Anko Mitarashi whistled cheerfully as she retrieved her kunai from the corpses of the two Kumo missing-nin she had just killed. They had boasted about all the atrocious crimes they had committed before, and how they were going to bring down Konoha alongside the Uchihas, but in the end, what the Snake Lady was hoping to be a challenging fight was anything but.
Oh well, it was a good warm up.
Once she was done, Anko jumped at the roof of a one-story building, and took a look at the battles that she could see from that vantage point. She cursed upon seeing that none of them involved Uchihas. Since he heard so many people getting all hysteric about the Uchihas revolting, how is that she had never run into at least one yet?
Anko always wanted to measure her skills against an Uchiha, and now it was the best chance she got. Besides, if she defeated plenty of those red-eyed freaks, maybe she could secure the promotion she wanted so much.
Suddenly, something caught her attention. At one of the edges of the Naka Bridge, a single man with a massive sword was fighting three Konoha ninja, who were unable to land a hit on him. They finally gave up, and fled, but the man remained in the bridge for some reason. He didn't appear to be an Uchiha, but maybe he would provide a better challenge than those no-name criminals she had been dealing with for the past hour.
Jumping through the rooftops, Anko quickly arrived at the bridge, and landed in front of the man, who stared at her with indifference.
The man was tall, with a muscular build, spiky short black hair, and no eyebrows. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask, similar to Kakashi's. There was a Kirigakure forehead protector on his head, and he was wielding an impossibly big sword. Said man's imposing appearance, combined the amount of killing intent he was projecting would make most people tremble in terror, but that only made Anko more giddy.
"Hey there, tall dark, and handsome! Do you mind if I make you come company?" Anko asked with a foxy grin as she walked towards him.
"Do as you wish. But if you get close to this bridge, you will be dead," the ninja swordsman replied, slamming his word on the ground for a more dramatic effect. Anko, however, didn't flinch.
"How so?"
"The Uchihas tasked me with protecting this bridge. Nobody with a Konoha forehead protector shall pass."
"Ah, yes, the Uchihas. I've been trying to look for one, but I had no luck. Maybe you and your overcompensating sword can provide me some challenge!" Anko said as she dashed at him.
The Kiri ninja raised his sword. "Let's see if you last longer than the other fools who dared to fight me!"
Anko tried to strike the Kiri ninja with her kunai, but all her hits were parried by the man's massive sword. She leaped backwards and tossed several kunai at him, but they were also parried. Fortunately, Anko had something that couldn't be parried by normal means. She quickly formed several hand seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Anko breathed a massive stream of fire shaped like a dragon.
"And unwise move," the Kiri ninja calmly said as he formed hand seals as well. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
The water from the river started to rise in the shape of a twisting pillar. Said pillar took the form of a dragon, and after letting out a roar, charged forwards. Both elemental dragons clashed against each other, but the water dragon easily overpowered Anko's fire dragon, and the purple haired kunoichi was hurled against a wall by the massive water construct.
"Ughh..." Anko groaned, spitting water while trying to stand up. Much to her horror, she saw the swordsman already in mid air, ready to cut her down with that massive sword.
"Die," the masked swordsman stated, and his sword came down.
Fortunately for Anko, the gigantic sword didn't hit her, but another kunai instead, being held by a black haired kunoichi. Taking advantage of the kiri ninja's sudden surprise, the kunoichi managed to kick him back, while she landed on her feet besides Anko.
"Anko! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, thanks, Kurenai," Anko said as she got back on her feet.
"Thanks Kami you recognized me. I have lost count of all the times I have been attacked by Konoha ninjas that mistook me for an Uchiha!" Kurenai complained.
"Well, those red eyes of your kind look like Sharingan," Anko, noted, making Kurenai to frown. "Don't give me that look! I'm just stating the facts."
"Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"I thought I could take this guy alone, but I bit more than I could chew."
"Anko, do you know who is this man?" Kurenai asked. Anko guessed by her tone that it was a rhetoric question. "This is Zabuza Momochi, a missing-nin from Kirigakure, and one of the infamous Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. He attempted a coup d'etat against the Mizukage, but failed. Of course he would be part of an another coup."
"I see that you made your homework," Zabuza appeared to be flattered by Kurenai's knowledge of him. "And yes, guess that I can't help but sympathize with fellow revolutionaries trying to bring down a corrupt government. But then again, the obscene amount of money the Uchihas paid me is a big incentive as well."
"Be careful Anko, this guy is a Jonin, and a strong one might I add. Plus he isn't randomly attacking civilians or looting stores like other mercenaries the Uchiha hired. They placed him to guard an access to the part of the village where the Hokage Tower is. Then there's all the water around us that he can use to fuel his jutsus."
"Well, he certainly is as tough as he looks. Too bad your boyfriend isn't here, we could use a Jonin right now."
Kurenai suddenly turned red. "What are you saying? Asuma is not my boyfriend!"
"I never mentioned Asuma by name, did I?" Anko asked with a sly grin, making Kurenai to blush even harder. "But that's okay, because do you know what does this mean?" Anko asked. The raven-haired kunoichi looked at her, dumbfounded. "If we beat this guy, we may become Jonin ourselves!"
"Anko...the village is suffering one of its worst debacles since the Nine Tails, and you're thinking in promotions?" Kurenai asked in disbelief.
Anko shrugged. "Eh, I'm an optimist person. Besides, Konoha survived the Kyubi attack. This is nothing in comparison."
"True, but back then we had the Yellow Flash."
"In that case, we'll have to fight extra hard to make up for it!" Anko said as he adopted a fighting stance. Kurenai soon followed.
"So, you're going to fight me then," Zabuza stated, as he eyed her opponents. "I don't think you appear on my bingo book. I'm going to guess that you're both Chunin, B-Rank at the most. I shouldn't have any problems killing you, even if it's one on two. But then again," Zabuza said menacingly as he formed a hand seal with one hand. "Why should I take the risk? Water Release: Water Clone Jutsu!"
Four blobs of water jumped from the river into the ground, and they took the shape of four Zabuzas, gigantic sword included.
"Now that's much better," Zabuza smiled under his mask. "Shall we begin?"
The four clones charged forwards, two dashing towards Anko and the other two towards Kurenai. The red-eyed woman guessed that the clones were just a distraction to keep them busy so the infamous swordsman could kill them from behind. Not if she had something to say about it. The black haired kunoichi flied through hand seals, pulled two kunai, and fended off her attackers.
As Zabuza watched the battle, he saw that the Kurenai was having the most trouble dealing with his clones. She'll be his first victim then. Making a hand seal, he used the Body Flicker to appear behind her, and run his Executioner Blade through her body.
"Kurenai!" Anko cried as she continued fighting the water clones.
"One down, another one to-huh?" Zabuza mentioned as he realized that the wound on Kurenai didn't leak any blood. Suddenly, multiple snakes burst from Kurenai's wound and wrapped tightly around Zabuza. "What the hell is this...? Of course, an accursed genjutsu!"
Fighting the snakes off, Zabuza managed to bring his hands together and make a hand seal. "Release!"
And after a burst of chakra, everything went back to normal. Zabuza hadn't moved from his original spot, but his clones were gone and his two female opponents were flanking him, each holding a kunai flying at his chest. In the last second, Zabuza managed to grab and stop both arms before being gutted alive. However, that left him unable to defend himself from Anko and Kurenai's kicks, which hurled him backwards.
"Ha! That got him good!" Anko cheered.
"To bad he saw through my genjutsu. Two seconds later, and he would be dead," Kurenai observed.
Zabuza was started to get angry. How this two nobodies dared to make fun of him! His hands furiously flied through hand seals.
"I've wasted enough time with you two! Water Release: Great Crushing Wave!"
A gigantic wall of water rose from the river, and streamed down right on the terrified kunoichi, loudly crashing on the ground, crushing the two women under tons of water. While Zabuza was sure that attack was enough to kill them, he swore that he heard a voice saying "Summoning jutsu!"
And just like the water receded back into the river, he saw a giant snake coiled around something. The snake uncoiled itself, revealing Anko and Kurenai, completely wet but not particularly harmed.
"Snakes...tell me, is any of you related to Orochimaru of the Sannin?" the missing-nin from Kiri asked.
Anko's happy and battle-eager expression morphed into a mask of fury. "Don't even dare to mention that name in my presence!"
Zabuza smirked under his mask. "I guess I hit a nerve, didn't I?"
The snake appeared to react to Anko's anger, and lunged at Zabuza , its jaws wide open. Zabuza leaped at the snake as well, raising his Executioner's Blade. The fight was short lived, as Zabuza quickly delivered an horizontal chop, and the snake vanished in a poor of smoke. Kurenai ran through hand signs once more.
"Demonic Illusion: World of Decay!"
The moment Zabuza landed, he found he couldn't move his legs. Much to his horror, they were starting to melt as if they were an ice cream on a really warm day. After immediately realizing that he fell into another genjutsu, he made a hand seal before his hands would melt as well. "Release!"
After quickly disturbing his chakra network, everything turned back to normal, and this time Anko and Kurenai were in front of him ready to attack him. He was completely sure they weren't part of a genjutsu. So why they didn't attack him while he was under Kurenai's genjutsu? The answer came in the form of killing intent coming from behind him.
Zabuza quickly turned around and raised his sword, blocking the two katana strikes that would have sliced his back had he not reacted in time. The wielders of those katanas were a brown haired man with a bandana on his head wearing the typical Konoha Chunin uniform, and a purple haired woman wearing ANBU gear, minus the mask.
After parrying the attack, Zabuza pushed them back.
"Hey look, the lovebirds decided to join the party!" Anko noted, as he waved at them. "Hey Yugao, Hayate, how was your anniversary date?"
"Well, let's say that it was different from what I had in mind," Yugao bitterly answered. "We had to go home and get changed since there's no way I could fight wearing a night dress."
"Isn't this guy Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist?" Hayate asked between coughs.
"Yeah, he's part of the Uchiha's mercenaries. Care to help us?" Kurenai asked.
Hayate and Yugao both raised their katanas. "Sure, between the four of us shouldn't be a problem," the former noted.
"Do not mistake quantity with quality, twerp. Just like how ten stupid men won't sum a smart man, ten weaklings won't sum a strong warrior. You are all below me!" Zabuza claimed in a grandiose manner.
"If you're so strong, why haven't you killed us yet? Kurenai and I have been fighting you for quite some time and here we are. The odds are even greater in our favor than before. Do everybody a favor and surrender already," Anko said.
"The Demon of the Hidden Mist NEVER surrenders!" Zabuza yelled while making a hand seal. "Let's see what good your superior numbers are against this! Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Suddenly, a very thick mist covered the battlefield. Kurenai panicked. This was Zabuza's favorite tactic, blind their opponents and kill them silently afterwards. The Demon of the Hidden Mist had decided to fight seriously.
"Oh man, this can't be good for my asthma," Hayate moaned to himself, coughing a bit. Then, he raised his sword and adopted a defensive stance. "Yugao! Track him!"
Yugao made a hand sign and closed her eyes. "On it!"
Fortunately for the Konoha ninja, the purple haired kunoichi happened to be a sensor. She had a hard time tracking Zabuza, since the mist was laced with his chakra. However, she quickly found that said chakra was much more concentrated at certain point. "Kurenai, behind you!"
The raven haired kunoichi turned around and raised a kunai just in time to parry the blow aimed at her gut. The clang resulting of the metal clashing was enough to reveal Zabuza's position to Hayate. The only male Konoha Chunin leaped at Zabuza. "Fire Release: Burning Edge!"
The blade of Hayate's katana was wreathed in flames that dispelled the mist the moment it touched it, and found Zabuza in no time. Zabuza had to ignore Kurenai and fend off the swings of the ninja with the flaming sword. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize Anko getting closer until it was too late.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A snake emerged from Anko's sleeve, and bite Zabuza in the neck. The snake's poison quickly paralyzed Zabuza, until the Kiri missing-nin lost all control of his body and fell to the ground, motionless. The mist then disappeared.
"We did! We took Zabuza down!" Kurenai cheered.
"Oh yes, I can feel that Jonin diploma in my hands! Go Team Estrogen!" Anko cheered while pumped her fist.
"Hey, I helped too!" Hayata protested, before going into a coughing fit.
"Go Team Estrogen plus Hayate!"
Yugao walked towards Zabuza's body and checked his vitals. "He's still alive. Anko, was that poison you injected him lethal?"
"Nope, just a paralytic toxin. He'll be cold for two days. I guessed that maybe I could bring this guy to T&I and get some useful information out of his head. You don't capture every day a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist!"
"Well thought. We should hide his body while we finish off the remaining Uchiha and mercenaries."
"Understood. I know a place that-AHHHHHHH!" Anko suddenly yelled as she fell on her knees and her hand reached the back of her neck.
"Anko!" Kurenai quickly rushed to check her. "What's going on?"
"The Cursed Seal...it burns..." Anko said, visibly in pain.
Kurenai opened her eyes wide at the implications of such statement. "That...that means..."
"Y-yes...that traitorous bastard is here..."
…
Senju Residence
"Tsunade Senju, you, your husband and your adoptive son have been declared a threat to the village, and will have to come with us. If you resist arrest, we will-"
BOOM!
"AAAAAARGGGH!"
"Excuse me, were you saying something?" Tsunade asked innocently.
While Tsunade dealt with the two Jonin and two Chunin –now just one– that were sent to capture her and Naruto, Shizune was tasked with keeping the children safe.
Naruto and the twins watched how Shizune removed the carpet from the living room, and made a hand seal. Suddenly, a trapdoor appeared all of sudden. Shizune opened the trapdoor and motioned the kids to go inside.
"This is a shelter we built after Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama listened to a prophecy from one of the toads of Mount Myoboku. Jiraiya-sama covered it with all kinds of protective seals, so it's pretty much impossible for anybody with the exception of Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama or myself to open it from the outside. The seals also make it impossible to find, even to those with a Byakugan or a Sharinagan. The shelter has enough food and water to last a month for the six of us, so for you three it should last even more. It also has a bathroom.
"And this is important: no matter what you hear us say, even if, no, especially if you hear us asking you to come out, DON'T COME OUT. We will retrieve you once all this madness is over. Understood?"
Naruto nodded, the twins did the same.
"Now get in there, and don't be afraid, I promise everything will be fine," Shizune reassured, forcing herself to smile, unsure if that was a promise she could keep.
"Are you and mom going to be okay, Shizune-neechan?" Hagane asked.
"Of course, sweetie. Your mom is the strongest woman there is, nobody can't hurt her. Especially with me helping her."
"Yeah, mom is like, super strong! I trained with her and her strength knows no limits! The only ones who would come close to her are dad and the Hokage!" Naruto added. Shizune couldn't help but wonder if his optimism was genuine or if he was trying to calm down the twins. Either way, it was a good thing.
"Naruto-kun, you're the eldest, so you'll have to take care of your siblings while Tsunade-sama and I are busy, understood?"
Naruto valiantly nodded before he and the twins headed to the underground shelter. Shizune then closed the trapdoor, made another hand seal, and the trapdoor disappeared once again. Lastly, she put the carpet back.
Taking one last glance at the invisible shelter, and wondering if she'll live to see her almost little siblings again, Shizune rushed outside to assist her master and mother figure
…
Hokage's Tower
Fugaku Uchiha's eight man squad broke into the entrance of the Hokage's workplace and residence, only to find it deserted. They moved towards the first floor, but it was just as empty. The second floor was devoid of any life as well. Fugaku smelled a trap.
"Kenichi, track the Hokage, now!" the Uchiha Clan Head ordered.
"Yes, Fugaku-sama!" Kenichi, the Uchiha sensor, made a hand seal and closed his eyes. As his senses expanded, he didn't perceive anybody in the building, until he reached the roof. "Found him! He's standing in the roof!"
"How many ANBUs has with him?"
"Actually...none, Fugaku-sama. He appears to be alone..."
"What? That can't be possible! It has to be some kind of trap!"
"Unless the ANBU have a way to fool sensors we're not aware of, the Hokage is alone in the roof. What are we going to do, Fugaku-sama?"
"The old monkey was waiting for us. He evacuated the building, and probably sent the ANBU to protect civilians or something like that. Anyway, that makes our job all the easier. Everybody, to the roof! But don't let your guard down, it might be a trap!"
"Yes, Fugaku-sama!" all Uchihas replied in unison.
…
Senju Residence
With a neck snap, Tsunade killed the last of the Uchihas sent to attack her home. Tsunade had some minor bruises and burns, but there was nothing she could heal in a couple minutes.
"Shizune, go and fetch me a couple sealing scrolls, now!" Tsunade ordered.
The black haired kunoichi nodded and headed back into the house, and in less than a minute she returned with the requested items. Tsunade started to store the dead Uchihas inside them, and instructed her apprentice to do the same.
"I know the body of a dead ninja is valuable, especially a dead Uchiha...but what do you plan to do with them, Tsunade-sama?"
"Me? Nothing. The Hokage will decide what use should we give them."
"By the end of the night, there won't be a Hokage, nor a village, anymore," said a voice seemingly out of nowhere.
In front of the two medical-nin, a masked man appeared coming out of a spiraling vortex. Tsunade immediately recognized the black cloak with the red clouds. Tsunade couldn't help but stare at the man's mask, or more specifically, at the single hole on it that revealed a Sharingan. Gamamaru's warning echoed through her head.
Beware the One-Eyed Demon
"You're an Akatsuki!" Tsunade shouted at him.
"Oh? You hear about our organization? Guess that Konoha ninjas have done their homework. Not that it matters, anyway," the masked man replied.
"What do you want?" Shizune asked.
"To finish what I started eight years ago. To reclaim what is rightfully mine, and use it to destroy Konoha."
"Wait a minute...are you saying that you're the man responsible for the Kyubi attack?" Tsunade asked in disbelief.
"That's exactly what I said."
"So, this is why the Uchiha are revolting? To get their hands on the Nine Tails? I can't believe that Danzo of all people was right!"
"Oh, no, you're horribly mistaken. I might be an Uchiha, but I stopped caring about the clan long time ago. The Uchihas are nothing but a disposable tool, mere pawns of a much grander plan. See, with this coup d'etat, the Uchiha and Konoha will destroy each other, while I take advantage of the ensuing chaos and get the Kyubi. Everybody wins."
The blond Sannin gritted her teeth. She was about to say something when the crystal on her necklace began to glow with a teal light. "What the...?"
"Oh, how curious. I'm not into jewelry, but that's an interesting necklace you got there. I think I'll take it as well. But first, the Jinchuriki," the masked man said as he advanced towards the house.
"If you want Naruto, you'll have to go through me first!" Tsunade stated defiantly as she planted herself in front of the man.
"Trust me, that won't be a problem."
Tsunade snarled something unintelligible, and threw a punch towards the masked man's face. But much to her surprise, her fist phased through his head is if the man was an illusion or mirage.
"What?"
Shizune shot several senbons from her wrist-mounted launcher, but they phased through him as well.
"There's nothing you can do to stop me. Don't waste your energies doing so. Or do it, it won't make a difference."
"Who are you?" asked Shizune.
"My name is irrelevant, but if you wish, you can call me Tobi," Tobi said as he entered in the house. "I believe that the kid will be upstairs, right?"
Tobi teleported to the upper floor, and inspected the two bedrooms that looked like they belonged to a child, but he found nobody there. Annoyed, he proceed to inspect the rest of the house, but there was no clue of him either. His Sharingan scanned every centimeter of the house, but didn't found any chakra signature on it. But deep down, he felt that the Jinchuriki was there...somewhere...hiding...
Muttering a curse, Tobi teleported outside, back with Tsunade and Shizune.
"Where is the Jinchuriki?" Tobi angrily demanded. His one eye flashed red.
"On a safe place far away from here, where neither you nor people like you will be able to touch him," Tsunade answered. "Can't that fancy Sharingan track him?"
"YOU LIE!" Tobi bellowed. "He's here, I can feel it, even my eye can see him. Yes, I know he's really close, even if I can't reach him myself. And if I can't do that...well, maybe your screams will make him come out on his own."
"So, a scream contest, then? I have a feeling that it's you who's going to be the winner," Tsunade replied confidently, as she cracked her knuckles.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with, Sannin," Tobi said as he formed many hand seals. "Wood Release: Great Spear Tree!"
As the thick roots emerged from the ground and wrapped around Tsunade and Shizune almost forgot how to breathe. Shizune escaped using a Body Replacement, but Tsunade stayed there, motionless.
"You...how can you use my grandfather's...?" Tsunade asked in disbelief, unable to shake the shock. Was this stranger related to the Senju in some way? There was also the fact that her necklace reacted to him just like it did to her children.
"Like I told you, you know nothing about me or what can I do. That's why fighting me it's a fool's errand," Tobi replied as he unsheathed his katana.
"Tsunade-sama, don't stay there! Move! We can wonder how he can use Wood Release, but first we have to defeat him!" Shizune yelled.
Tobi lunged at her, his katana aiming forwards. "Now, perish!"
Shizune's words managed to snap Tsunade out of her trance, and making use of her famous chakra-enhanced strength, she broke free from her binds. Tobi stopped in the last second, and jumped backwards to avoid any possible counter attack.
"Sorry about that, Shizune. Please understand it was quite the shock. But I'm better now," Tsunade assured as she calmly removed her green haori. "Let's crush this guy."
"Right!" Shizune chimed as she pulled out three senbons and tossed them at Tobi. However, much to her shock, the senbons phased through the masked man. "What?"
The second after Shizune threw her senbons, Tsunade had dashed towards Tobi, who made no effort to dodge, and launched her fist at him. But just like Shizune's needles, Tsunade's fist phased through his face. "What is this? A genjutsu?"
Tobi smirked under his mask. "Just like that Hyuga said. And just like him, you're going to find how wrong you are," the masked man said before quickly punching Tsunade on her gut, leaving her breathless, followed by a kick to he face the moment she unwittingly bent over. "Does that feel like a genjutsu?"
Shizune threw more senbons at him, but the result was the same. "You already did that before, did you really expect a different result now?"
"Alright, this is something your fancy intangibility won't protect you from!" Shizune said as he leaped above him. "Poison Mist!"
Shizune's cheeks puffed out, and released a stream of purple mist from her mouth that engulfed the masked man. However, Tobi flew out of the poisonous cloud like a missile, and unsheathed his katana again.
"I think I'll get rid of you first!" Tobi declared as he prepared to deliver an diagonal slash.
Fortunately for Shizune, the attack never came as Tsunade managed to grab Tobi's ankle, and slam him overhead into the ground multiple times, until his ankle slipped through Tsunade's hands, and quickly crawled away from the Slug Princess. Shizune then landed besides Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, you touched him!" Shizune squealed in joy.
"I did more than just touch him," Tsunade said with a confident smirk. "You can turn intangible at will, but in order to harm us, you have to turn corporeal, right? In that's the case, it's just a matter of timing our attacks."
"You're one clever bitch," Tobi painfully got back on his feet. "But this changes nothing. That was a mere lapse of judgment on my part. You won't touch me again."
"I must admit that you're way tough if you can still stand such a beating. Most people wouldn't be able to even move after that."
"I think I already stated that I'm not like everybody else. Now let's see how much pain can you withstand until you reveal to me the location of the Jinchuriki," Tobi threatened as he disappeared in a swirling vortex.
"Shizune, stay alert!" Tsunade warned. Her apprentice nodded.
It didn't take long for Tobi to reveal himself. "Wood Release: Great Spear Tree!"
Once again, multiple tree roots emerged from the ground, and tried to either restrain or impale the two kunoichi. Tsunade shattered them with her enhanced punches, while Shizune tossed poisoned senbons that made the roots to wither and rot in a matter of seconds.
However, that attack was just a diversion. While Shizune was busy dealing with the roots, Tobi appeared from behind and wrapped an arm around her neck.
"This charade ends here. Now, Tsunade, tell me where you're hiding the Jinchuriki, or this woman dies," Tobi declared, his voice regaining some of its previous calmness.
"Tsunade-sama, don't do it!" Shizune pleaded. "He's tangible now, now is the chance to attack!"
"I wouldn't do it if I was you. Do you think I can't kill this woman and then use my ability to avoid your attacks?" Tobi asked. Tsunade remained there, hesitant. Running out of patience, Tobi made his decision. "I see. Say goodbye to this woman then."
The blade of Tobi's katana burst through Shizune's chest. The black haired kunoichi let out a gasp of pain.
"NO!" Tsunade threw her hands over her mouth
"See? This is what happens when you oppose somebody you can't hope to defeat. Now-" Tobi was interrupted by Shizune bursting into a cloud of purple fog. "WHAT?"
Tobi jumped back in an attempt to avoid the poisonous mist, but he accidentally breathed some of it.
"Poison Clone. Clever, right?" the real Shizune then appeared behind Tobi.
"What? You made a clone? I never took my eye from you two! How did you evade my Sharingan?" Tobi protested between coughs.
"To answer your question, I did it while you were inspecting our house."
"Wait...I've been fighting a clone the whole time?" Tobi's disbelief grew by the moment, as so did his coughing.
"You landed a few hits on Tsunade-sama, but none of my clone. My clones can last hours if they don't receive any damage. And judging by your coughs, I guess that that mask of yours doesn't filter poisonous gases. What you inhaled is a fast-acting poison that will rot your lungs until you can't breathe anymore. You are already death."
"Don't be so overconfident!" Tobi yelled before going into another coughing fit. "There's no poison that can kill this body!"
"Yes. I believe that you somehow spliced your genes with those of my grandfather, who had great resistance to poisons, hence your ability to use Wood Release. But even then that doesn't make you immune to them," Tsunade smirked at him. "Let's see how well you can fight when you can hardly breathe!"
Both Tsunade and Shizune lunged at the masked man. Tsunade threw a kick at his face, followed by Shizune who had kunais on her hands. Both their attacks phased through Tobi. The Akatsuki member tried to slash Tsunade, but his swing was way sloppier than before and Tsunade had no trouble dodging it. Shizune threw more senbons at him from her wrist-mounted launcher, which Tobi dodged by jumping backwards.
"Your breathing is becoming heavier. Even if you somehow survive Shizune's poison, you won't survive my fists."
"SHUT UP!" Tobi angrily yelled as his hands flew through hand seals. "Wood Release: Great Spear Tree!"
More roots emerged from the ground, and lunged at Tsunade. The Slug princess smirked once again, and raised a foot.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!" Tsunade brought her foot down with such force that the ensuing shockwave shattered the wooden roots, leaving a crater behind. "And you might have my grandfather's Bloodline Limit, but yours is nowhere near his level."
Both Tsunade and Shizune leaped at Tobi at the same time from opposite directions. The masked man disappeared once again in a swirling vortex.
"Alright, another ambush. Good, he's growing desperate."
"Come on coward, show yourself!" Shizune shouted.
"As you wish," Tobi said as he appeared right behind Tsunade.
The blond Sannin immediately turned around and punched the masked man, who shattered into thousands of wood shards. "A wood clone...?"
Suddenly, a blade burst through Tsunade's belly. Blood started to leak from it. Shizune's eyes grew wide with shock.
"TSUNADE-SAMA!" Shizune yelled in horror.
"I believe that you're not a clone, right bitch?" Tobi hatefully said as he pulled his sword out and kicked Tsunade in the back, making the Sannin to fall on her face. Tobi's hands then flew through hand seals. "Fire Release-"
However, a rather severe coughing fit stopped him from completing the attack. Knowing that this was her only chance, Tsunade gathered all the chakra she could muster on her fist, turned around and delivered a devastating punch at Tobi. The Akatsuki had no time to turn intangible, and Tsunade's fist landed on his right shoulder, shattering it completely, cutting the right arm from the rest of his body, and hurling him towards a wall.
"Ugghhh..." Tobi moaned, as he got on his feet as good as he could. "That...certainly hurt..."
"How are you still live...?" Tsunade asked.
"I could...ask the...same thing to you..."
"Surrender, you monster! Tsunade-sama got you good! Between that hit and my poison, there's no way you can win!" Shizune cried.
"Maybe you're right...but mark my words...sooner or later...the Kyubi will be mine...and this world of despair and lies...will disappear..." Tobi said as he disappeared in a swirling vortex.
Tsunade coughed blood. Shizune quickly rushed towards her master's side, and checked the wound on her belly. It poured large amounts of blood.
"Alright Shizune...you know what to do..."
"Yes. First, stop the hemorrhage," Shizune reminded herself as she used the Mystical Palm Jutsu on Tsunade's wound, closing it slowly.
"I guess it's a good thing I got over my fear of blood..." Tsunade weakly joked.
"Tsunade-sama, don't speak!"
"Don't tell me what to do..."
"You didn't lose your temper. Guess that that's a good thing. But seriously, don't talk."
Still, Tsunade decided to follow Shizune's advice, and didn't waste the little energy she had left on talking. While her apprentice brought her from near death, she couldn't help but wonder about that mysterious one-eyed man. Then she remembered what Jiraiya had told her about his long-term mission regarding the Akatsuki and the Kyubi attack.
Orochimaru and this man, Tobi, were both part of the same organization, Akatsuki, who apparently wanted the Kyubi, and other Tailed Beasts, for whatever nefarious purposes. Orochimaru had experimented with Hashirama's cells in order to obtain his power, and Tobi was clearly one of his test subjects. And while Tobi could use Wood Release, the scale and power of his jutsus were nowhere near the level of the First Hokage.
But even then, it was a terrifying thought. What if Orochimaru was able to perfect the genetic splicing? The thought of Orochimaru with Hashirama's power was worrying, but an army, hell even a small group with that power was a nightmare come true.
Lastly, she also wished she could warn everybody about Akatsuki manipulating the Uchiha and stop this madness before more people could die. But she knew it was too late. Even if she wasn't so badly wounded, there was no way she could stop the coup. All she could do was pray for this to end as soon as possible with the least amount of casualties.
…
Inabi Uchiha and his teammates Yashiro and Tekka were at the roof of the Jonin Stanby Station. Multiple Konoha ninja had attempted to reclaim the building, but the Uchiha trio managed to fend off the attackers. The last attack had been more than an hour ago, to which Inabi deduced that Konoha gave up trying to take back the station.
"You know, this is kind of boring," Yashiro mentioned. "This place is safe, can we go somewhere else?"
"You heard Fugaku-sama. We were assigned to take and guard this place. Fugaku-sama will flay us alive if we disobey his orders," Tekka replied.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Tekka, as much as I'd love to continue fighting," Inabi said. "Man, this was too easy. Maybe we shouldn't have been so cautious and wait until most of the Jonin were away."
"Well, nothing can compare to might of the Uchiha. I wish I was assigned to Masaki's team. They got to fight Tsunade. They will be the only ones who will fight against somebody who's actually strong," Yashiro moaned. "Besides Fugaku-sama, I mean."
Suddenly, all of their radios started to crackle loudly. Inabi grabbed his.
"This is Inabi Uchiha. Who is this?"
"This is Naoki Uchiha requesting reinforcements! That traitor Itachi appeared and slaughtered my unit!"
"Naoki, calm down and tell us your position so we can assist you!"
"I'm-AAAAAAARRGGH!"
"Naoki? Naoki?" Inabi frantically shouted, clutching the radio on his hand. "DAMMIT! I knew Fugaku-sama should have thrown that spoiled brat of his into a cell!"
"Itachi is our there, and apparently decided to hunt us. What are we going to do?" Yashiro asked.
"It isn't obvious? Hunt him first before he can do anymore damage."
"What about Fugaku-sama's orders?" Tekka asked.
"This is more important. If some Konoha ninja take this building while we're absent, we can retake it later. Now come on, Naoki's team was supposed to guard the hospital, so if we are fast we might catch Itachi before he leaves the place."
"Oh, you're leaving already? Sorry, but I don't think that such thing is going to happen," a cold, yet soft voice said behind them.
The Uchiha trio turned around, and saw an extremely pale man with long black hair and yellow eyes, wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it.
"Orochimaru!?" Inabi asked in shock.
"Is he back in the village too?" asked Tekka.
"Why is he dressed like Madara-sama?" Yashiro asked as well.
"Madara? That's what he told you? Kukuku...this kid certainly had some delusions of grandeur," Orochimaru said, chuckling.
"What are you doing here? Are you part of Madara-sama's army of mercenaries? I know for a fact that you're not an ally of Konoha," Inabi said.
"True. But being the enemy of your enemies does not make me your friend, as you're about to find. But anyway, you should feel honored, you three had been selected to take part in an experiment in order to further my ninjutsu research. Are you going to come with me willingly, or do I have to take you by force?"
"Yashiro, Tekka, we'll have to deal with this lunatic first before we can go to look for Itachi," Inabi declared. His two partners nodded.
"It seems that we're going to have a worthy opponent after all," Yashiro agreed with a glee.
"By force then? This should be fun," Orochimaru's mouth forming an ugly smile.
Activating their Sharingan, the Uchiha trio dashed at Orochimaru. Yashiro and Tekka impaled Orochimaru with their katanas from opposing angles, while Inabi jumped over him while making hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The other two Uchihas jumped sideways before the fireball hit its target and engulfed Orochimaru in flames.
"So much for the 'Legendary Sannin'," Inabi said dismissively.
However, when the flames started to disappear, they saw a half melted mud clone in Orochimaru's place. When the Uchiha trio realized that they have been fooled, it was two late. Three snakes wrapped tightly around their necks, rising them in mid air.
"A nice display, indeed," the real Orochimaru praised, somehow behind them. The three snakes holding the Uchihas were coming from one of his sleeves. "You're young, strong, and with a mature Sharigan. Yes, you will be perfect!"
The snakes bit their victims in their necks, knocking them out cold, before dropping them into the ground and returned from whence they came. Orochimaru then bit his finger and made five hand seals.
"Summong Jutsu!"
From a cloud of smoke, a gigantic light gray snake appeared. Orochimaru then snapped his fingers, and three ninjas wearing gray camouflage outfits, balaclavas and forehead protectors with a quaver on them appeared before him.
"Take these bodies to the meeting point. Make sure they suffer no harm. I don't think that you will have much trouble with all the battles going on, but just in case I'll send Hebiroshi with you as an escort."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!" the three ninjas replied in unison before carrying the bodies on their backs, and jumped away. The giant snake followed them.
The snake Sannin was about to leave, but sensing a certain presence coming closer made him stay and wait. After ten minutes, the presence landed in front of him. It was a woman with spiky dull purple hair.
"Orochimaru. Should have guessed that you'll be among the scum the Uchiha had brought with them."
"Nice to see you again after so much time, Anko-chan," Orochimaru greeted her with a sinister grin. "Though you're awfully mistaken. I'm not part of this sad attempt of a coup. In fact, I was about to leave before you ran into me."
"Like hell I'm going to let you leave!" Anko shouted angrily, pulling out a kunai.
"Please Anko-chan, save yourself the embarrassment. Do you think you can defeat me alone?"
"What make you think I'm alone?"
As on cue, Kurenai, Yugao and Hayate appeared all around him.
"I see you brought some friends with you. That's intelligent, but still futile. The result will be the same."
"SHUT UP!" Anko yelled as she dashed at Orochimaru and sunk the kunai on his neck. However, the moment he did so Orochimaru turned into mud and started to melt. "It was a clone? DAMMIT!"
…
Meanwhile, at the other side of the village, Fugaku Uchiha and his elite team climbed the Hokage's tower until they reached the roof. Just like their sensor had said, the Hokage stood there, completely alone, contemplating the village flooded by chaos and destruction.
"Enjoying the spectacle, Hokage-sama?" Fugaku asked the old man.
Sarutobi turned around to face him. "Ah, Fugaku-san, I was waiting for you. You brought quite the group with you."
"You can't expect to take down a Hokage by doing a half-assed job. These men are the best the Uchiha clan can offer."
"The best you say?" Sarutobi asked, tilting his head as he studied Fugaku's team. "Then why didn't you bring young Itachi with you? I believe he's quite the prodigy."
Fugaku gritted his teeth upon hearing the name of his disgraced son, but decided not to take the bait. He needed to remain focused in order to finish the job.
"If you were expecting us, then you know what I came for. Are you going to fight, surrender, or are you going to try to talk me down? Try to avoid the latter option if possible, I'm not in the mood for lectures."
"I think you're old enough to be lectured, Fugaku-san. So I will simply ask you a question. Why? Why are you doing all of this? Do you want to be Hokage that much?"
"Do not play dumb with me, Hiruzen," Fugaku replied, pointing an accusatory finger at the old Hokage. "You might be old, but I know that you're far from being senile. You know perfectly why I'm doing this."
"I'm afraid I'm not. So please enlighten me, before more blood is spilled this night," upon seeing Fugaku's frown, he added: "I can assure you that this is not a ruse to buy time for whatever I had planned. I knew you were coming here since more than an hour ago. Had I planned a trap, it would already sprung."
"If that's true, then you're an idiot for not doing so."
"Yes, I've been calling that before. I believe the words Danzo used was 'idealistic fool'. But guess that's something I can't change about me. The reason I didn't prepare a trap was because I do want to end this in a peaceful way."
"Fine, have it your way," Fugaku scoffed. "The reason we're doing this is that we're tired. Tired of living isolated from the rest of the village. Tired from being barred from any position of power. Tired of being Konoha's attack dogs, being kept in cages when you aren't throwing us at your enemies, and always held by a leash.
"But that's going to end now. These dogs are cutting their leashes and breaking their cage's bars. The Sharingan is not your little weapon to play with. The Senju wanted our power, but never wanted us, and made sure that we stayed loyal but were never a threat. And when they were gone, they made sure that things would never change.
"You are the pupil of the first two Hokages. And the Fourth was a student of one of your students. A cleverly crafted system that ensures that only those indoctrinated in the ideas of the Senju access to positions of power just like yours. To keep the status quo and stop any change from happening, regardless of how necessary they are."
"That's a lie and you know it," Sarutobi angrily replied. Though deep down he had to admit that Fugaku had a point. "In a few years, your eldest son would have make a fine Fifth. He has both the power and the wisdom to be worthy of the title."
Fugaku snorted dismissively. "Too late for that, Hiruzen. I wouldn't believe that even if I didn't know of your little plan."
"Little plan? What are you talking about?"
"The Kyubi brat. Who bears a more than striking resemblance to the Fourth. Who's being raised by two of your students, one who happens to be the granddaughter of Hashirama and the other who was the master of the Fourth. And here's the best part: how that little boy boasts non-stop that he's going to be Hokage. Sure kids his age have unrealistic ambitions, but that boy sounds so sure that he's going to be Hokage, as if somebody already promised him such position. Tell me, Hirzuen, who could have put that idea into his young innocent mind?
"But it's not a matter of just being Hokage. Even if my son or any of my clansmen became Hokage, he would just be a figurehead or a puppet, keeping the seat warm until the real candidate became old enough to take the hat, while you and your little friends run everything from the shadows. But that's not going to happen. This village is rightfully ours, and we will take it back."
"Fugaku-san, please think about this. Even if you managed to kill me and my councilors and became the new rulers of Konoha, nobody would accept you, especially those who lost loved ones during your coup. Konoha would get plunged into a civil war, like it's happening with Kirigakure right now. But unlike Kirigakure, we don't have a sea or other natural defenses to stop other villages from invading us."
"The people of Konoha fear our power, so we will give them good reasons to fear us. Fear will keep the population from rebelling."
"Those who rule by fear are bigger fools than the hopeless idealists like me. Those who live under fear can't wait to throw away that yoke."
"I've heard enough," Fugaku abruptly said. "The dynasty of the Senju and those indoctrinated by them ends tonight. You can surrender and live a few more years, or you can fight us, die, and delay the inevitable for a little time."
Sarutobi's mouth curved into a sad smile. In a swift movement, he tossed away his hat and robes, revealing a battle armor underneath them.
"I think you should know what my answer was going to be," Sarutob adopted a fighting stance. Every Uchiha minus Fugaku did likewise.
"If you planned to fight us, then why did you send your ANBU away? With them at your side you might had some chances of surviving."
"The ANBU are helping people that needs their aid more than this old but far from defenseless man. A good Hokage puts the good of the village above his own. If you and your clansmen knew that, maybe one of you would have become Hokage."
"Make no mistake, Hiruzen. I'm not Orochimaru. I'm making this for the good of my clan, not for any sense of personal ambition," Fugaku spat as he unsheathed his katana. "Everybody, ready to attack! Tonight the crows will feast on the flesh of a Hokage."
"Either you kill me or not, Fugku-san, you will regret this decision."