Daze
Chapter 28: Conflict's Edge
A/N: Here's 28 hope you enjoy.
X X
Naruto woke gently, brushing long red hair from his face as he sat up confused.
It took him a moment to recall the previous night as he saw Tayuya curled up sleeping gently next to him.
He smiled subtly brushing her hair from her cheek and kissing her softly.
She smiled in her sleep rolling over and clutching his arm.
He pulled himself loose from her gently which caused her to pout cutely in her sleep.
Standing up from the bed he grabbed some mission clothes, quietly getting dressed, and grabbing his hitai-ate from the nightstand.
Setting the spare key on the counter with a note he left locking the door behind him.
Walking down the side streets of Konoha he arrived at the gate and saw the rest of his team waiting.
"Sorry I was late, I had to make a couple of stops."
Sasuke hnned at him.
"Well let's get this mission underway, sensei?"
Kakashi nodded.
"We're heading to the land of rivers where Kazuma's gang was last sighted, here are the details Shikamaru was able to glean, we've all had time to look at them."
Naruto nodded grateful, taking the dossier from the man.
"Raiga Kurosuki of the mist, a former seven swordsmen candidate, Kenshi of the stone, a member of the demo corps, Tomue of the Cloud an ex member of the Raikage's elite guard."
Naruto was surprised as he dug through the papers.
"How did he get so many powerful rogue ninja to work under him?"
Kakashi looked up from his purple Icha Icha novel, "Icha Icha Revolution" just recently published.
"I guess you'll have to ask him when we bring him in, Naruto."
Kakashi cleared his throat pocketing his book about the charming mercenary and the seductive snake charmer, it had to be his favorite book to date, It really spoke to him for some reason.
"Well, let's head out team."
They left the gates and began the days' long journey to the eastern land of rivers.
It was mostly an uneventful journey as they passed through the unpopulated wilderness, but what kept them alert was knowing that at the end of the trip was a dangerous battle.
Naruto noticed Sakura and Sasuke were both in high-spirits occasionally brushing hands and smiling.
What he didn't notice was Sakura cautiously watching Oltier who herself was staring deeply at Naruto.
Turning to the purple-haired girl Naruto smiled.
"So Oltier-chan, you and Sakura are pretty good friends right, have any interesting stories from over the years?"
Oltier looked down at the road as she walked.
"None worth sharing."
Naruto's eyebrow raised.
"What about Tayuya?"
This struck a chord as Oltier scoffed.
"She's a pain in my side, we've never gotten along."
Naruto seemed surprised although he could understand how abrasive Tayuya could be at times.
"How'd that start?"
Oltier's amber eyes peaked with recollection.
"We were at the beach, Sakura and I, Tayuya knocked my painting over, then she yelled at me for tripping her."
Oltier's robotic mannerisms seemed to agitate when thinking of the girl.
Naruto knew he'd found an in, the best way to get around someone's walls was to find a chink in the armor, and press it for all it's worth.
"I'm sure it was an accident."
Oltier scoffed.
"Even still, she should've watched where she was going, just because her ass is big doesn't mean she has to toss it around recklessly."
Naruto chuckled.
Oltier didn't seem amused folding her arms.
"That painting was for Sakura-san, and she ruined it."
Sakura's eyes lifted, blushing.
"F-for me? I didn't know that."
Oltier blushed shrinking into her lavender sweater and pulling her greyish green chunin vest higher
"It was supposed to be a gift to celebrate our one year anniversary as friends… but."
Oltier looked away, resuming her stoic flatness.
"- just forget about it."
Sakura had a conflicted look in her eye staring at the sky through the treeline.
Naruto waited a few moments for the momentum to reset before smirking in his head.
'Time for a flank attack.'
He turned again to the purple-haired girl who was looking at her hands with unknown emotion.
"So, how'd you meet Gaara?"
Oltier immediately tensed up blushing.
"G-gaara-san?"
She looked away from him.
"The chunin exams… in the Sand.. he saved me from a giant scarab in the second exam."
Naruto nodded.
"That sounds like Gaara, I knew he had a soft side under that stony facade."
Smirking the boy looked around at her eyes forcing her to level with him which had her shrinking away.
"So, you like him right?"
"W-what?!"
Oltier blushed bright red twiddling her thumbs nervously.
Naruto feigned ignorance pressing the conversation.
"He's your friend right?"
"O-oh… yeah, I guess, we write correspondence sometimes, but he hasn't visited in a year or so."
She looked genuinely sad at this fact though she tried to hide it, her eyes couldn't lie.
"What did he say about me?"
She looked at Naruto nodding quietly.
"He said you were obnoxiously bright, humble, and optimistic… I see what he means."
Naruto was confident he had peeled back enough of her armor to take a step behind the wall.
"We should be friends Oltier-chan, if you ever need someone to talk to, or a training partner I'll be there."
She looked subtly grateful but looked away from him with a conflicted melancholy smile.
"You're too kind Naruto-san… I'll keep that in mind."
Naruto smiled, closing his eyes, and she couldn't help but smile back softly; he just had an infectious grin.
Sakura realized what Naruto was doing and folded her arm, her emerald eyes gleaming with admiration.
'I'm impressed, Naruto, it took me weeks to even get her to speak, and you made her smile in a few days.'
A few more hours of travel and they arrived at the edge of the forest seeing the vast expanse of riverlands below them.
"We're here, Ground zero is down there."
Kakashi pointed down to a series of cliffs with obvious chunks where explosions and sharp impacts had chipped away at the stone.
"No-one's here, to be expected, but keep your eyes open, they could've laid traps."
The team hopped down from their vantage taking a look around the flat cliff ledge.
Naruto could see specks of dried blood with a large splatter towards the ground and he realized with a jolt this was where Asuma had lost his leg.
"It must've been some battle."
"According to Shikamaru's report the only reason they got away was due to sedition among the enemy unit."
Naruto nodded, kneeling down to examine the sediment.
Rubbing his fingers in the stone he felt it was porcelain smooth on the inside.
"What precise cuts, it must've been an impressive blade."
"Shikamaru's notes seem to imply that Raiga had the Kiba blades, and if so that means he is an S class threat."
Naruto thought back to a conversation he'd had with Kisame when he was training in Kenjutsu.
One year earlier…
Naruto breathed heavily, his arm falling slack to his side as his blade dropped from his hands clattering to the ground.
"Done already gaki, I was just having fun."
Kisame chuckled dryly.
"F-fuck you Shark-Oji I'm lucky I didn't lose an arm after that slash you did"
Kisame looked down at the boy plainly.
"If I was planning to mutilate you, I wouldn't be showing you my best moves."
"What is that monster sword anyway, it's like a damn pufferfish."
Kisame chuckled as his sword growled annoyed.
"Samehada is special, he grinds up and eats chakra like a plate of sushi, together we're an unbeatable combination."
He tossed the sword over his shoulder and it purred, shaking in it's bandages.
"Of the seven legendary swords, none compare to the raw potential of Samehada, but I wouldn't let my guard down against any of them."
"Which one would you say is the second strongest?"
Kisame pondered the thought, nodding satisfied.
"Kiba, in the hands of a skilled lightning user they elevate their wielder to another level of power."
Naruto looked at the man's surprise.
"Are they really that impressive?"
Kisame took a seat on the stone ledge.
"Their previous wielder Ameyuri Ringo was the strongest Swordsmen of her generation, she once used the Kiba to cut through a mountain."
Kisame scratched his cheek.
"To be completely candid, I doubt even I could have beaten her without sustaining heavy damage."
Naruto recoiled at the statement.
"That's impressive."
Kisame smirked.
"Aye, let's get a move on boy, Itachi is waiting."
Naruto stood up grabbing his fallen sword and followed the man back down the cliff side.
"There's another name for the Kiba blades kid, one earned in the last war."
"What is it?"
Kisame chuckled.
"They are known as…"
Current day...
Naruto rose from his crouched position, turning to Kakashi.
"I know how we're going to find them."
The masked man looked at him surprised at his sudden focus
"How?"
Naruto looked at the cuts in the stone.
"Follow the damage."
He knocked the dust from his hands turning to a rising cliff with trees at its peak.
"They're there."
Kakashi looked up curiously.
"Are you sure?"
Naruto nodded.
"Kiba are lightning blades, that means their wielder is in his element at elevation, according to Shikamaru the enemy team has leadership challenges,"
The boy's crimson eye glistened with newfound understanding.
"-Based off everything I've come to this conclusion, Raiga is a hothead with something to prove, he wants to be the leader and Kazuma can't reign in his ego, they're headed up I'm sure of it."
Kakashi shrugged.
"We have no better leads, still part of me hopes this isn't a disaster waiting to happen."
The team adjusted their packs heading across the river towards the rising cliff.
A few hours later…
"This cliff is steep as shit."
Naruto grunted, lifting himself up to the ledge.
Sakura nodded in agreement struggling to find a safe foothold.
Sasuke drew his sword channeling chidori through it and stabbing it into the cliff.
Using his sword as a foothold he jumped up to the next flat section offering a hand down to Sakura and Oltier.
Sakura retrieved his sword, taking his hand and climbing up.
Oltier held his arm with her free hand taking his other hand in hers and let him pull her up.
Kakashi punched a hole into the cliffside pushing his foot into it and leaping up from the footfall.
"Phew, almost at the peak, it looks like the rest of the way is more of an incline and less a straight rise."
The squad continued walking up the grassy hill taking note of the large and beautiful trees which grew on the mountain.
"It's weird to think we could be the first people to travel here in centuries,"
Naruto chuckled scratching his hair.
"-Other than our targets obviously."
The climb took them nearly an hour to complete but they arrived at the peak of the cliff and saw a campfire in the distance three figures standing around it.
"Well Naruto, it seems your hunch was correct."
Naruto bit his lip.
"That was the easy part, how do we handle this?"
Kakashi pulled his headband up revealing his lone sharingan.
"I don't see Kazuma among the group."
Sasuke looked analytically.
"You don't think they killed him?"
Kakashi shook his head.
"Shugonin are no joke, if they had killed him the landscape would be devastated."
Kakashi tensed.
"That means he's somewhere nearby, watch your surroundings."
The team nodded.
"Sakura, Oltier head 3'o o'clock and flank the camp, I'll take 9:00 and wrap around second flank,"
Kakashi gestured with his hands pointing to either side of the wooded area.
"- Naruto, Sasuke you'll take the center, give us two or three minutes to take position then start a frontal assault, capture is priority but kill if there are no other options."
Naruto and Sasuke shared a mutual gaze with the man and the team split off.
A few minutes passed and Naruto and Sasuke crept quickly towards the forest edge.
Naruto pulled a scroll from his jacket, dropping it and summoning two puppets.
One was a woman with long shaggy black hair and green eyes; the other a muscular bald man with a tiger stripe beard and a metal visor over his eyes.
"Puppet master jutsu?"
Sasuke recoiled as he noticed the lifelike nature of the puppets.
"Are those human puppets, where'd you get those?"
Naruto nodded to the raven haired boy.
"That's not important, give me a chance to deploy a pinhook strategy, feel me out, then join in."
Sasuke nodded begrudging.
"Nina, Mika let's do this."
Naruto released thin chakra strings, the puppets clattering quietly and crawling unnaturally along the underbrush on all fours.
Crouching, Naruto deftly slid his fingers, his Male puppet popping out in the air above the campfire.
It's chest cavity opened and a steel chakra cable wrapped the surprised ninja.
The metal visor over its eyes lifted and a blinding light shone out disorienting the ninja.
The second puppet spun in midair above them it's jaw unhinging and blasting them with pungent translucent liquid.
Before they could collect their senses, Naruto charged in and pulled a kunai out, tossing it to the ground near the shinobi he held ninja wire in his hand that attached to a seal on the handle.
"Don't move, I've covered you in Acetone, one twitch of my finger and you all go up in flames."
He heard chuckling from his left side and saw a man with long white hair step out dragging Kakashi by his collar.
"Drop the wire boy, before your sensei gets hurt."
Kakashi was on his knees obviously in pain as the man slammed a ringed jo into his spine.
With a second movement he held the staff to Kakashi's neck and mocked an impact, lifting his thumb in a noose gesture and sticking his tongue out.
Naruto paled.
'Kakashi, no way?!'
Naruto nodded begrudgingly dropping the wire, his puppets fell lifeless to the ground.
Raiga smirked a bit forming a hand sign.
"Water style: Deep sea shower!"
He spat a wall of foam from his mouth which washed the flammable liquid from the bodies of the ninja.
Raiga drew his Kiba blades and approached Naruto cockily.
"Wait."
He turned to Kazuma, obviously irritated.
"Don't kill him yet."
"Why not?!"
Kazuma rolled his eyes.
"Because, fool, if we kill them they'll just send more after us, we're going to use them to bargain."
He gestured to Naruto.
"Tie him up."
Kazuma looked at Naruto analytically.
"Boy, how many of you leaf ninja, are here?"
Naruto looked at him stone faced.
"Four."
Kazuma nodded.
"That makes sense, one sensei, three Genin, standard formation; and here I thought we'd be taken seriously after the last squad."
Kazuma chuckled.
"Still, Kakashi no sharingan, I must say It's an honor to meet you."
Naruto stared at Kakashi, his sharingan noticing chakra irregularities in the man.
Raiga approached Naruto and he lunged, wrapping his arm around his neck and tackling the man to the ground with a rolling monkey flip.
Kazuma sighed.
"Have it your way."
He growled, raising and lowering his staff onto Kakashi's neck only to jolt as his Jo was suddenly filled with electricity.
The Jonin was revealed to be a lightning style shadow clone meant to draw the man out from hiding.
Kazuma twitched as his body was filled with currents of electricity.
Kakashi tackled the man with a kunai drawn and they disappeared into the woods.
Raiga roared annoyed, tossing the boy off of him, and drew his Kiba blades.
Naruto chuckled.
Raiga noticed he was currently sopping wet, as were his comrades who were in his AOE.
Naruto struck out, catching the man in his jaw with a hook and tossing him back.
With his other hand he tossed chakra strings, his puppets rising to life and dogpiling the man.
The male puppet tied itself to him with a steel cable and the female puppet joined him, her arms pinning the man down and preventing him from moving his blades.
The scruffy enemy ninja in an Iwa outfit tossed a clay pigeon from his sleeve which rushed towards Naruto and exploded.
Naruto was forced to hop away from the explosion which put distance between them.
"Explosive Clay?!"
He smirked.
"You familiar?"
The blonde-female ninja in the group picked up one of the Kiba blades channeling fire into it and severing the chakra strings from Naruto's puppets.
Raiga roared with fury.
"Don't touch my blades, Kumo bitch!"
She turned to him coldly pointing the sword at his neck.
"Call me that again, and I'll kill you."
Raiga stood up tossing the puppets off of him and decapitating them with the other Kiba blade.
"You don't scare me wench, now give me my sword."
He grabbed her wrist, roughly tearing the sword from her grip, and shoving her away with his palm.
"Fine, you can handle him yourself, don't cry to us if he kills you."
The Kumo kunoichi stepped back watching the battle with her arms folded.
Raiga turned to face Naruto.
"You, coward, stop playing with toys and fight me like a man, or is that sword not the only thing that's just for show?"
He twirled the Kiba blades and Naruto's eyes twitched, staring at the rolling heads of his puppets.
Drawing the wakizashi from his back Naruto channeled wind chakra into it extending the flat ended blade into a formidable wind blade.
"If that's what you want, but you ruined my puppets, don't expect mercy."
The man charged him leaning sideways, spinning with both of his blades one at level with Naruto's legs and the other his neck.
Naruto spun his blade into reverse grip, slashing up and forcing the man to hop away from the resulting gust which flew out and cut a tree.
Raiga adjusted his stance spinning diagonally with both blades.
Naruto raised his blade with both hands in return.
They clashed the wind chipping lightly into the edges of the Kiba blades.
"Careful Raiga, if you don't start taking this seriously I'm going to ruin your fancy steak knives."
Raiga's eyes filled with rage and he spun, slicing down with his blades.
Naruto caught them with his blade pushing them up and kicking the man in his chest.
Raiga grunted as he was pushed by the blow to his chest.
The man growled channeling lightning into both of the blades and tossing out pillars of thunder.
Naruto hopped aside and saw the tree line behind him vaporized.
Raiga was smiling unevenly with his mouth, his green eyes tearing up as his shark like teeth stood out from his prominent lips.
"And I told myself I wouldn't cry when I killed you, oh well!"
He growled swinging the blades and tossing arcs of screaming thunder at the boy.
The coursing chakra caused his long green hair to defy gravity.
Naruto jumped high into the air to avoid it.
Naruto from his vantage point could see Kakashi in the woods trading blows with Kazuma.
Forming rapid hand signs he opened his mouth channeling a large portion of chakra into the technique.
"Wind style: Great breakthrough!"
Naruto parted his lips and a torrent of wind became a wide wall tearing through everything in its path.
It struck all three ninja in its path tossing them violently along the ground and slamming into the distant tree line.
Naruto saw Raiga's blades fly from his hand and he ran to catch them before the man could stand again.
Returning his wakizashi to his back he wielded the hooked Kiba blades and twirled them for good measure.
"So these are the Kiba, not bad."
Naruto channeled lightning into the blades tossing currents of electricity out along a wide area.
Raiga and the other rogues were struck by the waves which sent electricity through their bodies dropping them to their knees in shock.
Naruto walked over to the man hooking his leg with the blade and pulling it out from under him.
"You won't be moving anytime soon."
Sasuke hopped out from a nearby tree.
"I thought you were gonna jump in?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"You had it handled, right?"
Naruto sheathed the blade on his back with an x-shaped blade harness he took from Raiga's chest.
"I'm gonna hold onto these for now."
Raiga shookily rose growling.
"T-those are my swords, you can't have them."
Naruto turned front toe-kicking the man in the forehead knocking him over unconscious.
"Sasuke, tie them up, I'm gonna check on sensei."
Sasuke grunted in affirmation pulling ninja wire from his hip pouch to tie the rogue ninja.
Naruto rushed over to where he'd seen his sensei fighting and saw him mid taijutsu with Kazuma.
Forming a hand sign Naruto placed both his hands on the ground.
"Earth style:Mobile pillar!"
The ground beneath Kazuma began to slide pushing him away from Kakashi and knocking trees over in his path.
Naruto leapt to his sensei's side.
"Kakashi are you okay?"
He nodded, wiping sweat from beneath his sharingan eye.
"I'm fine, Kazuma is a strong opponent, but we've stalemated thus far."
The fallen trees were slashed to ribbons by a cyclone of bladed wind and Kazuma stepped through spinning his staff.
"Not bad boy, I'm impressed."
Naruto drew the Kiba and Kazuma noticed the eye-catching blades.
"So that fool Raiga already lost, I told him not to be so reckless."
Naruto spun the blades into reverse grip channeling lightning into them and the special chakra of the blades boosted its power and covered them in large balls of thunder.
"A man like that could never wield these blades properly, when one of the seven blades doesn't respect you it'll never work to its full potential."
The orbs of thunder shot off static waves of lightning which singed leaves off of the surrounding trees.
Kazuma channeled wind into his staff, spinning it violently so that it became a whirling cyclone and then threw it from his hand as a chakram-like projectile.
It spun out whistling loudly as the sharp wind chakra tore the ground below it.
Kakashi paled lightly as the staff approached them but Naruto was perfectly calm stepping in front of Kakashi.
Closing his eyes he opened them half lidded and swiped out with one of the Kiba blades.
A loud shriek and thunderous impact like steel crashing into stone was heard before the staff was tossed away by a large pillar of thunder;
It flew into the sky with an explosion which threw wind and lightning out in all directions carving into mountains in the area then the staff fell far below the mountain-range.
The impact of the explosion tossed Kakashi and Kazuma to the ground but the Kiba blades seemed to shield Naruto from the blast.
Kazuma gritted his teeth seemingly irked at the loss of his weapon.
Naruto dropped the dormant sword arm to his side as the left Kiba blade stopped emitting lightning, pointing the still ignited right blade at the man's chest.
"It's over Kazuma, surrender now and I won't have to end you."
The man spat out with disgust.
"Surrender, to you, never."
Naruto nodded, swinging the blade sideways.
"Naruto don't!"
Kakashi reached out for the boy's arm but it was already mid motion as the thunder sword cut with a loud shriek and crashing sound.
Kazuma paled, sweating as the line of thunder approached him.
It passed under him crashing into a mountain in the distance behind him and cleaving it in two.
The rogue Shugonin froze in shock looking behind him as the mountain top slid off the range with a loud crash of earth and dirt.
The man was motionless in sheer awe as Naruto sheathed the blades, pulled ninja wire from his hip pouch and tied the man's hands together binding them to his right ankle.
Kazuma looked back when he noticed a strange feeling and saw his left leg was gone at the knee.
He shook with horror as he reached out with his bound hands at the missing limb.
Naruto stared down at him coldly.
"That's for Asuma."
Naruto picked him up one-handed by his shirt collar, turning to Kakashi who was stunned.
"Let's go, sensei."
He offered Kakashi his other hand and he took it, rising to a standing position.
"Let's find Sakura before he bleeds out."
The duo headed back to the main clearing where the rest of Team Kakashi was admiring the distant damage.
"Naruto you did this?"
Sakura looked at him with sheer amazement.
Naruto shook his head, raising his thumb to point at the blades on his back.
"The Kiba amplified my power, It would take most of my chakra to do a lightning jutsu like that unassisted."
Sasuke admired the blades which were still glowing from the heat of the lightning.
"Fearsome weapons, I would never want to face those."
Naruto nodded.
"Good thing you'll never have to."
The blonde boy walked over to the edge of the cliff ignoring the curious glances from his team and looked down, eyeing an abyssal ravine at the end of the river.
Pulling the blade harness off his back he held it over and dropped it, the swords falling into the massive cave system and vanishing from sight.
"W-what?"
Sakura was stunned.
Kakashi's eye glinted with what seemed like irritation.
"Naruto… why would you throw away such weapons?"
He turned back to his flabbergasted comrades and smiled subtly.
"During the last war those blades earned a moniker, Conflict's edge, after Ameyuri Ringo killed entire platoons of Leaf ninja, such weapons have no place in the world we're aiming for."
Dusting off his hands he walked past his comrades.
"I'm going to check my puppets, Sakura cauterize the traitor's knee."
True to his word Naruto left for the campsite, picking up the disassembled heads and bodies of his puppets.
"What a mess, This'll take me days to repair."
Naruto sighed.
Sasuke and Kakashi shared a look.
"He's grown sensei."
Kakashi sighed, lowering his headband to cover his sharingan.
"He's still Naruto though, always barking and charging in first."
Oltier stared at him coolly, her expression giving no hint of what she might be thinking.
'This is the one Danzo-sama, he's so bright and warm, how... am I going to kill him.'
She looked down at her hands.
The previous night…
"Tobiko, come to me child."
Oltier walked over kneeling before the elder as he sat on a simple wooden throne.
"Hai Danzo-sama."
The man looked down at her with his lone onyx eye.
"You are ready for your assignment, the one with which to prove yourself at last?"
Oltier bowed.
"Of course, Danzo-sama, anything."
The man smirked between his wrinkled lips leaning forward onto his gnarled wood cane.
"This is no simple task, Tobiko, but should you succeed, I will allow you to see that boy once more."
Oltier's eyes lit up.
"N-niisan?"
Danzo nodded simply.
"Your task is clear, join Hatake's team, ingratiate yourself to them, and when you see the opportunity, kill Uzumaki and bring me his eyes."
Oltier paled recoiling before resuming her stoic expression.
"Is that all Danzo-sama?"
The man shook his head.
"There are to be no survivors, Hatake, and the last Uchiha I have need of their eyes as well, and the Haruno girl who Tsunade trusts above all, will also need to die."
Oltier felt her hands grow heavy focusing all her willpower not to shake right there.
'S-Sakura-san too?'
She felt two sides of her tearing against each other, she needed above all else to see her brother, once more before it was too late, but to do so she would have to kill her only friend.
She clutched her chest bowing.
"As you command, Danzo-sama, they will die... Uzumaki, and the rest as well."
The man nodded pleased.
"Don't fail me Tobiko, you are the promise of a better future, one free of the weakness of Hiruzen and his disciples."
Current day, six hours later… Dead tree woods, Border of fire
Naruto looked back at her staring as they walked and his warm red eyes sent chills down her spine.
A feeling she was not used to, guilt, overtook her.
Guilt for what she had already done, guilt for what she would do.
She stared at the infuriated enemies who had regained consciousness in their bindings and at the kunai on her hip.
'What do I do, Sai-Niisan?'
Tearing up she noted the attention of her team was drawn elsewhere.
Sakura and Sasuke were mid conversation and Kakashi had his nose buried in his book.
Closing her eyes she pictured the pale face, and gentle onyx eyes of her brother.
'I-I'm sorry, but I have to see him… one more time.'
She opened her eyes, throwing shuriken at the bindings which held the rogue ninja and tackling Kakashi with her kunai drawn.
Placing the blade to his throat his book fell to the ground.
Sakura and Sasuke immediately drew weapons facing her.
"Drop your weapons now!"
She pressed the kunai into Kakashi's throat drawing a line of blood.
Kazume stood shakily with the help of the Cloud Kunoichi and drew a kunai, while Raiga and Kenshi formed hand signs facing Naruto.
Sasuke and Sakura nodded, dropping their kunai and raising their hands.
Naruto gritted his teeth and dropped his blade reluctantly to the ground as well.
"Well, well, well."
Kazuma chuckled.
"Looks like you Leaf ninja aren't all deluded fools."
The man turned to the purple haired girl nodding with approval.
"Well done Tobiko-san, Danzo-san will be pleased."
Oltier nodded ingratiated to the Shugonin who revealed himself as a co-conspirator of Danzo.
"Do we kill them here, now?"
Kazuma chuckled, channeling wind into his blade and aiming it at the pink-haired medic-nin.
"Yes girl, they die, then we report back to Danzo-san, and begin the restoration of the Leaf."
Tobiko gripped her kunai readying herself to cut the sensei's throat.
"Very well."
She moved her wrist and blood flowed down the grey-haired Jonin's chest, his body falling from her arms.
Naruto's eyes widened as he watched his sensei fall to the ground.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Kazuma tossed his wind-kunai at Sakura tearing through the air faster than perception.
Sasuke shoved the girl away with his palm taking the blade in his chest, he coughed out blood.
"D-Damn it."
He fell over to the forest floor and Sakura ran back to him rolling him over and crying out.
"Sasuke-kun no, stay with me!"
She pulled the blade from his chest channeling green chakra into his chest, blood spilled out and covered her hands.
'This is bad, What should I do, what can I do?!'
Naruto ran over to the fallen Jonin commander placing a hand to his neck, his pulse was fading.
His sharingan rippled into their Fan-like Mangekyou pattern as he growled his bloodied hands shaking.
"I'm going to kill you, none of you are leaving this forest alive!"
Kazuma chuckled darkly, forming a mirrored ram seal, black yin chakra pooled around his body.
His yellow brown eyes glew with contempt as he smirked at the blonde boy, his knee began to sprout a sickly looking leg with ghostly white skin.
"We'll see about that, this time it's personal."
The man formed a Hare seal, a Jo staff formed of wind appearing in his outstretched hands and cutting the ground as it trailed along.
Naruto stood up slamming his hand violently into the ground, a sealing matrix spread across the forest floor and he pulled up a bandage wrapped blade from beneath the dirt.
"I'll end you with this,"
Naruto pulled the bandages from the sword revealing a black kusanagi-esque blade.
"-The Totsuka blade, sword of sealing."
X END X