Quick note sometimes check the bottom pages after the chapter. I give a few notes that are important.
Miya and Karasuba observed their Ashikabi critically. He had come back from his escapade relatively unharmed, besides brandishing a few fresh whipping marks. His electric blue eyes were like pieces of steel as he paced back and forth across the main room if Izuma Inn. "So, he wasn't there." Karasuba questioned as she lost her ever present sadistic smile. That, in of itself, was a rather great feat. "He had been there moments before I came here to the Inn. He shouldn't have been able to get out so quickly."
"It is strange." Miya spoke up as she rubbed her arm gently. Her eyes stayed focused on her light haired Ashikabi. He was still rather weary of both her and Karasuba both. Not that she could particularly blame him. He'd probably be even more weary if he found out what the two had decided to keep from him. "If he was so quick to escape the building, then he has something planned. And he wanted to see it through to the very end. But what could that be exactly?" Naruto's blue eyes widened.
He had allowed himself to slip within the past few day. Had allowed three, his teeth grit at that number, three people to sneak past his ssensor defenses. But he was still a sensor shinobi, and a rather good one at that. He knew a person's signature chakra signature anywhere once he had interracted with them once. And he felt both Zabuza and his apprentice's chakra signature fast approaching the bridge that was nearing its completion cycle. Three other chakra signatures rushed next to the two familiar signature. Two were relatively unknown to Naruto. But the third...
Naruto's eyes widened to a much greater proportion. "That's... Impossible! I have to get to the bridge!" Naruto rushed from Izuma Inn with a burst of his chakra, the door slamming behind him as his Sekirei watched, stunned at the impressive burst of speed. Karasuba's grin slowly spread back out across her features as she turned towards Miya, brandishing her sword in her hand.
"What do you say, Number 01? Do you think it's about time for a little... discipline?"
Yugito's eyes narrowed dangerously as she tensed. Kakashi quickly came to stand next to her, his hiatate rising to allow his sharingan to be brandished proudly. The bridge was covered in a thick mist. Thicker than any natural mist, unless it was a nautral chakra powered phenomenon. The Land of Waves was no place for such a phenomenon. But, even that wasn't what had the Nibi Jinchuriki so tensed. No, the crimson blood stained bodies that littered the bridge like everyday trash was what had her tensed.
The construction workers had died in a variety of ways. They had been decapitated, impaled, whipped, run through with pieces of ice and it even appeared that pieces of their bodies and been completely blown off. It was a horrendous sight, one at which both Sakura and Hinata released the contents of their stomachs. The rest of the genin wore a rather unhealthy shade of green hue. Tenten's chest heaved involuntarily before she clenched it in pain. Yugito dropped down in a rather low crouch.
And the sound of a man's sadistic laugh reacher their ears. He laughed insanely as Zabuza made himself present through the mist alongside his white masked apprentice. He was smiling, but definately not the owner of the laugh that rang out over the mist. "Hello again..." Zabuza spoke with a tone filled to the brim with sadistic glee. "... I hope you've been doing as well as I have since our little squabble you bunch of brats. Otherwise, killing you's just not going to be as fun."
Kakashi's muscled tensed as he stared down Zabuza. Something had changed in the man within their brief last meeting. Something had become more dangerous about it. He didn't quite know what it was. But it was definately there. And it was going to factor into the battle tremendously. "We're not afraid of you, Zabuza." Kakashi returned, though the trembling genin that stood behind him did nothing to back that fact up. "We defeated you once before, and we'll do it again. And this time, there will be no accomplice to save you." The Demon of the Bloody Mist laughed.
"I was taken by surprise, Kakashi. It won't happen again. And make no mistake Kakashi, I didn't come into this battle alone. I brought my own little team of backup. A little team that's going to rub yours into the Earth." The mysterious man's laughter echoed once again. And then he appeared through the mist. He had an elfish appearance with narrow eyes, pointy ears and shoulder-length black hair. He wore a green shirt with white outline and baggy black pants. Behind him, two girls stood.
One was a girl with long blond hair. She wore black stockings, a black Chinese styled dress with one yellow vertical stripe in the middle of it. She grinned in, not a sadistic manner, but one that promised she would relish in any pain that she inflicted upon them. Next to her stood a girl with short, light brown hair and her face in a blank, depressed expression. Her clothes consisted of a top that was a white shirt with long, flowing sleeves in a similar make to a kimono, but that was where the similarities ended.
A cut out for her head was lined with black fabric and was then the standard cutout for her head, it was wider, allowing some of Akitsu's shoulders to be seen and then going down in a very low V cut that showed off nearly a third of her breasts and stopped at her upper stomach. A black obi with a bow in the front held the shirt tightly against her body. She had chains in her ensemble, which was used to bind her clothes together above her breasts, while the other set looped around her neck and then went down between her cleavage. Kakashi felt off put by her completely emotionless demeanor.
"Hello to you all." The man spoke as he tilted his head to the side. "I want you to know that I've been watching you. Accessing your abilities. And you were all ignorant enough to not notice me. So many chances I had to kill you all. But I want your deaths long, and drawn out. I want to torture you and see you scream. These men lying around you? They died rather quickly. It goes against my style. And it pisses me off. I'm going to draw out your deaths that much longer.
For every second that I had to draw off of these men's deaths, then you will feel it for them. And I'm going to enjoy it every second of the way." The man's blood thirsty smile crossed his features as he produced a knife, forcing Kakashi to tense immediately. He pressed the blade against his own skin, shocking the on looking Konoha and Kumo shinobi as insanity claimed his very soul. "Before you die? Allow me to introduce my self! Your killer is-"
"-Wei Zhijin!" Everyone's attention drew away from the elfish man to a crane that hung high in the air. Naruto sat, crouched, upon its long mechanical arm, glaring down at them all with ferocity. "When I felt you chakra signature, I didn't want to believe that it was you. But I should've known that you were one of the ones that escaped." Wei's smiled stretched even wider as he cuckled insanely.
"Well hello, Naruto. It's nice to see you again... Brother." Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously as he lurched from the crane, landing at a much shorter distance away from the opposing shinobi than the rest of the others on the bridge.
"Don't call me that. You lost the right to call me brother long ago. When you decided that you were going to abandon our village to save your own ass. But I shouldn't have been surprised at that either, should I? When you used your powers, you were one of the ones who became increasingly insane. I should've seen it. I should've known that you would do such a lowly things. Because you're scum."
"Come now, Naruto, even you can not be completely loyal to one thing. You should have come with me, my brother. You would have been safer than you were in Kumogakure. You would have been more loved with me. I would have raised you to be a true member of our clan." Naruto's fist tightened until his knuckles became an unhealthy shade of white.
"You would have taught me nothing but insanity. The power of corruption and greed. And I stayed in Kumo for a reason. That is my one and only home. I stayed and remained loyal to both my village and my clan while you ran like the coward that you've always been. I've never truly understood how the Raikage assumed that you belonged in that division." Wei smiled discharmingly as his head cocked to the opposite side.
"What're they talking about?" Sasuke questioned as he spoke to Kakashi for the first time in days. It was Yugito who answered.
"Naruto and Wei were both members of a very special clan inside Kumogakure. The Hei clan. I'm not going to go in depth about their abilities. You'll see soon enough. But a few years ago, the clan imploded in on itself. They had a Civil War that the Raikage was helpless to stop. They slaughtered each other. Naruto is the only member of the Hei clan that remains inside of Kumogakure. The others are either dead, or scattered out over the elemental nations. I never thought I'd see another member of the Hei Clan again, but..."
"Now now, Naruto... You know that we're not supposed to talk about that. Do you see? Right there you betrayed Kumo by almost revealing one of their most secretive operations. Don't you see it, brother? You and I? We're exactly the same! Come, cross the thresh hold and join me in the merciless slaughter of the ones you would call temporary allies." Naruto glared angrily at Wei as he clenched his fists harshly enough that blood drew from his nails biting into his skin. Rage and hate burned heavily in his electric eyes.
"I am nothing like you, Wei! And make no mistake about it. I hate Konoha with every fiber of my being. My hurt burns with the passion to lay siege to the entire village. And I will see that passion through. I will watch as it burns to the ground, laughing as I do so. But I hate you more. It's almost statistically impossible, but it's true. You, you and all of our fellow Hei clan members that ran away.
"Ran when they should have stayed and fought alongside me. Those who would have lived regardless of the results of our Civil War. I hate you all more than I hate Konoha. Because while you were running my best friend was being murdered. My true brother was being slaughtered saving me while you were all saving your own asses! You all could have been there as support. It was a mission for that division after all. But no! You were too wrapped up in your own petty thoughts!
"Well, today it ends, Wei. Today I kill you and removed another member of the Hei clan from the physical plane." The elfish Hei clan member smiled again as the blade sliced through both of his wrists, much as Senji had during his battle with Naruto. Though, this time, no blood flowed in whip like formations. No blood rushed towards him to constrict him. No, it rolled around his wrists.
It was disarming for many people. It was no weapon, an insane man cutting himself before battle. Perhaps a pre battle ritual. But Naruto knew better. He knew Hei personally. He had fought alongside Hei multiple times in battle. And his blood was a weapon. His contract, the contract his power required, coincided with his power itself. It was one of the things that made him more lethal than many of the other Hei Clan members. Naruto dropped down into a low crouch, mimicking the platinum/blond haired Kumogakure shinobi.
Everyone else on the bridge tensed visibly. This was what everyone had been anticipating. The battle that would decide the fate of both side's mission. Naruto's eyes shot over his shoulder briefly. His hamstings tightened as he prepared to rush forwards. He shot backwards as he dodged a vicious whip used by the blond haired girl standing behind Wei. The sadistic Hei clan member chuckled. "Naruto, I'd like you to meet my Sekirei, Mitsuha. The one standing beside her is Akitsu. She's also a Sekirei. Just not mine." Naruto's eyes widened at the implications.
If what Miya and Karasuba had told him was true, then they were both very dangerous. Depending on their 'number', the lowest being the stongest, that would determine how strong they were 'unwinged'. And he had been told that their powers grew exponentially after they were 'winged'. Which meant that everyone on the bridge was in danger. He wasn't too concerned with the majority of Konoha's shinobi. But there were two people on the bridge that he wanted to live.
"It's against Minaka Clan rules to attack another Sekirei's Ashikabi." The blond haired girl, Mitsuha's, eyes widened considerably as everyone's heads swiveled once again to an overhanging crane. Naruto's two Sekirei, Karasuba and Miya, now stood atop it. Miya had forgone her apparent casual attire and now wore an exact replica of Karasuba's outfit. Her hair was in a less neat, innocent hairstyle and her eyes had become much colder and harsher. She glared down upon the two Sekirei on the bridge. Mitsuha released a choked sob as she stumbled backwards in fear.
"The Disciplinary Squad!"
"What's the matter? You were so gun ho to attack our Ashikabi? You should be prepared to face the consequences!" Mitsuha shivered violently under the gaze of the protectors of her clans rules. They were rutheless, and merciless. They slaughtered Sekirei indiscriminately. And they were bearing down on her.
"So you're an Ashikabi as well, Naruto?" Wei chuckled viciously as his blood splattered onto the concrete pavement of the bridge. "It must be a hereditary factor in the Mei clan then? Or perhaps the Hei clan and the Minaka clan are just reasonably compatible?" His eyes widened as his smile showed gritted teeth. "Two of them at that... You always had to prove you were better, Naruto. Younger and better than Mei. But not today! Mitsuha, Akitsu, kill his Sekirei." Neither of the two clanswomen moved. "What are you waiting for!?"
"You don't understand Wei! They're members of the Disciplinary Squad! They're the ones who enforce the laws of our clan! They are above the laws! Anything I'm not allowed to do, they can! And they're both single numbers! Miya is Number 01 and Karasuba is Number 04. They were stronger than most Sekirei unwinged! But now that they are winged!? Their powers must be off of the scales!" Wei snarled viciously.
"I don't care, Mitsuha! I am your Ashikabi! You will fight for me! And Akitsu! When you were broken and no one wanted you, who took you in? Who accepted you as his Sekirei even when you were unwingable!? You two will fight for me and you will fight for me now!" Mitsuha released a frightened sob. Then she and Akitsu tensed and dropped into their battle stances as Miya and Karasuba descended to stand next to Naruto.
"Then fight." Naruto spoke simply as he rolled his neck. "Kakashi, you and your squads deal with Zabuza and his accomplice. This battle is strictly between the three of us. Sekirei vs Sekirei. And Contractor vs Contractor." Wei laughed maniacally. And then hell on Earth was released as everyone rushed forwards at once. Ice shot from Akitsu towards Karasuba, who simply sliced the pieces of frozen liquid in half as she slowly walked towards the 'unwingable Sekirei'. Kakashi's kunai slammed into Zabuza's Kubikiribocho as the rogue shinobi's foot lashed out and crashed into the Gai's gut.
Kurenai jumped back farther as she attempted to place Zabuza in a genjutsu. The task proved impossible. Not only was it impossible for her to focus on her target that far back through the mist, but Zabuza was constantly bathed in his chakra in the surrounding mist. She would have to completely overide the Mist to cast a genjutsu on him. And she simply didn't have the chakra reserves to achieve such a feat. The genin had varying reaction. Sakura, Hinata and Tenten formed a fromation around Tazuna to protect him as best they could.
The remaining six rushed forwards to attack Zabuza's apprentice. They were intercepted. By a man. He was a tall and lean man with a short beard, mustache and sideburns that point upwards.
He wore black and red ornate clothing with a crucifix pendant which gave him the appearance of a Spanish swordsman. His attire consisted of a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume, and a long, open black coat with no shirt underneath, with red, flower-patterned sleeves and collar. He wore white pants held up by a decorated belt and tucked inside overly large boots in comparison to his leg size.
He wore a kogatana around his neck, appearing as a golden cross-shaped necklace, and carried a sword on his back. His large sword, which was kept on his back, had a curved black blade, and was also in the shape of a crucifix, with a golden handguard decorated by red beads , and a hilt wrapped in bandages, with a particularly big bead at his extremity.
His sword left his back as he stared at those around him before it swirled in a wide arch. Naruto ducked down under Wei's fist, the man's blood sailing through the air before splattering in multiple places. The older man jumped away from his fellow Mei clansmen in a back hand spring vault before he came to his feet, eyes shining sadistically. His right hand came up and he snapped his fingers audibly. The blood that had splattered over so many services exploded violently. Naruto fought the urge to wince as a piece of his pants disintergrated, leaving a burn mark on his leg.
Naruto's ears perked up as he heard Maito Gai's genin, Lee, release a scream of anguish. Naruto glanced over his left shoulder to examine the situation that the group of genin had found themselves in. His eyes widened to considerable proportions. Lee's leg had been sliced open and he was no doubt incapacitated for the remainder of the battle. Naruto couldn't care less about that fact. No, it was the man that had accomplished this that worried Naruto. "Dracule... Mihawk..." The man didn't look to observe Naruto. He seemed completely oblivious to him as a matter of fact.
That wasn't good. Dracule Mihawk was world reknowned and for very specific reasons. He had garnered the title 'Greatest Swordsman in the World'. It was a feat just to recieve the title greatest anything in the world of shinobi. But for a man who relied solely on Kenjutsu to have garnered such a title... And it wasn't that shinobi hadn't tried to kill the man. They had. But it was almost as if he had mystic powers. Flames didn't burn him, electricity didn't shock him, water did drown him, Earth couldn't crush him and wind couldn't blow him away. Unless it was a strict Kenjutsu battle, you had no hopes of defeating Dracule Mihawk.
And therein lied the problem. He was the World's Greatest Swordsmen. You had to match his natural ability of the sword and then pass it. The fact that he was on Tazuna's bridge, facing off against the people on Naruto's side... It wasn't good. Wei's insane laughter brought Naruto back to reality as he didged underneath another barrage of crimson. "Do you truly want to die this early on in the fight, Naruto!? Keep your attention solely on me so I can enjoy your death that much more!"
Haku narrowed his eyes at the sudden appearance of Dracule Mihawk. Gato had become extremely paranoid after Zabuza defeat. Erratically so. He had went off the deep end in paranoia and refused to entrust his safety in any amount of men. He had continously hired high ranked mercenaries and pirates. These mercenaries and pirates included, but were not limited to, Zabuza himself, Wei, a man by the name of Shinji, and then most recently Mihawk. Mihawk was a danger to anyone who encountered him in battle.
Zabuza had tried to best him upon his arrival into Gato's folds. He had found himself waiting another extra day before he could attack the bridge, only serving to infuriate Gato even more. Haku hadn't believed it, and he had watched the battle with his own eyes. Zabuza had thrown every jutsu he had at Mihawk, and it was as if none of them had any effect on him whatsoever. Zabuza had held his own for the longest time in a one on one kenjutsu battle, but in the end, he hadn't been a better swordsmen than Dracule.
As Mihawk lurched forwards, his foot slamming into the insect user's abdomen, Haku rushed forwards to join in on the battle. The dog user jumped through the air, only to almost have himself cleaved in half by Mihawk's weapon. Haku's foot slammed violently into the Uchiha's abdomen before he jumped into the air, his foot crashing into the male Hyuga's skull. As they both stumbled off to the same side of the bridge, Haku followed suit after them. Mihawk could handle the three genin that remained active and not guarding their client. Haku would destroy the male Kekkei Genkai users.
Miya's sword slashed through the air, Mitsuha's whip wrapping around it violently. The whip tried to tug the weapon away, though was again sliced into pieces as Miya continued on her path to kill the blond haired girl. Said girl cried out in fear as she jumped away. Miya almost did catch the glint. Her sword came up and blocked another as a male appeared within her vision. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared at the man before her, guarding the Sekirei behind him.
The figure was a tall man with messy silver colored hair and grey eyes. His outfit consisted of black pants and a long sleeved shirt of the same color. The shirt was open in the front, stopping just a few inches below his solar plexus, with crisscrossing bands of leather forming an 'X'. The sleeves near his shoulders had a single band around them of the same leather material. Sitting almost lazily on his waist was a belt that looked more like an accessory than an actually functioning belt. It sat slightly askew, the left side riding lower on his hip than the right, and the ends were tied together by a leather string. The only other distinguishing features about his clothing was the black fingerless gloves he was wearing, and the scarf he had wrapped around his neck and shoulders.
Miya allowed a low growling noise to exit her throat as she easily overpowered the new appearance, sending him stumbling away. "Mutsu." The man said nothing as both he, and Mitsuha who now sported a new face filled with confidence, both rushed towards Miya. The purple haired woman grolwed angrily again as her sword clashed with Mutsu's, sending him stumbling to the side, before she lashed out with a violent kick to the blond haired girl's mid section. Mitsuha fell to her knees, completely out of breath.
Akitsu stumbled backwards. Though she kept her face impassive as always, fear welled deeply inside of her. Karasuba contiued her slow leisurely walk towards the frightened girl. None of her attacks had landed. They had all been deflected and decimated. She had no chance whatsoever against the higher ranking member of their clan. The gray haired woman halted in her tracks suddenly as she glance in Miya's direction. She was now battling both of Wei's Sekirei. Winning, but having to rush back and forth between them to keep them from outclassing her.
Karasuba made a noise from her chest as she turned away from Akitsu, her eyes glancing at her over her shoulder as her all too familiar sadistic smile overtook her features. "Don't mistake this for mercy, okay? I'm going to come back over here and finish this. You shouldn't have attacked my Ashikabi. That was your fatal mistake." As the gray haired woman walked towards her Discipline Squad comrade, Akitsu rushed forwards to keep the numbers in their favor. A new figure appeared in front of her.
Naruto dodged down underneath a vicious kick from Wei. He followed this quick weave with a kick of his own, which crashed harshly into Wei's side. The man stumbled to the side and sent another wave of blood in his direction. He was barely able to preform a back bend quick enough to avoid the liquid covering his body. Wei jumped forwards, his knee crashing into Naruto's face, sending him staggering across the bridge. Blood continued to dribble onto the bridge, staining it. The man threw his blood at Naruto's feet, quickly snapping his fingers. More portions of the bridge exploded, Naruto almost falling through.
To the side, Tazuna sank to his knees as he sobbed violently. "My bridge!" He cried out as the three genin kunoichi guarding his body looked over their shoulders at him. "My beautiful bridge! All of my hard work! And it was all for nothing! You're all ruining my bridge! This was my last day of construction! Damn it! Damn you all! Kakashi-San, Hero mode!" Sakura sighed at the man's ignorance. Even in an undrunken state, he still believed that Kakashi had defeated a horde of aliens on multiple occasions.
"Listen here you bastard!" Tenten growled viciously at there client as the chained weapons in her hands were twirled with expertise. "My comrades, no, my friends are out there fighting a battle that we weren't prepared for! Lee is injured, I can see his body from him, not that I couldn't hear him screaming! And there's nothing that I can do for them! Because I have to stay here and guard you, a man who lied about a mission and now is going to have blood on his hands no mater who dies on this bridge! I hope you're satisfied with this entire scenario!"
Mihawk caught Kiba by his throat, sending him flying over the edge of the bridge. He would have plummeted down to his death if the visage of an ink bird hadn't flew underneath him, carrying both he and Sai. Insects swarmed around the swordsmen, though he paid them no heed as his foot slammed into Shino's gut. The Aburame doubled over in pain, Sai barely saving him as he swooped by and dropping off Kiba from almost being skewered. Kiba's dog, Akamaru lurched through the air, though Mikawk kicked it away.
Kiba cried out indignantly as he rushed forwards, only for Mihawk to slam his fist into the boy's solar plexus. As he stumbled backwards, Mihawk's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. He turned around, just in time, for Yugito's claws to sink down the front of his chest. His face betrayed no pain as blood spilled from the wounds. His sword arched through the air to cleave the girl in half. It stopped in mid swing as Yugito caught it with two hook swords. Naruto's two hook swords. The man smirked as he yanked on his sword violently, sending both swords over the edge of the bridgeto plummet down to the freezing waters below. His fist collided with Yugito's cheeks, sending her stumbling along the pavement.
Needles pierced Neji and Sasuke's bodies mercilessly. The boy, Haku, had caught them both in his signature Ice Mirrors before proceeding to send barrage after barrage of both regular, and ice, senbon needles into their bodies. Their apendages now seemed to bear a great resemblance to pin cushions. "Do you honestly believe you can defeat me? Your Byakugan doesn't help you here. You know where I am, but you can't comprehend where I'm going. And your Sharingan, the one you've awoken, you may be able to comprehend where I'm going, but you don't know where I am inside the mirrors. You two would need to fuse to defeat me.
"I must tell you, I commend you for your efforts. Trying to save Tazuna. It was a truly heroic thing to believe in. But I fight for someone precious to me. I fight for the only man who wanted me as a tool. You fight for money, and a man you know absolutely nothing about. A drunk who doesn't care if you live or die inside of these mirrors. I bid ado to you both. I wish we had met in a different life. Perhaps we could have been comrades. Friends even. Goodbye, Uchiha, Hyuga."
Kakashi dodged underneath a vicious arch from Kubikiribocho. Gai rushed forwards to take the swordsman by surprise, only to find the butt of the Demon of the Bloody Mist's sword planted firmly in his gut. Gai doubled over as Kurenai rushed forwards to attack Zabuza with a kunai knife. Before she could reach him, his foot slammed into her face, sending her slidding along the concrete pavement as he added chakra to the force. Gai came from his position and recieved the same type of attack, sending him stumbling away.
Zabuza gave a back swing, Kakashi ducking underneath the man's sword. Zabuza halted the blade in mid swing and brought it in a wide arch towards the silver haired Jonin's chest. Kakashi dodged backwards, twice, as the sword attempted to cleave him in two. Zabuza apparently ended the barrage as he shoved the weapon forwards in an attempt to impale Kakashi upon it. The silver haired mask wearer ducked down before jumping back into the air, his fist slamming into the man's chin, sending him stumbling away. The man chuckled sadistically as he glared into Kakashi's Sharingan eye. "So it seems that you can see the future." Kakashi's heated glare remained on Zabuza's own.
"That's right, Zabuza. I can. As a matter of fact, I'm looking into it right now."
"Oh? And what is my future?"
"You don't have a future, Zabuza. Because you die today!" Zabuza chuckled again as he allowed a grolw to escape his throat.
"I'm sick of your bullshit Kakashi!"
Naruto's fist slammed into Wei's fast before he slid to the ground, swiping the older man's feet straight out from underneath him. Wei flipped in mid air, landing back on his feet, more blood flying from his continous flow of ammunition. Naruto found part of his hoodie disintergrating as his clansman snapped his thum and index finger together. "You may as well concede here, Naruto. While you've been doing the exact same thing, I've grown better." Naruto frowned deeply. He wished to end this immediately. Naruto reached over his shoulder and unsheathed his dual Dao swords, one in a normal grip and the other in a reverse grip. "Same old dog... Same old tricks."
Naruto rushed forwards, slicing at Wei's abdomen. The man dodged backwards away from the first sword, and narrowly avoided the second from beheading him. Naruto's foot lashed out and slammed into the man's gut, causing him to double over in pain. Naruto's knee rose and smashed into the man's face, sending him stumbling backwards. The Hei clansman growled in rage as he threw his blood in a wide arch. The bridge was in a continuos explosion as Wei screamed in an insane rage. "You die today, Naruto! There's no more avoiding it! Today, there will be one less member of the Hei clan!"
Naruto dodged underneath a vicious kick from the man and grinned viciously. "Chidori Nagashi!" Black lightning shot out from his body viciously. Pain erupted throughout Wei as he jumped away. He wasn't one to get killed so easily by such a trick. A grin spread out over the elfish man's face as he panted heavily in pain.
"So old dogs can learn new tricks!"
"The only dogs here are you and that Konoha scum!" Naruto's foot collided with Wei's temple, sending him stumbling across the bridge towards the railing. Wei snarled viciously and sent his blood towards Naruto. The platinum/blond haired boy screamed violently as a near explosions caught his body. Falling to his knee, Naruto grunted from exursion as Wei glared heatedly at him. The elfish man rushed forwards and allowed his foot to crash into Naruto's face, sending him rolling backwards along the concrete.
Naruto stumbled back to his feet as he brandished his swords, more blood flying in his direction. The whisker marked Ashikabi dropped his swords quickly and dodged away as as Wei's power claimed them. With a heated snarl, Naruto removed the Dao's sheath from his back, throwing it in the Man's direction. Wei lifted his forearm up and deflected the sheat. His teeth clenched and his eyes shut as he found it weighed more than expected. Naruto's sandal crashed into his face, before he screamed, kicking the whisker marked shinobi in the temple. Naruto crumbled to the ground.
Wei stood over his fellow clansman and held his bleeding arm over Naruto's form. As it threatened to spill down on his form, Naruto's feet shot up and crashed into his chin. The man stumbled away, holding his mouth as pain flared up throughout it. Naruto spun onto his feet, glaring angrily as Wei came to a halt. The man moved his low jaw with an audible crack. His sadistic grin widened as he observed the blood splatters that had found their way onto Naruto's face. Wei raised his hand up dramatically as Naruto's eyes widened in comprehension.
"Now we know. Who exactly was the better Contractor all this time? Me. I've always been the better contractor and... And I've proved it today! Die you damn brat! Die and go to hell!" His fingers snapped audibly one final time. Naruto's skull flew backwards and his body stumbled. The he tripped over the railing of the bridge, his body plummeting down to the frigid seas below with his Hook Swords. Wei laughed maniacally as he looked away from the railing that Naruto's body had fallen over.
After all of these years, he had finally proven that he was better than Naruto. His years as a contractor, Naruto had been seen as better than him. As a Hei clansman, Naruto had been seen as better than him because he had no true payment. It was unknown if he had completed his contract or some other means. As a shinobi, Naruto had been seen as better. The platinum/blond haired boy had had to be better than him at everything. It had drove him past the brink of insanity.
It had became his entire life's goal to beat Naruto. And he finally had. But not only had he just beaten Naruto... He had killed him. His greatest desire had finally come to fruition. All of the years he had spent as a rogue shinobi had been worth it, just to see the look of shock that had been upon the boy's features as he knew that doom was descending on him. That no longer was he the greatest contractor, Hei clansmen, nor greatest anything. He was simply a pest that Wei had finally, gratefully, rid the world of. There would be consequences for his action, yes, but that didn't take away from the pride of his accomplishments. He turned in his place and watched as Naruto's Sekirei battled his own.
Akitsu continued to back away from the newest arrival in shock. The woman wore the same outfit as Naruto's two Sekirei. She had brown eyes and a brown hair. Her hair was hime-styled; it had short bangs, chin-length strands surrounded her head and framing her face, a single antenna-like strands that hung just above her head, and hip-length hair at the nape of her neck. She wore gloves on her hands that brandished the number '08'. "Now, now, It's against Minaka Clan Laws to attack Sekirei in uneven numbers. One on One. Two on Two. And Three on Three. I don't appreciate you attacking my soon to be Ashikabi, Akitsu." The woman looked left, then right, and then finally bowed down.
She knew when she was outclassed. The members of the Disciplinary Squad were members for very specific reasons. Normal Sekirei didn't have a chance in beating them. And though Akitsu was a higher number and more attuned to her natural power, the woman before her was stronger. Especially considering physicality. Karasuba glanced over her shoulder at the arrival and smiled, her eyes closing. "About time you got here, Yume. What took you so long? I thought that we were going to have to finish this battle without you."
Wei's narrowed dangerously. Not at the fact that Akitsu had bowed out. No, he had expected as much. She wasn't very keen on fighting to begin with. It wasn't even the fact that his Sekirei were losing to Naruto's. No, that was their problem. If he remembered correctly, Mutsu and Mitsuha had explained that the bond was so strong between a Sekirei and Ashikabi, that when the Ashikabi died, so did their Sekirei. There in was the problem. If Naruto was dead, then by process of elimination his Sekirei should have been terminated. Was it different for them, because they were single numbers, or part of the Discipline Squad? Wei's eyes widened as he felt the presence behind him.
It was too late for him though, as he felt a hand land upon his skull. "So this is it?" Wei questioned as he stood shock still, looking ahead of himself. "How did you do it? How did you escape my Contractor's abilities?" No words came out of Naruto's mouth as he stood behind his former comrade, friend and brother. He simply raised his arm and allowed Wei to see a small cut on his forearm through his peripheral vision. Wei's eyes gained a glazed look as he thought back to his battle with his former clansmen. They widened.
The whisker marked Ashikabi dropped his swords quickly and dodged away as as Wei's power claimed them. As they fell to the ground, the left sword barely nicked Naruto's arm.
Wei stood over his fellow clansman and held his bleeding arm over Naruto's form. As it threatened to spill down on his form, Naruto's feet shot up and crashed into his chin. The man stumbled away, holding his mouth as pain flared up throughout it. The blond/platinum haired shinobi dotted his bleeding arm across his face before Naruto spun onto his feet, glaring angrily as Wei came to a halt.
"It was your own blood..." Wei whispered in astonishment. "... I can't believe I fell for that. How naive can you possibly be...? No... No! I refuse to die like this! I will not-" As Wei made to spin on his heels and send more of his acidic blood towards Naruto, electricity seemed to be channeled through Naruto's body and into Wei's. The man screamed violently as he felt every single piece of DNA molecules inside of hi body being fried by the currents. Naruto's eyes lost any resemblance to a being with life. His facial features lost all the abilities to show his emotions and remained impassive.
Then, Naruto released Wei, watching with no sign of remorse, happiness, pride, anger, hate nor any other resemblance of a feeling emotion upon his face. As Wei's body crashed violently to the ground, Wei's two Sekirei' screamed violently as their crests burned brightly. Then they faded like ash in the wind and their bodies toppled over onto the ground, dead. Naruto paid this no heed as he glanced in the direction of his Sekirei, and the two others. They were preparing to leave. Raising his hand, Naruto pointed to Akitsu. "Her... Don't kill her." Miya nodded in response as the brown haired woman hauled Akitsu to her feet. And then the Sekirei were all gone. Naruto remained impassive.
Glancing over, Naruto took in the battle that was occuring between Kakashi and Zabuza. Gai had been incapacitated and Kurenai was completely unconscious. Kakashi shook his head and motioned towards the Konohagakure genin squads. "Don't worry about me! Take care of them! They're all out classed right now!" The silver haired Jonin called out to him as he nodded in response. Naruto brought his thumb up to his lips before his teeth tore into it, drawing blood. His face never betrayed his pain. He flexed his right them to the far side of his ride hand before sliding it right to left, leaving behind a trail of blood.
Immediately there was a plume of smoke as Naruto held his right arm outstretched. In his grip, Kagari's katana had appeared. It was his most precious sword. And the only one he had left to fight against Mihawk with. A grimace set over his features as he rushed forwards to intercept the man's deathstroke on Naruto's own partner, Yugito.
Mihawk's impassive face betrayed no emotions as his sword swung in an arch down towards the Kumogakure kunoichi's throat. The stroke was halted in the process, however, as a Katana sword caught his blade. The sword twirled sideways and almost, almost, sent Mihawk stumbling to the side. His eyes narrowed slightly as Naruto stood before him, facial features mimicking his own cold impassive exterior. The katana was gripped tightly in one hand, while the sheath was gripped in his left. "Your battle is with me now, Dracule Mihawk." The two swords clashed together violently as Naruto struck out with his sheath. Mihawk caught the piece and held on firmly. Naruto's foot lashed out at his mid section, causing him to jump backwards, releasing the sheath.
Naruto rushed forwards. As Mihawk brought his sword down to meet Naruto's, the platinum/blond haired boy feinted to the right, his scabbard rising to meet the blade. Mihawk's blade sliced straight through Naruto's sword's sheath as Naruto's katana came in a sideways arch to slice the reknowned swordsman in half. Almost as if the sword was moving at the speed of light, Mihawk's was protecting him from the devastating blow. He shoved backwards harshly, causing Naruto to stumble. The whisker marked Ashikabi raised his weapons up to block a vicious blow from the weapon. A large crack webbed throughout the weapon.
A sharp cry rang out from Sakura position as Naruto lurched away from Mihawk. His blue eyes glanced over briefly. Zabuza's apprentice had sent a barrage of needles at Kakashi's Uchiha and Gai's Hyuga. Upon seeing this, Hinata had broken away from the formation formed by the kunoichi and had intercepted the attack for her cousin and the Uchiha. She now lay, between the two, apparently dead. Naruto was not moved by the sight. His sword rose up and clashed once again with Mihawk's own as the man stared into his eyes. "You're better than I expected you to be." Naruto said nothing as he spun, once again almost splitting the man in half. Mihawk's sword descended down upon Naruto's head.
Neji and Sasuke stood side by side as they panted. Their different Dojutsus met momentarily and for a moment, they shared a bond of sort. A mental telepathy that would finally allowed them to defeat their opponent. And it traced back to something that he had said. "Is this the first time you've seen a comrade die in battle?" Haku questioned from his mirror, breaking the two mental bond. "Don't worry. You'll be joining her in the afterlife, very soon." Haku broke from his mirrors. Neji's eyes flashed. Third Mirror!"
"Going to the fifth, fourty five degrees right!" The two lurched forwards, grabbing ahold of the brown haired boys arms, yanking him to the ground violently where Sasuke's knee crashed into his skull, splintering his mask into pieces. Haku rolled along the ground before coming to a stop on all fours. His eyes stared at the ground in pure shock.
"How...?" He breathed as his Ice Mirrors collapsed into small puddles of water.
"I could see you, but couldn't track you."
"I could track you, but I couldn't see you."
"You said the only way for us to beat you was to merge or Kekkei Genkai. That wasn't true. We just had to use them in unison to find you." Haku bowed his head humbly.
"Then you've defeated me. Kill me."
"What?! You want to die?"
"I am but a tool to Zabuza-Sama. A broken tool now. If you will not honor my by giving me death, I will be forced to dihonor myself with death." Sasuke's eyes widened. He couldn't quite comprehend this concept. Neji, however, could. He himself had felt that way many times. If he fell in battle, he was sure to ask that exact same question. Neji stepped forwards, the veins from his Kekkei Genkai bulging as he aimed at Haku's heart.
"This blow will do as you request. For what it's worth..." The Hyuga spoke, "I wish we could have met in another life as well. You and I, we seem to be cut from the same material. Goodbye, apprentice of Zabuza." Neji struck forwards with his gentle fist, preparing to run his fist through Haku's chest. The brown eyed boy's eyes widened as he heard the sound of a thousand birds chirping, blue lightning flashing throughout the area. With lightning fast relfexes, Haku caught the Hyuga's wrist, causing his eyes to mimick Haku's own action.
"I'm sorry. My master has use for me one final time." And then the boy was gone, leaving Neji and Sasuke behind to guard Hinata's body. He reappeared in front of Zabuza's body as Kakashi's hand, covered in lightning, rammed through his chest. "Raikiri!" His sharingan eye widened out of instict as Zabuza grinned widly beneath his bandages. Kubikiribocho was raised high in the air, prepared to cleave Kakashi and his now dead apprentice in half.
Naruto raised his Katana just in time to keep Mihawk's sword from cleaving into his skull. The as the older man's blade rebounded off of his own, the katana shattered into thousands of tiny shards. The only emotion Naruto displayed was the widening of his eyes. The sword of his brother, the only memory he had left of him... Gone. Mihawk's sword slammed through the teen's gut in victory. Just before he exploded, though the shards of the sword remained, sending the greatest swordsman flying into the railing of the bridge. "A clone!"
"Raikiri!" Naruto's hand, covered in black lightning, pierced through Zabuza's chest from his back. The sounds of two thousand chirping birds slowly died down as Naruto wrenched his hand free of Zabuza's body. The man fell forwards, removing his own hand from haku, before he collapsed on top of his deceased apprentice. Kubikiribocho clanged to the ground as Naruto rolled his neck before glaring across the bridge at Mihawk. "That may have been a clone you were fight..." Naruto bent down slightly and retrieved Zabuza's fallen blade. "... But the sword...?"
Light emanted from Kubikiriocho as Naruto felt it drawing on his chakra, changing itself to meet its newest masters requirements. "That sword belonged to someone I considered my brother. And it was real. Now, now you're going to pay, Dracule Mihawk!" Kubikiribocho had now completely changed its form. It now resembled a Claymore. It was a large double-edged sword of unknown weight and composition with a sharpened hilt. It was a rather large sword, so it appeared that Kubikribocho was stuck with always being a rather massove sword no matter its master requirements. As Naruto brandished the weapon, clapping rang out over the clearing, stopping anymore battles from commencing.
"Great show! Great show!" A man called as Zabuza's mist slowly faded away into nothingness. It revealed the clapping man, surrounded by an army of mercenaries and pirates. The man was rather short, wearing a business suit and glasses, as well as having a walking cane the he held at the top in both hands. "It's so touching. Little fucking brats getting slaughtered left and right. Bitches dying for a man who's so insane he thought he was above death. And best of all, those two dying! Zabuza and that boy! What a pain in my ass they were! I have to thank you all, you tied up some rather loose ends for me."
"Gato." Mihawk mumbled, the man snickering in response. "What are you doing here, Gato? Why do you have all of those mercenaries?"
"Come on now, Mihawk, you're not that dumb! I don't intend on paying you. I don't intend on paying your little pirate crew. I never did. All I intend to do, is finish you off, and all of these men. This bridge will crumble into the waters below us, simply because it should not exist. It is a threat to me... Me!" Gato's nose curled in disgust as he gave everyone on the bridge, dead, alive or otherwise, a once over. "And once your dead and this bridge is gone, there are going to be some consequences.
"The men behind me? They're going to raid that stupid, puny little village that you all fought so hard to free. And all of you little ladies running around? Well I'm going to sell you on the black market. After I've had my turn. I always get first dibs on the freshest meat, don't you know?" The man laughed again as the mercenaries began to edge forwards, anticipating their battle. Mihawk chuckled. "What? What's so funny? You've been decieve Mihawk! You're about to die!"
"No, Gato... You've been decieved. I never trusted you. The only reason that I accepted your little bounty is because I saw that boy walking around the village with his swords. I'm always looking for promising swordsmen. Look behind you, Gato." The man's head swiveled as his eyes widened as he found a rather large band of pirates cutting off any escape from their edge of the bridge. Chakra washed over Gato, forcing him to return his vision back to those in front of him.
Multiple clones had been spawned from a multitude of people. Blueish chakra roamed around Yugito's body freely as her nails elongated. High above, Naruto's Sekirei had returned, along with Yume and Akitsu, and were standing back atop the same crane that they had previously. On the far side of the bridge, away from Gato, the entire village of the Land of Waves had arrived with various makeshift weapons. Gato released a choking sound. "Do you get it now, Gato?" Mihawk questioned as the mercenaries tensed. "You've been outsmarted!"
Hell seemed to be unleashed once again on the bridge as the mercenaries rushed forwards. Mihawk and Naruto rushed and met them head on, their two massive swords cleaving through them as those around took care of any that they left behind. As they rushed forwards towards Gato, the group of pirates behind him did so as well. And it wasn't long before the two sword wielders were standing before Gato. The rather fat man produced a sword from insdie his cane and struck out at Mihawk. Naruto's claymore destroyed the flimsy blade, Mihawk kicking the man to his knees. "Wait, please! I'll give you anything... Anything, just don't kill-" As he glanced up, his eyes pleading for life, the two massive swords sliced through him in an 'X' fashion. His body fell away into four seperate pieces.
Mihawk glanced over at Naruto as two more pirates, red haired and green haired respectively, came to stand beside him. "Sorry about your sword, Kid. I'll get you a replacement." Naruto shook his head as he slung his new claymore of his shoulder with one hand. The weapon seemed to simply hold in place as Naruto's nostrils flared angrily.
"There's no replacing that sword."
That Night, Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously as the door to his room opened slowly. Though his brow furrowed in confusion as Homura allowed her head to poke through the door. "We need to talk."
"About what?" Naruto questioned as his head fell back onto his pillow.
"My brother..."
And so the mission continued onwards. Nothing rather spectacular happened, what with their enemies having been defeated. Most of Konoha's squadron members had to take time to heal themselves from the battle. Lee had yet to fully recover as all shinobi stood on the newly finished bridged. Naruto himself had spent much time with Mihawk and the two pirates that had stood behing him on the bridge, whom he had come to know as Shanks and Roronoa Zoro. Naruto had held hated feelings for the pirate upon the devastating loss of his katana. But, things had been patched up between the two swordsmen as the three pirates trained Naruto in different ways of the sword.
Naruto's eyes fell on Mihawk as the pirate nodded from the crowd that had gather to see all of the shinobi off. "Don't forget kid, if you ever want to quit being a shinobi, come find me. You'd make a great pirate."
Yume, the brown haired woman from the bridge, had Naruto wing her as his Sekirei. Now all three of his Sekirei, along with Matsu and Homura, since they had stated they preferred not to stay at Izumo Inn alone, stood alongside Naruto, preparing to depart. "This is where we depart!" Gai spoke as he flashed a smile. Naruto almost rolled his eyes as they fell over the statue dedicated to the shinobi assembled. Everyone stood together in the statue. Except Naruto. He stood approximately three feet apart from the others in the statue.
"Yes, this is where we depart." Kakashi spoke as he stepped away from his comrades and torwards Naruto. Kurenai's eyes flared as she saw this.
"Kakashi! What are you doing!?" The man smiled grimly at her beneath his mask.
"What I'm destined to do." He stated simply as he reached back and began untying his hiatate from around his skull. "I'm returning with Naruto to Kumo, and I'm going to adopt him there as my son. And then I'll watch over him, like I should've been allowed to do all along. You all know nothing of the pain I've suffered for fourteen years. I will not suffer it any longer knowing that I can make a difference in his life." The hiatate fell away from his face as Naruto produced an eye patch, which he placed over his Sharingan eye. "It's what Minato sensei would have wanted.
"So you can take this." The Konoha Hiatate fell to the ground in front of the Konohagakure shinobi's feet. "And give it to the Hokage as my resignation."
"Don't do this Kakashi!" Gai warned as he stepped forwards to grab ahold of his eternal rival. And then all of the shinobi heading towards Kumogkure were gone.
And thus, the Raikage found himself staring at the large group of shinobi, his desk smashed. "I ask for assassination and you bring shinobi home with you like stray dogs! I don't have time for this. Your... Harem is safe inside the village, and free to do as they wish outside, as you've asked. Kakashi will be instated as a shinobi, but will be on temporary probation as precaution. You will be the one observing him since you brought him here. He will be allowed to adopt you, after his probation is over. Now, everyone but Naruto, you're dismissed... Well...? Get out of my office!"
Naruto's eyes fell on the Raikage's agitated form. There was something that was disturbing him deeply. Naruto didn't know what it was exactly, but it was there. The sensor shinobi could see it in his eyes. "What do you need to speak to me about A-Sama? I'm sorry if the sudden intrusion of shinobi in our village has upset you." Silence reigned out through the room as A moved a piece of his desk aside, reaching under it to produce an all too familiar mask.
The platinum/blond haired shinobi's eyes widened in disbelief as he stumbled backwards in shock. "I'm reinstating you as a Contractor Shinobi... BK-201..." Naruto released a shaky breath as he shook his head slightly, reaching forwards to take his former mask from the Raikage's grasp.
"Whatever for?" The Raikage glanced at you a rleased a long drawn out exhale of breath.
"I never thought I'd have to say this. Never thought that you would have to go through this. Never even passed my mind that you would ever have to don this mask again. Especially for something such as this. I'm sorry Naruto. I truly am. Maybe I should have foreseen it coming. Naruto, on their mission, Ginkaku and Kinkaku were captured. They're being held hostage near Kusagakure No Sato. We don't negotiate. Your task, BK-201, is to retrieve them before the time of the Chunin Exams."
And that's it for this chapter! I'm done with the Land of Waves Arch! I planned to have it drawn out longer but I was like man I can't do this anymore. I'm so tired of typing now that it's not even funny. It's why I rushed the last few paragraphs. Like, I was going to go in depth of their stay after the battle but I couldn't do it. I'm so bored typing that it's not fun. Don't expect ANY updates for a while. Typing for four days straight kind of gets to you eventually. So, here's a few things. I added One Piece in as a crossover too. As you can see by the three pirates. Naruto's sword? It's a Claymore (sword) from Claymore (Anime) used by Claymores (Species).
Do you guys know how difficult it is for me to write a chapter strictly in battle basically? I got so bored about half way through it. I mean, at first I was just firing off and then I got halfways to about 20 KB's and I was about to just give up... I didn't... But I wanted. Anyways, I hope someone enjoyed the chapters I wrote, if not, oh well... I tried... I'm not the best fanfiction writer, you know?
Also, if you guys have any ideas, send em to me. Missions Naruto can go on, battles that he can get into, adventures he can go on. Maybe weapons that he can procure. I'm not sure. If you want to see some type of anime incorperated into the story in some way shape or form, let me know and I'll try my best to get it done. P. S, the only pairings set in stone are the three Sekirei Naruto has winged. I was gonna have him with Yugito, but then I decided to cross the story over and things got a little muddy. I was also going to have him with Matsu, but decided better on it. Homura is in though. I've been setting up to that. So if you want to see a pairing let me know. Just keep in mind, It's a small Harem at most. I'm not wanting to even put five girls with Naruto. So yeah, that's about everything that I have in mind right now. So...
I guess... Goodbye for now? I don't know, just don't expect no quick updates on anything...