People talking. "Interesting."
People thinking. "I think I'll kill you."
Nonhuman talking. "You don't deserve that power."
Nonhuman thinking. "Stopping him is paramount."
Jutsus / unknown names. "Mokuton Hijutsu Jukai Koutan!"
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, Masashi Kishimoto does.
If you guys thought that Naruto was a Gary-Stu, and if you liked that, this chapter would disappoint you. If you don't want to get disappointed; don't read it.
Chapter 37
Konoha's Hospital – Minutes before
The enemy troops were currently attacking the only one place that should be considered a neutral zone. They were seeking to kill the wounded people and especially the doctors, to decrease Konoha's effectiveness.
That obviously wouldn't be a simple task since Konoha's elite was powerfully protecting the place. Specifically, the Hyūgas of the Main Family who had followed Hiashi; the leader had separated from the group.
Several Chunin and Jounin, who had come to give the doctors time to evacuate the building, were there too.
In one of the rooms, lying on the bed and ignorant of what was happening, a thoughtful Lee was resting. He was reflecting on the result of his battle against Naruto, and in particular on the talk they had and what the Uzumaki had done at the end.
"I wonder, could I have become like Naruto-kun if I continued with my ideas of revenge? What would have happened if I defeated him?" he thought as he tried to imagine that scenario.
However, he quickly shook his head. "No, I must not think about that. Naruto-kun was honest with me. I didn't think much about his condition, but even so, he killed so many innocent people, and that technique," he thought on the Bijudama as he tried to close his right fist. But in addition to his torn muscles, his fists, and his hips were broken, the latter due to the fall after he used the Morning Peacock.
"Naruto-kun is someone amazing, if he had fought with his maximum power from the beginning, I wouldn't have had any chance of winning," he thought with a smile, excited because he had found such a powerful rival, and that only drove him to continue improving.
Then he got serious. "I must find a different training method; I must improve my Taijutsu and learn more. I doubt that Naruto-kun will only use his Taijutsu the next time we fight; I'm sure that he'll use his best techniques from the beginning. I must specialize myself in something else. But in what?" he thought with frustration, after all, he lacked skills like Ninjutsu and Genjutsu.
He sighed and closed his eyes to sleep but opened them again because the door suddenly opened.
He rose from his bed slightly, just to see a Suna Shinobi coming toward him with a kunai, "Damn it!" Lee thought, gritting his teeth because he had felt a pulse all over his body after trying to move.
The Shinobi stood in front of him and raised his hands before lowering them quickly. The Konoha Genin covered himself as he could, but before the ninja could fulfill his mission, a Chakra blade had pierced his skull.
Lee, who had covered his eyes, slowly opened them. He saw Asuma at the entrance, leaning up against the wall and smoking a cigarette. "It seems that you didn't notice what's going on here, huh?" he asked as he took a drag on his cigarette.
"Asuma-san!" Lee exclaimed, trying to get up but groaned in pain.
"I see, Naruto left you in that state." He almost spat after saying that name, and Lee believed that the reason was due to the gesture that the Uzumaki did when entering the combat arena. And though Lee could be somewhat clumsy, he could clearly understand what that gesture meant.
"Naruto-kun is very powerful. He gave me many opportunities to show him my full power, but I couldn't defeat him," Lee replied, trying to get up.
"I'm glad you didn't; I've heard that you tried it with all your strength," Asuma added, taking another drag on his cigarette.
Those words surprised Lee because he thought that Asuma hated Naruto after learning what he had done. "I'm surprised; I thought you'd be disappointed," he said with a smile, but he quickly pulled it away when seeing the expression on his face.
"Don't get me wrong; I'm glad you didn't kill him because I'll do it," he stated, clenching his fists tightly.
It was natural, after all, Kurenai had been the love of his life since he had memory. When things were going so well, Naruto destroyed everything as if it were a Jenga game, where he had carefully moved the pieces to build a tower, until Naruto came to remove a piece just to go and knock them down.
Asuma's face reminded Lee of the expression that he used to look at in his mirror every morning, but he was nobody to interfere with the Sarutobi's wishes. "Well, I'm nobody to say anything. But Naruto-kun is very powerful, so you should think of a plan before challenging him. Also, he'll soon leave the village; everything indicates that he'll become a Missing-nin."
Asuma smiled and spoke while approaching at Lee's bed. "Don't worry; I'm aware of what that bastard did while I was unconscious."
He carefully grabbed him and put his right arm around his neck to help him walk.
"And the fact that he'll become a Rouge Ninja is what excites me. If so, then I won't have to fear retaliation from Hokage-sama," he concluded with a smile.
Lee stared at him, but he thought as they left the room, "Just be careful, Asuma-san..."
They left the building without major problems since the Hyūgas had done an excellent job at ensuring the building was safe. But still, the evacuation was paramount.
Konoha's Forest
Sakura and Shikamaru were hidden among the trees, waiting for the arrival of the Sound Ninjas, who had been following them since the moment they left the village.
Before hiding, the Nara had made sure to leave several footsteps marks on the ground before explaining the Haruno his plan.
They patiently waited, and when they saw the group of ninjas stopping in front of the footprints, Sakura glanced at Shikamaru before nodding.
The Nara saw her jumping down and landing just behind those Shinobis. "How troublesome, I hope this works. No, I hope that Sakura isn't the same person as back then, or else, I'll have to work harder." He meant the Sakura who had lost against Karui in the preliminaries.
He looked at her while doing the typical stance to use his Shadow Possession Jutsu, ready to stop the hidden ninja. Sakura had said that she had a way of getting him out of his hiding spot, so he could only trust her, and if she did it well, then the group would no longer be a problem; although he asked himself what she had in mind.
Sakura landed, and the group of Ninja instantly turned around. "I-I hope this works..." She looked at the Shinobi group, who glanced at her with some derision when seeing that it was just a 'brat.'
"Well, well, well. You have some nerve to appear before us just like that, brat," said one of the ninjas stepping forward.
"Uhm, it wasn't that," she replied
"Stupidity?" asked another one, raising his Kunai and slowly approaching toward her.
Although that had intimidated her, Sakura hid her nervousness smoothly—she had been practicing with Anko, after all.
"Calm down, cowboy. I didn't come to fight," she continued with a serious expression that didn't give rise to lies.
Intrigued, his teammates stopped him, and this time, someone else spoke, "So, what do you want, brat? You better have something useful or we'll kill you."
The Haruno snorted and spoke before the Shinobi could show his annoyance, "Chill out. I've already said that I didn't come to fight, but to share an interesting information."
Several of them raised their eyebrows, and one of them spoke, "Hurry up; we don't have time."
"If you shut your fucking mouth I'd able to continue," Sakura interrupted, which angered that Shinobi while it made the rest of them laugh. Not for what she had told him, but because they believed that their partner didn't impose anything on a girl like Sakura for her to speak like that to him. But they had stopped the man so that he didn't attack Sakura, simply because of the morbid curiosity of hearing that information.
Shikamaru couldn't hear very well, and he didn't know what she was doing as it seemed that she came up with another plan. What he could see was the very familiar stance and expression that Sakura had adopted. "Is she imitating Naruto? Why?" The Nara thought confused but continued watching in silence.
Sakura chuckled and continued, "My 'partner' is hiding in that tree, willing to set a trap for you and then kill you all." She pointed at Shikamaru, who became frightened when seeing that all the Sound Shinobi turned to look at his place.
"Oi, Oi, Oi. Don't you think you're going too far?" Shikamaru thought lazily. Even though he was annoyed because Sakura had revealed his location, expressing it was too 'troublesome' for him.
The group leader stepped forward and asked, "Did you think that we would fall into a booby trap like that? You just want us to let our guard down. Besides that, we could tell that you're the only one in this place, and you left your hiding spot because we cornered you." With that said, he waved, and the man hidden among the trees joined the group.
"Now that we are reunited, 'we'll play' a little bit with you before killing you," he stated, smiling lasciviously while the other ones licked their lips.
The Haruno instantly changed her expression to one of real hatred but said nothing and continued watching.
The Shinobi prepared themselves to pounce on her, but they found out that they couldn't move a single muscle. "What the hell?" they asked while trying to move.
They heard a lazy voice saying behind them. "Well, for a moment I thought you had gone mad."
The Haruno sighed as the Nara scratched his head; all the shinobis imitated him, which made them growl.
"Anyway, why did you imitate Naruto?" He asked, seeing Sakura approaching him.
"So you could tell?" She asked, standing before him and changing the place of his Kunai holster to his left leg.
"I don't know anyone else who makes those gestures," Shikamaru replied, taking his right hand in the place where moments ago his Kunai holster had been, doing movements as if he were opening it and pulling a Kunai out.
The Shinobi did it for real because everyone had their Kunai holsters on their right legs. They cursed as they knew what was about to happen.
The Haruno smiled and continued, "Well, I thought if I mimicked him, then they wouldn't believe any of my words. Did you ever believe in Naruto-kun's words? That's it."
Shikamaru noticed the affectionate nickname at the end of Naruto's name, which made him mentally sigh. However, he decided not touch that subject because it would have been troublesome.
Regardless, he quickly moved his fist to his throat, and the shinobi had pierced their throats and died after a few seconds.
The Nara canceled his jutsu and thanked Haku for having defeated him so quickly; for that reason, he was now brimming with energy.
After that, Shikamaru poked a finger in his ear to clean it as he asked, "It was an excellent idea. However, I think that my plan would have been less troublesome. Besides, I've heard that you were training with Naruto's crazy Sensei. So I figured that you'd use something that you had learned."
The Haruno scratched her head while smiling. "Well, I haven't improved so much as to face so many Ninjas at once. I decided to use my head instead of my fists."
Shikamaru shrugged and turned around. "Okay, I think we should join the others. Maybe we could help them against that madman." He meant Gaara.
"All right," Sakura answered, and just as they were about to jump, they felt what everyone had felt, the same unpleasant and nauseous feeling that almost made them puke.
When they managed to resist the gagging, both looked at each other in shock, asking themselves what that was. "Damn, we better find Menma and the others to ask them if they know what's going on," the lazy boy stated.
Sakura, who had both hands over her mouth, just nodded. Both were ready to take the direction that Menma and Hinata took, but before they could go far, both heard a voice coming from their right side.
"Guys!" They quickly turned and saw Menma, Hinata, and Sasuke; they all stopped at one of the branches.
"It's you; we're about to follow you," Shikamaru spoke, getting closer and seeing Menma shaking his head.
"No, we've already dealt that problem. We're now returning to the village," the Namikaze added, watching the Nara raising an eyebrow.
"Did you already defeat the madman? Well, it seems that everyone but me is getting stronger. *Yawn*," Shikamaru expressed, but he didn't care. He had his way of dealing with problems.
Menma smiled and replied, "Well, we worked as a team, and we managed to stop him. Anyhow, I must return to the village and help my Nii-san."
The Nara and the Haruno instantly raised their eyebrows, and the latter asked while stepping forward, "What about Naruto-kun?"
"That's what we're going to find out. The sensation of a few minutes ago was him, so we're going to investigate. Follow us."
Without waiting for a reply, Menma, and the others continued jumping toward the village.
Shikamaru sighed and looked at Sakura to ask what she would do, but he didn't get the chance because the Haruno had followed the others almost instantly.
Therefore, the Nara could only sigh one last time after saying his catchphrase, jumping behind them.
Kage's Box Roof
Confusion, bewilderment, surprise, disbelief were a few of the feelings among those present after Orochimaru had ripped his face to reveal his true appearance.
Hiruzen, unable to contain his shock, asked him who he was.
The pale man, with an entirely different voice than usual, replied that it was he, increasing Hiruzen's shock.
The old Hokage concluded that the Sannin had completed the forbidden technique that he had revealed before fleeing from the village.
Orochimaru laughed and was about to talk about 'her' technique, but a loud shout of Naruto, which easily overshadowed 'her' giggles, stopped 'her.'
"Aaah!" the Uzumaki yelled while standing up and pointing his fingers at Orochimaru; everyone raised an eyebrow.
"So that was why!" the Jinchūriki continued.
Not understanding what he meant, Orochimaru, with 'her' new voice, asked him about it.
"That was the reason I couldn't tell if you were a man or a woman in the Forest of Death. Damn, you're a sick bastard," he finished, shaking his head.
The Sannin just chuckled and dismissed his words. Then he looked at the revived Hokage, who were beside him. He gave them a signal, and the Shodaime instantly kneel down to use his Jukai Koutan.
The Sandaime grabbed his Adamantine Staff and created a cage to protect himself from attack.
When it stopped, Hiruzen, visibly tired, turned Enma back into a staff and stood into a combat stance. "Orochimaru, your twisted goals have led you to make something disgusting. I'll amend my old mistake, and I'll kill you here and now!"
The Sannin instantly put a sneer on his face. "It's too late, senile old man!" Orochimaru exclaimed, and the two revived Hokage ran toward Hiruzen, who quickly crossed his fingers and shouted, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," creating two shadow clones.
The Uzumaki gritted his teeth with concern and couldn't help saying, "Oto-sama, why did you use the Shadow Clones? That will just reduce your Chakra."
Confused, Tayuya looked at Naruto due to the way he had called the Sandaime. When she was about to ask why he did that, she saw a rare and very dark mouse under Naruto's feet.
"What is that thing?" Tayuya asked, pointing under his feet, and he looked down.
"That's an ink mouse. Sai? What does he want?" the Jinchūriki thought, just to see the mouse forming a message.
"Danzō-sama has captured Karin-san. Hurry up, Naruto-sama." He read.
Her answer was an absolute silence, an uncomfortable and heavy silence. A silence that did nothing more than give her a terrible feeling.
Naruto OST - Blind Animal
The trance wouldn't last forever, and Naruto had made the first movement while a white mist flowed from the sole of his feet and ascended until completely covering him.
Hard breathing; clenched fists and gritted teeth; veins that popped out all over his body, those were just a few of the changes that Naruto was suffering while the four 'commas' of his Cursed Mark spun at a furious speed.
"Danzō...," they heard him muttering, still with his head down while the white mist slowly began to spin around him, becoming darker by each passing second.
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Danzō!" Orochimaru mentally exclaimed, thanking him for whatever he had done, licking his lips as he watched Naruto's silhouette surrounded by that black Chakra that continued sprouting up from his body.
Tayuya, with eyes wide open, thought while looking at Naruto covered by the black Chakra that seemed to be lighting up like a flame and that completely hid him. "Shithead? Are you the person whom Orochimaru-sama has spoken so much about? I thought it was the Uchiha." There was a lot of concern in her words as she felt the anger that wouldn't stop increasing. She was concerned about what could happen to him, not about what was going on right now.
The pillar of dark energy descended and concentrated around Naruto, slowly decreasing its intensity and revealing his changes.
If the revelation of Orochimaru's new body impressed those present, Naruto's transformation stunned them.
His hair, teeth, and nails had grown considerably; he had even grown a few centimeters.
The Sannin was surprised because he was sure that the only marks appeared around the user's body on the first level. However, it was a unique Cursed Mark that had literally cost him a fraction of his soul. But that was a matter for another time.
The Sound Four also wondered the same thing, so they looked at the pale man, but they only got a smile in response.
Meanwhile, Kurama could only swear. However, the cursed mark wasn't absorbing his Chakra this time, for some strange reason.
It seemed that it had reacted to Naruto's anger, or he had managed to contain whatever that it was absorbing his Chakra. The Biju couldn't be sure; he merely observed his Jinchūriki. He wouldn't tell him to calm down because it seemed that there was no impending danger.
And Naruto, just a split of a second after he had looked up, glanced toward the place where he felt Karin's Chakra and headed there at breakneck speed.
Former and reformed Root base - Seconds later
Confusion and fear were some of the mixed feelings when an enraged Naruto shattered the roof that led to the underground base level.
Amid the confusion, the Uzumaki killed the disorganized Root members with his powerful and sharp claws; they could do nothing to stop the frenzied Jinchūriki.
"DANZŌOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto's angry voice echoed in every corner of the base.
Meanwhile, at the lowest level, Danzō was quietly drinking tea until he heard the scream. In the same way, he lowered his cup and looked at Karin, who instantly turned at that voice.
"It seems that our most important guest has arrived. Young Uzumaki, shall we do the honors?" Danzō spoke with great tranquility, looking at the red-haired girl.
"You're a…!" Karin tried to exclaim, only to be silenced by the hand of Sai, who quickly stood behind her.
The Uzumaki glared at him, and Danzō nodded. Subsequently, the leader looked sideways and beckoned Sai to approach Karin. "Fū, Torune. You know what to do if Oni gets aggressive," he spoke as he watched the artist approaching and putting a chair beside him to sit Karin there.
"Hai, Danzō-sama," they answered.
Then everyone patiently waited, hearing the desperate screams of the Root members, who were trying to flee from their former companion; Naruto's yells; the sound of bodies falling to the floor, among several other sounds that just made Danzō think that Oni was too hasty.
By each passing second, the intensity of the screams increased, but the number of them decreased significantly, with Naruto's shouts being the ones that were highlighted the most.
A few seconds later, the shouting stopped, and the room's door flew a few meters forward before falling to the floor.
The vision shocked them. As a Naruto—covered in blood, plus an angry glare that seemed to be able to kill with just a gaze—was standing at the entrance and breathing hard.
"Danzō…, you've crossed the line," the Jinchūriki slowly indicated due to his agitated state.
The Root leader didn't answer; he just looked at the red eyes of Naruto, who growled and quickly ran toward him. Danzō had already guessed this, so he quickly grabbed Karin, put her to his height, and placed a Kunai against her neck as he covered her mouth with his other hand.
Naruto stopped halfway and exclaimed, "Let her go! You're just making things worse!"
The Shimura dismissed his petition and spoke in a monotone tone, "Oni-kun, calm down so we can talk like civilized people and reach an agreement that can benefit us both."
"Go fuck yourself!" the Uzumaki answered, only to open his eyes with concern when Danzō caused a slight cut on Karin's neck. The red-haired girl was about to shed tears; she felt like a fool for doing something like this. She never thought that Naruto would react in such a way, let alone have that expression after Danzō cut her neck.
The Jinchūriki was even angrier but was having a great internal struggle about what he should do next.
The Shimura smiled slightly and continued, "Tell me, Oni-kun. What was your self-imposed rule on your missions?"
Naruto bared his teeth but didn't answer.
"I think it was something like: 'It doesn't matter who they are, they will die if they are an obstruction in the parameters of my mission' ... Is this girl doing that, Oni-kun?" he asked, now looking at Karin.
The Jinchūriki growled, "No, she's my mission, and you're the one who is an obstruction in the parameters of my mission. So let her go or face the consequences," he spoke somewhat quieter, but his transformation was still visible.
"Okay, but first calm down so we can discuss the reason that I drew your attention in this way," Danzō added.
Naruto knelt down and hit the floor with both fists while shouting 'dammit.' Danzō assumed he was venting.
The Uzumaki girl, meanwhile, couldn't hold the first tears that ran down her cheeks. The Uzumaki man noticed it and stopped while his features returned to normal.
The girl's eyes followed him, watching him standing up with closed eyes. "Karin-chan..." She heard Naruto's voice in her head, which surprised her.
"Don't worry. This will end soon," Naruto finished and deactivated his Rinnegan, opening his eyes to look into hers. Then he looked at Danzō, who motioned for him to sit beside him.
With a sigh, Naruto sat down and put his hands on the table, severely looking at Danzō. "Okay, what do you want?" he asked calmly and annoyed at the same time.
"First of all, take this," the Shimura spoke as he pulled a cloth out of his tunic to hand it over to Naruto, who received it and slowly wiped the blood from his body.
The Root leader continued, "I can see that you had some fun while making your way up here. And since you're covered in blood, I can only guess that you've used your Taijutsu with your Kenjutsu. Am I right?"
At that point, Naruto had taken off his shirt and had thrown it to the floor; he said nothing but gave a slight nod as he continued cleaning up his body.
The Shimura didn't let his hostage go, as he was sure that Naruto would attack him at the moment he released her. Therefore, he concluded that it would be best to stick to her to avoid an unnecessary conflict.
"Do you remember what I told you, Oni? I had told you not to use it with your fellow Root companions," Danzō said, remembering the day when Naruto had left several Root members unconscious.
The Jinchūriki snorted and replied as he put the cloth on the table, "Let's say it was a message from me telling you that I no longer see myself as a Root member. By the way, I just have to kill the two idiots behind you, and then none of your puppets will be alive."
He felt the presences of Torune and Fū, and they continued there despite being discovered. Fū knew that Naruto would do it, after all, he was aware that both Uzumaki were of the sensorial type just like him.
"Ah, that's not a problem. In a few months, I will recover all the soldiers that I have lost, and much more," Danzō replied.
"You'll first need to leave this place alive. You and I know that if you don't give me a rational explanation for what you did, I'll continue shedding more blood. And if you ever hurt her again, you'll wish you were never born," the Jinchūriki continued with his elbows on the table, hands in front of his nose and frowning as he looked at Danzō's eyes.
The leader smiled slightly and added, "Don't worry, Oni-kun. I'll 'explain' everything to you in a moment..."
The Shimura was like an open book, and Naruto knew it very well. But even though the Uzumaki could sense his evil intentions, he didn't think Danzo could do much because if he tried something foolish again, the Jinchūriki wouldn't hesitate to attack him.
Now he was calmer because Sai was holding Karin, and with a signal, the artist would let her go, and he'd finish Danzō off while he was distracted.
The Shimura stood up and headed to a shelf on his right side. Once there, he opened it, grabbed a small bottle of Sake and brought two small glasses.
He sat back and poured the liquid into both glasses. He was the first one to drink since Naruto had raised an eyebrow, assuming that it had some drug. However, he decided to accompany him when seeing him drinking.
Both drank in silence, under the watchful gaze of those present. No one spoke a word since it looked like both were sharing drinks as if they were friends who were meeting after a long time. The pressure and tension were heavy, so much that they sweated slightly.
"Kurama...," Naruto mentally said.
"Whenever you say it," the Biju added, ready to release as much Chakra as he could.
Danzō was also willing to put an end to all the humiliations he had endured thanks to Naruto; the moment he desired the most was just a few glasses away.
And just when both were about to take the last drops of the last glass of Sake, both had made their moves. Naruto had surrounded himself with his Chakra cloak and approached his sharp nails to Danzō's face to tear it apart.
The Shimura, on the other hand, had moved his right hand to the bandages on his eye to reveal the Kotoamatsukami, which was glowing brightly.
Torune and Fū had moved to protect their leader, but great was their surprise when seeing their former companion stopping his hands at millimeters from Danzō's face.
After a few seconds, the Uzumaki drew his hand back and sat down in his chair under the watchful gaze of the others, and under Danzō's small grin.
"How do you feel, Oni-kun?" the Shimura asked, looking at his empty eyes.
The Jinchūriki monotonously replied, "In top form, Danzō-sama."
The leader nodded in satisfaction, got up from his seat before looking at Karin, seeing her shocked expression. He ignored her and motioned for Naruto to stand up.
The Uzumaki did so and followed him with his eyes until he saw him standing before him. Almost as if the Jinchūriki knew what he wanted, Naruto knelt before him, which made Karin and Sai ask themselves what was going on.
The Shimura smiled and motioned for him to get up again. "Who's your master?"
"You, Danzō-sama," he answered like any other Root member; there wasn't even the slightest hint of irony in his words as he did it on the occasions when the Shimura had asked him the same question when he was younger.
Danzō's smile had widened, so he nodded in amusement. When he set out to ask another question, the Root leader could hear Karin's hoarse voice asking, "What did you do, decrepit old man?"
The Shimura turned and saw the girl's angry expression. The pale boy had released her because he didn't know what to do since everything indicated that Danzō was manipulating his 'master.'
"Nothing," he lied, not because he cared about what Karin could have known, simply because he had no desire to explain it. The only one thing that he now wanted was that Naruto assassinated the Yondaime so he could take control of the village, and finally, control of the whole world with the help of Naruto and the Apple, to ensure Konoha's safety forever.
When remembering the latter, he looked back and asked, "Oni-kun, what did you find in Uzushiogakure?"
He didn't doubt what Sai had told him when they returned from that mission; he was just curious to knowing what had happened to make him end up in a coma after his visit.
The Jinchūriki put his fingers on his chin, trying to remember. "I… I found something, but I can't remember what," he honestly answered.
Danzō raised an eyebrow and pronounced, "Fū."
The newly appointed showed up, kneeling before his leader. "Investigate," he continued, giving him the order to access into Naruto's mind.
"Hai, Danzō-sama," he answered as he slowly approached Naruto, who ducked his head slightly.
However, before he could make contact, Fū jumped back because he had detected a hostile action, which allowed him to dodge a Kunai that went toward his hands.
They turned their heads toward the aggressor, and with raised eyebrows, Danzō asked, "Sai… What does this mean?"
Sai lowered his hands and answered, "I can't allow that. He has many secrets that he doesn't want to share." He grabbed his Tantō and stood in a combat stance.
Fū and Torune did it too, but Danzō motioned for them not to move. He stepped forward and stood in front of Sai, giving a stern look that didn't disturb the artist.
The Shimura stepped back again. "Strange, why is my Cursed Mark not working with you? Did Oni-kun do something?" He asked in vain because the pale boy didn't even blink.
Therefore, he turned his head to Naruto. "Oni-kun?"
The Uzumaki made the same gesture as before, saying that he didn't remember, which confused Danzō. Did his Kotoamatsukami fail? Or did Naruto do something to avoid being completely controlled?
But the Shimura dismissed his concerns; he could solve that when he had more time. The only one thing that he cared about now was that Naruto was effectively under his control. The rest were trifles, and with a little more of time, he would be able to solve all of his problems.
Consequently, he looked at Naruto and continued before walking toward the exit, "Take care of him."
Before Sai could be able to blink, he felt a twinge in his chest. He looked down and saw Naruto's Ninjato piercing his heart. The Uzumaki kicked him and sent him crashing into the wall.
The bodyguards shook their heads at Sai's foolishness. They couldn't believe that he had been stupid enough as to go against Danzō's wishes, and even worse to follow someone like Naruto. However, there was no way that they could know what had actually happened.
Naruto sheathed his Ninjato and looked at Danzō, who stopped to add, "Now follow me, you have to kill the Yondaime."
The Jinchūriki nodded and tried to walk forward, only to feel a tug on his jacket that made him stop and turn around. When looking down, he saw Karin, who seemed about to break to mourn. However, she put on a stern expression. "Naruto-kun, what's wrong with you? Why are you paying attention to that old man? What did he do to you?"
"Let me go..." It was the whispering answer she received, which only made Karin's concern increase.
Understandably, the red-haired girl didn't release him; she didn't want to let him go. She didn't want him to do something that he might regret later. Although Karin knew that Naruto hated his father, she didn't want that Danzō forced her boyfriend to do something that might cause him problems in the future.
She held him with more strength, "Naruto-kun, listen to me, please. You're not-" Karin stopped halfway. The reason? She felt a twinge that made her spit a lot of blood.
"I told you to let me go," he whispered, pulling his Ninjato out before grabbing her by her throat, raising Karin up to his height.
Breathing hard, the girl set her eyes on her boyfriend, and the expression on his face shattered her heart. She didn't see hatred, there was no pain, there was no guilt; she saw absolutely nothing.
She just saw a puppet without goals or dreams. It wasn't an expression that Naruto would have in such a situation and the fact that he didn't have any reaction after hurting her made Karin feel like that.
Once he had secured the Uzumaki girl in his hands, the Uzumaki man increased the pressure with his fingers and crashed his girlfriend into the ground, breaking it and raising a smokescreen.
The Shimura smiled, now he didn't doubt that Naruto was under his control. Even someone like Danzō knew that Naruto would never do something like that just to have an opportunity to kill him, which he had been giving him for quite some time, but 'Oni' didn't take any of those chances.
The Jinchūriki got up, shook his hands and walked toward the Root leader, who was proudly watching to his greatest jewel.
As he walked in that direction, a semiconscious Karin saw the blurred figure of Naruto getting away, perhaps not to return ever again.
When thinking about the latter, the memories of the forest; when Naruto was mortally wounded for her; the time they spent during the month of rest, came to Karin's mind. "N-No, I-I must not. I-I should be useful too; I-I should be able to help too," she weakly thought, struggling to stay conscious.
"I-I m-must..."
A Week after the Preliminaries
Karin had been walking through one of Konoha's parks since her boyfriend had cited her to talk about a new technique. The Uzumaki girl was interested because she thought she would learn more sealing techniques.
With that in mind, she continued walking until arriving at a wooded area, the place where she found Naruto practicing his Taijutsu.
With a 'hello,' red-haired girl let him know that she had arrived as she stood in front of him. Naruto instantly stopped and sat down cross-legged on the grass, and Karin as well.
"Well? What will you teach me today?" Karin asked.
Naruto moved closer and answered, "To begin with, it has nothing to do with Fuinjutsu. Oh, and I can't tell you how to perform this technique because I can't teach it. It's something that must awaken inside of you by itself."
Karin raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Why?"
"Well, in most cases, those who have knowledge about this technique, are unable of awakening it. Just a select group of people that were bred to awaken it can manage to do it."
"Could you do it?" Karin asked.
Naruto changed his expression to a more serious one. "Yes, but the price to pay was high. Although it was a price that I didn't mind paying; it's a price that I'll always remember."
Karin swallowed and asked with some nervousness, "And what was that price?"
Naruto instantly softened his expression and answered, "Don't worry, Karin-chan. That was something I couldn't avoid; it wasn't under my control. But someday, I'll tell you. Now you just have to know this requirement, and keep it very well in your mind."
The Uzumaki girl nodded, and the Uzumaki man added, "When you feel helpless, unable to help what you care about the most, the power of an Uzumaki will arise in you."
Flashback End
Karin stood up with difficulty, now with a look of determination on her face. "I must stop him!" the Uzumaki mentally exclaimed, feeling an intense flame lighting up inside of her. Its intensity was such that she could feel her blood heating up, giving her the strength and determination that she needed to help the person who had given her happiness again.
Naruto, who was near Danzō, stopped because he felt something that had coiled around his waist. He looked down and could see a bright golden chain.
He turned his head slightly, just to feel a tug that raised him several meters up before bringing him down and crashing him hard into the floor.
Danzō opened his eyes with interest at the sight of that technique but also narrowed them as he thought that Naruto would have been able to dodge it.
Fū and Torune moved to attack Karin, but their boss stopped them with a wave of his hands. "Wait, I want to see what Oni-kun will do. If he doesn't kill her, then I could use her. Those chains would be very useful."
His acolytes stopped and looked at the crater.
"Naruto-kun *gasp*, now it's my turn to return you the favor for everything you've done for me," Karin wearily spoke due to her injuries. For that reason, she moved her arm to her mouth and bit it, sucking her Chakra to heal her wounds. However, she got even tired.
Danzō was interested again, just now he could understand how incredible Karin could be, and the great loss that her death would mean. However, the decision whether she lived or not was at the discretion of Naruto, who still had a chain around his waist.
He tried to remove it with brute force, but the chain was tough, so he stopped and looked into Karin's eyes. "Let me go," he ordered, unsheathing his Ninjato.
Surprisingly, Karin did so, but before Naruto could move to attack, another four chains came out of her back, which headed toward him.
The Uzumaki man moved slowly and clumsily from side to side to try to avoid the fast chains that moved in all directions. He dodged some of them, but others managed to touch him and cause some cuts.
The Uzumaki girl continued with her expression of determination, and she knew it wouldn't be enough since she was running out of Chakra. The only one thing Karin could do was prolong the fight until her boyfriend regained consciousness. She was sure he could; she thought that he needed a few more minutes, and Karin would give her best to endure it.
The Shimura couldn't help squeezing his cane when seeing 'Oni' moving like that. It almost was as if he were someone else; the Jinchūriki had never before moved so stupidly, much less against someone of Karin's level. He was sure that if Naruto had been the same person of a few years ago, Karin would have already died long ago.
Desperate and tired, Danzō was about to order him to fight seriously, but Karin's chains suddenly disappeared, and she fell to her knees due to the exhaustion.
Naruto stopped and slowly approached Karin, putting his Ninjato on the side to finish her off.
He didn't say a word; he didn't show any feeling, Naruto just stood in front of her and raised his Ninjato as high as he could.
Karin, who had followed him with her teary eyes, could only curse herself due to her lack of strength.
She looked one last time into the lifeless eyes of Naruto before closing hers, and the former ANBU took advantage of that gesture to lower his Ninjato.
However, before he could make contact, some black ink snakes had coiled around him, and Sai had appeared in front of Karin, blocking Naruto's Ninjato with his Tantō, stopping it a few centimeters from Karin's face.
She opened her eyes, seeing the pale boy unhurt and making a great effort to stop the advance of Naruto, who didn't bat an eye and continued with his attempt of killing Karin.
"You. But if I saw you..." Karin spoke with confusion; she swore that Naruto had caused him a fatal wound in his chest.
Sai answered, "It was an ink clone. I only did something that Naruto-sama has always done in difficult situations, but I succeeded thanks to Naruto-sama. And you, with the fight that you just had against him, have confirmed my doubts. "
"D-Doubts?" Karin asked, stepping back in case that Sai couldn't continue containing Naruto's advance.
Sai silently thanked that and picked Karin up to jump backward, "Naruto-sama isn't being controlled; he's in an automatic mode."
"Automatic mode?" Karin asked, getting to her feet while watching Sai nodding.
"It's a technique that the ancient ninja clans used to avoid revealing secrets if the enemy captured them. But due to the complexity of this technique, very few people continue practicing it today, and everything indicates that Naruto-sama has managed to master it."
"Interesting, so it was that," Danzō spoke, stepping forward.
"Do you know what Sai is talking about, Danzō-sama?" Torune asked.
The Shimura nodded. "Yes, it's a skill where you control the three levels of the mind. The conscious, unconscious and subconscious."
Then he looked at Naruto, who was willing to keep attacking. "From what I can see, the Naruto that we have here is only using his conscious. I should have known it; the Jinchūrikis have a greater ease to master that ability."
"I see," Fū added, now understanding what they were talking about. However, there was still some confusion in the room, such as Torune and Karin.
"I-I don't understand," Karin spoke.
Fū answered, "The conscious mind is the one with which we carry out our actions. The subconscious mind is the emotional part, and the unconscious mind is where we store our experiences," he paused for a moment, and this time, he looked at his boss. "Danzō-sama, let me fix that. I'll enter into his mind, and I'll break the balance."
The Shimura shook his head. "That would be dangerous. Even though Oni-kun has left his conscious here, in his mind, he'll be complete. Also, Oni-kun has developed some splendid mental barriers. Getting pass through them won't be easy, and you could even die if you meet him there. We'll allow him to leave on his own, and when he does it, we'll take care of him." With a small pause, he looked back at Naruto. "Oni-kun, finish what you've started."
"Hai, Danzō-sama," he answered and lunged at Sai, who pushed Karin aside to have a swordfight with his 'master.'
Meanwhile, unaware of what was happening in the outside world, Naruto was in his memory room, covering it with a barrier to prevent that the Kotoamatsukami of Danzō entered more deeply and ended up completely controlling him.
"How are things going out there? Did I do something stupid?" Naruto asked with closed eyes, not wanting to lose concentration.
"Not at all!" Kurama exclaimed inside his cage because the landscape had lost its shape when the Koto had tried to control his container, and to prevent an unnecessary mental burden, the Uzumaki decided to return everything to its original state.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at his sudden outburst, but he ignored it and continued, "Ugh, this is so annoying. I need to practice this ability more... Anyhow, I'm about to finish. Oh, now that I remember. Couldn't you do anything to prevent Danzō from trying to control me? I thought you could get me out of Genjutsus."
Kurama, who was about to bite his nails, tried to calm down and answered, "Ah, well. The Genjutsu that the old man used was quite powerful. Also, I still have the seal, and I can't release my Chakra freely. I'll be able to do it once you remove your daddy's seal."
"Just a little more, just a little more..." He referred to the wishes of his tenant, and Kurama nodded, though he was increasingly nervous.
After a few more minutes, the Jinchūriki felt that Danzō's technique had vanished. He stood up and undid the barrier.
The landscape regained its previous shape, and Naruto approached the now freed Kurama, who couldn't help glancing sideways to try to find an excuse to make him stay longer.
"I have to go; this time, I'll be ready, and I'll kill that bastard," Naruto stated about to leave.
However, Kurama's yell stopped him, "Wait!"
"What?" Naruto asked almost with half a foot out of his mental landscape.
Kurama looked sideways once more, but since he wouldn't find anything, the Biju said the first thing that came to his mind. "Why don't you stay here? You don't know if you're ready to fight the geezer; he could use that technique again, and he probably discovered what you did to avoid being controlled."
Naruto made an expression as if he were right, although he waved his hand in denial. "Nah, I'll close my eyes. Now I'm leaving." With that said, he faded away, ignoring Kurama's last yell.
"Damn it! This is our end," the Biju nervously thought. He was sure that the little sanity that the Jinchūriki had left would disappear when the Jinchūriki found out what he did, and mainly, what he was doing.
Seconds before that, the pale boy continued his difficult battle against Naruto, who was regaining his fighting skills, to Sai's misfortune.
The artist crouched, jumped, rolled, tried to use his scroll to make some ink Jutsu. But the Jinchūrikis was increasingly precise and didn't give him any chance to counter his attacks. Even his traditional smile had momentarily returned. All that made Sai have significant problems when fighting and Danzō noticed Naruto's erratic behavior.
That made him guess that he was about to recover consciousness, so to weaken his mental state, the Shimura motioned for his two faithful guards to come closer before whispering a few words.
Fū and Torune nodded, and each of them disappeared into a respective Shunshin. Torune appeared behind Karin and held her firmly while Fū made some positions and entered into Sai's mind to control him.
The Uzumaki man stopped and waited for new orders since Danzō stood at his side and looked at the Uzumaki girl, "Oni-kun, finish her off."
He didn't care about Karin anymore; he just wanted Naruto to be emotionally weakened to make Fū's task easier.
The red-haired girl tried to move to avoid it; even though she was afraid of dying, she didn't want Naruto to do it as she noticed that he was about to regain consciousness.
However, she no longer had the energy to keep fighting, and the Uzumaki girl doubted that she could take her chains out because she didn't feel the same determination as before.
The Jinchūrikis took a few steps forward, firmly grabbed the handle of his Ninjato, placed it in a horizontal position and this time; he stabbed Karin right in her heart.
Spitting a lot of blood, she weakly looked into his eyes, and this time, she saw something. At first, there was no reaction, but almost moments later, she saw confusion, lots, and lots of them.
"W-Wha-hat d-does thi-this m-mean?" he stammered as his hands trembled uncontrollably.
The Jinchūriki pulled his hands away from the handle, and Torune released Karin, which made her fall to the floor.
Naruto quickly caught her before she could completely fall. He didn't pull the knife out because it would mean a bigger problem; he wasn't a medical ninja and didn't learn how to use his Chakra cloak to heal others yet.
Danzō gestured Fū to come back and continue with the rest of the plan. The Yamanaka did so, and the pale boy fell to the floor, standing up seconds later.
The Root leader took a few steps toward him to seize the moment. "It's been you, Oni-kun. And you enjoyed every second of it."
The Shimura stood beside him, watching him trying to do something to heal his girlfriend.
Naruto's face instantly changed, his lips and nose had spasms; he bared and gritted his teeth while the veins popped out all over his body. However, he tried to ignore the Shimura while looking for something to heal Karin.
Nevertheless, Danzō's serpentine voice bothered him so much that he felt that something inside him was slowly breaking apart, something that would unleash the darkest part of his being. Something that he was unaware of since he couldn't think of anything else but to shatter the man beside him.
Meanwhile, Torune was holding Sai, and the artist didn't want to make any sudden movement as he was aware of the Aburame's dangerous skills.
He patiently waited for Naruto to create an opportunity to take Karin to safety as he could understand what the wishes of his 'master' were.
The artist looked to his right and saw that Fū was doing hand seals while Danzō said his words, and when the leader finished speaking, the Yamanaka pointed his fingers at Naruto.
His hands limply fell and slightly bowed his head. The Shimura slowly moved his hand to Naruto's shoulder as he said, "Now we just-" But the Root leader stopped there as he felt a great bloodthirstiness coming from Naruto; so much that Danzō thought that he would die if he were to lay a hand on him.
Intimidated, he took a few steps back, just to hear Fū's screams of terror as he heard Naruto's distorted voice saying, "Danzō... Just Kami gives second chances. You've spent your shots." He was still looking at Karin, who had fainted due to the blood loss.
Danzō didn't say a word because he was frightened. The Shimura was so terrified that he stood frozen in his place; he couldn't even turn his head to ask Fū what he saw to be screaming like that.
Sai had a similar reaction, but to a much lesser intensity as Naruto was making a great effort to maintain the little sanity he had left.
"Naruto, I'll help you out; I'll help you to fulfill all your dreams and goals. You just have to accept the deal. Let's become one." Naruto heard a dark and very tempting voice in his mind, a voice that not even Kurama could hear.
The Jinchūriki stood up with closed eyes as he carried his hands to his head, trying to resist those tempting words. "I… must… Not!" He stumbled a few times as he squeezed his head tightly.
Those present observed in surprise the struggle of the young Jinchūriki, who was gradually being 'seduced' by the words of the voice in his mind.
He grunted, shook his head, continue stumbling and getting up; he even whispered a few words in a strange language. Those present observed terrified his strange behavior, and they could feel that a sickening presence began to emerge.
"T-This presence isn't of a human being... What did Orochimaru do?" Danzō thought with gritted teeth while his ever imperturbable expression now reflected his fear.
Whatever Orochimaru had done, it was extremely dangerous. No, it was something he shouldn't have done. The Shimura didn't know what it was, but he knew it was something that could cause a great tragedy. So almost instinctively, he took his left hand on the braces that were on his right arm, shakily removing the locks.
Naruto, with the little strength he had left, turned to Sai and exclaimed with his intermittent voice. "Take her away!"
Sai quickly picked Karin up and disappeared in a Shunshin. The pale boy returned to Naruto's apartment since had arranged to meet with Kitsune there when everything returned to normal. However, things didn't go as planned, now something dark and gloomy threatened to end the reigning peace in the Elementals Nations.
Danzō didn't notice Sai leaving because something else had him busy. Specifically, what to do with Naruto's current state and what would unleash whatever that was coming out of him.
"I must incapacitate him now that he's distracted," Danzō thought, throwing the heavy braces on the floor while doing slow and trembling hand seals.
The instinct that the Uzumaki gave off suddenly disappeared as the Jinchūriki stood completely still, which Danzō took advantage of because his hands stopped shaking.
He stared at Naruto's nape to try to knock him out with his next technique. He inhaled deeply and whispered, "Futon: Shinkūgyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere)." Stretching his lips, he spat multiple wind spheres at Naruto, who just stood still.
However, the attack stopped at centimeters from its target by what seemed to be a black shield of Chakra that became visible.
Naruto raised both hands upward and exclaimed in a strange tongue and with such a sinister laugh that chilled their blood, "Quoniam tempus ultionis (The time has finally come)!" he continued laughing, this time, turning to them.
Danzō, unable to contain his nervousness, took a few steps back when meeting those dark yellow eyes, besides the grim smile which seemed straight out of a horror movie. Fū fled in terror while Torune stood frozen.
The Jinchuri stepped forward while the two of them instinctively stepped back. The Uzumaki tried to move forward to attack, but for some reason, he fell to the floor as he began to writhe and scream in sheer agony.
The Shimura looked at him with confusion, but unlike the previous occasion, he didn't try to take advantage of his state to incapacitate him, but rather he saw it as an opportunity to run away. Surviving was his top priority, and he had been having a foreboding of what was about to happen.
Therefore, he slowly stepped back, not because he didn't want to draw Naruto's attention, but because he couldn't move faster. That was because the sensation had returned, but this time, it increased with every scream that Naruto gave. Meanwhile, the Jinchūriki's body gave off a black fog that slowly filled the room.
Danzō and Torune instinctively backed away since they noticed that the mist melted everything that it touched. They covered their noses because it produced an unbearable stench.
Naruto's screams intensified, and an unpleasant sound that resembled bones breaking accompanied them.
While that happened, the Aburame and the Shimura reached the wall. Luckily, the corrosive mist stopped a few centimeters from them, almost to the point of touching their noses.
They had no time to sigh or breathe; they could only hold their breath, or otherwise they would be done for.
Danzō had techniques capable of dispersing the mist, but he couldn't think of anything else but the terrible and disgusting sensation. It was so disgusting that it turned their stomachs as they fought against the gag reflex.
But it wasn't easy because the sensation did nothing else but increase while the screams and the sound of the bones breaking continued. Torune used his bugs to weaken the wall and break it with a punch in a desperate attempt of stepping back more.
Both instantly left the room, immediately releasing the contents of their stomachs. While they caught their breath, both heard a voice charged with sheer evil that whispered in a strange language, "Ego sum esurientem (I'm hungry)"
They didn't want to turn around, but the curiosity was such that they ended up doing it. The Root members had the same vision as Anko had when both 'lovers' used the Cursed Mark for the first time.
They could see a black mist in which glimpsed dark and bright yellow eyes; eyes filled with bloodlust, hatred, malice, and above all, thirst for revenge.
They could occasionally hear squeals accompanied by a deep and powerful snoring that sent them shivers.
"D-Danzō-sama, w-we must leave," Torune spoke, unable to contain the fear.
The Shimura couldn't agree more, and when both were ready to get out of there, something moved inside the thick fog.
Both looked at each other, slightly moved their knees, and when they were about to jump away, a big, long and viscose hand of black color came out of the fog and headed at Torune, who was unable to dodge the grip due to his state of shock.
He instantly cried out in pain because the hand burned his skin. In an attempt to survive, the Aburame surrounded himself with his parasites, but they died before they could do anything.
Danzō saw the hand dragging Torune into the fog, hearing his piercing screams accompanied by a sound that resembled a hungry animal devouring a piece of meat after spending days without eating.
The shouts of the Aburame continued but decreased for every passing second, until the point where he couldn't hear them anymore, only to that 'animal' that enjoying its 'snack.'
Danzō heard a 'gulp' and the continuous grunts that were now accompanied by a slight but very dark giggle. The Shimura tried to flee but stood frozen when the fog slightly dissipated, revealing the creature that lay there hidden.
It was a horrifying vision, nightmarish; it was something that if Danzō had been able to desire it, it would have been not having seen it.
A humanoid creature that was dark except for its torso; big yellow eyes; a big mouth that stretched from its chin to where its nose should be; twice the number of teeth that were yellow and triangular, which drooled a black viscous substance similar to the one that his skin gave off.
The Shimura stared at it, seeing the creature laughing while licking the blood of the person who had been one of his most loyal soldiers.
He didn't want to make abrupt movements that could alert it since Danzō had no idea what that thing could do.
"Cibum, ego quidem esurit (Food, I'm still hungry)," the creature spoke before looking at Danzō, who instantly turned around and leaped forward to flee.
However, it had already been too late because the hand, which had lengthened several dozens of centimeters, had caught him.
Danzō growled and managed to say a few words as the hand returned to the beast. "O-Oni, y-you can s-stop; y-you wi-" the Shimura tried to end, but the beast tore his head off with its sharp teeth.
The creature continued chewing his skull, but it seemed that it tasted bad because it grunted and threw the headless body aside.
Possessed by the anger, the beast screamed, but not because its last 'food' tasted bad, but because it felt something. Presences that had something that didn't make it feel unique, but there was another reason that the beast couldn't decipher because of its uncontrollable state; presences that should disappear from the face of the earth.
One of them was closer than the other ones, which were all together at a certain point of the village. There was something familiar in the nearest presence; the beast felt that she was someone precious to the person it once had been.
Therefore, the beast grinned and said before dashing toward Anko to assimilate her too. "Pars eris (You will be part of me)!"
Its feet finished developing, and at a frantic rate—with which it created a strong explosion that blew up the Root base—went toward the village to give Anko a 'visit.'
Notes:
There were some surprises in this chapter, as Naruto wounding Karin and the death of Torune. Regarding Danzō, you'll see...
I'll explain in future chapters what Orochimaru meat by giving a fraction of his soul to develop Naruto's Cursed Mark, just wait.
Oh, as you know, this is Naruto's "Berserk Mode." You can also call it "Unstable Berserk Mode."
Why unstable? Because this is not his true form, the 'beast' has to continue 'developing.' It needs to eat human bodies to reach its stability.
Some of you may have noticed that Naruto was speaking in Latin; I don't speak the language, I used Google translator, and I just did it to give it a 'darker' feeling.
Finally, I'm sure that some people will be pissed off because Danzō managed to control Naruto. Well, sorry, it had to be done.
Until the next chapter!