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Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 36: Big Trouble in Little Taki
🕑 Added 2024-07-12 01:23:32 +0000 UTCTraveling to Taki had been a mostly quite trip… that was until we passed the Land of Waterfalls boarder. The country truly lived up to its namesake, containing large bodies of water, lakes, rivers and waterfalls.
I’d initially wondered why the nation wasn’t called the Land of rivers as there were so many, but that name had been taken by a neighboring country had access to several of the rivers that branched through it.
The sound of all that running water hadn’t been the noisy part. Sure it did add to the noise, but it was what that water brought with it that was the problem.
Insects of all types lived around the water, especially the slow moving rivers, ranging from a species of giant ants, leeches, jumping spiders, flies and mosquitoes. It was a paradise to Aburame and a nightmare to regular Shinobi.
It wasn’t too big of an issue for me. Flaring a tiny amount of Kurama’s Chakra worked as a great deterrent to the numerous insects and those that did try to take a bight out of me ended up dying from Chakra poisoning before they even landed on my skin.
Anko gagged, clutching her throat.
“Swallowed another fly?” I hummed in an amused tone.
“I hate this damn place,” Anko grunted.
“Really, that’s a shame, because I was thinking about building a nice little vacation home somewhere here,” I replied, doing my best not to grin at the murderous look Anko just shot me. “I would even have a clone learn how to make Dango’s perfectly. It wouldn’t be that hard for me… After all, I did learn the Hiraishin in an incredibly short amount of time.”
“Laugh it up,” Anko sighed. “You don’t have to deal with this because you’ve got all that biju juice that you’re selfishly hoarding.”
“Actually, I…”
“Yeah, I know. You can’t lend us any because it’s dangerous for anyone but you to use it right now,” Anko replied. “Doesn’t mean I can’t be angry about it… And you,” Anko glanced to Shizune. “Why is it that you’re not complaining at all? You’re stuck in the same boat with me after all.”
“Eheh… Just lucky I guess,” Shizune chuckled awkwardly.
“No one’s that luck…” Anko devolved into a coughing fit as soared through a small cloud of mosquitoes, swallowing several of them.
Shizune, seeing what had just happened, ducked under the cloud of mosquitoes and carried on as if nothing had even happened.
I shot Shizune a knowing smirk. She was letting Anko take the brunt of all the insects while also avoiding any that had missed Anko’s face. I could let Anko know what was going on, but instead chose to follow in Shizune’s figurative footsteps and let Anko catch on by herself.
Growling, Anko caught sight of something in the distance and let out a relieved sigh. “Fucking finally.”
“What?” I asked as Anko suddenly sped up, leaving Shizune and I behind.
“Oi, you,” Anko all but yelled as she landed in front of a man wearing a Taki headband. “Take…”
“PLEASE DON’T HURT ME!” The man shrieked as he dropped to the floor, covering his head.
“I… wasn’t going to,” Anko muttered as she glanced at the Taki headband on his forehead in confusion.
“Anko,” I sighed as I landed by her side. “You can’t just go off on your own right now. You need to take this mission seriously.”
“I am,” Anko replied, before pointing to the cowering man. “I don’t think this guy is a Shinobi. He’s entirely too timid.”
Glancing at the man, I had to admit that Anko had a point, he was terrified of us. “Maybe he’s just a genin,” I shrugged. Stranger things had happened than a 19 year old remaining a Genin after all.
“Staying a Genin when you’re an adult,” Anko mused. “I suppose that’s possible, it has happened in Konoha before… but he should have some skill to back himself up other than hiding and cowering.”
That was true, he should have a little more backbone than this.
“He’s not a Zetsu if you were wondering. He’s just a regular Shinobi with a little more Chakra than some of the weaker Konoha Jonin.”
So he had some potential, but never realized it. “Sorry about Anko,” I said, offering the man a hand. “She’s a little on edge… we all are.”
Getting up slowly, the man cautiously took my hand. “That… That’s alright. I get it.”
“Anyway,” I continued. “That’s Anko and I’m Naruto. Our third teammate is taking a quick look around to ensure the area hasn’t been booby trapped. Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m…”
“Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure,” Shizune finished, landing in front of Anko. She Glanced at Anko and then myself before turning back to Shibuki. “I’m sorry if my team caused you any issue, but I trust you understand their actions with how serious the situation is.”
In my defense, I had been a bit hyper focused on the Akatsuki’s potential involvement and bringing Fu back safely. The fact that this guy was the leader of an entire hidden village completely slipped past me.
Choosing to add Shizune to this team had definitely been one of Tsunade’s best ideas. Shizune was able to carry out the politically sensitive aspects while Anko excelled at stealth and assassination. I on the other hand excelled at sheer destruction and now, escorts.
“That’s…” Shibuki coughed to hide his squeak. “That’s perfectly alright. This does con… concern Fu’s safety after all. I’m happy to know that she’ll be in good hands.”
“Thank you for your understanding,” Shizune replied diplomatically.
“I would… however like to have a brief conversation with you all… concerning how your village treats Jinchuriki,” Shibuki said, briefly glancing my way before averting his eyes.
“He’s lying,” Kurama hummed. “He may say that he wishes to talk with you about Chomei’s Jinchuriki, but I’m able to sense a large amount of fear and anxiety.”
Then the Akatsuki were already here and this was a trap.
“That would be my best guess. Yes,” Kurama replied. “There’s something more, too. I can sense the rest of the village. They’re spread out and are each experiencing varying levels of distress, anxiety and panic.”
The entire village was spread out? This was more than just a trap then. It was also a test. I’d proven to be able to sense Zetsu who was the Akatsuki’s best spy through his ability to perfectly disguise himself and hide his Chakra.
They were hiding their location by using the villagers as a cover. They were doing well to hide their Chakra signatures, but their emotions on the other hand… no member in the Akatsuki would feel a sense of panic and distress when they were the ones doing the ambushing.
“If you believe that such a conversation is absolutely necessary,” Shizune nodded. “Then I believe we could spare a few minutes, but I must stress that we won’t be able to stay long. Time is of the essence after all.”
“Great,” Shibuki smiled nervously. “I’ll… lead you to… a place better suited for this conversation.” Stepping onto one of the small pools of water, he slowly began to sink. “Just… follow after me, the tunnels can get a little confusing.”
Anko and Shizune shared a brief glance and nodded before following after Shibuki.
Takigakure was the solely remaining minor village that had managed to stay around since the founding of the five great nations. All the other villages from that time had either been absorbed into another village or was destroyed during one of the great Shinobi wars.
The thing that allowed Taki to survive so long was secrecy. The exact location of the village had never been found. Outsiders weren’t welcome… until today that is. If I hadn’t already known that something was going on, I would have been highly suspicious right about now.
Imbedding a Kunai into the nearest tree, I quickly followed after Anko and Shizune.
The underwater tunnels were long and winding with numerous different routes, each likely leading to a dead end or room designed to trap potential invading Shinobi, but with Shibuki’s guidance, we soon found ourselves on the other end.
Climbing out of the small pool of water, I got my first real look at Taki and wondered if Hashirama had a hand in building it. There was a massive tree that covered the sky and had a small village built underneath it.
“Woah,” Anko hummed. “That’s one big tree.”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“It’s the tree that’s been protecting Takigakure since the warring clans era,” Shibuki explained pridefully, seemingly having gained some backbone. “It was discovered by my ancestors hundreds of years ago and used as a respite from those that sought to kill us.”
Assuming that Shibuki was being honest and he wasn’t lied to by his ancestors, that meant Hashirama couldn’t have made that tree as he wouldn’t have been alive yet. I may need to keep an eye on it. Odds are that it’s just a regular tree, but in a world where one of the strongest things was originally a tree… It was better to be safe than sorry.
“Let’s head to the main hall where the three of you can dry off,” Shibuki said as he continued to lead us through the village.
Following after him, I silently flicked another Kunai into the woods.
A short walk later and we found ourselves standing at a large building that sat at the top of a hill, overlooking the various homes and buildings of Takigakure. The inside of it however was fairly empty with only a few chairs on the side of the room and a small table with a kettle sitting on a small burner.
“The three of you can dry off in here so long,” Shibuki said, his eyes lingering on the kettle. “I… forgot that I set that up before heading out to greet the three of you. Would any of you like some tea?”
“We don’t intend on staying that long,” Shizune replied. “You said that you wanted to talk about Fu’s placement in Konoha.”
“A… Are you sure? It’ll warm you up after the swim.” Pouring himself a cup, he took several gulps from it. “It’s pretty good. Mint flavored.”
“I’m sure,” Shizune answered.
Shibuki was stalling, that much was painfully obvious for everyone in the room. The Akatsuki were, so whatever it was they were planning, it needed time.
Smelling the minty scent of the team a thought occurred to me.
‘Hey Kurama, how’s our Chakra doing.’
After the Akatsuki’s attack in the Land of Iron, the Samurai who were in charge of clearing the debris ended up finding a pair of gas canisters that shad some traces of the poison used against Bee and myself. It was assumed that the two disguised Zetsu clones had been the ones to dispense the poison.
“Our Chakra is flowing just as it… wait, it’s a little slower this time and it’s not merging properly.”
Then the Akatsuki were definitely here. It was a little insulting that they thought they could try the same trick twice. There wasn’t anything else for the poison dispensed from, so it was likely coming from the kettle.
Silently unsealing the antidote that Tsunade gave me, I made sure that Shibuki wasn’t watching me and jabbed it into my leg through my pocket. Anko, having noticed what I’d just done simply raised an eyebrow.
‘One final question. How good is your Chakra cloak at holding a liquid?’
“I see what you’re thinking,” Kurama hummed amusedly. “Yes, it can hold liquids. You of all people should know that, the red colour from version 2 is literally your blood after all.”
“Actually,” I began. “I would like some tea if that’s alright with you.”
“Y… Yes,” Shibuki’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that’s perfectly fine.”
“Naruto,” Shizune said softly, shooting me a worried glance.
Before Shizune could voice her concerns, I opened my pocket just wide enough for her to see the empty syringe that sat inside.
Taking the cup from Shibuki, I gave a quick thanks and downed it, allowing the poisonous liquid to collect in the Chakra cloak that sat inside my stomach. The Akatsuki seemed fond of their new poison. I wonder how fond they would be when I fused it with Kurama’s chakra, heated it and gave it back to them.
“That was pretty good. I think I’ll have another one,” I hummed, holding the cup to Shibuki.
…PTL…
We followed Shibuki down an old path that looked rarely used. I was actually a little amazed that someone like him could lead a Shinobi village or be a Shinobi at all. He was skittish, jumped at shadows and unable to hide how he felt.
“Shibuki,” A stern looking man wearing a bandana called out as he landed in front of us. “You’re early. I take it that you did what was expected of you.”
“I… I have Suien-Sensei,” Shibuki nodded nervously. “I got the Jinchuriki to drink the tea… All of it.”
“It seems that even as such a failure, you were still able to do something right,” Suien laughed. “Boy, you must be some kind of idiot. Don’t you know that you should never accept a drink from a foreign Shinobi?”
“What can I say,” I shrugged. “It was a long trip to get here and I was thirsty.”
Suien smirked. “I see, so you did know it was poisoned, but chose to drink it anyway. You foolishly believe that just because you’re a Jinchuriki, nothing can harm you. Today you’ll learn otherwise. Today the world will…”
“Will you just shut up already?!” Anko snapped. “We get it, you love the sound of your own voice, but that doesn’t mean you need to subject the rest of us to it.”
“Shibuki, get out of here and let the real Shinobi work,” Suien said and Shibuki suddenly darted away. Water trickled down Suien’s arm and drooped down before solidifying itself into a blade. “You Shinobi from the five major villages are all the same, looking down on us while thinking yourselves so superior, however, you’re not. I’ve met a man more powerful than all of you combined and he comes from this very village.”
“Ah, I see. Blaming the major villages for your own inadequacies,” Anko nodded knowingly. Slipping a Kunai into her hand, she pointed it towards Suien.
“Take them,” Suien ordered, glaring at Anko. Several seconds passed and nothing happened. “What…”
“Yeah, your little friends aren’t going to be of much help,” Anko hummed. Snapping her fingers, a trio of Shinobi dropped to the floor, their bodies held immobile by several large snakes that coiled around their bodies, gagging their mouths as well. “You see, we came here expecting a fight. Why wouldn’t we take precautions?”
Before Suien could respond, a large brown python shot out of the ground and quickly wrapped itself around his body.
Anko’s face quickly devolved into one of intense amusement. “I can’t believe you fell for that and after all your preaching of how you’re stronger than Shinobi from one of the five great villages. That’s gotta sting.”
Suien growled as he struggled against the snake, but ultimately failed to make any progress with freeing himself. Flinging his arm up, his water blade shot off into the distance.
Something wasn’t right here. Suien was aiming at something besides us when he threw the water blade, if he wasn’t then he would have thrown it earlier.
“Well that didn’t go as you’d planned,” Anko chuckled as she stepped forward, placing her Kunai under Suien’s eye. “Now, why don’t you tell me exactly who it was you got the poison from? Feel free to try and skip the details, I’ve had a really shitty trip and want to work off my anger.”
“You really expect that I’ll tell you anything?” Suien grimaced as Anko stabbed her Kunai into his shoulder. “You want the truth? You’ll all be dead before the day ends.”
“Cute, bu…” Anko suddenly leaned over, clutching her stomach.
“Anko!” I rushed over.
Shizune began removed Anko’s hand from the sight and pulled her shirt up slightly, revealing a stab wound.
Creating several dozen Shadow Clones, I sent them off into the village. ‘Kurama, guide them to him.’
“On it.”
“I told you that none of you were going to survive until tonight,” Suien gloated. “One down. Two more to g…”
“Oi, snake. Shut him up,” Anko ordered. The python quickly wrapped itself around Suien’s mouth. “I think we’ve all had enough of your delusions.”
The only one who was able to wound someone like this at a distance was Hidan and he was currently the partner to Kakuzu, it all fit together. The only thing I couldn’t figure out was how he got a hold of some of Anko’s blood.
I was with Anko for the entire duration of this visit and any blood samples taken at the hospital would be destroyed after they were done with the tests. The only time someone could have gotten one would be during one of Anko’s previous missions or…
Mosquito’s. Anko had complained that there was a variety of bugs that had been biting her. I was going to have to check with Tsunade and see if there was a rogue Aburame out there that might be motivated to help the Akatsuki.
“How bad is it?” Anko asked with gritted teeth.
“It’s not fatal,” Shizune replied. A green glow surrounded her hands as she worked to heal Anko’s wound. “But there is a lot of damage.”
“Then just patch me up as best you can and lets continue this mission,” Anko said.
“Anko, I’m not…”
“Don’t even start,” Anko snapped. “This… it’s our last mission together for a while and I’m not going to sit it out because of one wound. I refu… FUCK!” A new stab wound opened up on her thigh.
Damnit, haven’t those clones found Hidan yet?!
“They are on their way.”
“We need to get you out of here to an environment where we can stabilize you properly,” Shizune announced, shooting a glance my way.
“I can still complete this mission,” Anko argued.
Shizune was right. Anko needed to be somewhere that they could heal her wounds efficiently.
“Naruto?” Anko asked, seeing me form another Shadow Clone.
“I’m sorry Anko, maybe next time,” I replied. The Clone grabbed Anko’s and Shizune’s arm, they were gone in a flash. Tsunade would be able to keep Anko alive until my Clones found Hidan. In the mean time, would be getting whatever information I could out of these Taki Shinobi. Heading over to Suien, I lightly tap the snake that was currently muffling him. “You can uncover his mouth. I will be taking over the interrogation.”
The snake glanced at me before it nodded and removed itself from Suien’s head.
“You Konoha Shinobi are so weak,” Suien said, shooting me a triumphant look. “All it took to isolate you was wounding one of your friends.”
“You know, I’m really not a person who does the whole torture thing, that’s what Anko’s good at,” I sighed. “But I’m going to make an exception today. Tell me, how many Akatsuki members are here in this village and what are their plans?”
“If you think that I would betray the man who’s offered me everything then you are more of a fool than I first thought,” Suien spat.
Forming a miniature Rasengan at the tip of my finger, I brought it up towards Suien’s face, only to dodge to the side as a blade of water pierced through the python that was wrapped around him, causing it to dispel. Launching the blade forward, it dispelled a few of the other snakes that Anko had used to restrain his team.
A memory suddenly flashed through my mind and I felt my body physically relax. It seemed that my clones had managed to find Hidan and disrupt his ritual before he was able to stab himself in a vital spot.
“Your teammates are gone, you’re poisoned, you’ve wasted your Chakra creating dozens of clones and you’re outnumbered,” Suien began to gloat while the other Taki Shinobi, one woman and two men, surrounded me. “Kakuzu-sama has expressed interest in capturing you… However, I’m sure that he won’t be upset if we have to injure you to complete his goal.”
Flicking a Kunai Suien’s way, I smirked when he dodged it, allowing the blade to pierce into the ground behind the group. “I’m sorry, what was that? I just received much more important news then whatever it was you were talking about.”
“Take him down,” Suien ordered.
I watched idly as several water blades, Shuriken and Kunai with explosive tags were launched my ways. Waiting until the very last moment, I disappeared in a flash, appearing right behind the Taki Shinobi.
Lightning sparked in my hand as I grabbed the back of the neck of one of the men, stunning him. Suien and the rest of his team retreated forward, putting some distance between me and them.
“The Akatsuki, how many are involved in this?” I asked, bringing a Rasengan close to the masked Shinobi’s face. “Black robes, red clouds. How many did you see.”
“I… I didn’t..” The man stuttered. “I wasn’t there.”
“Then who was?” I asked, bringing the Rasengan just close enough to begin disintegrate a portion of his mask.
“Suien and Mura…”
A blade of water flashed in front of me, piercing through the masked Shinobi’s neck.
“You killed your own subordinate,” I muttered. Dropping the body I slipped a new Kunai into my hand. “You do realize that I only know your name. He would have needed to specify which one Mura is for that information to actually be useful.”
“He was leaking secrets… He wasn’t my subordinate anymore,” Suien replied.
I wasn’t going to get any answers… at least, not with Suien around and if that was the case, I had no reason to keep them around.
‘Ready with the poison?’
“I thought you were going to save that for one of the Akatsuki members.”
‘I was, but it would be better if I use things that I know will be effective against them,’ I thought back.
Flicking a Kunai behind them, I briefly flashed to my Kunai back at the entrance of Taki before flashing back to my original spot, finding the trio attacking the space above the Kunai behind them.
Clapping my hands together I unleashed a high pressure stream of the poisoned tea that I had drank earlier. Suien caught on and formed a water wall while the other Shinobi managed to dodge it. The Kunoichi however wasn’t so fortunate and took a deep slash across her back.
She let out a brief scream as she collapsed to the ground. The poison along with Kurama’s Chakra that had been infused into the tea made short work of her.
“He’s not weakened by the poison. Keep him busy for a while, I need to make some preparations,” Suien ordered.
“Yes sir,” The muscular Shinobi nodded.
Flicking my Kunai towards them, I teleported to it in mid air, caught it and brought it down towards the muscular Shinobi, only for him to catch my wrist. “It seems that you’ve got some speed behind you. I take it you’re the Mura that the other one was telling me about.”
“I am Murasame,” The man grunted and started to squeeze my wrist tightly.
Lightning sparked down my arm, forcing him to let me go. Stepping back, I didn’t have much time to breathe as Murasame began his attack. He was much faster than I’d initially assumed, but when compared with those that I’d recently been fighting recently, he came up short.
Ducking and dodging, his strikes, I waited for just the right moment and brought my palm up to seemingly catch his fist. However, before his fist made contact with my palm, I formed a Rasengan.
The Rasengan met Murasame’s fist and tore through it. He reeled back in pain and I moved forward, grabbing his neck tightly.
“I’m starting to get really tired with you Taki Shinobi,” I muttered. “Tell me what you know about the Akatsuki… Now!”
Murasame briefly hesitated, before seeing a new Rasengan form in my open hand. “We only met with Kakuzu and his partner… They told us that they would help us take over Taki if we brought them someone from the Kamizuru clan… That’s all that I know, I swear.”
I gave him a hard stare before nodding. “Alright,” I said, dropping him. “That’s all I wanted to know.”
The Taki Shinobi had only met up with Hidan and Kakuzu. Sure there was still a chance that there were other Akatsuki members involved, but it was less likely now.
I suddenly felt a massive burst of Chakra come from the side, before I had to teleport back to the clearing with the two dead Taki Shinobi in order to avoid an attack.
Suien rushed into the clearing at high speed, his fist covered in blood, Chakra was pouring off his body.
“It seems that I’ve no longer got any subordinates,” Suien laughed. “Not that I need them anymore. With this power, I’ve ascended… I’m unstoppable.”
He did have a lot of Chakra, almost as much as a Kage, but it seemed unstable, he wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever.
“What, you’ve got nothing to say now that I am more powerful than you?” Suien taunted.
‘I think it’s about time that we end this, Kurama.’
“Agreed,” Kurama hummed.
A single tailed Chakra cloak formed around me. I wouldn’t need anything more to beat Suien as, although his Chakra was similar in quantity to that of a Kage, his skills were still far below that level.
Suien raced towards me at high speed and I waited. Reeling his fist back, he brought it down on me and I simply ducked underneath it and brought my palm up, piercing through his chest with the Chakra claws from the one tailed cloak.
“W… What?!” Suien gasped, blood leaking from his mouth. “How?”
“You’re really out of your league here,” I replied, pulling my arm free.
Suien collapsed to the floor. “No, I… He chose me for thi…” He went still.
Watching to make sure Suien was dead, I sighed.
‘Hey Kurama, I’m going to get things ready here. Do me a favor and let my clones know when I’m ready, alright.’
“Hm, sure.”
…PTL…
I cautiously watched Hidan from my hiding spot in a bush. There were several of us clones here that were spread out, so that if Hidan ever found one of us, there would still be others to stall him… not that he ever did.
For all of Hidan’s strength, he was both slow and not very capable of finding us… That, however didn’t make him any less dangerous. We did send one of the other clones to confront him and while the clone wasn’t going all out, Hidan did manage to dispel it with his scythe pretty fast.
I could honestly say that I, and the rest of us clones were happy that Kakuzu wasn’t here with Hidan. If he was, this would have likely been much more difficult.
“I swear to fucking Jashin that if you break my circle one more time, I’m going to cut you a new asshole,” Hidan swore as he dripped blood on the floor, before spreading it out with his foot, creating a giant Jashin symbol on the ground.
Seeing that the circle was nearing completion, I brought my hands together and then placed them on the ground and pulsed some earth style Chakra. The ground under Hidan shifted and churned, breaking his symbol apart while soaking up the blood.
“That fucking does it,” Hidan howled as he threw his scythe to the ground. “Come out right fucking now! I’m done with this shit!”
Hidan is an S-rank missing-nin, that much is true, but he’s also the second weakest member of the Akatsuki, right after White Zetsu. Once you know how his technique works and how to avoid it, he becomes an opponent that even a Genin with one earth style Jutsu and mediocre hiding skills can stall.
“Oi, clone Naruto. I’ve got a message for you from the original,” Kurama began. “The original Naruto wants you to use the Hiraishin on Hidan and bring him to his location.”
‘It’s about time. This was starting to get boring,’ I thought back. ‘So I take it the original has a plan, because Hidan’s really pissed right now. We’ve pretty much been poking a bear with a stick.’
Kurama snorted. “Yes, I’ve been watching. You’re a clone of the original Naruto, you should be able to guess what he’s going to do!”
Hm, what would I do if I wanted to kill or incapacitate Hidan who is pretty much immortal. There was a distant high pitched hum that began to sound through the area, originating from somewhere off in the distance. Right, that’s what I would do. Cut him into tiny pieces.
‘Is the original ready?’
“I wouldn’t be informing you if he wasn’t.”
‘Good.”
It was time to kill an immortal.
…PTL…
I stood a fair distance back from my tagged Kunai as a clone formed a Rasenshuriken next to it.
One moment there was nothing but a violent breeze and the high pitched ring of the Rasenshuriken and then the next moment, Hidan was standing next to next to my clone, laughing madly as he swung his scythe.
Before Hidan could realize what was happening, the Rasenshuriken detonated, swelling in size as it ground into Hidan’s body, cutting and grinding his body into a red mist.
A wave of pressure was released and the Rasenshuriken, having spent itself, collapsed inwards, revealing a devastated area.
“Naruto, to your left, it seems some of Hidan is still alive.”
Following Kurama’s direction, I slowly walked towards the location, a Rasengan spinning in my hand, before I found him.
“Well that’s disgusting,” I muttered.
Lying on the floor, several meters away was a portion of Hidan’s head. Not the full thing. Only the left upper portion with a single eye that was glaring at me. He wasn’t going to be coming back from this.
“So this is what immortality granted by Jashin looks like,” I commented as I slowly made my way towards him. “It seems horrible. If you weren’t a part of the Akatsuki and hadn’t tried to kill my friend, I’d have a little more sympathy for you.”
I didn’t need Kurama’s negativity sensing ability to feel the hatred that was rolling off Hidan right now.
“You really chose the wrong person to piss of, you know that? You get your power from a god, but let me tell you something… I’m an Uzumaki. Do you know the kind of shit my clan got up to?” I asked, thinking of a specific mask temple.
“Alright, I’m not sure if you can hear this, so pay attention to what I’m saying, alright. I’ve got a message for Jashin. Tell it that it is no longer allowed on this world. If it personally comes down here, well…” I chuckled before turning serious. “I will be taking its title from it. Got it?”
The Rasengan grew larger and I rapidly brought it down onto Hidan’s remains. His head was quickly reduced to a fine mist. Letting the Rasengan die down, I took a breath as I stood back up again.
Now all I needed to do was kill the other one and I there was only one other place in Taki where that could be.
…PTL…
A large tree stood by itself, far away from the main village of Takigakure. In it was a wooden tree house that was built around the tree, twisting around it until it reached the peak of the tree. This was Fu’s home.
This was a trap. I was certain of it. Everything that was thrown at me so far had been to weaken me for this moment, but they all ultimately failed.
Kakuzu was somewhere in this tree. If he had been alone, I would have just thrown a massive Rasenshuriken at the tree and be done with it, but he wasn’t alone. Somewhere in this tree was Fu. They were using her as bait and as a human shield, knowing that I wouldn’t kill a fellow Jinchuriki.
‘You think you could guide me to Fu?’
“She’s somewhere near the center of the tree,” Kurama replied. “It’s difficult to sense her, she’s not exactly giving off negative emotions right now. There are several people that seem to be trapped in there too.”
Damn, it looked like I was going to have to do this the old fashioned way.
My Chakra cloak continued to bubble around me as I slowly entered the tree house. The room was mostly empty save for a small table that sat in the center of the room and some scrolls that had been placed on a shelf.
I stopped midstep when I saw the glint of a steel wire. The room had been booby-trapped. Stepping back, there was a click sound and something fell from the ceiling.
Jumping to the side, I was startled to see that it was a man with a bag on his head that fell, except he didn’t. There had been a rope tied around his neck and he was suspended in the air. His body thrashed around as he fought for air.
Grabbing him, I cut the rope and pulled him away from the booby-trap.
Setting him down on the ground. I carefully tugged the rope off, only to pull the bag along with it. Underneath I found the face of a terrified Taki Shinobi, his mouth sewn shut with black thread which was connected to the bag.
There was a brief glow from his mouth.
Jumping back, I shielded my face as the room was engulfed in an explosion. Lowering my arms, I took stock of myself and then the room. The one tailed cloak had completely shielded me from the explosion and debris. The room on the other hand… It was a mess. A hole had been blown in the floor, the roof was torn up, the walls were caving in and everything was coated in the gore of a dead guys head.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked myself as I stared down at the headless body on the floor.
“Kyuubi Jinchuriki,” Kakuzu’s voice boomed through the building. “It seems that you’ve finally arrived. Let’s not waste any time. Make your way up to the center of the tree. I’ll be waiting.”
I’d seen some fucked up shit when I had been raiding Orochimaru’s labs, but this… this is different. Orochimaru, while cruel and monstrous was, at the end of the day, was a scientist that wanted to learn how things worked and how to replicate them.
This on the other hand was just raw brutality. There was no other point than causing as much pain and suffering as possible… If I were to guess, it was done to unsettle me.
“It may have, but that’s why you need to focus right now. Chomei’s Jinchuriki can still be saved.”
‘Right,’ I nodded. I had a mission to do and I couldn’t let this stop me now.
Water flooded in through the ruined doorway and my eyes widened before I jumped upward, through the ceiling and onto the roof. I just barely avoided being shocked by the arcing electricity that accompanied it. Kakuzu’s Water and Lightning style Chakra masks were outside, so that left him with earth, wind and fire. He needed to keep one in his body, which would likely be the earth as it had great defensive attributes that he could take advantage of.
Feeling pressure and heat coming from above, I jumped down and rushed out of the room just as a large wall of fire ate through the ceiling. From the ruined doorway, a wave of water rushed towards me, sparking with lightning.
Creating several Shadow Clones, I sent them to handle Kakuzu’s thread monsters while I went on ahead.
When fire was shot my way, my clones countered it with water. Lightning attacks met wind and water streams hit earth bullets. Each of Kakuzu’s elemental attacks was countered with and overwhelmed by their elemental weakness.
I created several more clones to comb through the tree in search of Fu. I even used one of my clones to spring the traps that Kakuzu had set up around the tree house.
I quickly made my way to the top of Fu’s tree and momentarily found myself looking down. From this height, I could see that her tree was actually an offshoot of the main tree that covered Takigakure.
Jumping to a new branch, a massive blast of wind tore through the area I was just standing, ripping a hole through the trees foliage. Turning my gaze to the direction it came from, I immediately frowned.
This all seemed too easy. He had taken the time to set up several traps and his masks were still fighting my clones. Surely he would want all his masks by his side to help take me down… Unless he’s got someone else in there to help him.
“He doesn’t. The only ones that I sense now are Kakuzu and Chomei’s Jinchuriki… Although Kakuzu’s negativity is spread between his thread masks and himself.”
I proceeded towards the origin of the wind style jutsu with caution. With all of the crap that Kakuzu had been pulling, I was expecting to come across something pretty fucked up.
Stepping into a hollow that was inside the tree, I immediately came to a stop. Several meters in front of me, laid out on the ground was Fu, unconscious and without anyone to guard her.
“Be careful. From what I’m sensing, you’ve somehow stepped inside of Kakuzu.”
Turning back, the path that I used to enter this hollow was knitted closed with Kakuzu’s black thread. Several strands shot towards me and I immediately jumped out of the way, landing next to Fu.
Grabbing her, I tried to pick her up, but found that she was stuck to the ground. A large tendril made from black thread was pierced through her back, under her ribs.
Like a puppet on a string, Fu’s body twisted at an unnatural angle and her mouth opened, unleashing a Wind Style bullet aimed directly at me.
Stepping to the side, a tendril latched onto my leg and several threads unknotted themselves and pierced through my Chakra cloak and stabbed themselves into my leg, slowly squirming into my muscles.
Slashing it with my Chakra claw, I jumped back and tore out the offending threads in one smooth motion. Two more tails grew out of my cloak. The four tailed cloak was too destructive, I needed to be mindful of Fu or I might accidentally kill her.
I couldn’t stay still. The entire area was coated in squirming black thread and writhing tendrils. If I stayed in one spot for too long, they would latch on and I would eventually be tied down. It didn’t make it any easier that Fu’s body was being used to launch wind style Jutsu towards me.
I could always use the Hiraishin to teleport Fu and myself out of here, but I first needed to disconnect her from the threads, something which was becoming more difficult by the minute.
The black threads were beginning to coat her body, from the looks of it they were latching on tightly. It would be difficult to remove, but that would have to be a problem for later. All I needed to do was break the link of the threads that were controlling Fu.
“It seems that Sasori’s poison is no longer effective to use on you,” Kakuzu’s deep voice rumbled out from around me. “It is a pity, but not an issue. So long as you refuse to hurt your fellow Jinchuriki, you won’t win this fight.”
So long as Fu was here, I wouldn’t win, that was true. The thing that Kakuzu wasn’t aware of was that I had options when it came to relocating someone. After all, I didn’t technically need to be here to kill Kakuzu. I just needed to set off something large enough that would be able to do it for me.
Kakuzu didn’t have any Space Time Jutsu after all. ‘Kurama…’
“On it.”
Rushing forward, I tore through Kakuzu’s threads with my Chakra claws, cutting the threads he had been using to puppet Fu’s body.
I grabbed Fu as she slumped forward and held her under my arm. Preparing to use the Hiraishin, I froze when I felt a sudden piercing pain in my back. With gritted teeth, I looked down and found the source of my pain. The black threads that were wrapped around Fu had come alive and pierced into my side, squirming their way into my body.
The threads began to thin around Fu’s body and finally revealed the section where the threads had been initially connected to her body and the white mask which pulled itself free, revealing a beating heart that was quickly wrapped in threads.
Kakuzu had implanted one of his hearts into Fu and used her as the trap. That’s why he said that I wouldn’t win if I didn’t hurt Fu.
I felt the threads slowly begin to tighten around my heart.
“You were a strong opponent and you even killed my partner, something that I myself wasn’t able to do,” Kakuzu commented. His skin began to darken and harden as it was coated in earth style Chakra. It seemed that he was taking no chances with me.
“But your weakness is your heart. When your teammate was hurt, you sent her away with your medic. You refused to hurt the Nanabi Jinchuriki and now you’re paying for your mistakes.” Grabbing my throat, Kakuzu squeezed down tightly. “Not even Jinchuriki can stay conscious when the flow of blood to their brain is interrupted. Don’t worry, you’re not going to die, but you’re also never going to wake up again.”
Taking a deep breath, the Chakra cloak surrounding me began to bubble violently as a fourth tail began to form. A partial version 2 cloak formed around my right arm and I plunged it into the mass of threads, crushing the heart that beat within.
Using my free hand, I latched onto the hand that Kakuzu was using to choke me and flared a Chidori, forcing him to let go.
The threads around me came alive once more and attempted to pierce into my body as Kakuzu retreated. Tearing through the threads, a super massive Rasengan began to form in my hand, eating through everything that it made contact with.
I made sure that I had Fu secured at my side, before kicking off towards Kakuzu, bringing the Rasengan down on him. Just before I was able to make contact, one of Kurama’s tails shot out of my back and reeled me away just in time to avoid the hand that shot out of the wood.
The Rasengan faded away. I cautiously watched as a man with an orange spiral mask pulled himself out of the wood.
“Ah, K-K-Kakuzu-senpai, your threads are all knotted,” The masked man said. “We need to get you out of here right now, before the Kyuubi Jinchuriki ties you into a bow!”
“Tobi,” Kakuzu grunted as he literally began to pull himself together. “I underestimated him!”
I slipped several marked Kunai into my hand and watched as the duo interacted with one another. This might just be a chance to end it all before anything even started. Obito wasn’t aware of what I could do… If I could just catch him off guard, then I could…
“You wouldn’t catch him off guard,” Kurama sighed. “This whole thing was done to specifically test how your abilities work.”
‘I know, but maybe…’
“No. You’ve got Fu to look after right now. Stick to the original plan and we’ll kill him in a few years,” Kurama replied. “Try and take him on right now and you’ll only end up injured or dead.”
I guess that means that I was going to be leaving then. That was alright, but I did want to have a few… words… with Obito.
“Akatsuki members,” I called out.
“Did you hear that Kakuzu-senpai, he thinks I’m an official Akatsuki member,” Obito’s Tobi persona gushed and waved to me. “I’m not one yet, but thank you for believing in me.”
My eyebrow began to twitch violently.
“I’m going to be leaving now, but before I do, let me just leave you with a warning,” I continued. “Attack me all you want, but leave those I care out of this or there will be severe consequences. Hurt someone I love and I will do everything in my power to ensure that you suffer right up until your end.”
Obito might like to think himself as a man that’s suffered a lot, but there were plenty of methods that I had at my disposal that would ensure he was miserable. The same went for Nagato too… after all, how would they feel if Rin and Yahiko suddenly became aware of what they were doing.
“Scary,” Tobi reeled back.
Making sure that Fu was adequately secured at my side, I shot one last glance to Obito. There was no redemption for the things he’d done and was planning on doing, he was going to die at my hand one day.
I left in a flash.
Comments
savitar
Akatsuki needs information. They are unaware of Naruto's skills and overall combat ability. Hence most of this trap Possibly now you think: we know the weakness of his loved ones. And they may believe that this means they have an advantage. Obito is going to wake up in hell when he decides to go too far in his desire to show Naruto the pain, I can tell.
Asriyel
estou sentido uma reviravolta e akatsuki mata alguem precioso no processo o.o
SkulduggeryHaven
I suppose so. It was more supposed to serve as a promise for what Naruto would do if the Akatsuki ever killed someone he loved. Similar to how back during the Zabuza arc he made an oath of pain and said that he would never cower away again.
Zombie45
Maybe this is me being a bit nitpicky about this but the threat doesn’t work. Killing Sasuke would work for Itachi but the others don’t have anything/one they care about besides Konan with Nagato but that would mean attacking the Rain village.
