Hello, again.
This time, I would like to do a little shout out to HollowGoku90's and Way-nin2012.
HollowGoku90's had ended up bringing an interesting idea when mentioning at least an omake where the brothers are sent to Ponyville. To make it easier, if the first six agree with this, then I'll make it so that something or other ends up connecting places between Equestria/Earth and the Shinobi Lands so that they could interact with their MLP/MLPEG counterparts from canon-start during the canon training trip. This offer lasts until the Chunin Exams show up in this story.
As for making a separate story that centered around that idea, then I'm probably not going to. However, like when I made the 'fanfic of one-shots' suggestion, I am willing to let someone else do it. Just be sure to let people know where the source material came from (including the brothers coming from me), and if you don't mind, let me personally know the name of said 'spin-off.' Straight up, it sounds like an interesting read to me.
Way-nin2012, on the other hand, gave a pretty solid answer to my inquiry to better names for Harpy Sakura. As such, until I get a better one than Way-nin2012 gave me, then Harpy Sakura will be known as 'Blood Blossom' starting this chapter.
Perspective: Sunset/Team 7 (Rarity, Fluttershy, Dash, Jack, and Pinkie will join them in Wave to help deal with Blood Blossom)
Don't own MLP or Naruto, by the way.
Harpy-no, it's Blood Blossom
XXPreviously, on Maelstrom ElementsXX
"You better get through this, Sakura." he said as he was about to turn in for the night himself. "Sun's worrying himself sick over you right now."
"Good to know." a voice he didn't expect replied to what he said, getting him to freeze and slowly turn around as movement from where Sakura was came to his ears. When he fully turned, he gasped in shock and fear.
"Unfortunately, I have a little murdering psychopath to take care of. So if you'll excuse me." She said before moving to a window and opening it. She used it as a launching point to fly off as she 'sang' out, "I'll search high, and low, and far and wide. I'll find that Jashinist, and I'll have his hide!"
Her piercing laughter rang out over the country as Sasuke stood, staring at where Harpy Sakura flew off and left a single feather. His only action when Kakashi came in and demanded an answer as to what happened was, "She's back."
Harpy Sakura...had returned.
XXXXX
Panic and tension was all any of them felt through the night and into the dawn. Sure, her intentions may be on the up and up, but that is no excuse to risk countless innocent lives for one man. Especially in a place that had even less of a chance at fighting back, let alone no chance at all like Nami had.
The two who had it the worse were Sasuke and Sunset. Sasuke, because it was under his watch when it happened, and Sunset, because it was his girlfriend.
Sun had woken up after Haku fixed him, only to learn of what happened from Sasuke himself. It took Kakashi and Zabuza holding him back with Haku convincing him that it wouldn't help at all to keep him from attacking the Uchiha out of misplaced anger. Unfortunately, that left Sun's anger and fear to stew while trying to find Sakura before he lost her for good. Thankfully for him, Kakashi had sent a message in his stead to the Hokage, requesting for him to get Sun's brothers over to them immediately.
Didn't mean he wasn't impatient for something good to happen, though.
He was currently stuck pacing in Tazuna's living room as he tried futilely to scan the surrounding country with his fluctuating chakra. His emotions were getting in the way, similar to his reaction when someone messes with his Zap Cider, just using fear as the catalyst instead of anger. On the couch was Sasuke, who was trying to keep silent out of guilt, but failing fast as Sun was getting on his nerves.
"Will you calm down?" He finally snapped, getting up. "It'll do no good if you can't focus."
"And just how am I supposed to focus?!" Sun shot back, getting in his teammate's face. "We're stuck he while she's out there under something that shouldn't be here at all! We've got no news, so I have no idea whether or not they had found her yet! JUST HOW THE-"
His rant was interrupted by a strangely shaped pink rolling pin hit him in the back of the head, knocking him down to face the floor. Next thing Sasuke noticed was that Pinkie was standing there, and his arm was in place of the rolling pin that was there. Where'd it go, though?
"Sasuke is right, Sun." said Pinkie, dead serious. "It may be your girlfriend, but you're no good to her in a right state like this. Got it?"
Sun rubbed his head as he answered, "Got it."
"I had explained things to the local animals, so we'll have an easier time to find her." said Fluttershy, as he and the others walked into view.
While this little byplay was going on, Tazuna, Tsunami, and later on Inari walked in and saw the six brothers standing together. The old man and his daughter were stunned at how close in appearance they really were, but Inari quickly focused on Dash and rushed up to hug him. "You came back!"
Dash ruffled the boy's hair and smiled. "Hey there, kid. Told you I'd get help."
"While we do have a few things to tell you about, Sun, they can wait until later." said Rare. "Sakura comes first."
Sun teared up at his brothers, but the moment and tension was broken when Rare added, "Although that doesn't mean I won't be working on the detailing once we get this place back on its feet."
"Would you be doing that before, after, or during the celebration?"asked Pinkie, delivering the punch line and a way to de-stress through laughter.
"Thanks you guys." said Sun after they calmed down. "I needed that."
Just then, Kakashi came in, getting their attention.
"Did you find anything?" Sun asked, instantly in the man's face. "Please say yes."
"Sort of." Kakashi told the boys in a serious tone. "We haven't quite found Sakura, but we have found a lead on Hidan and Kakuzu. And since Hidan's her main target-"
"-we can easily have her come to us!" finished Sun, having an idea as to what he was talking about. Kakashi just stuck with agreeing, although he wasn't quite considering just that.
He wasn't about to make things worse.
"Although that doesn't mean we haven't found people seeing her in the sky on occasion." said Zabuza. "So who knows how people will react once they find out the truth."
Really? Kakashi thought exasperatedly as Sun's face started paling at what Zabuza was implying. Did you not feel the mood, Zabuza?
"Let's just get going." said Kakashi. "The sooner we deal with all of this, the better. We already sent word to your workers, Tazuna, so they have the day off until this is settled. Better to keep the three of you here together than out in the open and potentially separate. Haku and Sasuke will be here with you."
"What?!" asked Sasuke. "Why am I stuck here?! I want to help!"
"The point of this is to get Sakura back." explained Kakashi. "Whether you like it or not, you and Haku don't really have anything to add to the mission that Zabuza and I already bring. Not to mention that Sunset and his brothers have the best shot at stopping her. You're more useful here."
"Fair enough." Haku said in acknowledgment. "But there is one thing I don't quite understand about all this."
"And what might that be?" asked Kakashi.
"What exactly about Hidan is so terrible as to cause this to happen in the first place?" the boy asked. "I know Sun said that he's a murdering psychopath, but it shouldn't have caused something like this. It should've made more determined to train to stop him in time, but..."
He trailed off, having no real need to go into more detail. Why exactly did Harpy Sakura come out when not only did it seem like she was completely gone since the last time, but the last time was also because Naruto was...
"She sees Hidan as a partial copy of Fumihiro." Kakashi spoke in realization, before turning to the Uzumaki brothers and Zabuza. "Let's move."
After they left, Haku turned to Sasuke and asked for himself and the Nami citizens, "What was he talking about just there?"
"You might want to sit down for this." Sasuke told them after a few moments of silence. "It isn't exactly something that can simply be shrugged off, to say the least."
Tch. More like an understatement once you got the full details of what Fumihiro and his cohorts did to Naruto, and what Sakura did afterwards.
XXKakashi, Zabuza, and the Uzumaki BrothersXX
After Kakashi's little reveal behind Harpy Sakura's reasoning, the eight set to bring Sakura back were going full sprint to where the two men were told Hidan might be located. Although they did send Dash on ahead to scout. And while Zabuza was somewhat wondering just who Fumihiro was, he wasn't about to let his curiosity get in the way of the job.
He wasn't dumb enough to let upsets like this one consume him, especially since none of the ones from Konoha really understood it either.
I just hope none of this comes back to bite us. Thought Zabuza. We're up against two different versions of immortals, and trying to retrieve a harpy. This is beyond normal, even for a missing-nin like me.
Just then, Dash came back, and bore a grave expression. "She's already found them. We need to hurry."
Sun stumbled at hearing that before speeding up considerably, forcing the others to move faster to try and catch up.
As they ran, they started hearing the sounds of actual battle ahead, followed up by yells, grunts, and swearing.
"Money on Hidan being the one that needs mouthwash." Pinkie quipped, only to get some looks of 'Really, Pinkie? Now?' "He's an insane immortal after all."
They just left it at that as they finally arrived on the scene, and Pinkie was right again.
Hidan was swearing up a storm as he tried swinging at Sakura, only for her to dodge and occasionally let one of Kakuzu's own attacks hit him instead of her. Other times, he simply missed. Fortunately Kakuzu had yet to start using particularly devastating attacks, but he certainly seemed like he was getting pretty close to doing so.
Sakura, on the other hand, was flying overhead, occasionally diving at Hidan with her taloned feet or shooting a few feathers around the place. Although the vines that sprouted up were quickly dealt with by the two before they really became a problem.
"Sakura!" Sun cried, interrupting their battle.
"Sorry, Sunny, but Sakura isn't available right now." she answered, halting him momentarily. "Call me Blood Blossom."
"Let her go, now!" he ordered, a snarl forming on his face as his chakra started fluctuating again. However, unlike earlier times, it started swirling around him, as though it was just waiting for a signal of some sort to go after the 'threat.' It honestly scared the others more than the previous times his chakra acted up, since before it would just sort of lash out, but this time seemed more like a coiling animal ready to strike. And it's 'target' was the self-proclaimed 'Blood Blossom.'
"Hmm..." She voiced in mock thought. "Sorry, but no. Hidan will be dying now."
That seemed to be the cue for Sun's chakra to attack, sending out tendrils at Blossom to capture her. As she flew out of the way, Kakashi, Zabuza, and his brothers engaged Hidan and Kakuzu, albeit with Shy calling out for the local wildlife to help. Granted, it was mainly a couple of birds to help Sun, but then again Shy wasn't a fighter.
Rare, on the other hand, held back for a different reason after a minute or so. He, Jack, and Dash quickly discovered that his crystals seemed to be immune to Hidan's scythe and Kakuzu's...'strings.' This meant that as long as he was kept safe, and they were kept pinned down long enough, he could imprison the two in enough crystal to render them out of the fight. However, he stuck to the group dealing with Hidan after Pinkie said, "Leave Doll Face to me and Dash."
With those words, Pinkie disappeared from view and a pie landed in Kakuzu's face with enough force to make him stumble a couple of steps, only to trip on a stretched out limb. When the limb retracted, Dash rushed in and spun around Kakuzu fast enough to lift him up some and spin him around as well.
With Kakuzu now out of the way, Jack, Rare, Kakashi, and Zabuza engaged Hidan again. Kakashi and Zabuza kept Hidan's scythe occupied, allowing Jack to work on trapping the man long enough for Rare. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done, thanks to Hidan having enough sense to keep an eye out for attacking plants.
"Dangnabbit! Why can't he hold still?!" Jack cried out after another failed attempt. It was getting really frustrating that Hidan kept on moving around at the slightest change in the greenery beneath them.
"I have an idea!" Rare called out in response. "All of you, jump!"
As the they and Pinkie and Dash responded accordingly, Rare focused and slammed his hands down on the ground, sending out a wave of crystals that covered the place and managed to catch Hidan and Kakuzu off guard long enough to imprison their legs. He collapsed afterwards, getting concern from his brothers as they ran over from the two criminals.
"Rare! Are you alright?" Shy asked, being the first to make it to him. He gentled picked Rare up and had the boy lean on him.
"I'm fine, Shy, it just took a lot out of me." Rare answered, clearly tired.
"Now it's just Sun and-oh come on!" Dash said before having to dodge Kakuzu's arm flying at him, leaving Zabuza to pin it to the ground. "Will you give it a rest already?!"
"We have a job to do kid." Kakuzu said. "Nothing personal, but you all and the bird girl are just in the way. Although I'm honestly starting to believe this job isn't worth the meager cash Gato's offering."
"What are you saying you-" Hidan tried to yell before Pinkie stuffed a peach in his mouth.
"No swearing for you!" he scolded, as though he was scolding a child. Kakuzu chuckled a bit at his partner's misfortune. "Not to mention it's because of you being here that Blood Blossom showed up again, so I don't want to hear it, meanie."
Kakuzu was by now starting to laugh at Hidan, but they were all interrupted by an explosion from Sun and Blossom. Next thing they knew, Blossom was sent head first into Hidan's head, knocking her out and turning her back into Sakura. Hidan, in the meantime, got a concussion from the hit instead.
"Are you f-" He started before Pinkie got in his face again with an expression that stunned the criminal, easily saying, "You better not be attempting to swear again. Right?"
Sun was really tired when he finally managed to catch Blood Blossom off guard and knock her out with an Explosive Tag. He idly noticed her revert back to Sakura, and was glad for it, but couldn't do much about it with how extensive his chakra field was working.
Even if he's worked with it before, he hasn't done anything like create an adult-sized hand about 10 meters away from him just yet.
Now he just had to get Sakura back to safety, help deal with the nuke-nins, and figure out a way to deal with Blood Blossom for good.
Like that will be easy. But first, I could use a nap.
In case anyone is wondering, the omake where Sun and the others show up in Ponyville will be next chapter, mainly because the way I'm seeing it now, it'll be pretty long. Best to keep it separate.
Also, what do you people think of this: Orochimaru brings back Minato and Kushina, only to be revived completely by Sun and the others, and discover how Naruto became the six brothers. I'm mainly bringing this up now in case you guys don't think that would be a good idea, so that I don't end up doing anything like doing that out of the blue and get ire for 'ruining the story' or something like that. Even if I am the one writing this, it doesn't mean I'm not willing to accept help to make it better.
Until next time. Please let me know what you think.