***NOTICE!***PLEASE READ!***
I'm sorry. I know I've been gone, and for that, I apologize. I'll be honest, I left for two reasons.
One. I am busy now, so I have less time to write.
Two. I spent all this time writing in advance. I realize that I spend too much time stressing out about how soon I can release a new chapter since I have no content vaulted for later. I knew it was an issue so I took some time not only for myself but for my craft. It gives me more time to plan out future arcs and content. The next chapters will be more thought out and concise. I promise.
This chapter is focused on Team Guy and their progress, but I do leave a few nuggets of Naruto's new abilities inside. I also start fleshing out some ideas for Jutsu I've been working out for almost a year. I have some really cool ideas for Neji, the Hyuuga, Hinata, and custom arcs. I'm in the process of writing my first custom arc, and it'll be new original content. It involves world-building, new Jutsus, and most importantly, it'll keep some of the true Ninja-like integrity in the series.
Oh, and fair warning, there is some slight sexual content in this chapter. That's all I have to say.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and let's get on with the story.
General narration
"Talking"
Flashbacks
'Thinking'
Narration
"Yami speaking"
"Bijuu talking"
'Bijuu thinking'
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Naruto Shippuden, nor the Naruto Manga. They are owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto. I only own "Narrator" and other OCs.
It's time for his first S-Ranked mission. Naruto has partaken in many missions while training with Jiraiya. More B-Ranks than he cares to count, and many A-Ranks. In fact, he took on a few A-Ranked missions before he even left on his Training trip, such as Nami no Kuni, his fight against Gaara, and the Sasuke Retrieval Mission.
Despite his vast experience, he can't help but feel jitters at the prospect of a mission rank only the most elite of Jonin ever voluntarily take up. And he's doing it while still being -on a technicality!- a Genin.
He's excited, dammit! But…
Naruto can't help but cast a sidelong glance at his right arm. It doesn't matter what he does. No breathing technique helps. No amount of meditation soothes him. No matter how optimistic he tries to be, he can't stop the inevitable, and he can't ignore what lurks underneath his skin. What lurks buried in his flesh.
Before he went on his Training Trip with Jiraiya, Yami's chakra managed to fuse with his entire right arm, including the head of his humerus.
And despite not using the Kyuubi's or Yami's chakra, Yami was still fusing further along his body. And when Jiraiya loosened the seal that one time… that didn't help at all. That, along with three years of slow, agonizing merging has caused Yami's infection to reach far beyond a safe threshold.
Now, the entire right side of his chest is merged with Yami, including his pectoralis major and minor. His clavicles. Parts of his sternum. The foul energy has been trying to get a hold of deeper parts of his body, with it licking at the ribs on the right side of his body, barring the three lowest ones. His right scapula is now fused with Yami's horrid energy.
The dark miasma has spread upward, consuming his right carotid artery and the entire flesh of his neck right of his esophagus. Yami's reach ends there, with a few far-reaching branches writhing up his neck like parasites and gripping at his jawline like hooked, clawed fingers.
He has no idea what to do.
Well, now is not the time for such distractions. Naruto still has to pack for his mission.
With the strapping of his holsters to his leg, Naruto leaps out of his window to meet with Kakashi and Sakura.
Somewhere In A Dark Corner Of Amegakure
**Warning! Small Lemon! Some light sexual content!**
"We can't keep doing this." Groaned out a divine feminine voice in a moan.
She bites into the collarbone of the man she has her legs wrapped around. She manages to draw out a groan from him. It's a soft tune that brings a smile to her face. It means she's bringing this sad, lonely man some form of comfort and happiness.
"You say that every time we do this, Konan."
He flips her over and presses his weight on her back, switching positions. He wraps his arms around her lithe, yet feminine figure. One arm is coiled around her waist, his hand reaching up to squeeze her supple, cushioned breasts. His other hand grabs her by the chin and twists her neck to silence her moans with a deep, soulful kiss. "Just let go, and feel the moment. Feel me." The man demands huskily.
They naturally go back to their original position. Konan holds onto her lover above, and he worships the feminine charms of her body and the subtle traits hidden in plain sight on her flesh. She tightens her hold on the man. Her nails dig into his back and shoulder blades, scratching his skin, and drawing his cursed blood.
Her eyes roll into the back of her head, and before she lets out her loud, delicious orgasmic moans, the man shuts her up with another primal capture of her lips. He physically claims her as his own.
He moans into her mouth as he can feel his own climax approaching.
**End of the Small Lemon!**
When they fall from the heights, they separate with a stand of saliva still connecting their mouths.
The mystery man lets out a sigh and leaves the bed. He starts to search for his clothes, which have long since been discarded on the floor. His powerful muscles tighten at his flexing and yield at his relaxation as he starts to put on his pants.
"Why do you always do this?" Asks Konan in an unnaturally meek tone.
"What do you mean?" Replies the man in an aloof manner.
"You know exactly what I mean!" She yells out. The frustration is finally getting to her. "I mean, we've known each other for years. We talk every day. You come to my room every night, sometimes to talk about missions, and others to just talk about whatever is on your mind. I'm the closest thing you have to a friend here!" She ends with a glare. It's almost pleading, ironically.
The mystery man scoffs, seemingly disgusted at the notion. "There is no such thing as friends in the Akatsuki."
Konan gets up from her bed and hugs the man from behind. Her bare, naked breasts press into the hard, rippling muscles of his back. "We've been doing this for years. I'm the first person you come to when discussing new plans. I'm the person you come to when you need to get something off your chest. I'm the only person you can be in the same room with and not feel on edge." She whispers, trying to get some sort of sentimental reaction out of the man.
Her hands wander up his back, shoulders, and neck, and rest on his jawline. She plants her lips over his pulse by his carotid artery and lays a soul-searing kiss on his neck. "I'm the only person who has seen your naked body. Despite that, you insist that I call you by your alias. When will you tell me your real name? When can I see your face?" She's desperate for something, some form of mutual trust. She's stripped herself bare to him, both literally and metaphorically. She hopes he can do the same.
The man becomes as still as a statue. He's quiet and empty. More empty than a blank canvas, with no one there to leave behind an essence of their self. It's like he's not even there. He barely resembles a person at some points.
Begrudgingly, he pulls away from the amber-eyed beauty he's laid with. He picks up his mesh shirt and long-sleeved overshirt. He puts them on. At last, he dons the Organization's signature black cloak with red clouds. His dark, spiky hair pairs well with the broody, gloomy aesthetic of the Akatsuki's garb.
He reaches for the final piece of his outfit. An orange porcelain mask with a swirl pattern and two eye holes. It's already on his face, but it was lopsided when he laid with Konan. He adjusts the mask over his face, finally hiding his mouth and fully obscuring his identity from the world.
He walks over to the naked woman in bed. He crouches so they are at eye level. Her heart skipped a beat as he moved a strand of hair away from her flushed face, his cold palm against her warm cheek. She laid her head in his hand. It's at times like this, when he shows his rare displays of affection, she feels completely safe.
He lifts his mask off, and for the first time ever, shows his face to another person. If one were to walk into the room at that moment, they'd see the back of the man's head and Konan staring at him in marvel, like she'd seen something special and masterful.
Konan gently raises a hand to his face. She strokes his defined jawline and caresses his cheek. She smiles warmly. "You are… quite beautiful." She admits. A rosy blush warms her gorgeous face. She shyly averts her gaze.
The man grabs her by the chin and makes her face him again. He stares deep into her gentle honey-colored eyes, and she stares back at his angry, burning crimson gaze. He kisses Konan deeply, trying to convey the words he doesn't have the strength to admit to himself.
He slips the mask back on, once more hiding his real self from the world. "It doesn't matter what my name is. That person doesn't exist. No matter how much I trust you, you'll never know my real name. Forget about it. Please."
It could be her ears playing tricks on her, but Konan could've sworn that the man sounded desperate for her to forget about his name. As if the very name itself hurts him to his very core. He hasn't said it, but she can tell he's crying out for her to spare him from his own fear and misgivings.
A sad, sympathetic smile form's on Konan's face. He doesn't trust her, not fully, yet despite that, he's showing he cares in his own unique way. He showed her his face. That has to count for something. "Hai… Madara-sama." She's lost this fight. For his sake, she'll yield.
That seemingly pleased him. "You better get yourself cleaned up. Deidara and Sasori are almost at our Kusagakure hideout with the cargo. We need to be ready for the extraction." Despite it being stated as a suggestion, Konan knows it's an order.
Madara turns around and walks to the far side of the room. He gets swallowed up by a vortex, disappearing from the room entirely.
Konan lays down and covers her body with the sheets. She grabs the pillow on her left and sniffs it. 'It smells like him.' For some reason, the smell makes her think of a massive, blazing flame, a kind of out-of-control bonfire turning bright and lively wooden trees into ash.
When she thinks about him, the first thing that comes to her mind is the man's eyes. The sight of Madara's gorgeous crimson eyes. For most people, the Sharingan is a source of fear. It's a sentiment she can understand and empathize with. But for her, it was also a source of both comfort and beauty.
Suddenly aware of her attitude, she buries her face in the pillow and hugs it to her chest. God, she's acting like some damn schoolgirl! It's mortifying!
She takes another sniff of the pillow. So be it. She'll get ready, but she feels like she deserves this. At least for a few minutes.
A Few Hours Later, On The Way To Sunagakure
While traveling across Hi no Kuni, Team Kakashi runs into Temari. They inform her of the news and have her tag along for their mission. It concerns her much more than it does any of them.
Well, everyone except Naruto feels that way.
He's running much harder and faster than anyone else. It feels like no one cares as much as he does. Gaara and Akatsuki consume Naruto's thoughts.
"Naruto-kun is the prize the Akatsuki are after. And we will have him." Those were Itachi's words. A declaration of intent.
And then, when training with Jiraiya, the subject of Akatsuki was brought up once more. "It's not that they are after you. It's what's inside you. They want the Kyuubi's power under their control."
And the harsh chill he felt both times when those statements were said… thinking back on it doesn't bring the same feelings of anxiety and fear. Now, he feels a deep sadness. Along with rage. And hatred.
And he can't control his rage. He steps onto a branch so hard he leaves a splintered indentation marking his footprint.
"Naruto! No matter how much of a rush we're in, we can't break formation!" Yells out Kakashi in alarm. "Calm down. Didn't Jiraiya-sama lecture you about your temper."
"Shut up!" Kakashi keeps treating him like some novice freshman. It's condescending. "Stop treating me like some fucking fool!" He growls. "I'm not some ignorant little graduate, dattebayo! I know why those guys want Gaara and me."
He glances back slightly. "And you know too, don't you, Sakura?"
He gets no response.
Being ignored… there's nothing more infuriating.
"That I have the Kyuubi no Yoko sealed inside of me?!" He concludes bluntly.
Sakura looks away uncomfortably.
"Gaara and I carry monsters inside our bodies. That's what they're after. They only see us as monsters!" He can't help but feel resentful. He casts a quick once over to his right arm. "The way the Akatsuki, Sunagakure, Konohagakure, shinobi… The selfish ways you all view us… I despise it, dattebayo!" Naruto's words are bitter and equally hard to swallow.
'The way we look at them… is selfish?' They all think at once. 'What does he mean?'
Naruto remembers the way Gaara viewed himself once upon a time. "I was born a monster."
He grits his teeth. "Gaara and I had the same lonely existence. But he had it worse. He suffered and fought alone for much longer than I."
No, that was only the tip of the iceberg. "To them, I was a relic of the past that they wished would be forgotten. So you see, I had failed at the one purpose for which I was given life. What then was left for me in this reality? So why go on living?"
"And now the Akatsuki target him just like they targeted me." He clenches his fist so tight his knuckles pop. "It's not fair! Why is it that his life is so full of misery all the time?! Why always him?!"
He takes a few deep breaths to try and relax.
It does nothing.
"You wanna know what I can't calm down? There's your reason. I can't sit back and do nothing! If the roles were reversed, how do you think I'd feel if the only person in the world who could understand me abandoned me when I needed them most? I'd be a hypocrite, and I'd be worse than scum!"
Naruto's words are laced with something… wrong. Something that isn't him. Something angry, hateful, and dare they say… evil. No one has the strength to talk back.
They were too preoccupied with their shame and doubt to even muster a word. Their slight self-flagellation was enough to make them miss the tears in the corners of Naruto's eyes.
In Sunagakure
An old, rotting man is wavering in and out of sleep. He shocks himself awake, but even with his eyes open, they're so sunken you can't even make out his sclera, much less his eye color.
He looks across the small pond where his elder sister is fishing. "Nee-chan?" He tries to grab her attention. "Nee-chan?"
He blinks. "Are you dead?"
She drops her fishing rod. Slowly, it approaches the untouched water below. Before it lands, she snatches the rod up and winks at her brother. "Gotcha! Just playing possum." She giggles.
Baki walks into their private domain, breaking the light air around them. He bows. "Honoured Siblings. I have come to request your assistance."
Three Days and Two Nights Later
In Kusagakure, the Akatsuki duo who attacked Sunagakure no Sato have arrived at their hideout. They open the sealed entrance and walk inside the dark lair. What they see is equally fascinating as it is terrifying.
A massive dried husk the size of a Bijuu is inside. It has all nine of its eyes closed. It reeks an aura of death and rot. But the density of the chakra it releases is as suffocating as it is awe-inspiring.
They look at the fingers of the statue-like husk. 8 holographic figures are situated on every finger. Deidara and Sasori take their positions on the empty fingers.
The most imposing hologram is a man whose silhouette has spiky hair, and whose eyes are a metallic grayish-purple with concentric rings circling around the thin pupil. This man exudes the aura of dominance and power. He's the natural leader of such an organization.
With the swift casting of a ram seal, the muzzle on the statue's mouth is released. "This process will take three days and three nights to complete." His empty, inhuman eyes rest on the hologram that resembles a Venus Flytrap. "Zetsu, I want you to keep watch on the area outside. Use your longest range."
"Hai." Responded the creature.
The purple-eyed man's gaze sweeps over to the only observable female silhouette. "Konan. As my number two, you are the only one with the authority to do this task. We cannot afford any distractions, so call upon the multitude of outer members of the organization to defend the hideout and attack anyone who comes near." He commands.
"Hai." Responds the woman in a stoic-sounding voice.
"Ahhh, no fair! Why does everyone else get the cool jobs?!" Whines a childish voice.
Everyone looks at the man on the left pinky of the statue. "Zetsu does all the spying stuff, and Konan-chan does all the upper-echelon, policy- whatever you call it! And everyone else fights against the Jinchuriki! When is it my turn to do something fun?!" The man sounds on the verge of tears.
The purple-eyed man sighs. "Tobi. This is not the time. When there is an opening, you will have an important job. As of right now, remain patient." Orders the ring-eyed man.
Tobi sighs dejectedly. "Hai. I just wanna do something cool to impress Konan-chan. She's sooo pretty!"
Everyone groans and looks at Tobi with straight faces.
Secretly though, Konan internally holds in a few giggles. 'You certainly know when to have fun, Madara-sama.'
The purple-eyed man flares his chakra aggressively. "Silence! We will begin the extraction ritual now."'
Everyone casts a ram seal and the Kanji underneath their feet glows.
One Night Later
It's morning, and in Konoha, Team Guy has returned from their mission. And they'll be given no breaks.
Godaime-sama has summoned them immediately upon their return for another mission. "I want you to work on the same mission as Kakashi's group. You will serve as their backup."
Gai grins and gives Tsunade a thumbs up. "As you command, Hokage-sama!"
In Sunagakure
Team Kakashi and Temari arrive in Sunagakure. They sprint toward the hospital as soon as they hear about Kankuro's condition.
Sakura performs an emergency life-saving operation on Kankuro with the use of many water bubbles to draw out and dilute the poison enough for Kankuro to fight it off. She made 3 antidotes with the samples of poison extracted from Kankuro.
Later, Kakashi receives word from a Messenger Hawk that Team Guy was sent as backup.
They then headed out with Chiyo in tow to track the Akatsuki using the stray rag Kankuro snagged off one of the members.
In Hi no Kuni
At the same time, Pakkun found Team Guy and let them know to reroute toward Kawa no Kuni where the hideout was.
What Team Guy didn't know was that they were being watched by Zetsu, the half-and-half member of the Akatsuki.
In The Akatsuki Hideout
Zetsu's holographic form gazes at his leader. "There are enemies closing in on the base, and they seem to be fairly powerful. One of them is called Might Gai."
The man with the purple metallic gaze stares at Zetsu blankly. "I'm not familiar with him."
Itachi chimes in. "He's a Konoha Jonin. A Taijutsu expert. It's best not to underestimate him." His sharp, apathetic gaze sends shivers up Zetsu's spine.
Kisame chuckles. "That strange beast, eh? I have a score to settle with that one." His eyes become bloodshot from the tension in his body. His manic gaze oozes his intent in the room, despite him not being there.
The leader hums, considering the facts. "We are not too far from Amegakure, and we have many outer members on standby." His chilling powerful eyes root the organization's spy in place. "Zetsu, take your pick of the Outers we have at our immediate disposal. Use them to delay Might Guy's group. That'll buy us some time to use that jutsu."
His eyes sweep over the room and land on Kisame's hungry-looking silhouette. "Kisame, you are to go there and intercept the group from Konoha. Take as many of our Outers as you'd like."
Kisame cackles excitedly. "No need. This is personal, and they'll only get in my way." His body shudders from the vile bloodlust flowing within him. "It's time to get even."
Back With Team Guy
Now at the border of Kawa no Kuni, Team Guy stops when Neji spots multiple signatures with his Byakugan.
Knowing that they have been spotted, the ninjas hiding behind the rock formations step out, leaking their murderous intent. "Our Angel has requested for us to serve our God. In the name of our most gracious God, and his dream of a Utopia, we will do everything in our power to eliminate you, even at the cost of our own lives!" Declares the leader of this ragtag group. They all seem to be wearing Amegakure no Sato headbands.
Team Guy gets in position. Lee and Guy stand back-to-back with Neji and Tenten standing back-to-back. Neji is on Lee's right, with Tenten on his left. They huddle in close, so all their backs are touching.
Guy frowns and nudges Neji. "Neji, tell me, how many of these guys are there?"
With quick activation of his bloodline, Neji counts the signatures in his view. "50 shinobi are out in the open, with a further 70 still hidden. I believe they will either act as backup, or they are the ones hoping to finish this. Whatever the case, these guys in the open are simply cannon fodder. A mere distraction."
Guy's frown deepens. "That look in their eyes… There's a manic, almost obsessive devotion in their eyes. Kind of the way a religious zealot would do anything in their power to appease their God. It's unsettling. Their devotion is just like that of Jashinists."
Lee narrows his eyes. "What are you trying to tell us, Guy-sensei?"
Guy closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He exhales slowly. "I think they're serious. They are truly willing to do everything they can to complete their mission. So in that case… we might have to resort to unyouthful acts in order to end this fight."
Neji closes his eyes in resignation. He opens them and activates his Byakugan. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes for the mission."
Tenten grabs two scrolls from her belt. "Me too."
Lee clenches his fists and grits his teeth. He swallows heavily. "No matter how unyouthful it may seem… this is part of the job. I promised to become a splendid shinobi, even without being able to cast Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." Lee slowly pulls out Nunchucks from his belt. He opens them up and has his weapon out and ready. "I will do whatever it takes. Even if it means taking the life of my enemies." Lee feels disgusted at his own words, but a grim determination shines in his eyes.
The Amegakure ninjas pull out their weapons and charge.
Team Guy splits off to fight their respective sides.
Guy charges in and easily evades any punches and kicks the ninjas try to land on him. Any stray kunai and shuriken are dodged with little effort. Guy ducks under a high kick and tilts his head to the left to avoid a left hook. He jerks his head back to evade an uppercut, and he blocks a heel kick to the face with his forearm.
Guy grabs the offending leg and slams the ninja to the ground. He sidesteps a shoulder tackle and kicks the man in the face.
With a massive leap, Guy winds up his leg and swings a heavy kick at a group of shinobi. "Konoha Senpuu!"
Guy runs at the others near him and drops to the floor. He sweeps the legs of all those standing, leaving them exposed and defenseless.
Tenten unseals the contents of her scrolls and the many weapons hiding inside are deftly thrown at the downed ninjas, either dealing fatal injuries or killing them.
Lee's use of nunchucks allows him to deal multiple blows simultaneously while not being in immediate attacking range. When any opponent enters past the guard of his nunchucks, a swift kick or vicious punch is enough to lay them out. Lee's power, speed, and skills allow him to deal fast, knockout punches. He can take out an opponent without killing them.
Neji has little difficulty dealing with multiple opponents. A few calculated Jyuuken strikes to the eyes and most of his opponents were blinded, causing chaos and disorganization in the group's attacking effort. A harsh palm strike to the heart let him deal with any troublesome opposition in one blow. In short, he killed half of those he was assigned to deal with and blinded the other half.
Suddenly, Neji spots something in the outer range of his Byakugan. "Everyone, huddle up by me!" He barks out.
Lee, Guy, and Tenten wisely choose to heed Neji's cry. They run as fast as they can toward him, or at least be within a foot of him.
Neji casts a few quick-hand seals. "Doton: Iwa no Doomu no Jutsu!" He slams his hands on the ground.
Dirt, stones, and rocks from the ground below begin to climb up and around them. The Earth builds and binds to each other, rising higher and curving inward, before at last, it's sealed off. A dome of Earth is created, keeping Team Guy inside.
"What? I can't see! It's too dark." Exclaims Lee in protest. He squints, trying to make out the shapes inside the dome.
Meanwhile, Neji keeps his hands on the ground. He activates his Byakugan while keeping his hold on the jutsu. "Be quiet, Lee. I'm trying to focus." Neji uses his eyes to look outside the dome. A large barrage of shuriken, kunai and explosive tags was headed toward them.
Team Guy heard the thudding sound of something striking the outer shell of the dome, as well as the ringing of metal vibrating in place. They quickly deduce that Neji defended them from a massive swarm of projectiles.
The hissing sound of paper burning follows. Team Guy covers their ears.
A loud 'BOOM' is heard outside the dome. The hard, elemental shell of the dome rattles. Neji grunts from the exertion.
Finally, the noise dies down and Neji releases his hold of the Jutsu.
Team Guy can see clearly now. They are surrounded by a wide ring of projectiles, and even farther out are the rest of the Amegakure shinobi that were hiding.
Guy places a hand on his student's shoulder. "You did well, Neji. Good judgment call."
Neji nods in appreciation.
Guy scouts out their opposition. "Alright, my youthful students. I believe we can make quick work of these guys. We can't waste any more time. Scatter!" And with that order, the members of Team Guy leap to opposite corners of the clearing, assuming responsibility for their share of enemies.
Guy and Lee don't have much trouble dealing with their new opponents. They are similarly powerful as the previous wave.
However, Neji and Tenten can't say the same.
Tenten is simply nowhere near as skilled as her teammates, and Neji is tired. The Earth Dome jutsu requires a massive amount of chakra to cast and maintain. But Neji isn't a Jonin for no reason.
'I'm slightly drained. I can't afford to waste time right now. I have no choice but to be ruthless. I must kill my opponents in a single move.' Neji barely dodges a kunai aimed at his eyes.
He jumps back and pushes away the arms coming at his face and body. He pokes at the fingers, hands, and arms that approach him. Once stunning his opponents, he kicks them away, finally allowing himself room to breathe.
His opponents rush at him in wild abandon. Spotting their reckless charge, Neji bides his time and waits for his opening.
When the Amegakure ninjas are 15 meters away from him, he starts his sequence of hand seals.
He waits a bit more and builds up chakra.
The enemies are 10 meters away. A bit longer…
Now!
He slams his hands on the ground. "Doton: Iwa Toge Fushido no Jutsu!" As they sprint toward him, 6-inch spikes rise out from the ground, with the size and sharpness of a kunai. All around him, within an 8-meter radius, the spikes form a sea, or bed of spikes, like a protective, jagged moat.
As the Amegakure shinobi leading the charge step inside, they yell out in agony as the spikes pierce past their soles and pass through the entirety of their feet, and out the other side. Those unfortunate to be caught within the jutsu inevitably lose their balance and trip toward the bed of spikes below.
When they fall, the spikes stab into them with the ease any fine blade would, but with the grip of a barbed edge. It's safe to say those unfortunate souls are dead.
The rest of the charging shinobi stop and back up staring at the ground before them warily.
…
In the distance, Guy and Lee spot the ring of spikes Neji conjured, and get an idea. Rather than kicking away their opponents, they'll kick them toward a lethal landing spot.
Guy and Lee punch their enemies and get within their guard. Any of those foolish enough to jump at them are kicked with the strength of a mule toward the ring of spikes. When they land, they are greeted by the lethal cushion that is the rocky spikes below.
…
The Amegakure Shinobi around Neji realize what they must do. Collectively, half of them jump past the spikes, trying to reach the safe zone Neji is standing inside of.
Neji frown. He raises one hand off the ground and casts 2 one-handed seals. He slams his hand back on the ground and pulses his chakra. "Doton: Iwa Toge Chakushu no Jutsu!" The remaining spikes on the ground are launched upward, toward the unsuspecting ninjas above.
Their shock at seeing the spikes flying toward them catches them off guard, leaving little room for them to defend themselves. They scream out in pain and torturous suffering, with many of them gurgling on their own blood.
Neji stands and stares down at the remaining 7 shinobi before him. Staying rooted where he was, he activates his Byakugan and cups his hands by the left side of his body. He thrusts his left hand forward. "Hakke Kuushou!"
An air pocket or a vacuum is created. The air rushed to fill it, creating a powerful gust of wind that knocks back everyone in front of him.
Neji sprints toward the downed shinobi. He cups his hands before him and jumps. He creates another vacuum. This time, the starting point, or singularity of the vacuum is much smaller, and the vacuum itself much emptier, creating a more powerful burst when destabilized.
The glare of his Byakugan is so cold that the Amegakure shinobi below are left in a mixture of fear and awe, like a powerful, vengeful God is about to impart his righteous judgment on them.
"Eight Trigrams: Pressure Palm!" Neji thrusts his arm down. The vacuum -once, in the form of a ball- becomes unstable. The air rushing to fill in the void creates a gust so intense that it creates air pressure powerful enough to resemble the shockwave of an explosion.
The blast hits the 7 shinobi below, crushing them in the force and pressure created by the attack. When the dust settles, what remains of their bodies is red, splattered mush and a white, grainy paste that was once bones.
Guy and Lee helped Tenten finish off her own enemies and regroup with Neji.
Guy grimaces seeing the damage. "So this was the secret jutsu you were making. It's much more powerful than I could've imagined."
Neji nods. "Hai. It's still a work in progress. But as for now, the results are satisfactory."
Tenten's eyes widen. "A work in progress?!" She balks.
"Yes. My new jutsu can be considered an advanced form of the Vacuum Palm. While the Vacuum Palm creates a vacuum in relative terms to the atmosphere, my new Pressure Palm takes this to the extreme. I haven't mastered it yet, but in theory, the completed version should create a perfect vacuum, one so deep and empty that not even air can enter, essentially creating something akin to a black hole, but the opposite. It's completed by making the singularity as small and dense as possible." Rambles Neji giddily. He can't help talking on and on about his new technique. He's worked hard to come up with it, and he's proud of his progress.
Everyone stares owlishly at him.
Neji blinks. "What? It's basic physics. Nothing too hard to understand." He talks about the concept as if it were something as simple as learning addition.
Lee smiles at Neji. "You have gotten very powerful, my eternal rival! I wish to test myself against you in a youthful battle one day and prove my progress. Can you handle my Sixth Gate?" He asks daringly.
Neji smirks. "I didn't know you managed to open the Sixth Gate." He pats Lee on the shoulder. "But no matter. When the time comes, I'll still win." He declares in absolute confidence.
Lee slumps to the floor and cries tears of joy. "Guy-sensei, Neji has finally accepted my challenge of a youthful spar!"
Guy cries alongside him. "Oh, Lee! I'm so proud of you! You have made me so happy, Lee!"
"Guy-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Guy-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Guy-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Before they can reach one another and hug, Tenten smacks Lee on the back of the head. "This is not the time for your games! We have an ongoing mission!"
Neji grunts in annoyance. "And seeing your sunset Genjutsu once in my life is one time too many. Let's get a move on."
Reluctantly, Guy and Lee obey their teammates and continue with their mission.
A Few Hours Later
Team Guy travel toward Kawa no Kuni. Before they can cross the border, they are intercepted.
Pakkun warns Team Guy of a new scent in the area.
Neji activates his Byakugan and spots a new signature behind them.
A massive, moving bump can be seen underground. Something pushes up higher and higher until a bandaged bundle can be seen poking out of the ground. It slowly rises and heads undeviatingly to Guy's group, like a sharkfin rising above the water.
Eventually, the ground explodes, forcing Team Guy back to avoid the stray rocks flying about. The air becomes still, and the area unnaturally silent. A gust of wind blows away the debris cloud in the air, revealing the massive form of their opponent.
A massive shark-like man from the Inner group of the Akatsuki wielding a hulking bandaged sword.
"You… It can't be!" Yells out Guy in shock. His eyes are wide and confused.
Kisame grins excitedly. He looks at Guy, anticipating a further response.
A bead of sweat drips down Guy's chin. "You've met me before?"
Kisame stares incredulously at Guy. He hunches over and quirks an eyebrow, genuinely unsure if Guy is serious or not. "This most peculiar animal seems to have the mind of a beast as well. Well, I'll make you remember me soon enough."
Neji uses his eyes to discern some of Kisame's abilities. "This guy… has an incredible amount of chakra. I've never seen anyone but Naruto with this much!" Neji's lips form a thin line. "So… this is Akatsuki."
Kisame throws his sword into the air and slaps his hands together. The pinging sound of Jutsu activating soon followed. "Suiton: Bakusuishouha!"
Kisame opens his mouth and a massive wave of water explodes out, drowning the once-arid landscape in a flood.
Naturally, Team Guy jumps and uses their chakra to walk over the surface of the water.
The Ex-Kirigakure shinobi catches his sword and skates along the surface of the water. The force of his steps creates a massive wave flowing behind him.
Team Guy is forced to jump high into the air to avoid being crushed by all the water. They land on a few dry spots when the ground starts soaking begins up the water.
Kisame surrounds himself in water and runs back toward Guy.
Guy jumps around Kisame's strikes, but is forced to remain watchful of the after waves that come following the blue-skinned man's assault.
"How can someone command so much water when there is no natural source nearby?" Guy now feels genuinely concerned. This kind of power is absurd, and frankly, it might be too much.
Kisame summons another wave toward Team Guy's position. He forces the four of them to jump and stand back on the water.
Kisame rises out of the murky depths below with his sword ready to bisect Guy.
Guy dodges and kicks Kisame in the face. Kisame dissolves into water, leaving Guy open. Before Kisame can land a hit on him, Guy calls out to his student. "Lee!"
Lee appears between Kisame and Guy. He ducks under the swing of the sword and kicks it vertically out of Kisame's hand. "Konoha Shoufuu!"
Lee and Guy jump away from Kisame when they hear a low whistling droning sound. "Hakke Kuushou!"
The Vacuum Palm Jutsu strikes Kisame on his midsection, launching him backward. The shark man catches his Samehada and uses it to slow his momentum.
Suddenly, a large metal spike ball hits his sword. Attached to it is a paper bomb, set to go off. It explodes, covering the surrounding area with gray smoke.
When it fades, Kisame is nowhere to be seen.
Team Guy regroups and carefully scouts out the surrounding area.
Neji calls for everyone's attention. "He's right in front of us. He'll be coming up soon."
As if on cue, Kisame slowly comes up and out of the water, like a log rising and floating in a pool.
Guy narrows his eyes. "Suiton Ninjutsu and a big sword. You're…"
Kisame smirks. "It seems I've made you remember me."
Guy's eyes narrow further. "I get the feeling we met somewhere before."
Kisame's brows knit together, complementing, yet contradicting his big, toothy smile. "You are really good at rubbing people the wrong way. I'll thoroughly enjoy torturing you."
Guy can feel the presence of his team behind him. "Now, our counterattack commences. I'll create an opening. When I do, attack immediately!"
Guy and Kisame sprint toward one another. Kisame lugs his hefty sword toward Guy's midsection. Guy flips over it.
On his blindside, Neji charges a Jyuuken strike toward Kisame's neck but the fish man blocks the strike with his sword.
Lee comes in behind wielding wooden baseball bat-like blunt weapons. Kisame follows through on his block to swing at Lee.
Lee blocks the hit, but his weapons are broken in the process. He disposes of the wooden handles and regroups with his team.
Guy runs back in and swings a high kick to Kisame's face. The shark man ducks and swings his blade. Guy jumps and flips sideways, up and around the blade, as if he cartwheeled in mid-air.
Guy jabs at his opponent's face. The blue man blocks the strike. Guy thrusts a leg up to kick the shark man's chin, but Kisame tilts his head back. Guy readjusts his leg and hooks it on the handle of the bandaged sword. His right leg rests on the lower base of the sword, and he pulls, creating a lever effect, where the sword is ripped out of Kisame's grasp and away from him.
"Now!" Yells out the desperate Jonin.
Guy's teammates leap into action. Spotting them from his peripheral vision, Kisame clicks his tongue. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"
3 clones are summoned. Each clone grabs at the offending limb of every member of Team Guy.
Now having them within his grasp, Kisame casts a few more hand seals. "Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu!"
The clones turn into water and swarm around Lee, Neji, and Tenten. The water forms three water spheres keeping the three prisoners. They can't breathe or move.
The clones retain their form and maintain the water prisons Team Guy is stuck inside of.
Guy grabs Samehada and swings the sword to his opponent, but spikes jut out of the handle, cutting deep gashes into his palm and making him lose his grip on the sword.
Kisame grins hungrily. Bloodlust can be seen in his small, beady eyes, a craving so strong nothing but a massive dose could quench his thirst. "Now we can do this one-on-one."
Inside the water prison, Neji tries to think about ways to escape this prison. 'I can't move, and I can't breathe. Therefore, I can't perform Jyuuken or any Earth Style Ninjutsu that requires contact with the ground. I could release the flow of chakra in my feet so I can sink, but the water is too deep, and if I escape, then I'll be at a disadvantage by having my body underwater. What do I do?'
Neji uses his Bykaugan to try and understand why it is he can't move. 'I see. The water is infused with so much chakra that it becomes heavy. Since the water is so heavy, it makes movement nearly impossible. So the only way for us to escape is if the caster of the Jutsu is defeated, or I am somehow able to have my hands free so I can cast Jutsu.' Neji's eyes widen at that last thought. 'Yes. That's it! I just need to wait for an opening and hope Guy-sensei can do his part.'
Guy glares at Kisame. He digs inside his pouch and pulls out his own weapons. Metal Nunchucks. Guy swings and flings his nunchucks around, trying to both get a feel for them and make his opponent wary.
Guy swings his weapon at the shark man. Kisame blocks the strike with his sword. The impact forces the water to implode beneath them.
Guy kicks at Kisame's head, but he dodges easily enough. Guy follows through on the momentum and goes for a sidekick to the midsection, but the shark man's sword is there to absorb the strike.
They back away from each other, and run parallel to each other's paths. A water clone forms behind Guy, but one swift swing of his nunchucks destroys it before it can pose a problem.
The bushy-browed Jonin and the blue-skinned rogue meet for another clash of instruments. Once more, the water explodes from the force of their blows.
Guy is momentarily distracted by Tenten's struggling, giving Kisame enough reprieve to cast a Jutsu. "Suiton: Suikoudan no Jutsu!"
A water missile shaped like a shark dashes toward Guy. The Jonin absorbs the blow with his body, giving Kisama an opening. He cleavers his sword down at Guy with the combined force of momentum, gravity, and his own strength.
Guy has to use the metal chain holding his nunchucks to block the heavy strike. Kisame uses his free right arm to sock Guy on the jaw. The force pushes Guy underwater and into Kisame's territory.
Kisame plants his hands on the water's surface. "Suiton: Goshoku-zame!" 5 massive shark-like torpedoes zero in on Guy and begin their feeding frenzy.
Seeing Kisame and his clones consumed in the spectacle before them, Neji decides that now is the time to act.
Neji focuses on his Byakugan. Since he can't move in the water, he'll have to create an opening himself. Using the properties of Jyuuken, he creates a diminutive, fine point of chakra in the palm of his right hand, since it is nearest to the edge of the bubble. Using the properties of the Jyuuken, he expands the point in his palm while keeping the inside hollow. The shell is spinning and firm.
He expands the pocket to become larger, larger, and larger until it covers the entirety of his right hand. He destabilizes the vacuum near the edge of the bubble, causing the water nearby to cave in.
Now unstable, the bubble pops, leaving Neji free.
The clone keeping him bound chases after Neji, but Neji backs away slightly, creating an opening from the mid-range. Neji conjures up another vacuum, but this time on the tips of two fingers, similar to a Jyuuken strike. "Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Point!"
This new jutsu is similar to the Vacuum Palm, except that since it's launched from a fine point, it's smaller and less powerful, but the speed is more substantial in exchange. It's perfect for catching an opponent off guard.
The new jutsu is launched, shooting out at blistering speeds, and perforates the clone's throat. The clone dispels, and Neji is free to help his team.
He sweeps the legs of the clone keeping hold of Lee and shoots another Vacuum Palm at the arm of the clone holding Tenten.
In a few short motions, Team Guy is free, and Kisame has to contend with 4 opponents again.
Kisame clicks his tongue. "Tch. Annoying brats."
As the one with seniority in rank, it's up to Neji to lead while Guy is occupied. "Tenten, you are in bad shape. I'd recommend you sit this one out, but I can't force you. If you want to help, then the most I can allow you to do is back me up from a distance." Neji can see the disappointed frown on his teammate's face, but this isn't the time for sentimentalities.
Neji faces his more able teammate. "Lee. you are just as strong as I am. I need you to back me up while we buy time for Guy-sensei."
Lee grins. "Hai, Neji."
Lee and Neji run in a zigzag pattern symmetrical to each other. They decide to run at Kisame's flanks. Lee starts off by throwing a few punches at the shark's face and following those up with kicks. The Samehada does well to absorb the impact of the blows.
Neji follows up Lee's assault with a few calculated Jyuuken strikes to vital areas, but the massive sword absorbs his chakra every time he touches the damned thing.
Lee aims a roundhouse at the Akatsuki member's jaw, but his shin meets the sharp, barbed scales of Samehada. Lee is forced to retreat for a few seconds.
Neji launches a Vaccum Palm at Kisame's ribs. The man uses his sword to absorb the jutsu but is shocked when he's knocked back regardless. He glares venomously at Neji, asking an unspoken question. "How?"
Neji can understand what Kisame wants to ask. "The Vacuum Palm works by creating a vacuum using chakra, but the attack itself is simply regular air pressure caused by filling a vacuum. It's science, not magic."
Kisame grinds his teeth. A vein bulges and pulses in his temple. "Why you…"
Neji runs back in to fight Kisame. His elegance lets him change stances and attacks seamlessly, creating an unpredictable dance rather than a martial art.
Feinting a few Jyuuken pokes, seeing as how Samehada is covering Kisame's torso, Neji gets low and sweeps Kisame's feet out from under him, all in the blink of an eye. That is followed up by another Vacuum Palm launching Samehada out of Kisame's grasp once more.
Neji tries to get close to Kisame, but his massive size makes it so that even if he gets past the man's bulging arms, he can always back up. His wingspan allows him way too much room to evade with.
Finally, Neji gets an idea. 'I always have contact with his arms whenever he tries to block my strikes. Maybe it's time I make that a dangerous 'safe option' so to speak.'
Neji attempts the same sequence of moves as before. A few Jyuuken strikes, a feint here and there, get in close, attempt a Palm Strike, and back away. However, this time, before he backs away, he stabs the large man's arms with a few precise Jyuuken strikes.
Kisame groans in mild discomfort, but that's about it. He smirks at Neji with a raised brow, as if saying "Was something supposed to happen?" As if answering his unspoken question, Neji smirks and suddenly a small section of Kisame's forearm swells, becoming a sort of bubble under his skin. It resembles a boil.
Immediately after, the bubble pops. Flesh and blood explode out of the small explosion. Kisame grits his teeth and backs away while holding his bleeding right arm. He observes his new wound critically. 'It's not a big wound, barely larger than the diameter of a coin. Despite the pain, my arm still works, and though the bleeding isn't stopping, from what I can tell, this is nothing but a flesh wound. But that's not the problem. I need to know how he did this. How did my arm explode from the inside?'
As if being able to read his opponent's mind, Neji smirks. "Ever heard of a Blood Embolism?"
'What?!' Kisame is alarmed not only by Neji's words but also by an immense amount of chakra being released at once. He turns around and his face meets the foot of a glowing green blur.
Kisame rolls with the strike and gains some distance from the two powerful teenagers.
"The Fifth Gate; Gate of Closing. Open!" Lee's skin is red and veins bulge along his hard muscles.
Kisame growls. "This is incredibly annoying. I only wanted to fight that strange beast, not a whole squad of powerful shinobi." Kisame's frustrations are reaching a boiling point.
Lee charges in first this time. His superior strength and speed make him a formidable base of attack, and Neji's powerful mid-range abilities and lethal one-strike fighting style make him the ideal foil to complement Lee's reckless attacks.
Lee's speed makes it hard for Kisame to react. The second he spots green in the corner of his eye, the figure blitz past his line of sight. His continuous lapse of judgment leaves many holes in his defense. Kisame can feel a few searing pokes in his hands. A particularly bothersome jab in his ribs makes the task of breathing more labored than it should be.
A thunderous boom resonates in the air when a fist clatters into Kisame's jaw. The shark man rolls and tumbles on the water, but quickly restores his balance. The spot on his jaw where he was struck at is red and smudged with dirt. A growl comes out of the man's throat.
Kisame spins his sword in a manner similar to a bo staff. It's like the weight of the hefty weapon is negated in the hands of the mountain of a person before them.
Lee jumps and tries to kick the face of the Hoshigaki, but the Samehada serves as a viable defense. Lee jumps and tries to slam down an ax kick on his enemy's face, but a forearm is enough to handle the power flowing in his veins.
Kisame grabs Lee's leg and swings him at Neji, who was coming in much closer than Kisame was comfortable with. Neji catches his partner but struggles with the weight of Lee in his arms. He loses balance, but Lee's core strength flips them in mid-air, reversing the roles. Now Lee is holding up Neji, keeping him stable.
Lee grabs Neji's arm, and using the massive amounts of power granted to him by the gates, he throws Neji at the flank of Kisame.
Kisame casts a few hand seals. "Sensatsu Suishou!" Hundreds of water senbon surround Kisame in an arch. The needles hone in on their target and fly at Neji.
Halting his momentum, Neji gets in the stance typical of the 64 palms technique. He then takes a step forward and lowers his hips, making it look like he's taking a very long stride. "Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!" Neji's hands spin around so fast that the afterimages and movements merge to make one trembling white arch around him.
The Jyuuken strikes hit each individual senbon on the tip, forcefully breaking each needle structurally and strategically. After a few seconds, every last senbon that flew toward Neji dissipated into water and fell back into the artificial lake below his feet.
Neji uses a chakra-fueled palm strike to cancel out the force of Kisame's swing of his sword. His chakra-coated hand and Kisame's blade meet in a short test of strength. Neji uses his chakra to stick to the Samehada safely, with no danger of his hands being torn into ribbons by the scales. Normally the sword would eat his chakra, but such brief contact didn't give it enough time to do what it needed to do. He ducks under one of Kisame's punches and uses his chakra adhesion to flip over Kisame, utilizing the sword as a platform to do so.
Neji charges chakra into his free hand and aims a palm strike at Kisame's back, but Samehada is there to take the hit. The power in the strike is enough to launch the large man back, forcing him a fair distance away.
Kisame spins on his heels and runs back at Neji. Neji cups both his hands to his side, charging massive amounts of chakra into his palms to utilize his new Jutsu. "Pressure Palm!" Neji jumps in the air and aims the jutsu at the water beneath him. The result is the water's surface imploding outwardly, and the subsequent force displacing the water high into the air, forming a wall of pressurized liquid, like a Geyser.
Kisame slashes his sword at the Geyser, clearing the obstruction. Reacting quickly, Kisame brings his sword near his face, the sharp scales of it drawing blood on the bony, bandaged fist of Rock Lee.
He slashes at Lee, but the boy ducks under the swing the way one would do playing a game of Limbo. Kisame thrusts his large, meaty right fist at Lee's face, but the boy recovers in time and swats the hand down. He swings a left hook at Kisame's gilled face, but the blue man flexes his shoulder in time, using his right elbow to block the hit.
Lee follows his own momentum and spins around Kisame's back, deciding to jam an elbow at the shark man's undefended left side. Lee's right elbow inches ever closer to Kisame's left ear, but in an impressive feat of quick thinking and flexibility, Kisame lets go of his sword and jerks his own left elbow back at an impossible angle. His elbow blocks Lee's elbow.
Lee follows the natural movements of his body and extends his arm, closing his fist. He lands a successful back-handed punch on the blue man's face. Temporarily stunned, Kisame is a fraction too late to stop the advancement of one Hyuuga Neji.
Kisame uses his right hand to catch his Samehada before it can fall into the lake and tries to set up a defensive guard in front of him. Neji, however, is too fast, too agile, and too intelligent. He breaks past the flimsy defense, successfully breaking into Kisame's guard.
Kisame tries to slam a left hook at the Jonin's face as some sort of last-ditch counterattacking effort, but Neji's visual awareness is too acute. Neji coats his right hand in some chakra and swats away Kisame's punch, finally leaving the man exposed and defenseless for the first time. Neji charges chakra into his free left hand and thrusts a powerful Palm Strike on Kisame's diaphragm.
The air is knocked out of Kisame's lungs, making him feel faint and dizzy. He can see spots in his vision, and his impaired capacity leaves him vulnerable. "Konoha Shoufuu!" Lee kicks Kisame on the chin, knocking him straight up into the air. The heavens are a realm Kisame is not familiar with, and it's a place that leaves him vulnerable to attacks, especially considering how hard it is to dodge.
And worst of all, waiting for him in the sky, ready to strike is one confident Hyuuga Neji. Inside his palms is an unstable-looking pocket of… something. Kisame is unfamiliar with the Hyuuga Clan's techniques, but he knows two things. One, he's never seen anyone other than Neji use this Jutsu, and Two, he's never felt a Hyuuga pour so much chakra into one technique. Whatever this is, he cannot allow it to hit him. If he does, it'll be checkmate.
Kisame knows the reason why the Hyuuga have clan-exclusive techniques is that only they possess Byakugan. Therefore, if his hypothesis is correct, if you eliminate the Byakugan from the equation, a Hyuuga is as defenseless as a newborn babe. A feral grin nearly splits Kisame's face in two.
"Eight Trigrams: Pressure-" Before he can finish his incantation, Neji feels a searing, agonizing pain in his eyes. An agony he's never had the displeasure of feeling before. Neji screams in agony and makes a move to soothe his mutilated eyes. In doing so, he lets the control of his jutsu slip, causing the vacuum to destabilize while still in his hand. An explosion is heard in the sky.
"Neji!" Yells out Lee in horror.
The shockwave of the explosion races down toward the lake's surface, reverberating like a thunderclap. Massive waves are formed from the ripples of force hitting the water. Lee is forced to shield himself from the powerful winds, using his chakra to keep himself standing.
Lee spots a slender figure falling to the ground. He's instantly able to recognize who that is. Lee sprints to the figure, and catches him. He takes a moment to observe the pitiful state of his rival.
His right arm is bleeding profusely, with burns outlining the flesh on the right side of his body. Much of his clothing is either torn or missing. It doesn't look pretty, but most of those things can be taken care of after the fight. However, the most worrying thing is Neji's screams as he clutches at his bleeding eyes. It's not much blood, barely even a couple drops in each eye, but considering he wields a Doujutsu, an injury to his eyes could spell the end of his Shinobi career.
"Neji…" Lee whispers in despair.
But his concern for his teammate left him distracted. So absorbed was he in tending to his teammate that he completely forgot about his opponent. And that momentary lapse of judgment would come back to bite him.
A silent scream tears at Lee's throat as he can feel hooked scales shredding the flesh on his back into mincemeat. The heavy weight of the weapon makes it impossible to escape from the jaws of the thing tearing his back apart.
Once the entirety of the Samehada passes along Lee's back, Kisme kicks him away toward Tenten, who is standing on dry land. "Lee, Neji!" She yells out in mounting dread.
Kisame chuckles sadistically. "Well, it seems like you brats are in over your heads. This is a disagreement between adults. Children have no place in adult matters." He states mockingly.
Tenten's lips quiver. "Don't patronize us!"
Kisame snorts. "And what exactly can you do, huh?" He stretches his back on his sword while saying the earlier statement, as if Tenten isn't even worth an ounce of his attention.
Suddenly, water shoots out of the lake in Geyser-like torrents. Kisame is alarmed by the frankly absurd amount of chakra around them.
He hears a yell from under the water. "The Sixth Gate: The Gate of Joy! Open!"
The release of energy underwater causes the lake to bubble and boil. The force of the release splits apart the lake, presenting Might Guy to the world, his form clad in a powerful green aura.
Guy blitzes toward Kisame at speeds too fast for the eye to track. He kicks him into the air and follows up after him. Guy gets into a stance, readying an attack on the blue-skinned man. Guy roundhouse kicks Kisame so fast that his own leg catches on fire. He then pummels Kisame with a barrage of fire-coated fists. "Asa Kujaku! (Morning Peacock)"
Kisame is launched down into the water at such a speed his body is set on fire. After a few seconds, his jutsu is stopped, and the water is soaked into the arid soil below.
The battle is over, and Team Guy comes out on top, but not without cost.
Tenten supports Lee and Neji as they make their way to Guy.
Meanwhile, Guy looks at what remains of his opponent in shock. The corpse of a random man remains garbed in the attire of the Akatsuki. A corpse that clearly doesn't belong to Kisame. "What the hell is going on?"
Tenten lays down Neji and Lee. She calls her sensei over.
They both tend to the injuries of their teammates. Neji's arm was cleaned and bandaged, while Lee's gaping wound was cleaned and disinfected. That's all they can do since none of them are medics.
Not much could be done to ease Lee's pain or treat Neji's eyes, but considering that Neji can still see clearly, it seems they got lucky no permanent damage was done. They are also lucky that Lee has an incredible pain tolerance, or else their mission would be doomed.
After an hour set aside to recover, Team Guy continues where they left off in the hopes of finishing the mission.
Naruto runs at Itachi, thankful that Kakashi's shadow clone is there to hold him in place. He casts a few quick hand seals from above. He sucks in a deep breath. "Fuuton: Kaze Gyorai no Jutsu! (Wind Torpedo)"
An invisible torpedo zooms out of Naruto's mouth and strikes Itachi in the chest from a long range. The force of the torpedo creates a ripple effect, where the surrounding air warps uncomfortably at the speed of the technique. The invisible torpedo explodes with the force of 2 explosive tags, managing to destroy Itachi and the Kakashi clone in a marvelous light show.
When Naruto lands on the ground, he and his team gather around the corpse of their defeated enemy. Their eyes collectively widen.
"Who the fuck is that?" Demands Naruto in his typical uncouth manner.
Whatever the case, it's clear to see the man he killed was not Itachi, but rather a ninja from Sunagakure.
Naruto doesn't have time to mourn the loss of life. He and his team are too busy with their goal. They run off to finish their mission.
After 2 Days
Gaara opens his eyes, aware that he's alone in an expansive white space. He looks down at a hand. "Whose… hand is this?" He follows up the arm of the hand to see it attached to his own body. "Ah… It's mine."
Gaara instinctively thinks about his life and his purpose as Kazekage. "Have I… become someone that people needed?" He stares at his hand, looking through the gaps in his fingers as he waves the appendage over his face.
He spots a figure looking at him. He stares back at it. "Who is that?" When he blinks, the figure blinks. After staring long and hard, he realizes he's staring at some sort of reflective surface. "Me?"
He blinks again. "That's me. Wanting to be needed by someone. Why… Why did I want that?"
He can't help but just… stare at his own features. "Those eyes. That nose. That mouth. Why? Why is that… Gaara?"
He can see that Gaara hasn't blinked in a few minutes. "I was once in there. No… What am I anyway?"
He can feel himself shrinking. "I'm only aware of being 'me'. So… who am 'I'"
Gaara can see himself shrinking, getting farther away until all that can be seen is a nearly invisible point. "Am I… just a small, insignificant consciousness?"
THUD!
The last remnants of red energy, at last, leave Gaara's body. Once no more Bijuu chakra remains, the Jutsu naturally ends. Gaara's body is no longer suspended, and he collapses to the cold, hard, stone floor.
The intimidating purple-eyed man stares at Gaara for a few seconds, and then back to his allies. "The extraction is complete. Sasori, Deidara, see to our guests. For the rest of you, the meeting is adjourned."
The holograms all disappear, and the statue along with them in a puff of smoke, leaving only Deidara and Sasori in the cave.
A Few Hours Later: After A Long, Hard Battle
Sakura is straddling the cold wooden body of the monstrosity beneath her. She has a long sword wedged in the heart of the abomination. "What the hell are you?!" She yells out in equal parts exhaustion and rage.
Purple fluid spills out of the wound in his chest. He blankly stares at her. "Suffice it to say, I'm a human who couldn't completely become a puppet. I exist as an incomplete puppet who exists with a beating, human core. A heart. I'm neither human nor a puppet."
Purple ooze leaks from his wooden mouth. "I'll be dead soon, but first, I'll do something pointless. Consider it a reward for defeating me." His intense, static gaze lingers heavily on the pink-haired young woman. "You wanted to know about Orochimaru, didn't you?"
Sakura's eyes widen with trepidation and anticipation.
"Go to the Tenchi Bridge in Kusagakure no Sato a month from today at noon."
Sakura looks at him skeptically. "What's there?"
Sasori looks at her blankly. "I've got a spy working as one of Orochimaru's subordinates. We were supposed to… rendezvous… there." And with that final utterance, Sasori is dead.
With Naruto and Kakashi, they continue their chase of Deidara.
Naruto summons shadow clones and throws them at Deidara. The clones prove to be a viable nuisance to Deidara, who has to deal with many of them trying to punch, kick, or tackle him. One particularly nasty clone blew a small hole through his body with a Wind Jutsu. Overall, his efforts didn't provide anything substantial.
What it did do was give Kakashi all the time he needed to activate his Mangakyou Sharingan. When he used its special ability, the space around Deidara started to warp and centralize around an opening in space. A wormhole, if you will.
Given Kakashi's lack of chakra, and his inexperience with the Jutsu, all Kakashi could manage to do was snipe off Deidara's arm.
That gave Naruto the window of opportunity he needed to create his own opportunity. Naruto threw another clone at Deidara, one meant to come as close to Deidara as possible while being far enough to not harm Gaara. The clone smirked at Deidara, taking a sort of sadistic glee with his following action. "Fuck your art!" The clone gathered all of its remaining chakra and gathered it at one point in its core. It gave a final scathing, mocking glare at Deidara and smirked. "Bunshin Daibahuka!"
The clone exploded in a fiery display of heat and force. Deidara let out an embarrassingly girly squeak trying to hold in a scream. When the smoke cloud disperses, a still-standing Deidara looked worse for wear, with a furious look in his eye. Part of his cloak was destroyed, and he suffered burns along his neck, face, and sole remaining arm.
Unfortunately, his troubles weren't over. Naruto had clones throw him at the mad bomber, and by proxy, his clay bird. Naruto realized his clones didn't aim right, so now he won't land on the bird. He only has time for one attack. One attack needs to be made, and it needs to count.
Naruto takes out a kunai and channels his Wind Natured chakra in the blade. He times his attack perfectly and aims true. He throws the Wind empowered blade at the back of Deidara's legs.
The clean shrill sound of metal slicing flesh is heard, and after that is the agonized, furious scream of the blond Akatsuki member, followed by the thud of him collapsing on the clay.
Naruto smirks in sadistic satisfaction. They need to defeat Deidara, and one strike could never be enough to deliver a fatal blow to a guy as powerful as him. That left him with the option of an incapacitating strike. And his choice was slicing and severing both of his Achilles Heel Tendons. That choice would guarantee Deidara couldn't walk, making it nigh impossible for him to escape.
But alas, despite the intent, that's exactly what happened. With the clever use of clones, substitution, and explosions, Deidara managed to escape with his life, but that's not the main concern of the rescue teams and Sunagakure.
With the help of Naruto, Chiyo gives the entirety of her life force to try and resurrect Gaara. She gave up her life, her soul, just so Gaara's soul could come back.
When Gaara opens his teal, pupilless eyes, the first thing he notices is the sapphire, melancholy eyes of his dearest friend. Uzumaki Naruto. When he looks around him, he sees the kind smiles of dozens of his Sunagakure shinobi. His men looked at him with awe and happiness. Such admiration and relief.
"What is this?" His shock may have come on thick, but Gaara can't believe what he's witnessing.
Naruto's eyes crinkle in happiness. "We all came running to your rescue." His melancholy smile eases, becoming a true, gentle smile filled with warmth. "Welcome back, Gaara."
Gaara is speechless. There's a lump in his throat that won't let him speak.
"Gaara-sama! Are you okay?" Yells out the exuberant voice of one of Gaara's devotees; Matsuri. Behind her are the two other girls who demand his attention.
Gaara nods dumbly, still trying to wrap his head around everything that's happened.
An unnamed Sunagakure shinobi sobs happy tears. "Thank goodness. I was worried Kazekage-sama would die."
A teenage girl with greenish-gray eyes and purple face markings smacks the sobbing shinobi on the head. "To lack so much faith in our Kazekage. How dare you!" She accuses, sounding offended.
Matsuri becomes lost in her imagination. "Gaara-sama is a silent, cool, strong, handsome elite warrior. I'll protect you from your enemies next time!"
A bland-looking girl bumps into her. "No, I will!" They both run off together to try and get as close to Gaara as possible. But the third girl with purple facial markings stays behind and stares longingly at her Kazekage.
Above all else, the girl stares at the unmoving body of Chiyo Baa-sama. She closes her eyes and pays her respects.
Slowly, everyone else becomes aware of the state of the elder woman. Everyone can feel the aura surrounding them. A tense silence settles in the clearing, making everyone mournful and uncomfortable.
The silence is broken by the pained, effortful grunts of Gaara forcing himself to his feet. The rigor mortis has made his bones, joints, and muscles stiff. Shakily, he gets to his feet and finds his balance with Naruto's help.
He slowly treks to the body of Elder Chiyo. He stops right before it. Gaara lifts his gaze and looks at everyone around him, demanding their attention. "Everyone. A moment of silence, and pray for Chiyo Baa-sama."
Everyone closes their eyes and pays their condolences to a true shinobi who gave her life for her people.
...
When the Rescue squad returns to Sunagakure, they are greeted by the jubilant celebration of the citizens and shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato. Everyone cheers for the successful safe return of their beloved Kazekage-sama.
A horde of fangirls surrounds Gaara, trying to pine for his attention. Usually, Gaara would simply ignore them and get on with his day, however, considering the circumstances, he can't fault anyone for feeling energetic or rambunctious.
Gaara sighs and resigns himself to the inevitable onslaught. He decides to accept his fate and actually humor his would-be suitors. "Alright, settle down. Why don't we all try to get along?"
A squeal from his admirers has Gaara almost regretting his decision, but this is a one-time thing, so he'll suck it up. "Please, introduce yourselves. Tell me something interesting about yourselves." He asks, trying to get to know his people on a more intimate level, despite their less-than-altruistic intentions.
The leader of his fan club starts off. "My name is Matsuri, and I love my people, my friends, and Gaara-sama! I hate needless violence, and my dream is…" She glances shyly at Gaara, before squealing.
The next girl approaches. She's cute, in a more subdued, plain-looking way. Soon after, everyone has gone, and all of their personalities sort of melded into one. They are all extensions of the same cliche person and bland personality, leaving Gaara having spoken to everyone and not learning anything to define them as people. He feels like he's wasted his time.
But, before he leaves, he spots an older girl standing on the edge of the horde. She's wearing a turban, which conceals her short, brown hair. Her eyes are a strange greenish-gray color, and she proudly dons thick purple face paint that stretches from her cheekbones down to her bottom lip at a ninety-degree angle. And finally, she carries a large roll of cloth on her back.
Said girl is staring at him longingly and, dare he say, defeated.
It'd be wrong of him to exclude one person after everyone had their fair chance to speak to him, so he calls her over. "I'm sorry, but it seems we haven't spoken yet. Would you like to?" He asks, extending an invitation to her. The girl nervously walks over to him. She gives him a shy, yet confident smile? What a weird combination.
"I-I'm glad to have you back in the village, Kazekage-sama." She offers dutifully.
Gaara smiles. "I'm glad to be back as well, but please, don't be so nervous. You have as much right as anyone else to speak to me. I am the leader of my people, and I'd like to get to know the people I protect." He offers a way in.
The tenseness in her muscles eases away, and her shy mannerisms disappear. She smiles widely and confidently. "Pleased to finally meet you, Kazekage-sama. My name is Maki. I love Fuinjutsu, embroidery, and my village."
Gaara quirks a brow. Interesting. She's the only girl who decided to speak about her dedication to her craft and serving the village.
"My dislikes are tacky clothing and traitorous people."
Hmm. This girl seems to have an actual personality. She has definite tastes and a strong devotion to Suna.
"And my dream is…"
Gaara frowns. 'Here it comes.'
Maki smiles beatifically. "I hope to one day open and lead a Fuinjutsu Corps in Sunagakure no Sato."
Gaara's eyes widened. 'This girl…' She's different. Perhaps… maybe… he won't forget who this one is. This girl seems much more memorable than other girls his age.
It seems like his time wasn't wasted appealing to his suitors. Maybe this one won't be so forgettable. Then, a thought came to his mind. 'Is she even one of my suitors? She wasn't with their group. Just who is she?'
That Same Night In Kawa no Kuni
The sound of dirt collapsing and rocks crumbling breaks the fragile silence of a dark clearing. A sharp, pained gasp follows, letting anyone present know that whoever it is clawing at the ground is in desperate need of a breath of air. Nails dig into the dirt, crunching and grinding at jarring frequencies. The burned hand drags itself out of the ground, and a body along with it.
Deidara's body is damaged and frail, but the fire and rage in his soul are more powerful than ever. "Jeez! I can't believe they stopped my 'Suicide Bomber' Clone. Whatever! It gave me time to escape, hmmm."
Deidara knows he was able to escape with his life, but not his pride intact. "I was utterly embarrassed and humiliated by that blond Jinchuriki brat! He toyed with me in the chase, and the attempted capture after. He blew a hole in my torso, took away my ability to walk, and left me bloody, beaten, and broken."
Even those things don't mean all that much to Deidara. He's a shinobi, and what happened to him is all part of the job. No, there's one thing that stands out above all. The one thing he could never forgive. "He had the gall to make a mockery of my art, hmmm! To make one of his clones explode and not even have it be his final attack! How dare he!"
Nothing could ever change that. To Deidara, there is no bigger crime than insulting his art. "I will have my vengeance upon you soon, Uzumaki Naruto. Just you wait. I'll pay you back for doing this to my body, and I'll prove to you the beauty of my art! Don't you dare get captured! I will be the one who kills you, hmmm!"
Deidara can't walk, and he's missing an arm. He uses his one good arm to drag his body toward the general direction of the Akatsuki hideout. He fades in and out of consciousness, trying to will himself to stay awake. 'I cannot die! Not yet! I still have to kill Itachi, and that Sasuke kid! But most of all, I have to kill Uzumaki Naruto!'
Deidara is put on edge when he hears a twig snap behind a few trees past his line of sight. He quickly scouts the area, nervous about whether he'll find an enemy or a bounty hunter. In his current state, he can't fend off anyone wishing him harm.
Deidara yelps when he sees a person standing before him. He appeared out of nowhere!
"Oh no! Deidara-senpai! Are you all right?" Asks a worried child-like voice.
Deidara scowls. "Th-this is not the time for your games, Tobi! I-I need a doctor!"
Tobi stays silent. His unmoving, empty stare unnerves Deidara, not that he would ever admit that. "Err… Tobi?"
Tobi holds up a peace sign. "Don't worry, senpai! I'll bring you back to Amegakure spick and span! And look what I found!" Tobi holds up the severed forearm of Deidara.
"Wh-where did you get… that…" Deidara's eyes roll into the back of his head after being struck by a vicious chop. He didn't even see it coming.
Tobi stares at Deidara for a few seconds. He scoffs at Deidara's pathetic form. His eyes glow a bright crimson, the fury in his gaze judging Deidara, deeming him as a worthless, inferior creature. "You useless rat!" He bites out in a deep, smooth voice. "You had one job, and you couldn't even do that right. Both you and Sasori."
The man shakes his head disappointedly. He sighs, feeling frustrated. "I suppose you may still be of some use to me. Be grateful that I'm in a good mood today. I'll give you a second chance, Deidara. That's something no one has ever gotten from me before. Don't waste this opportunity. Don't make me regret sparing you."
Tobi grabs Deidara by his nape. He hurls him up, making Deidara land roughly on his shoulder. Tobi sighs. Together, he and Deidara are sucked up by a wormhole that sends them far away, leaving no trace of either of them ever being there, in that lonely, dim clearing.
That's the chapter.
I did what I needed to do. I wanted to breeze through the Kazekage Retrieval Arc so I could go directly to what I have planned. I wanted to ask you guys to please send in any naming ideas for Neji's jutsu. I haven't chosen the name yet.
Please, send in ideas for any techniques or jutsu you have in mind. It could be original or cliche ideas, as long as it's worth a look. Give me ideas for Sharingan, Rinnegan, and Byakugan abilities. Doujutsu will play a big role later on.
This story is also on AO3 and Wattpad under the same story and author name. Please check it out of you prefer those sites.
Let me know your honest thoughts.
Thank you for reading. Review if you enjoyed it, or if you have requests or complaints. You can always P.M me too.
Have a good day. This is Zippy, out.
