A.N. Hey all, been caught out by work and stuff. Haven't really had the time to write and simply enjoy its pleasures.
Another chapter in and hopefully one more in a week - already have the ground work ready. No promises though.
i'll also answer any questions i've missed and my usual shout outs.
Thanks and I hope you all enjoy
There is perception in combat. Enlightenment in conflict. There is understanding in contention.
Sai ducked under a wild swing; like a viper his hand flashed out, twice. His target gasped and faltered. Sai ghosted passed; he grabbed his victim and swung him into another. He darted left, catching another off guard, ending the struggle with a well place kunai.
In the battle, and in bloodshed; the measure of a man truly comes alive.
Sai's eyes flashed across the room, taking everything in and planning accordingly. He jinked backwards, a clawed hand passed where his head had been. He ignored his assailant and backed into a corner, with Sakura's motions and Shino's placement he was content he wouldn't be followed. His scroll unravelled and his pen came alight.
Blood and Fire; War and Death.
Battle was nothing more than an extension of words; an extension of points of view.
Every fighter was an argument; every field was the debate. Arguments were traded, but ultimately one was correct. The one who lived was right, the one who died was wrong. As such it was important to hone ones arguments until they were razor sharp, capable of turning aside the seasoned blows of another's perspective.
Sai's pen danced feverishly over his scroll, his chakra dancing with the ink and alive over the pages.
His heart pounded to the strokes of the pen.
Somewhere, deep within, something stirred.
But battle was more, much more, than conflict of ideas.
In battle a man's very thoughts came alive. His expression lay bare. To dance with the dice of death, on the one hand for glory or duty, but on the other, the eternal sleep. Every action taken, every move made….
All had a price….all had a consequence.
A ghost of a smile lit Sai's face; his eyes flashed briefly, hidden by the flare of his chakra. The ink on his scroll came to life.
In battle, the measure of a man is truly free….
Naruto refused to admit, but Sai's presence had compromised his sensory abilities more than he liked. It was difficult focusing on anything other than the Root Nin, his presence such a dark miasmic void in his mind; something both fascinating and horrifying.
So he could be forgiven for missing the initial warning signs as the oppressive chakras hidden below started to react in volatile patterns and shift around the massive base. When the power cut from the room however, that sent his team into battle stances.
The next rush of chakra couldn't be ignored. Naruto's eye widened then narrowed sharply; he spun sharply to his team, his own chakra rising in tempo.
"Form Up!" The words came too late. An explosion rocked the room, sending stone and glass hurtling around, along with a wave of concussive force.
Naruto snarled; his eye flashed red briefly and his chakra tinged. His right hand swept over, sending out a sharp pulse of chakra.
Bend!
His teammates had dropped low at the explosion to avoid debris and splash damage, and Sakura and Sai had flinched hard as his raw chakra swept over them. The sudden silence drew the short; Sakura took a steadying breath and looked up.
Her jaw dropped. Shino had both eyes raised and his hands were slack.
"He's, how do you say? Got solid brass ones?" Sai cocked his head "or was it balls of titanium? I'm not really up to date with pop culture, too many conflicting expressions, why someone can be called 'smokin' one minute then cool the next-"
"Sai" Sakura cut in, "Shut up".
Naruto held a smirk; a bead of sweat rolled down his brow, only to be brushed away by several strands of hair. Ripples of hair and chakra fleeted around him, conducting a symphony only he could understand, but everyone saw the effects.
All around the room the debris from the explosion moved and twisted in unnatural patterns, seemingly ricocheting all around the barely standing room. The very space around them rippled like water; some of the debris seemed to crawl while others moved at breakneck speed.
But above all, was the sphere in front of him; it was pulsing and bulging violently, moving rapidly with barely contained force. Majority of his hair was seemed to surround it like a cage, keeping it barely stable.
"Naruto…." Shino found his voice as he wobbled slowly to Naruto, mindful of the growing cracks on the floor. With every step he took stone cracked. Dust and pebbles then rose unnaturally and joined the cascade of moving pieces.
"Shino, there is another room directly below us. The floor is going to give way any second and I will only be able to hold this-"his hair gestured to the force kept bound, "For a few more minutes."
Sai flexed his fingers and drew his blade; Sakura wound her arms, almost completely covered by her rock gauntlets.
"We have multiple chakra signatures moving rapidly for us, most are still below; my guess the floor was meant to completely give out, if we survived we'd be disoriented and fall prey to them. The others could jump down on us as we scrambled to regroup."
As if to make his point the floor cracked even more and gave an ominous groan.
"So what's the plan?" Sakura growled a quick look showed her eyes to be slightly dilated; the three male members of the team picked up a faint scent coming from her, two of the very familiar with the mixture of cocktails.
"I wish you would use something less volatile Haruno-San" Shino sighed, while Sai looked at her with renewed interest. "My Kikaichu do not particularly enjoy the composition of your stims."
"They work and I won't crash as hard; tough luck." Sakura replied waspishly.
"The plan is-" Naruto cut before the argument to descend further, "We go on the offensive. Once the floor gives way I let loose on the debris. That should slow our pursuers on this floor while we take the fight to the ones below."
"So what are we waiting for" Sai chirped in what passed for cheer. Before anyone could say a word he stumped hard on the ground, chakra lacing the strike.
The entire floor seemed to flex, the cracks multiplying rapidly, before giving way completely.
Naruto snarled in pain as he tried to maintain a grip on his chakra. With a thought one layer snapped; the orb flexed violently but remained in place, meanwhile the debris spiralling around jerked back into reality. Broken pieces of lab equipment and chunks of stone smashed all around the damaged room while team seven descended through the hole in the floor.
Sinking further into his chakra Naruto picked up the layout of the room and the locations of oppositions. His hair writhed and formed two large hands around the volatile orb. He shifted his angel of descent and breathed out slowly.
Release!
The hands opened out around the orb, forming a cone; the orb rippled one final time.
The base trembled as shockwaves tore through one side of the room, cracking walls and stone; the raw force pulped flesh and bone and burst eardrums of the unlucky few to barely avoid its wrath. The wall in the path of the waves simply dissolved, revealing a pathway. The final dregs tapered out, leaving behind large scars and rents on stone.
Naruto dropped to one knee and took several deep breaths. He felt the chakra on his left side tingle, but so far his jutsu held. As always he elected to go for the hard option, when simply erecting a barrier would have sufficed.
None of that mattered at the moment; the shock of his attack had mostly worn off and the Orochimaru's cursed seal rejects were beginning to stir.
"We need to keep our window open" Naruto indicated to the hole revealing the pathway. A quick glance showed the room to be much larger than they originally anticipated, larger than the preliminary combat hall using in the Chunin exam, with several alcoves dotted about.
"I can at least eighteen heads, combat capable" Sakura murmured, a soft breeze fluttering her hair. Her stance tightened as she remained wary.
"Twenty-three actually" Sai chirped again, he inclined his head high and to the left, "Five bodies hidden; two wounded by that shockwave."
Before anyone could speak further a crackling came through several overhead speakers
"Naruto-Kun and guests, forgive our manners. Had we anticipated the manner and timing of your arrival we would have been far more welcoming."
"Kabuto" Naruto hissed out; he turned to one of the overhead cameras, "The curtesy of Oto has been dubious of late. We will not impose."
"No imposition, you are more than welcome to stay a while." Cursed seals pulsed, and hisses and snarls filled the room. "We insist."
Sakura was the first into action.
She dropped down and slammed her earth covered fists into the ground; the floor buckled and shards of earthen spikes shot up and outwards in rough concentric circles.
The spikes missed their targets, much as she expected; from the side she felt the air displace as a figure rushed towards her. Spinning left she ducked awkwardly to avoid getting her throat slashed. A small jut of earth rose up; as she fell backwards she pushed off it and rolled away avoiding another blow.
She rose quickly to her feet and lashed out with a punch. A wet snap echoed, follow by a piercing wail of pain. She spun on her heel and lashed out with a backhanded blow, sending her victim crashing into the floor.
Adrenaline burned through her and her eyes scanned about wild. Instincts sharpened her movements. Two more figures approached. Her eyes narrowed and her form seemed to ripple. They struck out haphazardly; Sakura weaved through each strike, deflecting attacks and returning with vicious precision. Her earth gauntlets rumbled as they shifted around, forming brittle shards. With each contact, pieces would break off, leaving behind painful wounds and rocks embedded in flesh.
"Sakura!"
The warning came late as a force slammed hard into her back. She gasped but rolled with the pain. She tried to shift but the figure latched on and both of them dropped to the ground. A hand rose and sharp nails glinted in the flickering light. The hand slammed down on her chest.
Another wail of pain echoed, this time from shattered fingers.
Sakura wheezed as she shook off the lingering pain. Also the rock vest was a bit weighty. She sank into the earth, avoiding a blow to the face. Seconds later the earth rippled and she rose up; she caught an outstretched fist and summarily broke the arm, then jabbed the owner's throat, cutting of air supply. A sharp earth spike and he was gone.
Sakura paid him no more attention; there were still more enemies to get through.
While the cursed seal was an amazing achievement of science and research, it offered too many risks with too few rewards. The margins for error were severely narrow; one in twenty survived the process and less than half actually resulted in full functionality. Most simply degenerated, their chakra and mental health simply eroded from the stress of the cursed energy.
Still, until then they were formidable opponents.
"Aburames never underestimate their opponents." Shino intoned as he deflected a blow and drove an elbow into his opponent's stomach. The figure doubled over and quickly Shino drove a palm strike upwards, catching the chin and forcing the head back with an audible snap.
"Whether the Mymaridea, or the order of Proto-Odonata, we do not relent, we do not falter." He spun round, bringing his forearm up to block a strike from the left; just as quickly he brought his right up and deflected another. His knee rose up and caught one of his assailants between the legs. He shoved the stumbling figure away and faced the other; he lunged forwards and gave a hammer blow to the head.
Buzzing echoed loudly as thousands of Kikai swarmed, obstructing him from view. As the cursed Nins pushed through the Kikai attacked, invading ears, noses and mouths. Sharp mandibles bit into sensitive flesh while some drained chakra.
Shino noted the effect the dark chakra had on his Kikai. The corrupted nature was too much for them; the Kikai feeding on the chakra died in droves with barely anything to show for their efforts. Therefore he had his bugs switch tactics, going for soft targets as opposed to chakra.
Suddenly his view was obstructed; a massive Nin, more than three times his size bore down on him. The cursed seal blazed across his exposed skin and the mad smile on his face seemed all the more sinister.
Air displaced as a fist sped for him. Shino brought his hands together; his Kikai swarmed around his joined arms and seemed to melt together. His armour carapace formed, just in time to take the blow.
A grunt of escaped his lips as the force sent him speeding backwards into a wall.
Dust swelled and activities seemed to pause. The giant cursed Nin bellowed in laughter and made to seek another pray.
Shin Sekai
An angry buzz thumped through the air and suddenly fell silent. A series of clicks counted off….until it stopped.
The giant cursed Nin barely caught the movement. The dust displaced sharply.
A sharp cry followed a wet thud. The giant quickly looked left as a body fell, its cursed markings fading with his life. More thuds told him others had fallen victim. He felt a presence moving behind him; he roared in rage and joy, and then spun to face his attacker.
He missed the first blow; barley felt a thing until he took a step.
The wet thud in his chest stopped him short. A dark bruise formed on his left side, just below his rib cage. As he tried to shift he felt several things were out of place.
He roared in pain and fury and tried to swing, only to find his leg broken, the bone sticking out. He jerked at movement from the right and instinctively struck out, only again to feel more pain.
His eyes blinked dumbly. He could see his hand twitching, trying vainly to grip something, anything.
Only the arm was no longer attached to his body.
Breeze swept passed and he blinked dumbly again. He tried to speak, to roar.
But he had forgotten how.
Also it was strange; he had never been able to see his own back before, obscured by the black markings…and so much red.
Shino's breathing was deceptively calm. In his right hand dangled the head of the giant cursed Nin. His trademark coat was in complete tatters; his vest top strained but thankfully remained mostly in one piece as were his shorts, his sandals unfortunately were written off.
The severed head dropped to the floor and Shino looked at his hands; he flexed his grip rhythmically. His core was hot, strength unlike any other flowed through him and it was searing in its fury. He had been testing this technique on and off for the last two years.
It wasn't ready….he wasn't ready. Not for this level of control.
But it had been enough.
The tightening of his chest receded and he seemed to feel smaller. The fury and raw power faded, the last vestiges of his coat falling off with it.
Shino reach into his pouch and pulled out a spare set of dark glasses.
"To face an Aburame is to fight the swarm; to fight an Aburame is to face single minded focus, discipline and determination. You will have no victory."
Naruto remained static to the chaos around him. Threads, thousands of threads spooled and twisted around him, barely perceptible to the average ninja.
But no less deadly, and it's not like we can call this rabble threats in any effect.
Despite his neutral expression he couldn't completely hid his contempt for his opponents. The failed experiments of the Snake threw themselves at his team in frenzy of melee; all of them bearing marks of his cursed seal, though none of them had the darkened skin tone of the second level.
Their chakras though somewhat significant were extremely erratic. There was no finesse to them, no coordination, merely endless noise.
Having faced Itachi and Kisame and barely survived, faced Kabuto and won, faced Sasori himself…..
He couldn't help finding it insulting.
A large axe with red glowing edges spun towards him; time slowed as the edge just missed the kiss of his neck, before speeding past and decapitating two failed experiments and cutting deep into the stone wall.
The large weapon seemed to shiver, before wrenching free and speeding back to its owner. The edge took the hand clean of another experiment as it tried to grab Naruto, before smacking firmly into Byakuya's hand; said puppet merely swung the weapon down, cutting the experiment in twain.
Naruto glanced at the two halves, then back at the bodies behind him. He turned back to Byakuya with an eyebrow raised. The puppet was soundless; it shifted and turned its back on the bodies, before stalking into the melee, seeking more targets. Gears and locks sounded, the axe head spun and the clips detached; the sword came free while the shield came to rest firmly on Byakuya's left hand.
Naruto frowned; Byakuya seemed off somehow. His moves were fluid as per norm, its combat abilities first class.
But looking closer at the puppet, there was a level of viciousness, vindictiveness, that wasn't present previously.
Byakuya was too professional, too dedicated to throw something as paltry as a tantrum; but if he didn't know better he would say his puppet was working through some frustration.
The shield crashed down on one of the cursed Nins; the jerking body ceased all movements. Byakuya spun around and took a slam to the chest. Unfazed the dart launchers built into his neck line primed and fired corrosive darts, burning through his attackers face. Before the body could fall Byakuya's sword flashed and an arm came off; his spun and kicked the limb into another charging Nin, momentarily stunning him.
The room seemed to shake as Byakuya counter charged, slamming the very dead Nin into the wall.
Naruto furrowed his brow; clearly he had to look into it, later.
The flow of battle was very much in favour of Team Seven; Sakura and Naruto proved effective in crowd control, staggering the battles whilst simultaneously taking out the opposition. Her hallucinogenic compounds seemed to work exceptionally well on the cursed Nins, coupled with Naruto's judicious use of perception threads at times several of the cursed Nins fought empty air.
Shino provided consisted steady damage, utilising his Kikaichu when possible and dealing tremendous amounts of physical force. Of the four members he had the greatest raw physical potential, backed by his armour carapace.
Sai was a consummate student of the black arts of ninjutsu; he was quick, efficient and methodical. His unique combat style of animating ink drawings was useful in a variety of ways and his strength wasn't to scoff at. He kept up well with the team, although to Naruto's screaming senses the Nin was far more capable than Sakura and deadlier than Shino.
The greatest failing Naruto could say of the Nin, was that he was of Root.
Still, his combat skill was appreciated.
Byakuya was just mopping up; the conflict a little over a quarter hour. All through the fight he hand moved an inch, allowing the battle to flow all around him. So far he hadn't been able to sense Kabuto's location, there had to be a secret room blocked of much like the secure rooms in Konoha. Orochimaru's signature too faded sometime prior but Sasuke's still echoed strong. For a brief moment Naruto was sure the Uchiha was going to investigate the commotion, but then a wave of annoyance then disinterest coloured the harsh tones.
Someone had made the Uchiha stay put.
"I must say" the speakers crackled to life once again drawing Naruto's attention, "I expected much from you and you didn't disappoint. You are clearly living up to the reputation you are building, Jonin Uzumaki Naruto."
"Only as duty permits betrayer" Naruto sniped back, turning towards a camera.
A sigh crackled from the speakers, "Modest to a fault, tell me doesn't pretending get old. Saying words you don't mean so often it becomes reflex. At some point it all catches up to you."
Naruto turned fully to the camera as Byakuya smacked the last hostile, "Is that what happened to you betrayer? Too many times a snake sheds it skin. It cannot stop, it merely accepts the realities of its existence. How many times have you shed betrayer?"
"Ever the sting, and people consider me the viper" a chuckle came through. "I must admit, I was jealous of you; Sasori seemed to hold you in such high regard, but I am beginning to see what he saw."
"I have a gift for you, from our mutual master." Kabuto's voice crackled over Naruto's growl, "I think he would have preferred you, as is chosen successor, to have it."
Naruto went ramrod straight, he eye dead on the camera. Byakuya stiffened and turned sharply to his master.
All eyes watched with various levels of incredulity as the puppet strode to his owner; Byakuya paid them little mind as it stationed just behind Naruto's right side, one of its arms ghosted over his masters shoulder.
Naruto took in a deep breath; at the same moment Byakuya seemed to freeze.
"So he's dead then…." Naruto sounded strange, even to himself. Sasori was a clearly identified enemy of Suna and Konoha. he had acted against his village they had both come to blows.
Still, his loss sent mixed feelings to the young Jinchuriki.
"A man may not slave under two masters Naruto-Kun. You know this" Something in the Sound Nins tone didn't sit well with Naruto but he remained silent.
"Still, I have learnt a lot from my former master" klaxons sounded. "Kusagakure will be joining us a little earlier than scheduled. It appeared they were tipped off and the potential fallout will far more benefit them than the alternative. If they spot Konoha Nins….."
The grim look on Team Seven said it all. Naruto narrowed his eye; the speakers and camera immediately cracked and shorted out.
"We need to move quickly." Nods came all around.
Shino stepped forwards, "The terminal indicated Sasuke's quarters and training facilities are further to the west. I am surprised with the commotion we haven't seen him; likely scenario was that he was moved during the combat, although I doubt he agreed."
"No Sasuke is still here." Naruto shook his head and spoke before anyone could act. "But we are not going for him. Our primary objective hasn't changed."
"I thought our objective was Sasuke" Sakura argued, a frown marring her features. Even Shino stood confused though one couldn't readily tell, even with his jacket.
Sai simply remained inert.
"At no point did I state we were after Sasuke specifically; all I and Tsunade-Sama stated was infiltrate Oto and find our priority target. Capture if we can, kill and return samples if we can't."
"Samples?" Sai parroted in his bland tones. His eyebrows narrowed as thought fired. "This has something to do with your mission; the reason you tore through so many Oto bases.
Naruto nodded.
"It took a while, but a clue paid off; Konoha is now aware of a resource behind one of Orochimaru's deadliest weapons. If we could gain access to it, we might be able to neutralise him, or limit him severely."
"Only a fresh sample, untainted by any other DNA strain would do. It another reason you are in this mission Sakura" Naruto turned to her, "your training will be invaluable, and I have the necessary containment units."
"I can think of only one thing that warrants such levels of secrecy and preparation." Sai commented his bland tone did nothing to comfort Naruto; his life was going to be more complicated. "Do you really think we could walk away with the secrets to Orochimaru's cursed seals?"
Sakura gasped in shock while Shino took a deep breath.
"Not if they don't know it's what we are really after. Like you they presume we are after Sasuke. The holding cells are in that direction; by the time they catch on we have to complete either of our objects."
"Either we capture the source of the cursed seal, Tenbin no Jugo, or we eliminate him and provide samples of his cadaver for study."
