I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! I'm also VERY DISAPPOINTED that NOBODY tried to guess who the mystery guest is.
"I guess I will read next. Let's hope this art is eternal." A voice says, causing both Naruto and Sakura to pale.
The Castle of Death
Lee charged at blinding speeds towards the short man as he darted his buckler at the Rodian. The Rodian barely dodged the thrown object and was knocked off balance. Lee appeared in front of the short dagger wielder and said "Leaf Great Whirlwind" in a whisper. The low kick connected with the man's knees, the mid kick shattered his sternum and the high kick sent the man into the air. Lee finished the move with a heel drop that crushed the man's rib cage. The unnamed criminal was dead before he hit the ground in a shower of blood and ruptured organs.
The Genin are looking sickly green at the image while the veterans are looking a little bit better than the Genin.
Lee discarded the sword and grabbed the two daggers left by his fallen opponent. The man had died in mere seconds. By the time the Rodian was up and balanced again, Lee was back in a ready stance. The Rodian was terrified. He'd hardly seen the black-haired human move and the other contender was lying dead on the floor with his organs hanging out. Lee looked at Tenten for a split second and saw her nod. He spun his newly acquired daggers like kunai and charged.
"Daggers can be handled just like kunai sometimes." Tenten says with a grimace at the gore. Both Minato and the newly revealed Sasori nod in agreement.
Rodians, while they loved violence and combat, were not stupid enough to go into a totally suicidal fight. The Rodian ran screaming he would fight anyone else, hoping to escape. Lee knew he had to kill this being if he was to survive; if not for himself then at least for Tenten. He rushed the Rodian with a Dynamic Entry (Dainamikku Entorī). The Rodian's head cracked and he went spinning towards the wall. When the Rodian crashed into the arena wall; Lee beheaded the alien with his purloined daggers. Both of Lee's enemies had died quickly and brutally. He wanted to throw up but remembering Tenten's hand signals; Rock Lee spread out his arms and deeply bowed to Teeto the Hutt. He saw glee in the Hutt's reptile like eyes and relief on Tenten's face. "Victory!" Shouted the M.C.
"So youthful!" Lee cried anime waterfall tears at the sight of the Dynamic Entry while Tenten hung her head in shame. The others just looked at the two teammates weirdly.
Lee was back in his cell. He had held back the bile until he got there but once he was alone, he vomited until there was nothing left to come up….he was exhausted. A few hours later after a fitful sleep, Rock Lee opened his eyes to find the older man that had visited him a few days ago. "For someone who doesn't like killing, you put on a hell of a show. You really made Teeto happy. Most of those grunt fights wind up with no survivors or the victor too injured to fight anymore. Your victory was flawless."
"Flawless Victory!" A deep voice called out from somewhere. "Where the fuck did that come from?!" Most of the readers called out in alarm.
"I wish it served a purpose." Said Lee.
"It did." Said the heavy-set man. "You've been promoted out of the grunt fights and into the lightweights. You'll be able to select what weapons and armor you want to fight with next time. I think you'll sail through the lightweights but that's just my hunch. One point of advice though; draw the fights out so your opponents will suffer."
"Much like the Chuunin Exams." Naruto says with a frown. The others frown as well, while Anko just has a sadistic grin.
"It's not efficient." Said Lee.
"But it is entertaining to Teeto. He said he was looking forward to your next fight, day after tomorrow. Keep bowing too. Teeto really likes being treated like royalty."
Lee said, "thank you for your advice; I saw one of my friends there. Have you by any chance seen a blonde or pink haired girl?"
The older man pondered a moment. "I don't know about a blond but I've seen a pink haired one. She decked a visitor that tried to fell her up. I wasn't sure what to think but I guess Teeto thought it was hilarious. She'll be safe for now."
"Just like a certain self-proclaimed super pervert at times." Tsunade says with a teasing smirk at her friend, who just pouts and grumbles about no respect.
"Thank you, sir." Said Lee gratefully.
"I'll be expecting you to win your next fight against much tougher opponents. Don't let me down." The man said as he departed.
Tenten and Sakura came off duty. They silently removed their barely-there outfits and showered to clean the filth off of their bodies. Since the mistress (whose name was Ivy) took a liking to Sakura; she put Sakura and Tenten together in their cramped sleeping quarters at Sakura's request. They were thankful they had a little privacy. Sakura asked Ivy about Temari but the silver haired mistress simply told them Temari rated her own quarters. Apparently, dancers got preferential treatment.
"That's how it is with most servants to lords. Maids and the like get small shared quarters while others, like concubines, get their own quarters." Jiraiya says a small perverted grin.
Sakura sighed. ["Finally; I scrubbed the filth of all those dirty smells and secretions of aliens, smoke and booze."]
Tenten grumbled. ["Consider yourself lucky Sakura. I have to stand by the biggest stench of all: Teeto."]
["At least you aren't one of those poor girls that have the pleasure of scrubbing him."] Snorted Sakura.
["Very funny."] Tenten said seriously. ["You just watch yourself. If Teeto didn't like the fact you're so feisty and not afraid to smack guests, you'd probably be dead by now."]
Sakura took a placating tone, ["it's okay Tenten. Ivy instructed me on whom I can smack and who I can't. I just wish we could bust out of here but we need to get the others out as well."]
Out in the hall…."So even the protocol droids can't figure out their language, Ivy?" Said the heavy-set man that visited Lee from time to time.
Ivy said, "that's right Reefler. I genuinely like Sakura but she's too hot headed."
The now named Reefler said "I have an idea, Ivy. Let me sneak in and visit her tonight."
"Excuse me?" Said the miffed Ivy. "Are you trading me in for a younger, sexier model? You'd better answer carefully…."
Reefler looked panicked for a moment at his on/off lover of many years. He calmed himself. "It's nothing like that Ivy, honest!" Then he whispered conspiratorially, "I think they're assassins. Their friend Lee from the arena is definitely trained as one and I think Sakura is too."
"Well, Ninja are technically assassins, if the price is right though." Minato says with a frown, with the others frowning as well.
Ivy snorted. "Have you been smoking something worse than usual Reefler? That's crazy. Those two girls are too damn pure for that sort of thing. Hell, I'd bet they're virgins.
Reefler responded, "I'll bet they're killers. They have no wasted movement in any action they take, just like Lee. They also seem completely aware of everything around them; just like Lee. They could be our ticket out of here Ivy; I can just feel it."
All of the kunoichi snort at the thought of being too damn pure to be killers.
Ivy sighed; he wasn't going to let this drop until he checked. "Fine, you can stay in my room and sneak over to theirs tonight. The minute I hear them shrieking for help, I'll have to rush in and smack you around a bit to cover up. We'll make up a story saying you stumbled in drunk."
Tsunade snorts at that. "The pervert tried that many times with me when we would go drinking after I left." Tsunade says with another snort. Jiraiya just pouts.
Just after midnight, Reefler came in to Sakura and Tenten's quarters using a skeleton key. He moved with surprising stealth for a man his size. The sliding door closed behind him. 'What?' He thought. Next thing he knew, he was pinned on the floor on his stomach. His legs and arms were pinned painfully behind his back by Tenten. He was staring directly into Sakura's jade green eyes that were burning with an unholy fire. She had his throat in a death grip.
The kunoichi had the same unholy fire in their eyes, scaring the males (especially Jiraiya) with their looks.
Tenten asked, ["Is he drunk Sakura? I smell booze."]
He saw Sakura's other hand glow green over his face. ["No. He's just had enough to make it seem that way. He's completely lucid."] The green glow changed from an aura to a blade shape. Sakura reverted to galactic basic, "These are chakra scalpels. They won't leave marks and will cut the tissue under the skin. Your death will look like natural causes. Depending on your answers to my questions, I may or may not let you live. I already know you're not drunk. You drank just enough to have the smell of liquor on your breath so don't play dumb. Talk quietly when you answer; yell out and you're dead. Do you understand?"
"Nice way to scare an inmate pinky." Anko says with a sadistic smirk while just grumbles about being called pinky. *The Pinky and the Brain theme plays*
Reefler was terrified. He awkwardly nodded his head up and down in agreement. Sakura released his throat. 'These girls are beyond ruthless!' He thought.
"Who are you and why are you here?" He heard Tenten's voice from on his back. "My name is Reefler. I've been in contact with your friend Lee." He said trembling. "I know your assassins here to kill Teeto. Ivy and I want out of his service and off Delfino. Will you help us?"
"Where did that music come from anyways?" Everyone questions with confused looks on their faces while Sakura has a small blush.
Sakura sighed. There was no lie in his voice. "We are assassins but got marooned here. We didn't come for Teeto; we just ended up here. We don't have a ship to get off the planet. If we off Teeto, can you get us transport out?"
Reefler went to see Ivy after another twenty minutes of questioning. Ivy was starting to get concerned at the silence coming from the girl's quarters. What if they really were assassins and had killed Reefler? Or, the more likely scenario, what if Reefler did something stupid and they knocked him out? She was about to go down there but her door opened and Reefler came stumbling in looking both frightened and elated at the same time.
"Most people would feel the same when they hit the jackpot when they didn't even play." Tsunade says with a knowing look at a certain knuckle-headed blond, who just chuckles sheepishly.
"Is your room secure Ivy?" He whispered in a hoarse voice (Sakura had a strong grip!).
Ivy got out a scanner. "We're clear." She said in a quiet voice.
Reefler rasped out, "They're professional assassins but they are marooned here. They agreed to kill Teeto if we provide transport off this world. That new dancer Temari and the gladiator Lee are with them. This is our chance."
Ivy asked worriedly, "Can you even get a ship Reefler?"
Reefler nodded. "That's not an issue. I have the security codes for the Major Domo's ship. As soon as the deed is done, I can fly us out of here."
["We're taking an awfully big risk Sakura,"] said Tenten. ["Do you think we can trust him?"]
Sakura whispered, ["I'm not sure but he has contact with Lee and Ivy's in on it. She can arrange things and get us with Temari to make a plan. I want out of this hellhole. If we kill Teeto, we can escape in the resulting confusion."]
Tenten nodded in agreement. ["Alright Sakura, count me in. Teeto has a personal shield on his belt but I could disable it with a throwing needle. How do we kill him though? From what I can tell, every vital point is covered in blubber."]
The rosette said, ["I'll see if Ivy knows tomorrow. I need to study Hutt physiology for a weak point. If she can provide us with weapons between us and the other two, we may have a chance."] Over the next month, Ivy and Reefler passed coded messages between the ninja. Temari was finally ready as she had adapted the fans to use wind jutsu. Ivy arranged it so Sakura and Tenten would be in a position to strike when Temari did her dance. They just had to get Lee there so they could all escape together. Reefler passed information to Lee. Lee was expected to be sworn in as a guard if he won his next fight. All he had to do was win and they could set the plan in motion….
"Always look weak points in someone, to get an instant kill." Minato says with a knowing nod, with the other veterans nodding in agreement.
Lee's last battle was brutal. He was against an extremely skilled Zabrak. After trading several hits with the Zabrak, Lee got a break. Lee opened the first chakra gate and using the tape on his hands (provided by Reefler), he was able to execute the Primary Lotus (I changed it Primary Lotus instead of the Front Lotus Thayer, hope you don't mind). The Zabrak's head hit the floor in a spectacular spray of blood and Lee was declared the winner. He was given the honor of becoming one of Teeto's guards and would appear before Teeto in the Hutt's audience chamber to swear his undying loyalty.
"What exactly is a Zabrak?" Both Tsunade and Sakura, being medics, question out loud. "A Zabrak is basically someone with horns forming a circle on their heads, like a crown." Scheffinator says while appearing on the screen. "Ah." Everyone says.
Lee wasn't a bloodthirsty man; he hated killing. But the idea of destroying the wicked slug-like creature appealed to him greatly. Freedom from this twisted being is what this world needed. He just hoped that all of them made it out alive. He was given a day to rest and was (finally) allowed to bathe and put on his new clothing before he went to the ceremony tomorrow. He was ready….
"Sounds almost like what Gato was doing in Wave." Naruto says with a frown. Sakura is frowning as well.
Temari studied the notes that Sakura sent her on Hutt physiology. She realized that a bunch of shallow cuts wouldn't kill this monster. Huts were amazingly resilient. She had to make a massive deep cut and take Teeto's head off if she could. She didn't know if her hand fans could handle the stress. If she had her big war fan, it wouldn't have been a problem but she had to make do. She would take out this Hutt and escape or die trying….
Temari just nodded with a frown while Shikamaru just reached over to grab her hand in a reassuring gesture. Temari sent Shikamaru a teasing grin upon noticing his actions, getting a muttered "troublesome" from the Nara.
Tenten put on her pleated see-through skirt. Each of the pleats had a single long throwing needle in them. She was to take out Teeto's personal shield and any bodyguards that were close to Teeto. She also had a plasma grenade inside a large, decorative locket she wore around her neck. Even at point-blank range, Teeto wouldn't be killed by it although it would certainly inflict massive burns on his tough hide. It was a last resort. She had little doubt they could make the kill but was worried about their escape. Ivy was to lead them out to the ship that Reefler was supposed to have ready and waiting….
"No plan ever survives. That's why there's always back up plans." Jiraiya says with a sagely nod of the head. Both Minato and Naruto are shocked. "What?" Jiraiya asks with an annoyed look on his face. "That's the first time you haven't said anything perverted. Are you sure that you're Ero-Sennin (Pervy Sage)?" Naruto says, getting a growling grumble of "no respect" from Jiraiya.
Sakura was meditating. Over the last month, she had practiced sharpening and lengthening her chakra scalpels to new levels. Her job in the assassination was to bull-doze an escape path for the others with her scalpels and chakra enhanced strength. She would be in the crowd serving guests while Temari was in the center putting on her performance. Tenten would be to the Hutt's right, serving him his drinks. They didn't know exactly where Lee would be but his coded note assured them he would maneuver out of the arc of Temari's attack. He didn't know as much about Teeto's physical weak points so he would focus on armed guards around him. It was do or die time….
"YOUTH!" Lee shouts in excitement for the coming battles. Tenten just sighs and whacks Lee on the back of the head.
It was the day. Reefler was ready. He was an old but respected Lieutenant for Teeto and was "inspecting" the Major Domo's ship. It was routing as far as everyone knew. He was terribly worried about Ivy though. She was terrified –and with good reason. They both had witnessed failed assassination attempts in the past and those poor souls that were caught were tortured to death in the most gruesome ways possible. Suicide would be preferable to capture.
Anko nods in agreement. "That's why most ninja have suicide seals/pills in their mouths, for when they get captured by enemy forces." Anko says with a grim look on her face. Iruka just reaches over and grabs her hand in comfort.
The main audience chamber:
Teeto was immensely enjoying the dancing girls and festivities being held today. He'd already gone through two basins of his favorite ale. After his favorite fan dancer presented her newest dance, he would have his newest guards sworn in to his personal army. Temari took the floor and began her dance. She started out with her normal dance routine; her lithe body swaying to the music. As the music got faster, she increased her pace to the beat. Invisible wind chakra was building up in her fans. As she spun around and around, the chakra started to become visible to the naked eye.
"Dancing is required to use battle fans in Suna (Sand)." Temari says with a shrug. Both of the Sannins nod since they have faced their fair share of Suna Nins in the Second Great Ninja World War.
She saw Teeto's personal shield drop and Tenten fell back behind the platform the Hutt was on to shield herself from the oncoming onslaught of wind. Teeto didn't seem to notice but his guards did. At the crescendo of the dance, Temari overcharged her jutsu and unleashed hell. "Wind Scythe jutsu!" She called out as two great cutting blades emerged from her fans. The normal version of this jutsu would have made a plethora of small blades but through practice, she had modified the jutsu to act like two great swords of wind. Teeto took the jutsu head on and his close retainers were blown away in the wake of the invisible blades of wind.
"Decapitation!" A voice called out from nowhere. "Where the fucking hell are these strange voices and sounds coming from?!" Anko demands with a growl/hiss in her voice.
All hell broke loose. Temari flipped back into a defensive position. She used three-fourths of her chakra in that attack and her fans barely withstood the stress. She quickly lined the edges of her hand fans with wind chakra to use them as cutting blades. She saw Teeto bellowing in agony. His head was half severed from his body horizontally and he had a diagonal slash across his torso that was spraying copious amounts of blood….but the slug was still alive! She wouldn't have time for another shot on that scale. They somehow had to finish him off.
"Damn. They really ARE tough bastards." Kushina says with an impressed whistle. "Kushina!/Kaa-chan!" Minato and Naruto shout at the same time, shocked. Kushina just gives them an innocent look.
Tenten jumped back up with her throwing needles in hand and started piercing the throats of the nearby guards. Blaster fire was going off everywhere as people tried to target her. She saw Teeto's eyes turn to her as he gurgled out, attempting to talk with his mouth hanging open. Tenten pulled out the grenade. Its use was to cover the parties' escape but she had to finish Teeto off. She activated the grenade and rammed it into his mouth, as far as she could reach. Then she ran. The slug-like alien's head exploded in a gruesome display of blood and brain matter. It rained down on Tenten's back as she ran. Teeto the Hutt was dead….
"Boom-boom!" Tenten cackles, scaring Lee. The others just look at Tenten weirdly.
Lee and Sakura were destroying the crowds that were after Tenten and Temari. Their brutal taijutsu was crushing people left and right. Sakura looked at Ivy, who stared in shock at the mess. She was frozen to her spot in the doorway. Lee jumped in and covered the retreating Temari and Tenten using his throwing daggers that Reefler got him for the occasion. The guards were going down quickly at his hands but not quickly enough. Tenten ran towards him, dragging Temari with her. Temari was trying to regain her lost breath from the jutsu she unleashed earlier.
"That can happen when you start to feel chakra exhaustion." Tsunade says. Sakura nods in agreement with her shisho (master).
Once they joined up, Lee led them through the pandemonium towards the back. Sakura was already there waiting with Ivy behind her. Sakura was covered in blood and was healing a slice in her shoulder, she picked up during her rampage. The others arrived expecting to be led out only to find Ivy hyperventilating. They ducked into the hallway and closed an armored security door behind them. Sakura punched the door's controls to jam it in the 'down' position.
"Must be her first time seeing such carnage." Anko says with a frown, commenting on Ivy's reaction. The others just nod in agreement.
"That should hold them for a few minutes." Said Sakura. "Hold Ivy still guys." Sakura touched Ivy's face. Her green chakra brought Ivy back to her senses.
Tenten grabbed Ivy. "Teeto's dead. You have to lead us out!"
Ivy nodded. "This way!" She said as they went down a side hall. Sakura was still struggling with her wounded arm. Lee was carrying Temari piggyback style until she regained her breath. Tenten was on point with two daggers, following Ivy's directions on which way to turn. The labyrinth Ivy led them through was almost impossible to navigate. If it hadn't been for Ivy's years of knowledge of the fortress, they never would have made it. By this time, alarms were blaring and the description of Teeto's assassins were out. However; many of Teeto's "loyal" minions wanted to escape the castle as well so people were running everywhere helter-skelter in confusion.
That got a few chuckles from the readers as they are picturing chickens with their heads cut off.
Outside on the docking platform was Reefler. The astromech droid on the ship had it warmed up on his orders. He walked out "shocked and horrified" at the news of Teeto the Hutt's violent death. 'Wish I could have seen it.' He thought with venom. He had already stealthily disposed of the two guards that were inside the Major Domo's ship. That left two guards inside and two guards outside the blast doors to the platform. He knew he could take two of them but he was in his fifties and wasn't as quick as he used to be. He quickly went to the two outside guards with an air of command. "We need to open these blast doors and see what's going on inside. There's so much radio chatter, I can't tell a damn thing."
"Nice way to get rid of potential enemies. Lure them into an ambush from your allies." Iruka says with a nod, having done the same thing on missions before.
"The Major Domo is who we guard this ship for sir, we can't leave our posts unless he says so." Said the older of the two guards.
'So that's whose payroll they're on.' Reefler thought. Reefler quietly looked at his communicator and prayed Ivy would signal him soon. He feared for her life. They heavy-set man paced back and forth as if he was wondering what to do. His communicator blinked twice. Ivy was waiting, ready to through the four guards and the doors. "Fine, I will go in and look for this scum myself. You two open the door and I'll go in alone." He said with determination in his voice.
"People can be bribed unless they have unwavering loyalty to their masters/employers." Jiraiya says with a smug look. The others just ignore him.
The younger guard asked, "Are you sure Mr. Reefler?"
"I'm sure, Teeto treated me well over the years so putting these dogs down is the least I can do." He said.
"Alright; good luck Mr. Reefler." The guards' plans were to wait for the Major Domo and get out. There was no way the Piantas would let them live if they stayed on Delfino. Teeto was the only thing keeping them in check. Now that the Piantas were loose, it was only a matter of time before they stormed the castle.
"That's how most slaves act when the one keeping them in slavery is killed." Tsunade says with a small frown.
Inside, Ivy waited for her lover to open the doors. They had many relationship problems through the years but she swore to herself that if they got out of this alive, the two of them would find someplace safe together and settle down. The blast door started to open and Ivy held her breath. She saw Tenten, still covered in gore, throw her last needle faster than the eye could follow. The right guard was fatally pierced through the throat before he could react. The other man was shocked as his friend hit the floor.
"They don't call me the Weapons Mistress of Konoha for nothing!" Tenten said with pride in her voice. Temari just snickered, remembering their (Temari's and Tenten's) Chuunin Exams Prelims match.
The door was halfway open by now. Sakura used her good arm with chakra enhanced strength and hit the floor, knocking the remaining three standing guards off balance. Reefler jumped back when he saw the first guard go down, bleeding and avoided the shockwave. He took his two shots. The guards on his side of the still opening door were dead.
"Always have to cause earthquakes, don't you hime?" Jiraiya asked Tsunade, who just smirked in return.
Ivy ran towards the door, only to be tackled by Tenten as the remaining two guards (one dying) fired their blasters at her. Reefler shot the dying one in the back of the head as Lee crushed the other one with a Dynamic Entry (Dainamikku Entorī). All was silent for a moment and Ivy hugged Reefler. She looked at the blood-soaked ninja and wondered what they had gone through to make them this way. They were just children! The semi-recovered Temari saw the Major Domo and his entourage coming. She unleashed a gust of wind that knocked the Major Domo and his followers back before they could open fire. The ninjas hustled out through the blast doors as Reefler closed the doors behind them.
It was time to get the hell out of dodge.
"That's the end of the chapter. Who wants to read next?" Sasori says while holding up the book. "We aren't children!" Most of the younger ninja shout in outrage.
Hope you all like this. Again, I'm VERY DISAPPOINTED that NOBODY even guessed about bringing Sasori in! Hope you all like the Pinky and the Brain, Street Fighter (I think) and Mortal Kombat references. Also, XXX777 has a Naruto/Invincible crossover challenge, so be sure to p.m. them if you're interested.
Sheffinator out! =(