I do not own Naruto
Six hours later, big red building near the Mokuton arena
Naruto looked around the room where the others were enjoying their little get-together.
Ino and Karin were shouting at the top of their lungs, somehow being dragged into Choji and Fuzaku's eating contest after Fuzaku jokingly claimed to be able to eat more than everyone else combined. Needless to say, Choji took him up to the challenge as a rematch for their spar during the preliminaries and the two had been chomping down on barbeque like it was the end of the world.
At one point, Kiba had suggested adding some spiciness to their food, and was currently adding an increasingly dangerous amount of pepper, curry and other spices to their meal.
Lee had tried to join in their challenge, but Sakura swore that she would slap him if he so much as thought about participating while he was still recovering. If Lee hadn't gone through major surgery earlier that day, she probably would have slapped him for real. Now the recovering ninja and the future medic were chatting, the cheering from the competition drowning their voices, which was no easy task considering how loud Lee was.
Shikamaru and Ryuzetsu were sitting in another corner, having their own little duel in the form of a shogi match. Apparently, Ryuzetsu knew a bizarre variation with different rules, but despite her familiarity with this version, it was clear that Shikamaru was crushing her.
As for Neji and Tenten… Naruto honestly had no idea where the two were, but he had the distinct feeling that something had changed between the pair. They seemed a lot more…intimate with one another than they were in Wave. Or even compared to how they were after the second stage of the chunin exam. What could have changed between then and now?
If he had to be honest, Naruto didn't like Neji, he still hadn't forgiven the boy for what he did to Hinata during the preliminaries, but the girls seemed to have forgiven him, going so far as to insist for him to join the party, so Naruto had conceded to at least extend the invitation. He had been pleasantly surprised when the Hyuuga boy had apologized for his actions and even expressed admiration for his drive, so… that was a start, he supposed. This new Neji certainly seemed a lot friendlier than the asshole he fought in the chunin exam, at least.
"The teme is late." stated Naruto, looking at the clock.
He couldn't shake off what happened at the hospital earlier today. Sure, Sasuke had called him a clanless loser, but it was blatantly obvious that there was something wrong with Sasuke's mental state. Which was fair, considering he had suffered from an extremely powerful genjutsu that sent him into a coma for a multiple days. When Naruto had tried to get back to check on him, Risu-sensei told him to just let him rest and assured him that Sasuke would come to the party, where they could clear up the misunderstanding. He also told him to buy tomatoes, for some reason.
"D-don't worry, Naruto-kun… S-Sasuke-san will be f-fine." said Hinata, waiting at the door for the last man to arrive.
"Indeed." commented Shino. "From your recollection, Sasuke-san was in clear mental distress. Most likely a side effect of either the jutsu or one of the medications. Him holding on to these feelings would be illogical. Why? Because if his mental state was still compromised, he would not have been allowed to leave the hospital. While understandable, your worries are unfounded."
Both Naruto and Hinata stared at the bug user.
"I think it's the first time I've ever heard you talking that much outside of iruka-sensei asking you a question." commented Naruto.
"I have been encouraged by Shizune-san to elaborate my thoughts in greater detail when discussing someone's health. I am merely following her advice."
"You're doing great, Shino-kun." said Hinata, smiling at her teammate.
Naruto thought there was something unusual about her smile… was she trying to copy the way he smiled? Naa, it was probably his imagination. Still, she seemed brighter than she was before. Cuter, perhaps?
His musing was interrupted by Karin approaching him. He glanced at the table and saw Fuzaku conceding the match, the spicyness finally taking him out.
"Who else is coming?" asked the redhead kunoichi.
"We're waiting for Sasuke-teme to get here. I hope that with all that training with Kakashi-sensei, his lateness hasn't spread to Sasuke as well." muttered Naruto.
Karin adjusted her glasses "I'm more concerned about either of you becoming perverts. Kami knows poor Sakura-chan doesn't deserve two perverts in her team. We have Fuzaku and trust me, one pervert is more than enough already."
"Hey!" said Fuzaku's, his outraged tone somewhat dulled by the amount of water he was drinking to drown the spicyness.
Karin waved her hand at her teammate. "Back on topic, who else is coming besides Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, throwing glances around the room.
With Neji and Tenten re-joining the party, everyone was accounted for.
"No one? Everyone's here."
Shino interjected "Are you sensing someone else, Karin-san?"
She nodded. "Four chakra signatures. Somewhat large, almost jonin-level, rather close to Sasuke. They seem to follow him."
"Our sensei?" asked Naruto.
Karin scoffed "You think I wouldn't recognize them?" she asked, almost offended by the blonde's insinuation.
"Oi! Did Sasuke invite someone from the academy?" asked Kiba, joining in the conversation.
Karin shook her head. "Definitely not, they should be five or six years older than us at the very least."
"That seems highly unusual." said Shino. "What are they doing?"
In the meantime, on the way to the party
Sasuke was walking towards the party. He was thinking about how to apologize to Naruto for his behavior earlier that day. He had lost his cool and allowed Itachi to control his action, to sabotage his friendship. The blonde would most likely forgive him regardless of what or how he said, but that didn't change the fact that he was feeling guilty. Not that he'd ever admit it, of course.
He heard the sound of steps and subconsciously slipped into a defensive stance, reaching for his sword as four figures bearing an Oto hitai-ate landed around him
"Who the hell are you?"
"We are the sound four. Kidomaru of the East gate…" said a man with six arms.
"...Jirobo of the South gate…" said a large muscular man.
"...Tayuya of the North gate…" said a female with dull red hair.
"...and Sakon of the West gate." finished a man with a second head sprouting from the back of his neck.
The four charged forward, giving Sasuke barely enough time to unsheathe his sword.
He blocked a triple hook from Kidomaru, his blade leaving a red line across the fingers of his middle left hand, severely slowing the momentum of the other two fists. In mid-air, he kicked Sakon in the throat, launching him backward, but he opened himself up for Jirobo's punch. He twisted himself, his sword aimed to pierce the charging man through the chest. Jirobo dodged at the last second, the blade barely scratching his shoulder as his punch impacted Sasuke's side with full strength, launching him away.
Sasuke winced. That punch had almost certainly cracked a rib or two. These weren't simple pawns, he needed to step up his game. He could most likely take one or two by himself, but four were too much even for someone like him. He saw the redhead tossing kunais with attached tags around him, in the same way he'd seen Naruto doing for his sealing formation.
Fubaku Hojin
His hands moved almost on instinct, finishing before the kunai could hit the ground and complete the seal.
Shunshin no jutsu
With a swirl of leaves, he appeared behind the two headed man, Sharingan blazing and sword ready to strike.
Futon: Himei: Kyoryokuna no jutsu
Sasuke was blasted backward, his ear ringing from a singular, discordant musical note. He readied himself to defend from the next attack. What kind of jutsu was that? And how did he do it without hand signs?
"Wow, your bones have a really low tone…should I try something with a higher pitch?" commented the two-headed man.
Fubaku Hojin
Sasuke jumped, avoiding another sealing array from the kunoichi on their team. Was she the weak link among them? He should focus on attacking her. He saw the six-armed guy weaving through hand signs, but he knew he was faster.
Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu
Sasuke's fireball launched first, forcing Tayuya to dodge, the fireball licking at her dress forcing her to snuff it out.
Kumonendo no jutsu
Kidomaru spat a long, thick web, catching Sasuke's arms with it. In a strong pull, the man yanked Sasuke out of the air, launching him towards a charging Jirobo. Sasuke braced himself, taking the blow that left him out of air and launched him ragdolling toward the two-headed freak.
"Let's try with a three-note combo now." smirked the man.
Sasuke landed on the ground, arms still tied on his chest thanks to the web, rolling in the dirt until one of his feet was just in the right position.
He concentrated all his chakra into his feet, driving a vicious kick into the man,'s chin, launching him in the air. He continued the roll, landing on his feet, his sword glued to him, blade pointed upwards. He jumped after Sakon, channeling chakra into the blade.
Futon: Himei: Kyoryokuna no jutsu
Once again, he was hit by a powerful blast of sound, much more powerful than before, his ear now bleeding and his body slamming on the ground from the sheer force of the jutsu.
He had observed the man with his Sharingan and now he was certain: Sakon had not used any jutsu. What was going on? Some kind of ninja tool like Temari's fan?
Before he could stand up, he saw four kunai landing around him
Fubaku Hojin
Black lines crawled on his body, preventing him from moving.
"This one has spunk." commented Sakon in a grin missing two teeth. "But Kimimaro has a lot more potential."
Kidomaru landed next to Sasuke "If you stay in this shitty village your potential will remain unfulfilled. Playing house with your comrades will only make your abilities rot."
Tayuya took a step forward "Come with us. Orochimaru will give you strength."
So, that was their goal. Play on the insecurities he showed at the hospital to tempt him? He smirked. If it wasn't for Risu-sensei's talk, if he hadn't learned about Naruto being a jinchuriki, it might have actually worked.
Sakon slammed his feet on Sasuke's face. "Quit stalling and make up your mind. This is your chance to get power beyond anyone's understanding. Are you taking it or not?"
Sasuke smirked. "And what could you four losers ever offer me?"
With a smirk, twisted lines started to spread across Sakon's face. "You thought Orochimaru-sama would offer his gift to you and not his elite subordinates."
Elite subordinates. That meant at least jonin level. He stared at the cursed seal spreading across the man's face, he could feel the power emanating from it. If Jiraiya-san hadn't offered him assistance in senjutsu training, he might have been tempted. But why settle for a cheap senjutsu copycat when he could just learn senjutsu the proper way?
"What is your purpose in life?" asked Tayuya "Will you forget your revenge and live in this village where you and your loser friends can cry on each other's shoulder? Will you forget Uchiha Itachi? This village will only become the shackle that binds you. Cut off that useless connection and you'll obtain a much greater power."
The webbing around his arms dissolved into useless string and Kidomau extended an open hand for him to grab.
Sasuke smirked. "I'd rather be chained to this useless village than to a traitorous snake." he declared with pride.
Kidomaru frowned. "So be it."
Kumo Mayu no jutsu
Sasuke was wrapped in thick layers of spider webbings, the Fubaku Hojin preventing him from moving until he was completely enveloped by a cocoon. Jirobo leaned forward, grabbing the cocoon and tossed him over his shoulder.
"A shame. Things would have been much easier with his cooperation." mused Jirobo as he grabbed the cocoon and tossed it over his shoulder.
Sakon flinched, tossing a kunai loaded with explosive tags into the trees. "We've got company." He said.
As the Kibaku Fuda detonated, Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata and Karin emerged from the trees, avoiding the explosion.
Konoha Senpuu
Jirobo blocked a kick from a green blur, who immediately jumped back before he could retaliate next to his friends.
"Wait!" shouted Shikamaru. "We're not here to fight, we want to negotiate!"
Sakon snorted. "Then what about the other eight hiding in the bushes behind you?"
With a gesture from Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten, Naruto, Sakura, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, Ryuzetsu and Fuzaku emerged from their hiding spots.
Shikamaru frowned at their plan being thwarted, but it wasn't a huge problem. They only needed to stall long enough for Ino to sound the alarm and come back with their sensei.
"Nothing! We truly only wish to talk!" said Shikamaru.
Kidomaru snorted "Too late, kiddos. Now…"
His speech was interrupted as soon as he noticed his body being unable to move. He looked down and saw a black line connecting the Nara's shadow to their own
Shikamaru smiled. "Kagemane no jutsu. I was hoping to stall a bit longer without using it, but…"
"Shikamaru! You missed one!" shouted Karin.
Futon: Himei: Kyoryokuna no jutsu
The sound blast hit Shikamaru in the face, breaking his concentration and freeing them from the shadow.
Jirobo slammed his hands on the ground, hand seals barely visible.
Doton: Kekkai: Doro Domu no jutsu
The ground rose around the Konoha group, creating a dome of earth around them before they could even attempt a Shunshin to escape.
"I'll take care of them. We can't afford to leave witnesses before we leave the village." said Jirobo, handing the six-armed man the cocoon.
Kidomaru nodded, grabbing it.
"Catch up as soon as you're done."
"Get us out!" Shouted Naruto, punching the earth dome with all his might.
Katon: Kyandoruraito no jutsu
A small flame appeared in Ryuzetsu's hand, illuminating the cave.
"Naruto, move out of the way!" shouted Kiba, already on all fours and preparing an attack
Tsuga no jutsu
As Kiba jumped, he started to rotate at incredible speed, his blurred motion appearing like a human drill. The wall cracked, but didn't break. As soon as Kiba hit the ground, the cracks on the wall started to repair themselves.
"This isn't an ordinary clay wall…" muttered Neji, activating his Byakugan.
Fuzaku roared and charged past Kiba, attacking the wall in the same spot as the Inuzuka
Katon: Enshin Bakuha no jutsu
The wall exploded in a shower of flames and rock debris, but held strong.
"One more time, dog boy! Let's go!" shouted the Kusa ninja.
Tsuga no jutsu
Katon: Enshin Bakuha no jutsu
"Hit it harder! He's draining our chakra to reinforce the walls!" shouted Karin.
"Yosh!"shouted Lee, charging at the wall to chip in his contribution.
Kage Bunshin no jutsu
Three Narutos appeared right next to Naruto, combining their chakra to create a Rasengan, but the sphere deformed and collapsed under the draining effect of the dome. Maybe he could summon a toad larger than the dome to break it? But such a big toad could also accidentally squash his friends.
"Damn it!" Shouted Kiba while tossing a pill to Akamaru.
Jūjin Bunshin
Akamaru turned into a copy of Kiba and the two jumped in perfect sync, spinning madly toward the dent Kiba, Fuzaku and Lee had created in the wall.
Gatsuga no jutsu
The wall cracked, more and more debris falling around them.
Baika no jutsu
Choji expanded his torso, turning into a human sphere.
Nikudan Sensha no jutsu
He started to spin rapidly, gaining momentum and accelerating against the weakened wall. With a loud crash, Choji impacted against the dome, his sheer force slamming through and opening up a wall for the moonlight to enter. As soon as the dome shattered, the group jumped in the open.
"I can sense them! Follow me!" shouted Karin, pointing towards the rest of the sound ninja and getting ready to jump onto a tree branch.
"Like hell you will!" shouted Jirobo, already flashing through hand signs.
Doton: Doryo Dango no jutsu
His hands buried themselves into the ground, lifting a stone large enough as to easily crush them all.
Nikudan Sensha no jutsu
Katon: Enshin Bakuha no jutsu
Fuzaku and Choji jumped in the air at the stone as Jirobo threw it. The techniques clashed, the rock smashing into pieces under the strength of Fuzaku's explosion. Choji's technique pierced through, connecting directly with the Oto ninja, who braced himself to negate the brunt of the damage.
"Go! We can handle him!" shouted Fuzaku, flashing through hand signs to cover for Choji.
Jirobo lifted the Akimichi and tossed him in the air.
Raiton: Raikyu no jutsu
A ball of lightning impacted the Oto ninja before he could follow up his attack against Choji, who landed on the ground beside the now panting Kusa ninja, nodding in approval.
"Go! We can take him!" shouted Choji.
Notes
What's this? Shipping in my fanfiction? Seems like... I don't like writing romance for teenagers, so implied relationships is the most you're gonna get in the pre-Shippuden era.
I made some alterations in the sound four, nothing too crazy, but I tried to sell them as a bit more of a menace than the glorified genin they were in canon. Their main expertise does not rely in combat tho (think about it: in canon these 4 people were posing as the 2 guard of the "Kazekage" in the chunin exam. That's HARD and far requires the type of skills you'd expect an infiltration/assassination specialist), so I didn't buff them TOO much.
I hope the seeds I planted along the way were noticed by most people and the refusal to betray the leaf didn't come as that big of a surprise.
First fight in the Sasuke retrieval arc is is the BIG BOYS for all three villages: Chouji + Fuzaku vs Jirobo
New Jutsu
Futon: Himei: Kyoryokuna no jutsu: Sakon and Ukon have this pretty damn useful Fus Ro Dah type of jutsu they used a grand total of... ONCE. That's a waste, so I gave it a name and will be using it more in the future
Kumonendo no jutsu: Kidomaru spits webbing
Kumo Mayu no jutsu: spider cocoon jutsu
Konoha Senpuu: Lee/Gai's dinamic entry. Pure taijutsu so again, not -ni jutsu
Doton: Kekkai: Doro Domu no jutsu: Chakra-absorbing dome prison
Katon: Kyandoruraito no jutsu: candlelight jutsu, just a simple flame to illuminate the area. Risu hasn't taught them this one because... he doesn't know it. He's got the Byakugan who grants nightvision (not sure if that's canon, anime only or headcanon), but either way it fits. Made this one up
Tsuga no jutsu: Kiba's drill attack
Gatsuga no jutsu: Stronger Kiba's drill attack
Nikudan Sensha no jutsu: I wanna be a bouncing ball (or rather, a wreching ball, in Choji's case)
Doton: Doryo Dango no jutsu: lift a massive rock and use it to squash the enemy
Answering PM/Reviews
A lot of you are under the impression that becoming proficient with a jutsu allows you to reduce the number of required hand signs. That's not how it works in this fanfiction. The most you can get is shifting from two-handed signs to one-handed signs, but the number of hand signs remains the same. Mastery comes from performing the sequence at higher speed rather than shortening the sequence. If you're worried about the fact that jutsu like the Rasegan are now no longer usable in a taijutus fight... First, that's just the perfect excuse as to why ninja focus on taijutsu so much and second... I tested it out myself: you can perform 3 one-handed hand signs in 0.6 seconds with a little bit of experience. That's good enough to be usable in a irl fight. Sure, the attack is very telegraphed, but it's usable.
