Chapter 112 Deadly Blossom.
The ground quaked under the assault of the titans, the trees, blown away from their clash. Twin tails lashed out against the Toad summon pulling to force an opening.
"Nyah!" Nekomata snarled, clawing at the Toad's face. Gamaken leaped back, breaking free of the tails.
Nekomata advanced, his claws viciously scraping against the shield. The battle hardened cat spun around, slamming his tails into Gamaken and throwing him off balance. Jiraiya cursed as the toad fell back onto his back, the split tailed cat leaping onto his chest to assert dominance.
"Gamaken!" Jiraiya cried, leaping from his perch to crouch in a tree branch.
"A cat that has evolved to having split tails, is one that has lived a long time," Ma commented.
Gamaken held his sasumata across Nekomata's mouth, preventing the cat from ripping his throat out. This was supposed to be a test, why was this cat trying so hard to kill him. The cat growled angrily above him, gnawing at the metal rod in its mouth.
"We have to do something!" Pa called.
"Do you have time to worry about others?"
They turned to the Kenjutsu clone behind him, with her hand in a quick draw.
"Die" she commanded, swinging her sword in a wide arc. Jiraiya leapt into the air and over her head. Before she could react he dropped kicked into her back, burying her into the thick branch.
With a swift movement, he spun and kicked a high collared clone in the stomach, earning a gasp of pain before she was sent away.
The other clones showed no concern for their own, instead charging at him.
Poison blew a kiss, purple smoke emerged from her lips to cover the area. Jiraiya leapt back from the toxic smoke, cautious of the senbons that followed after him. The smoke shifted, and Jiraiya crouched on a branch, launching himself forward with a powerful kick.
Taijutsu clone grunted as the kick landed on her pretty face, drawing blood and sending her careening back.
Wire string wrapped around the offending foot and the Kenjutsu clone yanked him down, slamming him into the tree trunk.
He forced himself up and away from the swarm of pink petals threatening to devour him.
"What a mess," Pa balked. "With so many of them attacking at once there's no room to breathe."
"Lets handle that case first," Ma said, extending her tongue to wrap around Nekomata's neck.
"Eh?" The cat cried in surprise.
Pa!" Ma cried.
"Right!" Pa's cheeks swelled and he spat out high pressured water that cut through branches.
"Shit!" a clone cursed and a pink shield formed before the beast. The water blast clashed against the shield, causing an explosion that freed Gamaken. The toad stumbled to his feet, nodding at the elders.
"Ugh," to think there would come a day when this one would fight alongside Springflys," the cat snarled as the smoke cleared. "Well, so long as those sharp wings aren't pointed at my neck, I'll overlook it this once."
Jiraiya grimaced as the giant cat returned to view, covered in pink samurai armor. Standing on his hind legs the cat gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. With a slow and deliberate pull, the pink blade came into view.
Gamaken cursed in his heart. What part of this was a test? That cat was going to kill him today. If he died, he swore to tell the elder sage. Standing at attention, Gamaken readied for another deadly fight.
"This one will strike down the foe before us," Nekomata grinned. "Try not to die too quickly, toad."
Words exchanged, Nekomata charged forward, clashing with the shield creating a shockwave.
Jiraiya cursed, leaping back from the clone's attack. The Taijutsu clone was back, though her eyes were now blind.
She swung her fist with power, and stomped her feet with force. Jiraiya was sure to keep away from her, dodging around her fist.
"Let's go, Ma, Pa!" Jiraiya called out, crouching down.
"Right!"
Jiraiya's body morphed. His hands and feet became like a toad's, his teeth sharp like a shark and his face more puggy. A mix between a monkey and a frog, he charged into the fight.
As Nekomata and Gamaken exchanged blows in the background, so too did Jiraiya.
Jiraiya danced around the four clones that attacked in sync. The blind Taijutsu clone was just as vicious as the bruised Kenjutsu clone that switched between weapons to behead him.
A sword was swapped for a spear where she thrusted at him, swinging the spear and slashing at him who leapt out of range. Frustrated, she switched to a chained sickle and wrapped the chain around his ankle once more. Jiraiya grinned. In this form his strength was superior to before. He pulled his leg back, pulling her with it . caught off guard she was pulled forward and received a devastating blow to the stomach. Jiraiya heard a satisfying crack before he pushed forward and threw her a distance away.
Once more the others ignored their down comrade and rushed at him.
Poison clone threw senbons at him but he nimbly dodged, hanging onto a branch in time for the shock wave of another attack to blow through. The unprepared clone was thrown off the branch by the hellish wind. Gamaken's sasumata sparked against Nekomata's sword, but the cat was unbothered, flicking his blade and swinging up at the toad who held up a shield to block, bringing down his sasumata to retaliate in the same breath.
Twin tails grabbed his arm and the struggle continued. Jiraiya stood still, letting the two shock waves wash over him before he dared to stand.
Learning from the past, he looked around for the nurse clad clone. If he didn't get rid of her first there's no telling how long he would have to fight.
Looking at where he threw an injured clone he saw a flash of white and moved.
Green hands reached for the injured taijutsu clone when a pink tongue grabbed hold of her. A gasp ripped from her throat as she was pulled away. She equipped a scalpel but it was too late.
"Rasengan!"
The spiraling wall of chakra hit her square in the chest and ripped through delicate flesh. Pa released his hold and the broken clone's body flew away, crashing into a tree trunk before falling lifeless onto a branch.
"One down," Jiraiya announced. Turning back to catch the fist of the Taijutsu clone, without her eyes she wasn't as precise as before and with his current form, she wasn't his match. He threw her over his shoulder and stomped down, cracking bones. With a quick movement he summoned a sword and stabbed it into her chest. The clone stopped moving.
"Two down," Jiraiya said, turning around. The other clones watched him with various expressions.
"So vicious," the kenjutsu clone snared. "Why so desperate?"
"You took out our healer, huh, trying to make sure we stay down?" the poison clone scoffed.
"Even if you beat us you still have the boss to deal with," the genjutsu clone said into her high collar.
"I'll burn that bridge when I get to it," he told them. "Come on!"
Nekomata's tail slammed into Gamaken's shield as they charged at each other. Poison's smoke was blown away by the shockwave leaving the genjutsu clone exposed. Jiraiya crouched, his white hair becoming sharp before firing off like senbons. Before she could react she was impaled by a thousand needles.
She grunted pitifully before she fell off the branch to the ground. Poison clicked her tongue preparing a handful of senbons, watching the fight in the background so she wouldn't miss.
Jiraiya moved first, charging at her with a rasengan ready.
Chains rattled as they wrapped around him. With a powerful yank, Jiraiya was pulled back and away from his target. The Poisonous clone grinned and threw a handful of senbons at him. Were he alone he would be injured, but he wasn't. Ma grabbed a branch with her tongue and pulled them away from the senbons while Pa fired a water blast at the offending clone.
Water slammed into the poison clone sending her back against the trunk, a deep gash in her shoulder, she struggled to stand. Her arms trembled as she pushed herself up. She glared at him before collapsing to the branch, unmoving.
"Four down."
The blade wielding clone swapped chains for twin swords and charged at him. With quick movements she slashed at him. There was no more grace, each slash a deadly one with killing intent. If he had to put a word to it, it would be frustration.
As Jiraiya leaped back she sliced through branches that got in her way without care.
She threw the swords at him, the blade flew by his head as he dodged. With a flick of her fingers shurikens appeared and sailed through the air at him as well.
He moved around the deadly blades before charging forward.
"Lad!" Ma cried out, noticing the wire strings he missed. She flexed her finger and pulled on the wires and recalled the shurikens to attack from behind. Jiraiya cursed and extended his hair around his body, shielding himself from the attack. Wire string wrapped around his frame, holding him in place, but failing to break his defence.
"Nyah!" Nekomata cried out as he swung his sword down and shattered Gamaken's shield. The toad cried out as he was thrown back, his fall causing another round of trimmers. Nekomata pounced on him to finish him off.
Unable to move, Jiraiya took a deep breath in sync with the elders.
"Sage art," they exhaled, wind, oil and fire. "Bath of boiling oil."
A sea of oiling oil flew out towards the clone, she leapt back but it was too late. With their proximity she wasn't able to escape the splash range and was engulfed in the boiling technique. Her gasp was washed away with the boiling oil and Jiraiya turned to the fighting titans. "Five down.
Gamaken grunted as Nekomata pressed the sharp sword down against his sasumata.
The two glared at each other in this stalemate. The clone atop Nekomata's head sat, their eyes closed in concentration.
Jiraiya leapt from Gamaken's down form and up his arms to Nekomata's fur covered paw.
"Kitten!" Nekomata warned but Jiraiya was faster. He kicked the clone from her perch, sending her away from the spit tailed cat. He was quick. This clone was one of the most dangerous, with her petals, she had the best offence and defence.
The clone flipped in the air and landed gracefully on a tree branch, she twirled once, and a swarm of pink petals flew towards him. Ma took a breath, and blew a strong gust of wind sending the petals away.
The clone gritted her teeth, twisting her wrist to control the swarms' movements. They gathered again and dodged around Ma's wind attack.
Jiraiya joined Ma in the attack, releasing a fireball that obscured the clone's view and forced her back.
A pink wall of petals came up to block the shurikens and she turned sharply to the right, but Jiraiya attacked from the left, his movements quickening. Pink petals formed a barrier around her to block his attack from all sides. She stepped back once, and her heel activated the tag. She turned around in horror to the flash of an explosion tag.
Booom! The explosion threw her a distance, her small frame slamming into a tree branch above her. She coughed and fell down below, momentarily stunned. Pink petals swarmed around her to cushion her fall, but as she stood she was met with a blue glow.
"Giant Rasengan!" Jiraya cried out, the swirl of chakra reflecting in the Final clones eyes. She gritted her teeth, glaring at her end. She failed but this wasn't over. The jutsu landed on her unguarded body, the resulting explosion shooked the forest, sending roots and branches flying.
Nekomata paused as the armor around his body faded. He huffed.
"The brat fell, huh?" He turned back to the toad and scoffed. With a poof he disappeared, leaving smoke where he once stood. Gamaken sighed in relief, falling onto his backside. It was finally over, looking to where Jiraiya stood over the clone's fallen body, he decided in his heart he wouldn't come when called for a while. Let Gamabunta deal with things like this.
"I'm going to head back," Gamaken announced. Jiraiya nodded and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Jiraiya sighed tiredly. But it wasn't over.
"We should head back as well," Pa said.
"No," Jiraiya interrupted. "There's still one more left." He turned to the starting point, he could still sense her there, she didn't move at all during the fight. "The real one wasn't among them."
They turned and rushed towards her destination.
"The real one?" Pa asked. "So those girls were only clones?" he hummed. "They didn't feel like mere clones."
"I don't understand it either," Jiraiya confessed. "She summoned them from a scroll."
"A scroll you say," Ma looked thoughtful. "Perhaps a jutsu she created?" she nodded to herself. If the clones were this strong, the original will be difficult."
"We can't let our guard down around her," Jiraiya agreed. "I plan to trap her in a genjutsu and end this quickly. Ma, Pa if you please."
"Right!"
Sakura looked up at the sound of movement, Jiraiya stood in the trees, a smirk on his lips.
"Are you finally back?" She asked dismissing a pink butterfly that fluttered around her. She stretched. "I was starting to wonder if you would come back at all."
"I will admit your clones gave me a run for my money, but it all ends now!"
The song of frogs croaking filled the clearing, Sakura turned her head finding the source easily enough. Jiraiya didn't let her move, forming a rasengan and rushing towards her.
Sakura stood atop the throne, flipping behind it, she kicked it toward Jiraiya's attack. The Sanin didn't stop the attack, blasting through the throne and continuing towards Sakura. The kunoichi smiled at him unbothered.
"Rasengan!" he announced, thrusting his hand forward.
Sakura stepped to the side at a speed he couldn't follow. With fluid movements she chopped his wrist and kicked him in the stomach, stopping his momentum and throwing him back. The clone poofed as it slammed into a tree trunk.
Jiraiya gasped at the memory, his eyes trembling at the new information. Sakura walked leisurely towards him, following the sound.
"Almost there," Pa grunted.
Sakura appeared unhurried as she approached his still form; a deceivingly soft smile on her face.
Familiar pink petals gathered around her, forming a katana in her delicate hand. Her smile became sinister. Just then, she stilled, her head tilting to the side.
When she didn't move for a moment Jiraiya became hopeful.
"This genjutsu is one that traps the Psyche and paralyze the body," He explained. "Even if you have more clones they won't be able to move as well."
He allowed a smirk to grace his lips, sharp teeth glinting.
"This is my victory, Little girl."
Summoning a sword he pointed it at her to make a point. The blade was swatted away by Sakura's own blade.
"Was that supposed to do something?" She asked in a childish tone. Jiraiya leapt back, even the elders were surprised.
"How can this be!" Ma cried. "We completed the song!"
Sakura smirked, knowingly.
"Hehe," She laughed. "I'm just teasing. It's only that genjutsu doesn't work on me."
They gasped.
"Be it genjutsu, sharingan, or god's illusion. None of it works on me," she flicked the blade pointing it at Jiraiya. If that's all you have, then you've already lost."
She moved.
Jiraiya didn't blink but it felt like he did, how else could you explain Sakura's sudden disappearance. A sharp pain rang from his chest and he grunted, blood rising to the back of his throat.
"What?" He choked, coughing up blood.
"Lad!" the elders cried in alarm.
"You let your guard down," Sakura said from behind him. He turned to her in surprise, but she kept her back to him. "You thought you figured me out after fighting my six flowers, but you're not sensible. Did you underestimate me because I'm not fighting with the Kages?" she chuckled darkly. "Shall I show you the difference between us?"
She held her hand out to the side and dropped her sword, Jiraiya couldn't help but watch its movements, his eyes widening when the blade fell into the ground like water.
"Bankai," Sakura muttered softly. The forest disappeared, replaced by a void of inky blackness. Jiraiya flinched, quickly raising his hand to release the illusion but nothing happened.
"It's not an illusion," Ma said heavily.
Just then, a pink sword appeared, glowing in the darkness, it floated over head. Before Jiraiya could make sense of it, the sword suddenly multiplied forming a wall around him several rows high. He looked up in awe, dread gnawing in his stomach.
"Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," Sakura announced the attack, her back still to him. "If Madara were here, we would set them aflame and roast you as we killed you, but since it's just me, turning you into a pin cushion will have to do."
"Lad!" Pa cried out to snap Jiraiya from his stupor.
"Begone," Sakura said softly and the blades pointed to him. They gleamed in the light of their own glow before shooting towards him.
"I yield!" he cried out.
Jiraiya stared with trembling eyes, as the blade floated just an inch away from him.
Snap!
With a snap of her finger, the blades scattered into petals and the darkness faded away.
Sakura turned to him with a joyous expression.
"I'm glad we got that out of the way!" she clapped. "It's best to know one's limits."
"Lad?" Ma asked. "Don't tell me this wasn't a serious fight?"
"Ma how can you even say that," Jiraiya whined. "Didn't you see how close I came to death?" Jiraiya felt wronged.
"You need not worry," Sakura assured. "Even if you died, I would fix your body and put your soul right back." She said it with such confidence, Jiraiya wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
He reached behind him and unclasped the scroll.
"If I give you this now, can I leave with all my limbs intact?" He offered the scroll.
"You should have been this obedient from the beginning," Sakura huffed, waving a finger, the scroll flew out of his hand and into hers.
Seeing no danger, the elders released Jiraiya's sage mode, his human form returning.
"So all this was for the summoning contract scroll," Pa commented. "With a summon like Nekomata, what use do you have for this contract?"
"Oh," Sakura grinned innocently. "It's not for me."
The sun shined down on her. Jiraiya looked up to find the trees retracting. The surroundings returned to a simple forest, the sun beaming down from above.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, running into her arms. "You were so cool! The way you fought him like, bam and then like whoosh!" she waved his hands excitedly recounting his favourite part of the fight while Sakura watched him warmly.
"As expected of Saru's student," Tobirama commented. "You did quite well."
"Lord second!" Ma exclaimed.
"So when she said she could revive the dead she wasn't joking!?" Pa almost fainted.
Hashirama looked worriedly at the elders who paled at his presence.
"Don't be like this," Sakura whined. Jiraiya looked back to see Madara hugging her from behind, rubbing his cheek against hers. "Can't you stay for lunch? The weather is so nice."
"I've had enough sun thank you," he held up his pale arm. "Do you want me to get a tan? Won't look as good as Naruto."
Narurto blushed, looking down at his own tan skin.
Sakura huffed. "You just don't want to talk to Sasuke."
"If you understand, let me go back." He held her tighter, the scene looking intimate.
Sakura sighed in defeat. Taking that as consent Madara placed a hand over Sakura's chest, the seal beneath pulsing with power. With a puff he was gone. Sakura's eyes flashed black, with a blink they were green once more.
"Well if you're all done playing, I think I'll return as well," the redhead said, walking over to Sakura.
Thinking carefully, that woman looked an awful lot like Mito Uzumaki, didn't she? With a delicate touch to Sakura's seal, Kurama disappeared in a puff of smoke as well, Sakura's eyes flashing red.
Having had enough of the surprises, Ma and Pa returned to mount Myoboku, leaving him behind.
Sakura frowned as the chakras settled inside her. She hugged Naruto tightly, rubbing her face in his blond hair. "Sakura," Naruto whined. "I can't go inside so stop suffocating me."
She released him with a huff. Taking the summoning scroll and presenting it to him.
"Now you too will have a summon," she said proudly.
"You mean I'll be able to summon that huge toad too?" he exclaimed, excitedly.
Sakura nodded, patting his head. Minato stepped forward and explained how it worked. Naruto signed his name next to Minato Namikaze and excitedly started to practice. Oddly enough his first someone wasn't a baby, but Gamabunta's son. Naruto wasn't at all disappointed, picking the toad up and hugging it like a prized toy.
"Hey let me go!" Gamakichi whined.
With the business concluded, Sakura tossed the scroll back to Jiraiya.
"You can see yourself out," she told him. He sighed.
"You could have told me you just wanted to make Naruto a contractor," he looked over at the blonds. "I planned to make him a contracter after he became my student anyway."
"See, I have no intention of ever making him your student, so best forget the ambition," Sakura's smile was cold. He chuckled.
"I never thought there would come a day when my own student hated me."
"Inactions have just as many consequences as actions," she said, walking by him and towards the celebrating blonds.
Tobirama clapped him on the shoulder.
"Don't be pushy, forgiveness can't be granted overnight."
"Ah, I wouldn't advise you to give him false hope," Hashirama warned his brother. "If it was just Minato, then maybe he could be forgiven, but let's not forget, Sakura, Madara and Kurama hates him too."
Jiraiya's aura became gloomy.
The villagers cheered as they welcomed in a new hokage, Tsunade stood atop the tower looking down with the hokage hat atop her head.
She had forgone the room in favour of her more comfortable outfit, she didn't even have a cape. I was tempted to paint Fifth Hokage on the back of her green jacket. She was breaking so many rules and I loved it.
Another arc has come to an end. Naruto and Sasuke begin their training, the exams are over and the five Kages are warned. Now all I have to do is survive the next arc.
"There's no guarantee that it will happen," Madara muttere beside me. I looked over at the young face that came out only after everyone was gone.
"There's no guarantee it won't," I countered. While Orochimaru seemed different from before things were progressing according to the plot if a little warped.
The Uchiha incident was bigger, the land of the waves, more chaotic, and the chunin exams had a dragon. Ok so there were huge changes. I didn't want to think about what they would do to capture Sasuke. Would they attack the village pein style.
I stilled.
"You're overthinking it again," he turned to look at me with black eyes. "No matter the situation, you're not alone anymore."
I looked away.
"Until we "die" we will always be by your side." he chuckled, cupping my chin and forcing me to face him again. "I will always be by your side."
I scoffed. "What are you even saying? You're sealed inside me," I pointed out. "There's nowhere for you to go."
She chuckled, petting my hair with a knowing smile on his lips.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
I clapped his arm.
Naruto and Sasuke stood in the crowd, the Uchiha sporting bandages and Naruto caring around Gamakichi. Kakashi stood with his jonin companions and Hashirama, Tobirama, and Minato watched the ceremony from atop the Hokage tower. Everyone was enjoying this time of peace.
In the distance black robes swayed in the wind. The akatsuki stood a distance away watching the festivities of Konoha.
"Are the preparations ready," Ina asked, her eyes locked on the happy scene.
"Have I mentioned this is a bad idea," Orochimaru said beside her, unwilling.
"I think it's the worst idea yet," Fugaku muttered from behind them.
"Well?" Ina ignored their complaints, it's nothing she hasn't heard before.
"Yes," Orochimaru sighed. "Every part of your disaster plan is ready," he complained. "Obito won't like this one bit."
"We do this all for world peace," Ina purred.
"Mother," Kimimaru called, standing with Temujin. "Brother Nagato is waiting at the valley of the end."
Ina smiled, turning away from the happy scene.
"Then let's begin," she walked into the forest. "A new arc is about to begin."
If I were to stop here and disappear off the internet, I'm sure no one would be disappointed right?
It's not that I want to stop halfway. I already have the ending plan, but you know how people just die all of a sudden right?
Anyway, I'm going on vacation for the month of december.
Next chapter
January 1 2025.
Happy Christmas everyone!
Until next time.
Night song!
See me on twitter at Luna_K_gale!