"What does it look like in there, Neji?" Tenten asked.
A moment later, Neji responded, "he's here."
Gai's team, including Tenten, Neji, and Lee, stood on the water that filled the ravine off the large cliff. In front of them was a sizeable, red Tori gate with a giant bolder blocking the entrance to the cave. The Akatsuki had taken precautions and had placed a seal on the obstacle.
"Naruto is already here. What's going on behind that rock, Neji?" Gai asked, turning to his student.
"Yes, they've begun sealing already," Neji nodded.
"Damn," Gai cursed, "how many are in there?"
"There are several shinobi inside," Neji stated, "but…"
"But?" Gai prompted.
"But some are incomplete," Neji explained, "like they aren't fully there."
"What does that mean?" Tenten asked.
"I am not sure," Neji said, "I can read the chakra signature, but their bodies aren't there."
"Interesting," Gai nodded, then radioed the intel to Inoichi, who informed him that the others were on their way and would be there soon. Inoichi also said that the Akatsuki members, who had not been defeated yet, had disappeared from the battlefield, so he assumed they had been called for the sealing.
Gai shot forward and slammed a fist into the bolder, causing rings to spread out from where his fist landed.
"A barrier, huh?" Gai thought out loud, then turning around, he smiled as the new team member arrived, "You're late."
"Gai," Kakashi nodded.
"Commander!" Lee exclaimed as the rest of the Gai's team turned to see the new arrival, "Why are you here?"
"Shikaku asked for me," Kakashi explained, "I left Ensui temporarily in charge of the Third Division, as per recommendation from Shikaku."
Gai nodded, "Let's do this, Kakashi!"
Kakashi walked over to the bolder and touched it, "A Five Seal Barrier, huh?"
"Yeah, it won't be easy to break," Gai nodded, "How do we get past it, Kakashi?"
"The seal is established by placing five talismans in the nearby area," Kakashi explained, then looked up at the seal, "this is one, so there are four others in the area."
"Neji," Gai turned to his student.
"On it," Neji nodded, then reactivated his Byakugan, searching for the other talismans in the area, and upon locating them, he described each location to the team.
"To break the seal, we must remove each talisman simultaneously," Kakashi explained.
"Alright, they are within wireless range," Gai nodded and handed out a headset to each team member, "We won't have enough for the rest of the group, but this will be fine for now."
"Let's go!" Gai shouted after everyone had placed their headset on.
"If we are splitting up, then we should wait for the arrival of the rest of the Kages," Neji said, "if there are as many as I think there are inside, then one of us won't be able to take them on alone."
"He's right, Gai," Kakashi nodded, then reached out to Inoichi, requesting an update, "they will be here in a moment. Lee, Tenten, Gai, Neji, please get to the location of the other seals; then, once the others have arrived, I will signal you to remove them."
"Yes, sir," was the response he received.
Jiraiya-sama, the sealing has begun.
"Shit," Jiraiya swore.
The group of shinobi were charging through the trees toward the sealing location. Tsunade had left the care of Minato in Sakura's hands now that the Hokage was out of the woods injury-wise, and she knew that if what Minato had said was true, then Naruto would need medical attention as soon as possible. The other Kages, including Rasa, A, and Oonki, had joined the team.
Several of them looked back to Jiraiya when he swore.
"What is it, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked.
"The sealing," Jiraiya explained with an edge to his voice, "it's begun."
"Shit," Both Rasa and A had echoed Jiraiya's sentiment.
"How much further, Raikage?" Oonki asked.
"Not much further; we should be there in a few moments," the Raikage replied.
"Kakashi!" Tsunade yelled as she landed on the water before the Tori gate; the others followed suit.
"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi replied and turned back to face the group.
"What are we dealing with here?" Rasa asked, looking up at the giant bolder.
Kakashi turned back towards the Tori gate and explained the seal. He also explained that Neji had seen several Akatsuki members and Pein bodies inside. Once he confirmed that the new arrivals were ready, he radioed over to Gai's team to prepare to remove the seals; then, he turned back to the rest of the group.
"Once these seems are removed…" Kakashi started but was cut off by Tsunade.
"I'll remove this obstacle that's in our way," Tsunade said, cracking her knuckles.
"Right," Kakashi nodded, then using chakra, he climbed the boulder to the seal in the center and turned to the radio set, "Gai's team, in three, two, one…"
Kakashi ripped off the seal, and Tsunade dashed towards the bolder with her fist ready.
At the last second, Kakashi jumped off the bolder, with Tsunade landing on it and shattering it to pieces.
Upon hearing the bolder break, Gai and the rest of them noticed a figure starting to form in front of each one of them.
"Gai-sensei," Lee radioed over.
"Yes, it's the same here," Neji responded.
"What is this?" Tenten asked.
"I am guessing that it is a trap," Gai replied, "Something devised to stop us."
"Preventing a hostile entry by splitting up the team," Neji added.
"Well, then let's take them down," Gai replied as each took on their own opponent.
"Hokage-sama!" Sakura yelled as Minato tried to climb out of the bed. The sedative the Tsunade had given had worn off. The pink-haired shinobi rushed to the small cot and gently pushed the Hokage back down, "You must continue to rest!"
"I need to get to my son," Minato replied.
"I know, but you need to trust Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama, and the others," Sakura replied, smiling at him, "they will save him."
Minato watched the young shinobi for a moment. Her confidence in them was unwavering. She fully believed that they would save him. He noted that she had not experienced much loss yet; she was still young and naive.
"Sometimes we have to rely on others," Sakura continued.
"Hmm," Minato laid back and closed his eyes, "I don't always trust others with Naruto."
"Because of what happened when he was a kid?" Sakura asked quietly.
Minato looked over quickly at the young girl, "You know about that?"
"Yeah," Sakura nodded, "Naruto told us, Sasuke and I, during our first mission after he and Sasuke had become Chunin. Naruto was having trouble working with another team of older Chunins and Jonins that we had been paired with for the mission. It had affected the mission, and I had scolded him that night around the campfire. Naruto was down and depressed after that, instead of arguing with me like normal. Kaka-sensei knew what was happening and told Naruto to tell us the truth. He gave Naruto permission to tell us about the Kyuubi. Naruto explained how the villagers and other shinobi treated him as a kid. He also said he only told us about the Kyuubi because he trusted us. He wouldn't have otherwise, even if Kakashi had ordered him to."
"I see," Minato nodded, "I'm glad Naruto has teammates who care for him and whom he trusts."
"He does!" Sakura smiled, "And not just us, but everyone here! All of us, the shinobi alliance, we are fighting to protect him!"
Minato smiled, then looked more seriously at Sakura, "I need to go, my son, Sakura. As his father, it's my job to protect him. Please."
"Is that an order, Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked.
"Does it need to be?" Minato blinked at her.
Sakura thought momentarily, then smiled at him with a small laugh, "Only if Tsunade-sama asks!"
Minato laughed, "Of course."
"I need to tell you a couple of things first. You are almost healing from the physical injuries that Pein inflicted, but it seems the poison hasn't been completely eradicated from your body yet," Sakura explained.
"Yeah," Minato nodded sitting up and swing his legs over the side.
"You should be able to fight, but if you get injured, it will be at least ten times more painful than normal," Sakura warned him.
"Hmm," Minato nodded, understanding.
Naruto…. I hope that I am not too late.
000
"Looks like we have company," a deep voice called from inside the cave.
Upon entering the cave, Jiraiya and the rest saw Naruto floating inside a large bubble. His charka is extracted and expelled through his eyes and mouth. He was unconscious. Jiraiya gritted his teeth when he saw Naruto's physical condition. He was in worse condition than his father had been. His body was purple in several places from bruises, his lip was split, and he had dried blood well everywhere. His hair was so matted with it that he almost looked like a redhead. It had dripped down his face and covered the majority of it. It was painful to even look at. Minato was right; Pein took out his anger on the boy.
Pein will pay for what he did to Naruto.
Looking around the cave, the only people who were truly there, not a hologram, were the extra Pein bodies. Five were around the cave, while the main body was on top of one of the fingers of a large, creepy-looking statue. The others were holograms of the various remaining Akatsuki members.
Inoichi.
Jiraiya?
The other Akatsuki members are here via holograms. Can you send out Shinobi to take them down? It will slow down the sealing process and give us more time.
I've already received reports that the Akatsuki members have left the battlefield. We are currently using sensors to find time. I will try my best.
Thanks, Inoichi.
Good luck, Jiraiya.
"Pein!" Rasa yelled.
"Make sure they do not disrupt the sealing," the main body instructed the others.
Looking from body to body, Rasa commented, "Unless the other team defeats their enemy and comes back, it looks like most of us will be taking these guys one-on-one."
"I don't think so," Jiraiya shook his head.
"No?" Rasa glanced over to the white-haired shinobi.
"No, they work better together. They won't risk being split up," Jiraiya explained, "we are better off using combinations."
"Hm," Rasa thought, "alright."
"Raikage, I need you to use your physical strength and extreme speed to keep them distracted, keep them on their toes," Jiraiya instructed, "If you can destroy them."
Then, turning to the Kazekage, "Use your gold to blind them. Keep your gold moving and creating blind spots."
"Tsunade, use the blind spots that Rasa creates to try to destroy the bodies," Jiraiya looked at the blonde, who nodded at him.
After that, the team launched into action, but taking the Pein bodies down was nearly impossible. Even with Rasa trying to create blind spots, they seemingly had no weakness. The only thing working to their advantage was the Raikage's speed. Even if the Pein bodies could see where he was when he landed, the lightning speed could get there before they could react. However, this was countered by the one body who could bring them back or repair any damage. Jiraiya had tried to reach Naruto directly to interrupt the sealing, but every time he or anyone got close, the main body used the Rinnegan power and shot him backward into the wall of the cave.
The group of shinobi were standing around, breathing hard, trying to plan their next step. Kakashi had been knocked out by one of the animal summons. Jiraiya looked over at Tsunade and nodded at her to try to go after the little one in the back that was reviving the ones that they did manage to destroy, but suddenly her body wall pulled forward towards the main body; he grabbed her throat and then turned to send her flying into the back wall of the cave. Her body slammed into the wall, then crashed into the ground.
"Hime!" Jiraiya called.
"I'm fine," she called back, trying to stand from the ground. When the smoke cleared, he noticed that she had released the Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead.
"Tch," Jiraiya clicked his tongue, "We need a different tactic."
"I agree," Rasa nodded, and Jiraiya noticed he was getting exhausted.
Jiraiya bit his tongue and attempted to summon Gamabunta, but his body was thrown backward into the wall.
"Jiraiya!" Rasa called.
"We don't need any of your pets, Jiraiya," Pein stated, then turned and did the same to Tsunade, who tried to land an attack while was distracted. She was sent in the same direction as Jiraiya, who could help catch her as she landed on top of him.
"You alright?" Tsunade asked.
"Yeah," Jiraiya looked up at Naruto, "We are running out of time."
"Damn it!" Tsunade swore.
The Tsuchikage, floating above everyone else, attempted to start his renowned particle jutsu, but suddenly, a black rod struck his shoulder, sending him backward and pinning him to the cave wall.
Rasa turned back to see the enemy that the Raikage had destroyed step out of the King of Hell, resurrected and in perfect condition.
"Damn it," The Raikage swore, "We can't get the upper hand!"
Jiraiya glanced over just in time to see the mechanical body of Pein attempt an attack on Rasa, "Kazekage-sama!"
Rasa turned, but there was no time to react.
Unexpectedly, there was a flash of yellow, and the mechanical body was destroyed as it was driven into the ground by a swirling blue light, "Rasengan!"
Minato drove the Rasengan into the body, crushing it while grabbing the kunai he threw simultaneously.
"Minato!" Jiraiya called, surprised.
"Hokage-sama!" Rasa exclaimed.
Minato stood up and looked at his son. He was furious. He then focused on the main Pein body, and his eyes narrowed.
"Ah, Minato," Pein smirked, "You are looking well."
"Give me back, my son," Minato said through his teeth.
"Soon, Hokage-sama, soon," Pein replied.
Minato threw the kunai so that it flew behind the head of the body that controlled the King of Hell, but before he could land an attack, he was suddenly sent backward. He adjusted mid-air so that he landed on his feet and slid backward a few feet.
"Tch," Minato clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Minato looked over at Rasa, who nodded and sent a load of Gold sand toward the main body, trying to block his vision as Minato tried to land the attack once more, but the Petra Path had stepped in front, absorbing the chakra from the sand making it fall the ground. Minato was sent backward again but couldn't adjust quickly, and his back slammed into the wall.
"Ugh!" Minato yelled as he fell to the ground.
"Oh? Is the venom still active then, Hokage-sama?" Pein asked.
Minato looked up with narrowed eyes, but he didn't reply.
"Minato," Jiraiya had walked over and offered his hand to his student.
Minato accepted it; then he noticed Kakashi.
"Kakashi!" Minato exclaimed.
"He's alright," Tsunade said, "He was knocked out early in the fight after an animal summons hit him pretty hard."
"Alright," Minato asked, walking up to stand beside his sensei, "How much time do we have, Jiraiya?"
"I don't know, Minato," Jiraiya shook his head, "They had already started when we arrived."
"Hm," Minato nodded, "We need to stop the sealing now."
"Right," Jiraiya nodded.
Oonki had pulled the rod from his shoulder so that he and the others approached where the Hokage stood.
"What do we do now?" Rasa asked.
"I'm not sure," Minato shook his head.
Damn, I wish Shikaku was here.
"Hokage-sama," A looked over at the blonde who met his gaze.
After whispering a few words to the Hokage, the blonde nodded, agreeing, "Let's try it."
A second later, A and Minato disappeared and then reappeared. A was behind the main body of Pein, while Minato was on top of the little body that used the King of Hell. A's plan worked; he was sent backward by the main body while Minato could crush the little one, preventing any of the bodies from being resurrected.
"Yes!" the others exclaimed.
Minato then reappeared next to Jiraiya.
"You did it, Minato," Tsunade smiled at him.
"Ugh," Minato then fell to one knee, breathing hard and placing a hand on the ground to steady himself.
"Minato!" Tsunade rushed over with glowing green hands on his back, "You've done enough."
"No," Minato breathed, then looked at his son, "Not until Naruto is safe."
Naruto was so close physically; he was right there. He could reach and touch him, but Minato felt far from him.
A moment later, A landed back down next to the Hokage.
"That was a good plan, Raikage-sama," Minato nodded.
"Yeah, but we are done yet," A replied, "Can you fight?"
Minato nodded, then stood up.
"We won't be able to stop the sealing without taking care of that one," Minato pointed to the main body. "He will prevent us from evening getting close, and we are running out of time, fast."
"I've got an idea," Oonki called from behind them.
Minato and A turned towards him.
"Minato, can you use that jutsu and transport someone with you?" Oonki asked, and when Minato nodded, "Then get me close to him."
Minato stepped behind the small Kage and handed a kunai A, "Go behind him, then I will flash to him; even if he sends you flying, just let go of it."
A grabbed the kunai and nodded.
"Just tell me when," Minato said to Oonki.
A was watching them closely, and Oonki brought his hands up. With a quick nod from the small man, the three disappeared. A reappeared behind Pein, and as Minato predicted, he was sent flying, but he had let go of Kunai, to which Minato flashed to, with Oonki in tow. As soon as they arrived, Oonki released his jutsu.
"Yes!" Jiraiya exclaimed.
But when the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Pein quickly had pulled the Petra path's body from his place and had absorbed Oonki's jutsu.
"Shit," Minato swore, then flashed with Oonki back to the rest.
A had come back as well. They were all breathing hard.
"You are all Kages for a reason," Pein stated, "You fight well."
Minato stared at Pein with anger and hatred as he breathed heavily, trying to ignore the pain the venom was still causing.
"But now you shall know true pain, Hokage-sama," Pein said.
Minato's eyes widened when he saw the corner of Pein's mouth lift into a smirk, and lowered his hand that had been in a ram sign since they arrived.
The sealing was done.
"No," Minato whispered.
All eyes turned to the young Jinchuuriki.
The bubble around him had dissipated, and Naruto's body fell to the ground.
"NARUTO!"