"That's not good."
Konoha's forces had been fighting admirably in every site of the battle, their contingency plans had reduced the civilian losses to a minimum and everything seemed to be going in their favor…
So far.
The Hokage had warned Ibiki that Orochimaru might use his snake summons to aid in the fight against the village, they didn't anticipate that he wouldn't be personally doing the summoning, however.
Apparently, the treacherous Sanin had the foresight of preparing multiple summoning scrolls for multiple giant snakes that were now crushing Konoha's forces and infrastructure, definitely not something they had predicted. They were losing a lot of shinobi fighting the summons, definitely not good.
"Hold the line! We can't allow them to go any further." Ibiki wasn't feeling very optimistic all of a sudden, giving out orders he knew were incredibly hard to follow. Fighting a force of invading ninjas plus a battalion of hungry and blood-thirsty snakes is something few people are capable of.
Luckily for them, one of those few people arrived just in time.
Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu!
In the air a giant light-blue toad with a sword strapped to its back and a white-haired man standing on its head appeared and fell right on top of two of the snakes with immense force limiting their movements and finishing them off with a quick slash of its blade, beheading them both.
Three more snakes were summoned on the battlefield by Orochimaru's forces but were crushed under the weight of a different toad, this one of red color and a pipe Jiraiya was all too familiar with.
Jumping from one toad to another, Jiraiya landed right on top of Gamabunta's head and said, "I did say I would be giving you a little work didn't I, Bunta?"
The boss toad huffed in annoyance as he watched more snakes being summoned in front of him and his greatly perverted summoner. "Yes Jiraiya, you did."
"Jiraiya-sama!" Said Ibiki as he landed on top of Gamabunta's head and stood right beside the legendary man. "Your assistance is appreciated but, shouldn't you be aiding Hokage-sama?"
Jiraiya looked down and sighed as an air of defeat surrounded him, "No Ibiki, this is where I'm supposed to be." He still didn't agree with the orders that had been given to him by his sensei but knew there was nothing that could be done, he was first and foremost a soldier under his command, and following orders was his duty.
"Jiraiya, where is the boy?" Asked the boss of the toads, changing the topic of conversation as he stared the snakes down.
"His fight is…," Jiraiya sighed as he looked into the distance with a worried look on his face, "somewhere else."
Forests outside Konoha
"Uzumaki-san…" The ANBU and Genin pair had been following the escaping Gaara and his sibling for quite some time now in painful silence, at least for Naruto. "It would be best that you tell me about the nature of your suppressing jutsu so that we may plan accordingly."
The young Uzumaki sighed as he took in his surroundings and appreciated the view. Maybe it wasn't the best time to relax and breathe some fresh air but he still did.
"Kongo fusa… it's an Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai, I can create chains of chakra that do a lot of stuff, suppressing chakra is just one of the things that I can do."
Tora hummed and brought his hand to his chin in thought, in theory, it didn't sound all that different from the famous Mokuton jutsu he himself was capable of. "You said one of the things, may I ask what else you can do?"
"It's useful in combat though I hadn't trained myself enough to be able to use them that way and…" Naruto looked up at the sky and sighed, "Jiji told me my mom used them to form a barrier around the Kyuubi the night it got free, I haven't tried to do that yet but I know how to go about it."
"Very well then, when we catch up to them you will form a barrier around us to make sure he can't escape from us, our objective is to incapacitate him before he can fully release the Ichibi." Though keeping a stoic voice the lion-masked ANBU was feeling a little nervous, fighting a Jinchuriki was a huge deal for anyone, he had been counting on having the aid of his subordinates on this but they had to stay behind and deal with their pursuers.
Naruto and he will have to be enough.
"What about his sister?" Asked Naruto.
"She doesn't represent much of a problem, I will personally deal with her first and we'll let her out of the barrier for the ANBU to secure her." A good plan in his opinion, he would be the first to admit that the young Suna genin had promise but at the end of the day she was only that, a genin.
They kept on running for a few more minutes and were finally able to see their objective. The girl stopped running and got ready to face them as she allowed her brother to keep retreating. Temari unfolded her fan and was about to use a futon jutsu on them but the bark of the tree she was standing on suddenly came to life and tied itself around her whole body, choking her long enough to make her lose consciousness and trap her.
Naruto let out an impressed whistle at the display of ability from his ANBU companion and understood just why Kakashi spoke so highly of him. They both landed in front of the red-head now tightly holding his head and got ready.
"Let's do this!"
Ninja Academy
Not long after Kakashi dismissed him, Shino, Kiba, and Sakura took off running in search of their comrades in team 10. The Aburame had made use of the time it took them to familiarize himself with Sakura's abilities to form better strategies that would make proper use of them in conjunction with his own.
It didn't beat the exceptional teamwork he and his team had built over the months but it had to do for now.
Shino's visage became stern as the academy building being raided by a force of Oto shinobi came into view, they could see some of their old senseis laying on the ground with no sign of life. He had always been a pragmatic person who lived a life following logic and realism but seeing the people that helped him become the capable shinobi he was in such a state…
It almost made him lose his temper.
Shikamaru and his team had been sent to aid in the evacuation of the hospital, a building that was currently under the protection of the original InoShikaChō formation, so it made sense to send them there and have them send reinforcements to the academy as soon as possible.
The team knew they had to buy as much time as possible and strengthen their resolve.
Sakura and Kiba both turned to look at their current leader and waited for instructions, Shino simply nodded as he held up a special hand sign, indicating to them it was time to put one of the plans they had discussed into action.
The pink-haired genin stopped running and quickly went through a series of hand seals, making four solid copies of her made out of stone, as soon as the clones formed themselves they alongside the real Sakura phased into the ground and disappeared from view.
While she did that, Kiba gave Akamaru a pill that made the dog's skin go red and made use of the Juujin Bunshin, once there were two of him, Kiba yelled to get the attention of the invading shinobi. "Hey, assholes!"
Kiba's loud yell startled the Oto shinobi and even some of the Konoha Chunin that were currently fighting them. The dog and teen duo jumped in the air and started spinning as they yelled, "Gatsuuga!" Seeing the impending doom the Oto shinobi tried to jump away to dodge the attack but much to their surprise, four different pairs of hands emerged from the ground and held as many of them as they could tight and stuck in the ground.
Kiba and Akamaru performed a deathly dance and tore through the shocked and unmoving invading shinobi, those who weren't caught allowed themselves to become distracted and didn't notice the bugs creeping out their bodies and eating out their chakra before they had time to retaliate.
Sakura emerged from the ground as the last of the invading shinobi were dealt with by the Chunin that were stationed in the academy long before they arrived. As soon as the last of them fell, the Chunin quickly started evacuating the children that were still in the academy.
A tired Iruka made his way to the arriving Genin and managed a proud smile despite the dire situation. "I can't believe we have to be saved by our students."
Shino - logical as always - replied, "You shouldn't feel bad about it Iruka-sensei, why? Because our plan only worked since they weren't expecting it."
Iruka smiled and was about to reply when another batch of shinobi could be seen running towards them in the distance, this time accompanied by the more capable Suna shinobi. Quickly the chunin fell into a defensive stance once again this time accompanied by his former students.
Shino was running his mind a mile a minute thinking of a quick strategy to keep the young kids safe. "Sakura-san, you said you were capable of using Genjutsu, yes?" Sakura looked puzzled by the sudden question but nodded her response either way. "Do you think you could mask their escape?" He asked, gesturing to the academy where all the children were at.
Sakura's breath hitched when she looked at the size of the academy, she didn't have the chakra to pull an illusion that big off… but, she could probably mask the front of the building to make it look like there were still kids crying and attempting to flee while the real deal ran off through the back.
The pink-haired genin steeled her resolve and looked back to Shino before saying. "I can do it but it will take a lot out of me, I don't think I'll be able to help you fight anymore after this." That seemed to be a reasonable trade-off for the Aburame as he voiced his approval and - along with Kiba - got ready to face the upcoming shinobi.
Sakura took a deep breath and put both of her hands in a praying motion as she started channeling as much chakra as she could while thinking. 'Come on Sakura! You can do this!'. She went through various different hand seals, focusing so as to not miss one when she felt drops of sweat making their way down her forehead and trembling hands. She smiled in satisfaction once she finished and released it with her usual war cry in mind. 'SHANNARO!'
Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu!
Sakura released the chakra she accumulated, and the front of the building started changing, masking the Chunin going in and taking the children through the back and making it look like way more of them were on the ground lifeless as kids cried in horror watching their senseis bleed out.
She started falling into exhaustion but was caught by Kiba who softly laid her on a rock, she thanked him silently and focused on keeping the illusion long enough. Being satisfied with the current state of his temporary teammate, Kiba joined Shino and watched as the Suna and Oto shinobi arrived.
They jumped into battle without a second thought and gave it their all to make sure the next generation of Shinobi was safe. In a show of skill no Genin should be capable of, Kiba and Shino fought side by side with their former teachers and decimated their opposition.
But more kept coming. Horde after horde of Oto and Suna shinobi kept on advancing towards them. Fatigue started setting in soon after that.
Shino was the first to fall.
The constant use of his clan jutsu over the day had been taking a toll on him, especially after having recovered from poisoning not too long before that, a moment a distraction was all it took for a sword to pierce his leg and arm as he was sent crashing to the ground with a strong punch to the face, he was unconscious before hitting the ground.
Kiba followed right after him.
Akamaru had allowed himself to get caught after releasing the transformation and Kiba didn't think twice before jumping to save his life-long friend, his unwavering loyalty had cost him a few slashes and bleeding wounds, and he fell to the ground with his pup still being protected in his arms.
The Suna shinobi that had dealt the blow decided he wouldn't be satisfied until he saw a job well done and tried to end his life.
Iruka wouldn't have it, he stole the sword of the man right from his hand and used it to slash his neck open in a single strike. Bearing a Kunai in one hand and the stolen chokuto in the other, Iruka jumped in battle displaying a level of skill no one had thought him capable of before. He dealt with the invaders and spilled their blood to make sure his former students and his village would leave to see another day.
Even if it cost him his own.
"IRUKA-SENSEI!"
The world went silent for Sakura, she was just starting to stand back up when it happened, Iruka started becoming slower with each passing second and it proved to be his doom as a long sword went right through his chest.
She ran carelessly, stumbling on her way yet never falling, and made her way to the falling man without even turning to look at the enemy. Iruka smiled sadly at his former student as he collapsed in her arms, he cupped her cheek and brushed off her tears with a single thought in his mind. 'I'm sorry I'm doing this to you Sakura.'
He had no trouble with the idea of dying to protect his village, he only regretted making her watch as another person dear to her bled out to death again.
"Why don't we take this little bitch with us boys?" The Suna shinobi all became smug after their victory and started celebrating as they tried to rip Sakura off of Iruka but she wouldn't budge, she was using her limited medical knowledge to keep him from bleeding out and apparently, became strong enough to not be moved in the process.
She couldn't keep the illusion running anymore and it fell, revealing to the invaders that the children they were sent to eliminate were now long gone and that they had been tricked by a little girl. Angered by a trick, the man who was trying to take her with him - kicked her in the head in a show of pure rage and sent her flying and crashing into a rock making a sickening crunch from her behind.
Sakura yelled in pain but refused to give up and gathered all her willpower to start standing once again, she clutched her sides as she stumbled back to the fallen Iruka. Set on keeping him alive as long as possible. The genin let go of the weights she was carrying, which had begun to make it difficult for her to move for the first time in a long time. The shinobi saw her resolve and found it amusing, thus he kicked Iruka in the head… repeatedly.
Then she saw red, her mind became enraged at the punishment being given to her favorite teacher in the academy and she completely lost it. She began summoning a force she shouldn't have while her right arm began hardening and hardening into a rock purely on instinct.
Then she ran.
Being faster than the enemy was as expected, the training she went through had prepared her for this moment, Sakura reached the bastard that had dared to kick Iruka and put his arm right through him.
Everyone looked in shock at the display of strength and even Sakura became full of shock at having killed someone, for the first time in her life. She watched the face of the man she had just killed replaced by a familiar face of her dead teammate, bloody and angry at her, angry because she hadn't helped him.
Angry because she had let him die.
A voice she knew all too well reassured her that it was alright, Naruto wasn't even there but he somehow always managed to find a way to help Sakura when she needed him the most. The face of Sasuke disappeared and she released the body of the now very dead man and let it fall to the ground.
She was surprised when instead of a great opposing force waiting to strike her down she found a man wearing a green bodysuit making his way through the invaders with no signs of effort while yelling cries of war and youth.
Never one to look a gift-horse in the mouth she smiled and watched as a pair of medic-nin took Iruka and Team 8 with them, unable to stand anymore she collapsed and fell back.
She didn't hit the ground, she looked up to see her silver-haired sensei holding her in his arms and looking at her proudly, finally Sakura could allow herself to relax and feel safe as exhaustion took over her body, the last words she heard before unconsciousness claimed her were spoken by Kakashi.
"You did good, Sakura."
Forests outside of Konoha.
"YOU!" Gaara started screaming as a powerful and malevolent chakra engulfed his person and started transforming him, slowly turning him into a thing. Sand solidified and took a tanuki-like shape all around his body, leaving nothing but his feet uncovered. "UZUMAKI NARUTO!"
Not a nice way to have your name called by anyone, Tora was the first to react to the unsettling situation and instructed Naruto to put their plan into action.
Naruto jumped back as Tora used some strange wood jutsu he had never seen before and knelt on the ground, he put both of his hands in a ram seal and closed both of his eyes in concentration. 'Please… help me out a little Kaa-chan.'
Purple chakra started swirling around him and he opened both of his eyes as he slammed both hands to the ground, immediately, a pair of golden chains emerged from his forearms and dug themselves into the ground, with each passing second, both chains started growing more chains that shot up into the sky and tied themselves around each other, forming a barrier of energy that locked them all in that place and prevented Gaara from escaping and setting the Ichibi free on the village.
Not one to be easily outdone, Tora smirked at Naruto's display and decided this wasn't the day he would be shown up by a Genin. He went through a quick set of hand seals and called out.
Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu!
Out of Tora's extended arms shot countless tree branches that quickly tied themselves around the Jinchuriki as tightly as possible. Things quieted down shortly after that, the trees that now bound Gaara and rendered him incapable of moving were still growing and covering more and more parts of his body, if only for a short moment it started to look like they had won.
But it couldn't be that easy.
"Is it over already?" If Sakura's tales were to be believed, the legendary Mokuton was capable of subduing the legendary Bijuu but that didn't mean Naruto understood how it worked, somehow he was sure there was more to it than just touching him.
AAAAAAAAAAAH!
The hold over his jutsu started to waver and Tora found himself struggling to keep the Jinchuriki at bay, no surprises there, he didn't think for a minute that would be enough to stop a rampaging vessel but that didn't mean he couldn't try.
"Uzumaki-san," He said as he jumped back and avoided a wave of sand that was set on finishing him off. "I will try to create an opening for you, try to make good use of it." He then kicked Naruto on the side catching him by surprise but saving him from a claw of sand emerging from the ground. Naruto conceded and realized he had allowed himself to become overwhelmed by the current situation and was getting sloppy.
He started taking deep breaths, he knew he could beat Gaara if he tried to and would do his best to make sure it happened, he promised Hiruzen and he fully intended to keep his promise.
Naruto never goes back on his word.
Tora started running at Gaara as he went through a series of hand seals, the branches of the trees around the clearing started to extend rapidly and tied themselves around him. The red hair turned tanuki started laughing like crazy and watched as the sand destroyed the branches that were restricting him; once he set free he used his sand arm and lounged at the ANBU who was sent flying and crashing loudly into a tree.
Fully intending to end the life of the person he deemed inferior, the sand enclosed Tora and crushed him with incredible strength. When the sand cleared and returned to his body, it revealed the man to be a wooden copy of himself.
Not having much time to dwell in confusion, the sound of a thousand chirping birds made him turn around to find Naruto in the air, Raikiri in hand, and his Sharingan eye blazing in life. Tendrils of sand shot at him but Naruto - still connected to the chains keeping the barrier erect - maneuvered himself mid-air to evade every single one of his attacks and landed safely on top of him, lightning-covered fist right into his chest.
He was expecting another cry of pain or even silence, what he got in return was Gaara laughing maniacally again and trapping him with sand. He was about to be crushed when Tora re-emerged and used his ANBU-issued tanto to set Naruto free from the sand and jump back to safety.
"DON'T RUN FROM ME UZUMAKI!"
"You seem to have made a big impression, was it something you said?" Most people had the idea that ANBU were emotionless people incapable of feelings or human interaction, in reality, they were as prone to making jokes in the middle of a battle as anyone else.
Naruto enjoyed fighting alongside someone who seemed to share his sense of humor. "Oh well, I'm hard to forget."
Chuckles aside, Tora started running his mind like crazy and remembered Naruto's strategy during his first fight with the red hair in the tournament.
Water.
Suiton: Mizurappa!
After going through a quick set of hand seals Tora took a deep breath and spat out a powerful stream of water that completely engulfed Gaara, all while jumping around as he and his genin companion evaded the onslaught of sand that followed them.
Naruto - catching up with what Tora was trying to do - went through a series of hand seals of his own and extended both of his arms. Raiton: Raikou Kousen no Jutsu!
A beam of lightning shot out of both of his arms and hit the dampened body of Gaara, making him tremble and scream in pain at the attack. Deciding to keep pressing now that they had the advantage, Naruto summoned over twenty Kage Bunshin that jumped high in the air and threw many shurikens at Gaara, going through hand seals of their own after they did.
Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!
Dozens of Shurikens turned into hundreds of them and while not a devastating attack in short quantities, the vast amount of weapons that showered him were both strong and numerous enough that some pierced Gaara's Tanuki-like form and were able to injure him.
Using the distraction provided by Naruto, Tora made a snake seal and roots emerged from the ground, tying themselves to Gaara's unprotected feet. Once he deemed him restricted enough, Tora jumped in and placed an open palm in the back of the Jinchuuriki, linking his chakra with his demon.
Jumping back he went through a quick set of hand seals and called out.
Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu: Kakuan Nitten Suishu!
From the ground emerged ten wooden pillars surrounding Gaara at the same time Tora extended his hand towards him, the kanji for sit appeared on his hand and the chakra of the beast started being drained by the jutsu, if he were Senju Hashirama himself Tora would have no problem in dealing with the Jinchuriki, sadly he wasn't.
The suppressing ability of Tora's Mokuton wasn't as powerful because he wasn't related to the legendary man by blood, his abilities came from being experimented on by the same bastard that led this attack on his precious village, he found some comfort in using Orochimaru's gift to go against his plan.
Easier said than done.
Gaara's will wasn't even close to weak and the beast he housed was in no way looking forward to being sent to sleep again, Tora quickly found that he wouldn't be able to subdue him alone.
Good thing he wasn't.
Naruto realized - by the look of Tora's trembling hand - that he wasn't having as easy a time as he hoped he would; once again Naruto closed both of his eyes in concentration and channeled his chakra through the chains holding the barrier. At his command, some parts of the barrier grew more chains that shot directly at Gaara and tied themselves tightly around him, effectively aiding in the suppression of his chakra.
'Is this how it ends? Am I weak, mother?'
The red hair watched as the chakra that once powered him up was filtered and absorbed by the people who showed up to fight him. His gaze wandered and it landed on the same blonde teen that had dared to question his means, his way of living, his existence.
He wouldn't allow such disrespect.
Before they could finish the work they were doing, Gaara did something none of them had seen coming, with both hands on a ram seal he made himself fall asleep.
They felt it immediately.
The chakra became too powerful too quickly, faster than both of them could react and it skyrocketed; the sand went out of control and created a tornado around Gaara, Tora tried to jump in before he could finish doing whatever it was that he started but found himself being hit in the face, hard. His mask shattered on impact and he was sent flying through various trees.
Naruto watched it happen and tried to reinforce his hold on the redhead but it was to no avail, the sand tornado advanced towards him and sent him flying in a way similar to his ANBU companion.
The sand stopped spinning and instead started flowing back into Gaara's body, growing larger and larger with each passing second until it revealed a giant sand Tanuki. "FINALLY I'M FREE! I'M FREE!"
With a powerful and fierce roar, the Tanuki let out a massive gust of energy that shattered the protecting barrier Naruto had been holding and all he could do was watch.
"Uzumaki-san." The unmasked ANBU limped his way beside him and stared at their opponent. "That won't be easy to deal with."
"I agree." Had it been any other time, Naruto probably would have commented on the man and his unmasked appearance. "We will probably need some help."
"You have enough chakra to summon a big toad Naruto."
"But I passed out last time, Ero-sensei!" Naruto whined and Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched at the nickname he refused to drop but decided to explain anyway.
"You summoned Gamabunta, the boss of the Toad summons, he is by far the most powerful of the big toads and as such requires more energy to bring him to your aid." Naruto found it a bit weird that Jiraiya had said 'of the big toads' when mentioning the power of Gamabunta but decided to let it slide.
So far, Naruto could either summon a little toad that was useless for battle or summon Gamabunta and pass out in the process, it was truly mind-blowing for both of them, putting his concerns aside for the moment Jiraiya asked him to try the jutsu one more time and he complied, going through the hand seals again. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!
"Yo!"
Naruto watched the little toad appear before him and sighed at his failed attempt. "Hello again, Gamakichi."
Tora agreed of course but was worried about the outcomes of their plan, waiting for help was wise as they clearly wouldn't be able to defeat the beast on their own but it had its downsides "We can wait for our ANBU reinforcements to arrive but we run the risk of it going to the village."
"Not what I meant, Tora." The ANBU found himself confused and turned around to find Naruto with both of his eyes closed in concentration as he gathered his chakra once again, before he could ask what he was doing Naruto bit his thumb and smeared its blood on his palm, going through a familiar set of hand seals after doing so.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu!
A giant cloud of smoke filled the clearing and confused the Tanuki, when it cleared it revealed both Naruto and Tora standing on top of a toad the size of Gamabunta with black markings on its face, arms, and legs as well as bumps above its eyes. It wore a black Kimono and wielded a giant black sasumata on one hand and a beige shield on the other; when Naruto realized he was still conscious he almost jumped and celebrated, if he was being completely honest he thought he was going to fail again.
"Are you Uzumaki Naruto-kun?" The toad asked, showing off its powerful and deep voice.
"Yes that would be me, I'm sorry I summoned you in this situation, I am in a bit of a problem." Jiraiya had stressed the importance of being kind and respectful to the toads and he had been, but he had only been able to summon the smaller toads and Gamabunta, he never stayed conscious long enough to greet the boss.
"Don't worry Uzumaki Naruto-kun, my name is Gamaken and I will help but I must warn you I'm quite clumsy." The toad jumped high in the air after his introduction to avoid a wave of sand that was sent by the feared Ichibi.
Naruto and Tora were both taken by surprise and barely managed to stick to his head using chakra. "A little heads up would be great next time Gamaken."
"I'm sorry Uzumaki Naruto-kun, I told you I'm clumsy."
Naruto sighed at the answer as he wondered why none of the toads he had met were in the very least normal, not that there was anything normal with talking toads but still.
"Don't worry about it, do you have any ideas on how to deal with that?" Jiraiya is always saying the toads are the most knowledgeable of the summons and so far they haven't disappointed, hopefully, this wouldn't be the first time.
Gamaken kept jumping from side to side to avoid the crazy beast's attacks and cries of outrage all while doing his best to focus on the question he was asked, why do people ask so much of him when he always reminds them he's clumsy. "Does this Bijuu have a host?" He asked and received two affirmatives. "We must wake the host."
The Tanuki seemingly heard their conversation and got enraged by what they intended to do to him. "YOU WON'T STOP MY FUN!"
The ANBU's eyebrow twitched at the display of the legendary beast, it was bad enough that it was trying to destroy the village, but having fun? 'That is one sick son of a-'
FUTON: RENKUUDAN!
The beast took a deep breath and then punched its own belly hard, letting out a powerful air cannon from its mouth.
Gamaken used his shield to cover himself and his summoner and companion from the attack but, even though he avoided the damage they were pushed back far.
"Uzumaki-san…" Said Tora, getting the teen's attention. "Can you locate Gaara in there?"
Naruto nodded and focused his sensing ability on trying to find Gaara's signature in the gigantic pool of chakra that was the Ichibi, it took some time but eventually, he found him. "He's in its head, resting on its forehead."
Tora nodded his understanding and came up with a plan. "Gamaken-san, can you do something to disperse the sand from its forehead long enough for us to get close?"
"I can try but I am quite clumsy."
"It'll have to do, Uzumaki-san…" He said and realized he already had the young man's full attention. "I will make sure he can't move, once he's revealed, wake him up."
Without waiting for confirmation Tora jumped off from the head of the toad and Gamaken took it as a sign to start their plan, he jumped up high in the air and threw his sasumata at the Ichibi's neck, making him stumble back he then breathed in and shot a big water bullet as he thought.
Suiton: Teppodama!
The water hit the Ichibi right in the head and not only did it succeed in revealing the body of Gaara sound asleep on its forehead it also managed to make the beast fall back with the sheer force of the impact, just what Tora needed to restrict its movement.
The beast recovered quickly and managed to sit but the reliable ANBU made sure it wouldn't be able to stand, going through a long set of hand seals at high speeds, Tora used the single most taxing jutsu in his arsenal to make sure it stayed in place.
Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan!
From the ground emerged the biggest trees Naruto had ever seen before, the place that was turned into a clearing by the constant fighting and advances of the Ichibi was once again turned into a forest full of life, trees emerged from the ground and tied themselves around the beast, restricting its movements and freezing it in place, leaving only its reconstructing face exposed enough for Naruto to do his work.
He jumped from the head of the toad that dismissed itself shortly after, the energy of Naruto not enough to hold the summoning longer without the risk of passing out. In mid-air, Naruto maneuvered himself to fall fist-first. "WAKE THE FUCK UP!"
His fist connected and life seemed to return to Gaara's face now fully covered in blood, the Ichibi yelled and cursed the Uzumaki and his companion as the sand that was his body lost form and fell to the ground alongside its vessel, Naruto too was falling in a similar nature - too exhausted to do anything about it - but an equally tired Tora jumped in and caught him, making them both fall into the ground but a lot safer than Gaara.
They were both laying side to side on the ground and breathing equally hard when Naruto broke the silence. "Another happy landing."
Tora stared at him and then started laughing softly which made Naruto smile and laugh alongside him, it was then Naruto remembered the ANBU had lost its mask. "Won't you get in trouble for losing your mask, Tora?"
"Don't worry about it Uzumaki-san, we're expected to keep our identities hidden as long as possible but we understand there's a possibility it won't always be the case." The explanation seemed reasonable enough for Naruto who shakily stood up and then helped him do so as well.
"Please stop calling me Uzumaki-san, you're making me feel old." Tora once again chuckled but conceded his point, the kid had already seen his face, there was no need for formalities anymore.
"You may call me Tenzō, but refrain from doing it in public though." Naruto beamed at the show of confidence, an ANBU willingly told him his name and that felt like a big achievement, granted he knew Kakashi's name but he never knew Kakashi when he was ANBU, though he remembers a silver-haired ANBU that felt a lot like him.
A groan brought them back to their situation and Naruto watched Gaara as he lay on the ground with blood covering his face. The Uzumaki let go of Tenzō and started limping towards him which greatly distressed the red hair. "No! Don't get close to me! You won't end my existence!"
"I'm not going to kill you, Gaara." Naruto's reply was full of sincerity and even he knew it, but that just couldn't be, he had threatened his friends, his home and he still didn't wish to kill him? Naruto had multiple bonds, he cared about people, he was supposed to be weak and Gaara still lost.
"Why? Why won't you do it?"
"Because I was almost like you." He said and got an incredulous look from the red hair and a sympathetic one for the ANBU standing on the sidelines.
"The day the Kyuubi attacked I was almost made a Jinchuriki, if it hadn't escaped at the last moment I would've been a Jinchuriki like you…" He knelt next to Gaara and looked him directly in the eyes. "I know loneliness well enough but I don't know hate, I-I don't know if there's anyone that can truly relate to you Gaara."
"I kill to feel alive, that's the reason I exist, that's why I'm strong." Was Gaara's reasoning, but this time it didn't sound as menacing, it didn't sound like a threat.
"And you still lost… do you know why?" Naruto asked and Gaara shook his head. "It's because you fought alone, I'm strong because I fight with others, I'm strong because I fight for others, a very wise person once told me that you can only become truly strong when you fight to protect what it's precious to you."
Naruto's words were nonsense and Gaara knew it, but, if he knew it, why was he crying? "I don't have anyone to protect, my village and my family hates me, I'm alone." He tried to reason.
"That's not true Gaara, your sister risked everything to get you out of the village safely, even when you were transforming." Naruto didn't know why he felt such a need to help the boy, he knew it wasn't possible to help anyone but he still tried.
"You don't have to be alone Gaara, if you want I can be your friend." That statement caught even Tenzō by surprise but he decided to trust the boy, for now, he had proven to be very capable so far.
"Gaara!"
Temari jumped in the clearing and stood beside Gaara already unfolding her fan to attack Naruto, when the Ichibi was released her bindings were released, she ran to her brother as soon as she woke up.
Gaara was shocked, here she was, proving Naruto's words to be true despite every time he had threatened to kill her before, perhaps he was right, perhaps he could allow himself to trust again. "Temari, let's just go."
His tone didn't carry any of the hate and power as before and that caught her by surprise, Naruto's compliance to simply let them go also confused her but she decided it was best to escape, she felt bad about leaving her brother behind, but he had been captured and there was nothing that could be done at the moment.
Tenzō walked next to Naruto and helped him stand up after they left, he wasn't happy about it but he knew neither of them was in any condition to pursue them, they had both used a lot of chakra.
"It was fun working with you, Tenzō." Naruto's attempt at lighting up the mood worked as they both walked leaning on each other, limping their way to the village.
"Taichou!"
The squad of ANBU that had stayed behind to deal with their pursuers finally caught up to them after having to fight wave after wave of oto shinobi, they felt bad for leaving the fight to only the both of them and even more so for the state they were both in. Two of them had started carrying each of them on their backs and started running towards the village to get them medical attention as soon as possible.
One of the ANBU gave Tenzō a backup mask as they all chatted and listened to Naruto's retelling of their battle when he stopped all of a sudden and looked directly at the arena in the village. "Jiji's fighting! His chakra it's getting weaker!"
Every ANBU in the village knew exactly who Naruto's Jiji was so they decided to run first to the aid of their Hokage, a decision that was greatly supported by Naruto. They all left the clearing without noticing the little orange fox that carefully observed everything that had happened there and vanished after they left, leaving only a small cloud of red smoke as evidence of his presence.
Tournament Arena
The fight between Orochimaru and the old Hokage had been very much even if not slightly to the advantage of the seasoned warrior that was Sarutobi Hiruzen. Student and teacher battled it out in an impressive exchange of jutsu and Taijutsu that much to his annoyance Orochimaru found himself to be losing.
It all changed however when the perverse Sannin made use of the cursed Jutsu created by Konoha's own Sairin Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage.
Edo Tensei.
A cursed Jutsu capable of bringing back the dead at the cost of a human sacrifice, it allows the user to control and suppress the personality of those it brings back while giving him complete control of their power.
A jutsu that should've never been created.
Orochimaru clearly enjoyed playing with his sensei's feelings if bringing back the dead Hokage was anything to go by, he failed at bringing back the yondaime but he figured the man's own teachers would be more than enough.
Moments before being forced to fight his student, the Nidaime had seemed apologetic about what was going on, now under the evil man's control. He didn't even seem fazed by his actions, such as the power of the cursed Jutsu.
Hiruzen had run out of options. His most loyal student was actively looking for a way to take the barrier down, Jiraiya was no doubt Konoha's number one Fuinjutsu master and probably the number one practitioner of the art in the elemental nations but even he couldn't make a barrier powered by four shinobi under the influence of Orochimaru's cursed seal.
Sarutobi didn't doubt his student could take down the barrier, he just knew he wouldn't be able to make it on time. "Kukuku…" Orochimaru giggled, mocking the Hokage. "I'm afraid you won't be making it this time dear sensei, after I'm done with you I will use Konoha's founders to destroy it."
Suiton: Suiryuudan!
A gigantic water dragon came to live around the Nidaime's body and came crashing full force at the old Hokage. Sarutobi tried to avoid the impact but was too tired and beaten to make it and was forced painfully to the ground by the impact.
"SARUTOBI!" Yelled out Enma.
King Enma was the leader of the Saru Clan and Hiruzen's personal summon, he had been called into this fight to aid Hiruzen in battle but was brutalized as much as his summoner.
"I-I'm alright… Enma." A lie, Hiruzen was almost out of chakra, he had been forced to the ground by his teachers more times than he could count but was still able to stand up once again despite all the pain he's been put through.
The revived Hokage and his fallen student landed in front of him once again, set on finishing him for good but seeing the three of them together gave Hiruzen an idea.
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!
Two solid copies of the monkey summoner appeared right behind Hiruzen.
Orochimaru saw his old sensei getting ready and scoffed, there was nothing in his eyes that he could do to stop him now. "Enma, I'm going to end this now." Proclaimed Hiruzen.
The monkey king couldn't quite figure out what it was but there was something in Hiruzen's voice when he said that that seemed almost…
Final.
The three Hiruzens looked directly at their foes and raised their hands together.
This was it.
They all started going through the same set of Hand signs. Almost immediately, the Shinigami emerged on Hiruzen's back and licked their lips. It had been a while since someone had called to offer them a few souls.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA" Orochimaru laughed like a maniac at what he assumed to be a futile attempt. "You can't do anything Sensei, whatever you're trying to do won't help you, I already won."
"I am Sarurobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage and pillar of this village, I will do everything in my power to protect it." Proclaimed the Hokage with conviction in his voice.
Genjutsu: Kukuangyo no Jutsu!
Darkness engulfed Sarutobi and his clones after Tobirama cast his jutsu making Hiruzen look around frantically but it was all to no avail, he could see nothing; a strong punch struck his face and he stood guard but it didn't stop the countless follow-up hits was given; blind to them all and powerless to stop them.
"You're weak sensei."
Hiruzen refused to fall into provocations and ignored his student's taunts. "You can strike me down all you want Orochimaru, it doesn't matter if you kill me, another stronger Hokage will rise and fight for this village, that is what we stand for, that is our will of fire."
Oh how much Orochimaru hated Hiruzen's talk of the will of fire. "You've become delusional in your old age, that nonsense means nothing, this village will fall to pieces!"
"Your overconfidence has always been your weakness." He taunted back, knowing it was bound to make Orochimaru retort but the old Hokage beat him to it. "I'm going to show you an ultimate jutsu you've never even heard of before!"
Fuinjutsu: Shikki Fuujin!
The powerful presence of the Shinigami cleared the Genjutsu and finally moved into action.
The Hiruzen clones each grabbed one of the revived Hokages and the hand of the god of death fazed right through their stomachs, taking each of their souls and sealing them away, making their bodies turn to ash.
"NOOOO!"
Ignoring his student's yell of indignation, the old Hokage took hold of his shoulders and the Shinigami's hand fazed through his stomach once again and grabbed the soul of the Snake Sannin. "If I am to die, I'm taking you with me, Orochimaru."
"Damn you, stupid old man!" Orochimaru was suddenly losing, he couldn't believe it. Just moments ago this village was his for him to destroy and now his most powerful weapons had been taken from him and the stupid old man was even trying to take him with them.
One of Orochimaru's snakes rushed to the scene and placed itself on Hiruzen's back, the snake turned out to be the holder of the Kusanagi, Orochimaru's legendary sword, capable of cutting through anything and channeling a lethal poison. The Snake opened its mouth and the Sword rushed at the Hokage, King Enma tried to stop it but was too tired and beat and couldn't manage to stop it from going right through his back.
A battle of wills started, Hiruzen knew he had little time left and the poison now running through his body on top of his blood loss wasn't making his job any easier. There was no way for either of them to win, so he had to make sure his sacrifice was worth it, he might not be able to take his student's life, but he might be able to take something valuable from him.
"I won't be able to take you with me…" Blood started pouring from Hiruzen's mouth as he started coughing, "but I'm going to take your jutsu!"
FUIN!
The Shinigami's sword cut clean through Orochimaru's soul, Hiruzen wasn't able to take it completely but he was able to take the part of it that allowed Orochimaru to cast Jutsu.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Orochimaru released a piercing scream of pure agony as both of his arms fell limp on his side. Suddenly, the barrier fell and Orochimaru knew exactly what that meant, his former teammate had just made it through, he had to leave and he had to leave now.
"Every single waking moment…" Hiruzen looked at his fallen apprentice with a victorious face and a smug smirk despite his condition, "and every time that you're alone I want you to remember that not even with my death were you able to defeat me."
Orochimaru snarled and hissed like a real snake, he knew what the Hokage was trying to do, he knew the old man was riling him up, he knew that not even with the man dying had he won this battle, he knew the old man was just rubbing the fact that despite how hard he tried, he failed to destroy his will and his village.
He hated that he was right.
"WE'RE LEAVING!" His 4 guards landed right beside him and swiftly took him, they all disappeared in a shunshin.
Not long after, the white-haired Sannin landed right beside the barely alive man. "Sensei!"
"It's o-okay Jiraiya, there's nothing you c-can do for me."
"Sensei I… I'm sorry I didn't make it sooner." The Gama-Sennin knew he could've made a difference if he had been faster, he knew he could've beaten Orochimaru if he and his sensei fought together.
He had been late to save his student and he had been late to save his sensei.
He was always late.
"JIJI!"
Naruto arrived together with the squad of ANBU hoping to assist the Hokage with whoever he was fighting. He stopped upon realizing the state of Hiruzen, he didn't even notice Jiraiya, he was solely focused on the man who raised him.
"What happened…?" Naruto questioned, his eyes wide and body shaking.
This isn't happening.
This isn't happening.
This isn't happening.
Naruto looked at Jiraiya, seeing him hold the bloody figure of one Sarutobi Hiruzen. his mind started racing, focusing, trying to make sense of it all. He stumbled back, his hands holding his head, he was trying so hard to sense his grandfather, trying to sense he was alright but all he would get was a slowly fading signal.
His vision started distorting and a weird pain made itself present in his sharingan eye.
'A…nge 's, kill … man…'
A voice softly graced his ears, and Naruto refused to understand what it said.
'I'll bec…e your … …nd see … f…re for y….'
He shook his head and stopped himself from spiraling, his mind focusing on the now instead of the past.
Naruto opened his eye, he didn't even realize he closed it; he wished he had continued closing it as his gaze fell to the man bleeding right in front of him. He also failed to realize he had subconsciously walked toward Hiruzen and Jiraiya.
Naruto let out a small hiccup as he fell to his knees, clutching his fist as he stopped himself from bursting out in tears. He refused to look into the old man's eyes until a barely warm hand cupping his cheek forced him to look up.
"It's a-alright my boy."
"Jiji I-I'm going to get doctor Teruya s-she… s-she can, s-she will…" Naruto wanted to do something, he knew he had to do something, he just didn't know what.
"It's alright Naruto-kun, you d-don't have to do anything." Hiruzen knew there was no saving him, he had signed a contract and it was time for him to pay up. He just wished it didn't have to be this way. "I-I am so proud of you…" He said before going into a fit of coughs, blood spouting from his mouth.
"I've always been and I always will." He coughed even more blood but the loving smile gracing his face never faltered, not for a second. "This is m-my last stop, Naruto…" The blonde boy was covered in his tears now, everything he had ever done was to make this man proud.
"Jiji…" Choked Naruto.
"I love you immensely and I-I'm beyond grateful you let me be your grandfather"
The boy was now crying desperately, there had to be something they could do to save him, they just couldn't let him die.
Someone had to do something.
Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Kakashi had arrived at the scene with Sakura still leaning on him for support.
"Nii-san y-you have t-to do something, please d-do something!" He begged.
Kakashi was torn looking at his student and little brother in such a state, he wished there was something he could actually do, just when he was about to speak up the dying Hokage beat him to it.
"It's a-alright Naruto… It's alright…" The Hokage smiled at him once again and looked behind him to see the figure of the Shinigami visible only for him to see, motioning it was time.
"When t-the tree leaves dance…" The Hokage started reciting a poem his senseis had taught him and he knew the boy would recognize it, "one shall find flames… "
Naruto looked at the dying man and understood what he was trying to do, he picked up his trembling hand and started reciting along with him, as they used to when he was still a little kid. "The fire's shadow will illuminate the village... and once again tree leaves shall bud anew."
"Y-You're going to be an amazing Hokage someday." He said as he brushed off a tear from Naruto's face and despite the pain smiled in the way only a loving and proud grandfather could.
The shinigami phased off existence once again, this time taking the soul of the Sandaime Hokage along for the ride.
'Biwako-chan… I'm sorry I won't be joining you yet…'
The hand cupped in Naruto's cheek fell limp to the side of Hiruzen's now lifeless body. The boy was desperately trying to feel his grandfather's presence, to feel him still with him but couldn't. Everyone gathered around was saddened by the heartbreaking scene, even the stoic ANBU felt greatly for the poor boy they had seen grow up from the shadows.
"Jiji! Please… Please don't leave me"
"Someone do something!" He begged and begged and he kept begging but it was all for naught, everyone present knew there was nothing more that could be done, but even then, as Naruto felt how the chakra in Hiruzen faded, he kept clinging on to hope, hope that some miracle would happen and someone would save him.
It didn't happen.
"Please…" He sobbed. "Someone do something."
"Someone do something!"
Droplets of rain started to fall and with each passing second more and more Shinobi arrived at the scene, the invading forces were retiring, and the battle had been won but it had come at a terrible loss. All gathered around and witnessed the boy doing everything he could to bring the beloved Hokage back as he cursed those who refused to help, it was heartbreaking to see and some were even shedding tears alongside him.
"Please!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the man who made sure Naruto grew up knowing love, now laid lifeless in the arms of the boy he gave everything to protect.
"Someone do something!"
"PLEASE!"
AN: This chapter was by far the hardest one to write and I really hoped I delivered something worth your time. This of course finalizes the Chunin exams arc of the story, it took me longer than I was expecting ngl.
Glossary:
Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu
Summoning: Food Car Destroyer Jutsu
Juujin Bunshin
Human Beast Clone
Gatsuuga
Fang Passing Fang
Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu
Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Jutsu
Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu
Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu
Suiton: Mizurappa
Water Release: Raging Waves
Raiton: Raikou Kousen no Jutsu
Lightning Release: Lightning Beam Jutsu
Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu
Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu: Kakuan Nitten Suishu
Hokage-Style Sixty Year Old-Technique: Kakuan's Tenth Edict on Enlightenment. (I always found this long ass name funny and thought it was simply because Hashirama had horrible naming skills - Which he did I think, not as bad as Minato though - but the reason behind the name it's actually pretty interesting, check it out if u want, I would add it myself but it's a fairly long explanation.)
Kuchiyose no Jutsu
Summoning Jutsu
Futon: Renkuudan
Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullets
Suiton: Teppodama
Water Release: Water Bullet
Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan
Wood Release: Great Nativity of a World of Trees
Genjutsu: Kukuangyo no Jutsu
Illusionary Technique: Harbinger of Darkness
Suiton: Suiryuudan
Water Release: Water Dragon
Fuinjutsu: Shikki Fuujin
Sealing Technique: Death Reaper Seal