章 21: Chapter 21: The Battle at Sea Part II
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
"Hmm…."- Bijuu
"Hmm…."- Flashback
Chapter 21:
The Battle at Sea Part II
(During the same day that Sasuke confronted Madara)
Naruto knew something was up.
The blond Uzumaki had spent the last couple of days in Kumo in absolute boredom. After his whole dealing with the Raikage and that strange Nori guy, Naruto had laid low while in Kumo. As per both Matatabi and Gyuki's request, the blond had also taken to visiting many different spots around the village. And Naruto did have to say that he thought the village was beautiful. The fact that he found the most intriguing was that the village itself was located within and around mountains. It did give the village a totally different atmosphere from Konoha which was surrounded by a forest. Another thing he had done was finally talk with both Gyuki and Matatabi from this time. It went without saying that both bijuu were shocked to their core at seeing their future selves along with the other bijuu. They had been confused. But Naruto had quickly explained the situation with the bijuu adding their own cents into the conversation. By the end of it, Naruto had found himself with two new comrades, even if their future selves had already agreed. Of course, given his almost endless energy, this wasn't enough for the blond to do during the days. So while he could, Naruto had spent quite some time in Mount Myoboku with Fukasaku giving him more lessons in the art of fuinjutsu alongside many clones. Another batch had continued with trying to master the Hiraishin, something which he had yet to achieve. Needless to say, that fact was driving the whiskered blond to irritation faster than his never ending boredom. There were still about two days left until Ichiro completed the amount of kunais that he needed. So until then, it was more boredom.
Or so the blond jinchuriki had thought.
In the last couple of hours, the blond had seen a spur of activity within the shinobi community inside the village. He didn't know what it was exactly. But it was something big. The blond could attest to that much as he knelt on top of one of the buildings near the village gates as even more squads began to make their way out of the village. Just what was going on around here?
"This can only mean trouble for us, I'm sure of it," Gyuki spoke up as he too watched what was happening through Naruto's eyes.
"But just what would warrant this level of activity?" questioned Matatabi.
That was the million ryo question right now. Just what was Kumo planning? After all, he had injured the Raikage. And while it wasn't life threatening, the man wouldn't be in his peak for at least a week.
"You shouldn't underestimate him, Naruto," Gyuki said, reading the thoughts of the blond whom he currently resided in. "You should already know how he was finally taken down. An injury like that isn't going to stop him from carrying out whatever schemes he has planned."
"He's right, brat," Kurama said, joining the conversation. "Considering the level of activity we've been witnessing, we should assume that the Raikage is planning a massive operation of some sorts. I mean, the war is still going on and all. We shouldn't be all that too surprised at this."
Naruto frowned, knowing the furball had a point. Despite what he would like to think, the fact of the matter was that the Second Shinobi War was raging on at the moment. He just hadn't been in parts of the world where the war was taking place mainly because he had been safe within Uzu's gates. But now he wasn't. He was in Kumo. And he could come and go as he pleased. Which meant that-
"Oi, are you seriously thinking what I think you're thinking?" Kurama asked.
There were some chuckles which Naruto knew were from Saiken. Putting that aside for the moment, Naruto answered, 'If what you think I'm thinking is that I want to follow these guys and see where it leads me to in hopes of stopping a battle from taking place, then yes, that is what I'm thinking.'
Son Goku exploded in laughter. "I like the fact that you can say all that with a straight face, brat."
Before Naruto had the chance to reply, another bijuu cut in. "What's this about us going to battle!?"
Kurama sighed. "Glad to see you're finally awake, Shukaku."
Shukaku ignored the fox in favor of following with his question. "Well, brat? Is it true or not!? Because we've been doing nothing long enough!"
"Then you've seriously missed on what we're trying to accomplish here," Matatabi retorted. "We shouldn't be looking for trouble."
"Then you ended up with the wrong jinchuriki," Kurama replied with a sigh. "Trouble always comes looking for this idiot."
'While I do take offense to that,' Naruto began with a small cough, knowing Kurama had a valid point, 'there's no meaning to us just sitting around here while knowing there's something else going on out there. It wouldn't be right. Besides, you should already know what we're trying to accomplish, Matatabi. It just basically says that we'll be looking for trouble.'
Hearing his confirmation in those words, Shukaku cheered. "Whee! Finally, I can come out and really do some damage!"
Naruto rolled his eyes at that. 'Calm yourself, Shukaku. We're not killing anyone.'
The one tailed beast stopped his cheers at that. "And why the hell not? I thought this was a war!"
Shaking his head, the blond answered, 'Because that's not the way I do things. My ultimate goal is peace. How can I hope to do that while spilling blood? It just seems hypocritical to me.'
Shukaku snorted at that. "You're only naive, boy. No matter how much you want things to go a certain way, they never do. That's what is known as reality. Not the little fictional world you like to imagine for yourself. Sooner or later, you'll be dragged down to it, just like we have. Just like the Old Man was."
Naruto frowned. 'The Sennin hasn't given up hope. That's why I'm-'
"You're here because he failed," Shukaku interrupted. "If he couldn't accomplish peace, what makes you think that you can?"
'Because I have Sasuke and all of you to help me.'
The answer actually made Shukaku pause, wondering if he had heard right. 'I know I'm a bit idealistic.' At Kurama's snort, Naruto quickly amended, 'Okay, a lot idealistic. But it's because of dreams that things can get accomplished in the first place. They bring in new innovations. That's what I believe.'
Shukaku didn't reply for a few moments. Finally, he snorted. "Whatever." With that, the one tailed bijuu retreated further back into Naruto's mind.
"You shouldn't mind his attitude, Naruto-kun," Matatabi said softly. "Shukaku has been imprisoned for quite some time. He's been treated like a monster, in some cases even worse than ours. He doesn't have too much faith in humans right now."
"Which should tell you just how much he actually believes in you, brat," Kurama added. "I know that raccoon. If he didn't want to be here, he would be causing a lot more problems for you. He at least wants to see where you go with your dream, just like the rest of us."
Naruto sighed as he stood up before jumping down back on the street below, careful to not let anyone spot him. 'One of these days, all of you are going to have to tell me in more detail about your pasts.'
"There's not much to tell," Chomei replied. "We've mostly just been sealed in some place or human for most of our lives. That's just how our lives were."
Naruto continued to frown, the answer not lifting up his mood in the slightest. It made the blond realize that he really had a long way to go before he accomplished his dream. After all, if he couldn't even save his closest friends from the darkness that was hatred, then how could he do it for the rest of the world?
Within Naruto's mind, Kurama hmph'ed, already knowing that his partner was coming up with ways in which he could turn Shukaku's mindset around. And knowing Naruto, the nine tailed bijuu knew that the boy wouldn't give up until it was set and done. Just like with the Uchiha. Either way, Kurama admitted to himself that he couldn't wait to see the results.
Naruto was, after all, the only remaining human that had a chance to actually be accepted by all the bijuu. And he was already on his way to truly accomplishing that.
Stealth was an old art. In Naruto's original time, it was an art which many shinobi considered to be unnecessary. The common thought was that the one who had the more powerful jutsu was the better. But Naruto had quickly begun to learn that having the flashier technique didn't always guarantee one victory. The best example Naruto could think of to express this idea was Shikamaru and Team ten as a whole. As lazy as that guy was, when push came to shove, he always stepped up to the plate. Naruto could still recall how his friend had been able to take out that scythe wielder from the Akatsuki, Hidan if he remembered correctly. And the blond knew that Shikamaru didn't have any flashy techniques up his sleeve. What the guy did have was one helluva of a mind, one which let him overcome an opponent that vastly outclassed him.
There was also the Team ten dynamic. Naruto didn't know too much about it, but he did know that as a team Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji were a force to be reckoned with. Their skills complemented each other so well. Not to mention that Shikamaru always knew how to combine their skill sets to make them even more powerful. And without possessing anything like the Rasengan.
At any rate, it went without saying that when he was young, as in like during his time, the blond would have never considered doing what he was currently trying to accomplish. And that was information gathering. As a young genin, Naruto's mindset had been that having awesome ninjutsu solved everything.
"Brat, you're still a ninjutsu lunatic. Don't even try to deny it."
One of Naruto's eyebrows twitched at the interruption. Anyway, as he was saying before Kurama cut in, he was really beginning to understand the finer arts of being a shinobi. That being said, however, he still wasn't as stealthy as someone like Kakashi for example. At the very least, he needed his Sage mode to accomplish his goal here today.
Currently, Naruto was leaning against a tree as he hid himself in one of the deserted parts of the forest that he was now in, the main road a couple of miles away. After having sensed that something was up, the blond jinchuriki had decided to follow the leaving Kumo shinobi to see just where they were going and what they were planning on doing. It wasn't long before the blond Uzumaki had found himself going farther and farther away from Kumo and towards the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. Through his Sage mode, Naruto had quickly picked out the chakra signatures of enough shinobi to make a small army. And it wasn't long before the blond quickly deduced that that was what this gathering of shinobi was. But an army for what exactly? Naruto knew that if he wanted to know more, he needed to get closer. As he took a step forward, however, Naruto frowned as he immediately picked out another chakra signature heading towards what he now presumed to be the camp for the small Kumo army. This one was a lot bigger than all of the other ones. It didn't take Naruto that long to know who it was: the Raikage.
Naruto cursed silently at that.
"Whatever is happening here has to be big all right," Gyuki said in a grim voice. "That man wouldn't oversee an operation personally unless it was that important."
'Yeah, I'm starting to think you're right,' Naruto said with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head. 'But I seriously don't understand why they would be pulling an operation this big right now. I mean, I did injure the Raikage. Not enough to kill him, but enough to put anyone in a hospital bed for at least two weeks.'
"Again, you really underestimate that man, Naruto-kun," Matatabi said with a shake of his head. "I'm sure you've already been informed of how he was taken down. Compared to that, the injury he now has is nothing to him."
Naruto t'ched at that, knowing Matatabi had a point there. If he wanted to make the man stay down, he would have to be more forceful than that. Damn, just why did all Raikage have to be so tough? And fast too. That was a terrible combination to fight against all right.
The jinchuriki ceased his thoughts as he sensed how some of the chakra signatures began to move out of the camp, one of which was the Raikage. Naruto frowned, considering his options for a moment. Should he follow the Raikage, or stay? It was a gamble. After all, following the Raikage might lead him to nothing in the end. While it was slim, the possibility was always there.
Kurama chuckled. "Just go with the flow, brat. Thinking isn't your forte."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto decided to do just that. He disappeared in a blur, chasing after the Raikage while suppressing his chakra to the best of his abilities along the way.
"Well then, whoever said it would spell trouble: you were right."
Naruto ignored Son Goku's sarcasm as he stared at the scene before him. 'Just what ARE those things?'
"Well…they're guns."
Naruto face palmed. 'Thanks, furball. It wasn't like I didn't already knew that.'
"Hey…..you asked."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto decided to ignore Kurama's snarky comments for now. 'Right. But I'm serious here. Just what the hell are these things doing here!?'
Currently knelt on top of the tallest tree near the ocean, Naruto gazed down at the gathered Kumo force on the beach: there were multiple shinobi running about, with the most obvious detail being the giants guns placed on the beach head and aimed towards the ocean. But looking towards the sea, Naruto saw nothing there. Nor did he sense anyone. So just what were they doing here?
"It seems to me like we've really stumbled upon a massive operation here," Kokuo commented. "But we still don't know just what it entails."
"He's right," Kurama added. "So, if we want to stop this, just like I know you do, then our next step should be to figure out just what the hell is going to happen here. And when."
Naruto smirked as he sensed of the three different chakra signatures starting to split off from the rest of the group. It seemed as if an opportunity had just opened up for him. He would go with the closest one.
Aido sighed in annoyance as he headed back into the forest. Dammit, just why did he have to get stuck with the boring jobs? For some reason or another, the Raikage had decided to send him out as a lookout. Which made absolutely no sense. After all, they were within the Land of Lightning still. Not to mention that no one, besides Kiri, knew of this operation. So why in the world did he get send out as a lookout? Like, for whom!?
If he could, Aido would have voiced his confusion. But he also knew just how strict the regulations were. There would be punishment if he tried to speak out against his commander. The Raikage had no tolerance for that sort of thing. Not only that, but Aido was aware of the fact that the man could destroy him with a single move. So, with all of that in mind, Aido knew he had no choice but to follow his orders, even if he didn't think they made any sense.
So while grumbling under his breath, Aido made his way deeper into the forest before stopping after a minute. Deciding that that was far enough, he made to jump up high towards one of the tree branches. Except that before he could, the world went dark.
Naruto knew he didn't have much time here. He didn't know just what this guy was supposed to be doing. In hindsight, perhaps it would have been better to wait for another target. But who knew if he would actually get another chance like this? So with that in mind, Naruto kicked his prisoner awake, absently thinking that the clone he had left behind better be acting his part out well.
The Kumo shinobi awoke from the slumber of unconsciousness with a groan, no doubt as a result of being kicked awake but at also at having been knocked unconscious in the first place.
Seeing the shinobi about to open his eyes, Kurama had a sudden idea, already knowing that Naruto wasn't all that suited for interrogation. "Oi, brat, switch with me."
Naruto blinked. 'What for?'
"Just do it. Trust me."
Already knowing that Kurama didn't do anything without a good reason, Naruto did just that.
Aido finally opened his eyes with another groan, his first thought being that his heard hurt like no tomorrow. His second thought, however, was the more prudent one. He was currently part of one of the biggest operations in the war thus far. And he didn't recall ever going to bed. So what was he-
"You're finally awake."
Aido quickly stood up at the sound of one of the deepest voices he had ever heard. He quickly regretted that action, however, as his head was hit by another wave of pain.
"J-just what's going on here?"
"Right now you're my hostage. And unless you wish for your pathetic existence to cease, I suggest you tell me what I want to know."
Within his mind, Naruto groaned. Leave it up to the furball to never beat around the bush. Saiken chuckled at that.
Aido had to use every single ounce of his willpower to not wet his pants as he finally met eyes with his supposed captor. And they terrified him. How could they not? Quickly deducing that he was in some sort of cave, Aido had the pleasure of meeting those ruby eyes while being amplified by the darkness.
"W-what are you talking about?"
He almost jumped up as a growl emanated from whomever this person was. "You know very well what I'm talking about, human. Those guns your village has stationed out there on that beach…what are they for? What's going to happen? And don't lie to me now. I'll be able to tell if you do."
Ah, Kurama inwardly grinned at seeing the Kumo shinobi shake violently. Being stuck with the idiotic blond had made Kurama forget how amusing it was to scare humans.
"You know…I think he gets off on this stuff," Son Goku muttered. The silence that followed was all he needed to know that the others were in agreement.
Aido swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. He had two choices before him, both of which would end up with him in a lot of pain. Or worse, his death. Crap. Just crap. Why the hell did bad things always have to happen to him? He didn't do anything wrong…..much.
Seeing the hesitation on the man's face, Kurama knew that he would have to up his threat. Taking a step forward, the bijuu grinned as he saw the Kumo shinobi take a step back.
"I-I'm still a shinobi." He cursed at his hitch. Going into a stance, he added, "I'm not going to betray my village so easily."
Rolling his eyes, Kurama realized that he would really have to scare this guy. Waiting for the opportune moment, he quickly locked eyes with the shinobi, making the man freeze up as the image of Kurama in his real form assaulted his eyes. Needless to say, it wasn't something that he took in too well. A few seconds later and he was on his knees.
"Kurama, I think you've tormented him enough already," Matatabi chimed in with a sigh. The bijuu grumbled under his breath about others ruining his fun.
"Do I take it we've come to an understanding, human?"
Aido couldn't answer at this point, his vocal chords no longer functioning.
Realizing this, Kurama realized that maybe he had gone a bit overboard. Meanwhile, Naruto was shaking his head, wondering once again how this was the legendary Kyuubi that had scared him when they had first met.
It wouldn't be for another hour until they were finally able to get the Kumo shinobi to talk about just what they were planning on doing here.
"This is worse than we thought."
Nobody rebutted Kurama's statement. Currently, Naruto stood within his mind, all nine bijuu lined up in a circle around him. After having had the Kumo shinobi spill whatever he had to say, Naruto had quickly taken him back to where he had first knocked him out in the forest, the man unconscious once more. He would no doubt believe that everything that had happened was nothing more than a dream. And even if he didn't, Naruto was already prepared if the Raikage found out what he had done. It wasn't a likable scenario considering the fact that he didn't want to use Kurama's chakra for this since it would draw too much attention to him. The bijuu didn't agree with this sentiment, however.
"If you really want to have a chance at stopping this attack, then you're going to have to be at your best," Gyuki stated.
"Why don't we just destroy them now?" Isobu asked.
"Because he's being an idiot at the moment," Kurama answered as he stood behind Naruto who had his arms crossed in front of him. Naruto didn't physically react to Kurama's response. "He doesn't want to use my chakra. And if he goes in there right now, the battle will turn into something else. I'm sure the Raikage isn't going to fall for the same trick twice. Not only that, but the rest of the shinobi that he brought along with him have joined up already."
That was the trickier part here. After they had disposed of the Kumo shinobi, the clone that Naruto had left behind had quickly informed him of what had happened while he was gone. It had been night fall by that point.
Isobu understood immediately, which also left him more confused. "I don't understand. Why doesn't he want to use your power?"
Kurama sighed. "Because he's been starting to use his head more often than before, something that I thought would be a good thing. But I'm starting to see that it was better when he didn't."
"You really don't hold back, do you, furball? Even though I'm here," Naruto said, finally responding to Kurama's accusation.
"That's because he has a point this time, brat," Son Goku stated. "We've decided to help you. Why do you want to turn our help down?"
Naruto hesitated, unsure of how to answer that. "It's not that I don't appreciate the help…..it's just that I also have to think about the consequences here."
"Enough with the damn thinking already!" Shukaku roared. "This situation is pretty simple: we'll just waltz in there, knock through whoever is stupid enough to try and stop us, and destroy those things. No need for all of this stupid thinking!"
"For once, I agree with him," Kokuo said with a nod.
"That's true," Chomei added.
Saiken looked at Naruto. "You need to stop over thinking things. It's not your forte, buddy. It's how you ended up fighting that white haired lady at the temple remember?"
Naruto sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Man, you guys are really not going to let me live this down, are you?"
Kurama snorted behind him. "Maybe. If you promise to never start going against what you really want. Because we all know that you just want to mess up with their little operation."
Naruto chuckled. "All right, you caught me. So let's get this show on the road!"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Shukaku exclaimed.
"We want to be a part of this too," Kokuo stated, making Naruto turn towards him. "It's our way of showing you our thanks for freeing us from that statue."
"But I didn't really do anything…"
"You really don't do well with compliments, do you, brat?" Son Goku said with a chuckle as he watched how Naruto scratched his cheek with a sheepish look.
It wasn't that he didn't take compliments well. It was just that he wasn't used to them, so it made him embarrassed. Not to mention the fact that he really didn't think he should be thanked for freeing them. Miyuki was the one who had done that, although Naruto had no idea how she had been able to pull that off. For now anyways.
Turning to the topic at hand, Naruto replied, "But can I really use all of your chakra at the same time?"
Kurama watched how his siblings looked amongst one another. Smirking, the nine tailed bijuu had to once again curse the Old Man's all knowing powers.
Flashback: Start
"Just how is this possible?"
Hagoromo chuckled as he looked at Kurama's dumbfounded look as they stood within the brake in time that the recent battle had been able to create.
"It seems like I'm still able to surprise you even after all these years."
Shaking his head, Kurama said, "This is more than just a surprise! You're supposed to be bead! What are you doing here? Hell, just where is here!?"
Sighing, Hagoromo answered, "I know that you have many questions. But I don't have much time to explain it all. At least, for right now. What you do need to know is that I'm going to need your help, Kurama. Naruto is going to need you for what he's going to face next."
Kurama paused, wondering just how the Old man knew of Naruto. It gave the bijuu the suspicion that he knew about everything of the present. "You know that the Juubi has been released, don't you?"
Nodding, Hagoromo said, "Yes. I've seen everything that has transpired. Everything that has caused you to end up here. The Juubi's power is not something to be trifled with. The one known as Uchiha Obito underestimated its power. Or maybe he just wasn't prepared to handle all of that power at once. In any case, it got out of control. It caused an explosion strong enough to rip through time itself. It's how you and Naruto were able to get here."
Looking around for a moment, Kurama didn't spot the idiotic blond anywhere.
"Not to worry," Hagoromo began, already knowing what the bijuu was thinking. "You're going to be reunited with him soon enough. But there's going to be a third person there too. The one known as Uchiha Sasuke."
"The Uchiha?" Kurama repeated incredulously. "Why is he here?"
"He got sucked in alongside with Naruto and you. Not that it's not welcomed. Quite the contrary actually. In any event, I'm going to have them each act separately for a while. There are things that they have to take care of their own."
"You're losing me," Kurama cut in with narrowed eyes.
"I know this is hard to believe," Hagoromo admitted. "But I'm going to need you to get over that quickly. Naruto is going to need you to readjust with what he's going to experience as he travels to the past."
Hagoromo began to walk towards Kurama until he was just a few feet away from him. Looking up, he continued, "Naruto is going to experience new things as he sees his clan alive and intact. Feelings that could very well make him lose his path just like with Sasuke. At the moment, you're one of his closest friends, Kurama. And the only one he's going to depend on for some time."
Kurama didn't reply, understanding what the Old man was telling him even if he didn't fully comprehend the circumstances.
Carrying on, Hagoromo said, "I can't go into too much detail right now, but both Naruto and Sasuke are going to be tested. If they pass, they will be able to unlock their powers to their maximum extent. However, I have installed a safety measure." Holding up one finger with his freed hand, he explained, "One chance. That's all I'm giving them both in case of an emergency. Naruto will have to have all of your chakra for this to happen."
Seeing where Hagoromo was going with this, Kurama shook his head again, obviously confused with what the Old man was implying. "But that's not possible. Both Shukaku and Gyuki haven't-"
"Kurama."
Said fox paused as he looked at the man who had created him. There was a small smile on his face. "Right now, none of this makes any sense. But there will come a time when it will. And I know that you will know when the time will be correct to use it. I'm trusting your judgement."
A thousand of thoughts were running through Kurama's head, none of which were understanding. And who could blame him? He was being bombarded with so many things at once, and he didn't particularly understand their relevance. But recomposing himself, Kurama had absolute trust in the Old man. Besides Naruto, he was the only one whom Kurama felt like he could completely trust. That being said, despite the fact that he had a bunch of questions, Kurama nodded. He would go with the flow so to speak.
Hagoromo sighed in relief. "Thank you, Kurama. For now, we should go and greet our two other companions."
Seeing that as the quickest way to getting more answers, Kurama merely followed behind the Rikudo Sennin.
Flashback: End
Looking at the situation in front of him again, Kurama was now truly starting to understand just what the Old man had told him. At least, some of the things. He still had many questions. But for now, he would have to be patient as he and the others continued to search for them.
"I already know how we can get around that," he began, causing all the others to turn towards him. "It was something that I didn't think was relevant. But now, seeing as all of you want to have a part in this, it's the best way to get it done."
Naruto looked up at Kurama with a questioning look. Seeing this, the fox merely sent him a smirk as if to say "trust me." The blond smirked in return. By this point, they pretty much knew what to say to one another without actually exchanging words.
"So we're going for it now then?" asked Isobu.
As Naruto nodded, Matatabi spoke up. "I've actually been thinking about that. And I have an alternative, one which is better than simply destroying those guns."
Naruto turned towards the two tailed bijuu with a raised eyebrow. "And what would that be?"
"You know it yourself now, Naruto-kun," Matatabi began. "The Sandaime only cares about respect and power. It's the two principles he abides by. And this little operation of theirs is the perfect way for you to take those away from him. To show him that he's wrong."
Gyuki glanced at Matatabi. "Where are you going with this?"
Looking at the others, Matatabi stated. "I have a plan."
The Sandaime Raikage smirked in anticipation of what was to come. After having been here for almost two days now, he was itching to get the show on the road. Dodai stood next to him as both high ranking shinobi watched from behind the guns as the Uzumaki fleet got closer to them in the distance. Dodai sent glances towards his leader every once in a while, still not sure that the man should be out here right now. His battle with that mysterious shinobi had left him in quite a state since he still wasn't back to one hundred percent. But the man had insisted, saying that the mysterious shinobi would show up here today. Dodai wasn't sure just what the Raikage had to base that on, but the man had even gone as far as placing lookouts all throughout the forest in order to catch the mysterious shinobi.
"Raikage-sama!" Both men looked towards the third in command of the forces. "Kiri is about to engage the Uzumaki fleet!"
Before the Raikage could give any sort of command, right before their eyes one of the ships in Kiri's fleet suddenly blew up into pieces, making the Raikage narrow his eyes.
Next to him, Dodai was thinking the exact same thing he was: that had come from the inside. They didn't need anyone to tell them how things became a mess after that. It wasn't long before the fleet from Kiri found themselves disorganized as the force from Uzu began to get on the offensive.
'Something is not right about this,' Dodai thought. 'They're too well prepared….could Danzo have actually tricked us!?'
Thinking along the same lines, the Raikage growled. There would be hell to pay after this was over. The only reason he wasn't going berserk was the fact that none of his shinobi were caught in this surprised counter-offensive. Turning towards the captain, the Raikage screamed out, "Fire now! Blow those damn ships into oblivion!"
Nodding, the captain repeated the orders, the artillery guns spread about on the beach beginning to fire. There was a look of satisfaction on the Raikage until the shots actually hit the ships…and nothing happened. Confusion spread through him, wondering just why the hell the ships weren't getting hit.
"It seems like our intel on the enemy fleet isn't solid," Dodai said with a frown. "I don't know how, but it seems like they somehow have some sort of shield protecting them."
Before the Raikage could express his annoyance, another interesting thing happened: some sort of thing sprung up out of nowhere, towering over anything else in the area. It was the biggest thing that anyone had ever seen. It was big enough that it started to shield the ships from the bombardment, not that it had been necessary in the first place. And just like with the ships in Uzu's fleet, whatever that thing was was strong enough to deflect the shots from their artillery guns.
Growling, the Raikage screamed, "Keep firing! I want that thing blown to bits!"
Quickly moving to follow their Raikage's orders, the shinobi manning the guns found themselves on the receiving end of a surprise of their own.
"Senpo: Yoton Rasenshuriken!"
"Senpo: Yoton Rasenshuriken!"
Suddenly appearing in midair above the artillery guns, Naruto launched his lava induced Rasenshuriken with the help of Son Goku. The powerful technique was more than enough to wipe out all of the artillery guns on the beach head. At the same time, however, the blond made sure to not let any of the Kumo shinobi get caught in the jutsu, something which he found hard to do since he could already sense what was taking place out there in the sea. And just who else was helping out in this battle too.
"Oi, brat, that's-"
'I know,' Naruto merely said as he landed in front of the now destroyed guns, the Kumo shinobi running to regroup behind their Raikage. Naruto was currently in what Kurama had dubbed as his Rikudo Sennin Mode, which was basically the combination of all of the bijuu giving him their chakra. Unlike when he was simply using Kurama's chakra, his chakra cloak was shorter, and instead of being gold and black, it was now black and gold. On the back of his cloak, the design of the Rinnegan was proudly displayed along with nine magatama beneath it. There were also bijudama balls floating behind him which Kurama had also named the Truth-Seeking balls. He also had two rods in both of his hands that were pretty much stretched out bijudama balls. Unlike his Kurama mode, his body wasn't glowing along with his eyes now being yellow instead of the orange-reddish color he previously had. Finally, some sort of tattoo had suddenly appeared in his right hand that reminded Naruto awfully a lot of the sun.
"It seems like you came, just like I thought you would."
Naruto looked at the Raikage who was walking up to him, an eager look on his face. But eager for what, Naruto had no idea.
"So this is what you look like," he added after a few moments as he stopped in front of him.
"I did warn you, didn't I?" Naruto said. "It seems like you weren't smart enough to heed my warning."
The Raikage scoffed. "Despite how powerful you are, you're obviously naive about the world. We've already been through this, brat. Nothing-"
"So we have," Naruto interrupted with a sigh. "In that case, you really don't leave me any choice. I'm going to show you just how useless all of this is. As well as those ideals you cling to."
The Raikage's eyes widened as, from behind him, he heard a gigantic battle cry. Turning around, he gritted his teeth as he saw his men getting attacked by what looked like an entire army of the blond shinobi.
Shadow clones. That was the only explanation. But to make this many…..
'Kokuo!'
"You got it, Naruto!"
Naruto didn't miss a second. Quickly charging at the still distracted Raikage, Naruto brought his two bijudama rods in front of him as steam erupted from his body. Sensing danger, the Raikage quickly turned around and activated his lightning armor, ducking at the last second as Naruto aimed for his chest with the two rods. Jumping back, the Raikage put some distance between him and Naruto, all the while feeling his shoulder starting to sting with pain.
"Why are you so stubborn about this!" Naruto said with a growl. "There's no need for this to be happening right now!"
The Raikage merely scoffed again, not bothering to reply this time. Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, he prepared to charge at Naruto this time.
"It's like I told you, Naruto-kun," Matatabi said within his mind. "The only way to get to him is to beat him at his best. That's the only way he'll actually consider what you have to say. Even if we had done this sooner, it wouldn't have solved anything. But now, we have a chance to actually bring this war to an end at a faster rate."
'I see your point,' Naruto admitted, realizing that no matter what he said, the man would not listen to him.
The Raikage paused as steam began to cover the whole beach. Looking at Naruto, he knew that the blond had to be responsible. He had seen how he had done it before. But this much…the clones. They were probably doing the same thing. Tch, wonderful. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to see five feet in front of him.
And that was exactly what Naruto wanted.
Loosing sight of the blond thanks to the steam, the Raikage took a defensive stand, already knowing that the blond was sneaky. After all, they had all been here for about two days already and not even once had they ever spotted anything suspicious.
"Futon: Rasenshuriken!"
The Raikage soon found himself on the receiving end of one of the stronger techniques in Naruto's arsenal which sent him flying back and into the forest behind them and through where Naruto's shadow clones were fighting his own army.
"Oi, you should already know that that doesn't work on him," Gyuki said, not knowing what Naruto was trying to do.
'I know,' was the blond's answer as he immediately took off after the flying Raikage who was back up on his feet in no time despite the massive explosion that had occurred afterwards. That wind style may have been powerful, but-
His train of thought was cut off as Naruto was immediately on top of him. The Raikage t'ched before suddenly appearing in front of Naruto in midair with an impressing burst of speed, his fist reared back. Naruto put his hands in front of him as quick as he could as the Raikage sent him flying back this time.
The Raikage was about to follow up until the part of the forest they were in began to be covered in steam, once more blindly the man from his surroundings. It was then that realization hit him like a pile of bricks.
'This is why he wanted to lure me in here!'
The terrain added with the obstruction of his vision gave the Raikage a severe disadvantage. Knowing that he needed to get out of here, he was about to make his way back to the beach until two Narutos were suddenly at his sides, each one grabbing a hold of him by his arms.
"My last attack might not have been able to do anything to you," the clone on his left said.
"But this next one will do the trick," finished the clone on his right with a small grin. "You'll know that my words aren't just that. This war will end, or you'll find yourself along with the rest of the village in a lot of trouble."
And they weren't talking about their original. Oh no. The Raikage knew that they were talking about Uzu.
"This will not-"
"But it will."
Turning to look in front of him, the Raikage saw the original Naruto walking towards him, the jutsu that he had used to destroy the artillery guns in his hand.
"This battle is over, Raikage."
Gritting his teeth in frustration, the Raikage focusing more chakra in armor, sending the clones off of him as they were hit by a powerful current of lightning emanating from said armor.
"I'm not going down so easily, boy," he said with a scowl. "After I'm through here, I'm dragging you back to Kumo with me."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what the man was talking about. Putting that aside, the blond sighed. "So be it then."
There was a moment a silence save for the small skirmishes still taking place in the area between Naruto's clones and the remaining Kumo force. Then, as if a signal was given, they both charged at one another straight on.
"Senpo: Yoton Rasenshuriken!"
The Raikage smirked, thinking that he could brush this off just like the last one. But the combined force of Naruto's Rasenshuriken with Son Goku's lava release proved to be more than the Raikage's lightning armor could take. The Raikage's eyes widened as he felt his armor be penetrated for the first time with a force other than his own as the jutsu collided with him. The end result was the worst pain he had ever felt.
Naruto didn't bat an eye as the Raikage's screams reached his ears. By the end of it, the Raikage was lying on his back in a large crater, his lightning armor no longer active. His body was covered in massive wounds and burns. It seemed that the pain had been too much even for the strong shinobi as he was already unconscious as well.
"Raikage-sama!"
Naruto's eyes widened partially as he recognized Dodai in an instant as the man appeared at his fallen leader's side, a worried look on his face. Going through his clones' memories, Naruto recalled how the man had been able to outwit them before making his way here. Heh, not bad, bendy-guy. Not bad.
"No worries," Naruto said, seeing the man about to fight him. "I'm not going to kill him. Or you. I'm only here to prove a point."
Dodai glanced at his unconscious leader, knowing that he wouldn't be able to defeat this boy. Fighting his clones had been difficult enough, and they weren't even using jutsu save for releasing massive amounts of steam.
Looking up at the mysterious boy, Dodai could no longer deny what the Raikage had told him. But at the moment, it wouldn't do him any good to think about such things. Since it seemed that the boy didn't want to kill them, then he would take the golden chance to retreat. Whether or not this was all a set up, the fact of the matter was that they had been defeated. And from what he had last seen of the battle taking place out there at sea, then Kiri wasn't faring so well either. Needless to say, the operation was a bust.
Naruto didn't say another word as he watched bendy-guy pick up the Raikage's body. And struggle a bit too. If it weren't under these current circumstances, Naruto would have found it a bit more amusing. The blond paused for a moment, though, feeling a familiar chakra nearby. But then it vanished, almost as if the owner had known that he had been spotted. Naruto frowned, wondering if he had just imagined it.
Turning towards the sea, Naruto shook his head before he smiled.
'The rest is up to you, Sasuke.'
In an instant, Kiri's fleet was turned into nothingness. The single swipe from Sasuke's perfect Susanoo had been enough to destroy all of the ships.
Behind him, Arashi and the rest of his clan watched this in amazement, wondering just how such power was attainable. Jiraiya was in a similar state. A moment later, though, his attention was diverted to the sea as he felt a wave of powerful chakra hit him. It was something that was felt by everyone else. They all turned towards the beach head just in time to see something, or someone, destroy all of Kumo's guns with a single hit.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. 'This chakra…..'
Arashi was thinking along the same lines at the moment as well.
Sasuke merely smirked as he too felt the chakra. How ironic. Turning towards the beach head from his position inside the Susanoo's head, Sasuke continued to smirk.
'Well, I don't know why you're here, but it looks like we have both been caught up in the same fiasco.'
Turning his attention back towards the remains of the fleet, Sasuke knew this was over.
"How fascinating. This is the first I've seen the perfect Susanoo. Is that what you have as well?"
Madara hmph'ed at White Zetsu's question. Some part of him was annoyed with the being, since he felt as if White Zetsu was rubbing in his face the fact that he could no longer summon his perfect Susanoo without suffering the consequences of his now weakening body. The two were currently standing on a cliff overlooking the sea that stood between the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning. They had watched the entire battle between Uzu and Kiri as per Madara's request. Okay, command. But to the man, there was no difference. And it went without saying that he wasn't disappointed. He had suspected that his fellow Uchiha who had confronted him was capable of doing more than just the regular Susanoo. And it seemed as if his guess had been correct. But not only that…..
"Still, that other boy was a surprise too," White Zetsu continued. "That chakra was powerful!"
From what White Zetsu had told him of the boy, Madara had an idea as to just what it was. And the implications were exciting if not troubling.
Turning away from the sea, Madara began to walk down the cliff. "Come. We have to make the necessary preparations."
"Eh," White Zetsu grumbled. "Don't you want to see the end of this? I'm sure that the Uchiha is going to kill the rest of them!"
"No, he's not," Madara replied with a small shake of his head. Despite White Zetsu's questioning look, Madara didn't elaborate. But the gist of it was the fact that the boy had used his perfect Susanoo instead of that arrow attack that he had used against him. Those black flames…..Madara was sure that the boy had his reasons for not using them. And the Uchiha suspected that it had to with the fact that, while he had no qualms with killing, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary deaths either. And Madara was certain of the fact that more shinobi had survived than they otherwise would have if the boy had used those black flames of his.
"More importantly," Madara began, "it seems that we have two new enemies to consider. We'll have to speed up our plans."
"Oh?" White Zetsu said in response. "So you're going to do it already?"
"It would appear so," was Madara's answer.
Kiri had just about run its use. Now, he needed to go into the next phase of his plans. After he sent his fellow Uchiha a farewell gift of course. Along with that other child as well.
Madara was certain that they wouldn't ever forget it.
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