Author's note – Kishimoto Masashi owns Naruto while Guyver is written by Yoshiki Takaya.
I make no claim to either, I am merely playing in their sandboxes.
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Chapter Seventy-Four
Revelation
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"Madara." Nagato nodded as a familiar swirl fromed next to him, then he paused. "…new outfit."
"Indeed." Madara said with a slight smirk. "My mission was a success, how goes the campaign?"
"Kumo has launched an attack and has broken through to the Land of Hot Water while Iwa has been forced to retreat from most of the Land of Wind by the Samurai of Iron. Countering those threats has allowed Uzu and Mizu to break through the reduced blockade and substantially reinforce Konoha,meaning our lines are now effectively in a stalemate."
"That is not good news." Madara said slowly. "They may yet reclaim the Valley of the End which means I would need to find an alternate place to cast the Infinite Tsukiyomi from…"
"So the Moon's Eye will open! Excellent." Nagato grinned, then he paused and frowned. "I was unaware that there was the need for a specific location to open the Moon's Eye…"
"There is not, but the Valley of the End was the site of my greatest loss. It seems only appropriate that I change that, make it the site of my greatest victory, the place where I finally prove that Senju Hirashima's plan was wrong."
For a long moment, both men stood in silent contemplation, before Madara resumed.
"We will need to at least hold our own until the full moon rises." Madara said slowly. "But with the power that I now possess, our enemies greatest forces will be defeated, allowing us to hold all that we need and more, until the gaze of the Moon's Eye bestows peace upon all the nations."
"But for now, we need to stabilize the lines." Nagato stated. "I have word that Kumo are using both of their Jinchuuriki as front-line fighters…"
"Then I shall use four of the new technique I have invented." Madara gloated before he vanished in a swirl of energy.
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Madara reappeared on a hilltop and looked at the battle a bare mile away. Two chakra sources burned brightly to his senses, confirming the presence of Kumo's two demon containers.
"They fight well." He mused as a wave of lightning destroyed several bunkers being used by the Oto shinobi. "It is almost a shame to wipe them out."
Madara took several breaths to focus himself, then he flashed through the tiger, dog and snake hand-seals.
"Moku Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Four wooden clones formed around him and Madawa smirked before vanishing. In silence, the four clones stepped forwards, chakra beginning to form around themselves as they strode into battle.
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"What the hell?" Yugito gasped as a guartet of figures appeared, figures that were being lifted in clouds of purple chakra that formed a skeletal torso around them, then full skeletons which expanded to create humanoid figures. The four chakra giants strode forwards, uncaring of whether they crushed friends or foes under their feet, until they reached the front lines.
"Ah recognise this from the ol' texts / An Uchiha technique an' one of their best.
"It's like a chakra suit of deep dark blue / And they call it the Susanoo!"
"So, how do we kill it?"
Bee gave a shrug, then clapped his hands together. "Ah think it's time to go head to head / till either me or them are dead.
"Ah need your power, a cloak to make / So friend Gyuki, let's make our enemies quake!
"Bajon Tsu!"
Red chakra wrapped around Bee, eight tails forming behind him. The chakra shroud enlarged until Bee was standing almost four meters high, then the Jinchuuriki seemed to blur, smashing into the first of the four figures and knocking it off its feet.
"I can't let my brother have all the fun." The Raikage noted, causing Yugito to jolt in shock as she hadn't even realized that the leader of the Kumo shinobi was even in the area. "Raiton no Yoroi!"
A layer of chakra burst into existence around A, then it seemed to flicker and reformed into small arcs of lightning leaping across his skin. The earth seemed to explode behind him as he accelerated forwards, driving his lightning-enhanced fist straight through the chakra form of the second giant, punching into the person inside and frying him with the electrical discharges.
"Wow…" Yugito breathed in awe even as the Raikage thrust himself away from the disintigrating shape, landing just next to her.
"Dammit." He grumbled. "That is tough armor, I used up almost half my chakra punching through it."
A roar of triumph marked Killer B's victory. Not even pausing to rap about his victory, the Jinchuuriki leapt to engage the third Susanoo clone, who responded by slapping him out of the air before a hail of kunai bounced uselessly off it.
"I hate doing this." A grumbled as he palmed a Soldier Pill and swallowed it, then he leapt at the giant that had swatted away his half brother.
"Okay, Matatabi, let's do this." Yugito whispered and the two-tailed cat sealed inside her responded with a surge of energy that formed a shroud of blue fire around her.
"For Kumo!"
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"Fall back!"
Kurenai shouted the command as Sakura used her chakra control to deliver a punch that sent a Zetsu hurtling into the sky.
"We can hold!" Choji shouted as he expanded one hand to smash a pair of Zetsu into the ground.
"We need to fall back to give the reinforcements space to work." Shikamaru deduced as he dodged another attack and used his shadow to pin three Zetsu, allowing Temujin to decapitate them in a single flowing strike.
"Reinforcements?" Sakura queried as she leapt back to fall into formation by her Sensei's side, half-ducking as Temujin deployed his circular shield to deflect a spray of thorns. "What reinforcements?"
"That would be us." A new voice stated as a dozen golden chains lashed past them, decimating the advancing Zetsu army, then a shower of three-bladed kunai arced overhead, landing amidst the Zetsu. For a moment, a stattaco flash of gold danced amongst them, then the army shivered and collapsed even as a man with blond hair and a long flame-patterned Haori appeared in front of them.
"Minato!" Kurenai gasped as the man half-turned to grin at them.
"I'm back." He agreed. "You can thank my son, Naruto. Shame I can't do my Rasengan and Hiraishin when armored up, though."
"We can't summon, either." Kushina sighed as she rejoined her husband. "But being alive again is worth it."
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"Oh. Fuck." An Oto Shinobi cursed quietly as he watched the distant battle come to a sudden end. "Oh. Bloody. Fucking. Hell."
"What is it?"
The first shinobi didn't bother to answer, but simply passed the telescope across, keeping it pointed at the distant figures in question. The second shinobi peered through, then he cursed.
"Oh… bugger me sideways with a Zanbatou! That's the fucking Yondaime and the Red Hot Habanero! How?"
"Not a clue." The first one sighed. "I am not looking forwards to telling Orochimaru about this…"
"Yeah, he has a habit of killing the messenger." The second one agreed. "Maybe we should pass this on to someone higher?"
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"Shion." Naruto said from where he was standing several miles away from the battlefield.
"Yes, Naruto?"
"Make certain that you didn't tell me about this back then."
Shion stared at him, then started io giggle while the shinobi escorting them stared at him as if he'd gone insane.
"What?"
A flash of golden light marked the return of Minato, Kushina wrapped in his arms.
"Hey, son." Minato smiled. "One battle won."
"Thanks, dad."
Several of the surrounding shinobi tripped over.
"…we never got round to announcing that, did we?" Naruto managed after a few seconds.
"I'm sure it was just your dad being forgetful again, son." Kushina smiled and the shinobi who were in the process of picking themselves up toppled over again.
"…you never announced that either." Shion giggled and Kushina gave her a quizzical look before she caught on and started giggling as well.
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"That boy is amazing." Tenten sighed as the distant form of Temujin pulled off his helmet and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "And that sword of his… the way he can just whip it out and make it grow bigger…"
Neji managed not to snort his water out of his nose as his team-mate continued to rhapsodize over the newest immigrant to join Konoha's forces.
"He handles it so smoothly, so elegantly… every thrust a work of art…"
Neji quickly put down his water bottle and crammed a fist into his mouth even as Lee and Gai exchanged uncomprehending glances.
"…I want to wrap my hands around it, measure its length and width…"
Neji curled up into a small ball as he tried to stop the laughter that threatened to break free.
"…the way he pushes it into the sheath, like he's practiced it a thousand times…"
Neji struggled to breath as his ribs began to ache.
"…run my hands along its… Neji, is something wrong?"
Neji shook his head as he fought to contain the howls of laughter that threatened to burst out.
"That sounded like something from my favorite book." Kakashi noted from behind Tenten, who reacted by jumping in the air with a squeak. She spun round, then froze as her memory replayed her words.
"…does she normally turn that color?" Kakashi queried as Tenten dropped to her knees and tried to hide her blush in her hands. Neji wheezed as he finally managed to pull himself back under control.
"…oh kami!" Tenten squeaked in mortification. "I was making penis jokes without realizing it!"
Neji collapsed as the laughter he thought he had contained burst free. Gai looked at his two temporarily incapacitated students, then turned to Kakashi.
"My rival, that's your old sensei over there. Should you not be reuniting with him? Perhaps giving him a youthful hug?"
Kakashi sagged even as he gave the distant group a longing look.
"Gai, please. It's harder than you think. Yes, I'm his last living student, but…"
Gai turned round to see an empty space where Kakashi had been standing. "Kakashi? Kakashi?"
"I'll never live this down." Tenten mourned.
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"…I can't just simply… urgh, I'll never get used to that." Kakashi finished as he found himself standing in front of Naruto, Shion and Kushina while Minato was stood just behind him, having used the Hiraishin to grab him and pull him over.
"Kashi-kun." Kushina smiled as she hugged the taller Jonin. "You've really grown."
"Kushi-kaa-san." Kakashi whispered as he relaxed into the hug. "I missed you."
"Well, we're back." Minato laughed as he clapped Kakashi on the shoulder as Kushina finally released him. "Jonin and former ANBU Captain? You've made me proud, Kashi."
"Thanks… sensei." Kakashi half-whispered. "Are you reclaiming the Hat?"
"I couldn't, even if I wanted to." Minato shrugged. "After all, I'm dead, remember. After the Edo Tensei technique was developed, the Nidaime decreed that once a person had died, they could not reclaim the position of Hokage if they were resurrected after a new Hokage had been chosen. Besides, Itachi's doing a far better job than I ever did, I really sucked at diplomacy."
"He told me once that diplomacy's one of the reasons he kept me around." Kushina joked.
"Yep." Minato nodded. "I asked her advice, then did the exact opposite."
Kushina spun round, only to see Minato already racing towards the horizon, laughter trailing in his wake.
"Get back here!" She yelled as she accelerated after him. Everyone watched them depart, then Kakashi coughed.
"You know, this reminds me of what happened on the evening that they conceived you." He commented to Naruto.
"Too much information, Senpai!" Naruto protested as Shion started to giggle. "Way too much information!"
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"Namikaze Minato?" Orochimaru repeated in a dumbstruck tone of voice.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." The nervous shinobi replied from where he was crouched in front of the renegade Sannin, his forehead pressed against the granite flagstones. "Both he and Uzumaki Kushina were identified as the reason that the advance was halted."
"Minato's back?" Orochimaru repeated, then he seemed to shake himself without actually twitching a muscle. "So, the student of my old team-mate has been resurrected. This may prove… rather problematic."
The ninja remained motionless as Orochimaru rose from his stone throne and stalked out of the hall. After several minutes, the messenger slowly raised his head to look around.
"…I'm still alive?"
There was a hiss from behind him.
"Oh… fuck."