Heyooo.
Welcome back everyone! Still not completely following the schedule, i'll try and improve on that.
First things first! Along with this chapter, I've also added the remake of chapter 9: the arrival. Be sure to check it out when you can. There are some changes to the names of the Reavers (shifters/holders/regulars). The old ones aren't abandoned, just improved upon. I highly recommend to read that first.
As for this chapter, it's shorter than previous ones, but it felt as if it was the right moment to stop, I hope you'll enjoy it regardless!
Downside is, the story isn't progressing as fast as I'd hoped, and I'm worried you're all going to catch up. The end is near, just not quite there yet. We'll make it work ;)
As per usual, a big thank you to everyone who added this story, or me to your alert/favorite list!
Vastik, Gemini-Spark, Technosloth187, Susanno27, Kingdomice, Fryskette-chan, ddsurvivor, , VeronicaToro, Adam C's Username, TheGrim55, ExoticJ7z, srkth, Justinv97, UnsknaowMn, Cole Vogt, Bhuvan Nagaraj.D, Ballbag223, Yourassistant, Bmjonathan567, BobbyBoulders, Kevers97, Yanjs, Luxsarhgd, The Reaper's Emmisary, Salimaitsaid2,
Reviewers:
Nithi Velu: oh, there will be casualties, I'm pretty excited to have you all read it:)
A sole reviewer: I'm very grateful for your reviews! It made smile when I read them, thank you!
I'm also glad to hear that you enjoyed the story! I wanted a different story than just some generic banishe/hate Konoha story. I hope I did it justice!
I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.
Stalker1: Sorry for the wait! Enjoy ^^
Kingdomice: I had at some point planned to make it NaruHina due to popular demand. But it didn't fit the story, so I turned it back to my original pairing, which was NaruMichu. I always felt that worked much better. As for the AOT similarities, its pure coincidence, but I do hope you're enjoying it!
Madstack: I hope that the story will pick up for you, otherwise I'm sure there are plenty other stories that might suit your preferences!
: That was always the intent. To have the Reavers come across as ruthless. I hope I did it justice!
Enjoy and remember to read chapter 9 as well! There are some references there that will make sense here.
Chapter 46: Konoha's stand – part 2
Micheru was tired of waiting. She understood the importance of keeping Hunters and Akatsuki members in the reserve to keep their strength up, not just during the initial phase of the battle. But she felt useless and was impatiently walking back and forth.
~Squad 25 and 26, head to sector 3.~
A small portion broke off from the crowd and sprinted to the elevator.
"Let's go, let's go!"
"We got this!"
The blonde huntress, along with the others in the reserve were watching as they stepped onto the elevator and were sent up to the top.
A hand on her shoulder startled her. She turned around and saw Kia standing there. "Hey Kia. I didn't know you were part of the reserves."
His eyes glanced to the elevator before turning back to her. "I'll be Hawke's replacement soon. He was expending a lot of chakra and needs to rest. Who will you replace?"
"Officially, Rome. But you know how he is."
He nodded. "He's similar to Naruto in that regard."
Both muttered simultaneously. "Stubborn."
Micheru chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.
Kia smiled slightly before walking off. "Good luck, Micheru."
The Huntress followed her with her gaze. Kia hadn't been the same after the death of his brother. He had lost his entire family except for his little brother in Mirarca.
When Kenpachi had killed Hitoshi, Kia had been devastated. The once cheerful Hunter had quickly descended into a depression. He came out the other side a completely different man.
Her arms crossed, she was tapping her finger onto her arm impatiently before she decided enough was enough, changing frequency to Rome's she leaned into the mic, her hand covering it from the rain and wind. "Rome. How about you take a break."
~I'm—Fine! ~
"You need a break. You've been fighting for a few hours now. We need to keep everyone as fresh as possible."
There was a moment of silence before her radio crackled alive again. ~Come on up. Sector 6.~
She grinned and sprinted forward, the wall looming intimidatingly overhead.
Reaching the top wall, she instantly noticed the similarities between this battle and that of Suna's. There were some differences though.
It was clear that with this battle the defenders were much more cohesive. They were able to predict surprise attacks and counter accordingly. There was less chaos.
She noticed a trio of shinobi working together to destroy a tower, while another team was sending Katon jutsu down the wall.
The wounded and dead were being dragged back, wherever it was possible. But I was clear to see that more to the front, bodies were stacking up, limiting movement.
"Micheru, over here!"
She turned and sprinted towards Rome, who was waving her over.
"No, no more to the left, yeah there!"
"Got my eyes on him…Futon: - "
She ignored the chatter around her and came to a stop in front of Rome, who was leaning against a small supply point, trying to catch his breath. "How is it going?"
"It's going alright. So far, all our high ranked fighters are still up. There was a breach earlier, but Itachi and Naruto cleared that."
She nodded quickly. "What about Kenpachi?"
"No idea. He hasn't shown himself, won't be much longer I suspect."
"Alright. You head on down. I'll take over."
Rome hesitated. "Are you sure? I can stick around."
She pushed him towards the elevator, slightly annoyed. "I didn't need your help in Suna, I can take care of myself. Now go!"
Rome looked at her with a frown, before he smiled at her. "I'm proud of you. I will leave you be. Don't die on us now!"
He made his way down towards the elevator shaft and waited for his ride to reach the top.
Micheru felt nervous but pushed it down. With determination she pushed past the crowd and towards the front, two short blades tightly grasped.
Iruka was watching with dread as his old students, now genin were bringing supplies towards one of the supply hubs near the wall. When the announcement first was made to have genin used as support, he was firmly against it.
Kakashi was the one to put him in his place…again. And looking back on it, he was glad he did. He needed to look past the young faces and accept that they were now shinobi of Konoha. They could be called upon to fight, if the Hokage would order it.
That's why he was glad he was assigned to organize the genin forces, along with the other teachers.
A loud crash broke his train of thought and looked at the two genin who had let a shuriken launcher slip from their hands. "Hey! Be careful with that!"
"We're sorry Iruka-sensei!"
He shook his head and looked towards the wall with anxiety. Explosions could be heard but the sounds of metal hitting metal was drowned out by the rainstorm that wasn't letting up.
It seemed completely hopeless. They were heavily outnumbered and there was no chance of reinforcements coming. They were screwed, and most knew it too.
More genin were passing him by, carrying crates and other equipment. They were excited and nervous at the same time. To them a battle was not something to be afraid of. They would undoubtedly change their opinion soon.
He had seen Naruto only in passing earlier. He was still hoping to talk to him, to tell him to be careful.
He had seen Naruto in the village a few times, and only had the chance to have one real conversation with him. But seeing him at the memorial back then had shaken him. The blonde was looking terrible. Bags under his eyes and a very somber look. Something every Suna defender seemed to have. during his chat at the academy, he had looked better, if only slightly…He still held a haunted look.
He clearly remembered the day Naruto had fled from the village and was among the first search parties, to try and convince him to come back. He had felt conflicted about it though. He had seen firsthand how the boy had been treated and initially hadn't been a big fan of him. But nearing the end of his academy days the brat had started to warm up to him.
During it all, Naruto never seemed to waver, always being the same cheerful, goofy blonde, he had grown fond of. Seeing him now…Was tough to say the least.
~Iruka, what's the status on the supplies for supply-hub 2?~
Snapping out of it, he answered the question. "They're on the way now. They'll be there within 5 to 10 minutes."
~Understood~
'I need to talk to him again…Need him to show that I've changed.'
He watched as a group of shinobi marched past him, some patting the genin on their back, encouraging the youngsters. A grimness covering all their faces.
Kakashi was twirling around like he was dancing. Having become accustomed to fighting on top of a wall, he had been killing Reavers by the dozens, only slowing down when shifters stepped from the towers.
A kunai in each hand he blocked the incoming swipe and tore through the exposed side of his foe, ducking underneath a second attack, retaliating with an uppercut, his hand still tightly gripping that kunai.
His hand shot to the left and let his weapon pierce another.
He looked towards the forest, and he could see rows upon rows of towers all moving towards the wall. It seems the Reavers were done with probing and were committing to the full assault. "This is Kakashi. The Reavers are going to commit to a full assault. All sectors should be notified."
~Understood Kakashi. Estimate of incoming towers? ~
He looked around, a drop of sweat going down the side of his face, before being absorbed by his already soaked facemask. "At least fifty."
There was a moment of silence. ~Understood~
His fellow shinobi were looking at him with dread. "What's the plan?"
Kakashi pulled his eye cover up, his Sharingan ablaze. "We hold our ground."
"There's no stopping that many towers."
~Attention Konoha. Reavers are preparing for a mass assault. ~
"It doesn't matter. We hold our ground. Let command decide what to do with those towers!" Kakashi barked. "Until further orders we try and take out as many as we can."
The imposing towers were coming closer and closer, expanding further in size.
Kakashi pointed to the ballistae mounted on top. "Lace the bolt with wind chakra and start aiming for the towers! Relay this to the others!"
"Hai!"
Soon their siege equipment starts spewing bolts forth. For every four bolts they managed to take one siege tower down.
The towers were still getting closer and closer though. and soon they would reach the walls.
~Itachi will try and reduce the numbers, with his kekkei genkai. He's at sector 7~
From the far right a massive glowing humanoid figure emerged. It started attacking the towers with great success, destroying them all in the near vicinity.
Kakashi turned his focus back on his own sector. "Keep it up!"
Watching Itachi's Susanoo destroy the towers, the defenders of Konoha, with renewed vigor continued their barrage onto the incoming siege equipment.
Kakashi watched with a sense of dread, that despite their fierce defense, it wouldn't be enough to stop the incoming towers. Gripping his kunai tightly, he prepared for close combat.
Micheru let the body drop to the floor, paying it little mind. Instead, she watched as the siege towers inched closer and closer. The sheer amount that was about to slam their drawbridge down onto the battlements was staggering. It outnumbered even Suna's assault.
She knew that it was a matter of time before they would lose control of the fight, and the Reavers would gain a hold onto the wall.
The familiar sound of someone using flashstep caused her to turn. And what she saw made her blood run cold.
Standing atop the cover was Kenpachi. More and more shinobi started noticing. Slowly backing up. Meanwhile, the towers started slamming against the walls and Reavers poured out onto the wall. Absolute chaos ensued.
The group stared in complete horror as Kenpachi stepped off the battlement. He wore a dark eye patch, similar to Naruto's. He looked around before settling his eye on Micheru. "Hunter."
She stared at him with wide horrified eyes. She reached for her earpiece with a shaking hand. "K-Kenpachi's at my location. Sector s-six"
"Good. Call for help."
The sound of the elevator reaching the top wall was barely heard over the sounds of the battle taking place. Fresh reserves stepped off, intent on helping fight off the wave of Reavers.
"Let's go, let's go!" Kotetsu roared as he stepped off, before his voice faltered, his gaze locked onto Kenpachi's form, dread filling his mind. "That's…"
Holding up his hand, Kenpachi let out a burst of red chakra. Destroying the elevator and killing the reinforcements along with it.
Kotetsu looked over his shoulder to the destroyed remains, as well as the few mangled bodies that lay at the edge, He could barely recognize his close friend Izumo laying there. "You monster!" He charged forward with reckless abandon, one of his blades tightly grasped in his hands.
Micheru could only watch as Kotetsu got grabbed by the throat without any difficulty. Without hesitation, Kenpachi crushed the bones effortlessly before dropping the body of Kotetsu Hagane.
"No!" Asuma roared from a distance, watching as one of his friends died like he was nothing but a fly.
The Reaver paid the Jonin no mind and instead turned his attention back on Micheru. "You've survived Sunagakure's cleansing. You won't survive again."
Hearing the air being displaced gave Micheru hope.
blonde hair appeared in front of her, startling her regardless. the constriction and fear that her heart felt eased slightly. "Naruto..."
"Here to save your teammate?"
Naruto barely gave her a glance. "Micheru, get in contact with command. Tell them what happened."
Micheru fervently nodded. "What about Itachi, or Kisame?"
"They won't be long."
Sasuke appeared at the blonde's side. He had been assigned to the sector as part of the reinforcements. "Let me help."
"Pawn, leave us." Kenpachi's low voice rumbled.
Naruto's eye slowly changed from bright blue, to glowing dark red. "I'm tasked with keeping him busy. Do your own job."
"I find it surprising you still have the willpower to face me." Kenpachi said, silencing their conversation.
"Who better to kill you, than me?"
Kenpachi let out an inhuman chuckle, slowly stepping forward. "I must admit, I've grown to respect you, boy."
Naruto felt a single drop of sweat make its way down his face. He slowly started pouring more chakra into the seal, dark red chakra starting swirling around his gauntlet. "I wish I could say the same."
Sasuke watched the exchange with his sharingan, taking it all in before glancing around. Kisame and Itachi were nowhere to be seen and Kenpachi seemed to notice as well.
"Where are your teammates, Ghost? Or are they already dead?"
Gritting his teeth he focused more of his demonic chakra, before with a grunt he completed the transformation. "They'll be here."
"But you'll be dead by then." Kenpachi dashed forward and Naruto managed to dodge the incoming limb and countered by clasping his hands together and hammered it into Kenpachi's head, who slammed onto the ground.
Both Micheru and Sasuke looked on before they were brought out of their stupor by Naruto.
"Why are you still here?! Get out-" He shouted angrily at them before Kenpachi sprang up and grabbed Naruto by his head and returned the gesture by slamming him into the already broken concrete.
"Chakra push!" Kenpachi got blasted into the air, his body twirling in the air.
Jumping to his feet, he threw a series of shuriken after the man before forming a few handsigns. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" The shuriken rapidly multiplied.
Naruto turned to Micheru and Sasuke who were still standing there.
"Let us help!" Micheru pleaded as she saw him running over.
"WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?" Naruto barked, glancing to the sky every so often.
"We can-"
He grabbed them both by their clothing and shoved them towards one of the last working elevators. "You will be a liability. I'm not asking again."
A soft thud could be heard behind the blonde, who turned towards the sound.
The confident smirk that adorned Kenpachi's face was gone, and he stared intently, before disappearing with flashstep.
Naruto mimicked his movement, and they resumed their clash during their 'steps', the sounds of clashing happening all over that sector.
"Rasengan!"
A large red sphere connected with the small blue one and Naruto was sent flying into the sky.
"We've got to move, Micheru. You heard him!" Sasuke dragged her into the elevator and they both watched as Naruto came diving back down, his katana drawn, poised to strike the Reaver.
Sasuke pulled on the lever and the elevator flew down, the wall blocking their sight.
Micheru slumped to the ground. "He's…he's got no chance."
"We have our orders. We've got to trust he can keep himself alive."
She looked up to the grated ceiling, from where she could barely see the top. "He got beat to a pulp…twice."
Sasuke grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet. "Tsk, give him some more faith."
She hesitantly nodded before trying to calm herself down by controlling her breathing. She gave another nod, more resolute this time. "We need to get reinforcements there. The moment the fight is moving away, Reavers will scale the wall again."
"Let's contact command then."
The defenders held their ground with strong determination. Ground was barely given, and if it was, it was retaken moments later.
Jutsu continued to fly over and into the army below. Whenever shinobi were low on chakra, they were pulled back and a replacement below took his place. This way unnecessary losses were prevented.
Siege towers however continued regardless and the siege of Konoha appeared unrelenting. To top it off, the Reavers had also started their assault on the gate, which had been a task in itself. Konoha had planted explosives at the path in front of it.
Casualties continued to stack while Konoha's remained within acceptable numbers. Eventually though, the Reaver's strength in numbers would overwhelm the defenders.
The sounds of clashing metal and the heat of katon jutsu flying could be seen and felt everywhere.
Konoha's defenders held their grounds, but Hawke wondered for how much longer.
He slammed his fist into his opponent's face who stumbled back. He nodded to Rome who let out a piercing Mani attack, similar to his trademark ability 'Tipora'.
The attack hit the Reaver, including three others behind.
Hawke let out a grunt before sending a short-wave attack forth that cleared a path towards the battlement. Shinobi charged forward and retook the spot and instantly clashed with a new wave of Reavers.
~Defenders be aware, Kenpachi is at sector 6. The designated squad has as engaged. Stay clear of sector 6 until further orders. ~
Rome and Hawke looked towards the general direction of mentioned sector. Nothing crazy could be seen yet.
"Well…fuck." Hawke muttered.
Rome nodded, his fingers intertwined, resting on the back of his head. "We all knew it was only a matter of time."
"One can always hope…What now?" Hawke asked, turning to Rome, tearing his gaze away from the wall in the distance.
"Nothing. We stick to the plan and hope they can keep him away from the fight."
A nearby explosion turned their focus towards the fight once more and sprung into the crowd to assist in repelling the invaders.
Hawke charged forward and slammed his broad body into the first opponent, dropping him to the ground, crushing the man's neck underneath his boot. "You don't think we should help?"
A large explosion erupted from sector six. Both gave it a brief worried glance. "We need to trust your former student." Rome answered with doubt, his hands both held a kunai, swiping left and right, clashing with two separate foes.
"That's Rome. Take him out!"
Rome planted his feet in the man's face and sent him over the edge before another Reaver slammed his claw into the Hunter, nearly sending him flying over as well.
Hawke quickly jumped between the two and slashed at the foe, cutting him in half.
A nearby siege tower exploded, sending debris of wood everywhere, killing all the inhabitants.
~They are approaching the main gate~
Hawke pulled Rome to his feet and grinned. "This is going to be awesome!"
The disengaged and made their way to the main gate, assisting where they could.
~Defenders of sector 1. Controlled explosion imminent. ~
They both could see large glowing Reavers marching on the main gate. Their hands were glowing bright red, and the red chakra was steadily increasing in size.
The explosives were set off a moment later, engulfing the incoming Reavers, killing them by the seeming hundreds.
Hawke lets out a cheer and slapped his hand on Rome's shoulder. "Now that's what we like to see!"
The defenders joined with the cheers as they charged at the Reavers who had been caught by surprise and were looking around with a confused gaze.
Micheru followed the shinobi that were sprinting past them towards the sector they had just been assigned to. For now, they had been ordered to wait until Kenpachi had been lured away at a close distance. Command had gathered an impressive force of reserves to retake sector six, including Kia, Tsunade, Konan and Sasori.
Konan was considered by the Akatsuki, as their army deterrent. Her ability to create explosive notes in massive amounts was nothing short of amazing and horrifying. She was also their trump card. The Reavers weren't even aware.
However, it was a one and done trick and afterwards she would be out of the fight for the remainder of it all and would be extremely vulnerable as a result.
A booming sound erupted from where Naruto and Kenpachi were fighting, and she could see Naruto's signature blonde hair from afar.
"Everyone, halt!"
The group came to a quick stop, and all looked up to the top as the fight continued.
"What now?"
"Now we wait for Itachi and Kisame to arrive. It's clear Naruto can't control the fight and steer it away." Konan said, her eyes darted left and right, following the movement of Naruto and Kenpachi.
"Incoming!" Tsunade yelled as she pointed upwards.
Naruto was plummeting towards the ground, with Kenpachi following close behind.
"Chakra push!" the blonde got blasted upwards and used his momentum to slam his fist into Kenpachi's face.
The man was having none of it however and grabbed the outstretched limb and threw Naruto into the ground, creating a small crater, dust flying upward, blocking everyone's sight.
Kenpachi sent out a sphere of red chakra and blasted it into the crater.
Using flashstep, Naruto appeared off to the side, his clothes were slightly damaged, and he appeared out of breath. A thick line of blood seeped out from underneath his hairline. He glanced over his shoulder to the onlookers and knew that he had to lead the fight away from them.
He charged forward and tried to overpower Kenpachi, but he wasn't impressed and countered with a vicious uppercut that sent the blonde soaring into the sky, crashing against the upper floor of a building, and out of sight.
Kenpachi barely gave the others a glance and charged after Naruto.
"I'm going to help Ghost." Kia said as he stepped away from the group.
"Kia no! We need you at the wall."
"He's getting slaughtered! we can't leave him behind." Kia pressed. He wasn't a close friend of Naruto, but they respected each other for what they stood for.
Micheru was also stepping away, joining Kia. "He's right, he needs our help."
"You have to trust in Naruto, like he trusts us . Itachi and Kisame are on the way, let them handle it." Konan said as she stepped forward, creating doubt in their decision to help the fellow hunter.
Micheru fidgeted with her hands, giving a doubtful glance to Kia, who seemed to feel as uncertain as she was.
~ Where are the reinforcements for sector six! ~ the operator's voice boomed through their headsets. ~
"Enough with this! EVERYONE HEAD FOR THE WALL, NOW!" Tsunade barked as she started dashing towards the wall, past Micheru and Kia. The others followed suit and followed their Hokage.
Both Hunters watched as hundreds of shinobi dashed past them in a blur. "Konan's...right. Let's help out at the wall." Micheru doubtfully said.
Kia gritted his teeth and balled his fists. "Fine! but I want a piece of Kenpachi before all this over and done with!"
He turned heel and joined the others, quickly followed by Micheru, who still wasn't convinced, but followed her orders regardless.
Naruto pushed himself off from the rubble. He hadn't been in full control flight and he had crashed into a small house. 'Where the hell are Itachi and Kisame.'
Kenpachi slowly walked over. In comparison, this fight had been going a lot better than his first one, against the monster, as well as the second one for that matter. When he had been fighting Kenpachi in Suna, he had already expended a lot of chakra during the previous two fights. Something he had been careful with in this one.
And it had shown. He wasn't able to go on the offense, but he wasn't being pummeled around either and was even able to land a few blows in.
He straightened his back and grit his teeth. He threw his arm forward and let forth another chakra blast that staggered Kenpachi and threw him slightly off balance.
He charged forward and once more exchanged blows but soon fell on the backfoot once more. They moved away from the wall and into the village, crashing through buildings and into shinobi reserves.
Naruto slammed his fist into Kenpachi, enhanced with chakra, sending him into an alleyway. "Where the hell are Itachi and Kisame?!" He barked into his mic before groaning in frustration as he noticed the broken piece of equipment.
The Reaver came charging forward and grabbed Naruto by the face, slamming it into the ground before dragging him forward several meters and tossed him further into the village.
Naruto let out scream as he came crashing painfully into ground right outside the medical area. He climbed back to his feet, panting heavily. He was rapidly losing the ability to keep up with Kenpachi.
The man slowly walked over, looking disheveled with minor bruises. "You can't control the flow of this fight. I decide where this fight goes."
"Good thing you brought him here then."
Two figures landed on either side of Kenpachi, just outside of his range.
"What took you two so long?" Naruto stood back up with a slight groan.
Kisame gave the blonde a quick glance. "We got held up. It seemed his friends were trying their best to keep us away."
"Naruto! You can't fight here!" Shizune came running up from the hospital, flanked by a few shinobi, Sakura and Ino amongst them.
He gritted his teeth and lowered himself into an offensive stance. "You heard Shizune. Let's keep him away."
Kenpachi tilted his head, looking at the blonde in amusement. "You have no say in the matter." He displaced himself with flashstep and used his momentum to throw the blonde into the hospital building.
Itachi and Kisame wasted no time and attacked straight away, the latter slashing with his blade, while the Uchiha formed a series of handsigns. "Katon: Enyari!"
Kenpachi jumped in the air to dodge Kisame's attack but was unable to predict where Itachi's attack would go. The flaming spear slammed into him and sent him crashing into a building on the far right.
Naruto appeared next to Kisame, locking eyes with him for a moment.
Kenpachi came charging out of the ruins and straight into the defense of Naruto and Kisame. His brute strength overpowered them both and slammed them into the ground. Grabbing Naruto by the ankle, he swung him into Itachi, canceling out his attack.
A wave of red chakra erupted from his claw and into the crater where Kisame was lying, who in turn was using his blade to block the incoming attack, while it was trying to absorb as much of it as he could.
Naruto threw a handful of shuriken towards the Reaver, who was forced to cancel his attack and dodge the incoming projectiles.
Kisame climbed out the crater and quickly rejoined his teammates, he was out of breath and his face was full of scratches. "You weren't lying."
A massive surge of demonic power came charging towards them.
"We have to hold it! The hospital is in its path!" Naruto shouted, holding out both hand and claw.
Kisame and Itachi did the same and blocked the incoming attack.
"What massive power!" Kisame roared as he desperately tried to hold back the attack.
Naruto let out a desperate shout as he and his teammates tried to hold off the attack.
"Counter with a chakra burst…Now!" Itachi ordered.
The three instantly poured out chakra and pushed the attack up, sending it flying into the night sky.
Naruto looked at his hand, which was scarred by the attack. His claw, however looked fine. "Kami…"
Kenpachi dashed forward and slammed the blonde into the hospital building once more. He snapped his arms out to his sides and blasted both Itachi and Kisame away with a demonic enhanced nucleus discharge.
The blonde crashed into the second-floor hallway and stared with a daze towards the hole he had created. So far, their attempts to keep the hospital safe hadn't been very successful.
He pushed himself back up with slight exertion. Using the wall as support he slowly made his way to the hole, his legs wobbly by the impact.
"Naruto, you have to get him away from here!" Sakura came running around the corner, two guards flanking her and Shizune.
He glared at her, blood seeping down from underneath his hairline and was dripping onto the floor. "You don't think we know that?" His hand pressed against the wall, trying his best to regain his composure.
She looked at him in concern. "Are you okay?"
He didn't answer her, and instead rolled his neck and shook his body as he tried to clear his body and mind. He threw her a little smile as he gave a little hop, before sprinting through the holes in the walls, back towards the menacing Reaver.
From the other side Kenpachi came charging in, drawing his fist back.
Naruto slammed his fist into Kenpachi's face but ignored it and barreled through, hammering Naruto through both the second and first floor, coming to a crashing halt in the lobby.
Dazed, Naruto lay against the partially destroyed main desk. He stared as the inhabitants of the lobby scrambled to get clear.
Blood dribbled out of his mouth, and he was certain that he had broken multiple bones during his latest clash.
Kenpachi hovered above him, grabbing the Uzumaki by his blonde hair and dragged him out. Naruto could barely make out the figures of Sakura and Shizune as they watched his limp body being dragged out of the hospital and tossed onto the streets, where he lay in a puddle of muddy water.
"You lasted longer last time."
With a grunt he turned to face the reaver. "I-I'm not out of the fight yet."
"Oh, but you are."
Kisame's blade, samehada slammed into Kenpachi, sending him into the main street. "Apparently not."
Kisame knelt next to the blonde, giving him the once over. "Take this." Handing him a canteen.
Groaning, Naruto managed to take a sip and instantly felt a burst of energy course through his body. With some effort he managed to get up. "What is this?"
"It's something the medical-nin came up with. It's a mixture of powdered chakra pills and some other tincture. It doesn't heal you, but it does dull out the pain."
He looked down at his normal arm, noticing the cuts that adorned it. He still felt it, but to a much lesser extent. "This would've been helpful in Suna."
"Don't rely on it too much. It's only temporary."
Itachi grabbed him by the claw and pulled him back to his feet. "Time to go on the offensive."
Naruto nodded. "I'll follow your lead."
The trio dashed towards the main street, intent on taking out the Reaver leader.
Sorry for the short chapter! Unfortunately, the next isn't a very long chapter either. I will probably post chapter 10 (remake) to make up to it!
Personally I had a lot of trouble with writing the chapter, it doesn't feel fluid enough. I apologize in advance, same goes for the all the chapters being posted (remakes and all that). I want to keep providing content without putting a break on either projects.
Let me know your thoughts!