A.N. Hey all & welcome to another chapter. i dont think there is anything to cover, except to say thank you again for your support and say hello to the new follows and faves.
Anyways, onward to Glory!
For the rest of the day Naruto and Tsunade remained in close proximity. Tsunade was reluctant to let him out of her sight, and Naruto himself was in no real hurry to go anywhere. So while she worked away Naruto remained in the office, perusing the various books on the shelf, napping or just tinkering away whatever caught his fancy.
Tsunade kept an eye out, casually observing as her little brother seemed content to manipulate the laws and nature of chakra as he slouched on one of the window seats. He had his left hand behind his head; where his right arm should have been, his coat dangled freely, drawing attention to the missing limb.
Tsunade bit her lip, she wanted to ask what had happened, after all he went through the surgery in Suna and Jiraiya had confirmed he had been working on several replacements. All queries however were halted by his display.
Tsunade watched on as an untold number of chakra strands, paraded around her little brother…as hair.
His hair had lost their spiky yet wavy look of yesteryear, and was now long and silky, straight whenever it wasn't serving as a conduit for his chakra. The sheer volume was unbelievable, more so was the display of absolute control over it. Much of the hair was used as a support, a cushion for him to relax on, however Naruto was manipulating them as easily as one does their limbs.
Several in fact, were shaped as limbs, hands to be precise. Complete with five fingers and opposable thumbs.
Tsunade couldn't hide her amusement as several came together, running through random handseals at speeds that put dedicated jutsu specialists to shame. Still others made finger and shadow puppets, fighting miniature wars and mock battles as they killed off each other. A light chuckle escaped her lips. Despite her attempts she could tell Naruto had heard her, if the wide grin on his face and his teasing glances were anything to go bye. Tsunade merely rolled her eyes and gave up trying to be discreet.
Naruto had certainly grown, that much was clear to her.
His attire had changed once again; now he sported a full length hooded black coat, barely keeping of the floor. A large grey zipper was used to fasten at the top and zip down to the bottom, stopping just above the knees. The coat was lined on the inside with fur; the sleeve ends were also trimmed with fur and on the right sleeve four uniform grooves appeared, evenly spaced.
Underneath as far as Tsunade could see were heavy duty black shinobi trousers with black ninja grade sandals.
The other standout was in his hair. She had already noted its length and different styling, the other major change were the red streaks that blended in among his golden tones.
Now that she looked closer it was more a series of red-orange highlights from root to tips, more than a third of his hair was shaded in the colour. Tsunade wasn't sure how she felt about her little brother's choice of hair dyes, but she chucked it down to a form of belated rebelliousness. Also, the colour felt…right, considering their shared Uzumaki heritage.
While he wasn't as broad as Jiraiya he was matching the Sannin for height. Also when he had his arm around her Tsunade could feel a solid core of chakra, thrumming gently underneath the surface, just waiting to spill over.
She shivered slightly at the memory of the chakra. His chakra had grown more potent since he left for his training, and she was more than curious at how much he had learned.
Speaking of chakra, Tsunade noted as the smile dimmed slightly on his face and his eye flashed. The playful flame like dance of his hair slowed and the chakra pressure shifted once again. Tsunade couldn't really tell what had happened but experience had her hairs on end.
Naruto was doing something with his chakra, not just an average game or trick. Something….anomalous, it was the only way she could describe the barely their feeling she was getting.
She focused hard on the area around Naruto, and as she did she thought there was something strange about the way his hair moved, and the space just in front of his chest. His hair seemed to form a…cage? Barrier? Holding something in place…?
Before she could begin to understand the feeling dissipated and Naruto let go of his chakra. He sighed as he leaned backwards, however Tsunade caught a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.
She resolved to ask him later what it was all about.
Hatake Kakashi strolled through the village. His infamous book was out for all to see however, despite the fact it was the latest copy of his favourite author, his mind was simply not on the pages.
He was getting his team back together…sans one member.
He had kept abreast of Sakura's training and growth, even sharing a few words with Takada when she was assigned to Thirteen-Black. The Chunin commander seemed to have an idea of what Kakashi was feeling so would at times provide updates or tidbits of information regarding his former student; that said he brooked no interference from Kakashi. Sakura was now his to command and he made the fact very clear.
Kakashi readily accepted the status quo, after all he had very little to do with her development. Much like how his team started out, a group given a free pass, Kakashi felt every bit the failure as people commended him on getting her ready, laying a foundation for her skills.
And if the case with Sakura was bad, Naruto was probably worse.
Naruto's skill set were alien to Konoha standards. There was absolutely no one who could train him in the arts he had chosen to specialise, and even he knew it. But Kakashi had allowed that passive acceptance to blind him, with all his talk on teamwork he himself turned out to be the biggest hypocrite.
Jiraiya had given him a rundown on the training he and Naruto had been involved in. The truly sad thing was a good half of the training was something he could have done while Naruto was with him; war-games, ninjutsu training, just to name a few.
He, Hatake Kakashi, was a lousy teacher.
And now he had back under his command, the only team he ever had. There was very little he could teach them now and maybe that was a good thing. He could be a mentor if they desired, and their leader on missions.
He failed all three of them once; he would not be failing the two left again.
Land of Frost
Sasori moved casually through the busy streets. He observed the tradesmen and merchants pedal their wares, children laughing and running amok, the usual normalcy of civilian life.
All of it simply passed through him.
As he walked something caught his gaze and he slowed to a stop. One of the vendors was actually a street performer; the children were clambering around him and cheering at the show.
Something about it had him surprisingly curious so he moved closer; his curiosity bled into amusement as he took in the scene.
It was a puppet show. A simple string puppet show.
The elderly puppeteer was a master of his craft, Sasori could see from the way he deftly plucked at the strings, the way his voice rose and fell in tandem to the story he wove.
A tale of myth and legends, dragons and strife, challenges and victory.
As the story came to an end the puppets they broke into a dance to the tunes of the children. The elderly puppeteer kept a good performance, but he could only control two of his puppets at a time, and would often look slightly forlorn at the ones left behind.
Sasori slipped through the crowd and was sat cross legged beside the elderly puppeteer, humming along to the song. As he picked up two of the puppets two more figures slipped in, humming just as well. The elderly man looked on in surprise, but then delight as more puppets joined the dance, to the delight of onlookers and the little children. The puppet men and women twirled around on plucked strings, the dragons danced through the air, the animals leaped and frolicked to the sounds of laughter and music.
The show ended with a sounding ovation.
"Thank you, all of you." The elderly man wheezed his voice slightly hoarse. Despite the tiredness his eyes were very alert and lit up in delight. He turned to Sasori and the others seated by him as the crowd slowly dispersed.
"Thank you. Thank you for helping make this a more joyous performance. I haven't managed that in a long time."
The appreciation was clear in the elders' tones; Sasori however was focused on the puppets. Despite their age he could see they were well cared for, lovingly preserved and not merely ornaments. They showed signs of dedicated use, something he thoroughly approved.
"You have steady hands old one. And you have a joy for your craft. These puppets are exquisite." Sasori commented. The elderly man nodded in appreciation as he ran a gentle hand over the puppets.
"I have always loved puppets, the joy in crafting, not just their forms but their stories as well." He then glanced back at Sasori "You have talent as well, to move them as you do."
Sasori glanced at him, amused.
"You think so?"
"I know so" The elder nodded decisively "There was passion in the motion, only another who loves the craft could see it as we would. The puppets came alive because you willed it to be so. I have sung these stories for over five decades and never in all that time have these puppets danced as they have today. At your hands….or those of your craft."
Sasori's glance sharpened but remained amused. The old man remained mild and slowly raised his hands.
"I am no ninja, just a simple man with a love of puppets than run deep. They are all I care about, and too see them dance this way…it is a memory I will treasure."
Sasori said nothing and silence passed between them. He then gave a light chuckle. He spied the elder's cart, full of various puppet types.
"Very well then, perhaps one final gift. One final tale." As the elder looked on, curious but hopeful, Sasori retrieved more of the puppets, summoned more of his arsenal, arrayed with various instruments.
Drums beat a gentle bass, pipes blowing a tantalising tune. Onlookers had their curiosity peaked and the elder was awash with delight to see his puppets glow.
The Nine Warlords and Truth of Art Eternal….
The next day in Konoha was filled with anticipation. Word had gone round that Naruto was back in the village and was met with mixed feelings, although for the first time it was mostly neutral. His escapades during the Chunin exam and the aid of several high profile ninjas had managed to shift much of the negative public perception of him.
His former classmates however welcomed the fact that he had returned; Lee had been loud in his desire to welcome back the blonde, and Kiba had gone on a long rant that he would finally get the chance for a rematch, something Neji also desired but never voiced out loud. Hinata had blushed and twiddled her fingers, Choji just wanted to wish him well. Ino and Tenten were not as fixated, however they too wanted to see how far he had come.
And then there were his best friends.
Shino had been one of the team members chosen to go with Kakashi and reinforce Jiraiya, along with Sakura in case they needed a medic. Naruto was most of all looking forward to catch up with the Aburame and Shikamaru.
Sakura; was his little sister. With her it was more of a chance to irritate her, as all big brothers should.
There would be time to see everyone and catch up. For the moment he had more immediate concerns.
The very first of which was Kakashi…waiting at the training grounds. Before any of them.
He glanced to the equally shocked Sakura. Clearly she too hadn't expected their sensei to be present on time, much less before them.
"Yo" Came his customary greeting. While it wasn't strange, the fact that he didn't have his book out, and the slightly more solemn tone didn't sit well with either Naruto or Sakura. The only reason Naruto hadn't even gone for him, was the fact that the chakra signature did indeed belong to their chronically tardy sensei.
"Kakashi-Sensei" Sakura greeted, happy yet cautious. "We weren't expecting you for…sometime."
Kakashi cocked his head.
"I thought it'd be best to be on time today." Kakashi's tone was mild, but it was setting of conflicting signals in his students. The Jonin sighed as he came to a decision.
"Sensei…is something wrong?" Sakura queried gently, her eyes went wide as the proud Jonin slowly went on his knees, and bowed face first into the earth.
"Both of you, please forgive me."
Naruto was motionless, still as stone. Sakura however looked on in shock. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she glanced between Naruto and their sensei. No one could speak for several minutes.
"Sensei, there is nothing to forgive." Sakura whispered, Naruto chose to remain silent.
"No, there is. I forgot my own lessons. I struggled to find a way to teach all three of you and so I abandoned two of you in favour of one that I could easily work with. I betrayed my own ideals at the cost of you. For my part in holding you back, I ask for your forgiveness."
"….it was not a blanket neglect sensei. If you really desire it though, then you have my forgiveness. You helped me take the first step." Sakura stepped closer to the Jonin and dropped down in front of him. With a surprising display of physical strength she picked him up and had him on his feet. She held his face tight and looked him in the eye.
"If you really want to make it up to us, now is the time."
Kakashi met her gaze head-on and gave a nod. He glanced over to Naruto and met the neutral stare. In Naruto's eye there was no judgment, no recrimination. Not a hint of bitterness.
His students had grown, far more than he ever imagined…and he had missed some of it.
Naruto gave a slight nod and Kakashi sent one in return.
He reached into his pouch and pulled out two bells. As he raised them to head level the jingled softly.
"One more time?"
Naruto and Sakura gave slight smirks. Kakashi could feel a rush of anticipation, and a hint of disgruntlement.
Ohh my poor students…I guess I still have somethings to teach you.
"Okay sensei, we'll play one more time." Naruto stretched and popped his neck. Sakura also loosened up, flexing her fingers in anticipation.
"Noon again?"
Kakashi shook his head this time. The bells slowly moved, not to his belt…
But into his flak jacket pocket.
"No time limit, no rules of engagement. We go until you drop." the seriousness of the tone was not lost on his students. Kakashi approved as the snapped further alert. Naruto's stance subtly shifted; his defences even tighter. Sakura's form wavered ever so slightly, early warning signs of imminent chakra use.
"Now" Kakashi crouched and revealed his Sharingan, to his students surprise and delight. His chakra pulsed once. "Show me just how much I've missed."
The shinobi's handshake.
An initial series of moves, employed to set a baseline tone of an engagement between two or more opposing parties. An opener, a statement of intent, skilled ninjas can infer much about their opposer from the very first strikes.
The first move was Sakura's.
Chakra flared harshly around her fist and she smacked hard into the earth. Kakashi tensed in preparation to move, only to realise in shock, Naruto was behind him with a sword unsheathe.
Fast! Both of them have become so fast!
Instincts took over. Kakashi spun round and ducked low pre-emptively. Naruto had yet committed to a full swing and Kakashi used the moment to spring backwards….
-Only to crash into an Earth Wall.
Doton: Earth Hands
Kakashi's eyes widened further mini hands of earth form along the wall and held him fast. Meanwhile Naruto's darted in, his sword poised to split him in two.
Eight Celestial Gates: Gate of Opening – Unseal!
Naruto fazed out of view and reappeared several feet behind the earth wall. His sword too remained blurry for a few more seconds before solidifying. As that happened the earth wall parted neatly in three ways.
Well played sensei
Both Naruto and Sakura were of similar thoughts as they remained alert for their sensei. Suddenly she shifted to the side. Her form seemed hazy and indistinct, creating multiple shades as she moved. Naruto narrowed his gaze and felt around the edges of her chakra, quickly deducing the nature of her technique. The principles were relatively easy to understand, somehow Sakura had been able superimpose an untold number of Bunshins over herself. The Bunshins were in a state of flux, causing her to also look inconsistent while creating false trails and false movements. The more she moved the worse the effects. It was an impressive jutsu, and one that in the heat of battle could prove dangerous in the right hands.
Kakashi's Sharingan however wasn't easily fooled. The doujutsu burnt through the fake images and his fist rang out, just clipping her on the shoulder. Sakura spun with the blow and dropped low. Her leg shot out in a sweeping kick, hoping to force him to jump. Kakashi however stepped back. As he did an earth pillar blocked his view of Sakura. The pillar then cracked and spat shrapnel at the Jonin, forcing him to break off the engagement.
The stood silently in a rough triangle. Both Chunins against their Jonin Sensei.
Naruto straightened ad felt something was off. He shook his hair and noted the left side felt a tad lighter. His chakra pulsed as he verified his suspicions.
Unreal. In that instance he broke free and managed to launch an attack, whilst evading a near point blank blow. If I had been just inches to the left I would have lost an eye.
Naruto looked at his sensei, renewed admiration in his gaze. Sakura too was coming to the sudden realisation, if the slash on her bow was anything to go by.
Kakashi too however was beginning to appreciate the skill of his students. The slash across his flak jacket was a testament to Naruto's swordplay. What was even scarier was that the blond had only swung his sword once, once!
….And three marks to show for it.
He turned slightly towards Sakura, marveling at her jutsu…correction, jutsus.
Her Genjutsu was interesting, but her earth based Ninjutsus were more impressive, especially at the speed and ease she could pull them off.
This is going to be very interesting.
His feelings seemed to echo in both Chunins and they began sporting wild grins.
Sakura dropped her illusion and pulses her chakra hard. The earth rumbled. Four pillars rose from the ground; two encased her legs to just below the knee; the other two rose higher and cover her hands to the elbow. The earth groaned as pressure shaped and compressed them, forming makeshift gauntlets and greaves. Her grin grew more impish as she shook her hands and dropped into an offensive stance.
Naruto however was a vortex of chakra energy. His left arm hung loose by his side, a simple shirasaya in hand.
Kakashi was wary; his Sharingan could see the incredible amount of chakra flowing through the weapon. The more he gazed at it, the more the blade seemed to hum, gently, in tandem with the chakra. As he eyes tracked back upwards he had another treat; the section of hair he managed to cut off was growing back at a rapid pace, right before his eyes. Not to mention Naruto's hair had further increased in length and volume, trailing across the floor, writhing as if it were alive. The clash of shimmering golden tones with blazing orange-red streaks was slightly disorienting; Kakashi again could feel the subtle pull of genjutsu and chuckled; for some reason his students were really taken with that particular art.
He watched as Naruto continued to smirk in challenge. His Sharingan spun as it tracked three distinct surges before they fully appeared; three puppets in formation around Naruto.
It seemed his students were done playing games. Good, but still…
"I thought you were a Medic Sakura? That is quite the offensive set up you have going" Kakashi called out nonchalantly as he popped his neck.
If she smiled any wider it couldn't look more hellish.
"I am a trained field Medic yes, and my promotion was due to that. But if you looked in my file you will see that is not my rating." At that Kakashi cocked his head, curious. From his side view he could tell Naruto was equally interested.
Tactical Assault and Support
Both Naruto and Kakashi had raised eyebrows at that. Clearly they had both underestimated how far she had come.
"Now then-"She cocked her arm back. The chakra flare had Kakashi on edge. He was already moving, even as her fist met the earth; his arms came together, trying to shield him from the shockwave as the earth groaned and buckled from the strain.
"Let's Begin Sensei. Lesson One; Ninja Combat"
Kakashi had just enough time to shake his head, before scrambling away from a puppet strike, disappearing into the tree lines to the echoes of Naruto's laughter.
From the Hokage's office Tsunade observed Team Seven, by way of Sarutobi's crystal ball. Along with her was the Elder Council, despite the small size of the orb each person has a clear view of the action regardless of how far or where they sat.
Tsunade briefly marvelled at the nature of the artefact, one of the few surviving relics of Uzushi. More than once Sarutobi had used it to keep track of his students, back in their earlier years.
She dismissed those thoughts and briefly focused on the Elders. So far the clashes between them had been minimal, however it still rankled that they were now a fixture of military rule. In the short period since their inception they had imbedded themselves deeply into the system and it would be difficult to remove them. She was however determined to make good on her word; a maximum of seven years and then the system would be abolished. For now she would bear with it.
Glancing from the Elders to the central table she spotted several files, contents spilled across the surface. Again Team Seven; the reason they were together and observing via the crystal ball. So far the updated file painted a very impressive picture.
All however knew, the primary interest was in Naruto; the Kyuubi Jinchuriki.
The files he left her, coupled with Jiraiya's own reports had already solidified the decision in her mind. That was where the issues began; the Elders in their wisdom were very reluctant, and while normally she would bypass them and act, in this matter such actions were not practical, not with the potential long term fallout.
Hence they were observing the battle. If Naruto performed as expected, it would give the Elders less room to manoeuvre.
She turned back to the crystal ball, a ghost of a smile fleeted across her face as she continued to watch.
Sakura bit back a scream as she flew backwards. She worked through the pain, twisting and tucking into a ball as she went, before coming to an abrupt stop as a rock wall intercepted her flight. She gave a soft grunt as her knees bent to absorb the impact; a quick glance told her it wasn't a rock wall, more like a moving Earth Dragon, if the speed it was travelling at was anything to go by. She steadied herself and gave a quick nod in thanks to her teammate; her chakra pulsed as she maintained a firm grip to its side.
Naruto nodded in response, swaying slightly as the Earth Dragon rumbled and sped across the battleground. Naruto remained firmly rooted at the head of the dragon; his senses were stretched to the max and myriads of threads ran through his hair, connecting him to his puppets, or creating a barely perceptible barrier around him.
The battle had been going on for several hours now, and neither side were showing signs of let up.
Sakura it seemed had grown more than they could have possibly anticipated. The intelligence and tactical sense had always been present from her genin days, but it was often wasted to the irritation of Naruto and exasperation of Kakashi. Now though there was a ruthless efficiency, developed under Tsunade and honed by the Chunin Squad assignment.
The taijutsu engagement between her and Kakashi had been an eye opener. Her technique was nothing too special, complementing her speed and form. It was something than Kakashi could easily match and counter, to some extent he felt a bit let down…
-until he almost had his hand impaled by a makeshift earth spear, curtesy of the rock gauntlets on her arms. From there things shifted, making him more wary. Her hits had been 'rock solid', near impossible to guard against so he had taken to deflecting her strikes. Now however with the earth around her arms shifting to form spikes and jagged edges, ensuring that Kakashi's only hope was to evade completely.
Again that wasn't something Kakashi couldn't work around; he had greater reach and much greater speed. That feeling lasted until she further upped the ante, and their sensei's heavily bruised chest was a testament to the fact.
Kakashi had been darting in and out of her attack range; in one pass Sakura's temper seemed to reach fever pitch as she desperately tried to land a blow only for Kakashi to push backwards, just out of reach. Naruto had been prepared to move in, and somehow he and Kakashi missed her reactions.
In the time it took to blink, Kakashi had been doubled over, tumbling across the floor with one arm over his chest, gasping hard for breath. His shinobi instincts were still sharp and with effort he scrambled to the left, escaping the hard impacts to the ground beside him. Naruto stopped short, stunned by the display.
He had glanced back to Sakura. She hadn't moved from her spot. Her fist was outstretched towards Kakashi; Naruto traced the chakra around her fist and noted that the earth composition was much lighter than it was previously. He took note of the fragments around her feet and could see were the earth shifted around to cover gaps.
Sakura grunted and launched another fist strike, still remaining in her spot. Her fist snapped out and Naruto's eyes widened further, as shards of earth launched straight for Kakashi.
Sakura had converted her melee jutsu, to be effective at range.
She closed in on Kakashi and Naruto noted as the distance shrank and she continued to launch her shrapnel the pattern changed. No longer were the tightly packed or moving in sequence; the shards were spread over a large enough area, making close encounters more perilous.
He had to give it to her, the technique was dangerous. Kakashi it seemed agreed, because he began avoiding taijutsu altogether with her.
Even more impressive, was Kakashi's ability to keep up the pace, maintain the pressure. In all the engagements so far and with all the knocks he had taken, not once had they been able to secure the bells. And their sensei continued to pull of jutsus at a rate that bordered on obscene, especially as Naruto could sense the man's chakra; substantial but only to a degree, Kakashi had one of the lowest pools for a Jonin.
In terms of skill however Kakashi was clearly above standard Jonin level; hell the man was clearly above elite Jonin levels.
A thrum of warm chakra ran through him and he shivered in delight. His puppets rattled ominously and the Earth Dragon groaned as more chakra flooded through it.
Everyone was so much stronger now, it was exhilarating, addicting.
And to think; between two of them they had not yet even showed their full hand!
The relish in Kakashi's eyes couldn't be denied. He was actually being tested, to a level and degree he did not anticipate. His muscles ached from the punishment but he couldn't bring himself to care.
He was thoroughly enjoying himself.
The Jonin ducked below another puppet strike, the weapon leaving a subtle ringing in the air as it swept passed. Kakashi was used to fighting the nausea caused and swept a kunai across its chest, scarring the outer shell even further. He had taken to reinforcing his kunai with chakra, if only to get passed the heavy armour to damage the core components. It was one of two heavy set puppets that Naruto was using against him.
The puppet was tall, much taller than he was and it moved like a wild beast, dual wielding weapons that looked like oversized tuning forks. The vibrations of them passing through the air were as a direct result of the unusual design.
The other puppet was equally tall, a theme of Naruto's puppet style, however their differences were apparent on sight. The bestial qualities of the first were missing on the second; its frame was smoother, but no less tough. This puppet also favoured a giant one-sided hammer, a weapon that it wielded with frightening speed.
There had been a third puppet, fortunately for Kakashi, they never found out what it could do. The moment the puppets were summoned and launched Kakashi let loose several trap seals, briefly severing Naruto's connection to his puppets. While still in shock he could do little to protect the one as Kakashi reduced it to ashes. Before the Jonin could dispatch the others in similar vein Naruto's chakra reverberated through the air; Kakashi's Sharingan briefly caught something, but it was so faint and working fast he could barely make out the details and his trap seals shattered. Naruto hadn't taken the utter immolation of one of his puppets and had set the Jonin on a merry game of 'Hide from Death'.
The co-ordination between the puppets and Sakura, with Naruto support again from the fringes atop his earth dragon, was near textbook perfect.
From what he had seen, Kakashi was satisfied with his student's skills.
As the fight kept on it was increasingly clear it was no longer about the bells, somewhere along the way it turned into a statement. A chance for each side to lay their cards on the table. A Chance to prove their worth.
For Kakashi; it was to prove he could be a good sensei. A mentor and a guide.
For Naruto and Sakura; it was to prove they were not dead weight. They were capable and tested Ninjas of Konoha.
Neither side was ready to give up.
Kakashi spun past the beast puppet, the name he had taken to calling that type. His Sharingan tracked Sakura in motion and with lightning he next course was mapped. He ducked below another strike, and dove passed a third. With a burst of chakra he was inside Sakura's guard. To her credit she didn't hesitate; her hands came up in defence, his Sharingan traced the early stages of a jutsu forming on the Rock Gauntlets.
Not this time Sakura.
Lightning chakra arced across his fingers and he jabbed into the compressed earth. Sakura hissed briefly at the surge. Then to her horror she felt her jutsu come undone, the earth falling off her fists in clumps. Before she could react Kakashi gave a thunderous blow to her midsection. She gasped painfully and almost fell limp on his fist, only to be pulled back hard by her teammate.
Naruto caught Sakura, just as his Earth Dragon reared its head.
Katon: Great Dragon Blaze.
Heat built rapidly in the dragon's mouth and turned into a blaze. Naruto's hair formed to hands and came together in the seal formation. With the Jutsu locked the blaze scorched its way towards Kakashi, covering ground rapidly.
Suiton: Great Water Dragon.
Kakashi's hands slapped together in seal and his chakra surged. Behind him the lake churned and a massive dragon of water rose up. It surged over Kakashi and met the fire jutsu head on. The air popped as the two forces made contact and steam hissed and filled the space between them. Kakashi was shocked at the sheer force from the Fire Dragon and poured chakra to desperately hold on to his technique. Fortunately for him Water beat Fire on the elemental wheel.
"Sensei" Kakashi had to strain to hear Naruto over the roar of their jutsus. The next words proved ominous.
"You might want to move, just a thought."
Another set of hands formed via Naruto's hair. A new seal chain formed and his chakra pulsed as the jutsu came alive.
Futon: Gale Force Winds.
In a show of skill, two smaller heads formed around the Earth Dragon as the fire raged on. Their eyes flashed and mouths opened wide, seconds later sharp fast moving winds erupted. As the wind burst out it made contact with the flames. The air distorted as the energies coalesced. The fire grew rapidly in size, pulling more of the wind and chakra.
A roar like that of a raging thunder god tore through the sky for miles as the combination jutsu decimated everything in its path. Sakura winced at the intense heat but Naruto remained unaffected. Finally he cut off the chakra and the jutsus dwindled out. Sakura could only gape at the level of destruction. The path of the flames was completely black; the ground charred and stripped of any sign of life and vegetation. In some areas it still glowed hot from the intense heat. The path led to the lake and even that wasn't spared. Steam rose angrily from the waters. Where the flames met the waters bubbles could also be seen, telling of the temperature difference to the surroundings.
Naruto gave a cautious glance around and shifted his puppets to alert. As they moved further away from him he gave a glance to Sakura and nod. Sakura nodded in return and cautiously moved began scanning the area, Naruto stepped of his Earth Dragon and let it dissipate. At the glance from Sakura he shrugged.
"Despite what people think, I do have limits Sakura."
She paused, and then shrugged in acceptance before looking around again for their sensei. Naruto shook his head and stretched out his senses. He had just taken one step-
Doton: Headhunter Jutsu.
Naruto looked down. His left leg left the ground, just avoiding a hand coming up from the charred earth, only to curse as a second hand grabbed his right. His left hand spun his sword. The blade was angled downwards to pierce the earth, only for the hand gripping him tight to spark with lightning chakra. His body went rigid and energy arced through him, before being pulled into the ground.
Naruto recovered, just in time to find himself planted in the earth, his connection to his puppets severed by the shocks. Sakura turned around to see his predicament, but before she could even move Kakashi had her in a vice grip, kunai angle to go through her jugular.
Kakashi looked overdone; he had only avoided being cooked by the raging firestorm. His flak jacket was charred and his exposed skin was pink due to the intense heat. Now though, he had his students on the ropes.
Game over.
"I think it's time we called this exercise over, Naruto? Sakura?" Kakashi queried, almost casually.
Naruto however could tell his sensei was exhausted although the Jonin did a very good job of hiding it. He gave a small sigh and popped his neck.
"Yeah, I think Sakura and I have seen all we needed. We are happy to work with you again...Kakashi-Sensei" The odd lilt in Naruto's address perked Kakashi's interest. He glanced down to his captive and felt her agreement in the statement.
"Thank you, I think. You have both shown amazing progress. Although you didn't get the bells I'm more than satisfied to call it here."
"Yeah, about that." Naruto cut in casually, too casually. Kakashi focused his attention on his blonde student and his Sharingan picked up subtle fluctuations in the boys chakra, however the deeper he looked the more perplexing, none of it really made much sense.
"I was just thinking we could wrap things up. So, Sakura? If you could kindly…."
Kakashi's eyebrow rose and he focused back on his captive, however it was too late.
Doton: Earth Shell
Her chakra surged and the earth rumbled. Suddenly it rose up, trapping the Jonin to mid-thigh. More earth formations rose to encase both him and Sakura. In a flash Kakashi let go of Sakura. In another, lighting chakra roared, breaking down the earth compositions. In a third flash he was far away from Sakura.
-and right were Naruto wanted him
Kakashi's eyes widened as he noted the more than significant amount of chakra around Naruto, a closer look and he could make out shifting in the chakra, something was slowly taking shape, first in the chakra and his normal eye could see the distortions being reflected in the physical world.
Whatever it was he wanted no part of it.
He made to move but froze. He glanced down and saw the reason; multiple, very thin, very fine strands of hair bound him tight, interrupting any signals from reaching his limbs.
Then Naruto pounced.
Ways of Bindings:
First Song – Six Rods of Light.
Chakra flashed and Kakashi gasped as six lines of binding chakra slammed hard into him, almost immediately locking down his chakra. The next surge told him Naruto wasn't done.
Second Song – Ethereal Chain Jail
The air crinkled as chains of chakra formed and snaked around Kakashi, ensuring he couldn't physically move.
Final Song – Nine Sunlight Trap
Kakashi looked on in amazement as nine fuinjutsu Kanji formed in the air. They wavered and drifted across his body; eight following the path of his chakra gates while the ninth settle just above his head. The seals flashed, reinforcing the other two and rubbing Kakashi of his will to fight.
Naruto straightened up, casually brushed dirt of his right sleeve. He smoothly sheathed his sword as Sakura walked up to their sensei. Her hand reached into his pockets….and came up empty.
She glanced at Naruto and then back to their sensei, checking every inch of him to no avail.
"Where are the bells, sensei?" Naruto queried, confused and more than a little frustrated. This was supposed to be their big win. The big finish…
"I swallowed them. I win."
A.N. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, just a few comments on some reviews.
Sabyashiv - Just wondering your thoughts based on this chapter; do you think he really deserves Jonin?
Jojo & Slimjim77 - Thanks, glad you like it and approve.
Waldo Santiago - One mans ruthless is another mans pragmatism (which is another way of saying he is ruthless)
Kakazustash - Yeah me too. When i started it felt like it was a constant feature, but as the chapters and story grew and adapted it didn't seem to fit. He still definately wants to be Hokage, its a forgone conclusion but there is a quiet menace to him now. Nothing is allowed to stop him and that makes him dangerous.
Everyone else - thank you for your comments and as usual support.
catch you all on the next one.
