Active Skill: Shadow Extraction - Lvl 1]
[Info: Shadows drain 50 MP every minute, a value which will decrease as level of skill increases. Initial extraction takes 20 MP.]
Naruto tried to ignore the fact that Zabuza just said that he would "kill" the man, and instead focused on the enemy in front of him. He couldn't allow the death of the target, but he also needed to defeat him as fast as possible.
Kurotsuchi most likely wouldn't be able to see in the mist while it lasted, and wouldn't want to waste time trying to fight here. Maybe she would try and help Ubuki out with his fight? They were just supposed to be bandits, but considering the leader happened to be a shinobi himself, it wouldn't be a surprise if the rest were as well.
"Zabuza, are you able to locate him?" Naruto asked probingly, pulling out a kunai from his pouch.
"Of course I can," Zabuza answered immediately, sounding offended that Naruto even asked that. "The problem is that I'm too weak right now."
Right. Naruto completely forgot about that. Shadow Zabuza was strong, but paled in comparison to the real person. The summon was probably around Chuunin level, but physically might have been even lower; it was only because of experience and technique that kept him in the contending ranks for now.
If Zabuza had been in his old form the fight surely wouldn't have taken this long.
Naruto closed his eyes.
He couldn't rely on sight right now in the middle of so much mist. He listened, and listened hard, straining his ears tightly.
The sound of bustling and the heavy footsteps filled his ears.
"In front of us."
Use Uchiha Taijutsu!
[Activating…]
[Skill: Uchiha Clan Taijutsu- Lvl 3 Activated!]
[Usage drains 15 MP Points each minute. User can use this skill for 1 minute without draining MP.]
His skill, which was now level three due to the recent month of training with Kakashi, quickly took over his body.
Naruto jumped into the air, avoiding the massive body which barreled into the place he was once in. The Genin winced. If he had been hit with that…
Zabuza swung his gigantic sword with practiced efficiency, aiming for the crook of the man's neck.
The man slapped his hands together.
And caught the legendary sword in his palms.
Zabuza' eyes widened, before narrowing once more. He applied even more pressure on the top of the handle, letting the sword loosen from the man's tight grip, before lunging down and swiping at the opponent's legs.
The target merely jumped back, the attack altogether, but at the same, Zabuza still had his sword.
"That sword…I think I recognize it from somewhere. Regardless, I'm not going to ask what type of jutsu this is. Kids these days with their Kekkei Genkai and Clan Jutsus—why make it so hard for the rest of us normal ninja?" The man whined, before his voice hardened. "Doesn't matter, I guess. After this…one less Kekkei Genkai left in this world. My name is Zenki—I think it's fair for you to know the name of the last person you'll ever meet, right?"
Naruto found it weird how the target, or Zenki for that matter, referred to his Shadow Extraction as a Kekkei Genkai, but it also made a bit of sense to do so. When encountering a new jutsu that almost seemed unimaginable to the eye, it was a fair result to assume it to be some type of bloodline. But it wasn't, in this case.
Zenki flashed through hand signs at a practiced speed. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A torrent of gust erupted from his mouth, the intention of the jutsu clear. He's trying to blow the mist away, but that won't work so easily, would it? Naruto thought to himself.
The strength of the wind was very high, but the mist still partially remained. That was due to the amount of chakra Naruto had poured into the jutsu, and the comparatively lower amount Zenki used for his own.
It wasn't much, but Zenki could see now. "You're just a kid? Huh…I'll have fun destroying you."
And then Zenki ran.
Naruto met him in the middle, depending on his Taijutsu to carry his fight. The bald, muscular man threw a ridiculously fast wide hook, which was promptly dodged by Naruto ducking at the last minute. Naruto took the opening to his advantage, and launched a fist to Zenki's stomach, which was completely open for his attack.
Zenki merely chuckled in response.
Oh no.
The man lunged down and grabbed Naruto's leg, before pulling the boy to the air. Naruto struggled against his grasp, but Zenki's physicality was too strong. A clean, final hit seemed inevitable.
But Zabuza was still in the fight.
Immediately behind Zenki, the Legendary Swordsman swiped his sword at neck once again. Naruto was promptly released in an attempt to escape the attack by Zenki, who was forced to back off himself. It kind of worked, but the slash on Zenki's back said otherwise.
Blood leaked onto the floor, the ruby color even visible through the partially thick mist.
Naruto grinned at the sight. It was pure, brute strength versus a swordsman and an all rounder like Naruto. I need to get a solid hit and knock this guy out. But I can't do something like that with my own strength with how much stronger this guy is physically…maybe…
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Twelve or so clones manifested around the Genin, each of them running towards the opponent before them with haste.
"Oh, the little kitten wants to add some more players on the field?" Zenki grinned, casually shifting into a stance. "It's alright, come at me!"
Zenki's muscles tensed, contracting for a brief second, before he exploded from his static position.
His clones tried their best, they really did. But it was completely futile. Each punch and kick of the baldie destroyed two of his clones at once, the sheer strength and speed of his attacks impossible to block or deflect.
Zabuza snorted at the brief fight, before looking at Naruto seriosuly. "I might have a plan."
Naruto swerved his head at great speeds to listen to the good news.
"But you might have to take a good hit or two, and I need a way to get near that man."
Naruto winced as he imagined the pain. A hit from Zenki? Yeah, that would definitely hurt. A lot. And about getting near to the monstrosity without being hit to oblivion? That was a lot to ask for as well.
But they could try something.
Naruto summoned a clone.
He cast a meaningful look at Zabuza's weapon. "Your sword."
The shadow smirked, something which looked incredibly creepy on the undead man's face.
Naruto looked at his MP with dread. Only fifty remaining. Which meant barely one minute left with Zabuza. He quickly disabled his Uchiha Clan Taijutsu skill, making sure not to waste any more MP.
This was their only chance.
The clones were all demolished. Zenki glared at the remaining two figures in front of him. "There you are."
Shadow Zabuza clenched his sword tightly. "Here."
He threw his sword with frightening speeds, the blade revolving as it flew towards its target. Knowing how damaging the weapon was, Zenki couldn't afford to try and stop it with his hands.
Which left only one option. Dodge.
The blade passed by Zenki's body, who quickly sidestepped past the attack.
"Ah. Now I recognize you. You're Zabuza Momochi of the Mist, correct?" Zenki asked, eyeing the shadow amusedly. "You don't seem as strong as the stories describe you as."
"And you're just as smart as you appear, dumbass."
Zabuza's blade disappeared into smoke, as Naruto appeared a second later.
It was fitting that Zabuza used the same technique that was once used against him.
Zenki's eyes widened.
Naruto's hands went through the signs of another jutsu. The jutsu Kakashi had actually taught him first, before teaching him the next one with great reluctance.
"Water Release: Surging Sea!"
A monstrous amount of water generated from Naruto's mouth, aiming at Zenki's general direction. The tsunami of water doused the man with great force, but he didn't budge at all. The liquid collided with the rest of the environment in a similar fashion. A large amount of water remained on the terrain, creating a layer of blue on the otherwise rough road.
Naruto stood, completely doused by his own jutsu. His black hair laid flat on his forehead, just as wet as his clothes. He painted slightly, before taking a deep breath.
He needed to do this.
Sending a pulse of chakra to his feet, Naruto began running on water.
"Annoying," Zenki muttered, shaking off some water from his clothes. "At least now it will be even more fun to beat the life out of you and that idiot girl."
Kurotsuchi? Where the hell even is she? Naruto thought, before shaking those thoughts out his mind. He needed to cous.
The man grinned, showing his surprisingly pearly teeth. "All right, then. Let's do this."
Naruto ducked as a speeding kick went past his head. He took the opportunity to come closer to the giant, and threw a fist to his jaw. With a satisfying crunch, the attack landed.
Yes!
But Zenki chuckled once again. Naruto's blood went cold—he was completely open.
Zenki appeared in front of him in an instant, grabbing his face roughly. He literally picked the Genin up with one hand, before smashing his face into the rocky road underneath. Naruto gasped in pain as he felt his nose break immediately at the contact, the organ leaking blood soon after. The water, which had slightly decreased the impact, became a murky red.
"How does it feel?" The man asked, grinning sinisterly.
Naruto just grinned, accidentally tasting the metallic blood which reached his lips. "Great."
Why the hell did I do that?
A brief flash of anger went through Zenki's face, before he smiled once again. "It won't be feeling great for long, trust me."
Zenki threw his body to the sky like a rag doll, before jumping along. Naruto's whole vision was a nightmare, his rapidly spinning body not letting him get a proper view of his surroundings. Naruto lurched forward as a leg implanted itself into his stomach, dropping him back to the ground with a loud splash.
The pain was unbearable. Definitely the worst he had ever felt, without a doubt. Kakashi's training didn't compare to this at all.
Naruto's henge had disappeared by now, revealing his much shorter stature, and blond hair for the world to see.
[Ding!]
[Vitality has increased by one level.]
Zenki crossed his arms together. "Ehh? You're…even more of a kid than I thought you were. Should I feel bad now? I'm not really feeling very pitiful, though. What's your name, kid?"
Naruto slowly stood up. His bleeding face, torn clothes, and weak posture was not a very appealing sight to behold.
The Genin merely smirked.
"Gotcha."
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."
Zabuza was always known as the "Silent Killer", after all.
A sphere of rotating, dense water encircled the man quickly, trapping him inside. Zabuza had a submerged hand in the sphere, which worked to keep the jutsu active.
That was the real reason why Naruto had used his Surging Sea jutsu. To create the optimal environment for Zabuza's prison technique. Of course, Zabuza could have done the technique without a water body, but it would've been a lot slower, and thus much harder to trap Zenki, a physical monster, in that way.
Zenki screamed and thrashed inside the sphere, but to no avail. He punched the sphere continuously, causing it to ripple and shake in response.
Naruto tried not to gape at the sight. How is he so abnormally strong? Is he using chakra or is that his regular body?
Shadow Zabuza grunted. "Get done with it quickly, kid. It's hard keeping a guy like him inside."
Naruto sighed, placing his hands on his knees. That was seriously tiring. He ran towards Zabuza, eager to end the fight off.
"Look, we just need him unconscious," Naruto said matter-of-factly.
"Unconscious? Why not kill the bastard?" Shadow Zabuza growled, bringing out his gigantic sword with his remaining hand.
Naruto knew this would happen. "The mission said—"
The water prison shook with a groan.
Naruto's eyes widened with shock.
The prison was breaking. The layer of water around the man became thinner and thinner as he continued to repeatedly bombard the sphere with an onslaught of punches.
A second later, the man was free. With an ear-splitting roar, Zenki leaped into the air in an attempt to escape.
But Naruto was already behind him.
"SWORD!" Naruto instantly screamed at Zabuza.
Zabuza threw the shadow-black sword like a spear at the blond, who caught the weapon midair. Naruto grunted at the sudden weight pulling him down to the ground.
Before Zenki could even react, Naruto spun Kubikiribōchō and hit striked the man's head with the blunt side of the sword.
Zenki was out cold.
Shadow Zabuza raised an impressed eyebrow. "Nice one, brat."
[Warning!]
[0 MP Remaining.]
[All MP related skills are being disabled…]
The shadow and the sword dissipated into nothing, leaving Naruto alone, panting and injured. He fell on his bottom tiredly, searching for a source of energy as the regeneration started to kick in.
Naruto summoned three clones.
Clone one saluted. "Boss!"
"Take this body to Kakashi sensei and explain it's the bandit the mission talked about," Naruto ordered, standing up once again.
"And you?" His clone asked worriedly.
Equip 'Ryuji'.
Ryuji stared back at the clones. "I've got some work to do."
He needed to get the remaining bandits from the Iwa team, and he had a plan to do just that.
[—]
Kurotsuchi sighed with relief as she finished the last bandit with ease. They were definitely shinobi, but not close to Chuunin level at all.
And now…we have to deal with that other guy.
Ubuki pushed his glasses up, like usual. He snorted disgustedly at the groaning bandits in the corner of the restaurant. "What about the leader?"
Kurotsuchi hesitated. "I'm…not too sure, actually."
She was sure she heard Ryuji's voice back then, and after the mist jutsu was released, she found it fruitless to try and help the fight. It was certainly a good thing she came back as well, with the rough time Ubuki had with the remaining bandits. They weren't very coordinated or individually strong, but they had the advantage in numbers, and could have easily overpowered him.
She turned around as she heard the sound of footsteps.
Ryuji walked into the restaurant slowly, his eyes swirling about and alert.
Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes. It was clear at this point that Ryuji wasn't a regular "merchant" around town, and quite the opposite.
The boy met her eyes and smiled apologetically. "I can explain everything."
Kurtosuchi raised an eyebrow. "Like your merchant family?"
Ryuji winced. "Yeah. That was a lie. Most of what I told you guys was a lie, actually. Are those the remaining bandits?"
Ubuki nodded curtly. "And what does it matter to you?"
"Nothing, I'm just worried they might wake up again."
"They won't, I'm sure of it. We beat to a pulp," Kurotsuchi confirmed.
"Oh, great. How about we talk over at that corner? I know I don't seem the most trustworthy right now, but I'm sure I can convince you otherwise, Princess of Iwagakure, and of course, the well-renowned Ubuki Fujiyomi," Ryuji declared with a friendly smile.
Kurotsuchi was surprised. How did he know of my status? Is he…a spy sent by gramps? She wouldn't be incredibly surprised if the old man sent someone to look over her as she went on the mission, especially to a location like this.
Ubuki looked at his teammate, who nodded in confirmation. "We accept your offer."
"Haha, you don't need to be so serious, Ubuki-san," Ryuji said, chuckling. "I don't care if you trust me or not, but I assure you that I'm on your side."
The trio walked towards the corner of the restaurant, enclosed by the surrounding tables. Kurotsuchi didn't realize at that moment that she completely lost sight of the remaining bandits, but Ryuji did.
Kurtosuchi glared at the boy in front of her. "Well, Ryuji, can you introduce yourself again? This time, the truth?"
"Of course. Well, to start off, I was sent directly here by the Iwagakure shinobi forces. Something about a Chuunin Pre-Examination, am I correct?"
"Yes, that is why we were sent here as well. But I haven't seen you in any of the other Genin teams, have I?" Ubuki mentioned.
"That's right, I'm not in any of the Genin teams. I was sent here to monitor the examination, or competition between Konoha and Iwa, and help protect the coming Iwa team if necessary. To be honest, I didn't expect you guys to come so fast, so I was slightly unprepared for your arrival. For that, I'm sorry," Ryuji said, frowning.
Kurotsuchi's mind was set by now. The person in front of them was genuine, at the very least. She was still mad that Gramps sent someone to monitor her, especially when she had made him promise to not treat her like a child again, but that was a matter for later.
She smiled brightly at Ryuji. "Well, our Jonin-sensei will probably come soon. Do you want to come back to Iwa with us? I'm assuming you beat the leader, right?"
"J-Jonin sensei?" Ryuji stuttered randomly.
"Yes?"
"Ahh…sure. And yes, for the leader, he's completely knocked out for now. We can go and get them later."
Ubuki scrunched his face, confused. "Why not right now?"
Ryuji shrugged. "Your wish. And also, one last thing. I'm sorry."
For what?
Ryuji turned into a cloud of smoke.
Kurotsuchi gasped in surprise, standing up from her seat immediately. Ubuki did the same thing, albeit without the gasp.
Kurotsuchi ran towards the entrance of the restaurant, looking for any remnant of the black-haired shinobi. But something felt…off. She couldn't describe it, but the atmosphere itself seemed different.
"Umm…Kurotsuchi?" Ubuki slightly yelled from inside the restaurant.
"What?!" Kurotsuchi snapped, frantically looking at the empty road in front of her, before looking back inside.
"The bandits are gone."
What?! Kurotsuchi screamed in her head, coming to confirm the truth for herself.
There was no trace of the bandits left.
Ryuji had taken them all.
Which meant…they had been played from the start.
[—-]
A sudden wave of memories entered Naruto's brain as he dashed back to the hotel quickly.
Wait, that actually worked?! The Genin thought incredulously.
He thought Kurotsuchi and Ubuki would've asked for some kind of confirmation for his identity at the very least, and had prepared his clone for that type of response. Little did he know he didn't need to do that either.
Naruto chuckled evilly. He felt a pang of remorse for lying to the kind Iwa Genin, but he couldn't lie—it felt good tricking people. His whole stunt was a much easier way of getting his goals accomplished, without having to fight in any way. He was kind of forced to lie as well, there was no way he would stand a chance against both of them at once.
I'm here. Naruto realized.
He knocked on the door loudly. "Kakashi-sensei, it's me, Naruto!"
Kakashi's voice came muffled a second later. "Password?"
Eh? "What password?"
"Come in."
Naruto opened the door with a click, smirking at the presence of a defeated Sasuke and indifferent Kakashi.
Naruto looked at Sasuke knowingly and with a smug grin. "Did you find the bandits, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke merely grunted. "No."
"Well, guess who did. Come in, men!"
Naruto's clones barged into the room at once, dropping the unconscious or frighteningly injured bodies onto the floor. Ten bandits laid on the floor, each of the bodies matching the descriptions given in the mission list.
His clones saluted, before disappearing a second later.
Naruto removed his own henge a second later, trying to deepen in his point.
Kakashi looked at the men, once again, with indifference. "You found and beat all of them up?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Ah…well. It's a long story. I guess I'll give a short summary. I found the bandits, beat them up, and brought them here after a scramble with the Iwa team. Actually, that was a bit too detailed. Sorry."
Sasuke eyed him like he was a freak.
Kakashi just shrugged.
Naruto frowned. He expected them to be more impressed.
Sakura barged through the door a second later, the large ruckus waking her up from her own room. "What happened?"
Naruto greeted her before continuing. "Like I said—it's a long story. But pretty much—"
"Please, not again," Sasuke said, grasping his forehead. "It's fine, I owe you some ramen."
Naruto smiled victoriously.
Yep, this was a total success!
"Umm…so what do we do with these bodies?" Naruto asked a second later.
"I'll deal with that. For now, change your Henge, so the Iwa team doesn't recognize you," Kakashi mentioned, as he began moving towards the bodies.
Kakashi bit his finger, allowing some blood to reveal itself through his pale skin. He put the hand to the floor, which was followed by a circle of inky, black seals enveloping the floor.
More smoke appeared, and then out came…a pack of dogs?
Eh…all of this is getting too wild.
[—]
A week later…
Naruto looked at the weird, perfectly straight rock in front of him. "You guys can get out now."
Konohamaru and his two friends crawled out of the contraption slowly after.
How uncomfortable was that?
"Naruto sensei!"
The blond groaned. He forgot about all of this with all of his time outside of Konoha.
"You promised!" Konohamaru yelled, pointing at his face.
Naruto racked his brain to remember what he had said. "Promised what?"
"You said you would play ninja with us today!"
Naruto winced. Did I really say that?
Sakura smirked at her teammate. "Really, Naruto? Playing 'ninja' with little kids?"
I can't really blame her…
"Boss, who's the girl with the big forehead?" Konohamaru asked.
Oh no…
Sakura's face scrunched up in anger. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY?"
Konohamaru and his sidekicks ran away from the girl in fear, the girl in question looking truly angry as her eyes widened in rage.
But then Konohamaru crashed.
Into someone.
"Calm down, kid," the person growled.
The person in question wore a black, baggy bodysuit that radiated creepy energy. On where his forehead was supposed to be, an unfamiliar forehead protector was attached.
Someone from another village, why are they here? Naruto thought.
Oh wait. Chuunin Exams. A bunch more people from other villages are most likely going to come soon, so I should be too surprised. As for this situation, it's just a misunderstanding, right?
But the creepy kid didn't stop there.
He grabbed Konohamaru by the neck of his shirt and pulled him up. "That seriously hurt, snot-face."
Konohamaru grunted in dismay.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Put him down! It was my fault anyways," Sakura apologized sincerely, because it was partly because of her.
The girl next to the foreigner boy spoke out next. "Put him down, Kankuro. If he comes…"
Kankuro grinned. "Eh…it's fine. I'm bored anyways. I don't really care—"
Kankuro gasped as a pulse of pain flared up in his arm, forcing him to release the kid. Naruto's kick wasn't incredibly strong, but was enough to set Konohamaru free.
Naruto stood in front of the boy passively.
But inside, he was angry.
It seemed that Kankuro was just as mad as well, as he tried to throw a cuff at Naruto's face in response.
But compared to Zenki, Kankuro was extremely slow.
Naruto moved his face a mere inch, evading the fist entirely, before lunging downwards and sweeping his feet with a low kick.
Kankuro fell flat on his back with a thud.
The Konoha Genin waited patiently for the boy to get back up.
"You'll regret that, punk!" Kankuro shouted, throwing a wide punch at Naruto.
He didn't need to dodge this time.
Sand became alive as it rose in front of Kankuro, and enclosed itself like cuffs around his hands, stopping his movement entirely.
A new opponent entered the battlefield.
"You're a disgrace, Kankuro."
Naruto swept his gaze to the new arrival.
Standing upside down, the boy's red hair was the only feature standing out.
His eyes met Naruto's.
The blond shivered. This one was different—that was the least he could tell.
Observe.
[Observing…]
Maybe level seventeen or higher? Hopefully not anything close to twenty, though.
[Observation failed.]
[Target's level is too high.]
Naruto's shock was almost tangible in the air.
The Chuunin Exams were going to be wild indeed.