Chapter twenty-four: Inheritors part 1
Kiba woke up, a feeling of heaviness taking over him as he got up to sit. He felt his head spinning as if everything was hazy. He looked around, holding his head.
He had blacked out, what had exactly happened? One moment he was standing before Yaiba, the next, he was in unimaginable pain.
"I see you're awake. You've been out for three days."
Kiba looked around, he was still within what he would call as a shrine to the Chikuseki no Buso, a relic carried even before the era of the warring clans. Kiba groaned at this, he couldn't remember what happened.
"Somebody got that bull that ran me over? Fucking hell this hurts." Kiba swore he noticed his left arm, his sleeves were now with a written kanji of the word 'blade' near the elbow like a tattoo. Strange…
Did somebody spike his water or something? Bewildered, the youngest Inuzuka looked around and noticed Akamaru was resting near the dais, wearing what he could tell was some light-weighted armor and a pair of greaves on his partner's forearms. They were sleek and metallic, possibly steel, but they covered the forelegs enough that Akamaru's movements wouldn't be hindered but provided some form of protection still. That and he noted that Akamaru suddenly got bigger. About as big as the Inugami but not enough to reach the size of Yaiba, who was about the size of a small horse.
"Young Akamaru had managed to bond with Chikuseki no Buso and as a result, a weapon was given to him." Yaiba answered with a smirk. Kiba shook his head to snap himself out of his daze and the Inugami patriarch laughed.
"That's right, pup, sharpen your senses. You are now the official warrior of the Inugami."
"What?" Kiba asked in confusion as Yaiba answered him, "You see, the way that we work with our summoner is different from most of the other summons. You can summon us and also, make a replica of our weapons with you with the help of Chikuseki no Buso. The orb provides weapons for us and in due time, if you have endured enough, you will be recognized by the orb as worthy and obtain your own weapon as well."
Yaiba then shuffled for a second and tossed the sheathed blade at his left side upwards as he caught the blade by its handle.
"Each weapon is unique to us when we apply chakra to it. My weapon lets me conceal my presence to a point that I can become hidden from all senses. This blade is silent and when swung. It does not vibrate in the air to make a sound. With this, even the sound of your breath vanishes and your footsteps concealed. It's why I call this Musei Setsudan-ki (Silent Cutting Machine)."
Kiba whistled as he eagerly asked, "So how do I do that?"
Yaiba grinned as he tossed the blade upwards with practiced ease and caught it with the sheathe and safely locked the blade.
"It's easy, just draw some blood and smear it on your forearm to where the character of the weapon is and call upon it on your arm, the jutsu is called, Migi Buso: Yaiba (Left arm Armament: Blade)."
Kiba did as he was instructed, he bit his thumb right thumb and smeared his blood on to the character and flicked his left hand.
"Migi Buso: Yaiba (Left arm Armament: Blade)"
In a poof of smoke, an exact copy of Yaiba's blade appeared in his hands. Kiba had not exactly noticed earlier, but the Inuzuka soon appreciated the blade in his hand. It was almost silver in color on the blade itself a single edged slender looking blade. The blade was about six inches in length that was straight in its shape unlike those of a wakizashi. Going to the base, Kiba noted a metal ring formed just below the blade itself and downwards to the handle, he noted that it was made of very sturdy wood, smoothened out very well that no splinters could ever harm his hand.
"I've only noticed it now, but Yaiba-san, your knife is pretty well made." Kiba mentioned as he held the weapon higher and testing out its use. Despite the ring, it seemed sturdy enough to withstand almost anything.
"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way, pup." Yaiba then went towards the resting Akamaru and gently woke the ninken.
"I suppose this is where your training shall end for now."
The inugami then pointed its snout towards another part of the tree just beyond the stone dais of the Chikuseki no Buso.
"Take that scroll, write your blood in it as our contract and set off back home. Your clan must be starting to grow weary of your absence. There's also some robes for you to wear before you get back. Well, more like pelts, they are made from the hides of the animals you have participated in hunting. It is a symbol of our pact."
Akamaru then stood up and yipped as he wagged his tail for Kiba.
This pilgrimage thing was definitely worth it.
Konoha:
Nara Shikamaru, chuunin and budding tactical advisor, was quietly finishing his paperwork for the day and was about to head out. It had been a while since he had finished early and noticed that he was getting faster and faster in managing his time in the office. He had no idea how much paperwork was involved upon being a chuunin and working at the administration of Konoha's central command while his peers were sent throughout the field. He could still do missions, but Shikaku had him here more often than not. His idle time was spent here looking at papers, coordinating with logistics, sometimes assigning missions to different teams.
It turned out that it was just as hectic here as it was when on missions but at least field work definitely did not have the grinding insanity of monotony.
He sighed as he did some neck stretches. He didn't know why his father had recommended him to start work here immediately but he had a guess. As he observed that his processing information and deductive reasoning had gotten better and that his decision making ability had been quicker as of late.
He had noticed it during in his missions too. He only needed to read a mission briefing was and before any encounters if there ever was one, had already formulated a plan just in case.
He had noticed his shogi matches with his father were getting longer too. Back then it only took Shikaku merely half an hour to beat his son. But now, it took Shikaku an hour and a half to finally dismantle his strategy. He didn't look like an upstart now.
"Finished already?" Speaking of the devil
Shikamaru turned around and saw his old man with a smile on his face and two scrolls in his hands. Shikamaru nodded.
"I am. It only took me two hours to finish this much work now. I'm surprised by myself of how much work I got done and not just go out and sleep under a tree to laze around. The weather is perfect for it too."
Shikaku chuckled, "You and me both, son."
Shikaku then handed Shikamaru one of the scrolls in his hands as he then proceeded to his own desk. He knew Shikamaru was lying to stay in character. He had noticed him training on the free time that he had, not only just lazing around. It was a fact that his unmotivated child did not like training at all, but after the events that had transpired and learning to grow a little, Shikamaru was forced to realize that there are things that he simply just couldn't ignore.
His mind would waste if he did not improve and it was why Shikaku had to be subtle in helping his son improve in the smallest of ways. It was why he was assigned in the administrative affairs and logistics coordination within the village to train Shikamaru and familiarize himself with a much more pro-active approach in planning. It was no secret that sifting through information and organizing it to come up with a concrete strategy is a monumental task and Shikamaru, being a promising tactician and strategist, would inevitably be held responsible in that regard as part of Tsunade's plan for the foreseeable future and beyond after Shikaku's retirement.
In fact, she was relying on Shikaku to implement this part of their long term strategy. They cannot have a repeat of lacking shinobi in the face of crisis after crisis as it did starting at the Kyuubi's attack all the way up to the invasion and the appearance of Akatsuki in their borders just a few years prior.
In this regard, Shikaku had realized, even under prosperity, even with the guidance of their longest reigning kage, Konoha had lost many prodigious shinobi untimely due to certain events and that war was never far from their doorstep. Shikaku didn't want to admit it, but Danzo was right on that front. But his methods and his organization were problematic in accordance with diplomacy. Being a militarized village, no matter how powerful, peace should always be the first option because war was a drain on resources.
It was why Konoha redoubled their efforts, stricter training methods were applied, reformed curriculums and retraining shinobi became the first priority in Tsunade's reign and the results speak for themselves.
The Jounin received a new member in their ranks, courtesy of Hyuuga Neji, the genius of the Hyuuga clan. A branch member that had the talent to learn their clan jutsu uninstructed was such a curve ball that it threw everyone for a loop, destroying all preconceived notions of the branch family as nothing more than meat shields for the main family.
The ANBU had received a boon in Uchiha Sasuke, a budding talent the likes of which would be seen only once in a generation. His skill and prowess already propelling him high through the ranks, with Tsunade and the rest of the council considering him ready to be jounin in a short amount of time.
The medics got Haruno Sakura, a clan less kunoichi who hailed from simple merchants with a mind that was as gifted as Senju Tsunade herself. A practical genius in medicine that was starting to make waves in the village. Tsunade had nothing but praise for her student who ate her lectures so quick that she only needs to explain a theory once and a scroll for the details and Sakura can train with almost unneeded supervision.
And from what he could gather, specialists were receiving more applicants and passing them without ever lowering their standards as well. The intelligence division has reported of Inoichi having put his daughter under his wing while also learning from the medic division and also Anko having to teach Inoichi's daughter the ropes inside their unit along with Ibiki. It made Ino queasy at first, but eventually found her talents of the mind as something else. So much so that Kurenai, their premiere genjutsu specialist, took interest as well.
From the letters that Shikaku could gather and with help of the cryptologists, Jiraiya's coded messages had also revealed another budding talent that made all of the adult shinobi excited too. Uzumaki Naruto was reported to show an ungodly amount of talent in Fuinjutsu who tested theories more often than not that most of the seals that Jiraiya were reporting were not only unorthodox, but extremely innovative as well, able to function not just for containment but for different purposes as well. The boy was nothing but full of surprises, whatever measuring stick that they had for him did not simply keep up.
Somehow, that cloud of uncertainty that loomed over Konoha's future started drifting away. Shikaku smiled, this new generation was blazing a trail for the future. He had never seen so much talent in just one group. Shikaku was happy to say the least that the future had never looked brighter. Maybe he and the rest of the adults were flawed, but the nurture of their future was turning out better than what they have been.
'This was what the Sandaime wanted to see.'
Or perhaps, Hiruzen already saw it and he was happy just to get a glimpse of that potential and that he died knowing that these new leaves will be the foundation that will keep the village strong.
"Dad, is there something you want me to do?" Shikamaru asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts as he looked at his son and then back to his desk, two scrolls still there on top of his table, unopened.
"Right, I want you to take one of these scrolls." Shikaku handed one over to Shikamaru. His son accepted the scroll
"This contains a list of theories concerning our specialty. Shadow manipulation techniques aren't flashy and there's no need for it to be, but it's nice to have options for better survivability. How goes your Doton training and your training with Raido?"
Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at this, "It's fine, learning doton isn't such a pain as I anticipated but Raido-sensei's training with that black sword can be grueling at times."
Shikamaru, as a present for passing the chuunin exams for the first time, was gifted with a short sword courtesy of Asuma, his Jounin-sensei and a weapon specialist. The son of the Sandaime was kind enough to endorse him to Raido, another weapon specialist, a master of the black sword style that emphasized on sneak attacks and disabling poison that can go by unnoticed. It was one of the reasons why he was assigned as one of the Fourth Hokage's bodyguards and due to Shikamaru being groomed as one of the people privy to the Hokage's work, it seemed fit for Shikamaru to be trained by Raido.
Shikaku had to admit, Shikamaru barely needed guidance to advance his ability to execute his jutsu, but the complements that Shikamaru had put to his shadow based jutsu made him more dangerous.
A shadow user that can extend his range by manipulating the earth beneath him and performing sneak attacks with near undetectable skill laced with poison? Add that to Asuma's report of Shikamaru's quiet soundless and quick Sunshin ability? That's a skillset that anybody should fear, it was like Shikamaru was built with assassination in mind.
"You're going to train, right? Do mind the jutsu you try to come up with. I bought you a journal at home, at least try to write down your progress. Maybe the theories the scroll presents you can become proven."
Shikamaru nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."
With that, Shikamaru was off.
Shikaku never then opened the remaining scroll.
A few silent seconds came by and the man stood up and went running to the Hokage's office.
Fire Country border:
"Man, border duty can be so boring! Hey Shino, can you tell me some really exciting stories from your village?" A tan girl asked from behind as Shino had been walking with hands in his pockets. Shino seemed a bit irritated of this girl inwardly, but he didn't seem to mind her presence. She reminded him of Kiba, only a girl version of him, though.
It had been three days since he had performed his first Kuchiyose no Jutsu and in that three days, Shino was beginning to think that summoning was not worth the headache. It took him three hours of wasted time just convincing that red beetle of his credentials as a member of the Aburame clan and three hours more just to learn how much chakra he was going to need in summoning the rest of the beetle's clansmen.
It all sounded so horrendously annoying that the red beetle kept shouting in his ear like an annoying pet, that it agitated even his colony.
On the plus side, perhaps he made a friend? He couldn't tell. Fuu was an excitable person and it may be due ruse to get him to trust her. But it was never a negative to know a person for him.
"Fuu! Where the hell have you been!? What are you doing on that side of the border!?" A voice had called out.
Fuu, who had been happily looking around as Shino walked suddenly look elated and waved, "Shibuki! How are ya'? What took you guys so long?"
Shino stopped for a second. Where had he heard that name before?
He looked back and saw a boy probably a bit older than him, with long black hair reaching to the nape of his neck, wearing some dull red clothing and some leather braces for his torso and arms and grey pants, the insignia of Takigakure no Sato was etched on his forehead protector.
"I decided to wander around and meet new people." Fuu grinned and pointed to the Konoha shinobi in front of her.
"Konoha shinobi?" Shibuki asked, raising an eyebrow, Shino could detect no hostility in his voice and then turned around.
"I am Aburame Shino of the Aburame clan, I was sent here to do border patrol duty by the Hokage. Fuu-san has been accompanying me for three days hiding and sleeping in the woods at night and meeting with me during the day. She's been with me these three days and has been informing me that she was keeping in touch. I suppose she's been lying about that if you have been searching for her all this time." Shino said as he adjusted his sunglasses while glaring at Fuu who was looking away and trying to act innocent as if she just lied to his face for three whole days.
Shibuki looked at Fuu with a glare and then back at Shino with a bow.
"I'm sorry for the trouble she has caused you and I thank you for taking care of her."
He then grabbed Fuu by the head and forced her to bow as well at Shino.
"There is no problem. Fuu has been quite friendly and she has been behaving well enough. Although I would advise trying to keep an eye on her from now on, she can be quite flighty. She may cause an incident we do not want on both our villages if she's not careful."
Fuu seemed to pout at this as Shibuki nodded with a smile, "It's the second time we have been helped by Konoha Shinobi. My thanks for your hospitality and indulging my subordinate."
Shino gave a nod as Shibuki then began lecturing Fuu, "I let you go and be out for just one mission and you go running of on your own!"
Fuu flinched at this but replied, "It's not like the guys you tried to lump me with were friendly! They ignored me the whole way and they kept acting like I didn't matter!"
Shibuki shook his head at this, "I'm sorry about that, but you need to understand your place too, Fuu! You're an important part of our village, we can't just let you go whenever you want to! Not when I just received news of Akatsuki!"
Shino stopped at this, "Akatsuki?"
Shibuki seemed to stop at this as well, he turned to Shino and said, "We may be on friendly terms, Shino-san. But Akatsuki is business meant for our village, we hope you understand."
Shino, knowing what the Akatsuki were after, merely feigned ignorance. He nodded. It was safe to assume that Fuu was something of a target for the mysterious organization in the same vein Naruto was, a jinchuuriki, he concluded.
'It is better that I stay low and do not make any more moves to press for information. Fuu will be safer knowing that she assumes that I know nothing.'
Information like this are supposed to be secret. So in order not to cause any more problems, Shino had to walk away.
"I will not press for further information."
Fuu turned to Shino looking down and looking apologetic, or rather, seemingly sad, "I'm sorry, Shino, I lied because I just didn't want to go back yet. I just don't want you to hate me for being a little selfish."
Shino gave a nod, "It is of no consequence. If you feel that you need someone to talk to, I will be here for a few more weeks until I get back. If you wish to talk to me, then at least trust your comrades like Shibuki-san and have them support you when you are at the border. It would put all of us at ease knowing you wouldn't try to escape again."
This seemed to cheer Fuu up and smiled at Shino, "Okay!"
Fuu went ahead back to Taki's border as Shibuki bowed once again, "I thank you for that. It seems Fuu desperately wanted someone to talk to, though I can see that you aren't much of a talker yourself, Shino-san."
Shino shook his head, "I only talk when I need to, Shibuki-san, I don't usually need to when someone else can do it for me. Comrades and friends do not need to talk to convey their feelings. Keeping Fuu company is the least I could do."
"Already considering her your friend, Shino-san?" Shibuki asked with a smile, Fuu was a lonely girl most of the time and having friends definitely staved off that loneliness. It helped to have her talk out her emotions even if that person was quiet enough. Just knowing someone was willing to listen was enough for her.
Shino gave a nod, "Despite my nature, I am not averse to having friends. I am used to that seeing as I have comrades who are just as energetic."
Shibuki then asked as he grinned, "So you know Naruto-san, then?"
Shino raised an eyebrow at this, "I suppose."
"Then could you tell him that I said hi? His team was responsible in helping me and my village. I can't thank them enough."
"I will."
With that, Shibuki gave a bow and left the area to give chase to Fuu once again before heading back.
Shino could not help but smile a little. It seems his friends were worth something to fight for too.
Grass Country:
The four Konoha Shinobi and the two Kusa Shinobi had managed to find a path down from the cliffs of the plateau reaching down. By nightfall, they had arrived at the bottom and noted how far up the bridge was from what they were looking at.
Three days had passed from their hiking, they made a small pit stop at the nearby vllage near the path that would take them downwards on the first day and the remaining two days was spent on walking this path downwards and the villagers explained that something or someone had been creeping down at the base of this plateau and was somewhat disturbing the peace. The villagers were a superstitious lot, they were describing the person as a ghost like entity, entering the place and then vanishing like a ghost.
"We'll make camp here. We'll be investigating by tomorrow morning. Sakura, will you take first watch?" Kakashi asked and Sakura nodded as they all began pitching up their tents for the night while Sasuke began looking for firewood.
As night started, Sasuke looked on at the place they were supposed to start the investigation. He could feel something coming out of that cave, something different, as if anything that he might see in that cave would make him uncomfortable and on edge.
'I have to be extra careful tomorrow.'
Before turning in for the night and having his fill of dinner, Sasuke kept staring at the cave, his eyes continued to stare at the opening and held his mother's sword close to him at all times. There was definitely something there. Of what, he wouldn't know, but the feeling was there.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke was brought out of his musings as Sakura stood behind him, he turned to look at his teammate as she spoke, "I'm taking first watch, remember? Get some rest, you'll be taking over once I'm done."
Sasuke nodded wordlessly as he got up but not before looking back at the entrance of the small cave for a second before turning back, Sakura was immediate to notice this, "Is something bothering you?"
"No, I just don't like what I'm feeling from that cave."
Sakura looked on in wonder and then asked, "What makes you think that?"
"Nothing, it's just I…" Sasuke gripped his mother's sword tighter, "I feel a cold wind from that place, as if it's warning me that if I go in there, I might see something I wouldn't like."
Sakura was silent at this as Sasuke walked back to his tent to get some sleep. Sakura glanced at the cave and frowned.
What has put Sasuke on edge? Whatever it is, she had to be on better guard. There was no telling what may happen if even Sasuke was on edge.
'It seems Sasuke-kun has changed a lot since being part of this team.'
She observed, a smile slowly developing on her face. Sasuke could hardly be called a sociable child. He used to be, but the trauma of his family and his clan's massacre had tragically changed him into a recluse. He… Turned into something that Sakura had finally accepted as something that wasn't positive at all. He was dismissive and thought of their classmates for the worst. There were times that he would seem antagonistic and his blunt ways of telling others rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. She had to admit that her previous thought of Sasuke's dismissive attitude were cool at first but once they became teammates, his words were scalding and hurtful and in his bluntness, Sakura was slapped with the truth that she seemed to ignore in their early days. She had promised to herself to never be left behind by her teammates and it was a promise that she intends to keep to this day. And with what they have been through, Sakura understood a little of how Sasuke acted and behaved.
Sasuke was a boy whose love was taken away harshly, his parents' lives cut short. He did not show his fears, but as she got to know him, as they all got closer, his fears were wordlessly shown with the way he acts and the way he treated others. He pushed other people away so that they wouldn't needlessly be involved with his sordid affairs. Sasuke has survivor's guilt and it ate away at his mind for so long. What scared him the most was the fact that people will die if they ever got close to him and it was why he found it hard to open up to them.
The same could be said for their blonde teammate, but Naruto's own way of expressing himself to ward out his depression could be just as destructive, the way he hid his own pain to himself by acting like a fool. But Sakura had sooner realized that Naruto now has Hinata for those moments of vulnerability, he was able to confide in her as much as he could confide with Iruka and even Jiraiya. Sasuke? He had no one other than their team. Maybe it was why Naruto's stubborn attitude worked on Sasuke, because if anyone could be more hardheaded than Sasuke, it was Naruto, his friend, his rival and his teammate. But even then, there were moments that even with Naruto's brightness and overall attitude there will be times where Sasuke could never say what he needed to say in front of his teammate. They were friends, but Sasuke, needs someone who can put his mind at ease even with when there were moments that Sasuke preferred solitude.
But now, at least he was opening up even if a little. Perhaps the cold shoulder treatment did work on him months ago when he decided to do things on his own again.
'That and how his trust issues have improved, I guess by the leaps and bounds that Sasuke-kun has shown, it's only right that he can share his fears with me, even if it's just a little.'
Sakura was glad, Sasuke had allowed himself to be a little vulnerable, even to her.
Several hours passed, and Sasuke was the first to go to Sakura's spot and gently nudged her.
"It's my turn to take watch."
Sakura turned to him and gave a small grin, "Thanks, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke looked puzzled at this as she gave him a smile, "Don't try to think hard about it. Just take my gratitude and do as you do. We're right behind you."
Sasuke gave her a little smile as he sat down to his watch and said, "Get some rest."
"I will."
Inugami Shrine:
A cloud of smoke popped into existence as Kiba and Akamaru were transported back into the shrine at dawn. Kiba stretched his arms and his legs as he grinned, finally able to go home. The thought of his bed made him giddy with excitement, he could relax for a few days and gloat to his mother that he rediscovered the old Inugami contract!
Kiba was now wearing his jacket with a torn sleeve on his left arm, showing the seal engraved there like a tattoo, a large tiger pelt took over half of his torso on the left as his right was his black leather jacket. It was bound together by a large leather belt bound on his waist and buckled snuggly. He wore a pair of shin guards that were covered up by two pairs of pelts similarly patterned as the one on his jacket.
"It's finally time to set home, huh, boy?"
Akamaru yipped. He noticed his partner's lightweight red colored armor seemed to have fit his partner.
"Once again, this whole pilgrimage thing is totally worth it!"
Kiba and Akamaru began their long trek home.
By mid-afternoon, they were soon near the Uchiha warehouse that he travelled with Sasuke. Kiba's nose twitched for a second. He could smell the faint smell of iron, blood, and body odor. The pattern was similar when his team had been sent to dispatch these people.
'Bandits…'
Kiba growled as he motioned for Akamaru, "Let's go, boy."
Akamaru barked as he too growled at Kiba's command, preparing himself as his master without a moment of hesitation. As they ran, they finally see that the bandits, eight of them, had surrounded a familiar figure.
It was that girl from the warehouse with her cat. Kiba bit his right thumb and drew blood and swiped it on the character of 'blade'.
'Migi buso: Yaiba! (Left hand armament: Blade)'
With a flick of his wrist, he deployed the ringed knife from his person, and in the process let Akamaru take charge. The dog was quick on his feet and with the help of his armor, boosted his speed that Akamaru had made a fast stride quick enough to intercept one of the bandits.
Tamaki turned around, her ninja cat was on full alert. She noticed one of the brigands were taken down by a large creature. She was quick to notice it was a dog.
Just then, said bandit was suddenly slashed down by the throat drawing blood and instantly killing the man by something she couldn't tell. There was another here, but that person's presence couldn't be felt.
Kiba was spinning the knife in his hand by the ring before he crouched low, made quick stabs in the gut, before severing some of the crook's flesh on his arm, Kiba had noted he had hit something important if the massive flow of blood gushing out was an invitation. That guy fell down to the ground, not immediately lifeless, bleeding on the earth beneath Kiba's feet.
"SHIT! AHHHH!" One of the bandits had no chance to announce anything when Akamaru had suddenly appeared in midair and bit the man on the throat and crushing the said man's windpipe as Akamaru then spun the man and slammed him the ground.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!?"
Kiba then deactivated the flow of chakra to his knife.
"I should be asking that question here." Kiba asked, revealing himself as he sat on a dying man spinning the knife in his left hand by the ring.
"How did you…" Tamaki was about to ask as Kiba grinned, "From their scent, I could tell they were bandits, their smell is common for the blood and rusting iron as well as that familiar body odor indicating no proper hygiene because they can't get near a well defended village or they are running from the law. I have to ask you guys that you're persistent, I can tell you that much."
"Nobody asked you, buddy!" One of the bandits then launched an arrow at Kiba who grinned as Akamaru appeared out of nowhere and caught the arrow mid-flight, his partner growled at the men as Kiba's smirk never left his face.
"Hey, I remember you, you came with my cousin, right? Sasuke?" Tamaki seemed to recall as Kiba got up and tossed the knife in midair before performing a set of hand signs and ending it with the seal if the tiger.
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Flower technique)!" A barrage of small red flames escaped Kiba's mouth as two of the brigands were suddenly enveloped in red hot flames, burning them and forcing them on the ground.
"Name's Kiba, Inuzuka Kiba." Kiba said as he caught the knife and disappeared from her eyes, his presence suddenly vanished!
STAB!
One of the bandits was suddenly skidding back as Kiba appeared in front of him knife held reverse as he used free right hand to push the hilt of the knife further into the man's chest before disappearing. The man fell over dead as Kiba pulled the knife out of his chest. Akamaru snapped the arrow in half with his fangs and rushed to one of the bandits at blinding speeds and slashed at his target with his armored claws. Kiba noted that the armor, despite that it should be weighing down his partner, actually enhanced Akamaru's speed!
"We can't let them get all the glory, Tama-chan! We can do this too! Ninpo: Neko tsume!" The cat ninja jumped and scratched a bandit's face as Tamaki then went ahead and used sunshin, appearing in front of one bandit crouching and twisting around kicking the criminal by the chin as he was launched upwards.
'THAT'S KONOHA'S TAIJUTSU TECHNIQUE! KONOHA SHOFUU (Leaf Rising wind)!' Kiba was surprised that someone from outside his village knew the technique and proper positioning for that attack to work. Tamaki then seemed to gather chakra on her legs and feet and jumped towards her victim and suddenly changed trajectory when Kiba heard something close to pushing compressed air out.
"Tama-chan!"
The cat then tapped on its scarf and out came from the smoke were a pair of Four long blades of hand held weapons, the cat then kicked the weapons in midair and sent them to Tamaki who caught them with her hands surprisingly in less than a second as Tamaki changed trajectory once again when Kiba heard another sound of compressed air escaping the air.
'Tekko-kagi? That's a weird weapon to use.'
It was then that Kiba saw their effectiveness as Tamaki began wailing on her opponent and noticed that the blades were raking the flesh of her victim and changing trajectories again before she finally appeared midair and performed an accel kick on her opponent in the face sending the poor soul down on the ground and a dust cloud began forming. Kiba turned around and saw two of the assailants attacked him as the cat now named Tama touched his bandana again and a set of shuriken came flying hitting one man and staggering back as Kiba took care of another by blocking the oncoming slash at him. Unfortunately for the man this allowed Kiba to grant him an opening now that his right hand was free to form any action he could take. Kiba grinned maliciously as he punched the man by the gut. The man staggered back a little as Akamaru now appeared beside Kiba.
Kiba then run with his dog before he spun around and slashing one man by the hands as his presence vanished once more and Akamaru doing the same, shredding their opponents in quick fashion. Tamaki was about to attack the last bandit but that man decided the better part of valor and resorted to retreating.
Tamaki then went to him as she said with a pout, "You know I could have handled that on my own, right?"
Kiba shrugged, "Seemed like the best way to deal with them quicker that way. You help whenever you can and wherever you can, that's a pack rule, after all."
The girl responded with a laugh and said, "I suppose, I'm Tamaki by the way, thanks for your help, Kiba."
Tamaki, huh? The cat then meandered its way to Tamaki and gave a short 'meow' as its form of thanks and raising its right paw.
"Wow, Tama-chan doesn't look like she's afraid of Akamaru there." Kiba noted as he glanced down at the cat and then looked up at Tamaki.
"She's a smart cat. But Akamaru seems like a well-trained ninken, he doesn't bark at Tama-chan at all!" She said excitedly as Kiba seemed to boast about it.
"I'm his trainer after all. He's a smart one, for sure." Kiba then gave a haughty laugh.
As if to emphasize his point, Akamaru gently moved his left forepaw and waited for Tama to high five the dog's paw with her own.
Kiba petted Akamaru's head at that and Akamaru seemed to have given Kiba a metaphorical thumbs-up. As if to say, 'I'm your best goddamn wingman here, and if you get this girl to go with you, you owe me a sack of treats when we get back.'
Kiba gave his partner a thumbs up as Kiba cried rivers of tears, "You're the best, boy."
He was so spoiling Akamaru if he manages to get with this girl.
"So what were you doing out here?" Kiba asked as he let Akamaru do his thing, namely, starting to dig holes around and disposing the dead bodies.
"I was thinking of going to Konoha to buy some things for grandma and me and maybe see some of the shinobi there. My grandma said my cousin gets pretty lonely sometimes so maybe I'll pay him a visit too!"
'SCORE!' Kiba thought as he inwardly jumped. Akamaru however, gave a growl as if telling Kiba, 'Do not fuck this up!'
"Well, that's a coincidence, I was just about to head home as well. Want to make this interesting and run at our pace? Loser has to treat the winner at the market!"
Tamaki looked thoughtful for a second as she looked for her ninbyo, Tama-chan. Said cat only looked at her before grooming herself.
"Alright, let's do this!" Tamaki shouted looking fired up as she ran off followed by Tama-chan. Kiba soon followed along with Akamaru.
Eastern Sea Just at the coast of Fire Country.
Naruto looked on at the sea, this was it. They were going to Uzushiogakure. Jiraiya made a promise to himself and to Kushina's grave that one day, he was going to take Naruto to the desolate land of his ancestors as a way to know his legacy. It was something Naruto had been wondering for a while. What was the purpose of going to Uzushiogakure, a long dead village that only housed nothing but destruction?
'Because you need to see for yourself, the aftermath of hatred.'
Asura spoke to him, it had been a while since they had a conversation, no doubt not disturbing him to let him have his peace for a while was his goal. Being revealed to the Hyuuga clan did not exactly mean favor to them. It only painted a large target on their backs. Especially now in the era of great villages, carnage can start at the most ridiculous of reasons.
'You speak of sentiments, Ashura. Let this boy see it for what it is and he will change. To speak highly of this fool is an insult.'
'Yeah fuck you too, Kurama.'
As the ship set sailed, Jiraiya was at his side and the man looked worried for a sec.
'That damned report. Are you telling me that Onoki has been missing for three days!? And he just appeared, looking worse for wear but somehow floating his way to his office with no presence of his bodyguards and granddaughter!? Roshi and Han are also missing!?'
Jiraiya needed to confirm more, Earth Country's suspicious activities CANNOT be ignored, he needed to find more answers. Before he could meet up with the blonde, Jiraiya made correspondent letters between his spies in Iwa and then to Tsunade with an advice to warn nearby countries adjacent to them, particularly Wind Country. The last war had not eased the hatred that existed between Suna and Iwa, but he sure as hell will not be sleeping this over to prevent another goddamn war!
He hoped to the high heavens that Naruto's generation would never experience war, it had killed so many people and broken many more. No one was the same after a war, it was a nightmare to think about.
After finishing his letters and sending them all into their respective destinations via messenger toads, Jiraiya had decided he had done all he can to try and prevent this. He looked on to the deck and saw Naruto sitting down and staring outward into the vast sea.
"Everything doing fine?" Naruto asked, Jiraiya, rather than sparing him from the harsh truth, sighed and sat down beside his student. Asura was right, children they may be, but he needed to respect Naruto's ability to understand. No matter how young he was. Jiraiya sat beside his student as both of them stared out into the ocean in front of them, the sound of the waters gently crashing on to their vessel was all that was heard until Jiraiya gave a sigh in exhaustion.
"No, everything isn't fine, kid. There are things moving around the continent that is worrisome right now, but I don't know which is worse. Something going on in Earth Country? Or something going on in Ame?"
And yet no news of Akatsuki's activity for three days. Or at least, no activity within their borders. Jiraiya dismissed that for a moment as Konoha has been actively sweeping the country for any sightings of Akatsuki. Tsunade seemed very determined to throw Konoha's power to bare against the organization as much as she was willing to throw it at Orochimaru's face.
Naruto looked worried at this, what was the significance of Iwa's movements that it caught the radar of Konoha's spy master?
"These are changing times, kid. But I promise you, I'm doing every ounce of my energy to prevent a war. I just hope that my decisions are correct. I don't want you suffering the same fate as us in this perpetual world of violence. If possible, I want to change that."
Naruto looked up, the peaceful waves of the ocean seemed to have calmed them both.
"World peace, huh? I guess that will be the day, then."
Jiraiya laughed at that, "Your father and your mother definitely wanted that world for you, kid. Minato was much like you, orphaned as a child, clan less and a status that a lot of people didn't envy when he was young and your mother had been from a clan that was wiped off from the face of the earth. Parents losing children, children losing parents, tragedies of manmade horrors destroyed the lives of everyone. Monsters are created in the name of nations and in the name of ideologies, sacrifices that amount to nothing. It's a horrible place to live. So much that we revere death in a fashion that to die for the sake of our ideals, our countries, our families, is an honor worth having."
Naruto seemed nodded at that, his moment at death's door reminded him of the faces who had anguished by the thought of his death. Try as he might that he wanted to say that he fought tenaciously to the bitter end, it still ended with his loved ones mourning and feeling that loss a sense of emptiness and accumulated rage that was ready to explode in any second.
"You don't think it's worthwhile, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked and Jiraiya shook his head.
"What use is a dead shinobi, Naruto? Other than to add into the memorial stone, or another body count in the list, a dead shinobi is gone, just another memory. Just another soul to be mourned over as people they left behind sink further into their sorrow. Being revered as heroes isn't worth it if the ones you love would never be able to cope with that loss. I'm sure you saw what happened to Tsunade before she became Hokage, right?"
Naruto did, but she got over it. But it took a long time for Tsunade to even move forward past her loss. That was how devastated she was.
"That's why we have to live and we have make this world at least a little more bearable for the rest. I'll consider myself a failure if I fail to leave behind a world that's a little better than when I got into it."
"You know, you are acting pretty cool just right now, Ero-sennin." Naruto said with a smirk as Jiraiya flinched at the blonde's nickname again.
"I REALLY hate that nickname of yours, brat. You really need to learn to respect your elders."
Naruto eyed his sensei for a moment before replying, "I'll do it if you stop using me as an inspiration for your books. Seriously, you only used my appearance and then just gave your character a different name, Tatsumaki Arashi? Really? Also, WHY do I have to read your damn books?"
"Proofreading, kid! It's part of your training in fuinjutsu! Besides, don't you want to be associated as the model whose very definition is a harem protagonist?"
Naruto sighed, "I don't want to be a harem protagonist, Hinata's enough for me, Ero-sennin."
"Says the pure boy who has never had sex." Jiraiya retorted
"And you do!? And those visits at the brothels don't count for your conquests!" Naruto's comeback merely made Jiraiya laugh even harder.
"Come on, kid. Don't be like that. Ever heard what my lady friends tell me about you? They say they want to swallow you whole because of how cute you are."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this! My own godfather is pimping me out!"
"Why shouldn't I? Kushina wanted a son and she wanted her son to give her so many grandbabies."
No…
No.
NOOOOO!
Of course, Jiraiya was kidding. If Kushina were alive and heard anything of what Jiraiya said, she would have commenced a beat down that would make the Uchiha massacre look like a mere slap on the face.
But Naruto didn't need to know that.
"Ahoy, Jiraiya and kid! We'll be making a pit stop to one of the isles for resupplies and cargo! Sorry about this, but your trip to Uzushiogakure will be a little delayed." The captain's first mate informed the duo as
Jiraiya nodded, "So where are we docking?"
"Yeah, it will be quick since we aren't allowed to stay long. It's a village of babes, though so you can ogle but not touch."
Jiraiya was already drooling.
"I think it was called Nadeshiko village."
Suddenly, all color left Jiraiya's face as he twitched.
"Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked as he looked at Jiraiya's expression as if he'd seen a ghost
"Hey, first mate, can I ask for a favor and let me hide anywhere in the ship for at least the whole stay in Nadeshiko?"
"A strange request, but okay? Not sure why though, you're going to totally miss out, Jiraiya-san."
"Trust me, I am totally fine on missing out on that."
Naruto scowled, "Okay, what did you do this time?"
Jiraiya was sweating bullets eyes looking shifty and nervous, "I didn't do anything! But, for sanity's sake, let's just say I have commitment issues."
Naruto replied with a deadpan voice, "Commitment issues? Really? Sensei, the only commitments I ever saw in you was one with your telescope and your hobby. But you're telling me you almost bagged someone and you bailed? This coming from the guy who keeps insulting me that I'm some pure boy who needed to get laid."
Jiraiya seemed insulted at that, "I'll have you know that I'm a man willing to settle down too, brat. I just couldn't find the right woman and I got too involved with work to ever give her that chance."
'Excuses'
Naruto's eyes were rolling at this, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."
"Whatever, kid. Listen, once we dock, do NOT tell them that you're my apprentice, got that? DO NOT EVEN MENTION MY NAME. Alright? If so much as a slip of the tongue happens, you're going to wish you didn't! For both of our sakes since you're a damn prude that likes to think of his chastity. I mean it this time!"
Jiraiya said as he sauntered back into the main bridge of the small ferry to look for hiding places and left Naruto to his own devices.
Naruto didn't seem to take those words to mind though and then to pass the time, the blonde grabbed his scroll and began formulating theories for his current project.
It can't be that bad, can it?
A strange thing to ask, because knowing his luck, it definitely was a possibility.
Konoha:
Shikamaru had managed to meet up with his team for today for a little get together. It had been a while since they caught up. What with all the hectic schedules that they all had to go through.
"I swear, Yakiniku Q again? Asuma-sensei, when are we going to get to another restaurant for team meetups like this? It kind of feels like this is a routine now."
Asuma grinned, "Well, this is the perfect spot for a team. You get to eat what you make in the grill while I can smoke. Talks usually last longer over a meal like this."
"I don't care if we meet up here or Ichiraku, either's fine if I'm being honest." Shikamaru replied as he put a piece of sliced beef towards the grill.
Asuma gave a sigh as he said, "Not seeing each other in a couple of weeks and you guys act like you see each other every day. Not even a 'how are you guys doing?'"
The current team ten had been the many that were sent on solo low tier missions as of late except for Asuma who was much more needed in the higher mission ratings while Shikamaru's missions were less frequent due to his current position as Shikaku's personal secretary.
At least that's what the jounin had cynically put it.
"To be fair, it wasn't what I had in mind after training but we all managed to bump in on one another in such a coincidence." Shikamaru replied.
Ino gave a sigh as well, "I think I might need a break. It's been a while since I got to sit here and have some small talk. The lectures at the hospital, the training with Anko and the others along with Kurenai-sensei's training can really stress me out."
"Oh, Kurenai finally took one of you, huh? I was actually wondering myself when she was going to officially start teaching. I take Chouji out to the Fire Temple every other day or two when I'm not busy along with Chouza. Seemed like a good fit at the time."
Chouji gave a nod as he was somewhat doubly hungry today, "That place is a nightmare. Chiriku-sensei is quite the slave driver! And the food was just…"
Chouji sobbed a little. Their rations were only adequate for one human not an Akimichi. Chiriku often ordered him to collect water at the very base of a mountain with a time limit and he was often scolded during meditation hours for falling asleep while sitting.
"You sent Chouji to a monk's temple, sensei? In what world gave you that idea?" Shikamaru asked, incredulous that Asuma had managed to convince Chouji's parents about it.
"Oh please, it's not that hard. I just had to explain to Chouza-san what I wanted to do with Chouji to help him grow. It was easy to convince Chouza-san, Chouji just didn't expect it would be that hard."
"When you have a sign inside in big characters that says 'Absolute Diligence' and 'Perfection of Discipline' I guess I should have prepared myself better."
Chouji said as he took another slice of perfectly cooked grilled beef from the hot charcoals. Since his time training with the monks at Fire Temple, his meal times were drastically reduced. His breakfast was not as he had desired, there were no snack times, his lunch was light and usually got from the land and donations and dinner was a simple affair of rice and fish. An Akimichi, who relied on calories for their jutsu, would not have been fit to take missions on that standards alone.
That and the chores and training sessions were absolutely brutal. Like the aforementioned getting water at the base of a mountain and climbing back up to the temple, how chouji was forced to endure being hit with sticks to help him endure pain more as well as to make him channel his anger better.
Ino and Shikamaru was noticing that Chouji didn't seem like he was gaining weight as much as his father but rather, developing mass via growing muscles.
At first, Asuma was worried when he saw the results, after all the Akimichi's jutsu were very specific for using their lipids as a form of extra storage for their chakra. There was a certain effect, though, Chouji could still use his jutsu but to a more precise level. He could turn faster with his meatball tank technique and he could hit faster with it too. Asuma had to ask Shizune for how Chouji was still able to do them and he remembered her answers as if they were a matter of fact.
'Well, Chouji-san having managing that form without as much use of his adipose tissue is a little surprising but maybe not so?'
'How come?'
Shizune hummed at this for a few seconds and replied, 'I'm not entirely sure how the Akimichi's ability to use their calorie techniques but as a general overall rule, muscles store a more efficient form of energy called glycogen. They don't stay in the body as much as fat in a period of time, but glycogen stays longer than glucose and muscles use glycogen more than fat themselves for movement. Since the calorie control technique requires a huge amount of calories to be used, we are talking about how much energy Chouji-kun would burn per technique and not necessarily what kind of energy storage form he has to tap into and since glycogen has that efficient number down, my theory is that Chouji may not hit as hard but he can certainly focus all that power in a more controllable form and may in fact increase his potency.'
And what an improvement it was! Chouji may not have much body fat in his system due to his build turning to muscular than anything else, but he can dish hits so hard that he may not even have to expend as much energy as he needs to before.
"Well it's doing wonders, Chouji, maybe you should keep it up!" Ino said with a smile as Chouji smiled at that too.
"Yeah, it's not like I could decline. The monks were strict, but they also teach me things. Letting me go with their daily routines and practicing. One monk decided to help me with efficiently run or stride. It certainly helped me with coming up with Jutsu, that's for sure."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this and smiled, "You got creative, Chouji?"
Chouji grinned at this, "Yeah, I got some jutsus that I learned just by those exercises, it made collecting water less of a hassle and it made me get a better pace to reduce my time with chores and more on training. My father even helped me with learning Bojutsu."
"Wow, nice to know that you could improve so much! So far on my end, my dad just began tutoring me in handling a sword myself. I think he went overboard with that and asking one of his friends to help me with that regard with all this help and sessions I've been getting as of late."
Asuma rolled his eyes at this, Inoichi was definitely a father that would spoil his daughter rotten. Ino then continued, "Speaking of which, I hear the Chuunin exams are up again."
Ino then looked at Shikamaru, "And there's talk around here that you're going to be assigned as one of the organizers in Suna! Talk about bigshot moves this early on in the game, Shikamaru! Or is it because a certain sister of a certain Kazekage asked for a request for you!"
"Got me there. Hokage-sama was all too willing with sending me there, despite of what's going on." Shikamaru said with a shrug as he then continued, "It'll be conducted in a year's time anyway so I've got plenty to think about until then."
"Oooohh casually blowing off something important! Shikamaru, I envy you so much right now, damn it!" Ino shouted as he patted Shikamaru's left shoulder as her form of congratulations.
"Oh please, if I could shrug off this responsibility on anyone else, I would. But my pops kept pushing me." Shikamaru said as he slumped on to his chair while Asuma grinned at this.
"Shikamaru, you do know the implications of this, right?"
"Other than for Tsunade showing off her shinobi as a show of force and competence? I don't think it's at all that much to think about."
Asuma laughed at his student who seemed to not want to talk about what he was about to say, "Sure, if you don't mind to be a candidate for a political marriage with the sister of the current Kazekage."
Or in this case, an almost willing candidate.
"I would rather not talk about this." Shikamaru said, trying to douse out whatever fires his teammates were about to set ablaze but to no avail.
Ino just started tossing more wood on to the fire, "Oh, I think I've heard about this. During one of Temari-san's visits, she mentioned how it was a pain with dealing with suitors that she didn't want. Apparently, Suna thought it would be a waste if the bloodline of the current and former Kazekage weren't passed down. Personally, I think it's hogwash. I mean, why stifle Temari-san's career this early on? She's definitely a kunoichi worth her salt if she can stand with the best of them."
"You sure about that, Shikamaru? From our impressions, she's certainly not your type." Chouji probed his friend with this. Chouji knew Shikamaru inside and out.
Shikamaru palmed his face at this, "Why is everybody talking about this as if it's a done deal? And why do I have to be the one to be considered a candidate in marrying that scary woman?"
"Why the hell not, Shikamaru? You're practically being entered into royalty!" Answered Ino, she did not understand Shikamaru's take in all this. It's like a reverse of a prince pulling out a fair maiden from hardship. That and Shikamaru wouldn't have to work as much as he wanted!
"Look, I don't think I can think of marriage at this point in time, especially on a political move that can shake our foundations with Temari on that."
"But you're not averse to it, right?" Ino pointed out.
A beat.
Chouji and Asuma were staring at each other for a few seconds and then turned their attention to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru never thought that he would be cornered like that.
Hokage Tower:
Tsunade was shaking in her desk as soon as Jiraiya had sent her his progress report on Naruto's well-being as well as the suspicious activities happening in Tsuchi no Kuni and Ame.
Tsunade,
We've got big trouble, one of my contacts has reported of a strange behavioral pattern shown by Onoki after his disappearance almost a week ago. One of his accountant friends is reporting of a large sum of money currently being funneled to an undisclosed place in Lightning Country too. Whatever it is, Onoki is pushing his luck against A. I fear for the worst, but I have my agents working in overtime to look into this.
Also, there's something you should know about Naruto. It concerns him and his abduction just a little over a year ago. The results of the infusion of Hashirama's cells didn't give him the Mokuton, it awakened something else, or rather, someone else within him. The person is calling himself as Otsutsuki Asura, I have no idea how, but Naruto mentioned that his current existence is tied to his previous incarnation as Senju Hashirama. Or so Asura mentions, I have no basis if I should believe this or not, but the behavioral changes that Naruto displays and the strange shift of his chakra to so much yang energy is something to behold. Birds and mammals flock to him, plants grow and flowers bloom in his proximity whenever this chakra is active. He says he can't do mokuton, he lacks the requirements for it. But the presence of that Yang chakra of his… It's unbelievable.
Attached to this scroll are three sealing arrays, one is a detailed message from one of my spies in Iwa, the second contains a list of those who know what Naruto is carrying and the third is information on an outpost associated with Orochimaru just in Rice Country. We will be going off the grid after one month. The only method you will be reaching us will be by messenger toad that I will be sending every two weeks through a shortcut in Konoha that I've established in Myobokuzan. Once you've extracted the two messages, burn this scroll down. Leave no trace of it.
Jiraiya
Tsunade looked at Shikaku and said, "Tell cryptologist responsible for decoding this message to keep quiet. This is an S-rank secret the likes of which that even we keep from our most important personel. This secret isn't getting out. Ever. Call Inoichi and Ibiki. This is a serious matter. The only one who we must divulge this info to is Team Seven's current commander, Hatake Kakashi."
Tsunade then used a simple fire jutsu and burned the scroll as she looked at the two messages of Jiraiya's latest reports.
'Onoki, what exactly are you up to?'
"Pardon my questioning, Godaime-sama, but I have to ask what are your thoughts on this moving forward?" Shikaku asked and Tsunade nodded.
"We prepare for the worst."
Shikaku nodded. When the Hokage told him to prepare, a new strategy must be set in place. Tsunade was preparing for a war on multiple fronts.
Grass Country:
It was time to investigate the cave. The two grass ninja had split up, one of them was going to accompany Team Seven while the other remained as outside watch and to prevent any curious wanderer into the cave.
At the first few minutes that they entered, Sasuke was cautiously looking around with his sharingan. His guard has not let up since last night. In order to somewhat placate his fears, Sasuke suggested a formation where Sakura would be the center, Sai at the rear, Sasuke who would take point with the grass ninja and behind Sakura was Kakashi.
Two hours since their entrance, Sasuke still looked like he's on edge still. Every step he took felt like something was watching him. On the walls, on the floor and on the roof of the cave. He was careful with every step he took, every action he made he took with great caution. Something in this place was just too creepy for him and he might end up something that he would dread.
When they finally made it to what Sasuke could tell was at the very end of this cave that was deceptively large for a giant stone outgrowth, he looked around at the spacious area and saw two simple plain stones placed like grave markings with no name on it. Further out, he saw something that he never thought he would see.
There out into the large enclosure was a large eerie stone statue in a lotus position its hands held in shackles with palms raised upwards and fingers as if in a posture of begging. Its face was wide open and its eyes were shielded as if it was bowing.
"What on earth is that!?" The grass ninja shouted.
"Oh no, we have intruders!"
That voice snapped Sasuke out of his thoughts as he quickly drew two shuriken and let it fly to the direction of the voice he heard.
The sound of Shuriken hitting stone was all they could hear as Sasuke gripped his sword strapped at his back. Sai seeing this posture mimicked Sasuke as well and grabbed a small scroll in his pocket. He had prepared himself earlier just for something like this and drew twenty mice with his ink
"Ninpo: Choju Giga (Super Beast Imitating Drawing)" He muttered and twenty hand drawn mice came to life from his scroll, scurrying on the floor and going in every which way. Kakashi had two kunai drawn just in case as Sakura had drawn both her swords from her back.
"I can't let you guys go if you have seen this statue! Tobi will have my head!"
Then, from the ground, a man wearing a simple black cloak began rising up, wearing a white spiral mask on his face.
And just like that Sasuke drew his sword, "Who are you?"
"Guru-Guru!" The man jovially replied and soon, the earth rumbled underneath them.
A massive wooden statue then erupted from the earth below as team seven and the grass ninja all jumped back as the wooden statue began to take shape of a large oni, with a serpentine dragon wrapping itself around the torso with its head craning by the oni's right shoulder.
"Impossible… Mokuton!? (Wood Release)" Kakashi exclaimed, this was impossible! This was a jutsu that only Senju Hashirama can do!
Sasuke looked up, cold sweat escaping him. He could feel his heartbeat rising faster and faster. This was the power of the First Hokage!? This was ridiculous!
"We need to get out of here, now!" Kakashi commanded to his team as the giant oni statue began stomping its way to the shinobi team. Sakura looked at Sasuke who was still staring at the behemoth statue as Sai began unravelling another scroll.
Just then, from the ground, at least one hundred white humanoids began rising up. All looking exactly the same, with their creepy soulless and dead eyes. The creatures all looked at them and said, "Those who are not allowed to see the Gedo Mazo, must never escape."
Sasuke was quick to snap out of his thoughts and immediately swung Murakumo to one of the white creatures who got close bisecting it clean. Sasuke then performed a jump just as his legs were about to be swept and spun in midair performing a roundhouse kick to his attacker to the face then landing on the floor as he managed to cut down another one of these white creatures. Sasuke then planted his sword on the ground and began performing a set of hand seals as one of the wooden giant's fingers were aimed on him.
"Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu (Fire release: Great Dragon Flame technique)!" Three large fireballs shaped like dragon heads appeared from Sasuke's mouth as he breathed them out and sent them upwards towards the giant wooden statue who fired a wooden stake at him. The flames and wooden beam collided and burned the stake to a crisp. Guru-Guru noted that the flames were hot enough to burn of such a thick wooden pole and the flames scattered upon reaching its hand, blocking Guru-Guru's vision of Sasuke.
As soon as the flames created enough of a distraction Sasuke had cut his thumb with his blade and performed the next set of seals.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"
At the same time, Sakura was cutting down her assailants left and right. One who had reached for her suddenly found himself in a joint lock with Sakura's arm and was immediately stabbed through the chest with her sword. In quick succession, Sakura pulled out one of her swords from her victim's chest and proceeded to trip the man before tossing him to another creature and then quickly cutting down her opponent in quick slashes of five in a mere two seconds.
When she heard of Sasuke perform his Fire Release techniques, Sakura was quick to take to jump and slammed her right hand on the ground, "Oukasho (Cherry Blossom Impact)!"
BOOM!
The ground beneath her shattered and caved as several of the white creatures lost their balance or was sent away due to the shockwave of Sakura's attack. She then found her opportunity and rushed to one of the legs of the wooden giant just as Sasuke performed another set of hand seals.
Sakura began cutting down her foes to her front as she bulldozed her way to the wooden giant's right foot proceeded to sheath her blades and leaped forward, she cocked her left fist back, gathering as much chakra as she could through her hand and unleashed it in a matter of milliseconds as she made contact with the wooden leg.
"Mankai: Oukasho (Full Bloom: Cherry Blossom Impact)!"
BOOM!
A thundering noise escaped and echoed throughout the entire cave.
The effect was instantaneous. In a matter of one second, Sakura had destroyed the footing of wooden giant as she skidded to the other side, she looked at her handiwork as it began to lose balance and fell down. A cry of a bird soon brought her out of her stupor as a hand grabbed her from above and saw Sasuke was riding a hawk summon to get out.
Kakashi, who was doing his best to stay alive by cutting through multiple creatures at once, saw himself standing incredulous as Sasuke and Sakura managed to take down the giant wooden statue. No, something was not right. That statue did not have what the legends say about Senju Hashirama's technique. It was not quick enough, not powerful enough and not sturdy enough to fight off a tailed beast. He remembered the texts of a lot of historians both in and out of Fire Country pertaining to the Mokujin no Jutsu (Wooden Human technique) as comparable to a tailed beast.
Kakashi ducked, his sharingan spinning wildly as he evaded another strike coming from these seemingly unintelligent creatures. Kakashi then drove a lightning enhanced kunai through its chest and spun around to leave the lifeless fool falling on the ground. Another set of hand seals blurred from his hands and shouted
"Doton: Retsudo Tensho (Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm)!" Kakashi then slammed both his palms on the ground and turned outwards the earth rumbled beneath his feet as it rose up and tore to multiple pieces as the creatures lost their footing. Kakashi jumped, catching Sasuke's arm as he did so while the Uchiha pulled him up.
"Take us out, now!" Kakashi commanded sternly, that Mokujin no Jutsu may be incomplete but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous enough.
"Where's Sai?" Kakashi asked and just on cue, the pale faced boy was there, also riding a gigantic bird, only this time, it was made of ink. Behind Sai was the grass nin, too spooked out after what just happened.
Just as they were flying, a shrill cry was heard from where they left. Kakashi looked back and his Sharingan immediately recognized a wooden dragon about to head their way.
"Don't stop for that exit, Sasuke, Sakura, back me up. We're not through just yet." Gathering chakra within his sharingan, Kakashi closed both his eyes and focused on his sharingan. As soon as he said those words, a wooden dragon had been made visible towards them!
It was faster than anyone had ever expected, it slithered its way towards them and roared but Kakashi was prepared.
Kakashi opened his Sharingan, and the three tomoe spinning around the red irises soon morphed into wing blades as it spun. The Mangekyou Sharingan came to life.
"KAMUI (Supreme Authority of the Gods)!"
A black orb of nothingness appeared, sucking up all of space around it as the wooden dragon suddenly crashed into its sphere as it was immediately swallowed up. It was only for a five seconds but the whole wooden dragon was swallowed up into the black void before it dispersed as they all managed to see the exit.
Kakashi panted as he collapsed on top of the hawk, Sakura supporting her as their leader said, "We need to evacuate that village."
As soon as they reached for the exit, the one grass ninja guarding the entrance was surprised when Sai's ink bird grabbed the man by the shoulders and headed skyward towards the top of the plateau.
The mission was a failure.
Sasuke looked back, the image if the giants he had seen today lingered in his mind. One that of intense power, the other of a monstrous statue that seemed to slowly creep in his mind. What was the Gedo Mazo?
He did not notice it at first, but his eyes had spontaneously converted to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Konoha:
One week had passed since Tsunade received Jiraiya's letter. Three fronts, Tsunade was fighting this cold war on three separate fronts. The first with Orochimaru, the snake user was still running wild out there committing acts of inhumanity with his research. The man had promised destruction on Konoha's walls. And Orochimaru was obsessed with it.
The second front was with Akatsuki, the mysterious organization who were after Naruto, for what purpose, she didn't know but a loss of a tailed beast is a major blow to any village and to lose them means the wolves could show up anytime like…
The third front that has Tsunade concerned, Onoki the old fogey, was beginning to commit random acts of aggression in a subtler way. Correspondence with Jiraiya has informed Konoha's intelligence branch that Onoki is funneling money towards Lightning Country and having Rogue Ninjas harass small villages and towns in A's territory, for what purpose was Onoki doing this she didn't know, but it seems a communication channel has opened up between Ame and Tsuchi no Kuni. An alliance was forming perhaps? It was all conjecture, there was no proof of Onoki being directly linked to these small skirmishes. They still had no reports of the auditing that was done for this to happen. If only they had that, it would be easy to understand how much aggression Onoki was pressing against A.
Tsunade didn't want to think of such possibility. The rest of the superpowers should stand their grounds and deescalate this tension against Lightning Country.
But she had to bide her time a little, until a breakthrough happens, she would be bracing on her seat. All she could do now, was to minimize all the dangers that their country is facing today.
It was why she was standing before Asuma and Gai who were with team ten as Tsunade cleared her throat and spoke, "We've found an outpost that we suspect belongs to Orochimaru. I want your team to go there and find any information you can about Orochimaru's possible location. The more we can pin down his bases, the less he can move freely. Mission details will be given to you with this scroll. An ANBU team will be with you at the border as they are currently on reconnaissance duty. Orochimaru has recently left this base, so there's no need to worry of him coming back there. The bastard doesn't stay too long in one place. Once you find your objectives, destroy the base."
It was time to push things forward.
To be continued…
Well there you have it, another chapter done. And for those that didn't know, yes I am doctor, I'm currently undergoing training as a resident pediatrician at a local hospital. And thanks for all of your concerns.
This chapter will hopefully help in pushing things in different areas forward as well as help in how things will be going at the start of the third book.
Anyway, read and review, folks!
