บท 56: 55. In the Name of Jashin
Naruto woke-up just as the sun entered the guest room. He made an exaggerated stretching gesture, getting his body used to being awake again. After a few seconds and now fully awake, Naruto's eyes began to wander around the room. They focused in on Kiba and Akamaru, who were still sleeping. Both the Inuzuka and his partner were snoring slightly. Naruto chuckled at the sight of them, but he stopped when he noticed that they were the only ones in the room.
'Where'd Sakura-chan go?' He wondered.
Once he had gotten changed into his usual attire, Naruto walked out of the room and began to walk through Tazuna's house quietly, making sure not to wake anybody else. As he walked around, however, he could not find Sakura. After searching all possible rooms she could be in, the blonde opened the door to the outside and walked out.
Lying on the patio nearby the water was Sakura. The kunoichi currently had a book open and was writing in it.
'What's she doing?' Naruto questioned, a curious look developing on his face.
The blonde walked over to her side to see what she was writing. Sakura didn't seem to notice; she was too focused on her work. As Naruto finally reached her, he saw what she was working on. The kunoichi had taken one of the sealing scrolls with Tazuna's 'supplies' in them and was trying to copy the seals on it perfectly. A smirk developed on Naruto's face as he bent down to her level.
"Your writing isn't half bad." He complimented.
His comment immediately caused Sakura to drop her, stand-up immediately, and reach for a shuriken. She was nearly about to throw it when she noticed that it was Naruto who had snuck up on her. She sighed in relief before pocketing her shuriken.
"Dammit Naruto, don't sneak up on somebody like that." Sakura grumbled as she sat back down on the patio.
"My bad." Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head slightly. "Just saw that you were awake too and wanted to see what you were up to. You been working on this stuff for too long?"
"Not really. I've only been up for like thirty minutes? Forty minutes?" The kunoichi shrugged her shoulders. A sheepish smile developed on her face. "I, um, have been thinking a lot about what we were talking about that one night on the way here. I know we said we wouldn't do any practice until we got to back Konoha, but I wanted to try my hand at making seals, and since Tazuna-san still hasn't unsealed his supplies, I thought the scrolls would be a good way to practice drawing seals."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding. His eyes then focused on Sakura's book, still open to the page she was on. They then moved back-and-forth from the book to the sealing scroll. Naruto immediately let out a whistle of approval.
"Is this really the first time you've been practiced writing seals like this?" He questioned. The kunoichi nodded her head. "I'm actually really impressed! I wasn't anywhere as good as you are when I first started drawing seals!"
"Well, look who you are talking to?" Sakura giggled as she pointed to herself. "I was one of the best students at the academy for a reason! Work like copying and writing and stuff like that is really easy for me, especially if I'm actually interested in it."
The Uzumaki chuckled in amusement. He made a hand gesture, encouraging Sakura to get back to the work. The genin nodded in understanding before she grabbed her pen and book and began to copy more seals. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he noticed her technique and speed.
'She really is better at her drawing than I was when I first started. And she's faster than I am to this day! That's… that's something I should work on. I need to get back to practice myself.' The Uzumaki shook his head. He then let a small smile develop on his face. 'I don't think he'd take her as a student, but I think Masakado-jī-san would probably really like how fast she seems to work.'
After a few minutes, Sakura finished copying seals for her page. She sat the book down and looked at Naruto out of expectation. The blonde smiled at her.
"Like I said, your seals look great and you make them really fast. That's really good! That means when you really do start learning fūinjutsu, you don't have to worry about the tedious part of really learning how to write perfectly like I had to." Naruto admitted.
"Thanks!" Sakura returned his smile.
"Of course, that's only part of what you gotta do." He commented, causing the kunoichi to look at him in confusion. "The next big thing, and something you can work on when we get back to Konoha and we can talk to Masakado-jī-san about specifics, is sealing your own chakra into the seals specific to the seals and jutsus. That gets trickier and needs to be just as perfect as drawing the seals themselves."
A small frown developed on Sakura's face: "Is it bad that my chakra reserves are low? I've been doing exercises to increase them, but I know still have a small reserve pool."
"Um…" Naruto brought his hand to his chin as he tried to think of the answer.
"It's bad for her, yes." Kurama answered in his mind.
'Kurama?' Naruto blinked in surprise.
"Sealing does take a lot of chakra." The Kyūbi continued to explain. "While I do believe that there might be a kekkei genkai component to your Uzumaki Clan's ability to use fūinjutsu to such a high level, your clan does, at the very least, benefit from your abnormally high chakra reserves to use fūinjutsu as often and as easily as you all can."
'Really? Huh…' Naruto continued to scratch his chin in thought before a frown developed on his face. 'Wait, does that mean she can't really do fūinjutsu at all? What do I say about that?'
"I didn't say she can't. I just said it's bad for her." Kurama replied. "If she wants to actually take fūinjutsu seriously, then she needs to increase her reserves. That's something she can work on as she practices. Tell her that." The fox then let out a small chuckle. "And you may want to tell her soon. She's looking at you kinda funny."
'Huh?' Naruto blinked.
Naruto finally looked over at Sakura. The kunoichi was eyeing him in confusion with a frown on her face.
"Everything alright Naruto?" She asked, her frown deepening. She let out a sigh before continuing. "Is it really that bad that I don't have much chakra?"
"… I'm alright. Sorry, was thinking." Naruto answered with a sigh. "Eh, it's not the best, yeah, but that's something you can work. You can do the tedious writing part, so you can just put more focus and energy on your chakra. They'll get better as you keep working. You'll get reserves up to a good level in no time!"
"… Are you sure?" She questioned.
"I'm sure, dattebayo!" He chuckled as a grin developed on his face. "I don't lie. You'll get your numbers increased in no time!"
Sakura allowed a smile to develop on her face again, which caused Naruto's grin to widen.
"Anyway, since now that I'm awake and you got me in the mood to, I'm probably going to focus back on my own fūinjutsu training. Try and get a couple of seals drawn and prepared in case of a battle or something." Naruto said with a chuckle as he started to walk back inside the house. "You can stay out here and keep practicing yourself, if you want. Or you could maybe do some chakra building exercises?"
"What would you recommend?" Sakura questioned.
"Practice water walking maybe? I think that helps build up reserves if you're lacking." The Uzumaki suggested with a shrug. "We can talk more about in a little bit! I'll be right back with my own seals!"
With those words, Naruto rushed inside, making less of an attempt to be as quiet as he did when he came in. Sakura watched him rush back inside, chuckling slightly to herself.
Both shinobi practiced for two straight hours before anybody else woke-up. Naruto devoted his whole time to working on a particular seal that Masakado had given him, as well as producing more copies of all seals that he knew how to use while Sakura spent her time doing what Naruto suggested: walking on water and remaining afloat as long as she could to strengthen her reserves. The two finally stopped once Tazuna walked outside to greet them and inform that Tsunami and prepared breakfast; the sound of his voice took Sakura by surprise, causing her to sink into the water.
"CRAP!" She shouted as she got out of the water.
"Oh my gosh!" Naruto nearly fell to the ground in laughter.
"SCREW YOU NARUTO, THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Sakura continued to shout as she swam the edge of Tazuna's patio and pulled herself out of the water.
'Did… I come out at a bad time?' Tazuna questioned. He proceeded to shake his head. 'Ninjas. I don't get them.'
After Sakura changed into new, dry clothes and the group had finished eating breakfast, Naruto proceeded to unseal Tazuna's supplies from their sealing scrolls. In turn, the man proceeded to pay Naruto the amount for both the supplies and the mission. The mission was now officially complete!
"You sure you all have to leave so quickly?" Tsunami questioned the Konoha shinobi. "You all just got here."
"I know, and we'd like to stay." Sakura admitted with a frown. "But Hokage-sama is going to want us back. He needs all shinobi back as soon as possible."
"We understand. Just like I have a job to get this place back on track, you all have a job too." Tazuna commented with a chuckle. "Just know that if you are all ever in Nami no Kuni for a mission or something, my house is always open for any of you. And that offer also goes to Kakashi and Sasuke."
"Yeah, yeah." Inari nodded his head in agreement. "Come back again whenever!"
"Of course we will." Kiba stated, grinning slightly at the boy. "I want you to find a new fishing spot for next time, squirt."
"Will do! And maybe the next time, you can teach me how to hunt." A grin developed on Inari's face.
Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Don't teach my son anything to dangerous, Kiba." Tsunami spoke-up, glaring slightly at the boy.
"Mom!" Inari scowled at her.
"Ha, no worries. I wouldn't do anything bad to the kid." Kiba replied with a chuckle.
Naruto watched Kiba and Sakura say goodbye to Tazuna's family. He looked out to the road for the moment before he nodded his head and made a hand sign. Two clones appeared by his side. They exchanged a look with the original Naruto before they rushed off on the road ahead.
"What was that?" Tazuna questioned, drawing Naruto's attention.
"That was just me making some clones to go ahead of us. Just in case if there's any threat or something." Naruto replied.
"Did you do that when we left Konoha?" Sakura questioned.
"Yup." He nodded his head. "I sent them out before you all met up with me at the gate."
"I don't really know what that all means, but it sounds like a smart idea." Tazuna said with a chuckle. He then walked forward and held out his hand to him. "I know we just met and I probably didn't make a good impression on you yesterday, but thanks a lot for playing your part in the mission. I appreciate it, Naruto. The same offer extends to you; if you're ever in the area, our house is open for you."
A smile developed on Naruto's face as he shook Tazuna's hand: "Thank you very much!"
After saying farewell for the final time, Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru all started walking off. Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari waved as the Konoha shinobi disappeared into the distance.
'Ugh, I'm so bored.' Hidan grumbled.
The Akatsuki shinobi looked to his left. He had a pile of ten corpses: the bodies of three groups of traveling merchants that were headed to Nami no Kuni. So far, they were the only people that had traveled near the bridge for him to attack since Hidan had woken up three hours ago.
'I mean, yeah, they were sacrifices and it was fun watching them die, but they weren't shinobi.' He shook his head. 'I need to kill something that's actually worth killing. Goddammit Kakuzu, you said legit shinobi would be passing by!'
Hidan shook his head, mumbling various swears towards his partner, before sitting down on the ground. His eyes remained focused on the bridge, waiting for the next group of travelers to come by.
About an hour later, he saw two figures walk off the bridge, coming from Nami no Kuni. Hidan stood-up and walked forward slightly, trying to get a good look at the people.
'I swear, if these are more fucking non-shinobi, I will make their deaths so slow and painful that not even the seventh circle of hell would be able to compare to what I would do to them.' He told himself.
As he inched closer, he got a better look at the travelers. They were two identical people: same clothes, same hair, and same Konoha forehead protector. A wide grin developed on Hidan's face as he reached for his scythe.
"Thank you, Jashin-sama, for blessing me today." He prayed softly to himself before his grin grew more manic. "I will give you thanks by completely slaughtering this Konoha shit and his pathetic little clone!"
With those words, Hidan rushed forward, gripping his scythe tightly. The two Naruto clones turned their heads upon hearing the noise, but it was too late. Hidan quickly swung the scythe into one of them before it could react, dispelling it immediately.
"Ah look, I attacked the fake one first. Lucky you!" Hidan exclaimed as he charged forward at the second clone. "Now, it's your turn!"
The second clone jumped backwards, avoiding the man's attack. It then jumped backwards, placing distance between itself and the man.
"A-Akatsuki." Naruto's clone mumbled to himself.
He said the words quietly, but Hidan managed to hear them. A scowl developed immediately on his face.
"How the fuck do you know that name?" The Akatsuki member hissed.
Naruto's clone did not give a verbal response. Instead, it ran through a series of hand signs.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The clone breathed out a massive gust of wind from his mouth directly at Hidan. The wind made contact, knocking into Hidan and cutting him slightly. The wind started to make tears in his cloak. Despite that, though, Hidan seemed to have no real reaction to the jutsu. Instead, his scowl vanished and the grin that had been on his face returned.
"Heh, this feels kinda nice. I can actually feel some power behind this. You're not some weakling." The man commented. "It'll be fun sacrificing you!"
Hidan, crept down slightly before jumping into the air, pulling himself away from the clone clone's gust of wind. He then tossed his scythe directly at Naruto's clone. The scythe moved through the air quickly before the clone could react. It pierced it, causing Hidan's grin to widen even further.
"First blood is mine! Time for the ritual to-" Hidan's words were interrupted as the clone vanished, causing the grin on his face to drop once again. "Wait, what the fuck?'
Hidan pulled out on the wiring of his scythe, causing it to retract back to him. He then rushed over to the spot where the clone had been. He looked around the area for any sign of movement or attack. There appeared to be nothing, which caused him to scowl.
"Okay, are you fucking with me? Both of them were clones? AGH!" Hidan growled before he turned his body around, swinging his scythe in various directions. "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU GODDAMN COWARD? FIGHT ME FACE-TO-FACE, YOU LITTLE BITCH!"
A few seconds passed by before nothing appeared. Hidan's scowl deepened as he reattached the scythe to his back.
'The one shinobi I run into all day and it was nothing but a clone. How-' Hidan's thoughts stopped as he recalled the direction from which the clones had come to him: from the bridge. 'Wait, maybe the original one is still on the bridge and sent them ahead?' His grin returned as he reached back for his scythe. 'So if I hurry up on to the bridge, maybe I can fight the bastard before he's able to get away!'
With that thought in mind, Hidan rushed onto The Great Konoha Bridge, eagerly looking for the original shinobi that he had just met.
Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru had left Tazuna's house roughly an hour and a half ago. They were all walking on The Great Konoha Bridge when Naruto stopped walking. Both of his teammates stopped as well and looked at him in confusion.
"Naruto?" Sakura said his name with a frown.
"You okay dude?" Kiba questioned. Akamaru barked as well, vocalizing his own confusion.
Naruto did not immediately reply. His eyes widened as memories from the shadow clones he had sent ahead entered his mind.
"A-Akatsuki." Naruto's clone mumbled to himself.
"How the fuck do you know that name?" The Akatsuki member hissed.
"Heh, this feels kinda nice. I can actually feel some power behind this. You're not some weakling." The man commented. "It'll be fun sacrificing you!"
"Guys, we have trouble! Big trouble!" Naruto exclaimed seriously.
Both Sakura's and Kiba's faces turned serious as they reached for weapons. Akamaru began to growl as he mentally prepared to attack.
"How do you know? What's the trouble?" Kiba questioned.
"My shadow clones. I get their memories if something happens to them." Naruto explained with a scowl. "And somebody killed them. A man who seemed to take a lot of joy in killing them!"
'Still, he's an Akatsuki member? Dammit, I know they apparently showed their heads during the Civil War, but I haven't seen any of them since the Tenchi Bridge. I was hoping to never have to run into one of those guys again.' Naruto's scowl deepened as he started thinking more-and-more about his memories. 'I don't think he recognized me as the Kyūbi jinchūriki, but he still seemed to want to fight and kill me. Whatever, this is bad. This is really bad.'
"So, are we going to have to fight this guy you saw?" Kiba questioned.
"I'd… like not to. I'd like us to get away." Naruto's scowl turned into a frown as he shook hise head. "The problem is that he's apparently just waiting or something by the bridge at the other side."
"So, perhaps we could try another way to get off the bridge?" Sakura suggested. "Maybe go back to Tazuna's village, get a boat, and sail to the mainland, away from his position?"
"That could work." Naruto nodded his head. "Maybe-"
"Naruto, you said the guy took a lot of joy in killing your clones, right?" Kiba questioned. Naruto looked over towards Kiba before nodding again. "So, he might be one of those rogue shinobi that just likes to kill. What's to say he won't try and come to us?"
"I-" Naruto's eyes widened in realization.
"I saw those types of guys in Gatō's goons. He may just come forward, trying to find you because he knows you have to be somewhere nearby if he ran into your clones." Kiba continued. He tightened his hands into fists. "And if he can't find you on the bridge, he'll enter Nami no Kuni-"
"And search for us there." Naruto realized. He then tightened his own hands into fists. "And maybe kill anybody he runs into along the way."
"… What do we do then?" Sakura asked quietly.
The Konoha shinobi remained quiet for a moment. All three were trying to think of an appropriate action that they could take. After a few seconds, Naruto pointed in the direction of Nami no Kuni.
"Sakura-chan, Kiba, Akamaru; I want you all to head back to Nami no Kuni. Alert any and all bridge workers along the way and tell them to go back home for a little bit, in case if this psycho decides to come that way. After that, stay in the village." He ordered. He then turned his head towards the direction towards the Hi no Kuni mainland. "I'll go forward and take on the bastard."
"What?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Naruto, you just said that this guy is-"
"I know I said he's trouble. But I can take him. I think I can." Naruto stated. "But regardless, I want to make sure you both get out of here alive. I'm the captain here, so it's my job to get you all out alive. Even if I wasn't, I'm your guys' friend. I won't let anything happen to any of you. So just do as I ordered and get to safety, okay?"
Both Sakura and Kiba remained silent for a moment. A few more seconds passed by before Kiba let out a small chuckle.
"Hey Naruto, I know you probably don't know much about Kakashi-sensei, but he has a saying that he taught us that we all took to heart." The Inuzuka said, a small smile on his lips. "It goes 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash'. So, thanks for the order 'captain', but you can go suck on your order."
The Uzumaki shook his head. "Kiba-"
"He's right, you know." Sakura interrupted Naruto before he could start. "We're all comrades and friends, Naruto. We aren't going to leave you behind to take on some psycho! We're here to help!"
Both genin looked at Naruto with determination in their eyes, planning on ignoring his order. Naruto opened his mouth to rebuke their statements, but he stopped himself as realization dawned on his face.
'… You know, I'd do the same thing if I was ordered to stand back.' He let out a small chuckle.
"Alright fine. You all can fight." Naruto verbally stated. His face, however, narrowed on them. "First, though, I would like it if you all could do as I asked. Please, get all the bridge workers further back to Nami no Kuni. Just inform the first group you see them and tell them to tell everybody else. I'd want them to get to safety. After that, come back and help me fight. I'll still be alive by then."
"Understood." Both Kiba and Sakura nodded in understanding. Akamaru barked, voicing his own understanding.
The members of Team Seven hurried backwards, heading to alert the first group of workers they could find. Naruto watched them leave for a few seconds before he turned his attention back to the remaining bridge ahead of him. His hands went over to all of his pockets, making sure he had all of his weapons and seals at reach. When feeling ready, he began to walk forward, preparing for an altercation.
'Kurama, you ready for this?' He questioned, calling out to the Kyūbi.
"Naturally." Kurama replied. "Don't use my chakra right away, though. Obviously use it if needed, but you said it yourself; based on your memories, he didn't seem like he recognized you as my jinchūriki. Play it by ear and see how much you can do without my chakra."
'Got it.' Naruto nodded his head in agreement as he turned all of his focus back on the bridge in front of him.
Naruto walked forward for roughly five minutes before he began to hear the sound of loud footsteps. He reached for two kunai, each of which had a different sealing tag attached to them, and prepared for battle. A few more seconds passed by before Hidan rushed in. The grey-haired man was grinning manically, gripping his scythe tight in his hands.
"You! I knew you'd be on the bridge!" He exclaimed loudly, laughing slightly. "Finally have the balls to face me face-to-face instead of using more clones?"
"Hmph." Naruto scoffed. "I just sent those clones out to let me know if anything was ahead of me. And they let me know that some mouthy dumbass was lurking around the corner!"
"Fuck you kid!" Hidan spat out. "You think you're hot shit, huh? I hope you are; you're going to make a nice, nice sacrifice for Jashin-sama!"
Hidan proceeded to rush forward. Within moments, he was directly in front of Naruto, much to his surprise.
'He's fast!' The Uzumaki realized.
Hidan swung his scythe directly for Naruto's shoulder, but he managed to jump up into the air, just in time to avoid the attack.
'However, he's not as fast as Yagura. If I could get away from him, then I can get away from this asshole!' Naruto said, smirking slightly as he pocketed his kunai and started to make hand signs: "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Naruto breathed out a massive gust of wind from his mouth directly at Hidan's body. A smirk developed on the Akatsuki member's face, however, as he managed to jump out of the way of the attack.
"Your clone tried that on me. I'm not gonna fall for the same shit twice!" Hidan taunted.
Hidan swung the scythe in the air towards Naruto's airborne body. Unable to maneuver his body out of the way, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a kunai with a sealing tag attached to it. He then held the kunai out in front of him and made a hand sign with his left hand.
"Fūinjutsu: Protective Winds!"
The seal activated, glowing a bright, light blue color. The seal then released massive blades of wind that surrounded Naruto's body, forming a protective barrier. Hidan's scythe flew through the air towards the winds, but it made direct contact with them and was blown backwards, unable to pierce the barrier. A scowl developed on Hidan's face as he tugged on the wire attached to his scythe, re-directing it back at the barrier. Once again, the winds rejected it, sending it flying in the opposite direction.
'I did it. I did the seal right! Thank you Masakado-jī-san.' Naruto grinned as he proceeded to bite his thumb lightly, causing it to bleed. 'Now that I have some time to do something, however, I'll get a little backup!'
As Naruto's body fell downward, he ran through a series of hand signs. Upon reaching the bridge's surface, the protective barrier of winds vanished. He then slammed the palm of his hand on the bridge. A poof of smoke filled the air before a large, familiar, magenta-colored toad, wielding a sasumata and a shield, appeared on the battlefield.
"Hey, Gamaken! Looks I got to summon you again." Naruto said cheerfully at the toad.
Gamaken looked momentarily back-and-forth between Naruto and Hidan before nodding his head.
"It's nice to see you again, Naruto." Gamaken greeted as he tightened his grip on his sasumata. "I am sorry for not being as useful as I could be in your last fight, but I have since gotten tougher and I hope to be more valuable this time."
"No, it's fine! We were against Masakado-jī-san. Don't worry about that." Naruto replied. He then proceeded to make a hand sign. "However, I hope you don't mind if I buff up our numbers a little bit more. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Another poof of smoke filled the area. Within an instant, Naruto and Gamaken were joined by one hundred clones of Naruto. They all got into position to charge forward and attack.
Hidan tugged on his scythe, bringing it back to his side. The Akatsuki member was grinning as he looked from one clone to the next, as if trying to find the original.
"You think you're so tough, having all of those clones and a giant frog by your side?" Hidan taunted with a snort.
"I'm a toad." Gamaken corrected loudly, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't give a fuck what you are. You're going to be a corpse in a moment!" Hidan declared as he gripped his scythe tightly. "You have the numbers advantage? Well I have a god behind me! Let's see what really is stronger! Just know that the moment I land my first attack, I win this goddamn fight!"
With that statement, Hidan charged forward towards the multiple Naruto clones. He quickly impaled one clone with his scythe, causing it to dissipate instantaneously. Five clones then jumped around him and made hand signs before releasing a gust of wind from their mouths directly at Hidan. The Akatsuki member, however, jumped in the air to avoid the attack. He swung his scythe downward, directly at one of the five clones, causing it to disappear. Hidan then spun the wire attached to his scythe, causing it to move in a clockwise pattern through the other four clones, destroying them all upon contact.
A smug grin developed on Hidan's face. He opened his mouth to make a comment, but he stopped himself as he looked upward. Gamaken was now in the air, directly above him, gripping his sasumata. He swung the weapon downward, directly at Hidan's body. The Akatsuki member, however, made a pulling gesture on the wire, causing his body to fly downward towards his scythe, barely avoiding the toad's attack.
Upon reaching his scythe, Hidan stood up and prepared to go on the offensive again. Before he could, however, one of the Naruto clone's rushed up to him. It delivered a punch to his face, knocking him backwards slightly. Three more clones quickly rushed to Hidan's floating body, delivering kicks to knock him up into the air.
"U-"
"-Zu-"
"-Ma-"
"-Ki!"
Another clone jumped off another one's back, flipping into the air directly above Hidan's face. It lifted its foot in the air, about to kick him downward and back to the clones underneath. Before his kick could make contact, however, Hidan reacted and grabbed the clone's foot. He then tossed the clone downward directly onto the body of the clone that it jumped off of. Both clones were immediately destroyed.
"Nice hit there, brat. I actually felt that." Hidan said with a smirk. "I was right; I think you'll be a perfect sacrifice to Jashin-sama."
'Who the hell is this Jashin?' Naruto questioned, rolling his eyes slightly. 'Kurama? Do you know?'
"Don't think much about it. It's the god of his religion, apparently." The Kyūbi replied. "Again, that's not a major concern. Look into that after you aren't fighting this guy. There's more to him than he's letting on and I'm getting incredibly suspicious about what technique he has that is so powerful to 'win the battle' after getting one hit."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding before turning his attention back to the fight. Hidan was slicing through more of his clones. The Akatsuki member was jumping away from gusts of wind and blocking punches and kicks while returning them with cuts. He had now destroyed nearly half of Naruto's clones.
The Uzumaki looked over briefly to Gamaken, who was analyzing the fight, trying to see when to jump in. The two exchanged a look before nodding at each other, understanding the other's train of thought. Gamaken waited a few more seconds, watching Hidan fight more clones. After seeing the man jump into the air to avoid another attack from one of the clones, Gamaken jumped forward, towards Hidan's body.
The Akatsuki member, however, turned his body downward and pushed himself through the air, avoiding the toad's initial attack. Gamaken then proceeded to swing his sasumata towards Hidan again. Hidan tried to get away, but he was accidentally hit slightly on his left arm. One of the spikes of the sasumata stuck to his body as he managed to get away.
"Bastard." Hidan hissed in pain as he reached to remove the spike from his body.
"Exploding Sasumata Attack!"
Instantly, the spike on Hidan's body exploded. The resulting blow sent him flying through the air off the bridge.
'There's my chance!' Naruto realized.
Two of the remaining clones went to Naruto's side and picked him up. They proceeded to toss him through the air so that he was directly above Hidan's floating body. He quickly pulled out a kunai with a sealing tag and tossed it at Hidan. The kunai went into the man's back, causing him to hiss in pain. Naruto rapidly ran through a series of hand signs.
"Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hurricane Manifestation!"
The seal released a bright green light before releasing tornado-like winds. The winds rained into Hidan's back, forcing the man downward into the water underneath the bridge. The tornado continued to blow, keeping the man stuck at the bottom.
Naruto landed safely on the water's surface. He then proceeded to jump back to the bridge and looked over the edge as he watched his tornado continued to blow, holding Hidan's body down. His clones and Gamaken quickly rushed to his side, looking over the edge as well at the wind.
'With all the wind blowing on him and cutting him up, plus pinning him down underwater, I think it's safe to say he'll drown.' Naruto realized. He let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank God. I was getting worried that he would do whatever technique he kept bragging about.'
"Don't be too confident, Naruto." Kurama warned him. "Those Akatsuki shinobi are supposed to be hunting us. I'm sure that he has more to him. I don't believe one of them would go down that easily."
Naruto, once again, nodded in understanding at the Kyūbi's words. His eyes remained focus on the water. A few more moments passed by before the wind from his seal began to fade away. Naruto proceeded to tense up as he got back into a stance to fight.
'He's been underwater for a while now. If he hasn't drowned, he has to come out eventually or he will!' Naruto realized, looking intently at the spot of water Hidan had been knocked down in. 'If you really are still alive, then where are you?'
As if responding to his question, a loud crash could be heard directly underneath Naruto. The blonde looked downward and his eyes widened. Hidan's scythe was rocketing forward from underneath the bridge, piercing the bridge's material. The Kyūbi jinchūriki tried to jump away in time, but one of the scythe's blades made contact with his right shoulder, delivering a deep cut and drawing blood. He hissed in pain.
Another second passed by before Hidan jumped forward from the hole he had created underneath the bridge. The remainder of Naruto's clones proceeded to jump him, but the Akatsuki member delivered a series of kicks as they approached him midair, knocking them all away as they reached him and dispelling them. Gamaken jumped into the air again and swung his sasumata at Hidan's body, but he pulled on his scythe's wiring, pulling his body directly towards the scythe and avoiding the toad's attack once again.
Upon landing on the bridge again, Naruto got a good look at Hidan's body. His Akatsuki cloak was torn-up, revealing his bare chest to him. Hidan's back at had many cuts on it, with blood pouring freely from it. Naruto could also now see the Yugakure forehead protector tied around Hidan's neck, with the slash through it signifying his position as a missing shinobi.
"That fucking hurt, bastard. God, I can still feel water up my lungs. And my back's all fucked up now. Can't believe that I let a little shit like you draw first blood on me." Hidan hissed at him. Despite the clear anger in his tone-of-voice, a malicious grin developed on the man's face as he brought his scythe towards him. Naruto's blood was still dripping from one of the blades. "However, I still managed to make a hit on you. It's time for you to die!"
Hidan quickly brought the scythe to his mouth. He took a lick of Naruto's blood, which caused his grin to grow wider. Hidan's appearance proceeded to change; his skin turned black and white, bone-like markings began to appear.
"What?" Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of the man's appearance. "Wh-What the hell is this?"
"It's the beginning of the end for you, you little shit." Hidan snorted as he bent down slightly.
The Akatsuki member placed his right hand over the open wounds on his back, coating it with his blood. He then rubbed his hand over the ground in a clockwise pattern. Naruto, not knowing what the man was doing, quickly pulled out another kunai with a sealing tag attached to it and threw it at the man's head.
Naruto was expecting Hidan to jump out of the way to avoid the kunai. Instead, Hidan extended his left hand, catching the kunai with his open palm. The weapon pierced his skin, causing more blood to fall from the new wound.
'What… on… earth…' A chill ran down Naruto's spine as he processed what he was seeing. 'Why did he do that? Why does he not care about his own wounds?'
"Heh, thanks for that, brat. I could use a little more blood." Hidan replied with a smirk as he reached with his right hand to pull out the kunai.
Naruto immediately returned to reality after that comment and made a hand sign. The tag lit-up for a moment before exploding in Hidan's face. Smoke covered the area. A few seconds passed by before it cleared up. Once it did, Hidan remained at his spot, seemingly unaffected by the explosion.
"How?" Naruto's eyes widened. "What is going-"
The words on his tongue died as he noticed what was present underneath Hidan. The man was now standing in the center of a red circle, created from his own blood. There was a triangle present within the circle. The symbol was exactly identical to the pendant that the Akatsuki member was wearing around his neck.
"I'll start this slow, brat." Hidan taunted as he reached into his pants and pulled out a retractable spear. He then extended it outward "Repent now and pray that Jashin-sama won't damn you to the deepest pits of hell!"
With that statement, Hidan forced the spear into his side releasing a massive pool of blood. Naruto's eyes widened at the sight.
'What's he-' Naruto's thoughts died instantly as an unexpected burst of pain shot through his body. "AH!"
The blonde immediately reached for his side. He looked down to his side to see what had happened, but it was seemingly fine with no wound present. Despite that, the pain was still present.
"What… the hell?" He hissed, ignoring the sensation and glaring at Hidan. "What did you do?"
"It's not why I've done, you little shit! It's what Jashin-sama has done!" Hidan exclaimed, laughing loudly.
Gamaken glared at the laughing Akatsuki member before charging directly at Hidan, gripping his sasumata tightly in his hands. He swung the weapon directly at Hidan's body, but the Akatsuki member quickly reached for his scythe and blocked the attack, still standing still at the center of his circle. Upon blocking it, Gamaken ignited one of the spikes on his weapon, causing it to explode.
"AHHH!" Naruto screamed.
"Naruto?" Gamaken's eyes widened as he jumped away and looked back to his summoner.
As earlier, Naruto felt pain rush through his body. The sensation of his body burning, as if a large explosion had just occurred point-blank in front of him, rushed over his body. He felt some patches of his skin start to brown, as if he really had been hit by a real explosion.
The pain nearly overwhelmed the blonde. He fell to one-knee as he looked out to the explosion. Once the dust clouds faded away, Hidan remained still in his place, laughing loudly. His body, too, seemed to have brown marks over the white skeletal markings, but unlike Naruto, he didn't seem affected.
"Oh man, that hurt like a fucking bitch, but I'm sure you know exactly how badly that hurt." Hidan declared, his laughter getting louder. "That's the main reason why I'm glad Jashin-sama still allows me to feel pain, just so I can understand what little shits like you experience in your final moments. It makes everything all the more sweeter for me!"
Naruto could not give a verbal response. He proceeded to breathe heavily as he forced himself back on his two feet.
'Gamaken's attack hurt me. His own attacks on himself hurt me. I can't do anything to him without hurting me!' Naruto realized as he shook his own head. 'How the hell am I supposed to do anything to him? And how isn't he affected by any of this? He should be killing himself too like this!'
"Kid, if I had to take a guess, I'd say he probably can't be killed through conventional methods. Based off the way he's talking, he's probably done this to a couple of people. I'd doubt he'd die if he stabbed his own heart." Kurama answered as he began to piece-together what Hidan's fighting style was really like. The fox was now starting to sound slightly panicked. "It probably explains why he wouldn't drown when you held him down. But just because he can't die-"
'It doesn't mean I can't. He can kill me at any time!' Realization dawned on Naruto's face. 'Dammit, there's gotta be a way to get out of this!'
Naruto's eyes quickly focused on Hidan, trying to find some way to defeat his jutsu. They quickly moved towards the blood circle that the man was standing in. Naruto then immediately recalled what Hidan did after getting his first blood; he drew the circle.
'That's it! I need to force him out of that circle!' He realized.
"Naruto!"
The Uzumaki took a moment to look back. Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru were rushing over to his side from the other side of the bridge. The three had returned from warning the bridge workers and were now prepared to join his side.
"What's that? More Konoha shinobi? Oh, this is just my lucky day!" Hidan exclaimed loudly as he held out his extendable spear. "Guess I'll have to cut it short with you, blondie! I'm going to have focus on the others now, so it's time for you to die!"
'Fuck, I need to blow him out of that circle!' Naruto shook his head as he began channeling more chakra into his mouth. 'Kurama, please; channel as much of your chakra into me. I'm going to need everything I can possibly get to make sure I have enough to blow him out before he kills me!'
"I don't believe that Great Breakthrough technique is enough. I have an idea." Kurama said as he channeled chakra through Naruto's body. "No hand signs needed; concentrate as much wind-style chakra in your mouth and slam your hands into your stomachs."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding. Kurama's red chakra quickly surrounded his body, altering his appearance, causing his eyes to change to red and his fingernails and teeth to sharpen into claws and fangs. A red cloak of chakra completely surrounded his body and six tails of chakra started to flow directly behind him.
'Hmm?' Hidan cocked his head to the side, looking more intently at Naruto. 'That's some unholy chakra if I've ever seen some. That's the chakra of one of those fucking bijū. This kid… is he actually a jinchūriki?'
Once the Kyūbi's chakra was completely surrounding him, Naruto concentrated as much chakra into his mouth as he slammed his fists directly into his stomach.
"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!" The Kyūbi shouted the name of the technique in Naruto's mind.
Naruto immediately released multiple powerful, fast-moving bullets of compressed air directly at Hidan. The Akatsuki member held out the staff was prepared to stab himself, but the first bullets made contact with his chest, knocking him back slightly. Two more followed behind and hit Hidan in the same location. The force was enough to knock the man backwards, pushing him out of the seal.
The Uzumaki fell to his knees. It felt as if the wind was knocked entirely out of him, as if he had been hit by all three bullets as well.
'God, that hurt.' He shook his head. 'Thank God he's out of that seal, though. Now, I need to make sure he never gets back on it.'
"Gamaken, please; don't let that man step back on that circle. Please." Naruto requested the toad.
"Understood." Gamaken nodded his head before charging forward at Hidan's body, gripping his sasumata tightly.
As Naruto began to pull himself off the ground, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru finally arrived at his side. The three were all gaping at Naruto and his foxlike appearance
"Naruto, what is-" Sakura began to question.
"Please, don't focus on that now. Focus on fending off this asshole." Naruto requested them, still trying to focus on standing up.
The genin turned their attention back to Hidan and Gamaken. The toad swung his sasumata at Hidan, but the Akatsuki shinobi managed to jump into the air. He attempted to land back on the blood seal he had created, but Gamaken quickly jumped over to the circle and swung his sasumata again at the approaching man. Hidan was forced, once again, to jump away and place distance.
"Fuck you frog! Let me get back to the seal and let me complete my ritual!" Hidan demanded.
"I'm a toad!" Gamaken replied sternly. "And I will not! I'm not going to let you hurt Naruto anymore!"
As Hidan charged at Gamaken once again, Kiba, Akamaru, and Sakura turned their attention back to Naruto. The blonde had finally pulled himself off the ground and his breathing was returning to normal.
"That creepy guy has some weird ability that lets him inflict pain on other people, so don't let him hit you even once. If he draws blood, he can make you all feel the same pain he feels." Naruto said with a frown. "He also seems to be immortal."
"Immortal?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Then how are we supposed to fight him?"
"I'm trying to figure that out myself…" Naruto replied, frowning slightly. "… I guess like just putting a stop to him? Make him so he can't fight?"
"By decapitating him or something?" Kiba offered. A smirk developed on his face. "Cause Akamaru and I can definitely have a role in that!"
Akamaru barked in agreement. Kiba proceeded to get down on the ground as his physical features became more wild and animalistic while Akamaru jumped onto his back. Akamaru proceeded to change shapes, turning into a replica of Kiba with the same animalistic appearance.
"Just leave it to us! We'll play safe and get him cut up in no time!" Kiba declared sharply.
"Just be careful!" Naruto ordered. "Don't let him either of you even once!"
Akamaru nodded his now human-shaped head as he jumped off Kiba's back. They then started to rush forward, looking for even the slightest of openings.
"What can I do, Naruto?" Sakura asked.
Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but a thought occurred to him. His eyes widened in realization.
"Sakura-chan, you were always the great student who knows everything. Do you know what Jashin is?" He questioned.
Instantly, a scowl developed on her face: "I read a book about it once, yeah. Creepy as hell religion-"
"You know what it is? Yes!" Naruto proceeded to grin at her. "You know some genjutsu top, you said. Try using some genjutsu on him in relation to his religion! This guy seems absolutely obsessed with it! I'm sure there's a way you could use a genjutsu and get him to fall for it! Just be safe and keep your distance from him. It's the same thing I told Kiba; do not let him hit you even once!"
Sakura nodded her head in understanding. She then moved forward, trying to concentrate on preparing a genjutsu. Naruto, now that he was by himself, turned his attention to Kurama.
'Since I know all of those attacks I took was internal, how badly was I damaged? How careful should I be?' Naruto asked the fox.
"Relatively bad, but it's nothing that can't be healed. My chakra is already taking care of most of it. So long as he doesn't get the chance to go back into that seal and attack you like that again, you should be fine." The Kyūbi informed him. "Take advantage of your toad blocking him off. Tear through that bastard!"
Naruto smirked in response as he rushed forward at the Akatsuki member.
"And what is this?"
As Hidan engaged the Konoha shinobi on the Great Konoha Bridge, a creature started to slowly lurk its head from the bridge's surface, behind the battle. The creature's head resembled a Venus fly trap, with green plant-like appendages with spikes on the inside that encases its head. It possessed a human-like head that was colored two different colors: one half was black and the other was white. The creature was also wearing the same black cloak with red clouds that Hidan was wearing.
"What is Hidan doing out here by himself with Kakuzu? And fighting a jinchūriki by himself?" The white-side of the creature's face asked itself. "What do you think, Black Zetsu?"
"You don't have to refer to me as that. You don't even have to refer to me in general. We are both Zetsu in this form." The black-side of the creature's face responded. "Regardless, I don't know. I don't know why Hidan is out by himself or engaging the Kyūbi jinchūriki like he is trying to kill it."
"That would go against our master's plan if he dies. We should probably intervene." 'White Zetsu' noted.
"It would be an inconvenience, but I don't believe Hidan will kill him." 'Black Zetsu' answered. "As a matter of fact, I'm expecting him to lose this fight."
"But that doesn't make sense." 'White Zetsu' frowned in response. "Surely you feel the chakra signatures. The other two Konoha shinobi aren't strong enough to defeat him."
"That is true, but this is Hidan we are talking about. He's overconfident just because he can't die in battle. He hasn't learned how threatening a mindset like that is to his livelihood." 'Black Zetsu' shook his head. A smirk then developed on his face. "We aren't going to intervene. As a matter of fact, I am hoping that the does lose. Perhaps a loss will actually teach Hidan that he needs to be more careful and take his duty as a member of Akatsuki seriously."
"… If you say." White Zetsu mumbled his response, frowning more in response.
The creature did not speak to itself any longer. 'Zetsu' remained focused on the battle, making sure to see what was happening.
"Let me back on the fucking seal dammit!" Hidan growled as he swung his scythe at Gamaken.
The toad remained steady on the ground, blocking the Akatsuki member's assault with his sasumata. Hidan's eyes seemed to redden in anger as his scythe began to glow a faint, black color. He remained focused on pushing back on Gamaken's defense. After a few seconds, he managed to push back with enough force, knocking the toad off balance.
Gamaken's eyes widened at the action. "What-"
"Heh, fuck you!" Hidan snorted, laughing slightly as he stepped back onto the seal. "I can increase the force of my scythe by just applying my chakra into it! You won't be able to hold me back!"
"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!"
Hidan looked over and saw Naruto approaching him. The blonde had released another barrage of air bullets directly at him. A smug smirk developed on Hidan's face as he jumped high into the air, avoiding the attacks.
"Heh, it's like I said earlier you little shit, I'm not stupid and don't fall for the same attack twice! I'm not going to let you blow me out of my seal again!" Hidan shouted in glee.
The Akatsuki shinobi was about to land back on the ground directly on his seal, but Kiba and Akamaru jumped forward. The Inuzuka and his partner began to spin, rotating their bodies at a rapid pace.
"Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: Fang Over Fang!"
Kiba's and Akamaru's rotating bodies formed what appeared to be tornadoes that closed in on Hidan's floating body. They rushed him before he made contact with his seal and slammed against the bridge's surface away from the seal. Their rotation continued, holding the man down in his place and cutting into his skin.
Hidan's body began to release more blood as Kiba and Akamaru pressed against him. Hidan, however, grinned in response. After a few seconds, he rolled his body out of the way, managing to pull himself away from Kiba's and Akamaru's assault. Now that he was free, he then swung his scythe at the rotating tornadoes, ending their rotations. Kiba managed to block the scythe with his claws. Hidan, however, quickly applied a little more force, causing the scythe to overpower Kiba. It then cut into his shoulder, causing him to hiss in pain.
"Interesting technique! I can tell you're still a weak one, but you had some force behind that! I like that!" Hidan explained as he brought the scythe to his tongue. "I showed the jinchūriki the effects of Jashin-sama, so it's only fair I do the same to you. Prepare for hell kid!"
As Hidan was about to lick Kiba's blood, Sakura pulled out a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it and threw it at him. The kunai landed on the ground directly underneath him. Hidan looked down in time just as the tag activated, hitting with the explosion. Burn marks were starting to develop on Hidan's skin as he glared at Sakura.
"There's only so much pain I can take without it being delivered to others. You all are really starting to piss me off." Hidan hissed as he turned his head to face his seal. "I'd run away if I were you, bitch. After I kill these other guys, you're as good as fucking dead!"
Sakura gave no reply; she instead began rushing through hand sings. Hidan ignored her, however, and licked Kiba's blood from his scythe before rushing forward towards his seal. Gamaken immediately jumped between him and the seal and swung his sasumata downward at him. Hidan proceeded to toss his scythe up into the air and pulled on the wire, causing him to rocket upward into the air, avoiding Gamaken's attack. He then fell on the ground towards his seal.
Naruto, however, tossed a kunai with a sealing tag. It landed directly on the seal. He then made a series of hand signs: "Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hurricane Manifestation!"
The seal immediately released tornado-like winds upward, directly at Hidan's body. The Akatsuki member hissed in pain as the wind proceeded to cut into him. The winds also presented him from falling further downward, keeping him away the seal.
"I got more where that came from!" Naruto shouted as he tossed another kunai with a sealing tag at the same spot.
Naruto ran through the same hand signs, causing the seal to light up again and release another tornado upward at Hidan's floating body. More winds cut into his body, causing more-and-more blood to fall out and keeping him afloat.
'Fucking bastard. No, fuck the Akatsuki for this moment. Fuck Kakuzu. I don't give a shit that he's a jinchūriki; I'm sacrificing him to Jashin-sama for this!' Hidan declared, his eyes narrowing in anger.
The Akatsuki shinobi proceeded to apply chakra directly into his scythe. He then used all of his physical strength to resist the wind holding him in place and tossed his scythe downward. The scythe managed to move through the tornado-like winds and imbed itself into the bridge, where the seal was. Hidan then pulled on the wire of the scythe, dragging him through the wind. He landed on his seal, the winds still cutting into him. A smug grin developed on his face as he relished the pain.
"AH!" Naruto and Kiba immediately shouted in pain.
Both Konoha shinobi fell to the ground, feeling as if multiple blades of wind were cutting into them. They could both actually feel cuts beginning to develop on their skin. Naruto quickly made a hand sign, despite the pain, canceling his jutsus. The winds surrounding Hidan vanished. The Akatsuki member was now standing upright on his seal, looking cockily at them.
"How'd that feel, brats? Enjoy that pain?" Hidan taunted as he reached into his pants and pulled out another retractable spear. "I hope you all did and I hope you're both ready for the never-ending pain you will find in hell!"
Sakura proceeded to finish her hand signs: "Demonic Illusion: Collapsing Reality!"
As Hidan was about to stab his heart with his spear, he stopped himself as he noticed the seal he was standing under began to fade. His eyes widened as the seal completely vanished.
"What? Where did-"
The sky around him darkened slightly. All eyes turned to the sky as a creature fell down from the heavens. A large, towering man with red-colored skin, bulging eyes that appeared to be falling out of their eye sockets, and a long, black beard fell to the ground. He wore traditional robes and had a pendant around his neck in the shape of a triangle in the center of a circle. The man also carried a large scythe.
'What? Th-There's no way!' Hidan's eyes widened as he looked at the man. 'J-Jashin-sama? Is the end of the world upon us?'
The man, identified as Jashin, looked down upon Hidan's body. His red-face contorted into a scowl.
"You have not honored me with enough sacrifices as you have promised. I have given you blessings in your life and you have the gall to not follow through with them!" Jashin sneered, his voice foreboding. He then raised his scythe upward, as if he was about to swing it. "You are not worthy of my blessings. You only deserve a place in hell amongst the other false followers and non-believers!"
Hidan's eyes widened. Fear rushed through his body as he took a few step forwards towards Jashin and bowed slightly.
"Please, my lord; have mercy!" Hidan begged. "I am trying to sacrifice these three for you! I'll find more sacrifices! Please Jashin-sama!"
Jashin gave no verbal reply. Hidan looked up at his god in fear when a thought all of a sudden occurred to him.
'Wait, this doesn't feel right…'
Sakura's genjutsu seemed to have taken affect; Hidan stopped his attempts to stab himself and walked forward out of his seal before falling to his knees in some form of prayer.
"Now's our chance!" Naruto declared.
The Uzumaki shared a look between Kiba and Akamaru, who nodded their heads. Kiba and Akamaru quickly rotated their bodies, forming tornado-like objects. Naruto, meanwhile, channeled chakra into his hands and formed an orb of rotating chakra in his right hand. He then jumped to one side of Hidan and charged forward while Kiba and Akamaru closed in on the other
"Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: Fang Over Fang!"
"Rasengan!"
Hidan finally pulled himself out of the genjutsu just as both Kiba's and Naruto's jutsus connected. Kiba's and Akamaru's spinning body collided against Hidan's chest and stomach while Naruto's Rasengan collided against his back.
"AHHH!" The Akatsuki member screamed in pain.
Both Konoha shinobi continued using their jutsus, applying more force as they attacked him. Hidan tried to pull himself away, but the pain from both jutsus seemed too much for him. A few seconds passed by before the force proved too much and Hidan's body split.
Hidan's waist, his torso, and his head and neck were separated from each other. Blood flew everywhere after the man's bodies fell to the ground. Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru finally stopped their assault and looked at the damage they did.
"Oh… my… God…" Sakura felt herself about to throw-up as she walked closer to the group.
Naruto and Kiba did not saying for a few moments. They just looked back-and-forth from different parts of Hidan's body. They then looked at each other and shook their head.
"I… I've never done this before to somebody. I know I said I could decapitate him for you but…" Kiba's voice started to draw out as he looked away.
"… Yeah. I hear you." Naruto nodded his head, shaking his head. He then turned his head to Sakura. "You got the genjutsu placed on him?"
"I did." Sakura replied, still trying to overcome the urge to throw-up. "I… I used a jutsu very similar to the hell-viewing technique that Kakashi-sensei taught me, only it's a little harder to detect. I… played on the little knew about Jashinism and I gave him a vision of his god talking down to him." She proceeded to shake her head as she looked more closely at his body. "I think he started to realize he was in a genjutsu quickly, but I distracted him just long enough for you guys to do something."
Naruto looked as if he was about to say something, but the words died on his lips as he noticed the eyes on Hidan's head open up. They narrowed in anger on Sakura.
"THE ONLY THING YOU DID WAS COMMIT BLASPHEMY OF THE HIGHEST ORDER! BITCH! I WILL FUCKING TEAR OUT YOUR HEART WITH MY OWN GODDAMN TEETH!" Hidan screamed.
Sakura immediately screamed, backing up slightly at the sight of Hidan's head talking. Naruto and Kiba openly gaped at the man. The Inuzuka, now, felt the urge to throw-up. He brought his hands to his mouth, resisting the urge.
"How the hell are you still alive?" Naruto shouted in anger.
"I TOLD YOU, JASHIN-SAMA HAS BLESSED ME! I CAN'T DIE, YOU FUCKERS!" Hidan roared. His eyes then focused on Naruto and narrowed. "You've made a grave mistake, jinchūriki. The rest of Akatsuki will find you and tear out that goddamn beast out of you and you will die, spending the rest of your miserable afterlife in hell!"
Despite still feeling disgust at what they had seen, both Sakura and Kiba seemed confused and interested by Hidan's comment. They both turned their head towards Naruto, who was now starting to feel uncomfortable. A scowl quickly developed on his face as he went over to Hidan's face and grabbed it.
"What are you doing? UNHAND ME YOU BASTARD!" Hidan demanded.
"Hey Sakura, Kiba; do me a favor and toss the rest of his body over the bridge." Naruto requested.
Both Sakura and Kiba nodded in understanding. The two genin appeared uncomfortable, but they did as Naruto asked. Both shinobi quickly tossed over Hidan's waist and his torso deep under the water. Hidan's eyes widened as he noticed Naruto tighten his grip on his hair.
"G-Goddamn you!" The Akatsuki shinobi hissed. "What? You gonna toss my head over the edge too?"
"Nah." Naruto snorted in response. "You apparently live forever anyway. Might as well take you back to Konoha and see if the T&I Department can pry some information out of ya. After all, you're Akatsuki, aren't you?"
"The fuck? No!" Hidan spat. "I'm not telling you shit about anything!"
"That's not for you to decide." Naruto grumbled.
The Uzumaki quickly placed the head on the bridge. He then pulled out a blank scroll. He took out a pen and began writing seals on it.
"You... Are really going to take him back with us?" Sakura questioned, looking at Naruto in surprise.
"Yup. Trust me; this guy may just be talking shit right now, but he knows things. He knows things that will maybe help save lives if we know them." Naruto said definitively.
"Fuck you..." Hidan continued to hiss.
Naruto opened his mouth to fire-back, but before he could say anything, something jumped onto the ground next to Hidan's head.
"Z-Zetsu?" Hidan's eyes widened at the sight of the creature.
'Zetsu' gave no immediate verbal reply. It proceeded to kick Naruto away hard, knocking the sealing scroll out of his hands and into the water. It then proceeded to pick up Hidan's hand.
"My, Hidan, you got yourself into a pickle, haven't you? You're lucky we managed to get here just in time." 'White Zetsu' commented with a chuckle.
"I-" Hidan opened his mouth to speak.
"Save it; we're not here for your excuses. We can discuss those later." 'Black Zetsu' said sharply.
"H-Hey! Stop!" Kiba shouted.
Both Kiba and Naruto charged forward at the venus fly-tapper creature, trying to re-obtain Hidan's head. The creature, however, vanished just as the two attacked. They ended up nearly colliding against each other, forcing them to stop their attacks. They then looked around the area.
"Wh-What was that thing?" Sakura questioned, bringing her hands to her face in surprise.
"I don't know and I have no clue where it went!" Kiba hissed as he tried to sniff the air. "I can't track its scent!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto quickly created one hundred clones. "Search the area! Find that thing!"
The clones quickly rushed off in pursuit of 'Zetsu' and Hidan's head. With the clones gone, Naruto immediately rushed to the side of the bridge.
"Gamaken, help me out. We need to get rest of the body!" Naruto shouted.
The toad nodded his head in understanding. The two then proceeded to jump off the side of the bridge into the water. Kiba, Akamaru, and Sakura waited on the bridge for them to come back up. Roughly a full minute passed by before Naruto reappeared, gasping for air.
"Did you find the body?" Kiba shouted.
Naruto jumped back onto the bridge, breathing heavily. It took him a few seconds to catch his breath before nodding his head.
"Yeah... I just couldn't pick it up. I was running out of breath." He admitted, still panting hard. "Gamaken's bringing it up."
On cue, Gamaken jumped out of the war, holding Hidan's body and waist in his hands. He sat the two parts of the body on the ground. Naruto immediately pulled out another scroll to seal the parts of the body away, but just as he pulled out the scroll, 'Zetsu' reappeared. The creature was no longer holding Hidan's head in its hands and was now looking at the body parts Gamaken had tossed.
"Ooh, you found them. Thanks; you saved us a swim." 'White Zetsu' said, grinning slightly.
Gamaken responded by charging at the creature, holding his sasumata tightly in his hands. He swung the weapon downward, but 'Zetsu' quickly faded into the bridge, disappearing. It then reappeared directly behind Hidan's body parts. It quickly grabbed one chunk with its right hand and the other with its left hand.
"This is heavy..." 'White Zetsu' frowned.
"We're giving Hidan shit for this." 'Black Zetsu' noted.
"Who the fuck are you?" Naruto demanded as he rushed forward at the two.
The blonde extended his right hand. An orb of chakra began to develop and spun rapidly. He tried to slam the jutsu into the creature's body, but 'Zetsu' quickly sunk into the surface of the bridge, disappearing once again. Naruto's jutsu failed to connect.
"Our name-" 'White Zetsu' began.
"Is not important." 'Black Zetsu' finished. "You got lucky that Hidan is an idiot, jinchūriki. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
With those words, 'Zetsu' completely vanished. Naruto's eyes quickly scanned the area around them, looking for any signs of them. Unfortunately, there was no sign. It was as if 'Zetsu' and Hidan had not even been there.
"Goddammit..." He shook his head. "They got away!"
Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru walked forward to Naruto's side, frowning slightly in confusion. Gamaken, however, looked down in shame.
"They're all gone, then. I... apologize." The toad declared, unable to look upward. "I am sorry for not being much assistance again, Naruto. I seem to still be too clumsy to be useful to you."
Naruto immediately turned his attention back to Gamaken and shook his head: "No, don't say that! You were a tremendous help fighting that man! Don't say that!"
Gamaken shook his head slightly, but he did finally look up at Naruto and smiled at the compliment. He quickly disappeared in a poof of smoke, returning back to his home. With the toad gone, Naruto finally made a hand sign and stopped channeling the Kyūbi's chakra. His physical appearance turned back to normal. He then sighed in relief before turning his attention back to his team.
"I'm... sorry about all of that. Are you two alright?" He questioned.
"I'm… fine. I don't think he ever got a chance to attack me really. He was too focused on you guys." Sakura said with a sigh. "I… feel sick though…"
"Same. And I hurt like hell. I don't know what technique he did to me, but it hurt like a bitch and it still hurts." Kiba said with a frown. Akamaru turned back into his normal appearance. The little dog walked over to his partner and licked Kiba's leg affectionately. The Inuzuka smiled in response for a moment, before the smile turned right back into a frown. "What was that plant thing, though?"
"I have no clue. I haven't seen anything like that before." Naruto scowled. "I'm pissed, though. It helped that man get away. We could have actually brought in someone from Akatsuki and it just popped out of nowhere to save him!"
The three remained quiet for a moment. It took Naruto a few seconds before he finally calmed down. Kiba and Sakura, however, seemed more confused than anything else.
"Naruto… he said something about you being a jinchūriki." Sakura noted.
"Yeah." Kiba commented, frowning slightly. "He also said-"
"Guys, do you mind if we get back on the road for a bit?" Naruto questioned, interrupting Kiba. "I… kinda want us to get back on track towards Konoha. That guy side-tracked us for a while and, now, we have some dangerous stuff we need to report about. Once we stop for the night, I'll answer your questions."
Sakura and Kiba both frowned in response, but nodded their heads in understanding. With that, the Konoha shinobi returned on their path. They continued back on the bridge towards Hi no Kuni and Konoha, as if the events on the bridge had not just occurred.
'… Okay, I made my decision. I'm sticking to it.' Anko told herself as she walked through Konoha towards her destination.
The jōnin had been struggling with her decision for a while. She had realistic reasons for wanting to pass on the snake contract to both Shikamaru and Hinata. She felt the summons would actually suit both.
For Shikamaru, she felt the snakes would suit his tactical mind. He could make very good use of snake related jutsus to poison enemies and he would definitely know how to tactically use them. Anko was personally convinced that he could use them in a much for tactical way than she could! Hinata, on the other hand, was someone with a lot of flexibility who redesigned the Gentle Fist to fit her own personal fighting style. Her innate flexibility would complement the snake related jutsus well and could help her move around the battlefield easier in tangent with her own fighting style.
Both shinobi would benefit from the extra 'fire-power' associated with a summoning contract. Both would respect Mamushi's wishes and not abuse and constantly summon snakes. Both were ideal candidates.
'Maybe I should reconsider… no.' Anko shook her head. 'I made my decision. I spent all night thinking about it! I know who is getting the contract. I can't talk myself out of this!'
The jōnin remained firm as she walked through Konoha, preparing to meet up with her student to hand them the summoning contract.
It took her nearly a half hour before she finally arrived at her destination; the Hyūga Clan estate. She quickly entered the estate, was greeted by a branch-family Hyūga, and was escorted to a larger training area. A few seconds passed by before she was greeted by Hinata and Hiashi, who were drinking a cup of tea.
"Anko-sensei?" Hinata questioned upon seeing her.
"Anko-san, it is a pleasure to see you." Hiashi bowed his head slightly at the woman. "My daughter and I are currently taking a break from training. I ask, if you do not mind, if you keep this visit brief, for we are probably going to get back to training soon."
"Don't worry. This won't take long." Anko replied, bowing politely at the Hyūga Clan head. She then turned to face Hinata. "I have something I would like to offer to your daughter, actually."
"What is it, Anko-sensei?" Hinata questioned.
"I… I need to pass down the snake summoning contract to one my student. It's my duty to." Anko declared, placing her right hand over her chest. "I thought long and hard about which one of my students would benefit the most from it. I honestly believe that you would. So, I am here to ask you; do you want to sign the contract?"
Hinata's eyes widened at the question. She was so shocked that she nearly dropped the teacup in her hands.
"Me? A snake summoner?" She questioned quietly. "… Why?"
"I think it would best suit you. I think while Shikamaru could use them for tactics, I think they'd suit your overall fighting style better. Your natural flexibility would make you ideal for the snakes to teach you how to use their jutsus. Plus, they'd provide you with a lot of force behind your techniques." Anko noted with a smile. Her eyes then narrowed slightly as she looked at Hinata seriously. "However, I have another reason. The Snake summoning clan's last main summoner was Orochimaru. Under his name, they were summoned constantly and forced to do a lot of dirty work that resulted in a lot of casualties and shame to their clan. They're a clan that has suffered a lot. Honestly, I believe the clan needs a summoner that is truly kind and gentle. Somebody who will use them properly, yes, but also somebody who could genuinely help them build up their reputation again and be a warm presence that can help the clan. I think the best person for that job is you."
Hinata remained quiet as Anko elaborated on her reasoning. The chūnin looked downward, processing everything.
"I agree with your logic, Anko-san." Hiashi spoke-up. His voice alerted Hinata, causing her to turn her attention to him. A smile developed on his face as he noticed his daughter's look. "Hinata is quite the interesting young woman. She has a tenderness to her heart that I've only seen in her mother. I'm certain if you are looking for a person who can help be of aid to the snake summoning clan, it would be her."
The Hyūga clan head proceeded to place his teacup down. He then walked to Hinata's side and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"It'd be a great honor, Hinata, to have the summoning contract for one used by one of the Sannin, even if it was Orochimaru." He informed her.
Hinata nodded her head in response. She closed her eyes in thought. Both Anko and Hiashi stared at her intently, waiting for a response. After a few seconds, the chūnin opened her eyes and nodded her head.
"I do not know if I am the best choice for such an honor, but I accept it." Hinata said, smiling at her sensei.
"Heh. Humble as always. That's part of the reason why I think you are the best choice." Anko grinned.
The jōnin proceeded to bite her thumb. She ran through a series of hand signs before slamming her open palm on the ground. A poof of smoke filled the room before Mamushi appeared in the room. Hinata's eyes widened as she looked at the large snake. The snake tried to extend herself, but she immediately was forced to lower her head to avoid hitting the ceiling.
"Anko-chan, you summoned me in a cramped place like this? Why?" Mamushi grumbled as she tried to adjust to the room.
"Er… sorry. I got kinda excited. I should've probably asked if Hinata would come outside with me for a minute." Anko chuckled uneasily, rubbing the back of her head. She then quickly jumped in between the snake and Hinata. "Mamushi-sama, this is Hyūga Hinata, the student I was talking to you about earlier. Hinata, this is Mamushi."
Hinata took a moment to step forward in front of the snake. Her eyes looked up at the snake for a moment. A second passed by before she bowed.
"It's an honor to meet you, Mamushi-sama." She said politely.
"My, my. A young woman who seems to know a thing or two about respect. I like that. Maybe you can teach something to Anko-chan." The snake commented with a smirk, causing Anko to scowl. "It is nice to meet you, Hinata-chan. I assume Anko-chan already talked to you. Are you ready to sign my clan's contract?"
"I… I am." Hinata nodded her head, letting a small smirk develop on her face.
Mamushi's smirk turned into a more sincere smile. She then opened her mouth. A brown scroll proceeded to come out of her mouth. Her tongue grabbed onto it, preventing it from falling to the ground. She then set it down directly in front of the Hyūga heiress, extended it out.
"Please draw blood and sign your name in blood." Mamushi requested. "Then, coat your fingers with your blood and place them on the scroll, giving us a record of your fingerprints."
Hinata nodded her head in understanding. She then quickly pulled out a kunai and stabbed her finger slightly. She then began to sign the contract.
'Hinata…' Hiashi smiled as he watched his daughter finish signing her name. He then watched her getting her blood on her fingers. 'I meant it; this is an incredible honor. I am proud of you.'
After slamming her own palm on the scroll, getting her fingerprints on them, Mamushi quickly rolled the scroll up and grabbed it with her tongue. She swallowed it once again. A smile developed on her face.
"Everything is in order. Welcome to my clan, Hyūga Hinata." Mamushi declared.
Sunset came rather quickly for Naruto: too quickly. Nevertheless, once time came, the group stopped their travels. They then proceeded to quickly set up camp. Kiba and Akamaru quickly caught fish while Naruto sent out clones to collect firewood. They then proceeded to cook the fish and began eating. Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru, while eating, were looking at Naruto expectantly, waiting for him to speak. Naruto noticed their looks and sighed.
"You're going to have to talk to them. You promised them information. You shouldn't have promised them anything if you didn't want to talk." Kurama informed Naruto within his mind. "Just talk to them about me and get it over with. It's pathetic seeing you so scared. If they judge you simply because you have me sealed in you, then they're not worth a second thought."
Naruto resisted the urge to scowl after the Kyūbi's comment. Instead, he let out a sigh before turning his full attention to his fellow shinobi.
"So… you know the word that man called me? Jinchūriki?" Naruto questioned them. Both Kiba and Sakura nodded their heads. "Do you know what it means?"
"Nope." Kiba shook his head, frowning slightly. Akamaru whined in agreement.
"I… I do." Sakura, in contrast, nodded her head.
"… Of course you would." The Uzumaki let out a small, humorless chuckle. "If you know some facts about that psycho's religion from just reading in your spare time, you'd surely know something actually practical like that."
"I've read about it before in my spare time when looking into one of my favorite authors, actually, who was a jinchūriki." Sakura said. "If… you really are a jinchūriki, then I think I can piece together what you want to say."
"… Of course you'd be able to." Naruto sighed.
"I can't. I don't know what it means. Don't leave me in the dark!" Kiba requested, frowning slightly.
"Being a jinchūriki means I have a bijū sealed inside me." Naruto answered plainly.
Kiba's eyes widened. Realization finally dawned in his head as he reflected on seeing Naruto's altered appearance on the bridge.
"Not just any bijū though, am I right?" Sakura spoke-up. She brought her hands together as her eyes narrowed on him. "… The Yondaime didn't actually kill the Kyūbi, did he? He sealed it inside you."
"… Yep, you had everything figured out." Naruto, once again, sighed.
"It took a while to come to that realization. The Academy told us that he killed the fox, so it simply couldn't be the case. But then again, what other bijū could you have in you if you really are a jinchūriki born in Konoha?" The kunoichi had a frown on her face. "Naruto… why did the academy lie to us? Why didn't they come clean and just admit we had a new jinchūriki?"
"That was Old Man Hokage's idea. Because of the circumstances with the Kyūbi attack and the fact that I had it sealed in me when I was baby, not like a young kid or anything, he thought that if he put regulations on how many people knew about my status that were my age, it wouldn't prevent me from making my friends." Naruto's face twisted into a frown of his own. "Jinchūriki are notoriously lonely, y'know? They have difficulty making friends because nobody really trusts them. Everyone's afraid that they'll mess up and release the demon. The Hokage was just trying to help me with the law." He let out a small humorless laugh. "Not like it helped much with kids our age, but I appreciate that he tried something."
Both Sakura and Kiba were quiet after his words. Naruto looked downward to the ground, frowning. A few more seconds passed by before he heard footsteps. Naruto looked forward and saw that both Sakura and Kiba were walking closer to him.
"Y'know, it all makes sense. I always thought you had the scent of a fox." Kiba said with a small chuckle.
Naruto's frown faded. In its place, the blonde now had a look of confusion: "Huh?"
"Everyone I know smells like some kind of animal. You always smelled like a fox. I didn't know why, cause they aren't horribly common in Konoha, but I guess that all makes sense if you have one sealed inside you." The Inuzuka stated with another chuckle. "Guess I only got one question for you, Naruto. Why did you not want to tell us at the bridge? Why couldn't you tell us then?"
"I-"
"It's not because you thought we'd up and judge you or leave your or something, was it?" Sakura interrupted Naruto, frowning slightly.
"… Sorta." Naruto admitted, his frown returning. "I, well, was concerned that you two would be concerned about my ability to control the fox and-"
"Naruto, even if I was concerned about stuff with you having the Kyūbi inside you, you displayed full control on the bridge. You were fine out there!" Sakura retorted, shaking her head.
"Even if you really couldn't, I wouldn't judge you or something. You got chosen to do something for Konoha and hold the fox, so I can't judge you for how you do your job. You're still the same Naruto I grew up with. Nothing's going to change that." Kiba informed him sharply. "Not you being a jinchūriki or whatever the word is. Not you being chūnin or my team captain. Not even if you become the goddamn Hokage!" A smirk developed on Kiba's face as he extended his fist outward. "You're still the same dumbass that I goofed off with in class from time to time."
Naruto's frown finally went away for good; the boy had a wide, sincere smile as he bumped fists with Kiba.
"I appreciate that, Kiba. Really do." He said with a chuckle.
"You're still the same old Naruto to me too." Sakura added with a giggle. A moment passed by before she frowned and looked down slightly. "Er… I'm, um, sorry… if anything I did in the academy made you think I'd judge you for being a jinchūriki…"
"Sakura-chan, don't apologize for that!" Naruto shook his head. "I… I just know some people judge me. I wasn't assuming you would because of anything. It's just kinda a paranoid thought." The blonde's smiled grew wider as he extended his fist out to her. "Really. Don't apologize."
"… If you say so." Sakura's frown disappeared as quickly as it came and a smile developed on her face as she also bumped fists with Naruto.
"So, out of curiosity Naruto, did you always know?" Kiba asked.
Naruto shook his head. A small smile developed on his face as he began to retell the story of finding out about the Kyūbi with Mizuki… while simultaneously finding out how good of friends Shikamaru and Hinata were. Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru listened intently, wanting to learn more from the blonde.
A knock sounded throughout the Hokage's office. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked towards the door from his desk before coughing slightly.
"Come in." He said.
The door to his office opened up. Jiraiya entered the room, followed behind by Tsunade. The blonde-haired woman had a scowl on her face and she crossed her arms over her chest the moment she saw the Sandaime. Despite her apparent demeanor, Hiruzen sighed in relief at the sight of her and a wide smiled developed on his face.
"Tsunade, it is great to see you again after so long." He greeted her cheerfully. "I take it Jiraiya gave you my scroll?"
"Of course. Why do you think I'm here, Old Man?" Tsunade snorted in response.
"Believe it or not, I missed that snark. You aren't the only person to call me Old Man, but there's something special hearing you say that." The Sandaime continued to chuckle.
His laughter caused Tsunade to scowl more. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jiraiya started before she could.
"So, as you requested, I brought back Tsunade here. You can now make her Hokage and be done with it." He stated with a chuckle as he turned his back towards the door.
"I agreed to come here, but I'm not agreeing to that." Tsunade said sharply.
The Sannin then reached out and grabbed the back of Jiraiya's outfit and dragged him back into the room before he could leave. Hiruzen watched the display in front of him and frowned.
"I don't think you two understand that one of you will be taking my title. I don't care that neither of you seem to want the position; Konoha needs new leadership and a new leader to rally around. And there is nobody better fit than you two." He stated sharply.
Hiruzen made a single hand sign. The door to the office completely shut and locked itself. The windows to the room shut. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade turned to face the man.
"You two are acting selfish right now and putting your own interests and desires above the village. I have entertained you both for a long time, but I am not going to allow it any longer. I need to finally step down and you two are the people I safely trust to run the village the best." Hiruzen stated sharply. "Both of you have a strong reputation, both of you are incredibly strong shinobi, both of you are skilled in politics and won't allow someone like Danzō to potentially run over your rule, and both of you, despite how you are acting right now seeming to suggest otherwise, love Konoha."
"Sarutobi-sensei, I-" Tsunade opened her mouth to retort.
"I know what happened to Nawaki and Dan, Tsunade. I know you are still affected by the events, but we have all experienced loss. I gave you all of the time in the world to mourn; I did not give you time to allow your grief to consume you." Hiruzen crossed his arms sharply, glaring at the woman in front of him and releasing killing intent. "And I did not give you time to place any form of bitterness against Konoha, the very village that both Nawaki and Dan loved above all else! They would both be honored to see you as the Hokage and you know that. Don't reject the title out of bitterness; the very action is a direct insult against everything they stood for!"
Tsunade's words died on her tongue. The Sannin looked down slightly as she reached for the necklace around her neck.
"As for you, Jiraiya," Hiruzen turned his attention to his other student, "I know you aren't fully being selfish. I know you do not believe you have the qualities worthy of being Hokage. I also know you believe that the spy network is important and it would be difficult to replace you. However, surely you must understand that while it would be difficult, it would be possible." The Hokage's eyes narrowed on him. "You must also know that I would not give the position to someone I think was unworthy. Jiraiya, quit wallowing in your own sense of self-pity!"
Jiraiya looked downward as well, giving no verbal reply to Hiruzen.
The Sandaime Hokage looked at both of his former students. For the first time in years, he saw two people that resembled the students he met when they had just graduated from the academy. He sighed as he took off his hat and placed it on the desk.
"I don't mean to be harsh. Forgive me for any comments I made and may make. However, you all must understand; I need to step down and someone needs to replace me. I need it to be one of you two." Hiruzen said firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And I stand by firm in that decision. None of us are going to leave this room until I get one of you to willingly to take the hat."
The moon shone brightly over the Great Konoha Bridge. 'Zetsu' was currently standing right by the entrance to the Hi no Kuni border. It was holding onto Hidan's head. The rest of the man's body parts were scattered on the ground, directly in front of the creature.
"Looks like the coast is clear. It took a while before the blonde's shadow clones looking for us finally dissipated. That kid must have a lot of chakra. Typical for a jinchūriki, I suppose." 'White Zetsu' commented. It then looked at Hidan. "Anyway, we're safe now. What happened, Hidan? How'd let you a group of three Konoha shinobi take advantage of you so badly?"
"F-Fuck you…" Hidan hissed, still trying to breathe properly.
"That's literally the last thing you should be saying to us, Hidan. It is thanks to us that you not on your way to Konoha to be tortured for information." 'Black Zetsu' replied.
"Th-That would have been nothing! I'm immortal! I could have survived some torture, no problem!" Hidan replied immediately.
"Really? Then why do you look so scared after just mentioning it, buddy?" 'White Zetsu' asked with a frown on its side of the face.
"Perhaps you realize that maybe life as a head, being tortured for information, would have been a fate worse than death. Or maybe you were scared that the Konoha shinobi would experiment on you. Perhaps they'd discover a way to break your immortality." 'Black Zetsu' mumbled, hypothesizing about Hidan's fears.
"… I…" Hidan closed his eyes. "… That was all a nightmare. A vision of things that could come one day. Jashin-sama was punishing me for not sacrificing enough shinobi in his names."
"I can't say about your god, but I know another god that would have punished you if you actually managed to succeed in what you were doing." 'White Zetsu' noted.
"Was there any reason you were separated from Kakuzu? And was there any reason why you were actively trying to kill the Kyūbi jinchūriki despite knowing the role they play in Pain's plans?" 'Black Zetsu' nearly snarled his questions.
"I… I hadn't sacrificed anybody in a while, so I let Kakuzu leave me so I could hunt some shinobi in the area. I didn't know I was fighting a jinchūriki until he used its chakra." Hidan admitted. A scowl then developed on his face. "You… You don't have a relationship with Jashin-sama. You don't understand; I need to make sacrifices for him. I've been a poor follower recently; I haven't made many and have allowed Kakuzu to take most of my sacrifices. I… I got desperate to make one. I needed to make just one!"
"I understand, Hidan." 'White Zetsu' replied.
"It doesn't change the fact that you went against Pain. You are lucky that we bothered to fish you out." 'Black Zetsu' said bluntly. "We could have left you down there and you would have deserved it. If your 'Jashin' is real, I'm sure he would have been alright with that decision. After all, who wants a follower that doesn't fight strategically simply because they can't be killed in combat?" 'Black Zetsu' then let out a malicious laugh. "You just saw how you could still technically 'die', even without physically being killed. Do you still think you're untouchable just because you're immortal? Do you think you are above everything else?"
Hidan gave no reply. The Akatsuki member closed his eyes as he recollected on his fight with Naruto, along with Zetsu's words.
'I… I was a fool. Jashin-sama is displeased with me.' He realized. 'I… I broke one of my religious vows. I allowed my hubris to get the best of me and clouded my judgment. Jashin-sama condemns ignorance. He wants his followers to be smart to defeat all foes and sacrifice them in his name. Please, my lord, forgive me! Forgive me!'
Hidan began mumbling phrases to himself. 'Zetsu' sighed as the creature walked to his body. Zetsu then picked up Hidan's waist and his scythe in one hand and his torso and head in the other.
"We'll take you back to Kakuzu, wherever he is. He'll stitch you up back together, good as new." 'White Zetsu' said cheerfully. "Please, be more careful next time Hidan. We can't have you dying on us. You have a role in our master's plan, after all."
"We are giving you a second chance. Do not waste it." 'Black Zetsu' informed him sharply.
Hidan opened his eyes and nodded his head to the best of his abilities.
'This… this is a second chance. This is a rebirth. Jashin-sama has given me another chance. I won't let it go to waste. I'll double-up on my sacrifices. I'll re-read the sacred texts and learn as many of Jashin-sama's holy jutsus as I can. I'll be a much more careful fighter from now on.' Hidan told himself. His eyes then narrowed and a scowl developed. 'And I'll make sure that Akatsuki successfully captures that blond bastard and rips the Kyūbi out of him. I'll personally see to that. That little shit will regret the day he was born! I'll make sure that the next time I see him, he'll wish I killed him here!'
A new sense of determination filled Hidan's head as Zetsu took him away to meet-up with Kakuzu.
Omake 5: Kiba's Scent
Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru stopped again for the night. After traveling all day, they were tired and ready to rest. They were one more day away from Konoha. If they continued at the pace as soon as they woke-up the next day, they would arrive in Konoha shortly an hour after noon.
"Alright guys; let's get a campfire started, get some food ready, then get some sleep. We should be in Konoha sometime early tomorrow." Naruto stated.
"Leave food to me. I'll find us something good." Kiba smirked as he and Akamaru slowly started to walk away.
"Hey Kiba; wait a second." Sakura called out. "I have a question!"
The Inuzuka and his partner stopped walking. They looked back in confusion.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"I remembered something you said earlier when we were talking to Naruto." Sakura noted. "You said everyone you knew had a scent like an animal. I was just thinking about that and I was wondering what animal I smelt like."
"You smell like a rabbit." Kiba answered with a shrug.
"A rabbit?" Both Naruto and Sakura repeated the animal in confusion.
"Yup." The Inuzuka, once again, shrugged. "Not too strongly, but your scent has some resemblance to a rabbit. Don't really know why though."
"Yeah, I don't know either." Sakura shrugged in response. "I don't think I've ever been around rabbits much. They are really cute animals though!"
"I don't know why. I will admit, though, I can only smell that scent if I really concentrate." Kiba said with a frown. "Cause honestly, Sakura, I have no clue what kind of shit you use when you bathe, but that shit's overpowering sometimes. Can you change brands to something less powerful? It actually burns my nose?"
"… Kiba, don't tell me how I should bathe. That does not concern you." Sakura said quietly. Her hands tightened into fists as she glared at him threateningly.
"Hey, you brought up the topic and I was just saying!" Kiba defended himself, scoffing slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know if whatever you use in your hair or your soap, but it fucking burns my nose."
Sakura's eyes narrowed further. She looked as if she was about to take another step toward Kiba and attack him, but she stopped as Naruto spoke-up.
"You know, this may sound funny, but I kinda thought Hinata would smell like a rabbit." He admitted with a small chuckle. "I don't know why. Something about the way she carried herself when we met made me think that."
"… Don't know why you'd think that. Hinata pretty clearly smells like a cat." Kiba, once again, shrugged.
"A cat?" The blonde gave him a confused look.
"Yup. All Hyūga do, honestly. But not just like normal cats. They smell like what I assume a lion or tiger would smell like." The Inuzuka replied. His face then started to scowl. "Explains why I don't like most Hyūga. Her cousin, Neji, smelled more like one more than she did and I just wanted nothing more than to punch that bastard in the face when I first met him."
"Same, although it had nothing to do with his scent." Naruto admitted with a slight chuckle. He then cocked his eyebrow. "What do the other shinobi we know smell like that we know?"
"Well, your other teammate, Shikamaru smells like a deer." Kiba said. "Makes sense, since his clan takes care of them. Chōji smells like a cow… but I think that may have something to do with all the fried beef he eats or something."
"That's… sorta dark if you think about it like that." Sakura admitted with a frown.
"I suppose." Kiba shrugged again. "Let's see… Shino smells like honeybees. Ino smells a lot like flowers, but I actually do smell a bit of pig on her-"
"HA!" Sakura snorted.
The kunoichi quickly fell over in place, laughing loudly. She made a mental note to tell her friend the moment she got back to Konoha.
"That's actually pretty damn funny." Naruto said with a chuckle. He wasn't laughing as hard as Sakura, since he did not have much of a history with Ino, but even he knew that that was hilarious.
"Nah, it is. Just don't tell her I said that please. That girl will do something to me…" Kiba grumbled, looking down slightly. He then perked up as he recalled more scents. "The Hokage smells like a monkey. Kakashi-sensei, like most of my clan, smells like a dog. Probably why I liked him so much when we first met him. And Sasuke smells like some snake and duck combination."
"Huh?" His mention of Sasuke caused Sakura to stop laughing. She then gave him a confused look. "What does that mean?"
"I don't really know about the snake stuff." The Inuzuka replied with a shrug. He then let out s small chuckle. "But, I mean, the duck thing makes sense if you think about it."
"How?" Sakura continued to question out of curiosity.
"Well, I mean of course he smells like a duck; his hair looks like a duck's butt." Kiba declared before his chuckling turned into full-blown laughter.
Both Naruto and Sakura remained still for a moment as they processed what the Inuzuka had said. A few seconds passed by before Naruto quickly fell to the ground, laughing loudly.
"Oh my god, that's honestly the most hilarious thing I've heard in a long time!" Naruto declared, laughing loudly.
His laughter was infectious, as it caused Kiba's laughter to become even louder and more obnoxious. The two male shinobi continued to laugh, imagining Sasuke's hair as a 'duck's butt'. Sakura, on the other hand, appeared to be horrified.
Her horror quickly faded, however, as she narrowed her eyes on Kiba. She then proceeded to crack her knuckles as she walked closer to him.
"Heh… wh-what are you doing, Sakura?" Kiba questioned, still laughing slightly, unaware of the obvious hostility in Sakura's behavior.
A loud howl of pain sounded throughout the forest in Hi no Kuni. Animals turned their head in surprise at the loud sound before turning their attention to their normal duties. Some poor animal must have been attacked by a human. All they could hope for was that said human would not soon come after them.
"ACHOO!" Sasuke sneezed.
The Uchiha was just returning to Konoha after finishing off a mission in The Land of Snow, which was now apparently going to be called The Land of Spring.
"Getting sick after the mission, Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned.
"… No. I don't get sick." Sasuke replied with a shrug.
The Uchiha left his sensei, along with the rest of the team that had been assigned to the mission. He then walked back to his home. For some reason, he had a strong desire to punch Kiba in the face. He wasn't quite certain why, but the feeling was there.
Quick Note:
1: I can see somebody mentioning how Sakura, a genin, would be able to hit someone like Hidan with a genjutsu. My rationale; the databook that scored the shinobi based off scores one to five. Hidan has a three in genjutsu while Sakura has a three point five (considering the place where my story is taking place, she definitely is at the second databook's information). In addition, it's not like Sakura managed to keep him in a genjutsu. It was just long enough for something to occur. I think it makes sense why she'd get him in one, even for just a few seconds. It just so happened that it ended up being a disastrous few seconds for Hidan. Hope that explains any questions or concerns about that before they could come up! :)
2: Speaking of Hidan... I may be biased, but I always felt like he was the weakest Akatsuki member. Easily. His immortality was the one thing he had going for him and, taking that out of the equation, I thought he seemed a little weak. However, I hope him did him justice in this fight and showed him as the powerful shinobi he obviously is. I also set-up some stuff with him to get a lot tougher and... well... I hope you all enjoy what I have planned for Hidan later in this story... -insert malicious laughter here-
3: Speaking of Hidan; the image I used for Jashin is not necessarily accurate. I don't believe it was ever described in the Naruto manga/anime at all. So, I based it off King Yan/Enma/Yeomna in East Asian Mythology, a being that ruled over the land of the dead. Just wanted to elaborate on the description! :)
4: You all just read it; Hinata got the Snake Summoning Contract. I had been debating this for a while and, honestly, your reviews in chapter nineteen helped a lot. There were a lot of strong arguments for any of the three, but especially for Hinata and Shikamaru. I was so happy at the response and all of the suggestions. Ultimately, I went with Hinata. I am sorry to anybody that really wanted it to be Shikamaru, but I hope you all understand my logic. I do really appreciate all of the suggestions and comments you all gave. It meant a lot to me and it was a lot of fun! :)
Editing Note: (6/16/2016): So, people commented about Naruto's stupidity about letting go of Hidan's head instead of bringing it back to Konoha. Enough people mentioned it. Honestly, that wasn't a thought I ever considered. I don't want you all thinking Naruto is stupid for an oversight that I had never considered. Therefore, I edited those scenes. Naruto now attempted to seal away Hidan and bring him back to Konoha, only for Zetsu to intervene to and save Hidan. I hope this makes more sense and doesn't cause any questions about Naruto's intelligence to develop! :(
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง