Kaibunkage
Arc III
Chapter III
"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage. But under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive."
- Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama
Killer Bee looked at Yukimaru and Fu.
"How do we do that, Bee-sama?" Yukimaru asked.
"This next part will make you surpass the Kaibunkage. As you finally tame your jinchuriki. You will separate the beast's chakra from its will. Weaken it first or else you will be killed, yeah." While Fu sighed at the, once again, bad rap, Yukimaru's eyes widened.
"K-killed?" he parroted.
"Your biju has no intentions of working with you. Fighting it is now the only thing to do." Killer Bee explained. "If you lose your beast my break free. That's why we train near Lady Uzumaki!"
Yukimaru realized that Shiori's presence here now had more to do with the safety of his and Fu's training than her hiding from Akatsuki. Earlier, he could feel the strain of his tailed beast grow and lessen periodically. He figured that was due to Shiori's training and the stress that was put on the little girl.
"I have a plan." Yamato said forming small pillars of wood around Fu and Yukimaru. "This should hold them if they so happen to break free. I don't want to use our last resort."
"Good thinking ya fool." Yamato sighed heavily, wondering why Killer Bee always referred to him as a fool. "Alright you two, I'm going to talk you through this. But from there, you're on your own. You have to beat your biju by yourself."
"Hai." Fu said with a nod.
Yukimaru only nodded, silently thinking of another way to tame his biju without having to battle against it. Sitting down and folding his legs in front of him, Yukimaru felt the seals that Naruto called "the key" take over his body.
It was time to confront the Three-tailed Giant Turtle, Isobu.
Kuroma nodded at the information.
"Then it is true. Someone from within the alliance is leaking information." Kuroma paused and looked at Hinata and Mei. "We should prepare the defenses. I highly doubt that the reinforcements will make it here in time."
Hinata's eyes widened. "K-Kuroma-kun, does that mean…?"
"They're coming Hinata-hime." replied Kuroma. "Mei-san, I'll lead the main attack outside. Can you handle everything in here?"
"Hai." Mei answered. "And don't worry too much, Kuroma. I'm sure that Naruto and the others are on their way right now."
Kuroma grinned lightly. "Let's hope so."
Kuroma walked out of the conference room, Hinata right on his heels.
"Hinata-hime, I think it's best if you stayed inside and guarded Lady Shiori." Kuroma said. "I don't want you to be hurt while fighting outside." When he received silence, Kuroma turned to see Hinata holding the Dragon Blade out towards him. "…"
"Please, be careful Kuroma-kun." Hinata said quietly.
Kuroma took the blade from his bride-to-be's hands. He then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I'll return, Hinata-hime." he said before turning to leave.
Hinata watched Kuroma walk down the hall, two knights from the Land of Demons joining his sides as he went to address the main battalion of the Jinchuriki Guardians. Turning on her heels, Hinata moved for her chambers. She would rid herself of the kimono she was in, for Shiori's tea party, and put on her former jonin attire from Konoha. She would not let Kuroma fight alone.
"This time," Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru's words. "Sensei isn't here to save you."
"Or stop me." Orochimaru let out a low growl.
Unsurprisingly, it was Jiraiya that came for Orochimaru first. The former general of Otogakure no Sato slithered out of the way of Jiraiya's fist. Moving to his feet quickly, Orochimaru extended his right arm outwards, snakes shooting from his sleeve for his former teammate (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands). Jiraiya countered this with a Flame Bullet, burning the snakes to a crisp.
Jiraiya quickly held a hand seal, one Orochimaru quickly mimicked.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The two called in unison, both creating two clones behind them.
There was only a split second before the six bodies darted for each other. The blurs that were Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and their clones met with sparks flying from their respective kunai. The clangs of their blades rang throughout the dome, imitating the sounds of the battle outside.
Holding a small flame, Orochimaru exhaled a Great Breakthrough, firing a large blast of fire at the clones doing battle in hopes of hitting the real Jiraiya. His hopes were destroyed when he sensed someone behind him, mentally cursing underestimating Jiraiya.
"You'll have to do better than that!" Jiraiya called, shoving a Rasengan into Orochimaru's back.
Orochimaru let out a small shout of pain before his body became muddy, falling onto the ground. Jiraiya wondered when Orochimaru switched out with an Earth Clone, but let it slide as he searched for his opponent.
"Dear Jiraiya-kun, even if that were to hit me, it wouldn't matter." Jiraiya spotted Orochimaru rising from the ground a few yards away from him. "I'm invincible!"
Jiraiya hissed at the spike of chakra. Was Orochimaru really going to try to paralyze him with a simple Paralysis Technique? And why was it working? No… No, he was stronger than he was when they were teens. This technique no longer affected him. In fact, he could give just as much as he received now.
Now it was Orochimaru that felt the wave wash over him. As the two men began to move towards each other, he realized that this would be different than their last meeting outside of Tanzaku Town. Even without the aid of Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto, this would be much tougher.
"It's… Not… Enough!" Orochimaru shouted, slinging several senbon needles at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya began flipping backwards, though he was caught by two needles in his right shoulder. After pulling the needles out, he spotted Orochimaru firing his extended tongue towards him. With a hand seal, Jiraiya used his Wild Lion's Mane Technique to reach for Orochimaru with his hair. The two gripped each other with hair and tongue, squeezing tightly. Jiraiya believed that they were in a standstill until Orochimaru's body lunged from his mouth, his body dropping to the ground in a heap of skin.
"Shit!" Jiraiya cursed as his hair would not be able to grab Orochimaru in time.
Revealing a kunai, Jiraiya was able to block Orochimaru's strike with Kusanagi shooting from his mouth. Using the defensive maneuver as a way to kill time, Jiraiya used his extended hair to grip Orochimaru's feet and sling the traitor away from him before retracting his hair. He took the time to charge for the down Orochimaru, stabbing his kunai downwards at the downed man. Orochimaru instantly rolled out of the way, Jiraiya's blade sinking into the ground.
"Close!" Jiraiya was knocked backwards by the spinning kick that landed on his face. After stumbling backwards, he glared at Orochimaru. "But not close enough!"
Jiraiya watched as Orochimaru launched a more powerful gust of wind at him (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough). This one would possibly level out the area within the dome, if not destroy the dome. Sliding backwards from the force, Jiraiya inhaled after doing the required seals and ignited the wind using his Flame Bullet. He was certain that not even Orochimaru could dodge that attack.
He was wrong.
Rising from the ground after using his Attack Prevention Technique, Orochimaru gave Jiraiya a grimace.
"Using wind to battle fire is quite careless of you." Jiraiya taunted, further irritating Orochimaru.
Orochimaru tossed several kunai at Jiraiya, the sage being able to dodge them all until he realized what had conspired. Inhaling, Orochimaru ignited the wires that were well concealed in the dim-litted area (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique). Jiraiya leapt into the air in order to dodge the last attack done by his opponent.
Looking upwards, Orochimaru barely caught Jiraiya's next attack, Needle Hell. With thousands of needle-like strands of hair raining down on him, Orochimaru began to slither around, maneuvering around the attacks. This allowed Jiraiya to land safely and the Toad Sage had already finished his next set of hand seals. Orochimaru felt the ground beneath him change almost immediately and realized technique Jiraiya used; the Swamp of the Underworld Technique.
"Looks like you can't slither out of this one." Jiraiya said.
"Let's see you slither out of this one!" Orochimaru retorted before spewing thousands of snakes from his mouth (Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes).
Jiraiya began backtracking, losing all focus on sinking Orochimaru in his chakra-made swamp. He was now worried about dodging the vipers summoned by Orochimaru before they could sink their teeth into him. And true to the name, their literally were thousands of the pest coming for him. Using the same two hand seals as before, Jiraiya using the Swamp of the Underworld Technique himself, surprising Orochimaru.
"You can't hide forever, Jiraiya-kun…" Orochimaru said before doing a backflip, dodging Jiraiya's strike from underground.
Jiraiya did not stop there. He quickly closed the distance between himself and Orochimaru, pitting the two into a taijutsu match until the snakes that Jiraiya originally dodged showed up. Jiraiya threw a punch with all his might, missing Orochimaru. He was slightly peeved when Orochimaru had him wrapped using his Binding Snake Glare Spell. The Toad Sage then spotted the snakes dodged earlier descending on him, each with a small blade coming out of their mouths.
"Die Jiraiya!" Orochimaru said as the snakes hit their target.
Only for the target to explode…
Orochimaru covered his face, though he was pushed backwards by the attack. Since when did Jiraiya know the Clone Great Explosion?
These thoughts were interrupted when Orochimaru felt a knee buried into his gut. Though he was already dead, the blow still hurt, and the two follow-up punches did not feel any better either. Orochimaru thought it was over, but he felt Jiraiya grab his ankles and slam him into the ground before flipping away from him.
"That was from Naruto." Jiraiya stated as Orochimaru picked himself up off the ground. "He wanted me to show you his 'appreciation' for taking his best friend and ultimately ruining his life."
"Send him my regards…" Orochimaru hissed angrily. "When you two meet in hell!"
Jiraiya was not surprised when it was Orochimaru pushing forward now. Despite the fact that he was now fast enough to block and dodge most of Orochimaru's blows, Jiraiya was still wary of what Orochimaru might do. The two separated from one another with Orochimaru doing hand seals.
"Shit!" Jiraiya shouted as he felt the ground beneath him become mud, pushing him backwards. The force was multiplied byt the strong gale of wind that seemed to spread the mud as well (Earth Release: Earth Flow River plus Wind Release: Great Breakthrough).
Jiraiya back collided against the metal wall hard, his breath knocked out of him momentarily. He looked towards his opponent only to see a large dragon made of mud coming for him (Earth Release: Mud Dragon Bullet).
Orochimaru watched his attack hit its target, smirking.
"I must say Jiraiya-kun, I thought that this would be a better fight." Orochimaru stated.
"Don't worry," Jiraiya replied, ending his Needle Jizō that protected him from Orochimaru's last attack. "You'll get your fight."
Orochimaru snickered. "Then why not show me?"
"I plan on it." Jiraiya retorted.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. When he had learned the Impure World Resurrection technique, it was purely out of his teenage curiosity. It was after he had rescued Guren, Gozu, Yukimaru, and a few others from Orochimaru's clutches and gained some of the snake-users notes. In Orochimaru's notes, there were several warnings and problems that the Nidaime Hokage had not fixed when he created the jutsu. Of course, Orochimaru was in the process of learning how to defeat said problems, as well as Naruto.
"This would be much easier if I had time to rest." Naruto said to himself quietly. The door opened, Naruto and two members of his Sealing Team now staring at Tsunade. "Any word from Demon Country?"
"They haven't arrived yet, meaning Shiori and the jinchuriki are still safe." Naruto released a sigh of relief at Tsunade's news. "Have you gotten any further with the development?"
"We're trying." answered the Kaibunkage.
Tsunade nodded. Truth be told, Naruto's knowledge in seals far surpassed the two that were currently helping him by at least three years. However, Naruto was stressed and therefore needed all the help he could. This war, despite it only being day one, had taken its toll on everyone already.
Tsunade took a seat at the table across from Naruto, causing the man to frown.
"Shouldn't you be with the other kage?" Naruto questioned.
"Reports have stated that the enemy has shinobi with Orochimaru's Curse Seal. My job, much like yours, is finding a way to defeat them."
When Mabui entered the room with several of books, Naruto realized that Tsunade was more than serious.
"Here you are, Lady Hokage." Mabui said sitting the books in front of Tsunade. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"
"Keep us posted on the war outside." Mabui gave Tsunade a small bow and left the room. "…" Naruto saw the look in Tsunade's eyes and hated it. He had seen it once when she was reminiscing about Dan and Nawaki during his stay in Konoha months ago. "It's rumored that Jiraiya is battling Orochimaru at this moment."
"Orochimaru?!" Naruto retorted loudly, startling his two aids.
"Hai…" Tsunade's voice trailed off before she smiled. "But why are we worried? That old perv will pull through, right?"
It took Naruto a millisecond to realize that the worried look he had seen earlier was over Jiraiya. He knew that the smile that she gave him now was just a cover-up for the two men in the room helping him. As Ē said earlier, a kage must not show doubt or fear in front of their subordinates.
"Just don't bet on it." Tsunade glared at Naruto after the joke was made.
"What was that you brat?"
Naruto laughed as he turned his attention back to his work and Tsunade understood that his laughter was akin to her smile. He was still beyond worried about Shiori. She couldn't blame him. Shiori, despite being the biggest asset if they had to battle a jinchuriki or biju, was only a child. More importantly, she was his child. His only child at that. Yet, even he had come to accept the terms that there were things that Shiori could do, powers that she possessed, that he nor anyone else could do at the moment. That meant that Shiori was more than needed for the victory.
"After we finish here," Tsunade spoke. "How about we go out there and show them why they shouldn't have messed with us?"
Naruto blinked before smirking. "Baa-chan, you got yourself a deal."
Tsunade smiled before doing what she was sent to do as well. She would protect her loved ones this time even at the expense of her own life.
"Rasengan!" Orochimaru's body shot for the ground as Jiraiya's attack hit him whilst the two were airborne.
Jiraiya landed on the ground away from the hole that Orochimaru's body created. He watched the dark-haired man rise before charging for him again. He was unprepared for Orochimaru's body to wrap around his tightly, resembling a snake squeezing its prey to death.
"You never learn." Orochimaru said. "Snake always eats frog."
Jiraiya smirked. "Then… It's a good thing… I'm a toad!"
And with that, Jiraiya literally turned into a toad, slipping out of Orochimaru's clutches. After hopping away, the toad's cheeks puffed before spraying Orochimaru with a powerful Toad Oil Bullet. The former leader of Otogakure was pushed off balanced by the attack, looking to see a smirk on the toad's face. Not giving Orochimaru the chance to ask, Jiraiya ignited his former friend on fire.
"You bastard!" Unsurprisingly, Orochimaru discarded his skin, his new body without legs as he quickly slithered for Jiraiya.
The toad that was Jiraiya began hopping backwards, dodging the quick strikes of his opponent. After hopping around on the ground, Jiraiya took one large hop towards the top, transforming back into himself as he did so. Forming a Rasengan in his hand, Jiraiya pushed the attack in front of him for the oncoming Orochimaru. The deceased man was able to move before the attack landed, retreating a bit as Jiraiya's attack slammed into the ground.
"Missed." Orochimaru said, now standing on newly grown legs.
"So it seems." Jiraiya replied before the dome around them began to descend.
Orochimaru watched with a small smirk. "So it seems that we now have more room to continue. Pity. I was starting to get used to the toad in the well."
"I was thinking the same thing." Jiraiya told his rival with a grin.
With the dome completely gone, Jiraiya and Orochimaru bit their thumbs before running through hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!" The two called in unison, slamming their left hands on the ground.
Those fighting around the area spotted the large snake known as Manda appear as well as the boss toad, Gamabunta.
"So, the war has begun, eh? That gaki was supposed to tell us!" Gamabunta stated.
"Naruto has his own problems right now." Jiraiya replied as he drew a seal on his face. "I need you to keep them busy for me. I'm going in Sage Mode."
"I see… Well, I'll do what I can."Gamabunta said as he stared at Orochimaru and Manda. "Something is different about him…"
"He's been revived by the Second's jutsu." explained Jiraiya before chuckling a bit. "A victim to his own technique… Just like he used the Second Hokage. Karma really is a bitch."
Aku led a force towards Demon Country, the Sound Four already catching up to his group.
"Father wants me to defeat my copy," Aku eyed the boy known as Shoru. "But Mother…"
"Mother?" Aku questioned.
If possible, the forever stoic boy smiled a bit.
"Yes, Mother. She made me this." Aku spotted the paper flower and realized who Shoru saw as his mother; Konan. "She has been… Kind to me after Father's spars. She's…"
"Don't let pathetic emotions get in your way." Aku chastised. "You will become more of a hindrance to us. And your father won't be pleased."
Shoru remained silent as his eyes, now in the form of his red and black Rinnegan, stared ahead of him. Aku could see something change inside of the boy before a tendril of dark energy wrapped around the elder's neck, squeezing him tightly.
"I will make Father pleased." Shoru hissed.
Aku gasped for air as Shoru slowed to a halt and slammed him into the ground.
"We don't need this." Sakon said, Shoru glaring at him. "Listen brat, Orochimaru-sama-" A powerful Shinra Tensei obliterated Sakon, stopping him from whatever he was going to say. Fortunately, the Sound Nin began regenerating, a scowl on his face. "Quit that!"
"Shoru," Aku said rising to his feet as if nothing had happened. Shoru looked at his caretaker. "You have to calm down. Our target is near." Shoru's chakra level decreased. "Good boy. Now let's go make your parents proud."
Shoru didn't run, instead walked towards his destination.
"The fuck's wrong with that kid?" Tayuya asked.
"It's the Reibi inside of him." Tayuya's eyes turned to the former Sky Nin, Shinnō. The man crossed his large arms and grunted. "The beast has never been fully sealed within someone before, let alone some kid."
"Yomi-"
"I told you, mortal, my name is Mōryō!" The revived demon said while in possession of Yomi's body.
Aku sighed. "Yes, Mōryō, it's time to unseal your army."
"With pleasure." With that, the man's eyes began to glow red, a dark purple aura radiating off of him. With a growl, he raised his hands into the air.
"What the hell is going on?!" shouted Tayuya as the ground began to shake.
Stone soldiers began to rise from the ground around them.
Aku gave a grim smile. When Shion had been in charge, he always imagined the walls of Demon Country falling on her, effectively killing her. Why? Because of the sexist views of the Land of Demon's council. Aku was more than an adept priest, being the teacher of Shion. However, the country only looks for a priestess in honor of the great Akira, the priestess that had defeated a demon said to be greater than Mōryō hundreds of years ago. It was her line that gave birth to the other priestesses, Shiori being the current one. And his family, actual cousins of Akira's, were said to be nothing. Well, that would end tonight when Aku killed the last of Akira's line and remained one of the few actual decendants of the great bloodline. And with the ace that Kabuto had given him, he was sure to win even if Naruto attempted to intervene.
Gamabunta slid backwards, Jiraiya grunting while maintaining chakra flow in his feet to stick to the toad's back.
"Seriously Bunta, you're becoming careless in your landings." Jiraiya said.
"Why you ungrateful brat! Let's see you do this without me then!" Gamabunta said.
"Kidding! I was only kidding!" Gamabunta released a "Hmph" in return. Jiraiya then spotted Manda coming for them. "You ready?"
Gamabunta gave a small nod before inhaling deeply, Jiraiya mimicking him. As Gamabunta shot oil from his mouth, Jiraiya released a Flame Bullet, igniting it (Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet). Manda quickly shot underground to dodge the technique. Ending their collaboration jutsu, Jiraiya sighed.
"Almost done." he announced before Gamabunta leapt into the air in order to avoid Manda's tail.
"You're mine!" hissed the large smake, its head shooting from the ground and heading directly for Gamabunta's airborn body.
Gamabunta grunted, taking his blade out to protect himself. However, like years ago, Manda's massive jaws clapped down on the blade, pushing Gamabunta backwards. The large toad hit the ground, though able to remain on his feet, attempting to free his blade from Manda's mouth. The two were now in deadlock.
Orochimaru took this moment to attack Jiraiya, his neck extending as his facial features became more snake-like. Jiraiya began sweating, praying that he would make it in time. He just needed to remain still for a few more seconds.
"Die!" Orochimaru called, the blade of Kusanagi shooting from his mouth to pierce Jiraiya.
Jiraiya closed his eyes. He would not make it. That was the only thought running through his mind now. He would not make it. And then he heard Orochimaru give out an "Ack" as if he was being strangled. Opening his eyes, he saw Gamabunta's tongue stopping Orochimaru's pursuit, Orochimaru's blade inches in front of Jiraiya's face.
"Well, that was quite convenient." Jiraiya said before grinning. "But I'm afraid you're too late. Summoning Jutsu!"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he saw Jiraiya's new appearance as well as the two toads that were now on Jiraiya's shoulders. It was then that Gamabunta released Orochimaru, the snake-user retracted his neck.
"Ah, don't run now Orochimaru. We were just having fun!" Jiraiya said as he quickly took off for Orochimaru, hitting his former friend with a shoulder tackle that knocked Orochimaru off of Manda.
Orochimaru twirled in air, landing on the ground in a three-point stance. He glared at the inhaling Jiraiya on top of Manda before Jiraiya and the two toads unleashed a wave of burning oil coming directly for Orochimaru (Sage Art: Goemon). Thinking quickly, Orochimaru bit his thumb while running through hand seals, slamming his hand on the ground after he was finished. Jiraiya was slightly peeved when he saw Rashomon rise to protect Orochimaru. His attention was turned when Manda swatted the sage with its tail.
Jiraiya quickly turned in air and landed on his feet, the two massive summons still battling while he waited for Orochimaru's next move. He didn't have to wait long as Orochimaru regurgitated Kusanagi.
"Jiraiya-boy, you need to be careful. That blade could spell trouble for all of us." Ma warned as Orochimaru raced for Jiraiya.
"I know." Jiraiya said as Orochimaru neared him.
Jiraiya began backing away, ducking and dodging the swings from Orochimaru. The fighting around him was completely drowned out by his own focus. He had to focus on Orochimaru's kenjutsu for the reason that many underestimated it. Then again, with how quickly Orochimaru normally ended battles, many did not know of the man's full power.
But Jiraiya did.
"Now!" Pa ordered after seeing an opening.
Jiraiya gave Orochimaru one, powerful, chakra-enhanced blow to the gut, sending the former leader of Hidden Sound sliding backwards. Jiraiya was amazed that Orochimaru somehow kept his bearings. That punch was a direct blow with natural energy. He then witnessed Orochimaru collapsed onto his hands and knees and smirked.
"I knew he couldn't take…" Jiraiya's words died when he saw Orochimaru use the Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes again. "I should've known…"
Jiraiya crouched onto his hands, the hair on his head growing rapidly. He then began firing needles of hair at a rapid pace (Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon). The snakes coming for Jiraiya began to dispel as they were punctured by Jiraiya's attack.
"Too slow!" Jiraiya's eyes cut to his left as Orochimaru literally sprung from the ground.
"I got him!" Ma said.
"No," Pa said staring at Orochimaru at Jiraiya's right. "He's here too!"
Jiraiya groaned. This was unmistakenly Shadow Clone or any variant of the Cloning Technique that Orochimaru knew. Still, Orochimaru's clones were only second-best to Orochimaru himself. They were not to be taken lightly. Forming a massive Rasengan in each hand, Jiraiya shoved the attack at the two clones only to feel a presence behind him.
"First," Jiraiya felt Orochimaru palm his back. "The toads!"
Jiraiya stumbled forward, his hair receding with each step.
"Jiraiya-boy, he's disrupted your chakra flow! If we keep bringing in natural energy…" Ma warned.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Have no fear. They didn't call me a seal master for nothing." Jiraiya countered Orochimaru's Five Elements Seal with his Five Elements Unseal. "See? Good as new."
Orochimaru began to snicker as he held a hand seal.
"You are full of surprises, Jiraiya-kun." Orochimaru said as he created four Shadow Clones. "It's unfortunate that you declined my offer and joined me. We could have accomplished so much."
"Sorry Orochimaru, but the only teammate I'll ever love is Tsunade." Jiraiya said as he watched Orochimaru's clones circle around him.
"How's that working out?" Jiraiya grunted but then smirked.
"Great actually." replied the sage before he caught something. Each clone was doing hand seals. "Shit!"
Before Jiraiya could do anything, he was trapped inside of the Four Violet Flames Battle Encampment.
"Now," Orochimaru said safely outside the barrier. "This seems familiar." Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Yes… This is how I trapped our dearly beloved sensei. And the ANBU on the outside were forced to watch him suffer and eventually die."
Jiraiya crossed his arms. "You know, for a genius you're not that smart. I'm inside of here and you're out there. Your own technique stops you from harming me."
Orochimaru smirked, licking his lips. "Oh no, Jiraiya-kun, it is the exact opposite. Your time in Sage Mode will eventually run out and only then will I release the barrier."
"How did you let this happen Jiraiya-boy?"Ma chastised.
"Now's not the time. We need to get out of here." Pa said. "Any suggestions, Jiraiya-boy?"
Jiraiya only stared at Orochimaru. Orochimaru's smirk grew as his face slowly began to peel off, revealing another face beneath it. Jiraiya glared at Orochimaru, who had eventually changed his face completely. Now Jiraiya stared at a man with spiky white hair and a small goatee.
"Stop it…" Jiraiya muttered as Orochimaru stood with his father's.
"Quite remarkable about how one just leaves a body lying about." Orochimaru taunted. "You never know the wonders you could learn from… Say… Your father?" Jiraiya began to grind his teeth. "He always wanted you to take your shinobi career seriously. Too bad he didn't live long to see how much of a failure you became. Turning down the Hokage position just to write your precious books… Failing to save both your mentor and your student… Spending a life chasing both of your teammates-"
"Stop it!" Jiraiya roared.
"Jiraiya-boy, calm down." said Ma.
"You were never able to beat me and you were never able to make Tsunade love you." continued Orochimaru. Orochimaru began to shed his face again, this time becoming a familiar blue-eyed blond man. "And of course, how would he feel about-"
"Shut up!"
"You failing to look after his son." Jiraiya was seething by now. "How do you think Minato feels as he forever rots within the Shinigami that you allowed his son to be treated the way he did?" Jiraiya was now walking towards the corner closest to the real Orochimaru. "That you left for your own personal reasons?" Jiraiya thought about touching the walls, but stopped once he remembered the affects. "I guess you have been what you always were. A failure at being a shinobi. A failure at being a writer. A failure at being a sensei… And a failure at being a godfather!"
"Dammit, I said shut up!" Jiraiya shouted as he drove a Chōōdama Rasengan into the wall.
"Jiraiya! You won't be able to break it that way!" Ma shouted.
"Calm down boy! You're wasting your chakra foolishly!" Pa added.
Jiraiya was only half-listening. It was true. He had failed at all those things Orochimaru had listed. He, as a shinobi, should have let Orochimaru go and killed him on-sight if they ever crossed paths. As a sensei, he should have kept a better watch over his students even after their time as his students was over. This would have stopped Minato from dying and Nagato from going down the path he did. But most importantly, he should have been there from the start for Naruto. That kid had bore so much… And while Jiraiya blamed himself for not being there, he also blamed the bane of his life; Orochimaru.
"Jiraiya!" Ma and Pa shouted as Jiraiya's attack opened a small opening within the corner, Jiraiya's hand stretching for the clone.
"Give it up Jiraiya. You will never beat me." Orochimaru taunted.
"Yes…" Jiraiya said as the flames began to consume his right arm. "I…" Jiraiya's fingers were now inches away from one of the clone's face. "Will!"
With that, Jiraiya formed a well-sized Rasengan and blasted the clone into non-existance, thus destroying the barrier. He looked at his right arm, seeing that it was nearly useless now. The natural energy protected him from going up in flames, but it didn't stop the damage to his arm.
"Now that that's done," Orochimaru said. "How about you face me like this!"
Jiraiya stood baffled as Orochimaru's body began to alter once more. Orochimaru's features became that of a white snake before growing larger, and larger, splitting along the way. In seconds, Orochimaru's body was nothing more than a giant eight-headed white serpent (Eight Branches Technique).
"It's… It's huge…" Jiraiya had to nod at Ma's stuttering statement.
Jiraiya heard the loud hiss of the serpent and smiled.
"Gallant Jiraiya versus Yamato no Orochi… Now that is indeed an epic ending for my story."
The elder man gave Shiori a smile and a pat on the head.
"You did great today, Lady Shiori," he said. "Take a break."
Shiori nodded as the man left the room. The blonde Uzumaki was seconds away from shooting out of the room to roam around the palace, but one Terumi Mei stopped her at the door.
"Aw Baa-chan! I'm finally done for the day!" whined the little girl.
Mei only stared at Shiori. A part of her wanted to scold Shiori for not taking this seriously whilst a war was going on. But she could never bring herself to do that. Not even with the enemy coming for them right now.
"Shiori-chan, you should rest." Mei said in a motherly tone. "You've been training all day."
Shiori pouted. "Alright Baa-chan…" Shiori then perked up. "Did Daddy come to visit? Or Sakura-chan? Ooh, ooh, did Granny Tsunade or Ero-sennin come by yet?!"
"No…" Shiori's demeanor quickly saddened. "But I've received a message and your dad is on his way as we speak." Seeing that her lie worked, Mei added on a bit. "He had to stop to help out the others first."
"I can't wait to show him what I learned! Look!" Shiori said before placing her hands around her bell.
Mei was stunned as Shiori's shield was formed around the little girl. In just a few hours, Shiori was able to learn how to purposely activate her bell and, at the bare minimal, learned how to create her impenetrable shield with it.
Shiori then removed her hands, the shield slowly fading out, before giving Mei a wide smile.
"See?! I did it all by myself!" Shiori beamed.
Mei smiled a placed a hand on Shiori's head.
"I'm so proud of you." she said before Shiori hugged her tightly.
Mei closed her eyes as she embraced the little girl. No child should experience war, especially at the age of five. Yet, Shiori was not just experiencing it. She was the center of it. If Akatsuki got their hands on her, then it was over.
"Ba…" Mei looked down as whatever Shiori was about to say was interrupted by a vision. Mei waited patiently as Shiori's visions were critical for the war. When the floral pattern in the girl's eyes died out, Shiori only clutched Mei harder. "Don't leave me Baa-chan!"
Mei did not know what Shiori saw that upsetted the girl so much, but held onto Shiori tighter as well as the blonde wept.
"Where are you Naruto?" Mei questioned beneath her breath.
Jiraiya leapt onto one of the heads of the eight-headed serpent, not knowing how to defeat such a being. Pa had sliced one of the heads with his Fighting Tongue Slash, however the head slowly regenerated.
"To your left!" Jiraiya turned in time for Pa to use his Wind Release Stream to push the attacking head away.
"You're too slow!" Jiraiya heard from behind him.
Jiraiya flipped over the striking head before bringing his foot down for a massive kick that shook the entire creature.
"Don't count me out just yet!" Jiraiya said before leaping onto the ground.
The large serpent hissed before the eight heads all lifted towards the air. Jiraiya watched as something akin to a Tailed Beast Ball was formed.
"This can't be good…" Jiraiya said taking a kunai out. Jiraiya tossed the kunai towas the large serpent. "Better be smart about this."
The flash tag attached to kunai exploded in front of beast's eyes before the monstrosity that was Orochimaru launched the powerful blast at Jiraiya (Hollow Chakra Cannon).
Sumaru, who had continued his pursuit for Demon Country, paused when he saw the light from the large blast of chakra.
"Jiraiya-san…" Sumaru stated.
"Lady Shiori." Kazudan said, ending Sumaru's pause. "We must continue."
"…Hai…" Sumaru finally replied.
Sumaru continued to lead a vast number towards Demon Country. This war was already taking so much out of them and it was only the first day.
Orochimaru looked around with his eight heads, attempting to find any sign of Jiraiya's corpse. Instead he began to hear the sound of croaking. His vision began to blur as one of his heads turned towards a small speck on the ground. Further inspection told him that that small speck was actually a toad, the same toad that was making the croaking sound. Annoyed, Orochimaru sent a tail to smash the nuisance, only for it to hop away, his vision getting worse.
Then something happened that literally pissed Orochimaru off. From the toad stepped out a safe Jiraiya with the Two Great Toad Sages being the actual source of his pain. And before Orochimaru could have the pleasure of sending a head to swallow the trio, his mind had sent him elsewhere.
Looking around, Orochimaru realized two things off the bat. One, he was currently back in his human form, and two, this was genjutsu.
"Well this was unexpected…" Orochimaru said as he glanced at the four toad samurai that surrounded him.
"What? Me knowing genjutsu or you falling for it?" Jiraiya questioned as he walked towards the captured opponent.
Orochimaru grinned. "Ah, there you are Jiraiya-kun. I wanted to ask you how you managed to use such a technique on me despite one pair of eyes being closed."
"You're the genius. Figure it out."
Orochimaru only chuckled at the snide remark. "Oh Jiraiya-kun, always the jokester." Orochimaru's laughter slowly died. "I see… So that bothersome croaking was the source of your genjutsu… Very clever. I've always had a thing for the visual techniques."
"So I heard." Jiraiya stated. "What a shame to. Now everyone believes that Itachi could defeat the Sannin because he reportedly defeated you."
"That was due to my poor judgement." replied Orochimaru before popping the joints in his neck. "I'm curious as to what you'll do to me now knowing that you can't kill me. I doubt you can keep me in this genjutsu forever… In fact, I know you can't. A jutsu that is sound-based loses its power with time. I should know."
"Yeah, yeah, the Hidden Sound Village and all." Jiraiya said. "Actually Orochimaru, I'm going to do something I never thought I'd do."
"And what's that?" Jiraiya smiled.
"Open your eyes and find out."
Orochimaru did and gasped in shock. He was no longer in his serpent form, now back in his original body. But that's not what shocked him. Jiraiya stood in front of him, as a familiar feeling surged through Orochimaru's body. Behind Jiraiya, the shinigami.
"H-how…?" Orochimaru gasped.
"Minato and Hiruzen-sensei weren't the only two to learn a thing or two from the Uzumaki Clan." Orochimaru grunted and attempted to move away from Jiraiya. "There's no point. This time, you will die Orochimaru."
"Why…? Why are you doing this?!" shouted the Snake Sannin.
"To be reunited with Hiruzen-sensei," Orochimaru was confused by the statement. "So that the next time we battle, he will be there to watch us… Just like old times."
"You're a fool Jiraiya! We're going straight to hell!" Orochimaru yelled, still fighting with the jutsu.
Jiraiya laughed. "A fool?! Come on Orochi-teme, you know me better than that. I'm the biggest, most perverted fool in the entire world… Well, I was until Naruto came along. He's a bigger idiot than I'll ever be!" Jiraiya then looked at Orochimaru. "Besides, this way, I can finally say that I put an end to you, once and for all. No amount of reincarnation will ever bring you back."
Orochimaru looked down to see his soul slowly being pulled out.
"No! I will not let this happen!" he hissed. "I won't die again!"
"You don't have a choice." Jiraiya said, pulling more of Orochimaru's soul out. "This is it. The final chapter of our stories." Orochimaru could see his spirit in front of him now. "Don't worry… Naruto and Sasuke will finish our battle…" Orochimaru looked to see a younger, grinning Jiraiya. "And everyone will talk about… How you lost… To a failure like me…"
Hours later, Mei listened to the quietness around her as she sat on Shiori's bed. Shiori's head lied in Mei's lap, spilling her platinum blonde hair everywhere as the girl slept. Shiori had kept her vision to herself this time, though Mei could tell that something bad must have happened. Shiori ate her meal silently, reminding Mei of when Shion had passed.
Sighing, Mei gently removed Shiori's head from her legs and rose to look out the window. They were coming for Shiori and there was nothing Mei could do to stop them. Sure, she would protect Shiori until her dying breath, but still. Shiori would be scarred by this.
"How is she?" Mei turned to look at Kuroma. "She seemed unlike herself at dinner."
"She's fine. A vision startled her." Mei answered.
Kuroma nodded. "I see." Kuroma's eyes then landed on Shiori. "I wonder if this is the risks of being the High Priestess or if this is just due to Shiori's special ability."
"Sometimes I wonder the same thing." Kuroma nodded, turning his attention back to the woman. "You and Hinata have a lot of work cut out for you. Being parents to the High Priestess is hard work, you know."
Kuroma smiled. "Hinata-hime is a caring person. I'm sure she will adapt faster and greater than I ever will, despite being a priest." Mei laughed quietly. "They will reach our walls tomorrow. I will do everything in my power to protect Lady Shiori and the jinchuriki."
Mei gave Kuroma a silent "Thank you" before returning to the bed with Shiori. She carefully moved Shiori so that Shiori's head rested on her pillow.
"When Hinata-hime and I do have the next priestess," continued Kuroma. "I wonder if she and Lady Shiori will be friends."
Mei smiled, brushing Shiori's hair with a hand. "It's impossible not to befriend such a ray of sunshine."
"Hmm… You're right." Kuroma said. "I'm going to prepare to meet their forces half-way. The others that remain here are in your command."
"Hai." Kuroma left with that as Mei continued to stroke Shiori's hair with her hand. "Hear that Shiori-chan? Now it's my turn to make sure you grow up to be the strongest kunoichi ever." Mei paused and laughed. "Who knows? Maybe I'll teach you my Lava Release after all?"
Uchiha Itachi stared at the border of the Land of Demons and inhaled deeply.
"This is it." he said before activating his Mangekyo Sharingan. "It's time to finally meet you, Uzumaki Shiori."