AHH! Hey guys! Guess I'm back with another chapter. :D
Well, the reason for my long absence are several factors- and I'm not going to bore you with that. All you guys need to know is that I will not abandon my stories, life may get in the way and thus lead to long update gaps- but I'll keep trying my best to keep going.
Readers in large numbers have been asking me to continue, and I guess that was the major factor for me to not give up on my stories after such a long gap. So I will continue writing as long as you guys are there supporting me, cause that makes you feel like you are needed somewhere and you do your best not to disappoint anyone.
I know all of you are disappointed, but rest assured I was always trying my best- fighting with the situations and wanting to continue my stories- that's the reason there was no 'HIATUS A/N' this whole year. I just didn't want to give up on my stories, and you guys also made sure of that. So thanks a lot for sticking with me. :)
For all the readers who PM'ed me, thank you very much! I'm sorry I didn't reply, but I thought what better reply than to directly give the chapter! I hope that answers the most frequently asked question of my readers- 'Are you alive?' :P
I know you're reading the story after such a long time, so you might want to go to that 'Info Section' of this fic on my profile- at least so you know what's going on, and who is who basically.
Now let's move on to what you're really here for-
Chapter 53- Purloined!
"I will... not ...fail!" words slipped through the Kaguya's gritted teeth as he held his ground while the clone too was gritting his teeth, pushing the ball of spiralling chakra as hard as he could- trying to pierce his defence.
"And I will, shatter your delusion!" the clone lifted his other hand to bring it in front of Kimimaro's face, the latter's eyes widening in realization.
"Don't fool yourself...IN BELIEVING THAT YOU CAN FOOL ME!" his pupils zoomed out as the left hand began to glow with white chakra- inches away from Kimimaro's face.
"SHINRA TENSEI!"
The real Naruto watched as his opponent was blasted off his feet, a shockwave erupting from the impact as his clone dispelled himself.
He stood there unmoving as Kimimaro's limp body skid to a halt on the muddy ground, the clouds now thundering violently as it continued to rain heavily.
"You better hurry Naruto, the others will need your help," Ayumi voiced softly making him blink as he nodded lightly.
'Now to get this piece of bone off me,' he thought while looking at Kimimaro's spinal column which was wrapped around him in a death grip, the spikes having been embedded in his skin. Moving even an inch hurt like a bitch.
"Just use Shinra Tensei..." Ayumi uttered, sensing his predicament.
"Can't, usually when I use it it's in a particular direction. I have to exert it in all directions equally to get this thing off, so let's just says I'm not at that level right now," the blonde explained calmly as he kept watching the wet ground, gears turning in his head.
"Then cut this thing off dammit! We're getting late..." she hissed, kind of irked by his calm demeanour in such a situation.
"This 'thing' is as hard as tempered steel, as he just said," this time he said aloud while glancing at Kimimaro, before his eyes widened suddenly as he remember something- something that was in the back of his head since his fight with that crystal woman.
Naruto concentrated when three clones popped beside him, as they nodded to him.
"What are you planning no-"
"N-Naruto! Can you hear me!?"
Ayumi was interrupted by a panicked voice from the Uzushio link as he answered immediately.
"What's wrong Anko-chan?"
For Anko to panic like that, this ought to be something big.
"GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE REAL QUICK! We're trapped! That bastard as expected tricked us! He's got his whole army down here at The Valley of End! They've surrounded us completely!" before he could utter a single word in response, she had cut the link off.
He cursed under his breath when he turned to his clones upon hearing their shout of excitement. They grinned at him, each of their hands over one another- as if they were covering something. Removing them slowly, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw a shining crystal blade in the palm of his middle clone's hand.
"Okay, now let's try if this works!" he exclaimed as the middle clone raised his hand a bit, holding the crystal blade- before swinging it down towards the spinal column.
Naruto winced a bit as the slash also put a cut over his right ribcage, though he couldn't help but smirk as he saw the blade easily cut through the piece of bone.
"It worked!" the clone whooped as the other two clones slowly pulled the spinal whip off Naruto's body, the blonde closing his eyes at the pain.
"So you strengthened your crystal release, nice!" Ayumi cheered, clearly excited by this new development, though she was perplexed as to how he had done it so quickly- having barely worked on it these past few days.
"I didn't strengthen it... just changed the basic element used for creating it. After fighting with that crystal woman back then, and seeing how much stronger her crystal release was, I had suspected that the elements stated in Mito's scroll were wrong," Naruto answered as he closed his eyes while his clones dispelled themselves.
Naruto's Mindscape
"The elements were stated to be wind, water and lightning in the scroll. I changed those elements to earth, water and lightning," the blonde uttered as he faded into his mind scape, now standing in front of Ayumi with a thin layer of newly formed crystal in his right hand.
The bijuu nodded with a serious expression as she pointed a finger at him.
"I get it. And I think we've wasted enough of our time here," she said with an irked countenance on her face. Naruto's eyebrows lifted a bit in surprise as he suddenly vanished from his mind scape.
Valley of The End: With Others
"Shit, we're done for aren't we?" Anko muttered with a deep frown, the group standing still- surrounded by hundreds of Oto shinobi.
Hinata gulped as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face while Sakura was finding it difficult to comprehend the situation they were in. Her hands were clenched white into fists, willing them to stop from trembling.
The area was deathly silent, only the pitter-patter of the rain audible to everyone while Orochimaru had an amused smirk on his face.
He loved the look of desperation on his opponents, especially those cute little genin in front of him.
"Mikoto-sama, I think it's clear that our main priority now should be to retreat. Clearly we didn't expect Orochimaru to go this far," Yamato spoke in a low tone as the group stood with their backs to each other, facing their enemies surrounding them- most of them standing down there on the lake while the others surrounded them from the forest side behind them.
The Uchiha matriarch had a frustrated scowl on her face as she pursed her lips, her eyes narrowed in a glare directed towards the snake sanin.
"The choice is yours Mikoto-chan. Either you all can come with me without any futile resistance or you can fight, get your squad killed, possibly including you-second time that is, and I'll take your corpses back with me," Orochimaru spoke, his expression clearly indicating he was enjoying the situation.
Mikoto narrowed her eyes as she clenched her kunai, the kunoichi torn up over having to make such a decision.
She desperately wanted to see her son.
And there was no way she was going to let anything happen to her squad.
"And oh, did I tell you the advantage of the first choice? It's obvious if you come quietly with me, alive that is, you get to spend time with your beloved son?" seeing her eyes widen for a second there told the sanin he had just made the decision a bit easier for her.
"Don't let yourself be done in by that bastard's words Mikoto-sama! You know how manipulative he can be," Anko hissed with a frown making Mikoto nod slowly.
"I know... he's just toying with us anyway. That's the reason they haven't attacked us yet... he knows he has completely got us trapped here," the Uchiha stated as droplets of water cascaded down her face.
"With this many surrounding us, the chances of every one of us escaping is... I'm not sure if even a decoy strategy would work," Yamato spoke in a low tone.
"We need Naruto, he's the key here. With him, dare I say, and with some proper planning... we can even turn this around over them," Anko muttered making Mikoto and Yamato look at her like she was losing it under the pressure.
The snake fire queen just glanced at their squad leader with a serious expression on her face.
"You gotta believe me when I say this that he has the capability of turning impossible situations around. We HAVE to keep our calm and wait for him. I already informed Tayuya via the Uzushio link, so she will be arriving with him here very soon... in fact, they should be here any second now," Anko worded as she continued to eye her enemies surrounding her for any surprise attacks.
"Oh don't worry so much my dear Anko-chan, they're waiting for your squad to make the first move. It all depends on you, they're just there to react according to the choice you make," Orochimaru's chakra-enhanced voice boomed throughout the Valley of The End, a faint chuckle escaping his lips at the end.
"It's obvious they're waiting for their jinchuriki," Kabuto spoke as his plain black hood ruffled with the wind.
"Well I'm waiting for him too. This gathering wouldn't be complete without him now would it?" the sanin had that patented smirk on his face as he stood on Madara's statue with Mikoto's squad standing on the elevated ground behind the first hokage's statue.
"First tell me where's Sasuke-kun!" Mikoto yelled, surprising her squad with her sudden outburst when Orochimaru burst out laughing.
"AHAHAHAHAAA! Well...I have to say, I was counting how many seconds before you fired your money question!" he said, parting a bang of his hair from in front of his left eye.
"All in good time Mikoto-chan. Let's hear your choice first..."
"Anko-chan! Wherever you guys are, all of you... spike your chakra!" Naruto's voice cut off whatever Orochimaru was saying in Anko's mind as she nodded inwardly immediately.
"All of you, Naruto just asked us to spike our chakra. Do it, quick! And don't form any hand seals!" she spoke quietly with a sense of urgency making Mikoto along with others nod lightly.
'What does that boy have in mind...?' Yamato pondered as his chakra levels began to increase while Sakura just stood with her fists clenched, how the hell was she supposed to build chakra without any hand seals? She wasn't at that level yet!
"Sakura-chan..." the panicking kunoichi snapped her gaze at Hinata upon hearing her voice.
"Don't worry... this is meant for Naruto-kun's summon to sense our exact location. Just stay still," how Hinata was still so calm given the situation was beyond her.
"Whatever happens Anko-chan, stay still okay!? Don't move a freaking muscle!" the snake mistress relayed the message to others.
"You sure about this?" Yamato spoke in a doubtful tone when Anko shrugged with a chuckle escaping her lips.
"Nope, but he is," she grinned when the group began to feel a slight tremor beneath them. The ground began to shake as even the Oto shinobi began to stumble, trying to regain their footing.
"Stay still all of you!" now Anko was seriously wondering what the blonde was planning?
Wait, oh no... then this earthquake...?
"Shit! Whatever happens, don't move okay!" she suddenly yelled as the ground beneath them began to crack.
"I don't think w-"
KRRCK!
Next, what happened Orochimaru and his forces could only stand and watch as within a matter of split seconds, a HUGE dragon burst forth the ground, exactly where Mikoto's squad was standing- it's large mouth wide open as it engulfed the whole squad- large chunks of earth flying in all directions while the Oto shinobi jumped onto the higher branches of the tall trees.
Going with its momentum, the humongous dragon soared higher into the sky before opening its wings, flapping them now to stay afloat as the grey sky roared thunderously followed by a flash of lightning.
"AAAARHHHHHH! I DON'T WANNA DIEEEE!" Sakura screeched as she along with others were gulped down by the serpentine dragon. The group were currently being flooded inwards along with the good chunk of earth that was eaten along with them.
All of them suddenly found themselves falling towards a rubbery ground- now in what seemed to be like the reptile's stomach.
"Gross dammit!" Anko yelled as she tried to get rid of a string of saliva that had got stuck to her trench coat while they landed with Sakura falling on her butt.
"Is this Naruto-kun's summon?" Mikoto muttered as she stood there with her squad- her voice echoing inside.
POOF!
"Hah! Found you!" Naruto shunshin-ed into existence along with Tayuya.
"Naruto-kun! Are you okay!?" Hinata exclaimed upon seeing his torn up wear as he just nodded in reply before turning to Mikoto.
"So wha-"
"Where the hell were you?" Anko asked in confusion making him sigh, perhaps his squad members just didn't understand the urgency of the situation they were in.
"We thought you were gonna be flushed into the other stomach!" Kiyohime chimed in, rather cheerfully- pointing behind her.
"Other stomach?" Anko asked, a perplexed look on her face making the chirpy pink haired dragon-currently in her human form nod.
"Of course! At first even to m-"
"Is this a fucking reunion we're having after ten years!? You forgot the situation we're in!?" Tayuya interrupted with a deep scowl making Naruto nod with her, the blonde staring at Kiyohime disapprovingly- making her shrink under his gaze as she squeaked out a barely audible 'sorry'.
"Aren't we safe now? We're currently heading towards Konoha right?" Anko spoke with a raised eyebrow making Tayuya sigh in frustration as she blew out a red strand of her hair from her face.
"Shithe- Naruto here has some business with Uchiha-sama it seems," the ex-Oto kunoichi muttered, awkwardly giving respect to Mikoto- she wasn't used to this after all.
"Well at least we're out of that nightmare place, I thought we were gonna die shannaro!" Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief while Mikoto was standing quietly as she gazed at the ground- lost in her own thoughts.
"Mikoto-chan, you're the squad leader so... what do you say we should do?" Naruto stepped forward as he ignored the incessant rambling around him.
"Isn't it obvious what our next course of action should be? Clearly no one could've imagined that Orochimaru would pop out with an army of his sound shinobi given the fact most of his forces were wiped out during the invasion. We have to retreat for now, I can't believe that four-eyed fucker Jiraiya-sama captured was a fake all along," Anko spoke as she turned to Mikoto to find her not meeting her gaze.
The snake mistress narrowed her eyes while Naruto continued to look at Mikoto.
"Is there...," Anko began.
"...something I'm missing?"
Yamato, who had been quiet all along knew something was up given the way Naruto and Mikoto were acting.
"I know you're torn up over the decision, so I advise you order them...," the blonde spoke, indicating towards everyone on the squad except him and Mikoto.
"...to return to the village and we-"
"Hey what!?"Anko exclaimed, her eyes narrowed as the jinchuriki continued to speak.
"-can look for Sasuke. Hinata-chan, can you check with your Uzume to check what they're up to down there?" he finished when Anko grabbed his trench coat tightly, a pissed off expression on her face.
"I hope this is not one of your fucked up jokes Naruto," she spoke with gritted teeth as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Stop fighting you two," Anko turned upon hearing the Uchiha matriarch's soft voice.
"I've decided. This is my order as your squad leader, all of you go back, even you Naruto," she spoke with authority making them look at her in surprise.
"Not possible, I'm coming with you," the jinchuriki had a serious countenance on his face.
"Mikoto-sama, can you explain what's going on here?" Anko spoke calmly, holding her anger in while Sakura and Kiyohime watched the exchange in silence, not liking where this was going.
"I'm sorry, but I have to meet Sasuke-kun at least once, he's my son. And I believe I can make him come back. We may not get this chance again, so I can't miss this opportunity."
"This..." Anko breathed in as she closed her eyes.
"You're a kunoichi aren't you? Why are you letting your emotions rule you like this? You go down there and you know it's suicide. Sasuke's not even here, how will you find him?" she asked as Mikoto averted her gaze.
"I'm going with Orochimaru," she replied making their eyes widen.
"I can't believe this..." an angry scowl on her face, Anko inhaled again to calm herself.
"You've lost it..." she spoke, now closing her eyes while everyone else was surprised at what was going on.
"I don't know the background behind all this, nor do I know about your personal matters but... you're letting your emotions rule you Mikoto-sama. I was doubting Hokage-sama's decision earlier to send you on this mission as a squad leader. You taking this mission personally was something I was hoping against," Yamato uttered with a sigh.
Mikoto however looked at Anko, steeling herself.
"You don't know what it's like to be a mother when both your sons are out there as missing nins, trying to kill each other. None of you understand and nor do I expect you to," her voice now cold as Anko looked at her in surprise.
"You shouldn't have told her about Itachi attacking you Naruto-kun," Ayumi spoke softly, sadness in her tone.
"Yeah, we don't understand... but it's your fault for pushing those away who are trying to help you," Naruto growled as he glared at the Uchiha matriarch making her eyes soften.
"Naruto-kun..."
Her lips tugged into a desperate smile as she noticed Anko looking at her coldly.
"We Uchiha are cursed aren't we? Wherever we go, we're bound to cause trouble. It's-"
"You were never just an Uchiha to me, you were always Mikoto-chan to me. And I don't care what you say, but I can't let you go with Orochimaru. You obviously don't value your life enough, but I do!" he exclaimed. Just when Mikoto was about to retort, Hinata intervened.
"Um Naruto-kun, it's... Sasuke-san just arrived down there," she muttered softly, her Toyotama Byakugan active as she stood up, now cancelling Uzume.
Mikoto's eyes widened a bit, a look of urgency flickering in her eyes.
"I have to go," she spoke with finality after turning away from the group, looking upwards into the dark passage from where they'd fallen.
"You're n-"
"I order all of you to return to the village immediately," Naruto clenched his fists tightly in anger as he glared at Mikoto's back.
POOF!
He kept starting at the empty space as she shunshin-ed away.
"Dialong-sama, can you do that jutsu? I don't want anyone in here except me to be able to mould their chakra from now on?"
"It is always in effect in my body. The moment someone gets inside, he or she can't mould their chakra effectively, except the summoner of course. I just let that Hyuga mould her chakra for a little while because you ordered her," Dialong's booming voice echoed inside as Anko's eyes widened along with others.
"Wait what the...!?" the snake mistress exclaimed.
"I can't...activate my Byakugan anymore," Hinata said, looking at Naruto with a frown while the blonde held an apologetic look in his eyes.
"Naruto you seriously can't...!" Sakura exclaimed with wide eyes while Tayuya cursed under her breath.
"Please don't let Mikoto-chan escape," Naruto said loudly.
"The Uchiha woman?"
"Hai..." the jinchuriki turned to find Anko glaring at him, a deep scowl on her face while Yamato too looked to be frowning.
"I know none of you approve of what's going on, but this is something I have to help Mikoto-chan in. I don't want any of you getting hurt so please try to understand," he explained.
"Cut your bullshit!" Anko growled as she grabbed the blonde's wrist in a blur making him scowl.
"Anko-chan please leave my hand," an expressionless look on his face while the snake mistress just regarded him with her cold orbs.
"If that woman doesn't have any regard for her own life, that doesn't mean I'll let you take this suicide leap after her. Obviously you think you're some kind of an invincible hero who can take on an army with just the two of you," she uttered sternly, tightening her grip on his wrist as anger flashed in Naruto's oceanic pools.
"Really, so now it's 'that' woman instead of 'Mikoto-sama' huh? Well let me tell you...," the jinchuriki's eyes grew cold as he glared at Anko, taking her aback.
"THAT woman had her whole clan wiped out in a single night by her eldest son. THAT women has both of her sons trying to kill each other. THAT woman is fighting alone against all the shit life has thrown at her. THAT woman was there for me in the past when NO ONE was there," Anko's grip loosened at his harsh words, her widened eyes getting wet as they narrowed in rage while Hinata and Sakura too seemed surprised at his outburst.
"So sorry if my conscience doesn't allow me to leave THAT woman alone, fending for herself down there!" he growled, freeing his wrist with a jerk of his hand.
Naruto turned away from them as he looked at Anko, and then Hinata from the corner of his eyes.
"I came prepared for this. So I'm telling you, I will not die. I'll return with Mikoto-chan, with or without Sasuke," he stated sternly before dissolving into water.
Anko was sporting a frown on her face, her eyes clenched shut as a single tear slid down her cheek.
'That stubborn idiot...'
Outside: Valley of the End
Orochimaru gazed calmly at the huge brown serpentine dragon, it's eyes blood red with five claws in its two appendages- it was clear the summon was a fifth blaze dragon.
"Orochim-"
"Stay put, I know that Uchiha woman, and especially that boy... they'll be back, just stay on alert. The kyuubi jinchuriki can be very crafty," the snake sanin intervened one of his shinobi.
"Where is Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked as Kabuto adjusted his glasses.
"Should be here very soon. Though he did not seemed amused at the thought of meeting his, what he calls- 'fake revived mother'," the silver haired ninja replied with a smirk.
Just Inside Dialong's Mouth
Naruto materialized via water shunshin as he now faced Mikoto's back, the duo standing on what was probably the reptile's tongue.
"Miko-"
"Naruto-kun, I'm begging you... please let me go," the blonde's eyes widened upon hearing the Uchiha's desperate request, her voice quivering a bit.
Taking a deep breath, he released it with a jerk as the jinchuriki averted his gaze sideways for a moment.
"Look, I'm not letting you go with Orochimaru, that option... no, that is not an option at all. We're going down there and I'm going to give you a meeting with Sasuke as promised. You have to trust me on this and let me come with you, I know what I'm doing," his expression dead serious while her shoulders seemed to be shaking a bit as she shook her head.
"N-Naruto, if something happens to you...I won't be able to forgive myself. Nor will Kushina ever forgive me," Mikoto spoke when the blonde stomped his right foot, a look of frustration on his face.
"It's my life Mikoto-chan and solely me, myself is held accountable for any and all choices that I make. I've already made up my mind. So are we going to just stand here and waste our time talking? Sasuke is down there, you won't get this opportunity again," he said loudly as she wiped her eyes, nodding reluctantly with him.
"But please be careful Naruto-kun, you're just as precious to me as Itachi-kun and Sasuke-kun are," the black haired kunoichi's voice soft making Naruto's eyes widen in surprise, a surge of warmth flooding his entire system as he nodded.
"Of course."
Outside: Valley of the End
"Why am I called here Orochimaru?" Sasuke spoke in his cold voice, his face expressionless as he stood beside Kabuto, behind the snake sanin- who chuckled to himself in amusement.
"Patience Sasuke-kun, you're about to meet someone very interesting," the young Uchiha narrowed his eyes, standing in his typical Oto wear, his right hand resting casually on the hilt of his katana.
It was still pouring heavily as everyone, on Orochimaru's orders stood still, silently waiting- still gazing at the floating, unreachable dragon in mid-air.
Following Kabuto's gaze, Sasuke's eyes widened upon noticing a huge brown serpentine dragon amongst the clouds.
He narrowed his eyes- instantly recognizing whose summon it was.
"Two huge chakra signatures approaching from above!" Orochimaru's smile widened upon hearing their chakra sensor.
"GET READY EVERYONE! TWO OF THEM COMING!" Kabuto yelled as everyone standing on the lake down there took out their kunai.
"Hey heads up! We need to be on our guard against that kyuubi jinchuriki!" one of the sound shinobi exclaimed as they now could see a lone tiny figure descending towards them.
"Here they come!"
"Where's the other one?!"
One of them noticed when...
POOF!
A huge cloud of smoke erupted from in mid-air while Naruto 'swoosh-ed' his way through it at blurry speeds.
The sound shinobi collectively began to go through different sets of hand seals at a fast pace.
"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Dragon Projectile Technique)"
Dozens of them shouted as the water beneath their feet began to quickly take shape while...
"Suiton: Nejire Hashira! (Water Release: Twisting Pillars)"
Another dozen or two ninja shouted alike as their jutsu quickly took shape, forming huge pillars of water as they blasted through towards Naruto along with the water dragons.
The jinchuriki however remain unfazed in the face of the large scale attack, it was as if a wave of Tsunami itself was rocketing towards him.
Having gone through a large set of hand seals, his eyes were closed in concentration as he built up large amounts of chakra- no attack less than an S-rank was going to be effective against this many shinobi!
Opening his eyes with a snap, his glowing Rinnegan blazed with chakra- his hair and trench coat ruffling wildly due to his free fall.
"Ranton: Zoufukufuu Boufuusetsu! (Storm Release: Amplifying Wind Blizzard)" he yelled as the wind around him began to rotate at high velocity- it was more like a twister, packed with thousands of lightning streaks- surrounding the blonde's falling body all the way being connected to the water surface of the lake below.
"Shit!"
One of the sound shinobi cursed in pain as the electric current in the storm tornado had blocked their water attacks, instead giving them a jolt of lightning release.
SPLASH!
His attack died down quickly as the jinchuriki dived straight into the lake while the Oto shinobi were recovering from being electrocuted a bit- the tornado having caused some small scale tidal waves.
"Where is he!?"
"What the HELL was that attack!?"
"That was storm release, STAY ALERT! The jinchuriki is very skilled, don't take him lightly!"
"O-Oi! There's another dragon up there," everyone snapped their heads up, their eyes widening upon noticing a dark blue dragon hundred meters or so above them. Two glowing yellow bolts were present on each of its large wings, its scales pale yellow while its eyes were a light shade of yellow, black slits staring at hundreds of ninja beneath it.
"Hey there pests, ready for a crash course on lightning?"-it was Tianlong, lightning streaks crackling around its body while some of the Oto shinobi winced upon feeling those electric-charged water droplets fall on them.
"What the fuck is that...thing?" one of the Oto shinobi gulped, their eyes wide as they stared at the huge dragon above them.
Meanwhile, Naruto was floating deep underwater- several meters beneath the standing Oto shinobi. His hands coming together into the familiar criss-cross sign, he built up large amounts of chakra before summoning hundreds of shadow clones under water.
All of them put their hands forward, their palms facing the sound ninja up there as they again built chakra, this time the amount being massive instead of just 'large'.
'I hope this doesn't put much strain on my body, have never used it on such a scale...' the original Naruto thought, his spiky bangs floating underwater as if weightless.
All of their bodies began to glow a bit white due to the excessive chakra-
'Tajuu...'
...their outstretched hands shaking a bit when they released all that chakra in an instant into a technique which was now becoming Naruto's personal favourite-
'SHINRA TENSEI!'
In the next second, Kabuto, Sasuke as well as all the Oto ninja up there gaped when terrifying amounts of water along with MOST of the ninja standing on the lake's surface came flying into their view, rocketing upwards as if they were hit from a kyuubi sized uppercut-their collective screams could be heard half a mile away from the Valley of the End.
Witnessing the titanic scene in front of him, his eyes wide, Sasuke had no chance when a soft hand slipped from behind over his mouth- Kabuto and others momentarily distracted from the scene in front of them.
Noticing hundreds of those little pests being flung into the air towards him like... the pests they were, you could've thought the laidback lightning dragon was grinning from ear to ear.
Extending its head down, Tianlong opened its large mouth when thousands of lightning bolts were fired towards the airborne shinobi.
'Shit! He gets stronger every time we meet him,' Kabuto thought as he shielded his eyes with his right hand due to the intensity of lightning- the now heavily injured hundreds of ninja falling back into the lake.
Looking down, he scowled as the blonde jumped out of water to land on its surface, the bodies of the injured shinobi lying around him.
'Just like that, he got rid of about half of our forces...around three hundred…just like that. He's really dangerous...,' a deep scowl on his face. He looked up to notice the rest of the shinobi who were standing on the cliff side, now dashing towards Naruto.
"Hah...damn...hah...hah...," Naruto slid to his left knee, his one eye closed as he panted heavily.
"Naruto-kun?"
Hearing Ayumi's concerned voice, he looked back to notice the remaining forces taking a wild dash towards him.
"You won't get away with this bastard!"
"GET THIS SCUM! THOSE WERE OUR COMRADES YOU JUST KILLED!"
"I didn't kill...them...idiots," the blonde wheezed out as he stood on shaky knees.
"NARUTO! Listen to me here, what happened? Why are you exhausted all of a sudden?! Wait, I'm pouring out some of my chakra to you!"
"Isn't it obvious, I used Shinra Tensei on a massive scale, kinda expected that... it did get the job done though," he answered, his features getting feral as Ayumi's chakra began to fill his chakra coils.
Despite the fact that about three hundred shinobi were nearing him from behind, he looked up calmly as the rain drops now fell on his face- noticing Tianlong had dispelled itself while Dialong was probably on its way to Konoha.
"I need you to loosen the seal Ayumi-chan. I'm going to be killed otherwise," he muttered inwardly, surprising the bijuu. However, the moment her brain registered the word 'killed', she sprang into action- there was no way in HELL she was going to allow that.
By now his body was covered in a light sheen of red chakra- his breathing rate coming back to normal. Just when he was about to turn around-
SPLASH!
Orochimaru's snake-like body burst out of water in a blur, his mouth stretching large enough to partially engulf Naruto's head tightly, his two razor sharp teeth at the corners digging into the blonde's shoulder.
"Y-You bastard!" the jinchuriki gritted his teeth, unable to move as one of his arms were pinned by his side.
"Hang on! I've loosened it! Pouring out more chakra!" Ayumi said frantically.
Naruto's eyes however widened in shock when another Orochimaru appeared out from deep inside his own mouth, his body wet with fluids as he slithered near the blonde, a crazed smirk on his face.
Both of his hands stretched out blurrily towards his eyes- the Rinnegan, when the jinchuriki grabbed his left hand, the blonde's right hand trapped by his side.
Orochimaru chuckled with a wild gleam in his eyes, his right hand just in front of Naruto's right eye- now wide open in what seemed to be fear.
"But what about your right eye Naruto-kun?"
Konohagakure: Hokage's Office
"I know Kaa-san, but please try to-" Kushina stopped midway, her eyes widening as she looked back, through the window outside.
"What happened?" Tsunade asked, a perplexed look on her face, sitting across the red head.
"I-... nothing," Kushina replied, staring outside as a group of birds flew by, her hand resting over her heart.
"Is it about Naru-chan?" the slug sanin inquired making the godaime hokage look at her in surprise. Tsunade shrugged with a small smile.
"Only he makes you do weird things these days," she spoke teasingly making the red head flush as she turned her head away to hide her embarrassment. The sanin still didn't know of her true relationship with Naruto after all.
"So, what was it you felt just now, mother's intuition?" the blonde asked while Kushina nodded, expression now that of concern.
"I...really worry about him, he can be really reckless sometimes," she whispered to herself, gazing at the grey cloudy sky.
Valley of The End
"ARGHHH!" Naruto screamed in pain, blood dripping down his right closed eyelid while Orochimaru had a smirk on his face, holding the blonde's right eye in his hand.
"NARUTO!" Ayumi yelled in alarm, her voice now demonic due to her increasing chakra which was seeping out of the loosened seal.
"I'd say your one eye was enough for me, but let's take the other eye too shall we?"
Glaring with his left eye ferociously at the sanin in front of him, the cloak of chakra around him was much denser now as it began to melt the skin of the sanin's previous body's elongated mouth which had engulfed his head.
Orochimaru saw right back into the blonde's left eye, still smiling even though his left hand- which was held by Naruto's left hand- was now melting due to the demonic chakra.
"You bastard!" Naruto growled, his fangs elongated, whiskers deepened while his nails pierced into the left wrist of Orochimaru.
"You won't get away with this!"
His left Rinnegan was deactivated now- crimson red now with a black slit.
"You truly are...an intriguing child Naruto-kun," the snake sanin chuckled as the Oto shinobi had now surrounded the duo, waiting for Orochimaru to be done with the jinchuriki.
"WHAAARGHHHH!"
Kabuto's eyes widened when a strong wave of demonic chakra emerged from Naruto, blasting away Orochimaru along with most of the forces surrounding them.
A deep crater formed under the blonde, three tails of chakra waving behind him as he gave a primal growl.
"W-What crazy chakra!" one sound shinobi coughed to himself as he stood shakily, a thin trail of blood seeping down his chin. The others too slowly made it to the surface of the lake, the wind now having been picked up due to the jichuriki's wild chakra.
"Shit! STAY AWAY FROM HIM! SWITCH TO LONG RANGE ATTACKS!" one of them yelled as the others stared at the bubbling crimson form in front of them in what seemed to be fear.
The crater further deepened under Naruto due to the enormous pressure as the red chakra became denser, the blonde's body now becoming crimson red itself as his blood began to boil- his skin having been peeled off.
The others surrounding him narrowed their eyes as they watched another tail- a fourth tail sprout from behind him.
"Na-Naruto, you have….to…I'm losing….control…of myself," Ayumi spoke, her voice getting heavier and demonic- the blonde's mindscape now reverting back to the sewer.
"HNNARRRRRGHHHHH!" Naruto screamed demonically, chakra rotating around him wildly as another tail came into existence when several huge rotating pillars of water came flying towards him from the sound ninja around him.
The jinchuriki just stood as the pillars flooded his little form completely, colliding him with a thunderous impact while it continued to rain.
"He really is something isn't he?" Kabuto looked back as Orochimaru slithered out from the ground, a jar in his hands. The silver haired medic's eyes widened when he noticed the eye floating in the jar full with a greenish transparent liquid.
"Is that…?"
"Of course," the sanin replied, a smile on his face when Kabuto looked around in confusion.
"Wait, where's….?"
"Mikoto-chan must have gotten him, it's okay. We've gotten what we came for," Orochimaru chuckled as he shook the jar a bit for emphasis. Eyeing the lone eye, he looked back at his master.
"Are you sure, he is an Uchiha after all," Kabuto inquired making the snake sanin shrug.
"Sasuke-kun will not go back, that I'm sure of. And if he can kill Mikoto-chan for us, all the more better for us. She's not going to attack her son after all."
"He's getting out of control," the sanin noticed, his countenance now grim as he looked down. Kabuto turned back to notice the jinchuriki going on a rampage, blurrily slithering through his enemies- killing them brutally without any restraint, six tails waving behind him wildly as now a skeletal structure was covering his crimson form.
"It won't be long before the Akatsuki notices this. I've heard Itachi and Kisame were patrolling the areas around Konoha- waiting for a chance like this," the medic spoke as he adjusted his glasses.
"That's what I want, we can't let that pest live for long- he'll pose problems for me in the future. The sooner the Akatsuki eliminates him, the better," Orochimaru uttered as he turned back, now walking away.
"I'm going, come back when all of this is over. I want full report of what happens here today," Kabuto focused back on the scene below, his eyebrows lifting in surprise as he witnessed a huge ball of pure chakra just above Naruto's open mouth- slowly compressing itself till the transformed blonde engulfed it.
Outskirts of Kumogakure: Killer Bee's Home
"BEE!" Yugito yelled as she dashed up the stairs towards the white haired shinobi's house.
Jumping over the final few steps, just as she was about to reach for the door- it opened as the eight tailed jinchuriki came out, all his gear in place along with his seven swords.
"I know bakayaro! Konayaro!" he rapped in his usual tone while Yugao panted to regain her breath, adjusting the strap of her backpack as she nodded with him.
"We don't have time to inform Raikage-sama! The location is near Konoha though," she spoke in an urgent tone as red chakra began to seep out of her body.
"If we hope to reach Naruto! We have to go full speed-O!" their forms now covered by a red cloak of chakra as they took off at blinding speeds.
"This is bad, I can't believe this! Nibi says he's already on eight tails! Did his seal break!?" the blonde uttered, her eyes narrowed as they traversed through the dense foliage.
Valley of The End
"RETREAT! RETREAT! GET AWAY FROM IT!"
The remaining hundred or so Oto shinobi began to dash back towards Madara's statue, away from the huge monstrosity behind them.
Kabuto stared with interest as the now transformed- eight tailed form of Naruto was thrashing wilding at everything around it. It's body now as large as the kyuubi's original one, covered with muscles and tendons.
'Just like that…but how did his seal break? Or did he intentionally loosened it to fight us? Doesn't this kid realize he's going to die very soon like this?' the medic thought.
The water just around the jinchuriki was all dried up, constantly evaporating due to the high temperature of his demonic chakra while the remaining water was swirling around him like a tornado- hundreds of corpses around him being flung away like flies.
"RWAAAARRRRRRRR!"
Naruto's Mindscape
The jinchuriki could be found kneeling in front of the huge metallic cage in front of him, clutching his head tightly as he gritted his teeth in exertion.
Inside the darkness of the cage, Ayumi was thrashing wildly- already in her bijuu form as she had lost control of herself a while back. The seal on the blonde's stomach was now dissolving into black liquid, falling down to mix with the water below.
His right eye closed, a thin trail of blood having seeped out of it due to his lost eye while he panted in exertion.
"Sh-Shit!" he cursed, no longer in control of his body. This was not supposed to happen, he wasn't going to go this far. But the sudden influx of negative, demonic chakra had such a monstrous impact that it didn't take long for both him, as well as Ayumi to lose control.
Although the seal was loosened a little bit, but due to his rage at Orochimaru- it had opened the floodgates.
And within a matter of minutes, the seal was on the verge of dissolving completely now. Naruto didn't know if setting Ayumi free, the way she was now, was a good idea or not. It was clear she won't refrain from killing even him like this.
The whiskered blonde gripped his head tighter upon hearing Ayumi's constant demonic howls from inside the weakening cage.
"S-Stop…it…Ayumi-chan," he muttered, his eyes closed as the cage began to crack.
"Ayumi-chan can't listen to you now, not when she's like this," feeling a warm, soft hand on his left shoulder, Naruto's lone eye snapped wide open as he turned his head.
Standing just behind him was a beautiful young woman of slender build, wearing a kimono with her red hair arranged into two buns with hair pins and three pins in front- two seal tags with respective kanji hanging from in her hair decals. Her pretty face was adorned with soft features, violet diamond mark on her forehead, her supple lips coated with red lipstick while her pupil-less orbs gazed at Ayumi.
Yes, this was a woman he had seen before, Kushina had shown him her photo many times.
The red haired woman turned to him, her face softening into a smile as she squeezed his shoulder gently.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Uzumaki Naruto."
The blonde gaped, his lone eye wide while she continued to smile at him.
"U-Uzumaki Mito…"
Well, each reader interprets a story in their own different ways, and they take different things from it. So some of you will like it, some of you will not. Thus I will not explain anything as to what happened, why it happened and why I'm taking the story in a certain direction which all of you will predict differently. So I leave that up to you and ask you to wait patiently and not jump to conclusions.
Also, many a thanks to the readers who reviewed in my absence, kept me reminding that people are still reading my stories lol (XD). But seriously, I do read each and every review. It might seem to you as if the author doesn't care about your review, but I do care! And I do read all of them, again and again! Of course I can't reply to all of you due to so many, but I do read ALL of them!
Anyway, I will update my other stories- just like I used to. I don't know when I'll update, but I'll try my best to update as soon as I can.
So thank you for reading. Love you all! ^_^
N6023