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Chapter Forty Two: A Fight's End

[Shadowspawn Lvl 1]

[You are one with the shadows. The shadows are your home and fortress, and while within a dark environment, the user feels increased strength, agility, and stamina. The degree of empowerment is proportional to the darkness of the environment. However, the skill does not function in true darkness.]

[OR]

[Shadow Walk Lvl 1]

[Move between shadows anywhere in your sight at great speeds. The amount of MP used depends on the distance traveled.]

Naruto's eyes quickly skimmed over the options that the system gave him, but found himself unable to truly focus on what the words meant and what the abilities entailed. He got the gist of it though. Shadowspawn was a 'conditional' skill that would depend on the environment for its effectiveness. It was similar to the 'Titan' skill that only worked during the rain.

Shadow Walk was a normal type of perk that could be used anywhere, once again draining merely his MP as the cost for usage. 'Moving between shadows' was interesting. I wonder how fast 'great speed' really is. Naruto thought with a frown. That could make or break the ability for him.

Overall, this was a good sign going forward. He now had separate skill trees for both his main class and subclass, meaning as he moved further on he could gain even more skills pertaining to those trees. He wondered why the Skill Tree for the Necromancer class unlocked now of all days, but the timing was awfully close to right when he extracted Tayuya's shadow.

The only conclusion he could find himself reaching was that the more he used his class-specific skills, the further they would improve. Which was obvious, in hindsight. But it wasn't Naruto's fault he didn't have many chances to use Shadow Extraction in the Chuunin Exams.

He narrowed his eyes as he brought his focus back onto the fight unfolding before him.

Tsunade rushed forward with immense speed, her body already in the position to run a fist through Kabuto's chest. Her enemy managed to sidestep and evade the attack as she thrust her hand forward, releasing a gust of forceful wind in that direction. Then continued the rat and mouse chase that continued for quite the while. Kabuto was shockingly nimble, finding holes in Tsunade's attacks and escaping by a hair's length every time. It didn't help that Tsunade didn't seem to have any ranged attacks either.

Naruto thought about interrupting the fight but immediately fought against it. His MP, though regenerating continuously, was not at a comfortable enough amount for him to take on Kabuto or even keep up with their fight. He also didn't want to take the chance of interrupting Tsunade's method of fighting, which seemed to be straight pummeling the opponent down. Not everyone needs to make a dozen plans for each movement. Naruto internalized. Her strength simply overpowers any reasonable plan.

His eyes widened.

Tsunade finally managed to land a hit.

Kabuto was launched to the side as his shoulder audibly cracked in response to the pressure that was administered to it. Unfortunately, the prodigal medic was already healing up the injury, clutching his shoulder as he did so.

Tsunade grunted in annoyance. His healing is more skilled than I thought. And I'm more rusty than I thought. The drinks have finally caught up to me, huh? The younger Tsunade would have torn Kabuto to shreds within a couple of exchanges, she was sure of it. Two decades of gambling and lack of training had a terrible effect on her body and physical prowess. Part of her didn't blame herself too much. Her descent to depression wasn't a slow one—the death of Dan had spiraled her into a life of misery that was only numbed down by the alcohol and the high she got from gambling.

With that carefree lifestyle, however, came unfortunate consequences.

She winced as Kabuto struck her directly on the side of her arm, his chakra scalpel technique cutting through her skin before stopping as she urgently directed her chakra to protect that area. Tsunade parried the next attack and kicked forward, forcing Kabuto to dodge backwards and begin his plan for the next attack once more.

A flicker of red covered her eye.

Tsunade froze.

No.

Her hand was covered with blood.

Not now. Not now. Lives are depending on me.

Memories—no, nightmares arose with vengeance.

Save me, Tsunade!

I don't want to die…

The lifeless eyes of Dan stared back at her.

The burnt, scarred, and unrecognizable body of Nawaki lay mockingly in front of her eyes with perfect detail.

She trembled. "I'm sorry…"

Kabuto laughed. "Have you gone senile? Why do you not move?"

Naruto watched with confusion as Tsunade stood in her place without moving. What's happening?

Shizune gasped in fear. "Blood…"

Is she…afraid of blood or something? Naruto couldn't believe his own words even after he said it. There was no way a legendary MEDIC known for her healing prowess around the world was afraid of the one liquid she would encounter ninety percent of the time during battles and while healing.

Kabuto, almost unbelieving of the situation, moved without another moment of hesitation. He kicked Tsunade in the gut, pushing her several feet away and onto the floor. She remained motionless on the ground, her hands continuing to shake.

Naruto looked over at Shizune who still couldn't move, even though the pained expression on her face showed that she was clearly trying. The slugs that were atop of her injuries were continually begging for her to calm down to prevent further damage to her body, but she refused to listen.

I have to move!

He wouldn't move fast enough to intercept Kabuto's next strike.

That meant he had to try something crazy.

I choose Shadow Walk!

[Ding!]

[Shadow Walk Lvl 1 Unlocked!]

[Move between shadows anywhere in your sight at great speeds. The amount of MP used depends on the distance traveled.]

He looked over at his remaining MP.

15.

This has to work! Activate Shadow Walk!

[Shadow Walk Lvl 1 Activated!]

His body suddenly felt weightless and sunk into his own shadow. He was no longer human. His arms, legs, body…they were all gone.

He was simply…

…a shadow.

Immediately, his senses extended outwards. It wasn't like he could see anything or hear anything, no, he could feel every shadow around him. There were so many! The shadows were almost alive in nature, brimming with potential energy that was calling to him, inviting Naruto to their embrace.

He focused, however, on the shadow of one Kabuto.

And with a burst of mana, Naruto willed his shadow forward. A blob of darkness that was cast on the ground by the burning sun in the sky raced along the fresh grass and into the shadow of Kabuto, who was all the less wiser of what was going on. Instantly, Naruto let go of the shadows that grasped him. It was hard to do so. The shadows felt like home in a way, and refused to let him go. As he appeared back into the physical realm, strands of shadow unsuccessfully tried to pull him back in.

Kabuto's senses tingled as he felt a wave of chakra behind him. That shouldn't be possible. Orochimaru-Sama and Jiraiya are still fighting over there. Shizune is still being treated. And Naruto—wait. Wha—

Naruto's spinning right kick struck Kabuto right in the jaw, making the gray-haired medic spit out red blood in response, painting Naruto's clothes and face with the viscous fluid.

Kabuto's body spun and landed with a crouch several meters away. He had a surprised expression on his face as he examined Naruto. There's no way the brat managed to sneak up on me that quickly! I would've noticed any surge of chakra at the very least. How?!

Naruto looked over at Tsunade, who continued to remain still.

"See this blood?" He shouted, pointing at his face. "It's just some liquid! You've faced down enemies who could crush mountains, stared death right in its face. Are you really gonna let a little blood scare you? Not a chance! You're Tsunade of the Saanin, the greatest medical ninja that ever lived!"

Naruto grinned. "And more importantly, you're our Fifth Hokage! Get up before I make you, Granny!"

Activate Uchiha Clan Taijutsu!

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Kabuto dashed forward with vengeance, an annoyed expression on his face, which made sense considering he just missed his chance to kill off Tsunade Senju. Sure, he had taken his sweet time to go and attack, but he genuinely didn't expect any interruption.

Naruto's clones charged forward together, knowing that their imminent death was near. Kabuto's hands, which rotated with chakra, sawed through the fragile bodies of the clones that useless threw their fists forward to no avail. Orochimaru's student moved his hands with blinding speed, killing off each clone without wasting a second of time.

Naruto threw himself forward after his clones, desperately trying to somehow stop Kabuto regardless of the massive difference in level.

A hand scraped along his chest.

Naruto parried the incoming knee.

A chakra scalpel sawed through his elbow, spurting blood everywhere.

He thrust his fist forward towards Kabuto's gut.

It was blocked with ease, and responded to with a devastating blow to his own stomach, knocking the air out of his body. He coughed empty air as his eyes bulged with pain, and then was hit into the ground by a hammer fist into his back.

Kabuto's eyes were cold as he pulled down his final hit.

Suddenly, the ground shattered into pieces as an earthquake shook the world and a large fissure appeared in the cracked habitat, splitting the clearing in two. Using the moment of distraction, Naruto managed to escape the predicament he found himself in. He pressed the gashes in his skin tightly, trying to stop the bleeding as well as possible. Heal me quickly, fox! Naruto complained to his resident. You're in my body for free without offering any rent, so do that at the very least!

Behind him stood Tsunade, the perpetrator of the mini-natural disaster that just took place.

Her eyes were blazing.

She walked forward, placing a hand on Naruto's blood soaked arm. A surging green light took over his vision as a soothing sensation enveloped his body. His cuts began closing in response to her overwhelming chakra. She released her hand soon after, allowing Naruto to breathe deeply as he focused on getting his own heart rate back to normal.

Tsunade pumped her fists together as she glared at Kabuto. Her right hand was covered with Naruto's blood, but she didn't seem to care.

She's strong!

Kabuto merely chuckled. "Have you finally gotten over your stupidity?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Be careful with how you speak to the Fifth Hokage."

The gray-haired Jonin-level shinobi braced himself.

Before they could clash, however, a loud book echoed in their ears as a giant snake slammed in the ground in front of them. A dark red toad with face paint and wearing a thin jacket followed a second later. Orochimaru and Jiraiya were on top of each summon respectively—each of them looking incredibly roughed up and breathing heavily.

They've been fighting for a while…no wonder they look so beat up.

Orochimaru looked at the rest of them. "Where is Tayuya?"

Kabuto frowned. "Dead."

"A shame…she had talent. Unfortunately, it seems that the numbers are against us."

"Yes, Orochimaru-Sama. They have three active shinobi, though I suspect Tsunade's student would soon be adequately healed."

Orochimaru sighed. "It seems as if this visit ended up being counter-productive in the end. A retreat will be necessary."

"No you don't!" Tsunade shouted as she ran forward.

Orochimaru didn't even take a step.

He merely chuckled.

"Rest assured, Naruto Uzumaki, you've made a mistake by now accepting my kind offer. The deal is still up if you have any change of mind, but please note that I won't be as forgiving next time around. I'm sure we will meet again."

The snake summon hissed loudly and moved, swallowing Orochimaru and Kabuto whole before burrowing into the ground.

"Gamabunta!" Jiraiya yelled.

"On it!" The deep voice of the toad croaked back.

Jiraiya's toad hopped forward near the hole, its hands cruising through hand signs before a burst of fire erupted from his mouth and into the formed tunnel. Either the snake was too fast or they had done something to neutralize the fire. The answer came by the presence of steam that arose from the gaping hole, signaling the usage of some water jutsu to counter the flame.

There was no use.

Orochimaru had escaped.

[—-]

They had thankfully not encountered any more enemies during their travel to Konoha, which was especially useful since Shizune was still recovering from all of her injuries, though with Tsunade's help she was able to run at a decent pace currently.

Naruto couldn't help but eye the necklace that was around the nape of his neck with curiosity. Tsunade hadn't asked for it back, meaning there was really only one conclusion he could make.

There's no doubt about it. The necklace had somehow controlled the Nine-Tails' chakra.

He was interested in what else the necklace could do, but wasn't sure how to actually test the crystal's capabilities in any way. Surely activating the Kyuubi's chakra wouldn't need to be a precedent to learning the secrets of the First Hokage's relic. The function that he currently knew already showed that selling off the artifact would be a terrible move—not that he was really thinking about it, but the idea of that much money was appealing for someone like Naruto.

2260 7:40

As they jumped across the branches and got nearer to Konoha's main gate, he couldn't help but wonder how much of a success this mission was. Sure, there were a shit ton of diversions and scarily close moments to death, but when did those things NOT happen? He had learnt the Rasengan, which had the beneficial side effect of greatly improving his chakra control if the system's notifications were any sign. He had leveled up. He had attained one more skill: Shadow Walk, which was shaping out to be incredibly useful even with its heavy MP reliance.

Lastly, Tayuya, who was a skilled asset in his arsenal which he was lucky to have.

Overall, he was happy with his progress in the last month.

That didn't mean it was all flowers and rainbows either. There were some more concerns, regarding the Akatsuki and Orochimaru which posed greater difficulties in the future.

Naruto shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about those things. Speaking about a certain cloaked group…

"Oi, Pervy Sage, you saw my Rasengan, didn't you?" Naruto asked with a grin.

Jiraiya sighed. "Unfortunately, I did. I could be incredibly petty right now and say that what you created isn't a true Rasengan due to the lack of the 'capsule' technique, but I'll give it a pass."

"You better," Naruto grumbled. "I worked a shit ton for that!"

Jiraiya took on an inquisitive expression. "I wonder, though, how are your hands not shredded when you use the Rasengan?"

Naruto sweatdropped. I have a weird blue box that gives me a bunch of strange abilities. "I don't know, I guess I've got tough hands?"

"No, that can't be an explanation," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. "Surely there would be some damage to be seen if that was true. Maybe I'm thinking of it the wrong way…"

Tsunade butted in next. "Maybe instead of creating a layer on the Rasengan, Naruto instinctively covered his own hands with chakra? Surely that would have the same effect?"

Of course Tsunade would come up with that idea. Her chakra control was second to none, and that special ability was what granted her the infamous monstrous strength that she so gracefully handled while in battle.

"Of course, that is a possibility. The issue would be that the previous steps of rotating and charging up the jutsu would become harder due to the layer around your hand interfering with the direct control of the Rasengan. Though you could do it with enough practice."

Apparently, Naruto's [Iron Rasengan] was quite a bit more destructive than the regular one due to the absence of the layer that protected the user. Though in exchange for power his ability now was a lot more wild and unrefined. He would try to learn the original as well in case of any situation in which control would be more essential, but for now he was fine with his own version considering it served the same purpose ninety percent of the time.

They made it to Konoha without much talking after that. The Hokahe's office was their first stop, and without any detours or time wasted, they walked into the building.

"Why are we moving so quickly?" Naruto asked curiously.

"The less people that see Tsunade, the better," Jiraiya answered for him. "A few people have already seen her brief figure, but they probably don't trust their own vision to be confident enough. The guards and other shinobi stationed inside these walls, however, will be much more informed. Someone like her is easy to notice, and word will travel fast. The less time we give our enemies to be prepared, the better."

Shizune nodded in confirmation. "Lady Tsunade is quite the popular woman."

Tsunade just grumbled something inaudible.

Into the Hokage's office we go!

Like usual when Naruto traveled with Jiraiya, there were no guards or security that stopped them. It seemed like being a Saanin came with very useful perks.

Sarutobi stood with a pipe in his one hand as he stared into the landscape of his village.

"You've come."

The tension in the air was palpable with how thick it was. It was obvious who the Third Hokage was referring to.

Tsunade swallowed nervously. "Yes."

"I've been waiting a long time, Tsunade," Hiruzen said slowly. "I can only be glad that I could see you one more time before I died…why didn't you come earlier?"

Oh no… Naruto thought with a frown. The conversation was going into a deeper level which he really wasn't ready to listen to right now.

"I was scared," Tsunade said after a long pause.

"…"

"I was afraid of making connections with this village again. I was afraid of the inevitable day when those bonds would break and send me spiraling into despair. I didn't want to risk losing another person in my life—"

"So you decided to leave it all behind? Was that what your loved ones would have wanted you to do? You, the greatest healer we have, decided to leave Konoha in its toughest moments?"

Tsunade looked to the side with guilt. "I'm…sorry."

"What makes it different now?" Hiruzen asked sharply. "How can I trust that you won't leave your responsibilities again?"

"I've grown as a person. It's true that the tales of my escapades aren't too exaggerated, but the years away have allowed me to truly think and reflect. The bonds that I had become so afraid of making aren't just people that would eventually die and be forgotten. Bonds give life meaning, even if they don't last forever. The period of life that we all share is there for us to experience together, and create memories and shape ourselves into who we are today.

"I've understood it now…sensei," Tsunade finished with a deep breath.

Everyone waited with apprehension.

For the first time that day, Hiruzen smiled.

"I welcome you back to Konoha, Fifth Hokage."

Naruto let out a sigh.

Whew.

[—-]

The rest of the meeting went as expected. They had given a concise report of what had happened. Itachi's sighting, especially, had Hiruzen's eyes widening. Naruto couldn't blame him. He couldn't imagine how much of a headache it had been when the Uchiha massacre had occurred those many years ago for the Third.

Orochimaru's visit and apparent hand replacement wasn't as surprising. It seemed as if Hiruzen had expected his pupil to have somehow healed his arm. Well, someone who spent years experimenting on children definitely had a few tricks up his sleeve, that much was obvious even for Naruto. Tayuya's death was brushed aside, which kind of irked the blond. Sure, they didn't know that she was an Uzumaki, but he did.

Kabuto was a long topic of discussion, and immediately reported to the required officials.

Tsunade's coronation as Hokage would occur in a few days as Hiruzen took care of several matters in the meantime. Apparently the old man was now dealt with several hours of free time that he wasn't sure what to do with after so many decades of pain-inducing service to his nation.

Naruto, of course, was eating ramen. Double-extra pork and miso. He thought smugly.

The S-Rank stipend that he had earned was more than all of his previous missions combined, a fact that he had been grateful to learn about. His wallet had been running low for quite the while as he had stopped taking missions during the Chuunin Exams. Chuunin also earned a small fixed salary which wasn't enough to sustain a living but was perfect for a few nice dinners here and there whenever someone wanted to treat themselves.

"Ah…this is life!" Naruto said with a wide smile as he put his bowl of empty ramen down.

"Does it taste good?"

"AH!" Naruto shrieked when he heard a new voice from beside him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the recently retired Third Hokage, sat down in regular attire next to him at the ramen shop, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Old man? What are you doing here?" Naruto questioned with genuine bewilderment.

"Well, I've got a world of time in my hands after a long time. I decided…why not train young Naruto for an evening?"

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. The Third Hokage wants to train…me?!

He pinched his cheek. "Nope, not a dream. Can we start now?"

[—end—]

Yo!

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(Remove the spaces)

Shadow walk it is! And yes, it is inspired by Nico's shadow travel from PJO. Though I'm not sure where it actually originated from.

Question of the day:

What's your opinion on Itachi? Especially in his decision to continue with the Hokage's orders that night?

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