PinkiePieParty122894: Glad that you liked the chapter and hope that you like this one as well.
Animaman: I'm glad you liked the history lesson. I felt like Naruto's sword and why it's so powerful was too much of a loose end and I wanted there to be an explanation. I also wanted there to be a reason why they aren't just attacking Naruto during the day. I recently decided xxSPOILER ALERTxx that the twins will have a fight with Naruto later in the Kiri arc. I may put flashbacks later on for the twins and might even connect them with Jiraiya flashbacks. I also just decided that xxSPOILER ALERTxx Jiraiya will decide that Naruto is good but will go off to find the twins because he believes that there is still hope and a fight will ensue. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.
zero fullbuster: Happy that you like it and Jiraiya's attitude will kind of improve in the future and whether or not he dies, well I'll keep that a secret.
1995hzq: Hope you're enjoying it and hope I continue to entertain.
Aclux: I'm happy that you're enjoying it so much and Jiraiya's attitude will get better but later on in the story he will get a beat down that will either kill him or won't. I haven't decided if he lives or dies but I think I'll have my mind made up about his fate soon.
(Kiri)
Kushina, Konan, Sasuke, and Yakumo were jumping through the trees on their way towards a force of seventy Kiri ninja. Along with the four were three Kiri rebels who were assigned to accompany the Konoha nin. The mission was simple, scout the enemy and try to figure out which direction they were going to head and whether or not they were readying up for an attack. The rebels would be unable to stand an invasion of the Mizukage's forces which is why this small group had to make sure that the ninja never found the rebel base.
It took around three hours before the group reached the field in which the seventy Kiri ninja had set up camp. Upon finding their objective, each of the Konoha nin and Kiri rebels stopped in their tracks. Looking over the large camp, the group jumped off of their respective trees and landed quietly on the ground. Coming together, Kushina looked at each of the ninja surrounding her. "Okay you three, is there anything Mei told you to specifically look for?" Kushina asked the three rebels. Looking at each other for a short moment, a grey haired rebel stepped forward and addressed the question. "We were told to follow your lead. You're the Red Hot Habanero and we're only chunin level after all" the rebel said causing Kushina to mentally shake her head. Turning to her fellow Konoha nin, Kushina didn't even have to ask the question before Sasuke spoke up. "I may have something" the Uchiha said before biting his thumb and whispering "Summoning Jutsu". A small puff of smoke appeared after Sasuke said the words and soon after, a small crow was in place of the smoke.
"Hello Sasuke, how may I be of service?" asked the crow politely. "Dai, nearby is a camp of seventy Kiri ninja. I need for you to quickly find any information that could be of use in terms of movement or attack plans. Make sure to disguise yourself" Sasuke responded to which the crow nodded. After nodding, the crow closed it's eyes before it's image began to shimmer. Soon after, the crow was no longer visible to the human eye. Once invisible, the crow took off in the direction of the camp as Sasuke watched. "Good luck Dai" Sasuke whispered before looking back at his group. "He should be fine, only those with the sharingan or byakugan would be able to see him" Sasuke said causing everyone to nod.
Nearly an hour later, the small group of ninja were sitting and waiting when Sasuke stood up. Ten seconds later, the crow known as Dai shimmered into visibility for the rest of the group to see. "Dai, were you able to find anything out?" Sasuke asked. The crow shook his head. "I am sorry Sasuke. I was unable to find any information about their plans or movements. I was able to see however that they are not very alert towards attack, possibly due to the large number of ninja they have in their group. From their chakra levels, I was able to deduce that there are fifty chunin level and twenty jounin level ninja. I am sorry that I could not do more" the crow said looking down. Sasuke shook his head at the apology. "You did fine Dai, thank you you're dismissed" Sasuke said to which the crow nodded and poofed out of existence. Turning to look at the rest of the group, he noticed Kushina and Konan focusing on his brown haired teammate.
Kushina put her hand on Yakumo's shoulder causing the girl to look up. "Yakumo, it's time" the red head said as Konan gave a slight nod in agreement. Yakumo quickly nodded and lowered herself to her knees. Closing her eyes, Yakumo put her hands together and whispered "Death's Maiden".
(Kiri Camp)
Seventy ninja resided in their camp awaiting orders from their Mizukage. They were on the verge of finding the rebels' base and when that happened, a full scale invasion would take place led by the Mizukage himself. Until then, the men simply relaxed and talked among each other. Whether it was about what would happen in the final battle or what type of "prizes" they would keep as a reward for finishing off the rebels, the men conversed energetically. Lin, a jounin ninja stood near his tent and admired the camp. This scene of men bonding together before fighting for a noble cause made him smile. The end of the Kiri civil war would allow many of these men to return to their lives, to their families. Family, a word that Lin had not truly understood until spending extended amounts of time with ninja that had families. Midway through the war, Lin had decided that when the war was finished, he would find a beautiful woman back home and start a family of his home. Suddenly a warm feeling came over Ling's entire being.
"Why wait?" whispered an angelic voice. Looking around, Lin was surprised to see a woman standing close and looking right at him. He could hardly call her a woman as that seemed to be an insult to the figure in front of him. A goddess is what stood in front looking at him. Long beautiful black hair, pale skin, perfect curves. She was everything that any man could imagine seeing in his ideal woman. Lin's heart soared just from her appearance alone. He stood up straight when the goddess began to approach with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. She stopped right in front of Lin and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking him directly in the eye. "Do you think I'm beautiful?" she asked to which Lin quickly nodded unable to speak. "Do you wish to be with me?" she asked to which Lin nodded once again. "What would you do for me?" the goddess asked. "Anything" Lin quickly answered. The woman took her right hand and caressed his cheek. "There is only one way that we can be together" she said looking away with a slightly sad expression on her face which caused Lin to frown. Lin took her face and lifted it to look into her eyes.
"Name it" Lin said. The woman looked into his eyes for a long while before putting her mouth near his ear. "Through eternity" she whispered before looking back at him with a tearful expression. Lin frowned once again. Such an expression should never mar a face as beautiful as hers. "Is that truly the only way?" Lin asked to which the woman nodded. "Unfortunately so. You do not have to join me in eternity, I will stay alone if I must. But if you do join me, your pleasure will never end. You will never want or need ever again. I will give you everything, I will be yours forever" she said looking at him. Lin took a long moment to decide before nodding at her offer. He reached into his pouch and retrieved a kunai, completely unaware that a majority of the camp was doing the exact same thing. "I will see you in eternity my goddess" Lin said before shoving the kunai in his throat and falling to the ground. Seconds later, the man known as Lin was no longer among the living.
Thirty nine men committed the same action as Lin only seconds apart. Forty men in total had each committed suicide in some fashion in the hopes of spending eternity with a goddess. Unfortunately, there would be no goddess to greet them in the afterlife as was promised to them.
(Konoha Group)
Yakumo oped her eyes and gasped for air. Kushina and Konan were quickly at her side helping her to breath while Sasuke and the Kiri rebels wondered what the brunette had done to cause such a reaction. Shortly after Yakumo had opened her eyes, she began to breathe steadily. Standing up, Kushina looked at the Kiri rebels. "You will protect her with your lives. If anything happens to her, you and your entire rebellion will die. I will see to it myself" the red head finished getting three shaky nods in response. Looking at Konan and Sasuke she simply said "Let's go" before taking off towards the camp quietly. The three Konoha ninja made their way to the camp easily due to the mild panic of the Kiri ninja finding more than half of their numbers dead by suicide.
Hiding nearby, Kushina closed her eyes and focused on the remaining chakra sources. "Thirty ninja left. They're spread out in groups of ten" Kushina said opening her eyes. Konan nodded at the evaluation. "So ten for each of us right?" Konan asked. Kushina looked at Sasuke before responding. "Sasuke, each of the ninja left are jounin level ninja. You were able to take down multiple enemies in Wave but those were just bandits. We won't think less of you if decide to hang back" she said. The Uchiha simply snorted and bit his thumb rubbing some blood over his arm in order to summon his spear. "It doesn't matter what level they are, I'm an Uchiha. Besides, what kind of ninja would I be if I ran away every time the odds were slightly in the enemy's favor?" he said now gripping his spear in hand. Kushina smiled and Konan gave a small smirk at the announcement.
"Listen, we need at least one alive to question. Other than that, don't take chances and stay alive" she said getting nods from Sasuke and Konan before each of the three took off in separate directions towards the camp.
(Kiri Camp Konan)
Konan watched as her target group looked around for any enemy they could find that would explain the mass suicide that had just taken place. The bluenette smirked and shook her head. her student had done her job well and now it was time for Konan to do her job. Closing her eyes, the blue haired ninja separated into hundreds of pieces of paper.
Nearby, ten Kiri nin were looking around constantly and trying to locate anyone that could be out there with ill intentions towards them. Forty of their brothers in arms were dead by apparent suicide but the Kiri nin knew that there was more to it and they just didn't know what. The ignorance of who or where their enemy was kept each man on edge. Unable to stand it anymore, a gray haired Kiri ninja threw his kunai down and grabbed his hair harshly. "What the fuck man!". The apparent leader of the ten man group looked at his outspoken member with a glare. "Be silent and focus on finding the enemy" he said before looking into the trees for some sort of clue. The gray haired man shook his head and started to walk away. "What's the point? According to whatever was just used, we're already dead right?" the man said shaking heavily while a few of the other ninja started to see logic in what their stressed teammate was saying.
"You're correct, you are already dead" said a soft voice from above. At the sound of the voice, the ninja looked up where a blue haired kunoitchi stood on a branch looking down on them. "Are you the one who did this bitch?" shouted the Kiri leader. Reaching to his side, the leader pulled a katana from its sheath without taking his eyes off of Konan. Konan looked at the leader and chuckled. "From what it looks like, your fellow ninja killed themselves and if you really think that your sword will save you, you're wrong. Of course you may try to kill me if you dare" Konan said with a smirk. The Kiri leader clenched his jaw and tightened his grip around his sheath. "Oh we won't kill you. First we'll take you back to our main forces as special entertainment which should knock that cocky smirk off your face. You will service every member of the Kiri forces until we've decided that your of no use anymore. Afterwards, you'll be tortured nonstop until you are shattered without an ounce of will left in your body. Then we will kill you for your transgressions" growled out the leader while the other Kiri nin got greedy smiles on their faces.
Konan frowned at the Kiri leader's threat and the way that his fellow ninja were looking at her. Narrowing her eyes at the men, she took a deep breath. "Dance of the Shikigami" Konan whispered before her body dispersed into hundreds of sheets of paper. One of the Kiri ninja looked at the tree branch where Konan had just been standing. "Did she run a-", the man never finished his sentence as a sheet of paper with an edge reinforced with chakra slit his throat causing him to fall onto the ground and trying but failing to stop the bleeding. The other men's eyes widened and before any action could be taken, a whirlwind of paper began to fly around them trapping them inside. Not knowing when Konan would strike, a few of the ninja began to get back to back with one another. This effort was shown to be futile as instead of a single sheet of paper, a large spear of paper stabbed through two men who were back to back. One by one six other nin dropped dead whether it was a simple slice or a brutal stab, in the span of less than a minute the leader of the Kiri group was the only one left alive.
The Kiri leader closed his eyes and gripped his sword. He would not give the blue haired bitch the satisfaction of killing him. Turning the blade to stab himself, he was quickly stopped as a thick line of paper wrapped around his wrist crushing it and causing the leader to drop the sword in the process. The whirlwind dissipated and left Konan herself standing right in front of the leader. "I'm no one's entertainment" she said before knocking the man out to take him back to Yakumo and the others.
(Sasuke)
Sasuke took a look at his assigned group quickly with his sharingan active. His brother had told him before they left that there was no room for pride or holding back in a war. It was all or nothing, life or death. Personally, the Uchiha was nervous. He had killed in Wave, but that was only because it was in the heat of the battle. What he was being asked to do was to calculate and act on ending another man's life. Closing his eyes and taking a small breath, he bit his thumb and slid the blood across a seal on his arm which summoned his spear. Holding his weapon made Sasuke feel much better and much more confident. 'You can do this. You have to do this' thought Sasuke. The black haired Uchiha stood tall and unconsciously rested his spear on his shoulder like Naruto always did with his sword before vanishing in crow feathers.
There were ten ninja looking around for any evidence of foul play in the deaths of their fellow nin. The Kiri nin were pretty sure that someone had used some sort of advanced genjutsu to force their brothers in arms to do actions against their will. It made the Kiri ninja angry that one would think so little of the Kiri forces that they would be so susceptible to genjutsu even though the evidence solidified the fact. Each one of the ninja continued to look for any type of clue while keeping on alert for additional genjutsu. It was because the ninja were so heavily focused on sensing any fluctuation nearby that they were able to turn just in time to see Sasuke appear behind them with his spear at his side.
Immediately after materializing, Sasuke stabbed forward with his spear in hopes of killing the nearest Kiri ninja but it didn't work out as planned because they had sensed his arrival and he no longer had the element of surprise on his side. His spear was stopped by the Kiri ninja's sword as his fellow ninja readied their weapons. The Kiri ninja smirked at Sasuke as he held the Uchiha in a deadlock. The smirk died when a burst of electricity shot through Sasuke's spear to the Kiri ninja's sword and into the ninja himself. The man fell to the ground convulsing as electricity rushed through his body. The remaining nine Kiri ninja's eyes widened at the sight but quickly refocused on the boy. Four of the ninja rushed Sasuke with their sword while the other five prepared to launch a jutsu. Each swordsman attacked Sasuke one at a time, but Sasuke moved swiftly by deflecting a sword blow with one side of his spear and stabbing the enemy with the other side. He had activated his sharingan already so he was dodging the attacks directed at him easy enough, it also helped that he sparred with one of the strongest swordsmen alive. Before long, each of the four swordsmen were on the ground with multiple stab wounds but still alive. Turning towards the remaining five ninja, he had to jump quickly to avoid their attack.
"Water Bullet" shouted the remaining five Kiri ninja at once before simultaneously launching five streams of water at the Uchiha who jumped up just in time to avoid the attack. Still in midair, Sasuke reached out his free hand and shouted "Solar Destruction" as a large ball of fire flew from his hand at the continuing streams of water making the jutsus collide. The result was a mass of steam that surrounded the area. One of the Kiri ninja started to chuckle at the result. "Was this your plan kid? Get it a little misty in hopes that we couldn't see you? We live in this stuff" he said starting to laugh. As his laughter got louder, his fellow ninja joined in. As the mist started to clear, Sasuke's image became clear to the eyes of the Kiri ninja. "So kid, guess your plan didn't work out huh?" said a smiling Kiri ninja. The smile turned into a frown as Sasuke smirked. "Actually, it worked out perfectly" the Uchiha said before throwing his spear into the air. "You see, lightning is pretty lethal when water is present" he said looking at the men whose clothes and skin were damp from the mist created earlier. Knowing his plan now, each ninja's eyes widened in terror.
Looking into the air, Sasuke shouted "Lightning Rain" as bolts of electricity rained down from his spear and electrocuted each of the men present. When the deed was done, the spear began to fall to the ground but was caught in one hand by Sasuke. The Uchiha cursed that he had forgotten to take a prisoner before taking off towards Yakumo, hoping that Kushina or Konan had captured someone.
(Kushina)
A group of ten Kiri jounin were on high alert after finding a majority of their fellow nin dead. "Man, what the fuck is going on?" asked a dark haired jounin who was slightly shaking. The leader of the small group shook his head. "I don't know but I'm willing to bet that it's what the Mizukage warned us about. Apparently Konoha joined up with the rebels and I'm guessing that one of their ninja cast some sort of jutsu on them. Don't worry though, once we find the bastard who did this we'll make them suffer" the man said with a smile. His men joined with their own smiles but unfortunately it didn't last long. From what seemed to be out of nowhere, a smoke bomb landed and went off right in the middle of the group causing each of the men to cough rather violently. The men rubbed at their eyes and squinted to try and see through the smoke. The only thing that they did see was a dark figure nearby that just seemed to be watching, not taking advantage of their inability to defend themselves.
Once the smoke had cleared up for the most part, the men were finally able to see who it was that had been observing them. The figure was none other than Kushina Uzumaki, the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero". The woman had her arms crossed with a small smile on her face. The leader of the Kiri group growled at her smugness and rushed at her but fell to the ground hard before he could even make it half way. As he tried to get up, he quickly noticed that it felt like something incredibly heavy was strapped to his back and keeping him down. Looking around, he noticed that his men were dealing with the same problem as each were lying on the ground. Looking towards the red headed Konoha nin, he realized that she was approaching them with an even bigger smile than before. Struggling as much as he could, the Kiri jounin couldn't get free as Kushina Uzumaki stood in front of him. "What have you done to me?" the man asked.
Kushina chuckled at the question. "I take it you mean why can't you move, correct?" she asked walking around him. "The Uzumaki Clan is the greatest clan by far when it comes to fuinjutsu. What you're experiencing right now is the effect of one of our most simplest seals. The gravity seal" she said making her way to stand in front of the jounin once again. "Listen, you get to decide how this ends. You tell us what we want to know and you and your men live. If you don't cooperate then I will personally kill each and every one of your men in front of you and then we will drag whatever we want to know from you out before killing you as well. Make your choice" she said kneeling to his level. The Kiri jounin stared into her eyes with a murderous glare before giving his answer. After a long moment of silence the jounin spit in Kushina's face, his look never changing. Kushina stood up and wiped the spit off of her face before shaking her head. "So be it. I hope that the Shinigami is merciful to you and your men who trusted you so much" she said before closing her eyes. An instant later, nine golden chains had sprouted from the red head's back and quickly lodged the sharp ends into the heads of each of the jounin but the leader. One survivor was all she needed and it didn't matter what condition he was in so long as he was alive. That in mind, the Uzumaki walked behind the leader, covered her hand in chakra, and launched an accurate punch to the man's spine paralyzing him from the neck down.
The Kiri jounin screamed in pain at the attack before being lifted by Kushina onto her shoulder and taken off to a separate location.
(Yakumo)
Yakumo sat with her eyes closed, resting against a tree. The two rebels that Kushina had ordered to protect her were on high alert for anything remotely resembling danger. It was kind of amusing to the brunette. Breathing calmly, Yakumo thought about Naruto. She knew that he would be alright like always, but it deeply disturbed her that it was always him that everyone had to look to for help. He was facing men twice his age with far more experience and everyone was okay with it. It infuriated her. Why should her boyfriend have to be the one to fight the most dangerous enemies of the ninja world? What were the Kages so busy doing that they couldn't help lighten the load from Naruto.
Yakumo took another deep breath. It was Naruto's burden to bear and he willingly accepted. She had also promised him that she would be there for him to help lighten the load in any way that she could. Her thoughts of Naruto slowly but surely transformed into thoughts involving Mei Terumi. What if Mei tried to make a move on Naruto while she was gone? What if Naruto decided that he wanted to be with older women from now on? The questions that kept running through her head were beginning to make her dizzy. It was truly a blessing when Kushina, Konan, and Sasuke arrived which kept the girl from diving too far into her own mind.
Standing up, Yakumo realized that Kushina and Konan had brought two unconscious ninja with them. Putting two and two together, the brunette walked towards the group while preparing herself for what she had to do next. "So I take it that I'm doing my first interrogation right now?" Yakumo asked to which Kushina and Konan nodded albeit uncomfortably. "Yakumo, we can bring these idiots back to the camp and have someone else interrogate them" Kushina suggested but Yakumo shook her head. "No, I need to do this" she said before walking over to and crouching in front of the two Kiri ninja. Looking them over, she noticed two seals on each of their bodies. Looking at her red headed teacher, she asked "What are these for?". Kushina stepped closer and responded, "One is a paralysis seal which will keep them from trying to attack you or run. The other is a conscious seal so that I can change their state into conscious or unconscious" Kushina explained to which Yakumo nodded. "Could you wake them up please?" Yakumo asked to which Kushina nodded and activated their conscious seals.
The two Kiri ninja awoke and immediately surveyed their surroundings. It was quickly established that they were prisoners and their recent experiences were unfortunately not a bad dream. Looking at the group in front of them, the Kiri nin growled and tried to attack but their limbs wouldn't respond. "What the hell did you do to us?" growled out one of the Kiri ninja. Yakumo shook her head. "How about you answer my questions and then I'll answer yours" she suggested to which the men simply glared at her. Yakumo frowned at their silence. "You will talk and tell me what you know in time, that you have no control of. You do control how much you will have to suffer in this interrogation. So how about you agree to answer my questions or I will put you in a nightmare of the likes that you've never see" she said. The Kiri ninjas' glare only intensified at the ultimatum.
Sighing, Yakumo shook her head before putting her hands together. "Give the Shinigami my regards" she said in a quiet tone which caused both Kiri ninjas' expressions to turn into that of confusion before everything went dark. The Kiri nin stood beside each other in what looked to be nothing but darkness. Realizing that they were free to move around, both men put their hands and shouted "Kai". Expecting the dark world around them to disappear, they were very surprised when nothing happened in the slightest. "So she sends me some entertainment" said a dark and evil voice. Looking around one of the men shouted "Who's there? Show yourself". Never before was a request so quickly regretted as a figure rose from what appeared to be the ground. It's appearance was something that emanated evil and despair. "I am Ido and you are going to be part of my game. How long will you last until you tell me what my dear vessel wants to know" the demon said with a dark smile.
It took twenty seconds before Yakumo opened her eyes and fell to her knees in exhaustion. Her interrogation victims both stayed resting against a tree as they had before the questioning by Ido. The only difference now was that streams of blood leaked from the ninjas' eyes, nose, mouth, fingers, ears, and crotch area. Kushina picked her student up and without a word they left the Kiri bodies and returned to the rebel camp.
(Rebel Camp)
Naruto sat outside where he had asked Tsunade to put him. He would sleep under the stars tonight in the hopes that the moon would give him it's blessing and heal him like it always does. As he sat on the ground, he noticed a blue haired boy with glasses standing nearby and observing him very closely. The most interesting aspect of the boy was the large bandaged sword that he had at his side. Naruto chuckled and stretched out his arms summoning his blade to him. Looking at the blue haired boy he simply said, "Yo". The blue haired boy looked around and responded by saying, "Yo" as well. After looking at one another for a long moment, both boys nodded with a smile before simultaneously saying, "Yo".
Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry it took so long. Classes have been crazy but I'm trying to pump out the chapters as consistently as I can. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and I am so appreciative of all of the support that the story has gotten. Seriously, from the reviews to the follows to the favorites, thank you all so much. It means a lot to me that you are enjoying it. Thanks and see you next chapter. Happy Thanksgiving!