An Extra Edge
Last time on An Extra Edge, the final fights got underway, with Naruto surprising everyone by defeating Neji, Sasuke being a no show caused his match to be postponed, and Fu was annoyed that he wouldn't get to fight Kankuro, while Lan Fan's shuriken tricks enabled her to rather easily defeat Temari. Naruto was a little worried about Sakura fighting Ling, but that fear was laid to rest when Sakura dodged all of Ling's attacks and smashed his Giriko puppet, which Ling had been wearing as armor, forcing him to reveal his real body, which in turned caused Sakura to realize why he seemed so familiar to her. Just a personal vendetta over her brother dieing at Ling's hand, or clan feud? Either way, let's see how it affects their ability to work together during the invasion by the Sand and Sound.
Legal stuff: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Just my fics and ocs.
Sakura looked at Ling. "What's going on?"
"The Sand and Sound are invading," Ling said, sending the Hisana puppet to attack a Sound ninja that came toward them.
The sound ninja was shocked that the puppet was more durable than he thought before getting killed.
"Lady Hisana's puppet form is very helpful, providing access to the Steel Style jutsu of the Haruno clan.
"Remind me to smash that puppet when this is over," Sakura said. "I don't trust you having access to my clan's Kekkei Tota."
"Feel free to try, but for now, let's focus on dealing with this invasion," Ling said as Kankuro jumped down and unwrapped his Crow puppet.
"How did you get a human puppet?" Kankuro asked.
"You honestly thought that Sasori of the Red Sand was the first to crack the secrets of making puppets out of the living?" Ling asked. "My clan has been making human puppets for generations."
"How is it so durable?" Genma asked, standing with his back against Ling's.
"The Steel Style jutsu of the Haruno clan," Ling said. "By manipulating chakra through the puppet, I can make it use Steel Style: Ultimate Shield."
"How can that be?" Genma asked. "Even if it was made from Lady Hisana's body, it's still just a puppet. It's not like it's alive. How can a puppet hold chakra?"
"It can't," Ling said. "This puppet is a human puppet, built from a real body. It's fundamentally different from Giriko and that guy's puppet. It was made from a real person. The puppet retains whatever chakra the body possessed in life. The added benefit being that the puppet is able to use the same jutsu it could when it was alive. It's the great advantage that human puppets have over ordinary ones. But there's more to it than that. This puppet is my favorite out of my entire collection."
"Well, better put it to use then. There are more attackers outside the stadium," Genma said.
"Let's go, Sakura," Ling said.
"Right," Sakura said.
"You're not going anywhere," Kankuro said.
"Try me," Ling said, running through hand signs. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" he said, sending the water dragon at Kankuro, who was swept away into the wall, knocking him out.
"How did you do that?" Genma asked. "Jutsu like that take too much chakra for a genin or chunin to use. Especially one your age."
"I'll keep the secret of my huge chakra reserves to myself for now," Ling said before he and Sakura headed into the village.
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Sarutobi stood as the smoke grenade went off and Raido was hit by several kunai. "What is this?" he asked as the Kazekage appeared behind him and put a kunai to his throat and carried him to the roof.
Mei stood as well and looked at her guards. "Utakata, with me! Chojuro, look after my daughter!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the two said, Chojuro going off to help Rin while Utakata followed Mei to the roof just before the Sound Four started their jutsu.
"Ninja Art: Four Flames Formation!" the Sound Four said, making a purple barrier that one of the ANBU died trying to break through. They then made smaller barriers around themselves to keep the barrier going.
"Why are you doing this, Lord Kazekage?" Mei asked.
"I am not the Kazekage," the Kazekage said, reaching up and pulling his face off, revealing himself to be Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru!" Sarutobi said.
"So you've taken control of the Sand's forces," Mei said, taking a stance as Utakata pulled out his bubble blower.
"Orochimaru, you have made a grave mistake in this endeavor of yours," Utakata said. "You not only face two of the five great Kage, but you also face me, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki."
"I think I can manage," Orochimaru said, jumping away and running through hand signs before clapping his hands together. "Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!" he said, summoning two coffins which opened to reveal Hashirama Senju and his younger brother Tobirama, the first two Hokages.
"I took precautions before coming here," Orochimaru said before tossing aside the Kazekage robe, Sarutobi doing the same to reveal his battle armor. Mei tossed her hat and robe aside as well, revealing her typical, somewhat revealing outfit.
Orochimaru stuck a kunai with a talisman into the heads of the revived Hokages, restoring their appearances completely and erasing their personalities. "So, shall we begin?"
"Sarutobi, we'll leave Orochimaru to you," Mei said. "I'll take the first Hokage. Utakata, you take the Second."
"Yes ma'am," Utakata said.
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Deidara followed Chojuro and Rin from his huge clay bird, sending smaller ones to attack anyone who attacked Rin. "Orochimaru has no appreciation for art, hm."
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Dante followed Naruto as he went after Sasuke and Gaara, cutting down any enemy shinobi that got in his way. "To be able to kill in cold blood like that, he must have already had his first kill," he thought as he followed and stayed out of sight.
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Tenten was having difficulty against the ninja trying to take her family's weapon shop. Her enemies had cover, and she didn't, so the fight was very one sided. Her thoughts were cut off by a kunai hitting her leg, making her fall and lose her last weapon scroll. "No!" she said as the enemy exposed themselves to come in for the kill.
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" a voice said, bringing a mist over the ninja so thick that it was zero visibility. The ninja had little time to ponder the mist as their heads began rolling.
Tenten looked up as the mist disappeared, revealing Fu and Lan Fan. Lan Fan brandished bladed tonfa, while Fu had a scythe. Both his and Lan Fan's weapons had blood dripping from them, the headless bodies of the enemy ninja behind them.
"You okay?" Fu asked.
"I've got a kunai in my leg," Tenten said.
"Lan Fan, take her inside and patch her up," Fu said. "I'll take care of these guys," he said as more ninja appeared.
Lan Fan nodded and got Tenten inside.
Fu grinned and held out his scythe in a crouch, holding a one handed hand sign. "Let's play. Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
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Ling and Sakura ran through the village, taking out enemy shinobi that crossed their path, soon reaching the academy, where Iruka was about to be killed.
Sakura ran up behind Iruka and delivered a chakra enhanced punch to the sand ninja, caving his face in. "Are you alright, Iruka-sensei?" she asked, breathing deeply from the strain of the fighting.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Iruka said as another ninja attacked Sakura, only to be repelled by Ling using Hisana.
"You alright, Sakura?" Ling asked.
"I'm okay," Sakura said.
"Good. Stay sharp," Ling said as a tower of red chakra pierced the air, while a giant creature rose up, surprising him. "The One-Tail Shukaku," he gasped. "And that red chakra, it's the same as what I felt from Naruto in the Forest of Death. Sakura, go to him. I'll handle things here."
Sakura nodded. "Right," she said, running off in the direction of the battling Jinchuriki.
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Naruto stood before Gaara in his Two-Tailed Version 2 form.
"Naruto, you can't be in this form for very long. It will harm you as well as help you," the Nine-Tails said.
"Give me the chakra for that attack," Naruto said.
"Very well," the Nine-Tails said, sending bubbles of black and white chakra out of the chakra cloak, which Naruto gathered into a large ball that he compressed into a baseball size before eating it, which made it explode inside him until he fired it as a beam at Gaara, completely destroying his Shukaku replica.
Dante jumped down in front of him as the attack was finished, and slapped a seal tag on Naruto's chest, which started suppressing the Nine-Tails chakra, giving Dante time to look over Gaara, making sure he was alive before returning to Naruto, who had fallen unconscious after the Nine-Tails was suppressed, all his skin burned off. Flipping the boy onto his back, Dante started putting some cold mist onto the burns to sooth them.
"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she saw his condition, and Dante was glad his face was still hidden.
"His life's not in any danger, but all his skin's been burned off. You should get him to the hospital quickly. Also, try to stop him from taking foolish risks. He's a precious resource," Dante said.
"What do you mean he's a precious resource?" Sakura asked, looking over Naruto, but finding Dante gone when she looked up. Ignoring the thought for the moment, she started healing Naruto's burns. "Naruto, please be alright. I can't stand the thought of losing you. Please, pull through, Naruto-kun," she thought as his burns steadily vanished.
"He said that true strength comes when one fights for one's precious people," Gaara said, conscious, but unable to move.
"He's right," Sakura said, finishing healing Naruto and resting his head on her lap. "He's always fighting to protect his precious people."
"I see," Gaara said.
"How did it happen?" Sakura asked.
"What?" Gaara asked.
"The fight," Sakura clarified.
"Ah," Gaara said, beginning the story.
(flashback)
Gaara was in his partial Shukaku form, sand on his right arm looking like Shukaku's arm, along with half his face, with Shukaku's tail growing from the bottom of his gourd. Standing across from him was Sasuke and Naruto, who had entered his initial Nine-Tails form while brandishing the Kubikiribocho.
"So this is where you were, huh Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, Kakashi and I were assigned to help hold off the invaders," Sasuke said. "Since according to the Mizukage, the signal to begin the invasion would either be something Gaara would do, or that Ling guy summoning a certain puppet of his."
"It was the second one," Naruto said.
Gaara yelled in anticipation. "Enough talk! Mother screams for blood!"
"This guy is crazy," Naruto said.
"You're telling me," Sasuke said.
"Let's take him together," Naruto said.
Sasuke nodded. "Right!" he said, running through hand signs and charging a Chidori. "Let's go!" he exclaimed, jumping at Gaara, who jumped as well, taking a blow on his arm from the Chidori, making him scream in pain as he regenerated the sand arm before taking a Rasengan to the gut from Naruto, which sent him crashing into a tree, breaking it off at the impact point.
Gaara growled as he stood, though that growl quickly became maniacal laughter. "Yes! This is what I want! Fight with all your strength! Prove that you're existence is more valuable than mine! If you can, that is!"
After a grueling fight, Sasuke was knocked out, making Naruto growl as he went into his Two-Tailed Version 1 form, while Gaara went into his giant Shukaku form, while Naruto went into his Two-Tailed version 2 form.
(end flashback)
"I see," Sakura said. "Do you believe him?"
Gaara looked at her. "I believe I do."
Sakura smiled, a gesture that Gaara was unfamiliar with. "Good."
At that moment, Naruto started stirring, seeing Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, helping him up. "Let's go. Gaara's not going anywhere. We need to help out in the main fight."
Naruto nodded. "Right!" Once he retrieved his sword, they headed into the village, taking down any foes they came across, until one snuck up and ran Sakura through from behind, not hitting anything vital, but definitely enough to make her bleed to death without help.
Naruto turned to see the sword being removed and Sakura falling to the ground, bleeding profusely. "SAKURA-CHANNNNNNN!" he screamed as something snapped within him, causing him to explode into the Version 2 Nine-Tails form, with three tails.
Hearing Naruto snarl and seeing the transformation, the poor bastard that stabbed Sakura realized he had just signed his own death warrant.
"DIE!" Naruto screamed as he tore the man in half with a single swipe of his claws before roaring at the sky. "I'LL KILL EVERY SAND AND SOUND NINJA I FIND!" he screamed before darting off on his rampage.
Sakura barely held onto consciousness as the seal on her forehead spread in an intricate pattern on her face. "Reserve Seal... release," she said weakly.
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Naruto tore through the ranks of the enemy without mercy and a roar here and there. At first, the Leaf ninja thought he had snapped and given into the Nine-Tails, until they noticed he was targeting the Sand and Sound ninja exclusively, instead of slaughtering indiscriminately. Seeing the boa that had been summoned, Naruto rushed at it and ran up it's body, quickly ripping off one of its heads with his chakra cloak. He then rushed toward the stadium.
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To say that Mei Terumi was annoyed with her opponent would be an understatement. "Those Wood Style jutsu are tougher than I thought," she muttered, running through hand signs. "Lava Style: Magma Tsunami!" she yelled, spitting out the lava and sending it at Hashirama, who ran through hand signs as well. "Wood Style: Domed Wall Jutsu!" he said, forming a wall of chakra enhanced wood to block the attack, though the lava burned through and hit his arm.
"Got ya!" Mei said, seeing his arm burn off, until it started regenerating. "What the hell? This isn't good."
Once his arm regenerated, Hashirama ran through hand signs. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Creation!" he yelled, forming a huge forest intended to impale the Jinchuriki and two Kages.
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Utakata heard the jutsu name and saw the roots. Reacting quickly, he summoned his chakra cloak, going to his Four-Tailed Version 2 form to avoid being impaled, while Sarutobi used his summon to block. "Lady Mizukage!" he yelled, fearing for Mei's safety, though he sighed in relief once he saw that she had used Steam Style: Solid Fog to melt the roots that came near her. He was snapped out of his thoughts by another voice. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!" Tobirama said, sending the water shark at Utakata, who swatted it away with one of his chakra tails.
"This is bad. Our enemies can regenerate. And seem to have limitless chakra and stamina," Utakata muttered, beginning to feel the strain even with his chakra cloak.
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Sarutobi confronted Orochimaru again once Hashirama's attack was finished.
Orochimaru let out his dark chuckle. "Once I kill you, the Leaf will crumble."
"Even if you were to kill me, this village would not end," Sarutobi said. "The shinobi of the Leaf will not fall so easily!"
"Are you going on about that wretched Will of Fire again, old man?" Orochimaru yelled, striking a strong blow to Sarutobi, knocking him to the ground. Raising his sword, Orochimaru was about to finish Sarutobi when a roar interrupted him, particularly since it came from outside the barrier.
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Naruto landed next to the ANBU team, who looked at him in fear. Sensing their fear, Naruto spoke. "Don't worry. I can control this power," he said as the Nine-Tails provided black and white chakra. "Get behind me. I'm going to tear down the barrier," he said as he gathered the chakra into a ball.
Utakata gasped. "He can use the Tailed Beast Ball in that form?"
Naruto completed the ball and swallowed it, which forced him to be pinned to the ground.
"How will he do anything with that chakra restricting his movements?" one of the ANBU asked before Naruto expanded, making them gasp.
Naruto expanded further three times, steam coming from his mouth before he fired the ball as a beam that impacted on the barrier, tearing right through it and the trees that Hashirama created. With the way clear, Naruto jumped between Sarutobi and Orochimaru, the ANBU close behind. "Get away from the old man!" Naruto snarled.
Orochimaru looked at him. "This brat could be a problem. Hashirama, deal with him!"
Hashirama ran at Naruto while running through hand signs. "Hokage Style Elder Jutsu: Tenth Edict on Enlightenment!" he said, slammed his palm onto Naruto's chest and jumping back, a beam of chakra connecting his palm and Naruto's chest as ten poles grew in a circle around Naruto, causing the chakra cloak to recede as the Nine-Tails was suppressed.
Naruto fell unconscious as the jutsu ended, his skin burned off again as Ling and Tsunade arrived.
"Lady Mizukage, are you alright?" Ling asked, wary of Orochimaru.
"I'm fine Ling," Mei said as Tsunade started healing Naruto.
Ling glanced at Naruto. He had seen the chakra cloak. "So my suspicions were true. He is indeed a Jinchuriki."
"Yes, he is," Sarutobi said, creating two shadow clones and running through hand signs.
Tsunade gasped at the sequence of hand signs. "Sarutobi-sensei, you're not resorting to that are you?"
"Yes, Tsunade. I am," Sarutobi said. "Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!" he said, summoning the Death God, who wrapped some prayer beads around his left arm, causing marks to appear before he reached into Sarutobi's soul. Sarutobi's shadow clones grabbed the Senju brothers, the Death God reaching through him and grabbing the souls of the previous Hokages, pulling them out.
"Forgive us, Sarutobi," Tobirama said before they were sealed and their bodies crumbled, revealing the bodies of Dosu and the fourth Kazekage.
"So that's what happened to him," Mei said as Sarutobi's shadow clones were dispelled and the real one grabbed Orochimaru and the Death God reached out and grabbed the Snake Sannin's soul, pulling on it, but Sarutobi lacked the strength to pull it out completely, opting for sealing Orochimaru's arms.
Orochimaru screamed in pain as his arms became necrotic. "Damn you, Sarutobi!" he screamed as the Sound Four got him away from the battle.
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Dante jumped onto Deidara's clay bird.
"Something wrong, Dante my man, hm?" Deidara asked.
"Orochimaru is retreating," Dante said. "The Jinchuriki are all alive, our work here is done."
Deidara nodded, having his bird carry them away from the village. "We need to make a little stop before we head to the Waterfall village to capture your target, hm."
"Why is that?" Dante asked.
Deidara closed his hip bags. "I don't have a lot of clay left, hm. I'm gonna need more before we go after the Seven-Tails, hm."
"Fine," Dante said. "After we take care of our business in the Waterfall Village, we'll meet up with Sasori and go our separate ways."
"Not looking forward to that, my man," Deidara said. "You're my only real friend in the Akatsuki, hm."
"The feeling is mutual, friend," Dante said. "I always enjoy shooting the breeze with you."
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Tsunade, Utakata, Mei, Ling, and the ANBU knelt around Sarutobi.
"Sarutobi-sensei, what will we do without you?" Tsunade asked, crying for her master.
Sarutobi smiled. "Live. The Will of Fire still burns. And from its glowing embers, the Leaf will rise again. Tsunade, you are Hokage now." With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi left this world, a smile on his face.
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And so the invasion concludes, Orochimaru's arms sealed and Sarutobi dead. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time, I bid you all a most respectful farewell. And don't worry, Sakura's not dead... yet. Just kidding. Or am I? No really, just yanking your chains. Or maybe not!
Sakura: -hits Lobo over the head- STOP GOOFING AROUND AND UPDATE!
Lobo: Yes Sakura. -hides behind Naruto-