Yo! Spring Break was boring as hell. Many things ranging from balancing Pokemon and Fire Emblem, remembering to type, and keeping myself within the Top 10000 on Naruto Arena has really left me with no free time! But, because of that, Chapter 4 is up! Let's sit, and enjoy!
Chapter 4: Konoha Royal Part 1: Sasuke's Return, and Tsunade's Old Rival.
(Main Battlefield)
"In order to save Sasuke, you will have to face Orochimaru. Kimimaro, treat this as an S-Rank mission." Kimimaro nodded to the leader of his new gang, the Shadow Blades. Him, along with the Sound Four, had been revived by this enigmatic man, so he had his full gratitude.
"Why would we want to save Sasuke-sama?" Kimimaro asked. "It will be vital for when we kill Orochimaru. Sasuke, once he is trained, will have the powers that you now posses, maybe even more." Kimimaro nodded. So, fate rested on if he could save the last Uchiha. He wouldn't fail this mission. He would carry it out.
"Orochimaru, you must die." Kimimaro said, already in his Curse Mark: Level 2 state. "You believe you have what it takes to kill me? You shouldn't make statements you can't keep." Orochimaru said, smirking. "I won't lose." Kimimaro said, charging.
The Bone Blade clashed with the Kusanagi, and Kimimaro created a second one, bringing it over his head. Orochimaru jumped back, and shot some of his Shadow Snakes. Kimimaro hacked through the snakes easily, but didn't realize they were merely a distraction. Kimimaro finished the last snake, and had just enough time to duck under a thrust towards his head.
Kimimaro shot some bones out of his chest, and hit the Snake Sannin. At least, he thought he hit him, but it turned into a log. Kimimaro looked around, and felt a fist his him in the face. Kimimaro slid for a few feet, and flew through a building. In no time, Kimimaro shot through the building, Bone Sword back in hand.
Orochimaru dodged the sword attacks easily, even without the Sharingan eyes. "You are pathetic, Kimimaro-kun. You think you can stand up to me?" Orochimaru said, kicking him and sending him flying. "Foolish puppet. Whoever sent you, obviously has no idea who they're dealing with." And so he began a monologue on how powerful and awesome he was.
(Near Hokage Tower)
Tsunade was sitting near Hokage Tower, tired. Of course, she had taken out her fair share of nin, and decided that taking a small break was okay. Shizune, on the other hand, accused her of being lazy as hell.
"Seems like the old woman is still a drunkard." Tsunade and Shizune both stood up, and looked towards where the voice came from. In front of them, stood a man. His face was covered by a samurai hat, and his tone was one of someone teasing. The inside of his cape had two silver swords crossing in the inside of the cape.
"Who are you? How dare you speak to the Hokage in such a taunting manner!" Tsunade said, glaring rather viciously. "Even after all this time, your manners and temper are still rather foul." He said, and they could tell that he was smirking. "Look, whoever the hell you think you are. I am I a pretty pissed mood. My damn village is being attacked!" Tsunade said angrily. "And here you are, sitting and 'taking a break'?" He asked.
Shizune threw a shuriken that was aimed right for his head. Rather than get hit, there was a flash of movement, and another man was in front of him. This one had 1 silver sword on his cape, and a sword out. "I don't want to have to fight you, Shizune-chan, but I don't think you want to pick a fight with us." He said, his jet black hair flowing in the wind.
"Nekobe. That won't be necessary." "But Shiro-sama! She was attacking you!" Both heard gasps coming from Tsunade. "Shiro Masamune!?"
(Main Battlefield)
"The seal you have is to be only used on Orochimaru. But there is a deadly and costly price." Kimimaro loked on as Shiro gave him an oddly calm look. "The moment this jutsu hits Orochimaru, it will be key that you and Sasuke survive, or at least flee."
While Orochimaru was generically monologing, Kimimaro was slowly powering up. His Curse Mark began glowing a hot white, and they were spreading farther across his body. After a few seconds, a bright light blasted off of Kimimaro's body, and Orochimaru actually began to pay him some attention. When he stepped out of the building he was in, Orochimaru looked a little intrigued.
His clothes, rather than the usual Sound attire, was now a black outfit with a black cape. It looked almost identical to Ichigo's battle attire when he goes Bankai. (Bleach for those who don't know.) In his right hand was a black Bone Blade, and the marks that adorned his body were now gone. "What is this weird power, Kimimaro-kun?" Orochimaru asked.
"This is what happens when you reach the true potential of these Curse Marks. This is what happens when you master it to a point where you can draw it's power without it affecting your body. This, is Curse Mark: Level 3!" Kimimaro said, his chakra actually visibly flying off his body in surges of power.
"I must say. This kind of power is something I never expected from the Curse Mark. You may actually be considered a threat." Orochimaru said, as Kimimaro made a single seal, causing his right hand to glow purple. Orochimaru was ready, but without the Sharingan Eyes, he couldn't see Kimimaro's movements until it was too late. Kimimaro got the purple hand onto his skull, like he was pushing it.
"You see, Kimimaro, once you get the seal off, Sasuke will become free."
Orochimaru slid back a little, before Sasuke shot out of his body, as thought they were fused together. Orochimaru fell to the ground, and Sasuke slid for a few feet. Kimimaro zipped over to Sasuke, to make sure he was okay. "Hey, Sasuke Uchiha. Are you alive?" Kimimaro asked, and Sasuke opened his eyes to give him a confused look.
"What? How am I alive?" Sasuke asked. "I used a Body Separation Seal to save your soul. I don't know how your body shot out as well. It was only supposed to knock your soul out." Kimimaro said, and they both turned to see Orochimaru standing, dark chakra slowly leaking from him.
"But once it's used, you must flee. Once the seal is used, the darkness in Orochimaru's heart will take control of his body. He will become wilder, and lose his will. He will become a being enshrouded in nothing but darkness."
"What the hell? Is that Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked. Orochimaru was now back in his usual adult body, and he was covered in a powerful black aura. But what really caught both their attention was the fact that his eyes, which weren't yellow, were now dark black, with three blood red commas in them. "They look like my Sharingan Eyes." Sasuke said.
"He should be wild with power, but he isn't. Why is that?" Kimimaro asked. "Because, the darkness that I harbor is something I can control. My will refuses to allow me to succumb to the darkness. I now control it!" Orochimaru said, smirking real evilly.
"This makes things a hell of a lot more a pain." Kimimaro said, and Sasuke sighed. "This is one of those times that winning seems like a long shot, isn't it?" Sasuke asked. "You could say that." Kimimaro said.
(Near Hokage Tower)
"So, you do remember me?" Shiro said, removing his hat, so they could see his features. His hair was a dark orange, and came down to his back, like Jiraiya's hair. His eyes were a dark blue, and he seemed to be quite cheerful for someone his age. His partner's eyes were covered by the sunglasses he wore, and he sheathed his sword back behind him.
"You know this guy, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked. "Yeah. Back before I became known as a Sannin, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I went on a mission to the Cloud Village to kill a man who held important scrolls pertaining to Konoha." Tsunade said. "She had found the guy, and I was the one hired to protect him. We battled." Shiro said.
"You battled her?" Nekobe asked. "Yeah. The guy asked the Raikage for protection, so they asked me to protect him. I was merely doing my job." Shiro said. "What happened?" Shizune asked, and Tsunade looked away, as though annoyed. "They broke off, and Tsunade was left to face me. Though it was tough, I totally owned her ass!" Shiro said, like a boastful child.
"You beat a Legendary Sannin!?" Shizune asked. "Well, I should be able to, seeing as I'm a Legendary Sannin from the Cloud Village!" Shiro said, and Nekobe sighed. "You got lucky!" Tsunade said, indignantly. "Whatever. You lost because I was stronger, and because you were attracted to this sexy beast!!!" Shiro said, showing the V sign.
Nekobe and Shizune sweat dropped, and Tsunade scoffed. "Dream on, bastard." Tsunade said. Nekobe was about to comment on the pink tinge surrounding her cheeks, but decided that watching to Legendary Nin unconsciously flirt with each other was way too amusing. Before anything else was said, a small explosion, and a cloud of smoke appeared behind them, and Shiro smirked.
"Hey, it's Gama-teme!" Shiro said, and Jiraiya smirked. "Well, hi to you too, Neko-chan!" Jiraiya said, and both nin laughed heartily at each other.
(Main Battlefield)
Sasuke and Kimimaro were on their last legs. Orochimaru was way too strong for them, even as Kimimaro was at Curse Mark: Level 3 and Sasuke was at Curse Mark: Level 2. "We really don't stand a chance." Kimimaro said. "We need to retreat right? I have a plan." Sasuke said. Orochimaru heard them, and smirked.
"You won't escape. I'll end it here with a new technique." Orochimaru said, flicking his wrist so that his palm was facing the ground. To his opponents surprise, it began charging with dark chakra, that made a hissing sound, almost similar to a snake hissing. "Kimimaro, once the time is right, you'll know what to do." Sasuke said, and Kimimaro nodded, as Sasuke prepared his Chidori.
"Your little bug zapper of an attack won't do anything to me, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru said, smirking. Sasuke smirked, and shook his head. "You really believe that you can kill me? I was holding back!" Sasuke said, praying that Orochimaru didn't call his bluff. "Really? Well, this clash will prove who is the stronger of the two." Orochimaru said, taking a step forward. After that step, both nin blasted from their starting points, leaving a trail of dust behind them.
"CHIDORI!!" "YAMIKIRI!!" Both killer attacks clashed head on, and an explosion blasted. Once the smoke cleared, Orochimaru's hand was holding Sasuke in the air by his chest, the Yamikiri cutting through his chest, into this heart. "Seems like you're the weaker one, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru said.
Sasuke smirked, and coughed. "Really?" Sasuke asked, as his body then turned into a log, causing Orochmaru to smirk like a stalking animal. And so he calmly walked away, the hunt was on.
(Near Hokage Tower)
"How have you been, my friend?" Jiraiya asked, and Shiro smirked. "Same as always. Have you gotten any stronger?" Shiro asked. "Of course! I plan on breaking our tie someday." Jiraiya said, and Shizune and Nekobe looked at him, confused.
"What's the score?" "Currently, I'd say 45 to 45." Shiro said, and everyone sweat dropped. "You've beaten Jiraiya-sama 45 times?" Shizune asked. "Yep, the damn frog is persistent." Shiro said, and then Kimimaro appeared in front of them, along with Sasuke.
"Your mission was a success!" Shiro said, excited. "Yes, Shiro-sama. Sasuke is now free from Orochimaru, but there's a slight problem." Kimimaro said. "And that is?" Nekobe asked, adjusting his sunglasses. "It won't be necessary to ask about what happened, Kimimaro. I will just explain myself." Orochiamru said, walking up like a war wasn't even going on. (Which I personally forgot was going on.)
"Orochimaru." Tsunade said, glaring at the Snake Sannin. "My, Tsunade. You have truly become quite the Hokage. Jiraiya, your as annoying as ever." Orochimaru said, smirking at the glare they were both sending at him. Shiro then stepped forward, and smirked. "Long time no see, Piss Eyes." Shiro said, and Orochimaru actually frowned.
"You're here as well? Didn't expect that." Orochimaru said, and Shiro's smirk broadened. "Even after we first met, I never liked you." Shiro said. "Likewise." Orochimaru said. "Tsunade-chan. Take Sasuke and Kimimaro. I'll buy some time." Shiro said, and everyone looked at him, stunned. "You can't be planning on taking him on by yourself, Shiro-sama?" Nekobe asked.
"Are you sure about this?" Jiraiya asked, his tone wasn't of disbelief, but of confidence that his friend would be okay. "Just watch me." Shiro said, and they all nodded, disappearing. "You know Piss Eyes, back when I first met your team, you always seemed to be someone who I would genuinely hate. I don't know why, but now I do." Shiro said, as Orochimaru smirked at him.
"You know now? No need to entertain your thoughts, you will be dead before you can." Orochiamru said, dark chakra beginning to form around him. (So this is what Kimimaro meant.) Shiro thought to himself. "Seems like I can't hold anything back." Shiro said, getting into his stance.
"Your going out of your way for a village that isn't your own?" Orochimaru asked. "Yep, because they are my friends." Shiro said, and he began charging his chakra. "You will die." Orochiamru said. "Then bring it. TAROGAN!" Shiro said, and his dark blue eyes changed to a bright orange, with a black slit going in the middle vertically.
"Those eyes of yours. They are stronger than ever." Orochimaru said, his eyes turning black, with the red commas in them. "You gained a new trick. What do you call them?" Shiro asked. "The Shadow Sharingan." Orochimaru said, smirking. Little do they know, their fight would be postponed due to an electric storm, by none other than the dreadlocked wonder.
ShadowRonin: That's right, Sasuke is back! He's going to play an important role in Orochimaru's death, and in later chapters when I introduce an original gang of bad guys. For now, Read and Review, because every review motivates me to actually update! Later!