Another Word For Monster

by Kuma Akuma

Konoha's Boogeyman. Jinchuriki. Hero. Traitor. Murderer. These were the names of Naruto Uzumaki. He left Konoha 3 years ago a broken man, looking for a peaceful life. But the shinobi life doesn't let peace come so easily. It calls you back. Through violence. Through war. Through blood. Monsters didn't get peace. And shinobi? That was just another word for monster. Light AU.

43. Chapter 43

It was night when things began to feel off for the young trio. It wasn't immediately noticeable. It wasn't the air that changed, or even a sudden sense of trepidation. The voices in the town were as loud as normal, or rather as loud as one could be when there was the ever-present threat of Konoha shinobi attacking the city. The whispers of The Guide still rang throughout the city, the newspaper selling out each day. The only unusual thing was that the sky was strangely calm. Cloudy, yet no rain poured down on the nation known for its constant rain. It was soon to be flooding season. No rain was a blessing for most, especially in a fishing town such as Cata. But that was exactly why it was strange.

Because the scent of ozone filled the air.

The natural thought for any civilian would be a thunderstorm was on the horizon. But Kagari knew better. There was no rainstorm as the precursor to the thunderstorm.

"You're sure of this Kagari," the Naruto with him stated. He nodded.

"I'm sure she'll take the bait Naruto-sensei."

"And you're sure she's here based off a hunch?"

"The smell is more than a hunch, Naruto-sensei," Kagari insisted. "It's ozone. Trust me."

The clone raised an eyebrow but did as he was told. He leapt to the tallest building in the town, able to overlook the entirety of the village. Meanwhile Kagari perched himself on the roof of another building, low enough to be blocked off from the outskirts of the village by other structures, but still with an easy line of sight on his clone overseer. He sat there, eyes staring intently at the clone. It was a long time before anything occurred. Only the lights of the night owls in the city remained on when finally, something occurred. The scent of ozone filled the air like a poison before the blonde clone's head snapped to his right. Kagari tensed. The clone glanced at Kagari, eyes wide, before it shot towards him. Kagari's eyes widened, realizing the danger. Before he knew it, he was atop the large building, courtesy of the clone performing a Kawarami (Substitution). The Ame Chunin wanted to hurl, having never had the technique performed on him before. He glanced back at where he once was, eyes wide as he saw the clone erupt as a bolt speared through its head, the arrow carving a neat line through buildings.

Kagari's eyes narrowed, looking to the right to see the specks of electricity that floated in the air. The attack had not been far. Only a few buildings out. Kagari's eyes narrowed. The Hyuga had entered the city when they were unaware. The lack of a sensor shinobi was glaring for her to get this close and them to know nothing of it.

His eyes narrowed as he saw a flash of blue light. That was the only warning he got that she was charging another bolt, this one aimed directly for him. He dove, the arrow ripping just above his head into another building and sending debris crashing to the ground. Kagari took to the streets. The buildings were not much in the way of protection. The Hyuga could see through it with her dojutsu, and her arrows were evidence enough of that. They pierced through buildings, each bolt almost hitting their target. It took all the focus and memorization of the streets he had to avoid being skewered. The closer he neared to the origin the harder it became to dodge until he was eventually caught. A bolt speared him through the shoulder, forcing him to hiss.

He had no time to focus on the pain, having to leap away from another bolt. His hands slammed together, weaving a series of handseals before he melted into the ground. It wasn't a perfect defense, especially against a Raiton (Lightning Release) chakra nature, but the additional protection could slow the arrows just enough to where he could continue to approach. He moved forwards, slipping through the ground and using the slightest vibration to dodge arrows. He had barely a second to react before the arrows carved through where he once was.

Finally, he reached his destination, leaping into the air only to be immediately shot down by Hanabi, the arrow ripping through his head. The Hyuga snorted.

"Please," she whispered, turning and firing a bolt at Kagari who hissed as it speared into his leg. This one was not amplified with Raiton chakra. "I can see chakra. Your pathetic attempts at clones won't work on me."

Kagari grinned, looking at the kunoichi.

"Maybe so, but I still got this close by myself, didn't I?"

Hanabi's eyes narrowed as he flung a kunai. She was expecting another flashbang, instantly dropping the shades she had acquired that rested on her forehead. Only instead of simply a blast of light, this attack was an explosion.

Hanabi was flung from the rooftop she had perched on, crashing into the ground with a groan. Kagari smirked, ripping the arrows from his body before he leapt down, eyes tense. That explosion had caused lights from the homes to flash on, civilians clearly worried about the sounds of battle. The DeMita quickly formed two Iwa Bunshin (Rock Clone) that shot forwards. Neither made it to their target, Hanabi smashing her hands against them and shattering them as if they were made of brittle glass. But it allowed Kagari to close the distance. The teen snatched her bow that lay on the ground, lost in the explosion, and ran.

Hanabi hissed, chasing after him in frustration.

"Give that back you coward!"

"Only if you can catch me!"

Hanabi's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, I can catch you..."

She disappeared in a burst of speed, smashing into Kagari. The teen lost control of the bow in the collision, throwing the weapon forward as it clattered against the dirt roads. Hanabi sat atop him, fury in her eyes.

"Pathetic losers like you should just die!"

"Is that how you felt when you killed my parents," Kagari hissed, squirming to look at her. "That they were pathetic losers who should just die?"

Hanabi's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?"

Kagari snarled, lashing out with his fists in Hanabi's shock. The kunoichi effortlessly caught the attack, but it gave Kagari the room to rise to his feet.

"Is that how much their deaths meant to you? Something so casually thrown away that you don't even remember what you did!"

Kagari threw kunai at her, but Hanabi's sunglasses were still on. The flashbang was useless, only making a large booming sound that didn't do much to effect either shinobi. Hanabi continued, confused at Kagari's words.

"I've killed lots of people. You'll have to be more specific!"

"In Oaxaco!" Kagari screamed. "The town that you fought Naruto-sensei at! You attacked the day before and killed people. People I knew! Including my parents!"

Hanabi's eyes narrowed, recollection dawning in them.

"I see," she muttered. "The two that resisted my demands."

Kagari growled, a kunai slipping into each of his hands. Hanabi stared at him.

"You won't be able to avenge them with those. Not with your skills. The best you can do is join them."

Kagari snarled.

"Shut up."

He hurled the two kunai but just as Hanabi said they came nowhere close. She weaved between them, sprinting forwards, and lashing out with a kick that sent Kagari stumbling backwards. The kunoichi's hands lashed out, fingers jabbing into Kagari. The boy hissed, feeling his tenketsu dim and the chakra in his body swirl awkwardly. Blood dribbled down his mouth. Hanabi grunted, finishing the combination with another kick that was enhanced by chakra. The crack of Kagari's hasty attempt at a block was all that could be heard.

The Ame Chunin flew through the air, barely restraining the urge to cry out in pain from the fracture in his forearm. The teen smashed into the blue waters of Lake Seinaru, the lake located in Cata. He groaned, sinking into the lake. Small fish swam away from him, fearful of the creature that had pierced their normally peaceful waters. Kagari's vision blurred as he began to swim upwards. It wasn't for a lack of oxygen. The pain was simply nigh-overwhelming. Finally, he surfaced, chocking out gasps on the surface of the water.

His eyes widened as the smell of ozone irradiated his lungs once more.

His head snapped upwards to see Hanabi Hyuga standing on the docks, bow in hand with a Raiton charged arrow prepared to fire. He cursed. Even if he dodged the attack, it would strike the water and fry him dead. He had nothing to deflect it either.

He was dead.

The arrow fired and an explosion ripped across Cata.

Kagari's head snapped up, quickly deducing that he was not in fact dead. Before him stood his sensei's clone, a smile on its face.

"Almost had you there, Kagari."

Kagari stared, looking behind the clone in front of him that stood guard. On the docks was Hanabi, her back to him and instead towards a clone that held an arrow.

"Risky strategy dumbass," Midare grunted, pulling Kagari to his feet. "Using one of sensei's clones to alert us that she was in the city."

"It was the only thing I could think of," Kagari muttered.

"It was a brilliant use of sensei's ninjutsu. Good work, Kagari-san," Suiren complimented.

"It was the best I could think of on the fly," Kagari ground out, pain in his voice. The Naruto clone before him narrowed its eyes.

"You two stay back. I'll handle this with the other clone. Original will be on his way."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!"

The attention was directed back at Hanabi, the kunoichi now standing atop a building. The other Naruto clone was standing across from her, an irritated look in its eye. By now some civilians were nervously peaking their heads out of their abodes. The chatter of noncombatants could be heard. They had drawn a crowd.

"Haryana is under attack as we speak. He'll have his hands full."

"You don't think we'd lose do you," the clone countered. "I'm hurt."

"No," Hanabi admitted. "But you'll be delayed long enough for you to arrive to see these three dead!"

She fired arrows instantly, Raiton flowing through the projectiles. Each clone activated their armor, leaping into action to deflect the arrows as best they could. The pace was hectic. Hanabi's firing speed was just fast enough that the clones could not close the gap.

"Will you be okay," Suiren questioned, glancing at Kagari's arm.

"I'll be fine," he insisted. "I got her here, didn't I? Painfully or not."

"I saw that kick from across the lake," Midare stated. "I don't think we can call that you getting her to the lake."

"Doesn't matter," Kagari stated, a smirk on his face. "She's here. We all talked it through. This lake is the only place in the entire city where we have a chance of defeating her. We have to keep her pinned here."

"Time for step one of the plan then," Midare insisted. The trio had talked it over after their discussion with their sensei only a few days prior. He had insisted that Hanabi was taking it easy on them, not using her full speed or strength against them to mock them.

That was fine with them. They would use it against her.

If she refused to use her full speed and strength, they would rip it away from her. One wound at a time, until it was too late for her to turn the tides.

Suiren smiled, hands slowly weaving together. She was careful, using the clones to keep Hanabi's attention as she generated chakra. She needed this to be perfect. She would not get a better second opportunity. Midare looked at her, weaving through handseals himself to assist.

"Here's some more water for ya!"

Midare roared, unleashing a jet of water high into the air. Suiren smiled. Her senses flared upwards, feeling the water all around her. The clouds boomed above, rain beginning to fall as was customary for Rain. The kunoichi smiled.

The gods favored them.

"Suiton: Kirisamegakure no Jutsu (Water Release: Hiding in Drizzle Technique)!"

Suiton (Water Release) was a fascinating element. It was, in a manner of speaking, the most chakra-intensive element of the five major elemental natures. If a natural source of water was not around the user had to mold and create it with their own chakra. Doton (Earth Release) and Futon (Wind Release) ninjutsu users rarely had to worry about such an inconvenience. Meanwhile, Katon (Fire Release) and Raiton users generally had much more destructive techniques to make up for the prohibitive chakra cost of creating the element out of your own chakra. Suiton ninjutsu often lacked that destructive capacity until the higher levels of their jutsu, leaving the user with significantly weaker jutsu with the same chakra cost.

But in another sense, it was the most powerful element! It had unmatched versatility out of any of the five. And, unlike Katon or even Raiton in the best thunderstorms, Suiton could gain all the benefits that Doton and Futon could receive. Stronger elemental jutsu, with a significantly lower chakra cost by drawing upon the naturally existing element. Such was the benefit of the rain and the lake. Such was the genius of their plan to amplify Suiren's chakra reserves, even in the marginal manner they had done so. She could generate much more rain for a fraction of the cost.

Hanabi's eyes widened as her vision was suddenly shrouded with tiny droplets of chakra, the world around her suddenly becoming blurry in a manner she had never seen outside of Naruto's own localized blur courtesy of his armor. The kunoichi grit her teeth, the rate of her fire suddenly dropping. Instantly the Naruto clones capitalized, closing the distance. Their armor maintained, cautious as they approached the kunoichi. Hanabi snorted.

"This technique might work for them, but with a chakra signature as bright as yours it does nothing, sensei," she spat. "Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven)!"

The clones instantly retreated, but Hanabi wasn't eager to let them. Her hands shot outwards, unleashing the same jutsu twice in each direction.

"Hakke Hazangeki (Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher)!"

The wave of force shut outwards, smashing into the clones. One disappeared on impact while the other managed to activate the second stage of the armor. The attack still sent it flying backwards, but it absorbed enough damage that it was not dispelled. However, before the kunoichi could continue her assault a kunai pierced her shoulder. She cried out, leaping away to glare at the vaguely human shape of chakra that she could now see in the blur of rain.

'They were not able to use this level of concealment before.'

She landed, but this time she was on guard. She ripped the kunai from her shoulder, spinning to swipe at the next vaguely human shape she could see. It stumbled away, solidifying her assumption. The hiss was all she needed to hear to know that she had struck true. Midare rubbed the cut on his cheek. If it hadn't been for the wound Suiren had given her in her shoulder he wouldn't have been fast enough to avoid the strike, even with the concealment of her rain. They had the advantage, especially with one more clone standing, but there was no room for overconfidence.

Midare let his umbrella's fall into his hand, closing his eyes to concentrate. Water from the lake beneath him rose, coating his umbrellas in a sloppy flow. It was not a perfect Hien (Flying Swallow), but it was enough. He dashed forwards, but Hanabi was quick this time. Her hands lashed out, smashing against the strikes with pinpoint precision despite the blur of the world around her. Midare grit his teeth.

'She must be able to see the outline of the Hien more distinctly!'

The kunoichi kicked him in the chest as he took the moment to think, sending him backwards. She turned, kicking up storms of waves as she dropped into the Kaiten once more to protect herself from a punch from Naruto's clone. The clone grunted, thrown backwards from the force. Hanabi kicked off the ground, only for her eyes to widen as she felt a hand grab her ankle. She was thrown further onto the lake, irritation flashing on her face.

Suiren stood next to her Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone), a small smile on her face. For once she felt like she held the advantage against this opponent. In this environment her skillset was at its most powerful. She could maximize her talents with Suiton to their fullest without concern for her chakra reserves.

Hanabi snarled, notching an arrow, and letting fly. Suiren's eyes widened, and her clone shoved her to the side just before she was pierced through. It exploded into water droplets for its troubles.

"There's no way you little brats think this is enough to beat me," Hanabi cried out. "I'm more than my eyes!"

The kunoichi frowned, glancing at the clone of her sensei. She couldn't use summoning, not while he was here. The toads would simply refuse to engage, just like last time. That was troublesome, but not impossible. At the end of the day, it was a clone. Not something to be feared. She would focus it down and dispose of the trash.

Unfortunately, the trash had other opinions.

A storm of kunai flew at her, forcing her to deflect them with her Kaiten. Her eyes narrowed as Kagari looked at her, a smile on his face. In a display of bravado, he waved at her with his injured arm, biting down the pain. The message was clear.

'Bring it.'

The Hyuga was satisfactorily enraged.

She charged forwards, moving at speeds Kagari had not thought possible. Jets of water kicked up behind her every step. Her rose his hands into a sloppy defense but it was pointless. Her attacks pierced his defenses, yet he was not struck due to Naruto's clone forcing the Hyuga to abandon the offensive. The clone pressed the attack, slashing at her in all directions with a kunai covered in the Hien. Hanabi snarled, desperately weaving between the attacks. A weaker version of Naruto or not, the blonde was still her superior. Defeating him would not be easy, especially with it refusing to drop that armor. She needed a way to bypass it, and there was only one way she knew how to do that effectively with his guard up without crippling herself.

It wouldn't be pain-free, but it would work.

The clone charged forwards, but Hanabi didn't bother to defend herself, instead sealing her bow into a formula on her wrist and gathering chakra in all of her tenketsu. The clone slashed across her chest, causing her to hiss as the wound opened. Blood shot through the air. The clone had a solemn look on its face.

"I'm sorry Hanabi," it muttered, slashing at her ankles only for the kunoichi to grin.

"Shut up," she spat. "Jūkenhō Ichigekishin (Gentle Fist Art One Blow Body)."

Chakra surged from every tenketsu on her body, blasting Naruto with a wave of force that forced him to roll on the ground. Hanabi smirked, unleashing a Hakke Hazangeki the second he moved from her. The wave of force kicked up a storm of water, overwhelming the clone and dispelling it. Hanabi smirked but had no time to take revelry in her victory. She turned, immediately engaging in a fierce taijutsu spat with Midare and a Mizu Bunshin he had created. With the additional numbers he was able to last longer, but still his victory was short lived. Hanabi dispelled the clone and lashed out at him with several strikes, shutting down his tenketsu. With a grunt he retreated, unable to maintain his Hien effectively.

Yet he was laughing.

Hanabi hissed as she felt her ankles flare in pain. She glanced down to see blood dripping from the wound. A kunai lay in the water. Her eyes widened as she realized her achilles tendon had been cut. She turned, just making out the vague human shape that was the tell-tale sign of movement in the chakra-coated rain around her before a fist impacted with her face, sending her skidding across the surface of the water.

"Don't think that we need Naruto-sensei's clones to beat you," Kagari yelled. "All it takes is us three to take you down!"

Hanabi snarled, rising to her feet.

"Oh yeah! Show me what you can do then you shit faced brats!"

"We're getting revenge for my parents," Kagari stated, crouching in anticipation. Suiren and Midare readied themselves behind him. "Only one of us is going to walk away from this fight."

---

Naruto's eyes snapped open as memories flooded his mind. An arrow fired through the city of Cata that would have killed Kagari had his clone not acted quickly. He flew into action, ready to move only for his eyes to widen as another set of memories flooded his mind, this one closer to home. Yet, he didn't need the memories to know what had occurred. The explosion ripped through the city, making Naruto's eyes narrow.

'The things I'd do for Karin's sensory technique.'

His own had clearly proven inadequate at detecting threats that knew he were there.

The blonde paused for a moment, letting the clones he had positioned across the city rush to the sight of the explosion as he weighed his decisions. He knew that arrow. That was Hanabi in Cata, while the ANBU squad likely was leading another attack in Haryana. They must have failed to fully finish their objective in the first strike. The blonde glanced across the town to see the mine. Hanabi had been near there. That was their goal, destruction of the mine. Harassing the citizenry was just a ploy or bonus. But they had split up. Hanabi was in Cata, with who knew how many shinobi, likely to hurt their fishing supply.

With his students there as the town's only defense.

He knew they were creating a plan to take down the kunoichi. They had talked his clones' ear off with it, running through any potential idea that could give them the advantage against the kunoichi. She was their superior. They would need every advantage they could get if they fought her. Of course, the main strategy was delay her as much as possible and only engage if they had no choice, but he doubted they would listen to it. The fact that another one of his clones had not dispersed to inform him of their flight was sign enough of that.

The more the blonde thought about it he began to connect the dots. If his other clones hadn't disappeared, they likely hadn't encountered the ANBU force, which meant they were likely behind the current attacks. The memories that flooded his mind of his clones fighting in Haryana solidified that theory. That was good. If his squad had found the ANBU squad, they were instructed to flee. Hanabi was a single entity, potentially manageable for them with his clone's assistance. But that left the question that weighed on his mind.

Abandon Haryana and defend his students, hoping he made it to Cata in time before any serious injuries occurred, or defend Haryana and trust in his students to not only defeat, but not kill Hanabi?

The question weighed heavily on his mind. His students could die here. But he had a duty to uphold to the citizens of Rain, to protect them from this Konoha force that was attacking them. The blonde bit his lip, frustration building inside of him. Finally, he stilled, taking a deep breath as his thoughts were filled with those of his students. He placed his trust in them when he sent them off. He had told them that. What type of sensei would he be if he reneged on it now, and in turn let these innocents suffer?

Naruto leapt from the window of the building he was staying at, eyes hard as he took to the air.

'Midare, Suiren, Kagari...I trust you.'

With that he shot towards the mine, landing in front of the location in a tornado of wind. He instantly formed four clones, the clones rushing off to handle the explosion and any subsequent fires that burned through the city. The blonde's eyes rose, meeting the masks of one singular ANBU member.

"Come alone this time?"

"I came ready for you."

"Seemed awful ready for me last time," Naruto stated, shrugging. He lowered his stance, a smirk dancing along his face. "But this time you can't just delay me."

"We did not come to delay," came the call. The blonde didn't bother turning, feeling the shift in wind that told him all he needed to know. He caught the kunai, throwing it into the distance only for his eyes to widen as the seal on it erupted. A flashbang. His eyes and ears were overwhelmed, forcing him to step backwards. Of course, that didn't mean he was vulnerable. His armor roared to life the second he felt the wind shift, forcing the ANBU back. A series of curses escaped their mouths. Naruto smirked, launching towards one and smashing his foot through their chest only for him to frown as he felt any form of resistance dissipate. A clone.

As his eyes and ears recovered the blonde frowned as he saw the last vestige of the ANBU slip into the mine. They were going to destroy it. The blonde shot forwards, letting his armor deactivate so as to not destroy the support beams holding the mine up. He had to admit he was impressed by the strategy displayed by the Nara leader. He had forced him into another situation in which his armor was useless. Of course, in so doing he made his plan obvious. It wasn't just to destroy the mine.

It was to kill him.

The blonde welcomed the challenge.

He slipped into the darkness, letting his senses flare out and trusting his clones to protect the civilians above.

"You know," Naruto called out. His thoughts drifted back to his students.

"As much as I'd like to play around, I'm afraid I don't have time for that. You'll have to forgive me...but from here on out you're going to learn why it takes more than an ANBU hit squad to kill me."

His voice echoed across the halls. The blonde didn't wait for any response, instead shooting forwards in a burst of speed. The first form of his armor was the only thing he could keep activate in these walls without destroying everything in his path. Enough to allow for flight and increase his speed, but not much in the way of defense. An irritant, but an acceptable one.

Of course, that was not the end of it. A gale of wind shot through the mines, kicking up clouds of dust that blurred the senses of his sensory technique. The blonde frowned. His wind felt a disturbance everywhere all at once. It would prove impossible to accurately detect where enemies were and react to them. The Nara clearly had done their homework. He had taken two of his most powerful jutsu away from him with relative ease.

But the Uzumaki was not an S-class shinobi based off of two jutsu.

The blonde spun, catching a kunai that speared through the air at him. A smirk played along his face. These tactics would not be enough to defeat him. His eyes narrowed as the seal on the kunai exploded, revealing a mist that Naruto leapt away from. Poison doubtlessly. The blonde frowned. With the Kyuubi's chakra and his natural hardiness due to being an Uzumaki the poison would be slow acting, if it impacted him at all. Only the most dangerous of poisons truly posed a threat to him in small quantities.

But as more mist began to flood the mineshaft the blonde realized that perhaps he wasn't going to be dealing with small quantities of the toxin.

'Are they trying to poison me? Or flood the mineshaft with poison to make it unusable?'

The blonde's mind raced a mile a minute as he tried to understand the strategy of his foes. They wouldn't destroy the mines, not so long as he was still alive. It was the crutch that stopped him from simply tearing through everything to obliterate his foes. But that wasn't the only way they could achieve their secondary goal of making the mines unusable to the residents of Rain.

The Uzumaki wasn't planning on making things that easy for them. With a string of handseals he unleashed a deluge of water, quickly flooding much of the mineshaft. It could be drained later. He had to make sure the poison was dragged down by the liquid. He shot deeper into the tunnels, the water clearing much of the dust from the air to let the Fūton: Ten No Kankaku (Wind Release: Heavenly Sense) work. The storm of dust was kicked up once again quickly, this time water particles joining it, but it was too late.

The blonde had found one his targets.

He shot forwards, hand grabbing the shoulder of the ANBU member. They whirled; their mask hastily fused together through some type of heat. Naruto smirked. The one he had injured from their last engagement. His hand shot out like a snake, smashing into the ANBU's already broken mask and shattering it once more. Then, a kunai made of wind formed in his hand before he slit the shinobi's throat. The blonde expected a river of blood, but instead was greeted with water that slunk to the floor. His eyes narrowed before a jet of water smashed into his side, throwing him to the ground.

The Uzumaki grunted, rising to his feet to see a shadowy figure in the darkness of the mines. The blonde snorted. Hit and run tactics could slow down how fast he would kill them, but it wasn't enough to stop him. He shot forwards, prepared to attack only for his body to seize as though he had lost control. His eyes narrowed. The Nara. He felt the shadows string up from the darkness to strangle him. The blonde had to admit it was a good strategy. Mines were naturally quite dark, and the added dust and water weren't helping things. It was the perfect place for the Nara to extend his reach and conceal his shadow every time he made a move.

A storm of shuriken and kunai shot at him from both sides of the mineshaft he was in, a clear attempt to kill him.

They would have to do better than that.

Naruto's chakra network surged, and blades of wind shot from his body in every direction, slicing the ninja tools to harmless scraps of metal as they clattered against his body. Naruto could hear the shock in the ANBU's slight gasps.

"What," the blonde stated. "Didn't know I could do that? You need to work on getting your information right!"

The blonde shot forwards, ripping his body back from the Nara that threatened to control him. His body was a blur, smashing into one of the ANBU only for them to burst into a swarm of insects. The kikaichu tried to stick to his body, the Aburame who housed them slinking down from the ceiling to revel in the screams of his fallen opponent.

The blonde did not fall.

Naruto reached up, grabbing the Aburame by the throat and getting a gurgle as a response. A grin split his face. This one was real.

"But the kikaichu..."

"You need more than one swarm of kikaichu to handle my chakra levels," Naruto spat. His leg swung out, smashing into the Aburame's stomach. They keeled over, stunned. Wind swirled around the Uzumaki's hand, a staff forming before he thrust it through the Aburame's chest. Their heart exploded on contact, blood shooting from their mouth and spilling out through the holes in their ANBU mask. The kikaichu swarm seized, the link between them and their host broken. The blonde wasted no time, activating the second stage of his armor for but a fraction of a second. The swarm was eviscerated in the period, although the cuts on the support beams around him was clear proof even such a quick activation was risky.

The blonde looked around, eyes narrow. His chakra levels had dropped significantly, but not enough to where he couldn't operate. He would have to be more careful though. The Aburame was a dangerous opponent, even if they were now off the board. He couldn't afford to deal with the others as recklessly. The mineshaft was already groaning underneath the weight of the battle, and the grooves he had just added to the walls were not helping its stability.

However, before he could press his assault the ground moved beneath him, as if a giant section of the mineshaft had begun to sink deeper into the ground. The candlelight that had previously been dim due to the dust and water evaporated into sheer darkness the deeper he went. The blonde's eyes narrowed.

'A Doton technique.'

The blonde grunted as the ground suddenly stopped moving. His eyes snapped upwards to see a deluge of water crashing down from above.

'Trying to drown me? The idiots. Moving me away from the mineshaft was the worst thing they could have done.'

The blonde's second stage armor activated, slicing through the deluge as he shot upwards.

"Now!"

The blonde tensed before the world exploded into bright lights, courtesy of dozens of flashbangs that had been hidden among the water. The blonde was blind and deaf for a moment, relying entirely on his senses before a cloud of dust filled the air.

He was completely defenseless.

The blonde grunted as a massive weight smashed into him, throwing him to the ground with force. He grunted, trapped in the water as a heavy weight held him down. He could vaguely hear shouting from up above, but underneath the water he could not quite tell what it was. His lone hand gripped the weight, feeling how hard it was. Yet there were grooves on it, like it was being worn down. Whatever it was, it began to spin, grinding the blonde into the dirt. It was then when the threat clicked.

'Akimichi!'

The blonde's hand gripped the Akimichi covered in earth, rage burning within. If he wanted to have a clash of rotational forces that was more than acceptable. The Uzumaki roared, his armor activating to its third and final stage. That was where the clash ended. The Akimichi screamed, the wind ripping gashes into his flesh as if the stone was no longer there. He recoiled, giving Naruto the time to get to his feet only for a bolt of lightning to strike the water. Electricity surged through the water at the bottom of the pit, electrocuting both the Akimichi and the blonde. They both hissed, yet one could fly and the other could not. Naruto shot upwards, escaping the electrified tomb with a grunt.

The Akimichi in contrast was cooked alive.

A brutal attempt at killing him, one that had knowingly sacrificed one of their own members. And it failed.

The blonde's head snapped upwards; the effect of the flashbang having worn off. He saw the ANBU looking down on him from above, motionless.

"So, is two members dead enough for you to realize you can't beat me," Naruto exclaimed. "Or do all of you have to die here?"

His answer was revealed by the ANBU fleeing back into the mines. The blonde hissed, shooting up and into the mines, deactivating his armor as soon as he landed. A staff made of wind flowed into his hand, courtesy of his manipulation.

"Fine," the blonde muttered. "Kill you all it is."

---

The first step of their plan had been simple. Take out Hanabi Hyuga's achilles tendon so she could no longer tap into her full speed. Injure her arms so that she could no longer access her full strength. Wounds designed to cripple her fighting capabilities so that when the clones of their sensei eventually fell their chances of winning would go from impossible to possible.

And yet Midare was beginning to realize why even then their chances of winning were equivalent to 'a small chance in hell' as their sensei had put it when they first discussed the plan. Even with her strength and speed limited she was simply above them. The trio had engaged with her for two minutes and had failed to land a single blow, even with Suiren's water acting as camouflage for their attacks. The Hyuga had seemingly quickly grown accustomed to their strategy of hiding in the rain. Midare had even dropped the Hien to see if he could launch better sneak attacks, but the Hyuga had never faltered. Sure, she hadn't been able to deal significant damage, but that had far more to do with their numbers advantage rather than her own failings.

"This isn't working," Midare muttered, regrouping with his teammates to stare down the Hyuga from across the lake. They couldn't give her much time to rest. Forcing her on the defensive throughout the entire fight was the only way they had a chance to defeat her.

"She adapted faster than we thought. We can't weaken her like this without Naruto."

"Then we progress to the next phase of the plan," Kagari muttered.

"But we won't be able to harm her effectively without the camouflage," Suiren countered.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Suiren was silent.

"You each remember the next phase of the plan, right?"

The words from their planning section roared in their minds. How could they forget?

(-Flashback-)

"But what about when we disappear," one of the Naruto clones said. "What then?"

"We use the rain to weaken her," Midare stated. "Keep the same strategy and capitalize off her pre-existing injuries. Attacks at her legs to slow her down, and at her arms to weaken her. Core attacks only to limit her stamina. If each of us tags in the second someone gets overwhelmed, we'll be sure to never let her counterattack. Never let her use her summons. The rain will serve as our camouflage."

"That's not enough," Kagari muttered. "We need to do more than that?"

"Like what?"

"Her eyes," Kagari stated. "They're a complication. With them active we cannot launch any sneak attacks. We have to take those off the table."

"How?"

"Chakra," Suiren stated, snapping her fingers. "She has more chakra than any of us individually but combined we have more than her. And we have soldier pills on hand. If we keep forcing her to expend more and more of her chakra it shuts down her more dangerous abilities and it will force her to deactivate her Kekkei Genkai."

"A good strategy," one of the clones stated. "But you'll need more than that."

"We can irritate her eyes," Kagari stated plainly. "The Byakugan gives enhanced vision, but they're still eyes. That's why flashbangs still work on her. Cover the air with irritants to her eyes, and we'll be able to cause them pain. Pain that could make her deactivate the Byakugan or simply move just a half second slower."

"But those irritants will affect you all too."

"My wraps should protect me, and Midare has goggles. So long as Suiren stays at a distance she should be fine as well."

"That sounds awful risky," Suiren countered. "We'd have to keep her confined to a specific area. And that means one of you or Midare will have to constantly be engaging with her. And how do we irritate her eyes anyway?"

"Storage seals," Kagari stated as if the answer were obvious. "I can store clouds of dust in sealing formulas on my kunai. Unleashing them there should irritate her eyes."

"That doesn't address the issue of keeping her tied to one specific location," Suiren insisted.

"I'll do it," Midare muttered. "I'm the best at close combat out of the three of us. I'm our best bet."

"You won't last long enough against her alone!"

Midare smirked.

"Then you two best be on your A game in keeping her off my ass then."

(-Flashback-)

Midare gripped his umbrella, reapplying the Hien as the rain caused by Suiren ended. Instead, they were left with the naturally falling water of the rainstorm.

"Be careful Midare," Suiren insisted. "She's dangerous."

"I'm dangerous," Midare countered before he shot forwards. Suiren leapt away to gather distance as the Ame Chunin brought his umbrellas to bear against the Hyuga.

The two engaged in a heated flurry of blows, umbrella meeting palm as the two fought for dominance. Every slash from Midare was parried by Hanabi, while every strike of hers was barely blocked by his. It was a frantic pace, one that vastly superseded the engagement Midare had had with the Konoha shinobi only a few short weeks before. As the engagement continued Midare couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at the length in which he engaged with the kunoichi. Injured or not, she was his superior. He was not arrogant enough to believe otherwise. The ability to engage with her, even briefly, was one that he did not think would be possible on such a short time frame.

'I owe it all to you...sensei.'

The Ame Chunin would never let the blonde hear it.

In part because he was being pushed back. The Hien was a powerful technique, but Midare was still a beginner with the jutsu, and using an element that did not flow naturally with his weapons of choice. It amplified his power, but it was an incomplete technique when he utilized it at best. Even the strongest Hien could be torn away by the strikes of a master of Juken, but an incomplete one? Hanabi quickly began to strip the jutsu off, disrupting the flow of chakra that Midare used. And as the Hien fell, so did Midare's ability to stand and fight against the Hyuga.

However, just as she was about to overtake him, she was forced to retreat, lest she be crushed underneath Suiren's jutsu. The Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Bullet Technique) shot forwards. The jet of water smashed into the water where Hanabi was, causing a jet of water to erupt and giving Midare time to leap away. Hanabi grunted but didn't press the advantage. Instead, she swiped at the blood on her shoulder, beginning to weave through handseals. Naruto's clones were no longer here. She could summon the toads.

Kagari refused to give her the chance.

His kunai pierced through the air.

"Fat chance!"

The Hyuga grunted, abandoning the jutsu and closing her eyes as she saw the formula on the kunai. The explosion ripped forwards, but Hanabi's eyes narrowed as a cloud of dust surrounded her instead of the flashbang she had expected. The attack had done no damage, but it had accomplished its goal. She had been delayed just long enough for Midare to re-engage, the Hien coating his umbrellas once more.

Thus, the pattern began. Midare would engage with Hanabi in close quarters combat, occasionally assisted by an Iwa Bunshin courtesy of Kagari or a Suiton technique launched by Suiren to wear on their foe's energy and stamina. The process was slow going. The dust particulates in the air took a long time to build up. And Hanabi was no fool. She would not sit still in the same pattern forever.

The kunoichi drew a kunai, lashing out at Midare. His eyes widened as he saw Raiton chakra course through the weapon. It collided with his umbrella, electricity travelling through his own Hien to electrocute him. Midare hissed, his body seizing before he felt the pokes of Hanabi's strikes, the Hien collapsing as his chakra network was forcibly sealed.

"Midare!"

Kagari shot forwards, forgoing his strategy in defense of his teammate. He launched a kunai at Hanabi, only for her to slice it in half with her own kunai. Kagari's eyes narrowed. He knew that technique.

She also possessed the Hien. Her Raiton chakra nature had the natural advantage against Suiton, even if not through the direct counters of the elemental natures. Water conducted electricity. Midare was in a losing position.

Kagari arrived, noticing that Hanabi had not decided to kill Midare in the time it took for him to reach her. She was still taking them lightly. He would make her regret it. He slashed out, desperation fueling his moves. Hanabi snorted, easily weaving through his attacks. She reached out to attack only for a frown to grow on her face. She ducked underneath a water bullet, eyes cutting towards Suiren. Her hand shot upwards.

"Go away. You're annoying. Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)."

The blast of concussive air smashed into Suiren, the kunoichi flying backwards. Blood shot from her mouth. Kagari's eyes widened.

"Suiren!"

He lashed out with his kunai, only for Hanabi to catch his wrist, eyes meeting his.

"You three got a big head from landing two good shots," Hanabi hissed. "The clones did the work."

However, before she could continue, she had to raise her other hand to catch a thrust from one of Midare's umbrellas. The Hien around it was shaky, water trailing into the lake below. His chakra network was disturbed, making performing the jutsu difficult for him. Enough to the point where Hanabi could stop it with her bare hands, without needing chakra to protect them.

Midare smiled.

He drew a kunai, preparing to stab the kunoichi know that her hands were preoccupied only for her to twist. Chakra exploded from her body as a Hakkeshō Kaiten exploded to life around her. Kagari and Midare were thrown backwards by the rotational force, bruises forming on their bodies for the trouble. Kunai filled the air around the defense, courtesy of the two repelled Ame shinobi, clattering against the rotation and failing to pierce it. But that was not the goal.

The kunai detonated, the explosive tags causing a massive eruption of water on the battlefield. A wave of water swept over the lake, ending on the shores of Cata. When the smoke cleared it revealed Hanabi standing tall and proud, light burns on her body for her troubles.

"Did you really think explosive tags would be all it took to pierce the Kaiten? Maybe for an amateur, by mine is far too refined to be disrupted by a shockwave of that magnitude."

"Shockwaves," Midare muttered. "Who the hell said that was the goal?"

Hanabi's eyes widened as she saw it. The briefest flash of something behind her. A sign she had grown acutely aware of when her father had beaten into her the lone blind spot of the Byakugan when she was younger. She spun as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough to fully avoid the hit. The first kunai ripped into her cheek, drawing blood. The second pierced her thigh, and the third bit dip into calf ripping her mobility away from her even further. The Hyuga's eyes burned with rage. They knew about the Byakugan's blind spot! But there was no way for them to know that!

Unless...

'Naruto!'

Of course, Hanabi had no time to be irritated at her former sensei as dust clouded the air. She hissed in pain as her eyes winced, tears forming in them from the pain. Kagari leapt forwards to capitalize. A storm of shuriken shot towards her. It was a testament to Hanabi's skill that she managed to avoid most of the projectiles as she cleared her eyes, but she was not perfect. Some of the weaponry jabbed into her arm, weakening it.

The Hyuga turned, fury filling her eyes only for her vision to be crowded once more by uncountable amounts of chakra pellets falling in the rain. The Suiton kunoichi had recovered. Still, she had learned how to see in the technique. The two Kagari's in front of her were visible. It was not enough for her to be overwhelmed, two palm strikes sent the two Kagari's flying, dust greeting her once more to reveal that they were mere clones, but that was not the issue. The blast of water from the kunoichi was, having recovered from her own assault. Hanabi ducked underneath but was forced into an awkward defensive position from Midare's ferocious assault that followed. His weapon strikes were slow. Sloppy. No doubt evidence of his injuries. It didn't take long for Hanabi to kick him away, but the two had given Kagari enough time to reach out, touching Hanabi's shoulder.

The Hyuga spun, palm strike lashing out and crashing into Kagari's chest. There were no copies of him on the battlefield. She had placed a significant amount of chakra into that strike. It was a death blow.

And yet her hand phased through Kagari as if he were a ghost.

Hanabi's eyes widened, shock flashing through her for a moment. What had occurred? Did the Ame Chunin have another technique up his sleeve she was unaware of? Before she could figure out what it was, she felt her other achilles give out, forcing her to drop to her knees in a flash of pain. She hissed, unleashing another Kaiten. In the process the world erupted like glass, revealing the Ame trio standing away from her. The chakra dense rain had stopped. Hanabi's eyes narrowed.

'Genjutsu. They used the rain to make sure I wouldn't notice him setting it up.'

"So genjutsu does work on her," Kagari muttered.

"That gives us options," Suiren whispered.

"Don't use your rain unless we get a clear opportunity for Kagari to hit her," Midare stated. A bloody kunai dripped in his hands. "It's a waste of chakra otherwise. We can capitalize on this."

"Careful," Kagari muttered. "She'll be even harder to take down now that she knows we can do this. There will be no more taking it easy on us."

Hanabi rose to her feet, rage burning in her eyes.

"You brats...you think taking out my legs is enough to take me down!"

Hanabi stepped forwards. The movement was wobbly, lacking a certainty her previous movements had. But it was determined. What she had lost in speed and stability she more than made up for in skill.

"You're sorely mistaken."

The Hyuga's palms shot outwards, unleashing a massive vacuum wave that sent water flying in every direction from the force. The trio leapt away, scattered from the force of the attack. Hanabi used that. She was slower, but not immobile. She shot towards Suiren, slower than she ever had before. The kunoichi's eyes widened. She hastily brought together some form of a defense, but it was pointless. Slower and weaker she might be, Suiren was simply too much her inferior to pose a challenge in taijutsu. She lasted for roughly a minute before Hanabi finally struck home, sealing off a tenketsu. Suiren's defenses collapsed after that, the girl struggling as blow after blow rattled against her body. Blood vomitted from her mouth with every blow before she slunk to her knees, chakra network dysfunctional. The Hyuga smirked.

"No more ninjutsu for you."

"Get away from her!"

Kagari swiped at her, forcing Hanabi to retreat. The boy's eyes narrowed, glancing at Suiren.

'I need to get her out of here! With Suiren injured our strategy can't work. We need to retreat!'

That was the voice of wisdom inside of him. But something darker within surged at that moment.

'If you don't defeat her now, when will you!'

Kagari hurled his kunai at the kunoichi, eyes burning.

"Get Suiren away Midare!"

The Chunin rushed towards Hanabi, forgoing all sense of a plan. It made the most sense for him to get Suiren to safety while Midare held off the Hyuga. Midare was the most adept at close quarters combat. He stood the best chance of fighting against her for any prolonged period of time while isolated. But there was more to this fight than simple logic.

The two engaged in a brief spat, hands and kunai engaging in a flurry of blows. Kagari failed to pierce her defenses. Every move he made was deflected, swatted away by Hanabi's quick moving hands and sharp perception. She was his superior in taijutsu. But the injuries mattered. Her attacks were slower and lacked the force and finesse they previously held. Kagari could keep up with her, if only for moments. So long as he didn't allow for her to slip into one of her forms he wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Of course, the natural conclusion that Midare may be her equal now did not enter his mind for a second.

As Kagari leapt away, desperate to temporarily reset their engagement two things occurred. The first, was that Midare reached Suiren and leapt away, fiddling with something in his shinobi pouch to give the injured kunoichi. The second, was Hanabi swiping blood from her injured ankle. She quickly sped through handsigns, drawing a horrified look from Kagari. The Chunin launched himself forwards, desperate to stop her from summoning one of the toads. In his desperation he did not see Hanabi smirk, nor how her hand changed from a handseal to a strange cupping motion as if she were holding a ball.

"Rasengan!"

The orb of pure chakra smashed into Kagari dead on, causing him to howl. Midare and Suiren, no longer unconscious from the wounds, looked at their teammate in horror. His body folded over from the force, his shirt ripping itself into pieces as the orb drilled into his stomach. Scorch marks seared themselves onto his flesh in the shape of a spiral as the A-rank ninjutsu pushed against him. Finally, the jutsu detonated, a wave of force and energy that sent him flipping through the air. He skipped across the water, blood flying from his mouth before he smashed into one of the many docks against the lake, face down in the water.

"Kagari," Midare cried out, shock on his face. Hanabi smirked, looking at the defeated Chunin.

"Where was all that bravado from before," Hanabi cried out. "You can defeat me without Naruto? Don't make me laugh!"

Hanabi drew a kunai.

"Pathetic replacements like you could never crush me."

The kunoichi brought the kunai to bear, blocking the ferocious swing that was Midare's umbrella. Her eyes narrowed as she peered through his goggles with her eyes to see the hatred that burned in his own.

"Never," he hissed. "Hurt my teammates!"

The motivation behind his swing was true, but he was still injured. Hanabi kicked at him, forcing him to retreat. The Chunin grimaced. Without access to the Hien, he would not be able to overcome this foe, even in her weakened state. Luckily for him, he had a way of fixing his sealed off chakra system. It wasn't a full shutdown, so this strategy would still work, although it would be incredibly painful.

Whatever the strategy was Hanabi was not eager to let him utilize it. She pressed her advantage. The kunoichi was down and so was the genjutsu user. It was just these two. Even with her injuries she knew she could defeat him. Hands met umbrella as the two engaged in close quarters combat no other combatant in the area could keep pace with. Both pushed themselves, going further than their bodies would naturally allow in their desperation. Blood dribbled from each of their mouths. Yet their bodies did not stop. They fought with the ferocity of shinobi that knew the first one to slip up would lose their life.

Unfortunately, in such a battle experience would always win out.

Hanabi's palm strike cratered into Midare's chest, sending blood flying from his mouth. He dropped to the ground, stunned. His body refused to listen to him, just like before. The world swam and his chakra network recoiled as if shut behind a door. Hanabi stared at him, piercing dojutsu nailing him to the ground as his eyes met hers.

'Was our strategy...not good enough?'

Rage burned in Midare's gut. A defiance that previously didn't exist when he saw the Hyuga. She was bleeding. They had caused those injuries. That was proof that their strategy indeed had worked. They were not superficial wounds. They had weakened her.

He refused to give up here.

He leapt up, only for Hanabi to smash his head into the water, annoyance on her face.

"You're just like roaches, you know that," she whispered. "Each of you just refuses to die!"

The Hyuga raised a kunai.

"Guess that makes me an exterminator."

However, before she could bring it down her head turned to Suiren, eyes narrowed.

"You can still move?"

"I can do more than that," the kunoichi got out between ragged breathes. Suiren bit down hard on something, and Hanabi's eyes widened. Her chakra network exploded to life, raging with a fury that it had never displayed before. Her previously dim network, mostly incapacitated by her strikes, raged like a flame. It was as if someone had undone her strikes.

It was not without pain. Suiren screamed as her chakra network seized. Blood shot from her eyes and mouth, pooling onto the lake below her. Her arms wrapped around her body as it violently shook. It looked like it took all she had to stand. Hanabi's eyes narrowed.

'That pill she just took...her chakra network.'

Her eyes widened.

'That crazy bitch took soldiers pills to force her chakra network back open?'

Suiren's hands smashed together, water swirling around her. She went through a string of handseals, bloodshot eyes locked with Hanabi's. The Hyuga, in her shock, could do nothing but watch in horror at the pain the Chunin put herself through intentionally. Finally, the jutsu was complete.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet)!"

The water dragon shot towards Hanabi, firing with a rage that had never shown itself during the battle. Enhanced by the effects of the soldier pill the jutsu was stronger than normal and lacked none of the flawed control of Midare's Hien when he attempted to use jutsu through his disrupted chakra network. Hanabi grimaced, unleashing a Hakke Kūshō to match the technique. They collided in a shower of water and chakra, but Suiren wasn't done. Rain dropped from the sky in increased quantity and the world became a blur to Hanabi again, courtesy of the Kirisamegakure no Jutsu.

Hanabi whirled, readying herself for an attack only for her eyes to widen as another explosion of chakra erupted next to her. Midare shot upwards, eyes coated in fury and the Hien coating his umbrella as if he had not been injured. He thrust his attack forwards. Hanabi tried her best to defend against it, but the distance was simply too short. The blow that would have struck her head instead smashed into her shoulder, throwing it out of its socket. Hanabi hissed, leaping away as the rain dissipated, revealing the two Ame Chunin staring her down. Midare's body shook, blood dribbling from his mouth as his body painfully reacted to the sudden reactivation of his chakra network. But he stood.

"You know," Midare muttered. "You talk too damn much."

The Hyuga glared at the duo.

"I'll send you to meet your teammate, so you don't have to hear it anymore then."

"You think Kagari's dead," Midare spat. "Please. He wouldn't go down that easily. If he would I would've kicked him off the team by now."

Hanabi's eyes narrowed as she detected movement on the docks. With her enhanced vision she could see it. The teen was bloody. Ragged. His arm was dislocated, and it was clear his internal organs were in disarray. It was critical damage for anyone to fight with. Not life threatening, but certainly enough to put someone out of commission for several weeks.

Yet the Chunin stood.

Shock rattled through her system. How had her foe lived? A Rasengan should have been enough to put him down. She was sure of it. She saw how his body had been damaged by the jutsu. Her eyes narrowed at the realization.

'The damage to my legs and arm...it took just enough force out of the attack for him to live.'

Kagari glared at his foe from across the lake, blood dribbling down his chin. It was clearly a struggle to stay standing. Half his body was numb and the other felt like it had been dipped in a lake of fire. Yet he stood defiant nonetheless, nothing but harsh determination in his eyes.

"Nice shot," he muttered.

"Can I have another?"

Hanabi's eyes twitched.

"Alright you cocky brats. I'll give this everything I've got from here on out."

"Good!" Suiren called out. "Wouldn't want you to have the excuse for when we beat you."

Midare smirked at his teammate.

"Oh? I haven't seen this side of you before."

Suiren smiled.

"You were right. She is quite annoying."

Midare smirked. But on the inside, despite his bravado, he was worried. Their previous strategy of harming her eyes via irritants wouldn't work. Kagari was in bad shape. Suiren and he had energy now, but it required the full team to successfully push back the Hyuga. More so, the dust had been washed away by Suiren's rain, necessary or not. More so, they had already popped two of the four soldier pills the trio had on hand, far earlier than expected. The Hyuga's defeat relied heavily on careful timing and endurance. They couldn't outlast her like this, and it would take far too long to build up enough irritants in the air to truly bother her. And they had already revealed they knew where her blind spot was.

Bravado or not, injuries or not, all three Ame Chunin knew they were in a desperate situation. But on the other hand, hope filled their bodies.

'She can only use the Rasengan one more time,' Suiren thought.

'She must be running low on chakra too with all the jutsu she's been unleashing. Summoning should be off the table. Otherwise, she would have summoned when she had the chance,' Midare thought.

'We just need her to fire off one more big technique,' Kagari thought. 'Force her into a corner one more time...and then...'

'This fight is ours!' the trio thought as they charged.

---

Naruto was annoyed. The ANBU before him were not particularly strong, relatively speaking of course. If he had faced any of them in single combat, even with his injuries, he would have won. Even if he faced them as a group he would have won. But fighting them after they had developed a plan to neuter his abilities was proving to be more challenging than he had thought. He hadn't accumulated much damage or even fatigue, but they were taking up a substantial portion of his time. They effectively neutralized his sensory jutsu and his wind with a combination of the dust they continued to raise and the arena they had chosen for their engagement.

Of course, that had been all they had managed to effectively accomplish. Their attacks were organized and left no room for counters, but they couldn't effectively pierce the blonde's defenses. The Aburame who could lure him into traps and drain his chakra was dead. The Akimichi who could overpower him physically was also dead. The Nara could outsmart him, but with a power gap like this intelligence alone wouldn't be enough. They needed someone who could distract him. An opponent close enough to him in just one aspect to achieve their goals. They did not have such a shinobi.

So, they compensated.

Kunai and shuriken flew at the blonde from every angle in the mines, forcing him to constantly be on the defensive. Dodging, catching weapons, deflecting, using jutsu to parry. His body was a blur of motion, not once ever able to rest. If they were not in the mines his armor would have effortlessly removed the projectiles from even being considered a threat. Alas, they were. Still, regular ninja tools would be useless against him.

These were not regular.

Seals of varying types covered the countless weapons. Flashbangs, poison bombs, smoke bombs, anything they could utilize to disorient him. Poison him. Delay him. It forced the blonde to move to get away from the never-ending assault. He had to find some way to counterattack against their overwhelming numbers. He picked a side and charged down it, clones appearing behind him to allow him to focus on one side of the assault. The reprieve gave the blonde the focus to charge down the hall, eyes scanning the dust-filled shadowy corridors of the mineshaft. He rounded a corner only for the ground to go slack. His head snapped down, eyes narrowing as he began to sink into the quicksand.

The ground lapped hungrily at him, eager to suffocate him within. The blonde snarled, forming a single handsign before a jet of water smashed into the quicksand. For a moment it looked like the quicksand would merely absorb it and grow larger until eventually the blonde's body was catapulted upwards from the sheer force. Naruto flipped, landing on the ceiling. His handsign remained, unleashing a stream of water down the tunnel that crashed through the mines violently. He heard a gurgle, and a smirk came to his face.

He shot forwards, gliding above the surface of the water to find an ANBU shinobi who had just fought their way to the surface of the water. Their head shot up, revealing the ANBU member he had nearly killed before. The blonde snorted, a spear of wind forming in his hands with ease.

"No escaping this time!"

Naruto thrust the weapon downwards, spearing right through their collarbone and into their foot. They let out a blood curdling scream that was quickly cut short by the very real kunai Naruto slipped into their throat. With a grunt blood poured from the sides of their shattered mask before they dropped dead. Naruto clicked his teeth, another spear forming in his hands before he spun, twirling it to deflect the storm of water that threatened to devour him. He grunted against the force, glancing at the walls. They were shuddering. The weight of all this water and the slashing power from his wind were destabilizing them. Already he could see grooves and the ceiling begin to cave. This was not sustainable.

With a sigh the blonde let his spear drop and was overwhelmed by the deluge, a frown on his face. He grunted, immediately feeling the pressure smash against his body. He slammed into a nearby wall, feeling some of the air leave his lungs. With a grunt he strained against the water. This jutsu was at least A level to force him back this much. And it was not alone. He could see the vague shape of movement in the dark water. Someone was coming. He grunted, just barely deflecting the thrust to his liver that would have crippled him. The ANBU clearly was annoyed by their failure if the slight shuffling of their feet was anything to go by. However, before the blonde could counter, he felt his ankles be grabbed and he was dragged underneath.

His eyes snapped open but was too late to avoid the spire of earth that smashed into his stomach. The blonde grunted, absorbing the blow only to feel water splatter against his head. His head snapped up to see the ANBU from before descending, kunai in hand to kill him. The blonde reached up to counter only for his body to seize unexpectedly, locked in place by some foreign jutsu.

'Nara!'

The kunai speared into the blonde's shoulder causing him to hiss in pain. He could feel the smugness in the ANBU's voice when they spoke.

"Did you think you were invincible because of that armor of yours? We've long known how to rip it off. You would do well to remember that traitor."

The blonde snarled, his free hand leaping up only for shadows to reach out from the ground and wrap around the appendage, stopping him short of punching the ANBU closest to him. The man smirked, lifting the mask to reveal a savage grin on his face. Purple eyes stared into Naruto's violet.

Disgust met annoyance.

"You know," Naruto muttered. "All of you ANBU have one critical flaw."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

Naruto's eyes glowed with power.

"You all talk too goddamn much."

The ANBU member never got a chance to respond, a blade of wind slicing through his throat. He grabbed at the wound, eyes wide in horror. Naruto snarled, ripping himself free of the Nara's clan jutsu.

"I don't need to touch you to fucking kill you," he stated, kicking the ANBU over. He died a moment later.

The blonde turned, letting his senses flare out. There were at least two more of them left, but he suspected there was likely a third. Most ANBU factions contained a shadow member, meant to catch a target by surprise if they let their guard down so they could accomplish their mission. Whether or not the Nara had implemented such a strategy against him remained to be seen. But the blonde couldn't worry about such a threat. There was one shinobi hiding in the ground, likely the user of those annoying Doton ninjutsu.

He was the blonde's primary target.

Yet he couldn't just rip the ground asunder to find him like he had done to Kagari. He had to worry about collateral. So, when the earth came leaping up at him like a monster from a movie the blonde pounced. He shot into the earthen dragon, blowing a hole through it and thrusting his hand into the ground. He couldn't use Doton techniques, but he was familiar with their limitations.

The user had to be at least relatively close to the earth they were attempting to control to utilize it. ANBU or not, they couldn't be far from the origin of the dragon. So, when the blonde didn't grab anything he didn't panic. Instead, he focused, closing his eyes and letting his chakra screech outwards. He felt his chakra levels drop massively from the use of wind. He still hadn't fully mastered using wind like Nagato had water. He could use it, and was much more proficient, but it still ate away at his chakra tremendously.

But in a battle such as this, where he vastly outclassed his opponents in chakra capacity it was fine to use without caution.

The ground was torn asunder by his wind blades. The blonde winced as he noticed the depth of the grooves. That had cut far deeper and far further than he had intended. The pillars supporting the mineshaft were hanging on by a thread. Clearly, he still had far to go with his level of control. It looked like Asuma and he had a Hien fight through here. But it had been effective. The ANBU member leapt from the ground, desperate to avoid being hacked to pieces. Naruto was on in him an instant, Rasengan spiraling in his hands before he thrust it into their face. The orb detonated in a brutal display of brain matter.

"And then there was one."

"Was there?"

The Nara slunk from the shadows, ANBU mask not on their face. The blonde's eyes narrowed. He did not know this Nara.

"If you had someone lying in wait you would have used them already. If they could match me of course."

"I have no one lying in wait," the Nara stated plainly. Naruto wasn't sure if he should believe him. "That is not who I was referring to."

The Nara tilted their head.

"I was referring to you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"You, Naruto Uzumaki. You have shown your physical strength. You cannot be defeated, even by our kill squad. The best strategy we could come up with was dampening your senses and hoping for the best and it failed. You are not someone that strategy alone can defeat. So, I will use another. Rejoin Konoha."

Naruto's eyes widened. He had not expected that.

"What are you talking about?"

"Rejoin the village. It is as simple as that."

"I've killed Konoha shinobi."

"Hokage-sama will be...displeased, but with an asset like you there will not be much he can do. The war effort has become strenuous. Kumo is pushing our eastern flank with Killer B. We need a Bijuu to fight a Bijuu."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not Konoha's weapon." Naruto whispered. "Besides, Killer B is a threat, even to me."

"You would not be alone," the Nara responded. "Might Gai and Shisui Uchiha are there as well. Together, you three can overcome the Raikage and his brother. Rejoin the village and lead us to victory against Lightning. Help us kill the Raikage. End this ceaseless war. You would of course need to bring Sakura Haruno back as well."

The Nara didn't stop.

"You would return a hero. The citizens would throw a parade in your honor. The village hero, back from their secret infiltration mission after three long years. During which he obtained the secrets of Ame and the power to best a Bijuu in single combat. The most powerful shinobi Konoha has. The future Hokage, just like his father and surrogate grandfather. A man capable of turning the tides singlehandedly. Ikkyū Madoka himself would witness your return, honor you as a war hero."

The Nara raised a hand.

"Do it. I know you do not wish to live the life of a traitor. That was never the life for one such as yourself. You are Konoha royalty. But more than that, you are a loyal man Naruto Uzumaki. Do not mistake us for fools. Konoha high brass is aware of your lack of action against Konoha directly. And they are well aware that you did not kill the Uchiha Clan's Sasuke Uchiha, or even my clan's heir, Shikamaru. You did not kill Hanabi Hyuga. Even now you only killed because we attacked you. Those are not the actions of a man who is a traitor to his home."

Naruto was silent, staring at the man for a moment.

"What's your name?"

"Ensui. Ensui Nara."

"Ensui," Naruto muttered. The blonde's violet eyes burned with an untold rage.

"You're a real piece of shit you know that? Talking down the deaths of your subordinates as if they were nothing but leaves in the wind. The Konoha shinobi I've killed had names. They had families. And you would spit in their face just to bring me back into the fold! You disgust me."

Naruto stepped forwards, wind roaring around him.

"You're right I'm a traitor to Konoha. But if there's one thing I refuse to ever be again it's a traitor to my values. And what you just did...spits in the face of any form of camaraderie I was ever taught."

"What would you know of camaraderie," Ensui stated plainly. "You slaughtered Konoha shinobi before when you unleashed the Kyuubi. You betrayed your village. With you not on the battlefield how many di-"

"I know!" Naruto roared. "That will be my burden to bear for as long as I live. But these lives lost here today were your burden. And you treated them like they were worse than trash. That's not the Konoha I remember, and it's certainly not the one I served. Jiji...Ero-Sennin...Hinata...my father...they'd be disgusted at the sight of the village if they were still alive."

Naruto's eyes burned. He flipped the man off, rage pouring from him like a faucet.

"So, take that offer, and shove it up your ass."

Ensui sighed, shaking his head.

"I gave you a chance to serve willingly. Blame yourself for what happens next."

"Oh? And what could you do to me?"

Ensui made a handseal, and the mines exploded. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw an explosion rip out and heard part of the mineshaft collapsing.

"That is just a taste," Ensui stated. "We have rigged explosive tags throughout the entire town of Haryana and this mine. You'd best get to searching."

"You think I'll just let you go."

"If you care for the civilians, you will," Ensui stated. "And I'm sure you're aware of this already, but we're attacking Cata at the moment as well. Hanabi is there. Do you truly believe your students can defeat her?"

As if to magnify the statement the Nara turned, ignoring the blonde. Naruto shot forwards, irritation on his face only for him to hit a rock instead of the Nara. His eyes widened as Ensui suddenly appeared before him once more.

"I'll be taking something before I leave."

Naruto hissed as Ensui slashed his cheek. The flash of pain caused the world to shatter like glass, revealing the genjutsu he had been enthralled in. Naruto's eyes widened. When had the Nara placed a genjutsu on him?

Ensui turned, placing the kunai with Naruto's blood in a storage seal.

"I cannot defeat you in single combat Naruto Uzumaki. I am well aware of that. But I do not need to. I simply need to force you to make a decision. Me? Or your students and the citizens of Haryana?"

Naruto glared at his back.

"I believe I know which you will choose."

Naruto watched Ensui walk away, unbothered by the blonde's frustration. He wasn't wrong. Naruto could take him. But how long would it take? The Nara was clearly more powerful than he had initially let on. How fast could he defeat him, in such an environment without causing collateral damage? Fast enough to stop the explosive tags from mass slaughter? Fast enough to rescue his students from Hanabi?

As another explosion went off Naruto made his choice.

And Ensui Nara escaped with his blood.

---

Yahiko had expected better.

That was the only thing he thought as the ground erupted.

His interrogation of the Konoha spy that had attempted, and failed, to infiltrate Ame had proven fruitful. The spy had lost their life in the process, but it was an acceptable sacrifice. The shinobi could have lived if he hadn't repeatedly told lies.

It wasn't his fault the man was dead.

But he had given valuable information when he finally, after sufficient pain, decided to talk. That was what led them to where they currently were. The ground beneath them erupted, metal plates and earth showering the Scientific Ninja Tool Development Facility with debris. It smashed against the walls and research facilities, knocking some over. Smoke filled the area.

"You know you're gonna have to pay for that."

His voice made the invaders freeze. Slowly the assault squad looked up, eyes wide as they saw Yahiko staring down at them from a perched position. Next to him was Kisame Hoshigaki and flying on the other side of the room was a kunoichi none of the Konoha shinobi had seen before. Paper peeled off her body with ease.

"So, who wants to pay their debts first," Yahiko continued.

One particularly brave invader spoke up.

"There's significantly more of us than there are of you. Prepare to die."

"Oh, I like that one," Kisame hissed. "I call dibs."

"You'll have to beat me to him."

"This isn't a game you two," Konan chided, but it seemed neither paid her any mind, Yahiko and Kisame leaping at the force with savage grins on their faces.

The Konoha shinobi readied themselves for battle, but what followed could be described as nothing less than a slaughter. They had not lied. They outnumbered their Ame opponents significantly. Numbers usually could turn the tide of a battle. Numbers could usually defeat overwhelming strength. But the traditional rules of combat flew out the window when S-class shinobi were introduced onto the battlefield. The difference in power was simply far too vast between them and your regular shinobi.

There were three S-class shinobi before them.

The battle was a massacre. Kisame and Yahiko served as frontline fighters, carving through the foes without being touched. Konan served as the long-range support. Any blow that had even the faintest chance of touching her allies she stopped with her paper-based ninjutsu. She floated above the chaos of the battle, an angelic figure watching over the horror. One Konoha shinobi managed to slip away, launching a Raiton jutsu at the kunoichi. It washed over her, but her body simply dispersed into paper and consolidated in another location. Before the Konoha shinobi could attack again Yahiko was behind him, kunai going through his neck and paralyzing him before he ripped it out, a river of blood erupting into the air.

"Don't touch my wife," he spat with venom before he leapt back into the fray.

---

Karin sighed, sitting down on the couch. She wiped the sweat from her brow, an irritated look growing on her face.

"Pregnancy taking a lot of out you," Sakura questioned.

"You don't know the half of it," Karin complained. "Ashino, sweetie, can you grab me a glass of water?"

The boy quickly ran off, red locks bouncing in the wind.

"And now I have to use my jutsu while pregnant. I can't maintain it for a long time like this."

"Should you be telling me that? I am an enemy shinobi still."

"By the time you get back to Konoha I'll have given birth," Karin stated. "And after this I'm quite confident this will be the only child I'll have. Isn't that right, Kamino-kun?"

The man blinked, feeling a terror tingle down his spine. He smiled, but there was more fear in it than anything else.

"Of course, dear..."

"Good answer."

The Konoha kunoichi chuckled. It was then that Ashino returned with a glass of water, handing it to Karin. The older Uzumaki thanked him.

"Ashino, try using the Kagura Shingan (Mind's Eye of Kagura). Check in on Yahiko and them to see how they're doing."

The boy nodded, closing his eyes. The world exploded before him, alite with the sensation of Ame's chakra. The civilians. The shinobi. The invaders.

"They're about done," Ashino stated plainly. Sakura gave a slight frown. "But there's other chakra signatures I don't recognize. Close to here actually. Large ones."

Karin's eyes narrowed. Chakra signatures that he didn't recognize wouldn't be out of the ordinary, he was still getting used to the technique. But all of the large ones in Ame he should be aware of. The kunoichi activated the technique herself, just as a precaution. Immediately she felt the substantial drain on her system. Her child was not a fan of her using the technique. She wished that was all she could focus on. Her eyes snapped in Kamino's direction with fear filling them.

"Kamino, weapons now!"

Kamino pressed the button he always kept on him, an orb expanding and wrapping around his arm. Just as he did so the windows of their house exploded, two shinobi with white masks covering their faces leaping into it. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

'My rescue party.'

"Take Haruno and the kid. Kill the rest."

The shinobi shot forwards, only to be met by Karin and Kamino. Karin engaged briefly with the leader, her chakra network burning as she utilized it in ways she had not for most of her pregnancy. She was able to block the first few strikes, but she was not in fighting shape. Her body protested. Her chakra network was uncooperative. It was not long before the ANBU member gained the advantage. Kamino did not fare better. Enhanced by the weapons Amado had made he may be, he was no match for a trained shinobi.

"Ashino, protect Kamino!"

The boy had already shot into action before Karin said anything. Chains flew flying from his body to block the tanto that threatened to skewer Kamino. The ANBU member paused to see the boy charging him. Chains whipped from his body at violent speeds, shredding the house to pieces as he attempted to kill the ANBU threat. It was a mighty attack.

But Ashino was still a child.

The ANBU deflected the attack, kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying back. The boy squirmed on the ground, not used to the power a shinobi could wield at a moment's notice. Karin grimaced but was unable to do anything as she was hit by the other ANBU member and thrown to the ground. Sakura stared at the sight, a storm of emotions rushing through her.

The ANBU member took out a tanto, stabbing it into Kamino's shoulder. His enhanced arm flopped to the ground, useless. The man screamed, blood pouring from the wound.

"Kamino," Karin screamed out, reaching a hand for him.

"Shut up," came the call from the other shinobi. He slapped Karin away, before raising a tanto to impale her.

"That's enough!"

The two ANBU members turned to see Sakura call out to them. The kunoichi stepped forwards, grabbing the ANBU's arm.

"Take me. Leave the rest."

"We are under strict orders to have no witnesses."

"Oh, and what is the Amekage going to think? That it was someone other than Konoha who came and killed these two, kidnapping his son and I? Please."

"That does not change-"

"Do you want to fail in your mission?"

The ANBU paused, confusion on his face.

"The Amekage possesses a sensory ability," Sakura began. "The longer you take here, the more time you give him to find you. I can't move quickly thanks to the seal they placed on me that suppresses my chakra and we don't have time for you to undo them. That's not mentioning the fact there are at least three other S-class shinobi currently in the village proper, one of which can sense chakra. You don't have time for them."

The ANBU members glanced at one another.

"Carry her. I'll take the child."

"No kid."

"We are under strict orders from Shikaku Nara-"

"Shikaku Nara didn't see what I saw," Sakura said. "The last time someone took the child his son died. Now you've wounded his family. The Amekage will be on a war path. To avoid a full out war with Ame you need the cooler heads to prevail."

Sakura looked at Karin. The Uzumaki met her eyes and immediately understood.

"That cannot happen if you take his son."

"Blackmail-"

"Did not stop you," Sakura insisted. "Ame has at least five S-class shinobi. Five Kage level threats. One of which knows Konoha village secrets. Two of which are sensors. One of which was so powerful he forced the other villages to acknowledge Ame. Shikaku is wrong. Take me and me alone."

The ANBU members glanced at once another, as if questioning their orders. Shikaku Nara outranked Sakura Haruno, but the kunoichi had more in-depth information about Ame and the personality of their members than the Nara did. They couldn't simply brush away her concerns.

"If you are wrong, we will not get another shot at this."

"If I'm right, not only will all three of us die, but you may have fully convinced the Kyuubi to act against us," Sakura countered. The girl bit her lip at the words. 'The Kyuubi'.

"Do you think we can handle another front to this war? Against someone who defeated a Bijuu when we have none?"

The ANBU members glanced at each other once more.

"The results of this are on you."

The ANBU members sheathed their tanto's, grabbing Sakura. Her eyes met Karin's one last time. Nothing was verbalized, but the duo exchanged a full conversation in that brief timespan. Then, Sakura Haruno disappeared.

---

It didn't take long for the battle to end. The dead bodies of Konoha shinobi littered the facility like insects put down by an exterminator.

"Bah, I was hoping they would put up more of a fight," Kisame muttered. He swung Samehada onto his back. "Samehada barely had an appetizer."

"They're weak," Yahiko stated. "Their cushy lives in the 'strongest' of the Great Powers has made them so." He made air quotes as he said the word 'strongest'.

Kisame shrugged. He didn't particularly share Yahiko's disdain of the other Great Powers. He was just hoping they would give him a good fight. He had been hidden in Ame for a while now. He was aching for someone that could push him. Sasori was the last good fight he had.

Konan floated to the ground, the wings at her back folding into her body as her legs reformed.

"Are you alright," Yahiko questioned. The kunoichi smiled, squeezing his hand.

"I'm fine my love."

The trio made to begin cleaning up the assault only for Kisame to raise a hand. Yahiko and Konan looked at him quizzically, but their guard rose when they saw Samehada squirming. The sword was excited. Someone was coming. Someone with sufficient chakra levels to excite the sentient sword. Yahiko readied a jutsu, prepared to unleash a powerful jutsu only to deactivate it a moment later.

Nagato shot from the hole, eyes wide.

"Yahiko? Konan? Kisame? What happened to the Konoha force?"

"We killed them," Yahiko stated, the annoyance in his voice palpable.

Nagato glanced around, realizing the situation.

"I see," the man muttered. "Good. I thought I would be too late."

"You were," Yahiko muttered underneath his breath.

Nagato winced but pretended not to hear the words spoken by his childhood friend.

"You stopped them then. Good. I feared that Shikaku Nara's plan would be successful."

"The leader of the Konoha force," Yahiko stated. "We found information of his plan through one of the spies that attempted to infiltrate the village."

"You tortured someone."

Yahiko countered the accusation.

"Judging by your presence here, it seems you extracted information from Shikaku as well."

Nagato frowned.

"I did not utilize that technique," Nagato stated.

"Then how did you know there was a force on the way? In the tunnels they were burrowing underneath Ame no less?"

"You don't have the stomach for torture Nagato," Kisame muttered. "You had to have done something."

"The tunnels," Nagato began. "They go back far. From the border. I imagine Shikaku Nara was having his forces build them underneath our noses this entire time. He had them breach our forts, free prisoners and..."

Yahiko's eyes narrowed.

"What happened?"

"Kanpeki Fort...it's destroyed. Ame shinobi are dead."

"But how? You were there."

"I had moved to attack the Konohagakure fortress. I found Shikaku Nara there, by himself. I fought him in battle and defeated him."

"Hm, so he used the distraction to pierce our defenses," Konan stated. "He must have used tunnels to avoid detection from your sensory technique. We underestimated him."

"It's frustrating to lose good soldiers," Yahiko stated. "Good men and women. But that is the reality of war. Shikaku Nara is dead, and his attack has failed. For all intents and purposes this is a good day for Ame."

"Shikaku Nara is not dead."

Yahiko's head snapped up.

"What?"

"I...left when I realized his plan," Nagato admitted. "Rushing back to the fort to save as many lives as I could."

"Go on..." Yahiko insisted. He could barely restrain the annoyance he could feel coming.

"When I realized I was too late I returned to Shikaku, but he had disappeared. Likely retreated into the depths of Fire. I could have found him, but I chose to stop the ensuing attack. I...had not anticipated your actions."

"So Shikaku Nara, a man who has proven himself capable of bypassing our defenses still lives? What great news," Yahiko muttered sarcastically. "Well, I suppose it's acceptable. When Karin is no longer pregnant and Ashino has developed more all methods of sneaking into the village will becoming impossible."

"I should have killed him then and there but-"

"You should have," Yahiko stated, leaving no room for debate. "But you didn't. You're kind Nagato. You did not wish to murder the man. It is...an admirable quality. But not something we can use in war."

"The war will end after this," Nagato countered. "I am sure of it."

"It will be halted," Yahiko was quick to respond. "Konoha will have other problems and suffering a defeat at this scale is something they will have to tolerate. If anything, now is the time to push our advantage."

"You're suggesting invading Fire?"

"I'm suggesting gaining natural resources," Yahiko stated. "Rain is desperate for them. Our farming towns have suffered. We cannot do large scale rescue or restoration attempts with our railroads failing to sufficiently supply materials and we cannot produce many naturally. Taking territory from Fire to bolster our position when they are in a time of crisis is the best option."

"It would lead to an all-out war we cannot win."

"Why not," Yahiko muttered. "We have you. We have Kisame! We have us! You have Naruto! We have capable shinobi Nagato. Warriors capable of fighting and winning wars. Suna is no threat to us with their Jinchuriki defeated by Naruto, and Iwa wouldn't dare attack us. The only threat we would have to worry about is Fire, who is preoccupied on all other fronts due to their location. This is the perfect time to strengthen our position Nagato. It may be the only one."

"You would have me send more of our shinobi to the slaughter after what just occurred?"

"That is the life they chose," Kisame stated, interjecting. "I respect your care for their lives, but they are also shinobi. We all know that our lives will likely end on the battlefield. You can care for their lives by not sending them into the fire, but Fire will not forget this defeat. No Great Power would. If you don't take advantage now, you may regret it."

"Kisame-"

"Enough," Konan said. "We can discuss this later. For now, it is time to rest. I shall go get Amado. Fuka is watching over Kashin and him while the battle occurred on the outskirts of the village. We should let them know it's safe."

Nagato stared at Yahiko, the two men's clashing ideals warring with each other in silence as Konan led them from the building.

---

"This is far enough," Fuka insisted, sitting down. "I'm sure they'll have defeated the Konoha threat by now."

"As long as they didn't destroy my facility in the process," Amado stated. The man glanced down at the storage scroll he held in his hands that contained Naruto's new arm. "I have lots of work I have to be doing. I only barely managed to get Naruto's arm from the laboratory."

"Trying to attack the research facility," Amado muttered, taking a puff from his cigarette. The smoke floated in the air, left unbeaten due to the lack of rain around the trio. "They must have learned of it somehow."

"How," Fuka interjected. "All of their spies have been detected by Karin or Nagato, and the tools haven't been released publicly."

"They must have infiltrated some other way," Amado stated. "The defenses of Ame aren't perfect. Nagato cannot detect intent, merely chakra signatures. Abnormally large ones are what sets him off. Karin Uzumaki of course is more prolific. She can detect on a deeper level. The nature of a person's heart. That technique also has flaws. What qualifies someone as having an evil heart?"

"Huh," Fuka stated, tilting her head. "Wouldn't it just be someone who is evil?"

"That's a naive way of looking at the world," Amado explained. "What is evil? What gives someone a dark feeling? Is it malice? But what if Konoha has a spy that feels no malice for Rain? Then would the jutsu detect their presence at all? They are a spy; they need not have particularly impressive chakra signatures either. It's not like Karin goes around and personally vets all visitors to Rain. That, and her jutsu requires activation. Strong defenses they may be, they are fallible."

"That's a detailed breakdown there," Fuka said, rubbing the back of her head. "But at the end of the day it doesn't change the fact that there's someone who is a spy in Rain. That person knew about the research going on at your facility and Konoha wanted it. They wanted you. They must work closely with you. Any ideas?"

"I don't work closely with anyone," Amado said. "The research assistants are just for the extra set of hands. Kashin here is the only one who knows the depths of my research because he is most often the test subject."

Fuka glanced at the large man that stood, still as a rock, behind them. The man hadn't said anything the entire time they had travelled to the outskirts of the village. She hadn't heard him say anything ever, unless spoken to. He was a complete enigma to her. In some respect she had to admit that made him the perfect spy. He fit the qualifications.

"How do you know he's not the spy?"

"Kashin? Please. The idea is preposterous."

Fuka stared at the giant. He had no reaction, even after she had suggested that he was a Konoha spy. Perhaps he was unconcerned with her suspicions. He had been with Amado since she had met the man. Everything Kashin was, was due to Amado's scientific expertise. It only made sense that he wasn't the spy. A civilian man with a one-in-a-million genetic defect that stopped his capability of being a shinobi gifted the power to chase a dream most civilians could only dream of due to Amado.

That was something that could only breed loyalty.

Loyalty so intense that it would restrain Kashin from actively going out to become a shinobi.

Loyalty so intense he stayed close to Amado the entire time.

Fuka stared at Kashin. Finally, his stony mask broke, his eyes meeting hers. Amado took another drag.

"Amado, where did you say you met him again?"

"Kashin? Around Fire. Why?"

Fuka's eyes narrowed.

"Don't tell me you're continuing with this ridiculous theory that he's the spy. I already told you, the idea is preposterous. He couldn't even properly use chakra until I met him."

"That makes him a perfect candidate for a spy, wouldn't you think?"

Amado sighed, shaking his head.

"I admit he may fit the qualifications to avoid detection from Karin's technique, but-"

"But nothing," Fuka said. "The security of Ame is at stake here. If that's the case I'm sure neither you nor he would object to a couple of questions under Karin's watchful eye, right, Kashin?"

The large man turned, staring directly at Fuka. The kunoichi stared at him, chakra rolling just underneath the surface. The man was not a threat to her, she knew that much. She was Jonin level kunoichi. She could take anything he could throw at her if he was indeed the spy. And if he wasn't, well, then she would apologize for the suspicions later. But the security of Ame was at stake. The security of her son. And that was not something she would take lightly.

"I owe everything I am to Amado-sama," Kashin stated. "I would not object."

Fuka tilted her head.

"Good."

"See I told you that this was all unnecessary."

"Unfortunately, the decision is not up to me."

Fuka's head snapped up, shock in her eyes. Before she could react two clones of Kashin ripped upwards through the ground, grabbing her feet. She cursed, yanked underground before she could react. Amado stared, shock on his face.

"Kashin? What are you doing? Since when could you create clones and use Doton?"

Kashin stared at Amado.

"Forgive me, Amado-sama. But Danzo-sama has orders."

Amado stepped back, but Kashin was fast.

Faster than any Chunin level shinobi.

Faster than most Jonin.

His skin hummed a brilliant blue before a fist smashed into Amado's stomach. The scientist reeled, eyes rolling to the back of his head from the impact. He collapsed onto the ground, dropping the scroll he held in his hands that contained Naruto's prosthetic. Kashin reached down to grab him and the scroll only for the ground to erupt, revealing Fuka. Scratches covered her form but otherwise she looked unhurt.

"I knew it," she spat. Her hands moved at blistering speeds, unleashing a Katon jutsu that threatened to turn Kashin into a crisp only for the man to neatly dodge the attack. Fuka's eyes narrowed.

"That's not Chunin-level speed. You were holding back all this time."

"I am not a Chunin," Kashin stated plainly.

"Doesn't matter," Fuka roared, leaping at the man. She unleashed a flurry of blows that Kashin deflected. Her eyes widened as he launched a punch that she blocked, but the sheer force behind it sent her flying backwards. The Uzumaki stared at her opponent.

"What the hell? You were holding back this much?"

Kashin did not respond, instead leaping forwards at the Uzumaki. Fuka hesitated, eyes barely tracking his speed. It was clear to her that she was physically outmatched in this situation. Engaging in taijutsu with Kashin was a losing effort.

She ducked underneath his punch, grunting as she felt the force behind it regardless. Amado had truly outdone himself. She kicked away, hands weaving through handseals before she unleashed her jutsu.

"Doton: Ganchūsō (Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears)!"

The ground erupted as spikes tried to spear Kashin through. They would have accomplished their goal, only for Kashin's hair to grow around him rapidly, protecting him from the ninjutsu. Fuka's eyes widened as she recognized the technique.

'That's-'

She had no time to finish the thought, as the hair erupted, ripping through the earthen spears and launching itself at her in the shape of a massive lion. Fuka launched a kunai at the mane, watching the explosive tag do its work. It exploded, stopping the attack but not destroying the mass of hair. It recoiled nonetheless, revealing Kashin Koji placing his hands on the ground. The earth underneath Fuka quickly turned into a swamp, sucking in her legs.

'His ability to mold chakra, it's so fast! Was he always this strong?'

Kashin shot forwards, a brilliant cerulean sphere of chakra erupting in his hands. Fuka's eyes widened, recognizing the technique. She raised her arms in a desperate attempt to protect herself, but the orb smashed into her nonetheless. Blood shot from her mouth and she cried out as she felt her arms break. She flew backwards as the jutsu erupted, rolling across the ground until she came to a stop unconscious.

Kashin stared at the woman.

"Forgive me," Kashin muttered. "The most thanks I can give you is to spare your life just this once."

Then the servant of Danzo Shimura grabbed Amado and the scroll from the ground and disappeared into the distance.

---

Desperation was a dangerous tool to use in a battle. It could spur someone forwards, allowing them to accomplish things that otherwise would be impossible. But it was a double-edged sword. For every benefit it gave, it gave an equal danger. Desperation could blind someone to threats, make them overthink, make them make a mistake they otherwise would never make, or any variety of misstep. As such, shinobi were taught to ignore desperation. To fight out of duty with a calm head.

Naruto's Chunin team had completely ignored that lesson in their battle with the Hyuga before them. There was no other way to describe it. Luckily for them, they had the numbers advantage to make up for each other's mistakes.

It helped that Hanabi was weaker than they had ever seen her. With his chakra network forcibly awakened Midare could keep pace with her. His umbrella's countered every blow from the Juken. Any time it looked like Hanabi might finally break through there was Suiren, using her ninjutsu to force the kunoichi back. It was a tense balance, one that the slightest misstep would break.

Hanabi glanced at the member not participating in the clash. Kagari was sitting on the water, attempting to recover from his injuries. That made sense. There was no way he would be capable of fighting in close quarters in his condition. But it was clear he wasn't out the fight. She could see his eyes watching her like a hawk watched prey. The way his chakra network rolled. He was waiting for the slightest misstep to launch a genjutsu at her. The second she got distracted he would enthral her, and the umbrella wielder would go in for the kill.

Her attention shifted back to Midare, grunting as he pressed his assault. The boy was better than she had initially thought. Good even. Naruto had clearly trained him well in the short time they had last seen each other. He already had a rough grasp of the Hien and could keep up with her in her weakened state. He was the blocker here. She could close the distance on the ninjutsu specialist, and she would crumple like paper and the genjutsu user was in no shape to fight her.

All that stood between her and victory was this lone fighter.

Hanabi fought like it.

Her pressure suddenly increased, immediately putting Midare on the backfoot. He grimaced, struggling to keep up with her flurry of blows.

'She still has this much power left?'

Kagari watched as Midare quickly began to struggle against Hanabi, despite Suiren's occasional help. He fumbled with his shinobi pouch, only to still as he grabbed a kunai. Instead, he let it go, eyes narrowed.

The dust wasn't working.

(-Flashback-)

"Your plan to deal the Byakugan can't simply be to irritate her eyes," Naruto stated. "It won't work. She'll just close her eyes and then your dust is useless. She can see through her eyelids."

The thought got Suiren to shiver. It was uncomfortable to imagine.

"There must be another way to handle the Byakugan. We could try to outlast her reserves, so she has to deactivate it," Midare suggested.

"Unlikely. Even if combined you all can outlast her reserves, you'll likely take far too much damage by then and not deal enough damage on her. It will be hard for you to deal damage with no ability to distract her without my clones nor the speed to make her vision useless. And all wielders of a dojutsu have utilized it far too much for it to have a prohibitive chakra cost. She would have to be running on near empty for her to deactivate it."

"Maybe we don't need her to deactivate it," Kagari interjected. "The flashbangs worked on her. That means she cannot see normally through their effects. If we can land a flashbang on her, we can launch a surprise attack that can defeat her."

"Not a bad idea, but how do you plan on doing that? No kunai will come close to her, and she'll be expecting it this time."

"We'll have to get her when her guard is down," Suiren stated. "It's the only way. At a moment when she thinks she's won the fight. She's overconfident against us. She could have killed us many times over and hasn't done it. She'll let us sloppily hit her if she thinks there's no threat."

"Maybe at her peak," Naruto affirmed. "But not when you've injured her."

"Those injuries are exactly why it will work," Kagari stated. "We just need to cripple her mobility just enough for the flashbang to work. That's how we reach our win condition."

(-Flashback-)

Kagari's eyes narrowed. He hoped his team was ready to adjust.

Midare grit his teeth as a particularly powerful blow sent him flying backwards, throwing his lone umbrella out of his hands. Hanabi took the opportunity as well as could be expected. She leapt forwards. Suiren reacted, launching a stream of water at her but Hanabi had expected it. She turned, launching a blast of air that smashed into the water, blocking the kunoichi's vision of her. Hanabi closed the distance on Midare, hands ready to lance forward only for her eyes to narrow. Her chakra network flared out, shattering the genjutsu that had been so subtly placed on her due to the sound of her jutsu and the Ame kunoichi's meeting. She looked at Kagari, the Chunin smirking back at her. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a duplicate chakra signature.

Hanabi stared, an annoyed look on her face.

"Improved," she whispered. "Is that what you call this? A fight none of you would even have stood a chance in if Naruto's clones weren't here? You would be dead right now."

"You're right," Kagari whispered. "We're not strong enough to beat you, not on our own. But that's the difference between us. We're not alone. You are. And that's why we're going to put a stop to you, right here, right now."

At those words Midare leapt forwards, umbrella thrusting forwards to pierce Hanabi's throat. She clicked her teeth, spinning and snatching the umbrella despite the Hien that covered it. Midare's eyes widened. Hanabi winced at the pain, feeling the water carve her hand. Still, she pressed onwards, unleashing a wave of chakra from her hands tenketsu to disrupt Midare's chakra flow and dismantle the Hien. Her hand lashed out, ready to strike him down only for Suiren to stop the attack with her hand. Hanabi snorted.

"Too fast for your little ninjutsu?"

Suiren raised a hand, desperately trying to form the Suirō no Jutsu (Water Prison Jutsu), but Hanabi once more let loose a blast of chakra from her tenketsu, shattering the water before it had time to take effect. She threw Midare away before shoving Suiren back. Kagari could do nothing but watch, too injured to get in close quarters with the girl.

"Your flaw! You're weak in close quarters combat," Hanabi cried out, dropping into a stance.

"You're in my field of divination," Hanabi muttered before she leapt forwards. Blow after blow rained down on Suiren, the girl crying out as her tenketsu turned off at every strike. The sudden shift of her tenketsu from being shut off, forced open, and then shut off again was too much for the kunoichi to bear. Suiren screamed in pain, eyes rolling to the back of her head. However, before Hanabi could deal the finishing blow Midare was there.

The Chunin forced her away, screaming insults with every swipe of his umbrella. Hanabi glanced at Kagari, able to split her focus now that Suiren was out of the picture.

"Beat me because I'm alone," she spat, as if the insinuation was an insult to her intelligence. Midare lashed out.

"Don't ignore me!"

"Your flaw," Hanabi cried out, avoiding the strike. Midare's jaw dropped. Hanabi's hand lanced upwards, smashing into his chin and snapping his jaw shut violently. His head snapped upwards from the force.

"Arrogance! To think you could fight me on your lonesome."

Hanabi lashed out with another strike, hitting Midare in his core. He crumpled to the water like a sack of vegetables, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Your flaw," Hanabi hissed, looking at Kagari. "Is that you're too dependent on your teammates to protect you."

The Hyuga approached Kagari, unbothered by anyone. Kagari desperately tried to fiddle with his shinobi sack, pulling out a pill but Hanabi kicked it out of his hands. The soldier pills sunk into the water below.

"You thought having clones and a strategy would be enough to defeat me," Hanabi whispered. "What you fail to realize is that the difference in skill between us could never be overcome. You say you'll defeat me as a team? No. But you will die as one."

"Just like my parents?"

Hanabi paused.

"You must've been waiting for this haven't you," Kagari said. "After I told you what happened. Waiting to kill the last member of the family that got away. Does it feel good, huh? Killing innocent civilians? Why are you even here! To poison the water supply? You've already raided farming villages. Killed innocent, peaceful people. But that isn't enough for you is it? You'll kill as many people as you have to, damn them and their families, just to get back at Naruto-sensei!"

"I would," Hanabi muttered. The words came as a shock to Kagari.

"I'd kill over and over and over again. But not to get back at Naruto. That is a happy benefit. No, I want to kill Naruto myself for what he did, for how he abandoned me. Others don't need to suffer for that. But killing the civilians?"

Hanabi shrugged.

"That was just business."

Kagari's eyes widened, eyes filled with horror.

"You're a monster."

"I am," Hanabi acknowledged. "I remember them. Your parents. They simply pleaded with us. They weren't a threat. They couldn't have harmed any of us. They did not deserve to die. But I killed them because they were in the way. Because they were the enemy."

"They were civilians!"

"They were foreign!"

Kagari paused.

"You speak about this battle, but you've lost the forest for the trees brat," Hanabi stated. "That's another reason I don't like you. You forget the reality. We're in a war. People die. Trust me. I know."

"I know," Kagari whispered slowly. "Naruto-sensei told us...about your sister."

Hanabi stilled, her eyes cold as she stared down at Kagari. The killing intent in the air became thick, but Kagari continued.

"He told us that she died in battle because of him. Because of a Kiri kunoichi. The pain of losing her...I can relate to it."

"What would you know about it? You had no siblings!"

"But I had parents," Kagari screamed. "And you took that away from me. The same hatred that you must feel towards Naruto for running, or that Kiri kunoichi for killing your sister I feel for you. And I always will!"

Kagari shook his head.

"How can you sleep at night, knowing you're the same type of person?"

Hanabi stilled. Her eyes were focused elsewhere for a moment. She was in a different place, locked in front of a stone back in Konoha with her sister's name recently added to it. She lowered the kunai, opening her eyes.

"Because I know what I am," she finally answered. "Because I know what a shinobi is. You do not. That's why you wouldn't understand."

Hanabi looked back at the Chunin, really looked at him.

"You ask why we're here killing these people? The answer is obvious. Because this is a war and that's what soldiers do."

"But that doesn't mean we kill civilians-"

"Yes, it does," Hanabi muttered. "Have you heard of the last wars? They were bloody. Civilians, innocent civilians, from all villages died. But you seem so eager to avoid that fact. That's what I don't get, especially as someone from a village like Ame. You act like you're surprised by it. If you had managed to live from this battle, did you think you wouldn't have had to do the same?"

"I would never!"

"How do you know that?"

"Well...the Amekage would never give that order!"

"What if he did?"

"Naruto-sensei wouldn't follow it!"

"Naruto," Hanabi balked. "Naruto led a campaign to conquer Kusa! Do you think there weren't civilian casualties from that, direct or indirect?"

Kagari was still. Hanabi shook her head.

"You would do it because you were told to do it. Because you're loyal to your village and your country."

Hanabi leaned down.

"Because you hate someone from that country."

Kagari looked at the water.

"Don't act so ashamed," Hanabi continued. "You're not special. Every shinobi does it. I hate the woman who killed my sister, and as such I'll do terrible things so long as I can eventually get my revenge. I hate Naruto, because he abandoned me, and I would do horrible things to make him feel the same way I felt when he did that. Naruto hated the man who killed Jiraiya, and he did terrible things to sate that vengeance. You hate me. If you killed me, do you not think to my father that would be a terrible thing? Do you think he would hesitate to sate his vengeance? Shikaku is living proof of it. He hates your Amekage, because he killed his son."

Kagari was quiet.

"So, you ask me how I can sleep at night knowing I'm that type of person? Because I'm the same type of person as everyone else. I'm human."

Kagari stared up at the kunoichi.

"Just get it over with."

Hanabi nodded.

The kunoichi brought down her kunai, only for it to pierce someone else. Hanabi didn't particularly look surprised.

Midare stood before Kagari, bleeding from his back. Kagari's eyes widened.

"Midare!"

"You idiot," Midare said, coughing up blood. "What are you doing sitting there? We have a fight to win."

Midare turned, roaring in defiance as he tried to punch Hanabi only for the girl to backfist him into the water. He sunk, desperate.

"Midare!"

Hanabi turned, catching Suiren's kunai and twisting it. The weapon dropped from her hand before she lurched it forwards, stabbing the kunoichi in the gut. Suiren's eyes widened in pain before she crumbled to the ground.

"Suiren!"

Kagari looked up, anger on his face as he looked at the form of Hanabi.

"You bastard!"

He swung, a helpless strike that only knocked off her sunglasses that fell into the lake. Hanabi snorted.

"I know," was all Hanabi said, before her fingers impacted with his body. Kagari felt his chakra network flutter, slipping into the water before he could regain control. With his injuries he was in too much pain for him to swim back to the surface. He could only watch as he sank, looking up at Hanabi who turned away from him with a dispassionate glance.

The Hyuga walked forwards, looking at the village of Haryana. Civilians had seen their battle. Most had fled. That was fine. She had not come for the civilians. The lake itself was the problem. She needed to remove the village's water supply. An easily attainable goal. The kunoichi reached into her pouch, pulling kunai that had explosive seals on them. Detonating enough area would fill the river with rocks, effectively causing a flood from the displaced water. It would destroy infrastructure they would be unable to rebuild.

The water bubbled beneath the surface, rippling.

'You're next after this...Naruto.'

The kunoichi raised her hand to launch the kunai only to pause. Her eyes widened as her vision detected movement in the depths of the lake.

"You're still alive?"

Hanabi spun, desperately avoiding the kunai that pierced the surface of the water. But she was slow. Her body couldn't turn on a dime like it once could and the kunai was fast, as if chakra encouraged the water to propel it forwards. The kunai slashed forwards, missing her but snagging the sunglasses that she had on and ripping them from her face. Hanabi's eyes widened as a flashbang erupted directly in front of her. She hissed, dropping into the Kaiten to defend herself desperately from any incoming assault. She felt the familiar pressure of weaponry colliding against the chakra barrier around her. She tried to reach out with her Byakgaun to see where her assailants were, but the strain forced her to deactivate the dojutsu to mitigate the effects at least temporarily.

The second her eyes recovered she reactivated her Kekkei Genkai, seeing the threat clearly.

Kagari emerged from the water behind her, panting in exhaustion. Suiren and Kagari were next to him. He had swum with them to the surface. But how? His body was mangled, and she had...wait...his chakra network was normal! No, it was bright!

Her eyes widened.

"Nice move, kicking the soldier pills into the water," Kagari said, laughing. He slowly stood, wiping the blood the fell from his mouth.

"Real helpful."

His chakra rolled, and he brought his hands together. Hanabi could see his chakra roll, preparing to launch some technique at her. A genjutsu no doubt. He wouldn't be able to last long against her in close combat, especially with his injuries. His chakra system may be functioning again, but that didn't mean his body was at top shape. Without the other two to stand against her this fight was already won.

Still, she couldn't allow him to use the jutsu.

Hanabi grunted, sheathing the kunai for a moment. Instead, her bow appeared from the seal on her wrist.

"You're cockroaches the lot of you."

Hanabi knocked an arrow.

"You just get back up no matter what I do to put you down. Well no longer!"

The kunoichi raised the bow, Raiton chakra flickering off the bow.

"I put you down now for good!"

Katon chakra roared around the bow. Kagari's eyes widened as he saw the two elemental natures war with one another. He remembered this jutsu.

'The one that hurt Naruto-sensei! There's no way we can handle that!'

Hanabi screamed, feeling the drain on her chakra reserves. She would be running on empty after this. There was no way she would be capable of fighting after it, but that was fine.

They would be dead, and they were the only shinobi around.

Her eyes met Kagari a moment before she fired. The chunin's eyes were panicked. He understood his situation. There was no escaping this jutsu. Diving underwater wouldn't work. The jutsu was too fast. Its piercing potential too strong. And the explosion would superheat anywhere they could get to in the short time they would have to move. At best, they would get out with burns so severe they wouldn't be able to continue the fight in their already injured states.

They had forced her hand, but in so doing they had sealed their own fate.

"Now die! Purazuma Hassha (Plasma Catapult)!"

The world slowed as Hanabi let fly. For a moment Kagari saw the faces of his parent's flash before him. Smiles that he would never see again. Then he saw Akichi and Lurua. Then it was Hitou. Finally, it rested on his team and sensei. Kagari smiled, and then the world accelerated. The arrow shot forwards with a speed unfathomable to most. Unfathomable to the Ame Chunin. It speared Kagari through, blasting a hole in his chest before it exploded. The explosion split Kagari in two but it didn't stop there. Midare and Suiren were unable to withstand it, the ball of flame and electricity superheating the water and boiling their skin. Their eyes burst from the shift in temperature and their skin charred and blackened.

Hanabi stared at the spot where the three Ame Chunin had once stood, panting heavily. Sweat covered her body. She slunk to her knees, one of them slipping into the water as she struggled to maintain the Suimen Hokō no Gyō (Water Surface Walking Practice). Her arms reddened and burned, a quick sign of the swelling that was sure to come soon. Her chakra levels were low. She couldn't activate her dojutsu again if she tried. But she didn't need to. She knew the truth.

The Ame Chunin were dead.

"Glad we went with that strategy Kagari. That could've been bad."

Hanabi froze, fear in her body for the first time in the fight. That voice was familiar. But she had seen her jutsu make contact. She had seen the explosion. She hadn't seen corpses, but it was only natural to assume they were either destroyed or sinking into the water once more. That was what should have happened. They were not fast enough to avoid her jutsu and they weren't strong enough to deflect it or withstand it. They lacked every necessary characteristic required to win this battle.

And yet when she turned her fears were confirmed.

Before her stood the Ame trio, injured, and battered. Two were using each other as braces so they didn't collapse.

But they stood.

Kagari, the only one not leaning on another human being, stared down at her sweat pouring down his brow.

"How," Hanabi whispered, realizing that the tides had shifted for the last time in their fight.

"We hid clones in the water when you sunk us," Kagari explained. "You knocked two soldier pills to the ground. Midare and I took them. The flashbang we launched was designed to get you to strain your dojutsu. When that happened, Midare made clones to replicate us and sent them up to face you while I layered a genjutsu on you to make sure you did not detect multiple chakra signatures. All you destroyed were water clones, and you saw none of it."

"No," Hanabi hissed, refusing to believe their words. "I refuse to believe it! This is some trick, some genjutsu of yours! I refuse to believe I lost to some two-bit Ame brats!"

"Well, you did," Midare hissed, a shit-eating grin splitting his face. "And it's all thanks to the one you called the weakest of us too."

Hanabi looked at Kagari, the boy staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"You were right," Kagari began. "When you said we couldn't beat you. Under normal circumstances we would lose this fight. Frankly, even in these circumstances we won by a hair's breadth. But we did, and I already told you why."

Kagari sat on the water before the kunoichi. She was drained. Her body was battered. He had nothing to fear. Midare and Suiren looked at him, curiosity on their faces.

"You were alone," Kagari said. "We were not."

"Bullshit! That didn't change things! You got lucky!"

Kagari raised a finger.

"Naruto-sensei's clones were the first step. Their job was to hold you down so we could set ourselves up to be able to fight you when they eventually disappeared. The rain. Wounding you in critical areas. Draining your chakra. Stealing your attention. Letting us avoid your arrows. Without them, we would've died before we reached this point. Because of them we were able to dampen your strength and speed. That weakness helped me survive the Rasengan."

Kagari raised another finger.

"We had prior information on your skills, once again thanks to Naruto-sensei. We knew of your blind spot. Of course, our initial plan was to strip you of your dojutsu entirely. Admittedly, that didn't go smoothly. The dust wasn't effective at stopping you, and the water only served as for so long before you became accustomed to it. You didn't even drop your dojutsu until the battle had been all but decided. Frankly speaking, that side of our plan failed. Of course, it all would have been useless if we didn't know roughly the amount of times you could use powerful jutsu."

Kagari raised a third.

"Make you overexert your chakra. We wanted you to use the Rasengan or the Purazuma Hassha or any other chakra-intensive jutsu so long as it wasn't the Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique). We knew we couldn't beat you quickly. We needed to drain your chakra. Force you to lose access to some abilities. Back you into a corner. Of course, we never expected to be hit by them," Kagari muttered, rubbing his stomach. He had no doubt that once the adrenaline left his body, he'd be unconscious for days.

"That's why we had the chakra pills," Midare interjected. "It wasn't just to forcibly reactivate our chakra network after you shut it down. It was to make sure we had enough chakra to outlast you."

Hanabi grit her teeth.

"You may have the advantage against us in sheer skill, but we have the numbers advantage," Suiren stated. "You don't have more chakra than the three of us combined. You can't attack as fast as us as the three of us combined. That's why we constantly covered for each other, tagging in and out of battle. We knew landing a blow on you would be fruitless without tiring you at first."

"Like I said," Kagari finished. "You were alone, we weren't."

Hanabi stared at the water, irritation flashing in her eyes. A storm of emotions welled up inside of her. Frustration at her own weakness. Frustration for Shikaku, who had placed so much faith in her to accomplish her mission. Frustration in Naruto, for training these shinobi who had proven to be more talented than she had initially given them credit.

"Well, what are you waiting for," Hanabi muttered. "Get it over with. I lost. You won."

Midare and Suiren looked at their teammate, watching Kagari stand. This was his kill and they both knew it. This woman had killed his parents. It was only just that he was the one to get recompense for it. And yet the Chunin didn't move. He did not draw a kunai and slit her throat, nor did he move to strangle her dead. He simply stood, eyes unseen. It reached the point where Hanabi herself looked up at him.

"What are you waiting for? I won't beg for mercy."

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not going to kill you," Kagari said finally. The words drew a shocked reaction from everyone.

"Kagari," Midare insisted. "She killed your parents. Slaughtered Ame civilians. We can't let her get away with that."

"I must admit I agree with him," Suiren stated. "She is too dangerous to be allowed to live. She is a threat to Rain. She must be stopped while we have the advantage. That's our duty as Ame shinobi."

Hanabi herself was silent.

"No," Kagari insisted. "I won't do it."

"But she-"

"She deserves it!" Kagari screamed. His voice rattled with certainty despite the pain that reverberated in everyone's soul.

"Don't you think I know that," Kagari whispered. Tears began to streak down his face. "Don't you think I want to kill her? I want to kill her so bad I can barely breathe!"

Midare winced but could not help but notice the shaking in Kagari's hands. The way veins bulged. The Chunin was angry. It must have been taking all of his self-control to not murder the Hyuga right now.

"But your parents...they would want..."

"How would I know what my parents want," Kagari spat, venom in his voice. "I can't ask them. They're gone. Forever. Because of her. How can I know if they would have wanted this? I can't live my life tied to expectations I'll never know that I'll meet."

Kagari turned to his teammates, the tears unable to be stopped.

"She tried to do that and look what happened to her. It turned her into...into some murderer. She can't even feel bad for the people she's harmed! What's so righteous about vengeance if it turns me into the very person I hate!"

Kagari turned back to Hanabi.

"You said you kill people because you're a soldier? Bullshit. You blamed the world for your sister's death. You were angry and all you ever did since was lash out-"

"Don't act like you know me!"

"Don't I!" Kagari screamed. "I am you. If you could get your hands on the Kiri kunoichi who killed your sister right now wouldn't you kill her?"

Hanabi was silent.

"But you couldn't. And it made you kill innocents. Well, I can. I have your life in my hands, and I refuse to kill you, because who's to say when I'll stop? You were right earlier when you said Shikaku Nara is only attacking Rain because his son was murdered by the Amekage. But if I kill you who comes for me? Your father? Your Clan? Naruto-sensei? I refuse to make myself be like you."

"What," Hanabi spat. She had resigned herself to death. She had felt a brief moment of peace realizing she could be with her sister once more. And here it was being taken from her. "You won't kill me because then you're no better than me? Because you'll make your sensei and my family sad?"

"I won't kill you because I am better than you," Kagari hissed. "This isn't mercy. I'm not killing you because I want you to live with the fact that I'm better than you. That I faced what you faced, and unlike you I didn't become a monster. I didn't kill because I knew it would hurt those who care about you."

"So, what," Hanabi insisted. "What will you be? A shinobi who doesn't kill? Good luck with that! I told you before we're soldiers!"

"Says who," Kagari questioned. "You? Me? The kage? Who decided that? Why does it have to be like that?"

Kagari knelt before the Hyuga.

"When I first learned what you did, I wanted to kill you. I dreamt of it. I trained for it. I still want to kill you. It feels right. But if I kill you, then Naruto-sensei hates me. If I kill you your father hates me. Maybe he comes and leads an attack on Rain like Shikaku did. Will someone else's parents die then? Someone else's child?"

Kagari glanced at Midare.

"What if her father came back and killed your parents?"

He looked at Suiren.

"Or yours?"

He returned his attention to Hanabi.

"What if he killed me? Midare and Suiren wouldn't accept that. So, what, then they kill your father? And then your Clan returns to kill them? And on and on until everyone is dead? What a waste that would be. You say we're soldiers. I say we're only that because that's all we've chosen to be. Because we see violence every day. And that warps a person. Fighting for their lives constantly. Seeing friends and family die. The natural solution is to put down the threat. But that doesn't stop anything."

Kagari sighed.

"I see the ugliness of violence as a solution...and it frightens me. It frightens me what I would do if I crossed that line and do what you do. It's...it's so easy. Anger, vengeance...it feels good. But luckily, I'm not you," Kagari muttered.

"And I never will be."

"Kagari," Midare insisted, getting his attention. "I can't agree to this. What if she goes out and hurts more people? Kills more parents? Innocents? She hasn't been stopped like this. We must rid the world of her evil!"

"Would you kill Naruto-sensei?"

"What?"

"Would you kill Naruto-sensei?"

"What does he have to-"

"Do you think Naruto-sensei hasn't killed innocent people before? Parents? Children? He annexed a country Midare. She's right. Directly or indirectly, his actions almost undoubtedly resulted in someone dying. But it goes further than that. Hanzo, you idolize him, don't you? We both know he killed innocents. Would it be okay to kill either of them?"

"That's different."

"It's not. You just know them or idolize them. Your perspective is what is different. Not the actions. How are we to decide what is good and what is evil with that in mind? Is it good to rob her father of his last remaining daughter?"

"She killed people."

"And she should be punished for that. And she will be. But should her punishment be death?"

"You said it yourself. We're better than her."

"How many people can we kill and that still be true?" Kagari stated plainly. "If Amekage-sama asked you to invade Fire as recompense...would you?"

"Of course! The Amekage's word is law!"

"So, you would kill innocents."

"That's not what I said."

"But it is what would happen," Kagari said. "And you know it."

Midare bit his lip. "Kagari-"

"The difference is she isn't innocent, Kagari," Suiren stated plainly. "Even you know that."

"She isn't. But her family will suffer from her death all the same. We've stopped her from hurting anyone else today. She needs to face justice for the people she's hurt in the past. The best way for her to do that isn't with her death."

Kagari looked at his students.

"We all agreed this was my decision before the battle," Kagari said. "Trust in my decision."

Suiren and Midare looked at each other, both clearly doubting Kagari but also wanting to stand by their word. Eventually one side won.

"If this is what you want Kagari then...we'll stand by you."

Kagari nodded, turning to face Hanabi who stared up at them.

"What are you going to do to me then if not kill me?"

Kagari smiled.

---

I'm interested to know what y'all thoughts of Kagari's reasoning are. It contrasts very much with Midare's argument against it, or Naruto's own solution. In a way he's similar to Nagato and his viewpoint. Killing has traumatized them. Death has, and they don't want to see more of it. Only time will tell whether or not that's a good thing or a bad thing for either of them.

Hope you enjoyed the triple updated! Wanted to get through the Hanabi arc, and also show the bomb I've been waiting to drop. Gai is dead!