Chapter Seven
Something big was coming, Obito had concluded. It wasn't just the orders that had been issued, nor the fact that Kushina and the Sannin had all been called up to join in the upcoming battle. There was something in the air had his teeth on edge, a change on the horizon that had little to nothing to do with the promises of rain in the future.
The group was marshalled up to depart and Obito sought out Rin with the medics gathering near Tsunade.
"You good for this?" he asked quietly, gently pulling her aside.
"There's a chronic shortage of medics," Rin answered, giving a slight shrug. "I work well enough as a chakra battery, and I can still patch people up. I can still help."
Obito stared at her for a bit. There was a hardness in the way her jaw set. Determined, but still uneasy.
"Alright," he said, cautiously. He wouldn't call her out on it in the open, and he didn't want to shake her confidence. She'd be around other medics, and with probably the strongest guard in the event they're attacked.
"What about you?" she asked in return. "You're still…"
Obito flashed a smile and gave her a thumbs up. "Of course!" he said. "I'm ready and revving at full throttle!"
Rin laughed into her hand. "That's good to hear. Take care of yourself."
Grinning, Obito jumped back to his team. Anko glanced back and forth between him and Rin as he rejoined the others, before deciding not to get involved, merely shrugging as the command to move out was given.
[NRE]
They moved steadily in a loose formation towards Earth Country. Approximately, the journey was supposed to be something around a week at their pace. In theory, it could have been faster, but not everyone had the stamina to manage a forced march.
Traveling for a couple of days, a certain rhythm coming about. Settling down for any night, the Konoha contingent settled into a string of encampments. Close enough to see, respond, and protect, but not so clustered as to get taken by a single jutsu, if Iwagakure or one of their allies had laid an ambush.
Finding a lull in their daily routine, Obito approached his fellow Chuunin while she was sprawled out in a tree.
"Hey, Anko-san. Can I get your help with something?"
She cracked open an eye. "What's that?"
"I've been practicing with Kamui, but I was wanting to test it under more stressful conditions before we reach Land of Earth."
"You seemed to have it under control before."
"Yeah, but I still can't say I've mastered the technique."
Anko bit the inside of her mouth. "Sensei?"
"Now is as good a time as any," the Snake Sannin answered. "Just keep it to taijutsu."
Hearing this, she nodded. "Alright."
Orochimaru signaled the genin to the treetops, leaving the chūnin on the forest floor.
"What's going to happen is I'm going to attack you," Anko said, rolling her shoulders back. "I will keep coming after you until you get the hang of using your mutant eye. Hitomi, watch him for a chakra reaction."
Without any further warning, the other chūnin launched herself at him. Obito pivoted out of the way, Sharingan spinning up, and readied for her next pass when she rebounded off the tree trunk.
Nothing happened when she kicked at him, missing only because he leaned out of the way.
"Stand still!" Anko barked. "This exercise is pointless otherwise."
Right. Obito dug his heels in and braced for the next round. Focusing on the burning sensation and directing it towards just a part of him, namely his upper half, he took a breath and whispered, "Kamui!"
This time, Anko flew through him, tucking into a roll and flipping out to land on the nearby tree.
"You see that?" Yukio asked.
"Of course I did!" Hitomi hissed.
Behind Orchimaru clapped. "Well done," he said, the satisfied smile never leaving his face until a messenger dropped by. "I've been summoned for a meeting." Anko, I'll leave you in charge."
"You've got it, Sensei!" the chūnin answered, snapping off a salute.
Obito watched Orochimaru disappear, and he looked back to Anko. "Again?" He asked. Seeing her hesitate, he sweetened the pot. "I'll take second watch every night from here until we reach the front."
Anko thought on it, then inclined her head. "Your funeral."
They went on for a few more rounds.
"How do you do it?" Anko asked.
"Do what?" Obito asked back, ducking under a kick.
Rebound off the tree and deliver a doublet of punches. "Doesn't matter which angle I'm hitting you from, but you're able to adjust, sometimes block the incoming strike."
"I…I really hadn't thought about it." He phased through a kick aimed for his ribs and stumbled into a tree.
"Hmph." She aimed a kick at his hindquarters, missing and hitting spot in front of him before he spun around and repositioned. "You're still a little slow on your left side. Again!"
[NRE]
Whether during his watch or when he was otherwise supposed to be sleeping, Obito would be meditating, focusing on the ambient life around him, extending his senses outward.
It had started as something he had been forced to contend with during his testing with the Sharingan, but that breakthrough with Kamui had given him some ideas to begin practicing a little more with his other assets.
His range was decent, about a hundred meters without really trying, but he was faced with an information overload when he stretched out that far. Once he shrank down his field of perception to something more manageable, he could, with some effort, pick out the chakra signatures of his teammates and some of the other sentries nearby, including Rei, his partner for second watch. Related note, it was fascinating trying to weed out which bugs were native and which ones were let off by an Aburame, even if he was still kind of pants at it.
Satisfied that no attack was imminent and confident that Rei could cover his blind spots, he drew his right sleeve up, holding out his arm and turning over. Barely visible in the dimming firelight, slim branches grew from the appendage. Snapping a branch off, he spun it around in his hand experimentally, then tossed it into the fire. The added fuel hissed and smoked, Obito watching intently until a change of wind blew the smoke right back into his face.
"It burns better when it's dry," said Orochimaru.
Obito jumped a little as the Snake Sannin slinked into the camp, moving silently to avoid disturbing his sleeping students.
"I knew that," Obito replied, growing another branch off. How did he sneak up on me?
"Second watch is usually the worst," Orochimaru said as he approached, quickly surveying his sleeping team. "While it is necessary, most tend to avoid it whenever possible."
"Can't sleep much," Obito answered with a shrug. "Might as well make it easier on someone else."
"Then allow me to join you for a little while."
"Don't mind me, Orochimaru-sensei."
Orochimaru hummed thoughtfully. "You are still a little awkward when saying that."
"Eh-"
The Snake Sannin chuckled lightly. "It's no trouble, Obito-kun. I understand that these circumstances are most unusual."
Obito listened to the fire crackling in front of him. It was a luxury they could ill-afford once in enemy territory, but he planned on making the most of it while they could.
"Perhaps some food for thought can help with the watch?" Orochimaru offered. "Your…unique attributes have helped stir these musings lately."
"Ah…" Obito sank a little into himself.
"Enough of that. Though unorthodox, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Not to me, at any rate. Truthfully, I find it rather curious."
Obito scratched at the scars on his face. "How so?"
"I mean you're something of a phenomenon. Your present existence challenges truths many hold as self-evident."
"What, the Mokuton? I thought it was just a mixture of earth and water chakra natures. You're telling no one else has tried it?"
"Tried, yes. Some even successful. But to the extent of the feats performed by the First Hokage, no one has ever come close, though his successes have certainly inspired others to try a little harder. Even his descendants have yet to recreate that marvels the Shodai once performed, but here you are, doing it as naturally as breathing."
"So what's the difference?"
The older man held up a finger. "That is for you to find out, Obito-kun."
Obito blinked curiously. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"Knowledge is power, Obito-kun, and there is wisdom to be gained through struggle. The accumulation of both is what separates the legends from the rabble."
"What about strength? Speed? Chakra?"
Orochimaru turned, almost perplexed. "What good are either of those without the ability to effectively apply them? Strength alone does not teach you where employ your talents where they're most effective, or find another way when your raw power fails you. Speed does you no good if you haven't a clue how to react."
Obito huffed tiredly. "Does it ever end?"
"Not if you wish to make any meaningful change in the world." Orochimaru smiled and stood up, gaze turned skyward. "I truly believe that, given enough time, you could learn all the secrets the universe holds. Every jutsu gives an insight of how the world works, and knowing the foundations could unlock secrets beyond our present imagination."
Growing another branch from his hand, Obito poked and stirred the fire. "Sounds kind of boring," he said. "Just thinking of how it takes to learn jutsu you have the natural affinity sounds like you couldn't do it in a single lifetime. And with how many techniques and styles that are out there, some of which are tied to bloodlines, it sounds impossible."
Orochimaru glanced over his shoulder. "Perhaps. But like any dream that sounds impossible, the pursuit leads to many fruits, some which you may not have realized. Remember this, Obito-kun: the journey is often as important as the destination."
Obito pulled the now-burning branch from the fire, staring at the fading embers, giving it a quick puff of air before tossing it back into the pit.
[NRE]
The rest of the journey was at a steady pace, only slowing a little more when they got into Earth Country proper. Sensor-nin kept a strict vigilance, as every rock, nook, and cranny, even the ground itself could be hiding enemies lurking in wait to ambush them. Any mountain pass took exponentially longer to make sure no surprises had been left for them.
As it would happen, someone had thought of that, and had decided leaving them on likely routes reinforcements and patrols, and being on point, Obito had a hot second to notice the spark underneath his foot.
"ExplodingTAG!" he belted out.
Everyone scattered as the tag detonated. Obito winced as the explosion and resulting shrapnel slipped through him. When the dust settled, and everyone emerged from their hiding spots, eyeing the surroundings.
"Lucky you," said Yukio, whistling at the damage. Bits of metal from broken kunai had stripped bark from the trees, carving furrows and burrowing into whatever surface was presented. "Whew. Somebody must have been pissed."
Anko helped Nobutoshi to his feet. "Everyone good?"
Orochimaru let the stone wall fall, Hitomi and Sen jumping out from behind him while everyone else emerged from cover.
"It looks like your training is paying off, Obito-kun," said Orochimaru.
"Seriously, how couldn't you see that tag before you stepped on it?" Sen asked.
"It was well concealed," Obito retorted. "Seriously, did Hitomi see it?" The Hyūga shook her head. "Could be something missed by earlier parties?"
"Or something placed by saboteurs after they passed," Anko suggested.
Hitomi's head twitched to the side, and Yukio and Yuuta started sniffing the air. Hands shifted to weapons as the shinobi coiled to retaliate against an attack, and Obito started growing branches under his sleeves.
"Friendlies," the Hyūga hissed.
Presently, a shock of familiar silver hair appeared from behind one of the boulders, accompanied by a motley group in assorted forehead protectors. Konoha, Suna, Kusa
"Took you guys long enough," said Kakashi. "We might have finished the war without you if you had taken any longer."
Obito fist-bumped the Hatake. "Yeah, well, we had to keep an easy pace for the slow-pokes."
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Come on. The main encampment is just up ahead."
"How have things been going here?" Obito asked.
"Attacks have dropped to almost nothing; small probing raids we keep driving off and the occasional infiltration attempt. Kumo eased off of our positions to the northeast. Reports have that most of them are holed up in their peninsula, their jinchūriki included."
"So it's just Iwa right now?"
"Mostly," Kakashi answered with a shrug.
[NRE]
The medics hit the ground running upon their arrival. Seeing Tsunade, the grizzled medic-in-charge snapped to attention and began his report, before the junior medics were dispersed. Given Rin's condition, the Slug Sannin had given her explicit instructions to stay close by her or one of the other senior medics. A second set of hands were as invaluable as her recently enlarged chakra reserves as Tsunade made her rounds.
Most of the wounded had already been treated, so it was a matter of sorting through who still needed to rest and recuperate and who had simply been put to the back of the line for treatments. Throughout treating the carnage, Rin could see Tsuande fighting off what looked like stress reactions.
Kushina landed next to them. Hair done in a high ponytail, dressed in a black, short-sleeved shirt and matching pants, with segmented bracers, and jōnin flak vest, a katana resting at her side.
"Mind if I borrow your assistant for a bit?" Kushina asked.
Tsunade considered the request while looking over the medical tent, then answered, "She's earned a break."
"Thanks a bunch!"
The redhead corralled Rin to a relatively quiet corner of the camp, right next to a collection of jutting boulders. Seeing no one close by, Kushina slapped down a privacy seal.
"I trust Tsunade has informed you of your placement in the order of battle?" she asked.
Rin nodded somberly. "Stay with the medics, and use my tenant only as a last resort."
"If you have to use it, the rest of the camp is probably screwed anyway."
"Is it going to get bad?"
Kushina made a face. "Iwagakure nin tend to be a bit hardheaded in general. Stubborn like the rocks they're named after, you know? The Tsuchikage has lost whatever face he had gained at the start of the war, and they can see us outside their window. If they can't break us here, they're going to try and take as many of us down with them."
Rin leaned against the boulder behind her, wringing her hands.
"Chin up, Rin-chan," Kushina said, smiling at her. "If everyone else does their job, it shouldn't come to that. You medics are going to be of critical importance once the battle starts, you know, so you'll be guarded by some of the best to make sure you can do your job without interruption."
[NRE]
Team Orochimaru had been set up on the forward line, holding the northern line with some Suna puppeteers. The newness ha quickly worn off in the following days, and Iwa had gone unnervingly quiet, keeping only a steady, periodic bombardment to remind them that they were there. Obito felt his nerves starting to fray, growing wooden spikes and embedding them around the trenches and foxholes in anticipation of an imminent attack.
Fortunately, help had come in the form of Kakashi Hatake. He had been instructed to check some of the outposts, both to make sure no hostiles had breached their defensive lines, and to familiarize the replacements with the setup, and had decided to pull Obito, Sen, and Rei into his detail, along with Rin and a senior medic by the name of Ikkaku Umino. Some others were added, expecting to shore up or replace any flagging points in the defense, though Obito couldn't rightly put names to faces.
Walking through the forest, they came across several gaps where large swaths of trees had been toppled over, giving them glimpses of what lay beyond. Furrows had been carved into the plains leading up to the mountainside that Iwagakure was nestled in, and boulders littered the slopes, rolling out into the open.
The climb up the rise revealed more of the No Man's Land that developed between Iwagakure and the forces besieging it.
"We're almost there," Kakashi said, then looked back up to the cliff overhead. "Hizashi, how's the weather?"
"A bit windy," the Hyūga answered.
Are they making small talk? Obito wondered. Even among the Branch members, he couldn't really remember any Hyuga really bantering around the village, much less whilst on duty.
Ignorant of his teammate's ponderings, Kakashi led the patrol into the outpost. While it hardly looked as if it were substantial in the first place, it had been trashed and was currently occupied by Konoha nin. More interesting was the view overlooking the mouth of the valley Konoha had set up with their allies.
"How are things up here?" Kakashi asked, walking over to the edge with Hizashi.
"Did you bring any food?" one of the genin asked, drawing Obito's attention to the one with bandages covering his face.
"We've got spare rations-" Obito began, but the genin blew raspberries at that. "-but if you're looking for a hot meal, you're on your own.
Rin stepped in between them, kneeling to get a better look at the bandages. "Why don't you let Ikkaku-san take a look at that cut for you, Raidō-san?"
Obito did a double-take at the genin, finally recognizing Raidō Namiashi.
"Obito!" Kakashi hissed, waving him over.
Letting the medics do their work, Obito walked over to the broken parapets looking out over the valley.
"There it is," Kakashi said. "The gates of Iwagakure. A narrow corridor meant to funnel any would-be invaders into the designated killbox, where a pack of cornered enemy shinobi are waiting with a host of nasty surprises. The only other way in is by digging-"
"A poor choice on Iwa's front door," Obito interjected.
"-or locating and navigating the labyrinth the village was situated on, which was probably booby-trapped to hell and back and can be reconfigured at will." Exhaling softly, Kakashi shook his head. "Right now, our commanders and Suna's are considering their options of how to break the stone open without getting us all killed in the process."
"Quite a view, isn't it?" The two chūnin turned where Minato stood. "It's good to see all of you."
"You too, Sensei," Rin replied, looking up from her work.
Minato walked up and playfully tussled their hair, even Kakashi begrudgingly accepting the gesture.
"Any idea how to crack this nut, Sensei?" asked Obito.
"We've been working on that for as long as we've been here. So far, nothing's come of it." Minato looked over to the expanse between them and the final threshold of the enemy. "If they're going to attack, it will probably be tonight, tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Stay on your guard."
Rin's eyes widened as she joined them. "So soon? But we only just arrived."
Minato nodded, gravely. "With a large influx of fresh troops, they may want to take us out before we can settle in or set up for the knockout punch. The storm also will provide cover for any movements on the surface, and inhibit any advance on our part. Finish the job here and return to your posts the same pace you came up here, then hunker down tightly."
"Yes, Sensei," the trio answered.
Watching his students depart, Minato glanced at the darkening skies. "It's going to be a terrible night."
[NRE]
Night fell, exacerbated by a furious storm. In no time at all, their positions were inundated by the torrential downpour.
Squatting in their foxhole, Obito busied himself by reinforcing their position as discretely as possible. Orochimaru had been sent with a small task force to skirt around the siege lines to the west, leaving his genin and chūnin to sit tight, waiting on bated breath for an attack.
Not long after first watch, Yukio perked up, sniffing the air.
"You smell that?" he asked.
"Smell what?" Yosetsu shot back. "It's a swamp out there, and there's too many bodies and crap to make any sense of it."
Despite Yosetsu's protests, everyone else stirred, reaching for weapons. Anyone who had managed to catch some sleep were soon wide awake.
"Hitomi, you see anything?" Nobutoshi asked.
"There's some movement just outside my range, but I can't make anything of it."
Seeing Obito patting at the ground around him, prompting Hitomi to focus her attention downward. She signaled over to Anko, who leapt to her feet.
"Everyone up!" Anko shouted.
Stone walls sprang up around them, adrenaline evaporating any vestiges of slumber. The Iwa nin came up soon after, kunai stabbing where their targets had been scant seconds before.
Obito kicked the first target he saw, catching him in the chin and jerking him out of the ground. The others were soon beset themselves. One sprung up behind Obito and drove a tanto at his back, slipping harmlessly through him. The Uchiha didn't catch the look of surprise on the enemy's face, but he did catch Obito's wrist on his windpipe, flipping him onto his back.
The ground below came alive, shifting and rumbling beneath their feet. Obito turned to Anko, who began signing for him to follow along.
"Doton: Rock Collapse!" they roared in unison and slammed their palms onto the surface compressing the ground and hearing a rather distinct crunch in return. Despite their numbers being thinned, that was far from the last of them, more breaking the surface outside the box.
"Breaking out!" he shouted, punching through the wall where an enemy chūnin was waiting. And more emerging from the swamp, heedless of the losses already incurred, only to be cut down when they appeared in the middle of the Konoha shinobi.
"Springing like gorram daisies," Obito snarled, cutting through the first enemy, ducking under a flying boulder, he scampered through the formation, slashing and bashing his way through. Something exploded behind him, but he didn't dare look.
Another wall sprang up, trying to split them and from each other and the main force. Rei pulled him away from the divider, just as a rather burly Iwa nin bowled him over from the left, his friend pouncing on him right after.
Slapping a hand down, Obito created branches that speared the hostile, then flipped the body over, hopping to his feet, then dropping back when a screaming boy with a chūnin vest with an Iwa headband ran up, flinging a kunai at his face.
"Raikiri!"
A flash of silver and light zipped over, goring the Iwa chūnin and flicking a kunai into the next guy's chest. Shoving his hand into the murk, Obito sprouted a bramble, ensnaring the third and fourth long enough for Kakashi and Rei to finish them off before jumping back to his feet and situating himself at his teammates' six. Kakashi dispatched his target with a decapitating strike. Bugs gathered up around Rei's, chewing their victim at the joints and eyes, then spreading out.
"Still alive, Obito?" Kakashi asked.
"Debatable. Ask me again in about five minutes. Rei?"
"I am combat ready."
Kakashi nodded acknowledgement. "Where's the rest of your team?"
"Lost track of them when the attack started." Obito searched the battlefield, which was now crawling with enemy troops, when an explosion tore through the air. "Okay, at least one of them is over there. Wanna join them?"
The trio sprinted across the field, vaulting over the reshaped terrain and leapfrogging the expanse until they found the others. Enemy shinobi had been significantly thinned, but several still hounded them as they ran.
Landing next to a clearing, Anko spun around and prepared to stab him but came up short when she recognized him and Rei.
"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded.
"Trying not to die," Obito shot back. "Come on, it wasn't even five minutes. Besides, we grabbed Kakashi on the way here."
A headless corpse slid next to them, the silver-haired jōnin sitting on top of him.
"Friend of yours?" Anko asked.
"Nah, we just met," Kakashi replied. "This everyone?"
"Yukio's still out there. Hitomi?"
The Hyūga shook her head. "No sign of him or Yuuta. But we have a group of hostiles inbound."
Obito looked up to a golden flash overhead, a Rasengan flying over and demolishing the incoming picket of Iwa nin before vanishing again.
"Is that Sensei?"
Minato Namikaze landed on one of his kunai, pinning it through the Iwa nin and decapitating him and flinging the dagger off before vanishing to the next point.
"Looks like he has that well in hand." The respite didn't last long, and Obito spotted the next wave gathering at the edge of a sinkhole. "More incoming."
Punching out a swampy hostile, Obito caught the wildly swinging arm, wrenching the hatchet free and burying it in its previous owner.
"Thanks!" he said, ignoring the partially charred corpse that fell next to him.
"Watch the blind spot," said Anko.
"Keep moving!" Kakashi shouted.
Obito scooped the other chūnin up and slung her over his shoulder and away from the doton jutsu snapping at where her foot had been.
"Put me down!" she protested.
Letting Anko regain her footing, they continued running atop the mire, finding a rise to position themselves on.
"Back to back!" Kakashi ordered.
"This is going to be a long night," Obito sighed, kneeing the offending Iwa genin in the face and across the ground.
A light appeared above the battlefield, one that could not be attributed to bolts of lightning.
"Looks like the Tsuchikage's joined the fight," Kakashi observed.
Obito's eye widened. "He's aiming at the main camp!"
A solidly black ball shot out to meet the Jinton jutsu, the collision resulting in a screeching explosion, rocking trees and shaking the ground as the shockwave passed. Rain ceased for several seconds before suddenly resuming.
"This isn't the first time he's tried the trick," Kakas hi said.
Momentarily relieved, the Uchiha turned to the rest of the squad. "We have to get back to the line."
Hitomi spotted the incoming first, and Obito was not far behind in picking up his approach, but neither had much time to react when a redheaded Iwa jōnin blitzed into the middle of the formation, halfway through a roundhouse kick aimed at Yosetsu.
Yosetsu pivoted and leaned away from the impact, but not enough to avoid the blow outright, accompanied by a sickening crunch as he was launched across the field. Rei had her insects cushion his fall, then substituting with them to catch him properly.
Standing in the middle of their formation, the Iwa nin wasn't all that tall. Red hair encompassed most of his head, a bushy beard and mustache, his hair held up by a large, three-pointed headpiece with Iwa's symbol stamped on the metal plate above his brows.
That left six of them against the enemy opposition. Nobutoshi, the next closest, swung his Bō at the enemy, which shattered upon impact. He jumped away, evading a swipe at his ribs as Anko and Sen opened barrage of exploding tags and shuriken, driving their foe back as he wove around the projectiles.
"Doton: Mud Wall!" Kakashi barked.
The barrier tripped the hostile up, diverting him further when an exploding tag detonated beneath him, landing him next to Hitomi.
"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms," she intoned.
The Hyūga's fingers drummed against the Iwa nin, shutting down chakra points with every strike.
She hadn't gotten past sixteen when the Iwa nin caught her arm and twisted it, then head-butted her into the ground and prepared to crush her while she was down, until he was forced to block a brace of senbon aimed at his face with his forearm..
In the time it took to pull them out, Anko and Nobutoshi closed in. Taking advantage of her smaller size, Anko dove low, sweeping his legs while catching the kunai thrown by Nobutoshi, pulling the wire tight.
The enemy realized their intentions when Kakashi was boring down on him, Raikiri flaring from his hand. Before he connected, he Kawarimi'd and shouted, "Get back!"
The other two let go, barely avoid the explosion of chakra.
While the others fell back to a safe distance, Obito pulled from his jutsu library. "Suiton: Water Cannon Jutsu!" The abundance of ammunition gave the jutsu more weight, slamming directly into the target and bursting into steam on impact. His eye widened at the reaction. "What?"
Steam and smoke cleared away, revealing the target coated in bubbling red chakra and three spectral tails sprouting out from the base of his spine with a fourth growing right next to it. The trenches in front of him indicated he had been pushed back, but little more as stepped forward, favoring the side Hitomi had abused.
"So that's what a jinchūriki looks like," Kakashi murmured. "You must be Rōshi."
The Iwa nin grinned savagely. "And you the White Fang's son. I suppose you little gremlins intend to fight me?"
"You can count on it."
A barrage of weapons, jutsu, and exploding tags showered the enemy fighter, stunning him long enough for a set of branches to shoot up and around the Iwa jinchūriki, pulling him into the mire before he could so much as scream, leaving the Konoha shinobi waiting on bated breath with the steady rainfall for comfort.
Obito kept his hands up and his foot rooted into the ground, searching for signs of continued fight. "It can't be that easy."
"It probably isn't," Anko answered, palming another kunai.
Beneath them, the ground trembled and then exploded upward, showing them with steaming debris. Pools of water evaporated as lava spread from the edges of the blast, Rōshi clambering out of the crater, coated in hellishly hot chakra.
"This does not look good," said Nobutoshi.
"You think?!" Sen snapped incredulously.
"Scatter!" Anko ordered.
Lava surged forward and Obito charged in to meet it.
"Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
The explosion of the two jutsu colliding cleared a trench to the jinchūriki, the shower of lava falling harmlessly to the wayside.
Relatively speaking, Obito mused.
Unfortunately, Rōshi had more to dish out, and the next wave came out in a larger crescent to envelop their position.
Obito snagged the Kakashi, Rei, Anko, and Sen with branches and pulled them into Kamui. The strain nearly had him black out, releasing the jutsu shortly after it took hold, flinging everyone back out, but away from Rōshi's attack.
Once his vision cleared, he saw the surprised look on the enemy jinchūriki's face, before he dropped into the mud. A couple of seconds later, he shot up, a curved kunai slashing through Obito's chest without touching anything, a mud-covered Rōshi leaping up for another roundhouse kick, again passing harmlessly through him, smiling all throughout.
Before Obito could make puzzle it out, Rōshi's foot slammed down, a pillar shooting up where Obito stood, causing him to involuntarily jump back. When jinchūriki's other foot landed, another shot up, another, one with each footfall, forcing Nobutoshi and Sen back and nearly launching Kakashi skyward. With some extra breathing room, Rōshi focused his attention on Obito.
"Yōton: Scorching Armored Fist!" Lava enveloped Rōshi's body, a cloud of steam shooting out as rainwater evaporated.
Again, branches shot up, burning before the jinchūriki made contact and snapping when they did.
Obito growled and began signing. "Suiton: Water Chains," he intoned, then swung the jutsu at Rōshi, but the chakra-laced water did little more than smack the Iwa nin off course for his next charge.
"Lightning Transmission," two Kakashis shouted, lighting cutting strung between them as he intercepted Rōshi, cutting into the lava shell and further diverting him off course.
"I've got an idea!" Obito called out, jumping back. "Buy me some time!"
Sen flung a barrage of exploding tags that burned before they could properly detonate. Kakashi apparently had copied the Water Cannon and blasted Rōshi. The Iwa jinchūriki snarled and continued to push through.
Anko planted herself on the other side, began signing for her own technique. "Fūton: Breakthrough!"
Wind and water collided, pinning their opponent down, but only just. Whether he was toying with them or not, they had to stop him before he got tired of getting stonewalled and wiped them all out.
That's where Obito's next move was supposed to come in. He had technically done something like this before, but nothing to this extent.
Hands clasped in front of himself, Obito breathed deeply and rhythmically, building up the requisite chakra and extending the branches from his foot and connecting to the nearby roots, building up the technique further. He hadn't a clue how much he needed, but as long as his team could manage, he would gather as much as he could, as he likely wouldn't get a second shot.
"A little help, here!"
Now!
At Obito's mental command, he let the building tension to snap.
He was expecting a large growth, but not the veritable tide of runaway growth that sprang forth across the battlefield, bursting through the mud and rock as it raced towards the target, surging out with such ferocity it was all he could do to direct, with no chance of controlling the mass.
Yet, it still appeared to follow his will to some extent. The branches seized the enemy, hoisting him up high. Heat flared out as he struggled, each break met with renewed growth to press in the carbonizing wood.
From the top of the formation, Rōshi glared at Obito, teeth bared and his eyes glowing dangerously orange as he jerked and twisted, clawing for purchase on the materials still constricting around him.
Seeing the target still struggling, Kakashi decided to add to the effort. "Raiton: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang."
The lightning hound darted up the formation and exploded, showering them with sparks, the whole apparatus collapsing soon after, splashing lava across the ground down range.
"Please tell me he's down for the count," Nobutoshi said, gulping nervously.
Either because it was an incomplete technique or his status as a jinchūriki, Rōshi tore himself out of the entanglement, and made to retreat, lumbering back to the concealment of the trees.
"Should we go after him?" Obito asked.
"And run into a possible ambush?" Anko replied, shaking her head. "Not in your life."
"Fall back and regroup for now," Kakashi ordered.
The heat began to ebb away, the rain cooling the battlefield once more. Thankfully, no other Iwa nin were lying in wait when they found Rei and Yosetsu.
Propped against a stone pillar, Yosetsu had ripped off his bandana and fashioned it into a sling and splint with Rei's help.
Upon seeing them, the Aburame rose and apologetically bowed. "My insects could not make a dent in his reserves, even before the fires. I'm sorry."
Anko patted the girl on the shoulder as she passed, checking their surroundings. "Doubt there'd have been anything any of us could've done to stop him. Thanks for keeping Yosetsu alive."
"How bad is it?" Sen asked.
"Broken arms, cracked and broken ribs," Rei listed off. "Any further analysis will have to wait until he can be seen by medics."
Kakashi nodded and turned to Yosetsu. "Can you move?"
The dark-haired teen rose with a wince. "Yeah."
"Right. We're a bit exposed here. Move it out. Nice and easy."
"What about friendly lines?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
[NRE]
Time lost meaning in the chaos as the battle dragged on. Iwa nin kept popping up and jumping in from afar. Rocks were shooting up and falling all around them. So much screaming, tearing and crunching, curses screamed from all corners. The Tsuchikage made several more attempts to obliterate the camp before disappearing into the night, all while Minato was blipping to and fro across the battlefield, never staying in one place for longer than it took to carve through the enemy and set a new point to spring to. By the time the early hours of morning crept over the horizon, the storm had broken.
Obito kept watch on a dry patch of packed, baked dirt where Amaterasu had scorched a squad of Iwa nin as they had come up. Anko and the others were camped out around him with Kakashi, who was eyeing the field of bodies, weaponry, and bloody mud. Hitomi was sleeping off some chakra exhaustion, having been their early warning for most of the night, and Nobu had taken several shuriken to the side. They had been joined by some Suna nin, who had brought wounded of their own, pooling their resources while the fighting had been at its most fierce.
The fortifications he, Anko, and Kakashi had erected – a mishmash of walls, ninja wire, and branches – had fallen enemies hanging off of them, stripped of any weapons, rations, and medical supplies.
Things had gotten quiet after the fighting moved on or died off. Without the steady thunder of jutsu exploding near and far, a nervous energy worked its way into their bones. Obito almost found himself missing the constant action. It was better than waiting.
Further out across the battlefield, groans could be heard, though it was nearly impossible to tell precisely where they were or whose side they were on, and Kakashi had ordered them to sit tight until they could determine which. No point in risking themselves for what could be a trap or an enemy.
"Someone's coming," Nobutoshi whispered.
"Heyo!" Yukio said, panting heavily. "There you all are."
Weapons were pointed at his sudden appearance and pointed his throat.
"Whoa! Hey! Calm down. What do you want me to do? Recite your measurements? Hitomi, stop sitting on your thumbs."
The Hyūga rolled her eyes and activated her Byakugan, immediately dismissing it in a pained wince. "It's him."
The Inuzka shook his head. "Monkey's uncle, you guys are twitchy."
"Where the hell were you?" Anko demanded.
"Got grabbed by the medics after we got separated. They needed someone to help haul and escort wounded, so that's what I've been up to most the night. Of course, now that the fighting appears to be over, I'm running messages to our forward positions. And boy, you guys are bit off from defensive perimeter."
"The fighting's done?" Nobutoshi asked.
"Yeah. Did the lack of screaming and explosions not clue you in? Whatever. Come on. I'll lead you to HQ."
"How did we fare?" asked Kakashi.
"Iwa threw everything they had to the flanks and rear before the Tsuchikage jumped in to hit the center. Luckily for us, Kushina and Tsunade were there to hold them off long enough for Minato to rally up a counter-attack."
"Damn," Yosetsu murmured. "And I thought we got run through the wringer."
Approaching the main camp, the ravages of the battle were more readily apparent in daylight. Everyone in view sported some kind of injury, however well-concealed. Freshly demolished walls dotted the pathway, and large furrows and sinkholes carved into the ground had filled with rainwater, murky from blood and mud.
As they went, sentries were wide-eyed and wound up. Some of them were sporting hastily patched wounds, but even with the bleak picture, the overall atmosphere was abuzz with the high of victory.
Obito glanced around. "Where's Minato-sensei?" he asked.
"Sleeping off his efforts from last night," Rin answered, slight bags under her eyes. She pushed off the tree she was leaning on and gave Kakashi and Obito a quick hug. "It's good to see you both alive and well."
"Long night?"
The medic-nin winced a little, brushing an idle strand of hair aside. "You could say that."
"Is he alright? Minato-sensei, I mean."
"Nothing that a bit of bed rest won't cure," she replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it looks like you have some teammates that need to be seen to."
Yosetsu and Nobutoshi were passed off to the medics, and the rest of the team dispersed to find food or a place to catch a couple of winks. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Minato went looking for their Jōnin-sensei.
They found him squirreled away near the center of camp, where a pair of ANBU were on watch. Surprisingly, the guards let them pass, and they were ushered inside where Kushina was waiting by Minato's bedside.
The Uzumaki had apparently just come off the line, and was still grimed up from the battle, even with the downpour. Having only bothered to wipe her hands and face off, there were patches of drying blood that had evidently not come from her.
At their entry, she turned and gave them a pleasant smile.
"You know, I should have figured you two would show up."
"We came as soon as we heard."
"How did you fare?"
"We nearly got our collective rears handed to us," Kakashi answered dryly.
"What are you talking about? We did fine! We even drove off a jinchūriki without any casualties."
Kushina's eyes widened. "You ran into Rōshi?"
Minato groaned, blinking blearily at the ceiling, then searched his surroundings before settling on the redhead.
"Hi, Kushina-hime," he mumbled.
The Uzumaki was less than pleased with the response, aborting a punch at his shoulder. "'Hi, Kushina'? You scare me like that, and that's all you have to say for yourself? You know, if I didn't love you so much, I'd probably beat the crap out of you just for that."
"Sorry I worried you." "So, what happened? Everything's still kind of hazy after that first hour or so."
"Han hit the southern flank. Carved a path through our ranks until someone got a lucky shot on his armor. Even then, it was a close thing."
"Wow. Anything else?"
Kushina counted off her fingers. "Iwa upped your bounty. Again. You did a number on yourself for using Hiraishin so much. Oh, and Iwa is in the process of standing down, pending treaty negotiations."
Minato sat up, only to be pushed back down by Kushina. "What was that?"
"Iwa is surrendering. Specifically, they're asking for Konoha's Yellow Flash. They're also asking for some Red-Eyed Phantasm," she added, looking pointedly at Obito.
"Well, Kakashi's right here," said Obito.
Kushina raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "The description was for a person with long, black hair and could do Mokuton techniques"
Minato stared into space for several seconds, then asked, "Obito, what did you do?"
"He fought off a jinchūriki," Kushina answered.
"Hey, I had help," Obito squawked.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you just boasting about it earlier?"
"I said 'we' there, too."
Kushina flicked Obito on the forehead. "I repeat: fought off a jinchūriki. Obito, the southern flank was getting slaughtered until Jiraiya and Orochimaru intervened, and they had backup, too. You were part of the first contact against their more experienced jinchūriki. Supported or not, you help saved lives and bloodied a dangerous foe, forcing him into a retreat."
"Do I have to go? I'm not all that great at diplomacy stuff."
"I think Iwa just wants to take your measure in person. Don't worry, you won't be the only one there. You just have to stand there and look all intimidating while the Hokage and the other diplomats hash things out." He paused, scratching his chin. "Kushina?"
"Hm?"
"Will you marry me?"
Bystanders went still as Kushina fiercely glomped Minato, momentarily forgetting his injuries, then kissing him when he yelped in pain, and he responded by gingerly reinitiating the hug.
"You know, I'm still mad you made me worry like that," she said, wiping tears from her face. "But my answer is yes."
"Wow, good timing," Rin teased, her head into poking the tent. "What took you so long, Sensei?"
[NRE]
A/N: The Third Shinobi War is over! Yay! Celebrations and more in the next chapter. There was originally a longer campaign leading up to the final battle outside of Iwagakure, but it made more sense to cut it shorter, as the war was already on the close out at this point in canon, and prolonging it served no real purpose.
Changes made from canon:
Hybrid elemental natures (ice, lava, wood, etc.) are generally possible for any shinobi with the right basic nature combinations, albeit fiendishly difficult to perform (especially with opposing elements, e.g. water+fire=boil), with most requiring the element or components to already be present (example: the snow ninja from the first Naruto movie). Things more elaborate, like Haku's ice mirrors and spontaneous generation of ice, are what separates fancy elemental transformation from full-blown Kekkei Genkai. Hashirama Senju's specific case will be explored later, but as a hint, there are two key factors that fuel his Mokuton in this story.
The Tsuchikage has been a redone for this story. Similarly, while the Third A is Raikage at this point in time, the A we know from canon will not be succeeding him for…reasons. While I liked Ōnoki and A the Fourth Raikage, the problem was that they were too likable, at least for the setting I'm writing here. They didn't strike me as the sort of people who would have the motive and means to make hiding Naruto's parentage an absolute necessity.
Coming up:
Obito faces the music with his clan.
Minato and Kushina Wedding.
Minato Namikaze is nominated as the next Hokage.
Final countdown to Kyūbi Incident begins.
Question? Comments? Concerns? Let me know with a review or PM. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.