XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ino's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp South)
Ino racked her brain for any counter to her current situation. She was currently trading blows. Well, trading was inaccurate, the man was merely letting her attack. He had warned her to kill him before he got bored. Ino had never feared someone like him. His stare had a hunger in it that made her heart race. She fired off a feint roundhouse into an elbow. But he merely ducked this and tripped her. Ino, using the trip as an opportunity, fired off kunai toward the man's legs. But he merely jumped over these landing a double foot stomp. Ino gasp in pain and the man merely chuckles before tossing her against a tree.
"I warned you," He said as he stalked forward. "Ready to let me have my fun? I promise I'll be somewhat gentle." Ino merely answered by throwing a fistful of flower petals around the man. He chuckled at this. "How fittin-" He was interrupted as Ino screamed.
"Petal Storm: Explosive Beauty!"
The petals surrounding the man exploded. Ino was sent flying by the explosion that had been so close to her. Her vision blacked for a second before she looked up. The Jounin was now in front of her. It seemed her attack had been somewhat effective as there were burns throughout his body. "Just for that I'm gonna enjoy breaking y-"
The man was interrupted as Naruto flew through the clearing landing a flying kick directly into the Jounin's face. He flew back to the other side slamming into a tree and shattering the bark on it as he hit. Ino nearly cried as thirty Narutos entered the clearing. Most charged the man with reckless aggression. Several managed to snake in strikes or slashes as the man was caught off guard. But he quickly adapted and was starting to make short work of them. Destroying a couple of clones every few seconds. The Naruto's left behind as guards watched.
"I doubt us clones can beat him. Even the original would struggle against him. Any ideas?" The clone stated.
"Maybe you can buy me time?"
"Done." The clone nodded at the other five remaining and they all charged.
"Maybe thirty seconds? I'm staying behind. If you're in a tight spot I'll substitute you out. Kakashi is gonna take a while. One of us saw him fighting a ton of shinobi. So is the original. We're gonna have to make this work."
"I'll think of something." Ino stated unconfidently.
"You got this, we all know you're pretty amazing, ya know?" The clone stated. "There's no doubt in our minds you're gonna be ok."
Ino felt confidence well within her. His doubtless faith gave her strength. But how could she defeat a Jounin? Her family had never been brute force fighters but she couldn't hit him with her mind techniques, he was too fast and they were obvious. If she could somehow shorten the technique and hand signs it may work. She knew some of the higher techniques were lower risk but she knew none of them. What was simpler than taking over a mind? If she could only quickly influence the man and somehow take advantage of that maybe she could win this. The clones were already down to half their numbers. She needed to either shorten the hand signs or disguise them, preferably both. Perhaps she could do the hand signs with one hand. She attempted it, aiming one hand at the Jounin and lowering the chakra in the jutsu. Willing it to manipulate as opposed to suppressing. She fired through the hand signs as fast as she could. And fired off the jutsu. Having no name and desperate to hit it she fired. But nothing happened. Perhaps she needs the name jutsu? She had been told the names merely helped with performance after all. She looked up to see the man cruelly smiling as he destroyed the remaining clones.
"I'm tired of playing around!" He called rushing forward at a much faster speed than he had shown before. Ino could only stare helplessly as he smashed a fist toward her face. At the last second smoke filled her vision and she saw she had been substituted. Knowing she only had moments she tried the one-hand signs again this time yelling a name as it came to her. She disguised this by drawing and firing a kunai.
"Ninja Art: Instinct Suppression Jutsu!" a blue beam shot out and hit the Jounin's head. As the kunai approached at head level. The man saw the kunai coming and prepared to easily du-... not duck. The kunai hit its mark and Jounin froze. Stabbing through his forehead and causing severe damage to the man's brain. He died before he hit the ground. Dying unsure as to why he would choose to not duck. Ino panted harshly, the struggle against the man and the emotions had worn her out. She could only hope everyone would be ok. She crawled to her feet and marched forward. No, she would make sure they were herself. That is what Naruto would do after all.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Neji's POV / Ino's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp South)
Neji dodged a wild grab by one man, sidestepping an uppercut from the bald man, and kicking the third in the face as he approached. The three crashed into each other stunning the three for a moment. Neji mercilessly spun unleashing a Kaiten that sent all three men flying back.
"I sincerely hope you have more than that going for you." Neji called out to the down opponents. He tried to rush forward but was shocked as a hand caught his ankle. Neji roughly crashed into the ground. He rolled to his feet and caught a palm attack by the man with sunglasses.
"Second mistake." He said as he closed his palm around Neji's hand. Neji could tell he was draining his chakra. But before he could free himself he got wrapped by an arm. The arm somehow being long and elastic enough to hold the genius. Neji growled as he saw the third bald man running up to capitalize on his imprisonment. Neji growled as he shifted his hands and sent a large amount of chakra into both men. They both screamed and stumbled back. The bald man roared as he threw another hook at Neji. Neji merely leaned back to avoid this before stepping forward with a powerful palm thrust.
"Palm Bottom!" Neji roared as he slammed his palm into the man's face. He couldn't even scream and chakra violently surged through his head. Instantly liquefying his brain. The man silently dropped as Neji panted facing the other two. "You'll forgive me for my mercilessness, but I'm sure you two can understand. You intend to kill me after all." Neji stated simply.
Misumi roared with anger as he surged forward. Neji dodged a wild punch, but to his surprise the man seemingly became boneless, completely wrapping Neji.
"I'm gonna crush your spine!" Neji merely smiled. Before Misumi fell off him screaming. Blood leaking through his eyes and mouth. Yoroi's eyes widened. Yoroi and his team had been dominated by the man. And though he showed signs of tiring, he was relatively undamaged.
"Using the same strategy twice? I was prepared to fire needle like chakra from my points. Proof of how sloppy you all are. Prepare yourself, you're in range and I don't have time to waste!" Neji called as he blitzed Yoroi. The difference in speed being so great Yoroi could barely flinch before Neji slammed a palm into the left wrist of the man. "One palm!" Another palm jabbed just above the right knee, another poked the left shoulder joint. "Two palms!" Yorio cried out in pain as he lost control of his left arm. He attempted to back peddle but his leg was too injured. Four more strikes came. The speed being so great, Yoroi could barely tell where they were landing. "Four Palms!" Eight more hits, the force of the blows taking him off his feet and carrying him forward through the air. "Eight Palms!" Yoroi lost count of the next flurry, his world becoming an odd mix of numbness and pain. "Sixteen Palms!" Yoroi is barely conscious for the next valley. "Thirty-two Palms!". Yoroi's life flashed before his eyes as the last flurry destroyed his organs and chakra points. "Sixty Four Palms!" Yoroi flew back and slid against the ground. Obviously dead from the boneless way he fell.
Neji breathed heavily as he attempted to stomp forward. He collapsed on the ground as he tried though. Defeating the three had taken Neji's best for a long fight. Almost to the same level as the fight with blondes, purely with numbers. "Need to work… on… stamina." Neji panted as he passed out.
Ino arrived several minutes later. Scrambling to the exhausted Neji and nearly crying when he was ok. She hugged him emotionally. Then rose as if to take off.
"I gotta check on Naruto." She said as she slowly walked on. But she was stopped as a bloodied Kakashi appeared in front of her.
"Good work you two. I'll check on Naruto you two catch your breath. I'm sorry for failing you," Kakashi spoke in a no-nonsense tone. Ino collapsed on her knees, relieved to see Kakashi. There was no doubt he would save Naruto. The Jounin treated the two for their minor wounds. As soon as he was done he would check on the blonde. But before anything else could be done a laugh startled the two.
"I'm afraid you'll be quite busy." A rough voice interjected. "We have business with him after all. As such I have business with you. Gotta let Juzo work." The man was tall and muscular. Most of his person was covered in a black cloak with red clouds. His face showed he had pale blue skin. His smile was wide and sharkish. This was reinforced by the sharp teeth he had. He had what appeared to be gills beneath his eyes which were simple and bloodthirsty. "Hope you can still fight Sharingan Kakashi. I'm looking forward to fighting you." He started lifting a large sword off his back with one hand. The large object being covered in bandages.
Kakashi quickly rose in front of his Genin. He would defend them to his last breath but there was no denying they were in trouble. Kisame Hoshigaki was a known legend hailing from the Village Hidden in the Mist. One of the small amounts of S-rank shinobi is alive. Kakashi had doubts he could defeat him but would not hesitate to try. Minato and Rin would never forgive him for less. Naruto just hold out! I won't leave you behind!'
"Ino take Neji and check on Naruto. If you find him in trouble try to get him out. I'll hold this new enemy here. Retreat to the Leaf once you have him." Kakashi ordered.
"Bu-"
"But nothing! This is do or die!" Kakashi countered harshly. Ino seemed to look around confused before nodding. She managed to rouse Neji and she took off. Neji followed shortly after. They were both hurt but Kisame's if his friend was even half as strong as him. Naruto would desperately need the help. Kakashi merely silently prayed to Rin to help him get through this. He nor his students were ready to die yet.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp East)
Dosu wouldn't call himself an arrogant man. He knew his capabilities well. Strived hard to raise them. Learned his comrade's abilities and even established leadership over them. They had great teamwork, his teammates were not quite on his level yet they had found their niche. He led them well, even acquiring the attention of his Kage. The Kage had given them a simple mission. They would assist the ambush squad to ambush the Leaf. Their unofficial rivals. Even better yet had been their role in this. The three of them would kill one measly Genin. To make the matter easy. They had received substantial information on him. It was damning, to say the least. An assassin's dream job. Their target was labeled unintelligent, untalented, and criminally weak. They had seen his clones. Something the file hadn't mentioned and Dosu knew the data might be off. But he was a newbie up against three of the Sound's finest. What could he truly do?
Well endlessly summoning clones and surprisingly efficient kenjutsu was the answer. Dosu did not doubt that if they could mob the original they could take him. Yet their ambush had been turned on its head. At all points in the fight, they were significantly outnumbered. At least eight to one. The clones were easy to dispatch specifically for Zaku and him. But Kin struggled to do the same. Since they did not want to be down a man against such an overwhelming foe. Both Dosu and Zaku aided her. This led to an odd loop of dispatching clones and saving Kin. But in turn, the clones got closer and closer to landing decisive blows on them. Kin's slack and their adapting were leading to repeated mistakes. Somehow, this fool was perfectly pushing them back.
Naruto silently crept through the forest around the battle. Occasionally, stopping to summon shadow clones. He was looking for his moment. It was clear between Dosu and Zaku they had consistent coverage against the fragile clones. The woman named Kin was struggling already even with the other two's help. Doubtless, if one of the men were defeated, she would shortly follow. His eyes watched as Dosu swung his gauntlet, destroying groups of clones. Zaku seeing a clone sneaking up on Kin sniped it with his Cannon. As another clone snuck up on him, he used the other hand to blow them away. He was wide open! Naruto's training kicked in as he dashed into the field at max speed. He saw Dosu notice him, but by the time he called out, Naruto had already attacked with a tanto thrust from behind. Silence struck as the four young adults froze. Naruto quickly drew the tanto out of Zaku harshly as he rolled. Kin's senbon missing the blonde. Zaku spit out blood but managed to stay on his feet. Naruto then stared the three down as his clones surround the now defensive shinobi.
"Zaku, don't tell me you're out!" Kin called angrily as she shifted her stance nervously.
"Heh, like fuck I am." Zaku growled as he climbed to his feet. Dosu merely nodded as the three prepared for an assault against the clones. But to their shock, Naruto called out.
"Please surrender. I cannot waste any more time here. You cannot beat me, ya know?" Naruto called out calmly.
"A true shinobi does not accept failure." Dosu countered confidently.
"Then I'm sorry for this." As Naruto said this, the clones charged wildly. Some even filling the air. The clones seemingly intend to crush the three with mere weight. He then raised a hand sign as he called. "Shadow Clones: Walking Landfield Jutsu!"
The three all tensed as the clones seemed to swell for a second. Dosu wracked his brain for survival options. "Zaku! FULL POWER AT THE GROUND! KIN CHANNEL CHAKRA! I'LL LEAD!" He called him and Kin dived behind Zaku as he prepared an attack. Dosu and Kin weaved hand signs in sync.
"COLLABORATION TECHNIQUE: SONIC BOOM!" At the call of the three, a dome of power expelled from their voices managed to blow back the explosion. Zaku collapses on the ground using all his chakra for the attack. Kin and Dosu, though both still game, flinched as a single Naruto was flying through the air toward them.
"Sensei told me never to count on something to end the fight." Naruto lectured as he pulled his blade. "Overkill always works. Uzumaki Style: Slash of the Riptide!" As he said this he did a horizontal slash. A wide line of powerful chakra cut through the field at waist level. Zaku, having collapsed already, was safe. Dosu jumped up, attempting to push Kin down but missing in his haste. Kin herself was too slow; the line seemed to slide through with no trouble. As Dosu was landing the line returned now in reverse. Dosu watched as it went through his left foot. The same foot he had intended to hit the ground with. There was silence as Dosu and Kin both seemed frozen for an instant before Kin fell into two pieces and Dosu collapsed with a howl, now down a foot. Naruto felt sick but forced himself to approach the three. He did his best to avoid looking at the grizzly sight of the halved Kin. But the sight of the two bleeding men was hardly a comfort. Even as he approached he did so carefully preparing for them to launch a counterattack. But Dosu merely rose to his knees. Kunai was drawn but fear was evident in his eyes. Zaku seemed to be fearful as well but could not move.
"I warned you, ya know? I never want-" Naruto stopped with a growl. "No, you were here to hurt my friends. This is what you deserve! A hard ass kicking than jail time!"
"If you spare us, I'll kill you one day." Zaku said darkly. "I'll wait till your sleeping and I'll kill you. If I can't get to you? I'll kill your family! HAHAHA!" He laughed manically.
"Do not punish me for his sins." Dosu reasons. "He cracked, you've proved your point. No need to slaughter me as well."
But Naruto tensed further and further as Zaku laughed. Naruto slowly raised his tanto as if to finish off the manic man. But as he debated what to do his vision went black. It was as if he'd fallen asleep. With a jolt of pain throughout his body, Naruto remembered the situation. His eyes opened and saw he was now ten feet away, buried in a giant tree. What the hell had hit him?'
"I bet you're wondering what hit you." A voice called. Naruto rose and glared at his new foe. "Don't worry boss says I can't kill you, so kiddy gloves." The man explained. He was a tall man mostly covered by a black robe with red clouds. He was partially covered in bandages, but curiously his face remained uncovered. His face was painted, with red warpaint across his jaw. They were evenly spaced out red lines. The man also had a large "x" scar on his right cheek. He smiled savagely at Naruto.
"GET. OUT. OF. MY. WAY!" Naruto growled furiously.
"Can't, was told to kidnap you after all. I do think I'll take a leg for the back talk though. For the record, my name is Juzo Biwa." He then hefted a large broadsword, it was shaped like a butcher's knife. If butcher knives were human-sized. It had two holes near the top. One was a full circle in the center of the blade; the other one was a semi-circle on the edge. He then quickly and mercilessly slammed the blade tip down on Zaku. The downed man was defenseless as the blade decapitated him. "Related to that snake huh? Guess once I'm done with the kidnapping, I'll kill you too. Don't blame me, blame your master."
Naruto growled for a second before smirking. As soon as the blonde's lip curled, the trees around the men seemed to rain kunai and shuriken. So much so that the sky was blocked out. Juzo smiled up at the litany of metal death coming for him. He drew his blade up and winked at Naruto. As soon as one of the kunai came close to the man it seemed to bounce off nothing. Then as more came in Naruto could see what was happening. Somehow even with this ginormous sword, he was swinging it so fast that not even a single kunai came close to the man. 'This guy is insane!' Naruto tensed as realization hit him. 'My friends may need me! I WON'T BE STOPPED!' Naruto panted harsher than normal as Juzo deflected the last of the blades and remaining clones. He smiled at the blonde as he charged. Naruto was unable to use any jutsu as Juzo closed the distance. Naruto just barely manages to get his blade up. But even then it felt like the man was swinging a tree. Naruto went flying, his path being barred by a tree. Naruto smacked through the tree. As he coughed up blood it was clear to the blonde some of his ribs were broken. And using the shadow clone jutsu as much as he had exhausted even his chakra. Even now he had a plan. He knew just by the size of the blade the man was strong and merciless, but Kushina had taught him a technique perfect for this. The one that had defeated Neji. The one that stored chakra into his tanto throughout his days. Now he would unleash what he had stored. It didn't matter how much stronger this brute was, this would end it! So even as he shakily stood he held the tanto over his head. As Naruto had figured, the man quickly appeared keen on delivering more punishment. When he saw the blonde's counter-attack he merely smiled as he jumped up and prepared to slam his blade down with all his force.
"Uzumaki Style: Raging Wave!" He screamed as he slashed his blade towards the strange man. A blue wave of chakra flew from the blade. Juzo merely smiled as he met the jutsu with a mere slash of his blade. As the two attacks collided. They paused for a moment before the blade slashed through the chakra and scored a minor cut on Naruto himself. He flew back exhausted and defeated.
"Not too bad at all kid. Should've used your tenant though. Ah well, I'mma cut off your-" Juzo stopped mid-speech for an instant ducking below a flying kick from Ino. He then sidestepped a palm thrust by Neji and unleashed a kick to his ribs that sent the Hyuga sailing back towards the blonde dazed.
"Petal Storm: Explosive Beauty!" Ino called flower petals surrounded Juzo. He cackled as he twirled his sword absurdly quickly with one hand blowing away the petals.
"Name makes it obvious newbie," Juzo replied gruffly before appearing in front of her swinging his giant blade horizontally. Neji appeared between the two kicking Ino back and spinning.
"KAITEN!" Juzo merely continues his earlier cackle as he managed to simply backstep out of range of the Kaiten before swinging his sword into it. The blade cut through Neji's Kaiten easily. Neji seemingly collapsed to his knees.
"Eh, not too shabby either," Juzo said simply before slamming the dull side of the blade into the Hyuga, sending him skidding across the ground into the base of a tree. He did not move. "Honestly, the lot of you probably would be strong enough in the future. But we're in the present." As he kicked Ino roughly into a tree cracking its bark. Ino landed on one leg and fired off a kunai. Juzo merely dodged this as Ino screamed. The landing seemed to injure her ankle. Ino tried to get up once again but her ankle seemed broken and she had nothing left.
"Sheesh, that must hurt. Well, I don't like killing young women unless necessary. So I'm gonna maim and then take your friend." Juzo stated simply. Walking towards the still unmoving but conscious Naruto. "Though to be clear, can't have our names known. Everyone but Runt here has to die. But first, let's make sure you can't run!" Juzo yelled as he swung down to cut off Naruto's legs.