The morning skies of Sunagakure are lit with etheric, blue starlight. The massive winged humanoid glides toward them, and the rising panic of exhausted Suna-nin is swiftly seen to by their current security team leader.
"Settle down." Temari orders stonily. "That Jutsu belongs to Uchiha Naruto, he must be the aid Konoha sent."
Naruto's Susanoo shifts into an upright position above the great wall surrounding the village. It sinks down, slowly dissipating from its armoured legs upward until the Konoha Shinobi deftly land next to Temari. Sakura takes the lead.
"Where is the Kazekage? What's his condition?" She and Temari are already leaping across flat rooftops.
"Poisoned by Akasuna no Sasori. We can't measure how much is in his system but we know it has some unfamiliar metals that attack muscle cells. The only reason that he isn't dead is because he's kept himself awake for the past thirty-six hours and used his Jiton to stop as much of it as he could." Temari spouts clinically.
"Sakura will tend to the Kazekage. Have there been any further breaches?" Naruto delegates the most experienced hand to the most delicate job.
"None." Temari shakes her head, leaving the 'that we know' of unspoken.
"We need a report on the combatants, names, abilities, who and how they fought, and where they went."
Sakura nearly opens her mouth to protest, to say that the Kazekage is the immediate concern, but Temari beats her to it.
"How can you say that right now?! My father and brother are dying and our village is in shambles-!"
"-You were WARNED!" Naruto snarls furiously, making Sakura jump and something unpleasant rakes across her shoulders. "Tsunade notified you well in advance that the Akatsuki was mobilizing, how many were there? Fifty? One-hundred? How many Shinobi did the Akatsuki enlist to capture the Ichibi?"
"Naruto-!" Gai tries to quell his rage.
Temari swallows in discomfort, refusing to look back at him.
Naruto's brow twitches and his next question is accompanied by a low growl.
"Where is the Kazekage? So something in this situation might be salvaged." He practically spits out.
"M-medical wing... in the tower." Temari stutters out with fear tinging her quiet voice.
"Sakura, go on ahead. Gai, I need you to be their bodyguard. Make sure that they're safe in-case the Akatsuki comes back to put the village in more chaos and make it harder to regroup."
"Understood." Gai nods, perhaps unwilling to separate from his students but understanding that Naruto is Konoha's premier expert on matters relating to the Bijuu. Gai can protect, Naruto can search for clues. Besides, Team Gai are equipped with radio's, they'll be able to spread out and do welfare checks on each other through code.
"The rest of Team Gai, I want you to investigate the battle site. Question witnesses and try to determine the combat capabilities and numbers of the assailants. I'll do some external recon, and we'll meet at the tower in three-hours unless you conclude your investigation sooner. Move out!"
"Yes, Captain!" The Konoha Shinobi chorus.
As they fan out, Naruto makes his way to the nearest messenger aviary. The distinct lack of strong Chakra makes the birds easy to find in the wasteland that is Sunagakure, given the lack of many domesticated animals. He strolls past the Suna-nin inside, and they are too fearful to question what he's doing.
"Fuseikoi: Densen(Malfeasance: Contagion)."
Most of the hawks and small birds appear to take on Naruto's Rinnegan.
"Will you make the voice go away?" the weak Jinchuuriki asks him quietly, nested in the mouth of his explosive bird.
"...Yeah, kiddo." Deidara confirms, although uneasily.
The Sealing Ritual is only just beginning when Zetsu decides it's a good time to inform Deidara and Sasori what to expect.
"Konoha has deployed Uchiha Naruto. I'd concentrate if I were you! We're well hidden, but don't underestimate that man."
"Fantastic!- Un!" Deidara gripes sarcastically. "And I thought it was going smoothly! The Jinchuuriki didn't put up much of a fight."
"Neither did the Kazekage." Sasori's gravely puppet voice growls out, on his respective mark.
"The Sealing will continue as planned." Pain cuts through the chatter.
"And when he finds us, Un?" Deidara challenges.
"We'll be finished by then. Do not engage him in combat if it can be helped, get away from the site. I have prepared a measure to ensure that even he will be delayed by. You will have your time to escape."
'Like I can trust you, Un!' Deidara doesn't care much for the organization, and the high he'd gotten from the freedom to practice his art is starting to wane. 'The fuck was I thinking, joining you cult loons?'
Oh yeah. They'd kill him if he left.
"So, what? You gonna get Kabuto to do it? Cause it worked out for his master, Un." Deidara speculates, somewhat snidely.
"Focus." Pain orders instead of elaborating.
'Moron, who can stop that guy in his tracks?'
"Is it happening?" the Jinchuuriki asks softly, as tendrils of red Chakra are slowly wrenched from him.
"Yeah." Deidara replies without looking, not wanting to look at the pitiful kid.
"I'm gonna die."
"Yeah." Deidara repeats.
The Chakra spools out of him quicker.
"I can finally... sleep?"
Deidara can't stand to look at him. He spouts-off the rhetoric that Pain and Zetsu share instead, not wanting to lie to the kid in his last moments.
"You're gonna be part of a world where you can sleep as much as you want. One that you can be happy and have everything that you need."
"Why are you letting me be part of this world?" Gaara asks, eyes fogged with exhaustion.
"...I don't think anyone deserves to be left behind like that, Un. Everyone gets to be happy in the new world, Un."
"No-one wants me." Gaara states factually.
"Kiddo, you don't have to worry about who wants you anymore. From here on, it's about the people that you want. Save me a seat wherever you end up after this, I'm probably gonna get killed with these assholes anyway." Deidara derides.
"Okay..." Gaara surrenders his will entirely. "In the next world."
He puts his swirly orange mask down and wipes the moisture built up in the humid lab from his face. It lands next to Kabuto's glasses, now redundant and kept merely as a memento.
"Heading out so soon?" Kabuto asks benignly, immersed in synchronising the necessary Kekkei-Genkai with the blood of his new subject.
"I have some business with a clanmate of mine. Do keep on your guard." Obito stretches his back out languidly after being hunched over microscopes and test Zetsu all night.
"Of course. No mask?"
"The truth of my identity will play an important role in stirring up Konoha internally. It's time I shed Madara's skin, so to speak."
"Leader-sama will not be so appreciative of the truth." Kabuto muses, actually unconcerned.
Obito's lips twitch into a crooked, cruel smirk.
"There is only one thing that matters when it comes to controlling Shinobi. Darkness. In darkness lies the truth that the lost souls of this world only care for Power. He will fold before me as he always has, be my name Tobi, Madara, or Uchiha Obito. These structures grew organically with the advent of Chakra in our race and it has led to easily manipulable darkness in the hearts of man."
A concept that butts-heads with the logical part of the human mind. They revile their tools of war and their heroes when their use is not apparent and yet, still tolerate them on a base instinct guided by fear of the strong. Thirsting for peace but desiring conflict, leading to pointless suffering to the innocent. The threads of fate will be severed in this world. They wouldn't have to fear. They wouldn't have to desire power. They will all be happy and the cycle will never start anew, ever again.
It doesn't matter who becomes the savior, so long as the world is rescued from its suffering. The people need to be saved. And Obito is going to maximize his chances of the Dream coming true. Exploiting a bit of darkness here and there is a means to an end to bring in a final, glorious light.
A thrum of excitement builds up in him and in a twisting distortion, whirls away to do his part in guiding the world to peace.
"Come with me, Kabuto. Naruto has quite a bit on his plate as it is, I see an opportunity to throw him off."
"You know that your preliminary procedures don't make you that much stronger, don't you? You're better off staying here and getting ready to have your real flesh and bone regrown."
"Ah, but you did say that being exhausted would likely facilitate the spreading of the Mangekyou and Rinnegan enzymes through my body, did you not?"
Kabuto shrugs, throwing on his Akatsuki coat. "So long as you're careful, Obito. You're surprisingly compatible with the planned experiment, I'd hate to have to start from scratch."
Seeing through many pairs of disconnected eyes is slightly disorienting but he gets used to it quickly. His Genjutsu spreads from the hawks and into local fauna, releasing the birds from his control. Rabbits, foxes, parrots, owls and the like. Anything mobile enough to scout the terrain from this distance.
'Surely we didn't pass them on the way?' Naruto thinks, discovering a general cone away from Sunagakure towards Kawa no Kuni where any animal that he is controlling would simply die without warning. Although his Rinnegan allows him to see through their eyes, he is limited by the senses and bloodline capabilities of what he's controlling and can't sense Chakra with a natural species' limited Chakra accessibility.
Kawa no Kuni is right between Suna and Konoha, how could he have missed anything when they came through? Unless... the Akatsuki already have their secure sealing site, hidden under a powerful barrier to avoid detection from Sensory Jutsu.
Naruto scowls, a twitch plaguing his brow as he tries to contain his anger. It took twelve hours to get here flying at his top speed, and the messenger hawk delivering a backup request to Konoha had taken a full day, plus the two days it had taken for Suna to finally send a message that they'd been invaded. It could already be too late and the Akatsuki are closer to their goal.
He releases all of the animals under his control from the Genjutsu and leaps away to the Kazekage tower, leaving behind bewildered birdkeepers. Three hours of standing perfectly still and staring off into nothing would probably unsettle most normal people.
Sensing that Team Gai hadn't finished their information gathering but Gai himself is standing guard vigilantly over Sakura, he decides to get any information about the patients that he may have garnered.
"What's the Kazekage and his son's condition?"
"Declining, quickly. Sakura is trying to divide her attention between them both but..." Gai trails off.
Naruto nods at him with certainty, making his decision already.
"Sakura, you're to focus on the Kazekage alone. Ignore the boy."
"Kankuro will die if he's not given the same attention!" Temari protests with wide and fearful eyes, turning to Sakura. "You have to work on them both!"
Sakura disregards her wordlessly. Temari's pleading visage becomes disheartened.
Naruto rolls his eyes and makes a hand-sign.
"Moku Bunshin no Jutsu(Wood Clone)." Two Naruto's separate from his main body. "There. One will try and save this Kankuro, and the other will assist Sakura. They can communicate telepathically, so what one learns can be actively applied to the other patient. But make no mistake, the boy is not our priority, and our time is running low as it is. As soon as Team Gai gets back with their findings, we're leaving and your medics will have to pick up the slack if you want either of them to live."
"Ohoho~! An Uchiha who knows Iryo-Ninjutsu! Rare indeed..." A distinct aged woman's voice chuckles mirthlessly.
"Chiyo-baasama!" Temari dips her head immediately.
Naruto pointedly ignores the hag, and sets on Gai again.
"Did you learn anything more about this Sasori and his accomplice?"
"Akasuna no Sasori is a famous puppet master, but his role in battling the Jinchuuriki was limited. He infiltrated the village on foot and unnoticed before engaging Kazekage Rasa and Kankuro in battle at the same time that his accomplice found the Ichibi Jinchuuriki. Sasori was branded a missing-nin for the murder of the Sandaime Kazekage, who was considered the strongest Kazekage to date. I wasn't able to gather any information about the other Akatsuki member." Gai's observations are limited in detail, but the broad sweeping truth that Sasori was capable of killing the most powerful Kazekage is something useful at least.
"I may have to go ahead, it could already be too late. You'll need to take over here, it'll be at your discretion when to leave." Naruto points out, probably needlessly. "I'm counting on you."
"Not to worry, Naruto-kun!" Gai gives a mighty pose for his thumbs-up. "I'll have my team explain their findings to your most youthful clone-kun! And don't fret, I will protect Sakura-chan with my life!"
Naruto smiles for the first time since the mission started.
"I see why Kakashi considers you to be his closest friend."
He dashes away as Gai collapses to his knees dramatically.
"KA-KA-SHI!" Gai pumps his fist up, looking unnecessarily emotional.
Temari and Chiyo look on with disgust.
There is surprisingly little wreckage from a fight between two powerful Shinobi. A few crumbled buildings here and there, the residence of the Jinchuuriki though, has essentially been reduced to dust. It's on a far-flung corner of the village, inconspicuous and not anywhere near where the Kazekage's family lives.
As if by explosive detonation, there is rubble fanning out from what was once the Jinchuuriki's home. Whatever did this has to be far more powerful than the average explosive tags, even used in conjunction with dozens of them. The fight must have been settled quickly, but there are too few people that are actually willing to give any information as to what occurred. A Jinchuuriki should have put up more of a fight.
Neji is frustrated by the lack of compliant spectators to the abduction of the Jinchuuriki.
"Good lady, I implore you! This is most vital for the ongoing security of your village!" Lee pleads.
"No-one wants that monster back." The young woman spits out, child in-arm and turns her back to them instantly.
"You are still in danger." Neji states firmly, stopping the mother in her tracks. "Do you think they won't come back to finish this village off while your strongest Shinobi are incapacitated or missing? This is not a matter of who wants your Jinchuuriki back, your village needs the help of every citizen who can see and talk, or else you may find yourself in worse danger than just a couple of strong Shinobi hunting down one person."
"Leave her be, Konoha-Shinobi," Her husband retorts. "We're safe with that demon gone."
Neji breathes out a small sigh, pursing his lips in annoyance.
"Alright then, so what do we know?"
"Shinobi casualties are minimal, with the exception of Kazekage-sama and Kankuro-san." Lee nods with his eyes closed, as if he'd just revealed a great mystery.
"Gaara-san probably didn't fight back, or at least he got captured before he knew what was going on. Only two Akatsuki members, one took care of Kazekage-sama and Kankuro-san, while the other came here like he knew exactly where Gaara-san would be. A synchronized attack that only lasted about twenty-minutes." Tenten gives what she knows, or at least her informed guess.
"His residence was the only site where damage has been observed." Neji mutters in thought. "But the damage in that isolated spot is still significant. The building has been completely leveled."
Tenten provides her professional assessment.
"It was a single explosion. Explosive tags are too weak to do that much with a single charge. I think it was Ninjutsu, but there are no excess boulders or moisture before they dissipate and become natural energy. I'd say wind, but the amount of force needed to flatten that building with Futon would have had to do more collateral damage than it did. Wind's strength is meant to be its precise cutting ability, not a direct gust. If we're going by the general rule that enemy Shinobi use 'testers' first to gauge how much resistance their opponent is going to use if they're unsure of their strength, then it has to be some kind of explosion-based Jutsu, probably a Kekkei-Genkai."
"Soooo- '' Lee trails uncertainly. "-They can explode stuff. Kekkei-Genkai, but might not be?"
The unfortunate crux of it. They hadn't learned anything substantial besides that there hadn't been much of a struggle, and that there were only two infiltrators.
"Let's just report back. Maybe Naruto-dono can make sense of this..." Neji claims, though unsure.
"It's nearly been three hours. If no-one wants to help, then screw 'em. We have places to be." Tenten wrinkles her nose snidely.
"Wait! Please!" An elderly man calls out, desperate and weak. "I saw them! The ones who kidnapped Gaara-sama!"
Team Gai all but surrounds the old man. His squinty eyes are surrounded by the biggest eyebrows they'd ever seen.
"The other one that wasn't Sasori, he used the Bakuton Kekkei-Genkai! It is unique, I only saw it once in my youth as a Shinobi against Iwagakure-" The old man coughs, almost-ancient lungs not keeping up with what he wanted to say.
Lee offers him the canteen in her pouch and gestures for him to sit on a knee-high wall.
"Oh, thank you dear boy. My name is Ebizo." Ebizo takes a tiny sip, and to the trained eye it is deliberate. A result of a desire to conserve water in the harsh desert.
"Ebizo-san, could you please continue?"
"Yes, yes! That man, he used this Bakuton with clay from pouches, he turns them into birds that explode. He flew around on a giant one and carried poor Gaara-sama away."
"I've never heard of such a power before." Neji frowns in thought.
"Bakuton is not a rare Kekkei-Genkai in Tsuchi no Kuni, but that young man used it in a most strange way. Perhaps as a criminal, he could be listed in your bingo-books?" Ebizo suggests earnestly.
"We don't keep bingo-books, but Naruto-dono might." Neji nods to Lee and Tenten, ready to speed off.
"Please-" Ebizo pleads. "Gaara-sama has led a lonely and sad life. I beg of you, please do your best to rescue him! He deserves the chance to live as a human being, not a monster!"
"We will do everything in our power to stop the Akatsuki." Neji's words are careful, uncertain that Gaara can be saved but understands that the Ichibi being taken is a huge risk in itself.
Ebizo nods shakily, handing the water back to Lee.
"Please rest, Ebizo-Jiisan." Lee takes a liking to him and wraps frail old fingers back around the canteen. "Your help is greatly appreciated."
"Good luck, young Shinobi." Ebizo smiles, teeth missing and terribly ugly, but heartfelt.
Naruto races through the sky using his gravitational power to sling himself, surveying for these 'clay birds'.
He stops for a moment, disconnecting his eyes from the Mokuton Bunshin to help him focus. Something is off, not a chirp nor growl of an animal beneath him can be heard.
The wind shifts behind him. Unnaturally. And he spins his leg in a high-speed kick that would shatter the bones of anyone dumb enough to attack Uchiha Naruto from behind.
Only it doesn't connect, it sails through the body like it isn't even there.
His sharp eyes catch a whirl that is fast and deadly silent, and a pair of smirking lips uttering but a few, praising words.
"The stories of your legendary senses are true after all. One might think you have eyes in the back of your head."
Naruto's failed attack leaves him open, and a crushing punch is thrust into his side, knocking him out of the sky.
The air is knocked out of him as he sails to the ground. The whirl of space does not stop as the assailant weaves a single Tiger seal.
"Katon: Bakufu Ranbu(Blast Wave Wild Dance)!"
The stream of dense flame is blended into a vortex. Naruto weaves a handful of signs that he copied from Jinpachi in Kiri.
"Suiton: Suiryuudan(Water Dragon Bullet)!" Naruto exhales a torrent of water, manipulating it to match the firestorm point-to-point.
Naruto keeps going, even as he nears the ground. The mist created by the battling Jutsu is swept away by the gentle breeze, leaving naught but a sinking cloud. The attacker is nowhere to be seen. Naruto creates a pair of wooden stakes in his left hand, and charges a Rasenshuriken in his right. He tosses the stakes into the sky, and slings the Rasenshuriken into the ground where he senses his enemy has moved to.
Sunagakure
The twin Mokuton Bunshin start, alerting Sakura and Gai.
"Team Gai! Ready-up!" The 'Naruto' assisting Kankuro orders.
"We have to leave this to you." The one with Sakura tells the medical staff.
"You've found the Akatsuki?" Gai throws on his backpack, tuning his radio too.
Naruto's eyes darken. "I've found the man behind them."
Gai's eyes widen.
"We've isolated the metals-" Sakura begins with the medics ready to take over for her. "-They're not at risk of dying from it, but you need to draw it from them slowly. They're gonna be bedridden for a few weeks but that's all I can do until I get back."
"Understood!"
"Get ready." Naruto's voice is grave. "You're about to be dropped into a warzone."
"Might I hitch a ride, so to speak?" 'Chiyo' asks. "Sasori is my grandson, he is my responsibility."
"Another body to throw in the way wouldn't hurt." Naruto agrees.
Chiyo smirks at his cheek.
"Dai Kawarimi no Jutsu(Greater Substitution)"
The group vanishes, leaving behind two sticks.
Kawa no Kuni: North-West
"Limbo: Houken(Consecration)!"
The air itself seems to freeze around Gai and the assembled team. They're in a huge crater with even the dust suspended and timeless.
"Space-Time Ninjutsu." Chiyo identifies quickly.
Gai notices half a body sticking out of the ground, clad in Akatsuki attire. He swings his Nunchaku at the head immediately, only for it to sail through without harming the man. Genjutsu? An apparition?
"He can become intangible, but my Jutsu is holding him still for a few seconds. He can't hit you and be intangible at the same time, you need raw speed to land a hit." Naruto explains quickly. "My Space-Time Jutsu doesn't completely nullify his."
"That's- that's the Sharingan!" Sakura stammers on seeing his features.
"This man..." Gai looks at Naruto.
"Focus for now, finding the Jinchuuriki is your priority."
Gai hardens his resolve. The man is eerily familiar, but he cannot sacrifice the fate of the Jinchuuriki to chase fascination and curiosity.
"Senpou: Hakugeki no Jutsu(Sage Art: White Rage)!" Another voice calls out.
"Senpou?" Naruto mutters in confusion.
Gai reflexively looks down. He knows from spars with Kakashi that it makes it more difficult for a user of the Sharingan to fight if they can't look him in the eyes. Naruto does not, and the brightest flash he's ever witnessed in the middle of the day blinds the Uchiha.
"Argh!" Naruto shields his eyes.
Chiyo covers her eyes with the long sleeve of her cloak. Team Gai and Sakura were looking the other way in the first place.
"Don't turn around!" Gai orders desperately.
With his eyes shut, Naruto makes a Tiger sign.
"Katon: Haijingakure no Jutsu(Hiding in Dust and Ash)!"
Thick smoke blots out the unbearable light in Naruto's little safe spot, and said Uchiha uses the opportunity to Sogo Kawarimi(Mutual Subsitute) the rest of the squad away and into the woods.
Gai notices that the trees are shaking, but they're far enough away that this light and sound attack can't reach them.
"Keep going." One of the Moku Bunshin orders. "I'll give you time to get to the sealing site. You're gonna be looking for a barrier, I'll join you as soon as I can."
The clones each use Snake signs and begin transforming into massive, humanoid Mokuton Jutsu.
"Good luck, Naruto-kun!" Gai all-but salutes.
"Naruto!" Sakura tries to reason, but Naruto won't have a bar of it.
"I'm not useless, even without my sight. Go, Sakura."
"It was good to see you again, Gai!" The mysterious Uchiha waves, suddenly on a large branch.
Gai ignores him and dashes away with the group, but the thought sticks with him.
'What do you mean, again?'
"Reunions are so awkward." Obito shrugs carelessly, even as a massive arm punches through him and destroys the tree he's standing on. "You've grown up since I held you in my arms and threatened to kill you in front of Sensei. Getting married. I'm not brave enough to face that. It's enough to make a grown man cry."
"You mean to say you didn't dry up when your little girlfriend got run through by Kakashi?" Naruto snarks. Idiot boy.
A twitch in his brow, but no more.
"Insulting a man who lost his childhood crush? Low-blow, Naruto. Your parents are rolling in their graves."
"Still hung up on her, huh? I'll be making a tip at child protection services once I get back to Konoha. They'll have guards posted around her grave in hours."
Obito gives him an identical glare. Despite their jesting words, there is tangible hatred hanging between them.
"The silence is killing me." Kabuto interjects.
"Looking well, Kabuto." Naruto compliments, not taking his eyes away from Obito.
"Look good- feel good, Naruto-kun." Kabuto preens, purple Sage markings around his eyes helping the yellow and slitted pupils stand-out.
Obito can practically see the cogs turning in Naruto's head. Naruto isn't going to waste time, he's going to act fast and efficiently.
"Kamui."
Giant shuriken sling from his Sharingan. Naruto does not dodge, only summoning his Susanoo to bat them away and deliver and crushing slash at the same time. Bright blue Chakra streaks across the ground, towards Kabuto rather than Obito.
Kabuto only cartwheels out of the way, barely using any signs as he does so.
"Senpou: Muki Tensei(Inorganic Reincarnation)!"
"Houken!" Naruto freezes Kabuto in-place, but Kabuto's Jutsu doesn't stop.
As if nature itself protests his presence, spears of rock shoot out of the ground, unmelted but appearing malleable. The trees around him and even the air itself closes in on his Susanoo, making it hard to move. The transformed stone erupts from under him; the weak point of an incomplete Susanoo, along with Obito who has chains wrapped around his wrists.
Unable to tell if it was a deception, Naruto seems reluctant to use his Deva Path to blast him away, leaping around the rocks and letting his Susanoo fade so as not to get stuck under the upturned earth. The chains tangle him as Obito slips through.
And then Naruto explodes, revealing himself to be an exploding Kage Bunshin. Obito strong body keeps him together but the blast rattles him, leaving him with burns.
Dense Chakra-laced smoke permeates the area again. Naruto's voice echoes from every direction.
"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"
"Four points, all marked with the same tag." Neji surveys with his Byakugan.
"What are they teaching you in Konoha?" Chiyo shakes her head in disapproval. "The tags are a deception, they're going to be trapped. Use clones to remove them. It's an exercise in keeping your squad."
"I don't know how to bring down a barrier like this. Naruto's our specialist when it comes to this stuff." Sakura admits.
"We can't do nothing!" Lee exclaims with fiery eyes.
"Use clones." Chiyo's stare is deadpan as she repeats herself.
"Unfortunately, that would waste quite a bit of Chakra that we can't afford to lose against the Akatsuki." Gai shakes his head.
"I can probably use Naruto's Jutsu to substitute all of you to come back here after getting the tags, but that'd require a lot of my Chakra." Sakura suggests half-heartedly.
"And I can supply the Chakra that you do lose. I am a Medical-Shinobi." Chiyo's words are not an offer, but an order. "But the question now becomes one of Chakra Control."
"Sakura's the best there is with control." Neji affirms.
Not entirely trusting of Chiyo, but knowing that Team Gai would be too valuable, Sakura agrees.
"Come here, I'll stamp all of you. Tune your radio, and give me one too. I'll bring you back as soon as you hit the tags. Just find me something about the same weight as each of you to make it easier-"
Gai and Lee immediately smash up the stone cliff-side with their bare-fists, making a stone each for the team.
Sakura marks the rocks with the same stamp as Gai puts the radio on her neck.
"Here goes nothing." She takes a steadying breath.
Kabuto gets some amusement out of Naruto trying to hide in the smoke, sensing that his Chakra signature has dimmed. But Sage Mode offers too much of an enhancement to his senses. Obito doesn't fare so well but he can look out for himself.
He makes a few signs and expands his lungs with his Soft Physique Manipulation.
"Futon: Taifuuika(Passing Typhoon)."
The smoke is blown away, but the two Mokujin from earlier set upon him. Kabuto allows them to pick him up, and his body stretches unnaturally in response to the attempted dismemberment.
Kabuto can feel them siphon his Chakra; a natural response for the Mokuton against Senjutsu or Bijuu Chakra.
"Take as much as you want, Naruto-kun. I have more than I'll ever need." Kabuto informs the constructs, knowing Naruto can see and hear him through them.
Obito finds it odd however, like he's seeing something that Kabuto isn't. And his eyes widen in realization.
"Stop, Kabuto!" Obito shouts, using his Bakufu Ranbu and Kamui combination Jutsu. The precise vortex weaves around Kabuto, punching holes through the constructs that didn't so much as expand in response to the inundation of Chakra.
"HAHAHAHA!" Naruto cackles maniacally from above.
Kabuto curses, having been so focused on the ground that he didn't attempt to feel the sky.
"So this is what Senjutsu Chakra feels like!" Naruto gives a wicked, menacing smile.
Obito freezes, though not by Naruto's Jutsu. No, it appears he has an inkling that they've made a mistake.
Kabuto feels Naruto's Chakra, the tiniest portion of Senjutsu resides in his body and will dissipate shortly if he doesn't use it. Not enough to be engaged in Sage Mode but enough to enhance a single Jutsu.
"I must thank you, Kabuto! I'd been struggling to figure it out on my own but now I've got the feeling for it!"
'He's been trying to learn Senjutsu alone?'
"Behold and despair." Naruto's voice is quiet, but Kabuto hears it all-too-well with his enhanced hearing.
A great shadow encompasses them. Then a second. And a third.
The clouds part in response.
The sun is blotting out.
"I believe we've dawdled long enough." Obito drawls.
Kabuto doesn't think that he can survive that. Obito, perhaps. But being squishy enough to survive impact will not help him shrug-off three meteors off of his body to find sustenance.
"It was a pleasure to see you, Naruto." Obito lies and nearly grinds his teeth to do so. "Do not think that I will wait patiently as you grow in power. You have your match in me, and I will sever the fate of this world."
"You will die trying in glorious battle." Naruto promises.
Obito whirls them away.
Sakura feels her knees quake, wondering if she's in a bizarre fever-dream of stress.
The shockwave from the drop causes all the dirt and sand and trees to flail around helplessly from the force.
Her radio crackles.
"Are you seeing the same thing I am?!" Tenten screams.
"I thought it was Genjutsu! Surely that isn't possible!" Lee sounds panicked.
"They fled! That was a Jutsu that Naruto used!" Neji confirms, evidently with his Byakugan.
"We're out of range, don't fret my students!" Gai calls out for reassurance. "I have arrived at my tag!"
"In all my years..." Chiyo mutters, looking up at the crashing meteors in awe.
Sakura turns to the rocks and prepares to use the Sogo Kawarimi. Anything to look away from whatever the hell Naruto just did.
"Ready when you are." She speaks into the radio, shakily.
"Lee in position!"
"Tenten too."
"Neji, ready."
Chiyo is already scaling the boulder keeping the entrance sealed. Her hand is on the tag, and she stares at Sakura to await the callout. She's quite nimble for an old woman.
"Three!" Gai announces.
Sakura weaves the signs slowly, each one on the count so that Chiyo knows her mark.
"Two! One! Rip!"
"Sogo Kawarimi no Jutsu(Mutual Subsitution)!"
All four rocks glow with her pale Chakra, and are suddenly replaced with each member of Team Gai.
She knows that she severely underestimated the amount of Chakra it would take given the distance, but she wasn't expecting to feel light-headed and drop into a near-faint. There are spots in her eyes and she barely realizes that she's being moved into an upright position.
"Well done, young Kunoichi." Chiyo praises, already transmuting her own Chakra into Sakura's.
"That boulder is still in the way." Neji shakes off the disorientation of being transported suddenly again. "I can see inside now. It appears that we might be too late-"
"Not to worry! I'll blow it away with a single punch!" Gai cheers.
Or he would have, if Naruto didn't land right beside them without a hint that he had even been approaching.
"We're not here to fight them on their terms," Naruto informs. "They have the advantage of preparation and terrain. I'll fix that."
"By dropping another three meteors?" Sakura asks weakly.
"This is not the time for holding back." Naruto states seriously.
"Maybe something that won't kill us?" Tenten suggests rather awkwardly.
"Relax." Naruto says languidly, putting everyone on edge as he strides in front of them.
He should not be in a good mood after fighting two members of the Akatsuki that he had to do that crazy shit to get rid of.
"Sorry for disturbing you." Naruto's smirk betrays his polite words. "Shinra Tensei!"
Not unlike the shockwave from the meteor shower, Naruto's Jutsu levels the hideout in its entirety. Including a good portion of land that used to be behind it, leaving nothing but a storm of dust in its wake.
Feeling somewhat rejuvenated by Chiyo but still shaken by the sheer power that Naruto can control, Sakura observes the gaping tunnel under the hideout.
"They're going to have the advantage after-all."
Sakura feels herself get picked up by Naruto's Susanoo once more, even as he launches a tiny black orb into the sky.
"Just in case."
"Terrible idea, by the way." Deidara complains, throwing another handful of exploding spiders to cave-in the walls once Konoha comes running.
Zetsu informed them that they could escape the same way the Gedo Mazo had burrowed its way to them. Something about it being connected with nature and being able to move it at will and other nonsense that he didn't understand. Neither he nor Sasori know where the huge tunnel even leads if there's a way to escape but it's better than fighting Uchiha Naruto and Might Gai.
"Shut. Up, Deidara." Sasori growls. "We have little choice."
"Just saying."
"Say less."
They're nearing pitch darkness in their little halfway mark. It's tempting just to pop a few explosions to see how much it would echo.
"And keep your juvenile Jutsu for when Konoha follows us."
Deidara nearly pouts. "You just don't understand fine art, Un."
It's barely a moment before etheric, blue light starts to illuminate the tunnel.
"Aw, shit." Deidara jumps back onto his bird with the Jinchuuriki's corpse nestled in its mouth. He pops another one for Sasori to ride.
"Time it right." Sasori commands.
"You don't need to tell me, Un! I know this stuff much better than you do."
They're flying as fast as his art will allow, but the light-blue Susanoo chases them with its wings wrapped around itself to fit in the tunnel and dives after them faster than anything he's seen before.
"Damnit!" Deidara curses. "Sasori no Danna, jump!"
They both do and Deidara sends the birds flying straight back up the tunnel with Gaara slung over his shoulder.
Here goes nothing, he supposes.
"Art... is an EXPLOSION!"
The tunnel is collapsing around his Susanoo. Ironic that they would try to crush him after he'd tried to do the same against Obito and Kabuto. Unfortunately, it seems that it might work to stop them in their tracks at least.
Giant chains sprout from the wings of his Susanoo and dive further into the tunnel, lining the walls.
"Sekiyo Torikago(Red Yang Birdcage)."
A red barrier forms a perimeter along the chains, preventing them from being slowed down.
"How much Chakra do you have, boy?" Chiyo mutters, watching as they spool out and then rejoin the Susanoo like wheels on a cart.
The end of the tunnel reveals a valley of rock and crystal. Smatters of light from other entries reflect off of the gems and get magnified into a gorgeous chasm with a small lake. They're on a platform that almost appears as though its purpose was to give them the option to wait and choose which route they wanted to exit from.
"Did we lose 'em?" Deidara gets out, stunned that such a beautiful place could exist underground and untampered.
"Somehow, I doubt it."
A rush of wind from the tunnel is their answer, and they're forced to leap away. The giant blue monster smashes through their platform and leaves a huge backdraft of wind that disturbs their footing.
The Susanoo spreads its wings and the six giant chains that followed it all smack into the chasm; the only way they had out. The huge red barrier is telling of its strength. There's little they can do now but fight.
"Nowhere left to run!" Naruto taunts, and the fist of his Susanoo throws Team Gai, Sakura and Chiyo onto what remains of their plateau.
"It seems I may have to shed this puppet quicker than expected." Sasori does exactly that, leaving pieces of Hiruko scattered on the cold ground.
Deidara attempts to fly away on another bird, but is smacked back down by invisible force. It seems Naruto would be playing support, even as he maintained control of the arena.
Gai, Lee and Tenten surround him, while Sakura, Neji and Chiyo declare Sasori as their opponent.
"Can't we just talk this out like civilized folk?" Deidara asks sheepishly.
Might Guy's eyes harden. "I'm afraid that is out of your possible options for as long as you keep Gaara-dono away from us."
"I thought as much." Deidara sighs. "Look, if you don't kill me, the Akatsuki will if I just hand him over."
"In that case, your efforts at defending yourself from them will be helping them from destroying the world with the power of the Bijuu."
"Hey! I don't exactly think this is great either!" Deidara snarls. "Look at the kid, he wanted to die. That's kinda fucked-up, right? Yeah, the Akatsuki is closer to whatever their goal is, but if it's gonna stop shit like this then you can be damn sure I'm gonna help 'em. I wasn't convinced until I saw how much the kid was suffering. Now I know, and you can be damn sure I'll blow your asses up if you try and stop us now!"
Stubborn and unyielding, Gai does not bat an eye at what he apparently sees as psychological warfare.
"Then you choose to fight. And I am certain that your hands are dirtier than ours."
"Katon: Goka Messhitsu(Great Fire Destruction)!"
Sasori scales the walls and ducks behind a large stalactite to avoid Naruto's enormous supporting flamethrower. The iron sand of the Fourth Kazekage puppet is not great against the Kaiten of the Hyuuga, but it's enough to stall all three of them a give him a moment to prepare himself to fight.
He'd never attempted to control his own puppet self and another at the same time but if he's going to die here, may as well take a few of them down with him.
"So it was you who stole his corpse." Granny Chiyo has an epiphany. A useless, mundane one.
Sasori is coming to terms with his mortality against power he has never seen before.
He looks over at Deidara, who also isn't faring well against his enemies. Might Guy is a force to be reckoned with, his speed as he bounces off the walls is truly something to behold. His moniker suits him well. The little ones are not so frustrating, but still an annoyance when Uchiha Naruto is peppering you with hellfire.
They share a discreet nod. There's no returning from this. May as well embrace a little of Deidara's art before they kick the bucket.
Deidara flies around the streams of flames and dragon heads that chase him around. He sees a blue chain pick up Gaara by the waist and knows his defense is all for naught. In a blur, Gai knocks him off of his bird and shreds the cloak off of him. He feels his arm tear away from the sheer force of this beast.
He slams against the rocks, wounding his back and he struggles to breath through the pain. He takes a discreet look as Sasori, who's puppets are beginning to look worse for wear and they hadn't managed to even land a hit against the teamwork of the three against him.
Deidara gives him a nod, which is returned. At least they can be eternally remembered as the two men who killed Uchiha Naruto.
All of the clay he has is shoved into the mouth on his chest with his remaining arm. It hurts to move. But at least he'll avenge them with this.
'What are you up to?' Naruto senses the upswing of Chakra from the moment Deidara started feeding clay to the horrid mouth on his chest.
The Bakuton Chakra spikes as Deidara's body seems to close in on itself, slowly vanishing and leaving little more than a saturated, black mouth.
A suicide attack.
"RETREAT!"
Naruto draws twin blades that stab into the walls near the separate teams. They run along the flat edge of the swords and Naruto allows them passage into his Susanoo.
"What's happening?" Sakura asks, disheveled but unharmed. Chiyo looks like she's seen better days but sports no wounds. The Akatsuki were thoroughly outmatched this time.
"He's gonna blow the place sky-high. We have the Jinchuuriki, it's time to bail before he kills all of us."
Naruto deactivates the barrier so he can fly deeper into the chasm and claps his hands together.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
The earth shakes and it appears that the team remembers what his little orb was for earlier.
"Limbo: Houken!" Naruto looks back and freezes the floating, glowing mouth for as long as he can.
"Naruto-kun, should we not flee further?" Gai questions.
"Too far, we don't have time." Neji denies after checking around with his Byakugan.
"It's fine, we're getting out of here. I just need a second to weaken the surface so we can break through from here."
"Err..." Tenten squirms, pointing at the glowing orb.
"Calm down." Naruto orders, readying his blades.
An excited voice echoes from Deidara's Jutsu.
"Art. Is. An. EXPLOSION!"
Blinding white light erupts from it.
Naruto swings at the ceiling of the save shattering it open and allowing more rock to be drawn upwards. Naruto flies towards sunlight, allowing the force of his Jutsu to drag him up quicker.
The team is treated to the sight of Deidara's Jutsu erupting from under them as well.
"This is bad!" Tenten screams.
Naruto manages to ignore her this time, and flies directly into the rock satellite and lets his Susanoo get sealed inside of it.
They are submerged in darkness, the only light being that of the Susanoo, and the final flash of Deidara's Jutsu as it slams into them.
Straining to maintain his Susanoo under the pressure and continue to form the satellite, Naruto braces for more of the explosion. Rock continues to rise up from the rubble and form a greater shield around them. The sound penetrates through any crack that it can.
After an excruciatingly long time, the team feels the pressure ease up and finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Mission failed, but at least they're still alive.
Naruto lands them in a clearing after inspecting the explosion site.
"Poor boy." Chiyo strokes Gaara's greasy, untamed red hair. "You precious child. You didn't deserve this life. You should have had better. I should have given you better."
"I'm guessing the Kazekage kept trying for children until he got one with Jiton?" Naruto asks glumly. "A child compatible with the Jiton of the Ichibi."
"More or less." Chiyo sighs. "And look at how he was treated. Sunagakure's understanding of the Bijuu is outdated and it has reflected poorly on an innocent boy. I was the one who sealed it in him. I doomed him."
"Unfortunately, death will be a mercy to him for this life."
"...Yes." Chiyo hesitates, but ultimately agrees.
Suna-nin began to flood the clearing as backup.
"Kazekage-sama and Kankuro-sama are recovering quickly, thanks to you Sakura-dono."
Sakura waves them off, feeling exhausted and emotionally drained.
"I hope you got some closure today, old woman." Naruto addresses Chiyo.
"No. I still feel as hollow as I did before. Perhaps more."
Naruto frowns. Chiyo looks up at him.
"Safe travels, Uchiha Naruto. Your efforts here today will not be ignored. I appreciate yours and Konoha's assistance greatly."
Naruto nods curtly. With the Kazekage recovering, they have no purpose in being here.
Too much was lost today. Hopefully he can ensure that little else is in the coming future.