(Chapter 40: Crashing of Waves: Part 3)
In the time since they came to Wave, Team Kazushi had been running roughshod over Gato's forces with the greatest of ease, and when they weren't doing that they were splitting up between helping Tazuna's men with the bridge building to the best of their ability, guarding his home and family, and tracking Zabuza's accomplice. All the while, Naruto, Kakashi and Kazushi were busy preparing for the worst of what could be thrown at them; with Naruto knowing full well that with the power of a Plate it wasn't gonna be a cakewalk.
(January 24th, 998 S.E, Wave Country, 11:45 AM)
It was a quarter till noon as Naruto was in mental contact with Sasuke and Sai ready to have them spring the trap, as after using his Astral Projection abilties to see Zabuza's accomplice only a hundred or so yards away; he pretended to be asleep as the bait while his companions waited to strike on his signal.
'Sasuke, are you and Sai in position?' Naruto asked through the Mind Radio
'We are cleared and ready to act on your mark, Naruto?' Sasuke said back with a hand on both his chokuto and jian
'Gotcha, I'll get 'em once they're in range of me.' Naruto replied telepathically
From there Naruto continued to play possum whilst waiting for Zabuza's accomplice to approach and all the while prepping a Sand Attack the moment his target got in range, and as the signal for his compatriots to make their move. All the while on the other side of things was Haku who was looking for more herbs to help aid in the treatment of Zabuza's wounds, their basket nearly full of said herbs as they continued across the clearing until they soon saw the 'slumbering' form of Naruto lying across the way.
So in stalking forwards to try and awaken him, while they set their basket full of herbs to do so, but the moment they so much as put their hand upon Naruto's shoulder to do so; did the superhuman blonde immediately sprang into action. In that moment Naruto used Sand-Attack to have Haku catch a face-full of coarse sand that felt like grainy razor blades being shoved into their eyelids, causing them to stagger back unable too see anything other than their incredibly blurred vision.
That was the signal to strike as Sasuke quick as a panther racing after its prey struck out with both blades to swiftly sever the tendons in Haku's arms and legs, to prevent them both from using any jutsu or running to make a quick escape. All the while Sai quickly used his ink ninjutsu to summon forth a king cobra to ensnare and constrict around the dazed and blinded Haku, wrapping around them with a vengeance with near bone-cracking force.
From there Naruto grabbed the downed Ice Release user by the head, and began sifting through Haku's mind and memories of where Zabuza was, and his overall status, among any other information pertaining to Gato…Once he was done looking through all of the prevalent information at hand, he gave the go-ahead for Sai to then seal Haku away in a stasis scroll until further notice, which Sai complied and did so after scrounging about in his satchel for one of them.
"Did you find everything you needed too?" Sasuke questioned
"Yup, and with what I got out of 'em, I've got a good feeling that Kazu and Kakashi shouldn't have too much trouble with the guy." Naruto answered back regarding both jonin's chances against Zabuza
"Given the level of strength both Kakashi-sensei, and your jonin instructor possess. I would not doubt it, in any capacity." Sai spoke in agreement
"Also, this was a very well-conceived trap, by the way." Sai said to Naruto and Sasuke
"The credit goes to Naruto, for this one. He is definitely skilled with making plans of his own when he wants to." Sasuke said back in giving his friend his roses where they were deserved
"To be fair, I just like fighting more. But when I realized how big the stakes were, I figured I could throw hands later. So after I got high with Sakura a couple nights ago, I came up with this handy-dandy trap we pulled off." Naruto said with a proud grin
"You came up with this while you were high?" Sai asked with a cocked head
"Yup! After we got done taking out Gato's men these past couple of days, Sakura and I decided to get baked to relax. So Kazushi let me borrow some of her weed, and we smoked a helluva lot of treees, I mean we got so high that I felt like I could sucker-punch God in the face and get with it." Naruto answered back with a goofy-grin on his face
"Get to the point, Naruto...I would rather not hear you ramble on about you being high with Sakura longer than I have too." Sasuke said
"Right, right. So after we were getting baked for a couple of hours, I had a big-brain moment and realized that we don't have to fight Zabuza's accomplice head on. That all we gotta do is stage a massive fake-out, and sneak that fucker before they see it coming. Then slam-bam in a can, after we hashed it out a bit we came up with the plan to trap that guy." Naruto spoke finishing the condensed version of how he came up with their plan
"It is truly fascinating how your mind works, Naruto." Sai said finding it astonishing how Naruto came up with this while stoned
"What can I say, I'm just that great!" Naruto replied with his grin morphing into a boisterous smile
"Naruto's greatness aside, what are we going to do about Zabuza's accomplice?" Sasuke questioned
"Hell, if I know. All I do know is that we were supposed to put them out of commission. Other than that, I really could care less what we do with them." Naruto answered back with a shrug of his shoulders
"At the very least we can decide what to do with them after Zabuza has been eliminated, and Gato himself destroyed. Given that we have to do something with them eventually." Sasuke said on his vote concerning what to do with Haku
"I agree with Sasuke on what to do with Zabuza's accomplice." Sai replied
"That settles it then…Anyways, let's head back we've got a job well done to report too!" Naruto said as the trio began traveling back
"By the way, Sai. You did an awesome job today, my siblings really do not deserve you as a teammate." Naruto added as they continued on their way
"Thank you, Naruto. That means a lot after having to suffer being their teammate over the past several months." Sai responded a small modest smile coming across his face
"Look at it this way, buddy. Just another couple months to go, after we bring this mission home. And you can say goodbye and good riddance." Naruto told the pale ROOT operative with a 'light' pat on the back
"The end of this mission and Chunin Exams cannot come quickly enough, if I am too be honest." Sai spoke feeling as though time couldn't move fast enough
"Hey, if it means anything to ya. Then your always welcome to come and hang out with us, for a bit. After how much it looks like they put you and Kakashi through the ringer. I think we can all agree that your more than welcome to hang out with us." Naruto said back
"I agree with, Naruto. You are a rather skillful ally to have, and far more pleasant then those two idiots. Personally, it is a shame that your talents are squandered being on a team with them. When they should be put to better use quite literally anywhere else." Sasuke said in feeling pity for Sai's talents with seals and his brand of ink-ninjutsu being wasted under Mizore and Toshiro's foolishness
"Thank you both for the kind words... After being on a team with them for so long, I will take any form of kindness that isn't condescending or backhanded." Sai replied after having to deal with such things from Mizore
"That being said, I would like to hurry along as fast as possible. There is still much we have to prepare for." Sai added as both Naruto and Sasuke agreed and continued onwards toward Tazuna's to regroup
(The following afternoon, 3:09 Pm, January 25th, 998 S.E, Wave Country)
It would be the following day after Haku's capture and Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai's reporting back and informing Kakashi and Kazushi of Zabuza's whereabouts and state of being, did the 2 jonin decide that they had to strike quickly in order to eliminate Zabuza as fast as possible.
"Are you ready to get this party started, Kakashi?" Kazushi questioned
"Trust me, Kazushi. I am more than ready for a round 2 against him." Kakashi said as he had his hand on a weapon Kazushi recognized all too well in the hands of said jonin
"Huh, I never thought I'd see you with that thing again. I thought that thing was destroyed back during the war?" Kazushi remarked upon seeing the White Chakra Sabre sheathed on Kakashi's back
"It was destroyed after that day. However, after some time to myself, I had figured that it was time to have it remade…That is why a year and a half ago, I went to Iron Country to have it remade, and after that I have been training with it ever since." Kakashi told the Wood Release user
"So that's why I see you and Lyoto sparring lately?" Kazushi said in realization
"Yes, as after I told him that I was serious about wanting to get back into fighting shape. He agreed to help me improve my skill level with kenjutsu." Kakashi replied
"I take it he didn't do so without giving you an earful about letting yourself go?" Kazushi asked whilst they kept a watch out for Zabuza
"Your brother did not sugarcoat anything at all…To be rather honest, he would make for a fantastic drill sergeant in the Anbu Black Ops." Kakashi answered back remembering the multiple tongue lashing he got from the taskmaster of a Senju
"That's Lyoto alright. He may be a slave-driver when it comes to teaching Kenjutsu, but he will definitely make sure that your the best at the blade. That's for sure." Kazushi replied
"On the otherhand, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna see just how good you are with that sabre of yours. Since Zabuza's about 3 dozen or so meters away…So how about we go get that round 2 on his punk-ass." Kazushi added having sensed the legendary swordsman at such a radius
"Believe me, I am more than eager to settle things with him...It is about time, I pay what Zabuza has done in blood" Kakashi replied as the two sped off towards their quarry
Meanwhile, Zabuza was out and about searching for where Haku could've gone, having not seen hide nor hair of their accomplice/ward since last night, and considering the string of deaths in Gato's men that were stationed in Wave Country…the former Swordsman of the Bloody Mist had every right to be concerned. Yet it was while he was traversing for any of the areas that Haku normally would go during their herb-gathering trips in the woods, he found himself having to leap away after feeling the ground rumble and crack apart beneath him, as it exploded into a cacophony of roots that tried to constrict him into a vicious death-grip.
Even still, Zabuza was able to land out of reach from the writhing mass of tendrils that after sensing there wasn't a target within a 30-foot radius; sunk back into the ground with an unnatural quickness that was unnerving to see. However, in the seconds that Zabuza was able to catch his breath did he find himself having to block Kakashi's attempt at stabbing him through the throat with his father's White Chakra Sabre, it was only thanks to years of experience and honed reflexes that he was able to block the sneak attack that would've sliced through his jugular.
That being said as he was busy keeping Kakashi at bay, Kazushi on the other hand was able to use her Briar Whip jutsu to wrap thorny briars around his neck and begin strangling him, like a thorny garrote wire. Zabuza had to struggle between grabbing the thorny noose around his neck from further cutting into his throat with great difficulty; while trying to fend off Kakashi who was trying to bypass his guard, but this was much easier said than done given how inhumanly strong Kazushi was.
With Kakashi using this to his advantage as the legendary swordsman had to devote more and more of his energy towards removing the briar whip turned hangmans' noose around his neck, which allowed for him to score stabs and slashes across Zabuza's flesh with greater ease, as his defense began to flounder from the lack of oxygen to his brain. So with little option left as his face turned a reddish purple and veins began to bulge from his neck as he struggled to breathe, launched a powerful kick to Kakashi's gut to send him far enough away from him that he could get to work on removing the whips around his neck.
"Wood Release: Sap Bomb Jutsu!" Kazushi yelled out as she slammed her right hand onto a nearby redwood tree causing it to spew a glob of acidic-looking sap
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!" Kakashi spoke breathing out a stream of flames
The two jutsu combined to form a large glob of undulating fiery napalm that hurtled towards the Swordsman who barely was able to get the thorny noose around his neck off, and in that split second was narrowly able to leap out of the way from the glob of napalm that exploded into sticky flames that spread onto anything in sight; acidicly burning through whatever it touched. But despite his having evaded being caught by the combination jutsu head-on, he still sustained nasty-looking 2nd degree burns on his back from being in close proximity too it, as he struggled not to yell out in pain.
But that moment of pain was all Kakashi and Kazushi needed to rush at him from either side, with Kazushi lancing her hand out for a Wood Release: Cutting Technique to launch a gnarled wooden spike at Zabuza with immense force that Zabuza managed to barely managing to parry it away from it piercing into his midsection with Kubikirihocho. Although the effort caused a small myriad of cracks to form along it's surface, as he sent it away from him; it was all the distraction Kakashi needed to impale Zabuza in the shoulder with his sabre, the blade piercing hilt deep into his left shoulder blade, while Kazushi detonated the wooden projectile that was barely a hands length away from Zabuza.
The result was it erupting into a multitude of curved and sharpened branches that impaled him through the thighs and groin, wherein Zabuza could not help but scream in pain from the half-dollar thick branches piercing through his flesh; whilst Kakashi stabbed into him with dogged relentlessness. Zabuza managing to leverage his great strength to throw Kakashi off of him albeit at the expense in that short period of time his left shoulder and upper portion of his back had been riddled with multiple stab wounds.
Yet it was in this instance that Kazushi was able to tackle into him like a runaway freight train, and send him tumbling across the ground, where she then soccer kicked him into the air, and with an application of the Great Forest Technique; had thrust out both her hands into deadly looking wooden lance-like branches that raced towards at such speeds a sharp gust of wind was emitted. All the while Zabuza who had felt as though his spleen and liver had been kicked out of his stomach, he was barely able to angle his massive-cleaver-like blade from half of the wooden lance-like branches from impaling him.
That being said the other half had shorn off the right side of his face, mouth, neck, shoulder, and collarbone; like a knife through a medium rare steak, before tearing out even more chunks of his flesh, and even his right arm as they retracted back into her arms. Yet it was with the pain of his now missing arm and so much of his flesh impaled and torn asunder, that he was nearly unable to see Kakashi rocketing towards him with a Raikiri in hand, having used the Wood Release jutsu as cover to blindside the now one-armed swordsman.
Zabuza tried to muster his strength to block the oncoming attack, but that was rendered pointless as Kakashi to ensure that his attack landed briefly activated his Mangekyou Sharingan to use Kamui, and tear away the remaining limb into the mysterious void. Something that left Zabuza defenseless as Kakashi drove the mass of lightning chakra straight through Zabuza's lungs and out through his spine, as they crashed into the ground below with such force that it left a minor crater in the aftermath.
"Nice shot there, Kakashi! I can't believe we took out one of the Legendary Swordsman of the Mist in about 2 and a half minutes flat." Kazushi said honestly surprised it took so little time to do so
"Now that I don't have to worry about Tazuna, or have the twins to hold me back. On top of having your assistance, I didn't doubt we could take him out that quickly for a moment." Kakashi replied as he withdrew his fist from Zabuza's chest cavity
"Well, now that we've taken Zabuza out; that only leaves Gato to deal with." Kazushi said back
"Do you have any ideas on how we are going to draw him out? I doubt that sending him a letter for a 'friendly duel' will work." Kakashi questioned as a light seemed to go off in Kazushi's head
"Kakashi, I just had an awesome idea on how we could draw that shortstack out; for a heck of a brawl." Kazushi answered back as her gaze fell upon Zabuza's corpse
"What exactly are you going to do, Kazushi?" Kakashi wondered as she grabbed Zabuza's corpse
"Don't worry about it, I'm just gonna send a message to Gato is all...Just give me 10 minutes to get it all set up." Kazushi replied as she began to drag said corpse off elsewhere
'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?' Kakashi said to himself as he covered up his Sharingan to conserve energy
Meanwhile, a furious Gato was pacing in his office wondering how things in HIS domain had gone from sugar to shit in the span of weeks, and as such was debating with himself on if he should call in more hired help, or go out and get his hands dirty for the first time in year...as he finished draining one of his remaining goons of all the moisture in their body for edaring to speak out against him; regarding their stay in Wave Country. However, his thought process was interrupted when out of the blue; came Zabuza's armless corpse crashing through his window at such speeds that it made a foot deep indentation on the adjacent wall.
The business tycoon looked to see a note duck-taped to Zabuza's chest, that told him that if he wanted to settle this once and for all; then he was to come to the south-side of Wave Country at high noon this Saturday, otherwise and in the writer's own words 'he was a punk-ass cunt with a micropenis, who wasn't worth shit'. So in seeing this blatant sign of disrespect and call to being challenged after having his resources being wiped out, and his hired help and money being wasted by these interlopers; Gato clenched his fists so tightly that you could hear them crack with the sharpness of a bullwhip.
'If they want a fight so bad, then I'll give them a war.' Gato swore as his eyes turned into bloodshot pitch-black of a great-white sharks'
(2 days later, January 27th, 998 S.E, Southern Wave Country, 12:00 Noon)
Soon enough, the following Saturday would come with a swiftness, as the trio of Naruto, Kazushi and Kakashi lay in wait for Gato to come for the grudge match at hand, that would be a winner-take-all all for the fate of Wave Country.
"Everyone remember the game plan?" Kazushi asked
"Yup, hit him as hard as we can before he can go for the water. Then if that doesn't work, we go to Plan B for the Starving Venom play." Naruto answered back
"Hopefully, everything goes pretty well and we won't have to use that play. But if it does, then Kakashi you spam the fucking hell out of that Kamui bullshit. Its a good thing I packed chakra pills for this mission just in case, because the moment you get a clean shot should that happen. Then I want you to fuck this man up!" Kazushi said to her cousin before turning over to Kakashi
"Are you two sure this plan is going to work? We are banking a lot on being able to take him by surprise." Kakashi questioned with reasonable skepticism in his voice in regards to the plan at large
"Considering that we have Kazu one of the strongest jonin in the village, you the legendary Copy Ninja, and myself the world's strongest menace to society. Then I'm pretty sure we have a helluva chance at taking him down!" Naruto answered back
"He does have a point, Kakashi. We're the best there is, so I say that the odds are in our favor and then some!" Kazushi said in agreement with her powerhouse cousin
"So that being said, I think that we're all kosher to get everything started and rock this man in his shit!" Naruto replied ready to get shit started
'With confidence like that, its hard to argue against these two...Still, I just hope that that confidence isn't getting us in over our heads.' Kakashi remarked to himself at the overwhelming amount of confidence that the two had
"So come on on everyone, let's get in position!" Naruto added as everyone nodded and did just that
That being said the trio got into their positions for their ambush against the business tycoon/Splash Plate wielder, as each other them had attacks ready to lay into him and end their time in Wave once and for all. Meanwhile, an impeccably dressed Gato who was much larger and had the bloated build and look akin to a cross between a human walrus than a man who was constantly sweating even in the chill of January; was walking through the woods who looked more suited to be in a business meeting than a duel to the death stalked through the woods; his furious expression in sharp contrast to his cleanly pressed 2-piece suit.
However, as Gato continued his hurried pacing to get this over with and return to squeezing every bit of coin he could from this backwater shithole called a country; was when the trio decided to strike out against him. What with Naruto launching out with a charged-up Night Slash, Kazushi her Bramble Blade in the form of a greataxe, and Kakashi his Chidori, and yet as all 3 attacks came colliding towards Gato at immense speeds the business tycoon did something that surprised the trio as they came towards him.
The first being that his back tore open to reveal large reddish-violet colored tentacles like the fusion of a starfish and giant squid that lanced towards them, and the second was his inhaling deeply to use Scald against Kazushi. Whilst Kakashi was more than able to use his Chidori to slice through the tentacles like knives through wet tissue paper, Naruto quickly used Teleport to switch places with Kazushi so that she could gain a clean hit against Gato.
Whilst Naruto was fending off the superheated blast of water; both jonin were able to get in their hits against Gato who was able to tank their attacks with the thorny blade of Kazushi's attack digging through thick almost blubbery-like flesh, and Kakashi's Chidori despite having had the impact lessened by the tentacles coming together as a makeshift barrier still found purchase. Yet even as Gato gritted his teeth in pain he was still able to launch a Jet Punch at Kakashi who had to bring his White Chakra Sabre out to block the strike that was covered in pressurized water, before spinning his head all about as though he had no bones in his neck to unleash an Octozooka attack.
The trio were covered in a thick yet explosive sheet of ink that allowed Gato to give them the slip, albeit barely as even though they had been blinded by it, the trio were able to get off their own attacks to try and impede his escape; with Kazushi stabbing into his right thigh with her Bramble Blade, Naruto donkey-punching him with a Brick Break and Kakashi stabbing him a few inches short of his kidneys. Yet despite this Gato was able to dash away the business tycoon/tyrant using his powers to absorb every bit of moisture and water around him to explosively amp his speed so that he could dash towards the water and transform.
"Come on guys, let's get him! He hasn't gotten that far away from us!" Naruto said as he used his Mind Plate powers to wipe the ink off of their faces before dashing away
"Right behind ya, Naruto!" Kazushi exclaimed as she and Kakashi quickly followed behind him
And so a hot pursuit was on as the trio were chasing after Gato who continued to gain more and more speed, as he absorbed more and more moisture and water around him like a sponge on crack; leaving everywhere he went in a 50-foot radius around drained of water to the point of looking withered, skeletal shells of themselves. Which both made it easy to track because of the trail of ruin he left in his wake as he rushed away at ever-increasing speeds, and close combat much more risk than reward out of fear of getting to close and being rapidly dehydrated by him.
Hence why they went to using ranged attacks to try and impede him as best they could, with Naruto using Seed Bombs to make the withered terrain far more difficult to maneuver in, as the area around him exploded causing large craters to form around him, yet it was thanks to his thick blubbery hide that he survived without being blown to bits. Kazushi and Kakashi followed his lead, with the former using what ranged Wood Release jutsu to impale him or trip up Gato, which worked to limited success given that it was able to impede his movements by a considerable margin, as well as sapping away some of his strength and causing his enlarged state to shrink.
Yet it was Kakashi's lightning jutsu that did the trick against Gato and forced him further onto the defensive with his own water-based attacks; seeing as how the fierce electrical shocks caused him to break out into severe burns and pulsing rashes across his flesh that looked more akin to a killer whales' or walrus's than a humans'. Which was why Naurto decided to join in on the action with his own electric attacks against Gato, therefore through the Mind Radio Naruto was able to get Kazushi to follow along and use her Wood Release more in the way to set up roadblocks in the way of massive roots springing forth, and trees exploding into sawdust/razor like wood chips.
The result was Gato using all of his speed and enhanced athleticism to put further distance between himself and the trio that were both electrocuting him, and attacking with nearby plantlife to trip him up. All the while using everything from Aqua Cutter, Water Gun, Water Pulse, and Scald to make sure that they would waste time dodging and evading his attacks that were launched at the pace of a minigun on crack so that further distance would be put between them.
However, Naruto was able to defend against it using his Vine Whips which had an electrified current running through them to slice through as many as possible, albeit with mixed success as some of them were able to hit Kazushi and Kakashi; due to the sheer volume they were being fired at. Nonetheless, Naruto was not only able to defend against them but also strike out at Gato on occasion, as he laced some of the attacks with Leech Seeds for a backup plan down the line; while he began spamming Sunny Day for a potent Solarbeam attack.
"Kakashi, I need you take out one of his legs with that Kamui thing of yours. If you can do that, then I can get Kazushi and I up close to do enough damage to fuck him up!" Naruto said as Kakashi barely powerslid out of the way from a massive-looking Water Pulse that took out a large handful of trees on impact
"I have enough to get a clean shot against him, but you two will need to work quickly. We aren't too much further from the shoreline." Kakashi told them
"Then let's hop to it! That bloated bastard cannot reach the water if we can help it, in one piece." Naruto said as all 3 of them had to jump out of the way from a Aqua Cutter that sliced through a dozen and a half trees with ease
From there, Kakashi brought his Sharingan out to bare in its Mangekyou form; making sure to lock onto Gato's legs to make the shock as precise as possible for his Kamui attack as they began to descend back to the ground whilst Gato continued his mad dash away from them. The copy ninja in that split second their feet touched the ground was able to fire off his Kamui at the dashing business tycoon, the spatial vortex quickly severing Gato's leggs at the lower thigh causing him to rapidly tumble across the ground in a dismembered heap.
Despite this Gato spawned more tentacles from his back and used them as makeshift legs to carry him to the waters that were just a hundred feet away from him, skittering across the ground like a spider; only to meet Kazushi and Naruto teleporting in front of him as the latter of the two launched him into the air with a brutal Mega Kick to the liver. The two then teleported once more into the air to deliver a brutal onslaught of attacks against Gato who tried to defend against them with his tentacles whipping and writhing about as makeshift shields and thick bludgeonous whips.
But between Kazushi using her Bramble Blade in it's greataxe form to cleave through any tentacles in her warpath, and Naruto using Thunder Punch, Psycho Cut, and Shadow Claw to more or less maul him with the ferocity and savagery of a pissed-off grizzly bear…Granted Gato tried as best he could to fend off the two that laid into him as they descended down to the ground, but with Kazushi and Naruto being far too fast for even his tentacles to defend against and their proclivity for close combat; did the business tycoon find himself being reduced to a bloody pulp.
The duo concluding their assault of Gato who looked like he'd been put through an electrical socket and made the plaything of a pack of honey badgers, was sent flying via a Sky Uppercut to the jaw from Naruto and a rib-shattering hook kick from Kazushi that sent him careening away from them like a missile. What with Naruto in that instance in seeing this as his chance to further punish Gato before he could make it to the water, saw this as the opportune time to fire off a Solarbeam at the corrupt businessman as whitsh-golden light gathered in his palms.
All the while Gato was smirking as he was mere inches away from the waters that would grant him his full power, and allow him to crush these cretins that dared to not only think they had a chance of killing him, but had dared to bring him and his power base in Wave Country so low…However, his train of thought was quickly interrupted; when he was blasted by a beam of concentrated sunlight the color of the rising sun that slammed into him like a freight train and sent him plundering down into the depths below for hundreds if not thousands of feet, the power of the seas and depths below keeping him from being instantly killed.
Yet it was Kazushi and Kakashi who'd bore witness too Naruto's Solarbeam creating a massive whirlpool in the center of the waters where they'd sent Gato flying about 3 miles wide and a seemingly endless amount of meters deep. However, even as he fired it off and continued to send Gato downwards did he and his companions sensed Gato's startlingly rapid transformation into a more monstrous form; if the churning waters that frothed with seafoam and winds so strong that it toppled nearby trees like they were made of sticks were an indicator.
'Kazushi, get Starving Venom up and running now! Gato's transforming, I'll get him out of the water!' Naruto said as he ended the Solarbeam and teleported down to the depths below
"Alright, Kakashi, time for Plan B." Kazushi said as she began to summon forth the Venom Dragon
While Kazushi was busy summoning forth her Starving Venom Dragon, Naruto had teleported into the depths below wherein he saw Gato's enlarging form still taking shape, as the sheer power of it caused a colossal typhoon to form from his transformation. As such Naruto did the only thing he knew would work to prevent Gato from fully transforming, which was too dash forward as fast as he could and hit him with a Wild Charge to deal out as much damage as possible to the tyrannical tycoon.
The now 100-foot-tall behemoth that was Gato was still transforming and healing from the severe burns of Naruto's Solarbeam; he found himself being speared through the gut by what looked like a massive marigold-colored lightning bolt that hit him with such blinding speed and immense force that he couldn't breathe. Naruto all the while pushed forward with a grand display of strength to basically tackle Gato out of the depths below and into the sky above where all were witness to his mammoth form, before Naruto without missing a beat sent him crashing for nearly 2 miles with a Thunder Punch to the chest.
Naruto levitating in the air as wiped the blood trickling out of his nose, and head still ringing was Kazushi and Kakashi atop the back of her Starving Venom Dragon, it's form roaring in all of its majestic menace as Naruto floated over towards them. The champion of Arceus summoning Raikou for Kakashi to ride atop of and giving the beast of lightning to aid the copy ninja in defeating and evading any attacks sent their way; much to the obliging of said Legendary Pokemon as they landed upon the ground.
All the while, Naruto nodded to Kazushi of being ready to 'combine' with Starving Venom Dragon with Kazushi doing the dragon hand-seal to make the process come underway as multiple vines wrapped around Naruto's arms, legs and face like pieces of patchwork armor, once done Naruto channeled both the powers of the Plates into the creature. Causing it to transform in appearance as its purple armor-like flesh turned a brilliant pumpkin orange and neon violet, it's jaw like wings opening up and flaring with verdant green and marigold colored power, it's stinger and claws growling longer and more needle-like akin to brambles on a thorn bush, and its body swelling in mass to appear several times its size from the sheer intake in power.
All the while Gato who suffered severe 2nd bordering on 3rd degree burns on his body nevertheless appeared as a fearsome 105 foot behemoth, with ruddy magenta/ocean blue colored flesh akin to a killer whale, his right arm was a 4 fingered scaled claw like that of a snapping turtle's; while his right was much more armored and ended in a heavy-duty crab's claw. His torso was akin to a mix between the blubbery flesh of a whale and the armored hide of an alligators', as a sextet of tentacles swished behind his back with lethal intentions while a massive stingray tail waved behind ready to strike as his feet were also akin to a tortoise's except thicker to account for his added weight.
Meanwhile, his head was that of a goblin shark except that his glowing seafoam green eyes held an all too alien intelligence, as he let out a roar with a cavernous maw lke that of an angler fish, great white shark, and crocodile, while where his heart was; was a pulsing coral-like structure of ocean blue and seafoam green. The augmented dragon and transformed business tycoon went charging after each other with great force and speed to the point the world around them seemed to shake and quiver, as Naruto raised his fist outwards as the extra mouths on its elbows fired off Seed Bombs the size of small houses.
Gato in return fired off a massive Aqua Cutter that sliced through the projectiles; creating a series of mid-air explosions that uprooted trees like a toddler would throw their toys in a temper tantrum, yet this in and of itself was a distraction for the Venom Dragon to fly behind Gato and donkey punch him with a brutal Thunder Punch. The corrupt businessman turned kaiju roared in pain and tried to strike out at the Starving Venom Dragon that Naruto was piloting alongside Kazushi who was keeping it manifested, but a timely Kamui attack from Kakashi and subsequent Thunder from Raikou did the job in stunning it, as a portion of his left was obliterated.
As such it left Gato wide open for Naruto to lay into Gato with a devastating combination of Thunder/Mach Punches that bruised and battered the Kaiju into nearly doubling over, as the punches flowed like water down a waterfall; before a finishing Sky Uppercut sent Gato flying. But not before his tentacles managed to catch him and keep him from tumbling over, as he wheezed from the heavy amount of damage dealt in such a short period of time.
"Let's see how you brats deal with this!" Gato exclaimed as he reared his head back too unleash a Hydro Pump attack
"Well, fuck you too!" Naruto shouted as he charged up an Electro Ball
The Venom Dragon's wings flared outwards with brilliant green energy and massive arcs of golden electricity that carved apart the world around them in jagged trenches of destructive might; before it fired off a massive sphere of neon-orange and gold lightning at the massive torrent of pressurized water at Gato. The two attacks briefly clashing with one another for dominance as the ground beneath them seemed to rumble and shake from the tremors caused by both attacks, until Naruto gathered natural energy in his hands; the process hastened by Kazushi aiding in the gathering of said energies to fire an Energy Ball nearly double the size on top of the Electro Ball.
The result as the Electro Ball began to quickly cleave through the Hydro Pump attack, was both attacks combining into an electrified sphere of lightning and natural energy that impacted into Gato who tried to use Aqua Tail to smack it back the moment it was mere meters away from him…Only for his tactic to partially work as the Aqua Tail managed to diffuse some of the damage dealt that would've caught him cleanly, but the price for it was his tail being annihilated to a stump, and half of his tentacles scorched; alongside his left arm down to the elbow suffering major burns down to his exposed muscle.
Something that was made all the worse when Raikou and Kakashi attacked with Kakashi using another Kamui to take out a chunk of Gato's left Achillies tendon, causing him to nearly fall to a knee as Raikou used Thunder Fang to take multiple chunks out of Gato's right thigh and violently shock him all the while. As a result of this Gato sent his multiple tentacles to try and squash the copy ninja and legendary beast of lightning, only for Raikou to use their immense speed to leap off and dash away from the attack; this was something that left him open for Naruto to have Starving Venom Dragon use Sucker Punch to clock him in the jaw.
Sending a myriad of school-bus-sized teeth to fall from his now bloodied mouth, and in retaliation, Gato began flailing about with wild Jet Punches and point-blank Aqua Cutters against the Predaplant summon; who was able to dodge and parry the attacks with astonishing speed. Those that it didn't dodge it used Counter to land either a giant claw swipe or a massive left hook/right cross that thudded heavily against Gato, who had to rapidly drain all available water from the plant life and animals in a 1,000-1,600 foot radius to regenerate his wounds.
What with Raikou using its power to shield Kakashi and itself from the effects whilst Naruto was using Protect to do the same for himself and Kazushi, as Naruto used Power Whip to lay into Gato with a bloody vengeance. The claws on Starving Venom Dragon turned into whip-like vines with razor-like brambles that it whipped about like a pack of wolves mauling a deer, the gashes upon Gato's body stacking up incredibly as in a span of 30 seconds his chest was covered in multiple crisscrossing gashes that bled small rivers of blood onto the ground.
In response, Gato used Water Gun to blast at the empowered beast before him, but a timely application of Shadow Force allowed it to disappear in a burst of darkness and otherworldly screams; before reappearing and taking a massive chunk out of Gato's right side. The business tycoon turned Kaiju staggering back as he clutched as his bloodied flank, as he roared in anger and gathered up water that he compressed down to the size of a semi-truck to fire off as a massive Water Pulse towards the Venom Dragon.
However, this was intercepted by Raikou using Thunder to destroy it in its entirety and Kakashi immediately using Kamui to sever Gato's right hand up to the start of his forearm away from his body; leaving a bloodied stump in the process. Allowing for Naruto through Starving Venom Dragon to gather up lightning and winds in the constructs palms to form an undulating mass of lightning and high-speed winds, that he launched at Gato in the form of a Wildbolt Tempest that swept Gato in its death grip; both battering and electrocuting him so violently that all he could do was roar in pain.
Naruto then began charging up another volley of Seed Bombs to be fired off with great force into the grand tempest of lightning and high-speed winds that continued to thrash and electrocute Gato within into a scorched mess, with the moment they made impact did the electrified tempest imploded upon itself with great force. The explosion rocked the area with such power it felt as though a major earthquake were ripping itself across the country causing Raikou to with its immense speed dash and leap onto the shoulder of Starving Venom Dragon to avoid the tidal wave of debris that was luckily flown over.
"Hey, Naruto not that I'm all for us doing this combo on the guy. But how exactly are we gonna take 'em out? As long as he has something to draw water from, he's just gonna keep healing like a motherfucker." Kazushi questioned
"Kazushi raises a good point. Not only does he have the forest around us to use to mitigate any damage we deal. But he also has an entire sea to draw upon as well." Kakashi spoke in agreement with Kazushi
"Other than using one of my ace-in-the-hole moves, or going full power and destroying Wave Country in the process. I've got something that can Kakashi enough time for me to dive in and rip out what's powering Gato." Naruto told the two jonin
"What do you got in mind?" Kazushi questioned
"Well, during the whole chase before he turned into a giant sea monster. I've been loading him up with my Leech Seeds, so that I could drain him dry when I had a good enough chance. Now that he's taken so much damage, I can do just that." Naruto answered back
"The only problem on my end is that, I'm gonna need someone to make a big enough hole in him, so I can teleport in and do my thing…Kakashi can you make a big enough hole in him; to give me an opening?" Naruto asked while Kakashi downed a chakra pill
"All I need is a clear line of sight to do the job. Just as long as I have that; then I can give you the opening you need." Kakashi responded back as Naruto grinned
"Awesome! Now let's get this shit done already." Naruto said as they looked at Gato who looked downright pissed at them
The businessman-turned-kaiju glared in bloody-red anger at the rotten bastards who'd caused him so much pain and resources that in a fit of rage that he unleashed a Brine attack against them; the shockwave of water being so intense that it raged about like a ferocious flash flood. In response too this Naruto concentrated a large amount of power into the Starving Venom Dragon causing its jaw-like wings and the mouths on its elbows to erupt with otherworldly flames and vine-like latices of neon orange and emerald; before he had it unleash a Fire Blast attack.
The shockwave of water that raged towards them soon met against the gigantic fireball that turned into the kanji for massive, as they met in the middle and soon enough the entire area exploded into a colossal steam cloud that nearly blanketed the entire southern portion of Wave. However, this was to Gato's advantage as he then began to absorb the entirety of the steam cloud into himself to heal and regenerate his wounds.
That being said, this attempt didn't last for too long given that Naruto had the Starving Venom Dragon fire a concentrated Discharge attack at Gato from within the great steam cloud, and Raikou used Thunder to strike down the corrupt business tycoon with a wickedly powerful thunderbolt; that struck with enough power to make an artillery strike seem like a firecracker by comparison. The sheer power from both attacks was more than enough to not only disperse the steam cloud in its entirety, but also send trees and rubble uprooting into the air like dominoes being kicked across the living room as the overwhelmingly strong smell of ozone was so overpowering that it would cause any normal person to start retching on the spot
Despite that, Naruto used Teleport to have the Starving Venom Dragon appear on top of Gato and Thunder Punch Gato so hard in the back that his newly regenerated tentacle alongside his other ones were flash incinerated; turning the entirety of his body into a pitch black mess of burnt flesh where blood and pus oozed from the massive wound. In retaliation Gato quickly spun around to use Crabhammer to try and cave in the augmented dragons' face in, yet it was able to nimbly dodge out of the way and use Psycho-Cut to slice off the offending limb at the elbow; causing it thud heavily onto the ground with a heavy KRRRRAAAKKKOOOOMMMM!
Gato roared in pain as he tried to stand once more to fight against the Starving Venom Dragon, but Wild Charge from Raikou was able to blast through and sever his right leg at the knee; forcing him to fall over onto his back from his newly severed leg. The businessman turned tycoon in anger tried to stand up once moreand began to charge up power for a Hydro Cannon, did Naruto see this as his chance to strike and quickly activated the myriad of Leech Seeds he had planted in the behemoths' body.
From there, Gato further shrieked in pain as the Leech Seeds within his body began to rapidly grow and take form as various roots began to erupt from his flesh and hook more into muscle, bone, and nerve endings to drain him of vitality; restraining him in chains made roots and vines that sucked more and more of his lifeforce from his body. So in seeing the now restrained behemoth struggling to get out of his bindings that caused his flesh to sink and decrease in size, Kakashi acted quickly and used as powerful of a Kamui as he could muster on the coral-like structure over his heart.
The result was it and his entire right pectoral being crushed and sucked into the vortex; to the point it left a gaping void of muscle and jagged bone; wherein Naruto soon saw the glowing light of the Splash Plate within Gato's massive beating heart. What with Naruto telling Kazushi to disconnect him from the Starving Venom Dragon as the moment the vines did so, he quckly leapt off the dragon at immense speeds; causing a sonic boom as he plunged toward his target at near hypersonic speeds.
'Kazushi, I'm gonna be a minute. So if I'm not back by tonight then I'm probably taking the long way back.' Naruto said as he soon crashed through Gato's heart
'What the fuck are you going to do?!' Kazushi questioned as Naruto began clawing into Gato's monstrous bloody form
'I'm gonna absorb this plate he's got in 'em, and teleport the fuck away somewhere else. So I won't sink Wave Country when I do…Unless, you've got any better ideas?' Naruto said as he ripped through muscle and flesh to reach his prize
'...Good luck, and you better be back by midnight you fucking goof. Otherwise, I'm gonna beat your ass into the ground when you get back.' Kazushi replied
'Don't worry, I've got this.' Naruto telepathically replied as he soon found the glowing aquamarine plate
And in doing so Naruto quickly grabbed onto it, and began to absorb it into himself being more than able to wrest control from Gato in his severely weakened state as he felt the full totality of its power being transferred to him. The superhuman blonde felt Gato's massive body thrash about as its connection to the tycoon was severed outright, as Naruto continued to absorb more and more of it into himself, as the behemoth's body began to rapidly transform back into Gato's heavily wounded form.
All the while as Naruto felt the feeling of assimilation happening as he dug deeper into the Splash Plate for its immeasurable power, he quickly teleported as far away as possible to prevent the destructive assimilation process from sinking all of Wave Country into the depths below. Leaving only the rapidly withering and root-bound husk of Gato in a crater below, dead as a doornail from both the bloodloss and the multiple leech seeds leaving a mummified corpse surrounded by blood-red blossoms in the aftermath of a titanic battle.
Yet as Kakashi, Kazushi, and Raikou were surveying over the rapidly shrinking corpse; Naruto found himself teleported into the midst of the Uzushio ruins as his form vibrated heavily with the power of the depths below. The waters around him churned dangerously with seafoam, high-speed winds and lightning as hurricanes began to form around him, as the roars of ferocious sea Pokemon came out of his vocal cords in a cacophonous tidal wave of roars that sounded like an ancient sea beast rising forth from the depths below.
What with Naruto diving deeper and deeper to surge through the watery depths of the Splash Plates' power, diving through an endless abyss of seawater to drive himself towards what he and his allies had fought through to obtain through Gato's death; while the seas raged around him into a massive hurricane that rocked the islands around him. For what felt like hours of constantly swimming and diving downwards through the endless pitch of black and ocean water, and feeling as though his lungs were about to be crushed from the pressure of being so deep into the ethereal ocean did he eventually see a marigold and aquamarine light some few meters away.
The superhuman blonde pushed forwards with all of his strength to dive further towards it like a shark chasing down its prey, as he floundered furiously towards it; until with a surge of strength, he half dove/half jumped into the light before him to fully claim the Splash Plates power. All of which knock him back into reality to see that he was standing amidst the floating wreckage of what was once Uzushio, the Whirl Islands and everything in a 100 mile radius, had in the hours of his body forcefully assimilating the Plates' power had caused a hurricane to sweep through the area and drown the once island nation into the furthest depths of the sea.
Leaving nothing but rubble and scant bits of buildings and debris in the wake of the almighty sea storm he had caused, as he stood floating on his back surround by the drowned remains of his ancestral home; what mattered most was that he felt the power of the Splash Plate now within himself, as he summoned Lugia into existence. The nearly 4 dozen foot tall Pokemon flew overhead and down towards Naruto using its hand-like wings to scoop him up out of the waters, and onto its back as it began to fly higher and higher into the cloudy skies; turned pitch from Naruto's immense power that poured sheets of rain into the incredibly choppy waters
"Thanks for coming Lugia, I appreciate it." Naruto tiredly said
"Of course, and it is good to finally meet you as well. I have heard much about you from the other Legendary Pokemon, as our father's newest champion." Lugia spoke as it began to soar through and above the storm clouds
"That's nice, and its great to meet you too…Sorry, getting that last plate really knocked it out of me." Naruto said back with a bestial yawn
"That is more than understandable after what you and your allies have recently went through." Lugia replied
"By the way, would you mind taking me too them…I'm not trying to sound pushy or anything, but I need to get back to them so they won't worry about me. I promise afterwards, I'll summon you back out so we can talk more." Naruto requested of the Legendary Pokemon
"I will do just that for you, Naruto. Where are they located at?" Lugia questioned as they began to break through the rainstorm
"They're at Wave Country, you literally can't miss the place." Naruto informed Lugia sending a telepathic image of the country to the Diving Pokemon
"Very well, I will head there immediately. Also, you may want to hold on as I will be flying rather quickly to get us there in an appropriate amount of time." Lugia said as once they broke through the storm Lugia then went supersonic to fly towards Wave Country
"Awesome, Lugia…I'm gonna take a power nap until we get there." Naruto replied with a small yawn
(3 days later, January 30th, 998 S.E, Tazuna's House, 2:10 Pm)
Meanwhile, a few days would pass as the people of Wave upon the news of not only Gato's men being driven out of their home but Gato himself being killed thanks to the combined efforts of Team Kakashi and Team Kazushi sans the twin jinchuuriki were in a uproar of celebratory cheer.
"Thank you again for all of your help. Without all of you, we would still be under Gato's thumb." Tazuna thanked the shinobi present
"Hey, its not a problem at all. Besides, we did our job to help you build that bridge of yours too. So really all of this was just extra light work for us." Kazushi spoke seeing this as a breeze for her and her genin
"We are just glad we could help set your country free, Tazuna. It's the least we could do." Kakashi said
"And again, I am so very sorry for how the majority of my genin have behaved during our time here. I had expected better of them, to where they could have potentially helped make sure the process would've gone far more quickly…Instead, your family has had to suffer through them being spoiled rotten brats, and for that I apologize." Kakashi added in hating how his sensei's children had acted
"It is fine young man, besides this one here and her team have kept those two idiots in line. So as pissed as I am that they almost got me killed. I can let it slide this once since you helped get my bridge done, and save my people from Gato." Tazuna said albeit the bitter undertone in his voice was incredibly present
"Believe me, once we get back to the village. I will be making sure that they learn from this...That much I can guarantee you, as it seems as though it has yet to sink in that being a shinobi is not a game." Kakashi told the bridge builder albeit the pulsing vein on his left temple and his visible eye being so blood shot from stress that a good number of freshly burst blood vessels turned it crimson said it all
'Damn they really pissed Kakashi off, if he has the brain vein going.' Kazushi remarked as she saw said vein throb in anger
"I'll hold you too that. In the meantime, I figured that it would be a great time to show you all the bridge. Now that its all finished." Tazuna said as he eventually led them to the finished stone and metal bridge
"It looks pretty good, old man. What're you gonna call it?" Kazushi asked as she looked over the expansive bridge
"I figured that since you all did the impossible, and helped us out when there was next to no one that could. That I would call this The Godsend Bridge, since having you all here, to help stop Gato from squeezing anymore out of my home really was a godsend come true." Tazuna told them of what the bridges' name was going to be called
"You didn't have to go out of you're way it name it that. We were just here to help is all." Kazushi said seeing it as just another day in the office as far as she was concerned
"Don't give me that modesty bullshit. All of you's earned it for going over and above for us. Without you lot having come together and do the impossible, this bridge wouldn't be finished, my people wouldn't have a chance to hope for something better, and I wouldn't be around to see my family." Tazuna said back
"So you two are gonna take our damn gratitude and thanks, and like it! Because, you've done more than enough to earn our respect and thanks for this!" Tazuna further spoke in refusal to let them be modest about it all
"Well, when you put it like that. I can't really say no, now can I." Kazushi replied more than fine with being treated out to whatever Tazuna wanted
"Still, where are those other brats of yours? Its been awhile since I've seen 'em, after Gato kicked the fucking bucket?" Tazuna wondered
"Sakura is helping your daughter out around your house, I have Sai and a Wood Clone of mine making sure that Toshiro stays out of trouble. Then Sasuke and Naruto are taking it easy for a bit, while Mizore is grounded after one of my clones caught her trying to get out while we were fighting Gato." Kazushi said as Kakashi's throbbing vein in his temple pulsed furiously
"She did what?!" Kakashi questioned angrily
"Oh yeah, Sakura caught her and Toshiro trying to sneak off and get in on the action. So she got ahold of one of my wood clones, and together she and my clone stopped them from doing anything stupid. Spent the whole day blabbering about how it wasn't fair, they weren't fighting against Gato when they deserved to do it more than Naruto." Kazushi answered back
"Honestly, Kakashi those two need a major attitude adjustment and quick." Kazushi further spoke to a seething Kakashi
"Oh don't worry, I'm going to make sure that those two are punished 'severely' for their actions…Because this, this is a new level of stupid even for them." Kakashi said struggling not to want to strangle them on the spot
"How about we go somewhere for a few drinks, to settle everything down. There's a tavern not far from here that we can head too. Its one of the few places that gato didn't screw with, while he and his men were here." Tazuna suggested sensing that Kakashi was about to implode with anger
"That sounds great, after everything we've had to deal with. I think we could all use a few drinks, what do you say Kakashi?" Kazushi said to her fellow jonin
"To be quite honest, I might wind up blackout drunk after everything I've had to put up with." Kakashi replied wanting to drink himself under the table right now
"That's the spirit! Now let's all get fucked up!" Kazushi said as she had Tazuna lead the way
Meanwhile, Naruto was with Sasuke taking a few moments to themselves as Naruto got adjusted to the new changes to himself that came with his absorption from the Splash Plate; such as his new 2 meters long stingray tail, his mouth now having gained an additional 2 rows of teeth like a blue shark's, his eyes now taking on more of a crocodilian shape, and lastly were the gill-like marking on his neck. But nonetheless, as the superhuman and swordsman were still getting used to things even now as Naruto's hands and feet moreso were scaled and clawed like a tortoise's, did the former remain in jovial spirits both in his newfound abilities and in more or less happy to complete his 1st A-rank.
"And you are positive that everything is fine?" Sasuke inquired
"Yep! Granted I look like a horror movie monster, when I'm not transformed. But otherwise, I feel fantastic!" Naruto said with a fanged grin that looked downright horrifying to say the least
"Since I feel stronger than I ever have, now that I think about it too. Since I feel like I could smack the shit out of both Lord 4th, Pevy-Sage, and Lady Kushina all at once, and not even break a sweat!" Naruto added as to prove his point he fired a Bubblebeam that turned a trio of trees into sawdust
"I certainly don't doubt it for a moment, Naruto. Although, with all of this extra power under your belt. There's again the question of where do you go from here? Seeing as how you are becoming one of the strongest, if not the strongest person in the village?" Sasuke queried regarding Naruto's seemingly fathomless strength
"To be honest, I don't really know yet. Since I haven't really thought about where the next stage is. All I know is that I'm happy to be super-powerful as I am, and have you guys along for the ride." Naruto answered back as his newfound tail waved happily behind him
"While I am glad that you are immeasurably powerful, as now we can push each other to new heights…I will say that your tail will take some getting used too." Sasuke replied as he had to dodge the incredibly thick tail
"Sorry about that, this sucker is gonna take some getting used to. But on the plus side, I can literally bitch-slap people with a tail now." Naruto chuckled with a sheepish grin as his tail waved behind him in agreement
"Undoubtedly so…By the way, any ideas on what you're going to do with your newfound power over water?" Sasuke questioned the superhuman
"Probably put it towards my farming, since with this at my beck and call. I can start production on my getting everything set-up, double-time. Because, I finally have everything I need to get started." Naruto answered back
"Then the best of luck to you on that regard…Now then, how about we head back to Tazuna's for lunch. Sakura should be finished helping Tsunami out by now." Sasuke said to Naruto who nodded
"Sounds great to me, buddy! I swear I could eat a whole horse right now." Naruto replied as in a cloud of neon-orange smoke was the superhuman blonde turned into his 'human' form
"Considering you appetite, I wouldn't doubt it for a moment." Sasuke said back regarding Naruto's ravenous hunger
"Hey, its not my fault I get super hungry. Besides, I gotta maintain for all the cool stuff I get up too." Naruto said as the two headed back to the bridge-builder's home
"By the way, how do you think the twins are taking being put on the back-burner, Sasuke? Since they've gotta be big pissed from getting sidelined on their own 'special' mission." Naruto asked with a massive grin from having upstaged his siblings on their own mission
"I imagine they will be absolutely furious, all things considered." Was Sasuke's answer
"Then again, it was there own damned fault for having walked into a minefield of a mission. Especially, when they nearly botched it regarding their arrogance nearly getting Tazuna killed." Sasuke added feeling no sympathy towards them
"Well, they're gonna get even more pissed when they get in trouble. Since with how much they've been fucking up…they're gonna be doing D-Ranks till they turn 25, from how much they've messed up." Naruto replied knowing they were gonna be in for it once they returned
"I do not doubt it, in fact, it will be a miracle if they still have their headbands after this…Lord Hokage may be tolerant of a lot of things, but messing up and potentially botching a mission of this caliber. Now that is something I can guarantee he won't take lightly at all." Sasuke said back knowing that Minato was going to absolutely let them have it once they returned
"All I know is that we knocked it out of the park, and that they're gonna be fucked from being prideful jackasses…So really, everybody wins!" Naruto said happy to have knocked it out of the park
"Indeed, now let us continue. Sakura is making salmon steaks, and I would rather not miss out." Sasuke said as Naruto took off running at the sound of that
"Sorry, Sasuke, but I'm not missing out on that for nothin'!" Naruto said running off
"As if I'm going to let you devour all of our food, you overpowered glutton!" Sasuke yelled back as the two took off into the distance
So with the defeat of Gato, his men, as well as Zabuza and his accomplice; all of Wave has now been saved from Gato's bootheel as well as Naruto's obtaining of the Splash Plate and its power; a new set of possibilities open up for the Champion of Arceus as things begin to come to a close. As how will things end as the Konoha teams soon begin their sojourn back to Konoha? Find out in the new installments of, Naruto: The Pokesage!
New Plate obtained, Splash Plate: Moves Unlocked: Aqua Cutter, Scald, Steam Eruption, Water Pulse, Bubblebeam, Aqua Tail.
Z Move Unlocked: Hydro Vortex
Powers and Abilities obtained: Water Compaction and Steam Engine. Can Breathe Underwater, Enhanced Flexibility, 360 Degree Vision.
New Moves Unlocked: Poison Tail, Venom Drench, Frenzy Plant, Thunder, Shock Wave, Psychic, Heal Block, Psystrike, Ominous Wind, Rolling Kick.
That being said I hoped that everyone enjoyed this chapter and everything went into, as oh boy was this another mammoth chapter to write, but nonetheless was a butt-ton of fun to do even still. And thanks for your guy's constant support as we have now reached the 40th chapter of this story, is a milestone I never thought I'd reach for any of them, and as such I want to thank you guys for sticking with me this far.
So with that and my eternal gratitude being said, for you guys making this all possible. This is Pravus666 signing off until next time; what with the next chapter being the conclusion of the Wave Arc. So I hope you guys will stay tuned for that!
Part 2 Theme Song: To the Pain by Nonpoint
Random End Song: Monsoon by Twelve Foot Ninja
Now then onto some of the reviews from the last chapter.
Kourtney Uzu Yato: Yeah, as that's a little thing called Kakashi getting super stressed out to hell like a college senior having to do a finals paper on 2 days notice, and as such doesn't have the mental or emotional bandwidth to really care about Naruto's powers vs getting the mission to Wave done and over with so he can call it an EVERYTHING! Also, yeah this was my version of sidelining the twins from everything given that there was no way in heck with the combination of their mountainous egos on top of Zabuza being a comparable menace to the point where unlike in canon Tazuna got fucked up because of them being arrogant and being so overly toxic; that they got obliterated in the manner Kakashi described...Not to mention that the reality of Mizore and Toshiro being muzzled and put in binds as they were, was for the reason that their recklessness and arrogance could've not only botched the mission overall, but also the fact that they could've been captured and sold into slavery as an added black eye on Konoha too really top things off. Not to mention that as a side note I'm glad you liked the little tidbit with Inari, given that while I did skip his little tantrum that's shown in nearly every story I did wanna put it forth that No one was really gonna cater too it and as such; Inari gets straight up punished by Naruto and Sakura for bitching in their immediate radius...Lastly, was Orochimaru and Kurotsutchi and oh BOY was that fun to write considering that even with Orochimaru being far more humane than in canon, that Orochimaru can as she does remind you that 'While I can break you myself and punish you for going against me, I don't have too as I can make it so that you punish yourself by having the things you care about get broken or destroyed because you decided to be an idiot and not get with the program.' Since Orochimaru's not going to come crashing down on you, when she can make it so that your decisions punish you for her, and all she has to do is watch the fireworks happen as you either get in line or your decisions further fuck you up the longer you decide to be insubordinate towards them
Skull Flame: Yeah, and you can't really blame him given that he's had to put up with their attitude for nearly a year at this point and as such even with all of his training whilst being in ROOT... That eventually, Sai is going to hit his limit, and as such hit his boiling point in Wave Country with them. Oh nah, as I'm thinking bigger as instead of Tyrannitar, I'm more than likely gonna go full Kaiju battle and have it be Project Ghidorah vs Groudon; because there's no way in heck that I'm not gonna go full Kaiju when I've already got something named Ghidorah in the mix. Oh yeah, as I wanted to do that scene with Orochimaru as a sign of the fact that while they may be much nicer than their counterpart, that they are still an overall menace that can and will break you until you get with the program.
Starravenwolf: I'll do my best to finagle with what happens to Kin, but I can't exactly make her look like that and not add horror elements; for the reason that it wouldn't sell the point home that Tayuya's actions have had a legitimate impact. Since if I were to make her look like that and as least monstrous as possible, then it would in my book feel like Tayuya got off scot-free and that as far as she's concerned; all Kin got was a fanciful makeover. As such Kin being made monstrous as a Fairy/Dragon hybrid has to happen from my stance on things.
SPark681: And that's the wonderful thing about giving Orochimaru that added dose of humanity in this story. Given that with how things are set up, and with the mounting evidence against Jiraiya being overrun by his desire to get the prophecy done regardless of what comes his way, on top of his ego as is. Orochimaru is just someone who wants retribution for what has happened in their life, something that's gonna be expanded upon in the Chunin Exams going forward.
Guest: Glad you liked Orochimaru laying down the law with Kurotsutchi, since I wanted to bring home the point of; even though Orochimaru's humanity has made them more benevolent in certain areas, that it still doesn't detract from who they are as the Serpent Sannin at the end of the day. Trust me, things will come to a head for Toshiro and Mizore in the Chunin Exams...as there will be consequences when Lord Ozai further comes into play.
