Chapter 40
Clash In The North
Land Of Grass
Shiin Clan Compound
Naruto and Tayuya ended up spending a week at the dilapidated Clan compound to train themselves, for Tayuya it was to learn her Clan's Hiden Jutsu but for Naruto, it was time to learn about his recent acquirement of the Yoton Kekkei Genkai he took from the Kazan Clan in the Land of Earth the third he had got since he left his home in the Land of Whirlpools.
The week they spent training however had paid dividends as Naruto could now use all 3 of his Kekkei Genkai one after the other without draining his Chakra while Tayuya had learned almost all of the Jutsu contained within her Clan's scrolls and as such both of them had rapidly increased in strength as well. The week of remaining stationary had also helped Tayuya make a complete recovery as she was now back up to full strength and health.
Naruto was stood in the main building in the huge meeting hall where they first discovered the message that the Fuma Clan had abandoned the compound.
Naruto heard soft steps from behind him and he already knew who it was by the feel of her Chakra not even mentioning of course that they were the only two humans around the compound that were alive.
"Are you ready to move out?" Naruto asked her as he had already packed everything of his up.
"Yeah. I've got everything. There's nothing left here for me now." Tayuya said walking up to Naruto.
Naruto had noticed that as the week went on Tayuya did seem to recover the sheer fire she had when they first met in the Land of Earth.
'Even after she's lost everything she's found a reason to go on.' Naruto thought with some wonder. It was amazing how much a person could recover in time.
"What?" Tayuya asked him after he stared at her just a second too long.
"Nothing! I was just wondering if you're okay." Naruto said looking away from her suddenly.
"I'm fine! You need to stop with those looks." Tayuya's hackles were now raised which was both a good thing and a bad thing.
Good because it meant she was back to her usual caustic self but bad because Naruto himself was the target of her ire.
'He's such a puppy. I don't understand how he's a Ninja!' Tayuya thought in exasperation. Part of her appreciated his concern but after a week of tiptoeing around her, he settled into this strange caring mode that was completely unbecoming of a Ninja.
"Are we gonna get out of this stinking place or what?" Tayuya asked with her hands on her hips.
"Yeah! Obviously!" Naruto spoke up a little bit louder than he wanted to.
"You wanna get to the Land of Wind right?" Tayuya asked as she turned around and began to leave without Naruto.
"Yeah! I have some business there." Naruto answered scrambling after her.
'He's cute I suppose in an annoying way. Like a kid.' Tayuya mentally evaluated the blonde as he caught up to her.
Then she realised what she thought and looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks and began to scold herself horrendously in her own mind.
"Come on then! We need to get moving!" Tayuya said just a little louder than she intended.
Both of them left the compound and the only noise was the sounds of the forest and the noise their steps made on the cracked stone floors.
They crossed the threshold of the gate together but Tayuya stopped and Naruto only realised when he turned to talk to her that she wasn't next to him. He turned around and saw her staring at the building.
"You okay?" He asked as he walked over to her.
"Fine. Just taking one last look." Tayuya mumbled. She purposely hid her face from Naruto but he saw the tears anyway. He didn't say anything more or even acknowledge he saw her crying and simply waited by her side.
Eventually, she got control of her emotions and turned to face Naruto with a carefully curated look of dispassionate neutrality.
Naruto nodded at her and then he lept up into a nearby tree and Tayuya after a moment's hesitations followed him.
The trees in the Land of Grass were not as large as the behemoths in the Land of Fire but they were good enough for the standard Ninja travel method of leaping from branch to branch and it was obviously far quicker than walking across the forest floor.
Right now the duo were heading East, the Land of Grass was near enough in the centre of the continent as it bordered the 2 huge countries of the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire but unique to this part of the world there was a small belt of smaller countries wedged between the larger ones.
The Land of Grass obviously was in the centre and was bordered in the east by the Land of Waterfalls a minor country while to the north was the Land of Earth and to the south was the Land of Fire and in the east was the tough Land of Rain probably the most unique country in the continent as it had not a single Ninja Clan within its borders and instead had groups of Mercenary Ninja who operated more like guilds than Clans. At the head of which was the famous and fearsome Sanshouo no Hanzo whose name was spoken with respect wherever it was heard even as he aged his prowess and reputation only ever got more fearsome.
And it was the Land of Rain Naruto and Tayuya had to travel through to get to the Land of Wind which was a big gamble considering the average level of the Ninja in the Land of Rain was probably higher than in every other country because they were prone to massive internal and external battles and as such only, the strong prospered in the Land of Rain.
"We're gonna have to be quick or careful when we reach the border. Those Rain bastards are tough." Tayuya commented to Naruto after a while of silent travel.
"I know." Naruto agreed with her.
"But I've had good luck getting through minor countries it's when I get to the major nations that bad stuff happens." Naruto attempted to reassure Tayuya.
"How can you say that like it's a good thing." Tayuya sighed and shook her head. She was most likely regretting that she got involved with Naruto who seemed to attract trouble like a magnet.
"If you get me killed I'll come back and take you with me." Tayuya grumbled and Naruto after hearing that remark laughed.
"I'll protect you." Naruto said with a smile over his shoulder at her.
"I don't need your protection!" Tayuya shot back though she did have a distinct red colour on her cheeks.
"Mmm." Naruto hummed concentrating on the trees ahead of him.
A Few Days Later
Land of Fire
Northern Borders
The Land of Fire was the third-largest country on the continent with only the large but empty Land of Earth and Land of Wind being larger. In terms of population, the Land of Fire had the most people which meant that when people went missing in the Land of Fire it was usually not a big deal or sign of anything but when reports came down from the northern nominal Uchiha territories that entire villages were disappearing with no indication as to what happened.
The Uchiha had to respond and as such, they dispatched their two rising stars of the Uchiha-Hyuga alliance; Uchiha Sasuke son of the current Uchiha Clan Head Fugaku and Hyuga Neji son of Hyuga Hizashi twin to the current Hyuga Clan Head Hiashi.
Both of whom were currently perched on one of the Land of Fire's signature behemoth sized trees which towered over almost everything else in the world apart from mountains.
"See anything?" Sasuke asked his counterpart as he sat against the tree trunk.
"No. The tracks simply end and there is no indication as to what happened to the villagers." Neji replied with his Byakugan activated and the veins around his eyes were bulging from the increased blood and Chakra flowing into his eyes.
"That's 3 villages now. All of them were small and recently established and all of them have had everyone disappear with no trace or tracks." Sasuke was frustrated with the complete lack of progress.
"There is also no indication of movement from the border with the Land of Rain or the Land of Grass either so it must be an internal party from the Land of Fire." Neji concluded grimly as he kept searching.
"Maybe it really is the White Snake." Sasuke offered grimly as he stood up and surveyed the area even though there was no need to with Neji standing next to him.
"That is how the legends go." Neji pointed out.
"Legends don't make people disappear. Someone is taking those people." Sasuke near growled.
"What should our next move be? Report back or should we continue investigating." Neji asked turning to face Sasuke.
"We're close to the triple border and have to be careful about raids." Sasuke muttered to himself as he mulled over their options.
Border raids were an unfortunate reality of their world as Ninja from both the Land of Rain and Grass would cross into the Land of Fire in small groups who would proceed to wreak havoc on the surrounding areas before retreating back across the border with their stolen goods which were usually food and money but occasionally they did take people as well.
"The only Ninja worth anything in the Land of Grass are the Fuma Clan and the Land of Rain is under lockdown due to Hanzo's decree." Neji pointed out.
"We might as well look for more villages or clues then. Right now we have nothing worth reporting." Sasuke decided.
"I agree." Neji nodded and after a moment both of them disappeared in the signature burst of smoke that came from the use of the Shunshin Jutsu.
Both of them moved out to head to the next village in the area which was the oldest and most established one compared to the other 3 they had come across. This village reportedly had walls and a central building for the mayor in charge and it was even lucky enough to appear on maps of the area so normal travellers knew where it was.
They arrived in good time and to their internal relief the village was alive with activity, people were walking around with children, traders were doing business and smoke rose up from cooking pots.
"Seems like this place either hasn't been targetted yet or it's deliberately being left alone." Neji murmured as he looked over the village from his vantage point high in the trees.
"Yeah. So either that means this village is too large to make everyone disappear or." Sasuke said.
"Or a person in power is in on the disappearances of the other villages." Neji concluded.
"I know which one I'd prefer." Sasuke said.
"Indeed." Neji agreed with him.
The preference was that the village had not been targetted yet as it would mean that for the first time on this mission Sasuke and Neji would be a step ahead of their mysterious foe and could prepare for what would come.
If however, it was the other possibility then that would require an investigation along with some other methods which would not endear the two young Ninjas to the villagers living there. Interrogations were the most obvious starting point along with targeting any of the village hierarchy starting from the top and going down from there it also meant that if any of them were in on it they had a good chance to slip out and escape while Sasuke and Neji were chasing other leads or people.
"We may as well get started, time is not a luxury we have." Sasuke said and jumped down from the tree.
"Indeed." Neji agreed and followed the raven-haired boy.
They got into the village easily enough rather it was not like stone walls could stop Ninja from jumping over them. The walls were more for keeping animals and bandits out than any meaningful defence against the likes of Ninja and Samurai.
Sasuke and Neji did a quick scout of the village first before beginning their investigation separately, it was the best decision to split up to cover more ground and be able to sneak around easier as well.
Sasuke had decided to check the village mayor out who was an old man with a balding head and what hair he had left was grey. Sasuke snuck into the house and was hidden up in the wooden rafters.
"Mayor! Another village has disappeared!" A young man rushed into the room and informed the old man who was currently having a meeting with farmers.
The discussion so far was incredibly boring to Sasuke as they discussed crops and the yields and losses of the current and previous year along with some complaining about land disputes.
"Not again." The Mayor sighed and seemed to age another 10 years.
"This is the third village to disappear with no word or survivors." One of the farmers said worriedly.
"I think we should contact the Daimyo." Another farmer said looking at the mayor.
"And what's the Daimyo gonna do for us? Nothing! We should send for the Uchiha Clan they can defend us." A young brash looking man said standing up.
"Perhaps we should abandon the village and find somewhere else? A place without such an ominous reputation." An older farmer suggested looking scared.
"What!?"
"Never!?"
"Abandon our Home!?"
Multiple shouts broke out after that and the room descended into shouting as the farmers exchanged insults and volleyed excuses and reasons at each other for their own reasons of staying, abandoning or who to contact to save them.
"Enough!" The Mayor's voice cut through the din like a knife and Sasuke was secretly impressed by the old man's ability to control the room of mostly younger men.
"We are not abandoning our village!" He announced after all the other men went silent.
"We will dispatch two runners; One getting sent to the Uchiha and the other to the Daimyo. We will tell them everything about the missing people and the fact that we may be next." He continued talking and the overall mood of the room got calmer the more he talked.
"Now, I want sentries placed on the walls and I want the dogs to be out to help as well. We will not disappear or hand this village over to anyone." He finished with a sharp look at everyone in the room.
"Of course Mayor." One of the older farmers said with a bow.
"Hurry! All of you." He barked and the men scrambled out of the room.
That left the Mayor alone with Sasuke who had already memorised everything that was said but he needed more information that wouldn't be found here. So after waiting a few minutes to see if the Mayor would talk to anyone after that meeting Sasuke left to gather more information.
Neji decided to go to the people who gossiped the most in villages; the merchants.
Those who travelled made their own entertainment through telling stories and gossiping with the locals it was easy for Neji to pick a spot and activate his Byakugan and read the lips of people as well as eavesdrop.
Most of the conversations happening were banal and of no interest to Neji who after double-checking there was no hidden code in the words being spoken moved on and began to narrow his search field down.
Eventually, Neji did catch something of interest.
"Did you hear? Another village has completely disappeared again." One Merchant was speaking to another.
"What's that? The third one now?" The other replied sounding scared.
"Aye. They think it's spirits or the White Snake doing it too." The first whispered but Neji could read his lips easily.
"The White Snake!? Spirits!?" The other sounded scared now.
"What? You believe that stuff?" He asked.
"Of course! No one just disappears. Those poor villages have been taken to the next world now."
"Don't be stupid this is the work of those damn Ninja from across the border. Killing the men and taking the women as they do." He sounded angry now.
"We should leave here soon. This village may be next." The second merchant urged as he began to sweat.
"This village has walls and I've heard that the Mayor plans to get Ninja and Samurai here." The first whispered as if it was confidential information.
"They'll never get here in time we should go now while we have our lives!" The second spoke louder before catching himself and lowering his tone.
"Bah! If this village goes then half my profits go with it." The first spat out sounding angry.
"Better to have your life. Money can always be gotten elsewhere." The second said convincingly.
"Maybe after another day." The first seemed swayed by that argument.
Neji moved on as 2 people on horses blasted through the town at high-speed Neji caught them with his amazing dynamic vision and he noticed they had scrolls clenched to their chests held like children.
The Byakugan was truly an amazing Dojutsu as it had the ability to selectively choose what it saw through and Neji could read the scroll he only managed to catch snippets of each scroll but the main message was the same.
'So one message to the Uchiha and the other to the Daimyo directly. The Uchiha will get their scroll first the Daimyo's palace is nearly at the centre of the Land of Fire, the distance is far too great for one horseman to cover.' Neji thought as he pondered the mystery of the missing villagers.
"There's something in the forest! I swear I saw something when I was coming here!" A specific voice caught Neji's full attention.
"You're tired and you've been travelling for weeks. You probably saw an animal or the wind blew something." A female voice reassured the male one.
"No! It was a man I know what I saw." He argued back.
"You have been travelling to and from this village for weeks on very little sleep. You need rest." The female got firmer now.
"I saw shadows in the forest!" He insisted.
"Yes you did see shadows and you thought they were moving because of the wind." The female made a rational explanation.
"No. I know what I saw." He repeated though it was much weaker than before and Neji could see the man's heartbeat begin to slow.
"Come on, you need sleep." The woman said and moved to help him.
Neji decided he had heard enough and from his vantage point above the villagers disappeared to meet back up with Sasuke so they could collate their findings and make a more informed decision on what they could do to solve this problem.
An Hour Later
Land of Fire
?
Gen'yumaru moved slowly through the underbrush of the plants he had been hiding under observing their new prey and the most difficult one so far. Right now the Ninja was like a snake, stomach pressed against the ground and he moved with a grace that was completely inhuman as he moved quickly around the obstacles in his way.
He eventually reached his destination a small pit that was dug into the land and camouflaged beneath a bed of leaves and sticks.
"Well is it just like we thought?" A voice asked him as he entered the pit.
"Yes." He answered and turned to look at the man who was sitting perfectly still on a log. He was dressed head to toe in a grey-scale uniform with a grey snake patterned scarf which was hung loosely around his neck. His head was also covered as were his eyes by dark shaded glasses and he had a face mask on which covered the bottom portion of his face and his hair and forehead were hidden by a tight bandanna. There was a single identifying mark on the clothes a yin-yang symbol that was pure white.
"Good Orochimaru-Sama will be pleased Gen." He said.
"I don't see the need for this Yoroi." Gen'yumaru said as he sat opposite the man.
"Orochimaru-Sama requires bodies and we will supply them." Yoroi replied simply and Gen'yumaru almost sighed at the single-minded devotion that the man had to the White Snake.
"Where is Misumi?" He asked wanting to change the topic.
"Scouting like you though he's getting more intimate." Yoroi answered and Gen'yumaru knew he was smiling under that mask.
Misume and Yoroi were orphans taken in by Orochimaru and they were experimented on just like the villagers Gen'yumaru had taken but unlike those villagers, Misume and Yoroi survived and were thus recruited just like he was.
'We will never be free from the snake's grasp.' Gen'yumaru thought about his Clan and how they were equally treated as test subjects alongside the civilians they stole.
Being a subordinate of Orochimaru was the same as being a test subject there was very little difference and even if a person served him loyally they would not be exempt from his insane whims as such the best thing to be as boring or dead because then the White Snake would lose interest and he would move on to something else.
'Everything I do is for the sake of my Clan.' Gen'yumaru reminded himself of the mantra he used ever since falling into the snake's grasp.
"I have returned." Misumi's voice floated over the pit as he moved under the camouflage. He moved unnaturally as if his bones were made of rubber and his joints simply did not exist. He was wearing the same uniform as Yoroi except he did not have a scarf and instead his sleeves had the snake-scale pattern on them.
"They have sent messengers out to the Daimyo and the Uchiha Outpost that's nearby, we will need to move quickly before the Uchiha send Ninja here." Misumi explained as he slithered into a sitting position near Yoroi.
"Hmmm." Yoroi hummed unhappily as he digested the information given to him.
"The Uchiha are violently protective of those under their protection, that would make our job to take them and remain hidden near impossible." He finally spoke.
"So we move up the timetable then?" Misumi asked glee clear in his voice.
"Of course! Orochimaru-Sama needs his samples and we will provide them." Yoroi stood up suddenly. He looked offended at the very thought of abandoning their mission.
"Should we call for reinforcements?" Gen'yumaru broached an important topic.
"Why would we need help!?" Yoroi swung around to face him.
"The population is much larger than the other villagers." Misumi pointed out.
"We are all skilled and have even been blessed by our Lord! We do not need to beg for aid!" Yoroi was very against the idea and that made Gen'yumaru wish he got paired up with someone who wasn't a zealot who fully believed in the great White Snake Orochimaru.
"Even so, the village will be on high alert and our most important objective after taking people is to leave no trace of what happened. We won't be able to do that if a fight breaks out or worse we get caught and you know how much Orochimaru-Sama likes to stay beneath notice." Gen'yumaru argued against the pride of Yoroi.
"Grgh!" He growled at hearing the well-reasoned argument.
"As much as I dislike agreeing with him. He does speak the truth Yoroi, Orochimaru-Sama prefers being a legend to fact." Misumi grudgingly agreed with Gen'yumaru.
"Ah" Yoroi sighed and took a moment to take a breath. "Very well I shall send a message to Orochimaru-Sama asking for assistance."
Gen'yumaru nodded in acceptance and returned to his silence while Misumi while infatuated with Orochimaru his fervour did not match Yoroi's.
"So when do make our we move?" Misumi asked Yoroi.
"I shall send the message right away. We shall strike at dawn on the day after tomorrow." Yoroi declared.
"Good, I wouldn't be able to wait any longer than that." Musumi laughed crossing his arms and twisting them tightly around each other in a horribly inhuman way. It was as if he had no bones to speak of.
Gen'yumaru remained silent as was his way and instead thought about the next atrocity he would commit for the sake of his Clan.
Usually, to a Ninja the Clan was all that mattered and once upon a time he thought like that as well but as time went on and he saw just what Orochimaru did to those who were captured. Well no man, woman or child deserved the waking agony that the White Snake inflicted upon his test subjects in the name of furthering his knowledge of the world.
'Maybe the better course to take would have been annihilation rather than submission.' He thought darkly reflecting upon the demonic bargain that the White Snake all but forced upon his Clan.
He forced such thoughts from his mind there was no point in thinking about the past, all he could do now was prepare for the next raid.
Fire-Grass Borderlands
The Next Day
Naruto & Tayuya
The duo of Naruto and Tayuya had to Tayuya's internal relief and Naruto's external happiness managed to make the journey across the length of the Land of Grass without encountering the Fuma Clan or any incident of note which only proved Naruto's earlier claim true at least to himself.
"See I told you." He said with a bright smile.
"It's still not a good thing! We got lost and there's no one with a decent map around here." Tayuya said back gesturing around them.
Currently, they were passing through a very small village which was located right at the declared/claimed border of the Land of Grass and Land of Fire. Most of the villagers claimed they were citizens of the Land of Fire but according to the map that Naruto and Tayuya had of the area they were technically part of the Land of Grass.
Borders were a strange thing when there was no easy geographical landmark to distinguish between countries as the village was located on a flat plain and there were no natural boundaries so the village itself seemed to exist in-between the 2 countries rather than a part of either.
"I'm surprised we ended up going south instead of west." Naruto admitted rubbing the back of his neck.
"Che." Tayuya made a noise of pure displeasure.
"I would have thought you'd know your way around the Land of Grass considering it's your home." Naruto commented trying to rile her up.
"I was only ever deployed in the northeast! We've been travelling west for a day!" And Naruto did indeed succeed in riling her up.
"Well, nothing we can do about it now." Naruto brushed the entire incident off as if it didn't set them back a few days travel time.
"Haaaaaah." Tayuya audibly sighed and brought a hand to her forehead in an attempt to stop her throbbing temples and oncoming headache.
"This is half the fun of travelling! Before I was running from place to place but here there's no one chasing me or wars between Clans going on." Naruto said to her enjoying the peaceful aspect of the village they were walking through.
"Whatever you say Naruto." Tayuya gave up.
"We should get a map from here then we can get back on track." Naruto said as they walked.
"I think that's the first smart idea you've had all day." Tayuya sighed but even then she could not stop the small smirk appearing on her face.
"Come on! We're here now we might as well enjoy it." Naruto tried to cajole her.
"Whatever you want Naruto." Tayuya gave up.
In Tayuya's opinion, Naruto had changed during their journey he had become more cheerful and whatever burden he had was lightened by whatever he had done in the Land of Earth where he was grimmer and less prone to smiling.
It seemed that he was the type of person who enjoyed their freedom and liked his journey more than the destination.
So that was how they spent a few hours of the morning walking around a village taking stock and having a quick breakfast along with locating the local map maker who sold them a map that was worth far less than the sum he was selling it for.
Naruto however paid for it cheerfully not even acknowledging that that man had gouged him for a far greater price.
"It doesn't matter, I have enough money." He had said to her once they left the shop.
'Just how rich is he?' Tayuya thought when he said those words.
They wasted some time in the village but once more and more people began looking at them funny that was when Tayuya made the decision that they had overstayed their welcome in the village and after some whining from Naruto they left following the map he overpaid for.
"So are we gonna cut across the Land of Rain or stay in the Land of Fire?" Tayuya asked Naruto as they jumped from tree to tree.
"I think we should stay in the Land of Fire for now. I've heard a lot of rumours about the Land of Rain." Naruto answered checking the map.
"Good. That's the smart choice. We were always told to stay out of the Land of Rain because of how powerful the average Ninja from there is and that's not even mentioning Hanzo." Tayuya nodded in approval.
"I've even heard of Hanzo, he's one of the contenders for strongest in the world isn't he?" Naruto asked her putting the map away.
"Yeah there's him, Sarutobi Hiruzen the old man of the mountains, Uchiha Itachi the Uchiha's strongest since Madara, Gama Sennin Jiraiya who came out of nowhere and is Clanless, A the fourth who's just like his father, Hoshigaki Kisame the shark from the Land of Water, Senju Tsunade the best Medic-Nin in the world, Terumi Mei whose got two Kekkei Genkai, Ohnoki of the Jinton, Akasuna no Sasori and your old man." Tayuya listed all the big names to Naruto.
"Shortlist." Naruto commented.
"Not that many people can be badass killing machines after all." Tayuya shrugged far more at ease with the thought of travelling around with the son of one of the contenders for strongest in the world.
'If Naruto likes me enough then maybe that means that I'll have his protection as well.' Tayuya thought then realized how she was thinking and wanted to slap herself.
'I'm not Kotohime! I don't try and fuck men for the mission.' She scolded herself.
"Shall we pick up the pace?" Naruto asked her which snapped her out of her less than pure thoughts of doing anything in order to survive.
"Yeah." Tayuya answered automatically not truly paying attention.
Both of them took off at the usual Ninja pacing which was of course extremely fast for anyone not trained in the use of Chakra.
Hours Later
A Certain Village
Naruto and Tayuaya's journey eventually lead them to a village which was located right at the Land of Fire's border with two other countries, the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain which meant it was in a very unfortunate spot in the case of invasion.
The sun was beginning to dip in the sky and bathed the green land in orange and red, it was around this time when most would be preparing for their evening meals and getting ready for the next day.
"We should go inconspicuous to get in here." Tayuya told Naruto as they stood in a tree overlooking the walled village.
The atmosphere was strangely tense and from what they could both see, merchant caravans were leaving the village but no caravans were entering the village which was a cause for alarm since the usual way to get in would be to hide within one of the caravans.
"Something's happened here." Naruto says with conviction even though he has no evidence or context.
"How'd you figure that?" Tayuya asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"A feeling." Naruto answered as a frown settled on his face.
Instinct was a strange thing in the Ninja world as it was usually born from experience and was often a lifesaver but it could also be misleading due to the paranoia that all Ninja eventually develop throughout their short lives. Tayuya hoped Naruto was wrong just this one time as she did not have any desire to have a repeat of what happened in the Land of Earth.
"How should we get in?" Naruto asked as his eyes went over the village entrance again.
"Go around the side and jump the wall?" Tayuya suggested the most obvious and simplest option.
"Hm." Naruto hummed not really commenting on the idea.
"If something is going on here then we need to be quick in and out." Tayuya would never admit it aloud but she was tired from the full day of travel as they had not rested properly since the night before. The pace Naruto had them travel at was brutal for a civilian and even harsh for a Ninja but he was a living ball of Chakra and stamina as such he didn't feel the fatigue as much as Tayuya did.
This was most likely because of his use of the Chimera Jutsu and absorbing the Chakra of multiple people which of course increased his own Chakra and Stamina by a magnitude if put on a scale then Naruto easily had as much Chakra as a veteran Ninja from a strong Clan. Not that Tayuya knew this however she simply thought he was born lucky with powerful Chakra and a resilient body.
"We'll go in now, while there's still enough people for a distraction." Naruto decided and Tayuya agreed, waiting until nightfall was just asking for trouble in a small village.
"So how are we getting in?" Tayuya asked curiously.
"Simple. We're gonna walk through the gate." Naruto said with a smile.
Tayuya always knew that despite his strength Naruto was a moron but that answer just proved it clearly.
With Sasuke and Neji
Sasuke had spent the better part of the last day or so preparing for the oncoming threat even though he had no solid timetable for whatever was coming he still did so.
He and Neji had made a hideout in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the village right near the walls which meant they had a lot of privacy and could easily manoeuvre in and outside of the village itself.
They were currently resting after a day of scouting the surrounding area and thanks to Neji's Byakugan they discovered a campsite which seemed abandoned and was hidden beneath a canvas of leaves and sticks. It had the effect of proving to the both of them that something was coming from the village and it was not a spirit.
Sasuke was currently sitting with his back against the wall of the wooden house they were in with his eyes closed seemingly asleep.
Both he and Neji were in the main room of the house with a burning fire in the centre as was usual for homes in the Land of Fire. They had set up a camp inside and also had a full cooking set up which was currently unused as they had just finished eating.
Neji sat meditating with his legs crossed and hands folded in his lap, though his eyes were open and the Byakugan was active as he concentrated on all he could see.
Then as Sasuke was drifting off to sleep he heard Neji shift and his eyes shot open. "What is it?"
"One male, one female both have Chakra and they've just entered the village." Neji reported as he physically turned to where he saw them.
"Ninja then." Sasuke also stood up and shook off his tiredness.
"Indeed though it seems they are under the Henge Jutsu." Neji could see the outline of Chakra which was indicative of the widely used and basic Ninjutsu.
"Where are they heading?" Sasuke asked as he strapped his pouch to his leg.
"To an Inn, I believe. It seems they want to blend in." Neji reported.
"We should take them out now. They're probably the vanguard for whatever's coming." Sasuke said looking forward to a fight.
"I do not think we should be so hasty in our action." Neji said getting Sasuke to stop right at the door.
"Why?" Sasuke asked sharply.
"Because do we wish to cause a fight to break out when we do not know if our enemy has fully committed to taking this village yet? They may be the vanguard but what of the main force?" Neji asked him.
"You're saying that we should let them do what they want?" Sasuke questioned.
"Yes. Then if they leave we can follow them back to wherever their headquarters is and find the main force or if they remain here we can track them and then take them for interrogation." Neji explained.
It was at this moment that Sasuke was reminded of Itachi his elder brother and chosen successor to their father someone who was acknowledged as the strongest in the Uchiha Clan since the times of Uchiha Madara their ancestor who fought Senju Hashirama to the death in a vicious duel.
And that made Sasuke's hidden inferiority complex flare-up greatly as he was reminded of his unmatched brother. But he was on a mission right now so he swallowed those feelings and buried them deeply.
"All right I can see the advantages to your idea." He conceded and stepped away from the door.
"We must do everything we can to ensure our success if this village falls then the Land of Fire also loses its early warning system for an invasion from the Land of Grass or Rain." Neji said.
"Hm." Sasuke grunted and sat back down, Neji of course had first watch and Sasuke would take over later.
'This mission is important, if Neji has good ideas then I need to listen.' Sasuke reminded himself as he began to try and get some sleep.
'I can feel the tension in the air. Something big will happen and when it does I'll be ready.' He mentally vowed.
Nearby
Gen'yumaru watched over the village with a critical eye, he was given the duty of identifying weakness within the village defences and so far he had found more than a handful.
Parts of the stone wall were crumbling and weaker in certain areas, the gate into the village was made of wood paired with the fact that there were not enough men patrolling the walls and as such there were huge gaps where they could jump over.
'This village may be bigger but it has no chance just like the rest of them.' He thought. The greatest threat was the messages that were sent to the Daimyo and Uchiha but even then they would be too late as at dawn tomorrow they would strike and of course, Orochimaru had sent reinforcements to them which Yoroi was currently ordering around as they prepared for what was to come.
"Fooo." He let out a long breath and watched as the lights in the village went out one by one until only the street lamps remained and the lanterns of the militia which were patrolling the streets.
"Enjoy tonight, it will be the last peaceful night you all have. After tomorrow there will be nothing but waking agony." Gen'yumaru said sadly.
There was nothing else for him to say so after giving the village one final look he disappeared back into the darkness which has complete hold over him.
The Next Day
Naruto woke up early the next day rising even earlier than the sun itself before dawn. Tayuya was sleeping in a bed next to him.
They had entered the village under a Henge Jutsu which disguised them as an old couple and of course, Naruto had pulled out the medicine box that he got in the Land of Lightning and they appeared to be an old herbalist couple and the guards after a few moments let them in easily enough.
From there they walked around the village to get a lay of the land and after doing a quick scout they found an Inn and a very grateful young couple who had lost a lot of customers over the past 3 or so days.
They got a single room but with 2 separate beds which was a demand Tayuya made and Naruto didn't care enough to argue with her, it wasn't like he wanted to sleep with her anyway.
After that was sorted Tayuya got talking to the couple when they had dinner and found out that 3 entire villages had their entire populations disappeared and this was the closest village to the ones that disappeared and seemed to be next on the list.
"Don't worry though, the mayor has sent messages to the Daimyo and the Uchiha Clan so we should be okay!" The male owner assured them while his wife nodded along looking less assured.
After that Naruto made sure to apply some Fuinjutsu to the room they were staying in and also created a few Kage Bunshin to keep watch inside and outside of the room for extra protection.
Those Clones were still around and the 2 inside the room nodded at him when he woke up. Naruto dispelled them and there was nothing of note in the memories he got from them either.
As Naruto went about doing his normal morning routine which wasn't much beyond checking his equipment and getting dressed.
As he went about doing these tasks he felt a sudden surge of Chakra and a feeling of drowsiness began to make him feel sleepy after a moment he realised what had happened and he clapped his hands together loudly and unleashed his own Chakra to fight the feeling.
"KAI!" He shouted as he pulsed his Chakra which shook the room and made Tayuya jump out of bed with a kunai in hand.
"What's going on!?" She asked him looking around wildly.
"Genjutsu." He said back and watched as her eyes dipped just a little before she broke it with ease. Tayuya's talent with Genjutsu was the best he had ever seen.
"Someone's got talent, It's over the entire village." She muttered instantly grasping it.
"Get ready. There's going to be a fight." Naruto said to her and she nodded at him.
"I can't believe you're this cursed Naruto." She muttered as she got ready. Naruto was facing away looking out the window to see if there was any movement outside and of course to not watch Tayuya changing.
It was hard however when the sun began to rise and went through the window and Naruto took a step back to stop it from blinding him and he caught a glimpse of Tayuya's reflection in the window. She was in the process of putting down her sleeping shirt and she had turned to pick up her shirt, Naruto caught a glimpse of her body and the blood rushed to his head and looked away to the stone wall of the room.
"I'm done." Tayuya said as Naruto heard the rustling of clothes stop.
"Right!" Naruto squeaked and he went back to the window.
"What's with you?" She asked suspiciously.
"Nothing! I just felt a burst of Chakra is all." Naruto lied and opened the window.
"Let's go!" He said and jumped out and after a moment Tayuya followed him.
They landed in the street and there was no noise apart from the sound of their sandals clacking on the stone street beneath them.
"What the hell is going on?" Naruto asked aloud as he felt the Chakra come over him again.
"Someone's actively recasting the same Genjutsu over the entire village. Whoever's doing it is good." Tayuya said as she analysed the Genjutsu with her critical eye.
"Come on I feel people that way!" Naruto detected multiple Chakra signatures ahead of them towards the entrance gate.
"Yeah, that's where the Genjutsu is coming from." Tayuya nodded and pulled out her flute ready for combat.
They went straight to the source of the Genjutsu and found a very strange group of people. There were 6 of them who were all dressed similarly in grey-scaled clothes that all had a snake-scale pattern on them, 2 of them were dressed head to toe in the same uniform but 1 had a scarf. The third was dressed in a white-grey kimono with a huge purple band wrapped elaborately around his waist with a pure white Yin-Yang well Yin-Yin symbol on the back of it, those 3 were all adults and stood tall.
The other 3 that were shifting the bodies of the villagers in orderly piles, 2 boys and one girl each dressed in the same kind of uniform. 1 boy was covered in bandages and it was impossible to see what he looked like and had a heavy gauntlet on each arm, the other boy had black hair and looked rather plain though he did have the kanji for Shi (Death) printed on his shirt along with a metal happuri which guarded his cheeks.
The girl also had very long black hair and she too had a snake-scale scarf and she had no sleeves on her uniform.
The 3 Adults were inspecting the unconscious villagers while the 3 teenagers seemed to go and retrieve them but the one person that stood out the most was simply observing.
It was impossible to tell if it was a man or woman but they were tall and completely covered by a black cloak. The only visible parts were the arms which were covered in black sleeves and gloves which were held in the Tiger Hand Sign.
"That's the one casting the Genjutsu." Tayuya whispered to Naruto. They were currently hiding on a roof nearby where they could see the collection of bodies by the mysterious Ninja.
"How should we do this?" Naruto asked her watching them carefully.
"Do it? We should go the other direction and leave." Tayuya replied incredulously. This had nothing to do with either of them and Tayuya could not understand why Naruto was asking that question.
"I can't leave them. Look at what they're doing to an entire village." Naruto pointed out.
"What?" Tayuya was utterly confused by his sudden need to fight people.
But then it hit her Naruto had said to her when they first met in the Land of Earth that he saved her because it was the right thing to do and Tayuya came to a realisation about Naruto that was so obvious that she disregarded it out of hand due to the both of them being Ninja.
Naruto wanted to help people in distress.
It was that simple.
"Guh! Why do we have to do this grunt work?" The black-haired boy complained as he dropped another body into the pile to be sorted.
"Shut up Zaku! We do as ordered." The bandaged-clad boy scolded him. His voice was surprisingly deep.
"Tch." Zaku let out an unhappy noise but he continued his job.
"Heh." The girl chuckled.
"Something to say Kin?" The bandaged boy who was obviously the leader asked her.
"No. Nothing at all Dosu." She answered and turned back to her task.
"Perhaps instead of grumbling all of you should focus on the two rats on the roof." The Black-clad figure spoke revealing it knew about Naruto and Tayuya spying on them. The voice was smooth and belonged to a man at least according to Tayuya's ears.
"What!" 6 eyes fell on their position.
"Shit!" Naruto cursed and looked at Tayuya. "Do that."
"Got it." Tayuya instantly understood what he meant by those two words and she blew into her flute making a high sweet note.
"Futon: Reppusho!" Naruto unleashed two blasts of winds at the 3 teenagers who instantly charged Naruto's position after hearing the words from the robed man who was standing still observing. Naruto himself had jumped into the air to get away from Tayuya.
"Not good enough!" Zaku held out both of his arms and Naruto noticed small holes in the palms of his hands.
"ZANKUHA!" He unleashed his own twin blasts of air and negated Naruto's Jutsu which resulted in an explosion of wind in all directions.
"Counterbalancing huh." Naruto commented as he landed on the ground in front of the entire group.
"Who the hell are you?" The bandaged boy-Dosu demanded.
"Naruto." He answered easily.
"What the hell is a Ninja doing here? Not even an Uchiha either." Kin the girl said as she brought out Senbon 3 held in both hands between her fingers.
"Trust me this was not what I had in mind when I left the Land of Grass." Naruto commented glibly.
"Stop talking and kill him! There can be no witnesses!" One of the covered adults shouted at the teenagers.
"Sorry, we're gonna have to kill you now." Zaku said snidely and held up both of his arms aimed at Naruto.
"Futon: Daitoppa!" Naruto unleashed a massive blast of wind at them not wanting to waste any more time.
The surprise attack almost worked except for Zaku unleashing another of his Zankuha Jutsu which this time did not cancel out the Futon Ninjutsu but instead weakened it to the point where they could safely jump out of the way.
"Fools! Remember the Test Subjects!" The shouting adult screamed at them and moved to intercept the Jutsu. A strange thing then occurred as instead of the Wind Jutsu blasting him away it seemed to get sucked into his body until it was gone.
'Hm! Did he absorb my Ninjutsu?' Naruto thought at seeing that occur.
Then Naruto had to dodge as 6 Senbon flew at him Kin threw them right at his head but Naruto expected retaliation and he dodged them.
But something was wrong with him as he dodged them and he lost his balance which was taken advantage of by Dosu who charged forward and threw a punch at Naruto who despite his state managed to block the attack.
"Fool." Dosu said with his one visible eye gleaming in satisfaction. There was a rush of wind and Naruto's right ear burst and began to leak blood as he collapsed to his knees.
"That was Kyomeisen my own Ninjutsu." Dosu boasted as he raised his other hand up to punch Naruto again.
"Wait! Where's the girl!?" The quieter fully covered adult noticed.
"Who cares Misumi! We shall kill her after him!" He was shouted at by his colleague.
"Too easy." The Kimono wearer muttered as Dosu punched the blonde boy to death.
"Kai." The cloaked man's voice intoned and the reality around them shattered.
"Careless. That was very careless." He scolded them as they found themselves standing back where they were at the start of the fight. There was a melody playing in the air that they didn't notice before.
"I expected you 3 to get caught but Misumi, Yoroi and you Gen'yumaru I expected better from you 3." He continued scolding them.
"I didn't expect him to break it so easily." Tayuya muttered to Naruto. They had shifted position and were hiding behind a wall near the 7 enemies.
"He's really good." Naruto whispered.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" A new voice shouted out and a fireball erupted from one of the buildings and forced the 7 of them to retreat.
A black-haired boy wearing navy appeared and was intercepted by the kimono wearing Gen'yumaru who lashed out with a kick and stopped him.
"Uchiha and Hyuga! How rare!" The black-robed man said excitedly, the first bit of emotion he expressed.
Another black-haired boy wearing white was stopped by the other 2 adults who intercepted his pin-point Taijutsu strikes.
"Sasuke." He said to the black-haired boy.
"I know." Sasuke replied and he forced the adult back by whipping out a kunai and slashing at him.
"Gen! Take care of that brat, this one's ours." Yoroi ordered.
"Understood." Gen'yumaru sighed.
"Tayuya looks like those 2 are on our side for now so don't get them in your Jutsu." Naruto decided.
"The moment they try to stab you, I'm gonna let them, teach you a lesson." Tayuya said to him.
"Sure." Naruto agreed and he moved out to fight the Dosu, Zaku and Kin.
"Wait! That girl uses bells to fuck your senses and that other one uses those gauntlets to manipulate air. I saw their Jutsu when I had them in the Genjutsu." Tayuya informed him just before he left their hiding place.
"Thanks, Tayuya! You're amazing!" Naruto grinned at her which caused a small flush to appear on her cheeks.
"Hurry up and get out there!" She ordered him and brought the flute back to her lips.
Naruto did indeed move out spectacularly as he slammed his knee into Kin's head as she was distracted by the other fights.
"Kin!" Zaku shouted out at seeing her drop.
Dosu turned on his heel right away and lashed out at Naruto who dodged the blow this time and angled himself so that Zaku could not unleash his own Jutsu without hitting Dosu as well.
"This won't take long." Naruto said with a smirk as he cracked his knuckles.
"Don't get arrogant you blonde fuck!" Zaku said darkly.
There was a moment of complete stillness and then the 3 moved while a soft melody played in the background.
With Neji
Neji had not expected the 2 Ninja he found sneaking into the village to not be affiliated with the Ninja stealing villages but it was a welcome surprise and also allowed him to make moves towards the true culprit the man with a huge amount of Chakra who was standing back in a cloak that his Byakugan couldn't see through which was greatly worrying to the Hyuga.
If a material existed which could block the Byakugan then that would be the bane of the entire Hyuga Clan as such Neji had double the motivation to capture the mysterious figure.
"A Hyuga!? I see the alliance is strong if they sent a Hyuga here." Yoroi said as he flexed his wrists.
"This should be fun." Misumi muttered as he limbered up and took a fighting stance.
"Hmph." Neji made a dismissive sound and slid into the Jyuken opening stance.
Neji moved first and he slammed two fingers into Yoroi's deltoid and made the arm flop down. Neji had attacked the nerve under the skin now Yoroi would be unable to use that arm for a while.
When he went to hit Misumi however there was no such luck as Misumi's body bent out of the way in a completely inhuman manner as if his body was made of water.
Neji kept composure and simply adjusted his attack pattern and threw two more finger jabs one at where Misumi was and the other where he predicted the man would dodge too.
But even then Misumi's body bent out of the way again and he reared back as his right arm was held backwards like a whip ready to crack downwards.
"My Nan no Kaizo is completely unique in the entire world! There is no strike I cannot dodge." He boasted as he brought his arm down on Neji's head. But Neji used his momentum from charging forward to spin.
"Hakkesho Kaiten!" He shouted as he spun around faster and faster, Chakra erupted from his body and a dome of blue Chakra formed around Neji. Both Misumi and Yoroi were repelled from his and had burns where they came into contact with the Jutsu.
"The Kaiten at his age? Impressive." The black-cloaked figure sounded impressed by the display.
Neji stopped his defensive Jutsu and decided that enough was enough and he would end this fight now.
He engaged both of them in rapid close-quarters combat the ideal place for a Hyuga to be as weaved through their clumsy strikes and countered with his own and he began to hit Misumi while Yoroi was more in a supporting role due to his numbed arm.
There came a point in the battle where Neji pushed too far forward and he separated Misumi from Yoroi, and Yoroi went off to his flank while Neji concentrated on finishing Misumi but to Neji's shock, the man grabbed his wrist and then like liquid he completely restrained Neji by wrapping himself around Neji whose arms and legs were restrained.
"I have you now." Misumi whispered into Neji's ear as he held Neji in place.
"Jukenho: Ichigekishin!" Neji responded with the name of his next Jutsu. Neji unleashed Chakra from every Tenketsu on his body and that Chakra went right through Misumi whose grip loosened immediately and blood erupted from his mouth, nose, ears and eyes as Neji's Chakra ripped through him.
"RARGH!" Yoroi roared and grabbed Neji's head with his good arm and Neji felt his Chakra drain.
"My ability is the greatest gift from my Lord! Every Ninja falls to it!" He boasted madly.
'He can absorb Chakra and at such a high rate.' Neji thought with some panic as he felt his Chakra dip.
Yoroi kicked Neji hard in the ribs and then headbutted him splitting Neji's lip and making him stumbled backwards but Neji would not take the assault without retaliating.
Neji hit the man in the throat with a sharp chop which made Yoroi choke and loosen his grip enough for Neji to take advantage and he did so ruthlessly.
"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!" Neji grimly declared.
Neji moved so quickly that his movements became a vague blur and he lashed out with brutal punishing strikes each of which sealed a Tenketsu. Just as the name intended Neji dealt 64 brutal strikes to Yoroi who could do nothing but take them.
After Neji finished his barrage of strikes, Yoroi managed to take a single step forward. "No." He murmured as he fell to the ground as the full extent of the damage set in.
Neji turned from the dead man and stared at the cloaked leader who was watching him curiously.
Neji moved to capture him.
Same Time
Sasuke
Sasuke looked at Gen'yumaru impassively as the other fights clashed around them. Gen'yumaru stared back with his own empty stare.
Sasuke was not one for words to begin with so he simply began the fight by launching shuriken at the passive man who responded in kind and the air sparked as metal hit metal.
Sasuke used the shuriken as a distraction and moved in to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the man who was still standing placidly. Sasuke threw a punch at his liver intending to make them buckle but Sasuke's fist was caught, so Sasuke threw a kick aimed at the back of Genb'yumaru's leg but that too was blocked by a mirroring kick.
"You!" Sasuke growled now realising the true skill of his opponent.
"I am the strongest of my Clan." He stated flatly. "It was why I was sent here."
Sasuke then grabbed the wrist of the hand holding him and twisted around getting inside Gen'yumaru's guard and threw him over his shoulder which also failed as Gen'yumaru landed on his feet though he was in an awkward position with his back bent and he was forced to let go of Sasuke.
Gen'yumaru then kicked Sasuke catching his left arm and then unleashed a blade of wind which Sasuke dodged it was good that he did as the invisible wind blade cut right through the house behind him.
Sasuke slid across the floor and ignored the hard stone scraping his arms and legs and sprung up near the taller man and slashed at him with a kunai which was just barely dodged as his kimono was cut by the metal.
"Too slow." He muttered to Sasuke and reached out to grab him.
Sasuke slipped out of the way and jumped up and delivered an axe kick which was of course grabbed and Gen'yumaru then swung Sasuke intent on slamming him into the ground but that was what Sasuke had planned and he twisted in the air and kicked Gen'yumaru's hand with his other leg making the grip loosen enough that he could flip out and over Gen'yumaru and landed behind him.
"Katon: Hosenka!" Sasuke raced through the Hand Signs and unleashed a barrage of small fireballs point-blank at Gen'yumaru. It was a dangerous and desperate thing to unleash a Ninjutsu at point-blank range as not only could your opponent stop your Hand Signs they could also easily dodge and the user could also get badly hurt from their own Jutsu
He finally showed some emotion as his eyes widened and he grimaced at the fire. Gen'yumaru managed to dodge most of the blazing balls of fire by jumping straight up into the air but one got him in his left leg and the singed his right arm.
Sasuke knew he had to capitalise on this advantage so he pulled a scroll out of his pouch and unsealed a full four-bladed Fuma Shuriken which he then threw at his opponent along with a handful of normal shuriken and kunai.
These were of course dodged but then Sasuke smirked and he pulled on the Fuma Shuriken and Gen'yumaru realised a moment too late that all of the kunai and shuriken had razor-thin wire wrapped around them which allowed Sasuke to control them.
Sasuke manipulated the shuriken with a beautiful flourish and Gen'yumaru was impaled upon them as they hit him in the back from his blind spot.
"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!" Sasuke went through more hand signs and the wires he was holding lit up in flames which formed a dragon's head and charged right at Gen'yumaru who was impaled with the weapons the wires were attached to.
Gen'yumaru remained calm and he went through his own Hand Signs. "Suiton: Suijin..." He never got to finish his Jutsu as there was a loud harsh note which cut through the battlefield and for just a moment it made Gen'yumaru freeze and the fire hit him.
Sasuke panted as the wires went loose and he watched the firestorm carefully, he was shocked when the fire was snuffed and a burned Gen'yumaru walked from the smoke, his entire upper body was badly burned the skin was cracked and red.
"You did well. Young Uchiha." He complimented and then fell to his knees as blood poured.
Sasuke walked over with a kunai in hand.
"Would you tell me why you're doing this?" He asked trying to get information.
"I was ordered to by the man who subdued my Clan." Gen'yumaru answered honestly.
"What's his name?" Sasuke asked again.
Gen'yumaru smiled at him. "Orochimaru the White Snake." Then he fell dead before Sasuke reached him.
Sasuke stared at the body then he looked over to the other battle with the blonde boy and the pink-haired girl.
'She had a flute and what did that noise do?' He asked himself. Gen'yumaru was about to use a Suiton Ninjutsu and stop his Fire one but he froze just as he was about to use it and the only reason he would have frozen was because of that noise.
'They interfered in my battle!' Sasuke thought outraged but then he looked over to see Neji approaching the leader of these Ninja and thought back to Itachi's words.
'Put the mission first and bury your own feelings.' Itachi had advised him.
So Sasuke turned away from Naruto and Tayuya and went to help his partner.
Same Time
Naruto & Tayuya
Naruto had been pushed back when Dosu tried to hit him with one of his gauntlet-clad fists but due to Tayuya's warning about what she had seen in the Genjutsu, Naruto easily dodged the blow and jumped back creating some distance between them.
There were no words for them to exchange as Zaku moved to stand next to his teammate. Both looked furious and exchanged whispered words that Naruto couldn't hear due to distance and Tayuya's own music which had faded into the background at this point while the fights raged on.
"Suiton: Mizurappa!" Naruto decided on a different tactic this time and shot a blast of water out of his mouth aimed at both of his opponents.
Dosu moved instantly and dodged the blast of water but Zaku was clipped by it as he jumped out of the way, his left leg was hit and caused him to hit the ground hard and roll to bleed off his momentum before coming to a stop by hitting the pile of bodies they had been collecting.
Dosu didn't even acknowledge his ally's injury and simply charged at Naruto again intent on closing the distance to engage in Taijutsu combat.
Naruto was about to go through more Hand Signs for his next Jutsu but then he felt a build of Chakra and realised he had made a mistake as Dosu was no longer in the line of fire to Zaku from firing off his really strange Wind Jutsu.
"Zankuha!" He roared though only with one arm as he was kneeling down and his other arm was supporting his body.
The Blast of air was invisible but Naruto could feel the Chakra incoming right at him, so in a huge blur of speed, he dodged to what he thought was the edge of the blast which was hard to judge due to the fact that it was the wind.
But Naruto had judged it correctly as he felt the wind just brush his back as he came to a skidding stop. The blast continued behind him and demolished the wall of one of the houses.
'That has some power behind it. It looks like it's not even a Jutsu, those holes in his hands are not natural.' Naruto thought as he recovered from the near-miss.
Naruto was fighting 2 opponents and Dosu was now finally within range he threw a punch at Naruto who just barely dodged it by a hair's breadth. That however was not enough as Dosu's Jutsu activated and sound waves went from the gauntlet right into Naruto's ears and caused him to drop to his knees as blood leaked from one of his ears.
"You don't look so tough now. My Kyomeisen damages your semicircular canals, I bet you feel like vomiting right now." Dosu gloated and raised another arm ready to smash down on Naruto's head.
"Wait! That fuckers mine Dosu!" Zaku shouted as he got back to his feet and approached Naruto.
"Mateki: Mugen Onsa." Tayuya's voice echoed throughout the area and she unleashed a single harsh note at the end of a melody.
Both Zaku and Dosu froze in place as the Genjutsu set in and they were bound in wire and got to watch the skin and muscle melt from their bones.
To the both of them, they were kneeling in an empty desert under a blazing hot sun and they had wires wrapped around their arms which were held out.
Naruto ruthlessly took advantage as he swept Dosu's leg from under him and then rammed a kunai in his chest. Dosu died before he managed to break Tayuya's Genjutsu.
Zaku on the other hand did the only thing he could have in this situation flooded both of his arms with massive amounts of Chakra and unleashed his strongest Jutsu.
"Zankukyokuha!" He roared as the wind blasted from both of his palms like a tornado.
Naruto jumped back but was still shaky on his feet as he wobbled avoiding the attack.
Zaku's desperate gambit worked and he was broken free of Tayuya's Genjutsu through sheer force.
"Futon: Kazekiri!" Naruto unleashed a blade of wind aimed at cutting Zaku in half.
Zaku noticed the Jutsu and moved to dodge only just like before the Jutsu just caught him and Zaku's left arm was severed from his body along with a deep cut on his left side.
"AARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!" He screamed in pain as blood erupted from the wounds.
"Ninpo: Oto Bakuhatsu!" Tayuya unleashed one of the Shiin Clan's Hiden Ninjutsu that she had learned during their training days. The Jutsu unleashed a blast of rigid sound that hit Zaku right in the chest and sent him skidding backwards and due to the force, he was still on his feet.
"Suiton: Suidan!" Naruto finished Zaku off with a blast of water which punched through his stomach and finally made him flop face-first into the floor.
"Thanks for the cover Tayuya." Naruto said and turned around to see Tayuya standing over the girl-Kin with a bloody kunai and a rapidly increasing pool of blood coming from the girl.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked her.
"She's an enemy and we have to kill our enemies. Surely your not that naive." Tayuya said to him as she wiped the blood of the kunai. She had cut Kin's throat which was a quick death relative to what happened to Zaku.
"No. I know what we have to do." Naruto sighed. "It just gives me a bad feeling doing that kind of stuff.
"You can think about that later we have one more left. And it looks like it's gonna be a race." Tayuya pointed out that their allies of convenience had finished their opponents off and were heading towards the black-cloaked figure.
"Right! Let's go!" Naruto ran after the man.
Present
Neji, Sasuke, Naruto and Tayuya had started and finished their fights in roughly the same time frame. Neji was the closest to the leader and as such reached him first while Sasuke was hot on his heels followed by Naruto and Tayuya who were watching carefully.
Neji engaged the man in Taijutsu as was the Hyuga way and he noticed the man's hand was lit up with Chakra and seemed sharp to his enhanced eyes. If Neji did not have his Byakugan activated he would have easily seen that the Chakra was visible to the naked eye and hummed dangerously in the air.
He was also very good at evasion as Neji had not managed to hit him once even with the Byakugan, then Neji made a mistake and overstepped just slightly as he did a double palm thrust aimed at the man's lungs to reduce his breathing.
Instead of hitting the man in the chest, Neji was hit in the thigh by the Chakra clad hand and pain erupted from the point of contact and radiated up his leg. Neji lost all strength in that leg and he dropped down onto one knee while his leg flopped uselessly.
He stayed calm and looked at his thigh to see what had happened and to his shock, the muscles in his thigh were cut cleanly even though there was no external wound.
Sasuke rushed past him at that point eager to clash with their enemy.
"Be careful he cut the muscles in my thigh!" Neji warned him loudly.
Sasuke did not respond but he did throw kunai and shuriken at the man opting for a mid-range encounter over close quarters.
The kunai and shuriken were easily deflected away with the Chakra clad hand and Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Jutsu.
"That's the Chakra Scalpel. A Jutsu used by Medic-Nin." Sasuke said aloud as Naruto and Tayuya arrived.
Tayuya was the furthest away from Sasuke and the mysterious man while Naruto had walked past Neji and stood by Sasuke at the front.
"How interesting this situation is." The man mused. "Uchiha, Hyuga, Shiin and of course Uzumaki."
Naruto stiffened from that identification. The only people in the world who knew he was an Uzumaki were obviously the Clan itself along with his father and Jiraiya and Kakashi.
"Uzumaki?" Sasuke looked over at Naruto and Tayuya out of the corner of his eyes.
"Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Neji, and of course Uzumaki Naruto. What a gathering of bloodlines here." He was very informed and sounded very happy with the present company.
"I know why you two are here, the Uchiha are far too prideful to let people under their protection get hurt but what is strange is you 2. Tell me why is the last of the Shiin Clan travelling with a boy who should be far south?" He asked curiously.
"None of your business fucker." Tayuya spat at him with fire in her eyes.
"Why are you stealing innocent people?" Naruto asked his own question instead and buried the unease he felt at being identified so easily.
"That is none of your business unless the Uzumaki Clan have an interest in the Land of Fire." He retorted.
"Enough! You will be taken in and interrogated!" Sasuke's patience ran out and he shouted at the man.
"Stay out of my way! This is nothing to do with you!" Sasuke ordered Naruto pointing at him.
"Wait! He's.." Naruto began to talk but Sasuke ignored him and charged forward at his enemy who chuckled at seeing the charging Ninja.
"So impatient." He commented before grabbing the hand Sasuke tried to punch him with and twisting it and slamming Sasuke to the floor and for extra humiliation placed a foot on Sasuke's head grinding his face in the dirt.
"Now onto the last 2." He said and after letting go of Sasuke's arm he shot forward.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock at seeing how quickly the man moved and just barely dodged the blue Chakra covered hand that lashed out towards his chest.
"I've been thinking about you and I think I understand why you're here now." He commented idly as if he wasn't trying to kill/maim Naruto.
"Mateki: Genreiha!" Tayuya used another of her new Jutsu and the Genjutsu washed over everyone but Naruto.
What they all saw was a huge snake-like spirit form from the air, it had 2 huge golden eyes and white scales though it looked translucent like an actual spirit or Youkai along with very human-looking spiked teeth. This monster then charged at the cloaked man who dispelled it instantly.
Sasuke and Neji took more time to break free of Tayuya's Genjutsu but when they did they saw that the man had bypassed Naruto completely and held Tayuya by the throat with one hand.
"Now. Now. You're going to be a pain little Shiin. You're Genjutsu are very effective and that makes my job harder." He scolded her like she was his child.
"Fu-fuck you!" Tayuya choked out as she grabbed the arm holding her with
her own hands and sunk her nails deep into it.
"Such a terrible mouth for a girl." He sighed and flexed making her choke more as his grip got tighter.
"Tayuya!" Naruto shouted and ran forward to save her.
"Aha! Not another step or I'll break her neck." He warned Naruto.
"You!" Naruto growled at him.
"I think you are here on your father's orders. But what would Namikaze Minato want here?" He wondered aloud while looking at Naruto.
"Namikaze Minato's son!?" Neji repeated shocked looking at the back of the blonde boy's head.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke had recovered and he was pissed. He ran through the Hand Signs and filled his lungs with as much Chakra as he could and unleashed a gigantic fireball that was easily 5 times bigger than the previous one he used.
And it was aimed right at Naruto, Tayuya and their cloaked enemy.
"That might be a problem." The man commented idly as he dropped Tayuya suddenly who fell to the ground coughing and hacking as she tried to breathe again.
"You!" Naruto was just as angry at Sasuke and he had no choice in what he had to do now.
"Hyoton: Hyogan Domu!" Naruto combined the Wind and Water Natures within him and called forth the Ice which formed into a perfect spherical dome.
This Hyoton Ninjutsu was taught to him by Haku during their short time training together and it was probably the most defensive Jutsu Naruto had at his disposal as he still only knew basic Doton Ninjutsu and none of them would have stopped what Sasuke had unleashed at him.
"The Hyoton!" The man shouted with glee at seeing the ice dome form.
The fireball smashed into the ice dome and steam hissed as the two Ninjutsu made contact, eventually, the fire petered out and the dome was left steaming but still intact though the outer layers had melted from the sheer heat of the Jutsu.
"A non-Yuki using the Hyoton how utterly amazing!" The man said like a happy child discovering a new toy.
"Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki!" Naruto followed up instantly and the dome was transformed into a flock of swallows and shot right at the man.
He was so enraptured by the ice that he didn't even bother to dodge and the flock of ice swallows impaled him or went right through.
Tayuya was spared from the assault as she had jumped away on shaky legs after getting her breath back.
"What a fascinating experience." The man said as he collapsed backwards onto his back.
Naruto ran over to Tayuya to check on her but was shouted off. "Ignore me! Finish him off!"
Naruto changed direction and his senses screamed at him to dodge so he did as Sasuke kicked at Naruto and jumped over him in order to reach their enemy first.
"Hey! What the Hell!" Naruto said to him but Sasuke ignored him and rammed a kunai into the man's chest and ripped the hood off his face.
"What!?" Sasuke shouted at seeing the man's face.
"Sorry. But I was never here." The man said with a grin and he died.
Naruto went over and made a noise of disgust at seeing the face.
"Urgh!"
The man's face could barely be called human. It was pale-white and inhuman colour and it looked like the bones in the face was smashed into pulp as it had no defining features save for eyes which were a neutral brown, no nose which was horrifying as there were just two small slits for nostrils and a mouth which had no lips. He was also completely hairless and it was unnatural and not just a shaved head.
"He looks like a puppet." Naruto said both fascinated and repulsed by the man.
"He probably was," Neji commented as he limped over with a branch under one arm as a makeshift crutch.
"I saw the Chakra controlling him leave when you landed that blow." Neji told Sasuke who was staring at the man unblinking.
"Fucking creep." Tayuya said with a hoarse voice and holding her throat.
"You two!" Sasuke jumped up suddenly and turned on them.
"What's your connection to them!?" He shouted at them.
"Nothing! We're just passing through!" Naruto shouted back not at him.
"And what's wrong with you!? Using a Katon Jutsu like that!" Naruto was not backing down and he and Sasuke were face to face getting ready for a fight.
"ENOUGH!" Neji shouted getting everyone's attention.
"Sasuke, we came here to find out why villagers are disappearing and we have found it. Our mission is complete." He reminded Sasuke.
"They could be part of this. It can't be a coincidence that we find them here just as the villager gets attacked." Sasuke argued.
"Fuck off. We got caught up in your shit and did the job for you. You 2 fuckers should be grateful." Tayuya was as eloquent and calming as ever.
"If you truly are here by coincidence then we have no reason to fight and subdue you. So if you are just passing through then leave now and we will not stop you." Neji said and silence Sasuke with a look.
"Fine. We don't have anything to with them and I don't want to fight the Uchiha or the Hyuga." Naruto said after a moment of silence and he turned around.
"Come on Tayuya. We're leaving." He said and disappeared in a burst of smoke.
Tayuya took one look at the 2 black-haired boys and flipped them off before doing the same.
"Why did you let them go?" Sasuke asked after he could no longer sense them.
"Because I am injured and you used most of your Chakra with that fireball. We are in no condition for another fight." Neji answered clearly as he refocused on Sasuke.
"And if he truly is Namikaze Minato's son then we would gain a very powerful enemy if we took him prisoner." Neji added on.
"He's an Uzumaki and the son of the Kiiroi Senko. But he doesn't have any connection to the Yuki Clan so how does he have the Hyoton?" Sasuke asked looking at where Naruto and Tayuya left.
"I do not know but we will report everything to our Clans after we clean up this mess." Neji said with a sigh and looked over at the carnage.
"Fine. But I'm not happy that we didn't take them in." Sasuke said to Neji.
"That's fine. I can be judged by my actions later after we have completed the mission.
"Yrgh!"
"Yaaaaaaaawn."
"Aaaaaaaaahh."
The villagers were beginning to stir now that the Genjutsu was lifted and that meant Sasuke and Neji would have to finish their conversation later.
With Naruto & Tayuya
Naruto and Tayuya had left the village and kept going west, they would cross the direct border between the Land of Fire and Land of Wind and avoid the Land of Rain due to the danger involved in stepping into Hanzo's domain.
Currently, they were hopping from tree to tree side by side though Tayuya kept glancing at Naruto and eventually she got sick of the silence.
"So when were you going to tell me that you had the Hyoton?" She asked calmly, her voice was still a little hoarse but otherwise, she was fine. Unlike Naruto who was still a little shaky, he hadn't even wiped the blood that dripped from his ear either.
"I wasn't but I needed to." Naruto answered looking ahead.
'I should have used the Ranton, that was the one Jiraiya, Kakashi and Dad know I have but now Tayuya knows I have the Hyoton which makes things hard.' Naruto thought with some fright.
"So you're from the Uzumaki Clan but you have the Yuki's Kekkei Genkai." Tayuya reasoned out.
"Yeah, it's rare but it can happen. My mom had a very strong Water Nature and a weak Wind one. My Dad had a strong Wind nature but a weak Water one." Naruto explained using the very explanation that his Dad had given him when he first explained the possibility of Kekkei Genkai appearing in people.
"Hm. I guess that makes sense." Tayuya said though she was still watching Naruto carefully.
"We'll get to the border proper and have a rest before crossing over." Naruto changed the subject.
"Okay. That's fine." Tayuya let the subject drop for now but it was obvious to Naruto that she would be questioning him in the future.
'This was supposed to be a quick journey but now things are getting complicated. I still need 2 more Kekkei Genkai and rescue Samui.' Naruto thought about the future.
'Once I get 4 I'm not in any rush to finish so I should head back to the Land of Lightning and break that Fuinjutsu on Samui then we can all travel together.' He thought with a smile.
There was strength in numbers and unaffiliated Ninja often did so as a way to counter the teams sent out by Ninja Clans, he and Tayuya were good at working together but had Samui who was more skilled than Naruto was would be even better and make everything easier.
Naruto had high hopes for the future at this point with his end goal in sight. But there was one thing that hadn't really occurred to Naruto yet.
What would he do when he completed the Chimera Jutsu and got 5 Kekkei Genkai. It was a question that would need answering soon.
AN:
Wow! Here you all are Chapter 40 and a massive one at that, hope you all enjoy it.
So this was supposed to be out on Friday however work and life (Final Fantasy XIV) got in the way and I ended up finishing it Sunday night and editing it Monday. I did overshoot the 10000 words but I really wanted that fight at the end to go on a little longer than my other ones.
I don't know if I'll get a chapter out tomorrow on the 26th but I shall do my best.
Translations:
Sanshouo no Hanzo=Hanzo of the Salamander
Dojutsu=Eye Technique
Jinton=Dust Release
Akasuna no Sasor=Sasori of the Red Sand
Henge Jutsu=Transformation Technique
Kage Bunshin=Shadow Clone
Futon: Reppusho=Wind Release: Gale Palm
Zankuha=Decapitating Airwaves
Futon: Daitoppa=Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
Kyomeisen=Resonating Echo Drill
Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu=Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Juken=Gentle Fist
Nan no Kaizo= Soft Physique Modification
Hakkesho Kaiten=Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation
Jukenho: Ichigekishin=Gentle Fist Art One Blow Body
Hakke Rokujuyon Sho= Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms
Katon: Hosenka=Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique
Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu=Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique
Suiton: Mizurappa=Water Release: Wild Water Wave
Mateki: Mugen Onsa=Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains
Zankukyokuha=Extreme Decapitating Airwaves
Futon: Kazekiri=Wind Release: Wind Cutter
Ninpo: Oto Bakuhatsu=Ninja Art: Sound Explosion
Suiton: Suidan=Water Release: Water Bullet
Mateki: Genreiha=Demonic Flute: Phantom Spirit Wave
Hyoton: Hyogan Domu=Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness
Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki=Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm