Sorry for the waiting! Final moments of the Five Kage Summit Arc coming up next...
Chapter 006 - The One in Control
Flashback
"Guh, gh...What a demon!" Mifune mumbled as he struggled to get on his knees. If felt like all the bones in his body had been broken. Jūgo really did a number on him. "Urakaku...Okisuke...Please, answer me!"
"Mifune-sōtaichō..." Okisuke called in a whisper. Mifune came near him, shaking in anger by what had been done to his men. "I can't feel my arms, I won't be of any help to you. My greatest apologies."
"Fool! Why do you apologize? Like it would be your fault..." Mifune then turned to the other samurai who was still unconscious, his face layed on the snow. "I'll come back for both of you. I promise you that!"
"Sōtaichō...There's no need..."
"Of course there's a need! No one is left behind, whether it is samurai or an ally shinobi!" Mifune scolded his bodyguard.
End of Flashback
"Release!" Shī shouted as he touched Danzō's forehead, much to the latter's shock. With the genjutsu dispelled, Shī prepared a new attack but was sent flying away with a powerful backfist.
"Shit! I wasn't expecting...What?" Danzō couldn't believe as he saw the battered Mifune charging towards him with his sword in hand. "I don't have time to..."
"Say goodbye to the eyes you stole, Danzō!" Mifune shouted as he waved his katana, cutting off Danzō's Sharingan arm in half.
"Puny samurai, how dare you?" Danzō angrily shouted, but before the Root leader could do something about his new opponent, he fell on his knees and held his injured arm in pain.
"Danzō-sama! Hurry up, Torune! He's vulnerable without his arm!" Fū hurried his partner, who was sending his insects to devour the cage that was trapping both ANBUs. Then, a loud and painful scream made them freeze.
"Gaaaaaaaah!" Danzō screamed as his right arm was starting to expand into many wood tendrils. "Shit! At this rate, Shodai's cells will swallow me whole! You had this set up, didn't you Orochimaru?"
"Looks like losing half of his arm made him lose control over Shodai's chakra." The immobilized Yamato thought as he saw Danzō ripping the rest of his own arm off. "It's not easy to control such a power."
"I'm not done yet! This is just beginning!" Danzō claimed as he removed the bandages around his right eye. Mifune charged but missed his slash, with Danzō disappearing and reappearing at a far away distance.
"He was just using that jutsu until Shisui's eye was working again. That was Shisui's Body Flicker." Ao recognized while he got back on one knee, helding his bloody belly with his right hand.
"Torune, destroy them!" Danzō ordered as he launched his two right arms towards his bodyguard who caught them. "Get out of here as soon as you're finished! Remain in the shadows like the Root members you are!"
"What?" The confused Torune asked. His bugs were swiftly destroying the evidences that linked Danzō with Orochimaru and the Uchiha massacre.
"Danzō-sama is right...If we get caught, Inoichi will be able to read our minds and discover everything our organization has done." Fū explained with a frown. "We'll have to abandon him."
"Won't he able to read Danzō-sama's mind?" Torune asked and a smirking Fū shook his head.
"Danzō-sama has surely taken measures to prevent that. He'll be fine." Fū assured. By now, both flesh and wooden arms had been destroyed by the poisonous nano-bugs. "Let's go, Torune."
"I underestimated them..." Danzō thought as he analyzed the battlefield. Shī and Mifune were standing by the side of the sealed Yamato. Kurotsuchi and Darui were getting up, the latter's left arm covered in blood. Ao was on his knees, not too far from the last two. "Five. Shisui's Body Flicker will take away all my chakra if I use it too much. I'll need one..."
"Should we?" Kurotsuchi asked to Darui who simply nodded, before both rushed towards the injured old shinobi. It happened in less than a second. Danzō appeared between both and kicked Darui away, before grabbing Kurotsuchi by the throat. As soon as her body was covered in the black marks that composed the Restraining Seal, Danzō moved behind her and held her as a shield. "Shit! We were so careless!"
"Talking about self-sacrifice and then making hostages..." The furious Darui mumbled.
"It's not...my life I'm worried about." The panting Danzō countered. "For Konoha...for the ninja world...I can't die yet...I'll do anything to...survive and...change this world..."
"Tss...Hypocrite!" Darui's insult made Danzō chuckle.
"If you don't want this girl to be another sacrifice, move." Danzō ordered but Darui stood there with his head hanged down.
"Sorry, Kurotsuchi-san...Storm Style: Laser Circus"
"Oh, shit..." Kurotsuchi thought as she saw the halo of bright energy surrounding Darui's hands. The Kumo-nin unleashed the beams of energy that bypassed the sealed Kurotsuchi and stroke Danzō's torso. The Root leader backrolled as soon as his back touched the bridge's floor and turned to run away from Darui, but was intercepted by Shī. The man with the stolen Sharingan used the Body Flicker Jutsu again and passed by the Kumogakure sensor.
"Another one..." Danzō frowned as Ao appeared in front of him. Another Body Flicker followed. As the jutsu's effects ended, Danzō felt a stabbing pain in his left thigh. Looking down, Danzō saw a kneeled Ao and the kama in his hand going through the first's leg. "Im-Impossible!"
"Demonic Illusion: Stagnating Wheel...it was the trick behind Shisui's unbeatable Body Flicker. A visual genjutsu that slows the time flow on whoever he casts it." Danzō snarled as he remembered Ao already had fought Shisui. "Once one's movements are slower, there's no way they can reach the speed of even a regular Body Flicker. That's what it was, Shisui's Body Flicker was as simple as it gets. He was just blessed with the eyes that can cast illusions without the need of hand seals. It was the perfect and nearly undetectable combination."
"Exactly, it's perfect so how?" Danzō demanded an answer.
"Once again, it's so simple. The Body Flicker is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalise the body and move at extreme speeds. By using it, I was able to counter the effects of the illusion. It's a faster solution than releasing the genjutsu." Ao explained and a smirk appeared on his face. "So you see, I just moved my body fast enough to prepare my kama and you just ran into it. Now, for the fun part...the Body Flicker Jutsu is useless if you can't move at all! You lose, Danzō! You can't run away any longer with that injured leg of yours!"
"Perhaps, but...haven't you noticed?" Ao's reaction was to drop the smirk and stare confused to his opponent. That all seemed to be so slow for Danzō who was already lifting his left arm to attack. "You didn't release the genjutsu! How in the hell will you stop me from killing you now, huh?"
"Don't need to..." That was Ao's simple answer. Danzō felt something stabbing him again, this time in his left shoulder.
"Damn him! From my blind spot..." Danzō cursed the samurai who once again injured him. Mifune's katana was keeping Danzō's arm stretched to his left side and there was nothing that the manipulative elder could do to change it.
"You were careless, Danzō." Mifune told to his opponent. "It's over for you, now."
"Over?"
Flashback
"20...We're surrounded." The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, revealed to his partners after lifting his palm from the ground. "From the way they're tracking us, I'd say they are Kumogakure's Master Hunters. Without a doubt...the Kinkaku Force."
"There's only seven of us including Nidaime-sama. There's no way..."
"They don't know our exact location yet!" Koharu interrupted her partner Homura. "We should lie in wait for them and take them by surprise! We still have a chance to escape!"
"That won't be easy..." Kagami from the Uchiha clan pondered. "Someone will have to lure them away."
"A decoy?" Torifu Akimichi asked before staring down sadly. "Whoever goes...won't survive..."
"I am a ninja...I will die in battle as a ninja...What are you thinking right now, Sarutobi? Are you willing to make such a sacrifice? I'll...do it! Yeah, I'll be the one!" Danzō thought as he stared to the member of the Sarutobi Clan, Hiruzen. The silence remained between the seven shinobi from the Leaf. Danzō was about stand up but was unable to do so. His entire body was shakening. "I'll do it! I'll...Why can't I? Why can't I step forward and say it? I..."
"I'll do it!"
"Hiruzen? You..." Homura stared in desbelief to his sibling disciple. He didn't like the idea of losing one of his best friends.
"Eh! Don't worry! I'm the best of all of us, so I won't die that easily." The confident Hiruzen assured to his partners.
"Damn it! I'm...I'm weak..." Danzō couldn't believe in himself. The shakening had stopped as soon as Hiruzen offered himself to go. "Part of me...is actually relieved! My father...My grandfather...they died as ninjas in battle. Self-sacrifice is a ninja's duty, so why can't I..."
"Take care of the others, Danzō." Hiruzen asked and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I know you'll..."
"Shut up, Sarutobi!" Danzō suddenly erupted, pushing Hiruzen's hand away. "I was about to raise my hand! Don't try to act like you're so great! I'll be the decoy!"
"Danzo..." The shocked Hiruzen mumbled. No one noticed Tobirama smirking while the argument took place, but after it was over they all noticed him standing with a deep serious look on his face.
"I will be the decoy. You are the bright young flames who must protect the village."
"You can't! You're the Hokage!" The shocked Danzō shouted.
"You and Saru have always been rivals in everything, but right now what we need is unity. Don't bring your personal squabbles into this." Tobirama scolded. Danzō fell into silence and stared down in shame. "It's true I was slow with my decision. There was a motive for that. Danzō, Saru...There's no need to be hasty at your age. One day that time will come. Just stay alive until then...Oh, one more thing, Saru. Protect those who have faith in you and who love the village. Train those to whom you can entrust the next generation."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" The confused Hiruzen asked.
"I mean that tomorrow you'll be Hokage." Tobirama revealed, shocking everyone, especially the man with the cross-shaped scar in his chin. Danzō had once again lost to Hiruzen.
End of Flashback
"Never! It won't end that easily! I'm Danzō Shimura, Rokudaime Hokage!" Danzō proclaimed. Somehow, he regained control over his left arm and was preparing to do something as wind chakra enveloped his hand and forearm. "I deserve it! Aren't the Kages supposed to sacrifice themselves for their people and then entrust the village to the next generation? I'm doing what I'm doing for the peace of my village! I'm doing it to enhance its strength! I'm..."
"At the moment..." Darui charged and used his Cleaver Sword to cut down Danzō's remaining arm, shocking the latter once again. "...the only thing you are is armless."
"Are you sure of that?" Danzō shouted as his Sharingan started to glow. Before whatever jutsu Danzō tried to use worked, his eye closed and he wasn't able to open it back. "What? Izanagi isn't in effect! How...Sensor, you bastard!" Danzō shouted as he noticed Shī maintaining a horse hand seal. As the self-proclaimed Sixth Hokage was about to release the genjutsu, he remembered he couldn't perform the ram seal since his arms were missing. "Shit!"
"Barrier Jutsu: Locking Tag Barrier" After a bird hand seal, the talismans in Ao's ears detached themselves and flew towards Danzō's Sharingan, covering it completely.
"Genjutsu: Binding" Shī put Danzō in another genjutsu, rendering him incapable of movement. Without arms, Sharingans and mobility, Danzō stopped being a threat.
"Sorry but from where I'm standing, you look both armless and harmless." Darui stated, before sighing heavily. This fight was finally over.
"Where am I?" Gaara asked to himself. He was floating in the middle of nowhere. The only thing he could see was white, complete whiteness. Somehow, the place he found himself in was kind of nostalgic. As much as he thought about it, he couldn't remember when he had been there, even though he was pretty sure it wasn't too long ago. He stared at his right hand. Seemed nostalgic as well. Perhaps because he saw his own hands each and every day...No, there was more to it than that. Looking forward once again, he saw a blur in the middle of nothing, a figure that was coming closer to him. "What is this?"
"You're talking about me or about this place?" The person in front of him asked. It was a girl, slightly older than him, perhaps of Temari's age. She wore a sleeveless blue vest that revealed her belly and a skirt of the same color opened in the sides over tight white shorts. She had blond long hair wrapped in a slightly spiked ponytail, a bang hanging over her left eye and long strands that framed her face. Her haircut kind of reminded him of that Deidara guy he once fought. That annoyed him...She was pretty though, Gaara thought, except for...the same tanuki-like black eye rings he had. That perturbed him. Was it just the consequences of normal insomnia or something else?
"Both I guess." Gaara answered to the young woman. She giggled.
"Well, this is your subconscious. Kinda empty aren't you?" The girl stated, referring to the nothingness they were into. "I guess it's normal, considering you were the Ichibi's Jinchuriki. All those years without sleeping developed your consciousness to a point there wasn't a need for the subconscious half. It should be better than be consumed by Shukaku, right Gaara?"
"How do you know me?" The surprised Gaara asked. She stared down and remained silent for awhile, until a quite evil chuckle was heard.
"Kukuku...Does this ring a bell?" She looked back to Gaara and, to his shock, her blue eyes were replaced by Shukaku's black sclera and yellow irides. The chuckles turned into the crazy high-pitched screech-like laughs of the One-Tailed Shukaku.
"You were supposed to be dead, so what are you still doing here?" Gaara inquired in a calm and quite cold tone. Shukaku stopped laughing.
"How am I supposed to know? This is your subconscious, you tell me. Suddenly, I appear in the middle of nothing and, to top it off, I've taken the form of my first Jinchuriki! Damn, I'm pissed!" Shukaku kept cursing as he walked towards Gaara. The voice that came out of the girl's mouth was still hers though.
"It seems you know a lot about this subconscious stuff." Gaara pointed out.
"Of course. When the ones like me are sealed inside a human, our chakra is sent to the seal placed on your bodies and our mind and soul is sent into a far away corner of your subconscious. I used to live inside of a sand castle, much better than this." Shukaku then reached his last Jinchuriki and his mocking tone shifted into a serious one. "I guess that for some reason a small portion of my soul was left dormant inside of you. Something must have awakened me, for some motive I'm needed. It's the best explanation I can find."
"Something awakened you..." Gaara pondered for awhile, until he reminded of himself looking into Madara's Sharingan. Apparently, while under Madara's control, Gaara's conscious self was pushed to the subconscious world he was in right now. Considering he would never go there on his own, it was Madara's jutsu that caused the meeting between Gaara and the beast formerly sealed inside of him. "This will sound strange, Shukaku, but I want to thank you."
"Huh?"
"Zetsu..." Madara called the black half, the one that was present. "Take Sasuke back to the hideout and then go fetch your white part."
"Understood." Zetsu walked towards Sasuke and picked him over his shoulder. As he was about to leave, Naruto charged with a Rasengan that would have caught him if it wasn't for the sand shield raised by Gaara. Between the moment Naruto's Rasengan touched the sand and the moment it dispersed, Zetsu made his escape.
"Damn it, Gaara! What the hell are you doing?" Naruto asked but got no answer. The Kyuubi's Jinchuriki felt the sand moving around him and jumped before he was trapped in the so well-known Sand Coffin. What Naruto wasn't expecting was the flying ability of the Tsuchikage who charged towards him like a missile and pressed him to sand, the impact raising a considerable amount of it.
"Naruto!"
"Hey!" Ē shouted, calling Kakashi's attention. "Let him fight his own battles! We'll hold the other Kages while you use that Sharingan of yours to either break the genjutsu or defeat Madara!"
"This won't be easy..." Kakashi thought as he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. Before he took any action, Kakashi was already seeing the damaged Ē pushing the Mizukage and Tsuchikage away from Naruto. "What incredible will!"
"Shit! They took Sasuke away again! And now Gaara...Huh?" The ground below Naruto started to loosen, causing him to sink. "GAARA! Wake up, dammit! Why are you letting yourself get controllled like that again? Why, Gaara?"
"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted as Naruto was half way into the sand. As he was about to rush towards his student, Madara appeared right in front of him.
"That eye doesn't belong you, Kakashi!" Madara stated in a quite spiteful tone. The Akatsuki leader summoned a kunai into his hand and used it to slash Kakashi who disappeared in a puff of smoke. The real Kakashi appeared from behind his opponent with a Lightning Blade on his hand but the jutsu passed through Madara. "The Sharingan is the sign from the Uchiha clan and you aren't even Uchiha. The fact you use it is insulting."
"Says someone who betrayed that same clan." Kakashi recalled their earlier talk as he backed away from Madara. Then, he focused his left eye on his opponent and a swirl pattern appeared in front of Madara. Surprisingly though, the warping barrier wasn't growing and Kakashi was struggling just to maintain it. "Could it be...?"
"I told you once that this wouldn't work, Kakashi." Madara remembered, as both struggled to gain the advantage over the barrier. "There's no way your Kamui is stronger than mine."
"Gaara! Don't let them control you again! Don't let Madara...GAARA!"
"Sand Style: Prison Sand Burial" Gaara intoned as Naruto was completely sucked in by the desert below him.
"You sure have gained some nerve...You thanking me? For what? For getting my powers?" Shukaku asked, causing Gaara to stare at him both surprised and confused. "Yeah, I know it. I know you've gained my powers. I can feel it as we speak..."
"That's not it..." Gaara shook his head. "I've become strong, yes, but not only because of your powers. I could hate you for everything I've been put through. Having people trying to kill me, having no friends, having people trying to take advantage of my...your powers..."
"Could? You can't possible mean you don't hate me." Shukaku chuckled but stopped as he saw Gaara was dead serious.
"Hate you? Why? Weren't you sealed against your will? No, it was the Fourth's fault. You were used like I was." Shukaku was staring at him with his mouth open. "What was your existence? Always being considered as a weapon...How could you not be cunning? How could you not have that bloodlust you have? How could you not relish on the oppurtunity to kill anyone in sight? I know it better than anyone...I understand you."
"Eh? Eheheh...YAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Shukaku's loud and maniacal laughs filled the space they were in. "You understand me? Right, right...If you understand me, then why do you think I care about this bullshit? I'm a weapon! A killing machine! I don't need this understanding and friendly speech!"
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met Naruto and all the other people who pushed me forward. I know it's weird, but if you weren't there, I wouldn't have the motivation to become better. There wouldn't be the need of strengthening myself to the point where people would distinguish myself from you." Gaara continued, bringing another surprised and softer look to the face of the first Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku. "From there, people started to respect me and to like me. I became Kazekage. What would I be if you weren't there until then? Maybe I would be a happy and average ninja, but I wouldn't be feeling the happiness I feel now and that's something I won't trade for anything. Even if my past wasn't the best...this present sure is, so...thanks Shukaku."
"GAARA! Wake up, dammit! Why are you letting yourself get controllled like that again? Why, Gaara?"
"That voice...Naruto?" Gaara mumbled as he suddenly heard the voice of his friend.
"The Nine-tails boy..." Shukaku thought and recalled the conversation he just had with Gaara. Looking at his hands, Shukaku knew his time was short. They were starting to fade away. "Hmph! If there's a reason for me to come back, I may as well go along with it...Eheheheh!"
"What are you laughing at?" Gaara asked to the "woman" who walked towards him.
"All this talk was only good to spend our time. You thank me for making you stronger, but is it true? It looks like your still the same brat that is so easily controlled."
"Huh?"
"Gaara! Don't let them control you again! Don't let Madara...GAARA!" Naruto's voice once again echoed through Gaara's subconscious world.
"Instead of thanking me, show me! Show me your growth, Gaara! Break free from this Madara's control!" Shukaku demanded.
"Shukaku..." Gaara stared at him, completely shocked by Shukaku's words. A smile appeared on the Kazekage's and he too started to fade away. He still saw the female body slowly disappearing, but much slower than Gaara's.
"Eh, who would ever say that this would be the last doing of the Incarnation of the Sand..." Shukaku thought as Gaara left that plane. By then, only the first Jinchuriki's head was visible. "Thanks, Gaara..."
"No way..." Madara thought as he heard Gaara screaming loudly. The Kazekage fell on his knees and was helding his own head in pain. By looking just a inch away, Madara almost lost control of Kamui, but still corrected his mistake in time. The screams stopped. Madara wanted to look away but knew he couldn't, as he was gaining the advantage over Kakashi who was already on only one knee.
"Sand Style Ultimate Attack: Spear of Shukaku" Gaara launched the halberd shaped like Shukaku's claw, that flew towards Madara.
"Shit! To warp away or become intangible I'll have to stop Kamui, but if I do, Kakashi's will get me instantly." Gaara's sand spear was about to struck Madara, but the latter threw himself into the ground, avoiding the spear which was sucked in by Kakashi's Kamui. As soon as Madara fell into the ground, he warped himself away. "Kazekage! How did you break free of my Mugen Tsukuyomi?"
"Don't know...Only thing I know is...I have to prove myself...to someone..." The tired Gaara said, sweat covering his face. "From now on, I'm the one in control! Let's end this...Madara!"
"Gaara-kun..." Kakashi mumbled before he started to feel the sand below him shaking. Surprisingly, Gaara didn't seem to be expecting that. A large amount of sand was raised and from it came Naruto, orange markings around his yellow eyes. Shocking was the size of the sphere of chakra in his hand. "Oh my..."
"Sage Art: Super Odama Rasengan"
Next Chapter: The Mayhem Concludes! End of the Summit (Last Chapter of the Five Kage Summit Arc)
-Nawirama13
-NawiramaWikia-
1. Jutsu:
1.1 - Demonic Illusion: Stagnating Wheel - The trick behind Shisui's Body Flicker, a Sharingan-only Genjutsu. It delays the time flow on whoever the illusion is casted.
1.2 - Barrier Jutsu: Locking Tag Barrier - The talismans in Ao's ears detach themselves from his ears and flow towards one of his opponent's body parts, covering it and rendering it useless. The talismans are directed by Ao's chakra. It's specially effective against Dojutsus.
1.3 - Genjutsu: Failing Body Activity - The Genjutsu used by Shi on Danzo, to make him think he had his Sharingan closed. It's an illusion that consists on rendering one's body part useless when in fact it isn't.
1.4 - Sand Style Ultimate Attack: Spear of Shukaku - Renamed version of Ultimately Hard Absolute Attack: Spear of Shukaku
-Nawirama13