"Blah": Talking
'Blah': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura/Extreme shout
'Blah': Naruto's thought/other people's thoughts
'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto
Hello again, readers, friends, and fellow reviewers! I'm back! And I'm sorry it took me a bit longer than I said it would in the last update to post this chapter, but it took a while for me to edit. I was afraid the ending of this chapter was a tad too violent after I took some time to read it over. But I believe I have toned down the violence just enough to make it more approachable.
With that out of the way, I think this chapter will satisfy those of you that really didn't like Kabuto in the original Naruto story, especially after what he did and revealed in the previous chapter I posted. I'm not lying when I say that I have been waiting to post this chapter for a very long time and I really hope you guys and gals enjoy it. With that said, please let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and I will keep writing whenever I can.
Reviews are welcome and wanted!
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto
Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling
Chapter 20: Rasengan
The giant, monstrous serpents charged toward Naruto and the others at top speeds. The beasts opened their massive maws as Orochimaru and Kabuto rode on the crowns of their heads, ready to attack as well.
"Kill the others," ordered Orochimaru, "Leave Jiraiya to me!"
The Toad Sage had to act fast, before it was too late; even with his handicap in mind, he weaved through a unique set of handsigns and closed his hands tightly together, as if he were praying, "Just enough chakra," he growled through his teeth.
And in the blink of an eye, the snow-capped earth beneath the snakes vanished and became replaced with what appeared to be a swamp, filled with what appeared to be tar. The serpents fell in, sinking deep into the depths before they could get too close to the party at the edge. The snakes became trapped in the now freezing swamp, unable to snap at their intended targets. Orochimaru and Kabuto were taken by surprise and were very nearly thrown off their giant serpents when they stopped so suddenly.
Down at the edge of the swamp, Jiraiya exploded with victorious triumph, "NICE!"
He shouted like a teenager and gave his magical apprentice's hair a congratulatory ruffling, "Good work on that curse, Naruto!"
Orochimaru gained his bearings and seethed. Despite the setback, he remained undeterred as he set his sights on Jiraiya. His giant snake managed to fight and slither through the swamp water just enough to make an attempt to squash the group at the edge of the swamp. The group was forced to retreat back but Jiraiya took it as an opportunity to move in; he didn't waste a second and hopped off the rocks, over the swamp, onto the back of the giant serpent, and confronted Orochimaru face-to-face.
"Your fight is with me, old friend," the pale man hissed.
Kabuto's summoned beast managed to slam its body down on the plain, like the first one, forcing Naruto and the others to retreat again. The cloud of dust and snow blinded them for a few moments before Kabuto came out of nowhere and kicked Shizune in the chest, midair, while she carried her mentor. The two kunoichi were thrown back into the dust cloud and Kabuto followed once he landed on his feet.
Naruto had Disapparated in time and raised his wand in caution as the dust cleared. He heard commotion not too far from where he landed.
"ARGH," he heard the familiar distressed sound of Shizune's voice as she screamed.
The genin ran as fast as he could towards the screaming and saw the kunoichi drop to her feet as Kabuto rose from out of the earth. Naruto grit his teeth and rummaged through his rucksack until he found his invisibility cloak. Kabuto struck Shizune in the face with a powerful backhand and knocked her out instantly. He noticed Tonton was knocked out as well, possibly from the rough landing after he initially kicked Shizune.
He turned toward Tsunade next as she watched her loyal assistant hit the ground helplessly. Her heartbeat began to race, throbbing in her eardrums, as Kabuto slowly approached her. She was frozen in terror as Tonton and Shizune's unconscious bodies forced her to remember the lifeless, bloodied corpses of her beloved Dan and precious Nawaki. The bespectacled shinobi reached a bloodied hand out to grab the kunoichi but she smacked his soaking arm aside but without an ounce of her superhuman strength.
"STOP," she screamed, pathetically, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Kabuto seethed at the once proud kunoichi, one of the legendary Sannin, and preceded to mercilessly kick and punch her while she screamed like a helpless child, "I only had the utmost respect for you as a fellow medical-nin," he ranted, "One of the Sannin! You disgrace the title! You disgrace Orochimaru!"
The shinobi then heard a loud rush and a sharp cracking noise behind him. He whirled around and saw the pig and Shizune had vanished. He turned around again and heard the same noise, but this time he saw Naruto appear from out of nowhere, right underneath him. But in a split second, the young genin grabbed the Sannin, glaring back at the traitorous shinobi defiantly, before turning on the spot and vanished as he swiped Tsunade right under his nose.
"What?!" he shouted and kept looking around in search for the meddlesome genin and the kunoichi.
Naruto Apparated behind another large rock and seated Tsunade beside an unconscious Shizune as best he could, given how much smaller he was than them. The blonde kunoichi looked surprised and shaken from the sudden trip and lost for words. Naruto placed Tonton down beside her owner with care and drew his wand while he grabbed the invisibility cloak. He was tempted to revive Shizune but opted not to; he didn't want anyone to get in his way.
A disoriented Tsunade stammered at the genin before he ordered in a whisper, "Stay here and stay out of sight!"
He threw the cloak over her as she stammered in confusion. Once the kunoichi and Tonton vanished under the cloak, Naruto Disapparated once again.
Back in the bog, the giant serpents tried to break free and service Orochimaru better. But the Toad Sage's ninjutsu kept them trapped as he fought his former comrade on the backs of the great beasts. Despite their individual handicaps the two former allies had enough luck and chakra to stick to the surface of the two snakes as they continued to shift and thrash about.
Jiraiya utilized a unique ninjutsu that made his white hair grow down to his feet and enveloped him like a shield. Orochimaru's neck instantly stretched to disturbing length as his head rushed wildly through the air like a wild snake. He zeroed in on the Toad Sage, pounced, his leg stretching like rubber to unnatural length as he kicked Jiraiya in the face. But the shield of hair reacted and blocked the blow on its own accord. Surprisingly, Jiraiya's hair had also turned into sea of white razor-sharp needles as multiple white tufts penetrated Orochimaru's foot like construction nails. He cursed under his breath but used all of his strength, ignoring the intense pain, to brush the shield aside and exposed Jiraiya's neck. The Toad Sage shouted in pain when Orochimaru moved in and bit down on his thick neck, drawing blood.
"DAMMIT," he cursed through his teeth while he braved the pain.
Jiraiya was forced to cancel the jutsu and threw off Orochimaru.
Once the two of them gained some distance from each other, the pale one smirked, despite not biting deep enough to puncture any of Jiraiya's vital veins or arteries, "Look at you, Jiraiya, they used to call you the town madman back in the day. But now you stooped to running around with that useless brat!"
"That useless brat," the Sannin growled back smartly, "Single-handedly destroyed your criminal career with a stick and a few funny words."
Orochimaru sneered back as he let out his anger in irrational bursts, "THAT'S IRRELEVANT! That doesn't make him a true shinobi! He's a wicked little trickster at best! I've always had a good eye for talent, Jiraiya! That little bastard has no true, unrivaled talent for the shinobi arts! HE AMOUNTS TO INSIPID MEDIOCRITY!"
"Isn't that the point?" Jiraiya smirked as he let out a light chuckle, "Where's the fun in training a genius, like the Uchiha kid? It's boring training a natural talent."
The other Sannin smirked back as his fury calmed slightly, "So you can't help but take care of someone that reminds you of yourself at that age?" Jiraiya frowned at Orochimaru, "That little brat of yours could never beat Uchiha, born as he was into the shinobi art of the Sharingan. Without Sharingan, little Naruto doesn't have a chance of surpassing him," the Sannin raised his arms and proclaimed with a sickeningly arrogant tone, "Shinobi strength is based on the ability to obtain and master all of the jutsu of this world. We are called ninja because of the many ninjutsu arts that we wield."
Jiraiya smirked again and shook his head at his former teammate, "That is, without a single doubt, the dumbest and most delusional thing I've ever heard," Orochimaru's arrogance faded as Jiraiya stood taller, "That's not what makes a true shinobi. You never did get it," that made the snake-like man sneer again, "A shinobi is one who endures, no matter what gets thrown at him."
"Difference of opinion," Orochimaru scoffed back.
The tall man laughed, "There we go again with your delusions of grandeur," then he said, "The most important talent for a shinobi is not the number of jutsu," the large man then punched the palm of his left hand and thundered, "IT'S HAVING THE GUTS TO NEVER GIVE UP!"
Naruto appeared again, this time out in the open as he faced Kabuto. The older shinobi blinked as he saw the genin seem to twist out of nothing in half a second, accompanied with the same loud noise he heard earlier.
"What is this now?" he shouted in frustration at his trickery.
Naruto drew his wand, "Like I'm ever going to tell you, traitor," he shouted, "Stupefy!"
Kabuto leapt to the side and dodged the jet of scarlet light. Naruto didn't relent for one second and kept firing spell after spell. Jets of red light zoomed across the field in rapid succession that kept Kabuto on his feet. Naruto became enraged as he caught the older shinobi smirking as he successfully dodged every Stunning Spell he threw at him. It felt like he was toying with him. But the genin wiped the grin off his face when he angrily waved his wand in a swift motion.
"Impedimenta!"
A bright blast of turquoise light finally hit Kabuto, after correctly guessing where he was going. The older ninja's eyes widened as his entire body slowed down until he moved in slow motion.
"TAKE THIS!"
Naruto struck Kabuto in the chest with a blue spark spell that threw him off his feet. Kabuto moved in normal speed again as he struck the ground, tumbling violently across the field for ten feet. Naruto ran after him with a boost of speed from his chakra. The older shinobi didn't have a chance to get up before Naruto hit him with the same spell again. It sent Kabuto back even farther in a violent hurtle as various small rocks bruised his skin and tore at his clothes.
"GGH," he shouted several times.
Kabuto managed to find his footing, landing back on his feet with a backflip, only to be surprised again, "Expelliarmus!"
The older shinobi saw a powerful jet of scarlet light before he was thrown off his feet again. This time he soared through the air and slammed into the ground in a painful heap. Warm trickles of blood ran down the frame of his face as he slowly looked up to see Naruto approaching him. The older shinobi shook with a powerful rage as the whites in his eyes turned bloodshot in his anger. In an instant, Kabuto used his chakra to get back on his feet. He brought his hands together and focused as much chakra as he could muster to utilize his medical-ninjutsu. Naruto saw this in time and the blonde wizard Disapparated on the spot. It was wise decision as Kabuto moved fast, like Rock Lee without his weights. He would have been dead if he Disapparated one more second later.
Kabuto whirled around and saw the genin standing at a safe distance, between two boulders, facing him. The older shinobi lowered his hands and canceled his ninjutsu, saving his energy. Naruto quickly hid behind one of the boulders as Kabuto approached him in a slow, casual walk.
"You sure are different from Sasuke in more than one way now," the traitor pushed his glasses up to his nose again, possibly for the twentieth time that day, "Powerful magician, no doubt, but you still don't have what it takes to be a true shinobi."
He then heard Naruto's voice coming from behind the rock, opposite from the one he hid behind, "Praising the teme to get a rise out of me, huh?" he asked, sounding almost amused but the seriousness in his voice was hard to miss, "Nice try, but he's not exactly on my mind right now, you arrogant son of a bitch."
Kabuto quickly realized Naruto gathered up several shadow clones and spread them out in hiding places all around the field to trick him. It was a tactic, similar to the one he used in his match against Neji. The older shinobi was not impressed as he took his time to provoke the real Naruto into attacking him.
"Put on as tough a look as you want, spout as many insults as you can, you're still just an out-of-place-genin," Naruto tried to utilize his Occlumency training to block out Kabuto's goading, but it wasn't working; the mere thought of all those that suffered as a result of Kabuto's treachery, the damage done to the village, the mass funeral, all combined with his condescending voice caused his hatred to boil out of control with every word, "Sure you have some promise with your magic and the demon sealed inside you. But now, in the presence of the Sannin, you're a total disappointment, with or without a handicap. Right now you're nothing but a tiny bug. Pathetic."
Two Narutos emerged from their hiding places. Both of them raised their wands and unleashed two incredibly powerful spells that whistled through the cold air like two giant shuriken. Kabuto ducked in time as the curses flew over him and hit two other boulders in their path, shattering them. Kabuto drew a kunai and zeroed in on the closest of the pair revealed to him. He pounced on him but it turned out to be a clone when he thrust the kunai down on his head, causing it to burst into white smoke. Kabuto didn't even look back at the other one as he threw the kunai behind him and it stabbed the clone in the head before it burst as well.
The real Naruto threw Occlumency out the door and roared, "DON'T YOU DARE TALK DOWN TO ME, KABUTO YAKUSHI!"
The bespectacled shinobi smirked and moved at blurring speed towards the source of the voice, but the real Naruto Disapparated. Kabuto stopped, waiting for the genin to appear again and finish him off. But the remaining clones Disapparated as well, Apparating back behind the other hiding places. The clones traded hiding places over and over with the real Naruto until it was impossible to locate the real one. Kabuto frowned as he bore his teeth, but then he breathed through his nose and force himself to remain calm.
The real wizard pressed his back against the rock he hid behind as he seethed in hatred. He then felt Harry grab his shoulder as he reached out to him from the mindscape.
'Naruto. I managed to learn more about him,' Harry sounded truly disgusted by whatever it was that he uncovered about their adversary, 'You have to listen to this.'
The genin listened in as Harry elaborated him on the details. Naruto soon Disapparated again, this time appearing out in the open but remained a fair distance away from Kabuto. The older shinobi turned around to face him, but suspected a trap. He remained where he stood and watched the genin cautiously.
"You're the one who's pathetic," the blonde genin spat back, "You," he paused as his face turned softer but his eyes still looked intense as his companion shared what he had learned, "You're nobody," he said, "You're a nobody," Kabuto blinked, confusion evident on his face as Naruto looked up at him and asked, "Is that why you betrayed Konoha? Is that the reason?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You were an orphan… You were raised at the Konoha Orphanage," the older shinobi's eyes slowly widened, "But then Danzo showed up, in search of recruits for his secret organization," his eyes grew even wider and he stopped breathing, "You volunteered to be a spy for him, in exchange for funds for the orphanage," he let out a stilted breath as his face was drained of what little color he had, "You spied for him… You were good at it… too good," the bespectacled shinobi let his glasses slowly slide down his nose as his stomach sank, "You turned out to be a liability to him, so he betrayed you," the older shinobi had trouble breathing as his hands couldn't stop shaking when he tried to push his glasses back up, "But Orochimaru saved you," his eyes were wide open now, "He worked for Danzo, too," this had to be a trick, he thought, "Then he recruited you," what Naruto said next almost made Kabuto's heart stop completely, "He promised you a real identity to call your own."
There was a tense silence between them as the distant sounds of the battle between the Sannin echoed in the background.
"How could you possibly know that?" Kabuto demanded in a frightened voice.
Naruto ignored him and continued as his anger and outrage returned, "But a traitor? Murderer? Thief? Orochimaru's slave? You call that an identity?!"
"SHUT UP," Kabuto screamed at the top of his lungs, "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH! NOT ANOTHER EFFING WORD OUT OF YOU!"
The genin glared back at him defiantly as he brushed off Kabuto's outburst, "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but it looks like you wasted your time, Kabuto. He's no better than Danzo. Orochimaru couldn't care less about you or your precious identity," he raised his voice, "You're not his equal! You'd be nothing to him without your medical ninjutsu! Spies are a dime a dozen! You're less than a servant to him!"
"SHUT UP," the enraged shinobi lost control and reached into his weapons pouch to throw a kunai at the genin.
The wizard blocked the blade with another Shield Charm as he turned the tables on the now hysterical shinobi.
"HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW THESE THINGS?!" Kabuto demanded.
"Magic," the boy smiled back at him as Naruto waved his wand playfully, "You were too distracted trying to get a rise out of me and praising Sasuke-teme to notice I was casting spells to read your mind."
"You're lying," he accused back, "I would have known if you were looking around inside my head!"
"You were too distracted to notice what I was doing, like I said," the genin grinned, "You must feel like an idiot after you said I didn't have what it takes to be a shinobi. The Yamanaka clan could learn a few things from me," Kabuto's fists shook in a cold rage, "Besides, even if I were lying, then how do I know so much about you?" the medical-nin turned a shade paler and lost it when Naruto joked, "Wait until everyone in the village hears about this!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Kabuto dashed after the genin but the boy didn't Disapparate. The bespectacled shinobi was too enraged to exercise caution and got hit in the back with a curse from one of the shadow clones. Metal chains wrapped around him and tripped him, causing him to crash onto the snowy ground in humiliation. Then the real Naruto Disapparated and left Kabuto to whirl around wildly in search for him. He stood up with difficulty as he tried to break free from the magical restraints but to no avail. He whirled around again, searching for Naruto but he was nowhere to be seen.
"COME BACK HERE AND FACE ME!"
"You know," he heard his voice call out to him, "I feel like I should really sympathize with you," the real Naruto emerged from another rock to face him with his wand drawn, wanting to face him, "Hating the ROOT and Danzo and all that stuff. But you crossed the line when you decided to sacrifice the lives of all those people that were killed in the village, people who have done absolutely nothing to you to deserve what happened to them," the older shinobi calmed down just enough to listen but never once did he express a hint of remorse as the genin guilt him for his actions, "You ruined the lives of those shinobi and their families. You especially crossed the line when you killed my friend," the blonde genin shed a few tears as the funeral he had attended came to mind, remembering the countless heartbroken, tear-stained faces of the mourning families, to which he faced the Oto spy and asked, "But it was all worth it to you so long as you got your precious identity in the end, is that it?"
"I will do whatever it takes," answered Kabuto, "If others must suffer and die for me to achieve my goals and see to the rise of Orochimaru and the fall of Konoha," he paused as he build up the strength needed to break free of his bonds and roared, "SO BE IT!"
Naruto was utterly disgusted by his answer.
"You're a monster," he grasped his wand tightly and glared at the shameless traitor, "You know, as soon as you prove to be a liability to his cause, Orochimaru will do the same thing Danzo tried to do to you," then he shouted as loud as he could so he wouldn't forget, "ONLY NEXT TIME, HE'LL FINISH THE JOB!"
Kabuto broke free of the chains and grasped another kunai, "I SAID SHUT UP!"
{{Knives and Shadows by Akira Senju}}
The shinobi dashed towards Naruto again, but the boy Disapparated again. Kabuto heard him appear behind him where the genin launched a barrage of spells. The older shinobi was able to evade most of them, leaving scorch marks on boulders and blasted the earth. Naruto could have stunned him and ended the fight quickly if he managed to strike him successfully with magic. But the memory of those mourning families was still fresh in his mind; he wanted to avenge the Konoha shinobi that had died as a result of Kabuto's treason, including and especially his friend.
Naruto managed to gain the upper hand when he aimed at a large boulder Kabuto was about to run past.
He shouted, "Reducto!"
And the rock blasted with a powerful explosive force, blowing solid smoking chunks of smaller rocks into Kabuto's face, "ERGH!"
It slowed him down, bruising his face, but he carried on with the intent to kill. Naruto was forced to Disapparate again before Kabuto got too close. Kabuto turned around on the spot and correctly guessed where Naruto was going to Apparate next. He then threw dozens of shuriken as fast as he could at him, forcing him to block them. Naruto was caught off guard and tried to block every blade thrown at him. He missed several times and the traitorous spy managed to cut his skin, nicking his right cheek and left arm.
Kabuto rushed after him as he held his arms back behind him while he ran.
Naruto spied the curved kunai in his hand and flicked his wand, "Expelliarmus!"
The kunai flew out of Kabuto's hand but then he focused his chakra into his hands and hurtled at the genin. Naruto launched a dozen spells but Kabuto moved too fast and dodged them all. Kabuto managed to get close and thought, for half a second, he might get him, but Naruto Disapparated again.
Kabuto seethed as he whirled around but was surprised when he was struck with an electric wand blast. He was thrown off his feet and landed on his back. Kabuto twitched from the electric shock but he didn't have a second to recover as Naruto hit him again with the same spell. Naruto struck Kabuto with the spell over and over in a whip-like motion with increasing strength. Kabuto shouted in pain while Naruto became consumed with rage as he hit him again and again.
"HAD ENOUGH?!" he shouted before he struck him again.
Kabuto managed to throw a kunai in a single moment he had between blows with as much strength and focus as he could muster.
The blade stabbed Naruto deep in his left thigh, "ARG!"
He buckled and his knee hit the ground painfully. Naruto quickly pulled out the kunai and tended to his leg. The wound burned but it didn't feel like the kunai was poisoned as he saw the wound began to heal. Kabuto started to recover as smoke seeped out from his clothes. He got back on his feet and tended to his injuries, healing miraculously fast. His bruises disappeared and the cuts on his face, arms, and chest closed instantly.
Kabuto, it seemed, had similar regenerative healing abilities as he did, "There's a reason I gained Orochimaru's favor apart from spying," he said as he looked as right as rain and drew another kunai.
Naruto heard the blade being drawn and snapped his head back at Kabuto. He saw the older genin had a deranged smile on his face before he chased after him. Naruto Disapparated again and appeared behind another large rock. He searched through his rucksack and found a bottle of Wiggenweld Potion. Naruto uncorked the bottle and drank the entire potion in two gulps. He didn't dare give away his hiding place until the wound on his leg sealed. While he waited, he heard the other shinobi as he searched for him.
"You're not the only one here that can heal faster than most," he heard him boast, "I can activate my cells at will to reproduce any damage I sustain in battle. It doesn't matter whatever magic you use against me, it's going to take a lot more than that to kill me!"
The genin checked his leg and wished he knew more healing magic. He still listened carefully to the sound of Kabuto's steady footsteps. There was a brief period of silence between the two combatants, apart from the ongoing distant and violent echoes from the Sannin. But after a minute or so, Kabuto made an attempt to goad the genin out of hiding.
"Are you frightened of me, Naruto?" he heard him taunted, "Is that why you keep disappearing? You wanna run away? Are you afraid to die?"
The genin would have loved to give him a clever comeback that came to mind, but Naruto had to wait as his leg healed.
"Strange, because I recall you showed some remarkable courage at the first test of the Chunin Exams," the older genin made a noise that sounded like he drew one of his old cards, "I'll accept the question, Ibiki-sensei, even if I have to risk a life being stuck as a genin for all time," he quoted his speech from the examination, word for word, even imitating his accent, "It won't matter to me. Because I will become Hokage no matter what, even if I have to make it there out of pure stubbornness."
Naruto's wished his wound would heal faster so that he could use a Blasting Curse on Kabuto's face, as he heard him pacing around the field.
"Are you still so brave, Naruto?" he dared question, "Children think everything is so easy. That's why they go on and on about their stupid dreams, why they don't give up, and then they die."
The genin ground his teeth as he squeezed his injured leg. The pain managed to keep him from recklessly giving up his position in anger. But he almost gave it away anyway when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Tsunade removing the invisibility cloak. She had been listening to Kabuto's words, forcing her to remember her late brother and what she said when she mocked Naruto about his own aspirations. The kunoichi was exposed, still in a somewhat shaken, delirious state as she stumbled out of her hiding place.
Naruto made an attempt to silently signal to her to stop and hide back under the cloak, 'No, no, no! Get under the cloak, baa-chan! Get-under-the-cloak!'
She didn't notice him signaling as she sat on her knees and stared in the direction of Kabuto and the other two Sannin in her delirium. Naruto assumed Kabuto could see her and was going to go after her to draw him out. The genin guessed right as he heard him sprinting.
The purple-clad shinobi dashed toward the kunoichi, as she couldn't help but stare at him like an oncoming train. Kabuto drew his curved kunai and smirked while he zeroed in on her. But a bright red light shot across him and forced Kabuto to stop in his tracks. Another spell fired and forced him to hop away from the kunoichi. Turning his head he saw Naruto armed with his wand but also an unsheathed sword in his left hand. Kabuto turned to face the genin, but Naruto didn't fire another spell at him. He then noticed the sword in his hand, which amused him when he realized it was the same sword he used in the Chunin Exams. It looked like Naruto wanted to settle the score and fight in honor of his fallen friend.
Naruto slipped his wand into his sleeve and grasped the sword, "I will never go back on my word," he quoted himself as he bravely challenged the bespectacled shinobi, "That is my nindo, my shinobi way. I figured you would have written that down as well, whoever-you're-pretending-to-be-now."
Kabuto's face twisted in rage at the genin's taunt and attacked. So did Naruto as he stormed after him and their blades clashed. The genin moved defensively and locked his blade with Kabuto's kunai. The older shinobi whirled the kunai in his hand with the ring and tried to stab the genin again, but Naruto moved quickly to block him again. The blonde shinobi made good use of his training and stuck to defending himself. But Kabuto was fast and ruthless in his attacks, slashing wildly at him over and over. Naruto moved fast to match Kabuto's vigorous movements as sparks flew from their combined efforts. The younger genin backed away from him as he continued to block and parry. He couldn't find a chance to strike back, but his training with Hayate proved to be truly invaluable as his guiding words echoed in his mind, 'Evasive maneuvers are essential… You have to move fast and learn, not to block, but to avoid an attack.'
Naruto followed his training, ducking and weaving backwards, conserving his energy. The older shinobi closed the distance between them in seconds, coming back with stronger strikes each time. He was getting angrier, gaining the upper hand, as he kept getting closer to doing serious damage when he managed to cut Naruto's cheek again. He endured it and watched Kabuto's movements, like he did in his training and blocked the kunai. Naruto could feel it as Kabuto's attacks began to slow down slightly, still aggressive, but the genin trusted his instincts and made a surprise comeback:
He stuck the kunai in its path with all his strength and knocked Kabuto back, disorienting him for one second. The older shinobi was forced to take a step back, that's when Naruto swung his sword and slashed Kabuto's face, "ARRRRGH!" slicing through where Hayate left him with a scar.
The younger genin was momentarily astounded at what he had done before he closed the distance between them to finish the fight. But the older shinobi used his unique ability to force the bleeding on his face to stop. Then, with his hands practically glowing with chakra, he clashed his kunai against Naruto's sword. Sparks flew when their blades touched, and Kabuto overwhelmed and disarmed Naruto in one swift swing. The sword flew to the side and landed in the snow with a clang. Naruto held his breath in surprise but couldn't brace himself in time as Kabuto backhanded him with excessive strength.
Kabuto's power was nowhere close to Tsunade's level, but it sent the genin tumbling back thirty feet, stopping right before Tsunade. Naruto felt as if an electric current had run through his entire body as he forced himself back on his feet. His face was bruised and bleeding, but the look on his face showed no sign that he was done fighting.
The older shinobi seethed at the younger genin getting back on his feet. Kabuto dropped the kunai and tended to his cheek to heal it once again, only managing to close the wound, leaving a thin red line on his face, 'How is he still getting up?!'
Tsunade was thinking similarly to the bespectacled traitor as she watched Naruto spit a mouthful of blood and stood tall against Kabuto. The kunoichi realized the genin was protecting her now, causing her to remember the fate of her brother again. Kabuto drew another kunai, his last one, as he twirled it in his hand in a wild and dramatic manner, before he gripped it tightly in his hand.
"Baa-chan," the genin spoke up confidently, which grabbed her attention, "You can keep the necklace. I don't want it. But I'm going to win our bet."
Tsunade shook her head and warned him desperately, "Don't protect me."
"It's my mission," he replied.
The kunoichi begged when the bespectacled shinobi seethed and ran towards the genin, "Naruto… Don't!"
"WHY WON'T YOU GIVE UP?!" Kabuto roared.
Naruto ignored the kunoichi and answered the older shinobi loudly and proudly, "I'M IN GRYFFINDOR!"
"I TOLD YOU THAT KIND OF STUBBORNNESS WILL GET YOU KILLED!" the older shinobi thundered as he increased speed.
Tsunade screamed at the genin, "GET OUT OF THE WAY! RUN!"
But he didn't budge; the genin didn't even flinch as Kabuto zeroed in on him. He stood as still as a statue and didn't even make an effort to Disapparate.
It looked like Naruto welcomed Kabuto to kill him, until he shouted at the last second, "NOW!"
And a shadow clone pulled off the invisibility cloak and aimed its wand at Kabuto as it shouted, "IMMOBULUS!"
A blue light flashed and struck Kabuto as he slowed down, moving in slow motion before he came to a complete stop, "Expelliarmus!" the shadow clone shouted and the kunai in the older shinobi's hand flew in the air and caught it.
Tsunade was stunned, as was Kabuto. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried to break free; the spell froze him in place, hovering an inch or two above the ground, less than a foot away from Naruto. He expected the magic to wear off and break free of the spell, like what happened with the chains, but he wasn't moving. He braced himself for Naruto to strike him with another spell, like he did before. But the blonde wizard remained where he stood and cracked a small, proud smile.
"Until I become Hokage, I am not going to die," then he grasped Kabuto's outstretched arm and growled, "Now you can't escape."
He held out his right hand to the side and summoned his chakra. To Tsunade's utter astonishment, an intense sphere of chakra formed in the palm of his hand, miles better than when she saw him do it outside the tavern. Kabuto's eyes widened, which was all he could do, as he saw a bright flash of light and the sphere in the genin's hand almost looked solid. Naruto determinedly ran through the steps Jiraiya taught him, compressing and concentrating the chakra sharper than he ever had as righteous anger fueled him, "URAAAH!"
Naruto burst forth, thrusting the sphere of chakra directly into Kabuto's stomach and roared, "RASENGAN!"
The sphere grinded into Kabuto's flesh and expanded, consuming him with an unstoppable whirlwind of chakra. The sheer force of the technique caused a powerful and violent wind to blast out in every direction as the earth cracked below the impact. It was like the force of a hurricane consumed Kabuto and propelled him backwards fiercely. The bright sphere of chakra encompassing the shinobi ripped apart the ground like an earthquake as it zoomed across the field, destroying boulders and tearing across the ground for over one hundred feet. It didn't stop until the sphere struck against another large rock and exploded.
Tsunade was frozen in astonishment while the genin in front of her panted.
Against all odds, Naruto had successfully mastered Minato Namikaze's signature jutsu.
The sonic boom caught the attention of the other two Sannin and took a moment for them to realize what had happened. Jiraiya smiled proudly as his unique pupil proved him right, filling him with even more pride as his apprentice defeated someone like Kabuto all on his own. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was far more surprised and alarmed. It was bad enough that the Uzumaki child had genuine magical abilities that jeopardized his ambitions. But now the boy proved he could be as much of a threat as a shinobi as he already was as a wizard.
Naruto smirked satisfyingly as he slowed his breathing back to normal. The shadow clone burst into white smoke as the genin looked over his shoulder to look back at the kunoichi.
"Looks like I win the bet, baa-chan," he smiled.
Tsunade was still speechless from the feat she just witnessed. She wanted to respond but instead looked back at the crashed boulder when she heard the sound of shifting rock. Naruto heard it as well and back turned around to see the smoke clear and revealed Kabuto as he carried himself back on his feet.
"Merlin's beard," the genin muttered in horror, "He's still alive..."
The shinobi was covered in dirt and bruises decorated his skin while he wheezed. His stomach was exposed, drenched in blood as steam billowed out in the freezing air. His clothes were torn and shredded from the destructive winds of the Rasengan. Naruto was shocked, confused as to how Kabuto even survived such a massive blow. Then he saw as the shredded tissues of his stomach miraculously regenerated. More steam billowed out, his flesh sizzling as his wound healed in seconds, producing new muscle tissue and skin. Kabuto's wheezing slowly turned into a steady panting, as he found the strength to stand without support from the rock and smirked.
"What a cheap shot," he breathed as he struggled to stand but the shinobi kept smiling like a madman, "You've done it now, you little freak. If you thought Hayate's death was tragic wait until I get out of here," the genin heard bones click back into place as Kabuto's voice increased in strength, echoing with a sadistic arrogance, "As soon as I walk away from this with Orochimaru, I'm coming after every single person you have ever cared about," this caused Naruto to blink as he glared at the steadily recovering shinobi, "The ramen shop man, his daughter, Kakashi Hatake, all of your little rookie friends, and even that precious school teacher you live with," the older shinobi had a wild, crazed look on his face, made even more insane with the lenses of his glasses being cracked, "I'll kill them all," he whispered, then he raised his arms and hollered, "I'LL KILL THEM ALL, JUST LIKE I KILLED HAYATE!"
The blonde genin ground his teeth and seethed as his fists shook. He felt a fire burn in his chest, growing larger and hotter, that he hadn't felt in what seemed like ages. Naruto used that fire he felt burning in his chest and ran towards Kabuto.
Kabuto's wounds were almost fully healed when he was suddenly taken by surprise, not by Naruto but by his own chakra. The Rasengan did so much damage and he exhausted so much chakra when he shielded his stomach from the blow at the last second. He had drained too much chakra and now couldn't move as Naruto hopped into the air. The genin then drove his fist into Kabuto's face with everything he had, knocking off his glasses and knocking out several teeth.
When the blonde genin landed on his feet, he quickly moved in again and drove his fist into Kabuto's tender stomach, knocking the wind clean out of him. The shinobi's back hit the cracked boulder behind him, causing him to cough up blood. Naruto utilized his chakra and began to punch Kabuto in the stomach and chest over and over with increasing speed and strength. Driven with unadulterated rage, Naruto moved almost as fast as Sasuke when he faced off against Gaara and shouted between every punch.
"NO-YOU-WON'T-YOU-TWO-FACED-BASTARD!"
Kabuto felt as if he were being riddled with rubber bullets as Naruto refused to stop punching him, even when Kabuto's chest was blackened with bruises and his knuckles bled, hurting down to the bone, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Unable to fight back, defend himself, or even breathe, Kabuto caught sight of the younger shinobi and seriously regretted dishing out his threat.
Naruto then reeled his arm back, let out one more furious roar, and slammed his fist into the older shinobi's chest so hard that his back was driven into the rock behind him. Kabuto's back hit the wall as a sharp rock struck his spine at an odd angle. A loud, sickening crack was heard while Kabuto held in whatever breath he had in him and remained frozen.
Kabuto couldn't move. He couldn't even blink as he collapsed on the ground, twitching. The traitor still had his sense of touch as he felt the blow to his head when hit the cold earth. He was frightened out of his mind, as the blonde teen looked down at him.
Naruto cautiously watched the older shinobi and waited for him to retaliate. But he soon realized, after a few seconds of watching him twitch, that he was paralyzed. The younger genin could have smiled to see him in this state, but instead his face remained hard and filled with hate as he removed his wand from his sleeve and approached him.
He took aim at the traitor and stared into his frozen face; filled with shock and terror.
Before he did anything else, the blonde-haired teen looked up towards the two Sannin still fighting on the enormous snakes. He pressed his wand against his throat, used a nonverbal spell to enhance his voice. He then called out to the man that had attacked his home, tried to murder the Hokage, and caused him and his comrades such unnecessary loss.
"OROCHIMARU!"
Both Sannin stopped fighting and turned their attention to the genin, shocked from the amazing volume of his voice. Orochimaru was surprised to see Kabuto still on the ground, twitching like a half-crushed insect. Once he had his attention, Naruto looked back down and took aim at the disgraced Konoha shinobi.
Then he dared him in a quiet voice, "Walk away from this, you son of a bitch."
Naruto aimed his wand at Kabuto's face and muttered, "Incendio!"
The two Sannin saw as a sudden violent blast of fire erupted from his wand and Kabuto was forced to watch as scarlet and amber flames rushed into his face and blinded him instantly. Naruto stood aside and watched as the white-hot flames swallowed Kabuto. The fire was intense and wild as the older teen combusted, frozen where he was left, but he could still feel, as he was burned alive. The older teen would have screamed and howled as he felt his flesh and clothes cook and burn, like a fat, roasted swine over a bonfire. Beneath the redness and blisters and cracks on his skin, Kabuto felt like his muscles were melting as his blood boiled, and his skin blistered and burned. Black smoke rose in the air and filled the field with the rancid smell of seared human flesh.
"How's that for someone without Sharingan?" the wizard asked with his wand pressed against his throat again.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya could smell the smoke, even at such a vast distance. Jiraiya felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw Kabuto become engulfed in magical fire, keeping in mind the damage his treason caused the village and countless others. Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked like his worst nightmare had come true as his mouth hang open.
Naruto stared down at the older shinobi and watched him burn. Cautious to make sure the shinobi wouldn't burst into white smoke and attack him from another direction. He waved his wand over the flames and made it so that he could see his face. He was hideous and all facial characteristics had been erased… or melted. Naruto heard bones click and crack, which meant Kabuto was trying to heal with what little chakra he had left. Kabuto must have started with his broken back, but once his back was mended, Kabuto let out an agonizing scream. His howling was soon muffled under the fire when Kabuto's throat burned to ash from the moment he breathed in the heat of the enchanted flames. It was short, but it was all Naruto and the others needed to know how much the traitor suffered before the intense flames swallowed him.
Within minutes, the traitor was reduced to brittle, blackened, rock-like ruins. All that remained of him was a charred skeleton as the last of his flesh sizzled and vanished. Naruto crushed the burnt and cracked remains of the man's glasses under his feet and frowned at the charred remains.
Kabuto Yakushi was dead.
To Be Continued…
I've been waiting for over two years to post that death scene ^^ I know it was overkill and Kabuto played a big role in helping Naruto and Sasuke in the end of the original story, but I really don't think that murdering, grave-robbing bastard deserved the ending he got in the Naruto manga. Considering how many lives the evil dickhead ruined and the amount of damage he caused the world because of his identity crisis, I decided to kill him off in this story arc while really dragging him through the mud the whole way.
I hope the death itself wasn't too off-putting for you wonder readers out there. But I really poured my heart and soul into this part of the split-up chapter in particular. One of the main influences of this scene that I can think of was the death of Bellatrix in the Deathly Hallows, and the demise of Pride in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood; it was one of the most satisfying scenes of that series for me. I really, really want to hear your opinions in the review section if you can about this new development. Really, guys, tell me what you think, I'd really appreciate it.
Azeroth44: Damn, dude, that was brutal…
Kvsyaoran: Yep, I told you it'd be worth binging all three books again since the last update would be worth it.
AZ44: F%^& YEAH, MAN!
K: Thanks ^^
AZ44: *smacks the back of Kvsyaoran's head* Later, bitch! I'm off to Beacon!
K: RWBY FANBOY!
Well, until next time, guys, I hope you enjoyed this update ^^