Here we have another update for Reading: Shadow of Fairy Tail. Please go and check out the original author of this story and several more at AmusedLight's profile.
Enjoy and don't forget to Review.
The book was once more passed over to the Wizard side of the room. This time landing n Wakaba's hands to his mild surprise. Shrugging it off he began reading and the group as a whole settled in for the chapter.
Jumping through the trees of Galuna Island, the rogue Kiri Shinobi were using the explosion to make their getaway from the hideout that now was fully destroyed with a large scale of black smoke now covering the air. All their work, material, and manpower went up in flames, leaving the escaping Shinobi agitated.
"Well it serves them right!" Natsu shouted getting agreement across the room.
"It's all gone, All that work gone up in smoke!" The spiky-haired member of Kenji's group hissed out in rage "Months of planning!"
"We know, Seiko. We know." His bald headed comrade answered him "But right now surviving is most important, be glad you weren't there when it all came down. no one could survive that."
"You think those brats and Ao got caught in it? I hope not, because I want to shred them to pieces." The sole female blonde Kiri rogue hoped to have some payback..."
"Pfft as if. Pretty sure they wouldn't stand a chance in a stand up fight against Naruto's little group." Kushina said with a small laugh.
"Easy Suina. We can't go back now." the bald man said to her "We'll need to re-organize and-"
"Screw that, Saburo!" Seiko roared against him "Suina is right, let's go back and-"
"It is good they are fighting each other, why? Because, their infighting will likely make it even easier for them to be separated and defeated." Shino commented.
"True, but remember these shinobi have worked with one another for a long time. They know one another very well so it may not be as easy as you would think to divide them like that even if they are at each other's throats." Kurenai lectured her student getting him to nod in understanding.
"SILENCE!"
The argument stopped when Kenji landed in the middle of an open field and dropped the hostage girl on the ground.
THUD!
"Treating a defenseless girl so harshly is unmanly to the most extreme degree!" Elfman growled.
"Hump!" Hotaru groaned in pain through the cloth in her mouth as Kenji turned to his teammates.
'SHINK!'
In front of Hotaru's eyes the blade of the former Kid ANBU commander was stabbed right in the ground in front of the girl, frightening her hysterically that was ignored by the rogue Shinobi.
"The poor thing must be absolutely terrified." Mira said sadly.
"Boss will rescue her. Don't worry, boss will definitely rescue her." Konohamaru said quietly but with complete faith in Naruto bringing smiles to several other's faces.
"Aww Kono-kun you're so cute ya'know!" Kushina said as she wrapped her son's pseudo-brother in a hug causing the kid to blush brightly. Not that he fought the hug, it was nice and reminded him of his own mom.
Kenji turned his emotionless gaze towards Hotaru and glared at her until she shut her mouth after being frozen in fear with that same gaze he was notorious for as he said those chilling words.
"I want blood..."
"This guy is totally lost in his madness." Macao commented quietly.
"This is why we try to hunt rogue shinobi down any chance we get normally. A great many of them are like that to varying degrees. Broken and obsessed with slaughter." Jiraiya said sadly.
"Some embrace the darker parts of shinobi work to a point that they become monsters." Tsunade agreed. Both Sannin thinking of their old teammate.
The three teammates of Kenji heard that coming from their leaders and it would be a lie to say their spines weren't feeling a reeling from hearing that, except for Saburo who was the 2nd in command of Kenji. And he knows once he had a thought like that, there was no stopping him.
"If I may suggest, there's a village we can go to." Saburo brought it up to his commander that a populated area was on this island.
"And I had thought perhaps he was half-decent as he wasn't so excited by the idea of random butchery." Makarov scowled.
Kenji chuckled upon hearing this piece of information "What are we waiting for then?" Before smirking "Oh, I know. What shall we do with our guest?"
"Humph!" Hotaru screamed through her gag, begging for mercy while tears were coming from her eyes. Showing that she was extremely frightened.
The group tensed up and worried for the girl.
"Ku, why not let me handle her, boss." Seiko the spiky-haired man suggested with a dry laugh "I got some frustrations I need to get rid of." Everyone who knew Seiko understood what he talked about and knew that he was a sick fuck when it came to tormenting prisoners, especially when it came to young women...
"He's as bad as Kenji but in a different way." Sakura said with a sickened look.
The group was growing more and more worried about Hotaru.
"You're a real sick fuck, you know that Seiko?" The female said to her comrade gaining a chuckle from him.
"Like you expect anything else from me, Suina." He answered back to her "and, will you watch it while I do it?"
Shaking her head with a smile "Not this time, I ain't for the mood of that."
"How could another woman support him in such a way?!" Ino asked horrified.
"They truly are monsters." Erza hissed between clenched teeth.
The only one who was genuinely disgusted was Saburo who commented "You two and your fetishes, absolutely disgusting."
"Hmph, to think that even one such as him would have certain lines. Still the fact he is accompanying monsters like those three makes him party to all their acts." Makarov gravely stated.
"Let them have it, It might be even fun."
The group clenched their jaws and fists in fear for Hotaru.
"I WONT LET YOU!"
From out of nowhere a wave of shurikens was flying right towards the rogue Kiri nin, forcing all but Seiko to step away from the hostage while he just deflected the shurikens with his kunai.
Sighs of relief and vicious grins spread through the readers. Even Tayuya and Sasuke seemed relieved the girl was spared Seiko's planned actions.
"Where did that come from!?"
Saburo landed on a tree branch nearby and shouted "Its Ao, no doubt about it. Seiko get out!"
"Kill him." Kushina growled surprising the mages slightly. However the Shinobi, more specifically the elder shinobi simply nodded along with her.
Before the Kiri rogue could react to what he heard, Ao appeared right in front of him in a stance with his palm pointed at Seiko's chest.
"Wha-"
PUNCH!
"Palm Bottom!" Ao hit his opponent right in the chest with the help of his activated Byakugan, hitting him right in his weak spot and sent Seiko away till he crashed with his full weight and back against the nearest tree.
The readers cheered at the apparent ease one of the heroes had in dispatching scum like Seiko.
"Seiko!"
Ao stood there before turning to Hotaru and cutting her free with his kunai and removing the gag from her mouth "You alright?"
"Yes, yes I am. But-"
"No time, run into the woods, go!" Ao said before quickly reacting to his senses and started crossing his arms-
"I hope she listens." Wendy said.
"They'll save her, don't worry." Lucy said rubbing the younger girl's head gently getting a small smile from her.
POW!
Suina attempted a kick to Ao but failed when the veteran blocked her and pushed the woman away from her to give him the chance to stand up correctly, just when Kenji and Saburo joined her.
"Didn't you hear me, brat? GO!"
"Poor girl, she really should have run already though." Asuma said.
"Yeah, but can you blame her? Even a veteran shinobi could be having issues staying focused in a situation like that. Especially after being held prisoner and repeatedly almost abused or executed." Kurenai pointed out getting a nod from the Sarutobi.
Hotaru turned around and began running into the woods as fast as she could. Leaving the veteran Ao on his own ready to hold off the traitors for her to escape. He turned back to them with a frown to which Kenji only grinned in return.
"Ao, does seem like a well disciplined and experienced warrior. No doubt he isn't alone though." Erza said.
"Well Master, how does it feel facing off your old students? It must be painful for you." Kenji played and twisted the facts since Ao had known them since they were just small Genin and now was using it against him.
Makarov, unbeknownst to his guild, looked on Ao with a bit more understanding and pity. He had known similar if not exactly the same betrayal in the past by his son.
"Don't think I will go easy on you, Kenji." Ao said pulling out a kunai and going into a defensive position "I will end your madness right here and now."
Kenji chuckled clicking his fingers "Go after her."
The two rogue nin left their leader in pursuit of Hotaru, leaving the master and the student alone for their long-awaited fight. Kenji pulled out the blade he'd been carrying around the world and slain many foes but also innocents in his twisted mind.
"Let's end this once and for all."
Running through the thick forest, the scared and hyperventilating Hotaru was going through bushes and trees to try and get as far away from the people who in the past had hunted for her because of her bloodline like many other Kekkei Genkai families and clans who perished under the bloodlust of the Hidden Mist' 4th Mizukage and his men, she was one of the few who managed to escape their wrath as long as she could with the help of her master.
"To be hunted for so long over something she had no choice in. Terrible." Mira said sadly.
"It's unfortunately a common occurrence in our world." Kushina said sadly.
"That doesn't make it right." Natsu said with an unusually reserved voice.
"You're very right in that. It does not make it right." Kushina replied.
She stopped behind a tree to try and catch her breath. As frightened she is, she had to remain calm and silent to keep herself in the dark away from her pursuers.
SHLINK!
A sword spiked right through the big tree and nearly hit the girl's head and caused her to jump away from the tree just in time before the blade sliced the tree in half. The one cutting the tree was Suina who now stood just inches away from her body.
"Hello, little girl..."
Hotaru quickly reacted by trying to run away again but then Saburo grabs her head from behind and forces her down to the ground with all his weight over her body.
"You're not going anywhere, brat." Saburo said squeezing her neck to force her down "Or I'm forced to hurt you."
"P-Please., I've done nothing to your village." Hotaru teared up begging for her life "I swear I will never come back, I swear-"
"How can they keep harming her when she is begging like that. I feel sick." Lucy said while comforting Wendy to the best of her ability.
"Shut up, bitch." Suina said putting her boot on her back "We're finally getting rid of you and those bloodline cockroaches. Like hell, we will allow you to live a life beyond Kiri's borders to try and retake power once we killed that bitch Terumi." She sassed at the girl before laying her blade to her neck, ready to slit her throat in half.
"Any last words?" Suina asked with a sickening grin "...Cockroach?"
"Such hatred over something so stupid!" Lisanna shouted.
"Over my dead body." Those words came from a man that stopped Suina in a frozen state.
She turns to Saburo and asked, "Was that you?"
"That was me." Hearing that made Suina turn her head around to only see a glimpse of what looked like was a-
A bubble?
"Ah, the six-tails." Kushina commented.
BOOM!
The small yellow explosion was small but intense and knocked the female ninja to fly against her comrade's body who was also sent flying against the trees next to them. Leaving Hotaru on her own facing the ground as smoke covered the area she was stuck in.
"Master?" She recognized that attack "Master where are you!"
A hand yanked her by the shirt and pulled her away from the area, making her yell in fear as she flew into the air with her supposed rescuer.
Standing back up was Saburo with Suina's body on him, she wasn't responsive anymore and her body was pretty much exposed with burn marks on her face and arms and blood dripping out from her mouth, he checked her pulse to try and find her heartbeat.
She was dead.
"I'm sure you wizards understand by now why we as shinobi are more inclined to kill?" Kakashi asked.
"Killing a monster like that wasn't my issue to begin with shinobi-san. It was that you also take payment for such actions as well as the wide spread violence and actions of your society that you have shown us so far." Makarov answered resolutely getting Kakashi to stare at him before slowly nodding back. Those were fair points.
Shaking his head, Saburo laid her body next to him so he could get up properly and pulled out an explosives tag and placed it on her comrade's body.
"You know that we cannot risk our secrets to be exposed, Suina. I'm sorry." He jumped away, trying to track down the girl again. When he left his comrade's body, the tag exploded.
"Despite his actions. This man at least seems to care for his comrades. One of the few redeeming qualities someone like him might have." Jiraiya said.
•••
Stepping onto the Beach, Erza saw that the carnage had already extended from the mountains to right now the forests on the other side of the island.
"Oh, I've finally come to the island." Erza said happily.
"I look forward to seeing you in battle." Kushina said with a grin.
Erza simply shot a grin at the Uzumaki princess. She'd be happy to show off her skill to a woman who had evidently been a great warrior during her life.
The pirate captain next to her was horrified "What's going on here?"
"That's what I'm going to find out." Erza said ordering the pirate crew "Stay here." She says starts running for the carnage that most likely was caused by her guildmates while leaving the pirates to their thoughts.
"You think they'll make it?"
"Fairy Tail Wizards? I doubt they'll be the ones who we need to fear for. If what everyone says is true, we should worry about not sinking with this island or something."
"That's quite the reputation." Tsunade said with a laugh, joined by the others. The majority of Fairy Tail didn't even look ashamed though Makarov looked near tears at even the reminder of how destructive his children were.
"You think that they could destroy a whole island?"
"I'm afraid to say yes, but I know not to say no."
"AAAARGH! FINALLY!" Natsu yelled finally free from the ice ball Gray had put him in attempting to stop him from helping him fight that Lyon guy.
Natsu shot Gray a glare which was promptly returned full force.
"I need to get to the village before those bastards destroy it." He starts running for the village while shouting out in anger "Gray when I am finished with those pricks there will be hell to pay!"
"As if you could." Gray scoffed.
"Icey-pop!" Natsu bellowed.
"Really guys stop, it's just getting on other people's nerves." Lucy said with a blank face causing both boys to blink in surprise. They weren't really used to Lucy putting them down like that.
•••
Escaping from the scene, Utakata and Hotaru tried to maintain as much distance from the rogue Kiri nin as possible, the kimono wearing bubble pipe user managed to take out one of them at least so that would buy some time.
"Such an odd method of fighting." Ino mentioned.
"It's not even in the top hundred weirdest abilities I've seen. Just acknowledge the world is weird and try and avoid the topic. Trust me." Kushina said getting nods from the older shinobi and even from Master Makarov.
Landing on the ground after sprinting through the forest, Hotaru landed on the ground on her feet and sank to her knees the moment she touched the earth.
Utakata stopped next to her and said "Hotaru, we can't stop now. get up!"
Gasping for air the girl panted "I...can't...to...tired."
Sympathy for the girl filled the readers. Well most of them. Tayuya looked annoyed and Sasuke completely apathetic.
The long haired man shook his head and was going to comment until he noticed an kunai with an explosive tag fly towards the rock that was just a foot away from them.
"Tag, get away!" Hotaru and Utakata jumped on the last moment before the explosive tag exploded.
The group tensed once more in worry for the pair of shinobi wondering who exactly was attacking them.
BOOM!
The girl barely got away as the impact of the blast send her the opposite direction to where her master was as she disappeared into the deep forest.
"She is far less safe by herself. She is too tired to defend herself." Hinata said with worry.
"Don't worry, Naruto is still around there somewhere." Kiba said getting a nod from his teammate.
Utakata, on the other hand, landed on his feet and took distance from the explosion. He then tried to look around for his student who was lost again in the chaos.
"Hotaru!" he screamed looking around for her until he was forced to jump back when he was nearly slashed at by the 2nd in command Saburo who now had him where he wanted.
Utakata's eye made a glare seeing the person in front of him "Saburo."
"It's been a long time, Utakata." The bald warrior said to his old comrade "I'm sorry but its time to settle this. We've got a score to settle." The experienced hunter said to his former comrade who he knew so closely as a good friend in their early days in the Bloody Mist. But that was now over as he pointed his sword at the bubble user.
"Friends having to battle one another, likely to the death. That's sad." Levy said.
A glance by several shinobi, or glare in a few cases toward Sasuke had the boy shift slightly under their scrutiny.
Seeing he had no other choice Utakata took his battle stance and started to wait for his opponent's next move "You leave me little choice."
Saburo quickly moved in and went on to try and deliver the first strike. Meanwhile, the kimono wearer had his hopes that his student had made it to safety.
The readers hoped for the same.
•••
Heavy breathing came from the girl who was hiding behind the biggest tree she could find. Hotaru was dealing with a lot of pressure now she was alone and wounded with these renegade bigots wanting to slice her up for the crime of being from a nearly extinct bloodline.
Several of the group grew agitated once more at the actions of the old mist village regime.
She sank to her knees, fully exhausted, and just tried to keep herself from doing something stupid.
"I...can't...hold on...any...longer." She said between her breathe "But...must...keep...going."
SHINK!
"She just can't catch a break." Kiba said with a tired sigh. It was like an emotional roller coaster for this girl's troubles.
A sword penetrated right through the tree where Hotaru hide and cut it right in half. Causing her to freeze in fear once she realized it too late.
The one cutting it in half was Seiko who was grinning like a mad man "There you are..."
"Of all of them to be after her, he's the one I hate the most." Lucy grumbled. However her distaste for the missing-nin was definitely surpassed by her worry for Hotaru.
Hotaru tried to make a run for it but got pinned down to the ground hard by the sleazy bastard who knocked her out hard when she hit her head against the ground, leaving her unconscious. This made it easier for the slick man to do something he wanted to do for a long time.
"Oh no." Mira said covering her mouth in terror.
"Well, works for me." He went down to his knees and started grabbing the girl's bottoms and loosening up the belt "Let's see what you got in there, sweetheart." Getting rid of the belt, he used it to tie up Hotaru's hands from behind and leaving her parts exposed. The rogue-nin knew what he was doing and wouldn't deny he did this on occasion to blow off some steam on a woman who would consent or not...
"No! Boss will stop him. Someone will stop him. Right?" Konohamaru said growing a little less certain toward the end. Kushina just tightened her hug slightly and Iruka rubbed his head. They hoped for the same of course.
"Too bad you aren't awake now, girl." Seiko sickly chuckled while reaching for his zipper "Because I am going to rock your world." He was about to do the most disgusting act a person could do to another.
"Bastard!" Natsu growled joined by several of the others.
"Such an Un-youthful man deserves death." Gai said in a chillingly serious tone. However none disagreed.
But then he suddenly stopped, like if he just froze up. The air became cold around him and he started to try and gasp for small amounts of air like he was suffocating from his throat. What he was feeling was the enormous amount of K.I that was felt through the air, the rogue ninja couldn't see who it was as the person was walking up towards him.
"Here comes my boy." Kushina said in morbid pride. From what she knew even the more merciful version of her son from her world would likely not show such mercy to this man. The Naruto here was far less naive than her reality's Naruto.
But he knew this power, it wasn't normal, absolutely not. There was only one person he knew could possess that and he was currently fighting Saburo.
'T-This power!'
"So he can recognize a Jinchuuriki then. Good, he should feel terror in his last moments like he planned for poor Hotaru and all his other victims." Tsunade said.
In a split second Naruto appeared behind Seiko and had his hand around the neck without the guy even giving the chance to react properly it then clicked in his mind.
'No... That can't be. Only Utakata could summon that amount of power…'
"Please, the six-tails can't compare to the nine-tails. The growth between tailed beasts is exponential so Kyuubi is far superior to that slug." Kushina scoffed, before realizing she seemed to be taking pride in the power of the Kyuubi. That was an odd thought for her.
The face of Naruto was shadowed as he raised his kunai and struck into the guy with the last being the dark energy exploding and causing a shockwave across the island.
Makarov frowned slightly, but still he wasn't too angry at the action. This Seiko was in need of being put down. He was best compared to a rabid animal after all.
Mixed with the final scream of agony that came out of the Shinobi's mouth.
The atmosphere in the room was conflicted at that. They were partially happy the man couldn't continue his actions. But the merciless and efficient way Naruto took his life was frightening, especially from those that knew the far friendlier and cheerier version of the boy.
•••
Outside the village
Tayuya and Chojuro finally managed to reach the outskirts of the village and stopped right there for the Mist Shinobi to rest his leg.
"Oh, Tayuya-chan and her boyfriend. Excellent." Kushina cheered while shooting her fellow redheaded kunoichi a sly smirk.
Tayuya blushed slightly but hid it rather well as she looked away with a huff.
"Okay, we're here." Tayuya helped to put down the blue-haired swordsman on the ground for his leg to rest.
Chojuro hissed in pain while sitting down "Why don't we just go into the village just like your friend said?"
"Naruto says go to the village to try and protect it," Tayuya answered looking at the village "But we'll have to do it discreetly, we cannot allow the villagers to spot us."
"Huh, why not?" Chojuro was confused as Tayuya saw the villagers assembling with some of the Fairy Tail members she'd recognize.
"Let's just say that this part of the magical continent isn't much familiar with the Shinobi presence and that they want to keep it that way." Tayuya explained, "So by that, we must keep a low profile unless those Fairy Tail troublemakers need our help."
"Hey!" Natsu shouted at the troublemaker remark.
"Tch, you fucking know it's true." Tayuya replied causing the dragonslayer to grumble but several others to laugh slightly.
Makarov was a bit relieved at the release of tension from the earlier serious feeling the room had.
"Fairy Tail? What's that?"
"The name of the guild Naruto's part of." Tayuya answered, "Not wise to tell you about it but heck, they are some strong mages who are just as stubborn as Naruto but sure as strong as him." Just when she said that she witnesses a giant rat flying over the air right towards the village while holding what she could recognize as a bucket.
"Listen, if we take down Kenji and the others before they escape from this island, I promise you that we won't come after you or anyone else who's in Fiore" Chojuro promised while tending his leg "You have my word."
"What good is his word? He can't be that high up on the totem pole." Macao commented.
"Well, he is one of the seven swordsmen, or what's left of them. He wouldn't be chosen if he didn't have some influence on the leadership of Kiri." Kakashi answered.
She scoffed "Yeah, and what about that old man, I doubt he's going to keep his mouth shut."
"Leave it to me. Lady Terumi will understand what happened here once I explain everything to her." Chojuro hissed through his mouth as he struck the knot of the bandages.
"And why would your Mizukage listen? Surely she would want to send more hunter-nin."
"That's a good point, especially learning from Ao, that not only are they both Uzumaki, but also one of them a jinchuuriki. Capturing the two of them could help jump-start Kiri's rebuilding effort militarily." Shiakamaru said, only to flinch from the sudden punch from Ino who was glaring at him.
"Don't talk about comrades like that Shika." She commanded.
"Troublesome, blonde I'm just stating the obvious." Shikamaru shot back.
"If it's obvious and rude, maybe don't state it then?" Ino said nodding her head toward Kushina and Tayuya causing Shikamaru to blink slightly.
"Since when did you become so understanding of other's feelings?" He asked, only to flinch from another punch.
"Ass." She growled.
"That's not how we operate anymore." Chojuro responded defensively "We're trying our best to bring many of our fled comrades back to the village..."
Tayuya shook her head, not believing a word of this so-called effort from this Mizukage. It was only when the swordsman began to tell some more information.
"She's a survivor like the others, she's a user of two Kekkei Genkai bloodlines..." Chojuro lowered his head "...She's lost her whole family in those Purges, her parents, siblings, anyone..."
"My condolences," Tayuya offered.
"So they are trying to make a better village then. One that doesn;t act like that. I hope they manage." Levy said getting several nods.
A pause was present.
The swordsman kept going "Many rallied behind her to put a stop to this madness, they wanted to end this war. She did that and now wants to try and convince those who fled the bloodshed to come back...but even then, many haven't."
The redhead listened and could only think about it before saying "Guess your civil war has finally ended, right?"
"It has been for almost a year. Still, many outside the village don't believe or don't want to come back."
"Still with what we've learned it will probably take a very long time for them to rebuild and reassure those that even want to return that they can safely." Erza said.
Tayuya knew better than to continue speaking about it before more delinquent questions would be asked and pointed "Look, that rat."
The rat sprayed the whole liquid all over the village, whatever it was it caught on fire once the dragon slayer Natsu jumped up in the air and set it ablaze with a too far bright of light forcing the two to cover their eyes for a moment.
"That's some impressive fire-power there brat." Jiraiya said toward Natsu.
"Hell yeah!" Natsu shouted causing Jiraiya to smirk slightly. The kid acted a lot like a younger Naruto. Thinking about the blond brought an even broader smile to the Sannin's face.
Once the bright light toned down, Chojuro was the first to take a peek and what he saw was unsettling to him. Everything around the small hill that was left was destroyed with the villagers in the middle surviving it.
"These bastards are gunna pay too." Kiba growled.
"At least the villagers weren't hurt." Hinata said in relief.
"That power.." Chojuo was amazed "Is this the power of the magical continent?"
Smirking she said, "You wouldn't even believe it if I told you this was nothing..." They just kept watching as the three persons who were on the rat now were approaching the villagers and the Fairy Tail wizards.
•••
A few minutes earlier
Down to ground zero, Natsu landed back on his feet after his Blaze attack had repelled the big amount of burning liquid from falling onto the village as a whole, there was still major damage but the villagers themselves were left untouched.
"The village has been completely dissolved."
"How disastrous."
"It will be hard to rebuild but like Hinata said, at least none of the villagers were killed." Kushina said.
One of the villagers, the old man himself was just standing there with his eyes looking hollow at his son Bobo's gravestone which had been just kicked by one of the mages, the ultimate disrespect.
The old man teared up "Bobo's grave..."
"These people go too far." Sasuke growled slightly. The thought of someone descerating his parents' graves made him agitated.
"The cult's Emperor ordered us to eradicate the village and its people." The girl said leading the group "We were trying to show mercy by making your death quick and painless." She waivered her hair before stating "But since that didn't work we should now to resort to bloodshed."
"To act as if these people are nothing more than an obstacle. Like they aren't even worth considering beyond getting rid of them. Deplorable." Makarov scowled.
"Damn..." Natsu cursed. He just came back to the village with a beaten up Gray and was now forced with Lucy to defend this village against that guy's Lyon his people who just tried to wipe them out with an awful acid attack.
"Fifty villagers, two wizards, it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes." The blue-haired said smirking while his doglike companion made a snickered growl at the thought of fight came to his mind.
"Well he sure is overconfident." Tenten said in surprise. Hadn't they just seen the bright fire one of them spit out? How were they so confident of an easy victory?
Lucy looked rather nervous with the odds they were facing, they were two against three, with Gray knocked out and the fact a big rat stood on their side. Only Natsu was a big match against the four of them while their other remaining teammate was still missing. "Where's Naruto when you need him?"
"Handling something important other me." Lucy said. Still she wished he could have helped her other too.
"YAAAAAGH!"
"Well, like Lucy said, he's handling something." Kushina giggled unsettling not only the mages by her humor of the situation.
A scream from out of nowhere erupted and was heard throughout the island, it got everybody caught off guard by both sides of the battleground. The villagers were the first to react to that horrifying scream by asking questions.
"What was that scream?"
"Was it somebody from us?"
"No, that can't be. That sounded like somebody was being murdered."
"That must've come from the mountains."
The dark mages themselves were wondering those questions as they knew a little more than anyone else who was in those mountains. The doglike Toby began to wonder first.
"You think that it was those guys Lyon has been dealing with? They're the only ones there with-"
"I think it's that guy Naruto was handling, Psycho, or Sicko, or something." Happy said getting nods from the others.
"Probably." Several said.
"Hush it, Toby." Yuka shut him up breaking his calm temper "Remember the deal we've made with those people, I don't want to see a repeat of what I heard."
Sherry looked slightly nervous to the mountains, hoping that her master was alright and that it was someone else who was in such pain. To that, it left the Fairy Tail wizards to wonder what that screaming was about. Like for Lucy it already got her spine to be chilled for a moment and saw Happy talking to the pink-haired dragon slayer.
"Natsu, do you think Naruto's in trouble?" Happy asked slightly concerned "He's somewhere in there."
"I don't know, Happy. But right now we need to focus on these guys and protect the villagers. We cannot allow them to hurt these people." Natsu stated focused on the enemy.
"Well done Natsu. You're showing your maturity right there." Erza said getting a smile from Natsu at his teammates' words.
Happy nodded to his friend and shouted: "Right, we'll show these morons what Fairy Tail is made of, right Lucy!"
Finding some courage in herself by listening to her comrades their words, the blonde celestial mage exhaled "I'm with you!"
"Well done you three." Tsunade praised. WIth their attitudes they wouldn't do terribly as her shinobi.
As the remaining villagers were fleeing to safety, one of them was carrying the wounded Gray who just earlier got beaten by Lyon because of his incompetence, he now gazed his eyes up to the mountains to where Lyon was. He went back to rest as he heard his idiot friend Natsu begin to fight against the opponents with firing ablaze.
He was not finished, he'll wake back up and finishes off what he started with Lyon and respect his master's last wish.
"Your determination is excellent, but you should remember you have comrades by your side to help. That's what makes the truly strong nearly unbeatable." Jiraiya said sagely getting a small nod from Gray at his words.
•••
In a half-destroyed field with some trees cleared or chopped in half and a few even dissolved into acid. The fight between the former ANBU members from the Hidden Mist who were in a deadlock battle where none of the two had laid a perfect hit on each other but had caused as much destruction in their surrounding area.
Saburo was breathing hard on his part as he wasn't on the same level as his opponent Utakata. His armor was partly damaged thanks to the acid attacks Utakata is specialized in had partly left his shoulders exposed and caused sideburns on his bare skin.
"He would be difficult to fight with abilities like that." Neji said with a frown. Coating his body in acid would render most of Neji's abilities completely unusable in a fight. He needed to look at expanding his skillset when returning to Konoha.
"Are you now fine on giving up, Saburo?" Utakata asked, "Because, for the sake of our old friendship, I really would not like to see another friend of mine die in front of me..."
"I'm sorry, my friend, but no. I won't give up." Saburo shook his head as he gripped his sword "I should've figured that fighting the Six Tailed Jinchuuriki wasn't an easy bit."
The group grew silent as they listened and watched the old friends battle to the death.
By that moment the red bubble chakra coat began to surround Utakata's arm he smokes with as he revealed his powers slightly. Yes, indeed he was a Jinchuuriki, his tailed beast was Saiken the Six Tailed Slug. With that, he was able to use dangerous substances like liquid or gas to eliminate his enemies by for instance to disintegrate its targets. A power Utakata wasn't a stranger to use but also very wary of those abilities.
"That is a really dangerous power. I'm glad we didn't have to fight that." Lucy said.
"I'm just glad that he's on our other's side." Happy agreed.
"You know that from the beginning I don't fight kindly, not even in spars." Utakata reminded him dearly "These abilities are the reason why I was one of the Bloody Mist's best Shinobi back in the day."
"Before you left us and went rogue?" Saburo asked with no intent of hatred unlike others "Or when master Harusame died?"
That name brought the young man's face down to remembrance to his old master who died by what he believed was his own hands when he tried to save him from the beast within him by extracting it.
"That's sad, but it was foolish for his master to attempt such a thing anyway. Extractions almost always end in the jinchuuriki's death. Even if he by some miracle didn't die, his body and chakra network would be ruined. He'd be crippled for life." Jiraiya said causing several shinobi to seemed worried. They knew akatsuki planned to do exactly that to their friend.
"I see..." Saburo spoke to him out of respect "I'm sorry, old friend." He disappeared from his spot by sprinting for the jinchuuriki's position with his blade to end it all.
"Yeah, me too..." Utakata spoke as he extends his arm and runs for his opponent to finish this fight.
The two would step closer and closer to one another as they were about to lay their strongest blow they could give to one another. Former comrades and veterans now were ready to fight it off to the bitter end...
PLUNCH!
The sound of flesh getting crunched was at the same time Saburo's sword swung up in the air a mile high as it fell as a sign down towards the ground before it stuck right into the earth's ground.
The group remained silent as the two warriors finished their duel. It seemed wrong to speak at the moment.
The swordsman's hands clinched unto the in chakra covered kimono sleeves of the jinchuuriki as it was the same arm that now was right through the chest of the dying Saburo who was now minutes away from leaving this earth while Utakata's hand was fully covered in his friend's blood.
Coughing blood Saburo spoke "I lost, huh. Typically, I never won a match against you with those powers. Utakata."
"That is what Jinchuuriki are for, Saburo." The jinchuuriki responded "Those who've been given this burden are weapons for the village, peons in the wars that must be fought. Tools to be used."
"That's horrible. Was Naruto treated like that?" Wendy asked.
"Sadly to an extent yes. Jinchuuriki are trump cards. Konoha has never had to rely on ours, but well Kushina was one of our greatest kunoichi without the powers of the Kyuubi, adding the power of tailed beast to that made her equivalent to a super weapon. Naruto is much the same." Tsunade said sadly. She didn't agree with the approach, especially with Naruto, but she did understand the necessity of it for the village.
The group was quiet, and the shinobi, especially those that were close to Naruto looked uncomfortable. The wizards however looked very indignant on Naruto's behalf.
"Let's continue reading alright?" Kushina suggested and slowly the group calmed down and moved on.
"Well, you're not a tool. You're a human being so stop with that talk." Saburo spoke while coughing more blood out as he held for some life to speak." I always considered you as a friend first, a good friend and family. Nothing else."
"That is surprisingly sweet coming from someone like him." Lucy said.
"People are far more complex than we ever take time to acknowledge. It's easy to look at another person and form a picture form only a couple of actions in their life. A person isn't made up of just good or bad actions like a scale though." Jiraiya said.
"That was awfully profound pervert." Tsunade said seriously.
"I'm a sage after all." Jiraiya laughed. She just chuckled lightly along with him.
By those words Utakata looked down, he did not show it but in reality, he was sad that another person he cared about was about to be gone.
"Whatever you're thinking of, don't dare to blame yourself or have the feeling to apologize to me. We both made our own decisions." Saburo spoke lighter as he was losing the feeling in his legs "You're a capable Shinobi, my friend. You just couldn't bear it anymore seeing everyone around you die. Just like me but you took the smart decision; by walking away."
"This story is making missing-nin out to either be nutcases or victims. Is it really just those two types of people that become rogues?" Kiba asked. He had never really thought about the types of people who abandoned their village before.
"Some leave their village to grow stronger." Sasuke said.
"Uchiha, if you are talking about yourself, I already mentioned nutcases right?" Kiba said getting grins from the others on the Uchiha retrieval mission and a scowl from the Uchiha himself.
"Saburo..."
"I've only got one request...before...I'm gone." He gave his final wishes to his friend "I want you to find my child and wife and tell them to live their lives...I've heard they've reached Fiore...arrived a year ago on a smuggler's ship to here, in Fiore"
Utakata was shocked to hear this "Aina's alive?" referring to an old comrade who fled the country amid the civil war who was Saburo's childhood love.
"Yes, she had sent me a letter she arrived in Fiore in her last message...she gave birth to a baby girl... She named it Sabuki.." He smiled upon remembering a picture of that girl she had to send over in that last message "She named it after me..."
The group smiled sadly at the bittersweet scene.
Seeing this was his friend's only request he promised his dying friend "Sure, my friend. I will tell her, and your daughter."
A smile cracked on the dying man as he spoke one last sentence "Thank you. At least...they'll live a life of...peace and happiness...away from all that hatred..."
Several nodded along at that thought and Makarov closed his eyes in a silent prayer for the father in another reality. He hoped the man's family was safe and happy despite the past crimes he committed.
Once those words were spoken, the arms of the dying shinobi dropped and a last exhale of air escaped through the mouth, and Saburo from the Mist had passed away in the arms of his best friend Utakata. He laid the body on the ground and the Jinchuuriki closed the man's eyes and spoke some hopeful words.
"May we meet again in the next world, Saburo. And I promise you, your family will be safe." Utakata promised his best friend who now laid dead in a foreign land, thousands of miles away from his homeland but only hundreds away from his beloved family he couldn't see anymore.
He was this close but also so far away.
A few people wiped the small amount of tears that built up at the thought.
•••
A clone of Naruto had picked up the unconscious Hotaru and turned back around to the original who just grabbed any information from the recently deceased Seiko who was now lying motionless.
"What shall I do with her, boss?"
"Bring her to Tayuya and Chojuro, they'll look after her for the time being." He stood up and his sensor skills had picked up one less chakra user "I sense Utakata's fight is over, only one Chakra source is alive.
"Who won?"
Naruto didn't know why but he chose his words carefully "I wouldn't say who won, but his opponent has certainly passed away."
"Without even being there he knows. How strange." Mira commented.
The clone looked confused "So?"
"This means that there's only that leader of the bunch is still breathing, but I can't sense him nor that guy Ao. Meaning I can't know who won or lost." He pulls out a kunai with a burn tag on it "Go and bring the girl, I need to clean it up here."
"He is very mature. It still feels odd, almost sad to see Naruto like that." Tenten said with a soft voice getting some slow nods from the comment.
The clone nodded before jumping into the trees in search for Tayuya, leaving the original to stare at the bastard who moments earlier was trying to prey on the unconscious girl was now lying in a thick inch pool of his blood, the liquid Naruto now sorely was standing on with his shoes after he let him bleed to death.
"Not surprised he reacted so harshly really. Naruto has a very strong sense of justice." Kakashi said idly.
He dropped the kunai to the ground and jumped away as the fire exploded with the body within it and burning anything with it.
From this, the search of the last survivor Kenji was now on.
"I bet Boss will crush him as well." Konohamaru cheered with a dark gleam in his eyes.
Erza was walking down the small lanes and saw the amount of destruction and burning smokes across the island and now was determined.
She was going to put an end to all this madness and bring all her comrades back home, in safety.
"It seems you take very good care of your guildmates Erza." Kurenai commented.
"I try, but they tend to get into problems anyway." She replied.
'They aren't alone.' Most of the guild thought in regards to the redhead.
"Well that's it for me. On to the next." Wakaba said.