{Land of Fire: Konohagakure: The market district}
August 10th.
Line break.
[Hiashi POV]
He was waiting to die. What else was there to do in this situation?
Hiashi could hear it out of his working ear and feel it in the part of his body that was still functioning. This place was going to come down soon, and there's literally nothing he can do about it.
'I suppose this is a fitting end for someone who couldn't even... Save his own children. Never could I have imagined a more pathetic fate than this. Just when I come to terms with what needs to be done... This happens.'
Hiashi let out a raspy sigh and opened his one eye.
He couldn't see a thing it was so dark.
'I should've prepared Hinata for her role. Now, I've left her to fend for herself. What an utter... failure of a parent I've been.'
The ground trembled as if it were trying to make him aware of its instability, and he chuckled, coughing and spitting blood in the process.
Then, moments later, he felt a weight lifted off his body. He hadn't noticed it at first, not until he heard a voice speak to him.
"Are you in any pain, Lord Hyuga?"
Hiashi's eye opened at the voice. He knew it to be the voice of Gai.
He looked up to see him in some kind of heightened form, similar to the boy who fought Naruto.
"Ah. I can't feel anything." Hiashi said in a raspy tone.
Gai, who was holding up what could have been an entire floor of concrete, grunted before he let out a breath, his skin turning a deeper shade of red, and then, there was light.
He felt himself moving faster than he could process. It was brief, but he knew he'd been moved.
Gai managed to grab him not even moments after letting go of all that weight and took him to the entrance of the stadium in what felt like a blur.
Whatever that form was, though, it didn't last long; it was powerful.
Gai heaved over right as he put Hiashi down on the stretcher and let out a loud sigh that seemed to catch all the medics in the area off guard; none of them had noticed him enter the area.
"Whoa!" One of the medics yelped, having been closest to Gai when he appeared. "When did-... Oh, Kami! Hey! Get some people over here! We have an official in critical condition!" Yelled the medic.
Hiashi was stunned. Well, as stunned as someone with half their brain crushed could be.
He watched Gai do a stretch, the man wincing in immense pain. "Man. Jumping to six was excessive. I'm gonna be feeling that for a while." He heard the man say.
'I'll need to reward this man... If I live past this.' Hiashi thought to himself as he fell into a coma.
Gai took a seat and watched the people do what they could to help him.
He turned to one of the nearby medics. "Hey. This is one of the last of them, yes?"
The medic nodded. "We just escorted the Daimyo's family out, so yes. I must commend you for-"
"No time for compliments. This place is gonna come down soon. Get everyone out. I'm gonna escort you to your destination, but we need to be hasty. I have friends here that need my assistance." Gai said in a serious tone.
The medic nodded, his demeanor becoming far more serious than it was before. "You're right. Thank you. Let's move!"
Gai nodded. "Follow me then." The man said before hopping up and racing out of the building, followed by nearby chunin who decided to take the chance to fight with him.
Line break.
[Pakura vs the Konoha Jonin]
Kakashi, Asuma, and Genma stood before Pakura, with Iwashi behind her. All four Jonin surrounded her.
"It's a bit arrogant to think you can take us all on at once, don't you think?" Asked Iwashi.
Kakashi went to say something, but Pakura beat him to it.
"Not at all. I fight better when surrounded by enemies. After all, my Kekkei Genkai is difficult to control when around friends." She responded.
Kakashi sighed. "She's Pakura of the Scorch release. She's also referred to as The desert sun. Be careful. She's telling the truth. She fights better alone because her Kekkei Genkai makes her a walking calamity."
Asuma sighed and spun his chakra blades in his hands. "Let me get in close. I'll-"
"No," Kakashi said. "She can cast jutsu that can kill you on contact. We need to play this one safe."
Pakura raised a brow at this. "Oh? You know more about me than many. I'm not that famous, so this is a surprise." Pakura said with surprise.
Kakashi ignored her and whispered something to his teammates before he went through his pouch, throwing out a bunch of smoke bombs.
Smoke covered the battlefield, but only for a second. With a simple hand sign, Pakura channeled her wind chakra and dispersed it in an instant.
It was too late, though. Kakashi was gone.
She was given no time to look for him as Iwashi reached behind him and threw a flurry of Fuma-shuriken at her while Genma threw a wave of paper-bomb-strapped kunai behind that.
Pakura reacted in a flash, weaving through more hand signs. "Wind style: Tearing wind breakthrough!"
She unleashed a gust of wind powerful enough to upheave some of the ground.
The jutsu crashed into the projectiles, and the opposing Jonin launched themselves out of the way. The shuriken flew away, and the paper bombs were thrown about, exploding prematurely in the air.
Iwashi rolled and slid across the ground with a grunt before kicking back to his feet. Then he felt something hot approaching him.
He looked up and gasped, not expecting her to be in his face so quickly. He rushed to the side as a hand glowing in bright scorch chakra slammed into the wall, melting it on contact, and just after, he leaned back from a backhand, his cheek burning up from being too close to the burning fist.
Iwashi slid back and watched Asuma jump over his form and bring his blades down on her before she could go after him, forcing Pakura to dodge his slashes and twist out of the way.
She managed to use her superior flexibility to her advantage, weaving out of his slashes until she found an opening. She twisted her body and landed a kick to his chest, but the impact only sent him back a little before he was upon her once again.
She scowled and danced around his slashes, weaving and spinning around his every attack.
Asuma growled and extended his chakra blade out, trying to heed Kakashi's advice of keeping her at bay. Still, when he slashed at her, instead of weaving away, she dashed forward into his face, and her scorching hand slammed into his chest, ripping away his vest and leaving a nasty burn on his torso, flames erupting from her hand to burn away the vest in a fiery explosion that sent Asuma crashing and sprawling away from her.
"Argh!" The man grunted in pain, quickly ridding himself of his vest.
"Shit! Asuma!" Yelled Iwashi.
Genma cursed as he went through hand signs. "Fire style: Flame bullet!"
Pakura turned and allowed the flames to wash over her, confusing Genma at first.
Iwashi's eyes widened, and he waved Genma back. "No, Genma! Move!"
"Scorch release: Hell curtain!" Pakura yelled from the flames, and everyone felt a searing breeze pull into the flames, his own jutsu being enhanced and turned against him. Then, it suddenly became a bright wave of flames, the fire moving out in all directions like a small ocean.
The temperature increased into something unholy, making the men surrounding her retreat away.
"Shit! This burns!" Cursed Genma, feeling his skin burn and blister as he lept as far back as he could, Iwashi doing the same next to him.
Genma rushed up the wall, realizing what made this woman so dangerous. He watched the flame climb the walls to no avail, dispersing on her command.
Pakura looked up at the wall and scowled. The earth around her was molten and unstable now.
Then she felt the entire ground tremble, and Genma looked at Iwashi. "Now!"
Iwashi lept off the wall right as the ground beneath her collapsed and sank. "Water style: Crushing wave!"
He fired a concentrated stream of water that expanded into a comet of water, and Pakura was hit head-on with the attack just as the stadium floor entirely collapsed a whole story down.
Kakashi shot out of the water, weaving through hand signs faster than his comrades could follow, and just behind the copy-nin were his dogs.
"Earth release: Earth corridor!" Kakashi yelled as he landed on the only safe patch of earth available.
The earth seemed to flip in on itself, closing on Pakura's location before slamming together.
Once Kakashi was out of the hazard, he turned to Asuma. "You good, Asuma!?"
"You were right about her being dangerous. It's not as bad as it looks." The man grumbled as he looked at his chest. It could be so much worse. It was a good thing their equipment was so well made.
Kakashi and Iwashi watched closely to see if there would be any movement in the ground.
Nothing happened. The area was calm and still.
"You think we got her?" Asked Iwashi.
Pakkun sniffed the air and shook his head. "Nope. She's still down there."
"Let's not be so hasty then. Scorch release has a weakness in that it can't be summoned when submerged in water, regardless of the fact that it can destroy it with ease." Kakashi said.
Iwashi nodded, now understanding the strengths and weaknesses of her Kekkei Genkai.
Kakashi decided to get a better look at their situation.
Looking around, Aside from himself, Genma was in the best shape. Iwashi was pretty burnt up from his close calls, and Asuma had burns across his chest that could scar.
Pakkun, who was seated beside Kakashi atop the wall, sniffed the air and growled. "Incoming!" The dog yelled.
Kakashi saw what Pakkun was warning them about in an instant. Multiple Pakura clones suddenly came rushing up the wall.
Iwashi and Kakashi wasted no time in weaving signs for a jutsu while Asuma threw his own supply of kunai-strapped paper bombs down the wall to slow her down.
There were eight clones in total. The ones in the front foolishly tried to bat away the kunai with their own, only for the kunai to explode, dispersing them and sending chunks of both scorch and debris off the wall.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed at that. 'I Knew it. Scorch clones. Troublesome.'
"Water style: Water trumpet!" Both Kakashi and Iwashi yelled, sending a jet of water jutsu to take the clones out.
The remaining five tried to maneuver around the attacks, but it was hard with the limited room. One clone was caught head-on and melted down, two managed to dodge but were pelted with the kunai Genma was throwing their way. One dodged altogether and came up on Asuma's side to try and slam its palm into his chest, but the man wasn't having it.
Asuma dashed back, almost falling off the wall entirely, and extended his chakra blade, slicing it in half with a well-placed slash.
This clone, unlike the others, blew up into an explosion that sent Asuma flying into Kakashi from the shockwave. Luckily, Kakashi readily caught him.
Meanwhile, Genma, who just took care of the remaining two clones, stared down at the wall, waiting for the real one to rush up and take them on.
"Pakkun! Do you know where she is?" Kakashi asked, his eyes narrowed as he stared down at her last known location.
Then it hit him. Pakkun was about to answer, but he knew. "Dodge away! Any direction!" Kakashi yelled.
Just as he said that Pakura blew the ground they were standing on apart, launching into the air with what seemed to be a flaming whip in her hand. She managed to tunnel up the entire wall somehow.
She came down, shooting it out at Iwashi, and he jumped back to avoid it.
Asuma and Kakashi saw the danger the man was in and rushed to engage her, but she was flipping and somersaulting, swinging her whip simultaneously. It was almost like a dance.
The flames were dangerous, but it was a basic fire release. Kakashi and Asuma had to dodge as much as Iwashi did as she pressured the man, and eventually, Kakashi was nicked in the shoulder, prompting her to land into a lower stance and blast her whip out in all directions.
The flames slammed into both Kakashi and Iwashi, but Asuma was quick to weave underneath the discharge of flame.
He rushed her, his hands in a boxing stance as he was now on her, and he unleashed a volley of fast and brutal punches that mixed into slashes and unpredictable kicks and elbow strikes.
Pakura answered this with moves of her own, kicking out at his leg whenever he went in for a kick and doing what she could to meet him blow for blow, but Asuma was a trooper.
The moment he saw her hands glow, he ducked under her hook and tackled her to the ground, causing them to roll around.
Genma and Kakashi came rushing when they saw this, ready to assist, but Pakura was relentless. She changed their momentum and rolled them off the wall, managing to kick Asuma in the stomach to send him to the stadium floor.
She slid down the wall to a stop, but the stadium wall rippled, and she knew it to be an earth-release jutsu.
"Earth style: Earth wave!" Kakashi announced, the wall becoming so wavy that she was forced off and into the air, right into Iwashi's line of fire.
"Water style: Water trumpet!" the man yelled, sending a jet of water at the woman.
Pakura clapped her hands together, coating her hands in scorch release chakra, and caught the water, turning it to steam as it hit her.
Unfortunately for her, though, the jutsu still propelled her back to the ground, causing her to land hard and slide on her back.
Just then, Asuma jumped out of the rubble from Kakashi's earlier jutsu and spat smoke out into the battlefield, bathing the arena in smoke and ash.
"Wind style: Great breakthrough!" Pakura yelled, blowing both Asuma and the smoke away with ease.
She then canceled it to dodge a kunai thrust from Kakashi, the man's blade barely nicking her side before she jumped back to put some space between them.
Genma and Iwashi were behind her when she did this, landing and throwing shuriken in an attempt to dissuade her.
'C'mon! Can't I get an opening?!' She thought as she was forced to flip over the projectiles and deflect at the same time.
She slid back from the volley and saw Kakashi weaving signs for an earth jutsu.
'Not on my watch.' She thought to herself.
"Scorch release: Halo blast!"
Kakashi's eyes widened in horror, and he switched up his jutsu.
"Earth style: Mud Wall!" He yelled, erecting an earth wall.
A comet of scorching flames raced toward him, what looked to be rings surrounding it as it traveled, and upon contact with his wall, it blew up it apart effortlessly, eradicating everything beyond that until it melted the stadium wall in the distance.
Iwashi and Genma were blown off their feet from the shockwave alone, but Pakura was still standing.
"Kakashi!" Yelled Genma, hoping their teammate was alright.
Pakura smirked and shook her head. There was nothing left, only his jacket, and that was in tatters.
'That fool.' She thought to herself, looking over her shoulder and seeing Asuma racing toward her, a look of pure rage on his face.
She turned and rolled from a descending double slash, bringing her hands together.
"Fire style: Flaming trumpet!" She yelled, spitting flames while leaping back.
Asuma growled as the flames kept him at bay, and when all was said and done, Pakura was able to effectively get some space between herself and her opponents.
She was out of breath, but she was in a good state compared to her enemies.
'I can't keep spending chakra this way. I need to end things quickly.' She counseled herself.
She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. "Scorch Release: Scorching flames of annihilation."
Multiple balls of scorch far brighter than any of her prior techniques came into form around her, floating above her head and on her flanks. The surrounding area became devoid of moisture as well.
"I don't like the looks of that jutsu." Asuma said.
Genma gave a slow nod. "Neither do I."
Pakura dashed at her opponents, no one expecting such a bold move. Yet, Iwashi wasn't so paralyzed by this fact, stepping forward and weaving more hand signs.
"Water style: Bullet rain jutsu!" He said, firing multiple small projectiles at her, only for Pakura to smirk.
"You really thought that would work?" She said before launching a scorching flame ball into the jutsu, which blew up, causing steam to wash over them.
Genma cursed, understanding the danger of being unable to see his opponent. "Move away!" He yelled in warning, and Asuma followed.
Then, as the two got out of the mist, they heard clashing and knew their comrade was screwed.
A searing impact was heard, followed by a withered scream. Then, silence.
"Fuck!" Asuma yelled, realizing what likely happened.
The steam blew away, revealing a mummified Iwashi, a hole in his torso.
"Two down. One to go." Pakura said with a smirk.
She waved her hand, and the balls of scorch shot forth, causing Asuma and Genma to panic.
"Dammit! He was our remaining water release user!" Asuma said to Genma.
'We're outclassed!' thought Genma, eyes widening at the power she possessed.
Genma looked over at the unconscious Raido and then at Pakura. 'I can't believe it. There's no way we're losing here. Right? There has to be-'
He stopped mid-thought when he felt himself hit the wall, having backed into it.
He waited until the last second before dashing to the side and throwing what little shuriken he had left.
Of course, she easily deflected them.
'I'm out of chakra, out of tools, and out of options. I don't have the affinity to counter anything she throws at me. I can only enhance her attack.'
She called her orbs back and rushed over to Asuma, someone she perceived to be in the worst shape of her opponents.
Asuma growled and knew this could be it. 'Bring it.'
Just then, she felt herself step in something soft, her foot sinking into the ground, and in an instant, she felt multiple jaws bite into her, causing her to yell out in pain.
Genma and Asuma's eyes widened in surprise at seeing Kakashi's dogs so quickly subdue their opponent.
Just a moment after, a Jacketless Kakashi ascended from the dirt and into the air, weaving through hand signs.
"Water style: water wave!" He yelled, hoping to dose her orbs of scorch out before they could do any damage.
She growled and pointed her two fingers up, willing the orbs into the air just as she was dosed with a bunch of water.
Kakashi glared and whipped out a Kunai to end her before she could do anything crazy. Unfortunately, her jutsu proved to be more than a little versatile.
One of the orbs charged him while the other four became one and descended down toward her.
Kakashi was forced to dash away as fast as he could while his dogs retreated from the giant scorching ball coming down on them.
"This lady is crazy, Kakashi!" Bull yelled, being the largest of his dogs.
The orb stopped at her hand and splintered into four unevenly sized orbs again.
"Ah, I told you it was pointless. You-"
"Dynamic Entry!" Gai yelled, coming out of nowhere and slamming his foot into her cheek.
Pakura went stumbling and rolling across the battlefield, her orbs following close behind her.
"Gai!" Kakashi yelled in surprise.
"Missed me?" The man said with a toothy smile, a sparkle in his eye.
Kakashi could only shake his head as the man turned and yelled to Asuma and Genma. "Take a rest, you guys! She is no ordinary opponent! I'll take it from here!"
"Hang on, Gai! Her Scorch release is-"
"Capable of killing someone in one touch, I know. You should've seen the Market District. So many officers mummified by this witch." Gai growled, crossing his arms. "Mark my words, lady. I'll avenge the fallen and honor their legacy. When I'm through with you, you'll regret every life you took today!"
Pakura chuckled darkly as she wiped her lips of blood. She got up to her feet and stretched her back. "I was doing my job. Though, I doubt that matters in the grand scheme of things. I am an invader, after all."
Gai said nothing as he took a breath, bracing himself for what he was about to do.
"Let's do this."
And with those words, Gai immediately jumped into the fray, Kakashi following close behind.
Pakura growled and charged back, throwing her orbs out to hinder them, yet they were in complete sync, dodging and weaving as they charged her.
They came at her from both sides, forcing her into a corner instantly.
She was prepared, though. She clasped her hands, and they glowed brightly in Scorch chakra.
Kakashi grimaced, but Gai charged.
He sent multiple feints, tripping her up as she falsely tried to grab or counter his moves, but he was too slick. With a failed attempt to swipe at what she assumed to be a punch, she had her wrist grabbed, and was pulled into an elbow to the face.
Pakura stumbled, her nose bleeding. Before she could charge at the taijutsu master, Kakashi threw multiple shuriken her way.
She dodged, weaving to the side and deflecting the rest.
What she didn't realize was that they had an extra component. There were wires attached.
So, when she charged at Gai for another onslaught, Kakashi yanked, her foot went out from beneath her, and Gai spun into a magnificent back kick to her temple.
She spun in the air and fell into the dirt with a grunt, the world spinning as she was left dazed.
Kakashi turned around at the feeling of something hot approaching and knew to dash away as her orbs returned to her, Gai doing the same.
"You mind ridding us of those?" Gai asked.
Kakashi was about to say something when Pakura weaved signs and forced three of her orbs into one before sending it at them, leaving herself with one left.
Kakashi groaned and weaved signs of his own. "Water style: Water formation wall!"
He spat out as much water as he could, his chakra now on the lower side as he overcharged the jutsu.
The wave towered over her, and it was just enough. The flames were depleted, leaving nothing but steam in the air, this time being prevalent enough to cover the whole battle area.
Pakura's eyes narrowed, realizing this was going on for far too long. She had to disperse her opponents somehow.
She then heard footsteps rushing for her and whirled into a kick to catch the one coming up on her, but the assailant ducked under the kick and swept the leg, keeping her up, leaving her in the air briefly before they followed up with another kick to the chest, sending her flying away before she could even hit the ground.
It didn't end there, though.
"Leaf Hurricane!" Gai yelled, spinning into a whirlwind, his leg colliding with her back just as she finished sliding.
She gasped in pain and growled. He hits way too hard for her to take any more from him.
'I need to get back to the walls! There's no other option.'
She rolled out of the way of a stomp, flipped to her feet, and set her hands ablaze again in order to try and deal with the taijutsu master.
She saw him clearly now in spite of the warm mist and struck at him, sending a flurry of punches and hooks his way, all of which he deflected at the wrist or forearm to avoid getting burned.
She then tried to lunge to grab at him, but he caught both hands and kept her at bay with his foot, launching her away with a push before gliding forward with a leg sweep, smashing his heel on the side of her knee hard enough to send her down with a yell of pain.
"Gah!" She grunted, and before she could think, another strike to the face sent her on her back.
Gai flicked his hands and waited for her to stand, not trusting to get close unless he knew what he was walking into.
She didn't know this, but she was burning him with those fists in spite of not directly contacting any part of him.
Asuma was inching to get behind, his chakra blades active as the two had their contest of strength.
Kakashi was on her left, and Genma behind Gai, all of them hidden in the mist,
Pakura knew they were there; she just couldn't make out who was who. It was enough to make her feel cornered.
That last attack took her leg out. She was done with this.
Both Kakashi and Asuma didn't want her getting any funny ideas and decided to get even closer.
'She has to clasp her hands together to use that scorch fist crap. Can't let her do that shit again.' Asuma thought as he engaged her again.
She wanted to move out of the way, but she launched off the leg, which was in immense pain, slowing her down.
The first punch was brutal, his bladed fist cutting deep into her cheek, fracturing her cheekbone and causing her to yell out in pain, stumbling.
Gai came in from behind and kicked the back of her other knee out from the shadows, causing her to trip up more. However, she recovered by rolling back and dashing away.
Asuma was still on top of her, though, throwing punches and slashes, all while Gai trailed behind to catch her with something nasty.
She could do little in this environment; it was too much. A cut on the thigh nearly brought her to her knees with how deep it was, and a slash to the hip caused her to buckle in pain.
She growled, and in a bold move, she caught one of his wrists and threw it down before kicking out and hitting Asuma in the face.
Kakashi, seeing that she was getting free of her situation, decided to rectify that.
"Lightning release: Lightning stream!"
A blast of lightning raced for her, but by then, she was already in the air, coughing and catching her breath.
Kakashi huffed in disappointment, but this was far from the end.
A Kakashi clone was waiting for her, and he had something ready for her.
"Water style: Water gun!" The clone said with a grunt, and a powerful blast of water slammed into her back, sending her spiraling to the ground in a painful crash.
Genma rushed in to capitalize, bringing his heel down on her head, dazing her, before he slashed at her with his kunai, the woman nearly getting cut in the throat.
Pakura stumbled back and dashed away, trying to catch her breath, but it was no use.
She stepped in something soft, and suddenly, she felt jaws bite into every joint she had. The Ninken got her.
"Fuck! Not this again!" She yelled, annoyed and desperate.
"Yes! Nicely done, team!" Yelled Gai.
Asuma and Kakashi channeled their chakra out, clearing the mist in an instant, and Kakashi cleared his throat after coughing, the man exhausted. "She's down. Let's make this quick." He said with a raspy voice.
Asuma took a knee and nodded.
Pakura looked at the dogs and scowled. 'Their collaboration was well done. But this isn't over yet. They might be better than I thought, but not enough to kill me.'
Pakura groaned as the Ninken began to pull at her, making her hiss. Pakkun biting down harder to keep her still, but then, he felt a searing heat envelop him. All his brethren did.
Kakashi moved in to finish her but paled when he saw she had an orb of scorch left, the thing having been above the mist.
The orb descended toward her, and the Ninken suddenly jolted away when Pakura's body suddenly started emitting heat so strong that they had no choice but to run away, their bodies steaming as the heat boiled their skin.
Kakashi, seeing this, paled and canceled his jutsu. 'What now?!' He thought, immensely annoyed.
Pakura stood up with some difficulty and smirked at her opponents. "Scorch release: Second Sun."
In the palm of her hand, an orb of chakra manifested itself.
She allowed the orb to float up and above her, and from Kakashi's view, he could see her chakra channeling and controlling that object.
'Is she not affected by this heat? Why is she so close to it yet unaffected? Is it her chakra?' Kakashi thought to himself as he backed away.
The ground beneath her started turning bright and yellow as the ball of scorch chakra slowly floated into the air.
"Farewell." She said, and Kakashi knew this wasn't something to stick around for.
"Retreat! Now!" Kakashi yelled.
Gai quickly grabbed Kakashi and dashed, surprising the silver-haired Jonin.
A bright flash was seen from any who were at or near the stadium, and a low hum resounded throughout the area as the ball of scorch suddenly expanded and eradicated everything it touched, including the entire portion of the wall she was against.
"What The... Oh, shit! Get-" Said a random Oto shinobi, before he was evaporated into dust, along with anyone close by.
Luckily, the explosion was controlled, but as a result, half of the stadium collapsed.
As quickly as the jutsu appeared, it disappeared, leaving nothing but grey ash and floating concrete dust particles.
Line break.
{The Konoha Bunker}
Kurenai had done all she could to ensure that everyone was safe and accounted for. The rest of her time had been spent trying to search for Hinata and Sakura, yet she was unsuccessful, only running into trouble along the way.
So, naturally, she was in a terrible mood.
That was until she saw the two of them escorted into the entrance hall by two Jonin, Hanabi with them as well.
Kurenai shot up from her chair and ran to hug the two of them. "I outta slap the hell out of you two!" She yelled, furious and stressed at their disobedience. "Do you realize the type of orders you were disobeying?!"
Hinata bowed her head while Sakura flinched at her scolding.
Then, suddenly, the two were pulled into an embrace, Kurenai no longer able to bother with any further chiding.
Hanabi squeaked as she was sandwiched between the girls, and the two older girls hugged Kurenai back, Sakura hesitantly.
"I'm glad you're okay." The Jonin said to Hinata before pulling back and staring down at the girls. "But on a serious note, when this is over..."
She paused. She had no idea what was to happen after all of this, so she went light.
"This will be reported. Don't pull something like that again; I mean it," she said sternly.
"Yes, Sensei. It won't happen again." Hinata said with a bow, grabbing her sister's hand tightly.
Sakura nodded in agreement. "Sorry." Was all she could think of to say.
Kurenai sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Let's just get you guys checked out. I need to head out anyway. Your fellow Genin are through there."
"You're not gonna join us?" Sakura asked with a look of concern.
Kurenai shook her head. "I'm needed on the battlefield."
After all was said and done with Kurenai, Hanabi was taken to a separate ward while Hinata and Sakura entered the ward where the genin and other similar ranks were located.
"Hinata!" Kiba yelled with relief, the boy jumping to his feet.
Hinata winced as Kiba embraced her, the girl flinching in discomfort. She was too tired from her fight with Neji and from running throughout the village to pry him off.
"I'm so glad you're ok!" He yelled, and Hinata looked to the side to see Shino sighing and getting up to pry the boy off of her.
"Kiba. She's exhausted. If you could spare her some rest..." Shino said calmly, grabbing the boy by the shoulder.
Kiba pulled away with a nod. "Right, sorry, Hinata. You were awesome in your match, by the way."
She scowled at the memory, and Shino resisted the urge to slap his forehead. The boy was saying all the wrong things right now.
"Why don't we get some rest?" Sasuke said, taking Sakura by the shoulder lightly and leading her to a seat.
This act surprised the girl, but to everyone, she and Hinata both looked a bit shell-shocked.
"You ok?" Sasuke asked, sitting Sakura down.
Sakura had to think about that for a second. What she saw was terrifying. A monster nearly crushed them with some mega jutsu straight out of hell. Her eyes teared up a little as she reminded herself that she was alive and in the present.
She even pinched herself to make sure this was a fact, and Sasuke noticed. He understood this more than most.
"You're here, Sakura. You are alive and well."
Sakura gave a light glare, but it fell as she remembered the chains.
'I thought I was seeing Kami. I thought we died. That was so... Overwhelming.' Sakura thought to herself.
What Naruto did was miraculous. It was godly. He subdued a monster on a scale she'd never seen before, and it happened in such a way that she'd never forget it. How could she?
She looked around the room to see if he was present, perhaps sleeping, unaware she was here?
Of course, he wasn't. What would she even say to him that could relay how grateful she was for his assistance?
Sasuke watched these thoughts swim in her head and decided to brood instead. She needed time. She is once again traumatized, and probably for good reason.
Meanwhile, Ino and Kiba were bombarding Hinata with questions, and Hinata was doing what she could to keep up.
"You were that close to getting crushed?!" Ino said with shock.
Hinata nodded. "Yeah. We were in no position to escape."
Kiba let out a breath and crossed his arms. "So, how did you survive?"
Hinata looked back at the memory. It was vivid and gave her a feeling she couldn't put into words. What she saw was something... Unexplainable.
She took a breath and tried to relay what she saw, and Kiba was interested in hearing all the details. The moment the chains were mentioned, he lost all interest, and a look of apprehension appeared on his features.
"Woah, what? Like Naruto's cheap trick? Are you saying he stopped the monster?" Kiba asked with disbelief in his voice.
Hinata crossed her arms. "He's the only one in the village that can do that 'Cheap trick,' so yeah."
Kiba scowled and tried to think of something that would debunk this theory of hers.
"What if someone was using a similar jutsu? I mean, wasn't he supposed to be leaving with everyone?" He said, but the excuse sounded hollow.
He then heard Shino let out an aggravated sigh. "I'm with Hinata on this. I did my research on his abilities, believing I'd be made to fight him, and it was said that there were members of the Uzumaki clan that could seal targets as large as the Bijuu."
Kiba sent the boy a glare for not helping his case.
He was worried. The way she spoke. It was as though she was worshipping this bastard now, and now that he has a big shot name, he'll be a target for all kinds of nobility, perhaps even the Hyuga.
"We'll learn more when we talk with him. I am curious to know where he's been since the invasion started. He wasn't getting checked out with me and Shikamaru, and he wasn't with you guys. He may have been tasked with defending the village thanks to-"
"Speculation, Shino. We'll just ask him when he brings his ass here." Kiba growled, slumping against the wall.
Ino rolled her eyes and smirked. "Awe. Are you jealous, Kiba?"
"Fuck off. Why are you even here? Don't you have an Uchiha to flirt with, you whore?" He spat.
Ino's eye twitched, and she decided to stab him where it hurt. She crossed her arms and gave a cruel smirk. "I just wanted to see you stumble and fail in an attempt to impress your Hyuga mistress, is all."
Kiba shot up and growled, his fists clenched. "She's not my-"
"Hey, Hinata. I have an important question to ask," Ino said, cutting him off. "Who do you prefer? Naruto or Kiba? You don't have to hold back."
Hinata blinked at that, and Kiba got in Ino's face, infuriated beyond belief. "That's enough, you bitch!"
He went to swing at her but felt his limbs suddenly freeze, his body frozen by shadow possession.
"Alright, Ino. You're obviously taking it too far. Stop it." Shikamaru said with an edge.
Ino shrugged and left to talk to Sakura, and Shikamaru forced Kiba to mirror his moves, escorting Kiba to the back of the room against his will.
"Let go! You're bitch teammate-"
"Kiba, shut it! Now is not the time to act like a brat! Our village is under attack right now! Get your priorities straight!" Shikamaru hissed.
Kiba bit his lip as he was forced to sit on the bench in the back of the room, his mind racing with a hundred ways to maul Ino to death.
He didn't care whether Naruto supposedly saved Hinata's life; she now held immense respect for him. He realized just how much of a threat Naruto really posed now, and it was getting to him far more than usual.
'What if she decides to talk to that fucker now? I can't have him getting into her head. Ugh! Why did everything have to become so complicated all of a sudden?!' Kiba thought as he slumped down next to a lounging Akamaru.
Shikamaru stared at the scene and sighed.
"Listen. I know what you're thinking. Stop it. You are being too obvious with your feelings for your teammate, and it's hurting your reputation. You want to dial the affection for her back. Be cooler, be... Smarter. I think she's into smarter guys." Shikamaru said.
Kiba gave him a look, and Shikamaru shook his head. "Not like me. Smart, hard-working guys. Someone who has their priorities straight. Kami knows I'm a mess."
"No, Not that," Kiba said. "Why are you giving me advice? You don't even have a girlfriend."
Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't want to see you get hurt. I don't like you much, admittedly, but you helped a lot of people today. You have the potential to be a good shinobi, but you're channeling all that energy on the wrong thing. Become a good shinobi first, then get the girl. It's what Naruto has done-"
"I don't want to hear about Naruto... But you have a point." Kiba said with a grumble.
Shikamaru stared at the Inuzuka and let out a sigh of relief. 'I think he's really thinking on it. Good. One less issue to worry about in the future.'
Line break.
[Orochimaru, Rasa, and the former Kage, vs Hiruzen and Enma]
Neither Hiruzen nor Orochimaru paid any mind to what just occurred below them, not when their survival hinged on the level of focus and attentiveness they put into this fight.
Orochimaru was stood off as he puppeted the former Kage while Hiruzen fought them.
It was an easy victory in theory, but in truth, puppeting these beings took reserves from him faster than he thought it would. So, in truth, he needed to play this right. The Kage are obviously fighting against him, so the sooner this ends, the better.
Tobirama and the First were in the middle of an intense taijutsu scrap with Hiruzen, and the old man was proving to be every bit the kage that Tobirama had hoped he'd be when he left the position to him. He'd even say the man had surpassed him in a way.
"Why won't you die?!" Orochimaru hissed as he watched his former sensei contest in a battle that should've taken him out by this point.
Hiruzen caught, redirected, and countered every strike thrown by both opponents, the old man doing what he could to control the engagement.
It was an attempted sweep kick from Hashirama that caused him to get taken out of the fight temporarily, the old Kage slamming his foot onto the knee of the attacker, technically breaking the leg.
Tobirama tried to cover his brother by grasping at Hiruzen by the throat, but Hiruzen grabbed both hands of the previous Kage before throwing him over his shoulder, tossing him away.
Not a moment later, Hiruzen spun into a back kick, hitting Hashirama in the jaw and sending him spinning and tumbling down the slanted roof.
It was an opening that he couldn't capitalize on, unfortunately. Hiruzen whirled and narrowly dodged a kunai thrust to the back from Tobirama, grabbing the wrist of the attacker and twisting it.
Tobirama didn't make things easy, unfortunately. He grabbed Hiruzen's other wrist and headbutted the old man in the nose, making Hiruzen stumble back.
Just as he did, Hashirama came out of nowhere and sent a flying kick to the side of Hiruzen's head, sending the old man sliding on his side.
What no one knew was that Hiruzen slapped a tag onto Tobirama's wrist when he grabbed it. So when the former kage jumped at him with the intent of driving his kunai down and into Hiruzen's chest, with one hand sign, the man's entire right half was blown away.
In a flash, Hiruzen kicked himself onto his feet and flipped away from Hashirama's incoming kick to the chest. He dashed under an overhead chop from the Senju patriarch and slammed his elbow into his chest, sending Hashirama stumbling back.
With a twist of the hips, Hiruzen delivered a devastating axe kick to the man's face, causing him to flip and land in a painful crash.
Just as Tobirama was starting to fully regenerate, Hiruzen turned and weaved through hand signs. "Fire style: Dragon flame bullet!"
Hiruzen blasted Tobirama's still regenerating corpse and bathed in with an explosion of flames that he made sure engulfed his opponent entirely.
Hiruzen turned to the sound of creaking and knew what it meant.
Hashirama had his hands buried into the ground, his empty eyes staring at Hiruzen with no purpose whatsoever as he called out his jutsu.
"Wood style: Deep forest emergence!"
The plants and wood that were slowly rising and straining against the roof raced out suddenly, and Hiruzen was forced from his position.
He dashed and flipped over and onto the rising weeds as they became twisting trunks and launched himself high into the air, all while going through an elaborate series of hand signs.
When he was almost to the ceiling of the barrier he was trapped in, he puffed out his chest, letting in as much air as possible before casting his jutsu.
"Fire style: Malevolent dragon flame!"
A fiery dragon manifested out of Hiruzen's mouth and raced to the bottom, snaking around the branches in a blur of light until it was right in Hashirama's face, and its mouth opened.
Its jaws slammed down, and with that, an explosion that shook the entire box followed.
Anyone who was inside was burned from the heat alone, the entire tree formation left a useless black charcoal mess of splintering wood and broken bark.
Orochimaru,who crawled out of the ground post-explosion, saw that Hashirama was nothing but paper mache now and cursed.
Tobirama was also regenerating, having been prematurely dismantled the moment the explosion went off.
'Wait. Then-'
A kick to the face sent Orochimaru on his back, and Hiruzen landed on Orochimaru's chest, his hand glowing with something he was familiar with.
'A contract seal? No!' Orochimaru screamed in his head, panic setting in.
He opened his mouth, and his Kusanagi shot up at Hiruzen's face, causing the old man to stumble back in alarm.
Orochimaru kicked Hiruzen's legs from under him moments later and dashed away, landing beside a reforming Tobirama.
Hiruzen panted on his knee and shook his head. 'I missed another opportunity to end this mess. I can't keep up. The pills are wearing off.'
Hiruzen got up slowly, listening to the fight between Rasa and Enma going off in the background.
Orochimaru crossed his arms, the man sweating with anxiety.
'I've turned these Kage into killing machines, and still, this old man resists at every turn! Now I know something unnatural is happening here.' Orochimaru thought to himself as he held his hand sign. 'A different approach is in order then.'
Hiruzen took a breath and watched as Hashirama walked beside his brother and crossed his arms.
Now, the only sound emitting in the barrier was the fight between Enma and the Kazekage.
Tobirama stepped forward in a zombie-like pattern, itching his way forward, and Hashirama followed close behind. Then, in a sudden burst of energy, the second Hokage dashed for Hiruzen.
Hiruzen growled and readied himself as Tobirama closed in on him, and just as Tobirama threw his charging hook at him, Hiruzen slapped it away and elbowed him in the side of the head.
It did nothing. Tobirama powered through the counter and threw a series of punches and strikes at the old man, and Hiruzen backed away, deflecting everything Tobirama threw at him.
During the exchange, Hashirama came down on them both, forcing Tobirama to disengage as a heel kick slammed into the space between them.
Hiruzen dashed back to create some distance, but Tobirama wasn't having any of it. With no warning, he shot a geyser of water from his mouth, forcing Hiruzen to duck low.
Hashirama took full advantage and drove a low kick into Hiruzen's jaw, causing the old man to go tumbling away on is back.
It was then that Hiruzen felt his age catching up to him. This meant that the pills had worn off.
"Shit." Hiruzen groaned as he got up, huffing and puffing.
Tobirama went through a series of hand signs only moments after, and Hiruzen felt the moisture in the air become denser.
Tobirama went through one more sign. "Water style: Water shockwave!"
Water swirled around the Second Hokage in a tornado before rushing toward Hiruzen, the wave being large enough to tower over him.
Hiruzen wasn't idle, however. As this was happening, he was going through hand signs as well. "Mud style: Mud wall!"
He slammed his hands onto the floor, and a thick wall of earth rose up just as the water closed in on the old man.
The wave of water smashed against the massive wall of earth, forcing it to curve around to the back of the wall, and inside the wave, Tobirama flew out, his foot aimed at Hiruzen's back.
Hiruzen saw this coming and lept into the air just as the foot was inches from him.
He slid up the wall and watched as Tobirama came for him. Just as he prepared to thrash him, the wall shook, throwing the old man off balance right as Tobirama was in his face, and a fist crashed into his cheek, followed by a series of jabs that forced him to put up his guard.
Lastly, an elbow to his chest winded him, making him stumble further up the wall. It left him open to being charged and kicked in his stomach, the kick sending him flipping in the air and falling on his stomach at the top of the earth wall.
Hiruzen groaned in pain and opened his eyes to see vines and leaves growing out of the wall and knew what tripped him up.
"God dammit." He wheezed, forcing himself to roll out of the way as vines and thorns ripped from the ground and chased after him.
He flipped to his feet, and just as he started running, a water beam lasered through his leg, causing him to yell out in pain.
He stumbled and looked to see Tobirama firing lethal water jutsu from below, lasering his wall apart.
He didn't get any time to process this as what looked to be a wood golem made of vines and thorns slammed it's fist onto the floor in front of him, making the wall collapse in on itself, and he was forced to navigate his way down as Tobirama fired off more water jets.
He flipped, dashed, and dove out of the way while trying to avoid the falling boulders mid-fall until he ran out of luck. A vine caught his leg against one of the descending boulders, and he fell into the water below.
The boulder dragged him down briefly, but Hiruzen cut it off and started swimming up.
Once again, though, He was given no time to rest.
Tobirama zipped through the water like a torpedo and slashed into the Hiruzen's side as he zipped by.
He did this three more times before Hiruzen caught him and twisted his wrist. He put the zombie into a chokehold, but at that moment, he realized that this guy didn't need to breathe. He, however, does.
Line break.
On the outside, Hashirama waited patiently for his brother to come out of the water, holding the hand sign that was controlling the golem of thorns together.
Orochimaru stood behind him, his eyes narrowed and serious. 'I know what's going on now. He did take something. Something that boosted his performance... No. Something that returned him to a time when he was younger, even if only by a little. It's wearing off now. I can tell. He's slow now.'
Just as he said this, a beheaded Tobirama was flung out of the water, its corpse spinning and crashing onto the destroyed remains of the mud wall.
Then, Hiruzen shot out of the water and clasped his hands together. "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"
A raging fireball blasted forth from the old man and straight for the golem, and it reacted by creating a shield of thorns. Yet, the size of the fireball was too much.
The impact took its entire right half off, allowing Hiruzen to blur past it and straight for Hashirama.
Orochimaru jumped back as the two engaged in another fierce taijutsu scuffle, smirking slightly as he saw the gap between Hiruzen's strength and the reanimated corpses become less and less with each exchange.
What he didn't notice was the real Hiruzen climbing out of the water behind him slowly, A death glare being sent his way.
Just as he lunged, Rasa, who was struggling for dear life against Enma, yelled out. "Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru's eyes widened, and he barely had enough time to avoid a punch that was so strong that it cratered the ground a bit, the old man using a much weaker variant of Tsunade's strength jutsu.
Orochimaru growled and skidded back, and Hiruzen chased after him, the old man throwing his best strikes at Orochimaru, who was dodging as best he could.
Yet, with the sound of a poof in the distance, Hiruzen knew he couldn't keep the engagement up.
He was forced to roll out of the way of Tobirama's overhead slash and get out of range before he was sandwiched between the two Hokage, Tobirama attacking high while Hashirama attacked low.
Hiruzen did a series of acrobatic maneuvers to fully get himself away, kicking off Hashirama to give himself more distance, and by the end, he was holding his back and wincing.
"Hahahahaha! Oh! Look at you. This is the real you, isn't it?" Orochimaru laughed in mockery. "What did you take to increase your performance? Hm? Was it an advanced soldier pill? If so, then I'm curious: did you take more than one? If so, I bet you'll be puking your guts soon!"
Hiruzen ignored the jabs and looked over at Rasa. The man had claw marks all over his body and was exhausted. There were burns here and there too.
Enma was also a bit tired but looked to be more annoyed than anything else.
He ignored the two and let out a breath. 'This isn't working. I can't keep this up. Soon, I'll be out of chakra. This song and dance has to end. Killing the caster isn't an option, given his security. I don't have any other way to solve this other than... The reaper.'
The old man closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn't afford to die here when so many people are relying on him. Yet, the issue of Orochimaru has to be dealt with. To take him out through the use of this jutsu would ensure he could never haunt Konoha ever again. It was his duty.
He looked to his left and smiled a little at seeing Shukaku's stoney form. He saw what took him down. It's what has pushed him this far. The next generation.
'I won't be putting the hat on you, Naruto. I'm sorry. At least the village will have you when I'm gone.' He thought to himself.
Orochimaru saw this and scoffed. "End him." He called out.
Hashirama and Tobirama inched closer while Orochimaru drew his Kusanagi. This made Hiruzen stand tall and cross his arms. "Enma! We're doing this the old-fashioned way!"
Enma, who was dodging around the sand in the background, suddenly somersaulted away from his opponent and landed on the black bark of the burnt tree just behind Hiruzen. "Are you certain, Sarutobi? Just a little longer, and this fool will be dealt with. I was just about to end him."
"Do not be so arrogant, you stupid animal." Hisses a bloody and bruised Rasa. The Kazekage wasn't used to having so little room to maneuver.
Hiruzen ignored them both and raised his hand.
This was all Enma needed. With a poof of smoke, he transformed into the adamantine staff and flung into Hiruzen's hand.
He whispered something to the staff, but no one took it into account.
Hiruzen spun his staff and pointed it at Orochimaru. "Come. Let us enjoy one last dance. Orochimaru of the Sannin."
Orochimaru looked at the reanimated Kage and frowned. "Your funeral."
With that, Orochimaru made a beeline for Hiruzen, Rasa firing golden dust out at the elder from behind, and Hiruzen knew who he needed to target first.
'We'll start with eliminating the weakest link. Then, we'll work our way up.' He thought as he swung his staff into Orochimaru's guard.
Rasa did what he could to assist, firing his sand and using it to manipulate the battlefield and trip up Hiruzen. Yet, the old man was a spectacle.
Even with the reanimations getting involved, he was handling himself with grace, spinning and flourishing his weapon with such mastery that it was easy to tell who was in control of the engagement.
Orochimaru knew this to be true too, as he found it hard to go on the offensive, being forced to focus on defense. It was the case for all three.
With a single spin of the staff, he simultaneously deflected Tobirama and Hashirama's coordinated attack, sending them stumbling back.
Orochimaru went in for his perceived opening, Rasa also attacking the elder, but it was at that moment that Hiruzen threw down a smoke bomb, hiding Enma as he transformed back and slammed his foot into Orochimaru's face.
The both of them were hidden in smoke once Orochimaru was knocked on his back, and from within, Hiruzen went through hand signs.
Three Hiruzen's appeared while Enma launched out of the disappearing smoke to engage Orochimaru.
For Rasa, the old man was tag-teaming Orochimaru one moment and in his face the next.
Rasa's eyes widened at the burst of speed, and with the wave of his hand, his sand rose from the ground to become a pillar.
Even still, Hiruzen raced up the sand faster than Rasa could snatch him.
"Get away!" The man yelled. "Magnet release: Golden sand Prison!'
Hiruzen's eyes widened as he felt the pillar he was running up collapse and engulf him.
Rasa maneuvered his sand and forced it to completely close in on the man before forcing his sand compress. "Sand coffin."
The sand hardened, cracking the tile due to the weight of the jutsu.
He heaved over, exhausted from fighting Enma.
"No!" Orochimaru yelled in anger. "He was mine!"
Rasa scoffed as he watched Orochimaru leap away from Enma. "I was supposed to finish him, you fool!"
"Don't go insulting your allies. That wasn't part of any deal, so shut-urgh!"
Orochimaru stopped his rant when a sickening impact was heard, followed by the sound of blood pouring onto the floor/sand.
Rasa looked down and saw a fist rammed through his torso. Blood pooled from his mouth.
He turned around to see a pissed off and oddly menacing Hiruzen, and before he could even think to do anything, he was lifted by the arms penetrating him, causing him to scream in pain.
Orochimaru snarled in anger. 'Dammit. That was my backup! Now I Have to really exert myself!'
"I told you I would end you." Hiruzen growled, and in a plume of smoke, it was revealed that he was, in fact, Enma. His clawed fist was penetrating Rasa's stomach.
The man gurgled on blood, his sand dropping as his will was slowly leaving him.
'Damn you!' Rasa thought angrily, but his anger turned to fear when he felt Enma give a sickening smirk, something primal.
Then he felt Enma dig into his chest, and Rasa gave a pathetic screech as he tried to stop him. "NO! no!... no." The man wheezed, and his eyes started to roll up as Enma gripped his lung and clawed it.
'Damn. I can't seem to reach his heart. Should've hit him higher.' Enma thought with disappointment, wanting a trophy.
"Enma! Remember our plan!" Hiruzen yelled, having taken the ape's place.
Enma nodded and ripped a chunk of the organ out as he left to assist his friend, leaving Rasa to writhe and slowly die on the floor.
Orochimaru came charging at Hiruzen, spinning his Kusanagi with grace as he tried to end Hiruzen before the man could cast any more clones.
The two clashed in the center. Hiruzen was doing his best to avoid the slashes, but his breath was ragged. Unfortunately, it finally happened.
With a tumble, Orochimaru managed to cut Hiruzen's leg, making Orochimaru smirk, and Hiruzen yelled in immense pain.
Orochimaru then jabbed the sword toward Hiruzen, but a kick to the side of the head prevented any more retaliation, Enma coming out of nowhere to assist his summoner.
"Hiruzen! It's now or never. Don't forget!"
Hiruzen grunted as he rolled to his feet, limping over to his summon.
Enma grabbed the elder by his shoulder and held him up.
He then went through hand signs as he felt his limbs already going numb.
"Enma. You might want to steer clear. I don't know what this jutsu will do to you if you're too close." Hiruzen said in a raspy voice.
Enma gave a slow nod and put distance between himself and Hiruzen.
Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Reaper death seal!"
No one could see what happened exactly, save for the caster. Something like a black portal was slowly sliced open from behind the elder, and the horned death god crept through, a sickening smirk on his face.
His laughter brought shiveres down Hiruzen's spine, and Orochimaru mistook it as the jutsu not working since he couldn't see any change.
"Well? What was that? Reaper what now? Nothing has happened." The man cackled in amusement. "Have you forgotten the hand signs? Or are you already hallucinating in your final moments? How sad."
Hiruzen, seeing that the reaper was here and ready, released his hands and got into a taijutsu stance.
Even so, his vision blurred, and he became dizzy.
'Damn this poison! I can't afford to die just yet! I need to get a hold of myself!' Hiruzen thought as he hunched over in pain and exhaustion, Orochimaru lunging in for the kill.
However, Enma launched back at him, slamming into his side.
The two went rolling down the roof, Enma and Orochimaru engaging in a round of brutal taijutsu.
In the background, he saw that his clones had a hold of their respective targets, getting into either an arm lock or a grapple with the previous Kage.
'Shoot! I need to hurry!' Thought Hiruzen as he clasped his hands again.
The reaper appeared in three places at once in that instance, manifesting just above the clones.
It reached its hand and ripped through the Hiruzen clone's chest, passing it to get to the soul of its intended target.
When it reached into Tobirama, the corpse's eyes became normal, and he gave a sigh of relief. "Well done, Sarutobi. Well done. I'll be seeing you soon." He said in a calm tone, and with the crumbling of the vessel, Tobirama was sucked into the Shinigami.
The same went for Hashirama.
When Hiruzen released Hashirama, the old man became emotional. "You did good, Hiruzen. Leave the rest to the next generation. This village is strong. It will rise again stronger, just like I showed you long ago."
Hiruzen chuckled with tears in his eyes and watched as Hashirama crumbled and the Hiruzen clone dispersed.
Orochimaru's eyes widened at the spectacle and he hissed in rage.
"Ninja art: Hidden shadow snake!" The man yelled, and the hands holding Enma's turned into snakes that slithered and subdued the ape.
He then whirled on Hiruzen with a look of pure rage. "What have you done?! How did you do that?!" He screamed.
Enma growled and hissed as he strangled the snakes trying to grapple with him, yet he couldn't get free. "Damn it all!" He yelled as he bit off the head of one.
Orochimaru lunged at Hiruzen and slammed his sword through Hiruzen's shoulder, the old man barely weaving to the side to avoid a fatal hit the chest.
Orochimaru laughed as he drove it deeper and deeper into his old sensei. "Ah! But it doesn't matter, does it? I have you now, so hurry up and die!"
Hiruzen yelled in pain and gripped the wrists of Orochimaru.
To Orochimaru's shock, the old man was assisting in driving the sword deeper, the grip on his wrists tightening painfully.
'Is he waiting for Enma to get loose to take me from behind? Not going to happen.' He thought to himself as he prepared a substitution jutsu. But then he noticed the smile Hiruzen was giving him. It was off. Really off.
Before he could demand why he was smiling in the face of death, he felt his body become paralyzed as a force well beyond anything he'd ever felt in his life took hold of his entire being, and he witnessed a shadow seemingly appear over him, blocking out the sun.
He turned his head slowly, and he saw it. The Shinigami. It's creepy and angry gaze leering down on him. It was Beyond terrifying. It was death manifest.
"W-What is that?! W-what have you done?!" Orochimaru stuttered out in fear.
Line break.
Tayuya, Jirobo, and the rest of the Sound Four were confused as to what was happening. They couldn't sense or see the one taking away the reanimation jutsu, nor what was scaring their lord to such an extent.
The thought of the boogeyman being scared, scared them.
"What is he seeing?" Asked Sakon as he squinted his eyes to get a closer look.
Tayuya grit her teeth in anger. 'Hurry up already! Just kill the old man so we can get the hell outta here!' She thought impatiently.
Jirobo watched on silently, trying to understand why their leader looked to be struggling so much to do a simple task. 'Is the old man resisting somehow? I've never seen that expression on lord Orochimaru before. Is he truly afraid? No, no way. Of what?'
Line break.
Orochimaru looked down at the old man and started trying to break free but to no avail.
When Hiruzen knew Orochimaru was paralyzed, he planted a hand on his student's torso and started pulling.
Orochimaru's eyes widened in pure terror at what he saw next. It was his soul. It was slowly pulling away from him.
"No! NO! Just die, you old fool! Croak already!" Orochimaru screamed, trying to will his soul back into himself, but nothing happened. "AAAAAHH! STOP!"
Hiruzen's eyes started to fade as he fought to end Orochimaru, his vision blurring. 'N-No. Just... A little...'
Orochimaru's hands went numb. Then his arms, and more and more of him was pulled out. His eyes started to roll up, and tears of fear rolled down as he realized this was it. He couldn't even speak. 'NOOOOOOO!' He screeched, the voice of his soul doing the talking. More and more of him is being taken from him.
Then, the Shinigami moved, taking his blade from his mouth and raising his arm in the air. He wanted to stall out and take this thief with the caster, but alas, the caster was too far gone to do more, and the thief would pull back. This would do.
He brought the blade down, and a chunk of Orochimaru's soul was swallowed along with Hiruzen.
Orochimaru fell limp and useless, his legs and arms taken from him.
Then, with that act, the Shinigami vanished, leaving just him, a struggling Enma, and a half-dead Kazekage within the barrier.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! UNDO THIS BARRER AND GET ME OUT OF THIS SHITHOLE VILLAGE!" The Sannin yelled.
The Sound Four wasted no time, the teens releasing the barrier to get their master.
Jirobo scooped Orochimaru up in his arms. "Let's get out of here, everyone! Follow me!" He said, and as he did, he felt someone behind him.
He turned around and was suddenly slashed across the face with enough force to send him flying off the roof, Orochimaru ragdolling off with him.
Tayuya went on the retreat immediately upon seeing Enma ragdoll, the brute of their gang.
Enma growled and thought about giving chase but didn't see the point. He was out of time and would disperse any minute now.
Instead, he went to pay his respect to his fallen master, crouching next to him with a sorrowful expression on his face.
"You were a true warrior. I'm afraid I'll never meet another quite like yourself. We had a good run, old fr-"
He was gone before he could finish, the Monkey King vanishing in a plume of smoke a he was called back to the high mountains of his home.
Line break.
[Kakashi POV]
Kakashi woke up in a start before he coughed up dust and smoke. He groaned and felt someone lift a large piece of concrete off of him.
Looking up, he saw Gai and gave a sigh of relief.
"Thanks." The Jonin wheezed as he was helped up.
"Of course. Careful, though. You may be more injured than you think." Gai said before coughing up dust.
"Where did Pakura go?" He asked, before turning to see the entire wall behind him missing.
"I have no idea. I just woke up, and the first thing I did was relieve you of the thing crushing you." Gai said as he looked around.
Their eyes were alert, keeping an eye out for the enemy while also looking for his allies.
When Kakashi saw Asuma, his heart dropped. He looked pretty bad. He was face-first under rubble with blood running from his nose and mouth.
He ran over and shook the man to wake him up, but it didn't work. Instead, the man spat out a bit of blood and gave a small groan.
Gai let out a sigh of relief when watching. He was alive, so that was a small blessing, but it wouldn't matter much if they were caught up in an attack.
"Kakashi?"
Kakashi jumped and turned to see an injured Genma holding Raido on his back. "Oh. Thank goodness. How're you holdin' up?"
"Not great. It looks like if it weren't for Gai, I wouldn't have made it out on time." Kakashi answered honestly, patting his friend on the shoulder, eliciting a wince from the man.
Kakashi took notice and silently apologized, realizing something in the man's shoulder was broken.
Genma sighed and dropped to one knee, panting with exhaustion and pain. He dropped Raido, and the man grunted as his body hit the ground. "S-Sorry."
"It's fine," Raido said bitterly. "I can't feel my lower back anyway."
Kakashi turned to see more debris and knew that they couldn't go this way. He also saw that there were dead ninja here and there. "Do you think Pakura escaped?"
Genma shook his head and pointed up at the tower. "She's up there. The barrier just came down."
Kakashi's eyes widened, and he looked up at the building where Orochimaru and the Hokage were fighting and saw burnt trees protruding from there, as well as debris and water falling off, no longer contained by the barrier.
"Crap." He cursed out in worry.
Line break.
[Pakura POV]
She saw the whole thing. The entire climax between the S-rank combatants. It was a true slugfest, one that ended in the victory of Orochimaru. If you can call what happened to him a victory.
She landed on the roof when Enma disappeared and walked up to Rasa. There was a hole in his stomach, and he was suffering greatly from a lack of blood.
'The ape punched through his spine. He's done.' She thought with a bitter edge.
She knelt down, blood dripping from her cheek from Asuma's punch, and she gently cradled him.
'He likely won't make it to Suna, but unfortunately, my job is to make sure his body is at least returned in one piece.' She thought with a bitter edge.
She heard the sound of shinobi encroaching and grit her teeth, pushing herself to go on the move with the extra weight.
She was gone in a blur, leaving behind a blood trail.
Line break.
[Naruto POV]
All across the village, there were victories. Victories that had to be fought for, but victories nonetheless.
One such victory was getting Shukaku sealed, and though it was a big one, Naruto felt no joy in it.
Seeing Shukaku finally sealed up in the container only left him bitter. There was smoke everywhere from both enemy shinobi and this monster. How could he begin to celebrate this supposed victory?
Naruto winced as the medic helped him put pressure on his hip, and the blood finally stopped.
Jiraiya was across from him, standing with his arms crossed.
"Lord Jiraiya! Orochimaru has been spotted retreating from the stadium!" Said one of the Chunin on the streets.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at that. "What state was he in?"
"We believe he is critical."
"And what of Lord Hokage?" Jiraiya asked, jumping down out of Naruto's earshot.
Whatever was said, it made Jiraiya rush to the stadium with a haste he hadn't seen before. The man was even followed by dozens... No. Hundreds of shinobi.
Naruto brushed the female medic off and stood up. "We've gotta go see what's going on!" Naruto said with worry.
"No, You need to sit and heal." She said, pulling the boy down.
Naruto shook his head. "No way! They-"
"You are going to open up your wound moving around, not to mention agitating your broken ankle," Said the stern voice of the med-team leader.
The gruff man sat the blonde down, making the boy growl and cross his arms.
'I Hate being a kid. I bet they'd let me go if I was a little older.' Naruto thought bitterly.
Just then, the girl beside him nudged his arm and gave him a bar of food. "Per your request."
He sighed and took it, eating as angrily as he could.
He hasn't changed as much as he thought.
Line beak.
[Gai POV]
Gai made it up to the roof first, having been the one in better shape between the Jonin. There, he saw what he and many feared to see.
Their Kage was dead.
"Gai!" Yelled a female voice.
He turned around and saw that it was Kurenai.
She landed next to him, looking exhausted. "I got the kids and the rest of-..." She stopped, letting out a soft gasp.
"Yeah. I know." Gai said somberly. "I don't see Orochimaru or the Kazekage. They did it."
"They may still be in the area. We could-"
Before she could finish that statement, she jumped when a heavy thump was heard. Jiraiya landed in a crash, his feet digging into the tile and splintering it. He had an aura she couldn't describe as he made his way to his master.
He knelt down and checked his pulse in spite of knowing the answer and shook his head in denial.
He cradled his sensei after and remained silent.
Neither Jonin said a word, even as, one by one, more and more shinobi flocked to see their Kage.
Many fell to their knees with grief and loss, with some crying in defeat and grief.
"What... Do we do now?" Asked a chunin.
Jiraiya grit his teeth, his vision blurry with unshed tears. He could feel the gaze of those around him. After all, he is the oldest and strongest Shinobi in the village after Hiruzen. He'd be the one they looked to to lead them.
He sighed and let out a growl.
He gave Hiruzen a small hug and left him there, standing up and letting the professionals look at him. He took a breath and faced the shinobi of Konoha.
"The invasion isn't over. The enemy is no doubt retreating. Don't let them."
"Huh?" Asked a younger chunin, but one of the Jonin's covered his mouth and nodded to Jiraiya's orders.
"We've already gotten word from our outposts. They won't make it far. Our reserves are acting as a barrier as ordered by Lord Hiruzen."
Jiraiya nodded. "Good. I'll help lead the charge and chase them to the border. They are routed. This is the time to inflict as much damage as possible. This isn't the time to be sad. This is the time to show why the Leaf will not be brought down easily in all its years as a great nation!"
"Yes sir!" All the surrounding chunin chanted.
Jiraiya took another look at Hiruzen and closed his eyes. "Spread the word and bolster our forces forward! Their leaders have abandoned them! Now is the time to finish them off!"
"Yes, lord Hokage!"
Jiraiya stopped and gave the man who uttered those words an angry glare. "I'm not the Hokage."
The shinobi flinched and gulped, rushing out of the roof, followed by all but a few of the Elite Jonin.
Kakashi sighed and took a knee to give himself a breather. "Suna has a strong shinobi in their midst. Scorch release. Be careful, and no fire jutsu." The Jonin said.
Jiraiya nodded. "You ran into Pakura, huh? No worries. I already know how to deal with someone like her."
With that, Jiraiya turned to some of the remaining shinobi. "Let no one disturb him until the medical units get here. Understood?"
The Shinobi bowed in respect, and with that, Jiraiya leaped off, his fellow Jonin in toe.
Line break.
{Konohagakure hospital}
[9 hours later]
[Naruto POV]
There were no more tremors, no more roars, no yelling, and no screams. And yet, he could still hear it all so clearly. Too clearly.
He was lying in the most comfortable hospital bed he'd ever laid in, having been designated as VIP for the first time.
It was supposed to be a dream come true in a way, but it wasn't. He was miserable.
Word had spread about the death of the Hokage, and though it took a while, it reached his ears as well.
He couldn't imagine someone like Hiruzen going down to anyone. To him, he was mythical, more so than Jiraiya since he was the man's sensei.
It was tearing him apart.
Naruto sat up to peek out the blinds, taking a look at the village.
It was nightfall, so he couldn't see the damage now that the sun was gone, but smoke was still rising in the air from the stadium.
'How many people died in there? Unable to call for help while fighting for their lives?' He thought to himself, feeling guilty.
The door opened, and he turned to see who it was.
Sasuke came through the door and closed it, peeking through to make sure no one saw him before sighing.
"Hey. How are you holding up?" The boy asked while grabbing a chair.
Naruto sighed and dropped the blinds, facing Sasuke. "I'm in the worst mood ever. I can't get any rest with everything that has happened."
Sasuke nodded. "I figured. It's not good to leave someone alone with only their thoughts when something this big has occurred. Trust me, I would know."
Naruto let out a sigh and gave Sasuke a weak smile. "Thanks, Sasuke. I never took you for the sentimental type. Usually, I'm the one doing that, save for Sakura sometimes."
Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not supposed to be here, so I can't stay for long. I'm already being looked for, so let's make this count."
"Hm? What do you have in mind? A card game?" Naruto asked.
"You know it," Sasuke said, pulling out a pack of cards and tossing it at Naruto.
"I haven't played one of these in a while. Let's get into it. You got any cash on you?" Asked the blonde, already shuffling the deck.
"Pft. It's not like I carry it on me or anything." Sasuke snorted before getting the game started.
Naruto gave a chuckle as he looked at his deck. 'Damn! I have the worst luck.'
"How about this? Whoever loses has to take the team out to eat; it's their choice." Sasuke said.
Naruto smirked and looked up. "Man. That's what I could use. Some Ichiraku. You got yourself a deal."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Of course, the blonde wants ramen. If anything, it would've been good to go out and get some for him. Unfortunately, he doubts they are open with all this chaos going on.
"Alright, lets do this. I'mma put it all on the line." Naruto said, rubbing his hands together as he set down the card on the desk. "Read em and weep, Uchiha. I've got a flush of clubs."
Sasuke raised a brow and smirked before showing his deck.
Line break.
The two would go on to play until the blonde finally ran out of energy, falling asleep mid-game. It was the Uchiha's way of helping the blonde to unwind, and it worked.
"Hey." Came a soft whisper.
Sasuke looked up at Sakura and gave her a silent greeting, indicating for her to keep quiet.
Sakura nodded and gave a look at Naruto, happy that her teammate was resting.
"Why didn't you let me tag along?" She said in a surprisingly irritated tone.
Sasuke frowned. "He didn't want to talk about what he'd seen. You were curious about him taking down a monster, and his mind is likely on something else entirely. He needs rest first."
Sakura frowned and nodded. 'Ok, he has a point there.' She thought to herself.
"Is anyone looking for me?" Asked Sasuke.
Sakura smirked. "Yeah. We should head back and fast. The staff is really annoyed."
Sasuke smirked. "I'm going."
Just then, Naruto let out a grumble as he rolled to his side, spilling the cards over and onto the ground.
Sasuke raised a brow, and he sighed, gathering the cards together.
The two genin left the blonde, with Sakura looking back at Naruto one last time before closing the door.
He would need his rest because, after this, things would only become more complicated for him.
Much more complicated.
Line break.
End chapter.
{A/N}
As Promised, I posted before Sunday. We're finally exiting this Chunin exams arc, the arc a lot of my favorite stories growing up with stopped at. I did it.
I was so tired and so eager to get through this section of the story because it's extremely important. It was also hard to write. Many characters got hurt, and some died. We'll see how this will affect the cast of characters in this next arc.
The chapter mostly dealt with the fights between the Jonin and the juggernauts, and these were a little difficult to write. It was good practice though. Hopefully I'm getting better at the fight scenes and they're easier to follow than before. I feel like practicing on harder scenes with multiple opponents will make it easier for me to deal with the 1v1's to a great extent.
It'll also make certain scenes possible to write later in the story, but I won't spoil anything for you guys.
I also didn't want to kill off Hiruzen since I came to like him in this story, but at least he went out like a champ.
Anyway, comment on your thoughts and follow to keep up with the next post.
Thanks for reading.