Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" nor do I own anything in relation to the series
Chapter Thirty-eight
Ribi-chan!
Someone was calling desperately out to her, but she couldn't move an inch.
Ribi-chan, hang in there!
She couldn't figure out who it was that was screaming her name. But after a few seconds, it finally hit her.
"N—Naruto?"
*Three Hours Earlier*
"Kami—" Karibi winced as the morning light jolted her from a deep slumber. A sharp breath slipped from her lips as she groaned, her body feeling heavy and haggard from the night before. With an uneasy tremble in her gut, the jonin tried to recall how it was she ended up lying on a wooden bench outside, a sharp pain shooting across her head.
It took her a few seconds to remember drinking with Tsunade.
"Damn it," she muttered, forcing herself to sit upright; she felt like shit.
"I thought you were about to out-drink me last night. I'm impressed." Karibi blinked, turning her head far too quickly to find Tsunade sitting beside her; she groaned at the wave of nausea that came over her.
"Is this how you feel every morning?" The older woman smirked before shrugging. "This is terrible."
"You have a ways to go before you can play with the adults, brat." Karibi merely rolled her eyes.
They sat in a companionable silence for a few seconds, tension festering on the jonin's shoulders. She eyed the blonde seated beside her for the corner of her eyes, the older kunoichi's somber expression coaxing a frown on to Karibi's face. She was surprisingly alert for someone who drank as much as she had the night before. Karibi, herself, was just barely managing to keep her eyes open, but it was the gleam in Tsunade's eyes that sobered the younger woman instantly.
"...I'm going to see Orochimaru." Neither were surprised by that fact, which didn't seem to surprise either of them either. "I'm sure Jiraiya's already told you about this." Karibi slowly nodded, keeping her mouth shut; she knew how to read a room.
"He offered me a once-in-a-life time opportunity. The kind of opportunity that's too good to be true." Tsunade narrowed her eyes, jaw clenched tight as she glared at the tree across the path from where she sat. "He gave me one week to decide on what I wanted to do."
"...Have you made your decision?" Karibi turned her head to fully gaze upon her elder, Tsunade sighing before she turned to face Karibi, as well.
"I have now." The sanin scoffed and then shook her head, her dry smile chipping away at some of the weight that pressed down on Karibi's shoulders. "I'm going to finish this, once and for all." A chill trickled down Karibi's back at the decided shimmer in Tsunade's eyes.
"...I've carried the pain of losing Nawaki and Dan with me for a long time. And after this, I probably still will. But I'm done taking my anger and sorrow out on other people." Karibi blinked, Tsunade standing up tall with her hands balled up into tight fists. "And if that bastard thinks he can manipulate me so easily into doing his bidding, he has another thing coming."
She could feel the amount of power in Tsunade just sitting beside her. It hit her like rampant waves crashing against the shoreline, washing over her and knocking her off balance. It was hard for her to breathe—hard for her to focus on anything but the suffocating force of the other woman's chakra. Learning about the power of the Slug Queen was a different experience than seeing it with her own eyes; Karibi understood why she was so well renowned.
"Can I ask why you're telling me this all?"
"...Do you remember what you told me yesterday?" The question caught the younger woman off guard, her eyes widening before she shook her head; Tsunade scoffed, though her amused smile never faded. "Figures. You were a complete goner."
"I'm sorry I'm not a professional alcoholic," Karibi snapped back, scowling deeply with her arms crossed at her chest; she resembled that of a pouting child for a moment.
Chuckling, Tsunade sighed, lifting her head to stare up at the blue sky. Her eyes wandered from one puffy cloud to the next before she turned her full attention back to Karibi and smiled softly. "I don't think it really matters at this point." She was right.
Steeling herself, Karibi stood up, ignoring the pulsating throb at her temple. With hardened eyes, the younger woman faced the sanin without a single bit of doubt in her eyes. Tsunade raised a brow at her, her puzzled expression causing Karibi to shake her head.
"I'm assuming you have a plan?"
"What's it to you?"
"You've already told me this much. You might as well tell me what your plan is so I can help." Tsuande blinked, surprised by the brash statement. There was a snide remark waiting to be said—a jab about how there was no room for child's play or how Tsunade didn't need anyone slowing her down, but the gleam in Karibi's eyes caused adrenaline to pump through the older woman's veins.
"This is going to be dangerous," Tsunade stated, providing a cursory reminder for Karibi. Karibi hardly seemed fazed, the redhead nodding her head with her jaw set. She was well aware of how dangerous this would be, but when she thought about Naruto and she thought about the Chunin Exams—when she thought about her own past, she knew this was what she had to do.
"I already told you." With her head held high and her shoulders back, Karibi smirked at Tsunade. "I'm going to do whatever I can to protect the people I have now." And if that meant facing Orochimaru, then so be it.
Tsunade scoffed; she refused to be so moved by the young woman's conviction.
§
The minute the genin had woken up, his morning had been filled with nothing but chaos. Tsunade's whereabouts were questionable, and Jiraiya was hardly able to function; he was even more worried when he found Karibi missing and Shizune unconscious on the floor. It wasn't until the male sanin explained the events between himself and Tsunade from the night before; she had drugged him.
"This isn't good." Shizune's concern was unsettling to everyone. "Tsunade-sama—we have to find her and stop her."
"Stop her from what?" Naruto looked up at the blonde woman's assistant, Shizune's attention now on Jiraiya.
"Do you really think she would stoop as low as to—"
"For the chance to see Dan and Nawaki again...I don't know." Shizune hoped that her master would know better, but as of late, she wasn't sure she knew Tsunade so well.
Jiraiya grimaced, his mind racing with the speed of light. Although he still felt sluggish, he knew he had no time to waste. His concentrated gaze bounced from Shizune and then to Naruto, his heart sinking for a moment; what had happened to Karibi?
There were only one of two things that could have happened to the redhead. With the way Tsunade had drugged him and left him and everyone else behind, the instant assumption would be that she had done something similar to Karibi to keep her out of the way. And, at first, the sanin had truly thought that had been the case. But the clearer his mind became, the more he was able to piece together the puzzle of their current mystery.
I don't think she'll succumb to Orochimaru's deceit.
Karibi's voice echoed loudly in the Toad Sage's head.
The people that Tsunade loved and lost...they loved the village as much as she once loved the village...and I think that still matters and means something to her.
"We may have a different sort of problem on our hands." Shizune blinked while Naruto frowned, the genin lost within the chaos that was his morning.
"What sort of problem?"
"I have a feeling not only Tsunade, but Karibi are taking matters into their own hands." At the mention of his guardian, Naruto's face paled.
"Wh—What do you mean?" the boy questioned, trying not to let his concern shake him; both Shizune and Jiraiya could tell Naruto was instantly worried about Karibi.
With a sigh, Jiraiya attempted to stand, only to stumble; Naruto was swiftly at his side, carrying his weight. "I think they've decided to face Orochimaru on their own."
§
She was ashamed to admit it; she had genuinely considered Orochimaru's offer.
His words were so convincing, and her heart was yearning for just one touch—one last time to feel them in her arms. But it was the very thought of Dan and Nawaki that had broken her from the trance—that had freed her from the dark clutches of the snake; that and Karibi's sincere words that repeated over and over in head head. They had loved the very village Orochimaru was going to destroy, and she had realized that healing Orochimaru for the sake of Dan and Nawaki's deformed presence would mean nothing if Konoha were to fall.
And so, she had taken it upon herself to do the right thing; just as Karibi had said, it was time for her to face her demons.
Her initial plan was to fool Orochimaru; the sanin had made it very clear that she didn't want Karibi interfering unless there was no other choice. There was no plan as far as what the two kunoichi would do if Karibi had to interject; they were both smart enough to know that if things reached that level, it wouldn't matter how many plans they came up with.
Tsunade stood in front of her former teammate, and for the briefest moment, she thought about the days where they looked upon each other as comrades; she remembered the days where they had been friends. Now, she hardly recognized the person in front of her. And though she wasn't surprised, there was a small piece of her—the tiny part of Tsunade that thought about the past and mourned; there was a part of Tsunade that wondered what could have been had their paths in life not veered away from one another.
But she had decided to let go of longing. She had decided that it was time to release the anguish she had been harboring inside of her soul since she'd lost the ones she had loved. She'd stop living in the past and start looking to the future.
A future that Nawaki and Dan would have wanted.
Staring down at her own hands, Tsunade let the heat of her chakra course through her veins, Orochimaru staring intently at the chakra that would change the entire playing field. The second she healed his arms, he would be at maximum strength, and then there would be nothing to stop him from accomplishing his true plans; Konahagakure would fall at his hands.
Tsunade could feel her heart thudding loudly in her ears as she raised her hands up towards the useless limbs Orochimaru had. Her gaze sharpened as she prepared to strike, adrenaline pumping through her bloodstream. If her plan went accordingly—if things worked out the way she hoped, one of the biggest threats to the village would be eliminated. She'd be able to bring to life the dream her loved ones had always wanted, and it thrilled as well as scared her.
In an instant, her ploy burned into flames; Kabuto's unexpected and abrupt arrival turned the tables.
Kabuto was good—she could admit that. His level of knowledge and chakra control was impressive, to say the least. After all, he'd been able to see right through her scheme and detect the truth behind the chakra she had been mustering up. Still, as good as he was, there was no missing the cold hard facts; if she landed even just one blow on either of them, they were dead. It had been ages since she'd had to battle against anyone, but she didn't panic nor did she worry; she was rusty, but she was strong and talented.
She was going to give Orochimaru and Kabuto a run for their money.
The rogue Leaf ninja knew their odds weren't on the better side; with Tsunade against them and Jiraiya not far behind, the risks were high. They were quick to agree on gaining as much distance from the small village as possible; the further away they were, the less back-up Tsunade would have. And yet, even as they ran as far as they could, Tsunade remained hot on their tail and determined as ever. She left debris and rubble as she chased them down, and there was not a single bit of fear in her fiery gaze; Kabuto couldn't seem to shake the feeling they were missing something.
It didn't take long for the truth to reveal itself.
"She's not slowing down," Kabuto pointed out to his master, Orochimaru narrowing his eyes as he looked back at his former teammate; Tsunade charged ahead with determination gleaming in her eyes. The dark-haired man turned to look forward, sparks lighting in his head. He was an intelligent being, and he had a special talent for reading between the lines and putting together clues others couldn't even see.
"What're you up to?" Orochimaru hissed, glaring back at Tsunade; their plan had been to draw her out, and yet it seemed as though she was the one chasing them away.
He felt her before he saw her. He'd grown familiar with her energy and presence over the time they had spent together as examiner and subject; Orochimaru could never forget the taste of Karibi's power. Without warning, the sanin skid to a halt, leaping to his left. Kabuto's eyes widened before he reacted, though he was a millisecond too late; without warning, a body sprouted up from the ground, a fist hurdling up to Kabuto's face. A cry of agony erupted from the young man, the upper cut he was given sending him a generous amount into the air before he hit the ground. Pain flashed through his entire form as he rolled through the grass, only stopping when he slammed into a boulder; he couldn't stop from blacking out.
A smirk danced across Tsunade's face, her eyes burning with satisfaction. They slowly drifted to Orochimaru, the injured ninja standing a few feet away with his attention honed in on the one who had unexpectedly appeared.
They had discussed how they would tackle Orochimaru and Kabuto, and their plan had been simple; Tsunade was to take the lead until she couldn't. The sanin had made it utterly clear that she didn't want Karibi stepping in unless they were backed in a corner. And the jonin agreed, understanding that as strong as she was, she couldn't confidently say she could handle her own against someone like Orochimaru. The last thing she wanted to do was be an obstacle for her ally, and so she agreed; she would wait in the shadows while Tsunade drew their opponents away from the village to avoid any casualties and damage.
Although it had been quite some time since Tsunade had fought, and it had been even longer since she had seen Orochimaru, she could still read him enough; she deduced that they would try and outlast her and avoid her hits. So, to avoid getting too far and wasting too much energy, she had tasked Karibi with a single job; the second Karibi noticed a dip in Tsunade's chakra, she was to stop the rogue ninja from running any further. There was no one better suited for such a duty than the Uzumaki; she only knew Karibi for a short amount of time, but it didn't take her long to know she wasn't one to be trifled with.
And so, there the redhead stood, tilting her head to the right and then to the left; she sighed at the way her bones popped. A wolfish smirk spread the corners of her lips, the glint in her amethyst eyes catching both Tsunade and Orochimaru's attention; she was feeling good.
A tingling in Orochimaru's body stirred within him as his gold eyes landed on the Uzumaki. It had been since the chunin exams that he had last seen the young woman, and he could almost taste the chakra and power emitting from her tight and firm body. His eyes traced every curve of her body as she stood between Tsunade and Kabuto.
Oh, yes, this had been quite the turn of events.
"Your endurance is amazing, Tsunade." The sprightly smirk that danced across the redhead's lips was playful. "For a second, I wasn't sure if your chakra would ever waver."
"Karibi-chan." His voice was like slime oozing down her back. The hairs on her neck rose at the sound of her name rolling off of his tongue, and it made her want to scratch off her skin. But the jonin remained intact of herself, her eyes on Kabuto but her attention on the creature standing from afar. "It's been too long, dear."
"On the contrary, I actually think it hasn't been long enough." Her voice was strong, but Orochimaru could see right through her facade; she was shaking to her core.
Tsunade watched the exchange intently, her eyes wandering from Karibi to Orochimaru. Her jaw locked when she observed how her former teammate licked his lips, his eyes never straying from the redhead's figure. It made her stomach drop and her heart clench; there was a dark history between the two that Tsunade wasn't sure she wanted to know about.
"How's Sasuke-kun been since—"
"He's none of your concern," she interrupted coldly, quickly ending whatever conversation was about to start about the Uchiha. The dark haired sanin scoffed before his eyes landed on Tsunade.
"Today seems to be just full of surprises," he mumbled before he looked back to Karibi, a wild smirk stretched across his lips.
"Do you plan on saving Tsunade from us, Karibi-chan?" Said kunoichi rolled her eyes.
"She doesn't need any saving. Especially not from me." Karibi was no fool; she, herself, was strong, but the level of a sanin was incomparable. "I'm here to help her take care of you two once and for all." Her remark only seemed to stir more excitement out of the sanin.
"Kabuto." Said ninja groaned, standing up on his wobbly legs while wiping blood that dripped down from the corner of his lip. "You know what to do."
Fighting both, Tsunade and Karibi was a death sentence, even for the likes of Orochimaru. In his current condition, he was no match for both of them; Kabuto could hold his own, but he too would never be able to take both of them down. However, there was one thing the master of snakes knew about his former comrade that could even the playing field. All they needed was one opening; they just needed to get in arm's reach of Tsunade.
Not needing to say anything, Kabuto acted. He was rushing towards the kunoichi, raising his knee and aiming towards Karibi's gut, the jonin using her free hand to catch his knee and shove it back. She grabbed her opponent's wrist as he tugged his arm down and twisted it around to free himself from her grasp. A grunt fell from the young woman's lips before she released Kabuto from her hold and planted her hands on the ground. Pushing off with her legs, the jonin twisted her body around and aimed her kick towards Kabuto's head; he blocked the attack and then jumped backwards. The Leaf kunoichi swiftly leaped after him, only to stop where she stood when her eyes widened. Reacting as quickly as she could, Karibi span around to face Tsunade; it seemed their enemy was trying to create space between them.
Tsunade's reflexes jump started immediately, her feet pressing into the ground before she launched herself into the air. She managed to dodge an attack from Kabuto, the Sound ninja springing up from the ground with chakra formed around his hands. Her brain worked rapidly, processing the fact that Kabuto's chakra wasn't just randomly collecting.
Chakra Scalpels.
As the woman began her downward descent, she narrowed her eyes and prepared her fist, pulling her arm back and thrusting it forward towards her target's face. She scowled at the way her fist connected with Kabuto's cheek, but she was hardly pleased with her successful jab; she was hitting nothing more than a log.
"Substitution," she snapped to herself, landing gracefully on the ground before she turned on her heels; Kabuto stood behind the sanin with his kunai drawn and a dark smirk spread across his face.
She wouldn't have had enough time to block Kabuto's attack from the way she landed. The angle was wrong, and she had been a split-second too slow. He had the perfect opening to at least immobilize her, and yet, instead of attacking, he paused for two seconds before his smirk widened.
He let Karibi's blade slice his arm; his blood splattered everywhere.
Karibi couldn't figure out what Kabuto's objective was. First, he'd drawn them apart, then had had feigned an attack on Tsunade, and now he was leaving himself wide open for her to counter strike. There was no logic in his method, but there was no time to waste; the quicker they eliminated him, the easier it would be for the two of them to take down Orochimaru. So, she charged ahead, taking her shot and using her kunai to cut Kabuto where she could reach.
She realized she'd made a mistake the second her gaze landed on Tsunade, the older woman wearing a terrified look upon her face.
Kabuto's triumphant laughter had puzzled Karibi, the jonin's brows furrowing as she gazed at the gash that she had left on his arm. It wasn't until she heard unfamiliar whimpering that she realized something had gone wrong.
With startled eyes, Karibi turned her focus to Tsunade, the blonde frozen with specks of blood splattered all over her face. At first, the younger woman couldn't understand what the problem was. After all, they were both kunoichi who had been on the battlefield and had been trained to live through the best and the worst of the ninja world. But as Karibi examined the sanin closely, she began to piece the puzzle together; Tsunade's horrified eyes followed Kabuto's injured arms in every direction.
"There's no way that we can take the both of you on with Orochimaru-sama's current condition." Kabuto's eyes were full of malice, his gaze icy and calculating. "So, it's only fair that we even the playing field, don't you think?"
"Tsunade..." Karibi stared at the older woman, unable to hide her astonishment; Tsunade quivered like a newborn fawn.
"Bl—Blood. It's—I—" Karibi reacted without having to even look at Kabuto, the rogue ninja moving to stab the paralyzed sanin. Before he could dig the point of his kunai into the blonde's neck, Karibi was wrapping her arms around her and leaping out of the way.
"Tsunade!" The redhead grimaced, Tsunade's pupils constricted to the point where it was almost difficult for Karibi to even see them. The older kunoichi's mind was elsewhere—somewhere far away where she couldn't be reached, leaving Karibi to fend for the both of them. Without knowing the full details of Tsunade's condition, the jonin couldn't help her, though she could make a guess as to what was going on; she wished she had known about Tsunade's phobia before they had launched themselves into fight-mode.
"I can't—I can't—"
"Shit..." Looking over her shoulder, Karibi glared with rage at Kabuto and Orochimaru, both watching with smug expressions on their faces. She could feel her insides twisting while they gazed at her as if they had won—as if the battle was already over; it was far from.
Without another word, Karibi was launching herself forward. Her eyes narrowed before she pulled out three kunai with paper bombs attached to them. Her first kunai landed just to the left of Kabuto, urging the young man to quickly escape to his right. Karibi concentrated as she threw her second kunai right as Kabuto landed gracefully to his right—he then jumped as swiftly as he could forward and to the left; Karibi's third kunai met him there, as well.
Leaping forward, the Sound nin grit his teeth, realizing seconds before Karibi appeared that he had fallen right into the path that she had paved for him. A grunt sounded through the air when the redhead's fist slammed into his cheek, sending him backwards several feet. Dust and dirt sprung into the air after the man fell, Karibi rapidly forming hand signs.
"Ice Style: Frozen Bomb!" A crystal-like ball suddenly appeared in the palm of Karibi's hand, blossoming like a flower. Kabuto hardly had time to react as he sat up from the ground and fought to catch his breath. His eyes widened behind his glasses when he saw his attacker jump into the air and throw the ball of ice at him; the second the crystal ball hit him, a sheet of ice spread and bound him to the ground.
Tsunade's jaw fell ajar as she watched from a distance. Even with being lost in such a haze, she coud sense Karibi's chakra like it were a lighthouse and she was a ship lost at sea. Her shaky focus was on the way Karibi's chakra moved within her body, the power from her Ice Style jutsu catching her off guard. Many shinobi had difficulty combining different nature releases, and it was something that took time and years of training and practicing. But watching Karibi in that moment—it was astonishing to see how easily she had conjured ice with Wind and Water releases; the sanin was speechless.
They had all been expecting for the Uzumaki to take Kabuto out. She had laid the groundwork out to trap him and take care of him with ease. But she had shocked all of those quietly waiting, the kunoichi glaring hard at Kabuto before she tilted her head towards Orochimaru with a devious gleam in her eyes.
It sent shivers of arousal shuddering through Orochimaru as he licked his lips.
She wasn't sure where the sudden surge of courage had come from while she stared intently over at Orochimaru. Any mention of the sanin's name nearly broke her down. But as she stood only several yards away from the very man that had caused her distress and pain years before, the woman had realized that this would be the only time she could possibly, finally take him out of the equation of life. He was weaker without his arms—although not powerless, Karibi knew for a fact that his current state gave her a generous advantage. In normal circumstances, she wouldn't entertain the idea of fighting against him. But she was hitting her limit. He had inflicted enough despair and sorrow into her life. He had put her through enough.
So, she was going to finally take this moment to retaliate.
With wide eyes, Tsunade watched with her lips parted and a sharp inhale of breath; Karibi turned to face Orochimaru. "Karibi—" Her weak voice went completely ignored by the Leaf and Sound ninja.
Orochimaru's smirk was wide and filled with pleasure. His eyes gleamed from the exhilaration of what was to come, Karibi's gaze tracking his every move. He had been waiting to finally get his hands on the woman, and she was presenting herself on a silver platter for him; the sanin couldn't have been any more elated in that moment.
"...You wish to kill me?" Karibi didn't answer his question at first, her eyes venturing towards Kabuto; he struggled to free himself from her jutsu.
"...You've lived past redemption, Orochimaru." Saying his name made her feel nauseous. But she kept her back straight and head held high. "...I'll kill you today, even if that means I die with you." Orochimaru chuckled darkly to himself.
"You can't kill me, my dear."
"We'll see about that!" Without warning, she was darting forward, Kabuto's eyes widening along with Tsunade's; if only either of them could move to stop the battle from the beginning.
His arms were useless to him, but Orochimaru was no novice. He was a renown sanin; although it would be tedious, fighting against Karibi without the use of his arms could be done. And Karibi knew that, as well. She was never one to underestimate her opponent; she had lived through too much to make such a foolish error. However, she was also not one to underestimate her own strength; she was going to pummel Orochimaru one way or another.
Karibi narrowed her eyes and watched her opponent's neck suddenly extend out—as if he were an elastic band. Her reflexes protected her, the kunoichi ducking and sliding against the ground past the man. Effortlessly, she was back on her feet, pulling out a kunai from her pouch and spinning on her toes to face Orochimaru's back. With a wild gleam in her eyes, the jonin thrust her kunai forward, putting a literal sense to the saying, "stabbed in the back."
"Too easy!" Orochimaru's manic grin was terrifying, his long neck twisting around and shooting back towards the young woman. A grunt fell from her lips when he suddenly began to wrap up around her arm, holding her in place. With an unexpected swing, Karibi was flying through the air, her kunai lost in the fray. She remained undeterred, spinning in the air with grace.
Tsunade winced, a slow ache emerging in her arm and leg; she was beginning to feel more and more like herself again. Her eyes roamed over to Kabuto, the restrained ninja watching the battle between his master and his master's pawn with an intensity in his eyes; it was hard to say what was going to happen next.
With lightning speed, the redhead was creating hand signs for a jutsu Orochimaru was unfamiliar with; the woman's ice jutsu was something he admired and sought after. "Kori no Kaze!" With a deep breath, the jonin was blowing out towards Orochimaru with her hands cupped around her mouth. The sanin's eyes widened for a moment when a chilly mist began to swirl towards him. But his reaction time was swift and flawless—much to Karibi's dismay. She watched several feet from the ground as the sanin redirected his rubbery neck out towards a boulder, wrapping around it three times before the rest of his body followed; he evaded her cloud of ice with seconds to spare.
The grass—it's completely frozen over. Tsunade blinked in awe, gazing at the large patch of grass that had suffered from the younger ninja's attack. Had Orochimaru been caught in her attack, he would've been turned into a block of ice.
Landing on her feet, Karibi twisted her body around and wasted no time, aiming two kunai with paper bombs attached to them. Her precision was perfect, her first kunai embedding itself into the grass right before Orochimaru's feet and the second stabbed through the grass where Orochimaru would land. The sanin narrowed his eyes as he followed the steps that Karibi had laid out for him, leaping out of the way of her first kunai and landing just in front of the second.
"Too slow." Karibi's eyes widened, Orochimaru's low and chilling voice rippling down her back.
As her paper bombs fired off, the sanin's entire body wrapped around the unsuspecting kunoichi. A yelp sounded from the back of her throat, the air sucked out of her lungs while Orochimaru tightened around her figure. The sanin began to laugh quietly to himself, pleased with feeling her wriggle against his hold. His smirk widened as he squeezed around his opponent tighter, a gasp sounding from her desperate mouth.
"Even in the state that I'm in, you can't dream to defeat me, Karibi-chan." The redhead cringed as she fought to breathe. Orochimaru found a heat spreading through his veins as he watched, drinking in the pain that Karibi exuded.
"Defeating you is no longer a dream." Orochimaru's eyes widened. "Today, it becomes a reality, you bastard!"
The moment her voice rang out from behind him, the sanin had realized he was holding nothing but a shadow clone. And when he grit his teeth and turned to glare at his true target, he was suddenly frozen in place. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak—he could do nothing but watch as the real Karibi gazed at him with a sharp coldness in her eyes and the clone poofed into nothing.
"Th—That's—" Tsunade blinked. "Self-Cursing Seal." The clone had placed the seal when she had been captured by the sanin.
There was no time for Karibi to hesitate; it was only a matter of time before Orochimaru would break free of her jutsu. With four hand signs, the woman was holding her arm out in front of her, hand open and fingers straight and closed together; Orochimaru watched her entire arm become engulfed by ice. Her expression was blank, the sunlight glinting off of her icy weapon. No words came from the woman as she swung her arm twice before shooting forward towards the sanin; she estimated seven seconds before her enemy was free.
The sanin waited in silence, building up chakra within himself. To free himself from the seal, he needed an abundance of chakra and power. But time was not on his side; Karibi was only steps away from striking. He waited, heartbeat echoing in his ears as his attacker pulled her iced arm back. The feral expression on her face was filled with ire and determination, fear no longer shining in her amethyst eyes. And as her arm surged forward, the sanin let his chakra burst.
A scream of pain echoed through the clearing.
There, in front of Orochimaru, stood Kabuto.
Tsunade blinked, turning her head quickly to where the entrapped Sound ninja had been; he had finally freed himself without anyone realizing it. The female sanin winced, pushing herself to her trembling feet as quickly as she could. She stumbled to her knees, her gaze catching spots of blood on her arms; she couldn't control the way fear pulsed through her veins.
Karibi growled from deep within her throat, glaring with hatred as Kabuto stood in front of her with her icy arm jabbed through his right shoulder. "Dirty, little—"
"I warned you, Karibi-chan." Orochimaru leapt backwards, giving his accomplice room to take the brunt of her attack. "You can't kill me." His instigating words almost tempted Karibi; she fought to ignore the pale man.
Kabuto huffed, his breaths labored while he clutched on to the kunoichi's arm. His blood had already soaked through his shirt, red painted on Karibi's own arm. She paid him no attention, jaw clenched while she pushed her arm further into the younger ninja; his cry of pain brought her a sense of comfort.
If she couldn't kill Orochimaru, then she was going to kill Kabuto in his place.
"Was it worth it?" she hissed with hatred laced in each of her words. "You're absolutely nothing but a disposable rag to that thing," came her vicious proclamation before she tugged her arm out from the younger shinobi's shoulder. Within seconds, her ice was melting, Kabuto's blood dripping away with it.
"You lived like nothing but a worthless rat, and now, you'll die like one." Karibi's words echoed through the clearing, and for a moment, it was as if someone completely different appeared before them in the clearing.
Tsunade stared in shock.
The Sound nin glared with venom seeping out of his eyes. "You—You really live up to the reputation of your name." Karibi smirked darkly at the way Kabuto fought to speak.
"Karibi the Reaper?" The woman laughed. "I've killed more people than you've met in your entire life. And you'll just be another checkmark off the list," she hissed before she reached out and grabbed the man by his neck. Kabuto winced, one hand pressed against the wound the woman had given him while another was wrapped around her wrist. A choked yelp came from the back of his throat as the kunoichi threw his body with force; he crashed right through a boulder.
Within seconds, chaos ensued. Karibi's eyes widened before she darted after Kabuto. A spike of chakra caught her attention at the last minute, and she was quick to twist her body around. Her pupils constricted, and her eyes widened when a body came erupting from the ground behind her without warning. There was no time to attack—all she could do was react and protect herself as a clone of Kabuto's lurched towards her. A kunai was in her hand in a flash, flying right through the first clone, but she was unprepared for the second.
A loud grunt resounded from Karibi, who was shoved to the ground with a circular, metal piece pressed against her temples. Disregarding whatever had been attached to her face, the kunoichi slammed an ice-covered fist into the shadow clone's face, the clone disappearing into a cloud of smoke. And within the time that she had been ambushed, the real ninja had been able to force himself back to his feet with a pleased smile across his bleeding lips.
"I have to say, I didn't think I would make it." Kabuto glared at Karibi—who was carefully standing to her feet and panting. "But I suppose that's to be—"
"You talk too much." Karibi shook her head, unimpressed with the former Leaf member. "If you want to talk so much, tell me what you just put on me." No matter how hard she pulled, she was unable to remove the metal piece embedded to her flesh.
A knot formed in her gut from the way Kabuto smirked.
"It's something Orochimaru-sama created a few years ago." At that, Karibi let her eye roam to the sanin, hatred oozing out of them. "He had been trying to create the perfect tool after his experiments with you. It's one of many prototypes."
"Get on with it," the woman snapped.
"You see, those metal pieces that I've attached to you are linked with these two that I have here." Karibi blinked, Kabuto pulling out two identical metallic pieces from his pouch at his waist. His devious smirk sent chills down the jonin's back, her apprehensive eyes meeting Tsunade's for a few seconds before her attention was drawn back to her opponents. "And when I flick this switch and turn this on..." Karibi's eyes widened when Kabuto pressed a button to a tiny switch in his hand.
A sharp gasp fell from the redhead's lips as dizziness came over her. The strength she had in her body was suddenly being sucked out of every muscle she had, a tremble coming over her. It was almost impossible for the jonin to breathe, her eyes now squeezed shut as she held her head with a hand and nausea consumed her.
Her chakra was being taken from her. Like a vacuum seal sucking out all the air, the metal attachments on her temples were draining her of her power. It only took a few seconds for the redhead to feel weak and fragile. Her legs quaked and her arms quivered as she tumbled to the ground, curled up in a ball on the dirt. And as she tried to recover and regain her senses, Kabuto stood in front of her with wide eyes and a plethora of energy and power flowing through him; Karibi's chakra had transferred to him.
"Sh—Shit," the jonin whispered before she tried to stand, tumbling back to the ground in a heap of a mess. She growled to herself, lifting her head to glare up at Kabuto.
"As long as those are on you, your chakra is as good as mine."
"...You son of a bitch."
Shit had now hit the fan.
Helloooooo to all that are reading!
Sorry, it's been a little bit since I last updated this! Definitely not as long as the last disappearance LOL I actually went on an impromptu trip, and I've just returned and am settled back into my usual routine of life! It's nice to get away for a bit, though I'm glad to be back :D
We've now finally reached the tipping point of this battle! I feel like this has been a long time coming, though I guess my year or so hiatus didn't really help that...But, we're here! When I was writing this out, it sort of felt natural for Karibi and Tsunade to reach this point in their relationship. I think they have a lot of common ground on the way the feel and view certain things, and it kind of just unraveled this way as far as how Karibi found herself smack dab in the middle of fighting with Orochimaru! I think there's also a lot of unresolved feelings that Karibi has towards Orochimaru that's pushed her to reach this point as well, though I can't say for sure if there will be resolution to those feelings...LOL only time will tell I suppose! This will unfold the way it unfolds, and then we'll FINALLY get a little Kakashi action back in the story! I know it's been awhile since he's made an appearance (snoozing away back at the Leaf ;D).
Thanks for your patience, to whoever is reading! I appreciate it, as always! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Reviews:
WindyCitySlayer1: So, we do find ourselves where Tsunade was in canon LOL it just sort of unfolds differently! But I think it's sort of inevitable with how headstrong Tsunade is, and when you add Karibi to the mix who is also someone that is headstrong, well...this is what happens LOL I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And I hope you enjoy the chapters to come! Thank you for reading!
Amaterasu53: Thank you very much! And thank you for taking the time to read this and leave a review :) I hope you continue to read and enjoy!
Kiki0078: Thank you for reviewing! I appreciate you doing so :) I've actually really enjoyed writing moments between Karibi and Tsunade. Like I mentioned above and just like you said, I do think that they are able to relate to each other and I think they sort of understand each other in certain ways, so it's been actually really fun writing them together! As for Naruto, yes, it's a slow process with everything he's been forced to swallow, but time heals all wounds they say...LOL Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
ForgeandGred4Ever: Hi there! Thank you for reading! And thank you for also reviewing! Yes, I think Karibi and Tsunade are able to stand on equal footing just because of their own individual experiences that are somewhat relatable to the other. Their experiences with loss in general I think is what really puts them eye-to-eye, and their personalities are sort of fun to put together! So it's been pretty fun writing them together like this! I'm also VERY excited to reintroduce Kakashi back into the fold LOL So I'm with you on that one! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you continue to read, and I hope you like future posts :)
lizyeh2000: Thank you for reading! I know that it has been quite awhile since I've updated regularly like this...I apologize for that one LOL It's been a pretty good streak of updates so far, so I'm hoping to keep the magic going! Thank you so much for sticking around for as long as you have! I appreciate you reading and reviewing and I just hope that you continue to like what I post! Thanks again :D
theIrishWriter: Hello! I started this story quite some time ago and it's been a long time in the making! Thank you for taking the time to read what I've put up, and thank you for taking the time to leave a review :) It's been quite the balancing act as far as inserting Karibi into "Naruto" and finding how she fits and how much she changes and doesn't change with this! I, personally, don't love when characters from a series are OOC, so writing Karibi into the series and trying to make the story my own while respecting the original characters and where they come from has been one of my big priorities! I purposely didn't want to change too much of Naruto's personality and abilities just because I think that's a big piece of his charm, though that's really just my opinion! So I'm happy to hear that you like that aspect! As far as the way Naruto's relationships change with Karibi being written in this story, truth be told, I wrote this envisioning not much changing with how the village views Naruto just because Kurama's attack on the village left such a negative imprint on everyone's life. I also wrote this story not really writing in the fact that the villagers knew much about Karibi's existence. I never really wrote it into the story, but it's sort of like how some people didn't realize Asuma was Sarutobi's son/Konohamaru's uncle. I don't really think there's ever been a time where Minato and Kushina officially announced to anyone that wasn't involved with Karibi's initial retrieval at the beginning of this story that she would essentially become their adopted daughter. I also sort of wrote their beginnings as uncertain really. I don't really think Minato and Kushina really planned to take Karibi in, and then one thing led to another and here we are LOL So, I don't think there were many villagers that really understood Karibi's relationship to Minato and Kushina/many villagers that took the time to really figure out her relationship with Minato and Kushina. Which then in turn means that there weren't many villagers to really understood Karibi's relationship to Naruto. And even so, with all the destruction Kurama had left and just the negative views that everyone had towards Naruto for being the jinchuriki, I'm not quite certain that Karibi's relationship would really make a difference for Naruto...though I would have to honestly think more about it! And no drugs in Karibi's system LOL Just good ol' fashioned alcohol! I actually didn't realize there was a jutsu for getting rid of hangovers so that's a fun thing to know! We'll see how the rest of this battle goes for the two of them! Thank you again for taking the time to read :D I hope you continue to read, and if you do, I hope you continue to enjoy!