The clay bird descended to the ground in front of the Mountains' Graveyard lair, allowing Deidara to safely disembark before he shrank his creation back into a manageable size with a half-ram seal. Stashing the statue into his cloak, he entered the lair, his face set into an annoyed scowl. He didn't know what to expect from his apparent new partner, but he already knew he wouldn't like him. Sasori had his faults, but at least they could relate on being artists that took great pride in their craft. What sort of uncultured swine would he be forced to interact with now?
Working his way through the dark network of tunnels leading to Madara's throne only made the dread grow within the depths of his colon. There weren't even that many missing-nin of actual note on the continent, and most of them were either in Tsuki no Me or Akatsuki, so it begged the question of who they could have possibly recruited and where they even came from. He doubted someone strong enough to warrant Madara's attention would have eluded Kakuzu's attention for long, so maybe they were rather new?
Ugh, he really didn't want to be stuck babysitting a newbie if that was the case.
Deciding to just rip the bandaid off and get it over with, he finally approached the throne room and entered, unsurprised to find Madara and Zetsu already waiting for him. What did surprise him was the third person standing behind them whom he couldn't get a great look at, only seeing a glimpse of white similar to the white half of Zetsu.
"Welcome back, Deidara," Madara greeted, though Deidara knew it was simply a formality. "In light of Sasori's tragic passing, we were a man short, and you needed a new partner, so I'd like to introduce you to him."
Then, Madara stepped aside and allowed the third person to step into view. "This is Tobi. Tobi is a good boy, so please take care of him."
…Exactly what the fuck was he looking at?
"Tobi," apparently, had pure white skin under his cloak just as he had seen, but his face was twisted into a swirl that resembled Madara's mask in all but color. The only thing even slightly resembling a human facial feature was the single, pitch-black eyehole. Beyond that, he had no mouth, nose, or even ears, and yet, Deidara could feel as if Tobi was pointedly staring directly at him. In fact, it wasn't even at him, rather he felt Tobi's gaze staring through him entirely, as if he was ruthlessly analyzing him to the very last detail of his soul. He'd be lying if he said that it didn't unnerve the fucking shit out of him.
"Senpai!" Tobi bellowed in a high, almost childlike voice, jolting Deidara out of his thoughts before practically teleporting right in front of him and excitedly shaking his hand. "It's so great to meet you, partner! I'm Tobi, but you already know that! Ooh, I have so many questions! What does it feel like to poo?"
…And just like that, Deidara was annoyed. Damnit, he was prepared to be disappointed, but not this disappointed. What the fuck even was this guy?
"Don't touch me!" he snapped, irritably yanking his hand away from Tobi, though Tobi seemed completely undeterred.
"Now that you two are acquainted, you have another task to complete," Madara announced, brokering no debate as to their accommodations as a team, much to Deidara's ire. "Ohnoki commissioned us to capture the Gobi jinchuriki for him. So, of course, you two will capture him and kill every last Iwa-nin the old fool will have waiting in the wings, because they most certainly will be. Understood?"
"Aye aye, cap'n!" Tobi saluted, meanwhile, Deidara simply huffed in agitation.
"Excellent," Madara nodded, ignoring Deidara's unspoken protestations. "Be off, now. And remember…"
Madara looked directly at Deidara, the dangerous, crimson glow of his Mangekyo Sharingan illuminating the lone eyehole of his mask. "Failure is not an option."
Swallowing the gross mixture of fear and righteous indignation at being looked down on by another punk ass Uchiha welling up inside, he curtly nodded and stormed out of the lair, not even waiting for his new partner to catch up.
"Senpai, wait up!" Tobi called, hurrying behind him. "I can't fly like you!"
The first thing Danzo was greeted by upon his return to Otogakure was a kneeling Sai. That wouldn't have been out of the ordinary normally as all of his ROOT kneeled in deference to him, but it generally happened after they saw him. The fact that Danzo found him already kneeling beforehand could only mean that Sai had news for him.
"What is it, Sai?" he demanded.
"Orochimaru was killed, Lord Danzo," Sai dutifully answered, his head still bowed. "I've also lost contact with Sasuke Uchiha. I have failed my mission."
Danzo remained silent, as did his entourage of ROOT-nin and newly acquired jinchuriki behind him. He lightly tapped his cane on the ground in consideration, prompting Sai to bring his gaze from the stone floor up to meet his own.
"Who killed him?" Danzo finally asked in a measured tone, not belying his feelings one way or the other.
"It was the Kyubi jinchuriki," Sai responded, and Danzo's visible eye widened a tad in surprise.
"Unexpected, but not unwelcome," Danzo remarked. Orochimaru being out of the picture made things easier in many respects. "What of Kabuto?"
"He was presumably killed, as well, but I could locate no trace of him to make sure," Sai responded. "However, Sasuke Uchiha ambushed me with a genjutsu sometime afterward, allowing him and Yukimaru to give me the slip.
Danzo hummed at the news. The loss of Sasuke was unfortunate, but he had many Sharingan at his disposal for the moment, and Sasuke had shown no signs of awakening the Mangekyo anytime soon. He could hunt Sasuke down later, but other matters were of greater importance. Orochimaru and Kabuto being gone allowed him significantly more freedom in his movements. Konoha wasn't going to search for him as fervently as they were searching for Orochimaru, so he could now advance his efforts in transforming Otogakure into a proper shinobi village above ground with the Daimyo's continued backing.
Yes, this was good. This was very good.
"At ease, Sai," Danzo commanded, and Sai nodded, returning his gaze to the floor. "You are dismissed for now. I will summon you when I have another task for you."
Sai nodded and flickered away, presumably returning to his quarters. Meanwhile, Danzo continued into the darkness of the main base with his soldiers following silently behind.
"The Kyubi jinchuriki…" Danzo mused allowed.
This was a very interesting development that he hadn't even considered. He knew about the Kyubi Jinchuriki's allegiance to Akatsuki; he'd have been bad at his job if he didn't. That also meant that he knew of his hand in the defeat of Yagura and the installation of Mei Terumi as Mizukage. Perhaps vanishing and falling into the hands of the rebels that presumably killed Hanzo wasn't such a bad thing after all if it produced such a capable shinobi out of the weak, sniveling brat he once was.
Just as well, the fact that he hadn't turned his sights on Konoha after all this time (especially while they were vulnerable) was also a good sign. It likely meant that he had no intentions of exacting vengeance upon the people who ostracized him as a child. Perhaps he knew his role as a necessary outlet for the grief of the populace and accepted the utility of such a role, only rejecting his specific position as that outlet. That would be understandable.
However, even if the Kyubi jinchuriki seemingly wouldn't prove to be an immediate cause for concern once Danzo retook the reigns in Konoha and righted the ship, he still contained something that was the direct property of Konoha, and if he did not wish to submit to the great tree, he would need to be cut down and the Kyubi placed into a more suitable cage.
As they advanced through the torchlit hallways, they eventually came upon the throne room that used to belong to Orochimaru. Danzo stared at the empty seat, a slight smirk coming over him before he walked toward the throne and sat down in his new place as head of this village. His ROOT kneeled once again, though the Nanabi jinchuriki was slower on the uptake and needed an elbow to her side to prompt her into a kneel. Nonetheless, the scene was excellent. This was the first step to retaking everything.
"Fu," Danzo addressed, and two sets of eyes looked up to meet his.
"Yes, Lord Danzo?" came the simultaneous responses of Fu Yamanaka and Fu, formerly of Takigakure.
"Not you, Fu," Danzo irritatedly groaned at the orange-haired Yamanaka. "Jinchuriki."
Fu, the jinchuriki in question, perked up at being addressed specifically. She was still clearly adjusting to this new environment. "Yes, Lord Danzo?"
"The Kyubi jinchuriki is powerful enough to slay Orochimaru," Danzo stated. "That is no small feat. It does, however, provide us a baseline for where your minimum level will be expected to lay."
Danzo watched as the implications began to sink in for her and her expression hardened with resolve. "I see you already understand. Good. Once Konoha is back within my grasp, the time will come for the Kyubi jinchuriki to make a decision. Should the jinchuriki choose not to fall in line, he will simply fall, and you will see to that. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
"Excellent. An evaluation of your current skills will begin at once."
Two redheaded blurs bounded through the trees of Hi no Kuni due East. The endless forests stretched far and wide, allowing both a faster means of travel and reliable cover should they need it. They wouldn't need it, as anything that could pose a viable threat to Karin and Tayuya wouldn't be stopped by the terrain regardless, but it was at least one less thing to think about on their way toward Kiri.
One less thing to think about wasn't saying much for Karin, however, as her brain was already filled to the brim despite her efforts to push everything out of her mind and focus on the mission. For the first time since she left Kusa, she was on her own. Sure, she had Tayuya with her, but she wasn't used to not having Naruto by her side through just about everything. No matter what happened, he was always there to teach, guide, and look out for her. When she was feeling uncertain or getting down on herself, he was always there to vanquish her worries with unfettered encouragement. Even on really bad nights when she'd feel the absence of her mother the most strongly, he was always there to comfort her and remind her that she would never be alone again.
Naruto was always there, and now, he wasn't.
What the hell was she supposed to do?
"You good over there?" Tayuya asked, shooting her a quirked eyebrow as they continued their trek.
At the question, she shook her thoughts away, thankful for the distraction from her spiral. "Yeah, just… a lot on my mind."
"Figured," Tayuya snorted, and then she smirked. "Finally gotta put on your big girl pants, huh?"
"Piss off," Karin replied with a roll of her eyes amidst Tayuya's further snickering.
"So, what was in that bag you had back in town?" Tayuya asked, moving on from the previous subject to keep Karin's brain out of the muck.
Karin minutely brightened at the question. "I got something that I wanna make for him for his birthday."
"That's not for a while, isn't it?" Tayuya asked.
"Yeah, but you never know what could happen in the meantime," Karin shrugged.
"I don't think anything is taking him out any time soon, aside from maybe himself," Tayuya deadpanned. "Enough about that, though; what was in the bag?"
Rather than answer verbally, Karin reached into her cloak and retrieved a storage scroll, unsealing a stuffed fox.
"…A plushie?" Tayuya quirked her eyebrow at Karin a second time.
"Nine of them, actually," Karin nodded, resealing the plushie and stashing the scroll. "I'm gonna cut off the other eight tails and sow them onto that one."
"So, a Kyubi plushie?" Tayuya reasoned, and Karin nodded. "Why do I feel like the fox itself will be giddier about it than Naruto?"
"It's a gift for the both of them," Karin shrugged again. "I can't summon a mountain-sized rabbit for him to chase."
"Fair enough," Tayuya conceded. Welp, changing the subject only looped the topic back to their blonde idiot anyway, so it was time for take two. "What's that 'original jutsu' you've been working on? You wouldn't say shit about it at Kuromizu."
Karin's gaze fell to the side in a bit of her usual bashfulness. "I didn't want to hype it up before I knew for certain that it would even work. It's experimental fuinjutsu that I've been trying to crack."
"You figure it out?"
Karin waved her hand in a so-so motion in response. "It's not perfected, but I was able to get it to do what I wanted it to… mostly anyway."
"Well, don't leave me in suspense, shithead," Tayuya impatiently prompted. "What was it?"
Karin couldn't help her snicker at getting under Tayuya's skin, but she obliged, nonetheless. "Remember all those fuinjutsu scrolls we collected back in Uzu?"
Upon Tayuya's nod, Karin continued. "Most of it was really extensive chakra theory with some of it broaching into pretty out there applications. It was all experimental and mostly conceptual, but there were some notes about the Adamantine Sealing Chains and how I could manipulate my chakra through them that I found really useful. So, with all of that in mind, I wanted to see if there was a way for me to incorporate that with the concept behind Naruto's jutsu storage scrolls and the chakra-sealing nature of my chains."
"And how did that work out?"
"A lot of explosions at first. Raw chakra can be really volatile."
Tayuya furrowed her brow as something finally occurred to her. "Hold up, that's where all those fucking earthquakes were coming from? A few of the salamanders I was training with swore it was the fucking end times!"
Karin did her best to hide her sheepish expression in her cloak. "Erm, yeah…"
She popped back out of her cloak with a victorious grin, however. "Still, I was eventually able to figure it out, and it only cost me my eyebrows for a while. Thank the heavens for Miss Kushina teaching me how to fake them in the meantime. Apparently, losing your eyebrows while working on experimental fuinjutsu is a rite of passage or something."
"Nothing surprises me about that psychotic woman…" Tayuya muttered with a shake of her head, and then she sent a smirk to Karin. "So, you gonna show me the jutsu or what?"
Karin sent a smirk right back. "Now, why would I ruin the surprise?"
"Fuckin' tease."
The swampy terrain of the southeastern region of Hi no Kuni was a breath of fresh air for Kisame, as evidenced by his wide, sharp-toothed grin on his and Itachi's deliberate meander toward the border of Mizu. Their pace was just fine for both parties; Kisame was happy to savor the wetland, whereas Itachi, as much as he had been ignoring it, had been steadily slowing down over the previous few months. Any excuse to sit and dick around for a little bit while in the heart of a swamp was just fine as far as either one was concerned.
Suddenly, Kisame stopped in his tracks, and his already abhorrent grin somehow grew even wider. "We're getting close. Samehada would never forget the taste of escargot."
Itachi merely sent him a questioning glance out of the corner of his eye. "Isn't escargot a dish made with snails rather than slugs?"
Kisame waved him off in response. "Bah, snails, slugs, it all tastes like poop anyway."
That statement earned Itachi's full attention, but he was momentarily at a loss for words as he stared at his partner with a mixture of concern, twinges of horror, and most of all, morbid curiosity. "…Why do you know that?"
The only response he received was Kisame's undeterred grinning, so Itachi elected not to continue meeting Kisame's beady gaze in order to go no further down that thread. Unfortunately (or fortunately), a wet cough chose that moment to rip itself from Itachi, sending him into a sudden, violent coughing fit and momentarily bringing him to his knees. Kisame's smile fell, and he appeared at Itachi's side in concern.
"You sure you're up for this, Itachi?" Kisame questioned. "You've been looking really pale lately, and Utakata's not gonna be a walk in the park like flaming Son Wukong was. I don't want you to overwork yourself if you don't have to."
It was Itachi's turn to wave Kisame off, wiping the blood off of his hand with a rag. "I'm fine, Kisame. You may be right, though. I can't put this off for any longer."
Kisame curiously watched his partner return to his feet and stow the rag away before extending his arm towards the swamp. Suddenly and inexplicably, a murder of crows flew out of his sleeve. Cawing filled the swamp, bouncing off the trees and reverberating through the water as they watched the pitch-black ensemble assemble into humanoid shapes. Soon, several clones of Itachi stood before them, each patiently waiting for instruction.
"You all know what you must do," Itachi cryptically remarked.
"The nearest convenience store?" one of the clones asked.
"No, the other thing," Itachi clarified.
"Hn," the crow clones remarked as they dispersed back into crows, each group flying away in different directions.
"…How the hell do you do that?" Kisame questioned, but Itachi merely shrugged.
"So, why did you hang around with Amachi at the base all these years?" Yukimaru asked Isaribi as the newly formed "Hebi" traveled in a northwesterly path through the swamps comprising the border between Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni. "I'm sure you could've just escaped at any time. It's not like Orochimaru came around that often."
"At first, I stuck around because Amachi said he could cure me," Isaribi began with a light sigh. "When I figured out that was a lie, I wanted to kill him."
"Why didn't you?"
"The damage was already done and irreversible. He offered to continue working on me and make me even stronger in exchange for his life. I didn't have anything else to lose, so why not?"
A hum of understanding emerged from Yukimaru, whereas Suigetsu's curiosity only grew.
"How strong are you, exactly?" Suigetsu questioned, and though they couldn't see it, even Sasuke was paying attention to the conversation from his place in the lead of their trek. "Not too many people out there can manhandle a Kraken like you did."
Isaribi just shrugged, though. "Don't really know. Aside from hunting whatever decides to swim close enough to the surface, I haven't had many opportunities to test my strength on actual opponents… ones that can take it, at least."
"What do you mean by that?" Yukimaru hazarded.
Isaribi chuckled, and it was a dark one that somewhat unsettled Yukimaru and Suigetsu. "Let's just say that the townspeople near the base were never particularly fond of me after…"
She motioned to the bandages dressing various portions of her body. "All of this. Eventually, I just got sick of dealing with it, so I gave them a monster to fear since they wanted one so badly. It turns out, regular civilians aren't exactly the most sturdy of individuals."
There was an unmistakable mirth to her tone that unnerved each of the boys. A bead of sweat slid down Yukimaru's paling face as he considered if they really needed a medic, excellent calamari aside. Even Sasuke, despite keeping his head fixed straight ahead, was glancing at the corners of his vision before speeding up his stroll just a little bit.
"Oh, great, we got another Jugo on our hands," Suigetsu resignedly murmured, and then a devilish grin found purchase on his face after looking between him and Isaribi. "Yo, Jugo, maybe you two should duke it out to see what she's really made of."
"I'd very much rather not," Jugo quickly declined.
Suigetsu disappointingly sighed before kicking a rock. "Welp, worth a shot."
Isaribi couldn't help the chortle that escaped her, enjoying how easy it was to screw with them. She then looked up and motioned to Suigetsu and Jugo. "So, I get why Sasuke and Yukimaru are on this trip, and I've got nothing better to do, but I don't know about you two. What are you after on this mission?"
"I'm simply following Kimimaro's reincarnation," Jugo answered, referring to Sasuke. "I'll go wherever he goes."
"…Alright," Isaribi accepted that after a moment, figuring that there was a story there that she didn't really care to learn. "What about you, Hydro Homie?"
"The fuck kind of nickname is that??" Suigetsu barked in indignation.
"One specifically designed to piss you off," she snickered.
"Well, it's working," Suigetsu huffed, and then folded his arms behind his head with a sigh. "I'm up for whatever so long as we get to hunt down the Seven Swords at some point."
"The Seven Swords?" Isaribi questioned. "From Kiri?"
"Damn right," Suigetsu grinned. "I'm gonna collect and master all of them like my brother did, and then the new generation of the Seven Swordsmen starts with me."
Isaribi nodded in interest before reaching into her tunic and pulling out a storage scroll. She tossed it to Suigetsu, who curiously caught it and unsealed whatever was inside. He was nearly knocked over when a large mallet attached to an equally large axe by a leather strap appeared from the scroll.
"Is this one of them?" Isaribi asked.
"What the hell?" Suigetsu yelped, drawing the attention of the others as he took a closer gander at the weapons in his grasp. "Is this the fuckin' Kabutowari?! How the fuck did you find this??"
"So, it is," Isaribi smiled. "Some of the townspeople hired this old, wandering missing-nin to 'slay the monster that had been tormenting them,' that monster, of course, being me. He was good but not super tough, so popping his head like a grape was only a matter of catching him."
"And you just kept the blade?" Suigetsu questioned, wondering if it was possibly one of the old guard that went missing during the Third War.
"I didn't know what else to do with it," Isaribi shrugged. "I don't really use weapons, but it felt wrong to just toss it, so I held onto it as a trophy, I guess. It's yours if you want it."
Suigetsu gazed at the absurd amalgam of axe and mallet in his hands with reverence, and his eyes sparkled like a burgeoning galaxy as he looked back up at Isaribi with the purest of gratitude. "Y'know, freaky psychopath or not, you're alright with me, Fish Lady."
Isaribi snorted, and she sent him a smile. "Glad to hear it."
Meanwhile, Sasuke remained ahead of the others, simply glad that the conversation had moved away from righteous, bloody vengeance against fearful civilians. Suddenly, he felt Yukimaru grab him from behind and drape his arm around his shoulders.
"Got any gifts for me, Sasuke?" Yukimaru asked, clearly suppressing a laugh.
"The back of my hand in five seconds," Sasuke dryly replied.
"Aw, quit being so grumpy," Yukimaru joked, ignoring the blatant warning and not extricating himself from the simmering Uchiha. "You know you love me."
Moments later, a loud thwack echoed through the trees, followed by, "OW! Goddamnit, dude!"
The light breeze glided over the flat, largely dry terrain, sliding through Naruto's full head of spiky hair. Nestled within that hair was Aoimori surveying the empty landscape with Naruto doing much the same. Sitting on a boulder in a desolate wasteland with no one for miles wasn't particularly ideal for Aoimori, but he understood why Naruto had chosen an area like this. He didn't want anyone potentially stumbling onto something they'd be better off not seeing for the sake of their health. Still, though…
"You waiting on anything in particular?" Aoimori groused to Naruto, not entirely sure why they had just been sitting around and doing much of nothing for the past hour.
"In less than a minute, it will have been one week exactly," Naruto responded.
"…Is that important?" the confused salamander questioned.
"It's the time limit I gave them," Naruto answered. "I'm letting them enjoy every second of it. It's the least I could do."
Aoimori couldn't help but chuckle. "I think you're the first person I've ever met that would go out of his way to do a favor for his dead parents that he only met when he was 17."
"Technically, I met my father when I was 12, but that's ultimately splitting hairs," Naruto replied before standing to his feet. "Alright, times up."
With a practiced flourish, Naruto summoned the reanimations of his parents to his location, watching as two coffins rose from the ground in front of him. The lids fell open, and out stepped a frazzled Minato and a bouncing Kushina.
"Years of using Hiraishin and you're not used to being plopped from one point in space to another?" Kushina joked, elbowing Minato's ribs as he shook off the fog.
"It's different," Minato defended. "With Hiraishin, I'm expecting the jump. This is like being reverse summoned when you're not prepared for it."
"Ah, quit your whining, you'll get used to it," Kushina assured, but then her gaze fell onto her son and grew a touch somber. "Then again, I suppose you won't have to. It's that time, huh?"
"It was inevitable," Minato sighed, but he smiled at his son all the same. "We couldn't stick around forever."
Minato stepped forward and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, giving it a loving squeeze. "We truly appreciate the time you allowed us to live once again, but it's about time for us to go."
"I mean, you don't have to," Naruto blankly shrugged.
It was as if a record scratch echoed through Minato's brain at that statement. "Excuse me?"
Naruto shrugged again. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to. I'm not gonna force you."
"Wait, seriously??" Kushina asked, and when Naruto nodded, she practically teleported to him and slammed him into a bone-crushing hug. "And this is why you're my favorite child!"
"I am not gonna probe that any further," Naruto deadpanned, sending his mother into a laughing fit that broke the embrace.
"Um, are you sure about this, Naruto?" Minato asked in concern. "This is beyond unorthodox."
"I don't see why not," Naruto casually replied. "It's not like there's a noticeable chakra drain to maintain you guys. You're pretty much self-sustaining."
"True, but… we're dead," Minato emphasized. "Like, dead dead. We've been very dead for almost two decades. Us being around is not going to go unnoticed."
"Especially after you made the entire village paranoid about your ghost rumored to be popping up everywhere," Kushina snickered.
"Yes, that certainly doesn't help matters," Minato nodded. "If I were to just walk back into the village now, there would be an uproar. Hell, there would be an uproar worldwide once news got out, and it definitely would."
"Have you tried using a transformation?" Naruto asked as if the answer was simple.
"Any ninja worth their salt would detect one of those," Minato countered.
"Would any ninja worth their salt be able to dispel a transformation put up by the Yondaime Hokage?" Naruto rebutted with a quirked eyebrow.
"…Probably not," Minato sheepishly chuckled.
"Well, there you go," Naruto shrugged. "Mom said back at Kuromizu that you guys never got to go on an actual honeymoon because of how quickly things went to shit after the war and how busy you were as Hokage. Maybe you two could try that now with the literal eternity of free time you now have."
Kushina gasped, joy practically blasting out of her like a busted water main while Minato considered the idea to her side.
"On one hand, this is highly unnatural and probably breaks a lot of cosmic rules," Minato mused with a hand on his chin. "On the other hand, it is nice to be alive again… well, sorta."
"Let's go to Tsuki no Kuni!" Kushina giddily suggested. "I've always heard the Crescent Moon Kingdom is beautiful this time of year!"
"It's a tropical paradise, Kushina," Minato chuckled. "It's beautiful year-round."
"More reason for us to go!"
Minato hummed in consideration, though both Naruto and Kushina could tell that it was mostly for show. "Eh, screw it; why not?"
"Hell yeah!" Kushina cheered. "Indefinite vacation!"
Minato laughed alongside her. "I could definitely use one after my time with the Shinigami."
Then, he looked back at Naruto. "There's actually something I wanted to give to you before we had to go. It was something I planned on teaching you when you graduated from the academy, but, uh…"
"You were too dead to do that, I getcha," Naruto nonchalantly finished for him, causing Minato to sheepishly scratch the back of his head.
"Yeah…" Minato said before coughing into his fist to return to the topic at hand. "Anyway, it's my signature jutsu. I created it myself; you might be familiar with it."
With a smirk, Minato held out his hand, and within moments, a large, powerful Rasengan manifested over his palm. The power radiating off of the jutsu was extraordinary, stronger than almost anything Naruto had encountered relative to its size.
"There are three main principles to the Rasengan," Minato informed with a proud smile. "The first is rotation, where you're spinning your chakra in multiple directions at once. The second is power, in which you increase the density of your chakra output. The final principle is containment, which is just combining the first two principles to shape the chakra into a dense sphere."
Minato's gaze went to the Rasengan as it grew in size, power, and luminosity. "It's the pinnacle of shape manipulation as far as I'm aware, but that might've changed since I've been gone. Regardless, it's a pretty tricky jutsu that took me three years to finally perfect-"
"Like this?" Naruto asked, yanking Minato's attention toward the perfect Rasengan in his hand.
Minato's eyes bulged so hard that they damn near shot out of his skull, meanwhile, Kushina fell to the ground in hysterical laughter.
"But- I- Wha-" Minato stammered. "How??"
"Kurama called it a cheap ripoff of the superior bijudama," Naruto shrugged, tossing the Rasengan to his other hand and then bouncing it back and forth like a normal ball.
"It's not a ripoff!" Minato indignantly defended, doing his best to ignore his wife laughing even harder. "I was just inspired by the principles of coalescing chakra into a ball. They're totally different jutsu!"
"Riiiiight."
Naruto, now spinning the Rasengan on the tip of his index finger, gave his father a flat look.
"Kurama isn't all that convinced."
"Ugh, whatever," Minato huffed with a pout. "The jutsu's not even complete anyway. I wanted to add a nature release to it, but I never got the opportunity to perfect that."
Naruto continued staring blankly at his father as the Rasengan spinning on his finger began to glow a dull red, and soon, small flames began wafting off of it. Before Minato's jaw could hit the floor, Naruto raised his other hand and concentrated, producing another Rasengan, only this one paler than normal with visible wind circulating through and around it. Gaining a stupid idea, Naruto slowly brought the two jutsu together, and when they finally connected, they were merged into a single, bright orange ball that emanated nearly as much heat as one of Pakura's Steaming Murder spheres.
"Woah…" Naruto and Aoimori remarked in unison, and even Kushina was entranced by the combination, a whole galaxy of stars filling her gaze as she laid her eyes on the wondrous sight.
Minato, meanwhile, slumped in resignation. "So, this is what it's like to be rendered obsolete, huh…"
"It happens to all of us at some point, honey," Kushina comforted him as Naruto dispelled the Rasengan. Then, she hugged her son again, this time much more tenderly. "It was truly wonderful to get to spend time with you, my son. You can't possibly fathom how much I've treasured these past few months."
Naruto, to his credit, was able to return the embrace far less awkwardly than he had in the past. It was still strange for him, though. Thankfully, Kushina fully understood and didn't push, sending him a final, warm smile before stepping back to stand beside Minato. Then, Minato offered his hand to Naruto, and Naruto reached up to accept it before diverting and snatching his wrist.
"You even think about tagging me, and I'll hunt you down and cut off your kneecaps," Naruto warned his sweating father. "And then I'll do it again once they reform."
"Understandable," Minato conceded with a nervous chuckle, but he was eased when Naruto shook his hand with a smirk and an appreciative nod.
"It was good to see you," Naruto genuinely remarked.
"Likewise," Minato said with a smile. "I guess we'll be off now. You can summon us whenever you might need us, though I doubt you will."
"Take care of yourself, Naruto," Kushina said with a wave goodbye, and Naruto returned the wave to the both of them as they vanished with Hiraishin.
Naruto sighed, allowing the emotions to take their course and exit his mind. He needed a clear head for the battle he was no doubt about to barrel into.
"You sure it's a good idea to let them roam free like that?" Aoimori asked.
"Absolutely not," Naruto answered, a smirk belying his true feelings. "But it's hilarious."
"Can't argue with that," Aoimori laughed.
Naruto then turned to the empty expanse ahead in the direction of Iwagakure. "Alright, since they're off to the Moon Kingdom, let's go pluck an eye from the moon."
"This feels like a good enough spot to camp out in," Utakata remarked, taking a seat on a log and gazing into the tree line.
"You only chose this place because we're near a swamp," Hotaru deadpanned.
"I will neither confirm nor deny these allegations," Utakata replied, not taking his eyes off the flooded forest ahead.
Hotaru sighed, but she sat down on the log beside him, nonetheless. She conceded that this was as good a place to wait for the others as any. Hanging around inside of the swamp would just become tedious while going any further would put them across the Mizu border anyway.
Utakata, meanwhile, was trapped in the worst, most confusing hell that mankind could fathom: a conversation with a bored Saiken.
"I do remember my days lounging in the damp forests under the safe caress of my dommy mommy."
'Can we discuss literally anything other than your fond memories of Katsuyu? I have enough horribly vivid descriptions of slime trails burned into my psyche to last several lifetimes.'
"You're no fun, Utakata. Why can't a gargantuan chakra creature simp every once in a while?"
'I don't know what that word means, and I don't want to.'
"Valid."
Silence followed, and Utakata sighed in relief under the impression that he would be spared more of his tenant's intrusive thoughts. His sanity would live to see another day after all…
"I wonder what our brother in scat is up to these days."
Or perhaps not.
'Do not ever say that again.'
Snickering filled his mind, and Utakata's eye twitched (despite being hidden behind his hair).
"You are far too easy, Utakata."
'The fact that you have nothing better to do at all hours of the day certainly helps you.'
More snickering echoed through the mindscape, and Utakata's resulting groan was audible. Then, his expression fell even further when Hotaru's snickering joined the chorus from beside him. She could always tell when Saiken was annoying him, and her traitorous ass found it just as amusing as Saiken did. He swore those two somehow had a psychic link.
"So, are we going to address those two presences that have been following you guys anytime soon?"
'I've been waiting for them to make any move whatsoever. As of now, they've simply been observing us.'
"Are you not worried that it is an ambush?"
'I'm certain that it is, but I'm not particularly concerned. Hotaru has been training tooth and nail for this.'
"I see. Their chakra signatures are… strange."
'How so?'
"One of them is cursed and feels almost undying, which is something I've never encountered before. The other… well, it feels like five signatures in one."
"That is definitely strange," Utakata mused allowed with a furrowed brow.
"What is?" Hotaru asked before her eyes quickly shifted to her periphery.
It was just in time, too, as Utakata whipped out his bubble pipe and blew a large bubble that encased the both of them right as a red, triple-bladed scythe reached them, slamming into the bubble and sending them bouncing away from the log.
"What the fuck?!" a new voice shouted in a mixture of confusion and aggravation. "How the fuck didn't my scythe pop a fucking bubble?!"
"Because you're an idiot, Hidan," another, much deeper voice answered as two figures clad in familiar robes entered the area. "I told you that bubble ninjutsu functions differently than actual bubbles.
"Oh my fucking shit, what difference does it make?!" Hidan complained. "A bubble is a fucking bubble, Kakuzu!"
"Watch your tone, you fucking commie," Kakuzu growled. "Unless, of course, you want me to cash in on your bounty after the jinchuriki's."
"Ha, you fucking wish you could kill me, you godless heathen," Hidan snorted.
In the bubble, Hotaru was left rather confused (if not mildly amused) at the interaction between the two. Utakata, on the other hand, maintained a stony expression. He was expecting Tsuki no Me to ambush him at some point, and it appeared that they finally chose that moment to do so.
Well, no matter; this was exactly what he had been training Hotaru for.
Popping the bubble around them, Utakata and Hotaru closely observed their two newest attackers as they broke from their squabble and refocused their attention back onto them.
"Rokubi jinchuriki," Kakuzu addressed. "I'll admit that I hadn't expected that you would be the one I'd stumble upon when we came looking for Kiri bounties, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. You may no longer have a price on your head from Kiri, but there are plenty in the underworld that would pay a pretty penny for the head of an Akatsuki dog."
Hotaru scowled at them and tensed up, ready to leap into action at any moment. Beside her, though, her master appeared as unbothered as ever.
"I assumed you all were after the biju," Utakata finally spoke up. "Why kill me now and be forced to wait for the Rokubi to reform?"
"Oh, don't fret over that," Kakuzu chuckled. "We'll send you to have your biju ripped out of you first, and then I'll cash in on your bounty."
"Ugh, enough with all of this fucking talk!" Hidan growled. "We sacrificing these heathens or what?"
"Do whatever you want with the girl, just leave her head intact," Kakuzu shrugged him off. "I'll handle the jinchuri-"
Kakuzu didn't get to finish that sentence before a powerful jet of water slammed into his midsection and rocketed him into the swamp. Hidan nearly fell into a fit of uproarious laughter, but he maintained his wits about him just enough to jump over the water jet that was aimed at him. Doing a flip in the air, he shouted in joy as he came down with his scythe primed to tear into the girl on the ground.
Hotaru, now on her own as her master had followed Kakuzu into the swamp after she blasted him away, readied herself for Hidan's excited charge. Leaping into a series of backflips to create space once Hidan impacted the ground, she fired another jet of water from her mouth at him, but he nimbly dodged that one as well. Deciding to try something out, Hotaru performed the seals for the Wild Water Wave, but rather than blast it all out at once, she staggered it into multiple quick, sharp jets of water that fired at Hidan like lances. Just as she expected, Hidan simply evaded each one of them with a nasty grin, proving that his mobility was nothing to scoff at.
"Noted," she said to herself. Unless she wanted to go balls to the wall from the jump with an Exploding Water Shockwave, long-range probably wouldn't do. That was perfectly fine, though.
Tapping into the surrounding puddles and pools of water, Hotaru summoned a gang of water clones, each one holding a Water Whip in their hands.
"I hope you don't mind seven-on-one; I don't really do fair fights," Hotaru taunted Hidan with a challenging smirk, water shaping itself into a whip in her hand, as well.
"Bring it, bitch," Hidan taunted right back, grasping his scythe tightly in excitement. "Make your gruesome death even more fun for me!"
Utakata flickered out of the path of the Pressure Damage Jutsu that plowed through the trees of the swamp. He set his sights on the grotesque, winged creature made entirely of black threads just as it fired another Pressure Damage Jutsu at him. Swiftly dodging it once again, he was prepared for an angry Kakuzu to appear at his side with a blackened fist. Evading the Earth Spear-hardened punch, he twisted his body and elbowed Kakuzu in the nose as hard as he could before blowing a large Bubble Bomb in his face and detonating it, blasting Kakuzu deeper into the swamp with a powerful explosion.
Unfortunately, there was no rest for the weary. Not only did Kakuzu's wind mask return fire, but the water mask also emerged from the depths to ambush him, so he was forced to evade attacks from two fronts right as two forearms shot out of the trees to complete the three-pronged attack. Grunting, he blew another large bubble to form a barrier around him to block the jutsu and hands from hitting their mark, providing the brief moment he needed to zoom away and create space.
However, the attackers were not cowed so easily, and Utakata quickly found himself darting through the trees in evasion of a relentless pair of hands connected to threads that maneuvered around the trees just as well as he did. Those hands were joined by the lightning mask firing a False Darkness Jutsu to electrify the watery ground, and he could see the fire mask peeking around nearby trees. This was becoming bothersome.
When the fire mask emerged and blasted a Searing Migraine Jutsu at him, he leaped away from the tree he was on and watched it erupt into a massive firestorm on contact, igniting several of the surrounding trees. Utakata gazed at the carnage for a brief moment before his eyes lit up. When Kakuzu's hands struck at him once again, they snatched Utakata by the wrist and shoulder, and within moments, Kakuzu had zipped right to his location like retracted measuring tape.
"Got you now," Kakuzu darkly intoned.
Utakata didn't even spare him a quip, instead blowing a spray of bubbles at him for his Acid Flower Jutsu. The acidic bubbles collided with Kakuzu and burst on contact, burning him directly while the acid splash landed on the flaming trees behind him, igniting both the acid in the air and on Kakuzu. Kakuzu howled in a mixture of pain and fury, but he was cut off when the wind and water masks fired tandem jutsu at them in a collaborative jutsu to both douse the flames on Kakuzu and blast Utakata away. Utakata didn't know how much they succeeded with the former, but he didn't care, as when both he and Kakuzu rocketed away from the trees, Utakata blew another large bubble and stuffed himself inside of it, allowing him to drift out of the battlefield and over the trees of the swamp.
"Hook, line, and sinker," Utakata chuckled as he drifted away from the burning patch of swamp and back toward his protégé. "Hotaru should be handling herself just fine right now."
"Well, would you look at that, it seems like Hidan and Kakuzu are having a bit of trouble with our target," Kisame observed from atop a tree with a shit-eating grin, watching Hidan progressively grow more frustrated with getting smacked around by the whip-wielding water clones. "Should we lend them a hand?"
"No," Itachi denied right as one of the clones ensnared Hidan by the ankle and yeeted him into a nearby tree. "Let them tire themselves out on killing those two buffoons first. Then, we'll make our presence known."
"Ah, you're no fun," Kisame lightheartedly bemoaned, but his smile remained present as Hidan disconnected his scythe and launched it in an arc to take out the clones in one fell swoop (to only minimal success). "You think they'll kill them? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of them being immortal?"
"No one is immortal," Itachi dismissed as Hidan was once again flogged to oblivion by Hotaru's clone barrage. "Everyone dies eventually."
"I suppose," Kisame replied, noting the slight melancholy of his partner's tone but not addressing it. Instead, he watched a frothing Hidan launch toward the real Hotaru once again, only for her to create a flat, circular pool of water in midair before kicking the edge to have it face Hidan like a mirror. In fact, just like a mirror, Hidan's charge was met by a solid reflection of himself emerging from the mirror to clash scythe to scythe with him.
"Oh damn, isn't that Yagura's jutsu?" Kisame noted in surprise. "Heh, you might have some competition, Itachi. If memory serves, I'm pretty sure that girl is the last of her clan, too. You might not be the top dog of the orphans anymore pretty soon."
Itachi gave no response, and the two continued watching the battle unfold. Sometime between Hotaru lashing Hidan in the face to leave a diagonal gash from his cheek up the bridge of his nose and Utakata hovering back into the fold in a bubble, a crow appeared beside them and landed on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi's gaze shifted to the crow, and the crow looked back at him before giving him a minute nod. Itachi returned the nod and turned to a curious Kisame.
"It's time," was all Itachi said, and it only took a moment for Kisame to catch on.
"It's that time already, huh?" he asked.
Itachi nodded before standing to his feet. "Let's go. The nearest Uchiha hideout is a long trek."
Kisame grunted in assent before the two flickered away.
"Goddamnit, would you stay fucking still?!" Hidan spat (alongside some blood) in utter rage at the girl that was not only smacking him around and making it look easy but also dodging all of his attacks like she had a fucking Sharingan.
"Suck it, nerd!" Hotaru cackled back, ducking under a swing meant to decapitate her and sweeping his legs out from under him. "You're way too slow! Try actually connecting with a swing if you really want to kill me!"
"I'm trying, but I can't fucking tag you!" Hidan roared, bringing his scythe up again to cleave her, but she sidestepped the swing and ensnared the handle with her water whip, yanking it out of his grasp entirely.
"Skill issue!" she mocked before promptly jabbing him in the face with the butt of his scythe.
Before Hidan could even register what had happened, he was pelted by a barrage of bubbles that unleashed a peculiar brand of hell upon him; some splashed acid at him when they popped, while others unleashed point-blank explosions that also ignited the acid that was already burning him, lighting him ablaze entirely. He howled in agony, unconsciously stepping back and doing his best to swipe some of the flaming chemicals out of his eyes. Still, even with his vision grossly impaired, he wasn't an S-rank serial killer for nothing, and when Hotaru came down from the air with his scythe in hand ready to finish him off, Hidan threw his arm out to block the brunt of the attack while flicking his retractable spike out of his sleeve at Hotaru.
The resulting impact saw Hotaru slam the scythe into Hidan's arm and pierce a portion of his skull with the top blade, but Hidan did not go down, forcing her away and sending her skidding back toward the returning Utakata.
Absently noting the lightly bleeding cut on her cheek, she gawked at Hidan in shock. "He's… still standing??"
Utakata gazed critically at him from beside her. He was bleeding profusely, still on fire, and had his scythe plunged into the length of his left arm and poking into his brain. However, almost as if none of that mattered, Hidan roared and yanked the scythe out of his head before ripping it out of his arm with his other hand. He shot them both murderous glares full of nothing but the purest of hatred, but they were afforded no more time to take in the horrific sight before their instincts screamed at them to jump away from a gargantuan firestorm that slammed into the spot they had just been standing on.
Out from the swamp came a burned, murderously angry Kakuzu to match the murderously angry Hidan, followed closely behind by the lightning mask and the newly-merged creature composed of his fire and wind masks. The water mask, Utakata noted, was noticeably absent.
"I'm going to ensure that your final days are nothing short of excruciating," Kakuzu growled with nothing but the purest of malice nestled in his heart.
That promise was emphasized by another firestorm blasted from the mouths of the merged creature, and the Akatsuki duo responded with a tandem Water Wall to combat the flames, filling the area with steam and obscuring their vision enough that they didn't see the False Darkness Jutsu breaking through the shroud until it was nearly upon them. Forced to split up when they evaded the lightning jutsu, Utakata was snatched out of the air by the throat and violently slammed face-first into the ground by the irate Kakuzu's extended hand. On the other side, Hotaru saw Hidan grinning at her while standing on a strange symbol drawn from his blood.
"You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this," Hidan rasped before he licked the tip of his retractable spike.
The odd sensation that briefly came over her was pushed out of her mind by Hidan's burned, bloody skin turning pitch-black with white, skeletal markings peppering the void. Not knowing what the hell this was but refusing to allow herself to be caught unawares, she planted her feet and readied another water whip, fully prepared for another reckless charge from Hidan to reignite their dance of death. When he raised the spike in his hand, she knew that he was rearing to strike once again.
So, naturally, it was a shock when Hidan plunged the spike into his thigh and cried out in ecstatic pain. Hotaru's confusion only lasted a mere moment before searing pain jolted through her thigh, bringing her to her knees with a yelp. She neither saw nor sensed any attacks coming her way, and she certainly didn't see Hidan even attempt to throw anything at her that could've stabbed her in the leg, so why the hell was she in pain?
She tried flaring her chakra to dispel any possible illusions, but nothing happened, and her leg was still bleeding. Then, with a grin, Hidan yanked the spike out of his thigh and drove it into his abdomen, eliciting another cry of pain from Hotaru and forcing her into a hunch, clutching at the new, bleeding wound in her midsection.
"Fuck!" Hotaru loudly gritted, only now beginning to piece together what was happening. She would feel whatever damage he inflicted upon himself, and it likely had to do with that insignia he was standing on.
Well, a Water Trumpet would definitely be enough to knock him off his feet and disturb whatever weird ritual he was performing so she could attack him properly.
She started the seal sequence for the jutsu, but Hidan was faster and stabbed right through his palm with the spike, stopping her plans cold with another agonizing scream.
Meanwhile, Utakata had fought out of Kakuzu's iron grip, but he was once again forced to combat the thread monsters that sought to make his life hell by spamming powerful ninjutsu at him. However, that immediately became secondary once he heard his student's wails of pain.
"Hotaru!" he cried, but another blackened fist from Kakuzu smashed into his jaw, sending him tumbling away right as the lightning mask fired False Darkness at him once again, this time landing true and electrocuting him.
Fighting through the pain and electricity coursing through him, he dragged himself off the ground and formed a bubble barrier for a brief reprieve, cursing himself for letting his guard down for even a split second.
"This is getting serious."
'Yeah, and so should we.'
With that settled, the dense, acidic chakra of the Rokubi began pouring out of him, settling into a V2 cloak with six tails swaying dangerously behind him. Even though Saiken's chakra was running wild, Utakata was still in the driver's seat and had control of his faculties, which meant it was 100% him that barreled through the bubble and the fiery lightning shower that greeted him on his way to Kakuzu. Kakuzu, with his iron skin granted by the Earth Spear Jutsu, advanced to meet the charge head-on, intent on boxing with an unleashed jinchuriki.
What actually ended up happening was Kakuzu was swatted out of the way with a vicious backhand, only the ultra-hardening of the jutsu coursing through him keeping his skull in one piece. It was enough to momentarily put him down, though, as that was all Utakata needed. Tanking the ninjutsu from the mask creatures, Utakata roared powerfully enough to blow them away before setting his sights on Hotaru kneeling in a world of pain on the ground. A little further was Hidan with his spike in hand, cackling maniacally in a clear display that he was the one doing this to her.
Without any further thought, Utakata closed the distance between them in a flash, zooming over Hotaru and rocketing straight for Hidan. Hidan barely saw it coming before a clawed arm stabbed right through his chest, plowing through the lower half of his ribcage and all but shredding his diaphragm. Hidan hacked a massive glob of blood into Utakata's face, but the blood quickly burned away and only left two cold, hateful voids staring right back at Hidan in contempt.
Then, Hidan's dark, mocking laughter started up again, meeting the Rokubified Utakata's glare with utter joy. A wet, fearful hack from behind him snapped Utakata's attention away from Hidan, and the white pits masquerading as eyes widening in horror. Hotaru was frozen in shock, her chest mangled and pouring blood as if she had been run through by his claw just like Hidan had been. Wet coughs violently ripped out of her as she fell to her knees, hacking up even more blood onto the dirt.
"Nice one, dumbass," Hidan cackled before grabbing Utakata's arms and shoving it deeper into his chest with a moan, and Hotaru's body convulsed again, guttural wailing sliding out of her throat all the while.
Utakata frantically tore his away, causing Hidan to fall out of the circle in bliss as he zoomed over to his bleeding student and best friend. He collected her into his arms and shakily gazed down at her, scanning over the damage to her chest as the reality of his actions sank in. He had unknowingly done this to her by attacking Hidan. Whatever Hidan was doing had formed a link between them, allowing him to torture her by harming himself, and all Utakata did was violently expedite the process.
"Sen-" she struggled, coughing up yet more blood while shakily nestling into his cradle. "Sensei…"
Utakata was trembling. His eyes were violently twitching, and his tails were somehow bubbling even more. The blood-red chakra coating him intensified far beyond, darkening into a poisonous, midnight blue. He threw his head up to the sky and unleashed a monstrous roar of sorrow and rage.
Looking back at Kakuzu and the recovering Hidan, it was clear that something had snapped. Utakata was no longer in the driver's seat. Saiken was now in control, and he was out for blood.
Tayuya didn't complain too much about the progressively muggier climate as they drew closer to the coast, which was very surprising to Karin. Tayuya famously was not a fan of humidity, which, considering where they were headed, was all she'd experience, so Karin expected a lot more profanity-laden bitching about having to "sweat her fucking balls off in a mosquito-filled hellhole." Honestly, she'd have been lying if she said she wasn't mildly disappointed.
That all went out of the window when a powerful wave of monstrous chakra flooded the area, causing her to stop dead in her tracks on a branch. Tayuya stopped just ahead and turned to her in confusion.
"Do you feel that?" Karin asked, and Tayuya shook her head.
Whatever Tayuya was going to say in response was cut off by an ear-piercing roar coming from the direction they were headed, and a much more palpable wave of chakra settled over the area immediately afterward.
"Alright, yeah, I felt that one," Tayuya cautiously confirmed. "The fuck was that??"
"It's Utakata!" Karin shouted in alarm after feeling out the chakra a little more. "He's going crazy! We have to get there, let's go!"
Kakuzu knew going into the fight that it wasn't going to be a cakewalk. His suspicions proved correct when the Rokubi jinchuriki proved to be far tougher than the Nibi jinchuriki had been by genuinely giving Kakuzu a good fight. His suspicions then proved to be infuriatingly accurate when the jinchuriki managed to kill him via immolation, forcing one of his hearts to reenter his body to revive him. There was nothing he hated more than a wasted heart, and he intended to make the jinchurki pay in blood.
"Intended" being the operative word here, as the rampaging jinchuriki was doing everything in his power to ensure that Kakuzu was not going to even come close to accomplishing that. He was lightning-fast, unfathomably slippery, and otherworldly vicious in his offense, swiping at him and Hidan with every intention of tearing them to shreds and pulverizing whatever remained.
Of course, Hidan was quickly rendered moot in this battle when he was stabbed through his healing abdomen once again and flung through several miles of trees like a discarded toy. Kakuzu, on the other hand, allowed his masks to strike first, but they predictably weren't terribly effective, so he rushed in himself with the Earth Spear armor in full effect. If you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself, after all.
Dashing straight for him, he slammed an iron fist straight into the beast's face, but it had minimal effect at best, and he received a retaliatory punch that launched him away in a similar fashion to Hidan. It wasn't enough to put him down, though, and he quickly rushed back in to test the jinchuriki's resilience against his own. Locking horns with him again, Kakuzu attempted to wrestle him down, but he quickly found that the jinchuriki's skin was oozing even more acid that ate away at his iron skin defense. If that weren't enough, the jinchuriki literally slipped out of his grasp and slithered away in a flash right as his remaining hearts fired their ninjutsu, leaving Kakuzu alone to bear the entirety of the attack.
Still, the masks remained in hot pursuit, forgoing pelting him with more ninjutsu and instead moving to tackle and physically subdue him. Saiken was more than happy to meet their charge, colliding with both of them and tumbling into a chaotic, animalistic scuffle.
It was at that moment that Kakuzu reemerged, firing his fist at the tangled jinchuriki once again to stun him long enough for his hearts to gain control over him. They did, locking his writhing form in the dirt and keeping him planted at Kakazu's mercy. Kakuzu nearly grinned at the sight, but he remained vigilant, knowing that a rampaging jinchuriki could unleash hell at a moment's notice, especially when cornered.
That proved to be exactly the case here, as before Kakuzu knew it, he was staring into a gaping, white void with a dark, dense ball of chakra forming inside. His eyes widened in alarm when he realized exactly what it was, and he quickly grabbed him by the head and slammed his face (and the growing bijudama) to the dirt as his masks vacated the scene as quickly as they could. In fact, they were far faster than he was due to the Earth Spear Jutsu slowing him down, meaning he alone wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the resulting cataclysm from the bijudama detonating in the dirt at point-blank range.
The explosion that followed would have made Deidara shed a tear at its magnificence. It sent shockwaves for miles, rocking the nearby swamp and leveling any surrounding trees entirely. The battlefield had all but become a smoldering crater, one that two motionless figures were at the center of. Lying on his back, barely conscious was a burned and badly bruised Utakata. He barely even knew where he was, but he was still alive. The same couldn't be said for the other man in the crater. Kakuzu's corpse lay strewn in the crater a few yards away, and he was as dead as he had been just earlier that very battle.
At least, that was the case until the lightning mask appeared on the scene and plunged into his exposed back. Within moments, his fingers were twitching, and voluntary movement returned to him. Kakuzu sat up and observed the scene, quickly putting together that he had died a second time with a venomous scowl. He slowly climbed back to his feet and gazed hatefully down at Utakata. He idly noted the other girl fruitlessly crawling toward the edge of the crater from wherever she had been at the same time that Hidan dropped into the crater beside him.
"You and your partner have proven far too troublesome for a dignified death," Kakuzu uttered, stepping toward his downed target. "Your heads better be worth the hearts you cost me."
"Are you gonna call Zetsu to come and get him, or are we gonna have to haul his ass all the way back to the base?" Hidan groused.
"No need, already here," a cheerful voice announced from behind them.
Turning around, Hidan and Kakuzu saw a White Zetsu poking his upper body out of the ground with a grin. "I'll take him off your ha-"
He was interrupted when a golden chain shot out of the dirt and impaled him through the temple and out the other side of his cranium, killing the White Zetsu on impact. Hidan and Kakuzu immediately jumped out of the way of a barrage of human-sized arrows that rained down upon the crater right as an arm emerged from the dirt and dragged Utakata underground.
Once they were out of dodge, they surveyed the scene and saw two Tengu hovering in the air above the crater, each with more arrows at the ready. On the ground directly below was another member of Akatsuki, this one a redhead with a flute held up to her mouth, and with a single note, three more Doki were summoned to the area. If that wasn't enough, another redhead emerged from underground while two clones of her popped up behind them, each with the two other Akatsuki dogs in their grasp. Chains slowly emerged from the back of the newest arrival and hovered over her dangerously as she glared daggers at the both of them.
An Uzumaki in the flesh? In this day and age?
Well, more bounties for Kakuzu, and fresh hearts to replace the ones he lost.
Full transparency: I ran out of ways for Kakuzu to call Hidan a communist, so that just confirmed that it was time to wrap them up.
So you know how the Itachi Pursuit Mission, Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant, and the Fated Battle Between Brothers happened at roughly the same time in canon, more or less? Well, that's about what's happening here (just so everyone has an idea of what order things are occurring). This fight and the mess Naruto's about to step in are happening concurrently.
I had no idea what to title this chapter. The name I initially had in mind is much more fitting for next chapter, so it was either settle on this one or go with xtxBoogerAIDS_
Thanks for reading.