Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Negima.

Chapter 20

Kumogakure Chuunin Exams Part 2

Kazehana Castle

Koyuki couldn't stop pacing in her throne room, her heart racing and her mind fumbling with conflicted thoughts.

"Kazehana-dono," Itachi stepped forward, "Please remain calm. Whatever this invading army plans, know that we shall not let any harm come to you and yours."

She looked at him and let out a sigh. "I suppose I shall hold you to that, Karasu-san. But I don't know how we can fight against both the people coming from the water and the air."

"I already split the teams. One shall face the waters and the other shall turn to the skies."

She softly smiled. "I mostly appreciate it, Karasu-san. Thank you."

Itachi nodded to her and then turned to the group, thinking deeply. "Team Negi, you will face the naval forces. Team Kotarou, you will be against the aerial forces."

The eight of them straightened up and exclaimed, "Hai, taichou!" They scattered to their respective positions and Itachi returned his gaze to Koyuki.

"With all due respect, Kazehana-dono, I will remain here and protect you."

She nodded graciously and smiled at him, repeating her earlier statement, "Thank you." She slowly calmed herself and moved to sit on her throne, massaging her forehead.

Itachi returned with a nod of his own and moved to her throne's flank, silently guarding her.

Shores

Negi, Suigetsu, Juugo, and Sora stood by the snowy shores of Yuki no Kuni as the boats steadily moved closer to them.

Suigetsu massaged his neck. "This won't even be a decent fight. They're in water; they won't stand a chance."

Sora glanced at him and returned his gaze to the ships. "Control yourself, Suigetsu-san. Be careful not to include us or Yuki no Kuni in your attacks."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" He cracked his knuckles and started to form his hand seals for his jutsu when Juugo stopped him. "Oi, what's the big idea?"

Juugo pointed at the distance, where a hawk was flying towards them. "That messenger hawk was sent from the lead ship. Let's read what its message is before we decide."

Suigetsu grumbled but lowered his arms as the messenger hawk descended onto Juugo's outstretched arm, where the orange-haired ninja removed the message and read it. "Well, what does it say, Juugo?"

He turned to the three and said, "It said that they're friendly and that they're here to help against the flying invaders."

Sora frowned. "And you would trust them?"

He waved the message. "I almost dismissed it but the leader of the group, someone named Temujin, apparently knows Sasuke and his connection to Yuki no Kuni."

The monk's eyes narrowed. "We'll listen to this Temujin, then. If he seems trustworthy enough, we'll bring this matter to Kazehana-dono."

Negi nodded at him. "I agree. I'm sure we would be able to fend off their attacks easily if they try, regardless. I say we meet with Temujin-san."

Suigetsu looked at the three of them and sighed. "Fine. I'll wait and see as well." He grumbled. "I swear, someone drops Sasuke's name and everyone stops being aggressive."

The team ignored his grumblings and waited for the ships to arrive. The ships eventually stopped and started to lower three drop boats that finished the trip to shore.

From each of the three drop boats exited three armored knights. One of them took off his helmet, let loose his long blond hair, and coolly regarded the team with his light green eyes. "Greetings, Konoha ninjas. I am Temujin and these are my knights. We have come to offer aid to Yuki no Kuni."

Negi stepped forward and smiled diplomatically. "Hello. I am Negi Springfield and these are my teammates, Suigetsu-san, Juugo-san, and Sora-san, pleased to meet you."

He nodded. "It's a pleasure, Lord Springfield."

The redhead mage blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, please, I'm no Lord. I'm just a ninja of Konoha." He coughed awkwardly. "If you don't mind my asking, what made you gather your forces and defend Yuki no Kuni?"

Temujin smiled softly. "As the letter states, I know Sasuke from before and back then, he told me a story about his time in Yuki no Kuni; he spoke fondly of his mission here. When I heard that Yuki no Kuni was being attacked, I resolved to help defend the land that he has fond memories of."

Juugo tilted his head. "You must be quite close to Sasuke, then."

"I consider him my friend and he has done a lot for me; I intend to repay him. Besides, as a knight, I would be a poor one if I had heard of a land in danger of being attacked and did nothing."

They were silent as they gazed at him. Then, Negi sheepishly said, "Ah, th-that's good to hear, Temujin-san. P-Perhaps we should have a talk with Koyuki-san about this so that she'll know you're here to help.

The knight nodded in response. "Lead the way, Lord Springfield."

Negi sputtered with a blush to his face again.

Throne Room

Koyuki wouldn't admit it but she felt a sense of relief when the ships that were approaching her land and Temujin, their leader, revealed their intention to defend her home. It helped that the knight revealed himself to know and consider himself a friend of Uchiha Sasuke's, one of the ninjas who helped her take back her land.

She sat straighter on her throne as she coolly regarded the knight. "I appreciate and accept your offer of aid, Temujin-dono. Yuki no Kuni thanks you."

The knight bowed at the waist. "My forces are yours to command, Kazehana-dono."

By her flank, the masked Itachi couldn't help the very small smile that appeared on his face. A friend of Sasuke was willing to fight for this country just because his little brother had fond memories of this place and didn't want this land to fall? Of course, Itachi could sense that there were more reasons but he could also tell that Temujin's desire to protect Yuki no Kuni for Sasuke was genuine.

His little brother told him of his experience with Temujin and the kingdom of Gelel before but he never said that he changed this young boy in front of him this much.

Koyuki looked as regal as ever as she addressed Temujin. "Then, unload your forces on Yuki no Kuni's land and join us in our defense. The invaders are soon upon us."

Temujin crossed his arm across his chest. "As you say, Kazehana-dono, we will make haste and set up our defenses." He turned around and left the throne room.

She let out a breath of relief, turning to Itachi. "What do you think, Karasu?"

"He is genuine, Kazehana-dono. One cannot mistake the conviction in his voice when he spoke of Sasuke and his desire to protect your land. That's not to say that he has no other motives for helping you but you can trust him to have good intentions."

She chuckled as she lounged on her throne. "I'm sure one of his motivations is Yuki no Kuni's technology; I wouldn't be surprised at all if that's the case. Almost every single emissary or group that were ever sent to me do so with the desire to have a shot at our technology. It was…bearable at first," she then sighed, "but then it got very annoying since they always offered the same things regardless of where they're from or when they came to me."

Itachi let out a soft chuckle. "And Konoha is no different, I assume?"

She smiled. "Konoha and Yuki no Kuni are allies and Hokage-sama wasn't as…enthusiastic, blatant, or incredibly focused on having access to it."

He gave a brief nod. "Hokage-sama is aware of what your technology can do, whether in Konoha's hands or anyone else's, but he is wise enough to not revolve around it."

"Indeed, Karasu-san," she replied, before she stood up and turned to him. "Shall we oversee our defences, Karasu-san?"

Itachi nodded again, saying, "After you, Kazehana-dono."

Unraikyo

Adolescent male gazes were locked onto the bosom of the proctor of the second stage of the Chuunin Exams.

Captain of Team Samui, aptly named Samui, scowled as she beheld the participants of the exams, more specifically, their eyes on her chest. Ugh, men. Why did I have to be a proctor? I'll be subjected to their disgusting stares and drooling faces and I can't do jack squat against them at all.

"Oooh, so many people here for the Chuunin Exams. It's intimidating. Ah! What would happen if they don't like the second stage? There are more them that we are and they could go crazy on us and then on Kumogakure! We'd be doomed!"

"Shut up, Omoi! It's not going to be like that! I'm sure they'll find it fun and like it a lot!"

To make things even more annoying, her own teammates are bickering behind her like children…in plain view of actual children. Wonderful…

She put a hand to her hip and announce, "I am Samui and I will be the proctor for the second stage." She jabbed a thumb to the fenced area behind her. "Behind me, inside the fenced area, is the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, the Unraikyo. This is the location of the second stage." She levelled a cold glare at them all, making them flinch (but their eyes on her chest weren't affected at all). "The fence surrounds this valley in a large circle. Each team will start in various gates around the fence." She pulled out two scrolls from her back, one marked 'Heaven' and one marked 'Earth.' Why meddle with the classics, she thought amusedly. "Your objective is to get to the center of the valley, where there will be a platform with proctors ordered to wait for you, with both of these scrolls. Each team will have only one scroll at the start; whether it's Heaven or Earth is random. Needless to say, you will have to defeat the other teams and check if they have the same scroll or a different scroll."

"And what do we do with those scrolls," one of the men asked.

"It's simple. When you get to the center with both scrolls, you are to open both scrolls. You are not to open them before you get to the center, neither are you to go the center of the valley without both scrolls. Doing either will eliminate you from the exams."

Murmurs started to be heard but Samui was going to have none of that. She flared her chakra in warning and everyone looked at her in shock.

"Are there any questions?"

A hand was raised from Seishi.

"What?"

The Senju female flushed from Samui's aloof gaze but asked, "H-How long do we have in there, proctor?"

"You have five days, no more, no less."

Another hand rose, this time, from Yukata. "But what will we do for food?"

Samui scowled. "There are edible plants littered across the landscape. There are also the animals under the water and across the plains of the valley. Get creative. This isn't a field trip that your Academies would send you on. We aren't here to hold your hand. Out in the world, you survive…or you die."

There was a collective gulp that could have been heard had it been audible. They were silenced by Samui's straightforward statement.

Samui didn't waste any more time as she gestured to the enclosed hut beside her. "We will call on your team's name one-by-one and we will give your team a scroll. Then, a proctor will come and bring you to one of the many gates surrounding the valley. When all teams are given their scrolls and situated in front of a gate, I will then give the order to start. Thus, the second stage of the Chuunin Exams will begin."

Kazehana Castle

Negi squinted at the approaching forces atop their flying fortress surrounded by men and women on flying contraptions.

"They're almost here," he said, gripping his staff tight in his hands, "What's the plan?"

Beside him, Suigetsu laughed, cracking his knuckles. "I can't wait to try these guys out for myself! They probably feel invincible with their flying machines and gigantic fortress! I'll look forward to crushing that and them!"

Sora frowned at Suigetsu from his flank, his hands folded within his kimono. "How bloodthirsty of you. I suppose that's to be expected of someone from the village formerly known as the Bloody Mist."

The Hozuki turned to him and sneered. "Hah? Kiri's not the only village with ninjas hungry for battle, you know?"

"Yes, but Kiri was well-known for its bloodthirstiness."

"Hey now," Suigetsu cracked his knuckles, "just because we're from the same village, it doesn't mean that I'll take any crap from you or anyone."

"Enough," Itachi sternly commanded, immediately appearing between them, "Do not forget our main objective here and do not antagonize each other again." He turned to the monk. "Sora, while Kiri is indeed well-known for being bloodthirsty, keep in mind that Suigetsu is now under Konoha's employ and that his past remains in the past and that his bloodthirstiness is used for our benefit." He then turned to the swordsman. "Suigetsu, calm yourself and do not threaten or attempt harm on your fellow ninjas, regardless of what they say."

Both of them mumbled their affirmation and they turned away from each other as Itachi moved back to Koyuki's side.

Negi sighed in exasperation before he leapt high from his current tower and landed in another tower, where his friends were stationed. He smiled. "Hey, guys," he greeted.

They all smiled back at him, Kotarou walking up to him with his wide grin and clapping a hand to his shoulder. "Yo, Negi, seeing us off or something," he asked.

He laughed as he took a seat with them and glanced over at the other tower. "Those guys were just being very antagonistic towards each other." He shook his head in slight amusement. "I suppose that's to be expected since one is from the Fire Temple, one is from a village known for being bloodthirsty, one who chronically goes on a rampage unless contained by the Sharingan, and, well, me."

Asuna raised her hands behind her head as she lounged on her chair. "Mou, can't they all just get along? We're going to fight in some kind of turf war and they're fighting each other."

Looking up from her Fuma Shuriken that she's cleaning, Kaede chuckled. "You'd be surprised, Asuna. They might find themselves to be good partners when the fight comes."

"Hah! We'll see when it happens!"

The clicking and clacking of armor reached their ears and they turned to the castle wall, where Temujin was headed their way.

The young man greeted them with a curt bow. "Greetings, I hope you don't mind me joining you all."

Negi shook his head with a smile. "Not at all, Temujin-san, feel free to join us."

He nodded graciously and joined them, taking a seat with them, taking off his helmet, and putting it on the nearby table. "I don't believe we've met, Konoha ninjas. I'm Temujin of the Gelel Kingdom."

Negi's smile remained on his face as he gestured to his friends. "These are Kagurazaka Asuna, Sakurazaki Setsuna, Inugame Kotarou, and Nagase Kaede. You could say we're Konoha's recent ninjas."

He nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Kotarou put his hands behind his head as he grinned at Temujin. "So what's your story? I know that you knew that Sasuke guy from before but we didn't really get any details about that."

"A few years ago, I was part of a…group dedicated to making a utopia. The man heading that group was named Haido and he had three knights with him that I was placed in charge of. I was separated during my hunt for an object necessary for Haido's plans and I came across Sasuke's group, back then, consisting of Haruno Sakura and Nara Shikamaru. Obviously, I wasn't friendly with them at first, especially since I was their prisoner. Needless to say, he and I had a lot to talk about. Sometime later, I left them and rejoined with Haido to continue his ambition. Eventually, we crossed paths again and I fought against Sasuke..." He trailed off as he grimaced. "Haido was revealed to be using me to further his selfish ambitions and his utopia was only for himself. Sasuke and I eventually joined forces against him. It was a long, arduous battle but we eventually defeated him and we managed to survive the fallout of his attempts after."

They looked alarmed. "Fallout," Setsuna curiously asked.

Temujin shrugged. "His true ambition revolved around a power source that had the potential to destroy continents and rule the world." Their eyes widened. "To ensure that no one else will chase after that power, I used that same power source to create a black hole." Their mouths were agape. "Of course, I was close to it and accepted to go down with it as penance. Sasuke didn't have that. With our combined efforts, he and I closed the hole and we survived. I took the remnants of Haido's group, my…companions and took ships to our land of origin, where I resolved to help those in need from then on." He gestured to the castle. "That's why I'm here."

"Wow," Asuna whispered, "That's one hell of a story."

Temujin chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it was." He leaned on the table. "What about you? What are your stories?"

Negi answered him, "You could say we were mercenaries before we came to Konohagakure. A friend of mine apparently had a history with Konoha and we chased him to the village. He tried to get us to leave but we were too stubborn that he eventually let us stay with him. Afterwards, Hokage-sama made us ninjas and here we are."

He let out another chuckle. "Well, it is certainly not as eventful as mine."

The redhead laughed sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "Yeah…we only have our various missions to hunt people down to spice things up but that's kinda telling."

He smiled. "I understand; confidentiality and all that." He gestured to the other group with his head. "I understood that you were a part of that group, Lord Springfield."

Negi spluttered with a look of embarrassment on his face. "Ah, I'm no Lord, Temujin-san!" His friends laughed at his reaction.

Temujin laughed. "Forgive me. You give off the air of nobility so I couldn't help myself." He missed the look the others shared at his comment. He gestured to the other group by the other tower. "I was under the impression that you were with that other group, ah, Negi-san."

The redhead softly grimaced. "They're…comrades but they do get a bit much sometimes, especially since they've never worked with each other until today."

He nodded in understanding. "I know the feeling. Some of my own people do tend to fight every now and then." He blinked as he looked back at the other group. "Oh, they're headed over here."

They followed his gaze and, indeed, Suigetsu, Juugo, and Sora were walking towards them.

Kotarou waved at them in greeting. "Yo, what brings you guys here?"

Juugo answered for them. "Karasu-taicho instructed us to join you for a brief meeting with Daimyo-sama before those flying ninjas get here." He gave a nod to Temujin. "Temujin-san," he greeted.

He returned the gesture with a nod of his own. He then frowned softly. "And what might Daimyo want to have us together for?"

The orange-haired ninja looked to the side. "Here they come."

Koyuki joined the tower they were on, flanked by a few of her handmaidens and by Itachi. She looked at the gathered people and smiled. "Thank you all for what you're going to do here. I didn't want to have you all face the invaders without…making an informal meeting."

They all nodded and bowed at her. Negi spoke, "You're most welcome, Daimyo-san."

She gestured to her handmaidens and they stepped forward to each of them and took out a packaged parcel that they held out towards them. "These are the perfected weapons that I've been working on over the past months." The handmaidens unravelled the parcels and the group either showed surprise or confusion. "These are pistols, first of many we're producing as an alternate weapon choice for civilians and ninja alike."

Negi gave a knowing look to his friends, a look that Itachi didn't miss but didn't comment on. He returned his gaze to Koyuki and smiled. "I appreciate the sentiment, Daimyo-san, but I will stick to my jutsu."

Setsuna nodded at that, holding out her sheathed katana. "I as well, Daimyo-dono, shall prefer to use my katana."

The others nodded their agreement, showing their preference to use their current kit.

Sora and Juugo bowed at her, with the former speaking, "I too shall refrain. I feel that it'll hinder my performance for such an important mission," and the latter saying, "I…am unfit to wield such a weapon."

Suigetsu, however, didn't have their inhibitions and he grabbed two pistols, one offered to him and one offered to Juugo. "I don't know about you guys but I'm going to have a blast using these!"

Temujin gently took his pistol and looked at her. "I graciously accept this, Kazehana-dono. I shall adapt quickly to its usage."

Koyuki accepted their answers and the handmaidens recovered the unaccepted pistols and put away the empty parcels before they all retreated to her flank. "Usage of these pistols is simple. Point it at a target, pull the trigger with your index finger, and it'll fire a small projectile at your target."

The Hozuki grinned wide, being ballsy enough to start spinning the pistols on his index fingers as he looked at Koyuki. "Thanks so much, Daimyo-sama! I'll enjoy this!"

She felt a sense of nervousness at his eagerness at using her technology but she felt secure in knowing that his…comrades would rein him in should he run amok. She straightened up and smiled at them. "Now, come, let's stop those flying invaders!" They stood from their seats and cheered.

Then, the bombs started to fall and the battle for Yuki no Kuni has begun.

Kumogakure – Unraikyo

Seishi swallowed heavily as she was tasked with keeping the Earth Scroll her team was assigned to have. Her anxiety was shown as she fiddled with her bag that held the scroll.

Ki, for her part, was incredibly pumped and was bouncing on the balls of her feet while doing air-punches. "Yosh, I can't wait to get started! We are going to beat this exam! Nothing will stop us!"

Yakumo, like Seishi, didn't share Ki's enthusiasm as she gripped her ink brush tightly and looked at the nearby teams on either side of them from Sunagakure and Kumogakure. "Yeah…we can do this…we can pass…we'll beat this…" She let out a surprised yelp as Ki pulled her close with an arm around her shoulder.

"That's the spirit, Yakumo-chan!" She grinned wide as she looked at her teammate. "Now, let that fire of youth burn stronger!"

She sheepishly unhooked Ki's arm and stepped back to straighten her kimono. "I think I'll let you strengthen that, umm, fire of youth for us both, Ki."

The Maito woman pouted but perked up almost immediately. "I'll endeavor to shine a fire so strong that everyone knows our name!"

Both of her teammates chuckled nervously. By the entrance gate, the Kumo chuunin watching them couldn't help dropping a bead of sweat at Ki's exuberance. While she's not bad on the eyes (with her loose and unrestrictive clothing coupled with her developing figure and all), her personality was a bit much, in his opinion. Besides, he's at least five years older than these brats.

He kept his thoughts all to himself as he stood guard by the entrance, waiting for Samui's announcement to begin. Heh, now that's a chick I wouldn't mind going for.

True enough, her voice came from the speakerphones littered across the fence. "All teams have been processed and are in position all across the fence. We will begin the second stage of the Chuunin Exams in three…two…one! Open the gates!"

The gate opened and Team Fate immediately leapt into action as the other teams, jumping right into the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.

Yuki no Kuni

Itachi stood over the kneeling form of a masked ninja, his flying device in pieces around them. The ninja's eyes were unfocused and his pupils were dilated, showing his lack of consciousness.

The Uchiha captain's eyes reverted from his Sharingan to his onyx black as he approached the fallen ninja and looked at his headband. This hitai-ite…it's bears the insignia of Sora no Kuni. But that village has been destroyed for decades, since the Second War. While it's not so farfetched to believe that there still exists a few Sora no Kuni inhabitants who revived the village, to have rebuilt its fortress and amass a sizable force capable of challenging another land within a few years? That's almost impossible. I'll need to notify Hokage-sama about Sora no Kuni's re-emergence.

Without breaking his composure, he vanished from his spot just as another Sora no Kuni ninja snuck up behind him and slashed nothing but air. The ninja tensed as he sensed his foe's presence behind him and he didn't even get the chance to turn around as Itachi moved forward and slit his throat. As the body fell lifeless, Itachi moved to the hypnotized ninja and repeated the same action, killing him just as instantly. He left the two bodies alone as he calmly walked to the ledge of his tower to survey the battlefield further below.

Kaede was expertly jumping from one flying ninja to another, breaking apart their flying machines and sending the ninjas to the ground. Their comrades were trying to stave off the nimble and agile kunoichi but she was far too quick for their flying machines to follow and they fell one by one.

Setsuna was ready for the ninjas sent falling by Kaede. Her blade was a blur of movement as she weaved from one ninja to the other, effortlessly weaving across the battlefield. The ground forces tried to stop her from picking off their fallen comrades but her speed and precision with her katana made their attempts futile.

Asuna kept the rest of the ground forces busy. Her fists were aglow with chakra as she punched one after another nonstop. She grabbed one ninja by the scruff of her shirt and threw her at a pair of ninjas running at her. She then jumped high into the air to avoid some jutsu thrown her way and descended back to the ground with great speed, slamming her fist onto the ground and breaking apart its snowy surface and disorienting everyone nearby.

Kotarou and his ninken, Akuto, ravaged the remaining attackers with bestial strength, their roars alarming and frightening the Sora no Kuni ninjas. Kotarou leapt high and landed across a big group of Sora no Kuni ninjas with Akuto on the other side. They took deep breaths and let loose loud roars that blasted them away.

Itachi turned his gaze further along the coast where the other group was fighting the forces who managed to land on the shore.

Sora kept true to his monk's teachings and unleashed the Gift of the Hermit Group against his enemies. The standard usage of that power, Raigo: Senjusatsu, was unleashed upon the Sora no Kuni ninjas, flurries of fists raining down on ninja upon ninja.

Juugo was doing remarkably well controlling himself but he was just as much of a menace. His transformed body rendered him absolutely invulnerable to all but the strongest attacks and the arsenal the Sora no Kuni ninjas held was nothing to Juugo. Still, it wouldn't do well to leave him to his devices. He still had plenty of training to go before he mastered his powers.

Suigetsu was having the time of his life. He let out uproarious laughter as he freely let loose the bullets from his pistol. Thankfully, he had enough presence of mind to aim only for hostiles instead of friendlies. Of course, as a few bullets whizzed past Itachi's head, the Uchiha heir made a mental note to have a chat with him about his reckless shooting.

Negi was also doing wonderfully. Lightning coursed from his fingertips as if it's second nature. He also simultaneously went through some odd martial arts movements involving solid and firm footing to make strong yet strategical strikes to enemies, vastly different from Juken with its flowing movement and focus on internal damage and a bit more focused than Goken with its more destructive style.

Itachi then narrowed his eyes as Negi then summoned a wooden staff with a cloud of smoke. Normally, usage of bojutsu wouldn't raise his brow. However, if the staff being used had an odd protrusion at the top that would imbalance use of said staff, it was worth a raised brow. It also didn't help that it was partially wrapped in some strips of cloth that had a few dangling off of it; it's a danger if someone manages to grab a hold of one strip and mess Negi up. What was even more surprising was that Negi didn't seem to be using it for bojutsu as Itachi predicted. Instead, the redhead channeled his Raiton jutsu through it, expertly directing the lightning towards his enemies with its enlarged protrusion.

He kept a close eye on the boy; his movements noticeably changed than before he brought the staff out. Oh, he still used handseals to call forth ninjutsu and he still fought using that odd martial arts style. However, his staff seemed to be only used a tool to channel his jutsu through, not as a bojutsu weapon.

The idea seemed…bizarre to him.

There was also the ease in which Negi used his staff. He was still noticeably (to Itachi) clumsy with transitioning from forming the seals for his ninjutsu to letting it course through the staff but, after that, it almost seemed second nature to Negi to use his staff like that. That screamed suspicious to him.

Every single bukijutsu user he knew – whether for kenjutsu, bojutsu, tessenjutsu, kusarigamajutsu, or the rare kyujutsu – used their weapons in tandem with their ninjutsu, not use their weapons just as a conduit for their ninjutsu.

He leaned forward on the concrete railing of the tower and frowned. He had never heard of such a skill in all his years and he spent quite a lot of time wandering village after village and learning new things – in the Akatsuki, he had the freedom to go anywhere he pleased and discover information that most would kill to learn when not under orders from Leader.

He admitted that the concept intrigued him. It definitely wouldn't help with the more solid ninjutsu, like that of Doton or Suiton. But perhaps Raiton and Futon, maybe even Katon, would benefit from a focusing tool. He would be keeping a closer eye on that Negi boy in the future.

As Negi slammed the staff to the ground, which made his next Raiton jutsu spread out like cracks towards numerous ninjas, Itachi's resolve only strengthened. Yes, Negi Springfield is one to further observe. That's another thing to notify Hokage-sama about.

With that in mind, he turned his gaze upward to the flying fortress in the distance. His frown returned full-force. While that fortress is not as large as the one reported to have been used as the capital structure of Sora no Kuni, it's still a fortress and the fact that very few of the attacks from Temujin's ships seemed to land and cause damage to it is testament to its fortitude. His Sharingan flared to life. Its wall-mounted cannons and crossbows are returning fire but, unlike Temujin's ships' weaponry, the fortress' is far more accurate and destroying ships one by one. That renders our naval forces near useless; and with our ground forces occupied by the ninjas on their flyers, that leaves the palace open for attack.

He flagged down a scurrying soldier, carrying ammunition to the other soldiers freely firing their pistols at the enemies. "Once you're down bringing those to the troops, have some of your men set up barricades and defenses on the way to the throne room. Expect some of our enemies to get past our ground forces and reach the palace."

The soldier's eyes were wide as he paid close attention.

"Have your researchers be brought to the throne room with Kazehana-dono to be protected. They could potentially be one of their targets and their intelligence is too important to lose to their hands."

"Y-Yes, I'll do that right away, ANBU-san!"

"You have your orders. Go. I'll join Kazehana-dono in the throne room shortly."

The soldier immediately rushed, dropping the ammunition with the troops, and left to fulfill Itachi's orders.

Itachi gave one last look at the approaching fortress before he leapt off to the throne room.

Negi pointed his staff at a group of Sora no Kuni ninjas, chanting, "Raiton: Sanda!" Small tendrils of lightning emerged from his staff and struck numerous ninjas in front of him. He swung his staff and the lightning tendrils followed its path, affecting even more ninjas.

He ended his jutsu and slammed his staff on the ground as he panted lightly from his constant attacking. He wiped some sweat off his brow. "These guys are endless."

If only this place wasn't unknowing to magic, I would unseal my powers and beat all of these guys and bring down at that fortress very easily. We were lucky in that any major battle that we fought in was with another just as powerful. Fate, his mother, Kakashi, and a few others came to mind. Now, though, while these guys aren't that powerful, there are many of them with more advanced technology and the others and I are limited in our abilities to only chakra-based powers. He looked up at the approaching fortress. With what we currently have, it'll take a combined effort to bring that down. Or… He looked down at the seal on his arm. I could unseal a portion of my magic. It'll help push these guys back. With everyone in my team going crazy out there and Karasu-taicho up with the Daimyo, no one would know. And I'm sure that these Yuki no Kuni people would probably see it as just another jutsu of mine.

A loud yell alerted Negi to an approaching enemy. He banished his staff back into his storage seal and blocked an overhead strike from the Sora no Kuni ninja and then slid forward, under his guard, and retaliated with his elbow, sending him flying to a boulder.

What am I thinking? I can't just leave the ground forces alone to attack the fortress. I have to focus down here and leave the fortress and the flying ninjas to Asuna's group and hope that Karasu-taicho has a plan for the fortress. Had he the opportunity to make his thoughts known, he would have made it known that he didn't like it one bit as the fortress had destroyed yet another ship.

Unraikyo

Seishi, Yakumo, and Ki were situated atop a mountain; Seishi had taken out a pair of binoculars and peered through its lens, looking at the vast landscape that is the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. She let out a hum. "I can't see anyone even remotely close to us." She gasped out in surprise. "Oh! I found a team! They're from Kiri! They're halfway down the mountain across ours to the east!"

Ki grinned wide, punching the palm of her hand. "Let's not waste any time, my friends! We should head over and defeat them with our Flames of Youth!"

Yakumo grimaced briefly before her anxious smile returned. "We shouldn't make any hasty decisions. I agree that we should go to them and get their scroll but we should be smart about this. They may be more powerful than we are right now."

The Maito girl nodded enthusiastically. "You're right, Yakumo-chan! Being strategic always works!"

Seishi lowered her binoculars and returned it to her sealing scroll, putting it in her bag and hefting her bag over her shoulder. She turned to her teammates and smiled. "Come on, guys. Let's go down and chase those guys down!"

Ki grinned wide, punching her open palm, and Yakumo smirked, pulling out her sketchbook and pen.

"Yakumo-chan, cover us while Ki-chan and I attack them." The Kurama heiress nodded, starting her scribbling.

The other two psyched themselves up for the upcoming fight before they charged, propelling themselves from their mountain wall towards the opposing wall.

Ki, being the more physically powerful of the two, managed to reach the Kiri ninjas first, making them shout out in surprise.

Seishi covered Ki's push by forming her seals and puckering her lips, "Suiton: Rekku Suigeki!" She spat out a numerous amount of large jets of water towards the Kiri ninjas.

The ninjas scattered as the water jets struck and dug deep into the mountain.

One of them shouted, "You Konoha bitches think that we're just easy prey?!"

The second followed, "Think again! We'll show you what happens if you mess with us!"

The third sent out his own jutsu, "Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!" A stream of water burst from his mouth and went towards Seishi.

Far on the other mountain, Yakumo finished her sketch. Her art was of the other mountain, three of their enemies scattered with one sending a stream of water towards Seishi and Ki charging at the other two ninjas. She called chakra from within her and gave a long, deep stroke coming from the art of water from the base of the mountain up past to the stream that came from the Kiri ninja.

Much to the surprise of the Kiri ninjas, there was an explosive burst from below, sending a geyser of water up that swallowed their water bullet and covering their view of Seishi and Ki. Seconds later, both of the Konoha kunoichis burst from the geyser. Ki had her fist propped back for a punch and Seishi had drawn her tanto, poised to slash at them.

Two of them recovered from their surprise and moved to retaliate. One raised his arms to block the punch and the other drew her kunai to clash against the tanto. The third had just finished forming his next seals and puckered his lips, "Suiton: Suishoha!" Water from the base of the mountain burst upwards and formed into a vortex that exploded as it reached his teammates and their opponents.

Seishi and Ki yelled out as they were sent flying higher up the mountain as a result of the water explosion. The Kiri ninjas gritted their teeth and ran up the mountain to chase after them. On the other mountaintop, Yakumo was busy sketching her next art, attempting to cover for her teammates.

Team Fate recovered from the water burst and landed on top of the mountain and gave some distance between them and the ninjas.

When the Kiri ninjas got to the top, they menacingly and slowly approached them.

"Where's your third teammate, Konoha scum? Teams operate on threes so your third should be somewhere around here."

Seishi smirked and flourished her tanto. "Who knows? But the question is, even if you find out where our teammate is, what makes you think we'll let you go to look for 'em?" She then called out. "Cover me!" She sheathed her tanto and started her handseals.

Ki nodded and leapt forward, her leg extended to strike at them. "Konoha Senpu!"

The team scattered as Ki smashed her leg on the ground, cracking its rocky surface. Two of the Kiri ninjas ran at her, their kunais pulled and at the ready.

Ki whipped out her hands and her nunchakus were pulled into her hands, with which she blocked the kunais. She pushed both opponents away and ran towards one of them, raining a barrage of nunchaku strikes. After a strike sent her opponent on her butt, Ki leapt backwards, over her approaching opponent behind her, and landed before she planted a kick to his butt, sending him sprawling towards the first, fallen teammate.

"Ah, get off me!"

"Don't get in my way, damn it!"

The third teammate took advantage of her teammates keeping Ki busy and ran to Seishi, intent on interrupting her jutsu.

Yakumo once more stroked upward; this time, between the artwork of the Kiri ninja and the artwork of Seishi. A brown streak was formed behind her brush.

Seishi wasn't as surprised as her would-be attacker was when a pillar of earth arose between them.

The Kurama heiress made another stroke. Her brush made another brown streak from the middle of the first streak and towards the Kiri ninja.

The kunoichi gritted her teeth and leapt away as the earlier pillar of earth sprouted a smaller one on its side towards her. "Where's their third fucking teammate?!"

Seishi grinned as she finished her handseals, already feeling the drain her upcoming jutsu brought. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Seconds pass and nothing happened. The Kiri-nin leapt over the rock with a triumphant look on her face. "Your jutsu failed and now you pay!"

The Senji girl jumped away and landed by the cliff. She smirked as she raised her head at her opponent. "Think again." A dragon of water zoomed upwards behind her, making the Kiri-nin gape at her. "I just had to use the water from the bottom of the mountain and so took a while to bring up here." She clapped her hands and pointed both palms at the Kiri-nin. The water dragon let out a guttural roar and descended on its enemies.

The two focused on Ki gaped at the water dragon and thus were unprepared for Ki to kick one to a nearby rock and knock the other on the head with a nunchaku.

The third was dimly aware of her two teammates being incapacitated but could do nothing as the dragon took her attention and smashed into her with the force of a crashing wave.

Seishi collapsed on her knees, her face glistening with sweat as the dragon dissolved into still waters, revealing the battered, bruised, and unconscious form of the Kiri ninja.

Ki rushed to her side immediately, her nunchakus banished back into their containment seals, as she hooked Seishi's arm over her shoulder. "Are you okay, Seishi-chan? That jutsu took a lot out of you."

The blue-haired girl grinned. "I've been never better, Ki-chan!" She gestured to the fallen Kiri team. "Don't worry about me. Go search those guys if they have the Earth scroll."

She hesitated but Seishi insisted so she put her teammate on an elevated rock to sit on before she did as told.

Yakumo joined them after just as Ki raised a scroll into the air.

"I found a scroll," she shouted.

Putting her art tools back in her back, she asked, "But is it the Earth scroll?"

Ki looked at Yakumo before lowering the scroll and looking at it. She then let out a whine of disappointment. "It's a Heaven scroll…"

Seishi let out a sigh of disappointment. "That sucks." She slid down the rock she sat on and plopped on the ground, leaning her back against the elevated rock. "Let's…let's take a little break for now."

Yakumo gave Seishi a look. "That's what happens when you use one of the most powerful B-Rank jutsu."

She sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "That's my bad."

Sighing, Yakumo sat on the ground. "Let's take a break, then. But we shouldn't stay here for too long. Who knows who else we might come across in this place?"

Right outside the entrance where Team Fate had entered from, the Kumo chuunin was putting away his things before heading back for some shut-eye.

He felt two powerful energy signatures approaching him and he raised his head, only to have his eyes widen in shock and horror at seeing two robed individuals walking towards him.

Two individuals robed in black adorned with red clouds; the Akatsuki.

The last thing he saw, before he could shout out in alarm or to let anyone nearby know, before he could even pull out a weapon or a jutsu, was a katana aimed for his head and the smiling face of his killer.

Yuki no Kuni

The fortress had stopped its approach to the castle. However, its weapons were in range to fire upon the palace. Cannonballs pelted the castle walls and the arrows rained on the infantry and their weaponry.

Being overwhelmed by the number of Sora no Kuni ninjas, Negi and the others were forced to retreat until they were in front of the castle gates.

Negi pointed his palm at a ninja about to attack Asuna's back, "Raiton: Bakurai!" A bolt of lightning struck the ninja, sending him flying back.

The heterochromatic girl noticed his actions and grinned at him, giving him a thumbs-up. "Thanks, Negi!"

He smiled back and ducked under an overhead slash from Setsuna aimed at the kunoichi behind him. "Thank you, Setsuna-san!"

Setsuna kicked another ninja away and nodded at him. She then whipped out her free arm, unsealed some shuriken unto her hands, and threw them at a trio of ninjas. While some landed short of their target, the remaining were dodged by the trio, making her smirk. Her free hand then rose into a hand seal and she said, "Inatsurubi no Katama!" The shurikens glowed and created a cage that encased and electrified plenty of their numbers, stunning them from its power.

Kaede, holding her Fuma Shuriken connected by a long chain, followed through by throwing her weapon around the trio. The weapon circled her enemies and she pulled on the chain, wrapping the chain around them. She held up a hand seal and said, "Bakusa Bakuenjin!" The shuriken glowed alight with numerous explosive tags before it exploded, taking the ninjas with it.

Kotarou pulled back his arms and flung them forward, creating arcs of energy that ravaged through plenty of his enemies, "Kage no Tsume!". Akuto, his ninken, barked and let out a roar that cleaved even more after his master.

Suigetsu had forgone using his pistols and resorted to using his ninjutsu, "Suiton: Mizudeppo!" The high pressure water blast he produced sliced a few ninjas into pieces. He laughed jovially, quickly turning around and smashing a water-covered fist to another ninja.

Sora's usage of his monk jutsu became spread out. Sweat dripped down his brow, his chakra construct sending its fists flying in all directions, as he covered for Juugo.

Juugo had been struggling to contain himself halfway through the fight. He grasped his head, his eyes were shut in concentration as black markings start to creep up his face and arm. The Sora no Kuni ninjas tried to take advantage of his turmoil but were thwarted by Sora and Negi.

Negi couldn't stop the curse from leaving his lips as he defended Juugo from their enemies. His hands and mouth were busy casting jutsu after jutsu to protect his teammate.

"Raiton: Raishinsen," he called out, spreading his hands outward, calling forth lightning that shocked and knocked back multiple enemies from their group. He then formed another set of seals and slammed both hands on the ground, "Raiton: Amigumo!" Lightning left his fingers and onto the ground, spreading outward in the form of a spider's web. Even more ninjas stepped on the lightning web 'strings' and were electrocuted.

"Raigo: Bukkyo no Yashi (Welcoming Approach: Buddhist Palm)," Sora followed after Negi. His chakra construct turned from red to blue and its fists opened to show palms. Then, the palms struck, flying forward and stopping a foot from its target, before sending out a burst of chakra that sent them flying away.

Suigetsu held up his hands in the tiger seal, "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" The snow melted around him and formed multiple clones made from water. Then, each clone ran forward and expertly got past their enemies' guard and cast out, "Suiro no Jutsu!" The Sora no Kuni ninjas were powerless to stop the clones from encasing them in water prisons.

Smirking wide, Suigetsu pulled out two pistols from his pants, twirling them on his fingers, before he let loose, firing freely around him. The bullets hit their mark, blasting past the heads of his clones and through the heads of his prisoners, killing them instantly.

His guns spent of bullets, Suigetsu put them back in his pants and looked further down the road and gaped as he called out, "Oi, oi, oi! What are Akatsuki doing here?"

Everyone turned to where Suigetsu was pointing at and they all let out sounds of disbelief and shock at seeing two people in Akatsuki robes walking up to them, flanked by Sora no Kuni ninjas.

Negi gritted his teeth. Is Akatsuki helping or leading these guys? Whatever the case, we can't fight them now! He briefly looked over his shoulder at Juugo. We can't, especially with Juugo-san like this…not unless I unseal my powers and reveal my magic to these people. He glared at the approaching group. No. If I didn't unseal my powers earlier because of the risk of Yuki no Kuni and Konoha seeing my magic, I definitely won't unseal it now. Akatsuki is even more dangerous to witness my magic more than anyone else. Then… "Retreat! Everyone, retreat to the castle! We'll hold them back there!"

Everyone moved to obey, scattering to the gates and the ninjas scaling up the walls, to fall back behind the castle walls.

One of the Akatsuki laughed. "Look at them scampering like rats. They clearly know better than to fight us out here."

The other cackled with him, "They'll learn in time that no one escapes from the Akatsuki alive!"

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