Right on schedule. Despite some setbacks caused by site issues this week, we still have our chapter. It's a little later that I usually post on Mondays but as its' my first day off in a while I permitted myself the luxury of sleeping in.
And speaking of site issues, the details can be found in the March 1st (parts one and two) Update and the March 3rd Update on Eyazahrid-dot-net. Yes, I'm no longer making use of the subdomains. Check out those posts if your interested in knowing why.
Unfortunately ncpfan is still not back with us yet, so let's continue wishing him the best so he can join us again.
Few more things to cover so let's get them out of the way so you can proceed with the chapter.
I've posted a new AN on chapter one for our newcomers as it's been three years and they should probably know what they're getting into. Read it if you like, but a lot of you have been here since the beginning so there's not much benefit to doing so.
Unless, of course, you just love the sound of my writing. If that's the case go right ahead and feel free to stop by the site for more.
On the topic of more, my old stories are again available at Eyazahrid-dot-net on the Fanfiction Archive page. You can download them directly there or access the Google Drive folder linked below them. The only story missing is Consequences Be Damned as I couldn't find the original file.
If you have any challenges, story ideas, or stories you've never got around to finishing feel free to post them to the community folder there and maybe one of your fellow readers will be inspired to make use of it.
I should have some of my own in the folder soon, but I want to have chapter 72 done before I dedicate some of my writing time to going through all my old stuff.
Pretty sure there was a third thing I wanted to mention but it escapes me at the moment. So, on with the chapter!
Shattered bone crunched together with even the slightest movement and Uchiha Sasuke was certain his captors were well aware.
After all, why else would they have chosen not just to drag him on the ground behind them but to step just off the simple road that cut through Hi no Kuni's many forests to ensure he hit every branch and rock between here and wherever it was they were taking him?
While he wasn't completely sure how far they had gotten or how long it had been- a solid punch to the head by the big-boned one- having been at the academy with the Akamichi heir it was simply habit to avoid calling people the F-word – in that stage two form- and that was absolute bullshit, was that what the Suna Shinobi faced when he lost control of himself of had he not even honored them by using the full power of the seal?- that apparently gave its users absurd amounts of power.
Maybe they were just used to it or well trained to handle it, but none of them seemed to go insane when using it. Well, any more insane than they were when not using it, at least. Maybe that was the secret?
A lack of movement- and subsequent reduction of pain and discomfort- caught his attention as the group -and what a motley crew they seemed to be- stopped in a small clearing.
"Alright," Started the presently-plump one -damn those years around Chouji – before cracking his back and placing down a large wooden barrel. Oh, goody, maybe now he'd figure out why the hell he had been lugging that around all this time. "I think our new friend here has learned his lesson, no point in slowing ourselves down when Konoha is bound to realize he's missing before long."
"Che, like those morons will notice." Scoffed the spider but he released the ankle he had been dragging anyway and rolled his wrists- all four of them- until four loud pops were heard. He seemed pretty pleased with himself for that, too, if his wide grin was anything to go by. " 'Sides, even if they do they won't care. He's just a Gennin and he wasn't' all that impressive. If he was important he would have had at least a guard or somethin'."
"Can't be sure about that one, Konoha itself is supposed to have guards and we got in just fine, didn't we?" Argued the one with the...growth. There was something wrong if Sasuke was feeling like the most normal person here.
"Hmm," One of the spider's hands came up to stroke his chin. "Yeah, guess you're right about that one. Still, he can't be that important."
"Orochimaru-sama wants him, that makes him important enough." The bigger one stated with finality. There was a surprising hardness within his words and Sasuke momentarily wondered if that was because they were bickering or because the spider had dared to question Orochimaru.
Even he knew that was a bad idea, and this dumbass fucking worked for the infamous criminal!
The spider just waved him off with his three free hands before looking down to make sure Sasuke wasn't trying anything.
Not that he could. With Chakra he might have been able to strengthen his body enough to force movements but he had used all of that up trying to survive three users of the level two Ten no Juin while rooted to his bedroom floor.
He thought he had done pretty well, all things considered.
A sharp pain in his side brought his attention from his thoughts as the spiders foot kicked him. "Hey, ya still alive?" he was still grinning, obviously enjoying this, but the big one- who was either the voice of reason, the leader of the group, or perhaps both – was not amused.
Lying on his back as he was, Sasuke was treated to the sight of a large rock connecting quite solidly into the spider's head. He also got to see the surprise on the one with the growth, too, so that made it even better.
"Knock it off!" The hard tone of the big one's voice had turned closer to a growl. "Orochimaru-sama wants him alive and in tact. Anything we inflicted while subduing him was necessary but you are not to directly harm him while he's in our possession."
"Che," The spider pushed himself up with three arms while the fourth rubbed an angry red welt on his head. "So what? What's the big deal if we rough him up a bit more? Not like Orochimaru will ever know what was from our scuffle and what was after."
"No, Orochimaru won't." Agreed the big-boned one. Surprised- by how close it sounded or the fact that they were agreeing- the spider looked up to be met with the sight of the big one towering over his downed form. Consequently it was above Sasuke too. "But I will."
Sasuke could have sworn the purple Chakra of the Ten no Juin was burning in his eyes but whether that was the case or not there was something there that seemed to convince the spider that he was probably better off not angering him.
A quick glance at his third captor suggested that whatever it was, this was new to them too. Huh, maybe this was just the first time he had been given a leadership role? If it was, he had Sasuke's vote to retain such in the future. You know, for all that was worth.
Already next to him, the giant of a man- perhaps it just seemed that way because Sasuke was laying rather helplessly on the floor- crouched down and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. The back was pretty tattered, he was sure, but the upper section was apparently strong enough to support his weight as his captor hefted Konoha's last Uchiha up like a newborn kitten.
While he wasn't exactly gentle- despite his earlier words- he also didn't actively make any effort to cause Sasuke harm as far as he could tell. It was a small mercy but Sasuke was grateful for it nonetheless.
Once he was set down- why was he in the barrel now?- the big-boned young man took a look around the clearing- making sure to narrow his eyes at a sufficiently cowed spider- before crossing his arms over his slightly prominent stomach and peering down at his captive.
"I suppose I don't really have to do this because you don't exactly have a choice and knowing what's going on won't really change anything for you." He gave a slight sigh, some of his earlier anger melting off to be replaced by someone who was really reminding the Uchiha of a serious Chouji. "Still, it's only courteous for me to inform you seeing as you're directly involved."
"You're going to die."
Sasuke thought that was pretty damn obvious at this point and it must have shown on his face, as his captor narrowed his eyes at him.
"Don't give me that look," He ordered. "That was a bad way to start that, I suppose."
Sasuke didn't dare thinking anything about that, he was in no position to fight a toddler let alone someone with full access to Orochimaru's Ten no Juin. The big one- who seemed to have been expecting some sort of comment or another expression to show what he thought about that- looked pleasantly surprised that none had been forthcoming.
As his mood improved, so did his resemblance to the Akamichi heir.
"You are going to die, but only temporarily. Orochimaru wants us to start the process immediately so your body has more time to get used to it." At Sasuke's confused look he elaborated further. "You've seen our Ten no Juin access a second form. We're going to make it so yours can to but the stress of the body ends up killing the bearer. In most cases the first activation should be able to pull you back to life."
"So it doesn't always work?" This was actually the first time Sasuke had spoken since his capture and he was already regretting it. Damn his chest hurt. So did his body, really, but at least he had been smart enough not to try using it.
"Don't think you have anything to worry about, friend. You survived the application of the Ten no Juin and managed to stave us off for a bit when we were in stage two. I'm certain you're more than strong enough to pull through."
He reached down and patted his shoulder in what Sasuke assumed was meant to be in a friendly manner- it just felt painful to the broken sack of bone and flesh that was Uchiha Sasuke- but he supposed it was the thought that counted.
"I'm not going to suggest trying to sleep through it or anything, it's going to hurt for a bit and then you'll stop feeling anything, but I will suggest you relax as much as possible. It hurts a whole lot more if you're tense." As he placed the lid over the barrel Sasuke couldn't help but think that the advise- while well-meant- was not really helping him relax about the fact he was about to die.
He also wondered if it was strange to have a favorite captor.
"Great work team, at this rate we should be done by the end of the week." Kato Shizune looked up from her report to look at her team, two Suna Shinobi- and wasn't that suspicious- who refused to talk about their past or how they had come to be under the employ of the House of Wolves. She had taken it upon herself to give them names and didn't have the slightest clue how they felt about them.
Rusted was a middle aged man with hair cut so closely to his head that it probably would have been easier to just shave it and was trained as a medic. Named for the red warpaint that covered his face she later learned that it was actually just dried blood from Konoha Shinobi he had cut down and from comrades he had desperately tried to save. As she understood it, he would only wash away the blood using sand from an oasis near his families home- as was his family's tradition- or through the sweat of his brow.
It was fortunate his new position as the Wolves' "honored guest" kept him inside because unlike Suna it rained pretty regularly here in Konoha.
For someone wearing the blood of her comrades and that of the comrades he failed to save on the field, he was a rather cheerful and talkative man. Part of that might have been because he now had a chance to work with the apprentice of Senju Tsunade and increase his medical knowledge. The people of Kaze no Kuni were a hardy people but their medicine was often considered crude.
Then again, when you're bleeding out do you really care that they shoved a hot coal into the wound and then sewed you up using an old fishhook and line they found at the bottom of their bag if it keeps you alive?
As it so happened, many in fact did. These later generations were just becoming so squeamish.
Clicky was a young woman with dark brown- and sometimes almost black- hair cut into a short bob who liked to spend whatever free time she could obtain tinkering on the mechanical components of her very much destroyed puppets.
She didn't seem to mind that they were destroyed so much as she hated the fact she hadn't gotten the opportunity to properly strip everything of value from them. Practical, dour, and altogether a very solitary person Shizune wondered why, exactly, she was helping them. Of course, just offering to let her go had instantly gained her compliance whenever she was being difficult so it was evident being here was preferable to going back to wherever she had been.
Her name, naturally, came from the series of clicks her projects would give off both while she was working on them and when she was testing them out. Not that they seemed to actually accomplish anything, they just moved around and switched out pieces. Shizune supposed it probably intended to go with other components that would actually complete tasks.
As it wasn't why they were here and Clicky wasn't the most talkative of people, Shizune hadn't really asked.
Why they were here happened to be much more interesting than her team, in Shizune's opinion for while she hadn't had that much interaction with Suna Shinobi in her life she had never been tasked with rebuilding a man's body, either.
Tsunade had been asked a couple of times, of course, to fix the bodies of loved ones who had lost limbs and such but unless the limb was only recently lost and in possession of the one who lost it then there wasn't anything she could do.
Fix a Chakra system or completely rework a spinal column to unparalyze someone? Certainly, Tsunade had attempted those plenty of times. But as good as she was she wasn't some miracle worker. She couldn't make limbs from nothing.
But a Puppeteer could. They could walk outside, cut down a tree, and turn it into a complete body. The real trick would be to find a way to make such a body usable as, well, a body. Because as well as it worked for a Puppet there was much more to consider for the function of a person.
You know, like how they're going to control it with no training in the Puppeteer Arts and when two of the limbs being replaced are their arms.
At this point, that was really the only main issue.
Clicky had made an incredible replica of all four limbs masterfully carved out of a wood Shizune swore the puppeteer had practically orgasimed at being allowed to work with and with help from Rusted was able to make it as human-like as possible in function as opposed to the practicality most Puppeteers went for on instinct.
The end result really was a masterpiece, they just had to find a way for it to work.
So far, the best option seemed to be seals but of the three of them only Clicky had anything more than a passing familiarity with them. The seals Clicky typically used with her Puppets were nowhere near as complex as they would need to be in order for someone to control the body as if it were flesh.
Now, they could use those seals anyway and have it functioning but the result would be less than optimal and it seemed like a huge waste of the team's hard work thus far.
With that in mind, they needed someone with knowledge of seals in order to give it the functionality it deserved. Considering this task was passed down from Tsukiyomi- the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni of all people- himself, Shizune felt reasonably confident that a request for a Sealmaster would be approved.
Then again, actual Sealmasters were few and far between which meant hiring them could get expensive. The project they were working on wasn't anything minor, either. They were making a functional body.
A functional body.
Sure, they didn't have to worry about the major organs as the torso was still intact, but they were trying to make it so that torso would be able to control their new limbs as naturally as possible. Something like this could easily cost the new Daimyo a small fortune.
Still, she had been given a task in her knew position of Head Physician of the House of Wolves and she'd be damned if she didn't at least ask for a Sealmaster to be placed at her disposal to complete it properly.
"I'm going to see if we can get that sSalmaster, I want Rusted to double check the joints and our temporary seals to make sure everything is positioned properly for full mobility. Once he's done, you're up Clicky. Start the permanent construction of the mechanisms and be ready to carve the basic seals in case we're denied."
"Yes, Kato-sama!" Rusted, always energetic, gave a salute and moved to complete his tasks. Sometimes she thought he was happy just to have something to occupy his time.
Clicky, on the other hand, simply gave a shrug and a half-hearted wave, as if biding her farewell but not caring what the outcome was. She probably didn't.
The task would be completed, Shizune knew, so she didn't really mind.
Putting a copy of their plans and suggested seal functions into a plain manila folder Shizune made for the door. No point in putting it off, the sooner she got back the sooner they should be able to finish up.
Unless they really were granted a Sealmaster but that idea had her mentally scoffing.
It wasn't like they had a suitable Sealmaster just sitting around with nothing to do, that was just ridiculous.
Nara Shikamaru looked from the broken body of the spider to his team and winced. Kiba, Chouji, Lee, and Tenten had not done well against their opponent. While Tenten could block attacks aimed at her fairly well, none of them had been able to break through the thick webbing their opponent was capable of creating until Lee opened his gates and ripped it apart.
As that was being saved as a last resort- or at least until they had Sasuke in their possession- the team had suffered a few good hits from the spider's bow and the actual spiders he had summoned, while not extremely venomous, had bitten the team enough that their bodies were quite sluggish.
This was not a good start to the mission.
Rustling from the trees had Shikamaru's immediate attention as he got ready for more hostile Shinobi but the only one to appear was a roughed up Naruko.
"Those twins have been taken care of." She said with an exhausted sigh. "What a bullshit fucking power." She had only managed to get rid of the two using some of Mito's Chakra but she had really wanted to avoid drawing upon it at all.
"Twins?" Asked Shikamaru but he was waved off.
"Don t worry about it. You good here?"
Shikamaru gave a defeated sigh but nodded. "Yeah, as well as can be expected. We only know of one other suspect and we believe the barrel hes' carrying contains Sasuke, but we're getting close to the border so who knows what kind of backup they might have."
"Cheer up, they may not have any." The look Shikamaru shot her said that he really did want to believe her but just couldn't lie to himself like that.
"Here's hoping, I suppose."
Of course, as it was Shikamaru's first mission as Chūnin nothing could be allowed to go right.
"Hey, Shikamaru." Tenten called. "Lee ended up opening too many gates, I'm not sure he'll be any help going forward." Next to her Lee was slumped against a tree doing his damnedest to push himself up against the hand that held him there. Considering he was a Gennin who could run around Konoha on his hands and she wasn't known for her strength, well, it wasn't a good sign.
"Nonsense!" He objected. "My Youthfulness has never been so high!" That earned him a swift fist to the top of his head and a glare from his teammate.
"You're broken, Lee. Just sit there and rest and I might let you walk back to Konoha instead of dragging you."
Faced with the fury of his female teammate, Lee was quick to fold. "Yes, Tenten-san, your words are most Youthful." There was a relief in his words that told them all exactly how much opening the gates took out of him.
"That's what I thought." Convinced he was sufficiently subdued she moved her hand from his chest and onto her hip before turning her attention back to her squad leader. "As it is, I think one of us might have to help him back to Konoha or at least cover him while we wait for more backup to be available."
They were probably a good six hours from Konoha- though the tracking had slowed them down considerably- but any decent backup could probably get there in two hours. A Jōnin could get here in an hour or so without tiring themselves too much, if they actually knew where the were.
Considering none of them knew exactly where they were- though the consensus brought them close to the Hi no Kuni border- expecting backup to make it within three hours was unlikely.
"Che, troublesome." Muttered the Nara heir. "Stick with him, no one else here knows how to control him." Lee looked like he wanted to object to that but was quickly stopped by the narrowed gaze of his teammate. "If backup does arrive, point them in our direction."
She gave him a casual salute. "Will do, boss-man."
"Really no point in that, no one else is coming." Kiba, who had been laying in the dirt for a quick rest, added his own opinion. As if the universe had been waiting for this exact moment to prove him wrong three figures dropped into the clearing from the trees.
With crisp movements, three formal Konoha Salutes were offered to Chūnin Nara from an equal number of snarling wolf masks.
"Reporting for duty, Nara-Taicho." They spoke in unison.
Blinking in surprise, Shikamaru shared a look with Naruko. "Kiba," Shikamaru called. "If you want to start saying things like "Our target wouldn't get lost and come back towards us" or "Sasuke won't be able to escape on his own" you have my permission to do so."
It would appear things were starting to look up for this mission.
That also meant Naruto had come through with his promise of backup, making Shikamaru reasonably sure that the rumors saying he was involved with the Wolves were very much true.
He'd have to thank him later somehow, but for now he had an Uchiha to retrieve.
But first-
"Thank the gods you've arrived, any of you want to take command of this mission?"
His hopeful expression fell as all three of the Wolves shook their heads vigorously and took a step back, hands raised in surrender. He wasn't the only one who loathed leadership, evidently.
Naruto stared down at his empty desk with a frown. There was no way he seriously had nothing to do, so naturally he had to blame Mai.
She should know by now he hated when she took more of his work just because she thought he was working himself too hard. If he had managed to figure out the Kage-Bunshin technique then he could just blame himself but despite his practice earlier he hadn't managed to get it down yet.
His Chakra system hadn't been all that fond of his attempts, either, as the dull pain throughout his body could attest to. It never had been the same after he had suffered that Chakra withdrawal and the Chakra Therapy had only done so much to allow him to use his Chakra at all.
Fortunately his practice with his Chakra chains meant that forming them was almost second nature and even the damages he had suffered had only slowed down his use of them for a few months. He suspected this might take a few months to master, too, and even then he wasn't sure how frequently he could use it.
Unlike his sister, he no longer had the massive reserves of a traditional Uzumaki and instead had those of a low Chūnin. Considering the Kage-Bunshin was an S-rank Kinjutsu usually only known by Jōnin due to the Chakra requirements, he could only hope his control would eventually be able to enable him to make proper use of Orochimaru's incredibly thoughtful gift.
He would still be trying to perform it, but about an hour ago his Wolves started growling in displeasure every time his hands got too close together. That was probably a good indication that he had practiced enough for the day.
Looking back up from his desk he could see Tayuya sitting bored on the corner, her legs kicking back and forth as she stared at a wall. She seemed much less energetic and clingy when not in the presence of Mai and had been in that position for the last forty minutes or so. He didn't really know why, as she was free to make use of the entire apartment, but she seemed determined to remain in his presence despite her boredom.
It may have been orders from Orochimaru or it could have been her hoping Mai would stop by and give her a chance to rile her up but either way she was here and she was bored.
Before he could devote proper time thinking of ways to alleviate that boredom- Maybe he could send her to steal some of his paperwork back from Mai so that he had something to do? Would let her mess with Mai at the same time, too...- there was a knock on his office door and a Wolf stuck their head in.
"Kato Shizune, Head Physician of the House of Wolves is here to see you, Naruto-sama."
He hadn't been expecting her at all but at least it was something to do. Hopefully there hadn't been too many complications with the task 'Tsukiyomi' had assigned her team.
"Of course, send her in."
The Wolf gave a respectful nod before returning to the hallway and a minute or so later a much softer knock was heard before the door slowly opened.
Another head- this time not a Wolf- peered in to confirm they were in the right place. As there was a young man behind a desk and a young woman sitting on it, her confusion was understandable.
Naruto wasted absolutely no time making sure she knew she was in the right place. "Good afternoon, Kato-san. You needed to see me?"
She still looked slightly confused but stepped fully into the room nonetheless. "Ah, I had asked to be brought to the highest ranking member of the House of Wolves, is Mai not available?"
Mai would be the one she had the most contact with, naturally, and she had no idea just how exactly the Wolves had fulfilled her request. From her position perched on the desk Tayuya gave a snort of laughter but otherwise said nothing.
Smiling slightly at the amused Tayuya, Naruto turned his attention to Shizune. "No, she is not currently available." Not here, anyway. She was either in her office in the den or over at Tsume's house. "What was it the House of Wolves could do for you?"
Almost as if just noticing who it was she was talking to she blinked in surprise. "Naruto?"
"Yes, Kato-san?"
Convinced it was him, most of her nervousness melted away. "You're part of the Wolves?"
"Well, not exactly." It was true, he was not one of the Wolves. He was the head of the House of Wolves and he did lead the Wolves but he himself was not a Wolf. "But we have very close ties."
Again, Tayuya gave a snort of laughter and Naruto shot her a look with narrowed eyes.
"As I was saying, I may not be a Wolf but I do have the authority to act on the behalf of the House of Wolves. Was there something you needed or did you have a report on the task given to you by Tsukiyomi-sama?"
She seemed surprised by that but didn't question it any further. "Oh, we're almost done but we need a Sealmaster if we want it to operate to it's full potential."
"Seals?" Naruto was pretty sure his eyes had gained a strange gleam. Despite his possession of Sealkeeper he didn't have much knowledge on the subject of Sealing. Any chance to correct that was an opportunity to improve his own potential uses of the Sealing masterpiece. "May I take a look?"
Even Tayuya turned to look at the folder Shizune placed down on his desk, but that may have been more out of boredom than anything else. Opening it gently, he spread its contents over his desk, carefully looking over detailed blueprints and lines of seals designed to make it function.
After a few moments of silence he beckoned for Shizune to move in closer. With no real way to do so, she found herself leaning over the large desk with two purple eyes looking directly into hers.
"How much of the currently proposed seal system do you understand?"
"Uh, some of it. Clicky only gave a very brief explanation."
He gave her an odd look for a moment before asking; "Clicky?"
Flushing red, Shizune let out a nervous laugh. "Heh, yeah. They wouldn't give out their names so I had to come up with something.
Narutio and Tayuya shared a look before he nodded his head, inviting her to be the one to proceed with the question they both had.
"And of everything you could have chosen you went with Clicky?"
"So maybe I'm not the best with names..." That earned another snort of laughter from Tayuya while Naruto just gave the embarrassed medic a small smile.
"As amusing as this is, I do believe we have work to do."
"Uh, yeah." Shizune was more than happy to move on but Tayuya gave a pout at having her entertainment taken away so quickly.
"Tell me what you're going for in each section," Naruto instructed as he pointed to the first blueprint. "And I'll create the seals you need."
Shizune gave him a skeptical look- Sealmasters tended to be old because sealing was a very complicated art that needed a lot of experience to be able to modify and experiment safely- but humored him anyway. She could just take his suggestions back to Clicky and if they did turn out to be useless they would just proceed as planned.
On the off chance he could do it, well, problem solved.
As Shizune explained their intentions with each line of seals Naruto would lay down a series of basic seals on a separate sheet of paper. Even with her limited familiarity of the Sealing arts, Shizune was certain they wouldn't do anything.
Not in an accidental way, either, it was like he had chosen the seals specifically because they would not interact which was opposite of what they actually needed.
There also seemed to be a faint glow from the seals on his arm as he worked and Shizune had absolutely no idea what that might have meant.
When they finished Naruto gave a satisfied nod at the sheets of paper he had filled and handed them to Shizune.
"Make sure you apply those specific papers to each area, don't copy them over or it won't work properly."
"Of course, thank you Naruto-san."
Naruto gave her a smile. "Happy to help."
As Shizune turned and left the room, neither of the two sitting at the desk could see the disappointment on her face. Looks like they were going with the basic seals after all, there was no way she'd be able to request an actual Sealmaster if Naruto was the one to ask and believed himself to be knowledgeable enough to solve the issue.
A great thief he might have been, he certainly didn't seem all that talented when it came to seals.
It was a pity, proper seals would have turned Clicky's masterpiece into a legendary marvel of engineering.
Next chapter should be out to give you a better Monday on 3/11. Until then I'll have updates on chapter progress posted at Eyazahrid-dot-net and you can get notifications by following me at Eyazahrid on Twitter.
Until I next have your attention,
-Eyazahrid