Clash in the Snow Country: Legacy Version
Chapter 18 - Jaws of Defeat
(Author's Note) Well, I trust you've all heard that I am officially Tellemicus Sundance's successor to his Legacy Series. However, both he and myself feel it would be best to finish Ninja Clash first, then move on to Chuuten. So I must regretfully ask for your continued patience for Chuuten. I shall write as quickly as I am able.
10:17 am
Snow Ninja littered the ground like leaves all around the current landscape. Dozens of figures now lay unconscious from various injuries, be it from jutsu, explosions or good old-fashioned beatings. Towering shinobi like Danmari had been cut down, and Yuki-nin with bloodlines such as Gyokuei Hari, Fujiwara Sekimu, Atsusa Ikkoku and Oketsu Murasaki were napping in the ground with serious injuries. Others with special abilities such as Kugi of the Shiroikuma Clan and Oniikei of the Heaairon Clan were just as out cold as their fellows.
Shinobi with unique skills like Eimin's Underworld Barrier, the Mitsugo Triplets acrobatic antics, Tettsui's Ice Shield Style or Ganko Oyaji's four-sided bladed axes had also proven ineffective, just as much as shinobi with more traditional fighting moves like Bi Bou, Hanani Kakeru, Chiru, and Yashinka. Even stronger shinobi like Tadashii Reigi had fallen. Ninja who had used the special Snow Tech like the Multi-Staffs, Shuriken Throwers, Multi-Fuuma Shuriken Throwers and Chakra Wires had also faired poorly.
The train with the kunai launchers had also been reduced to mere scrap, blown to pieces from five simultaneousness attacks. Kazahana Doto himself was buried in the center of the area, his Icha Icha underwear for the world to see as his legs kicked frantically around, trying to pull himself out.
Team 7 was currently standing in front of Princess Koyuki herself, breathing hard as the two Kage Bunshins exploded into nothingness, their power spent from the jutsu attack. The three Leaf Genin all looked like a wreck, covered with scars, bruises, and bumps. Portions of their clothes were gone as well, such as Sakura's long sleeve gloves, and Naruto's jacket now boasted several large holes. Sakura managed a couple more deep breaths before she fell face first on the ground, not even having the energy to catch herself, her heart pounding madly against her chest and her breathing erratic.
Sasuke joined her a moment later as he landed on all fours gasping for air. Sweat was dripping down his face like rain, stinging the scars over his right eye.
Naruto, thanks to the Kyuubi outburst, had been refreshed greatly, but even he still felt weary and tired from all the fighting. Like several of Rock Lee's weights had been strapped on him. Placing his hands on his knees to hold himself upright, he glanced to his left at his two teammates and gave a small chuckle. "I hardly recognize you two with your faces kissing the ground like that." He allowed himself a small smirk.
"Oh, shut... up..." Sasuke countered, his face flushing slightly before quickly shaking it off. He tried getting to his feet, but quickly decided that staying on the ground for a few more minutes couldn't hurt.
The blond himself took a few more quick breaths before standing up straight. He could feel new adrenaline rushing through him as he rubbed his hands together in excitement. Now that the battle was over, he could look over all the new jutsu he just witnessed!
He smiled as he let his mind wander back to some of the jutsu he had seen in the fight. There was that Kaze Kiwa rip-off that Kakeru made. Perhaps he could do it with his own kunai? Surprise the enemy when they were sharper than expected? Or maybe that underworld barrier thing? Sure, the ninja was a weirdo, but that barrier was sure damn effective! Naruto just itched from the possibilities that his mind was zipping through to come up on that thing! And that Kyuu Rin Woota no Jutsu (Ball of Frigid Water) was just kickass! That one he definitely had to learn! Maybe he could use the basis of his Rasengan... throw in a little suiton... then fuuton at the last second to recreate it! That Ice Morphing Weapon the three bozos used could be damn useful as well! Wouldn't have to worry about running out of kunai or any weapon! Hell, those lightning jutsu like Denka Te (Electric Charge Arm) or that Boufuuken no Jutsu from that Bi Bou freak were so compelling, Naruto was ready to try them out! He had yet to experiment with lightning, so the possibilities were just endless! "Oh man... I can't wait to..."
Sasuke cleared his throat, drawing Naruto out of his personal fantasies as the scarred boy pointed at the defeated ninja. The blond let a small chuckle as he rubbed his head in embarrassed. "Right... forgot about them. I'll take care of it, Sasuke-chan. You just rest like the old lady you are."
"Shut up, dobe. I'll pay you back for that... later..." At that, Sasuke managed to get to his feet. Barely. He gave a grunt at Naruto's mocking sneer as he hoisted Sakura up to her feet, supporting her weight. "You doing alright?"
She looked dead on her feet and a bit pale, her eyes barely open. She managed a simple 'hai' grunt as she looked up at the battle site, a look of disbelief in her eyes as though she couldn't believe she had fought and survived in such a fight.
Naruto shot them both a look, wanting to tell them just to rest right now, but he couldn't help but feel a lingering resentment towards Sakura at the moment. She had used one of his jutsu in the fight: the Kaze Kiwa. Sure, it was a poor version and she did remake it into her own version, but that didn't change what she had done. Exploiting the knowledge that she had stolen from him for her own benefit.
Once he thought those last three words, he immediately regretted thinking them. That wasn't fair. It was in the middle of an intense battle and against a crazy woman and options were few, his own hands being locked in place due to that earth jutsu. If she hadn't joined the fight, things could have gotten quite ugly for him. So with that in mind, he was prepared to thank her for the aid and compliment her on her ingenuity for how she modified the Kaze Kiwa in the middle of a battle.
Maybe she'd even be willing to compare notes on the two.
The only thing that kept the loudmouth blond from asking her about it now was the fact she looked more like the living dead than an active kunoichi. So, resolving to put it off until later, his hands automatically formed the seal for the Kage Bunshin. He then remembered that stupid 'Disable' jutsu used by Crushed-Fan-san earlier, before realizing he didn't feel the affects of the thing on him anymore. Quickly, he slapped his forehead, feeling for that damned imprint on his forehead.
It was gone.
How long had it been gone? Are you telling him that he could had used his Shadow Clones earlier!? How much earlier? That would have been... he cut himself off with two quick slaps to the face, breaking himself out of his mental tirade. Didn't matter now. Crossing his fingers, he created two dozen clones, motioning to them to start rounding up the unconscious Yuki-nin. His eye scanned the horizon until it locked onto Doto's still-kicking form.
There was the end to the mission right there. Doto was ripe for the picking, his men defeated, his train wrecked, and stuck in the snow just waiting to be picked like a spring flower. There wouldn't be a better opportunity than this right now.
That's when a metal fist slammed right into Sakura's head.
Both boys flinched badly as Sakura was propelled from Sasuke's grasp into the air and then fell in the lake, water splashing all around as she sank beneath the surface. Both boys whipped their heads to the side and their jaws dropped. In the air was an air blimp! An actual air blimp! The passenger car, called a gondola, was located underneath the blimp portion, which was many times larger than the gondola. The gondola itself looked about three levels high, with four tail fins located on the bottom of the gondola.
At a rear entrance, Mizore was standing there, his left metal arm extended, having reached far enough to deal a powerful blow to Sakura's cranium and send her into the lake. Naruto could make out a grin on the man's face as the arm retracted itself in a flash, grabbing Koyuki by the waist and pulling her up to the air blimp, the princess screaming all the way up as she reached Mizore himself, right as Nadare jumped out of the doorway, heading right towards a struggling Doto.
The two boys acted at once (both swearing they heard a faint voice saying 'Who told you to cut!?'), with Naruto heading towards the blimp while Sasuke made a mad dash for the water. They didn't get far before Fubuki appeared in the sky, hurling kunai down at the boys. Though they missed the boys, they exploded into huge, deadly icicles powerful enough to skewer a metal truck. Naruto found himself barely dodging them as a result.
Realizing he needed another method for the plan, he redirected his Kage Bunshins to attack the air blimp himself.
While he went in another way...
Sasuke himself was running as fast as he could manage, which frankly was about a third of his normal speed to the lake. He shot a look into the sky at Fubuki, having to resist the urge to beat the crap out of her alongside the other Snow Ninja he had defeated. But now was not the time. There were more important matters to deal with than a flying ice bitch.
Without hesitation, Sasuke dove into the freezing cold lake.
Same time
Kaijo
Kajio felt his jaw hit the ground as he had to slap both hands over his mouth to prevent himself from making a sound. It wasn't fair! The three of them had just won an overwhelming victory and more snow shinobi arrived so quickly. Sakura was in the lake, Sasuke was swimming after her, and he couldn't even tell where the real Naruto was. He looked over at his boss. "Makino-san... we have to..."
The old man just gave a solemn nod, his confidence gone like a flickering candlelight in the wind. "I know... but there's nothing we can do. We have to get out of here."
Kaijo and the actors were going to protest until Makino pointed to the horizon, showing why they... and, in fact, everyone, had to leave the area now. The low rumble and darkening skies in the distance told them all they needed to know.
Already the rest of the crew slowly began gathering up and heading out under careful cover. Kaijo looked at them all in disbelief before glancing back at the battlefield. "But... what about...?"
"We don't have a choice," Makino emphasized, leading Kaijo away.
"There must be something we can do!"
"Have faith. That's all we have left now."
Air Blimp Ironwill, 10:24 pm
The air blimp was perhaps the most recognizable symbol of Doto's power and reign over the Snow Country. It constantly traveled the country in the air, a constant reminder of who it was that was in charge. That only Doto's iron will was powerful enough to make the Snow Country strong, which was why the blimp had been aptly named as such.
The air ship traveled in erratic and random patterns from the capital, to Doto's Castle, to Yukigakure, to the many villages, towns and cities located throughout the country as well as the local lords' private estates. It was like a looming beast in the sky that hunted for its prey. And like prey, when people saw the blimp in the sky, they would drop everything and get out of sight, hoping that the looming beast would simply pass over them.
Because if the Ironwill did descend on you, it was said tragedy was not long in waiting.
The interior of the air blimp was divided into three levels. The bottom most level was the cargo hold for supplies, weapons, extra parts, equipment for Snow Ninja, even sleds were stored there. At the foremost part of the level was a small brig. A small freight elevator was located in the back, connecting to the next level. The second level was a mixture of an engine room, the bridge, and a lounge. The engine room was located in the rear, next to the freight elevator for easy access for materials should anything break. In the middle of the deck was a small lounge off to the starboard side, where Doto sat and relaxed while traveling, or consulting with another important figure. The bridge occupied the remainder part of the deck, operated by a six-man crew for steering and navigation.
The top level was mostly an observation deck where ninja were stationed, constantly looking through the windows out at the countryside. It also allowed for quick access to the sky for fliers like Fubuki. The Ironwill only required a crew of 12, half for piloting and the other half for engineering and maintenance, but could carry up to 18 passengers, typically shinobi to carry out Doto's will. And it was manned entirely by Doto's Loyalist shinobi faction.
Though currently, the shinobi were defending from the Kage Bunshin attacks as they fired down jutsu and kunai at the blond clones from the blimp's windows.
The rear elevator door opened as Doto (now donning a fresh pair of pants) walked up to the bridge and looked down at the landscape as the Naruto clones attempted to attack and board his precious airship. A vain attempt. His shinobi were maintaining their positions and not one little blond runt would get aboard. Losing interest in the show rather quickly, he looked over and saw two of his Loyalists escorting Koyuki in, sitting her at the couch in the lounge.
Doto resisted the urge to give a big smile; he preferred small ones. It kept people guessing what he was up to. What a day. The last pocket of resistance for his brother was gone and his niece had been returned to him. And soon those three brats of Hatake Kakashi's would be six feet under.
"You've grown quite beautiful, Koyuki," Doto said. Koyuki merely shifted her position on the sofa to get more comfortable, so he continued. "Tell me, little princess... do you have the Hex Crystal with you?"
"Hai."
"Good. It is the sole remaining link to the Kazahana Clan and the key to opening its treasure."
Koyuki's eyes opened, looking up at her uncle. "A key? Treasure?"
Doto gave a nod. "When I wrested this land from your father's hand, the Kazahana's resources were all but gone thanks to that fool's ridiculous experiments. I knew Sousetsu had a financial reserve hidden somewhere, as he was too soft to bankrupt his country for his own pleasures. I searched for a long time... and finally I found it three years ago, ironically when the last Guardian fell.
"It is hidden deep within the Rainbow Glacier. There's a keyhole there that can only be opened by the Hex Crystal. Once I have possession of the Kazahana fortune, our country will attain military superiority of the five great nations!"
Koyuki gave her own small smile in return. "Is that so? I just saw fifty of your snow ninja get their heads handed to them by three genin from one of those villages. Your standing resources are pitiful, so even with my father's wealth, you won't be able to properly support one campaign, let alone five. And if you do attack the great villages, there are still the minor ones to content with."
"They won't be a problem," Doto said, picking up a glass and pouring himself some wine. "While it is true that minor villages have allied with the major ones, such as Ame, Kusa and Taki to Konoha, they are alliances of convenience." He finished pouring, then offered Koyuki a glass, who made no move to get it.
"The Third Shinobi War…" Doto paused, taking a sip. "…was essentially a conflict of the major nations, with Rock and Leaf being the main driving forces. Sand supported Rock and Mist supported Leaf. Cloud had remained detached, striking only when opportunity appeared and retreating just as often. And the minor villages served as little more than just battlefields for the great villages."
Koyuki knew this.
The Third Shinobi War had started as a result of the Sand Village assassinating an official of the neighboring Wood Country as part of a plan to annex the territory and valuable resources the country had to offer for an arid climate like the Wind Country. However, the Sand Ninja slipped up. While he did kill the official, his identity was discovered, forcing him to swiftly return to Sunagakure.
National pride of Wood had demanded the life of the Sand assassin in exchange for peace, or else they would declare war. Sand had refused, knowing full well that even if Wood did follow through, they would likely lose in the end anyway.
Two weeks later, Wood followed up on its threat, marching on Wind's borders with Rain and Grass ninja in tow as the three villages had a working alliance between them. Rock, which had been on friendly terms with Sand, attacked as well once news of the fighting had spread. With Rock striking from the North and Sand from the South, the two countries pincered the Wood Country on both sides, crushing them in between and establishing a land route between the two Great Countries.
Rain and Grass had been forced back as Sand and Rock pressed forward, with the eventual invasion of Waterfall to allow the two main villages to strike at the minor villages from another side. This led Waterfall into the war, and soon the Hidden Leaf due to their alliance. In a surprising move as well, Mist came out from its island borders, backing up the Leaf, which resulted in pushing the Rock and Sand forces out of the minor countries. Mist's aid to the Leaf shocked everyone and it was believed they were using the alliance as an excuse to increase their own military might for their own future plans.
That's when Lightning decided to enter the war. Keeping no alliances and striking at anyone in the hope of expanding its own borders and boosting their own economy, striking the minor nation of Hotsprings south of them. Fearing that this would happen to them, Cloud's strikes prompted other minor villages of Kagerougakure, Moyagakure, and Tanigakure to side with Sand and Rock as they were still considered the current powerhouse of the war due to their momentum and position.
And that's how – a mere seven months after the fighting had started – the war became known as the Third Great Shinobi War, or the Great Nation's War. With the original reason long forgotten, it was now all about the great nations seeking expansion and benefits for themselves in order to further their own standing against one another. Minor villages were swept away in the wind and found themselves siding with whomever came along simply to survive. Some villages even switched sides multiple times as the war dragged on, as the minor countries became no more than battlefields for the five great shinobi nations. And this dragged on for many years.
A final chance at victory came in the form of a critical Grass Country bridge. This allowed Rock and its allies free and unobstructed movement into Leaf's borders, a move that would have led to total victory. If it could be destroyed, then Leaf could choke the supply lines out of the Rock forces immensely, leaving them weakened enough for Leaf to gain the upper hand.
With a plan lead by the future Yondaime Hokage, Leaf had been successful. Once the key bridge in the Grass Country was destroyed, victory had all but been assured for the Leaf forces. Leaping on that, Sand suddenly switched its support from Rock to Leaf, allowing Leaf to push Rock all the way back to their own country and secure victory along the way with one final strike into the heart of the Earth Country that resulted in the Earth Daimyo suing for peace. Sand had gotten away with its change of heart because after years of war, Rock was in no position to retaliate against Sand and Leaf was in no position to turn down Sand's offer, though it did cost Sand plenty in terms of resources and land to prove they were sincere about backing the Leaf. Mist, surprisingly, withdrew from its alliance with Konoha, apparently no longer interested in dealing with problems on the mainland, or so they claimed. At the same time, Rain, Grass and Waterfall leapt at the chance to ally with Leaf, establishing an alliance between the five villages that lasted all the way to the most recent Chunin exam only a few months ago. Only Cloud remained largely unaffected by the end of the war due to their smaller role.
Still, the price had been high. The Wood Country ceased to exist entirely by war's end, its eastern and western borders absorbed by Bird and Rain countries respectively. Remnants of Wood, such as their infamous wild card, the Hannya clan, still survived to this day, but there were few. Many countries, the minors in particular, were left with devastation that they were still recovering from even over a decade later. Lightning and Mist had withdrawn to their own borders, and Rock and Sand had to pay considerable fees to Leaf as both loser and turncoat, leading to the establishment of Konohagakure as the strongest of the five great nations. A title it still held now.
During that war, Snow had discreetly sided with Rock, sending them support under the table. In the last remaining years, Snow had been uncovered, forcing them to send a token force led by the then-current Kagirinai Kachuu Yacho, to aid Rock. More would have followed, but with Mist at their doorstop, the majority of Snow's forces were needed to thwart them off. And indeed, many times Mist came at Snow and it was only through Mikata's leadership and skill that they were able to beat them back each time. This was what led Mikata to becoming the next Kagirinai Kachuu once it was reported that Yacho was killed.
"Once it becomes clear that Snow is challenging Leaf and the others," Doto went on, taking another sip of his drink, "The minor villages will sit back and watch to see if we succeed or not. They won't help Leaf or the others. And when the major villages start falling, the minors will be willing to take them on as well. And there's more of them than there are of the major ones. They will be crushed... and Snow will be leading them, establishing ourselves on top of the new shinobi world."
Same time
Sasuke
Sasuke swam deeper into the ice-cold water, doing his best not to think how chilling these waters were. He could barely see Sakura, about five meters below him, still unconscious from what he could tell. It was getting dark down here.
He then caught something out of the corner of his eye. Looking up at the surface, he flinched badly at what was going on. He immediately started heading back up when he looked back down to see the girl.
If he didn't get up to the surface now, they were going to be in serious trouble, but Sakura would probably be dead by the time he dove back in for her.
But if he continued to dive down for her, odds were both of them would be dead.
"Abandon her," Itachi's voice whispered. "Leave her. You can't save her and yourself. Break the bond and leave."
As soon as those words finished, Sasuke continued diving deeper without hesitation.
Ironwill
"You really think you can win?" Koyuki asked, sure that Doto had lost his mind. "Just one of the main villages outnumber and outclass Snow and you're talking about taking on all five. You don't have the manpower, the finances or the means to do."
Doto set his glass down. "That is where you are wrong, Koyuki. I have maintained old trade agreements with Rock, enough to keep Snow from going bankrupt by selling them some of our lesser toys, so we are not as penniless as you believe. I have started building Yukigakure's strength ever since I first took control." He then gestured his arms around. "And of course, I have means such as this airship that the other nations do not possess. With Sousetsu's fortune, I'll be able to build an entire airship fleet that surpasses this one. And that's just one of the advantages Snow will have."
"Doto-sama," a Loyalist spoke up from the helm. "The last of the clones have been destroyed with no sign of the real one."
Doto turned around and walked over to the man, looking down at the sight. "That is unfortunate." He looked out the window and frowned. "Prepare to leave at once. We'll have to collect later."
"What of our defeated colleagues?"
"Leave them. It's more than they deserve."
"Hai, Doto-sama."
At that instant, the freight doors burst right open and the place flooded with a ton of Narutos. The Yuki-nin were caught completely by surprise as the clones slammed into them. The Snow Shinobi on the top level immediately began attacking, the blimp rocking back and forth between the fighting.
Doto and several of the bridge crew moved when one of the Yuki-nin that brought in Koyuki elbowed the other, then grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the ground.
Naruto grinned behind the henge he was using. Once Mizore left, it was pathetically easily to knock out one of these Snow "Ninja", and then replace him. He then created a small horde of clones to hide in the lower cargo. From there it was only a matter of waiting and listening for the right moment to strike. And now it was here.
Immediately Naruto grabbed Koyuki in the confusion. "What did I tell you about running away?" he asked the bitch, letting her know just who was saving her.
"Naruto?" the Snow princess said in surprise. Once again, he threw the young woman on his back and jumped up to the upper level, kicking a snow ninja down to the lower level. He planned to jump out of the air ship to the ground, using his Kaze Tate. At full power, it would be a powerful enough burst to allow them to land safely on the ground. Sasuke was sure to have gotten Sakura out of the lake by now and they all could flee into the forest, in order to decide their next move.
At least... that was the plan, until he looked out the window and his jaw dropped.
The lake was almost completely frozen over. Fubuki was flying over the lake, hurling those ice kunai over and over. Each time the kunai hit the lake, it erupted in large icicles, freezing a portion of the lake over completely. And there was only small area left as Fubuki flew towards it, kunai ready... and Sasuke and Sakura were nowhere in sight.
Don't tell me... Naruto thought in horror. They were still in there! "STOP!!!"
That moment cost Naruto his only chance of escape as the freight doors opened up, revealing Nadare and Mizore. The Analyst jumped up to the upper level and backhanded the henged Snow Shinobi in the face, sending him and Koyuki crashing back to the lower level, the henge dispelling.
Mizore's metal arm shot out again, slamming into many of the Naruto clones, dispersing many in that single shot. He retracted his arm half way then started whirling the arm like a chained mace, making short work of the rest.
Naruto quickly tried to get to his feet, but Nadare was already on him as he launched himself right at Naruto, sweeping the boy's legs out from under him. Nadare spun around and elbow-dropped right onto Naruto's throat. The boy hit the ground hard, splintering the wooden floor. After a brief cry of pain, Naruto backflipped to his feet... only to find a large number of wires fired from Mizore as they started wrapping around him.
Riken'ya no Mizore smiled as he jerked his hand, the wires tightening around Naruto in a second as the boy fell to the ground, helplessly bound. Both mentally and physically.
Same time
Sasuke
The Uchiha finally grabbed hold of the unconscious Sakura and began hauling her back up to the surface as fast as he could. He had seen Fubuki slowly freezing the entire lake and knew that time was short. Already his lungs were crying for air and he could only imagine that Sakura was worse off. He could only see one unfrozen area only three meters left. By the gods, he was going to make it before it froze over! There was no way in HELL that he was drowning to death in this damn forsaken...
One meter short of the surface, the last patch of water froze up entirely.
Nooooo!! Sasuke gave a mental scream as he clashed against the ice. He gave a few futile punches against it, even knowing it was pointless. But Uchiha Sasuke was not going to just roll over and die! Up to his last breath he was going to fight for his life!
He felt Sakura slip through his arm for a second and he quickly regrabbed her as he noticed his gaze going dark. His lungs were on fire and he could feel the last remnants of his strength fading.
Air! Air! AIR!!!
Back on the air blimp
Nadare noticed the boy struggle against his bonds as he felt the Ironwill change direction and speed away from the area. Such a pity. The boy definitely had fire in his veins. Fires Nadare would have taken great pleasure in dousing.
However, fate obviously had other ideas as the San Eihei had missed such a great clash. Not even a recording of the fight had been made, furthering preventing Nadare from learning of the feats accomplished during this fight that no one expected to happen.
And now all three genin were beaten, two dead and the third captured.
Such a pity indeed.
Breathing out at the small injustice of this whole ordeal, he looked over at his leader and gave a small bow. "My apologies for the racket. As you can see, the little runt was quite a handful."
"No matter," Doto said, a bright smile on his face as Fubuki flew in from a window hatch. "I am most pleased to have this one with me again. And his secrets will be mine."
The other Jonin male spoke. "I'll tell ya, I don't know who this brat is... but his level of chakra is very strong for someone his age." He turned to Doto with a smirk. "Just for a precaution, maybe we should try that contraption out on him."
The Daimyo looked thoughtful at the idea. "He would make for an interesting test subject. All the more so if he's what I suspect he is." He looked at Nadare and gave a jerk of the head.
It seemed that he was going to lose any lingering chance of seeing this Uzumaki Naruto in action as he opened a compartment on the wall. Inside was a gear-like object with a power seal in the center, much like those you found on the Chakra Armor, though this seal featured a dull red and blue pattern as opposed to the light blue and white pattern on the armor. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking it out.
The man gave it a small twist, taking off the lid as Mizore held Naruto up by the neck with his metal arm. Nadare promptly shoved the device against the boy's torso and give it a small abrupt turn.
The effect was instantaneous. Six tubes emerged from around the center, moving like snakes as they burrowed into the boy's flesh, latching onto him like a leech. A very hungry leech. Electricity surged throughout the boy. At first, he clenched his teeth in an attempt not to scream, but a few seconds later, scream he did as Mizore let him fall back to the deck.
"What is that?!" Koyuki asked, horrified.
"It's a Chakra Restraint Device," her uncle answered, enjoying watching the boy who foul-mouthed him squirming. "That device will absorb any chakra that's stored in his body and bind it behind a powerful barrier. Once it's activated, it cannot be broken or destroyed... no matter what."
Naruto felt himself breathing hard, much like he had when he summoned Gamabunta. Only instead of being exhausted, he felt he was being drained further on top of that exhaustion. He never felt so light-headed in his life.
"Not looking much like a ninja, are you, shadow clone boy?" Fubuki said, giving off her own smile. "20 ryo says he won't survive the day with it."
"You'd best hope those odds are wrong, Fubuki-chan," Doto said in a harsh voice, making the snow kunoichi shut up immediately.
Koyuki calmed herself, letting her face fall back into the emotionless mask she had worn so well. It had slipped for a moment there. "Now..." She turned around to see Doto walking up to her, his hand out. "... I'll take the Hex Crystal, if you don't mind."
Seeing no point in delaying or defying, she reached behind her neck and undid the string, handing it over to him. Doto eagerly took it before his smile faded. "What is this?"
Before the actress could say anything, her uncle grabbed her by the collar. "This isn't a game! You think I don't know this is a fake!?"
"F-fake...?" Koyuki repeated in disbelief. She looked at the Hex Crystal and saw he was right. At first glance, it did look like the Hex Crystal, but upon further inspection, it was only an icicle craved into the shape of the Hex Crystal, and rather crudely at that. "No... that's impossible...!" She shot a glance at Naruto.
Doto noticed her look and glance at Naruto. "Search him!"
Nadare, intrigued by this revelation knelt down and began patting the boy over as he took the boy's weapon pouch and kunai holster, dumping the weapons and items all over the floor. "Where is it?" he demanded to the boy.
"Piss off."
"Colorful language won't..." he stopped short, his eyes focusing. "Wait a second." He moved the boy's collar down a bit, seeing a necklace.
"What do we have here?" he asked loudly as he slipped it off the boy, ignoring the boy's protests. Nadare stood up, holding the necklace for all to see. It was a three-piece necklace, with a long crystal of sorts flanked by two smaller pieces on either side.
"Give. That. Back," Naruto growled, his voice hard. "Or I'll rip out your tongue and shove it down your throat!"
Doto, Mizore and Fubuki looked at the necklace with disinterest, seeing it wasn't the Hex Crystal as Doto threw Koyuki back on the sofa. Nadare, on the other hand, bent down, holding it in front of Naruto's face. "This is precious to you, isn't it?"
"Give it back!" the boy snapped again.
Nadare was liking this. The fire was back in the boy's spirit. Perhaps the opportunity was not lost after all. He slipped it on himself, looking at it in his hand. This, however, only caused the boy to laugh. "I missed the joke."
The one-eyed boy just gave a knowing smile. "You just sealed your fate."
"On the contrary," Nadare shot back, letting the necklace fall against his chest. "I think fate has smiled on me."
"Nadare, I don't care about your tastes in jewelry," Doto said. "Find the Hex Crystal."
"I doubt it's on his person," the Snow Shinobi said, looking at his boss. "Either he hid it somewhere... or..." he paled slightly.
Fubuki and Mizore got it immediately as did Naruto. "Sasuke has it," Naruto said quickly. "If you want it back, you better - "
"Set them free from their ice prison?" Fubuki guessed, looking very worried. She jumped to the upper level once again. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Stop." Doto ordered, Fubuki already halfway out the window. The Kagirinai Kachuu looked at Naruto. "The boy is lying. Hoping that you will save his friends."
"But... Doto-sama..." Mizore stated. "If the blond brat doesn't have it, then one of the other two must, with Kakashi dead."
"Then we know right where to look." Doto replied, giving off another smile. "We'll excavate their corpses tomorrow and retrieve the Hex Crystal. And Naruto can be reunited with his friends then!"
Nadare saw the boy furious for a second before a few tears fell down his face. Fubuki looked around then climbed back inside, leaping down to Naruto and giving some puppy talk as she tickled his chin.
He bit her fingers.
"GET HIM OFF ME!!!" Fubuki roared, trying to get her hand free as Mizore moved in to help. Nadare had to keep himself from laughing at the sight of Mizore trying to pull Naruto off Fubuki's hand while she bashed the boy with her free hand repeatedly. The boy's spirit was still intact even with his friends gone. Good. Nadare was going to jump on the next chance he had to see if the boy was worth his salt.
"Soon," Doto said as Mizore and Fubuki finally managed to get Naruto off as the man dragged him down to the brig below. "The Hex Crystal will be in our grasp and our plans will be realized at long last." He crushed the fake crystal in his hand, then let the dust slip through his fingers. "The age of the Five Great Ninja Villages is over... and the time of Snow has come!"
On the verge of victory in a seemingly hopeless mission, Team 7 finds it cruelly slapped away only a few minutes later. Their leader already gone, two more have been condemned to a watery prison and the final member locked away in an airship for hardships he knows not.
This is Team 7's...
… ultimate defeat.
(Author's Note) Whew! Done! And with a normal-sized chapter once more! I can't tell you how good it feels to go back to manageable chapters. And what a chapter it was! Team 7's victory is snatched away from them before they can enjoy it and it looks like all is lost. Raise your hands if you actually believe that ^_^
Something I noticed that my last chapter seemed a bit misleading, making several think it was the end of the story. It is only about halfway at this point, and I believe the misconception came from my ending note about Team 7's moment about being bestowed the name 'Konoha no Gogyou' as a final note of a story, rather than an element of foreshadowing, since we now know why Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke have been named such in Chuuten. I apologize to all who were misled. It was not my intention.
I'd like to take a moment to response some anonymous reviews. And I want everyone to hear this.
Special thanks to Tellemicus Sundance and Arganaut for helping me iron out the details of the Third Shinobi War.
First from Anonymous.
Anonymous has stated that he/she was disappointed. Not nearly good as he/she had hoped. That I stretched it out too much, Team 7's stamina especially and that I should have given Team 7 a chakra pack. Another point he/she called me out on stating that Konoha was only strong due to its bloodlines and that I... in the reviewer's own words... 'this chapter absolutely blew away the two primary bloodlines of konoha, with almost every other named character featuring some sort of unique battle skill. Consistancy is a must.'
Furthermore, Anonymous acknowledges my research as extensive and that the problem is I researched all the wrong cliches in the business. That he/she 'was sick of the 50+ ninjas doing amazing combination jutsu and missing entirely or doing what, at the time, appears to be major but then is quickly forgotten( a la scorched backs after climbing out of spike pit and ducking a katon jutsu). When you did remember them, they all seemed to catch up all at once, only to be forgotten AGAIN (which could be chalked up to adrenaline and instinct, but would have been better if it had been discussed formally instead of left to the reader's imagination).'
He also calls out on the usage of Nana and Popo, saying I have no permission to use them as well as my use of exclamation points in narrative text. That he/she found this chapter mediocre in both planning and execution. And finally that 'Your dedication is a breath of fresh air, but please, if you KNOW its not possible to write a good 50k chapter, write smaller, better chapters.'
First, let me thank Anonymous for the review. I have no problem being told I have done something wrong. I'm that type that's willing to take chances, make mistakes (yes, I used to watch the Magic Schoolbus). It's the only way to learn. With that said, here's my response to the review.
Alright, I'm sorry you feel disappointed. You compliment that I can write action with the best of them and for that I thank you. Though I am very curious how this chapter could have met your expectations. I throw out Snow Fire Users, Water ones. Earth. Wind. Lightning. Shinobi with bloodlines, and those with unique skills. I threw out a 100 meter tall Yeti, how many people were expecting a 100 meter tall Yeti? So by all means, do enlighten me on how the action could have been better.
Next about the stamina and stretching out. Yes, I already admitted in my previous chapter that I stretched it out too much. But in my opinion, it was worth it. The basis of the fight was 'Team 7 fights 50 ninja, they kick ass, they blow up train, VICTORY!' But just doing that was so... bland. Plus, it allowed me to do something I felt was very fun to do: allow reader input. I've been just on the reader end before, I know what it's like to offer suggestions and feedback and hope it gets added to the story somehow. Here's a rather funny example I did for Legacy of the Rasengan Part 1.
"As for guessing the new scenario for Itachi, I'm sure that whatever you have planned will be truly entertaining. My guess would be something involving the Hyuga, such as an assassination attempt on Naruto (whether the Hyuga council orders it or if some Hyuga simply act on their own). Itachi and Kisame use that as their distraction to separate Naruto from Jirayia. At the same time, Hinata and Neji find out what their clansmen are doing and go to warn/help Naruto and end up going with Naruto and Jiraiya to find Tsunade.(Hinata goes because of her feelings and Neji goes to try and truly understand Naruto and how he views destiny)."
And as we all know... Neji and Hinata did no such thing in the story. I bet Tellemicus laughed his head off in amusement at my suggestion.
The point is that I had an opportunity to allow reader input into a story... and I took it. It allowed the chapter to display the creative abilities of many other people's talent out there, not just me. And in my defense, that was well worth the stretching out.
As for giving Team 7 the Chakra Pack, that probably would have been a smart move. But remember back in Chapter 15, they all declined to take one, Sakura going as far to smash them, saying that they were more of a weakness than an asset. So in short, them wearing it would have been a contradiction. And as you amply said, 'consistency is a must'.
As for my cliches, researching the worst ones was my complete intention. And I based this research on forums I had visited, reading what members disliked and why and came to the conclusions I said in the last chapter.
For the snow shinobi, yes you can say they 'disappeared' when they were defeated. What did you want me to do? Mention in every paragraph that 'Danmari or Hari' are out cold? That would get very repetitive. They were 'forgotten' as you put it because they were out cold on the snow, so forgotten was the idea. They're out of the game. Now some of them did recover and re-enter the fight, and while this was emphasized greatly with named characters, it was meant to apply to ALL of the Snow Shinobi fighting. It was one of the best points I felt I could use to depict them as humans.
As for Popo and Nana... first off, I made sure to acknowledge that they weren't my own creations and give proper disclaimer for it with the line "The Ice Climbers, Popo and Nana, are the property of Nintendo. Credit goes to Neccor for their Naruto history version." It's right above the 'final enemies count' portion. Second, you do realize that this statement applies to EVERY aspect of fanfiction on this site, right? Anime. Cartoon. Movie. Book. Crossover. Naruto. Avatar. Star Wars. Lord of the Rings. Not one of these has any official permission from the source authors. That's why stating disclaimers and recognizing the creators is a requirement for each story, something I do at the end of each of my chapters. Third off, please tell me what difference it is to use the Ice Climbers material over say... the Naruto material in general. Fourth off, as I stated last chapter that the Ice Climbers, their Naruto version, their history and even their jutsu were all suggested by a reviewer, not I (and I gave him proper credit as well). I looked over the material I was given and decided to go ahead with it. And others quite enjoyed it.
Finally in regards to this line 'Your dedication is a breath of fresh air, but please, if you KNOW it's not possible to write a good 50k chapter, write smaller, better chapters.' I'm glad you appreciate my dedication and I thank you for it. But do not, even for one moment believe I would be willing post a half ass chapter. I most surely did not know if it was possible to post such a chapter or not.
Doing so was a gamble. I knew there was a chance it wouldn't be well received. But I also knew it was possible to receive positive remarks. If nothing else, it was a VERY interesting experience. Difficult, but interesting. And I gave Chapter 17 the most effort I had ever put into a fanfic chapter. I worked on it for months, giving it the best I could given what I was aiming for. And if I were to do it all over again, would I do it again? Yes. I would. The experience is one I want to keep. It's not one I would wish to repeat, but I certainly don't regret it.
So enclosing. Thank you for the large and insightful review and I'm glad to hear that you aren't a mindless reviewer. With that in mind, should you review again, I respectfully ask you to put a little more thought into your review. And make sure my errors... really are errors. Thank you.
Alright, next is addressed to evo.
He/she stated that it way too freakin long. And that did anyone die in it and that the whole aspect was overkill.
Again, thanks for the review. Okay, yes, it was way too long. I'll acknowledge that. Overkill is an ample word to describe it and to me, it's certainly a good thing, heh heh.
As for the death issue, several reviewers have also complained about this. Given it's a ninja story, it's a fair complaint. Here's my defense.
If you recall in chapter 15, Team 7 already went through the drama of 'do I have to kill', but let's go through them one at a time.
Sakura. As of this chapter, she has yet to take a life. And back in chapter 15, she was shaking badly at the thought of killing someone. She's not ready for it at this point. She even acknowledged that saving the life of one of her enemy (Hari) was a stupid move for her to make. But it's also human. That's why she didn't kill.
Sasuke. In chapter 16, Sasuke took his first life in the series with Shiga's death. And how he did it disturbed him considerably. In chapter 17, he stated he wasn't killing anyone because he didn't know if he was ready to more or not. Killing is a serious subject and I want to make sure I had the matter according.
Naruto. His first kill was Haku, back in Part 1 of the story in response to Haku "killing" Sasuke and Sakura. When he learned that Haku didn't survive, he was horrified. As a result, he doesn't kill unless he absolutely has to. With that in mind, most of the shinobi Naruto wouldn't need to fill the urge to kill them. Those that were a genuine threat, like Reigi, Naruto isn't going to hold that belief, not caring if they live or die at the end of it. It's just their luck. So while Reigi did live, if he had died, Naruto wouldn't have given it another thought.
Now that doesn't mean that Team 7 is going to have a 'We Don't Kill' mentality. All it means that the development of killing is going to be taken slowly. As I believe good development should.
Final one. From Ultron. And this review, I want all to see.
"Hello. You have done very well with creating this story. However, I believe that you may have overlooked a few personality traits of Tellemicus's Naruto. Please ignore it if my thesis is wrong, but isn't Naruto a bit more intelligent and patient than you make him out to be. Remember, doesn't he specialize in jutsu-making,therefore he is slightly more used to thinking back on and improving everything that he does. Also as a master prankster, and also due to his dark inner nature, he is first and foremost a master of stealth and deception and mid-battle strategy. Doesn't he always strike out with his newest and often most deadly techniques when he is assured of victory. One thing more, you still haven't had him do his 'thinking pose' which he always does when he reflects on the problems he is facing. Again, please disregard this mini-rant if I have incorrectly judged this Naruto. You are doing a rather good job with this fic though, and I hope that you continue and eventualy complete it. Best of luck."
First of all, thank you for the review and let me say, you are spot on. You are quite insightful. Something both Tellemicus and myself missed and give us both a good laugh. There are two things thing I want you to keep in mind.
First is that when this story started, it wasn't canon. That didn't happen until the fifth chapter and the first chapter of Chuuten. So I was adhering to keep within "Legacy canon" as much as I could, keep the characters in check and write similar to Tellemicus to his style of writing, but I also wanted to handle elements of the story my way so I could have my own skills recognized.
Second is that Naruto acting differently is half the point. Team 7 hasn't been exposed to a situation like the Snow Mission, exposing them to new dangers, new beliefs and new problems, so in my opinion, they should be reacting a little differently to what they have done in Part 1 and 2. Especially with the end of this chapter.
I will, however, openly admit that I should have used his 'thinking pose' at least when he was pondering on how to handle the different manipulations for the future Fuuton: Rasengan. I goofed on that and you caught. Job well done! I shall try harder in the future.
And if anyone read all this response, give yourself a pat on the back ^_^
I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Also, any jutsu that Tellemicus created that are used in this story belongs to him. Big thanks to Paintball-Gamer for beta-reading this!
