LordofTerror: I completely understand. I tried to kind of mellow out the group because honestly as strong as they are, Yakumo and Konan or just one of them could take care of this mission. But I see where you're coming from and I'm glad that you liked the other parts. Hopefully you will like this chapter better.
PinkiePieParty122894: I'm glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope that you like this chapter even more.
1995hzq: I'm happy that you liked the Koyuki chapter and I agree about Jiraiya. In the anime, I liked him, but he just doesn't fit in for this story.
Animaman: After reading the first couple of sentences of your review, I immediately began thinking that your reaction to this chapter is going to be quite interesting. For Tsunade and the academy, I think that I might handle it like he got caught up in the mix with the other kids. The question of family will definitely be coming up as the story progresses. As for your question about anyone being worse than Jiraiya, that's kind of hard to answer. The villagers are more focused on the twins' status and how they can use them to reach their goals. Jiraiya was more focused on the twins' abilities and part that they had to play in order to reach his goal of world peace.
Nssheepster: I had to tone down the characters for the Koyuki mission because that movie takes place while everyone is a genin meanwhile the Shion movie takes place years later. So I had to keep the Land of Snow group from being to overkill.
zerochrisjayv: Hopefully you will continue to enjoy it.
Aww: Well you probably haven't read this far but I will say that I realized that I may have made a mistake in how soon Naruto forgave his parents and I'm trying to fix it.
NazgulBelserion: I started the fanfic with the intention of making it a neglect fic where he comes back and shoves how strong he is in everyone's faces, but that quickly changed. I hadn't really considered making him a ronin.
The sky was black and smoke was rising. Large areas of land nearby were now molten lava. Shion looked at the sight in horror while a dark haired leaf ninja in a chunin vest was on his knees next to her. The boy's jaw was dropped and his eyes were widened in disbelief. His entire body started to shake before his eyes transformed to have a red six sided star in his eyes. He tried to stand up but failed which got Shion to rush to his side. Seeming to not notice her presence, the dark haired boy continued to try and stand before he screamed out "NARUTO!" in a desperate cry.
(Shion's Room)
Shion's eyes opened as her vision ended. She lowly sat up and looked lifelessly at the ground moments before the sounds of battle commenced outside of her room. Her own guardians were currently fighting and dying to protect her while she continued to sit and just stare at the ground. Before long, four figures made their way into her chamber and she only slightly noticed that there was still one guardian willing to lay down his life standing right in front of her. Holding up the sword, the man prepared to fight to the death as the four enemies advanced but everyone stopped as a single kunai landed in between the two sides. Not a second after the kunai lodged itself into the wooden floor there was a flash that caused those in the room to raise their arms to their eyes. When the light died down, they were met with the sight of a blonde teen standing tall with a bored expression on his face.
Naruto stood examining the four figures who he figured to be assassins. Looking them over quickly, he shook his head and sighed. "Look, I'm not really in the mood to play games and I've got bigger fish to fry. Now I'm guessing that you four work for Yomi?" Naruto asked and smirked when he received no verbal answer but instead four glares from the assassins. "Good, that saves me some time. Now, how about you tell me where he is and in turn I don't beat you to a bloody pulp" the blonde said cracking his knuckles and barely noticing Shion and her guard escape through a panel behind him. The assassins readied in their stances and prepared to come after the boy but just as they were about to move, their opponent exploded in front of them knocking them out of the area.
(Roof of Palace)
From the rooftop of a nearby building, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, and Kakashi watched as the four assassins slowly got up. Itachi turned to Naruto and Sasuke. "Naruto and Sasuke, take care of them and try to keep them alive. Kakashi, summon a tracking dog so that we can meet up with the priestess" the elder Uchiha said getting nods from each of the Konoha ninja.
As the assassins got up, they looked up just in time to see Naruto and Sasuke land lightly on the ground in front of them with their arms crossed. The two chunin started to approach the four enemies causing the four to quickly jump up and assume their battle positions. "Setsuna, Gitai, Shizuku, end them with an earth wind fire combo" the apparent leader known as Kusuna ordered getting nods from his company. A man with a cloth covering the lower half of his face known as Gitai stepped forward and slammed his fists into the ground shouting, "Earthen Corridor" which caused the ground to quickly rise around the two Konoha ninja who stood with a bored look on their faces. In a matter of seconds, a large dome of earth covered Naruto and Sasuke. The leader watched as his fellow assassin cast his jutsu and smirked. "I'll leave them to you and go ahead to find the priestess" the leader said before jumping away and speeding off.
The dome that held Naruto and Sasuke had a narrow opening which was perfect for the assassins as an orange haired one known as Shizuku stepped forward and did a series of moves that ended with him shouting "Fire Style: Fire Run" and sending a ring of fire into the opening. The final member of the group who had noticeable purple hair known as Setsuna stepped up next and said "Wind Style: Divine Current" before thrusting his hands forward sending a strong stream of air into the dome as well. The result was a powerful and fiery explosion that rocked the earth dome. Each member of the trio chuckled at the power of their combined jutsu but it quickly ended as the smoke cleared and revealed the two Konoha ninja surrounded in a small sphere of water without a scratch on them.
Once the explosion ended, the water sphere dropped and Naruto and Sasuke stood tall. Naruto shook his head while Sasuke's eye was twitching. The Uchiha turned to his teammate with an angry look. "You idiot, I could have just forced their jutsu back at them. Now look at us, we're soaking wet and it's all your fault" Sasuke said before turning away from his friend and crossing his arms in an irritated manner. Naruto looked at his teammate with a glare but after a few moments, the glare transformed into an apologetic look as the blonde fell to his knees. "I'm sorry Sasuke, I should have thought about your feelings before I did that. I promise that it won't happen again and I'm sorry" Naruto said with tears forming in his eyes while Sasuke stood with his back to the blonde but started to shake slightly. A second later, Sasuke turned as tears were forming in his eyes. "No, I should be apologizing to you. You were only trying to protect us and I was being over dramatic" Sasuke said as Naruto stood up. The two looked at each other and sniffled. "Friends?" asked Sasuke to which Naruto nodded quickly, both with tears in their eyes. Immediately after making up, Naruto and Sasuke gave each other a bro hug.
A few feet away, the trio tasked with killing the two Konoha ninja just stared at the bizarre sight all the while wondering what in the hell they were seeing. The trio quickly refocused when Naruto and Sasuke ended their hug and turned to face them.
Naruto looked at Sasuke and both nodded. In the blink of an eye, the two vanished only to reappear a less than a second behind Setsuna and Gitai sending a powerful kick to their backs sending them flying. As they went off face first, the two Konoha chunin vanished once again and appeared where the two assassins were heading before slamming their fists into their faces slamming the two into the ground and effectively knocking the two out of the battle. Naruto and Sasuke took a moment to examine the state of their enemies and decide that they were alive before they slowly looked towards Shizuku who looked very nervous and was starting to take a few steps back.
As Shizuku slowly started to back up and prepare her escape, she felt her foot bump into something in the ground. The last thing she saw before being knocked out by a single punch was a tri pronged kunai.
(Nearby Waterfall)
On the back of her guard, Shion and the man slowly made their way to the base of the beautiful waterfall when Itachi and Kakashi appeared in front of them. The guard readied himself to defend the priestess.
Kakashi raised his hands with an eye smile. "Hey it's okay, we are here from the Hidden Leaf Village and are tasked with protecting Priestess Shion. You have noting to fear" the masked ninja assured calmly which caused the guard to relax slightly. The guard looked back at his priestess only to see her with glazed over eyes. In an instant, the guard realized what was happening. Shion was having a vision. "So he's going to revive himself" the guard heard Shion say quietly. With a frown, the guard looked back at the Leaf ninja. "I think that it's best we find a safer and more private place to discuss things" he said.
Itachi nodded. "I agree. Let's return to the palace, Naruto and Sasuke should be done by now" the Uchiha said before the group took off back to Shion's palace.
Nearby, Kusuna scowled at the news of Konoha involving themselves. "Yomi would like to know of this" the man muttered before leaving.
(One hour Later Shion's Palace)
Shion sat with a dull look in her eyes as her guard knelt near her and introduced her.
"Behold, Shion, Priestess of the Land of Demons" the guard said respectfully before looking at the four sitting Konoha ninja waiting for them to introduce themselves. One by one the Konoha ninja introduced themselves but her eyes narrowed when she looked upon the ones known as Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze.
The guard spoke after the four had introduced themselves. "Unfortunately, we lost many in the attack by the group sent by Yomi. It has been straining and unfortunately it fell true with a prediction made by Priestess Shion" the guard said solemnly.
Shion snorted. "Naturally I was correct, but as you can see I still breathe so I'm sure that they died without regrets" she said causing the two chunin to clench their fists and Sasuke to jump in front of her. The Uchiha had a clenched jaw and his eyes were narrowed. "Listen lady, those men sacrificed themselves for your life, the least that you could do is show them a little respect instead of acting like a little bitch" Sasuke said before getting a punch to the back of the head from his best friend.
"Sasuke, we've been over this about your temper and proper etiquette. Yes she may be acting like a spoiled, ungrateful, stupid, vicious, bitch, but we can't just say that out loud much less to her face" Naruto said loudly causing the guard's mouth to drop, Kakashi and Itachi to put their faces in their hands, and Shion's eye to twitch, all reactions to the continued barrage of insults towards her.
Shion abruptly stood up and walked a few steps forwards to stand in front of Naruto and Sasuke. "A horrible fate awaits you both. For you, a lifetime of grief and self-hatred" Shion said pointing at Sasuke causing him to frown. "As for you, your death is near" she said looking at Naruto who frowned as well. Before the two could respond, they were dragged roughly by their hair back to their spots courtesy of one Itachi Uchiha. Shion examined the group charged with protecting her before taking her leave and going off to her room.
The guard watched the priestess leave before turning to the group from Konoha with an apologetic look. "You must forgive her, Lady Shion often sees visions of other's deaths but you shouldn't let it bother you" the man said.
Naruto waved off the apology. "Eh don't worry about it, there's a lady in Konoha's red light district that predicts the same thing constantly. "Psychics" often get a little cranky when they are always wrong" Naruto said crossing his arms with a small smile. The smile dropped however when he saw the guard shake his head. "No, Lady Shion's visions have always been 100 percent correct to the very last detail but like I said don't let it bother you because worrying won't change the future" the man said.
Itachi took the opportunity to put his input. "Naruto, Sasuke, I would like for you two to shut up for now. It's bad enough that you two forgot to tie up the assassins. That is literally rule number one when capturing a prisoner so for now, shut it" Itachi irritatingly said making Naruto and Sasuke look down in embarrassment. He looked to the man with glasses. "Listen Taruho was it?" the Uchiha asked before continuing after receiving a nod from the man. "Okay Taruho, we need to get Shion to the shrine as soon as possible. The Stone Army is marching and if we don't hurry, Yomi will revive Moryo" Itachi said getting a solemn look from Taruho.
Taruho pushed up his glasses and looked at the Leaf ninja."I understand the situation, but I believe that it would be best to wait for more guards in order to assure Lady Shion's safety. You four may be strong, but I would rather not take any chances with the priestess. Her safety is my lifelong duty that must be upheld" Taruho said.
Before any of the Konoha ninja could argue, Shion walked into the room. "I'm ready to leave. After all, you can't beat fate so more security will not change anything" the blonde said as she gazed at the figures in the room. Her gaze lingered on Sasuke as a warm feeling started to swell in her stomach. She did remember herself trying to comfort him affectionately in her vision but she shook her head of the thoughts and looked at Taruho. "These four will attempt to guide me to the shrine, but you will stay behind Taruho" she said and raised her hand as the man stood up to object. "That is my will Taruho and your duty is to me" the blonde girl said. "I would like to leave now" Shion said over her shoulder and continued walking.
Itachi sighed and looked at Taruho. "Don't worry Taruho, we will protect her with our lives" he said getting a nod from Kakashi and confident smirks from Sasuke and Naruto. As the group stood up to leave, Sasuke took it upon himself to add to the assurance. "Yeah, and if these two don't convince you which is understandable, having two of the "Kage Killers" should provide all the comfort you need" Sasuke said as he and Naruto left, not seeing the even more nervous Taruho behind them.
(Yomi and his group)
Yomi stood looking at his four subordinates with a menacing glare. They had failed in their task to assassinate Shion and their window of killing her had just become that much smaller with the involvement of Konoha. The Stone Army was marching to the shrine where they would form a last line of defense in case things did not go according to plan but he doubted that things would go so wrong.
"Listen to me now" Yomi said getting Kusuna, Setsuna, Gitai, and Shizuku to raise their heads and meet his gaze. "The four of you will keep track of Shion and her protectors and when the moment is right, you will strike and kill her at all costs. Failure to do so will result in a death more painful than anything any of you could possibly fathom" he growled out causing the group in front of him to flinch and nod their heads quickly. "Go now, and do not disappoint me" Yomi ordered and the four assassins vanished as quickly as possible.
Turning around, Yomi looked at the sky. "Soon Moryo, soon you will be whole and the world will be yours" he said with a grin.
(Near the shrine)
From a fair distance, a man who had black hair that reached his shoulders and wore a red shirt and tan shorts stood watching as the Stone Army marched to their positions according to plan. His yellow eyes didn't blink as he leaned against his black serrated sword that was stuck in the ground. He looked at the stone soldiers and wondered exactly how effective they would be against his upcoming opponent. In all honesty, the man just wanted to fulfill the requirements of his resurrection and return to the afterlife. Many in his position would try to get as much as they could out of their new opportunity or try to find a way to prolong it, but he had known when he died that it was his time. Being alive for him seemed unnatural and the sooner he returned to his rightful place, the better.
He looked up at the sky and sighed. "Soon Serpent Summoner, I can feel your presence. Soon, you will die by my hand and I will return to the spiritual plane once more" the man said before standing straight up and pulling his sword out of the ground.
(Naruto's group)
Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Kakashi, and Shion were jumping through the trees on their way to the shrine in which Shion would seal Moryo. Sasuke had unfortunately drawn the short straw and was carrying the uppity priestess on his back with her making complaints on every jump that he made. Just as the four ninja were about to jump again, they stopped as an arrow flew into a nearby tree. Looking at one another, Naruto, Itachi, Kakashi, and Sasuke jumped to the ground earning a small squeal from Shion as they fell. When the four landed, Naruto and the two jounin looked around for the new presence while Sasuke was being hit on the back of his head by Shion for scaring her.
Taruho revealed himself shortly after the Konoha team landed with a determined look on his face. Itachi sighed at the man. He knew why Taruho was here but for the sake of conversation he had to ask, "What are you doing here Taruho?"
The glasses wearing guardian stepped forward. "I have dedicated my life to protecting Lady Shion and I will not waver in my duties. I may not be as powerful as you, but I will not hinder you and I will do whatever is necessary to protect the Priestess" Taruho said gripping his fists tightly.
Itachi eyed the man closely while thinking about the repercussions of what letting him tag along could lead to. "Taruho, we can't be responsible for your safety and we have to get to the shrine as soon as possible so we have no time to let you play keep up. I think that you should go back to the palace and"
"NO" interrupted Taruho cutting off Itachi causing the Konoha ninjas' eyes to widen. "I will not sit idly by and let others do the fighting while I do nothing. The assassins sent after Lady Shion killed many of my friends who shared the same duty as I do. I will carry on in their memory and I refuse to leave Lady Shion" Taruho said taking a step forward. "I will be going with you."
Itachi clenched his teeth for a moment. He was not used to being interrupted so thoughtlessly. Looking to his side at Kakashi, he saw the cyclops give him a short nod. Biting his lip and shaking his head he turned around and spoke. "Don't fall behind" the Uchiha said before the Konoha group took off, Taruho joining quickly behind them.
(10 Hours Later)
The Shion escort group sat near the edge of a cliff. It was now nighttime and Shion and Taruho were exhausted. Naruto and Sasuke were talking about battle strategies, Taruho was washing Shion's feet, and Itachi and Kakashi were looking over the cliff.
Itachi took a short breath as he looked out in the direction of the shrine. "Why did I let Taruho come along Kakashi? We could still be going but he is at his limit" Itachi said regretting his decision to let the guardian join them. Kakashi looked at his fellow jounin for a moment for a moment before looking back over the cliff. "It's because you understand duties greater than oneself better than anyone Itachi. Taruho would give his life for Shion without a second thought just like you would do the same with Konoha. Your loyalty to Konoha is among the strongest which is something that so many people admire about you when they look past your obvious skill. His undying loyalty to Shion mirrors your undying loyalty to Konoha" Kakashi said with an even tone.
The Uchiha looked down at the ground and nodded before looking up. "Kakashi, has the Hokage been acting somewhat different to you lately?" the Uchiha asked causing Kakashi to tilt his head in confusion. "He's been keeping me near him more than most of his other ninja and he's been talking to me about what it's like to be Hokage. Do you think that he feels endangered?" Itachi asked looking to the Hokage's student for an answer.
Kakashi looked at Itachi for a few seconds before chuckling and turning around to make his way back to where they had made camp. "Nope" the cyclops said walking away.
Nearby, Shion was looking away from Naruto and Sasuke with a disgusted look on her face. Naruto and Sasuke had been looking down at food that the priestess had thrown on the ground for being not good enough but now the two chunin were looking at the priestess with a look that said they were ready to strangle the girl.
"All of this food is cold. Make me something warm to eat" Shion said with a snobbish expression. Taruho continued to kneel before the priestess with an apologetic look. "I apologize Lady Shion but lighting a fire could alert those who intend to do you harm so I am afraid that we will have to make due for now" the man said still kneeling in front of the blond. Shion huffed at the apology and looked away. "Useless. I'm going to bed" the priestess said getting up and walking away.
(One Hour Later)
Taruho sat staring over the cliff in the direction of their end destination. He was surprised when the figures of Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha managed to sneak up on him but the surprise quickly died when he remembered who he was dealing with. "Is Lady Shion alright?" Taruho asked confused why the two strongest ninja in the group would leave their charge. The two Leaf jounin nodded in the affirmative and sat beside Taruho.
"Lady Shion is fine. As a matter of fact, she is probably the most safe person in the elemental nations at the moment so there is no need to worry" Itachi said looking up into the nighttime sky.
Taruho frowned and was about to argue before he was cut off by Kakashi. "Let me ask you Taruho why you think Konoha only chose four ninja, half of whom are merely chunin to go on this critical mission?" the masked jounin asked. After a moment of silence, Kakashi continued. "Itachi and I are both very famous and very dangerous ninja, but Naruto and Sasuke are something else. While they may act immature at times, when the chips are down they never fail. Those two along with their third teammate Yakumo are the proud future of Konoha and they will make sure that Shion survives this mission" Kakashi finished leaving Taruho momentarily speechless.
The glasses wearing guardian was silent in thought for a minute before looking up. "How did two children gain the power that you speak of?" Taruho asked to which Itachi sighed.
"Training and determination mixed with some things that I'm not at liberty to discuss. Like Kakashi said, there has yet to be a job too big for them to handle so don't be so wound up" Itachi said getting up to go back to the camp site. Kakashi nodded and followed his fellow jounin's actions while Taruho just sat thinking over what he had just been told.
After what seemed like hours but in reality was just one hour, Taruho stood up to return to the campsite but when he turned around, he was surprised to see Shion standing across from him. The man quickly got on a knee out of respect for the blonde girl but kept his eyes on her. "My Lady, what is it I may do for you?" Taruho asked ready to perform any action for his priestess.
Shion stared at the man with narrowed eyes before speaking. "I request that you leave and return home Taruho" Shion said shocking the man. "I will be escorted by the Leaf ninja so there is no need for you here" she said noticing the flinch and flash of hurt that went through his eyes. Before Taruho could argue, Shion raised her hand to silence the man. "I have made my decision Taruho and following me will only lead you to one thing. Death" Shion said coldly before turning and walking away not even giving Taruho the opportunity to speak.
(Five Hours Later)
The Shion protection group were speeding through the forest before coming to a series of rocks that rose from a river. Itachi signaled for the group to stop on one of the rocks. Looking around, Itachi motioned for Sasuke to put Shion down. "We are pretty close to the shrine as it is. Now Lady Shion, I've heard that the sealing jutsu that you will have to use is very taxing so we will stop for your sake" the Uchiha said.
Shion got off of Sasuke's back and crossed her arms with an displeased look on her face. "Whatever, just make sure that I make it to the shrine unharmed. That is after all what you are being paid for" the blonde said as she started to sit down, not even acknowledging the irritated look on Sasuke's face beside her. Sasuke quickly shook his head though remembering that a good shinobi always keeps his cool and reached into his ninja pouch. Kneeling down, the Uchiha offered Shion his flask of water. Shion turned to him and narrowed her eyes but took the water nonetheless.
Kakashi meanwhile was speaking with Naruto and Itachi.
"We should make it to the shrine by the end of the day and I don't think that we will run into those assassins that attacked the palace. They seemed to be more comfortable in using jutsu that amplified their own fire jutsu. Surrounded by water, I think we will be fine for now" the masked jounin said getting a nod from Itachi. Naruto however looked up and around before moving his sight to the distant area behind Itachi and Kakashi's backs.
"Um, not to be the bearer of bad news but we should probably move" Naruto said pointing behind Itachi and Kakashi. Both jounin quickly turned to see a massive water dragon speeding towards them intent on ending them. "Sasuke, get Shion now! Let's go everyone" Itachi quickly ordered before looking at fellow jounin. "Can you take care of this" Itachi asked. After getting a quick nod from Kakashi, the Uchiha jumped off to follow behind Naruto and Sasuke who were already making their way to higher ground.
Kakashi stepped forward a few steps and took a deep breath. Doing a series of quick handsigns, Kakashi forced a large amount of chakra out shouting "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu" and sent a water dragon almost as big as the one quickly approaching. The two dragons collided sending massive amounts of water everywhere including towards Kakashi's direction. The masked jounin was able to stick to the rock using chakra and def the torrent of water, but at the cost of a fair enough amount of chakra that left the man panting.
Meanwhile from above, Itachi had his sharingan activated and was quickly scanning the area while keeping an eye on Kakashi. Behind him, Naruto and Sasuke were in battle positions ready to protect Shion. After a few more seconds of searching, Itachi found what he was looking for. On a distant ridge were two of the assassins, the orange haired one and the one with the mask, who seemed to be responsible for the water dragon. Turning slightly, Itachi glanced at his two students. "Sasuke, Naruto, get Shion to the shrine. Kakashi and I will take care of things here" the older Uchiha said before running to where the assassins Shizuku and Gitai were. As he started his run, he noticed that Kakashi had recovered and had located the two as well.
(Naruto, Sasuke, and Shion)
Naruto immediately took off in the direction of the shrine as ordered. Sasuke lifted Shion up bridal style and quickly caught up to Naruto. "Naruto, what's the plan?" the Uchiha asked as he sped along with the blonde while ignoring the slight blush on Shion's face.
The blonde chunin was silent for a few seconds before the group came to another forest. "The attack was a diversion so keep your guard up. There were four assassins, and I think I only saw two at the ridge that Itachi sensei headed towards" Naruto said not missing a beat as the two ninja tree hopped while scanning every bit of forest that they could.
(Itachi)
Itachi ran quickly to engage Shizuku. Making it there in very short time, the Uchiha came to an abrupt stop. Ten feet away from him was Shizuku who had a leg raised in position with water starting to pool around her. Eyes widening for an instant, Itachi jumped back. "Damn it" the Uchiha muttered frustratingly as Shizuku shouted, "Water Style: Surface Slicer". Continuing to jump back, the sharp water jutsu sent by Shizuku followed close behind. Gritting his teeth, Itachi turned around and started to jump off into the forest to avoid the powerful jutsu but was followed by Shizuku who was skating on water that had formed beneath her feet.
Before too long the two came to a small clearing in the woods. Itachi stood slightly glaring at Shizuku while she had a maniacal smile on her face. "You know, I have never had the opportunity to see a sharingan in it's true form. Would you do me the favor of letting me see it before I kill you" she said laughing wildly. Shizuku stopped laughing however when she heard Itachi chuckling. Looking at him, she saw the Uchiha wearing an arrogant smug that the entire clan were infamous for. "Laugh all you want, by now your two little children and the priestess are dead now while you stand and joke with me" she said.
Itachi chuckled some more before letting his smirk slowly fall. "If I thought that any of you were a challenge for my brother and my student, then I wouldn't have left them alone. No, they will take care of your little obstacles but you shouldn't worry about that right now. As a matter of fact there is no need to worry about anything anymore for you have already sealed your fate" Itachi said going into battle mode.
Shizuku scowled before doing a series of quick handsigns. "Your words are nothing but that from a dead man Uchiha! Water Attack: Water Gorgon" the orange haired assassin shouted as a creature of water rose from the ground. The creature immediately targeted Itachi and flew after him with multiple streams of water breaking off and going around with the intention to attack the Uchiha from all sides. Itachi took a small breath and without any handsigns shouted "Great Fireball Jutsu" sending a massive fireball from his mouth that flew into the water creature. Even though the water jutsu provided some resistance, Itachi's attack was far more powerful as it pushed through the creature without diminishing its flames at all and slammed into a wide eyed and scared Shizuku.
The orange haired ninja flew back and hit a tree before falling face first onto the ground. Her body was smoking from the effects of the fireball and she laid without moving. Itachi walked cautiously to his opponent, his years in ANBU having taught him to never assume one is dead until you are sure. Coming to stand above the body of Shizuku, Itachi kneeled down slowly and pulled out his kunai. With a quick stab to the back of the head, Itachi assured the death of Shizuku and took off to find Sasuke, Naruto, and Shion.
(Kakashi)
Kakashi had made his way to Gitai after taking a short moment to recover. The masked jounin was slightly panting when he arrived at Gitai's location and immediately noticed that the man had surrounded himself in a rock-like armor. The assassin smiled at Kakashi before his arm expanded in size extremely and went after Kakashi. The jounin quickly jumped up to avoid the arm only to be hit by Gitai's other arm which had expanded into a rock structure as well. Gitai slammed his arm onto the downed Kakashi to crush him and end his life but growled when the Leaf ninja substituted himself with a nearby rock.
The Leaf jounin was slightly hunched over. He was rusty and on top of that, he had underestimated his opponent. Biting his lip behind his mask, the jounin reluctantly pulled up his headband revealing the implanted sharingan that had become his own eye.
Seeing Kakashi reveal his sharingan made Gitai smile wider as he could tell that the man was now taking the battle seriously. Unfortunately for Kakashi, it would be too little too late. Gitai chuckled with that thought in mind. "I see that you are finally ready to face me but it is a futile effort. You already used a lot of your chakra to defend against Shizuku's water dragon and I know about the toll that using the sharingan can take on the user. It's over for you" the masked man said before the ground rose and surrounded his body from the neck down. Gitai swung his massive arms repeatedly at the jounin trying to crush the man.
Kakashi was barely able to dodge the punches that Gitai was launching. If not for the sharingan, his body would most likely be broken by now. Unfortunately, the sharingan was taking its toll and it wouldn't be long before he passed out from chakra exhaustion. He had to come up with something fast because he was running on a timer and his chakra was draining quickly. Jumping back to avoid another swing of Gitai's massive fist which now had rocky spikes protruding from it, Kakashi threw five kunai which had explosive notes attached to each of them. When he landed on the ground right before the notes went off, he threw down a smoke bomb.
The kunai landed and embedded themselves in Gitai's rock armor before each blew up creating large explosions along the armor. Despite the explosions being powerful, it didn't do much damage to the armor and did nothing to Gitai himself. As he recovered from the explosions, he looked at the smoke that concealed Kakashi in front of him. With a shake of his head, Gitai smirked. "I told you Kakashi, it's a futile effort and now your life is over" the man said as he slammed his fists hard into the smoke and drove them into the ground expecting them to crush the masked jounin. His smirk quickly turned into a frown and his face showed a look of confusion as the smoke cleared but Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. Gitai was brought out of his confusion as a loud chirping sound made its way to his ears. With a slight turn of his head, Gitai's blood ran cold.
"A life is over, but it isn't mine. Chidori" the masked jounin shouted from behind Gitai as he sped towards his opponent. Gitai was unable to move much less defend himself as his arms were firmly dug into the ground. All he could do was scream as Kakashi shoved his lightning covered hand through the rock armor and into his body. The scream quickly died as did Gitai.
After killing Gitai and ending his jutsu, Kakashi pulled his hand from the dead assassin's body and fell to his knees. His entire body hurt and he was panting harshly. He could feel his chakra almost completely depleted as he slowly raised his headband with a trembling hand. Kakashi tried to stand up but fell expecting a small collision with the ground. The masked jounin looked up and was relieved to see his fellow jounin holding him up.
"Try and hang on to me. We've gotta find Sasuke and Naruto" Itachi said and after getting a nod from Kakashi, took off with him.
(Naruto, Sasuke, and Shion)
Naruto and Sasuke were quickly jumping through the trees when they heard a sound behind them. Glancing behind, both growled at the sight of Kusuna and Setsuna tailing them. Naruto shook his head as the two sped up until Setsuna began to throw spinning razor disks at the three. Gritting his teeth, Naruto sped up before stopping on a tree branch. "Keep going. I'll take care of these two" Naruto shouted out as Sasuke sped forward causing the priestess to hold on for dear life.
Reaching his arm out, Naruto's sword appeared in his hand and the blonde ninja smirked. "It's your unlucky day but find solace that you died at the hands of the Lunar Soldier" Naruto said before pulling his arm back. He swung forward and shouted "Hammer Slash" sending only about one hundred sword slashes in one swing since he decided to tone down the attack. The swing of his sword however still hit and cut both Setsuna who had a look of shock on his dead face and Kusuna in half. The attack kept going as it cut through twenty trees sending them falling loudly.
Naruto chuckled as he jumped down to examine the bodies but he froze momentarily when he saw that Kusuna's body was not a body at all but a puppet instead. Thinking quickly, Naruto jumped up on a tree branch and went as fast as he could to catch up with Sasuke.
(Sasuke and Shion)
Sasuke and Shion were jumping as quickly as possible. The Uchiha didn't know where he was supposed to go but he knew that his fellow Leaf ninja would find him soon enough. As his thoughts wandered for a moment, he was unable to sense Kusuna who appeared quickly behind Sasuke and said quietly "Anesthetic Jutsu". A scorpion like creature emerged from Kusuna's body and bit the boy on the neck which caused Sasuke to lose all feeling in his body creating instant paralysis. Sasuke fell from the tree landing face first on the ground creating a cloud of dust from his fall. Shion suffered some slight pain but was not seriously injured due to Sasuke providing a cushion for her.
The chunin groaned before starting to try and struggle. He tried with all his might but was unable to do anything as Kusuna landed with a wicked smile and approached the priestess who now had a fearful look on her face. Reaching his target, Kusuna stood as four of his scorpion like creatures rose from his body and opened the jacket he wore which contained a number of scalpels. With a whisper, Kusuna said "Dark Medical Jutsu. Let's perform a little surgery shall we?" he said as each scorpion took a scalpel and sent one into her her temple, one into her throat, and two which sliced both of her wrists.
Before Kusuna could enjoy his victory, a spinning sword came flying which took off the man's head and landed in a nearby tree. Naruto arrived on the scene only to see the gruesome death that Shion had suffered. Clenching his fists, the blonde shouted "DAMN IT" before he noticed his teammate who made a sound that was either a groan or a yell for his attention. Walking slowly to his teammate. Arriving at Sasuke, he turned the fellow chunin over and kneeled beside him.
Five minutes later, Itachi and Kakashi broke the tree line to see a kneeling Naruto, a paralyzed Sasuke, and Shion who was kneeling beside another Shion. Sitting Kakashi down, Itachi quickly walked to his brother without a word and kneeled beside him examining the boy. Reaching inside his pouch, he pulled out a vial with a sharp needle that held green liquid. As he approached Sasuke's neck, the boy tried to fidget and yell at his brother to not stick him with the shot but Itachi did so anyway. Thirty seconds later, Sasuke slowly rose into a sitting position but an angry look marred his face as it did for Naruto.
Itachi stood up. "What happened?" he asked as both boys looked at the ground. Naruto remembering what the real Shion had told him, and Sasuke remembering what had actually happened. "Taruho had been following us and used a special transformation jutsu to transform into Shion. He insisted that he take Shion's place and I agreed. It's my fault that Taruho is dead" Sasuke answered saying the last part so quietly that barely anyone could hear it.
Shion snorted. "Taruho was an idiot. His death was inevitable so there is no reason to mourn for him" the blonde priestess said. Naruto looked at Shion with anger but Sasuke activated his killing intent and his sharingan before shouting, "HE DIED FOR YOU, YOU ARROGANT USELESS BITCH". The Uchiha's words struck a part of Shion causing her to quickly tun and run. Sasuke took off after her but when Naruto tried to chase as well, Itachi grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.
(Shion and Sasuke)
"How could you not shed a tear for someone who gave up everything for you! Do you just not care about anyone but yourself?" Sasuke yelled out as Shion came to a stop leaning against a tree with her arms holding herself.
Sasuke finally reached the priestess but was shocked at what he came across. The blonde girl was crying. Tears were falling at a quick pace as she sobbed against a tree. "Of course I cared about Taruho! He died because of me and I have to live with that! So many have died to protect me and I hate it. Why do I have to be someone that everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for? Every time someone dies for me, it stabs my heart and puts me through such pain that I can't stand it. But Taruho was the one person who didn't die because it was his duty. He died because he truly wanted me to live on and that pain is just too much to bear. I can't take it anymore" the girl responded sobbing throughout her answer giving Sasuke an entire new opinion of the girl. The Uchiha had been wrong.
Slowly approaching the girl, Sasuke stopped a few feet away from her. "I have made a horrible mistake. I thought that you were just a spoiled girl, but now I see that you have held a burden that so few could bear" Sasuke said before kneeling causing the priestess to turn around with a shocked face that an Uchiha was bowing to her. Even in the Land of Demons, the pride of the Uchiha clan was well known so to see one of their clan members humble themselves before her was surprising to say the least. "I will protect you at all costs, but I will do more than just that. I will make sure that the pain you feel will not occur anymore on this mission. I will give my life for you if need be, but I will also do whatever it takes to ease this burden that you have been forced to carry for so long" Sasuke said.
Shion had no words so she simply nodded while still sniffling. "Let's return to Taruho and give him a burial that he deserves" Shion said walking to stand beside Sasuke and held out her arm. Sasuke stood and with an arched eyebrow and a slight hesitance, took her arm in his. "I believe you and I believe in you Sasuke Uchiha" Shion whispered.
(Two hours later)
The Konoha escort group were tree hopping to the shrine. Shion had insisted on getting there as soon as possible. She would no longer be responsible for so many people's deaths. She held tighter onto Sasuke, but no longer with the slight fear that he might drop her. The five were close to the shrine before Itachi stopped them.
"The shrine is just up ahead. Are all of you ready?" Itachi asked. None of his fellow members said a word, they only nodded, each with a determined look. Itachi looked at his brother who had a new energy about him. The elder Uchiha couldn't be more proud of Sasuke. His gaze moved to Naruto whose blank look now had a very confident smile as the boy was looking at the sky. Itachi almost felt bad for the opposition when he saw a full moon shining in the sky. He then turned his eyes to Kakashi and frowned. "Kakashi, are you okay for this fight?" the jounin asked.
Kakashi nodded. "The soldier pills will last for a while. I'm ready" the jounin said standing straight.
With confidence, each of the Konoha ninja stepped out of the tree line to see the Stone Army, line by line ready to protect the shrine. Itachi looked at Naruto. "Naruto, do you think that you could prepare a path for us?" the Uchiha asked as a legitimate question.
Naruto chuckled and ran forward without an answer. As the blonde neared the army, the stone soldiers became alert and prepared to attack only for Naruto to jump high into the air leaving a small crater from his jump. High in the sky, Naruto remained in the air as his sword appeared in his hand. A white glow began to form around Naruto and his sword as he closed his eyes and started to take slow breaths. For a long moment, the blonde stayed in midair as the glow around him grew larger until he opened his eyes.
The swordsman slammed his sword in a downward motion as he and his sword sped towards the ground. As the two fell, Naruto shouted "Lunar Slash". Upon landing, there were a few seconds where it looked like nothing had happened. Soon, that idea was disputed as hundreds of the stone soldiers were destroyed without any pieces left to recover from. Hundreds of the Immortal Stone Stone Army soldiers had just lost their titles and their hollow lives.
A clear path was made which the Konoha team quickly took advantage of while trying to comprehend what they had just seen. Before any admiration could be stated however, more of the stone soldiers started to approach. Naruto raised his sword in position to fight knowing that he didn't have another of his special attacks ready yet. Itachi and Kakashi stopped near Naruto as well preparing for battle. Anything to buy time. "Sasuke, get Shion inside and start the sealing" Itachi ordered Sasuke who sped up his running until the two safely made it into the shrine.
"Are you okay Naruto?" Itachi asked his student with concern on his face. Naruto looked up at his teacher and smiled. "Never better Itachi sensei. Now let's go kick some stone soldier ass" the blonde said before his attention shifted to the army and he ran ready for a fight. Kakashi and Itachi shared a short amused look before they quickly followed in a futile attempt to not be shown up by a chunin.
(Sasuke and Shion)
Sasuke and Shion quickly ran through a massive cave before coming to a series of ground passages surrounded by lava. In the distance, Sasuke could see Yomi resting and behind him was the sealing shrine itself. Without a second thought, Sasuke ran along the earth trails and made it to Yomi's side in less than thirty seconds. He stopped in front of Yomi and looked back at Shion who nodded causing him to let the priestess down off his back. Without a word, Shion began walking to the shrine while Sasuke kept his eyes on Yomi.
Yomi gave a weak smile. His body was extremely pale and looked like it was already decaying but he kept smiling as if he had an ace in the hole. "It's impossible you know. Not even your mother could completely seal Moryo" Yomi said with a chuckle expecting to get a reaction from the blonde priestess but was disappointed as the girl continued walking and looking more determined then ever. Yomi frowned at her new found strength. "Haven't you ever wondered how she sealed Moryo?" Yomi asked once again trying to get the girl to take the bait only to be once again disappointed. Now the man was becoming slightly concerned as the girl reached the sealing platform and quickly went through the motion of the sealing.
After finishing her handsigns, Shion rose and created a barrier around her. Sasuke glanced at the priestess to see how much of a toll the seal was taking on her so far. Unfortunately, one small moment was all Yomi needed as he through his body with all of his remaining strength through the barrier at the cost of his life. The remaining parts of Yomi quickly faded into darkness that rose and slowly entered the tomb that Moryo's body was kept. A dark chuckle sounded out as Shion's eyes widened. Her barrier fell from her lack of concentration and she fell backwards only to land in the arms of Sasuke.
"My body and soul have been reunited. I thank you Priestess Shion for reviving me and securing my rule of this world" a dark voice said before chuckling.
"Kami, what have I done?" the girl whispered as tears began to roll down her face. She felt a small comfort as Sasuke's grip on her tightened but the grip quickly went away as he stood up helping her up as well. "Shion, find somewhere to protect yourself. Leave this to me" the Uchiha said looking at the shrine as he awaited the rise of Moryo. Shion wanted to argue but something in the boy's voice told her that he would take care of everything.
Sasuke walked forwards as multiple dragon heads of darkness rose from the ground ahead of them. Not stopping, Sasuke summoned his spear into his hand and activated his sharingan. Immediately, the dragons rushed towards Sasuke but the Uchiha's response was quick. "Phoenix Sage Fire Technique" shouted the dark haired chunin as he sent a multitude of large blue fireballs that impacted the dragons hard enough to force them back. Reaching his arm forward, Sasuke followed up by shouting "Solar Destruction" as a golden ball of fire began to form in his hand. The ball started to increase in size as the dragons recovered and prepared to attack. Just as they were ready to launch themselves at the boy, Sasuke sent the large fireball flying towards their core instead of a single head.
The impact of the attack caused a screech from the dragons as the ball kept burning and began to actually push them backwards. The attack was not without risk however as Sasuke was panting harshly from exhaustion, both physical and chakra exhaustion. Standing up straight, Sasuke looked at his opponent knowing that even a few of his best attacks were not a match for a full fledged demon. Without turning his attention, Sasuke addressed Shion. "Shion, you need to leave. I'll hold Moryo off, just get out of here" Sasuke said as he found it hard to keep his sharingan active.
Shion looked at the boy with a mixture of shock and horror. "Absolutely not! You promised me that you would not let me feel any more pain. If you sacrifice yourself for me, I will never forgive you" the blonde priestess screamed out from nearby with tears flowing from her eyes.
Sasuke growled in regret at his earlier promise before gripping his spear tight. "Women. Can't live with them, can't live without them" Sasuke said as he prepared to throw his spear while summoning as much chakra as he could. Finding just enough energy, the chunin launched his spear as hard as he could at the dark dragons that were once again preparing to attack. Right before the spear made impact, Sasuke shouted "Lighting Rain" creating a number of powerful lightning bolts that rapidly attacked each of the dragons causing Moryo to screech again.
Sasuke fell to his knees panting and quickly deactivating his sharingan. Every part of his body hurt but he ignored the pain and felt a sense of dread as he noticed his attack dying down while Moryo seemed unaffected, just seriously pissed off. Preparing to die, he felt a feminine figure land beside him and hold onto him tightly. With a deep breath, Sasuke turned and looked into Shion's eyes. Throughout the entire mission, he had never looked into her eyes. Now that he had, he could say that they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen in his life. With a smile, he took her hand gently in his and looked at her. "Shion, it's time to go. Get out of here and find Naruto or Itachi. They will protect you and I promise that they will do a better job than I could" Sasuke said with a laugh which quickly turned into a coughing fit.
Shion tightened her grip on the Uchiha and shook her head. "No Sasuke, I won't do that. If it's our destiny to die today, then we will die together" she said before giving him a small kiss on his lips and looking forward. As both stared at the approaching Moryo, a warm feeling came over Sasuke and Shion. The two felt replenished and stronger than ever before. Both had looks of confusion as a small glow formed around the two.
Seeing what was happening and secretly knowing that this was the hidden power that was passed on from priestess to priestess growled and sent a dragon at the two only for the dragon to be obliterated as it hit some sort of barrier. Moryo sent another dragon only to get the same result. Sasuke and Shion shared a confused look before they stood up hand in hand with a smile.
"I see now why you needed me to die so badly. I have the power to erase your existence" Shion said as she and Sasuke walked forward while Moryo moved backwards. "Well the day of your end comes today. Sasuke, together" she said calmly which received a nod from Sasuke.
Doing a series of quick handsigns, Sasuke said with a smirk, "Combined chakra: Meteor Rain" before sending twenty massive fireballs covered in intense white fire. One after another hit Moryo not allowing the demon to recover. Normally, the attack would not really affect him, but Shion's chakra changed everything. The multiple and powerful attacks combined with the chakra of the priestess was very harmful to say the least and that was in the case of only one fireball. In the case of the twenty fireballs, the demon was completely obliterated.
Looking forward, Sasuke and Shion were unsure of what to do. Laugh? Cry? Both? Sasuke summoned his weapon to him and turned to Shion with a smile. "Well, let's go see how the rest of the group is" the Uchiha suggested as he held out his arm which caused Shion to giggle and nod before taking the arm.
The two walked out of the cave but were completely floored at the sight that they came across.
(Naruto, Itachi, and Kakashi)
The chunin and the two jounin stood looking at the battlefield and the now inanimate soldiers that had fallen. Each of the three smiled knowing that Sasuke and Shion defeated Moryo in the shrine.
"I will say that I am not disappointed with the opponent that Tsuranabi has tasked me with killing" a voice said from nearby. Looking around, the three finally looked up to see a black haired man leaning against a black serrated sword that was shoved into the ground. "I have been waiting for you Serpent Summoner" the man said causing both jounin's eyes to widen as they looked at Naruto but quickly turned their attention back to the man.
Itachi activated is sharingan while Kakashi pulled out a kunai. "Who the hell are you?" Itachi asked with a hostile tone prepared to kill anyone who was a threat to his student.
The newcomer pulled his blade from the ground and jumped down to Naruto, Itachi, and Kakashi's level. "I am a man whose life ended many years ago. I am an unbeaten soul that has returned for one purpose. I am the Dragon Summoner Ryuki. Now then, I have no business with you two so step aside before I end your lives right now" the man said.
Kakashi and Itachi raised their weapons but stopped at Naruto's words. "Stop. I can feel his power. This is too much for you guys to handle. As a matter of fact, I can only think of one way to beat him if what he says is true" Naruto said getting an unbelieving look from Kakashi but an understanding look from Itachi. The jounin had learned after many instances not to count Naruto out no matter the opponent. " Kakashi, let's go" Itachi said before taking off to the entrance of the shrine where he could keep an eye on everything. Kakashi looked at the boy for a long moment. The masked jounin had not gotten to make up for his sins of neglect towards Naruto. "Good luck Naruto" the masked ninja said and left after getting a quick nod from the blonde himself.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto shoved his sword into the ground and began to walk forward. Ryoki walked forward as well until they stood about twelve feet across from each other. "I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and I am the Serpent Summoner that will end you" the blonde said with a confident smirk that only served to make Ryuki frown. "Arrogance is the folly of all men" Ryuki said with a sigh as he brought his hands up. Naruto did the same with a chuckle. "We'll see" the blonde said before both summoners' expressions grew serious.
"Summoning Jutsu Levios" "Summoning Jutsu Hachiman" the two summoners shouted simultaneously. For thirty seconds, nothing happened and all was silent. However, the silence ended in an instant. The ground behind Ryuki turned to molten rock and collapsed in on itself as a massive red dragon soared into the sky and gave off a roar that would strike fear into any man. After the roar, a large field of mist formed behind Naruto before Levios in his full size rose from the mist and let out a roar of his own. The serpent and the dragon stared at each other with their sharp teeth bared in hatred towards one another.
After processing the sight of the two fearsome beasts ready to do battle, Ryuki turned his attention back to Naruto. "I will not hold back in this battle. I strongly suggest that you do not hold back as well" the man said as a dark red glow began to form around him and scales of the same color began to form along his arms quickly spreading throughout his body.
Naruto nodded as a blue light formed around him. Purple scales began to form around his body and small lightning bolts shined through the boy's eyes. Fins grew along each of his arms, sharp edges pushed out of his knuckles, the ends of his fingers transformed into purple razor sharp claws and his teeth grew sharp edges as well. His transformation also caused him to grow an entire foot in height. Golden lines ran along the boy's body over a water covering that covered his entire body. The final part of his transformation was the formation of a hard purple helmet like structure that covered his hair and head.
The former blonde looked forward at his opponent and summoned his trident. The trident was much different than when he had first summoned it in Kiri. The weapon he summoned now was much longer and shined brighter than before. Lightning ran along the weapon as it gave off immense power.
Ryuki looked at his opponent and smiled ready for a good fight. His transformation was done as blood red scales covered his body while sharp fangs protruded from his mouth. His fingers had also transformed into claws and his already yellow eyes had increased in color and the sclera in the middle intensified. The transformation that his sword went through was mostly an increase in power, but the dragon eye that connected the blade and the handle was now dark red.
Seeing that their summoners' transformations were complete, the serpent and the dragon began their battle. At the same time, Naruto and Ryuki rushed at one another prepared to end the other.
(Levios and Hachiman)
The dragon in the sky glared at the serpent below before giving off a mighty roar and firing a stream of intense flames towards Levios. The serpent roared and opened it's jaw widely. A second later, a powerful stream of water mixed with equally powerful lightning bolts intertwined within the water flew out of Levios' mouth and met the fire blast full force. The result was a massive explosion that created a large mass of steam around the area.
Hachiman growled in annoyance. The result of the attacks sent by the serpent and himself had given the coward a perfect cover to hide from him. Or so the serpent thought. baring it's fangs, Hachiman sent his massive wings forwards blowing the mist away but became confused for a moment as the serpent was nowhere to be seen. The moment of confusion proved to be a painful one as Levios rose from the ground behind the great dragon and sank his sharp fangs into Hachiman's. The bite elicited a roar of pain from the dragon as the serpent's teeth dug past the hard scales that covered his body and drew blood. Taking the pain, Hachiman flew upwards, taking the increased pain from Levios' bite as they rose higher. After Hachiman reached a height of his satisfaction, the great dragon turned his body fast enough to throw the serpent off and send him falling to the distant ground below. Before Hachiman could enjoy his victory however, a shot of water mixed with lightning hit his chest as he had not been paying attention. The lightning bolts mixed with water ran along his body sending him into temporary paralysis as he too fell.
(Naruto and Ryuki)
The now purple Naruto was engaged in a trident to sword battle with the red scaled Ryuki. Each collision of the weapons resulted in small sparks and flames erupting from impact. The two fought ferociously, each one increasing the intensity of the fight with every weapon strike. Naruto was thinking as quickly as he could as he tried to find out his opponent's tendencies, flaws, and weaknesses. Ryuki had none that Naruto could see so far.
After a minute more of clashes among weapons, Naruto saw a small opening as Ryuki stabbed his sword towards Naruto's legs. The serpent summoner quickly brought his trident down and trapped the sword. He followed up the move by swiping his clawed left hand across Ryuki's face causing him to jump back in order to avoid anymore hits. Naruto kept his trident on top of the dragon summoner's sword as he watched his fellow sword user touch the wound that stretched along his right cheek.
Ryuki chuckled as he felt the sting of the scratch. "Well done serpent summoner, it seems that you have drawn first blood. Unfortunately, a scratch won't be enough to defeat me" the dragon summoner said as he jumped into the air. At the same time that the man jumped, his dragon sword turned to flames and appeared in his hand. Not even acknowledging the presence of his weapon, Ryuki opened his jaw wide and his eyes began to glow as if actual fire resided in them.
Without missing a beat, the lightning eyed Naruto opened his jaw as well. From the dragon summoner, a mass of fire quickly rushed towards Naruto. The serpent summoner however sent a powerful blast of water with a few small electric bolts within that met the fire blast head on. As the two attacks met, they seemed to be equal at first but the situation changed quickly. The fire blast began to push back against Naruto's attack before it started to head full force towards the purple summoner.
Naruto's eyes closed as waited for the impact of Ryuki's blast but it never came. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a large dome of water surrounding him as the fire blast died out against it. Unsure about what happened, Naruto got his answer to where the water came from when it rushed back to cover his body. Naruto examined himself for a few seconds before looking up at his opponent who was scowling. The serpent summoner gave a small smile and a breath of relief before kneeling down and picking up his trident.
"Let's try this again shall we?" Naruto said before the two ran at each other once again in a battle mindset.
(Front of shrine cave entrance)
Itachi and Kakashi watched Naruto battle his opponent along with the great beasts that were at war in front of them. Both of them were speechless and scared for Naruto's life. For a reason that they attributed to the special battle of the summons, a transparent barrier had risen in what they guessed was to prevent outside interference. The only reason that Itachi and Kakashi could see the barrier was because they had their sharingan activated.
The Uchiha jounin clenched his fists to the point of them bleeding. He knew that this battle was not one he would stand a chance in, but at least he would have died knowing that he helped his student. It hurt more than words were able to describe as he watched his student who was fighting a life or death battle. A life or death battle that he was unable to assist in. "Come on Naruto. I believe in you, we all do. So come out of this alive. Please Kami, let him come out of this alive" Itachi whispered.
Kakashi was fairing little better than his counterpart. He wanted to jump in and help but he knew that if anything, he would probably get the boy killed. The masked ninja wanted to bang his head against something as he looked at his sensei's son fighting a battle unlike any he had ever seen. The chakra that was being emitted from Naruto and Ryuki was monstrous. Each of their chakra felt more powerful and more potent than anything he had ever felt in his life. Including the Kyuubi. And in terms of the creatures that fought near the two, they didn't emit any chakra. No, they simply pulsated pure power of the likes he had never felt before. He had never been so amazed yet terrified at the same time.
Both jounin were knocked out of their thoughts at the sound of Sasuke and Shion who were rushing out of the cave. Coming out of the cave, the younger Uchiha froze at the sight and shook at the feeling of power before him. In his arms, Shion shook at the sight and tried to bury herself into the Uchiha as much as possible.
Sasuke slowly turned to Itachi. "Itachi, where is Naruto?" the black haired chunin asked trying not to stutter. He already knew the answer but he needed confirmation which he got when Itachi pointed in the direction of the battlefield while looking down in shame. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke looked up with a determined look and approached Itachi. "Brother, take Shion. I have a friend to help" Sasuke said offering the girl only for her to cling to him tighter and whimper.
Itachi quickly shook his head. "No Sasuke. This is a fight where numbers do not count. It is a battle truly out of anyone's skill set but Naruto's. I know it's hard, but you have to believe in him and let him do this on his own. Believe in Naruto like he has always believed in you" Itachi said quietly.
Sasuke wanted to argue. He wanted to yell. He wanted to run to his friend and help however he could. But his brother was right. Anyone who tried to join him would serve only as a distraction and more than likely get Naruto killed. So with great restraint, Sasuke held Shion closer and activated his sharingan. He would never stop believing in his friend, just as the blonde would never stop believing in him.
(Naruto and Ryuki)
Naruto's trident was in the ground as was Ryuki's sword. Upon realizing that they were too evenly matched in the art of wielding each of their weapons, the two had abandoned them in favor of trying to find a better way to kill one another. For Naruto, Ryuki's death would mean hurting the Shinigami's Blade once again and ending the threat before him. For Ryuki, Naruto's death meant that he would be allowed to return to the afterlife and never be called back again. Both had a lot on the line and were fighting with everything they had.
Naruto and Ryuki had moved on to exchanging physical blows on one another. The blows from each punch only created a scratch with the blades on one another's knuckles, but the physical blows from the punch was where the real damage occurred. Naruto was faster, lighter, and able to land many blows at a high rate. But Ryuki's blows were heavy and powerful, each one knocking a little bit of air from Naruto.
Ryuki pulled back his right fist and slammed it forward in hopes of landing a devastating impact on the boy, but Naruto was able to dodge it at the last second and with great speed land ten quick and powerful punches to Ryuki's midsection. Just as Ryuki was about to grab him with his left arm, Naruto quickly swept Ryuki's legs from under him sending him backwards onto his back. Naruto immediately jumped high into the air before smiling. "This is the end Ryuki" Naruto said quietly as a large ball of blue lightning formed in his hand.
Still on his back, Ryuki watched as Naruto's lightning attack formed which was soon covered by a large orb of water. When the former blonde sent his attack towards the man, Ryuki smiled. For the first time in a long, long, time, he was impressed.
In the air, Naruto watched as his attack sped towards Ryuki and landed creating a powerful impact. Hanging in midair, he panted with a smile and smiled in victory. That smile died soon though as his attack died down enough to show that Ryuki was nowhere to be seen. Just as Naruto started to think of what happened, Ryuki appeared behind the boy holding his arms behind his back and keeping him from moving. The dragon summoner smiled from behind the serpent summoner. "I am impressed serpent summoner. For giving me a glorious battle, you will learn perhaps my most deadly technique. That is, if you last that long" Ryuki said before spike emerged from the dragon summoner's body going into the former blonde's body.
The impaling of the multiple spikes caused Naruto to scream in pain and struggle to get free, but Ryuki's hold would not allow it. Taking advantage of Naruto's inability to move, Ryuki turned their bodies upside down so that the two began to fall headfirst. Ryuki chuckled as the two landed in a vicious pile driver.
(Levios and Hachiman)
Levios slowly rose from the ground breathing harshly. Blood was dripping from his mouth, scales were missing, and his body felt like he could no longer go on. Nearby, he noticed a large moving form that was slowly getting up. Knowing that it was the dragon, Levios gritted his teeth all the while thinking 'I am so kicking Naruto's ass for what I'm having to go through'. The serpent summoned his remaining strength and rose as the dragon approached on all fours limping and twitching every once and a while.
Levios' last gasp attack had done more than just paralysis if looks were anything to go by. One eye was twitching while the other was closed but blood was coming from under the eyelid. One of Hachiman's wings was bent at what seemed to be a very painful and abnormal angle. A few scales were no longer on the dragon and his jaw was open revealing that he was missing a few of his teeth.
The reason for the difference in the injuries between the two creatures was quite simple. Hachiman had flown them high enough to prove fatal for the serpent summon but was not counting on the serpent to have the "infinite knowledge" to create a large pool of water below just in time to cushion his fall. Unfortunately, Hachiman was not afforded the same luxury as he fell without any way to cushion his fall due to the paralysis that the serpent had levied on him.
Pure, unadulterated, hatred was a feeling that didn't even come close to the dragon's feelings towards Levios. He, Hachiman, the Dragon King, was being embarrassed by a pathetic serpent. It was unacceptable. So with everything in his body, not caring if the attack destroyed himself in the process, raised his head upwards and blew out his largest stream of fire yet. White, yellow, orange, blue, red, and black flames formed into a ball above that started to grow bigger and bigger.
Levios looked at the dragon knowing that he couldn't attack Hachiman head on anymore. The heat was too intense at this point for him to even approach the dragon, so the serpent pulled it's neck backwards and opened its jaw as wide as possible. The serpent let out a loud, ferocious, and horrifying roar. After a few seconds, it seemed that the only thing Levios had done was roar again, but soon dark clouds began to quickly cover the skies above. Constant lightning bolts lit up the clouds before going downwards towards Levios himself. The winds started to pick up and rain began to pour heavily as the wind and ran joined the lightning around Levios. A powerful hurricane soon surrounded the serpent as it focused on the dragon before him.
With loud roaring battle cries, Hachiman sent his incredible fireball flying towards Levios while the serpent commanded his hurricane to rush forward. A second later, the two attacks met. Collisions of attacks of such magnitude that had not occurred for centuries fought one another for leverage. The power of the dragons versus the power of the serpents. Both creatures sent their attacks and pushed as hard as they could knowing the cold hard truth. The loser of this attack would die.
Minutes of attacks pushing one another were going on until one started to give way. The fireball of the dragon started to shrink in size while the intensity of the hurricane began to pick up. With a final push, Levios roared and pushed his attack as hard as he could sending his hurricane forward as it swallowed up the fireball. Hachiman could only watch as the serpent's attack met him and ended his existence.
Once the attack had finished off Hachiman, Levios fell flat on the ground with his eyes barely open. He glanced in the direction of his summoner and before returning to his realm, gave one final thought. 'I believe in you Naruto.'
(Naruto and Ryuki)
Ryuki was standing with a blank look on his face as he examined Naruto who was now lying in a crater. The boy's transformation had just ended as had his dragon transformation. It was no matter though, his mission was accomplished. The man started to walk away picking up his sword when he heard a surprising sound. The coughing of his seemingly dead opponent. Ryuki turned and looked upon Naruto who by the looks of his appearance probably wished he was dead at the moment. The blonde was barely breathing, his eyes were unfocused, his nose was broken, he had a few cuts along his face and multiple along his arms, and his jaw was slightly out of place as was his left arm. Shaking his head, Ryuki began to approach the boy with slight pity in his eyes.
"Hey. You told me that you were gonna show me your most powerful technique" Naruto said weakly before coughing. Ryuki narrowed his eyes before he shook his head. "No boy, I told you that you would learn of my attack if you beat me" the dragon swordsman said as he walked towards Naruto.
Naruto lightly chuckled as blood leaked from his mouth but his eyes shined of determination and he wore a smile of victory. "Like I said. You owe me that technique" Naruto said as Ryuki now stood in front of him. Just as Ryuki swung his sword ready to decapitate the boy, the blonde swordsman flashed away.
Nearby, Naruto flashed to a hiraishin kunai that he had secretly buried when he buried his sword. Before picking up his blade, Naruto summoned what little summoning strength he had left before his golden trident in its lesser form appeared in his right hand. With great effort, the blonde threw the trident with all his might.
Ryuki had turned around after his opponent flashed away but he had hesitated just long enough so that when he turned, he was met with Naruto's trident flying into his chest. Looking down at the trident, Ryuki mentally applauded the surprise attack, but it was made for one who was alive which he was not. "I'm sorry boy, but your attack has no affect on me" the black haired swordsman said but frowned when he saw Naruto smile.
"Who said that was my attack?" Naruto said before his trident gave off enough lightning to momentarily stun his opponent. Dead or alive. Looking beside him, Naruto pulled up his sword and looked above. The clouds that had been covering the sky immediately cleared as the moon shined brightly on him. Looking forward at his opponent, the blonde didn't hesitate as he raised his sword. "LUNAR SLASH" the boy screamed as he swung his sword with all of his strength.
Ryuki had stopped trying to get out of his paralysis. Knowing that he couldn't avoid what was coming, Ryuki admired the shining attack quickly approaching him. A part of him did regret what was about to happen though.
The attack struck as an incredible burst of pure chakra flooded Ryuki's body. Naruto's attack had ended Ryuki as the dragon swordsman's body was starting to deteriorate slowly into nothing. He was returning to the afterlife which caused the black haired man to smile. That smile lessened however as Naruto started to approach him.
(The Rest of the Konoha Group)
The Konoha group was all smiles and in awe of what they had seen. The battle that they had witnessed was one that each of them doubted would ever be seen by anyone for many lifetimes. But then again, for Naruto, this could just be another Tuesday. Sasuke was cheering loudly before he looked to his side where he had put Shion down. The blonde for some reason refused to look forward at the battlefield. Sasuke started to wonder, but he decided to wait until everything died down to ask questions.
(Naruto and Ryuki)
Naruto felt relief from defeating the powerful opponent, but as he approached the man, his body began to feel off. A sudden numbness had come over him. That numbness soon turned into needle like pricks along his body. A few seconds later, a strong pressure started to impact the entirety of his body. The boy slowly looked towards Ryuki who was looking at the blonde with a sad expression. "I'm afraid that you lost this battle the moment you and I found each other. You are suffering from my most powerful attack. The Destiny Seal. When two people are marked with the Destiny Seal, whatever attack happens to one also happens to another. When I impaled you, I marked you with the seal. Now that I'm dying, you will die as well. But know that you were the greatest opponent I have ever faced" Ryuki said before his body turned to dust.
The blonde swordsman's eyes widen as his sword fell from his hand. He started to panic as the pain that he was feeling only increased. 'No, he was lying. He had to be lying. I can't die, not yet. Not -' his thoughts were cut off as the attack from his own blade began its end. The chakra started to rush through his body and he felt his body being ripped apart. The boy screamed in pain but couldn't hear his own screams. A second later, an explosion of chakra enhanced by the power of the moon exploded on the user destroying the nearby area.
(The Rest of the Konoha Group)
The Konoha ninja had started frowning when Naruto had dropped his sword but once he started glowing was when each of them grew gravely concerned. Before any of them could start to go down and help Naruto, a massive explosion from what seemed to be Naruto's own body erupted causing everyone's eyes to widen. The explosion was massive and sent large waves of earth, dust, and rocks flying everywhere. The debris was approaching quickly. Itachi looked behind him but knew that they wouldn't make it into the cave in time. Making the best decision he could, Itachi shouted "Hit the Ground!" making everyone but Sasuke fall on their chests against the ground.
Sasuke stood shocked at what he was seeing. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion to him. He watched as the wave of debris approached. The group would die once they were hit, lying down or not. Just before he was ready to accept his fate, a single word came into Sasuke's mind seemingly from nowhere. Without hesitation, Sasuke shouted the word given to him.
"SUSANOO"
The moment that Sasuke said the word, a giant, purple, winged guardian appeared in front of him and his group covering them all. For two minutes, waves of debris continued, but none got past Sasuke's guardian. After the last wave stopped, Sasuke fell to his knees and Shion rushed to his side. Itachi and Kakashi who had stood up when they realized they weren't dead only to see the famed Uchiha Susanoo looked at the chunin with shocked looks on their faces. Itachi quickly turned to Kakashi with a glare and his sharingan activated. "This never happened" Itachi growled out to which Kakashi nodded quickly. The two immediately turned their attention back to where Naruto had been. Both looked at the ground and allowed a few tears to fall.
Shion knelt beside Sasuke who was sobbing. His fists were clenched as he looked towards where his best friend had once been with a six star shape in each of his eyes. Looking at the sky while crying, Sasuke creamed out "NARUTO" mirroring the feelings of each of those there.
(Twenty Minutes Later)
Itachi and Kakashi looked dead inside as they stood. Looking at Sasuke, they could see him shaking and crying as Shion tried to console him. With a sad sigh, Kakashi stepped forward. "We have to finish the mission. When we get to Konoha, we will give him the burial he deserves" the masked ninja said.
Sasuke shakily stood up with the help of Shion. His chakra was pretty much drained from the Susanoo. "Kakashi, we don't need a funeral because Naruto isn't dead" the dark haired chunin said with a serious tone. Before Kakashi could refute the response, Itachi looked at Kakashi and shook his head. "Well in any case, we should finish the mission and get back to Konoha as quick as possible in order to send out a search team" Kakashi said which got a stiff nod from Sasuke.
(Two Days Later)
Sasuke laid in his bed that was inside of Shion's palace. They had traveled constantly and according to Itachi and Kakashi, they needed a short break before going back to Konoha. The thought of them taking their time pissed him off. They needed to get back to the village as quick as possible. The only one who seemed to understand was Shion. The blonde priestess had been understanding and when he had moments of weakness or doubts about whether or not Naruto was alive, Shion gave him strength to keep his beliefs. He would find Naruto, and then he would kick the blonde's ass all the way to Kumo for scaring him like this.
It was going to be a pain to tell Yakumo about Naruto's little joke, but she'd get over it. And any genjutsu she used, he could use his new eyes to dispel. The thought of the eyes brought a serious look on his face. Itachi had told him to keep it quiet because they were so much more valuable than a regular sharingan because of their special abilities. Apparently, he had used one of the abilities called Susanoo which came from the Mangekyo Sharingan. When Itachi had asked how the chunin had gotten it, Sasuke replied that he had no idea what it even was. Itachi seemed to accept the answer but he never knew with his brother.
After contemplation for the past two days while getting back to Shion's palace, Sasuke had come to a realization. The day he first heard the voice that said "Mangekyo Sharingan" was the day that he not only got the true eyes, but also the day that he met the actual Madara Uchiha. Questions after questions filled his mind. Why him? What put him above all of the other Uchiha? Why not Itachi? Why not someone stronger or smarter? It was a weird feeling to be humble, but Sasuke enjoyed the thought that his humility set him apart from the rest of the clan not unlike his older brother. Sasuke also wondered if he had received his own Mangekyo Sharingan or Madara's own eyes.
It was so exciting. He couldn't wait to tell Naruto. Sasuke frowned and a sad look formed on his face. He knew that his friend was out there. He didn't know where, but he knew that Naruto was alive somewhere. Someday, he would be reunited with his friend.
The Uchiha's thoughts were interrupted when he heard his door quietly opening. Slowly turning his head, he was surprised to see Shion herself in his room. The blonde priestess made her way to Sasuke and sat on the side of his bed. Sasuke sat up and moved over so that Shion could sit fully on the bed. "Shion, is something wrong?" the Uchiha asked.
Shion smiled softly and raised her hand to his cheek. "Not with me, but with you. You feel despair and sadness within you. You feel burdened by everything that has happened which is why I have come here. Allow me to remove your sadness and share the burden you carry. In return, I give you myself" the blonde priestess said moving her lips forward and kissing the Uchiha gently.
(The Next Morning)
Itachi and Kakashi were prepared to leave having already thanked Shion for her hospitality, but Sasuke was still in front of Shion as the two held each other's hands.
"I expect you to write me consistently and visit as much as possible" Shion said with a serious look that fell towards the end of her sentence as she started to giggle. Sasuke nodded in obedience. "I will, and I look forward to you visiting the Hidden Leaf. You will always have a place in my house... and my room" he said before he kissed the girl on the cheek and turned, running off and leaving a blonde blushing priestess behind.
Upon reaching his fellow ninja, Sasuke's face turned deadly serious. "Let's get to Konoha as quickly as possible".
(Hokage's Office)
Sasuke marched up the stairs with Kakashi and Itachi following behind, both looking at the ground. It wasn't until they reached Konoha that the gravity of what had happened to their comrade reemerged. The Uchiha chunin marched past the secretary who stood to keep them from entering, but the Uchiha kept moving and upon reaching the doors of the Hokage's Office, pushed open the doors.
"Lord Hokage, I would like to make an official request for a search team" Sasuke said loudly but froze at seeing the occupants within the room. Minato sat at his desk while Kushina stood beside him with a smile. Orochimaru sat near the Hokage detailing the report of a team already speaking with the Hokage. The team just so happened to be the one consisting of Yakumo, Konan, Hinata, and Sakura who had returned minutes earlier from their mission to the Land of Snow.
Itachi and Kakashi came to stand behind Sasuke, both unable to look at the Hokage and his wife. "Lord Hokage, I request that you send genin Sakura Haruno and genin Hinata Hyuga out" Itachi said quietly. Minato narrowed his eyes but motioned for them to leave without a word as the girls quickly obeyed the order. Minato then looked at Itachi and Kakashi noticing that both refused to meet his gaze. Kushina however was not paying attention to it. She was just happy that her son was back home as was Yakumo who was smiling at the side of the room but was thinking, 'Lazy Naruto not even coming to say hey to his girlfriend'. Konan felt a pit of ice begin to form in her stomach as she remembered Sashira's words on the Snow mission and put her hand gently on Yakumo's shoulder.
"Hey you guys, I'm guessing that it was a mission success? Of course it was with MY son on call, ya know. Just kidding. Anyways, where is Naruto? Did he stop by Ichiraku's or something? I'll bet that he-" "Kushina enough!" interrupted Minato with a shout before looking at the jounin present. "Itachi and Kakashi, look at me" the blonde Hokage said praying that he was wrong. When the two slowly turned their eyes to him, his eyes widened as his heart broke. "No" Minato whispered.
Kushina and Yakumo looked on in confusion but Konan looked down at the ground as her grip on her apprentice's shoulder tightened.
With a deep breath, Itachi looked at his brother, Yakumo, Konan, Kushina, and the Hokage before saying, "Chunin Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze was killed on our mission" Itachi said with a sad tone. The response was quiet for a long moment before Yakumo fell but was caught by Konan. In her blue haired teacher's arms, the girl immediately started to sob while denying Itachi's words. The brunette held her heart tightly while telling herself that it was just a cruel joke. Not a second later, Yakumo pulled out a kunai and tried to stab herself but was quickly stopped by Konan. Yakumo begged her teacher to let go so that she could join Naruto, but Konan refused. It was a heart wrenching scene, but Kushina's reaction was worse.
The red headed woman's eyes squinted and her mouth began to twitch. Seconds later, her twitching mouth turned to a horrified gasp as she fell to the ground with tears streaming down her face. "No, No, No, No, NO! You're lying to me. Why? Why would you make up such a thing? No no no no no. Please Kami no" the red head said as she started to pull her hair tightly. She screamed loudly before looking up. "Please Kami, if you have to take someone take me. Not my baby. Send me to the worst pits of hell, just don't take my baby, I beg of you. PLEASE!" Kushina screamed out as tears continued to fall. She felt so alone and felt little comfort when she felt her husband's arms wrap around her. Her sobs continued in full force however as she felt tears falling on the back of her neck.
Minato held onto his wife tightly as he thought of all the years that he had missed out on with his son and all of the years that he would never get to experience with his son in the future. The blonde Hokage gritted his teeth and looked up at Itachi and Kakashi who were crying as well but Sasuke was not. "Who" was all that Minato was able to growl out. "A man under the employment of the Shinigami's Blade. The man died by Naruto's hand but we still are not sure what happened after that" Itachi answered while Kakashi looked at the ground still unable to meet his teacher's eyes.
The Hokage's face showed pure rage as he turned to the nearby Orochimaru. "Send word Orochimaru. I want a Kage Summit held within two weeks. We will end the Shinigami's Blade once and for all. And I will deliver the most brutal and horrible torture upon their leader for his sins" the Hokage ordered to which the Sannin nodded and rushed out of the room to take care of it.
(Five Minutes Later)
Konan had taken Yakumo home while Itachi, Kakashi, and Sasuke stayed behind and delivered their mission report as much as they hated to. Minato didn't care about the report or even his job as Hokage at the moment. There was too much pain in his heart at the moment. Kushina had a dead look in her eyes but inside, she was in the middle of a serious contemplation of her failings as a mother. Two of her children who she had given all the love she could and the world on a platter had become such twisted human beings. Her first born son who was neglected and ignored for most of his life but had started to forgive her was now dead. A new question arose in her mind. How could she go on?
The two jounin finished their report and left without a word but Sasuke Uchiha stayed behind and stood in front of the couple without a tear stain on his face. Minato and Kushina were confused by this considering that Naruto and Sasuke were both best friends but their confusion was interrupted when the Uchiha spoke. "I have heard many stories about the two of you before you gained your personal reputations. Lord Hokage, I have heard stories from my father who was a teammate of yours. Lady Kushina, I have heard stories from my mother who was your teammate. Both spoke of your strength not just in battle but within your hearts and ideals. I stand before you without a tear shed because I know in my heart and soul that my best friend is still alive. If a mere friend has that much faith in Naruto, I can only imagine how much faith his parents must have in him" Sasuke said before walking away.
Minato and Kushina sat in shock for a long moment before both gained hopeful, confident, and determined looks on their faces. Pulling out the Konoha official ninja log book, Minato changed the status of Naruto from Killed In Action to Missing In Action before he turned to his wife with a small smile. "I believe in our son and I know that you do as well" Minato said getting a nod and then a kiss from his wife.
(Underground Konoha)
Danzo stood before many former civilian clan heads, ROOT forces, and shinobi from different clans. "My people, I have received word from a secret courier that the Hokage has plans for a Kage Summit soon. Once the Hokage leaves, the village will be unguarded and ours for the taking. Soon, Konoha will belong to the people instead of that untrustworthy bastard Minato" Danzo said loudly which earned shouts of admiration and cheers in his favor.
Author's Note: Once again, I am sorry that it took so long to update. These movie arcs have been kinda complicated to write but I've got two of them done so yay! Anyways, let me clear up a few things in case you have questions. 1) Naruto can use that transformation only in a summon battle of that calibur because anything less than that isn't worthy of such power. He could die. 2) Naruto jumped for his first lunar slash in order to hit as many as possible but when there is only one opponent, he doesn't need to jump. 3) I know that not many people may like the Sasuke Shion pairing but I figured what the hell. 4) Yakumo is NOT suicidal. This was just a moment of depression type thing that many people have had. I'm not trying to make light of depression or suicidal thought as I realize that they are very serious. 5) The Shinigami's Blade is still the main enemy, its just that a lot of stuff happens at the same time. That's life. 6) I won't say whether or not Sasuke and Shion had sex, I will leave that up to you. What I will say is that for anyone who feels uncomfortable about sexual things mixed in with minor, I get it, but this is how I decided to write this story. 7) I have not decided on whether or not to do lemons.
Finally, thank you all for your continued support and patience. I really hope that you liked this chapter and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story.