Hello! I'm almost done with school, and hopefully, it will be straight to a good job! Nothing much else going on...I'm just happy that Kishimoto decided to make Itachi a good guy after all. I'm also a bit sad that the anime industry in America is dying...it also makes me mad so many fans don't care. These companies are really trying to make anime accessible for everyone, and I'd rather watch anime on a TV than on Youtube. Besides, shoot me if you must, but I prefer dubs. It's still the same show, it's easier to relax and enjoy it, and if you've got a friend you're trying to get into anime, dubs are generally the best way to go (because most want to watch movies, not read them). So please, if a series is distributed here, and you like it, buy it. This is the best time to buy anime right now. I just got the entire first half of Gundam Seed for forty bucks! It won't cost you much, and should easily be within reach of your allowence.
Alright. I'm done preaching.
Mrfipp: Yeah, from what I have seen, there are no fight scenes involving Konohamaru. If he's going to be a ninja, none of these ridiculous filler villans I've heard about should be accepted. As for that line, I'm not much of a Charlton Heston fan, but I figured given his passing at this time, a lot of people would enjoy the reference.
Pirogeth: Yeah, cliffhangers are like a drug. Sorry, but they are neccesary.
bfavregb1: I'm sure this chapter will make give you ten orgasims if you liked the last one that much. And Akatsuki won't show up yet...but soon!
animeforever1: And you shall be rewarded!
H.I.M.-Jon-White: I'm flattered. I'm very busy right now writing this fic, checking out others...and with life in general. But I'll make a note of it.
Disclaimer: God...let's skip it just this once...please?
Sasuke stared at Naruto quizzically. Just how did he expect to defeat him now? "Sorry, dobe. I kinda doubt that you got what it takes to beat me." The Uchiha brought the jinchuriki to face him, and noted that his face was unusually serious. "But, then again…I've been wrong about a lot things concerning you before. So show me, Naruto!!"
Sasuke dropped his former friend and watched him fall. He wasn't worried that Naruto would die; he survived many things that should've killed him before, even with the fox locked away. Naruto turned around and formed a seal…
"I just have one question." Orochimaru said as he reached down his throat and retrieved another one of his swords. "Just how did you get inside? This is a new type of barrier. There's no way that even the ANBU could have figured out how to crack it."
Sakura, her expression dead serious, said "True. There's nothing about this barrier on our records. But no matter what kind of barrier you erect, they all follow some common rules. When you assassinated the Sandaime, you had your henchmen erect the barrier. To get around that one, someone had to get really high and over the top to get past it, which unfortunately no one got an opportunity to. This time, you used seals to erect it. They are weakest not on the top, but at the bottom. Or to be more precise, underground. So, I got a well known Doton user to form a tunnel."
Orochimaru was actually quite impressed. He turned to Tsunade and grinned. "My, your apprentice keeps amazing me every second!! I should congratulate you!! If you asked me for advice whether to mentor her or not, I would've told you that you're wasting your time!!" Orochimaru took a second to lick his sword and grinned madly. "Well, you've come very far, but I believe you may have forgotten one thing about this barrier!!"
Sakura sweated, but answered for him. "I know. Once a tunnel opens up underneath, there's not much time to get through."
Shiguri finished his seals. It took him some convincing to help them. He was still bitter about his disqualification back at the exams. However, when Yuji urged him to, he finally gave in to their demands and did it. "Doton! Mole Tunnel no Jutsu!!" Like the name suggested, a tunnel formed. Shiguri kept at it for a good minute, understanding that it needed to be deep underground, and finally, collapsed from exhaustion. "That's all I've got. Hurry."
Sakura then led her comrades down through the tunnel, hoping to overpower Orochimaru with sheer numbers. Though she wanted to finish off the sanin herself, she knew that such a task was suicide. She looked back to her comrades, feeling a brief sense of calm flow throughout her body. However, at the midpoint, she heard one of the ANBU scream. She turned around to see that the barrier descended and separated her from her comrades. "Hake! Are you alright!?"
Hake, otherwise known as Sai, got up, after the others put out the fire around his body. "I'll be fine. We'll get Naka to-"
Sakura nodded no. "He is one of the best Doton users here, but he used up all of his chakra. And Yamato is with Kakashi. I'm sorry…but it looks like I'm going to have to do this alone. The fight will end one way or another. If I'm not alive…you and the squad stand by to take Orochimaru down." Sakura was about to take off, but something stopped her. "Hake. I need you to give a message to Naruto, should anything happen to me." Hake nodded, indicating that he was listening. "Tell Naruto I-" Some lump caught her throat. At first, she couldn't say it. Then her mind told her she forgot what it was she wanted to say. She then felt more confusion and uncertainty than she ever had before. Then, she realized she wasted too much time. "Forget it." she told Sai. With that out of the way, Sakura ran ahead…
"I see." Orochimaru said, rubbing his chin. "I'm not ungrateful with this turn of events, but you should have waited to find a way to get back-up. Alone, you can't win."
Sakura coldly replied "If I did wait, our Hokage would probably be dead by now."
Orochimaru snickered. "True enough. Now, let's see just how far you've come!!" Orochimaru's neck extended and headed right for Sakura…
Shikamaru collapsed as he took another slash to his back.
"Hahaha. Please tell me you're powerless!! I'll make your death so much slower!!"
Shikamaru struggled to get up. Just how many cuts did he have on him? "By now, I must be the spitting image of my old man." He thought. Shikamaru got up, but instead of begging, he released his Kage Mane again.
Shumokuzame, however, saw it coming and leaped straight up. Before he touched down, he spat a shuriken from his mouth. Its point lodged itself in Shikamaru's shoulder, who knelt down in pain. "Face it, Shadow boy! You're out of tricks! It's time for you to become my trophy!!" Shumokuzame paused to lick his fingers. "After you, there's the other two. I'll have to record my fight with the fat guy; it's getting hard to prove that someone with his build is tough these days. And I actually saw a picture of this Ino…" Shumokuzame started to chuckle in the most disgusting manner Shikamaru ever heard. "Oh, I've got to make sure she's alive at least for a few minutes before I kill her…"
Romantic love didn't drive him to do it, but anger surged through Shikamaru, causing him to shoot up and punch one of the swordsmen, for all the good it would do him. The other kicked him in the head, and the bladed one stabbed him right in the leg. Shikamaru stumbled back, confused and panicked. For once, he didn't know what to do.
"Oh stop it. You stopped being fun a while ago." Shumokuzame raised his arm. "Goodbye. It was fun while it lasted. If you're ever reincarnated and put in a similar situation…I suggest you make it last if you want to keep your life." He swung…and was suddenly blown away.
"What the hell?" Shikamaru asked.
"I can't believe you would loose to a guy like this!"
Shikamaru looked to his side, and found Temari on top one of the buildings, with her fan open. For a second, he smiled….and then scowled. "I hate to break it to ya, but that's a frikin' mist swordsman right there!!"
Temari rode on her fan towards him. Touching down, she also gave him a look of annoyance "So? If I remember correctly, you've taken out a member of the Akatsuki before you even met this guy." Shikamaru mumbled in response. "What?" Temari asked. "Am I being troublesome again?"
"You pick the weirdest time to tease." Shikamaru thought. He then told Temari "Right now everything has crossed that point. You wouldn't believe what kind of day I had."
Shikamaru suddenly grabbed Temari and spun her around. Several kunai were pinned in the area where she was standing just a second ago. "I'm getting careless." Temari thought as she berated herself.
Shikamaru took the opportunity to attack again. "Kage Mane!"
A Shumokuzame duplicate got caught in the shadow, and was forced to punch the other. "You ass!" the other one shouted. Shikamaru disconnected himself from his victim before the two got into a full-blown fist fight.
The real Shumokuzame stood on a water tower, amused. Who was that kunoichi? "Hmm. That's not Ino. But she's still quite a looker." The swordsman touched down, and faced the kunoichi, who unconsciously scooted closer to Shikamaru. Shumokuzame put on the best smile he could without looking like a total freak (arguably impossible to do) and smoothed out his hair. "Hello there." He said in the smoothest voice possible. He then held out his hand, as if asking for a dance. "May I request the pleasure of fighting with you?"
Temari smirked at him and said "Of course. But on one condition."
"Oh?"
Temari pointed her fan at Shikamaru. "You fight us both!"
Shumokuzame laughed, as if rejecting a ridiculous proposal. "Suit yourself! I don't know what you see in that looser, but if you're the one in the middle, threesomes suit me just fine!!"
The leaf and sand nin just gave looks of disgust in response to that statement, which they couldn't be sure was intentional or not. "That is wrong on so many levels." Temari groaned.
"Now you see why I stopped saying troublesome for today."
The two got ready for battle, a kunai and fan in hand. "So," Temari asked, "think you can think up a way to beat this guy?"
Shikamaru at first struggled to find the answer. Then he reminded himself that this was an ally he could trust. He replied "I haven't thought of one yet, but with your help, an opportunity might present itself."
"Umph!" Jiraya grunted from a kick he received by Akkisebre.
"I'm disappointed. I thought fighting a sanin would be a thrill. It looks like I was wrong." The rings on Shachi rang again, causing Jiraya to wince in pain.
"If only I could block that sound. I can't fight it so long as I hear it, but earplugs won't do any good." The sanin was kicked again, and landed in a pile of mud. He really wasn't having a good day."Great, how am I going to find the time to get this gunk out of….wait, that's it!" Jiraya struggled up, feeling like he would hurl any minute. "Focus." he told himself. Jiraya finally stood, and stared the boy down. Then, he yelled "Gamayudan!!" Instead of shooting his gunk forward, he shot it straight up.
"Hah!! You missed!!" The oil finally reached its peak, and fell right on top of Jiraya. Akkisebre swung his father wildly once more. "Bah!!" shouted Shachi. "I've always heard you were the clown of the group, but this is ridiculous!! I'm going to make your death as painful as possible!!" Jiraya held his head and screamed as the sound tortured him. "Now, Akkisebire, cut his limbs, but leave the body intact!!" Akkisebire began to do what he was told…and was immediately kicked in the opposite direction. As he struggled up, his father screamed "How!? How is that possible!?" A moment of silence passed, and the mist nin figured it out. "So, you didn't miss after all."
Jiraya, covered in oil, just smirked. He put his hand to his ear and shouted "What's that!? I can't hear you!!"
Akkisebre simply twirled his blade and got into a guard.
"So, round two begins." Shachi seethed.
Lei Gong and Konohamaru continued to trade punches, both getting tired. Konohamaru's strikes were stronger and faster than that of the aging swordsman's. But the swordsman was more experienced, and his strikes were more precise. On top of that, he could predict what Konohamaru would do next. Soon, he caught the chunin on the side of the neck. Konohamaru staggered, and was thrown across the ground.
Lei Gong then prepared another jutsu. "Suiton!! Suinishikihebi!!"
Konohamaru was immediately constricted by a tentacle of water that felt more like iron, and brought him to his knees, screaming in pain. "There's got to be a way outta this!! Normal attack jutsus won't do much good!! I need help!!" Konohamaru thought desperately about how to contact help from the outside.
"I suggest you hurry up and either think of a way out of that jutsu or die! The chakra ceiling is already half-way down!!" Lei Gong shouted.
When it occurred to the young Sarutobi that help was not coming from outside, he would have to use a different source. He bit his thumb and got ready…
Udon breathed one final fireball into the water wall and collapsed. It was still there, and even if Udon managed to get rid of it, he would be completely out of chakra, which he was at that very moment. "What do I do now…"
"Udon!"
Udon turned to his side to find feet coming towards him. The anonymous person squatted down to his field of vision, and Udon saw a blood-stained Ebisu. "Hey." Udon replied weakly. "Konohamaru's in a bit of a pickle right now."
Ebisu didn't have his usual sunglasses on, so he just stared at the wall. He then stood up. Udon expected him to panic, but to his surprise, he remained calm. "Yes, I can see that. It's going to take time, but I may have a way of getting in."
"Please…" Konohamaru pleaded to no one in particular. "Come out!!" Konohamaru stretched his arm, and placed his bleeding thumb on the ground, shouting "Summoning jutsu!!" A puff of smoke formed, revealing three monkeys. All three were white, but differed in size and clothing. The largest had extremely spiky hair, and wore some kanji symbol that was indecipherable to Konohamaru. It also carried a bow staff. The middle one wore a cape that appeared to have armor underneath it, and only the front end of his hair stuck out. The smallest was about as big as Konohamaru, but he had a feeling power radiated from this one too. Its hair seemed to be in a buzz cut, and only wore a dark vest with gold trimmings.
"It's been a while since we were summoned, dad." The middle one said.
"It's been a while since YOU TWO were summoned!!" the little one screamed. "This is MY first time!" he emphasized, pointing to himself.
"This could be either a good thing or a really bad thing." Konohamaru thought grimly. He heard the more talkative summons were the most trouble.
"Trust me, son, you're going to like this." The large one said, beating his chest and smiling. It then turned around to Konohamaru. "First thing's first." It walked over, gripped the water rope around Konohamaru, and ripped it.
"Thanks." Konohamaru wheezed, clutching his side.
Hmph." The large one said. "You should have summoned us before you were injured. Summons fight WITH their master, not FOR them."
"My apologies. But I'm not hurt that bad." Konohamaru got in line with them and into a fighting stance. "So, you three ready to help me kick this guy's ass?" The three only roared and beat the ground in response. But that was all Konohamaru needed. He smiled and said "I'll take that as a yes."
Naruto finished his last seal. "I'll show you, Sasuke; whether you're a human or a demon, I have what it takes to stop you! Futon! Gyakufunsha no Jutsu!!" Naruto's body expanded to an inhuman width, and the jinchuriki shot fourth a huge blast of air towards the ground. It didn't damage anything down there, let alone Sasuke up above. Instead the gust made him shoot straight up. Fast.
"What the-!?" Sasuke dodged the incoming Naruto only by an inch. All of the air Naruto shot out eventually expired, and he fell like a stone once more. Normally, he would have panicked at the supposed lack of foresight, but he had a plan. He tried to reach for Sasuke, but the rouge nin kicked him away before he could touch him. But Naruto, just like back in the day, was excellent at improvising.
"Kage Bushin!" A make shift rope of Narutos immediately grabbed onto Sasuke's foot, and if he was using his new form of teleportation, Naruto was probably the one on top. Sure enough, the top one got on top of Sasuke as the other bushins fell. Naruto pulled on the Uchiha's wings and veered him toward the earth.
"Hey! Get off of me!!" Sasuke rotated in an attempt to shake Naruto off, but by then they were at a safe height, so Naruto simply jumped down.
The blonde' s head turned as he saw Gamabunta in the coils of Manda. The toad screamed when the giant snake spat an acidic substance into his eye. Naruto was momentarily distracted by the battle when he sensed Sasuke beginning to pounce on him. Naruto pulled out a three-pronged kunai and shouted "Fusansensa!" Sasuke stumbled back, feeling something cut him. Whatever it was, he wasn't bleeding, but the wound was there just the same.
Sasuke held his wound and looked at Naruto's weapon. "It's the type of weapon I've heard the Yodaime use!" he thought. Wind chakra stretched from the ends, making it look like a cross between a trident and a sai.
Normally, the two would have engaged in battle by now. But Naruto wasn't the type to leave a friend, even a summon, to fight when it meant certain death."I'll be right back." Naruto said. The jinchuriki ran toward the summons battle, hoping he would make it in time. Due to the imbalance of chakra within his system, he had to make another bushin to form his Rasengan. A small annoyance. Naruto ran up Gamabunta's head and hit Sasuke's summon right in the stomach. It didn't hurt enough to make it collapse, but it did loosen its hold on its prey. Naruto slapped Gamabunta's head, signaling it was him."Chief, give me some oil!!" The toad did so, and Naruto added some fire to it. "Gamyuendan!!" This time Manda did not have enough time to shed his skin and escape. The snake burned up, but he didn't die. Naruto was mentally preparing to fight with his summon, but he soon learned Sasuke would have none of it. He turned around and ducked a slice from Sasuke's sword in the nick of time. He was at the edge of his toad's head, so Naruto had to flip down from parts of the giant amphibian's body until he reached ground level. At the same time, Sasuke touched down, and attacked. Naruto continued to back away, with Sasuke catching up to him quick. The avenger found an opening, and thrust!! Little did he know, that's exactly what Naruto wanted. "Futon!! Kaze Harichiryou no Jutsu!!"
Naruto opened his mouth and concentrated air shot out towards Sasuke, stopping him dead in his tracks. He wasn't blown away…he felt like he got into a second round with Haku, but there were no physical needles to block. "Arrrgghhh!!" Sasuke stumbled backward, planting his sword to keep him on his feet.
"I learned that my affinity turned out to be Wind." Naruto said. "And I knew I would have to learn more than just Rasengan combos."
Sasuke got up and smiled, although inside he was nervous. The wind element, depending on how he planned to attack, would either be a perfect opportunity or a huge mistake on his part. "I'm not worried at all. Even if my affinity is lightning, I have learned plenty of fire jutsus as well."
Naruto just stared back. "Don't you know, teme? It's not your affinity that matters; it's how you use it." Kakashi relayed the story of his encounter with Sasuke to his students earlier, and Naruto himself was aware that even elemental affinities could backfire against his rival.
Sasuke simply chuckled in response. "True. But then again you're not known for your cleverness!! Only your dumb luck!!" Sasuke, without making a seal, swiped his hand. "Katon!! Hicross no Jutsu!!" Like extended claws, fire erupted from the air where Sasuke's fingernails had just been. Naruto received a burn on his thigh, but ignored it. He continued dodging the fire whips for dear life. "Go ahead, strike with your wind jutsus, Naruto!! Make these claws of fire even stronger!!"
Naruto made his hand signs and faced forward. On the last one, as he got ready to blow, Sasuke launched them forward. However, the wind never came, and Naruto crouched down to avoid the claws. "Futon!! Fugyasa!!" He blew right into the ground, and the next thing Sasuke knew, he was involuntarily flying in the air. The pressure from the wind hurt, and he could not concentrate to fly. Still reeling from the pain, a second later he kissed dirt.
The Uchiha struggled up, unwilling to go to down in such a humiliating way. "Why don't you just bow down like the dog you are!?" Sasuke grabbed his sword and charged it with his Chidori. Naruto immediately responded by pulling out another three-pronged kunai and infused it with his wind-chakra. The two slashed their blades, and engaged in a sword-fight.
Sometimes the blades collided. But other times, between the evading and blocking, each one managed to make a minor wound in the opponent. Sasuke's Chidori sword was able to inflict enormous amounts of pain, which even Naruto would scream at upon contact. But Naruto's blade made more efficient and deeper cuts.
Soon, Sasuke realized he would loose this battle by conventional means. He had to improvise! When Naruto leapt into the air and got ready to cut him down, Sasuke side-stepped at the last minute. He then took his sheath and swiped it underneath Naruto's leg. The fall caused Naruto to drop his kunai, and was left defenseless. "Let's see you use those fancy jutsus without any arms!!" Sasuke brought his sword down, but was met with another surprise.
"Futon!! Futoku Suihou no Jutsu!!" Wind surrounded Naruto in a perfect bubble, distorting his image. Sasuke couldn't stop his thrust in time, and hit it. The force was incredible!
"No! I will not miss this chance!!" He had enough of this struggle! It was now or never!! The only way to make Naruto watch Konoha's destruction was to cripple him!! Sasuke felt his sword vibrate, but continued to push! Then something gave, and Sasuke realized his mistake too late. Half of his sword flew straight up! "No…"
Naruto dissipated his shield and punched Sasuke away. It didn't hurt him much, but it was enough to make him stumble backwards. All Naruto needed for his next technique "Futon!! Amano Momiryouji no Jutsu!!" A tornado engulfed Sasuke, and threw him up in the middle. Sasuke roared in pain as some force raced up his back in different directions. It finally passed, and Sasuke dropped like a stone, unconscious.
Naruto was about to prepare another jutsu…but nearly collapsed himself. He felt exhausted. "Why? I've used these jutsus many times before, and I could keep going until…" Naruto then remembered what Sasuke did as soon as he transformed. "Kyuubi!!" he shouted. Then, in a moment of frustration, muttered "Of course." Even though Naruto these days had been training and focusing on using his chakra alone, the fact was that the Kyuubi involuntarily would always give him a little bit of chakra. Besides, the Kyuubi was apart of him for so long that it was naturally in tune with his chakra circulation. Naruto breathed quickly, evaluating his body. He needed to know what his limits were. "I'm tired. But I can still fight. I just need to watch my chakra."
Sasuke, in the mean time, woke up and got back on his feet. He nearly stumbled over again when he felt a sharp pain in his side. "This is the longest I've ever been in at level 2. I can't go on like this." Both were disrupted out of their thoughts when they felt a massive shockwave disrupt the earth. Gamabunta and Manda retrieved their weapons, and continued duking it out. Both ninjas ran toward their summons. Naruto rejoined Gamabunta, while Sasuke touched down on Manda.
"Chief, let's end it with that jutsu!" Naruto yelled.
"I couldn't agree more, kid!" the toad responded.
Sasuke stood atop Manda. "Let's kill that vermin first!" Both Naruto and Sasuke made their seals.
"Baku Gamumi!"
"Denkiunagi Semeku!!"
Manda wrapped his coils around Gamabunta, whose cheek sacs began to expand. Lightning travelled down Manda and onto Gamabunta, which caused Naruto to fall off. However, despite the pain he was in Gamabunta released his technique, and some kind of pus to fly everywhere. Sasuke avoided it, but Manda became covered in it, and began screaming in pain.
"Gah!! What is this!?" The skin on Manda began to dissolve, and all he could do was howl in pain. "Nooo!! Gamabunta, I swear…." His skull dissolved before he could finish.
Naruto got up himself, walking to Gamabunta, who laid on his side. "You still with me, Chief?"
The giant toad wheezed. "Yeah. I think it's time I really thought about retirement." With that, the toad vanished.
Naruto was relieved he was okay, but at the same time, felt great sadness from what the toad told him. He wasn't surprised; Gamabunta WAS old. He would have had to say goodbye anyway…
"Rai-"
Naruto turned around and instinctively prepared another jutsu. "Futon! Furyudan no Jutsu!!"
"Katon! Rasenryuushinkokyuu!!" A tornado of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth, and Naruto realized his mistake too late. The fire passed through his air dragon, and became bigger. The fire scored a direct hit on Naruto. Naruto blocked, using his arms as a shield, but he may as well have taken the blow; the clothing was burned off, and his arms were black all over. Naruto winced in pain and collapsed. "Kukuku. You impressed me for a minute there Naruto. Indeed, your mastery of the wind element is impressive. But we Uchiha are known for our command of fire." Naruto gritted his teeth and managed to move his arms. With sheer will power, he formed a Rasengan and charged. However, Sasuke flew straight up before it could hit him.
"Like I said back then, you are strong. I acknowledge that." Sasuke began flying circles around him. "But as long as I remain up here, you won't land a scratch on me. Your mastery of the wind is not mastery at all if you can't fly!!" Naruto could only wait for the worst as he saw the familiar hand signs."Katon!! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!!"
Orochimaru made a lunge for Sakura's neck. His fangs almost reached her, but her hand caught his neck in time. Still, he was a hair's width from biting her, and despite her great strength, she struggled to keep him away. Finally, using leverage, she jerked his head up and punched him across the jaw. However, the Dark Sanin's tongue wrapped around her neck, and used the momentum of his throw to launch her across the roof.
Orochimaru followed up by releasing several snakes, each carrying a sword in its mouth, heading straight for her. Sakura jumped straight up, and let loose several explosive kunai, obliterating the snakes. Sakura landed right near Orochimaru, and engaged him in hand to hand combat. Though she was a capable fighter who could give the likes of Rock Lee for his money, Orochimaru had far greater experience.
Sakura threw a punch, which the sanin side-stepped. Grabbing her wrist and kicking her legs from under her, he sent her falling on her back. Orochimaru looked her right in the face, and intended to impale her with the sword in his throat. Sakura reacted in time, and counterattacked. "Doku Kiri Jutsu!!" A purple haze shot from her mouth, covering the head of the Sanin. Orochimaru doubled back, wheezing. "Damn, he didn't inhale enough." Sakura growled. If he did, he would have collapsed without making a sound.
"So…it seems you know more than just brute strength."
Sakura simply replied "Medic-nins know more than how to heal and super strength. We must know an extensive knowledge of poisons and how the body works." Sakura ran forward again. "And I will use that knowledge against you!!" Sakura prepared to hit him with a massive power punch…but she instead met a Rashoumon. The door bent under her fist, but refused to break.
Orochimaru emerged from the other side, chuckling softly. Definitive scales started to form on his skin. Soon, he was covered in spike-like skin."Hebi Kawa Shuriken no Jutsu!" The scales launched right at Sakura, and she cart wheeled out of the way as fast as she could. Her body armor gave her some protection, but she was still cut badly. She reached into her thighs and threw several needles.
Orochimaru, in turn, ducked and weaved in between all of them. One nicked his hand though, and he felt it go numb immediately. "Shit!" Good thing he was right handed. Orochimaru retrieved his kusunagi and thrust. Sakura parried with a gauntlet, but it went right through. Sakura screamed in both pain and surprise at having her main means of defense shatter. Orochimaru pushed, forcing Sakura on her back. "It's true: the first priority of a medic-nin is to evade and protect themselves so they can heal their comrades. But the downside is, they avoid too many hits that by the time one does connect, they are overcome with pain."
Sakura winced, and glared at the Sanin in pure hatred. "You don't know a thing about medic-nins!" She grabbed the blade, forced herself up and once she was standing again, she used her free hand to reach over and grab Orochimaru's earring. Before he could utter a word, Sakura ripped in clean off. Orochimaru screamed and stumbled away, pulling his sword out of her hand as well. Sakura clutched her disabled hand, and began healing it immediately. She did not have enough time to do it completely; she'd have to leave it with a nasty scar for now.
Orochimaru pressed his left hand, having just recovered from the mild anesthetic, against the side of his head in rage. "AUGH!!" Orochimaru swung wildly, and this time, Sakura pulled out a scroll that contained her ANBU sword. She parried it, but upon first contact, when Orochimaru grazed her cheek, she knew that sword fighting was not an option; Orochimaru had far too much experience in swordsmanship for her to conquer. She jumped back and threw pellets at the sanin. They each exploded with concentrated hydrochloric acid. It wouldn't eat him up, but it was enough to cause parts of his skin to melt, which it was doing.
Orochimaru looked at her in sheer hatred…and smiled. His mouth expanded an impossible length, and a seemingly new, unharmed Orochimaru stepped out. "Nice try. But I can regenerate indefinitely."
Sakura simply smirked back. "Nice try, but I know you're bluffing. You've lost a good deal of strength, I know it. You used that move twice when fighting Naruto. After your second time, you retreated. Yamato restrained him by then, and you had an opportunity to get rid of a potential threat."
Orochimaru stepped back, stunned that someone as young as her could know. "She has too good of a memory. Uzumaki would've fell for it!!" Orochimaru hissed "You may be Tsunade's perfect apprentice… but you're not strong enough to defeat a Sanin!"
Orochimaru bit his thumb and preformed a summoning jutsu. It wasn't a big summon…a gold, two headed cobra, perhaps 30 feet long. "Even if Sasuke-kun allowed me to summon Manda, in this barrier that would be impossible." Orochimaru walked towards the snake's side and stroked it with a sense of pride. "But this one is perfectly capable of doing its true master's bidding."
Sakura responded by summoning a slug. Her summons were never very exotic looking, but the red stripes on this one were a nice touch. Not that it really mattered. Orochimaru directed his summon towards the kunoichi, and her summon got ready to defend. The slug shot needles straight at the snake, but the hood of one of the heads acted like a shield and deflected them. In a surprise attack, the cobra's tail blind-sided them both and sent them rolling on the roof. The two-headed serpent lunged again, but the slug started a chemical reaction on its stripes that formed a blinding light. The snake, having no eyelids to protect it from light, went berserk.
Orochimaru growled "Oh, for the love of-" He ran up to the summon, as Sakura did hers. Snakes erupted out of Orochimaru's arms and wrapped themselves around the cobra's neck. It looked like he was strangling it, but Sakura knew better. She didn't know exactly what he was doing, but she knew it would be bad news for her. Simultaneously, her slug became bloated, almost as if it were ready to burst. The snakes, suddenly, bored themselves into the cobras' necks. Then, what looked like a cob of corn erupted from each of their mouths. "Gatapishi no Jutsu!" The rattles shook, and made a deafening sound. Sakura grabbed her head immediately and crouched down. It was painful, but it didn't cripple her. She punched her own slug…and it burst.
Thousands of smaller slugs landed on the cobra and Orochimaru. At first neither one paid it any heed, but then Orochimaru realized what was happening. Quickly he brushed the slugs off. His summon, however, convulsed and thrashed around. The slugs bored into its skin and melted it away.
Sakura dispelled her initial summon and jumped right in Orochimaru's face. After a round kick to each arm, she smashed the Sanin through the roof. For the longest time, she stared through the roof. She doubted that Orochimaru was dead…but there was a good chance he was knocked out. She hoped, at least. Her attention shifted when she heard Tsunade cough. "Shishou!!" The blonde Sanin was struggling to rise, but clearly, looking at the way she was stumbling, that was not going to happen anytime soon unless she got some help. Sakura had to cleanse her of the poison now!! In prime fighting condition, they could beat Orochimaru together!! She was almost upon her…and the next thing she knew she was sent sky high. "Wha-" Her exclamation was interrupted by a cough of blood. When she looked down, she would've gasped in horror if she could: a sword was impaled in her stomach.
Orochimaru's head, which had the long sword protruding out, emerged. "Snakes are the ultimate predators, despite the fact they have no limbs to tear their prey apart." He said, the sword still protruding. He retracted it, and Sakura hit the roof hard. She almost cried from the pain of being stabbed in the stomach, and felt her own blood seep onto the roof. But it wouldn't last for long. Orochimaru would kill her before lack of blood did.
She was about to put her palms to her wound…but two hands grabbed them before they could touch her target. Orochimaru held them behind her back. He must've used his shedding technique to regenerate his body again! His grip was a bit weak, but in her condition, it was more than enough to restrain her. "It's time to end this, Haruno. You've done your master proud, more so than Shizune. But I have always been the best of the Sanin, and you have not reached your peak!!" Orochimaru let go of her arms, only to grab hold of her neck. "And you never will."
Tsunade woke up, and saw what was going on. "No!! I've lost Shizune, but I will not loose Sakura!!" She immediately began to utilize her Souzou Saizei…but her hand immediately went to the surface of the roof and was pinned down by another of Orochimaru's swords. Tsunade struggled to get the sword off her hand, but she didn't have the strength to pull it out. If anything, she was beginning to feel weaker, and her whole body felt like it was on fire!
"YOU just stay there and be quiet!!" Orochimaru seethed. Then a huge grin appeared on his face. "That last sword I just used contains a poison that kills within an hour. You don't have very long to live. So…" He then threw Sakura in front of him, never releasing his hold. "I'll make your last moments your worse!! Watch as the last person you hold dear dies, realizing that you've done nothing to prevent it!!" He resumed choking Sakura, and the look he was getting from Tsunade was to his utmost satisfaction.
"Suiton!! Howaiaizame Kubi no Jutsu!!" At the speed of a falcon, a white blast of water in the shape of a shark jettisoned forward from where Shumokuzame stood.
"Fuuken Oogama!!" Temari shot her fan out, and a visible blade made of air cut the head off. It was still flying towards them, just not as fast as before.
"Kage Toku!" Shikamaru transformed his shadow into a shield, protecting them both from the water. As soon as it dispelled, Shikamaru reached for a spare kunai. Shumokuzame was gone! Their search for him didn't take long however; soon the two clones he fought earlier were upon them! The lights on their skin distorted both of the nins, but neither one of them faltered in their defenses. "How are you holding in their, Temari?" Shikamaru called as he shin-kicked one of the clones.
"I'm managing!" Temari beat her opponent across the head, not realizing just how elastic he was.
"My my, I thought you were just cute! But now that I know you pack a punch, I think you're fucking HOT!!"
Temari gave a face of shock for a split second, and quickly spread her fan. "Sanjuhikihanatsu!!" Three tornadoes shot out from her direction towards her opponent. The ends sucked his head, arm and leg in. The next thing he knew, he was screaming in pain. The parts of his body within the twisters were ripped off, leaving his corpse on the ground.
"You idiot!!" Shikamaru cried. "His body…" Shikamaru took a good look at the remains: it wasn't spawning anything new! "His original body is the only one that can multiply!!" Shikamaru went down as the other clone kicked him from behind.
"We might as well just fight her!! The last of the flames have been extinguished!! You're nothing but dead wait to her!!" Shikamaru backed off while the other clone hurled shuriken at him. "What a man you are!! A real heartbreaker, no!?" Suddenly, he stopped. "What!? What's going on!? I can't move!?"
Shikamaru smirked. "A technique I don't get to show off very often: Kage Shuriken." He pointed to the floor a few feet away from where his assailant stood. The clone looked down, and saw that a kunai covered in chakra pinned his shadow. Wait a minute…a shadow!? "You haven't been keeping good track of time, have you?" Shikamaru pointed eastward, which the clone could do only by moving his eyes. The sun! It was dawn! "I think the tables have just turned." Shikamaru snickered. He extended his own shadow to make contact with the clone's and control him. Shikamaru ran forward, taking his opponent with him. Suddenly, on his command, the two leapt and dived. This would've normally been a bad move for Shikamaru, as a complete jump disconnects whoever his shadow caught. However, the clone probably could not react in time to take control of his body, and probably landed wrong. And Shikamaru directed him into an abandoned building, which separated the two. The jonin then pinned kunai with explosive tags all over the base and roof of the building.
"You bastard!!" the clone shouted from inside. "I'll kill…" The weapons exploded, and the building collapsed. Shikamaru got a weapon out, just in case this clone survived the calamity.
He suddenly heard the same voice, but not from the building. "Don't worry. That spawn of mine is dead." Shumokuzame walked forward, grinning wickedly. "But be careful. Pierce me like that again, and you'll have to start all over."
Shikamaru just growled, while Temari came to his side. Shikamaru didn't see it coming, but the sand ninja whacked him over the head. "OW!!" Shikamaru screamed, clutching his head. "What the hell was that for!?"
Temari pulled the shadow nin to her face, looking pissed. In fact, if you asked Shikamaru, he would've sworn he stared death in the face. "That's for calling me an idiot!!" Temari seethed.
Shikamaru abandoned his calm demeanor and waved his hands frantically. "I'm sorry, alright!? I just wasn't sure you saw my fight with this guy, particularly the part where my shadow stabbed him!! And I didn't know his clones didn't possess the same ability as him!!" A moment of silence hung in the air between the two. Finally, Shikamaru sighed. "I panicked, and I called you something I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
Temari finally let him down on his feet. "Fair enough." she muttered.
"Uh, hello, guys?" Shumokuzame said waving his hand. "I'm getting fucking bored over here!!" His two opponents finally acknowledged him, and faced him smiling.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Temari replied sweetly. They rushed upon him, and Shumokuzame was forced to use his blades both as shields and weapons. He slashed at them, they dodged, they took a jab at him, and he jumped out of the way.
The swordsman spun around to block an incoming strike from Temari's closed fan. "Ohh, so strong!! I'm beginning to like you more and more!!" Shumokuzame pushed, forcing Temari back a few meters.
"If that's what you consider a turn-on, you should meet Haruno." Temari swung her fan, knocking the swordsman off-balance. "Fuusajin!" She swung once again, turning the ground under Shumokuzame's feet into sand.
The swordsman lost his balance, and fell in a way that could not possibly be considered ninja grace. "You bitch!!" The swordsman got up to attack once more, but did not notice in time the wire that shot between them. He touched it, and an explosion sent him flying backwards. Lying on the ground, the Kiri ninja just stared at Shikamaru, who launched the trap.
"What?" the shadow nin asked.
Shumokuzame just grinned, despite his embarrassing position. "You can't use anymore shadow techniques, can you?"
Shikamaru let his emotions slip, and his eyes widened. A normal person wouldn't have caught it, but ninja were good at finding things normal people can't. Shumokuzame shot up and fired another white water shark. Temari pushed him out of the way and took the attack herself. "Temari!!" Shikamaru ran over to the soaked sand-nin. She was stunned, but not badly hurt.
As he helped her up, she asked "Is it true? You can't do anymore shadow techniques?"
Shikamaru looked away in shame. Their opponent already knew the truth, and he had nothing to loose by telling her. "I've fought for a while now, using advanced shadow techniques." He mumbled. "Maybe…"
Shikamaru reached into his pocket. Even halfway out, Temari recognized what it was. "No!!" She pushed his hand down.
"You can't fight him alone, and without this, I'll be of no use to you!!" Shikamaru shouted.
"You're the idiot here!!" Temari screamed. "This isn't about you being any used to me." Shikamaru looked her right in the eye, and was shocked at what he saw: She was crying. "Just rest." she pleaded. She then let go of his hand, seemingly reluctantly, and leapt to face off with Shumokuzame.
The swordsman swung his bladed body at her, never getting in a killing blow, but she would not come out of it unscarred. Temari swung her fan back, blowing the man away. At first, it seemed evenly matched, but the kunoichi was tiring. And the swordsman knew it. All Shikamaru could do was watch. And for some reason, this formed a pit in his stomach, the likes of which he never felt before…
"Keikan!!" Jiraya formed his pin hair again, but this time, the individual hairs shot straight out. Akkisebire blocked them with his father-turned weapon and charged. He was fast, and Jiraya was unable to block the incoming kick. He stumbled, but Jiraya was still a big man. He grabbed the kid and slammed him to the ground. Akkisebire made a slash at the Sanin's legs, but Jiraya jumped straight up in order to keep his legs. Suddenly, the kid felt something fleshy wrap around his waist. Akkisebire looked behind him to see a red toad, and what was wrapped around him was his tongue. "Summons. The most famous jutsu of The Legendary Three!" Jiraya shouted as he gave a thumbs up.
"Use it, son!!"
Akkisebire made his signs. "Anton!! Han'Ya Ookami no Jutsu!!" An urethral wolf formed out of the ground, and charged at the toad. The ground dissolved in its paw prints.
Jiraya acted quickly and dispelled his summon in time. However, the energy wolf did not dissolve; it turned around and headed for him. "Shit!!" Jiraya leapt away from the wolf as its body melted the building behind him.
"Anton!! Raifu Vacuum no Jutsu!!" Bursts of black energy surged from the ground and combined in the sky.
"Why do I have a feeling that thing is aimed at me?" Jiraya moaned. Indeed it shot straightforward at him.
"Enjoy your last few seconds alive, old man!!" Shachi bellowed. "That tube of dark energy will suck every ounce of your life force away!! You'll be nothing but a decayed body!! HAHAHA…" He felt the stolen life energy flow through their bodies…and it ended. "What!? There should be more!!" Human bodies generated much more life energy than what he was getting.
When the technique dissipated, he found out why: some sort of cocoon stood where Jiraya had been. It crumbled, revealing a shaken toad sage. "Shit, that was close!!" he shouted. He regained his composure and stared his two opponents down. "Well, I'm sorry, but this battle has gone on for too long. So, I'd say we finish it!!"
"For once, I couldn't agree more." The blade replied.
Jiraya shot his hair out, trying to trap them again. Akkisebire released several dark techniques Jiraya had never seen, but he dodged them all. Then, Jiraya crouched down. "Yomi Numa!!" The ground beneath the child immediately turned mucky and sucked him in. Jiraya was hoping for a string of curse words, but instead he got laughter.
"Perfect!! This is the perfect medium for our best technique!! Anton!! Akumu no Kuiaratame!!" A black oil oozed out of the mud hole at an incredibly fast rate. Had Jiraya knew it was coming, he would've dodged it by only a hair. But he didn't anticipate it, and it consumed him…
"Where am I?" Jiraya asked. As far as he could see, there was nothing but a black void. Then, he heard sobbing. He turned around and was shocked at what he saw. "Tsunade!?" Something wasn't right, he could tell that much immediately. Not only was her being here impossible…she looked eighteen. Jiraya's first instinct was to dispel the genjutsu…if this was genjutsu at all. No genjutsu that he knew of was combined with some elemental release, which he knew he was attacked with.
"How could you?" the supposedly fake Tsunade asked.
"What?"
"You never cared a thing about me, did you!?" she shrieked. Jiraya stumbled at a loss of words. Just what was going on? "You were oblivious to how I felt!! Back when my brother died, you went off to do your own thing!! And you never did anything to protect Dan when I couldn't save him!!" The young, tear-stained Tsunade turned to stare at him with a face of fury. "What kind of teammate are you!!" Jiraya couldn't say anything. Everything she said…
"Kuku. You've cared more about pretty girls then you did being a true shinobi, Jiraya." Jiraya spun to face a young Orochimaru. "You've missed having me as a comrade and friend, haven't you? And you keep whining about how you failed to bring me back, didn't you? Face it, you've just had your priorities elsewhere!!"
"You've always been a disappointment, Jiraya." The Sanin spun around again to face his deceased sensei. He was starting to believe that he was actually sent to hell! "It took you so long to truly understand ninjutsu, and since then you've hardly applied it where it matters most!! You could have become a great Hokage, but you've done nothing but squander your gifts!!"
"You've failed me and my family most of all."
Jiraya, despite what he was seeing, could not believe he heard that voice. Slower than the other three times, he turned. And there he was: Namikaze Minato. "It can't be…"
Indeed, he was there, wearing his Hokage robes. And instead of the usual happy face he had, his face showed pure hatred."You make me sick. I looked up to you. You used to be there for me. I named my own son after a fictional character you created. I trusted you to look after my wife and son after I gave my life to the village." Then, there was perhaps the most unsettling pause between two people in history. "AND WHAT DO YOU DO!? You loose her, and you don't even take my son with you!! You didn't even stop by to visit him!!" The Yodaime was visibly crying. "I'm ashamed to have ever called you my sensei."
Then, visions assaulted Jiraya all at once. The tragedies of Tsunade, the death of his sensei, the terrible things Orochimaru had done, and watching his student's only child suffer from loneliness…
"My personal favorite. It's a jutsu that magnifies the regrets the victim has over his lifetime." Shachi bragged. "He will be tormented by those he held dear, visions of his failings will invade his mind. At best, he will be alive but insane. At worst…well, it's over either way."
"Let's begin!!" Konohamaru yelled he and the three monkeys charged ahead.
"Suiryudan!!" Lei shot several water dragons at them, but the summons protected Konohamaru. The young Sarutobi leaped on top of the big one and threw some shuriken. Lei Gong dodged it, but was caught off guard by the bo-staff the big ape yielded. The former Mizukage avoided a direct hit, but still, his side was badly bruised. He turned around too late to see the caped one roar. It's eyes glowed red, and its fur became spiked. It attacked him in an onslaught of punches, stronger than what the old man estimated. Then the little one came at him with indecipherable but effective attacks that left several scratches on him.
The swordsman backed away, preparing an attack, but stopped. He began to breathe heavily, and gripped his heart. "Curses! Hold in there just a little longer!! I can go to my grave happily knowing that my revenge is fulfilled!!"
Konohamaru saw him struggling, and despite their impending doom, he couldn't help but feel sorry for this man. "We must attack!" The large ape said.
Konohamaru bit his lip and said "Yeah…I know." Konohamaru prepared his seals. "Tooboe Zangetsu!!" The three monkeys plus Konohamaru gathered up their chakra within their mouths, and fired towards the ceiling, which was now about a quarter of the way down. The chakra blasts were reflected off, and landed in all directions.
Lei raced furiously to dodge them all. In his youth, these things couldn't have hoped to touch him. Today that was a different matter. The blasts were managing to singe his clothes, reminding him of the very large possibility that he would be hit. Cart wheeling backwards, Lei dodged one blast, and noticed to too late another one was coming straight at him. It hit full force, and the former Mizukage landed in a heap.
Konohamaru breathed. "Did we get him?" Before his apes could reply, water like tendrils erupted and pierced them all.
Lei Gong, with one arm limp, rose and smiled, ignoring his predicament. "Suiton. Satsuika no Jutsu." He chuckled, relishing Konohamaru's gut injury and the crippled summons. "Any good kage must learn one-handed signs. For example…" He demonstrated another jutsu with only one hand. "Koishi shuriken no Jutsu!!" Rocks of random sizes on the ground flew straight at Konohamaru and his three companions. There was nothing any of them could do other than just bear the pain. Konohamaru collapsed, as the pebbles made tiny but damaging holes in his body. His summons were in the same predicament as well.
Lei Gong began to chuckle, which then became a mad laugh. "Hahahaha….This is it!! This is the fight I wanted!!" Lei Gong looked up. The ceiling was only about six meters in the sky. Lei Gong cricked his neck and shrugged. "I could just go and leave you to your doom. But I'd much rather have the satisfaction of your blood on my hands." Almost by magic, one of his hookswords came to his good arm. "You have fought well, and as much as I hate to admit it, a shinobi like you deserves an honorable death." As he walked over, Konohamaru struggled to get up. His summons were not dispelled yet. Each of them could still fight!
"Boy." The eldest grunted. "Can you move?"
"No choice." Konohamaru grunted. "I have to. I don't care what happens to me, but I won't let Moegi die!!" Screaming, Konohamaru struggled up.
The big ape just had to smile. "Your old man saw a lot in you, and I'd say he has good eyes." Soon, the main ape arose himself, and gave orders to his sons. "You two, transform!! Don't let the ceiling sink any lower than it has!!"
The other two stood up and yelled "Yes sir!" They ran to opposite sides of the water wall and yelled "Transform!!" The two apes transformed into staffs similar to what Enma did, and stretched to the incoming electrical ceiling. They bent a bit under the pressure, sparks flew, but in a few seconds they stabilized.
"My turn!!" the remaining ape yelled. "Transform!!" In a puff of smoke, he changed into a giant three sectioned staff, and landed in the hands of Konohamaru.
Konohamaru closed his eyes, just to clear his mind the best he could. He took the moment to remember all those close to him: his teammates. Naruto. Sakura. Even Ebisu. But for some reason, the memory of
his dead grandfather came to mind. The image became clear, almost like he was really in front of him, with his back turned. For some reason, instead of the hokage robes he remembered him wearing, he was in his ninja attire. Suddenly, the image turned around, and Konohamaru saw that he was much younger than he remembered him. But he could tell it was him, no mistake. Despite the fact that he looked ready for battle, he seemed to have a warm smile on his face, just like he remembered. Konohamaru nearly jerked back when he actually felt his grandfather's ghost place his hands his shoulders. "Do not be afraid, Konohamaru." He said. "Ninjas, no matter how skilled, always walk on the edge of death. And no matter what you hear about how shinobi must not show fear, we are all afraid." Konohamaru was only stunned silent. "But," his grandfather continued. "we still fight. Fights for honor are worthless, and will lead to one's downfall. But, fighting to protect those you love…" His grandfather seemed to disappear and reappear behind him. Konohamaru felt his touch again. It was almost felt almost as if a father was wishing his son luck. "It's time, grandson. Show him our Will of Fire will always burn bright!!"
Konohamaru's eyes snapped back to reality, and saw Lei charge forward with his sword. As it came down, Konohamaru used the center-piece to block it. He parried it, twisted, and struck one of the end sticks in the back of the old man's neck. The former kage skidded across the floor and hit the wall. As he was struggling up, Konohamaru twirled his summon-turned-weapon. "Sorry, old man." Konohamaru said. He stopped spinning his weapon and got into a proper fighting position. "But this is far from over."
"Aren't you finished yet!?" Udon shouted at Ebisu. "Konohamaru is fighting a mist swordsman in case you have forgotten, and Moegi could die any minute now!!" It was so unlike Udon to yell, but given the circumstances, this was completely understandable. Then there was his own frustration at being unable to do anything. He trained hard for a long time, but in the end, he was always the least powerful of his teammates.
"I assure you, Udon, I'm just as mad about my progress than you are." Ebisu said, finishing his hand signs. He focused his chakra, and managed to form a small break in the water wall. However, it only lasted for a second.
"Damn it! This barrier is Kage level. Even if I do open it, I'll have used up most of my chakra. The only other way I can think of to pass through is if the fiend uses this wall as a weapon. That should weaken the outside for me in order to slip in." Ebisu breathed deeply, and prepared to break it on his own again. "But not only is that wishful thinking; it could kill him! I must do this on my own!!" He made more signs, and tried again…
Temari smashed her closed fan against Shumokuzame's bladed arms. The swordsman doubled back and made a spinning motion towards her. Temari blocked it from tearing out a vital organ, but she still got a bad cut on her arm. She stared him down again when he landed. What could she do? Simply blowing him away and smashing him would do no good. If she cut him up, she would have to deal with three of him. She could summon…no, Kamatachi sliced things up as well. In the end, Shikamaru was the ninja most capable of defeating this guy. But he used his best techniques, and he was out of chakra now. There was one way he could regain it, but there was a very good chance it would cost him his life. She hung out with him and his team before, and she got to know them and their abilities quite well. Finally, she came up with a strategy that MIGHT work. The timing would have to be precise, and there was absolutely no room for error. She looked up to the building where Shikamaru laid perched, watching her. Temari could clearly see that his face was contorted in frustration. The frustration of being helpless in itself was bad enough, but the frustration of watching a comrade fight unable to help must have been terrible. Even she was in that position a couple of times. Suna had its share of S-class criminals as well. Temari gave a slight smile towards him, even if he couldn't see. She just wanted to let him know it would be alright. "Time to get to work." she whispered.
She ran forward, letting out a battle cry. Shumokuzame chuckled, and ran towards her. "Fool!! "
Just when she was within arm's reach, she opened her fan and smashed it into the ground. Shumokuzame fell back out of instinct, and realized his mistake too late. Temari jumped over the fan and attacked. Most shinobi would at least have a kunai on them, but Shumokuzame had to give her credit; she learned from a mistake her comrade made. But even so, neither bare hands nor futon jutsus that cut up their targets would work against him! He dodged a few strikes Temari threw at him, deciding to have some fun. He then began to slash, making Temari take the defensive.
"What's the matter, cutey-pie!? Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you!! I'm just trying to relieve you of those annoying clothes is all!!" One of his blades finally connected with the upper portion of her uniform, leaving a scratch that did not break the skin.
"Well, that makes sense." Temari muttered under her breath in disgust. She KNEW his strikes were slowing down, but she couldn't figure out why! A shinobi of his level shouldn't have tired out at this point in time!! Then Temari grinned. "I think I know of a way to make my plan even better!" she thought to herself.
Shumokuzame prepared another slash, hoping to take her entire top off. The next second, he connected with something, but he was shocked with what, and even more shocked with why. Temari was impaled by the arm blade! It wasn't that his precision was off and caused him to put too much force into it; she threw herself onto it!!
Shumokuzame growled in disgust. "Stupid bitch!! I admit, you may not have enjoyed the results, but it was not worth suicide!!" Then, she vanished in a puff of smoke, and before the swordsman could say the most common response to this predicament, his body was wrapped with wires. And upon closer inspection, he saw they were lined with explosive tags.
The real Temari rose behind the fan, smiling. "The instant you couldn't see me for even one second, you should have known I was using a clone."
Shumokuzame was taken back by this, but chuckled despite himself. "Of course. The basics are the simplest concepts to grasp, yet the hardest to remember."
Temari wasted enough time, and threw a kunai onto one of the tags. "Goodbye." She said coldly. The tag exploded, and the others followed.
"Oh, we've still got time." Shumokuzame cackled and dissolved into a puddle of water.
"A Mizubushin!!" The sand kunoichi cursed. She prepared for an ambush, but then something occurred to her. She didn't know how she knew; she just did. In horror, she shouted "Shikamaru!!" She retrieved her fan and used it to fly towards him.
Shikamaru realized what was going on: Shumokuzame now targeted him!! Shikamaru quickly scanned his surroundings, but was not prepared to find the swordsman an inch from his face in that same instant! Too close to react, Shikamaru was clenched and took the force of a knee to his ribs. Shumokuzame then threw him to the other side of the roof, knocking the wind out of him. Cackling madly, the swordsman yelled "Don't take this too personal! I'm just eliminating the competition!!"
He charged, and Shikamaru knew his one chance of survival could very well kill him as well. Shikamaru closed his eyes…and felt a trickle of blood splash on his face. He opened his eyes, and his face conveyed nothing but pure horror; he couldn't even scream in shock. Temari had taken the blow for him! The blade must have been at least three inches in her stomach!
Shumokuzame wasn't pleased himself. "Well, damn girl. I was planning on killing him and making you go all emo and stuff. But you had to spoil it all." The swordsman yanked his arm away, and it's serrated edge caused a much more serious injury than a normal blade would have.
Temari collapsed, and Shikamaru ran to her. "Temari! Temari!!" Temari, whose face seemed frozen throughout the ordeal, blinked. She slowly turned her head towards Shikamaru, and despite her predicament, smiled. Slowly, she brought her hand up to Shikamaru's face, caressing his cheek. Shikamaru didn't know what was going on, but it made him feel warm. At the same time, he felt his heart break into thousands of pieces. When her hand fell to the ground, Shikamaru finally realized why the kunoichi was always on his mind, whether she be near or far. Shikamaru hurriedly checked her vital signs; she was alive, but she wouldn't last unless she got some help. Right now, the whole village had gone to shit, so there was no point in hoping for that. Quickly, he tore off the top portion of his Shinobi outfit, and tied it tightly around her wound. Doing the best job he could, he gently picked her up, and laid her at the side of the building. "Wait for me." he whispered. He couldn't say what he just realized yet; she HAD to be awake for him to say it.
Shikamaru got up, and glared at the swordsman, who leaned against a door with his arms crossed. "You may find this hard to believe," the mist nin said "but I tend to get sentimental with these sorts of things. I kill, I betray…and yet moments like that always get to me." Shumokuzame finally stood straight and stretched. "So, you ready to go at it again? You can shout all the revenge for your love nonsense all you want; it ain't happening."
Shikamaru just shrugged. "Despite the fact that you're a fucking mad-man…you are kind of cool." Shikamaru reached into his pockets. "Ready whenever you are." Shumokuzame's mad grin revived, and the swordsman charged once more…
"Housenka no Jutsu!!" Sasuke, flying in the air, fired a volley of fireballs, leaving Naruto on the defensive. The blonde was running low on chakra, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have noticed his fatigue. His arms, though still mobile, felt like pins and needles. Naruto threw shuriken at his former teammate, but none of them could hope to reach the Uchiha at his height. "Face it Naruto. In the end, I'm the superior one!!" Sasuke formed his chidori, and launched his chidori senbon.
Naruto continued to run for it, but one of the projectiles scratched his back. The jinchuriki screamed in pain, the electricity running down his spine and across his body. He struggled to turn over to his side…and Sasuke stomped down on him. When the Uchiha brought his hands around Naruto's neck, Naruto managed to get something out. "Sasuke…do you hate me that much? What about the memories we had together?"
For some reason, this made Sasuke think back to the past. Back when they were kids. They barely spoke to one another. And yet, some unspoken bond formed between them. They were both all alone, and no one understood them. But in the end, it was their abilities that divided them. He was the prodigy, and everything came natural to him. Naruto, on the other hand, worked for everything, and still failed. By some miracle, he finally became a genin, and Sasuke was stuck with him as a partner. All he asked was that neither he nor the girl would get in his way. His revenge was for him and for him alone. However, as time went on, he found that he couldn't imagine his life without them. Their jonin instructor, Kakashi, taught him so much, including the one technique that would become his signature move. Sakura could be annoying. But it was still nice to have someone care about him. Naruto…he couldn't put his finger on it. At first, he did think of him as an annoyance. But since their mission into Wave Country, he began to respect him more and more. Even though he would never admit it, it was actually fun watching the idiot trying to surpass him. And whether it was a mission of respectable level or the chunin exam, he always had their best interests in mind. When he was incapacitated for whatever reason, Naruto could always get the job done. Soon, he did consider him as both a friend and as a worthy adversary.
But when he saw Naruto battle that…thing, during the chunin exams, his hopes of becoming stronger had been shattered. Then he finally saw him again…the reason why his clan was gone, the reason he lived his whole life in hate: his brother, Itachi. Sasuke attacked, believing destiny had rewarded him for all of his hard work…but he found that comparing himself to his brother was like comparing a candle to the sun. As soon as he awoke from the Tsukiyomi, he couldn't conceive it: He just knew there was no way in hell Itachi could have beaten that creature. But Naruto did. And Naruto…his thoughts jumped to their fight on the rooftop. Though it seemed Sasuke had an edge, Naruto proved he could stand up to him. Then, they formed their best techniques. Kakashi broke up the fight before it could go any further. Sasuke was at first satisfied, but then he saw the damage Naruto's technique could have done. He got no sympathy from Kakashi. At first, he thought he would have some friends to keep him company, if nothing else. But it was then that he realized no one understood him. Except Orochimaru, even if his motives were for his own self-interests. Then the sound four came, and found out against them he was nothing. That was when he made the decision to go to Orochimaru. They said in obtaining the ability to reach the curse mark 2, he would loose his free will. But when he finally awoke, he laughed: Nothing changed!! Except for the incredible power that flowed within him. At the Valley of the End, Sasuke began to realize the truth about him and Naruto: Naruto was his dearest and only friend. And to beat Itachi, he would acquire the Magenkyo. But as they fought, Naruto proved that whenever he became stronger, Naruto could match it. At the peak of their powers, Sasuke finally defeated him. But he couldn't bring himself to kill him; no, he would not succumb to his brother's wishes.
Finally, his years of training with Orochimaru had paid off. But fate would deal him a humiliation worse than defeat: the man he had sought to kill his whole life was dispatched. And it was Naruto who was to blame. "You've spoken of bonds, right?" Sasuke asked, snapping back to reality and tightening his hold. "I just realized: there is something both you and Itachi have in common. I have had bonds of love with the both of you. And in the very end, both of you betrayed me. At least with bonds of hate…those you have such a bond with would do something you'd expect them to." Sasuke flung Naruto into another building that looked like it would collapse. The Uchiha flung his wires around the building. "Ryuuka no Jutsu!!" Breathing fire on them, he lit the entire block on fire. He then stared into the sky. "Gouryuka no Jutsu!!" He fired another dragon head straight up. At first, it looked like he just wasted chakra. But no. While the preparations cost him a good amount of chakra, everything was in place. He was about to fly up again, but nearly doubled over in pain. Instinctively, he gripped the side of his shoulder. "The cursed seal." He muttered. "I have to finish this. Now." Naruto always mucked up his plans, and this time was no exception; he was too strong to simply disable. Sasuke realized that at this point, he would have to kill him. He stood up and took to the air once more.
At the same time, Naruto came bursting through the nightstand as the building burned. He looked frantically around for Sasuke, but found his opponent up in the air laughing. "This is it Naruto!! I initially was going to use this technique on you back when you and that replacement came!! Orochimaru was right about one thing though; back then, using this jutsu on you would have been a waste. Now, it's a different story. Consider yourself honored, Naruto; I was saving this just for Itachi." He raised his hand toward the sky. "I've warmed the atmosphere in order to create a storm. Then I use my chakra to control the lighting. Not only will I control a power beyond that of any ninja…it's impossible to avoid." The lightning crackled above him. "I call it Kirin. Goodbye, Naruto." The lighting, faster than any human eye could see, took the shape of a chimera and headed straight for him…
Lei made another slash at the young Sarutobi, but Konohamaru blocked once more the middle section. He then spun around and wacked the swordsman with another end of the weapon again. Lei stumbled, and clenched his teeth. That weapon was too unpredictable, and fast! If only he had been young again…"I suppose you have…delayed my goal…but once I kill you, I will rest, and return to finish what I've started!!"
Konohamaru twirled his weapon once more. He wanted the fight over now!! Even though his summons have managed to hold off what would have been his death, Moegi was still in danger. She might already…"No!!" Refusing to think about it any longer, Konohamaru charged right at the former Mizukage. The sound of sticks against metal rang throughout the battlefield. Konohamaru made another swipe with his three-sectioned-staff, which Lei dodged. Or so he thought. It wrapped around his body and pulled him in towards the chunin, who used the opportunity to have his knee meet the old man's stomach.
At first, it looked like Konohamaru was truly gaining the upper hand. But unseen to him, the old man smiled. "Mizushuriken no Jutsu!!"
Suddenly, something came straight out of the water wall and attacked Konohamaru. "AAAHHH!!" The chunin thought the guy had some henchmen lying in wait. But as soon as he fell to the floor, he realized it wasn't a sneak attack by other ninja. He saw one of the weapons become transparent and turn into a small drop of water. He made his own barrier a weapon!
"This wall isn't just a barrier to prevent escape or infiltration." Lei whispered. "It can also serve as a weapon. Normally, I prefer not to use such methods, but you left me little choice." He raised his weapon, expecting this to be the last blow. "Goodbye."
Konohamaru, feeling defeated, closed his eyes. He didn't know how they managed to fall before the sword, but he could feel himself crying. Sure, he was afraid to die. His grandfather just told him everyone does. But what it was that was getting to him was the shame that he could not even become a great ninja. He would not be able to take this one opponent with him. Worse…he let his teammate down. No matter how valiant his effort was, it was a shame he could not cope with. Just then, he realized something: He had a lot of time to think about all of this. In fact, too much. Even with relativity, he should've been long dead. He finally felt something warm on his head. He slowly opened his eyes, and tapped it. Blood! But he wasn't in any pain. Not even adrenaline could do that, not in his state!! He finally looked forward, and saw that blood was not his own. Ebisu was struggling with Lei, gripping the old man's neck and driving a kunai into his shoulder! Just when Konohamaru's hopes elated, he screamed in horror. Lei's sword pierced right through Ebisu's torso!! It was his blood that splattered on Konohamaru's face!! "Ebisu!!"
"How!?" Lei growled.
"I believe you forgot one important thing about barriers…like these…" Ebisu wheezed. "When you used it…as a….weapon…you weakened its defensive abilities, and I took the opportunity to jump inside." Ebisu, despite his predicament, managed to push the swordsman forward. He probably could not have done that had the swordsman was well-rested.
"You insignificant….!" Lei Gong let go of his weapon and back-handed the jonin. Before Ebisu flew too far away, the swordsman grabbed his weapon and pulled it out, widening the man's wound. Ebisu landed with a thud, the blood flowing freely on the ground.
Konohamaru shot up and shouted "Ebisu! Ebisu!!" Konohamaru nearly ran to him, but somehow, despite the emotional situation, his ninja instincts kicked in. He couldn't help Ebisu. Not yet. Going to him would get them both killed. To save him, he needed to end this fight. Konohamaru whispered dangerously to his summon "Call your sons now."
Jiraya at this point was gripping his head in agony. The taunts from Orochimaru, he could take. At least in short term. But the scorn he got from the people he still held dear…he realized they were right. He failed each of them. He would've defended what he did before, but the fact was his inner demons prevented him from doing what had to be done when the going got tough. As he traveled the world, he became somewhat detached to his sensei. He was distraught when Minato died, and the grief of loosing his student made it too much for him to stay in Konoha on a long term basis. And Tsunade…suddenly, he remembered Naruto.
He thought back to when they met again, although in Naruto's memory that was the first time they met. It was a pain teaching him, but it was worth it. When they were searching for Tsunade, he genuinely did want the blonde to learn the Rasengan. However, he didn't expect him to be able to use it in such a short amount of time. When he did, the Sanin felt the same feeling pride when he had Minato as his student. And the journey they had together when Sasuke defected…even though the reason behind it was completely serious, it was a lot of fun. Jiraya found himself to be a lot like Naruto. Or, more precisely, Naruto was in many ways what he wished to be. The kid had a lot of faults, but accepted them and simply tried harder. That's when something clicked in Jiraya.
"For too long…I've ran away." Slowly, Jiraya managed to stand. "This time I'll face my demons."
The first one he turned to was his former teacher. "Sensei…you're right. I've taken your lessons as scorn. Even if you may have been a bit strict, it was wrong of me to resent you for it. I don't regret my journeys, as I've learned a lot. But I do regret my attitude towards you. For that, I'm sorry." Slowly, the image of the Sandaime faded.
Jiraya then turned to Minato. "I'm so sorry. You were like a son to me, and it was too much for me to bear. I figured Naruto would be safe with Kushina. When she disappeared, I felt ashamed again and it started a vicious cycle where I just kept running away. But I met Naruto again, taught him things even I felt he wouldn't be able to do…and all I can say is that I wish you were there with me. To watch him grow. I'm sorry…but from now on, I'll always be there for Naruto." Soon, his image faded as well.
Then he turned to the young Tsunade. For some reason…this would be awkward as hell. "Tsunade…I honestly don't know how to say this…but…I tried. I tried to be there for you. I know I'm making this sound like none of it is my fault…but hear me out…please. I tried to cheer you up after your brother died. I guess I came on a bit too strong with my antics. Then you met Dan. I don't know why, but for some reason…it angered me. I told myself that I did it because you were happy, but looking back, I was trying to get back at you. After he died, I tried to cheer you up again, but you still pushed me away. Even though we continued to work together, you just seemed to grow more and more distant. You didn't exactly make it easy for me. But I realize that didn't mean I should've stopped trying. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to know you were worth something. It's the reason why I looked for you when the council was looking for a new Hokage. You may not believe this coming from me…but I've always wanted you to be happy." Tsunade's shadow finally vanished. "One day." Jiraya whispered to himself.
Then, he looked at Orochimaru. "As for you…I've got nothing to say to you."
Akkisebire and Shachi walked close to the black essence that surrounded Jiraya. "It should be done by now." Shachi said. But then, it began to fade. "What!? Impossible!! That technique turns ones greatest regrets against them!! It should be impossible to break!!"
Finally, the black ether evaporated, and Jiraya stood with his head hanging low. His head rose, and he said "For most people, it is impossible to confront one's deepest regrets. But I know someone. Someone who inspires me to do my best, despite my faults. So, nothing is impossible!!" Jiraya smirked like he usually did, and pulled a scroll from his pants. "I was hoping to save this for a different occasion, but I'm afraid I've got no choice!"
Akkisebire stepped back, not wanting to be in the path of whatever weapon he pulled out. But something was odd: he didn't open it. "What's inside?" Shachi asked dangerously.
Jiraya smirked and curled his finger. "Come and see."
If Shachi had his body, he would've sneered. "You're bluffing!! Any ninja with a brain would know that if something was inside, you would have used it by now!!" The child and his father ran forward, preparing to slice him in half. "And even if there is a weapon, this close I can easily block it!!"
Just when it looked like one of the great sanin would be lost…the scroll opened, and black flames erupted. Akkisebire dropped his weapon and stumbled back screaming. "I knew Itachi's Amaterasu would come in handy." Jiraya whispered. Soon, both the weapon and the child turned to ash. Jiraya threw the scroll to the ground, knowing it was useless now. He felt a small twinge of guilt killing the child. But he knew that this child truly was evil to the core. He was too dangerous to be left alive. "No time to think about that now." Jiraya then turned his stare to the Hokage tower. The barrier was enough to let him know she was in danger. "Hang in there, Tsunade. I'm coming." The white-haired ninja leapt into the direction where both of his former teammates were…
Shikamaru ducked under the blades of Shumokuzame. It was all he could do with his chakra depleted. Despite his emotional state, Shikamaru was scared about what he was going to do. Temari would be pissed at him for that. Shikamaru doubled back when one of the blades grazed his face again. This was not the time to think of things that were out of his hands. It was now or never.
"Come on!" Shumokuzame yelled. "I'm trying to fight here, not dance! Where's the pathetic 'MY LOVE, NOO!' attitude!?"
Shikamaru didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out a compartment of three pills: one green, one yellow, and one red. "They belong to my best friend." He told him. "He loaned me a couple, although he made me swore never to use them." Shikamaru went straight for the red pill and swallowed it.
Shumokuzame charged again, planning to slice his head clean off. But Shikamaru's hand shot out and grabbed his throat. And it was causing the swordsman's head to nearly explode. He focused his vision and saw that Shikamaru's muscles had expanded greatly. In fact, the guy looked like he was on steroids! And he had antlers, antlers made of chakra!
"No more." The shadow nin said, in a voice much darker than normal. He slammed the swordsman through the roof onto the ground floor. Shikamaru dropped down with him, and landed on him like a deranged animal. While he was down, Shikamaru continued to pound him. Shumokuzame's fluid-like body didn't break, but the fluid traveled in mass to various parts of his body to the point of almost exploding.
For the first time in his life, he was beginning to panic. "I've got to get out of here!!" Shumokuzame managed to swing his bladed arm again, and nailed Shikamaru in the side. Not wanting to claim any prize, he scampered onto his feet. If he stuck around, he would've realized he was still in danger.
The cut wasn't deep. It didn't even pierce his lung. Shikamaru responded to the attack by making signs for a jutsu that he had yet to perfect, one he could call his own. "Kage Essen no Jutsu!!" His shadow didn't extend; it leaped right onto his opponent's.
Shumokuzame stood there, paralyzed both physically and with fear. Then, a shape, much like a dragon's head, emerged. And Shumokuzame was in the middle of it. "NOOOOO!!" The jaws closed, and faded into the ground.
Shikamaru panted, satisfied for now. "I've got to get Temari and…" However, his body returned to normal shape, and he felt terribly sick. "Oh shit…I should've known not to go straight to the red…" He collapsed on the floor head first. "Temari…"
"But you'll risk death!!"
"I don't care!" Konohamaru yelled. "Do it!!" The two staffs that held the electric chakra ceiling up turned back into their monkey selves. Before it could descend, they ran to their father and transformed once again. The main summon remained a three-sectioned staff, but at the end of each stick this time, there were two huge blades. Despite their apparent bulk, Konohamaru had no trouble wielding them. He swung around madly and cried "This is it!!"
Lei Gong looked up at the ceiling, then at the chunin. "He's strong." He said. "But his mind is a wreck. I can easily get the final blow in and win!!" The two combatants charged. Konohamaru spun his weapon so fast that an ordinary person would not be able to even see the bladed ends. But Lei Gong saw several openings. "You're right!! This is the end!!" Suddenly, Konohamaru was right upon him. The swordsman's instincts kicked in, and he slashed. Too late. The bushin dissipated, and the real Konohamaru sliced the swordsman's arms off.
Konohamaru didn't hear the swordsman's scream of pain. Nor did he realize the barrier and the ceiling that would've killed him vanished from their lack of chakra input. He dispelled his summons and ran straight to Ebisu. Konohamaru came to his senses, and realized he was free. "Udon!!" His friend ran right to him and embraced him. Konohamaru tapped his back, showing there was no time to waste, but the gesture was appreciated. "Which way did Moegi go again!?" Udon led the way, with Konohamaru carrying Ebisu on his back.
Kakashi and the other jonin were loosing their patience. They could easily leap across 3 trees in a second, and it still was not fast enough!! However, they found landmarks signaling to them that they were close to Konoha. "Everyone…hang in there."
Suddenly, several large snakes appeared. Kakashi readied his Raikiri, but something got to them first. A giant man slammed one of the snakes into the floor. Then suddenly, another snake attacked its comrade. Kakashi then took the opportunity to impale the final snake. "Chouji! Ino!! Am I ever glad to see you!!"
Chouji returned to normal size, and Ino emerged behind a tree. "We were on our way back from business, and we saw those things!" Chouji shouted. "Is Orochimaru attacking again!?"
Kakashi remained silent for a minute. It was a simple yes or no question, with an explanation too painful to try "I wish that were the case."
Ino was about scream at him, not knowing the true meaning behind his answer. Then, another large snake appeared. Before the three of them could react, another ninja stepped in front of Kakashi and held out his hand. The snake convulsed, and eventually collapsed. It was still alive…but those who knew of the technique knew it would not be getting up anytime soon. The man who preformed the jutsu wrapped his hand again. Kakashi replied "Thank you…Haruno-san." The man who was Sakura's father said nothing. Instead, he leaped off to Konoha. "And that is why I was a bit reluctant to take his daughter under my wing." Kakashi looked back and said "Let's go." The jonin continued onwards…
Tsunade tried to struggle the best she could, but in her weakened state, she couldn't pull the sword out. Nor could she form the seals necessary for her mitotic cell regeneration jutsu. She could feel her body starting to fail. Tears slid down her face as she watched Sakura start to weaken under Orochimaru's hold. The young girl might have already been technically dead by then. She had finally given up. She lost her little brother. She lost Dan. Not even a day ago did she find out she lost Shizune. And now Sakura…it was too much for her.
"That's it Tsunade! Learn that no matter what, whether you continue fighting or simply stand back and watch, you can't save anybody!!"
Sakura 's arms suddenly shot towards her abdomen. She was waiting for Orochimaru to let his guard down and pull a fast one! She applied just enough chakra to her abdomen to close up the wound, but there was still significant organ damage. Orochimaru saw it, and tightened his squeeze. She was going to pass out again at any second! "There's still a way out. I've only…got…one…chance." Sakura reached with her last ounce of strength, made a small jump from her knees and tapped Orochimaru's forehead. He did not take any notice of this, and continued his choke hold.
But Tsunade realized what she was doing. "Of course!!" It alleviated the pain in her heart: Sakura was going to use the one ability she had that, without her knowing (mostly because Tsunade did not want to tell her) allowed her to surpass her mentor, and perhaps would have allowed her to take on even Itachi!
Orochimaru felt the young woman's body begin to go slack once more, and smiled with glee. No way she was faking it now! Then, he felt someone tighten a grip around his shoulders. Orochimaru instinctively let go of his prey and sent a spinning back fist to his opponent. However, all his fist hit was air, and Orochimaru found no one in sight. Before he could question what was going on, hands reached through the roof and grabbed him, trying to pull him down. The Sanin frantically ran from the hands, only to find they were following him everywhere. When he looked back at his prey, he saw they had vanished. But there was nowhere to go. "It's genjutsu!!" Orochimaru held his hands together and yelled "Kai!!" The hands vanished, and Orochimaru could clearly see Sakura healing her abdomen. "There you are!!" Orochimaru, having just realized how dangerous Tsunade's new apprentice was, realized that he could not afford to waste anymore time. He had to kill them both now!! He fired two swords from his mouth, and they fatally impaled their targets. Orochimaru exhaled…and nearly forgot to inhale when he saw the bodies fade into nothing. "Impossible!!" Orochimaru screamed. "I dispelled the illusion!!"
"You preformed the counter correctly." It was Tsunade's voice! It was hoarse, yet he could hear it clearly, and all the anger within it. "But you didn't use the strength necessary. All you have been doing these years, Orochimaru, is grabbing whatever bodies and jutsus you can…and never perfecting those you already had. You're just like a factory, Orochimaru: In the end, you chose quantity over quality."
His hands turned into those of Tsunade's, and shot towards his neck and choked him. "No!!"
Orochimaru then felt a sword drive through his back. He couldn't look behind him, but when the voice spoke, he knew who it was. "I will never forgive you for your deception, Orochimaru!!" The Sandaime!! "You've brought nothing but shame to this village!! I will personally put you through the same hell you did with me!!"
Orochimaru then felt his own snakes either squeezing the life out of him, or pumping poison into his veins. Then, the world around Orochimaru became distorted. His vision seemed to make the world literally spin round and round. The roof began to feel more like quicksand. He was beginning to feel the life out of his body slip away…then something struck him. The illusion faded, and Orochimaru felt the pain subside. He looked to his side, and saw Tsunade and Sakura. Tsunade laid down, nearly unconscious, and Sakura was kneeling, finishing the job on her body. Orochimaru growled "You fools." Slowly, he stood up. "By dispelling that genjutsu for me, your one hope of victory has gone with the wind."
"Actually, that genjutsu would've only made you pass out." Sakura answered. "So, I took the time to deliver the killing blow."
Orochimaru looked at her incredulously, then down to his stomach. Several kunai with explosive tags were embedded in his flesh. The stress from the genjutsu blocked the pain he should have felt! "Oh-" A large explosion went off, nearly knocking Sakura and Tsunade to the barrier. Orochimaru's upper torso flew into the air and hit the upper part of the barrier, lighting him on fire. Snakes from beneath his belly shot out in an attempt to reconnect the two halves, but disintegrated quickly. Orochimaru had used almost all of his chakra from the two sheddings. "No!" his mind screamed. "I am one of the three Sanin! This can't be happening!!" His upper torso smashed through the roof, and straight into the floor. Not only where his bones broken, his guts were spilling out. Orochimaru's life flashed before his eyes as he lay there. He always bragged about how he was the strongest, and would only continue to get stronger. But looking back, he realized that wasn't true. When he was in Konoha, both Tsunade and Jiraya had strengths even he was envious of. When he battled the Sandaime, he lost his arms, despite his teacher's old age. Even if he wasn't in the best condition, Jiraya and Tsunade still forced him to retreat in the end, and the fight would have been over much faster if he didn't have Kabuto with him. And Naruto used his inner demon to throw a wrench in his plans yet again. Now, the one to ultimately defeat him came out of nowhere. That was when he realized that everything the Sandaime taught him was true. It was that girl's will of fire that allowed her to gain strength and defeat him. It was odd how that trio of misfit children he found in the forest would ultimately seal his demise. Naruto delayed his wish for immortality, Sasuke crushed it, and Sakura brought death right to him. If it wasn't for the fact that the nerves in his body stopped working, he would have laughed at the absurdity of it all. The Sanin stopped struggling, and waited for death to come…
The lightning crackled, and smoldered the ground. Sasuke tried to force a smile. "Why should I be trying to FORCE a smile?" he asked himself. He just got his revenge on the one who stole his revenge! Yet, he felt no piece of mind. Why? It made no sense. He was even starting to feel terrible, like he did something he knew he shouldn't have. He hadn't felt such a thing since he was a little kid! Sasuke, doing his best to put these thoughts in the back of his mind, took another good look down to his target…and his mouth gaped in horror.
Naruto, though singed, rose. Even the building, or at least the portion he stood on, was still standing! The blonde looked up at him. "You might be able to control lightning, but you forgot that it has an affinity for certain targets over others. Like tall, metal objects."
Sasuke looked to the jinchuriki's side, and saw a giant lightning rod. Then, it changed back into hundreds of clones, and they all collapsed onto the ground in poofs. Sasuke screamed like a mad animal in response to this. "Fine!! My bare hands will have to do!!"
Sasuke dived bombed towards Naruto, who made one seal. "Ookoumori no Jutsu." Suddenly, wings of chakra erupted from Naruto's back, closely resembling bat wings. Naruto took to the air, leaving Sasuke to kiss the roof of the building.
"What!? He can fly!? Just what has he been learning!?" The same feeling he felt when he saw the power of Naruto's Rasengan surged through his body once more. Sasuke roared in rage, and flew up to tackle Naruto in the air. Just when he was upon the blonde…he vanished. Sasuke looked to his side, and saw Naruto flying towards him at an impossible speed! Naruto's fist slammed into the Uchiha's face, sending him spinning. Sasuke spun in mid-air, and managed to regain control. But he felt his back was attacked, and flew forward. Sasuke attempted to counter, but Naruto was just too fast! Blow after blow, Sasuke saw the whole world spinning. "You said my affinity for wind means nothing if I don't have wings!!" Naruto yelled. "Well, I think this jutsu solves the problem!!" Naruto finally extended both fists and slammed into Sasuke's gut.
The two flew straight through the air, and Sasuke fell to the ground below. "I will…" Sasuke tried to think of all the possible ways to beat him. But before he could reach a conclusion, he felt something in his body change. He began to turn back to normal! Sasuke panicked, and commanded his body to change back. It wasn't happening. Even with the risk his transformation carried, it would only fade when he either commanded it to, or wound up dead. But there was a third way: killing Orochimaru! But who could have done such a thing? He knew Orochimaru was going to fight the Hokage, but he figured the Dark Sanin would use underhanded tactics to secure a victory! Soon, he was back to normal, and out of breath. "It probably wouldn't have mattered; I could have possibly wound up dead in a few minutes anyway." He stood up, intending to continue his fight, despite the hopeless situation. But something caught his eye. It was a woman. Sasuke limped towards her, and turned her over. She was dead, attacked by a bladed weapon!! "No!! This can't be!! I ordered only the death of the Hokage and the council!! What happened here!?" Sasuke turned when he heard someone panting. Lei Gong, with both of his hands missing, lurched forward. "Lei…did you do this?"
Lei spat to the side. "Of course, you fool."
"I gave you orders to only go after the council and the treasury!! I paid you all of Orochimaru's fortune…"
"You think we're all about money? You claim to know what the heart of darkness is. But you don't. It's not about hate. Nor money. It's something impossible to describe in words. Between us, there was no alliance nor contract. You provided each of us with an opportunity, and no words could've stopped us from taking them. We will use any methods to get what we desire. Honor…is a joke. Had you hired more run-of-the-mill mercenaries, they might have obeyed you. But we're not. In true evil, only betrayal exists. By now, Orochimaru has probably commanded his snakes to eat several people. I found out what he was planning to do and said nothing…because quite frankly it didn't concern me."
Sasuke was rendered speechless. Yes, he wanted Konoha destroyed, but not the people who resided in it. They were innocent! A new hatred began to fill his heart. And this time he would quench it. He started an electric current in his palm, and ran right up to the crippled swordsman. He slapped his palm onto the old man's chest, and Lei collapsed from a massive heart attack. Sasuke's mind was thrown into confusion. He just stood there, frozen. He didn't know what he was. An avenger…or a murderer? Misunderstood….or truly evil? His mind was at crossroads with itself, questioning everything her ever believed and did. Then he heard something above him. Naruto was hovering, waiting for him to make a move. Sasuke realized before all else, something had to be settled. He leaped off some random rubble and onto a rooftop. "Let's end it now, Naruto!!" He leaped towards the intended target of his revenge, and Naruto flew forward. In the end, it was Naruto's punch that connected, leaving Sasuke falling. "I…lost."
Naruto landed, his chakra wings disappearing. Naruto collapsed onto his knees, panting. That technique took a lot of chakra out of him, and was almost as dangerous as his Rasenshuriken. With the last bit of strength he could muster, he stood, and walked to Sasuke. "Sasuke." Naruto held his hand out, walking towards Sasuke. The Uchiha could only look at him in disbelief. "Come on. It's going to be okay."
Okay!? He tried to destroy the entire village, and he nearly killed him when things started to go bad!! And he would still forgive him!? It wasn't right!! It contradicted everything he believed!! Somehow, Sasuke managed to feel for a weapon, and found his broken kusunagi. "Keep away from me!!" Sasuke slashed Naruto across the side, and ran.
Naruto gripped his wound, trying his best to stop the blood from pouring out. It was deep, but he could take care of it for now. Naruto tore off his pant leg, and used the makeshift rag to close up the wound. A crude job, but it would have to do for now. Fast as he could, he took off to the tower…
Sakura, using water from a broken pipe and a clean trashcan as a bucket, extracted the last of the poison out of Tsunade. "There." Sakura flung it into the container. The exhaustion of her battle had taken its toll; her chakra was depleted completely, and she passed out. Tsunade caught her, and eased her onto the floor.
The Godaime began a healing jutsu similar to her Souzou Saizei , but smaller and did not cause her any long term damage.
"Hokage-sama!!"
The barrier must have disappeared!! The mechanics were unknown, but she knew it must have meant the invasion was over. Soon, the ANBU surrounded her. "I'm alright." She replied. "It was a close call. Damage report!"
"Our village is in ruins right now! We have sustained many casualties and injuries as well. Almost all chunin. However, the council and civilians are safe."
Tsunade was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when Yamato, in a normal jonin outfit, ran forward and kneeled. "Hokage-sama!! Kakashi-sempai and the others have returned!! Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji, as well as their clans, are with them as well!!"
Tsunade commanded "Send Kakashi and Ino here immediately!" The copy ninja and blonde kunoichi ran forward and bowed. "Ino, Sakura's out of commission right now! You will be my second in command in the emergency aid!"
Ino asked "What about Shizune-sempai?"
Tsunade looked away. Kakashi understood the meaning behind it immediately. He nudged Ino out of the way and changed the subject. "Tsunade-sama…is it true…that Sasuke…" Tsunade gave the slightest nod, and Kakashi's arms went limp with disbelief.
"I expect a full report from you once we get everything in order." Tsunade looked outside, and her eyes showed great sadness. "If."
"Tsunade!" The old woman spun, and saw her true teammate right behind her, panting. "Are you alright!?" Jiraya asked.
Strange. He seemed unusually anxious. About her, of all people. "I'm okay, but it was too close for comfort." Tsunade answered. Jiraya let out a sigh of relief.
Naruto finally got to the tower, in less than ninja speed. He had to know Sakura and Ba-chan were okay!! "Sakura-chan!! Ba-chan!!" he screamed as he opened the doors with what little strength he had. The look inside didn't soothe his fear…it was a mess!
"Hey, is this…"
"It is!! Orochimaru's dead!!"
There was a chorus of joyous screams. This soothed Naruto's fear slightly. Naruto then grabbed a random ANBU, who he soon recognized as Sai. "Please! How are Sakura and the Hokage!?"
Sai responded "They're both alive. Let me go. I have to give a full damage report." The tone was a bit rude, but with everything going on, even Naruto couldn't blame him.
He made his way toward the crowd, but shot up, hobbling when his foot stepped on a piece of glass. "Shit!!" Naruto was about to go on on one foot, but he looked down to see it was a picture with a broken frame. For some reason he was curious, and picked it up to inspect it more closely. Naruto's eyes widened. The man inside looked just like him! Blonde hair, blue eyes…most of his features were nearly identical to his own. "Who is this? My…" Naruto hesitated to say it, evidenced by his gulp. "…father?" He looked at the bottom of the frame, and nearly dropped the picture. On it was written "The Yodaime Hokage. Namikaze Minato."
And there you go! I hope you enjoyed it! The next few chapters will move a bit slower, but hopefully you enjoy them just as much!
Next time, everyone attempts to rebuild the village, but Naruto can't get over the photograph he saw. When he confronts those who know the truth, what will happen? Also, Deidra, Tobi, and Hidan get word that Konoha is in shambles. What will they plan? And Sasuke confronts his worst enemy...himself.
Suinishikihebi-Water Python
Gyakufunsha-Reverse Thrust
Fusansensa-Wind Trident Dagger
Kaze Harichiryou-Wind Acupuncture
Hicross-Fire Cross
Fugyasa-Wind Geyser
Futoku Suihou-Windshield Bubble
Amano Momiryouji-Heavenly Massage
Baku Gamumi-Exploding Toad Pus
Denkiunagi Semeku-Electric Eel Torture
Furyudan-Air Dragon Missile
Rasenryuushinkokyuu-Spiraling Dragon Breath
Hebi Kawa Shuriken-Snake Skin Shuriken
Gatapishi-Rattling Sound
Howaiaizame Kubi-White Shark Head
Fuuken Oogama-Wind Blade Scythe
Kage Toku-Shadow Shield
Sanjuhikihanatsu-Triple Pull
Keikan-Crown of Thorns
Han'Ya Ookami-Midnight Wolf
Raifu Vacumu-Life Vacuum
Akumu no Kuiaratame-Nightmare of Repentance
Tooboe Zangetsu-Howling at the Moon
Satsuika-Killer Squid
Koishi Shuriken-Pebble Shuriken
Mizu Shuriken-Water Shuriken
Kage Essen-Shadow Meal
Ookoumori-Flying Fox
Hake-Paint Brush