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
Neji activated his Byakugan and found the hidden entrance to the Otagakure base in short order, "It's hidden under genjutsu over here." he informed them with a gesture to the location, "There's some Fuinjutsu I don't recognize though, likely a way to lock us out despite knowing the entrance." he warned as Naruto approached it, his explanation causing the blonde to stop strutting and frown.
The Uzumaki lifted his heavy sword to rest on his right shoulder after Maemi hopped off his back, tilting his head to the left as he did and putting his left hand on his hip, "Ah, what a pain. Can you draw it for us?" he asked, Tenten was pretty sure he was using the royal we to save time but she liked being included as a Fuinjutsu apprentice by proxy. Maemi pulled out a scroll and unfurled it to pull out another scroll along with some calligraphy supplies.
"Why do you have those?" Neji asked as he moved to write down the array he could see with his Byakugan.
Naruto grinned, "My magnificent self is apprenticed to a Fuinjutsu master, naturally my magnificent self will master Fuinjutsu y'know." he bragged as if it was a sure thing, Tenten hadn't considered that and felt a little bit jealous, then she considered it further and got an idea.
Lee was similarly impressed, "As expected of my rival!" he praised.
Naruto blinked, "Eh?" he asked, that was the first he heard of them being rivals.
"Yes, you and Sasuke-san are my rivals of course." Lee confirmed with a nod.
Naruto hadn't realized Lee thought of it like that and was a little taken aback, Tenten was hesitant about her plan after Lee said that and decided to give it some more thought, and maybe bring it up when Lee wasn't around. Neji finished writing down what he could, "Alright, any idea what it does?" he asked.
Naruto looked over what Neji had written down and looked to where the hidden entrance was supposed to be, "Oh, it's just powering the genjutsu and a second one." he informed, "That explains how these bases are so hard to find though, we got lucky, so let's push our luck!" he ordered with a laugh, "Someone should probably carry Lee through the entrance." he added and the green clad chunin sighed as he didn't have much defense against genjutsu.
Neji helped his teammate pass through, thanks to Naruto's explanation the four shinobi went in, given the closed quarters corrider into the base they were entering Maemi elected to walk slightly behind Naruto. The inside was lit with torches in sconces, indicating it was still in use and from the looks of it likely not using much in the way of electricity. Neji pulled out a hyorogan as he kept his Byakugan active, figuring he'd probably need the combat stimulant.
Tenten armed herself with a pair of sai, figuring the short weapons would be good defensively in close quarters. They could see evidence of the Preyton coming through the tunnel from scratches in the stonework, the corridor went down at an incline, and given the entrance was in a hill they could tell they were entering an underground facility of some kind. Neji presumed it was likely a throw away lab, he wondered if they might come across a drop off point that would have tracks to lead them to an important base. If that was the case he'd suggest they go find Jiraiya before following said tracks.
However the corridor went deeper yet, not to a drop off point but into a maze of corridors with some doors. The place already seemed abandoned, which made Naruto frown in annoyance. Aside from the past scent of the Preyton he didn't smell anyone nearby and opened a door to reveal an empty room, likely already cleared out.
"Seems they cleared this place before releasing that bakemono." Lee commented, rubbing his chin with his right hand thoughtfully.
Naruto closed his eyes and focused, "No, there are still people here, probably a back exit too!" he said suddenly before dashing off into the maze, forcing the other three chunin to struggle to keep up. Maemi used her connection to shunshin at her blonde master, but couldn't catch up fully so Tenten picked up the Imp as she wondered what had Naruto so eager to rush ahead, well more eager than usual.
"Lee, take off your weights." Neji ordered with a serious expression, his Byakugan still active.
Lee frowned, "What? But Gai-sensei said-" he began to protest.
"Gai-sensei would approve, you're the only one who can keep up with Naruto-kun but with only one normal hand if you get blindsided by someone like Orochimaru or an A rank opponent you might not get a chance to take them off, definitely not if it's Orochimaru." Neji explained, interrupting because he didn't want to hear any arguments about it. Tenten nodded in agreement, she wasn't a sensor, she couldn't see chakra, and she didn't have the same heightened senses as Naruto, but she could feel an oppressive atmosphere.
Lee was surprised at the praise from someone he'd wanted to surpass for so long, but he understood the seriousness and nodded before stopping briefly to take off his weights and then racing to catch up again. He didn't need to go far as up ahead Naruto had suddenly taken up a stance and readied himself, Neji looked nervous as from around a corner came a tall muscular man with his hair in a topknot, dressed like a doctor or researcher, "Some brats found this place and bypassed the genjutsu? Must be worth my time at least." the man said to himself in a bored tone as he rounded the corner, however when his eyes fell on Naruto they widened.
"Fight my magnificent self if you dare!" Naruto challenged with a wide grin, Tenten gained a new appreciation for Naruto's abilities since she knew he wasn't oblivious to the killing intent rolling off the man who returned the grin with a similar one.
"Well now," The man said as he took off his lab coat to toss it aside, his outfit looking far more casual like that, Neji realized the man wasn't armed but had immense chakra, "you're that Kajomahime I've heard about." he mused, looking practically excited to face the blonde.
The other three Konoha chunin couldn't help but be exasperated as Naruto cried tears of joy, "Yes, my magnificent self is Kajomahime!" he agreed happily, "Who are you?" he asked his new favorite enemy, Maemi sighed as she realized the overly affectionate blonde was already fond of the stranger.
The muscular researcher chuckled, "Call me Harada-san, I have just one question before we fight," he said as he lowered his stance and raised his guard with a steady confidence despite being outnumbered, knowing Naruto's reputation and being confident in front of three Kajo no Ninso had Neji convinced the man was A rank at minimum and his lack of openings while sliding into a stance confirmed that, "what's your type?"
Naruto blinked owlishly, "Eh? What do you mean? Like a fighting style or something?" he asked, confused by the vague wording.
"Not that!" Harada denied, making a cross with his arms, "Like the kind of woman you're into, it's fine if you're into men but I heard you were originally a guy." he explained, "You can tell a lot about a person based on their preferences and fetishes!" he insisted.
"Is this a comedy routine?" Tenten asked bluntly, wondering why powerful shinobi always seemed like such weirdos, she hoped she didn't need to become too weird to reach a similar level. Neji was similarly exasperated, more so when he noticed Lee was seriously writing down what the man was saying.
Naruto frowned and cocked his head to the side, to the alarm of his team his guard seemed to drop but the enemy didn't take advantage, "Really?" he asked curiously and both Tenten and Neji palmed their faces that the blonde was also taking it seriously, "Uh, hang on, this is a sudden question, my magnificent self couldn't have been prepared for it." he muttered, rubbing his chin with his left hand as he tried to think, "Strong? No, Isaribi-chan isn't that strong and my magnificent self still loves her." he muttered, revealing he had genuinely never considered it before, "Beautiful, my magnificent self likes things that are beautiful." he decided with a firm nod.
Harada sighed, "Such indecisiveness, you really are still a kid figuring yourself out." he muttered with a shake of his head, "Beauty is subjective, what is your ideal vision of beauty!" he demanded to know.
Lee raised is hand, "I like girls with nice hair that are in the springtime of their youth!" he said with a faint blush, Tenten wasn't too surprised at that but she hoped he found a better way to word that as he got older.
"Grow up!" Harada scolded, "We're taking about women here, not school crushes! If you remain like that you'll end up the creepy senpai who hangs around girls way younger than him!" he insisted angrily, causing the scolded chunin to slump in defeat as if he'd been physically struck.
Neji thought it was ridiculous, but he knew the only safe answer with an actual female around, "As long as she's nice and you like her what does it matter?" he asked.
"Boring!" Harada denied, "I can tell you only give that answer because that girl is there!" he added with an accusatory point to Tenten, causing both of them to blush, "Be honest with yourself at least!" he insisted, a vessel popping out in his forehead.
Naruto frowned as he thought about the question, considering his harem and everything he'd enshrined, "Huh, my magnificent self has a varied taste." he realized before he shrugged, "Yamato nadeshiko has a definite appeal, but tomboys are nice too. Boys that look like girls have an appeal, but macho men are nice too." he muttered to himself, "But if my magnificent self had to say for certain..." he mused before nodding firmly, "Long hair! Long legs! Eyes that look upon my magnificent self with fondness and affection!" he declared proudly and happily.
Harada stared at Naruto with a surprised expression for a moment, then he started crying before he nodded in understanding, "I see, I didn't understand your sad backstory, Kajomahime." he said, Neji and Tenten still thought this was stupid, but they had to agree the last part of the blonde's answer implied a rather intense loneliness in the past, "Now we can fight all out!" the man declared before rushing at Naruto, almost taking the chunin off guard but the blonde stepped to meet the charge and swung his nodachi into the left shoulder of the man.
Naruto's swing didn't follow through, Neji saw what stopped the blade from cutting flesh, "Chakra nagashi!" he warned, the blonde had guessed that much from the point of contact but Harada was faster and stronger than he expected and the next moment the wall that had been to his left was cracked as the strange and muscular man performed a lariat that sent Naruto into it back first regardless of the sword hitting him in the shoulder.
"Good kenjutsu, amazing speed and power," Harada praised as he stepped back and Naruto stumbled slightly from the damaged wall, "but your chakra control is too slow to keep up with your superhuman physical abilities." he scolded with a frown, "You're unbalanced too, although you're surprisingly graceful despite that. However when someone actually stronger than you shows up your strange precognitive abilities don't work as well and you lose some of that preternatural grace, am I right?" he deduced.
Tenten was surprised at the vocabulary, having assumed the man was a muscle head. Harada's attitude and build had made the four chunin from Konoha completely forget he'd been wearing a lab coat, "You're a bit different to Amachi." Naruto realized with a grin, unable to help enjoying himself.
"A bit? I'll let that slide once due to your poor upbringing," Harada began to warn with a frown, "but if you compare me to that boring guy again I won't forgive you." he threatened, the simple and polite nature of the threat contrasted with his threatening tone and the ominous levels of killing intent he released.
Naruto continued to grin as he nodded, "Yeah, it was an understatement, you have nothing in common with that wimp." he acknowledged, "Since we're fighting, those three should be fine to go on ahead, Orochimaru isn't here is he?" he asked.
Harada laughed, "Of course not, they can go back the way you came but no one is getting past me until one of you beats me in a challenge." he denied bluntly, tearing off his tight black t-shirt to reveal a mark of Slaanesh squarely in his chest. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at that, "Now come on, Orochimaru-sama gave me leave to perfect my body with these experiments, I want to test myself against the Kajomahime who first attracted the attention of Slaanesh-sama!" he declared manically.
Neji had already seen it with his Byakugan, but hadn't realized the motivations of the man, and seeing it surprised Naruto he wondered if he should have mentioned it earlier, "Naruto-kun, we'll back track and keep searching this base." he said, "Come let us know when you've won." he added, making it clear he fully expected Naruto to come out on top regardless of the opponent.
Naruto nodded as the other three left, Maemi hopping down to remain with Naruto as Tenten went. Harada didn't stop them, "The Muse assists you in some way, I lack a Familiar of my own but I won't dispel yours if she stays out of this." he promised, "Really, I have to show you some gratitude, if not for you the Konton no Kami wouldn't have set their eyes on this world, my experiments were a complete bust compared to the chimera experiments." he rambled, "But because of the Konton energies, and Slaanesh-sama, my research has finally born fruit this splendid body! Thank you!" he laughed gratefully.
Naruto found the laughter contagious, "You're welcome! But you should be aware that Slaanesh-kaasama favors my magnificent self above all, this crown of horns is proof of divine right to rule!" he bragged, "So naturally, my magnificent self has the might to back that up!" he added as he stepped to Harada and swung his nodachi, flaring his chakra up as he did.
The man blocked as he stepped to meet the attack, practically slamming his forearm into the horizontal cut, "Powerful chakra," he praised before stepping forward again and delivering a vicious right straight punch against Naruto guard, even with trying to stick to the ground with chakra the blonde was lifted and sent through the wall he'd cracked before, into an empty lab room, "however your chakra nagashi is still slow and unrefined. I'm guessing chakra control is your weak point." he guessed.
"If you're guessing, then you're good at that." Naruto praised, his back was sore after that but he couldn't help but continue to grin. The blonde was excited, his opponent was strong and favored by Slaanesh so he'd prefer if they could be allies but he could tell he was sure to get a boon for proving victory over the older man.
"Guesswork is not the right word," Harada denied as he stepped through the rubble, "scientists make deductions based on what they understand, I cannot be accurate all the time but you're particularly easy to read. It helps that I'm a sensor." he explained with a smirk before he dashed into the reach of Naruto's blade, ignoring the metal smacking against his chest to deliver a right hook. This time the blonde hopped up, using the nodachi on Harada's right shoulder as a leverage point to roll over the attack as he flowed Futon chakra down the blade and swung into the neck of his opponent.
Naruto landed in a crouch as Harada stumbled back with a shallow cut on the right side of his neck, "Damn, you're sturdy." he muttered as he stood up and readied himself into a stance.
"It's not that I'm too sturdy, your chakra control just can't keep up with the speed of our fight." Harada explained, "Anyone with good chakra nagashi and the right affinity can match your kenjutsu with taijutsu, provided they can physically keep up with you." he lectured, "If your chakra control was perfect, you'd be S rank for sure." he acknowledged.
Naruto was surprised by that, he considered reaching for the Raito or one of his Uzumaki swords made of chakra conductive material but he understood those would be a short cut, "Then my magnificent self will just have to become perfection." he intoned as he listened for the tell in the Tatakainouta that would warn him his opponent was about to attack.
Harada lunged and Naruto swayed aside as he swung his blade against the side of the thrown right straight, he frowned as he realized his opponent would likely be predictable even without the song but his eyes widened in alarm as he barely shifted his sword to intercept the right elbow Harada turned the punch into. Blocking straight on threw the blonde off balance, and he swiftly lowered his stance and flowed his chakra, focusing on making it Futon as the larger Slaanesh marked champion delivered a basic front kick to the blade that sent the back of it into the wielders gut and knocked the blonde through another wall and into what looked like an emptied out morgue.
"I think you cut my foot using chakra nagashi and through the sole of my shoes that time." Harada acknowledged with a slow clap as he entered, "However," he continued in a lecturing tone as one hand went behind his back and the other pointed up, "your reactive fighting style combined with your poor chakra control is holding you back, furthermore if you'd thought to use chakra nagashi earlier when you were attacking me it might have done some actual damage, but you seem to have difficulty going all out at the start of a fight. You're the type who takes a while to get into the zone right?"
Naruto blinked owlishly, "You're a pretty good sensei." he praised as he steadied his stance again and tried to focus his chakra preemptively.
"I said I'm a sensor, didn't I? I won't let such telegraphed attacks hit me with chakra nagashi." Harada scolded as he took a defensive stance, "From what I understand, your fighting style is a good match for you because of your stamina, allowing you to match and outlast opponents who have less raw power than you, which is almost everyone in the world since you're a Jinchuriki. But you're still not S rank, Kage, Orochimaru-sama, unique individuals, they all understand battle on a level that no one can match." he lectured as the blonde slowly pulled out a small plastic container, "S rank is as close to perfection as a shinobi can get, it covers a wide range of things, but generally if someone consistently wins against A ranks they should be considered S rank. You might be considered S rank by some even, but I am A rank myself, a former jonin of Iwagakure, so I can say with certainty that you aren't there yet after having experienced a true S rank first hand."
Naruto popped a small white pill in his mouth and used some of the fermented blood alcohol in his gourd to wash it down, "Good guess," he acknowledged as he put the gourd back, "but my magnificent self will surpass S rank to become perfection." he insisted as he focused, his Futon chakra was barely cutting the man but he had a dual affinity, and thanks to his experience with the Kiba he knew what Raiton chakra nagashi felt like.
Sparks danced down the edge of Naruto's nodachi as he took another ready stance, "Hm, seems we have different philosophies on perfection." Harada mused, "No offense, imouto," he said and the focus of the young blonde faltered a bit at being called a little sister, "but I believe perfection is an abstraction, something ningen can't truly achieve, something the Kami already are, and by chasing that ideal we come closer to our chosen Kami." he said.
Naruto had not been expecting the man to start trying to debate him on philosophy, "My magnificent self will ascend to Slaanesh-kaasama's throne." he answered simply and confidently, "That is what it means to be Kajomahime, you do not need hold yourself to the standards of my magnificent self." he explained.
Harada's eyes widened, "Hankami..." he muttered, realizing what the blonde was implying to be, Naruto grinned in response and lunged to thrust his blade at the man. The muscular scientist stepped back and knocked the attack aside with his guard, but the Raiton chakra nagashi allowed the blade to cut deeper past his Doton chakra nagashi, "To grow this much, you can praise my skills as a sensei but you're just as amazing for learning so quickly, imouto!" he laughed as he continued to knock aside thrusts and step away from the advancing young hermaphrodite.
Naruto laughed, "Evolving in the middle of combat, fighting against someone strong enough to force you to adapt or die, isn't it just the best!?" he asked with a manic grin as he prepared to finish the fight.
Harada grinned with equally manic glee, "Exactly! I didn't think I'd encounter another child solder like you in this era, truly splendid!" he praised as his shifting stance started cracking the ground beneath him, "But still not-" he began with a smirk before his eyes widened in alarm as three deep cuts opened up on his body as the blonde found the footing to follow through with his highest speed attack. Two gashes on either arm and a deeper one in his chest, "Hm, I'll need iryoninjutsu for these." he muttered dryly, "Well, it's my loss this time." he said carelessly as he stepped back.
Naruto was surprised at the carefree attitude as the killing intent in the air disappeared, "Eh?" he wasn't even sure what he should ask, he didn't know why his opponent wasn't directing malicious intent anymore.
"Work on your initiative and the speed you gain momentum in a fight, or I'll kill you next time, imouto." Harada said plainly and without a hint of malicious intent before he crouched down and kicked up debris by punching the ground, Naruto frowned as he heard the man burrow underground, likely with Doton no Jutsu, but the blonde hadn't been expecting that.
It took the young Uzumaki a moment to process what happened, "Ah, without his killing intent the Tatakainouta went quiet." he realized, he hadn't expected to consider that he relied on the ability too much but it really was convenient against enemies that wanted to kill him, which in his business was most of them. However, his last opponent had been a bit of a weirdo, he'd never encountered someone who could go from blanketing a base with killing intent to threatening to kill someone without any genuine hostility.
Naruto hadn't thought much about how he fought, usually he just enjoyed himself in the moment, but he could understand that the Tatakainouta was the reason his fighting style was so reactive. Maemi walked into the room, "That guy was insane." she muttered, glancing at the damage the two had dealt to the stonework with pure chakra enhanced physical combat. She could tell Naruto had treated the battle as kenjutsu and chakra control training more than anything, the fact he could treat such an intense battle as training was good to her as it meant he was likely approaching the limits of A rank and soon to break through into S rank.
Naruto grinned, "Smart too though, my magnificent self improved a lot fighting him." he acknowledged happily as he walked back out into the hallway, "That Harada will make a good rival, it'll be sad if anyone else manages to kill him though." he mused before he sniffed the air and then looked in the direction his team for the mission had gone.
"Nothing that way, might as well see what that guy was guarding." Maemi suggested as she followed her master, she could tell there was no airflow, movement, or anything else in the rest of the maze and she could tell the blonde probably sensed it too. Naruto nodded in agreement, figuring the others would catch up anyway he turned and continued in the original direction he'd been going before Harada intercepted him.
Naruto frowned, "Hey, Maemi-chan, any new boons?" he wondered, he'd expected one for defeating someone of such a level.
Maemi looked him over, "Hm, oh you got a little taller." she realized.
Naruto stopped, surprised by that he checked the length of his nodachi against himself, before his second pair of horns had been level with the pommel when the scabbard touched the ground but after his latest boon his third pair of horns were level, "Woah, that's almost three inches!" he guessed the measurement, he wasn't entirely accurate but he was close enough that Maemi didn't bother to point out it was closer to two inches.
The blonde seemed happy with it, but the Muse thought it was oddly minor for the caliber of opponent Harada was, indicating the man hadn't acknowledged the fight as a true loss. She could tell Naruto was looking forward to a rematch too, so she supposed it was a miracle he'd been given a boon at all.
Tsunade frowned as she considered the information Shikamaru and Ino had brought her, Jiraiya was still in Oto no Kuni and she didn't want to leave the village with so few high caliber shinobi around. Konohagakure no Sato was not as hidden as the name implied, each of the major villages were on maps, and only Amegakure no Sato had survived being on the map among minor villages thanks to the reputation and power of Hanzo.
It was dangerous for her to go to the front, but it seemed necessary, "Send for Shizune-san." she ordered an Anbu as she considered her options, "I'll also need Hiashi-san and Shikaku-san to come here as soon as they're able." she added, knowing they were in the village. She was worried that still wouldn't be enough and considered Jiraiya and Naruto in Oto, "Shikamaru-san, go inform Karin Uzumaki and Yukimaru-san to bring Naruto Uzumaki's spoils of war for an important assignment." she ordered.
"Sasuke-kun," Kakashi began as he sat down next to the cot the Uchiha occupied in the medical tent, the iryonin were doing what the could for Kiba but had no idea if any of them were even delaying the poison until back up arrived. Sakura was similarly confined to the medical tent despite her insistence she could fight, the kunoichi's wounds were slow to heal iryoninjutsu was repulsed by her brass choker, "you fought Deidara twice now, once as a bunshin, and now again at his full capability, what do you make of him?" he asked.
Sasuke closed his right eye as he he considered the question, due to chakra exhaustion he wasn't supposed to move around too much which was irritating, apparently taking hyorogan made the exhaustion worse but he didn't let his discomfort show, "I understand S rank better now, his ninjutsu was unique and dangerous, he had an eye for genjutsu and could break even the hypnotic ocular genjutsu of my advanced Sharingan, and he was proficient enough in taijutsu to force enough distance to manage a ninjutsu counterattack." he explained, "I think you could probably take him in a straight fight, your chakra is a good match against his, if you hit him in the chest with Raikiri before he can react you'll win, but you'll need a sneak attack or some jutsu to close the distance between you." he assessed the situation, only opening his eye when he was done.
"High praise," Kakashi mused, "but he managed a retreat even against the most powerful Daemon you could call." he pointed out, "I don't think I'll be able to catch him flat footed, people who reach S rank at that age have insane intuition, he's likely a genius in his own right." he acknowledged, Sasuke nodded in understanding as he mentally acknowledged that such praise should be directed at himself soon enough.
Sakura frowned, "Sasori..." she muttered, "I didn't even see if he had any talent besides puppetry. I guess his chakra control and shurikenjutsu are top notch." she listed, "His stealth combined with those puppets is scariest though, unless he's cornered you'll need to be a sensor or use your dojutsu to find him, I don't think I even saw the real Sasori and we only survived because he left."
Kakashi and Sasuke could see the kunoichi wasn't happy about that, she'd held up against Han while barely lucid but couldn't even touch the real Sasori, "There's a lot to a fight, I'm an A rank, but if I catch them off guard I could probably kill an S rank, similarly under the right circumstances, if your abilities are a direct counter to your opponent, then even a B rank could win against an A rank. S rank is a different level though, no individual skill is ever classed as S rank, it's a ranking for a person who can make use of their strengths in such a way that lesser shinobi can barely touch them." the jonin lectured calmly, "Shinobi of S rank, they're the kind of people who could fight on par with a Kage or a Chakra no Bakemono."
"So why are Akatsuki after Chakra no Bakemono?" Sasuke asked dryly, "They're already S rank, do they want to ascend above that or something?" he wondered.
Kakashi considered it, "Possibly, there's nothing above S rank though, even among those bakemono there are one sided fights. From what Jiraiya-sama told me, Itachi drove Orochimaru from their ranks in a completely one sided fight. He thinks that's why he was so interested in obtaining your Sharingan, if he didn't just simply want it already and attempt to take Itachi's." he explained, he was being a little loose lipped with the information but it gave his students a good idea of where S rank stood. He hoped they wouldn't try to fight such enemies again, but he could tell they were just going to push themselves harder.
The moment was broken by a frantic Shibuki barging in, "Kakashi-san!" he called out, "Fu was kidnapped, I have jonin evacuating civilians but a force of Bakuha Butai was spotted and are probably already there!" he explained his panic quickly, despite how panicked he clearly was he managed to get the get the situation across quickly.
Kakashi noticed more however, the Eiyu no Mizu was in his right hand and his left was clenched in a fist around what he was pretty sure was Fu's hitai-ate but he was shaking nearly imperceptibly, Shibuki was afraid, "One of your nukenin must have sold the information on how to get in, or was already working with Akatsuki." the jonin guessed as he narrowed his visible eye, "Shibuki-san, if you'll let me, I'll drink some of that and go rescue Fu while the rest of your jonin help you protect your homes, with all the heaviest hitters busy elsewhere Shino-san should be able to defend this encampment with assistance from your chunin and genin." he explained as he pulled out a scroll, lowered his mask and bit open his own thumb as he unfurled the scroll.
Sakura and Sasuke both stared at his exposed face for a moment, "He took it off so casually." the Uchiha grumbled, disappointed that aside from lengthened canines the Hatake was just a regular looking guy. The Haruno thought slightly differently, but didn't want to verbalize that she thought her sensei was attractive, especially not in front of Sasuke so she just numbly nodded in agreement with the statement of her teammate.
"Kuchiyose." Kakashi intoned as Shibuki looked down at the water he'd brought with him, a pair of ninken revealed as the smoke cleared. The head of Takigakure considered his options, but knew that the Konoha jonin had already stated the best one.
So he held out the Eiyu no Mizu, "It only works for a limited time, drink it when you find the enemy, not a moment sooner." Shibuki warned, "My jonin and I evacuated who we could, some stayed behind to buy time, but the rest of us will work at keeping the location of this encampment hidden and defending this location until reinforcements arrive. Even if the structures are destroyed, not even a nukenin would give away the location of the sacred tree so as long as the people survive, Takigakure no Sato will not be destroyed." he said with resolve.
Kakashi lifted his mask back up over the lower half of his face as he accepted the water and gave a nod, "I don't know what Akatsuki wants, but letting someone amass that much power when they've displayed such open hostility is obviously a bad idea." he said as he accepted the Taki hitai-ate and had his ninken sniff out Fu's scent. Akamaru whined, "You should stick with your partner, but I appreciate the concern." the jonin said to the Inuzuka ninken as he left the tent to follow his own ninken out of the encampment and after whoever had sold out the location of Takigakure and kidnapped Fu, since Kakashi expected that they were the same person.
Neji stopped and frowned, "These walls, they're hard even for my Byakugan to see through for some reason, but I can tell Naruto-kun just won, that guy escaped however." he said, Tenten and Lee both smiled, relieved and happy to hear it, "However, he's not coming to meet up with us. This place is nearly empty, but I have to acknowledge Naruto-kun's supernatural perception, he's moving towards something dangerous." he warned.
Lee and Tenten frowned, the former looking resolved and ready to go but the kunoichi was worried, "How dangerous?" she asked.
"Even through these walls, there's a chakra I can see clearly, or more like even at this distance, with these obstacles, that chakra is powerful enough that I can see it even with Naruto-kun in the way." Neji explained, and his teammates realized he'd started sweating, "It's like watching two limitless sources of power approach each other, I had no idea Orochimaru had something like this." he muttered, deactivating his Byakugan when he finished.
"We have to help then!" Lee insisted, turning to race off but the Hyuga blocked his path with a stern expression.
"No." Neji said firmly, "This isn't something we can handle, I hate to say it but we need to retreat and find Jiraiya-sama now!" he insisted, "Naruto-kun won't accept help if he's challenged, the enemy knows that. Due to our marks, our status as ninso, champions of Konton no Kami, the vaunted teamwork Konohagakure was once known for is easily broken apart." he said sadly, "So our teamwork needs to adapt, if there are other enemies there, Naruto-kun can't be outnumbered due to his contracts and the immensity of his own chakra. If there is only that one enemy, we wouldn't be able to help anyway, but Jiraiya-sama can step in if we return and Naruto-kun hasn't won."
Tenten was surprised to hear Neji speak of running away, but neither her nor Lee were sensors, they could only go by Neji's dojutsu, "This person is scarier than Harada?" she asked hesitantly.
Neji shook his head, "That guy was a different kind of scary, he was powerful and talented, if this person is even half as talented then we might have already wasted too much time." he warned in an urgent tone, "I can't speak for skill, but raw power, Orochimaru somehow has someone who seems to have chakra almost like Naruto-kun's." he explained, trying to express exactly why they needed to hurry.
Tenten went pale, "Let's go, Lee-san we'll come back for your weights when we come back for Naruto-kun." she insisted, she'd seen the kinds of jutsu Naruto could throw around, she'd witnessed the sheer raw power he had enough times to understand. Lee didn't want to go with his team, he wanted to go all out and help Naruto, but he knew they were right, he knew Naruto's pride and ego as a champion of Slaanesh would force him to deny their help in a challenge.
So the three chunin made a tactical retreat, Lee taking point with his speed as they raced to find Jiraiya and lead him back to the base in case Naruto couldn't handle whoever he would approach.
New Translation: Hankami - Demigod/Half-God, not normally a concept in Japanese folklore and usually only used to refer to the ancestor of an imperial dynasty
