I've had incredible amounts of muse lately
So I do hope you enjoy this chapter!

Just in case y'all forgot, here are the techniques Ahri taught Naruto:
1) the Orb of Deception: He's supposed to throw it (He can only do one meter before it dispels and collapses on itself) and make it come back to him
so far, he's only used it to create a rudimentary version of the Rasengan
2) Charm: He hasn't used it at all because he hates the fact that he has to blow kisses at people, and the debacle at the hot springs
3) Fox Fire: Basically Pakura's Shakuton, just a lot more dangerous and more accurate
4) Spirit Rush: Basically Hiraishin minus the flash and the kunai and seals required
(And after each rush is made, three bolts of fire are released that act similar to Fox Fire without the orbiting feature)

So YAH! I apologize again for the epicly long chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or League of Legends


Chapter 7: Plans Gone Awry

'Feel the blood rush.

Relish in the heat of battle.

Revel in the stress and the adrenaline.

The flow of conflict and the burning sensation of pain.

Ahri…remember…it's too late for mercy…'

Don't worry, Seonsaeng. I won't forget.

'When you enter the real world, people will use you.

People will take advantage of you.

Humanity will not trust you.

But I will. I always will.'

I know you will Seonsaeng…

'When I die…

When the breath leaves my lungs…

When I leave you alone in this world…

Remember me…

Remember me in the heat of battle…

Remember me when your blood rushes…

Remember me when pain explodes spreading through your nerves…'

Seonsaeng…I will never forget you.

Ahri sat silently, hearing the invasion roar. Excitement and honest reminisce started in her heart and before long, spread throughout her body. The shouts, the blood and the chaos was all too familiar to what she and her master had been through before…before it happened. She clenched her fists feeling bubbling heat grow in her clenched fists. Chakra had begun to manifest around her, covering her in a chakra cloak of her own, writhing and twisting with each fluctuation of her emotions. The clashing swords and the screams were all too real and sent shivers up and down her spine. Daring not to open her eyes to lose the sight of her past.

After what seemed an eternity of darkness, she finally decided to open her eyes. With the visions of the past disappearing back to the deepest and darkest recesses of her mind's eye, the Gumiho watched the invasion from within her cage, full intent on spreading her chakra evenly. Naruto reminded her so much of her master, but damn the troublesome fool and his equally troublesome clones. Each one was siphoning her power, and while near infinite, the amount of clones and the amount they were taking was beginning to become a strain. Cross-legged in a meditative stance, the woman watched and waited for the opportune moment to speak up. As it was, the only things Naruto needed to hear were words of advice.

In the midst of the destruction and chaos, she was amazed at how quickly her lovely container thought and moved. While she, Jiraiya and Asuma trained him in almost every aspect of shinobi skills, the thought of teaching him how to handle himself in war was never thought of or brought up. To see how he acted and reacted really impressed her, almost comparable to her former master and his skills. Be it combat or simple thinking of how he was going to handle himself, spoke volumes of how much the boy had grown in the previous month. While Naruto had a hell of a long way to go before being even considered a comparison, he was making great strides. Ahri smiled, giving herself a mental pat on the back.

When we make it out of this clusterfuck, I intend to get his head on straight. She took slow and deep breaths. Fuinjutsu and ninjutsu will have to be his focus after this.


"Gaara-kun." A hiss-like voice echoed from behind Naruto. "And the Kyuubi-brat. Hello, Naruto~"

"Orochimaru." Naruto growled. "You sorry sack of waste!"

Naruto whipped his head around to face the man of his nightmares. He stood tall and confidently with long black hair flowing behind his back in the winds of battle. Around his waist a great purple rope was tied with a large bow in the back. But it was what his face wore that really terrified Naruto; it was the same sickening smile that Orochimaru held when he sealed Naruto's power in the Forest of Death; the same face he wore when he branded Sasuke with the cursed mark. He could barely contain his rage and his growing anger. Clenching his fists and practically shaking in his shinobi sandals, Naruto glared daggers and lightning at the Snake Sannin.

Before the pale-faced man could respond, Naruto appeared before him. Instincts awoken, the two clash with sparks and wind shooting off of their bodies. The boy's kunai sword had caught against another, grating their blades and slowly losing against the wondrous masterwork the Snake had in his possession. The two held steady in a dead-lock of crossed swords. For what seemed liked forever for the young genin, the two quickly shot back in a shower of sparks. Much to Orochimaru's surprise, in Naruto's wake, a pair of kunai already strapped with explosive tags remained. Shaking his head, the Sannin knew this was coming but to see it in action really surprised – and impressed him. Within seconds, the pair exploded, sending the Snake back a few meters with smoke trailing off of his body.

Suddenly, a battle cry erupted from above. Dropping the kunai sword he'd stolen, he quickly dislocated his jaw. Twisting his head to face the incoming genin, he regurgitated a snake which in turn threw up a beautiful blade. With little time left he drew his sword, adopting a kenjutsu stance. Coming from the smoke and debris of the rooftops, a pair of clones were on their way, swords in hand and kunai in their pouches, undoubtedly strapped and laced with explosive tags. After the boy's show in the arena, Orochimaru wasn't taking any chances. Without hesitation, he swung up, popping a clone from existence, leaving his right flank open. When the second clone arrived, the two burst into a flurry of attacks, dodging, parrying and lunging. But of course, Naruto was but a mere genin and had never used a sword in his life. As they clashed, Orochimaru had already managed a pattern and prepared to strike the boy.

He blocked an incoming slash and quickly redirected the Uzumaki's weight, leaving the genin open for attack. The two made eye contact for but a split second. Orochimaru raised his blade over his head prepared to strike the blond down. As he moved, everything came to a shuddering halt for the child among them. Chakra began to bubble around him before clicking and igniting into a beautiful shroud-like fire. Shooting his right hand to his chest, he threw up a half-ram hand seal. Feeding off of the chakra surrounding him, four great balls of blood-red fire were birthed.

As if the world acted in slow motion, Orochimaru could feel his wits leave him. The speed of this boy was unmatched save for one man. That man. Channeling chakra through his body, he dodged the first ball of fire, letting it plow through the great cloud of smoke behind him. The second ball of fire went low, taking one of his legs from beneath him. He stumbled greatly, barely managing to keep his balance. Shooting his arm around, his Kusanagi was drawn, broadside meeting the third ball, instead of the edge. The world still in slow motion, the third arrived as he'd expected. Once the mote smashed into his blade, sound, heat and pain all rushed in for the two combatants.

With smoke billowing off of their bodies, Naruto and Orochimaru were sent flying from each other. Landing a few meters away from the Sannin, the boy huffed, barely managing to glare at the last mote orbiting his body. The Sannin on the other hand, pat himself down once more, keeping up the façade. Naruto could tell that the man was beginning to lose his control of the fight, obviously, Orochimaru hadn't faced an opponent like he. As long as he kept his underhand attacks and rather unorthodox strategy, the boy felt he could keep the Sannin on the ropes until real reinforcements arrived. With chaos rushing into their ears, the two dashed forward once again, chakra burning off of their blades.

First instinct was to duck then slash, but Naruto was feeling confident. Orochi lunged forward as well, thoughts landing on a similar path. With the help of the chakra burning within him, Naruto's thoughts were clear and his vision was undeterred. Within seconds, they were mere centimeters from each other. He could sense the danger of the Kusanagi and he could even feel Orochi's gaze wander to his abdomen. It was then that he noticed; the man was as much a snake in combat as we was when he retreated. Naruto cursed himself for getting too confident with his abilities.

It seemed that Orochimaru held the same ideas of channeling chakra to increase his overall perception. Being that as it may, he was already close to becoming a Sennin like his overly-rambunctious idiot of a former teammate. Feeling the blond come mere centimeters sent shivers up and down the Snake's spine. There was only one man in Konoha who could match such speed; there was only ONE man in Konoha who could possibly move as swiftly as the child before him. After all, Orochimaru unfortunately lost the title of Hokage to the wretched man. Now with the world once more in slow motion, the two shared a quick glance again, this time, their eyes trailed sizing the opposition. Blue eyes met snake-like orbs filled with malice.

"This ends now."

Almost like a flash, the Snake's arm shot out, bashing into Naruto's gut. The boy flew back plowing through an adjacent wall, tearing it down completely. He struggled, feeling heat and agony unlike any other radiate from his abdomen. Barely able to keep conscious, he swung his arms around, catching onto tabletops and restaurant seats. Leaning upon them with anger growing in his chest, chakra returned to his body almost as if the depleting reserves would be replenished forever. He gasped slightly, unable to find his kunai sword. Oh well, the boy hobbled forward, full-intent on stopping Orochimaru from undoing the seal on Gaara. But he had to do what he can to hold off the Sannin – at least until the Boss was ready to join him.

Naruto fought through the smoke and debris, wafting through the giant cloud. Coughing slightly feeling cracked ribs and internal bruises heal. His shattered knee and twisted ankle reformed with a warm feeling remaining in the wake. Disbelief – for the first time – flowed through his thoughts. He was facing off against one of the most legendary shinobi in history, and he was understandably barely able to hold off the man. Naruto clenched his teeth. It was painfully obvious that Orochimaru was underestimating him and holding back a substantial amount of his true power. He was terrified of what might come if he really forced that side of the snake free.

That doesn't matter right now… He chided. I need to fight the damn Snake like I fought Gaara, Neji and Shikamaru! I can't let him win this, skills, titles and status be damned!

Feeling energy once more, the shadow clone took to the air, bursting through the cloud of smoke. Now taking a moment to collect information around the street, the world came to an indefinite halt – all sound and movement seemed to freeze. From his vantage point in the air, he could see almost twenty meters separated Orochimaru from the Sand Siblings. Already, the Sannin had started his assault. Snakes spread from his left arm and were clashing with the pieces of debris that Kankuro had managed to bring up. His right arm was occupied with sending a fire technique to combat Temari's wind affinity. Surrounding the group in the street on either side, large buildings had managed to stay standing despite the destruction of the village.

There were four rooftops that really seemed like good striking positions. There were two that stood like a gift from the gods on either side of Orochimaru. As the world stood frozen before him, his plans began to visualize. Action had begun again, albeit slower than normal time. A pair of shadow clones covered in a dim green aura took off towards the two rooftops, leaving a soft colored afterglow trailing after their wake. Below, Orochimaru's snakes had destroyed one of Kankuro's debris shields and Temari's wind attack had been eaten by flames. The kunoichi in question was struggling to hold off the incoming inferno, leaving her open to the rest of the Snake's fire technique.

Once the clones reached their positions, they raised their hands with their kunai drawn and prepared with explosive tags strapped to the handles. Immediately, all movements came to a halt once more with Naruto examining the immediate possibilities. There were only a few choices he had to deal with the issue at hand. The majority of the said few, took too much time. Mere seconds count the most in the heat of battle. Remembering how fast Haku moved in his battle with the hunter Nin. Orochimaru is in an entirely different class – if being a Sannin is anything to merit. If Naruto was being honest, the Snake could wipe the floor with both Zabuza and Haku.

Shaking his head, he examined the battlefield. Orochimaru was continuously underestimating him if the Snake thought he was down for the count. Naruto glared at the growing ball of fire heading for Temari's face and took into consideration that if he used powerful explosives, to deter the man's attacks, he could risk getting rid of Gaara's siblings and in turn leave the Jinchuriki open for assault. Judging by the Snake's ability to extend his limbs, neck and basically every part of his body; the instant his siblings were out of the picture, it would be like signing Gaara's death certificate – and the village's. But a thought came to his mind.

Asuma-sensei once used his knuckle-blades to cut through rocks like a fucking boss. Naruto reminisced. That's it! I'll just channel wind into the kunai and cut through the fire! I'm not entirely good at it yet, but…oh…this is gonna be good.


Throwing his arms together, a pair of clones exploded covering him in smoke. Once the smoke cleared, two clones rushed against the rooftops, covering distance at an exceptional rate. It was so fast, Orochimaru almost didn't catch him. Almost. Once time rushed in – sounds, taste and smell altogether – the flames grew and shot for the Sand Kunoichi who knew she was way past pushing her limits. The great piece of debris was powdered by Orochimaru's giant snakes slithering from his sleeves. But like most military or battle plans, there were undefined factors that almost seem improbably but in hindsight a foolish foresight. Almost like an unidentified wild card from what Naruto originally imagined, Gaara's sand shot up protecting Temari and Kankuro, reinforcing his wall of debris.

The blond Suna kunoichi jumped, channeling chakra into her fans and legs. Taking to the air, she sent a great wall of blade-like gusts of wind towards the unsuspecting Sannin. While he had to admit, the Sand Siblings caught the upper-hand on him, for only a mere moment, it was a small mistake that could be easily rectified. Pulling snakes back into his sleeve, he sped through hand seals that moved faster than the winds themselves. Once he came to his final seal, a small click was heard. As if time slowed just enough, he noticed the already burning explosive tag attached to a kunai below his legs. With eyes as wide as plates, the Sannin glared at the Naruto shadow clone standing on the rooftop with a cheeky expression on its face.

"Fuck-!"


Orochimaru always prided himself in being calm, collected and all-round, a very thoughtful man. He'd never once lost his cool and always retained the façade of control – even when he knew his odds were very much not in his favor. When his old sensei appeared with a pair of ANBU to arrest him, the snake knew not of their intentions, hell he didn't even know they were coming. The secret to his success, lied in a few lies sprinkled with half-truths and overbearing confidence. It always got him what he wanted, especially when he talked out of his ass. Bullshit was the best way to manipulate people after all. He prided himself in knowing and assessing the situations he found himself in, never taking a moment, a breath – even a hair – for granted.

But for some reason, he was absolutely losing his shit.

HOW?! How?! How am I unable to kill this insufferable little child?! Orochimaru roared within the recesses of his mind. I a shadow clone of a Sannin, can't defeat a little boy?! What an embarrassing farce this fight has become! Give me a few moments of reprise to accomplish what I've come here to do, damn you! If I can't get the damn Shukaku free, my original won't be able to hold Konoha once he kills Sarutobi.

But it would be a whole lot easier if this FUCKING CHILD would just lay over and die! Orochimaru dodged an incoming kunai. Another fucking explosive tag?!

He ducked, shooting forward, turning his body into a slithering snake. The kunai roared out with a powerful screech. The Sannin cringed at the decibel and even reverted back to a man unable to deal with the vibrations in the winds. He howled against the powerful ring. As he laid with hands to his ears, before him, Temari, Kankuro and even Gaara were struggling to deal with the pitch. He turned back to the wake of the explosion, there was only one conclusion – Naruto had somehow figured out how to manipulate the winds and create sound from attacks, almost like a bastardized version of the sound ninjutsu his shinobi employ. It made sense. He was adept in using a wind-enhanced sword along with ninjutsu.

Up on the rooftops though – Orochimaru was giving the poor boy too much credit. Within the recesses of his mind, Naruto was practically jumping and shouting. It worked! It fucking worked Ahri!

"Hell yeah!" Ahri cheered with him. "I have to commend you though; my own master never thought of something like that!"

Now that's a compliment!

Returning to the fight below, Naruto channeled chakra into his arm, cocking the limb back. A handful of shuriken were resting against the webs between his fingers. Eyeing the writhing Sannin, he and his clone threw their arsenal. The projectiles whistled through the air and a nice number even managed to riddle the man below. Once the ringing had died down, the four combatants were beginning to recuperate. Gaara's sand rose, lifting Kankuro and Temari to their feet, prepared to take on the snake. But as they prepared to move in on the opportunity, the two clones appeared.

In their hands, kunai and shuriken already wielded. Orochimaru struggled to his feet, a glare on his face and chakra rolling off of his body. The amount of Killing Intent was unbelievable. Gaara's own felt like a child's temper tantrum compared to this! The snake Sannin rose to his feet, hair disheveled and slightly out of place and clothes matted and slightly burned. He looked enraged but at the same time doing his best to find serenity. His heart raced and his anger pumped through his bloodstream making chakra fluctuate throughout his body. Being a shadow clone the Sannin created from a special ninjutsu, the man had more than just half of his original's chakra – the clone practically had separate chakra system with replenishing chakra reserves. While it lacked the boons from a normal shadow clone like memory retention, it had its own perks that Orochimaru deemed perfection.

"Any more tricks up your sleeve, boy?" Orochimaru's voice was dark and menacing. Purple and black chakra rolled off of the clones back. "I assure you, Gaara-kun. When I dispose of this pest, you and your towel-headed people will be destroyed. Enjoy your final breaths."

"Well Orochimaru…" Naruto took a deep breath. "I have just one trick up my sleeve!"

Holding out his right hand, an Orb of Deception appeared, glowing and coalescing into a gorgeous sphere of fiery chakra. A few smaller motes of blue fire orbited around the large sphere. Orochimaru's face spoke more than any condescending remark he could muster behind the confident façade. Channeling his chakra in a way similar to the way he did in his fight against Neji and Gaara, the small motes rushed together, merging and using their own orbits to create differing rotations within the central orb. Soon enough the glowing and raging fire surrounding the orb was replaced with a more concentrated aura with the flame receding to the center of the volatile sphere.

The power was pressing against his palm, tearing and rushing against his already peeling flesh. He took deep breaths, trying to channel the chakra. It was difficult to maintain the rotations within, but he had to do it. He had to protect his village and end the treacherous travesty before him. Gaara and his siblings looked to him with surprise that he stood between them and the almighty. Naruto couldn't let him fall into Orochimaru's hands and he would be damned if he let the snake destroy his home further!

"Eat this you bastard!"

Naruto sped forward, wind and dust blowing off of his body. Orochimaru had little time to react, after all, his mind was reeling from how quickly the boy created a rasengan! This was all the proof he needed for his hypothesis. This confirmed his suspicions and definitely spoke volumes. The blond hair, the annoyingly optimistic and patriotic speeches. He is his son. There was no other explanation – he had to be his son. Preparing for the worst, the rasengan Naruto managed was about a whole rasengan larger than his. Once the attack met his flesh, Orochimaru tried his best to bite back the scream growing in his lungs.

The rasengan proved more vicious than the Snake remembered. It shredded through his clothes, revealing the introduction of wind chakra into the mix. It slowly disintegrated the remains of the cloth protecting his abdomen revealing the standard shinobi iron mesh shirts that protect against slashes, most stabs and even ninjutsu. But even then, such a thing was like paper to a deluge when it went against the rasengan. Naruto roared, crying out his rage and anger as he pushed the spinning ball of death into Orochimaru's stomach. The boy cried out, channeling more wind chakra into the monstrosity, slashing and maiming the Sannin.

Blood rushed from the revealed organs, spraying the Uzumaki and the ground below. Naruto smiled through clenched teeth and elongated canines. His whiskers grew darker as his blood-red eyes returned full force. Pushing the last of the attack into the snake, he released a final roar as the man exploded back, a trail of blood in his wake. Chakra and dust surrounding Naruto as he watched the Sannin fly outwards creating a clear tunnel through the gathered smoke and dust. He smiled softly, feeling chakra burn in his arms and legs. He groaned as the bubbling red cloak arrived to heal his wounds. Despite the painful radioactivity, he relished in how good it felt to feel healed.

He took deep breaths, groaning slightly as the memories of the second clone finally arrived. He turned back to find the Sand Siblings in awe of what they'd seen along with a small cloud of shadow clone smoke wafting away. He took a deep breath and headed towards the Sand Trio, prepared to talk and get all the information out of them. After all, there had to be a bloody reason for their need to run. There had to be a reason for their retreat. He limped along, bubbling chakra beginning to recede, his hair fell against his face slick with sweat and teeth retracted to their normal size. His whiskers lost their definition and returned to being seemingly arbitrary lines across his cheeks. But the most definite change, his blood red orbs returned to their calm cerulean.

"Now…" Naruto began. "Explain all that's happening here. You three are running for some reason and I need to know why! I almost died fighting a Sannin for crying out loud."

"We are being betrayed." Temari started. "Our father, the Kazekage, is not who everyone thinks he is. Orochimaru, the man you just fought, killed our father and wore his skin playing both factions of the invasion. This was all his plan."

"Do you not know how coincidental that all seems?" Naruto asked. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Would you go against your Kage or hell, your father's direct orders?" Temari asked with a glare.

"If it brought war?" Naruto nodded his head. "Yes. And if I had a father, I would go against it too. But…I see what you mean…fuck. So you're telling me that none of this was supposed to happen? Are you telling me…I killed men and women who were tricked, made to believe in a false ideal?! T-That…I…"

"If anything we were going to come here for a simple Chunin Exam." Kankuro frowned. "But then the Sound arrived and told our father everything he wanted to hear. Power and prestige and a way to prove our strength against Iwagakure…he played my father and…I'm certain he found out about Orochimaru's plans. It could be the only reason the snake killed him."

"Now, now…Kankuro-kun~." A slithering voice appeared. "And you Temari-chan~…you're giving away free information to the enemy. Such treachery cannot be forgiven."

"H-How…?" Naruto looked at the Sannin with wide eyes. "Y-You're supposed to be dead!"

"If I were dead, I would have dispelled by now." The Snake leered with his tongue hanging free.

Naruto's heart dropped. A Shadow Clone?! "HOW?!"

"Your knowledge in fuinjutsu is astounding for someone of your age." Orochimaru smirked, coughing up the same snake once more. He pulled against the sword, removing it from the snake's throat. "But after all…it is your heritage."

The boy backed away. "W-What are you talking about?!"

"Oh?" Orochimaru smiled with a sickening twist. "You're telling me, old man Sarutobi didn't deem you ready enough to know of your family; your Clan, your blood?"

It's time to play a new angle. Orochimaru smirked.

"How would you know?!" Naruto roared back. "How would you know anything about me or my parents?!"

"I used to be a shinobi of Konoha myself, young child. For many years at that." Orochimaru hobbled forward, abdomen ripped open. Slowly but surely, the wounds that would have killed a normal man began to heal, merging together. "I knew things and I knew people…"

"Naruto!" Ahri shouted from within. "Don't listen to him! He's trying to play you! He's-"

Ahri… Naruto's heart was racing, punching against his chest.

"Naruto!" Ahri roared this time. "You're letting your guard down! Snap out of it!"

"Naruto-!"


Shutting the delirious fox within, he turned his attention to the snake Sannin. "Y-You know who my parents are…?"

Oh, I've hit a soft spot. Orochimaru inwardly smirked at his play. I'll give him the information he wants, then I'll dispose of the useless cretin and release the Ichibi. Once the beast is free, there is no possible way that sorry child will ever make use of this information. After all, he'll be a dead corpse like his mother and father! HAHAHAHA!

"Of course I do…Naruto-kun~" Orochimaru's words slithered like poison.

Gaara looked to the blond boy in front of him, he saw someone weak and vulnerable, someone that didn't seem like the boy who defeated him and saved his sanity. Barely able to contain his raging heart, Naruto dropped his arms to his sides, kunai slipping from his grasp. Gaara couldn't even begin to imagine what the blond was thinking, but they were going to die if he didn't snap out of it.

"W-Who were t-they?" Naruto asked almost yearning.

But before he could do anything, Orochimaru's blade shot forward, extending from the crossguard tsuba "Shouldn't it be obvious? Your father is none other than the Yondaime Hokage; the very one who sealed that monster into your stomach!"

No…

Time slowed.

It can't be…

Gaara's sand slithered along, trying to capture the incoming blade.

H-He…I…

Temari drew chakra into her battle fans, preparing to strike out.

M-My Father…is…

Kankuro's chakra strings released the debris protecting them.

But…it can't…be…

The blade was closing distance.

Why…? Why did…

Gaara roared, throwing his arms up.

Why…? Why didn't…

Kankuro's chakra strings latched onto the frozen shinobi.

Why didn't anyone tell me?!

Blood red chakra exploded out of his body, creating a powerful shield of chakra and wind. Kankuro and Temari were blown back in the sudden intrusion. Gaara's sand moved quickly, catching his siblings before they rolled through the debris ridden strip of Konoha. In the chaos, Gaara's growing wall of sand was released, blowing into the wind like dust. With eyes as wide as plates, he watched as the Snake's blade pierced the Uzumaki like a stuck pig. The chakra quickly receded and shot into his stomach. Orochimaru's blade shrunk as he moved closer to the dying clone. But once they met face to face, the Snake chided, complaining that he didn't see the truth before. If only the conclusion had come sooner, he would have ended this fight ages ago.

Naruto looked at him with fear in his eyes. Orochimaru met them with his own shimmering orbs of deceit. "How're you feeling Naruto-kun? Feel elated? Feel relieved?"

"No…" The boy managed to choke out. "How about…you? Surprised? Worried?"

Orochimaru backed away, realizing something was wrong. There is no blood.

"Gaara! Create a wall of sand! NOW!" Naruto roared.

Orochimaru looked behind the Uzumaki to see Gaara and his siblings beginning to entrench themselves. "A simple wall of sand won't do anything against my Kusanagi."

"I know that…"

Suddenly, Naruto ripped his jacket open revealing practically an entire roll of explosive tags strapped to his chest. And each tag was already burning! Orochimaru's eyes bugged for a moment and he quickly fled the scene. He ran, jumping and weaving between falling debris, doing what he can to escape the laced child. He was still in range when the tags burned out.


Naruto groaned, holding his head.

Memories of a certain clone rushed into his mind, filling him with unbelievable and almost unbearable information. Thankfully, the combat within the stands was beginning to die down with only a few Sand and Sound shinobi remaining to fight the Konoha resistance. Even with the coming serenity, the memories were rushing through his mind. Unable to take the overload, Naruto was slowly losing his balance and experienced a vicious bout of vertigo. Once the pain had reached its peak, his legs finally gave out as blood coursed from his nostrils like a torrential downpour. Before he could collapse to kiss the floor, Shikamaru caught him with a shadow possession and Sasuke's hand grabbed his shoulder and pushed him forward. Naruto groaned once more, almost as if he was seeing the entire fight between his clone and Orochimaru right before his eyes.

As the fight exploded for his mind's eye to see, a plague of voices, guilt and anger sounded in his ears. The negativity and the pain permeated the air subjugating the young genin beneath its powerful fist. Faceless people whispered about him and faceless people shouted at him in the sudden revelation. All he could hear as the chaos of the village was drowned out were the cries of agony and the cries of hatred pouring his way. As the uproar in his mind continued, something bright happened, searing through the black and purple aura that covered his heart. It was something that he'd never expected in his entire life. The rage and despair the villagers held for him, the disdain and disgust, all fell to deaf ears. The bright light grew into an intense fire, completely drowning out the memories of his past. The purple and black were removed, with a beautiful pristine white in its place.

His father…is the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato…and no one knew. Except for the Hokage! Naruto clenched his fists as a slight darkness began to saturate into the pale aura. Stuck in his reverie, he was frozen in time completely forgetting his friends struggling to keep up with an invasion force that could easily kill them all. Still journeying through the memories, his breath hitched at the sudden realization; his father is the Yondaime Hokage! His father was a hero! His father was his hero! His father…made him a Jinchuriki. Naruto's tears welled in his cerulean blues, threatening to cascade.

His beating heart felt it was preparing to blast off into the moon. It was going too fast and was practically smashing his chest with a jackhammer. He couldn't believe it…but…what Orochimaru said, what the Snake Sannin said…the old man must have known about his heritage, he must know who his mother is too! He must know about his clan! He must know…

Suddenly, a powerful pinching pain shook him from his darkening trance. Sasuke's second chidori was birthed with a few stray sparks of lightning shocking the Uzumaki's bare skin. Shikamaru's shadow possession had been released, giving the orange clad genin full reign to move about. Swinging his kunai sword about sent shivers of excitement through his arms and body. But the instant he fell into an offensive stance (Or at least what he thought was an offence stance), shocking memories of what Temari said to his clone filtered into his mind. Betrayed…not the Kazekage…Orochimaru… He watched worriedly as a pair of Suna shinobi rushed at Kakashi and Gai. The Konoha pair beat the assault back, fighting and cutting at each other with masterful skill.

Looking throughout the battlefield, taking a moment to truly see the battlefield, he could feel his stomach churning. Channeling his chakra to see through the eyes of his remaining shadow clones, the story was the same. Finally taking into consideration Temari's words, they held nothing but the unfortunate and difficult truth.

In the far end of the arena, barely visible to the naked eye, a Suna jōnin was ambushed by a pair of Oto shinobi. The woman was cut down like a cow ready for slaughter. Naruto couldn't help but see the flashes of the Suna shinobi he himself had killed. Clenching his fists, the treachery, the betrayal and the outright lack of honor from the Oto shinobi sickened him. He watched as Sasuke prepared to shoot for a young chunin kunoichi of Suna while Kakashi and Gai prepared to strike down their own enemies. Shikamaru using what chakra he could that stemmed from the powerful soldier pills he'd ingested prior to arriving on the stands, he was about to make a pair of Suna shinobi kill each other.

Ino's body was lying against the shadow master's shoulder, revealing that she had taken over the mind of another shinobi, preparing to strike down a Sand chunin. Sakura had her arm cocked back with a handful of shuriken and kunai prepared. Up ahead, Aoba Yamashiro, the cool jōnin with sunglasses, was about to get gutted by a Sand jōnin. But behind them all, the ninja of Sound were preparing to pick off the stragglers.

Time slowed for him, revealing a three-way brawl. This wasn't an invasion – this was an embarrassment. This was treachery at its finest. This was betrayal of the highest level. He had to do something, he had to think of something! Breath ragged and arms shaking beneath the stress his mind was going through, he brought his right hand to his lips, channeling chakra into his throat. Clenching his teeth, feeling the energy rip at his vocal cords like a sharp cough. Now, no longer was the world still, everyone had begun to move, albeit as slowly as possible. He could barely think with all the chaos, he could barely feel himself thinking in the rush of battle. He needs peace; he needed SOMETHING!

"EVERYONE!" Naruto roared, throwing his hand forward. "JUST FUCKING STOP!"

A great reddish cloud of menacing smoke shot from his mouth, engulfing the entirety of the stands. The dust, smoke and chakra entered their lungs, and the effects were immediate. Ninjutsu were undone before they could be released. Physical attacks fell short of doing any damage. Men and women, no matter how strong fell lax, with arms against their sides. Ino awoke from her ninjutsu and sat up, sky blue irides looking at Naruto with wide eyes. Everyone was looking at him with wide eyes. Sand shinobi stared at the boy and Leaf shinobi in danger looked at him with pleading expressions.

"Can everyone shut the fuck up for five seconds and let me think?!" He shouted, running his hands through his hair. He only had a minute to say what he needed to say before his charm runs out.

Within his mindscape, Ahri's jaw was practically kissing the floor. H-He fucking did it without any issues…and his charm isn't a giant pink heart either! H-How in the…?

"I've learned that my father is the fucking Yondaime! And to think, the man I learned it from just so happens to be Orochimaru!" Naruto roared, garnering a few well-earned wide-eyes. Okay, maybe a lot of wide eyes. "Why is it that my enemies appeal to me more than the people who call me comrade?!"

"H-How did Orochimaru know that information? It's classified!" Kakashi blurted.

Naruto's eyes flashed red. "YOU KNEW?!"

"NO!" Naruto ran his hands through his rustled hair, gaining a few more confused looks from the shinobi frozen in their tracks. "That's not important right now! What is, is the bloody truth behind this invasion!"

"W-What would you know?" A Suna shinobi struggled against the charm affect.

"Your Kazekage is dead!" Naruto called. "Orochimaru is wearing his face and lured all of us into a useless and pointless war! His plan was to weaken both of us and let his sound shinobi take the easy pickings! Look around you!"

All heads did their best to fight back against the command but their bodies were moving of their own accord. With scowls and grunts escaping their lips, they turned to face a group of Sound shinobi standing still with a dead Suna shinobi at their feet, freshly killed by the looks of it. The Suna ninja's throat was slit open with blood still squirting from the garish wound. The proof was as clear as day with a great and heavy cloud of embarrassment fell upon the combatants still under Naruto's thrall.

"We can only defeat Orochimaru in time if we spread the truth!" Naruto roared. "Now…I have a snake to skin…Sasuke!"

The Uchiha in question was released from the charm.

"Shikamaru!"

The Nara groaned as the effects wore off.

"Come with me!"

The two boys looked at Naruto with wide eyes, disbelieving everything that just transpired. Was it a genjutsu he just did; was it some kind of super-powered mind control technique?! Sasuke couldn't fathom the strength Naruto now had at his disposal, it just wasn't possible! But he said something about his father being the Yondaime? Now he originally would have just pushed it aside, thinking Naruto probably made something up, but to hear Kakashi confirm it with his statement, it was making sense. Looking to Shikamaru, Sasuke quickly assumed that the lazy bastard came up with the same conclusion. His growth, his power and his sudden knowledge was too exponential to be a coincidence, it was too –

"HEY!" Naruto shouted once more. "Come on!"


As the trio left the stands, the shinobi remaining stared at one another with awkward eyes, once the charm had worn off. Suna shinobi clenched their fists, with tears welling in their eyes. Their bodies shuddered in their flak jackets. No one dared to move an inch. Kakashi's eyes trailed to the Suna shinobi and then to the Oto shinobi then to Gai and back again. The Sound ninja were as still as statues, barely able to comprehend what had just happened. Despite the awkward tension saturating the very air they breathed, one thing was for certain – they all knew who their real enemy is. But not a single move was made to apprehend or attack the Sound shinobi standing before them.

"Children." Kakashi called, gaining the attention of the members of the Konoha Twelve remaining in the stands. "Go and help Naruto. He will need all the help he can get."

"B-But…" Sakura called. Her emerald eyes trailed from her teacher out to the Sand shinobi giving the man knowing looks. Seeing her teacher reciprocate the gesture, she knew immediately that she and her genin friends had no place being there. "…Okay…Kakashi-sensei."

"Forehead…" Ino looked at her with wide eyes and tears welling in the corners. "If we go out there…"

"Don't worry, we'll have each other's backs…" Kiba called in an uncharacteristically quiet tone. "Let's go!"

As the group of genin jumped from the large hole in the stands, all that remained were jōnin and chunin preparing for the worst.

"Do you think it's wise sending a bunch of genin – no matter how talented they may seem…to fight a Sannin?" Gai asked.

"Whether or not they can or can't is moot at this point isn't it." Kakashi sighed, taking a deep breath. "If anything, Sasuke will release the Cursed Seal and Naruto will increase the output of the Kyuubi chakra within him."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Gai gave his eternal rival and friend a wide eyed look.

Kakashi nodded his head slightly at the Suna shinobi standing before him. "Not necessarily…"

Suna shinobi slowly unclipped their kunai pouches strapped to their legs. Oto shinobi slowly drew kunai from their holsters, half-drawn to show off the glinting light. Aoba, Kakashi and Gai began to follow suit. They knew what was to come and now, they weren't going to hold back. As the stare-down continued, Oto shinobi arrived to reinforce the three statuesque jōnin across from them. Now, in all respects, they were evenly matched. With ten Oto jōnin, four Konoha and six Suna jōnin in the mix, it was a godsend that the civilians were either escorted away or dead.

"Before we get started…" A Suna jōnin began with a dark tone. He drew his kunai out, nodding to the Hatake taking a stand next to him. He turned to face the Oto ninja with a glare marring his face as chakra rolled off of his body. "Would any of you like to surrender?"


Naruto landed, taking off into a full sprint. Ignoring the snakes that were violently crushed by a great toad, and ignoring the sudden retaliation from Konoha and her shinobi forces, he sped ahead. The clone was not dead. He couldn't be dead yet. It would have been too easy to defeat Orochimaru in the streets if that were the case. No, after all the shit he saw burned into his memory, the Snake was well deserving of his nickname. Taking in his surroundings, the Sound shinobi were beginning the next stage of their offensive. If their greater numbers was any indication; they were practically swarming the village and former sand placements while the Leaf forces concentrated on Sand and vice-versa.

As he rushed through the rooftops, sword in hand and his two friends on his rear, he was almost like a speeding bullet. Everything was in a near tunnel vision. With chakra burning off of his legs, using the power the soldier pills gave him to their fullest extent, he took off at speeds near similar to Lee. But in his speed, he came across a platoon of Sound shinobi, preparing to do their worst on a group of unsuspecting wounded Leaf and Sand ninja.

Doing what he could, he fell to a knee, slightly surprised by the amount of sand and blood there was on the rooftops. He slid forward, blowing past the wounded warriors of the innocent nations. Kicking from the ground like a springboard, he lodged his knee into the first sound shinobi who crossed his path. Three great motes of fire shot from his abdomen and quickly engulfed the nearest ninja. Landing on his toes, he did a near perfect pirouette, clashing his kunai sword with the knives and blades of the belligerent sound. They jumped, dodged and weaved between each other's attacks, showing the skill they had. Before the great sword fight could truly commence, Sasuke appeared, a chidori exploding off of his left arm.

He sliced through a pair of shinobi, showering the rooftop with their blood. His face was dark with his sharingan tomoe spiraling. When he too landed, he sped forward, prepared to strike out against another shinobi. Using chakra, Naruto caught sight of the incoming attack and dodged Sasuke at near lightning speed. Across the way, Shikamaru arrived with a long trail of shadow coming in and snatching the three remaining Oto shinobi, leaving them in Sasuke's warpath. As Naruto rolled away, the Uchiha flashed through the remaining sound shinobi, bisecting them like their comrades. When he landed, the boy fell to his knees, gripping his shoulder, growling like an animal as the same flame-like tattoos spread across his face and arms.

"Sasuke, here." Shikamaru tossed the weakened Uchiha a soldier pill.

When the boy ate it, his body exploded in energy, replenishing his depleted chakra reserves and already depleting curse mark. His eyes gained a darker hue and his face was no longer pale looking. Sasuke looked to the two shinobi and nodded in thanks. Rising to their feet, they walked up to the Sand and Leaf shinobi with glares on their faces and a story to tell. Naruto tapped Sasuke and Shikamaru and released a deep growl, feeling chakra of terrifying proportions. For a shadow clone, Naruto had to admit, Orochimaru knew his ninjutsu. While Naruto's own shadow clones would disappear at the mere contact of a weapon or at times, punches and kicks, the shadow clone that Orochimaru created was far more durable, almost disgustingly and impossibly so.

"Shika, handle this, get them up to speed." Naruto said through rushed breath. "Sasuke and I need to go! Sasuke, come on!"

"I know!"


Gaara struggled to stay conscious, fighting back against the pain radiating in his stomach. Where he would practically have untouched charka reserves thanks to Shukaku doing everything for him, since the sealing, the redhead was left to do things mostly on his own, save for healing. Against a genin at the least and those unsuspecting ANBU at the most, Gaara felt he could stand a good chance, but against someone like Orochimaru, even if the man before him was a simple clone, he didn't stand a sliver of a chance. Hoping only got him so far. Wishing for victory was something he never had to do until now.

Temari and Kankuro were knocked out, leaning against the buildings on either side of the street. Blood trickled from the corners of their split lips and giant bruises blackened on their foreheads. Growling underneath his breath, the Jinchuriki faced the advancing Sannin with defiance and an undeterred expression spread across his features. Sand slowly withered to his command; blowing with the winds only to return and gather beneath his palms like stalagmites. All around, sand poured from the massive gourd on his back adding to the already rising sea. But even with the show of power and remaining strength, the Sannin was unimpressed and rather bemused.

"Your Konoha friends are nowhere near to save you." Orochimaru hissed with his tongue swinging about. "It's time to release the Ichibi and resume my plans."

"Sand Coffin!"

A wave of sand rushed towards the Sannin. Orochimaru though, saw it coming and using chakra scalpels, he sliced through the chakra enhanced granules. Each tendril was sliced in half, negating the purpose and leaving Gaara with little options. Behind the wall of sand, the genin swung his arm out, sending a large fist careening into Orochimaru's unprotected sides. Being a Sannin, the man was well versed in all if not most assaults and strategies. Gaara knew this and had nearly no way to predict what the snake was going to do next. But nevertheless, he had to keep the snake away for the time being. If Shukaku were released in the middle of the village, their efforts to keep the Snake away would have been for nothing. Naruto's sacrifice would have been for nothing.

Jumping back, dodging an incoming axe-kick, Gaara replaced himself with a sand clone. Orochimaru's foot smashed through the Bunshin, slowly sinking the limb into the hardened sand. The man glared at the gall Gaara exuded in abundance. Taking a few moments to rethink his approach, he eyed the great purple box looming over the arena stands. From what he could sense from his original, the First and Second Hokage were revived for the sole purpose of taking down the Third. Trees had already been birthed and a near ocean of water had risen covering about a quarter of the box. He could see great blasts of fire meeting water or running branches of trees, signifying the fight was still in effect.

He still had time to take advantage of the situation. Rushed forward, he dodged an incoming tendril of sand that nearly impaled him. Swinging his sword around, he sliced the tendril in half negating Gaara's control. As he landed on his feet, his balance was removed in an instant, practically sending him in a backflip as sand whisked away, taking him with it. Shooting his hands out, he landed upon the dirt, flipping over and this time, made sure to steer clear of Gaara's near infinite weapon. Eyeing the adamant Jinchuriki, he was at a near loss of what to do with the redhead.

"I think it's time to spice things up." A familiar voice appeared. "Surprised?"

Orochimaru's eyes perked up, narrowing at the sight. "The other Naruto…was a shadow clone?"

"Aha!" Naruto laughed pointedly. "You caught on!"

Something's not right with him. Orochimaru backed away from the newcomers. "Sasuke-kun~, Naruto-kun~…how kind of you two to join us!"

"We're not here for idle chatter." Naruto growled.

Bubbling chakra, far more potent than before began to rupture from the seal on his stomach. Energy ripped through the scenery, glowing with a menacing vermilion. It felt toxic but at the same time…relaxing. Orochimaru couldn't believe his eyes or his senses; such power, such immense and untapped potential was practically sizzling before him. Seeing Naruto's powers from the Kage Box did the boy no justice. Up close and personal, the sheer amount of energy and rage was…beautiful – and he knew this was just the tip of the iceberg. Unable to contain his excitement, and dare he say arousal, he licked his lips in amorous anticipation. If the boy's shadow clone was able to hold out for that long and endure the amount of punishment it did, he couldn't even begin to fathom what the real Naruto could go through. With what he saw from the shadow clone, he would be surprised if Naruto didn't manage to survive the cursed seals! No, Orochimaru chided. He'd already marked Sasuke. It would be redundant and an honest waste of…potential…

With chakra like Naruto's and eyes like Sasuke's…Orochimaru's body shuddered. He needed the eyes, not the whole body. If he was desperate for more sharingan, he could easily grow more from Sasuke's genes. With the knowledge he already had at his disposal, combined with an Uzumaki's life force and chakra mixed with an Uchiha's sharingan…Orochimaru could already feel his body coming close to a climax of pleasure from his fantasy. While such thoughts were only thoughts at the moment, he needed to make the dream a reality. Uzumaki could live for exceptionally long periods (Some far outlasting their descendants) of time but sadly, the entire clan was exterminated before Orochimaru could kidnap – err…attain – viable research from Uzushiogakure. If he could somehow manage to corrupt Naruto into coming along, he could have the secrets to everlasting life.

Smiling as brightly as he can, Orochimaru's snake-like fangs erupted forth, dripping poison. Across the street, Sasuke stared at the man with fear unabated like a scorching inferno in his sharingan eyes. It was like that day in the Forest of Death. It was like the day he was marked. Sasuke's arm shook as he barely managed to have the willpower to move it. The cursed mark was speaking, radiating its tainted energy throughout his body. And in the presence of the perpetrator, the pain only grew. Finding the scene rather hilarious, Orochimaru's neck extended, rising above the trio of shinobi like a giraffe over the forest trees. The three genin backed away slightly, barely able to stomach it. Flashes of the forest rushed through Sasuke's rushing mind, barely able to process what was coming.

"Naruto-kun~" Orochimaru smiled, his tongue significantly longer and waving free from his mouth. "The village lied to you, held you back on several occasions and…the man you looked to as a grandfather withheld the truth from you…you should have been treated as a hero for carrying the burden you do, for being the son of the Yondaime…but look at you."

Dodging a large bullet of sand, Orochimaru weaved his head around like a snake, repositioning. "Come with me and you'll never worry again. Come with me and you will receive what you deserve. Namikaze~"

Naruto's glare receded hearing the family name of his father. His throat burned dry and his right arm began to twitch once again. He used all of his willpower not to take a step towards the snake.

"Namikaze Naruto." Orochimaru said with a hint of pride. "Imagine the people calling your name."

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!"

A great fireball sprang forth, speeding towards the snake of a man. Surprisingly, it came from none other than Sasuke. His eyes were filled with anger and pain at the words Orochimaru spat. His breath was heavy, obviously his mind was still reeling from everything that has transpired. Not even giving his blond comrade a look, Sasuke stepped forward, purple chakra exploding off of his shoulder. He struggled ahead, ready to make a stand. But his bravado, his show of strength and power was for nothing.

Orochimaru cackled as he threw up a half-ram hand seal. Immediately, Sasuke was thrown to the ground, howling in pain as the cursed mark began to burn into his flesh – literally. He could feel his skin and muscles melt away because of how powerful the cursed seal was. He gripped his shoulder, screaming and roaring out his disdain. Barely able to contain himself, the boy began to collapse to the hard dirt street. But just as he fell, a small bed of sand caught him.

"S-Sasuke…" Naruto looked at his friend.

He glared, clenching his teeth. "D-Don't let him…don't…I…I won't let him brand you too, dobe!"

"It will be too late for that!" Orochimaru's delirious voice echoed. He closed the distance, surprising the three genin. But before Naruto could react, it was too late.


Among the civilians of Konohagakure, there was a small section, a very minute fraction of the overall populace that had a secret calling. They created a chronological log of all of one Uzumaki Naruto's pranks. They'd record his antics and the skills he'd shown – all of which spoke volumes of what kind of shinobi he'd be. While it started off as a joke, the older the blond dervish became, the more complex his style and flair became and the use of his chakra became more apparent. It was amazing that even trained chunin and jōnin couldn't catch up with a child a quarter their age.

There were times when even ANBU were called in to try and capture Uzumaki Naruto. While the boy was always pulling pranks, be it pulling people's pants down or using his sexy no jutsu on the next unaware passerby, there were those special days where his pranks would exceed the previous mediocrity of underhand tricks and harmless traps. There were times when his own pranks could be on par with a shinobi simulation test of sorts. Jokingly, it was a godsend for jōnin feeling their comrades were getting slack, but a blight on most of the common people and lesser shinobi.

Even then, the ANBU, holding back their skills be damned, always had a difficult time capturing the Uzumaki. Be it his somehow, God-given speed or some strange providence of perfect elusiveness, but he was the master of escaping his pursuers. No matter where they came from, no matter what they claimed to be.

All things considered; Orochimaru didn't know who he was messing with.

With sleight of hand as his best friend, the Uzumaki had managed to replace himself with a flying kunai almost twenty meters away. After the smoke and dust settled, all eyes were expecting to see a trapped Uzumaki. Surprisingly, lodged between Orochimaru's teeth was a burning kunai with an explosive tag wrapped around the handle. Once those there to witness noticed the trick, they quickly sprang into action.

Sand rushed out, wrapping around the Sand Siblings and Sasuke ready to shield them from the inevitably powerful blast. Orochimaru dropped the kunai, quickly retracting his head. The attempt was futile as the explosion ripped through the scene, tearing apart buildings and collapsing empty husks. Thankfully, the great sand orbs that Gaara used to protect his new impromptu comrade and siblings worked without a hitch, shielding them from the incredible explosion. Once the heat and the rippling shockwave receded, all that remained was a charred epicenter and a smoking Orochimaru. He didn't look entirely well judging by his scowl.

"Gaara…" Sasuke looked to the Suna shinobi. "Stay behind me."

Feeling the effects of the soldier pill, Sasuke sped through a series of hand seals and threw his left arm down holding his hand open wide. Within seconds, lightning sparked, chirping and singing as a chidori came to life. Channeling more chakra into his palm, the attack grew larger and wilder. The song of a thousand birds now sounded like screeches and metal scraping against metal. Despite how abhorrent the sound felt, Sasuke was undeterred as his sharingan sprang to life once more. Black tattoos flittered across his pale skin, covering his entire face and left arm. From the corner of his eyes, he could see an orange figure preparing to strike from Orochimaru's rear.

Damn it Naruto. Sasuke laughed inwardly. To think…I'll catch up immediately! I may have been disqualified, but now I can truly show my skills!

Chakra radiating from his legs, he sprang forward at speeds akin to Naruto's spirit rush. Gaara's sand tendrils that trailed with the Uchiha were blown away similar to when the Uzumaki across the street blew a hole in the redhead's back and chest. He winced at the memory but knew that was the only choice Naruto had in defeating him – and inadvertently saving his sanity. Village association be damned, Gaara steeled his resolve and relished in the silence and peace of mind he had gained from Naruto's intrusion. Throwing his arms forward, the sands trailed after the speeding Uchiha, fully intent on protecting him from Orochimaru's retaliation.

In the rear, Naruto had taken a silent charge, chakra burning off of his limbs. In his hand a big orb had formed, spiraling with a far more ferocious revolution than ever before. Unbeknownst to the Uzumaki, he was pushing Ahri's chakra into the blue orb, slowly turning his impromptu rasengan into a blood-red color. Taking off, he could see Sasuke on his way to Orochimaru's front, leaving the snake's rear open for attack. In his speed – and thanks to the violent chakra radiating off of his body – the Uzumaki plowed through debris and giant rocks that would have otherwise hindered his assault. With the amount of chakra Naruto was pumping, he had to wonder when the soldier pills he ingested would run out.

The two genin rushed at Orochimaru closing the distance in a near blink of an eye. The first attack to hit was almost hard to tell, but once the light and smoke cleared, Naruto veered away from the still moving Uchiha. It seemed like an unspoken unanimous decision to keep their attacks from meeting. The destruction the two could cause was unknown but it had to be devastating if they did. Pushing through the smoke, Gaara's sand split and shot around, catching both Naruto and Sasuke, repositioning them outside of the visual deterrent.

"You know we didn't get him." Sasuke frowned.

"Yeah." The Uzumaki sighed in despair. "Hey! Do you sense that?"

The three conscious genin looked to the rooftops to find an unsuspecting sight. The remaining members of the Konoha Twelve arrived, jumping down to meet them in the streets. Behind the horde of genin, Suna and Konoha shinobi took to the air, jumping over streets and rooftops to spread the word. The genin clamored for the battered Uzumaki and Uchiha, asking questions and some even demanding explanations. After a few bumbling words of embarrassment from the resident Jinchuriki of Konoha and a far more in depth explanation from Gaara, the genin of Konoha took deep and shaking breaths, barely able to contain their worry.

"Okay." Naruto frowned. "Listen up guys."

Their faces perked up hearing his commanding tone.

"Orochimaru is not a joke." Naruto began. "The only reason Sasuke, Gaara and I have even lasted this long, I assume the Sannin is playing with us, gauging our usefulness. If his leering eyes were any indication, he wants me and Sasuke for something I don't have the brains to figure out. Earlier he tried to brand me with a cursed mark as well."

Sakura gasped with eyes shimmering, flashes of Sasuke's transformation appearing in her mind.

"Right now, the one we're facing is a clone." Naruto added. "The real one us up there."

He pointed knowingly towards the great purple barrier. All heads turned just in time to witness a series of explosions and flashes of fire and light were seen going off within the monstrosity. Small silhouettes of figures were seen jumping about, clashing and sending ninjutsu towards one another.

"The clone has one mission; break the seal I placed on Gaara." Naruto frowned. "Shikamaru can fill you in on all the details because if I'm gonna be honest, it'll take way too long to explain. What matters now is to get Gaara the fuck out of here and with a group of allied shinobi; probably Kakashi-sensei or Asuma-sensei. Just get him away from Sound shinobi and out of the fight."

"What makes you think I'll stand idly by?" Gaara suddenly spoke.

Naruto glared, setting his jaw. "If you don't comply, I'll make you."

"Oh, Naruto-kun~!" A slithery voice was heard. "Hearing you command those beneath you is…adorable but also incredibly sad. Don't you know that it's futile to continue fighting me?"

"Shikamaru." Naruto frowned, feeling his brain churning out strategies. "You know what to do, right?"

"What are you –?"

He was cut short when Naruto gave him a knowing look. "Tch. Troublesome blond."

"Alright, fine." Naruto released a frustrated sigh. "Gaara, if you plan on sticking around, wake your siblings. I need them for this strategy. We've seen each other perform in the chunin exams, we all know what we all can do. We will need everyone paying attention and stay ready and prepared to strike this clone down."

"Even though he's a clone…" Kiba could feel pain burn in his chest, remembering the Oto shinobi who attacked the unconscious form of Hinata in the stands. "What can a group of genin do against a fucking Sannin, we barely managed against jōnin and chunin in the stands – and we even had help?"

"He has quality, we have quantity." Naruto smirked. "Teme, you ready?"

"Always, dobe." The Uchiha took a series of deepening breaths.

The rest of the shinobi and kunoichi took positions. "It's interesting seeing Naruto take charge isn't it?" Ino smirked.

"Best get used to it, Ino-chan." Naruto smiled back. "Uzumaki Naruto isn't an idiot anymore."

Shikamaru fell to a knee as the Suna siblings began to take positions. "Naruto, you already have a strategy in place don't you?"

"That I do…" The boy took a while to respond. "But I need you to refine it. When I spring into action, I hope you can keep up."

"Why not just tell me?" Shika asked with a scowl.

Naruto fell into a stance with chakra burning off of his body. "If I utter a damn word of this strategy, Orochimaru will know how to counter my movements. I don't know about you, but I don't think any of you think as I do."


The winds settled and the dust parted.

The sounds of battle rocked the ambiance as the thirteen genin stared down the greatest opponent they've ever fought.

Orochimaru smiled to himself, feeling his wounds heal once more. His tongue swinging around and practically slurping at his lips.

"Gaara, get us to Orochimaru!"

Immediately, Gaara's sand rose creating platforms beneath Naruto and Sasuke's feet. The sand sped them forward. As if they were born to it, the two genin rode the wave of sand, all the while hurling shuriken and kunai at their target. Orochimaru in all of his power stood unmoved, unimpressed with the show. Once they closed the distance, he finally moved.

Ducking beneath Sasuke's kunai and jumping over Naruto's kunai sword, the man was untouched. But unlike every attempt before, in hindsight, Orochimaru really needed to stop playing with his food.

Both Naruto and Sasuke popped into smoke revealing almost five kunai each. Explosive tags already burned out and about to explode waved at the end of the handles. Orochimaru was prepared to evade, or possibly even kawarimi with some debris, but for some reason he was immoveable and could barely channel chakra correctly. He clenched his teeth struggling to fight the lightheaded feeling beginning to set. But before he could make any true movements to escape, the ten kunai exploded, almost like firecrackers, each one adding its own beauty and shock.

"Good." Naruto smiled. "Tenten, Temari, use your attacks together. Wind will push your weapons further and faster, the more projectiles, the more distracted Orochimaru will be. I'll help too. Gaara, Shino, continue mixing your bugs and sand together and keep smashing the mixture against Orochimaru. Sucking up his chakra, no matter how little it may seem will begin to stack up and with the amount of sand you're pushing, the Snake will easily get caught in a Sand Coffin eventually. All we need to do know is find a way to truly disable him. Kiba, Choji! Are you two ready?!" After receiving a couple nods, Naruto turned to Shikamaru and Ino as they two worked on getting into position. "Hinata, Sakura get ready."

Naruto channeled chakra through his body, exploding it from his pores. Smoke and dust began to rise, adding to the massive column of smoke rising from his and Sasuke's onslaught. Orochimaru was definitely thrown in a loop, confused and if Naruto was being honest, he hoped that the Sannin was beginning to lose his patience. A warrior, no matter how skilled or powerful, the instant they lost control was the instant they lost the fight. Taking deep breaths, he calmed his ragged demeanor. Looking to Sasuke, the pair reached down lifting three kunai. Two went to Naruto and one went to Sasuke.

"GRAH!" A howling screech sent shivers up and down everyone's spines. "I AM DONE PLAYING! IF YOU WANT A FIGHT, I'LL GIVE YOU A REAL FIGHT!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto dashed through the smoke with Sakura following behind the pair.

Bursting through the smoke and cloud, Naruto was the first to appear. Throwing a powerful punch, Orochimaru blocked the attack, breaking from the sand and kikaichu beetles that latched onto his arms and legs. With power rolling off of his body, he blocked Naruto's punch, surprised by how the blond had managed to expel chakra at the point of impact. Working quick to dodge his incoming leg, Orochimaru weaved beneath and around the airborne Uzumaki allowing him to practically fly over his body.

But the instant he got rid of the blond, Sasuke arrived with a chidori in his hand. The look in his two tomoe sharingan screamed preparation to do the deed. Orochimaru was not prepared to die anytime soon and direly wished to smack the three genin around. Sweeping his leg around, the Uchiha was thrown off of his balance. With the Snake going for a low attack, he narrowly escaped the pair of kunai that nearly impaled his spine. Right behind him, Naruto's face was glowing with excitement as the two weapons headed straight for Sakura.

In the midst of the chaos, she grabbed the two projectiles and threw them towards the recuperating Sannin. From the corner of his eyes though, he dodged the first, watching it lodge into the side of a building diagonal from him. Barely able to contain his laughter at how elementary this assault was, he blocked a series of high kicks and even dodged the second kunai allowing it to lodge into another building, almost adjacent to the first. The accuracy of the Haruno was something comment on, sadly Orochi was too fast for her.

Once he successfully knocked Sasuke away, a pair of arms and legs wrapped around his torso, holding him in place. Orochimaru shook, throwing his arms and body around trying to get rid of the Uzumaki gripping him with a vice-like grip. But before the Sannin could succeed, sand wrapped around his ankles and shin, holding him in place. In front of him, Sakura roared, rushing towards the man with chakra visibly radiating off of her fist.

"SHANNARO!"

The ground shook once her fist met Orochimaru's exposed chest. The power was amazing, almost impossibly strong. The power was so intense, the Naruto holding on to Orochimaru's body popped in a cloud of smoke, confusing the pinkette. She could have sworn that the real Naruto was fighting alongside her. With Orochimaru barely able to register what happened, with all the wind and possibly more, knocked from his body, he struggled. This was not supposed to happen. They were turning him into a punching bag!

"It's not over yet!" Naruto's voice sounded, sending waves and ripples of anger through the Sannin. "Choji! Kiba, now!"

"Baika no jutsu!" Choji expanded almost thirty times his regular size.

Orochimaru glared at the opposition finding it strange that the Inuzuka and his dog were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a pair of pops were heard coming from behind. The snake whipped his head around, twisting it to face the sources. There, standing on the walls where the kunai used to be, Kiba and a transformed Akamaru appeared as the smoke began to clear. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists knowing this had gone on too long. Damn them. The dog and Inuzuka must have used a henge to disguise themselves as kunai. That's why Naruto didn't dare to use the kunai he held when he clashed with me.

"Go!" Naruto roared. "GO NOW!"

"Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba howled. "GATSUUGA!"

"NIKUDAN SENSHA!" Choji screamed.

Channeling chakra to her mind and hands, Ino pressed her palm against Shikamaru's head. "I'm ready, Shika. I'll direct you."

Nodding his head, the Nara spread his shadow grabbing onto Choji as his Human Bullet Tank technique began to spiral. Shikamaru grunted at the sheer weight that the Akimichi held, but didn't utter a word. Using his shadow as an extension of his own arms and hands, he swung forward firing Choji towards the trapped Sannin. Orochimaru swung his sword out, prepared to strike down Choji, but thanks to Ino's sensory technique, despite how rudimentary and crude it may be, she caught sight of this and caused Shikamaru to change the direction of his shadow.

The first of the pincer maneuver to meet its mark, Kiba and Akamaru rammed into Orochimaru's spine and shoulder-blades, shattering and practically maiming the flesh off of his bones. The instant his stance and defensive hold on his sword was broken, Shikamaru snapped the shadow forward, sending Choji ramming into Orochimaru's exposed torso. He howled as unbelievable pain ruptured throughout his body. Bones powdered and organs were turned to mush. It was at this moment that the Sannin wished he were like Naruto's regular shadow clones. The pain was astounding and honestly a welcome surprise. The amount of potential these genin had sent shivers up and down his spine.

But unlike Naruto or Sasuke or even Gaara for that matter, the rest of the genin seemed to be running on short supply of chakra. Kiba and Akamaru dropped their attack first and shot back into the debris covered street. As Choji's attack wore off, giving the Orochimaru some room to breathe and take in his surroundings, a pair of Naruto's shadow clones arrived, catching both Akamaru and Kiba before disappearing in a flurry of sand. Turning his attention to Choji, hoping to get some sort of victory, he was intending to skewer the piggy. As he lunged forward with a kunai, a wall of sand erupted, taking the kunai and absorbing the Snake's arm. Chakra strings laced from Kankuro's fingertips grabbed and latched onto Choji's body just in time to pull him back.

"Now that Orochimaru is distracted and trapped; Hinata, it's time to do it!" Naruto cried. "Temari! To the rooftops!"

"Alright!"

Naruto jumped as high as he could landing on what remained of the rooftops. Adjacent to him, Temari had drawn her fans and rushed along. With their actions parallel, it was like watching a mirror image of himself. Throwing their feet down, the two blond ninja skidded along the rubble and debris littering the concrete roofs. Once he came to a halt, he and Temari stood in front of each other with nothing but the street and a trapped and frustrated Orochimaru between the two. Speeding through a series of hand seals, they brought their hands to their mouths.

"Futon: Ryūsui!"

The two rather weak but extremely effective wind techniques rammed against Orochimaru's body. It felt like weights were resting on his shoulders and torso, pushing him against the dirt and against his will. He roared, channeling chakra to fight back. Using the power at his disposal, he sped through a series of hand seals. Once he finished, he slammed his palms on either side of his body, raising two walls of earth. The walls redirected the winds, sending them in every direction but towards him. Unbeknownst to him, Sasuke finally threw his kunai towards the Snake.

Attached to the back of the kunai was Shikamaru's jacket. As it zoomed through the air, the redirected winds pushed into the parachute of sorts, sending the kunai into the air following the powerful up-drift. Orochimaru, too fixated and enraged, didn't take notice of the kunai rising into the air. Finally, as the winds began to die down, Tenten rushed ahead, a pair of scrolls spiraling around her body. Kunai, shuriken and even swords rushed out of the various seals drawn upon the paper. Orochimaru dodged and evaded to the best of his ability, and even grabbed a sword from the incoming flurry, blocking and deflected the incoming projectiles.

Despite the near hailstorm of weapons, not a single on was even directly aimed at him. It was almost as if it were a…distraction. From the corner of his eyes, Sasuke had thrown another kunai, this one merging with the rest of the Tenten's assault. He cursed himself, returning to block and defend against Tenten's persistence. As he gained a pattern in the worst of situations, finally giving him a bone to chew, something tickled his face, almost like paper. Almost like…

"GODDAMN IT!"

A series of explosions rocked the scene as explosive paper tags went off from various kunai. On the rooftops, Naruto could be heard cackling like a maniac as Orochimaru fell for the same trick for the umpteenth time. But now, with the smoke completely covering the snake, it gave way for their secret attack. Sasuke's kunai ripped through the smoke and cleared a small path through the chaos, unharmed and undeterred. Once the kunai was free and almost a foot away from the Sannin, the knife exploded into smoke.

Much to Orochimaru's ire, it came to reveal the timid, but incredibly pissed, Hyuuga Hinata. She skidded against the dirt, trying to transfer her momentum to her palms. With the Byakugan activated, she could see every tenketsu point that dotted Orochimaru's back and spine. With a cry, she fell into the stance and channeled chakra to her palms.

"Two palms!"

The attacks hit like iron weights.

"Four palms!"

Orochimaru was practically blasted from the sand and kikaichu trap.

"Eight palms!"

With each passing strike, the chakra exploded on impact, not only closing the Snake's tenketsu, but thanks to the onslaught of her comrades, he was significantly weaker with his body getting wounded faster than it can heal.

"Sixteen palms!"

Orochimaru roared as the kikaichu parasitic technique now had very visible and painful effects. The girl's attacks were far more effective than they should have been.

"Thirty-two palms!"

The final attack hit something in his spine that sent shivers and flashbacks into the Snake's head. But not only that, pain radiated from his stomach, almost as if he were feeling something rip from his body. He thought the Hyuuga was done, but surprising the Konoha shinobi present, Hinata adopted a new face and expression, jumping forward to face the Sannin.

"SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!"

Each hit resonated and echoed. The Orochimaru clone roared feeling her palms shut off most of his important tenketsu points. But once her final strike was concluded, he smirked at her when she huffed, gasping for air. Preparing to strike her once again, a great cutting gust of wind smashed into his shoulder with another more streamlined attack bashed into his side. Looking up, both Temari and Naruto had made their assault. From the corner of his eye, sand wrapped around Hinata and chakra strings attached to her limbs and pulled her along.

"Naruto!" Sasuke roared. "Do it now!"

As the winds died down, Orochimaru's head swiveled, turning a full one-hundred and eighty degrees to face the sky. Attached to a parachute of sorts, a kunai popped into smoke, revealing none other than Uzumaki Naruto once again. In his hands, a kunai sword glowed with a vermilion intensity. He descended at speeds far too quick to evade. Orochimaru scrambled for chakra, whatever was left in his reserves was all he needed. Blinking a few times, Naruto's visage only grew closer and closer with each passing second.

It was then that he heard it.

That insufferable shout.

The confidence that rolled off of him in droves.

The annoying bravado.

"This ends now!"


"Good work, Dong-saeng." Ahri cheered.

Naruto panted in his mindscape, staring at the fox within. "Holy shit, Noona…we did it."

"T-That was honestly one of the most amazing things I've ever seen." Ahri commended. "Now…the snake is dead. You can finally move on and finish this invasion."

"Naruto!" A series of shouts echoed.

Bringing his thoughts from the mindscape, he looked to his friends and new comrades with shimmering cerulean eyes. "H-Hey…w-we killed a clone of a Sannin."

"I can hardly believe myself…" Kiba was still being uncharacteristically calm. "T-That was some serious strategizing, Naruto."

"Yeah." Shikamaru nodded with a small smile. "So…is the clone dead yet?"

Naruto looked down. Straddling the Snake's back, Naruto's sword was lodged into the man's back and through his heart. There was no way that the Sannin survived that; clone or not. He took deep breaths and ignored the perpetually twisted face of Orochimaru. When he'd killed the man, he didn't turn his head back to face people like a normal person. Instead of kissing the dirt like most carcasses lying face down, Orochimaru's face was staring at the sky with wide eyes and snake-tongue hanging out. Naruto stared at the corpse waiting for it to finally dispel.

"Nice try, Naruto-kun~!" The head's jaw snapped, popping into place. "But it seems I have still won!"

Extending his neck with lightning fashion, his teeth sunk into Naruto's abdomen. The genin present jumped and screamed at the sight, barely able to comprehend what just happened. The Uzumaki roared, screaming in pain as poison and dark chakra rampaged through his coils. Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. His heart practically dropped to his stomach seeing someone he had come to respect fall. Drawing Orochimaru's own sword, he swung down onto the elongated neck, slicing it in two. Naruto could barely move trying his hardest to wrench the Snake's teeth from his flesh. Howling deliriously, the severed head and headless carcass both suddenly popped into smoke.

"Naruto!"

Sasuke slid forward, catching the boy as Gaara's sand rushed out and Shika's shadow possession grabbed him. Over Naruto's Jinchuriki seal, something that none of the other genin knew he had, was a seal that looked like an exact replica of the one on Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto's eyes were glazed and the once vibrant cerulean had faded to a cold metallic cobalt. Behind the gathered crowd of genin, the great purple box had fallen. All eyes trailed to see a five shadowy silhouettes escaping the arena. Behind them, what seemed like an army chased them. Suna and Konoha shinobi chased after the escaping shadows. That could only mean one thing; Orochimaru was defeated.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called, gripping the blond's orange jacket. "Stay with me!"

"S-Sasuke…" Naruto managed to whimper. "Shikamaru…Gaara…"

"NARUTO!"


So remember how I mentioned Naruto was gonna be using sealing techniques
And really embrace his Uzumaki heritage?
Yeah, getting the cursed seal is only going to add more reasons for him to do it.
(I mean he was already going to learn it to try and release Ahri in the future)

So yes, if you hadn't noticed, Sasuke won't be an asshole or a bad guy in this story
idk why, but when I imagined this entire storyline I was smashed with the inspiration
to keep Sasuke a good guy, you know?

Also, I'm certain someone is going to complain about Orochimaru's clone getting wrecked by a bunch of genin
Come on, please. Just roll with it it's a fanfiction lmao

So Please, Please, please drop reviews! :D
(Seriously, the more reviews I get, the fast I update and that's a fact)

Ja ne!

gottahavekyuubi