I know I set myself up in the last chapter for something incredible, so I hope I managed to follow through. I won't go too into it in case something spoils it, but it looks like I'm gonna need another chapter for this battle. Ah well, no big deal. I thought of something interesting, so I'm not gonna be pressed for ideas or anything like that. Also, forgot to mention in the last chapter, so I guess I'll do it here. Hem hem, this chapter now marks the one hundred and first chapter of The Daemon of Pein, a feat even I am shocked to have accomplished. Nevertheless, yay!

Disclaimer: Did anyone else's heads hit their desk at the end of chapter 497?


Landslide

All was silent in that little village, watched under the eyes of hawks bearing down on their prey. The desolate streets were devoid of all life, the air filled with the sort of choking contempt that would drown anyone who had yet to harden their hearts to such things. A dry and dusty wind blew on past, its breeze bitter and obstructive in this arid arena. But with no one to witness it, the scene was as well as unnoticed.

However, there was one oddity in this gradually warming place, something that was almost dismissed as mirage. Here and there the shadows flickered uncomfortably, as if the darkness itself was hindered by the atmosphere weighing down upon it. It seemed almost like fire, but lacking any smoke. The shades shimmered and passed, free of the restraints of tangibility or corporeal things. But even they weren't ignorant to the threatening smell in the air, lying behind the corners ahead of them.

Then there came a sound, one that rang through every gloomy street like someone had struck an immense gong. Deep within its heart came an eruption of such fearsome power that rattled the very bones of the village into a state of paralysis. The cause became clear in no time, as all eyes settled upon the same place.

It was almost as if a volcano really had erupted right there and then. But in place of lava and magma came a gargantuan geyser of sand, dashing for the sky like the earth itself was seeking the clouds. Soon there came a rain of dust as said sand doused everything, covering the rooftops of the buildings with a fine layer. But this sand served another purpose; one not quite so conventional if such a term could be applied to the scenario. With the desert, there came a plague of locusts.

The fierce little creatures flew upon the village limits, their pale bodies flitting around with tiny wings. They appeared like no insect commonly found; one could swear they weren't in fact real insects at all. However they weren't immediately noticed until they started getting to their job. Soon all of the shadows were swarmed with those bugs, and with them came flickering lights as they exploded.

Suddenly there was a panic as the shadows were shattered and their ghostly illusions faded. Figures darted away from the minute enemies, throwing shuriken vainly in an attempt to rid themselves of their pursuers. The Iwa Shinobi were present, accounted for, and running for their lives.

The situation, however deadly though it seemed, was far from at its peak however. Soon after the booming explosion of sand, there came another sound that made the Shinobi all look in the same direction. Moments later, they were treated to a sight that would shake any survivors for days to come. A monsoon of identical enemies were raining down on them, over a hundred blond boys in red clothing, wielding blades almost as big as their bodies.

"OOOOOOOH!" cried the doppelganger army, charging at full speed. Either they were in a furious frenzy or were out of their minds, but all of them seemed to be completely disregarding Shinobi method and instead chose to make a straight on attack instead.

The Iwa Shinobi came to a stop at this, looking to both sides. They had to choose between the exploding locusts and the Bunshin legion, their time fast running short. But then a few of them managed to react in time, moving to the outer sides and forming rapid hand seals before quickly touching the ground below. "Doton: Earth Dome!" they called, pulsing their chakra into the rooftop they stood upon. Soon the ground shifted to their whim, walls rising to either side of them. Those mounds then curved over, until the group of Shinobi were completely hidden inside.

The locusts landed on the dome, gathering in numbers until the left side was almost completely covered. Then as one they all exploded, causing a bright light and wave of radiating heat that almost struck the group of identical Shinobi that landed on that same rooftop. However, the cleared smoke revealed the dome to be almost untouched despite the assailant bugs' efforts. Then it was left to the group of Naruto's, seven of them that had surrounded the right hand side of the dome and wasted no time.

Darting across the rooftop, the group covered all four corners while the other three took care of the centre. Then, at one time, they threw their hands down to the ground and called out at the top of their voices. "FUUTON: REPPUSHO!" was their yell, and of course their chakra obeyed. The force of those seven blasts, though substantially weaker than they would have been without the mass of Naruto's in the background, was enough to have the desired effect. The ceiling cracked beneath the pressure and within moments it caved in. As predicted, the Shinobi inside the dome had been quick to abandon their makeshift shield in favour of the floor beneath them. Unfortunately for them, they were crushed as a result.

Among the seven Naruto's, the real one straightened up and looked behind him. Limbs and the likes were poking out from the rubble of the collapsed roof, each of them clearly belonging to the Iwa nin. If not for how pumped he was feeling right now, he would probably have had some reaction to the mangled corpses behind him. But as he was, he barely noticed.

"I can't believe we're stuck distracting the diversionary squad."

For once in what was a very rare situation, Naruto failed to agree with Eko's battle hungry thoughts. Though it was definitely true that in normal circumstance Eko was the more aggressive of the two, during times like these not even the blade's longing for a fight could measure to the sheer enthrallment Naruto had in the war going on around him. He was almost a reflection of his sensei like this, something which Eko greatly appreciated.

"Come on!" Naruto called, looking around at the Kage Bunshin behind him. Now was about time to do it; he was sure his flashy appearance would by now have served his purpose. With but a moment of hesitation, one hundred and twenty four Kage Bunshin dispersed, casting a cloud over the village that would confuse all who was in the vicinity at the time.

That turned out to be a mistake. The flood of memories coming from those dozens upon dozens of clones hit him in one massive clash, causing his head to spin and his balance to fall underneath him. In that state, he couldn't even comprehend his own recklessness; he was much too disoriented to do even that. Gripping Eko in one hand, and his head in the other, he raised his head to try and regain perspective of his surroundings.

"Man… that was weird." he murmured, as he pushed himself back to his feet. Taking a moment to regain balance, he looked over his shoulder to the Kage Bunshin behind him. But to his surprise, he was all on his own. "Huh?" he thought, frowning as he looked around him. It took a moment for him to make sense of it, but he soon realised that those Kage Bunshin too had dispersed, and he was once more the only Uzumaki Naruto. This thought was troubling however; he hadn't intended for those copies to disappear.

"Oh shit… Naruto, look at me."

Blinking in confusion, Naruto raised the blade to eye level. It was there that he was met with a shocking sight, one that he hadn't been expecting in the least. His eyes, his face, everything that changed from the Kyuubi's chakra. There was nothing of it, just plain old Uzumaki Naruto. "What?" he thought, taking a startled step back that almost caused him to trip over on a loose rock. Why was it like this, why was the Kyuubi's chakra gone from him?

"It looks like cancelling all those clones fried your brain. Think you can change again?"

However the blade asked, Naruto was already trying to do just that. But for some reason he couldn't build up the feelings he had gathered not so long ago, the ones that had triggered his initial state. It felt almost as if he couldn't get angry if he wanted to. The mere thought of that alone caused him to worry considerably. "Wait wait, hold it!" he thought, stabbing Eko into the ground and slapping himself on the face with both hands. Nihilism would get him nowhere; he needed something serious if he was going to stay focused in this dangerous situation. Something, anything would do, as long as it gave him that which he needed.

Then suddenly it came, something soft yet radiant with force. Behind him the sun was finally beginning to rise, shining its fierce light across the brightening horizon. It was this light that shone the silhouette of a man; one that most definitely wasn't Naruto's. Grabbing Eko in hand once more, the blond boy whipped around to face the person behind him, before freezing in shock.

Was that… was that really who he thought it was? That hair, tied back into a long ponytail, and the pale skin to match. A body not much older than Naruto's, yet an expression that showed a snide arrogance that belonged to only one person he knew of. But to be dressed in an Iwa uniform, was that really Hyuuga Neji?

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he studied that somewhat familiar face. No, now that he gave it closer inspection her realised that the person over there was not who he thought it was. The eyes were a murky brown, with clearly defined pupils. The Iwa headband covered what would have been the other clue, but there was no need for it now; Naruto realised he had made a mistake.

But still, that single, ephemeral moment of misunderstanding had a phenomenal effect upon him. Hyuuga Neji, of course that was right. He was the person Naruto had vowed to defeat, wasn't he? "So what am I doing worrying about something as stupid as this?" he thought, as a smile played across his sweating face. That smile widened, and soon he was grinning determinedly once again. "The hell I'm gonna let this place get the better of me, not when that asshole is still breathing!"

"You do realise that's not him right?"

Ignoring Eko's cynicism, Naruto took the blade in hand and charged at the man who resembled his target. Reaching the man in little to no time, he gave out a hard horizontal swing that would have utterly destroyed solid stone. But to his surprise, the man didn't try to dodge. In fact, he blocked the attack with a weapon of his own, something he had pulled out from behind him. It was a strange, short pole with a thin blade down one side. That blade was what had managed to block Eko and almost stop it in its tracks. As it was, the Shinobi wielding that weapon was pushed a few feet to his right, before putting his full weight into going no further.

"Not bad, this guy has some strength behind that skinny body."

Naruto was naturally inclined to agree, since the Shinobi had managed to do so with just one hand. With his other he pulled out another, identical weapon which, judging by the identical way the blade cut off, seemed to be the other half of that which he was using defensively. With this other weapon he slashed down at Naruto, aiming to take his arms clean off. Naruto however managed to anticipate the attack and do something few swordsmen would ever try.

Taking one hand off of Eko, Naruto turned on the spot. His back rolled across the blade of Eko which stayed against his opponent's weapon, until Naruto's arm could allow it not more. When that time came, he pulled the blade off and with his continued movement, brought it around with great might. The giant blade sung as it was whipped around and brought to the opponent's back; should it make contact there was no doubt the fight would be over. However this attack was much too flashy to be effective, and the result was said Shinobi leaping out of the way.

"In this battle, there are only so many movements I shall allow you to have." the Shinobi said, as he landed on the high ground once again. He turned to face Naruto with a condescending expression. It was clear even to the often dense Naruto that this man had already decided the outcome of the battle. "I would advise against wasting them."

Naruto looked at the Shinobi with a raised brow, his grin falling for a moment. But it soon came back in full force, along with a chuckle that also seemed worryingly like a growl. "I'm glad." he said, as he placed his free hand back onto Eko's hilt and held the blade to his side. "You don't just look, but you even talk like that bastard. Sorry, but I got some steam I need to blow off, and you're the perfect guy to do that with."

The Shinobi's eyes narrowed at Naruto, his egotistical expression fading as his face became hard. He raised his weapons before him and proved Naruto right. With a slight push, the two flat ends connected and formed a staff about half as tall as he was. He whipped the weapon around his body with expert command, either showing off or warming up. But if there was any intent to intimidate Naruto with it, then it definitely failed. With another chuckle, the blond boy ran straight for the Shinobi, with his opponent doing much the same.


"Wow, looks like you were right." Deidara said, as sweat formed at the back of his head. He stood high in the sky, on top of a clay owl that hovered in the air. His left eye was covered with his telescopic device, which was zoomed in on one location in particular. "I can't believe it; our distraction got sidetracked by the diversion squad. Damn, that isn't even funny… hm."

Beside him, Gaara watched the scene as well, though his perspective was much lacking in comparison. The smoke field caused by the rapid dispersal of the Kage Bunshin was gone, and now everything was clear in sight once again. Though it wasn't in great detail, he could make out Shinobi moving down below. But those apparently were still the diversionary squad; the real forces were well out of sight.

"Still, you were also right about that other thing." Deidara continued, as he fixed his gaze upon Naruto's opponent. A smirk spread across his lips as he watched that person, a feeling of nostalgia rising inside of him. "To be able to find the most dangerous person in the area, even by accident. That's what you said, right?"

Gaara gave a nod of reply, his attention returning to the person in question. So then that theory was true after all, which meant that once more Naruto had gotten himself into unnecessary trouble. "Who is that person?" he asked, faintly being able to see the two figures dancing around the rooftop down there.

"That guy is a Tokubetsu Jounin straight from Iwa's Research and Experimental Division." Deidara explained, as he removed his telescopic device and slipped it back into his pouch. Even though he could no longer clearly see, he continued to watch the two fighters with interest. "See, Iwa isn't like the other nations. It likes to play about with its Kinjutsu. Heck, these things on my hands started off as a means to hide weapons inside a person's body.

"But this guy… well he was a little more complicated than that." he continued, looking at the slits on his hands with a wistful expression. "They call him "Edo no Kougai", but his name is Kyonshi Kougai. He's Iwa's top assassin for a reason… heh heh heh."

Gaara watched as Deidara ran his hand through his hair, looking quite relaxed for someone who had created a massive situation like this. He wasn't worried about Naruto, but what Deidara was saying was catching his interest. "What is his ability?" he asked, as the clay owl began moving once again, moving to circle the outskirts of the village.

"Eh, don't worry about it." Deidara said, shrugging lightly and giving a small wave to his left. Gaara stepped off of the once more stationary bird, using sand to keep himself suspended in the air. When he was off, Deidara crouched upon his bird as he prepared to take off at high speed. "If Naruto-san is half the swordsman Kisame brags about, then that shouldn't really be a problem. You just worry about your part. And it's probably time to put them away too, yeah?"

With that he took off, leaving Gaara alone to his situation. The red haired boy looked over his shoulder to the people his departing mercenary was referring to. He was more than certain this would cause chaos, but in doing so it would at least allow the dogs to help out too. And so he reached out, spreading his fingers so that the place the villagers were being kept was hidden behind his hand. Then, with a sudden move, he clenched his fingers into a fist.

Though it was hard to see, something similar to the previous eruption of sand occurred. Rather than throwing things into the air however, sand underneath Hitojichi Square rapidly moved out of the way, resulting in the square itself sinking several metres lower than it was before. By the time the technique was done, the entire square had become like a giant, roofless room. And unless the villagers were willing to climb on top of each other, they weren't going to get anywhere fast.

"Well, that is up to them." Gaara thought, as he removed his attentions from that now disinteresting place. He looked down to the point directly beneath his platform of sand. Deidara had dropped him off at about a quarter of a mile above the ground, at a very important place indeed. For right beneath him was the place where most of the cracks and fissures that filled the village intersected. It was this place that would act as his target, while Deidara served the job of herding the Shinobi to that place. So to get to his task, Gaara allowed the sand to crumble, and himself to drop from the sky. Even as he turned through the air, his head directing to the ground while his feet to the sky, he folded his arms and fixed his eyes upon his destination. "Let those who survive dictate who has the right to."


"Damn it, what're his weapons made of?" Naruto thought, as he swung Eko around full circle. The man who had announced himself as Kyonshi Kougai, for whatever self important reason he had had, was blocking and countering Naruto's earth shattering attacks with such fluidity that his offences and defences were almost one in the same. It seemed almost as if he was merely moving Eko out of the way while he made his attacks, as ludicrous as that seemed. "Well forget about it, if it's a fight for who'll last then there's no competition!"

He smirked to himself, privately thanking the mass amount of stamina granted to him by the Kyuubi. However that wasn't the only granting factor, much of what he was doing was on his own willpower. Tired though he may be, he barely noticed it as he avoided the stabs and slashes that the Iwa Shinobi was making. His confidence was enough to make him believe that he could go on for days like this, no matter what logic dictated. And so to that end, he put his attentions to analysing his opponent, taking care not to mistake him for Hyuuga Neji again.

"Gah!" he cried out, as Kougai got in a lucky cut to his side. The injury itself wasn't deep, but what annoyed Naruto more than that was the long slash that was left in his haori as a result. With a quick hand he grabbed onto the enemy's staff and pulled on it, intending to counter with the anger he felt for his very, very expensive piece of clothing.

But to his shock, no matter how he pulled his opponent did not draw closer. Yet at the same time, both held strong grips on either side of the staff. What happened instead was that the staffs extended, a short length of chain coming out from the place they had joined. That caught Naruto by surprise; just how many tricks were there to these damn things? But before he could give it much more thought, Kougai took advantage of his weapon's new form and Naruto's distraction to run in, turning the section of staff he was holding to strike Naruto with it.

"Vanish." he ordered, as he brought the bladed side up to cut a vertical line into Naruto's flesh. The blond boy's eyes widened in shock as the blade touched his skin, pain shooting through his body. Kougai watched his younger opponent's expression blankly, waiting to see the moment the light faded from his immature eyes. It was for that reason that his brow creased into a frown, when something that he didn't expect occurred.

For some reason, his staff wasn't cutting as deep as it should have. And on top of that, rather than light fading, Naruto's eyes seemed to grow rather excited, hyperactive even. "Guess I owe ya one for that!" Naruto said, as Kougai distrustfully jumped back to the rooftop of the next, undamaged building. Naruto's lips had spread back into a bestial grin, his eyes as wide as a predator's. "I was coming down from a high, but now I'm right back up there!"

Kougai's lips curled in annoyance at his still standing foe. For whatever reason his blade hadn't killed, he hadn't the faintest idea. But now he had both sections back in his control, he decided that now was the time to take things up a notch. Lightly he swung his weapon around his head, until he got it in a position where it was resting against the back of his neck. Then releasing it, he allowed Naruto to watch in shock as he pulled out another pair of the exact same staffs, connecting them even in the same manner. Once he was finished making alterations, he took his first chain weapon in hand while gripping what was now his second. Within seconds of stepping away from Naruto, he had gone from a staff wielding Shinobi to dual nunchaku.

"Well… Shinobi are supposed to adapt to their environment."

If Naruto had laughed at Eko's comment, it would most certainly have most certainly been a dry one. However, rather than shock, he seemed to become invigorated by the sight of such impressive weapons. That was the impression that could be gained from his expression anyway; aside from the lacking red eyes and slit pupils he seemed almost as if he were in his initial Jinchuriki state. But there was no demonic chakra running through his veins to give him that look. It was just sheer excitement.

"Hey, don't overdo it ok? This guy's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve, so be ready for anything."

Whether Naruto heard the blade's advice or not was left to be seen, for as soon as Eko had finished speaking his wielder broke into a run. Kougai waited fro him to come, lightly swinging the loose ends of his nunchaku in preparation for what was going to come his way. "For people like you, who know only destructive force," he said, as Naruto leapt high into the air with his blade over his head. "It is for that reason why people like myself exist."


Deep in the chasms of the infested village, where the Shinobi forces were heading to free the captives and surround the enemy, there stood a lone figure. His arms were folded across his chest, and his eyes were closed, the dark rings giving him a black mask. He listened out, standing atop his platform of sand, for the approaching enemy. Little did he expect however, that they had anticipated him.

"Wasted efforts." Gaara muttered, as he heard his sand rush in front of him. Over a dozen shuriken became embedded in the wall, but failed to get anywhere close to their target. They fell down into the depths below, as the shield disintegrated. With no hurry at all, Gaara opened his eyes to meet with those who would be his foes. Even as he looked at them, his expression remained unchanging.

Deidara had certainly done well, drawing the enemy here. However it seemed that once more he was expecting much of the people he was working with. The crevices ahead of him were teaming with Shinobi each heading straight in his direction. It looked like there were at least two squads to a gorge, amassing to a total of seven teams, equalling an impressive twenty eight Shinobi.

Gaara had to hand it to Iwa; they certainly didn't hold back to terrorist threats. He was even left wondering if the village cared at all about the hostages, for them to do something that would clearly antagonise the captors. Then again, if these ninja were supposed to act as a deterrent by intimidation, then in any case the Tsuchikage had made a grave error. For all the experience and wisdom someone bearing that name must have possessed, there was no way they could have accounted for someone like him.

The teams came to a stop, landing on ledges along the walls of the intravenous corridors as they watched Gaara. From the multitude of men, a woman stepped forward, drawing the attention of the otherwise unwavering Gaara. She looked to be in her thirties, with short brown hair cut around her shoulders, framing her pale skin and dark eyes. "Why have you attacked this village?" she demanded, making an obvious attempt to gather information before fighting.

"You can keep your questions." Gaara replied, meeting the kunzite's glare with the same cold look he would give to any old piece of trash that crossed his path. He could clearly see the Shinobi moving to his rear even as that kunzite tried to distract him with words. "Soon my reason for being here shall no longer be your concern, so asking me is pointless."

To emphasise this, he then made an attack that no one had been expecting. The three Shinobi who had managed to get behind died very suddenly, their chests impaled with spikes of sand that had grown out of the rock walls. With barely a cry among them, they were discarded to the depths and forgotten by their killer.

However fast Gaara was to forget them though, the looks of fury on the other Shinobi's faces made it clear that they weren't so cold. It was an amusing thought to Gaara; it looked like even Iwa valued their team mates to an extent. Despite that though, they had their own worries. Gaara's technique had thrown them, that he had managed to make such an attack like that without the use of hand seals. They each knew they would have to have their wits about them should they-

"What do you know?" called a voice, somewhere behind a more close knit squad of four Shinobi. They parted ways as they looked to the speaker, who lightly stepped forward along the small path at the wall. That person had his eyes fixed on Gaara the entire time he walked, his steps slow and provoking. "Looks like my training mission just turned into the real thing."