A/N: I really need to find a more reliable source of free Naruto downloads. The one I'm using takes forever.
So, enlighten me, what's entertaining you most right now? And what about the parts you hate? Tell me now, for I have more chapters to write, and too much time to write them.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Strengths
A full twenty minutes had passed before anyone arrived to witness the battle that had moved into the south courtyard. Those who finally made it were mostly civilian Hyuuga rather than trained shinobi, due to Neji's interference, and even those who were groomed for battle were loathe to enter the fray, for fear that the three superpowers clashing there would quickly engulf and destroy them. Nor did they really want to leave their seats, for already they had quite a good view of the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle that was taking place before them.
As they had done for the past third of an hour, Hiashi and Keisuke exchanged blows and parries with alarming precision and rapidity, lighting the cloudy day with sparks of electricity and chakra, while the agile Haruka ducked in and out of the melee, taking a close-range shot when she thought she had an opening and flinging shuriken when she did not. Her aid periodically helped Keisuke to gain ground, but it was not long before that ground was lost again, for Hiashi was tenacious as they came and even more clever, recognizing and capitalizing on every mistake that the pair made—no matter how slight.
Neither party seemed able to gain an advantage, nor did they seem to be tiring, though none of them had any time to speak through their continuous attacking, blocking, dodging, and countering. If no one were to stop it, it seemed that such a battle could conceivably go on forever.
At length, however, the Hyuuga leader ducked under an electrified kunai slash and managed to deliver a solid kick to the blind man's ribs. Keisuke tumbled backwards, bowled over by his opponent's robust strength. He struggled to rise quickly, but by the time he gained his feet Hiashi had already turned on Haruka. The woman fought her old friend valiantly and skillfully, her agility allowing her to graze Hiashi's side twice before the bigger fighter could compensate for the change in the opposing fighting style.
In the space of four seconds, Keisuke was back in the fight, but in those four seconds Hiashi had turned the tide of the battle in his favor, by forcing his opponents to take the opposite roles in their battle strategy. The smaller Haruka now had to try to defend and counter effectively against Hiashi's longer reach, while the slower Keisuke attempted to support from the outside against an opponent who was more than nimble enough to evade.
Yet, contrary to what he had said, Hiashi had much less desire to harm his childhood friend than he did to harm Keisuke, and so he did not use such lethal force as before. Instead, he opted to make use of his longer reach to seal tenketsus in her arms, hoping to disable her and knock her out as painlessly as possible before moving on to kill the blind man.
Once he was confident that he had hit enough points, Hiashi knocked aside her left arm, juked away from a flurry of kunai sent his direction by Keisuke, and motioned to pinch the nerve in her neck that would bring sleep to her.
His hand was halfway there when he realized, too late, that Haruka's Jyuuken was not out of operation as he had planned. Hiashi narrowly evaded the death in her right hand, only to have Keisuke's fist slam into his left side. He staggered back, and though he quickly recovered and got into a defensive position, the battle was back at square one. His two opponents stood across the courtyard from him and slightly apart, planning their next move silently.
Hiashi looked into Haruka's chakra coils, seeking out the source of the problem. He knew that he had hit every one of those tenketsus in her arms perfectly; something had restored them, or she would not have been able to perform the Jyuuken in response.
"The strands of chakra that run between you," he said, suddenly realizing. "They act as supply lines. When I sealed the tenketsus in Haruka's arms, you sent an excess of chakra through her system, forcing them back open."
"Clever as always, Hiashi," said Haruka. "You eventually figured it out, though it took the usual slap in the face to stimulate that thought."
"Now, now, Haruka," said Keisuke, "We don't have to rub his nose in it. He'll be doing it to himself in good time."
Haruka huffed in mock annoyance. "Pfft. That's the problem with you, Keisuke. You're always too nice to the opponent. He's our enemy, for the gods' sake."
"Wasn't he your friend once, though?"
"He was, you great blind buffoon! Not is!"
"You want to know what I think?"
"What?"
"You just want to kill something, you sadistic little..."
The dialog was meant to mislead and sometimes infuriate the opponent by making it seem that their quarrel was more important to them than him, but Hiashi was paying it no heed. He was a seasoned warrior, and he remained focused on the task at hand.
This technique that allows them to share chakra is troublesome, he thought. Then...
Haruka's retort was cut off in mid sentence, as she had to shift her attention to the incoming attack. Both she and her partner had trained themselves to be ready for abrupt interruptions in their dialog, and she was set up to parry the incoming Jyuuken within a split second of its launch. Even when Hiashi suddenly changed his attack angle and stance and brought his other palm forward, Haruka recognized the maneuver and was able to move accordingly.
You can't fool me, Hiashi, she thought. You're good to hide that Hakke Kushou behind the distraction of a powerful Jyuuken, but I'm good enough to see it anyway. Tough shi...
Her sense of surety ended quickly. While she was moving correctly to dodge the Hakke Kushou, she was dodging the incorrect technique. Hiashi had deliberately let her see the attack building in his other palm, but there was no way that she, having never seen it before, could possibly guess that it was not what it seemed to be.
"Hakke Kushou, Ni no Tachi!" (Eight Trigams Empty Palm, Version Two)
Keisuke, who had likewise thought that it was something else and that Haruka could handle herself, was struck numb as his senses told him the opposite. This was, obviously, no regular Hakke Kushou. His feelers detected the humongous vortex of chakra that spiraled out of Hiashi's palm, but Keisuke was surprised to find that this was only the beginning of the technique; the vortex formed an outer shell for the jutsu's core, protecting it from outside interference. Inside of it, a second, smaller chakra spiral had formed which moved in the inverse direction.
Immediately, Keisuke rushed toward the Hyuuga Clan Head, but he was not fast enough; Haruka had already been sucked in towards his waiting palm. At the last instant, Hiashi turned his body towards the garden and sent Haruka flying in that direction, immediately leaping after her. The Ghostly Arms connecting the two partners stretched as far as they could to maintain the Synchronization, but the distance quickly became too great; the blind man lost track of his partner.
"Shit!" Keisuke swore. He made to follow them, but Hiashi was prepared and whirled into action even as he pursued Haruka. The Kaiten technique knocked the blind man flat without the need for Hiashi to turn or even slow down. Then he passed beyond the range of Keisuke's feelers.
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Behind the secured doors of the conference chamber, the victory party was in full swing. Drinks were consumed almost faster than they could be poured. Witty jokes were traded back and forth like gold. A large bounty of food had just been brought up from the evacuated kitchens. Chewing on a bite of steamed rice, Takashi finally allowed himself to be caught up in the joyous moment. He'd done his work; now he could die with triumph in his blood, and future generations of Hyuuga would speak of his glorious exploits for a hundred years or more. The only thing missing from the party—a modern-day practice at social gatherings involving alcohol, which Takashi was glad to not have to witness—was the brawling between two or more overexcited party attendees.
Takashi's glory, as well as the lack of violence, was brought to an abrupt and brutal end with the arrival of a new batch of guests. These guests did not open the door, did not greet the others cheerfully or in good spirits, and did not immediately head for the drinks. Instead, they blasted the door to splinters, herded the other guests into the center of the room wielding sharp instruments, and lined up along the walls to keep them there. The party atmosphere transformed from victorious and jubilant to fearful and awesome.
The ANBU had come to attend the Advisory Council's party.
The First Elder was about to demand from them an explanation for their sudden and uninvited appearance, when he felt something sever inside of him. His Achilles Tendons were cut. Takashi toppled forth onto his withered face. A foot was planted on his spine, and so he could not rise, but Takashi was still able to hear the final guest speak.
"Hyuuga Takashi!" said the enraged female voice. "The Konoha executive office has received hard proof that you, as well as other members of the Hyuuga Clan Advisory Council, have conspired illegally against your legitimate ruler and his heir, that your actions have thrown off our search efforts against the forces of the Hidden Village of Sound, thus committing high treason against our village, and also for conspiring to murder in cold blood a citizen and honored shinobi of the Leaf!"
Takashi could not speak for shock. Not that he would have been able to anyway, since the foot on top of him prevented him from drawing breath.
"For these high and despicable crimes," continued the voice of the Hokage, "By the right of my station as Hokage, I hereby disband Hyuuga Clan Advisory Council, and place all of its members under arrest to await trial by their peers."
The First Elder felt more pressure from the foot upon his spine, and several vertebrae creaked audibly.
"You, Hyuuga Takashi, are sentenced to immediate death."
His spine shattered. For two long, unbearable seconds, Takashi felt pain that no scream could convey. Then cold steel cleaved his neck, and he felt nothing forevermore.
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Hiashi looked down upon his fallen friend with pity and remorse. Her tenketsus were all closed tightly, and her eyes were closed to the world, Hiashi having closed them himself after knocking her out. He admired her ability to protest even after having clearly lost—in the old days, before she had left the village with her parents, she had never had such a fiery determination.
They were hidden within a maze of tall hedges that constituted the third garden on the property. Surrounding them were blooms of all varieties and colors, clinging to wooden arches or to the hedges themselves, filling the place with enchantment and wonder. The air smelled sweet in spite of the recent rain, and the ground was springy underfoot. It was a comfortable place to hide oneself, as well as an effective one, for the complex maze had been designed by a master thinker, one of the earliest Clan Heads.
Hiashi would have stayed with Haruka longer, but he could feel the blind man closing on their position; when he found them, Hiashi did not want Haruka to be in the way. Stowing her in a hole he had gouged under one of the hedges and covering it with foliage, Hiashi started deeper into the maze, using his Byakugan to keep track of the position of his enemy. He picked up three signatures not far from him.
Kage Bunshins, he thought. He has increased his manpower in order to find me more quickly. Hiashi increased his speed, endeavoring to get as far away from Haruka as possible before he was discovered. He evaded the Reiude user's detection for many twists and turns, until finally he found himself at a crossroads with one path leading to a pair of chakra signatures, one path leading to a single signature, and the way behind him being approached by two more from different directions. Hiashi took the left path, towards the lone target; more targets meant more probability that he'd find the real one, generally, and it was practical to have a backup nearby in case one was found, but he'd learned a trick or two from watching Neji's fight with Uzumaki Naruto. It was possible that the real one had guessed he would think that way and had gone off alone to throw him off, hoping that the Bunshins would weaken him before he had to fight Hiashi himself.
One and a half moments later, Hiashi stood face-to-face against the enemy.
"Haka no Keisuke," he said, drawing up to full height, "I give you this final warning: surrender. I am out of patience with you and with all of my opponents, and Haruka is no longer able to help you. Give up the battle now, renounce your false name, and I will see to it that you leave here peacefully. If not, I cannot promise that you will survive."
The tall man in sunglasses betrayed no fear, but the humor was gone from his face. "I appreciate the offer of peace, my distant son, but I must decline, for two reasons. I cannot renounce my name, for it is my own and it cannot be taken from me. Secondly, Haruka and I came here as a team, and I will not abandon her. A wise young man once told me that those who care not for their comrades and leave them to the enemy are the lowest of garbage. I do not intend to be measured so, nor will I allow Haruka to endure the poor treatment that her clansmen promise her."
Keisuke's tone was adamant, and Hiashi's cold iron gaze would see no alteration of terms. Diplomacy, as it always does between peoples so opposed to each other's ways of life, had ultimately failed.
"Very well," Hiashi said. "From this point on, we will fight until one of us can fight no more. Though neither you nor the cause you serve deserves the honor, I will fight you on even ground and in fairness. Let nothing else interfere, and let the greater will prevail."
Keisuke did not acknowledge the words. He had already begun to fight, preparing his body to face its mightiest foe yet.
"I'd hoped that by bringing Haruka here, I wouldn't have to do this," he said. "But, like your nephew, you're a tough one. There's no way I can do without it now."
Hiashi observed the activity with stone-faced interest. Then he frowned in concern, for the power he sensed in Keisuke had multiplied. He would not have needed the Byakugan to see the effects; Thirty-Two of the Ghostly Arms had vanished completely, and the other thirty-two were so bright with the sickly-looking chakra that they would have been visible even to ordinary eyes.
"Sanjuuni Reiude!"
Even Hiashi, who had witnessed the first use of the Reiude many years ago, was impressed with this innovation. The forgotten Uzumaki had never thought of such a maneuver. Yet, even as he marveled at the power that pulsed from the new Arms, Hiashi could see that it was a double-edged sword; looking hard enough, a Hyuuga could see that already the fragile structure of the Arms was beginning to crumble under the pressure of all of the extra chakra.
He would have remarked on it, but there was no time, for Keisuke had already formed the seal of lightning and charged into the fight. Hiashi was surprised at just how much more effective the Kokuin technique had become. Originally, it had taken the friction of Hiashi's chakra to set off an electric jolt, but now the mere friction between Keisuke's hands and the moist air caused sparks to crackle around him! Daunted, Hiashi was compelled to dodge the blow rather than block it, for he had no desire to find out how much lightning would result from Keisuke's skin grinding into his robes.
A single direct strike might injure me gravely, thought the Hyuuga head. And so might a failed strike of my own. If I want to avoid getting badly electrocuted, I will have to time my Jyuuken attacks perfectly and not let a single blow touch me. It will be difficult and consume much energy. He grit his teeth in determination. But, it is not beyond my ability.
Indeed, it was not; Hiashi was without a doubt more nimble than Keisuke, and he could evade all of his attacks easily, though each movement expended more stamina than blocking would have. He did not take chances with light and frequent attacks; he was waiting for the perfect moment to land a critical blow, an opportunity to end the fight without severely damaging or killing himself. Keisuke came close several times to striking him, and Hiashi had to admit to himself that his opponent was skilled and tenacious, even if he was a fraud.
Even so, neither one of them had landed a blow yet. Keisuke's Sanjuuni Reiude had turned the battle into a sudden death round. If either one of them scored a hit, the battle would be over. Keisuke had one advantage in that he could hit nearly anywhere and the lightning would pulse through his opponent's body, whereas Hiashi had to hit him in the vitals and do it as directly as possible, or he would injure himself in the process. Hiashi had the advantage of time; while he was tiring rapidly, Keisuke's Arms were corroding themselves into nothing even more rapidly than that. It was anybody's game, but whoever won was sure to win it soon.
For two minutes, Keisuke came at his opponent with all of his might and skill while Hiashi employed every ounce of mobility he had to avoid, using the Byakugan to look for openings. Then, when Keisuke's foot caught on a root and he began to windmill, nearly falling over backward, Hiashi found what he was looking for. Confident of victory, he moved in for the kill.
However, something in the edges of his superior vision distracted him. He held off his attack for a split second and focused more chakra to his eyes, widening his field of view. He saw Keisuke's shadow clones gathering on the tops of the hedges, apparently concentrating their strength for a focused attack on him when he left himself vulnerable. His distraction ended. If he got the main body, he would get the clones as well. And even if this Keisuke was a clone (which he doubted, since he had not popped away to inform his fellows of Hiashi's location), Hiashi was aware of the others now—he would be able to thwart them with the Kaiten if they attacked simultaneously. He resumed his attack.
However, the split moment of distraction was just enough time for Keisuke, who, upon losing the fight with gravity, scooped a handful of sodden soil on his way down and flung it into Hiashi's face. Although not totally blinded, Hiashi's forward vision was badly muddled, and he could see only chakra signatures before him.
The head Hyuuga pulled his palm back, not daring to follow through on his shot—he could see his target, but his picture of the chakra circulatory system was not perfectly clear, and if he missed by even a hair...
Hiashi raised his sleeve to wipe away the mud, when his rear vision saw the clones on the hedgetops leap down towards him. Growling in frustration, he stopped wiping and flung himself into the Hakke Shou Kaiten, causing them and their master, who was in close proximity, to be blasted backwards. The friction of the Kaiten activated the Kokuin seal, however, and he cried out in pain and rage as he received a faceful of electrified air. The shock was moderate, and hurt his pride more than his body, but it still hurt, and it made Hiashi vengeful.
Through his muddied forward vision, he saw that one of the clones had expected the Kaiten and hung back out of range. Hiashi prepared himself to dodge as the blue-yellow chakra blur rushed forward, a fist cocked and held high for the deathblow.
However, at the last moment, the blur's fist opened and the speed of the body attached to it increased dramatically, slamming the palm—and with it a bolt of chakra—directly into Hiashi's stomach. The head of the Hyuuga Clan staggered backwards several steps before falling into the mud.
That was the Jyuuken! Hiashi thought. Wiping his eyes frantically, he looked with mud-free Byakugan eyes at Hyuuga Haruka, whose Caged Bird seal spread the yellow pall throughout her entire chakra system. The evil little smile played on her lips as she regarded Hiashi on his ass in the mud.
"About time you showed up, Haruka," said the blind man as he picked himself up. "Did you stop at a vending machine on the way here?
"Blame your bunshin," she called back to him. "If he hadn't been so slow finding me, and even slower opening up my tenketsus again, you might not have had to burn up all those pretty Ghost Arms of yours."
"Excuse me," said Keisuke, "They're not burned up yet."
"Might as well be. You've got maybe two more minutes, tops."
Keisuke walked up to stand next to her. "Then let's end this now and get out of here. If we're lucky, you won't have to lead me out by the hand."
Haruka favored him with a smile, then they both charged straight at Hiashi, who struggled to pick himself up.
How did the bunshin find her quickly enough to restore her and bring her here? Hiashi wondered as he watched Keisuke boost her leap. While Haruka sailed over his head, the answer came to him. Of course. I had to close her eyes myself. She was never unconscious in the first place, only pretending, and once I was out of earshot she was able to call out to the bunshins so they would find her by sound. To be able to resist a knockout blow, and then to deceive me so well...
His tired and pained body reacted slowly, and he barely managed to deflect both Haruka's and Keisuke's blow at the same time.
"When did you become so skilled at feigning weakness?" he asked her.
As she dropped to the ground and kicked his legs out from under him, she said, "Since I found something too precious to be weak for."
Hiashi stumbled, giving Keisuke the opportunity he needed. The blind man's crackling palm slapped into the middle of his back.
"Kokuin Kai, Raiko no Baindingu!" (Carved Seal Release, Binding of Lightning)
The seal of lightning, amplified by the Sanjuuni Reiude, tore off of Keisuke's skin and rippled onto Hiashi, where it affixed itself in a pattern that was the mirror image of the original. Hiashi tensed, waiting for the pain...
But it did not come.
"You are caught in the Binding of Lightning," said Keisuke. "You may recall that the Seal of Lightning works by lashing out with jolts of electricity when it encounters friction. The Binding works in a similar fashion, but since the seal is in the mirror pattern, the effect will focus inward rather than outward. I suggest that you hold still if you don't want to get fried."
In that moment, Hyuuga Hiashi knew that he had been beaten.
"We'd love to stay and gloat," Haruka said, "But we need to be on our way. It'll take forever to lead this blind fool home once his pretty Reiude disintegrates... Ah, look at that, it's gone already!"
"Heh," Keisuke grunted. "All the more fun for you, eh?"
Haruka pause a moment, considering. Then she replied, "Actually, it might not be as bothersome as I once thought. If nothing else, I can catch up on all the humiliation I've missed giving you."
"We'll see about that once we're safely out of here, Sadist."
"So we will. Come on, Sightless One. Take my hand and let's get going."
She extended her arm and Keisuke—after some grappling with the air—caught it. After she gave Keisuke a reassuring squeeze, affirming that she would not suddenly let go and send him plowing into yet another garbage canister, the two of them leaped onto the hedgetops and prepared to depart.
Hiashi watched them go and wondered when it would be safe to move. Then, out of the darkness, an authoritative female voice hailed them.
"Haka no Keisuke, Hyuuga Haruka!" called the Hokage, "Don't go anywhere yet. Lead me to Hiashi. I have news for him, and orders for you, when you're ready."
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The once-mighty terror that inhabited Uzumaki Naruto was awake and aware. Kyuubi had felt the changes come over his unwilling host and was very curious to see what it was all about. The moment he had finished applying chakra towards the boy's healing, the beast looked into his mind, finding the information that he had missed while he was sleeping.
What he found nearly caused him to reel back in alarm. Kyuubi had heard of this seal used by the Hyuuga, of course, but never had he dreamed that it would be affixed to his own container. This was a most puzzling surprise, even for one as ancient and as wise as the mighty demon.
Yet, his surprise was—quite expectedly—short-lived. Within moments, Kyuubi had tossed it aside and begun analyzing this new plaything, looking for a way in which it might be turned to his advantage.
Curious, he said to himself, most curious indeed. This seal is meant to keep the secrets of an attribute that the brat doesn't have. The killing function would work perfectly, no doubt, that much is clear from looking at it. But the object around which its primary purpose revolves is missing—Technically, this means that the seal should not have taken root at all, and yet it apparently has. Most curious.
He curled his tails around him, settling down to scrutinize the new seal in comfort.
This will require more than a few moments' study, it seems. No matter; time means nothing to one such as I. Eventually, I will make this Caged Bird seal work in my favor, and when that happens...
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"Damn it! When does this stupid itching stop?"
Naruto slapped his forehead for the umpteenth time that evening. It had begun prickling horribly since he had left the village, and showed no signs of stopping. The feeling came in rolling waves, as though an invisible hand were probing it over and over again, bringing irritation to every spot that it touched.
"Ragh, when Neji talked about having this done to him, he didn't mention anything about this!" he complained to the wind.
After a few more slaps, the prickling seemed to grow less severe for a while, and Naruto allowed his thoughts to wander into other areas. In particular, they revolved around his friends and the situation back home. He'd been gone a few hours now... surely Keisuke and Haruka's fight with Hinata's father was over? Who had won? Was Hinata keeping her forehead covered? Had she told Sakura about what had happened? If so, would she tell anyone else? Did Tsunade Baa-chan have the Hyuuga under control? With all this floating around in his mind, it was excessively difficult to find time to think about the mission ahead.
It was not surprising, therefore, that he did not notice his assailants until they were practically in his face.
"What the hell?" he yelled in surprise. His reflexes saved him, allowing him to leap to the side just as the enemy hurled itself at the space he had occupied only a second earlier. No sooner had he dodged the first than the second one was on him, flailing wildly in his direction like the first, apparently attempting to crush him with the weight of its entire body. This time, Naruto got a good look at his enemy's face before evading. Upon the assailant's forehead was a seal exactly like the one that now burned in Naruto's.
"Hyuuga!" Naruto cried in startled surprise. He dodged a third, fourth and fifth before the attacks stopped coming, and then he whipped around to face them all and yell at them for attacking their own comrades.
His yell died in his throat. All of the Hyuuga lay on the ground before him, unmistakably dead. They had been dead when they had "attacked" him; someone had tried to use their corpses as projectile weapons. For a moment, he gaped in shock, wondering who would dare to defile a human body in this way. Then his gape turned to one of awe as strong whirlwinds kicked up, lifting the dead Hyuuga into the air once more. With a start, they jerked towards him again.
"Not this time!" he said, and he defended himself with the Tomoshibi no Kyuubi, the shining tails gently catching the corpses and laying them down into the dust to rest.
"You jerk!" he called. "You shouldn't abuse the dead like that, no matter how stuck-up they were when they were alive! Get out here and fight me yourself!"
"I wouldn't be so gentle with them if I were in your shoes, boy," replied a calm, gentle voice that reverberated through the air. "After all, they intended to kill you, and that would have been such a waste of a fine Jinchuuriki."
Naruto looked around for the source of the voice, but his search was ended when he was blasted off of his feet from behind and sent skidding across the forest floor. He managed to get his tails under him and cushion most of his body against harm, but the wind was knocked out of him, and he had to catch his breath a moment before rising. Once on his feet, Naruto looked into the eyes of his true attacker.
He was a tall man in his mid thirties. His hair was pure white and it framed his pale face perfectly, giving him a seraphic air. Naruto might even have called him pretty for a guy if he hadn't been wearing the black coat patterned with red clouds.
"You... you're one of the 'Akatsuki' ninjas!" Naruto said.
"You are right, of course," said the enemy. "And you are Uzumaki Naruto, the container of Kyuubi. I am surprised that you have actually come."
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Naruto's eyes were fierce and alert, and his blue tails fanned around him protectively. He was not about to be taken alive by this freak, not by a long shot.
"When I observed these Hyuuga in their camp, I heard them speak of you," replied the man calmly. "I heard them say that you had developed a close friendship with one of their kin, and that this person was to be horrendously punished. Considering your attitude towards your friends, I thought it unlikely that you would agree to leave on a mission while this person was forced to endure such suffering. But it seems that you have come anyway. How very fortunate for me."
"Fortunate, my ass," Naruto said. "I'll die before I let myself be taken by a creep like you."
The man frowned. "I hope not. As I said, your death here would be such a waste. And to think, those Hyuuga might have succeeded if I had not been here. After all, they were clever enough to trick the Hokage..."
"What?"
"Ah, that's right, you wouldn't know. You see, as I listened to them, I overheard more about their plans than their simple intention to kill you; they spent much time gloating over how easy it had been to fool the Hokage into thinking that they were a client asking for a mission. They laughed when they mimed the tears which they said nobody would cry when they sent in the fake report that you had died in the line of duty."
Naruto was taken aback. If this man was right—and he sounded sincere—then the whole mission was a hoax, and he'd been delivered into the jaws of the worst possible enemy because of it. The blond felt a wave of anger towards the Hyuuga; he'd known that they wouldn't mind having him dead, but faking a mission to lead him to his doom was just downright dirty. He had to quell the anger, however, for now was the time to think about staying alive.
"I don't suppose you'll come quietly," said the assailant, "But with luck, I can capture you without causing too much damage." He brought his hands out of his sleeves.
Naruto tensed, wondering what was coming from this evil master of ninjutsu. He watched as the Akatsuki ninja rapidly ran through a set of seals.
"Futon: Fushishidan no jutsu!" (Wind Style: Wind Lion Bullet technique)
The air coalesced before Naruto's enemy and roared after its target. Naruto was quick on his feet, but it was clear that the jutsu, which moved with the speed of the wind, was much faster. He attempted to block it with his tails.
"That won't work," said the Akatsuki attacker. He was right; the jutsu pounced onto Naruto, passing through the gaps in the tails and bearing him down to the ground. Naruto found himself wrestling with the air, struggling to rise from underneath it's howling pressure. He might as well have tried to throw a large predatory cat off of himself.
Meanwhile the jutsu's caster had drawn a pair of sais from his sleeves, and their gleaming short blades flashed in the sunset as he advanced on the blond. If Naruto didn't do something quickly, he was going to have his hands sliced off.
"Damn it!" Naruto said. He couldn't get the relentless air off of him, so he did the next best thing, and countered with ninjutsu of his own.
"Suiton, Suishuuha!" (Water Style, Water Wave)
A nearby stream gave forth its flows to his call, and the mighty tidal wave rose up against the oncoming attacker. The Akatsuki member saw the colossal jutsu coming for him and put away his sais, performing another set of hand seals.
"Futon, Fushouheki!" (Wind Style, Wind Barrier)
The wind whipped around him, and Naruto saw the water that he had called splash against it and spray in all directions except towards the enemy. His jutsu was thwarted. Yet, the effort of defending himself had caused the enemy's previous jutsu to lift, and Naruto was able to stand up again.
"A high-level jutsu, very impressive," said his enemy. "But your chakra is obviously not attuned to the water element; the Suishuuha technique is difficult and taxing for those who are not, and that jutsu was not nearly as strong as it could have been. Against my wind-element jutsu, to which I am well-suited, it was largely ineffective."
Naruto felt the truth in his body; he was by no means out of the game, but that attack had made a dent in his chakra reserves nonetheless. And it had been hard to learn.
"Now, I will show you some of the glory of the Futon-class ninjutsu. Futon: Meimeiken no jutsu!" (Wind Style: Invisible Blade technique)
One hand formed a series of seals while the other extended itself towards Naruto. At first, nothing happened, and Naruto was puzzled. But then, a noise to his left caught his attention—the noise of wood being shredded. He turned his head in time to see a pair of trees begin to topple towards him, their trunks having been cut through by an unknown force. Naruto leaped out of the way and started towards his opponent, forming seals with his own hands.
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
Fifty shadow clones materialized, and they charged together, each one's tails whipping in the wind behind them. Immediately, several of them were hit by an unseen force, which cut huge, bloody gashes in them before they popped away.
"Damn you!" Naruto yelled. "Everyone! Form up for the Bunshin Tomoshibiha (Clone Light Wave)!"
The Bunshin Tomoshibiha involved Naruto and all of his clones curling themselves into balls with their tails forming protective shells around their bodies. The idea was to have all of these "Naruto balls" roll towards the enemy in a wave, inevitably steamrolling them. In practice, it was more effective against groups of enemies, but something had to be done about this "invisible blade," and Naruto believed quite reasonably that the enveloping tails, combined with the rolling motion, would help throw it off. The remaining Narutos followed through on his command, and the wave set upon its foe.
While the tails and the rolling did slow down the enemy's jutsu, it did not totally prevent it. More and more bunshins fell as the wave closed in, and by the time it reached the target, there were only four left. These four were easily dodged, and Naruto came out of his "ball form" in great frustration. He was about to swear violently at the Akatsuki member when the trees on either side of him began to topple, and he had to move swiftly to avoid them. As he moved farther and farther back, more trees fell in his wake. Two of his bunshins didn't make it.
"Orah! You bastard!" he yelled at the enemy. "Katon: Karyuu Endan!"
The blast of flame decimated the trees that had fallen behind him and the trees that would be falling on him next. He would have liked to decimate the enemy, too, but no such luck; another blast of air punched through his flame jutsu and would have pinned him again had he not quickly intervened with Kawarimi no jutsu, replacing his body with a fallen log.
Hidden among the branches of a tall pine tree, Naruto caught his breath. He heard his enemy speak again.
"Another impressive jutsu," called the Akatsuki member, "But it seems that you are not well-suited to Katon-class jutsus, either. My jutsu defeated yours far too easily."
Naruto was forced to leap from the tree as it fell to the wind master's might. He landed heavy-footed on the ground, facing his enemy squarely. His brain scrambled to think of some new trick.
"Well," said the wind-master Akatsuki, "It has been fun playing tag with you, Uzumaki Naruto. But unless you decide that Kyuubi could use some exercise, I believe the fun will end now. This next blow will render you unconscious."
As the hand seals were formed, Naruto stood resolute. He would fight it, whatever it was. Uzumaki Naruto would always fight. When the spiraling blast of air rocketed toward him, he performed his counteraction more out of reflex than conscious thought.
"Reiude Ninpou: Raifu Daigeki!" (Ghostly Arm Secret Art: Lightning Wind Strike)
Wind ripped along his extended Ghostly Arm, straight through the heart of the enemy's blast. The force of the blast was almost concussive, and it disintegrated not only the Arm, but the opposing jutsu as well. When the dust cleared, both of them were standing upright and staring awestruck at the space between them. The area had been completely wasted; everything had either been blown away or cut into pieces or both, and the ground was utterly barren, a long trench running between the two ninja.
The Akatsuki wind master was the first one to speak. "Well, what do you know?" he said. "Finally an element that suits you. You are like me, with chakra attuned to the wind. I almost feel badly for having to turn you over to my superior; there are so many things that you could have learned, and you may have become greater even than me... just look at this destruction!"
Naruto had been looking, and he had to agree that it was most impressive.
"But, sadly, my mission demands that I nip this young bud before its time. It has been a great pleasure to know you, Uzumaki Naruto. It will sadden me greatly to watch you die."
His hands came forward again, preparing to try a different—and equally dangerous—tactic.
However, he never got the chance to complete his next jutsu, for he was forced to draw his sais and turn to combat a new danger. This danger had long, unruly white hair, wore red, and carried a heavy scroll on its back. It possessed tremendous strength and a wide arsenal of powerful ninjutsu. It was the scourge of every bathhouse built for use by women.
Its name was Jiraiya.
"Naruto!" he yelled, catching one of his enemy's hands by the wrist and blocking the second blade with his wrist plates. "Naruto, go back to Konoha right now! This guy is the least of your problems!"
"Huh? Ero-Sennin!" Naruto was actually relieved to see the perverted hermit for once. "What do you mean, least of my problems?"
"Just go!" Jiraiya yelled. Already, the enemy was realizing that his prey was going to try to escape, and was making it difficult for the Toad Sannin to stop him. "Tsunade will explain it to you when you get there. If what I've heard is true, Konoha might be in huge trouble really soon, and thanks to those Hyuuga clowns, it's only half-ready! As the future Hokage, you're needed in your village!"
The words hit Naruto's mind like a truck. The village in trouble meant all of his friends in trouble. And for Ero-Sennin to be this urgent, he must be really serious. And of course, Uzumaki Naruto, being the next Lord Hokage, would never let his people die if he could help it.
"All right," he yelled. "I'll go now! Thanks, Ero-Sennin... Don't take too long with that Akatsuki guy, if it's as bad a problem as you say it is, they'll need you, too!"
"Just shut up and go, you fool!" Jiraiya had to really work to prevent the enemy from escaping and following Naruto. He'd only been watching this member of Akatsuki for a few days before he took a break and visited the village again. From what he'd seen, he hadn't expected such physical strength.
Naruto, thankfully, did run off this time, and within seconds he was gone from view. The Akatsuki wind master finally broke free, but seeing as Naruto was now all but irretrievable, he did not immediately run after him.
"Well," said the man calmly, "It seems that I have lost my target to you."
"Yeah," replied Jiraiya.
"I think that some retribution is in order for that." His hands brandished the sais.
Jiraiya did not reply, but made ready to guard himself. Before battle was joined again, he had time for one thought.
Run like hell, Naruto. Protect your precious people well.
OoOoOoOoOo End Chapter Twenty-Two oOoOoOoOoO
Next chapter: Hiashi learns just how twisted his Advisors were. Konoha's forces scramble to get back on the search for the Sound, and Naruto races home, fearing that they'll be caught with their pants down. What will the results be? Read on.