Tale of the Setting Sun
Chapter 26: "Lightless Struggle"
It emerged from the roiling fog without warning: A great maw of a cave, built into the underside of a rocky cliff. There must have been something repelling the fog there, as a scattered system of smaller caves quickly came into view. At the moment, it appeared to be deserted and void of any activity. However, Naruto knew with certainty that just hours before, it had been crawling with sentries. True, there were signs here and there: scattered cigarette butts, and the whitened ashes of an old campfire. But moreover, he had seen it before—in his mind's eye.
By touching the feather of one of Mayu's bluebirds, Naruto had received an influx of its memories. Everything the bird had seen and heard since Naruto and his team had pretended to leave Wave country, was now a part of his own memory. It covered the events he had missed at the procession, including Jiraiya's clash with the three missing-nin. That particular memory continued to show Mayu and Tazuna being taken away by Kakuzu. The final memory was of his teammate, who seemed to have somehow escaped, defending herself against two assailants in the fog-covered marshlands.
Unfortunately, Sai's ink rats were unable to find Mayu in the vicinity. With time running out, their best hope was that she had been recaptured and was being held captive at Gatō's hideout.
Naruto felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow. There was a simpler alternative to that possibility. Mayu had sent that bluebird to them for a reason; it had been a warning. But it seemed Mayu had not known Naruto as well as she must have thought, for he deliberately chose not to consider it.
As Naruto and the others crouched behind a cluster of shrubs, he glanced at Rai, who was regarding the hideout in silence. In the place of his usual chatter, he had not spoken once since Sai's ink rats had returned. Naruto could only imagine what thoughts were going through his head. Several minutes passed, and in a surge of impatience, Rai rose up and made a move to step forward. Blocking the way with his arm, Naruto shook his head—when two shadowy figures emerged from the cave's entrance.
"They're out there, alright. I can smell the money," said one.
"Hah?" The other raised his nose and sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."
It was Kakuzu and Hidan, and at the sight of the latter, Naruto stiffened in surprise. In the bird's memory, he had seen Jiraiya inflicting horrific burns on Hidan scarcely hours beforehand. Now, the only signs it had ever happened were faint scarring.
Jiraiya appeared to be wondering the same thing. "Here I thought I'd finally rid the world of one of you crazies." Stepping past Naruto, he emerged from his hiding spot.
"Where's the jinchūriki?" Kakuzu asked, his pupil-less eyes slowly searching the area.
Jiraiya chuckled. "If you mean Naruto, he's on his way back home to Konoha."
"That's…unfortunate to hear."
"So if you'll just get out of my way, I'll take back the two you took from us, and be on my merry way. What do you think?"
"Enough with the banter," Kakuzu growled.
Naruto knew what was coming a split second before it happened—Kakuzu's hand shot out far past its reach, attached to its body by hundreds of thick black threads. It was how he had taken Mayu captive in the first place, at the procession.
Jiraiya bit into his finger and slammed his fist into the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"
The ground shook. From a cloud of hissing smoke, something gigantic and red emerged, towering high above their heads. The sound of keening metal rang in the air as Shirakumo drew his weapon. Meanwhile, ink splattered across Sai's open scroll and an ink lion roared into existence.
Before he left, Rai looked back at Naruto, and finally spoke: "It's in your hands." With that, he ran out to join the others.
Hidan let out an elated laugh. "One, two...three of you! Jashin-sama will be pleased with today's offering!"
It was time to get to work.
Stepping back, Naruto concentrated and felt the chakra in his body begin to vibrate. Electricity began crackling around his feet. Masking his presence in the confusion of the starting battle, he shot across the open ground towards the mouth of the cave—and he was in.
The plan they had put together was a simple one: While the others distracted the Akatsuki members, Naruto would look for Mayu and Tazuna. Once they were secured, their top priority was putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the missing-nin. It wasn't an ideal plan, and the risks were high, but the others (with perhaps the exception of Sai) had all readily gotten onboard.
Whereas the outside of Gatō's hideout had appeared to be completely abandoned, the inside was a different story. A large artificially excavated cavern teemed with several dozen armed men, and multiple tunnels led away to what was presumably the rest of the cave complex.
Naruto began to sprint, his hands coming together to perform the sign: "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" In a single identical motion, he and his clones drew their tantō.
"Hey, what the - " The first man to notice broke off into a strangled gurgle.
His mind had been teeming with the chatter of a hundred questions before, but it was silent now. The only thing on his mind was a series of twisted faces jeering down at an unconscious body.
Sparks of electricity flashed. Spurts of bright blood splashed onto the cave walls, and twitching bodies fell to the ground. The armed men were genin-level at best; they were no match for Naruto and his clones, who made short work of them. Soon, there was only one man left. He was a short man in an expensive suit, and was the shipping magnate locally feared as Gatō. He had ruined the lives of many civilians, but none of that meant anything to Naruto. For him, Gatō was yet another body in his way.
The entire time, Gatō had been backed up against the farthest corner of the cavern. Naruto turned towards him now, and he let out a yelp. He scrabbled backwards, knocking his own glasses askew. His squinty eyes fearfully watched Naruto advancing toward him. The smell of fresh urine stained the air.
"W-wait! What do you want? If it's money, I have a lot of – "
Naruto slashed his tantō across the man's front, killing him. As the body crumpled to the floor, Naruto wiped the blade clean on its suit.
The salt marshlands of the Land of Waves were infamous for their ever-changing terrain. More than one luckless traveler had gone astray in the combined elements of fog and mud, and their souls were said to wander the land in search of their lost bodies.
The trail had gone cold for Kakashi's hounds; the only thing they'd been able to find was a single hair clip in the shape of a bluebird.
Tazuna fell to his knees. "That...that belongs to that young girl, doesn't it?"
Without responding, Kakashi lowered himself and stared at the ground. There were signs of a recent scuffle, with freshly turned dirt and broken reeds. He felt a glimmer of pride in his student; she had stood her ground against her opponents, whatever the outcome. What stood out to him most, however, was the sheen of ice covering the earth. While it seemed to be of ninjutsu origin, it was not one native to Wave country: Clearly, outside forces were at work.
Suddenly, the ground trembled. A flock of squawking marshbirds took off from a nearby shrub.
Tensing, Kakashi straightened up. Was it an earthquake? Or a battle of immense proportions? It was difficult to be conclusive with the fog limiting his visibility. Still, he had to wonder what else was occurring in these marshlands.
A massive sword spiraled through the air, cutting through the fog before burying itself blade-first in the ground. In a flicker of movement, a bare-chested ninja appeared, resting on the handle of the sword.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. If he wasn't mistaken...
"If it isn't the missing-nin from the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza."
"I assume you're Kakashi of the Sharingan," said Zabuza. "I'll have you hand over that old man."
Tazuna turned pale. "If that's the case, why did you all let me go in the first place?!"
"Let you go?" The missing-nin cocked his head. "My orders were to recapture all escapees, dead or alive. How you escaped is none of my concern."
Had Kakashi known he would be clashing against a ninja of Zabuza's caliber, he would never have brought a civilian with him. It was his careless mistake that put an innocent's life at risk—and to correct it, he knew that his usual self wouldn't be enough. Making up his mind, he raised his hitai-ate, revealing the swirling tomoe in his left eye.
"Your opponent is me."
Naruto and his clones each took a separate passageway leading away from the main cavern. The tunnels were man-made and lit by fluorescent lighting; they interconnected in a seemingly random pattern that reminded Naruto of the second test in the Chūnin exam. His search was systematic. As he picked off any stragglers who had not been in the main cavern, he mentally crossed out the passageways he had already checked.
This room was empty. This tunnel was a dead-end. This room was also empty. And here was a dead-end. And another.
Naruto could feel his heart growing heavier and his focus giving way to a darker, lurking emotion. He was starting to wonder how high the tunnels ran, when with a jolt, one of his shadow clone's memories flooded his mind: Someone had sneaked up on it. It continued as one after the other, his clones were taken out. Right before his his last clone disappeared, Naruto saw in its memories a blur of movement—and then he was standing alone in the tunnel.
He heard it before he saw it: The subtle, almost indiscernible whistling of metal flying through air. Spinning around, Naruto brought up his tantō just in time to knock away what looked like several long needles—senbon. They were followed by a kick that spiraled down at him, which he blocked with his forearm before thrusting his tantō forward. His assailant leaned back, allowing the blade to swing harmlessly above his chest. Then, using Naruto's arm as a springboard, he flipped backwards through the air.
Taking in the ninja before him, Naruto realized two things in quick succession. One was that he wore the typical white mask of a hunter-nin from the Hidden Mist. The second was his right hand, which was swollen and grey in color: It was poisoned. In a flash, he saw in his mind's eye one of Mayu's poisonous birds swooping down and pecking at a dark figure.
He had been mentally preparing himself for a fight with one of the three S-ranked missing-nin. He knew nothing about this ninja, or about what kind of circumstances had brought a Kiri hunter-nin all the way to Gatō's hideout.
None of that mattered.
Sending a stream of wind chakra down his blade, Naruto struck.
As the chief toad of Mount Myōboku, while Gamabunta's giant size could dwarf even mountains, it had no bearing on his speed. With Jiraiya perched on his head, the chief's long tongue lashed out at a punishing pace, causing the earth to quake with every blow.
Their opponent, however, was a freak even by Akatsuki's standards. Gamabunta's initial attack had ripped the man's body apart in two, only for the two halves to re-join themselves using the same thick tendrils that had connected his arm to his body. Now, Kakuzu's entire body had darkened in color, and Gamabunta's attacks were no longer having as much of an effect.
Evading another blow that sent tremors through the ground, Kakuzu suddenly threw himself into the air. Black tendrils from his arms bulleted straight towards Jiraiya, and before he could react, the threads wrapped themselves around his feet. The surface below him gave way, and he was hurled off the chief toad's head. Wasting no time, Kakuzu arched back and unleashed a massive blast of searing fire in his direction.
Jiraiya didn't have to look back to know that the others, along with Hidan, were fighting behind him; if he didn't block the fireball, it was powerful enough to consume them all. It seemed that Kakuzu felt little sense of camaraderie for his fellow partner.
"Bunta!"
In response to his cry, Gamabunta's body swelled up. Just as the toad expelled a torrent of water towards the fireball, Jiraiya blew out: "Fūton: Gufū (Wind Release: Twister)!"
A tornado twisted around the torrent, producing a cyclone that collided into the fireball. Even then, it wasn't strong enough to dispel it, splitting it instead into two walls of fire that veered off in different directions—one disappeared into the fog of the marshlands, and the other slammed into the mountainside.
"Kakuzu, you bastard!" He heard Hidan howl. "You almost hit me!"
A deadly rain of icicles slammed into the ground where Naruto had been standing a split second before. As the fluorescent lights flickered above them, dust rained down from the ceiling and spidery cracks appeared in the tunnel walls.
The hunter-nin was as small in stature as Naruto, and he had a suspicion that their ages weren't too far apart. However, he had never before met someone his age who could keep up with him in speed—let alone push him to this extent. Moreover, even though the hunter-nin only had the use of his left hand, this did not seem to deter from his ability to perform seals in the slightest.
Nonetheless, judging from the sounds of battle coming from outside, Naruto did not have much more time to waste. He had to finish this quickly, before anyone else got hurt.
The two exchanged several more blows, neither giving way—when Naruto's tantō glanced against the swollen hand of the hunter-nin, who visibly jerked in pain. Seizing the chance, he directed a roundhouse kick at the other male which made contact, the impact sending his body spinning through the air. Electricity surged painfully about his feet, and Naruto and three of his shadow clones shot forward, a tantō raised in each hand, ready to impale the hunter-nin in from all directions –
And then all of a sudden, coming in through the far end of the tunnel, a seething column of fire spiraled towards them, consuming everything in its path.
There wasn't enough time. Naruto's momentum was carrying him forward, straight into the path of the fire. Did he know any jutsu that was powerful enough to counter it? Already, he could hear the roar and feel the heat on his face, but frantically, his mind raced through a dozen different things he could do –
"Hyōton: Hyōgan Dōmu (Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome)!"
The air around Naruto crackled, and everything around him was consumed in fire.
Things were not looking good.
Shirakumo was already dead; he had succumbed to a bizarre jutsu that connected Hidan's body to his. The jōnin's body lay crumpled on the ground, blood still seeping from the hole in his chest.
Panting, Rai flipped back and warily regarded the missing-nin, who currently wore an expression of utter ecstasy. He had known it, but Hidan was strong. Overwhelmingly strong. He had grown stronger since their time in Yugakure.
Even Sai seemed to understand the trouble they were in; he hadn't cracked a single insult since the battle had begun.
"Isn't it about time you made yourself useful?" Sai panted.
Well, it'd been a good run.
"I don't see you doing anything either," Rai snapped back.
Hidan kissed an amulet that hung around his neck and his black and white skin returned to its original color. Rai shot a look back up at Gatō's hideout, but it was quiet. He had to assume Naruto was still searching for Mayu and Tazuna. In the meantime, it was their job to keep Hidan busy.
Ink birds began to dive in Kamikaze-style, exploding around Hidan. Rai drew his kunai blades from his back, the chains connecting the dual blades clanking dully.
That day in Yugakure, Rai had been knocked out before he could do anything. Naruto had gotten most of the glory then, as he usually did, and Rai had sworn to himself that he would get his revenge.
Hidan had grown stronger, but he hadn't spent the past few years idly either.
The fireball that had consumed the tunnel sputtered away into nothing, and Naruto stared up at the dome of ice that protected both him and the hunter-nin. If he wasn't mistaken, it had just saved his life. But why?
As he watched, the dome disappeared, and Naruto lowered his gaze. The hunter-nin, panting in exertion, stood well within his reach.
The fireball had been the final blow; the tunnel ceiling had collapsed in, and amidst the rubble, they now stood exposed to the outside air. The sun had set while he was inside the hideout, and he found himself awash in the glow of moonlight. The shouts of battle echoed in the distance; the earth rumbled from the movements of Jiraiya's toad summon.
For the first time, the hunter-nin spoke. "The girl...was she one of yours?" His voice was higher than Naruto had expected.
"She did that to your hand." It wasn't a question.
"…Yes."
"Where is she?"
The hunter-nin didn't respond, and in his silence, Naruto knew. In that moment, as though he had been doused in ice cold water, everything became clear.
Powering his feet with chakra, he thrust his tantō forward. The hunter-nin jerked back in surprise—a fraction too late. The blade cleaved straight through his swollen arm. Yellow pus and dark blood burst out as the severed limb fell away, splattering Naruto's face. Staggering back, the hunter-nin let out a piercing scream and as though heeding his call, a blast of icy air began emanating from his body. His scream morphed into the sound of crackling frost, and before he knew it, Naruto found himself trapped in another dome. This time, it was made out of mirrored ice.
The sky grew thick with grey clouds and the moonlight faded. It began to snow.
Though Zabuza had disappeared into the mist, Kakashi could sense the thick bloodthirst churning in the vicinity. He knew what was coming. 'Silent killing'—it was one of the most feared assassination techniques. He didn't fear for his own life, however. The greater risk was to Tazuna. Though the older man's composure up to this point was remarkable, his fear was becoming increasingly tangible.
"Don't worry, Tazuna-san," said Kakashi, making a reassuring smile. "You're in my charge now. I won't let you die."
It was then that Zabuza chose to strike.
"I wonder about that…"
Seemingly out of nowhere, the missing-nin materialized behind Tazuna, raising his sword to deliver the finishing blow—but Kakashi had been waiting. His Sharingan glowing, he turned around and plunged his kunai straight into the man's chest.
It was not blood but water that dripped down the handle and fell to the ground.
Another Zabuza emerged from the mist behind Kakashi, and the water clone he had struck instead melted away. Letting out a roar, Zabuza swung his sword in a formidable arc, cleaving Kakashi's body cleanly in two. For a moment, his eyes gleamed with triumph—which then turned into confusion, as the jōnin's body also melted away into water.
"Don't move." Kakashi held a kunai to the missing-nin's neck, his Sharingan fixed on his target. "It's over."
And yet, Zabuza looked far from defeated. "Clever… You used your Sharingan to mimic my Hiding in Mist technique. But if you think that's enough, you're sorely mistaken."
Once more, another Zabuza materialized behind them. Kakashi stiffened in alarm as the clone he'd been holding hostage dissipated—it had been a trick within a trick—before raising his steel-plated gloves up just in time to block the coming blow.
They stood at a standstill, sword grinding against steel. Their bodies shook from the tremendous force being put in on both ends—and then they burst apart, each leaping away from the other. As Kakashi landed, he felt something cold and wet land on the tip of his nose. It took him a second to process what it was.
Snow…?
For some reason, the snow seemed to give Zabuza pause. When he moved again, he was visibly shaken, and Kakashi seized the opportunity. As the missing-nin raised a hand into the air to start his technique, Kakashi mirrored his motion. Before the other could react, the jōnin's hands blurred, finishing the jutsu he had been about to start:
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique)!"
Zabuza reeled back in shock. A muddy vortex of water rose up and claimed him.
The earlier fight against Shirakumo must have drained Hidan more than Rai had expected, for the missing-nin's movements seemed sluggish. As Sai provided backup, they eventually managed to corner the missing-nin. With a lunge, Rai drove his kunai blade into Hidan's back, twisting it deep into his heart.
Any ordinary person would have been long dead by now, but Hidan looked irritated instead. "I've told you, it's useless." Reaching back, he grabbed Rai and forcefully hurled him into the air.
Flying backwards, the chain connecting Rai's blades clinked in the wind and suddenly, it gave him an idea.
It all happened in an instant. Even as Sai's ink snakes swarmed him, Hidan lobbed his scythe after Rai. It whistled through the air, its three blades gleaming.
He had a choice to make, and he made it. Even as the scythe plunged into his own chest, Rai used his remaining strength to throw his remaining kunai blade back at Hidan.
Momentarily immobilized, Hidan watched the chains wrap tightly around his body, the blade still lodged in his back acting as a anchor. Finally, the chains ran out and the swinging kunai blade sliced straight through Hidan's neck, decapitating him.
Let's see you recover from that.
Rai grinned—and his body hit the ground.
By the time the water released Zabuza, slamming him against the ground and receding from around his body, the missing-nin was spent. Kakashi held a kunai to his neck and at last, Zabuza bowed his head in defeat.
"It's over," Kakashi said coldly. "Now tell me: Where are my students?"
Zabuza's face twisted. He opened his mouth –
Two kunai slammed into his neck, hitting his vital points in a splash of blood. The man didn't stand a chance; he was dead before Kakashi could even grasp what was going on. Alarmed, he immediately turned in the direction the kunai had come from. He had not noticed the presence of anyone else, and yet there, in the creeping fog –
A figure in an orange mask stared down at Kakashi.
Who the hell is that...?!
The hunter-nin's reflection surrounded Naruto on all sides, the white masks looming down at him. Every reflection gripped the bloody stump of its arm and gritted out in an echo, "You can't escape...not from my mirrors."
Once more, Naruto heard the shrill sound of metal as dozens of needle senbon filled the air. This time, there were too many to counter. Even as he batted away the majority with his tantō, several broke through his guard, cutting through his cheeks and legs.
It was curious how, despite the grim situation, Naruto didn't feel the slightest trace of fear. He hadn't realized it, but his mind had been growing dull with doubt like an unsharpened blade, ever since he had left Konoha for Wave country. All that was gone now. There was a razor sharpness in its place, and he knew exactly what to do next.
Opening his guard, Naruto brought his hands together to form a seal. Even as a dozen needles pierced his newly exposed arms, with a cloud of smoke, several shadow clones appeared and immediately began to guard him. Metal met metal in the background. Ignoring the pain, Naruto focused on the churning ball of chakra forming in the palm of his hand.
He had thought that combining both shape and nature transformation was an impossible task, like trying to look in two different directions at once. In the new clarity of his mind, he realized now that his mistake had been in focusing too much on a single direction. He didn't have to look in two directions at the same time; he only had to widen his perspective.
The tightly focused ball in his hand spun wildly. Strong gusts of wind began to spiral out. Stepping forward, Naruto slammed his Rasengan into the mirrors, and with an earsplitting sound, they shattered into thousands of ice particles.
When the air had cleared, the hunter-nin lay unconscious on the ground. For a moment, Naruto held the blade of his tantō against the other ninja's neck, thinking. Then, he let his blade drop away.
Leaving the hunter-nin's body behind, Naruto began to make his way down to the cliff's base.
He could acknowledge it now: Neither Mayu nor Tazuna were here. It was time to come to terms with the fact that, despite their best efforts, they were going to come out of this empty-handed...
The first thing Naruto saw was Shirakumo's body, still warm to the touch. He checked its pulse, and reaching a negative, stood up.
And then he saw it: There, illuminated in the moonlight, was another body.
His heart pounding in his ears, Naruto felt the last of the air in his lungs leave in a slow exhale.
"Rai!"
At the sound of Naruto's voice, Rai stirred. He had been fighting to stay awake long enough to wait for him. There was something heavy weighing him down, and he struggled to lift his head. The clouds must have covered the moon again, for everything was dark.
"Mayu?" he asked.
Did you find her?
There was a pause.
"I found her. She's right here."
Intense relief flooded what Rai could still feel of his limbs. Tears welling up in his eyes, he let his head fall back.
He knew he had lost too much blood. The darkness was coming for him.
He had no regrets. He had fulfilled his duty to his village. He had gotten his revenge for Yugakure. And with Naruto around, Mayu would be safe. He had no regrets.
No—that wasn't exactly right. He did have one regret left...
Shit... I wish I could've seen Kakashi-sensei's face at least once.
Rai let out a rattling laugh, and with that, he died.
A/N: Lots of things happening in this chapter. I must've edited it a hundred times... hopefully it's not too confusing to follow. Let me know what you all think.
As for the last chapter, there was a surprising outcry of support for my OCs. You guys rock. (FFN was funky while most of your reviews were coming in so if I didn't get to respond to you, mb.)