Tatsu raced through the woods and stopped when he came across a waterfall, a small shabby looking hut resting on the cliff beside it "That must be it, I finally found you Shiranami. Just hang on for a little while longer Hotaru, I'll be back with Shiranami as soon as I can.' he leapt up to the cliff and raced into the hut, where he found a shadowy figure standing and staring out the window "Excuse me, is your name Shiranami?"
"You fell for it." Shiranami turned and smirked, then exploded into black rope.
Then the Magaki Group appeared "Mugen Hoyo!"
Tatsu was engulfed in a barrier, screaming in pain.
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Hotaru rushed through the forest, searching for Utakata 'How could you leave without a single word? Sir Utakata, I…' she paused when she saw the old man who helped Tatsu standing in front of her.
"I take it you are Lady Hotaru, the granddaughter of En no Gyoja?" the old man inquired.
Hotaru took on a taijutsu stance "Who are you?"
"Oh you know my name, it's Shiranami."
"Shiranami?" she exited the stance.
"Release!" the old man formed a hand seal and was engulfed in a cloud of smoke, revealing Shiranami in his place "So we finally meet face to face, Lady Hotaru." he turned, revealing the crest of the Tsuchigumo clan on the back of his cloak.
"That's…! The crest you're wearing, it's only given to those trained to use the forbidden jutsu. Are you really Sir Shiranami?"
"You're wise to be suspicious but yes, I am he. I came when I heard Tatsu's story."
"Tatsu's story? Then you really are Sir Shiranami. Where is Tatsu? I must thank him for finding you."
"He's not here, he said he had to go. He asked me to take care of everything and left."
"Oh yes, I see. Him too…"
"Tatsu told me you wanted to restore the clan to its former glory."
"Oh, yes."
"Well if you're truly serious about it then I hope you will listen to what I have to say on the subject." he started walking away.
"Sir Shiranami…" she followed him to a nearby river.
"I'm told Tonbee is alive and well, and that he plans to destroy the forbidden jutsu with a diremption jutsu."
"You know Tonbee too?"
"We trained together for a time, but I must say that I'm very opposed to what Tonbee attempts to do."
"Why?"
"Long ago, Father Unari was ordered by Lord En no Gyoja to guard the forbidden jutsu. My father was a hero who protected the honor of the Tsuchigumo clan, and also the forbidden jutsu. That is, until someone who wanted the jutsu, killed him. My father's death prompted Lord En no Gyoja to move the forbidden jutsu to the fort on Mount Katsuragi and to send me away." his fist tightened "I promised myself that one day, I would return to the village for the sake of the Tsuchigumo clan."
"I didn't realize…"
Shiranami bolted to his feet and turned to face her "Lady, my father died and I was forced to flee from my homeland and all because we are the only two survivors who knew how to wield the forbidden jutsu."
'He went through the same anguish…'
"Now I'm back and I've become even stronger, together we can revive the forbidden jutsu and restore our clan." he firmly gripped her shoulders, taking her by surprise "There's no need to destroy it, the restoration of the Tsuchigumo clan is my fervent wish too. Let us fulfill the dreams of my father, and of Lord En no Gyoja."
"But…" Hotaru looked away, unsure.
"On the far side of the mountain is my secret hideaway, will you come?"
"Yes, I'll come."
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Lee's head snapped towards Kiba "You said Lady Hotaru is gone?"
Kiba nodded "I'm sure of it, Akamaru and I searched around the entire fort but there's no sign of her."
"Dammit."
"She was here, I gave her Tatsu's message that he'd found Shiranami." Ino told him.
'Could it be that she decided to go after Utakata by herself? Alright then, we'll stop preparing for the ritual. Our top priority is to find Hotaru."
"Right."
"Kiba, go send out as many clones as you can to search for her. Let's go!"
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Hotaru was writing a note 'Let's see here…'
"Is that note for Tonbee?" asked Shiranami.
"Oh yes, I want to let him know that I'm okay and he doesn't have to worry. Sir Utakata deserves a short note too.' she summoned a messenger bird, gave it the message, and sent it on its way "I'm ready now Sir Shiranami."
"You're making this difficult." a symbol appeared on his hand "Now go." the symbol disappeared.
"What… What's wrong?"
"Do you think you can do whatever you want?" his head snapped towards her, his eyes cold as ice.
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Utakata was still flying around in his bubble, his mind drifting 'I thought I'd come to terms with it, so why am I thinking about my master so much now? Wait, what's that?' he looked and noticed Hotaru's messenger bird being chased by Shiranami's symbol "A word controlled by chakra?" his main bubble popped and shrunk to the point where he could sit on it, and he fired several small bubbles to catch the wounded bird and dispel the character, then caught the bird on his arm and lowered himself to the ground "A carrier pigeon." he looked at the note "From Hotaru?"
'To Utakata, I'm going to work together with Shiranami to restore the Tsuchigumo clan to greatness. Thank you for everything you've done. Goodbye. Your student, Hotaru.'
'Hotaru… so she found Shiranami… I suppose that means I'm finally free of her.' his thoughts paused for a moment 'Oh son of a- Damn you heart of gold!' and he took off running.
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At the same time, Shiranami was running through the forest, an unconscious Hotaru slung over his shoulder.
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Tatsu found himself on the floor, unable to move 'Dammit… Who are you guys? Do you have Shiranami-"
Chushin cut him off by stomping on his head "What a simpleton, he doesn't even know that Shiranami is our boss."
'Well I do now.'
"You see, if we let you go after the girl who has the forbidden jutsu then all of our plans will be ruined." explained Benten.
"Hey just keep your trap shut will you?" Akaboshi warned.
Chushin smirked "No need to worry, this is the boss's special barrier that siphons away the chakra of whoever's trapped inside it. It just isn't possible for anyone to counter it."
"Wanna… bet?" Tatsu struggled to rise to his knees 'I can't access my Tenseigan chakra or else I might end up going wild, I've only got one option… Genryu spirit Hikari, please lend me your power!' his eyes turned deep white, similar to the color of the Byakugan, though it actually had pupils, overloading the barrier and causing it to explode, destroying the cabin and leaving him surrounded by a white chakra, similar to the initial form of a jinchuuriki, only white.
"Man he's strong, really strong." Nango muttered.
"Stay calm, stick to the boss's plan." Akaboshi ordered "Next jutsu." they all formed simultaneous hand seals "Multi Mugen Hoyo!" a larger version of the barrier engulfed Tatsu, causing him to fall from the ground "Let's see you free yourself from that!"
"You asked… for it…" Tatsu struggled and stood "Nice try… but to me… this is nothing!"
"Again!" they forced more power on it, causing him to fall to one knee "How could he still move after losing so much chakra?"
"Well you can be impressed later, let's just get this over with." Chushin suggested, only to be hit by several exploding bubbles.
"What the hell?" then Akaboshi was hit too and retreated down towards the river "You're back."
Sure enough, Utakata sat above them by the waterfall "I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying, so Shiranami is actually the one who leads you then is he? Tell me where you took her, where's Hotaru?!" Tailed Beast chakra began surrounding him as he entered his initial jinchuriki form.
"What's with this guy?" Benten wondered.
"Akaboshi, this is really bad." Chushin noted.
Akaboshi nodded "Yeah, you're right. The boss should be in the village by now, it's time for us to get there too." and they left.
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Shiranami threw Hotaru onto the ground at the center of the village "There we go."
After a few minutes, Hotaru came to "Where are we? Wait… this is my clan's hideout."
"So I see you're awake Lady Hotaru."
Her head snapped to the side to see Shiranami standing before her "Shiranami?"
"Everyone come out, Lady Hotaru has come back home."
Hotaru saw the villagers emerge, but noticed something off "Those people… what's wrong with them? What happened to all the villagers?"
"Oh it's nothing. I simply used a jutsu to make them all obedient, that's all."
"What?"
"Well I didn't have a choice did I? If I were to possess the forbidden jutsu that I've wanted for so long…"
"Sir Shiranami… did you lie to me?"
"I did no such thing, what I said before was true. Though I didn't tell you one thing, that the reason my father died protecting the jutsu is that I killed him."
Hotaru let out a horrified gasp.
"Yes I tried to rest it from him, but when he refused to give it up I struck him down. Lady Hotaru…"
Almost immediately, Hotaru tried to run.
Shiranami formed a hand seal and a kanji appeared on her arm.
She stopped and fell to her knees, but not of her own free will.
"It's useless, you're already under the control of my jutsu." he grabbed her by the throat "At last it's mine, now the forbidden jutsu is finally within my grasp!"
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Tatsu checked out something on the forest floor "Nothing, it's just an old branch. Why can't I just use my Shadow Clones again?"
"Because it would destroy any trace remains of Hotaru and the path she took." Utakata was growing aggravated 'These footprints, whoever left them was carrying someone else. I'm sure of it. This way."
"You sure?"
"Every search starts with clues left behind, that's one of the basic ninja rules. For people who boast about their masters, neither you nor Hotaru got very good training from them did you? It's ridiculous, this is what happens when you obsess over something stupid like masters." he bolted off.
"Wait a f*cking minute!" Tatsu stormed after him "There's nothing stupid about it you son of a bitch! I've learned so many things from Hayate-sensei! Taijutsu, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, that all goes without saying! But he wasn't just some strict taskmaster, he's so much more than that! He's been there for me through the darkest parts of my life, he's been the closest thing I have to family for as long as I can remember. Most importantly, he's taught me the most important things a ninja could possibly learn."
"And what would those be?" Utakata didn't know why he was asking, but he did anyway.
"Having the courage to always follow my heart and do what I feel is right, to never leave behind any regrets, to protect whatever I cherish most, and to have the resolve to do so! Don't you get it? Everything he's taught me is priceless, it wasn't stupid at all! You had a master too didn't you?"
"Yes." his voice was soft "And I have too many memories of him." he recalled one memory in particular in which his master Harusame berated him for risking his life unnecessarily, while also showing gratitude that his pupil was alive and well 'He did care about me, or so I thought.' he thought back to his last memory of Harusame as he led Tatsu onward 'It wasn't me he cared about, only the power inside me. He saw me merely as its vessel, but… what if Tsurugi says is true?'
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Sunset came.
Tatsu overlooked a certain spot from the forest "Hey Utakata, is this it?"
"It is." Utakata stepped forward and led him to the entrance to the village.
"Hang on a second, this is the village of the Tsuchigumo clan."
"Wait, really? But all the tracks that we followed led right to this place, what happened here?"
"Lady Hotaru was attacked, the bandits were waiting for her. Also, all of the villagers who live here didn't think too highly of her either."
"I'd say the fact that nobody in this village wanted the forbidden jutsu nearby them would have to be pretty obvious."
"Yeah."
"And if Hotaru was attacked right in this village then the bandits and the village must be connected. The village turned a blind eye to them, but either way the bandits are using this place as their hideout. Also, the footprints that we found, they just don't seem natural. It could be that he's overconfident now that he has the jutsu, but it could also be that he's just planning to ambush us."
"So you're saying this is a trap?"
"I'm not sure, but still, tracking them went too smoothly. Beware when a chase seems too easy. My master-" he stopped himself short "Just be careful."
"Right." he tightened his headband "Sounds to me like you did learn something from your master after all. When we rescue Hotaru, you really should teach her some of that."
"Whatever." Utakata simply looked away.
"Enough about that for now, let's go." he forged onward, with Utakata following, but they stopped inside the village gates "Hey Utakata, are you really sure this is the place?"
"I think so." then he froze "Hold on." he looked to see a ball roll out of one of the houses "Not. A. Word."
Then a little girl came out of the hose "Uh…"
"Here." he handed it to her.
"Thanks mister."
"Sure."
"As thanks, you get this." she held up a paper bomb.
'And this confirms it. My life is a running gag.' cue the explosion.
Lucky for him, Utakata had used his Bubble Dome to shield all of them "You alright?"
"Yeah." he let the girl go "What the hell is going on?"
"We're about to find out. Take a look, we've got company."
Tatsu looked and saw the villagers standing before them "Oh great, these pricks again. Now what, they've joined with the bandits to come after us?"
"No, that's not what happened. They're all being manipulated."
"So that explains the marks and the weird chakra."
"Yeah."
"Those sons of mother f*ckers, they've got a lot of nerve using innocent people like that even if these people are the legion of assholes!"
Utakata noticed them charging "Here they come." they began dodging various attacks.
"We can't attack, we've gotta run!" Tatsu ran, with Utakata following.
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By nightfall, they'd made their way to the center of the village.
"We can't go any further or we'll end up hurting the villagers." Utakata pointed out.
"Yeah you're right, but what do you think we should do?" asked Tatsu.
Then they heard a laughter, and the Magaki group made themselves known behind them "What happened to all that enthusiasm you had? You're both feeling pretty helpless aren't you?"
"Great, it's these assholes again. They're the ones responsible for doing this to the villagers."
"Go get them guys, don't given them even a moment to rest!" Akaboshi ordered, and the villagers charged.
"Wind Style: Leaf Whirlwind!" a green blur and a blast of wind stopped them "Now!"
"Earth Style: Dark Swamp!" a large pool of mud suddenly engulfed the villagers, trapping them in it at waist level.
Tatsu looked to see Lee and the others show up "Lee, Ino, Kiba. Not that I'm not grateful but what the hell are you guys doing here?"
"We were looking for Lady Hotaru." explained Ino "She left Mount Katsuragi alone and didn't tell anyone where she was going."
"Don't ignore us!" then Akaboshi and the rest landed on the ground and formed simultaneous hand seals "Denko Sekka!" lightning was channeled through the ground.
"Move!" Tatsu and the rest dodged it, and the lightning blast opened up a hole in the wall, allowing the villagers to get through.
"We're not gonna let you guys go any further, we can't have you interfering with the boss's ritual after all." and they all charged as the villagers threw kunai with paper bombs.
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"Word Bind Jutsu." Shiranami formed a hand seal "All of my years of painstaking preparation are about to pay of." he looked at Hotaru under his control "You must be overjoyed at the thought of being rid of the forbidden jutsu."
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Tatsu opened his eyes and found Utakata shielding them with his Bubble Dome "Lee, you guys alright?"
"We're fine." Kiba formed a hand seal "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" he formed various earth walls to protect Tatsu from being hit by enemy attacks, separating Tatsu and Utakata from them in the process "You two go on ahead, we've got this! We'll handle it, go save Hotaru."
Tatsu looked at Utakata "Alright, good luck guys! Utakata, let's go!" and he took off.
"Right!" Utakata followed him.
'We're coming to save you Hotaru, I promise!'
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Shiranami had positioned Hotaru in the middle of a sealing formula on the ground "It's no wonder it was completely useless to look for a scroll that contained the forbidden jutsu, to think he'd used his very own granddaughter as the hiding place for the jutsu. And En no Gyoja, what a cruel thing to do." he pulled her shirt down slightly, just enough so the engravement on her back was visible 'Keep the pervy thoughts in check… for now at least. If the forbidden jutsu is simply removed from its human vessel then its power will become lost forever. Also, unless the person who acts as its vessel is skilled and strong enough to control it then the jutsu can never be activated. Even if someone looking for the forbidden jutsu found it, they'd never be able to lay a finger on it. En no Gyoja's foresighted selflessness has kept it protected all this time. However, if it stays like this then the treasure's wasted. Right now, for my purposes you have become nothing more than a container to accumulate natural chakra energy, but you've yet to learn to wield the activation jutsu necessary to set off all that collected energy, and that's where I come into this story. The only survivor of the Tsuchigumo clan who has master that jutsu. What a lucky turn of events, the just that could restore our clan and help regain our former glory is on the verge of seeing the light of day. We'll use it to strike fear into the hearts of any who ever denounced our clan." he let out a sinister chuckle "What's the matter Hotaru? Doesn't that make you happy? Aw come on, smile for me. No? Then here." he pressed his thumbs against her face and forced her to smile "There, see? Now you're happy too, and you should be. You should be joyous!" he stepped behind her and formed a hand seal, then held out his hand "Tsuchigumo Style: Forbidden Jutsu Release: Big Bang!"
The formula around Hotaru glowed a flame-like color and began conversing and travelling up her body, until the mark on her back glowed white and energy began flowing into it from their surroundings.
"It's here, now the secret weapon that will restore our clan, the jutsu awakens after its decades long slumber! Now gather chakra, come and fill this vessel until it overflows! Come and manifest your terrible and beautiful power!" more natural energy began gathering.
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Tatsu led Utakata onwards "I can sense a huge amount of strange chakra gathering this way, he's making his move."
"I can tell what makes it strange. Look up." Utakata pointed upwards.
"What is it? I've never felt anything like it."
"That chakra… it's coming from the atmosphere and terrain. No, more like nature itself. Whatever this jutsu is, he's gathering nature energy. That's bad, really bad."
"So that's where we'll find Hotaru. Let's go."
"Right." and they took off.
'Hotaru…' Utakata looked to where the nature energy was converging "There, that's where we'll find her."
"Let's move." and they bolted up the stairs.
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"Hotaru!"
Shiranami looked to see Tatsu and Utakata arrive on the scene 'So they made it.'
Utakata let out a low growl "We're too late."
"Akaboshi has been useless, couldn't they have at least held you off until I was finished here? Oh well, I suppose I don't mind having an audience."
"You bastard." Tatsu snarled "What the hell do you think you're doing to Hotaru?"
'Sir Utakata…' Hotaru looked back, still unable to move.
"Well?"
"It's her dream." Shiranami said it in a way that made it sound obvious "All I'm trying to do is breathe life into it and make it into a reality, for the sake of the revival of the Tsuchigumo clan, and the key to that dream is to activate the forbidden jutsu with my abilities."
"And what abilities are those?" Utakata demanded "What do you need?"
"Hotaru doesn't have the skill to activate the forbidden jutsu herself, she's only able to accumulate chakra from the world around her. So when she's absorbed enough, I'm going to activate it for her from the outside. All of this is to restore the tarnished honor of the Tsuchigumo clan."
"You don't know the first thing about honor." Tatsu snarled "You're the living embodiment of staining the honor of your clan. You're taking advantage of Hotaru's feelings for her grandfather, for Tonbee, for her people. What you're doing right now, it's nothing more than dishonoring everything Hotaru holds dear."
"Who wants something as cheap and pointless as feelings? I'm going to steal the entire world."
"You what?"
"While I have this, even the Five Kage or Daimyo lords, no one can ignore my demands or me anymore. New village? No thanks, soon I will attain land and holdings that are even superior to the Five Great Nations."
"It's official, you're out of your mind."
"Oh I'm quite serious, now that I've come this far I can match the might of any of those nations! With this forbidden jutsu, taking over the world is no longer just a daydream."
"I knew it, I just knew it. You really just don't give a damn, all of the people of the Tsuchigumo clan don't mean anything to you do they?"
"Well that goes without saying."
"Well then what about Hotaru's feelings?"
"I honestly couldn't care less about them."
"She put her faith in you." Utakata snarled "Carrying that massive seal in her own body, she protected it with all of her might for the sake of her entire clan, and she entrusted you with it."
"What?" then Shiranami burst out with a malicious laughter "Look it's true that I killed my own father in order to satisfy my own ambitions, I'm not denying that, but you're in no position to talk. I know about you, all about you. You're listed in the Bingo Book, isn't that right? You're a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist, you turn your back on your village and on its laws. I don't need to be lectured by someone like you, you don't care about your village either. You and I, we're quite alike I can tell. You can't admit it, but we're the same."
Hotaru thought back to what the Mist ANBU told her 'No, I won't believe that. Sir Utakata is nothing like that man… and yet… and yet I…'
Utakata thought back to what his master did to him 'That day…'
"Looks like I hit close to home, didn't I?" Shiranami taunted "Well whatever, but since Hotaru is so attached to her people I'll do her a favor. The new nation I form will be named after the Tsuchigumo clan. See? I'm not such a bad guy, using the name of the land of my birth will return it to glory. I'd say I'm a pretty great guy."
"Shut up!" Tatsu snarled.
"Look, it-"
"Maybe you're right." Utakata cut him off "It's true that I don't really give a damn at all, at least not about my village. But tell me, what will happen to her?"
"I'll keep her around as the ultimate weapon to launch the forbidden jutsu, and through her I can control it. The perfect vessel to build my nation."
"...Vessel? Did you just say vessel?" Utakata's voice was a low snarl, filled with malice and deep, burning hatred.
"That's right, she's my vessel!"
"ENOUGH!" Tatsu charged forward in a rage.
"Word Bind Jutsu!" Shiranami wrote a kanji in mid-air and sent it forward.
Tatsu froze when the kanji hit his forehead.
Shiranami pushed his arm down "Oh you were so close, but now you can't oppose me anymore, just like Hotaru can't." he saw the seal on Hotaru's back glow white "Good, more chakra. Let your body overflow with it!" he held out his hand, and more natural energy began flowing into Hotaru's body. Then he turned to the frozen Tatsu "And what about you? What shall I make you do now that you're under my control?" then he looked at Utakata "Perhaps I should make you two comrades turn on each other in battle."
'Dammit… I can't move…'
"Or maybe I'll keep you around as bodyguards, you two could be the protectors of my vessel."
"Forget it, never!" Utakata charged forward in his rage.
Shiranami bound him with a kanji to the chest "You didn't think you could get near my vessel that easily did you?"
"That's it, I've heard enough out of you." Tatsu snarled "Don't you dare call her that again. Hotaru is no one's vessel, do you understand?"
"You annoy me, be quiet." he formed a hand sign, causing Tatsu's mouth to shut "Don't you understand? You have no grounds to object. This was Hotaru's decision, she came to me of her own choosing. She agreed to become the vessel, it isn't up to you two anymore."
'Hotaru…' Utakata thought back to Hotaru's note, then to memories of his time with her, and how, despite himself, he'd become very fond of her.
"Hotaru doesn't really want to be rescued by you or by anybody, so you get to stay right there and watch as the Tsuchigumo clan's village disappears in an instant.
Hotaru felt tears beginning to brim in her eyes 'Sir Utakata… I'm so sorry… all of this is because I was so foolish…'
Shiranami waltzed in front of Hotaru "Wow, so you still have the will to resist do you?" he held up his hand and moved it down, causing her eyes to close.
'Sir Utakata…'
"Just a little more, just a little more and Hotaru will be all filled up with chakra. You will be my witnesses to the glorious re-awakening of the forbidden jutsu!" he looked at Hotaru "You're doing great Hotaru, but our two guests must be getting impatient by now."
Utakata thought back to how he unleashed a single bubble when Tatsu had charged, and now it was coming forward 'Come on, just a little closer.'
"Now surrender to me completely, unleash the chakra that you've accumulated all at once! Take this place that has rejected you and reduce all of it to ashes!" then he saw the bubble.
'Ninja Art: Bubble Bomb!' the bubble exploded, sending Shiranami crashing to the ground.
Shiranami got back up, pissed "You sneak, when did you set up that attack? You know if you'd just behaved then you could've lived a little bit longer."
"Wanna… bet…?" Tatsu struggled to say, white chakra surrounding him.
"You think… you can… control us?" crimson chakra surrounded Utakata.
"My jutsu… why did it fail?" Shiranami wondered "These guys, their chakra levels are extraordinary!"
"You starting to get it now?" Tatsu's white chakra vanished "There's no way in hell we'd let you control us that easily!"
"What?"
"Hotaru!" once he was free, Utakata made a beeline for Hotaru.
"No, you can't!" Shiranami made a beeline to stop him.
"The hell you will! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Tatsu summoned several clones.
"Word Bind Jutsu: Rock!" Shiranami dispelled the clones using his kanjis.
"You son of a bitch!" the original got close enough to slug him in the face.
Utakata reached where Hotaru stood motionless "Hotaru… Are you alright Hotaru?"
Then Hotaru's eyes suddenly shot open.
"Are you alright?" asked Tatsu "What the hell are we gonna do about this?"
"It's useless…" Shiranami waltzed over with a malicious chuckle.
"Back the f*ck up pretty boy, or do you want me to run my sword through your gut?"
"Just hold on." Shiranami held up a hand "Have you forgotten that thanks to my Word Bind Jutsu, I still have her under my control?"
'...F*ck.'
"Now out of my way."
"You're not going to win this."
"She isn't fully charged with natural chakra yet, but it'll have to do." he went over to Hotaru and put his hand on her shoulder "Now let's show them and everyone just how strong the forbidden jutsu is." he snapped his fingers, and Hotaru turned to face them "Alright, let us begin. We're going to show the entire world our power! No, mine! My power!"
'No… No…' Hotaru mentally pleaded.
"Everyone will die! FURY JUTSU!" Shiranami slammed his hand onto the ground.
'NO!' Hotaru was engulfed in a white light that reached up to the heavens, turning into a white dome and surrounding them.
Tatsu and Utakata shared one collective thought 'This is going to hurt.' as they were engulfed in the light, which then erupted in an explosion.
Shiranami observed the destruction around them "Take a good look Hotaru, it's magnificent. This is the the power of the forbidden jutsu! This is the art that we've honed together!"
Then Hotaru regained her awareness, and gained horror at the sight before her, tears brimming in her eyes as she saw Tatsu and Utakata lying unconscious amongst the rubble 'No… it can't be… No, I didn't do that… no… Noooo!" she fell to her knees "No way… I can't believe it… I killed Sir Utakata!" tears began streaming down her face.
"Alright enough, this is so pathetic. I can't have a vessel with feelings that get in the way." he formed a hand seal.
The seal on Hotaru's arm glowed white, her eyes glazed over, and she fell back under his control.
"Now then, once more. This time get the entire Tsuchigumo village. All of those worthless villagers, we'll get rid of them all!"
The seal began gathering nature energy again.
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Ino was quick to punch out Benten "Not gonna lie, that felt good."
"I feel you." electricity began surrounding Kiba's body and claws "I've been wanting to try this out for ages! Lighting Style: Tunneling Fang!" he tore into Nango's back, grinding into his stomach and frying his body.
"Damn, not bad."
"I should hope so, it took me 6 months to get that down."
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Using Hotaru's seal, Shiranami began gathering more natural chakra "With this jutsu I'll divide and conquer, and make the Five Great Nations tremble!"
"No… No way…" Tatsu slowly lifted his head up "Never! There's no way… I'd ever let you… get away with this! Hey Utakata, get the hell up already! Come on you idiot this is not time to be taking a nap on the job!"
Utakata shook his head and snapped out of his daze "Right… We have to hurry and get Hotaru away from this maniac."
Shiranami smirked "You just don't know when to die. Fine, I'll give you another taste of the forbidden jutsu."
"Not gonna happen…" Tatsu snarled "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he formed a hand seal and 10 clones blitzed into existence and charged.
"Oh no you don't." Shiranami wrote a kanji "Word Bind Jutsu: Explode!" the clones exploded.
"Utakata now's your chance, get Hotaru away from him!"
"Right!" Utakata took off after her.
"Not so fast!" Shiranami wrote a kanji "Word Bind Jutsu: Flame!" he summoned a massive wall of fire.
Utakata was forced to stop in his tracks 'Dammit!'
"Oh what's the matter? Is that all you've got?" then Shiranami found his hands bond by two bubbles "No, what have you done?!" without his hands, the flames subsided and Hotaru dropped to the ground.
"Hotaru!" Utakata quickly rushed to her side.
"Dammit!"
Tatsu promptly slugged Shiranami in the face, sending him crashing to the ground "Not gonna lie, that felt so damn good! Now I'm gonna pay you back big time!"
"Hotaru…" Utakata reached for her, only for her body to start glowing white 'Oh crap, I know that isn't good.'
"Enough of this crap, lay off the forbidden jutsu before we snap your face in half."
Shiranami smirked "It isn't me, I mean look." he sat up and got to his feet "My hands are completely bound."
"That doesn't explain what the hell is happening to her."
"I don't know, could be the result of absorbing too much natural energy."
"I don't give a rat's ass what she's absorbed, just stop it!"
"How can I with my hands bound like this?"
"Dammit." he turned to Utakata "I hate it but-"
"I know." Utakata formed a hand seal "Release."
Shiranami found his hands free "Now then…" he formed several hand seals, and the mark on Hotaru's shoulder began glowing white, but nothing happened "What?" he tried again, but still got nothing.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Do you want me to run you through with my sword?"
'The Word Bind Jutsu, it isn't working. This is bad.'
"What the hell gives? Do something you son of a bitch, it's getting worse!"
"If it keeps collecting natural energy like this then it'll explode and take the village with it!"
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
"The revival of the Tsuchigumo clan, the wishes of En no Gyoja, by taking on everyone else's selfish goals she's pushed herself to the breaking point."
"Shut up! What the hell would you know about Hotaru anyway? She kept the forbidden jutsu safe, she even sacrificed her own body for it! Her entire village of douche holes rejected her but she still worked to restore her clan, she shouldered the entire burden herself! But then she met Utakata, the idiot that's still in denial about being her master." he failed to notice Utakata sprouting a tick mark "And even though you tricked her she came with you because she looked up to you! Don't you see? She'd finally found a true friend, somebody she could form a true bond with, but you took all of that and crushed it underneath your heel!"
"Hotaru found a true friend, a real bond? That's just a bunch of nonsense, I'm the same as her. With the forbidden jutsu, any master, any person, would sacrifice a student or anyone without hesitation. I'm saying it's what a good shinobi would do. It's just survival, I went through it too until I got sick of it. That's why I'd been on the offensive, I killed my father who'd been my master and I tried to steal the jutsu."
"You what?" Utakata's eyes shot wide.
"You're shocked Utakata? But that's just what you did."
"No, it wasn't… I didn't…"
"You did, and you know it."
"You're wrong." Tatsu snarled.
"What was that?"
"My master, my father figure… No matter what, he's always cared about me and everyone in his village, so even if we're not together I can always feel his thoughts, his desires, and our connection. He's been in my heart every second, and that's why I believe in him if nothing else. Hotaru has people like that too. Her grandfather, Tonbee, and now with Utakata. Your thoughts should've reached her Utakata, they should be within her heart."
Utakata's head snapped up and his eyes shot wide 'Tatsu…'
"She just wants a friend, a master, a bond. If you can't see that at all Shiranami, then you don't know a single thing about her, so don't pretend that you do!"
Shiranami smirked "Give me a break." he wrote the kanji "Word Bind Jutsu: Split!" he split open the ground in front of him.
"Dammit!" Tatsu fell in.
Utakata caught him by the arm "I've got you."
"Thanks, I owe you one."
"Oh no, I'd better escape before the vessel explodes!" Shiranami took off running.
Utakata pulled him out "You alright?"
"Yeah." he looked over to where Hotaru was glowing brighter.
"Hotaru, no!"
Tatsu stood "I'll make sure Shiranami doesn't get away."
"I'll come too."
"The hell you will. You're Hotaru's master Utakata, your place is here with her."
Utakata froze at his trigger word.
"I'm counting on you."
"...Very well."
"Now get to work." and he sped off.
Utakata made his way over to Hotaru and thought back to what Tatsu said about Hotaru having her bonds 'My feelings… they're within her, and with my heart as well.' he placed his hand on the light dome, causing his body to glow with a white outline 'Yes, my anger… it prevented me from listening… but I did hear, no, I felt, my master's thoughts, they were there… All of his thoughts, all of his feelings for me." he placed his hand on his chest "They reached me, and yet…" he made a difficult choice and spoke to the being inside him "Back then I swore that I'd never use your power again, but now for Hotaru I must. Please I need your help." he formed a hand seal, and the Version 1 chakra cloak surrounded him, summoning six tails that pushed down on the light in an attempt to compress it, only for a massive white light to engulf him.
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Utakata looked at his new surroundings, nothing more than a white void 'This must be what Harusame told me about, a spiritual intervention.' he slowly walked forward, past several images of different familiar areas, and after battling through a sudden barrage of his chakra bubbles, he found in front of him a certain boulder 'This is it… This is where I first met her.' he ran forward and found her sobbing on her knees "Hotaru…"
"I never wanted to hurt anyone…" Hotaru choked out "And yet I hurt Tatsu and Sir Utakata with my very own hands…"
Utakata knelt down in front of her "But look, I'm right here. Tatsu and I are fine."
Hotaru suddenly looked up "Sir Utakata…" she looked down again "I saw it happen…"
"But Hotaru…"
"I'm sorry… I betrayed you, Sir Utakata… somebody like me should just disappear along with the jutsu…"
"Don't say that." Utakata put a hand on her shoulder "I will not allow it."
She just kept sobbing.
"A good student should always listen to her master."
Hotaru froze, then slowly looked up "Did… you say master?"
"Come on, let's go."
Hotaru slowly wiped the tears from her eyes "Thank you…" then she froze and suddenly clutched herself.
"What is it, what's wrong?"
"No!" she suddenly pushed him away "You must leave Sir Utakata, please just get away from me. Go, run as fast as you can!"
"Hotaru…"
The mark on her back began glowing "I've done all I can, I can't suppress it any longer. Any moment the forbidden jutsu is going to tear me apart and explode!"
Utakata firmly grasped her shoulders "It's alright."
"Sir Utakata…"
"Just trust your master…" he held her tighter and placed his hand on the seal on her back, and it glowed with a bright white light.
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Shiranami ran through the woods as fast as he could "Let the village be destroyed, it deserves it! It will be eradicated!"
"I don't think so." Tatsu suddenly appeared in front of him.
"You again."
"You're not getting away." he then surrounded Shiranami with hundreds of Shadow Clones.
"You're a persistent bastard." Shiranami wrote the kanji "Word Bind Jutsu: Flame!" a ring of fire surrounded him, expanding and dissipating the clones "Fool, you can't stop me!"
"Wanna bet?" Tatsu emerged from the smoke, two Shadow Clones summoned, one on each side, the Dragon Blade drawn "You're not getting away, no matter what you do."
"Word Bind Jutsu: Slice!" he summoned several blades of wind.
"Dragon Style: Crescent Moon Dance!" both clones were dissipated, but the original Tatsu charged through the blades and slashed Shiranami down the middle, golden energy erupting from the wound and nearly splitting him in half "Now to get you back to Hotaru right away." then he heard an explosion and saw the white light being engulfed by a slimy-looking substance, which then promptly disappeared 'Well, f*ck.'
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Utakata retracted his Tailed Beast chakra, holding an unconscious Hotaru in his arms 'It's over now.'
"Utakata!" Tatsu sped towards them and screeched to a halt "Are you guys alright?"
"No worries, we're fine."
Hotaru slowly came to, saw Utakata's face, and smiled "My master…"
Utakata gave a mocking smirk "My, what a troublesome student you are."
"Hang on a second, what happened to the forbidden jutsu?" asked Tatsu.
"No need to worry, it seems to have disappeared."
"Hold on, disappeared? Well I guess it's alright then, I'm just relieved Hotaru is okay."
"Hey Tatsu!" a voice called.
Tatsu looked to see Ino, Lee and Kiba running towards them "Hey guys."
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Morning came.
"Right, the mission negotiated between the Tsuchigumo clan and the Hidden Leaf has been completed successfully." Lee reported.
Tonbee bowed "Thank you all for everything you've done for us."
"Well the forbidden jutsu was destroyed."
"Yes, I think that it's for the better. Lady Hotaru is safe and now no one will come after her."
"That's true."
"The townsfolk are happy, at last they'll welcome Hotaru and not fear her." the Tsuchigumo chief noted.
"Oh that reminds me, Tatsu wanted me to give you this." Lee handed him a note.
The chief took it and read the content 'Shut up you hypocrite… no comment on that.'
"Tatsu's words, not mine. Anyway Hotaru, are you still going with Utakata?"
Hotaru nodded "Yes I am, I still have so much more to learn from my master. But after I've trained with him, once I achieve the strength I need as a ninja and I can restore our clan's glory I promise to return here. That reminds me, where are Tatsu and Master Utakata?"
"They're on the hill outside of the village, apparently they're discussing something private. More like Tatsu's trying to warn Utakata about the Akatsuki before they get to him.'
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Tatsu stood with Utakata, looking down at the village "So you're taking Hotaru on a little training trip?"
Utakata sighed "She wouldn't quit bugging me until I agreed."
"Fair enough." a brief pause "Which one?"
Utakata looked at him, both surprised and not surprised at the same time "So you know?"
"I can sense it. So which one?"
"...Mine is six."
"My teammate has one, he's nine."
"Is that right?"
"Yeah." another brief pause "There's a certain group that's gonna come after you."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean there's a group of rogue ninjas targeting jinchuuriki and extracting the Tailed Beasts from them. According to my source, they've already captured the Five-Tails from the Hidden Stone and the Seven-Tails from the Hidden Waterfall."
"And I'm supposed to be able to recognize these guys?"
"They wear black cloaks with red clouds on them, and their headbands all have scratches through the middle. A former Hidden Mist ninja is among them."
"Kisame Hoshigaki?"
"Yep. They're known as the Akatsuki."
"So what're we supposed to do if Hotaru and I find any of these guys?"
"Well Orochimaru of the Sannin used to be a member and is now planning to use me and my friends to eliminate as many of the Akatsuki as possible. A friend of mine is undercover for us, waiting to strike against Orochimaru and take him out. His older brother is in the Akatsuki, so he's trying to take as many out as he can so he can get closer." he held out something "Here's what he looks like."
Utakata took the picture and nearly froze "That's Sasuke Uchiha, the Thunderclap of the Leaf. So his older brother is…"
"Kisame's partner, Itachi Uchiha. Anyway, if you come across Sasuke then tell him that you met Tatsu. He'll understand."
"Alright." Utakata tucked the picture away in his kimono.
"Anyway, we should get back. Hotaru and the others must be waiting."
"Right."
"And just be sure to take care of her, master." note the sarcasm.
"Are you trying to get me to blow your ass away?"
"Maybe."
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Later on, Tatsu was leading his group back to the village "I've gotta admit, it's really nice having a master. I even find myself missing Hayate-sensei."
"It's only been about 3 days." Lee pointed out.
"Yeah but tomorrow is the rendezvous at Tenchi Bridge, so our plan is gonna have to be put into effect. If this works, we'll take Orochimaru out of the picture for good."
"What is this plan of yours anyway?" asked Ino.
"...Just don't tell Kin, if you do then I'll have my head on a pike."
"No promises."
'Yeah, I'm screwed.'
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Hotaru looked around the field they were in "This is it master, this is the place where I first met you."
Utakata stopped her beside a boulder "Hotaru, will you wait here for me for a little while?"
"Is there a problem?"
"I'm meeting the ANBU Black Ops, I'm tired of all this running. I want to get permission to travel and train you."
"That's great."
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Utakata later made his way to the waterfall where he'd met Tsurugi before and sent out a bubble to locate them, only to get nothing "No response. Strange, did something happen to them?" he wandered through some bushes and found Tsurugi's ANBU mask covered in blood "This belonged to Tsurugi. Tatsu was right, they must be serious business.'
"So we finally found you."
Utakata turned and barely managed to dodge a barrage of slashes from a triple-bladed scythe, narrowing avoiding every slash.
"Quick on your feet aren't you? Then again, my attack speed is the slowest and my aim is the worst among all the Akatsuki. Still though, you're pretty good I'll grant you that." then Hidan emerged from the shadows.
"Careful Hidan." Kakuzu followed him "He's the Six-Tails jinchuuriki host, underestimate him and he'll finish you off."
"Oh come on Kakuzu, frankly I'd like nothing better than to be finished off."
Utakata's eyes narrowed and hardened 'So these are Akatsuki. Tell me, are you the ones who killed Tsurugi and his men?"
"They were made sacrifices for Lord Jashin, don't you dare insult him or you'll share the same fate." he thrusted his scythe forward.
"Raijin: Scythe!" a scythe made of pure lightning chakra appeared and batted Hidan's scythe away.
"What the hell?"
Then Sasuke suddenly appeared "So you're with the Akatsuki? Sorry to disappoint, but this is one jinchuuriki you won't be getting your hands on."
"And who the f*ck are you supposed to be?"
"Someone you don't wanna face." he formed a hand seal 'Even if me and this jinchuuriki team up, we can't beat these guys without knowing their abilities. For now, distract and retreat is the best plan. I've gotta thank Asuma for teaching me this.' he formed a hand seal "Fire Style: Burning Ash!" he breathed out a cloud of gunpowder, then formed another hand seal "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he breathed out a blast of fire, which combined with the gunpowder and created an explosion.
"Son of a mother f*cker!" Hidan let out a loud cough and looked around once the blast subsided, only to see that both Sasuke and Utakata were gone "Dammit!"
"Don't bother." Kakuzu waved it off "We'll deal with him later, right now let's head for our next target. The Two-Tails jinchuuriki."
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Hotaru was surprised to see Utakata return with Sasuke "Master, what happened? Who's this?"
"This is someone Tatsu told me about, I'd run into some members of a group called the Akatsuki and he saved me." Utakata turned to Sasuke "I have to thank you for helping me back there, but now we'll be on our way." he and Hotaru began walking away.
"To where exactly?" asked Sasuke, stopping them in their tracks "You should know that the Akatsuki aren't going to stop trying to hunt you down, if not those two then someone else. They've got 10 members, each one an S-rank rogue ninja."
"So what are you suggesting then? We join you and go to someone like Orochimaru?"
"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Orochimaru would use your student as a test subject and experiment on you, Stone will kill you and take her, Cloud has its borders closed off, without the good word of Tsurugi Mist would probably have you executed for treason, and you guys probably wouldn't last very long in the deserts of the Land of Wind."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Tatsu sent me a message and filled me in on the details, you guys were off on a training trip right? What would you say if I could offer you a great place for both of you to train where the Akatsuki would never find you?"
"And where would this be?"
"Mount Hisho, the home of the summoning hawks."
Utakata blinked.
"The hawks are masters of water and lightning jutsu, they're very hospitable so as long as I put a good word in they'll without a doubt be willing to help you guys out, and their home is somewhere the Akatsuki will never be able to find you."
Utakata and Hotaru shared a look, then turned back to Sasuke "What will you expect in return for this?"
"Aside from wanting myself to eliminate as many Akatsuki as possible when they come looking for you, in the next few months I'll be forming a small squad. I'll want your apprentice to be on it."
"I'll do it." Hotaru said almost immediately "You helped to save my master, aiding you in your quest is the least I can do."
"Thank you." then Sasuke bit his thumb and formed several hand seals, then grabbed onto both of them in a chain "Ninja Art: Reverse Summoning Jutsu!" and they all disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
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(Later, once Tatsu finishes telling Naruto about his mission)
Naruto stared at him wide eyed "So you met a jinchuuriki?"
Tatsu nodded "Yep."
"And he knows about the Akatsuki?"
"Yep."
"And you messaged Sasuke about it?"
"Yep."
"Cool. So anyway, what's this new jutsu you've been dying to tell me about?"
Tatsu looked back, then turned back to Naruto and smirked "Adding a change in chakra nature to your Rasengan."
Naruto froze "You mean like adding my wind style, fire style or water style chakra into it?"
"Yep."
"Is that even possible?"
"I did it, it took me two years but I did it. I know for a fact that you're the only person besides me who can pull this off Naruto, and if the results actually pan out like I expect them to then your power will surpass Kakashi."
"Hold on, you're saying that with this super new Rasengan or whatever, that I'd surpass even Kakashi-sensei?"
"Perfect it enough and you might even surpass Jiraiya."
Naruto was now jaw dropped.
"Kakashi and I will be working with you two on one the entire time for this, and it will be a new kind of training that you've never experienced before. In short, I'm teaching you the ultimate ninjutsu I created. Should I tell him how I'm training to enhance it? No, let's see how he deals with the original first. I took me two years to create this jutsu, but that time is something we don't have, so with Kakashi's help I came up with a way to reduce the time several times over."
"How?"
"Through use of the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu." he went over to the window "We've got a lot of work ahead of us when you get out of here, so be ready to hit the ground running. Meet me at the training grounds first thing in the morning.
A/N:
So yes Utakata is alive, but he won't appear again for awhile. Hotaru will reappear while Sasuke is gathering members for Hebi. Utakata will have a big role before the whole Waterfall of Truth thing, that will be worked out in the Five Kage Summit.