Ah, the montage. Best time showing technique ever. MONTAGE NO JUTSU.
Chapter Four-Separate Ways
The lord looked left, then right, wildly.
There was no way anyone was coming for him, no sirree… his guard were the best, the Best. No way. No way…
"Huh. I thought you'd be taller." said a playful voice.
He turned like lightning, eyes widening in shock. In front of him now was a girl, maybe twelve, wearing a black-green t-shirt and jacket, and a split skirt that was just about a dark purple. Her hair was blonde, in a long ponytail, and she was apparently cleaning her nails with the business end of a senbon.
"How the hell did you get past my guards?" he hissed, unnaturally afraid of the girl.
"Don't blame me." she shrugged. "Blame them."
He blinked, and ran to a window.
Outside, two boys, wearing the same blackish jackets, shirts and trousers, were fighting about fifty soldiers.
Well, two different. About ten in actual fact.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
"Kaen Bunshin no Jutsu!"
A pair of flashes, and their numbers suddenly double, one boy, blonde haired, suddenly having a total of fifteen of himself, while the other, a black haired, pale boy with a fan insignia, had five.
Naruto shook his head, drawing a triple pointed kunai.
"Shunshin."
He vanished, reappearing outside the melee, large numbers of warriors falling decapitated behind.
"However often you do it, it won't be as good as Hiraishin." commented Sasuke, forming another handsign, a clone suddenly turning to a fiery silhouette, causing horrific burns to a mercenary trying to grapple with it.
A stray arrow struck another of the dark haired boy's clones, and with a puff of smoke he was revealed as a bright red dog.
He picked the dog up, feeding him a tiny pill, forming a handsign to change him back-and then Sasuke's eyes went red, and he turned lightning fast, crying out Gatsuuga and quite literally tearing the archer who launched the arrow to shreds, with the previously injured dog accompanying him.
"Little protective of Shuiromi, teme." teased Naruto, guards backing away from him.
"You'd do the same for Nikitsu, baka." was the reply from Sasuke, guards running from him red and black Sharingan eyes, as a two tailed, slightly orange wolf cub leapt onto the jinchuriki's back.
Inside, the nobleman whimpered, running for the door.
Where Ino stood, yawning slightly.
"Yeah, don't try that." said Ino from the window, a small, purplish dog-that the man had only just managed to see-on her shoulder barking at him.
He looked back and forth at the two girls and the dog, his mouth forming soundless cries of fear.
The one at the door suddenly grabbed him, as if in a hug, while the other formed a group of handsigns.
"Kahenkumo Daibakuha." she said.
The one holding the terrified man in a death grip exploded, a cloud of pink flower petals surrounding him, almost hiding him from sight.
Then every petal exploded simultaneously with the power of an exploding tag.
Ino sighed, vaulting out of the window, meeting Sasuke and Naruto as they walked through a petrified group of soldiers.
"You know, we need more interesting missions." she said. "Right, Rairakku?"
The dog on her shoulder yipped. "Sasuke-kuuun?"
"Uh… sure." he said.
"No Hn for Ino-chaaaan… noooo…" teased Naruto.
"Shut up, baka." was the chorused reply.
* * *
"Alright, gaki. This is what a mission is like." announced Tenten, looking around at the kids-the kids who were a year and an infinity younger than them.
She, Shikamaru, Lee and their ninken were taking the class out on a C-rank mission-one they could easily deal with on a bad day, and would be fine with even with the students. They were accompanying a minor nobleman through a small mountain pass, their only enemies likely to be bandits.
Shikamaru was staring up at the clouds, despairing of ever finishing the game of Shogi he had at home. Tenten was trying to teach the genin how to hit the bullseye with a handful of weapons at once. Lee had been persuaded-by Tenten-that he should pull the cart.
"Oh, a pack of gaki, they are, they are." mocked a single man, standing on a raised rock to their left.
In a flash, all three of them were in front of the cart, the students arrayed about the client, fear and resolution mixed in their expression.
"This is going to be very fun, very fun." giggled the man attacking them, taking in Shikamaru's tattered black jacket, Tenten's sleeveless, tight black t-shirt and Lee's odd black training suit.
"Fun and short." retorted Tenten, drawing a katana from a sheath on her back, while Lee took a short cylinder from his belt.
A flash of chakra, and the cylinder lit up with a blade of lightning.
"The sword of the thunder god, the thunder god. This is going to be interesting, interesting." nodded the man.
He looked young, maybe twenty at the most, with a young face, short white hair and sparkling green eyes. He wore a white, golden edged robe that had a tattered cloak section, giving him the appearance of some angelic crow. The headband on his forehead was scratched beyond legibility.
"Tenshi Hane, take flight, take flight!" he proclaimed.
The cloak rippled, and burst into an immense pair of white, feathery wings, and the ninja took to the air.
A senbon found its unerring way to his heart, and he yelped, falling maybe a foot.
Shikamaru and Lee both looked at her, and she smiled.
"Nice shot. Senbon only work on pressure points, in large numbers, or in the eye. Try kunai." she commented to one of the genin, who held a handful of senbon with a determined look.
Lee flashed chakra under his feet, and leapt skyward at the ninja.
Who proceeded to fashion a golden bow from chakra, and launch a shining arrow of energy at Lee.
"Shakishaki Tenshi, launch, launch!"
The Sword of the Thunder God intercepted the arrow, dissolving the power to nothingness, as Lee continued his flight undaunted.
The man screamed as the lightning struck him, and he fell an entire three feet, kicking Lee into the ground as he did.
"That wasn't very nice, very nice." he complained. "Sooo… Tenshi Yakouu, bring the dark, the dark!"
There was an almighty flash of light, hurting their eyes, and thousand pinpricks appeared in the sky above them, blocking out the light of the sun.
As they flew down at an amazing speed, they became visible as golden-white arrows.
Lee held his weapon over his head, swinging it in an arc that deflected arrows from him.
Shikamaru groaned as he realised what they were, forming a quick handsign.
"Taijuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu."
Maybe twenty clones appeared, each one protecting one of the genin with his own body-but the extra trying to grab arrows.
A couple managed to succeed, launching them with chakra back at their creator, but he destroyed them with Shakishaki Tenshi, before doing the same to the clones.
Shikamaru leant against the cart, panting, sliding down.
"Troublesome…" he groaned.
"We've got this, Shikamaru-kun!" said Lee, glancing upwards determinedly. "Besides. The ninken have returned from their scouting!"
Three small dogs were leaping down the cliff walls, one black furred, one white furred with bright green eyes, and one with slightly pink fur.
"Kuroimaru!" gasped Shikamaru.
"Midorimi!" said Lee, gleefully.
"What'd you find, Baramaru?" asked Tenten.
There were a series of barks.
"Just the one insane ninja…" she muttered.
"I resent that, gaki, gaki!"
Tenten formed a handsign.
"Daiga Bunshin no Jutsu!" she announced. "Lee, throw!"
"Hai!"
Lee grabbed the clone as she materialised, holding a katana ready. He span her, and threw her, chakra enhanced, at the mad ninja, who just giggled and sang his sword. Which went right through her.
Her blade cut at his wing, severing it.
He screamed, the technique ending, crashing to the floor. The clone landed, with no dust.
"I get it." panted the ninja. "Focus is the blade, I have to destroy that, destroy that… Tenshin Te, fire, fire!"
He pointed at the clone, a beam of gold-white light destroying the cloned weapon-and the clone dissolved into nothing.
"Yeah, well." said Tenten. "You've still lost."
"Kagemane no Jutsu."
Shikamaru's shadow struck his.
"You gaki are good, very good!" he proclaimed. "Kekeke… I shall let you pass, let you pass."
"Can we trust him?" said Tenten quietly.
"I don't want to kill him unless we have to." said Shikamaru.
"You can trust me, trust me. I keep my promises, promises." said the ninja loudly, hearing them.
Shikamaru released his technique.
"The fastest way is that way!" said the ninja. "That way! We will meet again, meet again!"
He regrew his wings, and vanished into the sky.
"What… just happened?" asked the client.
* * *
"I do not like this mission." said Neji quietly. "It seems, unfair. Unyouthful as Lee-kun would say."
"Yeah, well. Those Iwa bastards probably treat the target like a demon for her powers." said Kiba
"Th…that's Mist…" pointed out Hinata timidly. "Iwa likes their Kekkei Genkai."
"Still. I hear her cousin is the only other clan member with it and he got thrown out." said Kiba.
"Because he blew up the Kage's palace." said Neji.
"They need to practice!" said Kiba.
"G…guys… we need to focus." said Hinata. "We're almost there."
The sight of Iwagakure came into view.
They ghosted over the wall, silent, unseen.
And in but moments they found a small building, barely enough to house one or two ninja-yet it apparently housed four.
But they only needed one.
They entered through a windowspace, and checked the rooms downstairs. One contained a man and a woman, asleep. They left, as quietly as they could, for the next room. Upstairs, they found a baby in one room-and then a nine year old girl in another.
"Bingo." whispered Kiba.
"Who are you?" said the girl looking at them.
They froze.
"Are you Waza Manami?" asked Hinata, quietly.
The girl had blonde hair, in a short ponytail, yet covering her left eye with her fringe. Her eyes shone blue-and on the palm of each of her hands was a small, fanged mouth, currently shut.
"Yep." she said, her happy, curious voice infectious.
"Do you like it here?" asked Hinata, face downcast.
"Umm… not really." she said. "It's too small… and no-one talks to me but my family… and they won't let me practice my art, un!"
"Would you like to come with us?" asked Kiba.
"Yeah! Where are we going..? Will there be candy?" asked the girl, swapping from question to question at lightning speed.
Kiba suddenly hugged her, and she squealed happily.
Neji looked like he was wrestling with himself, and then he hugged them too, Hinata joining them a moment later.
Kiba and Neji moved back moments later, straightening their clothes with a series of exaggerated grunts.
"Get anything you want to take." said Hinata.
Within a minute, they were running from the house, the girl being carried by Kiba.
"Did they say that they had someone to adopt her?" asked Neji.
"Um… no." said Hinata. "They were hoping someone would take her in when she arrived."
"Then she's ours." said Kiba, hugging the petite and now asleep girl.
The two Hyuuga nodded.
As they reached the border, Kiba said something very stupid.
"Well, that was easy."
Three ninja immediately saw them, running after them.
They stopped, Hinata turning and thrusting her palm into the man's chest, destroying his chakra pathways. Neji disabled two vital nerves like lightning, and Kiba aimed for the general direction of the heart, killing his target.
"See. Jyuken beats dog-attacks anyday." said Neji, in a display of what was, for him, extreme comedy.
"So, you don't need Haiiromi then." remarked Kiba.
"Get away from my puppy."
* * *
(Taijuu) Kage Bunshin no Jutsu-(Mass) Shadow Clone Technique
Kaen Bunshin no Jutsu-Blaze Clone Technique
Shunshin-Body Flicker
Hana Bunshin-Flower Clone
Kahenkumo Daibakuha-Great Exploding Petal Cloud
Tenshi Hane-Angels Wing
Shakishaki Tenshi-Angel Precision
Tenshi Yakouu-Storm of Angelic Arrows
Daiga Bunshin no Jutsu-Blade Clone Technique
Tenshin Te-Angel Palm
Kagemane no Jutsu-Shadow Possession Technique
Jyuken-Gentle Fist
* * *
Yay for montage! Also, for Manami-chan! (Adoration) And also for kate, who came up with her kinda!