When outnumbered by an opposing force the textbook shinobi rule was to run away. It was practically scripture. One was not meant to engage in fair fights as a shinobi, so to engage in unfair fights was practically blasphemy. However, there were times when one was forced into such a situation where they had to take an unfair fight. In those situations there were two common courses of action.
The first was take down all minor threats first. This was so one could focus on major threats. They required more attention, and as thus made one vulnerable to minor threats to actually be useful in battle. By taking down every minor threat you could slowly dedicate more focus towards the heavy hitters on a battlefield. Of course, the downside to this was ignoring individuals who posed serious threats to a person or force. Ignoring them was liable to cost you your life at one small mistake.
And thus the second course of action existed. Focus on the major threats before focusing on the minor ones. After all, if the major threats were dealt with first it was easier to handle minor threats, if you didn't break their morale entirely. The downside to this strategy was precisely the upside of the first strategy. The amount of attention required to deal with serious threats on a battlefield made one distracted to any minor threat. You had to be careful of damage piling up over time, or a lucky shot getting through and doing significant damage if not outright killing you. It would make you easier to take down. More so, you drained your energy quite rapidly using this method, thus requiring a careful monitoring of energy to be sure to be able to defeat the remaining foes should you take down all major threats.
Both strategies had their ups and downs. Luckily for Naruto he could choose a third option. He didn't have to choose which group to target first if he could just target all of them.
The blonde leapt into the air the second the ground started to shift, watching as the ground he was previously standing on turned to quicksand. Such a quick usage of chakra. Impressive. He wasn't out of the woodworks yet though, as he was greeted with a barrage of steel in the form of kunai and shuriken courtesy of the Iwa shinobi. The blonde grunted, twirling his bo staff to deflect any weapon that got too close. He landed on a nearby cliff side, sprinting towards the nearest Iwa shinobi. The man threw a punch, Naruto idly noticing the knuckle dusters on his hand as he dodged. The man roared, launching another punch that Naruto deftly ducked underneath. He thrust his palm forwards, smashing it into the man's stomach but was unable to follow up due to three shinobi pouncing on him.
The blonde deflected their strikes with his bo staff, eyes tracing all of their movements with ease. The shinobi with the knuckle dusters was soon to join in, the quartet attacking the blonde from all angles. Still, they couldn't breach his defenses, his staff twirling around his body. Every punch or tip of a blade that got beyond a certain point was instantly batted down, as though a barrier was around the blonde. His defense was impregnable.
"Out of the way! Yōton: Kaisekifū no Jutsu (Lava Release: Ash Stone Seal Technique)!"
The Iwa shinobi leapt away as the cloud of ash descended towards Naruto. The blonde blinked.
'Useful.'
"Fūton: Toppa (Wind Release: Breakthrough)!"
The gale of wind that escaped Naruto's mouth smashed into the cloud of ash, redirecting it back at Kurotsuchi and the Iwa shinobi around her. She was fast enough to avoid the attack, however they were not, instead buried underneath the ash she had released. Naruto grinned, chakra rolling in his stomach as he opened his mouth.
"Fūton: Renkūdan (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)!"
The blonde expelled a bullet of air, the blast shooting forward at speeds almost no one was able to react to.
Almost.
A wall of earth erupted from the mountain, exploding when the blast made contact with it. However, the goal had been achieved. The attack had been stopped, and the Iwa shinobi had managed to free themselves of their prison in the meantime. The blonde frowned, glancing down at Kitsuchi, the man's hands on the ground as he stared resolutely at Naruto.
"Tch."
Naruto shot towards the man, only for his body to be sent flying by a massive bee. The blonde grunted, flipping in the air as he stared at the massive bee that was buzzing around him. Suzumebachi rode atop it, a smile on her face. The bee screeched, beating its wings even further to release powerful winds that sent Naruto careening towards the ground. The Iwa shinobi were not ones to waste such an opportunity. Earthen spikes rose from the ground where the blonde was intended to land. The blonde grunted, his eyes on the earthen spikes.
Naruto thrust his palm outwards, a blast of air pushing him away from the spikes and onto the stable ground. He didn't stay there long however, leaping towards the nearest cliffside as the place he was just standing exploded into spikes. He twirled his bo staff as he approached, ducking underneath the rocks that were sent flying his way courtesy of jutsu. He landed on the mountain, swinging his staff at the closest enemy. They ducked underneath the assault, only for him to twirl it once more, kicking up a storm of pebbles as it kicked upwards and smashed into their chin. Their head snapped upwards, but he was unable to continue the assault once more as another kunoichi lashed out with a kunai at his throat. he quickly deflected the attack before he snapped his staff into her stomach. She keeled over, but once again the blonde couldn't string together an attack as another shinobi leapt at him.
The blonde sidestepped the lunge, snapping them harshly on the back of the head for their troubles only for his ears to hear the buzzing. He snapped his head upwards, seeing the storm of bees flying towards him with explosive tags on their bodies. He, and every Iwa shinobi on the mountainside with him, leapt away as the bees detonated, sending large chunks of earth careening to the clearing below. Naruto grunted, looking at the smiling Suzumebachi only to spin as he heard Kurotsuchi cry out.
"DIE!"
The blonde blocked her punch with his staff, but the force behind the blow was immense. With nothing to keep his balance he shot towards the ground, landing with a loud thud. The pressure wasn't done however, Kitsuchi appearing next to him with his fist covered in stone. Naruto grunted as the uppercut connected with his chin, sending him flying into a nearby mountainside with blood shooting from his mouth.
"Do you understand now," an Iwa shinobi called out. "This is what you're up against! You can't do anything against these numbers by yourself, even if you are powerful!"
"I was honestly expecting more," Suzumebachi stated, her tone revealing her boredom. "He isn't what I expected him to be. I mean sure it's impressive to not have died already when facing such a large amount of enemies, but if all he's good at is not dying this will be over quickly."
"Shut up all of you," Kitsuchi ground out. "He's handled more Iwa shinobi than this at once before."
The blonde grunted, cracking his neck to look down at the Iwa shinobi.
"Alright...I understand I can't treat you lightly."
"Bastard," Kurotsuchi hissed. "You were looking down on us!"
"Yes, and you couldn't kill me when I was doing so," Naruto droned. "But now? No longer."
Naruto leapt into the air, getting far above Suzumebachi. He grinned, making a one-handed sign. He would need the focus for what he was about to do.
Bullet after bullet of air spat from his mouth, raining down on the Iwa shinobi like meteors. Each was about a house large, with visible streams of air resistance trying to slow them down. There were ten bullets in total, but the distortions blotted out the sky. The Iwa shinobi panicked, forming massive defensive walls with the earth available to them. Even Suzumebachi flew down to be underneath the protection of the earthen dome. Not that it mattered. The dome would have held underneath three of the blasts. Maybe four.
Ten?
It had no chance.
Massive explosions covered the battlefield, smoke filling the air. The dome shattered and the Iwa shinobi scattered, desperate to avoid the remaining air bullets and debris. Many were not so lucky. The titanic explosions washed over the battlefield, leaving nothing but screaming in their wake. Naruto didn't wait for the smoke to clear before he dashed into it, using his senses to locate the precise location of any nearby shinobi. His staff spun, crying out for blood with a howl he cleaved the closest Iwa shinobi in two, blood pouring onto the ground in rivulets. He spun, locking eyes with another shinobi in the dust cloud and thrusting his staff forwards. They leapt back, avoiding the staff but failing to avoid the wind swirling around it. The air speared through their gut. They coughed up blood, only for Naruto to twirl the staff, bifurcating the man.
"We need to clear the smoke!"
"You won't get the chance," Naruto whispered, turning towards the direction of the voice. The man's staff spun and the wind howled, dust swirling around him as he channeled the element he controlled as easily as breathing.
"Fūton: Ōkakeami (Wind Release: Great Cast Net)."
The staff sent off concentrated blades of wind towards the area, the attacks layering ontop of each other until they formed something akin to a net. The Iwa shinobi didn't even have the time to scream. One minute they were talking, the next they were dead silent. The smoke cleared not long after, revealing twenty dead shinobi, with bodies mangled and torn apart like scraps of paper. They were completely unrecognizable.
"You...you monster," Kurotsuchi seethed, rushing him. Naruto turned to look at her, deflecting her slash with his staff. He shoulder checked her, making her stumble backwards, before he spun his staff towards her neck. She leaned backwards, barely avoiding the staff and wind that shrouded it. She flipped away, only for a clone of Naruto to appear behind her in a tuff of smoke and smash his fist into her back. She cried out. The real Naruto pounced, spearing forwards with his staff only for it to be halted by a hand of solid earth. The wind drilled into the stone, but it was unable to pierce it.
Kitsuchi glared down at Naruto.
"I will not let you kill my daughter like you did my father."
Naruto stared at him. Kitsuchi grunted, lashing out with a punch that was caught by Naruto, only for the blonde's eyes to widen as he was sent flying from the force. Kitsuchi stormed forwards like an ox, swinging another punch at Naruto that forced the blonde to duck. A knee rose to meet his chin, only for Naruto to thrust his hand downwards, a blast of air allowing him to flip above the man. He thrust downwards with his spear but Kitsuchi sidestepped, letting it pierce the ground. Still, the leverage was there. Naruto turned, smashing his knee into Kitsuchi's chest. The man stumbled backwards but tolerated the blow as he weaved handsigns. He smashed his hands onto the ground.
"Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)!"
Massive spikes of earth shot forth from the ground, threatening to pierce Naruto and his clone. The real blonde grunted, slashing any spear that got too close with his staff while the clone was gored. Still, the attack became to much, forcing him to leap away. Howver, he was unable to relax as Suzumebachi flew towards him atop her massive bee. The bee lunged forwards with its stinger, forcing Naruto to block the attack with his staff. He grit his teeth as he was sent flying from the impact, flipping to land on the ground.
"That thing is coming down," he muttered before he leapt into action. "Can't let you have air and ground superiority."
The blonde blurred towards the massive bee, sending a slash of air towards it. The bee beat its mighty wings, sending a blast of its own. The two attacks collided midair, releasing a pulse of air as they dispelled each other. Naruto didn't hesitate, dashing forwards before he leaped. Suzumebachi's eyes widened as she saw the blonde blur approach, barely ducking underneath his initial thrust with his spear. The blonde landed on the bee behind the woman, swirling his bo staff to take off her head. She ducked underneath the weapon, lashing out with a blade she pulled from the hem of her clothes.
Naruto batted the weapon aside, using chakra to stick to the bee as it soared high into the air. He thrust at the kunoichi, only for her to tilt her head to the side. Naruto smirked. A simple application of chakra and a hook of wind formed on the edge of his weapon and he swung. It was only thanks to the visible howling wind that Suzumebachi saw the attack coming and managed to duck, losing a tuff of hair in the process. Naruto didn't slow down though, in a rhythm now that he could fight only one opponent. He spun his blade, coming down with a vertical slash that Suzumebachi sidestepped.
Naruto grinned.
The sickle pierced the bee's hide, causing it to bellow in pain.
"No!"
Naruto grinned as he pulled with his staff, ripping the massive bee in half, blood filling the sky as the summon dispelled and the two began to freefall.
"Yes."
Naruto grinned, smashing a kick into Kurotsuchi's chest that sent her flying into the nearby ground. Naruto grinned, wind swirling around his staff before he thrust it downwards towards the woman. The piercing lance of wind would have split her head in two if not for the wall of earth that quickly flipped, throwing her undereath the ground. Not far away a hole opened up near Kitsuchi, throwing Suzumebachi up next to him. Naruto frowned, staring at Kitsuchi as he landed.
"You're annoying."
The man was keeping the Iwa shinobi around. This was the third time he had stopped him from effectively taking out a threat. First the group of Iwa shinobi he had used Kurotsuchi to trap. Then Kurotsuchi herself. Now Suzumebachi. He had clearly earned his title of the Stone Wall. He would have significantly less threats to worry about if not for that man. He was the focal point of their squad. The entire group tried to defend one another, not letting him gain an offensive rhythm. He wouldn't have another opportunity like what he had with Suzumebachi to have an isolated match again. Maybe he should have focused on killing her and not the bee? It didn't matter. There were ways to break the defense. Large and powerful jutsu like when he had launched a barrage of Renkūdan's at the shinobi. Still, while they would never be able to fully negate the attack it would get progressively less effective the more they got used to it. It wasn't a permanent solution.
There was only one permanent solution.
Naruto resolved to kill the man. If he did that he would take down their defense, which would make everyone else vulnerable. More so, the man was clearly worth respecting. He was the real threat here. With her main summon down Suzumebachi was heavily limited. Unless she had something up her sleeve he had effectively negated most of her most dangerous abilities until she could grow a new summon, but from his knowledge on the Kamizuru Clan they needed special circumstances to rapidly grow another partner bee. She wouldn't have the time to do so. Kurotsuchi? She wasn't a threat. Hotheaded, arrogant, and already significantly weaker than him. He could defeat her, especially if she made her blow her fuse by killing her father. The other shinobi? Well, he doubted their morale would hold if held all three of their leaders dead bodies in front of him, much less Kitsuchi by himself.
"No more reckless fighting," Kitsuchi stated. "I'm the only one who will engage with him in combat am I clear? The rest of you provide ranged support."
"But father!"
"No buts Kurotsuchi! This man is dangerous. He's already killed twenty of our men and nearly killed both you and Suzumebachi. I refuse to lose another soldier while fighting this opponent, am I clear?"
"But he's higher rank than you sir," an Iwa shinobi shouted. "Are you sure?"
"I'm well aware," Kitsuchi muttered, staring down the blonde. "That's why I'll be relying on you all with your ranged support."
"And you think I'll just give you the opportunity to do this?"
"You won't have a choice."
"Oh," Naruto questioned, sprinting forwards only for the ground to sink. His eyes widened as Kitsuchi and him were in a massive hole in the ground, earthen walls surrounding them on all sides. Above them the Iwa shinobi looked down, a birds eye view to attack from. Naruto grit his teeth.
"Doton: Chidōkaku (Earth Release: Moving Earth Core). Clever."
Kitsuchi didn't comment, slamming his hands on the ground instead.
"Doton: Gōremu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Golem Technique)!"
A hand sprouted from the earth next to Kitsuchi before a fully-formed golem of earth that was slightly larger than the man himself appeared. Naruto frowned, activating his Fuuton no Yoroi (Wind Release Armor). His bo staff howled as chakra poured into the chakra conductive metal, forming a massive scythe that was visible from the millions of cutting blades inside it. The distortion it caused was easily recognizable.
"I see you're taking this seriously. You've activated the full regalia."
Naruto frowned.
"So you're aware..."
"How could I not be? This was the regalia that garnered you the nickname Blood Reaper. You used this regalia to kill my father and a hundred other Iwa shinobi during the Battle of Kanzaki Bridge. They had no effective counter. Your armor is practically unpenatrable at the second stage. At the third? You're a walking tornado. And that scythe of yours...it can cut through anything. Even my father's Kekkei Tota. I've memorized every available detail about that technique. Fire is useless against it. It snuffs it out too quickly. There's not a recorded Katon jutsu that can neutralize it. You crafted a jutsu that defeats its natural elemental weakness. A swirling tornado of blood and wind...that was what the few survivors said."
"I guess it's my turn to tell you that you're well informed," Naruto stated. "Well if you know that much you're well aware that close combat with me is a virtual deathwish."
"Yes, there's supposedly no one that can defeat you in close combat. Even Might Gai and the Raikage are wary of fighting you in close combat. It was this technique that garnered you the rank of S+. And despite how much chakra a technique like that must cost to maintain due to your Uzumaki heritage and the Kyuubi inside of you it's a perfectly viable jutsu."
Naruto snorted. "If you think this is the only reason I was given the title of S+ I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken."
"Oh? There's more to you than this armor?"
Naruto grinned, twirling his scythe. The blade didn't even come close to touching the ground and yet a deep crevice formed from it even being in the same vicinity.
"Why don't you come and find out?"
Kitsuchi growled, weaving through hand signs.
"I just might."
The golem sprinted towards Naruto as earthen spears jutted upwards from the ground. The blonde grunted, swinging his scythe and cutting the spears in two before he leapt backwards to dodge a punch from the golem. The punch from the earthen monstrosity smashed into the ground, causing a thud. Naruto grunted, dashing forwards with his scythe spinning before he cut the beast in two by the hip. He didn't stop there, spinning and unleashing a blade of wind towards Kitsuchi. The man leapt away, watching as the blade carved through the ground and into the wall where it exploded. Kitsuchi grit his teeth, allowing stone to coat his hands. He charged towards Naruto, careful to avoid blades of wind sent his way.
He ducked underneath the swing of Naruto's scythe, launching a punch that smashed into the blonde's kidney. Naruto groaned, but withstood the blow, snapping up with a knee that forced Kitsuchi backwards. Kitsuchi leapt away as a downwards swing from the scythe cut where he just was, the wind's ripping his flak jacket and top open to expose his bare chest. It was spotless, the wind having just barely missed the man. Naruto clicked his teeth, rushing in with a burst of speed. Kitsuchi's eyes widened ducking underneath the swing of Naruto's scythe. He tried to counter, but Naruto was too fast, forcing him to sidestep in fear of losing his right arm. And just like that the fight followed Naruto's pace. Kitsuchi was desperately avoiding Naruto's attacks, barely managing to avoid any serious damage. The most he was getting were light cuts that had a faint trickle of blood. Still, he couldn't break Naruto's pace. It was clear why the blonde so feared in taijutsu. He set the pace of a fight almost instantly.
Had he made a mistake in allowing the blonde a one on one scenario?
The blonde leaping away to avoid spears of earth were a reinforcement that he had not made the wrong choice. Kitsuchi glanced upwards, shooting the shinobi who had sent the attack a brief thanks before he took a deep breath. Finally there was an opportunity to set the pace of the fight to his terms. There was no chance he would be able to engage the blonde in nintaijutsu by himself and win. But with the ranged support...there was a chance.
A storm of bees flew down from overhead, causing Naruto to grit his teeth. The blonde cut them to ribbons with ease, only for honey to fall to the ground, coating the S+ rank shinobi in it. Naruto grunted, dropping to a knee under the restraints. His wind...it couldn't cut it?
Suzumebachi grinned, a storm of bees swarming her.
"Now! Hachi Senbon no Jutsu (Thousand Bee Stings Technique)!"
Naruto grunted as he saw the poisonous stingers fly towards him, gritting his teeth. He couldn't use hand signs like this, and his neck was restrained to the point where he couldn't effectively use a weaker wind technique to alter their course. The blonde shut his eyes, focusing as five clones appeared around him, taking stingers instead of him before they disappeared in puffs of smoke. Naruto grunted, breathing a sigh of relief only to see more earthen spears sent flying his way thanks to the Iwa shinobi above.
Alright, course correct. Maybe they were the bigger priority here rather than Kitsuchi.
The blonde grit his teeth, activating the second stage of his armor. The increased winds cut through the honey, freeing the blonde and giving him just enough time to cut through the earthen spikes sent his way. He had no time to use as a reprieve though, as a pillar of earth crashed into his side. He flipped through the air, only barely managing to land on his feet as Kitsuchi charged in, his entire body covered in stone. The man roared but it sounded more like a bellow as he threw a punch at Naruto's face. The blow smashed into Naruto's face, forcing him backwards, only for another punch to rattle into his side. He keeled over, gasping for air only for a knee to the chin to snap his jaw shut and remove the possibility. Kitsuchi leapt in to attack once more, but a swing of Naruto's scythe dissuaded the notion, cutting through his stone armor with ease and opening up a cut on the man's chest. Kitsuchi stumbled backwards, taking stock of the situation once more.
Kitsuchi flexed his hands, feeling confident despite the shredded stone that once covered his fists and knee. The stone had completely withered away under the attack. But it had served it's purpose. They were good enough defensive shields to allow him to land blows against the blonde. It would be incredibly chakra intensive, but he could land hits on him in his second stage. As long as he didn't allow him to reach the third stage of his armor and avoided that scythe of his he could win. And to not allow the blonde to reach his third stage he had one option.
Stay on the offensive.
Kitsuchi bull rushed in, roaring his intentions. Naruto slipped to the side of his punch, lashing out with one of his own. Kitsuchi met the blow with his fist, the force of the collision causing cracks in the stone beneath their feet. Kitsuchi grunted, pulling back immediately and recovering his fist with stone before he swung his leg into Naruto's side. The blonde coughed, stumbling backwards only for an explosion from behind to rock his feet and send him flying forwards, directly into Kitsuchi's punch that forced air from the blonde's lungs. Kitsuchi grinned, grabbing the blonde's face and throwing him into the ground and stomping on his chest. Blood flew from Naruto's mouth, but he managed to roll out of the way of another stomp in the brief moment it took Kitsuchi to recover his foot. The large man charged fowards again, this time forming a large hammer out of stone in his hands, only for Naruto to cut through the weapon like paper with his scythe, his eyes hard. He smashed a foot into Kitsuchi's chest, pushing him backwards before he glanced up at the Iwa shinobi above who fired another wave of projectiles at him. With a wave of his scythe blades of wind slashed through the air, cutting through the attacks. The blonde stared up at the group, a copy of him appearing at his side.
"Handle them."
The clone nodded, leaping up towards the assaulting formation. Kitsuchi's eyes widened.
"No!"
The man leapt towards the clone, but Naruto intercepted, smashing him into the walls that barricaded the duo.
"Oh? I thought you wanted to fight me? And yet here you are, chasing after my clones."
Naruto sprinted along the wall, dragging the man against it before tossing him into the ground.
"You know, your father would have been able to protect his soldiers from my attacks. I wasn't able to kill them until after I beat him."
Kitsuchi stumbled to his feet, hate burning in his eyes.
"Don't talk about my father."
"Oh? Did I touch a nerve? Fighting the man who killed dear old dads gotta hurt? Wonder how much worse it'll feel when your daughter dies, at the hand of a clone no less."
Kitsuchi roared in outrage, weaving through handsigns. He slammed his hands on the ground, two dragons made of mud forming next to him that spat bullets at the blonde. Naruto snorted, slashing through the projectiles with his scythe.
"You have to realize that you don't possess the ability to disrupt my technique. Few shinobi do. Your grandfather had a better counter and even that didn't work. What chance do you have?"
"You didn't stop the pillar," Kitsuchi said. Naruto blinked.
"You didn't stop the pillar that smashed into you. Or from me beating the shit out of you just a minute ago. That armor of yours isn't invincible. It clearly has a limit on how dense or how much of a material it can cut through in a matter of seconds. I just have to be better that that."
Naruto grinned. "Oh? Well then by all means, show me what you got."
Kitsuchi snarled.
When the Naruto clone landed among the Iwa shinobi there was one emotion they all felt.
Fear.
Pure, unadulterated fear. He was on them in an instant, cutting through the Jonin with ease. It was all they could manage to not be cut to ribbons instantly. It was to be expected. At their best they were A rank shinobi. Fighting against someone who even Kage were fearful of matching up against it was no contest. Even Suzumebachi and Kurotsuchi, for their best efforts, couldn't puncture the blondes defenses in his second stage. All they could do was flee and distract him.
"We need to do something," Kurotsuchi stated.
"I'm working on it," Suzumebachi roared, leaping away from the blondes wind blades. They slashed through the ground where she just was, leaving a deep gash.
"Well work harder," Kurotsuchi cried out, weaving through handsigns. She weaved through handsigns, before clapping her hands together, two massive pillars of earth shooting to smash into the clone. The attack may have done serious damage, but the blonde leapt over the attacks before he sprinted down it towards Kurotsuchi. She blinked and he was there, the kunoichi barely managing to avoid the tip of his scythe from cutting off her head. She stumbled backwards, Naruto not giving her any respite in a flurry of swings that she was just barely fast enough to somewhat avoid. Cuts opened up on her body, yet all of them were minor. Still, at the rate things were going she would either make one mistake or bleed out without being able to change the pace of the fight. She just couldn't move. There were no counter options when she couldn't touch her opponent and couldn't make any distance to regroup. The blonde smirked, his scythe moving faster as he swung at Kurotsuchi's midsection. It was over. She was dead.
"Move!"
Kurotsuchi was shoved out of the way by Suzumebachi, the woman taking the attack for her. Kurotsuchi's eyes widened as the woman's body was cut in two, only for honey to fly from it instead.
"What?"
Kurotsuchi had no more time to ponder as she was picked up by an Iwa Jonin and dragged away before the blonde could react. Naruto clicked his teeth.
"Clone made of honey? Maybe the Kamizuru Clan Head has a bit more tricks up her sleeve than I thought."
The blonde grunted, an Iwa Jonin sprinting in with twin blades. The clone raised a brow, deflecting the strikes with ease with his hands. The weapons master couldn't get close. Blade strike after blade strike was deflected at the wrist with one hand, the blades stopping just short of reaching him. Just as frustration began to show on the Iwa shinobi's face a jet of flame shot towards them from the side. The Iwa shinobi leapt away but the clone simply watched it, an annoyed look on his face as it neared.
"I don't feel like countering this with the third stage," he muttered.
He slashed downwards with his scythe, the blades of wind cutting straight through the flames. The shinobi who fired the attack was too stunned by a wind attack overpowering a fire one that they didn't avoid the attack, being cut straight in two down the middle. The blonde blinked.
"No!"
Two more Iwa shinobi charged, both weaving through handseals. With a roar they unleashed waves of water, only for the attack to fail to move the blonde, merely being directed around him thanks to his armor. The clown frowned, sprinting forwards and smashing his feet against both of their heads. They stumbled backwards, before he spun, gale winds surrounding him before the two shinobi were cut into pieces, blood filling the air. The blonde lowered his scythe, a frown on his face.
The weaponsmaster returned, blades twirling as they attempted to cut down the blonde. Naruto grunted, spinning his scythe to cut the blades into short stubs that were no longer effective. He glared at the shinobi only for flame to burst from the stubs and slash out at him. Naruto's eyes widened, blocking the attacks with his scythe. The elements roared against each other. The weaponsmaster roared, swinging a blade at Naruto's midsection only for the blonde to block it with his scythe and lash out with a kick that was deflected by a blade of fire. The blonde grunted, spinning to lash out with his weapon. The weaponsmaster raised their blades to deflect the attack. Naruto smirked. The scythe cut clean through the first blade, and it was only through the most heavily trained instincts that the weaponsmaster's head wasn't cut off. They leapt away, fire reigniting around the lost blade, although they stared at Naruto in shock.
"What?"
The blonde grinned.
"You blocked my scythe at the staff, not the wind."
Before the blonde could press his advantage a gout of earth and bolt of lightning shot near him, courtesy of Kurotsuchi and another Iwa Jonin. Naruto grunted, deflecting the attacks with his scythe. However, before he could negate their advantage the weaponsmaster was on him again, forcing him to defend against his attacks. The clone grit its teeth, deflecting the attacks with his weapon as he tried to avoid piercing bolts of lightning that flew in his direction. They were aimed meticulously, careful to avoid the weaponsmaster. The blonde grunted, feeling the ground shift ever so slightly thanks to an earth technique that threw off his block. Instead of deflecting the attack cleanly he stumbled backwards.
"Now!"
Three dragons made of mud fired projectiles at him as the weaponsmaster lunged forwards with blades eager to pierce the blondes body. The clone grit its teeth, it's scythe rotating around as he spun it. Wind swirled around him.
"Fūton: Yae Hayate (Wind Release: Multi-Layered Gale)."
Layers upon layers of a vacuum stacked on top of each other in all directions around the blonde thanks to his scythe, forming a wall that rejected every attack that tried to breach it. Instead the attacks were all repelled, and the weaponsmaster was sent stumbling backwards. The clone took the opportunity to recover, shooting forwards and grabbing the weaponsmaster by the throat. Before they could slash out at the blonde in response he channeled his chakra, the wind shredding their throat to pieces and killing them. The blonde instantly turned, looking at the Iwa shinobi that had sent wave after wave of ninjutsu at him.
"You all annoy me."
"Then I'm sure this will annoy you even more."
Naruto whirled, only for his eyes to widen as Suzumebachi pealed into existence behind him, an explosive kunai in her hand. She launched the weapon as she leapt away, forcing the blonde to leap away in a last ditch effort to avoid the attack.
"Shit!"
BOOM!
The explosion shook the ground, smoke filling the air. The Iwa shinobi watched with baited breath for the smoke to clear, only for it to reveal an unharmed blonde, his scythe spinning in front of him with a frown on his face.
"Really getting sick of having to deflect your attacks."
Two Iwa shinobi leapt at the blonde, both of them aiming to spear the blonde through with their javelins only for the clone to swing his weapon, cutting through them both with ease as blood rained around him like he was some type of demon. His eyes locked with Kurotsuchi, a bored look in his eye.
"Damn it," Kurotsuchi roared. "He's massacring our soldiers!"
"This isn't going as well as you hoped is it? Then again you seriously underestimated me. I killed a Kage and then followed that up by killing one hundred Iwa shinobi. What made the Tsuchikage think that fifty shinobi would be enough to take me on, even with the Kamizuru Clan Head and Onoki's descendants?"
"Shut up," Kurotsuchi spat. "We're going to kill you here you get that! We all came here with the goal to bring you to justice!"
"Justice," the blonde spat, the word rolling of his tongue like venom. "Please tell me Kurotsuchi, why was it not justice when I killed the man who killed my godfather?"
Kurotsuchi snarled. "Jiraiya of the Sannin had killed plenty of Iwa shinobi before Onoki got to him."
"And Onoki had killed plenty of Konoha shinobi. Do you not get tired of this senseless bias? You don't like me cause I killed your grandfather. I killed your grandfather because he killed by godfather. He killed my godfather because he killed Iwa shinobi. The tale goes on and on for ages. No one here is innocent."
"I don't care," Kurotsuchi stated plainly. "You killed my grandfather. You're going to pay for that."
Naruto stared at the woman.
"Then I'm going to kill you. And then when I send you all back to the Tsuchikage in a bodybag I suppose he'll hate me and aim for my life too."
"That won't have happened because I'll have killed you."
"Ah yes," the blonde said, gesturing to the battlefield. "That's going quite well for you isn't it. Just, what? More than half your force dead? And you've accomplished what? A few bruises?"
Kurotsuchi clenched her fists so hard she dug into her hand and began to bleed. "You mock their deaths? I would expect nothing less from Konoha scum."
"I mock your ceaseless obsession to kill me when it's clear you all lack the capability. I don't know why your Tsuchikage sent such a weak force to try and kill me but he threw you all to your deaths. If he was serious about this he would have come himself, in addition to your two Jinchuriki with you all. If he had done that, then I'd likely be dead by now. That was the smart thing to do. The smart thing for you all to do now is run. Protect your comrades and retreat. Save as many lives you can and, if you really are so damned driven to kill me, try again later with a stronger force."
"We won't need to," Suzumebachi called, a horde of bees behind her. "Because you'll be dying now!"
The bees charged in, only for the blonde clone to stare at the oncoming attack.
"I'm getting sick of this."
The blonde stabbed his scythe into the ground, it returning to a regular staff now that his chakra was no longer fueling wind around it. The blonde clone weaved through handsigns, his eyes narrowing.
"You all are of this ridiculous notion that you're strong enough to defeat me. It's time I show you just how wrong that belief is. Fūton: Atsugai (Wind Release: Pressure Damage)."
The blast shot forwards before it thundered across the battlefield, rapidly expanding and slashing anything in range with blades of wind. The blonde wasn't done however, still weaving through handseals as he watched the shinobi try to avoid the attack. He had eliminated the bees, and taken down quite a few shinobi, but there was still work to do. He opened his mouth.
"Suiton: Bakusui Shōha (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave)!"
Water surged from the blonde's mouse, forming a wave that quickly overwhelmed all shinobi there. The storm of water smashed into the enemy, even pouring into the ditch that Kitsuchi had made. Suzumebachi and Kurotsuchi were not special, both of them smashing into the mountains of earth nearby. It was only through very liberal bursts of their chakra they were able to leap away from the deluge and onto dry land. Naruto watched the carnage.
The entire force was dead. Swept away under the onslaught of the wind blades and pressurized water. The blonde clone stood in the center of it all, the water slowly being stained red from the blood filling it. He had made a small lake in the center of the field.
"That bastard," Kurotsuchi hissed, breathing heavily. "I'll kill him."
"You know," Suzumebachi stated, trying to regain her breath. "I'd love nothing more than to put him in his place, but let's be realistic here Kurotsuchi. This is a clone kicking our ass. We're the only two left. Maybe your father-"
"Don't you fucking dare," Kurotsuchi stated, snapping at the woman. Rage filled her eyes. "Don't you even suggest it!"
Suzumebachi frowned. "If you say so..."
The two women turned to look at the clone who stared at them.
"As much as I'd love to stay and chat," the clone stated. "I used all my chakra to do that. But I'm sure my original can handle things from here."
And then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Kitsuchi was struggling. Now that the blonde had sent a clone to distract his ninjutsu support it was almost impossible to catch a rhythm in the fight. The blonde had set it from the moment they engaged. His punches were deflected by the blondes hands, while he was constantly weaving to avoid being cut in two by his scythe. He couldn't break the combination. Kitsuchi launched a punch at Naruto's midsection, but the attack was slapped away by Naruto. The blonde rushed in, shoulder checking the man before he swung his scythe at his head. Kitsuchi grunted, ducking down and barely avoiding loosing his head. However, he wasn't out of the fire as the blonde's knee snapped up and forced Kitsuchi to raise his head once more. Naruto smashed a kick into his chest, sending him flying backwards.
With a grunt Naruto rushed after him, his scythe reaching forward in an attempt to cut the man in two. Kitsuchi grunted, disappearing in a puff of smoke to replace himself with a stone that instead was crushed. Naruto turned on his heel, barely blocking the punch that cratered into his right arm. Still, the force behind it sent him skidding backwards, unable to defend himself. Kitsuchi knew he had to take the opportunity, he would likely not get another. He had to get that scythe away from the blonde. It was too dangerous to allow him to keep. He sped through handsigns, rushing to try and crush the blonde.
"Doton: Sando no Jutsu (Earth Release: Sandwich Technique)!"
Walls of earth arose around the blonde, creating massive rock formations on either side of him. Then they rushed in, intending to smash the blonde into a paste between them. Naruto's eyes widened, slashing at the walls with his scythe but they were too thick. He couldn't cut through them in their entirety. He grunted, dashing forwards as the walls closed in, barely avoiding the walls smashing together with a thunderous roar. Kitsuchi wasn't one to allow an opportunity to be wasted however. Walls of earth flew at Naruto from every direction, forcing him on the defensive. He cut through the attacks like butter, but he couldn't progress towards the man. It was a stalemate. Or it would have been. Kitsuchi's hands kept flying, weaving between handsigns.
"Doton: Ganban Kyū (Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin)!"
Walls of earth continued to rush towards Naruto, only now they began to bend, forming massive segments that tried to crush him like before. The blonde raised an eyebrow, confused at repeating a strategy that had already failed only for the walls to stop early, instead trapping him within a dome of earth. Then they contracted, trying to squash the blonde when he had no way out. Naruto's eyes widened and he instantly began cutting at the rock, but the attempt to escape failed. It was too thick. The blonde frowned, weaving through handsigns. He would need firepower to free himself from this attack.
Kitsuchi watched with a smirk on his face, but he didn't hesitate. He couldn't take any chances with the blonde, throwing several kunai with explosive tags on them around the dome. If it broke he would detonate them. Surely, that would be enough to at least damage him if not kill him outright. And if that did not work, well he was likely going to lose. He had yet to truly defeat the blonde's primary form of offense.
He did not think he had the ability to defeat the others.
Kitsuchi frowned as he saw the dome shatter, shards of earth flying in every direction as Naruto appeared, the blonde breathing heavily. He didn't hesitate, detonating the tags.
BOOM!
The battlefield shuddered and rocks from the walls around them fell to the ground, covering the battlefield. Kitsuchi immediately hid behind one, carefully trying to figure out Naruto's location and what his status was. The smoke that filled the area made it hard to tell. Slowly, it began to clear, displaying Naruto. The blonde's shirt was gone and his chest and burn marks on it. However, that was the only visible form of damage that could be seen.
Kitsuchi grinned.
The wind armor had been bypassed. That was the only way he could have injured the blonde. The shockwave. It had to have blown the wind armor away. That was it! There were multiple ways around the wind armor. In the second stage it had an upper limit to how fast it could cut and how dense a material it could cut through. In addition, it couldn't defend the blonde from shockwaves. They would tear the armor right off. They weren't large weaknesses by any means, but they were ways to tear off that pesky defense of his. Now he just had to capitalize on them.
Naruto glared, his eyes watching the angles around him. Boulders covered his vision thanks to the explosion. He had to be careful.
"He's trickier than I expected," he muttered.
Another kunai came flying at him from his left. The blonde grunted, slicing it in two only for his eyes to widen as he saw a glow around it.
"Are you fu-"
BOOM!
The blonde flew backwards, smashing into a nearby wall. More burn marks covered his body and his ears rang. He slowly stood, only for his eyes to widen as Kitsuchi was suddenly in front of him, landing a devastating uppercut that sent him careening upwards through the earth. Kitsuchi sprinted up the wall to meet him, grabbing him by the shoulders and tossing him onto the ground below. With a grunt the man ripped out a chunk of earth from the wall and leapt towards Naruto, roaring as he tried to smash the blonde into a paste with it. Naruto's eyes snapped open, before he dove out of the way, gritting his teeth. Kitsuchi grunted, turning to the blonde and weaving through handsigns. Three dragons of earth formed, roaring their presence to the world before they charged at the blonde. Naruto grunted, his wind scythe returning as he activated his regalia, carving through the overgrown earthen lizards like they didn't exist. He turned to Kitsuchi only to find another explosive kunai in his place. Naruto's eyes widened as the tag detonated, blowing him backwards.
"This fucker really likes his explosions," Naruto stated, burns covering more of his body. He had no time to retaliate though, Kitsuchi appearing from the smoke and smashing a fist into the blonde's stomach. Naruto spat up blood, as he held his stomach only for Kitsuchi to smash his other fist into the blonde's face, throwing him to the ground.
"It's over Naruto Uzumaki," Kitsuchi stated. "I've figured out how to blow that armor of yours away."
Naruto grunted, glaring up at Kitsuchi.
"Like I said. If you think that armor is the only reason I'm a S+ rank shinobi, you're seriously mistaken."
Naruto lashed out, ducking underneath Kitsuchi's punch to grab the man by the throat. He smashed a knee into his stomach, keeling the larger man over before he launched an uppercut that sent him stumbling away. Naruto grinned, speeding forwards and smashing an elbow into the man's ribs. Kitsuchi grunted, launching a punch that Naruto caught, instead flipping Kitsuchi onto his back and twisting, snapping the man's arm. Kitsuchi howled at the broken appendage, but Naruto was not yet done. He smashed his foot onto the man's face. Kitsuchi grunted, pushing himself to his feet to smash a foot into Naruto's chest. The blonde stumbled backwards, but was prepared when Kitsuchi made his move. The man rushed forwards, stone covering his leg as he launched a kick at Naruto's throat. The blonde ducked the attack and slipped his hand into Kitsuchi's kunai pouch, retrieving one. He spun, wind swirling around the blade as he slashed. Kitsuchi grunted, the wind slashing open his chest and allowing more blood to pour forth.
The man leapt away but Naruto didn't allow that, launching the kunai at him. Kitsuchi ducked underneath the blade, but Naruto was there, smashing his knee into the man's face. He flipped, stumbling onto his back. Naruto grunted, stepping over the man and roaring as he unleashed a punch towards Kitsuchi's beaten body. Kitsuchi grunted, rocks covering his body as the blonde's punch reached, forcing Naruto to recoil back in pain as the attack was deflected. Kitsuchi smirked, a small chuckle escaping his lips. Naruto snarled, rage filling his eyes. He opened his hands before a ball of recognizable energy caused Kitsuchi's eyes to fill with dread.
"Rasengan!"
A Rasengan formed in the blonde's hands, smashing through the chunk of earth like paper and smashing into Kitsuchi. The man howled as the attack grinded into him, sending rock and debris in every direction. Naruto grit his teeth as the attack ended, staring down at the defeated form of the Stone Wall. He picked up the man, Kitsuchi's eyes showing barely held consciousness as Naruto threw him back on the ground in front of him. Naruto growled, walking towards the man only to pause as he saw water begin to cascade down the pit they were in. He frowned as the clones memories suddenly flooded his mind, turning to look at the man on the ground before him.
"Your force is dead."
Kitsuchi groaned, slowly beginning to rise to his feet. His chest was an ugly purple, and blood was trailing down his mouth and nose as he stared at the blonde. He likely had several broken bones and massive internal bleeding. He needed to see a medic nin as soon as possible, if the blonde hadn't killed them already.
"I don't believe you," Kitsuchi ground out. Naruto blinked, before he grabbed the man by the shoulder.
"Let's go see for ourselves then shall we?"
With that Naruto leapt outside the pit, dropping Kitsuchi unceremoniously in the blood-stained water. Kitsuchi's eyes looked up, horror filling them as he saw the battlefield coated in red water. There was no point in denying it. His force...had been absolutely obliterated.
"No..."
"Father!"
Kitsuchi's head snapped to the side, seeing Kurotsuchi calling out to him with worry in her eyes. Tears dripped down her cheeks, Suzumebachi holding her back from leaping towards her father recklessly.
"Let me go! I'll kill him! I swear I'll kill him! I won't let him take someone else from me!"
Naruto watched the interaction, a frown forming on his face.
"Kill me," Kitsuchi stated, his voice resolute. "Kill me and let my daughter live. Please. I beg of you."
"You're begging the man you just tried to kill to spare your daughter's life. The man who killed your father."
"That is war," Kitsuchi stated. "I understand why you killed my father. Make no mistake, I hate you for it. But my father killed your godfather. That is the cost of war. It breeds hatred."
Naruto stared at the man, looking back at Kurotsuchi who was desperately trying to reach him, only held back by Suzumebachi.
"Kill me," Kitsuchi stated again. "Just let my daughter live. That is all I ask. We need not shed any more blood today."
"Don't you dare you bastard," Kurotsuchi cried out. "Don't touch a hair on his head! I'll kill you, you hear me! I'll fucking kill you if it's the last thing I do! I swear it!"
Naruto stared blankly.
"Is this all you are? Just some sick murderous psychopath. Do you just get off on robbing me of my family! First my grandfather, now my father? I won't allow it you hear me! I'll fucking kill you before you take someone else from me!"
"Kurotsuchi we have to go."
"No! I won't let this bastard take someone from me. Not again! Never again."
The blonde frowned.
"I hate you! I'll kill you! I swear it! You hear that Naruto Uzumaki! I swear it! If it's the last thing I do I'll fucking kill you! I swear it on my ninja way!"
Naruto turned on his heel, his hair covering his eyes. Kitsuchi's eyes widened, shock in them. He had fully expected death.
"Keep your life," the blonde muttered.
"What?"
"I will not say it again. Get out of my sight."
Kitsuchi could only stare, confusion on his face as he saw the blonde walk off.
"Where are you going? Get back here! I'll fucking kill you," Kurotsuchi roared.
"Enough Kurotsuchi," Suzumebachi exclaimed. "Take this as a blessing. If we kept going he'd have killed us all!"
"No! I can still kill him! I can still fight!"
"Enough girl! Are you an idiot? Do you not realize how much stronger he is than all of us? He beat us. The entire force outside of you, me, and your father is dead! We should consider ourselves lucky!"
"No!"
Kurotsuchi's screams carried on as Naruto walked away, Kitsuchi staring at the blonde man's back as he left. One question reigned in his mind.
'Why? Why let me live?'
As Naruto nursed his wounds in a dark cave in the mountains he pondered that very same question. Why had he let the man live? It wasn't like Kitsuchi was never going to pursue him again. On the contrary, it was likely the Tsuchikage would take his advice and send a more lethal kill squad after him the next time around. All he had done was make his life tougher by not killing a capable shinobi that wanted him dead. So why hadn't he killed him?
Naruto shuddered, thinking back to Kurotsuchi's wails. She had railed against him, desperate to see his body at her feet. The blonde frowned, shuddering.
XxX
"Let me go Kakashi-sensei! I swear to god I'll kill that bastard! I'll go to the Kanzaki Front right now and kill him!"
"Naruto, he just killed Jiraiya! You can't beat him."
"Yes I can! I promse I can! He murdered my godfather. I won't let him get away with it!"
The blonde crumpled into his Jonin sensei's arms.
"He took him from me," the blonde whimpered, his energy drained. "He took my family from me."
XxX
The blonde shook himself out of his daze, staring at the wall of the cave. Bad memories.
"Well it's good to see you're still alive."
The blonde turned, his eyes glowing with power at the unexpected visitor. Who could have possibly found him in the caves of the Land of Earth? There was no way the Iwa shinobi wanted to keep fighting right? The power that fueled him instantly drained out when he saw who it was.
"Makino! What are you doing here? How did you find me? "
"Ah, a woman never tells," she stated, a serence smile on her old face.
"I don't think that's the right phrase to use here."
The elderly woman ignored him, looking over the blondes injuries instead. A frown covered her face.
"You certainly were beat up. But considering you're alive I'm assuming you killed the force that was after you."
Naruto frowned. "Are you mad?"
"No," the woman answered honestly. "I can't get mad at you for defending your life. It's not like you started it."
The blonde frowned, watching the elderly woman take out a package of bandages and begin to wrap them around his bruised chest.
"Why are you doing this? You may not hate me for killing most of the shinobi that attempted to take my life but I'm still Naruto Uzumaki. I killed one of your war heroes. I've killed many Iwa shinobi. I have more blood on my hands than I know what to do with. My father is one of the most hated men in your villages history. My godfather almost killed the Jinchuriki of your village, twice."
"And Iwa has wronged you as well."
Naruto blinked. The elderly woman smiled.
"The villagers don't get it," Makino stated. "Please forgive them. Especially young Aika. The wound of her fathers death I'm afraid is still too fresh."
"But he was your son..."
"I have seen a lot in my old age, Naruto Uzumaki," the elderly woman continued, as if he hadn't said anything. She just continued to wrap his bandages. "I have seen evil men, from every village. And I have seen many good ones. Of every village. Every creed. The world is much more complicated than the black and white dogma our countries state. You have seen the Iwa shinobi that abuse us. You defended us from them. You kept little Aika from going to the farms to work as a hand. You even pretended to hold our village hostage to ensure the Tsuchikage would not send a disciplinary squad to us."
"You knew about that?"
"Of course," the woman stated, a laugh escaping her lips. "You think I believed that the man who helped around my inn so much and played with little Aika was trying to torture and command us? You worked in the mines and gave that little girl a father figure that she never had."
"And then I robbed it from her."
"She'll realize in time she was wrong," the woman said. "She was simply scared. They all were. The boogeyman just appeared in front of them. Even if they had known him for some time it must be frightening. But soon they will forget about that and remember the man that they came to appreciate."
Makino finished dressing the wound.
"A man who has suffered so much at the hands of this war," Makino stated, staring up at the cave ceiling. "To lose your father and mother when you were born. I must admit that is not a story we know much of here in Iwa. We simply knew Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki died. But on the day of your birth? I'm truly sorry. And then to lose your last relative at the hands of the Tsuchikage. I understand why you went back and killed him. Then to lose your wife...I understand why you ran."
The woman glanced at him.
"You do not strike me as the same as the men from the village, Naruto Uzumaki. You ran from duty yes, but you did not run out of fear."
The elderly woman gently placed her hand on his shoulder, a tender smile forming on her face.
"You ran out of pain. The pain of losing something in this war. You gave your all for your village, despite your hard life. For what you believed in. When it was taken from you...I cannot judge you for that. You have faced your penalty. But you've lived through it. It's time for you to let yourself out of your self-imposed prison. Live your life. You can already see the world is all to willing to try and take it."
Naruto stared at the woman, shock on his face.
"Please do try your best to live your life. Wherever you go. A man like you, you should be doing great things. Changing the world. And hopefully, one day, you'll put an end to this blasted war. Stop all this pointless death."
Naruto watched the woman retreat back to her village, a smile on her face.
"Good luck Naruto Uzumaki. You are no longer a shinin. You are a living man. So go, go and live."
The blonde watched her walk down the mountain, staring at her retreating form. The blonde glanced at his hands. The world had tried to take his life from him so many times. The day he was born, when he lost both his parents and had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him. The day Jiraiya had died, and he lost his last living relative. The day Hinata died, and he lost the love of his life and his unborn child. The day that he died. He had lived as a husk of himself, a robot. Going through the motions but never truly living. He had forgotten what it felt like. He had not enjoyed his life like Hinata would have wanted. He had not pursued the dream Jiraiya left him, he had not made any progress towards peace. All he had done was run and kill things. The blonde clenched his fists.
Live huh?
He would do just that. His way. The blonde's violet eyes hardened as he stepped out of the cave into the night air.
"You hear that world," he roared into the distance.
"Naruto Uzumaki is back!"