DOWNFALL OF THE LIGHT 2
Chapter 4: Chaotic Confusion
Disclaimer: This is shit man, they are forcing us to write this when we have plenty enough shit to do. Like I said for like over 20 chapters, 22 to be precise, I don't own Naruto or Warcraft3 in any possible way. If I did, I wouldn't be making fan fiction. I would be creating them in a way I like them to be. NaruHina forever! Now, to ease the pain from vicious reality, I hope this fiction would do the job.
Legend:
"...": Speech
': Inner Thoughts (In Italics)
'...': Mind Conversations (No Italics)
(...): Most likely Author's Notes
Scenario Change is the bolded italic brackets.
AN: Alright people, I think it's a good time to reveal the next part of the deepening saga of Downfall of the Light. I still want to apologize for not being able to update this chapter any sooner than I could have. Grade 12 is really pissing me off. Not only that I have enough loads of homework, which I usually finish half of it in school, my parents always complain that I don't have enough work to do and frequently use any methods of excuse to get me off of whatever I am doing. As long as it's related to academics, they would have no objections to. I am like... "Get a life, damn it!" It's like they can't shit after they eat and having nothing better to do than to bother me. Enough of my personal ranting, I want to show my gratitude to those who actually reviewed. To those who supported me outside of fanfiction, you have no idea how much your encouragement meant to me. I will still continue to write despite my current position in reality since I really believe this is worth my time. Now, I think I should make a short Jutsu Description List to update on any techniques you may not understand. Here goes nothing!
1. Cast Down no Jutsu
Description: A one deadly shot suppressing fire attack that the user generates a poweful essence of chakra in their hands and releases it in a storm of needles and piercing objects while throwing.
Users: Katase Tenten
Chakra Usage: Medium
Cooldown Rate: Fast
Targets: Anything.
Target Range: Long
Damage: Very High
I made this attack, so I am the rightful owner!
Introduced in Chapter 18 of the first book.
2. Revenants Rise
Description: Naruto's own deadly summon to summon vampuric warriors with unknown capabilities beyond expected.
Users: Uzumaki Naruto
Chakra Usage: High
Cooldown Rate: N/A, it depends on how many warriors he could summon
Targets: None
Summoning Range: Short
Damage: Unknown
Originate from the art of summonings in the original manga and anime. The characters are my own creation!
Introduced in Chapter 18 of my first volume.
3. Aerial Shackle
Description: A beam of chakra that traps its targets in a net or web manner. It keeps the victims immobile and deals considerable damage in a quick pace. This lasts 90 seconds or until the target is killed.
Users: Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata
Chakra Usage: Low
Cooldown Rate: Long
Targets: Anything living.
Target Range: Long
Damage: Very high if the target is trapped for a long time
Originated from the Human unit DragonHawk Rider.
Additional AN: Just start reading already, I need a long break... thanks again for reading!
(Meanwhile in Konoha)
"Something is amiss..." whispered Gaara to himself as he stood on a watch tower post guarding the West Gate of Konoha. "Even in a peaceful place like this... I could still sense such a disturbing aura." He had been staying in Konoha for nearly 2 weeks now after the invasion, he was deeply grateful that Hyuga Hiashi and Jiraiya both acknowledged him as a trustworthy human other than a monster. He smiled weakly since he was never much of a boy who preferred to express his feelings. But in his heart, he thanked Naruto for advising him how to take things more brightly in his own hands. The young demon hunter was right, there were kind people in the existence after all. As he took a quick sip of his morning coffee quietly, a loud voice disrupted all his thought in a flash.
"Gaara-chan!" called an energetic girl running to him. The Sand genin quickly sweatdropped at that remark. "C'mon, don't just watch the forests all day, you can talk to me when you are free." She smiled brightly at him as if it was the most natural thing to do in front of the Sand boy, Gaara in a farfetched way grinned back.
"How many times do I have to tell you... don't call me Gaara-chan..." The red head didn't sound mad at all, just awkward.
"Don't you like me calling you that?" she asked innocently.
"It just sounds weird... Gaara-san is fine, okay?"
"I like calling you Gaara-chan and I am sticking with it whether you like it or not."
"Fine, Rin-san." Gaara replied in exasperation.
"Call me Rin-chan, I like that better."
"But it sounds so strange for me to call someone with a chan as a suffix... it's just not me."
"You're just like ni-san," commented Rin holding his hand with her own. "You have to loosen up a bit. I like to see Gaara-chan smile a bit more."
"That's a pretty demanding requirement..."
"No it's not!" she pouted adorably as she wanted to embrace him to soften his outer shell. Gaara frowned a bit knowing what she was trying to do, he wasn't feeling any anger towards the girl, in fact he wanted to hug her too but doing so would be too bizarre so to speak. As he slightly pulled the girl closer to himself, Rin blushed slightly at his sudden action.
"Smiling is really not my thing..." he whispered in a silent voice. "I think I should just grin more."
"I want you smiling, can't you do it for me?"
"Let's take it one step at a time, okay?" The female archer nodded and hugged him. The Sand genin was in a mind paralysis, in terms of this kind of human affection he was just as clueless and Naruto. However, he did admit he did feel important during that moment. "Rin..."
"What is it?"
"Do you think Naruto is alright?"
"What do you mean? Ni-san would never do anything reckless to make anyone worried."
"You really have a lot of faith in him don't you?"
"Of course!" she exclaimed as if she was most correct. "He's the first person that I loved... even though he doesn't love me like I loved him, he never forgotten me and never allowed anyone or anything to hurt his loved ones. Gaara-chan, believe in him."
"Thanks, I will." Gaara then wrapped his arms around the girl's waist making the embrace warmer. He then placed his eyes onto the forests again, this time with a more worried expression. 'I really hope you have succeeded in your mission, Naruto. It has been around 10 days and the aura I sense is getting darker and colder everyday. Please come back soon... in one piece.' (AN: Rin isn't cheating on anyone. For those who thought I would have Rin and Haku together, well, you're wrong. Like her relationship with Naruto, Rin and Haku are also very close friends who trust each other deeply.)
(At the exact moment with Naruto and Shizune)
Naruto kissed his now fainted girlfriend on the forehead with a slight guilty grimace, Shizune knew that he didn't want to do what he did. She knew he had no choice since it was for Hinata's safety. Even though the expression he made before didn't look like it, Shizune knew he wished that there was another solution to choose from. As the Death Knight caressed the Hyuga girl's soft cheek and covered her with a blanket, he turned to the attendant with a weak smile.
"Shizune-chan," said Naruto with a faint grin on his face. "We should get going." With a nod, the remaining shinobis dashed out of the inn and commenced their pursuit. Naruto didn't like this one bit, he was quite worried that he had to fulfil the promise he made earlier, to kill Tsunade if she did decide to help that snake. Despite how much he didn't want to, he was a man to his words. Seeing that troubled expression on the demon hunter's face, Shizune decided to end the dreary dead silence.
"Naruto-kun," called Shizune as she jumped high to the trees along with the demon hunter.
"What is it?" asked Naruto.
"Are you sure you wanted to leave Hinata-san behind like that?"
"Is there another choice for me?"
"I think you shouldn't have knocked her out, she would be really upset when she wakes up."
"Hey, I did whatever it was best for her, don't start lecturing me now."
"You seriously think hitting her in such a delinquent way is the best for her?"
"As long as she's safe," Naruto justified quickly. "She's not at the level that's required to battle against that Orochimaru. I can't let her go."
"I know he's a sennin but we need all the help we could get."
"Hinata-chan just can't go. I don't want to see her killed."
"Why don't you just talk to her then?"
"You think Hinata-chan is going to listen? She shouldn't even be here and yet she followed me to these rural regions. I know this was the only way." He then landed on a branch and made a long stride forward.
"Will she be okay?"
"I know Hinata-chan could defend herself when she's awake."
"I certainly do hope so." With that conversation ended, the duo continued their way to the castle ruins since that was the designated meeting place Tsunade agreed to a week ago. Naruto soon quickened his pace hoping to reach the destination sooner, each second counted.
(Meanwhile)
At this exact moment, Tsunade generated a powerful essence of chakra in a ball form. Orochimaru's face widened in satisfaction as he stretched out his hands wanting to accept that power. The slug sennin remained emotionless but Orochimaru didn't notice this, he was too drawn by the hopeful result that was going to happen in a matter of seconds. Just before his hands made contact with the chakra, a kunai came down from above suddenly. Both sennins made a stride backward to evade and flashed a stare at the direction of where that weapon came from.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed when she saw Kabuto from above jumping to a spot behind Orochimaru with a fierce look. The snake sennin's eyes soon narrowed in much displeasure.
"What is the meaning of this? Betraying me at the last second," Orochimaru then opened his eyes with outrage. "Tsunade!"
"So you figured it out," replied the blond woman with a snarl. "You really know how to look for people as your men don't you?"
"Don't change the subject," growled the snake sennin. "I demand that you answer my question."
"I refuse to help you, isn't that obvious?"
"Don't you want to see the two you love again?"
"If you do revive them and they figured out how they are reborn, the risk that I chose, they would never forgive me for doing such a thing. They loved Konoha, their dream was to become the Hokage but despite their deaths, they wouldn't want their home to be burned to the ground because of a selfish and heartless decision made by their loved one."
"You were always so soft, Tsunade. That alone would cost you everything."
"Even though I may not have Dan or Nawaki, I have Naruto beside me all the time. That's all the encouragement and support I will ever need."
"You mean that little Death Knight?" questioned the snake sennin darkly. "I can't believe that you have no memory of the traitorous knights that commenced massacres day after day in the past. You despised them when you were a kid. What amazes me that you now attach yourself with one."
"Don't insult him like that, you bastard! You have no right to do so!"
"So you won't help me?"
"Do you deserve it, vermin?" countered Tsunade in a snarl.
"Is that your final answer?" asked Orochimaru.
"I will never help you!" shouted Tsunade. "Naruto was right, there is no point in weeping over those who have died. It may be depressing but it doesn't mean it's the end of the world! Their deaths meant I should live a stronger life for everyone but instead I have been acting like a complete loser this entire time. There is no possible way I would allow you to endanger Konoha."
"You've made your final mistake, little lady." Tsunade then took off her jacket and prepared to engage in combat. When she made a small but extremely quick charge to elbow the snake sennin, her attack was blocked by the man behind him. Tsuande's eyes widened at this, Kabuto was definitely strong.
"Your battle is with me," declared the traitorous Sound-nin. "You'll have the right to fight Orochimaru-sama after you're able to beat me."
"So I have another pest to deal with, I'll make sure you suffer."
"I want to see you try, woman."
(Time passed, this was a considerable amount of time later)
"I don't like this shit at all..." said Naruto to Shizune as he observed his surroundings carefully.
"Looks like a huge battle happened here," Shizune replied as she looked at the ruins. It seemed even more damaged than the last time she was here. "I'm sure they were here before."
"That should be obvious..." mumbled the Death Knight as he slowly took his steps around the vicinity. He then glanced up to the sky with his eyes focussing to the clouds.
"Is something wrong?" She could tell something was amiss. There was a not so welcoming effect nearby. Shizune just couldn't grasp this accurately.
"This place is too quiet... it seems like as if it's perfect for an ambush..."
"Ambush?" asked Shizune. "This doesn't seem like a good place for that to happen. We are in a pretty clear field."
"This is Orochimaru we're talking about," reminded Naruto in a low voice as if he was on stealth. "We have to prepare ourselves for the worst." Suddenly his eyes widened in agitation as he felt movement in the ground. He indeed readied himself for the dangers ahead, Shizune didn't hesitate to do the same. As if on cue, the ground then violently roared both audibly and physically, the duo barely managed to keep their balance. At the next second, tremendously large snakes unburrowed themselves revealing to the two shinobis on ground. Their enormous size made them tower over the humans. Naruto glared angrily at the obstacles he was about to encounter in serious combat, he clearly knew who had set this trap for them.
"Damn..." cursed Shizune. "I hate serpents..."
"These must be Orochimaru's dirty work," said Naruto slowly as he eyed the leader snake with caution. "Looks like he set this trap up so we wouldn't be able to follow his trail that easily."
"Orochimaru-sama has ordered to not let any one of you escape, he said we could kill..." said the commanding serpent partially hissing. "And we shall."
"You sound very confident, vile snake," stated Naruto solemnly with a smirk.
"I am indeed, human," replied the summoned serpent. "We hadn't had a decent meal in weeks..."
"To hell with you," whispered the Death Knight as he dashed angrily at the summoned beasts with his blade in an attacking position. As Naruto performed a slash on one of the snakes, the serpent swiftly shifted his tail to maneuver away from the pursuit.
'He's fast!' thought Shizune as she began to devise a good fighting procedure against them.
"What the heck just happened?" asked the demon hunter as he vaulted backward as he generated chakra into his weapon. The Death Knight still couldn't believe that he missed his attack, what on earth was going on here?
"You think you could just get us like that?" taunted one of slithering reptile with a grin. However, it seemed like it was hungry for a prey. "We aren't Orochimaru-sama's elite summonings for nothing!"
"I like this disadvantage," countered Naruto smirking not being intimidated. "Bring it on." Once that phrase was heard, the vicious serpents dived down and attacked on sight. It didn't matter if the attack was uncoordinated or reckless, it didn't matter in the end. As long as it got the job done it was good enough. Naruto then jumped up high into the air to unleash his attack.
"Death Coil Legion!" he shouted as he called forth a storm of Death Coils to the snakes. The demon hunter smirked as he witnessed his assault was going to hit the targets completely. It wasn't too late after when the serpents opened their mouths and swallowed his attack completely disintegrating it. 'Shit...'
"This isn't going to work!" shouted Shizune. "We can't deal with these things like this!"
"It's better than to just avoid them and let them intimidate us!" Naruto returned his words harshly. He pointed his blade and fired the Chain and Forked Lightning beams at the incoming enemies. As the beams made a forceful ignition as it made contact with the reptiles, Naruto's eyes cringed in anger as the snakes came out of the smoke nearly unharmed. Forming hand seals, the boy attempted to try again but this time he had sworn it would be to some use.
"Shadow Strike!" shouted Naruto as deadly chakra blades formed in between his fingers like shirukens but in a much larger size. When he unleashed them with perfect missile like aim, the beam daggers struck the snakes' skins but the poison effect didn't seem to be working.
'Their scales are either too soft or too hard...' cursed Naruto as he made a back flip to evade a deadly bite. 'Either way... my attacks couldn't even penetrate to their flesh...'
"It's useless boy!" shouted a snake as he swung its tail heavily at the dark warrior. Naruto made a defensive guard hoping to reduce the collision force. Even though it did, he groaned in slight pain due to the severe impact given. Shizune couldn't do a thing to help him, she was having much difficulty trying to escape all the attacks that were given to her.
"Damn it!' cursed Naruto loudly as a tail struck him heavily in the face. The strength of the attack forcefully sent him backwards sliding on the rough dirt. Grunting in pain, Naruto knew he had to keep going regardless of the final result. As the massive snake dived down to attack once again, the demon hunter narrowed his eyes and leaped back while mustering chakra for another attack.
"Shizune-chan," ordered Naruto as he released another Death Coil as a minor suppressing counter. "Get out of here! I'll deal with these freaks!" Shizune didn't like his words one bit.
"Are you crazy?" she questioned his logic with outrage. "You'll be killed if you fought these serpents alone! Despite how much you like to fight alone, you'll need my help!"
"Your attacks don't do a damn thing against them," justified Naruto while he Blinked 20 meters from an attacking snake. "Find Tsunade quickly, I'll catch up with you later!"
"But, I won't leave you..."
"I said get going!" he commanded in a yell as he defended against an iron tail type of attack with his weapon. "Tsunade needs your help more than I need you! If you stay here, you will be killed for certain! Advance without me!"
"Naruto..."
"Move it, damn it! Come on, get the hell out of here right now!" The demon hunter then made a long stride to evade the next incoming tail strikes. "Shit!" He grunted in annoyance when he noticed he barely dodged them, this was a very complex handicap. Not only he was outnumbered, his size compared to the snakes weren't promising at all. Shizune grimaced and obeyed what Naruto ordered. Her eyes soon began to allow tears to flow out, guilt was the only emotion in her heart. The dark warrior smiled when the attendant is no longer in sight nor her presence felt. At this point, this was the perfect time to fight at his maximum.
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he declared as he made the required set of hand seals in seconds. Instantly 12 Narutos were created ready to take them out. In a coordinated fashion, all of them executed a high jump to the sky and used the same hand seal. 'This had to do!'
"Cripple!" shouted the original Naruto as he commanded the rest of his Kage Bunshins to execute the same attack. As the crippling chakra flared on the raging snakes, tortured hisses were heard due to the pain. However though, the speed of the counter told the demon hunter the attack was once again a failure. As one of the slithering enemies made a powerful collision towards one of the Bunshins destroying it at once, Naruto focussed much of his chakra for his next deadly assault.
"Meteor Fall!" all of them shouted as the sky soon formed a glowing indigo aurora. Within the next second, chakra generated meteors were summoned from above and fell ferociously downward to the menacing serpents. The entire vicinity was in effect of the Meteor Fall, in a certain area was raining non stop with radiating chakra flares. The serpents gasped in rage as the attacks continued to strike them constantly without giving ease. Naruto smirked as he knew his enemies were helpless to counter. With the Meteor Rain still in effect with 10 times the effectiveness, the demon hunter then gathered energy within his blade and unleashed every projectile attack he possessed to increase the damage. Screams of torment could be heard as he continued his onslaught with much rage.
(When the effects of the Meteor Fall subsided)
The Kage Bunshins disappeared when the attack was over, only the original Naruto remained standing. Even so, he was panting heavily due exhaustion of his chakra usage. His Unholy Sight sensed much of the energies within that area where the serpents were struck have diminished. That was fortunate news indeed. However, he could tell that some did manage to survive that vicious attack. The Death Knight knew even he might not have lived if he was trapped between 10 Meteor Falls. He had no time to wonder about himself, he needed to know what the situation was now.
"Acid Syndrome!" shouted a terrorizing voice from the smoke ahead of him. Suddenly a powerful spray of acid could be seen firing from within, Naruto flinched in anger as he used his body to make an angle to elude from the attack. However, as the attack past him, the right hand side of his cloak was burned off completely. The Death Knight's eyes shot wide open in stun sensing the amount of deadly chakra that was put into that offensive, if he got hit directly he might've been killed. Naruto quickly held his right arm securely to make sure if any of his flesh was affected in any way. Fortunately for him, his movement was quick enough to save himself but what worried him was that how many serpents managed to survive. At once, one reptile emerged from the smokes and towered him from above. Naruto recognized that was the chieftain amongst them.
'Damn it...' Naruto said in his head in irritation. 'That thing doesn't seem to be wounded in any way... it's strong... too strong...'
"So, you're the only one left?" asked Naruto knowingly with his grip tightening onto his weapon.
"How dare you kill all my subbordinates, little human?" questioned the commanding reptile harshly. His voice really made the demon hunter's blood boil.
"They deserved death, it'll take a lot more than a snake to stop me."
"You'll regret speaking like that to me, boy!"
"If you have a problem with it, why don't you come and make me stop?"
"I like that idea..." Within a split second, the snake dived down at Naruto preparing to end his life. Naruto smirked in much amusement, this day just couldn't get any better. As the snake made a crashing type of attack on the demon, the dark shinobi once again leaped high into the air and prepared himself for a turn for the worst possible outcome.
"Never say die!" shouted Naruto as he dived down with his blade in a striking position. With a loud calamitous battle cry, the tail of the snake and the runeblade Nightshadow collided with another causing a tremendous force of chakra impact. Both snickered darkly as they readied themselves for their next offensive.
(Currently on a training ground in the outskirts of Konoha)
Battle sounds could be heard if anyone entered this forest at a time such as this. Despite that fact, the people causing this would care less knowing this was a secret training spot, no one in the right mind would venture through these grounds. As the raging combat continued, the fighters could sense each passing second was intensifying this fight directly or indirectly. The area currently had deep craters, massive numbers of kunais and shirukens were stuck on barks and small stumps completely broken off forcefully.
"Take this, Cast Down no jutsu!" shouted a female weapon master known as Katase Tenten from the sky. With that technique declared, she unleashed all the generated chakra within her hands and tossed it down in a legion of piercing blades. Her sparring opponent, Hyuga Neji, smirked as he too gathering chakra using his palm to commence a counter.
"Divination Kaiten!" shouted the Hyuga genius as he began to whirl violently forming an impenetrable shield to deflect all her incoming blades. Tenten grimaced after Neji spun multiple times making her attack utterly useless. As Neji began to slow down, she quickly used one hand to reach for his pouch taking out shirukens and tossed them right back at his opponent.
Using quick reflexes, Tenten in a fast pace used her kunai to reflect the approaching weapons. As she landed gracefully on her feet, she took out another kunai now holding one each in her hand and went straight at him with taijutsu.
"Konoha Senpuu!" shouted Lee coming sneakily from the side aiding Tenten. Cursing under his breath, Neji had no choice but to avoid the attack first while defending with own kick. When the weapon specialist found out she was being ignored, her eyes glinted along with a grin.
"You have no time not to pay attention!" she shouted as she rushed a kunai aiming for his body. With a hand pushing her palm away, Neji knew he had this spar starting at a bad coordination. Tenten then made a small leap kick to knock the Hyuga's arm away while Lee delivered a fist aiming straight for the face. Using a bit of thrust, Neji then skillfully dodged the fist while grabbed her leg with the another. Lee cursed silently as he soon lowered himself performing a trip.
"Dang!" said Neji angrily as he released Tenten since he lost his balance. As he fell on the ground awkwardly, his girlfriend pinned him down further immediately with a kunai at his throat. At that point, the Hyuga genius knew he was defeated. It was surprising that he lost this quickly, even he himself couldn't believe it. Tenten and Lee looked at each other with a worried look as they helped the long hair boy get back up on his feet. They walked over to a large tree where their belongings were and decided to take a short break.
"What's the matter with you today, Neji?" asked Lee as he took out a bun from his pack and swallowed part of it with a bite. He then offered one each to Tenten and Neji after wiping his sweat with a towel.
"Yeah," commented the only girl on the team as she took the bread and bit it. To Tenten, the most irritating part of training had to be the start of the break. She hated how her body continued to radiate constantly when what she wanted was to cool down. She turned to Neji as she too cleaned any sweat on her developing body. "It's like you're losing your concentration or whatnot. You're not taking us seriously enough you know."
"Sure I am," justified Neji but Tenten's look showed him she wasn't persuaded.
"I know you, Neji-kun."
"We fought you before," said Lee seriously. "You usually could take us both down without that much difficulty. Today... you were like out of the place."
"Maybe you two are getting better. More practice means taking more steps to achieve perfection right?" He attempted to smile but even he knew he faked it. It was so poorly made it didn't fool anyone.
"Is something bothering you?" asked Tenten as she held the Hyuga boy's hand with her own gently. She then glanced into his eyes with her own understanding ones, it wasn't long before Neji's face finally showed a bit of remorse. "Is it about Hinata-chan?"
"Yeah... Hiashi-sama has been really worried about her. She just disappeared after the funeral... none of us knew where she went. She's my closest cousin... I do worry for her a lot."
"I want to help you so I went to look for Sakura-san if she knew anything." said Lee.
"Did you get anything from her?" asked Tenten.
"She said she didn't know but I could've sworn that Sasuke-kun and Sakura-san left with Hinata-san after the funeral was over."
"You think she's hiding something?" questioned Neji getting a bit suspicious.
"I wouldn't assume that yet but at the same time I somewhat agree with you."
"How so? Is there something that's worthy to be not trustworthy." Tenten asked clearly interested.
"I met Sakura-san in the hospital."
"Hospital? Why would she be in the hospital? Is she hurt?"
"Apparently it was Sasuke-kun who was hurt."
"Uchiha Sasuke?" asked Neji quite surprised. "I wondered what happened. We were dispatched out of the hospital on the same day, why would he have to go back?"
"I don't know but Sakura-san refused to say anything about it."
"That is quite strange..."
"Konoha sure had been chaotic these days hasn't it?" asked Tenten looking up to the sky.
"It sure has." Neji stated as he pulled her closer. Tenten blushed at his boldness, Hinata's skills must've been rubbing on him. "I just wish Hinata-sama is safe wherever she is."
"Have you noticed that we haven't see Naruto-kun either?" asked Lee suddenly.
"You're right, where has that guy been these days?"
"You think Hinata-chan is with him?" asked Tenten.
"I don't know... I wish both of them are okay nonetheless." Neji effortlessly grabbed his water bottle and took a long sip. "Hey, we rested for long enough, we should get back to training."
"Sure thing." His two teammates stated in unison as they prepared themselves for another long combat session. Neji grinned at their determination these days, he personally was curious at what was driving them so much to get stronger. He clearly knew Lee wasn't doing this for any silly rivalry, his intentions were most genuine for the sake of Konoha. As for Tenten, his grin turned into a smile just thinking about her. Tenten wanted to do everything for him. Likewise, he would do anything to keep her safe. They had to be stronger for another, the three would grow stronger for the sake for another and for the place they call their home. Seeing Neji smile, Lee and Tenten nodded before disappeared in a flash readying themselves for the task ahead.
(Meanwhile)
'Why did he do that to me?' asked Hinata in an unconscious state in her mind. 'I don't understand why he suddenly became so cold... I don't know why he hit me?' Her mind was in pure confusion, she had so many questions she wanted an answer to. If her body was working properly right now, she would be searching for her beloved Naruto. However, she was unconscious but her mind seemed pretty active. Mysteriously, a figure gradually appeared in her mind. The heiress could've sworn she was crazy but when the mystery teenage like girl smiled at her warmly, she couldn't help but to smile back weakly.
'Who... who are you?' asked the lavender eye girl timidly. She often did that when she was around strangers. In reality, who wouldn't close up a bit if they met someone they never saw in their lives before, it was a natural reaction. For Hinata though, her shyness was very noticeable.
'I'm not someone that you should be fearing, Mistress Hyuga Hinata,' replied the orange hair girl somewhat older than Hinata. The Hyuga girl paid close attention to the speaker's appearance, she could tell that the mystery girl was gorgeous. What puzzled her was that how did she know her name when they have never met before?
'Miss...' said Hinata politely. 'Why are you in my head?'
'My apprentice told me to look after you while he's gone, he wanted me to make sure you'll be okay.'
'Apprentice?' asked the heiress raising her brow a little. 'Who's your apprentice?'
'You should know who he is,' said the older girl amused. 'He does love you after all.'
'Naruto-kun?' Hinata was now very surprised. 'If he's your apprentice... you must be his master... the master he has been talking about! You're Kyubi...'
'That's right, I'm Kyubi.' At this stage, the Hyuga girl didn't know if she should feel honoured to meet with such a character or fear it. When Kyubi saw the timid girl looking very confused, she couldn't help but laugh. 'You don't need to be afraid of me just because I am a demon,' said the demon master with a smile. 'Naruto isn't afraid, he was the only person that acknowledged me as someone.'
'I know Naruto-kun is really kind," said Hinata honestly. 'He always put people ahead of himself other than worry about himself.'
'Despite that cold attitude...' Kyubi stated with a sigh. 'Deep inside he's a very considerate and lonely boy... he values his friends more than anything in the world even though he doesn't show it openly at times.'
'I know...'
'You're really special, you know that?'
'Huh?' asked the Hyuga girl a bit startled. 'What do you mean?'
'You have no idea how much I envy you,'
'You don't have to envy me,' said the Byakugan user trying to protest. 'There's nothing that you should be envying about me, I have nothing that...'
'Yes, you do,' Kyubi stated firmly. 'Like, Naruto... I am also very lonely inside... the boy was the only person that put away all differences aside and accepted me as who I am, not my appearance or my reputation. Like many people... I fell in love with my apprentice...'
'You love Naruto-kun too?'
'I loved him ever since he was 7. He was like my dearest little brother... now, he's really someone I admire from afar.'
'If you love him, please take care of him for me when you can,' said Hinata with a sincere smile. The demon master simply giggled. 'Is something funny?'
'No, Hinata,' replied Kyubi apologetically. 'It's just that I don't know if I could at times. He's really reckless at times.' This time Hinata laughed out loud softly.
'I know what you mean...' Suddenly, a sense of realization struck the Hyuga girl. 'Kyubi-san... how do you know who I am... and furthermore, how many girls love Naruto-kun?' The female demon simply smiled at her questions, she knew the young Hyuga heiress would ask that sooner or later.
'I am a presence that lives inside Naruto's mind, I see what he sees. I feel what he feels no matter if it is delight or despair. The only thing that I don't feel is what he physically touches in real life. I know what he knows and I have known you for a long time already. Naruto always thinks about you when you're around or not around. Do you have any idea how much he loves you? You're the only person he'll ever love in this lifetime, nothing could ever change that.'
'Is that why you envy me?' asked Hinata with slight guilt. 'Is it because Naruto-kun loves me and not you?'
'I used to be at times but as long as my apprentice is happy, I am happy for him. Even though he doesn't love me like he loves you, I'm glad that he never forgets me and takes care of me whenever I am down. He's really a guy that any girl would love.'
'I thought the master was suppose to look after the apprentice,' teased Hinata with a giggle.
'Yeah, at times I really don't know who is suppose to take care of who,' admitted Kyubi with a giggle. 'It does prove that Naruto is really caring and amazing.'
'You got that right.' Hinata stated proudly. Yes, she was always proud of her boyfriend no matter what the circumstance. 'How about my other question?'
'You are an impatient one,' said the demon master with a grin. 'You know that Rin-chan, Sakura, you, and I all love him and want to claim him to be ours. However, Naruto managed to choose you without hurting our feelings. It was somewhat painful at first but he never forgotten any of us, that eased our pain so much that you wouldn't imagine.'
'Why is Naruto-kun so considerate all the time?' asked Hinata completely touched by the words she heard this very moment, a smile didn't cease to leave her face.
'He values his loved ones more than anything.'
'If he loves me... why did he hit me to make me faint?'
'You have to think a bit deeper to get the answer. It's not like he's a cold hearted bastard... well, he is at a lot of times but you have to realize the true intentions behind it. He's too worried that you'll get hurt later on, that's why he couldn't let you go. He knew from the start that he wouldn't be able to persuade you with words so he took the most extreme choice.'
'He made sure I wouldn't be able to go... why though? Am I not good enough for him?' asked Hinata with a bit of anger but not towards the demon. 'I've been training really hard to get stronger, how could he just hit me like that?'
'You're still not strong enough to take down Orochimaru,' reminded the demon master. 'If you fought Jiraiya-sama right now, do you think you would stand as a decent challenge?' Sadly enough, Hinata shook her head slowly with her head low. 'That snake Orochimaru will kill you if you went with Naruto, the last thing he wants is to see you hurt.'
'If he didn't knock me out... I think I would've followed him even though he told me not to. Wait a minute, you said that you could see what Naruto-kun could see, right?' Kyubi was taken quite aback at that sudden question but she nodded anyway. 'If you can, can you show me what Naruto-kun is witnessing right now? Can you do me that favour, I will be very grateful if you help me.'
'Very well then.' Kyubi replied with a smile. She then began to concentrate with her eyes closed. In a matter of seconds, a clear vision appeared in front of the Hyuga girl. When Hinata noticed the surroundings, she gasped at what she was witnessing.
(Currently with Naruto)
"Toxic Spray!" exclaimed the chieftain serpent as he fired another corrosive attack of poison. With his guard slightly down, Naruto unfortunately took the hit completely with his left arm. A scream of pure agony came from the Death Knight's mouth, he then gritted his teeth and made a tilting position to defend against the attack using his blade to intercept. With enough thrust, he gathered enough strength to slice the beam in half splitting it in two different directions. As the toxic made contact to the ground, Naruto's eyes widened with much fear as the dirt and rocks began to melt. No, melting wouldn't even describe the display that was in his vision, it was more like disintegrating.
"You are an impressive one," stated the leader serpent with a grin. Naruto sensed his voice contained both mockery and sincerity. "I can't believe you lasted this long."
"This game isn't over until it's over," spat the demon hunter flashing a glare. "Don't think you have the complete advantage just yet, fateless coward."
"I think I am having quite the upper hand right now, little human."
"What are you saying?"
"Why don't you just take a close look at you left arm?" The Death Knight nearly forgot that he just intercepted an attack completely, as he glanced over to his injured arm, he quickly winced in pain due to the searing agony that was beginning to take effect. His sleeve was gone and his arm was corroded badly. Even his healing wasn't quick enough to recover this deadly effect, he once again flinched with torment as he tried to move his arm.
"Your attack might be strong..." said Naruto is a dark tone. "But, it's not good enough." He then used his unharmed hand and generated chakra into it and placed onto his left arm. "Rejuvenation." The leader reptile's eyes opened a bit wider noticing that technique. In less than 3 seconds, it could tell his opponent's arm was already healed to a considerable state, no longer corroded critically. The dark warrior smirked evilly as he flashed a slight stare to the snake, he was enjoying this battle, he could nearly taste the snake's blood flowing down his face.
"Shall we continue?" asked the serpent in an interested voice. Naruto nodded slightly and held his blade in a concentrating fashion with his eyes closed. As soon as he slowly reopened his teal eyes, another grin came across his face.
"Unholy Aura!" shouted Naruto as he engaged his fatal passive ability. A veil of pure black energies started to surround him as if it was consuming him wholly. What amazed the chieftain serpent was the wounds on his body began to regenerate quickly. The most visible injury he had must've been his arm. The aura seemed to be a secure safeguard yet demonic. Not knowing what deadly effects the aura contained, the serpent decided to pursuit wisely. "Now, let us continue." Immediately, the Death Knight quickly dashed towards his opponent in an extremely high agility. The snake's eyes expanded instantly sensing the dramatic increase in movement. Naruto then Blinked to the side of the snake and gave a heavy slash to the body.
"It's useless boy!" declared the serpent as he wielded his tail to intercept the attack. Naruto smirked as if he was prepared for this. As soon as the tail nearly made contact, he gently used his left hand to touch it. In less than one second, he boosted upward by putting force into his left arm. The snake nearly gasped at his sudden change in agility as if he could predict its attack rate and style. Naruto then landed on the back of the snake and instantly charged with his blade with Death Pact energies aiming straight for the head. Noticing the demon boy's plan, the snake quickly slithered recklessly attempting to disrupt Naruto's balance. Unfortunately for the boy, as soon as his sprint slowed down, the reptile didn't show reluctance to seize this perfect chance.
"Shit!" cursed Naruto as he was about to fall off. His eyes were shocked at the next event.
"Shit is right," replied the snake darkly while raising his tail. "Iron Tail!" With a forceful strike, the Death Knight screamed in much pain as he was sent crashing to the ground heavily creating a deep crater. Another grunt of again escaped his lips as the snake continued to slam his massive tail onto Naruto's body. Blood was vomited out brutally as each strike made contact, it wasn't long before the demon hunter's eyes flared abruptly.
Without warning, Naruto Blinked out of the crater and fired a Forked Lightning attack as he stood his ground. The serpent may have gasped in pain but it knew it got Naruto into a state that it wanted, a wasted state. Once that attack was unleashed, Naruto fell on one knee and panted heavily most likely due to the amount of pain internally. With such force given to him, he could tell that the symptoms of internal injuries was something that would happen. He just hoped it was minor. As he attempted to glare at the snake not showing any kind of inferiority, his body reacted otherwise and continued to show tiredness.
'Damn it...' thought the Death Knight as he took in a deep breath roughly. 'I don't know how much longer I could last like this...'
"You don't have time to be thinking, little human!" yelled the summoned unit as it opened its mouth with a sphere of chakra in it. Naruto's eyes flinched in hostility, he prepared himself for the worst. "Sting Missile Explosion!"
'Damn it!' cursed Naruto attempted to jolt immediately as the pin like missiles came down in a rain. As he projected himself backwards, he witnessed the powerful explosions the pins made as it made connection to the soil. He glanced up at the snake now serving itself as a stable turret, he cursed knowing seemed practically impossible to get past this attack. Even though this seemed more of a suppressing attack that required at least someone to aid, that chieftain was able to stand his ground alone. That serpent was tough, the Unholy Sight never made any sort of trickery to Naruto. He soon cried in pain as the pins struck him in the chest and violently exploded. As the severe ignition send Naruto soaring across the open fields, his back soon collided to the stone walls making a deep hole trapping him in. With that vicious blow onto the body, the Death Knight gasped weakly as his mouth spat out more blood.
"I'll send you home in a box, little boy!" snarled the snake as it adjusted itself to a death bite. The Death Knight grimaced with pain before flashing his teal eyes beamingly. The snake paid not attention whatsoever and continued with its pursuit in a dangerous manner.
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" declared the Death Knight audibly while forming the accurate hand seals. In a warp, a dozen Naruto's appeared out of the deep hole preparing to strike by using another jutsu.
"Mirror Image!" shouted every single demon hunter loudly. (AN: The reason Naruto decided to use the Mirror Image instead of creating 60 clones out of Kage Bunshin was that he didn't have the strength to do so at the moment. The Kage Bunshin is a very 'expensive' technique to execute.) In another display of removing himself out of existence, 5 more Narutos appeared flashing a dangerous glare to the serpent. The snake's eyes widened at the number of opponents it suddenly had. 60 was a much more dangerous amount than 1, that was for certain. During the confused state, Naruto took this opportunity completely. With an advance wave signal, he commanded his clones to commence the next torturing offensive.
"Kill the bastards!" ordered the demon hunter as he himself dashed along with his replications. In a matter of seconds, all the replications have circled the massive serpent leaving no room to escape. Knowing the Mirror Images couldn't use any jutsus, the Kage Bunshins then first creating suppressing fire attacks such as Forked Lightning. As the electrified chakra rays shocked its target, the snake wheezed in much agony. When distracted, the Mirror Images used any kind of taijutsu to attack the serpent fiercely. The chieftain struggled hard since it couldn't attack all the Narutos at once. As he tried to spit out poison attacks, a projectile attack would strike its face ceasing the assault completely.
"I'll get you, you son of a bitch!" shouted the serpent as his head was hit by a Death Coil. As it recoiled due to the pain, the real Naruto Blinked high to the sky with his runeblade surrounded with devastating dark energies. As soon as the snake noticed the real demon boy, Naruto already fully prepared this deadly assault. "You won't beat me, little boy!"
"Death Pact Dive!" cried Naruto as he gained much gravitational force to dive downwards. Night shadow at the moment had a similar effect like the Chidori but the effect was to drain every speck of energy from the target making the enemy have no strength to even defend. Sensing the amount of killing intent put into that single attack, the serpent was given no choice but to intercept with its own attack.
"Toxic Syndrome!" shouted the snake as a wide decaying beam was fired from his mouth. Without a second thought, Naruto continued his high pressured dive to countered the incoming attack. Once the blade and the toxic beams collided, the force from the blade pierced the poison in two making separate not harming Naruto in any way. With eyes completely jolted wide in fear, the snake's vision only had the Death Knight pointing his blade ready to commence an execution.
Once the blade made touch to the serpent's head, the summoned beast cried in most agony as Naruto forcefully drilled the head right down to the digestive system and came out from somewhere in the stomach. As Naruto ripped the snake's body to free himself out of it in a quick pace, he glance at his opponent's direction and smirked. Blood was coming out of the openings he created a matter of seconds ago, he himself was soaked in it. With an airy wheeze of exhaustion, the elite summoning fell dead to the ground completely defenseless. After sensing no source of life within that body, the Death Knight deactivated both his aura and sight and collapsed onto the floor in much depletion in both chakra and stamina.
He panted with much difficulty. It didn't take a genius to know the deadly side effects of that technique. Not only that the Death Pact was something that required a considerable of chakra to perform, the initial added effect he used in that dive completely relied on his own stamina and body limits. Even if it may not have been as devastating as the Secondary Lotus, it wasn't something that he could just be used whenever he wanted to. The risks were just a tad to high to execute it recklessly. If his muscle pain wasn't enough, his wasted body really didn't cooperate in the most useful coordination. He coughed heavily to begin with but the condition seemed worse as he vomited again.
"Damn it..." he cursed as he reached into the pouch on his back to take out a pack of soldier pills. As he took one and consumed it completely, he finally felt there was life within his corrupted body. As he stretched a bit, he grinned knowing he had enough strength to continue. Forming a fist with his hand, he quickly sheathed his blade and followed the way Shizune left not too long ago. Even with his chakra restored to a stable amount, he was somewhat limping due to injuries. As he activated his Unholy Aura once again, he hoped to this would help the injuries would be fully healed when the next fierce combat begins.
(Back with Hinata)
Hinata's face turned away from the display Kyubi gave her, she knew when she had seen enough suffering for one day, especially if the person was the one she deeply loved. Tears gently dripped off her face, she didn't know when she began crying. It didn't matter now, her heart only desired one thing and that was to help her Naruto.
'I have to help him,' said Hinata hurriedly. 'I can't let him continue like this!'
'Naruto wouldn't want you to get involved in such a complicated battle,' explained Kyubi. 'Just stay here and he can fight on Orochimaru without worries.'
'But Naruto-kun will die if he keeps going!'
'And so will you if you try to aid him! Just listen to me and stay here, my apprentice would kill himself if anything happened to you.'
'And so will I if I just sit back and watch him die when I clearly have enough power to make a difference! I need to wake up... I need to get back up to help Naruto-kun.'
'Do you insist of waking up and help him?'
'Yes.'
'You have been awake for quite a long time already, Hinata.' The Hyuga girl blinked with much confusion, what was the demon master talking about? 'You have been within a complex genjutsu of mine, I had to make sure that you didn't wake up too early.'
'I was awake the entire time?' The Hyuga heiress asked in disbelief. 'Why didn't you...'
'Naruto just wanted you to be safe, and so do I. Just be careful when you're out there, okay?' Just when Hinata wanted to protest, the vastness empty space began to disappear with the demon fox. As the pitch black atmosphere was diminishing, her eyes could see the inn room that Shizune was in. However, this time she was completely alone.
Hinata quickly grasped back at reality and looked absolutely bewildered. As she held her head with much puzzlement, she couldn't believe the events that were repeating in her mind. She witnessed the entire epic combat of Naruto against that summoned serpent. How Shizune left the battle to aid Tsunade, how she just met Naruto's demon master. Hinata had to agree that this demon didn't seem as horrible as how some of the villagers have mentioned it before when she walked in the streets before. Kyubi was kind and sincere, she just didn't understand how the civilians could think in that manner. She quickly shook those side thoughts away and focussed on the real issue.
"Naruto-kun is hurt..." she whispered silently to herself. "Shizune-chan is also battling right now... I have to go now, I can't let Orochimaru kill anymore people that I care about." Hinata no longer had time to rest like that. She immediately jumped off the bed and ran out from the room using the balcony. At the moment she reached outside, she immediately Blinked high to the rooftops and continued her chase with a high agility sprint towards the castle's direction.
(With Tsunade and Shizune)
Tsunade grunted painfully cursing at the same time. As she panted deeply with tiredness, she couldn't believe that she was on the ground completely defenseless. Events passed through her mind similar to an hyper-space warp. One moment she had the upper hand with skill in strength and movement, the next thing she realized his eyes were covered with a strange blood like colour. Kabuto's agility and attack rate increased dramatically like a wolf hunting down its prey. The events passed by like the winds after that, she was brutally beaten to the ground with severe blows in every possible spot. Shizune joined in mid way but it proved useless. Horror spread across her face when Tsunade saw her attendant being pummeled as if she was nothing. Her tortured screams still rung in Tsunade's head, she clutched her eyes shut not wanting to remember.
"Tsunade," called Orochimaru snarling sinisterly. "Haven't you realized that you don't stand a chance against me?" The female growled angrily trying to snarl back but her body was in too bad shape to even respond.
"So is this all you've got?" asked Kabuto in a hoarse voice as if he had transformed from a human to a devil's gift. "You're not giving this old blooded body enough excitement." With much amusement, he sent a kick into the sennin's side causing her to vomit blood. Orochcimaru grinned widely with much delight to see Tsunade suffer, he made sure he gave her the message no one dared to betray him. However, he had to concur that the old blood Kabuto was certainly a frightening figure. Even the snake sennin didn't want to get himself in any deep trouble with Kabuto in this semi-demonic form, it would definitely be a hassle. As Kabuto took out his preferred crooked blade and walked closer, Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"So this would end everything would it?" asked the blond woman weakly.
"Ending your pathetic life would definitely be enjoyable... I want more though... I haven't had enough yet!" Tsunade's eyes closed slowly accepting the fate of death. Seeing the sennin completely surrendering herself, Kabuto of course didn't discard such a perfect opportunity, he made sure he would remember her death deeply.
"Stop it!" shouted a deadly voice suddenly from above. Kabuto with his now bloody red eyes glanced up and smirked a very dangerous grin.
"Naruto," he whispered to himself not audible at all. "I was wondering where you were. Let's see how strong you have become." With a loud battle cry and runeblade in hand, Naruto forcefully slashed with much rage. How dare Kabuto beat Tsunade and his big sister like that as if they were lower than dirt. He'll pay for his actions, Naruto sworn that would happen. The Death Knight's eyes shot wide open when he figured out he had missed his target, at the corner of his eye he saw Kabuto already managed to evade it easily. With another attempt, he wielded it Nightshadow violently to the right aiming for the traitor's hip spot. Once again in a rapid maneuver, the blade made no success in making contact. After doing these vicious efforts for a numerous of times with each try increasing the attack rate, he still failed to hit him.
"Damn it, he's incredibly fast!" cursed Naruto out loud.
"You shouldn't be letting your guard down!" shouted Kabuto evilly. The Death Knight's ears perked immediately hearing that voice. It didn't even sound like Kabuto at all, in fact it was demonic to be accurate. A kick was launched aiming for Naruto's face but having the passive Evasion, the demon hunter's body accordingly evaded the kick. However at the same moment a fist socked him hard in the chest. Naruto gasped airily in much agony as he skid hard on the ground rolling until his back crashed into a rock. Whimpering in pain, Naruto stood back up holding his wounded chest in an exhausted attitude. Kabuto smirked darkly, it was so alike that it rivaled Naruto's. The demon hunter exhaled with nearly insignificant difficulty but in reality he could tell the pill's effect didn't restore him that much to be able to battle such a powerful opponent. Taking more pills would recover the chakra he desired but dangerous to the body if too much was consumed.
'Damn...' cursed Naruto as he formed a fist. 'I don't know what the hell is with that bastard with those red eyes but I know his strength increased drastically than when it wasn't...'
"Hey," called the demon boy not being intimidated. "What happened to you?" He asked with much curiosity and entertainingly. "You look different."
"Nothing much," replied Kabuto casually but still had that confident smirk. "I just awakened my old blood and beat your two friends." The Death Knight didn't find that amusing at all. "What took you so long, Naruto? I was beginning to wonder if you would actually show up, did the elite serpents give you a hard time? I seriously believed they took care of you back there."
"I took my time to destroy them, none survived." Kabuto showed no signs of being shocked which Naruto obviously expected.
"Is that so? Well, I will have a great time finishing you off. Orochimaru-sama would be most pleased to see you dead."
"I would like to see you try, fateless coward."
"Gladly."
"Kabuto," called the snake sennin cautiously. "Destroy him at your own discretion." Naruto snickered at those words, that snake should be worrying about himself after he was done with this traitorous coward.
"I won't disappoint you, Orochimaru-sama."
'I don't have enough strength to last that long if I fought him now...' thought Naruto hopelessly with much grimace. He might've fooled Kabuto using words but when it came to the actual deal, he knew he would be finished for certain. 'What can I possibly do right now?' In a deep meditating state, Naruto searched his mind for the correct decision, this one choice would decide the fate. In less a second, Naruto opened his eyes with a deadly glint in his teal eyes. 'I will use the Metamorphosis to defeat him!'
AN: Sorry to leave this in another cliffhanger... man I am going to get a hell lot of rants for this. Hey, at least this wasn't like the chapter 2 ending so you all should be thankful. I couldn't put the entire fight scene in here since it just wasn't possible for me to write that much and I know people would get tired from reading. If I did complete this within this chapter, I think I would have 15K in here at minimum. This chapter did take me quite a while but I am glad that it is done! Thank you all who are supporting me in any possible way, your efforts are very much grateful and appreciated. Like mentioned before, school is still getting in my way and it will until Christmas arrives. Let me emphasize a bit more clearly, updates for this fic will still be about a week's worth of waiting. The best I could do is do it within 5 days, that is as good as it would go that's unless you people are actually satisfied with cheap 4K chapters that only takes me 3 days to accomplish. Look at reality, a guy like me who makes an average of 9.4K chapters can't possibly write only 4K all of a sudden. The thing would LACK detail! Enough of my infernal silliness, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of mine, I'll try to finish the next chapter soon.
Please kindly give me a suggestion. Please choose ONE of the following if you do decide to review:
1. When this mission is accomplished and after few more events, I make a time warp thing to skip a few years and they all grow up into mature teens and the story will continue from there. The story will still be very long even if this time shift occurs.
2. Just leave everyone at this age until this volume is over which is not anytime soon.
More AN: Those are my final notes to you all out there, I wish that your school life is better than mine in every possible way because I hate it. Now, thank you all again for spending your time reading my story, your attention was very much wanted. I do hope to complete my next chapter soon. Later!
