Ok, after that last chapter I discovered that the five asterixes I've been using as line breaks are being erased for some damned reason, so I'm gonna try using the breaks that are offered on the editing page here. Fortunately there's only one point where this happens, so it's not as big a deal. And don't bother asking what Nikusui means, it's not a collaboration of japanese words like I usually do. If you're that interested, look it up. But I ain't gonna reveal it here because that would be a spoiler.

Disclaimer: Anyone else hoping Kabuto kinda circumsises himself with the chakra scalpels next time he jacks off?


Nikusui

Sparks flew from the clashing blades as Naruto fought against the scarred Shinobi before him, the screeches and clangs produced by the strikes ringing out through the vast basin they stood in. The enemy wore a thin grin as he fought off Naruto's attacks; he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself.

"That killing intent is certainly something to be commended!" he announced, as he parried Naruto's attack and countered with his own. Naruto bent back, narrowly avoiding the blade that sliced through the air, and snapping back up in time to block the follow up attack, "But that blade of yours is hardly graceful!"

Naruto quickly switched his grip with Eko, catching the enemy in an offside deadlock with both weapons pointed to the ground. Naruto then released his right hand, throwing it through the air as he aimed to strike the disfigured man right in the face, "You gonna fight or talk?!" he demanded, charging Fuuton chakra into his clenched fist. His opponent managed to dodge back, but Naruto released his chakra with enough strength that the wind struck instead.

"Gah!" the scarred man gasped, as he was knocked back by the force of his attack. Naruto used his blade's ready position to perform a full rotation, ending with a downward slash to the enemy's gut. But the attack failed, the opponent managed to use Naruto's weapon and his own to push himself out of the Ekokaeten's reach, "What, ending things so soon?"

From a distance, Fuu watched them as she awaited an opening to help Naruto out. She had reached for her blow gun initially, but changed her mind as she realised her chances of hitting Naruto were high. So instead she sought other methods, deciding to go with her common strategy.

"Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu!" she called, before planting her hands on the ground. There was a sudden explosion of earth as a cloud of dust burst from the ground, filling the air around Fuu's body. Moments later, the wind blew the cloud away and revealed Fuu to be gone.

"Two on one eh?" the enemy mused, as he flipped back to his feet. He gripped his weapon at the ready, before charging Naruto once more, "I LIKE IT!"

Naruto grunted in annoyance as he met the blows with equal force, what the hell was Fuu up to? He didn't want nor need an interruption to this fight, but it seemed that she was going to act regardless. He had already warned her of his fighting style, there was no way he could guarantee that he wouldn't hit her if she was to interfere.

With an angered grunt, he whipped around and hurled Ekokaeten at his opponent, the giant blade whirling through the air dangerously. Then, while the enemy bent backwards to dodge, he threw his hands together in a seal, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called, summoning a clone on the other side of his opponent. That Naruto grabbed the flying Ekokaeten, and with his own copy sword wielded one in each hand. The scarred Shinobi saw this from his own move, and continued his momentum to flip over and take on the fake Naruto.

"The more the merrier!" he called, as he defended from the clone's attacks. While those two were engaged in combat, the real Naruto ran towards them, jumping in the air as the clone tossed Eko up to him. Then the two Naruto's brought their swords down hard, forcing the enemy to raise his weapon to block both strikes, "Bring on all that you-"

"Don't you ever shut up?!" Naruto exclaimed, as his Kage Bunshin dispersed and threw the scarred Shinobi off balance. Naruto used this moment of confusion to force the double bladed staff into the ground, where he sliced through the air with his hand to remove the enemy of one of his. He missed however and struck the staff instead, making a clean cut in the middle.

"Insolent whelp!"

With a grunt of effort, the enemy freed the half of his weapon trapped underneath Eko and with it jumped back. He now wielded both halves as if they were two individual swords, before running in again, "This is a fight to the death, what right have you to complain?!" he demanded, as he began throwing a volley of slashes in Naruto's direction. Without the time to pull Eko from the ground, Naruto abandoned the blade for the moment and dodged back, keeping distance from the wild swings of his opponent.

"FUUTON: REPPUSHO!" he cried, throwing his open hands at his opponent as he landed on the ground. The intense blast of wind that burst from his palms hit the enemy and forced him straight off his feet.

He hurtled through the air, stumbling across the ground until he was left lying on his back. He didn't stay like that for long though, Naruto was already running to grab his blade and follow up his attack. However, just as he pushed himself up, the ground next to him exploded.

"What?!" he breathed, his eyes slowly turning to the right. As rocks and debris burst into the air, so did Fuu reappear, bearing down on him with a kunai gripped in both hands. He narrowed his eyes at her mean glare, her killing intent failed to match the look she gave him, "So dispassionate, disgusting!"

He lashed out with his arm, striking Fuu at her side and knocking her to the ground. Then, with a flourish he was back on his feet, wielding his weapons menacingly, "To die in a glorious manner, I will accept nothing less!"

Before he could deal a finishing blow however, he was forced to use one of his blades to hold off Naruto. When he found however that Naruto's strength far surpassed his own, he realised he would need both weapons. But defending like that gave Fuu enough of an opening, she slashed with her kunai and dealt a nasty cut to the enemy's leg.

"HRN!" the scarred Shinobi grunted, leaping back from his two opponents. He knelt on the ground as his injured leg gave beneath him; he used his weapons to support his weight. He glared as Fuu rose to her feet, standing beside Naruto who was looking down on the enemy with a glare, "To look at me in such a way, how despicable!"

"I got this." Naruto said, reaching out with his hand and pushing Fuu back. The enemy however seemed displeased with this, his eyes narrowing and his teeth bared.

"Daring to look down on me… such a thing is a sin worthy only of death!" he hissed, as he discarded his weapons and threw his hands together in the serpent seal, "I AM HAYASHI SEIRYUU, DO NOT FORGET IT!"

Naruto and Fuu both tensed as the ground beneath their feet suddenly shuddered. It almost felt like an earthquake, the constant shaking of the earth felt like it was growing in intensity. But both of them knew that there was no Jutsu that could have such an effect from only a single seal, this was something else than what they were being led to believe.

"Look out!" Fuu called, pulling Naruto back as she pointed down to the ground before them. There and all over the basin small pipes began jutting from the ground at angles, this one pointing straight at them. Naruto and Fuu both reacted quickly, separating as a thick purple smoke began pumping out from the pipes and into the air. Naruto, who had been prepared for this, hastily threw his haori off as the smoke enveloped him. Not too far away, Fuu crouched down on the ground as she tried to see through the smoke. The scarred Shinobi, Seiryuu, had already vanished into the fog of poison.

"Fuu!" called Naruto's muffled voice. Fuu looked up in surprise as Naruto appeared beside her, shirtless for whatever reason. That reason became apparent however when he realised the bandages from his arms were missing, he had hastily removed them and wrapped one of them around the lower half of his face. He held out the other one to Fuu, an intense look in his azure eyes, "Put this on!"

Fuu looked at the bandages uneasily; they would most definitely be filthy from his sweat. But more than that, she had no need to use them, she knew well enough that the gas would be no problem for her, "I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

Before Naruto could say a word of protest, she ran off into the cloud with a determined look on her face. Naruto called out to her in a last ditch attempt, but was completely ignored, "You're fine? What do you mean?" he thought, as he hastily tied the bandage back around his arm. He then gripped Eko and slipped him into place on his back, "I can't use you like this."

"Yeah, make sure you don't hit her."

Naruto nodded, glad Eko understood. He then closed his eyes to block his already useless vision, focusing his attention to his ears as he listened out for anyone nearby. It was unfortunate, but the hissing of the pipes obliterated any slight sound that could be caused. He came to the conclusion that there was only one move then; he would need to get out of this cloud for the moment.

He whipped around and ran off to the edge of the basin, just barely able to see the rising walls as he neared them. He leapt up high into the air, breaking free of the cloud of smoke as he sought one of the trees to hide himself in. However, as soon as he regained proper vision he realised what a grievous error it would be to continue.

All around, for a good dozen metres, the ground was littered with makibishi, tiny spikes meant to limit ones range of movement. That wasn't all however, the closest trees in any direction were covered with explosive tags placed carelessly, some of which had even fallen down to the earth below. Naruto was in shock by this, how prepared was that guy?!

"I get it." he thought, as he used a quick Fuuton: Reppusho to push himself back into the smoke. He turned on the spot and focused his senses on his surroundings, his expression steely, "It wasn't just coincidence that we're fighting in a strange place like this then."

A smirk then played across Naruto's face, though it was almost hidden behind his bandages. In truth, the more he got used to the situation, the more he liked it. His opponent undoubtedly using that gas mask of his, and so had clear vision and could breathe easily. He also knew his traps very well, while Naruto had no idea what to expect. He had a feeling that if Kisame was in his place, he would be feeling much the same right now.

"All right then, let's have some fun with this situation." he thought, as he lowered his stance. He then broke off into a run, dashing through the poison fog with his eyes darting all around as he sought out the man named Hayashi Seiryuu. Deciding to narrow his search, he formed his hands together in the cross ram seal, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called, summoning clones all around him. They all broke off in separate directions, ready take a hit to the end of locating the enemy.

Naruto came to a stop, focusing entirely on his surroundings as he awaited results. He also had no clue where Fuu was, he couldn't just attack blindly in case he hit her, "Damn it, how much of this stuff does he have?!" he thought, as the hissing of the pipes prevailed. He had often been told that preparation was half the battle, even if his sensei had told him otherwise.

"Those who are really strong don't need to prepare." Kisame had said, "If your body hurts like hell at the end of a battle, at least you're still alive."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, why was he recalling such a thing at a time like this? He shook his head, before whipping it back behind him. Out of nowhere, one of his Kage Bunshin had been taken out, "There?"

But then another one disappeared at the opposite end, followed by another in a completely different place. Naruto turned on the spot as all over his Kage Bunshin appeared to be taken out, not finding out a reason until a kunai almost struck him in the gut. He avoided it, rolling to the side and keeping a low position as he looked around. There was no way Hayashi Seiryuu could possibly see through this fog, he had to be using other means of attacking.

"You seem like you're having some trouble." came the voice of Seiryuu. Naruto spun on the spot, turning to look behind him at the source of the voice. He could faintly see the form of a person, too tall to be a Kage Bunshin or Fuu. That only left one possibility, which was confirmed as the figure stepped closer, "Surely you can overcome such a trivial trial?!"

He brandished his twin blades threateningly, knowing that he had great advantage in this situation. Naruto knew this too, and concluded that he would need to act carefully. He began to reach for Eko again, but stopped as his eyes adjusted to the area around him. All around the place were flitting shadows, his Kage Bunshin, and potentially Fuu. He knew very well that this could be another trap, but he was unwilling to take that risk at this time.

"Man, I'm really getting sick of you." Naruto said, smirking as he showed the palms of his hands to his opponent. His smirk widened into a grin as he clapped his hands together, before thrusting them straight at Hayashi Seiryuu, "I'M TAKING YOU DOWN!"

Seiryuu rolled to his right to dodge the blast of wind, failing to realise that he had been tricked. All around the place, each of the Kage Bunshin used the same Jutsu, shattering the poison fog and blowing it away. Then with the momentary visibility, they all leapt high into the air and formed the same series of seals.

"FUUTON: CRESCENT MIRAGE!" they yelled, whipping their arms through the air. Naruto watched Seiryuu with a malicious look as the enemy Shinobi whipped his head around. The basin was bombarded with blades of wind, the earth shattering from the strength of the impacts. Cracks and fissures appeared in the ground, and the pipes were all cut off from their source.

Whatever the gas was coming from must have become broken, as the fog lifted and was no more. Fuu also reappeared, far away at the other side of the basin. She looked around in alarm, shocked to find she was nowhere near the target she'd been chasing. With a quick turn she ran after the enemy, gripping her kunai to the side with both hands and wearing a determined look.

As all of the Kage Bunshin dispersed, Hayashi Seiryuu's attention was forced back onto the real Naruto, who was making a break for him at top speed. The scarred nin readied his weapons, his eyes narrowing as he realised Naruto was making no effort to use his blade. It was this clue that made him notice the footsteps behind him, and allowed him to block the stab from behind as Fuu reached him.

"Didn't I already tell you?!" he growled, swinging his foot around and knocking Fuu aside. The green haired girl was sent flying into the cracks of the rocks, and once more she disappeared from view, "I will accept no such death!"

He whipped around just as Naruto reached him, planting one of his blades in the ground as he hopped into the air and threw his feet into Naruto's stomach. The blond let out a gasp of shock as he was winded and sent soaring through the air. He rolled across the ground, feeling every jutting piece of rock that struck his body. He came to a stop, his filthy body covered in sweat.

"Damn it…" he thought, pressing his hands against the ground and wincing. The toll of using both his Tajuu Kage Bunshin and Crescent Mirage Jutsu was really weighing down on him; he was beginning to feel exhausted, "Looks like I overdid it."

"Naruto-san!"

Naruto looked up in shock, Fuu was back on her feet and standing between the two Shinobi. She fixed her eyes on Hayashi Seiryuu, gripping her kunai tight as she waited for the slightest indication of movement. But she also wore a worried look, calling out to Naruto uncertainly.

"This is beyond disappointing." muttered the enemy, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Naruto steadily rose himself to his knees, his aching body reluctant to do as it was told, "It seems that I cannot gain that which I seek from you. So would you kindly depart from this world and bother me no more?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a small device in Hayashi Seiryuu's hand, a small thin box with a button on the end. The enemy wore a bored look as he pushed the button with his thumb, before stepping off to the right and discarding the item.

Naruto whipped his head back as he heard a dull thunk, seeing a small abnormal compartment open up. Almost as soon as it was revealed, the holes inside fired out a volley of kunai with explosive tags at the end, straight for Naruto and Fuu.

"Shit!" Naruto thought, they were moving much too fast. Seeing no other choice, he dashed for Fuu and grabbed her tight, crouching down on the ground as he used Eko as a barrier between him and the kunai.

"N-Naruto?!" Fuu exclaimed, shocked by the sudden contact. But then she came to realised the reason as the first explosion resounded. Light filled the area around them as they were struck by the heat wave, but kept safe by the steel wall behind them. Fuu looked back with wide eyes, shocked to see that despite their defence, Naruto was bleeding. Scattered rocks had scratched his arms, and he was clearly in pain by them.

"Keep your head down." he ordered, forcing her to bow her head with his hand.

"You don't have to-" Fuu began, but the explosions blocked out her words. Naruto just gripped her tight as the last tag blew up, this one the largest yet. But then it was over, the two of them left with a dull ringing in their ears as the dust settled. Naruto slowly raised his head, was that it?

"KAAAAHHH!" cried a voice from behind. Naruto looked back in shock, wasn't that the enemy? He stared at Hayashi Seiryuu with wide eyes, stunned by the sight set out before him. It seemed that he had intended to use the distraction of the explosives to get in for a sneak attack. But he had been stopped by one detrimental factor; Fuu had grabbed him from behind.

"What?!" Naruto thought, his brow creasing as he tightened his grip on the girl in his arms. Fuu was here... and there too? But then… that meant… "She's got a Bunshin Jutsu like mine?"

His thoughts were distracted from further examining this by Hayashi Seiryuu's continued screams. He looked over the grip Fuu had on the man, she had one arm wrapped firmly around his neck while the other was hooked under his armpit. Both her legs were wrapped around his stomach, lifting his shirt off and exposing his skin beneath. It was from these places of contact that Naruto came to realise the source of that man's pain.

Wherever Fuu was touching him, his skin was reacting violently. Steam rose from his body and a quiet hiss mixed with his cries as he desperately tried to free himself. For the first time since he met Fuu, Naruto was in awe of her. Was this even possible with ninjutsu? He had never before encountered something like it. Yet she was using it as if it was second nature to her, wearing the determined expression of someone well practiced with such an ability. She raised her eyes to Naruto, spotting the way he was holding the other Fuu and flushing furiously.

"What're you doing?!" she demanded, her voice shrill and uneasy. Naruto blinked in surprise, looking down to the Fuu in his arms. His expression became aghast as this Fuu's already tan skin darkened more so, her clothes and hair also turning the same shade of brown. This was a Tsuchi Bunshin?! The Bunshin crumbled apart into dust, and Naruto was left holding onto the empty air. Behind him, Hayashi Seiryuu was finally able to gain control of the situation, gripping Fuu's arms tight despite the pain that came with it.

"Get of me you little bitch!" he snarled, before throwing Fuu over his shoulder. The smaller girl cried out as she was slammed onto her back, the rocks scraping her skin and hurting her, "You won't learn will y-"

SCHLICK!

Fuu watched with a frozen look as Naruto appeared from nowhere, forcefully embedding his blade into Hayashi Seiryuu's stomach. The scarred Shinobi gasped silently, while Naruto's eyes were hidden behind shadows. The attack had been so swift, it was like the sun had been eclipsed again.

The scarred Shinobi paused with a stunned look, his eyes slowly lowering to the blade piercing through his chest. He almost seemed in disbelief of the wound that had been dealt to him.

"… I see…" he breathed, lifting his eyes to Naruto. The blond looked up to him with a creased brow, a little staggered by the sudden look of peace on his opponent's face, "Then this is it…"

He pressed his hands against the side of the Ekokaeten, and with immense effort he pushed himself off of the blade. He stumbled back when he was away, falling to the ground painfully. Naruto slipped Eko back onto his back, taking a step forward as he looked down to the pitiful person before him. Seiryuu looked up at Naruto with hazy eyes, slipping his gas mask off and revealing a small smile.

"Thank you… for this." he said, moments before the light in his eyes faded away. He slumped down on the ground, and was most certainly dead.

Naruto continued to watch him, stunned by those last words. His hands tightened into fists as he clenched his teeth, glaring at the dead man hatefully.

"N-Naruto-san?" Fuu asked, slowly rising to her feet. Naruto looked over his shoulder, his glare flickering slightly as he remembered what she had done. He let out a discontented breath, before he stepped past the body and made for the group they had left behind.

"Come on." he said, as he began to make his way back to collect his discarded haori and return to the group. Fuu gave a quick nod, before hurrying to her feet and following him.


"Hayashi Seiryuu… is it familiar?" Kensuke wondered aloud, scratching his chin as he looked up at the sky. The group was moving at a faster pace to make up for lost time, Naruto and Fuu walked alongside Kensuke's carriage as they travelled, "No… I don't think so."

"Ah, Mokamoto-sama!" called the servant at the front left of the carriage. He looked over his shoulder to his master, who gave him a cocked brow as he listened, "Hayashi Seiryuu did you say?"

"You know him?"

"Hai, though not personally." the servant replied with a nod. He turned his head back to the front to watch where he was going, but he had Kensuke, Naruto and Fuu's attention, so spoke to inform them, "He was part of a ninja group that tried to make a hidden village in Nami no Kuni a long time ago. But the group was small, and as soon as they started growing other villages attacked them. In the end he was the only one left, and in a fit of despair he disappeared."

"Is that so?" Kensuke asked, resting his head against the back of his chair. He wore a calm look on his face, from what Naruto had told him, and what he had just heard, he was able to come to a conclusion, "Sounds like he wanted to join his comrades in the same way they died; in the heat of battle."

Naruto and Fuu both looked up at Kensuke, both feeling kind of annoyed at how wise he was sounding right now. Naruto had replaced his bandages properly on his arms and wore his haori once more, but he was still filthy from the earlier battle. He turned his gaze away, an annoyed look on his face as his eyes settled on Fuu.

"What you were doing back there was beyond stupid." he said, scolding her seriously. Fuu looked at him in shock; her take on events brought forward an entirely different opinion to that.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she demanded, looking back at him angrily, "You couldn't have taken that guy out on your own and you know it!"

"I wasn't planning on taking that guy on at all!" Naruto yelled, causing Fuu to flinch in fright. She stared at him bewilderedly, a bead of sweat dripping down her brow as her eyes began darting back and forth.

"Uh… you weren't?" she asked, with an embarrassed look. She tried not to look as Naruto closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, he was in a particularly bad mood at the moment, "So, then… um… but what you said-"

"If he showed up I was gonna fight him, but I wasn't gonna go looking for him!" Naruto exclaimed, rapping his knuckles on top of Fuu's head hard. Fuu let out a small cry of pain, clutching her head tight. Naruto hit harder than most.

"Ow…" she complained, but kept quiet about it. She looked off to the ground with an embarrassed look; she had thought she was doing the right thing earlier. But after what Naruto told her, she realised she had been pretty stupid, "… Sorry."

Naruto glanced at her, his brow still furrowed in a frustrated manner. But he couldn't just scold her after she apologised, he remembered that there had once been a time where he had done such a thing only to have Kisame jump in at the last minute. Fuu was lucky in that sense, at least Naruto didn't wait until she was beaten within an inch of her life before doing anything about it.

He looked up to the road ahead; they had finally left that valley and now walked through an open plane. According to Kensuke their destination was just a mile away now, soon they would be heading back and finishing this damned annoying mission. He let out a sigh, before looking at Fuu from the corner of his eyes. There was just one thing he was curious about, "What was with that Jutsu you were using?" he asked, slipping his hands into his pockets and trying not to look too interested. Fuu looked up at him with a raised brow, momentarily forgetting that he had seen that.

"Oh, that's my uh… uh…" she mumbled, before suddenly coming to a pause. She reached her hand up and gripped her chin, squinting with her eyes as she fell into deep thought, "My Tennei Dintei? Hettei Shobai? Flaky Gunky?

"You're kidding, right?" Naruto asked, with an exasperated look. Fuu blinked in surprise, before hitting her hand as a light bulb flickered in her mind.

"Kekkei Genkai!" she exclaimed with a proud look. Naruto, not so sure she should be proud of that, just gave her a look of tired disbelief, "Yeah, Nikusui!"

"Nikusui?" Naruto repeated, his expression becoming curious despite his earlier efforts. Fuu nodded fervently, looking rather pleased with herself despite the aching sensation still on her head.

"Yeah, that's it!" she said cheerfully, giving an overenthusiastic nod. She placed her hands on her hips and grinned broadly, had she really forgotten that she'd just been scolded a moment ago? But then she got a confused look as she recalled Naruto's question of just what it was she did, "Uh… it's sort of like an acid made of chakra that comes out my skin. I think sensei said it attacks the nerves, then melts the skin or something… I think."

"So… you can sweat acid?" Naruto asked, with a look that was more than a little disgruntled, "That's… kinda creepy."

Fuu's moment of pride disappeared with those words as once more she wore an affronted look. She threw her hands down by her side as she said angrily, "Who asked you anyway?!"

Naruto shrugged, his exhaustion of both fighting an arguing with Fuu had resulted in a sort of apathy that kept him from giving a damn about anything. Fuu realised this and fell silent, he really did look pretty beat up. She though back to the fight, how he had put so much effort in, giving it his all without a moment's hesitation. Then she remembered when the enemy launched those explosive kunai… how he had grabbed her Tsuchi Bunshin and mistook it for her, protecting it with all his might.

Fuu gasped silently, her hands flying to her cheeks. They suddenly felt very warm, was she blushing?! She shook her head feverishly, trying her best to get her blood out of her cheeks and somewhere else. She stared at the back of Naruto's head with a creased brow, silently cursing him for making her react that way.

"Baka!" she thought, as her attempts failed and her cheeks reddened once more.