Betaed by Doodledon122
Chapter: 9 Prison Break
The sun began to rise over the Leaf Village as I stood in front of the railing where it had all started—where Senshi had pushed me into chasing after Orochimaru. The warm sunlight slowly illuminated the village below, painting it in hues of gold and orange. Lost in thought, I stared down at the streets, reflecting on everything that had brought me to this moment.
Footsteps echoed behind me, and Kaen walked up the stairs. For a moment, he stood silently at the top, gazing at me before speaking.
"You know," he began, "I think Sarutobi would be proud of you. It might have taken some time, but you've finally found yourself on the path he wanted you to be on."
Kaen stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
I couldn't remember much about my childhood or my real parents. For some reason, though, the Sarutobi family—mainly the man himself—had always acted as surrogate family to me. Thinking back on it, I always found it odd how much he seemed to care. But I never complained. People like Sarutobi, Asuma, Kaen, and Senshi had always made me feel like I had a family.
It had only been a few days since the trial. Neither Kaen nor I had seen Senshi since then—he was holed up in the Uchiha compound with Sasuke. Finally being reinstated as a Shinobi felt amazing; anything was better than the reserves. However, being an eternal Genin wasn't much of a step up. While I was grateful, it was undoubtedly Tsunade's way of doling out a subtle punishment for my actions.
After getting my headband back, I decided to tie it to my jacket. Soon after, I was assigned to a Genin squad that had been down a member.
"It's time," Kaen said, breaking my thoughts. "Both squads are gathered, and we need to get moving. There's no telling how many prisoners we're going to be dealing with out there."
He patted me on the back as we turned from the railing and began heading toward the village gate.
A short while ago, we had received a report about a large-scale riot and breakout at a nearby prison. Several dangerous prisoners had escaped, including two exceptionally high-risk individuals. Squads were being dispatched to track them down, and ours was among them.
As Kaen and I walked, the rapid sound of sandals slapping against the pavement came from behind us.
"Katate! Kaen! Hold up a second, will ya!"
I turned to see Konohamaru jogging toward us. He quickly fell into step alongside us, catching his breath.
"Hey, Konohamaru. Been a while," I said with a smile. "If you want to chat, you'll have to make it quick—we're heading out to round up some escaped convicts."
"Nah, I just wanted to congratulate you on finally getting assigned a real mission. No more painting fences or catching runaway animals for you! You've finally caught up to kids half your age. Let's just hope it doesn't take another thirty years for you to keep up," he teased with a laugh.
Konohamaru waved and jogged off before I could respond, leaving me rubbing the bridge of my nose in exasperation.
"Man, even Konohamaru's taking shots at you. That's gotta sting a little," Kaen said with a chuckle. "But don't worry—unlike most eternal Genin, you're almost guaranteed to move up soon."
We arrived at the village gates moments later, joining the assembled group: Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, and Asuma.
"Hey, look! There they are!" Naruto exclaimed, rushing toward us with concern etched across his face. "What's going on with Sasuke? Grandma Tsunade won't tell us anything. You two have to know something!"
"Naruto, calm down and stop with the questions," Kakashi said, cutting him off almost as quickly as he had spoken. "Even if they do know, they probably aren't at liberty to say."
With Naruto silenced, Kakashi quickly outlined the mission.
"Alright, here's the situation," he began. "There's been a breakout at a nearby prison. We're two of several squads being sent out to handle it, but we're a bit short-handed. Kaen, you'll join Asuma, Naruto, Sakura, and me. Katate, you'll join Squad Ten under Shikamaru.
"Our primary targets are Fujin and Raijin—two exceptionally strong individuals. Kaen, Asuma, and I will handle them. If the rest of you run into them, avoid engaging and retreat to reinforcements as quickly as possible. Understood?"
We all nodded, and with that, the squads set off through the gates and into the forest.
"Hey, Shikamaru," Asuma called over his shoulder as we split up, "keep an eye on Katate for me, would you? His sword is sharp, but his wits—not so much."
Shikamaru snorted in amusement while I sighed, adjusting the headband on my jacket. Our squad headed toward a reported group of convicts, while Kaen and the others pressed further ahead.
Truth be told, I wasn't too happy about taking orders from kids, but I didn't have much of a choice. Thankfully, I could take some comfort in the fact that it was Shikamaru giving the orders. He was a Chunin, after all, despite his age. Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to be upset, even if only a little.
Upon landing on the ground, the four of us wasted no time. Shikamaru's shadows raced across the terrain, ensnaring three prisoners in their inky tendrils. At the same time, Choji and Ino leaped into the fray, delivering swift, decisive kicks that rendered two more convicts unconscious.
I charged forward, handling the stragglers. Sliding low to the ground, I took the legs out from under the first man, flipping him over my back as I rose. My next target barely had time to react before I struck him in the diaphragm, knocking the wind out of him. A sharp chop to his throat kept him from regaining his breath, forcing him to hunch over. Grabbing his head, I drove my knee into his face, leaving him sprawled on the ground.
Hearing movement behind me, I dropped into a one-handed handstand to avoid a sucker punch aimed at the back of my head. My right foot shot upward, catching the third man under the jaw. Staggering him, I spun around in the handstand, delivering a brutal kick to his face that sent him tumbling unconscious to the ground several feet away.
Pushing off the ground, I vaulted into the air. Flipping midair, I came down with an axe kick on the first man, slamming the back of his head into the dirt as he tried to crawl away.
The skirmish was over in seconds. Looking around, I saw eight incapacitated escapees sprawled across the clearing. A grin spread across my face.
"Gotta say, I was expecting a bit more from escaped convicts," I said with a short laugh as Choji and Ino began tying them up. "Then again, I guess they got caught in the first place for a reason."
"I'm just glad we didn't run into those two Kakashi mentioned. He made them sound pretty tough," Shikamaru said, stepping up beside me.
"Speak for yourself," I replied with a smirk. "I wouldn't mind running into Fujin and Raijin. I've heard rumors their strength is comparable to Lady Tsunade's. That'd be something to see."
Shikamaru sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "Sounds like you're itching for a fight. What's the saying? Pick your battles—don't let them pick you. Doesn't look like you've ever heard of it."
I laughed, but the moment of levity was short-lived. A shadow of foreboding swept over me as I felt two powerful chakra signatures approaching.
Turning toward the source, I saw Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji react as well, forming up in their practiced fighting stance. I drew Kubikiribōchō from my back, the blade gleaming in the sunlight.
The tension in the air thickened as the bushes before us erupted. Fujin and Raijin barreled through the foliage, tossing aside several Shinobi like ragdolls. The two massive men came to a stop, their imposing forms dominating the clearing as they turned their eyes on us.
"Man, these Shinobi sure are annoying," Raijin muttered.
"They sure are," Fujin replied, his gaze scanning us. "Looks like we've got more of them to deal with. Too bad they're just kids—and some one-armed guy."
The brothers laughed gutturally, their mocking tone setting my nerves on edge.
"Obviously you haven't run into Kaen or Kakashi yet," I said, stepping forward. "Otherwise, you wouldn't still be talking—or standing. That's alright, though. I was hoping to cut loose."
"Katate," Shikamaru warned, his tone sharp. "I don't think taking them head-on is a—"
But I was already charging.
As I closed the distance, neither brother moved. Undeterred, I leaped into the air, performing a flip that transitioned into a powerful heel kick aimed at Raijin's left shoulder.
The impact was negligible.
"Hey, big brother, look. He kicked me," Raijin said, his tone almost amused.
"Did it hurt?" Fujin asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"No, just tickled a little."
Their synchronized laughter rang out just as they cocked their fists back. Before I could react, their punches connected with my face, the sheer force sending me crashing into a boulder. The world went black.
When I opened my eyes, the scene before me was golden-tinted, like a memory playing out in my mind.
"Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound right now?" I heard myself say to Kaen.
"It's not that far-fetched," Kaen replied, his tone insistent. "We already know your Jikugan can freeze time in a contained area upon base activation. Would it really be that much of a stretch to think you could fast-forward or rewind time in that area?
"Look, every jutsu and technique started as an idea in someone's mind. You've just got to feel the flow of chakra through you and figure out the right combination of hand signs to manipulate it the way you want."
Kaen's gaze shifted to my missing right arm.
"Although, in your case, that's going to be harder than usual. Single-handed signs require either serious skill or a massive amount of chakra to brute force it. No offense, Katate, but when it comes to jutsu, you're not exactly skillful."
I scowled at him, but he shrugged with a lazy grin.
"So, what you're saying is I'm basically S.O.L. when it comes to anything beyond basic earth style?" I asked irritably.
"Not quite. The fact that you can perform basic earth style through your feet is impressive. It means you've got the chakra reserves to brute-force jutsu. It's costly, though. The same principle applies to your Jikugan, but it's even more demanding. All I'm saying is give it some thought and effort—but don't overdo it. Running out of chakra can be deadly, even when you're not in combat."
The memory began to fade as reality reasserted itself. My senses returned, and I groggily took in the scene around me. The situation had only gotten worse. Ino and Choji were doing their best to hold Fujin back—Choji's massive hands restraining the man as Ino used her Mind Transfer Jutsu. However, Shikamaru was in a far worse situation. Knocked onto his back, he was seconds away from being flattened by Rijin.
Without hesitation, I shot up from the ground, my eyes shifting as I activated my Jikugan. A light purple time bubble enveloped both Rijin and Shikamaru. Unfortunately, its time-slowing effect wasn't enough to save him.
There was no time to waste. I had to try.
With one hand, I formed half the Serpent hand sign. "FREEZE!" I shouted, feeling a surge of chakra in my eyes. The time bubble darkened to a deep shade of purple, and time inside it froze entirely.
I stood still for a moment, even surprising myself. The theory behind the jutsu had been sound: if my standard bubbles could slow time, amplifying the chakra should freeze it completely. And it worked.
Taking a few deep breaths to steady myself, I realized Kaen was right—brute-forcing a jutsu was costly.
"Now... rewind."
As I spoke, I weaved half the signs of Tiger, Serpent, and Dragon. The scene unfolded like rewinding an old VHS tape. Fujin and Shikamaru's previous movements played out in reverse, resetting them to their original positions at the start of the battle.
Both parties looked utterly confused, disoriented as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. I capitalized on their distraction.
Dashing forward, I snatched Kubikiribōchō from the ground. Closing the distance between Fujin and myself in an instant, I twirled the massive blade around me to obscure my next move. Charging head-on as if for a reckless attack, I planted my foot at the last second, pivoting around Fujin's right side.
Just as I'd anticipated, the brute fell for the feint and swung, his fist cutting through empty air. My maneuver allowed me to slip beneath his arm and circle around to his back. A powerful sweep of Kubikiribōchō's blunt edge took Fujin's feet out from under him, and he hit the ground with a thunderous crash.
I swung the massive blade up and then brought it down with all my strength. The flat side of Kubikiribōchō slammed into Fujin's nose, shattering the cartilage and likely fracturing his skull. He went limp, unconscious.
Taking several heavy breaths, I spun to assess the rest of the battle.
Shikamaru had joined in to help restrain Rijin. Using his Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, he and Ino managed to hold the hulking man in place while Choji relentlessly battered him over the head with his massive fists. After what felt like an eternity, Rijin collapsed, unconscious, joining his brother in defeat.
The four of us stood, bruised and exhausted, but victorious.
"Ow... my head. Come on, Choji, you didn't have to swing so hard," Ino complained, clutching her head in pain.
"Sorry, Ino, but that guy was about to break free any second. I had to do something, didn't I?" Choji replied, his voice just as winded as the rest of us.
Shikamaru sank down against a nearby tree, catching his breath as we regrouped.
Before long, Kaen, Asuma, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke dropped into the clearing.
"Well, not bad. Not bad at all," Asuma said with a grin as he approached us. "I'm actually impressed you managed to take down Fujin and Rijin."
He extended a hand to help me up from where I'd fallen to catch my breath.
"We got lucky," Shikamaru said, pushing himself up from the tree. "They weren't taking us seriously, and that gave us the advantage. If they'd really wanted to, we wouldn't have been able to stop them."
"Sounds like that's their own fault," Asuma replied, his tone light. "A good example of why you should never underestimate your opponent."
Kakashi stepped forward, glancing at the unconscious Fujin and Rijin. "The stragglers are being rounded up as we speak, but there are still a few on the run. Patrol the forests and the routes around Konoha on your way back. If you spot any convicts, you know what to do."
As we began to move out, Asuma called after me. "Hey, Katate, let's meet up for a drink once this is all over."
I threw up my left hand in a thumbs-up, signaling my agreement as Squad Eleven and I headed off.