A/N: Thank you sincerely for all the help. You may notice some of your suggestions here. I'll include a list at the end of the Naruto vs. Sasuke fight of all the readers whose ideas I used.
And now...
Chapter Twenty-Four: Sharingan vs. Reiude
Following his small and quiet guide, Naruto passed over, around, and occasionally through all manner of combat zones. Everywhere were convoys of evacuees under attack by the allied Rock and Sound. Less frequently, he saw groups of Konoha shinobi trying to mobilize, regroup with the main force at the tower. As before, the Sound shinobi gave him a wide berth as he passed them.
"They have been ordered explicitly not to touch you," explained his guide when asked. "The master would receive you in perfect health, Naruto-sama."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's very concerned for my well-being," Naruto said. Sarcasm did not come naturally to the energetic blond, but then this massive-scale war was not his natural element. While Kyuubi might have been comfortable with this kind of widespread destruction and death, Naruto was not. His forehead prickled at the thought of the nine-tailed fox, and he gave it a slap to quell it.
"Of course he is not, Naruto-sama," said the guide. "Rather, this is the only way to measure your true capacity."
"What's the point of 'measuring' anything, since he's probably going to want to kill me anyway?" muttered the blond to himself.
The guide heard. "All in good time," he said.
They came to a field command center near the village walls. Naruto half-expected to see his enemy waiting for him in the crater, but such was not the case. Instead, he and his guide were greeted by masked and evil-faced Sound nins, all grinning terribly at him as they moved aside to let him pass.
"We will go through these tunnels," said his small-statured guide. He indicated one of four entrances and motioned for Naruto to follow him. Glad to leave the evil faces behind, the blond went with him readily.
At first, the tunnels were messy—a by-product of the massive explosion—but as they left the crater behind, they became cleaner. Naruto discovered that they were wide and spacious and would have allowed five men to walk abreast. Lanterns were spaced at intervals along the ceiling, granting light in the darkness. Carefully placed support beams kept the tunnel from collapsing while using as little material as possible. The shinobi of the Rock were indeed expert diggers.
After a few twists and turns, the guide's chosen tunnel bored through a thick barrier of stone, concrete, and metal—the village walls. Then it ran straight for some time. "We are nearly there," announced the guide.
"Hey. Where exactly are we going?" Naruto asked.
"We go to a place that has been created and specially prepared just for this occasion," came the reply. "It is large, secluded, moderately lit, and well-ventilated. It should suit the needs of yourself and the master adequately."
They continued in silence the rest of the journey, which was quite short. After only two more minutes of walking, they came to a corner. The guide stopped walking and turned around to look at Naruto, addressing him as politely as before.
"This is as far as I will take you, Naruto-sama," he said. "Beyond this corner and fifty paces on there will be a stone door. It will open readily to your touch. Within you will find the chamber that I described, where the master awaits you."
Naruto nodded once and grunted to express his understanding. The guide, his job done, bowed and disappeared from view. Not wasting any time, Uzumaki Naruto went forth.
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"Oneesan, where are we going?"
Hinata did not look back at her younger sister, but kept her attention focused in front, behind, and all around her, on the alert for potential threats. "We are going to the house of the Aburame Clan," she said. "They are formidable, and were probably more prepared to face this attack than we were. We will help them repel the last of their attackers, and then ask them to help our clan."
"Aburame Clan..." Hanabi pondered. "Wasn't one of your teammates an Aburame?"
Hinata smiled, pleased that her little sister had at least taken some kind of interest in her life. "Yes. It's with Shino-kun's help that I hope to persuade them to aid us."
The two of them did not have to go far. Within three minutes, Hinata could hear the familiar buzzing noise, and along with it came a welcome, if unexpected, bark. With her peripheral vision, Hinata caught sight of a battle below; her two teammates, Kiba and Shino, rode on the back of the great dog Akamaru, Shino wielding his bugs against the tide of their foes, and Kiba wrestling to remove the enemies that tried to jump on or unseat them. This skirmish was going favorably for the two, though both of them looked rather worse for wear. It occurred to Hinata that they must have been riding and fighting through several more skirmishes.
As he tossed the last one to the ground, where Akamaru tore into him with his sharp canines, Kiba caught sight of them. "Hinata! Finally! We've been looking for you since this damned bloodbath started."
"I'm sorry I didn't come to find you right away," Hinata said, leaping down to them. "I was worried for my people..."
"Quite understandable," said Shino. "I did the same as you. Kiba happened to be nearby, so he did not have to look so far to find me."
"Not a problem," Kiba said. "But hey, who's the shrimp there?"
Hanabi started, obviously offended. She opened her mouth for an angry retort, but Hinata prevented her, clapping a hand on her shoulder and pinching her.
"She is Hanabi, my younger sister," she said hastily. "Shino-kun, how well is your clan defending itself?"
"We are holding our own quite well," replied the hooded bug user. "However, the appearance of the Rock was quite unexpected. They have brought with them a group of shinobi that are highly motivated to wipe us out..."
"You remember them, Hinata," interrupted Kiba. "Our old freinds..."
"The Kamizuru Clan of the Hidden Rock," finished Shino. "Both sides are sustaining casualties. I have been sent to find you in the hopes that, considering your successful experience against their techniques, you might reduce our losses."
Hinata nodded. She remembered quite well. "I will help. If you will guard Hanabi for me, I should be able to stop some of them. But let's hurry; my Clan is in grave danger itself, and we will need your assistance when we are done here."
Kiba and Hanabi eyed one another venomously, neither one enjoying the prospect of this new guard arrangement. Shino, however, nodded.
"Understood," he said. "Let's go. I will take you to the place where the combat is thickest..."
The five of them headed post-haste for the Aburame hive cluster.
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The battle at the Hyuuga compound had become a massacre. The dead were strewn about everywhere, and more joined them with each passing moment. Those Hyuuga who had been able to hide or flee had done so, and all of them, both Branch family and Main, shook with the fear of doom that pervaded the entire property. If the defenders above failed, it would be only a matter of time before the enemy fished them out.
Fortunately, the defense had not yet entirely crumbled, but it was sorely disadvantaged. They were disorganized, with Hiroto missing and Hiashi still trapped in his practice hall. The elite guard knew that their master was still alive because the ring of enemies that encircled the hall had not yet dispersed. Yet they could do nothing to penetrate that barrier, and those who tried were quickly killed. Beyond this central conflict raged scattered conflicts between groups of Hyuuga and Sound and Rock. The Hyuuga fought with desperation, and killed many, but against such great numbers many of them died as well. It seemed that in spite of all their strength, the Hyuuga were doomed to fail here.
It was at this dark hour that the one the Hyuuga least expected to come to their aid took the field.
This one appeared first upon the east wall of the compound, blazing in the eyes of the Byakugan with bright yellow-tainted blue. It found one of the skirmishes on the outer edge, the small Hyuuga group losing badly. The one entered the skirmish and quickly, with its massive tainted energy and mighty skill, conquered the enemies. In gratitude, the Hyuuga that had only moments ago faced certain death joined the one. With its new forces, the one found another hopeless battle and turned it around. The Hyuuga here likewise offered their service to the one, thankful for their lives.
In this manner, the one swept through the east quarter of the compound, gaining strength and momentum with every victory. Twenty Hyuuga followed the one into the south quarter, where they cleared out the enemy and became thirty-three. From there it charged mightily into the west and then the north, saving lives and adding those lives to its grateful ranks of followers. Once the north was clear, the company of the one was sixty-four members strong. The one ordered its forces into ranks with the one itself at the front, and marched them quickly towards the center conflict, to the ring around the practice hall, stopping just a stone's throw away.
The enemy, along with the forces of the elite guard who had been thinking of how to fight them, gawked at the concentrated force with awe. Had Captain Hiroto finally taken the field? No, they thought, seeing who stood at the fore, he had not. In his place, leading the Hyuuga of both Houses, stood one woman, her bandanna removed, the Caged Bird seal shining with bright blue and yellow. Some of them recognized the woman, and recoiled in shock. How was it that she had taken command?
"Hear me now, my brethren!" she called. "Our Captain Hiroto has abandoned us. Our revered lord Hiashi-sama is trapped within that building and unable to lead us to victory. We are vastly outnumbered and many of us are at our limits."
No Hyuuga spoke in reply. The situation certainly was grave, they'd give her that.
"But I tell you, my Hyuuga brothers and sisters, we are not defeated, nor are we alone! Hiashi-sama still lives, or these cretins would long ago have left this place. He can be freed, and his power can save us. It will be difficult, yes; our numbers are far reduced, as I said. But under one command, together, we can wield our collective might as a hammer and smash our lord's prison wide open!"
A few of the Sound who were watching laughed at her. The Hyuuga grimaced; they were right to laugh, for even together the Hyuuga numbered less than a fifth of the enemy. What good would it do to just pummel them? Nothing, that's what, were the thoughts of a great many. It would just be a suicide mission.
"It can be done," continued the one, "I know because of two things. One, I know that the Hyuuga are the strongest in Konoha. For every one of us, there must be three of them to match us. If you cannot believe that, my brethren, then you have no pride in yourselves, and you are lost."
This had a rousing effect on many of the Hyuuga there. It was true, they thought, that they were not reputed as the strongest in their village for no reason. And did this woman not save our skins not too long ago? She believed in her power, and look at what she has done now.
"Furthermore," she said, "I have heard the will our Great Father, returned from the Grave for the betterment of all of us. As any father would for his children, he has missed us all sorely. To see us die now would grieve him beyond any measure we can conceive, for he is more ancient than the oldest of us by centuries, and in his long life his heart has developed a wide and black void that only we may fill.
"So hear this and take heart, Hyuuga! The Great Father pleads with us to live, and I intend to do so, for in my veins is the proud and noble blood of our Clan. We all share that blood, so if you have any pride left in you, bring it to the surface! Let us rise like the phoenix from the ashes of this catastrophe, and show our Father that his children are alive and strong!"
Silence.
Then, in the ranks of the one's company, a lone voice cheered itself hoarse, singing out his pride in his blood for all he was worth. The cheer was picked up by another voice, and then another, until the whole of the formation was yelling. Finally, when it was so loud that it reverberated all the way to the top of the Hokage tower, it infected the elite guard in their hiding places and grew louder still. The guards leaped out into the open, dodging kunai, shuriken, and jutsus to join the ranks of the one.
On that night, Hyuuga Haruka, the infamous "Kin-abandoner," died and was forgotten. Hyuuga Haruka, the "Kin-redeemer," was born, and the children of the surviving Hyuuga would speak of her exploits for generations.
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The door ground heavily shut of its own accord, sealing Naruto into the chamber. The room was as the guide had described it, but there were certain details that had been left out in the description. While it was indeed large and spacey, it was not entirely uncluttered; stalagmites and stalactites had been allowed to remain here and there, particularly around the edges of the cavern, and Naruto could see that some of these had had weapon racks carved into them. These held all manner of weapons; swords, tonfa, short, deadly sais, long, curved katanas, chains and flails, heavy maces, mantis-arm sickles, and spears of the type used by royal guards in palaces. Naruto saw that there were holes bored into the walls and ceiling, presumably the ventilation system that the guide had mentioned, but there was also a large hole in the ceiling from which a miniature waterfall tumbled. The water rushed through a path that had been artificially dredged for it and flowed into another hole in the floor which led out of the cave. And finally, there were torches and lanterns spaced at intervals along the walls, but they were placed to allow the generation of shadows as well as to light the room. And from those shadows came...
"Sasuke," Naruto said.
"I'm glad you could make it, Naruto," replied the Uchiha avenger. He stood opposite the cave from his former blond teammate, his face dispassionate and his posture relaxed. He was clad in a white robe worn loosely around his torso and dark pants, tied off at the waist by a large coil of rope. A sword glistened in the light of the lamps, clasped relaxedly in the tall young man's right hand. And in his eyes were the red coloring and the swirling teardrops of the Sharingan.
"You bastard," growled Naruto, "You've got a lot of guts coming here and pulling this stunt. D'you really think we're so weak, that we'd just roll over and die? Any minute now, Tsunade baa-chan is gonna finish evacuating, and then you and your Rockheaded new friends will go down like straw men."
"Of course, I know that the Sound is going to lose," replied Sasuke nonchalantly, "And faster than you think; the Sand are on their way to save Konoha as we speak. They saw their neighbors the Rock moving and knew something was up, so they mobilized as well. By morning, all of the invasion force will be dead or captured."
Naruto was struck dumb. "What? You mean... you didn't come here to win?"
"Of course not. Konoha has more than tripled its strength in the last three years, and Suna has also improved. Together, that alliance is all but unbeatable. No, Orochimaru only sent the Sound here to weaken the Leaf's forces and kill off a few important leaders, to make everything ready for the real assault that will come after."
"So that's why the snake bastard isn't here personally," Naruto thought aloud. "He's already putting together another attack! What's he going to do this time, drop from the sky with Cloud ninjas?"
"Actually, he was planning to use the Mist shinobi next, but that's only part of the reason he stayed behind. You see, his borrowed body becomes very weak and sick when its previous owner doesn't agree with him. It's almost time for a new one, and until then he will have to remain safely locked away."
"A new body... so, you're still planning to give yourself to that bastard, huh?"
Sasuke's face hardened. "I told you before," he said, "I don't care about that. I don't give a damn about good and evil, or right and wrong. I am an avenger, and what matters to me is power. If by sacrificing my soul I gain more power, then so be it, and to hell with anyone who would stop me."
Naruto opened his mouth to yell at him, but Sasuke pressed on. "Even coming here was another way to gain and measure power. In particular, yours," he said. He eyed Naruto with the Sharingan, and the blond felt his whole body break out in goosebumps.
"What do you mean?"
"Two years ago, when Kabuto brought back the story of the Rokujuuyon Reiude, Orochimaru was very interested. He'd dug your friend Keisuke out of the earth himself, and the blind man didn't have that power then. Through his agents, Orochimaru learned that he obtained that power after visiting Konoha... and after being infused with your blood."
Naruto shivered. Keisuke hadn't told him that he'd been captured by Orochimaru. It occurred to the blond that the memory was probably too horrible to talk about, and sympathy for his blind friend washed through him.
"Orochimaru is like me; he is always on the lookout for new powers that he can seize and master. If this Reiude can be obtained merely by a blood transfusion, then it would be worthwhile to collect a specimen and try it out... wouldn't you think so, Naruto?"
"So, that's what it is," Naruto finished. "You're here for me. You want my power. But, you know, I'm not going to just give it to you."
Sasuke smiled for the first time since the meeting began. "Of course. Which gives me the perfect excuse to fight you, and measure the extent of my power against yours. I'll defeat you here, and I'll know I'm on the right path. I'll know I'm getting stronger."
"Like hell you'll beat me!" yelled Naruto. "While I'm alive, you and that bastard Orochimaru will never win."
"Now, that would just be a waste," Sasuke said. "But even so, I guess it wouldn't be a total loss if I had to kill you. The Mangekyou Sharingan..."
"That's not going to happen, because I'm going to rip your arms off first! And when I drag you through the streets, and see everyone looking at you with cold eyes, and see Sakura and Kakashi looking at you with pity, you'll see once and for all the mistake you made."
"The only mistake I ever made was not going to Orochimaru sooner," said Sasuke. "But if you want to prove me wrong, you're welcome to try and fail. The weapons on the racks are for you; I have my own. If you feel the need to use Suiton jutsu, there is water here, just for you... I won't need it. I've given you everything you could possibly need in this room. All there is left to do is..."
"SASUKE! I don't need a handicap! Doton: Doryuudan!" (Earth Style: Earth Dragon Missile)
A dragon's head of stone rumbled to the surface of the cave and spewed forth a rock slide that could crush five acres of forest. Sasuke's sword whirled in a defensive arc, slicing through it like butter and illuminating the room with sparks.
"...Fight." he finished.
Naruto, meanwhile, did not wait to see if his jutsu had worked. He had already generated twenty bunshins and was positioning to attack from all sides. Some of them grabbed weapons from the racks in spite of Naruto's bravado (their excuse being that the "I don't need a handicap" only applied to the original and that it was perfectly okay to protect themselves with whatever was handy—and they really, really wanted to thrash Sasuke).
Four Narutos—two bare-handed, one wielding a sword, the other brandishing tonfa—came straight for him, while one came at him from either side with vicious-looking barbed spears and two more bounced off the back wall to hack at his back with sickles and sais. Sasuke was more than ready, and cut straight through the other sword and the tonfa as though cutting air. Their wielders, along with one of the bare-handed ones, were also cut through and puffed away immediately. At the same instant, the sickle- and sai-wielding clones behind him struck, only to meet their ends in agony after being struck by a flash of unexpected lightning. Their weapons fell noisily to the ground as the two spear-wielders, one aiming high and the other low, arrived less than a second later. Sasuke hoisted himself into the air and the space between the two weapons, spun to his right, and dispatched one clone with a quick slice. The other clone fell to the same electric shock that had killed his fellows.
The remaining unarmed Naruto flipped backwards, evading the sword, and drew kunai. The other Narutos, who had not attacked yet, did the same. Together, they flung their weapons at the Uchiha dead-on.
"Is that all?" Sasuke asked. He raised his sword in preparation to deflect them.
"Hell no!" called Naruto and his bunshins. "Let's see you block this! Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
"Interesting," Sasuke said, watching the kunai multiply, "You haven't been dawdling for three years. But it's still..."
He danced among the hailstorm of kunai, cutting only what he needed to evade getting pierced. His speed and timing were impeccable, and he was aided by the Sharingan eyes. When it was over, not a single one had touched him, and he stood smiling confidently at his opponents.
"Not enough!" Gripping his sword defensively, Sasuke formed his seals using his free hand. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Mythical Fire Flower Technique)
He sprayed balls of fire at the bunshins who hung from the ceiling. A few of them escaped, but most were burned to a crisp. Still, it gave the Narutos on the ground time to mount another offensive. Two of them grabbed swords from the racks and charge in directly. The third one remained behind, running his hands through seals and calling forth Suiton: Suiryuudan while the two that escaped the flames above hurled more kunai. One of them tried multiplying them again, while the other tied explosive tags to his before throwing. Faced with so many threats, Naruto knew that it would be difficult for most ninja to escape some kind of hurt.
It did not work as intended. Sasuke grabbed one of the advancing swordsmen by the collar, whirled around once, and threw him into his comrade, launching them both into the path of the flying kunai. Sasuke threw his own kunai, altering the path of the explosive ones by knocking into them. This made them fly just behind the incoming blast of water. At this point, all Sasuke needed to do was to leap a short distance out of the path of the multiple kunai and let the water muffle the blast of the explosives. In anger, the remaining two bunshins charged, only to be instantly destroyed by blade and lightning.
"What the hell?" said Naruto, observing the lightning. "What is that jutsu?"
"It's an improvement to the Chidori," Sasuke said. "I can make it flow from anywhere in my body, and even through my sword, if I wish it to. Not that I need to; the sword cannot be parried by any solid matter in the world."
"Damn it," Naruto cursed. "You've learned a new trick and you've got a new toy, but I'm not stopping because of that."
"Of course not. It would be boring otherwise," Sasuke said. "But you can't beat me like this. My training and my Sharingan surpass you. If you want to keep up, then show me the power that you've been holding back. Show me the Rokujuuyon Reiude."
From the other side of the cave, Naruto panted, then smiled. "All right," he said. "I guess I've warmed up enough. Get ready, Sasuke... you're in for a real treat."
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"Damn it..." Keisuke grumbled. He'd just stumbled over a piece of furniture for the fourth time that night. Despite his Ghostly Arms having partially regrown, they only extended for five feet around him. What was more, these stubs of feelers were thinner than they're full-grown counterparts, and nowhere near as sensitive. Therefore, although Keisuke was not totally blind, he certainly was very clumsy. Searching for a place to hide was somewhat problematic.
"Uhh," he groaned, picking himself up. "You know, I can understand that she was in a hurry. But, it still would have been nice of her to help hide me first rather than leave me to my own devices."
He sighed, sliding to the floor to rest a little.
"Geez, I keep forgetting what it's like to really be blind. I need to practice without the Ghostly Arms when this is all over, or I might find myself down a manhole one of these days."
"For the time being, however," said a calm voice, "I think it would be best to allow others to assist you, Great Father."
Keisuke drew back from the voice. "Who are you?"
"Fear not, sir," he replied. "I have been sent from the Hyuuga to aid you to a more secure location, where you're less likely to be found by the enemy tripped up in your carpet. See, I have the Byakugan. Do you feel it? Haruka said that you were practiced at reading auras even without your feelers."
This was true, though it had been a long time since Keisuke had needed to do it. However, the old knowledge came back to him quickly enough, and soon he was able to confirm that his visitor was, indeed, a Hyuuga.
"Ah, you're right," Keisuke said. "Haruka sent you, did she?"
"Yes," replied the man. "She asked me to make sure that you were well, and to 'tell the blind idiot that his Sadist has been successful.'"
Keisuke nodded. "That sounds like Haruka, all right. Help me up, Hyuuga-san."
"Of course."
The man helped Keisuke to rise and walk out of the house. As they approached the gates, he released the blind man's shoulder for a moment to open them.
Keisuke thanked his rescuer. "I appreciate your help, Hyuuga-san. Considering the noise I was making, Haruka was probably right... I would have been found before long. By the way, what is your..."
He did not get to finish his question. A quick Hakke jab into his central nervous system took consciousness away, plunging him into darkness.
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"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
The four clones rushed Sasuke under cover of smoke bombs. There was little wisdom in this, for the Sharingan caught their movements perfectly even through the smoke, and he defeated them in seconds. The avenger knew that it must be a distraction, and he was right; shortly after the last clone fell, Sasuke saw a large power headed his way at ramming speed. Raising his sword, he prepared to cut through whatever it was that was coming...
Only to have his slicing blow, for the first time in the sword's history, be successfully parried. He had no time to be shocked, however, for the thing that had done the parrying broke off and made a sweeping strike of its own. As the smoke cleared, Sasuke was glad that he'd gone to the trouble to finish his swordsman training despite having an unblockable weapon, for the object was revealed to be another sword. Making a parry of his own, he searched with his superior eyes for the source of the weapon's power, and found it.
"Chakra," he said, as he and Naruto stood with their swords locked. "You've wrapped the blade in chakra. But even then, my sword should still be able to..."
"Yeah, it was kind of a gamble," Naruto said, "But I guess it worked. I didn't just wrap it in chakra; I lined the whole thing with one of my Ghostly arms and pumped in all the chakra I could spare."
Sasuke glared. "What happened to not needing a handicap?"
Naruto grinned. "Well, I don't need it, but time could be running out. If I want to beat you in time to watch the victory fireworks, then I'd better use what I can. Besides... it would be rude to refuse a gift that you took all that time to prepare, wouldn't it?"
"Sure," said Sasuke, "If you suddenly decided to become the type who cares about manners."
Their blades broke apart and flashed as they were brought together again repeatedly. Naruto had trained with several weapons on his long voyage, and was moderately proficient in several, including the short, straight blade that he wielded now. Sasuke, however, had been training in this one weapon for over two and a half years, and by this time was an expert. On top of that, he had the Sharingan to help him anticipate movement. It was not long before he was able to knock aside Naruto's sword and stab at his unprotected throat.
He was unsurprised to see that Naruto had yet more tricks up his sleeves. Seemingly from nowhere, a long, thick appendage materialized in front of Naruto and caught the blade. The thick mass of chakra stopped it utterly, and it was only with a mighty wrench that put him in danger of getting his arm sliced off that Sasuke got it free.
"Well," he said, observing the nine 'tails' that had formed, "This is one thing I didn't foresee. So you can do it without the monster chakra now, and you can make nine instead of just one. I wonder how long they can cover for your poor swordsmanship? Five minutes? Ten?"
"As long as it takes!" Naruto said. He brought his sword up and jabbed sharply at Sasuke's sternum.
Sasuke was ready. Sidestepping the jab, he whirled and swept his blade to the side, aiming to cut Naruto's legs out from under him. This, too, met with a deft block from one of the tails. This time, Sasuke was clever enough to pull it away before the tail could grasp at it, and was instantly back at Naruto's throat with several more strikes aimed at his upper body. Naruto's tails blocked them all, leaving the blond boy free to attack with his sword in the interim. Moving with speed and skill, Sasuke dodged the first downward swing, swung at Naruto's sword arm, was blocked by a tail, then quickly moved to swat away an upward thrust from the opposing blade, bringing them back into sword-locked stalemate.
At least, it would have been a stalemate if not for the Reiude. Naruto's tails snaked in, looking for a chance to grab hold of the enemy sword and move it out of the way. Not wanting to be put in that risky situation again, Sasuke dropped and, while keeping one hand on his sword, tried a foot-sweep at Naruto's legs. The tails nearest Naruto's feet were caught up in trying to disarm him, and the others were not fast enough to prevent him. Naruto was forced to leap away from the kick, taking his sword and his tails with him.
This afforded Sasuke some room, and he took advantage of it. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique)
The fireball spewed forth, and Naruto, who was currently off of his feet, could do nothing to evade it. He put his tails in front of him to block it out. It worked, but this blew him backwards, increasing his time in the air, and left his back side open to attack. Sasuke moved with unseen speed and was behind him in less than a second, his sword ready to catch the falling Naruto on its blade.
Naruto, however, would have none of that. Looking over his shoulder, he locked one of the Arms of the Reiude onto that sword, and ran his hands through the appropriate seals. That Akatsuki bastard said wind was my strong point, he thought. Let's hope it's strong enough.
"Reiude Ninpou: Raifu Daigeki!"
The lightning-fast blast of air didn't cause Sasuke to lose his grip on the sword as he'd hoped, but it did knock Sasuke off his feet and send him flying towards a particularly pointy stalactite. With practiced ease, Sasuke righted himself and caught the rock formation with his feet, but he was disoriented now, and his ploy was foiled.
Naruto took the opportunity to charge, and Sasuke's instinct was the only thing that kept Naruto's blade from cutting off his arm. As he fought to get his bearings and parry, he barely heard Naruto yelling at him.
"You're not the only one who's improved on old techniques, either. Your Chidori can come from anywhere... but so can my Rasengan!"
Sasuke didn't have time to wonder what his old teammate meant, because he was too busy parrying the wild swings of the sword. What was more, Naruto's tails were swiping at him now, too, and it was only through the Sharingan that he was able to see and parry the multiple blows in time. Naruto had let offense become his defense, striking from so many angles and with so many weapons with enough speed to force Sasuke to do nothing but parry.
The avenger was furious. This Reiude, as it was used by Naruto, was far more powerful than he had first thought it would be. It fully tested the anticipatory power of his Sharingan, and made the greatest speed and skill necessary. Angrily, he readied his Chidori Nagashi (1000 birds current) for a full-on counter-strike, hoping that his electric chakra would not be stopped by the tails.
Yet, before he could set his feet and begin his assault, Sasuke was set back by the coming of an attack far more dangerous than the swipe of a sword or tail. A compact ball of swirling chakra entered the Sharingan's peripheral vision, and he was forced to stop what he was doing and block it. His Chidori-charged blade caught the Rasengan, dissipated it in a flash of brilliant light and a loud crack. Then he had to worry about the sword and the tails again, for both were reaching for him. It was not long, however, before a second Rasengan was on its way, and he had to stop that, too.
Soon, two at once came at him, and Sasuke had to try to leap away. However, one of Naruto's tails caught his leg, and he could not move. The Uchiha was able to parry one with his lightning-tainted sword, but the second one caught him in the side, and he was sent hurtling into the man-made river.
Pain of an unspeakable caliber ran through him from the wound, and he gasped. Naruto remained where he stood.
"Tomoshibi no Kyuubi doesn't use all of my sixty-four Arms," said the blond. "If I can keep you busy, then I can use the rest of the Reiude to create other problems for you—namely, the Rasengan—and throw them at you from any angle I want. And while your Sharingan can see it coming, your hands are tied with other things... you can't stop it no matter how hard you try. Give up, Sasuke."
The damage to Sasuke's side was incredible, and the pain matched the destruction. Yet, the avenger was not one to be taken down by just one hit. And like Naruto, he had not exhausted his pool of tricks. Ignoring the plea to surrender, Sasuke rose painfully to his feet and ran a finger across his wound, collecting the blood there. He pressed the blood into his palm, then ran his hands through the set of seals. At the end of the set, he smiled, and brought his palm to the stone floor.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"That was the last one," said Kakashi as he dusted himself off. They stood in the wreckage of the final field command center.
"So, what should we do now, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura.
"The civilians will finish evacuating shortly," put in Tenten. She and her teammate, Rock Lee, had joined Sakura and Kakashi after failing to find their teammate, Neji. Their former instructor, Gai, was with the Hokage, being marshaled for the final counterattack along with the other Chuunin and Jounin in the village that were there.
"So, we don't have much to do until the counter-strike starts," Sakura said.
"Hmmm," Kakashi mused. "Well, we're pretty far from the tower. We won't be able to join with the main group right away..."
"Kakashi-sensei," asked Lee, "If I may, I have a suggestion."
Kakashi eyed the young green-clad Chuunin suspiciously. Like his mentor, Gai, he was known to spend his free time in unorthodox ways, even during missions. Still, he didn't have any ideas. "Go ahead, Lee."
"Hai!" replied Lee energetically. "I was going to say that before joining you, Kakashi-sensei, I spotted Naruto-kun traveling by rooftop in this direction. I would have called out to him, but I was engaged in a glorious and youthful battle with one of the excellent Rock Jounin, so I did not have the time."
"You saw Naruto?" asked Sakura.
"Yes, Sakura-san!" replied Lee. "He was following one of the Sound shinobi. Other Sound shinobi were fleeing in his wake. Though they might have been fleeing Naruto-kun's great youthful power, I am lead to believe, judging from their expressions, that they were following an order not to engage him."
"Oh?" said Kakashi. "That's interesting... You said he was going in this direction?"
"Hai! I am sure that he was."
One of the defeated Sound shinobi—the one that Kakashi happened to be standing on as if on solid ground—began to chuckle through a mouthful of loose teeth and blood.
"Hey now, what's so funny?" asked Kakashi.
The man continued laughing until Kakashi dug his foot into his broken ribs. Then he said, still smiling, "That kid is going to die. Took him to the young devil, they did..."
Sakura walked forward and stood over him as he paused to cough blood. Looking at him menacingly with Kunai in hand, she asked, "Where?"
The man only gave another weak laugh.
"Where?" Sakura asked, gripping the man by his broken collarbone.
But the man had already died.
"Sakura, that's enough," said Kakashi. "I think I know where Naruto went. Everyone, listen up! We're going to split up the group. Each one of us will take one of these four tunnels here..." he waved around the crater at them, "...and go looking for Naruto. If you find him and he's alone, bring him back here, no matter what it takes. If you find trouble, run away and make contact by radio, then use your judgment on whether you should fight or flee. Everyone understand?"
Three voices sounded acknowledgment.
Kakashi nodded. "All right. Let's go!"
OoOoOoOoOoO End Chapter Twenty-Four OoOoOoOoOoO
A/N: This is your last chance to make suggestions. The fight will heat up in the next chapter, and the bulk of it will be over at the chapter's end, if not all of it. Feel free to make more suggestions, but more important to me right now is your opinion of the story so far. Is Arc II turning out satisfactory? Does it kick ass? Does it blow? I have to know, and more importantly, I have to know why it rocks or sucks so that I can adjust it or stay the same as need dictates.
I love you guys. Not as much as I love meat and cheese and bone marrow, but still, you're awesome.