Of Vengeful Siblings, Mountain Toads, and Dynamic Entries
-Of Vengeful Siblings, Mountain Toads, and Dynamic Entries-
“It’s been a long time... Sasuke.”
Naruto and the unnamed nin freeze and look at the Uchiha curiously before turning their gazes to the end of the hall, immediately catching sight of the younger boy.
Sasuke sneers, activating his Sharingan. “Itachi Uchiha.”
Itachi’s companion grins and releases his hold on the sword as he turns around, watching the interaction with keen interest. “Well, the Sharingan. And he looks an awful lot like you... Itachi, who is this kid?”
Itachi doesn’t move or turn to face Sasuke as he answers. “He’s my younger brother.”
“That’s strange, cause the way I heard it, the whole Uchiha clan was wiped out... By you.” His partner muses again, staring at the older Uchiha curiously as his grin falls into a smirk.
Sasuke lowers into a fighting stance. “Itachi Uchiha, I hope you’re ready to die.”
It’s then realization washes over Naruto as memories come to the forefront of his mind. ‘“I’m going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain someone.”... “He’s still out there. My brother. I promised myself, I’d stay alive until I killed him.”’ His gaze then flits over to the older male in question. ‘This is who he was talking about. The one he wanted to kill.’
At his brothers words, Itachi finally turns his head and looks over his shoulder, prompting the younger male to continue.
“It’s just as you said, brother. I’ve fostered my hatred for you all this time.” Sasuke growls as chakra becomes alive and visible in his hand in the form of Chidori. “I’ve lived my life for one single purpose. To see you die! It ends here!”
Itachi’s eye’s immediately fall onto his brothers hand, somewhat intrigued but not at all surprised. “Chidori?”
Hearing Naruto call his name worriedly, Sasuke briefly locks eye’s with the blond before his gaze falls onto the brunette at his brothers feet, her appearance sending a pang of fear through his chest as well as fueling his rage further. “Enough! You’re dead!” He exclaims, bringing his chakra infused hand down to his side as he begins charging down the corridor. And once he’s close enough to his brother, he goes for the jab.
Itachi, however, with the slightest and most smoothest of movements, deflects the attack as if he were swatting a fly. In response, Sasuke’s Chidori slams into the wall next to him, creating a large crater-like hole and filling the air with dust.
‘I... I don’t believe it. He brushed off Sasuke’s attack like it was nothing.’ Naruto thought to himself, watching as Itachi tightened his grip on Sasuke’s wrist, making the younger Uchiha grunt in pain. ‘We’ve got trouble! I’ve got to do something!’
With that thought, Naruto brings his hands up, making a hand-sign as chakra begins swirling around him.
His actions prompt Itachi’s partner to turn to him a second time. “Ah, the air is ripe with chakra. This must be it, the power of the Nine-Tails.” He muses, a feral gleam in his eyes.
Wanting to deter the attention somewhat away from Naruto, Sasuke lets out another yell and brings his free hand back, balling it into a fist in hopes of landing a solid punch. However, with a slight flick of his hand, Itachi snaps the bone in the boys captured wrist, making him cry out in pain and clutch at his arm as he falls to his knees.
“Sasuke...!” Naruto yells before glowering at Itachi and the man beside him. “All right, that’s it!” He exclaims, beginning to make the signs for a Summoning Jutsu.
“Too slow!” The blue-skinned nin growls, unsheathing his sword within a second and swiping downwards in front of the blond.
Feeling his molded chakra disappear, Naruto opens his eyes and looks up in confusion. ‘I can’t feel my chakra! Damn it. Damn it! What the hell is going on?!’
The man brings his sword back up and casually rests it on his shoulder. “Sorry, Kid. My blade, Samehada, cuts through chakra and devours it.” He informs as something beneath the bandages wrapped around his sword began to shift slightly, as if it were alive. He then glances at Itachi. “We don’t need the hassle of this kid whipping out any more jutsu. Forget the legs. Maybe I ought to start off with those arms of his?”
Naruto attempts to mold more chakra but struggles to do so. The rogue nin sees this and brings his sword up in another swiping motion. “You’re wasting your time.”
However, just before he could deal the blow, a cloud of smoke fills the hall and a large toad makes its appearance, blocking the hit with its gauntlet covered arms. Following this, Jiraiya then appears behind Naruto with a small poof, holding the mystery woman from before limply over his shoulder. “You two don’t know me at all, do you? Should’ve done your homework... Jiraiya the Toad Sage falls victim to no woman’s charm! Rare beauty is dropped for me like blossoms in a storm. It isn’t in my nature to be duped by the wiles of women.” Jiraiya then pauses for a moment before continuing, “When you reach the stature I have, the ladies kneel and worship at your awesomeness!”
There’s another pregnant pause as everyone stares at the older male blankly, and eventually, Naruto is the first to recover as he turns to point at the Sannin angrily. “Aah, don’t give me that! One wink from a pretty girl, and you turned into a mountain of mush! You fell for it like a ton of bricks, Pervy Sage!”
Jiraiya rubs the back of his head. “I really wish you wouldn’t call me that in front of other people.” He replies through gritted teeth, sending the blond a look as he let out a forced laugh.
Exasperated, Naruto throws his hands up into the air. “Are you kidding me?!” He exclaims, his voice cracking slightly. He then points behind him and to the two rogue ninjas who were watching the interaction silently. “We’ve got worse things to worry about than what these guys think about you! Get with it, Pervy Sage!”
“DIDN’T I JUST ASK YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT?!” Jiraiya roars in response.
It’s then the shark-like nin breaks his silence with a laugh. “Whatever name you go by, Master Jiraiya, I must say, you’re something of a disappointment... A lecherous old man with the disposition of a child. It’s almost impossible to believe that you are one of the ‘Three Legendary Sannin’.”
Bewildered, Naruto turns to the nin. “You— You already know who he is?!”
“Uh, don’t be fooled by appearances, or, you know, anything this little squirt might say.” Jiraiya’s interjects.
The nin ignores them both as he continues on smugly, “So, you somehow managed to release the Genjutsu we cast on her, eh?”
His tone prompts a change in Jiraiya’s attitude almost immediately. Looking between the two with narrowed eyes, the Sannin then turns and places the woman down onto the floor, propping her against the wall. “What kind of coward would do something like that?... Using his Saimingan to inflict an illusion jutsu on an innocent woman, all in order to separate Naruto from me.” He replies before standing to his full height. “I know he’s the one you’re really after.”
“That explains how Kakashi knew.” Itachi states, his expression giving nothing away. “Now I understand. He learned it from you... You’re right, Naruto is the prize that the Akatsuki are after. And we will have him.”
It’s then the large toad disperses, leaving a large cloud of smoke behind. Once it clears, Jiraiya meets Itachi’s gaze fully. “No way you’re getting Naruto.”
“We’ll see about that.” Itachi replies.
Jiraiya smirks softly to himself. “Actually, this is all very convenient. I can eliminate you both at the same time.”
“Stay out of this...!” Sasuke suddenly interjects from his place on the floor, making everyone, with the exception of Amaya and the unconscious woman, turn to him. He then slowly pushes himself up. “The only one who’s going to eliminate him... is me!”
Jiraiya stares at the boy, realization coming to him. ‘Of course. Revenge.’
Itachi looks down and meets his brothers gaze, roughly releasing his hold on the boys wrist. “Go away. You don’t interest me at the moment.”
Ignoring the pain emitting from his arm, Sasuke stands to his full height, clenching his hand into a fist as he rushes towards his brother for the umpteenth time. “Well, get interested!”
As soon as he’s within range and before he could attempt a hit, Itachi pivots on his heel and promptly slams his foot into Sasuke’s stomach, sending the younger male careening down the corridor and into a wall.
“Sasuke, no!” Naruto exclaims worriedly. He then turns his gaze onto Itachi, glowering as he begins to run forward. “Damn you lousy—“
“No, Naruto!” Sasuke yells, his voice making the blond stop in his tracks. “Don’t butt in. Mind your own business!” He adds as he pushes himself up from the floor a second time. “I told you before. I’ve lived my whole life for this day, this moment. This fight is mine!”
With that, Sasuke reactivates his Sharingan charges forward.
As he nears, Itachi lowers his leg and faces him fully, blocking the punch aimed for his face. He then slams his own fist against Sasuke’s jaw, following through with another kick to the stomach that sent the boy flying back a second time.
Sasuke gasps from the pain and takes a moment to spit some blood out onto the floor. “Not...finished.” He grunts, struggling to move.
Itachi watches on passively. ‘He can’t even manage to make the hand-sign.’
“This fight is mine.” Sasuke states again through gritted teeth.
Itachi’s eye’s narrow slightly at his words. “So be it.”
His words spur Jiraiya into action, however, before the Sannin could take a step, the second rogue nin steps forward with his sword raised defensively.
“You heard him, Old Man. This fight is none of our business... Let’s let the two of them sort it out.”
By this point, Itachi was already halfway down the hall, eventually coming to a stop in front of the younger Uchiha.
Sasuke lunges forward, only to be met with another fist to the stomach.
Following that hit, Itachi then continues on with blow after blow until Sasuke is immobile on the floor. And after seeing that the younger male was incapable of doing anything else, Itachi lifts him up by his collar and slams him into the closest wall, his fingers slowly curling around Sasuke’s throat. “You’re still too weak. You don’t have enough hate.” He informs and takes a step forward, leaning in to speak into his brothers ear. “And you know something? You never will.”
Sasuke‘s eye’s weakly flutter open. Onyx orbs clash with Sharingan and he lets out a quiet gasp as the three tomoe shift, immediately pulling him into a Genjutsu of the night their clan was massacred.
Hearing Sasuke let out a scream, Itachi’s blue-skinned partner smirks. “Isn’t that heartwarming? Using Tsukuyomi on his own brother.”
Naruto grits his teeth, his eyes briefly flicking down to Amaya’s slumped form. ‘Is that what he did to her...?’ He asks himself, only looking up when Sasuke’s screams begin to die down into nothing as he falls unconscious. “That does it. I’m through standing around!” He yells before running forward.
As the blond passes him, the rogue nin grunts and follows after.
Now free to do as he wishes, Jiraiya makes his move as he begins to make hand-signs. Slamming his hands onto the floor, a pink, flesh-like material begins to form and coat the entire corridor, making everyone stop in their place.
“What the— What’s going on?” Naruto asks aloud, voicing everyone’s thoughts as he looks around at the strange substance.
Itachi watches as the material spreads over Sasuke, forcing him to let go of his brothers throat. He then turns to his partner, who lets out a disgruntled grunt as his feet begin sinking into the mush.
“You’ve just been swallowed by the Mountain Toad.” Jiraiya informs with a smirk. “Welcome, my friends, to the belly of the beast! He has a very sensitive digestive tract, so be careful not to upset him... Not the most glorious way to die, is it? It must be humbling to know that you’ve been reduced to toad bait.”
“Woah, I’m not liking this at all...” Naruto mutters under his breath, still looking around in both awe and fear.
“Naruto, stay still.” Jiraiya orders, making the blond turn to him. “Just stay calm. Trust in my jutsu.”
With one last look around, Itachi returns his gaze back onto his partner. “Kisame, come.”
The nin now known as Kisame, quickly pulls his feet from the fleshy, gooey substance, only to grunt in frustration as his sword also becomes entrapped. “Easier said than done.” He replies before ripping the weapon free and running towards the Uchiha.
“It’s useless.” Jiraiya calls after them. “A ninja hasn’t been born who can survive this powerful stomach.”
Once Kisame reaches Itachi, both take off down an adjacent hallway.
Jiraiya grins and pushes his hands deeper into the flesh, making it rise and spread as it followed after the two.
A moment later there’s a loud explosion and Jiraiya shoots up from his crouched position, sprinting in the direction the two rogues went.
Concerned, Naruto watches him go. “Hey, Pervy Sage!” He calls before running after him. “What the heck happened?!”
As the two round the corner, both skid to a stop as they catch sight of the large, gaping hole just a few feet down the hall from where they stood.
“They both got away...” Naruto murmurs.
Jiraiya scowls, his eyes taking in the black flames that danced around the opening, burning any and all debris that come in contact with it. ‘He did the impossible. He broke though the wall.’
Naruto walks forward, inspecting the flames with squinted eyes. “What is this stuff anyway? Some kind of black fire?”
“STAY AWAY FROM IT!” Jiraiya yells, making the blond back away with a surprised yelp. He then looks down as he pulls out a scroll from his pocket. ‘How did they do it? What did they use to escape?... And these black flames. To burn the Stone Toad when it has the power to spit fire itself. That is strong jutsu indeed.’
The Sannin then crouches and unravels the scroll, writing a seal down onto the blank parchment. Once finished, he raises up and begins to make a hand-sign. “Sealing Jutsu. Fire Seal, now!”
Naruto takes another step backwards, standing behind Jiraiya as a swirl of chakra rises from the scroll and coils around the black flames, watching in awe as they disappear and return to the seal.
Jiraiya then rolls up the scroll and secures it with a small piece of rope before standing. “All right. Well, that takes care of that for the time being.” He murmurs as he tucks the scroll away, turning his head in the direction they came from. “Now for Sasuke and Amaya.”
Almost as if on command, the fleshy material peels back to reveal Sasuke in his pinned position to the wall. Naruto immediately rushes towards the Uchiha, catching him before he hit the ground as Jiraiya releases his jutsu completely.
As the blond props Sasuke against the wall, Jiraiya passes and returns to Amaya’s side. He crouches in front of her hunched form and a thoughtful expression forms on his face. ‘She’s all out of chakra... No doubt she’s the source of that spike I felt earlier. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have gotten here in time.’ He muses, brushing a few strands of hair from her face before tucking her into his chest, lifting her up bridal-style. Once she’s secured and he’s sure he wouldn’t drop her, Jiraiya then turns and makes his way back to the two boys.
Due to being jostled, Amaya lets out a small grunt, her eyelids fluttering slightly as she tries to open them and adjust her vision to the florescent lighting of the hallway. Allowing her head to lull to the side, she looks up at the Sannin with squinted eyes. “Jiraiya...? What happened?”
Jiraiya looks down at her. “You tell me, you were out cold when I got here.”
“I’m— Im not sure...?” Amaya mumbles, taking a deep breath in hopes of calming her erratic heartbeat. A dull throb then begins to emit from behind her eyes, prompting her to squeeze them shut. “Ev-everything’s sharper...brighter. It almost hurts.”
Jiraiya’s brows furrow. “How do you mean?”
Amaya opens her eyes and looks up at him. “Chakra... I sense it... I can feel it.” She replies before jolting in realization, attempting to look over his shoulder. “N-Naruto— Where’s Naruto?! Did they—?!”
“Naruto’s fine.” Jiraiya replies, nodding his head forward, feeling the brunette sag in his arms from relief. “But Itachi and Kisame got away.”
By this point, the duo had reached the two boys. Jiraiya kneels, placing Amaya on the ground next to a still unconscious Sasuke before standing to his full height.
Once she’s settled, Naruto surges forward and rests his hand on the brunette’s knee, briefly gaining her attention. “Amaya! Are you okay?!”
Amaya only nods in response and turns her attention to the Uchiha next to her. “When did Sasuke get here? Is— Is he okay? What happened? Did he...?”
“He tried.” Jiraiya replies grimly, making the brunette sigh.
Before anything else could be said or asked, a kunai suddenly flies past Jiraiya’s face and embeds into the wall next to him. Surprised, the three stare at the weapon, unaware to the figure charging at them from the opening Itachi had previously made.
“DYNAMIC—!”
Amaya and Naruto flinch, their heads snapping over in the new arrivals direction.
Jiraiya also turns at the sudden and familiar voice, his own eyes widening as he catches sight of a foot heading right for his face. “Gai—!”
“ENTRY!”
Gai’s foot lands it’s mark as he kicks Jiraiya square in the face, sending the Sannin sprawled out onto the floor with a bloody nose. The green clad Jounin then lets out a pleased chuckle, happy to have received the desired surprised reaction.
That is, until he realized who he had just taken out in one fell swoop.
“I guess I was a little over enthusiastic.” Gai informs bashfully, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous smile. “You see, I— I was trying to hurry and I couldn’t see very clearly.” He then let’s out a laugh, choosing to elaborate further. “Using my headband to peer into the opening, all I could see were two sinister figures so...“
Jiraiya’s glower becomes more prominent. “Do you know what? If this is your way of saying sorry, it stinks!”
Gai stammers for a second, his cheeks turning a tinge more pink than before. “I’m sorry but it was just a simple misunderstanding—“
“Simpleminded’s more like it.” Jiraiya interjects before waving him off with a sigh. “But never mind that now. We’ve got to get Sasuke to the Medical Corps at once. He’s badly beaten up, his arm is broken, and he’s been knocked out by whatever jutsu that was that Itachi used on him.”
Gai looks down at the aforementioned Genin, his expression turning grim. ‘Could it be the same thing he used on Kakashi?’
Seeing the look on his face, Naruto turns his concerned gaze to Jiraiya. “Pervy Sage, Sasuke is gonna be all right though, isn’t he?”
“Physically, yes. But I am worried about what may have been done to his mind.” The Sannin replies lowly, making Naruto grit his teeth and turn back to the Uchiha with furrowed brows.
Amaya swallows thickly, subconsciously reaching out to place her hand on Sasuke’s. ‘If Itachi showed me that day— I can only imagine what he saw...’ She thought with a shudder.
“What the heck...” Naruto grumbles. “What did Sasuke ever do to deserve this?!” He questions, standing to his full height, fists clenched at his side. “Okay, Pervy Sage, it’s time for a new game plan, starting right now. I admit I let those goons scare me a little. But that’s over. No more running! After all, it’s me they’re after, right? Well, okay then, it’s time I give them what they want!”
Amaya releases her hold on Sasuke’s hand and slowly pushes herself up, leaning all of her weight against the wall when she felt her legs tremble from exhaustion. “Naruto...” She murmurs, her words tapering off as Jiraiya lets out an annoyed grunt.
“Nice speech, Kid. But I’m afraid you wouldn’t stand a chance against them. You’re not in the same league.” The Sannin replies, his eyes narrowing as Naruto looks up at him with a scowl. “What would have happened if I hadn’t shown up just now, huh? It took all I had to get them away from you.”
“Is that right?” Naruto questions, his scowl deepening. “So what are you suggesting?! That we just do nothing and sit here and wait for them to hit us again?! What kind of strategy is that?!”
“Just be quiet!” Jiraiya snaps, making the blond tense up and look away. “You haven’t earned the right.” He adds gruffly before turning his attention to Gai, who watched on silently. “I’m sorry, Gai. I wanted to let Sasuke fight his own fight... I see now that I should have intervened sooner.”
Gai doesn’t say anything in response to the apology but let’s out a sigh. “This is obviously the same sort of jutsu that Kakashi was hit with. We don’t know when he’ll come out of it.”
Naruto and Amaya’s heads snap up, both looking up at him in shock, though Naruto is the first to speak. “What?! Kakashi-sensei?!”
Gai ignores him as he continues, thinking of Lee as he spoke. “There’s nothing worse than seeing your students fall in battle. It’s like losing little pieces of your soul... What we need is a supreme medical specialist, a master of the healing arts, and soon.”
Jiraiya side-eye’s the Jounin next to him. “You’re right. And the woman you’re talking about is the one we’ve come to find.”
Gai looks up in surprise. “The woman...?” He trails off, his curious expression melting away into one of realization. “You don’t mean—?!”
Jiraiya chuckles, a smug and knowing grin pulling at his lips. “Yes, that’s exactly who I mean. Another of the Legendary Sannin. ‘The Queen of Slugs and Elixirs’... ‘The Gambling Fool’ and ‘Mistress of the Healing Arts’—“
Amaya, despite the current circumstance, smirks softly to herself as she completes the older males sentence, her words making a large grin form on Gai’s face.
“Lady Tsunade.”