A/N: I humbly present: chapter 20. This chapter was real fun to write, lemme tell ya. This update is coming to you the day after my birthday, so, yay!
Nope, don't own Naruto.
Chapter XX: Brothers, But Only by Blood
Naruto and Kakashi sped through the lightly wooded area, looking for signs of their comrades. They didn't have to travel far before they felt an immense chakra signature. As they veered towards it, they heard an angry yell.
"Suiton, Suikōdan no Jutsu!"
The duo skidded to a halt, watching Haku and Sakura form an ice dome. The shark-shaped water bomb crashed against the hastily conjured defense, causing it to crack. Once the water settled, the ice dome dissolved. Haku, Sakura, and Yamato looked fatigued after facing off against the large, blue man. Even Haku, normally as stoic as Kakashi and Sasuke, was left panting.
Kakashi and Naruto flickered in front of the trio, kunai drawn and casting glares at Kisame. Their respective dōjutsu were ablaze, though Naruto's was hidden behind his sunglasses. Kisame bared his sharpened teeth in a devious grin.
"Well, this is a treat. Kakashi of the Sharingan, and the brat with the big mouth. Samehada is getting all riled up at the prospect of shaving off some of your chakra," he sneered as he pointed the still bandaged sword at them.
"Yamato, keep Haku and Sakura safe and don't jump in unless the situation is dire. All three of you take a breather," Kakashi ordered.
"Understood," Yamato acknowledged before leading the two medics away. Sakura turned, sparing a glance at her teammate and sensei. She loathed the thought of leaving her comrades to the shark man, but she knew she would only get in the way unless she took a minute to catch her breath.
Kisame planted Samehada into the ground next to him as he wove through hand seals and slapped his palm down onto one of the puddles. "Suiton, Suikōdan no Jutsu!"
Naruto and Kakashi acted quickly, weaving their own hand seals and releasing two large fireballs. The shark bomb was reduced to a cloud of steam. They seized the opportunity, charging the shark man, kunai raised.
Samehada's sheer size made it seem unwieldy, but Kisame had no problem blocking every one of the blows Naruto and Kakashi threw. They narrowly avoided being cut by his counterattacks, which were faster than expected, given his size. They could only land glancing blows, which hardly made the shark man flinch.
Naruto and Kakashi leapt back, creating some distance between themselves and their opponent. Naruto gritted his teeth, producing five linked clones and charging again. Kakashi flung a paper bomb kunai at the ground in front of Kisame. Using the ensuing explosion as cover, Naruto surrounded the Akatsuki member with his clones.
Kisame's sharp-toothed smirk never left his face as he held off the clones' assault. Though, he could tell that there was something about the clones that was different. Their onslaught was rage-filled, to be certain, but they weren't acting as independent clones—they seemed more coordinated than that.
Kisame swung Samehada, pushing the clones away from him. He took the opening, planting his sword in the ground and slapping his hands together in the Serpent seal. His cheeks and throat ballooned like a frog before he released a torrent of water. In the blink of an eye, riptide force waves barreled outward, smashing into trees and shadow clones alike.
Everyone within range narrowly avoided being swallowed up by the waves. The water settled, revealing Kisame resting Samehada on his shoulder. He looked around with his beady eyes, searching for any signs of his opponents. Naruto and Kakashi were in hiding, but he could feel their chakra signatures. Normally, he'd force them out, but he decided to stay put for now.
"Afraid to get wet, Konoha brats? I was just getting excited for our fight," Kisame mocked.
He snapped his head around when he heard what sounded like chirping birds. He watched as Naruto leapt off of a tree branch, a mass of lightning held in his right hand. Kisame's eyes widened as he watched Naruto throw the swirling ball with a roar. "Raiton, Rasenraidama!"
Kisame instinctively raised Samehada as the ball of lightning screamed towards him. He let out a chuckle as his smirk widened into a devious smile. Just before impact, the sphere exploded. The rogue nin's smile faltered when bolts of lightning arced through the air, striking his sword and his body. He let out a pained cry as the electricity coursed through him, bringing him down to one knee.
He rose to see Naruto standing a ways away from him, arms crossed with a glare on his face. Kakashi landed gracefully on the water's surface next to him. Kisame ground his teeth as he pointed Samehada at them. "Lucky hit, brat. But it's gonna take more than that to stop me. Let's make this fight even more interesting." With that, the bandages covering Samehada tore open, revealing the many scale-like blades that gave it its name. The devilish grin returned to Kisame's face. "Come."
Itachi subtly tensed at the sight of Sasuke's Mangekyō. His own crimson eyes widened before narrowing as he studied the younger Uchiha. Sasuke merely maintained his one-hundred-mile stare, his ninjato ready.
Itachi peered over his collar at his younger brother. "So, you've unlocked your Mangekyō Sharingan? I must admit, little brother, I'm impressed that you managed such a feat, but it's still no use. You must know how to use your Mangekyō to truly be strong. You want answers? Show me you're stronger than I am, and maybe I'll give you answers."
Itachi immediately flew through hand seals. Sasuke sheathed his ninjato and followed suit. Two massive fireballs collided in a hellish stalemate that bathed the clearing in an orange glow, neither Uchiha yielding to the other.
Sasuke hadn't noticed that Itachi closed one eye. The black flames of Amaterasu clawed their way through from the depths of the inferno. Sasuke immediately cut his chakra flow and leapt back, narrowly avoiding being incinerated.
Drawing his ninjato, Sasuke channeled lightning chakra into it and charged his brother, Mangekyō ablaze. Itachi drew a kunai, readying himself. With a roar, Sasuke brought his own blade down. Itachi blocked the strike, the ensuing clang echoing through the clearing. Steel met steel time and time again as Sasuke hammered away with his sword while Itachi blocked every strike.
Itachi slashed horizontally with his kunai. Sasuke ducked and swung a leg at Itachi's shin, his foot connecting with a crack. The older Uchiha crumpled before he brought his other foot up to punt Sasuke away from him.
Sasuke landed with a thud. Regaining his bearings and standing back up, he studied his elder brother. Itachi's right eye was closed, and blood was running down his cheek. Sasuke narrowed his gaze. Something was off, he just couldn't put his finger on it. He pushed those thoughts down, refocusing on beating the answers he needed out of his elder brother.
With a deep breath, Sasuke charged once more, pumping chakra into his legs. Itachi's eyes widened as Sasuke barreled towards him, ninjato poised in front of him. The blade pierced Itachi's left shoulder with a fleshy splat as Sasuke tackled him to the ground.
The younger Uchiha trembled with rage as he held his blade in a white-knuckled grip. He stared at the wound he inflicted before slowly turning his crimson pinwheels to Itachi's face with a deep scowl.
Itachi let out a wet cough. "So, you've grown strong after all, little brother."
Sasuke's eyes widened as his target dissolved into another swarm of crows. He raised his head, only for it to be met by Itachi's fist. Sasuke winced as he was sent flying, slamming into a tree. In an instant, Itachi reappeared, delivering a kick to his brother's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Sasuke recovered in the nick of time, countering with a punch to Itachi's solar plexus before leaping back.
While Itachi doubled over, Sasuke fought the urge to dry heave as his lungs screamed for precious oxygen. He froze when he noticed Itachi spit up thick globules of blood. His brow furrowed; he hastily retrieved his ninjato. Sasuke stood a few yards away from his older brother and sheathed his blade.
"Enough games. You will answer my questions," Sasuke ordered.
Itachi's head hung as he began to tremble. A low chuckle grew into a maniacal cackle. Sasuke stiffened as he beheld the unhinged look in Itachi's eyes. He kept his guard up, hand twitching near his ninjato.
"You don't get it, do you, Sasuke? Your Mangekyō is not yours to bear." Itachi raised his voice as he continued, his expression matching his wild eyes. "Do you even understand how to truly unlock the power of the Mangekyō?! You don't deserve those eyes! Give them to me, and I'll be able to surpass every Uchiha that's ever lived!"
Sasuke instinctively drew his blade, shifting into a defensive stance despite Itachi's lack of movement. His face set into a stony expression as his crazed older brother went on with his spiel.
"Do you know nothing of our clan's curse?! Of the Curse of Hatred and the power it brings?! The Uchiha have been cursed for possessing such an unmatched power as the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan! Even my eyes are weak compared to the power it possesses! I will take your eyes and gain a new Sharingan, just as Madara Uchiha did in the past!"
Sasuke's jaw clenched, his scowl deepening as he tightened his grip on his blade. He wanted to speak, but instead decided to let Itachi finish his string of madness. He couldn't help but flinch when his brother raised his voice further.
"Madara nearly went blind from using the power of the Mangekyō, so he took his brother Izuna's eyes, giving him the Eternal Mangekyō! You are an Uchiha, and so your fate is drenched in blood!" Itachi pointed. "Sasuke! You will become my new light! You are my spare eyes!"
For all of his anger, Sasuke couldn't help but pity his estranged brother. His descent into whatever madness this was must have broken him. Sasuke shot a fireball into the sky, causing the clouds overhead to gather into a dark grey mass. He raised his blade as thunder boomed. A mass of lightning gathered in the center of a great maelstrom, crackling and chirping. He swung his arm down, bringing a titanic bolt of lightning with it.
"Enough!" He roared as the bolt struck the older Uchiha.
Sasuke took deep, shaky breaths as the dust settled. He looked to where his brother stood, seeing only a scorched spot of earth. He opened his senses to try and detect his chakra signature and picked up a faint trace. Sasuke watched as he rematerialized a few yards in front of him. His wayward smile had gone, but the wild look in his eyes remained.
In the blink of an eye, Itachi appeared in front of Sasuke and took hold of his neck. In one fell swoop, he slammed him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him once more. Sasuke grit his teeth as two clones held him down. His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he watched Itachi's hand move towards his face. The cold, painted fingers stretched his eye open—
And pulled.
Sasuke's scream echoed through the clearing. He clutched his now-empty eye socket, slamming it shut as he curled up on the ground. Itachi's clones dispelled while he produced a jar full of preserving fluid. With bloodied fingers, he plopped Sasuke's eyeball into the jar, shutting the lid with a click.
Itachi approached his helpless brother, his clones holding him down. Using the same bloodied hand, Itachi extracted his other eye with a sickening rip. Sasuke slammed his other empty eye socket shut and let out another blood-curdling scream, his hands clutching his head.
Itachi's voice was eerily calm as he spoke. "Just as I thought. You're weak. You've been weak, and you will be even weaker now without your eyes. It's over, Sasuke. You've lost."
Sasuke laid motionless, his palms glued to his eye sockets, his face stained crimson. Satisfied with his triumph, Itachi walked over to the crumpled mass of his younger brother. Just as he took a step, he saw the world around him begin to melt as though it were an ice cube over a flame.
Itachi winced at a stabbing pain in his eyes. As they reverted to their normal three-tomoe form, he blearily watched as Sasuke brought his fist up into his solar plexus. The blow rid his already ailing lungs of the breath they held and sent him flying towards a tree. He impacted with a sickening thud and a grunt.
The older Uchiha broke into a bloody coughing fit. He looked up to see a blurry Sasuke glowering at him, his Mangekyō still ablaze. The icy steel of his ninjato pressed against his neck as he sat against the tree, helpless and bruised with blood dripping from his mouth.
Sasuke's voice was as cold as the graves of his clansmen. "Just as I thought. You're weak. It's over, Itachi. You've lost."
Itachi merely regarded him with a stoic expression and emotionless eyes. "Do it, then. End my life. I'm not resisting."
"I'm sure you'd prefer that—the easy escape. You're going to answer my questions first. Understand?" Sasuke pressed his blade a little closer to Itachi's throat.
Itachi persisted. "Kill me, Sasuke. Isn't that what you want? To avenge the Uchiha? To exact your reve—"
"You shut your mouth, you damned weasel. I couldn't care less about revenge. All I want are answers. Why did you murder everyone in cold blood? Why did you kill Mother and Father?" He fought to keep his hand from trembling as he held the blade in a white-knuckled grip. "Why did you spare me?!"
Itachi coughed up more blood, taking a quivering breath before he answered. "I was ordered to," he said plainly.
Sasuke let out a growl as he grit his teeth. "Liar! Tell me the truth!"
"It is the truth, Sasuke. Sparing you, however, wasn't part of my orders. I decided to show you mercy. To take care of you, just like Father asked me to."
Sasuke felt his blood boil. For all the rockiness of his relationship with his father, he still loved him, and to hear Itachi use his dying wish as an excuse for abandoning him nearly made him run his blade across his older brother's throat.
"What the fuck would you know about mercy? Did you show Mother and Father mercy before you killed them? Did you show any of the other Uchiha any mercy?"
"Killing them was my mercy. If I didn't kill them, someone else would have."
"Don't you fucking lie to me, Itachi!"
"I have no reason to lie. The truth is that Father and the others were planning a coup d'état. I'd heard the murmurs among the elders of their mistreatment under the Second and even the Third Hokage. I had orders to eliminate everyone."
Sasuke fought the urge to screw his eyes shut, instead opting to clench his jaw. "Why couldn't you spare Mother? She couldn't have had anything to do with it! Even Father would have been willing to answer for his crimes! You could've spared both of them!"
Itachi had no answer. Instead he looked at Sasuke, his crimson eyes looking more lifeless than before. "Kill me, Sasuke. Avenge Mother and Father. Avenge the Uchiha. I'm asking you to kill me. My sins are many. This is my penance."
A disgusted expression marred Sasuke's face. "How fucking dare you," he growled. He sheathed his ninjato and grabbed Itachi by the collar. "You expect me to just…grant you a merciful death? After all the shit you've done? After all you've put me through? Don't think I don't remember that night, Itachi. You fucked with my mind! You killed two of the most important people in my life! You didn't even have the balls to face me yourself when we found your precious Akatsuki hideout!" He trembled with rage as he nearly tore Itachi's cloak in his grasp. "I don't know what your game is, but I'm not playing along. Fuck your penance. I won't be made into your sacrificial lamb just so you can have a clear conscience or play god or whatever the hell it is you're doing."
"Then what will you do?" Itachi probed.
Sasuke thought for a moment, his grip relaxing only slightly. "I'm taking you back to Konoha, even if I have to tie you up."
"And just how do you plan to do that?" Itachi asked placidly.
Just as the question left his lips, the ground rumbled as the duo felt a massive chakra spike. A small, devious smirk crawled across Sasuke's mouth. "With my brother's help."
Naruto created five visually linked shadow clones, charging the blue-skinned man with a roar. Kisame's smirk never left his face as he was surrounded once again by wildly swinging clones. One by one, he dispelled them with swings of the now fully revealed Samehada.
Just as the Akatsuki member moved to bisect the blond shinobi, he heard chirping behind him. He narrowly dodged Naruto's lightning infused Rasengan as it exploded. The lightning bolts arced into and dispelled what turned out to be a Naruto clone. Kisame thought he was in the clear until he heard more chirping. Before he could turn around, Kakashi drove his arm through the shark man's left lung, barely missing his heart.
Kakashi's crimson eye widened as Kisame melted into water. He felt the water beneath his feet shift and ducked, barely avoiding having his head reduced to a mass of red goo on Samehada's blade. Kakashi whipped around, kunai drawn and aimed at Kisame's throat.
The shark man blocked with a resounding clang. His eyes were wild as they bored into Kakashi's Sharingan in a battle of wills. With a coy chuckle, he pushed Kakashi back, swinging for the jōnin's torso. The strike connected, scraping off bits of flesh and fabric. Kisame relished his success before Kakashi disappeared in a plume of smoke.
Pain spiderwebbed from Kisame's back as Naruto planted a Rasengan squarely against his spine. Kisame arched backwards with a grunt and a sickening crack before he willed himself to swing his sword. Naruto leapt back, dodging the scaled blade. Yamato, Sakura, and Haku leapt up to a tree branch, watching the fight unfold.
Kisame grit his teeth as he channeled chakra from Samehada and healed the wound on his back. The team watched, stunned at the rate that the shark man was regenerating. It was on par with Naruto when he channeled the fox's chakra. Kisame bared his teeth in another conniving smirk.
"Another good hit. This is getting interesting. But I'm afraid our time together must end here." He surveyed the area, noting that the water level had dropped slightly, but a foot of water remained. He slapped his hands together in the Ram seal. The Konoha shinobi braced themselves as Kisame's throat and cheeks inflated once again.
When he opened his mouth, an unfathomable amount of water barreled forth, sending even larger waves than before crashing against the trees. The Konoha team avoided being flattened but grew uneasy when the flow of water didn't stop. They watched from their perches as the water brushed the tops of ten-foot trees, finally settling in a turbulent blue disc a half-mile wide. There was a deafening silence before the water started moving. In an instant, it all rushed inwards, forming a massive orb, the strength of the current dragging the team in. They sucked in a precious breath before they were trapped, suspended in the massive water prison.
Kisame stood on the ground, comfortably submerged, the same devious grin plastered to his face. Naruto watched him reach for Samehada, his eyes even wilder than before. He had to act. Either they would drown, or Kisame would kill them. Kakashi had told him not to use his Rinnegan abilities unless the situation was dire, save for visually linked shadow clones. He couldn't let his secret be known, lest one of them escape and report back on their findings.
Naruto's apprehension vanished as soon as he thought of the prospect of losing his friends in a watery grave. He extended his hands, creating the barrier and flipping the mental switch. In an instant, the water surrounding him started to disappear into his palms. He felt a surge of chakra as the massive orb of water deflated. It took a good minute before Naruto absorbed all the water and its chakra, leaving only puddles amidst the damp ground. The Konoha nin were left panting, thankful to be breathing air and not water.
He turned to Kisame, his face set in a deep scowl. Kisame's smile disappeared and was replaced by an expression of shock. His mind raced. There was no way anyone but him could have made that water disappear! That technique, that jutsu, he swore he'd seen it before. His breath hitched as it finally clicked. Kisame liked fighting, but he was no fool. He knew when he was outmatched. He needed Itachi's help, but he was busy with that other Konoha brat.
Grinding his teeth, the shark man flew through hand seals. "Suiton, Daikōdan no Jutsu!"
A giant shark made of water barreled towards Naruto, who immediately raised his hands, creating the same barrier as before. The massive shark collided with, and was sucked into, his palms, flooding him with even more chakra. Naruto gasped, feeling his reserves on the verge of bursting. He didn't notice that Kisame had turned tail and run.
Instinctively, Yamato, Sakura, and Haku gave chase. Haku led the charge with his impressive speed, senbon at the ready. He let his needles fly, hitting a few of Kisame's pressure points in his legs. Kakashi and Naruto weren't far behind when Kisame lost his footing and ate dirt.
The shark man seethed as he yanked the senbon out of his legs and tossed them aside like twigs. Drawing Samehada, he channeled chakra from it to heal his wounds, readying the massive blade as the trio of Konoha ninja approached. There was no smile to be found, only a deep scowl and gleaming, serrated teeth.
Kisame swung wildly, trying to keep his attackers from landing any punches. Any senbon Haku sent his way were promptly swatted away by Samehada. Kisame leapt backwards and planted Samehada into the ground before speeding through hand seals and spitting water bullets at the approaching pursuers, who dodged them with ease. Chakra-reinforced wood exploded from the ground to restrain Kisame while Haku let more senbon fly. Sakura's fist was cocked back, ready to deliver a devastating punch.
A devilish grin crawled across Kisame's face. Just as the trio closed the distance, they found themselves caught in orbs of heavy water. The shark man broke free of the wooden restraints, grabbing his sword and channeling more chakra to heal himself. The three hadn't seen or sensed the water clones that now held them captive in water prisons.
"You three have been a thorn in my side. I'm sure Samehada will enjoy your chakra," he sneered with feral eyes.
Kakashi and Naruto finally caught up with them and beheld the sight of their trapped comrades. Kakashi acted quickly, channeling chakra into his Sharingan, shifting it to its Mangekyō form. Naruto felt the chakra spike and waited for his sensei to act.
The jōnin took aim at the shark man, who was about to bring Samehada down.
"Kamui!" A speck in the air turned into a spiral, beginning to suck in the top of Kisame's head.
Before Kakashi could react, Samehada's grip extended like a snake. The blade slithered over to where he stood and swung, grazing his arm and forcing him to leap away. His Kamui missed, taking a piece of Kisame's cloak and his left side instead of his head like he planned.
The water clones melted, causing the prisons to dissolve as well. The now freed captives struggled to catch their breath as Kisame healed himself, readying Samehada to deliver a final blow. Haku instinctively leapt up, blocking the blow with a kunai. His save wasn't without consequence. The scaled blade scraped against Haku's left arm, shearing off bits of fabric and flesh, along with some of his chakra. In his frustration, Kisame sent Haku flying with a kick.
Just as Haku hit the ground with a thud, he turned his attention to Yamato and Sakura. Naruto felt rage bubbling up inside him, but fought to keep a lid on his anger, lest the Nine-Tailed Fox rear its ugly head again. He brought his hand up, focusing on Kisame and concentrating chakra into his hand. He felt the tug and pulled hard.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Kisame was yanked away from his targets by some unseen force. He turned his head to see the blond Konoha shinobi with his hand raised and something moving behind him. It was silver, and had…serrations?
The rogue's eyes widened as he fought to bring Samehada up to block the tail-like blade. He narrowly avoided being impaled before leaping back. Naruto retracted the blade as Kisame started running again.
There was no way he'd be able to face all of them, especially not Naruto. Not with these new abilities he had. He knew where they came from, but he didn't want to believe it. He kept telling himself that this had to be a genjutsu that Kakashi must have put on him with that Sharingan of his.
He had barely gained ground towards the main road when he felt himself being pulled again. This time, the massive blade stabbed into him, puncturing his right lung and slicing clean through his ribcage. Kisame let out a bloody cough before struggling to free himself.
He finally wriggled free and channeled more chakra from Samehada, quickly healing himself before jumping away once more, studying his opponent. The blade was broad and serrated, with six holes at the tip. It extended all the way to Naruto's lower back, where it seemed to originate from a metal ring that wrapped around his waist. He'd never seen anything like it.
Naruto glared at the shark man, his Rinnegan ablaze beneath his sunglasses. He took long, deep breaths to keep his head level.
"Sensei, go check on the others and have Sakura take care of Haku. He's mine," he said firmly, his spectacled gaze lingering on his opponent. The long blade retracted back into the blond and Kakashi sped off without a word.
Kisame's smirk returned to his face. "Well, I must admit, those tricks you pulled were unexpected. You're just full of surprises." He drew Samehada, shifting into a neutral stance. "Seems you don't plan on letting me leave here alive, judging from that last attack. Let's at least make this interesting."
Samehada's grip shrank as the scales began crawling up Kisame's arm, engulfing it and opening what looked like a mouth. Naruto watched as Kisame was all but consumed by the peculiar weapon, which changed his form from that of a shark-like man, to that of a man-like shark.
His head elongated, while his feet and hands turned into webbed claws. His Akatsuki cloak was reduced to tatters. The gill-like markings on his shoulders deepened, while fins sprouted from his forearms, reaching all the way past his elbows to his triceps. His physique grew significantly more muscular, and his teeth became larger and sharper. On top of all of it, he had sprouted a shark tail.
Kisame peered up at Naruto with hungry eyes. "Now I'll show you why they call me the Tailless Tailed Beast," he declared menacingly.
Naruto simply stood there, masking his surprise with an even deeper scowl. His voice was low as he stared down his opponent. "Don't underestimate me."
A/N: Wow. Quite a bit happening here, huh? Itachi vs. Sasuke, Naruto using his Rinnegan abilities, and a new lightning Rasengan. I have to admit, rethinking how Sasuke and Itachi's fight would go was a bit of a challenge.
Translations:
Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu - Water Release/Style: Water Shark Bullet/Water Shark Bomb Jutsu
Raiton: Rasenraidama - Lightning Release/Style: Spinning Lightning Ball/Bomb
Suiton: Daikōdan no Jutsu - Water Release/Style: Great Shark Bullet/Super Shark Bomb Jutsu
One more thing. The name of the lightning Rasengan is something I did some research on before naming it. Sticking with the theme of using Japanese jutsu names, I arrived at it after looking at various kanji and what they translate to when they're combined. Thanks so much for reading! Chapter 21 is in the works!
