Ohayo, welcome to the fifteenth chapter of Naruto Estacado! Firstly, I have a couple of things to say. To Salamander Hanzo, it could be carried by an African swallow. Secondly, I'm thinking of writing another story, something to do with vampires. I was gonna make it either Naruto, Rosario+Vampire or both. If you think I should make this story, leave a review saying so. If I do make it, no matter what it's based on it will be called Blood Breathers, because that is the literal translation for the hiragana word for vampire, kyuuketsuki. With that out of the way, enjoy the show!
Last time, on Naruto Estacado...
"Correct. Now, grab a balloon and get to work." Jiraiya told him, walking back towards the town. Naruto stared at the balloon as if it were going to explode just by his gaze. He gathered his chakra in the balloon, rotating the water as fast as he could in every direction he could manage. He noticed the balloon beginning to glow yellow, but continued the chakra flow, thinking nothing of it. In a few moments, he knew how wrong his judgement was. The balloon exploded, literally, sending Naruto through several trees and burning a few more to a crisp, leaving a large black mark on the forest floor.
"(cough, cough) I think I (cough) did it...I should go tell Ero-sennin..." Naruto said, before he fell on his back, slipping into sweet unconsciousness.
Chapter 15, The Right Arm of the Devil
"Wake up. Come on, kid, wake up!" A small, high-pitched voice said from somewhere above Naruto. The blonde boy opened his eyes to find a small bat flying in circles around his head. "Ah, you're finally awake, ~dechu! I was beginning to think you were dead!"
"What the...a talking bat? Someone must have spiked my sake."
"Uh, you have sake?"
"Never mind. What time is it?"
"You're asking a bat the time?"
"You're the only one here, and you might have a watch hidden in your wing."
"What's a watch?"
"No idea. Where're those balloons?" Naruto said to himself as he looked around the clearing made by the explosion. "Guess I must have destroyed them all. Oh well, better go find Ero-sennin." He said, walking back in the direction of the town. As he neared the gate, he noticed that the bat was still following him. "Hey, bat. What do you want?"
"I have a name. I am the great Kou-sama!"
"Great. Kou-chan, why are you still following me?"
"I said, I am Kou-SAMA!"
"Like I give a crap. Why are you following me?"
"Because that's my mission! I have to follow you for my master!"
"Who's your master?"
"I can't tell you that!"
"Riiight...Well, if you're gonna follow me, just keep quiet. Ero-sennin! Eeeero-senniiiiin!" Naruto shouted, looking around the town for his perverted mentor. "Where is he? Waaaait a minute...typical." Naruto said, seeing a ball of white hair sitting outside a hot spring with a telescope.
"Heheh...the girls in this town are even better than Konoha's!"
"Ero-sennin, I finished the first step...sort of," Naruto said, walking up to the perverted old man, "Now, what's the second step?"
"Dammit...What do you mean, 'sort of'?" Jiraiya said, turning to his second blonde student.
"I mean, I can make the balloon pop, but it just happens to destroy the surrounding area as well. I've basically turned a water balloon into a hand grenade."
"How much chakra did you put in?"
"Not much, but the balloon turned yellow and then it exploded. Being that it was yellow, and not red or blue, I think it has something to do with the Darkness."
"Maybe, but if you can manage to control it long enough without having it explode, you could make this attack even more powerful than it was originally. Either way I think that result has made the second step, power, redundant. You just need to be able to form the same chakra flow outside the balloon as you did inside, making a ball of explosive spiralling chakra in the palm of your hand."
"Is that all? This'll be a piece of cake." Naruto said, before he froze as a female voice spoke from behind him.
"You're actually teaching this brat the Rasengan? Why bother? He won't be able to learn it, no matter who he is." The voice said. Naruto turned around, coming face to face with a woman with blonde hair tied into two pigtails and a very sizable chest.
"Who asked you?"
"Show some respect, brat! I am Tsunade Senju, one of the Sannin and descendent of the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages!" The woman shouted, rearing back her fist to punch the boy before her.
"And I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze Estacado, son of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze and descendent of Anthony Estacado, the Darkness wielder!" He shot back, making the woman in front of him freeze and lower her arm.
"Jiraiya...is this true?" She said, staring at the ground as if it were her worst enemy. The old man stood up and walked to his team-mate.
"Yeah...this is Minato's son, Naruto. I was shocked too, hell I almost killed the council. Now can you see why I want to teach him the Rasengan?"
"Why are you here, Jiraiya? I told you, I want nothing to do with Konoha."
"Sarutobi-sensei...was killed." Jiraiya said, making Tsunade's eyes widen. "Oto and Suna invaded the village together. The Ichibi Jinchuuriki fought against Naruto, with Naruto being the victor. While that was going on, however, Orochimaru fought with Sarutobi-sensei."
"Orochimaru...I should have known he'd be the one to do something like that. He came to me, just the other day. He asked me to fix his arms, and in return he would give me back Nawaki and Dan. He wouldn't tell me how his arms got injured."
"Sensei used the Shiki Fuuin to seal Orochimaru's arms away. As long as his arms are injured, he can't cast any jutsu. At least until he changes bodies again."
"Which is why he wants Sasuke." Naruto added.
"Sasuke?" Tsunade asked, turning to the blonde shinobi.
"Uchiha. Orochimaru wants to take Sasuke's body because he's the last Uchiha besides Itachi who can use the Sharingan. With the Sharingan, Orochimaru will be able to copy any jutsu he wants, which makes one part of his goal complete." Naruto finished, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Right. The reason we've come, Tsunade, is to ask you to return to the village. And not only that, but to be its new Hokage." Jiraiya said, smiling at his team-mate.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"Huh?"
"I think Naruto here could do a better job of this! The only reason I'd ever go back to Konoha was if someone I loved was in danger, and since the only person worthy of that is here, it ain't happening! What makes you think I'm just gonna go back to Konoha because you ask me?"
"For as long as I can remember, I've been lied to, taken advantage of, shot in the back and left for dead. Now, you becoming Hokage will give me a way out of all this. What in the hell makes you think I'm going to ask for it?" Naruto said with a glare as he opened his right palm. An unstable ball of yellow chakra began to form, and it looked as if it were about to blow. "Now, Kou-chan!"
"Hai, ~dechu!" The small bat said as he flew down from his perch on Naruto's shoulder and started to fly in circles around the ball of chakra, flapping his wings furiously. The sphere began to stabilize, becoming clearer and more compact as it spun. When the sphere was perfect, Kou flew back to Naruto's shoulder as the blonde shinobi ran forward, thrusting the chakra-adorned hand towards the wide-eyed Tsunade.
'Why is it yellow...? Is this the power of the Darkness?' "Nice try, kid. But you'll have to do better than that if you want to beat a Sannin!" She shouted as she made to grab Naruto's wrist and cancel his chakra flow, but she noticed something strange about the sphere in his hand. It seemed to grow unstable to the point where it nearly exploded, then become compact again, spinning rapidly as it flew. As if some separate entity was stabilizing it for him. As he grew even closer, the sphere became, if possible, too stable. It glowed a bright yellow as if it were a star in the night sky, wisps of golden chakra flying off the sphere like shrapnel. She tried to stop it with her bare hand, pushing it back with her own chakra-reinforced fist, but it was in vain. The sphere exploded, sending yellow chakra, debris and people flying over the area, with a large crater where the impact occurred. Tsunade found herself lying in a wooden stall, her body covered in burns. She looked to the other side of the square and grimaced. 'At least I fared better than the kid.' Naruto had flown through several walls, making a genin-sized hole through a house. Large, dangerous-looking cracks spread outwards from the hole like a spiderweb, threatening the structure of the building. She stood up from her place in the stall, and walked back to Jiraiya, his jaw on the ground. "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." Jiraiya closed his mouth so fast you could hear a sickening crack from his jaw. "It's too bad about the kid. He was a worthy opponent. But this was his last battle."
"Do you think so...do you think I can be beaten so easily? I can't lose now! I have too much to protect to die now!" A voice growled from the hole, as wisps of red chakra could be seen floating slowly out of the cracks. Jiraiya frowned and disappeared, reappearing in front of the demon-possessed shinobi with a piece of paper in hand. He slammed the paper into Naruto's forehead, revealing a seal drawn onto the paper. The red chakra surrounding him disappeared into Naruto's body as he fell to his knees, exhausted. Jiraiya picked up his student and walked through the hole, seeing Tsunade with wide eyes again.
"Don't underestimate this kid. He'll go to the ends of the earth to protect his beliefs and that which is precious to him. Anyone he considers precious is incredibly lucky, because it's a surprise he can trust anyone with what he's been through." Jiraiya said, before disappearing, leaving Tsunade standing by herself.
The next day...
"Wha...where am I?" Naruto asked as he opened his eyes, sunlight burning his eyes as it shone through the open window. He looked around the small room he found himself in, noticing the chair beside his bed and the small table. A knock sounded at the door, and Naruto activated the eyes of the Darkness, his eyes turning yellow as he searched for a chakra signature. This was his routine ever since the incident with Itachi. He found Jiraiya's chakra on the other side, and told him to come in.
"Are you feeling better, Naruto?" He asked, making Naruto look down at his body. He noticed that most of his body was covered in bandages, and his right arm was completed wrapped with especially thick bandages, signifying that it had taken the most damage.
"I think so. What happened?"
"The Rasengan exploded, sending you through a couple of walls. Then you started to release the Kyuubi's chakra, making some of your wounds worse. Especially those of your right arm."
"So what, I can't use my right arm anymore?"
"No, nothing like that. It's just damaged, not destroyed. The burns you received were severe, if it were anyone else they would have lost the arm. Then the Kyuubi's chakra began to burn your body, your arm becoming completely covered in burns. You may not be able to take those bandages off, ever."
"If I have my arm wrapped for life, how do I use jutsu?"
"I modified those bandages myself. There are special seals on that cloth which improve chakra control, reduce pain, allow chakra moulding and seal items."
"You mean my arm is basically a chakra-conducting, pain-reducing sealing scroll with expert chakra control?"
"Essentially, yes."
"That's pretty badass."
"Yes, I suppose it is."
"So, where's Tsunade?"
"She and her assistant, Shizune, went to meet with Orochimaru."
"What? She's going to help him?"
"No, she's not. She's going to trick him. When she has him right where she wants him, we'll jump out. Tsunade and I will fight Orochimaru, while you and Shizune will take on his assistant, Kabuto."
"Yakushi Kabuto."
"You know him?"
"Unfortunately. I know how he fights, at least. He uses chakra scalpels and various medical jutsu. In fact, he has a strange ability that allows him to heal himself instantly, like Tsunade's, but it doesn't shorten his life."
"How do you know about Tsunade's ability?"
"That's for me to know and you to shut up about."
In a nearby field...
"So, you decided to show up, eh Tsunade-hime?"
"I've decided to help you, then you'll hold up your end of the bargain. Once everything is done, I'm leaving."
"Of course, I only asked you to heal me. I can't really request any more of you." Orochimaru said as he gestured with his head to Kabuto. The silver-haired shinobi nodded and removed the bandages from his master's arms as Tsunade walked forwards. She knelt down and placed her hands on Orochimaru's arm and began to pump chakra into it. Kabuto watched as she did so, and his eyes narrowed before he threw a kunai at the legendary medic-nin who jumped backwards to stand with Shizune. "Kabuto, what do you think you're doing?" Orochimaru shouted at his student.
"That chakra...that was not healing chakra. That chakra was filled with the intent to harm. She was trying to kill you, Orochimaru-sama."
"Was she now? Good work, Kabuto. Now leave it to me. Take care of that girl for me." Orochimaru said, nodding towards Shizune.
"Tsunade-sama, I think we should leave. Now." Shizune said to her teacher.
"Not yet...not until Jiraiya and Naruto arrive."
"But how can you be so sure that Naruto will be well enough? And if he is, what makes you think either of them will be able to help?"
"Because I believe in them. Plus, I made a bet with Jiraiya."
'Oh, Kami help us. We're all gonna die!' Shizune thought as Orochimaru ran forward with a kunai in his mouth. His charge was halted, however, when a wooden sandal collided with the side of the Snake Sannin's head. He flew to the other side of the field, his body digging into a large boulder as the owner of the sandal stood with a grin.
"Boot to the head, Oro-chan."
"Jiraiya, what a surprise."
"Stop talking. That hiss of yours is starting to annoy me."
"Very well. If it's a battle you want, then I shall grant it to you." Oraochimaru said as Kabuto appeared next to him, wiping a drop of blood on a tattoo on Orochimaru's arm. He slammed his arm into the ground, just as Tsunade and Jiraiya did the same, yelling out the same jutsu.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Three clouds of smoke erupted from the place their hands rested, filling the sky with smoke. A strong breeze blew through the area, dissipating the cloud and revealing three giant animals. A purple snake with four horns on its head, a white slug with a blue stripe down its back and an orange toad with a blue jacket, a pipe, a red bead necklace and a scar over his eye. Each of the three Sannin stood on the head of their respective summon, glaring at their opponent/s.
"Tsunade-sama...Will you be alright?" Shizune thought aloud as she looked up at the giant slug.
"You should be worrying about yourself, not her." Kabuto said from behind her, making her spin around with three senbon drawn.
"And you should be worrying about yourself as well, Kabuto-san. Because very soon you won't be able to do anything, let alone worry." A voice said from a group of trees at the edge of the field near Kabuto and Shizune. They turned to the trees to see two pairs of glowing yellow eyes staring at them through the trees, one much smaller than the other. The eyes' owners stepped out from the shadows of the trees, revealing themselves to be Naruto and Kou, glaring at the sliver-haired oto-nin. "Shizune-san, step back. You're only going to get hurt if you continue."
"But..."
"No arguing. Go on, get out of here. Your medical skills will most likely be needed when this fight is over." Naruto said as Kou left his shoulder, flying into the air. Naruto vanished, leaving Kabuto to look around the area frantically for a possible attack. He appeared behind Kabuto, grabbing hold of him before saying four words that scared Kabuto shitless.
"Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
Naruto exploded, covering the area in fire and earth. When the dust settled, Kabuto was nowhere in sight. Another Naruto walked out of the trees, apparently having hid in them while the clone did the dirty work. He scanned the field, but jumped to the side as he sensed a chakra signature to his right. He moved just in time to dodge Kabuto's chakra scalpel and grabbed his foe's wrist, flinging him round and into one of the trees, where he began to pummel him mercilessly into the bark. Cracks ran through the tree, getting wider with each punch before Naruto grabbed hold of Kabuto's shirt and threw him into the air, where several Demon Arms followed him. The tentacles pierced his skin, but he was engulfed in smoke as 'Kabuto' transformed into a log. Naruto scowled and scanned the area again, looking for another chakra signature. A hand clad in thin blue chakra sprang out of the ground, tapping Naruto's leg. Naruto fell to his knees in pain. He grabbed the hand and pulled it from the ground, pulling Kabuto along with it. He threw Kabuto into the air and punched him in the stomach, forcing him into a boulder. Naruto applied chakra to one of the seals on his bandages from which appeared a small piece of paper with the kanji for 'heal' written on it. He placed it on his leg, where it disappeared in a flash of green light. He stood up, stretching his now-healthy leg. 'Gotta thank Ero-sennin for those seals.' He walked up to Kabuto who was still stuck in the rock and punched him in the stomach once more.
"Why do you help Orochimaru?"
"The question is, why don't you?"
"Because I, no matter what I look like, am not a traitorous bastard. And if you're so fixated on helping the snake, I'll be forced to kill you where you st...uh, are stuck." Naruto said as he gathered another ball of chakra in his palm. Once again, Kou flew down from his place in the skies as began flying around the sphere, stabilizing it. The sphere glowed yellow as Naruto thrust it forwards, but this time it did not explode. It began literally tearing through Kabuto's flesh like a saw, pieces of flesh and blood flying everywhere. It tore straight through Kabuto's torso, leaving two lifeless pieces of meat lying in a rock to decompose. Naruto closed his eyes as he cancelled his jutsu, Kou flying back to his shoulder. "The power of a compacted explosion...is a terrible and gruesome power." He turned back to face Shizune, who had been watching the battle with wide eyes. As Naruto turned, Shizune's expression of shock turned to one of absolute terror. He looked positively demonic. Body parts, pieces of flesh and blood spatters adorned the area, with Naruto being drenched in blood himself, so much so that his hair and skin had all but turned red. His Creeping Dark and Demon Arms moved to and fro on either side of him, and his eyes were filled with anger and hatred as they glowed an ominous yellow. He looked up to the Sannin's battle to find that Orochimaru had looked over to him with pure fury in his eyes as he saw the corpse of his student. He dismissed Manda and jumped away, shouting curses back at the two Sannin and the jinchuuriki. (Kou: This episode's battle took 90 minutes to write, ~dechu!)
"Hey, Naruto, you okay?" Jiraiya shouted as he was treated by Tsunade.
"Yeah, I only had to use one Healing Note this time. Better than I had expected."
"Good, good. How's Shizune?"
"She's fine, she didn't fight."
"And Kabuto?"
"He's resting in pieces."
I'm hoping you enjoyed the battle between Naruto and Kabuto. I didn't include the battle between the Sannin because, to put it simply, it was the same as canon. Also, those of you who actually know of Rosario+Vampire will realise the significance of Kou the bat and the telling of how long battles take. In fact, now that I think about it, that could be used if I wanted to try crossing this story and the future story, Blood Breathers. Either way I'm just glad I have no more exams till next year ^_^;. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Next time, on Naruto Estacado:
What will happen when Tsunade returns to the village? What will Orochimaru do without Kabuto? What are Kou's master's plans? Will Naruto's disfigured arm ever heal? Find out the answers to these and more in the next episode of Naruto Estacado!