Naruto: Tornado of Souls
The Weak Die…
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is the first chapter of 2025. I had the day off work and finished this installment early. Here is chapter 22. Enjoy!
Last time:
Tenten's Weapon's Shop
The Viper was sitting on top of the counter and Tenten was looking at it with her nose at the counter level. Her big dark brown eyes were full of fascination. Tenten's Father Tengoku had come out of the back and was also squatted down so his eye level was at the counter like his daughter.
'They look like a pair of moles with their heads sticking out of the ground.' thought Naruto with a mental chortle.
As the father and daughter moved the blade around to examine it from different angles; Blake smiled in amusement. "I think we made Tenten and her Dad's day Naruto-kun."
Pyrrha asked, "What do you think of Naruto's snake-sword?" She had humor in her green eyes.
Tenten's Father stood up and said, "This craftsmanship is beyond excellent. There is only one place this could have come from."
"Where is that?" asked Naruto surprised.
"Iron Country." said Tenten and Tengoku in unison.
Then Tenten gripped the hilt and tested the weight of the Viper before she said, "Let's take it out back and test it." Sliding the lock on the hilt, Tenten used the sword like a whip and then as a sword. She said, "This is an exquisite piece of work. With practice you could be lethal with this Naruto. Let me get you a bokken and a chain whip to learn with. Then you can move on to the real thing."
…
Chapter 22
Fire Country/Rice Country Border
The last two days passed quickly for Team 8 as they helped around the refugee camp. The caravan of refugees and injured going back to Konoha was made up of twenty wagons hauling eight to ten ninjas each. About two thirds of those riding in the caravan were in no condition to fight but that still left a third that were combat capable. At the front of the convoy was Hinata in a scouting position beside her sensei Kurenai. The red eyed jonin nodded when Hinata signaled all clear. Kurenai raised her hand and motioned forward as two rows of ten carts running in pairs slowly moved out.
Hinata saw her Father Hiashi in one of the front two carts as he proudly watched his daughter in the lead position. Beside him sat Hyūga Hoheto who was speaking to the clan head. "It seems our Heiress has grown both in skill and confidence Hiashi-sama. You must be proud. She's managing the caravan like a true leader."
Hiashi nodded. "I have to confess that as her Father it is difficult not to be filled with pride. She is quickly changing into a dynamic young Lady. I would never have dreamed she would become so much more powerful even months ago…"
...
Flashback…
Hiashi was taking his evening meal with Hinata as they sat by each other close to the fire. Hinata said, "This…is nice Father. It is rare we spend any time together as family. I wish Hanabi-chan could be here too."
The Hyūga Patriarch admired his daughter's features in the firelight. "Hinata-chan; you are looking more and more like your Mother every day. You are growing into a beautiful young woman. I am very proud of you."
Hinata smiled. "When we get back to Konoha perhaps our family can spend time outside of meals together. The Elders practically separated Hanabi-chan and I you know."
"Hanabi-chan looks up a great deal to you Hinata-chan." said Hiashi. "Tell me something Hinata; do you hate Neji? He did his best to kill you after all."
Hinata's eyes seemed to flicker with a fire within. "I would like to hate him for what he did, but I don't. That isn't going to stop me from cheering Naruto-kun on when he beats the arrogance and fate out of Neji though. He needs a good old-fashioned pounding to open his eyes."
"You expect Uzumaki Naruto to beat Neji?" asked Haishi with a raised eyebrow.
"I foresee Naruto-kun defeating him utterly." said Hinata confidently. "Naruto-kun already put Neji in his place once but he wants to do it in a proper match."
The Hyūga Patriarch said, "Hinata-chan; Uzumaki Naruto is…how do I put it…"
Hinata's eyes flashed. "I know about Kyubi. Naruto-kun already told me. He is very dear to me."
Hiashi's eyes widened, and he said, "If you know the truth then I will trust your judgment."
"Thank you, Father." said the Heiress. "It means more to me than you know." She embraced Hiashi in a gentle hug and said, "I love you, Father."
Hiashi felt the warmth travel through him and said, "I love you too Hinata-chan. You and Hanabi-chan are my greatest treasures."
They sat quietly together for the rest of the evening…
Flashback end…
As the caravan moved along all on board were eagerly looking forward to seeing the gates of Konoha…
…
Rice Country, Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters
Late that night Sakura awoke to someone fiddling with her door lock. 'Don't tell me Sasuke lost his key…He should be shacked up with Karin tonight anyway…' She heard chuckling and a couple of male voices out in the hall she didn't recognize.
"…Since Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto are gone we can play with the girls…"
"Guren's too damn strong but Sasuke's two bitches are good enough. Old enough to bleed, old enough to breed they say…"
"…Ha ha, the younger the tighter. The Uchiha's busy with the redhead so we'll have fun with pinkie…"
"What's pinkie's name anyway?"
"…I think it's whoruno. There are three of us and three holes so it will be fun for all of us. Who knows? It might get her off too…"
Sakura reached under her bed and gripped the piece steel that she'd taken from Orochimaru's armory…
The door finally came open and they saw Sakura lying there fast asleep in her bed. "Awwww. How cute." said one of the Oto ninjas sarcastically as he ripped the sheets away. Sakura was in her travelling cloak and combat gear. She sat up and smiled as the O-katana she had in her hand took the first ninja's eyes out in a brutal strike straight across the face…She smiled viciously as the man screamed bloody murder.
His two friends were too shocked to move and one of them was stabbed in the stomach before the rosette disemboweled him in a fantastic spray of blood. The third one threw a handful of shuriken at her. She blocked all but one with her sword and the last one cut her face.
Strangely, rather than bleeding her skin just seemed to peel back where it was sliced….
….
Guren woke up to the sound of someone screaming. Grabbing her gear, she ran out into the hall and saw carnage. Sakura was standing there with half her face torn off revealing slightly lighter skin underneath. The rosette was bathed in crimson. Guren saw Orochimaru's prized Kiri O-katana dripping with blood in Sakura's hands. The chakra blade was in a sheathed position. Another guard was coming at Sakura, and the girl drew her sword too fast to follow.
Guren's eyes were wide. "That's…Iaido!*②" she said aloud in shock. Sakura turned to Guren and lashed out with her blade. Guren was fast enough to avoid a fatal strike but felt her tendons in the back of her knees were cut. Guren stared as she got a good look at Sakura who was wearing a smile of pure malice on her face. The contacts were out and her non-sharingan eye was red.
"Who are you?!" said Guren. "Where is Sakura?"
The young woman said, "Sakura is all but dead and gone…." She reached up and grabbed the other half of her face and peeled it back showing a very attractive face with red eyes. Then she reached up and pulled her pink hair back and off causing long, wavy jet-black hair to cascade out from underneath. The young woman said, "I like you Guren; so out of kindness I'm going to spare you just this once…" She looked at the wall and her red 'sharingan' eye flashed. A portal of red energy appeared in front of her and the mysterious girl walked through it and vanished leaving a trail of dead and broken bodies in her wake…
…
Stepping out of a red portal several miles away; the black-haired young woman said aloud, "The strong live and the weak die Sakura. Those are the rules." She paused and felt the breeze blow her long hair and cloak back bit showing her voluptuous figure. She said, "I spared the Uchiha so you should be thanking me…We're going to Konoha. We're going to see Naruto-kun."
She smiled coldly. "Haruno Sakura is no more. From now on I'm Raven Branwen…"
…
The next morning, Orochimaru and Kabuto returned to the base and found it was in complete and utter chaos.
"Orochimaru-sama; of the twenty-three personnel that had a run in with this person that was disguised as Sakura only two survived." reported Kabuto. "They are Guren and Izumi who lost his eyes and was the first cut down. Everyone else was slaughtered with extreme prejudice. I've also confirmed that your prized Kiri Water Edged O-Katana was used and is missing from the armory."
The snake Sannin was looking over Guren's report as he listened to Kabuto. "Red eyes, wavy black hair and some sort of teleportation bloodline…Who is she? To think that she has been imitating Sakura and knows Iaido…"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Karin reported gradual physical changes in Sakura's appearance from seeing her in the shower. It could be this person was here longer than we realized."
"What of the guard Izumi?" asked Orochimaru. "Has he given a verbal report yet?"
"Izumi-san is still delirious from the pain of losing his eyes." said Kabuto. "I will give him a sedative so I can get him to talk."
Orochimaru nodded with approval. "Did Sasuke-kun notice anything?" asked the snake sanin. "He was sleeping with her after all."
The glasses wearing nin shook his head. "Sasuke said he didn't notice a thing and he was with her the night before last. I hate to admit this, but I think this imposter has been here for a while. I believe she had the green eye contacts made as part of her disguise."
"But we both saw her with her sharingan mere days ago." said Orochimaru. "You did routine blood tests to check her DNA for rejection of the contact lens over the sharingan. Double check those for changes Kabuto."
Kabuto bowed. "As you wish my Lord." He then dismissed himself.
The snake Sannin pondered to himself, 'Could that young woman actually be Sakura? It seems impossible but with the split personalities…'
…
Fire Country, Konoha
The 'crack!' sound of Naruto's chain whip split the morning at Training Ground 52 as Naruto used the whip to practice his targeting. "I'm all over the place." he grouched.
Blake smiled from her sitting position on the ground beside the standing Naruto. "You're getting frustrated Naruto-kun. The goal here is to get your arms used to the feel of the whip which you are doing very well with. Besides, you've actually been hitting the targets now even if it hasn't been dead center."
"I agree with Blake-chan." said Pyrrha. "You couldn't hit the side of a barn when you started." she added while laughing.
"Pyrrha-chan…" whined Naruto. The redhead laughed more as Blake joined in. Naruto gave up and gave the girls a toothy grin.
Blake stood up and said, "You've practiced enough with the whip for now. Let's practice your sword katas."
Naruto was soon doing overhead swings to get used to the weight of his new weapon. The three decided he should try alternating between the two weapons to learn both without favoring one over the other.
It was about that time Yamanaka Ino arrived. "Wow! What was that terrific noise? Is that your new weapon Pyrrha-chan told me about Naruto-kun?"
Naruto replied, "Hi Ino. No, these are just practice weapons. I'm just learning to use them so it's rough going right now."
Ino flashed a huge smile at Naruto. "I'm sure you'll have it down in no time Naruto-kun."
Blake thought to herself, 'I can smell the damn hormones coming off Ino…' "So, what brings you way out here to Training Ground 52 Ino? Where is Team 10?"
"Asuma-sensei gave us the day off." explained the blonde kunoichi. "When Pyrrha-chan left in her combat gear this morning I figured she came out here. I thought I'd see what you guys were up to. Besides, Naruto-kun's here! –with his new practice weapons!"
'Besides, Naruto-kun's here?' thought Pyrrha. 'Could she be any more obvious?! Blake-chan is going to murder her and I'm inclined to help.' The resident redhead said to her friend, "Ino-chan; we are teaching Naruto-kun the proper way to handle his snake-sword so we're going to be weapons sparring until lunch."
"That's cool." said Ino. "I'll just sit back and watch. This afternoon maybe we can all hang out."
Blake's eyebrow twitched and Pyrrha let out a long-suffering sigh. "I guess if you want to Ino-chan…" said the redhead.
…
Two hours later a tired Blake and Pyrrha were sitting down with their bokkens and Naruto was sitting with them healing from the beating he'd taken during their morning spars. He wasn't as tired as the girls, but Naruto was sporting a few bruises. Ino was fussing over Naruto. "You girls should be more careful! Let me help you Naruto-kun. You're all beat up."
Naruto replied, "I'm fine Ino. I heal quickly. Besides, I am bound to get roughed up. I'm just starting out."
Ino was about to disagree when Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves. The silver haired jonin gave a smile and said, "I figured you three would be out here working though it's your day off. Ah, Ino's here too."
"Kakashi-sensei; Blake and Pyrrha-chan are merciless!" said Ino. "Look at poor Naruto-kun!"
The jonin shrugged and said, "Looks like the girls have been teaching you the fine art of swordplay Naruto. Let's have a look at your forms."
Naruto quickly hopped up and went through the basic katas with Kakashi checking them over with a critical eye. "Hmmm…" said the silver haired sensei. "You are holding back Naruto."
"We've been telling Naruto-kun he's been holding back all morning." said Blake.
Kakashi chuckled, "He just doesn't want to hurt you girls. Later kiddies!" He vanished in a body flicker.
"We so have to learn the body-flicker." said Naruto as his teammates nodded.
…
Hot Springs Country
Raven Branwen came into a bounty station and said, "I'm here to collect the bounty on the Bandits of the Salt Hills."
The man behind the counter looked at the red eyed girl incredulously and then started to laugh. "Hahaha! You've got guts making a claim like that Missy. I suppose you have proof? Their leader is an ex-chunin from Taki that goes by the name of Hantā Kusa. He's no pushover. I think you need to learn the rules of the trade before you-"
Raven pulled a bloody scroll out of her backpack and said, "Here's your proof." She unsealed the scroll, and twenty decapitated heads rolled out and spread blood all over the counter and floor. Everyone in the room was shocked into silence as she picked up the head of Hantā Kusa and set it down in the middle of the counter with a meaty splat. "That's Hantā Kusa according to the bingo book old man. Now I believe I have a check to cash."
The guildsman was flabbergasted and said, "All by yourself…?"
"I needed some easy ryos." said Raven. "They were convenient." 'No need to tell him they were all blackout drunk and passed out. A baby would have put up a better fight than these losers.'
The men from the guild soon counted the heads and verified they were all the Salt Hill Bandits. Soon Raven had a large stack of Ryo bills in hand and was on her way…
…
Konoha Hospital
Lee was getting his final checkup from Tsunade before he would be released from the hospital. "Now remember Lee; you are still in physical therapy for the next two weeks. After that you will be checked again and hopefully, we can release you to your normal exercise regimen under Maito Gai." said the slug Sannin. "I have instructed Gai on exactly what you can and cannot do Lee-kun so follow my instructions and don't push yourself. You've just been through surgery and aren't superhuman so keep those Flames of Youth in check or you'll end up in the hospital again. Do you understand me Lee-kun?"
Lee saluted with fire in his eyes. "I shall follow your orders to the letter Tsunade-sama! I assure you that in two weeks my Flames of Youth will be stoked to new levels!"
Tsunade sweat dropped. "I guess that's the best I can ask for Lee-kun. You are dismissed." After Lee went roaring out of the hospital at breakneck speed, the busty blonde healer thought to herself, 'Gods, Lee is just Gai all over again.'
…
Gai was in the 'Nice Guy' pose addressing Lee. "And so, my apprentice, your exercise regimen with be comparatively light but fear not; we will stoke your Flames of Youth to new heights as soon as you are released for your regular exercise. I the meantime you need to take it easy and recover. I know it will be difficult given your passion for training, but we must persevere."
"Yes, Gai sensei!" said Lee with a salute. "I cannot wait to begin my full goken training again. I shall start with five hundred one armed pushups."
"Make that one hundred two-armed pushups Lee-kun." said Tenten as she looked over the paper from the hospital. "Tsunade-sama's instructions are very explicit on exactly what you are allowed to do."
"Only one hundred Tenten-chan?!" asked Lee with shocked eyes. "That's hardly enough to warm up."
Tenten held the paper up to Lee's face and said, "Read the paper. One hundred and not one more. Gai sensei may let it slide but I won't."
Konoha's Sublime Green Beast said sagely, "Ah yes. Tenten-chan is acting in your best interests Lee. Consider her your conscience during this trying time."
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee-kun!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee-kun!"
Cue the man hug with sunset genjutsu and crashing waves from hell…
'That's one thing I didn't miss…' thought Tenten and Neji as one…
…
Northern Fire Country
Team 8 was in a diamond formation around the Konoha Ninja Caravan. Hinata was in front, Shino was behind and Kurenai and Kiba were on either side. They were usually accompanied by several lightly injured or uninjured comrades who were rotating back to Konoha. Everyone was in a festive mood that they were heading home. It had been two days, and the ninja were making good time.
Shino was talking with his clansmen as they brought up the rear. "The Reapers were a real threat, but we saw them coming before they realized ninjas were guarding the caravan. We were fortunate that they didn't expect us, and Team 8 capitalized on their mistakes." explained Shino.
"You are being far more modest than needed Shino-kun." said one of the Aburame kunoichi. "Your Father Shibi-sama will be most impressed by your actions. The four of you taking out nearly two dozen trained samurai is no small feat."
Another Aburame ninja said, "You'll be seeing quite a bit of bounty money for that lot Shino-kun. Spend it wisely."
…
Hinata was up on point with two other Hyūga women from the branch house named Suzuka and Honoka. They were cousins but hard to tell apart at a glance. Suzuka was slightly taller and had shorter hair than her cousin. Hinata didn't know them very well, but they certainly knew who she was…
"Our heiress has such daring kunoichi gear!" giggled Honoka. "I wish I had the legs to carry that off Hinata-sama."
Suzuka said, "More importantly I heard you had a bow Hinata-sama but all I see are the two kodachis on your back." Then she added, "Either is unusual for a Hyūga though."
Hinata said, "The swords on my back are called Midnight and they form a bow. Observe." The Hyūga Heiress flipped her blades in front of her and formed her chakra bow with three arrows at the ready. "I'm in the mood for duck." said Hinata as she loosed her three arrows into three ducks flying overhead in a rather spectacular display of marksmanship. "Please keep a lookout while I collect my targets." said Hinata as she darted off.
Suzuka and Honoka were both flabbergasted as Hinata quickly gathered up her three kills and sealed them in a scroll for later. Suzuka said, "Hinata-sama's aim is astonishing! Why haven't we Hyūga combined the byukagan with marksmanship before now?"
"I don't know…" said Honoka. "Hinata-sama did that so effortlessly. I wonder if we could do the same."
…
Kurenai saw Hinata shoot down the three ducks from her position beside the caravan. "Looks like Hinata-chan wants duck for lunch."
Anko sweat dropped. "Do your genin always choose what's on the menu so randomly Nai-chan?"
The red-eyed jonin smiled and shrugged. "I have a team of trackers; what did you expect?"
Kurenai's old friend looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "When you put it that way, I guess it makes sense."
…
Rice Country, Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters
In Kabuto's medical bay Orochimaru's right hand man was questioning the guard Izumi who was finally talking again due to pain medications…
"What do you mean 'We tried to rape her' you fool?!" growled Kabuto. "That…woman slaughtered twenty-one of our dwindling numbers all because you and your two friends thought you'd have fun with Sakura?! Damn it Izumi!"
"Who cares about that crazy pink haired bitch?" shrieked Izumi. "What about my eyes?"
Kabuto started, "Your eyes?! Why I ought to-"
"Now, now Kabuto-kun. Temper, temper." said Orochimaru in a silky voice.
Kabuto jumped to attention and Izumi froze. "O-Orochimaru-s-sama?" squeaked Izumi.
Orochimaru patted Izumi's shoulder. "That's right Izumi-kun; I've been listening the whole time. It seems that you and your friends have caused me a great deal of trouble. I said that Sasuke-kun's wives were off limits and it seems that you and the other two weren't very good listeners."
"Forgive me Orochimaru-sama!" squealed Izumi. "It wasn't my idea, it was-"
Izumi was silenced with a slap across the face. Orochimaru said, "Observe my apprentice. I will show you how to make someone talk properly."
Kabuto nodded in fear of his Master's wrath.
…
Three hours later Izumi was dead, and Kabuto had a huge mess in his lab to clean up. Kabuto was just glad the screaming was over.
"Make sure the others realize the price for disobeying me before you sterilize this lab Kabuto-kun." ordered Orochimaru as he left…
…
Fire Country, Konoha
Team 7 and Ino were at Ichiraku's Ramen having lunch. "One Team Seven Special Ayame nee-chan!" said Naruto as the group sat down.
Ayame smiled at their favorite customer and his girlfriends. "Do you want your usual orders?" she asked.
"Five beef and five pork for me!" exclaimed Naruto happily.
"I'll have three seafood ramen today." said Blake.
Pyrrha said courteously, "I think I'll have two chicken ramen. What would you like Ino-chan?"
Ino looked a bit dazed at the amounts being ordered and said, "I'll have one vegetable ramen please."
"Coming right up!" said Ayame as she went back with the massive order.
…
"So do you guys always order this much?" asked Ino as Naruto demolished his sixth bowl.
"Always!" said Naruto. "Ramen is the food of the gods after all."
Blake finished her second bowl and said, "This is our usual amounts. We've been working hard all morning after all."
Pyrrha was politely eating her second bowl and said, "Ino-chan, you eat more than you used to. Don't tell me you're on a diet again."
Ino waved her hands and said, "No, no! I can only hold so much ramen you know?"
…
After lunch Team 7 was trying to figure out what to do. "Shame we can't pick up a courier mission." said Blake.
Pyrrha chuckled. "You know that downtime is mandatory after a heavy combat mission Blake-chan. We're supposed to be relaxing."
"Training is relaxing Pyrrha-chan." said Naruto.
Blake stretched and yawned. "I feel like a nice nap after a big lunch."
Naruto was admiring Blake's fabulous frame as she stretched. "Well, we could all go back to my apartment and relax there."
Pyrrha yawned daintily. "I agree. Let's go to your apartment and hang out Naruto-kun."
Ino said, "Sure! Can I come with?" 'I've never been in Naruto-kun's apartment before!'
Blake really wanted to chase Ino off but technically the blonde kunoichi hadn't actually done anything wrong. "I guess so Ino. What do you think Naruto-kun?"
Naruto was looking forward to some make out time with his girlfriends, but this shot that idea down in flames. "Ummm, sure, I guess so Ino. I think my apartment is a bit messy right now though."
Ino giggled. "I'm sure it's fine Naruto-kun." 'Score!'
…
Hot Springs Country/Fire Country Border
Raven was looking at the new red and black clothing she bought that was much like the gear she wore in Remnant. Her snake patterned Oto uniform was a thing of the past now. "As much as I hated to spend the money a girl needs her clothes." 'It's ironic that both Sakura and I favored red. It's the only thing we have in common.' She adjusted her O-katana. 'I wonder how Naruto-kun is…I'll see him soon enough in Konoha when I join up. It shouldn't be too difficult to join given all the refugees I heard about fleeing Rice Country.' With those thoughts in mind Raven set off for Fire Country looking for more easy bounties to pay her way…
…
Northern Fire Country
Kurenai signaled for a stop. As it was getting close to evening, the Konoha forces decided to set up camp for the night and were soon eating dinner. The caravan would be in Konoha by the next evening.
Team 8 was sitting around a campfire. They were joined by Anko, Tayuya as well as Haishi and Hoheto Hyūga. "I wish Hana nee-chan and Kaa-san had been able to come back with us." said Kiba to his team. The dog ninja was a bit down about the situation. Akamaru whined and Kiba said, "It's okay boy; I know you miss them too."
On the other side of the fire Hinata was talking to her Father and her clansman Hoheto. Hiashi's eyes were wide in horror as he looked at a picture of his own Father and the other Elders of the Hyūga Clan all completely bald and other photos with makeshift turbans…
"W-w-why?" stuttered Hoheto.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked Hiashi in dismay.
"I thought I would save you the shock of their new hairstyle." said Hinata with a completely straight face. "Last I heard they were looking into fuchsia and chartreuse wigs to cover their bald heads. When I left, they were wearing old towels as turbans. I really wonder what got into them."
…
Meanwhile in Konoha…
…The Hyūga Elders were having a meeting about their currently bald pates. "Hinata-sama is evil incarnate!" cried Elder Hiraku. "Hiashi-sama is on his way back and we all are still bald as a bunch of cue balls!"
"At least you aren't a woman!" shrieked Elder Majo. "It's ten times worse for Minako and I!"
Elder Minako cringed. "That omiai was a very bad idea..."
The head Elder sighed. "I never realized that smuggling wigs into the compound would be so difficult."
"I still think the branch house seized the wigs we ordered." muttered Hiraku.
"We have no proof at all." said Elder Minako. "I already discussed it with the head beautician for our clan and she says the only wigs that came in were the bargain ones in fuchsia and chartreuse. She also said they can't use hair dyes on the wigs without them melting. They are simply too cheaply made."
"We need to send out an investigation team to find the rest of the wigs." said Hiraku.
Elder Majo snarled, "I case you have forgotten; most of our clansmen are at war. Did that ever occur to you Hiraku?"
They didn't know the head beautician was under direct orders from Hinata-sama…and thought the whole situation was hysterical…
…
The Konoha Ninja Caravan
Hiashi shook his head. "I will get to the bottom of this and find out what possessed them to shave their heads…there will be a reckoning."
Hinata's eyes danced with a mixture of flames and amusement. "It should be interesting to hear their excuses for their actions." 'It's feels so good to be evil!' the heiress thought with a mental giggle.
…
Fire Country, Konoha
Hatake Kakashi knocked on Naruto's door. He heard his Team's laughter inside and hoped no one was pregnant. 'Who knows what Naruto can do with all those clones…lucky bastard.' he thought with a perverted giggle. Kakashi knocked again and one of Naruto's clones opened the door.
"Kakashi-sensei; come on in." welcomed the clone.
"Are you busy?" asked Kakashi.
"We were just playing Go." said Naruto. "It kind of became a marathon."
Kakashi came in and saw Pyrrha looking carefully at the board as she placed a white stone down. She was playing against Naruto who (unsurprisingly) was using a wild and unpredictable strategy that threw all logic out the window.
"How is it going kids?" asked Kakashi. "Playing a few rounds of Go I see."
Pyrrha looked up brightly and said, "Kakashi-sensei, welcome! Care to join us?"
Kakashi nodded, "Why not? We can discuss your sword training a bit more."
Naruto chuckled and said, "I never thought I'd be learning swordplay. Our whole team has swords now."
"You are doing well so far Naruto-kun." said Pyrrha. "The dynamics of using a snake-sword are different from standard swords so the learning curve is high."
Blake nodded. "It will all work out Naruto-kun. Just remember you won't be combat ready with the Viper for some time though."
…
Eastern Fire Country
Raven Branwen set up camp for the night. 'I have to grow stronger. I'm far from my peak but I figure I'm a solid chunin in strength. Considering how young my body is I suppose I shouldn't complain." The black-haired young woman carefully set up ninja traps she'd learned from Sakura's memories and dozed off into a light sleep.
"I hate you, Raven Branwen!' said Sakura weakly from her cage.
Raven materialized outside the cage in a shimmering red portal. She smiled coldly. "Still clinging to life princess? The cursed seal has finally been absorbed and drained away, so Orochimaru has no way of helping you. This body is all me now. I even got my figure back."
The rosette coughed weakly. "W-what about Sasuke-kun? What about Ino-chan joining?"
The black-haired young woman rolled her eyes. "Ino won't be joining anybody –or at least not Sasuke-chan. Maybe I'll befriend her just to spite you. After all, I don't want her to murder her own Mother like you did. As for Sasuke-chan…he'll be dead soon enough. I figure Guren will kill him off sooner rather than later."
The rosette moaned, "H-hate you…"
As Raven disappeared, she said, "Fade to black Haruno Sakura…"
…
Rice Country, Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters
After sterilizing the huge mess in his lab, Kabuto was running DNA tests on Sakura. His investigation revealed that the pink "wig" of hair that the imposter was wearing tested positive as Sakura's actual hair. 'Did the imposter kill and scalp Sakura then? I've run the tests three times, and this is Haruno Sakura's real hair.' Kabuto looked inside the wig and saw several strands of wavy black hair. On a whim he decided to test it and got astonishing results. "The DNA is a one hundred percent match?! But…how?" thought the baffled medic aloud. 'There is no dye or other chemicals. It's naturally black and wavy instead of pink and straight….'
Kabuto started checking articles of clothing and everything else that was left behind in Sakura's room to test and always came up with the same results. 'There is no foreign DNA that can't be positively identified. Somehow Sakura transformed from one person into another, and I believe it was triggered by the cursed seal. Could it be she had a dormant bloodline all along? She had civilian parents and nothing of note is written about the Haruno family except they were merchants. She has no living relatives left because she executed them…'
"A ryo for your thoughts Kabuto-kun?" asked Orochimaru. "You've been in deep thought for some time."
The bespectacled medic was embarrassed at his lack of awareness and said, "I'm terribly sorry Orochimaru-sama; I should have been more observant. This mystery about Haruno Sakura is a difficult concept to grapple with."
The snake Sannin raised his eyebrows. 'That's unusual.' "What have you found out Kabuto-kun?"
"Sakura-chan and the imposter are identical genetically." said Kabuto. "They are one in the same person. I've run dozens of tests and they all match."
Orochimaru's scientific curiosity was officially piqued now. "Do you have a theory about this phenomenon?"
Kabuto scratched his chin and said nervously, "I believe Sakura-chan may have had some sort of dormant bloodline that was triggered by the cursed seal. It's farfetched but her split personality started then. She was showing more and more signs of her personality stabilizing but that still wouldn't explain her sudden knowledge of iaido of all things. My gut feeling is as Sakura-chan changed into this new person her original personality may have been subverted by a new and more capable one. I plan to ask Karin-chan and Guren some more questions but Sasuke-kun didn't notice anything and he was sleeping with her."
"It seems Sasuke-kun's observational skills are rather lacking." said Orochimaru with a flat look. "How is Guren-chan anyway?"
"Guren is fully healed physically but is in shock as all of us here are." said the silver-haired medic. "She was completely at the imposter's mercy –or rather Sakura's mercy. Anyway, Guren is still a bit skittish."
"That's perfectly understandable." said Orochimaru. "As long as she recovers in the next couple of weeks, she'll be fine." The snake Sannin looked at the strands of pink and black hair under glass that Kabuto was studying. "Fascinating. Keep me informed on this Kabuto."
"Of course, Orochimaru-sama." said Kabuto with a bow.
…
Fire Country, Konoha
Naruto bid Pyrrha, Blake and Ino goodnight after dinner. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't at least kiss his girlfriends goodbye but with Ino there the entire village would know within minutes…Pyrrha and Ino walked back to the Yamanaka Flower Shop and Blake went back to her apartment she shared with Anko. Then the blonde decided to call it a night…
…
Rice Country, the Village of Oto
Early the next morning, Gamabunta towered over the Village and Jiraiya used chakra to amplify his voice. "All Konoha forces fall back to 200 meters from the edges of town. Bunta, give me oil!" The remaining parts of Oto Village were drenched with Toad Oil within minutes. "This has gone on long enough." said the Toad Sannin. His voice echoed over the village. "Those of you remaining in Oto have one hour to surrender. The ground is soaked with oil. Whoever is left in Oto in one hour will be burned alive."
"You'll never take me alive!" screamed one missing nin. "Better to burn than be captured!" Several others yelled the same thing while hurling insults at Konoha. The Konoha forces stood their ground until one of the missing nins threw an exploding tag at Jiraiya. Time stood still for everyone as the tag fell short and landed in the oil. The Konoha forces fled back as the conflagration consumed every square centimeter of Oto covered in oil. The wave of fire would only stop when it ran out of fuel to burn which would take days…
"Good gods, the fools destroyed themselves!" exclaimed Shikaku as he stared at the flames. His teammates Choza and Inoichi were equally shocked.
Even hundreds of meters away the Konoha forces could feel the searing heat and various water jutsus were used to keep the fire contained until it burned itself out. Orochimaru's remaining followers there were charred into ash…
…
On a ridge overlooking the colossal inferno was Yakushi Kabuto who had returned to the Oto Village on a recon mission to see if the area was still occupied. Orochimaru had hoped something might be salvageable, but this put all those ideas to rest. 'I never imagined that Konoha would be so ruthless.' thought the bespectacled ninja. 'The odds of anyone surviving that fire are zero. Orochimaru-sama said that there could be nothing left but destruction on this scale is hard to believe. I'd best report back.' He noted that the conflagration was being contained and the Konoha occupation forces were already packing up to withdraw back southward into Fire Country. Seeing there was nothing left of Oto Village to speak of Kabuto withdrew as well…
…
Jiraiya shook his head as he looked at the flames and thought, 'Fools. I haven't seen anything this bad since the Third Shinobi War when we were at a stalemate on the Earth Country border. What a bloody waste of life. They could have surrendered peacefully, and we would have burned the town after they all evacuated…'
The general mood of the Konoha ninjas was somber. Oto was no longer a threat and though Orochimaru had escaped their grasp his power base was utterly destroyed. Both the First and Second Divisions were already packing their things up. Jiraiya told them he wasn't going to let this pointless siege continue and he delivered…or rather, Oto did. The short Konoha/Oto War was over. It was time to go home…
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*①: Iaido is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks. To simplify, quickdraw.
See you next time. Blue out. 1/1/25