Chapter 16 - Breaking Away from Morality
A/N: I do not own the Naruto Franchise!
I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned.
Warnings: Contains dark themes, such as depression, murder, experimentation, emotional, mental and physical torture, possible attempted suicide and mentions of sexual activities!
Please read responsibly.
Here's chapter sixteen! I can't believe it took me nearly four months to get this one out. University has been sucking away at my free time, and I actually finished this on my day off because I was sick of delaying it for rest. (I still had fun during the weekend, so don't worry about me too much.)
Anyway, here is the long awaited battle this chapter centres around!
Orochimaru and Kaede VS. Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Enjoy!
'This is it, no matter what I have to do...I can't hesitate!' Akari thought to herself as she hopped from one pillar face to the next with her kunai in hand while the other buried in her pockets searching for a few more, just in case. The sound of Might Guy yelling the Hokage's name drew back her attention and she hissed when she saw seven ANBU members chasing after her.
"Stop right there!" The one in the yellow coat called, obviously the platoon leader.
Not one to back down, she grinned and turned, running backward with expertise as she moved her hands to form seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" She inhaled deeply, infusing the oxygen with chakra before she blew out a large fireball which she sent their way. Three were unable to avoid the blast and let out pained cries as their ignited bodies fell into the arena below, likely killing them on impact.
Letting out a tsk at the casualties, she turned and increased her speed, if she didn't make it in time, it would have all been for naught.
Inside the smoke, the Hokage looked at the Kazekage with shock and caution. "Kazekage-dono, what is the meaning of this...?"
The look in the Suna leader's eyes was not one he remembered, it was malicious, like a predator that had caught its prey and planned to devour it mercilessly.
"Hokage-sama!" The attendant called out, grabbing the chair the Hokage sat on in an attempt to locate the man, the smog leaving little visibility. Meanwhile Akari made it onto the shingled roof and sprinted towards the fog, the ANBU still hot on her tail.
"You guys're a pain in my ass!" She called back with a sneer before she jumped into the smog, forcing the masked shinobi to stop at the base of the roof by another squad that awaited their arrival. They could not enter the fray until they understood the situation, otherwise they'd be at a disadvantage.
Instead, the leader of the ANBU directed orders towards his comrades. "2nd Squad, take the top, 6th Squad, take the bottom. Protect the daimyo!" Without a response, the 6th squad rushed off to do their duties, while the 2nd had their attention taken by movement within the threshold.
The two guards that had arrived with the Kazekage rushed out towards them sporting kunai, but they were no match for the ANBU squad leader, who sliced them both in half with a flick of his daggers. When the others jumped up to enter the fog, they heard a cry and landed close to their leader.
The smoke faded slightly and revealed the attendant staggering slightly with a kunai embedded in the right side of his abdomen, before him, stood Akari, holding three more between the fingers of one hand. She tossed them and hit her target point-blank, who stumbled back and collapsed against the wall, blood leaking from his mouth.
"Hokage-sama..." The faithful guard rasped as he fought to stay conscious. "Please...Run away..." But his attempts were in vain as his vision went dark and his head fell forward.
His words were meaningly in the end, as the Kazekage dashed behind Hiruzen with ninja speed and wrapped an arm around his neck while Akari walked over to the collapsed form of his protector and tore her kunai out of his torso.
The look on her face was tense, and her eyes rang with guilt for a mere moment, before she closed them and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, nothing remained but a mirth even she wasn't aware of.
She had little control over how she acted as it was, if she continued to change without any knowledge of it, she would be forever lost in darkness. Right now though, the only desire she had was to kill the Kazekage, but since he was working with Otogakure, she'd have to wait, otherwise, she'd be the next to die.
With that thought, her unknown smirk fell and she glared at the Kazekage as he pointed a kunai blade at the Third's throat before jumping into the air with his hostage, landing on the higher roof behind the observation area. Akari followed behind, pocketing the kunai.
The two corpses of the guards moved when the ANBU were distracted and shadows burst out from the separate parts, revealing four people who had been cleverly disguised as two. Said four landed on each corner of the tiled roof and moved around a little to loosen their stiff joints.
One had dark skin and six arms. "It's finally our turn."
The other was a man with white hair and lipstick, a strange second head poking out of his neck and facing the opposite direction his usually would. "I've got a lot of stress to vent because we had to maintain formation all that time."
The third was a petite woman, smaller than Akari, with more attitude, if that were possible. "You all smell real sweaty."
And finally, the fourth person was a larger man with patchy copper hair. "Cut it out, we're teammates."
Hiruzen looked at the five ninja before him, Akari, and the four strangers all adorned outfits akin to Otogakure. Akari herself wearing the Chuunin/Jounin standard flak jacket that all villages required be worn. 'Oto ninja...'
The smog finally cleared and one of the ANBU members ground his teeth in frustration at the sight of their fallen comrade against the wall. "Raidou..."
The yellow hooded leader turned his head to address his squad. "We're going to go protect Hokage-sama. Be careful of any traps!"
The four rushed forward to engage the enemy and the Kazekage narrowed his eyes. "Do it."
The four Oto ninja put their hands together and simultaneously cried the name of a jutsu. "Ninpou: Shishi Enjin!" Within a split second, four beams of light shot into the air and purple, flame-like Chakra fields filled them, creating a box with the Hokage, Kazekage, Akari and the casters inside.
Sadly one of the ANBU, who had rushed in a little too soon, made contact with the barrier, and burst into flames, tumbling down the shingled roof and off the edge as his comrades landed far too close to the purple wall for comfort. "An impenetrable field?" The leader questioned.
The Kazekage laughed with malicious glee at the frustration he could hear from their voices, and the Hokage grit his teeth. "Kazekage. I didn't expect Suna to betray Konoha."
"A treaty is merely a camouflage to relax an opponent." The villainous traitor replied, and Akari stopped dead in her tracks, that wasn't the Kazekage's voice...No, it was too...gleeful, too sinister.
An imposter?!
"The petty mock battles end here." He moved the kunai closer to Sarutobi's throat. "Starting now, history will be made."
"Are you trying to start a war?"
Akari clicked her tongue with distaste, honestly, she hated the idea of being part of another war, especially after the Second Great Shinobi War, but if they did indeed destroy Konoha, then a war would surely follow for the unused land. She had dug herself in too deep, there was no turning back.
No matter how much it sickened her.
"Yes." The Kazekage replied without hesitation.
"You should avoid conflicts, and seek a resolution through negotiation." The peace-loving Third Hokage countered. "There is still time to stop this, Kazekage."
But his words were deflected by a sinister laugh. "Perhaps when you grow old, you become used to peace..." The imposter who had closed his eyes with amusement snapped them open and trained his murderous gaze on the older gentleman. "Sarutobi-sensei."
"Sensei?" Akari mumbled as the Hokage's expression warped with shock. This definitely wasn't the Kazekage...Hold on, sinister, malicious, taunting...Oh, God. It was Orochimaru in disguise.
She would have slapped herself for missing that if she weren't in the middle one of the most intense situation she'd ever come across in her entire forty-eight years of living.
As if coming to the same conclusion at the same time, the Hokage's voice lowered with horror, his eyes wide and body trembling ever so slightly. "You're..."
But Orochimaru hummed, cutting him off as he watched Gaara, along with Temari and Kankuro leave the arena and escape, followed by Sasuke who was ordered to follow and defeat them. "My, my..." The Sannin sighed. "When Gaara did his thing, I was planning on stealing Sasuke-kun...But it seems I cannot have everything go my way."
Hiruzen gritted his teeth. "I see...So that's how it is." He glanced at the man holding him hostage. "You're after Konoha and Sasuke."
"You believe that Konoha is that important?" Orochimaru sneered with a fake voice. "More importantly, once our Gaara awakens completely...You could've seen something much more interesting. But anyway...Your ignorance has driven Konoha to its end. I win."
The Hokage huffed. "We do not know the result until the very end. I believe I taught you that..." With a smirk hidden behind fabric, Orochimaru took that as a cue to grab the skin mask he adorned and tore it off, revealing the deathly white villain beneath. "Orochimaru."
Akari tore her own off with a deep sigh of relief. "Y'won't believe how stuffy it is in there!"
Sarutobi's eyes widened as he recognized her tanned features and bold grin, she had helped Konoha in some of the more complex missions during her time as a Suna Jounin, to see her here, working for Orochimaru, it was more than a little shocking. "Mari Kaede?!"
"Hey, y'remember my name!" Her expression softened with nostalgia and slight guilt. "I thought everyone'd forgotten me!"
"You were with Orochimaru for the past ten years?" The Third frowned with grief. "I had platoons out searching for you on the order of the Kazekage...Why would you, an ally of Konohagakure, pledge allegiance with Otogakure?"
"First, I ain't 'pledged allegiance' with anyone, the thought of being on his-" She pointed to the Snake Sannin. "-side in all this is sickening! Plus..." The coldness in those usually fiery brown eyes would freeze water if she stood next to the sea. "I ain't no ally to the Five Nations...Not anymore."
"You had such potential..."
"Yeah well...Times change."
He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, before turning his attention to Orochimaru, who found her response amusing considering her cooperation in this final battle. "I expected that a day like this would come. But..." His expression hardened with resolve. "You cannot take my head so easily!"
The madman with snake-like eyes chuckled under his breath and lifted his head with a sickening smirk. "I told you...You should have picked a Fifth Hokage sooner...Third. Since you're going to die here." With those words, he lifted his hand gleefully and licked the length of the kunai blade, savoring the metallic taste.
Kaede arched a brow and grimaced a little. Well, that wasn't pleasant in the slightest. Did he not think about who he may have killed with that?!
He placed the knife back at the Hokage's throat and sounds of battle were heard from the stands below. Kaede looked over to see Kakashi and Guy fighting their forces and groaned. "Those two'll wipe them all out...We should've put more disguised soldiers in the crowd!"
Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when she heard a chuckle that sounded a little...strained. Turning her attention to Orochimaru, as the Hokage did, both were surprised to see tears reflecting in the Sannin's eyes and his hand trembled. 'Is he...Crying? Orochimaru, the psychopath who captured me...Is crying?!'
At this revelation, the Hokage smirked. "Are you that happy to let tears come out?" There was a laugh in the undertone of his voice. "Or...Do you have the heart to feel sadness for killing me, your teacher?"
Orochimaru's smirk widened, but his tone was soft like if he raised it any more, his voice would break. "No." Suddenly he thrust the knife forward but didn't slit Hiruzen's throat, instead he stabbed it into his hand, splattering blood everywhere.
Kaede's jaw dropped as she stared at the madman, dumbfounded by his actions. He yawned and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I was drowsy. I'm finally awake, now."
His hostage huffed. "That's what I thought..."
Neither of them believed a word he said, the Suna redhead had spent long enough in captivity and training with Orochimaru to know how he acted when he was tired or bored. At most, he was more hostile, but he never let tears reveal themselves. No...She dare not believe he had the heart to feel sorrow, as Sarutobi put it.
A monster like him had no heart to feel with.
Said monster finally let go of the Hokage, and walked away a few steps, the kunai still sticking out of his bleeding palm. "I know you do not move for revenge..." His teacher said. "You have no goals or motives."
'Revenge? For exiling him?'
The Sannin hummed softly, still facing away. "Well...I sort of have a goal. If I were to state it in words..." He grasped the Hokage cap he adorned during his disguise and leered ahead, grinning maliciously. "I like to see moving things. They're boring when they don't move." He pulled it off and tossed it to the side, it no longer served any use. "A windmill that is not moving...Can be nice from time to time...But most of the time, it's not even worth looking at."
He turned his head and shot that evil look at Sarutobi. "Now, I want to move the windmill with the wind called the Destruction of Konoha!"
'I swear I've spent too long around him, that made sense.' Kaede thought with a sigh of frustration, placing a hand on her hip. 'I don't agree with it, but I understood it. Ugh.'
The Hokage chuckled and moved to face him, grasping his own cap with a smirk on his lips. "You haven't changed, I see."
There was a loud crash and the Suna kunoichi spun and looked over to see Gai had sent one of their troops flying through a wall. "Jesus Christ!" She then watched as three kids and a dog dove through the hole and headed in the direction Sasuke had gone in. "Looks like Konoha's sending a bunch of Genin to fight Gaara."
"That won't work out too well for them..." Orochimaru said as he walked past the Hokage and stood on the other side of him with an air of arrogance. "Gaara is a monster that no mere Genin can deal with."
"You underestimate the quality of our shinobi," Hiruzen said with confidence.
Orochimaru, however, didn't much care for his comments, so ignored them all together, instead, he chuckled and turned back to the Third. "To think that I can fight with you again..."
Kaede heard mumbles from the ANBU about the Hokage killing one of them from the inside to lower the field, and she smirked. "Y'sure your shinobi are good?" She asked as the four making the forcefield smirked in response. "They don't seem too sharp t'me."
The one with six arms grinned in agreement. "Hey, they're going to start soon." He said to his three comrades.
"Be sure to expand a field inside, too!" The one with the second head added on, with agreement from the one with patchy hair.
The four of them made noises of effort and channeled their chakra into the field, creating an extra wall behind them, blocking them into the corners of a pyramid-shaped prison. The Hokage grunted in response. "Looks like I can't leave so easily."
"You must be kidding!" The Sannin responded with a sharp bite to his tone. "To you, it'll be harder to fight if other people interfered."
The two shared a similar look, before Orochimaru, Kaede and Hiruzen kicked off with the Hokage making the first move. "Ninpou: Kawara Shuriken!"
Tiles pulled from the roof surrounding them and were sent flying their way, but Orochimaru and Kaede weren't so easily foiled. The Sannin jumped into the air and Kaede formed seals at an impossible speed. "Futon: Daitoppa!" She exhaled a strong gust of wind their way and deflected them back at the old man, who quickly dove to the side, landing carefully a little too close to the barrier as the tiles hit another side of it and burst into flames.
But that wasn't it, while in the air, Orochimaru made a sign himself and opened his mouth, letting his tongue, enhanced by jutsu, stretch out. "Seneijashu!" Said tongue then turned into a snake and shot down towards the Hokage, biting him hard on the neck before he could react.
"Having trouble with this kind of attack?" Orochimaru asked as started to fall back down. "It shows how much age can affect you...Sarutobi-sensei." However, that wasn't the case, his smile fell as he watched Sarutobi create a mud clone, which melted into a thick puddle within minutes. "A replacement?"
The Sannin landed and the snake transformed into a tongue once again, which he flicked as he retracted it. Both stood side by side as he listened for any movement, and quickly looked over their shoulders to see the Hokage standing there, having already formed the seals he needed.
"Doton: Doryuu Taiga!"
The ground beneath their feet turned into a muddy river and Kaede quickly leaped out of the way as Orochimaru lost his footing and slid down a fair bit before centering himself. "Is that all you've got?" Orochimaru asked as he formed his own seals.
"I won't let you!" Hiruzen called out, as he did the same. "Doton: Doryuudan!" The snake-eyed man's jaw fell open as a dragon's head made of mud appeared. "Karyuudan!" Along with that jutsu, the old man inhaled deeply and spat out a stream of flames, akin to Kaede's, only his were stronger. The two jutsu melded, creating bullets as hard as stone and as dangerous as a blade.
Kaede quickly countered the attack with air bullets, which hit some, but not all and weakened the bombardment as it hit Orochimaru dead-centre, who cried out as the water then enveloped him. She cursed her timing but also smirked at the sight of the one man she hated getting what was coming to him.
"Cut the stupid acting, Orochimaru," Hiruzen stated, and Kaede tsked as she heard Orochimaru chuckle before he rose from the ground where the water had once been.
"Very nice." He said, looking back with his usual smirk, not a scratch on him as he tilted his head to the side inquisitively. "But you must have underestimated me. Did you think that you could kill me with those petty attacks?"
The older gentleman grunted with a displeased curl of the lips. "You're as disagreeable as ever."
"Don't say that...Don't they say that the troublemaking students are more agreeable...Sarutobi-sensei?" His tongue flicked out as he licked his lips, acting even more disagreeable on purpose.
Then the fighting began once again, Hiruzen moved his hands to do the usual ninjutsu, but Kaede didn't let him finish as she shot some air bullets at him, which he ducked away from. Even then, he didn't get time to mold Chakra as another snake was shot towards him, forcing him to jump back to avoid its attack. Skidding to a halt on the other side of the roof, the two rogue ninjas jumped over the raised center to join him, standing side-by-side, with some distance between them thanks to the redhead's displeasure of working alongside him.
"Perhaps we should stop fooling around," Orochimaru commented, neither side feeling breathless in the slightest over their warm-up. "This isn't an Academy class..."
The Hokage smirked and let out a laugh as he grasped the lip of his hat once again. "You're right." Then he tossed it in the air, along with the robe that went with it. Underneath he was wearing a battle-class baggy black outfit with a helmet akin to those a samurai would wear.
"So you were expecting your death?"
Orochimaru grabbed his disguise robe and tossed it off, wearing his usual outfit beneath with the beige shirt with two pieces of fabric hanging down to the lower calves on the front and back. His grey sweatpants, a black undershirt and the large purple rope around his waist that Kaede would never be able to tie in her life.
Luckily for the spark-happy, rogue kunoichi, Orochimaru had fashioned her a full body flame-retardent battle-suit to wear beneath the Otogakure uniform, so she didn't have to strip down to her bare minimum just to fight. With the underclothes she adorned, the damage done by clothes melting into her flesh would be kept to a minimum.
The two criminals locked eyes with the Hokage, the redhead's cold and detached, the Snake Sannin's filled with mirth and arrogance, and the determined, hard eyes of Hiruzen battling it out without words. Around them, the tiles cracked with their overwhelming Chakras, which they were allowed to surge through them like a silent warning to the other.
The intensity in the air was enough to stop anyone breathing in fear of their first inhale being their last.
"I'm not going to go easy on you, just because you're old." Orochimaru sneered.
"I was not expecting a handicap." The Third snapped back. "I may make you redo your training in the Academy, depending on your performance."
"Please don't disappoint me."
"I don't think he will, he ain't the Hokage for nothing." Kaede chimed in, arms crossed, all of them ready to attack at any moment.
And then it began, the three of them kicked off and Hiruzen began by throwing a shuriken, forming signs as he did so, while Orochimaru countered with his own and Kaede threw a few shurikens of her own to counter it, in case the first two missed.
"Shuriken Kagebunshin no Jutsu!" The shuriken the Third threw suddenly multiplied ten-fold and Kaede cursed as her three were deflected with ease, leaving several of her opponents still spiraling towards them. However, the Sannin wasn't going to get hit by the pathetic projectiles that easily, he halted and slapped his hands together. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!"
Sarutobi stopped in shock and watched as a hole appeared in the ceiling and a coffin slowly ascended from its endless depths. "He's using summons as a shield? And those summons are..."
"First!" The rogue shouted as the first coffin settled, and another started to appear, joining its twin. "Second!" And finally a third poked its head out of the ground.
"I have to stop the third, no matter what!" Hirzuen hissed to himself, raising his hand to form signs, but with no luck.
"You forget me, old man?!" Kaede's voice called from above, he looked up just in time for a fireball to enter his line of sight. He managed to substitute himself with a mud close and appeared a small distance behind it, so the flames wouldn't lick his skin.
Despite his attempt to stop the coffin failing, for some strange reason, it halted it's ascent half-way up and slowly descended back into the hole, before disappearing.
The former Suna kunoichi landed on the ridge at the center of the roof, near Orochimaru with a hand on her hip, but no smile on her face. While The malicious Otokage was smirking behind the wall of wooden boxes. 'It looks like the third one failed. But all is well.'
The coffin doors rattled and fell open, revealing two familiar bodies lying inside. The First Hokage, with his straight black hair, and the Second, with his spiked white hair and red lines across his cheeks. Even Kaede was shocked at the sight.
"Now, what will you do, Sarutobi-sensei?" He sneered tauntingly, his trump card against his former sensei now revealed. "No...Oh, great Third Hokage."
The two bodies stepped out of their prisons, their bones and skin crackling with age and disuse. "It's been a long time, Saru..." The First, Hashirama, commented, his expression lifeless, like his body.
"Oh?" The Second, Tobirama, mused, looking over Hiruzen with similarly dead eyes. "It's you? You've aged, Sarutobi."
The current Hokage kept a serious frown on his lips, trying to keep his head in the game. "I didn't expect to see you in a form like this...I am mortified." He narrowed his eyes. "Please prepare yourselves...First...Second..."
The Second looked behind him at Orochimaru. "Edo Tensei, eh? So this kid summoned us with Kinjutsu? Quite a guy." The Sannin, not as amused at being called as a kid as Kaede was, pushed the coffins out of his way, so nothing could halt the next step.
"If that's the case..." The first started. "Sarutobi, we must fight you."
Kaede watched as the leader behind this whole operation stepped up behind the two Kage. "Let's stop the chitchat, old men...And let's get this started."
"I see that in all periods, there is war."
Orochimaru chuckled. "But you like war, don't you?"
Sarutobi snapped then. "Mocking the dead like that...Nothing good comes out of trifling with time!"
His words were ignored. "Then let's begin." The Sannin raised two kunai with red tags attached as if proudly showing them off. The clouds above swirling together, dark and relentless, a storm was brewing.
'If that storm hits, I'm dead.' Kaede thought to herself with displeasure, concerned for her inability to touch water, especially if she burst into flames.
Orochimaru's taunting tone got her attention. "But before that, I need those two to become nothing but hollow shells without emotion. Please get ready, Sarutobi-sensei." He walked forward and pushed the kunai into the backs of the two former Kages' skulls, their colored irises which swam in a pool of black, melded to an empty white, and their expressions faded away completely.
"Hey, Snake Eyes." The redhead said as she watched the transformation take place. "What kind of jutsu is this? I ain't seen a Kuchiyose no Jutsu that allows y'to bring back dead people."
"Hm, hm, hm, It's no surprise to me that you don't know." The Sannin stated, irritating his subordinate, who took his words as an insult. "This is a Kinjutsu created by the Second Hokage, a Kuchiyose no Jutsu that places the soul of another into a sacrifice to revive the dead, the dust and dirt of the surrounding area forms over the sacrifice to give it the appearance of the soul bound to it."
"Hold on..." Kaede's brows knitted and she pinched the bridge of her nose for a second before looking right at the Second. "The Second Hokage created this? The people who raved about peace, created this...thing, this jutsu?!"
"Makes you think, doesn't it, Firecracker?" His taunts were pissing her off, but she brushed them away to gain more information. If he could perform this, her attempts at killing him without this knowledge would have lead to her own death. "Even the peace-loving Konohagakure has a dark, destructive past~"
Kaede huffed. 'Y'didn't need to tell me that...I've seen enough darkness from my own village...'
Orochimaru stepped forward, putting his hands on the backs of his puppets. "Complete."
Meanwhile, Hiruzen covered his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to hold back a sob before he looked up at the two of them with wet eyes. "You two...No one should have to go through this, dead or alive..."
"Do you know the sense of satisfaction and happiness I get from hurting the one I used to call teacher? I constructed this scenario to let you suffer that sort of happiness." The villainous former student raised his hands, fingers touching as he formed a sign. "So please enjoy."
The walking corpses jerked when the jutsu was complete and they stumbled forward, the First stepping onto the lid of his coffin and walking along the edge of it before he stepped down, both stood before Sarutobi with a menacing presence surrounding them. Then they suddenly shifted into a sprint, Hashirama running down the other side of the roof, while Tobirama rushed up the ridge to the tip of the tiled platform.
"Well?" Orochimaru said, getting Kaede's attention, and he smirked with mirth. "Aren't you going to join them?"
"Why'd y'bring me if y'had these guys t'do the fighting?" Kaede snapped, but she obeyed, with reluctance, and rushed out into the fight, tossing kunai after kunai at Hirzuen, who remained distracted by the sight of his dead-eyed friends.
"Hokage-sama!" The leader of the ANBU squad outside the barrier called. "They may look like them...But they are not the true First and Second!"
His eyes regained focus and he spotted the kunai coming into his vision, ducking away from them, and avoiding a kick from the First at the same time. He then proceeded to block the next two and tried to sweep his feet out from under him, but to no avail, the skilled ninja jumped back and Sarutobi had to turn as the Second rushed in and jumped over, landing behind him.
He once again managed to block and dodge a few attacks, punches this time, before grasping the Second by the leg and swinging him around, tossing him as far away as possible. But the assault didn't stop as Kaede skidded to a halt and formed the needed signs to perform Futon: Renkudan, spitting massive bullets made of condensed air his way, before doing the same with Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu, which enveloped the air bullets and increased the fatality of the attack.
The Hokage managed to dodge a few with a well-timed duck and jump, but one or two hit their mark, sending him hurtling back with burns on his torso and leg. He skidded to a halt on one knee and winced at the pain he felt. While Tobirama landed beside Kaede and Hashirama, still in a fighting stance.
Knowing he needed to up his game, Hiruzen smacked his hands together and took a deep breath. "I'm attacking now!" He called, and the former Suna kunoichi huffed with a smirk on her face at his foolish declaration. The three of them crouched further, ready to counter or dodge, depending on the jutsu.
The Hokage quickly moved his hand and called out his jutsu. "Katon: Karyuu Endan!" He inhaled a deep lungful of chakra infused air and exhaled a heavy torrent of flames, which rocketed towards them.
"Nice try, old man!" Kaede shouted, her hands moving as well. "Katon: Kasai Suīpu!" She did the same thing he did but exhaled a smaller, weaker torrent of flames, but she wasn't done. "Futon: Daitoppa!" And then she breathed a current of strong wind, which caught her flames and increased their size and power.
The two attacks melded and combined, pushing against one another. However his strength was not to be sneezed at, against the high-speed power of his flames, her own struggled to keep up, and the attacks didn't budge towards either party. The Second's cold, cunning mind found an opportunity and he formed a familiar seal to Kaede, who gasped and broke the jutsu.
'Crap!'
"Suiton: Suijinheki!"
The Ninjutsu Expert dove back with wide eyes to avoid the jutsu as the fire torrent sent by Sarutobi rushed forward. Suddenly water burst forth from nowhere and doused the fires like it was nothing. The liquid swirled around the two Kage until the embers fizzled out, then it dispersed into steam.
Kaede crouched there, breathing heavily as she recuperated from the fear that came with her near demise. "Damn Suiton user!" She hissed. Orochimaru's smirk widened with the amusing fight going on in front of him. "How the hell did he summon water from nowhere?!"
The Sannin chuckled. "It is to be expected from a previous Hokage."
Then the Suiton Expert formed more seals and Kaede froze, far too close to the jutsu for her own comfort. "Suiton: Suishouha!" Water formed in the air and formed around the Second, while the Firecracker covered her face with her arms and tsked, stepping back as droplets threatened to touch her skin.
'This is bad! This is really bad!'
With a roar from the jutsu conjurer, the water shot up and pooled out, towering over Kaede in it's decent. She knew she couldn't outrun it this time and let out a cry of fear as it approached her. However, something unexpected happened, a long, purple-hued tongue coiled around her waist, catching her attention for a second before she was yanked back and collided with a solid human form. As this happened, Hiruzen used Doton: Doryuuheki to create a wall, blocking off the attack so he wasn't swept away.
The lake formed around them and Kaede watched as it all but halted around her, a circle of dry land as if a barrier blocked them as well, but no such thing could be seen. She remembered then that she had landed on something solid and looked up to see Orochimaru watching the fight with a grin, his hand on her shoulder, keeping her close.
Orochimaru...Had saved her life?
The closeness clicked and she made a noise of disgust and pushed him away, glaring as the amount of space without water widened to accommodate the pair of them. "Don't touch me, y'snake-eyed bastard!"
"Hm, hm, hm, now is that how you speak to someone who just saved your life?" Orochimaru asked, aggravated and amused by her reaction all at once. He dusted himself off and crossed his arms, returning his attention to the subjects of his command. "You're useless to me dead, therefore you can stand down for the time being."
"What, you're openly letting me take a break?"
His shoulders shook with a sinister laugh echoing deep in his throat. "Only until they're of no use to me, if that happens, I'm right to believe you can form Chakra through the soles of your feet, like most Genin, correct~?"
"Tch, don't underestimate me, Snake-Eyes, I ain't some Academy student!"
While they had their little dispute, the Third who leaped up to the top of the mud wall he'd created to avoid the water, had jumped down to confront the First who was rushing towards him over the surface of the pooled liquid, using the technique Orochimaru had just mocked his subordinate with.
Hiruzen inhaled quickly and shot out bullets made of pure flames, in an attempt to slow down Hashirama's approach, to no avail. The former Kage hopped into the air and directed a kick to his former student's head, which was blocked by both his arms. But the puppet wasn't playing fair, he used his foot to splash water into the visibly older man's eyes and kicked him when he couldn't see, before assaulting him with many more blows and landing a final kick in his gut, sending him barrelling back until he laid on his front on the water's surface. He was just able to push his chakra throughout his body to keep himself above the waves.
While the Third was unable to move, his opponent shifted back into a fighting stance, and Hiruzen finally found the strength to try and get back to his feet. "Your power has not waned one bit..." As he regained his footing, bubbled formed in the water behind him and he barely had time to look before usually lifeless liquid formed tendrils and grabbed his torso, pulling him under the surface.
He tried to struggle but an arm grasped his neck and kept him in a headlock as he went deeper and deeper into the oddly low depths. The Second being the one to immobilize him. He regained his bearings and elbowed the lifeless corpse hard enough for the grip around his windpipe to be loosened, then kicked to break away completely.
While the shell of the Second regained his own composure, the Third burst forth from the water and climbed the mud wall with little time to rest, as the tendrils burst out once again and shot through the mud of the wall like it was paper. Hirzuen thought he'd gotten away from the blasts, when the hardened structure crumbled around his feet, a tactical assault to halt his movements as he fell and the water finally drained away.
"Look at that." Orochimaru jeered as the Third landed on his hands and knees, catching his breath. "It seems you won't have to stay out of the fray, after all, Firecracker~"
"Tch, I told you t'stop calling me that!" She snapped, cracking her knuckles and neck as she stepped out to join the battle. 'Honestly, you're lucky I don't take over this fight for the Third and kill y'myself...'
She stopped by the First as he got into a stance and formed unique seals. Suddenly the tiles cracked and both her attention and the Hokage's were taken when tree sprouts began to poke out from the ceramic they were buried under. "What...The hell...?"
"This isn't good..." Sarutobi mumbled as Kaede realized these roots were a good way to get out of water's reach and hopped on one of them as they grew. "This is the secret technique that only the First can use...!"
The redhead hummed as she held onto the branch and smirked, realizing what this was. "I get it, he's the guy from Konoha that could use Mokuton! I didn't really pay enough attention in history t'get his name, but hey, it ain't too late t'get a refresher lesson from the man himself." She said as Hiruzen bit his thumb, preparing a summon. "No chance I'm lettin' y'do that!" She formed the signs needed and inhaled deeply before she shot air bullets at Hiruzen who was forced to dodge them as the First finally finished his jutsu.
"Mokuton: Hijutsu Jukai Koutan!"
And with that final phrase, the tree that had been growing steadily as he pulled his chakra together, burst forth and grew to an impossible size, so big that Hiruzen had to hop onto one of the branches and hold on tight, as the ground where he once stood became nothing. Without giving him time to prepare an attack, the branches then latched onto him and tied him up tight as they hardened, solid wooden structures at long last.
Kaede whistled with praise as she stood up and looked down at the faraway ground from one of the tallest arms of the plant. "Damn, I ain't seen a tree this big in years..."
Orochimaru and the Second joined the First near the roots of the tree and the defiant redhead remained where she was, she wasn't too keen on being near them, after all. "You've finally been caught, Sensei..." The Sannin taunted.
But Sarutobi wasn't beaten yet, he pushed forward, forcing his arm almost out of its socket to reach a nearby branch, and the moment his hand made contact, he yelled. "Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Come forth, Monkey God-King Enma!"
The snake-eyed shinobi's eyes narrowed as a large bellow of smoke burst forth from where his hand touched and when the cloud cleared, a monkey with long white hair, dark fur with tiger stripes, and a Konoha forehead protector stood there, an aura of strength exuding from his stance alone.
"Hm...A troublesome thing has appeared...The elder monkey, Enma."
Said monkey jumped down onto a lower branch and walked to the end of it, his eyes locking with the villain below. "Orochimaru...I knew this would happen." He looked back at the Third. "You must feel pathetic, Sarutobi. You should've killed him back then."
"I'm going to do that now!" Sarutobi snapped.
"It's too late."
'Back then...?' Kaede thought as her brows knitted together with confusion, Hiruzen tried and failed to kill Orochimaru before?
The old man struggled against the branches, his strength little compared to the natural wooden beams holding him in place. "Please, Enma...Turn into the Kongou Nyoi!"
Orochimaru gasped and his eyes widened, before he thrust out his hand, speaking to the three subordinates he commanded. "Kill them! Don't let it transform!" With those words, the First and Second sprung into action as Kaede sighed and formed seals with little enthusiasm.
"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" Kaede took a deep breath and spat multiple medium sized fireballs at Enma, which he dodged with ease before hitting the Second on the top of the head hard enough to knock him through the branch and hit the one below hard, while parrying one of the First's attacks before sending him flying back with a punch, only just able to regain his footing and land on a higher platform.
"Dammit, this chimp's tough!" The former Suna kunoichi hissed out, jumping down and skating down the wooden branch as she formed more signs. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" She exhaled a torrent of wind which swirled into the air, cutting into Enma as he covered his face to protect himself. "Katon: Kasai Suīpu!" And with a simple motion, she spat flames into the wind and jumped up as high as she could to escape the sudden explosion of fire and pain.
As she landed, the searing source of the heat was disrupted in the middle and she gasped as the monkey jumped out, burnt in areas and in obvious pain, as he landed on a higher platform too.
"Really tough..." She mumbled as it took this time to transform into a large black and yellow rod. 'I can only use Kasai Suīpu two more times with other jutsu...and I know I ain't good enough at Taijutsu to get in close...My chakra's only diminished to 'bout half, so I can keep going, but I need a plan.'
The fires spread across the wood and Enma took the weakened state of the branches as his indication to assist Hirzuen, swinging his own body into the trapping wooden vines and breaking them, releasing the Third's body.
"Right!" Sarutobi snarled as he jumped up and caught Enma's weapon form, before landing on a branch, which had yet to be ignited. The Second, First and Kaede all jumping down to join him.
The Sannin below was disappointed that he managed to get free, but chuckled, none-the-less. "I will let that go." He raised his arms as a gesture towards the spectacle before him. "Things are finally starting to get interesting!" But his actions and words didn't end there, he pressed both hands to his stomach and opened his mouth, a snake poking out of his throat and opening its own jaws, revealing a sword in the depths of its own gullet.
"Is this fight just going t'be me asking what things are?" Kaede mumbled to herself as the sword dangled at the tip before falling down, caught by Orochimaru before it could hit the ground as the snake slithered back in his mouth and was swallowed.
The Third grabbed the Diamond Pole with a heavy hand and it shrank in thickness to accommodate his grip. "Let's begin, Enma!"
"Even if I'm as hard as a diamond..." Enma stated. "The sword of Kusanagi will still hurt me."
And then the fight began once again, the old man rushing to the end of the branch before jumping off and stretching the pole out to stab into the ground where Orochimaru once stood, the Sannin having the sense to duck away to avoid damage, before jumping back several times to be safe.
Hiruzen jumped down using the pole as a vault and landed a small distance from Orochimaru, twirling his weapon several times while the Sannin positioned the sword to block attacks. Which, turned out, was the right thing to do as the rod was swung towards him and he used the blade to reflect the attack, before ducking away from the second one.
The Third jumped closer and the two parried attacks for a moment, moving around the tiled roof as they made sure neither went too close to the barrier that would ignite their skin on contact. Orochimaru jumped into the air after several blows were blocked and rushed towards his former mentor, but the man wasn't a fool, he stretched out the rod in an attempt to strike him in the jaw, but his student was too fast and did a backflip to avoid it, before the parries began once again.
The younger, yet intelligent shinobi dodged side to side as the pole stretched out twice more, before holding both sides of his blade to push back a blow as the rod slammed against the metal of his weapon and pushed him back, Enma sick of this back and forth battle.
They remained stood like that for a moment, with Sarutobi slowly gaining control over the power, but he had forgotten about the three other fighters, who didn't just idly watch. The First rushed forward and swept the older man's feet out from under him, unaware of the tag that was attached to his leg as he did so. Then, to make matters worse, the Second kicked the pole from his grip and another tag was attached.
"They ain't your only worry, old man!" Kaede called out as she jumped down from the trees and formed some seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" She shot a giant fireball at her opponent, and while he dodged it, she shot out another.
While his vision of her was impaired by the flames he avoided with ease, the redhead created clones of herself which landed in front of Hiruzen, who didn't know which was which. The three versions of herself grinned and formed seals, but as he prepared to fight the one who would fire a jutsu, they all disappeared, which shocked him into lowering his guard. "Gotcha!" Came a voice from behind and he turned in time see a rather victorious grin before a fist collided with his face.
He was sent flying back and Orochimaru stabbed his sword into the ground and he ran towards the startled old man. "Now's my chance!" He skidded to a halt as Hiruzen managed to land on his feet, skating back, and his former student hit him twice with his fists, before kicking him down onto his back.
Kaede relaxed then, rolling her shoulder and cracking her knuckles which had split from the impact and were bleeding sluggishly. "My hits're stronger, but the force is still too much for my hands, guess I need to train more."
The Sannin chuckled and looked back at her. "Despite that, your efforts will be rewarded." He said, finding glee in her shock and confusion. "Even I will congratulate those who risk their own lives to protect my own, Taijutsu is not your strong suit, after all..."
The former Suna kunoichi tsked and gave him a cynical grin, one hand on her hip while she kept flexing the other which she'd dropped to her side. "Heh, I don't want your stupid rewards. I ain't doin' this for you!"
"Hm, hm, then just who...Or what, are you doing this for?"
She knew his words were a tease, but at the thought of him figuring out her plan, she had to force herself not to choke up on her words and glare at him, instead she just laughed. "I'm doin' this to show my village if they treat me like a rogue, I'll become a rogue!"
"Of course you are~"
The stretched out his leg then, having forced the muscles too far to kick Hiruzen in the face. "Foolish." He sneered at the Third Hokage, placing his foot back down before he sauntered towards him. "You didn't even create Kagebunshin when you charged at me."
Orochimaru stepped over his torso and leaned down, taking him by the collar. "Are you alright, Sensei?" He taunted. "Please get up. You were called the Professor for knowing and using all the jutsu that exist in Konoha, right? Don't let me down."
His sickening laugh echoed through the air.
"Hokage-sama!" One of the ANBU members called out from the other side of the forcefield. "Please stand up, and save the village of Konoha! Hokage-sama!"
The cries silenced the Sannin's laughter and he gave them a sinister, cruel glare. "Fools...It's too late." And with that, the laughter began once again.
Slowly an eye appeared in the rod that had been forgotten by the roots of the tree. "Sarutobi, what's wrong?" Enma asked. "You're not acting like yourself. Your performance is just miserable. Why are you hesitating? You have to put an end to it!"
Tears pooled in Hiruzen's eyes as he looked at his former student, once an innocent boy, now a monster. "Orochimaru..." His expression warped to anger. "You fool!" He grabbed Orochimaru's arms and tugged them into loosening, before kicking his leg out from under him, then while he was falling, Enma shot out an arm from the pole and grabbed the former Konoha shinobi by the throat.
"What?!" Kaede gasped as she stepped forward, grinding her teeth as Enma's grip tightened.
"Orochimaru, this is it for you." The Monkey King jeered. "I'll break your neck!"
The Sannin choked softly as the Monkey King's grip tightened, until his body, which would have been limp and lifeless at this point, turned to mud and sprayed over Enma's hand, as he let go in shock. The sludge pooled and reformed into the real Orochimaru, who was quickly kicked away by Sarutobi.
As he rolled a fair distance back, the First and Second stepped forward to attack, only for the current Hokage to form a sign, causing the tags he placed upon them to explode, removing one of their limbs each. Now the only one who was capable of making a counter-attack was the Redhead with the fiery spirit.
The two stared each other down for a moment before Kaede pulled some Shuriken from her holster and tossed them his way, while he dodged those, she used Shunshin to appear behind him, shocking him as she kicked him in the back. The impact forcing him to gasp for air as he slammed into the ground.
The woman landed behind him, but his form changed into a log, and she hissed out, looking around with alert suspense for his real self. He suddenly appeared before her and punched her hard, which caused her to stumble back before she used her arms to block another blow from him.
She couldn't fight well with Taijutsu, so after the sneak-attack, she was in jeopardy at close-range. Hiruzen swung his foot into her stomach and she coughed up blood, before he kicked her again, sending her flying back into the trunk of the tree, where she lay limp, pain wracking her form, rendering her useless for the time being.
Orochimaru used this time to sit up, smirking deviously as the Hokage's attention returned to Hashirama and Tobirama, who's decimated limbs were being repaired by the dust and debris in the surrounding air, and in moments, the two corpses moved once again, standing to fight. "So it seems that I must do something about the soul that is bound with the Edo Tensei..." He said softly, so only Enma could hear. "If that's the case, I'll have to use the Fourth's Jutsu." He put his hands together determinedly.
The Snake-Eyed Sannin stood up and dusted himself off leisurely, before he walked over to the Kusanagi Blade and stood behind it, staring at the Hokage with his hands resting on the sword like it was a fancy walking stick. "Sensei." He started. "You seem to be out of breath. You have aged, I've never seen you in pain like that before." His dark chuckle echoed through the barrier.
Sarutobi's hands lowered slightly from their position. "What's so funny?"
"It's pitiful." The cold murderer reached up and grasped the skin of his face, pulling at it like the Kazekage mask he adorned earlier. "Even you, the one who has been praised as the God of all ninja...Cannot beat old age."
Kaede managed to raise her head and both she, and the current Hokage shared a look of horror as Orochimaru removed his own face to show a young person beneath with red lips. "What...The hell...Did y'do?!" She gasped out as the madman moved his hair from his face so they could get a better look. "You...You weren't like that before! What are you?!"
Even Sarutobi was asking the same question atop her shocked ramblings. "Looks like you cannot comprehend it due to how abrupt it was..." The Sannin sneered at the both of them, mainly his former mentor. "It's me. Orochimaru."
His eyes widened in shock. "Did you...Complete that jutsu?!"
The psycho grinned in response. "It has been ten and a few years since I left the village. I went through a lot of trouble."
"You're a terrible and inhuman existence!"
Those words caused the new Orochimaru to burst into a fit of laughter, proving to Kaede now more than ever, that he was truly insane, truly evil, and truly worth killing. Any remorse she would have had for killing Hiruzen faded away because she knew, the sooner she gained his trust now, the sooner she would rid the world of this infection, this disease of a person that was poisoning the world he stood on.
"I could not appoint you to be the Fourth Hokage because of your twisted ideas!" Sarutobi hissed out, eyes wide with the revelation.
"Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?!" Kaede snapped, looking between the two people before her,
Orochimaru chuckled and looked over at her, speaking in that strange, feminine voice he'd never had before. "This face that you see now, isn't my true face."
"Yeah, I kinda guessed that!"
"This Fushi Tensei keeps one's mind in this world forever. In other words, it is a jutsu where after I find a new body...I transfer my mind into that body and take over."
Kaede and Hiruzen shared looks of disgust, which didn't phase the lunatic, he knew Kaede was still morally sensitive, despite trying her best to push it aside, so he knew she'd react this way, and Sarutobi was just that kind of man. None of them would understand his vision, and he didn't care. "I disguised myself as my old self...So that you could feel delighted at seeing me again, Sensei~"
The way the Sannin looked down on Hiruzen, who was trying to hold his anger together so he could concentrate, was downright cruel and cold, even the former Suna Fireball shivered at the glare in those emotionally dead eyes. "Aging is pointless..." Orochimaru continued. "That is what I feel when I look at you. You will die here and I will gain a younger, stronger, and more beautiful body."
He snickered deviously. "Konoha entertains me greatly~"
The Hokage gasped with realization and steeled himself as Orochimaru smirked arrogantly as if he'd already won. "I see..." The Third commented, glaring at his former student, his hands still held together to form a seal in front of him. "You're after Uchiha Sasuke."
And it all clicked together for Kaede, why Orochimaru gave him power instead of killing him, why he had Gaara face him, and why he refused to explain the entirety of the mission. From the start, he wanted to take out Konoha and collect himself a new vessel in the process.
What a sick bastard...
The Otokage grinned as he licked his painted lips. "Yes, you're correct. I'm after Uchiha Sasuke-kun."
"So you use Fushi Tensei to steal someone's body and make your mind immortal?" His tone took a sharp edge with disgust. "That face and body...how many bodies have you gone through?!"
"This is my second."
"That explains why y'came in t'check on me once and I could've sworn you'd gotten shorter." The Ninjutsu Expert pointed out, looking him over. "Let me guess, the first was your original body, and the second was technically the first body you'd ever stolen?"
"Hm, hm, hm, you're just full of surprises, aren't you, Firecracker?"
"Ugh, it's bad enough that you call me that with your normal face, don't even think about using it with that-" She swirled her finger in a circle, gesturing to his changed appearance. "-face."
"Fear not, Kaede, this face can be hidden behind a mask of my former appearance." Orochimaru looked back at Hiruzen. "Now, where was I...? Ah yes, Sasuke. I plan to take his body after he grows up to my liking." He laughed maliciously. "But for you to regret your own life...and curse your fate as you die..." His voice warped as he put his hand over his new face, and when he removed it, the original Orochimaru was revealed as, what Kaede now knew, a mask worn over the body of the person he killed. "You would prefer this face better, right?"
"Y'never cease t'freak me out, d'you?" Kaede said with a grimace, looking over his appearance, it was odd to see him like that now. "D'you ever try t'act normal?"
"Hmmm, but what is normal dear Firecracker?" Orochimaru said with a mirth in his voice as his words stumped her. "Every being on this planet is different, the only alteration between them and myself is that I aim for far greater heights than the average human shuffling around on this Earth."
"Tch, y'wish."
The Sannin merely chuckled in response to her weak reply and it was then that he nodded slightly, the First Hokage slapping his hands together into a seal, sending branches bursting out from the rooftop, swirling around to create a forest within the barrier, attempting to pierce Hiruzen's skin as the vines did so.
"Hokage-sama!" The ANBU captain outside the barrier cried in fear of his leader's life while inside the barrier, blood dripped onto one of the thick branches.
"Don't let your guard down, Sensei~" Orochimaru taunted. "You leave yourself open at times." His smirk widened at the sight of his teacher hidden behind a cage made from Enma's Kongou Nyoi, breathing heavily from exertion.
Kaede hopped up onto one of the branches, as a precaution against any more of Tobirama's Suiton Jutsu. As she landed, she formed the seals needed for her Kasai Suīpu, she'd burn down this forest and the Third with it. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd cause her nemesis some damage as well.
"Katon: Kasai-"
"I couldn't kill him..." Sarutobi interrupted, and Kaede's hands detached slightly in confusion. Of course, when she saw his eyes snap to Orochimaru, she knew he was talking about the time Orochimaru escaped the village. It made sense that the Hokage would be in charge of disposing of such a dangerous criminal and cursed herself for not making that connection earlier. "But I will kill you now, and correct my past mistake!"
Orochimaru's only response to that was to arch his brow and stretch his smirk a little wider.
Hiruzen took hold of the transformed Enma, and with a puff of smoke, the cage vanished, leaving the Kongou Nyoi behind, in its true form. "It's too late!" The Sannin called up. With a nod, the two former Hokage vanished into thin air and Kaede formed the seals for her Jutsu once more.
But the current leader wasn't having it, he put his hands together, fingers pointed up and out like a plus-sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" With that, three solid clones of himself appeared, ready to do battle, despite their weakened state caused by the even split of Chakra between them.
His opponent huffed, watching from a safe distance. "You've shortened your lifespan because of your impatience."
Tobirama and Hashirama stopped on the branch beneath Sarutobi as the older-looking man moved his hands to conjure more signs, each one leading to a jutsu neither Orochimaru nor Kaede would ever forget.
As Hiruzen glanced behind him as if looking at something unseen, Kaede exhaled the heavy breath of fire, and her leader chuckled with a sinister sense of mirth. "It's too late to do anything now." He sneered. "I win. Konoha will perish!"
The old man glared vengefully at Orochimaru as he jumped into the air along with his three clones to avoid the jutsu, but Kaede wasn't going down that easily, she went to form more seals, but Hirzuen was faster due to his experience, and sent a large jet of water towards her.
Panicking at the stream of deadly liquid coming her way, she sent Chakra to her feet and swung so she was hanging upside down on the branch, breathing a sigh of relief as the stream hurtled past where she once was.
"Konoha is my home!" The Professor argued, landing on the highest branch his could in the boxed area while Kaede climbed back onto the top of her standing platform. "The Hokage is the supporter of that home, and shall protect it! He is also the inheritor of Konoha's will and passes that will to another. So, you cannot defeat me so easily!"
The Second Hokage formed seals with his hands and called out in a strong, but emotionless voice. "Genjutsu: Kokuangyou no Jutsu!" And only to Hiruzen's eyes, did the world turn black and void of life.
"What you said is a joke." Orochimaru's voice broke the silence, echoed, making it impossible to pinpoint its location. "You are merely the temporary head of an organization called Konoha."
Kaede watched as Tobirama and Hashirama moved in and attacked the old man, forcing him to do nothing but defend, as he couldn't face his assailants head on. Her mind was absorbing the conversation, listening to every word, as if it was directed at her and her alone.
"Even the carved stones will eventually weather away and decay." The Snake-Eyed shinobi continued.
"The village of Konoha is not just an organization to me! Many Ninjas are born in Konoha every year, and they grow...Live, die and fight as they protect the village." Memories of all the faces he'd seen growing throughout his lifetime flashed before his eyes. "Even if the people in the village are not blood-related...They are all an important...An important family!"
Anger boiled slowly within Kaede's form at his words, envisioning her own family, friends, and comrades as he said those words, and their actions against her without proof, without qualm. What he said wasn't true, a village wasn't a family, it wasn't something to be proud of...
It was a curse, a prison as bad as the one she'd spent ten years trapped within, but her torment was not physical...No, her torment was betrayal.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Then I will break you, it's support, and destroy the house you call Konoha."
The passionate Hokage huffed and wiped the blood from his lip from a blow that had made it through his defenses. "Even if you kill me, the support will not be broken." He stepped forward, snarling with anger and determination. "I am the man who inherited the will of the First and the Second...Konoha's will...The Third Hokage! No matter how much you go after Konohagakure...A new Hokage who has inherited my will shall be the support of this village, and protect Konoha! Isn't that right, Fourth?"
The way he spoke to the Fourth Hokage as if he were alive unnerved Kaede, and both she and her nemesis knew he had something hidden up his sleeve.
Silence passed for a moment. "Orochimaru. I will show you a Jutsu that even you do not know." Sarutobi slapped his hands together, his two fingers, both the index and middle, pointing up as the rest interlocked. "Behold! Fuuinjutsu, Shiki Fuujin!"
The immortal man obsessed with Jutsu narrowed his eyes as he mulled over his words. "I jutsu I don't know...I'll have you show it to me." He raised his hand and Tobirama attacked his former student with a series of strong punches, knocking him back with a jab to the stomach as Hashirama tossed a kunai, which would have hit him dead on if Tobirama hadn't knocked him down, instead it tore his sleeve and slashed his skin open.
"What's the matter?" Orochimaru sneered his tone nothing more than a sly taunt. "Are you planning to die slowly by the hands of your predecessors?"
Hiruzen got to his knees, breathing heavily as he held the wound, which bled profusely, a deep slash that could be terrible if left untreated.
"Please perform that jutsu, quick."
As he said that, the unseen force hiding behind the Hokage mumbled an incantation, something none of his opponents could hear before it raised it's hand and symbols shifted down his skin. Once that was done, it thrust it's hand into Hiruzen's back, forcing him to arch his back and cough up blood due to the pain. "It looks like..." He ground out, slumping forward a little, trying to keep his footing as his body weakened. "I was just in time."
"What's the matter?" The Sannin continued, slapping his hands together, ready to fight. Kaede stood in her battle stance waiting for the moment she could join the fray, the First and Second pretty much had him covered right now. "You're already stumbling..."
Hirzuen nodded and two of the three clones moved quickly, this made everyone in the area tense up, ready to strike. The two on the ground found their targets and held on with all their might. Confusion shot between Orochimaru and Kaede, the only two who weren't affected as the two clones' shirts tore and the jutsu Tobirama cast faded away for no known reason, the Sannin's puppets now immobile.
"What the hell's going on?!" Kaede shouted down as the Otokage watched without a word, no longer smirking, he too had no answer. Was this the Jutsu he'd never seen?
'The darkness has disappeared...' He thought with narrowed eyes. 'What's this jutsu?'
It was then that the third clone jumped into the air towards Kaede, a look in his eyes that frightened even her, he was willing to die to catch her. "Crap!" She ground her teeth and jumped off the branch, keeping some distance between them, but the clone kept coming.
She swiped her hand down, a kunai she kept in her sleeve falling into her hand, she then tossed it at the clone, who took it to the chest, and still kept coming. The redhead landed on the ground and dove back as Sarutobi's copy dropped before her and lunged to grab her.
"Orochimaru! An explanation would be nice!" She called out at the confused Sannin as she formed seals and shot a fireball at her opponent, who used Shunshin to avoid it, appearing behind her. She spun around with a gasp, just in time for him to take both of her shoulders, and she was frozen in place only a second after she jerked her torso, trying to escape.
"Sorry...Sarutobi..." Hashirama forced out, startling Orochimaru, they shouldn't be able to have intelligent conversations with the kunai he implanted into their brains.
"We caused you trouble..." Tobirama continued.
The two turned brown, before disintegrating into dust, leaving the corpses of Kin and Zaku behind, almost fully buried in the debris. "Your own subordinates...!" The original Hiruzen started, tears streaming down his cheeks as he glared at Orochimaru. "Even going so far as to toy with the lives of your own subordinates...!"
"Subordinates lives?" The Sannin sneered. "Stop this endless nonsense!"
"Didn't these kids believe in you?" The two shadow clones who had taken the souls of Hashirama and Tobirama vanished from their weakened state, and the original held out his hand. "Come, Enma!" The speed in which the Diamond Pole shot over was incredible, and Hiruzen took it with a look of undying determination.
He planned to perish for this village, and that shook Orochimaru to his core. "Kaede!" He hissed out, looking in her direction. "Stop dawdling and do what you're commanded to!"
Kaede was only half-listening at this point, unable to see the Shinigami behind the Hokage, since her back was to the original, however she could feel it's presence, she knew something was there, something malicious, and what frightened her the most was the sight of her own soul, infused with her chakra, slowly appearing from within her chest. "What the hell?!" She ground her teeth and tried to move, but her body was frozen in place, all she could do was pull with her Chakra to keep her spirit from being torn from her body.
"Kaede!"
"I'm busy, y'asshole! I can't move!"
Sarutobi jumped down, aiming the pole above his head, a downward strike powered by his fall. Orochimaru quickly tore the sword from the ground and blocked the blow with it, doing the same when the older man landed and the two exchanged blows until the Professor jumped back to avoid a slash of the Kusanagi blade. The pale student spun to add force to his next attack, but his teacher foresaw it, slamming the Kongou Nyoi into the metal of the sword, sending it flying into the air.
As Orochimaru recovers from the sudden attack, his sensei jumped into the air and landed behind him, stretching his weapon towards him, ready to slam it into the back of his head with bone-breaking force. "You're mine!" Enma, knowing it was their chance, pushed his arm out of the weapon, to grab the pale, snake-eyed, criminal's neck, but he wasn't bested so easily and shot out his own hand.
"Seneijashu!" Several large snakes shot out of the Sannin's sleeve and wrapped around the diamond pole, halting its approach.
"Damn it!" Enma snarled. "You little...!"
But that moment was when Orochimaru's plans crumbled, as Sarutobi took this opportunity to appear before his former student, grabbing him in a way that would make it difficult to escape. "It's over!" He hissed out, face inches from the Otokage's own, eyes locked, one set shocked, while the other was flooded with emotion and conviction.
Something pushed its way into the villain's abdomen, and he froze in place, trapped, just as Kaede was. 'What is this sensation?!' He thought as a shudder went through his trembling form. 'This is bad!'
"Kaede!" He snapped, looking over at her without moving his head. "Attack Sarutobi-sensei! Do your duty!"
"Would y'shut up?!" Kaede shouted back, squeezing her eyes shut as her soul moved out a little more, only to be pulled back again. "What you're feeling now is what I'm feeling! I can't move at all!"
"Tch! Useless fool! I should have disposed of you the moment you failed as an experiment!"
"Oh, sorry for being trapped you ungrateful bastard!"
Orochimaru knew he had no choice but to fight this battle alone, and turned his hand so his palm was facing up, pulling it back with two fingers open, which in turn, forced the Kusanagi sword to shift, before it lifted into the air.
"Die!" Both of them cried out as the sword shot towards Hiruzen as Orochimaru's soul began to appear from his body. Enma saw the weapon move and transformed back into himself, struggling to crawl forward to stop the blade with the snakes wrapped around his waist and legs.
Blood sprayed through the air as the sword was grasped by Enma, his skin cut open from the sharp steel, but that wasn't it, though he had got there in time and directed it's assault to a less lethal area, the sword still stabbed into Hiruzen, now poking through his chest, in view of the old man himself.
Orochimaru's tremors intensified. "Why...Didn't you dodge?" He asked, expression warped with discomfort, confusion, and irritation.
The spiritual hand grasping Orochimaru's soul started pulling again as Enma cursed from his slow reaction, but the Hokage was smiling, triumphant in capturing his former student, at least. "Fuuinjutsu, Shiki Fuujin...This jutsu, in exchange for its effectiveness...One's own soul is handed over to the Shinigami. It's a jutsu that costs you your life..."
"What?!" Kaede interrupted, hissing as the sheer cold surrounding her intensified as her energy lowered and the soul was pulled further. Her Chakra would run out at this rate, and she would die. "So y'gave up your life t'kill him?!"
Orochimaru raised his hands to form a seal, but nothing happened. 'My jutsu won't activate...'
Sarutobi's smile widened. "There's no need to dodge...I will die anyway. At the time the Fuuinjutsu ends, my soul will also be devoured. It's the jutsu of the hero who once saved this village." His eyes narrowed. "You will also die by this jutsu!"
"So this is the jutsu that sealed away the Kyuubi, hm?!" Sweat slid down Orochimaru's brow as he spoke.
"And now your soul will be dragged out...and sealed!"
The Sannin tried to move, but only achieved in jerking forward slightly. 'My body...Won't listen to what I say!'
The blue silhouette that made up his spirit was pulled out further and Hirzuen gasped as he did his best to stay conscious and finish this fight. "You'll probably be able to see it soon. Since your soul is already halfway out of your body. Those who have their souls sealed by this jutsu will suffer inside the belly of the Shinigami for all eternity and will never attain peace..."
The intense anger in Orochimaru's eyes moved to his expression, which warped and crinkled with a desire to end his teacher's life more now than ever.
"Those who do the sealing and are sealed have their souls intertwined, and will hate each other and continue to battle for eternity!"
The being behind the sacrificed man moved, alerting the Sannin of his presence. "What...?" It pulled out the knife between its teeth and licked its thin lips with its slimy tongue as the souls within its stomach emerged for a moment, wailing with a desire to be free.
Just the sound alone sent Kaede into a fit of hysteric rasps and drenched her forehead in sweat. "I ain't dying here! I ain't going out like this after everything I've been through!" She ground her teeth and managed to move her hands, grabbing the clone's shoulders, glaring him in the eyes as she succeeded in pulling a majority of her soul back into her body, even if it was only temporary.
'I won't go out without a fight, I fought t'get to a Jounin Rank...I fought t'escape that hellhole Snake Eyes damned me to and I'll fight t'get out of this! Until that asshole dies by my hands, I ain't going t'die!'
The reaper poised his blade and slashed at the two souls, releasing them, only to consume them once again, sending a chilling fear down Orochimaru's spine. 'This is...The Shinigami?!"
Something in him snapped, and he roared in Hiruzen's ear, not caring that there was no distance between them. "Knock it off! You senile, old fool! I won't let you do as you like!" He crooked his fingers and the blade Enma had tight hold of began to move, burying deeper into the Professor's chest. With every motion of his fingers, his soul moved back into his body, inch by inch.
Both sides breathed heavily, their energies weakened at the constant back and forth, as were the energies of the two others caught in the same predicament. "Hurry up and...Die!" Orochimaru hissed out.
The four kept up this strenuous act without speaking for a few moments, and it was apparent the real Hiruzen didn't have the strength to take Orochimaru's soul, nor did his clone. However until the jutsu was forced to end, she was trapped within his grasp.
'Isn't there something I can do t'get out of this?!' She thought as she coughed from the exertion, her soul no longer moving, but still not far enough in for her to regain her strength. 'If Ninjutsu doesn't work, what else can I do?!'
Then it clicked and her eyes widened. Anger! If she got angry, her body would ignite against her will, it would burn the clone and cancel out its solid form. But if she was aware of this fact, getting angry would be a difficult task. 'Crap! Think of something that'll piss y'off!'
While she did that, Orochimaru smirked at the sight of Sarutobi's struggle. 'You probably could've killed me if you were ten years younger.' He moved his fingers again and the blade dug into him so far that the poor man had to cough up blood to breathe.
"Sarutobi!" Enma hissed out, exhausted and weak from the blood loss. "If you don't kill him now, the village is doomed! Do you understand?!"
"I...Understand!" The Professor managed to say as he let out a roar, both him and his clone gaining a burst of strength, both souls moving further away from their bodies.
Kaede made a noise of pain, grasping the clone's shoulders tighter to fight the agonizing sensation, as Orochimaru made the same noise. 'Useless...Old man..." He ground out, looking up at the Shinigami which had its hair wrapped around the silhouette of Chakra shaped like his teacher. "Hurry up and die and rest in peace. You old geezer!"
"I already told you..." The 'old geezer' countered. "That you will die, too!"
"You...!" The Sannin used his Chakra to move the sword once again, which made Enma wince, as his hand slipped slightly and his skin tore further against the extremely sharp weapon. "Get your hands off me, you fool!"
"No! I will never let go...Until I extract your soul!"
The snake-eyed shinobi looked up again and watched the demonic creature slip it's blade back into its mouth. Unsettled by the sight, he grits his teeth. 'At this rate...'
The former Suna Kunoichi panted hard as she felt her vision blurring from exhaustion, her soul moving further away, it was still pretty even, but moving more towards Sarutobi now. 'I can't...Keep doing this!' For some annoying reason she was sure most humans shared, when she tried to make herself angry intentionally, she couldn't. It was a huge pain in the ass, and if she got out of here, she'd figure out some way to control it.
Orochimaru looked down at the soul that was being pulled from his body and he trembled hard as his mouth opened in silent fear, before he let out a blood-curdling scream. This woke Kaede up a little, as she looked at him from the corner of her eye, both orbs widened at the sound. She'd never seen him fear anything, and though she didn't want to admit it, his terror made her own skyrocket.
But the man himself shook off that fear after mere moments, masking it behind mocking and arrogance. "You sure are persistent...Sarutobi-sensei." He crooked his fingers, but the sword didn't budge any further, was he out of Chakra? 'It's not moving...' His lip curled into a snarl. "You half-dead duo!"
"You still don't understand, Orochimaru?" The half-dead Hokage asked. "The village of Konoha is my home."
Kaede's ears pricked.
"And I am its foundation!"
Orochimaru huffed mockingly. "That's why I said that I will destroy that foundation!"
"As long as the villagers are fighting to protect their important comrades...The foundation of Konoha cannot be destroyed by you!"
"I don't know about that."
Hiruzen made a noise of irritation. "Do not underestimate a Hokage!"
With the constant tug of war between Orochimaru and his teacher, the hand had shifted its grip from the chest of the soul to the arms, and Orochimaru could see that, disturbed by the sight of his own spirit. "This can't be...How are you...? You shouldn't have any Chakra left."
"Chakra and Ninjutsu aren't the only things that determine strength." The old, half-dead man countered, smirking away as he did so.
The Sannin grunted with aggravation and looked down at the soul's arms. 'My arms are still being held. I cannot use any jutsu...' He glanced over at Kaede. "Kaede, can you use your jutsu?!"
"I can barely move t'look at you! What does that tell you?!"
"Tch!" He smirked as he looked calmly into his teacher's eyes. "Can you please let go now?" He moved his arm back and the blade dug deeper into his opponent's chest cavity.
However, Sarutobi wasn't going to let that stop him. "I won't let the village fall victim to your ambition!"
Kaede growled slightly, her soul moving closer to her as irritation set in and her skin glowed ever so slightly. 'Village this, village that...Does this guy ever talk 'bout anything else?!'
"No one can stop my ambition!" Orochimaru countered. "You're going to die here! Or are you saying that an old man like you, Third Hokage...Has the power to stop me?"
Hiruzen grunted from the pain.
"Do you really understand the situation right now?" The Sannin continued. "This village is being attacked by my men and ninja from Sunagakure." He smirked in triumph as pain delved deep into his former sensei's eyes. "Your people...The Konoha Ninja will die, along with the women and children! The destruction of Konoha will succeed!"
A malicious laugh filled the barricaded battle-ground and Sarutobi said nothing, he just glared at his old student as if he had become a vile lump of trash that needed to be destroyed.
"You still do not understand...Orochimaru?" The Professor asked, halting the man's laughter. "Do not underestimate the ninja of this village! The ninja of Konoha will fight with their lives to protect the village."
'Shut up.' Kaede thought, her skin sparking as she continued to see images of her time in her own village, of all the wonderful memories.
"You will not obtain true strength in this world, even if you master every jutsu...I have taught you before...That when you protect something important to you...A shinobi's true strength will manifest!"
'Shut up!' Those memories turned dark as she lost her beloved to his work addiction, then her place in the village upon her return ten years down the line. The pain and anguish melded together with the anger and she let out a sharp snarl. Her skin sparked brighter and brighter and finally, she burst into flames.
The clone holding onto her cried out and let go, the jutsu keeping her in place failing as the Shinigami's hand retracted and her soul slotted back into her body before said clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. But the redhead wasn't done, she spun with wide, rage-filled eyes and pulled a kunai from her sleeve, before she rushed at Orochimaru and Hiruzen, crying out, venting the emotions she felt.
Blood spilt from the old man's mouth as Kaede forced her way between them and buried her dagger deep into his heart, causing blood to completely fill his mouth, choking him from the inside as he spat it up so he could breathe. The two locked eyes, and the lack of emotion, the lack of empathy in them was frightening and so very familiar. "Sorry old man..." She said, lacking remorse. "But I think that's enough crap out of you..."
Hiruzen coughed up more blood, thicker than before with the amount and Kaede's flames died down, her anger fading away as the gravity of the situation set in. She tore the kunai from his chest, hearing his cries of pain as she stepped back and waited for him to die. Searing agony set in for the redhead and she swayed, dropping to her knees, her Oto uniform fused to her flesh in places her underclothes didn't protect as her skin cracked and bled, burnt and scarred from yet another battle.
With his last few breaths, he spoke. "It looks like I don't have the time, or power, to drag out all of your soul..." To prove his point, the soul he had been dragging was slowly inching back into the Sannin's body, thanks to Kaede's sudden attack. "However your ambition ends here!"
"It's not over yet!" Orochimaru snapped. "My ambition will not end yet!"
"I will hand down your punishment for drowning yourself in jutsu. I will take away all the jutsu you have!"
"What did you say?!" The snake-eyed shinobi glanced down at his subordinate. "Kaede, finish him! Now!"
With a grunt, the woman tried to get to her feet, her body trembling as she forced herself up. However it was no use, her vision blurred and she dropped down onto her stomach, gasping hard. 'Dammit, I used up all my Chakra trying t'keep that damn clone from killing me!'
With the last of his strength, Sarutobi let out a war cry and the spirit's arms were pulled out as far as he could get them before the Shinigami pulled its dagger from its mouth and rose it above its head. Orochimaru's face would have drained of any color if it wasn't almost pure white, to begin with. "Are you...?" Panic set in and he screamed. "Stop!"
But it was too late, the blade swung down and the arms were sliced off by the shoulders, separating the two shinobi from their death stance. "Fuuin!" The Third Hokage roared as the arms were sealed within his stomach using the same markings as the jutsu that kept the Kyuubi sealed within Naruto.
The weakened Sannin raised his arms, and watched in horror as the once pale, white skin, turned a rotting grey. "M-my hands..."
"Now you cannot use your arms anymore..." He swayed, eyes blurring as the loss of blood and the staggering, wounded heart took effect. "Since you cannot use your arms, you will not be able to form any more seals. You can no longer use any Ninjutsu!"
Orochimaru's arms dropped to his sides, all he could feel was a blinding pain with each twitch of his numb fingers.
"The destruction of Konoha has failed!"
The Shinigami absorbed the flickering soul that was offered in exchange for the sealing, and the Hokage smiled as his eyes slowly rolled back, his vision failing.
"You old geezer!" The Snake-Eyed Sannin snarled. "Give back my arms!"
"You are a fool, Orochimaru..." His words were soft, peaceful, he had accepted his death. "I regret that we cannot die together, idiot apprentice." The Shinigami finished eating his soul. "Let us meet in the other world."
"You near-dead geezer! How dare you...How dare you take my jutsu!"
The old man's eyes slipped shut, but not before the image of the raging Orochimaru before him warped into his young counterpart, an innocent child who had yet to acquire the malicious desires he held today. Kaede watched silently as he fell back and landed on his side, one last breath leaving his lungs before he died with a peaceful smile on his face.
While the surviving man stared down at his useless limbs, Enma crawled over to Hiruzen. "Sarutobi...At the very least, this sword..." He reached out and took it with his bloody hand, removing it from the corpse of his comrade. After a moment of silence in respect, Enma closed his eyes and vanished into thin air, like all summons do once the fight is over.
The Sannin remained silent for another moment while Kaede kept trying to get back up, eventually getting enough strength to stand up, but not straight, swaying back and forth as Orochimaru perspired from the pain. "It feels like my arms are burning..."
"Orochimaru-sama!" One of the Sound Four called out, the one with two heads.
"This is where we call off our plan...Release the barrier. We'll head back." The leader's lack of resolve, the anger, and defeat hidden behind his hair, deep in his eyes, would have upset anyone who respected him. It should have given the redheaded kunoichi a sense of satisfaction, but it didn't...Instead, she just felt a numb sensation, as if everything she'd done in the past hour had happened to someone else, and she was just watching it from their eyes.
"Yes, sir!" The four Fuuin experts called back. "Kai!" The barrier surrounding the roof dissipated, fading away like dust in the air and two of the Sound Four took Orochimaru by each of the arms, while the large one with patchy red hair supported Kaede against his shoulder. The group jumped into the sky and made their escape from the dark scene below, a blood-soaked battleground that had been decimated.
But it wasn't that easy, the ANBU who had been watching the fight made chase, but the Oto shinobi with six arms got in their way, tangling them in a sticky web. While the Konoha shinobi hit the tiled roof with a thump, they upped their speed and vanished without a trace.
As they made their way out of Konoha's territory and towards their own, Kaede remained silent, staring down at the ground whizzing past, no emotion registering on her face. She had just killed the Hokage in cold-blood, for a selfish goal that she may not ever achieve, but instead of feeling sorrow or remorse for her actions, her mind processed the good this did towards her ambitions.
She had openly assisted in killing Sarutobi Hiruzen, therefore she had made excellent progress towards gaining Orochimaru's trust, which in turn would make it easier for him to lower his guard around her, and grant her the perfect opportunity for her to strike.
She closed her eyes, her expression finally warping into a slight sense of regret as her heart became heavy. Despite the positives, she had killed a man who had shown her deep respect, who had told her she had potential. It was bound to hurt a little bit.
Kabuto soon appeared and took over the Sound's job of taking Orochimaru back. Three of them vanished while one remained to help the S-rank kunoichi move. Both raised their hands and used Shunshin to speed up the process, landing outside of their underground hideout.
"I'm fine now." The Ninjutsu Expert told her support with a dull tone. He nodded and let go, before disappearing himself to do his duties. Kaede took this opportunity to head inside before Orochimaru and Kabuto, using the wall for support as the pain and burnt flesh made it hard to stay conscious.
All she wanted to do right now was sleep, despite her injuries, despite her actions, she just wanted to forget the world for a little while. As she neared her room, she could hear Kabuto trying to calm Orochimaru, who was now openly venting his anger on anyone and anything in his path. Rolling her eyes, she went inside and closed the door, leaning against it, only to flinch away from the surface with a hiss when it made contact with her raw cloth-fused skin.
She stood in the middle of the room, looking down at her bloody, burnt feet, her expression empty once again, but her eyes filled to the brim with accusation and guilt. 'I killed a man who was just trying to protect his home...And for what...? An empty sense of peace? Revenge that won't bring back my standing in Suna?'
Those words reminded her of her village, she imagined everyone welcoming her with open arms, but she knew it was a hollow dream with no real future. This dark, depressing thought actually brought a sinister grin to her lips and she huffed, running her fingers through her fringe as her shoulders shook with an empty laugh.
'What's the point in thinking about that now?' She asked herself, tears pooling in those grief-stricken eyes. 'Once I kill him with my own two hands, I can think about what happens next...I live t'kill that bastard, no matter how many obstacles I have to topple t'get to that moment...'
The grief left her eyes and once her tears dried only bloodlust remained. Her mind returned to Sarutobi once more, but this time she didn't feel regret, only a cold sense of detachment.
'That old man was a hurdle...And I will win this race!'
And with that, she squashed any remaining thoughts of her actions and went into the bathroom to self-remedy her burns. As she left the room, so did her morality, all that remained was a dark sense of purpose, a selfish goal she had every intention of seeing through to the end.
No matter what.
A/N: Please Read and Review, all comments made on my stories help me become a better writer! I read them all!
Japanese = English
(How many jutsu do they need to use?!)
Ninpou: Shishi Enjin = Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation
Ninpou: Kawara Shuriken = Ninja Art: Roof Tile Shuriken
Seneijashu = Hidden Shadow Snake Hands
Doton: Doryuu Taiga = Earth Release: Earth Flow River
Doton: Doryuudan = Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet
Katon: Karyuudan = Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet
Shuriken Kagebunshin no Jutsu = Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique
Kuchiyose, Edo Tensei = Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation
Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Ninja Art: Summoning Technique
Futon: Renkudan = Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet
Katon: Karyuu Endan = Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet
Katon: Kasai Suīpu = Fire Release: Fire Sweep
Suiton: Suijinheki = Water Release: Water Formation Wall
Suiton: Suishouha = Water Release: Water Colliding Wave
Doton: Doryuuheki = Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall
Mokuton: Hijutsu Jukai Koutan = Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees
Kongou Nyoi = Diamond Pole
Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu = Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique
Fuuton: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Fushi Tensei = Living Corpse Reanimation
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique
Genjutsu: Kokuangyou no Jutsu = Illusionary Technique: Journey into Black Darkness Technique
Fuuinjutsu, Shiki Fuujin = Sealing Technique: Dead Demon Seal
