Kakashi turned the last page of his book and sighed, he had hardly expected to finish his book in the single mission but then again he hadn't expected to spend his days waiting around while pages in his bingo book were crossed out. Naruto stood off to his side slurping down the rest of his raman, Tenten and Hinata were taking their time with their food knowing they had little else to go but back to the inn or the scene of another murder.
"You know Naruto" said Kakashi, "you're not going to miss anything if you slow down."
"No kidding" said Tenten, "Nothing happening so why rush?"
A kunai crashed through there window and stuck into their table a paper bomb attached to the end, Kakashi grabbed Naruto as Tenten and Hinata ducked down as the table exploded sending food and table fragments everywhere, Naruto jumped up drawing a kunai.
"What was that about not needing to rush eating?" asked Naruto jumping out the hole the explosion caused; Tenten couldn't hear him over the ringing in her ear. Five men approached him weapons clutched in their hands, "Guess we should have attached another paper bomb" one of them said, "I told you, these leaf shinobi can't be taken so easily."
Naruto clutched the kunai tighter, "Who the hell are you guys?" he asked.
"Our names aren't really important," one of them explained, "we're just here to remove you four."
"You're making that sound a lot easier than it should be" he explained smirking, "You guys are already way over your head."
Naruto parried a sword thrust and elbowed the attacker in his sternum sending him down, he ducked a slash and stabbed his kunai into the man sending him down he lunged to strike another only to find the man was already getting knocked down by a red haired man in armor.
The metal from Nenshō's gauntlets hand engulfed his hand forming itself into a solid metal mallet cracking the man's skull open as he struck him down, a volley of arrows struck the man Naruto had elbowed as he started to stand, he turned to see Kumo sitting atop the teahouse bow in hand arrow knocked into the string shooting down another.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Naruto growled.
Kumo hopped down from his perch to check one of the bodies, "Saving you four" he explained, pulling up one of the man's shirts reveling a vest laden with paper bombs, "This man's a bounty hunter here to collect the bounty on us."
Kakashi stepped out of the teahouse Hinata and Tenten close behind; they'd managed to make sure the other patrons of the teahouse hadn't managed to get injured in the explosion, "Your average bounty hunter doesn't go into battle with a bomb vest on, what exactly is going on?"
"This man is under a genjutsu, he wasn't even aware he was wearing the vest" Nenshō explained, "our target Noburu seems to think of you four as a loose end, you should all leave if you wish to avoid further incident, were ending this."
"Ending it?" asked Tenten, "What are you talking about?"
"Noburu and his lieutenant Misuto are our last targets," said Kumo, "they've been pulling the strings here for the last three years and posted that bounty for the both of us we're going to end them… tonight."
"That hardly sounds wise" said Kakashi, "you'd be better off trying later; my guess is he's on his guard and waiting for word of how these few faired, I imagine by now someone is already sending word to him of how they failed, and of how you interfered."
"They took our masters sword" growled Nenshō.
"And waiting around won't change much of anything," explained Kumo "Misuto's powerful and possesses a strong hidden mist technique, as soon as we get a hundred meters of the compound they'll already know we've arrived, we're going to risk it."
"I see" said Kakashi, "but I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Kumo's hand moved towards his swords.
"Don't misunderstand me," Kakashi corrected pulling out his black bingo book, "if what you're saying is true, then this Noburu…here he is" he said finding the page, "he's an A ranked criminal and is directly responsible for the recent murders meaning I'm obligated to investigate, I'm afraid I have to accompany you."
Naruto looked at his sensei with disbelief, "No way Kakashi sensei, you can't be serious; I'm not working with them."
"We don't have time to argue about this Naruto" said Kakashi, "either you tag along or stay behind, that applies to every one of you."
The scene was dead quiet until Hinata spoke up, "I-I'll go… with you" She said clutching her hands to her chest.
"So will I" said Tenten, "I've seen enough innocent die here to allow anyone to get away with it I'm going too."
Everyone looked at Naruto who was glaring at Kumo, "Fine" he growled, "I'll tag along."
Misuto watched the mist swirl in the moonlight atop the compounds walls, five days of preforming his mist Jutsu he was starting to get impatient as well as tired, it didn't take much chakra to perform the Jutsu it only took concentration to keep it up, he only managed to get a few hours of sleep every day during high noon, some of his trained men could perform the hidden mist Jutsu but unlike him they couldn't sense object and people entering into the mist, they kept his sleeping patterns completely random in case anyone managed to figure out his dilemma.
He felt two forms enter the mist from the north, he moved along the wall to face it calling his archers to the north wall, they lined up and watched the illuminated mist before them trying to spot the two intruders.
Two silhouettes formed in the mist walking alongside one another, one of the guards knocked an arrow and pulled back the string letting the missile fly, the arrow soared through the mist hitting the target and breaking into splinters as it hit the taller of the two figures.
Misuto watched as the two figures came into view, it had been four years but he could still easily recognize his face, his black piercing eyes seemed to look straight through the mist directly at him, the others figure's face was blank covered by a white mask.
"Zabuza" he whispered looking at the face of his former master and his apprentice walking side by side towards the gates.
Zabuza and Haku leapt jumping atop the wall, flecks of blood splattered Misuto's face as his men were hit with Haku's needles. Zabuza slammed his bare hand into an archer's chest pulling out a handful of bloody flesh, another man charged him sword in hand but he spun dodging the blade and grabbing the man's throat with his gore covered fist squeezing the man's neck snuffing the life out, his neck turned blue and he clawed the hand holding him. Misuto could already tell his wind pipe had been crushed but the man didn't stop till his spine broke with an audible crack.
Misuto flashed hand signs and the mist began to swirl forming to faceless humanoid shape armed with icy curved Daos. They moved to attack Zabuza who moved to dodge slashing at them with a rusty kunai; they dissipated into swirling mist as soon as the blade made contact the icy swords shattered on the ground as they were destroyed.
"It seems you haven't just spent the last four years in a brothel Misuto, you've developed a most interesting Jutsu." Said Zabuza, moving towards him Haku moving towards his side tossing needles at the remaining mist clones.
"You're dead" Misuto hissed forming the proper hand signs to release the genjutsu, "Your genjutsu can't fool me Kumo."
The images of Haku and Zabuza distorted and the images of Kumo and the blond haired kid from the leaf village. More mist clones formed and the two moved into action, the kid tossing the needles and quickly dispatching the clones, Kumo discarded the kunai and drew one of his curved swords the mist clones disappeared and reformed themselves not even fully forming them to strike random arms and torsos slashed with their ice weapons; they dodged and deflected the blows perfectly mostly Kumo using his chakra threads to tangle the clones the threads stretched and attached to the blond haired ninja "You always did enjoy your puppets Kumo; they were all more annoying with your Byakugan."
An icy Dao stuck the bond kid making him disappear into a puff of smoke, a shadow cone, Misuto directed the mist clones to attack Kumo when his senses were overloaded feeling countless enemies enter the mist. He canceled the attack ordering his clones to attack the intruders; more of the kids shadow clones had converged on the wall working to attack him.
He eyed the nine clones surrounding him all of them trailing blue chakra threads controlling each of them in in perfect harmony, Kumo attached his chakra threads to the clones and took control of them commanding there movements flawlessly.
"The chakra you infuse in your mist concentrates itself when you form a clone; it's like a bright light to my eyes Misuto."
"Interesting" admitted Misuto, "but pointless, you're still outnumbered, and more vulnerable than ever."
The Narutos smirked, "and you're too dumb to realize our plan already worked."
Misuto eyebrows rose as Kumo moved the clones with the strings, "Noburu will be dead any minute now" he explained, "and so will you before long."
The wooden door shattered under Nenshō's steel boot as he broke it open. The brown haired Kunoichi jumped past him and dashed into the room a pair of steel sai in her hands. She lunged for Noburu who sidestepped her attack, he turned to face her, a tanto in hand Tenten withdrew back from him thinking he was trying to attack her, but the knife didn't move to cut her. The crime-lord slid the blade across his palm spilling his own blood.
"Watch out." Called Nenshō grabbing her shirt collar and yanking her back, the blood in his hand shot out forming into a long crimson spike stabbing into the wall.
"Are you ok?" he asked and Tenten nodded.
"Noburu smiled, "I take it you've never seen a Kekkei Genkai like this before" he said to Tenten cutting his other palm open letting the blood pool in his hands, "It was believed to have been lost for a hundred years, until I came along."
The pools of blood in his hands formed and extended into thin long crimson blades, he moved forward to them thrusting and slashing with the blood swords. Nenshō shifted the metal of his armor and formed a thick metal club in his hand.
"Try not to open any wounds" Nenshō said, "He can't bleed to death so there is no point."
Tenten nodded and deflected one of the red swords with her sai, Nenshō charged in brandishing the steel bludgeon, Noburu parried the club and moved to attack, Nenshō's focused his chakra and formed one his balls of fire in his palm thrusting it at him. Noburu spun around dodging the attack and sending his elbow across his face knocking him back. A sharp pain and the taste of copper filled his mouth; Tenten sent a kick strait into Noburu's side forcing him back. Her ankle snapped and she felt her mussels' burn in pain, she felt like she had kicked a block of stone.
"I have complete control of my blood little girl," he said extending one of the red blades in her direction, "it's like having armor inside my own body."
Tenten tried to dodge the red blade but her injured ankle shot pain up her leg as she tried to move slowing her, the blade cut into her shoulder and she screamed getting knocked back to the wall the rust colored sword pinning her to the wall.
"I expected this kind of foolish behavior from Nenshō, but to think the leaf village would choose to die helping them."
He retracted the blade as Nenshō moved to attack another fiery ball gripped in his hand tossing it at him, Noburu dodged letting the fire fly into the wall behind him were it burned a large hold before going out leaving.
"Stop playing with the bun-head" said Nenshō spitting out a glob of blood, "I'm the one who's going to kill your remember."
One of the clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, Misuto smirked, it had taken his mist clones long enough. Kumo's Byakugan was able to see everything from a 360 degree vision that could be extended indefinitely; he could see the chakra in his mist and noticed it gather when it formed a clone. Some of his other men had moved in to join the fight but they hardly managed to last very long against the clone puppets.
As another clone was destroyed he smiled, "I think you reached your limit Kumo" he said calling off the clones, "Are you really ready to die for a corpse Kumo?"
"Do you really think I'd come this far to go back on my word?" he asked smirking, "I've been prepared to die a long time Misuto threatening me with it won't get you anywhere."
He laughed, "Kill you? Why would I kill you when the Mist will reward me handsomely for turning you in again, there is still much they can learn of your Byakugan."
Misuto could feel Kumo glair at him through his tinted goggles, "I'd die before I go back" he swore, "I'd sooner hang myself than suffer though there cruelty."
"I'll tell them that when I hand you over to the tracker ninja" said Misuto stamping his foot activating the flash bomb he had hidden at the bottom of his sandal, the white blinding light reflected off the white mist intensifying the brightness, even though the tinted lenses it was blinding. Kumo and the clones covered their eyes screaming in agony, the clones dispersed in their respected clouds of smoke as they were assaulted by the mist clones leaving Kumo completely alone.
"The biggest weakness of the Byakugan" lectured Misuto as a mist clone formed behind Kumo stabbing in the side with its icy blade, "is that they are still your eyes, meaning if I can blind you it's useless." Kumo screamed in pain, the wound was far from fatal but certainly crippling his hand moved to hold it closed as another clone slashed at his calf severing the mussels. He forced his eyes open only to see an image of a smirking Misuto burned into his retinas, after a few second the image faded to a frowning Misuto flanked by two of his clones.
"It's a shame really, you waist all your potential for a dead man who never truly cared about you in the first place."
Another blade touched him though it didn't cut, the icy flat of the blade shattered against the side of his head knocking him over onto the ground.
Kumo chuckled causing Misuto to raise an eyebrow, "What's so funny? I don't think I've ever seen you laugh before."
"Your right" Kumo admitted, "It's strange but I can almost hear Zabuza lecturing me right now, calling me a fool like he used to."
Kumo pulled off his goggles and wiped the blood from his eyes, "in those years I spent training with him he never once praised me on my work, the closest thing he ever did to praising me was 'not' tell me I screwed up. You'd think I'd be bitter about it but in reality that accepting silence was more praise anyone except my dead mother had given me and I'm not about to forget that. You keep asking us why Nenshō and I are willing to die for a corpse… I'll make it simple for you. That corpse is more real than anything we have, Zabuza was the farther we never had and we don't dishonor our family."
"A shinobi doesn't feel love Kumo; didn't Zabuza ever teach you that?" Misuto crossed his arms amused at the young ninja.
"He did" he admitted with a sigh, "and I can already hear him berating me for being a fool, but I'm not as big a fool as you."
"How am I the bigger fool Kumo, you're the one who's bleeding out and on the ground?"
Kumo smirked, "I'm not the one who's getting distracted by my opponent."
Both mist clones as his side dissipated as kunai hit them, Hinata and Naruto emerged from the mist, Hinata leapt forward kunai in hand, she slashed at Misuto but an emerging clone parried the blow. Hinata leaped back to avoid a thrust from the sword. Naruto's clones engaged the emerging mist clones one by one while Hinata rushed to Kumo's side the veins of her Byakugan bulging.
"Get away from my half-brother" she said taking a defensive position.
"Brother?" he asked amused, "and I thought you'd try to kill the Hyūga, didn't you say you'd kill every Hyūga you could to protect your secret?"
Kumo didn't say anything to that; he was just as shocked to see Hinata come to his rescue. "Where's Kakashi?" he asked noticing the Jōnin's absence.
"He's handing a few bounty hunters we found in the woods he'll be here any minute." Explained Naruto sending another clone to oblivion with a kick.
"You didn't have to come to my rescue" said Kumo trying to stand up clutching his bleeding side; his hand pulled a small hand crossbow from his side. His sliced calf wouldn't allow him to fully stand so he settled for simply kneeling.
"I said I'd help you" explained Naruto, "and I'm not about to go back on my word just because of some creep with a fancy Jutsu."
"That's right" said Hinata, "besides, like it or not you're a part of my family, and I'm not about to dishonor that either."
Kumo smiled, "don't misunderstand, I mean you two don't need to help me I got this."
Kumo fired the crossbow into the air, a thin thread of steel trailed from the end and suddenly a thousand razor thin threads were pulled taught the mist swirled as they moved through the air only visible when they shone in the light. The threads cut through the clones and there ice swords before finding their way to Misuto. He didn't have a single chance to dodge as they sliced into him from a thousand different angles taking off his head and cutting his body to ribbons.
Kumo smirked before keeling over and vomiting bile and blood everywhere, Hinata followed the wires with her Byakugan and saw his tiny spider puppets attached to the walls there tiny steel legs gripped into the rock, there large backsides trailing the length of wire to one another.
She ran to Kumo, "hold still, I can heal you."
Kumo nodded, "I couldn't have sent the puppets out if he hadn't stopped to talk" he explained, "that man always talked too much."
Nenshō pressed his palm into the wall burning a hole into the wood, Noburu had managed to dodge his attack once again, the room was littered with burned holes and Nenshō wasn't sure how many more attacks like that he could do before he ran out of chakra. He grabbed the straps for his metal armor and let the heavy steel plates fall to the floor clanging against one another, he hardly had the chakra left to warp the metal, not that it would help him that much Noburu's blood manipulation could stand up to most attacks he could do with it, even trying to engulf him in metal and crush him would hardly work, he had learned that the hard way sparring with him years ago when they were allies. His blood armor could handle the pressure and all he would do was waist chakra, he had hoped to burn him with his fire palm technique, if he poured enough chakra into that attack he could melt though steel, but it was draining him and Noburu was a lot spryer than he remembered.
He parried a slash from the blood blade with his metal pole, the blood shifted, bending around his block and slicing his arm open.
"How did you ever escape that prison?" he asked accepting his attack with the club allowing it to bounce off his rock hard body.
"By thinking long and hard about killing you" he answered, "and learning some new tricks."
"It seems to me you learned very little Nenshō," The red blade thrust forward and Nenshō ducked and rolled away trailing his own blood along his path, he didn't know where Tenten had gone off too she had slipped away during the fight, probably to get help or make sure no one got in his way.
"You were never the quick study like Haku, always getting too emotional during training; it's almost shocking you learned anything."
One of the red blades bubbled and formed itself into a large mace, Noburu swung the blood sword and extended it, Nenshō moved back to avoid the slash but the end wrapped around his ankle pulling his leg out from under him. Nenshō tried to roll but was too slow as the mace came down on his hand smashing it, the heavy metal club fell from his grip, and the smashed finger could hardly grip anything.
Nenshō cried out curses at the pain, it didn't stop the mace from coming down on his other hand smashing the bones in it to pieces.
"I hope you learned a lesson today about leaving things alone Nenshō, next time don't run into your death."
The mace swung down to crush his head; he closed his eyes and willed his body to move. A loud clang filled the room; he opened his eyes to see Tenten standing over him blocking the blood mace, Zabuza's massive sword clutched in her hands.
Nenshō jumped up, "Give me the sword" he ordered.
Tenten looked at him, "You can't hold it… I can barely stand with it."
Nenshō put his right hand on the hilt focusing what little chakra he had left, blue chakra strings emerged from his fingers and wrapped around the hilt, his mangled fingers wrapped around it as the chakra strings lashed his broken fingers to the thick hilt.
"Chakra stings and a rusty sword? Is that it?" Noburu asked watching the glowing blue strings bind his hand to the sword despite their shattered state.
"Kumo and I swapped some Jutsu when we were in prison, I'm not very skilled at making chakra strings but I know enough." He lunged forward swinging the large sword; Noburu ducked the blow and lunged to attack him only to be blocked by the brown haired kunoichi wielding a pair of tonfas.
"I'm sorry master" Nenshō mumbled to himself, "I know I haven't earned the right to wield this sword just yet… but I need it master, I know I'll make your proud."
Noburu defected a barrage of attacks from the girls tonfas gritting his teeth, "you're talking to a dead man you fool."
Tenten pulled back from her attacks as Nenshō thrust the massive blade forward making contact with his chest sinking the tip deep into his sternum. "He's more alive than you" Nenshō hissed.
Noburu was pressed into the wall by the thick blade, flakes of rust fell from the blade and it cut into him deeper as if it was being sharpened by the second. The skin around his wound was starting to blacken and it was only growing.
"H-how?" he asked, "my blood armor."
"This isn't just a normal blade remember? It regenerates itself by stealing the iron from its victims blood." He explained as the blade pressed all the way through Noburu, "Your armor is useless against it that blackness is from an iron deficiency in your blood ever heard of Anemia?"
The crime lord's body went cold and slumped down, Nenshō removed the blade it fell to the ground as his chakra stings dissipated. Tenten moved to catch him as his legs went weak; she threw his left arm over her shoulder and helped him stay standing.
"Let's get you out of here" she said helping him walk her own limp slowing them down all the more.
"Grab the sword" he slurred, Tenten didn't argue and grabbed the hilt dragging it as she limped, he knew he should treat the sword with more respect than that, but neither had the strength to lift it fully.
"Thank you" he said to her trying with all his strength to put one foot in front of the other.
Tenten elbowed him in the ribs causing him to cough a bit of blood, "why did you do that?"
"That's for calling me bun-head" she said earning a bloody grin from him.
"Sorry" he said, "But I don't know your name."