Capítulo 48: Renga Village
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge
AUTHORS NOTE: I attempted to write the Renga Village Arc about five times and was never happy with it. Eventually I gave up and decided to condense the arc into this chapter. Here is chapter 48. Enjoy!
[ ] signifies hand signs
Last time:
Dragon saw the new Team Kuro report into his office and greeted them. "Welcome to ANBU Team Kuro." he said. Looking at them he felt the rather oppressive presence that a powerful ANBU Team should have. In particular he noticed that Hinata's aura and appearance were so much like her Grandmother's that it was frightening. 'It's Commander Raven-sama all over again…' he thought fearfully. 'I would never have though Raven of the Twin Blades would come back from legend given the Raven mask was retired. Then again, Hanako-sama wouldn't have passed it on if she didn't think Hy ūga Hinata wasn't a worthy successor.'
Team Kuro bowed and ANBU Cat said, "Thank you Commander Dragon. We are ready for duty."
"Excellent." said Dragon. "Your first assignment is in the Village of Renga in northern Fire Country. It's a mining town. According to our intelligence reports we believe it may be an Oto staging ground for their upcoming invasion. If it is, you are to confirm it and if possible; neutralize it. If you cannot deal with it then call for backup. Any questions?" He handed Y ūgao a scroll which she quickly read before passing it to her team.
'A high B rank search and destroy mission will be a good test for my team.' thought Y ūgao. 'He must think highly of us. I was expecting a village patrol mission.' "Understood Commander." Cat turned to her team. "Any questions Team Kuro?"
ANBU Raptor raised her hand and Dragon nodded. "Speak freely." said the ANBU Commander.
"Are we to capture any Oto agents?" asked the silver haired beauty.
"Only if they are of high rank and at your discretion." answered Dragon. "Otherwise leave no survivors."
Fox raised his hand asked, "We have a good map of the town here. Are there any maps of the nearby mines? That would be an ideal place to store supplies for Oto's purposes." The others nodded in agreement.
Dragon pulled out a map and said, "I was hoping you'd ask without Cat or I pointing it out." He seemed pleased. "This map is three years old so a lot could have changed but the main routes should be the same."
'He was testing us….' thought Naruto, Hinata and Maya.
"When do we leave?" asked Cat.
"As soon as you are ready." replied the ANBU Commander.
Y ūgao nodded. "Pack for two weeks; triple weapons load. We may see a lot of action. Meet at the ANBU Entrance at the Front Gates in an hour…"
…
An hour later with information in hand; Team Kuro set out for the Village of Renga…
…
Chapter 48
Fire Country, the Outskirts of the Village of Renga
The next evening; Team Kuro set up camp at nightfall three kilometers south of Renga Village. Things were very sedate and around 3 AM Yūgao had just taken up guard duty from Maya. Suddenly there was an immense roar that shocked all of them awake and the ground shifted and started collapsing downwards towards Renga Village. Naruto was tangled up in his tent as it was swept downhill at breakneck speeds and Maya tumbled out of her tent only to start sliding herself. Yūgao managed to stay on her feet and was running uphill as the massive landslide started to overwhelm her. Hinata's tent was swept into some trees and she had to cut her way out of the canvas to free herself.
The landslide stopped as suddenly as it started. Once Yūgao regained her wits she radioed, "Team Kuro; this is ANBU Cat! (pant, pant) Give me your status!"
"This is ANBU Raven." replied Hinata. "I am safe and secured in a clump of trees Cat."
Maya answered, "This is ANBU Raptor. I almost fell in but stopped myself with an earth wall."
"Fell in?!" asked Yūgao. "What do you mean by fell in Raptor?"
"It looks like a bottomless pit from my vantage point." said Maya. "There is no sign of the village at all…"
'Damn…what could have happened…?'pondered Yūgao. "ANBU Fox; come in Fox. What is your status?"
"ANBU Fox here." replied Naruto coughing. "I had to dig my way out of the dirt. I'm about 6 meters from the edge. I can confirm what Raptor said. It's silent and there are no signs of life, I-"
That's when the entire group heard an echo of ground exploding from the pit. A great hissing and wheezing voice was heard. "I…I am the greatest of all the snake summons, Manda! …C-curse you Orochimaru! You betrayed me! I'll spit at you even in death…" There was and almighty crash down in the darkness and Manda's voice said weakly, "D-damn you Oroch…" Then there was silence…
Team Kuro spent the next two hours on the dark and treacherous slope carefully regrouping above the edge where the landslide took place. The loose earth made traversing the area difficult even with chakra techniques. When first light came around 5 AM they surveyed the situation and found the cave in went all the way down to the bedrock. Down in the bottom center of the pit laid the massive form of Manda whose body was crushed and broken. He was obviously dead. They carefully checked over their maps and it appeared that the entire mining complex was utterly destroyed. The Village of Renga was wiped from the map…
…
To the north of the pit that was once Renga Village stood the Sound Four. They had arrived that morning. Their collective thoughts were summed up by Tayuya. "What the fuck happened here?! The whole fucking place is destroyed!"
Kidomaru was shocked when he saw the motionless purple form of the giant snake summons laying there. His eyes were big as saucers. "L-lord Manda is dead? This is a disaster!"
"How could this have happened?" asked Jirobo. "We were supposed to check on the summoning seal made for Lord Manda to invade Konoha only to find it was set off accidentally?"
Sakon shook his head angrily. He was looking through some binoculars. He growled, "It was no accident! It was them!" as he pointed to Team Kuro's campsite in the distance…
…
Team Kuro
The newly formed ANBU Team was sitting around a small campfire trying to make heads or tails of the situation with Manda and Renga Village. They were all filthy dirty. Naruto said; "All I can figure is it was a summoning seal gone wrong. Combine that with Manda's weight and an unstable area that was over mined and a disaster was bound to happen."
"Why would they set up a seal like that in a village to begin with though?" asked Hinata. "There were close to 2500 people that lived and worked here. They've just been erased."
"It's a tragic loss." agreed Maya. "Still, why in a populated area instead of out in the countryside?"
"To hide it I suppose." answered Fox. "One-time summoning seal arrays can be huge if they are not from the summoner themselves. I'll bet Orochimaru wasn't even in the area."
ANBU Cat added, "That and Manda demanded human sacrifices for his services according to Anko-chan. That's why she only summons smaller snakes."
Maya sighed. "Then this town may have planned as a sacrifice all along."
"Damned Oto bastards…" growled Naruto. "We'll make them pay for this."
"Not today Fox." said Cat. "We have to report the loss of Renga Village to the Hokage. That is our primary objective."
"Oh; I don't know Cat senpai." replied Raven.
…
Sound Four
Nearby, the Sound Four were closing fast on Team Kuro. Sakon was leading the pack and said, "Remember we want one of them alive! Jirobo, I want you to use your Earth Prison Dome to capture them and drain their chakra."
Jirobo nodded. "Consider it done Sakon."
As they crested the hill, the Sound Four saw Team Kuro was caught off guard and the Earth Prison Dome enveloped them and sealed like a coffin. Jirobo grinned at the others as he drained the four ANBU of their chakra. "Easy as pie." he gloated. Then he suddenly felt Team Kuro run out of chakra and puff into smoke. "W-what the hell? They vanished! No one has ever escaped my Earth Prison Dome!"
That was when Team Kuro appeared using the headhunter jutsu to rise from the ground around them. The Sound Four found themselves surrounded. As one, the ANBU exploded into action and hit Kidomaru in rapid succession. The six armed ninja was literally diced to pieces as the swords of Yūgao's Team cut through him in a blur. Now Team Kuro was again surrounding the Sound Four and slowly moving around them in a circular fashion. ANBU Raptor whispered "That's one."
Sakon tried to take action and body-flickered in front of ANBU Cat. As he lashed out he found himself caught in between Yūgao and two of her shadow clones. The sword mistress said, "Dance of the Crescent Moon!" as she came down in Sakon's blind spots. The conjoined twins of the Sound Four cut down instantly and ANBU Cat said "That's two."
Tayuya activated her Cursed Seal and immediately went to stage two giving her a dark skinned, horned appearance. "Feel the power of Orochimaru-sama's seals you trash!" she yelled as she charged the closest ANBU to her, Fox. That was a mistake.
Just when the redhead was within reach of Naruto she saw him raise (of all things) a calligraphy brush in a blur and heard him say "fuin." She was completely immobilized by a restriction seal painted on her forehead and hit the dirt hard. Tayuya slid to a halt and heard ANBU Fox say quietly, "Orochimaru knows nothing about seals, girl. I will show you the true power of seals." The redhead was frightened. Her brown eyes were wide as Naruto brushed her hair away from the back of her neck and said, "A cursed seal? I'll get rid of this thing in a heartbeat. A pretty girl like you shouldn't have Orochimaru turning you ugly and tainting your soul."
She trembled. 'He sounds like my Uzumaki Jiji! Who is he?' Tayuya felt swift, precise ink strokes on the back of her neck and sensed the cursed seal recede against her will.
"There we are." said Naruto. "Now to remove it. Evil Releasing Method!" The redhead felt a huge weight off her shoulders as the deeply entrenched cursed seal was removed and all the corruption Orochimaru placed on her soul was cleansed. Tayuya wasn't sure whether to feel thankful or angry. She'd been under Orochimaru's influence for so long that the world seemed surreal to her. Feeling weak and exhausted, she drifted into a deep sleep. She vaguely heard ANBU Fox say "That's three."
Jirobo didn't know what to do. He saw Tayuya fall and saw her cursed seal neutralized in seconds. The biggest member of the Sound Four was sweating heavily in fear. 'The cursed seal is our biggest trump card. I have to run!' Turning in the opposite direction of Naruto; Jirobo made a break for it only to be caught between The Hakutsume Blades of ANBU Raven and the Reiki of ANBU Raptor. He was dead before he could scream.
"That's four." said ANBU Raven. And then there were none…
…
Team Aka
While Team Kuro was battling the Sound Four; Team Aka was dealing with an even bigger threat in the form of Uchiha Itachi and his lover Izumi. The two Uchihas had destroyed an Oto hidden base that Team Aka was sent to wipe out. It was a bloody affair and the Uchiha pair was withdrawing when they ran straight into Team Aka. "More problems…" said Itachi dourly as Team Aka approached.
Team Aka saw Itachi at the same time and stiffened up. Gazeru growled, "Uchiha Itachi, S-Class missing nin; what are you doing here?"
Uchiha Itachi's three tomoe Sharingan spun wildly and he said, "Sound ninjas were in our way so we exterminated them. Do you want to be exterminated too?"
"Itachi-kun, let's not fight them." said Izumi as she appeared beside him on the tree branch. "We got what we came for. Let's just leave." Her own three tomoe Sharingan was blazing as well.
"Who says we'll let you leave?" asked ANBU Lynx.
Izumi chuckled in a disturbing way before she focused on Lynx. Then her dark eyes widened. "Itachi-kun, that chakra pattern…"
"I see it too but it is not possible Izumi-chan." replied Itachi. 'My Kaa-chan is dead…' he thought. Frowning, Itachi said, "I'll ask this one time ANBU Lynx; what is your name? You aren't Uchiha Mikoto but you have her chakra signature. Explain to me or you and your teammates die."
The killing intent had ANBU Lynx trembling. "I'm a clone of her." she answered. "Orochimaru made me."
"Damn that snake…" whispered Itachi. "I'm sorry ANBU Lynx but I can't let an abomination like you continue to exist."
Mikoto's eyes widened behind her mask as Itachi and Izumi shot in for the kill. Team Aka reacted like lightning and all hell broke loose…
…
Within minutes Team Aka was down and Itachi had the now unmasked Uchiha Mikoto by the throat. She was helpless as his Sharingan locked with hers. The teenage kunoichi was terrified as he stared into eyes. Itachi finally said, "You are innocent in this matter. Orochimaru is to blame. I have no further quarrel with you Lynx." He released her and Mikoto slumped back gasping for breath...
Itachi looked at Izumi and said, "You were right Izumi-chan; let us leave."
"Are you sure Itachi-kun?" asked Izumi uncertainly. Itachi nodded and the two Uchihas vanished in a body flicker…
After recovering her breath, Mikoto grabbed her Lxnx mask checked on her teammates. Gazeru was awake but was dazed. Bear and Dove were out cold.
Following protocol, Mikoto got on her radio and said, "This is ANBU Lynx requesting assistance in the Grid R-2 area. Please respond…"
…
Team Kuro
Team Kuro reacted to Team Aka's call for help first as they were also in the Renga (Grid R-1) area. Yūgao was monitoring the airwaves as her team and their unconscious prisoner were packing up to head back to Konoha. "This is ANBU Lynx requesting assistance in the Grid R-2 area. Please respond..."
Yūgao adjusted her earpiece and replied, "This is ANBU Cat with Team Kuro. What is your status, ANBU Lynx?"
"I have three down." said Lynx. "Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi are in the area. Requesting extraction and medical assistance."
Yūgao swore under her breath. "We're on our way Lynx." she answered. "Stay on guard and we'll be there shortly."
…
Though the situation was less than ideal; (Naruto had a shadow clone hauling the unconscious Tayuya) Team Kuro quickly located Team Aka. Between Raven's byakugan and Cat's sensory abilities it wasn't as difficult a task as it would have been for most teams. Raven immediately set about healing Dove using the mystic palm technique. Within a half hour Dove came around and the two team medics set about healing Team Aka with Cat lending a hand. It was early evening before the injured team was in good enough condition to move again. By that time Tayuya was awake but was acting very subdued. Being surrounded by eight ANBU and not having any cursed seal or weapons to rely on she really didn't feel like fighting anyway …That and the redhead had a slight fascination and fear of ANBU Fox.
The two ANBU Teams plus their prisoner were soon travelling at low ninja speeds back towards Konoha under the cover of darkness. The mercifully didn't run into any trouble on the way back and reached the outer wall by 5 AM that morning. Coming in through the hidden ANBU entrance; they found the medics on standby to check them over before they reported into Commander Dragon. Tayuya was checked over and put in a holding cell.
…
ANBU Headquarters, Commander Dragon's Office
Team Kuro reported into Commander Dragon first and the head of ANBU was shocked to hear Renga Village no longer existed. He said, "We felt the ground rumble and knew it was in the general vicinity of Renga but I never dreamt it was a village's destruction. The only positive side is Manda is dead. Did your prisoner volunteer any information, Cat?"
Cat shook her head. "The prisoner remained quiet but was compliant. We didn't have time to question her because of the situation with Team Aka."
"Understood." said Dragon. "Lady Hokage and Lord Jiraiya will need to be informed of the situation with Renga Village and Manda though. I'd rather question the prisoner first but time is of the essence…"
…
Block 23/Tayuya's Cell
Yamanaka Inoichi was in a grim mood. He'd been given the duty of cracking an Oto kunoichi that formerly had the cursed seal. That meant she had to be extremely tough physically and mentally. It was going to be difficult but Inoichi was up to the task. Putting on his game face; the mind walker entered the interrogation room where the young redhead was securely shackled down and her chakra disrupted with a seal courtesy of ANBU Fox. Inoichi sat down across the table from her and said, "Let's talk."
Tayuya's tired brown eyes met his blue ones and instantly turned hard as steel. Inoichi didn't flinch a bit but he knew this was going to take all day. "Let's start with your name."
Inoichi heard her mentally roar, 'Fuck you, asshole!' but then she bit her tongue for some reason. He raised an eyebrow as the gears in her head rapidly spun. Mentally calming herself Tayuya said, "I'll answer your questions on the condition that you have that Uzumaki seal master ask them."
The blonde interrogator wondered, 'How does she know of Uzumaki Naruto?' "Say we do that. Why would you agree to such terms?"
"The ANBU called Fox is an Uzumaki." 'I just know it.' Then Tayuya added, "He felt, smelled and acted like my Uzumaki Jiji who was a seal master also." 'He must be family; I can feel it.'
Inoichi replied, "Let me see what I can do." The blonde interrogator stepped out into the hall and got on his radio. "ANBU Fox, do you read?"
…
Naruto was walking towards the Hokage Tower to present his report when Inoichi called. "ANBU Fox, do you read?"
The seal master's eyebrows raised behind his mask. "This is ANBU Fox, go ahead."
"This is Yamanaka Inoichi from Torture and Interrogation." said the mind walker. "The kunoichi that your team brought in has agreed to talk if you are answering the questions. She's from the Uzumaki Clan apparently. I need you here now."
Seeing Yūgao nod in the affirmative, Naruto replied, "I'm on my way Inoichi. What level?"
"Level 3." answered the interrogator. "Block 23."
ANBU Fox nodded at his teammates and vanished in a body flicker.
…
Naruto arrived at Block 23 after going through the ANBU Security checks. He was soon talking with Inoichi. "I felt something click when we captured her. It must have been me sensing Uzumaki chakra. According to what I've read it's common for my clan to sense each other's presence."
Inoichi nodded. "There's a Yamanaka technique that mimics that. I know you aren't that experienced with interrogation outside of Yakushi Kabuto so Morino Ibiki and I will be monitoring you." He handed Naruto a pad of paper with a list of questions. "Use that for starters. If other avenues of questioning open up that are relevant, then feel free to pursue them. The main thing is to find out what the hell happened at Renga Village."
Nodding, Naruto took a deep breath and said, "Let's do this."
The seal master entered Tayuya's cell and said, "I'll be asking you some questions. I expect your cooperation Uzumaki-san."
He turned around to latch the cell door behind him and heard her gasp, "Shippuuhime…" in awe. "You…you are of the Royal line! May I see the sword?" she asked.
The blonde was curious and asked, "Why…?"
"My Jiji said it was black and blue and rippled like water. I just wanted to see if it was true." she answered truthfully.
"How old was your Jiji?" asked Naruto.
Tayuya brightened up a bit. Jiji was well over a hundred when he passed. His Jiji told him about it. Can I see it?"
Naruto nodded and drew the Shippuuhime showing its deep blue edge on the black blade. He let his fingers dance across the flat of the blade and Tayuya saw it ripple wherever he touched it.
The redhead whispered, "Holy shit…" in awe of the Shippuuhime. She bowed her head and said, "I, Uzumaki Tayuya, am your humble servant my Lord. Ask your questions and I shall answer*①."
The blonde was just dumbfounded…
…
Commander Dragon's Office
The banged-up Team Aka was presenting their reports to Commander Dragon. Dragon said to his troops, "You fought an S-Class shinobi and an A-Class kunoichi and came away alive. That's a victory in itself. I'm just glad you're all intact and safe."
"But I froze up sir." said ANBU Lynx depressed.
Gazeru put her hand on Lynx's shoulder and said, "It was your first ANBU Mission. You'll do better next time. I just can't stand that I lost out to Uchiha Izumi. It was an even fight but she knocked me senseless."
"We'll all do better next time." said Dove. "Bear and I got swatted away like flies by Itachi. It's embarrassing. I guess he really is S-Class."
Dragon drummed his fingers. "It makes me wonder why the two Uchiha destroyed that Oto base to begin with. I've sent out Teams to investigate there and Renga. Get some rest."
…
Block 23
The questioning took hours…
…Naruto asked, "Tell me about Renga Village and what exactly happened there."
Tayuya explained, "Renga Village was an Oto forward base for the pending invasion of Konoha in three weeks. The Sound Four were sent there to supervise the finishing touches on a massive seal matrix to summon Lord Manda. The idea was Lord Manda was supposed to appear from nowhere during the Chunin Exam Finals and wreak havoc. Renga Village itself was the ideal place for a summoning because it camouflaged the summoning seal from view. Somehow the fucking thing got set off and failed to summon properly which killed Lord Manda and caused the whole damn town to cave in. We thought it was Konoha sabotage but I guess it was an accident."
…The seal master asked a lot of questions off of the notepad that Inoichi gave him but they sometimes discussed tangents. Naruto asked, "So what about you as a person Tayuya? What is your background?"
"I'm a genjutsu specialist." said the redhead. "My genjutsu are based on sound and I use my flute to project them. I was a prisoner of that bastard Orochimaru from a young age. I'm 17 now and a jonin. I was forced into melee battles and single combat until I was the last one standing. After that I received my curse mark and became one of Orochimaru's elite bodyguards. The other three members of the Sound Four went through the same thing but all three of them are dead now so it doesn't matter. The main thing is I'm free of that fucker Orochimaru. My mind was twisted and angry. When you removed that cursed seal, it was like a fog was lifted from my eyes."
Finally, Naruto ran out of questions and said, "Thank you for cooperating. The situation would have been long and painful for you otherwise."
"You are my clan head Uzumaki-sama." said Tayuya. "Is there any chance you can get me out of here?"
"Just call me Naruto." replied the blonde. "I'll talk to the Hokage but I don't expect you to be let out until after this war with Oto is over. You are too much of a flight risk."
She nodded. "I guess that makes sense. I hope that this war is over soon."
"So do I Tayuya-san." agreed Naruto. "I'd like to hear more about your Jiji. It sounds like he was a cool old guy."
"He was Naruto." replied the redhead. 'At least I have a friend.'
…
ANBU Fox exited Tayuya's cell and the doors were locked behind him. Inoichi said, "You did a good job in there today, Fox. I'm surprised she kept her word though."
Naruto said, "I think it's different when you are family. That reminds me; I still have to meet Uzumaki Karin*②. Isn't all that legal wrangling over with Kusa over yet?"
"They still want her back for her bloodline." replied Inoichi with a frown. "Grass and Fire Countries still are deadlocked in court. Technically she's a defector according to law."
"I'll have to look into this." said Naruto. "Maybe there is a judicial door that hasn't been explored yet."
Inoichi laughed and said, "Like what?"
"Blackmailing a judge." replied ANBU Fox in a tone cold as death.
The mind walker looked a little pale…
…
Natsume Clan Home
The tired Naruto came home only to find a gathering was taking place. Poking his head in the front room he was greeted by Natsu and was given some spiced tea. Hinata and Maya greeted him with kisses as did Hikari. Mikoto were there as well as Yūgao and her lover Hayate. Bear and Dove were also there. They were all listening to Hanako and Hiruzen as they recounted some of Hanako's ANBU missions in the Second Shinobi War. Naruto stood in the doorway listening as his Obaa-chan related a particularly harrowing mission against Iwa and everyone listened with rapt attention.
He saw Maya beckon him over to sit between her and Hikari. It turned out to be a very interesting evening and Naruto was happy just to be surrounded by his family…
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*①: In case you think she is out of character; Tayuya is making a real effort here to be courteous to Naruto because he is technically her clan head.
*②: No, I haven't forgotten about Karin. I just haven't found the right way to work her into the plot yet.
The original idea for the Renga Arc was going to be a pitched battle in the mines below Renga Village but as it turned out the various mine tunnels were so confusing that without a map it made no sense. Manda was going to be the final boss. The eventual result was the same (Manda and the Sound Four eliminated, Tayuya captured) but I just wish I could have pulled the idea off. Anyway, there may be one more filler chapter and then the Konoha Crush begins. See you next time. 8/9/23
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