Naruto jumped down from the giant toad.
He watched as a large number of shinobi from both warring parties ran about, on fire. The toad cannon had working its wonders again.
There was no sign of the strange short Akatsuki member, but his handiwork was easy enough to spot. A huge expanding and contracting cloud of squeaking bats flew about him and the giant toad, obscuring their vision. The winged mammals weren't capable of causing much physical damage, but their effect was devastating in its own way.
A supernaturally fast swipe by the Demiurge's claw sent the disoriented Gamarakki rolling through soldiers like a ball through nine pins. Rolling back onto his feet, the groggy demon waved to Naruto, signaling that it was time for him to withdraw. He did so.
Sweat trickled down the Naruto's neck. He expected the squat Akatsuki to materialize at any moment. He feared a knife to the back… a club to the head… a great shove towards the pulsating seal. Sparing a moment to look around the cavern, he took note of the number of fierce battles. Before he knew it, one side made a break through. The outer ring of the seal went dark. The Demiurge screeched in ultimate frustration.
"Yes!" Naruto thrust his fist up, smiling as he did so. That would certainly help, wouldn't it?
Suddenly, the barrier was whole again. The outer ring flickered and grew in intensity. The Demiurge made a whistling noise that Naruto thought would burst his eardrums. The great claw came sweeping past again. He felt the wind of its passage ruffle his hair. Great blobs of caustic matter hit the ground on either side of him.
"Shit! Can't anyone do anything right?" Up done, here gone, somebody make up their mind already.
For a few moments, dodging the damn claw and ninjas from both factions, he was far too busy to pay attention to the plight of the scroll wardens, many of whom were falling along with the jutsu technicians. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone! All that was visible in that direction was the natural cave wall. When he finally had time to look again, the barrier was gone. All that showed was the natural stone face of the cavern. He hoped that meant the damn creature was gone for good.
The world was saved!
Well, maybe it was more accurate to say that the world was somewhat safe, unless those idiots had managed to bring enough people and scrolls to start the whole process again.
Pleasant thought! In any case, none of it meant that the danger was entirely gone, right? The damn seal was still present. A different part of it was glowing now. Some kind of dastardly plot must still be afoot. Regardless, he couldn't leave yet. Not until he found Hinata.
At the mouth of one tunnel, he saw long lines of men pulling hard on lengthy ropes. They were forced to dodge and sidestep, as arrows thudded into the sides and necks of some of their number. What were they up to? Why exactly were the Akastsuki forces fighting one another, for that matter?
For a while, Naruto fought minor skirmishes while he searched for any clue of Hinata's whereabouts. On occasion he caught sight of Akatsuki members, but they were busy fighting one another or directing the movements of troops loyal to their side. None seemed to be too worried about him at the moment. He could live with that.
'I wish that Gamarraki was still here!' He certainly could have used that kind of firepower, especially with that flying ninja waiting who knows where for who knows what. He froze. He snapped his fingers, an idea coming to mind. He had read the summoning procedure. Maybe he could do it! Kyuchiyose Enkouou Enma. No. It was too risky. He didn't even really know what to think of the thing as. Monkey King? Monkey Demon? Elder Monkey God? It wouldn't do much good to be hemming and hawing when he showed up, if the summons actually worked. This was not the best situation to take a moment, say hello, and then try to work out some kind of contract!
Naruto kept swinging his hands back and forth in front of his face. The bats were concentrating on him now. Like small furry missiles, they plummeted into his head and chest. Tangled in his hair, they squeaked frantically. A shape flashed by overhead. A number of kunei grazed his arms as he moved. There. That Akatsuki bastard. Gliding out of sight around one huge pillar. How could he bring that son of a bitch down?
So far the attacks by the bats and their master had been nuisances and minor annoyances. But, he was certain that the S-class criminal had powerful jutsus standing by, waiting for just the right moment. Shit. Why hadn't he asked Jiraiya to teach him more long range attacks? Well, there was one that might do some good. Throwing a scroll out with the flick of his hand, he watched as a number of folding fuuma shuriken, the windmill type. Picking a number up in rapid succession, he sent them spinning on their way when he caught sight of the flying ninja.
"Damn! Just missed." This approach was going to be fruitless. The dark target moving against a black ceiling was bad enough. But, the bastard seemed to know when the weapons were approaching, and nimbly moved out of the way. Worse, he caught a couple and sent them back along a sneaky trajectory. That had been much too close. He could have lost both feet at the ankles, as did some of the warring shinobi on either side of him.
Knowing he shouldn't stand still for too long, Naruto froze in his tracks just the same. He caught sight of two men were fighting. Not just two men, however. Brothers. Sasuke and Itachi. They were locked in a serious confrontation, surrounded by a ring of black flame and a pile of smoking corpses.
As a shocked Naruto watched, ignoring the bats that slammed hard against him, he saw Sasuke launch a vicious attack, much like the one he had just tried himself, but just as a beginning. With huge four-bladed shuriken closing in on Itachi from every conceivable angle, and the strange cuffs enclosing his forearms focusing a devastating sonic attack, Sasuke threw his arms up, shooting forth a large number of snakes. The enormous constrictors wrapped around Itachi's body while their smaller venomous brethren went for his eyes and throat.
Hardly moving, and not blinking one, Itachi somehow managed to foil the entire attack, leaving Naruto gasping. How had he done it? So effortlessly. So Quickly! Frowning, the elder Uchiha swept his arm out, slapping Sasuke hard across the face. "I expected much better from you, little brother. I know that Orochimaru isn't much, but he should have been able to teach you something."
Shouting with rage, Sasuke took to the wing. His one hand glowed with visible chakra, as he prepared to try the Chidori once again. Naruto tensed his muscles. He had been at the receiving end of that very same attack. Would it work against Itachi?
What if he soon found himself facing Itachi. Maybe Sasuke could somehow stand against the mange you sharing an; but, could he? He couldn't really say that he had ever defeated a Uchiha, unless one counted the time he jumped Sasuke, tied him up, and then went to steal a kiss from Sakura in Sasuke form. It didn't work. That damn spoiled milk! But, this was hardly the time for reminiscing.
Even without a curse seal, Itachi was stronger. That much was obvious to the casual observer. The elder brother had more pure talent, a larger repertoire of fighting techniques, and a calmer demeanor. But, to Sasuke, none of that mattered. If he had to kill his brother to gain his acceptance, so be it. He was an avenger, after all. He would succeed, no matter what.
"Get him! Sasuke!" Naruto found himself yelling like he used to, when Sasuke was still his teammate. He spat, after a bat landed partly inside his mouth. The damn thing tasted awful! But, that was the least of his problems. He had to leap and roll as a series of explosive packets fell at his feet. There were also a number of noxious bombs as well, some containing knock out gas.
(B-O-O-M)
Even across the cavern, the sound of that explosion was loud. Someone or something had blown through the remnants of the stone wall that Naruto had created across the entrance tunnel. One of the shouted voices he heard was familiar. Jiraiya had arrived. Judging by the mess he had made of a group of shoulders, he must have used his Rasengan at full strength. The path clear, he strode forcefully towards an Akatsuki member Naruto didn't recognize.
"Where is he? Where is my idiot apprentice?" Jiraiya's voice had an edge that Naruto had never heard before. "If he's dead, you may have saved me some trouble. But nothing will save the sorry lot of you if he's been harmed."
That Ero-sennin must have taken a direct route to Konoha, while he had made it a point to give the village a wide circling berth when he was in eagle form. Did he manage to bring anyone else with him? Yes. Not far behind his master, a buxom blonde-haired woman struck the ground with one finger. A huge split opened up in the rock, swallowing most of the remaining warriors and lower level shinobi standing in her way. It was Tsunade.
Not able to watch long, Naruto saw the Hokage walk towards the senior Akatsuke member, rolling up a sleeve and making a fist. He wanted to watch that confrontation, but was forced to leap to one side, his intuition saving him. Swooping past again, the bat-like Akatsuki ninja dropped an exploding sleep gas bomb. At the same time, he worked a weaker version of the Kuchiyose Mouhogosha, summoning two blind guardians wrapped in long musty bandages. Each carried a weapon. One held a frightful hooked-billed halberd. They other had a huge spear resting on one shoulder. The inhuman servants jerked to life, ready to follow the Akatsuki member's direction.
Not able to look across the seal at the moment, Naruto was still able to make out the Akatsuki chief's snide remark and the Hokage's answering challenge.
"To what do we owe a visit from the illustrious Tsunade, the Legendary Sucker. Have you mistaken this for a gambling parlor? I should think you would be better served by playing your life long game of Janken." The man obviously thought that he was cut from firm enough cloth to deal with one of the Legendary Sannin. "Scissor, cloth, stone. Snake, snail, toad. Feeble games for feeble minds."
"You will not do this foul thing on my watch," Tsunade said. "Don't mistake my inaction before as stupidity or fear. We were waiting for the right moment to move."
"Whatever," the Akatsuki leader said in a dismissive voice. "You won't be able to stop us."
"Really?" Jiraiya asked, skewering a number of rushing soldiers when he put forth the Spikes of the Underworld in a quantity Naruto could never match with his shorter hair. "It seems to me that there is some infighting going on. Was that part of your brilliant plan?"
"You also set a trap for the wrong boy!" The Hokage's voice echoed across the cavern. Tsunade thought of her brother. She also saw images of a dying Dan's face in her mind. If Akatsuki had done something to kill Naruto, they would pay.
"Now you've got her mad again," Jiraiya felt compelled to comment. "Why'd you have to go and do that?"
Tsunade picked up a large broken half of an enormous fallen stalagtite, then threw it at a group of jutsu technicians maintaining the great seal. Those that didn't move were crushed. Other ninjas rushed to take their place. "Where is Uzumaki Naruto?" The Hokage's voice rang. Naruto swallowed hard. He knew that Old Lady Tsunade hadn't come here primarily to rescue him, but he was glad to hear that she still cared, even after he had acted against orders.
"Just listen for someone to say something stupid. Nine times out of ten it will be him." Even joking, Jiraiya's voice sounded harsh. The remaining Akatsuki members and their henchmen were in for some bad times. Naruto shook his head, cursing. Way to break the mood, perverted hermit!
THE MAN IS WISE. UNLIKE SOMEONE I KNOW.
Now that the Demiurge was gone, Kyuubi had his pluck back.
'Did you say something, flea bag? Yeh, he's wise. Brave too, unlike someone I know. How did it go? Oh yeh! I will beg you. I will abase myself. Leave while we still can. I beseech you. No… n-o… n-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o. Shit.'
The youma responded with a nonverbal rejoinder. Naruto had the distinct impression that it was something unspeakably obscene. He swore himself when a huge spear struck the ground I front of Naruto. Those damn blind guardians could move faster than he thought they could. He rolled to one side, avoiding a brutal swipe from the halberd. Tapping into the demon's chakra, the young ninja turned each of the bandaged creatures into walking torches. They kept coming.
"Enough of this crap!" Naruto gathered his own chakra and tore up a huge chunk of rock from the ground, by means of Doton Doryu Dayo. He slammed the heavy hunk of stone on top of the flaming servants. That ought to weigh them down for a while. Beating away bats with his hands, he turned to briefly look across the cavern again, trying to judge just how much of an enemy threat remained. He saw another Konoha dignitary arrive. Hyuuga Hiashi.
Hinata's father worked kaiten on a scale that Naruto didn't even think was possible. Soldiers on the other side of the entry shaft were thrown hard against the cave wall, their backs and necks snapping like dried twigs. Others flew far out onto the seal, staining the glowing symbols with their blood. "You have opportunity to see why the Hyuuga clan is the strongest in Konoha. You also have a chance to see why it is unwise to toy with its members. Where is my daughter? Answer me!"
A large Akatsuki member stepped towards Hiashi. He did not seem overly impressed. His words were strong, if slightly slurred. "The girl is dead, braggart. It looks like you will have to cook your own food and sweep your own floors. What a tragedy." The man laughed, and then continued in a rougher angry voice. "The world we will make is not one for the pompous or privileged. We might as well start spreading our message here, with you. I hope you have your estate in order. You will not be returning."
Hinata's father took up the stance for the Gentle Fist. That was the last thing that Naruto could take time to watch. The unseen bat-like warrior was back on the offensive.
"Bats were considered good luck, did you know that?"
Naruto could not pinpoint the voice. All he could tell was that the man was moving, somewhere high above him, where the light was very weak to nonexistent. A couple of explosive packets had him hopping. The sound of moving rubble meant that the blind guardians were almost back in action.
"Do you know why?"
Naruto muttered under his breath.. He really couldn't care less at that moment. But, the last guy who tried to lecture him ended up shish-kabobbed. Maybe this bastard would get what was coming to him, too. He tossed off a number of kunai, doubting that any hit their mark.
"I'll tell you then. The character fu in bianfu…the word for bat in Chinese… and the character fu, which means good luck in Chinese, are homophones. In Chinese, Fu includes wealth, long life, healthy and peaceful life, good moral character, and a full and satisfactory existence." The ninja laughed. "I'm afraid those will all be denied you."
Naruto snorted. "The saying 'F-ck you' started off as a pleasant greeting, did you know that?" He spoke somewhat petulantly. He also was bullshitting, as Shikamaru had lectured him and the other guys on that particular word once, showing off his genius.
The four letter word in question was actually thought to come from the Germanic word ficken or the Middle English word fucken, both meaning to strike, move quickly, and penetrate. Other experts thought that it may have derived from the Middle Dutch work fokken, to copulate.
WHAT IS THE MIDDLE DUTCH WORD FOR 'SHUT UP AND PAY ATTENTION'?
Nine Tails muttered something unpleasant about Naruto's ancestry.
"Ahhhhh. Such a charming boy, like I told my late comrade. What a wonderful choice for the savior of our world. I am so humbled." The words were followed by the unseen ninjas next attack.
Distracted by the sight of Sasuke actually landing a solid blow on his brother, Naruto fell prey to Jouro Senbon. The needles struck him on exposed areas of his face and hands. That hurt. Looking up, moving bats out of the way with his bleeding hands, he saw his foe gliding overhead.
'Big mistake to fly where I can see you!'
Naruto didn't have time to mount his own attack. The Akatsuki member wrapped his cloak-like robe around him tightly, and plummeted down on his target like one of the small bats. Landing, he opened his robe and wrapped it around Naruto. The clothing was lined by a large number of explosive paper seals. The explosion blew Naruto hard to the ground. He rolled over a couple of times, almost touching the great seal. His eyes watering, he looked to see what shape his opponent was in after that. He was gone. That had been a clone!
It was a real eye opener to see how his own technique could be used against him. It was a lesson he learned earlier, seeing how the one member of the Nine had trapped himself on the Seal after slipping on the byproducts of his own plants.
"I have more where that came from, charming boy!" That voice was high above him again.
Damn! Think, Naruto. Think!
WE DON'T HAVE THAT LONG
'You are not helping, bastard fox!'
There was the sound of another explosion of sorts. Looking in that direction, Naruto saw Itachi connect with some kind of devastating attack. Sasuke was thrown backwards violently. Airborne, and obviously debilitated, the younger Uchiha was headed out into the great seal!
"Sasuke!" At that very moment, the years of building sorrow, anger, and hatred seemed irrelevant. For some reason, Naruto saw the dark-haired ninja as the boy who's attention he once fought so hard to earn. He moved without stopping to consider the possible consequences of his actions. Jumping high, too fast for onlookers to make out,
He caught Sasuke and landed awkwardly. They both rolled a short distance, knocking over a rack of spears set up by enemy soldiers.
"I didn't ask you to save me…dumb ass…." Sasuke's mouth was bleeding and his eyes were nearly swollen shut. His robe was in tatters.
Naruto suddenly felt angry. Same old selfish and self-centered Uchiha bastard! "I didn't save you, you pathetic piece of shit. I just helped keep you alive. It would probably take someone like Tsunade or Sakura to save your worthless soul." Naruto spat. Wanting to score a verbal hit, he smirked and added "I don't have time to baby sit traitors. I have already killed two Akatsuki members, and am dealing with another. How many have you gotten? Ku ku ku ku…"
Sasuke knocked Naruto aside and got to his feet. He opened his mouth, but was unable to say what he wanted before someone else spoke.
"Oh, the Akatsuki members aren't so special. Not like Sasuke." The unctuous and hungry voice was familiar to both of the younger ninjas. It was Orochimaru, dressed the garb of one of the soldiers. "Somebody ran away from home, just at a crucial time. Someone almost got himself killed or maimed. Someone made me come out here where I had no desire to be. Someone has been very inconsiderate." Orochimaru was watching Naruto, while speaking about Sasuke. He saw the young man looking around, checking the faces of any soldier within view. "Are you looking for Kabuto?" The Legendary Sannin laughed. "He still speaks highly of you, do you know that? I think he's so very fond of you, that he wants to kill you himself. But, he's busy now. I sent him off to prevent certain rituals from taking place. I'm actually glad that we came, after all, seeing what the fools were up to." He turned to face Itachi, a wary look on his face. "I think I will have him work towards stopping your plans too."
Naruto took a moment to pull a number of needles out of his face. As he did so, his mind was working furiously. Not only did he have to deal with Akatsuki, but Orochimaru was here, intent on bringing Sasuke back for the body transfer technique. That snake-obsessed jerk was an enemy, no matter how one looked at it. But, he and Kabuto were working to stop Akatsuki's and Itachi's separate plots. It wasn't out of altruism, of course, but if it served the cause…
Did he have any business worrying about Sasuke, when Hinata could still be in danger? Should he allow himself to get distracted, while there was still some chance that Akastsuki's or Itachi's schemes could bear fruit?
THEY ARE DOING YOUR WORK. THE GIRL IS GONE. WE SHOULD LEAVE THIS PLACE
Kyubi was probably right. But, forget about Sasuke. How could Naruto leave when his Hokage, his master, and the father of his girlfriend were all locked in combat?
"But I must say, it is simply sickening, such friendship. Such utter loyalty, despite everything that has happened. Pathetic." Orochimaru turned his evil snake-like eyes towards Naruto. "Will you be my friend, when Sasuke's body belongs to me?"
A number of clones ran in their direction, robes filled with explosive seals. Naruto was about to act, but Orochimaru beat him to the punch. Running a finger along a seal on his wrist, drawing a slight amount of blood, he worked a summons.
Two large snakes appeared, their eyes seeming to glow as they reflected the torchlight.
One snake absorbed the explosions, looking no worse for wear.
"I should have thought you would have dealt with Orangbati by now. Doesn't that idiot Jiraiya teach you anything?" Orochimaru laughed. "But, not everyone can be a genius like Sasuke here." He looked over at Itachi, wondering what his former partner might do. It never paid to underestimate him. "Jiraiya foolishly took on a student who reminded him of himself. I, however, was clever when I did the same thing."
Sasuke spat, then cursed. His eyes held a look of pure hatred.
"Oh my, are you cross with me, Sasuke? Did you think I didn't realize that you wanted to learn everything you could from me… escape… and then run of to face you big bad brother? Idiot!" Orochimaru's face was filled with rage.
"Who'sthe idiot?" Naruto asked, driven by his old personality traits. "If you knew what Sasuke was going to do, why'd you let him escape? If you ask me, that's pathetic."
"I had meant to kill you before, but that stupid bitch Tsunade had to rediscover her nobility." Orochimaru hissed. "I will make up for that, now. I never wanted you in Akatsuki's hands. Say good bye to your friend. " A snake extended out of the Sannin's mouth. From the snake's mouth, the Grass Cutter Sword appeared. That blade headed straight for Naruto.
Sasuke moved incredibly fast, pushing Naruto hard and out of the way.
"I didn't ask you to save me…dumb ass…." Naruto needed to toss that line back at his erstwhile companion. Looking up, he saw Orangbati sweeping downward. Glancing to the side, he saw Itachi advancing. Beyond him, the men with robes were clustering, struggling with some huge object. Things looked to be getting real busy.
He should have been watching the snakes. At Orochimaru's command, one of the huge creatures struck at Naruto, swallowing him whole.
"Not again!" Naruto shouted in frustration. Calming down, he worked the Kage Bunshin, waiting for the snake to explode. Splat! "Ha, you can't hold Uzumaki Naruto down for long, you creepy bastard!" Naruto puffed out his chest, just about to step out of the mangled snake. He froze, holding his foot up in the air. The snake hadn't just swallowed him. It had also thrown its body out onto the Great Seal. It was a long creature. That left him was a fair distance from safety. But, necessity is the mother of invention. "Clone bridge!" he directed the surviving clones to link hands and legs, forming an archway to safe ground. "Piece of cake!"
Stepping up on the bridge, Naruto leaped, heading for a spot away from Orochimaru and the Uchiha family reunion. Something hit him hard. He found himself tumbling, disoriented. Looking up, he saw the bat-like Akatsuki ninja looking to regain altitude.
"Shit!"
WE ARE TRAPPED
Kyuubi's voice carried a strong sense of urgency. They were indeed trapped.
Naruto lay on his back, in the great seal.