Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto
Team 7's Ascension
Chapter XVIII - Defend the Tree II
When Sakura noticed the angle at which the Oto-nin attacked her, she stepped back, flattening herself against the wall and ignoring the protruding brick between her shoulder blades. Lashing out with her palm, she hit her opponent's hand. His kunai clattered to the ground.
A horizontal hook followed his first attack. Sakura bent her knees, and as soon as the fist had passed by, she grabbed the Oto-nin's head with both hands. Blood splattered over the wall as she smashed his skull against the brick.
Someone was behind her. Sakura threw the body away and whirled around, pulling a knife out of her dress. She stabbed it into another enemy's chest, but didn't even recognize how he fell to the ground. Her eyes flickered around the battlefield.
Too much was happening. All her senses went haywire. How many had she killed already? How many more would it be? Wherever she turned, carnage awaited. Her moral code, once a strong tree, had long since withered under the rush of insanity this battle invited.
Sakura shook her head in denial. This wasn't the time. "Naruto!"
Had her shout made it past all the noise around her?
"Here."
She looked for Naruto's voice and found him some distance away, standing tall against two shinobi and several mercenaries. Behind him, a grandmother pressed a young girl against her body, turning her away from the bloodshed.
Air brushed against Sakura's neck. She leaned forward, dodged a punch, and kicked out with her leg. Reeling back, the mercenary landed directly on Sasuke's sword. Before the body had even slid off his blade, Sasuke turned to the next enemy.
Around Team Seven fought two other groups of Genin. They, too, had survived the initial attack on the shelters. One of their members took Sakura's place as she sprinted over to Naruto, stabbing one hostile shinobi from behind.
"We can't stay," she said as she reached him.
He kicked another enemy away and landed in a crouch, panting. "I know."
"Then what?"
A fireball rushed at them and Naruto planted his palms on the ground. "Suiton: Suijinheki."
The flames fizzled out as they clashed with his wall of water. Mist rose and he wrapped an exploding tag around his kunai, then flung it through the mist. The resulting blast rang in Sakura's ears. The screams of the fallen echoed inside of her head. Naruto turned to look at her, his eyes ripped wide open. Desperate, scared; but also feral, unwilling to break. Like her, he saw everything, understood nothing.
Sakura backhanded another mercenary, then finished him off as she ducked under a volley of shuriken. "They'll swarm us."
There had to be a way out of this hell. But Naruto didn't know what to do any more than she did, that much she could see on his face.
One Oto-nin landed a punch and Naruto gasped before retaliating with a hook that sent the man spinning away. He spit on the ground. "They already are."
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu." Six fireballs shot past them, warmth spread over their faces, three more mercenaries got incinerated. Sasuke landed behind them, his sword red up to the hilt. "More fighting. Or we'll die for real." Then he was off again, throwing himself against the incoming masses.
"He's right," Naruto said, panting. He gave her a miserable, tired grin.
Time passed slowly in the crimson-stained haze Sakura found herself in. Each second lasted an eternity. She stumbled forward, driving a knife deep into someone's gut. Then she went on to kill the next, becoming more sluggish by the minute.
It weren't even the mercenaries that exhausted her so, but the random shinobi strewn into the masses who looked exactly the same. This hadn't been supposed to happen like this. South Konoha shouldn't have been attacked at all.
She dodged two jabs, weaving through hand seals. Once the Genjutsu threw off the Oto-nin's depth perception, she slid inside his guard and gutted him. Fuck. Tears mixed with the blood on her face as she moved forward. Why had they relocated the new shelters in the first place? For this?
A shuriken buried itself in her arm; pain shot through her body. She plucked it out, and threw it back. Stumbling, she shifted away from an incoming axe. The Oto-nin who had thrown the shuriken sensed her weakness. He appeared in front of her, and this time she couldn't dodge completely.
He drove a kunai through her arm, and she bit her lips to keep herself from screaming. She wouldn't die. Not here. Not before Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura jumped up, breaking the man's nose with her good hand.
The axe soared again, and she pressed herself flat on the ground. Another mercenary appeared, then a third and a fourth. The shinobi whose nose she had broken got up too. Her left arm hung at her side as they surrounded her. She reached into her pouch, taking out several exploding tags.
"Ninpō: Kagemane no Jutsu."
"Gatsūga!"
Shadows struck. Whirling destruction ripped the bound enemies apart. Next to her, Kiba growled. His face was smeared with gore—Akamaru's sign drenched by red liquid. She had barely time to look at him, before he lunged at a new group of enemies, leaving her with Shikamaru and a guy she barely recognized from the Chūnin Exams.
"This is Kabuto," Shikamaru said, nodding at the gray-haired shinobi. "He's a medic."
Sakura smiled weakly and held her arm out. As a green glow enveloped Kabuto's hands, she turned to Shikamaru. "You too?" she asked, noticing the blood on his vest.
"Everyone. Orochimaru must've had spies in Konoha."
Shikamaru had brought quite a large group with him. By the minute, more children and elderly assembled near them, taking cover in the house ruins. He hadn't just come with civilians though, but with a few teams of Genin as well. The tension Sakura's shoulders eased as she saw more and more Konoha headbands.
"Who—"
"All we found on the way who weren't dead," Shikamaru said, closing his eyes. "Where are Naruto and Sasuke?"
Sakura pointed at the far end of the battlefield, where both of them moved amidst enemy troops in an almost berserker-like state. Dozens lay around them, and dozens more replaced the fallen.
Shikamaru sighed. "Let's get them out of there. We've enough manpower now to rotate, at least for a while. The battle's increased in scale too, so there's a good chance the higher-ups will notice soon and send help."
"That's good," Sakura said. "We should—"
"Get some rest with your team. We'll take care of things here."
"But, we only need to push—"
"Stop being troublesome, woman." Shikamaru sent her a suffering glance. Only then did she notice that in his pockets, his hands were balled to fists. "If the higher-ups can notice, then the enemy can too. Rest up and save us once you're fresh again."
"Shikamaru…" Sakura whispered, staring at his back.
"This is going to be a long haul," he said with a grim smile, readying a kunai.
Once Kabuto had finished healing her, Sakura thanked him. She then ran over to Naruto and Sasuke, pulling them away from the fight. Immediately, another team of Genin took their place, defending the position and giving her the time to explain everything.
Shikamaru was right. This day would go on for quite a while longer.
Killing was distasteful. Chōji had done it once. But when he hesitated the second time around, his indecision exacted a gruesome tribute. Not only had it cost him, but also those he held dear; and guilt was a steady companion since that day in the forest. But if a month of isolation and contempt had taught him anything, then that he hated being alone and distrusted by his friends even more than killing.
Spilling blood could never be the perfect answer. He refused to believe that. But at least it was an answer, and for now it was the only one he had. If death could be avoided through his actions, he'd act accordingly. Never again though would a friend be injured or die because his resolve faltered.
As the first Oto-nin landed in the courtyard of the field hospital, Chōji threw his soup ladle with all his strength. It spun violently, before it hit the man in the face. Another Oto-nin slashed with his kunai at him. Chōji dodged in time and toppled the large pot of stew beside him. Hot broth flooded the ground. The Oto-nin screamed as it burned his sandal-clad feet.
Looking for people to support, Chōji took his staff from his back. A barrage of kunai was hurtled at two injured and swarmed Konoha-nin. The hairs on his neck rose. He jumped, twirled his staff, and deflected the kunai.
A foreign kunoichi lunged at him. He shifted to the right. She passed him, and he hammered his staff against her unbalanced body. Once she lay on the ground, groaning, he struck again. Blood seeped out between her black hair. She stopped moving.
When, a few minutes into the fight, the numbers changed to Oto's favor, Danzō appeared by his side. The man's healthy arm formed seals at an astonishing speed and compressed wind bullets, the size of small boulders, blasted the enemy away from their present position.
"Akimichi. Join your classmates."
Chōji didn't wait long after receiving his new order. He tightened the grip around his staff, then dashed over to the other side of the field hospital. Danzō didn't strike him as a kind person, but he'd take this chance at redemption with both hands.
Ino sat on the ground, leaning against a tent's wooden pole. She hurled shuriken after shuriken at the shinobi who engaged Neji and Shino. Each was aimed better, thrown harder. But the amount of enemies made her improvements hard to see. Slowly, the Oto-nin closed in on the three exhausted Genin.
Chōji reached into his pouch, pulling out a small casket with three compartments. He swallowed as he looked at the chi pills his father had cautioned him against. Then he took the first one out of its container.
Was life worth anything if spent only in the company of silence?
The pill posed a risk to his health. But he wanted back to his team, to old times when Ino's dislike extended to his eating habits but not further. And he'd fight for that dream with all his strength.
Chakra exploded outward of his frame, swirling around his body. No physical changes took place, but incredible power welled up inside of him. His Tenketsu felt like they were bursting with unreleased energy.
"Bubun Baika no Jutsu." Chōji's arm extended farther than he had ever managed before, almost tripling in diameter. "Duck!" he shouted.
Neji must have seen the release of chakra, because he pulled Shino with him to the ground. Then, in one horizontal swipe, Chōji's palm hit several Oto-nin and wiped them across the field.
They landed in a heap a few feet away. He was about to dash over, when a circle of exploding tags lit up around them. The earth quaked under the resulting explosion, and Chōji screened his surroundings for its cause. He soon found it in Ino, who still held her hands in a hand seal.
Had she set up the trap once she noticed his movement?
Ino returned his gaze for a moment, then looked away and threw the next volley of shuriken. Stained with blood as he was, Chōji couldn't help grinning. This wouldn't repair things, not by a long shot. But it was a start, and that's all he could ask for anyway.
The search for Gaara didn't last long. Soon after it had started, killing intent flooded the area and unbridled fury prickled on Tenzō's skin. Gaara stood bent over, holding his head and watched his blood color the grass. Around him, uncontrolled chakra formed an ocean of malevolence.
On Gaara's face, surprise, insanity, and rage battled for supremacy. Then his gaze swerved up and met Tenzō's. Gaara's turquoise eyes widened; sand exploded from his gourd. Tenzō sped away, leaping from branch to branch to avoid the deadly avalanche behind him.
The attack was dangerous, but merely a distraction. Shivers ran down Tenzō's spine as he kept his attention on Gaara while dodging the relentless waves of sand. The Jinchūriki grew more and more to resemble the Biju he contained. A frightening thought if there ever was one.
"You will die here." The voice was distorted and Gaara interrupted himself with high-pitched giggles in-between his words.
Tenzō didn't answer. He put his palm against a tree, spawning wooden clones. They leaped away, forced the sand to split, gave him the room he needed. His next Jutsu would be quite something—it came from Senju Hashirama's personal collection, after all.
Gaara now looked like a miniature version of Shukaku and grew steadily. Letting an unleashed Biju roam Konoha's outskirts would be folly. But as Tenzō still had to test the limits of his Mokuton, his mission parameters walked the fine line between lunacy and calculated risk.
Then the moment of truth came as Gaara reached a critical height.
"Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu."
The sand had destroyed all but one of Tenzō's clones, but the ones he lost had served their purpose admirably. Large roots broke through the earth, ripped the ground open, and slung themselves around the enormous frame. Gaara shrieked, and yellow chakra raged against the bindings like waves against a cliff. Instead of dissolving the wood though, the chakra simply dissipated.
Tenzō felt the strain of chaining Gaara, but was relieved to notice that it was nothing he couldn't handle. Would the same hold true against a Biju with more tails than one, or Shukaku in its fully realized form? Perhaps, but it was too dangerous to test during the invasion. On that, even Danzō agreed.
While the Jutsu that imprisoned Gaara was still in effect, Tenzō's last clone clapped his hands together. "Mokuton: Kakuan Nitten Suishu." Six wooden pillars shot up around the bound Jinchūriki. At regular intervals, ornamental spikes grew out of the pillars and pointed at Gaara. They'd leech the demonic energy out of him, and soon, nothing but the boy's own chakra would remain—for a while at least.
Three other presences—ANBU—entered the area. "Everything alright?" Tenzō asked, being careful not to disrupt his Jutsu.
One ANBU nodded, pulling a small sealing tag out of his pouch. "Let's end this." With calm strides the masked shinobi walked up to the struggling Jinchūriki. He reached with his hand through the wooden cage and slapped the seal on Gaara's forehead.
Stepping back two paces, the ANBU formed a hand seal. "Fūin."
Blue light broke out around the seal. It shot in circular lines away from Gaara's head, traveling around the whole body. Tenzō had no clue about the particulars of the seal Jiraiya-sama had devised, but he trusted the man's knowledge. It was, in all probability, more complex than anything he would understand with his rudimentary education in the art of sealing. When the light died out, it left a broken and sealed Gaara lying on the ground, unconscious. One ANBU knelt down and secured him with wire.
Tenzō stiffened as he felt the sudden appearance of several chakras near their location. They were still a minute away, which pointed at their lack of experience if he had already sensed them. The numerical advantage though was nothing to sneeze at.
"Enemies inbound," he said.
The ANBU's head snapped up. "Number?"
"Twenty, maybe more."
The Wood Clone took Gaara, hiding him in the shrubbery. Then all of them drew their swords and hid themselves in the thick canopy above. They were only four, but the enemy would soon learn how vast the gulf in quality between ANBU and everyone else was.
Walking in gory robes didn't sit well with Ibiki as even the slightest movement rubbed more blood against the insides of his mantle. It was a disgusting sensation, and truth to be told, he had hoped to never experience it again after the end of the third war. The enemy had other plans though, and managed in death what he couldn't accomplish in life—getting under his skin. Ignoring the greasiness to the best of his ability, Ibiki entered the atrium of a large house which hadn't been damaged as of yet. Two ANBU followed him closely, their posture rigid and firm.
Inside, Shikaku leaned over an upturned slab of stone upon which he had unfurled a large map detailing Konoha. He pointed at several different locations and talked to a few Runners—Chūnin who excelled in speed and communicated his orders to the frontlines. As they left to perform their duties, Shikaku stretched his arms and yawned before paying attention to the new arrivals.
"Ibiki," he said. "I heard you took care of the summon yourself."
"It wasn't Manda."
Shikaku hummed. "I'm still surprised they had one at all. Creating a circle that can be activated without the actual contract holder… well, that's a Sannin for you, I guess."
"We have other problems at the moment."
"Oh?"
"Information about the new shelters has been leaked. It's unclear how though."
Shikaku stilled and his brows furrowed. "Give me the details."
"Groups of civilians are strewn over southern Konoha. At some locations, Genin have teamed up to defend larger crowds."
"That much activity?"
Ibiki nodded. They had put the shelters there because the area wasn't supposed to become a battlefield. "We don't know how they managed it, but bands of mercenaries as well as Oto-nins are in constant engagement with our Genin."
"We'll send help then."
"Can we afford it?"
"I have Suna under control," Shikaku said. "Any news on Hokage-sama?
Ibiki stared at the large circle on the map that indicated the arena. "He's still fighting. Orochimaru used the Edo Tensei but Jiraiya-sama was there to mitigate the damage. If we can spare troops, we should send some to help there too."
"That'd be wasteful." Shikaku shook his head. "None of the shinobi we can send are on a level that they'd have any effect on the fight."
"Then, faith in Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama is our only option."
Shikaku cracked a smile. "I've taken worse bets in my life. Anyway, keep Oto contained in the North. I'll take care of our Genin."
Ibiki nodded, then left the atrium with his escort.
It was an unspoken rule of the world they lived in. Young prodigies gave cause to be wary; old men were a reason to be terrified. Experience, refined skills, and craftiness were the signs of a shinobi who had braved the bloody tides and emerged as the victor…again, and again, and again.
Hiruzen engaged Orochimaru with vigor that belied his age, hiding the pain of his injuries behind a mask crafted through decades of bloodshed. He matched him blow for blow, and while it was a far cry from the performance of his prime, he certainly showed Orochimaru that the title Shinobi no Kami hadn't been given to him on a whim.
There existed a reason for him being the one to receive this nickname after Hashirama-sama died.
The fight left its marks on his body, however, no matter how well he hid his fatigue from his enemy. And how far Orochimaru had fallen to be considered as such. Shinobi were deceitful and distrusting by nature, but never had he imagined that this was what would become of the hurt child he took under his wing all those years ago.
Deflecting a punch away from his face, Hiruzen spotted a small opening, barely perceptible at all. He delivered a vicious punch, breaking Orochimaru's stance. He knew what came next. Year after year, for more than half a century, he had tortured his body through these movements every morning.
There was no delay as he slid his hand into his armor, evaded Orochimaru's desperate counter, and directed a kunai right toward his student's abdomen.
Orochimaru grunted, and with seemingly unreal flexibility avoided the stab. Instead, it left a deep gash on his arm. They locked eyes, and Hiruzen saw an unsettling mixture of rage and cruel curiosity.
With a quick combination and a kick, Orochimaru pushed Hiruzen several feet backward.
Hiruzen was unable to mask his panting any longer. "I pity you," he said. "You had everything. You threw it away."
Orochimaru's lips curved into a cruel smirk. "I don't need your pity." His cheeks bloated up, until, with a final retch, a sword came to rest in his hand. "But I want your head."
"Kusanagi," Hiruzen whispered. "You found it."
Over the course of his life he had listened to many a tale about the sword that cut the meadows. Legends which told of power, dramatic kabuki plays that enchanted the audience with stories of love and poison—fictitious for the most part, the imagination of creative minds.
But as outlandish as those tales were, there was always at least some truth to be found in such myths. He had no time to waste. "Ninpō: Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Enko Ō Enma."
As the white smoke dissipated, it revealed his life-long companion. Black garb, a yellow sash, white hair cascading down his back—the Monkey King Enma was a sight to behold, even more so when angered.
Enma's eyes narrowed as he noticed Orochimaru. "This should've been done a decade ago, Hiruzen," he growled.
A subtle move from Orochimaru alerted both of them. Enma flashed through hand seals; his voice, a deep timbre, echoed over the roof. "Ninpō: Kongōnyoi."
After catching the bo-staff in the air, Hiruzen yanked it up.
Two legendary weapons met. Sparks flew. Steel hardened through misery crashed against diamond infused with chakra for centuries. Both fought furiously, neither giving an inch, nor landing a blow—each would spell certain demise for the other.
A shout of pain reminded Hiruzen that they weren't the only combatants in the vicinity. He infused his foot with earth chakra and rammed it into the roof. One of the tiles loosened, then crashed into Orochimaru's knee.
Seeing him out of balance, Hiruzen rammed his staff through Orochimaru's guard, heaving Kusanagi upward. A shinobi of his student's caliber would never let go of his weapon that easily, but it gave him the time he needed. Hiruzen disengaged and jumped back, assessing from whence the cry had come.
He needn't look for long as Jiraiya crashed onto the roof mere feet away from him. Hiruzen opened his mouth, intending to ask what happened, when a large shadow engulfed both of them. He didn't bother to confirm the threat, reacting on instinct alone.
"Doton: Tsuchimayu."
Whirling on the spot, Hiruzen spat a line of mud in a perfect circle around himself and Jiraiya. The line quickly grew skyward and hardened, forming a nigh impenetrable cocoon of earth to shield them.
"What happened?" He asked, as wave upon wave crashed against their makeshift shelter.
Jiraiya rose sluggishly and leaned against the wall whilst rubbing his bruised jaw. "Those old timers hit pretty hard."
Hiruzen nodded, taking in Jiraiya's worn down appearance. "Only a bit longer."
"You make it sound so easy…" Jiraiya stumbled into a standing position, grinning wearily. "Don't worry, Sensei. It'll be fine."
"Jiraiya…if it comes to the worst, I'll use Minato's seal and take Orochimaru with me."
Jiraiya shook his head. "Don't do that. Have faith. In Konoha. In yourself." After a pregnant pause, he added, "We will win."
Hiruzen searched for words but came up empty. He dipped his head, acknowledging his student's words. Jiraiya had truly become the wisest of them all. Hiruzen nodded and stopped infusing chakra into his Jutsu. The wall crumbled, and when an opening presented itself, Jiraiya charged forward, barreling into the two Senju once more.
Determination settled on Hiruzen's face. He had to finish this. Jiraiya was at the end of his rope and it showed. As he surveyed the surroundings, only the experience of three wars enabled him to recognize the threat to his life before it was too late.
He bent his body backward, yanked the staff over his head, and rammed it straight into the roof behind him. Again, Kusanagi met Kongōnyoi. He attempted to whirl around it, trying to plant his feet in Orochimaru's face, but slipped on the roof which had become wet after Tobirama-sensei's attack.
Losing balance was one of the worst things to happen to a shinobi, especially in a fight between two giants among men. However, Hiruzen also knew that improvised solutions in such moments could surprise an enemy more than anything else.
The upper half of Kongōnyoi was still gripped in his hands. He gave it a mighty tug and the staff's bottom ripped through the already damaged roof. It spun vertically, catching Orochimaru in the jaw.
This had to end now. He couldn't hold out much longer himself.
Seizing the Kami-sent opportunity, Hiruzen lunged at Orochimaru, forcing him to abandon his weapon. As he put every bit of his remaining strength behind his punches, Kongōnyoi and Kusanagi lay forgotten between the tiles.
An uppercut sent Orochimaru flying upward. Hiruzen flared his chakra, then jumped after him and delivered another punch before pressing his knee hard into Orochimaru's stomach. Bringing both fists together, Hiruzen smashed Orochimaru back to the roof.
Once he landed on the other side of the spectators box, Hiruzen glared at him. "You are decades too early to threaten me in my own village," he said. "You want my head? You should've made damn sure you have what it takes, boy."
Across him, Orochimaru rose slowly. Hiruzen knew that this would never be enough to kill him, but the desire for correcting his mistake now took second place to ensuring Konoha's survival.
Who would take the hat if he died? Jiraiya? Tsunade? Both viable in peaceful times. Terrible, however, in wartime. This little show needed a last act to succeed and he was willing to play it out. Beside him, a Shadow Clone popped into existence and both sped through seals.
"Katon: Tsuyoi Endan."
"Fūton: Daitoppa."
A sea of flame shot out of his mouth, amplified by raging gales until the fire encompassed far more than just the spectator box. When it died away, almost a minute later, Orochimaru was nowhere to be found. In his place stood a large charred gate.
"Rashōmon…"
With the remainder of his strength, Hiruzen dragged himself over to the edge of the roof and looked into the arena below. Jiraiya was lying in a pool of blood, twitching. Around him, the Senju brothers crumbled to dust.
Orochimaru had fled then.
A puff of smoke next to him revealed Enma, who had changed back into his monkey form. "You need help."
Smiling through bloodied lips, Hiruzen answered, "Get help for Jiraiya. I won't die from this." Enma looked at him with obvious concern, then nodded and jumped into the arena.
Rolling on his back, Hiruzen stared into the sky. Orochimaru had failed. The Tree was safe once more.
Half an hour ago, reinforcements had relieved the tired group of Genin. And like guardian angels, Kotetsu and Izumo had arrived with four Chūnin squads in tow, quickly dominating the seemingly endless waves of enemies until nothing but a trickle remained. Afterward, as the only Genin team which had some rest, Team Seven had been drafted for the same mission as the Chūnin squads—to search the surrounding area for survivors.
Leaping from roof to roof, Team Seven steadily neared Konoha's southern wall.
Sasuke landed on a water tank, staring into the distance. "This is far enough."
"You sure?" Naruto asked, halting next to him.
"I doubt we'd find anything if we go further."
Sakura closed her eyes. "I only sense the four-man squad that came before us. They're somewhere near the gate and—"
Sasuke noticed a sudden tension enter Sakura's shoulder. "What happened?"
"One just vanished. Now a second. They're dying."
Sasuke didn't wait for confirmation from his team. He jumped toward the next roof and sped into the direction Sakura had indicated. Naruto and Sakura followed suit, and only a few seconds later, they heard screaming.
The man Team Seven came upon as they arrived onsite wasn't what Sakura had expected. Vivid green eyes stared at her from amidst carnage and ruins, observing them without emotion. Gray hair, parted by a tie at each side, framed his face; above thin eyebrows, two red dots drew attention to his unusual appearance.
He walked through a veritable sea of blood, pointing his fingers at the Chūnin who crawled away from him. "They cannot save you, trash."
Sakura leaped forward, positioning himself between the man and the Chūnin, and reached for the knives beneath her dress. "Who the hell are you?"
Naruto slid into a combat stance next to her, while Sasuke's eyes flared red. No one beside the scared guy behind them had survived this man, and that single survivor had only made it through the sheer luck of their timely intervention. Whoever he was, a lack of destructive power didn't belong to his weaknesses.
The man paused, regarding Sakura with apathetic eyes. "My name is Kimimaro. Now, begone." Bullets of bone suddenly shot out from his fingers. Sakura was hard-pressed to parry them all.
As the last one flew at her, Sasuke appeared and pulled her away. She glanced to the ground, where a large bone spike had erupted and cut into Sasuke's leg. Then she heard tortured, labored breathing and turned around. The Chūnin who had tried to flee lay on the ground, blood pooling around his throat.
Kimimaro's last bullet had struck.
"Suiton: Teppōdama!"
Sakura weaved through hand seals as Kimimaro dodged Naruto's water projectile with ease. Even as a sudden shadow fell over him, he appeared unaffected. Sasuke bore down from above, both hands around the hilt of his sword.
Smirking, Sakura finished her Jutsu and pressed her palms flat on the ground. He wouldn't stay that unconcerned for long. Kimimaro tried to sidestep the attack, but was jerked back when his legs failed to obey. Earth had encased his feet, rooting him to the spot.
For the first time he showed a fraction of emotion. His surprise, however, vanished quickly.
Sasuke's attack made contact with a sword of bone. After a short exchange he skidded back though, distancing himself. A fine red line ran across his cheek.
Kimimaro slashed his sword through the air twice, before pointing it at Sasuke. "Tsubaki no Mai."
Dance of the Camilla?
Sakura's body reacted on its own as soon as Kimimaro rushed toward Sasuke. She layered two Genjutsu around Kimimaro. Both slid off him like water. Their swords had already clashed twice when she arrived; a second line now crossed the first on Sasuke's cheek.
She tried to sweep Kimimaro's legs. He jumped slightly, still engaging Sasuke, when Naruto barreled into him from behind. Airborne, Naruto threw a punch, but only met air. Kimimaro had dodged while flying and lashed out with his leg, hurling Naruto away.
Naruto impacted on the ground several times, before regaining balance of his body and landing in an unsteady crouch. Sakura leaped over to him and Sasuke positioned himself to defend them should Kimimaro attack.
Naruto gasped, holding his stomach. "That fucking hurt."
Sakura kneeled next to him. Kyuubi would heal the wound, but she knew that didn't prevent the initial pain. "Can you continue?"
"This' nothing." He glared at Kimimaro, who looked at them from the edge of a roof. "Let's put that fucker down."
"I agree," Sasuke said.
Kimimaro leaped from the building and landed with a soft step on the ground. "Orochimaru-sama ordered me to kill the civilians. You will not stand in my way."
Naruto spat on the ground. "Fuck, a zealot."
Kimimaro narrowed his eyes. "Orochimaru-sama's ideals stand above all. There is no greater purpose than serving him." He grew a second sword out of his arm as he moved toward them in measured steps. "You will learn that defiance is folly."
Sasuke's heel hit the ground repeatedly in quick succession and once Sakura deciphered the meaning behind it, she took out two kunai and rammed them into the loose soil beneath. Her lips twisted into a dangerous grin. "We'll see about that."
Within the blink of an eye, Team Seven shot forward. Naruto spat water bullets at a rapid pace, which even as they missed formed into clones. Sakura and Sasuke maneuvered around the bullets, and with assistance from the clones they pounded relentlessly against Kimimaro's defenses.
He was good. Too good for any of them to take him in a straight fight. Each second they remained in the close combat exchange, his precise movements and impeccable swordsmanship inflicted more wounds.
Still they kept up, increasing the pressure. He had to remain oblivious, had to believe this was only a desperate attempt.
Soon their sandals got wet. Kimimaro had dodged so many of Naruto's attacks and destroyed so many of his clones that they now fought in an enormous puddle. Water splashed around them with each movement.
"Now," Naruto cried out, his hands clapped together. "Suiton: Mizuame Nabara."
Sasuke and Sakura vanished. In their stead, two kunai fell into the water. When Kimimaro made to follow them, his legs disobeyed for the second time that day. The water he stood on had become as thick and sticky as glue.
He tried to grow out bones, attempting to destroy the obstructions as easily as Sakura's rock earlier in the fight, but failed. His bones got enveloped in the adhesive liquid the moment they protruded from his foot.
"Sakura," Sasuke said.
"On it." She went through a series of hand seals. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi."
In front of Kimimaro, a wall rose out of the water. "This is futile—"
"I'm not done." Sakura pushed more chakra into the Jutsu and two more walls shot up at Kimimaro's side. She smiled. Her triangular prison lacked a roof, but that was okay. It didn't need one.
"This won't hold me," Kimimaro said.
Again, a shadow fell over him. Sasuke stood on one of the walls, glaring down into the pit Sakura had made. His ancestor's armor had partly fallen off him due to Kimimaro's attacks; blood flowed freely from cuts on his face and arms. "It doesn't need to."
Each seal screamed purpose. "Katon: Dai Endan."
A large stream of fire left his mouth and set the prison ablaze. He held the Jutsu for a few seconds, then jumped away. As Naruto, too, leaped past Sakura's construction, he hurled a few kunai with exploding tags into it for good measure.
The earth underneath them trembled as the seals activated and the prison vanished in an explosion that tore the heavens asunder.
Dust covered the area, and Naruto heard Sakura cough as she inhaled some of it. "The seals weren't part of the plan," she said.
"Just making sure he's dead," he answered, tired and weary. "Jiraiya-sensei was right. This combination is terrifying."
Sakura nodded. "Imagine this done by the Sannin—on a much larger scale. No wonder they were feared in the second war."
"Makes you think though, doesn't it…what kind of monster Hanzō must have been?"
"Doesn't matter now—" Sasuke paused.
Splash.
Naruto, albeit tired, was the first to move. He lunged forward, shoving Sakura and Sasuke away. Agony lanced through him. He glanced at his abdomen, his vision hazy, and saw a ridiculously large bone. It connected to a dark gray arm and had pierced his side almost completely.
"Tessenka no Mai: Hana." Naruto stared, uncomprehending, as the creature spoke. "Such selflessness is commendable...but this ends here." Kimimaro made to lift up his arm, when a sudden cough overcame him.
Blood landed on Naruto, but only a moment later the specks became a fountain, drenching him. He fell backward and Kimimaro's head rolled up to his feet. The monstrous body slumped down next to him, then hit the ground.
Sasuke stood inches away from the headless corpse, his sword extended. Three black commas spun in each of his eyes.
Naruto sat on the ground, resting against the ruins of a house. He had closed his eyes and listened to the breathing of his teammates beside him. They, too, had exhausted all of their strength over the course of the day. But perhaps 'day' was the wrong word. 'Months' seemed far more to the point.
In the end, Kimimaro had only been one incident in a row of many.
He winced as his body temperature rose again. Kyuubi, the entity he had heard so much about but never noticed so far, worked hard to seal his wound. The unknown chakra churned inside of him, burning as though hot iron rummaged through his guts. He'd have to ask the old man about that soon. Going forward without knowing the particulars of his seal would be dangerous if the enemies kept getting stronger.
Naruto shifted his body slightly, taking care not to wake Sasuke whose head had fallen onto his shoulder once exhaustion overwhelmed him. Activating the third stage of the Sharingan must've taken quite a lot of energy. Even after Kakashi-sensei's training, Sasuke had usually managed to stay conscious.
He asked Sakura in a whisper, "You think this will ever end?"
"Getting tired of killing, too?"
The noise of splashing water followed her question. Too tired to look, Naruto kept his eyes shut. Sakura was probably only skipping stones over the water-covered street. Their fight with Kimimaro had wasted this area far more than the invading forces that came before them.
"One year into the job and already thinking about quitting," he said.
"Haven't we all? I talked with Ino after…you know. She wanted to quit, being injured and all, but her father convinced her not to."
Naruto thought it over. "Clan image?"
"Better—the village." That caused him to look at her. Sakura blew air through her lips, lifting up strands of hair that had fallen into her face. "Konoha doesn't give up. It is tenacious, unrelenting."
Reclining his head, he let out a low whistle. Quite the miracle then that Ino had chosen the path of staying a shinobi. His illusions about Konoha had been shattered as early as his visit to the Land of Fire's capital, but it would've have been nice had it stopped there. Explanations that had sounded reasonable once became hard to stomach after Tanyu, and were only losing more of their credibility as time passed.
His features formed into apologetic grimace as the weight of Sasuke's head vanished from his shoulder. "Sorry," he murmured.
"You're too loud. Always." Sasuke regarded him with a blank expression as he spoke, then glanced around the devastated and desolate street. "How long?"
"Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty."
"We're still being invaded?"
"Who knows?" Sakura shrugged and pointed at Kimimaro's corpse. "After him I can't really bring myself to care. Let the real Chūnin deal with everything else."
Sasuke nodded and flexed his neck muscles. He pulled himself up against the wall, breathing harshly. Naruto marveled at his effort as he ambled over to a puddle the size of a small pond. When Sasuke crouched down, leaning his head over the water, Naruto finally understood what he was up to and snorted.
"Looking good?"
"Hn."
Sakura sighed. "Admiring your Sharingan isn't the most effective way to replenish your chakra."
"It amuses me."
Well, there wasn't much Naruto could say to that. Joy and amusement had made themselves so scarce, every bit of it was a welcome distraction. "We can see that, Ms. Konoha," he said, making a token effort at bantering. Not that it was overly successful. Sakura's expression told him as much.
Sasuke splashed some water in his face, then came back to them. "What've you talked about anyway?"
"Quitting this job."
"Not going to happen," Sasuke said, sitting down on a piece of debris.
"On what objections?"
"Itachi." Sasuke thumbed his chest, then pointed at Naruto. "Jinchūriki." When he came to Sakura, he cocked his head to the side. "You could leave, I guess."
"Way to make me feel wanted, asshole."
Sasuke shrugged. "Doesn't mean we'd let you."
Both of them continued to trade playful barbs and Naruto's lips twitched into a smile. This was nice, peaceful. Couldn't it always be like this? His mind supplied the answer and his brows furrowed into a frown.
An age of peace…Jiraiya had talked about it. The dream to create a world where everyone lived in harmony. Naruto doubted he'd ever see it. The time they were in looked too much like the opposite for him to have any faith in Jiraiya's ideal.
But, if only for a moment, he would have liked to witness such a world.
Another thought occurred to him and both of his teammates turned their heads toward him as he chuckled.
"Saw something interesting?"
"Na, just thinking about becoming Hokage."
"Still?" Sakura's eyebrows rose. "I thought you gave up on that."
Giving up on the hat? Well, she wasn't wrong. He had, even if only temporarily. "Just found a good reason."
"Oh?"
"If I'm the boss I can delegate my duties and tell them to leave us the fuck alone."
"Faulty logic," Sasuke said.
"Let me dream. If I can't get out of this, I might as well aim at the highest place."
Sakura shook her head. "You know that we're almost talking treason?"
"No one is around to—"
"There you are."
Sasuke looked equally as clueless as he did about who this was, but Sakura seemed to recognize the voice that rang through the street. A gray-haired Genin with glasses soon joined their group, smiling at them and bowing slightly to Sakura.
"Haruno-san."
"I told you, it's Sakura. Guys, this is Kabuto-san. He's a medic."
Naruto inspected the newcomer. He had a vague recollection of having seen him somewhere before. "Have we met?"
"In the Chūnin Exams," Kabuto said, looking forlorn. "I barely made it over the fence after my team was killed."
Naruto couldn't blame the guy for leaving the exam prematurely. And what a way to walk into an exploding tag. "Ah, sorry I asked."
"I'll get over it." Kabuto waved him off with a strained expression. "Anyway, are you hurt?"
Naruto considered the question. He had been wounded by Kimimaro, sure, but the Kyuubi was a better medic than this Kabuto could ever aspire to be. Sasuke though would remain silent if left on his own. That much he knew.
"Sasuke got some cuts," Sakura said. She must've had the same idea as him.
Instantly, green light enveloped Kabuto's hands. "Let me see if I can help."
For a moment it looked as though Sasuke would refuse. But when Naruto and Sakura glared at him, he sighed and stepped forward. He unclasped the remainders of his armor, which fell to the ground with a dull thud. Afterward, he pulled his sliced shirt over his head.
Kimimaro's attacks had mostly been aimed at Sasuke's head or arms. But there were also quite a few shallow slashes on his upper body. Naruto glanced at the armor. The chest-plate was completely penetrated at several points.
Fucking bones. Who even fought like this?
Once Sasuke was healed, Kabuto wiped the sweat off his face. "This should do it for now. Though I'd recommend a more thorough check in the hospital later on." He threw all three of them a chakra replenishing pill. "Here, these will help you. And that with the hospital goes for you as well," he said, pointing at Naruto and Sakura. "You've had a busy day."
"You could say that. Anyway, thanks," Naruto said. "We owe you one."
"My pleasure." Kabuto gave the surrounding scenery a cursory look and sighed. "So much destruction…"
"We can rebuild all this," Sakura said. "Can't do anything about the dead though."
"Unfortunately. I wonder how many lives we'd have saved if more Konoha-nin had been here."
"A few shinobi wouldn't have mattered much," Sasuke said.
Naruto had to agree, especially as he remembered all the dead bodies he had seen today. Then again, what did he know? It probably would've saved a few dozen people. He chided himself. It didn't speak too well of his mental state that he considered this only trivial.
"Not normal shinobi," Kabuto replied. "I mean the really strong ones like Tsunade-sama, Asuma-san, or Kakashi-san. Shinobi of that skill can change the tide of a battle, I imagine."
"No clue about Tsunade-sama and Asuma-san—never saw them fight. But you're right about Kakashi-sensei. He would have ripped guys like him apart," Sakura said, pointing at Kimimaro's corpse.
"You managed that yourself, reasonably well I'd say—wait, did you say Kakashi-sensei?" Team Seven looked at Kabuto as one when they heard his question. "I mean, you're his team, right?"
"One and the same," Naruto answered.
"I—dammit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" This wasn't the reaction Naruto had expected, and neither was the pitying look Kabuto gave them as he stammered on, throwing apologies around.
Glancing at his stomach, Naruto slowly got up. Kyuubi had finished its work. This was more than just dubious. "No need to apologize," Naruto said, trying to calm Kabuto. "It's not your fault."
"I—Yes, I mean." Kabuto sighed. "You just surprised me. You really are strong."
"Strength comes in many forms," Sakura chimed in.
"True. But I know I'd be a mess if my sensei was imprisoned in Suna."
Naruto nearly choked on those words. He didn't speak, didn't dare to, really, for fear that nothing but a jumbled mess would leave his mouth. Sasuke had more presence of mind, thankfully, and was the first to react.
"Hn. That's shinobi life. Not much we can do about it."
"Ah, you're right, of course." Kabuto glanced at the sun. "In any case, we've to go now—took too much time already."
"Is the checkpoint still where we left?" Naruto asked.
When Kabuto nodded, Sakura said, "Thanks for all you've done Kabuto-san. Can you give us a bit more time though? We'll come soon."
Kabuto dithered for a few seconds, but after taking another look at Kimimaro's corpse, acquiesced. "You earned it, I guess. I'll cover for you, but don't take too long please."
"Thanks, man," Naruto said. "Again, we owe you."
The silence that settled over them like an oppressive cloud once Kabuto had left was more than just tense. Explosive in its very damnation, it didn't last for more than a few seconds, but shored up a myriad of bad emotions along the way up the fuse.
Blood seeped through Naruto's fingers as he clenched his fists. "Kakashi-sensei is imprisoned?"
"Apparently," Sasuke said, his eyes narrowed to slits.
Naruto relaxed his hands and laughter bubbled up inside of him. He didn't care to contain it and erupted in guffaw. Oh, the irony. "Say, Sakura, what did Ino's father tell her again? To take pride in her village? That the tree is tenacious, unrelenting?"
Sakura's expression mirrored the surrounding ruins. Her voice quivered slightly, sounding pleading and sorrowful. "Naruto…please."
He noticed the plea, understood the pain, but couldn't hold it in any longer. His features sharpened and a low growl rose in his throat. Not directed against his teammates but the situation as a whole.
"He should've told her that the tree is a lying piece of shit." They had asked Jiraiya…and he had told them flat out that Kakashi was on a prolonged mission. A fucking mission. Oh yes, it was prolonged, but by torture. Naruto gestured in a wild arc. "They all talk big, telling grand tales... But how the fuck am I supposed to find pride in this when even my village lies to my face? I thought we leave no one behind?" Tears streamed down his face. "Even Jiji lied…and Jiraiya, that whoreson. I liked him. I thought he was honest. I really did."
Slap.
His head flew to the side. He stared at Sakura, who looked as terrible as he felt. "Listen to you," she shouted in his face. "Listen to you…this—this is fucked up enough as it is. Don't you dare add more shit to that list." She took a deep breath, putting both hands on his shoulders, squeezing hard. "One problem at a time, Naruto. They have Kakashi-sensei. What do we do?"
Sakura's words cleared at least some of the confusion in his head, and now that the steam he had blown vanished, shame welled up inside of him. They, too, had been lied to, but none of them reacted like this, while he just melted down like a little girl. But fuck Jiji, fuck Jiraiya, and fuck his damn pride. The worst was that Sakura had to slap him, that he had ignored her pleas because he wanted to vent, that he lost it like that because he couldn't control himself.
As a Jinchūriki, loss of control was the nukenin in the shadows that kept him awake at night. Things like this couldn't happen, not to him.
"I—You're right," he stammered. "One problem at a time."
"We should get to the checkpoint," Sasuke said.
Having fashioned himself a rope out of his old shirt, Sasuke now tied the sheath of his sword on his back. Also, the Magatama was dangling proudly from his neck. It looked ridiculous, but in a way that made Naruto forget his self-incrimination for a second and wrestled a tired smile from him. The girls back in the academy would've loved that getup. As always though, Sasuke didn't care.
"Then we should sleep," he said. "Anger makes for a horrible advisor."
A truth Sasuke probably knew better than anyone else.
AN: My thanks go out to DLP for helping with the edits and being all around awesome counsel.
Also, shameless self plug: I made a Jiraiya AMV. You can find the link in my profile if you want to take a look.