Chapter 27 – Battle Tendency
With Naruto
As Naruto dashed towards Kabuto with his sword, ready to dice him up, Kabuto released a White Dragon-like entity carrying an orb in its paw. As it reached Naruto, the dragon tightly coiled itself around the orb, releasing both blinding light and deafening light by making the air oscillate.
"Sage Art: White Rage Attack!" Kabuto said as Naruto stopped in his tracks and dropped his Katana before covering his ears with his hands. Taking advantage of Naruto's vulnerable state, Kabuto quickly dashed towards him.
As he reached near him, he picked up Naruto's Katana and raised it to decapacitate Naruto. But before he could swing the blade down, he noticed the slight smile on Naruto's face. And before he could do anything, Naruto formed a Shiden in his hand and bisected Kabuto from his abdomen.
As Naruto cut down Kabuto, he took out a paper bomb and attached it to the severed lower half of Kabuto's body before kicking it towards the orb that was causing the sound and light. As it was in mid-air, the paper bomb exploded, destroying Kabuto's lower half for good.
"Had you done some research about my abilities or even observed me for some time, you would have figured it out and would not have ended up like this." Naruto said and as shot three kunai at each of Kabuto's hands, pinning him on the ground.
"What did you do? I was certain that you were both temporarily blind and deaf. There was no way you could have reacted to me, much less cause this much damage." Kabuto said in a frightened manner.
"Oh, four eyes. You see, there is one Jutsu that is always active whenever I am in combat of any degree. And I call that Jutsu 'Domain Expansion'." Naruto said as he crouched to Kabuto's level.
"It is a passive jutsu that allows me to react to anything and everything in my 5-meter radius. Once activated, I have complete awareness of everything in that area. And I do not need to even think about my next move, as my body reacts to it beforehand. And the only way to defeat me is by using wide-range attacks or simply overpowering me." Naruto said.
"So, now that you have lost to me once again, how about you start talking, Kabuto 'Yakushi'?" Naruto said in a menacing tone.
"You know quite a lot for being inside the village walls all the time." Kabuto said.
"Well, I am just a 13-year-old kid, you know? I cannot go in and out of the village on my own." Naruto said as he shot a kunai at a snake that was coming out of Kabuto's fingers.
"Yeah, a 13-year-old who has killed more than 55 thousand people by now and is known for his savagery throughout the five nations. A kid who slaughters a village like it is an everyday chore. You are not fooling anyone, you demon!" Kabuto yelled.
"Come now, you are talking as if I am the bad guy here. At least I didn't kill my mother with my very own hands." Naruto said as Kabuto started screaming and futilely trying to free his hands by shaking them.
"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I DIDN'T KILL HER! IT WAS ALL AN ACCIDENT! AND SHE ATTACKED ME FIRST! SHE EVEN FAILED TO RECOGNIZE ME!" Kabuto yelled.
"Well, she was a victim of Danzo's brainwashing. While you were away on your mission, she was shown the pictures of a different boy in your place. And as time passed, she slowly forgot the real you and believed the boy in the picture to be her son. And when she finally met you in person, she didn't recognize you at all." Naruto said.
"Lord Orochimaru already told me that but how do you know?" Kabuto said as tears fell from his eyes.
"I read your file report from the ROOT. I had a hunch that you were a deserter as you knew the village too well to be an outsider." Naruto said.
"I see." Kabuto said.
"Now let's get back to business. I had fixed back the barrier the first time it was destroyed. And I had caught the traitor who had done that had killed him. But it was destroyed the second time, causing you scum to get into the village. This means that there is another traitor in the village. Now you are going to tell me who that traitor is." Kabuto said.
"And why should I tell you?" Kabuto said.
"It seems that you do not realize the situation you are in. Let me put it in words for you. If you don't tell me, then I will kill you. Though I will kill you anyway, that will be less painful." Naruto said.
"Try me then." Kabuto said.
"Alright. Let's do it." Naruto said as he took out two paper seals and applied them on Kabuto. As Naruto applied the seal, Kabuto's sage mode stopped and he reverted back to his normal self.
"What were those seals?" Kabuto asked.
"The first one forcibly turns off your chakra flow and the second one greatly heightens your sense of pain as you can already feel from your missing waist and legs." Naruto said as Kabuto suddenly started screaming in pain. The screams continued for a few minutes before Kabuto finally collapsed.
"Hmm... I don't see any reason for him to keep quiet unless he is being forced to." Naruto said as he reawakened Kabuto using water release.
"So, are you going to speak? I just want a name and then you can peacefully die." Naruto said.
"You know, if you had let me live then I might have told you who the traitor is but now that you are going to kill me regardless, wh-" Kabuto said as Naruto chopped off all of the fingers of his hands using shurikens, causing him unbearable pain.
"You are not in the position to bargain. As I already said, I am going to kill you regardless of whether you spell out his name or not. But let me rephrase my demand for you, just confirm that the traitor is DANZO SHIMURA and I will put you out of your misery." Naruto said as Kabuto's eyes widened upon hearing the name of the old war hawk.
"He he he Hahahaha…. If you already knew that he was the traitor then why did you bother asking me?" Kabuto said as he laughed like a maniac.
"Because I just wanted to confirm. You see, I was just suspicious of him and played a gamble with you by saying his name. And you confirmed it with your facial expressions and even your words. Now I am certain that the old fool has betrayed the leaf and will deal with him accordingly." Naruto said.
"So, what about me?" Kabuto said.
"Yeah, you die here." Naruto said as he weaved a set of hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto said as he blew out a ball of fire on Kabuto, incinerating him alive until he turned to ashes.
"Farewell, Kabuto Yakushi." Naruto said as he walked out of the cave. But as stepped out, he suddenly sensed a chakra signature that he was long searching for.
"Yes, that's him. No doubt about it!" Kurama said as Naruto shunshined away leaving a trail of lightning behind him.
Half an Hour before-
With Zabuza
"And where do you think you are going boy?" Zabuza said as he stood before Kimimaro, stopping him in his tracks. Both of them were standing before the ANBU Black Ops headquarters.
"I have a task to complete, and you are in the way." Kimimaro said.
"Are you suggesting that I should step aside and let you complete your task?" Zabuza said.
"I don't have any time to waste." Kimimaro said as a razor-sharp bone grew out of his hand to the size of a regular Katana. He then quickly dashed at Zabuza but Zabuza easily dodged his attack in quite an elegant manner.
"You are too young boy, you shouldn't indulge yourself with things like war and invasion." Zabuza said as he kicked away Kimimaro several feet away.
"In the shinobi world, even a 7-year-old knows how to take a life. And I am twice that age, hence I know what is better for me. And I will serve Orochimaru-Sama until my last breath." Kimimaro said as his ribs formed out of his skin in form of spikes.
"I see. Orochimaru's influence has taken a strong hold of you." Zabuza said as he finally held his Kubokiribochou that he was carrying on his back.
Suddenly Kimimaro appeared before Zabuza and tried to stab him, but Zabuza blocked his attack with his sword and pushed him away. He then dashed at Kimimaro and swung his sword to cut Kimimaro, but to his surprise, his sword was blocked by Kimimaro's bones that were growing out of him.
As Zabuza understood what happened, Kimimaro grew spikes from his knuckles and punched Zabuza in the guts, stabbing him in the process. Before he could land another hit, Zabuza jumped back just in time.
"Eh… I underestimated you." Zabuza said as he covered his wound using his hand trying to stop the bleeding.
"Being bigger or older doesn't automatically make you superior in battle." Kimimaro said as he flicked the blood off his knuckles.
"Yeah. I already know that." Zabuza said as he formed a set of hand seals. "Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Zabuza said suddenly a thick mist covered the whole area.
"I know two more kids other than you who surpass me in strength, heck one of them is leagues above me." Zabuza said as he disappeared into the mist.
"So you acknowledge me as stronger than you." Kimimaro said as multiple spikes grew out of his body acting as both defence and offence at the same time.
"No, not yet. You have not shown your true powers." Zabuza said as he shot multiple shurikens at Kimimaro. He blocked most of them but a single one hit him. But to Zabuza's surprise, it just scratched Kimimaro's skin.
"What an odd result. You seem to have an armour underneath your skin that is protecting your inner body." Zabuza said from the mist.
"That is a correct observation. My Kekkei Genkai allows me to freely control my bones and due to that, I have formed a bone plate underneath my skin that acts as an armour." Kimimaro said as he tried to sense Zabuza.
"I see. Let's see if it protects you from this!" Zabuza said as he appeared just behind Kimimaro and swung his gigantic sword infused with chakra. As it hit Kimimaro, it broke through multiple spikes of bone until it reached Kimimaro's chest and sent him flying several feet away.
Kimimaro looked at the place where he had taken the hit, it was a clean hit on the skin and had cracked his bone plate, but thanks to the bone spikes that slowed down the sword's momentum, it hadn't completely broken through the plate.
"You are a formidable foe, Zabuza Momochi." Kimimaro said as a black marking appeared from his chest to his whole body.
"You know, I wish that I had taken you under me that day. Then, perhaps you wouldn't have ended up like this, completely brainwashed. We still haven't met Orochimaru, but I have this burning hatred for you that I haven't harboured before." Zabuza said as he made a set of hand seals. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Suddenly, a beast-like-tailed creature attacked Zabuza but before he could reach him, Zabuza released a water dragon that held the creature and launched him into the air and then the dragon grabbed him in mid-air and slammed him to the ground with itself.
Any normal person would have died from the shock of being bodied like that but, the creature stood up and glared at Zabuza who was making a new set of hand seals. Suddenly the creature's spine started growing out of his nape into a 3-meter-long whip of bone.
"Water Release: Water Spikes!" Zabuza said as he formed multiple spikes using the water from his previous attack and tried to attack Kimimaro from all four directions.
Reacting to the incoming attack, Kimimaro jumped in mid-air and swung his whip at Zabuza, decapacitating him in the process. But as his head fell off, his body cascaded like water.
"Water Clone!?" Kimimaro thought in mid-air as he observed the situation.
"Now!" Zabuza said as suddenly, three ice arrows came out of nowhere and surprisingly impaled Kimimaro in mid-air. But as the arrows impaled him, they instantly crystallized his blood into ice that pierced out of him in form of spikes.
As the fatally wounded Kimimaro fell to the ground, Haku walked out of the mist to reveal herself as the archer.
"Well, you should have known, I no longer fight alone. She is my real sword." Zabuza said as he put his hands on Haku's shoulder.
"How did you manage to pierce me?" Kimimaro said.
"I hardened my arrow's tips to the point it became as hard as a diamond itself. It is the pinnacle of Ice Release." Haku said.
"I see. Even then, I won't go out like this." Kimimaro said as he placed his palm on the ground.
"No, you are already dead. It takes a few seconds to initiate, but it is about time now." Haku said as suddenly multiple spikes of blood came out of Kimimaro's skull, completely destroying it.
"I feel bad for him. Do you remember him when he crossed paths with us in the land of water?" Zabuza said.
"Yes, he had the same eyes as me back then, and even now he had the same eyes as me. I believe he also got someone as I got you." Haku said.
"Yeah, unfortunately for him, it was Orochimaru. He brainwashed him well." Zabuza said.
With Itachi
"Nii-San, what is going on?" Sasuke said as Itachi shunshined before him.
"Sand village has invaded us along with the Sound Village. I am glad that you are safe." Itachi said.
"But aren't we supposed to be allies?" Sasuke said.
"That no longer matters. You must go to the Uchiha District and inform others about the situation, while I go and help father." Itachi said.
"No! I am coming with you." Sasuke said as he grabbed Itachi's shirt.
"Don't be foolish Sasuke, you have no idea what war is like? Just do as I say." Itachi said.
"Are you telling me to sit aside and watch as enemies attack and kill my friends? I will not do that. I am coming with you, that's it." Sasuke said.
"You are one stubborn boy, you know that?" Itachi said as he summoned a crow and sent it to the Uchiha District.
With Jiraiya and Kakashi
As Jiraiya knocked out Temari and Kankuro, another paw broke out of the sand dome, crumbling it down in the process. "Well, now it is completely released." Jiraiya said Gaara's body transformed into One Tail and started expanding to its true size.
As it was expanding, Jiraiya tried to approach the unconscious Gaara. But before he could reach him, the paw swatted him away like a fly, sending him several hundred meters away.
"Jiraiya-Sama, What happened?" Kakashi asked as he shunshined near Jiraiya.
"Oh, a demon possessed my pet racoon." Jiraiya said as he bit his thumb and applied the blood on his palm.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya said as he summoned a giant toad carrying a Sasumata and Sa…
"Hope you don't mind the trouble, Ken-san." Jiraiya said as he and Kakashi stood atop him.
"As ungraceful as I am, you still summoned me to aid you in battle." Gamaken said.
"You are not really ungraceful, you know." Jiraiya said.
"You say that to make me feel good but I am very ungraceful and clumsy." Gamaken said.
"Well, we can talk later. Now we have some problems to deal with." Jiraiya said as he pointed out the fully released Shukaku.
"Just incapacitate him for a few seconds so that I can seal it back to its Jinchuriki." Jiraiya said.
"I will try, though I don't think I can do that." Gamaken said as he jumped towards Shukaku.
Noticing the red toad approaching him, Shukaku inhaled a large amount of air and launched massive bullets of air at Gamaken. But Gamaken easily blocked it with his Sakazuki.
"I need more destructive power." Shukaku said as he started forming a Bijjudama above his mouth.
"Jiraiya-Sama!" Kakashi said noticing the Bijjudama getting formed.
"Oh no! Is it actually trying to launch a Bijjudama at us?" Jiraiya said.
"What are we going to do? I don't have anything to counter it." Kakashi said as Shukaku launched the Bijjudama at them.
"Me neither. It will either destroy this whole area along with us or completely destroy the Hokage tower and the Hokage Mountain." Jiraiya said as Kakashi just stared at the approaching Bijjudama, cursing his powerlessness.
"Should I take the impact or dodge it?" Gamaken asked.
"Dodge it. If the hits the mountain, fewer people will die." Jiraiya said as Gamaken quickly jumped out of the way and closed the distance between them and Shukaku.
As Jiraiya and Gamaken engaged Shukaku in a fight, Kakashi just stared at the Bijjudama that was about the claim thousands of lives. Suddenly an intense pain occurred inside his Sharingan as the Bijjudama suddenly appeared to shrink into a swirl until it got completely vanished.
As the Bijjudama disappeared, Kakashi fell suddenly unconscious. "Hey! This is no time to sleep." Jiraiya said as he jumped on Shukaku's head and placed his palm on Gaara's head. Suddenly black markings spread all across Gaara's body, causing Shukaku to be crumbled down to Sand.
"What happened to the Bijjudama?" Jiraiya said as the sound from the explosion never occurred. Jiraiya then turned back to no sign of any Bijjudama.
"Who are you?" Gaara said weakly as he looked at the Gamaken and Jiraiya.
"You are coming with us boy." Jiraiya said as he almost instantly shunshined behind Gaara and placed a seal on the back of his head before picking him up on his shoulder.