Chapter 19: Overcoming Hate Part Two
Naruto charged out of the arena after talking to Jiraiya and giving him command of the three 'rookies', Lee, Kiba and Tenten. Heading for Hinata's location, he landed next to her, shielding Hinata's little sister.
"Hina-chan! Is your sister alright? Oi ero-sennin! Get over here and get Hanabi to safety!"
Hanabi almost bristled at being treated like a child. However, remembering just how much Naruto had humiliated Neji, as well as Naruto's feral appearence, she reconsidered. Jiraiya landed next to the gennin pair, looked at Hanabi and nodded, the meaning was clear. Grabbing little Hanabi, Jiraiya leapt off before handing her over to an ANBU squad that was there just for this reason, namely civilian evacuation. After all, it wouldn't pay to have a foreign dignitary hurt because he wasn't escorted to safety. Hinata and Naruto turned to the shadows.
"Come out. Otou-sama. And you better have a good explanation of why you let my imouto here, rather than take her to safety with you." It wasn't so much what Hinata said, as how she said it, the tone in her voice was clear, 'I better like your answer or you can kiss your eyes good-bye'.
Hiashi emerged, an unhappy look on his face.
"Hinata, while I was never kind or caring to you or your sister, I am not a monster. With you showing a great increase in skill, I reconsidered your position as heir to the clan and I know, so would all elders. Therefore, we come at an impasse. Should you prove to be stronger than my youngest, you will become heir to the clan, should you not, then you will be sent to the cadet branch. I have long hoped, and done my best, to avert this situation. However with you showing great skill, I must now seal one of my daughters. Worse, I am bound by the family's laws to choose the strongest heir. I left Hanabi here, in order to see if she was worthy of being heiress to the clan. She is obviously not, seeing as she showed fear before an enemy. I was here to protect her should things have gone differently though, Hanabi was never in any danger from Konoha's enemies."
Naruto growled at the cruelty of the Hyuga clan, still not used to it, even after the time Hinata had taken to explain it all to him. Hinata on the other hand... wasn't as calm.
"So you'd condemn one of your own daughters to slavery, choosing the strongest physically as heir, instead of the best for the clan. And then you wonder why I hate your guts. Get out of my face father and get to the fight. If I ever, and I mean ever, find you, or any other mother-fucking piece of worthless shit putting my little sister in danger, I'm gonna kill the lot of you! Got it? Now get the fuck out of my sight you worthless excuse of human shit."
Hinata's 'Raijin's Touch' sparked to life from the excess chakra running through her, completely ready to fulfill her threat. Hiashi, knowing very well not to mess with someone, chose to cut his losses and go fight. After all, he wouldn't trust the safety of a potential heir to the hands of any ANBU. They were not Hyuga, simple as that.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata attacked a group of enemy shinobi that were rushing through the gates. Falling back to their lessons when they started out as a team, Hinata and Naruto fought together, almost in a lover's embrace as they slowed and stopped the surge of shinobi into the arena. Naruto used Hinata as a counterweight as much as another limb of his, both being so familiar with each other's fighting styles that they could predict their partner's motions and attacks. With Naruto acting as the shield, taking on all blows without even slowing down and Hinata acting as the sword, her lethal tonfa disabling and killing attackers left and right, it was impossible for anyone to safely approach them in a distance less than ten feet (about 3.6 meters).
Naruto rotated, Hinata using his momentum to launch herself at an enemy, her tonfa striking well before the enemy's kunai could, only to be followed by Naruto, who used the gap in the attacking force to land in the midst of his enemies. Claws flashed and blood flew as Naruto spun once again, completing his spin by kneeling, so that Hinata could use him as a springboard and leap over him, taking others by surprise. After getting up, Naruto went into Hinata's waiting embrace, his claws becoming blades that stabbed the fools behind her, even as her tonfa disabled those behind Naruto. The pair hugged each other, before spinning quickly, their weapons ripping through armor and flesh alike.
A cat faced ANBU and her team watched as the two gennin cooperated like a well-oiled machine, sending shivers down their spines. How the two kids managed to make this lethal fighting style look so much as an intimate dance, noone knew. The dance was cut short though, as Zabuza and Anko landed before the two gennin, who quickly took advantage of the enemy's surprise to break off and fight separately. Hinata's tonfa were bladed blurs, hitting an enemy and attacking not only flesh and bone, but internal organs and chakra system as well. Naruto dashed through the enemy in an irregular zig-zag pattern, making it impossible to predict where, how and who he would attack next, a fault that would become the Oto-shinobi's last, as Naruto's claws could easily shred their armor and hit their most vulnerable locations. Throw in Zabuza's impressive fighting style, Anko's superior speed and flashing blades and the enemy never stood a chance. Behind the first group appeared another group, this time composed of not only more members, but also what seemed like the worst nightmare of an insane scientist. It seemed Orochimaru had opened the cages of his experiments.
Hinata and Zabuza leapt back, both taking a weird stance. Hinata stuck her tonfa to the ground and placed her feet on them, while Zabuza stabbed it in front of him. As the enemy rushed towards them, the pair went through a series of identical hand seals before pushing the moulded chakra into their weapons.
"Suiton: Santouryudan no Jutsu! (Water Style: Triple Headed Dragon Blast Technique!)" Came the shout from both.
The chakra raced from Zabuza's hands and Hinata's feet, into zanbatou and tonfa, before the ground around the two shinobi exploded with water. To the ANBU's surprise, it wasn't a simple Suiton jutsu, but what seemed like an A-rank jutsu, as three absolutely huge dragons made out of water erupted from the water underneath the two shinobi, before launching themselves at the enemy. Naruto and Anko, who were at the time holding the line back, jumped away just in time to see the water dragons slam onto the attacking force. Cries of pain and sounds of broken bone came from the chaotic mingle of water, blood, bone and flesh, as the water sent the enemy shinobi through several walls. Hinata and Zabuza high-fived each other.
Meanwhile, Asuma and Kurenai were tearing through the numbers of stray shinobi, slackers or solo-ists. Having been paired up in quite a few missions, they knew each other's fighting patterns very well, or at least Kurenai did. Asuma still couldn't figure out when she learned half the stuff she used. Sure, with him next to her, she didn't reveal anything he didn't know she could do, but the way she used them, the fact for example, she didn't shy away from combat, or back off every time someone came within kunai's reach, seriously confused the Sarutobi clan member. He didn't even know she was half as skilled as she was with her kunai. Her scything remarks hurt more than usual too.
"Come on Asuma-kun, you're the man of this pair so man up and do your job. Seriously do I have to do everything by myself or have your lungs given up yet?" Kurenai taunted.
'What's with her and smoking?' Wondered Asuma, before getting himself back in line and freeing her from the group of kunoichi that were trying, and failing, to kill her.
In another area of the arena, Haku and Shino were facing off against a few chuunin, trying to protect the rest of Konoha 9, namely Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji. Or well, Sakura and Ino, as the Nara and Akimichi heirs held their own. The weren't good enough to take down the enemy, but they could delay them until reinforcements came.
"Shino-kun! A barrier please!" Haku exclaimed before jumping back. In responce Shino unleashed about half of his insects making a nigh-impenetrable wall. Those that would dare go through would quickly be devoid of chakra as well as poisoned, while weapons and jutsu would be stopped by the swarm. Behind him, Haku readied herself with a couple of Fuuton jutsu. Because Ice was her specialty, she never really worked with fuuton techniques, well until Naruto came along and helped her. She still had trouble with some of them, but she could at least manage that. Sending a nod at Shino's way, Haku counted to three before swiping her hands forward.
"Fuuton: Dai Kaze Rin! (Wind Style: Great Wind Ring!)"
The disc-shaped wind jutsu flew at waist-height, taking by surprise the enemy, who didn't expect two invisible blades to rush at them from behind a wall of bugs. A couple were cut down, while the rest used Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique, we all know and hate/love it) to dodge. Before they had time to attack again however, Haku had already unleashed a pair of chakra strings, helping her not only maintain the wind rings for a longer time, but also to easily shift their trajectory. It didn't take much time for the enemy to realize what was going on and try to kill Haku, before she would kill them. However it wasn't meant to be, as Shino charged first. His weights removed and his chakra levels increasing from the lack of parasitic insects, he charged in high speed.
Sakura and Ino were squealing like little girls from what happened next, while Shikamaru and Chouji looked green. Shino dashed between two enemies, kama at the ready. Before they had time to react, Shino made two pivots, making a full rotation, his right kama digging itself on the back of the enemy's neck, cutting his head with the fuuton chakra running through the blade, while his left kama ripped open his partner, by having it attack the vulnerable area beneath the ribcage. Blood spurted, but it didn't stop Shino, who was at the same time unleashing the full power of his swarm. Insects crawled out of the woorwork, quite literally. The enemies never stood a chance when the Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clan heads showed up, to the relief of the two gennin.
As the village's jounin were mobilized, the team gathered around Naruto and Hinata, rushing for the location of the Hokage.
Flashback - Beggining of the Invasion.
Orochimaru laughed in evil glee as his shinobi rushed into the village, he could finally kill Sarutobi!
Throwing his disguise away, knowing it wouldn't do him any good, he greeted his old sensei, as his bodyguards moved to set up the barrier. In responce, Sarutobi merely raised an eyebrow. Externally calm and collected, Sarutobi was livid inside. To kill a man and skin him, using his skin as a disguise. Just how far had his once beloved student fallen.
"So Naruto-kun was right. You were planning an invasion. Suna and Oto together, I hope they know you will betray them. Just like you betray everyone else, even your own subordinates."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Subordinates are nothing but tools to me. If a tool is broken, then there is no need to keep it. Would you keep a broken kunai, or throw it away in favour of a new one. It is the same."
Sarutobi shook his head in sadness. "That was what two missing-nin also said. Naruto-kun and this village changed them. They now live happily here and oh, there they are, decimating your forces."
Indeed, in the distance, Zabuza's distinctive form separated him from the crowd, his massive cleaver taking heads and arms and legs alike, an unstoppable tornado of death.
Orochimaru was rather annoyed at that development, but didn't give it a second thought, he would be eventually be brought down. Just like everybody else.
"It doesn't matter sensei, they don't matter. After all, I am so superior to that trash, that I don't even consider them worthy of mention. After all, I have tricked even death itself!"
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean Orochimaru? What montrocity have you created?"
"Oh, does little Jiraiya not know? His spy network is sooo capable after all. As I said, I've tricked death itself, but that's a story for another time."
Quickly, Orochimaru regurgitated his Kusanagi sword, the blade gleaming dangerously. In the same motion, the snake Sennin rushed at his sensei, hoping to at least wound him. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, as Sarutobi's reflexes were as sharp as ever, despite his aging body. He knew what Orochimaru would do, before Orochimaru even thought of it.
"Well," said the old Kage, " I think it's time for a long overdue spanking session, baka deshi (foolish apprentice)."
With these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed a truly minute amount of chakra into the amulet he wore around his neck. A flash of light, a poof of smoke and a sound of tearing clothing later, Orochimaru wasn't fighting against an old man, albeit Kage. Now Orochimaru was fighting against the God of Shinobi, the Professor, the man who had mastered, not just learned, every non-clan technique in Konoha. Sarutobi made a 'cracking' motion with his neck, feeling his joints fall back in place. Doing the same with his fingers, Sarutobi's confident smirk could be felt from behind the face mask. Seeing Orochimaru's shocked face, he joked.
"What? Did you honestly think that I wouldn't work on anything after you left? Baka deshi... always underestimating me. Although, I do really have to thank Naruto-kun for this. After all, he's the one that made this beauty for me. Now..." Sarutobi took a fighting stance, "shall we dance little brat?"
Deep inside Orochimaru, a side of him wanted to meep. These were the exact words Sarutobi had told him when he took his team on. The words he heard right before being beaten to a pulp, much more than even Salamander Hanzou did. Less than an instant later, Orochimaru was hard-pressed to dodge a salvo of explosive kunai his sensei had somehow managed to unseal from somewhere. The Sennin didn't even have time to ponder how preposterous it was to place a sealing space within a sealing space, as he was once again forced to dodge. This time it was molten rock soaring through the air at high speeds. Sandaime was pulling out high-ranked jutsu out of nowhere. Orochimaru landed and used a few handseals before setting loose a glowing-red snake. His own answer to the Uchiha clan's Katon jutsu.
Instead of dodging though, Sarutobi smirked and... kicked. However, it wasn't dust that came, but an insanely fast moving burst of water. It struck the snake, forcing it to explode in dense fog. Orochimaru's stunned face at what happened didn't have time to show on his face, before another highly-pressurized stream of water hit him on the chest.
Outside the barrier, the ANBU group were gaping. This was a Kage-level fight. Their involvement would only get in the way, they were useless. A new recruit that was in the team simply gawked, so
that was a Kage level fight. Or well a Kage against what seemed a mere brat, by the way Sarutobi was treating his ex-apprentice.
Inside the barrier, Orochimaru had enough, placing his Kusanagi sword in his mouth, he regurgitated a torrent of snakes, each with a Kusanagi sword in mouth. He expected his sensei to dodge, only to be attacked again, gaining an advantage in this match. However, Orochimaru never expected his sensei to merely raise his arm, as if he was expecting the snakes to stop.
What happened next, seriously freaked out the snake user. His snakes veered of course, as if an invisible wall was blocking them, forcing them to stab the ground instead of his sensei. From behind his mask, Sarutobi almost fell on the floor laughing from Orochimaru's stunned face. Naruto's defencive measures worked perfectly, the magnetic field had blocked the Kusanagi snake assault.
Orochimaru had the creepy feeling Sarutobi had merely lifted his eyebrow, damn that mask. Hearing his sensei ask him if he had anything else as useless, seriously pissed him off. With a battlecry, Orochimaru raised his weapon and once again charged the calm Sarutobi.
The two clashed again and again, Sarutobi's skill proving to be superior to Orochimaru's power. Hiruzen made a mental note to thank Naruto for the weapons that were stored inside his armor. Truly, he had stored enough explosives to take on a battalion... and get out relatively unharmed...
Orochimaru got sick and tired of getting treated like a child, his powerful Kusanagi proving to be too slow to hurt Sarutobi. So, he decided to use his ultimate jutsu, his hidden ace, his trump card... Jumping back he smirked evilly at Sarutobi and started making handseals fast, knowing Sarutobi wouldn't give him a moment's reprieve. Finishing them, he placed his hands on the floor.
"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei! (Summon: Impure World Resurrection!)" The snake Sennin called out, his vile chakra surging forth. "Behold sensei! The power that overcame death! MY power! Now rise! Hokage of old! Hahaha! Rise and obey me like my pet!"
Sarutobi watched in horror as the coffins containing the deceased Hokage that served before him rose. Thinking quickly, he drew as many incendiary paper bombs as he could, tied them to some explosive kunai and threw them quickly. Orochimaru saw the attack and had a few Tsuchi Bunshin (Mud Clone) of his ready to intercept. The clones sacrificed themselves to prevent as much damage as possible, but still, the aged Kage managed to destroy the last coffin, the most important coffin. The coffin that contained Naruto's father, the Yondaime Hokage. Looking outside to his village, for what could be the last time, Sandaime noticed something. Naruto and his team were watching the fight intently, the desire to fight obvious in their eyes and set jaws. Hiruzen smiled sadly, he may never see them again. That was what he thought until he saw Naruto do a weird motion, raising his hand to his left bicep. Why would he do it, wondered the aged Kage. That was until he remembered exactly what was under the cloth...
Sarutobi smirked. "So, you think that just bringing out my own mentors will change everything? How naive. I thought I taught you better."
Orochimaru chuckled. "You did. But even you can't defeat us now. Three on one has always been rather... decicive don't you think? After all me and my teammates did?"
"So true, so true. However... you seem to not have taken something into consideration. Namely the fact that I'm not fighitng alone. The will of fire still burns strong baka deshi!"
Sandaime raised his hand to his left bicep, summoned his chakra and pumped it through.
The lite-blue essense that was Sandaime's chakra raiced to his fingertips and beyond, through the armor, encountering lines of power. Falling into them like water through a canal, the lines glowed a soft blue, the chakra taking form and shape from the pattern. Sandaime's form was concealed by a cloud.
End Flashback
Naruto smiled a megawatt smile, seeing as his adopted grandfather got the message. Hinata, Haku, Zabuza, Anko, Shino and Kurenai, all looked grim, the fight ahead wouldn't be easy. The chakra surged into them from the seal on each member's left bicep. Their forms were clouded and their vision blurred. An instant later, the smoke was blown away and a different scene greeted the group. Behind the group, the wizened voice of Sarutobi spoke.
"See Orochimaru? I don't have to sacrifice anything. They came of their own accord. Why? Because they do not fear, they respect. Something you could never do. Neither I, nor them will fall today."
Meanwhile Naruto was busy thinking, quickly he turned to his team. "Zabuza, Haku, Hinata, you take on Nidaime-sama, his specialty is water jutsu so you have better chances. Kurenai, Anko and Shino, you've got Shodaime, watch out for his Mokuton. Jiji and I have a snake to skin." The group collectively nodded before bursting into action.
At the same time, the two previous Hokage burst forth, Orochimaru's jutsu forcing them to obey. Naruto looked at Orochimaru in pity.
"I pity you Orochimaru, so entrenched in your obsession, you forgot the meaning of true strength. You are your own self's doom. Do you know, Orochimaru, that your summons will not win? Do you know why? Because attacks with any form of hesitation will not work on us. Orochimaru... for the pain you will cause should we let you live, we're going to kill you!"
There were no more words exchanged as Naruto charged Orochimaru, claws extended at the sides. With his restraints removed, Naruto was a blur. Behind him, Sarutobi had taken the time to summon Enma the Monkey King. Enma took a look at the fight and realized what was going on. It was time for the master to fix his mistakes. Without wasting any more time, Enma shifted himself to the Diamond Staff form.
Haku, Hinata and Zabuza charged at Nidaime, weapons at the ready. The resurrected Hokage began fighting by unleashing a barrage of taijutsu attacks, as if he was gauging their skills. Zabuza, being the most experienced of the three, rushed first, aiming to take the brunt of the attacks. Using the skills he sharpened by years of fighting and the times he went against Naruto's unimaginable speed and strength, Zabuza first deflected most of the blows, using his Zanbatou as a shield. Knowing the fight wouldn't be won just by defending, Zabuza used his Kubikiri Honcho as a pole to unleash a violent kick, knowing that Hinata and Haku behind him would cover him. Nidaime blocked the kick only to be attacked by Haku.
Haku's chained crescent blade whirled through the air, its motions controlled by Haku's water manipulation. It cut through the air swiftly, before wrapping itself around the Kage. Immidiately Haku sent a blast of chakra to freeze him, only for the Nidaime to collapse into a puddle of water. Appearing behind Haku, the blue-armored Kage attempted to knock her out quickly, only to be thwarted by Hinata's quick tonfa. Nidaime transferred his momentum from his hands to his feet, coming around with a kick at Hinata's undefended side. Haku was there instantly to block it, while Zabuza blurred into exitence behind Nidaime, his zanbatou moving quickly to take Nidaime's head. Again their target collapsed to a puddle of water, while the real Nidaime appeared above them, making hadseals. Before they had time to defend or move away, Nidaime's jutsu was activated.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu! (Water Style: Great Explosion Technique!)"
Zabuza placed himself first to take the blow, while Hinata and Haku placed their respective weapons at his side. Channeling chakra into the storage seals, they began absorbing his jutsu as it came. Thanks to that, the technique was weakened quite a bit, but it still came at them with enough force to break them apart. The blue colored form of the Nidaime landed in their middle, hands taking out a kunai, before taking off to Hinata. Rushing at Hinata's prone form, he didn't notice Hinata going through handseals or Haku moving her weapon. At the last moment of his charge, right before he thrust his weapon at Hinata's neck, his target was concealed by a poof of smoke. Before Tobirama had time to react, he was impaled in the chest by a long katana. The instant that happened, Haku, who had just been substituted with Hinata, pushed her chakra into the freezing array of her sword, using its power to freeze the resurrected Kage solid.
The block of ice containing the Nidaime cracked and broke, his form shattered. All three breathed in relief, they had managed to take him by surprise before he started using his real power. It was slightly ironic, as Nidaime was the one that always supported that 'you should never underestimate your enemy, no matter the rank'. All three looked around to see the other battles.
Behind the group, sand and dust gathered, reforming into the shape of a body covered in blue armor. None realized it until it was too late and the knife was well on its way. Zabuza's sensitive ears picked up a minute sound behind him, his eyes widening.
(A/N: I was sooo tempted to place a fake A/N here to make you all squirm,but that would be too cruel, even for me. So, I shall end this fake A/N here and let you continue on with the story :D)
Shino took out his kama and unleashed his insect allies, having them form a sphere around him. Their chakra sensing abilities allowing him to detect the movements of the Shodai Hokage, his kama moving to intercept the incoming blows. Behind him, Kurenai was preparing her genjutsu asssault while Anko smirked ferally, drew her blades and moved to support Shino, her being the only one fast enough to catch up thanks to her speed training.
Hashirama rushed at the team's weakest link, namely Shino, his hands ready to kill the young gennin. However he was interrupted by Anko's flashing blades, as her arms became bladed whips, her sceletal structure shifting to that of a snake. Unfazed by the risks of getting struck, since he was already dead, Hashirama ignored her. It was a mistake however, as Anko hadn't stored only poisons in her daggers. As her blades struck the revived Hokage, she puhed a bit of chakra into the proper seals, unsealing a potent explosive mixture she and Ibiki had once made. It looked like a red paste, getting stuck inside Hashirama's wounds. Right before he could get to Shino, the bug user charged and tried to grab him. Taking into advantage the surprise from this unexpected move, Shino managed to indeed grab Shodai.
Before the Kage had time to react, Shino's form disintegrated into a mass of insects, leaving only Shodai's form covered with explosive seals. Behind Anko emerged the real Shino, his hands already in the ram seal.
BOOM!
The Shodaime Hokage was blown apart as the combined force of the explosive seals and the paste Anko had gotten inside his wounds, created a pyre in the place of their former enemy. Both Anko and Shino were wondering if it was over, as Senju Hashirama WAS a Kage, so it couldn't have been that easy. Anko's heat-sight caught a figure in the ground only seconds before the First Hokage burst forth, his arm a spear of wood. Neither she, nor Shino would have survived the attack, were it not for the always vigilant Kurenai, who managed to wrap the incoming spear in some ninja wire, tearing it apart. It barely slowed the Kage down though, but it was enough for Anko to grab Shino and shunshin them away. Shino allowed a small smirk to grace his lips however, he had managed to place a female bug on Hashirama, he could always track him now. However, Shodai didn't intend to make it that easy for the trio, as he went through some quick handseals before slapping his hands on the ground, dense trees and vegetation coming to life, changing the battlefield to suit his needs. Vines burst from the woodland around them to trap the group, while spikes and spears of sharpened wood tried to claim their lives. Shino's dual Kama were quickly reinforced with wind chakra, making short work of everything around him, while Kurenai was busy searching for the Kage. Thankfully, Shino took care of any and all Mokuton attacks against the group. The Mantis Blades had a hard time working, seeing as the Kage's reserves wouldn't run out before theirs did.
After several seconds of desperate cutting and dodging, Kurenai found Shodai, his form and chakra clouded by the natural energies around her. Quickly she pointed Anko to his direction, the blade-using assassin dashhing quickly to take him out. Anko's blades flashed again, but this time they weren't two, there were six, as Anko's enlarged reserves enabled her to use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. With so many blades, Hashirama didn't have time to dodge, as Shino's insect allies also came upon him, leeching his chakra and giving it to the group. Anko took advantage of the chaos and had her two clones wrap themselves on Hashirama. Quickly kicking him skywards, she sealed her daggers and made a few handseals. The jutsu came quickly, being fed from the extra reserves she had in her bracers.
"Bunshin Daibakuha! (Clone Great Explosion!)"
The Kage was again blown apart, only this time it wasn't a clone but the real deal. Debris fell from the air around the group as they gathered to confirm that yes, they had taken him down. As the group turned around to look at the other fights, Hashirama's form was being recreated behind a great tree he had formed before. A bit of chakra and a handseal later, hidden spears of sharpened wood were launched towards the unsuspecting trio.
While the other two groups were fighting, Naruto positioned himself in front of the old man. Not only was he younger and tougher, even with Sandaime's armor, he also possessed a healing factor. The old man himself was using a mid-range weapon, while the snake had chosen a more close range weapon. Therefore, Sandaime could take advantage of the fact that Orochimaru would fight at a range he isn't accustomed to.
Configuring his body for optimum speed, knowing that this time the snake user wouldn't pull his punches, Naruto readied himself for combat by forcing his brain to increase his adrenaline flow. This simple chemical would help Naruto ignore pain and tiredness, while also making him faster and stronger. Of course there are dangers to overdosing on it, but it was worth it against such an opponent.
Claws came from the left, like an angry bear's swipe, the wind itself seemingly cut with the force behind it. Naruto reversed his motion sending a claw to Orochimaru's right, this time maintaining momentum and spinning on his right heel, going for a low swipe, hoping that his body would conceal his intentions.
Orochimaru dodged the first by bending to the side, using his Kusanagi to parry the second slash. He leapt over the third, readying his sword to pierce Naruto's temple, hopefully, for Orochimaru, killing him. Before he had the time though, a black and gold tip of a staff interferred, slamming itself on Orochimaru's forearm, with enough strength to shatter most people's femur bones (A/N: some of the hardest bones to break on the human body).
For his part, the snake user reeled in his hand, knowing full well that any injury, no matter how small, would give an advantage to his enemies. They already had enough advantages. Orochimaru felt the need to click his tongue in annoyance, hoping his two resurrected slaves would hurry up already and kill the upstarts so he could take down the old man in peace.
Naruto twisted around the staff, using his advanced reflexes and flexibility to make a double slash at Orochimaru's retreating form, his two tails keeping him balanced when anyone else would have fallen off. After missing, due to Orochimaru's dexterity and experience, Naruto used a tail to make a scorpion-like stab.
The snake user jumped back from the attack, only for Naruto to raise himself on the lodged tail, before flinging himself at Orochimaru, claws first. The snake user barely had the time for a Tsuchi Bunshin/Kawarimi combo, Naruto's form tearing right through the unfortunate clone.
Orochimaru made some one-handed seals before spitting out some fireballs.
"Katon: Bakudan! (Fire Style: Explosive Blasts!)"
The flaming orbs touched ground, causing several powerful explosions. From the dust came a cry that warned Orochimaru to dodge.
"Fuuton: Sai Dai Kaze Rin! (Wind Style: Greatest Wind Ring!)"
Orochimaru leaned his head to the side, expecting a pair of wind rings. What surprised him though was that, through the smoke came one absolutely huge ring of wind. Clicking his tongue, Orochimaru used Kawarimi to dodge the blade. As he touched ground though, he felt a chakra surge behind him and heard the old man shout out a jutsu.
"Doton: Iwa no Kiba! (Earth Style: Stone Fangs!)"
The ground shook and opened up, huge stalactites thrusting upwards, ready to impale the surprised snake user.
Outside the purple barrier, an ANBU team was watching with their jaws hanging.
"That... that is a real Kage-level fight... We... we'd only be in the way... and yet... and yet these gennin are helping Hokage-sama! How? How can they do it? Even that damn Kyubi brat hasn't used his demon's power!" A rookie ANBU was freaking out.
Jiraiya dropped behind the team.
"Of course they can help. After all, they all have something that you bozos don't. Real guts, real courage. They all love the old man in their own way. That's what's giving them the power to beat up my former team-mate. Now stop staring and get to work. Konoha's still not safe."
The ANBU team nodded before dashing away. The Toad Sage was right, they had more important things to do than stare at a fight they couldn't win. They only hoped they could see it re-enacted at some point. Even the gennin inside were extremely powerful.
Back inside the purple dome, Zabuza's cleaver sword deflected the worst of the attack. He couldn't deflect it well enough though and it got lodged on his stomach. In responce, Hinata made a stabbing motion with her tonfa, blades out. Haku made a half-ram seal before blowing a freezing wind towards the Kage, just barely missing him.
Both Hinata and Haku were pissed off now. Zabuza was Haku's adopted father, the first person to need her, give her a reason to exist. Along his side she had learned a lot of things, she had found her home. No resurrected bastard, no matter how powerful would take Zabuza away from her. Hinata's thoughts were about the same. Even though Zabuza was a sadist, he was her sensei. One of the few people to care for her and give her the time of day. He taught her, sparred with her and helped her, even when she screwed up. Hinata growled as Haku snarled. Zabuza got hit because they didn't realize the threat. Their chakra spiked, their emotions raging. Hinata's chakra felt like the troubled sea, a storm brewing, while Haku's felt colder than the coldest eternal glacier, so cold it almost burned with restrained fury. Behind them, Zabuza felt the need to take a step back. It felt the same when Hinata and Haku had their 'time of the month' and someone was stupid enough to piss them off.
Sparing a quick glance to their partner, Hinata and Haku rushed towards the Nidaime, blades flashing. Not a step behind them, Kubikiri Honcho's impressive form was following them in the hands of its master.
The blue-covered resurrected shinobi was forced to duck Haku's slash, to come face to face with Hinata's electrified tonfa. As he threw himself away, Zabuza's cleaver went for the kill.
Tobirama was unable to escape completely, as he was still in the air, instead managing to shift his body just so, in order to only loose an arm.
The three shinobi looked in horror as his arm seemingly regenerated from ambient dust. In but a few seconds, Nidaime's arm had been restored and he dashed, ready to take down his targets.
Zabuza intercepted him, with a quick slash, forcing the Kage to leap over it, sending a kick at his face. Haku blurred above the Kage, her sword glowing a frozen blue hue, its blade aimed at the exposed neck. Nidaime finished his kick with blinding speed, using Zabuza as a springboard to get off and dodge. As the blow landed though, Hinata's form appeared behind him, her tonfa placed so the Kage would stab himself, even as Hinata would send a burst of chakra to the Kage's hara (japanese for belly button, also the center of the chakra coils, not a very good place to get jyuken'ed at).
Hinata's chakra rushed into the Nidaime's body, before at a mental command, exploding with great force. Hinata panted slightly, she still wasn't used to moving at such speeds. Medical chakra raced to her tired muscles, relieving the pain.
It wasn't over however as the Nidaime's exploded hara seemed to once again regenerate. Hinata's eyes closed in heavy focus, as her right hand made a half ram seal.
Hinata focused her mind on her target, her Byakugan revealing more and more minute details about her target.
Her breathing slowed to a crawl, her eyes and mind only saw one thing. The resurrected Kage repairing himself.
Hinata focused deeper and deeper, more and more, until even time itself slowed down to a crawl, the Kage frozen mid-strike.
Hinata's Byakugan pulsed with power. Were Hinata not in such a deep trance, she would have been surprised, but at her current state, she didn't even raise an eyebrow. Color now filled her byakugan, chakra was no longer a uniorm lite-blue hue, but changed, ever so minutely, for each person. She saw everyone's chakra, from Naruto's barely restrained wind and fire, to Shino's calm focus to Orochimaru's and the two Kage's corrupted power. Wait, what? She thought. The three shared chakra as if they were the same being. Of course she realized, the resurrected Kage were brought here by Orochimaru's jutsu. But to have it function for so long would mean they needed a focus. If she could find it...
Hinata's eyes opened up wide, the frozen moment over. Quickly she turned to her fighting teammates.
"The seal! Nidaime-sama has a seal in his head! We need to destroy it and his body at the same time or he will regenerate! We need a powerful attack in order to completely destroy his body! Not even a speck of dust may escape!"
Zabuza grunted. He already suspected as much. But where would they find such an attack? All three of them were suiton/fuuton users. They couldn't destroy his body like that, they needed a katon specialist. Zabuza's eyes widened. That was it!
"The barrier! Throw him at the barrier with as much power as possible!"
Haku and Hinata nodded, realizing what he meant. However, the suiton master wouldn't just let them do it. Speeding through some handseals, he called out his technique.
"Kokuangyo no Jutsu. (Piercing Darkness Technique, if I'm not mistaken)"
The light dimmed for the three warriors, as the technique took effect. All three tried to use 'Kai' to remove the genjutsu, but it didn't work. Quickly they realized that this wasn't a genjutsu, but a ninjutsu.
However, the Nidaime had not foreseen one thing. He wasn't the only one that could fight without his eyes.
Zabuza had fought like that since he was a gennin. Haku had great experience in it, seeing as she often fought within Zabuza's mist. Hinata too, had learned Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden in the Mist Technique), knowing it would help with her Byakugan. All three closed their eyes in focus and sent chakra to their ears and skin, becoming highly sensitive to sound and vibrations.
Tobirama charged at the unmoving pair, seeking to end this fight quickly, lest they end him. He was greatly surprised when they moved to intercept him. Sure their performance had dropped, but it wasn't anywhere near the level he expected it to be. Leaping back, he made several handseals before unleashing his jutsu.
"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu. (Water Style: Water Dragon Technique.)"
Haku sped through handseals too, knowing she was the best suited to counter him.
"Hyoton: Haryu Mouko! (Ice Style: Dragon Ripping Frozen Tiger!)"
Haku's jutsu rushed at the unsuspecting Kage, taking him by surprise. Nidaime's lower body froze, keeping him in place. Haku called to her teammates.
"Ima desu! Zabuza-sama! San-Hyoryu konbi da! (Now! Zabuza-sama! Three Frozen Dragons combo!)"
Zabuza grunted as he stabbed his cleaver on the ground and sped through a number of handseals. He expended the rest of his blade's chakra reserves and completed the jutsu using his own chakra. Next to him, Haku used a half-ram seal of her own. Having taken a soldier pill and still being exhausted, she knew it was all or nothing. Either they would beat the Nidaime or they would fail. Pushing thoughts of failure out of her mind, including pictures of Shino being hurt because she wasn't strong enough, Haku pushed the last of her chakra into her jutsu.
"Suiton: Santouryudan no Jutsu! (Water Style: Triple Headed Dragon Blast Technique!)"
"Hyoton: Hyokaze! (Ice Style: Freezing Wind!)"
The two jutsu combined, Haku's kekkei-genkai freezing Zabuza's suiton assault. The frozen dragons slammed on the immobilized Kage. With insane crushing force, the Kage stayed where he was only because he was frozen solid before he could be thrown away. The pressure of the ice around him though, would have instantly turned any other human to mush, Kage or not. However, the ice had one more effect. Due to the layer of chakra, it blocked Tobirama's chakra even for a second, dispelling his darkness technique. By the time Tobirama had regained control of his chakra, he was already frozen solid, unable to perform the handseals for it. Hinata appeared in front of him, Tonfa blazing with power, as the outside layer cracked by the Kage's resistance.
As soon as she heard Haku's command, Hinata knew what she had to do. Taking a pair of soldier pills, knowing full well what they would do to her already strained coils, she withdrew her entire reserves from her tonfa, overcharging her coils. Using her supreme control, she forced the excess chakra outside of her body, covering her in a sort of armor.
However, the armor would expend its reserves quickly, each second being important. Still, Hinata needed the excess chakra now, she wouldn't have time to withdraw it from her tonfa while attacking.
As the darkness faded, Tobirama saw a terrifying sight. Hinata was in front of him, her chakra forming an armor. It quickly stabilized and, should Tobirama be still alive, he would be left with his jaw hanging. Around Hinata, a spectral tiger had formed, its maw open and eyes filled with fury and power. The Hokage didn't have time to consider this as he was assaulted by Hinata's blazing tonfa.
"Byakko... (White Tiger...)"
Tonfa sped up, stabbing at the Kage's body, ripping out his joints. Chakra slammed with great force on his chakra coils, shutting them close, almost cauterizing them. Lightning coursed through the Kage's body, melting the ice, even as it electrocuted him, frying the nerves on his body.
Hinata's speed left even Haku gawking.
Sixty two strikes fell on the Kage's body, each more damaging than the previous one. Number sixty-three was an uppercut, its force ripping the Kage out of his frozen cage.
Hinata's entire chakra gathered at her right tonfa as she cocked her arm back. To everyone looking, it seemed like a tiger's head had appeared on her fist.
"MOUI! (Fury!)"
BOOM!
Hinata's tonfa slammed on the kage with exploding force, as she put her entire weight on the blow, her chakra sending a powerful shockwave from the exploding force.
The Kage's body felt like a dummy as it was blasted away with terrifying force, slamming on the purple barrier.
Hinata fell to her knees, her strength leaving her. Her eyes closing, her world growing dim, she saw one last thing before unconsciousness took her. The Nidaime Hokage's, Senju Tobirama's, proud smile.
On the other side of the dome, Shino had been hard pressed to dodge, managing, just in time to spin in a defencive motion, his kama cutting the rising spikes. Anko's reflexes allowed her to shove Shino and Kurenai out of the way. She wasn't as lucky though and was impaled through the chest.
Before long however, Anko ripped herself free, her wounds closing and her clothes mending themselves. Her eyes were filled with righteous fury.
"That hurt you bastard!"
Shino and Kurenai would have face planted, had they not grown used to Anko's antics. Hashirama wasted no time in sending an assault of wooden spears to lead the group into a trap he had made for them.
Spears and vines coming from every direction, Shino could barely keep up, same as Anko and Kurenai. Anko however was the better off, as her contortionist-like body allowed her to avoid rather than have to cut and block. As they were forced back, Shino's eyes widened imperceptibly behind his glasses.
Almost immidiately, countless wooden planks rose from the earth and made a dome before curving to the middle and making a completely closed off dome. From within the dome, Kurenai and Shino could only watch in horror, as what seemed to be oversized rose thorns, the size of a man's arm, grew outwards. A second later, the same thorns were launched at the pair.
Hearing the cries of pain, Tobirama let the dome collapse, before making a sharpened staff out of hard wood and charging the still-horrified Anko.
A split-second before getting to her however, ninja wire was wrapped around him. A coated form landed in front of Hashirama, two kama on his hands. A burst of chakra later and the form was behind the Kage.
Shodai's arms fell off as he had somehow managed to raise them, despite the wire binding him, using them to take out the worst of the attack.
Anko, Kurenai and Shino watched in morbid fascination as the Kage repaired himself from what seemed to be dust.
Seeing this, Shino's mind went to overdrive, trying to figure out ways to counter this, knowing they couldn't defeat an enemy that couldn't bleed or die. He brought up to his mind every thing he saw Orochimaru do, comparing them to his tiny allies' chakra readings. Thankfully, even though Shodai had managed to deflect the worst part of his last attack, he managed to place a number of kikai on him. Not enough to drain him, but enough to map his body out for Shino.
Shino rushed for cover and closed his eyes, knowing his team-mates would keep Shodai's attention on him while he figured out this riddle. At start it seemed impossible, before he remembered Naruto's words that 'nothing is impossible if you believe enough in it'. Anko would have cracked a joke about Shino's brain cooking itself alive with this enigma, but she was too deep in shit to think about it, being forced to take a Kage-level opponent head on. Thankfully, Kurenai's genjutsu attacks aided her a lot, since, even though Shodai would almost immidiately release them, they still gave Anko that prescious little time she needed to get out of danger.
Meanwhile, Shino was still thinking until he noticed something. Shodai had too much chakra running into his mind and, having some experience with seals thanks to Naruto's fascination, he recognized the patterns as being seal-induced. That meant that Shodai had a seal inside his head, opening up the possibilities of it, either controlling, or keeping the Kage in the living realm. Taking out that seal would be imperative for them. However, Shino realized that in order to make sure it was gone, they would also need to completely destroy the body as well, lest the seal regenerated itself like the body.
Quickly he spoke to his insect allies, ordering them to transfer the message silently to the women fighting the kage. Taking a deep breath to stabilize himself, Shino charged at the Shodai Hokage.
Mere seconds later, he was forced to dodge to the side as the plantlife itself attacked him. Pushing chakra into his limbs to increase his speed, Shino rushed at the Kage's location. Before he got there though, he saw him sink into the trees he had made. Almost immidiately, he had to avoid being impaled by a sharpened spear as the Kage emerged from another tree. Shino's analytical mind was still working overtime for this. He knew every jutsu Anko and Kurenai knew. Neither of the two had enough firepower for this. If they had Haku, she could have tried to reinforce a Katon with fuuton chakra, but as it was, they just couldn't do it. An idea came to Shino's mind. If you can't use your own resources, use the enemy's. Looking around, he saw the purple flame barrier. Knowing what it could do, since he had seen an ANBU try and penetrate it, he knew it possessed the required damage potential. Hopefully...
Clearing his head, he communicated the plan to his team. Of course, leading a Kage that can warp through trees, in a tree-filled area, isn't exactly an easy process.
Seeing the Kage form handseals before slamming his hands on the ground, the insect user feared the worse as he sensed chakra gather around Kurenai. Poisonous thorny vines sprung from the earth ready to wrap her and kill her. Quickly, Shino formed his 'kama staff' before sending chakra into the fuuton arrays and throwing it at Kurenai. Wire wrapped around it would ensure that he could take out the dangerous vines without striking Kurenai. As the weapon sped in an ominous circle of blades, Shino felt a presence behind him, managing to dodge just in time before a Moku Bunshin(Wood Clone) managed to give him a powerful punch to the spine, possibly breaking it. However, the need to dodge, mean he had to let go of his weapon, hoping Kurenai had managed to free herself. Instead he focused on dodging the enemy, before taking out a pair of kunai and manging to impale it on the head. Shino thanked Kami that Moku bunshins, while tough, were very slow and lacked skill.
Meanwhile, Anko and Kurenai were hard pressed to avoid the worst end of a beating from the Shodai. He was almost as fast and strong as Anko, with much more experience and an insane regeneration rate. Anko could for the first time feel how much it sucked to have an enemy with that great regenerational capabilities, higher even than Naruto.
Thankfully, the two kunoichi weren't jounin for nothing. They had spent a long time practicing, both alone and together, had great experience and teamwork. Kurenai's flight array also proved to be a lifesaver, enabling her to dodge in insane ways when needed. She still couldn't fly right, but she could definitely glide and jump high. Next to her, Kurenai was having trouble as well, as her poisons were ineffective at someone who didn't have blood. Using explosives was out as well, seeing as he could simply regenerate somewhere else. Her Katon list was also ineffective. Sure she had a pair of B-ranked Katon and an A-rank, but he was a Kage that could control the environment completely. He'd have a back-up plan, a defence and a ton of experience to fall back to. Not to mention powerful ninjutsu she could barely predict.
The trio fought for a long time, taking and giving blows, the fight hanging in delicate balance, until the balance... broke.
Moving to defend Kurenai, Shino was snared by an unnoticed vine, before being slammed on the floor. Kurenai dashed to catch him before he was injured beyond recovery, only to get impaled in the stomach by a wooden spear.
Anko froze.
Her friend and student... Kurenai and Shino... had... had been hurt... were they dead? Had she lost someone to the snake bastard that took so much away from her?
Kyubi snarled. The bug user was his ally and a nature-friend as well. The red-eyed jounin was kind and never hated his container. Sensing Anko's fear, he spoke to her.
"Do not cry Anko... Do not shed a tear. This is not the way of a warrior, your way. This bastard has dared take someone away from you. Tear him to pieces Anko! Unleash terrible vengeance on the fool that took them away from you!"
"Yes... yes I will..." Anko turned towards Shodai, her eyes positively murderous. Anko often felt fury, but rarely this intence. It burned within her, almost hurting her but instead giving her strength. Anko's eyes became red and slitted as Kyubi's power coursed through her. "Kyubi... give me more power... I will avenge them and send this piece of shit back to the hell THAT SPAWNED HIM!"
Youkai coursed through Anko, more and more as each second passed. Shodai readied his jutsu for the incoming assault.
Anko screamed in fury as she charged, her blades flashing in a dazzling show of silver, shredding the incoming mokuton apart. Shodai tried to use a Kawarimi, but Anko's heat-sight caught him. Before he could move, he was brutally kicked and thrown out of his forest. Instants later, Anko was upon him, her fury almost freezing him.
Shodai sped for the seals to stop the youkai but he never got the time. Anko blurred out of his sight behind him, her blades cutting the tendons and muscles that moved his arms. She made a pivot with her blades flashing at his spinal cord, severing it. However, Shodai never had the chance to fall down or repair his body as Anko unleashed her full fury on him.
Daggers flaming due to the fire arrays on them, Anko unleashed a tempest of blows and slashes.
Left, right, top or bottom, the flashing blades left no room for defence, counter or parry. Shodai could only try to stiffen his muscles to reduce the damage, but the flaming blades cut right through him like a knife through warm butter. Anko's flashed in a pattern reminiscent of an infinity symbol, hacking and incinerating her enemy at the same time. Reversing her grip, Anko made a double slash at Shodai's throat, taking away his voice. Twisting them in her skilled fingers, she sent a double impale right into his kidneys, before reversing her grip again and gutting him like a pig. Before the Shodai had time to move, Anko's daggers had reversed again, before stabbing them at Shodai's temples.
Anko withdrew her blades and tumbled back. Charging her feet with as much youkai as she could handle, which isn't a small amount by the way, she dashed to the murderer of her friend. A mere three steps before her target, she leapt forwards, both feet striking the Kage with tremendous force.
Hashirama was thrown backwards like nothing more than a flaming sack of potatoes before impacting on the barrier with enough force to send a shockwave through it. He barely had the time to smile sadly after his seal was burned, before his body was disintegrated and his spirit returned to rest.
Anko watched with some satisfaction as the Shodai Hokage was burned alive, before remembering her friends and rushing to them. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Anko searched for a pulse in both of them.
Orochimaru barely managed to dodge the rising spikes, only to gulp as ten Kage Bunshin of Naruto came from the smoke and dust his explosions had created. With the clones having their claws out and moving at high speeds, Orochimaru couldn't dodge them all. However, he did manage to dispel the clones, even though he was forced to once change skins. Donning a confident mask on his face, Orochimaru smirked at Naruto and Sarutobi.
"Well well well, looks like you have been working hard. However you cannot defeat me, sensei. I am on a whole different level from you two. You can't even hurt my body, even if I was inside my original one!"
Sarutobi's and Naruto's eyes widened before they narrowed them. Orochimaru chuckled evilly before raising his hand to his face, his fingers grabbing something.
"See now? How foolish it is to oppose me?" With that, Orochimaru removed his own face, revealing the face of a young woman. The snake user chuckled at the disgusted faces he got. Naruto however, wasn't ready to let that bastard out-creep him.
"Whoah, she's even wearing make-up. Guess that's where you got your trend you gay pedophile." Orochimaru bristled with fury at Naruto's words. "I seriously don't know what's worse. You not standing being gay and having to change body in order to... belong, or the fact that you think that being immortal is a good thing. Oro-teme, trust me when I say that being immortal isn't pleasant. After all... I am one too. My body has long since expelled the flaw of age from it. Trust me when I say that I'd give it up though, any day, for my friends."
Orochimaru didn't know what to choose. Hate for Naruto, for not only out-doing him, but also speaking in such a way to him, or desiring him, even more, knowing that with Naruto's perfect body, he wouldn't have to switch ever again.
Yet... a small part of Orochimaru, a part trapped under waves and waves of hate did something else. That part admired Naruto's tenacity, his virtues, his strength of spirit. That part became more and more aware of its own demise and it began wanting to be free.
Unaware of this however, Orochimaru simply chuckled darkly to cover his unease. "Which is why I want you by my side so much. Come with me Naruto-kun. If you do, not only will I spare your friends, but I will also give you great power and a true home. However, if you don't come with me, you will see your 'beloved friends' suffer beyond measure or imagination. Now come with me Naruto-kun! Come with me and grab your destiny!"
Naruto scoffed at Orochimaru's speech. "Like hell I am teme. I know full well what you are. That's exactly why I'm not joining you. That's exactly why... I'm going to kill you."
Wasting no more words, Naruto charged Orochimaru, his claws flashing left and right, Sandaime's spinning staff accompanying them, forcing the Snake Sennin back. Orochimaru snarled. His enemies wouldn't give him time to use his really powerful jutsu. Wasting time for hand-seals was impossible as he would be run through by claws in mere seconds.
Sandaime's staff moved with speed and precision, even while he drew out explosives to throw at his wayward student. Opting for normal explosive tags and spheres, knowing that Orochimaru wouldn't be hindered by smoke or poison, Sandaime provided chakra-cheap cover for Naruto's ceaseless assault. Once again Sarutobi was surprised at Naruto's skill and isntinct in fighting. He dodged and weaved, blocked and parried with practiced ease, adapting and improvising at the drop of a hat, managing to keep his enemy at bay. Of course, Naruto wouldn't have been able to do this alone, but with Sandaime's timely and precise interference, the two of them would tire out Orochimaru before taking him down.
Orochimaru saw his predicament and unleashed numerous snakes, even as he dodged and countered. The brat's claws flashed with immense speed, cutting them out before they even got close to him. Seeing the futility of this approach, Orochimaru made a few handseals, while dodging away from Naruto's flashing claws, before sending out a lightning bolt. He hoped that at least this jutsu would be effective.
Naruto for his part cursed. Due to the lack of lightning users in Konoha, Naruto wasn't as resistant to electrical attacks as he was with Katon. Also, he couldn't use a Doton or Suiton to defend, as the lightning would just rip right through it. Seeing no alternative, Naruto drew upon Kyubi's chakra to dodge.
"Raiton: Dageki! (Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!)"
Becoming a crimson blur, Naruto changed some of his youkai to wind and dashed forward in a risky maneuevre. By ducking under the jutsu, he was within striking distance of Orochimaru.
However, it wasn't meant to be that easy, as Orochimaru predicted that. Quickly, he substituted himself with a tile on the floor, before stabbing his Kusanagi right into Naruto's belly. Giving a sick smile, Orochimaru twisted the blade, causing Naruto to scream in pain, before almost cutting Naruto in half.
Raising his sword to decapitate the blonde menace, he was quickly forced to dodge as Sandaime rushed in to defend Naruto.
Sandaime watched Orochimaru's movements and knew what he was going to do. However he was too late to warn his adopted grandchild. Cursing, he rushed forward, readying his staff to intercept the blow.
Orochimaru's eyes widened at the vigor with which Sandaime was moving. For his part, Sarutobi was smirking inside. Naruto's medical seal had unleashed a small batch of combat chemicals to improve performance. Using superior expertise and knowledge against his opponent's superior speed and flexibility, Sarutobi twirled his staff around him, lashing out to the Tsuchi Bunshin (Mud Clones) that rose to attack him, before smashing the head of a poisonous serpent sent by Orochimaru. Moving more like a monkey than a human, Hiruzen leapt at Orochimaru, his staff creating a barrier in front of him. From behind the barrier, a pair of clones rushed at Orochimaru's form. Taking him by surprise they stabbed him with a pair of explosive kunai. An instant later a pair of explosions took out Orochimaru's legs.
Sarutobi didn't have time to rejoice however, as Orochimaru grew a snake-like tail and increased even more in speed, moving in for a the kill. Before the surprised Kage had time to defend himself, a red and black blur moved behind Orochimaru, cutting off his tail. In responce, their enemy turned to mud, before another Orochimaru emerged from the ground under Sandaime. For his part, Sandaime made a few handseals.
"Katon: Dai Endan! (Fire Style: Great Fire Bullet!)"
Fire streamed at Orochimaru's surprised face, incinerating him. After the fire died down, Sarutobi and Naruto were treated to the sight of scorched snake skin. From underground, a silvery flash went right towards Sandaime.
Naruto felt the vibrations and rushed to defend his grandfather figure. As a result, the Kusanagi sword ripped right into Naruto, who fell down from unexpected pain. Laughing, Orochimaru emerged from the ground.
"See how futile it is to resist me? I am a superior being, far beyond your wildest dreams. You cannot kill me."
Naruto tried in vain to stand, but found that his feet lacked strength. Orochimaru saw his struggle and chuckled.
"What? Did you think you're the only one that can adapt? How naive. You see, this isn't poison that's hurting you. Its my own chakra, condenced to the point it becomes youkai! Even if you're immune to poison, my chakra will still hurt you. Sure, it didn't kill you as it normally does, but it is going to immobilize you long enough for me to kill this old relic and every fool here! You had lost from the beggining!"
Orochimaru laughed in evil glee while Naruto snarled. Using Sandaime as a counterweight, Naruto got up and stood on his feet shakily. Then he spoke quietly. "Ji-chan, can you immobilize him when I tell you? I can't fight him but I have something up my sleeve. It's still experimental, but its powerful. However I need you to immobilize him when I tell you and then get the heck out of there. Can you do it?"
Sandaime nodded and gripped his staff, readying himself. Meanwhile Naruto turned to Orochimaru.
"You may have paralyzed me Orochimaru, but this fight isn't over yet. Me and jiji here are going to teach you something. A body without a soul has no power to live, but a soul without a heart has no right to live. That's why we're going to rid the world of your existence!"
Sarutobi steeled himself. "It's time baka-deshi for me to put you back to your place. You aren't yet ready to be a master and you never will. Now ready yourself!"
Sarutobi rushed forward, diamond staff at the ready. Orochimaru rushed forward as well, Kusanagi in striking position.
The two clashed, pitting their everything against each other. However, both knew that Orochimaru would win this fight. Still, Sandaime didn't let up and unleashed jutsu after jutsu, strike after strike upon his wayward student.
For his part, Orochimaru dodged and weaved, unleashing his own assault upon the old man against him. He was slightly upset by Naruto's words, but didn't let that sway him. The time of his revenge was so close!
Behind the two enemies, Naruto made a handseal, creating two clones at his side. They stood shakily at first, but understood what they had to do.
Chakra flowed through Naruto, emerging from the amulet he had underneath his clothes. Kyubi withdrew his youkai, knowing that Naruto would need as much control as possible to survive this.
Naruto's hands rose in front of him, palms half-open as if something was preventing them from closing. The clones to the left and right raised their own hands, palms open at the sides of Naruto's own arms as chakra flared.
Orochimaru moved quickly, the old man hadn't lost his touch. If anything he had become better in these last few years. Orochimaru could barely keep up with his old sensei, but he knew he'd tire fast. When Sarutobi tired... he would strike and kill the despicable man. Still, he was worried about the building chakra behind him, but didn't let it bother him too much. Such chakra would make a wide-area technique, meaning that he wouldn't use it while the old man was within range. Naruto was too honorable to do something like that.
Meanwhile, with Naruto, chakra had flared, creating two pointed coccoons of energy at his palms, the two clones gritting their teeth as they tried to contain the power within. Minute flashes erupted from the swirl of power as wind picked up, obscuring their forms. Naruto's arms shook as he tried to control it, occasionally a gash appearing on his arm, causing him to grit his teeth in pain, waiting for it to heal.
Many agonizing seconds passed, each more painful than the previous as the chakra began to burn the flesh away. However, it was close, so close, Naruto could feel the power on his hands and he couldn't help but... hate the fact that he had to use it. He hated the fact that once again he had to resort to killing. Removing doubts and sadness, Naruto focused on the target of his hate, the bastard that dared try and hurt his ji-san. White-hot fury coursed through Naruto's vains, being quickly converted to more determination and focus.
Finally it was complete. Drills of barely restrained power on Naruto's arms, his clothes shredding by the barely restrained power. Sparing a tiny amount of concentration, Naruto opened his mouth and spoke.
"IMA DA JIJI! (NOW JIJI!)"
In responce, the old man sped up considerably and let go of his staff. Said staff transformed back into Enma and grabbed Orochimaru, immobilizing him. Sandaime went through several lgihtning-fast handseals before kicking at Orochimaru.
"Doton: Daichi no Houyou(Earth Style: Earth's Embrace!)"
In responce, mud was launched from Sandaime's boot and splashed on Orochimaru before covering him and hardening to stone. Before he knew it, Orochimaru was covered in stone, almost completely immobilized. His eyes fell upon the ready form on Naruto, feeling for the first time, just what the plan had been. The snake user cursed and moved his right arm, that was somewhat free, to swallow Kusanagi. Using some of the blood Sandaime had spilt in their fight, Orochimaru desperately went through handseals, pushing his chakra into the technique.
"Kuchiyose: Rashoumon! (Summon: Rashoumon!)"
Meanwhile, a huge explosion of chakra originated on each of Naruto's palms as he called out his own technique.
"Oodama Rasenfuuho! (Great Spiral Wind Cannon!)"
As the giant demon-faced gate rose, Naruto's attack slammed on it creating a blinding light.
Behind the gate, Orochimaru smirked victoriously. This was an ultimate defence technique. Very, very few things could get through, no matter what. Heck, it could withstand a weak bujuu's attack. Then... it happened. The jutsu collided and Orochimaru watched in absent terror as his Rashoumon was torn apart by the forces contained in the technique. He barely had enough time to brace himself as he was ripped off his stony prison, thrown backwards, while being ripped apart by the power of the technique, only to be slammed with great force right into the purple barrier he had erected to keep Sandaime in.
Luckily for Orochimaru, the henchmen keeping the barrier up let it drop immidiately, saving their leader from incineration. However, that doesn't mean he got away unscathed. Half of Orochimaru's face was burned beyond recognition while his arms... he used them to prevent his head from hitting the barrier so they took the worst damage. Now, instead of arms, Orochimaru had scorched stumps. Sandaime prepared to rush at him and finish the job.
However, before getting the time for it, the henchmen interferred, two of them picking up their leader while the other two unleashed several jutsu to cover the escape, namely sound-based genjutsu and nigh-unbreakable spiderwebs.
Seeing as they got away, Sandaime called for a few ANBU to carry the gennin to the hospital before he too went towards it. Next to him landed Jiraiya, his face grim.
"He got away this time too didn't he sensei?"
"Hai, correct Jiraiya-chan. However, it seems he got a souvenir this time. Now go take a look at your godson. I still don't trust every doctor in there."
Jiraiya nodded and left as Sarutobi looked over Konoha.
"The will of fire isn't extinguished that easily. Even if a tiny spark survives, it grows again, stronger than ever. I wish you had learned his baka-deshi... you could have been great..."
A/N: Finally its over! One of the hardest chapters to write, made even harder by several breaks I had to take. What can I say? Sometimes my life's complicated. Ah well, so is everyone's I guess.
Anyway please review and tell me what you think. I hope I made the chapter epic enough to repay your wait. Some things will be made clearer in chapter 20, which I hope will come soon. Till then.
Jutsu list:
Oodama Rasenfuuho (Great Spiral Wind Cannon): Naruto's most destructive technique to this point, it isn't as useful as one thinks. It takes too much time to charge up and wastes too much chakra. Pin-point chakra control is needed, lest the user's arms be shredded by the power. Naruto needs three clones and his entire chakra reserve to pull this off, even then getting wounded. However, this is a triple-elemented attack,causing immense damage. The wind's speed causes the air to heat up, something that Naruto takes advantage of with fire manipulation, using an entire Shadow Clone for it. In the same manner, the heated air causes air friction to increase, creating electricity. The second clone increases its presence and power while leading it to the front of the attack in order to increase penetration. Truly a terrifying attack, yet a rarely used one. Cost: S, Control: A-S, Rank: S
Katon: Dai Endan (Fire Style: Great Fire Bomb): An explosive counterpart to Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu. Same rank and cost, but it creates an explosion instead of a sustained fireball.
Raiton: Dageki (Lightning Style: Lightning Strike): A raiton technique, where upon the user creates a lightning bolt and has it strike the target, potentially paraluzing him. Cost: B, Control: B, Rank: B
Byakko Moui (White Tiger Fury): A taijutsu technique requiring almost all of Hinata's chakra, including the reserves in her tonfa, it is a most terrifying attack. Excess chakra is emitted from the body in the form of a tiger, ready to be used into the technique. The user then executes a Hakke Rokujouyonshou using way more chakra than normal. Contrary to the usual execution, the user also increases strength to phenomenal levels, each strike hitting not only tenketsu, but joints as well. Thanks to Hinata's bladed tonfa, the enemy also suffers electrocution as well as multiple stab wounds. The final attack expends the majority of the chakra, more than the entire rest of the technique together, creating an explosion strong enough to cause a boulder to explode.
Hyoton: Hyokaze (Ice Style: Ice Wind): A jutsu Haku created for the time she doesn't have enough chakra to use a normal hyoton. She expels winds so cold they can freeze a suiton solid, or if she desires so, turn it into a hyoton. Additionally, if the enemy is in close range, she can freeze the enemy directly. Cost: C, Control: B, Rank: C
Katon Bakudan (Fire Style: Explosive Blasts): An explosive variant to Katon: Housenka. Instead of mere fire, the user creates small explosives that, depending on chakra and control, can be more dangerous than an explosive note. It is the same rank however.
Doton: Daichi no Houyou (Earth Style: Earth's Embrace): A high-ranked Doton, whose target is restraining an enemy. Mud is either launched or created under the opponent, then caused to cover as much as possible before hardening. In order to escape underground jutsu, the user coats it with his own chakra, therefore preventing the enemy's escape unless they possess either more chakra reserves or more potent chakra than the user. Cost: A, Control: A, Rank: A.
Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.
I shall not update this, or any other story.
I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.