HIDDEN SAND CONVERGENCE IV
The town is in a state of confusion and mild panic.
The Hidden Sand shinobi are doing their best to calm down the citizens, but the sudden appearance of a tomoe in the sky is a worrying event. Everyone here is accustomed to living in the desert and are well familiar with what its effects are and this is nothing that they've ever seen.
Some are proclaiming this as another world-ending event like when tomoe just like this one suddenly appeared on the Moon and they became trapped, enveloped in the roots of a tree. These people, certain that their lives are once again in mortal peril, spread their emotions quite easily and many more begin believing they're right.
In the chaos, one figure causes them to pause and pay attention. A figure that just a year ago would have struck fear into their hearts and made things worse. Things, however, have changed. The Nine Tailed Demon Fox looms over even the tallest building, ensuring that everyone can see it.
"Everyone!" Naruto's voice resonates much farther than it normally would, boosted by Kurama's large frame. "I know you're all worried about your families and you want to keep them safe, but the Hidden Sand shinobi want the same for everyone here! Know that it's being taken care of. Trust in them as you've always done and everything will be alright!"
The reassurance of the hero of the war who saved the world has an immediate calming effect. The people turns to the Hidden Sand shinobi who're out in the street and begin paying attention to what they say.
Naruto exits his Kurama form and lands on the ground, reuniting with Maki and Hinata.
"Thank you." Maki sighs in relief. "Hearing from you definitely has an effect on people."
"I just hope it helped." Naruto looks back to the center of town, his mind going toward the scared people who don't know what's going on. He'd like to help even more but he himself doesn't know what's going on.
Hinata places a comforting hand on his forearm. "You said it yourself- let's trust in the Hidden Sand. We have other ways that only we can help."
"Yeah. You're right." He turns his attention to the path ahead of them, following Maki.
The Sand Jounin nods. "Let's go." She calls out and leads them to their destination.
They make their way to the Hidden Sand's designated office building, arriving just in time to see a messenger falcon fly out of the building's top floor. A man stands in front of the building, issuing orders to the Chunin and Jounin present before they scatter to their delegated positions.
The man looks around and notices his colleague's approach. "Maki, I don't suppose what THAT is?" He points to the sky.
"I just might, actually." Not the answer he was expecting. "Was that messenger for the Hidden Sand?"
"Yeah. No one knows what it is or how far it spans. Is it visible only to us, only in our general area, or is it nation-wide? We need a bigger picture." He explains.
"I need messages sent out to where the other 3 Prism Keystone are. I need answers from them specifically?" The man furrows his brow inquisitively. He doesn't even need to ask for Maki to answer his unspoken question as it's written on his face. "Something happened to the Prism here. Just before that thing appeared in the sky, the writing lit up and it turned grey."
"What? Then we know exactly what's causing it. You guys have been on it for a few days now, how much have you figured out?"
Hinata shakes her head. "Not nearly enough. We're still unaware as to how it functions, or even what this change means or how it was brought about. We need more time."
"And we need more eyes." Naruto continues. "It's like you said, it might only be us that're affected, or it might affect anyone close to these Prisms. We gotta know if the others changed, or if someone there did somethin' to 'em."
Maki looks back toward both of them, head slightly turned. She then looks forward to her fellow Jounin. "That's the gist of it. It might take a while to get information back but it's information we need."
"Right." The man looks deep in though. "I'll send the Hanemarus. They're not as fast as Takamaru," He looks in the direction the hawk from before flew in, "But they're the fastest we got."
Hinata turns to address Naruto. "Would it be possible to ask the toads to deliver a message instead?"
Naruto shakes his head. "They need a nearby water source that their ponds are connected to, and they don't have any in the Land of Wind. It would take 'em way longer than a messenger hawk."
"I see."
"Send the hawks. Meanwhile, we'll keep at it." Maki turns to her temporary teammates. "Naruto, Hinata, you're dismissed for today."
"But we can't stop now! Something's happening and we gotta get to the bottom of it! Didn't you just say we'd keep at it?" Naruto protests.
"And we will. But I first need to go over everything we've discovered so far and go through some of my records. We can't do anything if we don't know anything."
Naruto grumbles. She's right, of course, but he's never been the biggest fan of sitting around and not doing anything even if he can't actually do anything right now. Right now, all they can do is get back to the kids and be with them.
Over at Guren's house, she and Gozu are sitting on a bench outside, gazing up at the giant tomoe floating in the sky. Unlike most people in the town, however, they remain calm. Mostly because they know better, but also for the kids. If this was enough to scare them, they never would've survived Orochimaru's experiments.
Naruto and Hinata quickly make their way, just as the kids exit the house, having seen them approach from the window.
"Dad, mom!" Kotori runs in front of the boys. "What IS that?"
"I'd like to ask that, as well." Guren stands up and goes to them. "You realize what that looks like, right?"
Naruto pauses, staring at her. "I know. And it's got nothing to do with him."
"You sure? 'Cause when one third of the Sharingan pops up in the sky, I kinda have to think it's got something to do with the Sharingan. That's what happened last time, too. And since there's only one pair of Sharingan out in the world..."
"I know what happened last time; I was there, but this time it's different. It's these Prism things that keep the land fertile. They're using some really old jutsu that we can't figure out." Naruto explains.
"And you sure he's not the one doing?" Guren continues.
"Positive. He's changed. He's not the person you knew back then."
The kids look back and forth as the exchange happens, confused.
"Uhh, shishou, who are you talking about?" Shoto decides to ask the question on their minds.
Naruto looks down and smiles at them, a slight shift from the increasingly frustrated expression he'd been progressively making as Guren continued her doubt. "An old friend of mine. You'll meet him soon enough. Probably."
"Can you not contact him now?" Gozu inquires. "Even if he's not the one doing it, he might have some answers."
"That's the thing. He set off on his own journey a while ago. No one really knows exactly where he's run off to."
"So we're on our own for now." Guren sighs.
"I wouldn't put it that way." Hinata corrects her. "We're all working together and using our abilities to assist each other. No one is on their own." She stands firm, determination flaring in her eyes.
Seeing this, Guren can't help but crack a smile. "Hah, I suppose you are. Then we'll leave it to you lot."
"I don't suppose you could help us out with it? Like, it's a crystal and you're a Crystal Style user!" Naruto asks.
Yokumaru looks up to her, as well.
Guren sighs. "I can't let myself be discovered, kid. There's a lot at stake here." She briefly glances toward Yukimaru. "Besides, I've taken an interest in it before and it never reacted to my Crystal Style so I just left it alone." She shrugs.
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry."
"You'll figure it out kid, I know it." She reaches over to ruffle his hair to which he instantly objects, jumping back.
Everyone roars with laughter at his embarrassment to which he only grumbles in protest. Eventually, he and Hinata take the kids back to town where they continue their training themselves before resting for the night.
Over the duration of their stay here, before and after the tomoe appeared in the sky, the kids learned more things about their, as Kotori believes them to be, soon-to-be-friends.
Both Sangen and Tayuri's parents are technically civilians, working on gathering the wood, treating it, and creating puppets and spare parts for them. Sangen's parents are retired Genin, having served for some years before they decided they're not fit for active duty and stepped down from being puppet users to being puppet makers, which they proved to be better at.. Sangen himself, on the other hand, has shown aptitude for puppetry and plans to become a ninja, hopefully getting past Genin.
Tayuri's family are simply civilian puppet makers with no history of being shinobi, although Tayuri herself intends on becoming one and is in the Hidden Sand's Academy, being classmates and close friends with Sangen.
The two of them do have another shared interest, though. One that their parents help them with as much as they can, namely performing. The creator of the Puppet Technique, Monzaemon Chikamatsu, started as a performer himself, putting on plays for the weary souls he'd come across, before turning it into a combat skill for shinobi.
Sangen would often put on puppet shows for the people at taverns when their parents would go out for a drink, and Tayuri would accompany him with dance and song, often using the small puppet as a dance partner, and showing off ninjutsu of her own, namely the Binding Cloth just like Maki. With it, she can control its motions while she dances, breathing even more life into her performance. Everyone finds their plays adorable, especially Kotori who can't get enough, much to Tayuri's dismay.
One particular instance, Tayuri narrates a story of Monzaemon's deed while Sangen plays out the scenario with his puppet. She tells of how Monzaemon came to create a larger puppet but needed the proper materials if he was to create a masterpiece, so he set out to find a writing quill worthy of his creation with which to mark the seals within his puppet, for storing and summoning weapons. He sought out a legendary bird that had hid deep beneath the sand and negotiated to borrow just one of its beautiful, fallen feathers in exchange for a show so entertaining that it made the bird wish to leave its underground home and fly the skies once more. When the puppet Monzaemon played out taking a feather, Kotori stepped in. Not physically, but using her jutsu, she creates a single feather just above Sangen's puppet which floats down in front of it. Seeing the opportunity, Sangen has the puppet take the feather and holds it aloft proudly. Sangen looks towards Kotori and gives a light smile, which is returned by a wide grin and a thumbs up. Tayuri does not hide her pout, staring down Kotori, but gathers herself and finishes the story.
With the show over and after absorbing the applause and praise from the people at the tavern, Tayuri stomps over directly in front of Kotori, inches away from the other girl's face.
"What was that?" Tayuri demands.
Kotori cocks her head. "What was what?"
"You know exactly what! You interrupted the play!"
"No, I didn't! Monzaemon needed a feather so I gave him a feather, it's not a big deal."
Tayuri begins fuming as Shoto stands up and gets in front of her. "Back off, alright? She gave a feather."
Yokumaru stands with him. "If you don't want us to butt in, we won't, but don't shout. You're ruining everyone's impression." He motions to the room.
Turning around, Tayuri sees some of the adults nearby vaguely looking towards them, listening in on the kids' disagreement. She turns beet red, having shown her audience a side of herself she shouldn't show. Just as she's about to storm off, Sangen walks to them, holding his puppet in his arms.
"Thanks for the feather." He says, head slightly lowered making his brown hair cover his eyes. "I've never seen anyone summon feathers."
"That's not all I can do!" Kotori demonstrates her abilities by conjuring half a dozen sparrows to flap around them, chirping.
"Wow." Sangen gasps at the sudden appearance of the birds and raises a finger which one of them uses as a perch. "Hey, do you think we could use them in more shows? If you want to be a part of them?"
"W-what?" Tayuri flips around. "We don't need them! We're fine on our own."
"Yeah, but things like this are better enjoyed with more people, right? The more there are, the better we can make it, and people will like it more. Isn't that what Monzaemon said in his records? Share the joy."
Tayuri looks down, only from the corner of her eye glimpsing Sangen's cheerful mood. Something he doesn't show everyone due to his shyness, and yet now he's opening up more and more to these guys, more so than even to his classmates back home. She mutters. "Fine." She just can't get rid of this nagging feeling.
The following displays now include Kotori, and even Yokumaru and Shoto talked about their abilities and how they could contribute. Kotori would conjure a sparrow to play the part of the legendary bird and even use her Feather Curtain to simulate a sandstorm, buffeting the puppet with their softness. When telling stories of a character climbing mountains, Shoto would use his Earth Style to create small mounds of earth for it to climb. Yokumaru would create a very small and smith hexagonal crystal for a story that told of the character.
The people enjoy the combined effort to make this all the more entertaining, much to Tayuri's chagrin. She continues to be slightly antagonistic towards the trio, while Sangen gets closer to them.
As all this happens with the kids, Maki, Naruto, and Hinata continue investigating the Prism Keystone, trying everything they can think of to figure out its inner workings. Before they can, however, a second tomoe appears in the sky barely 2 days after the first one appeared.
Where the first one was pointed upward, this one appears below it and slightly to the side, pointed diagonally downward.
The Prism Keystone grows lighter in colour once more, now being more of a light grey. With its newfound semi-translucence, two tomoe are visible within it.
In Sage Mode, Naruto can hear a raspy voice, clearer than before.
"-lease me!"
"Again…" Naruto hisses. The voice both sounds like it's coming from an outside source and from within his head, and it's beginning to give him a headache. He releases the natural energy he'd gathered and holds his head. "The voice is stronger again, and we're no closer to figuring it out."
Maki hits the ground. "Damn it." She begins gathering her things. "Back to the research stage. The others will need us."
"Maki…" Naruto stares at the Prism. "Tell me we're getting somewhere."
"We are." She's firm in her words. "I'll figure it out."
The townspeople's worries increase once more, and Maki, Naruto, and Hinata double their efforts.
The day after the appearance of the second tomoe, Naruto, Hinata, and the kids are at the tavern, trying to enjoy their drinks, a task which is made a bit more difficult due to the heavy atmosphere that dominates most of the town. The people are uncertain, and as much as they have faith in the shinobi that they'd be kept safe, it's clear that even they don't know what's going on right now.
"Sensei, we're gonna be fine, right?" Yokumaru looks at the table, holding his cup with both hands.
"Of course we are." Hinata brushes the boy's hair. "Maki and we're figuring it out."
"Is something like that big rock monster going to appear?" Shoto asks.
"Hopefully not." Naruto answers. "We're doing everything we can, alright?"
"We believe in you, dad. If you can't stop it, no one."
Naruto chuckles at Kotori's encouragement. "You betcha!"
The mixed mood of the tavern is interrupted when the doors swing open to reveal two unfamiliar figures enter.
One of the men is shorter and lithe, with probably his most notable feature being that his entire torso is wrapped in what appears to be bandages. Over his mouth, he has a mask that resembles a monster's teeth; sharp and jagged. On his back he carries two swords.
The other man is taller and bulkier, wearing significantly more clothes than his companion, actually sporting a shirt and thick vest that seems to be of similar make to a Hidden Village's flak jacket. Oddly enough, on his hip he has a fairly large sword hilt, but it has no blade whatsoever. Instead, where a blade would be, are markings etched directly into the guard.
Both of them sport short, slightly spiky red hair and silver eyes.
They make their way to the bar, going between the tables that have gone unnaturally quiet, people trying not to make eye shorter man takes out a piece of paper and places it on the counter, while the taller man takes out two posters.
Shorter man speaks first. "We're bounty hunters, looking for these two criminals. You recognize 'em?"
The barkeep stares for a moment and shakes his head. "No, can't say that I do."
"You sure?" He presses. "Look real good. I got in on good authority they're somewhere in this region. Guren of the Crystal Style and Gozu the Mudwall."
Naruto and Hinata freeze.
"I told you, I don't know 'em." The barkeep grows exasperated. "If you're looking for criminals, ask the shinobi."
Naruto stands up from his table. Hinata tries to say something but when their eyes meet, they come to a silent understanding. Naruto isn't angry and isn't being rash, he's going to try to approach this calmly. He walks over to the two bounty hunters, waving as he calls to them.
"Hey there, pals. Out on a hunt?"
They both turn around. The shorter man once again takes charge. "We're not your pals."
"But we could be. Name's Naruto Uzumaki."
He scoffs. "You expect me to believe Uzumaki would be way out here? Get lost, kid."
The tall redhead "I'm Isa Miyoshi, and this is my older brother Seikai Miyoshi." shows the posters. "Have you seen these two?"
"Hey, don't give my name away like that!" Seikai protests.
'Wait, the short one's older?' Naruto shakes those thoughts away. "Nope, I haven't."
Seikai squints. "Sure answered fast."
Naruto turns to him and gives a teasing smile. "Sorry, I overheard you earlier. Guren and Gozu. I've fought them before so I already know what they look like, and I'd definitely know if I'd seen 'em after."
"You've fought them? Where?" Isa asks.
"If you're bounty hunters then you should know why they have a bounty to begin with, right? They tried to capture the Three Tails 'bout 2 years ago, and my team was there to stop 'em."
Seikai stares Naruto down. "So what can you tell us about 'em?"
Naruto smirks. "I can tell you to back off 'cause they're not someone you can take on. They got away from me so I'll be the one to bring 'em in."
"You little brat." Seikai reaches for one of the swords on his back but is stopped by Isa placing a hand on his arm.
"I see." Isa rolls up the wanted posters. "So you really are the war hero, huh?" He pats his brother on the shoulder and goes for the door. "We should go, then."
Before they fully leave, Seikai briefly looks back toward Naruto from the corner of his eye.
Naruto, making sure those two are out, goes back to his table. "We gotta warn her." He says quietly so to not be heard.
They linger for a minute longer to not arouse suspicion and head out. Before they can get far, Maki runs towards them clearly in a hurry.
"Naruto! Hinata!" She calls out to and stops right in front of them. She looks around and ushers them to follow her to the side, away from potential prying eyes and ears.
"What's wrong?" Hinata expresses her concern. "Did something happen with the Prism?"
"Not ours, but we just received a message from one of the settlements where the other Prisms are. It was destroyed! That's when the first tomoe appeared."
"Wha- How did that happen?!" Naruto demands. "Who did it?"
She shakes her head. "They don't know. It was just destroyed when they went checked on it. The shinobi guarding it were found dead."
"Then…" Hinata looks to the two tomoe in the sky, "That means a second one has been destroyed."
Maki nods. "We haven't received a messenger hawk from anyone else, but that's more than likely. We're about to bring the Prism in, keep it under heavy lock and key, and up security. I'd like to ask you to be on security detail for it. We need to keep it safe at all cost if they're being targeted."
Naruto and Hinata share a concerned look. For this to come up now of all times...
"Of course we will but right now…" Hinata trails off, her brain already wracking with all the new information from now and earlier.
"Maki, just give us a few minutes, okay? Something came up, so we'll deal with that and get back to ya."
"I mean… sure. Just don't take too long, alright? We have to act now." Maki Flickers away to deal with everything, letting them go about their business.
They also Flicker away, moving at a faster speed, seeing as they now have several things to worry about.
From the corner of a building nearby, the two figures watch Naruto's group from the shadows. Seikai looks to Isa and nods, both disappearing in a flash.
Guren waves dismissively at Naruto who's clearly worried. Too worried if you ask her. "Naruto, we're fine. This isn't the first bounty hunter who's looked for us. They'll go away soon enough."
"But they got your picture and everything! It's only a matter of time before someone recognizes you!" He protest.
Guren sighs, while Gozu takes the time to explain. He rolls up his sleeve to show the marking they revealed earlier. "You remember these seals that hide our chakra? That's not the only thing it does." He hides it with his sleeve again. "It has a minor genjutsu effect. Even if the people here saw the posters, they wouldn't be able to connect us."
"Then why did I recognize you right away?" Naruto inquires.
"Yes, I could see that it's you two, as well." Hinata adds.
"Yeah, I don't know. Maybe because of our previous connection, you could see through it?" Guren guesses.
"There's also the fact that these seals were untested." Gozu chimes in. "It may be a combination of factors but our previous encounter may be one of them."
"Either way, you got nothing to worry about, kid." Guren once again dismisses his concerns.
Before Naruto could voice those same concerns again, there's a knock on the door which Guren goes to answer.
"Hold on, it's not safe!" Naruto calls out to her, trying not to raise his voice that it'd be heard outside.
She shakes her head. "Like I said, we're protected. No one here has any reason to think we're in this town."
She opens the door and is met by a person she'd never seen before.
Red hair, silver eyes, mouth hidden by the lower half of an oni mask, bandages covering his entire body. One of the swords on his back is unsheathed and rests on his shoulder. He looks at Guren and while his mouth is not visible, his eyes smile.
"Hello, Crystal Style."
Guren's eyes widen in surprise as she begins to move.
Seikai's blade catches fire and before he can swing it, the entire area in front of him becomes crystalized- pink crystals in increasingly large sizes sprout from the ground but he expertly dodges all of them, hopping from cluster to cluster and ultimately landing atop the final crystal, high above the surrounding buildings.
Everyone runs out to stand besides Guren.
"Why… Why is he here?" Naruto stares at the bounty hunter.
Seikai kneels and lets his flame sword rest, propping its tip against the crystal under him. "Pro tip, hero. When someone you know is being hunted down, don't run to them right away."
"No…" Naruto looks dejected. He frantically looks between Gozu and her. "Guren, I'm sorry. I-"
"Naruto." She cuts him off, not taking her eyes off Seikai. "Are you the type to start wallowing in pity when there's work to be done?"
He clicks his tongue. "I know, damnit…"
They all take battle-ready positions. Naruto takes a Frog Kata stance, Guren crystalizes the water molecules around her arm to form a blade, Gozu enlarges his arms, and just as Hinata activates her Byakugan, she sees the presence behind them. Remaining unseen up until the very last moment, he'd managed to sneak up behind them, fists smouldering with flames.
Isa slams his fists together before Hinata can fully turn around to push him back.
"Fire Style: Flame Fist Blast Wave"
Fire fills the entire area they were standing in, the shockwave shattering nearby glass and windows, even breaking Guren's Crystals closest to him and cracking the ones slightly further away.
When the fire and smoke dies down, an earthen dome stands in place. It shrinks and retracts back to its origin- Gozu's body. Thanks to the modifications done to his body, he's able change his own body's properties and become earth on top of using Earth Style.
In the split second that Isa's presence was made known, he immediately manipulated his body to create a wall of mud from his own flesh and blood. It's not as strong as the actual Earth Style ninjutsu but it served a purpose.
When he turns his body back to normal, his sustained injuries are clear- his clothes are slightly burned from taking the brunt of it and his skin is scorched. He growls at the larger Miyoshi brother.
"As I'd expect from the one called 'The Mudwall'," Isa draws the sword hilt hanging from his waist, which once again does not have an actual blade attached to it, "But from this moment on, I break you."
Gozu glares at him, once again focusing his chakra to his forearms, tripling their size.
"Gozu, stay calm." Guren warns him.
"I know." His voice is not calm.
"The kids are already out the back." Hinata observes the surroundings with her Byakugan. "But the other houses…"
"Then we'll just end this quick." Naruto smacks his closed fist in his palm.
Seikai stands up, still on top of the largest crystal. "Why are you with them? They're wanted criminals. Wanted by the Hidden Leaf, may I remind you."
"Because they're not bad guys!" Naruto yells at him. "If you're just looking for a paycheck then find someone else! Hell, I'll even help you, just leave Guren and Gozu out of it!"
"Sorry, kiddo, no can do. Way I see it, we got double the pay right now. We can bring in Guren and Gozu for the bounty AND we can turn in some traitors to the Hidden Leaf." Seikai mocks him. "Wonder how the world'll react when the hero is found out to protect criminals."
Naruto clicks his tongue. "Fine then. Just don't regret it."
Seikai disappears from his spot. In but a flash, all that there is in his place is the faint smoke from his fire. He reappears directly in front of Naruto, his sword mid-swing ready to slice the blonde in half. Naruto's instincts kick in and he ducks just in time, dodging the blade but the fires still singe some of his hairs.
"Crystal Style: Crystal Needles"
Much smaller crystalline structures jut out from the ground, in an attempt to surround and entrap Seikai. His leg is caught in one of them, allowing the other to pin him down as well. With nowhere for him to escape, Naruto gathers chakra around his palm.
"Rasengan"
The sheer power gathers some of the remnant flames from his sword, causing the fire to swirl even more and increasing its heat. The spiraling ball of raw chakra chips away some of the crystals beneath him , causing a large blast of force when the Rasengan connects. Once it dies down, they see not Seikai but instead his bandages, seemingly having expanded to form a bubble around his body.
"Ninja Art Fire Style: Akurojin"
The bandages catch on fire. White fire. As the flames surrounding his entire body, the crystals shatter, the wrappings snake around his body as if they have a mind of their own. As he reveals himself once again, they see smoke coming from his eyes and the white flames covering nearly his entire body, even his red hair.
"Alright then." Seikai's voice comes out distorted.
"Guren!" Gozu calls out, and just as he's about to move to her side, Isa charges at him.
"Don't turn your back on your enemy."
Hinata moves to stand in his way, sending a wave of pressure and chakra toward him.
"Gentle Fist: Vacuum Palm"
Isa manages to step aside but that halts his momentum enough where he's not free to move with his attack, but he soon proves he doesn't need to be. He swings his hilt and in a puff of smoke, a giant mace on it, easily taller than Isa himself and wider.
The massive weapon comes crashing down but Gozu manages to stop it with some difficulty, skidding on the ground after the fact. He tries to push back but recoils in pain when the entire weapon becomes enveloped in fire. Isa swings and forces Gozu to jump back, away from Guren and Naruto. Hinata Flickers by his side.
"We'll take him on together. Trust in Naruto and Guren." He remains focused, taking her Gentle Fist stance.
"Right." He picks himself up to his feet. "Thank you."
Isa swings his gigantic mace over his shoulder like it weighs nothing.
-x-
Naruto & Guren vs. Seikai
"Guren, watch out, his Fire Style is…"
"I know my own jutsu, Naruto. Fire is one of the things I can't crystalize, and this one looks powerful enough to break my Crystal Style." Guren observes Seikai's movements, or rather his wrappings' movements. "You're the one who should watch out. You're not a close quarters guy from what I can remember."
"That's the old me." He says with a confident smirk. "You'll see I'm a whole lot different now."
"Multi Shadow Clones"
As per his signature ability, Naruto summons dozens of doppelgangers all around himself and Guren who immediately rush at Seikai.
"... That's just the same stuff you did before." Guren observes.
"Just hold on a minute, alright!" Naruto protests. "I gotta set it up. Keep him off my back for a minute."
Seikai draws his second sword from his back, also setting it aflame with white fire before it's even fully unsheathed.
He runs forward, not even waiting for the Shadow Clones to get to him and begins slashing at them with expert speed and precision. Some Clones manage to get close enough to strike at him, but then the wrappings twist around to block them. The bandages grab some Clones by the arms or legs, causing them to disperse from the intense heat. One by one, he manages to dismiss the Clones utilizing extremely fast speeds, much faster than what he showed during his initial attack on Naruto.
They try to surround him from all sides to reduce the effectiveness of his bandages which does work to an extent, but he still has his mastery of kenjutsu to defend himself with. They throw kunai and shuriken, enhanced with Wind Style chakra for a sharper edge but even if they do get past the bandages, which not many do, he still swats them away.
Some of the more distant Clones weave their chakras and inhale, puffing their cheeks. They all release powerful torrents of water that come crashing at Seikai.
A technique taught to him in Mount Myoboku that while not powerful is very focused in its attacking point.
"Water Style: Water Gun"
When the steam dies down, Seikai emerges, making a dash towards Guren and the original Naruto.
Guren slams her hands on the ground under her causing sharp crystalline blades protrude from the ground to stab. When Seikai dodges it, another spike branches out to follow him. One after another, they extend to pierce him but he manages to fight his way around it. Using his wrappings, he pushes himself away or pulls himself away wherever applicable.
"Crystal Style: Growing Crystal Thorns"
The jutsu takes on the appearance of a grand glass tree, as more and more branches appear. Seikai kept escaping further and further upward
"Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction"
Mid-air, high above the crystal tree and the surrounding houses, Seikai spews a large amount of white fires from his mouth, materializing in front of his oni mask. The flames cause the crystals to burst and shatter but due the sheer size of the jutsu, they also threaten the nearby buildings.
"Damnit!" Guren acts quick. "Naruto!"
"I know. We're on it."
While Naruto himself does not move, there are still Shadow Clones that Seikai left behind who charge right into the fire to perform a last ditch effort.
"Crystal Style: Crystal Encampment Wall"
A much more impressive and awe-inspiring version than anything Yokumaru is able to do, crystals encompass every single building to protect them from the flames. While her own jutsu won't leave them entire unharmed, the damages after removing her crystals will be far less than this high-level ninjutsu, enhanced by the white flames.
From there, Naruto's Clones go directly under the intense flames. They split in 3 groups of 3, each working together to form a grand sphere of chakra, growing ever larger and a sheet of Water Style chakra around it.
"Water Style: Massive Rasenshuriken" x3
The elements clash. While it may not have been enough on its own, three S-Rank Water-Styles proved enough to stop the fire from causing too much damage. As the water hits the fire, they cancel each other out and the area is enveloped with steam instead. Thankfully, the Clones were dispersed before the Rasenshuriken could be fully detonated. They were duds by all accounts but that's all they were needed for.
A moment of quiet.
"I gotta say, kid, I'm surprised. If we were to fight now… But you're on your own for a bit. Covering all the buildings took a bit more chakra than I expected."
"Heh, I told ya I'm different." He boasts and looks at a Shadow Clone meditating behind him. "What's taking so long?"
The Clone opens his now yellow eyes. "You know the natural energy's been acting up 'cause of the Prism…"
Seikai rushes out from the steam, both swords at the ready and enveloped with fire flames.
Naruto begins weaving hand signs.
"Not fast enough." The elder Miyoshi is already in front of Naruto. 'There's no way he can react this time.'
The Shadow Clone releases itself. Seikai swings, aiming for Naruto's hands, still in the process of weaving. Mere centimetres away, Naruto steps back and jumps up. He dodges the sword aiming for his hands, and even dodges the second sword that was aiming for his feet at blinding speed.
'What? How?' Seikai looks up to his foe. Orange markings around his eyes. Yellow irises.
Naruto puffs out his cheeks and fires a torrent of water. In the same fashion as his Shadow Clones earlier but with much greater force.
"Sage Art Water Style: Water Gun"
Seikai is shot back from the immense pressure, slamming into a crystal. When the water dies down, Seikai stands to his feet clearly injured from the attack. The white flames on his left side have been extinguished.
He looks on with shock at his ability being lessened. "This is impossible. No one's ever extinguished Akurojin's power." He attempts to reignite his fire but the wet cloth does not take. "What did you do?" He glares.
"I'd like to know the same." Guren agrees with her attacker.
"Don't you go underestimating the toads of Mount Myoboku." Naruto warns him.
"Toads… You mean the ones from before taught you this?" Guren recalls him having large toads with him when last they fought but they did not exhibit this kind of power back then.
Seikai growls and runs forward. His speed has been lessened as his fire has gone out but he's still quick on his feet. Even though his left side is damp, he can still fan the flames on his right side, and he can already feel himself drying off.
Naruto takes a taijutsu stance.
Guren surrounds her arms in crystals, forming blades on each hand. "You still can't get close to him."
"I don't need to." He says with an odd calmness.
When Seikai draws near, he swings his sword but also commands with cloth to attack, as well. Just because they're damp doesn't mean they can't be used.
"Binding Cloth"
Naruto thrusts his hands forward, pushing back all of his cloth and his sword away without even touching them. Seikai recoils slightly from the pressure. He steps back, immediately recognizing the danger of these new abilities. He instead sends his Binding Cloth once more, some of them still on fire. Ironically enough, Naruto swatting them away actually helps them dry quicker and he once again is able to use his white flames to cover all of his wrappings.
As the fires grow hot once again, Naruto begins to struggle keeping them at bay, the intense heat reaching him even with his extended reach thanks to Sage Mode.
After a quick exchange, Seikai does manage to get to Naruto even with his heightened senses. The Cloth wraps around his arms and heavily burns him. His Sage Mode is powerful but even it can't hold off attacks from all directions forever and whatever this white fire is, it keeps Seikai's abilities almost up to par with Sage Mode. They're no joke. The only thing keeping his arms from completely burning up is the natural energy surrounding his body. Without it, he'd definitely be a goner.
With his hands bound, Naruto still manages to overpower them enough to bring his hands together and form his signature hand sign.
"Shadow Clones"
Four Narutos appear, his limit in Sage Mode, surrounding Seikai.
"Didn't work before, won't work now." Seikai mocks and already begins commanding his cloth to move and protect him from the Clones.
"You haven't even seen the main show yet." Naruto manages to give a snarky grin in spite of the immense pain in his arms.
Seikai does separate his arms but Naruto doesn't need that anymore.
"Sage Art: Massive Rasengan"
With his hands still bound, and in relative proximity to Seikai, there's not much the Miyoshi brother can do in this situation. He immediately protects himself with his bandages, needing every one of them to fend off the powerful natural-enhanced sphere. This, however, leaves him open from his other sides.
"Sage Art Water Style: Water Gun"
All of his Clones shoot the torrent of water at Seikai. He tries to increase the intensity of his flames to hopefully heat up the water into steam and render the water useless, but it doesn't work. He's buffeted from all sides and sent flying away.
-x-
Hinata & Gozu vs. Isa
Isa swings his flaming mace once more. Gozu and Hinata dodge rather easily, but the attack does not end there. Isa drags the mace along the ground, kicking up rocks and dirt to send flying at Gozu, who turns his body to mud to absorb all the debris.
Hinata uses this opportunity to go toward their opponent, chakra already gathered on her fingertips in preparation. She Flickers ahead to get the jump on him.
'She's fast. Maybe as fast as Seikai.' Isa tried to follow her movement. Under normal circumstances, she may be fast enough to reach him, but normal circumstances these are not.
The mace disappears in a puff of smoke and Isa swings the hilt in Hinata's direction with all of his might. This time, a broadsword appears, his flames extending to immediately envelop it. Hinata manages to duck out of the way of the sword just before it can slash her, cutting a couple strands of her bangs.
At the very least, she got him to focus on her, and now he has her on one side and Gozu on his either side. He's surrounded, and he doesn't seem to have a Binding Cloth like his brother to attack from all directions.
Hinata carefully observes even his slightest movement with her Byakugan. The slightest shift in chakra, she's ready to act. 'So, it's not just a mace. He can summon other weapons from those seals. There's no telling what else he can conjure.'
Isa clutches his hilt, ready for an attack from either direction.
Gozu melts into the ground. Or it would be more accurate to say the ground around him becomes mud-like, allowing him to slip through as if it was water.
"Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage"
Isa scoffs. "You think you're being hidden, but these kinds of techniques are the most predictable." He swings his broadsword at Hinata. 'They always aim for your feet, so if I can get closer to the Hyuga, I can force them to attack each other.'
She dodges and parries his strikes, getting closer and closer to each other. One particular swing that Isa was aiming, one where Hinata doesn't fully dodge and only gets away with the sword close to her face. This is where Isa's special style of kenjutsu lies. He immediately switches his broadsword for his mace, mid-swing. While Hinata wouldn't have been cut by the sword, the mace will impact. It's much wider, it covers more space. Space which she didn't account for. He sets it ablaze with his Fire Style.
In that moment, Gozu emerges from the ground directly behind Hinata and punches the mace away. This time, his fist is surrounded by a heavy layer of stone and mud which keep him safe from the heat, although the impact does crack it and his makeshift gauntlet falls to pieces on the grund.
Isa's balance is thrown off. He's pushed back, one foot already off the ground. He can get himself stable again but the question is, will Hinata give him enough time to do so.
"You're already in my range." She goes for him blindspot, where he couldn't possibly defend in his current state, ready to block his chakra points.
Throughout the battle, she was focused on the main thing of interest- the sealing formula on Isa's sword, which he's used quite effectively so far. She probably should've known better, she probably should've examined him more closely. Had she done so, she would've noticed much earlier that he has another set of seals on the pommel.
Another flaming sword appears from the pommel which was aimed directly at Hinata as she got close.
She skids back, clicking her tongue.
Isa steps firmly on the ground. "Not many people can force me to reveal the second seal, but I couldn't very well allow a Hyuga to get close."
Gozu strengthens his body, making himself even larger than he already was. "I'll get him off balance again, you speed in when you find an opening."
"Right."
Gozu goes in first, followed by Hinata using his frame as cover. What ensues is a taijutsu versus kenjutsu bout, with Isa using his mace-sword combination to keep them away as they try to parry him.
Seeing it not paying off, Gozu changes his strategy. Instead of expanding his body, he shrinks it. He becomes much thinner and leaner than his usual self. The change is not only cosmetic, however, which Isa finds out almost immediately when he loses sight of him. Isa spots him from the corner of his eye when Flickers right next to him, readying a punch to the head.
The mace comes in just in time to stop it but the younger Miyoshi is still pushed back.
With the newly fast Gozu and the already fast Hinata, they each become a blur on the battlefield that Isa has a tougher time countering than before.
Isa grunts as another one of Gozu's punches scrapes his shoulder and Hinata's chakra-enhanced fist strikes him on the leg. She doesn't manage to hit him on a chakra point but it hurts nonetheless.
Isa slams his mace on the ground and weaves his chakra.
"Fire Style Barrier: Tiger Cage"
He's now surrounded by a translucent fiery red square, one side decorated with a flaming tiger's head.
Gozu runs forth and digs his hand into the ground, once again surrounding it with a thick layer of stone.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist"
He slams it against the barrier but it doesn't budge in the slightest.
Isa turns to look at him and the tiger switches sides to also face the wanted man.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Bullet"
Isa spews fire into the side of his barrier. The tiger's maw opens and when the fire comes out from it, its size and power are much greater than they should be for his jutsu.
"Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage"
Gozu manages to duck out of the way in time and comes out next to Hinata.
"That… may pose a problem."
"Not necessarily." She answers. "It's a strong barrier, but it's not impenetrable."
"Can you do something with your Byakugan."
"I believe so." She confirms. "Gozu, stay behind me 3 steps at all times. Whatever happens, just keep running forward and get ready to attack him."
He looks at her and remains silent for a moment but ultimately nods. "Alright."
She charges and Gozu does as he was instructed. Isa performs another Fire Bullet, apparently enhanced by the barrier, but neither of them attempt to dodge. Gozu puts his faith into Hinata who breathes in calmly and extends her hands forward.
The Byakugan allows its user extraordinary abilities, one of which is seeing the chakra pathways. They allow a Hyuga to strike directly at the source of their enemies' power and block them from using it, but what few know is that they can do more than block a person's chakra. They can block a jutsu's chakra. The Byakugan is able to see the chakra structure of a particular jutsu and just as they can block the chakra inside a person, they can block the chakra that makes up a jutsu. Not many know because not every Hyuga is able to train to such pinpoint precision. Luckily, Hinata IS one of those Hyuga.
As the fire roars towards them, she waves her hands in front of her, almost appearing to write calligraphy as she traces the chakra and when the Fire Bullet is directly in front of her, she fights through the intense pain, her hands and palms aching. With a swift flick of her wrists, she parts the Fire Style in two and disperses it as if it was never there.
When a moment later she reaches the Barrier, Isa curses. Before he can perform another jutsu, Hinata traces the structure of the barrier, once again fighting through the heat and releases it, opening Isa for an attack.
Three steps. That's how long it took for Hinata to stop and get rid of the barrier, allowing Gozu to rush forward without ever stopping his momentum. Isa tries to block but the punch sends him flying backward landing hard on the ground.
Isa coughs blood and tries to get to his feet but Hinata and Gozu are already in front of him.
"Please stop." Hinata says. "This is entirely unnecessary. Their bounty cannot be worth the trouble you're going through."
"This is the life we lead. If a little fight was enough to get us to back down, we'd never have made it." Isa looks up to her and her eyes widen in surprise when she sees his own silver eyes begin smoking.
The air around them becomes intensely hot as Isa's body is surrounded by white flames. They've no choice but to step back as the fire is far too hot for them to be close.
"Ninja Art Fire Style: Akurojin"
"I don't like using this as much as my brother does but the situation calls for it. I apologize for any inconvenience."
"Fire Style Barrier: Tiger Cage"
The same jutsu as before but this time the fire is much more intense and its colouring is white rather than the previous red.
"Fire Style Sealing: Tiger Hunt"
Two white tigers appear from the sides of the cage, roaring at Hinata and Gozu. What would typically be a tiger's black markings is instead sealing formula, running all over their bodies
Gozu grunts. "I don't suppose you can do that again."
Hinata winces in pain, her hands lightly burned. "No, that's impossible. However, I still may have something else."
"Hm?" Looks at her. Even though he's kneeling, he's still about her height. "Even more surprises?"
"If I can't get close to disrupt his chakra, I'll simply have to do it from afar. I'll need some time, however."
Gozu slams his fists on the ground. "Leave it to me."
"Earth Style: Tearing Earth Turning"
The ground under the two tiger splits, causing them to fall into the pits created by his jutsu. Only a moment later, however, they manage to crawl their way back up, having managed to hold on with their claws.
"Earth Style: Sandwich"
From both their sides, the stones shift and slam into the tiger, trapping them in place.
Isa releases them and resummons the tigers from his barrier.
This gave Hinata just enough time to accomplish what she set out to do. She opens her eyes, revealing their changed colour.
"Tenseigan"
Her body becomes enveloped in purple flame-like chakra, most prominent around her shoulders and arms. On her forearms, the purple chakra swirls and gathers into a spear-like weapon. She points her hands to the two tigers and the spears fire directly into them. As the chakra washes over, the tigers are completely dispersed.
"Damnit." Isa curses. "She can do that, too?" She weaves his chakra and pours more of it into the barrier, increasing its heat.
Hinata forms the spears again. She fires one at the Fire Style Barrier and as she spins from the throw, she throws the second one right behind it. The first spears strike and causes the barrier to waver while the second one finishes the job.
It pierces through, the flames running wild, and continues flying forward, directly into Isa. Because it had to push through the wall, its power is weakened and does not strike with all the might that it could have or should have.
Isa is struck by the raw chakra and yells out in pain. The white flames around him subside after the direct hit to his chakra network. He has the ability to conjure fire which has no effect on him, and regular fire's effectiveness is lessened, and yet… his body feels on fire. Despite that, he manages to hold on.
"Your Fire Style is indeed powerful. Had we fought several months ago, I would not stand a chance." Hinata approaches cautiously, her eyes closed from the sensory overload she experiences after using the Tenseigan. Normally that would not be side, but Gozu is here to aid her.
Isa stands up with great pain and backs up, still able to move with some trouble.
-x-
Seikai and Isa regroup, both battered more than they've been in years. It's at this moment that the Hidden Sand shinobi finally arrive. Maki and Sen spot who are involved and make their way toward them.
"Naruto! Hinata! What's happening here?! What do you think you're doing?!" Maki demands.
"Maki!" Naruto begins defending himself. "Hold on, it's not what it looks like, these guys attacked us!"
"The Miyoshi brothers? They wouldn't just attack out nowhere, Naruto." She turns to the brothers. "All of you are coming with me right now."
Seikai grunts and comes to his feet. "Those two," He points to his two targets, "Are wanted criminals. Guren of the Crystal Style and Gozu the Mudwall. Former Hidden Sound ninja. They've been under your nose this entire time, and the Hidden Leaf are protecting them. You don't get to act high and mighty after that much incompetence."
"What?" Sen turns around in shock. "Is that true?"
"I mean… yeah, kinda. But there's a whole lot more to it! Just hear us out, okay?"
"I said," Maki hisses in a harsh tone, "Everyone's coming with me. Object and every single shinobi here will attack. No matter who you are." She makes it a point to stare down Naruto and Hinata.
"Yeah, alright." Naruto lowers his guard.
When the scene calms down, only a select few notice a change in the air, or rather, in the sky. A third tomoe appears opposite the second one. One tomoe facing up, and another two lower and facing diagonally down. The same position as the Sharingan.
What even fewer people sense, however, is a voice. No longer muffled, no longer faint. Booming as if someone's shouting in your ear.
"RELEASE ME!"
Naruto falls to his knees, holding his ears. He cries out in pain but two others do as well. Seikai and Isa hear the same voice and also reel in pain.
"What's that?!" Seikai cries out.
Isa grunts in pain. "My head's splitting…"
Naruto pants and looks up to them. "Wait. You guys can hear it, too?"
"Yeah, we can… Didn't everyone?"
Maki looks between the three of them. "The voice again? But I thought you could hear it 'cause of your Sage Mode. So why can-"
"Maki." Sen pats her team leader on the shoulder. "Look." She points up in the sky, to the three tomoe that now loom over them.
"Oh no." She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. "Okay, you lot, new plan. Seikai Miyoshi, Isa Miyoshi, your blatant disregard for civilian life will be put on hold for now. You're being recruited to help the Hidden Sand. Depending on how you do, your punishment may be reduced."
Seikai clicks his tongue. "As if I'd help the Sand…"
Isa steps forward and nods. "I'll help." He looks down to his elder brother before he can protest. "We got too hasty. We could've broken several of our codes but they fought us while also worrying for the people around them. Look. None of their techniques reached the buildings despite their scope." He motions to the crystal that encompasses the buildings to keep them safe from the Fire Style. "Let's go. It's like they said, it's no longer worth it."
"Tch. Fine." Seikai joins his brother, his voice of reason in many ways.
As they all gather themselves and are led away from the chaos. She was in the middle of escorting the Prism Keystone to a more secure location. Now, they need to double and even triple their efforts.
"Hey, Maki, you sure we can even trust these two?" Naruto points to the brothers with a thumb.
She sighs. "I don't know what exactly happened here, but they're well respected in the Land of Wind. They're not known for such behaviour." She gives them a scolding look.
They meet up with the group that was left behind with the Prism while Maki and the others go to see what the commotion was at the edge of town. To their surprise, the Prism is now completely see-through except for 3 tomoe that circle inside it.
"It changed again." Maki curses. "We need to act now."
When they do get near, something entirely unexpected happens. Seikai and Isa fall to their knees in pain, their white flames activating.
Naruto steps back in a defensive position. "I told you they can't be trusted!"
"This… isn't us." Isa manages to get through gritted teeth before crying out.
This time, everyone hears the voice that Naruto has been hearing for days.
"Akurojin. To think it would be you who frees Us."
The white flames and sucked into the Prism. Light envelops the entire area, blinding everyone. While their eyes are closed, they hear a cracking and shattering, followed by a release of force much grander than anything they've felt before. Many are blown away, unable to keep their footing and slam into nearby buildings or even each other.
When they finally open their eyes, they're met by an alien creature.
Humanoid in its general shape, save for the dark glow of… everything. Its skin, hair, clothes, everything is a dark shade, nearly as dark as the Prism was initially. The only other colour is a faint red outline that covers its entire body.
The creature floats in the air in a meditative of its arms are clasped together, another two hold a banner each, another two hold a longbow and arrow at the ready, and the final two are free. A total of 8 arms.
It opens its eyes, revealing a Sharingan in both eyes.
"W-what… is that thing?" Naruto stares in disbelief.
"We are at long last free of our accursed seal, Tamamo." It almost spits out the name as it says it. "And to think that the ones to accomplish that feat are three of your very own descendants." It looks toward Naruto, Seikai, and Isa. "Your lifeforce will fuel Us and your mortals will regret your blasphemy."
It embeds the banners in the ground. "This world will belong to the great Hachiman."
Name meanings
Seikai Miyoshi (三好 セイカイ, Miyoshi Seikai) = named after the legendary ninja of the same, and member of the Sanada Ten Braves.
Isa Miyoshi (三好 イサ, Miyoshi Isa) = named after the legendary ninja of the same, and member of the Sanada Ten Braves.
Akurojin (悪路神) = Akurojin-no-hi (Fire of the God of the Bad Road). A ghostly flame yokai, kind of like the Will-o'-the-wisp.
Hachiman (八幡) = Shinto deity. Hachiman no kami/ Hachiman-shin/ Yahata no kami.
Trivia
In the original draft from 8 years ago, the Miyoshi brothers' ages were reversed and their names were different. Isa's original name was Koichiro (虎一郎, Koichirō) = 'tiger' and 'first son' while Seikai's original name was Ryujiro (竜二郎, Ryujirō) = 'dragon' and 'second son'. I don't think I had a family name planned for them.
Funnily enough, Ryujiro/Seikai's ability to control his cloth was an idea from long before Maki and her Binding Cloth were introduced, so I just made it be the same ability. And Koichiro/Isa's Fuinjutsu that takes the form of a tiger was also an idea from before Sai displayed a similar ability.