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Chapter Forty: Familial Treachery
The Rasengan shattered the dome of earth into pieces the instant it made contact, allowing Naruto to leap through the giant crater he made and into the other side.
"Shizune! Stick with Naruto!" Tsunade ordered from atop a giant slug that she had summoned.
Wait a second? A GIANT SLUG? Naruto couldn't help but be flabbergasted.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune said without a moment of hesitation.
What the hell is happening?
One second they were leisurely walking home and the next they were being ambushed by the number one terrorist of Konoha. Orochimaru had his arms crossed as he stared down his former teammates with a wide smirk on his face. His long, dark hair flowed freely in the wind, contrasting with the pure white skin that donned his body.
One his arms were missing.
That must have been what the Hokage meant by 'certain circumstances'. A hand for a hand, eh?
In place of the hand was a weird, snake-like appendage that took the basic form of a hand. Naruto couldn't see too well from his position to be exactly sure. He already found a way to circumvent the disadvantage.
The scale of the battle was already leagues above Naruto. Giant toads, snakes, and slugs took over the majority of the battlefield, leaving the rest of them to fend for themselves without any summons. I seriously need a summon eventually. Naruto promised to himself that he would look over that once he made it back to Konoha.
If he made it back, that is.
The fight started.
The ground trembled as the giant monsters began their fight. Every movement, every step that they took, rattled Naruto as he felt his feet shake ever so slightly.
He couldn't even fathom what he was watching.
The giant toad's cheeks ballooned even further, bulging outwards for one second and then emptying out soon after as the creature let loose an enormous jet of some sort of liquid towards the approaching snake that rocketed towards either one of them. Is that…oil? Jiraiya then kept a hand sign and released a steady stream of fire onto the viscous fluid.
Naruto had to look away as a titanic cloud of crimson fire erupted into existence, roaring with defiance as it blazed across the sky and towards the reptile. I can feel the heat from down here! He thought incredulously. The fire spilled out in all directions, leaving behind empty black ash wherever it went. The snake was terrifyingly fast for its size, managing to evade the attack in the nick of time.
Is that what Shinobi at the top fight like?
Can they even be considered shinobi anymore?
The shinobi I know are assassins in the dark…people who depend more on the practical aspects of combat to complete their missions. These Saanin are…they're insane!
Naruto didn't have any more time to contemplate.
He felt the presence of two more people near him.
Shizune did as well. "People are here."
Two individuals slowly walked towards them. One of them was someone Naruto knew very well.
Naruto was nearly speechless. "Kabuto?"
The older Genin they had met during the exams. The same one who had quit during the Preliminary Exams despite qualifying without a scratch on his body.
Kabuto smiled and looked at Naruto through his wide, circular glasses. "Naruto. Long time no see, eh?"
"What are you doing here?" The Jinchuuriki asked, already having an idea but eager to be proven wrong.
The silver-haired Genin chuckled. "What do you think?"
"Oi, stop the nonsense and start the fucking fight!" The person next to Kabuto complained.
Naruto looked at the girl next to Kabuto. She had long, red hair that fell loosely along her back. It was obvious that she was from the Sound Village, as she wore the beige clothing that was a trademark of their shinobi. A weird, black hat covered her head, leaving a single stray strand of hair over her face. She also wore that purple rope knot that Orochimaru had.
Observe.
[Observing…]
[Observation successful!]
Name: Tayuya Uzumaki
Title: "The Flutist Of Hell"
Occupation: Chuunin of Otogakure
Level: 21
MP: 100/100
Chakra: 500/500
STR: 13
VIT: 12
DEX: 14
INT: 9
WIS: 4
LUK: 5
Reputation:
AN UZUMAKI?"!
Tayuya pointed at him. "What ya' staring at, blond prick?"
"Nothing," Naruto replied quickly, trying to hide his shock. "…so both of you are with Orochimaru?"
Another Uzumaki! That's the second one I found after Karin. Why the hell is she with Orochimaru? And how is Kabuto a traitor?
Kabuto nodded. "Yes, but that's a whole other story. For some reason, our master requires something from you. Come with us, Naruto."
"Do you think I'm fucking insane?!"
"No, I don't. You're merely misinformed. If you joined us, you would be relatively safe. We both know that master needs you for a more nefarious reason…but that won't happen anytime soon. The injury that Orochimaru-sama sustained from his fight with the Third required a body change, meaning he can't do another body change for a while."
"So?"
Tayuya scoffed. "That means you'll be fine for the time being, dimwit."
"That's not the point. Why would I willingly join a terrorist?" Naruto questioned incredulously. "Did you say 'safe'? How am I safer around that snake creep?"
Kabuto smiled. "You're being hunted, aren't you?"
Naruto froze.
"Orochimaru-sama knows. He was once a part of that group, you know. He can provide you protection and you can leave your village and friends in safety. Your mere presence in Konoha puts a bullseye mark on the village. Our master hates the Akatsuki as well—we have the same enemies. What's that saying? Ah, yes. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We aren't forcing you…you can leave anytime you like."
Naruto couldn't believe the fact that he had contemplated the decision for a while. Much longer than he wanted to admit. He had to keep a strong facade regardless.
Shizune looked troubled. ".Naruto—"
"Nice script, Kabuto! I wonder, how long did you practice in the mirror for? I mean, everything was perfect! The intonation, the delivery—for a second there I almost believed in your sincerity," Naruto said with an impressed expression. It quickly morphed into anger. "But then I remembered that we're talking about Orochi—'I love conducting experiments on kids'—maru here. I couldn't give a shit about your safety when your boss is trying to take my goddamn body!"
There was a tense silence as Naruto panted heavily after finishing his speech.
"I told you the bastard wouldn't listen," Tayuya bellowed angrily. "Let's just kill him and bring him back."
Kabuto sighed. "As nice as that sounds, we need him alive."
"Oh…then let's just cut off a leg or two. Or maybe his tongue. I don't want to hear his voice for a second longer."
"I might have to settle with doing this the hard way," Kabuto said regretfully. "You take care of the blond. If he's anything like he was during the Chuunin Exams, it should be a piece of cake."
Observe!
[Observing!]
[Observation successful!]
Name: Kabuto Yakushi
Title: "A Surgical Evil"
Occupation: Orochimaru's Apprentice
Level: 32
MP: 100/100
Chakra: 500/500
STR: 18
VIT: 17
DEX: 24
INT: 18
WIS: 9
LUK: 8
Reputation: 10
He's strong. Insanely so. Naruto frowned. Shizune may not be enough, but we don't have any other choice. The only option is to stall until either Tsunade or Jiraiya get the chance to come back and help. Orochimaru is powerful, but even he can't take both of them at the same time.
Meaning, this fight depends entirely on how I take care of Tayuya.
The sooner I defeat her the better.
I've also got to ask her about the Uzumaki clan…she may have some information that I need.
"Shizune, stall Kabuto as long as you can. I've got Tayuya."
"Alright!" Shizune said quickly in response. She was surprised at how easily she followed Naruto's commands, but didn't have any time to ponder the reason.
The ground shook as the Saanin's fight continued to escalate. First, we need to get away from their battlefield. How do I do that? Well, easy enough.
Naruto ran.
[—NTLS—]
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Tayuya yelled in annoyance. She had been following the boy for the longest time, and yelling profanities at his back for even longer. Yet, he refused to look back.
Finally, Naruto stopped. They were deeper into the forest, with proper cover and trees every couple of meters from each other. Dense shrubbery and grass every step you took. This was practically where he had grown up training.
He stopped for a bit to collect his breath, noting how Tayuya did the same.
"What do you know about the Uzumaki clan?"
Tayuya raised an eyebrow. "The what?"
"The Uzumaki."
"I couldn't give a rat's shit about whatever clan you're talking about. Your running has already broken my patience. Listen here, I'm gonna make sure your capture is the most pain you'll ever experience—"
"You know nothing about the Uzumaki?" Naruto asked, visibly confused.
"Are you an idiot, deaf, or both?" Tayuya questioned. "I just said I didn't know!"
"Then what clan are you from?"
The red-haired girl scoffed. "Clan? You think I'm part of those stuck-up brats back in Otogakure? I'm an orphan through and through, and I prefer it this way. I wouldn't want parents messing up everything. Orochimaru-sama gave me a chance and I'm living it! "
Then came the question, what would have Naruto had done if Tayuya had known about the Uzumaki? Would he have stopped fighting her? Would he have given her a chance to escape? Wouldn't that go against his beliefs? Against his mission?
I guess it doesn't matter now.
Tayuya was already running towards him, bloodlust in her eyes.
Naruto cleared his mind and focused.
Activate Uchiha Clan Taijutsu.
Tayuya launched herself with a flying kick that went straight for Naruto's head, who quickly swerved to the right to avoid the attack. She's quick! Naruto thought with a frown. But not nearly quickly enough. Her level was higher than his by a small amount, but her physical stats weren't up to the par.
Naruto had noted her immense chakra quality during the observation, which supported the idea that she was more of an utility or ninjutsu specialist
Her risky opening move left her completely open, however. Naruto grabbed her outstretched leg to hold her in place as he swung at her with his other hand. She was able to block with her arms, though it was clear from the wince on her face that the blow had hurt. Tayuya then used the force of the hit to bounce backwards and further away.
"No you don't!" Naruto shouted as he ran forward the instant he saw Tayuya reach for something.
He was too slow, however. She had already begun reaching for whatever it was the moment she stepped backward.
A flute?
A soothing, serene sound entered Naruto's ear and into his brain, serenading him with its pleasant nature. Naruto felt his hands slacken and his body loosen instinctively in reaction to the music. He had heard people play the flute before, but never in such a beautiful manner. For a moment, Naruto let himself forget about all the otherworldly distractions that plagued his thoughts, and simply let himself lay down on the river of time and flow freely down its welcoming passage.
His surroundings changed.
A beautiful array of flowers in a never-ending field of bright green grass was laid before him. A gentle, soothing breeze cooled down his skin which was slightly warm from the stare of the bright-yellow sun that shone in the perfectly blue sky.
I'll just let it all go…
What could go wrong?
[Ding!]
[Bloodlust has been detected!]
He violently shook his head.
Genjutsu!
Naruto immediately ducked as a kunai went straight through where his head once was. The corner of his eye was able to discern the exploding tag that was attached to the projectile. Gotta move! He scrambled forward, pushing with both his hands and feet on the ground like a desperate, hungry dog that finally found a scrap of food.
The explosion behind him never came, however.
A diversion?
A column of smoke erupted from beside Tayuya. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Three columns, in fact.
What's with everyone and summoning these days? Naruto thought angrily. I miss when everything was just plain Taijutsu with a few jutsus mixed in! Sure, he was being biased considering the fact that he didn't have a summoning contract yet, but he couldn't care at this particular moment. Especially when Tayuya's summons looked like…that.
What the…
Three monsters stood around Tayuya protectively. They were huge, towering over their summoner with ease. Their muscles bulged with intensity and every huff of their breath shook the dangling leaves in front of them. Each of the three has their own distinctive features as well.
The giant in the middle had a bandage around its eyes, covering them entirely. It had three spears of some kind attached to its arms by some more bandages, creating some kind of claw-type weapon. Eerily enough, its mouth was sewn shut.
I'll call him Mr. Blind.
The giant to the right was wearing a green bodysuit and had long hair that covered its face. What was most dangerous was the giant club that it held so comfortably in the crook of its arm.
Uh…Mr. Club?
The last one was the weirdest. Its head and torso were completely wrapped up with white bandages, and it seemed as if the arms were cut off, leaving the monster with only its legs. It looked upwards to the sky, not even tilting its head to get a good look of Naruto.
Mr. Hands!
[Ding!]
[Immense bloodlust detected!]
Tayuya also changed as well.
Dark patterns began to stretch across her body, releasing a pungent, dreadful aura that reminded Naruto of a specific person. Her chakra surged and multiplied in intensity as she brought her flute back to playing position.
A composition of faster tempo began to echo in the forest.
And with the music came the movement of the three ogres. The fastest was Mr. Club, who swung his gigantic weapon with immense speed. Naruto was able to evade without too much hassle. The attack swept through the air where he once was and through the tree behind him, ridding the forest of that tree as it toppled to the ground without any base to support it.
The rhythm changed.
The issue wasn't the fact that the ogres were particularly quick, which they were.
It was that there were three of those monsters.
Mr. Blind was already next to him, eager to capitalize on the opportunity that his brethren had given him.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto stepped on the backs of two of his clones and leaped upwards with the given leverage as the enemy's clawed fist swished through the air. His clones, or sacrifices in that specific instance, disappeared into smoke instantly. He kicked the ogre in the head with all of his strength, managing to push the beast back but otherwise not do any damage.
Regular physical attacks won't be useful against them.
In a battle of attrition, I would end up losing against summons who were built to be durable.
The only option left…
He eyed the flutist as he somersaulted backwards after his contact with the summon.
To go to Tayuya directly!
Naruto ran forward with an assassin's grace, his arms swinging wildly by his side as his feet urged themselves forward.
Tayuya's eyes widened as she noticed his direction of movement and her music quickened in response. Quickened would be the wrong wood…it was almost as if the notes were deeper somehow. Naruto himself was inexperienced in terms of music, and had no idea how to describe what he was hearing other than quick, slow, fast, or loud.
Mr. Hands emerged in front of Tayuya, finally keeping its head down to look at Naruto. At the same time, the other two were rushing towards him from behind.
So Mr. Hands is the final defense? Keeping track of these three is annoying as hell. Is this how people feel against my clones? No wonder so many people hate me.
Mr. Hands, contrary to his name, didn't actually have any hands. He was also the creepiest of them all. He moved like how you expect someone without arms to move—zero balance to his name. His legs thrashed around wildly with the sole purpose to reach Naruto and slam him into the ground, almost tripping several times but somehow managing to stay on his feet.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Iron clones!
Twenty clones formed all around Naruto like an indomitable shield that covered all angles.
"Cover my back!" The blond commanded as he continued to rush forward.
Naruto jumped into the air, attempting to cross the ogre in front of him and take care of Tayuya. Mr. Hands released a torrential roar through his bandaged face, and leaped into the air as well.
They're physically capable…but not too smart. Naruto thought with a grin.
His current strongest move was definitely Black Flash in terms of pure power. Rasengan was there as well, but Naruto wasn't sure which one was stronger. The curious thing about Black Flash was that it was applicable to any attack. A swing of Zabuza's blade or even a kick could receive the boom of Black Flash if he managed to time it right, though it was much harder.
Rasengan was more stable and a sure-fire attack of force. Other than the time taken to charge the jutsu, it was incredibly powerful.
Naruto loaded his fist with chakra and struck Mr. Hands right in the face.
Black Flash!
Sparks of black and red pulsed for a millisecond before fizzling out immediately after. The timing was wrong.
There was the main issue with Black Flash—it wasn't reliable. When it landed, it had the capability to end fights with ease. When it didn't…it left him completely open for his opponent to counterattack.
Tayuya's flute suddenly increased in volume.
Mr. Hands, who was reeling from Naruto's hit, used the given momentum to spin midair and tag the Chuunin's body with a massive, rotating leg. The Jinchuuriki widened his eyes and attempted his best to block the attack with a chakra-laced arm that covered the right side of his torso. The impact blasted him away and into the trunk of a tree fifteen meters away.
Naruto winced in pain, thanking his luck that at least his arm wasn't broken.
Fuck…I'm getting overconfident again. Think, Naruto, think! She isn't that difficult to beat. You've fought against Itachi Uchiha and Kisame for goodness sake!
Naruto looked over at his clones…only to find none.
What? There's no way twenty of them lost so quickly.
The reason came a second later as a spectral, transparent mouth extended towards Naruto with alarming speed. The 'noodle' of transparent chakra that flew towards him was extending from one of the ogre's mouth, and had several mouths of its own that spilled white drool everywhere. When the mouth got near to the blond it didn't attack him personally, and instead took a portion of his chakra away.
Naruto couldn't even feel a difference.
"But that does explain how my clones ran out so quickly," Naruto mumbled to himself even as he backpedaled a few steps to avoid the chakra bandits. "If these things rip out chakra from anything in the vicinity then the iron skin wouldn't matter as they still contain the same amount of chakra as regular clones."
That also means using clones against these ogres are a waste of time.
His mind raced, searching for any possibilities with the information he now held.
A spark lit up in his head.
That could work.
Fuck it.
Summon Shadow Zabuza!
The ground beneath him darkened. From this inky void, a swirling mass of black smoke arose, taking the shape of a fearsome figure cloaked in shadows. His eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, piercing through the darkness like the cold gleam of a predator stalking its prey. On his shoulder, stood a long, legendary sword that glistened in the light.
Tayuya immediately noticed the new arrival and began her music once more, eager to stop whatever the brat had brewing.
Naruto smirked. You have your summons, I have mine.
Shadow Zabuza grunted. "What's this?"
"Use your mist technique, quickly."
Zabuza slammed his sword into the ground. His hands went through a couple of seals as there was a large spike of chakra through his body. Thousands of droplets of deep blue water arose from the ground before vaporizing in place into a dense coat of fog that began to coat everything around them.
The clearing that they were in was now Zabuza's most comfortable place in the entire world.
The shadow grinned. "Time for some—"
Naruto dismissed the shadow back to the void, or wherever he came from. He just needed Zabuza for that jutsu, nothing more. There was nothing stopping Tayuya from just running away from this clearing and fighting him from another spot. Therefore, he needed to start the next phase of his plan as soon as possible.
"Where the fuck are you hiding?" Tayuya shouted from across the forest floor.
Naruto didn't give her an answer.
He was already moving.
This time, it wasn't about attacking Tayuya. No, he was going to attack her summons directly. The Doki, was what they were called according to an observation he had made while they released those ghost creatures.
Naruto immediately found a target.
The Doki were blind—that much was obvious. Tayuya was the one who controlled their movements through the music of her flute, and that meant that if she couldn't see them, then her commands were practically pointless. Right now, the three giants were hurrying backwards towards their summon for safety, with Tayuya knowing that she was at risk for an ambush if she remained in the mist by herself (along with Mr. Hands.)
Mr. Blind was closer to Tayuya, and was happy to scramble back.
That left Mr. Club all alone.
Summon Shadow Haku!
Shadow Haku moved with the grace and dexterity he had before his death, not even questioning the situation as he immediately cast his infamous jutsu. Naruto was surprised at how quickly his summon was able to grasp understanding of the battle without a word from the one who summoned him. Maybe because Haku is good at taking orders?
"Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Crystals of ice broke through the ground and pierced themselves into the air, rapidly spreading and growing almost like a virus of sorts. The ice banded together at the end before finally closing the hole that stood strong at the apex for good, creating a dome of ice that trapped Naruto, Haku, and the ogre together.
More importantly, sound was cut off from the rest of the world. The ogre began to spin wildly in place as it couldn't hear any commands from its master, swerving its club in a wild attempt to attack something. The club hit the ground once, then the ice, and then the ogre himself.
Naruto couldn't help but feel some pity.
The ogre wailed—a pitiful sound that was muffled by its hair, coming off as a distorted plea that no one could really hear.
I need to end this quickly before Tayuya cancels her summoning!
Naruto could hear the loud, approaching footsteps of the running ogres that raced towards the irregular igloo in the middle of the forest.
Haku threw her dark needles swiftly at Mr. Club, each of the weapons coated with chakra. The needles struck the ogre's dominant hand right below the palm, forcing him to release the club out of his grasp.
Naruto grinned. Thanks, Haku!
He leaped forward.
This time, there wouldn't be any distractions.
Activate iron skin!
Naruto forced chakra into his open palm and spun it with intensity, forcing the energy to rotate upon itself again and again. It took the shape of a dense blue ball that gleamed with power.
[Iron Rasengan!]
Mr. Club, quite literally, never saw it coming.
Naruto plunged the Rasengan into the troll's head, relishing at the ease at which the ball of chakra ripped into the tough flesh of the ogre and through into the other side. A dark, almost blue blood gushed out of the hole that he created as his hand pierced through the creature's head.
He took his hand out and kicked the motionless body to the floor.
One down.
At the same time, the ice dome shattered into fragments as the two other ogres crashed through. Naruto dismissed Haku with a thought.
Tayuya and her two remaining ogres stared at the dead body of their comrade with shock.
"W-what did you do?" Tayuya stuttered with her eyes blinking, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Naruto shrugged. He took out a kunai and began twirling it. Ever since he got his Trickster subclass, things which required immense dexterity in his hands was second nature to him.
"I killed it."
"…"
Tayuya remained silent.
Strangely so.
Naruto felt another burst of chakra from her. It was somehow even more vile than the first one. Her curse mark continued to grow, and so did the amount of foreign chakra that plagued her body. Her hair loosened up and began to rise in different ways. Horns as white as ivory began to grow from her forehead. Previously pale skin was now a dark shade of gray, giving her an alien look.
Her face reeked pure anger.
"I'm gonna cut off each and every limb in your body and feed it right back to you, ya' little shit!
Scary.
[Skill: Berserker is applicable.]
[Would user like to equip this skill?]
Might as well.
Naruto felt a pulse of strength lance through his body. And with that strength came coursing, unbridled fury. There was only one thought in his mind. Kill. The nagging urge spread further and further through his brain, acting like a symbiotic parasite in the way it provided him with strength, but at the same time took away certain things from him—emotion.
Fear, sadness, happiness, regret—all of those were gone.
Only rage remained.
The mist had mostly dissipated, and no longer obstructed anyone's vision in the slightest.
Naruto rushed forward, charging his kunai with electricity. The charged weapon flew straight towards Tayuya who brought forward her flute once more. The ghost worms flew forward to intercept the kunai, sucking out the lightning chakra from the weapon before it then uselessly hit the clawed hand of Mr. Blind.
He forced his feet to move as fast as possible as he appeared before the ogres in a second.
Chakra was already spinning in his right palm as he began to speak. "Rasengan!"
Iron skin was already active and thus there was no need to alert the system to turn it on. Before his technqiue could land, however, more ghost worms surged forward with vigor and sucked the chakra out of his jutsu. Mr. Blind thrust his clawed hand forward, aiming straight for Naruto's vulnerable head. The blond simply tilted to the side, not caring as the impossibly sharp blades pierced through his chest regardless of the iron armor he had on. The hit wasn't too deep, however, and instead just formed three long gashes along his skin through his vest.
It definitely hurt, but Naruto's razor sharp focus and sheer adrenaline didn't let him focus on it.
He continued to run forward.
"RASENGAN!"
This time, his left hand held a rotating ball of destruction.
On cue, Mr. Hands moved himself forward in an attempt to curb the threat. Similarly, Mr. Blind trudged forward from behind him an attempt to catch him with his claws.
Summon Shadow Zabuza!
A dark figure that seemed to be created of shadows themself appeared with a flashing, giant sword that intercepted the clawed weapon of Mr. Blind that was headed for Naruto's back.
Naruto didn't even pay attention. He knew he could trust Zabuza with whatever task he gave him.
Tayuya's music heightened in tempo once more, reaching inhuman levels of speed and intensity in terms of playing the flute.
Mr. Hands opened his mouth as wide as possible, not caring as drool spilled everywhere onto the ground. The chakra worms soared through his mouth and into the air, sensing the environment for any sources of chakra. They worked on the basis of priority, meaning that they would always rush towards the largest chakra source in a battle.
Which was a certain Naruto Uzumaki who carried a dangerous Rasengan in his left hand.
Sensing the presence of chakra, the mouths on the worms grinned widely. Their lips opened wide and 'chakra saliva' poured out everywhere as they moved even faster than before.
Naruto didn't care.
Right now, he was in a state of speed leagues above Tayuya or her ogres. The only issue was her defensive skills that were highly effective against someone with his skill set.
He pushed his Rasengan forward as Mr. Hands moved forward as well. The chakra worms flew across from his with slightly greater speed.
Naruto cocked his left hand back, attracting all of the ghost worms to the left.
I need to time this perfectly.
The worms inched forward.
So did his Rasengan.
There was an inch left.
SLEIGHT OF HAND!
The worms harmlessly entered through his left hand, which was now completely empty. They managed to pick out some chakra from his main body, but the Rasengan had disappeared.
And was now in his right palm.
Iron Rasengan!
Mr. Hands could do nothing but accept his fate as a Rasengan blasted through his stomach, carving a massive hole through which Naruto could see the shocked expression of Tayuya. Guts, blood, vessels, and other fluids exploded everywhere in a grotesque fashion.
Two down.
There wasn't any time to waste—he had to deal with the last ogre as fast as possible.
Before he could, however, Tayuya began playing her flute.
The most beautiful, serene sound he ever heard.
Suddenly, the world became yellow.
Naruto found himself stuck in place with both his arms by the side, creating a 'T'. He tried to move himself, but to no avail. Fuck! Move! Move!
Tayuya continued her playing without any care to the world.
His arm began to...droop. As if it took the properties of fluid, his arms started to bend impossibly downwards. Naruto screamed in pain as the physical sensation of the movement plagued his mind repeatedly. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. He repeated the mantra but to no success. He desperately searched for any solution.
If I dismiss Zabuza and try to summon another shadow to help me escape, that leaves me completely open to Mr. Blind to get a free shot, which could possibly mean death.
For some strange reason, he found himself remembering the sensation of Itachi's genjutsu.
And then it all clicked.
Compared to what Itachi Uchiha put him through, this was absolute child's play.
Itachi…was simply better.
Naruto began to move his fingers.
He focused on the crimson world that Itachi had created and put him in, trying to fish out as many details and particulars of the illusionary world as possible.
His hand began to move.
The image of the spinning red Sharingan was embedded in his mind.
"Ugh!" Naruto exclaimed in pain as he pushed the kunai in his pocket into his own skin.
The illusion ceased to exist.
[Ding!]
[Skill: Fortress Of The Mind leveled up!]
Tayuya was shell shocked. "How?"
I don't have time to explain shit to you. Nor can I really answer that question myself.
Naruto looked back to where Zabuza was fighting.
Or, was fighting.
A massive black sword was impaled straight into the chest of Mr. Blind and through the ground beneath him as well. The ogre fell to the ground with a loud slam.
On top of the sword stood a devilish swordsman.
Naruto grinned. "I guess you forgot to play the flute for a while, eh?"
"Fuck you."
She brought the flute back to her lips.
Naruto flashed right in front of her, grabbing a hold of the flute before snapping it in half with his bare hands. He kicked Tayuya down to the ground and threw the fragments of her instrument to the side.
Tayuya lost. And she knew it.
Her eyes lost any hope of victory.
For a brief moment, there was absolute silence.
"Kill me," Tayuya stated simply.
"No," Naruto refused. His Berserker rage was slowly simmering down, allowing his mind to think properly once more. Killing a member of his clan just felt wrong. He didn't like to fight her to begin with.
"You're a fool."
"I'll give you a chance to leave that snake bastard. Just leave and hide somewhere. Live a normal life."
Tayuya cackled. "A normal life? I had no life, but Orochimaru-sama gave me one. Don't you dare call him a snake bastard, when you know nothing about what life is like back in Otogakure. It's kill or be killed over there. You spoiled Konoha brats would never understand."
"How does that give you the right to kill other civilians? Does your pain give you the freedom to become terrorists?"
"I've killed a lot of people," Tayuya admitted. "Most of them were shinobi, some of them were innocent civilians, and others simply died in the vicinity of combat. But I couldn't care less. A mission will always have deaths…I have no guilt."
Naruto gritted his teeth in anger.
His Berserker rage started to creep upwards.
Naruto stared at her coldly. "If I let you go, what will you do?"
Tayuya smiled widely. "I'm gonna find your family and friends, kill them off one by one, the exact same way you destroyed by summons and my flute. And after all of that, I'll finally find you and give you to Orochimaru. How does that sound?"
Naruto couldn't ignore his anger any longer.
The slowly waning Berserker rage spiked up without mercy.
He could only see red.
His kunai sparked into existence with a simple sleight of hand and across Tayuya's throat.
Her death was quick and painless.
All of his anger left his body.
The Berserker skill finally ran out.
A gust of wind struck against his pale face. His bright blue eyes shone brightly in the shadows of the forest. Naruto panted heavily, every breath heavily in contrast with the stagnant, eerie silence of the girl in front of him.
She deserved it. She deserved it. She deserved it. It doesn't matter if she was an Uzumaki—she deserved it.
But did she?
In his clear mind, Naruto could only wonder one thing. Why didn't she just lie? If she truly wanted to live, Tayuya could have just lied and said she would follow Naruto's orders. Instead, she blatantly refused to lie. For someone so self-admittedly selfish and evil…why would she say the truth so easily?
She wanted to die.
Naruto shook his head. No, no, no. I'm overthinking it. That can't have been true.
He suddenly remembered the look across Tayuya's face when his kunai was flashing toward her.
Acceptance.
Maybe even a touch of gratitude.
I'm right. Naruto thought with a grim expression. I have to be.
But why? Why did she want to die? He simply couldn't wrap his head around someone ending their own life.
The blond had a theory, however.
Orochimaru was Tayuya's savior. Whatever dark quagmire that she find herself in, she was pulled out of it by an outstretched, scaly hand. She had no other option to follow Orochimaru, whether or not she wanted to or not. Her idol and hero was coincidentally a piece of shit person—there was no wonder why she turned out this way.
She may not have led the best life while she was alive.
But Naruto could give her a chance to be better while she was dead.
He struggled with his indecision.
But ultimately decided that he was doing the right thing.
If she doesn't want to, she can simply refuse. That's how it works, right? The will of the person to remain in the afterlife…that's one of the factors why it doesn't immediately allow them to convert! Regardless of that fact, I simply believe that she deserves a second chance.
He cleared his throat.
"Tayuya…"
"Arise."
[-end-]
Yo!
My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters or THREE WEEKS ahead (chapters 41, 42, 43) and support my endeavor to become an author. So if you can't wait for the next update—check out:
P a treon . com (slash) PaladinKaladin
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Man, I love cliffhangers. Anyways, this was a 6,000 chapter for those who were complaining about the chapter lengths, and the new few are relatively long as well.
I know some people will ask why Naruto seems so down about this kill even though he did kill a few invading shinobi in the invasion. Simply because he knows Tayuya is an Uzumaki, and the idea of killing some part of your family as an ORPHAN can't sit well in his mind.
Question of the day:
Do you think the shadow extraction will work? Tayuya is a strong-headed person, so anything can happen :P
Make sure to follow, review, and favorite to keep up with next week's chapter!
Chapter 41 is releasing on Tuesday, 5th of November. Around 2 PM Washington DC time.
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