Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto franchise or any of its characters.
Chapter Thirty One: The Storm Arrives Part (VIII )
FINALE!
"Now…where were we?"
Naruto involuntarily released a sigh of relief as his mind slowly came to understand what was occurring around him. One moment he was resisting with all his might against Kisame's sword, and the next he was kneeling on the ground with Might Gai standing protectively in front of him. He tried to budge his arms but stopped when pain and tiredness wracked his entire body. Fatigue took over his physical and mental state, a slight, albeit not too uncomfortable ache that persisted in his muscles.
He couldn't remember ever being this tired before. He had been fighting the entire day, and it was only thanks to his seemingly boundless amounts of energy that pushed him through. The two Black Flashes that he had landed somewhat assisted him as well.
Regardless of his lack of ability to properly move, he strained his neck upwards to watch the impending showdown.
Might Gai was staring down Kisame of the Akatsuki.
Gai was in his usual Taijutsu stance, the Goken, which Naruto had some decent knowledge of thanks to the system copying Lee during the Chuunin Exams. From what he knew from his surface-level experience of the style, Gai was using a more balanced stance, which would swerve between offense and defense to his liking and was adjustable to the situation at hand. That made sense, after all, Gai had mainly two objectives.
His main objective was to keep Naruto and any other bystanders safe. His second objective was to apprehend Kisame. To do so, he had to keep track of Kisame's movements with respect to Naruto and Fuu, who were the clear targets of the assault from the shark-man.
Kisame kept his sword forward. Naruto didn't need knowledge of any sword forms to guess what he was thinking. His eyes were screaming only one thing: attack.
Kisame also had two objectives.
One, capture the Jinchuuriki.
Two, kill anyone else in the way.
And thus, the fight began.
Gai made the first move. "Gate of Opening!"
A furious green chakra emanated continuously from the Taijutsu master as he immediately rushed forward to meet Kisame.
"Finally! A worthy opponent." The Akatsuki member grinned widely, a row of his teeth showing as a result. "It will be all the more worth it when I tear you in hal—"
Gai's punch struck true, landing straight on Kisame's jaw as his head snapped back with a crunching sound. It appeared as if Kisame hadn't expected such speed from the Konoha Jonin. Naruto thought that maybe because Kisame had been fighting against kids for the past few minutes he wasn't accustomed to the speed he was facing yet.
However, he was still quick to respond soon after. The massive sword flashed like lightning through the spot where Gai once was.
Kisame nodded, as if realizing something. "Oh. You're actually strong, aren't you?"
His hands began flashing through signs. "Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Naruto had never seen something like it. He had acknowledged Fuu when she said that Kisame had Jinchuuriki levels of chakra, but those were just words and could have been an exaggeration for all he knew. But right now, he had physical proof that it was the case.
Kisame's chest expanded as he took a deep breath in before releasing a literal tsunami of water from his mouth. The mammoth of water released from him like a thousand hoses, bringing him upward due to the propulsion. The water never ceased flowing, however, bringing Kisame higher and higher to the heavens on a tower of his creation. The humongous column of the liquid stared down at them all fearlessly. For a moment, time itself stood still in awe of the structure as the water refused to leave its master's embrace.
Then he let go.
A defeating roar shook through the clearing as the water hit the ground with a sudden impact, denting the already damp ground deeper toward the core of the Earth. The water rolled forward with unforgiving intensity in the form of giant waves, each a dangerous calamity in its own right. Naruto could already hear the tearing down of trees in the other direction.
Naruto brought himself to his feet, although with a clear struggle. He looked over at Fuu, who was similarly struggling. The blond remembered that while he was fighting Gaara and the other bandits, Fuu had somehow survived Kisame for that long. While he wasn't sure if she was fighting that entire time or not, it was still infinitely more dangerous for her.
He looked at the meager amount of MP he had left. He had been spamming skills the entire day, faster than it could regenerate, leaving him with 40 MP left. That was the lowest he had ever gotten. Naruto was used to fights that lasted less than five or so minutes, and thus the limited amount of MP that he had never played too much of a factor in his battles.
[Activating… ]
[Skill: Iron Skin- Lvl 4 Activated!]
[Usage takes 7 MP and lasts for one minute before a skill cooldown of ten minutes applies.]
The water struck his body forcefully, forcing Naruto multiple steps backward. However, Iron Skin did allow him to leave the water on either side of his body, preventing any further damage. He looked over at Gai, who easily kicked through the wave. He wasn't sure what Fuu did, but he could hear her yelp of surprise.
Then there was Kisame, who was… surfing on one of the waves heading straight towards Gai.
"Gate of Healing: Open!"
Another surge of energy released from Gai's figure.
But the Taijutsu master didn't stop there.
"Gate of Life: Open! Gate of Pain: Open! Gate of Limit: Open! Gate of View: Open!"
Gai was radiating a green energy that shined so bright that Naruto's eyes couldn't help but slightly squint. His skin was burning red, as heat discharged from his body. A bright red glow emitted from his eyes, giving him a slightly demonic feel. The water around Gai was pushed away from the resulting pressure, leaving an empty circle of grass where he stood. Steam arose from all around him forming curtains of smoke that began to hide his body.
What am I watching? Naruto asked himself in awe and an equal amount of shock.
Kisame wasn't one to stop either.
He briefly closed his eyes, before bringing his hands back into a single hand sign that Naruto couldn't recognize. The water pillar he stood on grew even larger, and the waves that ushered out from it were now miniature tsunamis of their own, moving with even greater speed and urgency than before. The waves that moved towards the group of three began to coalesce. The water churned together, achieving a darker color than before as the liquid tightened in on itself. Massive water sharks with wide open jaws ruptured through the waves, using the water source as their own personal ocean to roam in Konoha's forest.
A swarm of hungry sharks was coming right for them.
Their number wasn't small, either. Naruto wasn't sure how many there were, but they still continued to form even as his mind raced for any idea on how to stop the storm heading for them.
Then Gai moved.
Naruto's eyes couldn't even track him. His mind knew that Gai was gone, but his eyes were simply too slow to keep their gaze locked onto the Jonin. In an instant, Gai leaped towards the pillar of water that held Kisame, acting as the man's throne.
The sharks raised their snouts into the air, finding their new target flying in the air. The continuously forming predators of the ocean now flew towards the fully green-clad man, their tails swinging from left to right vigorously. Naruto couldn't do anything but watch as one man took on a massive swarm of sharks that weren't going to stop.
How will he—
"MORNING PEACOCK!"
Gai drew his fist forward.
And with his punch, came fire.
A burst of flame erupted from the hit, incinerating the water shark that he hit to nothingness. Then he continued to punch. It was like watching an artist painting an abstract drawing. At first, you have no idea what they're doing, but somehow they manage to make it a masterpiece by the end. Gai was the same—his punches looked to have no coordination whatsoever.
However, the sharks were being driven back.
Bursts of fire bloomed from every strike, enveloping the air and atmosphere with steam as the orange flames turned water into steam. It was a battle of the elements. Naruto had never seen a fight of this scale in his entire life. There was a man in the air with a hideous skin-tight green bodysuit that transformed the entire visible sky into a canvas of red and orange and brought out more fire than a jutsu with only his strikes. The other man on the opposite side merely stood on his pillar while directing an army of sharks of his creation to attack.
"Is this…how Kage fight?" Naruto mumbled to himself in disbelief. He and Fuu had moved numerous meters back to avoid the backlash of any of the techniques.
The sharks were as vicious as ever, eager to get revenge on their fallen kin by making sure to end the green man's life. But they weren't getting any closer to that now seemingly unattainable dream. The fire continued to spew from every fist, and soon enough, the number of sharks was dwindling. Gai's technique was getting dangerously close to Kisame.
With the rate at which things were going, Naruto was sure that Gai would win the bout that was about to occur.
It seemed as if Kisame knew the same thing.
The pillar dropped to the ground with an incredibly loud bang as the heavy tons of water took the force of gravity and made contact with the surface of the earth. The sharks that were in midair also turned into a formless mass of plain water as well.
Kisame stood like a helpless duck in the middle of a storm as he faced down Gai on his own, with his sword as his only weapon. The "Taijutsu King", according to his system, was there in an instant. His speed was simply something Naruto had never seen before. If he thought Fuu's speed with her wings activated was fast…this was on another level.
Gai's hand plunged itself deep into Kisame's head.
Only for Kisame to dissolve into water.
Naruto's eyebrows raised. A water clone? When did he switch? Gai moved back to Naruto and Fuu in an instant, vigilant for any signs of attack on either Jinchuuriki. Of course, he knew that Naruto was a Jinchuuriki, though it was obvious Fuu was a target as well of some kind.
The blond heard a groan from behind all of them.
Kisame looked regretful. "Tsk. I guess Itachi was right…it's a bit too soon. Shame, I thought I could get higher in the rankings by combing back with a Jinchuuriki. Let alone two—ah. That blond bastard is gonna make a fucking fool of me. We don't even need to mention that cultist freak…"
"…are you leaving?" Fuu asked confusedly.
Kisame showed his triangular teeth using a wide, creepy smile. "I hope to. Listen here: you have two options. Either continue fighting me, risking the life of those precious Jinchuuriki over there. Or let me go and everyone goes their way nicely."
Naruto thought over the decision. Realistically speaking, Gai was going to win this fight—why would he agree to a draw? There was a small chance that something could happen to the completely exhausted Naruto and Fuu. They then noticed how Kisame was getting further and further away, not so secretly
taking steps backward with his long gait. The man seriously didn't want to fight right now.
Might Gai was never one to doubt his own decisions.
The Gate of View was taking a heavy toll on his body, and thus he needed to act fast. He rushed forward, his leg extending towards Gai with a coating of fire running around the foot that begged to be released towards his enemies.
Kisame smirked. "Don't say I didn't warn ya'."
Gai's vision blurred and warped as his kick went through nothing. No—it wasn't his vision that was twisted. The space itself around Kisame was moving and curling onto itself, pulling the shark man into its deepest embrace.
Kisame was no more.
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes.
Wait…
Who is that?
[Warning!]
[Immense bloodlust detected!]
[The system recommends the user to find safety immediately.]
Black cloak and red clouds.
Dark hair.
Orange mask.
A glowing red eye.
A lone man stood in the rain.
Naruto felt apprehension pierce his soul as his hair stood up on its end. He had never felt such a sinister aura coming from someone before, and the Genin had met Orochimaru. The man with the orange mask appeared quite literally from nowhere, standing casually against a tree at the edge of the clearing. His sheer presence was sending goosebumps around Naruto's body; his instincts were begging him to either fight the man or, preferably, leave the area as fast as possible.
Then, suddenly, the pressure vanished.
"Hey! I'm Tobi. I'm sorry for my teammates' aggressiveness, he's a bit of a nutcase, actually. I guess you can't expect more from a shark on land, hahaha!"
Naruto couldn't believe that the man in front of him could have such a childish voice. Nor could he believe that he would be acting so polite.
Tobi shook his hands frantically as Gai tightened his legs in anticipation of any potential attack. "I'm not here to fight, really. Fighting you right now…let's see…I'd like to think I'd win, but who knows what risks you're willing to take to beat me. Not to mention the hordes of shinobi coming here right now. Hehe. While it would be nice to capture these two, it really isn't the time to do so. It comes with a few complications, you see. Revealing ourselves this early was never the plan."
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
Naruto did his best to ignore the notifications that entered the side of his vision.
His voice has gradually gotten deeper as he continued his monologue. Naruto just couldn't get a read of the man in front of him.
"Anyways. I'm really busy, but it was nice meeting you all!" Tobi exclaimed excitedly, once again with his high-pitched, almost cartoonish voice. He casually raised a peace sign with one of his hands. "Cya."
Tobi waved his hand in front of his body, starting from his legs all the way to his head. As his hand passed by, he also disappeared slowly but surely into the invisible vacuum of space.
Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding.
Gai released his techniques immediately, though that was after a couple of seconds of waiting to make sure the enemies were truly gone.
That encounter was terrifying. For the first time in a while, Naruto felt completely hopeless in a fight. He couldn't assist Gai in any way, and he was sure that even if he tried it would have been useless.
Naruto found himself looking towards Fuu, who had her head cast downwards. Her fists were starch white as she gripped her hands into fists. Blood slowly leaked. out of her palms, her nails being too sharp for the gentle skin they were poking into.
Her eyes had an equally defeated expression.
Because they both knew how weak they were now.
Sure, compared to the other Genin, they were strong. Not only that, they were really strong. It wasn't fair to compare themselves to seasoned shinobi like Gai and Kisame who were already a cut above the rest. But it was also their lives at risk for the coming years. They were the ones who were being targeted by the Akatsuki, not the others. And yet we were nothing but deadweight for Gai sensei…
Naruto grit his teeth in frustration. He opened his system, looking for anything to get his mind out of the humiliating void that it was shoved into.
What he needed at the bottom of the hole was for someone to throw in a long, sturdy rope to reel him back into the real world.
An objective.
A goal that would require his blood, tears, and soul.
[Ding!]
[Special Quest: "The Hunt For The Crimson Clouds" Created]
[Quest Details: Eliminate every member of the Akatsuki.]
[Quest Rewards: Exp. 200,000, [?, [?, [?].]
Naruto felt his hope ignite into a forest of flames.
He looked up into the sky, noticing how the dark clouds were slowly retreating back into their dens. With it, the oppressive rain that had begun ever since the invasion of Konoha slowly dissipated, leaving behind a serene, orange sun that looked like the healthiest of egg yolks painted into the sky.
I'll get stronger.
He raised his fist.
And I'll beat all of you.
They made their way back to the familiar streets of Konoha, where civilians were rushing here and there, distress lined across everyone's faces. The invasion was over, but the feelings of despair and fear that plagued their minds would stay for a while. Especially for a village like Konoha, which still had remnant effects of the Kyuubi attack many years back.
There were many destroyed buildings, cracked roads, and smoke rising out of certain areas as well. The giant summons that Orochimaru had summoned were clearly used to distract the shinobi populace and had done a good job at that. Civilians had surely died before all the shinobi could arrive. And he wasn't even getting to the shinobi deaths that were surely going to add up to a significant number.
Naruto felt a wave of anger go through his body at the thought of innocent lives dying due to Orochimaru's plans. He was still a child, and couldn't truly believe that someone could be so fully evil in their lives.
"Argh!" Fuu grunted as she accidentally tripped over a cement fragment.
Naruto held onto her tightly, wincing at the injuries she received. They had mostly healed, but the ones that didn't were clearly painful. Her long fight against Kisame had consisted of her running (or flying, in her case) away for the majority of the time, able to evade due to the dexterity her wings gave her.
He let her lean against him as she snaked a slender hand over his shoulders for extra support. Why is her face red? Is she embarrassed?
They walked for a minute, each of them stuck in their own thoughts before the conversation started once more.
"So, what'd you think of the Akatsuki?" Fuu asked with a grin.
There's the Fuu I know.
Naruto chuckled before his expression became somewhat serious. "They're the real deal, all right."
"The Akatsuki is their name? An organization looking for the Jinchuuriki? Truly terrifying…. I must inform the Hokage as soon as possible," Gai said with a concerned look on his face.
Fuu suddenly brightened up. "That's right! Mr. Green Man, you're crazy strong! How did you do that fire thing? It was all like 'BAM, BAM, BAM' and you were totally winning that fight!"
Gai beamed brightly, his sparkly white teeth blinding Naruto's eyes. "Hahaha! Taijutsu is an art with many mysteries to still be uncovered. I want you to figure it out for yourself!"
"That was only Taijutsu?" Fuu asked, her face reflecting the shock in her mind. "You're saying I can get that strong by just punching and kicking?"
Gai laughed loudly. "Well, there is much more to it, of course. But that is the spirit! As long as your fighting spirit and youth burn brightly within you, anything is possible with Taijutsu!"
Fuu laughed along with Gai, the both of them beacons of optimistic energy that made Naruto want to look away.
I should've known Fuu's and Gai's personalities would mix so well. Naruto internalized.
He looked around, noticing a strange number of people gathered in one spot. "Why are there so many people there?"
Gai seemed to notice it too. "We might as well go, shall we?"
They made their way to the assembled crowd, noticing a couple of familiar faces.
Sakura, for one, ran towards Naruto before giving him a big smile, her expression relieved. "Where were you, Naruto?"
Naruto sheepishly rubbed his head. "It's a big story, that's for sure. I'll tell you once we're out of this whole mess."
Shikamaru and the rest of his team were there as well, each of them coming to greet Naruto. Hinata's team was a bit further along the crowd, so they settled for nods and waves instead, not wanting to go through the hassle of pushing everyone out of the crowd.
Gai smiled widely as he noticed his team somewhere along the edges of the group. "Ah. I believe our time together has ended—I must attend to my annoyed students for now. Thank you, Naruto and Fuu, for being good company."
Naruto nodded in deep respect. "No, thank you, sensei. You saved us."
Fuu agreed with a quick shake of her head. "Exactly!"
"Put more faith in yourselves—you may not have defeated him, but you lasted long enough for someone to come and help. That too by sending a signal of fire to alert anyone nearby. Good job, students. I will most likely meet you both again when I have to report to the Hokage, so see you then!"
They bid their goodbyes before looking forward.
"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked at once when he noticed his rival was missing.
"He technically is still a ward of the hospital. He managed to sneak out during all the chaos of the invasion, but the nurse was able to drag him back in again once she caught sight of him," Sakura responded with an amused smile.
Naruto couldn't help but laugh when he heard the reasoning. Sasuke was an arrogant kid, but even he couldn't refuse the nagging of the old woman who ran the hospital.
"Why is everyone over here?" Fuu inquired a second later.
Naruto frowned. Why hadn't I thought of that?
Sakura's eyebrows creased, "Kakashi sensei said something about—"
"May we have everyone's full attention?" A deep voice from the balcony of the Hokage's office rang through everyone's ears.
Naruto was surprised he could hear the clearly old man from all the way down here. He assumed it must have been some jutsu. That could be pretty useful in giving intel over large distances.
He looked up impatiently, eager to see what was happening.
Two figures slowly walked up to the front of the balcony. Naruto's eyes widened when he realized who it was.
"That's the Hokage and the Tsuchikage," Sakura mumbled quietly.
A third figure was there as well, though much further to the back. Her dark, obsidian hair was recognizable even from here. What's Kurotsuchi doing over there? Naruto still couldn't figure out what was happening. He was sure someone like Shikamaru had a hundred different predictions and had chosen the most probable outcome.
Wait.
He squinted his eyes, noticing something strange with the old man's frame. Why does he feel different, somehow?
That's when he noticed.
Sarutobi's left arm was gone.
…
Gasps began rolling through the convened mass. Each of them got the information through the person proximal to them, and immediately told the next individual.
What the hell happened for the Hokage to lose an arm? Naruto asked himself with a sense of dread.
The Hokage stood with a neutral smile on his wrinkled face and began speaking. "The invasion has occurred, and yes, it was most definitely real."
You can say that again.
"Today was a day of great struggle and hardship for Konoha. Today was a day of great surprise and fear for the people of our village. Today was a day of death and grief. But more importantly, today was the day we won. We stand on the very ground where courage triumphed over despair, where the Will of Fire of our people burnt through the chains they attempted to put on us. We have faced the storm, endured the unthinkable, and emerged as victors."
"Look around you. What you see is more than just bricks and bricks of buildings; it is a testament to our unity, our resilience, and our unwavering belief in a better tomorrow. Each and every one of you, whether you were on the battlefield or within your homes, played a role in the defense against our foes. I applaud everyone's efforts with the greatest respect."
Sarutobi took a deep breath.
" But it will not end here."
"Konoha will continue to fight against its enemies, and they will continue to come forward. And for that…there will have to be some changes made."
Huh? Naruto thought in bewilderment.
"The esteemed Tsuchikage and I have fought tooth and nail against Orochimaru, the perpetrator of this crime. The one who tricked Sunagakure against us. We both sacrificed many things, in more than one way…" the Hokage trailed, looking at his arm. "Regardless, we both came to the same conclusion with knowledge of further events to come. If we do not act now, when do we? After thousands have died? No! We must be proactive."
The Tsuchikage slowly rose up next to the Hokage, flying up to an equal height to Sarutobi.
Naruto blinked. Hold up, he can fucking FLY?!
The Hokage used his good arm to raise Tsuchikage's own. "Konoha and Iwa officially raise a treaty of alliance!"
Naruto couldn't help but gape.
His eyes turned to Kurotsuchi, whose expression looked troubled with the news. Their eyes eventually met, before the Princess looked away with a huff.
Today has certainly been more than eventful…
Naruto couldn't help but rub his temples with the headache that was stuck in his brain. Fuu walked slowly behind him, kicking along a circular rock that she had found as she did so.
"Today was crazy, eh?" Fuu asked.
Naruto nodded. "Yep. A bit too much for my tastes."
"But it was fun. The Chuunin Exams, I mean, not the invasion," she hastily corrected herself. "That part was depressing. But the Chuunin Exams were fun while they lasted. I managed to make so many friends!"
He rolled his eyes. "You made one friend."
Fuu coughed. "Uh…do your clones count?"
"You're willing to count a literal clone of me as a new friend?" Naruto asked incredulously. "You know what—go for it."
She pouted cutely. "At least I made a friend! The other Jinchuuriki are there but they're much older…"
Naruto mellowed at the mention of the other Jinchuuriki. "Hmm. I guess that's true. Good job, then!"
Fuu stopped in her tracks. Naruto did too, looking at her curiously. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she almost looked…nervous? He had to be imagining it.
She started. "Hey…Naruto—"
"Oi, dobe."
Naruto looked past her to see Sasuke jogging forward.
Fuu looked angrily at the Uchiha, her eyes blazing with fury. Sasuke, being his usual self, ignored her completely.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"They're calling us to the Hokage's office. We have to be there in ten minutes. You too, Fuu," Sasuke said, looking at the girl, slightly confused as to why she was glaring daggers at him.
Naruto raised his eyebrows. "For what?"
Sasuke crossed his arms. "Isn't it obvious? We're going to be promoted to Chuunin."
Naruto froze.
Wait, I'm going to get promoted?
[Ding!]
[Hidden Quest: "Chuunin, But At what cost?" Completed!]
[Rewards: Exp. 5000, [?]
What's the question mark this time?
[Ding!]
[Subclasses have been unlocked!]
[Would user like to select their subclass?]
I have no idea what that means, but YES PLEASE!
yo!
Fuu getting blocked by Sasuke, is truly despicable behavior!
As I said before…things are ramping up. Not all of the planning is over, but things will definitely be getting spicy from here on. Expect crazy twists, fights, and interactions from here onwards.
Hiruzen survived—his fight's outcome will be explained in a future POV.
The Akatsuki are clearly a much more organized and proactive group in this story, and to offset that, I have the villages banding together. But both of those come with drawbacks that will have to be addressed.
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY!
1. What subclass do you think suits Naruto as a person and a ninja? It can quite literally be anything you think that matches.
2. Why do you think Obito didn't just zip into Konoha and other locations to steal the Jinchuuriki?
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Cya' next week.