Naruto: A Rift in Time
By: Arthemis N. Remison
- CHAPTER 4 : ENTER THE DEMON [PART I] -
They started walking towards the Village Hidden in the Mist following the same patterns as the first time. Tazuna was still drunk and spouting nonsense about having a super annoying team so Naruto laughed inside that not everything changed. As soon as Sasuke and Naruto saw the puddle of water in the road they already knew what would happen next.
As they passed through it, the puddle morphed into the Demon brothers and launched their signature chain trap on Itachi. Hinata not knowing about this event let out a scream when she saw the figure of her leader breaking off into a splash of blood but this time, Sasuke and Naruto each engaged one of the Demon brothers.
Naruto threw a shuriken / kunai combo on the chains locking the chain to the tree as Sasuke jumped and with a single strike slashed the chains from their holder's gauntlet. Hinata quickly came out of her sudden stricken fear and as Sasuke threw the slash Hinata unleashed two opened palm strikes to the Demon's chest. As the Demon brother #1 walked back from the strike, Naruto caught him in a one-armed headlock until he fell to a deep sleep. Sasuke, on the other hand, struck Demon brother #2 just under the cerebellum with the side of his hand for an immediate knockout.
Itachi came down from the tree he was in.
"You guys… the reason I let them take me like that was to see their target. But since you took them down so fast I-"
"We knew Nii-san. Their target is Tazuna, the bridge-builder. He is being targeted by a crime boss. Care to explain yourself, Tazuna-san?" explained Sasuke.
It appeared that Tazuna's drunken stupor was suddenly over. He straightened himself up and began explaining about Gatou and how he plans to take over the Hidden Mist.
As he was explaining such events Itachi interrupted him with a: "GET DOWN!"
A giant blade flew over their heads and embedded itself on a tree. A tall man with half his face covered in bandages stood on it as he addressed Team 7.
"Once one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen, now an A-rank missing nin from The Hidden Village in the Mist Momochi Zabuza" said Itachi emotionlessly.
"My, my…aren't you a knowledgeable one?… But of course that is only expected from Ryuketsu no Karasu Uchiha Itachi [Bloody Crow]" explained Zabuza.
"Ryuketsu no Karasu? What is that Nii-san?" asked Sasuke.
"Oh. Sorry guys, that's just a nickname I earned while you were still young, back when I was in ANBU. Nobody calls me that anymore. Guess he knows a little about me from the bingo books" said Itachi.
"I'm going to need you to hand over the geezer, Itachi"
Naruto interrupted "Uuhh… No."
Zabuza came down from his sword pulling it from the tree on his way down while on the air he invoked: "Kirigakure no jutsu". The mist quickly took over the ground and as Zabuza hit the floor… there was no sound.
Naruto scratch his head. "I forgot how annoying this technique can be, but unlike last time, we have a way of countering this. Hinata!"
"Hai!" acknowledged Hinata while veins bulged around her eyes accentuating her bloodline treat "Byakugan!"
She scanned the area thoroughly. Then….suddenly…."Sasuke-kun, behind you!"
Sasuke immediately grabbed his sword from its sheath without taking it out and parried the great sword that threatened to end his life in a single cut.
"Naruto-kun, jump!" Hinata quickly took command of the situation. "Itachi-san, 3 kunai, 4 o'clock! Sasuke, go to Tazuna-san!" The teamwork displayed by this group was formidable.
Sasuke stood his ground. "Ok I think this has gone long enough. Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" In seconds, the mist cleared revealing first the edge of the Kubikiribocho, and then a grinning Zabuza standing 15 feet away from the group.
"My, my. I didn't believe that a mere genin was capable of such a powerful Katon"
From behind him came a very subtle sentence. "You think his was good, wait till you see mine. KATON: GOUKAKYUU NO JUTSU!" Itachi released a blast far bigger and greater than that of his younger brother. Zabuza quickly turned into water, but even faster into steam.
Without sound, Kubikiribocho flew through the air cleaving Itachi in two, only for Itachi to dissapear in a puff of smoke.
"Kagebunshin ka?" stated Zabuza in his mind.
Zabuza felt something closing in from behind and as he turned, a sudden kick, courtesy of Naruto, sent him straight for the clearance in front of the team.
Before hitting the dirt he planted one hand on the ground and pushed himself towards his sword to retrieve it. Once he had it he threw it high to the sky and performed a set of high paced hand signs until he stopped at: "TORI… Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu!"
Water from the nearby lake rose to the skies as it took life, morphing into a water dragon with frightful yellow eyes, spouting a watery demise from its liquid fangs.
"Everyone, get behind me. I'll handle it"
The surprise came not from what was said, but from who said it.
"You believe to stop my dragon…little Hyuuga girl?"
Hinata silently took the stance of her clan's signature style and her eyes grew calmer, stronger, more focused. Zabuza's calm exterior was only a façade for his enraged soul as he stared into her eyes.
"You shall see the error of your ways…. But you will not live to comprehend them!"
The dragon roared. The water turned. The sky darkened. The earth shook. The dragon shot forward. The girl steadied herself. And as the dragon roared mere feet of Hinata, and confidence turned into arrogance in Zabuza's eyes, a jutsu soon dampened his resolve.
"Hakke: Eien Ransu Kougeki! [Endless Lance Strike]"
Zabuza could not believe his eyes. The dragon was being destroyed piece by piece as he was struck in what it was once its nostrils by repeated palm strikes embedded with chakra, moving so fast that it had the appearance of a lance striking the head of the dragon being created by the afterimage of the young Hyuuga's arms.
Once the dragon dissipated, Hinata fell on her knee as the strain and fatigue took over her body. Even her Byakugan failed to maintain its effectiveness. And as her knees touched the floor, she failed to notice the shadow of a tall man in mid-swing aiming for her head.
His swing was halted. A metallic clang filled the air. A powerful figure stood in front of her. A drip of blood tinted the earth. Her eyes took force for a second as she screamed: "NARUTO-KUUUUN!"
Hello. I am very please with the number of followers so far, and I thank you all for your constant reading. I hope this chapter was as enjoyable to you as it was to me. Next chapter will not be called, ENTER THE DEMON [PART II], since Zabuza will not make a big appearance in it. But after that one he will. Thank you all for your interest.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
"Men choose darkness not because it is evil. Men choose darkness because in light they found only despair."- James D. Fawkes