{Ruined Ichiraku stand}
August 10th.
Line break.
Ayame gasped and coughed up smoke, groaning and stirring after what felt like forever. Her head hurt, her mouth was dry, and she could feel her body trembling as she started to move. She blinked as she looked up and around, feeling her heart sink as she realized where she was.
She felt no pain aside from a bump to her head. Miraculously, she was unharmed. She looked around in her prone form, feeling a weight on her.
People were running, sounds of screams, explosions, fighting. It was all too much. So she closed her eyes and tried to remember what happened. Was she in danger? Who was she again?
Luckily it clicked fast, and the first thing that came to her was her father.
She pushed the person who laid over her form off to find her father but paused when she noticed the hat.
Her eyes widened, and her heart sank. The man on top of her was her father.
"Dad?" She whispered before flinching from the sound of an explosion and witnessing a Suna shinobi fall to the ground, his body torn to bits.
She paled and tried to shake Teuchi away. "Dad! Hey! Wake up! We need to leave!"
She turned him over and gasped at the sight before scrambling away. His were open and unfocused.
"N-No" She whimpered as tears ran down her face.
She rushed to his form again to check for a pulse, and as she did, she found what had killed him. There was a large opening in the back of his head, and blood pouring out of him.
Ayame wiped her tears away and took deep breaths, but couldn't calm herself and ended up breaking down.
"Papa, no! please wake up! Don't leave me! You're all I have! Please!" She screamed.
"Hey! Someone in there?!" A voice yelled.
She froze, fear overriding her emotions, and she quickly tried to drag her father behind the counter with her, but to no avail.
Only then did she realize there was a fire raging behind her. The fryer had collapsed in on itself in the terror bombing.
Her tears ran freely. 'Please, Kami! Protect us! Help me! Help us!'
It was a moment later that four Konoha shinobi landed in front of the crumbling shop, one of them effortlessly moving the heavy debris to get to her.
"We have more civilians here!" The one in the back yelled.
She shook her head in disbelief as they approached.
"S-Stay back!" She yelled.
"Hey now, take it easy. We're the good guys." Said an elderly chunin, crouching low while making sure his squad had his back. "Listen. We need you out of here. We secured this line, but there's..."
She noticed his pause and turned when she heard a whistling.
She then felt herself whisked away just as the shop blew up in a gas explosion.
She couldn't even comprehend what was going on as she found herself on top of the old man, smoke washing over them both.
"Captain! You ok?!"
"I'm fine! Get her to safety. ASAP!"
"Got it!"
Eventually their words blended into jibberish. Her thoughts were only on the fact that her dad was still in the building. He needs help. Thats what she kept telling herself. But her voice failed her completely.
She felt broken.
Line break.
{T&I Department}
Both Naruto and Ibiki rushed through the halls of the department, having passed many wounded, panicking officers and sealing experts alike. The situation was getting worse by the second.
Naruto was annoyed and panicked. He warned them that it was past the point of salvaging, and now the One Tail was about to be released in its purest form!
The closer he got, the denser the demonic chakra became. It was scaring him to death. He didn't want to fight a Bijuu. That's the last thing he wanted to do!
Ibiki, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber, albeit just as pissed off as him.
"Shit! Shit! SHIT!" Naruto Yelled as they reached the containment part of the building, the boy nearly slipping as he turned a corner, opting to run alongside the wall to catch and boost himself.
"Calm down, Naruto!" yelled Ibiki. The man went to say something else when a flash of orange chakra blasted down the hall, hitting them so hard that it sent them flying off their feet, sliding on their backs, and down the end of the hall.
The demonic chakra washed over them both, making both of them freeze.
The double doors at the end of their destination were blown off their hinges, and parts of the walls were peeled away from the intensity of the chakra; the lights in the hall flickered until they shut off, leaving them in an eerie hall.
A loud, distorted roar shook the building and filled Naruto with dread. It was a call of absolute freedom and bloodlust.
Ibiki wasted no time and took off running, Naruto following suit. They were slowed down due to running against the gust of chakra and wind, but they were determined.
Ibiki came running into the room and laid his eyes upon a scene he was afraid of. Gaara's seal had just now completely ripped open, and there were fuinjutsu experts scattered about desperately trying to stop the process.
Naruto saw the sight next and growled. "This isn't good!" Naruto yelled as a massive mass of dense chakra bloated out of Gaara's seal and smashed through the roof faster than anyone could blink, the sudden event engulfing and killing three nearby Fuinjtsu experts.
Kazuto, having seen the writings on the wall, ran out of the room to save himself, causing Maki to shake her head. "That fucking coward!"
Orito turned to Maki and his remaining team with an apologetic look and pointed at the door. "Run! Flee! It's-"
His voice was cut out right as Shukaku's body slipped out of the seal fully, and just as Naruto threw out his chains in an attempt to stop him, sand and rubble buried him and everyone in the vicinity in an instant.
Shuaku's form burst out of the underground base, and the Bijuu threw his arms open and roared to the heavens.
"YEEEEES! I'VE DONE IT! I'M FREEEE!" The Bijuu yelled.
To everyone else, it came out as a massively loud roar/rattle. It was so loud and so sudden that it shook the very bodies and souls of those so close to it, stopping many in their tracks.
Shinobi of all factions fell from the sky from the effects, grounded and shaken up by the pressure of the creature.
Line break.
[Jiraiya POV]
Jiraiya was moving like a bullet, flying through the village faster than most could comprehend.
Anyone who stood in his way was turned to paste or run-through with little to no effort. He was on a mission. Rasa must die. He won't have his sensei fighting two fronts on his own. That wasn't the plan.
"Shit! I'm so late to the damn party!" Jiraiya groaned to himself as Gama struggled to keep up from behind.
He wanted to tell him to slow down but knew the stakes in all of this. The toad drew his cleaver and smashed it against a Suna-nin, who was unluckily thrown into his path by a random Leaf-nin, severing the enemy in two in a rather messy fashion.
They landed just outside when, if possible, the entire village's populace got even more vocal and panicked. It was such a change that it made Jiraiya pause.
Then they felt it. The heavy demonic chakra blanketed their half of the village and made the shinobi around them pause.
The routed Suna-nin cheered while the numerous Leaf-nin around Jiraiya paled.
"N-No." One Leaf-nin said silently. "Not again!"
"Shit! SHIT!"
"We're so fucked!"
"Kami, help us all!"
Jiraiya stood up, frozen in disappointment and a touch of fear. Shukaku was summoned, 'No! What happened?! They said they had the Jinchuuriki!'
Gama shook his head. "I suppose you'll be reconciling with my big cousin?"
Jiraiya growled. "What choice do I have?"
Jiraiya did a few stretches to loosen his muscles, groaning as he did. "Ok, Gama. Thanks for the assist up to this point. Get some rest. Time to swap out."
"Be safe, boss."
With that, Gama returned to Mount Myoboku in a puff of smoke, leaving Jiraiya to deal with this colossal mess.
Jiraiya launched himself in the direction of Shukaku, his heart hammering in his chest as he witnessed the beast wave his hand and rip a part of the commercial district out of the ground with little effort.
'This isn't good!' He thought in a panic, rushing as fast as he could. Behind him, a group of various leaf-nin followed as fast as they could, their numbers growing as they went to defend their home alongside the Sannin.
With one powerful leap, Jiraiya bit his thumb and clasped his hands together bringing them beneath him, a summoning sign appearing in thin air before a gigantic plume of smoke engulfed the less populated part of the village.
The leaf shinobi around Jiraiya all ceased, witnessing Gamabunta appear in all his glory.
Gamabunta landed with an annoyed grunt and growled. "What's the meaning of this?! I told you not to bother me again, you dishonorable trash!" Gamabunta yelled, already attempting to buck Jiraiya off his back.
"Cool it, Gamabunta! Look ahead of you!" Yelled Jiraiya, hanging on for dear life.
"Fuck you, you mongrel! Send me home and-"
Gamabunta was interrupted when a clawed fist smashed itself against the side of his head, sending him sliding on his side and across the village.
Civilians all screamed in panic, running away as fast as they could. This one act killed dozens of people, and Jiraiya couldn't help but feel enraged.
"Dammit! This is no time to argue! Look around!"
"Fuck you," Gamabunta growled as he righted himself and glared at Shukkaku. "What the hell kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?" The toad grumbled while readjusting his massive weapon.
Jiraiya rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "We are being invaded. I don't have the right to summon you until I've repaid you, I know. But you made a promise to-"
"Yeah, Yeah, I know. I was more Minato's partner than yours anyway. At least he honored his promises. I'll see this as me honoring his wishes. This arrangement is you actin' in his place, nothing more." The toad grunted. "We will settle this later. Let's deal with this punk, shall we? I want to be back in Mount Myoboku as fast as I can. I was just about to finish a new chapter for my autobiography."
Jiraiya blinked at that. "Your what now?"
Shukaku's roar got his attention back quickly, and Jiraiya went through hand signs quickly. "We'll settle this later. Time for some Jutsu collaboration!"
Gamabunta grunted, and both readied themselves as Shukaku made for another charge at them.
Line break.
{The Ruined T&I Department}
Ibiki wasn't knocked out like everyone else was, but he sure as shit was just as trapped and helpless. There was an entire building lying on his back, metal pipes and concrete keeping him constricted in the pitch blackness of this new prison.
"Naruto?! Orito?!" The man yelled in a panic as he tried to break free, the sounds of roaring and the feeling of tremors not helping at all.
"Namikaze! Are you there?!" Ibiki yelled, hoping to get an answer.
When he heard nothing but more roaring, he growled and banged his head on the ground in frustration. "Of course, something like this would happen under Danzo's watch. What were you thinking, Inoichi!? Fucking Hell!" The man growled and closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to collect himself. That was when he heard shuffling, followed by a muffled voice.
"Ibiki-san! Can you hear me?!" An adult voice called out.
"Who's speaking?!" Asked Ibiki, getting a reply almost instantly.
"It's the captain of squad Sigma, sir! Falcon reporting for duty!"
Ibiki let out a sigh of relief. "Can you move?"
"No... Well, I can sit up, but my leg is constricted. I fear it's shattered."
Ibiki squinted his eyes closed in frustration. "Ok... Ok... Can you see anything?"
"I can, but there's very little for me to go off of. Light is scarce."
"'Is there anyone near you?" Ibiki asked.
"The fuinjutsu specialist, Orito is... Nearby,"
"Is he awake? Can you tell if he's alive?" Ibiki said with a raised brow.
"... His head is crushed... It's dark, and I'm not too good with medical analysis in general, but... There's a lot of blood."
Ibiki sighed and relaxed his muscles. "Ok. Can you see Naruto?"
There was silence, and Ibiki felt fear course through him, but he got a reply sooner than he thought he would. "He's on the other side of me! I see him. He's breathing, but he's got a nasty head injury!"
"'How bad is it?" Ibiki said, trying to stay conscious. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he could feel the effects of his crushed hip taking its toll on him.
"I can't tell, but given his... Unique situation, I think he'll be ok!"
Ibiki slumped, resting his head again while nodding, glad for the optimism. "G-...Good. Wake him if... you can."
"Sir?"
"I'm losing-*..."
"Are you there, Ibiki-san? Ibiki!" Yelled the captain before cursing. 'He must've lost consciousness.' He thought to himself.
"Now what, dammit." The man growled. "What the hell am I supposed to do?!"
Line break.
[Konohamaru POV]
Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon ran like their lives depended on it, because it did. First, the Oto and Suna nin, now a tailed beast. Their situation seemed to get worse and worse.
They cut through Udon's neighborhood as fast as they could, but there was one thing slowing them down as of late. Moegi.
No one noticed at first, not even her. But the trail of blood left behind became more and more prominent until she suddenly collapsed. It was only then that they realized how dire the situation was.
Konohamaru slipped on his own feet when he heard her fall, the boy scrambling toward her when he saw the blood pooling out from her lower back, soaking her shirt and the ground around her.
"M-Moegi?!" Udon yelled, running over.
Konohamaru pulled her onto his lap with trembling hands, his voice failing him when he tried to speak. She was pale. It was like she was sick but worse.
"Moegi! Hey! C'mon! We... We need to leave! Wake up!"
Konohamaru gently shook her and noticed the deep injury. He had no idea a kunai could do this much damage, but they were only kids—small compared to an adult.
Udon fell to his knees beside them. "Oh no. Oh no." He said repeatedly.
Konohamaru continued to shake her. "C'mon! Wake up!"
He didn't know what to do, and eventually, tears of frustration welled up in his eyes, the boy giving up and shaking his head, trying to figure out how to stop the blood.
He checked her back and nearly fainted. It was an open wound. A really bad one.
"Oh... Oh, kami!"
"How bad is it?!" Asked Udon in a panic.
"We have to hurry!" Konohamaru screamed as he attempted to lift Moegi up and drag her along, the girl mumbling nonsense while he did so. She was out of it completely.
"C-C'mon. Put your arms around me! I'm getting us out of here!" Konohamaru said with tears in his eyes as he threw one of her arms around his neck.
She could barely understand what was going on, but she knew Konohamaru was with her, so instinctually, she threw her arms around the boy and let him do his thing.
The moment she was secured, a fire burned in the boy's heart, a mixed feeling of determination and desperation driving the boy to save his friend. Konohamaru went into the fastest sprint he could, one that caught even Udon off guard.
"Hang on, Moegi! We're getting out of here!" Konohamaru yelled as he charged down the alley with Moegi in tow.
Udon followed close behind, his chest hammering with anxiety. When they passed another house, the boy saw the two towering creatures fighting in the corner of their village. The sight would forever be burned into his mind.
'W-What's happening?! Is this the end of the world?!'
Line break.
Just out of reach of the three kids, many enemy shinobi were trying to slay the academy kids for both sport, and to ensure Konoha's future would be shaken. all of Konoha's next generation were under attack.
Iruka was fighting tooth and nail to stop what was happening, but from where he was, he could hear the children's screams of anguish and fear. It was destroying him in a way no force on earth could.
It was also a driving force for him to keep on fighting. These kids were everything to him, so a fight or flight had kicked in, and he chose to fight. He had to.
The enemy couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was like Iruka's eyes were burning. At this moment, he was Willpower manifest.
Iruka slammed an enemy's face in, shattering teeth and breaking the jaw, and then he punched through the man's neck with a kunai before savagely ripping it out.
Those two were the last to attempt to engage him. A dozen enemy troops faced off in awe and bewilderment.
"What... What the fuck?" A Sand shinobi whispered.
"He's like a zombie. look at all those injuries. He's already dead." Growled another.
Iruka coughed up blood and wiped his mouth. His lungs and throat burned, and he felt off. Like he wasn't all there. It felt like he was walking a razor-thin edge. He felt possessed.
"Are... Are we going to stand here... All day... Or are you going to come at me!" Iruka bellowed, startling the men in front of him.
The one in the middle took a step back and grit his teeth. 'You arrogant shits! You can't even die right! When We've killed this monster, we'll eradicate the rest of these freaks!'
"He's just one man! Kill him! ON ME!" Yelled the Squad leader.
His men all pulled out various weapons, all regretting not having explosives of some kind, and they charged.
Iruka growled, blood pouring from him like he was a fountain of blood. He wasn't sure what he was about to do was a smart move. But if he died saving them, it would all be worth it.
'I love you guys! Please live! Kami! If you can hear me! Please protect them!' Iruka screamed in his head as he forced his body to move forward.
Just as the wave of men was within reach, one of them gasped, seeing something the others couldn't.
A massive fist swatted them into the wall like they were all insects, a few surviving to be punted in various directions.
Iruka fell on his face, his strength gone from suddenly being saved.
He couldn't see them since he was face-first, but he could hear them. Loads and loads of allies had shown up. They answered the call.
A heavy thud was felt nearby, and two strong hands gently lifted and flipped him so he was on his back looking to the sky.
Choza Akamichi was here.
"Iruka-san! Can you hear me?!"
Iruka nodded, tears of frustration running down the sides of his face. "M-my... K-Kids. H-help them... I... I couldn't-."
"Hey, hey! We will! Don't worry! Just keep fighting! Medics are here!"
Choza turned around and waved down some of his men. "HEY! GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE! THERE'S A HERO IN NEED!''
Iruka went to say something but started coughing up blood, his strength giving out completely, his world growing darker.
'Dammit! I didn't want to go like this! I need to know If the kids made it! I... Wanted to see them grow! I wanted to see... Naruto grow!'
"N... Na-.."
"Hey, don't speak. You need every bit of strength you have left," Choza said, almost choking up. This man, after all, was his son's kindest and most understanding teacher. It pained him to see him go out like this.
"Naruto... Please... Tell him... I'm sorry..." Iruka sobbed, before the light in his eyes faded.
Choza's eyes widened before they teared up, forcing him to wipe them. ''Dammit!"
The few medics that were nearby went to kneel next to him, but upon seeing the damage, they all stopped. They couldn't believe what the man endured just to make a difference to ensure the children's survival.
Iruka's body was well beyond repair. He took three death blows and kept going. It was almost supernatural that he was even able to move before Choza's arrival.
Choza lowered his head and gritted his teeth before gently setting Iruka down. This is war, after all. He can't sit still. He can, however, avenge the man's death.
Choza stood up and equipped his Bo staff, slamming it into the ground beside him.
"This dishonor will not be overlooked. We'll kill them all for this. No survivors for this lot, DO YOU HEAR ME!" Bellowed Choza and the nearby men all nodded.
"No survivors!" The men yelled as they charged into the fray.
Line break.
{The slums}
Kimimaro was doing what he could to get through the anbu, but they weren't small fry. The anbu commander is a step above elite Jonin in skill, so it left him no choice but to put his all into this engagement, so that's what he did.
More and more troops poured in from both sides to engage until the slums became a major battlefront in the invasion.
The commander had been effortlessly cutting through his men when he got to him. Now, They were engaged inside one of the decrepit buildings, and needless to say, even with his curse mark active, he was still at a stalemate.
The two skidded apart from one another, kicking up glass and rubble between them as they stood off.
The Anbu took in a deep breath, holding his sword steady, and drew a secondary blade, a tanto, deciding to duel wield against an opponent who could seemingly sprout bones from any part of their body.
'Konoha's anbu are remarkable.' Thought Kimimaro as he went into his full second stage, a bone-like tail sprouting from his lower back. 'His skill exceeds my own, so going for raw power alone is all I have to offer.'
The commander grimaced under his mask as he watched the transformation. 'I knew he was one of Orochimaru's freaks. The curse mark really is a terrifying power to behold, But it doesn't make him invincible.'
Kimimaro charged the Anbu with a sudden burst of speed and brought his morphing arm down on him, the arm changing into a mace of bones.
Unfortunately, the commander wasn't slow. His opponent blurred away from the blow and weaved from every strike sent at him from the curse user, the anbu slashing under Kimimaro's arm mid-dodge and sliding away from his tail.
He then countered the mace with his katana in one hand and slashed with his tanto to dissuade the teen, making sure to keep his distance.
Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, Kimimaro clasped both hands and slammed them onto the ground, and the commander did the same.
"Corpse Bone Chain: Bracken Dance!" yelled Kimimaro.
"Earth Release: Singularity!"
Just as bones began to sprout from the ground, the entire building seemingly caved into a single point. The walls came toward them both faster than Kimimaro could process in time, and the next thing he saw was pitch-black darkness, the feeling of concrete pushing against every part of him, and then nothing.
"A gravitational singularity? Or something else?" Kimimaro whispered but couldn't move at all. He couldn't breathe. It's like every bone in his body was being compressed.
On the outside, anbu witnessed what seemed to be an entire block's worth of infostructure compressed into a ball of earth and rubble in an instant, glass, and leftover debris flying everywhere.
Kankuro was sweating bullets from where he was, stressed beyond belief.
"Holy... shit." The boy whispered. "I could be killed at any time."
The commander landed next to the boy and sighed. He was a bit roughed up, and his masked face cracked, but aside from that, the silver-haired assailant seemed to be nothing but a nuisance to him.
"Backup is on the way." The commander said to one of his nearby anbu, crossing his arms as the rest of the Oto-nin were killed off.
"How much?" asked the owl masked.
"four squads are encroaching." Said the commander, hauling a very disappointed Kankuro on his shoulders.
"When we get the chance, Let's..." The commander stopped talking when he felt something off, and seeing his medics stiffen was enough to know his instincts were valid. "In the air! All of you!"
Everyone that was near him jumped into the air and onto the rooftops just as bone spears erupted from the ground, and it didn't stop from where they were. It spread throughout the entire block and beyond, piercing everything. Ally and enemy alike were impaled by the sudden emergence of bone stakes.
The commander glared out as he landed on a bone structure, seeing the ball of rubble crumble apart. On top was a bloody Kimimaro.
"I will not fail Lord Orochimaru. Mark my words." Growled Kimimaro.
Kankuro felt like vomiting. Had the commander decided, that would've been it for him.
'Why can't these guys just throw me in a cell already?!' He yelled in his head.
"What the fuck, kid?!" Yelled a Suna captain as he slid down one of the bone spikes. "You wiped out half of our allies and nearly killed us, you freak!"
"Rejoice that you made it out alive then," Kimimaro said in a dull tone.
'What the fuck kind of allies... This was such a bad Idea. These are untrained savages.' Thought the man, many nearby agreeing with the silent assessment.
A rumbling was felt as Gamabunta and Shukaku's fight intensified, and it left the commander nervous.
He had no idea what went wrong, and unfortunately, he couldn't ponder it. He had too much going on in front of him.
"I'll show you the full power bestowed upon me by Lord Orochimaru. Watch carefully." Kimimaro said as his arm became a giant bone lance.
The commander gave a sigh of frustration. 'This has been such a long day.'
Line break.
[Jiraiya POV]
Jiraiya held on for dear life as Gamabunta received another punch to the face, knocking the Giant toad over once again.
'Shit, shit, shit!' the man cursed in his head. 'We need to get this thing out of the village! This is too much destruction!'
Just as they stood up, the two saw the tailed beast charging up a wind attack.
Shukaku's mouth bloated as he sucked in air to fire his jutsu, and Gamabunta responded by charging a water attack to counter.
Jiraiya, seeing this, went to assist. "Wind style: Inverted callous Cyclone!" Yelled Jiraiya as he poured his all into his jutsu.
A blast of water shot from Gamabunta's mouth and toward the beast, and Jiraiya fired a devastating windstorm to support it.
The jutsu quickly became something of a miniature storm as it disregarded Shukaku's large wind blast and hit him in the chest.
The Jutsu was strong enough to drag the beast across some of the village and toward the outer wall, but it wasn't enough to fully overpower it.
Shukaku got his bearings and roared in anger just as the jutsu ceased. His arm was hanging off, and his form was distorted, but aside from that, he was fine.
Jiraiya smirked at that. "He's away from where most of the people are. I can let loose a little more.' Thought the man.
"Gamabunta! Let's-."
"I got it." Gamabunta interrupted as he launched toward the tailed beast.
Shukaku growled and brought his working arm up to defend. It didn't stop Gamabunta's sword, though. It came down on the defending arm and cleaved into the creature.
Jiraiya wasted no time in that moment. He launched into the air while summoning five clones and got to work.
"Ninja art: Toad oil bullet!" the clones yelled, bathing a potion of Shukaku's face, shoulder, and working arm.
Shukaku growled and tried to wave the clones away, but to his horror, his appendage was sliding off, becoming sludge.
"Hahaha! Weren't expecting that, were you beast?!" Mocked Jiraiya as he went through a multitude of signs.
Landing on the beast, Jiraiya's hands glowed up with a sealing art he hoped would at least stun the creature for long enough until his reinforcements weren't held up by the fodder enemy.
He slammed his hands into the sand and chanted the experimental technique. But it was no good. It only made Shukaku spasm.
"GET OFF OF ME!" The beast roared.
The surface of Shukaku became hardened spikes, forcing Jiraiya to jump.
Just as he did, Gamabunta ripped his sword out of Shukaku's working arm, dismembering the beast, before he slammed his blade into his side.
Shukaku cackled as it sunk into him, and Gamabunta knew he made a mistake.
"Ah. Fuck."
Shukaku's tail smashed into Gamabunta's head, making the toad stumble. Simultaneously, the beast sucked in the air and let out a shriek that sent Jiraiya flying away, holding his ears.
"Gah! Shit!" The man yelled while falling to the ground.
Bits of sand shrapnel sliced into the surface of the dazed toad's skin, and before anything could be done, Shukaku was able to reform his arm and slam his fist into Gamabunta's gut, sending him sliding.
Shukaku panted for a moment and growled. 'My arm!' The beast's face twitched as he took note of his slimy and useless limb. 'I'll make them pay!'
Meanwhile, Jiraiya crashed through the roof of one of the cheaper Hotsprings of the village, landing in the hot water.
Jiraiya growled in pain. The attack sent him flying and left him temporarily deaf.
'Hopefully, this won't affect me later in life.' He thought bitterly.
Jiraiya stumbled out of the pool and onto land. He took a deep breath, taking in his surroundings. 'Man. If only there were hot chicks here, my day might've brightened up a bit.'
The entire establishment shook as Gamabunta fought solo, prompting Jiraiya to jump onto the roof. He can beat this creature, sure. But it would be endless. Of all the tailed beasts, Shukaku is the weakest in power but the most annoying in how difficult he is to subdue.
Jiraiya crossed his arms and took a breath. 'Sage mode? I could... But... No. Naruto. He's my ticket. His chains will end this quick.'
Jiraiya weaved through hand signs and summoned a slightly reinforced clone. Upon doing so, the Jiraiya clone dashed off to where Naruto was last reported while he took in the situation he was in.
'Holy... Shit...' Thought Jiraiya as he saw the damage the village was suffering under this monstrous brawl between the two monsters.
He wasted no time racing toward the fight, knowing full well that if he didn't finish this fast, there would be no village left to save.
As the sannin made his way back into the fight, Gamabunta danced around Shukaku's blows as though he were lighter than he was.
'This punk won't let up!' The toad thought with frustration. There was no glory in fighting a creature that could hax their way to victory. Infinite stamina and power compared to the mortal coil he was trapped on was an unfair advantage.
"Die! Die! Die! DIE!"
Gamabunta found himself backed into a corner as he weaved between attacks, His giant sword still inside his opponent.
'drats! C'mon! let up!'
Gamabunta heard the sound of screaming and paled, realizing he was being pushed back into the commercial part of the village.
"Crap."
Gamabunta slipped while trying to avoid the still-evacuating people, and consequently, he was punched by Shukaku with such force that the toad flew into a house.
"Fuck." Gamabunta cursed, sitting up blood and dust, his vest shredded. "Back to square one."
Shukaku stared at the downed Gamabunta and chuckled before squeezing off a major portion of his useless arm, the oil-infested appendage splattering everywhere.
Shukaku turned and cackled as his limb regenerated, and just as he took a step forward, a barrage of various jutsu hit him in the back hard enough to make him stumble.
He turned around and growled at seeing a platoon of Konoha shinobi racing toward him.
"Ok, then. Come and get some, you insects!"
Line break.
{The walls of Konoha}
The fighting had reached a new height within the walls of Konoha, yet not all the enemies could even get into the village. Outside the walls at the main gate, a major branch couldn't seem to get in. Not with the defences there being strongest. It was becoming a huge upset.
Half of their forces were meant to back up Pakura's platoon to meet with the Kazekage, so this branch of the invasion force meeting such extreme resistance was a very, very bad thing.
Currently, the commander of the largest bulk of Suna's forces was at his wit's end. He felt like he was getting bullied, and by shinobi, he deemed inferior and spoiled. They were Sunagakure! Their forces were of a higher quality thanks to their harsh environment!
That's what was preached. Yet, this was being challenged.
"Push! Push, dammit!" He all but screamed. "We need to get through!"
His lieutenant shoved an enemy chunin off of him, having managed to slit his throat. "They knew! They were waiting for us here, even though we changed positions! I think-Urk!"
The Suna commander turned to see his partner suddenly pounced on by what looked to be a giant wolf creature, the mutt ripping his throat apart.
"Fang over Fang!" A female voice yelled out, and he turned just in time to see his platoon's formation crumble from the attack.
Hana was breathing hard and laughing as she led a countercharge toward the enemy's line. The sight of so many shinobi made him realize they'd been played.
He turned on his channel and started barking orders. "Listen! We need you to unleash the second wave now! We're being overwhelmed at the back gate! Release the snakes!"
He received the reply he wanted and turned to engage the enemy, only for there to be a flash.
The world was suddenly spinning, and he couldn't breathe. Unfortunately, he'd been reduced to a head. He was caught from behind by a random shinobi of no renown.
Line break.
Upon receiving the orders to unleash the snake summons, the men at the large summoning formations planted their hands onto the complexe-looking kanjis and released what was within.
Massive three-headed snakes began appearing outside the gates in droves.
One such nameless Oto shinobi cackled as he released the creature from within the summoning pattern and looked up with glee as a creature rose above him.
That glee turned to horror when he saw a giant blue toad wielding twin swords glare down at him.
"S-Shit." His nearby comrade whispered as one of those swords was brought down on them.
With every snake summon, a toad was mysteriously summoned by those who had no intention of doing so.
It was obvious who was behind such a turn of events. Jiraiya was far more sneaky than they could've imagined. Their lack of understanding was a major weakness.
The sight was something else.
Shibi Aburame, the head of the Aburame clan, watched the failing siege from on top of the village walls.
His clan was lined up across the highest point, holding massive jars, all buzzing well-trained insects that would aid them in defending the village from a distance.
They weren't expecting the sudden emergence of giant snakes, nor were they expecting the appearance of Jiraiya's toad allies either. It was... A surprise. It made them pause.
"It seems the machinations of the Sannin run deeper than I anticipated," Shibi said calmly while readjusting his glasses. He couldn't help but wonder what else this war held in store. So long as Konoha was unscathed, he cared little for it.
"We haven't trained them to recognize the toads." Said a clan member softly.
He nodded in response to this. "That's fine. They have a protective gland that should assist them. But for the sake of our little friends, we'll focus on the flank that's being pressed the most."
His friend nodded and turned to his fellow clan members. "Sync with your hives! Now is the time! Repel these invaders and end this conflict!"
Shibi and the others opened their gourds, and their hives poured down onto the battlefield in a dark storm cloud of locusts.
"Suck them dry!"
Line break.
[Konohamaru POV]
"Hang on, Moegi! We're almost there!" Konohamaru panted out, Udon trying to help from behind.
Yet, the boy was a sobbing mess. She wasn't responding to anything at all now.
'C'mon! C'mon! Please!' Konohamaru thought as he raced to the safe zone.
He turned a corner and saw a bunch of people being ushered up the stairs and into a tunnel that leads into the mountain.
"Hey! We need help!" Udon screamed.
The adults heard this and immediately rushed over.
"I have her kid. Just-... Oh my..." The medic said, realizing how critical Moegi was.
"Please! Save her!" Konohamaru sobbed.
"We'll do what we can. Get into the tunnel, now!" The shinobi said, taking her into his arms.
The boys were ushered away from their friend, and Konohamaru kept looking back.
It was when Moegi opened her eyes and reached out for them that he broke down crying and required one of the chunin present to stop him from going out to his friend.
"I can't leave her! It's my fault she's hurt!" Konohamaru yelled.
"No can do, kiddo. She'll live. Just take it easy.
Udon followed the chunin who was carrying Konohamaru into the moving crowd and into the lit tunnel, sobbing uncontrollably.
They saw that Moegi was set down where all the injured were being treated, and the attempt to get out of the man's hold increased tenfold. It was no use, though.
He set the boy down where a large number of civilians were being held and hushed him.
"Listen. Stay here and get some rest. Right now you need to prioritize your health as well. I'll have a medic come and check-"
"She's scared of needles," Konohamaru said, huffing and puffing. "Make sure t-they hold her hand while doing it..."
The chunin looked back to the vaulted room where Moegi was placed and sighed. "She's lucky to have you three as friends. But you have to relax. Everything is being done to help her, you hear?"
The two boys nodded, but they weren't convinced.
The chunin left the boys just as some concerned adults came over to comfort them and stepped out.
"You saw? Those were-"
"Yeah. I know. Students. It means the academy was attacked." The chunin said, leaning against the wall and clenching his teeth.
"She was so... pale. That's going to haunt my dreams."
His friend shook his head. "It's fuel for me. When we've beaten back these mongrels, we'll return the favor tenfold."
The shinobi around them were all in agreement, equally enraged at what was done to their young.
They were never going to let this go. Never.
Line break.
{The Ruined T&I Department}
Naruto finally opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity.
He looked around and tried to move, but that's when he felt his head. He was in a lot of pain.
"Damn!' He cursed, holding his head in pain.
"Naruto! You alright?!" asked the Anbu captain.
Naruto's eyes widened, and his heart dropped. He remembered exactly what happened just before being knocked out.
"Shit! No, no, no, no, NO!" Naruto said, trying to get up, but ended up yelping in pain as he felt something large ping his ankle and wrist.
"Calm down, Namikaze! Deep breaths! Assess the situation and-"
The anbu captain's words fell on deaf ears. He heard the sound of the Rasengan being summoned and smashed against concrete, easily freeing Naruto. At least for the few seconds, the boy had to try and get up.
Unfortunately, the building crumbled further, and suddenly, Naruto went from being able to sit up to being on his back, a large part of the ceiling almost crushing his chest.
"Shit!" Naruto wheezed.
"Dammit, Naruto! I..." He sighed and tried to calm himself down. This is a kid, after all. "Listen. Take it easy and don't go destroying the support that you have. Whatever you just shredded apart was likely the only thing keeping that thing off your chest."
"Noted." Naruto wheezed, pushing the chunk of rubble off of him painfully slowly. "Can't... Hold-"
"Push, Naruto! C'mon!" The Anbu yelled.
Naruto tapped into the fox's chakra and managed to make the difference. He rolled over and let the rubble down on his hips instead, unable to do much thanks to his foolishness.
"Ok." Naruto panted out. "Where's Ibiki?"
"Unconscious. Right now, you're the only one in our area with the ability to get out." Said the captain.
Naruto scowled. He was about to respond when tremors were felt near them, and he closed his eyes and smashed his fist onto the ground. "Dammit! I had one job! It's out now!"
"It wasn't your fault." Said the captain calmly.
Naruto took in a breath. "Is there anyone else that's alive and with us?"
The captain took in a deep breath, "Well... There's Ibiki, but he's out cold. We're the only ones that are remotely able-bodied. I would've said you had the most mobility, but thanks to that little stunt of yours, I'll say we're both the same now."
Naruto huffed. "My head feels like it's gonna split in half..."
"Take your time." Said the captain. "Listen. We can get through this if you just calm down. Do you see anything constricting you that won't bring the ceiling down on you?"
Naruto shook his head. "No."
"Ok. Listen, I'm trapped over here, but I can see what's keeping me pinned. I did the calculations and-"
The captain went silent, and Naruto looked at him. "And?-"
"Shush." The man interrupted, making the boy grow annoyed. Then he himself heard and sensed it. It was feint thanks to his head injury, but he knew someone was coming, and it was a signature he knew well.
The sound and feeling of large objects being moved around. Then, suddenly, followed by the movement of a large piece of concrete slab, a bright light beamed down on Naruto's face. The light of the sun.
He squinted his eyes until a shadow blocked it on his behalf, that shadow being Jiraiya.
"Oh, thank goodness you're alive." Jiraiya said relieved.
Naruto smiled at his mentor and gave a sigh of relief. "That didn't take long." He breathed out.
The anbu shook his head at that. 'From your point of view, sure.'
Jiraiya jumped down and took a look at how stuck the boy was. "Well. Not as bad as it could be. Get ready to wiggle out."
Naruto nodded and watched as the man bent down and lifted the large chunk of concrete, the area shifting due to the brute strength being displayed. It left Naruto stunned.
'Damn. Jiraiya's strong as hell!' Naruto thought, slightly amazed.
"A bit faster, would you?!" Yelled Jiraiya. "My legs are about to buckle!"
Naruto snapped out of it and quickly squirmed from under the rubble.
When Jiraiya saw that the boy was out, he let the rubble fall, heaving over.
"Damn! I almost dispersed Because of that." Jiraiya said, thankful he was able to pull that off. "You ok?"
"My ankle seems to be... Broken. I can't feel it, but the rest is fine."
Jiraiya sighed and looked the boy over, his eyes narrowing at seeing his head injury. There was a nasty gash that was healing really slow.
"Ok. Let's get the other two out and-"
"No can do."
The anbu captain and Naruto gave Jiraiya a strange look. "Wha? Why not?! Ibiki and Anbu-san need our help!"
"I would love to, but I'm not the real Jiraiya. The real me is fighting the tailed beast right now. I only have so much chakra in this clone body of mine, and I'll need what's left to get you to Prime me." Said Jiraiya.
Naruto frowned and went to say something, but the Anbu captain spoke instead. "It's ok. I can stay here. Get going. You need to help seal the beast."
Jiraiya sighed in relief and nodded. "Assistance is on the way. I made an opening large enough for others to easily reach you."
The captain gave them both a salute and watched them hop out of the hole he was stuck in. "Don't get hurt out there! You got this, Namikaze! Go and protect our village!"
Naruto waved him off as he held onto Jiraiya's back, and as they took to the sky, his eyes widened at the hole Jiraiya made to get to him. It was huge.
Then, his jaw dropped at the sight of the village.
"Everything we... We did... Just for this to happen?" Naruto said to himself. His nightmare was coming true before his eyes.
"Stay focused. We're heading into that storm of sand!" Said Jiraiya, and sure enough, that's where he headed.
Naruto's eyes focused on the monster, his heart racing with both fear and determination.
Line break.
[Jiraiya POV]
Gamabunta was going blow for blow with this creature, yet all the same, it was immortal. They needed to seal it, not beat it up.
'I could do this all day, but with no plan to actually seal the damn thing, it's a waste of energy. That, and I can't use my full arsenal within the village. That would be too much.' Jiraiya thought angrily.
"Lord Jiraiya!" Yelled a Chunin from below. "The sealing team is on their way! They were held up by a remaining contengent of enemy shinobi. They want this thing subdued for a tetragram seal!"
Jiraiya growled. "Keep this guy still?! This isn't some fodder I'm fighting! And why the hell are they not using a vessel?!" Jiraiya yelled, frustrated.
"Most of our stuff was in the T&I to seal-"
"Forget it!" Jiraiya groaned.
Meanwhile, Shukaku chuckled as he forced himself onto his feet, his arm reformed and good as new.
Shukaku wasted no time rushing in for an attack, the beast spinning himself to slam his tail into Gamabunta.
Seeing the damage the sheer gust was causing, Gamabunta caught the tail, but a backhand from the beast made its way to him.
Jiraiya didn't let this stand. He launched off of Gamabunta, created a shadow clone, and they formed a Rasengan as quickly as possible. The blue orb became large enough to blow off a chunk of the arm and weaken the blow to the toad.
Unfortunately, this also sent Jiraiya flying in the air.
Gamabunta glared at the tailed beast as he held onto the tail and twisted it, forcing the beast into an awkward position, then brought it down hard onto the ground.
Gamabunta held Shukaku down, pulled the sword out from his side, and aimed it at the beast's back. Unfortunately, the tail he was holding became barbed with spikes, slicing into the toad's hand and forcing him to let go.
Shukaku rolled over just as the sword came down, and this act made all the nearby shinobi hold their heads in disbelief.
Shukaku's movements were halted when he felt a massive chunk of his side blown off by a massive fireball; Jiraiya collaborated with other shinobi to enhance their ninjutsu to keep the creature still.
"Just like that! Keep at it!" Jiraiya yelled as he rushed onto the beast.
Jiraiya, seeing Shukakku in a pitiful state, lept onto the creature. 'Yes. Now to-'
The man heard the sound of fighting and not the type he wanted to hear.
He turned and found a small platoon of Suna-nin rushing the sealing division, causing his backup to focus on the annoying interlopers.
"Don't let them seal the One tails! The attack must go on!" Bellowed some of the shinobi.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "For fuck's sake!" He yelled, and just as he went through signs to perform the five-element seal method, his feet started sinking into the creature.
*Sigh* "Why can't things just go my way? Oh well. Be that way." He said bitterly.
He slammed his hands onto it's stomach and growled. "You'll regret taking the form of a sand monster with this one! Earth style: Swamp of the underworld!"
In a burst of sand and mud, the creature's entire torso caved in, becoming a sea of sludge and slime. Jiraiya's chakra overpowered the creature, turning it into living distorted terrain, and Shukaku screamed out in confusion as it became subdued with that one technique.
Gamabunta found the opportunity to slam it's foot onto the creature's head, keeping it down. "I got 'em now!"
Jiraiya nodded. "Good. That's three times. We've legally killed this thing now. Let me deal with these morons real quick." Jiraiya said, his chakra washing over the attackers and making some of them freeze in place, the action enough to get quite a few killed.
Jiraiya launched from Shukaku, appearing before six enemies faster than they could process, and in that time, he smashed his fists into their chests hard enough to end them, not even allowing them to scream in pain.
In the next moment, the ones who were in front of them went to strike him down, but they were met with Jiraiya's hair, of all things. The mane wrapped around the two closest while he himself rushed forward.
He sent a hook strong enough to snap the neck of the first assailant and effortlessly caught the arm of the other, zipping behind him while still holding his arm and violently lifting it up, snapping it from behind.
The man went to scream, but his mouth was covered a moment later, and a snap was heard by the ones still in his hair. He ended him fast.
The two caught in his mane struggled harder, but Jiraiya scoffed. A hand sign was put up by the Sannin, and his mane enveloped their face, covering them entirely before spiking out and impaling them both with numerous spikes.
He dropped them both and kept on moving, his white main now bloody.
The sight bolstered the Konoha-nin, and many rushed Jiraiya to charge the enemy, knowing they had someone as powerful as him fighting with them.
"C'mon! Let's fuck 'em up!" Yelled a foul-mouthed Leaf-nin, charging into the enemy high morale.
The Oto shinobi who charged at them were caught off guard; their lack of understanding of their enemy's abilities worked in the leaf-nin's favor.
Shukaku growled out at being detained in this way. It was disgraceful. He was so close to freedom, so close to making humanity pay, yet these people were giving him so much trouble.
To lose to a frog? Big or not, he'd never ever live that down. He's a Bijuu, a creature of power, chakra manifest.
"Get off me, you little-"
Gamabunta smashed the blade of his katana into Shukaku's jaw, making it loose and fall open. "Shut it! Not another word, punk!"
Shukaku's eyes narrowed in pure rage. The humiliation was too much to bear.
"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Shukaku screeched, chakra flaring out of him at a dangerous rate. He tried to will himself up, but Gamabunta drove the sword down through part of his mouth and into the concrete, pinning his face to the floor and traping his jaw open.
"Stop bitching!" Gamabunta yelled. " If you keep this up, I'll take out your throat too!"
Gamabunta took note of how silent the creature went and relaxed, waiting for the humans to finish killing each other. That was when he felt it. They all felt it. It was dense and dangerous, the pressure enough to catch the attention of Jiraiya.
"What?! He can do that too?!" The Sannin thought, having just rag-dolled an enemy off the building he was on.
Blue and red orbs of chakra focused onto a single point, and though small, it was enough.
Gamabunta knew what this meant. "Ah, shit!" He yelled, and in a flash, Shukaku blew his own upper torso to bits; the entire block was ripped apart with the release of the mini Bijuudama, enough so to send a small building flying.
Everyone who was nearby was either killed or knocked off their feet. Jiraiya included.
Gamabunta was sent sprawling away on his back, his arm broken from the recoil. The tailed beast reformed, looking to be in worse shape than before.
Shukaku raged and went into a frenzy. "Damn you... I'm still a Bijuu! YOU'LL NOT HUMILIATE ME LIKE THIS!, FROG! I'll END YOU RIGHT HERE!"
Jiraiya landed next to Gamabunta, seeing the damage he'd taken over the course of this fight.
"Hey! You ok?!" Jiraiya yelled.
Gamabunta sighed. "I think my hip is out of place now. My arm is messed up, too. No writing for me. You owe me for this."
In a giant plume of smoke, Gamabunta went back to Mount Myoboku, leaving Jiraiya alone against Shukaku.
"NO! You can't just leave! I was going to kill you!" Shukaku yelled.
"Shit," Jiraiya whispered. "Well, I've killed this thing three times already. What's one more." Jiraiya said bitterly, turning to the creature as it processed Gamabunta's disappearance.
Line break.
{Outter walls of Konoha}
[Temari POV]
The sight was a sad one. For her, at least.
To see the monster that tormented her brother out and about spelled out his fate. It was the reason she was crying. This war has already taken from her, and it's only just started.
It's day one, and Suna looks terrible. The troops that couldn't slip into the village during the blackout are being viciously repelled, and the ones within are being routed at every turn due to their lack of numbers. Soon, they will be forced to leave with Kononha still intact. This was no way to wake a hornet's nest.
Her father promised a victory no country had ever managed to pull off. This was no victory. This was a death sentence.
Now, she has to cope with the loss of a mentor, the capture of one sibling, and the death of another.
'Father, you'd better make up for this loss, ' she thought bitterly as she wiped the tears from her face. She'd never forgive him for this sacrifice.
There was no time to sit around. She has to leave, and fast.
She turned and slid down the wall, jumping off into the sea of trees and disappearing.
Unfortunately, someone saw her leaving, and knew to keep an eye out for her.
Just below her was a man named Aoba Yamashiro, a tokubetsu Jonin of Konoha.
The man adjusted his sunglasses and gave a smirk."Jackpot."
Line break.
[Naruto POV]
Naruto and the Jiraiya clone made it to the scene, and just in time to find Chunin and Jonin trying their best to trip up the beast.
They used earth, water, and any kind of jutsu to try and take down Shukaku, but to no avail.
The tailed beast's tail struck into the ground and propelled it out of any attempt to bring it down, and the monster laughed the entire time.
Naruto grit his teeth. The beast was laughing, enjoying every bit of it. The thing was having fun destroying the village.
The clone carrying Naruto gasped suddenly, leaving Naruto confused.
That was until he saw a wave of debris speeding toward them.
The clone quickly threw Naruto aside in time to get caught up in the blast and turned to dust, leaving the boy alone on the shattered roof. Luckily, it wasn't a moment later when the real one landed next to him.
"Ok, Naruto. You good?" Jiraiya said while trying to catch his breath. "C'mon, kiddo, I need those chains of yours. The sealing team has taken too long."
Naruto nodded and brought his arms out. The sound of metallic clanging came from Naruto suddenly, and the boy let out a breath, hoping he had the power to take this creature down.
"Alright! Step back!" Naruto shouted before he shot the chains at Shukaku, the beast focusing on knocking shop buildings into the air.
Jiraiya rushed toward the beast as the chains smashed into Shukaku's arm, causing the beast to panic.
"UZUMAKI!" Shukaku yelled, whirling toward the one casting the jutsu, obviously familiar with Naruto's jutsu. Because of this, he didn't see the Big ball Rasengan forming beside his head. Jiraiya used the largest version of the jutsu he could muster and smashed the beast's head apart, causing it to go limp briefly.
Naruto's eyes widened at the sight. 'The Rasengan can... Get that big?'
He refocused and manipulated his chains further, the jutsu wrapping around Shukaku's arm, turning it to stone and going for its torso.
As Jiraiya fell from the sky after having used the jutsu, he shook his head. The creature reformed its head and swiped at the man.
Jiraiya responded by flipping in the air and catching himself on Shukaku's arm, but he slipped off and went flying toward a ruined cafe.
Meanwhile, Naruto felt himself pulled by the beast, Shukaku yanking its stone arm back. Then it did something Naruto didn't think it had in it.
The beast turned its other arm into a sand blade and sliced its own arm off, causing the chains to fly off and float there.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger. "Oh no, you don't, not on my watch!" he yelled. He wrapped Shukaku up more and more, and the beast started to get desperate. Its legs stiffened as the chains stabbed into it, so the creature responded in kind, deciding that struggling wasn't going to save it.
Shukaku pointed its arm at Naruto, and the boy paled.
A barrage of sand darts fired at Naruto, and they were numerous and many. He could see them ripping into houses as they got closer.
Naruto was forced to try and get away and leaped off the building with his working leg, but a dart ripped through his shoulder and hip, causing him to scream in pain.
He was rag-dolled into the roof of another building, blood seeping out of his new wounds, and Shukaku cackled at the sight. The chains lost their luster and fell apart due to the caster's lack of focus.
Shukaku waved it's arm out again, wiping out many shinobi in front of it and sending even more sand ad building debis toward him.
Naruto saw this and got into a fetal position. Then, the sound of an earth jutsu being cast rang out, and he heard something hard smashing against something equally solid, causing sand and stone to explode.
"You alright, Namikaze?!" Called a man. Naruto opened his eyes to find a few shinobi looking over him. One was a Jonin, who was holding up a large scroll.
"Sorry we're late. We got caught up on the other side of this mess. You think you can try that chain jutsu again?" A jonin asked from behind.
Naruto groaned and tried to sit up, but the pain he was in at this point was simply too much.
"If you guys get me a clear shot, then I could take him out." He said tiredly.
Shukaku's growl resounded throughout the area in a rumble that left many feeling strange. Then, with the opening of its mouth, they understood why.
It gathered chakra so densely that it could be visualized as red and blue orbs coming together into a singular point.
Everyone's eyes widened in panic. Some were familiar with this jutsu, while others remembered its description from fairy tales and horror stories.
Naruto growled and tried his chains one more time, reaching as deep as he could dig to manifest the chains. 'Oh man! Not good!'
In his desperation, he ended up pulling on something he had no idea was there, and the result left him stunned.
It was so brief, but he knew had clarity in what he saw.
Red hair.
"Look how you've grown. You have such beautiful eyes. You look so much like him." A female voice rang out like the wind, an echo coming out of nowhere.
Naruto blinked at that. "What?" He whispered.
He caught himself when, in a flash of gold, chains well beyond the size of his own manifested, shooting out of his chest and into the air, illuminating the village in gold in spite of it being day, the reflection of the sun illuminating casting a golden aurora across the village sky. It was mesmerizing and eerie to some.
The entire village saw the spectacle. It was impossible to ignore. However, this wasn't what Naruto was seeing. He saw someone in those chains, someone familiar.
The feeling brought a pain to his chest.
He knew who this might be.
Line break.
Jiraiya gawked at the sight, along with many who could see. But it was the feeling of the chakra that scared him. 'How is this possible? It's like a spirit is... It's... ' His eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat, his jaw-dropping at what he realized.
"I don't believe it."
He threw the broken counter off of him and stepped out of the crumbling shop with his hands on his hips.
'It's been a long time, you little devil.' Jiraiya thought with a sad smile.
Line break.
The dazzling chains twitched around in the sky for a moment before they came down faster than even Naruto could process, and everyone ducked at how violently they moved, ripping into Shukaku and ending its Bijuudama before it could be fired off.
They ripped into the creature, swirling around it fast enough to appear as a tornado of gold. The sound of Shukaku's screams of terror could be heard, but even those were drowned out by the sound of grinding metal.
Naruto and the Konoha chunin watched it at a loss for words.
Then, the chains tightened, leaving Shukaku so subdued that he couldn't speak. His chakra was beyond sealed. It was cut off completely. Ever so slowly, the tailed beast was turned to stone, the only thing functioning being its eyes.
The entire village was silent after this event. No one talked, no one moved. It was surreal. The tailed beast was stopped just as quickly as it had appeared.
A nearby chunin let out a sigh, collapsing to the ground in relief.
It started with a one cheer, and eventually, what felt like the entire village joined in, with some laughing, some sobbing, but it all felt... amazing.
Naruto, too, was lost for words. His mouth was left hanging open in shock, unable to move as the sight unfolded.
"So, this is his power?"
"Holy fuck! That was close!"
"Stop gawking and get this thing sealed, now!" The voice of Jiraiya rang out on the battlefield suddenly.
Naruto tried to smile, but he couldn't. He was overwhelmed by everything. He couldn't process his feelings. Too much happened for that to be possible. All he could do was fight to stay awake and keep these massive chains active, yet they were draining so much of his chakra.
Jiraiya landed next to him and noticed the new injuries.
"Hey! Get this kid a medic! He struggling to stay awake!" Jiraiya yelled.
Nearby shinobi with med kits rushed to their position. They weren't medics, but they knew what they were doing.
"Naruto. You ok?" He asked with concern.
Naruto looked at Jiraiya and shook his head, his vision cloudy. "I think I just... Met... Someone very important."
Jiraiya nodded and knelt beside him. "When this is over, we'll investigate it further, alright?"
Naruto didn't respond. He just stared at his chains. There was something comforting about these chains, and it was hurting his soul. It was enough to make him tear up.
Jiraiya looked back up at the beast and stood to his feet. There was work to be done. He could deal with this event later.
Even so, he felt it, too. If he were Naruto, he'd feel the same. 'So You managed to plant yourself inside your boy by manifesting into your signature jutsu. This explains why he can use this jutsu in spite of being a half-breed.'
That's one hell of a way to introduce yourself, Kushina.
Line break.
End chapter.
{A/N}
Alright. One more chapter to go, and we can finally be done with this arc. It's been too long. I won't allow the next chapter to wait past a week. I'll have this done before Sunday, mark my words.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully this makes up for my absence, but I bet that won't happen until you see a few more between this week and the next, so I'll deliver as soon as possible.
I was going to post the very next day, but I felt that some people needed time to really read into what was going on before I did that. Just let me know if you guys like chapters back to back like that, and the next time I have more than one done, I'll go ahead and do that.
Sit tight for the next chapter, and be sure to leave a comment. I appreciate critiques. It helps me improve the writing syle and quality.
And one more thing. I'll start rewriting my earlier chapters one at a time. They need som serious improvement. Don't worry, though. It won't take any time at all.
Thanks for reading.