I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters. For all Sai fans, please understand, Sai never served under Danzo. He is completely clueless about being human but he's not a cold bastard like in the show.
Tenchi
Naruto stepped out of Tsunade's office and walked out of the building. Sakura had just remembered to inform them all of a very important meeting between Sasori and a spy working under Orochimaru ten days from when they had killed Sasori, eight days ago. They needed a third teammate to be allowed to go but Tsunade had refused to let them take Hinata. Naruto, deciding that he should go find someone else to work with them, decided to start with Shikamaru since he would help with planning.
With that thought in mind, he soon found himself standing in front of Shikamaru and Choji. Shikamaru was refusing to join them but Choji was agreeing only for Shikamaru to point out that Asuma would never agree. Naruto sighed and nodded.
"Why don't you just take Hinata?" Shikamaru questioned. "Wait, don't tell me you're too embarrassed to after you had to give her CPR."
Naruto's jaw dropped and Shikamaru grinned.
"Didn't think I knew about that did you?" Shikamaru questioned. "Turns out Neji is pretty good at gossip, when he can't decide whether or not Hiashi needs to know about it."
"Oh God," Naruto breathed. "He didn't."
"No," Shikamaru smirked. "I saved your ass. He'll keep his mouth shut about it."
Naruto nodded sighing then spun, drawing and swinging hid Double-Edged Sword in reverse grip, blasting a white and black lion which exploded into ink, splattering across the ground.
"What was that?" Naruto questioned looking up.
There was a person sitting on the roof facing them at the end of the street they were in. He had short, black hair, and black eyes which contrasted with his very pale skin. He wore a small backpack, a short black jacket with red straps, a high-collared midriff shirt, black pants, shinobi sandals and gloves with his index and thumb fingers exposed. He had a tanto handle vertically over his right shoulder with the backpack on his left, and held a scroll and brush.
As Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji watched, he drew something then made the seal of confrontation and the drawings sprang to life, three ink lions like the one Naruto had destroyed. Naruto blasted those three as well, the ink splattering around the ninja but missing him, miraculously, before he began rapidly drawing and creating lions. Naruto rolled his eyes and Choji and Shikamaru began to help Naruto with the lions while Naruto blasted all of the ones they hadn't killed after a few seconds and then running at the ninja. He leapt into the air, slashing at the ninja but he drew his tanto, which Naruto realized had no point, and blocked his sword.
"Naruto Namikaze," the ninja stated. "Rash, strong, intelligent, fast, determined. An excellent choice for Nine-tails Jinchuriki."
"How do you..." Naruto trailed off and fired an Air Bullet.
Despite being at point blank range, Sai dodged the blast and kicked Naruto away then retreated before he could even land.
"Who was that?" Naruto growled.
"I have no idea," Shikamaru stated.
"He was wearing a Root uniform," Minato stated dropping down from a roof beside them. "With Danzo a traitor, it should have crumbled."
"That would be my fault," Itachi stated walking over. "I took control of Root when he left. I'm sorry. I would have told you but, I didn't figure you would look kindly on it. I did, however, change it. It is run like the rest of ANBU now. No more secret missions that the Hokage would look unkindly on, no more internal assassinations."
"No Cursed Seals?" Minato questioned.
"None," Itachi nodded. "Though I couldn't remove those that were already applied."
"I see," Minato nodded. "Very well. For now, you can keep it running. Who was the boy, though?"
"The new member of Team 7," Itachi stated. "You know Koharu and Homura won't want him going."
"He fought Danzo," Minato stated. "Granted with you Sasuke and Shisui but still. He can handle himself."
"Tell that to them," Itachi suggested. "Tsunade doesn't have the backbone or the reputation to make them listen. Besides, he'll need Hinata. You know that. You know why."
"Care to enlighten me?" Naruto questioned.
Minato glanced at him for a moment then nodded to Itachi.
"She can't go," Minato stated. "But yours will."
Itachi nodded and left and Minato sighed and also left to deal with the Elders. Naruto went to the Main Gate and found Sakura waiting.
"Where's the third guy?" Sakura questioned.
"Don't know don't care," Naruto grumbled. "He attacked me."
"He what?" Sakura gasped. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," Naruto sighed. "He's got some fancy ink-related jutsus though. So, since Kakashi's in the hospital after getting hurt fighting the Ghost Army, who are we following?"
"Maybe Neji?" Sakura guessed.
"Actually, I'll be the stand-in," a ninja wearing a standard jonin outfit with a mask-style forehead protector and spiky brown hair stated walking over. "My name is Yamato."
"Who's the new guy?" Sakura questioned.
"My name is Sai," the same ninja that had attacked Naruto stated dropping down from a tree.
"Why did you attack me?" Naruto demanded.
"I wished to test you skill," Sai stated. "You're not very strong are you?"
"You did not just call me weak," Naruto growled. "I could tear you apart!"
"I doubt it," Sai shrugged.
"Why don't we leave before we wind up killing each other?" Yamato questioned. "We had an exercise to run outside the village anyway."
They made their way out into the forest and stopped.
"For this exercise, you are going to try to defeat me, without killing me," Yamato stated. "Sakura, you're back up for Naruto and Sai. Naruto, you and Sai must work together, understand."
"I do," Naruto stated. "He doesn't."
"We'll see," Yamato stated. "Begin."
Naruto darted forward, slashing at him with Temujin's sword in reverse grip. Yamato ducked under the slash then leapt into the air over another before landing on a tree and leaping sideways away from an ink lion. He held his hand out forming a massive wooden box around Naruto and Sai then disconnected his hands from it just as it began to swell. Yamato sank into the ground seconds before the box exploded and the walls and ceiling flew away from each other at over a hundred miles an hour from the wind Naruto had pumped into the box.
"Wood Style, Giant Forest Jutsu!" Yamato shouted as his arm turned into wood and shot toward Naruto and Sai.
Naruto jumped onto it and ran along it before beheading Yamato who turned into wood and fell to the ground and Naruto landed on his feet snorting just before several snakes made out of ink wrapped around him.
"What the Hell are you doing Sai?" Naruto demanded.
"I'll handle this," Sai stated. "You'll just be in my way."
He left to find Yamato and Naruto growled in anger.
"SAKURA!" Naruto shouted.
She appeared beside him and gripped the snakes, pulling them off of him and breaking them.
"Come on," Naruto growled.
They ran through the trees until they found a clearing where Sai was restrained by several wooden beams extending from the ground around him. Yamato was just leaving through the opposite side of the clearing. Naruto chased him with Sakura at his heels, neither really caring to free Sai. When they caught up to Yamato, he extended his arm as a wooden beam again and again Naruto jumped onto it but this time, Yamato grabbed Sakura. The end of his arm had four spikes rapping around the sides of her waist and over her shoulders to hold her but she easily smashed his arm and freed herself. Yamato separated from the tree, his arm intact as Naruto neared him but as he dodged sideways, another Naruto clothes-lined him, ending the exercise just as Sai arrived.
"Impressive Naruto, Sakura," Yamato smiled. "Sai, you failed the exercise. You were supposed to work with Naruto, not restrain him so that you could attack me yourself. You will have to do better in the future."
Sai nodded once and they returned to the road travelling away from the village. They had two days to do three days worth of traveling and then prepare for the spy's arrival. Naruto's clones carried them as they were in a hurry and while they traveled, Sakura filled Yamato in on everything she knew about Sasori. Finally they reached the bridge and Naruto released his clones. There was no one present so Yamato used his Wood Style jutsus to make himself look like Sasori's first body, which turned out to be a puppet. Sakura helped him get the voice and personality right then they relocated to the bridge, Naruto Sai and Sakura hiding in the trees while Yamato waited for the spy.
"He's late," Naruto growled. "Something's off."
"What are you going to do when we see Sasuke?" Sakura questioned. "You weren't exactly raring to get him back before."
"Just try to keep the tears to a minimum okay?" Naruto questioned as Kabuto arrived. "Kabuto? God damn it! It would be him."
Kabuto and Yamato spoke for a while and Naruto could tell that Kabuto was stalling, even without being able to hear him over the wind. After a few minutes, Orochimaru appeared behind Kabuto with a fair sized snake. The snake began to wrap around Kabuto but he leapt out of the blue cloak he had been wearing and landed in front of Yamato protectively. After a moment of Orochimaru saying something, Kabuto suddenly spun, using his glowing chakra-covered hand to destroy Yamato's puppet's head and slashing Yamato's right arm as well. Yamato leapt out and away from them holding his arm.
"Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes!" Orochimaru shouted sending nine snakes out of his sleeve at Yamato.
Just as they wrapped around him, Yamato turned into wood, the real Yamato landing on the bridge a way away from them. Naruto growled and looked to Sakura.
"He knows," Naruto stated. "I'm heading over."
Just then, Yamato waved them out and they all leapt out, Sakura landing in back and Naruto and Sai landed in front of Yamato.
"Hello again, Orochimaru," Naruto growled.
"Ah, Naruto," Orochimaru said happily. "It's so good to see you again. How's your father?"
"Awake," Naruto grinned. "And he gave me his blessing to kill you for him."
"Is that right?" Orochimaru questioned. "Well, why don't we see this play out?"
Naruto grinned and drew his Double-Edged Swords, blasting both Kabuto and Orochimaru with a wall of wind, launching them away from the bridge. Naruto grit his teeth and sprinted after them creating the same three clones he had used to fight Moryo and put his Double-Edged Swords away drawing Temujin's sword. After a few minutes, they reached a large clearing where Orochimaru was waiting with Kabuto.
"Not a bad hit," Orochimaru grinned. "I'm impressed by those blades of yours. Kabuto, please retrieve them for me."
Kabuto sprinted forward but before he could get there, the one with the Garian Swords wrapped him up in one then smashed him through several trees and into the ground before retracting his dragon head.
"I see," Orochimaru smirked. "You're partial to your swords. As am I."
With that, he bent forward and coughed up a sword of his own. It was a double-edged jian with a cracked brown cross guard that looked to be made out of stone, a handle wrapped in fresh white cloth, and a sapphire set into the cross guard.
"Impressive blade," Naruto grinned. "Can't wait to add it to my collection."
"You greedy bastard," Orochimaru grinned. "Alright, if you can kill me, you can have the sword."
Naruto grinned and sprinted forward with his clones. The clone with the Double-Edged Swords took the lead, attacking Orochimaru in a blur, Orochimaru barley keeping up before the clone blasted him at the one with the Rasengans. He slammed both into Orochimaru and they exploded splattering mud across the ground. Just as Orochimaru began to stand from the ground, Naruto buried Temujin's sword into his back.
"Raging Thunder!" Naruto said as the chakra exploded launched Orochimaru away, his body flayed open.
He crashed into the ground and then fell away into a swarm of snakes. Before the snakes could do anything, the clone that had the Rasengans crashed down, blasting them and destroying them then darted out of the smoke at Orochimaru. Before Orochimaru could attack the clone, the clone with the Double-Edged Swords attacked him, drawing his attention. At the last second, the clone leapt away as the Rasengan hit Orochimaru, exploding and splitting him in half. Orochimaru flew through the air, halves separating before snakes shot out of the wound on both sides and connected, reconnecting Orochimaru's halves which then fused back together, the upper half backward before it twisted around, righting itself. He landed making hand seals before dropping to all fours and puking up hundreds of snakes that formed a wall, shooting toward the four Narutos and extending swords from their mouths. All four Narutos stood a few feet from each other and drew Temujin's sword, extending the blade and channeling their chakra into it. When the snakes arrived, they swung the sword forward forming a wall of their chakra that destroyed the wall of snakes.
Just as they released the wall of chakra, Orochimaru's sword with a massively extended blade slashed through all four's chests and they all exploded into smoke. Naruto himself then crashed down on the Orochimaru's back, smashing a Rasengan into his head then leaping back as it exploded, drawing his Double-Edged Swords as he recreated the clones and grinned.
"Having trouble Orochimaru?" the Naruto with Temujin's sword out questioned.
"Not at all," Orochimaru grinned appearing behind the Narutos.
Just as he slashed at them, a fifth Naruto appeared behind him using the seal he had placed on Orochimaru during their fight in the Forest of Death. He slashed Orochimaru's back but Orochimaru shot out of his skin out of the way of the attack and landed in the distance drawing his sword and grinning.
"Impressive," Orochimaru praised breathing hard. "Sasuke would be proud. I'll tell Hinata that you fought valiantly, when I kill her. Of course, that will be after I kill you."
"You won't touch her," Naruto growled releasing his clones as his anger skyrocketed.
Boiling red chakra shot off of him and Orochimaru paled a bit but before he could react, the chakra shroud turned a dark red that he couldn't see through with Naruto's eyes and the inside of his mouth, now sporting pointed teeth, were glowing white.
"Well," Orochimaru grinned. "This is a surprise. That seal must rattle like a walnut in an elephant cage. Shall we?"
Naruto roared and slammed his hands into the ground and a moment later his hands exploded up where Orochimaru had been standing. Orochimaru had dodged sideways and another hand grew off of the side of one of of Naruto's arms and shot after him. Orochimaru landed on his feet then leapt back as the arm without the third growing out of it exploded up from the ground then bent around and slammed down on Orochimaru, mud shooting out form under his hand. Orochimaru stood spitting up a thousand snakes with blades. This time, when they reached Naruto, he slammed his hand into the ground and the shock wave blasted all of the snakes into paste. Orochimaru suddenly coughed as his sword blade shot out of his mouth, hitting Naruto in the chest and instantly speeding up, smashing him through the trees and then the ground until he exploded out of the side of the cliff, through the Tenchi Bridge obliterating it, and finally into the opposite cliff over a mile away.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed running toward him, only to be batted away by a tail while Naruto held onto Orochimaru's sword as he tried to retract it.
"Get over here!" Naruto shouted in his mind, watching the fight.
Naruto gave the sword a massive yank and Orochimaru shot toward him, the blade shrinking as he did. As Orochimaru passed the bridge, Naruto held his hand out and the chakra hand around it shot forward catching him and squeezing, Orochimaru shooting out of the mouth of the skin as the skin melted in the palm of Naruto's hand.
Orochimaru's sword flew after him and he returned to the clearing they had been where Kabuto was waiting. As he headed for the clearing in a straight line away from Naruto, a very bad idea, Naruto formed dozens of spheres of super-compacted red and blue spheres of chakra which then combined forming a massive black and purple sphere which then shrunk to the size of a fist and Naruto swallowed. The ground below him instantly sunk making a crater before his body bulged. Then, Naruto opened his mouth and a massive blood red beam of chakra shot out after Orochimaru. He spun around and summoned three massive metal walls with various faces and color surroundings. The beam blasted straight through the walls and hit the clearing, exploding and forming a massive crater. Orochimaru, who had been hit by the beam, stood from the ground a moment later, chakra gone from several successive uses of his signature substitution jutsu. He looked around just as Sai appeared in front of him.
Naruto watched from inside of his mind as his body's heightened senses watched and listened as Sai convinced Orochimaru that he was sent as a messenger loyal to Danzo who had left the village originally with the intent to join Orochimaru. Orochimaru, taking something from Orochimaru, accepted his story and welcomed him to their side and the two of them left with Kabuto. Naruto tried to return to his body but suddenly realized that Kurama was in control and that while he had been blasting Orochimaru, Kurama had wounded Sakura. Suddenly, Yamato darted forward, placing his hand against Naruto's chest then leapt back dragging the Nine-tails' chakra with him a little at a time. He placed his other hand on the ground, massive wooden pillars growing around him to use the extra chakra. Finally he finished and Naruto collapsed, entire body covered in burns. He dragged himself one handed over to Sakura and held his hand out placing it on Sakura's arm. Before he could send a pulse of chakra into her, his vision faded and he collapsed. A few hours later, Sakura woke up and healed herself, the wound healing slowly before healing Naruto, his healing even slower. Finally she finished and Naruto woke up, groaning and found himself on the back of a Yamato clone.
"Where are we goin?" Naruto questioned.
"We're following Orochimaru," Yamato stated. "I figured you'd want us to."
"You healed me I assume Sakura?" Naruto questioned.
"Yes," Sakura nodded. "Are you okay?"
"Fine now," Naruto stated. "I'm sorry for hurting you."
"You knew?" Sakura questioned.
"I didn't," Naruto stated. "Until Kurama started laughing about it."
Sakura said nothing So Naruto dropped the subject. They were running through a desert where massive rocks the size of houses or bigger were spread throughout the sand. Finally they reached an extra large one where Yamato's clone waited.
"They're inside," the clone stated. "Good luck with the reunion Naruto."
Read and review. SuigetsuXKarin shippers, now read my story Hiding. And thank you for reading Enough.