"We're close." Naruto muttered as he, Kakashi, and Sasuke continued their pursuit of Gaara.
"A couple hundred meters more." Kakashi's ninja dog that was leading them confirmed.
"How did you know that?" Sasuke asked Naruto. The blonde idiot had somehow turned competent during the month-long break. It was alarming that no one seemed suspicious. Usually, such drastic changes with active shinobi would warrant observation.
"I can kinda sense chakra now." Naruto lied. 'Man, I gotta stop blurting these things out, at least until the old man gives me the go-ahead to let them in on the Rinnegan.'
"That's not an ability you develop overnight. You're either born a sensor or you're not."
"There are techniques that shinobi can use to sense chakra even if they are not sensors." Kakashi informed Sasuke. "The only problem is that they are quite chakra intensive. However, this isn't a problem for Naruo." Internally, Kakashi wondered what the extent of Naruto's abilities were and what kind of bloodline limit he had awakened.
Sasuke had the distinct feeling that his sensei and teammate were scamming him. But he had more serious things to worry about. Gaara was now within eyesight, along with his siblings and their jounin sensei. Gaara was unrecognizable as he was surrounded completely by a mass of sand, forming a protective cocoon around him.
Baki of the sand sensed the approach of the Konoha ninja and turned around immediately.
"Temari, carry Gaara. Kankuro, engage the genin!" he ordered.
As Baki prepared to confront Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke shifted their focus to Kankuro, the puppeteer.
"Naruto, take him. I'll go after Gaara." Sasuke said, dashing off around Kankuro while throwing a few Kunai with an explosive tag towards him.
"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto yelled, frustrated. "Bastard." He muttered as Kankuro deflected the kunai with ease.
"Looks like it's you and me, kid." Kankuro smirked. Despite his confident facade, he was worried for his siblings. Sasuke would prove to be a problem if he caught up to Temari before they could reach their destination. They were asked to reach the borders of the clan grounds before releasing the Shukaku to ensure maximum damage to Konoha.
"Unfortunately, I don't have time for you," Naruto said, irritated. He flipped through some hand seals. "Fire style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" He shouted, infusing as much chakra as he could into the attack in one go.
"What the…" Kankuro let out a curse at the unexpected jutsu, quickly dodging away from the technique's path. He gulped when he saw the pure destructive power of the explosion. It was no lesser than that showcased by Sasuke, a native fire-jutsu user.
Before Kankuro could fully regain his footing, two of Naruto's clones coordinated a pincer attack, closing in on him from both sides. Reacting instinctively, Kankuro executed a nimble backflip, pulling at Karasu's strings to unwrap the bandages that concealed much of the puppet's body. He pulled some of the numerous hidden strings connecting to the puppet, sending bursts of chakra to signal his attack. Two of the puppet's arms extended rapidly to either side, with sharp knives glinting menacingly as they thrust toward the clones' position. However, Naruto did not seem surprised by the hidden weaponry, with one clone sidestepping the attack and the other jumping away from it.
Naruto was exasperated and slightly terrified at the numerous weapons he could see inside Karasu. His Rinnegan could see the chakra-laden weapons inside the puppet, and the strings controlling it. He could see the chakra travelling from Kankuro to the puppet through the strings, and he guessed its purpose correctly. Now he knew what to look out for. If he tracked which strings carried the chakra signal from Kankuro, he could guess which part of the puppet was about to attack. It also helped that each clone was getting this information from multiple points of view.
Almost as soon as Karasu launched the attack against the two clones, a third clone started to prepare another attack. He fired a volley of water bullets at Kankuro, hoping to catch the puppeteer by surprise.
"Tch. This is tricky." Kankuro muttered as he pulled Karasu in front of him to shield him from the attack. As he stepped back to put a little more distance between them, he realized that his legs were tangled in a viscous, sticky mire. Kankuro's eyes widened, his expression turning to one of frustration and alarm as he realized the extent of the trap laid out before him. The ground beneath his feet was no longer solid; it had transformed into a large sticky swamp. Several Naruto clones had surrounded them and cast the Swamp of the Underworld Jutsu during the chaos of the earlier exchange. The swamp covered a significant portion of the battlefield, enveloping even the Naruto clones that were battling him so far.
"...Wait, so none of you are real?!" Kankuro whipped his head around while struggling to get out of the swamp. He had looked down on the Hyuuga's earlier attempts to escape the swamp. But it seemed it was not as easy as it looked.
"Nope. Boss scooted right after that first fireball jutsu after creating a dozen of us." The clones grinned, and all of them dispersed together. Kankuro was now stuck in the swamp with his puppet. The two jonin had moved away earlier to avoid harming their genin during the fight, so he couldn't expect help from Baki anytime soon.
"Shit."
Naruto grinned as the memories of the clones he had left behind reached him. He was crouched behind a bush, watching Sasuke face off against Temari. He didn't want to reveal his presence immediately. He had created several clones that were also watching the face-off from different positions. Temari had not resorted to any jutsu yet, as her wind style was counterproductive against Sasuke's fire style.
"I advise you to step back," Sasuke said, eyeing the sand-encased Gaara behind her.
"And just let you kill my brother? Not a chance." Temari countered, standing protectively over Gaara.
"When your brother is a psycho who kills everyone, that's the logical thing you should do. Do you think he gives a damn whether you live or die?"
"You would know a thing or two about psychotic brothers, right Uchiha?" Temari shot back.
That was the wrong thing to say. Sasuke's Sharingan blazed to life as he started to speed through the seals of his first attack.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu!" Sasuke shot out a ball of flame that expanded as it crossed the distance between him and Temari.
Temari swung her fan with precise timing, careful that she didn't enhance the fireball but rather redirect it upwards, causing it to explode harmlessly in the sky. Wind-style users would get massacred by fire-style users if they didn't use their understanding of wind currents to manipulate even the fiercest attacks away from them.
'Maybe this is why Konoha and Suna were natural allies. Wind style and fire style work great together, but wind users have a hard time defending against fire style.' She really didn't know what her father was thinking, orchestrating this invasion. Even with the sound ninja, it was a ridiculous plan to go against Konoha on their own turf. They needed the One Tails to wreak havoc for their plan to stand a chance of working.
'Let's increase the distance a bit,' Temari launched into a series of rapid maneuvers, using her fan to generate slicing wind blades aimed at the environment around Sasuke. Several trees and parts of the underbrush were cut down, creating obstacles that Sasuke had to dodge.
'She's trying to get me away from Gaara,' Sasuke observed the subtle movements of Temari's fan, allowing him to predict and avoid the targets of her attack. This was the kind of thing the Sharingan excelled at. A level of observation-backed intuition so advanced that opponents would feel the Uchiha could see the future.
Forming new hand seals, Sasuke unleashed the Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu, sending multiple small fireballs in a widespread attack.
Temari quickly realized that diverting the many fireballs would only lead them to the trees scattered around them, causing them to combust. She instead spread her fan wide and shielded herself and Gaara from the fire jutsu.
Sasuke used the momentary blind spot in Temari's vision to close the distance between them. As he charged forward, Temari, quickly swung her fan with all her might, generating a massive gust of wind to repel him. Sasuke, anticipating this, leaped over the direct path of the attack. He threw a couple of kunai as he passed above Temari and Gaara, landing on the other side. Whirling around, he smirked and flipped through the hand seals for his strongest jutsu. Lightning started to coalesce at the tips of his fingers as he charged up a Chidori.
"I'll cut you into bits before you make it here," Temari declared, charging up her chakra to follow through on her threat. Suddenly, she felt the ground beneath her feet shift. Before she could react, a hand grabbed onto her ankle and pulled her down in one fluid motion.
"When did-" Temari cut herself off as she struggled to move. She was now buried neck-deep in the mud. She glared as the blonde brat who faced off against the Hyuuga exited the bushes behind Sasuke, wearing a smug expression.
"Earth Style, Headhunter Jutsu!" Naruto announced gleefully. "Brings back memories, eh, Sasuke?" He was glad he practiced this particular earth-style jutsu, as it was another surefire way of immobilizing most genin or chunin-level opponents if they were pulled in by the jutsu.
"Shut up, moron." Sasuke said, annoyed at the reminder. "Keep watch while I finish off Gaara." Sasuke said as he completed the hand seals for the chidori.
"Umm… Sasuke, is that really required?" Naruto watched as the concentrated mass of chakra sharpened in Sasuke's fingers. He remembered Gaara's story from Kabuto, and he had developed some empathy for someone he had earlier considered a monster.
"You heard what Kakashi said…" Sasuke locked his eyes with Gaara's form. "I don't enjoy it, but this is what it means to be a ninja, Naruto." He dashed towards Gaara's form, ignoring Temari's frantic cry of alarm.
"Gaara! Watch out!" Temari screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping her brother would hear her.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted immediately after, noticing a change in the chakra of the sand cocoon.
Before Sasuke could reach halfway, an enormous hand made out of sand exploded out of the cocoon that encased Gaara. Thanks to Naruto's warning and his Sharingan, Sasuke sidestepped the hand of sand and continued in his trajectory. However, he was forced to give up when a second hand emerged from the first one and made to grab him.
Sasuke positioned himself at a safe distance from Gaara as he reassessed the situation. The hand withdrew and merged with the cocoon.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!" Naruto was starting to feel like a one-trick pony after the performed the same jutsu for the third time that day. But he had to admit, it was dead useful.
Sasuke leapt back in surprise as the land surrounding Gaara turned into a miniature swamp. The cocoon quickly began sinking into it due to its weight.
'That is a dangerous jutsu,' Sasuke thought as he observed the swamp with his Sharingan. He could see that it was thick with chakra, constantly shifting unpredictably. He was starting to understand how Naruto had supposedly won against the Hyuuga.
The cocoon containing Gaara was halfway submerged when it suddenly began to rise out of the swamp. Two legs had grown from beneath it, supporting the structure and countering Naruto's technique with its own chakra.
'Man, this would've been a lot easier if I could just use the Rinnegan abilities…' Naruto complained internally as he fired a barrage of water bullets. The shell remained unaffected, the sand absorbing the impact of the bullets.
'He learned two different chakra natures in a month?!" The suspicion Sasuke had felt earlier grew when he saw Naruto's water-style technique. It had taken years for him to be able to wield two elements. He had already knew fire manipulation and learned lightning style from Kakashi by exclusively training on it for the last month. He had the advantage of having a Sharingan and having an affinity towards lightning nature. Naruto had learned it both in a month. Even Itachi couldn't learn that fast!
"Look out!" Naruto shouted urgently, interrupting his train of thought. Out of nowhere, a Naruto clone appeared and tackled Sasuke to the ground. Not a moment later, spike made of sand exploded out of the cocoon and attacked the place where Sasuke had stood. The attack brushed against the clone instead, dispelling it instantly.
"How did you predict that?" Sasuke was shaken. His Sharingan had seen the attack coming, but it was too late for him to react. But Naruto was able to see and respond to it. Even worse, the clone that was hiding behind him had also seen it, evidenced by the fact that it moved to push him away before Naruto's warning.
"No time to explain now, We'll talk later." Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Naruto flipping through a familiar set of hand signs. 'There's no way,' he thought in disbelief. But this was not the time to think. Unconsciously, Sasuke mirrored Naruto's move although he was questioning his own sanity at this point.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Both Naruto and Sasuke shouted, releasing their techniques together. The two fireballs converged and collided with Gaara's sand, resulting in a spectacular blast of fire.
"That's one tough defense, huh…" Naruto grimaced, as the fire died down to reveal that Gaara's sand cocoon had withstood the combined attack. However, Sasuke could see that patches of the cocoon had turned glassy from the heat of the strike.
'It shouldn't be very comfortable inside.' Sasuke thought with a smirk. True to his prediction, the front part of the cocoon broke off, revealing a very pissed-off Gaara. The right half of his face was covered by sand, with the right eye glinting yellow over a black pupil.
"You've only succeeded in angering me," Gaara's voice emerged, distorted and menacing. The sand around him began to shift, reflecting his unstable emotions. He raised his hand, and the sand reacted instantly as it gathered densely around him, ready to strike.
"Well, let me anger you some more. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto promptly formed a dozen clones who immediately scattered while flipping through hand signs.
"Uzumaki style: Water bullet infinite barrage!" They shouted, performing the water bullet jutsu in unison. This was his own semi-original jutsu combination that he had come up with during the battle against Neji.
High-pressure water bullets launched from the mouths of each clone, converging towards Gaara's position. Gaara swept his hand in a wide arc and commanded the sand around him to intercept the attack. He created a thick, spinning barrier, somewhat similar to Neji's Rotation, to stop the bullets. Unlike Neji, he could keep this up for a long time due to his chakra reserves. The sand absorbed the impact of the water, but the continuous barrage began to saturate it, making the sand heavier and slightly slower to respond.
Gaara's brow furrowed in annoyance, his control starting to slip due to the heaviness of the sand. Patches of the sand began to clump and drip, showing signs of strain. Gaara gritted his teeth.
"Enough of this!" he exclaimed and thrust his hand forward. "Sand Coffin!"
Suddenly, the sand shielding him exploded outward in the form of many hands, aiming at the clones surrounding him. As the sand enveloped each clone, they were compressed with crushing force, dispelling them.
"Ouch, that's brutal." Naruto grimaced, feeling echoes of the clones' destruction. He nimbly dodged as one of the sandy hands lunged for him, his smirk betraying his satisfaction with the distraction he'd created.
Gaara focused all the sand arms on pursuing what he thought was the last target— the original Naruto. "This is the end!" he declared.
It was at that moment that a voice came from behind him, the air crackling with the sharp sound of chirping. "For you," it said. Gaara spun around, only to cry out in agony as a surge of piercing pain overwhelmed him.
Naruto let out a relieved sigh when he saw that Sasuke's sneak attack was successful. As Gaara got busy keeping track of the many clones that were attacking him, Sasuke disappeared in the confusion. Naruto guessed what he was up to, so he kept up the momentum of his attacks and forced Gaara to move his sand away from him.
"He has a layer of sand sticking to his body. The attack didn't do as much damage as I hoped." Sasuke grimaced, landing next to Naruto.
"What's he up to?" Naruto asked suddenly, narrowing his eyes. Alarmed, Sasuke focussed his Sharingan on Gaara, who had clasped his hands together as if in prayer.
"You will know the terror," he wheezed, grinding his teeth in pain "The terror of angering the sand! Playing Possum Jutsu!"
At that moment, Naruto sensed that something has gone very, very wrong.
"Sasuke, get back!" He screamed, pulling his teammate with him as he kicked on the ground to dart backward.
"What the hell, Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes still locked on Gaara. But he followed Naruto's lead, allowing Naruto to pull him back as a dreadful, eerie silence fell over the battlefield.
Barely a moment later, the sand around Gaara began to churn violently. More and more sand began to rise up from the ground and joined the newly formed sandstorm, it's size increasing by the second. Within moments, the sandstorm grew and dwarfed the trees, easily reaching a hundred meters in height. As the storm's rage reached its peak, it abruptly collapsed inward. Sasuke and Naruto watched, tense and alert. After a moment, the sand shifted subtly, then began to bulge and crack as if something within was struggling to break free.
Suddenly, the mound exploded outward, and from its core, a monstrous form began to emerge. Two enormous claws broke through first, followed by an equally large animalistic head. As it stepped out of the mound, the shape of the beast vaguely resembled a Tanuki. An enormous tail swished behind it, levelling numerous trees with every movement.
The ANBU guarding the perimeter of the four violet flames formation had been closely monitoring the unfolding battle. When the preparations for a Tailed Beast Bomb began, they immediately sprung into action, evacuating the area. Memories of the devastation wrought by such an attack thirteen years prior, although redirected away from the village, were still vividly etched in their minds. Despite the protective barrier, they preferred to err on the side of caution.
As the explosion subsided, the ANBU gathered around the scorched remains of the battlefield. Their initial task was to search for any trace of Orochimaru or his underlings, but it appeared that they had all been vaporized by the attack. However, their attention quickly shifted as they noticed a strange disturbance at the site where Lady Mito had previously stood. Through the thinning smoke, a figure slowly began to materialize. It was Mito Uzumaki, reconstructing herself from the ashes of the blast, her form regaining substance through the regeneration provided by the reanimation.
The ANBU units instinctively assumed a defensive stance as Mito materialized. She snapped, her tone laced with irritation, "Use your brains! I am not your enemy."
One of the ANBU members cautiously replied, respect coloring his voice, "Forgive us, Lady Mito. In the absence of the Hokage, we must be prepared for all possibilities." His tone was filled with a mixture of reverence and disbelief—it was not every day one found oneself speaking to a legend. He had been just a boy when the news of her passing swept through Konoha, a day of mourning that gripped the village as intensely as the death of a sitting Hokage.
Mito rolled her eyes. "They should be back shortly. In the meantime, it may be more conducive to deal with those." She pointed eastwards, where the village gates were beset with enormous snakes."
"Might we enquire what you plan on doing, Lady Mito?" Another ANBU asked.
Mito sighed, a hint of resignation in her voice. "Now that I've released the reanimation, I'm bound to this world for a while. I need to find my way back." She paused, then pointed westward. "I sensed the chakra of a Tailed Beast in that direction—the One Tail, if I'm not mistaken. I'm going to suppress it. One of you can come along if you'd like to keep an eye on me until the Hokage returns."
The ANBU exchanged quick, uncertain glances, their immediate concern about the Tailed Beast overshadowing their initial suspicions of the reanimated shinobi. After a moment of deliberation, the ANBU with a dragon mask spoke decisively, "Cat, accompany her. The rest of us will handle any rogue elements remaining."
As Mito set off in the direction of the One Tail's chakra, the female ANBU known as Cat quickly fell in step beside her.
As they moved, Mito broke the silence with a question. "Tell me, is there a jinchuuriki for the Nine-Tails currently?"
"Yes, your ladyship. His name is Naruto Uzumaki, although I am not certain if he is a member of your clan or not." Cat responded.
"I see…" Mito sensed the chakra that was close to the chakra of the One Tails. It was definitely that of an Uzumaki. It reminded her of Kushina. She knew he was a jinchuuriki from his chakra, but she had not been sure if it was known by the ANBU.
"What happened to Kushina Uzumaki? She had reached Konoha shortly before my death." Mito asked, unable to contain her curiosity. She regretted the fact that she did not spend enough time with her brother's granddaughter. She had only met the child a few days before the transfer of the Nine Tails.
"I believe a kunoichi with that died during the Nine Tails attack on the village thirteen years ago." The ANBU seemed to be connecting the dots. "Was she the Jinchuuriki after you, Lady Mito?"
"Yes." Mito replied, sorrow filling her heart when she heard about the demise of Kushina. "What about Tsunade? My granddaughter?" She asked, afraid of the answer.
"Lady Tsunade is still alive," Cat said hurriedly. "But she has secured an early retirement on express orders of the Third Hokage. We don't know about the details."
Mito was shocked again. What had happened to Tsuna? And why was she not looking after Naruto, if he was indeed Kushina's child? Kushina was her second cousin, after all.
"Let us hurry," Mito said, breaking out of her thoughts when she felt the chakra of the One-Tails spike.
"I'M FINALLY FREE!" Shukaku, the One-Tailed beast, let out a raucous, gleeful shout that reverberated through the air. The beast's voice was wild and erratic, its tone oscillating between jubilation and sheer rage. "NO MORE CHAINS! NO MORE CAGE! I'M THE KING OF SAND, BABY!"
"Naruto…" Sasuke said, fear beginning to show in his voice. "I don't know how to deal with this. I'm out of ideas."
"Yeah, that's a little above our pay grade." Naruto gulped and began to perform the hand seals he was more than intimately familiar with from the major chunk of his training last month. "Come on… Give me a big one… No tails, no tails…" He prayed fervently.
"What are you doing? Do you even have a summon?" Sasuke asked, recognizing the set of seals to be the same that Kakashi had used earlier.
"Ninja art: Summoning!" Naruto flooded his chakra into his hands, performing the summoning jutsu for the first time since he gained his Rinnegan.
A puff of smoke signified that the jutsu was a success. However, Naruto's eye twitched at the size of his summon.
"Yo!" A small red toad appeared, raising his hands in a salute. He looked at the boy who had summoned him. "You're not Jiraiya. Are you the new summoner who has been kidnapping the toad clan's babies?"
Naruto flushed red, embarrassed. "I didn't want your babies damnit! Why are you here? Don't you have anyone big? Like the ones the pervy sage summons?"
"Rude," the toad folded his arms, annoyed. "That's no way to speak to your superiors young man. And how can you get big toads if all you use is a teeny bit of chakra, huh?"
"Superiors? Superiors?!" Naruto spluttered. "You're supposed to do as I tell you!"
"Huh, why would we do that?" The small toad was thoroughly enjoying educating the new summoner. He understood why his dad found it so fun. "We're doing you a favor by being here, kid. If you want us to do something for ya, you better make sure you stay on our good side."
"Umm... Naruto," Sasuke hissed.
"What?" Naruto snapped, looking at Sasuke.
Sasuke simply pointed above him. Naruto followed his gaze and found two large, malevolent eyes staring at him. "Oh."
"Hey, isn't that Shukaku the One Tail? I've heard he's a crackpot with a few screws loose." The little toad said, facing the beast that could snort it through its nostril. Fortunately, it didn't seem like the massive beast heard him.
"... Ever heard of something called self-preservation?" Naruto asked, starting to sweat at Shukaku's intense gaze.
"Eh, what are you so scared about? My old man could take him. Probably."
"Well, you're not him, and he's not here." Sasuke finally joined the conversation. "I suggest you run and get him if you don't want to get squished."
Sasuke's words hung in the air as they all tensed, sensing the impending threat. Just then, Shukaku's thunderous voice shattered the brief silence. "So… what's up, party people?!" Shukaku boomed, and Naruto could feel the sound waves from his voice literally hitting them. "Is that tiny froggy going to face me? HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Oy, I'm a toad, you moron. Don't you have eyes?" Sasuke's hands abruptly closed around the toad's mouth as he smiled nervously at the beast. "...He didn't mean it." he said weakly. Beside him, he could feel Naruto building up his chakra. At this point, he didn't care that Naruto had somehow surpassed him in a month with the sheer number of jutsu he learned. He could catch up easily with his Sharingan. He just prayed that the next summon was more useful.
"Ninja art: Summoning!" Naruto exclaimed. This time, he gathered and infused a far greater amount of chakra into his hand seals than before. He tapped into the deep reservoirs of chakra that his jutsu training had unlocked. Although his chakra pool was immense, he could only channel so much at a given time. It was quite a hassle to grab hold of and control that much chakra at once, but he had to make it work somehow. This was the main problem he faced with the swamp of the underworld technique. He simply wasn't used to gathering as much chakra as was needed to perform the jutsu in one go. Hence the reason why he relied on his clones to complete that technique.
The ground beneath Naruto trembled slightly as he slammed his palm onto the earth, channeling his intent and chakra into the summoning formula. A much larger cloud of smoke enveloped the area where they were standing. Naruto and Sasuke felt the ground beneath them shift and rise. The sensation was akin to the sudden lurch of the earth during a quake, and Naruto channeled chakra to his feet to keep himself stabilized.
"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed as he saw the large toad that he had summoned. It was a green toad that was half the size of the One Tail, but atleast now they stood a chance.
"Oh, hey there Uncle Gamahiro!" The small toad that Naruto had summoned earlier slipped from Sasuke's grasp and landed on the new toad's head.
"Gamakichi? Where have you been? The boss is searching for you." The now identified Gamahiro glanced up in an attempt to see the tiny toad sitting on his head.
"Eh, this dopey looking kid summoned me." He replied, pointing to Naruto. He then whispered conspiratorially. "He's the baby kidnapper!"
"For the last time-" Naruto bellowed. "I didn't do it on purpose!"
The conversation was cut off by a loud, resounding laugh. "This one's a runt too!" Shukaku cackled loudly, his booming voice laced with mockery and derision. "A runt summoning other runts! Nice trick, but I'm bored now!" His expression abruptly shifted. "Let's see some BLOOD!" He said in a half-crazed voice and thrust his palm downward, intending to flatten the large toad with the sheer force of his strike.
"Move!" Naruto shouted with urgency. Thankfully, the larger toad complied, jumping back just in time to escape the might of the attack. The palm hit the area they were previously occupying. The ground exploded under the force of Shukaku's massive palm strike. Dust and debris flew into the air as a crater formed, the edges crumbling as the earth settled after the abrupt disturbance. Trees surrounding the impact zone snapped or were uprooted, creating a small clearing in the forest. The shockwave sent vibrations through the ground, rattling the area surrounding them and causing smaller creatures to scurry away in panic.
Naruto and Sasuke, now safely on Gamahiro's back, watched with wide eyes as the dust began to settle. "That was close," Naruto muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thanks, Gamahiro!" he shouted over the ringing in his ears from the impact.
"Don't mention it," Gamahiro replied, his voice deep and resonant. He shifted his massive body, readying himself for another potential strike. "But that thing, Shukaku, it's not something I can handle. We'll need the boss for this one."
"Uh, yeah, that might be a problem." Naruto gulped. "I can't mould that much chakra in one go yet. You're the biggest summon I've gotten so far..."
"You'll need to triple that chakra to get the boss." Gamahiro winced. "I'll try to hold on till reinforcements arrive."
Sukaku watched the exchange with a crazed grin. He was already gathering more sand around his fist as he prepared for another attack. His eyes gleamed with the thrill of destruction.
"We need to keep him busy, or he's going to flatten everything in sight," Sasuke said, looking around for any advantage they could use. "Naruto, can your clones distract him long enough for us to think of a plan?"
"Leave it to me!" Naruto exclaimed, already forming the seals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. In an instant, a few dozen clones Narutos appeared and immediately dispersed in various directions.
The monstrous tanuki followed the clones' movements with his eyes, chuckling darkly. "More targets, more fun!" he roared, swinging his sand-coated fists at the nearest clones. To their credit, many of the clones moved out of the way, but a few were inevitably crushed.
"Can you summon another toad like him?" Sasuke asked, hating the fact that he would have to rely more on Naruto for this fight. But seeing the light of another day took precedence over everything else now.
"I need a few more minutes, atleast." Naruto grimaced. "My chakra coils are burning just from this summon."
"Well then, here goes nothing," Sasuke turned to Shukaku, funnelling as much chakra into his Sharingan as he did so. He held up his hands in a peculiar hand sign. Naruto could see a surge of Yin-natured chakra and realized what Sasuke was trying to do.
"Genjutsu? Will that even work on that thing?" Naruto asked disbelievingly.
"Are you really the same Naruto from a month ago?" Sasuke muttered, shaking his head at the accuracy of Naruto's deduction. "If it wasn't for Kakashi sensei vouching for you, I'd have been sure you were being impersonated."
"Um... Yeah, a lot of things happened." Naruto rubbed his head nervously.
A moment later, Shukaku paused his mindless thrashing and slowly turned towards Naruto and Sasuke. "An Uchiha, hmm...?" Shukaku's tone changed from the earlier playful mood. His voice now hid quiet wrath. "I was looking forward to getting your blood through Gaara, but I'll have to do it myself, I suppose." He said, slowly advancing on the duo.
"Kids, I think he's getting serious now," Gamahiro said, bracing himself as the Tailed beast advanced to their position.
"Yeah, no shit." Naruto gulped. "I guess it didn't work, Sasuke?"
"Useless." Sasuke cursed. "This is a lot harder than affecting a human."
"I'll have to do my best, then," Gamahiro proclaimed, drawing his twin swords from their scabbards. "Hold on tight, as if your life depends on it!"
"Hell yeah, let's go!" Naruto cheered, glad that the toad was finally going to fight.
"Toad sword style: Dance of blades!" Gamahiro proclaimed, blasting toward Shukaku with astonishing speed that belied his enormous size. He swung his sword in a wide arc as he reached Shukaku. The Tanuki immediately raised his arms defensively. Although the first attack was blocked, Gamahiro relentlessly swung his swords, creating a rhythmic pattern of cuts and slices that gradually chipped away at Shukaku's sandy armor. Each strike of the blade sent a cascade of sand particles flying, revealing the sheer force behind Gamahiro's attacks.
Shukaku, growing increasingly irritated by the persistent assault, retaliated with a fierce growl. "Is that all you've got, overgrown tadpole?" he taunted, summoning his power to manipulate the sand around him. He attempted a counter-strike, sending waves of sand swirling towards Gamahiro, aiming to entangle and immobilize him. Gamahiro, however, anticipated this move. With a deft leap, he avoided the encroaching sand trap and launched himself back into the fray.
"Not even close!" he barked back, readying his next technique. "Toad sword style: Crescent Moon Barrage!" This time, he executed a series of rapid, precise strikes, each one aimed at different angles to confuse and outmaneuver Shukaku's defenses.
The crescent-shaped blades of wind that accompanied each slash tore through the air, slicing through the dense sand barriers conjured by Shukaku. The Tanuki grunted as several hits landed, causing him to stagger slightly under the impact.
"That's it..." The Tanuki growled, rapidly losing patiance. "Time to get serious. Say goodbye to your village, chumps!" His entire body glowed, and chakra started to gather in front of him into a small point.
Naruto felt the hairs on the back stand up as he observed that attack. A flood of powerful chakra flowed from Shukaku's body, swirling into a tiny sphere. Through his Rinnegan, Naruto could see the intricate layers of chakra condensing into a single almost blindingly bright point. The sphere pulsed, its surface crackling with raw, untamed energy that sent ripples through the air. Naruto could see the ground beneath it began to crack, unable to withstand the pressure of the gathering energy.
Naruto's heart raced as he realized the scale of destruction this attack could unleash. "This is bad," he muttered under his breath, feeling a sense of impending doom. He could almost feel the chakra's thirst for destruction, as if it were alive and eager to devour everything in its path.
"We need to stop that, now!" Naruto shouted to Sasuke and Gamahiro, pointing at the menacing sphere. "Whatever that is, it's going to be massive!"
"I'll be honest. Our best course of action is to retreat." Gamahiro said, his voice shaking. "Even if we attack, the only thing that's gonna change is that we'll all die faster than the others. If we run, we might survive."
"Yeah, unfortunately that's not an option."
"You wouldn't be a leaf shinobi if it were," Gamahiro replied, a hint of pride in his voice. "So what do you suggest we do?"
Naruto, who had been trying to gather chakra for the past few minutes to try and summon the toad boss, was suddenly struck with inspiration. "Please, trust me and do as I say."
"Whenever I hear that," Gamahiro said wryly, "I know that the plan will be stupid or reckless. What is it?"
"Get me as close to that ball as you can."
Gamahiro sighed, a deep rumble echoing from his throat as he eyed the growing chakra sphere warily. "You know, that sounds suspiciously like a suicide mission. You sure you're not mixing up bravery with madness?"
"Naruto..." Sasuke searched his teammate's eyes, but could only see a steely resolve.
"You can jump down if you're scared, Sasuke."
Sasuke snorted. "As if. Someone needs to carry your corpse back. If anything remains at all."
"Well, it was a cushy life," Gamakichi clutched onto Gamahiro. "Give me a good show, kid. I'll be sure to recommend you to Pops if we survive this."
"Thanks." Naruto grinned, touched by the vote of confidence. "Now!"
Gamahiro steeled his resolve and leaped towards the One Tails. As his form rocketed towards the charging Tailed Beast bomb, he began to feel the intense heat rolling off from the attack. 'It's all on you now, kid.'
As they reached less than a dozen meters away, Naruto extended his right palm skyward, directing it toward Shukaku's face. "SHINRA TENSEI!"
The incomplete Tailed Beast bomb wavered for a moment before it blasted backwards, onto the open jaws of a startled Shukaku. The attack exploded, illuminating the area with a fierce, fiery glow. The explosion rocked the immediate vicinity, sending shockwaves rippling through the air and ground. Although the force of the blast was immense, the strategic positioning of Naruto's push directed the majority of the destructive energy back toward Shukaku, sparing the surrounding landscape from severe damage.
The enraged Tailed Beast, engulfed in the explosion he had intended for his foes, clutched his head in pain. A roar of pain and rage echoed through the forest. A good portion of its head was missing, but the beast was somehow still standing.
Naruto was breathing heavily from sheer exertion as Sasuke watched him with disbelief. He managed a weary smile. "Looks like we bought ourselves some time," he said, watching Shukaku stagger. In the face of certain death, he didn't have a choice but to reveal his technique.
Sasuke watched Naruto's jutsu through his Sharingan, his eyes tracing the patterns of the chakra flow as Naruto executed the jutsu. It was unlike anything he had seen before; his Sharingan couldn't decipher the mechanics or classify the jutsu. It was somewhat similar to what he had felt when he watched Haku's ice-style way back when he first awakened his Sharingan. Just as Haku's ice style was not one of the standard chakra natures, was the technique Naruto demonstrated a different change of nature? It was not an elemental ninjutsu, although he could find a mild similarity with the earth style.
"What was that?!" Sasuke exclaimed, his tone filled with surprise and disbelief.
"That's... a new bloodline limit I've awakened," Naruto admitted. "The old man Hokage told me not to share any details unless he's cleared it..."
Sasuke's brows furrowed. That made sense, at least. But it still left some questions unanswered. "Is it a dojutsu?"
"...A what?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"An eye-related bloodline."
"Wh-what makes you think that?" Naruto stuttered. How had Sasuke realized that so fast?
"You knew when Shukaku was going to attack before me, and I have a Sharingan" Sasuke pointed out sharply. Naruto's reaction told him all that he needed to know. "Earlier, you also sensed how close we were to Gaara."
"Aah... I can't really tell you now, anyone could hear us..." Naruto cringed. Although he would eventually have to share his abilities with his teammates, just as Sasuke had briefed them on his Sharingan, he couldn't do so without the Hokage's consent.
Sasuke nodded, understanding the need for secrecy when it came to bloodline limits. But he was curious. He had never heard of a dojutsu that exceeded the Sharingan in predictive capability.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Shukaku's scream of fury cut through their conversation, rattling the leaves around them and jolting them back to the immediate danger. The massive beast had recovered more quickly than they expected, and his rage was palpable.
"You think you can play with the big boys? Let's see how you handle this!" Shukaku raised his tail, and Naruto could see a torrent of wind-natured chakra being exuded from it. Naruto, Sasuke, and the summoned toads watched in horror as numerous blades of wind started to form and circle around the tail, spinning at high speed and causing an ominous high-pitched whistling sound.
"I'LL SHRED YOU ALL TO BITS! HAHAHAHAHA!" The beast exclaimed in manic joy.
As Shukaku's laughter echoed through the battlefield, celebrating the impending destruction of his enemies, a sudden flash of gold cut through the air. Without warning, an array of glowing golden chains burst from the ground around him. They wrapped around Shukaku's tail and body, restraining him forcefully. The wind blades dissipated under the sudden assault as the chains tightened, pulling the massive tanuki's form towards the ground.
The creature struggled to break free of the chains, its cackles turning into curses of frustration and pain. More and more chains emerged, each one binding him more securely. A few of them wrapped around his mouth, muting his cries of rage.
A figure stepped forward from the edge of the clearing. Naruto could see that she was a woman, but there was something inherently wrong with her. The world around her seemed to take on a different hue, as if everything, including light, was distorting around her. He noticed a faint, ethereal outline that seemed to hover around her body. This outline pulsed with a pale, ghostly light and appeared as a secondary echo or shadow that mirrored her movements. What caught his attention most, though, was the network of what appeared to be glowing white threads that seemed to have sewed the outline with the body. He could see quite clearly that she had no heartbeat, and her chakra itself seemed odd. With a jolt, Naruto realized that he was witnessing the result of the Impure World Reincarnation technique that Orochimaru had used earlier.
"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded, his Sharingan also revealing something slightly abnormal about her.
Mito Uzumaki smiled, her face softening as she saw a boy who was unmistakably Kushina's child standing next to an Uchiha boy.
"I am Mito Uzumaki," she said, observing Naruto with a hint of melancholy. "I am a shinobi of the leaf who had passed from this world decades ago, but an unnatural jutsu brought me back to the world of the living. I have broken free from the controls of that technique and came here to assist with subduing Shukaku."
"A jutsu brought you back to life?" Sasuke's breath hitched. "That's impossible!"
"Improbable." Mito corrected. "There is nothing impossible in this world. However, a life has to be given in exchange for another life, and such an exchange always has grave consequences. And I am not truly alive, as my soul is merely forced to occupy this earthly vessel by the bindings of this jutsu."
A cat-masked ANBU also arrived next to her, slightly out-of-breath. "...Ah, you've taken care of the Tailed beast, Lady Mito?"
"He has been subdued." She nodded and turned her gaze back to Naruto.
"Are we... related?" Naruto asked, a hopeful note in his voice.
"I believe so, yes." Mito nodded. "However, it is best if we discuss this a little later, Naruto." She smiled. "We have to take care of Shukaku first, and stop the invasion."
Naruto nodded, quickly rubbing his eyes under the guise of clearing dust, although it was more to disguise the tears that had begun to form. Sasuke observed carefully, less suspicious now that an ANBU had arrived to vouch for her. He vaguely remembered the name Uzumaki Mito, but couldn't place it. He was sure it was at least mentioned once in their history books.
Mito turned her attention to Shukaku, who was visibly protesting his capture. She felt a pang of regret, but she couldn't let such a beast roam about uncontrolled. In a flash, she moved to stand next to it.
"Suppression seal!" She muttered and placed her hands on Shukaku's body. A moment later, Naruto observed that the chakra of Shukaku was rapidly flowing back inside Gaara. Shukaku's form shrunk, diminishing until it was fully absorbed by Gaara. When Mito's chains disappeared a moment later, all that could be seen was the bleeding and unconscious form of Gaara.
As the ANBU agent stepped forward, Naruto realized the danger. "Please don't kill him!" He exclaimed with urgency.
The ANBU glanced at Naruto. "I wasn't planning to. If a target is neutralized, the standard procedure is to hand them over to the torture and interrogation unit where they will be held. The Hokage will decide what is to be done with him." She didn't owe Naruto an explanation, but the boy had demonstrated significant courage and potential by holding off the tailed beast until they arrived. Coming from a genin, that deserved a minimum courtesy from her, atleast.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Mito. "What about the other reanimated Hokage? How is the old man and pervy sage?" he asked, unleashing all his pent-up questions.
Mito blinked. "...You are quite well informed," she said, surprised.
Naruto cringed and bit his tongue at the inadvertent slip-up. "Ah... I was attacked by an ANBU posing as a double agent. Kakashi sensei got some intel out of him..."
Sasuke didn't show any reaction to Naruto's bald-faced lie, but he questioned how Naruto had come to know such detailed information. If Kakashi had interrogated the ANBU, why would he share the information with Naruto?
Mito nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. "The reanimated Hokage have left for the pure world after I wrested control of the technique from Orochimaru. Orochimaru must be on the way to join them, since he died at my hands shortly after. Hiruzen and Jiraiya are safe."
Naruto was skeptical when he heard that Orochimaru was dead, given the intel he had from Kabuto. But he decided to bring it up later. "That's good." he sighed in relief.
"Naruto! Sasuke!" It was at that moment that Kakashi arrived, out-of breath. He froze when he saw Lady Mito, realizing who she was when the clone escorting Sakura dispelled after completing their mission. Baki had escaped as soon as he saw that Shukaku was free, and Kakashi didn't pursue him as he was more concerned with protecting his students.
"She's an ally, Kakashi sensei," Naruto assured him. "She said the snake freak isn't controlling him anymore."
"...I see." Kakashi observed the reanimated Shinobi with his Sharingan. He was still on his guard, but relaxed when Cat nodded, confirming Naruto's claim.
Mito turned to Naruto. "You are a toad summoner too, I see. Could one of your toads reverse summon Jiraiya and Hiruzen? They would be in Mount Myoboku now, as circumstances warranted they had to be evacuated from the battlefield swiftly."
"I'll do that," Gamahiro nodded, still processing the ridiculous chain of events that followed Naruto's suicidal plan. He couldn't believe he was still in one piece. "Gamakichi, you go back first and inform Lord Jiraiya to be ready with Lord Third."
"Got it!" Gamakichi gave a salute and disappeared after a wave of goodbye to Naruto.
"The toads can summon humans?" Naruto asked incredulously.
Mito smiled. "All such contracts go both ways, Naruto. Reverse summoning is a derivative jutsu of the original summoning technique. If the summon is capable of performing ninjutsu, they would be able to call their summoner at times of need. The humans are also obliged to protect their summons at times of need."
As they talked, Gamahiro flipped through the hand signs of the reverse summoning technique and slapped his palm on the ground. A brief cloud of smoke erupted around his palm, and two figures materialized within it. Jiraiya and Hiruzen appeared, slightly disoriented but otherwise unharmed.
Jiraiya quickly regained his bearings and looked around, assessing the situation. "That was a quick trip back," he commented with a wry grin. Hiruzen, on the other hand, scanned the area more seriously, his eyes settling on Mito with relief.
"Lady Mito, could you please update us on the situation?" Hiruzen asked.
"I believe Orochimaru is dead, along with his bodyguards. The One Tails has been contained, in no small part due to the efforts of these genin." She smiled, indicating Naruto and Sasuke.
"Naruto, Sasuke, I'm glad you're safe." Hiruzen said, relieved. He turned to Kakashi. "Status report."
Kakashi stood in attention. "The hospital and academy have been evacuated to safety. Some of Orochimaru's snakes are still wreaking havoc. We have moved to phase three."
Hiruzen nodded. The counterattack had begun. He glanced at Gaara and Temari, who were bound by the ANBU, and came to a decision. He flipped through a few hand signs and faced the sky.
"Ninja of the sand and the sound! I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha. The man you believed to be your Kazekage was none other than Orochimaru, who is no more. Shukaku the sand spirit has been defeated, and the Kazekage's children are now in our custody. I advise you to consider your position wisely and lay down your weapons for an unconditional surrender."
Naruto was awestruck as the Third Hokage's voice issued from the sky, amplified and broadcasted over the entire village. He could see a string of chakra from the Hokage connecting to an enormous dome that seemed to cover the entire village. When he first saw the dome after awakening the Rinnegan, Jiraiya was surprised that he could see it and informed him that it was the village's barrier. This jutsu seemed to connect to the barrier and use it to convey the Hokage's message.
Mito closed her eyes as she sensed the changes in the village following the Third's proclamation. "The sand shinobi seem to be hesitating or regrouping. They probably saw that the Shukaku had disappeared and know that they were fighting a losing battle. I am not sure who the sound Shinobi are, since they don't have distinct elemental natures, but I do sense quite a few chakra signatures scrambling to escape the village. It seems Orochimaru led his followers through fear alone."
"Nothing new there." Jiraiya snorted.
"Jiraiya, see to the summoned snakes. Kakashi and Cat, take the prisoners and accompany me to the command center," Hiruzen directed, his voice carrying the weight of his authority. "Lady Mito, would you escort Naruto and Sasuke to the fourth safehouse? They can assist in its defense alongside the stationed chuunin."
Mito nodded in acknowledgment before addressing the young ninjas. "Naruto, Sasuke, come with me, please."
Naruto was still worried about Danzo and ROOT, but he hadn't voiced his concerns to Kakashi. From Kabuto's intel, it seemed like Danzo would sit back and watch the show that was the destruction of the hidden leaf. But you never know what he might be up to, given that the Third survived.
"Hey, Jiji, you think that old one-eyed guy who hangs around your office is doing okay? One of my clones saw him sneaking off to water his plants like there's no big battle happening! Could you have someone check on him, maybe?" Naruto asked, turning to Hiruzen just as they were about to leave with Mito.
To their credit, none of the shinobi gave any visible reaction to his comment. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's seemingly trivial concern. Hiruzen met Naruto's gaze, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "I'll check on him, Naruto. I promise."
Naruto nodded, looking relieved, and followed after Mito and Sasuke.