To Take A City By Storm III
Chapter 51 To Take A City By Storm III
Senju Tobirama opened his eyes for the first time in decades. He could feel the sacrificial chakra at his core, powering the Edo Tensei. The victim would keep him summoned for an hour at most, perhaps longer but not by much. The chakra of another sacrifice mixed with his brother’s to his left while across from him, Tobirama could see Sarutobi Hiruzen’s stricken face. Behind him, he could feel the chakra of Hiruzen’s most talented student, which was saying something considering he had also taken on little Tsuna-chan.
Taking a deep breath, Tobirama reveled in the smells of the impure world. Trees and ash carried on the breeze, the smell of fresh blood and oil reaching his nose. His chakra sense, dormant in the pure lands, fully unfurled and he took in the sheer scale of Konohagakure. It was bigger then it had ever been, but the number of shinobi had sharply declined, less then a quarter of the forces he had once commanded now present within the city and that was including the enemy combatants he could feel.
A chakra, deathly familiar to him burned nearby. It itched at his skin and grated against his senses, though it felt younger and far more human then he last remembered it. Still, even in this diminished, human guise, Tobirama would recognize Her chakra anywhere. Crimson eyes narrowed with rage and chakra boiled forth from the Shiroyasha’s body. Under his feet tiles cracked and the control seal within him strained against his rage.
“Orochimaru, was it you who summoned the Byakko to Konohagakure?” Tobirama’s voice was deathly quiet but backed by enough killing intent to strangle the life from a genin. Bloody eyes caught the moment a bead of sweat ran down the serpent’s cheek, the snake’s pale throat bobbing as he swallowed.
“I do not know quite what you are talking about Tobirama-sama. There is only one white tiger summoner in Konoha to my knowledge.” Orochimaru’s smirk was plastic and even Hiruzen could see how fake it was. The serpent raised two sealing kunai but froze as Tobirama pinned him in place with a fresh wave of killing intent.
“Answer Snake. Did you summon that youkai to my village?!” Tobirama demanded again and his chakra burned with wrath, becoming visible around him. The Senju curse held no sway over the dead so the full rage that Tobirama had never quite connected with in life now tore through his soul, leaving his fists trembling with uncontrollable anger.
“The Uchiha clan are dead and the only tiger summoner in the village is a little civilian girl. Haruno Sakura.” Orochimaru answered, silence falling between the four men. Tobirama’s eyes widened as the Byakko’s chakra spiked, the intensity and pattern intimately familiar, her mangekyo had just activated. He felt the familiar brush of her chakra, the ripple of intent, the sudden awareness of the battlefield. This was different then he remembered though, wrong, the girl felt human, her chakra had the influence of summons within it and was far too young.
“Sakura-chan,” Hashirama’s whisper confirmed Tobirama’s suspicions. This was the chakra of a much younger incarnation of the demon he had faced down time and time again. Perhaps a descendant with a remarkable resemblance to her youkai ancestor, though the only way that was possible was if she had the same summoning contract.
“Hiruzen, is there a girl with pink hair and emerald eyes in the village?” Tobirama demanded and saw the moment of recognition within Hiruzen’s eyes. “Why didn’t you kill her?”
“I had her blood tested. She’s not related to the Uchiha clan. Besides she is a prodigy and has served the village faithfully. She’s one of our best ANBU captains and she was nearly fully conditioned by Danzo.” Hiruzen answered and Tobirama felt himself relax slightly. Even Uchiha couldn’t resist the Shimura’s time tested conditioning though it left a sour taste in his mouth.
“Hiruzen,” Hashirama’s chakra was suddenly burning, small plants spilling up from his feet. “You let the Shimura continue with that abomination of a practice?” The plants at his feet sprouted thorns and his eyes filled with disgust. “No wonder your own student wants you dead. I can only pray that Byakko does not descend to reap revenge upon the village for what you’ve done to her descendant because your tests were wrong. I can feel Madara’s chakra burning within her.” Hashirama growled as Orochimaru let out a weak laugh.
“Well it seems sensei that your misdeeds have even convinced one of your old teachers to despise you.” Orochimaru tried to regain control of the conversation as he held up the control seals. Hashirama shot the serpent a poisonous look while Tobirama’s eyes fixed on the stands below them where he could feel the Byakko’s chakra. She was stationary, but he could feel the distinctive pattern of her mangekyo below him and he knew its touch.
‘Hashi?’ The ethereal voice of the Uchiha’s youkai brushed across the four men’s minds. Tobirama’s killing intent spiked, the tiles at his feet shattering and his chakra becoming so dense in the air bits of crushed ceramic began to float around him. The killing intent immediately drew the girl’s attention and the world seemed to still. It was the calm before the storm and Tobirama knew what was going to come next. ‘Tobirama.’ The voice whispered, deadly quiet and shot through with pure loathing.
Below, Tobirama knew the next words spoken and even if his ears couldn’t hear them, his senses could feel the results. He knew what was about to be unleashed as a wave of killing intent crashed down upon them. Loathing, pure and blinding like the sun, painful like flames against the skin and accompanied by the unbearable itching that only demonic chakra could manage filled the stadium, though it wasn’t focused on him. Instead, Tobirama felt that intent focus on the enemies of Konoha and below him the Byakko moved.
“I told you she wasn’t our enemy, that she wasn’t a threat to my dream.” Hashirama’s damning words followed Tobirama into the blankness of the command seals as Orochimaru finally grew tired of the conversation. The serpent’s golden eyes gleamed with open curiosity and greed as he followed the chakra presence below but it was no longer Tobirama’s concern. Whatever that girl was, whether she was the Byakko’s reincarnation, her descendant or something else, Tobirama would likely never know.
***
Sakura knew it was coming before it even happened. Tsukiko had prepped her most loyal ANBU and all around Konohagakure the members of Naori’s Team 7 were stationed and waiting. Sakura had the Exam Arena because of her genin teammates. Uchiha Naori had the main gates, her Susanoo capable of fighting back even a boss summons. Uchiha Izumi was stationed in the civilian district, her speed and precision allowing her to cut down any threats to the unarmed citizens of Konoha. Anko was on patrol around the academy today and would be in charge of protecting the students and getting them to the shelter the moment things kicked off.
A wave of chakra rippled over the arena, illusory feathers falling from the sky. Sakura recognized the jutsu instantly, the Temple of Nirvana, a wide area genjutsu capable of lulling people to sleep. A quick kai shattered the genjutsu’s hold on her and her sharingan spun to life under her tiger mask, searching for the caster. Whoever it was they where well hidden, their chakra hanging in the air and obscuring which one of the many Oto and Suna shinobi had cast the illusion.
‘We can do this.’ Inner encouraged and Sakura braced herself as she pushed chakra into her eyes. Tomoe whirled and extended, her pupils shrinking as her eyes changed. The sensation was strange, alien and yet once her mangekyo had fully blossomed, the stretching pull faded away and Sakura was left with a world so full of color and clarity it was overwhelming.
All around her, chakras burned and clashed. Shinobi from three separate villages danced over the audience, the Konoha shinobi desperately trying to launch a defense against Suna and Oto nin who had been disguised as ANBU. Civilians were asleep though a few had been wounded badly enough to snap awake, their fear and panic rising into the air. Killing intent swirled and clashed, desperation, fear and the absolute desire to live swept through Sakura.
Stars burned bright around the young girl, a sea of life spreading outwards in all directions. Civilians out in Konoha, shinobi slowly realizing an attack was underway as they moved through their usual patrol routes across the city. In the distance, Sakura could feel Naori’s chakra flare with excitement and determination, tempered by iron self control. Izumi’s soul burned far brighter then any other, though her chakra was weak, her mind was vast beyond her years and filled with resolve as she moved across rooftops, clashing with the first wave of invaders.
Bursts of fear and pain jolted through Sakura’s mind as deaths began to rack up. Screams and gut wrenching terror clawed at her mind, desperation singing its song of ‘I don’t want to die,’ in her ears. She was out at sea in a storm, waves of emotion crashing down upon her.
Above her, were two stars of force. Chakras vast enough to threaten armies, far stronger then anything Sakura had ever seen in the past. Orochimaru’s sickly presence was instantly recognizable as was the crushing, determined but war weary signature of Sarutobi Hiruzen. Sakura could feel them eyeing each other, both exchanging a few light blows before Orochimaru’s chakra lit up like a super nova and two more chakras blossomed on the rooftop.
The new arrivals felt familiar, one of earth and water, the smell of the deep forest woven through it. It made Sakura think of shaded paths winding through the unforgiving forest depths. The other chakra was cold and crushing, an unstoppable flood that would sweep away any opposition and crush it under its might. Still, despite the differences, there was something distinctly Senju about both chakra and perhaps more importantly, Sakura knew those sensations.
‘Hashirama and Tobirama, but how?’ Inner asked even as Outer struggled for coherence amid the storm of death and emotion surrounding her. Stars were winking out, deaths accelerating, the intensity of emotion in the air climbing with every injury and fallen comrade. Tobirama’s chakra unfurled and brushed against Sakura’s. She could feel his awareness of her, his recognition and felt his loathing. Next to him though, was a familiar soul that burned bright with love, unrestrained by the curse that had haunted him in life. Senju Hashirama’s soul was one of joy and compassion, forged by war but undimmed despite his many hardships.
“Hashi?” Sakura knew her words reached her once friend. She felt his chakra react, his own recognition flare up. Beside Hashirama, Tobirama’s star darkened, he hated her with every fiber of his being and as his killing intent finally came crashing down on her and everything became too much, her lips moved. “Tobirama,” Sakura could feel her own killing intent begin to push away the chaos in her mind.
Sakura’s heart began to race in her chest and she could hear the crash of waves in her ears. The cacophony of emotions within her had drowned Inner and Outer both, sending them spiraling downwards as their chakra ignited. The thunder of lightning and the pounding of waves called to her. The smell of iron and salt filled her nose and elation flooded her mind as her killing intent roared outwards.
Around the rosette, the world seemed to freeze. Before her eyes, each path of every shinobi spread out, all possible moves branching into infinity. Sakura’s chakra flexed, cycling through her network and rushing into her eyes as her mangekyo burned with the need to be used. The second power sleeping within her eye unfurled, her instincts whispering its name and Sakura declared it all too eagerly.
“Amanozako,” the genjutsu Sakura had been using to observe the arena without drawing attention to herself snapped like a rubber band pulled taught, the chakra rushing back into her network as the rosette moved. Small fingers closed around one of the many kunai flying through the air and redirected its path almost lazily. Choku-tomoe showed the stream of correction unfurling before her eyes as the blade now ricocheted between a volley of senbon, sending the needles flying into the back of a group of Suna jounin as Sakura’s foot touched down on an Oto shinobi’s head, knocking him off balance and plunging into a terrified genin’s kunai before he could kill the child.
Pivoting Sakura’s hand came up and guided a Sunagakure shinobi’s thrust back into his own throat and she jumped over the body just in time to let it fall into a barrage of shuriken. The rosette plucked two of the steel stars from the man’s corpse and flicked them towards a pair Oto nin trying to corner a chunin, killing them instantly as the blades sank into the backs of their necks.
A pair of wind blades arced towards Sakura and she felt her chakra network tense as her eyes shifted. Silver white light spread over her skin for the briefest of moments, the blades crashing into a phantasmal rib cage as Sakura flickered forward, her fist catching the offending nin on the chin, sending him to the ground where her foot smashed his spinal cord and splattered the flesh of his throat across cracked pavement.
“Kill her!” Someone called out and Sakura leaned backwards, avoiding a blast of chakra rich sound before ducking under the swipe of a katana and delivering a full strength punch to the Oto jounin’s chest, her fist erupting from his back as his heart exploded under the force of her blow. Ripping her hand free, Sakura gripped the katana and cut down another shinobi as her killing intent guided her actions.
Punch, swipe with sword, duck shuriken, throw katana, catch kunai, kick and break neck, dodge sound jutsu, ignore punch to chest armor and slit throat, Sakura’s mind was lost in the flow of battle until suddenly her mind came crashing to a halt. Sakura blinked, suddenly aware, like her thoughts had finally tuned back into existence and she found herself absolutely covered in gore. In her ear, a radio crackled to life and Sakura blinked as noises she couldn’t quite comprehend assaulted her.
“What?” Sakura rasped, surprised by her own voice. Nearby, she could feel a mix of fear and awe focused on her and a quick sweep of the stadium showed there were no surviving invaders left. Broken bodies, many displaying signs of being struck by superhuman blows, littered the stands and Sakura distantly realized she’d carved a path through the battle like she was fighting in the Uchiha Senju war.
“Tora, I need you to call on your summons. The walls have been breached. Naori is holding off the enemy boss summons but shinobi are spilling into the village.” Tsukiko’s voice finally registered, her words immediately pushing Sakura into action as she let her mangekyo fade. Her chakra reserves were low, so the rosette popped a solider pill into her mouth then moved through the hand signs for her favorite jutsu.
“Kuchiyose no jutsu!” Sakura called out and slammed her hand into the ground. Immediately a column of smoke erupted in front of her and she felt the familiar yet forever changed chakra of Uchiha Shisui. The young man wore a kitsune mask to hide his face while four black tails, tinted blue in the sunlight, swayed behind him. “Konoha is under attack by Suna and Oto shinobi. Oto has a music note on their headbands.”
“Tora,” Kakashi’s preceded the man’s arrival and he landed next to his kouhai without a sound. His sharingan swirled in his eye, focusing on Shisui and Sakura saw the moment the familiarity registered. “Shisui?”
“Nah, I’m a kitsune, can’t you see the tails? And the ears? Sakura-hime summoned me.” Shisui’s denial did absolutely nothing to convince Kakashi but he quickly shelved the panic attack until there wasn’t fighting to be done. Sakura knew what he was about to ask, their team had gotten separated and in the distance, she could feel Naruto and Sasuke clashing with Gaara who was leaking ever more bijuu chakra.
“Can you back up your teammates? I’m going to try and bring down that barrier.” Kakashi nodded up towards the box of purple flames that now housed a forest. Sakura grimaced under her mask, her tensing visible to Kakashi’s sharingan. “Something the matter?” Kakashi’s voice was light but there was a dangerous edge underneath it. It was easy to forget the porn reading, chronically late asshole that was Hatake Kakashi was also ANBU Hound, S rank assassin.
“Tobirama will kill me if you bring that barrier down. Shisui, go help around the city. Save lives over killing foes, announce yourself as my summons.” Sakura could feel the eyes on her now. It had taken a bit for the surrounding shinobi to gather themselves but the sight of a four tailed fox standing openly in Konoha was rapidly drawing attention.
“You got it Hime,” Shisui saluted and Sakura rolled her eyes behind her mask, grinning despite herself. Her older brother was alive, or at least not totally dead. It was a question for another time though and Sakura gave Shisui one last look. He saluted her before the two flickered away, both moving at top speed towards their respective fights.
***
Naruto was not a natural at fighting off genjutsu. The blond’s chakra control was terrible and while he was a natural sensor, his poor control meant that while he could feel jutsu and see large concentrations of chakra, the subtle threads of a well woven genjutsu were invisible to him. What Naruto had in his favor was the fact that all of his sparring partners favored genjutsu and used it constantly. Months of training under Sakura-sensei and sparring Satsuki have given him an innate sense of wrongness when a genjutsu settled over him.
“Kai!” Naruto called out the moment he felt oddly exhausted. He knew he hadn’t been injured badly enough to pass out and his reserves were at least half full. Naruto felt the genjutsu strain under his kai and ground his teeth in frustration as his eyes began to close. Naruto’s control had improved over the four months he’d been on Team 7. Sakura in sensei mode was a terrifying thing and had drilled into him the importance of chakra control. Still, whoever was casting the genjutsu had immaculate control and even spread thin over the entire stadium, chunin and tokubetsu jounin were falling under the illusionist’s sway.
“No, dammit! Kai! Kai! Kai!” Naruto’s grit his teeth and remembered Sakura’s advice. He had truly inhuman reserves, courtesy of his furry prisoner. Where others needed finesse he could simply brute force his way to success and the genjutsu shattered under the sledgehammer of Naruto’s repetitive kai.
“Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino,” Kakashi arrived beside Naruto and lightly kicked Shikamaru who was faking unconsciousness. “I need you three to follow Satsuki and back her up.” Kakashi nicked his thumb on a kunai and then pivoted, avoiding a kunai held in a white knuckled grip as a Suna jounin tried to kill him. Pivoting, Kakashi tripped the man and casually buried his kunai in the other jounin’s throat. “Pakkun will lead you to her.” Kakashi’s fingers blurred, too fast to follow before he slammed his hand on the ground and a small pug in a konoha uniform appeared.
“Yo,” Pakkun greeted in a raspy but friendly voice. Kakashi gave Naruto a look to make sure he understood the seriousness of the situation before darting into the melee.
“Well at least I’ll have a chance to show off my skills, right?” Ino’s voice wobbled slightly, nerves edging into her false cheer. Shikamaru’s pale face and trembling hands were a testament to the Nara’s fear and Naruto couldn’t quiet his worry for any of his teammates. Sakura was somewhere in the mess above him while Satsuki was chasing Gaara and Kakashi was in combat.
“Yeah, maybe we’ll get promoted if we succeed.” Naruto said quietly as they took off, weaving through the tunnels and exiting the arena before darting off after Satsuki. Behind them, Naruto suddenly felt Sakura’s chakra, blistering with killing intent. It was a burning, physical force of wrath and anger that made his skin itch and the seal on his stomach heat.
“What the hell is that?!” Ino called out, her face becoming ghostly pale as the killing intent crashed down upon them. Naruto knew it wasn’t directed their way, after running into Zabuza in Nami and Orochimaru more recently he could tell that they were simply catching the echo of Sakura’s ki.
“Tora-chan is very angry.” Naruto answered, intentionally giving the girl’s ANBU name as they ran. Ino’s confusion was obvious though Shikamaru’s quick glare was proof he’d caught the implications. Naruto was friends with a female ANBU and she was young enough to be called chan rather then ba or onee. “Don’t worry though, she’s on our side. She’s the one who helped me pass academy.”
“Tora-chan is the white haired girl then? Black stripes?” Shikamaru asked, his eyes keen and Naruto nodded. If the boy had seen through the disguise, well, Naruto give Sakura a heads up just in case. To be honest, the blond was fairly certain the rosette didn’t care if people knew she was ANBU, after all Team 7 was her first time outside the shadow ranks since she was six.
“Hey, I can smell pursuers, eight, no nine.” Pakkun called out, interrupting the conversation. “They’re going to catch up to us.” Pakkun added and the genin exchanged nervous looks. Ino opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Shikamaru who let out a put upon sigh.
“Troublesome, I’ll handle it.” The Nara drawled before stopping on a branch, suddenly falling behind the group as he started to lay a false trail. There was no chance to argue or persuade him otherwise and Naruto watched as Ino’s hands trembled with barely controlled emotion.
“He better not die or I’m going to find a way to revive him just so I can kill him again.” Ino’s false bravado helped lighten the mood and Naruto found himself letting out a quite but genuine chuckle. Still, the good cheer was fleeting and silence settled between the two blonds as they raced through the forest.
“I can smell one of them ahead, he’s waiting for us.” Pakkun informed the genin as they neared the clearing where Kankuro was waiting. The dog sniffed the air and hummed. “I smell someone else approaching as well, an Aburame.” The dog finished as Shino came into view, racing in the same direction.
“I’ll take care of him.” Shino informed them as they came to a stop in the trees overlooking the area Kankuro had picked for his stand. “He was my opponent anyways.” Shino didn’t need to argue as both Ino and Naruto peeled away while he dropped down into the clearing. Kankuro pulled out his puppet, moving to intercept the blonds only to be stopped by a volley of kunai. “You should pay attention to me if you don’t want to die.”
Naruto didn’t hear anymore of the conversation as the roar of wind and the thud of sandals on branches drowned out the rest of the world. Ahead of him, Ino was hot on Pakkun’s heels, the distance between them and Satsuki closing rapidly. Soon enough, Naruto could feel the Uchiha’s chakra, it was running low but still strong as she fought against Temari. Gaara was nearby, his chakra thrashing about within his chest and becoming increasingly wrong in a way that made Naruto’s skin itch and reminded him of something he couldn’t quite place.
“Satsuki!” Narutos’ call broke any surprise they had as he burst into the fight, clones erupting around him as he blocked a blast of scything wind aimed at his friend. The blond landed next to the Uchiha who let out a put upon sigh right as Temari’s scream rang out. Blue eyes snapped to the Suna kunoichi and found Satsuki standing over her with one tanto drawn. “Did you kill her?”
“No she’s just-” Satsuki was cut off as sand rushed through the trees. Jumping backwards, she avoided the animated grains and landed next to Naruto, her bunshin dispersing. “She’s unconscious, she’s the daughter of the Kazekage. Keeping her prisoner would help the village and all that.”
“Uh that’s nice but I think Gaara’s angry,” Naruto pointed at the redhead who was slowly becoming engulfed in sand. His face was a twisted mess of inhuman features and his pupils split into a cross, his irises painted golden while the whites of his eyes filled with inky blackness. Drool dribbled down his chin and Gaara let out a bestial scream that reverberated in their chests. “Yeah, definitely angry.”
“Hn, won’t help him.” Satsuki pulled out a storage scroll and unsealed a jian which lit up with lightning chakra. Her sharingan spun to life and she glanced at Naruto, her face grim. “Use your clones to overwhelm him, explosive tags and all direction attacks if you’ve got the chakra.”
“Don’t kill him?” Naruto asked and watched Satsuki’s lips twist into a grimace. Instead of answering, Satsuki took to the canopy overhead while Naruto was forced to dodge Gaara as he grew a claw made of twisted sand and charged them. The blond ducked out of the way, dropping downwards and ricocheting off a branch, his hands coming together into the distinctive seal of the kage bunshin. There was no need to call out the jutsu’s name, Naruto’s chakra was intimately familiar with it by now and an army of orange clones erupted into existence.
“You want to fight?! Bring it!” A hundred voices roared as one and Naruto’s clones pulled out kunai with explosive seals hanging from their handles. Gaara looked around, growling furiously, foam dripping from his mouth and eyes wild.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! Come out Uchiha! Come out and die! Mother wants your blood!” Gaara screamed, unable to find Satsuki. The kunoichi had hidden her chakra and was staying high above the fight, using the trees and foliage to remain undetected and out of range of the floating particles of sand that Gaara was using to hunt her.
“He’s not even paying attention.” One of the clones sighed and tossed his kunai, unleashing the storm. Explosive tags fluttered through the air, trailing smoke as they ignited mid-flight. Steel blades buried into Gaara’s protective sand before explosions ripped into the ultimate defense. The flaming blasts hurled sand in all directions, tearing gaps in Gaara’s defenses even as the grains desperately flew backwards to defend him. Naruto wasn’t done however as his clones came crashing into the sand, punches and kicks slamming into the shrinking barrier.
Naruto stared down at Gaara as his own fist slammed into the other jinchuriki’s defenses. Skin abraded against harsh sand as the two locked eyes. The chirping of birds filled the air and a brush of hot, static filled air washed over the two shinobi as Satsuki blurred past them. Her jian was rammed through Gaara’s shoulder, a wire stretching from the hilt to Satsuki’s hand and lightning crackling along its length. Gaara screamed in agony, tumbling to the forest floor as his sand wrapped around the wire but couldn’t tear it away, the lightning nature chakra running through it a natural counter to earth.
“Satsuki,” Naruto wasn’t sure what he was asking for as lightning slammed into Gaara, sending him crumpling to the forest floor. The blond could see the redhead’s chakra fade, evening out as he fell unconscious but his chest continued to move.
“He’s alive, you’re welcome Usuratonkachi-chan.” Satsuki smirked despite her visible exhaustion. Sweat damp sand clung to her face and her bangs had fallen free from her hairpins, strands of inky blue black silk clinging to her flushed cheeks. Her sharingan died out, her chakra exhausted and Naruto dropped down next to her, lending his friend a shoulder. “Thanks.”
“No problem Teme-chan and thank you.” Naruto answered sincerely, despite his teasing tone. He looked down towards Gaara who was unconscious on the forest floor. Blood lazily dripped from his ruined shoulder, Satsuki’s jian rammed through the joint but the heat from her lightning had at least seared the wound shut. “What are we going to do now?”
“Now we’re going to-” Satsuki began but was cut off by a burst of chakra. Naruto’s world spun momentarily as Satsuki pulled him into a shunshin. The two crashed through a wall of underbrush before Satsuki kicked off the ground, carrying them into the trees with the last of her chakra. Naruto scrambled as the two switched positions and the blond caught his friend before she could tumble earthwards.
Below them, sand began to circle Gaara, creeping along his body and moving him like a puppet. Golden eyes focused on Naruto as a deranged laugh spilled from the blond’s lips. Gaara’s face became ever more demonic as he raised his hands skywards and the forest floor answered. A tsunami of chakra infused earth rose high into the sky, its shadow blotting out the sun and casting the entire area in shade.
Gripping Satsuki tightly, Naruto ran like hell. The noise of the sand tsunami was deafening. Trees crunched and splintered as boulders were pushed and ground to dust. Tons of sand crashed into the ground, the wave perpetually cresting and flattening everything in its path. Naruto pushed chakra into his muscles, like Sakura had taught him, but he didn’t have her chakra control or Satsuki’s speed. Desperation however pushed the blond to run faster then he ever had before but even so the sand was closing in on him.
‘The boss toad is larger then that wave.’ Naruto knew he didn’t have enough chakra or rather his reserves didn’t currently have enough. ‘There’s the kyubi…’ Naruto felt a shiver of fear race down his spine as he ran. He’d never tried to contact the fox before but if there was ever a time to try, now would be it. Overhead the sky darkened and Naruto could feel grains of sand raining down on his head as the wave’s crest lurched forward, outpacing him and preparing to crush him under its mass.
Naruto knew that Jiraiya had been trying to teach him to call upon the Kyubi. The summoning jutsu was supposed to push him to chakra exhaustion, force him to call upon the crimson chakra of the tailed beast but the chakra control training Sakura had drilled into him had circumvented the need. ‘I thought I had more time.’ Naruto thought and reached deep within himself. He knew where the Kyuubi’s chakra resided within him, where it rested and the moment he grasped for it, a sharp tug pulled him into the inky depths of his mind.
Naruto gasped for air as he surface from underwater, his fingers scrabbling against smooth concrete, desperate for purchase. Eventually, Naruto managed to haul himself out of the shockingly clean sewer he’d been in and onto the concrete walkway beside it. Water dripped down from his blond hair as he caught his breath and Naruto looked up at the dingy tunnel ceiling arcing overhead. A deep, reverberating growl echoed off the walls and rattled Naruto to his bones.
The blond jumped to his feet and looked towards the sound finding a massive barred gate in a large cavern just ahead of the tunnel he was in. Baleful crimson eyes looked out at him, slit black pupils standing in stark contrast to the glowing irises shrouding them. Naruto could feel the fox’s killing intent bubbling up but somehow found the courage to approach it, the water slowly rising to knee deep as he stopped before the cage.
“So, you finally found the courage to show your face.” The Kyuubi’s voice was bitingly sarcastic. The fox knew he was only here because they were both about to die. Satsuki’s death more then anything had been his motivation because Naruto wasn’t sure he’d be brave enough on his own to face the demon.
“I need chakra to summon the boss toad.” Naruto’s voice shook with nerves. Even he couldn’t maintain his usual impetuous facade in the face of such immense power and wrath. A low rumble slipped from the fox’s lips which pulled back to reveal fangs the size of Naruto’s body.
“Yes, you do. What will you give me for it?” The Kyuubi asked and Naruto grit his teeth then met the fox’s gaze. The kyuubi was talking with him and while its killing intent hanging in the air was a threat, it wasn’t able to act on it. That fact bolstered his flagging courage and Naruto steeled himself.
“We both get to live. I am going to die without your chakra and Sakura said you’d die with me. That my seal was special.” Naruto looked straight into the Kyuubi’s eyes and saw them widen slightly before shifting from him to the bars. A terrifying growl, powerful enough to shake the earth and send waves crashing into Naruto’s waist left the fox as its tails flared and then slammed into the bars.
“That insufferable wretch of a man! Him and that jailer wife of his weren’t happy using me as a tool! They had to do this! Bind me to their wretched spawn!” The Kyuubi’s words struck Naruto as its killing intent crashed down on him, burning the moment into memory. The two looked at each other and Naruto saw the pain and rage in the Kyuubi’s eyes. It was afraid, perhaps for the first time and in its fear it was lashing out.
“Why did you attack Konoha after you were freed?” Naruto asked, looking up at the fox. It was a question he wanted answered, after all if the kyuubi was truly intelligent it would have run instead. It had been sealed before so it would know it was likely to be sealed again should it attack.
“I had no choice in the matter. Much as I’d like to see your pathetic village reduced to ash, I did not chose to attack it. Had it been up to me I would have left it.” The Kyuubi admitted and Naruto felt the fox was being honest. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but the lessening of killing intent and the smoothing of fur seemed genuine. Instincts long sharpened from interacting with Sakura told him that the kitsune before him was leaving things out, a lot of very important things, but he wasn’t lying.
“Alright, okay, I know you hate Konoha but I’m not asking for chakra to defend it.” Naruto began and the fox snorted, the motion sending a wave of steaming hot air crashing over the blond. Naruto glared at the fox as it flicked a tail in dismissal.
“No, you’re just asking so you can defend your little Uchiha crush.” The Kyuubi’s voice twisted with disdain, spitting the clan’s name with obvious loathing. A fresh wave of killing intent bubbled up from the kyuubi and Naruto felt his skin itch painfully, like having a sunburn doused with itching powder. The kitsune considered Naruto for a long second, its eyes narrowed with hatred as it lowered itself back to the ground and rested its head upon its massive paws. “Fine, you can have my power but do not forget you asked for this.” The Kyuubi’s smile was macabre as Naruto felt fire flow through his veins, a sense of power roaring through him along with agony beyond anything he could have imagined.
Blue eyes dyed crimson in an instant and the kyubi’s killing intent erupted from Naruto, easily matching Gaara’s. Crimson eyes turned towards the falling wave of sand, orange chakra turning red and slowly forming an opaque shell around Naruto. On his back, Satsuki let out a pained whimper and Naruto’s anger boiled over, unaware he was the cause of his friend’s agony. Crimson eyes went white, glowing with unnatural light and Naruto’s jaw unhinged as the shell of crimson consumed his form entirely. A ball of black and red energy formed in front of his mouth before firing towards the wave of sand.
A flash of white momentarily bathed the world in blinding light before a deafening boom shook the Village Hidden in the Leaves to its roots. Molten glass flew away from Naruto, a burning orange gap in the tsunami of sand falling around him and Satsuki, leaving them both unharmed. The blond’s killing intent latched onto Gaara the moment the two saw one another and a fresh wave of chakra burned up from within him. Already three tails of crimson chakra swayed behind his body and his mouth opened to let out an inhuman roar.
***
Satsuki hissed as she pushed off from Naruto’s scalding hot body. The kyuubi’s chakra seared her skin, and though its ire was mostly focused elsewhere it still left her covered in first degree burns. Naruto didn’t react to her tumbling away and Satsuki barely managed to latch onto a branch as she hurtled towards the ground. Stars exploded before her eyes as her shoulder was yanked free from its socket and her sharingan activated on instinct, hysteria and panic pushing her beyond her normal limits as she unknowingly opened the first gate.
‘Naruto needs me.’ Satsuki knew what was happening. Sakura had spoken of what it meant to be a jinchuriki at length and her warnings were what had turned Naruto away from calling upon the fox’s chakra. Clearly he’d been left without a choice, her weakness forcing him to take drastic measures to survive. ‘Dammit it all.’ Satsuki felt tears burn at the corners of her eyes and knew what she had to do.
Uchiha Madara was capable of a genjutsu powerful enough to subdue the fox, thanks to his mangekyo sharingan, something he had in common with Satsuki. Pulling out a soldier pill, Satsuki crushed it between her teeth and pushed chakra into her eyes, her mangekyo tearing apart her irises and pupil before reforming into a twisted pattern that sent bolts of flaming pain licking down her optic nerves and deep into her skull.
Adrenaline dulled the agony and Satsuki turned here eyes on her friend. Naruto stood shrouded in pure power, strength beyond mortal means and knew this would be the hardest fight off her life. Gaara was a factor as well, the boy surrounding himself with a rapidly expanding mountain of sand, blue markings spilling outwards along it as it formed into a massive beast. ‘One problem at a time.” Satsuki thought, pushing the antsy chakra provided by the soldier pill into her limbs and moving at shunshin speed.
Within the frozen world of the mangekyo sharingan, Satsuki kicked off tree branches and trunks, reaching Naruto who slowly turned to face her. The blond was almost as fast now, just barely lagging in Satsuki’s perception. White burning eyes met twisted sharingan and Satsuki pushed forward. She knew the technique to reach for another’s mindscape, after all it was an instinctive ability of the sharingan and the mangekyo boosted that innate understanding even further.
Naruto’s mind was a chaotic mess of the kyubi’s killing intent and Naruto’s only anger at the danger Satsuki was in. The effects of the chakra shell around Naruto was reflecting the killing intent back into his own mind, transforming him into little more then a vessel for murder and power. The Kyubi wasn’t in control, though its presence lingered in its chakra, its rage and anger amplifying Naruto’s own negative emotions.
“Naruto, get a grip!” Satsuki growled, pushing her intent into Naruto’s mind as she weathered the chaotic storm. Tears of blood ran down her cheeks as her eyes burned but she kept feeding her chakra to her mangekyo, prolonging the transformation. “This isn’t you, you asked me not to kill him, remember? Wake up Naruto!” Satsuki shouted, her reserves dwindling rapidly as she forced her way into Naruto’s mind and hurled her willpower against the reverberating waves of killing intent. She felt a flash of Naruto through the chaos and watched as the blond’s chakra clad form stilled.
“I can’t control it.” Naruto’s voice was panicked, his doubt and fear swirling through his chakra and feeding the rage. The blond was in a spiral and Satsuki didn’t have the strength yet to pull him free. “It’s too much.”
“The chakra is amplifying it, burn it off.” Satsuki knew if Naruto burnt off the excess chakra he’d be able to calm down. The kyuubi’s chakra was the problem, it was a carrier for the bijuu’s killing intent and it reflected Naruto’s only killing intent straight back into his mind creating a runaway effect. A shadow fell over the two genin as Naruto struggled and Satsuki broke eye contact momentarily as a massive raccoon made of sand towered over them. Glittering golden eyes that shone with insanity focused on the two Konoha nin and lips made of crushed silica pulled back to reveal gleaming quartz fangs. “Naruto quickly!”
“Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram, Kuchiyose no jutsu!” Naruto’s chakra dwindled rapidly and Satsuki felt the ground suddenly surge upwards. Air rushed through her hair, countless strands having slipped loose in the fighting and crimson eyes finally faded back to onyx as Satsuki took in the sight of her village from high above it.
“So, getting into interesting fights already? Well you are one interesting brat, I’ll give you that.” A booming voice echoed off the ground and resounded in Satsuki’s ears as she realized she was standing atop a massive toad. Beside her, burnt and bloody, Naruto stood ragged but upright, his grin back in place.
“Ah, well, things got a bit out of hand dattebayo.” Naruto scratched the back of his head and winced at the sharp pain that came with the motion. Satsuki immediately shifted to support him, letting the blond lean on her gingerly as the toad boss eyed the Ichibi.
“Shukaku, huh? This really brings me back.” The toad rumbled, drawing a massive sword from the sheath on his back and holding it in a reverse grip. “Hold on you two, this is going to get rough.”