Well, I can't express how excited I am after finally crossing the 3K reviews mark, and its all thanks to you readers being less lazy and reviewing, lol! Thank you guys, really...thanks a lot. :)
Emo moment- 'sniff' I love you all so much! XP lol
Now here goes a long chapter, you should like this one. :D
Chapter 44-The Proud Knucklehead
'Damn it! Kisame told me this jinchuriki's genjutsu was non-existent,' Deidara thought with gritted teeth as he lifted his left hand to remove the eye scope from his left eye.
"W-Why you...fine brat! I was going easy on you but no more games!" Deidara exclaimed as he stood up, an angry expression on his face while Naruto stared at him with his somewhat glowing Rinnegan, his eyes icy cold.
"Bring it on you clay-spitting bastard," he spoke with a calm expression on his face as Deidara continued to clutch his shoulder, blood leaking out.
'Damn it! What was that attack? It hurts like a bitch!' he thought before making a half ram seal as a clay clone came out from the clay bird he was currently standing on.
Naruto raised an eyebrow as the clone tore off the sleeve of Deidara's Akatsuki cloak before he started to tightly wrap it around the original one's shoulder.
'Not so fast,' the whiskered blonde thought as he lifted his arm, palm facing Deidara.
"Shinra Tensei," he whispered as Deidara along with his clone were immediately thrusted back with a destructive force, being thrown off the flying bird.
KHDDDRR!
'Damn, this attack was much stronger than his previous ones,' Deidara thought with gritted teeth, skidding on the ground with his clone already destroyed due to the force of the technique.
Naruto however was surprised that the Akatsuki nin was able to withstand his attack and not receive any damage whereas Feilong had just dispelled himself upon the blonde's orders.
'He's really skilled to counter Shinra Tensei like that, especially when I fired it with the Rinnegan activated,' the blonde jinchuriki thought while Deidara, again using a clone had now wrapped the newly torn fabric from his cloak to stop the blood flow.
'Alright, it seems he prepares his clay bombs from those mouths in hands. His usual battle tactics include him standing on that bird, keep dodging the opponent's attacks while he prepares those bombs. He solely concentrates on fighting at long range,' Naruto thought when he closed his one eye.
'Damn this poison! Even with my chakra it's slowly working its way through,' he thought, taking a deep breath.
"Are you alright Naruto-kun? You have to get out of here soon, otherwise with you moving around like this, the poison's just gonna spread quickly" he heard Ayumi's concerned voice.
"I'm fine, and I'm trying Ayumi-chan. But these are S-rank nins we're facing. It won't be easy to deceive them, especially with this clay guy who'll just follow us using his bird. I have to do something about this annoying ability of his,' he inwardly spoke, his earlier formed clones standing behind him. Their Rinnegan were activated as they watched other battles taking place.
"Hey Naruto-kun, I have an idea to make all that clay in his bag useless," Ayumi spoke in what seemed to be a devious tone making him raise an eyebrow at the mirth in her voice.
"What is it Ayumi-chan?"
'What's he waiting for? He's just standing there with a lost look on his face. Does that brat really think I'm gonna fall for such a lame trick?' Deidara thought with a frown as he put his hands inside his bag to get more clay.
'Fine then...its time I use my lethal C1's here,' the Akatsuki nin thought, the mouths on his hands doing their work of molding his explosive chakra in the clay.
"Um...you sure?" Naruto asked inwardly, a nervous look on his face as Ayumi chuckled deviously making his eyebrows twitch.
'How can she behave like that when my life is on the line here?' he thought in frustration.
"Oh believe me Naruto-kun, it will definitely work. Please just try it once, for me?"
Now he could 'feel' her giving him those puppy dog eyes making him sigh.
"Fine then, I'm trusting you on this Ayumi-chan," he inwardly spoke followed by a grumble of 'I can't believe I'm about to do this'.
The whiskered blonde then adopted a grim expression as he stared back at a smirking Deidara.
'I have to engage him in taijutsu. But he just wouldn't let me come near him. Even if he's a long range fighter, he's as fast as Kakashi-sensei...or even faster. I need something impulsive here, which can make me cover the distance quickly. If I do lightning shunshin, he'll sense my chakra as to where I'm about to appear just in time to dodge my attack. Kaa-san was easily able to counter it and could tell where I would be appearing,' he thought when his eyes widened in what seemed to be realization.
'That just might work but...I haven't tested it in any battle, not even training. And I only have one shot at this,' he thought, now forming two shadow clones beside him.
Taking out a hand-sized square shaped parchment, a minute black seal on it, Naruto put it on the clone's stomach while the previously formed clones continued to keep watch over other battles with their Rinnegan.
He then put his hand on the seal, applying chakra as a larger black circular seal appeared on the clones back. The other clone then put his hand on the clone's back, in the middle of the seal as Naruto nodded at the clone.
'Alright, the timing has to be perfect. He has to put the chakra in the seal at the same time as me,' the blonde thought as he walked a bit forward to create some distance between himself as the clone with seal.
"So, what's taking you so much time to make a move? Planning something?" Deidara asked with a smirk as he opened his fists, a few spiders crawling out of the mouth while Naruto stayed quiet as he glanced at the clay spiders.
'Here goes nothing,' he thought before turning around to dash towards his clone in a blur.
Naruto jumped towards the 'seal' clone in such a way that it looked he was going for a kick at his clone's stomach, where the seal was.
"Ngh!" his clone exclaimed as he skidded back a bit when the blonde's foot connected with his gut.
'Now!' Naruto thought, his body currently horizontal to the ground in slow motion, his feet planted on his clone's stomach while his knees were slowly bent with his motion as the clone stood his ground, being used as a springboard.
The clone standing behind put chakra through the larger seal, activating it as a burst of chakra erupted from it while Naruto released chakra from his feet at the exact same time.
WHOOSH!
Having used the clone as a springboard, his chakra enhanced recoil motion was given a monstrous burst due to the seal releasing large amounts of chakra in an instant. The blonde went sailing towards a surprised Deidara at mind boggling speeds while his two clones were dispelled due to the large reaction force.
'Damn...too fast,' Naruto thought, his Rinnegan eradicating the tunnel vision as he neared Deidara, having sliced through the wind while he had covered a considerable distance in just a second.
'Shit!'
Not having the time to even blink an eye, Deidara barely dodged Naruto's fist, his cheek getting grazed as the Akatsuki nin was thrown off balance due to the last moment dodge.
POOF!
'A clone?' Deidara thought in shock, being sure that it was the real Naruto.
He didn't even have time to widen his eyes upon noticing two shadows descending on him. Without even looking up, he formed the half ram seal.
'Katsu!' he inwardly exclaimed when a small explosion occurred beneath him in the ground, effectively throwing him away when...
"Rasengan!" the two Naruto exclaimed as they slammed the white glowing spheres where Deidara was just a second ago, creating a deep crater as chunks of earth flew in random directions.
'Fucking bastard! I can't believe he used that explosion to dodge my attack. I was sure I had him,' one of those two thought in annoyance.
KHDDDRR!
'This brat...' Deidara thought with gritted teeth as he skidded on the ground, having taken some damage from his own explosion.
His eyes widened though upon hearing intense chirping sounds. The blonde Iwa nin whipped his head to see Naruto nearing him with his right hand covered in lightning.
"Too late!" Naruto exclaimed with narrowed eyes as he thrusted his hand forwards.
"Chidori!"
Thup!
His narrowed eyes widened in shock when Deidara caught his wrist in a blur, a frown on the Akatsuki members face.
"You know brat, your speed is average at best. I'll admit that attack of yours surprised me for a second there, but you're out of your league here hmm."
SNAP!
"ARGHH!" Naruto screamed in pain when the ex-terrorist bomber broke his wrist while the lightning slowly died down.
"Naruto-kun!" Ayumi exclaimed as the blonde gritted his teeth in pain.
"I now see why you're so dangerous hmm. You're art is appreciable kid," Deidara muttered, a grim expression on his face instead of the usual amused one.
Naruto, who was a bit crouched, his both eyes closed in searing pain, slowly opened his one eye as the blonde gritted his teeth.
"F-Fuck you!" he went for a kick at Deidara's gut.
SQUELCH!
A silent wind breezed through the area as both the blondes stood there. Deidara had a grave expression on his face while Naruto's eyes were currently widened, blood leaking from his lips to down his chin as he coughed some blood.
Standing behind him was another Deidara, holding a kunai which was currently embedded into the blonde's upper-right back.
'I aimed for his heart, but he deliberately moved at the last second. How did he see my attack?' Deidara thought as his clone standing behind Naruto dissolved into mud. He then shifted his pupils, still holding the jinchuriki's broken wrist to see a clone watching them.
'I see...it seems their visions are interlinked,' he thought in realization.
Meanwhile, Ayumi was panicking inside Naruto's mind while her eyes were getting glossy.
"Na-Naruto! Hey! Hold yourself...I'll heal you in a second!" she exclaimed when the whiskered blonde interrupted.
"No Ayumi-chan, my chakra is currently holding the most of Sasori's poison. Your chakra will just make things worse," he inwardly uttered as a smirk formed on his face despite his injuries while Deidara turned his eyes back to him.
"Let's see if your plan works Ayumi-chan," he spoke while the Akatsuki nin raised an eyebrow at the jinchuriki.
"You're about to die you know," Deidara verbalized in a low tone as he tapped his right foot on the ground. The loose soil on it began to 'vibrate', pebbles began to roll on the surface when...
Khddr! Khhdr!...Khdrrr!
Hundreds of clay snakes and centipedes erupted from the ground, now in mid air as they surrounded both Naruto and Deidara, the latter of whom glanced at Sasori to see him busy in his own battle.
The Akatsuki nin had a solemn look in his eyes, a frown on his face as he formed the half ram sign.
'You have my respect kid...your art is definitely appreciable,' he thought, a resolute look in his eyes while Naruto seemed to be smiling now, blood dripping down his chin with his eyes still half lidded.
"Any last wishes hmm?" Deidara asked, his tone melancholic as he stared into the Rinnegan. Naruto however smiled.
"Y-Yeah...," he trailed, now panting while Deidara raised his eyebrows whereas the clay snakes and centipedes were on the ground, slowly crawling onto Naruto's body.
The whiskered blonde tilted his head as he spoke quietly...
"Oroike no Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu)"
POOF!
Deidara staggered a bit when Naruto was suddenly covered in smoke to reveal a...
'What the hell?' the Akatsuki nin thought in shock, momentarily losing focus because of the completely unpredictable...absurd move by the jinchuriki.
SQUICH!
"Ngrghh!" sounds of chirping birds filled the area as Deidara coughed a large amount of blood.
Standing behind him was Naruto's clone, his right hand having completely pierced Deidara's earlier damaged shoulder, lightning crackling around his hands, its glowing nature giving a purple tint to Deidara and Naruto's face, the latter of whom had undone the transformation.
"Y-You bastard!" the blonde Iwa nin exclaimed, currently numb due to lightning coursing through it while the blonde just smirked.
"Never let your enemies get behind you."
Naruto lifted his left hand before placing on Deidara's right chest as he nodded to his clone.
CRRKKK!
"Argh!" both the blondes exclaimed when the clone dispelled into lightning, revealing itself to be a lightning clone as lightning coursed through their bodies. Naruto, having his hand in contact with Deidara's body too felt the shock while all the clay snakes and centipedes were rendered useless now making the clay user curse.
Deidara opened his eyes, panting heavily as he glared murderously at Naruto, who still had his left hand on the clay user's right chest.
"Why you...f-fucking bra-"
"S-Shinra Tensei!" Naruto exclaimed, his half lidded eyes now narrowed.
SWOOSH!
Deidara was thrown back at blistering speeds, his body flipping vertically in midair at whooping velocities as he sailed away from Naruto.
Thdrr!...Thdrdd!...Khdrrr!
His body sliding on the ground several times due to the crazy momentum, Deidara's limp body finally slid to a halt on the dirt.
"Naruto...are you alright? Please just hold on...I won't let anything happen to you," Ayumi spoke in a concerned voice as the whiskered blonde slid to his knees, panting heavily for he had put a lot of chakra in this 'Shinra Tensei'. He wiped the blood of his chin with his sleeve, the kunai still lodged in his back while he could feel his eyes getting heavy; his body was also getting numb.
"Damn...the p-poison...well, hehe...I can't believe that r-ridiculous idea of yours...worked Ayumi-chan," he stuttered with a smile, now sitting as he took deep breaths- desperately trying to hold on. Turning his head, he noticed his right broken wrist laying motionless on his right thigh while the blonde was using his other hand to support himself.
"Naruto-kun, put some of your chakra in the seal," Ayumi spoke sternly while his breathing was rasp.
"Why?" he asked in curiosity when she spoke in a somewhat pleading and desperate voice.
"Just do it please..."
Sighing to himself, he pushed some of his chakra into the seal, already knowing what she was about to do.
POOF!
Naruto turned his head as Ayumi came out of the smoke, wearing a plain black kimono. She immediately took him a gentle hug, putting her left hand on the kunai embedded into his flesh on his back.
"Naruto-kun...I'm sorry," she muttered, her eyes glossy as she hugged him tightly, his head stuffed into her chest making him chuckle a bit.
"No...don't be...but, we h-have to get out of here," he verbalized in a low tone, his eyelids getting heavy while one of his clones went to assist Shizune in her battle with Guren. With his Uzumaki level reserves, even his shadow clones had considerable amounts of chakra.
Ayumi closed her eyes, her nine tails resting on the ground behind her as she tightly gripped the kunai on his back.
"A-Ayumi-chan, do you have a...argh!" the jinchuriki exclaimed when suddenly the kunai was pulled out of his back with a jerk, coughing a bit as the red haired bijuu (sitting beside him with the Naruto facing forward, towards Deidara) wrapped her arms around his neck, using her right hand to push his head deeper into her chest while the other hand held his right shoulder.
Tears were streaming down her face at the sight of her lover, he was in so much pain, it destroyed her from inside to see him like this.
'Why does he have to endure so much? Why him? This is all happening because of me! First the invasions, then Itachi...and now this. Why can't he be left alone by these bastards!' she thought, her warm tears falling on Naruto's face.
"D-Don't cry Ayumi-chan...t-this is nothing, I'll be healed in no time at all," he uttered, lifting his left hand to wipe her tears off while his clones kept watching other battles. It seems Jiraiya was completely overpowering Orochimaru and Kabuto, both of whom were panting and low on chakra. His clone and Shizune were fighting off Guren while as expected, much to his aching heart, Tsunade was in tears at seeing his condition. Hinata and Shima were just defending themselves, also protecting an unconscious Tayuya in the process.
And now he was getting anxious, Hinata was panting heavily and was quite low on chakra whereas Shima too seemed to be tired, her sage mode already exhausted.
"Ha...n-never would've thought that k-kyuubi would possess a human form...a-and a female one at th-that," both Naruto and Ayumi snapped open their eyes to see Deidara limping towards them. The blonde Akatsuki had blood coated lips, his eyes too half lidded while he was holding his left wounded shoulder, blood dripping down his left hand.
"You!" Ayumi growled, gritting her teeth as she glared at Iwa's blonde in rage while Naruto released a shaky breath as he rubbed Ayumi's lower back with his left hand to calm her down.
Deidara had a small smirk on his face, currently panting as he just sat on the ground, it seemed as if he was badly injured too.
"You a-are the first one to h-have c-caught me o-off guard in a battle in years...w-who would have thought...a r-ridiculous technique such as that...just to distract me, you r-really are d-different...k-kyuubi jinchuriki," the clay user muttered, closing his eyes as he breathed deeply while Naruto narrowed his eyes.
'What game is he playing now? When my lightning clone dispelled, all the clay in that bag of his was made useless. And he too seems to be exhausted. Well after being hit by a Rasengan and Chidori, who wouldn't? Also my last Shinra Tensei must have broken several bones in his body...still, I have to be careful. This guy is an S-rank missing nin after all,' Naruto thought while Ayumi held him somewhat possessively to her, glaring coldly at the Akatsuki member.
"My my...y-you two seem very close huh? P-Pretty unusual for a jinchuriki," Deidara verbalized making Ayumi growl in anger.
"Stay away from him ningen!" her voice dripping with venom. She really wished she had her chakra at this point of time, the bijuu wanted nothing but to rip this guy to shreds with her bare hands!
'Strange, I feel no demonic chakra coming from her, nor is she showing the usual bloodlust that bijuu possess. And how did she come out of the seal anyway?' Deidara thought in confusion while Ayumi too had her own set of thoughts going on.
'He was aiming to kill Naruto-kun. But why, they're supposed to capture the jinchuriki alive and then extract the bijuu. If it weren't for Kushina-chan's training, Naruto-kun most probably wouldn't have...' her thoughts trailed as she took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart.
'I...severely underestimated him this time,' Deidara thought with a frown as he continued to pant. Naruto however was concentrating on his white chakra, concentrating some of it on his broken wrist to heal it as quickly as possible.
Without one of his hands, he knew his whole wide arsenal of ninjutsu was useless.
His eyes however suddenly widened when he saw something via his clones...
'Hinata!'
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Shizune-chan...just hold on for a bit, we're gonna get out of here soon," Naruto's clone spoke in a low tone, currently standing in front of the panting black haired medic.
Shizune was sporting several bruises on her body, blood dripping down her right hand for Guren's crystal had completely pierced through it.
"I c-can handle a bit more, I'm just...low on chakra," she wheezed out, her one eye closed.
Standing opposite to them was Guren, who too was panting in exhaustion as she looked to be low on chakra.
'I just used so much chakra when I was fighting Tsunade...damn,' the crystal user thought as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.
After the clone had jumped in, he had traded several blows with Guren. One thing that really confused him, and was clear to him, was that his crystal release was much weaker than hers. Her crystal shards had easily broken his crystal wall. He had expected her crystal release to be better considering it was her primary bloodline limit, but he didn't expect the gap to be this much.
'Before we try to retreat, I have to make sure that this woman doesn't have enough chakra to stop us. Even if she's affected by Shizune-nii-chan's poison, I still have to be sure. I have to exhaust her a little more,' the clone thought, gazing at the crystal user with his Rinnegan.
He then suddenly bolted in Guren's direction, doing three signs in midway as lightning started to gather around his right hand, chirping sounds being made making her eyes widen.
'Let's see if a fast point blank attack like Chidori is able to pierce it,'the clone thought, his Rinnegan removing tunnel vision as he dashed forwards, inducing dust behind him while Guren went through a few hand seals before slamming her hands on the ground resulting in a crystal dome forming around her.
'Here we go!' the whiskered blonde thought as he slammed the lightning technique onto the crystal.
CKHRRRKKK!
To his surprise, his hand was able to pierce the crystal structure, the rest of it remaining intact as the blonde stood there. His eyes though widened upon hearing the crystal user exclaim something incoherent through the hole.
Shizune's eyes widened when suddenly large crystal spikes protruded out from the dome, taking out the clone as the crystal dome slowly fell into pieces.
Guren was panting, her one eye closed while she was on his knees.
'Damn...too low on chakra, I can't fight anymore,' she thought before turning her head to gaze at Orochimaru and Kabuto, both of whom seem to be exhausted making her frown.
'We have to retreat. I can't let anything happen to Orochimaru-sama,' she thought before glancing at the black haired medic, relieved that she too seemed to be out of chakra.
Guren's eyes were half lidded, her breathing coming in labored breaths as she could also feel Shizune's poison taking affect, her body was slowly going numb.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
SQUICH!
"Hinata-chan!" Shima exclaimed, currently panting while in front of her was Hinata, a long blade having completely pierced her from behind to come out from her stomach, blood dripping from its tip.
The katana was being held by a human puppet, its body halfway buried into the ground. It seems it had attacked sneakily from beneath the ground.
"You Konoha ninja, is that all you do in a battle? Taking hits for your comrades? It seems you people don't value your lives at all," Sasori uttered, currently in his Hiruku puppet, its tail waving behind it.
Hinata's bleeding back was facing him while Shima, having gotten her sage mode exhausted was gazing at Hinata with a horror expression on her face.
"You idiot, you didn't have to do that for me!" the mother of toads exclaimed, it seemed the Hyuuga heiress had taken the hit for her.
Blood was leaking from Hinata's mouth, dripping down her chin as she coughed abruptly. Strands of hair were hanging in front of her face, her head lowered while her eyes, having Toyotama Byakugan still activated, were half lidded.
She smiled weakly at Shima, lifting her head a bit.
"S-Sorry...but m-my body j-ju...'cough'...just m-moved," her voice raspy as she held the blade protruding out from her stomach.
"So it seems your new Byakugan is pretty strong….nothing can escape from those eyes I see, not even underground attacks. That's a pretty interesting, I have to add you in my collection now," the Suna's puppet user stated when Shima stepped sideways to look past Hinata, her eyes widening in realization when she saw the earth beneath Sasori having a hole in it.
'So that's how he did it, he made his puppet dig through the earth to attack us sneakily,' she thought with a frown when the puppet retracted the blade abruptly, making Hinata cough more as she fell to her knees while Naruto's clone, which had been tending to an unconscious Tayuya had also been dispelled during the fight when he tried to aid them.
'Shit! What do we do now? This is getting out of hand. Both of these girls are now affected by the poison and Tsunade-chan can't fight right now,' Shima thought with a grave expression, turning her head to notice that Jiraiya was still trying to kill Orochimaru, but with the evasiveness of that snake, it sure was taking time. However, the snake sanin and Kabuto looked to be at their limits now.
CRKK!
Shima snapped her head when suddenly Naruto appeared beside Hinata in a burst of lightning.
"Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, putting his left hand on her cheek while his damaged right hand remained limp on his side. He too looked to be in a very bad shape, his jounin-like vest already soaked by blood while the blonde was panting in exhaustion.
"Oh..." Sasori grunted as he turned his head to see Deidara on his knees, panting in exhaustion as his eyes widened in shock.
'This kid...was able to do that much damage to Deidara?' the puppet user thought, not believing that someone like Deidara could end up like that against an inexperienced brat in front of him.
"H-Hey Hinata...c'mon, wake up!" Naruto exclaimed desperately, cupping her cheek as the Hyuga heiress slowly opened her eyes, the Toyotama Byakugan still activated.
"Na-Naruto-kun...," she exhaled weakly while the blonde's eyes were getting glossy.
"Naruto-kun...control yourself...we have to concentrate on getting out of here. With that clay user, Orochimaru, his assistant and that crystal user exhausted, we have a much better chance of escaping. Don't worry about Hinata, she can be healed by Tsunade later," Ayumi spoke seriously making him nod when Sasori uttered.
"If you want to save her, its best that you come with us and let Tsunade of the sanin treat her. Besides, you're already out of time. They're here at last," the puppet user verbalized making Naruto, Shima and Hinata's eyes widen at his words.
"Who are here?" Shima asked loudly as Sasori just kept quiet while Deidara had jumped on his bird, off which Naruto's Shinra Tensei had thrown him.
'Shit! Are more of these guys coming?' Naruto thought in a mixture of frustration and panic.
Hinata took a deep breath as she slowly did some hand seals before quietly muttering...
"Uzume," Naruto, Shima and Sasori had surprised look on their faces as a glowing circle with two pink petals formed beneath Naruto and Hinata, the latter of whom's eyes were closed.
"H-Hinata-chan, what are you doing?" Naruto asked in a low tone harshly, concerned that she was pushing herself despite in her frail state.
The glowing circle however soon died down as Hinata opened her eyes, clutching his left hand weakly while there was a look of panic on her face.
"W-We have escape q-quickly. Two m-more of A-Akatsuki are approaching us s-several miles from here...from Konoha's d-direction," she stuttered making the blonde's eyes widen.
'So they're coming from Konoha...it would mean that in case we manage to escape, they plan to intercept us on our way to Konoha. They've come prepared for this,' he pondered, trying to think of a way to get out of this mess.
'Even if we get out of here, we still have to reach Konoha. And these guys surely would be waiting for us on the way...,' he thought, racking his brain when an idea clicked in his mind.
'That's it! This should definitely work!' he thought, a look of hope crossing his face when Sasori's mouth opened, a metal tube becoming visible while he lifted his left arm towards them.
"Time to end this brat," the puppet user said while Naruto's eyes widened when he saw Sasori building up large amounts of chakra in his mouth as well as the left arm, through his Rinnegan that is.
"Shit! I need your chakra Ayumi-chan!" he inwardly shouted.
"But what about the poison?" she asked in concern making him shake his head in frustration.
"JUST DO IT!" he yelled as immediately the blonde could feel her chakra entering his system when Sasori's mouth opened further.
"Let's see you stop my thousand puppet's arms!" the puppet user exclaimed, building up more chakra when a large number of thin puppet hands began to come out of his mouth and left hand at blurry speeds.
"Kugutsu n-"
WHAM!
THDDRRR!
Naruto and Shima's pupils zoomed out in shock when Sasori's puppet, Hiruku, was shattered to pieces, courtesy of a monstrous punch by one blonde sanin.
A large crater formed beneath Sasori's crushed puppet due to the impact as a black blur shot out from the large puppet. Tsunade's eyes were icy cold as she stood up amongst the dust, some tears flowing with the wind from the bottom edge of her eyes while the earth had cracked up to even where Naruto was sitting due to the colossal blow.
"No one messes with my son!" she exclaimed with a frown, glaring at the figure wrapped in a black cloth.
Naruto however, his features already getting feral, turned his head to look at the empty barrier with wide eyes.
'How did she come out of my barrier? And what about her fear of blood?' he thought when...
POOF!
Tsunade appeared in front of him, her back facing him.
"K-Kaa-chan...," he spoke making her and Shima snap their heads upon hearing his demonic voice. Tsunade's eyes however softened, fresh tears taking birth when she noticed his condition; conditions of the two girls beside him.
"I'm sorry Naru-chan...but, don't worry. I'll be done with this guy in minutes and then we can all go back to Konoha," she spoke while Naruto's eyes widened when he noticed hundreds of needles approaching. Just as he was about to shout, she tapped her right foot on the ground...
Thuk! Thik! Thup!...Thuk!
An earth wall rose in a blur in front of her to block all the incoming attacks effectively.
Coming out of his stupor, Naruto spoke in a low tone harshly.
"You don't understand! Hinata-chan checked with her Toyotama Byakugan and she saw two more Akatsuki members coming here from Konoha's direction! We have to escape!" this made the slug sanin's eyes widen as the earth wall crumbled in front of her while she turned her head back towards where a cloaked Sasori was standing.
"I have a plan!" he exclaimed as red chakra started to leak out of his body making Shima wary of him somewhat.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"O-Orochimaru-sama, we have to retreat," Kabuto muttered, panting heavily while the snake sanin standing beside him too was sweating in exhaustion.
'Tsunade seems to have somehow overcome her fear...we need to get out of here,' Orochimaru thought before whispering to Kabuto.
"You know the plan Kabuto," this made the silver haired medic nod.
Jiraiya had a smirk on his face as he glanced at where Tsunade was standing.
'Well well, looks like she couldn't bare to see her godson get hurt huh?' he thought, now believing that things were on their side- currently still in sage mode.
"Jiraiya-sama!" he turned his head when Shizune appeared beside him in a puff of smoke, a weary look on her face while Guren too appeared beside Orochimaru.
"Shizune, you okay?" the toad sanin asked making her nod as she wiped the sweat off her brow.
"Just low on chakra," she muttered making him sigh.
"Go Kabuto," Orochimaru muttered, a panting Guren standing beside him while the silver haired medic nodded as he walked to stand in front of them. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he formed the ram seal.
'No time to waste now, I have to catch at least one of them. Kabuto seems to be the right choice but if I get the crystal user, it wouldn't be bad too,' the toad sanin thought as he started to go through a couple of blurry hand seals.
Kabuto's eyes widened before they narrowed as he started to execute the seals for the planned technique.
"Hijutsu Ninp-"
"Senpou: Doton: Yomi Numa! (Sage Art: Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld) "
Jiraiya slammed his hands on the ground as instantly a large patch of earth beneath Kabuto, Orochimaru and Guren started to rumble. Orochimaru immediately realized the technique as he jumped just in time before the ground turned into sticky mud, pulling Guren and Kabuto into its depths.
"W-What..is this?" the crystal user exclaimed as she started to struggle. Kabuto too was slashing into the mud with his chakra coated kunai but Jiraiya's technique, in sage mode it seemed, was way too strong.
'Hn…you think you can get out my sage techniques just like that?' Jiraiya thought with a smirk while Shizune watched the scene with surprise visible on her face. Most of the area was being dissolved into this deep mud pit as the two victims continued to struggle.
Orochimaru was gritting his teeth as he watched his two companions sink in. Tapping his earth chakra enhanced right foot on the ground, he muttered.
"Doton: Tsuchi Kairou! (Earth Release: Earth Corridor)," Jiraiya just smirked as he again put his palms on the ground.
'Give it your best shot,' he inwardly exclaimed as the snake sanin poured chakra into his technique. Guren and Kabuto were now buried upto their necks when the mud started to separate in a thin line. Kabuto looked down as the mud began to extricate from his body sideways, same was happening with the crystal user.
Orochimaru gritted his teeth when the mud again enclosed around their bodies tightly, courtesy of Jiraiya who had poured more senjutsu chakra into the technique.
"You idiot, without the hand seals, your techniques are too weak against my sage mode," he taunted as his ex-teammate glared coldly at him.
'Argh…damn it! This mud pit is just too strong. I have to do something…' Guren thought when she suddenly realized something. Both of her hands still in the mud, she went through some one handed seals inside the mud.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes when the crystal user pulled out her right arm, much to his surprise.
'How did she…?' he thought when Fukasaku pointed out.
"She encased her right arm in crystal, she's using its slippery property," this made the sanin sigh when Orochimaru jumped to land in front of the pit, giving time to the crystal user to get out as he watched for any attack from Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sama, she's getting away!" Shizune exclaimed in a low tone as Guren pulled her other arm out before going through a set of hand seals, her whole body now covered in a crystal layer, a result of her using her crystal armor.
The toad sanin didn't waste any time as he dashed towards the trio, leaving behind a violent gust of wind.
"G-Guren…help me!" Kabuto exclaimed with a frantic expression on his face, now his chin under the mud. The crystal user, who currently was panting due to chakra exhaustion, just spared him a glance before jumping by Orochimaru's side.
"Senpou: Kebari Senbon! (Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon)"
Kabuto turned his head as he noticed a large number of needles approaching Orochimaru and Guren. His eyes widened in horror when the duo in front of him started to turn into crystal.
"Hey wait! Orochimaru-sama…." He yelled as the snake sanin glanced at him from over his shoulder with a serious expression on face.
CHTRRR!
The crystal, which had encased the duo shattered into millions of pieces upon being hit by the white needles.
KHDRRRH!
"Damn it!" Jiraiya exclaimed with gritted teeth as he skid to a halt in front of the shattered crystal pieces.
'He escaped yet again…damn him! Every time he somehow manages to slip out!' the sanin thought in frustration, now noticing the lost look on Kabuto's face who was buried up to just under his nose.
"Well, seems like they left you, huh kid?" Jiraiya spoke with narrowed eyes while the silver haired medic was just speechless. They had left him, left him with these Konoha nin, they abandoned him….
"Don't worry Jiraiya-chan, at least you got his right hand man, this will be an invaluable asset to Konoha," Fukasaku spoke making the sanin nod as he performed more hand seals before slamming his right hand on the ground.
"Kekkai: Gama Hyourou! (Barrier: Toad Gourd Prison)" he shouted leading into a puff of smoke. The smoke cleared to reveal a 'gourd' shaped toad. Kabuto narrowed his eyes upon seeing the summon when they heard a shout.
"JIRAIYA!"
The sanin snapped his head back just in time when he felt his vest being grabbed. His eyes widened in shock as he found himself being lifted off the ground by the one and only Tsunade. Fukasaku leaped from his shoulder in the process while the slug sanin, now carrying him bridal style, took off in the opposite direction in a blur.
"Tsu-Tsunade! Wha-" he was cut off by a murderous glare by the medic while Jiraiya currently found himself in her arms, the toad sanin blushing up a storm in embarrassment as she dashed towards where Naruto was standing.
"No time to explain! We have to get out of here FAST!" her voice was a bit panicked making him narrow his eyes when he heard Fukasaku's voice from behind.
"I'll take care of the rest Jiraiya-chan!"
Thud!
"Ow!" Shizune exclaimed as she was unceremoniously dropped by Tsunade's clone near where Hinata and Tayuya were currently laying.
"You alright Shizune-chan?" she lifted her head for her eyes to widen.
"N-Naruto-kun…wh-what happened to you?" she asked as he turned his head back. Currently the two red chakra tails were swishing behind him, his feral features now easily noticeable while the blonde looked to be quite in pain.
"Argh! Drop me now will you?" she turned her head to see Jiraiya being dropped on the ground as the toad sanin grumbled in irritation. He had always dreamed of carrying Tsunade bridal style in his genin days, not the other way around!
"You think we'll let you escape," Sasori spoke, his voice now much smoother as the cloaked figure stood several meters in front of them.
"You have to cross me if you want to escape to Konoha," he spoke calmly making Tsunade narrow his eyes while Naruto suddenly slid to one knee, gritting his teeth while he could feel his vision getting blurry.
'The poison….'
"Naru-chan! You alright?" Tsunade stepped forward, an expression of concern on her face. The blonde really looked worse for the wear. There were two large holes in his trench coat as well as the vest on his back, exposing his recently healed skin while the most of his trench coat was soaked in blood now. Several bruises and cuts were still visible on his body as he panted in exertion.
Naruto lifted his right hand as he flexed his wrist, gritting his teeth when a jolt of pain surged through his right arm.
'Still not fully healed yet…but this will do,' he thought as Jiraiya and Tsunade walked towards him.
"Kaa-chan…you know what to do," the blonde muttered making her nod.
"You sure you'll be able to pull it off?" she questioned as Sasori continued to stand there patiently. It wasn't his loss that they were taking their sweet time, he only had to stall them anyway.
"Just do it...Kaa-chan!" he now yelled in desperation, his eyes closed as the blonde tried to cope up with the pain. With the lethal poison weakening him along with Ayumi's youki tearing off his insides, he knew that he had a maximum of two-three minutes before succumbing to unconsciousness.
"What do you plan on-"
"Got it!" the medic sanin exclaimed, cutting off Jiraiya as she dashed past Naruto, towards where Sasori was standing. The cloaked figure of the puppet user just stayed still as Tsunade approached him at blurred speeds.
"Ero-senin! Toad mouth bind!" Naruto exclaimed loudly making Jiraiya narrow his eyes. Trusting his godson, he went through a few hand seals before slamming them on the ground.
The medic sanin however surprised Sasori when she jumped high into the air in her mid sprint.
'What is she planning?'
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" the Suna puppet user's eyes widened when dozens of shadow clones puffed into existence into mid air as they all descended in his direction, their fists reared back.
'Here goes nothing!' Tsunade thought as she, along with her clones approached the ground with their chakra charged fists, her pony tails waving behind her wildly.
"MUD…" she started as they reached the ground, where a startled Sasori was standing.
"CRATER!"
BHAM!
The whole area was affected by the monstrous punches as the earth instantly shattered where Sasori was standing. A huge crater formed where the puppet user was standing while chunks of earth uprooted from the ground over the whole area, the impact of the mind boggling punches spreading through the decimated ground like an epidemic.
The effect was devastating, it could even be observed while standing several miles away from the top of a tree. The whole geography of the location- changed instantly as even the trees on the outskirts of the clearing were destroyed while large amounts of dirt and dust now covered the area.
Among the dust and debris, Jiraiya deactivated his 'Toad Mouth Bind' technique as he destroyed a chunk of earth above them with a Rasengan.
"Naru-chan!" the toad sage turned his head when Tsunade appeared beside the kneeling blonde via shunshin.
"G-Great work K-Kaa-chan," he muttered with a chuckle, his eyes shadowed as he slowly stood up while Tsunade refrained from touching him due to Ayumi's youki covering his body like a shroud.
"You'll have to do more than just change the landscape to defeat us," they turned their head upwards to notice the cloaked Sasori standing on a clay bird with Deidara sitting beside him, still panting in exhaustion.
Tsunade cursed inwardly as she glared at them.
'Should've known that they would resort to that,' she thought while Naruto slowly stood up as more red chakra started to leak from him making Jiraiya look at him in surprise.
'He's going even further? What's this kid planning?' he thought as the blonde formed a familiar seal.
"We are not finished…assholes," he murmured, now gritting his teeth because of excruciating pain as he concentrated huge amounts of chakra.
"Stay close…" he wheezed out making the blonde medic glance at him in confusion while Jiraiya knew all too well what he was planning.
"You've got a plan on how to escape? Cause we will need more than just clones," Jiraiya pointed out with a grim expression, this time trusting Naruto with their lives.
"Yeah…" the blonde muttered as he lifted his head while Tsunade's breathing hitched in her throat upon noticing his eyes- crimson red with two concentric rings surrounding a black vertical slit.
Deidara, who was currently holding on to his badly damaged shoulder, squinted his eyes in confusion as he observed the group with his eye scope.
'What's he planning? Either way, we'll just follow them. Besides, those two are on their way and will just intercept them. You've got no chance to escape,' he thought with a serious expression when Sasori took out an average sized scroll. Deidara's eyes widened when he noticed the kanji on it.
"You're going to use that?" he questioned as a gust of wind blew past them, shuffling the cloak as it revealed a young teen's face with red hair, his eyes half lidded.
"Yes, just to be on the safe side," the puppet user spoke in a smooth voice as he reached inside his cloak. Hundreds of chakra strings emitted from his chest region to connect to the scroll. Using the strings, Sasori lifted the scroll in mid air.
"Akahigi: Hyakki no Souen (Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets)"
A large number of puppets began to fire off from the scroll in rapid bursts, each having several chakra strings connected to them.
"Naruto…look," Jiraiya pointed out, a surprised expression on his face as the trio lifted their heads for their pupils to zoom out in mind numbing shock. About a hundred of puppets had filled the sky, currently floating in mid air as they shadowed the destroyed area.
"H-How can someone control so many puppets at the same time. Even the best puppeteers can't control more than ten puppets at once!" Tsunade exclaimed in surprise while Naruto lowered his head.
'Well this is Akatsuki, nothing surprises me anymore,' he thought as a third chakra tail protruded from his hip, his hair now becoming more spikier as wind began to howl around him.
"Naruto…whatever you're planning on doing, you'd better do it quick!" Jiraiya as the puppets began to descend on them, each of them holding all different sorts of pointed weapons, all dripped in Sasori's poison.
POOF!
"E-Ero-sennin….cover yourself and others with toad mouth bind…and don't release it until my clone dispels," he breathed out after creating a shadow clone before disappearing in a burst of chakra to appear on large chunk of earth in front of them as the blonde faced those puppets.
Jiraiya and Tsunade shared a look as they struggled with their decisions. The blonde medic took a deep sigh as she nodded at the toad sage with a smirk.
"I trust him…do it Jiraiya. This is not a gamble, I'm placing a sure bet on my son," she spoke with a determined look in his eyes making the toad sanin smirk back as he started to go through a few hand seals.
'Here we go…please work,' Naruto thought as he built massive amounts of chakra, a crater forming beneath him while dust revolved around his body wildly.
'What's he planning?' Sasori thought as he gazed at the red cloaked figure from above while Deidara too was eyeing the blonde with his eyescope in curiosity.
POOF!
'Holy….' The blonde Iwa missing nin thought in surprise when the whole area was covered by Naruto's shadow clones. It had to be at least a thousand of them!
'There goes his signature move….as informed by Itachi,' Sasori thought as his puppets descended towards where Tsunade and others were standing while the clones began to surround the group, climbing over each other as they shouted at each other to hurry up.
"What are they doing?" Deidara now asked with a serious expression as he stood up, now staring at the clones who had completely covered up the group along with the real Naruto.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!... Poof!
All of them dispelled at once, producing godly amounts of smoke while Sasori stopped his puppets.
"Damn it! They are using the smoke as cover! I can't see a thing!" Deidara exclaimed as he tried to zoom in using his eye scope while Sasori cursed in anger.
"I can't attack them blindly, this can pose the risk of the jinchuriki being killed. Deidara can you see them now?" he asked in frustration making the blonde shake his head.
The smoke soon dissipated for them to see their target no longer standing there.
"That bastard! He tricked us!" Deidara yelled in anger as he clenched is fist, no one standing down there while Sasori turned towards his partner.
"Don't worry, they won't go far. The other ones are on their way from Konoha's direction, most probably they will bump into them. Let's just follow them," the puppet user uttered in a calm voice as he pulled back his puppets, sealing them back into the scroll. The bird soon flew towards Konoha at impressive speeds, the duo intent of meeting the injured group again.
Hi no Kuni: Unknown Forests: Several Miles Away from Tanzaku Town
"Oi! Hurry up dammit! We have to fuck up the jinchuriki!" a silver haired figure, wearing an Akatsuki cloak with a large red scythe on his back yelled over his shoulder.
"Shut up Hidan, I'm going as fast as I can. Don't piss me off, or else I'll kill you," another figure, only a little behind the first one spoke in a muffled voice, wearing a slashed hitai-ate of Takigakure.
"Ha! You'll kill me? That's not possible as long as Jashin-sama is with me! No one can kill me!" Hidan exclaimed with a crazed gleam in his eyes as the duo blurred through the forests at neck breaking speeds.
"That will change if you don't sto-"
Kakuzu stopped speaking when they felt the trees begin to rumble as the earth started to shake a bit. Losing his balance due to the disturbance, Hidan flipped in mid air as he landed on his feet on the ground.
"What the hell? Was it an earthquake?" Hidan asked as the ground had stopped shaking now while Kakuzu just stood there up on the branch, an impatient look on his face.
"Hurry up Hidan, we don't have much time," Kakuzu verbalized as he took off in the direction of Tanzaku town making a vein pop on Hidan's forehead.
"That bastard, always bossing around," he articulated in a low tone before jumping back on track, speeding up to catch with his partner.
Hi no Kuni: Five Miles Away From Konoha: Fifteen Minutes Later
BOOM!
A large explosion took place in a small clearing, surrounded by dense forests.
KHRDDD!
A huge figure jumped out of the destroyed earth in a blur to land on the clear ground. The smoke slowly cleared to reveal a large brown serpentine dragon having five claws on each of his limbs with no wings. His eyes were blood red as the dragon lowered his head towards the ground. Opening his large mouth, a blonde figure slowly rolled out from its tongue along with a somewhat large rubbery, slimy ball.
The blonde seemed to be panting, laying on the ground on his back. His eyes were closed as he laughed to himself.
"I…W-We did it…" he muttered, taking deep breaths, now chuckling to himself.
"I'm so glad you're okay Naruto-kun!"
"Uzumaki Naruto…." He squinted his eyes open to turn his head towards the large dragon. His smile widened as the blonde gave the nice guy pose, still laughing lightly.
"T-Thanks Dilong-sama….," he wheezed out, coughing abruptly while the dragon seemed to nod lightly.
"No problem…just take care of yourself. And if you need me again, don't hesitate to call me kid," he said making the jinchuriki nod. Shifting his pupils towards the large rubbery substance, a look of realization dawned on his face.
'Oh yeah….the clone,' he thought before dispelling his clone. The substance instantly began to dissipate into the air to reveal Jiraiya, a concerned Tsunade and Shizune while Hinata and Tayuya were still unconscious on the ground.
"Naru-chan!" the blonde medic exclaimed as she immediately rushed to his side, a worried look on her face as she took his upper body in her arms. Jiraiya however turned his head to look at the large dragon standing behind them as he whistled in appreciation.
'Now that's one intimidating summon,' he thought before turning back towards the blonde duo, a smile gracing his lips as he watched them.
"A-Are you alright?" Tsunade asked as she kissed his cheek making him laugh a bit.
"O-Of course I am Kaa-chan! J-Just a bit out of s-shape," he spoke as tears welled up in her eyes. Naruto was taken aback when she suddenly hugged him, her arms tightly wrapped, rather protectively around his injured frame.
"I'm…I'm so sorry! I wouldn't let you suffer like that ever again!" she exclaimed, tears now streaming down her cheeks while Shizune too smiled at the sight as she sighed in relief.
'Thank Kami….we're alive. I thought that we were gone for sure,' she thought before feeling a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, you okay Shizune?" she lifted her head to notice Jiraiya smiling at her making her nod with a smile.
"I am Jiraiya-sama, but we need to treat these two quickly," she muttered while eyeing Hinata and Tayuya.
"I'll take my leave now….Uzumaki Naruto," all of them turned their heads, especially Tsunade, whose eyes widened upon noticing the large dragon.
'A dragon? Naru-chan possesses the Elemental Dragon's Summoning contract?' she thought in surprise as the large summon puffed into large amounts of smoke.
"Tsunade, I think you should first look over these two," Jiraiya called as he pointed towards the two unconscious kunoichi making Naruto jerk upwards.
"Argh!" he exclaimed when excruciating pain surged through his system making Tsunade whip her head back as she gently pushed him back on the ground, a stern motherly look taking birth in her eyes.
"Uzumaki Naruto, don't you dare move from your spot until I say so!" she declared making him nod as he panted.
"Shizune!"
"H-Hai Tsunade-sama!" the black haired medic was instantly by her master's side.
"Here, look after Naru-chan while I treat those two. I already created the antidote for the poison a few days ago, so it should be quick," Tsunade uttered, handing a syringe to Shizune for her son while Naruto inwardly slapped his head.
'Damn….all that work and she's now telling us that she had the antidote! Well I guess….it was not her fault too. Things just happened way too fast,' he thought when Ayumi squealed inside him in happiness.
"That's great! I thought it would take time to heal you….this calls for a PARTY NARUTO-KUN! And for some hot steamy sex too!" the blonde sweatdropped at his lover's antics, a dark blush forming on his cheeks while Shizune used the syringe on his left bicep, his gear was already torn in several places. Most of his bare upper body was visible in fact.
"You pervert! I was close to dying just a few moments ago and you're still thinking about sex?" he exclaimed making the bijuu pout.
"Hey! I was the one who suggested that idea against that clay bastard! Don't tell that I didn't help you at all! And now I want some reward for that!" she 'hmphed' childishly making him sigh inwardly.
"Yeah…thank you Ayumi-chan. But at least wait for me to heal, then I'll give you anything you want," he promised sincerely as a devious gleam entered the bijuu's eyes.
"Anything?" she asked innocently making him nod inwardly.
"Well then, I can't wait for you to heal! We'll do some fu~n things Naruto-kuuun," she purred seductively making him blush lightly. No matter how many times she acted so…..direct, he could never get used to it.
Meanwhile Jiraiya sat down with a jerk as he wiped his forehead with a sigh.
'That was a close one….a real close one,' he thought before lifting his head to glance at Naruto, a smile gracing his lips.
'You would be proud Kushina….Minato…look how fast your son is growing. He's steadily growing stronger every day, carving his own shinobi path,' the toad sanin pondered as he stared at his godson fondly.
"You're proud of him huh?" he turned his head to notice Tsunade who too was sitting beside him as she stared at her godson….or rather, her son with a smile, it seems she had already given the antidotes to the two kunoichi.
"Yeah…who wouldn't be?" Jiraiya chuckled making her smile brightly before he glanced at Hinata and Tayuya behind them.
"How are those two?" he asked making her 'hmm' in response.
"They will be alright, aside from the poison, nothing is life threatening. I've already given them the antidotes, they should fully recover within a week," this made him sigh in relief.
"These two are really something, going up against an S-rank nin like Sasori without running away….the next generation is really something huh?" he said making her chuckle.
"Yes, they are strong….very strong. I'm impressed by these two. One is a 'take no shit' attitude kunoichi…" the toad sanin chuckled at this as he glanced at Tayuya.
"…while the other, well let's just say that she's the first Hyuga I like," the two laughed heartily at that.
"OW! Shizune-nee-chan! It huuurts…ITAI~!"
"Oh stop being a pussy Naruto-kun! It's only a damn needle!" Shizune exclaimed in her 'sister mode' while Tsunade frowned at that.
"Oi Shizune!" she exclaimed with that motherly tone of hers as the blonde medic stood up, now walking towards Naruto. Jiraiya snickered to himself as he saw Tsunade berating her 'daughter' for being rough on her 'Naru-chan'.
'Yeah…she got her family back. Just wait till you meet Kushina Tsunade.'
Well, the Tsunade Retrieval Arc finally ends! And now the several of the upcoming chapters, they would be like- fillers with the plot progressing somewhat slowly. It will focus on romance and drama, focusing on building relationships and just some light stuff which should bring a smile to your faces lol. Oh...there will be lemons, I don't care if this gets deleted, I'll just post this story again. I'm NOT scared! CHA! XD
I think the upcoming small filler arc is much needed for the story after its somewhat dark phase since the last 8-9 chapters. :)
Anyway, this is the longest chapter of this story up until now with 9.5K+ words, so please review. :)
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