Hello everybody, and welcome to chapter forty eight of the Winds of Change! Well, we have a shit ton of stuff to talk about! We've hit over five-hundred reviews! Never, ever did I think my story would gain this much attention, or popularity. It has been a long and slow road, but we have breached over a wall many OC stories struggle to even start climbing!
Special thanks to SageModeSasuke for being the one to break over 500 reviews.
General thanks to :
Dosu2Dinner
ParagonPariah
DownsofFire
(I've linked their stuff before, just search up their names or go back to previous chapters and find their shit).
And so, we move on with this chapter! The results of the poll were in, and you decided that you wished for Naruto and Sasuke vs Mizuki to start things off! Another huge thank you to ParagonPariah for giving me a major helping hand with this chapter, with editing and the like. Kura's V thanks you!
Anyway, more fight scenes, one hell of a lot of action. And so, I bring you chapter 48, of the Winds of Change.
Mizuki allowed a grimace to run across his features briefly, before they twisted in rage. Hand darting into his pocket, he produced a bunch of shuriken, glinting sharply in the dimming moonlight. His hand shot outwards, letting the projectiles fly towards the bodies of orange that ran straight towards him. They cut through the air, eventually slicing through the oncoming horde of teens, dismissing them into puffs of smoke.
The Leaf Traitor narrowed his eyes slightly, grey orbs sliding to the side, before he jolted into motion. His feet left the ground just as a blur appeared behind him. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke called out, curling his hands over his mouth and letting loose a massive trail of flame. Mizuki landed a few metres away with a soft thud as The Uchiha stopped his jutsu, burning embers flickering into the charred bark below.
"Sasuke!" A voice growled, a figure landing next to the raven-haired boy.
Naruto's eyes were contorted into narrow slits, baring his teeth. The Uchiha's red eyes glanced towards the blonde, before they slid back to Mizuki, who stood, grinning ear to ear. "Having fun Naruto?" He taunted.
"Don't," Sasuke commanded, as Naruto's body coiled to strike. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki glared at him, but did not reply, intently glaring at The Leaf Traitor.
Mizuki's lips curled into an annoyed frown. "Is he your master, demon? Are you his little pet?"
"Are you going to stand there flapping your gums like a little bitch, Mizuki, or are you going to start fighting?" Sasuke retorted coldly. The Leaf Traitor didn't glance at The Uchiha, instead, his grin widened as his green eyes clashed with cold blue ones.
"Are you sad you couldn't save the Third Hokage, Naruto?" The Uzumaki's breath hitched, and a predatory glint flashed in Mizuki's eyes, "Because you were so weak, and so focused on that other boy, Gaara, was it? You couldn't save the only senile fool who actually liked you!"
Flecks of red flitted around Naruto's eyes, the whisker marks on his tanned cheeks beginning to grow longer. "Naruto!" Sasuke snapped, palming a kunai. "Calm down!" The Uchiha twisted his body, and with all of his might, lobbed the projectile towards Mizuki. The Leaf Traitor's own hand shot into his kunai pouch, producing one of his own and blocking it, the metallic clang ringing out across the summit. "Neither of you can defeat me," he stated calmly, "all you're doing is prolonging the inevitable, demon!"
"Enough of this!" Sasuke spat, clasping at the hilt of his chain. Yanking it, it uncoiled around his midsection, moonlight glancing off the metal as The Uchiha cracked it into the air for good measure. "This will end soon!"
Mizuki's eyes widened in horror, as Sasuke began to channel lightning chakra into his new weapon. It crackled to life, electricity dancing across the chain as it began to twist and turn wildly. "Shit!" He swore, as The Uchiha pulled it backwards, before lashing it forwards. The sound cut through the air, the metallic chain shooting forward, ready to end Mizuki's life. With a large frown, The Leaf Traitor leapt backwards, landed on his feet, and ran into a large cluster of roots.
He didn't get very far though, as it was a constant maze of gnarled pieces of wood, dead ends and pathways galore. He let out a sharp cry of intense pain, as the chain exploded from behind him, constricting itself around his foot. Try as he might, he could not break the metal wrapped around his foot. His grunts echoed around the area, overpowered only by the battle cries of Naruto Uzumaki.
The Blonde, with fire in his cerulean blue eyes, charged forward, hands forming a familiar sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Seven exact replicas of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki popped into view, leaving a puff of white smoke in their way as they charged forward. The seven Naruto's turned, and nodded to one another, before fixing Mizuki with a steely glare. The clones all leapt up on top of the real Naruto's shoulders, making a long chain that swung back and forth in the air. With a cry of rage, the blonde leapt into the sky, flipping forwards in the air, before slamming down his chain of clones, "Clone Hammer!"
Shocks reverberated through The Leaf Traitor's body, every single second being clouded by pain. But, with rage filled green eyes, he persevered. Weaving through hand-signs, he cupped a hand over his mouth and exclaimed, "Earth Style: Mud Shot!"
Rearing his head back, Mizuki threw it forward as bullets of earth exploded out of his mouth, straight towards the rapidly accelerating clone hammer. They collided roughly with the many blonde ninja, dispelling most of them into puffs of smoke, apart from one. A glob of blood shot out of Naruto's mouth as the mud shot slammed into his chest, air leaving his lungs as he fell backwards.
Mizuki's eyes flashed with glee, as his hand shot down and grasped onto the chain. Closing his eyes in concentration, his fingers flickered with blue energy, before a burst of lightning zoomed down the metallic weapon. Sasuke's eyes widened as he came around the corner, chain still clutched in his hand. Hot, searing pain clawed at his skin, and with a horrific cry, he dropped the chain with a loud , he flexed his hand instinctively, as Naruto came crashing down hard onto the ground, skidding slightly, before righting himself back up.
"A minor injury," Sasuke allowed a grimace to contort his lips, "If he's a lightning user, why not just go in for the kill-"
The Uchiha's crimson eyes narrowed, grasping downwards at the chain and yanking it back up. Now firmly in his grasp, he watched Mizuki, who had escaped from the metallic weapon's confines, taking something out.
"A fuma shuriken!" He spat. Naruto regarded his partner with a confused look, before turning back around, blue eyes widening. A shuriken, larger than most, was spinning towards the two at an alarming rate. It sliced through the air, aiming for its prey, as Naruto went to make hand-signs.
"There are explosive tags!" Sasuke hissed, leaping to the side. The Uzumaki Jinchuuriki just registered the words, jumping to the side just in time to avoid being sliced in half. On the underside of the spinning projectile, three explosive tags lit up, before exploding, metal shards stabbing into the surrounding clusters.
Mizuki bolted, feet barely touching the ground as he sped towards his opponents. The wind rushed in through his grey hair, eyes narrowing in amusement as six blondes popped into view before him.
The first lunged, fist cocked backwards. "Sloppy!" The Leaf Traitor snapped, diverting the punch with his forearm, before bringing his knee hard up into the sternum of the clone. It dissipated into a puff of smoke, Mizuki paying no mind as his foot shot outwards towards the second. The limb caught the Naruto clone straight in the eye, and it too disappeared into wisps. Twisting around, the third Naruto clone's fist sailed straight past his opponents head, before it dispelled as he found a fist lodged straight through his chest.
"Take this you son of a bitch!" The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki swore, leaping onto one of the clusters, coiling chakra to his legs, and kicking off towards Mizuki. The Leaf Traitor remained unconcerned, leaning his upper body back, Naruto soaring past him and smacking headfirst into another cluster.
After that clone dispersed, Mizuki stated, "I'm bored of this now." Reaching into his kunai pouch, he produced two of the projectiles, and let them fly. They sunk into the final two clones throats, and they disappeared in two identical white clouds of smoke.
The real Naruto eye's bulged, mouth opening in shock. When did Mizuki get so good!? He wasn't nearly as strong back then as he was now! Fists closing, The Blonde let out a snort of hot air, before galloping forward, feet thudding into the bark below. Leaping off the ground, he cocked his tanned fist back, before thrusting it forward towards Mizuki's head. The Leaf Traitor caught it with one hand, flashed a grin at the angry blonde, and threw his foot up. The kick slammed into the side of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki head, the weight of the blow sending him flying through the air. With a thud, he crashed into a nearby cluster, pain jolting through his shoulder. He landed on his feet, and rubbed at his eyes, mouth contorting into a smile. "I can't see!" He growled inside his own mind, dizziness overtaking him briefly. When he came to, he had just enough time to hear Mizuki yell, "Earth Style: Stone Edge!", before sharp small stones floated out of the ground, and began to gather around Mizuki's arm and fists.
The Leaf Traitor shot towards Naruto, fist poised to jab into the blonde's throat. A blur burst in on the scene, throwing a kick towards Mizuki. He blocked with his forearm, the sharp stones floating around the limb digging into the attacking foot.
Sasuke winced painfully as Mizuki skidded backwards, landing on his feet. "You good?" He asked Naruto, who merely nodded, rage flashing in his eyes.
The Leaf Traitor slipped into his taijutsu pose, mouth curled into a gleeful smirk. Naruto's blood boiled, as he let out a sharp growl through gritted teeth.
Sasuke shot forward before the blonde could do something stupid, twisting his body into a round-house kick. Mizuki leant backwards, the attack flying over his head. He shot back with a punch to the jaw, the Uchiha deflecting it with his forearm as he landed back down on the ground. They engaged in a trade-off of kicks and punches, until Sasuke could take it no longer. He let out a shout of pain as the sharp stones floating around Mizuki's forearm cut deep into his stick, blood pouring from the small wounds. With a flash of victory in his eyes, The Leaf Traitor slammed his foot into Sasuke's chest, sending him flying off. Dodging a punch from Naruto, Mizuki shot his foot out again, catching Naruto hard in the sternum and sending him skidding backwards. Turning his attention back to Sasuke, who had just collided with a nearby cluster, he exclaimed, "Lightning Style: Current Wave!"
Lightning flickered around Mizuki's legs for a moment, before they became fully covered in static flashing blue. Stomping his foot down hard multiple on the bark, glinting arcs of lightning exploded from the ground below and raced towards Sasuke. The Uchiha frowned, before darting behind a cluster to avoid being electrocuted, the bolts following his every move.
Mizuki allowed a triumphant smirk to cross his lips, but that was soon replaced with a horrified scowl as a painful sound escaped from his throat. Twisting around, he gritted his teeth, hand shooting towards the large cut on his shoulder momentarily.
Naruto growled, cerulean eyes darting between the cut on his rivals shoulder, to the kunai lodged in the cluster behind him. "Demon!" Mizuki spat within half a second of the event, hands bursting through signs, "Earth Style: Mud Pump!"
Rearing his head back, a torrent of thick mud emerged from his throat, thudding into Naruto. The blonde, to Mizuki's ire, disappeared in a puff of smoke. His pupils dilated, however, as the real Naruto wrapped his arms around Mizuki's shoulders, holding him in place.
"Heh, shows you what a 'demon' can do, doesn't it!?" Naruto taunted, "I used my shadow clones to trick you, and now, I'm going to kick your ass!"
The Leaf Traitor did not reply, and merely flexed for a few moments. Naruto's eyes bulged out of his sockets as the size of Mizuki's muscles increased, and he lost his grip, stumbling backwards.
The sound of a bone breaking filled the night air, soon followed by the screams of the blonde, Mizuki's hand rammed into his ribcage. "That's one broken, demon!" He sneered, his voice a little deeper.
Naruto pushed off his former instructor with his foot, wincing painfully. He moved his hand upwards, only to let out another horrendous cry, as a kunai was soon stabbed deeply into it. Blood poured from the wound as Mizuki yanked the blade out, grinning gleefully. "No more hand-signs for you! And now, you di-"
"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Cursing, The Leaf Traitor went to leap away at Sasuke's reappearance, and managed to do so, but not before his arm seared with pain, a fireball painfully burning the limb. Letting out a bark of agony, his feet barely touched the ground before he burst off into the surrounding clusters.
Sasuke landed by Naruto's side, as the after effects of his jutsu began to take place. A majority of the surrounding clusters of roots had been set ablaze, the orange flames mixing in with the quickly brightening sky. The heat licked at the two comrades skin, but The Uchiha's eyes widened at the sight of Naruto's injured hand, as it began to seal up. "I knew Naruto healed faster than most... but this is something else entirely."
Naruto tucked his hand into his pocket, eyes darting downward as Sasuke tried to lock him in a gaze. "What is up with Naruto?"
"How do you do that-"
"How many people have you failed, Naruto?" Mizuki's voice rang out, causing the blonde and dark haired genin to freeze. "How many people have died because of you? How many grieving widows did you leave on your birthday? How many more are you going to kill in your lifetime, demon? Are you going to to add Hinata to that list?"
Sasuke's red eyes flickered to Naruto's, whose body was shaking with rage. "Calm down," he muttered through gritted teeth, gaze darting about as he looked for his opponent.
"She's been targeted by the Akatsuki, you know? They've sent some people to hunt her down, rip out her throat and leave her hanging lifelessly on a branch. And all because you got involved with her, Naruto. And now, she's going to die!"
Flecks of orange began to pool around Naruto's body, his usually bright blue eyes turning darker and redder with each passing moment. His teeth began to elongate, light glinting off them from the dimming moonlight.
Before he could morph into a monstrous being, Sasuke punched him hard in the shoulder. The Blonde yelped, and momentarily stunned, snapped out of his state. The red chakra receded, and instead of crimson eyes, Naruto shot his teammate a fierce, blue-eyed stare.
"You need to stop doing that jutsu!" Sasuke hissed, "It-"
"Earth Style: Bedrock Coffin!"
Two large, flat rocks burst out of the bark on opposite sides of Sasuke and Naruto. They stood staunch for a few moments, before shooting forward, their targets eyes widening. Biting back a curse, The Uchiha leapt to the side, while Naruto bounded off.
Before Sasuke could fully land, Mizuki blurred in front of him, foot coiled back. He let it rip with a devastating effect, The Uchiha's eyes almost rolling into the back of his head at the force of the blow. He was sent flying backwards, slamming hard into a unlit cluster, the roots cutting into his skin, leaving thin, red trails of blood all over his form.
Twisting around, the green-eyed traitor searched for his real prey, and found him getting to his feet, hands dusting off the residue dirt. Naruto looked up, and upon seeing the object of his hatred, gifted him with a feral snarl.
Both of their hands darted into their kunai pouches, both ninja producing one of the projectiles. They dashed forward, feet thundering into the ground for a few moments, before they lifted off into the air.
"This'll be your end, demon!"
"I'm going to kill you, bastard!"
Their battle cries were punctuated by two kunai whizzing through the air, darting towards their targets. Two cries of pain echoed throughout the sky, and two bodies soon flew through the air, before loudly thumping into the ground.
Mizuki was the first to rise, face contorted into unimaginable pain, eyes drifting to the kunai handle jutting out of his shoulder. He went to grip the handle and yank the blade out, but decided against it, instead leaping to his feet.
Naruto, on the other hand, was not as clever. Both tanned hands were gripped around the projectile that was embedded in his abdomen, and with a cry of rage induced adrenaline, he pulled it out in a shower of blood. It didn't take long before it started to heal, and he didn't care, leaping up in search of his rival.
Mizuki grinned, spotting the blonde 'demon' in his sights. Before he could dart off to fight, however, the cluster behind him exploded in a shower of wooden shards and dirt. Sasuke's chain shot towards his back, and with a frustrated scowl, the Leaf Traitor jumped forward, crouching into a roll. The metallic weapon sailed past his body, narrowly avoiding breaking it in half. Righting himself, he barely had time to react as the shout of "Fireball Jutsu!" filled his ears, and a scorching ball of flame began to explode towards him. Grunting in exertion, he channeled chakra to his legs, and burst upward, replacing the burning sensation that was tickling his skin with the coolness of the night air.
Clusters of burning embers dominated the area down below as Mizuki landed back on the ground, hands blurring through signs as Sasuke burst into view, "Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon!"
A small lightning dragon zapped into view, and began to patrol around Mizuki's body. After a few moments, it spotted Sasuke, and opened its jaws wide. A bolt of lightning exploded out of the dragon's mouth, and The Uchiha let out an exclamation of surprise, before darting behind a nearby cluster. The attack scarred the earth, blackening it as bits and pieces flew into the air.
"Where are you running off too, Sasuke?" Mizuki grinned, sweeping his gaze around the row of clusters that surrounded him. There was a flash of movement, and the lightning dragon fired a bolt of lightning that missed its target. There was another, and then another, all around the clustered area, and, to Mizuki's shock, even in front of his face. "He's fast." His toothy grin did not waver, however, and he continued, "Are you playing pretend with your dead clan?"
He heard the sharp intake of breath from his left, and gesturing to his pet dragon, it fired out a bolt of lightning that exploded the cluster. All that was left were the smouldering remains of wood and dirt. But no Sasuke.
"Come out, Sasuke! Do you want to die nameless, just like the rest of your clan? Nothing more than a faceless person with red eyes, because that is all you'll ever be! Your brother was a prodigy, but you, you're nothing!"
There was a beat of silence.
Mizuki's pupils dilated, as a flame roared along a set path. It was only now that the Leaf Traitor noticed, with his growing horror, the light that glinted off the array of meticulously set ninja wire. "Those blurs were not to distract me... they were to set up a jutsu!"
Acting quickly, Mizuki zoomed through hand-signs, exclaiming, "Lightning Style: Thunder Dome!" With that, the unhinged missing-nin threw up both hands, a small ball of electrical chakra forming in between before he thrusted the creation towards his feet. An incredible surge of static expanded from the point of impact, engulfing all within the jutsu's radius with a deathly electrical charge. Sasuke's fiery assault was dispersed within seconds as it came closer the the Uchiha, crimson eyes now dilating as his situation became slightly more dangerous. "Shit…" he muttered before leaping out of his hiding spot, swiftly transferring himself to a new location as he hid behind an abundance of branches and leaves. Mizuki's countermeasure, thankfully for the young shinobi, had just stopped expanding before reaching him, the electrical field frying what stray branches and leaves it touched before dissipating in a fantastic array of sizzling sparks.
Sasuke felt his jaw set as he turned around, slowly taking a peek through a small separation of branches, Mizuki in clear view. Alright, I'll admit it: I didn't think he would be such a hassle, the Uchiha thought as his brow developed a few small crinkles, his hand slowly and quietly slipping into a pocket as he slid a kunai out, gripping the handle hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. He's got an impressive jutsu arsenal, too. Much more varied than a Chuunin's would be, but he has to have some kind of flaw. And when he messes up...I'll see it.
Mizuki's green, hungry eyes slid from left to right as he moved his head around, awaiting his prey to make one false move. One was all it would take to end this battle for good. The malicious ex-shinobi rolled his injured shoulder, kunai still embedded within it as a few small trickles of electricity ran up and down the blade. "Heh...we're going to hide now, huh? You're putting your clan to shame, Sasuke! Why not use the Sharingan's great power to kill me, huh? If you want to do you worthless people proud, then you'll grow a spine, coward!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, barely containing his seething rage as his grip on the kunai tightened. He could feel the blood from his open wounds run down his arm, imagining it as the blood of the smug bastard down below. He shifted a little from where he stood, positioning himself in case he felt that the need to slice through the bastard's neck.
Mizuki's hand darted up towards his shoulder and gripped the kunai's handle, a rough tearing noise cutting into the air of the oncoming dawn. He allowed the weapon to fall as he slipped his middle finger through the hole of the knife, now spinning it around at a high velocity with anticipation to strike. "You know, if there ever was anything worthwhile that came from your pathetic clan, it has to be the Sharingan…" Mizuki gave a soft chuckle, now beginning to slowly pace in a small circle, his eyes darting every which way for a sign of the raven-haired boy. "Imagine, just imagine what I could do if I had those eyes...I'd have more jutsu than the Leaf could fathom! I could have crushed ANY group of shinobi that got in my way, and then I would have proven myself to Lord Orochimaru years ago! And even if I wasn't serving him, I would have at least taken over the Hidden Leaf myself!" The smug grin stretched across his lips quickly straightened into a sharp line, the darting eyes narrowing a little at the memories of his time as a shinobi. "I would have been Jounin...I remember hearing chatter from the higher-ups about me getting a promotion, that I showed promise. But you know what? I never did get that promotion, never. They said my conduct in the field was poor. They said I was 'unnecessarily cruel' to the enemies and allies." Mizuki's brow furrowed a little, a 'tsk' sound escaping him. "Hypocrites, all of them! The enemy wouldn't show US mercy, so why should we?! A chain's only as strong as the weakest link, so the best way to keep our shinobi up to snuff is to get rid of any failures that we've created! They feared my hunger for power, they didn't trust me whatsoever!"
A slight movement in the peripheral of the missing-nin's eye made the hairs on his neck stand up. Quickly whipping around, he threw together a flurry of hand-signs to bring out another Lightning Dragon, the beast firing a rather intimidating bolt of lightning at the spot Mizuki had been eyeing. The attack hit, yet no charred genin's body fell from the branches that collapsed, small flames now present on it's surface being moved about by the gentle breeze which caused said movement to begin with.
The lack of a dead shinobi made Mizuki snarl. "JUST LIKE YOU, THEY WERE ALL COWARDS! THEY HAD TO LIVE BY STANDARDS OF THE OLD BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO AFRAID TO SET THEMSELVES FREE! THEY CHOSE TO STAY CHAINED DOWN BECAUSE THEY FEARED THE TRUE POWER WE COULD HAVE OBTAINED!" Again, he began to look back and forth, head snapping in all directions as his anticipation for bloodshed increased. "I'll get real power one day, more than your feeble little Uchiha mind can fathom. But, for now, I think I'll have no trouble skinning you alive…" As the threat passed his lips, a small smirk returned. "Or better yet, maybe I'll go pay that brother of your's a quick visit. If I do, then I'll do you a favor by killing him in the most brutal way possible...after all, there's no chance in hell that you'd be able to even scratch him…"
The challenge prompted Sasuke to snarl under his slow breathing, his tolerance for the bastard's words thinning to a fine line.
"And when I do finish killing him, I think I'll help myself to those eyes of his...the Uchiha don't deserve that kind of power, they never have! But don't worry, I'll make sure to put it to good use, all in honor of the brave men who erased one of the major issues with the Hidden Leaf," Mizuki said before coming to a complete halt, both him and the Lightning Dragon rearing their heads towards the Uchiha's hiding spot, the former grinning as he saw the small, red glint of the Sharingan in between the branches. "...the Uchiha Clan…"
Sasuke could feel his nerves pulsate with rage, no longer caring about the fact that Mizuki was preparing another attack with his jutsu. With a swift slice of the kunai, Sasuke cut away the petty branches in front of himself, allowing the dawn's minimal light to reveal his bloodied, battle-worn body. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Sasuke's words dripped with a thirst for blood, Mizuki's blood, and the genin did not hesitate to grip his kunai extra tight, allowing a Chidori to cloak the knife's blade with lethal lightning.
Mizuki chuckled. Finally, I'll be done with this one, then I can focus on-
A heavy fist made contact with the side of the missing-nin's face, the small green eyes shrinking in surprise and pain as they darted to the spiky blond hair of the assaulter. Naruto?
The genin landed on his feet and spun around without haste, readying another powerful left hook for his enemy, eyes red and feral as he looked for blood to fall. Mizuki reacted fast, taking the kunai in hand through the midsection of the boy. Any hint of excitement the criminal had was soon replaced with bitter annoyance as the clone he stabbed turned to a puff of smoke, causing Mizuki to bite back a curse. He heard more rustling behind him, much more rustling. He whipped around and glared at the tall branches above, his Lightning Dragon already firing off bolt after bolt into the thick shrubbery. Yet, despite his efforts, it would not stop the massive flood of orange which leapt from the branches and dove towards him, each one getting some form of a physical attack ready. Mizuki's beady eyes shrank as he began to swiftly swing and slash his kunai about, his jutsu revolving around it's user as it dug it's teeth into multiple clones. The smoke around the missing nin became thicker with every passing moment, the sounds of clones being dispelled continuously ringing out. And yet, despite his efforts, Mizuki could feel himself faltering overtime as more and more clones came, the seemingly endless army starting to get a few lucky blows in every now and then. He let out a feral growl as he began to put up more of an offense, moving faster and striking harder until the clones suddenly stopped appearing. Dead silence accompanied the absence of the jinchuuriki's attack, nothing but smoke from the clones filling the air around Mizuki. The white-haired missing-nin felt himself panting hard, slow, and could swear that a bead of sweat was rolling down his cheek. Unbelievable...how could that little shit catch me off guard like this? The fizzing of his Lightning Dragon jutsu quickly grabbed his attention, the technique lacking enough chakra to exist as it dispersed into an array of fine sparks. Mizuki began to grind his teeth against each other in mid-snarl, internally cursing his luck. Was he really being pushed this far by a few lackluster shinobi, two of which were genin? Perhaps it would be time to use 'that,' and REALLY get the ball rolling…
...but not before a certain enraged jinchuuriki launched one more sneak attack…
An incredibly loud thud audibly exploded from within the cloud as Naruto leapt through the smoke caused by his clones to land a powerful haymaker across the jaw of Mizuki, the sound of said attack being akin to a brick bashing into bone. The missing-nin flew back and began to roll on the ground, yet dug his hand into the bark below to help himself recover. Small splinters and chunks of bark flew up from underneath him as he slowly came to a halt, the criminal looking up at the jinchuuriki with a rather agitated glare.
Naruto, eyes red and pupils now slits, let out a furious roar towards his prey. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he shouted as he threw together a few hand signs. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Instantly, a brand new army was at the blond's beck and call, and started to charge the white-haired missing-nin as each one unleashed a battle cry.
Mizuki did not hesitate, already weaving hand signs together to retaliate against the genin. "Earth Release: Stone Edge!" Small pebbles broke through the ground beneath and began to levitate just outside of Mizuki's forearms, their edges sharp and awaiting the spilling of blood. The missing-nin stood ready, and began a swift series of fast kicks and punches as soon as the army of blonds came within reach. One by one, they fell and dispersed into smoke, a majority of them falling prey to mere counters or deathly cut and stab wounds from the Stone Edge technique combined with precise kunai strikes. Mizuki's movements were flowing perfectly, as if he knew each and every movement they would make due to their brash nature. A smug grin curled up on his lips as he grabbed one of the last remaining few by the face, slamming it's head into the bark beneath to destroy it. "Hah! What is this, some kind of warm-up? You'll have to do A LOT better than that if you want to kill me!" He turned around and aimed his palm at three of the clones, the sharp-edged pebbles hovering near his forearm launching forward and piercing the necks of all three, making them disappear. The final one, charging from behind, fell when Mizuki turned and flung his held kunai towards, meeting his intended target of the clone's forehead. Once it dispersed, Mizuki grinned wider and looked to the original, whom of which was still fuming over the missing-nin's mere existence. "What? Angry because a failure like you can't give a should-be jounin like me a decent match?"
Naruto said nothing, preferring to snarl once more and create even more clones as the charged the bastard once more.
Mizuki, even with half of his Stone Edge technique active, felt confident enough to charge the army this time, nonchalantly cutting and butchering multiple clones with ease as his malicious laugh echoed in between strikes. "This is rich, I'm loving this so much! It looks like even a demon is outmatched compared to someone like me!"
At that moment, in the middle of his frey, an electrified kunai whizzed past his head, missing by a few mere inches as it chopped off a few strands of silver hair. Mizuki's eyes widened as he realized where such a kunai could have come from, yet was too slow to make any attempt at a defensive countermeasure for what he predicted would come next.
Sasuke, Sharingan flaring with range and bloodlust for the enemy, blurred into reality behind Mizuki before delivering a powerful kick to the small of his back, thrusting him forward into the fist of a few clones up ahead. The Uchiha swiftly pulled out smoke pellets from a cargo pocket and threw them into the fray, knowing that Naruto would have no problem sending in more clones to finish the blinded bastard off. "Keep it up, Naruto!"
"I've got it!" Naruto's response came out of the boy in a guttural growl, though it was clear what he understood what needed to be done. It would be done soon.
Mizuki was now being batted around by punch after punch, the occasional kick to the stomach causing his breath to rush out from his mouth. Despite all this, his pain was surpassed by his rage at the predicament he was put in. Dammit! Annoying little shits, both of them! In a desperate attempt to begin his counter-attack, Mizuki threw himself back past all the clones and the massive pillows of clouds which were once surrounding him. He stopped a few feet away from the rabid clones, each of them turning and charging him once more. Mizuki, however, had faster hands than the clones' feet, already finished a sequence of hand-signs for another technique. "Lightning Release, Current Wave!" The white-haired shinobi thrusted his palm on the ground, a large wave of electrical surges arcing outwards across the ground, dispersing the army crafted by the jinchuuriki in mere seconds as it made it's way towards the blond and the Uchiha with intent to kill.
Naruto and Sasuke's feet lifted off the ground, their eyes widening as the electricity surged towards where they once stood. It passed by them quickly, leaving a trail of static destruction in its wake. The blue mixed in with the orange, as the two fought for control of the area, in a bitter war to the end. "Shit!" Naruto swore, Sasuke's attention snapping to follow his friends gaze. His crimson eyes widened, as a fuma shuriken soared through the air, spinning rapidly as it homed in on its target.
"Naruto, make a shadow clone!" Sasuke exclaimed, hands dusting into his weapons pouch. His eyebrows knitted together, as he realized he was running dangerously low on supplies. A few shuriken, a couple of kunai, and one fuma shuriken were all that remained.
It would have to do.
There was a poof of white smoke as another Naruto appeared next to the second. "Transform into a fuma shuriken!" Sasuke commanded as he twisted in mid-air, his real shuriken growing larger with a metallic clang. Without waiting, he let the fuma shuriken fly straight towards the other. After a few moments, the two projectiles collided, the thick ring punctuating the air, before both weapons fell to the ground, defeated. Naruto had made a hand-sign, and transformed into a fuma shuriken. Gripping at the 'handle', Sasuke twisted around once more and sent the Naruto clone flying towards Mizuki.
Before the green-eyed ninja could react, Naruto had already morphed back into his original form, and shoulder-tackled the Leaf Traitor with a vicious thud.
Mizuki stumbled back, pain coursing through his body as he tried to right himself. It was to no avail, as the blonde began to rain down blow after blow on the ninja's face. Dazed from the shoulder tackle, The Leaf Traitor could do nothing but get pummeled by the angry tanned fists. With a loud, echoing crack, Mizuki's nose was smashed into grizzly cartilage, blood exploding from the wound as his hands went to cover up the injury. Naruto didn't stop there, blue eyes filled with intense hatred, as he threw another punch that caught the grey haired nin hard in the cheek, splitting it open with a spray of crimson.
Mizuki was forced backwards, anger flashing in his eyes. "Fuckin' demon!" He roared, foot shooting outwards, and catching the blonde hard in the stomach. To Mizuki's horror, Naruto disappeared in a puff of white, cloudy smoke.
Hearing movement behind him, The Leaf Traitor span around, only to hear, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A massive gust of wind exploded out of Naruto's mouth, slamming into Mizuki with enough force to send him flying backwards. Pain raced through The Leaf Traitors body as he found himself shoved up against one of the burning clusters of roots. Flames scorched through his ninja gear, tearing and scarring his skin. His cries of pain echoed through the night air, before they were lost in the torrent of wind that pushed him through the burning roots and into a clearing. Skidding across the ground, The Leaf Traitor used the momentum to pull himself upwards into a crouch, before standing, agony bewitching every part of his aching, torn body.
Before he could fully comprehend what had happened, five blurs of orange, and one black shadow, appeared in front of him. Six legs slammed into his chin, a tooth exploding out of his gums and sailing into the air. Mizuki soon followed suit, eyes glazed over as he was forced to look at the reddish looking sky.
Sasuke's crimson eyes appeared in front of his own, and soon all he felt were the constant blows being rained down by the dark-haired ninja. Every strike left a deep, purple bruise, and they only continued to increase in quantity with each passing moment. A flash of orange caught his attention, but only briefly, as the rush of wind past The Leaf Traitor's ears began to deafen him.
The flash of orange had in fact been Naruto, who was flying parallel with his comrade. Sasuke quickly grasped at the blonde's ankles. Pulling him up, so he was above him, The Uchiha began to spin, taking the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki with him. After a few moments of intense spinning, Naruto was sent flying forward.
Sasuke allowed a triumphant grin to cover his normally stoic features, "We've got you now, bastard!" he cursed within his own mind, forming a hand-sign.
Naruto's mouth was curled into a foxy smirk, eyes flashing with victory as he continued to spin towards the beaten and battered traitor. "Take this!" He snarled, heel slamming into Mizuki's chest. The Leaf Traitor's mouth was soon covered in thick crimson that erupted from his throat, three of his ribs being broken with the devastating blow. Both The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki He sped downwards even faster than before, as five explosive tags lit up the clearing with a white, sterile glow. After a few moments, they erupted into a ball of vicious orange flame. This did not last for long, as soon it was replaced with a gaping, wide hole, that led into a dark abyss.
"Uzumaki Lion Combo!" Both Naruto and Sasuke growled out in victory, as the Leaf Traitor disappeared into the darkness below.
From behind one of the clusters, a Naruto clone stepped out, spinning Sasuke's chain with uncertainty. "Here goes nothing!" He shouted with a hint of worry, before letting the metallic weapon fly. Instead of using it as a damaging tool, however, the chain wrapped around the bodies of Sasuke and the real Naruto. With a painful thud, it pulled the two comrades together, back to back, the air rushing out of their lungs, before they were yanked back towards safely.
With an almighty crash, the two teammates slammed through the Naruto clone, dispersing it, before skidding across the bark. They managed to stop themselves after a few moments, breathing ragged, as they forced their aching bodies to stand up.
"We... did it..." Sasuke panted, running a hand across the miniature cuts that adorned his shoulder. The blonde merely nodded in reply, eyes, now turned back to their vibrant blue, were transfixed on the deep hole in front of him, an ecstatic expression gaining a deep hold over his features.
"I have an idea!" The Blonde chirped, making a hand-sign, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Multiple Naruto's popped into view, and immediately set to work. To the confusion of Sasuke, they rushed over to the burning clusters that surrounded the gaping hole.
"What're you doing, dobe?" Sasuke grumbled, deactivating his Sharingan with a relieved sigh. Rubbing at his tired, strained eyes, he turned to look at his blonde friend, who was grinning ear to ear. "And how exactly did you know about the giant hole in the first place?"
Naruto turned his attention away from said hole and towards the raven haired nin, cerulean eyes flashing with glee. "Oh, well, y'know, pure genius?"
Sasuke quirked an eyebrow tiredly, mouth forming a thin line. "Dammit dobe, answer the fuckin' question."
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki allowed his grin to slip ever so slightly, but it was back in full force a moment later, bouncing on the back of his heels. "Well sorry you grumpy bastard!" He yelled, as the Naruto clones tore away at the foundations of the burning clusters. Sasuke's eyes widened, as with a mighty yell, the clones shoved against the clusters, and sent them sprawling downwards into the abyss. "Anyway, for some reason, the inside of the tree didn't get made properly-"
"Grammar, Naruto," Sasuke chided with a cocky smirk.
Shooting The Uchiha a glare that could melt steel, the blonde corrected himself. "The inside of the tree didn't get 'formed' properly, and that's why a lot of the clusters are up in this spot! They should've been filling the empty space down below, but instead they're up here!"
"And how did you find out about that?"
Naruto's grin grew wider, and Sasuke truly wasn't sure if that was humanely possible. "One of my shadow clones came across a small opening before my clone was destroyed! I sent in the rest of them to go and have a look, and after doin' some looking around, I found out how big the hole actually was!"
Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, dark eyes flashing with annoyance. "How did you know about the hole if your shadow clones never told you?"
Naruto opened his mouth, and closed it again. "I... don't know-"
Sasuke's smirk came back full force, as he let out an arrogant sneer, "Heh, you just made that up. Dobe."
"Teme! I did not make it up!"
A huge chakra signature snapped both teens out of their argument, as something massive slammed down in front of them. Sasuke's pupils dilated, and before his eyes morphed into the known trait of the Uchiha Clan, he was swatted to the side like an insolent insect. He knew no more as his head smashed viciously against one of the clusters, eyes seeing nothing but darkness.
The hulking form of Mizuki, all injuries seemingly healed, faced off against Naruto. His pupils were turned into slits, green eyes glaring at the blonde with enough hate to darken the purest of souls. His white hair fluttered lightly in the breeze, his striped, orange skin shifted slightly. His bulging muscles flexed, teeth bared into a feral grin as he regarded the teen in front of him. Most of clothes had been shed, only a pair of standard shinobi trousers, dark blue, clung onto his giant form.
Naruto let out a shaky breath, eyes widening, "This chakra... it's like Sasuke's... in the forest, only worse..."
"Naruto," his voice was a deep, dark growl, vocal cords vibrating with rage, "this is my strongest form." He chuckled lowly, "for now, anyway. And in this form, Naruto, I have quite a lot of... libido." His laugh was loud, and sinister, as his green eyes flashed brightly with unsuppressed happiness.
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki stood steadfast, hands clenching into fists as he leaned forward, hard cerulean clashing with sinister green. "I don't know what the fuck that means," he stated through gritted teeth, "but I'm still going to kick your ass."
Mizuki bared his teeth. "It means, you fucking demon brat, that I get really horny in this form."
Naruto's pupils dilated, and Mizuki spat on the ground in disgust, "Not for you, disgusting shit. But," he grinned, "for Hinata." He said her name with such fondness, with such intensity, that Naruto's blood instantly began to boil.
"You take that back!" He snarled.
The Leaf Traitor paid no mind to him, continuing on without a second thought. "First off, Naruto, I'm going to rip your little friend over there," he gestured, "a new asshole. Then, I'm going to find your scrawny little sensei, and tear him apart with my teeth. And, finally," Naruto was about to reach breaking point, eyes hard, hands clenched so tightly his knuckles were white, "I'll fuck that little bitch Sakura so, so hard, her name will be the last thing she screams before I snap her neck."
Red began to pool around Naruto's body, his eyes shading into a deeper crimson, feral slits gleaming with anger. He let out a demonic growl, canines elongating, fingernails growing longer and turning sharper and sharper. He began to struggle into a crouch, the aura of orange surrounding his body becoming more and more potent. The ground beneath his feet began to crack, and behind him, came a long, bushy foxes tail, made entirely of demonic chakra.
"And, who knows," Mizuki provoked, "I might not kill Hinata," he chuckled to himself, "I hear virgins go for great prices in the slave markets." He flashed another sickening, toothy grin. "That is, if she makes it there a virgin."
"I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR DICK OFF AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR FUCKING THROAT, YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!" Naruto roared, the intensity of his declaration forcing the Leaf Traitor to take a step back.
Mizuki cracked his knuckles, muscles rippling, as he spoke, "The Beast will now take on The Demon," he grinned, "And I'm not going to rest until you, Kyuubi, are dead and buried in the ground where you belong!"
"AND I'M NOT GOING TO REST UNTIL YOU'RE JUST A BLOOD SMEAR ON THE FLOOR!"
Mizuki's gleeful smirk cracked, replaced with a ferocious scowl. "I'm going to remember this night for the rest of my night. The day the demon was slaughtered!"
After a single, heartbeat of silence, the two ninjas burst forward, baying for each others blood.
The clang of metal against metal rang out into the night air. Blurs of movement, quicker than the untrained eye could see, flickered back and forth, shadows amongst the stars.
Kakashi allowed a grimace to cross his masked face, as his body instinctively ducked downwards to avoid the side of a sharp blade. The kunai in his gloved hand was dirty and scuffed, and it screamed in pain as The Copy Ninja used it to deflect another strike from the Kusanagi.
The minutes ticked by slowly, Kakashi realized, as he struck outwards. Orochimaru, of course, managed to dodge, earning a small scowl. They had been doing this dance for how long now? At least ten minutes or so. It was getting ridiculous.
"I'm keeping him at bay, though," Kakashi reassured himself, "But, why exactly is he here?"
The question had punctuated his mind since he'd first known Orochimaru was around. From what he could discern from The Invasion just a few short weeks ago, The Snake Sennin only did the most important things in his plans. In all of the chaos, not once did he even glance at anybody else, only the Third Hokage (the thought of his death still made Kakashi's heart boil with anger). And after that, he had fled. Admittedly, he had lost the use of his arms, and thus would have trouble making jutsu. But the battle was certainly not lost. Instead, he had retreated, and left his people to die.
Part of him wanted to think Orochimaru was a coward, but he knew that not to be true. The Snake Sennin never backed down from anything, and he most likely never would. It explained why he had stuck around to fight him, one on one, but it still didn't explain why he was here in the first place, especially with his weakened state. Having no arms to fight with, even if you are one of the Legendary Sannin, in one hell of a big weakness.
Kakashi's eye crinkled in amusement. Orochimaru was so focused on learning all of the jutsu in the world, he had not mastered many of them. And, because of this, his strength was cut in half.
But he's still stronger than you.
The Copy Ninja shook the thoughts from his head, cartwheeling in the air as Kusanagi almost cut into his side. Landing gracefully, he charged back into the fray, mind still spinning.
Sasuke was one of the more obvious reasons why Orochimaru was here. He obviously expected great things from Sasuke, and would no doubt want to see them first hand. But, surely he would've just snatched him up by now? His interest in The Uchiha was merely in passing, it seemed. At least, for a short while.
So it must've been something else. But what?
With his crimson eye, Kakashi followed the casual yellow eye flicker of the Snake Sennin, directly towards the ensuing battle between Naruto, Sasuke, and Mizuki. They had made their way deep into the forest of roots that took up a part of the summit, and only the flashes of fire and electric sparks signaled they were still in battle.
So it was something to do with them, then.
It was still possible Orochimaru was testing Sasuke's potential, but he still had more than enough chakra to keep fighting without having to resort to the Curse Seal. And even then, Kakashi was his student wouldn't stoop to such a level as to use that blasted thing.
Liar.
Could it be Naruto, then? It would make sense that the sick bastard he was currently engaged with would take a vested interest in a Jinchuuriki, especially holding the most powerful Tailed Beast in existence. Watching and documenting his growth would be logical, especially if he was now working with the Akatsuki. He highly doubted the brute that Itachi was fighting was as analytical as The Snake Sennin, and even if he was, he seemed too focused on Itachi to care about Naruto at this point.
"Distracted are we?" Orochimaru's words slithered out of his mouth, despite the large sword that blocked his throat, "I think you should focus, Hatake."
Kakashi's foot almost made contact with Orochimaru's head, but the Snake Sage ducked, sickly yellow eyes gleaming in the dimming moonlight. "I'm curious," he hissed, twisting his body to avoid a kunai slash, "why would you betray poor, sweet, Sasuke, hm?"
The Copy Ninja threw forward his foot towards Orochimaru's legs, but The Snake Sennin back-flipped away. "Well Kakashi?" He asked, landing, sword glistening as he leapt forward, eager to impale his opponent, "Why did you sell your soul to Itachi, and ruin the lives of one of your precious students?"
"Shut. Up."
"Touchy!" Orochimaru snarled, leaping away from The Copy Ninja, as Kusanagi began to slither back down his throat, "Let's make things more interesting, hm?"
The point of the blade disappeared down into the Snake Sennin's stomach, as a tooth grin contorted over his face. This soon morphed into a look of concentration, as Orochimaru reared his head back, before firing a barrage of bullets, made entirely of water.
"Liquid Bullets", he realized. The Copy Ninja leapt to the side, horrendous splashes mixing in with loud cracks as he skirted around Orochimaru. The Snake Sennin continued to fire the bullets at his opponent, eyes wide with amusement.
Kakashi jumped backwards to avoid gaining a hole in his chest, eyes narrowing. Weaving through hand-signs as he landed, he exclaimed, "Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!"
Slamming his palm down onto the ground, a wall of earth cracked through the bark and erected itself in front of the Copy Ninja. The Liquid Bullets thudded into it viciously, but it did not falter, despite the shower of dust that fell with each bombardment.
"I need to figure out what my next move is. Fighting up close would give me the advantage for now, as I don't know what his jutsu arsenal is without the use of his hands-"
Kakashi bit back a curse, hand darting upwards, letting the kunai he had in his hand fly into the night air. His feet soon left the safety of the ground as he launched himself up into the sky above. If he had waited a moment longer, his entire body would've been engulfed in flame, his earth wall exploded, rocks scattering everywhere. He landed back on his feet with a quiet thud, hands quickly blurring through signs as he scanned around for Orochimaru, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
A writhing shape formed into a dragon as it burst out of the ground, made entirely of water. It honed in on the Snake Sennin, and, with teeth wide open, charged forward.
Orochimaru was unfazed by this, rearing his head back, and letting loose a large torrent of mud that stormed towards the water dragon. The Mud Blast, with a sick squelch, collided with the dragon made of water, liquid and mud cancelling each other out and dirtying the ground as it splattered down with a wet squelch.
Kakashi's Sharingan eye narrowed in glee, as he vanished in a puff of smoke. Orochimaru's pupil's dilated, biting back a curse as his gaze drifted to the sky. The Copy Ninja was whirling through hand-signs, before yelling out, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A blast of fire exploded from his mouth, illuminating the night air and coating it in an orange glow. It sped towards the Snake Sennin, ready to burn him to a crisp.
This did not work, however, as Orochimaru channeled chakra into his legs, kicking upwards. He flew through the air, doing a backflip as the area he once stood upon erupted into fiery shards. He landed with a thud, and started to fire out a large barrage of Liquid Bullets.
Kakashi frowned through his thin mask, weaving through signs before exclaiming, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Cupping a hand over his mouth, The Copy Ninja landed gracefully as small fireballs shot outwards, speeding towards the water bullets that were flying his way.
To Kakashi's horror, however, the power of the Liquid Bullets far outweighed that of the fireballs, as they were subsequently put out, steam wafting upwards into the dimming night's sky. Realizing the error, Kakashi leapt to the side, but not before one of the bullets slashed across his side. He let out a sharp bark of pain, twisting his body into a roll. With the crunch of the bark, The Copy Ninja's body jolted, rolling forwards until he was on his feet. His eyes glanced down towards the wound , face twisting into a wince. The cut was not very deep, but noticeable, his shinobi wear torn as crimson oozed out of the line that ran across his midsection.
"I must admit," Orochimaru crooned, tongue swirling around his pale lips, "You've come far Kakashi!" His laughter reverberated across the summit of the tree. "Sadly, you haven't come far enough! Ten Thousand Snakes Wave!"
The Snake Sennin opened his mouth wider than a bathtub, as hundreds upon hundreds of snakes slithered out of Orochimaru's mouth. They hissed loudly, an encroaching storm as they moved across the bark in tandem, shapeless. Their eyes were visible, bright yellow, just like their master as he cackled madly.
Kakashi wasted little time, jumping back high into the air, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He called out, a ball of flame escaping from his lips and speeding towards the wave of serpents. It was met with a Mud Blast, the earth snuffing out the fire's glow with ease. The Copy Ninja landed on his feet, side pulsating. His hands darted into his weapons pouch, retrieving one lone shuriken. His fingertips blurred, before he let the projectile fly. Orochimaru let out a sharp bark of laughter, before he opened his mouth wide. A shuriken, covered in bile, sped out of the Snake Sennin's mouth. With a clang of metal that was only just heard over the hissing of serpents, the two weapons fell into the wave quietly.
Orochimaru's eyes widened, however, as he realized that Kakashi had used the Shadow Shuriken Technique, another one of the metallic projectiles flying towards him. He soon smirked, however, and inclined his head to the side, shuriken whizzing past. The Copy Ninja, with a little wave to the snakes, re-appeared behind Orochimaru with a puff of smoke.
"Earth Style: Great Mud River!" Team Seven's Sensei yelled.
Slamming his palms down on the ground, the bark began to shake, as a massive amount of mud burst forth and up into the air. It crashed down with a speed unmatched by most techniques, before it zoomed forward, engulfing Orochimaru from the waist up. The snake's enraged hissing was soon drowned out, snuffing the life out of the serpents as they were absorbed by the seemingly never-ending river of earth.
Kakashi was not done yet, however, keeping both of his eyes on The Snake Sennin, who struggled willfully to escape his binds. "I've heightened the mud with my chakra, Orochimaru," he stated with a cold, clinical tone, "only the strongest of earth users could break out of that. And now, this ends here! Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb!"
With a flurry of hand-signs, Kakashi concentrated, brow creasing, as a dragon's head formed out of the mud river. It let out a quick, but mighty roar, opening it's jaws wide, before pelting out a barrage of mud bullets. Sharingan eye spinning, The Copy Ninja burst sparks of fire from his masked lips, illuminating the bullets in a deadly glow. They charged forward, and slammed into Orochimaru, the Snake Sennin letting out a horrendous cry, before he melted into mud.
Kakashi's pupils dilated as he swung around, catching Orochimaru's grin. He turned away from the Copy Ninja, focusing instead on the distant battles of his comrades. Charging forward, Team Seven's Sensei watched as The Snake Sennin bellowed, "Poison Mist Jutsu!"
A purple, thick mist flowed out of his mouth, spreading all over the area with a low hiss, speeding towards the rest of Team Rescue Sakura.
"Dammit, I need to stop that before it kills everyone!"
The Copy Ninja darted forwards, letting out a horrified breath of air as Orochimaru fired off a Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, sending the purple mist soaring forwards at an even faster speed. "I'm going to have to use a stronger technique than I wanted," he grimaced, "here goes nothing."
Pushing chakra into his feet, Kakashi coiled, and sprang high into the reddish-black air. Flipping for good measure, he quickly landed in front of the cloud of poisonous gas, spinning around and blaring through hand-signs, "Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
Pushing his palms onto the bark, a great rumbling ensued. Before long, the ground below broke in half, water shooting upwards, taking Kakashi with it. It was a gargantuan sight, the glittering water shining as the light of the slowly descending moon, tinted by the slowly orange backdrop, touched it's surface. It soon transformed, however, into a roaring storm, surging forward and washing poison away. The majority of the summit was soon covered in a large pool of water, only just barely splashing downwards off of the side of the great tree.
Summoning up an Earth Wall, The Copy Ninja leapt off the waterfall that continued to spew water, landing on the structure with a quiet thud. Sweat clung to his brow, red still seeping slightly from the wound on his side. "That was far more chakra intensive than I remember," Kakashi thought to himself, letting out a breath of relieved air, as his hand slid into his pouch for a soldier pill. His eyes widened, and he allowed a curse to escape through his masked lips as he leapt off his perch, a fireball searing into it just a moment after he escaped. Going through hand-signs, he summoned another wall of earth as Orochimaru cackled from atop the old, scarred one. "Kakashi, kukuku, you're good. But, can you outlast me in a battle of attrition?" The Snake Sennin hissed. Pulling his head backwards, long black hair fluttering in the light breeze, Orochimaru threw his head forward as a torrent of mud burst from his gaping maw.
The Copy Ninja once more leapt from his perched position, quickly creating another earth wall as the previous was obliterated, pieces of it splashing into the water below.
"I can use this water to my advantage!"
Kakashi began to make hand-signs at an alarming rate, Sharingan watching as Orochimaru leapt onto the mound of earth he had been standing on not a moment earlier, and waited. "Water Style: Water Whip Jutsu!"
A huge amount of water whips burst forth from the water, writhing and thrashing about. There were at least a hundred of all different shapes and sizes, and Kakashi couldn't help but thank Kami this wasn't the most chakra intensive technique. He had only about fifty percent of his reserves left, and if he used much more...
His hands twisting and turning, The Copy Ninja focused, the water whips beginning to spin rapidly. They contorted around and around, sinking lower and lower into the water, until they formed a gigantic, spinning whirlpool. It thrashed against Kakashi's structure of earth, making it shake with fear. With one more hand-sign, the whirlpool sped towards Orochimaru's perch. The Snake Sennin's eyes had broadened in fear, and before he could coil chakra into his legs, he found himself floating in mid-air. His perch was utterly destroyed, crumbled and broken by the roaring waves that would soon engulf him. With an enraged cry, The Snake Sennin fell downwards, the whirlpool ready to welcome its victim.
Kakashi allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. One more jutsu, and he could go and help his students. Hands exploding through signs, The Copy Ninja called out, "Lightning Style: Lightning Arc!"
Pointing his hands downwards, electricity sparked from his hands, crackling loudly as it sped towards the rushing waters.
"No!" Orochimaru hissed, eyes sliding from left to right. He would not drown here! Hyper-extending his neck, and using his teeth, he latched onto Kakashi's perch, and with as much might as he could muster, shot himself forward.
The Copy Ninja frowned, both of his hands darting into pouches, one producing a kunai, the other, a smoke pellet. Throwing it down, an explosion of thick, black smog embraced his form. But Orochimaru did not waver, using his momentum to slam into the earth structure with a loud thud. Unharmed, he leapt up to where Kakashi was last standing, and, producing Kusanagi from his mouth, slashed. He cut the smoke in half, but he did not catch flesh.
Out of the corner of his sickly yellow eyes, he spotted a blur. Twisting his body around, he deflected the kunai that was inches away from skewering the back of his neck. Kakashi didn't even have time to frown, The Snake Sennin slicing his sword through the air once more towards Kakashi's throat. The Copy Ninja held his kunai up to block, the screeching sound of metal on metal filling the reddening air. Finally, the larger blade won out, and Kakashi was sent flying backwards, off of his created structure.
Spinning in mid-air, the Copy Ninja reacted quickly, letting the kunai in his hands fly. Orochimaru's eyes widened, before the projectile pierced his skull. He soon disappeared into a pile of mud.
Kakashi's pupils dilated, as Orochimaru's face soon peered out from the middle of his perch. Soon, his entire body was appearing out of the large earthen structure, and with a grin, he exclaimed, "Binding Snake Glare Spell!"
Two large, hissing snakes burst out of Orochimaru's robes, and Kakashi didn't have any time to react before they wrapped themselves around him. With a painful squeeze, they began to constrict, tongues flickering inwards and outwards as their yellow eyes clashed with Kakashi's grey and red orbs. With a loud splash, The Copy Ninja crashed into the now calm water, the snakes ready to break him in half.
Orochimaru let out a loud, serpentine laugh, slithering down from the earthen wall and landing in the water. It went up to his waist, the dimming moonlight glinting off of it and onto his white skin, snake-like eyes gazing over every inch of Kakashi's trapped body. He licked his pale lips, a grin forming on his face. "And here we are, Kakashi," he hissed, "I stand victorious over your body."
The Copy Ninja refused to show any signs of pain, despite the constantly coiling snakes which would very soon crack his ribcage. "You lay there, my snakes slowly crushing your bones, as I watch you die. Just like I will watch Naruto die at the hands of Mizuki, and just as I will take Sasuke, Sakura, and that other girl back to my lab! What was her name? Tali, I believe it was." He laughed once more.
His laughter soon transformed into shrieks of pain, as Kakashi's disappeared in a buzz of lightning, shocking the water. Volts shot through Orochimaru's veins, snakes writhing in pain as they were fried. After a few moments, they stopped, and The Snake Sennin sank to his knees, sharp eyes widened, the smell of burning flesh wafting upwards.
Kakashi blurred behind him, hand cocked back, as he went to exclaim, "Raikiri-"
A flash of green made him pause, and with his eyes broadening, he jumped backwards.
"Dammit!" He hissed under his breath, skidding through the water as he locked eyes with his new foe.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, pushing them up by the lense, a grin contorting his face evilly. "Sorry I'm late, Lord Orochimaru. I had personal business to take care of."
The Snake Sennin's face morphed into a delighted chuckle, as he stood up once more. "It is alright Kabuto," he cooed, voice holding inflictions of pain, "I will forgive you this once."
Kabuto bowed lightly. "Your mercy is kind, my lord." He inclined his head slightly, ashen hair wisping in the breeze as he looked upon the panting form of Kakashi Hatake. "I've always wanted to fight you," he stated, fingers tapping the rim of his glasses.
Orochimaru let out an eerie laugh.
Kakashi grimaced. "Shit, I should've used Raikiri earlier. Now... I may not be able too."
"It has been fun, Hatake," Orochimaru hissed, "but now, you die!"
The Snake Sennin, along with his grinning right hand man, charged.
The tremendous clash of jutsu exploded with light and water, as a scorching fireball collided with a gigantic Water Shark Bullet. The two jutsu erupted into a mixture of liquid and steam, splattering onto the bark below.
Itachi stood silently across from Kisame, mouth creased into a frown. This did not change as The Shark Ninja let out a cry of rage, barrelling forward, Samehada pulled backwards. The sentient blade cut through the night air, slicing straight through Itachi's arm and upper body with ease. It only lasted a moment, however, before balls of feathers exploded upwards, cawing madly as they flew into the reddening sky.
A sound perked the ears up of the Monster of the Hidden Mist, head swinging around, eyes narrowing. They soon broadened wildly, as a humongous amount of rushing water was spearing towards him at an alarming rate. Before he could break into a grin, the earth beneath his feet began to shake violently. His mouth formed a low frown, a snarl breaking through his pointed teeth. Before him, a crevice opened up, the onrushing water splashing down it, and pouring out of the other side of the tree.
"You're no fun, Itachi," Kisame grumbled to himself, fixing the Uchiha, who stood a few metres away from him, with a steely glare. Itachi's hands were clamped into a sign, sweat trickling down his brow, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
"Although," The Shark Ninja sighed, clacking his teeth together in amusement, "you certainly seemed to have learned some new tricks since we last met."
Itachi inclined his head to the side slightly, crimson eyes spinning slowly. Twisting around, The Uchiha burst through hand-signs, "Water Style: Feeding Shark Frenzy!"
Kisame's mouth twisted into a feral snarl, hatred burning in his white eyes. "You bastard!" He boomed, running forward, feet slamming against the bark below. He swung Samehada hard at the oncoming shark, water splashing against his burnt and charged skin as it dispersed. He did so with another, and another, until his final war cry signaled the end of the attack with an overhand blow that sliced the shark in half.
"Where did you learn that!?" Kisame seethed.
Itachi regarded him with an impassive stare, jaw set. "I learnt it by studying the scrolls that I stole from one of your hideouts."
"Our hideouts," Kisame allowed his snarl to slip away, replacing it with a grin," And I just can't continue to be angry right now. This has made things far more fun! I'm going to enjoy ripping your throat out even more than I was before!"
Itachi's hands were impossible to follow as he called out, "Fire Style: Phoenix Crows!"
Crows soon began to form out of the bark below both opponents feet, letting out shrieks of fury as they flapped their earthy wings. Itachi let loose a flurry of small fireballs, setting the increasing number of sentient birds aflame. With a wave of his hand, they fly forward, beaks open wide, beady eyes focused.
Kisame grinned, slamming Samehada into the ground as he weaved through hand-signs, "Water Style: Feeding Shark Frenzy!"
Thrusting his hands forward, five sharks exploded from behind Kisame, out of the bark and straight towards the crows.
There was another explosion of dirt, fire, and water, coating the area in crumpled earth, flickering embers and liquid puddles.
"We seem to be doing a lot of this," Kisame droned, grin overtaking his face once more, "how about we talk a little?"
Itachi's lips deepened into a frown. He had only known Kisame for a few short months before his departure, but he was never one for talking. It was his constant love for battle and death that made him who he was. He had never shown any interest in talking before. Why now?
"What about?" The Uchiha's voice was soft and cool, hand hovering over his kunai pouch.
Kisame thrust Samehada into the ground, leaning against the hilt of the sword in a casual, relaxed manner. His white eyes glanced over Itachi's form, zooming in on the hand that floated over the pouch. A grin split his face.
"Tell me about those student's of yours."
Itachi's jaw hardened. "What about them?"
The Monster of the Hidden Mist shrugged. "Well, what about the boy with the two sword's. Kataki, wasn't it?" His smirk broadened, "His sword-work was very good, especially for being so young. I don't remember you ever being able to do that, though. You learn and teach 'im?"
"No. He learned it himself."
"He taught himself?"
"No. He was taught by someone else. Not by me."
Something flashed in Kisame's eyes. "I see. Impressive for a kid his age. Gave me a shock a couple of times, but now he's lyin' in a pool of his own blood, so it's all good."
Itachi's eyes narrowed, crimson eyes hardening. "Is that all you wanted to know, Kisame?"
The Shark Ninja shook his head, absent-mindedly stroking his finger up and down Samehada's skin. "What's the deal with the snowy-haired kid with the odd name. Fenris, yeah? He was really pissed off at Orochimaru. Then again," Kisame chuckled, "he's not really the only one."
"Why," Itachi began, moving his hand away from the kunai pouch," are you working with that snake, Kisame?"
His teeth glinted in the moonlight. "I can't tell ya that, Itachi. You'd figure me all out."
"I presume Madara is still calling the shots?"
"Oh, I think you know that already." Kisame continued to grin. "An' you never answered my question. What's the problem with Fenris and Orochimaru?"
"That is none of your concern," he answered curtly.
"Alright. How about the bitch with the big tits and crooked nose? Kura, or somethin'? The fuck is up with her jutsu? It's something else... would scare someone else half to death, I suppose."
"She's a little bit different to the rest," Itachi nodded his head," but she has her part to play."
"In your plan?" Kisame inquired, grin slipping. "Your shitty plan that made you leave the Akatsuki?"
"Are you sure you should still be fighting?" Itachi dodged the question smoothly. "The burns are weakening you with each passing moment."
Kisame slapped his reddish-black chest, repressing the urge to flinch violently. "This only makes me stronger, Itachi. And you avoided my question. Again. But, I think I know what your plan is," his mouth upturned into a toothy grin, "it's sorta similar to mine, in fact. Funny that."
"His knowledge of my plans is little to nothing."
"It has to do with family, Itachi," The Monster of the Hidden Mist's eyes flashed with amusement, "and that's the reason you left the Akatsuki, right? Because of-"
Kisame paused, taking a step backward. Itachi was leaking killing intent at an alarming rate, Sharingan eyes morphing into Mangekyo Sharingan. His mouth was curled into a snarl, jaw set and focused, hands clenched.
"A sore spot?" The Shark Ninja steeled himself, despite the confusion running through his mind. Itachi had never acted like this at all. "We were all there to see-"
"Fireball Jutsu!"
Itachi's hands were unseeable, as he opened his mouth and let loose a barrage of fireballs. Kisame's eyes widened, and he leapt backward, only to discover that they wouldn't stop coming. Itachi kept rearing his head back and firing off the large, scorching balls of heat towards him. They smashed into the ground, searing embers charring the bark. Samehada in his grip, The Monster of the Hidden Mist swung wildly, slicing through fireball after fireball, much to the sentient sword's displeasure. Over and over he continued to shoot them, a neverending attack that, Kisame admitted to himself, he couldn't keep up with.
Finally, however, it ended. Itachi collapsed onto one knee, breathing hard, sweat shining across his entire form. His eyes never changed though. Full of hate and rage, redder than blood and blacker than night itself. He raised his gaze to look at The Shark Ninja, who looked at him with apprehension.
"Ama-"
Itachi paused.
No.
Not now. He couldn't use it now. Those fireballs took enough out of him already, he was down to just about thirty percent of his chakra. He needed to save it, just in case.
"I will need to keep my emotions in check." He thought to himself with a grimace. "It matters not now, though. Let's finish this quickly."
With that, The Uchiha blurred forward to engage with the Shark Ninja once more.
And there we go, another chapter down! Next chapter will contain some characters that haven't been seen in a while, so that will be good!
To state something, I will not be making a celebratory chapter for reaching 500+ reviews. Quite honestly, I want to just get through the arc as fast as possible. I'll probably make a special chapter for the end of the arc, though!
Poll for this week is very simple! Who has been your favourite new Akatuski Member so far!?
Hyouden?
Garou?
Shizen?
Itsutori
Eliara?
Vote now, and the poll answers will be announced next week!
I still can't believe we reached over five-hundred reviews, I'm honoured that a lot of you take your time to read my work and review, and to those silent viewers out there, thanks for reading as well. I hope I can bring as much laughter, pain, blood (that's a joke), sweat (another joke), and tears (they'll come later, trust me) to you as this story has given me. Here's to one thousand!
Have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night!