Previous Translations: Yorokobi - Pleasure/Delight/Joy
Yokubo - Desire/Lust
Kajo - Excess
Shifuku no Kurushimi - Blissful Throes/Blissful Suffering
Tatakainouta - Song of Battle
Zeitakuna Kutsu - Luxurious Torment
Hentai-ryu: Erokenho - Pervert Style: Erotic Fist Art
Konton - Chaos
Kanzen - Perfect
Henka - Change
Harakainokeru - Dispel
Aka-en - Red Flame
Aoi-en - Blue Flame
Kiiro-en - Yellow Flame
Orenji-en - Orange Flame
Tankoshoku-en - Pink Flame
Maho - Magic
Chishiki - Knowledge
Unmei - Fate
Nozomu - Hope
Hoho no Chenja - honestly this one is a mess, but roughly means Changer of Ways
Ryuketsu - Bloodshed
Chikara - Strength
Meiyo - Honor
Budo - Martial Arts
Ikari - Rage
Jumon - Incantation
Himitsu no Sewanin - Secret Caretaker(Keeper of Secrets)
Sento - Combat
Same no On'na - Shark-Woman
Maebure - Harbinger
Shibari no Ashikase - Binding Fetters
Kanpeki - Perfection
Reikan - the closest English word would be Inspiration, but it specifically refers to 'a divine creative impulse'
Sekkyo-sha - Preacher
Aijin - Lover
Kaen Hosha-ki - Flame Radiator (Flamer of Tzeentch)
Himeiwoageru - Which Screams (Screamer of Tzeentch)
Shikkan - Disease
Ai - Love
Zetsubo - Despair
Mi Haito - Undivided/Not Divided
Shibo - Aspiring
Koki - Exalted
Chakra no Bato - Coruscating Chakra/Chakra of Coruscation
Gyokai - Industry
In case someone somehow doesn't know, Hi - Fire
Don'yoku - Greed/Avarice
Yokuatsu - Tyranny/Oppression
Yami no Chichi - Father of Darkness/Dark Father
Raimeiton - Thunder Release, what Naruto has decided to name his mix of wind and lightning chakra
Shuryoju - Hunting Beasts (same word for plural or singular), an alternate name for Fiends of Slaanesh, best word I could find for them
Konton no Omo - Lord of Chaos
Kemonojin - a very jank way of translating Beastmen into Japanese, basically would mean Animal-Human
Gyumao - Ox Demon King
Eiyu - Hero
Gyumahime - Ox Demon Princess
Kajomahime - Excessive Demon Princess
Renkinjutsu - Alchemy
Tsunade was not happy to hear about Iwa's declaration of war, "Orochimaru dragged them into this somehow, I just know it." she grumbled as soon as Asuma finished delivering the report, "Samui-san, do you require assistance returning home?" she asked next.
The Kumo jonin shook her head, "No, we should be fine moving through your lands, any stray Oto patrols should be easy enough to cut down and we'll watch out for more of those bakemono we've heard about them using." she answered.
Tsunade was surprised Kumo's intel was so complete and nodded, "Good, it's wise to avoid anything you've never encountered before, even if it seems loud and easy to kill." she advised, "Baki-san?" she added.
The Suna jonin sighed, "I need to get Gaara back." he answered simply, "If allowed, I'd like to bring my team with your reinforcements, once we reunite with Gaara we can return to Suna and prepare for a war council." he explained.
Tsunade nodded in agreement as Shibuki spoke up, "Fu and I need to get back to Takigakure no Sato, Hokage-dono I would like to request a team and that we be given time to conduct a funeral for the genin we lost in Iwa's attack." he requested politely with a bow.
The blonde Sannin considered it, "First of all, I have promotions to give out." she began, surprising the genin, "The examinations may have been interrupted again, but this is now open war and war promotions are on." she announced as Shizune hurried to prepare the relevant paperwork, "Shikamaru Nara, according to your sensei and various witnesses, you performed well under pressure, displaying leadership and advisory qualities in succession. Congratulations on your promotion." she said as she started writing down details on the paper Shizune finally found and handed to her.
Shikamaru was surprised by that, "Congrats man!" Choji laughed, happy for his friend and teammate.
"Shino Aburame, what you did was downright reckless, but you stalled well, protected yourself admirably against an S rank opponent, and performed well under pressure, congratulations on your promotion to chunin." Tsunade said as she continued to write, "Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee, you all displayed power and qualities required of a chunin in these trying times, congratulations on your promotions." she continued swiftly, "Other promotions will have to wait, how soon until you can all go again?" she asked quickly.
Kurenai frowned, "Shino-kun should take some bed rest." she said.
"I am fine." Shino protested quickly, interrupting that, "I will be good to go by morning at the latest." he added once his sensei turned a glare at him.
Shikamaru yawned, "At least let me sleep for the night, I'll be good to go in the morning." he agreed.
Tsunade nodded, "In that case, Shizune-san, find Anko and select some shinobi to take with you as a vanguard to assist those still in Kusa, I recommend Yukimaru and I believe you know where to find him." she ordered swiftly, "Asuma-san, sorry but I'll need you to go with a pair of chunin to find Jiraiya and get him to help in Kusa as soon as you can." she added, the jonin nodding before swiftly leaving to find a pair of chunin to pull rank on.
Naruto still had a second dose of the cocaine and methamphetamine mixture in his system, so he offered to take first watch, mostly because he could tell he would be unable to sleep anyway. With Genkei and Maemi not needing sleep, and Gaara not sleeping either, they had a good night watch as it was, but Kakashi agreed that having those who did need to sleep taking shifts anyway would be worth it given their numbers.
The blonde didn't mind, it gave him a chance to eat his ramen, and he could chat with Gaara once he was done eating, "You want some?" he offered the auburn haired Suna genin as he pulled out another cup of pork ramen, "There's plenty of pork ramen." he added with a chuckle, truthfully he found it bland lately compared to the flavor bomb he'd asked Teuchi to concoct for him but he still had plenty in store so he was using them as rations.
Maemi insisted on adding a sauce that she insisted was a nutrient flavor packet but the blonde was pretty sure tasted like a concentrated miso sauce had been added to the boiling water while it was cooking the cup ramen. It tasted good so Naruto didn't mind, and Gaara accepted with a wordless nod so the blonde made him some pork flavored cup ramen too. The two genin ate their meals quietly, Naruto finishing first and drinking what was left of the flavored warm water, "Your Suna no Jutsu are way better than before by the way." he said once he was done.
Gaara took a moment to finish eating himself as he considered the compliment, "Thank you, I'd abandoned my training once and threw my sand around wildly for a while. But Suna Bunshin and Kawarimi are a much less chakra intensive defense that my Suna no Yoroi." he commented with a smirk, indicating he'd practiced to become more proficient. Considering what Naruto knew of his own reserves and training he nodded in understanding.
Then the blonde smirked competitively, "Being able to dodge without needing Kawarimi no Jutsu, using minimal stamina and no chakra is superior to all, if you have the skill for it." he said in a tone that was both lecturing and bragging, subtly referring to his Tatakainouta, his ability to dance to the song of battle.
"I'm pretty sure you have more chakra than me, couldn't you spam mizu bunshin or something?" Gaara pointed out dryly.
Naruto blinked owlishly, "My magnificent self can use kage bunshin, but fighting opponents one on one is way more fun, and if we need numbers then summoned Daemonettes are fine." he answered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is more of a scouting jutsu, it dies in one hit so my magnificent self can utilize it to deadly effect or to stall if needed thanks to the Tatakainouta, but there was no need for it today anyway." he explained with a shrug.
Gaara didn't think that explanation was very good, it sounded more like an excuse than anything. Maemi could tell why, the blonde was worried that a bunshin defeating the enemy wouldn't count towards his glory in the eyes of Slaanesh. She wasn't actually certain, so she decided to let the horned hermaphrodite figure it out for himself.
Kakashi figured that having everyone take watch in shifts was overdoing it with two Imps and a powerful genin who all didn't need to sleep watching the night but he decided it was justified given the situation, the war had expanded from Oto to Iwa, with a major nation like Tsuchi no Kuni attacking Kusa no Kuni, the Daimyo's might start turning the war global. He wondered how much cup ramen Naruto had stored away, wondering if all the scrolls the blonde had bought were just filled with ramen using fuinjutsu.
However much he had, it was enough to share with Gaara and offer to others, Gai and Hinata being the only ones present besides Gaara who accepted, Kakashi stretched his shoulders, "Alright, we did good, but we need to pull back and get orders from Konoha." he decided after a moment.
Naruto shook his head before gulping what was left in his cup, "No, Iwa forces are still looking for us and that Shinobigashira-chan said she'd return with reinforcements." he disagreed, Maemi nodded in agreement since she recalled the woman saying that.
"You want to hold a ruined town until reinforcements come to relieve us?" Sasuke asked dryly, unamused by the prospect as he inspected the weapons left behind that he'd gathered up, he noticed there were fewer than he expected and recalled the Kenomojin Naruto summoned with his horn.
Sakura shrugged, "I hate to say it, but Naruto's right about the enemy, I tried setting long range chakra threads during my shift and they ended up snapped by unidentified movement." she warned, Kakashi wished she'd mentioned that earlier, "Huh, actually they probably know we're here by now." she mused.
"We probably don't have the supplies to last in a siege with just the nine of us." Hinata pointed out, Naruto responded by tearing open his right thumb on his front facing right horn, weaving hand signs, and performing Kuchiyose no Jutsu. Thirty Daemonettes emerged from the smoke, practically a full sized regiment.
Hinata noticed Naruto smirk as Sasuke performed the same jutsu to match him, however to the annoyance of the beaked Uchiha only twenty-seven Pink Horrors answered his call. Sakura rolled her eyes, "I think that's plenty, if we need a counter charge I might be able to manage to call a few Daemons of my own." she commented as well.
Kakashi sighed, "You three being an army each does not mean we should spend our stamina holding a town of no strategic importance." he lectured, "We're probably needed back in Konoha, and odds are promotions are waiting from your performance yesterday." he added, unashamed to be bribing his students so openly. Gai couldn't really disagree with the assessment.
"This town isn't nothing though, they provide food and lumber for Kusa." Naruto pointed out, "The buildings can be repaired, and unless Iwa found where the civilians were moved to and attacked there this place can be repopulated quickly and easily, the produce is undamaged." he explained, surprising his team and even Hinata with his assessment, "Iwa doesn't have much lumber, it's part of what sets them against us who have plentiful lumber so often." he continued and Sakura was certain he'd actually missed that lesson leaving her wondering when he'd caught up on his history and geography lessons.
Maemi smirked proudly from slightly behind Naruto's left, alerting his team as to who was responsible for tutoring their blonde knucklehead into being capable of forming an argument. Kakashi would be more impressed if not for the insubordination, "Naruto, we aren't even in Hi no Kuni." he pointed out, "This is Kusa's problem." he added just to hammer the point home.
Naruto frowned, crossing his arms, "Shinobigashira-chan said she'd be back, we can't just let Iwa have an ambush waiting for her and this place is right between Iwa and Konoha, minus that bridge Iwa would have had to use." he argued, "It's good for us if Kusa has this place, they're our allies y'know." he finished with a firm nod.
Kakashi groaned, "If you continue this insubordination there won't be a promotion waiting for you." he warned, hating to pull that card but surprised and thrown off by the sudden rebellion from the blonde young teen.
Naruto pouted at the threat, considering the warning for a moment as he looked down thoughtfully, "No," he decided with a shake of his head, "my magnificent self has absolute self confidence! Holding our word and making sure Shinobigashira-chan can hold this town is the right choice!" he declared arrogantly, stamping his right hoof as he did as if to more literally 'put his foot down'.
Hinata noticed the tension and frowned nervously, "I can stay with Naruto-kun, I still have stamina and this new arm should be easy to get used to." she spoke up in defense of her future husband.
Sakura shrugged, leaning against a wall next to her large greataxe, "I just got my horns, right after Sasuke-kun, and my control gives me decent stamina so I think I can hold this place." she agreed, mostly just wanting a chance for more glory.
Sasuke was surprised his pink haired teammate had wanted to stay without his input but he nodded, "I just demonstrated I can keep going." he added his two ryo to the metaphorical hat.
Gai sighed, "Kakashi-san, it would seem we don't have much choice." he said, not wanting to physically escalate the argument.
The silver haired jonin pinched the bridge of his nose before Gaara spoke up, "Naruto-kun and I alone could hold this town against anyone less than S rank, we'll be fine." he agreed surprisingly casually.
"This is not a democracy, but fine," Kakashi finally acquiesced, hoping he wasn't making a mistake as he deferred to Naruto's judgement, "we'll just have to hold out with the excuse that we expected the Kusagakure no Sato no Shinobigashira to expect us to hold this position for her." the jonin said it as an order to try to save some face as the cell commander.
Shizune was worried, knowing Kakashi she expected to run into survivors escaping from the battle by the time they reached the border, instead they encounters an Iwa scouting patrol battling with a Kusa border patrol, two teams of four shinobi clashing with Doton and Futon ninjutsu. A pair dueling each other with ninjato aside from the landscape altering conflict, Anko pulled up next to the dark haired iryonin in charge of the mission as she halted.
Haku landed on her other side wearing his Yukimaru mask as an Anbu wearing the Neko mask with a ninjato strapped to her back landed on the branch above them, "Are we enough for this rescue mission?" the purple haired Anbu woman asked, glancing down at the other purple haired kunoichi.
"Yukimaru-san is apparently on Kakashi-san's level, according to the Hatake himself." Shizune endorsed, "It would be best if we can take the Iwa shinobi by surprise and enlist those Kusa nin in assisting with our mission." she mused quietly.
Haku nodded, "As you wish." he agreed, disappearing with shunshin until the ninjutsu using Iwa shinobi dropped with senbon in their necks and him behind them. Not knowing Haku, the three kunoichi assumed he'd just effortlessly killed some Iwa shinobi and moved to assist, the Anbu in the Neko mask unsheathing her own sword to interfere in the kenjutsu duel and overwhelm the Iwa shinobi with a flurry of cuts, "I left them in a death like state, search them for suicide pills and interrogate them at your leisure." Haku told the Kusa shinobi with a polite bow as the remaining Iwa shinobi died to a ninjato through the neck courtesy of Konoha's Anbu kunoichi.
Baki landed nearby, followed by Kankuro and Temari, "No enemy attacking your own nearby patrol, but I think I see why." he reported quickly, nodding to the defeated Iwa shinobi as Shizune and Anko were still getting over their surprise that Haku had dealt with those shinobi so swiftly and non-lethally.
"We missed the fun." Kankuro complained idly, "I guess it's better safe than sorry though." he added with a shrug when Temari glared at him for whining.
Shizune turned to the confused Kusa shinobi, "Are you guys aware of the situation?" she asked pointedly, not wanting to waste time.
The kunoichi among the Kusa patrol shook her head, "I'm guessing you know more than us, I tried asking those Iwa ninja what they were doing in our lands without permission and they attacked suddenly." she revealed, assuming the treaties with Konoha stood for now.
"You caught them as they were declaring war, according to our intel they attacked Mokuno-gai north of here while your Shinobigashira was present for the preliminaries of the third round of Chunin Examinations." Anko spoke up, giving some information freely in exchange for the Kusa patrol's cooperation. She was surprised that two exams in a row had preliminaries, and further that both had been interrupted by a war beginning.
This revelation was alarming to the Kusa ninja, but the kunoichi frowned, "Why are you lot heading north then? Does a battle still rage there somehow?" she asked, suspicious but curious.
"Subaku no Gaara, of our cell, was last in that location." Baki spoke up, "We must retrieve him before returning to Sunagakure no Sato." he explained quickly.
"There are also a number of Konoha shinobi who stayed behind to ensure the other Kusa, Konoha, Suna, Taki, and even Kumo shinobi could escape." Shizune informed, "If you can, assistance would be appreciated, we're just the advance team." she revealed.
The Kusa kunoichi shook her head, "Sorry, but we need to check on our home and verify this information, we might see you if we move to take back Mokuno-gai, if it has truly fallen or is under siege still." she said professionally, "If we run into a Suna shinobi and a group of Konoha shinobi we'll try to point them in your direction." she promised with a nod, showing she trusted their tale enough to treat them as allies for now.
With that the Konoha and Kusa cells parted ways, the Kusa team taking the Iwa shinobi prisoners with them. Shizune was growing worried, she didn't know Kakashi all that well but she was sure that with Gai and Kakashi there the Konoha shinobi shouldn't still be so deep in Kusa's territory.
"Sasuke-kun, copy this ninjutsu with your Sharingan and give me a hand." Kakashi ordered once the group were back in the damaged town, Sakura seemed more exhausted than usual and the jonin assumed the brass skinned young kunoichi had used up all her stamina. The silver haired man was impressed with the girl, the pink haired ninso had originally been physically the weakest link but her training had definitely paid off.
The two one eyed Sharingan users performed Doryuheki while Hinata, Gai, Naruto, and Gaara kept watch. Genkei was hard for any of them to read, but Maemi got the impression he was worried about Sakura for some reason, which was concerning to the Muse as the Malice was as linked to the kunoichi as she was to Naruto and Hinata.
Soon enough where once was the town that was supposed to host the Chunin Examinations was a small earthen fort, Kakashi and Sasuke having exhausted themselves doing so. The Hatake was again impressed, his two male students already had him beat for raw amounts of chakra he could tell, and while Sakura still lagged a bit behind in that regard she'd already displayed chakra control beyond his decades of experience and training.
It was a bittersweet feeling for the silver haired jonin, his students were surpassing him far faster than he'd expected in their own ways. What surprised him most was Naruto being the most well rounded, he'd expected the Uchiha of cell seven to grasp the basics of more ninpo than anyone but the young Tzeentch marked ninso was clearly focused on mastering ninjutsu, genjutsu, and supplementing with bojutsu and shurikenjutsu.
His team dynamic was completely unexpected, he'd expected Sakura to master mental and spiritual arts, Naruto to focus on physical, and Sasuke to be the most well rounded. Instead Sasuke learned esoteric Mahojutsu, Sakura focused on getting her physical abilities up to par with her chakra control and mental prowess, and Naruto was the one who understood the basics of more ninpo despite his focus on speed and kenjutsu.
Kakashi's tired musings were cut short by a new problem, Sakura had apparently developed a fever. It was hard to notice at first, but the girl wasn't recovering from her exhaustion, steam rising from the girl as Genkei spoke up to explain the situation, "I'm not sure why, but it seems that black fire Sakura-sama survived was not entirely subjugated by her choker." the armored Imp said, sounding angry and confused.
Naruto was technically the iryonin of the squad, but his expertise was lacking. If it was a simple fever with a normal person he was confident he'd be able to deal with it, but Sakura's body seemed to have a temperature that would imply a deadly fever when she was healthy, "We need cold water." he realized, "Also, uh, sorry Sakura-chan but you might have to get naked before your clothes catch fire." he pointed out.
Sakura did not take kindly to that, "Pervert." she growled, although her venom was blunted by how clearly exhausted and in pain she was. Gaara frowned but turned away, figuring he didn't need to watch and the girl could have some semblance of privacy.
Naruto sighed, "Oh come on, this is medically serious." he insisted, "My magnificent self has seen plenty of naked girls by now and got over that crush on you ages ago!" he added.
"Naru-chan is also a hermaphrodite," Kakashi spoke up, "and the only other one who could treat you is me anyway." he pointed out.
Naruto noticed Sakura glance at Sasuke and rolled his eyes, "Sasuke, can you give Sakura-chan a cold sponge bath so she doesn't die of boiling her brain in her skull or something?" the blonde asked, causing the Uchiha to jolt in surprise and the steam rising from Sakura's form to intensify as her body temperature rose slightly higher in response to the embarrassment of that idea. Gai was surprised the girl was still conscious, he knew his own students had been marked by the same Kami that marked Naruto, all three of them even, but he was still surprised by how much these marks could affect a person physically.
Gaara used his sand to help reshape the earthen fort and set up the tents, giving Kakashi a chance to get some rest while Gai, Naruto, and Hinata took shifts to watch with Gaara and the two Imps. Sasuke was able to get some rest too as his only job was following Naruto's instructions in tending to Sakura, but the group was at a loss for how exactly to treat the girl properly. The Uzumaki knew they were only treating the symptoms and he was irritated that his iryoninjutsu training was not enough to truly help his teammate.
The joint Konoha and Suna were surprised when they crested a hill the next morning, using some long grass as cover, to see what remained of Mokuno-gai, the lumber town was completely destroyed and it seemed Iwa forces had raided the nearby farm. Shizune muttered a curse under her breath, "It looks like Iwa is occupying the place..." she muttered despondently, worried about the fate of her fellow Konoha shinobi.
Baki shook his head, "No, those crenelations are Suna design, Gaara helped make that." he pointed out, surprised that such a small force of shinobi had managed to construct a fortification so quickly.
"Damn, Kakashi-san has more chakra than I give him credit for." Anko mused quietly, knowing that the jonin knew the Doton: Doryuheki no Jutsu. They'd arrived before sunrise, having used cover of darkness to avoid detection on their approach.
Haku tensed up, "We're spotted." he warned in a whisper, the Anbu present was surprised the young oinin had noticed before her but she spotted them a moment later. Kankuro was startled by the news and unfortunately accidentally gave away that the Iwa shinobi nearby had been noticed as a result of his surprised jolt of movement, forcing the Suna and Konoha shinobi to scatter as the earth erupted from beneath them with Doton no Jutsu.
Spikes of earth destroyed the long grass and changed the terrain of the hill, "Retreat towards the town, we're outnumbered!" Shizune ordered as her tentacle coiled around the hilt of her tanto, the iryonin dodging under a thrown kunai only for the earth to soften beneath her. Her eyes widened in alarm as a ninjato came at her throat while a pair of hands gripped her ankles and pulled to throw her off balance as she was pulled into the softening ground.
Haku was fast enough to save the iryonin, pulling out a scroll with his left hand as he pulled Shizune back, the female Anbu of their group getting to them a moment later to engage the enemy swordsman as he emerged from the dirt. Kankuro pulled Karasu off his back as Temari moved to cover him, knocking thrown shuriken hails out of the air with a swing of her oversized fan. Baki weaved hand seals before directing a swift hand chop that released a blade of wind to carve into the flak jacket of an Iwa ninja trying to flank the two younger Suna shinobi, blood spraying from the deep cut as the man fell to the ground.
Anko weaved her own hand signs before breathing out a Karyudan to use as a chakra intensive source of cover that forced the enemy to erect a defense with their own ninjutsu, mud walls rising to force a break in the action and halt her gout of flame. Although this did little to halt the kenjutsu duel happening between the other purple haired Konoha kunoichi and the Iwa shinobi with the ninjato, Haku unfurled his scroll as Shizune tossed a hail of shuriken at the top of the Doryuheki to delay the other Iwa ninja.
Gai was startled when the enemy began an attack right as he stood to wake up the ones who still needed sleep, Sakura's tent having become the impromptu medical tent due to her current water boiling fever, although from the outside it looked almost like a tent had been converted into a sauna. He was a skilled jonin in his own right, which was enough to keep him alive when a javelin of stone had flown at his head, his head ducking out of the way almost on instinct as Gaara's sand rose to intercept the projectile.
The bowl cut jonin frowned, internally cursing himself for not noticing that his evasion had allowed the attack to go for Sakura's tent. Naruto emerged from his and Hinata's shared tent in the next moment, his modesty only covered by golden lion fur and his other blades left behind as he brandished his nodachi already unsheathed. Gai could understand why people mistook the young blonde for a yokai so much seeing him with so little clothing, the cloven hooves combined with hairless but digitigrade legs were uncanny enough without being paired with the horns and unnaturally flawless features. Not to mention the serpentine tail with a rather vicious looking stinger.
Genkei readied Sakura's armaments, her shield and axe looking slightly oversized in his impish gauntlets as he stood guard at her tent, "Maemi-chan, stay with Hinata-chan there's more in the distance for my magnificent self to deal with!" Naruto announced, surprising his team before he leaped, an almost casual flick of his wrist sending the straight edged blade of his sword slicing through the neck flesh of a startled Iwa ninja who had moved to intercept him.
Kakashi sighed as he came out of his own tent, "That Naruto is way too impulsive." he grumbled under his breath, pulling on his flak jacket quickly.
"I prefer to think of him as whimsical." Maemi spoke up from inside the other tent as Hinata could be heard putting clothes on in a frantic panic, the jonin wasn't even surprised he'd been overheard or that the two young lovers had needed to get dressed hastily but he wished they wouldn't indulge such vices on the battlefield.
Gai intercepted an Iwa shinobi leaping at Kakashi, his right shin colliding with the side of the man's head and knocking him limply to the ground as the still exhausted silver haired jonin finished putting on his flak jacket. Hinata came out of her tent, activated her Byakugan, and her eyes widened with alarm, "Oh-" she began before a wall of sand interposed itself between her and a hail of stone kunai flying at her from behind.
The Konoha shinobi were surprised Gaara was being so helpful, Hinata assumed his newfound rivalry with Naruto must have done wonders for his mental health from what she remembered having heard about him and what she'd witnessed herself last Chunin Examinations. Gai was surprised more than anyone, the auburn haired genin had been the one to cripple his student and he'd caught the boy attempting to assassinate Lee in the hospital once back then.
The green jumpsuit wearing jonin knew they were on the same side now but he was truly impressed, so much so he was almost caught by an opponent attempting to drag him under the earth before Kakashi crouched down and plunged a kunai into the earth. The next moment Gaara closed his eyes, make the snake seal, and focused as his sand suddenly surged, the raised earthen fort they'd made writhing under his power and muffled screams coming from beneath them as he dealt with all the others readying themselves for similar sneak attacks.
Kakashi pulled his hand from the ground, even knowing they were teammates at the moment feeling Gaara's sand coiling under the ground with his own hand had sent chills down his spine. Neither jonin wanted to admit it, but Gaara might be the strongest one there with Kakashi still exhausted and Gai not wanting to risk opening any of his Hachimon so soon after doing so the day before.
Karasu unleashed volleys of poison filled hollow senbon as the group tried to break away from the Iwa shinobi but they found themselves surrounded faster than any of them expected, Baku narrowed his eyes and made hand signs as Temari unfurled her fan fully and swung it to try and open up a gap in the enemy forces. Haku pulled the tachi Naruto had given him from the scroll, his kenjutsu wasn't his strongest point but he understood how to use one and held the sheathed weapon in his left hand by the scabbard as his right hand flicked senbon at enemy shinobi who moved to attack his team.
Shizune's tentacle unsheathed her tanto and whipped out, rebounding away from the blade of her target but allowing an opening for her to throw a kunai into his left thigh, "Neko! We need to pull back!" she reminded the purple haired Anbu kunoichi.
"Weird mix of oinin, Anbu, and regular shinobi, guess Konoha is even more short handed than that snake implied." The Iwa ninja Shizune had struck with a kunai chuckled mockingly despite his injury as he stumbled back to keep his guard. Haku unsheathed the tachi he hadn't had much chance to use and ignored the injured as he moved to assist the Anbu, an attack from him opening the other shinobi's guard so Neko could stab him in the neck before the two masked ninja pulled back.
Baki took a deep breath as he finished his signs, unleashing a massive Daitoppa from his lungs. The gale force winds knocked a few enemy shinobi away and even caused the ground under those who attempted to stick in place with chakra to crack and rise precariously, threatening to send even those flying if only the Suna jonin had slightly more power.
Then three heads popped from the necks of a trio of those who stood standing, "You gotta teach my magnificent self that!" Naruto insisted as he landed, his hooves cracking the ground as the Iwa shinobi all suddenly turned their attention on him. Shizune was surprised to recognize the expressions the enemy had for the cheerful young blonde was one of fear, and also she wondered why he was mostly naked, "Oh! Sensei-chan!" he added as a cheerful greeting, grinning happily at the dark haired iryonin, "Sakura-chan could use you right now, she's got this really bad fever." he explained quickly, seeming completely at ease with the enemies surrounding him as his presence caused a lull in the combat.
"Hey, if I challenge you, your teammates aren't allowed to interfere for religious reasons or whatever, right?" One of the Iwa shinobi asked, an older man with a ponytail and stubble, a few sparse grey hairs visible.
"Yeah, that's right." Naruto confirmed with a nod, surprising his allies with his cavalier attitude.
"Then my team just needs to deal with the rest of them while I stall you." The man pointed out with a smirk, but he only made it as far as the snake seal before Naruto was in front of him. Baki was alarmed, certain he'd seen the beginnings of a horizontal swing but the blonde had ended up in a stance indicating the end of a downward strike faster than his eyes could percieve. It took everyone a moment to process what happened as the Iwa shinobi's arms fell off just below the elbow and his nearly decapitaed head rocked back, deep gashes in his shoulders showing the trail of the cuts that had removed the arms of the man.
Haku had not expected such ruthlessness and felt slightly ill, uncomfortable with death still and even more uncomfortable with the carefree smile Naruto still had, "That would be a good idea, if you guys had anyone capable of standing up to my magnificent self!" the blonde laughed arrogantly, concerning his allies with his attitude, "You guys should go help out Kakashi-sensei and the others, our camp was starting to be attacked too." he added towards his allies.
The implication that he'd cover their escape was obvious so Baki went for it, his genin following soon after, "Against this many?" Anko asked in surprise, she knew the blonde had been getting more powerful and that his speed was terrifying, especially after seeing him cut that Iwa jonin down. Actually no one had truly seen it happen, it had been far too fast, but the result was the same.
The cat masked Anbu kunoichi nodded, "I shall assist in providing cover as well." she agreed with the assessment of the young blonde. Shizune didn't realize until after she moved to follow the hesitant Anko that the young Uzumaki had taken complete command of the situation.
Haku hesitated for a moment, "I shall assist as well." he agreed as he and the Anbu woman moved to intercept any Iwa shinobi chasing the others. Naruto cut down another two shinobi with his usual cheerful expression, the juxtaposition of his attitude with the violence of the battlefield chilling Haku but he'd seen Zabuza do worse so he focused on doing his best without actually taking a life himself.
"Hey Gyumahime!" A blonde Iwa shinobi began to challenge as he made a snake seal and moulded his chakra, the next instant Naruto had performed his three-in-one kenjutsu attack only to look surprised as the man stumbled back with shallow cuts instead of dropping dead. Both the young blonde ninso and the older blonde Iwa ninja looked surprised by the result, "Shit! What kind of bakemono are you!?" the man cried out in alarm.
Naruto blinked owlishly, "Was that Doton chakra nagashi again?" he asked instead of answering the question, the Iwa ninja around them pulling back and causing yet another lull in the combat as they muttered among themselves. The blonde could barely pick out their words but his ears twitched slightly as he picked up certain phrases, "That was a ninjutsu that automatically hardens at the moment of impact?" he asked, startling the enemy forces with his enhanced hearing.
The blonde Iwa shinobi in question gulped, nervous sweat beading under his hitai-ate, "You shouldn't even be able to cut through it with a blade, no matter how hard you can swing, not without chakra nagashi." he answered, "What kind of jutsu is that attack of yours?" he asked.
Naruto was visibly confused by that question, "Jutsu? It's just a kenjutsu." he answered, "My magnificent self is just so fast that you must have mistaken it for a ninjutsu!" he bragged with a cocky smirk.
"Bullshit." The iwa ninja denied, "I'm calling your bluff, my jutsu hardens my chakra at the point of impact, but I felt that, it activated in three different locations at the exact same time, you're creating secondary blades out of chakra to strike three times aren't you!" he accused as he pointed at the lion fur clad ninso.
Naruto was confused again, "What?" he asked, "No, seriously, it's just three quick cuts." he tried to explain, "A bird was giving my magnificent self a headache, so I decided to try and cut it. Birds are really fast and hard to hit though but my magnificent self managed to develop that kenjutsu combination by focusing on the Tatakainouta, y'know." he elaborated, confusing both his enemies and allies alike.
There was a silence that extended for long enough to be awkward, the blonde ninso became uncomfortable before it was broken, "You developed a kenjutsu that can cut three different places at the same time to cut a fucking bird?" one of the Iwa kunoichi asked incredulously, her guard dropping slightly at the realization that she was basically helpless against someone like Naruto anyway.
The blonde frowned, "That's what I said y'know." he answered, wondering why everyone was so confused by that. The Iwa shinobi stared at him incredulously a moment longer before the Anbu kunoichi attacked one of them from behind and the fight resumed, the attacked shinobi going down from the ninjato to the back of his spine. While the three Konoha shinobi were outnumbered most of the Iwa nin focused on Naruto as two each moved to gang up on Haku and the Anbu.
Naruto was having some difficulty dodging all the different attacks, even with his speed he wasn't given much opportunity to counter as his opponents attempted to keep their distance and focus fire their Doton no Jutsu at him. The Tatakainouta hadn't sounded so chaotic and discordant since he'd first awakened it, and even then his current situation sounded far more intense. Naruto's heart was racing and he couldn't resist grinning as he nimbly dodged between attacks, interposing his sword between himself and any attacks he couldn't dodge as he acclimatised to the song.
Spikes of stone burst from the ground as the young blonde danced around them, twirling and letting go of his weapon with his left hand to swing his heavy long sword into the oncoming attacks of four enemy shinobi, the Kujaku Myoho bursting from his back in a vibrant display of sparkling pink chakra that clashed with an axe and a thrown fuma shuriken, his tail lashed out and whipped his stinger into the neck of the axe wielder as shuriken bounced uselessly off his golden lion pelt.
To the Iwa shinobi the graceful display was demoralizing, more so when Naruto formed a Rasengan in his left hand and stepped past one of the swordsmen he'd clashed with to press it into their chest, following up with a spinning leap that deflected more projectiles of steel and stone, his nodachi carved through three throats in the midst of the spin, startling the surrounding Iwa ninja further with his accuracy with such an absurd move as their allies dropped clutching their throats.
Haku was having the most difficulty with his two opponents, and he saw Naruto and the Anbu woman having a much easier time and felt slightly upset that he wasn't more useful. Besides that he was impressed however, the young blonde had once barely kept up with him and now outpaced him in terms of speed. Kenjutsu was not one of Haku's strong suits, despite his mentor, and he just used the tachi one handed as a shield while his off hand tossed senbon to halt or slow the attacks of his enemies.
Haku was not used to open war, working with Zabuza his whole life had been one of ambushing enemies who didn't expect him and even working with Konoha ninja his specialty had been stealth and counter-ambushes for whatever team he was working with. He was no slouch in a straight fight, but his unwillingness to kill was swiftly becoming an issue as his opponents fought with lethal intent, outnumbered him, and the two had decent teamwork.
Naruto continued his lethal dance, and as he leaped over the head of an opponent to sink his stinger in between his vertibrae while spinning and deflected more projectiles the remaining Iwa shinobi thought they finally had an opening. Those not occupied with Naruto's masked back up all performed various ninjutsu, Doton no Jutsu burst from the earth as Futon no Jutsu shot through the air, one shinobi releasing an arcing Raiton no Jutsu to strike down on the blonde from above.
The Kujaku Myoho flapped, peacock like feathers propelling Naruto up above most of the attacks to clash with the blast of electrical chakra coming down on him. Naruto tried to use Futon chakra nagashi with his nodachi, but it was not a chakra conductive metal and his control still needed more work, he managed to blunt the force of the ninjutsu but his muscles siezed up and his nervous system was very insistent on crippling him with pain in protest of his stunt.
The Iwa forces tried again, not trusting that the single Raiton no Jutsu would be enough and they were proven to be justified when Naruto cackled, twisting in mid air in a display of impossible aerial mobility. The golden fur clad blonde flew under the power of his Hoshi chakra, pulling more of it out from his Fuin as he dodged stone projectiles and even started to slide down the back of an earthen dragon towards the one who had launched it, his hooves grinding stone, flint and dirt to flick out behind him as he went.
Naruto prepared to thrust his nodachi into the neck of his opponent as he barreled down on the man but his expression of glee suddenly became startled and his attention snapped towards his encampment on the earthen fort. The Iwa shinobi thought they had a chance and weaved more hand signs, sweat beading down the young man's face from exertion but his rock spike missed the mark as Naruto hopped aside, smacking his nodachi against the attack to leverage himself and more easily change direction in mid air as his tail caught the man in the shoulder.
Haku was slightly confused until he heard the explosion and Naruto's expression became unreadable, the blonde floated gently to the ground, "Shit." he cursed plainly, swiftly cutting his right thumb on his nodachi and leaping at an Iwa ninja as he dropped his blade, his tail coiled to catch the heavy weapon and drag the sword with visible strain, his Kujaku Myoho shifted low and trailed behind him like tail feathers to keep the blade from dragging through the earth itself as he weaved hand signs.
"Oh shit!" The Iwa nin being charged repeated the sentiment of the blonde charging him for very different reasons, the man struck in the shoulder by Naruto's stinger writhing on the ground in pain as the Konoha Anbu woman managed a mortal blow under the right side of one of her opponents ribs and Haku pulled back while the remaining Iwa shinobi all made a dash at Naruto while he was grounded and almost disarmed.
"Kuchiyose!" Naruto announced, a large cloud of smoke concealing him and what he summoned right before six Serpents each with a rider slithered out at speeds that shouldn't be possible for their size and five mounted by Daemonettes with long right mantis claws with a short curved blades that had far more width to their flat side than any of the shinobi had seen outside of katar or naginata. Naruto had already shifted his nodachi back into this right hand and sliced out to his right as his mount took him past the man he'd charged. The heavy nodachi was sharp enough to go through flesh, muscle, and organ easily, and Naruto's grip took the blade cleanly between vertibrae to bisect the man.
The two shinobi who had been fighting Haku were alarmed and made to defend themselves, their blades blocking the mantis claws Naruto's Kujaku Myoho had become to attack them but the tongue of his mount snaked out and disemboweled the two ninja as the mounted ninso sped past them. Naruto adjusted his position, his Hoshi chakra receeding as he reached out with his left arm and tilted his head to the right, catching Haku by the thighs and lifting the older pretty boy to rest on his left shoulder.
"Sorry, Anbu-chan, we gotta go!" Naruto apologized quickly as his mount carried the two swiftly towards the other groups of Konoha shinobi, Haku was surprised the aardvark-headed serpent wasn't even slowed by carrying both him and Naruto, nor did it even seem off balanced. The dark haired boy tentatively gripped one of Naruto's horns, amazed at the speed the Daemon was capable of considering it was slithering. He was also surprised Naruto had the strength to lift him so easily, but he'd felt the muscles of the blonde intimately before so he wasn't overly shocked.