Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish though.
Tayuya and Naruto had traveled for almost a week, Tayuya avoiding every encounter with shinobi while keeping a low profile..Her red head always a curse..The blonde made her laugh all the way..Always thinking or smiling..Always...But also having his serious moments..Those were interesting..She started to like the blond and his oddness...She wondered. She knew they couldn't just leave each other. Naruto managed to change her in less than a few days and truly. Tayuya enjoyed that..At least with him...She felt like herself..No curse mark, no Orochimaru or bullshit, just...Herself, full of fire and strength..It made her proud...It made her smile for once in this shitty life..
The two of them were rapidly advancing in the Land Of Hot Water. She knew the country well enough. The country wasn't so busy with its shinobi and instead welcomed tourism, a nice country with no threat or political unrest. Truly a relaxing place. But that didn't mean both of them were ready for anything. Tayuya was on guard, never relaxing, her instincts screaming at her to be prepared. Her eyes scanned every corner, every person, her grip around her flute tightening, never letting it out of reach.
""Alright, Blondie. Make a clone and turn it into a rope. We need to act like you're my captive to get through this smoothly."And keep quiet, or we'll draw unwanted attention."She explained.
He raised an eyebrow but nodded, trusting her judgment and making a clone. He transformed into the rope like he was told, a rope tied around her wrists. Tayuya pulled and brought him forward. Her steps were full of confidence. Her face is neutral, eyes ahead. Finally, the two arrived in front of a giant boulder. She sighed before doing a couple of mudra.
"Release!"
In front of her, the stone started to glow, opening before them. Tayuya showed no emotions, pulling her new blond friend with her. They needed to pass without any questions..She was on edge, worried. This was the beginning of her quest, her goal. She was getting more and more excited, finally doing something on her own. With her companion. Finally her time to shine was here. She grinned as she saw a dim light coming from ahead, the cavern starting to close behind them.
Finally, her heart racing, Tayuya expected someone to ambush them but nothing came. There was no one around, no enemies or mercenaries to attack them. Truly the path seemed deserted and untouched. Her companion looked at her with admiration, her plan working. She winked at the yellow head, full of energy and spirit. This guy trusted her fully. It made Tayuya happy in a way.
Soon the two walked through what seemed like endless hallways, not even bothering to stop to rest. Her partner, silent for once, understood the severity of the situation. His gaze, hard, serious, his blue eyes glancing every corner, every room. Tayuya grinned slightly at him. She could finally let out a sigh, feeling relieved. She was used to this, being a criminal, sneaking around, looking for valuable information, equipment and tools.
The boy chuckled. She smiled back, for a moment forgetting the gravity of their situation, the danger of what they were doing. The two could almost relax, for once, safe and away from anyone who could harm them. But nothing could be so easy. Nothing could be simple. The two companions stopped suddenly, their heart sinking..The passageway opened before them, a large laboratory stretching out to both sides, the walls made of stone or earth, with small caves and alcoves. The ground was dusty, full of dust, covered in sand and pebbles. However what caught the attention of the duo was a green-robed figure sitting at the far end, her back against the wall. Tayuya took out her flute, ready to fight, her nerves on fire, her pulse racing. Naruto dropped his fake rope, his face full of wariness, his muscles tense, his whole posture changing.
The robed figure had light blue hair, a spiky ponytail with long strands of hair framing her face. For a long minute no one spoke, tension hanging in the air. Suddenly, the blue haired woman sighed and spoke. Her voice was full of annoyance.
"What brings you here, Tayuya? This is unexpected."
Tayuya didn't reply for a couple of seconds. A shiver went down her spine when she realized how familiar those words sounded.
"Guren? What are you doing here?" She added.
Naruto looked between the two women, confused. Finally, the redhead motioned for him to stay silent, hoping he could trust her enough to let her handle the situation. Guren looked at Naruto, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, her gaze almost piercing.
"Is he with you? Doesn't seem like your usual company... Sorry, that was out of line."She explained almost immediately, grinning at the redhead.
"Cut the crap, Guren."Tayuya replied almost casually.
Finally, Naruto cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. He didn't understand what was happening, who this Guren was and why they seemed to know one another. His friend, though, calmed him down, relaxing, her face softened, more trusting towards this woman. Naruto tried to trust her, despite his confusion, he did his best, knowing that her plan was important.
"Aren't you supposed to be with Yukimaru?."Tayuya admitted, the tone in her voice becoming slightly more casual.
The blue haired woman shook her head, a smile formed on her lips."The kid has his own problems. Anyway, what are you planning here, Tayuya? "Guren repeated, standing up, approaching the redhead and the jinchuuriki..
The redhead shrugged.
"We're going to rob the snake? Join us or get lost."She explained.
Naruto did his best not to speak, keeping his promise to his friend, just staring at this stranger. He wondered if this Guren was trustworthy, seeing Tayuya's demeanor towards the blue haired woman. He wondered what kind of relationship they had. Was she a friend or an enemy? Could she betray them? Or maybe not? Naruto was too confused, not knowing what was the right decision.
"Eh, good thing I found you, it pains me though, Tayuya but I can't let you steal from Lord Orochimaru. That's punishable by death."
Tayuya giggled. Naruto swallowed hard, wondering if his redhead was dumb enough to put herself in such danger.
"Well, Guren, looks like we'll have to settle this the hard way."She teased.
With these words, the redhead lunged forward, her flute in one hand, ready to fight, Naruto by her side. This unexpected move took Guren by surprise, unable to react in time, her body frozen. Her opponent attacked her, striking her multiple times in the stomach with her fist. She didn't expect Tayuya to attack her in close combat. Guren swiftly made a couple of mudra after taking a step back.
"Crystal Release: Crystal Needles!"
Tiny, glowing crystals formed in front of her hand, almost transparent, forming sharp needles aimed at Naruto, piercing his skin. Tayuya deflected one of the needles with her flute, swinging her demonic instrument with incredible speed and strength.
"Now now, that's not fair, Guren."She protested, smirking.
The blue haired kunoichi frowned:
"Yeah right, idiot." She answered back."I'll make this quick."
She ran forward, her hand turning into a spike, aiming for Tayuya, knocking her backwards. The redhead smirked, when she heard Naruto's notorious shadow clone jutsu. A group of ten Naruto clones ran towards the crystal user, distracting her from her true opponent, allowing Tayuya to stand back on her feet. The young woman dodged, avoiding a hit from the original Naruto, her stance remaining cautious.
The group of clones surrounded the blue-haired girl, aiming blows at her from all sides, some landing. Guren continued to block, kicking the shadow clones away. They attacked with all their might, forcing her to give ground, the number of the shadow clones overwhelming her.
Guren wasn't having it though, and she jumped away, using her crystal needles to fend off the attacking clones. She ran at her attacker, dodging the wild strikes, searching for a weakness, anything she could exploit. She noticed a small flaw in the flow of Naruto's punches, a sliver of a second. She struck quickly, a narrow slash, opening a cut on his arm. The blonde gasped, his momentum halted, allowing her to use the opportunity to slip a kick between his ribs.
Naruto winced in pain, catching his opponent's foot and twisting. He had his hands raised defensively, expecting an immediate counterattack, ready to duck or block. Her next strike was swift, a powerful blow, hitting him square in the shoulder. It was strong, unyielding. He backed up, the attack had caught him off guard.
"Really, Tayuya? Teaming up with this kid?"Guren taunted, a playful smirk on her face.
Tayuya frowned, her face blushing a bright crimson color, embarrassment burning inside her, her anger flaring.
"Summoning Technique: Doki!" She finally commanded.
Three eerie-looking creatures called Doki appeared. Their eyes and ears were covered and their mouths were sewn shut. While each of them had a different appearance, the trio of summons were very large, almost reaching the ceiling of the hideout. They were also quite muscular. One of them was dressed in a dark green full-bodysuit, with hair obscuring its face, carrying a giant studded metal club. The second one is shirtless, with dark pants and a bald, scarred head under a blindfold, this one has claw-like weapons attached to each arm. The third one is covered with bandages from the waist up and wearing brown pants, this one stands backward, head tilted skyward, with multiple needles sticking out of its head.
The red-haired girl put her flute to her mouth and began to play a melody. The three doki came to life as the music entered their ears. They roared as they charged toward Guren, all their eyes red with anger and a lust for blood, the ground rumbling with their charge.
Tayuya watched carefully, letting the notes flow from her fingers, a smirk on her face, anticipating her summon's movements and plans. Guren, on the other hand, looked stunned, frozen. She knew this would not be an easy fight, and she had no idea what to do against this surprise. She didn't have enough space to use her full abilities. She was clearly annoyed though, she glanced at Tayuya and saw that the girl was sweating.
Naruto looked at Tayuya as well and realized that she barely slept in the past week. She must've been exhausted from keeping an eye on him and potential dangers.
The blue haired kunoichi grimaced, knowing that the fight wasn't in her favor anymore, not against three creatures that were about to smash her into pieces with their size, strength and will. She stood there, letting the beasts surround her, their roars shaking the walls, their eyes on her, waiting for a single move, a weak spot.
But Guren wasn't done. She took a couple of steps back and made a series of mudras.
Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon!
Suddenly, a gigantic crystal dragon formed around her, shimmering brightly in the dimly-lit hall. Its size and appearance were imposing, its eyes red like flames, its maw open wide and ready to devour. The three doki froze, surprised by the sudden change. They growled at the crystal beast, their red eyes glaring into its depths, waiting, curious.
The beast attacked, lunging towards the dokis. The first doki took the hit head-on, the impact shattering its skull and the surrounding rocks into thousands of shards. The second and third doki managed to avoid the onslaught, launching a counter-attack, their claw-like weapons smashing into the crystal creature, shattering it.
However, the beast simply reformed, its crystal parts reattaching themselves like puzzle pieces. Guren looked at her attackers. She was beginning to lose her footing, her energy decreasing slowly, the battle beginning to tire her. Tayuya saw this and glared at Guren.
"Oh come on, you are being boring and stupid Guren!"She whined."That stupid crystal monster won't stop us, so suck it. You should stop wasting energy. Naruto is still ready to fight. It's not in your favor to continue, just surrender already. Do you really want to die for Orochimaru?"
The question made Guren think for a moment. Her loyalty to Orochimaru had always been blind, and she didn't question it until now. Was it worth fighting and dying for the man, just because he was her master? As she thought about it, she could only conclude that it was not worth it. The man was not someone worthy of respect, nor did he deserve her loyalty. He was nothing but a pathetic man who hid behind others and had no honor. If he had honor, then he would face his enemies head on instead of hiding. She looked up at Tayuya.
"I refuse."
This time, her voice held more confidence and strength, as if the fact she was going to die meant nothing to her. This caused both Tayuya and Naruto to look at her in confusion, as they did not understand what she was saying.
"Why?"Naruto asked."Don't you want to live? To fight another day? Why throw away your life for someone that won't even appreciate it?"
Guren smiled slightly, before shaking her head.
"Orochimaru-sama has never appreciated anything beside himself, and he will never appreciate the fact that I'm willing to give my life for him. He will simply call me worthless. He is a pathetic man, hiding behind his pawns, but I do not care. As long as I am able to destroy his enemies, that's enough for me."She explained before looking up at Tayuya."I'm sure you understand this best, Tayuya. We are both similar in many ways."
Tayuya glared at Guren, knowing fully well that the woman was right. She knew that Orochimaru saw her and the other members of the Sound Four as nothing more than pawns, nothing more than tools for him to use. But she had always ignored it, since she knew that they were valuable to Orochimaru. And it wasn't like she cared about the man, either. She wasn't loyal to him anymore. So why did the idea of someone else dying for him bother her so much?
"You are right. We are similar, but I don't want to be like you. I won't die for that pathetic snake, I'm going to live for myself and not for a man who will only see me as a tool."
The red-haired girl laughed, trying to sound arrogant. Her true emotions though. She was worried. Worried that her energy was getting low and Naruto wasn't as strong as he should be. Despite his incredible regeneration. He was still on the verge of death barely a week ago. Her opponent's breathing was starting to pick up, her body stiffening as if she was anticipating something else.
Tayuya was feeling overwhelmed, her vision beginning to blur. She knew this wasn't a battle she could win, her energy was beginning to run out. She didn't want to admit it but she was exhausted. Her eyes darted at her blond companion, his arm still bleeding from the hit he took before. He wasn't in perfect shape. As she kept her eyes on the blonde, the three Dokis disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She was panting, unable to keep them. She was annoyed at her own weakness. She would've beaten Guren normally. Her hand swiftly squeezing where her cursed mark was. She didn't want to rely on it anymore.
"Just leave it to me! Believe it."He exclaimed.
Naruto's voice was loud, his posture firm. Tayuya wondered if he actually had a plan or was just a desperate attempt. She couldn't help but nod slightly, she could see the determination in his eyes. Her eyes drifted back to her opponent, ready for a surprise. But before she could make any more moves, the blond's shadow clone struck.
"Shadow Clone!"
About twenty shadow clones appeared all around the long corridor they were fighting in, their numbers overwhelming the crystal user.
Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Beast!
In a matter of seconds, the group of clones was obliterated by the enormous crystal dragon, the blue haired girl had summoned before. Its jaws were large enough to engulf several shadow clones in a single bite. Tayuya saw that the original had dodged the creature at the last moment, rolling to his left, narrowly avoiding the deadly jaws. His blond locks and tattered clothes were disheveled and singed, his face covered in blood, a nasty bruise covering his left side. He stood up, his body swaying slightly, his blood dripping on the stone floor. The blonde was struggling to stand, his muscles shaking, his eyes drooping, unable to move.
Guren saw this and lunged towards him, a twisted grin on her face, knowing she had an advantage. However, before she could land a killing blow, Naruto opened his mouth, a smirk formed on his lips. He made a series of mudra with his bloody hand, the familiar sound of the Shadow Clone Technique reverberated around him, the light almost blinding.
More clones appeared around him, forming a tight circle around the crystal user, their grins matching their master's, their eyes burning red with bloodlust. The girl was surprised at the sheer amount of clones and was suddenly worried about the true power of her opponent. She realized that this battle was far from over, her mind racing, trying to find a way out, her thoughts frantic. She didn't expect it when she heard all the clones yell the same thing...
"Rasengan"
At least a dozen Rasengans launched toward her, each one faster and stronger than the next, their color bright blue with an inch of orange. Before Guren could react, the impact from the dozen of Rasengans collisions hit her, her body breaking from the tremendous force. The pressure and force shattering every bone, every vein, every muscle. She had never seen this level of destruction. The sheer amount of chakra and force required to execute the technique was amazing and terrifying.
Finally, Guren was slammed against the wall when she heard some clones disappearing as if the power of their own technique made them disappear. Naruto looked back at Tayuya, his eyes tired and dark. He dropped his hands to his side, his knees shaky, his body weak, his clothes and hair torn and bloody.
The red-haired girl looked back and realized she had no energy left. Her cursed mark glowing for a second as if it wanted to be released. She gritted her teeth, forcing it to disappear. No need for it...She was not Orochimaru's tool..Not anymore.
Finally, the real Naruto dropped on his knees, exhausted, barely able to stay upright. The kunoichi that called herself Guren was broken, her body mangled, her bones shattered, her eyes blank. She stared into the distance, her mind probably slipping, her mouth full of blood. Her breathing was shallow and ragged.
Tayuya walked towards her companion, her feet dragging slowly as she struggled to walk. Finally she dropped next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder, smiling slightly. The two companions stayed there for a while, not talking, lost in thoughts. Their fight had come to an end, and the exhaustion was getting the better of them.
"Not bad...Naruto.."She admitted."
Guren slowly crawled closer, her eyes blank, her voice empty:
"Never thought... you'd bring a boy to our fight, Tayuya..."She coughed"
"Shut up.."Tayuya smirked weakly
She walked toward the soon to be dead Guren, a frown forming on her face. She sighed, sitting next to her. The red-haired kunoichi hesitated, grabbing her enemy's hand softly. Guren let out a cough, blood dripping down her lips. Her face was pale or what was left of it, almost lifeless.
"You should've joined me, Guren. Do you have any last words? "She whispered softly, a hint of sorrow in her voice.
The crystal user let out another cough, blood trickling from her mouth, staining the stone floor. Her body twitched, her fingers twirling around a strand of Tayuya's red hairs. She could feel herself slipping away. Her heart slowed, the beats further and further apart.
"Yuki..ma.." She muttered, her face full of sadness, a small, sweet smile forming on her bloody lips, as the last words escaped her mouth.
As her breathing finally stopped, her face softened, peaceful and happy. Guren's death was expected, her body weak, full of injuries and her life energy fading. Tayuya watched, almost crying, a soft, sad sigh escaped her lips. She had hated and loved Guren. She understood how lonely the crystal user had been, how broken she had always been...She wouldn't have called Guren a friend but...The two of them were amongst the few women working for the snake...
She let the corpse drop softly, closing its eyes, hoping that she could find the happiness she deserved elsewhere.
"Hey Tayuya..."The blond started, his voice weak."That lady..She looked at you..Before...She said Yuki..."
He didn't finish as the redhead put her finger on her lips.
"Stop..I don't want to talk about that...For now."She sighed. "How are your wounds?"
"Not so bad, believe it. I don't have a problem with this.."He giggled, ignoring his arm, his ribs and his forehead.
"You're a freak."She smirked.
"Maybe a little bit.."He smiled back."What do we do now? You didn't tell me much about this place."
"I know...We need to look for anything valuable..Equipment, scrolls, books. It's all there. Orochimaru never threw anything away...He's a fucking hoarder. I'd like to seal Guren's body as well if we manage to find storage scrolls...And sleep."She explained.
"You think we'll find anything? We don't know if someone else is here."Naruto warned.
"I'm not sure...We'll just have to find out. Do you know more techniques than shadow clones and that rasengan? "She answered, getting up on her feet, her legs still shaky.
"Not really...I can summon toads. Besides that I guess I have some taijutsu?"He laughed.
"Toads...Heh?"She smiled."Can you summon...Gamabunta?"
The blonde looked at her, a little confused.
"Yeah..But why? He's pretty scary!"
"Then why didn't you summon him to take us down and get Sasuke back?"She raised an eyebrow.
"I..Uhhh"
"Don't tell me you forgot about the toads.."She sighed, looking at him with pity.
" I just forgot...I got distracted..."He mumbled.
Tayuya snorted, trying to hold her laugh.
"It's not funny! Believe it." He grumbled.
"Sure, it isn't." She snickered.
She smiled back, her eyes drifting towards Guren's corpse. She hoped the crystal user would finally find peace in her next life...
The two friends began to search the place, the halls and rooms full of equipment and items. Naruto helping Tayuya to walk. She didn't like to admit it but the fight had taken a lot out of her.
After a couple of hours, the two found a room filled with books and scrolls, the shelves full of research notes and theories. Tayuya grabbed a couple of scrolls, placing them into one of the storage scrolls she found. She turned back to the books, grabbing a couple more, storing them as well in the scroll. She repeated this process until there was nothing left in the room. She sighed as she tilted her head on the side when she found chakra paper, storing it as well. She wondered what the boy's affinity would be. But she wasn't quite satisfied with what she found. It was underwhelming.
Tayuya turned to the blond, who was sitting in a chair, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow, his body still. He looked so peaceful and calm, so unlike the energetic jinchuuriki he was just moments ago. His clothes were torn and dirty, his hair disheveled. His face was still covered in dried blood, his forehead still covered in sweat. The red-haired girl sighed softly, approaching him. She knelt in front of him, her hand gently touching his cheek. His skin felt so warm, so alive. Her fingers trailed along his jawline, her eyes following the movement. She leaned forward, her lips pressing against his cheek, her nose buried in his messy, soft blond hair.
"Thank you."She whispered, a soft smile on her lips.
He opened his eyes, looking at her with curiosity and confusion, his face blushing a deep red. She chuckled lightly, her eyes locked on his blue ones. They were beautiful and deep, full of emotions and feelings. He stared at her, his cheeks turning crimson. His eyes drifted away, shy.
"You know, you're kinda cute when you're all confused... like a lost little puppy.."She teased, getting up, walking away.
"I'm not! Believe it!" He shouted after her.
"Let's seal Guren and find a bed. We'll finish exploring tomorrow. My cute little puppy." She teased him once again, amused.
"I'm not your puppy." He complained.
"You're my puppy. You're just a cute little puppy." She continued to tease him.
"No!" He retorted, annoyed.
"Yes."
"No!"
"Yes."
"No!"
"Yes." She grinned.
"Yes..But..Wait..No! "He finally admitted.
"Gotcha."She chuckled.
Naruto rolled his eyes at her. The red-haired girl snickered again, looking at the blond, whose face was flushed. She walked past him, her fingers gently caressing his cheek. Her touch sent a shiver through his spine.
"I'm going to grab her and seal her. Be right back. Stay put."She explained.
He nodded.
Tayuya walked outside the room and started to look for Guren. After a couple of minutes, she finally found her. The girl was lying on the ground, her body barely recognizable. Tayuya felt a pang of guilt at the sight of the crystal user. She crouched down next to the dead kunoichi, her hand brushing the crystal user's hair out of her face, revealing a small smile.
"No hard feelings...I may have to sell your body to Konoha...Sorry. Rest well, Guren. See you in hell." She whispered softly.
The girl pulled out the sealing scroll from her pouch, and with a swish of her hands, sealed the kunoichi. She stood up and walked back to Naruto, who was waiting patiently.
"Ready to go, Puppy?" She smirked.
He blushed, rubbing his neck, his eyes on the floor.
"Yeah.."He mumbled.
After a couple of minutes of walking, they found what seemed to be a bedroom. She sloppily opened the door. She walked in and threw herself on the bed, sighing softly. Her mind drifted towards the blond, who was standing in the doorway, staring at her. She couldn't help but smile at his expression, the blush on his face, his eyes fixed on her. She wondered why he was so shy...But she found it quite cute...
"Come here, Naruto." She beckoned, patting the bed beside her.
He nodded slowly, stepping forward, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, making him lie next to her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
"Rest for a bit...You did a good job today."She whispered.
"You too.."He yawned.
His arm went around her shoulders, holding her tight. Tayuya smiled softly, her eyes closing, enjoying the warmth radiating from the jinchuuriki's body. He smelled nice too, like sunshine and spring. The redhead fell asleep, her mind wandering towards her blond companion. He was a weird guy..But she liked that.
She enjoyed her time with him and she hoped he would stay with her...
-Some Words-
I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far. I'm kinda enjoying writing this one.
This chapter is also like twice the three previous one? What do you say? Is it too long?
For all of you who say that the Toad's contract would show that Naruto is alive or not...
Well, it doesn't? At least not in the canon. Summoning Contracts also remain active even after death. It has been shown through Edo Tensei.
Unless Naruto summon a toad and said toad snitches on him to Jiraya or something.
Now! Some questions for you all!
What did you think about the fight with Guren? Both Tayuya and Naruto weren't at the top of their condition and Guren wasn't in a favorable place for her fighting style.
Naruto seemed to take a backseat in the planning this chapter. Do you think this suits his character, or would you like to see him take more initiative?
And most importantly...Now that Tayuya found chakra papers...What do you think her affinity and Naruto one will be?