickly breathed out a fire ball just as Orochimaru's neck extended like rubber and took off at Naruto's prone form.
Orochimaru had enough forewarning to dodge Sakura's kunai and shuriken and Sasuke's fireball was more than noticeable for someone like him so dodging that would be child's play. However, the interruption those attacks caused gave Naruto the extra few seconds needed to recharge his Accel Turn. In a burst of movement Naruto disappeared right as Orochimaru's fangs were about to bit down into his neck. Ascending further up into the canopy Naruto was planning to meet back up with his teammates so they could escape but Orochimaru had other plans. Retracting his neck Orochimaru took off like a rocket as his lower body was reminiscent of that of a snake. His increased mobility and dexterity allowed him to cross the distance between them in seconds. "Stay back!" Naruto shouted as he went to make a shadow clone to take the incoming hit. Orochimaru's Kusanagi blade was outstretched and was coming into range but the unexpected happened.
Instead of a Shadow Clone spawning into existence, Naruto's cloak flickered as a large chunk of it split itself from Naruto's body and formed a clone of Naruto that had a light blue translucent tint to it and it too was moving at a fast speed. Naruto felt a massive dip in his overall speed as this strange clone spawned in his place. The clone was moving at about the same speed Naruto was and it lashed out with an Accelerating Punch that stalled Orochimaru in midair as he deflected the attack away. "Kenjutsu: X – Scissor!" Naruto screamed as he summoned his swords into his hand without missing a beat and slashed down at Orochimaru with all his strength. The shockwave from Naruto pouring a potent dose of Yōki into his attack threw Orochimaru away into a nearby tree where he shattered the trunk of the tree with the impact of his body.
Naruto managed to use the last bit of his Accel Turn to make it back up to where his teammate was waiting for him as he landed with an unbalanced air around him. "Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Freeze Vision!" Eva herself had decided to get in on the action as she froze the entire area around them due to the fact that Naruto and Sasuke's earlier massive combo attack left the climate in the forest vastly changed. There was a large amount of water vapors lingering in the air due to the steam produced from earlier and just by setting a little bit of it to freeze caused an immediate chain reaction. The entire forest around them started to freeze over with Orochimaru trapped in the center of this rapid change in weather and within a few short seconds the area around them was like a winter wonder land.
"We need to leave now! I don't think I can keep going." Naruto said as he dropped to one knee. A Jinchūriki he may be but even he had his limits. He could feel his chakra depleting at a rapid pace. From the dozens upon dozens of Jutsu's he spammed earlier as well as the many Shadow Clones he needed to create to even make such an attack possible to the overuse of his Accel Turn just trying to keep up with Orochimaru's speed all took its toll on Naruto. When the Snake Sannin hit him earlier with his sword coated in what he suspected to be holy magic it severely depleted his reserves of chakra since it is heavily laced with Yōki especially since he and Eva are currently synced up. Naruto could feel a massive headache pounding away inside his head as exhaustion was starting to take him. Despite having Sōkyoku inside of him it doesn't give him a complete immunity to Holy Magic. His chakra is predominately composed of potent traces of Yōki due to the incredibly close bond he shares with Eva and the near life time they've spent together.
Sasuke was exhausted too since the boost he received earlier from Naruto was starting to wear off and he doesn't have nearly as much chakra as Naruto to throw about. But even he could see this was a hopeless fight to win. The Snake Sannin was just simple out of their league. With those thoughts in mind Sasuke draped Naruto's arm of his shoulder and hoisted him up. They were prepared to jump away and retreat when the all felt a massive spike in chakra. Even though Sakura and Sasuke aren't sensory type ninja they could still feel the buildup of chakra happening below them.
A massive explosion blew away the large ice ball below them and a burgundy colored snake with rusty orange highlights in between its scales ascended into the air from its confinement with its body letting off copious amounts of steam. The snake was generating heat from its scales and it completely melted all the ice around it with just its presence alone. Standing on top of the large snake's head was Orochimaru who had his arms crossed over his chest and a demented look in his eyes. "You two have performed beyond any limitations I would have ever thought you might have. I will have the both of you." Orochimaru declared as he directed his massive snake to charge at the defenseless Genin. Sakura threw an entire handful of kunai and shuriken at the snakes face but the kunai bounced off the red hot scales that was acting like tough armor.
Jumping up to another tree Sasuke tried to get him and Naruto as far away from the snake as possible with Sakura right on their heels but it wouldn't be enough. It may be big but the snake could really move and it soon had the three cornered as it lunged at the Genin intent on swallowing all three of them. Naruto felt a surge of chakra erupt though his body as Eva was pouring as much Yōki into his system as she possibly could. Having her as his ever present backup was always a comforting thought to Naruto.
Naruto lashed out with an Accel Punch that stopped the large reptilian in its tracks from the powerful force behind the punch but do to its thick scales it didn't feel too much of the attack. Since it doesn't have any bones the snake whipped its head around in a fast movement and smacked Naruto away with such force that he smashed through three trees before shattering the bark on a fourth. Blood and spit flew out of Naruto's mouth as he felt some of his ribs break from the jarring blow to his entire body. He felt like he was just smacked by a building. Which wasn't far off the mark since the snake's head was the nearly twice the size of Ichiraku's little ramen shop. Not to mention the rest of its body uncoiled was about 100 feet long.
Without missing a beat, the massive snake whipped its tail around and smacked Sakura away before she could even possibly react sending her crashing through a nearby tree where she fell down at least 10 feet onto another stable branch. She was barely conscious and her vision was swimming but to her credit she was trying to reorient herself and find her balance. Her clothes were ripped in multiple places and dirt was caked up on her body just like her teammates. Naruto and Sasuke's clothes also had a lot of damage done to them as well and they were not much better off either.
Seeing his two teammates down Sasuke tried to make a last ditch effort to make any sort of move as his Sharingan blazed a bright red but even though he saw it coming he could do nothing to defend himself from the snake who heated up its tail and smacked Sasuke into a nearby tree where the young Uchiha's head bounced off the tough bark rattling his brain and nearly driving him into unconsciousness. Sasuke slumped down as his body went limp against the tree. The triumphant look in Orochimaru's eyes didn't leave him as he went through several hand signs. "Now let's try this again."
The Snake Sannin's neck extended forward at blistering speeds as he reached Sasuke before anyone could make a move. Orochimaru opened his mouth wide and bit down on Sasuke's exposed neck drawing a squirt of blood as the man's two long fangs sunk into the Uchiha's skin. A strange phenomenon happened next as three black tomes very reminiscent of Sasuke's Sharingan formed right on the spot Orochimaru bit down on. Retracting his neck Orochimaru watched on as Sasuke's mind finally registered the pain as the young boy screamed in absolute agony.
"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed as he saw his teammate in agony. Something within Naruto seemed to release itself as he felt an immense surge of chakra that wasn't coming from Eva. Hearing both her teammates screaming jarred Sakura awake as she looked up and saw Sasuke above her on a nearby tree branch holding his neck in blistering pain screaming his lungs out. She could hear Naruto responding to this as well and this caused her to shake the cobwebs from her head and sit up. "Sasuke no!" Sakura called out as she scrambled to her feet in a panic. "I've left you with a parting gift Sasuke. You will come to me in search of power. The power I can grant you will allow you to destroy your brother and take your revenge. The leaf village will only hold you back in the end Sasuke. Think on my words young Uchiha." Orochimaru coaxed with his final words to Sasuke as the boy fell over unconscious from the pain.
Before Orochimaru could move he had to brace himself as the large snake recoiled in pain from a blow to its jaw. The snake hissed in pain as it glared at Naruto who was standing protectively in front of his fallen teammate. Naruto's hair was wild and spikier than normal and his whisker marks were more pronounced along with his teeth. His nails were razor sharp and as he looked up Orochimaru could get a clear view into Naruto now blood red eyes with an animalistic vertical slit for a pupil much like his own. Orochimaru took note of the fact that the temperature had dropped drastically almost to the freezing point. Tiny traces of frost were building up on the trees and leaves in the area as Naruto growled at the massive snake in front of him as the snake hissed back in challenge.
The forest around them was getting darker than usual and with a quick glance up Orochimaru noticed that black clouds were above them and black snow was falling onto the canopy above them. Because the canopy was so thick and impenetrable most of the snow only reached the top layers of the trees but a few lucky snowflakes managed to get pass the canopy and reach were the fight was taking place. Since they were actually very high up in the canopy of trees the snow didn't really have to travel far to reach them.
'His Jinchūriki powers and attributes have merged with his unique Kekkei Genkai and Demonic abilities. Fascinating. Truly fascinating. He's now more powerful than ever.' Orochimaru thought as excitement filled him. 'Just like his mother. This is better than anything I could have ever hoped for. However, I must draw my fun time to a close. Sarutobi Sensei will no doubt be on to me soon and my plans can't become unraveled so quickly. Not to mention that old coot Dino has been sniffing around lately. If anyone could disrupt my plans, then it would be him.' Orochimaru contemplated as he gave his snake a signal to attack. 'Time to put an end to this.'
Naruto rocketed forward leaving an ice patch on the tree branch he was just standing on. The clash between the snake's snout and Naruto's fist sent a billowing shockwave of freezing cold air that blew Sasuke's limp body off the tree he was resting on. Seeing this and knowing she wouldn't be fast enough to catch Sasuke from her current position Sakura took out a kunai and threw it with all of her strength right into the path of Sasuke's body. With great luck the kunai stabbed into Sasuke's shirt and pinned him to the tree.
The freezing air didn't bother the snake at all as it heated its body up causing its scales to glow a dull orange. With his enhanced reflexes Naruto dodged the strike the snake sent his way with its tail and before the snake could retaliate Naruto rocketed off the tree he was attached too and slashed at the snake with a vicious claw strike that actually tore through the snake's tough scales and sent steam billowing everywhere. 'He's far faster than ever before. And his strength has drastically improved. Magnificent.' Orochimaru salivated as his snake was having trouble keeping up with Naruto's enhanced speed. 'The Nine Tails power combined with his more demonic attributes are impressive. Not to mention he's only tapping into a drop of the fox's power.'
Orochimaru was jerked out of his thoughts as his large orange snake had to coil itself around a different tree to dodge a powerful strike from Naruto's claw like hand. Flash freezing the tree he landed on Naruto then ricocheted himself directly at Orochimaru himself as he sailed over the snake's large head. 'I've got him.' Orochimaru schemed as his tongue launched itself out of his mouth and wrapped around Naruto's body who was now inches away from clawing his face off. The snake Sannin could feel his tongue start to freeze itself but an application of his own chakra to his appendage stopped the cold wave from reaching the rest of his body.
"You've blown away all of my expectations Naruto. You're in quite the high demand these days. So many parties are interested in you. The trouble you'll cause me if I decide to take you with me will be great but it might be well worth it. If you survive these next few months, then I'll have a place for you by my side." Orochimaru stated as he flexed his hand and pumped chakra into it.
On each of his fingers a purple light of chakra bloomed into existence that looked a lot like fire. In that fire you could see floating Kanji with an astral glow to them of a lighter purple color. At this point in time Sakura had made her way over to Sasuke and unhooked him from the tree she pinned him to. She brought him over to a nearby stable tree where she sat him down to get comfortable. Sakura spied the curse mark on the back of Sasuke's neck and the swollen bite mark on it. 'What is this? What did he do to Sasuke?' Sakura questioned in her mind with panic starting to set in as she looked at her friend and not so secret crush. Over the last few months Sasuke and Sakura have accumulated an actual friendship when Sakura wasn't fangirling over him and when Sasuke wasn't trying to avoid her or others. It was a very slow going process but a steady one.
With Sasuke somewhat safe and secure Sakura turned her attention to her other teammate who was in some form of transformed state. His hair was spiky and freezing cold air was blasting off of him in waves. An almost invisible aura of red chakra was surrounding him as the intensity and killing intent wafting off of Naruto was buffeting like a storm. She couldn't see his eyes or any other noticeable features due to multiple reasons such as the lighting, denseness of the forest and his sheer speed but if she could then she would be shocked to see the drastic changes he had undergone and just how evil it felt. It felt familiar to her and she didn't know why but she couldn't quite place it.
Sakura couldn't even begin to track Naruto's movement as he was going at speeds she couldn't track with her eyes. Everything was going well until she saw Naruto get trapped by Orochimaru's tongue. Now things weren't looking good for Naruto. Sakura didn't know why but she could tell that Orochimaru was after her two teammates. She didn't know why or for what but it was blatantly obvious with the way Orochimaru has been acting and the words he's spoken. His target was clearly her teammates, that much was certain.
Sakura saw Orochimaru's hand light up in a strange light and it looked like he was going to use it on Naruto. Based on the many strange unknown techniques Orochimaru's employed during their fight and seeing the results first hand in the case of Sasuke's current condition she knew that Naruto couldn't get hit with whatever that attack was.
Making her decision Sakura took out several kunai that she attached fake paper bombs too as well as something extra. With no time to spare Sakura threw all the kunai in her hand while subconsciously adding chakra to her muscles which enhanced the speed of her throw. Orochimaru took notice of the incoming kunai as a snake came out of his sleeve and batted away the incoming kunai without much effort. All the while Orochimaru lunged forward with his hand aimed directly at Naruto's stomach which was exposed after Orochimaru lifted up Naruto's shirt.
"Five Pronged Seal!" Orochimaru shouted as his hands came in contact with Naruto's exposed stomach which had his seal visible. Orochimaru felt his moment of triumph slip away however as a flash bang went off wright in his face just as he was making contact with Naruto's seal. It turns out Sakura hit a flash bang tag in the mix of her other kunai and the snake defending Orochimaru failed to notice. Because of this Orochimaru only managed to make three of his fingers come in contact with Naruto's seal instead of all five and through the temporary blinding light of Sakura's flashbang Orochimaru could see an even brighter light shining through and an unimaginable wave of cold air rippling out.
Jutsu Library
1.) Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu – A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.
2.) Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu - The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gateway Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.
3.) ? - An unknown technique that Orochimaru uses that creates a purple tinted wind that is so strong it could completely block and negate Naruto and Sasuke's combined Ninjutsu. It is unknown at this time what energy source is powering the technique but its speculated that it might be Holy Magic.
4.) Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu - This technique allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist or sleeve, usually after a punching motion. The snakes are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can inflict multiple poisonous wounds on the victim's body or hold them in place. The snakes can also open their mouths to extend Kusanagi-like blades. This technique can also be classified as a variation of the Summoning Technique. This technique can also produce snakes from different parts of the user's body.
5.) Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu – The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu is the advanced version of the Jutsu and creates hundreds of clones instead of just the average number.
6.) Wind Style: Gust Jutsu – A low C - Rank Jutsu that creates a gust of wind that blows an opponent off their feet. The unique functionality of this technique however allows for the gust of wind to come from a multitude of places. Ex: Hands (Palms or Fist), Feet, Mouth, or through a weapon (Fan or other weapon that can generated air based on movement).
7.)Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu – A basic water style Ninjutsu the user molds water nature chakra into their mouth before spitting it out into a small scale wave powerful enough to sweep grown men off their feet and knock down light weight objects not tied down or secure to the ground.
8.) Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu – This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.
9.) Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu –This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.
10.) Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu – A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work (Preferably by the feet) the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.
11.) Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu – A Jutsu that Naruto can use that allows him to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them.
12.) Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu – A Jutsu that allows Naruto to create dozens of ice kunai in midair and telekinetically control them and launch them at a target.
13.) Ice Style: Icicle Bullets – A move that Naruto created that allows him to form thin icicles that he can launch at incredible speeds that most people can't track. It has a massive amount of penetration power since it was able to shoot straight through Mizuki's shoulder blade despite the fact that he had on his flak jacket. It pierced through the bones in his shoulder.
14.) Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu - A Fire style Jutsu that is often employed by the Uchiha clan. It is similar to the Fire ball Jutsu in a lot of ways but instead of one large fire ball it creates several small fire balls with half the power of a regular fire ball Jutsu. This Jutsu is often used to hit multiple opponents at once or to bombard a single opponent.
15.) Substitution Jutsu - One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.
16.) Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes - By increasing the amount of snakes summoned with the Striking Shadow Snake Hands, the diversity of this Ninjutsu is increased. The swarm of big snakes appear in an instant, each snake individually doing something like intimidating, diverting, or capturing the enemy in a cooperative attack. Without giving them the time to react, the enemy is entangled.
17.) Acceleration - Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high speed movements.
18.) ? - By accident and desperation Naruto has somehow created a new technique to be added to his High End Skill repertoire. A piece of Naruto's Accel Cloak breaks off and becomes a clone of him that is also using Acceleration by default.
19.) Kenjutsu: X – Scissor - A technique that Naruto created that allows Naruto to cut an opponent in an X formation leaving an x shaped scar across the user's body. For ease of use it works best when duel wielding.
20.) Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Freeze Vision - A technique that allows Eva to freeze anything in her line of vision. It is a move that she instinctively knows and it is one of several that all of the winter fairies are capable of using.
21.) Five Pronged Seal - A powerful technique that is used to block or disturb the target's chakra flow. Once the seal is completed, the target will become unconscious and unable to fight for a short time. The Five Prong Seal is an odd number seal and if it is placed on another seal that has an even number in its formula it will create an imbalance in the person or object and prevent them from correctly using their chakra. They could either loose all connection with their chakra and not be able to use it at all or their chakra control will be severely messed up to the point where anything but the most basic of Jutsu's would be out of their reach.
Author's Note (A/N): So how was that? I know Orochimaru's introduction was a little sudden and the dialogue he spoke didn't really reveal much of his motive but in the following chapters all of that and more will be revealed. I decided to throw Orochimaru right at your faces and in the aftermath we will see what comes of it. Naruto and Sasuke show off their dynamic teamwork and the results of the last few months they've spent training together as friends and partners. Do to Naruto's help Sasuke already knows how to wield a sword and a Chokutō at that which is the same sword he has in the Manga/Anime. The little exert of information regarding the names and lore behind Naruto and Sasuke's swords are all real. I went a did a little research on that particular subject to get my facts right.
Naruto unleashes a Ninjutsu storm of epic proportions as he and his teammates try everything in their power to escape Orochimaru. Many things come out of this chapter such as Naruto accidentally creating a new technique. It comes to a head as Naruto taps into the power of the Nine Tailed Fox after Sasuke was bit by Orochimaru. What has come of the development now that Orochimaru messed up his Five Prong Seal? Only time will tell. So stay tuned for the next chapter and find out.
Next Chapter: (Sound in the Forest)
That's the end of Chapter 37 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 12/16/2016
