Chapter Twenty-Three - The Chunin Exams End
"Welcome back, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen greeted the young boy as the blonde entered the office with his escort teams and some extras. "Who is this that you've brought with you?"
"Don't you remember your own shinobi," Naruto tilted his head and turned to look at his and Asuma's team. "We haven't been gone for that long, Hokage-jiji, how could you forget us so easily."
"I meant your new friends, Naruto-kun," the old leader chuckled and indicated to the unique individuals.
"I can explain that later after the debrief as it is a private matter," Naruto shrugged as he spoke. "But I guess you'll want a debrief from Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-san?"
Hiruzen thought for a bit but considering he got most of the events from Naruto's clone and letter, he shook his head. "That will not be needed. You all are dismissed."
It took a bit for the groups to leave as they gave their farewells or grumbled about being dismissed so early. Naruto just watched with a smile on his face until they all left. "Hokage-jiji, meet Yoruichi-chan, Kenpachi-san, Yachiru-chan, Renji-san, Ichigo-san, Scarlet-chan, and Natsu-san. Everyone, meet Hiruzen-jiji."
"Hello," everyone greeted the Hokage with a bow.
"Greetings. Naruto, why are they here?"
"Orochimaru plans on attacking the village again, as you know, and I wanted to give that bastard a bit of payback for the second exam. I brought everyone here to help in defending against the attack as they are strong and can help a lot."
Naruto didn't say it outright, but he is afraid that Hiruzen will die in a fight against the Snake Sannin. While the old man is strong even as he gains in years, his former student has made sure to switch to younger bodies to keep his youth. The physical differences may be too great and the old man could lose his life.
"There's something you're not telling me, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen said softly and with a small smile. "I will treat your people as honorary guests during their stay here and three of them may sit with me and the Kazekage tomorrow. I won't ask your real reasons for having them here as I trust you."
Naruto smiled at the old Kage and nodded his head. "I appreciate it, Oji-chan."
Hiruzen nodded his head and waved his hand. "Now go get some rest before tomorrow. These exams will be a tough one, I can feel it."
Elsewhere
"What do we do now?"
Aizen looked up at Gin as he walked into his study. Their Prince had just left with his foreign escorts to that accursed village to participate in the ridiculous exams. While he would have rather his leader choose to stay in the village instead and gain strength through the countless millennia of knowledge gathered by a superior people, he will not outright speak against his Prince. It is a tough line he and his Division walks, making sure nothing threatens their Prince and his nation but also making sure nothing sets their leader astray.
"Let Orochimaru attempt his poorly executed invasion," Aizen answered softly. "He poses no threat to our Prince and I am sure Kenpachi will do his duties even while away from the Division."
"And the village?"
Aizen paused and his face did not show any expression but Gin can see the emotions simmering in the Captain's eyes at his question. The man hates that his Prince is attached to that village and chooses to go there. He had hoped to lend a bit more aid to the Snake so the invasion can do more than just weaken Konoha. It's not like he wouldn't kill the man and end that flimsy technique that grants him his so-called immortality.
"We can hope that the snake can actually do something to that village," Aizen sighed and continued writing in the book. "If not, there are plenty more opportunities to get Naruto-sama back to Uzushio."
Eventually, he will see Konoha for the corrupt and evil institution that it truly is. He will come back and lead their village onwards to greater heights. They will regain their superior position over the greedy world.
The Next Day
"Ah, Lord Kazekage," Hiruzen greeted as he noticed the new arrival. "You must be tired from the travel here."
Just as Hiruzen suspected, the man before him isn't the Kazekage, Rasa, but rather Orochimaru in disguise. The two Suna guards seem to be either unaware, or very good at hiding it.
"Not at all," the Kazekage responded as he moved to sit in the middle right chair.
There are four chairs in total. The farthest left is occupied by an unknown woman while the one to her right is where Hiruzen sat. The last two are clearly for the Kazekage and one other.
"I am actually very glad that the arena is held here in Konohagakure. It would be a tough journey through Wind despite how young you are."
Hiruzen began laughing at the obvious jab from his former student at his age. "Do not worry about me, Lord Kazekage, I still plan to be the Hokage for a few more years!"
A lie, but one he had no intention of revealing in present company. He planned to retire after all of this was said and done, he just needed to tie up this last loose end. Perhaps he will retire to Naruto's home and get away from the chatter of Konoha.
"Oh, let me introduce you to my guest," Hiruzen smirked inside as he waved his hand over to Yoruichi. "This is Lady Shihoin, she has come at my behest to watch the Final Exams."
Kazekage glanced over at the woman and he knew then that she and her guards would be dangerous. He cleared his throat before motioning lazily with his hand. "Should we start the finals?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "No, no, there is still ten minutes and we are waiting for one more guest."
Loud steps could be heard approaching and everyone turned to see who was approaching.
"Raikage-sama, please calm down," a dark-skinned woman with white hair tried saying as she rushed after the larger man.
"I told you I could have made the travel normally, but instead you said I had to use that ridiculous palanquin." The man was loud and upset. "We arrived after the Suna delegates and almost missed the start of the exam."
"Appearances are important, A-sama," a white-haired dark-skinned man replied in defence.
Hiruzen smiled and greeted the newcomer group. "Raikage-sama, it is good to see you made it. I can see it was an eventful trip."
"Hmph," A sat down in the last chair beside the Kazekage. "Would've been here by last night if we didn't have to take that ridiculous wooden box."
Hiruzen chuckled and nodded in sympathy. "I'm glad my late successor destroyed ours when he took the position. He didn't like being paraded around."
"The Flash was a unique individual," A muttered at the mention of the Yondaime Hokage before glancing at the only individualwho was not a Kage. "Who is the fourth guest? I thought this was for the leaders of those that made it to the finals?"
Hiruzen glanced at Yoruichi and waved his hand. "She is a guest brought over to watch one of our participants for personal reasons. I decided to let her come as my guest. Lady Shihoin, this is Lord Raikage."
"Greetings," Yoruichi gave a smile at the man. "I gotta say, I hope those muscles aren't just for show, Lord Raikage."
Hiruzen clapped his hands to stop any further talking as he got out of his chair and approached the railing. "We should start the exams."
The audience calmed down quite a bit from their conversations as the Hokage stood up to make his announcement.
"Greetings, everyone, thank you for attending the Konohagakure Chunin Exams. We will begin the final rounds for the eight ninjas that have made it through the Preliminaries. Please, give your attention to each of them as they have shown great courage and skill to make it this far."
The crowd applauded at this, excitement clearly in the air. As Naruto looked around, he couldn't help but frown knowing that a third of those here are enemies and that the rest will be caught in the crossfire. He could only hope that Kumogakure doesn't take this as a chance to attack the village as well.
"I hope you are all ready," Hayate said after Hiruzen's announcement. "The first match will be between Rock Lee and Samui of Kumogakure. The rest of you will be waiting in the participants' box until it is your turn. Remember, no killing."
This was said with a look at the four Jinchuuriki, his eyes lingering on Gaara as he felt his side flare in pain. He barely survived that night, ruining his date night as well. He hoped Naruto would give the boy a good beating for that.
"You all are dismissed."
Naruto sighed with a smile and looked at Lee. "Good luck, Lee, Samui. Do your best."
Samui showed no visible reaction but Lee gave a bright smile and two thumbs up. "That is nice of you, Naruto-kun!"
The boy then turned on Samui and seemed to exude a strong reality-warping genjutsu that made the sun brighten, birds sing and a rainbow appear. "Yosh, I hope you bask in the rays of youth with me, Samui-san!"
The girl was taken aback by the enthusiasm and weird technique that caused her to feel disgusted. "Tch, let's just get this over with."
Lee nodded his head and got into his taijutsu stance, now taking the moment seriously.
"Are we ready," Hayate asked finally as he looked away to avoid that kinjutsu. "Good, start."
Samui dodged to the right as soon as the boy disappeared forward to strike her, exploding the air outward with his fist alone. She flared her chakra and her body slowly became enclosed under a blue chakra cloak. Static arced around her and she began moving around Lee's attacks faster, her blue eyes glowing in sudden power.
"Yosh!" Lee stopped attacking to get a good look at the girl's new appearance. "So strong! I shall meet your youth with mine!"
Lee moved to take off his leg warmers but he was launched backwards from an attack by Samui.
"Why would I let you get stronger and make my fight harder," the young woman asked as she flashed forward again, delivering a strong jab to the boy's chest.
"Gah!" Lee shouted as he was sent soaring back and tumbled through the ground. He gasped in pain. "T-that is not… youthful, Samui-san!"
"Tch," the blonde woman frowned and dashed forward to deliver another punch as soon as the boy stood up. "It is not my fault you didn't take the fight seriously. You won't make the same mistake twice, now."
Lee sluggishly moved to the side to dodge the first punch, but a knee dig into his side nearly immediately. A second punch was delivered to his face and another to his gut. He was too tired now, he wouldn't be able to defeat her without unlocking the Eight Gates but that move was forbidden by his sensei!
Crackle! Snap!
Lee heard the sound of lightning and he opened his eyes to see lightning chakra course in larger amounts over Samui's body. She seemed to be trying to finish this quickly and was preparing a final attack.
"Lightning Style: Final Strike!"
He didn't see her dash forward, the only thing he knew was that he was facing her and preparing for the attack then he was flying forward through the air. He landed on the ground face first, unable to feel his legs and a cold chill clinging to his spine.
"This fight is over," Hayate announced as he approached the boy and looked him over. "Medics!"
Naruto had watched the attack. Samui used the enhanced speed that was given in combination between the Lightning Style and the Lightning Chakra Cloak to get behind Lee and deliver a vicious blow to his spine. If his assumption is right, the other boy won't be able to walk anymore. Anything short of a medical expert and a lot of physical therapy will see him recovering and with Tsunade absent, there is no one in Konoha to perform the procedure.
"The next round will start. Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara of the Desert."
Naruto sighed and got to his feet from his seat, gave Hinata a kiss, and made his way to the arena floor. Are you awake yet, old man? It's been a while and I'm missing talking to you.
He waited for a response but after a few moments of nothing, he sighed sadly as he stopped near Hayate. He wanted to talk to the old fox again, to know he was alright, but he hadn't heard anything in a long time. He hoped he didn't do anything wrong.
"Remember the rules," Hayate stated with a glance between the two Jinchuuriki. "Start."
Gaara's sand burst from his gourd and covered the field, surrounding both boys in a never-ending swirl. "Mother demands your blood."
"Your mother is a gender-confused tanuki Biju," Naruto spoke monotonously with very little care for the encroaching sand. "I don't know if you're gullible or stupid, but your Biju has you wrapped around his finger."
Gaara growled and raised his hand in a grip-like position. His sand answered the call and began surrounding the blonde. "You will die!"
Gaara squeezed his hand and there was a shriek from the stands, coming from Ino as she had seen what happened in this technique. She and the rest of her team were there when he killed the Amegakure team in the Forest of Death. It still horrified her and the trauma is coming back from the familiar technique.
But no blood burst from the sand like that time. If anything, the sand trembled as if struggling against an unseen force.
"No."
A loud, muffled voice spoke throughout the arena and the sky began to darken. Dark clouds gathered and began blocking the sun while a deep rumble began shaking the ground of the arena.
"I will not die to a child Jinchuuriki like you."
The sand now burst outward as a tempestuous storm arced and discharged around the blonde in a brilliant show of electricity. The sky also rumbled and a lightning bolt struck the ground to the right of the boys, charging the air with electricity.
"I am Uzumaki," Naruto's voice is now warbled and unnatural due to the power of his technique coursing through him. "I am the Prince, and I am the Jinchuuriki of the Ninth. You are below me. You are not even worth the dirt from my sandals."
He raised a hand and sliced it to the side, causing an arc of lightning to burst forward and smack against the redhead's autonomous sand defense. The sand bursts from the impact and the boy himself was sent flying backwards.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto swiped his hand to the side and sent the boy flying again, "and you are nothing."
He raised his hand, creating a wall of storms to block a sand attack that looked to stab him. "You are an infant throwing a tantrum to get their parent's attention."
He raised his hand and slammed it down, narrowly missing the redhead with a bolt of lightning from the clouds. "You talk of your mother demanding my blood but you do not notice that it is I who will draw it."
He raised his hands to his chest in a circle and began gathering multiple masses of marble-sized swirling orbs. They shined and crackled in power, but the technique is familiar to many of the older audience members, especially those who had faced or witnessed the technique. For some, like the Raikage and Samui's sensei, it is a blast to the past when they fought in a bloody war.
Against a man who matched their speed and fought with a tenacity that they begrudgingly respected. A man whose son now continued a legacy of universal proportions.
Jiraiya balked as he recognized the Rasengan, but this is completely different from what Minato developed. Not only is it complete with an element, but it has as much chakra as the original put into such a tiny size that it would be devastating to release a full one in such a populated area!
"Witness a perfected Jutsu. Lightning Style: Baby Rasenringu!"
Naruto threw the orb like a baseball, sending it hurtling for the feet of his opponent. A flash of light enveloped the arena, and there was a gust of wind blowing against the audience but that stopped and rapidly the air was sucked into the blast.
Ka-boooooom!
Rock and stone launched up into the air from the devastating explosion that rocked the arena. The sand is blown around and mixed in with the tempest still being charged by Naruto's technique. The air is discharging electricity everywhere in the area and a swirl of sand, lightning and raw chakra is building into the stands themself. The power of the attack shocked everyone from civilians to experienced shinobi and even to the Kage box.
"H-how is this kind of power…in a Genin's hands?!" The Kazekage threw his hands up, forgetting the signal to start the invasion in favour of covering his face from the raging power.
Hiruzen chuckled at the man's expense even as he hid behind his own hands and robe. "That is the power of the new Uzumaki Prince, Lord Kazekage. No one, Uchiha or Senju or otherwise, can match this!"
The Raikage had not done anything to protect himself, even as his guards did, and he looked out into the arena with a wondering gaze. He had not believed his adoptive brother when he recounted the last Uzumaki's power and control. He has not witnessed the power of Uzumaki seals just yet, but even without it, this is more than most Jonin could accomplish.
Yoruichi was laughing as she shielded her eyes, sitting forward in her chair to keep watching her lover fight. "Do you see this, Kenpachi?! Tell me you see this!"
Zaraki was laughing joyously as he stood his ground against the raging winds and whipping power, holding one hand onto Yachiru to make sure she didn't go flying away. "I don't just see it, Shihoin, I feel it! The power of Prince-sama! Truly magnificent!"
The Kazekage swallowed harshly at the shouts of the foreign delegates that he is now realizing are from Uzushiogakure. Aizen, you bastard! You couldn't tell me of this?! Now I will have to wait until the end and hope the foreign Jinchuuriki will tire themselves out! If I get out of this alive, I will be coming for you!
Back in the arena, Hayate was in the thick of the attack and he barely had time to erect a stone wall to protect himself and even then it was crumbling from the immense power. What is this kid?! The next coming of the Sage?!
As the winds began to die down and the tempest slowed its raging storms, the dust began to settle and everyone sat forward to see the outcome. Slowly, more and more of the red-haired boy can be seen and he is on his hands and knees in pain.
Gaara has wide eyes as he stares at the ground, his arms and legs cracking as his sand armour is shattering from the blonde's attack. But what had caught his attention was the red liquid gathering under him. Small drops fell and were continuously added to the growing mass.
"W-what is this…?" He shakily dipped his fingers into the red puddle and brought it up to his eyes to inspect. "Blood? But whose…"
He looks down and he is horrified to see the front of his net shirt is torn to pieces and a large wound covering his chest. He began breathing heavily, his eyes widening. "I-it's my blood? I-I'm hurt? I'm bleeding! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
A loud explosion sounded as the redhead began screaming and commanding the sand to gather once more. Seals expanded over the ground quickly, surrounding and covering the boy as his body began changing before a blood-curdling scream sounded throughout the arena. A pulsing red and black light came from the seals as they shrunk and sucked into the redhead his cries turned to painful sobs.
"Don't even try releasing your Biju," Naruto announced as he gained everyone's attention once more.
The tempest began dying down as Gaara shook uncontrollably in the pile of sand and blood. The lightning began receding and the clouds began clearing up to allow the sun to illuminate the village once more. But everyone was silent as they watched the blonde approach the redhead slowly, almost mockingly.
"You have lost, little brother," Naruto told the redhead softly but in the silence of the arena, everyone could hear him. "You have proven your worth enough, now please rest and think of what you want to prove not for others but for yourself."
Gaara's eyes, which have watched Naruto as he spoke with a small amount of fear, slowly closed and the words and sad expression is the last he sees before drifting off into unconsciousness.
Hayate approached quickly, crouching down to check the boy, and sighed when he still felt a pulse. "Medics! Come!"
Hearing the redhead still live, the audience seems to have been shaken from their stupor and are now cheating so loud that Naruto felt his head dizzying.
"You okay, Uzumaki-san?"
Naruto waved his hand at the proctor's concern before making his way for the stairs to the audience box. "I'm fine, a little disoriented from the noise."
The man nodded his head but watched as the boy walked away until he disappeared. "The next round will start! Yugito Nii and Fu of Takigakure!"
Kage Box
"What type of technique was that," A wondered aloud, looking at Hiruzen. "I've never faced that in the past, is it a newly made lightning technique?"
"That's not from Konoha," Hiruzen shook his head. "We don't have any Lightning Style masters that could develop something like that."
"It's an Uzumaki technique," Yoruichi gave a grin. "A deadly lightning chakra mode that is to increase Lightning Style output exponentially. Raijin Heavenly Form."
"You seem very knowledgeable on the technique, Lady Shihoin," Kazekage stated aloud and glanced at the woman. "How do you know an Uzumaki technique?"
"I've seen it once or twice," the woman answered with a smirk.
"You're pretty young to have seen old Uzumaki techniques," the Kazekage pushed further. "Are you saying you've seen Uzumaki-san learning this technique?"
Yoruichi rested her chin on her fist and leaned her head to stare at the disguised Sannin. "You're pretty interested all of a sudden, Lord Kazekage. Are you trying to ask about a clan's secrets from me?"
"Are you saying you're loyal to a boy," the man shot back.
"Easy, Kazekage-dono," Hiruzen raised his hand at the man. "Don't get too overly excited."
"I too am curious about that question," A grunted and crossed his arms. "Are you loyal to the last Uzumaki, Shihoin-san?"
Yoruichi kept smirking and glanced through the various Kage before nodding her head. "I am. And many others."
"The next round will start! Yugito Nii and Fu of Takigakure!"
The leaders perked up when they heard the announcement for the next round.
"One of yours, Raikage-dono," Hiruzen took this opportunity to turn the conversation away from its previous track with his question. "She was very good in the prelims, I must congratulate you and your village's curriculum for preparing such a great kunoichi."
"Much appreciated, Hokage-dono," A replied with a nod. "Yugito is very skilled for her age. If only she took things seriously."
This time, Hiruzen looked at the dark-skinned man questioningly. "What do you mean? She has shown to take the exams very seriously right now."
The Raikage did not answer, instead focusing on the duo in the arena. The older man sighed and motioned for one of his guards to walk forward. "Make sure Jiraiya is on standby. Naruto, too, while you're at it."
The man nodded and moved to fulfil his tasks.
Meanwhile
Danzo was livid. He hated his old friend for not being strong enough to do what's needed. He hated the clans that sat back as their village got weaker. He hated that damn Uchiha woman for standing in his way of gaining complete power. With her pardon, he can't just hunt and kill her for Shisui's other eye.
But most of all, above all others, he hated that damn Jinchuuriki. Not only is the boy powerful without a leash to keep him in Konoha's control, he is now too far removed to fall into the man's palm. The boy clearly had access to his clan's inheritance, that much was true when he showed one of the items of the Sage. He had single-handedly set back Danzo's progress to become the true Hokage Konoha needed.
Now he has been excommunicated from the village he had desired to protect from all enemies, his home raided by Anbu and his clan accounts seized to pay for the "damage" he caused over the years. He was now hidden in his underground facility near the village that he used to continue his Root operations.
I will make them pay, Danzo thought to himself as he clenched his hand.
"Danzo-sama," a Root agent appeared, bowing before the man. "A small group of individuals are walking in the direction of the facility entrance."
"How many?" Danzo asked.
"Four. Two samurai, two foreigners."
Danzo nodded and waved his hand. "Lead two others; capture or eliminate them."
"Understood," the drone said before disappearing.
Chunin Exam
Fu dodged a feral swipe from the blonde woman and used her partial transformation to fly out of reach. She went through a few hand seals before taking a deep breath. "Water Style: Sticky Sap Technique."
Yugito tried dashing away, nimbly dodging areas of the ground that were covered with sap, making it to the end of the technique without getting stuck. Yugito smirked at the green haired girl. "Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!"
"Sure!" Fu flew forward with a grin. "Come here and give me a peck, pussy cat!"
Yugito jumped away, landing on all fours a few dozen yards away, sending another smirk. "Come on! It's almost as if you don't want to kiss me!"
"Stand still!"
Fu flashed forward, foregoing her flight and instead moving to grapple the blonde Kumo-nin. Yugito batted Fu's hands away, the two kunoichi engaging in an exchange of open-handed strikes and counters, before Fu was able to grab the blonde's wrists. She leaned forward quickly, giving a big slobbery kiss to the other girl's cheek.
"Mwah!" Fu exaggerated the kiss and grinned before flinging herself into the air. "Wind Style: Hurricane Slash!"
Fu channelled chakra to her hands and sent an arcing wind current after her opponent with each hand.
Yugito righted herself midair, going through her own hand seals. "Wind Style: Revolving Winds!"
Yugito's chakra kicked up the wind around her into a sphere that protected her much like the Hyugua's Kaiten. The opposing wind slashes were unable to penetrate the swirling currents and were dispersed in various directions.
The exam regulators erected earth barriers to protect the audience from the off course attacks.
"Lightning Style: Rapid Current!" Yugito clapped her hands together and a large electrical bolt shot in Fu's direction.
Fu dodged to the side and continued forward as the ground around her cracked from the impact of the lightning technique, but just as she was about to move to intercept Yugito's landing, she collapsed as something landed on her.
"Ahahaha!" Yugito laughed as she pinned her fellow Jinchuuriki to the ground. Her face broke out in a large Cheshire Cat grin as she kneaded the girl's back like a feline. "That was fun! But the cat caught her prize!"
Fu huffed as she gave up struggling under the surprisingly heavier and stronger girl. "Damn, almost had you. I yield."
Yugito jumped to her feet off of the girl with a proud grin, her fists on her hips. "That was fun! More fun than the prelims, that's for sure!"
Fu jumped to her feet before closing in and giving a kiss to the girl's nose, getting a surprised yelp. "Let's do this again, Yugi-chan!"
Naruto
Naruto raised his eyebrows at what he had watched. He was not expecting that, if he was honest, but it's better than them trying to kill and maim each other. What's with all Jinchuuriki being unstable? Are we cursed? Or is it our Biju?
I resent being blamed for your problems.
Naruto jumped in his skin but he was able to keep his face and body still so as to not draw attention. Anbu have been slowly gathering along the back walls of the audience boxes and have been keeping an eye on everything. Kurama?! Where have you been, furball!
Asleep. Being thousands of years old and basically immortal makes you take long naps. Kurama grumbled a bit before sighing. Anyway, what did I miss?
What have you missed?!
Naruto was about to continue when he felt a kiss on his cheek. He turned to see Hinata grinning at him. "Huh?"
"I'm next," she grinned.
"Oh!" Naruto chuckled and gave a kiss to her cheek. "Good luck, Hinata-chan!"
The girl smiled proudly and left to make her way to the arena floor. When she was gone, Naruto turned his attention back to the old fox.
First off, you missed me going to Uzushio for a month. An organisation called the "Akatsuki" sent Izumi and Kisame to capture me and unseal you for their own purposes. They were found to be… trustworthy I guess you can say and were allowed to walk free. Izumi-chan was pardoned for her role in killing her clan and Kisame joined the rebels.
Izumi joined the concubines?
Naruto rolled his eyes at the question from the fox. Yes, she did. Isane is pregnant with my firstborn. The fox began cackling at this. Pervert. Anyway, I had Yoruichi, Zaraki and Yachiru play guests so they can protect Hokage-jiji when Orochimaru starts his invasion. I successfully neutralised Gaara during our fight so that is one less problem temporarily handled. Other than that, we are just waiting.
Hmm. I guess I woke up at a good time.
Indeed, fur ball. Naruto chuckled before feeling drowsy suddenly. What?
Meanwhile
"Are we sure this is where we sensed them coming from?"
"Yes, Ichigo, now shut up," Erza told the young adult as she looked around. "We are not in friendly territory so I would rather avoid-"
A few kunai aimed for her bounced off of her magic-enhanced armour.
"-getting spotted," she groaned before turning to see where the attack came from.
Three blank-masked ninja dropped around them with their tantos out. "Surrender your weapons and come peacefully."
"How about no," Renji said before stabbing a metal sealing rod into the ground.
The seals immediately travelled over the ground from the rod to the three Root ninja and their bodies seized up. A red barrier covered their body and started to glow pink.
"What's the rod saying about the entrance," Ichigo asked while eying the closest Root to his right.
"It's going to be thirty yards to the right, the opening seal will be on a small boulder." Renji relayed the information he got from the seal rod. "About fifty Root are in this facility and another hundred staff for the science department. The lead scientist is Tanuki Shigaraki."
"The civilians are not our targets, not even the operatives," Erza told the man as she thought about it. "We will have to fight to get to Danzo, but we should keep the killing to a minimum. If Danzo dies, then there will be no one to control them. That may be beneficial to us."
"How so?" Natsu rubbed his head in confusion.
"Root has loyal shinobi, but I highly doubt that everyone in the organisation is completely without emotion. We could recruit the pieces that are willing, and we can offer what Danzo couldn't."
Natsu nodded his head. "What do we do about these guys?"
Erza glanced over them before waving her hand. "Knock them out. By the time they awake, we will be done with our mission."
Another chapter done! And we broke the 100k word mark just before the invasion! Hope this is a good set up for the next chapter but if I just combined this with the invasion it would be nearly 12k long. Chapter 24 will be released in two days, to give time for this chapter to settle in. I would like to thank again DualEquinox for helping me with these chapters and getting some ideas going.
Maki-K: Naruto's zanpakuto will be revealed in a few chapters. There is a reason he does not use it or show it.
iamshinydragonmist: Without revealing too much I can say that he isn't lying with his talks with Gin.
NinjaFang1331: thank you :)
PraetorXyn: Unohana is my favorite Kenpachi but there is no denying that Zaraki has the most potential.
Unnatural Reader: Thank you very much I'm glad you enjoy it :D
HereForSmutLemon: The invasion is not this chapter but the next :( but I am glad you enjoy the story :D