Naruto: Tornado of Souls

The Weasel

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Last update of 2023! The whole part about Melanie and Miltia joining up was cut out of the story this chapter. Adding them was the beginning of the end for the original. It isn't that I don't like the characters, they simply drew away from the main plot at this point without adding anything. Here is chapter 18. Enjoy!

Last time:

The blonde nodded. "I am the container of the Kyubi no Kitsune. That's why so many villagers hate me. I'll understand if any of you girls don't want to be around me anymore. I wanted you all to know because…because I like all of you very much…"

Naruto found himself locked in the embrace of all three girls. He was shocked. Everything was a blur and he started crying as he did his best to hug all the girls back. They were all crying too. Hinata kissed him and said, "Naruto-kun…I wish I had known. I would have been there for you so much sooner."

Blake kissed him as well, "I guess that's why you always smelled like a fox to me Naruto-kun. You've had a terrible burden on you since the day you were born. I would never turn away from you. You just hold the Kyubi; you are you Naruto-kun."

Pyrrha ruffled Naruto's hair and kissed his forehead before she kissed him again on the lips. "I always wondered why people talked the way they did about you. We will keep you safe Naruto-kun."

"Thank you…" whispered Naruto. "You are all so special to me."

The girls all eyed each other and an unwritten war was declared. All three thought, 'Naruto-kun will be mine!'

Oblivious to the fact he had just become a target, Naruto spent the evening with all three girls relaxing and enjoying their company. Blake, Pyrrha and Hinata each kissed Naruto goodnight later that night. Naruto felt better about himself than he had in years. He made a clone to escort each of the girls home.

The blonde ninja thought to himself as he laid down for the night, 'I'll do everything in my power to protect you girls. You are my most precious ones…'

…

Chapter 18

Fire Country, Konoha, Hokage Tower

Late that night while Naruto was settling into bed; the Third Hokage was looking over the latest war reports from the front. 'From what Jiraiya says here there are dozens of underground prisons estimated that may be full of people from ninja clans that were incarcerated for experimentation by Orochimaru.' Hiruzen sighed. 'I considered Orochimaru to be my most prized student. How could he have fallen to this level? Where did I go wrong?'

Equally disturbing were the reports of a massive Nevermore spotted in Ame. No one in Rain Country knew what it was but Sarutobi Hiruzen certainly did. Reading the reports of his agent just last night had been enough to convince the Third Hokage that it was time to set the wheels in motion…Hiruzen didn't want to lose his spy in Ame, but it was time to act. The Akatsuki could evolve into a major threat given time, so the aged Hokage sent out the order and hoped for the best…

"If this is truly what Grimm are capable of then banding nations together could be the only option." thought Hiruzen aloud.

…

Training Ground 52

Team 7 was facing an unexpected situation first thing the next morning…

Naruto, Pyrrha and Blake stared dumbfounded at their sensei. "You want us to learn to dance…" said Naruto in a flat tone.

Kakashi pirouetted and said, "It improves flexibility and body strength as well as coordination. It also is an excellent way to work out."

Blake coughed. "No offense sensei, but seeing you frolic around like that made me throw up a bit in my mouth…"

"Perhaps with some instruction we could all benefit from it." said Pyrrha in a positive tone.

"You already know how to dance well Pyrrha." said Blake mutinously.

Naruto sat down on his rear in the grass and said, "You got this idea from Gai-sensei didn't you Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi gave a double eye smile and then sweat dropped at the three flat stares he was receiving. "…Gai might have had something to do with it…But it really is a good workout…"

Naruto cringed at the idea of Kakashi in green spandex and then remembered Jiraiya's words…

Flashback….

"I'm telling you the truth Naruto." said the white haired sanin "Women love a man that can dance. Nothing sweeps a girl off her feet like a man that can literally sweep them off their feet!"

"And how is that going to help me kick the crap out of Neji in the chunin exams?" asked the orange-loving ninja with a snort.

Jiraiya started counting off the benefits on his fingers. "Increased physical strength, improved cardiovascular flow, greater flexibility, better coordination throughout the body…and above all else; there is nothing like dancing with a hot woman!"

Flashback end…

Naruto pondered dancing with Hinata, Pyrrha and Blake. '…Dancing with a hot woman! …Dancing with a hot woman!' echoed in his mind as he thought about all those luscious curves grinding against his body with a goofy smile. His nose started to trickle blood and the blonde smacked himself. 'Not a pervert!' he thought, sweating.

That's when he saw Pyrrha leaning over, looking into his eyes with concern. "Are you alright Naruto-kun? You just slapped yourself…"

As she leaned over Pyrrha was unintentionally giving Naruto an outstanding view of her generous cleavage and Naruto started to perspire. "I was just thinking… 'just how amazingly hot all you girls are!' …that Kakashi-sensei had better promise to not put us in green spandex."

Blake's usually calm amber eyes shot wide open, and she said, "I'm willing to learn dancing but green spandex is out!"

Pyrrha also was looking at Kakashi with an eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip. "I'm afraid we would have to go into a full revolt if green spandex unitards get involved Kakashi sensei." She said it so politely that the mild killing intent underlying her threat would be missed by the less observant.

Fortunately, Kakashi was very observant. The silver haired jonin sweat dropped and he said, "I swear to you on the honor of the Hatake Clan name that no green spandex will be involved…"

Blake smirked slightly and said, "Well, I'm game if Naruto-kun and Pyrrha-chan are."

Pyrrha nodded. "I'm willing as well. It will help our teamwork."

Naruto stood up and smacked his fist in his palm. "Let's do this then!"

…

Later, loud rock music played and the pile of bodies started to shift. Kakashi's roar of laughter echoed through the forest. Naruto was on the bottom with the two girls were splayed out on top of him. "Ummm…Naruto-kun, I think Kakashi-sensei meant your other left…" muttered Blake.

"I think we were crowding up a bit. We need a little more space between us, so we don't get tangled up." said Pyrrha diplomatically.

"So, this is what grass tastes like…" mumbled Naruto with his face in the dirt.

That's when they heard Yamanaka Ino explode into laughter. "Bwahahaha! We heard music and laughing and decided to investigate but this is better than I thought possible!" the blonde kunoichi guffawed.

Asuma smiled. "What are you doing Kakashi? I'd never subject Team 10 to this kind of torture."

Kakashi clicked off the boom box playing the music and said between snickers, "Actually they were doing really well until that second chorus…then everything kind of imploded."

"You rolling on the ground laughing wasn't the biggest help either Kakashi-sensei!" said Naruto accusingly from his place on the bottom of the pile.

The silver haired jonin said, "But the looks on your faces were priceless! Bwahahaha!"

The three genins of Team 7 rose like creatures of the undead with creepy smiles on their faces and Blake said, "I think it's time for an impromptu spar Kakashi-sensei. Get him guys!"

Team 10 watched with wide eyes as Pyrrha, Blake and Naruto exploded into action to pummel their sensei. Kakashi was still laughing as he fought back their brutal assault.

Choji held out a handful of chips to his teammates and said, "I had no idea they were this strong."

Shikamaru's dark eyes were locked on the battle in front of him. Kakashi was constantly throwing Team 7's tactics off by changing forms but Team 7 was changing gears like a well-oiled machine and didn't let up for a second. "Is this what you mean by full contact sparring Asuma-sensei?" asked the lazy boy with a look of shock. Shikamaru winced as Naruto ricocheted between trees and narrowly missed Kakashi. The ground cratered when Naruto hit in an explosion of chakra.

Ino stared dumbfounded as Blake used the kneeling Naruto as a springboard to make an aerial attack on Kakashi. She made a clone midflight that Kakashi dispelled only for the real Blake to plow into him. The silver haired sensei used the cat eared girl's momentum against her and flipped her over his shoulder sending Blake flying into the trees. She stuck to the bottom of a large branch and got ready to strike again.

Pyrrha was a blur in motion as she attacked Kakashi head on with a fearsome taijutsu combo. Asuma whistled lowly as the titian haired tigress moved. Kakashi hit Pyrrha with an uppercut only for her to convert that momentum into a spin kick that the scarecrow had to lean back to avoid. Kakashi was then attacked from behind by Naruto which forced the jonin to leap…right into the flight path of Blake who landed a solid kick.

Kakashi held up his hand and all three genins stopped. They had him surrounded. Kakashi scratched his chin. "Not bad kids. I was moving at jonin speeds for a change. I think we need to increase your weights again."

Asuma chuckled as his three genin's jaws dropped. Ino said incredulously, "You mean you guys were just sparring? I thought you were trying to murder Kakashi-sensei!"

Pyrrha laughed. "Well…we weren't holding back but all of us trust each other to pull our punches to avoid any unnecessary injuries. It isn't called full contact sparring for nothing you know."

"Troublesome." said Shikamaru as he sat down. "I'm exhausted just from watching that so called spar."

Asuma smiled and patted the shoulders of Shikamaru and Choji. "You three have nothing to worry about. You'll be at that level soon enough. Your teamwork is excellent."

"Really Asuma-sensei?" asked Choji. "They were so fast I could hardly follow."

"You must have really been cracking the whip hard Kakashi." said Asuma as he lit up a cigarette. "That was an outstanding spar though." he added in praise.

Kakashi shook his head, "Actually I'm working hard myself. Team 7 is determined to push themselves to the next level every day. If I don't keep up, I'll be in a world of hurt." He turned to his team. "Let's take a break guys."

The three genins of Team 7 flopped down under the shade of the big tree they always had lunch under. Pyrrha said, "Why don't you come over and join us Ino-chan? Team 10 looks tired."

Choji said, "I think just watching you guys in high-speed combat wore us out." He and his teammates sat down with Team 7 under the big tree. "So how long have you guys been sparring at that level?"

Naruto replied, "After our battle in Midori Village we all decided to take it up a notch. We need to be prepared for anything." Naruto took off his jacket and shook the dirt off it. "Actually, I think dancing is harder than sparring."

Ino was staring at Naruto's physique and saw he only had a mesh shirt on under his jacket. She drooled slightly. "Naruto; since when have you been all muscle?"

Naruto explained, "Ever since that Oto agent Kidōmaru tried to kill me, I've been working out hard and eating right to improve my stamina and muscle tone. Choji's family has been a big help because they put me on a special diet; right Choji?"

The big boned boy nodded vigorously. "We sure have Naruto. You guys should have seen Naruto after the attack. When he got out of the hospital, he was skin and bones. I'm glad we could help."

'He looks good enough to eat.' thought Ino lasciviously. 'He should leave that jacket off all the time.'

Blake was quietly observing Ino. 'What's she doing taking a walk all over my boyfriend with her eyes?' The feline faunus girl cleared her throat, "So Ino, what brings Team 10 out this way anyway?"

Ino tore her eyes away from Naruto and said, "We were looking for a large training ground to practice our jutsus today and then we heard music playing over here." She chuckled. "That's when we saw you guys in your epic dog pile on the ground."

Team 7 would never live this down…

…

Rain Country, Ame Village

Uchiha Itachi opened his coded orders and then quietly sighed. He burned them to ash with a small fire jutsu and went down to the infirmary where Tobi –or Madara –or whoever the Uchiha was laid there stubbornly clinging to life. It was rare to ever see the man with his mask off (Itachi had only seen it once before) but the true leader of Akatsuki was currently helpless as a baby.

Itachi emotionlessly pulled his tanto and cleanly removed the head of Tobi in one precise cut. The soft flesh of Tobi's neck gave little to no resistance against the razor-sharp steel of Itachi's blade. Itachi then sealed up the head in a scroll and turned to leave in absolute silence…

Itachi saw his partner Kisame standing in the doorway blocking the exit. Kisame said, "Why did you kill Tobi? Who are you working for?"

The Uchiha said emotionlessly, "Don't play dumb Kisame. You know Leader-sama answered to Tobi…He was a threat to the peace that I want in this world."

The shark like man said, "So you still work for the Hidden Leaf…?" Seeing Itachi nod; Kisame looked thoughtful for a moment and then stepped aside. "Leader-sama will be displeased but…I'm no match for you. I was never here." Kisame vanished in a body flicker.

Within the hour Itachi left Ame and donned a mask he hadn't worn in years. It was his ANBU Weasel mask. Shedding his Akatsuki robes for good ANBU Weasel headed for the Fire Country border and his home, Konoha…

…

Rice Country, Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters

While his brother was speeding towards home, Sasuke was sparring with his sword instructor as his concubine/wife Karin watched. "You're so amazing Sasuke-kun!" said Karin with stars in her eyes.

Watching over this from the ledge above was a thoroughly unimpressed kunoichi; Guren of the crystal release. "You want me to serve as this…weakling's…wife Orochimaru-sama? I don't know what to say."

Orochimaru smiled and said, "His potential to be my next body is limitless Guren-chan. I know you are disappointed, but he should be able to give you powerful children. I have great plans for the new Uchiha Clan which will be at my beck and call. If a child could be conceived with both the sharingan and your crystal release, imagine the possibilities."

Guren frowned and said, "I thought that two kekkei genkai would cancel each other out and leave the offspring with neither ability."

"While that's within the realm of possibility; the child having multiple bloodlines is also a possibility." said Orochimaru. "Also, I believe you could help me mold Sasuke-kun into a much more powerful ninja that will serve me loyally. The boy's thirst for power sometimes makes him forget his station. That is a flaw I would like you to get rid of."

The blue haired kunoichi sighed. "I will follow your wishes of course Orochimaru-sama."

The white snake smiled widely and said, "Do not fear bending him to your will. The boy needs discipline and as his concubine you can provide it in ways that others can't. Just get to know Sasuke-kun first. Don't even hint around that you are more than a sparring partner and instructor." He patted Guren's shoulder and left her to watch over Sasuke's spar by herself.

Guren looked down at Sasuke with disdain and saw his three tomoe sharingan spinning wildly as he sparred with his sword instructor. She also noted his curse seal. 'This boy is nothing special except for his eyes. He's leeching off Orochimaru-sama's power with that curse seal. It will be a long time before I view him worthy of even touching me…'

…

Kabuto wondered about Guren's position on this matter. After Kimimaro, Guren was the most suitable to become Orochimaru's next vessel. Even Kabuto feared her power. The bespectacled medic asked, "Is this wise Orochimaru-sama? I cannot see Guren willingly letting Sasuke have his way with her the way his two current concubines do."

"I'm counting on that Kabuto." said Orochimaru. Seeing Kabuto's confused look the snake Sannin said, "I intended to instruct Sasuke-kun personally but with the fall of Oto I have too much to do before I can teach him properly. Guren-chan won't bed him until she's satisfied that he is worthy of her. She will train him into the ground in my place. I assure you she will be a harsh taskmaster and make Sasuke-kun stronger. She knows better than to harm him too much…If they do end up conceiving powerful children then it will be a bonus."

Kabuto nodded in understanding. "Forgive me for questioning your judgment Orochimaru-sama. I have much to learn."

"You simply weren't looking far enough ahead Kabuto-kun." said Orochimaru. "Come my apprentice, there are many tasks at hand. Sasuke-kun is in good hands with Guren-chan."

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Training Ground 9

Maito Gai looked a bit harried. He was attempting to introduce the new (temporary) team member of Team 9 to Tenten and Neji. Unfortunately, said team member introduced himself.

"Hello bun head; dickless. My name is Sai." said the ROOT trainee that had skin that was white as a sheet.

Tenten was a bit dumbfounded by Sai's introduction, but Neji was pissed. "Who are you calling dickless you pale skinned freak of nature?!" roared Neji.

Gai took a pontificating tone. "Sai; you should treat your comrades with respect! We must fan your Flames of Youth! Clearly, they are just sparks now but we will turn them into a blazing inferno!"

Sai stared at Gai for a few seconds as if the Green Beast had sprouted a second head. "I have read that nicknames are a good way to make friends sensei. Dickless here seems fine with it."

Tenten was holding Neji back from murdering their new teammate and Gai just face palmed.

It took some serious effort to render Maito Gai speechless…

…

Konoha Market District, Dango Shop

Team 8 was having an early lunch before they started their second patrol, and they were discussing the situation with the Creatures of Grimm. Kurenai had the memorandum regarding the creatures and was showing the pictures to her genin. Naturally Hinata was able to tell them a lot because she'd dealt with them a great deal in her previous existence. "So essentially these creatures exist to destroy humans and were spawned in some sort of pit in Remnant?" asked Kurenai.

"That's it in a nutshell Kurenai-sensei." said Hinata. "That doesn't explain their presence here in the Elemental Countries though. Kakashi-sensei and I have theorized that they may have come over the same way I did."

"And they actually evaporate when they are killed?" asked Kiba. Seeing Hinata nod he said, "That's really creepy."

The Byakugan Princess hummed in agreement. "They seem to leave some sort of body behind here though so it's clear that they've adapted in some way. I wish I knew more but the best thing we can do is exterminate the creatures before they grow too strong."

"It is most distressing that any of this happened Hinata." said Shino. "On the other hand, we would have lost you if it had not happened so as far as I'm concerned the good outweighs the bad."

Hinata smiled and said, "Thank you Shino-kun."

"Now if we could just get this damn war with Oto over with…" said Kiba.

Everyone shared the same sentiments on that subject…

…

Yakiniku Q Restaurant

Meanwhile Teams 7 and 10 decided to have lunch together at Ino's suggestion. They sat down in the Yakiniku Q restaurant and the blonde kunoichi said, "Take your jacket off Naruto-kun; you might as well sit down and relax."

Pyrrha's green eyes narrowed, and she saw Blake's jaw tense. 'Blake-chan's right; Ino-chan is interested in Naruto-kun. I'd have never dreamed it a while ago when she was trying to convert us to the Cult of Sasukeism.' The redhead sweat dropped. 'Of course, she thought Blake-chan was from the Village Hidden in Mascara or something too…I never did figure out if Ino was sober or drunk when she came up with that idea…'

While Pyrrha was having less than polite thoughts; Blake's were downright vengeful. She was letting off a bit of unfocused killing intent, but Naruto reached over and held her hand under the table. 'I wonder what has Blake-chan so tense.' "Is everything okay Blake-chan?" asked the orange loving ninja.

The cat eared girl relaxed a bit and smiled weakly. She said, "I guess I'm just really hungry Naruto-kun." 'That and Ino is trying to eye-rape you and I want to smack her upside the head.'

Naruto smiled and nodded. 'I hope that's all. I'd swear her hand was creeping towards her Gambol Shroud a minute ago.' he thought worriedly.

"I'm really hungry myself." commented Choji.

Ino sweat dropped. "You're always hungry Choji."

"Looks like the food is here." said Asuma deflecting the escalating discussion that would inevitably lead to Choji's plumpness being brought into question…

…

Rice Country, Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters

It took time, but Sakura made it to the Northern Base after a huge detour to avoid the Konoha forces. Her visible green eye glinted in the darkness of the tunnels. "I need a new sword thanks to that bitch Pyrrha." she muttered angrily to herself. Her mood changed to happiness, and she wondered aloud, "I wonder when Ino-chan will come out to join us. It's going to be hard linking up with her again." Then she thought darkly. 'Now I have to deal with that bimbo Karin. I hope Sasuke-kun isn't angry at me for not getting Ino.' "Who gave Sasuke the right to judge me anyway? He's so lousy in bed. He needs to be punished for leaving me so unsatisfied…"

As the rosette wandered through the narrow passages to the rooms she shared with Sasuke and Karin, she ran into Kabuto who wore his usual disarming smile. "Ah, good afternoon, Sakura-chan. It's good to see you back safely. How did it go?"

The rosette growled. "Everything was fine until that whore Pyrrha Nikos intervened. She cost me my jian and prevented Ino from killing Ayano. I hate that girl!" Then Sakura's voice changed to a happy tone. "But I'm sooo happy to be back home with my Sasuke-kun!"

'She's erratic as ever…' thought Kabuto. "Well, I'll see about getting you a new sword out of the armory Sakura-chan. I'll need a written report from you on your mission for Orochimaru-sama of course."

Sakura's visible green eye turned hard as diamond as she glared at Kabuto. "I'll be interested in hearing how we lost all of Oto Village to Konoha. Getting around the enemy's forces was hell."

Kabuto said in a pacifying tone, "I'm afraid that we ran into a few…setbacks just as you did. Orochimaru-sama will be expecting a report from you though, so I ask that you take care of it."

Sakura glared and said, "Fine, I'll get a scroll. -Then I can see Sasuke-kun!" she said all too happily.

Within the hour Kabuto had a very concise report of Sakura's mission. As he read it, he noticed something disturbing. 'There are two styles of handwriting here…When she's describing something positive her handwriting is very girly and rounded but when she's writing a negative comment her kanji becomes very stilted and blocky. Did the Curse Seal cause her to develop a split personality?! I thought she actually died but then she steadied out. This is distressing. If she's going to be my apprentice in the medical field, I need to know what's going on inside her head.' Kabuto made some notations and took the report to Orochimaru.

…

"…And those are my findings my Lord." said Kabuto to his master. "I can't imagine anything else that would cause such a thing. Her inconsistency and erratic mood swings would be explained by a split personality. One seems to be extremely positive and the other is the polar opposite coming across as totally negative."

Orochimaru scratched his chin. "This is most interesting. I wonder if the chakra from the Cursed Seal triggered a preexisting condition or if she developed it afterwards. None of the other Cursed Seal users had a reaction anything even resembling this. What do we know about her 'switch?' Is there anything that triggers the change?"

Kabuto sighed. "The only thing I've found that is truly consistent is she always keeps her sunny disposition when she's around Sasuke-kun. Otherwise, she seems rather random although her negative side comes out more when she is alone. She often talks to herself as well although I don't know if she realizes this. Some of her comments I've overheard indicate a love/hate relationship with Sasuke-kun."

"Such as?" asked Orochimaru curiously.

The bespectacled nin sweat dropped. "Apparently Sasuke-kun doesn't live up to her expectations in bed…"

Orochimaru looked a bit dumbfounded for a moment and then roared in laughter. "My, my. It seems that Sakura-chan is quite a little spitfire. Keep an eye on her Kabuto. I'll be interested in seeing how this situation develops."

Kabuto bowed and said in a harried voice, "As you wish Orochimaru-sama…"

…

Wind Country, Suna Village

Rasa and his two sons Kankuro and Gaara were standing in silence at the grave markers for Kurara and Temari. The Kazekage said, "I've always tried to do my best for Suna. First, I lost Kurara and cursed Gaara in the process and now I've lost Temari. I don't deserve to be called a Father. I'm at my wit's end with the Wind Daimyo giving all his business to Konoha."

The Kazekage turned to his two remaining children and said, "I see now that the war with Konoha would have been a disaster. Oto is in ruins and the Hokage and his forces are stronger than ever. I ask you boys, what would you do?"

Kankuro said, "The Wind Daimyo is going to lead us all to destruction. We must appeal to one of the Daimyo's heirs that are sympathetic to our cause."

Gaara stared at Temari's grave for some time and said, "War with Konoha and Fire Country is not the answer. We should open talks with the Hokage and explain our situation to him. We are supposed to be allies after all. Surely there is a way to settle this diplomatically. If I can overcome Shukaku then Suna can overcome this crisis."

Rasa looked at his two sons and realized that they were no longer children but young men. He shed a single tear and said, "Kurara lives on through both of you. I will write a message to the Hokage and Suna will get through this."

…

Rice Country, Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters

While the Kazekage was talking with his sons in Suna, Sasuke was sparring with Guren in Rice. The avenger's body skidded across the floor, and he dropped his sword with a clatter. He groaned and Karin and Sakura both cried out, "Sasuke-kun!"

"Oh please…" said Guren darkly. "Even with a sword you can't touch me Uchiha. This is a taijutsu only spar. You're as weak as a baby. Get up. We're not done sparring yet. And leave that sword over there with Sakura before you hurt yourself."

Sasuke coughed and got up on his hands and knees. "Bitch…I don't need my sword to defeat you…" He slid his sword over in front of Sakura and said hoarsely, "Watch over that Sakura-chan."

Sakura picked up the katana and sheathed it. 'Sasuke…this is pathetic.' she thought in a dark voice. 'Naruto is stronger than this. I saw him sparring with Jiraiya-sama and he always got up for more in an instant. Guren's attacks are love taps compared to Jiraiya-sama's. Sasuke isn't worthy of me...' thought the rosette darkly as she watched Sasuke getting his ass handed to him by Guren. 'Naruto…'

'Shut up you!' thought Sakura angrily. 'Sasuke-kun is my dream man!' she thought in a shrill voice.

'You may have me imprisoned but I can think all I want to Sakura!' growled her darker voice. 'Sasuke's not fit to lick our boots. I'd rather have little blondes than little Uchihas. You'll see that I'm right you simpleton.'

"Damn you bitch!" shrieked Sakura aloud as Sasuke hit the floor unconscious.

Guren chuckled. "If you want to help Sasuke then yapping like a pink Pomeranian isn't going to do all that much Sakura. You should focus on getting stronger." Guren had no idea that Sakura's outburst was directed entirely at some else instead of her…

…

That evening, Sasuke grunted as he released inside of Sakura and basically collapsed on top of her from exertion. As he panted tiredly the rosette below him thought, 'Same old missionary position. Same old wearing himself out before I get off. It's a good thing I have fingers, or I'd die of boredom…' She felt Sasuke roll off her and turn away before he fell asleep. 'This is pathetic. Karin says he's wonderful but she's either easy to please or is just plain lying…'

'Sasuke-kun is giving his all; you're just too demanding!' said Sakura to herself.

'Bullshit!' growled the darker half. 'Now I have to get myself off again damn it!' She thought evilly to her other half, 'Let's fantasize about Naruto while we fuck our self…'

'Don't you dare think about Naruto-baka you hussy!' shrieked Sakura as the darker half laughed…

…

Rice Country, Outer defense perimeter of Oto Village

While Sakura was dealing with one form of torment, Jiraiya was dealing with another. The tunnels leading into Oto Village led to numerous underground holding facilities full of prisoners just as Tayuya's maps indicated. The entire Konoha invasion was bogged down just as Orochimaru predicted and they weren't even in Oto Village proper yet. Jiraiya was disgusted with his ex-teammate's total lack of respect for human life. 'This place is a nightmare, not a village.' thought the white haired Sannin to himself. They eventually stumbled upon The Pit that was clearly marked on the map as an area to avoid. Several Konoha troops got sick just smelling the stench of the rotting corpses in that hole in the ground.

Shikaku was confounded with how many prisoners/refugees that the Konoha forces already had liberated and there were surely more to come. The ninjas infiltrating the prison areas found that the places were abandoned by the guards, and it was simply a matter of cutting the locks to get the prisoners out. Keeping the refugees orderly and leading them to the safety of the surface was a difficult task to say the least. It was a logistical nightmare to care for the people as well. Feeding hundreds of refugees wasn't something the Konoha forces were prepared for, but they managed to empty the outer fortifications of the food stocks to help the former prisoners out.

As for the Oto troops themselves, the soldiers on the outer edges of the village were filled with nothing but apathy. The remaining Oto forces that wanted to fight were holed up in the tunnels and fortifications deep in the village proper. Most of the outer area defenders served Orochimaru out of fear. Since he had abandoned them most surrendered in the face of the advancing Konoha forces without question. Quietly surrendering seemed to be preferable to fighting to the death…

"I've never seen an army so demoralized in my life." said Jiraiya. "Orochimaru left them nothing to fight for."

Shikaku shook his head. "I guess Orochimaru planned for these people to throw their lives away in his name. There are so many underground places where Orochimaru's troops were abandoned that desolation is all they know of. It's no wonder they are surrendering without a fight. Most of them aren't even ninjas; just local militias formed to fight us."

Jiraiya growled, "And while we try to help these poor people Orochimaru has made a clean getaway. God damn him!"

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Hokage Tower

Luckily for the people of Rice Country, the Third Hokage had dealt with crisis situations like famine and drought before. Considering what reports had flowed in about possible prisoners, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already put plans for relief in motion. It was very fortunate that Fire Country had a bumper crop problem that year. Without enough places to store the grains there was a huge potential loss of food that was going to literally rot away. Caravans were already being set up to send aid to the Rice Country refugees. In addition, most of the ex-prisoners were completely innocent and just wanted to get out of Rice Country.

The Fire Daimyo mercifully sent his samurai to the Rice Country border to receive the influx of immigrants that would no doubt result from this situation. For now, the plans to invade Oto Village proper were on hold until the refugee situation was taken care of. The entire area surrounding Oto was encompassed by Konoha forces that were getting the innocent people out. It would be some time before an assault was mounted by Jiraiya's forces. It was a victory of sorts but a hollow one. Orochimaru had escaped but Rice Country was essentially freed of his influence. The Daimyo of Rice Country already was negotiating a peace with the Fire Country Daimyo's representatives, and he had ordered Oto Village to surrender to the Konoha Forces.

The remaining Oto forces hadn't made a move to fight or to surrender. For the time being it was simply a stalemate.

All Jiraiya could do at this point was sit and wait…

…

POSTSCRIPT:

See you next time. Blue out. 12/30/23