Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the related characters, I just am borrowing them for my own delusions.
Chapter 24
The kicks connected, both Naruto and Natas staggered back, their calf's aching from connecting.
"Not bad Naruto. I must say, leaving you with the Sannin was a good decision. They've taught you well."
"You'll find out I'm full of surprises." Naruto said and lunged feinting with a lunging right hand, then spinning with a back heel kick.
"Wonderful." Natas muttered avoiding the volley of kicks the blond threw at him and tried to tag him with a finger strike to the shoulder, but Naruto ducked. As Natas was recovering, Tsunade came in and with an earth shaking punch sent him reeling.
"What is this? Tag team wrestling?"
"Nah, but I can't let my little boy face an evil son of a bitch like you on his own. He's sixteen, and he's got to give me grandchildren some day."
"Kaa-san!!!" Naruto said scandalized as he entered the fight with a bicycle kick, that Natas managed to block, but Tsunade slipped in with a mid-kick that caught him in the gut.
I think I fucked up. The masked villain thought as the two blonds were on the attack and he was finding himself out gunned.
XX
Sarutobi knew that if Shang Tsung finished his ritual it would be bad for Konoha. He summoned Enma who transformed into a golden staff. Using chakra to enhance his speed he sped up and actually connected, the strike sending the now aged sorcerer reeling out of his circle and over the edge to the ground below.
Sarutobi sighed as he peered over and saw Shang Tsung's body impaled on a flagpole.
He wiped his brow and turned to help Orochimaru only to see that his former apprentice had it well in hand.
XX
Orochimaru was amazed at the power of the creature called Goro, but that's all the beast had was power. He's an engine of destruction, that's for sure. But he has no finesse and no real speed outside of a straight line.
The snake sannin used that and kept a steady array of strikes and various serpent based attacks he'd developed over the years. His body twisted, stretched and bent in ways no one thought possible. Naruto when he was younger called me slinky. The sannin thought as he dissolved into a mudclone and reappeared behind Goro ramming a kunai into one of the beasts joints.
Goro howled in fury and pain and tried for a backhand, but Orochimaru dissolved again and reappeared right in front of the monster and with a Snake Hand jutsu had Goro wrapped up in numerous snakes, they sank their fangs into his flesh and deposited their venom.
Orochimaru melted away again, and reappeared behind Goro as the four armed monster dropped to his knees. Grass Cutter in hand, Orochimaru smirked. "Don't lose your head ol' chap." He swung and Goro's head went flying.
"Oops. Too late."
Orochimaru turned and smiled. "You look like crap sensei."
Sarutobi sighed as he came over leaning on the Enma staff, the smoking armor indicating where Shang's fireball had hit. "I'm getting too old for this."
"Ain't that the truth." Orochimaru said and accepted the swat on the arm. "Still young enough to take you to task, brat."
Both leaders looked for their precious people, both looking for a certain blond with whisker marks.
XX
Anko loved to fight. But at this time, Noob Saibot was pissing her off with the constant melting into shadow on the ground and squirming away.
I'll get you yet you bastard. She thought already forming the signs and when he appeared again she spat the fireball at him, he was caught and before he could move he was wrapped in sand.
"SAND COFFIN!" Gaara snarled. The shadow ninja had tagged him several times, the healing factor the only thing saving Gaara from having to explain the cuts to Hinata later.
"SAND BURIAL!" he clenched his fist. At first there was nothing, and both wondered if Saibot had slithered away, but Gaara kept squeezing and eventually there was a squealching sound and soon blood dripped from the sand.
"Slippery bastard." Anko spat a gob of blood from when Saibot had tagged her earlier with a haymaker as he had risen from the shadows at her feet.
Gaara sighed as the sand slithered back into the gourd on his back. His gaze looked around the battlefield, the monks were turning the tide, many of the Konoha ninja were injured.
His eyes saw five Naruto's coming his way and he blinked.
"What's up gaki?" Anko said.
"Boss wanted us to help you, but it seems you don't need us." The clone said stopping before Anko.
"Yeah, we caught him barely, but Saibot's nothing more than a smear on the sand."
One clone patted Gaara on the shoulder. "Good job."
"Hn." The red head said and they saw that the girls could use a hand.
"Let's take care of Mr. Freeze there and party." Anko said.
Gaara and the five Naruto shadow clones agreed, and creating a ramp, Gaara watched as the five Naruto's rushed to get airborne and once they were he dissolved the ramp and watched as they descended on Sub Zero, who looked up and created a wall of ice that the shadow clones slammed into and exploded.
"SNAKE HAND JUTSU!" Anko launched her attack, Sub Zero back flipped, and had to dodge an attack from Kin then Tayuya."
"Pitiful little nin. I am not impressed." He melted into a puddle surprising them all.
"Can he do that? He can't do that!" Anko said and looked at Haku. "Weren't you supposed to stop that?"
Haku was winded as she'd been using a lot of chakra to counter the cryomancer's attacks and keep the others safe.
"S-sorry." She said getting her second wind. "He's stronger than the reports."
"Lay the fuck off her." Tayuya said.
Hinata nodded, her hands were raw from the cold. She smiled seeing Gaara alive but looked concerned at the amount of tears on his clothes.
"Where's Temari?" he asked. He'd lost sight of her.
"She's got her own mission. She's takon Sakon and Ukon with her." Kin said as she winced as she rubbed warmth into her arms. "Brr."
"You can fucking say that again. Fucking ice dick and his cold aura." Tayuya said as she spit.
"Where is he?" Anko said looking around. Upset that the freak had left.
"Look around." Gaara said and it was then they noticed that most of Natas's forces were missing.
Across the field they saw Scorpion vanish in a blast of flame and if they could guess, the fighters in the smoke trap were gone as well.
"Look." Haku said. They all turned to see Naruto and Tsunade fighting Natas. "Oh man, they have him." Kin said.
Shizune hurried across the field with the Oto medics, they saw her heading for Kimimaro and the Naruto clones.
"What should we do?" Gaara asked looking at Anko.
"Form a perimeter." She told Gaara. "Kin, Tayuya, find our Otokage and make sure he's alright…Hinata, you've gotten basic field med status right?"
The former Hyuuga nodded and looked at Gaara.
"Go." He said. "stay safe."
She nodded and they touched fingers before she left with the other two. "Haku, here's a couple of chakra pills." Anko said. "We might need you if the freak force shows up. You two raccoon boy." She said. Both said nothing and did as Anko told them.
"Let's go."
XX
Kung Lao looked around and sighed. "Well its time. Be well Jiraiya."
"Wait! Where are you going?" the white haired toad sage asked.
"Our task here is done." The monk paused as he slipped the book into a satchel. "Beware the coming days. Natas's plan worked in ways no one knows."
With that Kung Lao vanished in a white light.
"Damn it." Jiraiya muttered looking around.
XX
Natas was concerned. His troops had retreated like planned, but the fight with the Slug Sannin and the Kyuubi container was keeping him from making his own escape.
One would attack while the other rested, thus far it was taijutsu, but Natas knew that any ninjutsu now would mess up his plans.
He ducked a kick from Tsunade and lunged at Naruto burying a hand in the whisker marked blonds gut. He seemed to tap it five times.
"FIVE PALM: ELEMENTAL SEAL!!!" he roared and then flipped over Naruto. The skull mask was dirty and cracked.
"Take care of him. I'll see you all soon I'm sure." He dropped a scroll and leapt into the air where he vanished in a blast of smoke and Tsunade would later swear golden light.
"NARUTO!" she yelled as she rushed to the blond who was doubled over in pain, and totally unconscious.
"SHIZUNE! JIRAIYA!" she screamed for her apprentice and her teammate. "OROCHI!" she rolled Naruto onto his back, his shirt where Natas had last struck was burned away and there were five marks upon the seal that the Yondaime had placed.
"Stay with me baby, stay with me." She said as she felt his pulse becoming erratic and his breathing shallow.
"JIRAIYA! GET YOUR FAT ASS HERE!" She screamed.
Anko dropped to her knees along with Haku. Both looked shocked at how quickly things had changed.
Jiraiya skidded to a halt on his knees, he looked at the seal and gulped. "Oh shit."
To be Continued…
(Eventually) in The Littlest Sannin II – Sound in Autumn
AN: And thus ends the first part of this story. I'll but a note up when the next part begins or what it will be. Thank you for reading and reviewing. NO this story isn't finished. Just Part one. Don't know when I have the next one out, as I have a lot of others, but the file is already started on my memory stick. So bare with and be patient.
PS: Okay, many people have asked me about the title. It isn't Naruto's rank and skill. It was that he was taken in by the legendary three. Yes, he's skilled, but he's not at their level yet.