I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 4: Reenactment
There were dozens of traps scattered about the perimeter, but the shinobis made quick work of them. With precision, several teams moved in and engaged the guards, slaughtering any who they came upon. The air was thick with shurikens and kunais as both sides fought at distance and close range. But throughout all of this Orochimaru had yet to show his face. Even stranger, Kabuto didn't lead the defense and Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. This only made it worse for Naruto and Sakura as they fought their way deeper into the area.
"Naruto! Sakura!" Kakashi shouted. "Don't get cut off from the rest of us!"
"I know!" Naruto replied, "but we have to find Sasuke!"
Shin dodged another swing and stabbed his opponent in the side and pushed away. Looking over the battlefield, it was clear that Sound was losing. How could they possibly withstand the power of Leaf and Sand? But this was hardly his concern at the moment. Hinata was a few feet away and the two were close enough to offer each other support. This was how he felt it should be. Any further musing would have to wait as another wave of Sound shinobis appeared. This time, they moved with coordination and skill, killing the first few that challenged them.
"Well, it looks like these shinobis are jounins," Shin noted.
Neji nodded and stood with the two as they prepared to face them. However, Kakashi and several other Leaf jounins landed before them.
"Neji, take those two and regroup with Temari."
"But-"
"Do it!"
"Too late!" Shin shouted.
The Sound jounins came down on them and began dueling with Kakashi and his comrades. Two others turned their attention to the trio and moved towards them. Hinata and Neji quickly assumed stances while Shin sheathed his knife.
"I'll handle the one on the right," Neji said. "You two take the other."
With a nod the three charged, making the first move. Out of nowhere a blast of air approached them. Sensing the movement, Shin grabbed Hinata and pulled her out of the path. Their opponent smiled and made another hand seal. This was followed by another blast that Shin dodged.
"As expected from someone of Hidden Sound," he muttered.
His eyes turning black, Shin moved in for a close-in strike. Before he touched his opponent a shrilling sound stopped him and his body froze. Cursing, Shin tried to break out of the trance as the jounin prepared to stab him. However, the blow never came as Hinata blocked it and pushed Shin back. The movement reawakened his body and Shin circled, preparing for another strike. By then Hinata had also retreated and the two attacked together. Even this wasn't enough as the jounin dodged both strikes and grabbed Hinata, throwing her into Shin. He followed that up with a hail of shurikens. As the stars flew towards them, Shin pulled out his knife and slashed the air three times. Before their very eyes the shurikens fell apart and the metal pieces fell to the ground.
"Let's see how strong you really are," Shin said.
With another slash the knife began glowing of chakra and seemed to strike something in midair. Blood spouted from the jounin's arm and intensified as Shin pressed down upon the knife. Reacting, the jounin began throwing more shurikens but Hinata came forward and blocked them. With Hinata now in front of him, Shin quickly shifted his angle of attack to avoid hurting her in the process. Finally the blade went free and sliced through whatever was holding it up. At that moment the jounin screamed out in pain as his arm went limp.
"Learn to respect my family's bloodline," Shin stated. "Orochimaru certainly did."
"Die, you bastard!"
The jounin charged despite his limp arm and blasted away at the two with sound waves. The throbbing built up in Shin's body and he found he couldn't move again. From the looks of it, Hinata was also trapped. Right before he was upon them a fury of punches sent him flying. Neji appeared before them and leapt off once more, striking the man in the heart. With one last gasp he fell motionless on the ground.
The two chuunins regained control of their body and looked around. The battle seemed to be dying down as few Sound shinobis remained alive. Kakashi landed next to them and looked them over.
"Impressive," he said. "Let's move out and join Temari now. Her group should be attacking now."
With a nod they moved to follow the other jounins when suddenly the ground began rumbling.
"What the hell is that?" Shin muttered.
"Look out!"
The cry made the shinobis scatter just as a giant snakehead came crashing down upon where they were standing.
"Shit. Scatter and concentrate your attacks!"
Shin moved back and quickly threw several explosive tags. But with a snake of this size, it was hardly a surprise when they did almost nothing. As he darted around, a figure suddenly jumped over them and landed on the snake. Blue light gathered in the figure's hands and he thrust downwards. An explosion erupted from the impact and smoke enveloped the battlefield. When the dust had settled, Kakashi stood at the center and the snake was gone.
"Damn," Shin muttered. "What did he just do?"
"Chidori," Neji answered. However, he offered no more information.
With a shrug Shin accepted the answer and didn't push it. A technique that powerful was extremely valuable and not something one would share openly.
"So now what?" he asked. "Are we still going to make the rendezvous?"
"I doubt this is over," Kakashi said. "Orochimaru won't let us go that easily."
"Quite correct, Kakashi."
The new voice caught everyone off guard and they all looked upwards. There standing on one of the branches was their target, Orochimaru himself.
"Damn, I didn't expect him to come out this soon," Kakashi muttered.
"We really don't have a choice," said Neji. "We'll have to take him down."
Even though he was surrounded by enemies Orochimaru remained motionless. Instead his gaze fell towards Shin and the black eyes.
"You, of the Sentoki clan."
Shin glared back. "That's right, you monster. And you're going to die today for what you did to my family!"
Out of his sleeves Shin revealed an entire arsenal of shurikens. He let them loose in volleys, timed so they would provide the least amount of places where an opponent could dodge. To his surprise, Orochimaru blocked all of them with only one hand. But then again, Shin realized that he had gotten careless. This was a former member of the Akatsuki and a man that had defeated the Hokage of Hidden Leaf. Not even a miracle would have allowed him to defeat Orochimaru by himself.
"Hahahaha. My, aren't you one quick to anger. I like that. You know, the way you looked at me, it reminds me of Sasuke-kun."
"Sasuke! Where is he, Orochimaru!" Kakashi demanded.
"Oh, I sent him on a little mission. After all, if he can kill his former comrades, he'll be ready for me."
"What!"
Orochimaru let out another cruel laugh and launched himself at the shinobis. He killed two effortlessly and nearly caught a third when Kakashi intervened. The two blades clashed and Kakashi deflected the swing. His Sharingan eye watched Orochimaru closely, waiting for any sign.
"Well, Copy Ninja, do you intend to mimic my forbidden jutsu?"
"I don't need any of your abominations to defeat you," Kakashi shot back.
"Is that so? We'll just have to see about that."
"Neji, take the other chuunins and find Naruto and Sakura. We can't let Sasuke kill them."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine."
With a nod Neji and the remaining chuunins began moving out. All but one. Shin stepped forward next to Kakashi and twirled his knife.
"Shin, what are you doing?"
"My family has a score to settle with this bastard," Shin replied. "I'm not about to just run away."
"The other jounins and I can handle this. Go. Aren't you supposed to protect Hinata anyways?"
Shin gave Kakashi a rueful smile. "As much as I hate to say it, Neji will protect Hinata-hime no matter what. This is something I have to do no matter what."
As Kakashi looked over at his opponent he sighed. "Then don't die here."
With that last statement chakra manifested in Kakashi's hand once more and he turned towards Orochimaru. The battle was about to begin anew.
In another part of the forest, Naruto and Sakura stopped running and rested behind a large tree.
"Do you think we lost them?" Sakura asked.
"It looks like it. Damn, how did we get separated from the others?"
"The way they fought," Sakura analyzed. "It's almost like they were herding us. Could it be Sasuke-kun's doing?"
Naruto grunted. "I wouldn't put it past him. C'mon, let's get back to the others."
The two took off once again and weaved through the trees. There was no sign of any Sound shinobis so at the moment they were in the clear. But Sakura had already guessed right when she said this was planned. Whistling sounds alerted the two and they jumped aside as several shurikens flew past them. They arced around and Naruto immediately saw the danger.
"Sakura! Get out of there!"
Hair-thin string guided the shurikens as they spun around Sakura and immobilized her. Sakura was suspended in the air as the wire tightened with every pass of the shurikens. Before she could break free a long stream of fire came behind the bushes and incinerated her form.
"Sakura!"
Once the stream of fire dissipated the wire went lax and the shurikens fell to the ground.
"Sasuke! You bastard!"
Out of the branches the lone figure stepped forward. He looked down at Naruto and grinned.
"It's been a while, idiot. Do you really think that would have fooled me? Come on out, Sakura."
Three needles shot forward from different directions towards Sasuke. He dodged them easily and quickly spotted the real location. Sasuke's response was another round of shurikens. This time Naruto sliced through all of the strings and dodged as he went. He and Sakura had prepared for this moment quite thoroughly. They had to disable Sasuke without killing him. But with a shinobi of his level, that was easier said than done.
"You don't know what Orochimaru is going to do to you, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "He only wants your body for his own!"
"Stop with the nonsense," Sasuke replied. "Do you honestly think I'm going to believe that?"
"What reason would I have to lie!"
"Because you know you can't defeat me."
Rage boiled inside Naruto as he charged forward. Even if Sasuke was his friend, there were times he wished he could knock the daylights out of him. Right now was one of those times. As he threw several punches at Sasuke, Naruto did his best to keep him distracted. Because of the Sharingan, he and Sakura couldn't exchange signals so they had to rely on instinct. At the right moment Naruto jumped above Sasuke and two needles sped towards him. Reacting with frightening speed, Sasuke dodged them only to notice several more needles converging upon him. The trap was well-laid and stood a chance of getting him. But again his speed came to his rescue and after twisting around a few more times the danger was past.
"Damn it," Naruto muttered. "He's moving way too fast for Sakura-chan to hit him."
"I grow tired of this game, Naruto. It is clear who the superior shinobi is if you're resorting to such desperate tactics."
Before Naruto could respond Sasuke charged and tore through the branches. He was upon Naruto in the blink of an eye and punched him in the chest. Naruto caught the blow and used the leverage to jump, using a drop kick on Sasuke. The blow did nothing and Sasuke simply threw Naruto aside. Turning his back, Sasuke shot forth another salvo of shurikens, but they weren't aimed for Naruto. The stars sliced through the branches and Sakura immediately jumped away, avoiding their deadly edges. But Sasuke simply rotated his hand and they came around once more, bearing down on her.
"It's not going to be that easy, Sasuke-kun!"
After she dodged them once more, Sakura grabbed hold of the wires and pulled. The move caught Sasuke off guard and he lost his footing just as Sakura threw another array of needles. Sasuke quickly released the wires and allowed the momentum to carry him forward before at the last moment twirling in the air and deflecting the needles with his kunai. By now it was clear that the two of them wouldn't be able to defeat Sasuke with their current tactics.
Having no choice, Naruto signaled to Sakura to abandon their current plans. But in their preparations, they had multiple strategies just in case any failed. It was time to fight a coordinated battle.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Fifteen more Narutos appeared on various branches and surrounded Sasuke. Their movements became random so as to confuse the Sharingan before all of them began making runs against Sasuke. A fury of punches and kicks came forward but Sasuke dodged or blocked all of them. When he retaliated, he found to his frustration that all of the shadow clones could avoid his strikes as well. Naruto was obviously up to something and Sasuke wasn't about to let him carry out another plan.
With little effort the Sharingan picked out the real Naruto and Sasuke came down upon him with a vengeance. The blur of speed that erupted from him caught Naruto off guard and unable to dodge the blow. However, he wasn't the only one present. One of the clones knocked Naruto aside while taking the hit and disappearing while three others came forward to counter. Again Sasuke let his momentum carry him and dodged every attack. He spun in the air and sliced at the clones with his hands, striking all three.
Naruto spat out the dirt in his mouth and cracked his knuckles. Though he didn't want to hurt his friend too badly, they might have to beat him into unconsciousness to save him. With eleven clones left, this would be his best shot at hitting Sasuke. And if he lost any more shadow clones, he wouldn't have enough to perform the jutsu.
"Sakura-chan! Now!"
From her hidden position, Sakura came forward once again and landed before Sasuke. She punched the branch they were standing on and broke it with ease, forcing Sasuke to jump away. Sakura followed him and made sure Sasuke wouldn't be able to stand in the same place for too long. Because she was attacking from a distance using her strength, Sasuke was hard pressed to get close enough to stop her. Finally, losing his patience, he charges through the debris and comes up for a close-in strike. With her target nearly touching her, Sakura brought forth her needles and stabbed Sasuke in the arm. To her surprise, her target shifted and all the needles managed to catch was part of his shirt. Shreds of fabric ripped off and Sakura moved quickly to block but it was too late. The blow connected and sent Sakura flying back. She landed on her back before rolling to her feet and retreating even more. She couldn't give Sasuke an opening to attack.
By now Naruto had had enough time and reappeared. He and the other shadow clones surrounded Sasuke at more or less equal distance.
"Let's begin."
Sasuke looked around and saw that all of the Narutos held Rasengans in their hands. And from the looks of it, Naruto wasn't bluffing. Each swirling ball of air was infused with chakra and the Narutos held them forward.
"Dai Uzumaki Rasengan!"
Before Sasuke could even figure out what was going on, the spheres in each Narutos' hands erupted. The air movement intensified to such a point that it became visible with the strands of chakra fused with it. No matter how fast he moved, Sasuke couldn't avoid the wind and found himself trapped within the vortex. Even though the Sharingan revealed each strand of chakra, the amount of air they blew along was incredible. Every time he thought he dodged them a cute appeared on his body. They were simply too numerous to avoid even for him.
"I see you've changed as well, Naruto. But I'll never lose to you!"
"You might not lose to me, but you will lose to us! Sakura-chan! Now!"
From above Sakura faced downwards and began spinning. From under her arm bands came a shower of needles. They weren't even aimed at Sasuke and simply fell into the vortex. However, it was soon apparent what they intended. As they traveled along the streams, the speed of the needles increased and quickly drew closer to the center. With all the needles coming in at different directions, angles, and times, it was impossibly for Sasuke to block them all. Now he simply had no options remaining except one.
Not wasting any time, Sasuke sliced open his hand and made the necessary seals. Just as the needles were about to strike him, he activated the final seal.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
"Shit!" Naruto muttered. "Sakura-chan! Summon!"
The vortex struck a massive presence and shattered as a massive purple snake appeared. Sasuke stood on the head, breathing heavily but hardly finished.
Immediately dispelling the Rasengan and the shadow clones, Naruto bit his thumb and activated the seals. Within seconds Sakura had followed suit and more trees came crashing down as two more new masses landed in the forest. As the smoke cleared, Naruto looked at the battlefield before them. A large section of the forest had already been destroyed by his Dai Uzumaki Rasengan. The summoning simply made the area flatter as the fallen trees were crushed into the ground. This was the devastation that had resulted from their battle. It would only get worse as the fighting continued.
"What is it with you people and calling me out in such troublesome situations?" Manda demanded.
GamaBunta looked over at the scene and released a cloud of smoke from his mouth.
"Well, this certainly brings back memories. I'll have to do a better job finishing things this time."
"Hey Frog Boss, we're trying to save Sasuke, not kill him!" Naruto said quickly.
Sasuke laughed and looked over at Sakura and Naruto. "If you really think you can defeat me so easily, you're more stupid than when I left the two of you."
"And yet we've already accomplished our objective," Sakura stated confidently.
At first Sasuke was confused by the statement before a sharp pain in his arm caught his attention. A single needle had managed to strike Sasuke before he finished summoning Manda and was now embedded within his muscle. Cursing, Sasuke tore it out and threw it aside. Even now he could feel the poison entering his system.
"It looks like I'll have to kill you quickly. Haha. Think of this as my paying homage to our time together, despite the waste it was."
"A waste of time?" Sakura screamed. "Sasuke-kun, the only time you've wasted is spending these past three years with Orochimaru! He's nothing but scum and he only wants you as a host! Why can't you see that?"
"It is you that cannot see a thing," Sasuke replied. "Come, Manda! I'm sure you'll enjoy some fried frog. Katon Karyu Endan!"
Fire shot out of his mouth and formed into a serpent form. It flew forward and scorched the very air, making it unbearably hot. The wood was set ablaze and soon enough a forest fire began spreading.
"Damn it, this isn't good," said Naruto.
"Tell me about it," GamaBunta replied.
The frog inhaled and suddenly blew out several spheres of water. It smashed into the fire dragon and extinguished it with the following shots showering the burning trees. However, it failed to douse out all the fire and it continued to spread.
"Zeshi Nensan!"
The acid rained down upon where Manda was but the giant snake moved quickly, burrowing under the ground. Acid splashed and scarred the land, leaving more gashes because of the battle.
"Where is he?" Naruto wondered.
"Under!" Sakura shouted.
Jumping off of Katsuyu, Sakura focused her chakra and smashed the ground. The very earth crumbled and shook from the blow. Chunks of earth were thrown into the air and revealed Manda indeed hiding in one spot.
"Now!" Naruto shouted.
GamaBunta pumped his hind legs and took off towards the snake. Drawing both knives he slashed at Manda, forcing the snake to retreat. However, Manda soon lashed out and grabbed hold of one blade. As the two struggled, GamaBunta brought the other knife to bear as Manda flailed with his tail. The two were soon locked together with neither being able to gain an advantage. Katsuyu positioned herself to the side and unleashed another rain of acid. With no other option Sasuke blew a massive fireball and used it as a shield for himself and Manda. The fire quickly burned away most of the acid but several drops still struck, burning at the snake skin.
With both their summons occupied, Naruto jumped from GamaBunta and landed on Manda's head. He charged and engaged Sasuke in another duel. Behind the snake Sakura ran forward and punched Manda's side. The snake shook from the blow and tried to knock Sakura away. She flipped over the tail and with this opening GamaBunta slashed at Manda's head. The snake pulled back, releasing the other knife, and avoided the decapitation attempt. He immediately lunged forward but GamaBunta blocked it again with his knife.
"You're running out of tricks, you stupid snake," he taunted.
Manda pressed forward and used his speed to try to wrap himself around GamaBunta. But just as he was about to latch on something caught his tail and forced him to stop. This was just in time for another rain of acid and it splattered all over his skin. Screaming out in pain, Manda swerved aside and immediately shed his skin. As the empty shell struck the ground it crumbled from the chemicals eating at it.
"Damn you, you stupid slug!"
Naruto landed softly before digging in to charge again. Sasuke had been forced off Manda's head by Katsuyu's attack and was beginning to slow down due to the poison. The two clashed once more with their kunais and fought back and forth amongst the devastated landscape.
"You don't honestly believe you'll win, do you?" Sasuke taunted. "I haven't even demonstrated my full capabilities!"
Naruto didn't respond and continued fighting. This went back and forth as neither could gain the advantage. However, the battle amongst the summons was being determined rather quickly. Manda again found himself pinned down by the tail as more acid poured upon him. He finally slapped Sakura aside and struck Katsuyu. With his prey in his grasp Manda opened his jaws and sank them into the slug's flesh. Immediately Katsuyu burst apart but instead of retreating clung to Manda's body. Within seconds each little Katsuyu had secreted more acid along the entire length of the snake. There was no way Manda could overcome this and he couldn't shed his skin again so quickly. As he thrashed about the Katsuyu clones fell off and moved away. The snake now immobilized, GamaBunta drove his knife into Manda's head and forced the summon to disappear.
Sakura looked over at their two allies and smiled. "Thanks for your help, GamaBunta, Katsuyu."
"It was a pleasure, Sakura-sama," Katsuyu replied.
"Remind that gaki that we still need to have a drink sometime," GamaBunta said, "so he better not die."
With those parting words they too disappeared, leaving Sakura to join Naruto in trying to subdue Sasuke once more. By now, despite the poison, Sasuke remained standing and defiant.
"Sakura-chan, shouldn't the poison have brought him down already?"
Sakura nodded. "I don't know what's wrong. That one hit should have been enough."
"You two still don't get it, do you? I'm not about to fall to your petty tricks."
The two shinobis braced themselves as chakra began surrounding Sasuke. The curse mark upon his neck began glowing once more and slowly expanded over his entire body.
"Sasuke-kun! What are you doing!" Sakura screamed. "You're going to kill yourself that way!"
"I've already died once," Sasuke replied. "I'm not afraid of death. But you should be!"
The black hair erupted into a white mane and his skin turned a sickly brown. A seam appeared in the back of his shirt as it was slowly torn apart. Wings sprouted from his back and animal eyes looked at them behind the Sharingan.
"I will not lose to the likes of you!"
Grasping his hand, black chakra began accumulating and burst into lightning. The charge Sasuke held in his hand was far larger than anything Naruto or Sakura had seen before and the sheer power behind it was no laughing matter. Sasuke was indeed being serious now.
Kakashi jumped aside as three more shurikens came his way. So far Orochimaru seemed to be simply toying with them. He heard more laughing as Orochimaru caught another jounin and literally tore him in half. Cursing silently, Kakashi continued moving before coming to a rest higher in the trees. Shin landed close by and crouched.
"Damnation. There isn't any water near here."
Kakashi sighed. "Indeed. You are from Hidden Waterfall, after all."
Shin nodded before moving off again. Though his training had focused upon controlling his bloodline limit, his family hadn't neglected to teach him the basics. Now those skills would have been a welcome addition to his arsenal, but he didn't have the chakra to create any substantial amount of water. All he had was the bloodline limit now.
"Why are you hiding, Kakashi?" Orochimaru spoke to the trees. "You should know, Sasuke is going to kill his friends right now. And once he does, I'll be claiming him as my own."
Doing his best to ignore the jabs, Kakashi considered his options. Orochimaru was far more powerful than anyone he had faced before. Even with the many jounins backing up him, it would be difficult to kill a Sanin. A pity Jiraiya wasn't here.
"But perhaps I should put you out of your misery so you won't have to see the broken bodies of your students. How about that, Kakashi?"
There weren't many options left. The longer this fight dragged out the more comrades Orochimaru would pick off. They had to attack now. Charging from his hiding place, Kakashi threw several kunais with explosive tags around Orochimaru. As expected, the trick didn't work as Orochimaru jumped above the explosions and began pursuing Kakashi. Other Leaf jounins took shots as well but Orochimaru blocked their efforts.
"Enough of this playing around, Kakashi," Orochimaru said as he stopped. "I think it's time an old friend joined us for this. I'm sure you'll be glad to see him. After all, it's been over fourteen years since you last saw him."
The statement gave Kakashi pause as he quickly realized what Orochimaru meant to do. He had heard about what happened during the battle with the Third Hokage. If Orochimaru really meant to use that forbidden jutsu, they would stand no chance. He had to put a stop to it now.
"I'll not allow you to desecrate his memories in such a way!"
Kakashi forced his chakra into his hands and brought forth the Chidori. With the blue lightning in his hand, he rushed Orochimaru and aimed for the heart. However, it was too late. Orochimaru moved aside with ease and struck Kakashi in the chest, disrupting the Chidori. Snakes shot out from his sleeve and sank their fangs into Kakashi, injecting their venom. With supreme effort Kakashi brought his kunai to bear and cut down the snakes. He fell back, wounded but still able to fight.
"There's nothing you can do to stop this, Kakashi. Simply accept it! Kyuchiyose Edo Tensei!"
On the ground before Orochimaru a hole appeared and a single coffin rose.
"No!"
The wooden cover fell off and a long figure stepped forward. The wind rippled over his coat and caught the blond hair. All of the Leaf jounins stood in awe at the man that stood before them.
"Hahaha. How does it feel, Kakashi, to face your old teacher once again?"
From the shadows Shin watched. He felt his blood run cold seeing the same jutsu that had cost him a sister. Then a burning hatred came upon him and his eyes swirled into the void.
"You're a monster, Orochimaru. You have no respect for anything."
"Why should I when I can cheat death?"
Kakashi held up his hand once more and summoned his chakra. "I will not allow you to dishonor the Fourth in such a way!"
"You don't have much choice in the matter," Orochimaru replied as he inserted the kunai. "Now, prepare to meet your end!"
End of Chapter 4
Wow. Basically one continuous battle with Sasuke and we see the battle with Orochimaru kicked off. As for the Dai Uzumaki Rasengan, Naruto isn't exactly the most imaginative one when it comes to names, so I thought it would be appropriate. Next chapter I'll finally reveal what Shin's bloodline limit is. Well, sort of. And review to let me know what you people think. Also, I think it's time I actually thanked my prereader, Jiri-sama. She's been a big help in picking out my mistakes. Thanks.
Z98