Kaibunkage
Arc III
Chapter V
"Stay true to who you are. Find a goal, a dream, and don't stop until it comes true."
- Uzumaki Kushina
Konohamaru was alleviated that he had a small break of constant battles, but the downtime only gave him more time to think about what was told to him. Udon, his best friend, was a traitor to his village. How could this be? When did it happen? Those were just two of the hundred of questions in Konohamaru's head.
"Sarutobi-san," Konohamaru looked at Ranmaru. "You want Udon? I can find him."
Konohamaru snorted. "Yeah right. Udon was the sensor on our team. He can find and mask chakra better than anyone I know."
"That may be true," Ranmaru stated. "But you don't know me and my team. We're specialized in finding people. We did find Tsunade, remember?"
"That's different." Konohamaru said. "Udon's had years in sneaking around. Ebisu-sensei and Danzo enhanced that ability."
"Come with me to find my team and I'll find Udon." Ranmaru told Konohamaru with a grin. "It's a promise."
Konohamaru thought about the offer before nodding.
"Fine. We'll find Udon. But when we do," Konohamaru said. "I fight him alone."
"I'll secure a perimeter." Ranmaru said before activating his dojutsu. "Let's go."
Mei had never seen Shiori in so much pain. The little girl was screaming in agony before she just stopped. The act caused Mei to move from her spot near the door. Shiori's shield had stopped Mei two more times since Shiori's erratic behavior began, each time stronger than the last. Mei wondered if Itachi, or even Aku, had done something to Shiori to make her act like this.
"Baa-chan…" Shiori said, sniffling a bit. "I'm scared. Where's Daddy?"
Mei opened her mouth to answer, but the door knocking into her stopped her.
"You're in here." Shoru stated.
Mei stood in front of Shiori protectively.
"I won't let you hurt my granddaughter." she said firmly.
"Wouldn't she be my granddaughter?" Mei's eyes widened as Kushina entered behind Shoru.
"K-Kushina!"
"Forgive me." Kushina said, chakra chains shooting out of her back and moving for Mei.
Shiori's shield appeared in time to save her dubbed grandmother. Mei looked to see that Shiori was creating the shield herself instead of it being a reflex. After Kushina's chains retreated, Shiori held her hands in front of her, a small pink sphere cupped between her palms. Mei could see the girl's eyes lock on her target before firing a pink laser towards them.
"It won't work." Shoru said, meeting Shiori's blast with one of his own, this one black.
Mei took that moment to attack the two intruders. Firing several orbs of lava, she hoped to at least get them to retreat out of the room and close it up before using the escape route Kuroma had showed her a month ago. This proved ineffective as Kushina grabbed Shoru and skillfully dodged while remaining in the room.
"Shiori-chan," Mei said to the girl. "I need you to make a shield around yourself and only yourself, okay?" Shiori nodded and did as she was told, Mei doing hand seals. "Let's see you dodge this!"
Using her Body Corrosion, Mei released a heavy mist of corrosive vapors from the pores on her body, covering the room in a thick fog. Mei watched as her opponents stopped their movements and then moved towards the walls. With a strong twirling kick, the weakened wall collapsed.
"Shiori-chan, let's go." Mei said.
The blonde girl ran after her guardian, her shield still remaining. Mei turned to see where her opponents were, not surprised to see Kushina hot on their heels.
"Keep running Shiori-chan! And don't look back!" Mei ordered as she slid to a stop.
Shiori continued running, tears running down her face as Mei and Kushina squared off behind her. Her shield slowly faded away as her little legs continued to move as fast as she could make them.
"I got you!" Shiori screamed as Aku, body encased in Black Lightning, charged through the wall and came for Shiori.
Before Aku could reach Shiori, a large dragon made of stone burst through the floor, taking Aku into its mouth.
"Lady Shiori!" Akari called.
Shiori, recognizing the woman, ran towards her and embraced her tightly.
"Shiori-chan," Hinata called as she destroyed more of Mōryō's stone soldiers. "We have to take you to your palace. It's safer there."
"I'll do it." Akari said before calling forth the large green dragon flying above them. "Lady Shiori, hold on to me tightly, okay?" Shiori nodded as Akari hopped on the dragon with the child in her arms. "Let's go!"
Hinata watched the two fly off before looking at the battle around her.
"With Shiori-chan out of the way," Hinata said, chakra seen around her fists. "There's nothing left to do but defend my home!"
"Keep them coming!" Rin called as more injured shinobi and knights were sent to the infirmary located in Wave Country. "We don't know how long we have until relocation so we have to heal fast!"
"Hai!" The other medics replied.
"Rin-sama," Rin looked at the small woman from Hoshi. "We have received… The corpse of Lord Jiraiya…"
Rin kept her face stoic, though she mentally cringed. She could only imagine how Naruto had taken the news.
"Keep his body safe and preserved." Rin said. The woman nodded before moving to do her job. "Inari, any sight of the enemy?"
"They've scouted the area, but they haven't found us yet." Inari replied.
"Good." Rin said, before frowning a bit. "Have you seen Tonton? I can't find him anywhere."
Inari, still with his back towards Rin, shrugged.
"He's probably healing someone elsewhere. You know how he is." Inari's words alerted Rin.
"Come," Rin said. "I need to search for him and you know this area better than I do."
Inari nodded before following Rin out the base. Meanwhile, the Medic Nin skillfully retrieved two senbon needles into her hand.
"I wonder how the others are holding up." Inari said.
"I don't know," Rin quickly spun, tossing the needles into Inari's eyes. "But you're not Inari!"
"Dammit woman!" the White Zetsu in disguise cried in pain.
Using her Chakra Scapel, Rin shot her hand through the plant-man's chest and out his back.
"We've been found." Rin said removing her hand, looking around to find more enemies. "This isn't good."
Several White Zetsu charged for Rin. The woman stood her ground, letting them collide into her Smoke Clone. With them dazed and lost in the cloud of smoke, the real Rin disposed of them all with kunai and senbon. After they had been taken care of, Rin whistled loudly throughout the area before holding her arm up. One of Akane's hawks landed on her arm.
"Tell HQ that we've been spotted. White Zetsu have transformed into medics and possibly patients alike. Send back-up." Rin said before tossing the hawk back into the air, watching it fly off. "Hurry up. I don't know how much longer we have."
Kushina and her two Shadow Clones dodged the multiple whips of water Mei had created to capture the agile Uzumaki. Mei watched as Kushina sent one of her clones after Mei. The former Mizukage candidate waited for the perfect moment before striking the clone with a swift roundhouse kick to the side of the clone's head, effectively dispelling it. Once her attacking foot touched the ground, Mei quickly hopped a few more feet away from Kushina and inhaled. Taking aim, she used the Boil Release: Melting Stream at her opponent.
Kushina was able to move out of the way in time, though her clone was not so lucky. This only made the woman smile at Mei's handiwork.
"Naruto-kun must be a strong shinobi if you claim he is able to take you out." Kushina commented.
"Your son is undoubtedly the strongest shinobi of his class, possibly his time. I may be able to land a blow on him here and there, but he ultimately wins…" Mei paused. "Well, when he stays focused."
Kushina's eyes narrowed. "You use your 'assets' to distract my son?"
"Not hardly. You should be talking to Sa-" Mei did not finish as Kushina came for her.
Mei began dodging swings from Kushina, noting that the woman's taijutsu roughly reflected Naruto's. Kushina's strikes were not completely smooth or flawless, but they were powerful. If one punch or kick connected, Mei would be hurt badly.
Mei gasped when chakra chains wrapped around her body, the irate mother squeezing the woman. Mei realized that Kushina must have forgotten that her son had a daughter who was not Mei's child. Then again, this was the mother of Naruto she was talking about. If Mei had said something about Tobi destroying all the ramen in the world, she was positive that Naruto could have ended the war on his own.
"F-forgive m-me…" Kushina stammered. "L-like, I don't have control… Over… M-my body anymore… You know…"
Mei nodded. "Understandable."
And with another handseal, Mei used her Body Corrosion once more to break free. Once free, Mei backed away from her opponent, another series of hand seals completed. Inhaling deeply, Mei spat out a large glob of lava that knocked Kushina backwards as well as burning the deceased woman along the way. When the glob met the large hole in the wall, it instantly hardened, sealing it off.
Mei waited before she saw a body shoot from the floor in front of her. The person collided into the ceiling, causing Mei to frown.
"Fucking cunt!" Mei's eyes widened in shock as the foul-mouth redhead removed herself from the crater in the ceiling. "I'll fucking rip your head off!"
Fu flew through the hole in the floor, two wings sprouted from her back.
"I'd like to see you try bitch!" Fu retorted, tackling Tayuya through another wall.
Mei could only shake her head a bit. The Hidden Leaf and Hidden Smoke will have to compensate a lot for the Tatsuhiro Palace to be rebuilt, if it stood the entire battle. And then her thoughts were brought to a new problem.
Hands surrounded by red chakra shot from the hardened stone that was once pure lava. Mei settled into a defensives stare before Kushina broke free from the stone imprisonment, Kyubi's chakra surrounding her.
"How can this be…?" Mei questioned silently.
"You sh-should run. Now!" Kushina roared before slamming her hands onto the ground.
Mei did not have a chance as the entire hallway collapsed into the floor below it.
Rin watched as her patients and teammates were being relocated to another spot within Wave Country.
"This has gotten ridiculous." Shizune said as she clutched Tonton in her arms. "Akatsuki spies?"
Rin nodded. "Afraid so. Worse, we don't have word from Noru and the others protecting the daimyo. If Akatsuki gets a hold of them, we could all be in serious trouble."
"You're right." Shizune said. "Rin-chan, how did you know that that thing wasn't Inari?"
"Simple," Rin said smiling. "He wasn't looking at my breasts."
"Oh…" Shizune said with a blush, noting that Inari did have a way with casually glancing at a woman's chest, whether they were hidden in armor or not.
"Go with the others. I'll make sure that we're not followed." Shizune nodded and walked away from the Smoke Medic-nin. Rin's eyes scanned the area. "I know that you're here. We could both sense you earlier."
"Rin-chan…! You're alive!" Rin's eyes widened.
"O-Obito!" she stammered seeing the boy smiling at her.
"Yeah. Unfortunately I didn't make it and got revived by this stupid jutsu." Rin's eyes saddened. "How's Kakashi-teme and Sensei?"
"Minato-sensei died years ago… After sealing the Kyubi within his son, Naruto." Obito's eyes widened in shock at the news. "As for Kakashi… I wouldn't know. I'm part of a different village now, Kemurigakure no Sato."
"Oh…" Obito said activating his bloodline. "S-sorry about this. I have to fight you now."
"I know…" Rin's words were barely audible as she fished into her pocket to retrieve a few senbon needles.
Without another word, Rin charged for Obito, surprising him. Thinking quickly, the young Uchiha side-stepped his former teammate, only to see her throw the needles at him. Thanks to the Sharingan, Obito skillfully dodged them.
Rin hesitated to capalize on the small opening she saw, instead putting her needles back in her pouch. When Obito neared her to throw a series of strikes, she blocked each one with a gloomy feeling boiling inside of her. She felt responsible for his death and always lived with the fact that if she was stronger, Obito could be alive today.
"Come on Rin-chan," Obito said as the woman leapt away from him. "You're going to have to beat me. I know you can do it. You've always been strong."
"Oh Obito…" Rin said.
Rin saw her former teammate do a familiar set of hand seals, one she had seen him practice over and over again. She then dodged the fireball that followed afterwards, feeling a sense of pride. That had to be the largest one she had ever seen him make.
"Sorry about this." Rin said before holding a hand seal. "But you've got an advantage Obito-kun. One that I have to take away."
Obtio raised a brow as Rin covered the area using her Smoke Hide Jutsu. He attempted to use his Sharingan to see through it, but it was thick. He had to momentarily applaud Rin for this diversion. It worked greatly. His applause was cut short when Rin's right fist came into contact with his face, knocking him out of the cloud of smoke. The boy bounced and rolled, but caught three bodies moving for him.
Rin with two Smoke Clones moved in on Obito with a kunai in each hand. Obito quickly rolled to his feet to dodge his attackers. Rin was surprised that Obito could move so fast. In fact, she was willing to argue that his speed had somehow progressed after his death. But that could not be possible, could it?
As Rin's two clones kept up their onslaught, Rin used a Smoke Shushin to view the fight from a different perspective and assess her opponent better.
"His moves are more fluent." Rin said to herself before frowning. "But how is that possible? He couldn't have grown after death…"
"Rin-chan, behind you!" Obito called.
Rin gasped before the boy tackled her out of her spot in a nearby tree, the two tumbling to the ground. As Rin hit the ground hard, Obito was able to land on his feet.
"You really need to pay more attention Rin-chan. I don't want to hurt you." Obito stated.
Rin stood up. "How…?"
Obito smiled. "Oh come on Rin-chan! Don't tell me that during these years you grew weaker! You could always beat me in spars!"
Rin's eyes narrowed. "Yes… I do remember beating you once before." Rin did a few hand seals. "And that was well before I even realized what my potential was!"
Obito was shocked when Rin's hair began to move with the wind that was blowing due to her power peak. He had never seen her do anything like this before, or anyone for that matter. It was as if she was opening one of the Eight Inner Gates, yet her body was showing none of the side-effects.
"Uh… You know you can defeat me in a less painful manner, right?" Obito joked.
"No. I don't think I can." Rin said before taking a pill. Obito's eyes narrowed when he saw her eyes narrow with fury. "Keep up, Obito-kun."
With that, she simply vanished with a burst of speed. Obito could not believe it. She was faster than Kakashi, hell, faster than Minato! But the real question was: Where'd she go?
He got his answer when her fist embedded itself in his gut, followed by a knee that sent him backwards. Rin's hands then lit with green chakra as she took off for Obito again. Obito caught this happening this time and dodged Rin's initial swing…
Or so he thought.
"Ah!" Obito shouted as the wind from Rin's attack ripped his skin. Obito stumbled backwards, holding the wound. "That really hurt Rin-chan!"
Rin did not verbally say anything, closing her eyes to kill the emotion inside of her. Then, she vanished again. Obito looked around, a small trickle of blood coming down his face. His eyes could not pick up her movements at all. And then Rin was in front of him, using an upward kick to send him airborn.
"I don't want to do this to you Obito-kun," Rin said. "But for the better of this world, you must die again!"
Rin launched herself at Obito. The boy stared as Rin's body rose higher and higher to grab him. Before she could grab him, Rin saw something change; his eyes.
"What the-" Rin's sentence was never finished as Obito's foot met her face, sending her spiraling towards the ground below.
Obito landed on the ground, three tomoe in each eye.
"How is that possible?" Rin asked as she sat up.
Obito did not answer her as he landed on the ground, his goggles slipping from his head. Rin stood up and brushed herself off, staring at her teammate.
"What secrets are you hiding from me, Obito? Tell me!" Rin demanded.
"A secret?" Obito said before looking at the ground. "A secret I've been holding for years is that I…"
"That isn't much of a secret." Rin snapped. She was starting to get a bad feeling about her former teammate and wanted to know what was going on. "Tell me what's going on Obito."
"Kakashi never wanted to save you!" Obito said angrily. Rin blinked. "That day… Kakashi chose to do the mission instead of rescuing you. I came for you. I attempted to rescue you."
"And you did, now tell me what's going on Obito." Obito smiled.
"How about I show you?" Rin frowned before Obito began to laugh maniacally.
It would be a laugh that she would never forget in her life.
Shiori scampered through the halls, tears falling down her face. Akari had chosen to fight off Shoru, but that had failed. Shiori ran before she could see the end of the fight though. And her feet brought her to a room that she had only been into once, though her mother used it to "talk to their ancestors" in the past. Shiori did not know what an ancestor was, but Shion spent some time sitting in one spot talking to them.
Shiori had also heard her father talking about the seal present in the room. He told her that all the priestess of past, present, and future were connected by it somehow. And while Shiori was way too busy just looking at the seal than listening to her father, she knew that he said that it was really powerful and shouldn't be toyed with.
Stepping into a seal, Shiori gasped as her eyes began to glow. A white beam embraced her, illuminating the room in a blinding light.
Akari moved so her back met the wall and looked at the strange boy. He had fought her in her dragon form and succeeded. Shoru had won.
"Now," Shoru nearly hissed. "It's time for me to end this." Akari watched as a thick mist cover Shoru. "This again…"
Akari felt a pair of hands grab her before leading her away. It took her a moment to realize that it was Mei.
"Mei," Akari gasped. The woman appeared to be in bad shape and moving on a whim. "You need help."
"Shiori… I msut protect Shiori." Mei responded.
Akari said nothing more. Apparently, Mei had defeated her opponent, but at the cost of a lot of chakra and several gashes. Akari also noted that despite the bruises and cuts, Mei still had such a beautiful appearance. But, she digresses. All in all, Mei looked like she had just come from the heart of the battle and somehow survived.
"She went this way." Akari said, now leading Mei. "We need to hurry."
"I'm right behi- Ugh!" Akari stopped and saw chains poking through Mei's stomach. "K-Kushina…"
Akari saw the woman known as Uzumaki Kushina. She was thoroughly shocked to see the woman with a red cloak of chakra that signified the use of a biju's power. It was common knowledge that Naruto was currently the container of the Kyubi, so how did Kushina get some of its power?
"We're not finished." Shoru said. "Kushina, finish the redhead bitch."
Kushina nodded before she began screaming in pain. The chains that impaled Mei retreated to Kushina who began to crouch down. Even Shoru winced as he could hear the Reibi writhing in bloodlust.
"You should know better than to enter someone else's home uninvited," A voice said as it came into the person came into the room. "You never know what traps they have."
Mei looked up and gasped. "Shion!"
Akari was now alarmed. If anything, Shion would be revived by the enemy, right?
The blonde smiled and squatted in front of Mei.
"Don't worry Baa-chan. I won't let them hurt you." Mei's eyes widened.
"Shiori?!" Mei nearly screamed.
Shoru frowned. "No… No this is impossible! Shiori is nothing but a little girl!"
"You should know that a true Uzumaki always has an ace up their sleeve." The older Shiori said. "And for how I summoned my future body into the present, you don't need to know that now. In fact, from what I've seen, you won't even live long enough to find out."
Kushina stood on her feet and looked at the blonde priestess in front of her.
"You're beautiful…" Kushina commented.
Shiori blushed. "Thanks for that, you know?" Shiori smoothed her hair back into a ponytail that resembled her mother's and glared. "But I came here for a reason and that's to stop the one called Shoru."
"You're trash!" Shoru said as he lifted his hand and attempted to blast his opponents away with a Shinra Tensei.
A pink shield appeared protecting the others. Mei stared wide-eyed as Naruto's little girl, no longer so little, stood calmly before ending her shield.
"I'm going to make you pay for the nightmares you've given me!" Shiori proclaimed as she did hand seals. "Starting with this!"
Inhaling, the priestess spat a large dragon made of lava at her two opponents, causing Mei and Akari to become slack-jawed at the sight. In an amazing display- or even more amazing display- the dragon was sliced in half by a large black tentacle. The tentacle disappeared once Shiori ended her Lava Dragon Missile technique and took off for Kushina and Shoru.
As her granddaughter came towards her, Kushina felt her body move in front of Shoru, several of chains shooting out of her back to grab Shiori. Shiori gracefully dodged them, still coming closer towards Shoru and Kushina. When Shiori was in arm's length of Kushina, the redhead Uzumaki finally saw the Mangekyo Sharingan in Shiori's left eye spinning. And then the girl vanished before Kushina could grab her.
A second later, Kushina felt a blow knocking her towards the wall while Shoru went flying backwards towards the door. Shiori stood crouched where Shoru was once standing at, chakra chains slowly retreating into her.
"What speed!" Mei remarked.
Shiori rose, still glaring at Shoru. The blond boy also stood up, creating several Shadow Clones. Shiori smirked, doing the exact same thing. The two stared at one another with Shoru's eyes morphing into the red and black Rinnegan. Without a word, the two foes ran towards one another with malicious intent.
Rin was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath as Obito, now revealed to be Tobi, stood over her. As he had told her earlier, he had preferred Tobi over his former "idiot" self.
"Why?" was Rin's only question.
"Because of you." Rin, with the strength left in her body, looked up at the masked man. "My love for you fueled my hatred for Kakashi. My love for my clan gave birth to my hatred towards my village. Love is pointless and a world without it is a world without hatred."
"That's not true!" Rin shouted angrily. "You're killing people to satisfy your own- Ah!"
Rin's words were effectively ended when Tobi's hand met her face, knocking her to her side.
"Minato-sensei… I saw him when I unleashed the Nine-tails on Konoha." Tobi said before inhaling deeply. "It was my shining moment… Or at least, it would have been had he not stopped me. There was no way that Kakashi could have outshined me then. There was no way that people would be talking about him taking my eye and becoming a great Sharingan user. No… No, they would be talking about me and my greatness!"
"That isn't greatness. That's evil!" said Rin.
"Tell me, Rin, did you ever think about returning to see if I was alive or not?" Rin stayed silent, knowing she had regretted that during the years. "I thought so. What was that thing Minato-sensei always said? Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum? If me killing a few makes me 'evil' as you say, what does that make you for turning your back on your teammate."
Rin balled her fists up. "I'm sorry for not going back. But this is insane." Tobi watched as Rin stood up slowly. "You've become a monster, Obito. A man who I could never love, let alone respect. You are no longer a comrade of mine."
"Look at you," Tobi said. "You can hardly stand." Rin gasped as Tobi quickly closed the gap, clutching Rin by the throat and lifting her into the air. "You will join me Rin. One way or the other."
"I choose the other." Tobi instantly dropped Rin and turned around.
"I would call you the Fourth Hokage… But I know for a fact that he's dead." Naruto smirked at Tobi's words.
"You should also know that I'm a bit faster and physically stronger than my old man was too." Naruto stated. "Oh, and people can summon me whenever they think they need my help."
Tobi frowned before seeing a kunai behind Naruto. He released a growl in his throat. Rin must have planted it there earlier during their battle.
"We'll meet again, Lord Kaibunkage." Tobi said before teleporting himself away.
Naruto moved to the coughing Rin.
"Rin-chan, will you be alright?" he asked.
Rin nodded. "I'll-" She released a cough. "I'll be fine."
"I brought someone here that'll help you guys move along pretty well." Naruto said as the Siren of the Hidden Mist, Ichigo Kiyohime came up behind Naruto. "She's a talented kunoichi and is considered one of the greatest genjutsu users from Kiri."
"I will get you to the others in one piece." Kiyohime told Rin.
Rin saw Naruto move away from her and spoke.
"You're going after Shiori?" Rin questioned.
Naruto nodded. "I'm merely a clone, but yeah. The boss is sending one to check on things there as well. Raikage-teme won't let us leave until that damn seal is completed."
"Be careful, Naruto. There's no telling what dirty tricks the Akatsuki has. And the last thing we need is for you to lose your focus." Rin stated.
The clone gave Rin a thumb's up and a smile.
"I promise Rin. Nothing can make me lose my mind so long as Shiori-chan is alright." The clone said before dispelling.
Kiyohime stood cautiously and looked around.
"Is there something wrong?" Rin asked.
"No. I've placed a genjutsu around us to lead us safely to the others." replied the Mist kunoichi. "Please, lead the way."
Rin nodded. "Hai."
Shoru and Shiori separated once more, the two now battling in the burning gardens behind Shion's former palace. Kushina took the opportunity to pounce for her granddaughter, though Shiori would counter by vanishing from the area and reappearing a few feet away.
"Why won't you just die?" Shoru asked.
The older Shiori smiled. "Now that's not very nice."
Shoru grunted before firing several fireballs at the priestess. Shiori skillfully dodged them all with a series of flips and twirls. When her opponent stopped, Shiori pointed a finger at him, a pink laser firing from her fingertip towards Shoru. The clone avoided being hit, but was quite startled at the power that came from the single shot.
Kushina grabbed Shiori tightly from behind, giving the girl a tight bearhug.
"Y-You're strong…" Shiori commented.
"I got you now!" Shoru called before executing a Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction on Shiori and her paternal grandmother.
The flames completely engulfed the two Uzumaki. Shoru kept his attack up, glad that Shiori was hit. His joy was killed once he saw the black flames of Amaterasu engulfing his flames. Angered and baffled, he created a Shadow Clone to enhance his fire attack with a Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. His attempt was futile, the black flames seemingly growing larger and coming directly for him.
Thinking quickly, Shoru ended his attack and began to backtrack. Shiori ended her attack as well before breaking free of Kushina's grip with chakra chains firing from her back. Shiori looked around her to see where her two opponents were. Her attention was then turned to a blonde woman charging for her.
"The former Nibi got out of her cage, eh?" Shiori stated. "That never happened before… Oh well." The revived Yugito fell to the ground in pain as Shiori's eyes lit up. "You have to be put down."
Sensing someone behind her, Shiori shot a chain from her back only for the person to explode. This sent her sliding on her stomach a few inches. Getting onto her hands and knees, she was kicked in her side hard, causing her to flip into the air a few feet.
"I got you now!" Shoru shouted before Shiori vanished. "H-how…?"
"Shannaro!" Shoru hardly saw the blow coming and was able to brace himself at the last possible second. However, the blow did knock him backwards several yards away from Shiori. "I'm going to bury you now, shannaro!"
With one heavy stomp, Shiori created a large fissure that grew towards Shoru. Shoru raised his left hand, large pillars of stone rising from Shiori's fissure. Shiori watched as Shoru rose into the air on one of his erected pillars and flew through hand seals. The blonde Uzumaki fired a large stream of lava (Lava Release: Searing River). Shoru flipped off of his stone structure to dodge the attack, firing several Air Bullets at Shiori.
Leaping backwards, Shiori covered herself from the dust and debris that shot from the ground from Shoru's attack. Shoru quickly followed her, engaging his opponent in a strictly taijutsu fight. The two brawled with Shoru being the quicker of the two and landed several relatively ineffective strikes. He figured he had her at least tired until Shiori gave him a powerful spinning thrust kick to his midsection. Again, he was pushed away from her, questioning where this strength came from.
"Why won't you just die?!" Shoru repeated slamming his hands on the ground.
Shiori's eyes widened once she saw several large trees shoot from beneath the ground, creating a forest that came for her (Wood Release: Nativity of World of Trees). Clapping her hands together, she focused on creating the strongest shield she could, watching the trees push up against the pink orb. Shoru watched as his forest picked the shield up, carrying Shiori away inside her safeguard. When Shoru finished his attack, Shiori dropped her guard.
"This… This wasn't supposed to go like this…" Shiori said to herself as she saw two Shadow Clonesof Shoru coming for her.
Shiori inhaled deeply before launching a Drilling Air Bullet at her two opponents, dispelling them instantly. Shiori spotted Kushina shoot from the forest and glared at her grandmother. Kushina saw a Rasengan form in her right hand.
"Take this, shannaro!" Kushina's eyes widened when Shiori appeared behind her in a blink of an eye. "Rasengan!"
Kushina gasped as the attack landed on her back, sending her flying through the trees. Shiori backtracked afterwards, finding a clearing in the gardens at Shion's former palace. When Shoru glanced at her, he swore he was seeing others stand behind the priestess. Naruto and Shion… Minato and Kushina… Jiraiya… Miroku… Sarutobi Hiruzen… Hashirama and Tobirama… Uzumaki Mito.
Shoru shook his head. Were they really there? They couldn't be. He looked at her again and gasped. Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, Uzumaki Nagato, Yahiko, Haruno Sakura, Kurosuki Ranmaru, Terumi Mei and… Madara. Uchiha Madara also stood behind this girl. But why? What made her so special?
"No…" Shoru said. "There's no way that you're that important."
"You see them, don't you?" Shiori spoke. "My ancestors and my teachers. Everyone that made me into the person I am today. Everyone that I fight for."
"You're nothing. I am the fourth coming of the sage!" Shoru shouted.
Shoiri smirked and Shoru could see the girl "absorbing" the people behind her.
"If you say so." Shiori said before the two ran towards on another.
Mei could only sit in pain with the thoughts that Shiori was alright. The battles that were going on around her were the least of her worries. If Shiori died, she could never live with herself. Not to mention what Naruto might do…
"Mei-chan!" Mei's eyes went wide. Speak of the blond devil himself…
"N-Naruto," she stammered through pain. "What are you doing here?"
"Where's Shiori-chan?" he questioned.
The two heard a thunderous noise coming from the gardens. Naruto's Shadow Clone gave Mei a worried look, one that she saw and then turned away from. How could she verbally tell him that his little girl was out there battling his mother and a clone? And to top it off, Shiori had somehow grown up in five minutes?
Without words, the Kaibunkage moved for the battlefield in the back. He had spotted Kuroma and Hinata still battling with Aku, Shinnō, and Moryō, and while he wanted nothing more than to avenge Shion by killing Aku, he had a daughter to find first. He somehow managed to weave his way through the other battle between the jinchuriki, Killer Bee, Fu, and Yukimaru taking on three of the revived jinchuriki, Yamato aided as best as he could. And this brought him to Shiori's summer home, Shion's former palace.
Moving out to the back, Naruto's eyes widened. Shion's once lavish garden was destroyed by flames and a forest that seemingly sprouted out of nowhere. What startled Naruto the most was seeing black flames burning to his left. The clone of Naruto had the thought of summoning the real Naruto to the area until he saw a redhead woman rise from a nearby crater. The two met and stood frozen for a moment.
"Naruto…"
"Mom…"
Kushina grunted before charging towards Naruto, tears running down her cheeks as she had to attack her son against her will. Naruto's clone could only watch with a multitude of emotions running through it, only for a blonde to appear in-between him and his mother, chains entangling Kushina.
"Everything is alright Dad." Shiori stated. "Return back to the others. You're not supposed to be here!"
Shiori tossed Kushina away from the pair and turned to look at the clone of Naruto.
"I can take care of everything." Shiori said, giving Naruto a smile that reminded him of himself.
"Shiori…" Was the only thing the Kaibunkage could say.
Shiori saluted Naruto. "I have everything under control Daddy Kaibunkage. I promise."
And with that, Shiori quickly went off to finish her battle. The clone watched for a moment before dispelling, giving the original the knowledge and memories it obtained.
Naruto was sitting in HQ, looking at the designs for a seal to completely counter the Impure World Resurrection. There was the possibility of breaking the revived from the user's control, but no one knew what they would do. If he tried that technique on someone like Orochimaru, then Orochimaru would simply leave the battlefield and find a way to restore his soul completely.
Naruto froze in his work, something Tsunade did not miss. The Kaibunkage gained the knowledge his latest Shadow Clone had given him. And then Naruto rose from his seat quickly.
"Naruto? What's going on?" Tsunade asked.
"They've got Shiori." Tsunade felt a wave of panic surge through her as the Kaibunkage put on his robe. "I'm going to save her."
"Naruto," The two blonds looked at one another. "Be careful. Save Shiori."
With a nod, Naruto used Hirashin out of the building. This left Tsunade to sigh quietly in her seat, seconds before Ē walked into the room.
"Where's the Kaibunkage?" he questioned.
"Gone." Tsunade answered. "He got word that Akatsuki had reached Shiori's location. He went to save her."
The Raikage growled. "And he did it without telling me first? Does that kid ever think before jumping into action?"
A small smile tugged at Tsunade's lips.
"Never."
Kuroma allowed Hinata to use him as a temporary crutch as she rose. Their chakra was beginning to thin and there was no sign of anyone from the Sealing Team nearby to seal off their opponents. They were putting their fate in the hands of the Genryu.
Hinata's eyes caught black lightning coming for her and her fiancé and moved to intercept it. Kuroma was beyond shocked at her resolve and grabbed her. He was expecting either the dread of knowing Hinata was hit full force or pain coming from the lightning going through their bodies, but neither came.
"Naruto!" Hinata gasped as Naruto stood in front of them, taking the lightning head-on.
"Is that the best you got?!" Naruto shouted before redirecting the attack towards Aku.
Aku was unprepared for the counter and was knocked onto his back while Shinnō stepped forward.
"So, the Kaibunkage finally shows up." Shinnō remarked.
"You shouldn't take himas a joke." Aku said as he stood up. "And he's a lot more difficult than his father and daughter combined."
"Well then, I'll make sure that he meets the same fate as his parents!" Shinnō shouted as he ran for Naruto.
Hinata could see Naruto's chakra flare and twist inside of him before coming to a single spot, his arms. And then the arms of Naruto's Susanoo had grabbed Shinnō tightly.
"You should've listened to him. I'm not in a good mood." Naruto said before putting pressure on Shinnō. He looked at Aku. "So, you actually had the balls to show up instead of sending one of those zombie clones of yours."
Aku smirked. "Perceptive as always, Uzumaki-san. Unfortunately, this is my real body."
Naruto sighed heavily, and surprisingly, Hinata saw his chakra slowly calm inside of him. And then his Susanoo literally crushed Shinnō's body, dust and ashes flying everywhere. Aku's smirk disappeared after Naruto's blunt display of power and aggression.
And sadly, all Aku could think about was Shion's last words to him. Maybe that blonde bitch was on to something this entire time…
Shiori watched as another forest was created by her opponent. Thinking quickly, the priestess quickly flew threw hand seals before slamming her hand on the ground. Shoru was shocked when a large wave of magma shot from the ground in front of Shiori, creating a tidal wave of lava (Lava Release: Great Melting Apparition Wave). The trees and lava met, the lava quickly melting and devouring the forest. Once more, Shoru rose on a pillar of stone to dodge the sea of magma below him.
Using a line of blood from his leg, Shoru swiped some on his hand and slammed his palm on the elevated pillar.
"Summoning Jutsu!" the boy cried out.
The ground that Shoru had raised crumbled into the cooling lava as a cloud of smoke covered him. Shiori waited until she saw a large, black-maned lion standing in front of her, its eyes showing the black and red Rinnegan. The large beast let out a feral roar that shook the ground.
"This wasn't predicted either…" Shiori said.
The large lion pounced for Shiori, who vanished from her spot quickly. She then reappeared near Yugito's down body and sighed.
"Dad's going to kill me when he finds out that I did this again… Kami knows Yukimaru will never forgive me." Shiori said as she looked Yugito in the eye with her Mangekyo Sharingan. "Matatabi, I summon you!"
Shiori placed her palm on Yugito's forehead, the jinchuriki's body shaking and convulsing terribly. Shiori then put her hands on Yugito's torso, the Uzumaki's eyes now a bright light.
"Come to me!" she ordered.
Shoru was beyond stunned when the the Two-tailed Monster Cat shot forth from Yugito. The biju appeared completely free until Shoru caught a glimpse of its eyes.
"Matatabi," Shiori spoke, the large feline staring down at her. Shiori then pointed towards Shoru and his lion. "Destroy."
The Nibi inhaled deeply before whipping its head towards Shoru's location and spewing a large ball of flames towards Shoru and his summon.
"Shinra Tensei!" Shoru called, dispersing the flames as he and his summoned lion charged for the large tailed-beast.
Shiori jumped onto Matatabi's head, the flames not affecting her in the least bit. She clapped her hands together, creating a large pink shield that covered her and the biju she was currently on top of. The shield was strong enough to deflect Shoru's lion, causing the beast to be pushed backwards.
"Let's go Mata!" Shiori said while holding a single hand seal.
The biju shot multiple fireballs at Shoru with Shiori firing shots of lava with the chakra-made beast.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Shoru called before the attack could hit him.
Shiori mentally stirred the Nibi away from the large cloud of smoke that covered her opponent, crushing many of the trees that Shoru had conjured up earlier during their battle. When the smoke cleared, the lion had vanished, but a large turtle was in its place now, withdrawn in its shell. Shiori mentally cursed as the shell of the turtle appeared to be made of pure stone and apparently unaffected by the combined attacks of her and the Two-tails.
"So close," Shoru stated as the turtle emerged from its shell, a thorny crown surrounding its head. "But you're still trash. And for that, I will eliminate you!"
Branches shot from the earth, grabbing and restraining Matatabi. Shiori then watched as Shoru climbed onto the turtle's back and clapped his hands together.
"You, your dad, your mom, your precious family! They will all perish!" Shoru said as he tossed a sphere into the air.
Shiori recognized this as the Chibaku Tensei, a move her father had explained to her and warned her about years ago. She frowned in thought. Years ago or years ahead?
"Stop it." Shiori chided to herself as she felt the gravitational pull from the sphere. Shiori then looked at the sphere. "Mata fire an attack," Shiori pointed. "There."
The Nibi fired a Tailed Beast Ball at the opening Shiori had pointed out. Shiori closed her right eye, focusing her attention on Matatabi's attack. She ignited the blast with Amaterasu, blood dripping from her left eye. She ended her attack, feeling her body being lifted towards the sphere in the air.
"Come on…" Shiori said before Shoru's attack shattered, sending her back towards the ground. "Yes!"
Shiori's celebration was cut off when chains wrapped around her body and slammed her into the ground. The chakra chains of Kushina gripped Shiori tightly, the blonde Uzumaki struggling in vain.
"No, no, no!" Shiori called. "That's not what we forsaw! I'm supposed to…" Shiori stopped and sighed. "Dad was right. Destiny isn't always written in stone."
Kushina smiled sadly at her granddaguther. "Please, don't give up. Not yet. You…"
Kushina's words trailed off as she looked upwards. Shiori followed her grandmother's line of sight and saw a large meteor heading for her. She knew her shield was protect her, but her home? Mei? The meteor would destroy everyone and everything else.
And then Kushina's chains released Shiori, the girl rising immediately to see Mei moving towards her. Kushina's body was melting and regenerating from Mei's Skilled Mist Technique.
"Shiori-chan," Mei said before looking at the three meteorites. "Shiori-chan, I'm sorry. I couldn't-"
"It's okay Baa-chan." Shiori said with a smile. "I know what I must do." Shiori encased herself in a pink shield. "Use the Corrosion Body one more time. The biggest one you can!"
Mei nodded, doing what her dubbed granddaughter requested. Meanwhile Shiori sat down, completely safe while chanting something under her breath. Mei watched as the meteorites drew closer and closer while Kushina was immobilized by the acidic vapors that Mei released from her pores.
Soon Mei felt a strange chakra behind her. Looking over her shoulder, and ending her technique, she saw Shiori rise in a different form.
"You…" Mei said. "You look just like your mom when she transformed."
Shiori was now in a golden one-piece suit, white wings sprouting from her back. Spiral markings were on the backside of Shiori's hands as she clenched her fists and stared at the three meteorites.
"Shiori-chan," Shiori looked at Mei. "Please, be careful."
"I won't die until I'm the Kaibunkage." Shiori said a smile. "Believe it."
Mei replied with a smile of her own before Shiori flew towards the three meteorites. Using her Mangekyo Sharingan she took aim while forming a Chōōdama Rasengan in her hand. The Chōōdama Rasengan began exuding electricity until she had converted the attack into a Chōōdama Rasendori.
"Ero-sennin, Grandpa, Pervy Cyclops, Dad, Ranmaru-sensei," Shiori said with a smile. "This one is for you guys!"
Mei could only watch as the streak of light clashed with the meteorite.
"Shannaro!"
Aku was now crawling away from the seemingly possessed Kaibunkage. Mōryō and Shinnō proved nothing more but a quick warm-up for Naruto. And now Aku would face a similar fate, except he would not be sealed. He would die.
"Naruto!" Hinata called.
Naruto turned to the sky, seeing three meteorites. His eyes widened in fear. Could Shiori evade that attack? Could she handle it? Would she survive it? And then his eyes saw the same streak of light head for the meteorites letting out a cry that reminded him much of Sakura.
"I'm going to kill Sakura…" Naruto muttered before turning his attention back to Aku. "Now, tell me," Aku stopped a whimper as Naruto hoisted him into the air. "Who's behind the resurrection of my mom?!"
Shoru was beyond mystified. The attack was something he had never seen or heard of and it destroyed three meteorites. There was nothing there but small pebbles that rained from the sky. Shoru watched as the cause of his stupor and aggravation came to the ground gently, still in her angelic form.
Shoru released a feral growled as he unleased the Reibi's powers, the dark aura engulfing him completely. Mei stood in shock as several arms reached out for Shiori, yet the girl remained still.
"Shiori" Mei called as the hands grabbed Shiori tightly.
"Don't worry Baa-chan," Shiori stated. "This was supposed to happen."
Mei was greatly confused until she saw the shadow hands of the Reibi glow a bright golden aura.
"What… What are you doing?" Shoru called.
"The Reibi is powered by dark emotions," Shiori spoke. "I'm showing it the one thing that could bring down even the Kyubi. Love."
Shoru felt strange now. His mind was filled with images of sunny skies, riding on the back of large toads, and lanterns floating towards the night sky. These visions were making the Reibi weaker and the pseudo-biju began to feed off of his chakra to survive.
Or it would have if it had not stopped it.
"Stop it!" Shoru barked as he backed away from Shiori.
Shoru then looked into Shiori's eyes. He wondered how someone who bore so much hatred for him could be the symbol of peace and love. How someone who wanted nothing more than to kill him could not harbor any dark emotion for the Reibi to feed on.
Shiori closed her right eye, glaring at her opponent with her Mangekyo Sharingan only.
"Come," Shiori said as her Sharingan began spinning. "Join me in my world! Come into my Tsukuyomi!"
Mei and Kushina watched as the two fighters slowly began to vanish until neither stood in front of them. Kushina could feel that even Kabuto was at a standstill about the turnabout of events.
"Shiori-chan." Mei said quietly.
Shoru saw that he was now at some temple of some sort. A large seal occupied the ground, looking very similar to Shiori's Seal of the Nine Tomoe. His opponent materialized several feet in front of him, now wearing a red kimono with a white swirl on the back.
"Are you ready to meet your end?" Shiori said.
Shoru grunted. "You can't beat me! I am superior! You're just trash!"
With that, Shoru exhaled a massive wave of flames towards Shiori. He was certain that his attack hit her until he saw a wall of sand protecting her.
"What…?" Shiori smiled at Shoru's dumbfounded appearance.
"Are you surprised?" Shiori questioned. Shoru watched as the girl, who he knew to be five years old, began to rapidly age until she appeared to be around twenty. "This is the age I learned how to tame all nine biju, make them attack at my command." Shoru watched as the biju, all of them, appeared behind Shiori. "You may be a reincarnation of the sage, but I am something much bigger!"
Shoru sneered. The power of Shiori was vastly greater than anyone imagined. And the fact that she had somehow transported him into her mind instead of casting a simple genjutsu was proof of that. However, Shoru was stronger. He knew that he could beat them all, this world or the next. His father depended on it.
"By the way," Shiori said smiling at Shoru. "My friends hate it when someone impersonates their father…"
And with those words, Shoru was put into the battle of his life with nine monstrous bodies of chakra and the woman that wielded them with ease.
It was an amazing sight to behold. One man, albeit one pissed off man, had destroyed much of a platoon singlehandedly. The red tails that lashed out against the enemy lit the area in a red glow. The air itself seemed to be heavier now.
"K-Kaibunkage-s-s-sama," A Hoshi-nin stated as he slowly neared the venting Naruto. "Th-their forces h-have retreated… Wh-what are our n-n-next orders?"
Naruto closed his red eyes before staring at the man with calmer blue ones.
"Bring the injured to the infirmary within the Tatsuhiro Palace and drive out those that are attacking the jinchuriki." Naruto stated. "I have one more stop before I leave here."
"Hai." A group of men and women replied.
Naruto looked at them before giving them a small smile.
"Good job. All of you." And with that, vanished from the area.
"Man, I'd hate to be the one he's looking for…" a random Iwa kunoichi stated, the others all nodding in concurrence.
Mei clutched her side, attempting to slow the bleeding as much as she could. She should be thanking Akari at the moment, but the younger woman was momentarily subduing Kushina.
"Mei-chan," Without looking, Mei knew that this was the real Naruto. She saw her leader and student looking down on her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." she answered. "Akari has finally captured Kushina."
"…" Naruto was silent, his eyes going to the area where his mother and Akari were at. Kushina was trapped within Akari's Cloth Binding technique. "I'll be back."
Naruto slowly moved towards Akari, who was struggling to keep Kushina within the bindings as she was unable to place a sealing tag on it.
"Release her." Naruto said. Akari knew best not to argue and did as he said, Kushina bursting through the binds quickly, only for Naruto to catch her. "Mom…"
"Naruto-kun," Kushina stated. "I'm so happy that you're alive. And… And you look so much like Minato-kun."
Naruto grinned. "I kind of get that a lot." Kushina smiled at his words before her body moved to attack him. Naruto was quick to restrain her, pushing her body against a large tree that Shoru had created earlier. "Stay still Mom. I need to do something."
Akari watched as Naruto pressed his hand on the back of Kushina's neck. In a disgusting sight, his hand began to slowly insert itself inside of Kushina, the woman gasping.
"What are you doing?" Kushina questioned.
Concentrating, Naruto slowly began to remove his hand, holding a paper seal. Naruto destroyed the seal and slowly backed away from Kushina.
"I…" Kushina paused, moving her fingers. "I'm free! Like, completely free, ya know!"
Naruto laughed a bit. "Yeah, you are." Naruto's laughter slowly died. "But… You need to move on." Kushina's smile disappeared now as well. "As much as I would like you in my and Shiori's life, it can't be. You and Dad belong together elsewhere."
"Before I go," Kushina stated. "There's something I want to say." Akari saw Naruto's brows rise. "I'm sorry for making your life hell." The Kaibunkage winced a bit. "If… If I could've lived, you wouldn't have had to burden being a jinchuriki by yourself. I would've protected your from-"
Kushina's words were interrupted by Naruto hugging her tightly.
"Because of what you and Dad did, I'm alive and healthy. Even though my childhood was rough, I was never alone due to Kurama, even if he doesn't want to admit it. You put your faith in me to house Kurama while everyone thought I was bound to fail. And for that," Naruto murmured. "I'm glad that ended up being your son."
Akari could hear and see Kushina crying softly as she held onto Naruto tightly. The Tatsuhiro woman could only watch the mother and son reunion.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Kushina said softly.
Naruto said nothing, relishing in his first and last hug from his mother. While he continued to berate himself that this was war and losses on both sides would occur, he surely did not expect the revival of his mother. Emotions that the standard shinobi could easily mask on a daily basis were doing their best to break from him. Yet, he remained tearless while holding the woman.
"Naruto-kun," Naruto looked at Kushina's face. "Before you were born, Minato-kun and I both wished for you to achieve two things in life. Minato-kun wished that you find peace and I wished that you found love. Before I go I want to know, did you ever find those things?"
Akari watched as the Kaibunkage's face morphed into a thinking one before he grinned.
"Yes." This shocked Akari, especially since he is claiming to have found peace while there was a war going on centered around his daughter.
"Then there is only one thing left to say," Kushina said. "I love you, Naruto-kun."
"I love you too Mom." Naruto responded softly, holding the woman he once had childhood dreams of meeting someday.
Akari, unlike Naruto and Mei, had never seen one cross over before. The light that surrounded Kushina could only be described by one word: Heavenly. The rays of light were so warm that Akari found herself stepping a bit closer to the scene.
"Goodbye Mom," Naruto whispered before releasing the body that he was holding. The corpse, now an unrecognizable shinobi, fell to the ground in front of him. "I wish…"
"I know, Naruto-kun." Akari said quietly before a rather unexpected explosion occurred behind them. "What was that?!"
Naruto was able to shield himself from the wind and debris, his sharp eyes trying to pick up any sign of the enemy. However, when the wind died, he did not find the enemy. Instead, he saw his daughter and Shoru lying face down on the ground. Shiori still appeared older than five as she pushed herself up onto her knees.
"Mom… I did it." Shiori muttered quietly before Naruto quickly moved to her to hug her. She laughed. "H-hi Dad!"
"Shiori-chan." Naruto said quietly, the blonde girl holding him just as tight. "Don't scare me like that ever again."
Shiori laughed. "I will. Especially when Saku…"
"Sakura does what?" Naruto questioned.
"Uh, um, well it's about time for me to go! I wouldn't want to reveal too much." Shiori said moving away from Naruto. "But if you're wondering, you make the best dad in the world." Naruto grinned as Shiori saluted him. "It's a pleasure being able to work beside you, Daddy Kaibunkage."
Smiling, the Kaibunkage returned the salute.
"It's a pleasure working with you, Uzumaki Shiori." Naruto stated.
"Oh! Before I go," Shiori quickly said. "Mom said to look in the library for a book called… I forgot." Akari and Naruto dropped their heads. "But, she said its red and it has a rose on the cover. She left a special message for you there and you'd never find it if I didn't tell you. Something about your lack of reading good literature and some pervy-"
"Ah, I got it!" Naruto quickly cut Shiori off, fearing that Mei had overheard his daughter. "Anything else?"
"Nope. Now I have to return to my time to my Kaibunkage." Shiori said before smiling. "And the ever growing Uzumaki Clan."
"Wait! Growing clan? How many kids do I have? And with who?" Shiori laughed at Naruto's question, holding a ram seal.
"Only time can answer those questions Dad." Shiori's eyes began to light up. "Return!"
A burst of white light came from Shiori's body. When it dimmed out, Naruto saw his daughter standing there in her normal five-year-old body. Staring at his daughter, Naruto watched as her small hands dropped the ram seal and wobbled. Feeling his seal on the back of her neck once more, he used the Hirashin to cover the small distance between them and catch her.
"Shiori-chan, are you okay?" Naruto questioned.
"Daddy?" Shiori said before looking up at him. "Daddy!"
Naruto lifted his daughter up into his arms before looking around. Shoru's body was being examined by Akari now while Mei slowly moved to the father and daughter. Shion's gardens were completely destroyed by drying lava and trees, craters and scorch marks also scarring the ground.
"He's still alive." Akari said coming to Naruto while Mei took Shiori from Naruto's hands to hold her. "He's brain dead, which is not surprising seeing as he was in Tsukuyomi. His eyes though… They've been sealed away but… The seal is nothing I've seen before. More complex than your Seal of the Nine Tomoe or Kuroma-nii's Iron Dragon Seal. I doubt that the jutsu is irreversible. And if it's not, then the only person that would have such the knowledge to do so is…"
Akari's words drifted as she looked at Shiori in Mei's arms. Naruto chuckled lightly before moving for the palace.
"Well then," Naruto said. "I guess we have no choice but to wait until she's old enough to tell us, right?"
Mei followed Naruto with Shiori calling out to her dad about her newly learned trick. Akari came behind them with a smile. At least Shiori was safe for now.
Sasuke sat at the table, looking at Konan who sat to his left. The blue-haired woman was sitting quietly, her eyes listening in to every piece of information the White Zetsu in the room presented her. Tobi was also present in the room, as well as Danzo.
"Shoru has been defeated…"
Those present in the room showed no facial response to the news, though Sasuke was sure that everyone was thinking the same thing. Could Shiori really be that much stronger than they anticipated? Or did Naruto swoop in to save his daughter? Sasuke did not care either way because he felt that he would kill them both when the time came.
"Then it's time for phase two." Tobi announced.
Sasuke gave a nod before rising.
"I'll be back." Sasuke said walking away.
Danzo looked at Tobi casually.
"Activating the second stage of the Curse Seal Army already?" Danzo questioned.
"Its time for me to collect what's mine and piece together the final piece." Tobi answered. "Konan," The woman hardly glanced at Tobi. "Tell the Akatsuki it is time for them to move out."
"…" Konan sat as silent as ever before she rose. "Don't confuse me as your messenger."
Without another word, Konan left the two men in the room.
"I don't trust her." Danzo stated to Tobi. "Perhaps I should persuade her to cooperate with us without regret."
"Let her be. Konan will do what is told of her." Danzo was a little shocked at Tobi's response, but the masked me merely moved to the window. "Aku has broken the seals, making it easy for me to capture the biju. And when the Akatsuki finally completes their missions… That's when I'll collect."
Danzo rose from his seat. "Give me news of Udon't update. If he's captured, he could reveal any information about us." Tobi nodded. "I'm going to see if Foo has intercepted a message."
"Go." stated the Uchiha.
As Danzo left, Tobi looked across the Hidden Rain Village from his window. He was so close to ending his pain that it was making him a bit impatient. He needed to stay as patient as possible though. Working with Konan, Sasuke, Danzo, and Kabuto forced him to stay calm and weary of those with and against him. They all played their part in this war and Tobi, despite his distrust for them, needed them. After they all served their purpose to him, he would kill them off one by one.
Sakura gave Kakashi an amused look.
"I don't know what you mean Kakashi-sensei" Kakashi frowned at Sakura's coy remark.
"You know where Rin is, don't you Sakura?" Kakashi repeated as Sakura finished healing his arm.
Sakura sighed. "She's the chief Medic Nin of Kemurigakure no Sato. She was the Konoha representative that went to Hoshi." Kakashi hummed in thought. "I will personally reunite you two if needed be, Kakashi-sensei. Just wait."
Kakashi said nothing as he sat against a tree and rested.
"Shishou!" Sakura and Kakashi were both startled a bit when Sayuri popped up from the ground using her Mayfly Technique. "I got word from HQ and-"
"You are a part of the Second Division, Sayuri. What are you doing over here?" Sakura interrupted.
Sayuri huffed. "Well, if you weren't glad to see me all you had to do was say so…" Sakura crossed her arms. "Shimura Udon was the spy in the alliance and we're going to find him. And by 'we' I mean, Ranmaru, Marashu, and that Sarutobi guy from Konoha."
"Okay but-"
"Naruto-sensei kicked ass!" Sayuri quickly said excitedly. "They say he wiped out the entire enemy forces with like one giant tail! And they say even Shiori fought! Can you believe that? Little Shiori-chan was all grown up and beat-"
"Grown up?" Sayuri sighed at Sakura's interruption.
"I don't know all the details…" Sayuri paused. "I need to run! Take care!"
"Sayuri," Sakura spoke, stopping Sayuri from leaving. "Remember your training and don't forget your promise."
Sayuri groaned. "You're getting as bad as Naruto-sensei, Shishou." Sayuri then grinned. "But I promise we'll return alive and in one piece. And then you can watch me grow stronger so I can kick Mei's old ass and then Sensei's ass to become Kaibunkage."
"Good luck." Sakura said before a large black rose encased Sayuri.
Kakashi watched as the rose completely submerged itself underground, the Smoke Nin now gone.
"Why didn't you go after Naruto?" Sakura looked at Kakashi before sighing.
"With Jiraiya gone, I'm acting commander of the Third Division." answered pink-haired woman. "Which would make you the new proxy commander."
Kakashi chuckled. "I think I'm a bit too old for that, but thanks for the offer."
"It wasn't an offer." Sakura responded tightened up her glove.
Kakashi stared at his former student. He could not believe that this was the once Sasuke fan-girl who put more time in doing her hair than training. Or that the woman in front of him was once a girl, who despite all her book smarts could not successfully defend herself on a mission. But when a small red salamander crawled out of the ground, up her leg, back, and then made its way onto her shoulder, he realized that it wasn't.
This was Haruno Sakura of Kemurigakure no Sato. This was the cold-blooded Missing-nin of Konoha who would kill a man just because he admired her beauty too much. The woman in front of him had battled the Shodai Kaibunkage, Godaime Hokage, and Godaime Mizukage and lived to tell the tale about each battle. Few were dumb enough to express their lust for her in her presence and even fewer lived to think twice about it.
This was Sakura of the Salamander.
"Ibuse!" Kakashi was unsurprised when the salamander shot from the ground at its master's call. "It's time to end this."
Kakashi smiled under his mask, remembering the words of a younger Sakura.
She had finally taken the lead.
Author's Note: So here's the latest chapter of Kaibunkage. I just want to state that I'm quite angered (and pleased) by the manga revealing who Tobi is. I was pleased because I had always thought of it as Obito... But pissed that it nearly ruined my story! Oh well... Hopefully you enjoyed this though and the next chapter should be out sooner than later. Like always, see ya next time.