"Blah": Talking

"Blah": Demon speaking/Inner Sakura

'Blah': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts

'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto

Here we go, the first chapter of a three-part battle! This chapter serves more as setup if anything for the real action in the next chapter. I feel I had to put my staple on Tsunade's final decision and add in a little moment between Jiraiya and Naruto, keeping their discussion about Danzo and Orochimaru in one of the earlier chapters. But I hope this satisfies you guys until I finish the next one, which I know will be a lot better.

Azeroth44: You better have some good spell action in the next one, dude.

Kvsyaoran: I will! Don't get your pants in a twist.

AZ44: I'm just saying, you don't wanna disappoint your followers.

K: Noted. But I got a feeling a lot of people are going to enjoy the fight between Naruto and Kabuto in the next chapter.

AZ44: Let's get to it, then!

Alrighty then! I'll save my usual intro stuff for the end, but before I do that: Coka-Cola101: I want to thank you very much for the clarification on the hypothermia/hyperthermia differences ^_^ I thought I cleared up most of my grammatical mistakes before I posted the previous chapter

Anyway, ENJOY! And don't forget to leave a review at the end!

Reviews are welcome and wanted!

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling

Chapter 18: A Vulnerable Heart

Shifting on the mattress, Naruto moaned as he forced his eyes shut. He was very much awake but slightly disoriented until his memories of the previous night came to mind. Naruto then woke up with a start, sitting up straight and gasped as he recalled falling asleep outside in the cold. He was certainly awake now and even more alarmed by his surroundings. He recognized the interior design of the hotel room but everything was in mirror opposite. He looked around the room, spotting the little clothed pig Tonton in the center of the room, insistently poking her nose into the face of an unconscious Shizune.

Naruto sprang to life, leaping off the bed to aid the older kunoichi. Tonton seemed to whine as she looked up at Naruto worriedly and then back at Shizune.

"What happened?!" he asked, to which the little piglet let out an oink, prompting Naruto to roll his eyes and sigh, unsure if he felt more stupid or unlucky, "The one time I need an animal to talk and it can't."

Naruto reached into his sleeve for his wand. Tonton tilted her head in confusion as the genin aimed at the kunoichi and said; "Rennervate!" there was a quick flash of red light and Shizune stirred.

The blonde wizard moved fast to conceal his wand while Tonton stared at him. Naruto reached out and shook Shizune's shoulder delicately as he could, "Oi! Are you alright?! What are doing on the floor?!"

Shizune stirred again before finally waking up. Tonton let out another oink before Shizune sprang up as quickly as Naruto did earlier.

"OH NO," she shouted and asked desperately, "What day is it?!"

Naruto flinched and Tonton squealed, taking a small hop back in surprise. Both he and the little pig relaxed and Naruto answered, "It's Monday, I think. Did you bring me here last night? I think I passed out last night at the creek."

'You did pass out at the creek last night,' Naruto heard Harry's voice call out to him, sounding like a weak radio message at first before slowly gaining strength until his voice was clear as ever, 'You were so out it last night, I couldn't even wake you up in the mindscape.'

Shizune blinked, remembering what Tsunade had told her last night about Naruto's condition, forcing her to ask, "Are you feeling okay?! You collapsed in exhaustion!"

"I've always been able to heal faster than most people," he informed with a small sense of pride, "Ever since I was a little kid, I'm back on my feet after a good night sleep."

Shizune soon remembered Naruto was a jinchuuriki, explaining his rapid healing ability and she smiled. But her smile soon faded, the intense pain in her abdomen reminding her of Tsunade's traitorous decision. She didn't have a moment to lose and dashed towards the bedroom window in a heartbeat.

"Gomenasai, Naruto," she apologized out of habit and then she commanded, "You stay right here! Do not leave this room!"

Rage fueled the kunoichi; rage aimed at her selfish, alcoholic mentor for betraying everything her late uncle had died for. Filled with a righteous anger, she swiftly slid the window open, nearly breaking it off its hinges. But then she stopped as a kunai whizzed across her, inches from her face. The knife embedded itself into the wall to her left. Naruto followed, hearing the metallic thud from the weapon as he instinctually reached for his wand. Shizune and Naruto both looked out the window and gasped as they saw Jiraiya.

The massive Sannin looked utterly exhausted, pale with sweat running down his entire face, a faint trace of sick on his front of his clothes, eyes bloodshot and sunken in, and his large hands were shaking like maracas. Jiraiya panted heavily, sounding deathly ill, practically wheezing as he leaned against the wall of the hotel.

"HOLD IT," he breathed, "Shizune…"

Back at the ruins of the Tanzaku castle, Tsunade waited alone where she first encountered Orochimaru and his assistant. She had been there for hours, without a wink of sleep though it hardly showed in her face. She never once moved from her spot on the ruined castle wall, waiting patiently for her former teammate to return. It wasn't until several hours after sunrise when he finally returned. Tsunade sensed his arrival as she heard the familiar whip of his wine-colored robes in the wind. There he was, as promised, but his bespectacled assistant was nowhere to be seen.

Tsunade spoke first, asking suspiciously, "Where's four-eyes?"

"Kabuto went ahead to scout the area, to make sure our negotiations go undisturbed," he then smiled maliciously, feigning innocence, "I hope you don't mind."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, suspecting Orochimaru didn't just simply order his assistant to make sure they weren't disturbed. It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if Orochimaru actually ordered Kabuto to kill Shizune.

"Tsunade drugged me," Jiraiya chewed bitterly as Shizune did her best to heal him, "I can't call up my chakra properly and body is so numb I can't even hold chopsticks right! I can't even throw a kunai straight!"

That last detail made Shizune gulp nervously, but she had to concentrate as best she could to heal the other Sannin. Or at very least lessen the damage Tsunade inflicted upon her former partner. Her hands gave off a green aura while Jiraiya sat on the roof of the hotel, his back against the wall. Naruto was settled across from the Sannin at the edge of the roof, sporting his new winter cloak if he had to be outside. The rookie shot a judgmental glare at his mentor, crossing his arms in disgust.

"I never imagined you'd end up in such a mess, if you're such an amazing shinobi," he said sarcastically, "Were you too busy kissing your biceps or looking at her knockers?"

"SHUT UP," Jiraiya shouted but Naruto maintained his disapproving glare. The Sannin calmed down and let Shizune keep operating, then he elaborated further, "She has an expert knowledge on herbs and elixirs, but she hasn't lost her touch even if she's been out of practice. Only Tsunade could whip up a drug not even a ninja like me could detect, no matter how drunk I was… I must be losing my edge or something."

Shizune failed to hide her disgust for her mentor as the green aura from his medical ninjutsu intensified. She almost overloaded her jutsu, until Jiraiya pointed it out and she calmed down some.

While the three shinobi were distracted, someone hidden in the shadows, down the alley across from them, perched on the roof around the same level, was watching them. It was Kabuto, under Orochimaru's orders to make sure the meeting went uninterrupted. The former Konoha shinobi was prepared to kill Shizune once he tracked her down. But when he arrived seconds ago, he didn't expect to see the gathered party seen before him. The curved kunai in his hand trembled slightly when he saw another one of the Sannin.

'Jiraiya-sama… I never would have guessed a sage like him would show up here… This isn't good… I better withdraw now and report to Orochimaru-sama before Jiraiya realizes-'

Kabuto's internal monologue came to a sudden halt when he noticed the small and skinny blonde figure with the Sannin and Shizune. He didn't recognize him until he turned his head and saw his face. He wasn't wearing his signature headband and was adorned in a normal winter cloak. But he recognized the whisker-like scars on his faces instantly, causing his heart to skip a beat in a sickening delight.

'I can't believe it,' he thought as he smirked darkly, leaning against the wall he hid behind, 'Naruto Uzumaki… he's here… I should have known right away, the second I saw Jiraiya… Orochimaru-sama will be most pleased… Looks like we won't be in need of Tsunade's services, then… Not when we've found what we've been looking for this whole time.'

For a second, Kabuto nearly lost control of himself. He remembered the incident during the Chunin Exams when he first met Naruto. The incident when he ruined one of his cards came flooding back to mind, filling him with an intense desire. After that and all the trouble he and Orochimaru had to go through because of him, he wanted nothing more than to teach Naruto a lesson he would never forget. The kunai in his hand shook again, not with fear but with rage, as he was seconds away from revealing himself and attacking the meddlesome genin. But then he stopped, holding back his feelings for the sake of the mission and for his master.

Around the same time, Naruto's hand shot for his lightning bolt scar. It burned for less than a second, a little more than a simple headache to him, as it had been some time since it last happened. His enhanced sense of self-preservation kicked in and he knew someone was close was watching him, someone that sought to kill him. Naruto's senses took over for one second and he turned around sharply when he heard a subtle swish coming from the alley behind him. The rookie couldn't see anyone that could have triggered his senses, not a single hint.

His sudden movement did earn the attention of Jiraiya and Shizune.

"What is it?" asked the Sannin as Shizune raised her head.

"I thought I just saw," Naruto hesitated, slowly his itching instincts subsided before they completely faded away, as if there was no one were ever around to trigger it, not that it was a good sign, "Never mind."

(A/N: Yeah, a little nod to the Prisoner of Azkaban movie)

Naruto turned back to his mentor but Jiraiya's eyes became fixated on the same area where Kabuto Yakushi had been seconds ago. His gaze remained fixated in that direction while he remained as still as a statue, so still even his hands stopped shaking from the drug.

Shizune took the opportunity to finish healing the Sannin as much as she could. Once she was done, she figured it would take time and rest for Jiraiya's full strength to return. Until then, assuming if the man was forced to fight, he would only be able to utilize a fraction of his true power. Shizune's thoughts were interrupted when the Sannin turned to her and his tone of voice took a threatening shift.

"Shizune," he spoke up as he let lose a sliver of killing-intent, "It's about frickin' time you told us everything you know about your mistress and Orochimaru," Naruto's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the shinobi criminal's name, then Jiraiya asked without skipping a beat, "What kind of deal are they making?"

The kunoichi shivered at the Sannin despite the damage she knew kept holding him back. But even with a fraction of his real strength, she knew he could still kill her without even trying if he wanted to. But she didn't have to be scared to come clean with the truth.

She hung her head in despair and admitted, "I wanted to trust her… I wanted to give her a chance to do what was right… That's the reason I didn't speak up sooner," the pain from when Tsunade struck her and the courage she was able to muster gave her the strength to stand up as she urged the Sannin and his apprentice, "There's no time to lose! You must come with me quickly! I'll explain everything on the way!"

Orochimaru approached Tsunade, maintaining a safe distance while she remained silent and still. He noticed she didn't bring two live hosts as Kabuto informed her she would need if he were to keep his promise. The tall, thin Sannin didn't see it as a good sign and he didn't care for the look on her face either. She seemed distant and lost in her own world as she stared down at the road between them. It was as if she didn't care at all for the seriousness of this deal. It was almost insulting to him, if not insulting then suspicious.

He narrowed his sights on her and asked coldly, "So what is your answer?"

"I'll do whatever I can to heal whatever damage that's been done to your body," she stated in a clear voice, and then she added more firmly, "But in exchange you must promise to never harm the village."

Orochimaru let out a low cackle, carried to Tsunade's ears through the unforgiving winter air and said, "Very well."

The voice of her former comrade agreeing to her last minute condition hit her hard. Her memories of her little brother Nawaki came rushing back to mind; his smiling face, the sound of his laughter, all the times the two of them bought groceries, healing Nawaki's bruises, every meal they shared together no matter how terrible or burnt the food she cooked was. Then memories of Dan surfaced; the day they first met, every date they went on, every visit to Nawaki's grave, every sunset they watched together, every intimate moment they ever shared. Looking past Orochimaru down the avenue, the two people she loved more than anything in the world were within arms reach. The wind breezed again, this time almost knocking Tsunade back off her feet as reality settled back in. Orochimaru and his sick, malicious smile came back into focus.

"Shall we, then?" his cold, childish voice asked.

Tsunade approached Orochimaru.

Jiraiya, Shizune, Naruto, and surprisingly Tonton zoomed through the trees at top speeds with the Sannin in the lead. Shizune explained everything she could to both of them. She relayed every detail involving Orochimaru's arrangement and what he offered to do for Tsunade in return. It remained unclear to Shizune and Jiraiya what was wrong with Orochimaru for him to need Tsunade's healing powers. But the answer was crystal clear to Naruto and Harry; they both knew what was wrong with him and could, at last, very accurately guess what Orochimaru had been doing for the last four months:

The wretched Sannin must have realized what Harry had done to him through Naruto. There was a strong chance Orochimaru had previously sought to either kill or capture the boy with his Oto-nin. But after that failed, the Sannin probably sought out Tsunade in the hopes that her abilities could lift the curse on him. Naruto and Harry both realized; if their theory was correct and if their group was able to intercept Tsunade in time, Orochimaru would have no need for her once he saw them.

Naruto's scar burned again and his sixth sense started acting up, warning him of the oncoming danger. He turned to Jiraiya and noticed how hardened and determined he looked. Sensing his pupil's gaze, the Sannin looked back at him in midair, seeing the worrisome look on his face. Jiraiya simply nodded his head very firmly, reassuring his apprentice now that an encounter with Orochimaru was inevitable now. The Sannin looked back and focused on the high hill where the castle ruins were.

While the Sannin turned his focus back on their destination, Naruto was still unsettled despite Jiraiya's silent reassurance. Orochimaru would be after him and he wouldn't be alone. Jiraiya was weakened, which meant he might not be able to fend off the other Sannin and protect him like he had thought. Naruto would have to fight for his life yet again. Fear gripped at his heart, almost freezing him in the air, like it had done before in the mindscape. But then the tightness in his chest loosened the moment he felt Harry's warm hand squeeze his shoulder. It was like the older wizard was right beside him, cruising through the icy treetops with wand in hand.

At the same time, Jiraiya's voice broke the silence and he said with a stern and fearless voice, "I won't let Orochimaru to get anywhere close to you, Naruto! Even if it kills me! That's a promise! Just stick close to Shizune if worse comes to worst!"

The Sannin's protective words and Harry's companionship gave the genin the confidence boost he needed and soared off the next branch with ease. Naruto found his courage, despite how terrified as he was inside. No matter what happened next, he was determined to survive this battle alive and save the Sandaime.

'If it has to be done,' he thought as he felt his wand hidden in his sleeve, 'If I have to use magic, I will.'

Tsunade stepped forward, raising her hands with an emotionless expression on her face. Orochimaru beamed with a disturbing look of excitement as he watched the retired kunoichi's hands glow with a mystical aura. Heat wavered in her hands as if she were holding pure, translucent sphere of concentrated energy. Orochimaru reached out, accepting the energy as if it were a wrapped gift. But before his long fingers touched the surface, both of the Sannin froze, held their breath, and leapt away as a small storm of kunai rained down where both the Sannin once stood.

Kabuto had arrived, perched on the top of the wall overlooking the arrangement. He vanished and appeared behind his master while Orochimaru's body began to shake. The Sannin released a massive wave of killing intent, rage building to immeasurable levels as he glared at Tsunade with raw hatred, noticing the life in her eyes returned in an instant.

"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded in a cold voice, wrought with betrayal, "You mean to tell me you've come all this way to betray me?! TSUNADE?!"

The kunoichi glared right back at him, then the pale Sannin's expression softened as if he couldn't believe what he saw.

"So that's it, my old friend? After everything I offered you?" he questioned, almost sounding as if he were an innocent victim, "You would repay me by trying to kill me?"

"My trust in you was not misplaced, Kabuto," he complimented as he took a step closer to his master, "I appreciate your loyalty and your foresight in anticipating Tsunade's intentions."

"She's a medic-nin, the same as me," the young man bragged, "I sensed her chakra was full of murderous intent. You would be dead now if I hadn't arrived in time."

"Oh, Tsunade, Tsunade," the tall Sannin sighed while he looked to the kunoichi with disappointment, "I really did intend to bring your loved ones back to life… I even agreed to give up my ambition to destroy Konoha."

Tsunade averted her eyes and looked back down at the snowy road between them.

"As to that, Orochimaru, I knew your promise to leave the village alone was worthless," she admitted, and made a point to remember how much Orochimaru claimed to hate falsehood, "You lied. But even so," the kunoichi hesitated while the cold wind blew against her face and her voice sounded more shaken, wracked with undeniable guilt, "Even though I knew that… the chance to see them both one more time… to see them once more, even for a moment, to be able to touch them, to feel them," her voice broke down even further, shoulders shaking and then tears ran down her cheeks, "Just once more, to see their precious smiles," Tsunade clenched her hands into tight, shaking fists and she shouted, "I'm pathetic! I'm selfish, worthless, and weak! So weak, that for a moment," her voice got caught in her throat as the possible consequences of her shameful and selfish behavior became crystal clear and she found her voice again, "That for a moment I would have sacrificed everything just to see them again… For that I was willing to throw away the village and the lives of everyone in it," for one second, Tsunade imagined Nawaki and Dan brought back to life as was promised to her, only for them to discover that the village they loved and had died for had been destroyed for their resurrection, "How could I be so stupid?! How could I be so selfish and weak?!" she screamed, unable to bare the shame while her imagination made her feel even worse, "They would be horrified! It would drive them mad! They would despise me! They would come back and they would never forgive me for what I've done to have them in my arms again!"

The kunoichi wrapped her arms around herself, but finding no comfort in it. She shook and cried as her blonde hair hid her face from view. Kabuto and Orochimaru stood and watched, but felt nothing for her. The two of them recognized her emotions but remained unmoved as she began to let out more sorrowful and shameful sobs.

"I loved them," she cried, "I loved them both so much! I wanted to see them again and hold them both tight," she took a moment to breathe and then Naruto's face came to mind from the night outside the tavern and when she found him at the creek, "But then," she breathed, "That boy, he made me remember what I've been trying to forget all this time," tears continued to pour down her face in torrents as she couldn't deny the similarities the genin shared with her loved ones, "The dream they shared, the dream they gave their lives for, it meant everything to them."

Orochimaru grew worried as she lowered her arms and saw the look on her face.

"You think everything in this world will crumble and die," she reminded him, "Sometimes I wished that were true," but then she admitted with a small, hopeful smile appeared on her tear-soaked face, almost sounding grateful, "I had wished this feeling would go away but I know it never will."

The other Sannin remained unmoved as he watched Tsunade use the sleeve of her coat to clean away the tears, "It seems we've reached an impasse, then," his eyes narrowed in on the kunoichi and he shrugged, "So be it. You've given me no choice but to use force."

Kabuto intervened, "There is no need, Orochimaru-sama. While I was in town, I received confirmation on the exact whereabouts of-"

But the treacherous shinobi didn't have a chance to finish his report. He turned back at the last second to see Tsunade's clean face, eyes focused and full of unimaginable rage as she vanished. With incredible speed she closed the distance between them, over their heads with her leg rose high like a master gymnast. Orochimaru and Kabuto almost didn't make it out unscathed as she dropped her foot down and took out the entire road with more strength than she demonstrated all week. A massive crater, with a diameter of at least hundred feet was left in her wake while the road was reduced to rubble. Orochimaru and Kabuto were perched on another ruined rooftop nearby overlooking the crater. The dust cleared to reveal Tsunade in the center of it, looking as furious as the pale Sannin ever remembered.

"We have to move," he breathed, "NOW, Kabuto!"

"C'mon, Orochimaru," the kunoichi roared as she threw away her coat and attacked again, "C'MON!"

Tsunade's foot hit the ground again, caused the crater to rupture. She pushed off the ground with so much strength; the rocks and chunks of building flew in the air for a second as the kunoichi flew into the air like a rocket. As she made it clear a week earlier, she went after the bespectacled one first.

"YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT," she thundered as she speed towards the wall where the shinobi stood, "I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"

The entire wall exploded in a single punch and sent Kabuto hopping back while Orochimaru was tossed like a rag doll. The younger shinobi landed in the snowy garden nearby and his master landed just as well next to him.

"One blow from her and she wins," Orochimaru warned.

Kabuto watched for the kunoichi to strike, "I can see that. It's too tight here for a battle, but we can't afford to draw attention to ourselves. We have to get out of here fast."

"Retreat?" the Sannin questioned in a sudden furious rage, "Whatever the hell for?"

"There's a problem," he explained fast and listened as he heard Tsunade's heels hit the surface of rock and metal as she followed after them, "The other one of the Sannin is here. He's in Tanzaku, I saw him with Tsunade's companion."

Orochimaru could hardly believe it breath but he knew Kabuto well enough to know he wasn't lying and he exhaled with some excitement in his voice, "Jiraiya."

Before Kabuto could share the most important detail, Tsunade crashed through the garden and sent them into retreat. Tsunade stormed after, wreaking destruction as she went.

Jiraiya's boots hit the ruined remains of the road hard, followed by Shizune, Naruto, and Tonton. The group stumbled upon the crater Tsunade made and took a moment to inspect the state of the area. The blonde shinobi looked around, searching for a trace of the other Sannin but no one was around. He then noticed the recent damage done to whatever was left of the castle, which left him confused.

"What happened here?" he asked.

The white-haired man seemed to recognize the damage and a smile rose in his face, "Looks to me the little princess went on another rampage, didn't she?"

"Baa-chan did this?" the genin questioned, unable to think of a good reason why she would do such a thing until he reached the same conclusion as Shizune.

The dark-haired kunoichi caught on to it quick and she relaxed her shoulders as she inspected the damage, realizing what had happened moments ago, 'She turned them down.'

Tonton, the little pink piglet trotted down the road until she found Tsunade's coat. The others followed and watched as the piglet sniffed at the coat and then sniffed the air, following a scent for a moment before she turned an let out a loud, "Oink!" at Shizune.

The kunoichi said, "Which way, Tonton?!"

And the little clothed piglet dashed as fast as a shinobi towards the forest. Naruto noticed the little critter was leading them towards the same rocky valley he and Jiraiya traveled through to get to Tanzaku. But he also had to take a moment to look at Tonton while he and the others followed. He had to take a moment to stare in confused awe as the piglet wearing a pearl necklace was cruising through the treetops like them.

'I guess hyper-intelligent ninja-pigs are a thing then?' he thought.

Harry shrugged and added to the humorous observation, 'Something tells me someone set off a few atomic bombs laced with LSD sometime in the future after I died.'

'Guess that really would explain the giant bugs in the Forest of Death,' the genin concluded before he continued to trail the piglet.

The battle continued into the distant rocky hills far away from Tanzaku Town. The once silent and peaceful plains became a destructive battlefield. Tsunade chased after Orochimaru and Kabuto, using her monstrous strength to decorate the fields with craters. Orochimaru kept his distance while Kabuto remained at his side. Soon, while it seemed Tsunade began to run out of breath, Kabuto took the chance to take a pill, like the ones Kiba used during the Chunin Exam. The Sannin recognized the medicine in a heartbeat and watched as Kabuto weaved through multiple handsigns, then gathered and harnessed his chakra.

The next instant, Tsunade watched as the air around the young man's wavered. The Sannin watched as Kabuto vanished in a puff of white smoke. Seconds later, Kabuto's purple-gloved hand burst from underground and Tsunade hopped out of his reach at the last second. She dove down after him at full strength, forcing him to retreat behind another boulder. Her fist hit the earth with the force of a bomb, and when her feet touched the ground she kicked off and struck the boulder Kabuto hid behind. She struck the solid rock with her foot, missing Kabuto's head by centimeters and flew over him. Once she landed again, she doubled back after him, fast and with a graceful backflip but then Kabuto vanished with his enhanced speed. Tsunade gasped and felt Kabuto's hand tap her arm and one of her thighs. Kabuto backed off, smirking victoriously as he watched Tsunade hit the ground and clutch at her arm. The seemingly harmless tap felt like a white-hot scalpel had sliced through her flesh.

Getting up, Kabuto couldn't resist arrogantly lecturing the kunoichi once he read the look of surprise on her face, "I cut your biceps brachii and rectus femoris muscles. You can no longer use that enormous strength of yours."

"You used a chakra scalpel," the kunoichi realized, "Why didn't you just cut my arteries if you had the chance?"

Kabuto's smirk seemed to grow wider as the light reflected off his glasses, "True, I could have used my chakra to cut your vital organ without external injury, maybe even slice your arteries in the heat of battle," then Kabuto sprung forward, catching Tsunade off guard and tapped the top of her chest with his glowing hand, "I could even slice someone's throat and watch them die if I wanted to…"

Tsunade began to wheeze as it became clear Kabuto had cut her internal costal muscles, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

"Efficient," he smiled as he pushed his glasses back up to his face, "But that would be too quick for my taste-"

The shinobi was too caught up in how impressive he was, he didn't notice Tsunade recovered in an instant, vanished, and reappeared behind him, striking him in the back of the neck. Kabuto was thrown off his feet, wind knocked out of him as he crashed and rolled across the snow in a painful heap. Orochimaru still kept his distance, watching the fight play out safely. Kabuto slowly recovered and ground his teeth bitterly as he looked over his shoulder.

Tsunade still kept wheezing but she stood firm, 'Most people would have been stopped cold from a lack of breath,' the kunoichi collapsed again and began to utilize her own healing skills to remedy the damage done to her costal muscles, 'Maybe a layer of fat blocked my scalpel from going deep enough,' he thought as he studied her heaving chest, 'Anyway, it looks like I have to end this soon before it's too late-'

Once again, Kabuto was caught by surprise when he moved his hand to grab a kunai. When he did, his arm remained motionless and his leg started moving. Looking down with his eyes, he was shocked to watch as his body betrayed him; when he tried to move his neck his foot twitched, when he tried to move his leg, his arm flailed out. Tsunade ran up to the befuddled shinobi and socked him in his face, "SURPRISE!" She mustered up enough strength to throw him off his feet and give him a very dark bruise on his cheek. Kabuto could barely recover, his body twisting and contorting out of his control whenever he moved.

"You figured it out then?" Tsunade asked, "It's your nerves, I changed my chakra into electricity and made an electric field. Then I poured it into your nervous system. All that interference pretty much crossed all the electric signals across your nervous system," Tsunade placed her hand on her chest again after flipping through several complex handsigns, further healing her ability to breathe properly and spat spitefully at the twisted shinobi, "Try to figure that out, four-eyes!"

Kabuto was at least able to figure out how to get himself back on his knees as he tried to calm down. Frustrated and humiliated as he felt, he forced himself to calm down and couldn't help but realize why Tsunade had once garnered so much respect in her prime. But then he closed his eyes and concentrated, brain racing at a thousand miles per hour. His hand twitched, followed by his leg, then his foot, and then his shoulder. Kabuto breathed, breath hanging in the wind as his elbow shifted, followed by his neck, then his hands, and then his knees.

The shinobi took another deep breathe with his back turned to Tsunade still. He was figuring out how his body worked again, testing his movements and learning in a matter of seconds.

He opened his eyes fiercely and said, "Using ninjutsu of this level on me," he sprung into action, moving fluidly as he did before, with no change, he swiftly withdrew a kunai and roared, "THIS IS AN INSULT!"

Tsunade's eyes went wide and she flinched, unable to believe Kabuto's skills were so advanced.

Kabuto was livid with rage, consumed with an intense madness, as he stormed after the kunoichi and screamed, "AFRAID OF BLOOD, ARE YOU?! HOW ABOUT I SHOW YOU SOME?!"

The enraged shinobi raised his kunai when a smoke bomb came from nowhere. The small bomb went off between him and Tsunade. Kabuto stopped and backed off in an instant while Tsunade did the same. When the smoke cleared, Shizune, Naruto, and Tonton appeared before them with Jiraiya in the middle. Kabuto held his breath, cold fear seeping into his chest at the sight of the massive Sannin. He vanished and appeared beside his master. Orochimaru smirked at the sight of his old teammate and raised his arm, looking confident.

"NOW!" he shouted, "PRESENT ARMS!"

Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, Naruto, and even Tonton looked around the field when the sound of multiple explosions of white smoke erupted. As the cold wind blew, at least sixteen-masked Oto-nin appeared, armed with various knives and swords. The soldiers were hidden in the snow, disguised as rocks and dead trees until their leader called them. The Oto-nin then vanished and appeared on either side of the pale Sannin, ready to defend their leader and attack the group that arrived.

Naruto saw the Sannin in the distance across the field, his legs weak and hands shaking. But he made a firm step and readied his stance, forcing himself to remain calm as he braced himself for another fight for his life.

To Be Continued…

Sorry we had to cut short just as it was getting interesting DX

I hope you guys at least liked the chapter for what it's worth, though. I'll keep on working on the next one to make the wait worthwhile.

In other news and such, I hope my American brothers and sisters had a good Thanksgiving ^^ I know I did, lots of good food. I also got the chance to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and I LOVED IT!

It wasn't quite as good as Harry Potter, but the fact that Jo Rowling wrote the screenplay is very much evident throughout the film; the attention to detail, the subtle details, the buildup, and the payoff/twist in her style of the Harry Potter books is something almost none of the Potter movies have been able to do justice to, up until now. That said, it made watching the film very much worth watching as a Harry Potter fan ^^ I was not very keen on Johnny Depp's brief role in the story and it was exactly as I expected, when I heard he was in the movie a few weeks back. Without giving away spoilers, I will say Newt Scamander is very much one of my favorite characters, he was a very lovable twit and I very much look forward to seeing his character again. But I think the No-Maj Jacob wins my heart a bit more than Newt, he was exactly the kind of non-magical character I've wanted to see ever since I learned more about the film. I do want to say, for the record, that I found the method in which American wizards deal with their worst criminals (instead of sending them to a wizard prison for life) is messed up. If you've seen the film, then you know what I mean and I won't give it away here.

I'd like to go on about more of what I liked, but I think I'm gonna need more time to let the film process further. Maybe I'll wait until I can see it again when it's available to rent or something. Plus, I gotta get back to writing the next chapter ^^'

Please be sure to write a review, let me know what you thought of this chapter, and maybe perhaps let me know what you thought of Fantastic Beasts if you've seen it.

Thanks for reading, guys, take care until next time!