The God of Wind:

The Humming Mist:

Chapter 16: Reunion, the end of the battle!

x-x-x-x-x-x- TGOW -x-x-x-x-x-x

Explosions rumbled in the distance like rolling thunder, muffled by meters of dirt and stone. Dust fell from the ceiling like rain. The room shook ominously under their force. Naruto held his arms out, steadying himself so he didn't tumble back over the wall. He had to steady Haku as well.

Above them, Itojiro cursed, his head whipping back around towards the instance. A hand flew to his ear. "What're you idiots doing up there?" He hissed.

Was he talking to someone on a radio?

The towering blond man glanced back at them, before furiously muttering back into the radio. Whatever he heard back made the man furious.

Naruto got a sneaking suspicion. Curious to test it, he extended his senses. Even through all the dirt and concrete, he could feel three familiar chakra signatures. 'What's Anko doing here?' He shook it off, and turned to Sasuke with a grin.

"We got lucky, Kakashi and Sakura finally tracked us down. They've got backup too."

He said nothing, but Sasuke's face said it all. A look of relief and satisfaction.

"Ichiro, Nijiro, you deal with the brats, Ryuji and I need to go help out the idiot's upstairs." Itojiro ordered the twins.

The black haired twin nodded in acceptance. With one last lingering glance towards them, Itojiro turned in a huff and stalked back towards the elevator. The stocky man with the nasty scar followed behind him like a loyal dog.

Naruto stared at the backs of the two Mist shinobi as they retreated. Another explosion shook yet more dust loose from the ceiling.

'Focus on the task at hand!' Kurama chided.

He nodded and turned his attention back to the twins. In the seconds since he'd been distracted, they hadn't bothered to attack. His gaze fell warily to the sword tucked in each of their sashes. Kiba.

The black-haired twin, Ichiro, shifted, he fingered the hilt of his wakizashi. A tenseness permeated the air between them. Naruto glanced at Haku. "Why don't you get a head start on getting out of here?" He suggested tersely. He remembered how the twins had picked them apart. They wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of Haku's injury.

"Are you sure?" Haku looked at the twins wearily. "I could help."

Naruto nodded assuredly. "We'll be fine, there's a plan this time."

Haku looked uncertain, but ultimately nodded sharply. "Very well, I'll go."

Naruto created a clone to guard their injured friend. He kept an eye on the twins in case they tried to make a move. Ichiro simply smirked arrogantly as Haku, and the clone disappeared up the stands.

The twins began to pace in opposite directions, slowly flanking them from higher ground. Naruto spoke to Sasuke under his breath. "You remember the plan?" Sasuke nodded his agreement.

With a deep, steadying breath, Naruto drew his katana. The twins' abilities had taken him by surprise before. Now he'd had time to consider them and dissect their skills. Thus, he and Sasuke had already planned a countter. At least, he hoped so. He struck with speed and power, darting for Nijiro to his left. Even as he moved, a clone popped into existence and shot for Ichiro.

A pale haze shrouded his sword as he brought it down towards Nijiro with a single hand. His eyes narrowed; he knew what came next. Nijiro's nodachi was replaced with Ichiro's wakizashi.

Naruto unleashed the wind patiently waiting at his swords edge, blasting Nijiro back. In the same instant he felt his clone pop. Even as he moved in, a wakizashi-sized blade protruded from his off hand. He met Ichiro's blade with a shower of sparks, his right hand raised to deliver a terrible blow on the surprised boy.

Ichiro disengaged with a curse. "What the hell, where did that sword come from?"

He declined to answer, instead wreathing his blades in wind chakra, and unleashing a torrent of blunt wind upon the smaller twin. The back of his neck tingled. It was his only notice to move before A roaring wave of water crashed down.

Naruto flipped backwards, tucking his body into a roll as he reached the arena floor. Quick as a flash, he was back on his feet and spinning to meet a challenge.

Nijiro careened towards him through the air, nodachi raised for an attack. But Naruto wasn't fooled. He was prepared when Ichiro swapped in, his half of the Kiba drawn and sparking with lightning. Before the boy had a chance to strike, a brace of kunai sliced the air and made Ichiro dodge hastily. He skidded to a stop of the ground and glared at something over Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto glanced backwards. Sasuke had perched himself on top of the wall, Sharingan blazing as he studied the fight. 'So far, everything is going to plan.' Sasuke would stay back and interrupt their teamwork, while Naruto would engage directly.

Back and forth they went, Naruto battled the twins the best he could, while Sasuke kept them from switching too often. The longer it went, the more confident Naruto became. He was beginning to recognize their patterns, what kind of attacks caused them to switch a particular weapon in. The only time they switched in with a Kiba was for a finishing blow. Any time he pressed, Nijiro went on defense for Ichiro, who seemed to prefer well-measured sneak attacks.

Finally, the twins grew frustrated. After a particularly fierce volley of attacks, they broke their pattern. Ichiro yanked the Kiba blade from his sash and ordered his brother to do the same.

"We're gonna fry you little shit!" An aurora of blue lightning surrounded the twins, engulfing them in chirping shrouds. They moved faster, more than the eye could hope to follow. With the crack of thunder, both twins unleashed a blast of lightning at Naruto.

In response, he stabbed his blades into the ground and flashed through three hand signs, ending on the bird sign. "Wind Style: Wind Dome." An opaque dome of solid air surrounded Naruto, it whirled around him and absorbed the blasts of lightning. With their enemies finally fixated on Naruto, it was time for Sasuke to finally take advantage.

The heat in the arena spiked, as Sasuke let loose a gout of flames that threatened to engulf the twins.

They were forced to retreat, cursing as their clothes smoldered. Before they could collect themselves, Naruto dashed forward. He prepared his swords, taking careful aim with two arching wind blades. His enemies avoided it, throwing themselves to the ground. The blades bit deep into the wall, raining rubble down. As the twins clambered to their feet, Sasuke used a replacement to appear behind Ichiro. Without preamble, he buried his kunai deep into the black-haired twin's neck.

Nijiro stared with wide, horrified eyes as his brother collapsed. Horror gave way to rage. The hair stood up on the back of Naruto's neck.

He witnessed Nijiro's Kiba blade sparking ominously. Naruto tried desperately to stop it, slashing his sword to unleash a slicing wind blade. But wind was far slower than lightning. The screaming bolt of lightning blasted into Sasuke's chest, throwing him back into the wall where his body impacted with a dull thud before slumping to the ground.

Naruto's heart stuttered; afraid Sasuke wouldn't get up. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sasuke stir, slowly getting up.

Though he had to quickly return his attention to Nijiro, who had crouched at his brother's side. "Big brother … no!" Angry tears poured down his cheeks. Naruto frowned. He'd react even worse if that were Konohamaru. For one brief moment, he allowed himself to feel sympathy for his opponent. But he had to remind himself that the boy was a killer. He helped with the bloodline cleanses that had seen thousands butchered, including children Konohamaru's age. That hardened his resolve.

He stood ready, as Nijiro gripped the second Kiba blade. A much larger shroud of lightning hissed around him, and he glared at Naruto hotly. "I'm going to kill you, Leaf scum."

Not eager to give the man an opening, Naruto slashed his sword, unleashing a howling wind storm that slashed the ground.

In the blink of an eye, Nijiro dodged, he moved faster than he had the entire fight. Naruto sensed his movement, but he could scarcely comprehend it. He spun around, just in time to see Nijiro unleash a humming beam of lightning that moved faster than he could hope to react.

His lungs ceased to function, breath caught in his throat. Naruto instinctively flinched as the beam struck him. He expected intense heat, and the painful pinprick of electricity. But it never came. All he felt was a slight tingle across his skin. 'What's going on?' Naruto opened his eyes in surprise, the lightning still danced around him. Yet he didn't' feel it. In the first fight, he'd brushed it off and thought it was his mind playing tricks. Now there could be no doubt, the Kiba didn't affect him.

Naruto shook his head. He could ponder the strange phenomenon later. With his opponent distracted and angry, he had to strike! 'Kurama, give me a one-tailed cloak!'

'Very well.'

Bubbling red chakra surrounded him, forming the rough shape of a fox with a swaying tail. Naruto channeled wind into his katana. He loaded his swing, gripping it with both hands. With a powerful two-handed slash, he unleashed a swirling disk of slicing wind that raced towards his enemy. As it struck Nijiro, the disk erupted into a towering tornado of slashing wind. It howled like a wounded animal, shooting Nijiro straight towards the ceiling.

"Sasuke, fire."

Sasuke snapped out of his stupor from the blast and managed to launch a fireball into the tornado. The flames erupted into a blazing tornado. The heat cracked and darkened the concrete stands and the air filled with the smell of acrid black smoke.

The tornado of fire erupted, blasting a hole into the upper edge of the arena. Dust and rubble fell from the ceiling like hail. Sharps of stone and dirt threatened to slice you.

Naruto stared up into the opened void, he let his chakra senses pulse outwards to feel for Nijiro's chakra.

All he felt was Kakashi, Sakura, and Anko, and they were fighting Itojiro. He let Kurama's chakra slip away and turned to Sasuke. "Our team is up there fighting Itojiro, we gotta get up there."

He made to head for the hole that was blasted in the ceiling. But Sasuke didn't move. "Naruto … what was that chakra you just used?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. The feeling of that chakra … I don't know why but it scares me, like it's familiar or something."

Naruto could have cursed, but he stifled the urge. Now wasn't the time for this, they had to get moving. But the stubborn set to Sasuke's jaw and shaken look in his eyes said it all. Sasuke was a baby at the time. Perhaps he somehow remembered the feel of Kurama's chakra from that night? Either way, he wouldn't budge without an answer. There wasn't time for a proper answer, but hopefully a simple one would suffice.

"It's … an alternate source I have. I'll explain it later. For now, our team needs us!"

Sasuke stared at him, before nodding. Finally, they could be on their way. Naruto dashed back up the retaining wall and into the stands. He moved swiftly, dodging the bits of rubble on the ground, and the occasional piece that still fell to the floor. When it came time to surface walk up the wall towards the hole, they had to be careful. Cracks riddled the surface, and every second there was a risk the section of wall might come away beneath their feet.

At one point, Naruto felt the stone underfoot give way. He was just able to swing it up and cling to a sturdy section of wall. The piece of the wall crashed to the stairs below as Naruto's heart hammered in his chest, It was a relief when they were up and over the rim of the hole and into the hallway beyond.

The ornate hallway was a ruin of soot and rubble. One wall had been blown apart. Naruto tried to ignore the bits of charred flesh and bone scattered about, all that was left of Nijiro.

Before he could be noticed, Naruto crouched behind a pile of broken stone, carefully observing the room beyond. Sasuke came up behind him, peering over his shoulder.

A tangled net of gleaming wire stretched from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Anko and Kakashi stood amidst the net, roughed up but relatively fine, if a bit low on chakra. Then he spotted Sakura, and his breath stilled. She was snared by wires, wrapped up in a deadly cocoon set to shred her to pieces. 'I can't rush in!' Naruto had to restrain himself from rushing to her rescue.

Ryuuji lay on the ground. He'd been hit by a piece of rubble; a large bloody chunk of stone lay near him. But Itojiro was nowhere in sight.

No matter how hard he tried, Naruto couldn't get a bead on Itojiro's chakra. It was too hard, with it being spread throughout the room. Sasuke scanned the room with his Sharingan.

"I can't see the clown anywhere." The Uchiha muttered.

"It makes no sense; I know I sensed him up here a few moments ago." Naruto frowned, the gears in his mind turned slowly. It was almost as if … Itojiro knew they were coming. "He's a sensor too!"

Naruto cursed and extended his senses in a circle. He snapped into action as he felt a 'ping', spinning just in time to bat aside Itojiro's needle sword.

The giant pressed forward with a cackle. His long leg lashed out like a whip, slamming into Naruto's stomach and launching him into Sasuke and through the crumbling wall. They tumbled into the ball room amidst a barrage and rubble. The debris tore open skin and clothes indiscriminately.

Stars danced behind Naruto's eyes. He heard a ringing, and a distant shout from Kakashi. Before he could try to make sense of it, his hands were yanked into the air, and his legs to either side, forming a great big 'x' in midair. Sasuke was strung up alongside him, his head lolled unconsciously, no doubt knocked out by the kick.

Itojiro appeared in a whisp of fog, bare-faced and bearing a mad grin. "You're clever, I'll give you that, Little Leaf Ninja. You managed to take down the twins. But now that you're bound by Nuibari, there's no escape. Your chakra is locked away."

He heard Kakashi curse under his breath. Though his stomach lurched with fear, Naruto felt something was off. With an experimental pulse, he quickly realized Itojiro was mistaken. 'It's just like the Kiba, this effect doesn't work on me.' Though infinitely curious about the reasons, there was no time for that. Instead, his mind turned to how he'd use this to his advantage. 'Right now, we're hostages. The second I get out; I need to free Sasuke. If I do this right, maybe the others can find an opening. But I have to free Sakura too.'

'It seems that sensei of yours is thinking the same.' Kurama growled.

Indeed, the fox was right. Kakashi looked around subtly, keen eyes looking for an opening. Anko was the same, like a coiled snake just waiting to strike. All he had to do was give them the chance.

It wasn't without risk, he'd seen Itojiro move. He was lightning quick, and his sword even faster. But there was no escape without a distraction. Naruto's eyes darted about, dissecting the tangled web of wires and exactly which to cut to save Sakura and clear a path. One … two … six. He'd have three seconds at most to free Sasuke and cut six wires. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His heart rate slowed, and an odd calm settled over him, as he let the familiar chakra of his Tempest Style rage within, like a whirlwind on a razor's edge.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he leapt into action. The wires holding him tight snapped with a metallic twang. Long blades jutted from his palms, severing the wires around his ankles. Quick as can be, Naruto sliced apart the wires holding Sasuke. 'One second.'

He whirled about, unleashing a pair of Razor Whips that slashed through the air and severed the target wires. Sakura fell to the ground, the cocoon of wires unspooling around her. 'Two seconds.'

With one second remaining, Naruto spun on his heel and deflected an expected blow from Itojiro's sword. He unleashed a whirlwind that sent the sword to bury itself into the ceiling.

Itojiro gaped in disbelief. "How the hell did you do that br–"

He cut off in a choked gasp as a lightning shrouded fist suddenly erupted through his chest. The lightning snapped about, chirping like a mass of birds. The fist ripped itself out, leaving Itojiro to collapse to the ruined floor. Kakashi stood in his place, regarding the man with cold eyes.

The giant lay on the floor gasping for air as blood poured from his mouth, staining his sharp teeth pink. "H-how?"

"Beats me, the Kiba were the same, the lightning has no effect for whatever reason." Naruto explained as he allowed his swords to fully emerge from his palms. He padded towards Itojiro warily. Even like this, the man might prove dangerous.

Understanding flashed through Itojiro's eyes. "Those swords … you make them." A humorless chuckle bubbled from the man's lips. "I get it now … must be a failsafe built into the swords. To think … I'd run into someone descended from … Genryusai here of all places. Damn the infernal Tamashi no Ken."

Naruto's breath hitched. "What do you mean, do you know something about my bloodline?"

Itojiro laughed, though it was weak, and rattling. The man looked startlingly pale. "Ha! How pathetic, you've got … no clue what you can do … boy. And I … won't help. You might as well … kill me."

He stared at them defiantly. There was a fire in his eyes, one that wouldn't be put out. Naruto hesitated. He wanted to press for more answers, but there was no time. Itojiro was dying and wouldn't yield his secrets.

"Kakashi, should we …" Naruto trailed off uncertainly, motioning vaguely towards Itojiro.

"I got this." Kakashi removed a long, sharp kunai from his hip pouch. Without approaching Itojiro, he tossed the knife into his neck. The flesh parted easily around the neck, releasing an endless gush of blood that stained the floor crimson.

On the floor, Sasuke climbed to his feet slowly, having woken up. The Uchiha rubbed his head tenderly, looking about with bleary eyes.

Anko limped up alongside him, looking torn between wanting to punch him and wanting to give him a hug. Eventually, she finally decided on a pat on the back.

"It's good to see ya kid."

For the first time in three weeks, Naruto allowed himself to relax. It was over.

x-x-x-x-x-x- TGOW -x-x-x-x-x-x

Team 7 is finally reunited. Next time we'll get to the aftermath of the arc. That chapter is already up on my pa treon, along with Chapter 53 of Uchiha Chronicles.

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Until Next Time,

RinneTaicho, Signing Off!