FINALLY! I'M BACK! XD XD XD WHOOHOOOOOOOOOO! :D ;D lol sorry, got EXCITED!
Ahhh...the fresh scent of a new chapter after a wait of long 45 days! Now first of all, I want to thank all the reviewers and my readers who pm'ed me regarding their suggestions and support. Though I'm TIRED of getting those similar criticizing reviews on my initial chapters due to my mistakes as a new and an inexperienced author. -.- For God sakes, my writing has improved with leaps and bounds since last year! 'hmph' lol
Anyway, see you guys at the bottom! (those who read A/N's of course)
AND MY EXAMS HAVE FINALLY ENDED! XP
With nothing else to say/complain/rant/bitch/scream about, let's continue this story and start with the long awaited chapter! :D
Chapter 41-I Got My Family Back!
"I can't. It's Naruto-kun's secret, only he can tell you. Besides, it's better that you don't ask him...or anybody else," she responded with a sigh as Tayuya shifted her gaze towards the duo sparring in front of them when they sensed someone above them.
The duo immediately turned their heads as Shizune landed in front of them, panting to herself as she clutched her stomach.
"H-Hinata...it's Tsunade-sama...f-find her...now!" she exclaimed with an expression of panic and pain on her face.
Hinata and Tayuya were immediately on alert as the duo sprung to their feet.
"What happened Shizune-san?" Hinata asked in concern as she and Tayuya made her sit with her back resting against the tree's trunk.
"T-There's no time...you have to hu-"
"Shizune? What's wrong?" both Hinata and Tayuya nearly jumped when they heard Jiraiya's voice just behind them. They turned their heads to see the toad sage standing with a serious expression on his face when they spotted Naruto dashing towards them, a few trees broken behind him. It seemed as though the blonde had taken a solid hit from the sanin.
"Hinata! F-Find her!" the Hyuuga heiress snapped her back upon hearing Shizune's stern voice.
"Hai!" she exclaimed, immediately activating her Toyotama Byakugan when Naruto reached the group.
"Shizune-nee-chan? What's wrong?" he asked, a mixture of serious and a concerned expression on his face as he walked towards the panting medic, who currently had her eyes closed- a painful expression on her face.
Jiraiya however remained quiet with Tayuya doing the same.
"Uzume (Goddess of Mirth and Revelry)," Hinata whispered to herself as she put her right palm on the ground, a circle forming with two glowing pink petals originating from her palm while Naruto looked at Hinata with wide eyes.
'What...is this?' he thought in surprise, his eyebrows raising in shock when he noticed the two pink petals in her eyes revolving around her sky blue pupil with the petals on the ground doing the same.
"Naruto-kun, you should heal Shizune with your chakra. It seems like she's in pain," hearing Ayumi's suggestion, the blonde nodded as he bent down before extending his hands over the black haired medic's stomach, applying his white chakra over her wound.
"Nee-chan...what happened?" he asked her softly this time.
"Found her, it seems Tsunade-sama is currently fighting two people. I don't recognize them but the third one is Orochimaru!" Hinata gasped.
"Shit!" Jiraiya cursed under his breath as he turned his head towards Hinata and Tayuya while Naruto too had his eyes widened in shock.
"O-Orochimaru?"
"Lead the way Hinata! Tayuya, come with us! And Naruto, heal Shizune first!" Jiraiya quickly ordered with a serious expression while Naruto turned to him in surprise.
"Hey wai..." he trailed when the trio jumped leaving him alone with Shizune.
'Damn it!' he cursed inwardly when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry N-Naruto-kun...you go, I can heal myself. I'm a medic after all. Just save Tsunade-sama," Shizune muttered softly when Naruto smiled weakly at her as he continued to apply chakra to the wound on her stomach.
"Ero-sennin and Hinata-chan are powerful too, they can help Kaa-chan until we arrive. Think you can heal yourself now?" he asked making her nod as she put a hand on her stomach, green chakra covering it. Naruto sighed as he looked in the direction of where Hinata had pointed to, a grim expression on his face.
'Kaa-san's seal destroyed Orochimaru's arms completely. The only reason he could've come here for is to get himself healed by Kaa-chan since she's one of the best medics in the world. But then...why would he attack her?' he pondered.
Outskirts of Tanzaku Town: Several Minutes Earlier
WHAM!
"My my...aren't you angry today Tsunade," Orochimaru spoke in amusement as he stood several meters away from the blonde medic, having dodged one of her chakra punches.
"Shut up! I'm going to end this today! I shouldn't have even considered your offer in the first place!" Tsunade said loudly, her eyes narrowed as she glared at her fellow sanin. Orochimaru's face quickly grew serious as he stared at his ex-teammate.
"Don't be foolish Tsunade. I don't know what happened during the week that changed your mind but-"
"I got my family back. That's all I need!" she exclaimed with a serious expression making the snake sanin look at her in surprise.
"You got your family back?" he asked in confusion while the two persons standing beside him stayed quiet.
"I don't need to explain anything to you. You left the village, killed so many innocent people for your disgusting experiments, and now you attack Konoha...you have crossed all boundaries Orochimaru!" she spat making him smirk.
"Fine then, if you're going to be stubborn about this, I'll just have to force you," he stated before glancing at the woman standing beside him.
"Guren-chan, take her down. And you help her Kabuto," he ordered making the woman nod as she walked forward while Kabuto shifted his glasses upwards, a sigh escaping his lips.
"Do you want her to be killed Orochimaru-sama? She obviously wouldn't stand a chance against Tsunade," the silver haired medic spoke with a smirk making Guren turn her head back to glare at him.
"What did you say you bastard?" she asked heatedly with narrowed eyes when the pale sanin chuckled to himself.
"We'll see Kabuto-kun. If Guren-chan wants to be my next vessel, she has to show some promise...right Guren-chan?" Orochimaru spoke making her look at him.
"I wouldn't disappoint you Orochimaru-sama," she bowed a bit, a look of determination on her face when Kabuto noticed a shadow on the ground, its size enlarging as a figure descended down towards them.
"Fuck!" he cursed as he jumped back while Orochimaru sunk into the ground, a smirk on his face whereas Guren just stood there.
"HAAAA!" Tsunade shouted as she brought down her chakra infused fist towards the standing kunoichi.
CRKSHH!
Tsunade's fist came in contact with Guren's skull only for the kunoichi to burst into small shards of crystals making her eyes widen.
'Crystal clone?' she thought in shock, skidding on the ground as she balanced herself.
"Surprised Tsunade?" she lifted her chocolate brown orbs to gaze at the sanin standing a few meters away from her, Kabuto standing alongside him when Guren slowly came out of the ground to stand beside Orochimaru.
'That clan was supposed to be extinct...I guess Orochimaru saved one for his own sick use,' Tsunade thought, now clenching her fist as she glared at the trio.
"Your punches may be strong, but my crystal release isn't that weak too," Guren spoke with narrowed eyes, a serious expression on her face making the blonde glance at her while Orochimaru chuckled to himself.
"Help her Kabuto...that's my order," the snake uttered, suddenly serious making the silver haired shinobi silently sigh to himself as he nodded.
"Tch, don't get in the way four eyes," Guren muttered making Kabuto frown.
"Before we start, an advice for you kids...back off. I don't think you know what you are up against. That man standing behind you, he probably plans on using both of you to get me," Tsunade verbalized making Orochimaru smirk while Guren growled at her.
"I haven't asked for your pity!" her black eyes cold when she started to go through a few hand seals.
"Shouton: Shouhari! (Crystal Release: Crystal Needles)," she exclaimed, her hand held in the 'dragon' hand seal as several long and thick needles of crystal materialized around her in midair. Tsunade watched the kunoichi with an impressive look in her eyes while Guren changed the hand seal to 'Ox' when the 'needles', more like spears flew towards the blonde at blundering speeds.
The slug sanin was caught off-guard as the needles approached her, slicing the wind while she just stood there.
TACK!
THWACK!
THUK!
Suddenly an earth wall rose out of the ground in front of her to block the incoming projectiles, the spears getting embedded into the wall, almost slicing through it as they fell on the ground from the other side in front of Tsunade, having created a hole.
'What the...? She blocked my crystal needles with an earth jutsu...and without doing any hand seals no less!' Guren thought in surprise while Kabuto chuckled in amusement. Tsunade however was taken aback for her own reasons.
'These crystals are really hard...if they were able to pierce my earth wall, then I have to be careful of that girl. My chakra punches themselves can only put cracks at the max on my chakra infused walls,' she thought as the wall slowly crumbled to the ground.
"Still as proficient in those earth techniques of yours eh?" Orochimaru articulated in amusement while Kabuto did some hand seals.
"Chakra no Mesu (Chakra Scalpel)"
A blue glow in the form of raw chakra immediately covered his hands making Tsunade's eyes widen.
"Back me up Guren."
'Chakra scalpel? Is he a medic nin? Even so, chakra scalpels are really difficult to use in combat...it requires excellent precision to be used effectively,' she pondered when the silver haired nin charged at her at moderate speeds making her smirk.
'The idiot...he's actually thinking of attacking her head on?' Guren thought with an annoyed sigh as she dashed forwards, going through a few hand seals.
"Shōton: Hashō Kōryū! (Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon)," a large crystal dragon materialized from beneath her feet, lifting her up while Kabuto went for a strike at Tsunade's shoulder.
Easily side stepping the attack, an amused smirk was present on Tsunade's face as she brought her right hand in front of his forehead at blurry speeds making his eyes widen.
THWAC!
"Urgh!" she flicked Kabuto on the forehead resulting in him flying back before he righted himself in mid air to skid on the ground, a baffled expression on his face.
Turning towards the oncoming dragon, Tsunade jumped just in time as the dragon slammed into the spot where she was standing a second ago.
"Damn! Besides being freakishly strong she's-"
"Fast too?" lifting her head up, Guren's eyes widened as Tsunade's leg descended upon her.
WHACK!
CRASH!
Her feet connected with a resounding effect as Guren was sent flying back at mind boggling speeds, wind whipping around her motion.
'What crazy power!' she involuntarily thought, her one eye closed as she flipped back in mid air.
CRRKHHH!
Encasing her hands in sharp pointed crystals, she dug them into the ground, small chunks of earth flying around as the kunoichi skid to a halt.
"Last warning to you kids, get out of here...or die!" Tsunade warned, her right clenched fist on display beside her face with her cold brown orbs glaring at Orochimaru who stared back at her seriously.
Guren gritted her teeth as she slowly stood up, wiping the blood off her chin.
'Even after I created a last second crystal wall, her punch totally shattered it before it did this much damage,' she thought, not too surprised considering it was the slug sanin she was taking on here.
'Fine then...I'll just throw everything I've got at her,' she thought, a grim expression on her face when Kabuto shunshined beside her.
"Listen...we have to work together to-"
"I don't need your help four eyes! So shut up and watch," Guren interrupted him with a scowl on her face making Kabuto frown at her, having already eaten a soldier pill to temporary boost his abilities.
"I'll show you why Orochimaru-sama values me so much," she spoke quietly, now walking forward- towards Tsunade with a determined look in her eyes.
'I'll show him just how much I've improved all these years.'
"Fine then, this time I'll go for the kill," Tsunade uttered with a solemn expression, her pony tails waving in air as a breeze passed through the area.
"Shouton: Suishō Kyō (Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Mirror)" the Oto kunoichi whispered to herself as a large mirror made up of crystal formed beside her, it's shape resembling that of a snowflake. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that as she gazed at Guren.
Going through a few hand signs, Guren put her right palm on the mirror.
"Suishō Bunshin no Jutsu (Jade Crystal Clone Technique)"
The light reflecting off the mirror wavered as two clones came out of it.
'That's a really strange way to create a clone,' the blonde medic thought off handed, letting the kunoichi in front of her do what she wanted.
'Besides, all I have to do is play with them. I know Shizune would inform the others of me being here...they're gonna come soon anyway.'
Kabuto stared at the back of three kunoichi as he increased the chakra output through his scalpels, making them stronger- an effect of the soldier pill he just took.
"Kesshō no Yoroi (Crystal Armor)," the original Guren spoke as a transparent sheet of crystal covered her skin along with her two clones making Tsunade's eyes widen a bit.
'This girl...she's really skilled. Using crystal release to such a level, it's really impressive. She must be a prodigy to have attained such skill...controlling bloodline limits like these is never easy. It's a shame she's wasting her skill for that snake,' she mused with a sigh.
Tsunade let her arms hang loose by her side as Guren along with her clones bolted towards her.
'I have to make sure she doesn't crystallize any part of my body,' the blonde medic thought cautiously as she stood there, waiting for the Oto kunoichi.
"Don't underestimate me!" she shouted, going for a punch at the sanin's face. Tsunade caught her fist easily when...
WHOOSH!
She bent down just in time to avoid a crystal spear. Guren pulled her fist back forcefully while Tsunade leaned back, still crouched as a punched passed through thin air, where her face was. Grabbing the clone's fist with her left hand, she balanced her body with her right hand on the ground.
"Grhgh!" the second clone as well as the original Guren performed a sliding kick, sweeping both her legs as well as her right arm off the ground. Tsunade's body was several inches above the ground in slow motion while the clone, whose fist she still was holding reared its left fist.
"Here!" it yelled when...
CRRSHWOOSH!
"Arghh!" Guren and the other clone exclaimed when they were shot back as a pillar of earth suddenly extruded out of the ground from just beneath Tsunade, lifting the sanin further above in air while it continued to rise whereas the clone's punch connected with the large pillar.
'What the...how did she do that? I was sure I had her!' the crystal user thought as she skidded to a halt on the ground with her clone doing the same.
"That was a nice try kido' but, you still lack in experience," they lifted their heads to see Tsunade standing on the earth column with a smirk on her face, her loose kimono already discarded.
'She's just toying with me,' Guren thought with gritted teeth while Kabuto stood back.
Her clone, which was still standing near the pillar, went through a few hand seals before slamming her palm on the pillar.
"Shōton: Suishōheki Hachi no Jin! (Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Wall Eighth Formation)," the clone yelled making Tsunade's eyes widen when she felt light seismic vibrations beneath her feet.
TRRKHKK!
Using chakra beneath her feet, she jumped high into the air when not a second later, eight large pointed crystals shot forth the top of the earth pillar.
'This girl...'
"Kesshō: Rokkaku Shuriken: Ranbu (Crystal: Hexagonal Shuriken: Wild Dance)" the original Guren whispered to herself, her hands held in the ram seal.
Still hovering in mid air, Tsunade looked over her shoulder to see several large crystal shuriken approaching her at blurry velocities.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Two shadow clones formed around her as they, grabbing her arms, threw her towards the ground at whooping speeds.
"Damn!" Guren cursed in frustration when the clones took the hit, getting dispelled in the process. Still descending towards the ground and going with the gravity, Tsunade's eyes widened a bit upon noticing Guren's clone approaching her in mid air. The clone apparently had used the previously formed earth column as a springboard to launch herself into the air, wanting to intercept the sanin's path. The clone had her right arm crystallized into a pointed blade as she neared Tsunade.
CLANG!
The crystal weapon collided with the kunai, the blonde having pulled it out at the last second.
"Urghh!" Tsunade exclaimed as she was pushed higher into the air due to the clone's momentum, grunting in shock as she held the kunai in place.
"Hyah!" the clone shouted as she put more strength behind the clash, crystal rubbing against the steel when...
CLINK!
The sanin's eyes widened when the kunai broke in two, the duo now descending towards the ground with the gravity, Tsunade beneath the clone as she reared back her crystallized fist for another attack. Shifting her gaze, the blonde noticed Guren standing just beneath them, going through several handseals as she prepared for another jutsu.
Turning her head back, she noticed the clone's crystal fist nearing her face. Ducking her head sideways at the last moment, the crystal grazing her cheek enough to draw blood, Tsunade tightly grabbed the clone's right arm.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" creating a seal-less shadow clone above herself and Guren's clone, she turned her body, now facing Guren who was standing on the ground, preparing for a large scale technique.
"Leave me you...!" the clone was still held by her right hand, trailing behind Tsunade as the duo neared the ground. The clone of Tsunade above them placed her feet on the original one's back.
"Nngh!" Tsunade exclaimed when her clone, using her back as a springboard jumped back, in return increasing their descending speed by several times.
SWOOSH!
With the additional force along with gravity, Tsunade rocketed towards Guren with the crystal user's clone trailing her form as she was tightly held by the sanin.
"What are you..."
Just as Guren was about to slam her hands on the ground...
"HAAAAHHH!"
WHAM!
Tsunade slammed the clone onto Guren, having used the clone as a baseball bat to bring it down on Guren from over her head, leading into a thunderous impact.
CRNKKSH!
'What the...?' the blonde medic thought in surprise, her brown orbs widening in slow motion when Guren, who was standing on the ground, shattered into uncountable pieces of crystal upon being slammed into by her clone.
'The other clone? She must have used substitution behind my back.'
TRGHHHH!
Sliding on the ground, the blonde snapped her head for the whereabouts of the crystal user when she noticed Guren standing several meters away from her, the crystal user's eyes closed with her palms slammed into each other in front of her chest. Tsunade's eyes widened when she felt Guren's chakra spiking.
'Her chakra...' Kabuto thought in surprise while Orochimaru too had a look of anticipation on his face.
Guren's bangs slowly lifted in mid air as they began to hover lightly, her green dress flapping with the wind which had seemed to form around her. Opening her black eyes, she exhaled lightly...
"Shishō Tenketsu! (Pressure Points of Harm and Death)"
Large amounts of visible blue chakra burst forth her body, surrounding her like a wild cloak while a small crater formed beneath her feet. Her pupils began to slowly disappear as waves of dust washed the ground, protruding out of her standing form.
'This girl...she's even able to release her major chakra points!' Tsunade thought in shock, her elbows currently placed in front of her face to block the dust that was coming off from where Guren was standing. Kabuto too had a surprised look while Orochimaru had a smirk on his face.
Tapping her foot on the ground, Tsunade whispered to herself.
"Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu (Rock Clone Technique)"
Guren started to go through several hand seals at blurring speeds when she instantly turned around...
THUP!
She caught the fist of Tsunade's rock clone, which had sneakily formed behind her- much to the shock of Kabuto and Orochimaru.
'Well well...I knew she had potential, but to think she has gotten this good through all these years,' the snake sanin mused as he saw Guren skidding back a bit, effectively blocking the clone's punch.
'And Tsunade's probably the only one in Hi no Kuni who can create rock clones...it's an extremely advanced version of earth nature manipulation and only higher ranking ninja from Iwa are capable of performing these rock related techniques. Even my mud clones don't compare to these,' Orochimaru further thought with a grave expression, quite jealous of the 'gift' Tsunade had received from the Shodaime.
"How did you...?" the rock clone muttered in surprise over having her punch blocked. Tsunade's rock clones were strong, very strong...their punches, although not as strong as her original chakra punches, were still enough to break through concrete walls easily.
'I see...the crystal armor surrounding her skin combined with opening those chakra points drastically increased her defensive strength,' the clone thought in realization while the crystal user had a frown on her face.
"Beating you, Orochimaru-sama will know just how strong I am," she spoke, her voice a bit heavy due to being in her 'chakra points released' state when the clone smirked.
"Too bad it's a lost cause my dear," she stated when her eyes widened as her body began to crystallize through the Guren's right hand which was holding her fist.
"Heh...not for me," the crystal user replied with a smirk.
Thap! Thap! Thap!...
"Haaahhhh!" light sounds of footsteps followed by Tsunade's scream from behind Guren caught her ears as she went through three single handed seals, the other right hand busy in crystallizing the clone.
"Shouton: Shoujinheki (Crystal Release: Crystal Encampment Wall)," the result was a crystal wall instantly materializing behind her, taking the brunt of Tsunade's chakra punch.
Crkkk!
"No way..." Tsunade trailed in surprise when her punch resulted in some cracks on the crystal wall at best, her brown pupils zooming out in mind boggling shock. Her punch, her legendary chakra enhanced punch was blocked!
TRKK!
Chunks of earth flew as suddenly Kabuto appeared from Tsunade's right side, aiming a punch at the side of her face.
"Too slow brat!" the slug sanin exclaimed as she kicked the silver haired medic in the gut.
"Garghh!" Kabuto coughed some blood due to the force of the kick as he was sent flying back along the ground, his body sliding like a rag doll.
"Don't get distracted Senju Tsunade," the blonde turned her head when she heard Guren's voice from behind the wall.
"Shit!" she cursed quietly upon noticing her feet beginning to crystallize. Just as she was about to jump back...
SQUELCH!
A blade suddenly pierced through her back, extruding out from the other side- through her side abdomen.
"Khargh!" Tsunade coughed out some blood, her one eye closed as she slowly turned her head back.
"Y-You sneaky b-bastard!" she exclaimed in anger, her voice quivering due to the pain. Orochimaru's head was behind her, Kusanagi extending from his mouth. Her eyes widened a bit when she noticed his neck extended beyond the limits of any normal human while his body was on the same spot where he was standing previously.
The sanin pulled his neck back, Kusanagi returning into the snake's mouth which had appeared out of his mouth while Tsunade grunted in pain.
"O-Orochimaru-sama!" Guren exclaimed in surprise, not having expected for the sanin to interfere as the crystal wall in front of a kneeling Tsunade disintegrated showing the surprised face of Guren, her chakra levels returning to normal.
"You have done your part Guren-chan...everything is under control now," the snake sanin uttered with a chuckle as he walked towards the duo.
"Didn't expect that did you Tsunade?" the pale skinned sanin articulated with a chuckle, now standing in front of the blonde medic who currently was holding her stomach.
"W-What have you...b-become you f-freak?" she asked in a quivering voice, glaring at her ex-teammate.
"Orochimaru-sama's well on his way to become immortal," Kabuto spoke, wiping the blood off his chin as he walked to stand in front of her.
'Her hands...why are they quivering?' Guren thought in confusion as she noticed Tsunade's hands trembling which were over the wounded area on her abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Hemophobia...still can't get rid of it, huh Tsunade?" the snake sanin asked in amusement as the woman kneeling in front of him panted lightly while a look of realization dawned on Guren's face.
"Looks like you can never forget Dan and Nawaki eh? Well I'm giving you a chance here...heal me and I'll bring those two back," Orochimaru said in a serious tone.
"Like I s-said before...I a-already have my family w-with me..." the blonde medic verbalized in a shaky voice, desperately trying to keep a hold of herself. Frowning deeply to himself, the sanin signaled Kabuto to go ahead.
"Fine then, if you don't want to cooperate Tsunade-sama, then you leave us no choice but to force you," the silver haired medic spoke as he cut his right palm lightly, drawing some blood making Guren's eyes widen in surprise.
He brought his bleeding hand near Tsunade's face making the medic's eyes widen in fear.
"N-No...get away!" she yelled, trying to scurry away as her pupils vibrated in fear of the blood. She gritted her teeth as pain coursed through her body when she tried to move, the wound because of Kusanagi now acting up.
"Just heal Orochimaru-sama and we'll let you go Tsunade-sama...I'll even heal you," Kabuto spoke with a smirk while Orochimaru chuckled to himself. Guren however, had an expression of discomfort on her face as she watched how the sanin was being treated. She silently gritted her teeth, clenching her fists in anger...why was she angry by the way? Maybe because she didn't approve of their...methods?
"S-Stay away..." Tsunade repeated in a whisper, now trembling.
"Such a pity, the great slug sanin, granddaughter of the Shodaime hokage now being reduced to a pile of quivering trash. Why don't you just-" the trio suddenly jumped away when they heard the slight sound of weapon projectiles approaching them, slicing through the wind.
Several thick white needles hit the ground around Tsunade, where the trio were standing.
"Tsunade!"
"Jiraiya?" Orochimaru spoke in surprise, not expecting his other teammate to appear. Kabuto's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the other two approaching Tsunade with the toad sanin.
'Tayuya?'
"Tsunade...are you alright?" Jiraiya asked in concern, currently bent down to his teammate's shaking form.
"Y-Yeah..." she whispered when his eyes widened upon noticing the wound on the right side of her abdomen. In front of him and Tsunade stood Hinata and Tayuya, both having serious expressions on their faces. However, you couldn't say that they were standing there fearlessly.
"Well well, looks like you survived Tayuya," Orochimaru said with a smirk while the red head clenched her fist, a small bit of fear visible in her eyes for the snake sanin standing in front of her.
"Hinata! Stop her bleeding and make sure she's okay! I'll handle them!" Jiraiya spoke loudly as he stood up to walk forward, an angry expression on his face as he glared at Orochimaru.
"H-Hai!" the Hyuuga heiress responded, a bit startled at the seriousness in the toad sage's voice while she was at Tsunade's side at once. Tearing off the sleeve of her fabric, she pressed it tightly against the blonde medic's wound who still was sitting there as if in a daze, her hands trembling.
'Why are her hands trembling?' Hinata thought in confusion, even more greatly confused as to why Tsunade wasn't healing herself and sitting there in a haze.
"Are you alright Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked in a worried tone as she put a hand on the sanin's shoulders. Tsunade's eyes widened as if she had been broken out of a dream, now gazing at Hinata's concerned face.
"I'm f-fine...just a-assist Jiraiya. He w-wouldn't be a-able to take all o-of them," she stuttered, taking deep breaths to calm herself while Hinata turned her head to look at the trio- Orochimaru, Kabuto and Guren. She narrowed her eyes upon spotting Orochimaru, who was standing there with a smirk on his face.
"Well well, it's a reunion eh? I wasn't expecting you Jiraiya, still chasing after Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked in an amused tone while Jiraiya clenched his fist as he stared at his ex-teammate with a calm expression on his face, drinking in his anger.
"You attack Konoha, almost killed sensei and now you're attacking Tsunade. You crossed the line all those years ago, experimenting on those people...but now, I will have to kill you," the toad sage uttered with seriousness which took even Orochimaru aback. He knew his teammate rarely got this serious.
"And I presume you joined Konoha, hmm Tayuya?" he asked in an amused dark tone, his yellow slitted eyes narrowed as he released massive amounts of killer intent focused solely at her. Tayuya's breathing hitched in her throat as she took a step back, her eyes wide as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.
"I will kill you! Betraying Orochimaru-sama like that, it is absolutely unforgivable!" Guren spoke with a scowl while the red head found herself getting suffocated under the humongous killer intent, her knees buckling when Jiraiya stepped in front of her.
"Why don't you take someone of your own size," he said with narrowed eyes, releasing his own killer intent in high amounts while the former Oto kunoichi took a deep breath of relief, not having said a word as she stayed quiet. How was she supposed to fight? She knew Orochimaru would kill her, she knew he didn't tolerate betrayal. She would be on his personal 'to kill' list for sure.
Why? Why did she have to face them on her first mission as a leaf ninja? She wasn't ready to face them so soon. That kunoichi, Guren, she knew how strong that woman was. And nothing needed to be said about Kabuto and Orochimaru.
"Oh, angry Jiraiya? Does it anger you that I hurt your precious Tsunade-hime hmm?" the snake sanin mocked making the toad sage tighten his jaw in anger, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"J-Jiraiya...that woman in g-green dress...b-be wary of h-her. She's a c-crystal element u-user," Tsunade spoke making his eyes widen in surprise.
"Crystal?" he asked when Tayuya intervened.
"Yes, she's extremely strong. Her crystal release is very powerful and can crystallize any physical form of matter. It doesn't matter how strong you are, fighting against a skilled user like her...you always have to be on your toes," the red head informed with a grim expression while Jiraiya glanced at Guren who glared back at him.
'So she has a natural bloodline limit of crystal element unlike Naruto huh? Most probably her version of crystal release is much powerful than Naruto's. If she can crystallize almost any physical matter, then truly she's a deadly opponent. Tsunade must have had problems facing her considering her ninjutsu revolves around earth release. That Guren probably just crystallized all her attacks.' He thought before glancing at the trembling form of Tsunade from the corner of his eyes.
'But to use her fear of blood against her like that...' he thought with gritted teeth while Hinata stood up, her Byakugan deactivated as she stared at Tayuya's back.
'It must be hard for her to face these guys after having to work with them in the past,' she thought with a soft look in her eyes when she heard cracking sounds behind her.
CRRHKK!
"Heads up Hinata-chan!" the four of them turned their heads to see Orochimaru's neck tear out of the ground to approach Hinata, her neck specifically.
'Shit! He's going for the curse mark!' Jiraiya exclaimed mentally, throwing a kunai at where Orochimaru's head was approaching while Hinata was too slow to react because of the sanin's speed.
SQUICH!
Her eyes widened when a sharp crystal spear pierced the incoming sanin's head which soon turned into mud as it fell to the ground.
"You!" Orochimaru snarled as he gazed at the new visitor while Guren had her eyes widened in spine breaking shock.
'A crystal user?'
"You're getting slow Ero-sennin," Naruto spoke in a serious tone as he landed on the ground, a red dragon having one claw in each of its limb landing beside him, a glowing insignia for wind on each of its wings. Its size was almost double to that of Naruto.
"Arigatou Mizuchi, you can go now," he said, now walking towards Tsunade.
"Alright, see you later Naruto," it spoke before dispelling itself while Tayuya and Guren had their eyes widened in shock.
'A Dragon?'
"Ah...the famous elemental dragon summons of the Uzumaki clan," Kabuto spoke in realization while Orochimaru had a serious expression on his face as he glared at Naruto, the one responsible for his destroyed arms.
"Tsunade-sama!"
A voice came from above drawing their attention as Shizune landed on the ground, a pinkish red human sized dragon landing beside her. Running towards Tsunade, Shizune immediately bent down as she began inspecting her mother-like figure.
"Kaa-chan...calm down," Naruto spoke softly, his eyes saddened as he gazed at Tsunade's shaking form.
"N-Naru-chan..." the blonde medic stuttered with a smile while Naruto grabbed her trembling hands, encasing them in his warm hands as he began to apply his special chakra to her hands while Shizune had a serious expression on her face- now healing Tsunade's wound.
'She has lost a critical amount of blood...her blood pressure is low,' Shizune thought when she took out a pill from her pouch.
"Here Tsunade-sama, it's a blood replenishing pill," the black haired medic offered making Tsunade nod as she ate the pill when Naruto lifted his head towards Hinata.
"You alright Hinata-chan?" he asked with a serious expression making her nod quietly, not saying anything.
"You there with the whiskers, how can you use the crystal release?" Turning his head, Naruto glanced coldly at the blue haired kunoichi standing besides Orochimaru before shifting his gaze back towards Tsunade. Much to his surprise, her hands had stopped trembling under his chakra while Shizune was busy healing her.
"Naruto-kun, watch our backs while I heal Tsunade-sama. It will take some time for me to heal her...she was completely pierced through by a katana," Shizune spoke making him nod as he stood up, leaving Tsunade's hands in the process when he noticed them trembling a bit again. Forming a shadow clone, he ordered it to provide her some chakra.
"Sure boss," bending down, the clone took Tsunade's hands and started giving her chakra making Shizune smile while Tsunade sighed in relief as she momentarily winced due to her injury.
Naruto started to walk towards Jiraiya, a serious expression on his face as he glared at Orochimaru.
"Naruto-kun..." turning around, he saw Tsunade looking at him in concern.
"Don't do anything reckless," she articulated making him nod.
Guren however, having gotten irked by Naruto ignoring her spoke again.
"I asked you something brat! No one except me should be able to use crystal release!"
Jiraiya just smirked as Naruto yet again ignored her, now glancing at Tayuya who still had a nervous expression on her face.
"You alright...Tayuya?" he asked, greatly surprising Tayuya as she snapped her head towards him, her eyes wide. She didn't understand, why would he care? He was ignoring her for the past few days and was now asking her if she was alright.
"O-Of course I would be! I haven't even fought for fuck sakes!" she replied with a frown.
"I can see that, what I meant is...are you alright with fighting them?" his oceanic blue eyes piercing through her soul while her eyes widened at his question. How did he know that she was uncomfortable fighting them right now? He had just come and had immediately sensed her discomfort? For the first time, she felt something stir in her heart at the hidden lurking care for her in his question.
"I...I have to face these assholes someday. It's now or never," she answered sincerely, in a low tone making him nod as the whiskered blonde turned his head towards the trio in front of them, now walking further to stand with Jiraiya.
"Kiyohime..." he called when the reddish pink dragon who was standing behind the group, spoke in response.
"Hai Naruto-sama?" her voice was frantic as she gazed at his back, her serious radiant green eyes full of admiration for her summoner.
"Thanks for the help, you can go now," he spoke making her nod, a slight look of disappointment in her eyes.
"Alright, see you later Naruto-sama. Please take care of yourself!"
POOF!
She dispelled back while Orochimaru was gritting his teeth in anger as he stared into Naruto's cold electric blue eyes.
"Kabuto...Tayuya and him, kill both of them," he spoke in a low tone making the silver haired chunin's eyes widen.
"Naruto-kun too? But you wanted his body (lol)," he said making the sanin glance at him.
"I can still do with transplanting the Rinnegan, but I want to get rid of that boy. Guren-chan here will help me fight the others," he ordered making him nod along with Guren.
"So Naruto-kun, I heard that Itachi-" Orochimaru started when something white, particularly a large human-sized spider fell on the ground between the two groups. Jiraiya, Naruto and the others too were surprised when the toad sanin noticed the nature of the material.
'Clay?' his eyes widened in realization when Orochimaru yelled.
"Guren! Crystal wall, quick!" nodding immediately, Guren went through a few hand seals as she slammed her hands on the ground.
"W-What's going on?" Tayuya asked in surprise.
"Everyone, stay close to me!" Jiraiya yelled when they heard someone yell above them.
"KATSU!"
BOOM!
Lol the first reaction I got out of my close friend 'Foolish Little Brother' (lol) here on FF was- 'YOU'RE A 'CLIFFHANGER WHORE'!' :D
Anyway, here's a fic you should DEFINITELY check out- 'The Last One' by 'MegaDarkly'. It's a NarutoxKonan fic, and I really liked it. You guys should definitely check it, I assure you wouldn't be disappointed. :D
STATS!
For those who are just curious and might be wondering, here are the current stats for this fic- :)
Hits- 1,096,047
Reviews- 2,770
Favorites- 2,206
Alerts- 1,700
As you can see, this fic touched two milestones during my break. First of all, a MILLION hits and favs crossing the 2K+ mark! I'm SO HAPPY! And this story hasn't reached even its half as far as the plot is concerned! XD
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. As you can see, the Tsunade I made in this is stronger than her manga counterpart. So whoever wants to, can complain about this all they want, and I- like always, will ignore the flames and whatever negative you throw at me.
However, as always (again), here I am, poor author, desperately thirsty for some good quality reviews...'sniff', have some mercy.
'Ye readers show thy mercy!' Y_Y
Hehe...lol. Well, see you readers soon and, have some... mercy 'sniff' :D XD
N6023