Welcome one and all to another chapter (or a third of a chapter) of The Ones who Suffer. This will include the beginning of the battle for Kiri and will mainly consist of fight scenes. Fair warning; I am not that good at writing fight scenes so this may not play out as well as it sounds in my head, but it should be a worthwhile read nontheless.
On another note, the reviews are increasing in number so I'll be responding to them in batches of 7, starting with-
WOLF-GOST chapter 1 . May 8
interesting update soon
~Thank you for being my very first review for this story. I hope that the updates are to your liking and I will continue to update until further notice
God of Wind 200 chapter 1 . May 16
Also Tsunade could have called Naruto by his name and nothing would have been wrong with it because that is his name so it's not favoritism
~Honestly thats a good point. I did that because most of the people in the room hated or didn't really know him that much so I thought if I said jinchuriki it would have put more emphasis on that,I guess?..idk
TigrezzTail chapter 2 . May 16
Sweet! Good on Jiraiya standing up for ALL his principles for a change. And hooray for someone taking Naruto at face value and not trying to force him to be stupid and ignorant just because he's an outsider.
~You know I haven't touched Jiraiya's story since then. I'll fix that soon.
Guest chapter 2 . May 16
Great chapter
~Thank you
WOLF-GOST chapter 2 . May 21
hey I have no idea how people write that much but update soonthey probably got into it because they got excited by there ideas
~I think I'm getting the hang of it now. Still long tho.
Tendoo chapter 3 . May 25
Pretty good so far. Kinda reminds me of my first story. I hope you'll have time and inspiration to write more of this… Unlike a certain someone…
~Thank you. I'll set some time aside soon so I can read yours. What's the story's name?
Reedz22 chapter 3 . May 25
Please let Gaara be saved!
~The thing about Gaara is, I'm not going to help him just yet. I'm focusing more on Naruto right now but I will update Gaara every now and then.
Sorry for the wait, but without further ado, unto the chapter~
The funeral began at the crack of dawn. Dew still lay on the leaves as they swayed ever so slightly from the wind that began to pick up. The sun slowly rose to illuminate the village as civilians went about to do their daily tasks.
The mother and wife of the deceased; Kanashii Hana, stood at the head of the procession in front of the small crowd. Most had come to pay their respects, however a few of them knew the importance of this event and held their heads high because of it, knowing that the deaths of the father and son along with many others would finally be avenged.
On the head of the Mizukage mansion, Yagura stood with a slight smirk on his face. His eyes continued to watch the funeral with mirth as he chuckled. This was just too laughable of an opportunity to miss, they were holding a ceremony for what? A blood stained shirt?
The man she knew was dead the instant he decided to try and defy his Mizukage, and the boy tried to fight a man's battle; something that they both paid dearly for. To mourn over what was already gone was stupid in his eyes. The dead don't speak, nor do they cry, so why pay any attention to those who have lost the battle of life?
All while he watched, the funeral continued. However no one cried from what was happening, their tears had long run dry from the madness of this village. They were tired, but fortunately someone was here to bring them deliverance.
A set of explosions destroyed the main gate on the wall of Kirigakure. Along with them, Four other explosions destroyed different sections inside the village, causing mayhem as the villagers ran for cover. Yagura's face set into a scowl as he dashed forward to the opening created. Over a hundred ninja immediately gathered at his side as they reached the area to find….nothing. No army of rebels ready to be torn through by the mad Mizukage, not even a footprint or a scent to tell where anyone was. This made the Sanbi Jinchuriki's scowl deepen even more.
"FIND THEM! SCOUR THE VILLAGE IF YOU HAVE TO!"
The loyalists were about to rush off but the sound of sizzling stopped them in their tracks. They turned to the source and found a ninja covered from head to toe in explosive notes, a grin plastered on his face as he looked straight into the eyes of his 'leader'. The man had a dangerous glint in his eye as he spoke.
"A little present, from my leader to yours."
The man then exploded along with half of Yagura's men. A shower of blood and guts rained on the village and body parts were thrown everywhere. Those who did not immediately die from the blast suffered wounds and burns that would either hinder them in battle or take them to the grave regardless. Only a minor few managed to come out of the ordeal completely unscathed. Yagura himself had the entire right half of his face charred, but with the help of the Sanbi, this was healing with minor difficulty.
The Kage was almost blinded with rage. He was now growling as his teeth began to grow sharper, fiercer. His skin took on a pale blue hue and three whisker-like protrusions grew from the sides of his face. Malicious chakra erupted from his being and formed a translucent shell on his back revealing the partial transformation of the Sanbi.
He jumped up to a nearby building and scanned the village, only to find shinobi not of his ranks emerging from a hole in the ground. The very same hole a casket was being placed in just mere moments ago.
Summoning chakra, Yagura tried to let out a bullet of water towards the rebel shinobi. However it was blocked by a wall of rock that appeared from below him. He looked downwards to find a figure with long red hair that partly covered her face. The figure smiled at him as she spoke.
"This has been a long time coming, you asshole."
Ao ran along the streets of his village. His Byakugan uncovered and searched for the largest chakra signature he could find. Finally locating his target, he rushed forward to find a man already covered in blood. The bodies of shinobi littered the floor around them as the man turned his attention to the newcomer. A grin spread across his face as he saw the blue haired rebel.
(Ao doesn't have a last name as far as I know so I gave him one. Don't like it? Insert your own last name.)
"Well look who it is! Fukushi Ao in the flesh! I was starting to wonder when the small fry would stop showing up." The man wore a sleeveless grey shirt that was covered by the Kirigakure Jounin vest. His silver hair was tied back in a bun and a scar ran across his left eye while standard ANBU pants and shinobi sandals completed his attire.
"Katakana Akua." Ao stated as he watched the man's smile grow even wider.
"I thought you died, you old fart! That eye still of any use?"
"As you can see I'm alive and well. As for the Byakugan, you will know once I kill you." The blue haired man said as he got into a stance.
"Skipping past the bickering are we? Fine then, I'll send you to your grave!" Without any delay, Hamura rushed his opponent at blinding speed.
"This has been a long time coming, you asshole."
Yagura let go of his perch on the building. Landing in front of Mei, he spoke.
"Was this your big plan?" His voice was deeper than before. His narrowed eyes now had a red tint to them as Mei's smile widened.
"Frightening huh?" The rebel leader stated. "Over half of your army incapacitated within a few seconds by just a single person. The best thing is, I still have my suicide bomber."
The Mizukage immediately dodged to the left as a man holding a blade swiped at his previous location. He looked to see that this was the same man as before, only now his face was uncovered to reveal blue hair and a grinning set of pointed teeth.
"You found a Hozuki."
"Yep! Hozuki Mui at your service. Just want to say it's an honour to kill you." The man seemed chipper than the other two fighters but the look behind his eyes directed a lot of hatred towards the Jinchuriki. A chuckle escaped Yagura's lips as he heard Hozuki's words.
"It seems you underestimate me, I was the one to destroy your clan after all." The mirth fell from Mui's face almost instantly. Instead of responding, he flashed through a set of hand signs. Rain began to fall on the trio as well as the rest of Kiri. Seeing this, the Mizukage laughed as the droplets touched his skin.
"That's it? Some rain? You plan to buff the element that I'm most known for? You really-" Before he could continue, Mui disappeared from his sight and a blade of water sliced through his neck. Yagura's eyes widened as he jumped backwards to create distance, allowing the Sanbi's chakra to heal his wound.
How was he so fast? To not only catch the jinchuriki off guard but also manage to inflict a fatal wound (for most men) was a feat not many could even imagine doing, but this man did it in less than a second. The Mizukage stared in shock as Mui materialised before him, a blade of water in his hand. He stared down his opponent before he spoke.
"You'd do well not to underestimate me Yagura. As for my family, I'll make sure to send you to them, so that you can ask for their forgiveness in the afterlife!" He took a stance again. Mei rushed forward to try and assist him, but Mui held out his hand.
"I'll deal with him for now, my speed should keep him at bay until Ao returns. Besides, it looks like you have your own battle to take care of." Behind them, two shinobi walked through the streets towards the fight.
The one on the left had a tall and thin frame,his face covered by a hunter nin mask and shaggy blonde hair. He wore a sleeveless black shirt, matching pants and leg and arm guards. The thing that made him stand out the most however, was the long needle like blade that he carried, with thread like ninja wire to match. The Nuibari by his side, Kuriarare Kushimaru of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, was in full view.
The man beside him was just as deadly. A single violet coloured eye looked into their direction. His long brown hair adorned with beads as well as his beard. He wore an extremely loose, long-sleeved pin-striped shirt and black pants, accentuated by the presence of striped leg-warmers matching his shirt. His sword was massively different from the Nuibari, it had a scroll attached to it that was filled with explosive notes, only a small edge of metal signified it as a blade. The blast sword Shibuki in his hands, Munashi Jinpachi continued to walk alongside his partner, completing the 'heartless duo' of Kirigakure.
"Of course it's you two." Mei sighed as she looked towards the oncoming duo.
"What do you mean of course it's us? Were you expecting someone else?" Jinpachi stated as a grin crossed his face.
"Regardless it is a pleasure to meet you Mei-san. Nuibari has been begging for me to sever someone, though I didn't want to do it on just any mediocre shinobi." Kushimaru held up his needle-like blade and pointed it towards the rebel leader. "You will be a more than worthy opponent."
A scoff escaped Mei's lips as she stared on, getting into a stance. "We all know even the two of you combined could never beat me. Are you sure burning to death is the way you want to leave this world?"
Jinpachi's grin started to lower as his demeanour became more serious. A few paper bombs from the blast sword igniting and letting off minor explosions.
"That shit may have been true when you were still here you bitch, but I worked my ass off and got stronger. I'm sure Kushimaru'll say the same thing."
Even though it was covered, a scowl also appeared on the needle swordsman's face as he glared at Mei. Grabbing a few senbon, he chucked them in her direction as he yelled.
"And we'll be glad to show you just how far we've come!"
While the final fight for Kirigakure had just started, someone had finally begun making their own moves as well. Uzumaki Naruto stood in the middle of a bloodied room. Chains that were connected from his hands ran along the floor, used as weapons to slaughter those around him. His jet black hair now had a tinge of red, his eyes glimmered with amusement as a smile crossed his lips. Breaking the chains completely, he decided that it was time to see how the rest of the rebels were doing.
He found a dark jacket and Anbu pants along with an old hunter nin mask. Applying chakra to it, the features changed until it resembled that of a fox. Placing it on his face, the Kyubi Jinchuriki dashed off towards the main direction of the village.
Inside the seal, the nine tails had a grin on his face as he knew what would come next. Projecting his thoughts to his jailer, the beast had but one thing to say.
"Remember our deal brat."
"Of course I do.. Kurama." Naruto's response caused the grin to widen on Kurama's face. Today was going to be an exciting one, believe it!
"And we'll be glad to show you just how far we've come!"
Mei dodged the senbon that was thrown at her. Forming hand signs, she released a jet of water towards the duo. Seeing this, Kushimaru jumped away from the blast before it could do any damage. Not backing down however, Jinpachi raised his sword. The seals lit up as he brought the blade forward.
Explosive Blade Technique: Explosion Barrier!
A wave of fire and concussive force blocked the water that approached the swordsman, evaporating it instantly. A crater also developed from the sword colliding with the ground.
"It's gonna take a lot more than that!" Jinpachi yelled over the explosions "Ain't that right, Kushimaru?"
From above, the Sewing Needle was thrown forward, pinning Mei to the floor as it stabbed through her thigh. The Terumi screamed out as the pain got to her, earning maniacal grins from both sword wielders. A grin that disappeared as the rebel leader turned into water.
From behind the two, she reappeared with her hands locked into the bird seal. The puddle of water that once was a clone of Mei now rose to form a mighty water dragon. It roared at the shinobi and rushed towards them, causing the two to jump out of the way.
Thinking that the threat was over, the swordsmen returned their attention to the kunoichi only to see her switch to the dog seal. The dragon immediately split into two and rushed a shinobi each. Barely having the time to dodge, the two had to perform a substitution in order to escape the blow.
"I guess you two did get better, at running." The snark comment from Mei caused tick marks to appear on the men's faces. Jinpachi brought his sword behind him, sparks crackling as the papers ignited. Blasting him towards the ex-Niban's direction, he began to engage her in a bout of close quarter combat.
"Now this is hardly fair!" She stated as she avoided the sword. "I don't have a weapon to fight against you." A mock pout appeared on her face which caused the Munashi's anger to rise even more. Yelling to his compatriot, he asked a single question.
"Kushimaru! Is it ready yet?" With an affirmative nod, Kushimaru shouted the name of the technique he had been preparing.
Stiching Sword Technique: Severing Wire Parade!
All around the three, thin like wire appeared. That alone would have been a detriment to Mei's movement but Kushimaru ran his chakra through the wire, causing it to vibrate in place and increase its cutting potency.
"You'd do your best not to get caught by any of those now, wouldn't want you to get minced before we have our fun." With that, the blast sword wielder jumped into the fray once again, finally having the rebel leader take this battle seriously.
Ao parried kunai with Akua as the two fought each other for dominance. While the Byakugan wielder had an edge in evasiveness and defense, he had not been in Kiri for a while and his opponent was clearly stronger than him. Not to mention the slight change in perception between his two eyes and Ao was in for a rough time.
Still, he had to complete this. This was one of the main enemies standing before Mei's rule, obstructing the way for a better Kirigakure. He'd be damned if his eyes didn't see that future come to pass!
Making room, Ao formed the hand signs for a Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. A torrent of wind escaped his mouth and rushed in the direction of the Sanban, who proceeded to sink underground. This bought the loyalist a few seconds of time to come with a counterattack of his own.
Suddenly, the ground below Ao shifted as he watched Akua form a hand sign. The sinking ground began to rise and form the shape of a dragon. Coming out of the floor, Akua shouted the name of his technique as Fukushi tried his best to dodge.
"Earth Style: Mud Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
The dragon released a sphere of the substance towards its opponent. Already in the process of dodging, Ao managed to get away from the attack. What he didn't count for however, was for the ninja to appear in front of him with a kunai raised. Having no choice, the rebel turned towards the incoming blade, taking the brunt of the attack in his shoulder as he slammed into the concrete.
"Ha! First blood is mine!" Akua stated triumphantly as he looked at his downed opponent. He knew that the old man couldn't run forever. It was just a matter of time before he caught the elder shinobi.
"Yes..you might have caught me, but I didn't leave you unscathed." Ao formed a hand seal, earning a quiet sizzling sound coming from Akua's arm. Looking down, the ninja's eyes widened as he realised what was about to happen, but it was too late.
Boom!
"GAAAHH! THAT HURT YOU FUCKER!" Akua's voice rang out through the dust and debris. Activating his Byakugan once more, Ao saw the state that his opponent was now in.
The man was clutching at the bloody stump that once was his left arm. He watched as the man formed a tourniquet with his shirt, preventing any further blood loss. Walking forward, he stared into the eyes of his foe as he spoke.
"Its..over." He couldn't waste anymore time here. Mei needed him to clarify if Yagura was truly under a genjutsu and he couldn't do that here. Taking out a kunai, he decided to end this quickly.
"I"LL KILL YOU! I WILL KILL YOU! I WON'T LET IT END LIKE THIS! NOT BECAUSE OF SOME CHEAP GENJUTSU!"
The man realised it the minute that tag went off. Ao took the stab to get in close, applying both the seal and a minor genjutsu to cover it up. Without noticing, he had let the old bastard turn this entire fight in his favour.
"DAAAMN IT!" He shouted as he placed his palm in the blood. Immediately he began to make one handed seals. Ao tried to stab him but Akua managed to place his palm on the ground in time, yelling the words "SUMMONING JUTSU!"
A massive cloud of smoke arose, pushing the aged man back as he winced in pain. Looking down at his arm, he saw a fish gnawing at his flesh. Throwing it off, he looked back at Akua and found a massive fish the size of a building. Surprisingly the fish had legs and human-like teeth, which it used to speak to its summoner.
"Akua, you look like you're in bad shape, I might just call it a 'fishy situation'?" A chuckle escaped the behemoth's mouth as its eyes focused on the damaged man.
"No time for your jokes Ouuo-sama! Kill him!" Akua shouted, pointing at Ao. The fish boss nodded in response and filled his mouth with chakra. Ao's Byakugan widened at the sheer amount that was going into that single attack. Seeing that this would not end well, he performed a water clone and allowed it to throw him into the air. The fish's eyes went up in glee as he fired the shot straight into Ao's direction, tearing him to shreds under the water pressure.
A silent minute passed by as Akua looked at the spot his opponent once was. Why would he throw himself in the way of an attack like that? Unless-
The words did not continue as a kunai ran straight through his heart. Akua gasped in pain, staring into the singular eye that had been his downfall. Ao dropped the dead man on the back of his summon and proceeded to walk up to its head. He needed to provide enough damage that would cause the fish to return to its home, once it broke out of the genjutsu placed by the clone.
The man took two explosive tags and placed them right next to the beast's eyes. Activating them, he jumped off and landed on a building. The creature shrieked in pain and crawled backwards, trying to get its vision back. It slammed its head into a building and tore the roads apart. When the pain grew unbearable, it transported itself to wherever the home of the fishes resided.
Ao sighed in relief, not wanting to fight something of that proportion. It seems that the universe didn't have mercy for him today though, as with the disappearance of one beast, another rose to take its place.
A roar filled the air as the full might of the Sanbi towered over the village, its three tails swaying behind it as its singular eye stared down the people it wanted to kill. Wasting no more time, Ao popped a soldier pill to his mouth and rushed off towards the battle site.
Things were just getting started.
Earlier
The Mizukage and Hozuki were at a standoff. The bloodline user still had his water blade active while Yagura raised his staff into a defensive position.
"So you're actually taking me as a serious threat." Mui said as a sombre smile crossed his lips. "I'm glad."
"Should I ask why?" Yagura didn't dare take his eyes from his opponent. The speed that this man possessed could be similar to only one ninja; a ninja that had died long ago
"...I wasn't here when the Hozuki clan died. I ran away because a life in the mist just wasn't one I saw myself being happy with, regardless of a different ruler." His fists started to tighten into knuckles. " I left because I was scared, and with that I doomed my people to die by your hand. You treating me like an enemy here allows me to fix my mistake; it allows me to kill you at your best!"
Instantly Mui disappeared. The Mizukage prepared for an attack only to have the Hozuki appear behind him. Blade ready to strike, the bloodline user thrusted forward and was met with a parry from a struggling Yagura. Disappearing again, the man made room between himself and the jinchuriki.
"I won't give you another chance! Water Style: Water Vortex Jutsu!" The rain coalesced into a giant sphere of water. It rushed toward the Hozuki at alarming speed and seemed to hit the rebel. Unfortunately, the jutsu blocked Yagura's vision which allowed Mui to slip away, leaving the battlefield barren.
He returned right beside Yagura with his hands in a finger gun position, aimed right at his skull. The Mizukage turned around, letting the chakra shell take the impact of the blast. It still managed to make him grunt in pain as he was sent forwards from the shock.
Yagura fell to the ground, bijuu chakra slowly receding as he panted in exhaustion. The Hozuki also panted as he walked towards his clan's killer, his hand in the same finger gun position.
"You killed so many people, so before you die, I want to know why you did it." Silence was the only answer he received, causing his face to twist in anger.
"ANSWER ME! I DESERVE TO KNOW! WHY DID YOU KILL THEM! WHY DID YOU KILL MY CLAN?!"
Lashing out, the jinchuriki swung his staff at Mui's torso. Seeing the attack, the rebel decided that simply turning to water would allow him to evade it. The shock on his face was evident as the blow still managed to reach him, sending him into a nearby building.
"H..How?" The Hozuki coughed up a mixture of blood and water as he looked at the bruised area. A growing mass of coral appeared which sapped his chakra supply at an alarming rate. He tried his best to break it off but the coral only grew in response, covering half of his body.
"You said it yourself, you could only keep me at bay with that speed of yours. Applying lasting damage was never an option." The Mizukage chuckled as he got up from his downed approached the injured man who by this point was becoming too weak to fight the coral from spreading.
"That coral is how I killed your clan." The Hozuki's eyes widened as he looked towards the jinchuriki, coral now covering everything except his head and left arm. "As for why, it wasn't a preference, they were just in the way of my plan."
"That technique of yours is intriguing, but the basis still comes from your main clan technique; turning into liquid to avoid attacks. This liquid consists purely of chakra, chakra that Isobu's coral feeds off of." Yagura said as he held up a single finger. "Meaning to end this battle, I just needed to hit you once." A smile crossed his face as he kneeled beside Mui.
"Your dependance on that technique was your downfall. Now look at you, ready to join your family in the depths of hell."
Mui stretched out his hand, grabbing the leader by his clothes. Seeing this as a final act of defiance, the Mizukage decided to let the bloodline nin have his final words.
"I….I-If I'm g-going to hell, then. THEN I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME! RAIJIN'S TEMPEST!"
A crackle ran through the sky as thunder shook the heavens. A massive bolt of lightning struck the two, causing both to scream in pain as electricity continued to shock them.
"RUAAAGH!" The shock was unbearable, but through it all Mui held on with determination. As the hair on his body fried, skin slowly charring and even falling off at some places. His eyesight was long gone by now, but still his grip remained strong. He would not let go, he could not waste this opportunity to kill this man, and if his life was to be the price for all this, then he would gladly give it with a smile on his face.
"Mui!"
Who's voice that? Mei's? He couldn't tell anymore. His chakra was running low and his body just couldn't keep up. He went out with a bang though, no way Yagura was expecting to become a human lightning rod. Heh, guess he'd find out why in that bastard killed his family after all; why would the jinchuriki hide something when they're already dead?
The lightning stopped,clearing away with the rain as Mui's chakra faded from this world. His boy was no more than bones now, a skeleton that still held on to the charred remains of the Mizukage; at least until the body began to move.
"-That. Almost killed me. YOU SCUM!" Bijuu chakra surrounded the jinchuriki once more as he started to grow in size, the spike- like protrusions bcoming more like armor plates as his skin changed from black to dark blue, regenerating on a whim.
"I have let this continue for TOO LONG! You rebels want this village so badly? FINE! I'll give it to you once I've RAZED IT TO THE GROUND! AND ALL OF YOU HUMANS WITH IT!"
The roar of the sanbi filled the village as its form towered over the buildings. Its singular eye stared on with hatred an rage as it was finally free from the cage it was bound to. Coral rose to massive proportions as it dragged itself through the streets, destroying anything in sight.
"Now, let the bloodbath begin!"
…
Words: 4597
Pages: 10
Story Notes: I changed the Hozuki clan a bit. I'm not sure how they got wiped out in canon but i'm using Yagura's coral as an effective counter to their jutsu. Also if it was just water then Suigetsu would have died when he took a tailed beast bomb to the face but everyone in Taka had some form of plot armor against Bee so maybe not.
Ao isn't a traitor; I'm pretty sure you've figured out by now. If you haven't then…fuck, I just blew it. Just pretend like you knew the entire time. He just said that to try and get Naruto out of the self induced sleep state he put himself in.
Mui's technique works by changing to water and moving through rain, almost like a flash-step of problem is he needs both an active source of water and open room, he can also only move in a linear pattern. Still put Yagura on his ass though.
Ao's fight may seem a bit lackluster. Which I'm sorry for, but I wanted to show that even with strength, luck can go a long way in a fight. Don't worry though; Ao's luck will run out.
King fish is Kingu fish. But singularly the king is Ou and fish is Uo. I think it goes to Kingu when it's used as a title, not very sure.
…
Author's Notes: This is only the first part of what I have planned for Kiri. Why the fuck does putting your thoughts on paper take such a long damn time. It took almost a week to write this (in active hours that I was actually writing) and to say i'm only at 4.6k words annoys me to no end.
In all seriousness though I really am glad to have reached this far. Kiri's war was the first checkpoint I wanted to reach aside from Naruto's defection. I'm writing a lot more and better than I did with my previous story and I think story length is no longer the problem…hopefully.
Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy. Don't be afraid to leave a review, I love reading them; even the disapproving ones. It shows that you cared enough to help me strive for better in my endeavour.
A new character will pop up in the next chapter, aside from Naruto of course. How will their interaction change the story, and who will this mystery individual be? Place your guesses in a review below.
With that done I have nothing more to say. Have a wonderful day!
Sayonara~