Tayuya made her way slowly through the passageways of the lair. This particular one was unfamiliar to her, thankfully, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable to traverse. Every place Orochimaru touched was tainted with his slimy soul. He just couldn't help but corrupt anything close to him. The three tamoe scar on her shoulder was all the evidence she needed of that. Not that it mattered anymore. The slimy fuck was dead now, but these places still lingered. Tayuya figured it hadn't been very long since the Sannin's supposed death, so it was unrealistic to expect all his work to fall apart so quickly. But a girl could dream.
"We shouldn't be here."
The redhead rolled her eyes at the sound of the voice and turned to glare at the woman behind her. Guren. Why she was still alive was beyond her understanding, but Naruto hadn't deemed her death necessary just yet. Nevertheless, Tayuya was primed to drop the woman as soon as the order was given. It didn't matter that she had renounced her loyalty to the snake, Tayuya remembered all too well just how deep that loyalty ran to begin with. In fact, she had all but advocated for the death of both her and Jugo the moment the two of them showed up. Like two sick miserable little puppies that needed to be put down for their own good.
"Zip it, bitch," Tayuya said. "The only reason you're here at all is because Naruto told me to keep an eye on you. You're a loose end and a half right now, so don't give me a reason to cut you down, 'cause I'll take it." A series of mechanical clicks echoed through the hallway as Tayuya's left arm shifted beneath its large obscuring sleeve, earning a concerned look from Guren. That kind of reaction would never get old.
"Have I not proven myself loyal by now?" Guren asked. She had done everything she was asked of, and more. Surely that deserved some sort of acknowledgement, right?
Tayuya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just keep sucking up like a good little pet why don't you," she said. "Seriously, could you be any more pathetic?"
Guren glared at the girl. "Could you be any more of a bitch?"
"Yep," Tayuya chirped, smiling at the idea.
"Forget I asked," Guren muttered, turning her attention back to the hallways end. "This should be the last one."
"Fucking finally," Tayuya groaned, more metallic clicking emanating from her arm. The whole game of find the goose egg had dragged on far too long for her liking. She knew Orochimaru was good at hiding things, but the extent of his paranoia was batshit insane. Who goes out of their way to replicate their research and laboratories several times over as backups? Psycho's, that's who.
The two entered the final room at the end of the hall, a large open space eerily lit by the faint glow of monitors and large illuminated tubes filled with who knows what kinds of liquids. Suspended in the tubes were bodies, in varying degrees of completion or dismantlement. Some held no more than organs strung together just enough to ensure they didn't die and decay. This was all that was left of the Uzumaki that Orochimaru had experimented on. This was the last remnants of what he had done to Tayuya, what he had turned her into. It was a haunting image for the redhead, to see what her current state had come from, to see what she could have very well become had she stayed with the snake. If she wasn't already fairly confident the bastard was dead, she would be making it her life's mission to kill him herself.
"Get what you can from the computers," Tayuya ordered, not taking her eyes off the tanks. She knew Guren would do as she was told. There was no one for the woman to go running off to now.
With slow steps she weaved through the tanks, circling some curiously, eyeing the contents with a combination of disgust and sadness. She stopped at one tank, slightly larger than the rest. Floating there in the liquid was an almost complete body. It was a young boy, barely old enough to have been an academy graduate. Even with the dull lighting and grimy glass, Tayuya could see the red hair atop his head. With a deep sigh she placed her hand on the glass, bowing her head in shame. No child deserved this. Hardening her gaze, she marched over to where Guren was quickly going through what files she had access to on the computers. It looked suspiciously bare compared to some of the other bases they had hit in the past months.
"This place was abandoned months ago," Guren said. "Seems lord Orochimaru caught on to-Agh!"
Tayuya watched as the woman clutched painfully at her ears and fell to her knees. She once more put her thumb and middle finger together, threatening to snap her fingers once more. "What have I told you about calling him that?" she hissed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Guren said, holding back the urge to vomit as the ringing in her ears continued. She had been having a hard enough time coming to terms with the snake Sannin's death, but now she was fighting well-conditioned habits just to avoid the girl's ire. Not that she could complain. At least she wasn't killed immediately after her usefulness had run out. With Orochimaru gone, there was no need to use her to feed false information back to him on Naruto and Tayuya's progress, and so there was no real reason for her to be around at all. Yet here she was, at their mercy. Why she had to be paired up with Tayuya of all people was obvious enough, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Jugo was clearly getting the better end of the stick in that department.
"Get up," Tayuya said, kicking the woman lightly. "You're gonna make me feel sorry for you if you keep acting like that." She pulled the woman to her feet and glared at the screens. "So, the cocksucker caught on. Big deal. Are there any signs that he replicated this shit somewhere else?"
Guren shook her head. "Nothing that I can see," she said. "From all I remember, and what I can ascertain from the files I have access to, this should be the last lab he created with the focus on the Uzumaki bloodline. Of course, there could be more that are off record, knowing what Oro-ahem-the cocksucker was like."
Tayuya nodded. "That's better," she said, patting the woman on the back. "Well, that's that. Glass the tanks."
Guren was quick to move, placing herself in the centre of the many tanks and weaving a string of hand signs together. Within seconds every drop of liquid in the room crystalised, even the test tubes and random vials laying around the place were not spared. Taking a step back, Guren watched on as Tayuya took her place, pulling her large sleeve back to reveal the marvel of puppetry mechanics that now made up her left arm. With a series of clicks, the large gauntlet like limb hissed to life, a series of whistles and high-pitched notes ringing out through the room, until it went silent and Tayuya lashed out with it in a wide sweeping motion. While no sound came from it, Guren could feel her body vibrating uncomfortably as the room began to react. The now crystal filled tanks began to hum, the glass cracking slightly before everything shattered. The bodies and subject material that were once preserved inside suddenly reduced to nothing more than dust around them.
No matter how many times she watched it happen, Guren couldn't get over just how effectively Tayuya had made a mockery of her kekkei-genkai. Of course, it was all just a big joke to the redhead. She hated Otogakure and anything relating to Orochimaru, so it only made sense for her to continue using sound based jutsu to humiliate and break down everything the Sannin held dear. One last 'fuck you' as she had so eloquently put it.
"Let's get the fuck out of here," Tayuya said, biting her thumb and wiping the blood on one of the many seals inscribed on her puppet arm. A small scroll poofed into existence in her hand, and with one more application of blood, it unlocked itself before being tossed carelessly into a dark corner of the room. "Come on."
The two walked out quickly, the scroll suddenly melting into liquid flames that spread unnaturally through the room, climbing the walls and licking at every surface it could engulf. Within the hour this lab would be nothing more than a scorched hole in the ground, unless something down here was explosive, then it would just be a bigger hole.
"What now?" Guren asked, following the redhead closely. She didn't expect an answer, but it didn't hurt to ask. She was still not trusted, and as such had been left in the dark about a lot of things until it was relevant. A lot of things were never relevant to her.
Tayuya almost told the woman to shut up and mind her business, but stopped herself as she remembered that Naruto had asked her to try and bring Guren to their side properly. She didn't like the idea, but Guren was no slouch, she could admit that. With a deep sigh she slowed her pace to walk side by side with her, doing her best not to scowl. "If that's all the labs and bases you remember, then I guess we are done here," she said. "We should head back and regroup, make some kind of plan."
Guren nodded in understanding. That would mean she would be left in the dark again and expected to follow along blindly. It wasn't much different to how Orochimaru treated her, but at least with Naruto and Tayuya she didn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back for no reason at all. She supposed that was always an upside she could focus on.
As they exited the base, the fire working its way to cover their tracks, Tayuya couldn't help but groan internally as she noticed the older woman's downtrodden expression. Grabbing Guren's arm, she stopped. "Look, I don't like you okay," she said, earning a deadpan expression in return. "I don't trust you. I don't need you. I don't want you around. But you've been useful to us, and Naruto seems to think you can keep being useful. Fucked if I know how, but he wants to keep you around and I'm not going to argue with him. His fuck ups are his to make and not mine to clean up. So please, stop looking so miserable all the damn time, do as you're told, and I'm sure I'll have no reason to put you down. Clear?"
"I understand," Guren said plainly. It was probably the best sort of deal she could hope for with her past loyalty to Orochimaru, so she wasn't going to complain any time soon. If something better appeared along the way she could easily slip off and run to that… she hoped.
"Good. Now let's get back before someone comes to investigate the smoke," Tayuya said, the two quickly heading off. Sure, deep down she knew she was being far too harsh on Guren, but she had to be sure there wasn't any chances of future foul play. Tayuya herself had never been as loyal as Guren had been to the snake, so it paid to be cautious for now. Orochimaru might be dead, but if anyone could slither back from the dead it was him. The last thing anyone needed was Guren running back to her former master at the drop of a hat, or worse, trying to finish any of his work in his stead.
Tayuya shivered at the thought. No one who could stomach such work should be allowed to live… ever.
Konan sipped her tea casually, making no signs or inclinations towards her feelings or desires to those present. It was a gift really. While some had commented on her often statue like demeanour, she herself found it to be an important asset. No one could read her, not truly. They could speculate all they wanted, try and make her slip up all they could, but her features would never betray her. To the eyes of anyone she didn't trust completely, it was like staring at a porcelain mask and hoping it would flinch. And it was invaluable in times such as this.
She eyed the woman across from her with a blank stare. The Mizukage was a strong and respectable woman, but Konan didn't make it a habit to show such people the respect they thought they deserved. Still, there was always hope that this woman, Mei, would prove herself to be a promising and wise leader. Her amber eyes lazily scanned the two men either side of the Kage, an older gentleman with an eyepatch, and a younger man with a giant weapon strapped to his back. Neither they, nor the Mizukage, presented the aura Konan assumed they had wanted to. Actions had to be taken for respect via fear to be a viable negotiation tactic, and what little Konan had seen and heard of left these three lacking in that department.
"I trust you are here for purely peaceful reasons," Mei said carefully, making sure to not let her stare faulter under the uncaring gaze of the blue haired woman. It was bad enough that she could feel how nervous her two guards were at her side. Nevertheless, she trusted the three of them were capable of taking the woman if it came to that. Her partner on the other hand… "Can we get your friend anything?"
"Jugo," Konan said, getting the young man's attention. "You may wait outside if you like, dear. This will be a simple meeting." Jugo bowed towards Konan before offering the Mizukage no more than a polite nod before leaving. "Don't mind him. He's a gentle soul."
From behind Mei, the older man internally sighed in relief. Ao hadn't been able to take his eyes off the boy since the two had entered the room. His size aside, the boy was radiating an absurd amount of chakra that just didn't look right to his byakugan. Everything about the boy made him want to tread carefully. Sadly, his feelings weren't improved upon the boy's leaving, as his attention turned to the woman before them. She was her own problem. How someone like her, with such an immense chakra signature, could get so close to the village without anyone noticing was of major concern to their security. Thankfully, the two didn't seem to be here for any nefarious reasons.
"So, I take you didn't come all this way just to drink some tea with me," Mei said. "Do you want something?"
"Your village is still recovering from the war," Konan stated. "You've neither the manpower nor the resources to contest with the other major shinobi villages as of yet, but you are growing steady and bouncing back from your own bloody history better than could have been expected. You have my respect for that. Recognising one's own failings is a noble thing."
Mei gave a fake smile. "Thank you." She hated the mists past being brought up. It wasn't like they could deny any of it, and they didn't need their own shameful history rubbed in their faces.
Konan put the cup of tea down and withdrew a large rolled up sheet of paper from her cloak. Spreading it out on the desk, she pushed a small amount of chakra into it, the once invisible ink springing to life on the page quickly. "This is a map of the lands under your village's control," she said, gesturing to several spot of the map that were marked with a red circle. "These locations marked with a circle are hidden bases and stash houses of Orochimaru of the Sannin that we had deemed not worth our time. They would hold not only potential resources that your village could use, but also an unknown number of prisoners of various types that could bolster your numbers. We trust you will make short work of these locations and take full advantage of what they hold."
Surprisingly, it was the younger of her two retainers, Chojuro, who spoke up first. "How can we trust these aren't traps?" he asked sceptically, eyeing the map cautiously. "And what are those?" he asked, pointing to a couple of circles with an X drawn through them.
"Those are bases we have already raided and destroyed," Konan explained. "Their contents were deemed too dangerous to be allowed into the hands of those we don't yet know. I'm sure you understand."
"Taking anything from within our borders is an act against our village," Ao said sternly. "What right do you have to galivant freely through our lands and take what you want. Who knows what you might have destroyed."
Mei sighed. "My men do have a point," she said. "We can't exactly take your word for it. And running around our lands unchecked isn't something we can just ignore."
"You seemed perfectly content to ignore us when we were cleaning up all the rogues that were left scattered after the civil war," Konan said knowingly. "You took credit for our work. The least you can do is show a little faith."
"So, that was you then," Mei said thoughtfully. Internally she was cursing. Everyone in Kiri knew there was someone out there, skulking around and cleaning up after the mess that was left behind. For the past three years, almost any and all potential rogue shinobi, or startup revolution group had been mercilessly squashed without anyone knowing who had done it. Mei didn't want to take credit at first, but as it dragged on and the whispers began to spread, she had no choice. The hidden hand of the Mizukage. That's what her people called it. The more she denied it the more people seemed to get it in their minds that she was behind it all. And now she had a near iron fist rule over the village. Order had been restored, progress and prosperity on the horizon, and now she knew who to thank for it. "Care to explain yourself?"
"We wished to see Kiri return to what it was," Konan said. "What happened here was the result of much more than simple greed and bloodlust. We felt it the least we could do to correct some of the damage done. And now we offer the last of our assistance in the matter. Do you refuse it?"
Mei looked towards Ao, the older man nodding. "No. We accept, graciously," she said, looking at the map. "You say 'we', but I don't think you're referring to just yourself and that boy. How many are you? Who are you?"
"Do not worry about us," Konan said. "We will be stepping out of your affairs soon enough. What little we could assist with from the shadows has come to its natural conclusion. The rest is up to you. We hope you will not disappoint us. Kirigakure has so much potential. It would be unfortunate for you not to take this chance."
"That still leaves us with many questions," Mei said. This was more frustrating than it was worth. Surely there was a price to pay for such 'assistance'. "I assume such aid will cost us in the future. If not, you would have no reason to reveal your involvement in such things. So, what is you want?"
Konan almost smiled. It was good to finally meet someone in a position of power who wasn't quick to anger, or so caught up in their own sense of self that it bordered on the narcissistic. "Kiri can expect to owe nothing as a result of this. As I said, it was the least we could do to help bring stability back to this country."
Mei frowned deeply. "You say that as if you had a hand to play in what occurred here," she said, internally sighing as the other woman continued to give no outward reactions to anything she said. It was by no means common knowledge, but a select few among her ranks knew that Yagura had been under the effect of a genjutsu. Ao had confirmed as much. The idea of a genjutsu powerful enough to enslave not only a kage, but a jinchuuriki, was a terrifying thought, and one that made Mei wary of anyone who appeared to know more than they should. Was this woman involved in that?
"Not me personally. But I knew of what was happening here and did nothing. For that I apologise," Konan said.
"A lot of people suffered here," Chojuro said quietly, eyeing Konan warily. "If you know who had a hand to play in our suffering, you should tell us."
"No," Konan said bluntly, ignoring the hardened stares of all three. "Your focus should remain here, on your people, on the village. Seeking revenge will only lead to more bloodshed. Pain should not beget more pain."
"You do not get to make those decisions for us," Mei said warningly.
"Of course. But I am not required to give you any more information than what I was sent to provide," Konan said. "My… comrade, so to speak, is very interested in seeing what Kirigakure can become in the future. Should you require any further assistance, do feel free to ask."
"And how do we do that?" Ao asked in annoyance. Outside of today, this supposed group existed as no more than shadows. No one could confirm their existence, let alone communicate with them.
Konan slipped her hand beneath her cloak again and withdrew a small slip of paper. Placing it carefully on the Mizukage's desk, she poked it with a single finger, the paper springing to life in a series of intricate and precise folds until a small blue paper bird sat in its place. "Consider this a gift of good faith. Simply channel your chakra into the bird and I will know you wish to meet with us. However, should you choose not to trust us, you may destroy it whenever suits you," she explained, standing from her seat and nodding towards the three. "If you do not mind, I must get going now. I thank you for your time and hospitality."
With that said, Konan left the Mizukage and her men, making her way outside to find Jugo standing by with several small birds collected on his shoulders. With a nod the boy fell into line behind her, both casually making their way towards the outskirts of the village. It went without saying that they were being followed, although to what ends was still up to debate. Konan had hoped that this visit wouldn't lead to any violence, even if she was prepared for that outcome, as was Jugo.
"Things went well?" Jugo asked, gently petting one of the birds with his finger.
"As well as we could have hoped," she answered. "The new Mizukage seems to be a reasonable woman. Time will tell what this village will achieve under her rule. For the time being, we have done all we can. It is best to move on and focus our efforts elsewhere. How many are following us?"
Jugo focused for a moment. The now permanent orange markings around his eyes growing darker for barely a moment before returning to normal as he sighed. "Seven. Four focused on me, three on you," he said. Jugo internally chuckled at the idea of him being perceived as the bigger threat of the two. The old him may have been a loose cannon, but he couldn't compare to Konan, especially not now with his condition under control.
It was a dream come true as far as Jugo was concerned. His expectations of what was to come of the mission Orochimaru sent him on had not been high by any standard, but nothing could have prepared him for what his life was now. Naruto was easily able to keep his outburst in check, much to Jugo's delight, but it didn't stop there. Orochimaru had been skilled with seals, but the Sannin didn't hold a candle to Naruto in the art. It had taken only months for the Uzumaki to construct a seal to rectify his condition, something that Jugo would not soon forget. Such a kindness went beyond anything Jugo could have hoped. As such, his loyalty to the snake Sannin had been all too quick to dissipate, even before Orochimaru's supposed death. Jugo would not waste time mourning the man.
The only downside of his 'cure' was being stuck in what Naruto referred to as a 'permanent sage mode'. A notable boon to both his chakra and physical durability, but at the price of his mental wellbeing. While no longer susceptible to his enraged outbursts, Jugo now fought a different issue entirely. Overstimulation. Being connected to nature, at all times, meant he could sense everything. Feel everything. There wasn't a living thing he couldn't sense within just over a mile of himself. That much information gave him a lot of headaches at the start, but after some training he could block most of it out. Now he could act as an early detection system for Naruto and Konan whenever necessary. The honorary 'doorbell' as Tayuya affectionately referred to him as.
Konan rolled her eyes. Even with a woman as their Kage, the shinobi of the mist still failed to recognise the true threat before them. Figures. "Ill intent?"
Jugo shook his head. "None."
"We best not lead them on too long. Ready?" she asked, getting a nod.
They stopped in the middle of the road, quickly being surrounded by shinobi. No weapons were drawn, but the intent was obvious. Clearly Kiri wasn't ready to let them just walk away. Konan could understand. This little act wouldn't be taken seriously.
"You are to come with us," one of the shinobi said sternly.
Konan bowed slightly. "Of course. Jugo."
Jugo placed a hand on Konan's shoulder. Quicker than any of the shinobi could react, the two blipped out of existence. No puff of smoke, no swirl of any element. The two rogues simply vanished without a trace.
Back at the Mizukage tower, Ao watched on from afar with his Byakugan, a deep frown on his face. Whatever technique they had used to vanish left no chakra or physical signs. That was concerning. "They are gone," he said. He would have preferred if one of them had been captured for further questioning, but it couldn't be helped. There was no point in throwing away lives right now, and if his hunch was correct then that would be all they could do against those two.
Mei scanned over the map Konan had left. She knew Kiri was still recovering, but to have such locations exist within their borders was humiliating. It was a blessing, she supposed, that such information wasn't made public. They would be the laughingstock of the great five village's… again. "Chojuro, I want you to put a team together. Investigate these locations and report back what you find. If what she said is true, then we need to wipe these clean fast and claim anything of use as our own. Ao, take a scout team and recon the border. I want you to see if you can find any signs of where their group are hiding out. We can't have a rogue unit conducting activity right under our noses."
The two men were quick to take off to complete their orders, leaving Mei to her own thoughts. Kirigakure had a real chance to come back from the bloodline purges. Whether it was thanks to these rogues was up for debate. Mei wasn't about to undermine the blood and effort her own supporters had put into regaining control of the village and striving towards a better future. Her shinobi were strong and had a right to be proud of their accomplishments here. The question still remained though; what would they do next? The map and information were a start. But Kiri needed to start making moves towards closing the gap between themselves and the other villages. The sooner the better.
'Now, if only I could find a suitable man, I could start making moves and closing that gap myself.'
A woman could dream.
Naruto stared at the crudely drawn map on the piece of paper in his hand, occasionally glancing up at several of the branching passageways around him. He wasn't lost. He'd just been given a dud map. Yeah, that was it. Not his fault at all. With a deep sigh he pocketed the paper and rested his sword on his shoulder, not caring about the blood dripping from the blade. Stepping over the dismembered body at his feet, he continued on down a random passageway. The place wasn't without an end, so eventually he would explore the entire complex. It was just a matter of time and back tracking. If the trail of dead bodies he was leaving in his wake was any indication, then it wouldn't be a difficult venture. Orochimaru sure knew how to scrape the bottom of the barrel wherever he went.
This base seemed to be hilariously undermanned for its size. What little he had found so far was nothing of importance or value anyway. It was likely this was no more than an out of the way stash spot for Orochimaru's less than successful experiments. An interesting prospect when Naruto considered what he was searching for here. He had his doubts he would turn up any results, but Tayuya and Guren were both convinced this was the best bet in finding what he was after. Jugo, the poor boy, wasn't much for information, but he was always nice to have around.
"God dammit," Naruto cursed, coming up to another dead end and turning back. "I knew I should have dragged one of the girls here with me." He paused and took the crude map out again, trying and failing to figure out the correct direction. "What the fuck is even that? There aren't any bloody stairs here." Oh god. He was starting to sound like Tayuya. Guess that served him right for letting her tag along all this time. It didn't help that she refused to find anywhere to settle down.
Walking down another passageway, he passed a few rooms filled with empty tanks and long since decommissioned computers. Not the best sign, or perhaps it was. Knowing that Orochimaru's reach had been slipping in his final years was always a good thing. The hallway opened up into a large room with the far end wall covered in still lit monitors showing every room and hallway in the facility. Naruto knew he was being watched since entering, but this level of security was impressive for such a rundown place.
"What do you want?"
Naruto turned his attention to the owner of the voice, a young red-haired girl with glasses. She held a kunai in hand, and he noted a decent chakra presence, but overall, she was less than he expected. Beggers can't be choosers. "I'm looking for someone," he said, smiling warmly at the girl. She had no doubt watched him slaughter his way into the base, so there was no point in trying to act scary.
"Who?" the girl asked.
"Karin Uzumaki," he answered, his smiling growing wider as her eyes widened slightly. "Know where she is?"
Karin eyed the man cautiously. "Who wants to know?"
Naruto bowed politely. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said. "Just have some questions for her is all."
"Well, you're too late. She's long gone. Everyone is. There's nothing left here," she said. It wasn't a lie. Save for the handful of super loyal that had already been cut down, everyone else had abandoned ship the moment news of Orochimaru's death had hit the base. Karin had stuck around this long only to wipe the computers and erase any trace of her own existence before following suite. It seemed she wasn't quick enough.
"I'm not here to hurt you, Karin. I promise," Naruto said, his sword sealing itself away into one of the numerous seals that now littered his body. "Orochimaru is gone. I'm sure you've heard by now. His labs and bases around the countries are being raided as we speak. You need somewhere to go."
Karin scowled. "And let me guess, you've got just the place for me? Somewhere safe? Somewhere where I can be of use? Like I haven't heard that before."
"Fair enough," Naruto said. "But I can get you somewhere away from here at least."
"I'm fine on my own."
"You don't have to be…" Naruto stepped suddenly to the side, narrowly avoiding the downward slash of a truly large blade driving itself into the ground where he once stood. Casting a questioning glare at the weapons wielder, he couldn't help but tilt his head curiously. "Zabuza junior?"
Suigetsu spluttered at the comment and quickly hefted his sword back up into a prepared stance. "What the hell, dude? I don't look anything like Zabuza."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy, stroking his chin. "Same teeth though. Kinda creepy." He ducked under another amateurish slash, noting with some disappointment that the boy was not well versed with the weapon at hand. Kind of insulting really. "Look, I don't really have time to entertain you right now. Can you maybe just run away. I promise I won't tell anyone I let you leave."
"Just shut up man. I'm trying to kill you quickly," Suigetsu said, lunging forward and stabbing at Naruto.
Naruto sighed, spinning around the sword and unsealing his own. With a swift strike, he watched his blade pass through the boy's neck effortlessly. Almost too effortlessly. Unphased by the beheading, the boy grinned, and swung his sword around again. Naruto blipped out of existence and appeared back at the rooms entrance unharmed, eyeing the boy carefully and noting there wasn't so much as a mark on his neck. Checking his sword curiously, he tapped the blade to make sure it was still a solid object, just in case.
"Good luck," Suigetsu said, sharp toothed grin wide as could be as his body flickered between a solid and liquid state. "Nothing you've got can harm me. Might as well admit defeat now and save yourself the humiliation." As boastful as he was, Suigetsu was also well aware that the man before him wasn't a pushover. He knew an Uzumaki sword when he saw one, and those things were temperamental at the best of times.
"Huh, that is interesting," Naruto said. "Some sort of water-based body jutsu. Maybe a bloodline. Kiri based, if I had to hazard a guess. But painfully elemental based, which means it has obvious weaknesses." With that said, he channelled chakra into his sword, the blade glowing bright blue and humming with electricity. "Too bad for you, kid."
Suigetsu laughed nervously, internally sweating. Most people were dead before they could even think of using an element against him, or at the very least were outclassed enough that he didn't have to worry much. This was going to suck. "Hey, hey, easy now. No need to make things unfair now, is there?"
Naruto shrugged. "All is fair in love and war."
"Which… which one is this?"
"Love."
Naruto leapt at the boy, piercing through Kubikiri like a hot knife through butter but not yet aiming to kill the boy. He was curious now. Using his own sword to pull the larger blade out of the way, he charged his spare hand with some earth chakra and slammed it into the boy's head, frowning as his fist smashed through more water before the head began to reform. A water chakra infused kick to his middle, same outcome. Blocking a strike, he added some fire chakra to his hand and reach out, only to have the boy backpedal quickly. That was good. The boy's ability followed standard natural law. Maybe he could just evaporate him and leave it at that. No, that would be cruel. But maybe…
"What the hell!" Suigetsi yelled.
Naruto waved him off. "Sorry. Had to check some things. Never seen someone like you before," he said nonchalantly. "My offer still stands, kid. Run away while I let you."
Suigetsu grinned. "No can do, man. See, we can't just let you take Karin after we came all this way for her. And that sword looks quite unique. I promise I'll take good care of it once it's mine," he said.
He felt the presence behind him before he had to ask what the boy meant by 'we'. Turning around, Naruto brought his sword up to deflect the incoming blade, his eyes widening as said blade passed through his own like a ghost and continued straight for his throat. In a blip he was back at the doorway, rubbing his neck with a disgruntled look. That was a little closer than he would have liked. This was not supposed to be as annoying of a trip as it was turning out to be.
"Oh look, you're still alive. How nice. Guess Orochimaru kicked the bucket before he could take what he wanted," Naruto said, blatantly staring the Uchiha in the eyes. "Unless you are Orochimaru?"
Sasuke looked bored as he stared down Naruto. "I killed Orochimaru."
"Uh-huh. Guess that makes sense. Doesn't explain what you're doing getting in my way though," Naruto said, noting with some annoyance that Karin was moving to stand behind Sasuke. Great, the girl knew him. That wouldn't help.
"He's looking for me. Didn't say why," Karin said, taking her place next to Suigetsu behind Sasuke.
"Care to explain?" Sasuke asked.
"Clan related issue. I'm sure you of all people would understand that."
Sasuke huffed and turned a curious look towards Karin. "Uzumaki," he mumbled in understanding, his attention returning to Naruto. "She's mine."
Naruto smiled even as his eyes shifted to red. "You sure about that?" he asked. He didn't need the Kyuubi's chakra for any of this, but the intimidation factor helped more than he cared to admit. Sasuke's eyes morphed into his fully matured Sharingan; a smirk plastered on his face. He was confident. Cockily so. He charged, Suigetsu close behind him. Within moments the three were locked in combat. Sasuke trying to kill Naruto, Suigetsu trying his best to offer support while attempting the same, and Naruto clearly not taking the fight as seriously as the two boys wanted him to. It was obvious the two didn't have a lot of experience fighting together, but they made up for it by having a good synergy going. With time they would be a force to be reckoned with, but for now, they were sloppy and too focused on one target.
"Water bullet!"
Naruto swatted Suigetsu's jutsu aside like a plaything, lashing at Sasuke with his sword and smiling as the Uchiha blocked with his own. So, the blade was only intangible on command. That was fancy. Pushing the boy back, he placed his free hand on the ground. "Earth spear." The ground erupted into a large spear of stone aimed at Sasuke, only to stop short as Suigetsu cut it in half and raced through more hand seals. "Hidden mist jutsu." Naruto frowned as the room filled with mist. Not seeing in a fight wasn't as much of a problem, but not being able to keep track of Karin was. He didn't want to accidentally get her involved. Bringing his sword up, he blocked an incoming strike from Suigetsu, catching the boy off guard with his lazy defence. Bring up his leg, he kicked forward, stopping Sasuke's attempted upward stab short by mere inches as his foot caught his arm.
Sasuke smirked. "That was the correct block," he said smugly, the three tamoe of his Sharingan spinning wildly as he locked eyes with Naruto.
Blinking curiously, Naruto looked around to find himself standing in his own mindscape, Sasuke standing before him. That was not good. "This is… unexpected. Want to explain what you were planning to do here?" he asked. If he could help it, he would be making this interaction as short as possible. Glancing back at the gates behind him he frowned. The Kyuubi didn't like being disturbed for no reason.
Sasuke looked past Naruto and towards the gates behind him. Colossal bars sanctioning off an entire part of Naruto's mind. Or rather, they once had. Now, they sat there, open, bars bent and twisted, two halves of a torn binding seal left on either side. What was going on in this guy's head? He didn't need to wait long to get his answer, the water at their feet swirled and shifted in response to something large moving. From the darkness a strange red glow began to emanate, flowing out into the room, crawling across the walls and ceiling and tainting the water. Tendrils of red chakra curled up from the ground as two massive red eyes opened and locked onto Sasuke. So, this was the Kyuubi? It was so much more than Sasuke could ever have imagined. The oppressive presence alone was almost forcing him out of Naruto's mind on instinct. To think that something's mere existence could fight so steadily against the prodigious Sharingan.
"Orochimaru often talked about how invaluable you would be to him," Sasuke said, doing his best to sound unaffected by the chakra that was now wrapping so hungrily around his legs. "I didn't understand. But now, I can see why the Kyuubi is so desired." His Sharingan eyes hardened. "This power would serve me well."
Naruto sighed deeply. Another crazed power-hungry idiot pining for the stupid fox was the last thing he needed right now.
"Worthless little Uchiha," the Kyuubi growled, eyes full of more hatred than any human could muster. "Get. Out."
Naruto's eyes snapped back into focus as he was forced out of his mind. Almost no time had passed on the outside as the three were still locked in their previous position. With a kick he pushed off Sasuke and launched himself back, going through a short set of one-handed seals. "Hurricane wall." The air around him swirled to life, whirling around and pushing everything away. The mist dissipated, and with one large pulse Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin were all thrown back into the surrounding walls by the wind.
"Chidori." Sasuke shot out a long blade of lighting from the tip of his sword aimed at Naruto.
Naruto threw a kunai, imbedding it in the wall next to the Uchiha before he flashed away just in time to avoid the lighting blade. Reappearing next to Sasuke, he punched the boy in his stomach, slamming him back into the wall once again, the wall cracking from the force, and knocking the wind out of him. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, he threw Sasuke into an already charging Suigetsu, sending the two of them tumbling to the floor as Suigetsu tried and failed to catch Sasuke. With a glance, Naruto made sure Karin was okay. Seeing she was back on her feet, kunai still in hand but making no move against him, he returned his focus to the boys getting back up. This room, while large, was not somewhere any one of them had a clear advantage.
The two charged again, Naruto rushing to meet them. Between blocking the sheer size and weight of kubikiri and dodging Sasuke's weird intangible sword, Naruto could easily say this was the strangest fight he had had in a while. Sadly, for the boys at least, he wasn't joking about not wanting to entertain anyone right now. Dodging Sasuke once more, Naruto sealed his sword away, a small rasengan swirling to life in his hand as he spun and caught Suigetsu off guard. Bringing the ball of chakra down onto the flat of the enormous blade, Naruto couldn't help but smile at the horrified expression on Suigetsu's face as the jutsu drilled a hole straight through the steel, following through and digging deep into his chest. The water boy's body was obliterated, showering the room with water and leaving Naruto with the giant sword.
Catching Sasuke's sword mid swing with his bare free hand, thankful that the intangibility wasn't effective against bare flesh, he kicked the Uchiha in the stomach and launched him away. Taking a quick moment to himself, Naruto pulled his arm free of Kubikiri, taking note of the now pooling puddles of water scattered across the floor. The water boy would reform quickly, and he didn't need to antagonise Sasuke enough to force anyone to start throwing larger jutsu around in a confined space, not with Karin there. Eyeing the girl carefully, he watched as she rushed to Sasuke's side. Naruto shook his head. She was a lost cause for the moment. Pummelling two people she clearly knew wasn't going to help anyone, but at least now he knew that she was alive. If she stuck with the Uchiha she might stay that way, hopefully. Dropping the sword, he pulled a three-pronged kunai from his pouch and tossed it at Karin's feet.
"In case you change your mind. Or if you just have any questions," Naruto said, watching Sasuke go through several hand seals.
"Fireball jutsu!"
"See ya," Naruto said, blipping out of the way of the fire. Reappearing back at the entrance of the entire complex, he rolled his eyes as he felt the rumble of Sasuke's jutsu shake the ground. That was overkill. It would be dumb luck if the room they were in didn't just cave in on the group.
Turning on his heels, Naruto sauntered away. Today's little excursion would be labelled a partial success, nevertheless it was still disappointing. He had been hoping that finding another living Uzumaki would be a little more… exciting. Reaching out with his senses, he felt for the signal of the kunai he had left with Karin, smiling as he felt it on the move. Good, so she had taken it. That was enough for now. In time she would get curious, as all Uzumaki did from what he understood, and she would reach out. He just hoped she stayed alive long enough to do so. Sasuke was still no doubt hell bent on hunting down Itachi, so there was always a chance things could get messy. Naruto would burn that bridge when he got to it. For now, he needed to go home, check in on Tayuya and Konan, maybe get some food on the way. If he was lucky, he could beat everyone back and have food waiting for them.
"I hope everyone else's day went better than mine," he mumbled to himself, focusing for a moment before vanishing in a bright flash of yellow.
Tayuya let out a breath of relief as she finally reached the hidden passageway. As she placed her hand on the ground and flared her chakra, she had to shake her head as she wondered just how some of these hidden bases stayed hidden in the first place. At least this one was out of the way, and small. Taking a step back, she watched as a portion of the ground lifted, revealing a set of stairs that disappeared underground. While initially she had felt a bit strange about the idea of using one of Orochimaru's old bases as a temporary home, she'd come to get used to it. The secrecy and security of it did put her mind at ease some. If only she could get over the slimy feeling she got every time she walked through the hallways. Speaking of which, she failed to hold back a small shudder as she and Guren made their way into the hideaway. Fuck this place.
"You can go and do whatever," Tayuya said to Guren, waving the woman away dismissively. "I'll let shithead know what happened."
Guren bowed politely to the girl but didn't attempt to hide a knowing smirk on her face. "Of course. I'll leave you to your… alone time."
Tayuya scowled and flipped her finger up at the retreating woman. "Oh, fuck you," she said. "Just because I'm not allowed to kill you yet doesn't mean you can just say whatever you like, bitch." Guren was getting too cheeky for her own good.
With a huff Tayuya set a course for a room down the end of a corridor. None of them had dared to take up residence in what was clearly either Orochimaru or Kabuto's intended room whenever they visited. In fact, that section of the base had been collapsed shortly after they settled here. The question of whether one of those two would ever show up always hung over the groups head, at least until recently. With the snake fucker dead now, they could theoretically crash here for as long as they wanted. Tayuya would bitch and complain about it, sure, but she wouldn't argue if that was the choice made. These past few years had been some of the safest she had ever had, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to put an end to that yet.
Barging through the door, Tayuya wasted no time in unclipping the large sleeve from her shirt and letting it drop to the floor, her puppet arm now on full display. This one was modelled after a device some low rank nobody in Otogakure had once. It was a large hollow gauntlet, with a myriad of passageways and openings for air to pass through. In some ways it worked better than her flute ever did, as she was now able to not only perform silent genjutsu by producing sound that the human ear couldn't perceive, but also harness and weaponize pure soundwaves for physical damage. Outside of that, it was equipped with the standard poison senbon shooter that all Suna puppetry seemed to be oh so focused on. It was also covered in seals, inscribed directly into the wood to provide extra storage, enhanced chakra manipulating properties, and harden the material to that far beyond the wood it was constructed from.
With the right application of chakra and a twist, the puppet arm unlocked itself from her stump and joined the sleeve on the floor. Tayuya groaned approvingly as she massaged her neck and shoulder. Lugging that thing around all day took its toll on her shoulder, not that she would compromise. More than ever before she had to always be prepared and ready for anything. No one would ever hold her disability over her. Never.
"Things go well?" Naruto asked from his place, seated on the nearby bed and leaning back against the wall.
"Everything went fine. The base is gone. No trace of anything remotely Uzumaki was left. We were thorough," Tayuya answered, sealing her puppet arm away into a tattoo on her right wrist before another popped into existence. With another click, the new arm, much smaller and ordinary in appearance, was locked into place. "Ohhh, yeah. That feels better," she said, stretching and going through the motions to make sure everything was working properly.
Naruto quirked an eyebrow at her. "But you're still annoyed?"
"Naturally," she said, walking up and climbing onto the bed, straddling Naruto's lap and pouting at him. "Did you have to send me with her?"
"Were you mean to Guren again?" Naruto asked, chuckling a little as the girl's pout got worse. "You should give her a chance, Tayuya. She deserves that much, don't you think? You didn't have a problem with Jugo."
Tayuya didn't relent on the pout, gently brushing some of his fringe out of his face. He needed a haircut, although she wasn't going to complain about the now natural blonde hair he was sporting. She still wasn't sure why he had stopped dying it red, not that she minded. Tayuya was much happier being the only redhead of the group. Jugo didn't count because orange was its own thing. "I'm mean to everyone. She just deserves it more," she said. "And Jugo doesn't count. He never actively served the snake fucker, so I can forgive him."
"You aren't mean to me," Naruto said with a wink, receiving a soft jab to his ribs. "Hey, easy. Those puppet fingers hurt."
"I can easily go back to being mean to you, shithead."
"Please no. I'm not sure I could put up with the way you used to be," he said. "But please, at least try with Guren, for me. She hasn't given us any reason to doubt her."
Tayuya grumbled. "Fine. I will try to be nicer to her," she said, leaning in and softly planting her lips on his before backing away with a smirk. "But you will owe me for it." It had taken them a long time, with many months spent focusing on just getting comfortable with the idea, but Tayuya was finally happy to say she had something with Naruto that she didn't realise she needed or wanted. Now that she had it though, she wasn't about to lose it. Neither would admit to being the one to instigate, and they still hadn't given whatever this was a title or anything. Tayuya didn't mind. She was content with things continuing however they were, and she had no reason to think Naruto thought any different.
Naruto mirrored her smirk. "I think I can afford to pay you," he said.
"How did your mission go?" Tayuya asked, idly playing with his hair. "Find Karin?"
"Yeah, I found her," Naruto said, shaking his head at Tayuya's curious glance. "No, she isn't here. Sasuke was there too. She is with him now. I did manage to pass off a hiraishin kunai to her, so that's something I guess." With any luck, Karin would use the kunai for its intended purpose. God help them if she tried to summon him as a trap for Sasuke.
Tayuya sighed. "Stupid cow. I should have killed that little shit of an Uchiha back when I had the chance," she muttered. "Hang on. Why is he still alive? You could have killed him. What the fuck?"
"I can't just go around killing people, Tayuya," he said. "We are supposed to be laying low, remember?"
"And what about all the bases we've been clearing? We've killed heaps of people."
Naruto chuckled. "Okay, fair point. We just can't go killing anyone important then. We don't need any more attention on us than absolutely necessary," he said, smirking as she frowned at him. "You're welcome to set out on your own if you want. I won't- ow!"
Tayuya pulled on the fistful of hair she had in hand and smiled at him. "Not getting rid of me that easy. Besides, isn't it nearly time for all the laying low shit to wrap up? Its not like we're waiting for anything anymore. Snake fucker is dead, Konan has been back to full health for ages, and I'm more than good enough with my puppet arms. So, what's really going on in the stupid head of yours? Not chickening out, are you?"
"No, no. I just…" Naruto paused to wrap his arms around Tayuya's middle and pull her a little closer. "I have more things to consider now is all. Don't want to go rushing into any mess without thinking it over first, ya know?"
"Don't make this gross. You know that mushy shit doesn't work on me," Tayuya said, not attempting to stop his actions nor hide the light blush on her face. She hated when he got all caring and considerate, or rather, she had to keep up the façade of hating it. Couldn't let the idiot know that it worked too well; he would lord it over her forever.
"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Konan asked from the doorway, observing the two with an unreadable expression. "I can come back later if you two are… busy."
Naruto turned a questioning look towards Tayuya, who had the decency to blush a little harder at their situation. While her and Naruto's 'thing' was certainly no secret amongst the group, that didn't mean she was okay with being walked in on in any capacity. At least Jugo had the manners to knock before interrupting. With a groan she got off Naruto and sent a half-hearted glare at Konan. "I'm going for a shower. You two can talk all you want until I get back," she said, pointing a finger at Naruto as she walked out. "You can pay me later."
Konan couldn't help but smile ever so slightly at the girl's antics. Tayuya's attitude, although very much improved over the years, had grown on the older woman. It helped that Konan fully supported her and Naruto's relationship, even if the girl would never call it that. Poor thing was still so fragile in some ways. "I apologise. It was not my intention to upset her," Konan said, bowing slightly towards Naruto as he stood up.
Naruto waved her off. "Nah, she was pissy before you got back. My fault. Should have known better than to team those two up for a mission to one of Orochimaru's bases," he said, shrugging as there was nothing he could do about it now. He'd just have to make it up to her later, which he was sure was her plan all along anyway. "So, Kiri. Any luck?"
"Yes," Konan answered. "The new Mizukage is indeed a reasonable woman. Actions were taken in an attempt to impede our leaving the village, no doubt to question us, but that is to be expected. She showed promise. I believe we will not have to worry about the rest of the locations within these lands. Kirigakure will not turn down the opportunity, and they may yet return to their former glory."
"Awesome," Naruto said with a grin. That was one pain in the ass out of the way. Now he just needed to figure out what to do with the other villages. Suna was sorted, Temari had made sure of that. The other three though, he'd have to check in and gauge it out personally. "And Danzo's men?"
Konan's eyes hardened for a moment. "All taken care of," she said. "Took me longer than I would have liked. Thank you for lending Jugo in that endeavour. His sensory abilities were beyond useful, and he is surprisingly good company on his own."
"Where is Jugo?" Naruto asked.
"He went to eat and continue his training. But I can get him if you need to speak to him."
"No, it's fine. I restocked the food, so eat up while you can," Naruto said. "We should probably start packing our stuff. Now that we've come out to Kiri, it will only be a matter of time before they start combing their lands. That byakugan guy will find this place easily enough."
Konan nodded. "Where will we go from here?" she asked. She wasn't going to complain about a change of scenery. The land of water had been a nice place to settle for a while, but they all knew it would come to an end eventually. Admittedly, Konan had assumed this laying low period to have only lasted a few months, not a few years, but again, she wasn't going to complain. The time had given her much to think about, as well as train and improve her skills in preparation for her own intentions. She was not so arrogant as to think she could easily take out all of Danzo's operations as she once was.
Naruto shrugged. "Not sure," he said. "We might keep away from Suna for the moment. Temari finally has that place locked down. I'd hate to undo all her progress just to say hey. Hmm, I still don't want to go near Konoha. Where's the next place you need to go to? You know, for the root stuff."
"Konoha would obviously be the best place to do my work," Konan said, sighing slightly as she realised with some level of frustration that she wasn't ready to part ways with the group. "However, the land of lighting would be the next place to best destabilise his efforts. I am still unsure of what his organisation is attempting out there."
"Huh, that stupid old prick is keeping an eye on Kumo no doubt. Bet he wants to snatch another jinchuuriki if the opportunity arises. Maybe start a war if he needs one. The Raikage must be itching to lash out at someone by now," Naruto said, giving Konan a thoughtful look. "Would you be willing to go on ahead and find somewhere for us to set up?"
"Of course."
"Great. I have an idea for Guren, but the rest of us shouldn't be far behind you."
Konan pursed her lips. "And what of Akatsuki?" she asked. "It is time that they will be becoming active in their hunt for the bijuu again. Are you sure it is wise to start moving around now?"
Naruto frowned. The Akatsuki were going to be a problem no matter where they went or what they did. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was going to have to figure out what to do with the group, but for now it would have to wait. There were other things that needed to be resolved in the meantime, and he was the only one being hunted. The others could still easily go about their business without worry as long as he kept his distance when needed. "There will never be a good time to move about with them still active. Best we can do is try and stay ahead of them. If we stay in one place too long and they converge on us I can't guarantee that we will be able to come out on top. Nagato aside, the other members are all way too good at what they do."
"Very well. I shall pack and leave tomorrow," Konan said. "Is there anything else you require of me?" She did have to admit to herself that it was strange to be answering to someone so young, but she had grown fond of the little group they had going, and the Uzumaki had proven himself deceptively capable when the need arose.
"No. Maybe take Tayuya with you. See the sights. Maybe check out Kumo while you're there and see what's happening," he said. "Might be wise to stay on their good side for the moment in case anything unfortunate happens."
Konan nodded and went to leave. She could appreciate Naruto's desire to tread carefully, but part of her was still conflicted about Nagato and Akatsuki. Many of its members she did not care for in the slightest. They were a means to an end for the organisation she had helped create. But Nagato… she wasn't sure on what she thought about her friend anymore. There was no telling how far gone he truly was, how deep the control and corruption of the Sharingan had run through his mind. Deep down, Konan hoped that her friend was redeemable, saveable. If it were up to her they would be amassing numbers to march on the Akatsuki to catch them off guard, though she knew that was just the rage talking. A part of her would never be able to let go of the resentment she bore for Madara and what he had done. In the end, Konan found that it was better to let calmer minds prevail for the moment. When the time was right, she knew she could count on Naruto to make the right decisions regarding Nagato and Madara. It was all just a matter of time.
Back in the room, Naruto could only stew in silence as he was left to his own thoughts. The past few years had been… enjoyable, if he had to describe it. Laying low had been a good choice. Getting some numbers, no matter how small they may have been, was a good decision. Training Tayuya and everyone else to be on equal footing was a no brainer. Now, however, there weren't many good choices left for them to take. Save for running for the hills and burrowing away in one of the much further outskirt lands, there was no choice that could ensure their actual safety. They were all shinobi, except for Jugo technically, so Naruto supposed being in danger was a natural state of life for them all at this point, but it was still frustrating. Nothing they did, and nowhere they went, was going to be safe from here on. That only left a single burning question in his mind.
Was he going to sit and wait for the world to come looking for him, or was he ready take the fight to the world first?
If he was being honest… he had no idea.
A/N:
Well, crap. An update that didn't take me a year to post. Who would have guessed. No, in all seriousness, I cannot apologise enough for my hiatus on this story. I still can't believe how many of you turned up for the previous chapter. I'm honoured to have such loyal fans.
So, some stuff happening here. The group is on the move, Kiri is stabilized, Naruto and Tayuya are... something. Time skip is over, and this time it was closer to 3/4 years than whatever it was supposed to be in canon. This is honestly where I should have started the story years ago, but on the bright side I like to think my writing skills have improved greatly since starting this fic, so that should mean I can do the following chapters some justice, I hope.
Hope this chapter was good for you all. And yes, I still suck at writing fight scenes, but I won't improve if I don't keep trying so you'll have to suffer occasionally I'm afraid.
Not too far off 500 reviews, and that is just... wow. If we hit that milestone I will eat a shoe, I swear. So, keep 'em coming, I love it more than you could know.
Till next time guys.
Soul out.