A Bewitching Dance

by Haerrlekin

When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful, red-haired woman with violet eyes and a warm smile. Oh, and a white void, but that was besides the point! In which Naruto fails to summon Gamabunta and goes splat in the chasm; Jiraiya did a whoopsie, Kurama is a jerk, and Hinata brings good vibes. Who knew that crippling, life-threatening injuries could feel so good?

13. Pride

Heya,

This chapter is coming out later than I initially intended but that's life. Sorry to have left you all hanging so long on a cliffhanger, but I'm glad I took my time with this, honestly.

As of writing this, no one has managed to guess the transformation, which is a shame, but also probably indicative of me not doing enough to foreshadow it. The reviews have offered me a bit of valuable critique though, which I'm trying to be mindful of as we continue. As per usual, I'll save the majority of my regularly-scheduled unhinged rambling for the end-piece of this chapter; don't worry, I'm not about to waterboard you with a whole wall of text!

For now, enjoy this chapter, and stay tuned til the very end if you care to keep up with my notes:

---

Lord Orochimaru's orders had been very clear.

"Raise havoc within the village when the signal is raised. I want the civilians panicking or dying. We need the village's most important resources localized into one place while my summons do their damage at the gates and work their way in; that'll pull that oaf Jiraiya far enough that I can fulfill my mission."

Thus, Kabuto had been quick to break away from the chaos once his Temple of Nirvana genjutsu had done its work. Merchant, diplomats, and royalty; all of them were little more than hapless appetizers for such a high level jutsu. They easily fell into a deep slumber that supporting forces would be eager to extend into oblivion. Many of the present Genin and even a good chunk of Konoha's Chunin forces also succumbed to the technique, though Kabuto had noted as he left that many of their comrades had already begun shaking them free of his spell.

No matter. He'd done his part: Slow the enemy's reaction to the signal so their forces could deal as much damage as possible before Konoha could mount its own counter attack. Whatever happened after that wasn't his problem, as Lord Orochimaru had continually reminded him.

No, his role now was to secure their forces a suitable exit.

Lord Orochimaru was no fool, and he certainly did not suffer the audience of fools under his employment. Even with the added aid of the Hidden Sand Village, Kabuto held no illusions that Konoha would be an easy target. There were no doubts in his mind that when Konoha began its counter attack, their forces would begin to drop like flies.

Yeah, even now, he was receiving reports that the toad Sanin Jiraiya had already made terribly short work of the many summons that he'd spent weeks preparing on Lord Orochimaru's behalf. Konoha's ANBU unit had been deployed and had already begun proving their worth as one of the most elite and well-disciplined organizations of ninja killers in the world.

Now, Kabuto didn't much care about the Sand ninja; they had more or less outlived their usefulness by this point. Now, they were little more than cannon-fodder, serving to slow down the carnage just long enough for Lord Orochimaru to finish his task and abscond from the scene.

Their own people, however… Well, disposable as many of the grunts might have been, it would've been inaccurate to suggest that they didn't have any favorites.

"Make sure Kimimaro is retrieved, Kabuto," Orochimaru's warning echoed in his ears. "He is far too valuable for me to lose here. Do not lose him."

Kabuto winced, recalling Lord Orochimaru's irritation when he'd learned that his subordinates planned to defy his wishes. It was only the snake Sanin's own soft spot for Kimimaro and Kabuto both, which had spared them both the full extent of Orochimaru's wrath.

"Hold still," Kabuto muttered, grumpily. He adorned his brush with a fresh coat of ink before tracing another set of lines on Kimimaro's back; his hand was steady, and ever meticulous. "I'm not the best at fuinjutsu, so I'd prefer you not make this any harder for me than necessary!"

"S-sorry," Kimimaro stammered out between coughs. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it," Kabuto cut in with a sigh. "It's not your fault… I'm done." It was just a simple beacon, overlaid with an internal display; it was meant to be used in conjunction with a summoning scroll. "With this, I should be able to pull you out of the conflict once things start to spiral. Once I'm done on my end, I'll be keeping track of your vitals. The moment they start dipping too low, I'll summon you out of the crossfire, understood?"

Taking a deep breath, Kabuto hefted a large scroll from his shoulder and gently deposited it onto the ground. Slowly unrolling it, he cursed. "Goddamnit Kimimaro, you just can't do anything halfway can you!?" With a loud moan, he began to quickly go through hand seals.

"Summoning jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and at his feet lay a bloodied and spasming Kimimaro. Lacerations, so deep that they had carved down to the bone, could be seen through his arms and torso; the edges of his flesh were burnt to a flaky crisp, like he'd been struck repeatedly by lightning. "This certainly looks like the work of Kakashi Hatake." For no one else to Kabuto's knowledge existed in the village that possessed such potent and recognizable lightning style ninjutsu. "You still alive there, Kimimaro?"

God, he hoped he was; Kabuto really didn't want to be the one to explain to Orochimaru that his prized Kaguya was dead.

Kimimaro groaned.

"Oh goodie. Let's get you patched up before your organs start falling out!" Kneeling beside the young man, he called upon the healing properties of his chakra, willing forth the immaculately precise control needed to maintain the Mystical Palm Jutsu. "Sooo, did you have fun?"

"P-pl-please st-sto-stop tal-king," Kimimaro weakly begged him. His body lurched as a wave of pain overtook him, and Kabuto had to hold him down to keep him from worsening his wounds. "Everything hurts."

"That might be because you took a volatile, experimental, and very dangerous, one-of-a-kind drug despite all warnings from both Lord Orochimaru and myself not to; then you went ahead and got your butt kicked, to boot. But what do I know? I'm just a doctor." The harshness of his tone had seemingly done its job, as Kimimaro refused to meet his eyes. "Did you at least succeed in your self-imposed mission that no one asked you to do?"

"Kakashi Hatake and Maito Gai were unable to stop the One Tails. My- haah… M-my mi-mission was a s-s-suc-success." If Kimimaro's pride in himself was worn on his sleeve, well he was sure he could be forgiven, just this once. "G-genin- haah… Genin w-were t-t-try-ing to slow, b-but-" He went silent as Kabuto put a finger to his lips.

"Ah-ah, No talkie!" He chided the young man, as if chastising a mere child. Then, Kabuto offered the wounded Kaguya a grin. "In that case, you have my congratulations. A bunch of Genin may as well be a free meal for the One Tails, so assuming nothing goes pear-shaped, we should be good to return home- er, as soon as I put your guts and liver back where they're supposed to be… And stop you from going into shock… And- you know what, we might be a minute, actually."

A sharp crack sounded in the air, and Kabuto craned his neck to investigate. He let loose a smile that was all teeth as the One Tails' massive form exploded into form a long distance away. "Hey, look at that! That's pretty good!" He could already envision Konoha's screams as the One Tails barreled through their gates and laid waste to their village. If he were fortunate, the stupid beast would leave enough intact corpses behind that Kabuto could find some solid additions to his collection.

Well, before they went and locked it back up again. Kabuto wondered if having a jinchuuriki's vitality might revitalize Kimimaro and stave off his illness; at least long enough for Orochimaru's right hand man to find him a lasting cure… Food for thought, at a later point. For now, he was just content to watch the beast's carnage.

A long moment passed, with both young men simply marveling at the massive stature of the sand demon that their Lord's plan hinged on. Kabuto whistled. "That thing is taller than the tree-line! Well done, Kimima-" He stopped as another loud crack filled the air, and a massive plume of smoke followed. "Ah, that's… Well that's less good."

---

"As you know, our clan is big on the beauty of nature; we invoke the essence of the natural world in our dances as a guide to our strength." Kushina pivoted on her feet in a wide stance, sliding along the ground with minimal friction. She dropped low, using the tips of her fingers in tandem with her feet to guide her body as she shifted herself. Then, in a single explosive movement, she whipped out in a wide arc, tensing her core and lower body muscles to their utmost to maximize the maneuver. Naruto watched as his mother accelerated, crossing several meters and delivering a cruel-looking reverse-roundhouse kick that caused a loud crack at its peak. The air dispersed, and he imagined a human body splitting in half behind such an impact. "Dance of Clouds: Thunderclap."

Not a single person he knew would be standing after taking something like that.

"Okay, so maybe you do have hands," Naruto admitted, his own awe laid bare in his eyes.

"I kept telling you," Kushina huffed. "Listen, our dances are an art form that we spend our entire lives mastering, ya know. Right now, you're just a beginner. You've got a pretty big recovery time between your dance-forms; you have a noticeable lag between dances as you transition and there's a huge waste of energy in each form."

Her son winced with each critique, and she smiled, placatingly. "That's fine, darling. You will improve with practice and experience. As of now, I don't expect any more than a strong grasp of the basics from you.

When her son nodded in response, Kushina righted herself and let off a shallow bow, as if closing out a performance. "As you can obviously tell, our forms aren't limited to animals. Some are based on natural phenomena; in some cases, we even reference mundane concepts or even the mythical. There's a pretty wide range, but the importance is more in what it represents for us, than anything."

"What it represents…" Naruto scrunched his eyes shut, thinking. "Like the whirlpool one, right? That one's supposed to be all about using momentum against the opponent… Okay, I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah," Kushina nodded. "Amongst our clan though there's one idea that stands at the tippy-top for us. It represents our ideals as craftsmen, as survivors, and in some cases, as killers… We don't so much have a dedicated dance form related to it as we do an ideology that informs the rest of our dances. It is by following this doctrine that our people climbed to the very peak of the ninja world for a time- er, well before the other Hidden Villages went and collectively stomped us out, that is."

"Tell me," Naruto urged. "I wanna hear it."

She took a long breath, then as if reciting, "The spider with the finest craft builds their web to last; a lasting web brings plenty a feast, and a well-fed spider struggles the least; when foes are slain and struggle is done, all that remains is a ton of fun, and a spider's joy is to craft a ton."

---

Shukaku stood, its body tense, as it warily regarded the thick smoke that had billowed out from that damn brat's technique. It was so densely laden with chakra that even its own sharp eyes couldn't make out even a lick of a silhouette within. The One Tails inched back just the slightest bit as a heavy rattling noise began to sound from within, like thousands of chains clanging against each other in tandem.

Was it sweating? Could it even sweat?

"Oh no, you little bastard. I swear on the sage, himself, you'd better not come out of that smoke and start whooping my ass. You hear me!?" Shukaku's glare intensified, staring down the smoke with absolute focus. "You're on thin ice, you little shit! Don't do it!"

The rattling within seemed to get even louder, as if mocking the Bijuu.

"Hey! Hey! I'm warning you!"

Abruptly, the sound cut off, going so silent that Shukaku's paranoia began to flare up. For the briefest moment, it began to entertain the idea that its foe had merely employed some sort of distraction. Shukaku's eyes began to snap around, surveying its surroundings; the tiniest bit of panic had wormed its way into its head.

Then there was an explosion of noise, and Shukaku's attention snapped back to the plume of smoke just quickly enough to see a black, segmented, scythe-like appendage whip out with speed. It let out a yelp and threw its arms up in defense, sighing in relief as the massive blade was intercepted by its sand-arm instead of its head, where Gaara's body still resided.

The attacking protrusion dug itself deeply into its sand, biting into the limb and bleeding a viscous, pinkish liquid into Shukaku's sand.

"Shit! My sand!" Shukaku snarled as its sand sluggishly swelled into action, trying to mount an offensive against its master's foe. Before its sand could get far, the blade ripped itself free with such force that Shukaku had to stumble forward a step to catch its footing. The One Tails heard the trees below their feet snap and splinter underneath their motion before it was slammed into by an eight-legged armored tank.

"What in every hell is that!?" Shukaku flailed every limb, trying to ward off its attacker as it was briefly knocked onto its back. It scrambled, trying to keep from being skewered by a multitude of impossibly sharp limbs; several deep gouges were torn through its body, each leaking a pungent pink venom that seemed to spread generously through its sand. Shukaku shoved the creature off itself and scrambled to its feet, but was once more forced to throw its arms up in defense to ward off two heavy scythes that nearly cleaved its arm from its body.

Backpedaling, Shukaku yelped again as the creature continued to press it; one of the scythes snaked out, this time aimed for its eyes. Sand burst from its body to form a barrier, but Shukaku gaped with horror as the chakra in its sand bent and twisted to give way to the massive, cruel-looking appendage. It was joined by a second, which flashed out faster than Shukaku could react to, and cleaved the One Tails' jaw right from its head.

Shukaku's hand snapped out to catch its fallen jaw and it thrust a powerful palm forward, shoving its foe off balance. Then, its sand shifted, pulling its entire body back to safety. Finally, it firmly stuck its jaw back onto its head; the body part shifted loosely, seemingly struggling to find its exact shape before finally locking back into place.

"Rude," Shukaku grumbled, finally catching a moment to regain its bearings. "Cute transformation, asshole!" Its eyes panned across the monstrosity in front of it and the One Tails grinned, toothily. "Now you're just as much of a monster as I am! Welcome to the family, kid!"

The creature in front of it did not speak, but Shukaku sensed pride in its tall posture. It stood on eight massive, bent pillars, each one adorned with a sharp point and a thick, black shell. They were segmented and sported long, hooked spikes on the outer-side of each leg. Covering the legs was a layer of impossibly thick, rose-gold chains that emitted ghostly purple plumes of smoke, loosely moulded together like a coat of webbing.

A huge, bulb-like thorax stood out at the back, adorned with the same long, hooked spikes of the legs; they extended along the edges, growing longer and curving upward near the very end of its torso. Again, chains covered the body part almost in full like a thick, armored mantle that trailed past the length of its body and even scraped loosely along the ground. Several bulbous protrusions jutted out from various spots, each shaped vaguely like a cross between eggs and rose-buds; they were tinted with a deep vermillion red and glowed brightly with Shukaku's stolen chakra.

Shukaku spotted a small, scrunched up head which seemed to be hooded by the very same chains which it had donned like armor. Eight, glowing eyes gleamed from underneath its cowl, one half a cyan color, the other a striking amethyst. Jutting out from its head was a massive, twin-set of mandibles, long, curved and cruel in shape; they were more like a pair of scythes than fangs or teeth.

"Ugh! I hate spiders. They're almost as bad as scorpions!" Shukaku moaned. Discreetly, it surveyed its body. Several closing gashes in its sand continued to pool with pink sludge-like liquid. "You know you can't poison me, right? I don't have blood… Or organs- I'm made of sand, idiot!" Then it chuckled and flexed its two massive arms, each chambered with dozens of large spike-like protrusions. "Whatever, fine! If you want to play monster, then let's play, boy! I'm gonna crush you to a fine paste and snort your blood for the high, you annoying little pest!"

Atop the creature that Naruto Uzumaki had become, Shukaku spotted the tiny, wide-eyed form of the Uchiha. He was looking down at the thing he stood atop with a mixed coat of awe and fear painted on his features.

Earlier, the pest had asked the Uchiha if he could make that stupid lightning jutsu that had taken its arm… Clearly, Uzumaki was banking on the Uchiha's lightning jutsu somehow. Better to take him out as soon as possible, then.

"Well? Are we gonna do this then? Or are you really just all talk!?"

That seemed to be the queue; Naruto's body tensed, and he exploded into a blur of motion so fast that Shukaku knew on the spot that it wouldn't be able to counter attack. It threw its arms out in front of it, once again intent on guarding its head. No blow ever came though, as the giant spider-like creature feinted, ducking low and sliding past Shukaku on its eight legs. Shukaku turned to follow its movements, but once again had to guard as the spider leaped in its direction. Its two mandibles came down with great force, crashing into Shukaku's guard so hard that its arms were driven downward. Shukaku snarled with annoyance, trying to right itself fast enough to guard yet again but found its opponent was nowhere to be found. On reflex, it ducked downward, managing to just barely avoid having the crown of its head lopped off by those damn scythes.

Turning once again to meet its opponent, Shukaku threw an arm out, intent on braining the giant spider against the ground, but found itself hitting nothing but air as its foe weaved to the right. A backhanded strike met similar results, before Shukaku smashed its arm down hard enough to make its own arm burst. Several sizable globs of sand hovered in place before shooting out in all directions. "Sand Sentries!" The globs began to rapidly rotate around Naruto, who looked around rapidly, taking stock of the situation. "But that's not all! Mass Sand Bullets!" From the sand sentries, hundreds of bullets began to fire at extreme speeds, each so potent that the surrounding area soon became a hellscape. Trees were decimated and earth sundered as the bullets impacted the terrain below them.

Naruto's speed once more came into play; his massive form shot around like a massive, eight-legged bolt of lightning as he weaved through the storm. Several projectiles managed to circumvent his dodging, but those were intercepted by the lightning-fast mandibles which worked to deflect them. Only one of the many sand bullets managed to make it entirely through the Uzumaki's many layers of defense, exploding against one of his eight eyes. The boy-turned-spider barely even flinched, even as the eye burst under the explosive force it had been subjected to. He hissed at Shukaku, scraping his mandibles together before raising them, goading.

"You like that, bastard? What was all that talk about 'the top of the pecking order' or whatever bullshit you were spewing!?" Shukaku laughed in its foe's face, delighting in the rivulets of pinkish ichor that fell from its damaged eye. "Come on then! Prove it then! COME ON!"

"You're talking plenty for the both of us," Naruto's massive form finally grumbled, lowly. His voice was quiet and distant; almost a whisper, like his thoughts were elsewhere. He said nothing else, cutting off his own annoyance before it could stray his thoughts too far. His form wavered for just a moment as his thoughts wandered, but he clamped down on it, solidifying once again.

"Yeah, stay calm; stay focused." Kushina's voice coached him, her tone soothing. "Don't make any unnecessary movements; don't even think harder than absolutely necessary."

His thoughts stilled, every ounce of focus dedicated solely for the madly laughing One Tails.

The differences between the traditional Transformation Jutsu and his clan's Shape-changing Jutsu were manyfold, but could really be broken down to two key advantages.

One, using the latter, the change in shape was fully physical, versus the former, which was entirely illusory.

Two, the jutsu could be sustained for far longer, so long as the user had the chakra to continually refresh and sustain it.

Keywords there being refresh and sustain. In most cases, keeping the jutsu active didn't take nearly as much focus as the initial casting; it was all about careful application of chakra to account for changes in the user's condition. Difficult in theory, but in practice, using it effectively was no more challenging than sustaining the tree-climbing or water-walking practices in combat.

This all went out the damn window for the conglomerate variant. To maintain the form created by the collective, all parties needed to perfectly synchronize their chakra with one another to continually refresh the jutsu. Every single clone, which had been amassed to create the titanic construct that stood against Shukaku, needed to remain in a state of absolute focus; even just one slip up could destabilize the entire form.

Already, the mental strain was becoming a burden, and every near-miss that occurred among the masses put a terrible strain on his body. His chakra was fluctuating, stretching to bridge gaps and account for every little slip up, for failure meant certain death against Shukaku.

It was a miracle he'd even gotten this far. One which, if he were being honest, could only truly be chalked up to the fact that they were all clones of himself.

All the more reason why they absolutely could not waste this opportunity.

Naruto flexed his limbs; several loud cracks sounded from them as he stretched them out, getting used to their qualities. Size and weight were accounted for; reach was considered. Everything, from the newfound number of limbs to even his peripherals and the flexibility of his neck; all of it was dutifully made note of. Naruto's massive mandibles scraped against one another roughly, loosing large sparks which dropped haphazardly into the forest below.

"Wait on my queue. Sasuke." Naruto did not wait for a response from the boy on his head, immediately rushing forward on eight legs.

When he next came at Shukaku, the latter immediately noticed a difference. Naruto charged forward, mandibles stretched outward in a wide cast, intent on closing off Shukaku's retreat. He was a touch slower than before, but Shukaku knew better than to let its guard down.

It was quite done underestimating this little twerp.

In an instant, a massive wall of sand interposed itself between Naruto and Shukaku, barring the former's approach. He side-stepped it in a long bound, but Shukaku was already waiting for him, a tentacled limb lashing out to clobber him. Naruto dropped low, ducking the attack before hopping back twice to avoid a downward slam. At that distance, he was able to react as Shukaku's arm swept up a massive clump of trees, crushing them together and hurling them in a hail of splinters. They missed as the massive spider leaped skyward, intent on crashing down on an eagerly waiting Shukaku.

"Got ya!" Shukaku hollered, clenching both fists together to meet its foe with an underhanded swing. From Naruto's body, a mass of chains sprouted. The air cracked and was displaced as Shukaku's arms collided with a downward-facing shield; it hovered in place, allowing Naruto to bound off from it to take Shukaku's back. He was just in slashing distance when Shukaku's tail lashed out, slamming into the side of his head.

But he wasn't going anywhere without a souvenir. His mandibles lashed out, and Shukaku grit its teeth as its tail was cleaved from its body.

"Asshole! That was my favorite tail!" Sand sprouted from Shukaku's body in all directions, rushing to enclose around a still dazed Naruto. Several walls were formed, each adorned with spikes on all sides. By the time he'd recovered, they were already closing in, with the only visible opening being directly ahead. Before Naruto could question the obvious design flaw, Shukaku took a massive inhale, its belly swelling with an extremely dense concentration of wind chakra.

Oh dear.

"Sasuke! Fire!" Naruto commanded, thrusting several chains outward to slow the approach of the walls.

Sasuke didn't hesitate, immediately rushing through hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

He didn't know what Naruto expected his tiny fireball to do against a foe of this threat level, but there was no time to ask questions. As Sasuke made to spew the mass of flame forward, he found a set of chains rising from his foothold, encircling around his body. Pain flooded his senses as chakra was forced through his body, and Sasuke had to fight to keep from choking on his own fireball.

The results spoke for themselves though, as a ball of flame, several times anything he'd ever managed on his own, erupted from his mouth to meet Shukaku's own incoming air bullet. Its heat scorched the corners of Sasuke's lips, but he hardly noticed as the two jutsu met in the middle, closer to Shukaku's side and detonated in its face.

"Oh, you suck!" It complained from within the smoke.

"Shit!" Sasuke shuddered, and it was only the chains that held him up that stopped him from collapsing to his knees. He felt the pain all the way down to his very chakra coils; they burned with excruciating intensity, as if his body had been forcibly stretched out from within! "Warn me next time, idiot!"

Naruto did not respond, too preoccupied with the still incoming walls of sand. Their force doubled without warning, and as the smoke on Shukaku's side cleared, Naruto noted that the sand monster had clapped its hands together, its focus now entirely on the deadly structures.

'Adamantine Formation: Tortoise Shell.' The chains which had worked to hold back the walls gave up on their task, instead encircling themselves around Naruto's massive form in a protective dome. The chains lasted only a few seconds before they lost their battle, crumpling inward and paving way for the walls to crush what was within like a trash compactor.

Shukaku's satisfaction didn't last longer than a second before the shield above its head shifted, then began to rain down thick needles above its head. Rolling its eyes, Shukaku threw an arm up, covering its head in full against the onslaught. Then it sneered as Naruto burst up from the ground beneath it, his weapons poised with ill intentions.

Twin mandibles clicked twice, then they lashed out in a flurry so fast that Shukaku gave up entirely on deflecting and simply weathered the storm with its one available arm. Two, four, ten, twenty brutal strikes battered away at its body. But they were getting slower; less accurate. Shukaku waited patiently, even as swathes of its sand fell from its body, refusing to obey its command and rendering the limb down to a thin, almost skeletal shadow of itself. Thick, pink venom stained its sand as Naruto's blinding fast mandibles continued their work, but he could not keep up the pressure indefinitely.

The venom was ignored, for Shukaku knew that no venom could harm it.

Finally, the rain of needles from above petered out to a stop, and Shukaku found enough lag in the onslaught to capitalize. It threw both of its arms out to catch the incoming appendage in an iron grip. "Finally got you, bastard!" Shukaku cheered, dragging Naruto forward with one arm and slugging him in the head with the other. The massive spider was briefly grounded, and Shukaku followed up with a hammer fist on the back of his head.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, huh?" Shukaku cackled as its foe tried to pull back. Charging forward, the sand monster slammed another fist into the spider's torso, then snatched it by one of its mandibles to drag it closer yet again. "You're nothing! Nothing!" It hissed, wrapping one of its massive arms around the fool who had dared to challenge its power. He fought to break free, but Shukaku's grip was strong. With a roar of effort, it ripped one of the massive mandibles clean off the spider's jaw, holding it above its head like a trophy as it laughed. It tossed the appendage and laughed yet again as it was implanted into the ground, far away. Several chips had come out of the mandible along the edge, but the real prize was the jagged break at its base, coated in a fine layer of the boy's blood.

"That came off easier than I thought it would! Now for the next!"

Naruto bucked, trying to throw it off, but he was weak. His form began to spasm as the damage inflicted upon him tested the limits of his transformation; it took all of his focus just to keep from splitting!

Shukaku simply shook its head. "Come on! What did you think was going to happen, huh? You think because you stole some of my power, that you know how to use it? Do you think my kind are just some dumb beasts that don't know how to throw down, is that it, huh? IDIOT!" Shukaku gripped Naruto by the back of his head and slammed him face first into the ground, scattering trees with the boy's body. It watched with glee as the Uchiha let out a panicked shout, the boy hanging on for dear life. Several streams of sand pulled free from Shukaku's arms, encroaching on the boy with intent to kill. "You dumbasses really think because you know how to steal from us that you're somehow our equals! Well check this, asshole! I'm better than you! I. Am. Better. Than. Yo-"

Shukaku lost its voice, yelping as it suddenly lost its own strength. Its body staggered, struggling to even keep its feet underneath it.

"God, that took forever." Naruto rolled his seven eyes. "My turn, jackass."

Several lengthy, ghostly spines shot out from Naruto's cowl of chains. They impaled into and through Shukaku's body, and the One Tails began to feel even weaker as the purple flames ate through the sand and did their work.

"Gah! What the hell!?"

What was going on? Its body was entirely made of sand; so long as Gaara's body was protected it should have been nigh-invulnerable! What the hell was going on!?

Why did it hurt!?

Naruto stirred underneath Shukaku's bulk, and Shukaku found it suddenly had little strength to keep the boy's body down. His head, that undersized, scrunched up thing, snapped out with speed, his neck suddenly extending several times its length and contorting with extreme flexibility. He whipped around and Shukaku found itself impaled several times by the boy's remaining mandible; several puncture marks along its torso and neck all burned fiercely as Naruto bucked again, throwing Shukaku fully off balance before wrenching himself free. The adamantine spines he'd impaled Shukaku with broke off within it, and despite its best efforts, refused to come free.

Naruto pulled back, watching the One Tails stagger away from him, shuddering. All at once, the venom that it had previously disregarded began to heat up inside of Shukaku, so intensely that against all logic, its pain grew exponentially.

"You bastard. What did you do to me? What did you do!?"

Naruto said nothing, and with his new form it was hard to tell. Even still, his now-lone mandible shifted, and Shukaku could swear the little bastard was grinning.

---

Chakra was composed of physical and spiritual energies. Physical energy, or yang chakra, pertained to the physical body and its strengths. Speed, power, and even things like one's vitality and general resilience all were factored in and affected by a strong yang chakra. Spiritual energy, or yin chakra, was often related to the spiritual and mental powers of a person. Intelligence, wisdom, and even one's will to fight all factored in when determining the strength of yin chakra.

Now it tended to be quite rare for a perfect balance of the two in any one creature. Most living things tended to lean in one way or another, some favoring stronger bodies due to a higher yield of yang chakra, and some experiencing a greater natural intelligence as a result of a high yin chakra.

Naruto knew that his father had been yin-leaning. According to his mother, Minato had been able to attribute a great deal of his strengths, from his scarily high intellect to even his very high natural chakra sensitivity to that particularly high yin-chakra yield.

Kushina on the other hand, had been primarily yang-leaning, a quality she could likely attribute to her yang-leaning clan. Oh, they had a number of techniques which made good use of yin-favoring chakras, like the Mind's Eye of the Divine Entertainment technique, but at their core, they were a clan that favored the physical by their very nature. They were creative types whose very culture had been built around the joy of creation and the dances which they used to express themselves. However, as many of the techniques in their arsenal clearly demonstrated, the Uzumaki were damn clever as well, and they had made a name for themselves pushing the boundaries of what was thought to be possible with chakra through the use of seals.

All of this was important to understand the nature of seals, and by proxy, the adamantine chains of the Uzumaki clan, which had caused their very names to invoke fear within other clans during the warring states period and beyond.

The art of sealing was impossibly precise, requiring immaculate calligraphy and chakra control just as the baseline required to begin learning the art. There was a damn good reason why very few people tended to pick up the art; the tiniest error, either in the stroke of a brush or in the chakra applied, could have catastrophic results.

Calligraphy made plenty sense. If you wrote the seal wrong, it'd work differently from how its design was meant to. One could think of the inscribed seal like a mold, or a set of instructions by which the construct was meant to operate. Make the mold wrong, and it can't hold the chakra in the right way or form; easy enough to grasp.

Chakra was its own beast though; in order to build a seal, everything, from the amount of chakra to even the exact ratios of its components, needed to be measured and accounted for.

Too much yang chakra? Your binding seal becomes too 'solid' and ends up crushing someone to death. Too much yin? Well congratulations, your explosive seal just blew their damn soul up. It also just-so-happens that because the calligraphy wasn't made to account for this mismatch of chakra ratios, the explosion wasn't contained as it should've been, so now your soul is getting exploded too, dumbass.

All of this to say that sealing was an incredibly precise art that could go wrong at any and every turn, if done improperly. If you happened to be developing a seal entirely from scratch, take that chance of error and multiply it ten-fold.

In other words, experimenting with seals was often more trouble than it was worth.

Unacceptable for a clan which thrived on pushing the boundaries.

Hence, the Uzumaki had developed their adamantine chains as a solution to this. Many outsiders believed that the chains were some kind of ancient bloodline trait passed down by the sage of six paths to help subjugate the Bijuu, or some other nonsense. The reality was far simpler: the Uzumaki clan's adamantine chains were an artificial bloodline passed down through the Legacy Seal to help the users manipulate chakra by streamlining its flow to the utmost. In layman's terms, it was a cheat code that had allowed Uzumaki to simply skip decades of chakra control training needed to operate with seals, back when much of the craft was simply uncharted territory. It just so happened that they worked a little too well, making them highly effective for manipulating other peoples' chakra as well.

Well, provided you could catch them, first.

They were quite literally just highly specialized chakra conduits. In a regular warrior's hands, they were damn useful, but nothing special. Add an Uzumaki's innate chakra potency and natural creativity, only further magnified by the Legacy Seal's accelerated growth, and you have a set of lethal weapons on your hands, each supremely capable in attack and defense; most importantly though, you had a potentially limitless set of extra limbs with customizable dimensions, capable of inscribing seals with a precision completely beyond natural human ability.

Now, Naruto may have been an Uzumaki, but his experience with seals wasn't nearly complete enough to try creating a seal -any seal- entirely from scratch -yet. He wasn't stupid enough to try, either. But as an Uzumaki, he just so happened to be crazy enough to try the next best thing, and as it just so happened, he had all the tools and references needed for his final trick of the day.

His mother's voice echoed in his head. It was one of the very first memories he had with her; the very first lesson she'd ever taught him.

"Or how about instead of having to buy and mix chemical compounds manually, why not just use separate seals to individually mix the atomic compounds to create the necessary elements themselves? Kushina grinned at the boy's wide-eyed expression. "Or what about connecting those seals containing those compounds with a seal designed to trigger mitosis in cells? You could then deliberately remove or alter the time dilation process we typically associate with a seal. What would you get?"

A simple soil-enriching seal, typically used to passively introduce nourishing elements to keep farmland ripe, had been torn down and altered to produce the chemical components needed for a variable explosive tag; a standard array that was sold by virtually all ninja vendors across the globe.

A beacon seal, meant to draw chakra to a source, was calibrated with a sliver of Shukaku's chakra. Commonly used to guide messenger hawks over long distances, it'd do well enough to guide Shukaku's hijacked chakra as a secondary fuel source.

A remote trigger, woven through both, hummed with malintent, ready to detonate at his command.

Chakra ratios were accounted for, with a targeted leaning toward yin-chakra.

The seal had been crafted; all he'd needed after that was a way to implant it.

Using his shape-changing jutsu to turn his chains into a liquid form had been daunting in theory, but they were as much a part of him as his own limbs, and thus no more challenging than changing himself. Reconstituting his chains with the shape-changing jutsu had become the entire basis of his Adamantine Formations, after all.

Put all that together, and you have ethereal, liquid metal capable of implanting a sealing array. Coating the fangs of a spider, it was easy to disguise as little more than a poorly thought out venom, at least in the eyes of an arrogant Bijuu who thought itself immune to such things.

'You think I made this big-ass spider just so I could knuckle up with you, Shukaku?' Deep within the amalgamate construct, Naruto grinned, a touch of madness alight in his eyes. He drew his fingers together in a tiger seal. 'Nah, I just needed to make sure you were distracted while I made sure these seals of mine stuck." He snickered, quickly evolving into a full-blown cackle as his seals found their shape and armed themselves. 'While you've been busy stroking your own ego, I've been workshopping a hell of a gift for you!'

The seals he'd injected into Shukaku's body began to bubble, then the first of many explosions began.

---

"Gah!" Shukaku cried out, shock and pain in equal parts as its sand began to deform and bloat. "Wha- what did you do- Argh!" The first explosion rocked its body from within, causing a huge chunk of its sand to tear away from its torso in a plume of purple flame. Shukaku began to scream, panic spiking to its peak as more explosions followed. Its body quaked, then it was slammed back and forth as they continued their path of carnage along the One Tails' body.

"You little bastard!" Shukaku moaned. "You think this is funny? I'm going to rip your damned head of- Argh!" It was cut off abruptly as another set of explosions, these even more potent than the last. What's more, they began to come with increasing frequency. "Stop it! STOP!" Shukaku howled in agony as they continued to grow in intensity until several new explosions were detonating with every second that passed. Its mounting panic skyrocketed as the next wave came, twice as potent as the last. The pain caused it to claw fruitlessly at its body. Sand fell from its entire body, shedding so furiously that it simply couldn't keep itself together anymore. Shukaku's body began to break down rapidly, first thinning to a shape more akin to a cat that had been soaked to the bone. Then, perhaps more morbidly, a skeletal corpse.

"IT HURTS! STOP! STOP! PLEASE STOP! IT HURTS!" It begged, collapsing to its knees and sagging as its body was torn apart. Sand flew in every direction in sync with the ceaseless barrage of impacts. Molten slag sprayed alongside the sand, and what was scarcely left of the trees beneath their feet began to light aflame on contact.

Of all the Tailed Beasts, Shukaku's particular makeup ensured that it had rarely experienced pain at all, let alone anything even close to such magnitude.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! STOP! STOP!"

'So now you wanna stop, huh!?' Naruto laughed; the construct that housed him vibrated, sharing in his mirth. Spiderweb cracks began to coat the construct's form as his focus derailed itself. Beneath Sasuke's feet, the crown of the Adamantine Spider's head shattered like an egg; Sasuke jumped aside, giving way for Naruto to stagger out, his eyes unfocused. "We were having so much fun just a moment ago while you were ripping me apart! Or how about while you were trying to kill my friends, huh? Where did all of that moxie go, asshole!?' Again, he formed a tiger seal, fully intent on redoubling the chain of explosives.

"Naruto," Kushina's voice cut in. "Stop it. You don't do that."

Naruto froze, his mother's words willing him to really take in the situation in its entirety. Shukaku had curled up on the ground, its own constitution broken down to little more than a shapeless, sentient pile of sand. It quivered voicelessly as the pain of its repeated explosions continued to tear through it. In an instant, he was Mito again, watching Akari Kaguya's brutalized corpse writhe on the ground. Her rage was his rage. Her vengeance had become his own.

He didn't want it.

"Yeah, that's- I-" He bit his lip, shame most prevalent in his mind at that moment. "Yeah, I don't do this… Thanks mom."

Ignoring the perturbed expression on Sasuke's face, Naruto dropped his hand sign and sighed.

He had to be better.

The explosions began to die down, now that they were no longer being maintained. Above his head, he could feel Sasuke's own shock; his own fear as the scene burned itself into his sharingan eyes.

"We need-" Naruto didn't get much further before he lost all the strength in his legs. The construct beneath their feet went fully still, the cracks on its form growing more pronounced until the entire thing started falling apart.

Then the pain came, like a rubber band stretching far too tight and snapping all at once, the day's events caught up to Naruto in an instant.

"Naruto!" Sasuke hastened to reach for the blonde but pulled back with a cry.

His body was scalding hot.

The surface beneath their feet had completely given way, leaving them in a sudden free fall. "Shit!" Sasuke hissed, looking at his two scalded hands. "Shit, shit! Naruto! NARUTO!"

Sasuke grasped onto a nearby piece of the fracturing corpse his friend had only recently piloted, using chakra to stick to it long enough to survey the scene. Naruto's body was completely limp, almost death-like, as he tumbled uselessly through the air.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke shouted again, desperation in his voice as he leaped from the mass, straight toward his friend's body. His sharingan allowed him to navigate cleanly, even in midair, and Sasuke was able to tackle Naruto's body with time to spare; he grit his teeth, forcing the scorching pain to the back of his mind and refusing to let his friend go again. Wrapping an arm around the boy, he twisted, applying the tree-climbing discipline to steadily slide down one of the few remaining trees in the area.

The pair tumbled down the last few meters, crashing on a branch in a heap of limbs. With a groan, Sasuke pulled himself free and rolled his teammate over. "Hey, hey! Look at me! What's wrong with you, dumbass?"

"Too much chakra..." Naruto moaned, absently. "Burning!" It felt like he'd been bloated just short of bursting. Shukaku's caustic chakra thrashed about underneath the surface, boiling his body from within; it was all Naruto could do just to keep it in check. He spasmed in Sasuke's grip, biting back a scream, if only so his friend wouldn't worry any further. "S-save Gaara," Naruto moaned. "I'll b-b-be f-fi-ne… Please."

"Gah! Are you serious right now!?" Sasuke snarled, forcing himself to his feet so quickly and forcefully he felt his knees click. "You're just short of cooking us both alive and you're still worried about him?" Sasuke held both of his burnt arms in front of himself and winced. "Would it kill you to show even the tiniest bit of self preservation? Idiot!" Another frustrated exclamation followed, before Sasuke wordlessly leaped away, intent on fulfilling his friend's wishes.

Gaara wasn't hard to find; Sasuke attributed that to the colossal mass of sand that the boy was buried in. Shukaku's pained screams had subsided, and Sasuke noted with some trepidation that the creature had seemingly fallen unconscious, retreating back into its own mangled host to hide away from any further agony.

'What the hell did you do to that thing, Naruto?'

Climbing to the top of the beast's head, Sasuke continued to grumble lowly, a weak Chidori slowly building in his palm.

Cutting this guy free was going to be a pain.

---

Above the rooftop looming over the arena, Hiruzen and Orochimaru were a blur. Attacks were traded from both sides with speed and precision that left both Kages' underlings completely flabbergasted.

"It didn't have to be this way, sensei!" Orochimaru snarled, slithering around a hail of shuriken. His lower body, morphed into the shape of a snake's torso, whipped around with blinding speed to circle around Hiruzen. Then, with a twist of his hips, the Snake Sanin lashed out, intending on clubbing his old teacher in the head with his tail.

"It still doesn't have to be this way, you foolish boy!" Hiruzen ducked the tail, but was forced to parry a horizontal slash from his wayward student. A barrage of follow-up strikes tested his reflexes, but Hiruzen met the challenge head on, evading the attacks he could, and deflecting what he couldn't.

He was losing ground though. The skill disparity was still firmly in his corner, but he was old; his bones were withered and ached under his own weight. Meanwhile, Orochimaru had only grown stronger and more vicious, in their time apart.

"Stop this madness! Are you truly so far gone that you can't see how pointless this is!?" Hiruzen flipped over a sweeping slash from Orochimaru. Then, he lashed out with a kick that found only air.

Faster too.

"If you really can't see the point in all of this, then maybe you're the mad one, sensei!" Orochimaru's lower body coiled just short of his approach, then he whipped around in a wide arc, threatening to take the old man's legs out from under him. As Hiruzen handsprung back, his once-student chased after with a sudden increase of speed. Hiruzen tilted his head, evading a sudden brush with death, courtesy of the other's blade. However, a swift body check to his hip caused the man's legs to give out on him. Enma flew free from his grip, where he tumbled a short distance away.

Orochimaru's blade slammed down toward his head, but Hiruzen was able to just barely evade. As the blade implanted itself into the surface beneath him, Hiruzen smelled the pungent odor of his student's iconic blend of venom.

Trying to pull himself free, Hiruzen found his exit blocked as Orochimaru slammed a palm down on the other side of his head. The latter's jaw unhinged like the snakes he so-adored, and a set of cruel-looking fangs attempted to tear into Hiruzen's throat.

Gnarled old hands clamped down around the snake-like man's throat, warding him off with waning strength.

"There is no point! Revenge is pointless, boy! I never wanted to be your enemy!"

"And yet here we are!" Orochimaru spat back. Spittle flew freely from his mouth and splashed across Hiruzen's face. "Here we are, fighting to the death because that's what we do! That's what we are, sensei!" Orochimaru inched closer, heedless of the weakening grip around his throat. "That's what I learned all those years ago! That's what you taught me the day that you stabbed me in the back! No matter how much you think you love; no matter how much good you try to do in this accursed world, at the end of the day, we are ninja! Killers!" His teeth snapped out, barely missing Hiruzen's face. "Our very nature is to lie, to betray! To stab anyone and everyone in the back for the sake of protecting the status quo! Why pretend to be anything else? Why put on appearances and lie to yourself! Doesn't that get exhausting? Aren't you tired, sensei!?"

"Of course I'm tired!" Hiruzen headbutted his student, positioning his forehead protector to guard against Orochimaru's teeth; one of the man's fangs snapped and flew away. Orochimaru reeled, and Hiruzen managed to bring his leg up and cram it into the man's sternum, kicking him away, closer to his staff. "But you've forgotten that a ninja is also one who endures! We endure the pain of this world and pave the way for the next generation so that they might have it easier than we did! That is the role of Hokage!"

"Bullshit! You're full of shit! You've always been full of shit!" Orochimaru snarled. He took a step forward, intent on continuing his attack against the tired old man in front of him, but came short as Enma's massive arm sprouted from the nearby staff. "Ah, sneaky," Orochimaru praised, just as the ape-king's hand closed around his head, crushing it to a pulp. A moment later, blood and brains browned; the illusion faded, leaving little more than a pile of mud in Orochimaru's place.

Of course it couldn't be that easy. Hiruzen sighed, tiredly tilting his head to steer clear of a blade, singing toward his head. "This is getting old, Orochimaru."

"I agree." Orochimaru jumped back with a huff, once again calm. "I don't know why I bothered trying to fight you as an equal. Fighting fair has never been my strong suit… Nor yours, for that matter." Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at a glaring Enma, who had once more shifted to his more mobile form; the giant ape sidled up with Hiruzen, his expression stony. "No, I think I'll cut us both a break and skip to your present, mm?"

Orochimaru did not wait for a response, immediately twisting his fingers together in a string of hand seals so quick and fluid that Hiruzen had only just begun to process their makeup by the time his student's jutsu was ready.

Hiruzen paled as it all clicked for him. "No…"

"Yes!" Orochimaru's body rocked with his laughter as he drank in the desperation mounting in his teacher's build.

"No!" Hiruzen's own palms slammed down, the man's chakra suffusing the surface below and careening toward the rapidly rising trio of caskets. "Enma!"

Enma rushed forward, his fist chambered for the kill. Orochimaru ducked at the last moment, and the monkey king's fist blew past the man's head with such force that the wood on one of the caskets splintered away, revealing a shock of white hair. Enma landed with grace and whipped around. "Nowhere to go this time, boy!"

There was a pop as one of the caskets burst open. Then, Enma's body lurched as an impact bored into his chest with a gut-wrenching crack. Blood spewed, staining the remaining casket as Hiruzen's summon was sent smashing along the surface, skidding like a rock on a pond. He crashed head-first into the ground where he then spiraled out and careened hopelessly into a pile of rubble.

"On the contrary, I am exactly where I want to be," Orochimaru chortled. "Summoning: Impure World Resurrection."

The second casket burst away, and a white-haired, blue-armored man stepped out from the container to join the other, a black-haired male with red armor; the latter clenched his fist, still outstretched, then rose to his full height, both positioning themselves protectively in front of Orochimaru.

"First Hokage, Hashirama Senju," Orochimaru preened, throwing his arms up as if in display. The aforementioned man stood at an imposing height, running a calloused hand through long, flowing hair. His Leaf Village forehead protector glinted, the very symbol of the man's pride. Hiruzen's horrified stare trailed below, coming face-to-face with the withered features of his hero. Slowly, Orochimaru's jutsu had begun to revitalize the man's flesh; even as his features smoothed into a more youthful appearance, the man's dead stare continued to peer back, unforgiving.

"Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!" This time, Orochimaru damn-near twirled with excitement. He was giddy, practically vibrating as the second figure stepped forward, his own lifeless gaze regarding Hiruzen. "Well sensei? I slaved for years, reproducing this legendary jutsu just off the glimpses I'd managed of the scroll of sealing! With my recent additions, I dare even say I've gone and made Lord Second's fabled jutsu even greater than ever before!" Orochimaru laughed, and for the briefest moment, Hiruzen saw the young man he'd once loved like his own flesh and blood.

When had he become so twisted that the only joy he could feel anymore was at a moment like this?

"You're right, son. I did fail you."

"Oh, there's still more to do. So, so much more to do! So much more to improve! But I think this serves well enough as a proof of concept, wouldn't you say?" Orochimaru let off a deep bow, as if closing out a performance. "Well? Do you like it!?" The Snake Sanin was so wrapped up in his own mania that Hiruzen doubted the man even heard his words. Orochimaru grinned so wide that Hiruzen could pick out the pink of his gums. "I did it for you! All for you! Are you happy? Are you proud? Tell me that you're proud! TELL ME!

Hiruzen's heart broke. "I was always proud of you, Orochimaru."

Too proud. Too demanding…

How much of this could have been avoided if Hiruzen had been more attentive to his student's suffering?

Said student froze, blinking rapidly as if having an epiphany. Then, he sighed; it was long and tired, as if the man was breathing out every bit of his own emotions. The wetness in his eyes dried, and his posture, loose and vulnerable for only the briefest of moments, solidified yet again. "I have one more thing to show you."

There was more!?

Once again, Orochimaru clapped his hands. Another rumbling ensued, and a third casket began to rise. Orochimaru frowned as it stuck in place, only a third of the way up. "Well that's a shame." With a sigh, the Snake Sanin stood up straight, tilting his head and smirking at a heavily panting Hiruzen. The old man had managed to snuff out his jutsu before he could summon the third. "And here I was really hoping to see how that third one performed; they're a new addition to my collection, you see."

"Your collection? Damnit Orochimaru! These aren't fucking trading cards! You're playing with peoples' lives! Their souls!"

"They're already dead anyways, you foolish old monkey. What do they care?" Orochimaru shrugged, thoughtlessly. "You always were far too sentimental for your own good." A moment passed, student gleefully taking in his old master's horrified expression. "I take it you like my gift?"

Hiruzen sighed. He cut a glance over to a stirring Enma; the monkey king's helmet had been shattered by his rough impact, leaving a bloody gouge in his now bare temple. His chest heaved, desperately trying to find air to fill his ruined lungs, in spite of his collapsed chest.

"I think I would've preferred the potato salad."

"Who's really the monster here, sensei!?" Orochimaru crowed, throwing his arms out as if in invitation. "Let's play!"

---

"He got away," Kakashi droned. "A shame."

Gai simply nodded, shaking off his scorched hand. "In the future, please come up with a strategy that doesn't fry my hand, my eternal rival."

Kakashi grinned apologetically. "Yeah, sorry about that. I planned to just do it with a shadow clone, but my reserves aren't what they used to be, lately."

Gai nodded again, his posture unusually serious. "You can't go getting complacent, Kakashi. You understand, yes?" His rival frowned, and he knew the man did indeed understand. "For the longest time- heck, even now, I have a great deal of respect for you. You're not just my rival, my youthful friend; you're my- well I just said it!" Gai chuckled. "It's because of that, that I tell you this… You're not a very good sensei."

Kakashi said nothing for a moment. Then, "Yeah I… Yeah, I've got no excuses." Not just Naruto, but Sakura too. Even Sasuke, albeit in different ways. He'd done little to help nurture their potential, far too focused on building a 'strong' team that he'd gone and neglected their individual strengths. In doing so, he'd done more to hurt their dynamic than he had to help them. Sakura still struggled to find her place in this world; Sasuke was headed down a dark path of his own; and Naruto… Well, he had a laundry list of things he needed to apologize to that boy for.

Both of his boys were nowhere in sight. A Jonin who had witnessed the scene reported to him that Naruto had summoned them all away from the battlefield.

A thoughtful move, but a reckless one. Or rather, it would've been reckless if Kakashi believed Naruto hadn't thought it through. Impulsive as the blonde may have been though, his sensei had never truly thought him stupid. A bit dense, sure, but never stupid. How could he, when he'd seen the kid's cleverness firsthand? Now, more than ever, Kakashi found it hard to believe his student hadn't at least considered his options, which brought a painful realization for the man.

Naruto hadn't trusted him to come to his aid. Whether because he doubted Kakashi's strength, or because he lacked faith in the man's intentions, the message was clear.

Yeah, he had a lot to make up for.

Kakashi looked back at Gai, who was patiently waiting. "Thank you Gai. You're a good friend."

With that, Gai was all smiles, once again. "Any time, anywhere, my eternal rival! Now come, our flames of youth can only burn so brightly so long as we still have spirit to burn! So turn that frown upside down and let's go punch some bad guys!"

Yeah, punching some enemy ninja sounded like exactly what he needed to get his edge back.

He'd just need to trust that his boys would be alright.

When he saw them next though, he would make things right no matter what.

---

The surrounding buzz of activity stirred Hinata back into consciousness. Her eyes creaked open, hesitantly attempting to peer around at her surroundings. She didn't get far, for the scalding light seared away at her worn retinas, likely the result of overusing her byakugan. Hinata snapped her eyes shut again and sighed.

"You're awake," Shino's voice observed. His usual monotone was comfortably in place, though Hinata felt a shudder in his touch as he gripped her elbow and hauled her upright. "That is unusual; you are suffering from acute chakra exhaustion, the symptoms of which are-" He abruptly went silent as Hinata blindly reached up, clumsily prodding at his face before snagging his glasses. "I will not forget this injustice."

"S-sorry," Hinata murmured unapologetically, slipping the shades onto her own face. "The light hurts."

"As we have a pleasant history together, I will forgive this insult. But I shall never forget the crimes you have committed on this day."

"I-I'll- um, I'll buy you winter melon?"

Shino was silent for a moment. Then, "Well would you look at that, it appears I am experiencing a touch of short term memory loss, the symptoms of which-"

Hinata tuned him out, knowing from experience that he would go on for a while. Shades firmly in place, she finally opened her eyes, surveying her immediate surroundings with trepidation.

No apparent threats. That was good.

Last she'd seen, they'd been in the heat of a bloodbath. Shukaku's manic grin flashed in her mind's eye and Hinata suppressed the urge to flinch.

Would Naruto be okay against something like that? She believed in his strength, but she didn't think he'd blame her for worrying a bit. Hinata sighed again.

Nothing she could do about it now. She'd done all that she could do for him. A wave of shame tried to swell up and blindside her. Perhaps if she'd been stronger, she could have done more to help him. Perhaps-

Hinata took a deep inhale, then smothered that thought.

No, she had done all that she could and more. She was done tormenting herself over 'what-ifs'.

Another deep breath, and Hinata glanced around again, now properly taking in the myriad faces of other surrounding people. Civilians ambled about, anxiety ever-present as she flitted from face to face. Many of them had gone and sequestered themselves off into small congregations, naturally gravitating toward the comfort of close friends and family.

Not far off were speckles of Genin and young academy students; many among them displayed a faux calm, trying to put on a strong face for their own loved ones.

"This is the academy," Hinata observed. Shino went silent, just now realizing that she hadn't been listening. He huffed.

"Yes, I deemed it the most prudent place to take you, considering your condition." He sighed, then. "Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to get a medic long enough to get any more than a clinical diagnosis for you."

"I-I'll be fine," Hinata reassured him. She meant it too; soreness aside, she certainly didn't' feel like she was in any danger of keeling over. "Um- B-better to -" She took a long, steadying breath. "Better to let them tend to the truly wounded."

"You are wounded," Shino argued, hotly. "Why? Because, Hinata, you were having a seizure on the battlefield. You shouldn't even be conscious right now, let alone speaking so lucidly."

Well her family always had treated her like a freak of nature. Hinata snorted, imagining what Naruto would say in that moment. "Maybe I'm just special?"

Eh, close enough.

"Hinata!" Hanabi's voice exclaimed, not far off. Hinata lolled her head over just enough to watch the incoming stampede that was her little sister before the girl collided with her, dragging them both to the ground.

"Ouchies," Hinata moaned from beneath the tackle she'd just been subjected to.

Tiny girl strength really was no joke.

"Oh god, oh god! Hanabi whimpered into her ear. "I was so, so worried when you decided to stay behind! I thought you were going to-" Hanabi choked down a sob. Hinata felt the girl's distress superfluously stain the collar of her jacket, but paid it no heed. Instead, she simply gripped the girl with equal strength, whispering words of comfort to her little sister.

Sometimes it was easy to forget that she was just a child… Sometimes it was easy to forget that she was, too.

A sigh, then Hinata sat up, taking Hanabi with her. "I'm fine. It's okay." She buried her face into Hanabi's hair, choking down the urge to sob, herself. "I-I'm okay. We're okay"

Hanabi shuddered in her grip, her tiny fingers digging desperately into her sister's coat. "Did you win?"

Hinata frowned. How could she explain the nuances of a complex, multi-stage plan to take down a force of nature beyond their individual abilities- ah, screw it! "Y-yeah, I kicked its butt." Pulling away from her, Hinata grinned, wide and full of a pride she felt down to her bones. "I used the sixty-four palms!" She drank the girl's awe-stricken features in; felt her pride resonate with her own.

Goodness, was this what being cool felt like?

"Um- what about your friend?" Hanabi started cautiously. "Y-y'know, the leper." A hot blush danced across her face.

Clearly, Naruto had made a positive impression on the girl after all.

Hinata chuckled. "Naruto-kun's the strongest person I know. He'll be fine; I'm sure of it."

---

"You're back, eh?" Yashamaru looked up from his spot, flashing a warm smile Gaara's way. "You had me worried for a second, when you disappeared all of a sudden."

He was in exactly the same place as he'd been before, like he hadn't moved an inch since then.

Gaara frowned. "Moth-Shukaku woke me up." Gaara started at the man for a long moment, then, "You're not really uncle Yashamaru, are you?"

Yashamaru frowned back for a moment, then grinned sheepishly. "I guess not, huh?" He turned back, allowing the moon to generously wash his face with its light. "No, I guess I'm not." A lame shrug followed his admission, as if he, himself, had only just considered it.

"All this time I wished with all of my heart that I could speak to you, just one more time." Gaara sniffed and clenched his jaw, refusing to show any more weakness. "I just wanted to know why. I wanted- needed confirmation; I needed to know for certain if it was all a lie or not."

"Huh… Well, what do you think?" Yashamaru asked, his tone encouraging.

Gaara stayed silent for a long moment, his frown stretching further across his face by the second. Then finally, "I don't think it really matters after all. You're dead; just a shadow of my past."

Yashamaru frowned thoughtfully, then he simply shrugged. "That works for me!"

"Because you aren't real," Gaara accused, this time more forcefully.

"Because I'm you," Yashamaru corrected the boy, gently. "I'm just an echo of a long dead man that you created so you wouldn't have to be scared all by yourself. I want what you want; if you want to forget Yashamaru ever existed, then go ahead and forget him. If you want to believe that he loved you after all, then I'll simply play the part you've given me."

Gaara simply nodded. On some level, he'd already known that. Suspected, at the very least.

"So Gaara, what do you want?"

The boy said nothing for several long moments. He simply sat down by Yashamaru's memory and gazed up to the moon, his eyes longing. It felt like hours had passed before he finally spoke up again. "I spent so long wrapped up in my own misery that I convinced myself that the only way to feel joy in this world was by taking from others. 'Actualize your existence by killing others'. That was my doctrine; Shukaku's doctrine… It felt so good to feel like I had a purpose in my life… But Shukaku abandoned me, and once again, I am without value."

Yashamaru nodded. "So you want your life to have meaning again?"

"I don't know what I want. I don't even know who I am!" Gaara suddenly exclaimed, his tone pained. He shot to his feet and began to pace. "I tried to be good, and Sand rejected me! I tried to live my life like Shukaku wanted, and Shukaku betrayed me! I guess I just want the world to make sense!"

"Temari and Kankuro didn't reject you."

Gaara froze to a complete stop. "What?"

Yashamaru grinned. "They came to see you didn't they? They comforted you when you needed it most… That has to count for something, doesn't it?"

"Well where are they now, then!?" Gaara snarled, bitterness infesting his tone. "They said they would protect me! I sure as hell need protecting now, so where then? Where are they!?"

His uncle shrugged, almost carelessly. "Good question. Quit wasting your time talking to some dead guy and go ask them already." Then the man simply looked back up to the moon. "I'll see you around, kiddo.

"Wha-?" Gaara looked up, himself, and blanched at the spiderweb cracks that had begun to spread along the moon. All at once, it shattered in a spark of lightning and a hand reached down, snatching him off his feet.

---

"If you're going to kill me, then just do it already… Please," Gaara rasped, weakly. The Uchiha had yanked him out of his sand and tossed him over his shoulder with nary a word. Gaara didn't understand it; why prolong the inevitable?

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm not killing you, idiot. My teammate asked me to save your dumb ass."

"S-save?" Gaara's voice hitched. "Why?" There was something small and fragile in the boy's tone; all at once, Sasuke began to understand why Naruto had wanted to spare this guy.

"Who knows? Maybe he just felt bad for you or something." Sasuke shrugged, the gesture causing his quarry to jostle uncomfortably. Gaara barely noticed, for his mind was far too preoccupied with the implications.

"He saved me… Why? Why?"

"Look, I don't claim to understand what goes on in that idiot's head, alright?" Sasuke huffed, a sneer threatening to break across his face. "He asked me to save you, so I did. End of discussion." Sasuke fell silent, and Gaara went quiet in turn, thankfully taking the hint.

Returning to the location where he'd left Naruto, Sasuke noted the blonde had managed to prop himself up into a sitting position. His eyes were hazy with pain, and he seemed to be flitting between consciousness, but he perked up all the same as Sasuke approached.

"Is he hurt?" Sasuke winced at the rasp in his friend's voice. God, he sounded so weak, like the faintest breeze would snap him in two.

The Uchiha frowned. "Worry about yourself, idiot. Can you stand?"

"Nah," Naruto admitted with a chuckle. "Just... Just give me a couple more minutes to rest, yeah?" Then, his head tilted, the boy shifting slightly to meet the wide-eyed stare of Gaara. "Oh yeah… Sorry about- er, sorry about putting a hole in your chest. Big whoopsie, hehe…"

Gaara said nothing. No words came to mind that could even begin to convey his thoughts, and so he merely gaped at the boy across from him, his eyes so wide they threatened to bug out of his own head

"Er- you're staring a whole lot." Naruto laughed, nervously. "You're not going to try to kiss me are you? Because Sasuke might get jealous."

"This is why no one wants to be friends with you!" Sasuke snarled immediately.

"This is why you weren't ever your grandma's little munchkin," Naruto fired back, carelessly. Then, he disregarded the Uchiha, once more giving his attention to Gaara. "Use your words, buddy. Are you okay?"

Gaara sniffed and closed his eyes, willing the other two ninja not to see that they'd grown moist. "Why did you save me? You didn't need to do that; I wouldn't have done it if I were in your position!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well then I suppose I'm just better than you." His words stunned both Gaara and Sasuke silent with their audacity. "There's this saying I really like that old man Hokage always told me. 'Mercy is the luxury of the strong'... Have you ever heard it?"

Gaara shook his head, confusion written boldly on his face. "I don't understand. Why would mercy-"

"Because any asshole with a pointy object can kill another person. Hurting people is easy," Naruto growled, his eyes regaining some of their focus as his emotions rose. "Helping people is harder; it takes guts! It takes true strength to put yourself at risk and still come out on top!" Then, he leaned back into the tree he'd taken refuge on; his exhaustion was plain to see for both boys. "Maybe if you'd been the one in control, hurting all of those people, I might have just killed you and been done with it… But I could sense you in there; you were scared shitless, and I couldn't just let that slide. That's not how I do things."

Gaara frowned, silently pondering the blonde's words for a moment. "So you actualize your existence… You prove your strength by helping people?"

Naruto shrugged. It sounded accurate enough. "Whenever I can, yeah. Sometimes I gotta admit that I'm not strong enough and remember I'm a ninja. But I've always felt like killing people, especially the helpless, is something that weak people do to feel strong… Nah, I'd rather try and save someone and have it come back to bite me, but know I was strong enough to try, than to take the easy way out and just kill indiscriminately without at least giving somebody a chance to do better for themselves." A long sigh followed that. "It's not always the best call, and sometimes people get hurt because my dumbass wants to do everything the hard way-" God, he hoped Hinata and Shikamaru were okay. "But I've got some damned good friends who trust me enough to have my back anyways."

Looking up to the now silently brooding Sasuke, Naruto gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks for having my back, asshole. I owe you one."

"Whatever," Sasuke growled back. Still, Naruto caught the slight quirking of the boy's lips.

"Mercy is strength…" Gaara repeated quietly, as if tasting the words. "I-I think I understand?" It was more of a question than any affirmation Naruto had ever heard. But it was a start. Suddenly though, Gaara seemed to switch gears. "What did you do to Shukaku? I can't hear it at all…"

"I'd be surprised if you could, really." Naruto shrugged. Spotting Sasuke's own interested look, he sighed. "I implanted an uncapped exploding matrix through its body with my chains. Except- well… I figured regular explosives wouldn't actually do much to its physical body, so I rigged them to target spiritual energy instead of its physical form, using a sample of its yin chakra to- uh... To point it in the right direction. Like giving a dog something to smell so it knows what to look for, basically."

Sasuke blinked for a moment, confused. Then his eyes widened as it clicked. "You blew its soul up!?"

"Sorta," Naruto winced. "Yin chakra is correlated with the soul, but they aren't the exact same thing, just like your yang chakra isn't exactly the same as your physical body. But seeing as Bijuu are made up entirely of chakra, damaging its yin chakra may as well have had a similar effect."

"So you blew its soul up," Sasuke pressed.

"Yeah, fine. I blew its soul up." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sustaining my explosives for that long must have done some serious damage to its psyche; even if it had any strength left after all the chakra I slurped out of it, its will to fight would be at the bottom floor right now. You won't need to worry about it for a while. In the meantime, we can probably get your seal adjusted over the next few days and put something less utterly fucking inhumane in its place. Er- preferably after I don't feel like my insides are exploding. God, it's like taco Tuesdays, but in all of my organs at the same time."

"...The fuck's a taco?" Sasuke groaned, palming his face.

"Don't worry about it."

Gaara looked almost hopeful, hearing the blonde's diagnosis. Sasuke though, "Why stop? Couldn't you have just kept going until you killed it?" Then his eye twitched. "Please tell me you aren't trying to plan that monster's redemption arc! I will hit you!"

Naruto simply shrugged. "Continuing as I was would've likely left Shukaku brain dead." He raised a finger. "One, that would've been pretty damn evil of me." Raising another, he added, "Two, -and this is more important- Shukaku is a mass of chaotic chakra that is naturally aligned toward destruction. Leaving all of that without a proper psyche to maintain it would've put the brunt of it all on Gaara. In a best case scenario, Gaara would be torn apart from the inside and turned into a quivering hunk of meat."

"B-best case?" Gaara stammered, anxiously.

"In a worst case, it'd completely snap your mind and turn you into something just as bad, if not worse than Shukaku."

Then Naruto raised a third finger. "And three, Bijuu can't actually be killed. Even if I succeeded in essentially lobotomizing the giant sand raccoon, it'd eventually recover, and it would be pissed! As it is, it's possible that Shukaku will eventually recover, but will remember the mercy I showed it and learn to dial it back a couple hundred notches."

"So this is a redemption arc!" Sasuke groaned, stepping forward and slapping Naruto upside the head.

"Ouchies."

---

The barrier was still up. Even as Jiraiya climbed to the top of the building, he could already see the devastation that Hiruzen's battle with Orochimaru had begun to wreak from within. The First Hokage's fabled Wood Style was impossible to miss; even disregarding the sheer scale of his wooden constructs, the potent energies emanating from them practically sang with the Shodaime's legendary vitality. A massive dragon made of water roared before careening through the enclosed space, and Jiraiya spotted Hiruzen desperately dancing away from the massive beast's path.

"Why the hell is this barrier still up?" Jiraiya barked, causing the loitering ANBU to jump to attention.

"A-ah, Jiraiya-sama!" The one who had spoken up was a woman with purple hair; the rest of her features were thoroughly obscured by the ANBU's traditional concealing garb. A feline mask with three red stripes denoted her as 'Cat'. She was one of the village's lead kenjutsu, or swordplay practitioners, if the Toad Sage recalled. She steadied herself in an instant, gesturing toward the flaming purple construct. "We have been working to bring it down from the very moment Lord Third was entrapped. However, not even our most potent jutsu can do more than briefly destabilize it."

Unsurprising. Orochimaru's men were clearly competently trained, to maintain such a high level barrier for such an extended period. Especially under constant fire. But there were other, less direct methods. Methods which he honestly would've expected a trained ANBU to recognize.

"Brute force won't work on a barrier like this. It is designed to hold against attacks far greater than the sum of its creators." Honestly, did none of the present ninja know a damned thing about sealing or barriers? He sighed. "Save your chakra. I'll get it down shortly. Once that happens, be ready to launch a full onslaught against Orochimaru and his goons."

A chorus of "Understood!" was ignored by the toad sage, who had already dropped down to one knee; he procured a thick, blank scroll with green accents, and began to write into it. He kept his pace quick, but steady; now was far from being the time to screw up by rushing.

The purple-haired ANBU he'd spoken to earlier ordered her men around with an efficiency expected of an ANBU platoon. "Frog! Owl! I want you on the east and west entrances! The second that barrier goes down, I need mud walls up, separating Orochimaru from his men! Double bag it, and funnel them toward Bear and Falcon; you two, kill them quickly if you can and join us! If not, just keep them out the way! Wolf, you and I are backing up Jiraiya-sama."

She knew her orders had been understood as her people moved to complete them, leaving Wolf and herself to wait close by a rapidly working Jiraiya.

A Four Violet Flames Formation; a fire-style barrier with six sides and four supporting pillars. Tricky to take down, but certainly within Jiraiya's abilities. A vector point seal could be used to redirect the flames to a targeted point so that the ANBU could get through. Simple enough, but it meant Jiraiya would need to combat the four casters' own output to wrench control from them if he wanted to bring it down. Using a water-style conversion method could douse the flames, making Orochimaru's guards easier to combat, but Jiraiya admittedly wasn't very proficient with water-style. If one of the guards turned out to be proficient enough, they could simply stymie his efforts or even turn the barrier against him.

A short glance caught the still-smoking corpse of one of the ANBU.

Not ideal.

Still though…

Jiraiya glanced up at the chaos that had only continued to develop within the barrier. "The old man isn't going to last much longer if we don't get this thing down, ASAP!"

Hiruzen was barely standing. Blood trickled generously from open wounds all across his body. Most concerningly though was the purple, swelling puncture marks on his neck and palm.

Poison. Definitely Orochimaru's, if Jiraiya still knew his old teammate as well as he thought he did.

Hiruzen dove to the right, narrowly evading the charge of Lord Second's massive water dragon. From underneath him burst an onslaught of thick plant life which swept the Third Hokage into its grasp. Hiruzen groaned as the Shodaime's jutsu wrung the oxygen from his lungs; several loud cracks sounded from its victim's ribs as the old man fought tooth and nail to break free. Wrenching one of his arms free, he thrust a palm out, imploringly.

"Enma!" Hiruzen shouted, desperately. No longer than a second had passed before the monkey king burst onto the scene, tearing through the thick tree roots that had captured his partner. Enma slung Hiruzen's arm over his shoulder and made to jump away, but could find no time to escape before the water dragon came at them yet again.

Enma cursed under his breath, then threw his body over Hiruzen's, bearing the brunt of the attack. The dragon crashed into him, driving both of their bodies deep into the surface of the rooftop and throwing up a deluge of soggy debris. Then, exploding from the mass was Hiruzen, Enma hanging limply in his grasp. The old Hokage was only just able to gently lay his partner down before the legendary speed of the Second Hokage began to press him.

A flying knee slammed into Hiruzen's hasty guard, and the old man was made to backpedal quickly to avoid a follow-up palm strike to his throat. The two exchanged blows for just a few short seconds before Hiruzen began to be overwhelmed in his fatigue, and he wisely made to retreat once more, Tobirama Senju's corpse hot on his trail.

Several wooden thorns burst from the ground all around them, only barely failing to find purchase in Hiruzen's flesh from underneath. Listening for their approach, he was able to weave elegantly out of the way of their ambushes, but was once more forced to continue his evasive maneuvers as they coiled together, sprouting several pink flower bulbs which began to bloom. The insides of the bulbs were more akin to the jaws of a savage animal than any plants any of the present observers had ever seen before, and the bulbs began to spew a deluge of thin, needle-like projectiles at Hiruzen.

Hiruzen blurred through a multitude of seals so quickly that even Jiraiya couldn't quite follow, then planted his palms into the ground in a rush. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

The plant-like needles careened into the protective structure, embedding deeply but not quite penetrating. Tobirama once again attempted to rush forward, circling around the Third's wall to once again corral the man into the path of Hashirama's jutsu, but as he rounded the corner, he found that Hiruzen was nowhere to be seen.

Far away, on the other side of the battlefield much closer to Hashirama and Orochimaru, the ground beneath their feet cracked, before Hiruzen burst from the ground. The old man clenched his fist so tightly that his nails bit through the flesh of his own palm, and he slammed a brutal uppercut into Hashirama's jaw, sending the deceased First Hokage's head to look skyward. Hashirama took one step back, but didn't seem to even feel the attack otherwise, for he was quick to retaliate by slamming a side kick into Hiruzen's wounded torso.

Hiruzen cried out as he was launched away, slamming painfully into the ground and rolling to his back in a daze. He was unable to respond at all before Hashirama had pressed the advantage, leaping up above the man and stomping on his throat.

There was a violent crack as the Third's neck broke, and for a moment, Jiraiya felt dread. Then, Hiruzen's body detonated without warning, enveloping Hashirama's body in its destructive force.

As the debris cleared, Jiraiya spotted the First Hokage, downed at the epicenter of the blast; his left arm and leg were both nowhere to be seen, and a good chunk of his torso had been removed as well. However, his body had already begun recovering from the damage dealt by Hiruzen's trap.

"Clever as always, sensei!" Orochimaru laughed, calling the Second Hokage closer to protect him from any further sneak attacks. Already, Hashirama had begun to stand, slowly limping his way closer as well. "I'm truly glad I thought to prepare for as long as I did. Had I slacked off even a little, you might've had a chance here!"

"Damnit!" Jiraiya whined. He couldn't afford to play it safe; not if he wanted to save his sensei from Orochimaru's clutches. He needed a solution, and now! "In that case, I'll just have to turn up the heat higher than these guys can handle!" A feral grin stretched across Jiraiya's face as a spur of the moment idea came to him.

"Instead of bringing your barrier down, I'll make you guys do it for me!" He cackled under his breath. It took only a few short strokes to repurpose his seal. Instead of using a vector to take the fire away, he'd do the opposite. "Care for a game of chicken, kids!?"

The closest of Orochimaru's guard, a heavyset male with an orange mohawk, glanced at him questioningly, a sneer twisting across his features.

"What are you talking about, old man?"

Jiraiya said nothing, simply slamming an open palm onto the delicate parchment. His palm heated to a point that was just short of painful, and sparks began to rise from the seal he'd inscribed. Then, two gouts of orange flame rose from the parchment like twin towers of flame. They coiled around each other and converged into one, forming a shape vaguely reminiscent of a large arm and hand, which palmed the barrier. The flames began to color a deep, purplish hue; smoke rose from the contact, so dense that Jiraiya had to hold his breath to keep from choking on it. Then, the barrier began to shake.

"H-hey! What are you doing!" Orochimaru's guard began to panic; his eyes darted to each of his associates, who were each starting to struggle with the barrier as well. "Stop that!"

"Hey! Cut it out, you decrepit old shitbag!" Another of the group, a female redhead, snarled his way. "Hey, hey! Jirobo, get that asshole under control!"

"What do you expect me to do about him!?" The mohawked boy, now dubbed Jirobo, hissed back. "Lord Orochimaru! We can't hold!"

True enough, the barrier had begun to roil with uncontrolled flames, now dancing furiously across every inch of the surface. The barrier shook, so intensely that the ground beneath all of their feet began to rumble.

"You lot are going to want to give this some space," Jiraiya announced to the ANBU; he stepped back, himself, as if for emphasis. "We can't let those goons recast that jutsu; once this thing comes down, we charge!"

A series of nods confirmed that his orders had been heard loud and clear.

"Stop! Stop!" Jirobo, shouted, his entire body trembling under the pressure of the now unstable barrier. His hands began to smoke and he cried out in pain as his palms blackened under the extreme heat. From under his clothes, a series of markings that Jiraiya immediately identified as the curse mark, began to stretch across the young man's skin.

So Orochimaru had marked them too, huh?

Jiraiya's old teammate had grown wise to the intrusion, now working double time to try and kill Hiruzen before the barrier came down. "Do not allow those insects to interfere before I am done, do you understand me!?" He barked at the four.

The other three followed Jirobo's actions, each becoming encased in the curse mark's insidious script as they fought to tame the flames.

"Nope! None of that!" Jiraiya shot them down with a grin, once again stepping forth and repeating his earlier actions. Another few gouts of flame, these ones even taller than the last, twisted together into yet another large appendage, which gripped the unstable barrier.

"And again!" Another one joined the duo.

"Again! Again!" His chakra quickly plummeted down to just over half as he continued to feed the flames, but Jiraiya paid it no heed as the four purpling appendages throttled the barrier's integrity.

"Lord Orochimaru please!" The redhead pleaded to their master, whose own hasty efforts now betrayed his own panic. "This motherfucker is going to cook us alive! Hurry the hell up!"

"Honestly, what's a guy gotta do to kill a man in peace?" Orochimaru mourned with a shrug. He looked toward the mangled body of his old sensei, beaten and bruised, but still oh-so infuriatingly standing tall. Behind him, the wounded Enma was just starting to find his feet. "Fine! We're leaving!"

"Okay! Time to go!" With that said, Jiraiya bounded away from the barrier at full speed; only a second later, the ANBU joined him, just as the barrier spasmed fiercely, then detonated. The force of it rocked the entire building, and Jiraiya and his colleagues had to fight to stay standing as pieces of the very surface beneath their feet began to crumble and fall away. "In! Now!" He ordered, finding his balance and pushing forward.

The supporting ANBU fulfilled their roles, bringing up walls in hopes of closing off Orochimaru's escape. But Jiraiya knew they would be too slow as he chopped through the smoke and debris, dispersing it to reveal only his wounded old sensei and his partner.

"Damnit! Those walls were too slow! What the hell are they even teaching you guys in the ANBU corps?" Jiraiya snarled, whipping around to glare at the guilty parties. They did not so much as twitch under his abuse, but Jiraiya sensed their shame, all the same. He sighed. "Sorry, that's not fair to you guys. It's Orochi-fucking-maru we're talking about... That guy's about as slippery as prison soap." A huff, then, "Scout the area. Make sure they don't pop up anywhere else! Once the coast is clear, go join the defensive effort! We need all hands on deck!"

The ANBU made to meet his demands, but then Jiraiya held out a palm. "Wait. You two, stay," he ordered, pointing to both Frog and Cat. "You're a field medic, right? Sensei's been poisoned; see what you can do for him," Jiraiya urged the frog-masked ANBU, now pointing to the suspiciously silent Hiruzen.

Had the old man fallen unconscious, standing up? Hardcore.

The frog-masked ANBU rushed over to the still standing Hokage. "Lord Hokage, please bare with me for just a moment," he implored, raising his hands and calling forth the Mystic Palm Jutsu. His palms hovered over the still silent Hiruzen for a moment before he snapped over to Jiraiya, his voice panicked. "Jiraiya-sama! He's not breathing!"

Ah, that explained a lot. "Damnit! Cat, clear the way to the hospital. We gotta get him some real medical attention before he damn well keels over for good!" Jiraiya rushed forward, sweeping the unconscious Hiruzen into his arms. He paused for only a moment, locking eyes with the Monkey King. "Thank you for aiding him, Enma-sama"

Enma nodded, shortly. "Don't worry about me. Hurry and get that whelp some help!"

Jiraiya needn't be told twice.

---

Alright, that's it. The fighting is done... For now.

I had a lot of personal stuff that slowed me down a lot, but I'm more or less happy with how this chapter came out in the end.

Now that I've finally managed to sit down long enough to crank this out, lets talk about it:

(Warning in advance, this is going to be a touch lengthy. if you don't like reading these, it's not for you; move on.)

Naruto and Gamabunta's fight with Shukaku is honestly one of the coolest, most hype moments in the series, to me. I honestly doubt I can come close to capturing the same level of magic that moment brought me, watching the original. I hope I did at least a decent job of making it feel exciting though.

So Naruto is a giant bloody spider. Most of the time writers just either lean REALLY hard into the fox motif or rock with a completely different, random creature. I chose the latter, but I wanted my choice to have some kind of deep connection with Uzumaki culture in a way that represents their identities in this universe as accomplished craftsmen and family/relationship-oriented people. I jumped back and forth on how I wanted that to be communicated early on; initially I liked the idea of centipedes and wanted to pursue that concept using their chains as an aesthetic choice. The general idea was "never give up and burrow on until you reach the other side".

But my mind got changed the moment I made the matriphagy bit back in chapter 5. It just kinda clicked for me and I've been thinking hard about that ever since. As a fair warning, I intend for the spider motif to go pretty far, so if any of you are so deathly afraid of spiders that even reading about them is a no-no, that's what you can expect, sorry.

Moving on.

As you guys can see, in this case, Naruto gets to be the boss summon here! I had a lot of iterations of that fight that I went through. Some were more intense than others, but the more I worked on those, the more I felt like I was doing too much.

I wanted Naruto's performance here to be rooted in skills that he'd already clearly shown and been shown to have developed. Some people have told me they feel that Naruto has been showing off an absurd amount of new abilities that he's pulling out of his ass; I disagree. Every skill that Naruto has shown in this arc has been rooted in either existing skills or stuff that has at least been partially shown to him from Mito's memories.

Some might argue that I've dialed those existing or established skills up too much, and yeah I can see that. I think by this point though I'd rather lean into the ridiculousness a bit than try to backtrack and end up just having things become frustrating by flip-flopping. If I were to ever do a rewrite, I'd probably handle things a bit differently, but for the sake of not driving myself insane, I'm just going to accept that this is where I'm at and commit to it, I guess.

That said, many of the other iterations of this chapter had him doing stuff that just felt extra excessive. Some iterations had Sasuke doing more, but that led to him feeling like he was asspulling a ton, and in the end, I ended up feeling like I hadn't delivered at all on my original intentions with him.

That Chidori I was building up to was meant to be so cool, but I just couldn't get it to come off the way I wanted without just feeling ridiculous to an obnoxious degree. So if any of you are wondering what the hell happened with that, that's what. I just couldn't make it work and so I fell through, to put it plainly.

Sad, but you can't win them all.

Lets get to the other elephant in the room. Orochimaru and Hiruzen goes WAY differently here than it did in canon.

I thought about this for a while and I decided I was kinda disappointed with how canon handled their relationship. It's shown in flashbacks that they were close, and that Hiruzen saw Orochimaru as his favorite student, but also that Orochimaru definitely looked at Hiruzen as a major source of guidance and even comfort in his youth. I wanted to try diving more into their emotional connection, not just as a heartbroken teacher having to put down his student, but a man having to look at the monster his son has become and knowing he's far too gone to be saved or reasoned with.

Note that this is not at all meant to be a set up for some kind of Orochimaru redemption arc. I think he's at his best when he's terrible and honestly he really lost a lot of his teeth by the end of Naruto, in my opinion. I wanted Orochimaru to feel every bit the monster he is in canon, but I wanted his resentment of Hiruzen to have a more direct place that it comes from and be spelled out more clearly. As for why he's so flamboyant here, well I feel like Orochimaru is at his best when he is being 'performative', to some degree. I thought about writing this as a fully fledged fight, but while I can see some slight differences in how it plays out, I still ultimately couldn't see the fight straying so far from canon that it requires any spelling out beyond what was obviously shown.

Here, Orochimaru spends more time working on the Edo Tensei due to Gaara being incarcerated and his involvement in the invasion being less sure to Orochimaru. That's why Kimimaro is allowed to be involved despite his illness, and it's why the Edo Tensei Hokage overwhelm Hiruzen so much more thoroughly. In the case of the latter, they're still a far way off from being full strength, but even something as small as a 5% increase would be terrible for a man who's already fighting a losing battle against three people.

The end result, Hiruzen never gets to use the reaper death seal.

One, because he got overwhelmed before he could decide to use it.

Two, because here, Jiraiya shows up for support instead of... Being completely occupied by a handful of snake summons for the course of an entire invasion.

This will have far reaching consequences and I'm really excited to get to work on that when it becomes more relevant.

That said, that's all I have to say for now, and I'm tired and need a break.

Thanks for tuning in. Next chapter, expect less action as I cover the aftermath and set up for the next arc!