Now, before anyone gets too upset, I'm taking a few liberties with Danzo's Sharingan and the Uchiha stone tablet, which won't be apparent until a bit later on. I'm also going to try and update this story in particular, every month and hopefully, twice a month. I can do about two-three updates a month, over all my stories (hopefully four), so this story should be getting updated fairly regularly until the end of it.
Once again, I would appreciate any support on my , as it will help me devote more time to writing. Also, I would really value more feedback on things. These past few chapters have been rather quiet in terms of reviews, so I'm wondering if you guys and girls are still reading this… I see plenty of views, but not a lot of favs, follows and reviews recently.
There is another note at the bottom, clarifying a few things from the chapter, as well as a question, which will affect the next few chapters, so please read that.
Enjoy the chapter.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.
'Talking'
"Thinking"
'Heavily demonic voice'
'Fox talking'
"Fox thinking"
*expression*
Jutsu
Flashback
Chapter 37 – Release the Hounds
'What are you doing here? For that matter, how are you alive?' Questioned Tobi seriously.
'You have a Sharingan of your own, do you mean to tell me you don't know of Izanagi?' Retorted Danzo.
'How exactly did you attain a Sharingan in the first place?' Asked Tobi suspiciously.
'When Itachi ended the clan, I saw fit to harvest a few samples, for the good of the village after all.' Answered Danzo.
'What do you have to offer us? A Sharingan is nothing compared to my eyes.' Intoned Pein flatly.
'A Sharingan… I have much more than a Sharingan.' Said Danzo, as he pulled his right arm out of his robes, revealing a pale, disfigured arm, holding eight more Sharingan embedded into it.
'I have ten.' Said Danzo coolly.
'Ten Sharingan is still nothing that great, you know?' Pointed out Tobi, only for what happened next to leave him speechless.
'I believe ten, Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, beg to differ with your statement.' Said Danzo, as all of his Sharingan morphed.
They all possessed the same pattern; that of the Leaf symbol, with what appeared to be a gnarled root, cutting through it, from top left, to bottom right.
'Impossible! Ten Sharingan with the same design is preposterous!' Shouted Tobi in disbelief.
'You underestimate both myself and what Orochimaru was capable of in the past.' Said Danzo calmly.
'If you are in league with Orochimaru, speak now and I shall make your death swift.' Said Pein.
'I am in league with no one as of now. I wish to help cleanse the land though. I discovered a certain tablet before I left the village, one which describes numerous things, depending on the visual prowess of the reader. However, ten Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, proved to give me more information than I could have ever dreamed, as well as a method to harness your monstrous weapon, without the need of Jinchuuriki.' Said Danzo.
'Preposterous. This tablet you speak of does not describe any such thing.' Scoffed Tobi.
'What is this tablet you both speak of, Tobi?' Questioned Pein.
'It is a tablet only for the eyes of an Uchiha. Danzo should not have dared view it.' Said Tobi, avoiding the question.
'I see. Perhaps you seek an alternate goal.' Said Danzo calmly.
'You should remember well not to anger a God, speak now!' Ordered Pein.
"Tch, Danzo you fool! You are ruining plans that have been carefully laid out for decades now." Thought Tobi venomously.
'To create an ultimate weapon of destruction, one only needs the chakra of the tailed beasts, not their wills. Fortunately for you, I know of a few entities that possess tailed beast chakra and harvesting that energy from them will be sufficient.' Explained Danzo.
'I'm listening.' Said Pein coolly, causing Tobi to curse.
'Very well. The solution, is a rather simple one. A host of a Jinchuuriki, for however long, is modified, to accommodate their chakra. In the process of during so, there is a mix of their respective energies, which is why extracting the beast, normally kills the holder, due to the shock inflicted on their chakra system. To this end, if you seek the chakra of the tailed beasts, you only need a former host.' Said Danzo.
'Lovely theory, except for the fact that all previous hosts are dead.' Said Tobi mockingly.
'I am a student of the Second Hokage, do you really think I do not know of his most famous Jutsu?' Questioned Danzo.
'You mean to say, the Impure Resurrection technique?' Questioned Tobi.
'Yes.' Said Danzo.
"Heh, you might be messing with my original plan, but perhaps I can use you for a new one of mine." Thought Tobi darkly.
'Very well then, we will humour you for now.' Said Tobi.
'Humour? You pitiful fool. I know more than you can imagine. Your true identity even.' Said Danzo.
'Lest you wish to face me in battle, you will refer to me as Tobi.' Warned Tobi threateningly.
'Very well then, singular Uchiha, who was not in the village for the massacre and whose body was never found, currently going by the name of Tobi.' Said Danzo, a small smirk on his face, causing Tobi to scowl.
"Just you wait Danzo, you'll get yours." Thought Tobi viciously.
-line break-
Naruto awoke to find himself in a white walled room and groaned.
'Not the hospital again.' Groaned Naruto.
'Well, you don't seem to make much of an effort to stay out of it.' Quipped a familiar voice.
Naruto looked to his left and saw a familiar set of buns. Hair buns, that is.
'Hey Tenten, how's it going?' Greeted Naruto cheerfully.
'Nowhere near as interesting as things have been with you apparently. Facing a tailed beast… that's pretty far out there, even for your standards.' Said Tenten.
'It isn't like this I the first time I fought a Kyuubi. Also, I did fight both the one and three-tails at one point as well.' Said Naruto in amusement, causing Tenten to gape.
Tenten stared at Naruto in shock for a moment, before giggling and shaking her head.
'I should stop being surprised with you I think.' Said Tenten.
'Probably.' Commented Naruto cheekily.
'So, what's new?' Asked Naruto.
'Not much, just the usual I suppose.' Said Tenten.
'I was gone for a while, not exactly sure what the usual is… come on Tenten, sit down.' Said Naruto, raising himself off the bed and gesturing to the chair beside him.
'Fair point.' Said Tenten, before seating herself.
'How are things going with Zabuza's blade?' Asked Naruto curiously.
'I mastered it. That being said, Zabuza was a monster to be able to throw that thing around so easily. It took me months to build up the strength to do that.' Said Tenten calmly.
'Yeah, he was one tough guy.' Nodded Naruto.
'Haku also helped a lot. It was nice to have someone explain the finer details of the blade.' Added Tenten.
'Sounds good, we should have a spar sometime.' Said Naruto energetically.
'I didn't just learn how to use the sword this whole time though. I have a few surprises in store as well, are you sure you want to have a fight after just being sent to the hospital? I'd hate to have to send you back so soon.' Said Tenten cheekily.
'We'll see.' Smirked Naruto.
'Oi, whiskers, you up yet?' Asked Tayuya, as she entered the hospital room abruptly.
'Oh, you're already here.' Said Tayuya, noticing Tenten.
'I see you're back from your mission as well. Did it go well?' Asked Tenten.
'Yeah, Kimimaro found his friend and I dragged an old acquaintance of mine back here as well, literally kicking and screaming. What is it with Uzumaki's and loud voices?' Muttered Tayuya.
'Another Uzumaki?' Asked Naruto, perking up at the end.
'Yeah, her name's Karin and she has this weird healing ability, through people biting her. I just think she is a hard-core masochist, so it manifested that way.' Said Tayuya.
'I see, what about Kimimaro's friend?' Queried Naruto.
'Jugo. He is the one the curse seals were based off of. He's also bipolar. When I mean bipolar, I mean really bipolar, like watching birds, to killing indiscriminately bipolar. Only Kimimaro can keep him calm though, so it is a good thing he is still around.' Explained Tayuya.
'Wow.' Said Naruto in surprise.
'Just wait until you meet them… you don't realise it at the time, but Orochimaru had a habit of picking up people who were both damaged and special. Probably why he wanted your Uchiha teammate.' Said Tayuya, causing Naruto to frown.
"Sasuke… I wonder where you are right now.' Thought Naruto solemnly.
-line break-
Sasuke was currently making his way to the location of the Eight Tailed Jinchuuriki. Tobi's words had shook Sasuke deeply. So much so, that the Uchiha didn't know what to think anymore. Tobi's words were true, Itachi's sacrifice would forever go unappreciated and he would be scorned throughout history. However, Itachi had wanted to protect the village, so much so, that he did those atrocities. It made Sasuke's head spin. To get justice for Itachi, or to honour Itachi's wish. Sasuke didn't know which he should follow through on.
Tobi had come back to Sasuke, after leaving him to think for some time. Tobi had said that he had a mission for Sasuke and if Sasuke completed it, he would give him more information about the Uchiha, which might sway him. Sasuke had been sceptical, but he had been grateful for the distraction. The only problem, was that the mission, was to capture a Jinchuuriki.
Sasuke stopped on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the dwelling of Killer Bee. For some reason, which made little sense to Sasuke, the Jinchuuriki was well away from the village and in an isolated location. He figured, it may have been to prevent Bee causing any damage to the village, during his training, if he trained that is, but Sasuke questioned the logic behind leaving a key military asset, powerful as it may be, alone and undefended.
Sasuke dropped down to a lower ledge, his newly acquired cloak of red and black, decorated with clouds, flapping slightly in the air around him. Tobi had insisted Sasuke wear the distinctive garment.
Sasuke had followed him for a few minutes, following him into a water-filled valley, covered in clouds. Sasuke had to admit, even with his thoughts awhirl, the Cloud ninja impressed him. His presence, even indirectly, was intense. Sasuke could feel the power, trembling just beneath his skin.
'Uchiha, why don't you get down here and let me see, ya.' Rapped Killer Bee.
Sasuke dropped down from the ledge, so he was now directly across from the Jinchuuriki and studied him.
'Why are you here fool? Don't you know there are people looking for you?' Rapped Bee, having just gotten a recent update from Naruto, on the Akatsuki.
'I need to find out the truth first. I've been lied to my whole life and I won't let things rest until I know the real truth.' Said Sasuke firmly, pulling out his sword.
'Why are you trying to start a fight? Don't you know, that's not right?' Rapped Bee.
'If I defeat you, I'll find out the truth. I have nothing against you or what you are, but this is personal.' Said Sasuke, flowing lightning through his sword.
'A sword fight won't end well for you boy, prepare to see all of my toys.' Warned Bee, as he unsheathed an outrageous, seven swords, which he threw into the air and caught between various joints.
Sasuke looked at Bee cautiously, before his eyes shifted, taking the form of a Sharingan, before morphing into that of three intersecting ellipses.
'Those eyes look wack, tell me how you got them, before I attack.' Rapped Bee.
'The weight of my brother's sacrifice activated these eyes. A sacrifice that has been spat upon, which I can't take standing idly by.' Said Sasuke, before he rushed Bee, pulling his own sword out of a black scabbard, revealing a rather long blade.
Sasuke slashed upwards at Bee, but Bee twisted around the attack, also managing to get behind Sasuke in the process. Bee spun and attempted to mow Sasuke down, only for him to leap into the air, over Bee's head and land behind him. Sasuke tried a low sweep with his blade, swiping at Bee's legs, only for Bee to jump up, pulling his knees to his chest, before extending his right leg out. The blade held under his knee passed dangerously close to Sasuke's face and it was only thanks to his Sharingan, that he was able to bend back and let the blade pass over him.
Sasuke quickly leapt back and sheathed his blade, before going through a few hand signs.
'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.' Announced Sasuke, as a ball of flames rushed from his mouth towards the Jinchuuriki.
The Uchiha watched in anticipation. His attack had definitely hit, but how much damage it did, Sasuke had no clue.
As the smoke and dust cleared away, Sasuke saw Bee, engulfed in an inky orange shroud.
'Playtime is over, fool, prepared to be schooled.' Said Bee, as two tails of orange chakra, waved in the air behind him.
Bee charged Sasuke and threw a punch. Sasuke saw the attack coming, but wasn't prepared for one of the tails to follow up the attack and barely avoided the swipe from the corrosive chakra appendage.
Sasuke leapt back once again, before rapidly going through a few hand signs.
'Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.' Said Sasuke, launching eight, basketball-sized balls of fire, at Bee.
Bee deflected the attacks with his tail, batting away the hidden shuriken as well, which thudded into the ground. When Bee refocused, Sasuke was gone. Bee kept his guard up for a moment, before relaxing, thinking Sasuke was gone, only for Sasuke to prove him wrong, only moments later.
'Chidori Senbon.' Said Sasuke, from behind Bee.
Bee felt the senbon impact his shroud and was confident they wouldn't reach him, so he was quite understandably shocked, when he felt a dozen or so pierce his back and arms.
'These eyes can see even the tiniest gaps within chakra. That attack is so precise, I can even hit your chakra points if I want to.' Said Sasuke coolly.
'You surprised me, so let me push to three.' Said Bee, before a third tail emerged from the shroud.
'But wait, there's more, let me go, to four.' Continued Bee, before the shroud around him thickened, becoming dark red, as a fourth tail emerged.
Sasuke cursed within his mind, before deciding to use a different ninja art.
Sasuke gazed at Bee, as his Sharingan spun wildly, ensnaring the Jinchuuriki within an illusion, that would force a nightmarish Genjutsu on the Cloud ninja.
Sasuke took a step closer to Bee, only for four more tails, to suddenly sprout from his form, all the while, his form was growing and shifting. Sasuke watched in awe, as the mass of red chakra took the form of a ginormous creature. It looked like an octopus, but its head resembled a bull's.
'Revaluate your decision Uchiha. If you continue this fight, you will die.' Boomed a deep voice.
Sasuke stared back unflinchingly, his red eyes glaring at the beast.
'I will find out the truth one way or the other. Do you really think you can stop me? The Sharingan is easily capable of suppressing your power. With Bee trapped and you suppressed, nothing can stop me from taking you.' Said Sasuke calmly.
'Perhaps, but is that really what you want? You want the truth, but the truth is not here. To add to that, do you really think Akatsuki has the answers you seek? If you want the truth, the Leaf Village is where you should go.' Retorted the massive creature.
'Perhaps, but Tobi does know something and I intended to find out what.' Said Sasuke, before his Sharingan focused on the eyes of the massive creature, pushing it back into its seal.
The behemoth in front of Sasuke quickly shrunk, before Bee's form was revealed, which quickly slumped to the ground. Sasuke calmly walked up to Bee, fully assured in his victory. As Sasuke neared Bee and prepared to pick him up, Bee suddenly shot up.
'Lariat!' Shouted Bee, before slamming his arm into Sasuke's neck and launching him into the ground, which crumbled under the force of the attack.
Sasuke weakly groaned. His neck felt like it had just been snapped. His spine was aching and his back was in agony. Add to the fact that Sasuke's collarbone felt like it had just been shattered, Sasuke was definitely not happy.
'Fool, don't be a tool. If you want to know what's right, look towards the light.' Said Bee sternly.
'Oh, that looked like it hurt.' Said a cheery voice from behind Bee.
Bee turned around and saw a white plant like creature. Bee quickly charged at the creature, with another lariat. To Bee's confusion, the creature smirked when Bee charged it.
'Decoy.' Sang the creature, before Bee smashed it into the ground.
Bee swiftly turned around, only to find Sasuke was gone. Bee frowned, before walking away.
-line break-
Sasuke groaned, as White Zetsu unravelled from around him, leaving Sasuke on the floor of the same cave he had been taken to, by Tobi.
'Well, you were unsuccessful in retrieving the eight-tails… but it seems we don't need to anymore. However, you did at least prove your willingness to obey me, so I will show you a token of my appreciation and tell you some, but not all, of what you want to know.' Said Tobi calmly.
Sasuke cracked open his right eye, still in its Mangekyo form, before fixing Tobi with an intense glare.
'Tell me.' Demanded Sasuke coldly.
'Very well then, Sasuke, let me tell you about a certain stone tablet, an old man and a much, much older man and just why you should care about any of them.' Said Tobi mirthfully.
I know we later find out Danzo got his eyes from Shin, but I like the idea of him taking them off the massacred Uchiha better. Now, as you can see, I've set into motion the Akatsuki Assault arc, starting with Sasuke attacking Bee. It will be a fairly long arc, mostly because of all the fighting that is about to come up.
On the subject of that, do you want me to go into full detail for each fight, or just focus on the important parts? Naruto VS Pein will be done in full detail, but the other five don't necessarily have to be. Please let me know what you want, as I don't mind either way.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.