Here we are at the end of what you can arguably say is the first quarter of the story. It's been a very fun and interesting ride, so thanks everyone!
I do not own anything.
Poison Dove & Maelstrom Fox
Chapter 19 - Ending and Beginning Pt.2
For Naruto, Semiramis, and Han, this wasn't the first time they'd found themselves facing opponents larger and stronger than them. Regarding Han, such a thing might have come off as a shocker, but such fighters existed. The enemies now facing him were a testament to such fact. There was always someone bigger than you.
But not necessarily stronger.
Juntoku's roar of unrestrained fear served as the war horn for the others. Even in his new monstrous form, they all still obeyed his every command as if they were normal human beings, normal soldiers following orders. Perhaps one could argue that was part of the "success" in what the radicals had attempted to do - grant immense power that would seemingly cost one their humanity, yet every Vine ninja targeting the trio was retaining theirs. It would have been admirable had the price for such things not come at such a high cost.
All at once, the transformed ninja attacked the trio in a surprisingly coordinated triple attack. Weaponized body parts, weapons, and even blasts of energy all came, roaring at the trio outsiders. It was hard to tell which of them came down faster, but the end result was the same - the complete and total destruction of the ground. Fragments of rock and fire shot upward and outward in a chaotic circle that fanned out. Even the ground on which Juntoku and his compatriots stood on was effected; splintering and breaking beneath them, only their newly gained supernatural fortitude kept them upright. Their eyes, all glowing supernatural orange, peered through the smoke and fire they'd created for the remains of their foes, no matter how minuscule they might have been.
The village leader knew that when they saw nothing, it meant their attack had failed. Noticing the fading wisps steam, he looked upward, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the trail of white propelling a red object further upward. Barking a command to his comrades, those with long-range capabilities directed their fire skyward, letting loose with all that they had. Instead of hitting, their attacks hit some invisible force field. Or partially invisible. As fireballs, air blasts and organic projectiles bounced off, the collection of transformed ninja saw the outlines of a violet-tinged sphere, some sort of barrier. Juntoku's face morphed into a scowl.
Han ignored his urge to give a light-hearted quip about Semiramis' quick-thinking actions. "Earth Style," he breathed out, his entire body tingling with power. "Radial Storm!" The spears formed out of thin air, almost literally. In truth, it was Han's chakra transforming into solid rock, sharpen rock. Each spear stood at a good five-feet, almost two feet shy of his own massive height. If launched at an ordinary human, it'd be a quick and painless death. Against the transformed ninja below, it'd simply hurt. Han planned on making sure his attack hurt a lot. Thrusting his hands out, he launched the gathered earthen spears downward toward the ninja on the ground. Within seconds, they penetrated the armored flesh they'd gained upon transforming. A few of them didn't just cause pain, but instant death due to where they'd struck - the brain or heart.
In retaliation, Juntoku aimed to kill them all in a single swing of his zanbatō. In one leap, he jumped close to fifty feet, easily catching up with the trio and already moving into position to kill them all. Red and orange-colored chakra swirled about his sword which was pulled back then swung in the blink of an eye. Naruto readied himself, knowing the act would likely leaving him sore all over, but he was ready. His senior took it out of his hands by literally rushing forward, steam exploding from his back pushing his chakra-cloaked body toward the village leader. Han's empowered fist and Juntoku's massive sword collided, releasing tendrils of chakra and superheated air blasting in all directions.
Naruto looked ready to intervene, but his attention was drawn by a sharp whistling in his ears. Though not knowing what it was, his body went on alert. A wise move as it gave him just enough time to block as somewhat massive and dark literally rammed him through the air. Semiramis cried out his name, herself having been caught off-guard by the shadowy blur. Reflex led her to shooting one of her chains out; luckily, it managed to latch onto the flying shadow thus carrying her along with it.
Semiramis quickly realized how poorly thought out her plan was. Wind whipped at her face just as her pitch-black hair was battered by the rushing wind, some of the strands getting her in her eyes. In all her memory, she couldn't ever recall being in a situation like this, but it was no time for confusion, or annoyance at the current state of affairs. Gnashing her teeth, she attempted to focus and steady her mind as she prepared to reel herself in to rescue her Master.
SWOOOSH!
This time, she was able to track the blur; Semiramis saw the shadow clearly slice through the chain holding her to the flying beast. She didn't panic as she knew she had a few ways to escape this mess. Granted, her doves would more than likely last no longer than a few seconds against these flying monsters. One of said monsters was coming back around, its bloody-eyes locked on her and its blade-like wings and beak gleaming in the sunlight.
SKEERCH!
"G-Gaaaahhh!" Bellowed the bird-man, feeling the poisoned barbs digging into his armored skin. He couldn't understand how his armored skin could be penetrated. The thoughts were quickly compounded by the aggressive and rough elbow that was driven directly into his back. He faltered, yet managed to remain airborne. Realizing he now had an unwanted passenger, the mutated ninja did several barrel-rolls, diving and rising in a bid to shake off the black-haired woman hanging onto him for dear life.
Semiramis' annoyance was steadily approaching anger, and it showed in her eyes.
Though the bird-man couldn't see it, he could certainly feel it. Screaming in rage, he soared higher, hoping it would be enough.
It wasn't.
"Enough! Cease your struggling, now!" Barked the slit-eyed woman, giving her chains a definitive yank. Purple light traveled up the black iron that composed her weapons. At the ends of them, the hooks embodied in the mutated ninja, the purple light exploded causing violet-tinged veins to spread along the bird-man. His flying came to a halt and his body froze for a split second. Then he began to descend. Semiramis' lips pulled back in a feral snarl as she began to pull herself towards the falling mutated ninja. Again, she sent another pulse of energy through her chains, ending with them being directed straight into the bird-man. Within seconds, he was flailing his body about.
Air was expunged from the man's mouth as a pair of knees slammed into his back and a set of chains looped around his neck. He would have tore at them at he not needed his arms to maintain his flying. "L-L-Let…go!" Spat out the ninja through the constricting chains. "R-R-Release me a-a-a-at once u-unless y-you want to fall to your death!"
"Silence!" Shouted the black-haired Servant, now using her chains of reins. Anu dammit all! I'm an Assassin, not a Rider! This wasn't how I planned on things going, and where in the hell is Naruto?! Frantic, she looked around the sky, noting the several dozens of smoke columns rising into the sky and turning the blue blanket black. Semiramis was tempted to say that things were going a little too well. At the very least, it could be said that the radicals and extremist portion of the country was being pushed back. That made the battle happening below them all the easier as it meant if they slew Juntoku, then victory would be theirs.
Semiramis gazed to her right, finding another bird-man flying about in a wild and eccentric pattern. Seconds later and her pointed ears picked up the sound of her Master, shouting profanities and such while trying to hold onto his "mount". It was hardly an elegant affair, though Semiramis herself wasn't really in much position to complain or judge him. Peering down below, she saw several explosions of fire, steam, and earth. All of them no doubt belonged to Han, who was holding his own from what she could tell. How long though, she couldn't tell, nor did she want to find out. She had a bad feeling about what was coming, something bad.
A semi-firm grip was finally established. Unconventional didn't even begin to cover it, but it was a start. Semiramis yanked on the reins, diverting her bird-man-turned ride into the direction she wanted. Together, they flew towards the struggling Naruto. The closer they got, the more clearly Semiramis could see spurts of blood jetting out from all over the body, and the flailing of her Master's Kitsune-ken. Again, it was about as far removed from elegance or proper training as one could imagine, but Naruto was keeping himself alive, which was all Semiramis could ask for.
Raising her right hand, she flexed her fingers, then brought them down in a predator swipe. Blood and flesh caked her hands as her attack ended, a sizable chunk of her opponent's backside missing. Standing up, she calculated the distance between her and the bird-man Naruto was fighting, then struck out with one of her chains like an improvised grappling hook. It worked as she found herself being pulled towards her target while her "mount" began to fly downward, a trail of blood marking his spiral descent.
"Semiramis!" Proclaimed the blond genin, finding his Servant alongside him. Her presence wasn't as unexpected as one might have believed, he had a feeling that she'd come to his rescue. "I-"
"Am finishing this, now!" Flattening her left hand, she drove it deep into the side of the flailing bird-man beneath them. Her fingers slid through the armor and into the fleshy innards beneath them. From her nails came fatal waves of poison that quickly spread through the ninja's body. "Jump!" Without a word, Naruto followed her command and jumped from his foe alongside her. Less than a second later and a giant dove appeared from out of nowhere, catching them on its backside as the second bird-man began to plummet to the ground, he too leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Semiramis looked at Naruto with a cross expression. "I need not explain to you that this sort of thing is not what I do! It's for grunts such as yourself!"
He laughed at her words, completely blowing off the annoyance she'd clearly spelled out for him. "It is pretty fun though, isn't it? Better than just sitting back on the sidelines and watching!"
"No! I am a queen! A descendent of a goddess, and here I am…I'm…I'm…!"
"Instead of running away from the battle, you still opposing the leader of literal bloodthirst extremists even though he's currently a monstrous plant samurai that made us look like squirts, riding and taming giant man-bird monsters, and fighting to liberate a bunch of innocent people? Sounds kind of like pretty cool things for a queen, don't cha' think?"
She could only stare at him with a mixture of shock and…not much else. Naruto's often blunt and direct manner of speaking to people had been refreshing, but there were times it was…off-setting. More so considering that like her, he was royalty, albeit he didn't know it. If she had to guess though, Han probably knew it as well. Speaking of Han, in their current state, they could give him some air support; though from what she could see, he was holding his own just fine.
While her Master's eyes weren't quite sharp enough to see on the ground, Semiramis' was. She watched in shut-mouthed awe as the armored ninja tanked blows that could have broken apart buildings and returned them with equal, if not more force courtesy of his crimson cloak. There was no denying that it was identical to Naruto's, save for one vital difference - Han was in perfect control of his actions while it was active. How else could he have performed such flawless evasions and counter attacks, all of which seemed too smooth to be possible given his immense size and armor. Even with the chakra cloak, Semiramis noticed steam exploding from the ports in his armor adding even more power to his attacks. The black and gray-armored skin that the Vine ninja had grown was melting if it wasn't cracking beneath the might of his physical blows.
So, this is the power of a Tailed Beast in more capable hands. Thought the Assassin with a growing smile. She kept from looking back at her Master, a jinchūriki himself. Something told her that Naruto was watching Han's battle himself, even if he couldn't see it as clearly as she could. His own inner demon could without a doubt see what was happening, feel it; and he was relaying it all to Naruto. Nine-Tails…if your brother can work so well with his host, should there not be hope for you? You claim your hatred of humanity and that of your kin's runs stronger than we'll ever know, but I wonder how-! Suddenly, her eyes go wide. "Hold on, Naruto!"
The sudden jerk to the left almost threw the blond genin off guard, forcing him to latch onto Semiramis' shoulder to remain standing atop the dove. Quickly and suddenly, a massive thorn came jetting up out of the ground nearly impaling the giant bird. Semiramis and Naruto had little time to catch their breath as something shout out from the thorn, or rather someone.
"Die, outsiders!" Screamed the gray-skinned man, rearing his fist back.
"You first, asshole!" Shouted Naruto impulsively. Deaf to the building scream in Semiramis' mouth, he leaped at the oncoming man, his blades pulled back and swinging in crisscrossing arcs. Blood spewed from a stump of an arm, but not for long. Bone twisted and morphed into plant-like matter which shaped itself into a one-sided blade that was swung at the blond ninja. Naruto brought up his left blade in defense while the right remained lodged into the man's shoulder. His blue eyes flashed with anger as he dragged the latter down, acid burning away the iron-like skin that the ninja possessed. A howl of pain went out as he registered the pain, which paralyzed a majority of his body. His body, but not the cord-like vine that connected his back to the massive throne. Rather than let go, Naruto held tight, allowing himself to be dragged back along with the corpse.
Semiramis would have chastised her Master for his recklessness, but she had other things to worry about - like keeping herself alive. Her dove familiar moved to the sides in desperate attempts to avoid the sudden thrusting of countless spikes and thorns from the ground. It was impressive that she was over a hundred feet up and the attacks were coming unsettlingly close to hitting her. Perhaps too close.
They're being manipulated by someone, but who?! They couldn't possibly be from the central tree?! There's no way one could-! Her eyes gazed upon something far more horrid before the thought could finish forming. The ground broke and groaned as something moved beneath it. Vines, massive, destructive black vines much like the ones that the Vine ninja had manifested from their bodies for combat purposes. What Semiramis saw were super-sized versions of the same moving through the ground. Seconds later and they broke the surface, rising upward like a collection of angry vipers all hissing for blood - her blood. "Well, it seems this really is going to be a trying exercise for me. How…interesting." Seethed the Assassin, watching a set of six massive stalks grotesquely shape into gigantic hands. They would crush her dove familiar in a heartbeat if they got a hold of it, which they likely would. As for her, Semiramis was stronger than the average human, but her durability couldn't top anything more than C at best. Each plant-fist cast a humongous shadow over her.
The first fist came at her and her dove with shocking speed. A single flap lifted them further up, sparing them a crushing grip, but it was in vain.
Though she didn't want to, Semiramis jumped from the safety of her dove just in time to avoid the fast-moving spike that impaled it. From the side, she watched a set of number of vines spread out across her struggling familiar, consuming it as the poor creature gave its final death cries. It was impressive and sickening to watch. But it was only the beginning.
Looking around, Semiramis noticed that rather than her, the fists with striking at the village, or more accurately the resistance which had been gaining ground throughout the battle. All that was about to change, and perhaps in the worst possible way. Semiramis cursed as her ears picked up the panicked and fearful shouts of her allies, the same people she'd agreed to help. Something inside her ached.
"Instead of running away from the battle, you still opposing the leader of literal bloodthirst extremists even though he's currently a monstrous plant samurai that made us look like squirts, riding and taming giant man-bird monsters, and fighting to liberate a bunch of innocent people? Sounds kind of like pretty cool things for a queen, don't cha' think?"
An idea formed in her head, one that ordinarily she never would have considered using, but times were grave, and Semiramis could say she was motivated. A magic seal appeared beneath her feet as she used it as a temporary foothold. Before her, the massive iron-wooden hand turned to her, the fingers flexing as if they were alive and they were a set of eyes peering through them. Spikes burst from the surface of the palm all the way up to the fingertips. Semiramis grimaced; of course, things couldn't be easy, they never could be.
The Assyrian Servant might as well have been an ant standing against a lion, such was the size comparison and apparent strength comparison between the woman and the wooden palm. Semiramis clapped her hands together, her mind quieted and concentration having take an iron hold of her mind. It was all needed as she was invoking the true depths of her power for the first time since arriving in this world of ninja. An aura of gold and violet manifested around her like a cloud of toxic air. Her teeth gnashed against each other as her silted eyes flashed golden, her gaze directed at the approaching giant hand.
"Tear through this abominable thing…and feast upon the flesh of whoever controls it, my dear Bašmu!"
At once, the air grew cold and hot at the same time, then it seemingly exploded. Waves of dread descended upon the Hidden Vine Village as anyone and everyone from the shinobi at war with their brethren to the civilians waiting for the battle's end felt it - death. A declaration of death and despair from a power beyond their comprehension.
Luckily for them, that power had been unleashed in the name of defending the innocent and punishing the wicked.
Screeching in fury, green-scaled, four-eyed Divine Beast tore into the gigantic hand that had been coming at Semiramis. Pillars of steam and smoke burst from the point of contact between the two powers. If possible, the hand was screaming in pure agony. It had every right as the hand was experiencing a rare kind of pain - the pain that came with angering a royal who carried the blood of a god. Semiramis glared daggers at the now burning hand, her own hands moving in practiced motions. In her mind's eye, she pictured the roots that had buried their way below the ground, away from watching eyes. Lips pulled back, she forced her beloved "pet" to grow and go deeper. Truthfully, Semiramis had never tried something like this, but there had to be a first time for everything. Besides, if she were to survive in this world of ninja, then she was going to have to start using the unorthodox tactics of her Master herself.
Eyes flashing, the Bašmu gave a quick hiss before focusing its entire liquid-like body into a single point.
"GO!" Shouted Semiramis in a voice that rolled through the smoke-filled skies like thunder. Following a quick moment, the Phantasmal Beast complied with its summoner request, its existence maintained by the energy she was providing, which itself was being fueled by another. Naruto, hold out for me! If you want to save this village, then give me-!
Somehow, the blond ninja heard her, and answered her request in earnest. Power suddenly surged up from some unknown void within her; without any forethought she funneled it into her summoned beast, hoping that the power surge would be enough. Seconds later and it proved to be more than enough, the Divine Beast transformed into a thin mass of dark green and black liquid that squeezed through the giant hand, burning its way through the wooden structure and flowing down it.
Semiramis could practically sense her beast moving through the vines and roots. Shutting her eyes, she focused in order to split the Bašmu's body, a single gallon breaking off from the main mass to go its own way. The acidic burn that one small mass such as that produced was more than enough to halt the giant rampaging thorns and vines in their path. At least long enough for her allies to get away, if not give them a chance to outright destroy them. The stocks that the main body moved through certainly withered and died. What Semiramis wanted though was the one controlling the stocks as the movements of each of them were far too precise and coordinated to be at random.
Her suspicions were proven right almost a full minute after she'd sent the Bašmu through the stock. At the end of the line, instead of one, there were four humans waiting on the other end. Their screams lasted little more than a couple of seconds at best. Semiramis was a tad disappointed, but satisfied nonetheless. Their deaths had ceased the giant attacks and turned the tide of the battle again, this time in favor of her and her allies. A thin smile graced her lips as she allowed her mind to return to its normal functions; in doing so she realized that she was still free-flowing towards the ground. It didn't concern her as she could tank the impact. There was nothing to-
"You…enjoy infuriating me, do you not?" Came a gravely male voice that Semiramis recognized. She cursed.
THUNK!
The Assassin felt blood pouring down the side of her face as she rose from the rumble, an impact crater around her. Falling to the broken earth were green fish scales, her scales; her last line of defense in case one made it past her attacks and other precautions. Semiramis blamed herself, joy at her plan's success and pleasant surprise had caused her to let her guard down and Juntoku had chosen that moment to strike. She would have done exactly the same, but she was still going to kill him in the most painful way possible; Semiramis knew she had the power to do so. The problem was that Juntoku had power as well, and he was using every last ounce of it to kill her. Out of the corner of her eye and at the edge of her hearing came his sword, a massive single-edged blade glowed with empowered chakra as it rose and fell upon her.
Rather than her, it crushed the ground, already having taken a pounding from her crashing impact. Semiramis leaned to the side to avoid the proceeding blast of air that was released from his sword. Then, she jumped to avoid the follow-up attack. After that, Juntoku came right at her, fully intent on cutting her down. Grunting, she summoned a wall of chains to defend her.
It held, but only for a moment. "Your body armor, your sword, they're all mighty thick to not be melted down on contact with my acid!" Snarled the Servant.
"I believe we established that earlier! You cannot defeat me, woman! I will remove your head from your neck, then your body will become fertilizer for my village!" Thundered the sword-wielding ninja, bringing more force against the black-haired woman, enough that the exhaust openings on his back flared up turning his sword into a sledge hammer, one that was fully capable of flattening Semiramis like a pancake.
Luckily, someone else had other ideas.
"Like hell you will, you overgrown houseplant!"
Juntoku's eyes flashed and his body moved at superhuman speeds. He barely reacted to the literal hundreds of clones that exploded from the ground around them, all of them brandishing their poisoned blades with purpose. Ordinarily, their target would have been terrorized, and rightfully so, but this time the target possessed an iron-backbone. Figuratively and literally. And had the power to deal with the shadow clones.
SWOOSH!
One slash traveling in a giant arc, it looked like little more than a massive orange blur. A number of smoky explosions trailed the zanbatō as it flew outward. In a flash, where once there were hundreds of shadow clones, now there were none. Juntoku turned his attention toward the original, who'd taken up a defensive position beside his Servant. "Your turn, brat."
Naruto grinned at him. "Nope. Hope you're not afraid of needles!"
There was a tremor, then came the burst. Juntoku's multiple eyes narrowed as an earthen spike jetted from the ground directly toward him. By reflex, he slashed at it, scattering the fragments to the wayside. More came, many more, all of them just as sharp, if not sharper than the first. The village leader found himself falling into a series of grunts and yelps as his body was pierced from all sides by a number of earthen spikes that tore through his armored hide and penetrated his inwards. It was equal parts annoying as it was painful. Juntoku realized with great frustration that somehow he'd been immobilized. Eye flashed like fire, burning with anger that was leveled solely on the blond boy who'd got one over on him.
He was grinning at him, as was the floating…head beside him. The demonic head mirrored the human boy in grinning at him. "Long has it been since we have encountered one like you. But do not fright, for you shall fall all the same! Sister!"
Next came the water, lots of it. Water sprouts burst from the cracks and fissures, blue jets shooting upward before twisting and turning toward the struggling transformed ninja. Some of them sharpened into needles, others turned into spiraling drills that tore into Juntoku's armored skin. Most didn't penetrate immediately, but with time they would thus tear into the softer insides of the enemy. Through what cracks there were in his armor, some of the watery sprouts snuck in, working their way into the sword-wielder's body. Juntoku felt it, and he wasn't happy about it. Annoyance changed into outright rage as he struggled and raged against the bindings entangling him. Already, his body was coming under assault from the two-pronged attack.
"Lady Semiramis." Spoke Teshio, materializing in a haze of watery sparkles in front of the Servant. "I only ask that you be gentle with this…sorcery of yours."
"Worry not, I will be careful to ensure you come out of this unharmed, Teshio. Him however," she said, directing her attention to the giant man. "Not so much." Her palm free of her usual spike, she placed her hand feeling against the Ōkubi's head, her lips moving in a silent spell that rippled across the air. A number of violet-colored circles appeared around Teshio's head. Her magical power was transferred into the streams of water that the female demon head was controlling, the blue liquid gaining a purple and dark green tinge to it. The reaction was immediate; Semiramis smiled in delight. "Naruto, remove his head now while we have him under wraps. Afterwards, we will bring this battle to an end."
Thankfully, his hesitation at decapitation lasted only a second. Naruto took two steps forward, his Kitsune-ken glowing with chakra in preparation for the beheading strike he was about to deliver.
"You little fucking bastard! Get away from him!" Screamed a half-feral voice that made cold sweat break out across Naruto's brow. Snapping to his right, he saw a set of five large and sharp claws coming straight at them. Chokai, sensing the approaching attack, moved in front of his summoner, his eyes glowing bright red as he mentally commanded the ground to close in on the enemy. Something darted out of the rocks, Chokai moved in front of Naruto.
SKERCH!
Chokai grunted as the pain from the attack set in, temporarily breaking his concentration. The unseen enemy had hit the right place, his forehead causing his mind to momentarily go haywire due to the stinging pain in his skull. Less than a heartbeat later and the trio felt something big and ominous behind them. Naruto was the center of it, naturally. He was the target.
The blond ninja was launched forward, his back aching from the heavy blow they'd taken. He skidded across the broken ground, blood slipping from his lips. There was little time to contemplate what had happened; he was moving to the side, narrowly dodging a set of five sharpen claws that impaled the ground where he'd been laying. It rose sending a wave of pressurized air directly toward him. Naruto raised both his blades in a guarding position. Though the move took the brunt of the attack, but he was still thrown back by the sheer force of the attack. A shadow fell over him; looking up he saw a stripped-face and a set of orange-eyes burning with raw hatred. The claws fell, but rather than dodge, Naruto met them. Beneath his feet the ground further cracked.
"I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart, you rat-faced little shit!" Barked the Vine ninja, spit and blood flying from his mouth.
"Just try it, you overgrown asshole! You're not the first pussy-faced bastard I've taken down!" Fired back the young genin, the veins in his body pulsing as he summoned all of his strength and pushed upward. It worked. In the seconds long window of time he had, Naruto kicked off with his remaining strength, his Kitsune-ken aimed at the glowing chest of the mutated ninja. His attempted counterattack was met with a blindingly fast sideways slam that caught him off-guard. Naruto groaned as he felt pain rock his body like a bell. He was sure at least two of his ribs were cracked and his bones fractured. Though he was sure he could keep fighting, it wasn't going to be easy.
Again, the tiger-man came at Naruto, claws raised only to be stopped by a sudden chain wrapping around his right arm. The barbs dug in, stinging poison seeping into the open wounds and paralyzing the man, temporarily. A similar chain was being used to bind Juntoku, whose struggles hadn't ceased, they'd merely grown. And his body was glowing with a mixture of orange and red, an aura of near toxic energy being exuded from his massive body. It was so intense that Chokai and Teshio were forced to stay and attack him at a distance. The latter's water turned into steam while the former's rocks shattered into pieces before making physical impact. Semiramis stood strong, both her arms stretched out with the chains attaching them just barely holding. Sweat was pouring down her brow.
Juntoku saw that, and pounced on the opportunity. Without warning, the orange and red aura flared up, gaining a black tinge to it. The Ōkubi were knocked away by the sheer force of the burst while Semiramis watched wide-eyed as her chain broke and her body was pushed back. She felt waves of dread wash over her, the figure before her distorting from a mutated man into a monster. Her pride forced her to steady herself and prepare as his massive sword was raised again for another slash, this one possessing power that would likely be too much for her to tank…and too wide spread for her to dodge. Semiramis' mind went to Naruto, at the very least she could try to shield him in the short seconds that would precede the attack.
"HEADS UP!"
In the split second before the attack hit, the air heated up, like the inside of an oven. Next came the explosive blast of steam followed by the thunderous crack that ended with Juntoku gasping for breath as he tumbled forward. A second boom sounded as a red and orange-colored object rose above him, then came down hard on his head, a trail of steam following it. Cracks formed along the helmet and Juntoku's eyes screwed shut in pain.
"L-Lord J-J-Juntoku!" Shouted the tiger-man, twisting his body around to tend to his leader. What he got for his concern was a steam-powered kick to the face. "Gaaarrrhhh!"
Naruto nearly jumped as a red-armored figure came crashing down beside him. "Hey, Naruto, you wouldn't happen to know a jutsu called 'Rasengan', would you?"
Expectedly, he did a double-take. "W-W-W-What?! H-H-How d-d-do you know about t-t-that jutsu?"
Because your old man hit me with it almost twelve times. It wasn't until after the eighth-time did it start becoming effective. That's what he wanted to say, but Han held his tongue. Now wasn't the time. "Based on your expression, I'll say you do. Use it to finish this guy off once and for all!"
"Gladly!" Proclaimed the genin, forcing himself upright and creating a shadow clone.
"Use this." Coolly interrupted the Hidden Stone, shooting out his hand. He's still got a ways to go before he's anything like his old man, but this should be a stepping stone for him. A good one.
Though his face dispelled justifiable shock for a little while, Naruto recovered, and he did so with a smile. His palm lay adjacent to Han's, chakra gathering. Wisps of the liquid-like cloak that surrounded Han and steam pooled together around the forming blue sphere. Unlike his past Rasengans, this one's rotation was three times as powerful and three times larger, so large that Naruto could actually feel the weight of it. Han's hand moved beneath his, his chakra cloak feeling surprisingly warm against his skin. There were so many questions the spiky-haired boy wanted to ask, but they would have to wait.
"Gah! Don't get so cocky, you little freaks! You can't stop us! We are the Hidden Vine Ninja, we are-!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Yelled both Jinchūriki, kicking off the ground directly toward the tiger-man.
"Steam Style-!" Began Han.
"-Rasengan!" Finished Naruto.
Tendrils of steam and orange exploded from the point of collision, which itself resembled the core of a raging maelstrom. Against its might, not even the power granted by the Blood Grapes were enough. The Vine ninja screamed in an ear-piercing howl as his body quickly began to give out, heat and wind tearing at his flesh, frying everything inside and out. He tried to push the attack away, but it was all for naught. Bones groaned, then screamed as they cracked and flesh did the same as it was boiled away. A final scream went up from his fanged lips as the steam and chakra compressed into a tight ball, then exploded outward.
Blood, bones, and pieces of shredded organs flew outward in a semi-singular line before descending downward in chunks and droplets. Han caught Naruto as they were pushed back from the recoil of the attack. White-eyed, the tiger-man fell backward, his blackened skin returning to its ordinary pigmentation along with his size reverting back.
"Dai…Dai…DAISHIN!" Bellowed Juntoku with four eyes widen in shock and horror, having recovered from Han's suddenly assault.
His scream caught the Stone Ninja's attention. "Naruto, Semiramis, stand back. Actually, Naruto, watch this carefully!" The armored man's request was hard to do as he literally shot off in a burst of steam that obscured Naruto's vision. His ears still rang with the roar of whatever mechanical device that Han used to produce the steam, leaving it hard for him to discern what was happening. His Servant showed him through her eyes - Han delivering a crushing elbow blow to Juntoku's left side cheek, followed by a bone-crunching spin-kick. "Since you've gotten a crap-ton of power, I won't hold back!" Dropping to the ground, Han crouched, then shot off like a rocket toward Juntoku.
Blood sipping from his broken nose, the village leader held up his zanbatō in a defensive position. It held against the Steamroller's forward charge, but his massive body was pushed back. Four glaring eyes locked on the red armored and orange cloaked ninja. Han returned his glare. A sphere of dark red and black suddenly enveloped his body. Juntoku's eyes widened.
Semiramis felt her breath catch in her throat seconds after her coppery eyes saw the transformed Han emerge from the sphere, his body now a familiar shade of dark red, four tails swaying behind him. Unlike Naruto, the outline of his hat remained…and unlike Naruto, Han still remained in perfect control of his actions. His left arm was raised, then brought down. The zanbatō which had held up against countless attacks including her poison split right down the middle. What came next was a literal oversized fist that slammed right into Juntoku's chest.
If that had been me…I would be in pain, great pain. Realized the Servant, clenching her fists in not rage, but intrigue. This is what a trained jinchūriki's power can do.
In spite of his struggles, Juntoku found himself being thrown into the air via a set of gigantic hands that carried enough strength to shatter hills, perhaps entire mountains. Cracks and injuries littered his body as he soared high into the air, just a little over a hundred feet. Snarling in anger, he spread his arms out, energized air escaping from the exhaust pipes on his back. He'd let this go on long enough, it was now time to end things once and for all.
Looking back down at the ground, he saw something, felt something. Air popped as something small and dark was launched at him. The closer it got, the more clearly Juntoku was able to make it out. It was a glowing sphere, a mass of concentrated chakra. That was heading straight for him. Fear lacing his eyes, Juntoku commanded his transformed body to harden itself; seconds before the attack made contact, he thought about how things had led to this point.
He'd greenlighted the shedding of the blood of his fellow villagers.
He'd pushed boundaries that some would say were better left untouched.
He'd sacrificed much in his quest to strengthen his village, return it to its proper glory.
And he'd failed.
Father, mother, Ami, all of you…I'm…I'm so sorry. A lone tear slipped from the mutated eyes of the Vine Village leader. His body grew warm then it grew hot, very hot. At first, it felt like getting rammed by a moving mountain, but the mountain exploded seconds later. Juntoku could feel his armored skin and flesh beneath being annihilated. It was all quick, which one might have viewed as a plus.
BOOOOM!
Compared to the fate of some of his followers, he got off light.
"W-W-W-Wo…ah…" Stammered the Leaf genin with eyes wide as apples, watching the sky light up courtesy of the spherical explosion that blew apart the clouds and smoke columns. Rolling across the village and surrounding area was the thunderous boom that came with the detonation. He felt like he was witnessing a star being born.
Semiramis was in a similar boat, albeit her mouth was sealed shut and her eyes widen a little than her Master's on account of her pride. Along with her sense of caution, it kept her still as a station. As the blast began to dissipate, the Assassin gradually looked over to the creature that had launched the attack that had created the massive explosion. It-no, he was looking at her. Han was looking at her with blank white eyes; again, they were different from Naruto's which were nothing but animalistic fury and aggression. In them, she saw reason. He diverted his attention away from her, to her Master. Tensely, Semiramis watched him make his way over toward Naruto with her eyes now sharp as cobra's fangs. If he made one move, she'd be on him, and she'd throw everything she had at him in retaliation if he sought to harm her Master.
When he was mere feet from him, Naruto snapped out of his stupor and looked at the Stone ninja. Jaw dropped, he watched as the transformation receded. Han tipped his hat to the young genin. "Allow me to give a full introduction. Name's Han Norikura, jinchūriki of the Five-Tails of the Hidden Stone Village." There was a pause. "And you are Naruto Uzumaki, holder of the Nine-Tailed Fox of the Leaf Village, correct?"
The Assassin kept her eyes on the two, completely ignoring the multitude of flares that went up signaling the battle's end. They'd won, they'd freed the Hidden Vine Village.
Yet why did she still feel so…on edge? What was the reason for this continued tension? Semiramis didn't know, but she felt that Naruto and Han were the source of it. No, what was inside of them was the source of this tension.
Somewhere else...
"It seems the battle is over."
"Hm…"
"...You still thinking of that bomb attack from your senior, aren't you?"
"How can I not? Even if it didn't come from me, Han still knows the great art of explosions! However, one day I will make the explosion that surpasses his art on a grandeur scale! That'll show him, and the old-beard monkey too!"
"...Remind me why you're my partner again?"
"Oh, shut up."
"If you're done gloating, we have to go back to our current camp so we can remotely communicate our leader. He is expecting our report, and we don't want to keep him waiting."
"You just hate keep others waiting...and when you're keep waiting I might add."
A scoff barely sounded. "Enough. Move now or we might get spotted."
"Fine. Though I gotta say something, I noticed you gave few glances at that beauty down there. I never knew you had interest in romantic attachments with women, not that I blame you for who you were aiming at. Keep things hidden from me, hm?"
"...I will not deny she had caught my eye and before you misunderstood what I'm saying, you pyromaniac fool, I meant her poisons had caught my eye in particular. It's actually impressive, impressive almost equal or arguably exceeded to that Snake Sannin's poisons. Her poison prowess and other abilities, especially her ability to create a skeletal army, are worth noting in our report."
A shudder came. "Not to mention that ugly giant snake beast she summoned. To think a woman like her to have a dragon as her summon as if it came from hell, I'm wondering if she comes from the same place since I have never seen an easten dragon like that in ancient cave artifacts from the museum back home. Hell, I'm also wondering if she relates to that creepy snake guy, one Orochimaru is bad enough already."
"Which is why we don't want to keep him waiting for our report any further. As admirable as that woman specializes in poison is, she is potentially dangerous to us and poses a threat to our organization. She is another obstacle to claim the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki, which complicates things further for his capture given she's glued to him as much as possible even when fighting their enemies."
His companion facepalmed, not caring a mouth on the palm of his hand. "Great. Just great. Even with that Jiraiya guy is away from the kid, another protector came to his place thus ruined our chance to capture two Jinchūriki. Even the kid and his new pal weakened now, I don't want to go toe to toe with Han while he isn't winded yet and still has the most reserves from the Five-Tails' chakra." His hand away from his face, frustration and wariness showed to his comrade. "Also, I rather have more information on the woman before I can take her on. Because I have a feeling in my gut she has more tricks in her sleeves as big and deadly as that venomous snake dragon she has."
"For once, Deidara, you said a smart thing that I agreed with. Despite the fact that I loathe to wait, all we have to do is have patience to go and capture the Nine-Tails and it's Jinchūriki in the future till he separates from the Toad Sannin while we gather more intel on that poisoner. Right now is not the time. However, the thing we CAN do is after we given our report, we choose the right time to ambush the Five-Tailed Jinchūriki and the Hidden Stone ninja once they drop their guard and they're far away from their temporarily allies."
One eye narrowed at the hunched man behind him. "Hm. From a guy who hates waiting, you're quite opportunistic, Sasori."
A rare time to display in front of the blonde man, a dark, low chuckle escaped behind the bandana that covered his face. "It kept me succeeding in claiming my trophies and made them as my puppets. The Third Kazekage had learned the hard way."
At the remains of the Hidden Vine Village, the populace didn't notice a flying object above them in the high sky where the clouds should be. A flying object was a bird, but an abnormal bird was completely white that didn't fit the green forest and surpassed the normal size standards of its brethren.
Outside of the Hidden Vine Village's boundaries...
"Well, that was mighty impressive. It seems the rebels really went the full mile in enlisting sufficient aid to help them retake this little village." Kabuto mused, watching the explosive blast fade, albeit the after effects remained. They would linger for days one end as most if not all of the villagers had likely never seen a jinchūriki's power. The people of the Hidden Vine Village were lucky that the one within their walls had directed the blast upward. "What do you think, believe you're strong enough to handle something like that?"
"Not directly." Came the cool and emotionless voice of his companion. "Granted, any half-decent fighter would be smart enough to not let their opponent fire off an attack like that or find a way to divert the blast elsewhere."
Kabuto chuckled. "Tall orders, think you could pull off either?"
His attempted crack failed to arouse any sort of response, as usual. "Orochimaru didn't exactly spend this last year teaching me how to deflect puff balls and the like, did he?" His cloak swayed in the wind as he turned his back from the Vine Village, his eyes directed towards the darkness of the jungle they were about to enter. "Let's go. We've done our business here, right? There's no reason to stick around."
"Are you so sure about that?" Pressed the glasses-wearing ninja with a sly smile. "He's down there, ya' know. Naruto. Why not drop by and say hi to him, for old times sake? Word is he got a new friend with some…interesting abilities."
This time, there was a reaction, albeit small and controlled. The black-haired youth stood still as if contemplating the medical ninja's words. Kabuto could see it without having to glance at his face. "…Not yet. Not…here."
The spy's lips twisted into a dark smile while he pushed his glasses up. "You make it sound like you do plan on meeting with him at some point. Still nurturing some old affections, Sasuke?"
Silence was the Uchiha's answer. He did turn his head slightly back, his black eyes falling on the rim of the Hidden Vine Village. Finding his blond ex-teammate would be a simple enough matter. Talking to him would be another. Fighting him…Sasuke couldn't deny that a part of him wanted to clash with Naruto, to see if he'd made any progress. But he wasn't going to do that. He had bigger goals and he couldn't risk them to satisfy a childish want.
Naruto…I'm sparing your life on a whim, again. But next time…next time maybe things will be different. You better have gotten stronger…strong enough that I can use you as a stepping stone to killing him. Thought the avenger, his footsteps taking him deep into the darkness of the jungle. Following close behind him was the assistant to the snake-themed Sannin, his dark laughter echoing through the dense jungle.
As silently as the Sound Village envoy had come, they were gone, none even remotely aware of their presence. Or almost all of them.
Unknown Location...
He'd been patient, and his patience had paid off.
Within the lab, now partially ruined from the earlier battle, nothing but corpses littered the ground. The bodies of men and women who'd unearthed an ancient power that they'd tried to control. Admittedly, they'd done a good job so far, but their work paled in comparison to what they could have achieved with the right resources. It just so happened that he had those resources, and he would put them to good use.
In the middle of the lab, a black hole appeared, blue tron-like lines rimming the outskirts. From the center there came a flash of light, four white lines spread out in a cross shape connecting to the outer rim. Air exploded outward from the hole. A moment later and a leg stretched out followed by another. Finally, a human figure emerged, drenched in a dark cloak with a slick silver briefcase in his right hand. The man looked around, noticing the countless holes in the walls and floor, no doubt where the Assassin's chains had burst through and killed the scientists. Only they had been harmed, the grapes that they'd cultivated and the research notes that they'd so tirelessly worked on were unharmed.
A cruel smile formed on the man's lips at the realization that everything he needed was right in front of him. Holding up a gloved hand, he snapped his fingers. From the portal behind him came a collection of hunch-backed figures, their dead faces morbidly looking up and examining the surroundings.
"Collect anything and everything pertaining to the Blood Grapes, now." He spoke in his native tongue, the language of the Fatherland that he would one day resurrect. At once, the undead ghouls fanned out and began to follow his instructions. For zombified servants, they were highly efficient, just as the man had trained and designed them to be. While other magi had homunculi to do their bidding, he had his undead minions. While they collected samples and notes, the green-eyed man fixed his eyes on a specially locked away plant. Brimming bright in the light were a set of palm-sized fruit, appearing more apples than grapes, with black curls and spirals on them. Placing his hand against the glass, he psychically destroyed it and felt around the bright red fruit, his mouth practically salivating at the warm feel of the artificially grown fruit. "Wunderschön." Whispered the dimensional traveler with glee.
Quickly and delicately, he opened his briefcase, a three-dimensional storage device, and loaded the fruit inside as he did several others. He himself took several of the research notes into his briefcase, wanting them in his hands instead of his undead minions. Within minutes, almost the entirety of the research lab had been cleaned out. No doubt the survivors of the extremist faction would return to the lab expecting to find the remains of their research and flee. Unfortunately for them, he needed them more. No, he could get better use out of them.
"Aspel," Came a voice from the communicator in his left ear. "Are you finished yet?"
"Yes, yes, I am, Itou. I'm sending the first of our payload back through the gate." Answered back the German, waving his hand. Their arms full of containers of varying sizes, the ghouls marched back through the dimensional portal they'd come through. Meanwhile, the blond looked around the lab, his eyes sparkling with a small twinge of sympathy. He pitied the people of this backwater village, he truly did. To have attained greatness only to be brought low thanks to the machinations of outsiders, vermin, and enemies. That said, he would not meet the same ends these fruit farmers did. He was descended from the greatest nation on Earth, the man who'd inherited the will of the Führer himself. He would not fail as they did. "Darnic…with this, I am one step closer to repaying your treachery. Wherever you are…enjoy what leisure time you have, for the fruits of your destruction are being cultivated. One day, they will bear fruit, the golden fruit from which I shall eat…" He then made a smile that fit for one entity - the devil. "...and from which the Third Reich will rise."
Cackling to himself, the blond man turned his back from the lab and stepped toward the portal. He passed through it, vanishing into the blinding light like a phantom. Once he was through, the portal's rotation stopped, the light faded and the blue lines receded. All that remained was a black disc-like distortion which began to fold inward on itself until it too vanished without a trace.
Seconds later and the doors were thrown open, a bleeding and frantic Motomune barging in. Time was short and he needed to work fast.
Within two minutes, he found that something was terribly wrong. His eyes bulged in shock and horror as he looked around the lab. Said eyes then showed hysteria.
"No…no…no…no…no! No! No! Where?! Dammit, where the hell are our most advanced samples and our research?! Where, dammit?!" He banged his hand against a nearby desk, sending lamps and documents tumbling to the ground. Stopping for a moment, he looked over lab, the truth slowly dawning on him. "Everything's been…but…who…could it have been Kabuto? No, he left before the attack hit! B-Besides…all of this looks too-"
"Motomune! Motomune!" Screeched a female scientist, her right arm missing, the stump tied down with a red-colored piece of cloth. Sweat caked her face as her bright brown eyes looked at the disheveled scientist. "W-We have to go, now! Lord Juntoku has fallen! It's only a matter of time before they start looking for the rest of us!"
The stunned man looked at the blonde-haired woman with broken eyes. "M-M-M-Mimori.." Babbled the dazed man.
Tears spilling down her cheeks, she grabbed at his hand with her remaining one. "We have to go, now! Look, we still have our brains! We still have you! So long as we still have you, we can start over!"
It was in seeing her own tears was Motomune able to snap out of his own despair-fueled daze. Gray eyes went to the bloody stump where her right arm used to be. Burning hot rage swelled up inside of him as the sight aroused memories from before he'd passed out. He'd watched his fellow scientists, his friends, get slaughtered right before his eyes. The one who'd done it had been so casual about it, as if they were nothing but trash to be taken out. Motomune's teeth gnashed as he recalled the cold look in the coppery eyes of the woman who'd descended upon them. Her face came into view within his mind, her cold beautiful face.
You… Seethed the gray-eyed man as he began to run alongside the female scientist, finding others waiting for them at the end of the hallway. Fear and nervousness were common amongst the group, waves of it rolling off of every survivor as they moved down the central tree. But not Motomune. He wasn't trembling with fear but with anger and barely-contained hatred. I will find you, woman, I will find you…and I WILL pay you back for this! I swear it! I swear it on the names of my fellow villagers!
Four Days Later…
"Aren't you going to go check on him?"
Semiramis looked at the white-haired sage with annoyed eyes. "He can handle himself."
Jiraiya merely smiled at her, easing back into his seat. He'd had the same cool expression on his face when they'd returned to the Hidden Moon Village. Tsukinari had filled him on the details so they wouldn't have any explaining to do when they came back. Scratch that, they would, but Jiraiya was willing to let it slide once news began to trickle out regarding what had gone down in the Hidden Vine Village. An extremist faction defeated, a successful coup that had reinstalled moderates back into power and ended inhuman experimentation…while destroying an estimated forty-percent of the village's infrastructure. News of such events would spread quickly…including stories of those who were at the heart of the whirlwind of events. And quite a whirlwind of events they'd been.
What had caught his attention were the eyes of his student. Jiraiya had expected Naruto to come back changed, he hadn't expected him to come back…quiet. Focused. Or practically clinging to the arm of one of the Hidden Stone Village's jinchūriki.
"You're just worried about him as I am, I saw the look you were giving to Han." Fired off the black-haired Assassin.
"And here the two of us are, having a drink instead of watching over him." Mused the old ninja.
"I am watching over him, just in my own way." She knew he knew of her dove familiars, and so too did Han. Just outside their temporary home, the two containers were discussing private matters. It wasn't like it'd take them long to get to the blond if something did happen; they'd decided to trust the armored ninja on this one. To Semiramis, he'd at least earned that much based on their time in the Hidden Vine Village. For Jiraiya, he was willing to trust her lead on this one, if only to an extent. "I take it Naruto's father and Han exchanged blows during the war? He was remarkably amicable to us in spite of the bad blood you claim exists between the Leaf and Stone."
"It's because he was perhaps one of the few who didn't take the war personally." Admitted the Toad Sage with a lazy smile. "As far as jinchūriki go, I'd say we lucked out in meeting him. He's the kind of person Naruto could use to talk to…Han can explain it better than me." A humorless laugh escaped the white-haired ninja's lips, causing Semiramis' eyebrow to rise. "You think I'm a coward, aren't I, for not fully explaining things to him?"
The Assassin pressed her lips. Truthfully, she would have liked to know how the talk between the two was progressing. "That is not my place to say. What about you? Ever since we came back, you've been…surprisingly lax about what we did in your absence."
"Hah! You don't know Naruto too well!" Bellowed the sage with large smile. "I knew in my gut the kid would get into some kind of trouble while I was away. Helping liberate a whole village? Pretty standard for him. Hang around him and you'll start to learn that. Hell, you may learn to enjoy it."
Silently, the Servant drank the rest of her tea. She couldn't afford to give the Toad Sage any signs that he was a bit right in his remarks. Truthfully…I'm already starting to enjoy it, if only just a little bit.
Naruto Uzumaki was not what one would call the silent type. He was loud and hyperactive, just like his mother. So when he was quiet and withdrawn, one could tell that something major was going on in his head. Han watched the young teenager with keen interest for any reaction. He'd given him a lot to process regarding the nature of jinchūriki and their Tailed Beasts.
"So," he suddenly began. "Fuzzball inside of me…and the…beast inside you are…siblings?"
It wasn't a bad first question. "Kind of. The most I've ever gotten out of Kokuō is that they all have the same 'father'. He looked after them for as long as he could." Sorrow over laid the young man's eyes at the mention of father. Han knew the story, he knew that Naruto had been born the same day that his father, the Fourth Hokage, died…and he didn't even know it.
"Fuzzball had a dad…" Mused the whisker-faced boy, placing his hand against his stomach. It was hard to fathom, yet something in Naruto told him that the revelation was key to him understanding the demon within him. He'd seen it in anger, mostly anger in fact, but he also knew that the Nine-Tails could be surprised…and even at times scared. His battle with Kabuto came to mind, when the glasses-wearing Sound ninja had come close to killing him after he'd mastered the Rasengan. Hey, if I ask you about your old man, will I get an answer? Of course, none came, only silence. "Geez, why's he gotta be so hard to work with!? Why couldn't I have a beast like yours, Han!? Your Five-Tails sounds a helluva more workable than the giant furball I got stuck with! Hell, it sounds better than Gaara's!"
Humorous laughter slipped past Han's mask. "Our relationship was something we built up towards. Believe it or not, but Kokuō and I didn't always get along so well. We pretty much hated each other's guts until we realized that survival meant having to work together. Rōshi and Four-Tails went through the same thing in their relationship, though they'll tell you that there's no love lost between the two of them. They're stubborn as hell…which makes them perfect partners…kind of like you and Nine-Tails."
"Huh?! Me and Fuzzball?!" Exclaimed the blond genin. "Seriously?! I'm nothing like that freeloader!"
"He pays his rent, doesn't he?" Playfully jabbed the older man, causing the genin to grumble in annoyance. "Look, if you want to work with your Tailed Beast, my advice is to treat him less like a parasite and more like a…roommate." From within him came a light-hearted huff from his white-furred partner. At the very least, it was a step up from some of the other "colorful" labels a Tailed Beast could have been given. "You can start by learning his true name."
"To be honest, it…kind of doesn't surprise me that all the Tailed Beasts have names, especially if they had someone like a parent to look after them." His face went cross as he directed his gaze toward the Stone ninja. "How come you can't tell me what Fuzzball's name is? You know yours! And he knows Nine-Tails' so what's stopping you from telling me?"
Han chuckled at Naruto's pouty expression. "One, I'm not your sensei or you jinchūriki coach, two it's funny watching you struggle, and three," a single finger was pointed to the insignia of his straw hat. "I'm from the Hidden Stone Village, you're from the Hidden Leaf Village. By that logic…you and I are enemies so I oughta kill you right here and now and deprive your village of one of its best weapons." His words hit like a paper bomb blast causing the blond to shut up.
It's stupid shit like this which is going to get you killed one day, brat. Finally spat the nine-tailed demon within the Leaf ninja. Though annoyed, he'd listened to the conversation carefully. If he saw a need to act then he would, regardless of what Kokuō thought about the matter.
Naruto looked to the armored ninja with a mixture of worry and confusion. Both quickly gave way to a strong resolution that silently had the Stone ninja nodding in approval. "If you were gonna kill me, you'd have done it a while ago. You wouldn't have saved me in the Vine Village. I think you're doing this because…if you're a jinchūriki like me and Gaara…then you've…you've been through that, haven't you?"
Clouds of steam exuded themselves from the exhausts in the jonin's armor. "Yep. Had my house burnt down eight times, found I was practically forced to cook my own meals when I had the ingredients to do so thus I ended up becoming a fairly decent hunter. Being pointed at and laughed at…mocked…screamed at…you did well making it this far." He laughed seeing the blonde's face dropped as he realized the conversation had been turned back on him. "You said your dream is to become Hokage, right? Well, it's not as impossible as you think. The Hidden Mist Village…their Fourth Mizukage held the Three-Tailed Turtle in him. He was a pretty badass guy…though a bit of stick-up-his ass type just like my cousin Ōnoki." That brighten Naruto.
"Seriously?! You mean a jinchūriki actually became a Kage?! That means there's hope for me! I can do it! I can seriously do it!" Happily proclaimed the blond, practically tap dancing on his feet while the armored ninja looked on in thinly veiled amusement.
"Except he ended up getting assassinated and word is his Tailed Beast is on the loose somewhere."
Han broke out into complete laughter as his younger counterpart's little "happy dance" came to an end.
Then it started back up again, sorta. "Then I'll just have to do better than that guy! Becoming Hokage even if I've got some super strong monster inside of me…if someone before me could do it, then so can I. Besides, I've made it this far in spite of everything I've been through…and I know I can keep on going."
A single finger rose the straw hat upward. "Even if it means going through hell?"
The grin that the blond wore remained both human and beast of his predecessor. Not uncommon given the secret connection between them. "I've been through hell before, so I know I can keep on going if more of it is in front of me. Besides, I never go back on my word, that's my ninja way."
"…Then hold onto it, there may come a time when it's all you have to keep from going insane." Advised the Stone ninja, rising to his full height. "In order to become a Kage, you're gonna need one helluva strong will, a will that allow you to push forward no matter the obstacle in front of you. Next time we meet…maybe I'll see if you've really got it or if you're all talk." Han looked back to see if Naruto caught the underlining meaning of his words. He did, and he wasn't happy about it. "Hey, don't look so gloom. We're ninjas, fighting is nothing new for us."
"It's…not that it's just I…" Nervously, he looked at him in the eye, sandpaper forming in his mouth. "You're a pretty cool guy and I…I don't wanna fight you just because you're from a different village. I hate that, having to fight my friends over stupid stuff."
Silently, the veteran ninja mulled over the youngster's words. Sorrow briefly lined his eyes. This kid's still young, but I can see it in his eyes. He's been hurt, and he wants to avoid that pain again. He was in for a rude awakening and Han might have been better off leaving him to such an awakening. But he couldn't do that, not after finding something worthy of note in the Leaf's only jinchūriki. "If that time ever comes, don't hesitate. Just as you'll be fighting for something important, so will they. Don't dishonor or insult them with such half-hearted moves that you go down in a single blow. In this world, we ninja communicate through our actions…so let those speak for you. Should our paths cross," his right fist was raised, then pointed directly at the blond ninja. "I won't hesitate to hit you with everything I've got as a shinobi of the Hidden Stone Village. You better respond in kind, as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village."
Naruto's back was to the sun, causing its rays to reflect off of the older man's crimson-colored armor, making it glisten even more. What stood out though were his eyes. Unlike Gaara's which burned with an icy hatred for everyone and everything, Han's resembled amber, hardened and glittering with determination. The genin found himself almost lost in them before he recognized the familiar fire burning behind them - the fire of one who'd charted a path for themselves and were driven to walk it the entire way. Just like he had.
A smaller fist met a gloved one. "I promise, the next time our paths cross, I'll show you how much I've grown! I'll show you that I'm on the path to becoming Hokage!"
Behind his mask, the war veteran smiled. He'd just done something stupid, but it was something he could live with. Back inside, he wasn't surprised to find Semiramis and Jiraiya watching him like hawks; it wasn't until Naruto came busting in a second later did they let their guard around him down. Less than a minute later and the princess of the Hidden Moon Village entered the room, her face brimming with well-earned pride and happiness. Han tipped his hat to her then left the home, leaving the group of four to their afternoon together.
Not surprisingly, his partner and handler was outside waiting for him.
Ontake didn't beat around the bush in opening his mouth. "You realize by all rights, we should kill or capture the kid, right?"
"Yeah, but something tells me that task would be easier said than done, don't you think?" Coolly replied the jinchūriki.
His fellow jonin regarded him with a stony frown, then his head dropped. "You're right, so we're not going to worry about it. As far as Lord Tsuchikage is concerned, our aid in this matter were some random Leaf ninja, no more."
Han threw back his head in laughter. "Excellent, then drinks are on me tonight!" Ontake let his mask fall and laughed as well as they began walking. It was sunset yet life around the village showed no signs of slowing down. It had been an eventually past couple of days for them as well, pitching a small hand in the restoration of the Hidden Vine Village. It was going to be a while before they were back on their feet, but the time would eventually come.
"So, what do you think of the kid?" Began Ontake once he felt they were far enough away. "Think the kid got a shot at surpassing his old man?"
"One day, for now, he's a loudmouth knucklehead just like his mom." Chuckled the hat-wearing ninja. It was strange, most wouldn't recall getting mauled so fondly, but Han had long since accepted that he was a strange person, as was Naruto and as was his mother. He didn't see much problem with that as all three of them had led the best lives they could; or in the case of he and Naruto, they were no leading their lives as best they could. So far, he'd say they'd done a pretty good job. "Today, he's a kid with a loud mouth, a big heart, and a lot of potential. Tomorrow…we'll see what he turns out to be."
And thus ends the first quarter of the story, kinda. This chapter went a bit differently than I expected but I feel I got everything I needed to in in concluding some things while setting the ground work for future plots and so forth. Truth be told while writing the first half of this chapter I was watching JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency which contributed to how I chose to have Semiramis use her Bašmu. Nothing like watching an ancient superhuman twist and warp his body in ways that could make Plastic Man jealous to get your brain going on how to write what amounts to living poison.
Secondly…I'm sure you all have questions about the little…turn-ups after the fight ended. Sasuke and Kabuto's surprise appearances were planned from the start of this arc. Naruto missed Sasuke by just THAAAT much, something I'll admit brings a bit of a smile to my face. I like those little half-meetings between characters with personal connections. Speaking of connections…
Surely you're all asking who that mysterious man who showed up with the ghouls and carted away the Blood Grapes and the research pertaining to them. Well here's the deal…that one was a little foreshadowing to the sequel to this story. Yes, you read that right, this story is going to be having a sequel, one who's plot line I'm sure you can start taking a guess at, but there's more. It also foreshadowed another thing-dimension hopping shenanigans which will connect to my other Fate Cross over stories. As it is, this story is part of a shared universe that's being built up with my two other Fate Crossover stories. Just wanted to get that out there.
Wunderschön is German for "beautiful". To give you all something to think about…Darnic is not going to be happy when this fruit ripens so to speak, nor will Naruto, Semiramis, Jeanne, Sieg, Seigfried, or any member of the Apocrypha cast, but, hey, as I said that's for the sequel.
The next chapter's going to be a special chapter that'll read more like a side story. One last tale for the summer then the story gets back on track. Hint, hint, it's going to involve sand, water, and Semiramis threatening to castrate Jiraiya so until then!
Also…R.I.P to the thirty-one souls lost over last weekend and Toni Morrison, who served as something of an inspiration to me as a writer.