A/N: What's up, ladies and gentlemen? I hope that you have been dying to find out about this upcoming fight…But before I get the ball rolling, I would like to address a certain gender issue with my favorite dust-colored fox and animal familiar, Doshaburi.
He is, in fact, a male. I bet that some of you have thought that he was female with regards to the suffix "-chan" tacked onto his nickname. Unfortunately, I have referenced little Dosha-chan as a "he" for many a time. Here's a quick Japanese honorific lesson for you.
The suffix, -chan, is a diminutive suffix. It is an informal version of -san used to address children and female family members. It may also be used towards animals, lovers, intimate friends, and people whom one has known since childhood (Wikipedia).
I think that that is all for now.
Words from the Reviews: I've been given much feedback, and I'm elated that a select few of you are willing to play an active role in modeling some things in my story (the DragonBard, Dragon Man 180, gamedragon86, Milky Etoile and Paladeus, this shout-out is for you). It is truly an honor to work with you all and I am highly grateful for all your insight into this fic.
Speaking of which, one of my aforementioned friends, Paladeus, had mentioned this to me, and I feel that I should go ahead and relay it to the rest of you that feel that Naruto is becoming "too powerful." Here are his words:
"In your fic, each 'bloodline' doesn't give Naruto too much more of…ability than any other ninja, merely more of an exotic arsenal…"
In short, that will be my rationalized explanation, and I'm sticking to it. I want Naruto in this fic to be a diversified, hard-working genius, and I wanted to give those chakra reserves some special use. That coupled with the fact that I don't want my Naruto to be a one-trick pony with just Kage Bunshin.
Anyway, let's move on to the main event, shall we?
Saishuukai… (Last time…)
"You know," the blue-eyed wonder began, who was perched beside his foxy companion. "Someone that I know would like a word with you, snake-teme. But before I do…" He pulled out a snake's head and tossed it at the coiled Kusa-nin. "Apparently, your summon bit off more than he could chew. He had a bit of an indigestion problem…"
"Naruto, don't try to be the hero and show off!" Sasuke shouted, interrupting the dobe. "He's way out of our league! Run away!"
Naruto looked at his disheveled teammate and scoffed at him. "Since when have I seen you run away? And yes, I know he's out of our league. In fact…" He turned his gaze to the effeminate Kusa-nin. "Why don't you show us your true form…Orochimaru…?"
The one identified as Orochimaru hummed. "It looks like you know more than what you let on, Naruto-kun…kukuku…I'm impressed." He ripped off the face of the Grass-nin to reveal his pale face and snake-like eyes, which gave everyone goose-bumps on the back of their necks. The killer intent surged around the forest, amplifying his terrifying look. "Now that you know who I am, I cannot let you leave here…alive…"
Chapter Twelve: The Snake that Bares Its Fangs
"Oh, yeah?" started up the blond wonder as he brushed off the ki with crossed arms. In all seriousness, when compared to this killer intent, it paled in comparison to his tenant's brand. "Well how about you slither your way back into the hole from where you came out of!? You're ruining the exam! And there's no way that I'm dying here! I'm going to be Hokage one day, and no one's gonna stop me!"
'He just doesn't get it…Stupid idiot! He's just making things worse by egging on one of the Sannin…I have to do something…' The dark-haired avenger was panicking inwardly and his face expressed it. He calmed himself down and thought for the quickest, most rational decision for the sake of the team. He did not want to lose anyone, for that would mean that he would not further his quest to seek retribution upon his elder kin.
Sakura was just as worried about the enemy as her crush, but she still speculated about that "friend" comment that Naruto made. To who…or what…was the blond enigma talking about? Was there something that he was not admitting to the rest of his team? She would have to bring that up later, but for now, they had bigger fish to fry…or in this case, a snake to make into leather.
Doshaburi felt the waves of killer intent pouring from Kyuubi-sama through Naruto-shishou to match the level of ki from the newly identified troublemaker. Even though the purple, tattoo-like markings around the Snake Sage's eyes still creeped out the little fox kit, since they made his face look more serpentine, the blanket of killer intent from Kyuubi-sama comforted him.
"You can have it!" Sasuke boomed as he deactivated his doujutsu, which stirred his teammates from their thoughts to look at him is disbelief. Since when did the ever-precious Uchiha give in? Orochimaru looked carelessly at the Uchiha boy, who was rummaging through his hip pouch for the Heaven scroll, thinking that he would have put up more of a challenge. It appeared that he may need some fine-tuning if he were to be fit to be his next body.
"You want our scroll, right? Fine, if you want the scroll, just take it and leave us alone!" Sasuke screamed. He hurled the piece of parchment as if it were an activated paper bomb toward the pale-faced creep. He really wanted to flee after getting hit by that immense killer intent.
Sakura looked on with shocked eyes as the scroll was moving through the air in slow motion toward the one identified as one of the Legendary Three Ninja. How could Sasuke-kun give up so readily? Normally, he would want to test his limits to the maximum and he was throwing in the towel now? Where was his pride as a shinobi? Where was the pride of the Number-One Rookie?
Naruto was just as mentally irked as his pink-haired teammate. Where was that pompous, arrogant, spoiled attitude that was Sasuke's? He sighed in defeat. The snake bastard could have the scroll and they could use the spare that he had acquired through the Rain ninja. Quickly thinking on the fly as the scroll was hovering in mid-flight, Naruto ran through several handseals to create one of his experimental Hyouton hijutsu. He hoped to Kami-sama that it would work.
He was chanting in his head while performing the sequence with his hands. 'Ne, Tori, Inu, Uma, Mi, Hitsuji, Inu…Build, Perfect, Expand, Control, Focus, Expand…Hey! It worked!'
When the tanned parchment entered Orochimaru's hands, the blond boy whispered, "Hyouton: Hyoumu no Jutsu," and the surrounding air became thick with ice particles and fog around the blond and soon expanded outward to engulf the rest of Squad Seven and the defected Hebi-Sennin.
While under the cover of zero visibility, Naruto and Doshaburi dashed downward, away from striking distance of Orochimaru, as two scents of cologne and cherry shampoo filled their nostrils. Naruto scooped up Sasuke-teme while Doshaburi convinced Sakura to follow his master's trail to the upper canopy to regroup.
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(Konoha, Disbanded Root Division HQ, same time)
"Did you have any luck with finding my scout's body?" A bandaged, one-armed man asked to one of his other scouts. Danzou had a search party to locate the wayward subordinate that was supposed to recruit Uzumaki Naruto, but unfortunately, after several weeks of searching, he filed down his underling underneath the "missing in action" list.
"No, the body was nowhere to be found. Only a charred mark remained from where he stood," replied another white-masked scout who was kneeling down on one knee. "We tried tracking, but his scent was gone. I believe that he should be changed to…killed in action, Danzou-sama."
The one-eyed man in wrappings sighed in defeat. He would have to re-evaluate his strategy for recruiting Uzumaki Naruto into his ranks. From what his missing scout had told him before his disappearance, the boy was a walking gold mine of talents, with too good of abilities to be left to waste, especially under the command of his political rival, Sarutobi.
"That is all for now," Danzou murmured. 'The boy is a clever one…'
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(Squad Seven)
Near the top of the forest, Squad Seven paused near the willowing clouds of ice to come up with some sort of strategy against the ninja that was way out of their league. Naruto dropped Sasuke in an undignified heap on the large, thick limb.
"I can't believe that you would give up our scroll just like that, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pouted while whispering and she scowled at her…ideal. She was somewhat bummed by losing the scroll and miffed at Sasuke-kun for relinquishing the scroll to that…eerie ninja.
"Even if we didn't hand over the scroll," Sasuke explained. "He probably would've killed us and taken both scrolls for himself…single-handedly." To the onyx-eyed shinobi, it was best to pick and choose one's own battles. He certainly received his wish about testing his limits. Unfortunately, the dark image of his brother filtered into his mind, hearing those words such as "weak" and "pathetic" chanted into his psyche.
"Oh, you mean this scroll?" Naruto whipped out the spare, which caused Sasuke and Sakura to look at him wide-eyed, almost as if he were about to commit suicide. Just what the hell was that kid thinking!?
"Where the hell did you get that from?" Sakura asked in a dumbfounded manner. "Don't tell me you snatched it from that…freak..."
"Apparently, those Rain bastards had one on them, so I pilfered it while they were hanging around." He showed off his fang-toothed grin. His smirk faded a bit when he realized something. "And that reminds me…" He bopped Sasuke on the top of his noggin with a slight amount of force. The hit made his fist recoil from the Uchiha's vibrating cranium.
"Ouch! What was that for, dobe?" Sasuke hissed. Why did he have to get stricken with an unnecessary hit to the head? He thought that it was the best possible decision for the good of the team, even though it stroked his ego.
"That was for acting like a dobe, teme," Naruto retorted. "And be grateful that I bailed us out of there, or else we would've been snake meal. Now snap out of this rut and show me the real you."
Sasuke could do nothing but glare daggers at the dobe who had just called him a dobe. He had to admit to himself that Naruto's quick thinking saved their hides…at least, for the moment. But he would never tell out loud that the dobe saved his tail. Not once, not ever. His pride and distinction as a genius would take a crushing blow…that was, if it was not already smashed.
"So what do we do now?" Sakura asked, keeping her voice to a low whisper.
"I'm not sure," Naruto said as his ears twitched to pick up any slight movements. By chance, there were none, so he continued. "But this Ice Fog of mine should be good enough to keep him off our backs for the time being while we find a way to alert anyone that a criminal is here in the forest. Much to our dismay, we don't have any emergency flares…" Sakura interrupted the blond.
"How is your Ice Fog going to keep him at bay?" she asked. She was wondering how a simple technique could ward off snakes the size of the Hyuuga compound. If she had remembered her science lessons, then she would have figured it out. It was her crush that brought her up to speed…along with a slight jab at her strong point.
"And I thought you were supposed to be the one with the best analytical skills and book-smarts on the team," Sasuke retorted which earned him an annoyed look from the pinkette. The Uchiha Sasuke was back all right, and in full force, too. "You do know what happens to cold-blooded reptiles when they're exposed to cold temperatures, right?"
"Snake-cicles anyone?" the dust-colored fox asked rhetorically while licking his muzzle. 'Yum…they would be tasty…' The kit's mouth was slightly watering as he was daydreaming about crunching into frosted scales. The humans were looking at him as if he grew another tail before steeling their resolve to hash out possible battle tactics against the unpredictable Hebi-Sennin.
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Orochimaru attempted to summon forth snakes to catch his prey off-guard; however, things did not bode over so well for the Snake Wizard…
The snake-summons began to move sluggishly while some just…dropped onto the ground with absolutely little to no heartbeat in the frigid miasma. It was an interesting jutsu at that, and a new technique never seen before the eyes of Orochimaru made him mentally squeal in delight like a little kid on his birthday. He would love to gain it into his possession…by any means necessary.
'Is this Kirigakure no Jutsu…?' he mentally asked himself in joy, but his smile faltered a bit. 'No, this jutsu is much too cold for it to be that technique.' He looked at some of the frozen popsicles that were his summons. If Manda found out about his mistreated subordinates, then the Hebi-Sennin would immediately receive a one-way ticket to the belly of the regally arrogant beast. 'It was very clever to take into account the nature of my summons' blood. This team is full of surprises….kukuku…They might be worthy enough to die by my sword…' He snickered in mirth. They were an appealing bunch, indeed…
Orochimaru honed in on the three chakra signatures that were a good bit of distance northward and in the top of the canopy. To the snake-charmer, this was going to be an interesting fight between quarry and marauder.
'I love a good chase…' He licked his lips in his creepy, serpentine way and slithered to engage Squad Seven. As he was ascending to the tree tops, his mandible unhinged itself as a large snake emerged from Orochimaru's maw. From the jaws of the snake came forth the infamous Kusanagi Longsword. When the hilt was visible, the Snake Wizard grabbed the long blade and spiraled up.
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The fog was dissipating slowly, and that time provided enough time for Team Seven to keep their newly formed calm demeanor. Their thoughts were put on hold when a humming sword swipe reverberated from behind the tree from where they were camping. The pinkette noticed a shiny metal gleam with destruction, cutting through the clearing haze, ready to decapitate her two teammates.
With bugged out eyes, Sakura shouted, "Take cover!"
Naruto, Sasuke and Doshaburi jumped in the nick of time as the tree was cleanly sliced through by the freakishly long sword. Naruto landed a bit to the southwest and glued his feet to the tree with chakra. Sasuke jumped a bit to the southeast onto a thick branch, while Doshaburi stuck onto a tree trunk a bit southward. The formation had each of them flanking their pink-haired teammate.
Orochimaru slithered onto the branch of the tree that was cut, with Kusanagi in hand. It was then that the top half started to slide off and descend to the forest floor.
He chuckled before he began to speak in his relatively calm hissing. "I am amazed that someone here knows a jutsu that could slow down my precious ones. Now who was it…?" He gave the team before him a slight grin. He was hoping that it was the last Uchiha in Konoha that pulled off that stunt. He would love to possess that body on his quest for immortality.
Much to his dismay, Squad Seven remained silent, only for their reserved looks to speak for them. 'It appears that they would want to keep their secrets to the grave…kukuku…Foolish integrity…'
"Very well. It is evident to me that I will have to force it out of you, then…Sen'ei Jashu!"
The snake-charmer held up his two hands and, from each sleeve, two small serpents emerged and lashed out to the entire team. Sakura jumped down to the lower branch to avoid being bitten and crushed. Sasuke back-flipped and Naruto had jumped into the air to avoid the fangs while Doshaburi ran up the trunk to safety.
Whilst in mid-air, the blond wonder flashed through several handseals and landed on the Tatsu seal.
He stretched out his hands and cried out, "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" The ever-popular wind-tunnel blew onto Orochimaru, but he was unmoved and standing firm. Sasuke knew what was happening; that was not the real snake bastard.
The figure before them started to "melt" and the skin turned from pallid-white to a mud-colored hue…to a pile of sludge.
'What the hell!?' thought the blue-eyed jinchuuriki as he was soaring above the canopy. 'Damn it…That was a Tsuchi Bunshin. Where's the real snake-bastard?'
"Right behind you, Naruto-kun…kukuku…"
Naruto's head whipped around to the left, only to get backhanded by the Snake Sage, who had his body stretched and contorted to reach the blond's altitude. The resulting strike sent Naruto crashing through numerous trees before imprinting himself onto one several hundred meters from the strike point. Naruto's head was spinning in orbits as he tried to gather his bearings.
"Naruto!" Sasuke and Sakura yelled simultaneously, while the little cloudburst was crying out to his master.
'No…I can't sit by while Shishou gets hurt…' The killer intent emanating from the little fox cub was close to unimaginable. To Sakura, it felt like a weaker version that she had come across when they were on the mission in Wave Country.
'What is this terrible chakra? It feels like it can be tasted in the air…' The pinkette looked up to see Dosha-chan with a feral look and…carmine irises. How can the little kit produce such an incredible amount of ki? It had felt nothing like when they were sparring with Kakashi-sensei before the commencement of the Chuunin Trials.
The puzzle was kind of sliding into place for the pink-haired wiz-kid, but she could not wrap around the idea that Dosha-chan and Naruto must have some form of connection to that supposed "kekkei genkai" he had mentioned…But what was it? 'Naruto…just who are you? What are you…?'
Orochimaru felt the presence surging through the little fox cub, and it astounded him to absolute disbelief. 'How can that little fox cub produce the familiar signature of the Kyuubi?' He was even more stunned when the kit vanished and appeared behind him, giving off a ghoulish face that made even the Snake Sage halt in his tracks.
"Kiki Gyoushi...success! Tama Tosshin!" The dust-colored fox charged into Orochimaru's chest, sending him through a couple of trees due to the force of the recoil. The Hebi-Sennin's blade penetrated into the wood above him. The impact caused Doshaburi to back-flip onto the branch where the snake-face used to stand. With youki flaring, Doshaburi dashed over to where his master landed, which had been a good one thousand feet away.
Shaking herself from all the killer intent in the forest, she looked over to Sasuke, who was just standing on the branch, slightly suffocating from the clash of ki. He was half-broken from his thoughts when he heard his pink-haired teammate.
"Sasuke-kun, we have to help…now," she stated while running through her complex string of handseals. She held out a seal that looked like a triangle and focused on Orochimaru's outlaid body on the tree and cried out, "Magen: Tsuta Wana no Jutsu!"
Ivy vines evanescently appeared from around the tree to ensnare the creepy Densetsu no Nin. The snake-charmer tried to dispel the illusion, but it proved futile. He was exceedingly impressed by the Haruno's illusionary techniques and the fixed grin proved it. The myriad of talent surrounding him now piqued his curiosity. It appeared that Kabuto did not gather a lot of accurate information regarding the members of Squad Seven. He had thought that Sasuke-kun was the only team member of admirable merit.
'Note to self…scold Kabuto for his misinformation…' He smiled at that thought.
His Kusanagi shined in a blue hue, dislodged itself from the bark and contorted like a snake to cut through the vines, which broke the genjutsu. He pulled out of the tree imprint and flew to Sakura, who was going through a new set of handseals. The pink-haired girl disappeared into a flurry of pink petals, only to leave the Snake Sage surrounded by a violent blizzard of sakura petals and complementary trees in a grove of pinkish hues. 'I would have preferred red instead…kukuku…' The Hebi-Sennin thought. He was highly intrigued for the moment.
'Right into my trap…' she mentally declared. "Magen: Sakura Mugen Kajuen! This genjutsu distorts the five senses all together," her voice rang out from all directions within the petal snowstorm. "You may think that you may be striking me, but I may just be only a figment of your imagination." The pinkette materialized from nowhere and ran at the snake-charmer with a kunai in hand. Effortlessly, Orochimaru sliced through Sakura…only for her to disappear into a flurry of petals blown into the imaginary wind. It was only an illusion, but how could it be an illusion with a chakra signature? More copies of the pink-haired girl appeared and launched themselves at him.
While Orochimaru was preoccupied with trying to solve the puzzle that was her genjutsu, the real Sakura was nowhere inside the illusionary grove. She was on the outside unwrapping the bandage on her left wrist. The undone dressing revealed a black ring of kanji banded around her wrist like a watch. Tattooed below her palm was a seal engraving with the image of a shuriken on it. Sakura raised her right thumb to her mouth and bit down on it. She had then proceeded to make eight lines around the ring below her palm. Immediately afterward, eight miniature, red shuriken appeared in a small puff of smoke and landed in her left palm. They looked highly reminiscent of four-sided rose petals more so than shuriken, but they were still edge-sharp.
She did not want to resort to this, but she had to reveal a few more of her jutsu to delay for time while Naruto was shaking off the one-way trip through the trees with the help of his dirt-hued buddy. And as for Sasuke…
He was looking on in slight awe, amazed that Sakura managed to stall for time…against one of the Sannin. His respect for her jumped a bit and thought that she was kind of cute for possessing strength like that…but he brushed off that thought. He could not get close to anyone, for he had to first fulfill his ambition. He had to kill his brother and bring him to justice. He wanted to worry about reviving the clan later. 'Now, if only she would cut her hair…' Sasuke was having his own mental struggle for the moment, and it was his preoccupation that made him somewhat unable to do anything. It appeared that Haku was neither in his mind nor was she in the recesses of it.
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Naruto was just shaking off the impact of the fall and soared through the trees to his teammates along with his little fox kit at a breakneck speed. The crimson irises and feral look made him all the more intimidating…along with his claws, which were encased in extended, transparent wind-knives behind him. He was ready to tear a new hide into the snake-teme when he got a hold of him.
'Let me take hold for a while, kit,' Kyuubi remarked. 'I've been dying to rip that bastard a new one.'
'How about we do this together?' Naruto asked. 'I want a piece of him, too. But, no hostile takeover, and what I say goes. Deal?' He just pushed off another branch, leaving some upturned bark. His little cloudburst made similar imprints with his claws.
The ninth tailed-beast snorted. 'Hn…All right, boy, but I get first strike. I'm ready to take vengeance against that pathetic excuse of a human,' Kyuubi calmly stated. He had then thought of something else. His metaphorical thinking cap was now on at full power. 'And I believe I know the reason for why he is after us, most specifically, the Uchiha-teme…'
'…Enlighten me, Kyuubi-sama…' Naruto really wanted to know why a Kage-level ninja would want to interrupt the exams, all for the sake of his onyx-haired comrade-at-arms. Kyuubi journeyed into the realm of his nostalgic memory.
'When I was pulled from my realm, I had heard him mention his goals in passing. There were two of them: 1) to seek immortality like the bijuu; and 2) master every jutsu in the known world. Pretty foolhardy ambitions if you ask me.'
Naruto worked around with the cryptic clues that his tenant had given him. Ambitions…every jutsu…Sasuke-teme…Immortality like the bijuu…
That boiled it down to one logical explanation: The snake bastard wanted the teme because he possessed one of the three great doujutsu—an eye technique that could copy…most ninjutsu or genjutsu. That did not make too much sense in the factoring premises, but if there had been some form of jutsu that could take over a body…
It finally clicked in the elf-eared genin's brain. The clever leather belt discovered a technique that could transfer into, and, quite possibly, possess a person's body. The damn pedophile wanted Sasuke's body…
The youki in his body flared significantly as the wind-knives in his hands fused into two longer wind-hooks. There was no way in Yomi that that slithery fiend of a ninja would get his slimy paws on his friend and teammate. That much was certain.
Oh, the snake bastard was going to get what was coming to him…And not even Kami-sama would stop the beast of nature that was Uzumaki Naruto. He picked up the pace, along with his dust-colored kit. From the naked eye, a viewer would think that he or she had been seeing two crimson blurs in the canopy.
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(Forest of Death, parts unknown, nightfall of Day Two)
"The forest isn't supposed to be this cold during this time of year," Yuugao remarked as she was traveling with her tiger-masked partner, who had been silent for the moment. All of a sudden, she felt a huge spike in evil chakra that masked the other evil presence that they had previously felt. It was not just any evil chakra, but the life-force was all too familiar to Leaf-nin and civilian alike. It made even Uzuki Yuugao sweat on her neck in slight fear.
"You felt it, too, didn't you?" Tenzou asked as he turned around. "There's no question about it…That was the chakra of the Kyuubi. We need to hurry, because I feel that Orochimaru found them, before we did."
The purple-haired kunoichi took out her sword to test its sharpness. She wanted to make sure to turn the vile traitor into a pile of guts when the opportunity would arise. She gave her sword the green light after slicing minimally into a tree as she was passing by with little to no effort. Content with the results, she nodded, sheathed her sword and they picked up the pace.
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After a few complicated handseals, Sakura let fly her eight petal-like shuriken into the dome of illusion. Inside the distorted grove-dome, the shuriken multiplied and blended into the scenery while the grove had taken on a small reddish tint.
Orochimaru got his wish…but not in the kindhearted sense, for he felt slashes and cuts as the storm of flowers intensified. The cuts were just annoying since he had regenerative powers and did not fear of any blood loss.
Swallowing his longsword as if he were a professional blade-eater, the Hebi-Sennin calmly lifted up his left shirt sleeve to his snake-summoning tattoo and smeared blood onto it from his cut-open finger.
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"Magen: Baraben Boufuu…" Sakura whispered while holding onto the shuriken with several chakra strings, directing them any which way Sakura wanted them to go. Much to her dismay, she could already feel her chakra reserves going considerably low while she was panting. Her teammates really needed to get their act together, or she was going to be in trouble if her reserves hit rock-bottom.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" a muffled voice yelled inside the grove-dome. Sakura's jutsu was cancelled as she was flown back from the gusts of the snake-summoning and slammed hard into a tree. Her chakra was nearly gone and she could only watch in helplessness as the giant snake was about to snap her in half…
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'Dammit…I need to do something to save her! Sasuke, focus! Get your ass in gear and move!' Sasuke yelled in his mind after seeing what was about to happen. The lone Uchiha was wedged between a rock and a hard place in his decision. His resolution was definite; he did not want to lose anyone else. Not ever again. He forced away his payback and brother's mentally corrupt diatribe only to focus on saving the pinkette, because she was a necessity to the team in order to pass. It was not because he had taken a liking to her or anything, but his conscience was telling him otherwise…and if only she had short hair…He shook off that thought and focused at the matter at hand.
His doujutsu activated, but this time, he had a pair of tomoe in both eyes. He could now see much more clearly as he flashed through more handseals than ever before. Time seemed to slow to a grinding halt as he slapped together his Tora handseal and breathed deeply with his cheeks blown up all the way.
'Naruto, Kakashi…Thank you…' Sasuke thought as he reared back and fired…
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"Katon: Jouka no Jutsu!!"
From the canopy, an ethereal-blue, phoenix-shaped flame descended in a downward nose-dive, spiraling toward the snake-charmer and his summon. The phoenix-like image had white eyes of purity and righteousness as it descended with "wings" outspread, screeching. Orochimaru disregarded his summon and jumped to save his own hide. The poor snake-summon never stood a chance. It would appear that dinner was on Orochimaru this time as it scorched the now-charred carapace into oblivion.
'I see. So his Uchiha blood finally came to a boil…What's this…?' He was somewhat…startled by Sasuke-kun's new attitude etched onto his face as he landed in between Sakura-san and him. It was a different reaction than what Orochimaru had wanted him to portray. He could tell in his eyes the steeled resolve of devotion to his comrades. It would appear that he would have to soften that tenacity to bend Sasuke-kun to his will. He desired his…eye candy, for lack of a better term.
"Leave her alone," he said calmly, but the words said carried an undercurrent of hatred. "Let us be…" He paused to register the huge chakra capacities fast-approaching to their location, albeit they were a good distance away. He knew one of them was the dobe, but it felt…different than his usual signature. He continued. "Or face the consequences…" His tomoe were rapidly spinning in anticipation while Orochimaru had close to an orgasm in his pants. He really wanted those eyes now…
"You…threaten me? I am deeply touched by your words, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru hissed. He had then decided to begin a game that he knew all too well how to play: psychological warfare. "Why play 'step-in' now, knowing that even the pink-haired girl did something before you did? If you cannot best me, then clearly you will be no match for your bro—" The onyx-haired avenger immediately interrupted the Snake Wizard.
"I don't give a damn about my brother, because I have another! To hell with Itachi!" The comment elicited a slightly wide-eyed look from the Snake Sage as Sasuke fumed on with boiling fervor. "That murderous traitor can burn in Hell for all I care! When I see him, I'll murder him in cold blood just like he did to my clan!" he roared with narrowed eyes and spinning tomoe, which was unprecedented in the known history for an Uchiha to lose his cool. "Besides," he glanced over his shoulder at his pink-haired teammate. "I thought that the little lady should have a shot before I did."
The dark-haired avenger continued. "And even though my other teammate may be a dobe, Naruto was more of a brother than he will ever be!"
Sakura, who was half-conscious, looked at her potential love interest with adoration and wide eyes. His emotional shell was becoming undone. She would have to thank her blond-haired teammate for getting through to him.
Adding to that, she found out who it was that he wanted to kill. She heard through the grapevine about the Uchiha massacre, and she never would have thought that his own biological brother would slaughter all but one of his clansmen. Nonetheless, she vowed to give thanks to her knight in the blue high-collared shirt and help in any way of obtaining his revenge. But for now, she was too exhausted to speak.
'Sasuke-kun…Thank you…for saving me. Naruto…thank you for showing him the light…' she thought as she decided to rest, letting her Sasuke-kun take away the situation until Naruto showed up. Her Inner-Self would look out for her a while she was regaining her chakra.
Orochimaru was surprised as well. Sasuke-kun was a tougher nut to crack than what he expected. "So I take it that you want to gain more power to best him, am I right?" He asked in a sing-song tone. He thought that if he offered something to the Uchiha's taste, then it would have him come running like a child to sweets. "I can give you power, even more so than this rat-hole of a village. You will be on the fast track to vengeance against your clan were you to do so…"
That lingering feeling of helplessness was slowly creeping up in the mind of the dark-haired Uchiha. The temptation of power and his brother's berating was about to get the best of him…but he shoved down that thought. He would not need any augmentation to best his brother. He could get stronger on his own. The Sacred Fire Technique was what had showed for it when he opened up to suggestions from his comrades, especially the former class clown of the Rookie Nine that capitalized on details more so than Kakashi, who just told him to use his doujutsu to copy the technique altogether. He even further implemented on how to channel lightning faster through a heated medium…and once again, that was all thanks to the dobe…er, to Naruto…for helping him create more of his own personal arsenal of attacks without the dependence of his clan's eye technique. There would be no way for him to outwardly thank the do—Naruto—in words for all that he had done for him. He would repay the blond wonder with a nice spar when this part was all over. Regardless, the Uchiha kid shot down the offer with vehemence.
"Why would I want power from you, knowing that you're more than likely weaker than him?" he asked composedly. "Is it because that he proved too strong for you, only for you to come target me next? Then forget it. I decline. I can get stronger on my own." That stung the Snake Sage's pride and ended his mental game, and the wild blast of ki proved that fact. He was not going to be condescended…by a kid, no less.
Sasuke, however, adjusted to the spiked level of ki and dropped into his Uchiha taijutsu stance and took a page from the dobe's…er, Naruto's book. "C'mon, snake-teme…Dance with me…" Sasuke made a motioning hand.
Orochimaru's grin had faltered a bit but was replaced by a smile for the challenge. "I thought that you would never ask…" In a flash, he was gone and tried to level Sasuke with a punch, but the dark-haired avenger had seen it coming and dodged to the right and grabbed the extended fist. He turned around and gave the snake-face an uki goshi throw to another branch.
The Hebi-Sennin stretched out from the branch to engage Sasuke-kun into hand-to-hand combat while his lower half finally crept over to meet up with his upper half.
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(Ten minutes later…)
Ducking, dodging and attempting to land blows, their skills in taijutsu were evenly deadlocked. Luckily, Sasuke had a doujutsu that gave him a slight advantage over the faster ninja…and he found an opening.
The raven-haired avenger dodged a punch and slid under Orochimaru's guard with a sweep kick, knocking the Snake Sage off-balance. Since his center of gravity was off, Sasuke launched his other leg to meet the chin of the teki-nin, which made the snake-charmer soar into the air.
Sasuke got on all fours and leapt up at close to hypersonic speed and appeared underneath Orochimaru.
The snake-charmer hummed in disinterest and looked over his shoulder at the smirking Uchiha beneath him. "Kage Buyou…?"
"Yeah, but after this, this is my own style…" Sasuke declared. "I know that you're earth-natured, so this is going to hurt like hell for you…" He kicked up his left leg to bump Orochimaru higher into the air, followed by his right leg. The two were soaring high above the canopy with the barrage of soaring kicks.
Sasuke took notice of the air currents, humidity and warmth in the air, along with the cloud cover, just like Naruto pointed out to him. He felt that it was an appropriate height to let down the snake-face in a "gentle" fashion…
He swung his left leg and planted it into the torso of the snake-teme. But that did not stop there…
The dark-haired avenger landed a full salvo of erratic, rotating spin-kicks and elbow bashes from above, sending Orochimaru faster to the quickly-approaching earth while he was coughing up a bit of blood.
Prepping for his last blow, Sasuke had been focusing on creating a positive charge in his fists to draw out the negative charge in the clouds…and it worked.
Natural lightning was channeled into a long, crackling chain and enveloped his chakra-loaded fists, which were shaped like jaws to a dragon's head, and struck home into the face of the falling Hebi-Sennin with a huge hammer blow.
"Hirairyuu Rendan!"
The resulting power from the lightning-covered pounding strike and the collision into the understory created a devastating shockwave that was felt within a kilometer or two from ground zero, along with a miniature mushroom cloud. The trees near the impact site bent back by the sudden change in atmospheric pressure and the colossal blast.
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(Forest of Death, location unknown)
The two ANBU operatives felt the small rumble from the understory as they were rocketing through trees to stop Orochimaru. They hoped that whoever had run into him was keeping him grounded for the moment as they moved closer to the source of the small earthquake.
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(Squad Ten)
Team Ten were on their way to the tower until they saw two small dots in the air falling toward the ground.
"What's going on up there?" Ino asked as she used her hand as a visor with squint eyes.
"I don't know. What do you think, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked as he stopped snacking for a brief minute.
"Why ask me? Trying to figure out the unknown is so…"
He was about to say "troublesome," but chain lightning and the thunderous roar of the titanic shockwave drowned out his voice. Said tremor knocked Team Ten flat on their bottoms.
"Now what the hell was that!?" Ino screeched, scared out of her wits. She never really liked lightning…nor did she like thunderstorms in general.
"I don't know," Chouji asked, blissfully unaware while snacking on his potato chips. "What do you think, Shikamaru?"
'Déjà vu…So troublesome…' The lazy genius sighed. "It was probably a ninjutsu and the two dots must have been two combatants fighting in the air."
The portly shinobi and the materialistic kunoichi looked at each other and then back at the pineapple-haired shougi player. "OOooh…" They spoke in unison while Shikamaru palmed his face.
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Sasuke was exhausted, kneeling down on one knee and panting. That last jutsu took a lot out of him. He had then taken note that the Dancing Leaf Shadow had to have Kaimon open in order to undo the inhibitors on the body. He would have to put a mental disclaimer on that for the time being and thank Lee for the inspiration later.
Sakura stirred from her rest after the explosive crater was made into the understory of the forest. Her chakra reserves were about one-quarter filled as she stood up to notice the bent trees around several concentric circles. Sasuke-kun was in the middle, but the creepy ninja was nowhere to be found.
'Did Sasuke-kun create that crater…?' she mentally asked her self, which was answered by her Inner Will.
'As a matter of fact, that was Sasuke-kun's Hirairyuu Rendan…a more improved capitalization jutsu after he used the Kage Buyou…' Inner-Sakura continued to give her the play-by-play recap of what had happened. It was fortunate for Sakura that her Inner-Self tapped into her consciousness to keep abreast of what was going on while she was taking a cat-nap.
'Wait, wasn't that part of Lee-kun's taijutsu repertoire?' Her Inner Persona shook her head and continued to enlighten Pinky.
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The tenant/host combination looked on at the destruction site with his claws at the ready. With a careful eye, he noticed a small lump appear from behind the earth without breaking it…and the lump, which was now a body, was going after his dark-haired teammate.
"Look after Sakura, Dosha-chan," he whispered in a deep, beastlike tone. "I'll take it from here." With a slight nod from the vulpine companion, he hopped over eastward to the relaxing scent of cherry shampoo. He would want his master to get him that brand whenever he got the chance to bug him.
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The onyx-haired Uchiha paused and felt a presence behind him within striking distance, but he was too exhausted to move the slightest bit. He could only just kneel there, with his Sharingan active, trying to catch his breath and look behind him, only to see Orochimaru bare his elongated fangs. He knew that it would be the end…
…Until a crimson streak came from out of the blue to save his fellow soldier…
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"Fuuton: Fuujin no Tsume!"Naruto shouted at the top of his guttural voice. The transparent wind-hook sliced through the right elbow of the snake-charmer, causing him to reel back in pain and cease from making his mark on the Uchiha. The blond wheeled around and lashed out with his other wind-claw, tearing more off the arm, leaving only a bloodied stump and blood spewing about the place.
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Sasuke looked at the chakra flow into his teammate's arm. He vowed to himself that he would not copy any of the dobe's ninjutsu, but it was too good an offer to pass up. He wanted to find a way for both Sakura and himself to channel chakra like that into their limbs to create a weapon of sorts for each of them. That would not be copying…more so along the lines of…creative ingenuity, as the dobe…er, Naruto would put it. He would have to get over calling him that, but that nickname stuck like glue.
He also took note of the unrelenting appearance of the blond wonder. He was basking in a reddish essence and his eye color turned from ocean-blue sapphire to blood-red crimson, just like the same color as his Sharingan. The killer intent radiating from the former blond idiot was volumes thicker than the snake-faced bastard's ki. What was worse was that Naruto did not seem the least bit affected by having blood on his claws. The Uchiha mentally kicked himself for not bringing the reading material on mythological lore.
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Sakura was feeling the amalgam of affliction and rage pouring forth from her blond enigma of a teammate as she was stroking Doshaburi's coat. Now she was curious to find out what the blond was hiding, and it probably had to do with his features and Dosha-chan…
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Naruto looked on at the snake-faced ninja and growled in an animalistic manner, with crimson eyes ablaze and fangs exposed. The fury came together as blended killer intent never felt by anyone for almost thirteen years; more from the fox for killing his family and brethren, and a lesser rage from the blond for smacking him silly and trying to take off with his potential container, ally and friend. In short, his face and ki spoke more volumes than an encyclopedia set.
Orochimaru had never felt the emotion of fear in his life, but when he felt the suffocating killing intention and the blood-red irises from Naruto-kun, he was close to urinating in his pants. Never before had he felt such a compound presence. It seemed that Kyuubi was a bit…perturbed that he slaughtered his kin while Naruto-kun must have figured out why he was there…to take away his comrade and friend.
"No need to be hasty…" The Hebi-Sennin coolly remarked as he attempted to calm himself as well. 'The two have merged…'
"Like hell!" Naruto/Kyuubi shouted. The dual-persona let out a ki-filled roar that had anyone within the vicinity turn tail and run, most particularly, some of the elder Konoha genin. However, not all the teams wanted to leave; some were, in fact, curious as to what was going on…
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(Back with Team Ten)
The platinum-blonde kunoichi was now trembling when she heard that bestial bellow coming from a few meters northward. Chouji stopped munching and lost his appetite, which was then replaced by a fit of nausea. Shikamaru felt a bit of the familiar chakra signature, but it was blended with that horrendous killer intent that had him breaking into a cold sweat.
"I think we should check it out. C'mon guys," Shikamaru bravely said, but Ino thought otherwise. Run away and flee for the hills.
"There is no way that I'm going to investigate that!" she screamed. She would be the last one to go to a location with that kind of dread looming around them. That was also the area where the lightning struck.
"Naruto could be in trouble," Shikamaru gravely added.
Ino paused in her ranting. She had then remembered his physical changes, and then she felt Naruto's chakra signature…only somewhat. "What if that is Naruto?" she pondered while holding up a finger to her chin. It was a stretch, and anything was possible, especially from the unpredictable prankster.
Chouji and Shikamaru looked at her with slightly wide eyes. Why did they not think about that? The shougi player mentally kicked himself for leaving out that scope of logic into his calculations. They decided to dash to the thickest source of energy, only to stumble upon the most unbelievable scene from the high canopy. Squad Seven was going toe-to-toe…with one of the Legendary Three…and that Legendary Ninja had…a botched amputation.
What stunned them to oblivion was that the blood was stained on…Naruto, who had what appeared to be some sort of ethereal wind blade encased around his hands. He chopped off one of the Legendary Ninja's arms? That was far gone from impossible. To boot, the fiery energy was, indeed, coming from the blond enigma. Now that sparked their curiosity.
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Naruto/Kyuubi was going to make that bastard pay for his transgressions on the mortal world. They guaranteed that another limb was coming off…today. The pair felt a cooling sensation as the blades on his claws began to frost over. Mist was subliming from the semi-solid hooks.
The man-beast fusion charged dead-ahead at the calmed Snake-Sennin. "Hyouton…" Orochimaru's eyes slightly widened. "Yuki-Onna no Tsume!"
It was Naruto-kun that was using the secret art of the ice-type "element," and not his precious, future container. The boy had changed, and the inaccurate data regarding Squad Seven had the Snake Sage walk well into the unknown. He vowed to make Kabuto…suffer for not giving him sufficient evidence.
"Now, now…temper, temper," remarked the snake-charmer as a colony of snakes came out of his left sleeve and wrapped around the blond enigma.
"You're going to have another limb gone by the time I'm done with you!" the human-demon roared while trying to pry off the snakes. What made it more disgusting was when the snake-teme's tongue stretched and wrapped around the surprised jinchuuriki's shoulders, which made the claw jutsu cancel due to lack of focus.
"I am afraid that will no longer be possible…" He paused and whispered so only Naruto could hear. "Kyuubi brat…"
Suddenly, the snake-charmer's mouth unhinged, revealing the face of the real Orochimaru, who emerged from his…"shed" skin with both arms intact. His tongue was still gripping onto Naruto/Kyuubi, even though it slightly burned his tongue. Who knew that the king of bijuu would taste so spicy?
The Snake Sage's regenerated right hand started to sprout purple flames hovering at the top of each digit, and each digit had a particular glowing kanji for the words "earth," "metal," "fire," "water" and "wood" within the wraithlike embers. The elongated tongue lifted up the boy's jacket and undershirt to reveal the Hakke Shiki Fuuin in plain sight. "You have been a nuisance and it's time that I put an end to your charade…Gogyou Fuuin!"
The Hebi-Sennin cocked back his hand and was about to ram his fingers into the seal on Naruto's stomach, but his hand was caught…by wood…and some of his snakes were sliced off by a quick katana swipe, which allowed Naruto to pry loose from the gross tongue.
"It seems like we made it in the nick of time," said the tiger-masked figure with a block of wood coming from underneath him. He looked over from the scene to the criminal and spoke to him in a deadpanned expression. "Orochimaru, you're under arrest."
"Move once and your head comes off," retorted another masked ANBU with purple hair, who had her katana unsheathed and resting on the Adam's apple of the creepy snake-man.
Orochimaru knew for a fact that the Shodai must have not had any descendants, so that narrowed it down to one choice. "Well, well…It seems like one of my sixty guinea-pigs survived my experiment. I never would have imagined. Maybe I ought to do a follow-up on my experiment…"
That off-sided comment grabbed the attention of Teams Seven and Ten. The guy in the tiger mask was one of Orochimaru's…experiments? And he possessed the Shodai Hokage's power…wood-element ninjutsu. Naruto, on the other hand, was getting ideas popping into his head. He could learn from the operative in the tiger mask on how to use the wood-element combination.
Tenzou narrowed his eyes behind the mask. He flashed through a few handseals to bring forth roots to clamp the snake bastard's mouth shut, not wanting Orochimaru to disclose even more S-class secrets. All the while Naruto was looking on with his ki receding slightly. He was calming down and getting ideas from how he was constructing the sequence. Naruto moved out of harm's way from the snake-teme and thought up of something regarding his precluded Mokuton ability. Sure he would know that it was forbidden to use it now, but he wanted to test it out. He knew that the Mi handseal combined the two sets of water and earth-chakra to complete the sequence, but where to go from there…
He fumbled through a set of his own, hoping that it would work and not come back and hit him in his fanny…but it did. The slab of wood tapped the poor blond against his buttocks, out of eyesight of those around him. He wanted to move the block of wood outward, not upward, instead of potentially creating a self-induced stool softener.
Mentally scratching that theoretical sequence, he thought up of another theory. 'Okay…how about this? Saru…Oushi…Inu…Mi…Bend…Move…Expand…Balance…' The results were unexpected as he felt the chakra convert to a different kind of energy and channeled through the earth…and shot forward…
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As the two ANBU operatives were interrogating their suspect, a giant block of wood came from their right and socked the Hebi-Sennin in the cheek, causing of few of his fang-like teeth to be dislodged from place.
Tenzou looked at Yuugao, who looked back at him. She was confused as hell as to how her wood-using partner did that without handseals.
"Did you do that?" the purple-haired kunoichi asked. She thought that it would be unnecessary to resort to violence if the captured refused to talk. However, Orochimaru was in no position to speak, for his mouth was forcibly shut by her partner's wood.
"No. Did you see me make hand seals?" Tenzou countered with his hands clasped together, which made it look like he had a handseal ready. It was then that they turned focus from the criminal and traced the wooden chute to the blond in the dissipating red aura. The origin of the slab of wood came from Naruto's feet. Said blond had a cheeky grin of innocence while having his hands pressed together in the Mi handseal.
"Uh," Naruto started. "Did I do that?"
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"No way!" Ino shouted. "Did you see that!?" To say that she was surprised was an understatement.
"Yeah, I can't believe it either," Chouji answered while munching again. His appetite returned with much zest.
"I never would've thought that Naruto of all people, much like that ANBU guy, could use Mokuton. But how? That was the power of the Shodai Hokage…He was the only one that could use it…" It was then that Shikamaru identified the blond wonder's third chakra affinity—water. It made perfect sense; it was only possible if his friend knew of the fluid flexibility of water with the rigid durability of earth to help make a type of life-producing wood. He also knew some type of ice-element as well, since he had seen Naruto with the change in his bladed hands. He would have to question Naruto alone whenever he got the chance. The shougi player's teammates were thinking along the same idea. The boy had a lot of explaining to do if they would make it to the tower.
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'Naruto, you baka…You were supposed to keep that a secret!' Sakura was screaming in her mind while palming her face. The cat was out of the bag now. The pinkette was going to go down there and show the dunderhead a piece of her mind…as well as her Inner-Sakura.
'Great…now we're fucked…Orochi-teme is going to go bonkers after seeing that. Good going with letting the cat out of the bag, dumb-ass…Shannaro!' Inner Sakura pointed her fist to Naruto within Sakura's mindscape. Her respect for the boy still remained, nonetheless, but it was hanging on by a mere thread.
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'Naruto-shishou…' Doshaburi thought as his ki receded. The loss of the youki made the poor kit fatigued beyond measure and passed out on the tree branch.
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'Sigh…You had to experiment again, didn't you dobe?' Sasuke rhetorically asked within his head as he stood up. It was certain; the nickname would stick for now, unless he proved otherwise.
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Orochimaru was salivating at the mouth and the fluid was dripping down the wood covering his maw. There was no way that Naruto-kun was one of his test subjects, so how it was that he could use Mokuton? Nations abroad would war over gaining their hands on abilities like the Mokuton, those of which were special blends of dual-element chakra. He knew that he had a feeling that he struck gold with this team. He wanted to stake a claim in those abilities for himself. Now that everyone's guard was down, it was time to make his getaway…
But before he left…
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Orochimaru melted into the ground again, eluding the range of the two ANBU operatives and appeared within striking distance of Squad Seven. Thrown for a loop, Team Seven, along with the two ANBU, could only watch on in shock as three black-colored snakes came from his left sleeve and clamped down on each of their napes. The three serpents injected a special ink into the left sides of Team Seven's necks. From the injection point, a tattoo of three tomoe materialized onto their skin as the three cringed in pain. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura took a knee from the excruciating burning sensation spreading out through their bodies.
The Hebi-Sennin wanted to test their strength of will to see if they could survive his Ten no Juin. One, two, or even all three of them were bound to seek him for power sooner or later, and that much was guaranteed by the Hebi-Sennin. They would yearn more for power and would seek out his guidance so he could potentially take over one of the strong and able bodies. Much to the Snake Sage's dismay, he could not make a…clean getaway, without a reminder of his inaccurate information.
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Before Naruto was down for the count, the Snow-Woman Claw activated in one of his hands as he turned to chop off Orochimaru's right arm…again. This time, however, was different. Frostbite immediately settled in, claiming some of the nerves. The ice-claw dissipated and Naruto fell, face forward onto the ground, sweating profusely from the intense agony. It felt as if his insides were on fire.
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Before Sasuke succumbed to the unconscious realm, he shouted out, "Raiton: Shinkei Douyou no Jutsu!" and an electrostatic charge traveled through the serpent and stunned the snake bastard, jolting the nerve endings of the frostbitten right arm. The cold temperature acted as a superconductor, which amplified the never ending damage. Now the snake-face's limb would never grow back, no matter how hard he tried to use his regeneration abilities. Sasuke smiled as the last bit of energy left him and collapsed on his side. Soon after, his body started to convulse like a paper bomb exploded with him.
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Sakura gave the final, metaphorical "slap" in the face to the creepy snake-charmer before she went under. On her knees from the excruciating pain, she turned her body and spread out her palm to the region of Orochimaru's face.
She whispered while struggling to speak, "Youjutsu: Kasumime no Jutsu," and a dark shadow crept out of her outspread hand. The jutsu made its mark, which worsened the snake-creep's vision. Much to her dismay, she only had the energy for it to work for only for about two weeks. In essence, her technique was only temporary, unlike the damage that her teammates had wrought upon him. That was some number done to the snake bastard's arm.
Her eyes fluttered closed as she fell on her back, unconscious, while Orochimaru submerged under the earth, rubbing his eyes, all the while evading the wooden roots and katana swipes from Tenzou and Yuugao respectively. Those brats were going to pay for what they had done to him…especially the pinkette and little Naruto-kun.
It was only the beginning for Squad Seven. With their bodies exposed and minds in unrest, the battles for the possession of self and soul were under way.
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"What did that creep do to Forehead Girl!?" Ino shouted. "What the hell did he do the entire team!? He just knocked them out cold with a cheap shot!"
'Although…' she mentally added. 'I never knew that Forehead knew any jutsu, much less a dark art…' In fact, she was more so astonished by her rival's technique than Naruto's wooden sucker-punch. Either way, Forehead's squad had changed after their first C-turned-A-rank mission. She was impressed, but she would never admit it outright that Forehead was getting stronger.
"You know that there aren't any cheap shots in the world of shinobi," the portly boy reasoned. He was impressed by the other team's enthusiasm and final shots before they had fallen.
"Either way, it's going to be troublesome," Shikamaru drawled with his hands in his pockets. "We have to watch over them until they get back up again. They're our comrades…our friends, and we can't abandon them now. And even though they're supposedly the enemy in this exam, they're out of it for the moment."
Both Ino and Chouji nodded, emerged from their hiding spots and told the ANBU that they would watch over the incapacitated team.
"Very well," the tiger-masked ANBU began. "I'll leave it in your hands." He turned to see an unconscious Naruto, shaking in extreme tension. 'I'll ask Hokage-sama about Naruto-kun when I file my report,' Tenzou thought before he and his purple-haired partner vanished into thin air.
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(Team Dosu, 11:59 pm)
"We are approaching our target," Dosu spoke up as they were moving several hundred meters to carry out their order. "Be on your guard."
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A/N: Well, there you have it, folks. That's another chapter down and I hope that you enjoyed the fight scene. Let me know what you think of the battle choreography. I decided to give Team Ten a bit of air time to add to some of the hilarity.
The power-hungry Snake Wizard made his mark…in triplicate. Team Ten watch over their fallen comrades, who are now struggling to gain possession of their bodies once again. The darkness, like a disease, may potentially take one of them.
Team Dosu is fast-approaching. Will Team Seven wake up in time before their assault?
Jikai… (Next time…) on Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid…
Temptation of Soul and Sound Pressure
Romaji Guide
Ne(zu): rat
Tori: bird
Uma: horse
Mi: snake, serpent; one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac
Hitsuji ("Ohitsuji"): ram
Hyouton: Hyoumu no Jutsu (Ice Release: Ice Fog Technique): D-rank supplementary ninjutsu; user creates a lighter but chilling fog to reduce vision to zero visibility; akin to Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique or, depending on some translations, The Art of Hiding in the Mist)
Kusanagi (no Tsurugi: Kuu no Tachi): Grass-Cutter (Sword: Long Sword of the Heavens); name of Orochimaru's longsword (Narutopedia)
Sen'ei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands): C-rank offensive close- to mid-range ninjutsu; allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist of sleeve, usually after a punching motion; the snake are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can cause multiple wounds on the victims body, or hold them in place and can even poison the target (Narutopedia)
Tatsu: dragon
Tsuchi Bunshin: Earth Clone or Earth Replication
Kitsune no Hijutsu: Kiki Gyoushi (Secret Art of the Foxes: Ghastly Stare): unclassified supplementary close- to mid-range hijutsu; passive skill; Doshaburi's face becomes dark and dreadful with red eyes, with a stare laced with a small amount of ki warn targets of possible retaliation (created)
Hebi-Sennin: oftentimes translated as "Snake Sage," and, in other cases, "Snake Wizard"
Magen: Tsuta Wana no Jutsu: Demonic Illusion: Ivy Snare Technique—see Chapter Nine for details on this genjutsu if you have forgotten
Densetsu no Nin: Ninja of Legend or Legendary Ninja
Magen: Sakura Mugen Kajuen (Demonic Illusion: Grove of Infinite Cherry Blossoms): D-rank supplementary genjutsu; user creates an illusionary grove of sakura trees that distorts all five senses of the target (created)—based off the anime Samurai Deeper Kyo
Yomi: the underworld
Magen: Baraben Boufuu (Demonic Illusion: Rose Petal Gale): C-rank offensive/defensive genjutsu; the user flings special, hand-crafted, red rose-petal-like shuriken at the enemy; with the aid of chakra strings, the shuriken can hover in air to block or defend projectiles (created)
Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique): C-rank offensive/defensive/supplementary ninjutsu; allows the user to summon various creatures through blood pact; type of animals summoned are varied (Narutopedia)
Katon: Jouka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Sacred Fire Technique): B-rank offensive long-range ninjutsu; user spews out a blue flame in the shape of a phoenix with wings widespread (created)
Uki Goshi: "hip toss"; Judo-style throw that uses the enemy's momentum against him or her
Kage Buyou: Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, or Dancing Leaf Shadow
Hirairyuu Rendan (Flying Thunder Dragon Combo): High C-rank offensive ninjutsu-taijutsu maneuver; after user uses Kage Buyou (Dancing Leaf Shadow), he/she then sends a barrage of kicks upward to bump the target higher and higher; the user then sends a bombardment of spin-kicks, elbow strikes and a lightning-enhanced hammer blow to send the target plummeting to the ground (created)
ANBU: Abbreviation for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad)—I forgot to put up this beforehand, but I know that most people know what they do.
Kaimon (Initial Gate or Gate of Opening): first of the Eight Inner Gates that releases the brain's limit on the total strain on the muscles, giving the user five times their normal strength (Narutopedia)
Fuuton: Fuujin no Tsume (Wind Release: Talons of the Wind God): C-rank offensive close- to mid-range ninjutsu; allows the user to channel wind-based chakra into his or her limbs without handseals to form a hook-like blade of wind (created)
Hyouton: Yuki-Onna no Tsume (Ice Release: Claws of the Snow-Woman): C-rank offensive close- to mid-range hijutsu; allows the user to channel a blend of water and wind-natured chakra into his or her limbs to create a hook-like blade (created)
Hakke Shiki Fuuin: Eight Trigrams Dead Demon Consuming Seal; seal located on Naruto's stomach to hold back the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox; consists of the Shishou Fuuin (Four Symbols Seal) and the Hakke no Fuuin (Eight Trigrams Divine Seal)
Gogyou Fuuin: Five Elements Seal
Saru: monkey
Oushi: ox
Ten no Juin: Curse Seal of Heaven
Raiton: Shinkei Douyou no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Nerve Disturbance Technique): D-rank offensive/supplementary close-range ninjutsu; user shoots out a weak static charge to make the target's nerves to go haywire or render the target unconscious (created)
Youjutsu: Kasumime no Jutsu (Dark Art: Dim Eyesight Technique): D-rank supplementary genjutsu; allows the user to cloud the vision of the target (created; inspired by Diablo II Necromancer's Dim Vision curse)