(Chapter 24: Grounded Vegetables)
It would be later on in the month of July, as Hanabi and Mizuki had made quick work to get to the Land of Vegetables, given that they not only wanted to have everything in place to make Mizuki's plan of duping and subsequently assassinating of the Janin in a creative ambush. Given that the last thing that either of them wanted was for the leader of said country to be caught up in something that she didn't need to risk herself being apart of, when they could handle it themselves.
On the otherside of things, Naruto had after his date with Hanabi decided to plan his journey toward the destination of the Earth Plate; given that he figured it was time to go for one of them, and it was one that he deemed necessary for his future plans in farming…on top of wanting to give himself a power boost.
(July 22nd, 997 S.E, Land of Vegetables, 3:10 Pm)
It was a bit after 3 as Mizuki and Hanabi who were in their disguises were 'leading' the Janin toward Haruna's location that they 'promised' they had found her in.
"She's right over there. Just as promised." Mizuki spoke pointing to a disguised 'Haruna' watching over the small town
"You two certainly delivered on your end, Jiga. You know what to do." Renga told his younger brother Jiga who nodded eagerly and rushed after 'Haruna'
"By the way, you never told us your names or where your from?" Renga added as he turned his attention to Mizuki and Hanabi
"After your brother takes care of her, then we'll tell you all about who we really are...You have our word." Mizuki answered back as Jiga soon closed the distance on the Vegetable Daimyo
However, instead of blood coming from her head as the rotund member of the Janin drove the bladed end of his kusarigama into her skull; her body soon turned an earthen brown and expanded at a rapid rate before Jiga was caught within range of a transformed Exploding Mud Clone. Which bombarded him with condensed mud and earth that flew with such force that it cracked stone and pavement wherever they struck, and nearly caused the middle brother of the Janin to topple over.
Yet his disoriented state after being blinded didn't last for long as faster than either Renga or Ruiga could react to, the eldest of the Hyuga sisters dashed with such speeds that a cloud of dust and an accompanying mighty gust of wind was made in the aftermath. As she closed the distance with the swiftness of a cheetah to deliver a wind-chakra enhanced 8 Trigrams Mountain Crusher, for the moment Hanabi's palm made contact with Jiga's back that not only were his clothes torn to shreds from the immense amount of wind pressure and concussive forth that sent him flying.
It had also done as intended in taking the middle brother of the Janin out of the equation; given that his spine and ribs had been compressed inwards on each other to the point that they'd been flattened to look like they'd been run over by a steamroller, as well as his innards having been ruptured to the point where gore and blood flowed out of his mouth in a great stream of crimson. Meanwhile, whilst the remaining Janin were processing what had happened Mizuki had rounded on Renga to unleash a right hook that sent him sprawling into a nearby tree, before striking out at Ruiga with an uppercut to the liver and then a short yet thundering combination to the ribs that nearly knocked him to the ground.
However, before Renga could attempt to get up in time to attack Mizuki; he was forced to dodge a Gentle Fist strike Hanabi who leapt at him with ferocity of a tiger, her hand having punched a hole through the tree he once lay against. The eldest of the Janin having to quickly go through hand-signs to form a small legion of his ice disks that he sent a handful of hurtling toward Hanabi, who used her impressive to not only rapidly dodge and evade the frigid projectile, but must to Renga's irritation use them as makeshift platforms to further bounce off of to increase her stride.
Hanabi's pace wasn't stopped when a trio of ice disks sharpened into whirling buzzsaws came after her, as she merely channeled lightning chakra into her Gentle Fist strikes to blast them apart as though they were made of brittle clay; whilst she continued her advance…So upon seeing that despite the barrage of buzzsaw-like ice disks were doing nothing to impede the Hyuga's rush toward him as he was backing away as fast as he could from her, he focused all remaining ice disks into a 3-foot-thick dome of hardened ice as Hanabi continued her charge.
"I will admit its impressive that he can conjure ice similar to a Yuki…However, it will be nowhere near enough for to stop me." Hanabi said as static like energy began to surround her
"Swift Release: Phantom Strike." Hanabi spoke as the static-like energy caused her hands to vibrate
The attack caused her hands to vibrate at such high speeds that they were almost imperceptible blurs as the moment they made contact against the ice barrier it seemed to not only phase through it on the 1st strike but also shred the ice as though it were being put through a wheat thresher. Allowing her to close the distance before Renga could summon forth more ice disks to aid him, as she pierced his throat with her left hand which upon making contact seemed to vibrate through his flesh and out the back of his neck before she withdrew it with a small flourish.
The eldest of the Janin coughed up a considerable amount of blood before their head slumped backwards at a morbid angle, givne the fact that said attack had shredded his spinal cord, throat and jugular vein; whilst leaving the outside without so much as a single mark. So after seeing Renga slump to the ground with their neck reduced to gorey jelly as they rapidly choked on their own blood, Hanabi with great speed and agility leapt through the hole she made and dashed to assist Mizuki in his fight with the remaining member of the Janin.
Meanwhile, Mizuki was proceeding to batter the remaining Janin's legs with his kanabo or deliver bone-crushing crosses and hooks to the body, and while Ruiga was able to defend against the heavy-handed attacks from the ROOT operative; it came at the expense of even defending against them left harsh bruises. Yet as a battered Ruiga parried another harsh overhand from Mizuki that pushed him into the dirt, Hanabi came rushing out of the woodwork to land a small flurry of Gentle Fist strikes to his left shoulders that were infused with lightning chakra; sending small arcs of lightning into it as it shook and seized from the internal electrocutions.
The sole Jannin yelped in pain as he dropped one of his tonfas, as his arm continued to violently spasm from the internal electrical shocks, that left him distracted long enough for Mizuki to crack him in the jaw with his kanabo and send him doubling over with a nasty liver shot from Mizuki's kanabo. Yet Hanabi wasn't one to miss out given that she launched a combination of Gentle Fist strikes to Ruiga's stomach, before sending him reeling back with a hard roundhouse kick to the ribs that sent him scrambling into the ground.
"I am almost disappointed, Mizuki. I figured that you would have taken care of this one by now." Hanabi playfully chided her companion
"Well, excuse me if it's taking me a bit longer to get rid of this guy. Not everyone can be as busted as you!" Mizuki retorted as Ruiga staggered and stumbled too his feet after the series of attacks
"Fair enough, I suppose…Regardless, let us finish taking out the garbage." Hanabi replied as they stalked toward Ruiga
Meanwhile, Ruiga went to use his Water Release: Water-Heavens' Convergence to even the odds against the duo heading towards him, yet the Gentle Fist strikes had done enough to make doing so a struggle to mold his chakra enough to get the jutsu off…Hence why as he was trying arduously to cast the jutsu in question Hanabi used her immense speed to close the distance and land a harsh hook kick to Ruiga's right temple, stunning him long enough for Mizuki to bash in his legs with a swipe from his kanabo; eliciting a sharp cracking noise from the broken bone that caved in on itself from the blow.
Hanabi used a subsequent 8 Triagrams Vacuum Palm to blast Ruiga some 30 feet away; the sound of ribs crunching and snapping was heard as he was sent flying, but he would not get far given that Mizuki used an Earth Release: Mud Wall to stop him in place; followed by Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears to caused drill-like spires of earth and stone to piece into his flesh…Ruiga howled in pain as said spires pinned his arms into the wall of hardened mud as well as piercing into his kidneys, crushed ribs, and punctured lungs, all the while Hanabi ran at full tilt with nothing but lethal intentions toward the struggling and bloodied sole Janin.
Hanabi on the other hand made sure that within the blink of an eye that she was able to close the distance between herself and Ruiga to deliver a blindingly fast 8 Trigrams: 64 Palms that was enhanced with wind chakra for added concussive force. The result of this was a bloody one given that the consecutive strikes were not only delivered with surgical precision and speed, but with enough power to crack and splinter the mud wall he was pinned too like it was made of glass.
Hence why within under 30 seconds the Mud Wall was not only reduced to rubble but Ruiga was rendered a heavily bruised and battered cadaver given that Hanabi's attack had struck with such force that it practically caved in his chest cavity. The Hyuga in question upon seeing her foe defeated and dead at her feet after having been so thoroughly obliterated eventually deactivated her Byakugan, as Mizuki eventually came to her side with a storage scroll in hand.
"Man, that was a bit overkill don't you think? I mean the guy wasn't even all that." Mizuki asked as he handed her the storage scroll
"To be fair, Mizuki. These cretins somehow overtook an entire country…Granted they used corrupt courtiers to do it, but nonetheless they still did so. As such they were not to be trifled with." Hanabi answered back as she stowed the body away in the storage scroll
"Fair point…I still don't get how they did it, if there this week. Hell, I'm pretty sure Guy's genin could put up more of a fight than they did." Mizuki said as he helped push the corpse into the storage scroll
"Kind of a disappointment for a group that calls themselves the Evil Ninja…What a joke." Mizuki further spoke in having expected more from them
"Agreed. However, we can discuss the semantics of their strength after we finish stowing away their corpses…We will need evidence to show that we upheld our end of the mission, after all." Hanabi spoke as she finished pushing in Ruiga's corpse
"Gotcha." Mizuki said as from there on they went about storing the other Janin's corpses in the storage scrolls they had with them
(The next morning, Land of Vegetables, July 23rd, 997 S.E, 10:24 Am)
It was nearly half-past 10 in the morning as Mizuki and Hanabi were currently meeting with Haruna both to congratulate them on having successfully defeated the Janin, and to discuss matters of aid given how things had gone south with the trio of ninja running rampant in her home.
"First things first, I want to give my utmost thanks to the two of you for your aid…Had it not been for your timely interception; things would have become far direr here." Haruna thanked the two Konoha shinobi for their help in eradicating the Janin threat
"Of course, Lady Haruna. The Hidden Leaf is more than welcome to lend its aid." Hanabi said back
"Furthermore, it is a good thing that my friends' plan worked. Otherwise, things could have gone horribly." Hanabi added still surprised that Mizuki's plan went successfully without a hitch
"Indeed, I don't know what I would have done if your plan hadn't worked…Which reminds me, how did you come up with such a well-done plan?" Haruna wondered
"Oh, it's rather simple on how I came up with it, Lady Haruna... I saw it in a super-cool spy movie a couple of months ago, and I figured to myself. If that worked there, then It could make for a cool plan in the field; so I figured what the hell let's do it." Mizuki answered back
"Your kidding, Mizuki? You mean to tell me; that you banked the success of our mission on an idea you got from watching a movie?" Hanabi asked almost dumbstruck by this information
"Yup! But hey, it worked didn't it?" Mizuki told the Hyuga with a smug grin at his plan who groaned upon hearing this tidbit of information
"...Sometimes I wonder how exactly do you even function at times." Hanabi spoke in an exasperated deadpan
"Hey, it's not my fault that my 'dumb ideas' work. It just happens that I'm just that awesome that everything comes out on top most of the time." Mizuki replied with a shrug of his shoulders
"Be that as it may, I hope that you will look towards an alliance with the Hidden Leaf, Lady Haruna…Given what has happened in your home, I would say it would be incredibly advantageous to have our support should another occurrence like the Janin happen again." Hanabi suggested
"I will admit that it would be nice to have support after what has happened. More importantly better advisers and courtiers than my previous court." Haruna spoke
"I can assure you that with my villages' help, we will find you less corrupt advisors to assist…Perhaps even work out a way to have a better guard to protect you in the event of another coup." Hanabi replied knowing that on both accounts Haruna needed a far greater court-guard to protect her at all times
"That would be greatly appreciated…If my men had been better equipped when the coup happened, then perhaps this crisis could've been averted. So many lives were lost and my country turned to bedlam, because of their insufferable greed." Haruna said back in disgust of how everything went to hell and a handbasket because of something as simple as ones' own avarice
For the Vegetable Daimyo despised how during the entirety of the coup up till now that she had been rendered near helpless to the point of having to flee her own home until she could gain the aid of the Hidden Leaf; especially given how her fathers' own court had betrayed them for the Janin's promises of further power and wealth. Hence why she was more than grateful for her calls for help having been heard and the threat dealt with, without having to use her own people as bait to gain so much as a slivers' worth of a chance at assassinating the Janin.
"So what the hell are you gonna do now?" Mizuki asked
"Rebuild, and repair the damage done by those cretins to my homeland…Hopefully, regain trade routes that have no doubt been taken over by marauders and bandits thanks to them." Haruna replied on the only thing there was too do
"If there is anything we can do to help you. Please let us know...The Hidden Leaf will be happy to assist in any way possible." Hanabi said to the still joyful yet still stressed Vegetable Daimyo
"You have done more than enough. For now, the only thing left to do is to push forward, and hopefully strike negotiations toward an alliance to help in the rebuilding process." Haruna said back
"Believe me, our Hokage would love to offer his help to you and your country. He is an incredibly generous man, as to whom our village would be lesser without." Hanabi spoke
"I'm sure he is…In the meantime however, I believe that there is not much else to say beyond pleasantries." Haruna replied with a sigh in knowing there was a 'considerable amount of work to be done
"However, with all pleasantries aside, the two of you are free to leave. I will have your rewards gathered by the time you depart…Once again, thank you for your services and apologies for not having much more to say. It is more having an incredible amount of damages to repair to my home, than lack of hospitality." Haruna added knowing there was much to be done
"Of course, and good luck to you, Lady Haruna." Hanabi said as she rose before bowing to the Daimyo
"And to the two of you as well." Haruna replied as the two Hidden Leaf shinobi left her courtroom
"Did you really have to lay it on that thick, Hanabi? I know your playing diplomat and all, but you didn't have to go full kiss-up mode back there." Mizuki questioned
"Given that a potential alliance with another country is on the line. Then I believe it was…although you are right that I overdid it by a considerable amount." Hanabi answered back in admission
"But in my defense, I am not one for statecraft or using flowery words to consort with nobles all too often. So my dealings with them, despite my fathers' teachings are a bit rusty." Hanabi added
"Well, rusty or whatever you wanna call it. It at least got us in the bag for the village to get another person to help with stuff. That's all that matters at the end of the day." Mizuki said as they eventually made their way to exit the Daimyo's castle
"Fair enough." Was Hanabi's only answer
"So what do you wanna do now? We got rid of those Janin bastards, and did everything else we need to with Lady Haruna…So what now?" Mizuki wondered
"Perhaps, we could do a bit of sightseeing while we are here? After all, I feel that our efforts have deserved that much…Don't you think?" Hanabi suggested
"Sounds fine by me, Hanabi." Mizuki said as the two left to venture and see what the Land of Vegetables had to offer in terms of sightseeing
(13 hours later, 11:44 Pm, 12 Miles outside of Sunagakure)
Meanwhile, later on into the day turned night, had Naruto who'd teleported into Wind Country in search of the Stone Plate was currently digging through the sands in search of his prize like a madman possessed at superhuman speeds.
'Man I've been digging for who knows how long…I swear if I dig any deeper I'll hit the center of the earth before sunrise.' Naruto remarked to himself as he dug with his shovel at nearly supersonic speeds
So for what felt like an hour or two's worth of digging through hard packed sand and dirt and creating a cavernous hole that was dozens turning into hundreds of feet; that stained his clothes a deep brown as he relentlessly dug without missing a beat, whilst small mounts of sand and dirt were made. The superhuman blonde's efforts as he continued to dig with his shovel at a pace that would make achealogogists green with envy, was eventually rewarded as his constant shoveling mountains of sand and dirt were met as his shovel clanged against something he recognized.
Hence why he briefly put his shovel to the side and reached down as hard as he could to pluck what he knew was his prize from out of the depths of the cavernous hole he'd made, as with a mighty heave as he drove his arms near forearm deep into sandstone and hardened dirt; did he nearly topple backwards. Yet thanks to his Levitate ability he was able to stop and right himself immediately to look at the tablet that was colored a mix of amber and tiger's eye, that pulsed with the power of the earth itself in his hands that brought a smile to his face.
…So after a few brief moments of looking over and admiring his prize did he eventually stow it away in a storage scroll, and put that in his satchel did he use his superhuman strength to leap out of the hole, with him landing a sizable distance from the massive hole that he made in the ground…However, to his surprise when he did so he found that there was someone looking at him with curiosity that sat floating on a cloud of sand, the figure in question was wearing a pair of sweatpants, a long-sleeved night shirt; with their brick red hair falling past their shoulders in a frazzled mess, while bright turquoise eyes seemed to look at if not through Naruto.
Yet it was as they descended downwards to gain a better look at the superhuman blonde who didn't move out of curiosity, nor the idea of who this could be did he see that they also wore across their back a gourd made of hardened sand, a kanji for love made present on their forehead and their figure despite being small in frame and stature was rather curvy the moment he was able to better look at her.
"Why are you in my desert." The young womans' voice questioned, her voice sounding exhausted and weary with undertones of spiteful bloodlust laden underneath
"Your desert, I didn't know anyone owned this desert?...Wait a minute how did you know I was even here to begin with?" Naruto asked back
"Given that, I could not sleep once again as my mother pestered me again and again almost incessantly; for more blood. I ventured out here for peace and silence, as always have when I cannot sleep…And yet, in my solace away from my home and in my quiet place…I felt you moving about within it, and I wanted to know why." The young woman told Naruto their eyes continuing their almost haunting gaze
"Well, if you really want to know I was looking for something that was buried here. And now that I have it, I'm gonna go and take it back home with me." Naruto told the strange woman
"Really?...What will you do with what you have found in my desert?" The strange woman asked
"Why do you want to know, whoever you are?" Naruto questioned back as the redheaded woman continued to descend closer to him
"That is because with you around; mother has gone quiet. Even more so, as she told me that you have power beyond even her own, and wield something that has power older than hers…So I want to know what you will do with it; if you have enough strength to make her be quiet." The strange woman answered back finding it odd that her mother went quiet around this person when any other time she would be clamoring for their blood
"Please, tell me, as it is rare to have things that will make mother be quiet...For you have my undivided attention; whoever you are." The strange woman requested as she barely cast a glance at the massive hole before she made a fist and in an instant, it was swallowed by the sands around it
"For starters, my name is Naruto Uzumaki…pleasure to meet you, and also how did you do that? Because, I won't lie that's pretty cool, weird cute redhead girl on a sand cloud." Naruto told her in amazement of the massive hole being sealed within a matter of seconds
"My name is…Gaara of the Desert…Now then, answer my question." Garra questioned their face shifting into a rough yet small approximation of a smile at being called cute
"Well, what I'm gonna do with it, is gonna help make me even stronger than I am now...Simple as that." Naruto answered back
"And what are you going to use this power for?...Why do you need it?" Gaara inquired with a quizzical look on their face
"For a lot of reasons to be honest with you…But the main ones I have; are to protect all of the people I care about, and make my own future become what I want it to be. That's what I want all this power for." Naruto told the redhead before him for what his reasons were
"How important are these people to you; that you want to acquire this much power for?" Gaara asked as they floated their sand cloud closer toward Naruto
"They're just about everything to me. Hell, I wouldn't even have made it this far if I didn't have them in my life to keep me going." Naruto replied in full admission
"...Do you have anyone in your life that keeps you going?" Naruto asked back
"I…I have a small few that are close to my heart. In fact, they are close to my heart than my own family. Ones that without their influence in my life, I would have long since lost my sanity." Gaara responded
For the jinchuuriki of Shukaku knew that without Maki, Shura, or Mrs. Pakura in her life in the hardships she was forced to endure because of her fathers' cruelty and pushing her to be a living weapon, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would have long since been driven insane and made a monster in her fathers' image.
"So I guess we're both in the same boat when it comes to crappy families then...Ain't that somethin' else." Naruto spoke causing the redhead to tilt her head in curiosity of the statement
"Your family has tried to make a monster of you as well then?" Gaara questioned
"No, on the whole making me into a monster part. But it's more getting phased out by my family in favor of my siblings who are supposed to be greater than me. One of which beats me anytime I get even the slightest bit ahead of him on anything, or throws a tantrum and still lays into me if I beat him at anything. The other one makes me feel lower than garbage most of the time, outright tells me I'm little better than being a cleaning boy and should just give up on everything become just being in her presence is more than enough…That's not even counting her trying to intimidate by friends into leaving me, because they think they're poisoning my mind in wanting to be better." Naruto half answered/half rambled in regards to his own family life
"So it's not as bad as it could've been, but it definitely could be worse…I take it that your family isn't all sunshine and roses either?" Naruto further spoke knowing things could've been far worse with his upbringing
"...While I would not share the full extent of my family, given that we have only just met. I will say that it is because of them that I have grown to hate my very existence." Gaara responded with disdain and bitterness toward her blood family
"Well, if it means anything to you. I can always swing by and visit with you whenever…Since it never hurts to have more friends around." Naruto said to the floating redhead whose small smile widened at Naruto's offer
"I would actually like that very much. Given that with so few others around to give me actual happiness and comfort. I would very much appreciate it." Gaara told the superhuman blonde
"Great! Uhhh, just send me a message whenever you get a chance, and I'll pop over as soon as I can so we can hang out." Naruto said back
"I will be certain to do so, Naruto Uzumaki...It has been rather...pleasant meeting you this night." Gaara replied having found this night to have been improved greatly
"Good to hear, Good to hear…Anyways, I'll head out, since I don't wanna keep you any longer. It was nice meeting you Gaara." Naruto said knowing it was getting late
"And it was…nice to meet you as well. I look forward to seeing you again." Gaara said back their smile widening if ever so slightly
"Same. Well, you have a nice day and all that good stuff." Naruto replied before teleporting out of sight
'Hmmm, he certainly is a strange individual…I wonder if he can help me in furthering my existence as something worthy?' Gaara pondered to herself before floating elsewhere to enjoy this rare moment of true silence in the July night
Meanwhile, it would be nearly a little over 2 hours later before Naruto decided to teleport himself into Iwagakure of all places; having used Teleport to swiftly and silently do so until he was within the southern sector of the hidden village. The superhuman blonde had made sure to use his aura sensing and thermal vision to make sure that it was in the least guarded area where he could do his absorption of the Stone Plate without inteference, given that his inner chaos gremlin couldn't help but want to do his absorption in the midst of enemy territory.
Seeing as how to him what better way to do a giant fuck you to the enemy than to increase his powers in their own turf, and fuck their shit up as well…as such he quickly took out the Earth Plate from his satchel and went to work in reaching out into the depths of the plate to take its power for himself...From then on Naruto as he did so felt as though he were digging and crawling through who knows how many miles of sand, mud thicker than tar, and even bone, that seemed to grow denser and harder to dig his way through as he tried to find what he needed to take the power for his own.
All the while on the outside Naruto began to glow a deep marigold as the ground around him began to not only shake and rumble but also crack and crater at a rapidly violent pace to where the brick and stone walls around him began to crack apart in fist-sized chunks. The rumbling and cracking of the area around him began to sprawl out for roughly 100 feet before Naruto was finally able to dig through the layers of what was within Earth Plate did he manage to reach the light at the end of the tunnel…a light where unlike before he saw something waiting for him that looked familiar from what Arceus had shown him.
As such without further hesitation and in wanting what lie within; he dove toward the creature within the brilliant orange like without much hesitation as his world exploded into light the color of magma and amber, and all the while Naruto in the waking world had his eyes burst forth as he let out a mighty deafening roar… One that sounded as though Groudon were bellowing in an almighty fury but was being forced and filtered through Naruto's own vocal cords, as the world itself seemed to shake and be torn asunder as Iwagakure itself shook violently as seemingly endless cracks and fissures began to form through the village with Naruto as its epicenter.
The roar caused a seemingly endless ripple of earthquakes and fissures that began to tear apart city blocks and buildings as though they were made of children's building blocks, rousing the villagers within as homes and shops alike were split asunder or fell into the rapidly forming cavernous fissures…It was only after nearly a minute of this roar happening as Naruto absorbed the Earth Plate did he come back to his senses to see Iwagakure erupting into multiple if not seemingly endless earthquakes, and dust storms that seemed to burst forth like clogged sewage pipes bursting from an overabundant amount of pressure and soon swept through the village to shred the flesh of any unlucky passerby.
'Holy shit!' Naruto remarked to himself as he saw everything erupt into complete bedlam
"Yeah, I better get the hell out of here…Especially, after that...Man this place is going to hell and a handbasket." Naruto said to himself as he saw another dust storm erupt out of another fissure to shred a dozen civilians into a bloody paste
From there Naruto quickly teleported as far as he could from the Hidden Village that was being assailed by multiple it not continuous and almost earthquakes, and dust storms that began to ravage the village like a murder of crows. The superhuman blonde made quick work to get as far enough away that while he was luckily out of sight from anyone who would've seen him, as the village began to fall apart into disarray, even moreso as the stones that it was made from and surrounded it began to crack apart and cause avalanches to form.
And while Naruto stared on transfixed by the multiple earthquakes and dust-storms that burst to life, causing cavernous fissures to open up and swallow people and buildings whole before closing long enough for another mighty tremor to take it's place. For what seemed to shake Naruto out of his staring at the destruction that couldn't be stopped as Iwa ninja rushed over to use earth jutsu to at least slow down the earthquakes, was the fact that soon enough geysers of magma and volcanic ash began to spew forth; lightning up the July night.
Geysers of flesh-melting magma erupted to life; lighting streets aflame with rivers of molten rock and burning any unfortunate soul that was caught by the 'miniature eruptions' that would shoot magma into the skies into flaming carcasses that couldn't even scream as tar-like molten rock and ash seared their throats and lungs shut; leaving them at the mercy of skin shredding dust-storms or cavernous voids opened up by the numerous fissures opened up by the earthquakes. All the while the dust and ash storms combined together to not only shred and burn their flesh to the point they were left severely burned, but also left many blinded given how they're very eyes were either torn to shreds or melted their sockets.
"Damn…I can't believe I'm this much of a chaos gremlin now…Sakura, Sasuke and Kazushi-sensei are gonna go crazy when I tell them about this." Naruto noted to himself as he teleported off and away from the utter disaster zone that was Iwagakure
(3 days later, July 26th, 997 S.E, Konoha, Ichiraku Ramen, 8:43 Pm)
It would be a few short hours after Hanabi and Mizuki had returned to the village after their mission, with Hanabi having departed after having used her Swift Release to speedrun their way back to the village…of which Mizuki could barely keep up with. Said ROOT operative was looking to relax with a bit of ramen at Ichiraku's…at least until he saw a wild and dirty-looking Naruto come to sit beside him.
"...What the hell happened to you, Naruto? You look like you got into a wrestling match with those mud-slingers from Iwa." Mizuki asked the disheveled blonde who ordered himself a Miso Pork ramen
"You honestly wouldn't believe me if I told you, Mizuki-sensei...Turns out that being a chaos gremlin really fucked up shit." Naruto said back as Mizuki ordered himself a bowl of pork ramen
"Naruto, we've done how many ride-alongs now?...I'm pretty sure there isn't anything you've done up till now that'll surprise me." Mizuki responded
"Alright, if you say so…But just so you know, I did some crazy shit while you were gone..and I mean really crazy shit!" Naruto told the white-haired Chinin
"Besides, Naruto how bad could it have been?" Mizuki spoke
From there as the duo received their bowls of ramen, Naruto began to tell of how he found the Stone Plate near Sunagakure, his brief conversation with Gaara, and up until his going to Iwa in absorbing said plate and causing what he could only describe as a catastrophic natural disaster right under their noses. With Mizuki going from surprised, to stunned, to outright shocked as Naruto described it all in not only great detail, but also with such casualness; that felt that he was talking more about going for a stroll in Senju Park than meeting the youngest daughter of the Kazekage, and causing a catastrophe in an enemy village.
"So let me get this straight…you did all of that in one night?!" Mizuki questioned in a near loss for words
"Yup! Pretty much, I got me a new pen pal to talk too, got me a power boost and now I can work on getting my farming stuff set up, and I did the village a solid by setting Iwa back a couple of years…So overall I say that I stay winning." Naruto answered back with a mischievous smile that looked downright terrifying given the implications
"So really when you think about it, everythings' A-Ok!" Naruto added as the monstrous grin on his face widened
"I swear to God, Naruto. The fact that you can do all the crazy bullshit you do terrifies me…Because holy shit this is just a new level of what the fuck!" Mizuki replied still flabbergasted by what he was told
"Hey, I'll take that as a compliment." Was Naruto's reply as he ate more of his ramen
"So what are you gonna do now?" Mizuki asked the superhuman blonde
"For starters now that I've got just about everything I need…more or less. I can get started on farming." Naruto answered back
'Granted I'm a Plate short from being able to make that Jewel of Life thing, Mr. Arceus told me about…But then again 4 out of 5 ain't so bad.' Naruto noted to himself in still needing the Splash Plate to make said Jewel come to fruition
"So you really are committed to making that work, then?" Mizuki questioned his former student who nodded yes in response
"Yup! I'm all in on being one, all I need is a little bit more change in my pocket and I can afford enough land and equipment to get started...That's not even counting construction on storage houses for all the stuff I'm gonna grow." Naruto answered back knowing that said venture didn't come cheap
"Oh yeah, getting into the farming business ain't exactly cheap…Superpowers or not, good luck on getting everything set up." Mizuki said knowing that getting something even decent started was gonna be pretty expensive for a genin
"You're telling me…So wish me luck not going broke when I finally get it going." Naruto said back knowing his wallet was gonna take a hefty hit in the process
"But look at it this way, at least you'll make it back growing whatever you make…That should even everything out for you." Mizuki spoke looking up on the bright side of things
"Fair point, I just can't wait to get started…without being in the red." Naruto replied
"Because as much as I wanna be a dope-ass farmer, and grow cool stuff. I don't wanna be in debt when I get everything started." Naruto further spoke in hopes of not being financially in the pits when he started farming
"Also, one other thing, Naruto…Just how in the hell are you going to do your farming gig, while you're training with your teammates, working at the Akimichi's, and going on missions? All of that's going to be a bit much to handle, even for you." Mizuki questioned
"Oh that's easy, I'll just use my Double Team technique. That way I can still do everything I want, and have all the time in the world to still do extra stuff. So really, I can still win at life no matter what." Naruto answered back on his solution to his balancing everything on his plate
"...I honestly forgot you could clone yourself at will. Is there anything that you honestly can't do? As seriously, at some point, there has to be some kind of limit to what you can do." Mizuki wondered just where Naruto's limits even lay anymore
"Not really? Although when I find it, you are definitely going to be the first one to hear about it." Naruto said with a sly grin at the fact that he was still relatively limitless in his powers
'Hell, that's not even counting that I've got summons now…I wonder which of the legendaries I'm gonna summon first…Decisions for later.' Naruto added in excitement that he could now summon the legendaries to fight with
"But other than your being a farmer in a couple of months, maybe a year. How exactly are you gonna do this whole being pen-pals with the Kazekage's daughter?" Mizuki questioned as the two soon finished their bowls of ramen
"Well, whenever I get a message from her. Since she said that she'll send a construct of hers to deliver it. Then I'll pop over for a bit to hang out with her, then pop right back home." Naruto answered back on how it was all gonna go down
"And how exactly did you hash this whole system out between the two of you?" Mizuki further questioned his former student
"Oh, that's easy, sensei…After I got done messing up Iwa from my power up, I hung out with her a bit more and we got to talking on how we'd make it work. Since I figured it wouldn't hurt to get everything finalized for when we do start hanging out together." Naruto told the ROOT operative on how everything went
"Well, good luck I guess. From what I heard about her, she's a total menace and then some…Just be careful in case she gets a little…crazy." Mizuki said in having heard rumors of Gaara's unflinching brutality when on missions and inside of her own village
"Eh, relax, Mizuki-sensei. I'm sure everything's gonna go just fine when I spend time with her...All I need to do is just give her a hand and show her that she's a wonderful person deep down is all." Naruto replied in full confidence
"Plus, from what I saw when I was with her. She doesn't seem all that bad…I mean a little sleep deprived sure, but if she's somehow a bloodthirsty psycho. Then I never got the hint, or she's just that good at hiding it." Naruto further spoke in having a good feeling about Gaara all things considered
"Look, I'll take your word for it, Naruto…Just be careful when you do go out with her is all. Especially since your going to be in enemy territory, and the last thing I want is for you to get in trouble where I or anyone else can't help you out." Mizuki said to the inheirtor of Arceus's will
Granted Mizuki knew more than nearly anyone that Naruto was vastly capable of handling himself should things go to south, but yet and still that didn't mean that the Chunin instructor didn't worry about his students' wellbeing regardless.
"Don't worry, I've got everything under control, and even if something does happen to me; then I'll still be fine. I mean, this is me we're talking about, and you know almost better than anyone; that I can handle myself in scrap just fine." Nauto responded with total confidence that he could make it out of things just fine if something happened
"...Fair point, since you're almost as busted as Lord 4th himself, and that's saying something." Mizuki said as he started eating out of his 2nd bowl of ramen
"Just promise me when you're out with her, that you'll be careful? The last thing I need is to find out you got yourself killed because you got caught lacking." Mizuki added as Naruto gave a self-assured grin
"You have my word that I'll keep my guard up when I with her…There are you happy?" Naruto replied
"Very! Anyways, what do you got going on now that your roided out again?" Mizuki inquired
"I dunno, just more of the same I guess. Since other than some dope new moves I've got up my sleeves, then there's not much that's changed for me." Naruto answered back with a shrug of his shoulders
"Do I even want to know what kind of new techniques you can do now?" Mizuki questioned
"Well, to save you the trouble. Other than a new element up my sleeve, I've got a few new tricks up my sleeves." Naruto replied as he gave an impish smile that had nothing but bad intentions behind them
'Why did I just get a shiver run down my back right now?' Mizuki wondered to himself in not liking the deviousness behind Naruto's smile
"If you do use your new techniques in the village. Then at least try not to blow up everything…The last thing I need to hear is that you were too trigger-happy and burnt down a chunk of the village because of it." Mizuki requested of Naruto
"As I tell Sasuke, and Kazushi…I only promise to try." Naruto told the white-haired Chunin
"...I guess with how outrageously strong you are, that that is as good as I'm going to get then?" Mizuki said as the deviousness on Naruto's face never left him for a single minute
"Yup! Take it or leave, since I'm not changing anything." Naruto replied as he dug in more into his ramen
"I guess my only option is to take it then." Mizuki said as he ate more of his ramen
"But in any case, good luck to you with everything else, Naruto. Because its a crazy world out there, and it's going to take someone as crazy as you to make it in this world." Mizuki further spoke giving him a pat on the shoulder in pride of how strong his student was becoming
"Thanks, Mizuki-sensei, I appreciate it. Also, don't worry too much about me. Because, I'm gonna do my best to make you proud." Naruto responded with his trademarked sharp-toothed grin
"You already have, by doing everything as you are…Just try not to go to overboard like you have these past couple days, and we're all good." Mizuki said back
"Gotcha, but until then let's keep eating this great ramen." Naruto spoke as he continued to devour his like a human vacuum
'You truly are something else, Naruto. Let's just hope that you'll stay on our side of things, and not go stir-crazy.' Mizuki hoped to himself as he continued to eat and chatter alongside the superhuman blonde.
New Plate Absorbed: Earth Plate…Moves Learned: Dig, Mud Bomb, Scorching Sands, Earth Power.
New Powers Gained: TremorSense
New Ability Gained: Earth Eater
Additional Moves learned: Eruption, Giga Impact, and Lava Plume
So with Mizuki and Hanabi having completed their mission in the Land of Vegetables and saved it from ruin by the malefic Janin, and Naruto having found and absorbed the Earth Plate and not only met with Gaara, but also in doing so caused considerable ruin to Iwagakure. It looks like things are changing for better or for worse when the Hidden Leaf is in play, the only question is what further changes will be brought forth from Konoha's best? Find out in the new chapters of, Naruto: The Pokesage!
Alright, that takes care of this chapter as I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and what went on in it concerning Hanabi, Mizuki and last of all Naruto, since it will open up quite a bit with all things considered from Hanabi's Swift Release to Naruto's now being able to summon Legendaries.
That being said I hope you guys are still enjoying Part 2, as I've got more to come down the pipeline since we're just getting started with all of what's in store for the story at large, and as such I hope you will continue to show the story support when possible and leave reviews when you can.
Furthermore, I will be taking a temporary break from updating for about the next month. Given that having put out 2 dozen chapters in 4 months is really exhausting to do back-to-back at a consistent pace...plus I'd like to spend this week as well celebrating my 25th birthday at time this chapter comes out as well on a personal note. On top of that I also have to plan out the Wave Arc and the Chunin Exams/Konoha Crush Aftermath given that what I've done so far in changing canon; has me to really start planning out a whole lot of stuff on how everything's gonna go from this point onwards in order to keep everything cohesive since canon as we know it is getting thrown at the window more and more with each chapter..
All that is done and over with this is Pravus666 signing off till next time, with the next chapter being some stuff going on with Team 7 so stay tuned for that.
Part 2 Theme Song: To the Pain by Nonpoint
Random End Song: Chaos and Earthquakes by Nonpoint
Now then onto some of the reviews from the last chapter.
Skull Flame: Oh yeah, Orochimaru was definitely Dan's wingman back in the day and when you have Hashirama and Tobirama as the guardians to getting it on with your girlfriend...you need a man like Orochimaru in the trenches with you when you take her out on dates...Not to mention given all of what's happened to Orochimaru its more a case that his mind was his own worst enemy after experiencing the horrors of the Shinobi Wars that just took a drastic toll on him over the years before he or rather they as they're currently known as just snapped one day...Also, for the most part Neji is actually in a better mental state given that with Hanabi being one of the few people who can actually be there for him emotionally; he's able to have a much healthier mindset on life and as such things are gonna turn out a lot better between him and Lee than in canon...And trust me man, you'll see soon enough that Hinata and Toshiro are really not that good for each other in the slightest, as trust me things will hit the fan when Wave Arc ends as a heads up...Furthermore, as you can see Mizuki and Hanabi crushed it in the Land of Vegetables as a dynamic duo!...And lastly, I will definitely keep the Rampardos Idea in mind as hey they can wind up being the guardians of the Hot springs if Naruto really wants to be cheeky about it.
Kourtney Uzu Yato: Yep, as Orochimaru during that time was the chill guy that was like "I may not have it in me to find love for myself, but at the very least I can make sure my friends get there happy ending, since that is the least I can do for these wonderful people." As such if Orochimaru would've been Naruto's godfather then he would've not only loved Naruto as their own firstborn son, but gone over and above to support them no matter what...heck if it meant doing research to see if he could help Naruto be a shinobi then he'd work endless overnights to make that happen out of sheer love and dedication to this new person in their life...Also, fuck no I will never write her with a stutter as that shit is annoying as all hells to write, and gives me a headache everytime I try so trust me when I say that she won't have that when she shows up. And lastly, Gamakichi's luck finally ran out as with Sakura being on point with her eagle eye as Naruto's 'sister'...it was only a matter of when not if Gamakichi would get caught by her.
starravenwolf: Glad you like my direction with the Tyrantrum, as he'd no doubt have it chase Toshiro around as vengeance for constantly being a massive turd to him for so many years, not to mention Naruto would do it just because its a giant T-Rex monster...of course he's gonna ride around the village on it; who wouldn't? Also, the first chance he gets; Hanabi is getting a Espeon or Glaceon as a gift seeing as how she'll need it with how much of a pain in her ass that Hinata is.
Guest (1): Oh yeah Naruto has some Goku tendencies in him, given that he'll give you the chance to turn good if you really want too. However, more often than not he is on straight demon timing and will just obliterate you on sight; given that he has the will of an apex predator when it comes to fighting and as such will pummel you into the dirt most of the time.
Guest (2): Glad you liked the date that Naruto and Hanabi had with each other, and also...yeah as I'll be later diving into with Hanabi and Toshiro; there relationship is the antithesis of healthy.
