Chapter 99: Letting Go! (4) (1/2)

“Kill him, and anyone that gets in your way.”

Hearing Hayate’s command, the dark guild members he had hired to help eliminate Baki began to surge forward. But, from Naruto’s perspective, it seemed to be in slow motion as he activated his chakra cloak and moved forward himself.

Time seemed to stretch on forever as he raced to his target, hoping that what he had planned would succeed in defusing the situation. Directing his gaze towards Hayate, he found himself reflecting on the brief encounter they had shortly before meeting up again, but this time with the woman that they both loved between them.

*****

He, Hana, and Tsume had followed Baki’s scent trail to a tunnel entrance whose steps led down to the capital city’s labyrinth of sewers. Confident that they were on the correct trail, he had asked Hana to go alert Kakashi and the others since based on the tracks leading down into the tunnel, they suspected that the Dark Guild, who they believed were targeting Baki, had also managed to pick up their trail.

Something they were able to confirm upon reaching the bottom of the steps, when a handful of daggers appeared from the darkened tunnel as they flew towards them. Naruto stepped forward to meet the projectiles, as he pulled the blade that he had taken from Sasuke during the battle of Ame and had worn at his hip to complete his paladin outfit. He easily battered the blades aside, while Tsume stepped behind him and dropped to all fours as she activated her Beast Mimicry. She then leapt to the tunnel wall, before then leaping to the ceiling and disappeared into the darkness as she raced along it towards their attackers. Naruto almost felt sorry for them as they made the mistake of focusing on him, since he heard a startled shout that had tried to alert them to the approaching danger which ended in a bloody gurgle, and was soon followed by the sound of two more bodies hitting the floor.

Although he had lost sight of his Inuzuka lover, he wasn’t too concerned since he heard a steady growl as he approached. Upon catching sight of her and the group that had tried to ambush them, he had a hard time not smiling despite the fact that three of the four lightly armored opponents were dead, and the fourth was pressing himself up against the wall while Tsume was crouched before him growling like a guard dog who had cornered a thief. A growl which deepened in intensity with the slightest movement he made causing the man to look as if he was trying to push himself through the stone wall.

Naruto whistled causing Tsume to relax, and almost immediately the man dressed as a rogue tried to take off down the tunnel. But Naruto easily caught up and grabbing him by the neck spun him so that he ran himself into the tunnel wall. The man stumbled back momentarily dazed, at which point Naruto grabbed him by the front of his tunic and as the man recovered his wits stated, “It’s rude to hit n’ run. Especially, without even introducing yourself. So, who are you, and what are you doing down here?”

“I ain’t telling you nuthin,” the man stated defiantly, “So, what are you going to do about.”

Letting a menacing tone color his voice due to Tsume’s growls faded as she returned to standing upright, he replied, “Probably turn you over to my lady friend for starters and watch as she plays a little game called, ‘How many cuts until he spills his guts?”

Tsume pressed herself up behind Naruto suggestively and reaching around his side held her clawed hand up between the man and her lover, which were still coated in his comrades’ blood. She smiled widely and ferally towards the man as she said, “And he isn’t talking about the answers to his questions.” She then slashed across the man’s stomach, splitting his tunic open, as well as drawing a thin angry line which sporadically beaded with blood. “My personal best is eight.”

All color bled from the man’s face as he realized what they were suggesting, and focusing on Naruto said, “W…Wait, doesn’t that go against your code or something. What kind of paladin are you?”

“A fake one,” Naruto replied coolly, “Now, I’ve answered two of your questions. So, you better start reciprocating, or we start playing.”

The man weighed his options for a second, before saying with a hint of pride in the name of his guild even as he surrendered his own, likely suspecting the name itself would cause his assailants to back off, “We’re the guild Eisenwald.”

Which lasted until Naruto stated, “Never heard of you. Why are you slinking about down here?”

Rather than answer though, the man replied, “How can you never have heard of us? We’re the greatest of the dark guilds. If you know what is good for…”

Naruto cut him off as he said, “I guess it is game time then.”

Tsume gave the man another feral grin, yet before she could aid in getting him to spill his guts in a more figurative way, she tensed as did her lover who suddenly pulled his captive to the side of them. Naruto then caught a knife by the blade with his gauntlet encased hand which had appeared from the darkness of the tunnel. The Dark guild member starred at them in shock and realization that the spot where Naruto was holding the blade had been occupied by his head moments before. His gaze then turned towards where it had flown in from to see a band of his fellow guild members being led by the man cloaked in white who had hired them.

Naruto’s gaze darkened at the approaching group as he focused on the cloaked man leading them who had tossed the knife, and stated, “Death is a rather harsh punishment for someone who hasn’t divulged any secrets yet.”

“Perhaps,” the cloaked figure replied, “But, truth be told, it was more a test of your abilities. You’re not members of the guild. So, what exactly are you doing here?”

Naruto frowned at the response, which intensified as Tsume moved to stand beside him while allowing her hand to move along his shoulder acting as if they were rather familiar with each other. Which admittedly they certainly were, but the act allowed her the freedom so that as her hand passed past the nape of his neck, she quickly traced the words, “Its him.”

Although, he doubted any of the dark guild members noticed, the man in white, and whom Naruto now suspected was Hayate thanks to Tsume identifying his scent, which smelled of death and earth, as being among those that had attacked Yuugao and Baki, didn’t. Still, although he was likely unaware of the exact message that she had passed, was alerted to it, particularly as he was already well aware of who he was dealing with as he stated, “Naruto Uzumaki, and Tsume Inuzuka. What is the Leaf’s purpose here?”

For a moment, Naruto was thrown as to how Hayate would recognize him as he had been thirteen when the first and only time that they had crossed paths had happened. Which had been when he had served as the proctor for the prelimary elimination matches that took place between the second and third round of the Chunin Exams that he had attended. Yet, he quickly realized it was a silly reaction, since the whisker marks on his cheeks would be an identifier for him, similar to the red fangs on Tsume’s. Although Tsume’s, he reasoned, shouldn’t necessarily have pinpointed her exact identity, although he reasoned he should be too surprised that a Leaf jounin would recognize the leader of the Inuzuka clan.

Still, he found Hayate question rather troubling, since by identifying them without revealing his own identity it was clear he was trying to knock them off balance mentally. Although, he was unsure as to why. Which, unfortunately helped man in white to achieve the desired effect, as Naruto began to question if he was even correct in assuming the man was Hayate, which began the domino effect of more and more questions being raised such as who was the man currently standing opposite to them, what Kabuto was even truly after, and most importantly to him, how did Yuugao fit into it all?

Fortunately, before his mind got itself too lost running in circles for the answers, Tsume proved harder to shake as she stated, “Congratulations, you have access to a bingo book. Or, is the knowledge of our identities more homegrown in nature? Hayate.”

The man reacted to the name as well as the confident way that Tsume had stated it, all but revealing his identity. Still, he didn’t bother to unmask as he instead replied, “You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”

Naruto felt a surge of gratitude towards his Inuzuka lover for turning the tables, and putting him back on a stable mental footing, but it didn’t last long as Hayate’s question held the slightest twinge of the implied threat that if they didn’t give him an answer he would consider them obstacles to be eliminated. If he didn’t already. Still, with the answer of who they were dealing with all but confirmed, Naruto believed the hostility likely laid in Hayate suspecting, but hadn’t been able to confirm that Yuugao was currently defending Baki. This led him to believe that she had also hidden her identity and had perhaps revealed herself through her techniques. Which, as Hayate and her had joined the Anbu division at the same time, which had led to a competitive but friendly rivalry that had then blossomed into a loving relationship, meant that if anyone would be able to identify her simply by her fighting style, it would be him. Yet, Naruto imagined that the man was questioning his conclusion, as he didn’t want to believe the woman that he loved was standing between him and his revenge.

Of course, this put him in a rather difficult position, since he didn’t want to outright lie to the man. But, neither did he want to provide him with or let slip any information that wasn’t absolutely necessary. Particularly, since he couldn’t be sure about what information Hayate did have on Yuugao or her involvement. Not to mention, he didn’t want to put out anything which might contradict whatever stories his lovers back in Konoha had already put in place to try and explain Yuugao’s disappearance.

Taking a gamble, he stated, “As a result of Kabuto’s latest attack against Konoha, we’ve come to the conclusion that it was Baki who murdered you.” Naruto paused as the dark guild members surrounding Hayate all took a step back both in confusion, and fear. The fear, Naruto imagined was due to their not having much experiencing working for a supposed dead man. Although, he reasoned it could also be that working for a dead client wasn’t all that rare a thing in the Land of Ruins but didn’t generally work out so well for the who undertake such employment. Resuming his explanation for their presence, he stated, “As such, we were tasked with confronting him with this knowledge, and returning him to Konoha to stand trial.”

Hayate observed them for several moments as he weighed the truth of their words, before asking with a slightly hopeful tone, “Is that why Yuugao is protecting him?”

“Yuugao’s here,” Naruto asked trying to sound surprised, as he turned to look back towards Tsume. Whom he was pleased to see was playing along as she wore a look of surprise as well. They shared a meaningful look, which was meant to convey a silent conversation of whether or not to reveal more of their, ‘mission.’ After a moment, he turned back as he admitted, “I’m not sure. Yuugao disappeared during Kabuto’s attack. In truth it was her disappearance, coupled with some strange happenings in Suna which led to the current theory. Although, I believe that she does intend to bring him back to Konoha to stand trial for your murder.”

“That bastard,” Hayate said angrily to himself, “Why did he get her involved?”

Confident he knew who the bastard Hayate mentioned was, Naruto tried to push the deceased jounin into accepting that Baki would face justice, and help him find peace as he stated, “Hayate, please stand down. We’ll take Baki back to the Leaf where his involvement in your murder will be made public, and he will be made to answer for his crimes.”

“No,” Hayate replied definitively. Naruto felt a dark aura begin to arise from the man cloaked in white as he countered, “You should be the one to stand down. Konoha did nothing for what… six years. Instead of avenging those who lost their lives because of Suna’s betrayal, they swept those deaths under the rug so they could rush into a new treaty with the very backstabbers that tried to turn the Leaf to ash. Yet now as I stand on the brink of killing the son of a bitch that prevented me from warning the Third Hokage about the threat they posed, you want me to stand aside to give you a crack at doing what the village already showed it lacks the will to do. Forget it.”

“Hayate, we can’t just let you murder him,” Naruto stated trying to reason with the man.

However, Naruto’s further attempts to reason with him were quickly cut off as Hayate said in a voice tinged with anger and hatred, “Why? What right do you have to interfere? We’re outside the Leaf’s jurisdiction. All you need to do is go back and report that Baki was dead when you found him. If you’re worried about the political ramifications just say I was being controlled by Kabuto.”

“I can’t do that,” Naruto stated as he stepped forward, and drew the Sword of Kusanagi that he had taken from Sasuke during their fight in Ame. To his surprise, the blade felt warm to the touch, even through the cord wrapped handle and the metal gauntlets coating his fist. Putting the strange feeling aside, he added, “I know you have every right to feel hatred towards him, but still, I can’t just let you murder him.”

“Can’t let me,” Hayate repeated, his anger turning to a cold fury which was easy to hear despite the calmness of his tone. “What gives you the right to decide my vengeance is wrong?”

“Because you seek to murder him for nothing more than vengeance,” Naruto stated his calm tone reflecting his resolve, “You can’t even say the same about him, as you already admitted that his reason for attacking you was in conjunction with his duty as a spy within the village. I acknowledge that it isn’t fair, but he was doing his duty.”

“His duty,” Hayate roared as a massive spike of chakra and malice exploded forth from him, “His duty ended my life, and the lives of how many others. You dare to lecture me about duty. I already paid the ultimate price in the service of the Leaf.”

Shaking his head sadly, Naruto replied, “I know. But how many lives will make that right?”

“I’ll be satisfied with one,” Hayate stated before darkly adding, “But if you insist on pushing this, I’ll let you pay the same price as I and see how empty your words are when viewed from the other side.” Before, Naruto could reply a man dressed as a mage pushed his way to the front and whispered something in Hayate’s ear, who quickly turned away from the Uzumaki as he ordered, “Stay here, if they try to follow, kill them.”

Hayate then took off down the tunnel while the rest of the Dark Guild members barred his path. Which didn’t last long as Naruto summoned a small army of clones that smashed into those barring their path, and created an opening which he and Tsume used to disappear down the tunnel until they found a line of armored warriors who were strangely facing away from them. Not that it mattered as Naruto used a big ball Rasegan to blow them out of his way to reveal Yuugao who was in the midst of her own confrontation with Hayate.

*****

Naruto’s focus returned to the present as he neared his target and pulled a tri-prong kunai from the tool pouch he was wearing around his waist. He hoped the gamble that he was about to try paid off with a peaceful outcome to the impending conflict. But truthfully, he feared that it was already too late, particularly since Yuugao had also denied Hayate’s pleas for vengeance. Reaching Baki, the man was caught off-guard as Naruto wrapped an arm around his neck, at which point he tossed the kunai he held lazily upward before disappearing in a flash of red.

*******

Tsunade finished signing her name to a form approving the overtime being requested by the crews which were still in the process of repairing the damage done during Deidara’s attempt to destroy the village. Placing it in the stack of finished documents, she turned her attention to the tower of papers that she still needed to be reviewed most of which were related to the incident, and promised herself the next time she met Kabuto, she’d make him regret ever being born for letting such a psychopath loose in her village. Not to mention the days of paperwork that had been generated from it. Although, a part of her was somewhat grateful for the necessary, if mind-numbing work, as it did keep her from focusing on how she would handle the Yuugao situation. Most notably being whether or not she would allow the woman to remain as Konoha’s Head Anbu Captain. Granted, it would be a matter of whether or not she intended to take Baki alive, but even if she did, Tsunade wasn’t sure if it would be right of her to leave the woman in her position, and feared the reason she was even contemplating it was due to her being one of Naruto’s lovers, not to mention held a rather important position in their overall ambition. One, which if she was being honest with herself, she wouldn’t be able to fill with either Komachi or Taji despite both women being in the Anbu as well. The reason she imagined Komachi would be a hard sell, was despite how the woman now served as Yuugao’s second in command, she doubted many of the other Anbu members had forgotten her ties to Root. Furthermore, Tsunade suspected that many among the Anbu probably assumed Yuugao had transferred her to her squad to keep an eye on her. Taji also had a similar taint, due to her time being controlled by Furofuki. But there was also the matter of her age, as while in reality she was getting younger, on paper she was well past the age when most Anbu tended to drop out. Granted, if the worst came to be, she imagined that she could simply find another woman with the right credentials to fill the role, and then have Naruto bring her into the fold. However, she really hoped it didn’t come to that as she could imagine scenarios where it led to unnecessary drama where the kunoichi in question would be upset or loss confidence as she believed it would have been the sole reason for her selection to the position.

Tsunade sat back in her chair, and closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples to ward off the impending headache that she felt approaching, she also directed a brief flash of annoyance towards Yuugao for taking off half-cocked and playing right into Kabuto’s hands. But, another part of her understood, since the same could have been said of her having played right into Furofuki’s when she had abandoned Konoha after Dan’s death. She sighed and hoped Yuugao realized what she was in danger of losing before it became a mistake that couldn’t be fixed.

Her eyes snapped open as she suddenly went on alert, although she was unsure what prompted it. At least until a red flash appeared in front of her desk. She rose to her feet out of instinct, but as her mind began to process what was happening, she wondered if she was dreaming due in part to Naruto wearing unfamiliar armor in the vein of the fantasy shows that seemed to be growing in popularity. She felt a slight hunger awaken in her from the sight, but quickly shunted it away as she recognized the man he was holding. Her lover favored her with a smile, even as his eyes still reflected what she imagined was concern about the situation that he had just left, and which he was in a hurry to get back to as he stated, “Sorry, Tsunade. Can’t stay to explain. But I think you know what needs to be done.”

In a flash he was gone again, and while it was apparent that the situation with Yuugao wasn’t quite resolved yet. For the first time since Yuugao had disappeared from Konoha, she found herself believing things weren’t spiraling into the tragedy she had feared. Particularly, since one of the key players in it was now standing in her office. Giving Baki a chilled smile as she retook her seat, she said, “Now then Councilor Baki, how about we discuss where exactly you were on the night Hayate Gekko was murdered.”

*****

Naruto reappeared in the tunnel and caught the kunai that he had tossed just moments ago. He almost wanted to smile, as the mob of Dark Guild members which had been in the midst of charging them slowly came to a halt. The confused Dark Guild members first directed their gazes towards each other, before they finally began looking back towards their employer. Many of those closest to Hayate took a step away in concern as a darkness which was not wholly of the tunnels doing seemed to surround him.

Naruto took a step forward hoping to reason with him, but before he spoke, he was cutoff as Hayate asked in a barely suppressed fury, “Where is he?”

Despite the tenseness of the situation, and her trust in Naruto, Kashike mumbled more to herself that anyone present, “That’s what I would like to know.”

“Konoha,” Naruto answered, “Where I imagine…”

He didn’t get to finish as Hayate disappeared in a blur of speed which caught Naruto by surprise. Not in the sense that he couldn’t follow Hayate’s movement as he closed the distance between them, only in that he imagined even Lee and Gai would have troubled moving as quickly. Naruto prepared himself for the attack as Hayate charged straight at him, but suddenly found the path before him blocked as Yuugao stepped between them.

Yuugao while not able to track her former lover as he disappeared from view, had a sense of what he was about to do so threw her arms out as she pleased, “Hayate please stop this! It’s over.”

Naruto watched Hayate’s eyes, which he expected would soften as he recognized that she would be caught up in his attack. However, the opposite proved to be the case as something seemed to snap within the jounin.

Yuugao could just begin to make out the blur that she imagined was Hayate, and realized he wasn’t going to stop. She closed her eyes accepting of his apparent casting her aside and hoped her death would be enough to snap him back to his senses. However, she suddenly found an arm wrapped around her as she was pulled to side, almost like she was a dance partner, and heard the loud clang of steel meeting steel which reverberated throughout the tunnel. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring up at Naruto who was holding his sword up along his forearm blocking Hayate’s own blade which was still pressed against it.

Hayate began chuckling as he held a hand over his face, and began muttering, “I see. I see. That’s why he sent me after him.” He pulled his hand away, which caused Yuugao to gasp as the darkness which had surrounded Hayate’s pupils revealing his status as one revived by Edo Tensei were now a sea of red, while dark black veins seemed to spread from his eyes similar to when a Hyuuga was activating the Byakugan. However, unlike with them, they weren’t concentrated solely around his eyes but continued to spread throughout his body. However, perhaps more disturbingly to her, she realized that the darkness that had seemed to surround him when he had been standing further away, was actually emanating from him as his voice took on a cruel and mocking tone as he asked, “So, how long has this whore been sharing your bed? The way she threw herself in front of you, why it seems like just yesterday when I could picture her doing the same for me.”

Yuugao felt a swirl of conflicting emotions with the two biggest, being hurt at how he had just referred to her, but also guilt for her moving on. But the feeling began to melt away as a warmth replaced them. Which she realized was Naruto’s bijuu chakra as it burned a bright red as it coated her, which while to her felt like a warm blanket, must have felt decidedly uncomforting to those standing in front of him as even Hayate began to look uneasy.

Naruto pushed Hayate sword arm back before scooping Yuugao up in his arms and leapt several feet away. Yet, before he landed, he created three clones two of which appeared near Tsume and Kashike. When he landed, he handed Yuugao over to the third, while the other clones grabbed ahold of the woman that they had been next, at which point all three teleported away this time using the marks located on his lovers traveling with Kakashi.

His own red eyed gaze met Hayate’s as he said in a deep gravely voice, “If you want to settle this with violence, then I’m more than willing to accommodate you now.”

Hayate’s smile revealed teeth which appeared to be in the midst of some kind of change as his gums where bleeding profusely, as the act caused cracks to appear along the sides of his mouth like it was splitting open. “Good,” he replied as he held his sword up, pointing it at Naruto, “because after I’m done with you, I’m going to find that whore and remind her what she’s been missing, and after breaking her body completely. I’m heading back to Konoha to see if the home fires are still burning, and if not, maybe start a few.”

Naruto didn’t need to be in his true Bijuu mode to feel the malice radiating off of Hayate, which proved to be too much for the Dark Guild members working for him as they broke and ran. Shaking his head, he asked, “What happened to you?”

Hayate smiled almost pleased as his humanity slipped away, to be replaced by a powerful chakra which filled him with a need to take that which he desired, that while were not wholly alien to the man that he had once been, now were no longer hindered by a sense of right or wrong. The malicious chakra seemed to well up from within him, something which had always been there, but had been locked away behind a barrier of his humanity. But, now with that stripped away, the realization that life had moved on without him had bore through him like a hole drilled into the earth which struck the pocket of darkness all people have, but most keep locked away, causing it to burst forth and release a power which was proving to be too much for his body to contain as he could feel his skin cracking and breaking beneath his robes to be reshaped into a vessel more accommodating. The smile he was giving grew almost lecherous as he pictured himself standing over a broken Naruto, while in the midst of breaking Yuugao although in a different manner but planned to eventually leave her just as dead. Replying to the Uzumaki that he would have to crush first, he answered, “I’m not sure. But I like it!”

*******

Yuugao wasn’t sure where she reappeared, nor did she particularly care because as soon as Naruto’s clone set her down, she rounded to face it while demanding almost desperately, “Don’t do this! Take me back!”

The clone looked pained as it replied, “I can’t do that.”

“Please,” she pleaded pressing herself closer to him, “You don’t have to face him by yourself.”

The clone gave her a soft smile, as it replied, “I don’t really intend to either. But, all four of us fighting him in a tunnel would only be to our disadvantage.”

Yuugao recognized the tactical wisdom of her lover’s words, as fighting in an enclosed space, would give a skilled opponent a chance to neutralize the advantage their numbers would normally have afforded them. Still, it did little to ease her desire to be returned to the fray. She stepped away as she recognized their discussion was taking place on a busy street, and noticed Kakashi, Hana, Tenten, Yakumo, and Moegi approaching.

She also noticed that Kakashi and the others seemed a little on edge, which she found out of place, although she supposed it could be due to their not being sure about how much she had resisted. However, she quickly realized the tension wasn’t due to her presence, since she also noticed that most of the denizens on the street had barely reacted despite their flashy entrance. Instead, their gazes seemed to be searching about like animals that were sure some natural disaster was about to unfold and were searching for the signs to let them know in which direction to flee. Still, Kakashi’s visible eye seemed to smile at her, which she imagined was born of a desire to tease her, but upon it landing on his student’s face it lost all of its mirth as he came to the conclusion that the three Naruto’s before him were clones. Growing serious, he asked, “I take it you’re behind this oppressive feeling that has everyone about ready to scatter.”

“It doesn’t feel oppressive at all,” Tenten stated crossing her arms across her chest in annoyance, as Kakashi and her had been debating that very point as they raced to it while following Hana to where Tsume and Naruto had entered the tunnels.

“Maybe not to you,” Kakashi replied, before nodding towards a couple of women who rather than scared looked excited although they were still unsettled as they undoubted wondered what was making them feel so exhilarated, “And probably not to anyone sharing the same chromosome sequence as you. But I can tell you it most decidedly is unpleasant for everyone else. Kind of like finding out you’re the smallest fish in a very small pond filled with a shark.”

Yuugao felt a brief sense of amusement at Kakashi’s description in regards to what he was feeling, and imagined Naruto’s chakra was acting in a similar manner as his enhanced pheromones which essentially told everyone present that they were on a true alpha’s turf, which would naturally put the men on edge, while the women would likely welcome the feeling. She imagined Kakashi was perhaps feeling it more than most, not only because he knew the source, but also because for ever so brief a time, his own lover Hanare had been a potential target for inclusion in Naruto’s growing Family. Yet rather than smiling, she instead frowned as she began to sense something unpleasant welling up within her and noticed that it wasn’t just her who was beginning to feel it. Her gaze turned towards the direction she could feel Naruto was currently fighting and recognized the source of the unpleasantness was also located there.

Her attention was pulled away as Kakashi asked his student’s clone, “What’s going on over there?”

The clone that had carried her replied, “I’m not entirely sure.” Before then launching into a brief recollection of the events up until they had teleported into the street. He then concluded his report by adding, “Hayate isn’t acting like anyone else I’ve encountered under the sway of Edo Tensei.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Tsume stated while keeping her eyes focused on the area where she knew her lover was likely locked in combat with the equivalent of an unkillable zombie. “Most are brought back to serve someone else’s bidding. How many are given the chance to avenge their own deaths?”

“I don’t mean his actions,” the clone giving the report replied. “Those, for the most part, are understandable. I mean how his chakra seemed to surge, like when I first tried to talk him down. Then again after I teleported Baki away. I’ve never encountered those reactions before when facing someone brought back via Edo Tensei.”

“Um… perhaps Tsume isn’t as off the mark as you believe,” Moegi said hesitantly. She seemed to grow more self-conscious as everyone focused on her so quickly added, “N…never mind.”

One of the other two Naruto clones approached her, and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder said, “Go ahead Moegi, what do you mean?”

“Well, before we left for Suna, I asked Tsunade if I could look at some of the village’s Forbidden Scrolls.” Naruto’s clone nodded, since he was aware the orange haired kunoichi was interested in forging her own path as a shinobi. And despite what the name of the scrolls would suggest, the techniques inside weren’t actually forbidden, but were deemed too dangerous to be made common knowledge. The Scroll of Seals, that he had been tricked into stealing by Mizuki was but one such scroll. Moegi continued her explanation by stating, “One of the scrolls listed techniques created by the Second Hokage, which included Edo Tensei. The actual means to use the jutsu was redacted, and marked forbidden, I think by Tsunade. But she left behind his notes on the technique probably so people would be able to come up with effective counters. One of the Second Hokage’s recommendations when using the jutsu was that you only bring back people the target would have positive feelings towards. He reasoned that it would weaken everyone’s resolve to fight. He viewed it more as a psychological weapon, although he also mentions those brought back by Edo Tensei can be used in situations where they didn’t really have a personal stake.”

“That’s kind of twisted,” Tenten said rather saddened one of her home village’s heroes would come up with such a technique. “Still, you’re facing an undead zombie you can’t keep down without using some sort of sealing technique. Who cares about resolve? If you brought back someone with a grudge, you would probably barely need any means of controlling the person brought back. You just point them in the right direction and let them go. Hayate’s kind of proving that to be the case.”

Tenten winced as she realized she had said the last part mindless of who was present, and she was about to offer Yuugao an apology, when the purple haired Anbu stated, “What if that in of itself is a problem?” Focusing on both Naruto and Kakashi, she said, “What if the reason the Second Hokage preferred it be used in a situation where those involved had positive feelings for each other was because the will he wanted weaken wasn’t the person the jutsu was used against, but the person being brought back. After all, Tenten is right. You would probably only need a fraction of the controls placed on a target if you directed someone resurrected by Edo Tensei against a former enemy. After all, the will to fight and kill would probably be at their height in such a case. Wouldn’t those be considered boons?” Naruto’s clone looked like it was about to respond, but then all three clones stiffened as they shared the same far away looks. “What’s wrong?” Yuugao asked nearly panicked.

“A few clones got wiped out,” the one that had carried her said reassuringly, “We just gained their memories.” The clone then grew concerned as it said, “Hayate’s chakra is continuing to grow ever stronger, and his body is undergoing some sort of transformation. To be honest, his chakra is taking on the same sinister taint that I remember feeling when Shion and I faced Mōryō after he had reunited with his body. I think he is becoming some sort of demon.” The clone focused on Yuugao with saddened eyes, and with what she felt was perhaps guilt as if he was blaming himself for the situation. Still, it soon faded as it stated as if Naruto himself was present, “I’m trying to lead him to an unpopulated portion of the city. Someplace where I can cut loose without worrying about people getting caught up in our fight. But I can’t really say where that is. Currently, we’re heading in the direction those dark guild members fled, so hopefully it takes us to where they infiltrated the city in the first place and as such, us out of it. I imagine you won’t have a hard time following where we are, so when you have a plan with how to take him down, disburse one of the clones to fill me in. Save at least one for when you’re about to execute it.”

“Understood,” Kakashi said before nodding to another of the clones telling it to disburse itself to let his student know they had received his instructions. He felt a burst of pride due not only to how Naruto had taken charge during the mission, but also in how while he was perhaps the most powerful member of the team, and as such had put himself between them and what was perhaps a demon in the making. Still, trusted in his team enough to help pull him out of the situation. As such, while Kakashi knew he was hardly one of the only ones who helped shape Naruto into the man that he had become, nevertheless took some pride in how his student still understood the importance of teamwork which was the first lesson he had drilled into his students. Which, considering how Kakashi had taken the lesson from someone who the words, had just been words, helped remind him that it truly didn’t matter where it originated from so long as one took it to heart. So, not wanting to disappoint his student, as the smoke from the disbursed clone began to clear ordered, “Tenten, go back to the guild hall for Lee and Gai. Also, it is unlikely that they haven’t noticed what is going on in their city so try to coordinate with the guild. The last thing we need is to have them start attacking us.” He received a quick nod, as Tenten began running back towards the guild hall. Focusing on the two Inuzuka present, he ordered, “You two link up with your partners outside the village and take one of the clones with you to contact us. Naruto said they were following in the same direction the dark guild members were fleeing. Try to get ahead of them and find out where they will come out at. Scout it out and let us know if there are any good spots to stage an ambush by disbursing the clone.”

Both Inuzuka nodded. Yet, before taking off to follow her instructions Tsume asked, “What do we due should we encounter any Dark Guild members?”

“Proceed at your own discretion,” Kakashi replied, “It might be too much to hope that Hayate plays along. So, if they end up on the surface early, it could earn us some good will with the locals to take them out too.” Turning towards Yakumo and Moegi, he stated, “To that end, we three are going to take to the rooftops to find a secondary combat zone someplace in the open where Naruto doesn’t need to hold back.” He turned to where Yuugao had been standing and wasn’t too surprised to find that she had slipped away once more, likely when the one clone had burst into smoke. Although, he noticed that she hadn’t been the only one as Kashike had also pulled a disappearing act. His gaze shifted to the clone that had been closest to Yuugao and could see the concern etched into its face as it too had noticed her taking off. He wondered briefly why the clones had made no move to stop either woman, but suspected it was because perhaps most notably in Yuugao’s case, who would not stand by and take the chance that she would lose the man she loved again, neither woman would accept any order which didn’t take them to the battle directly as Anbu were supposed to lead the way. Still, giving Yuugao, a little bit of cover so that when he turned his report on the mission into Tsunade, he wouldn’t be forced to say she went off script again, he stated “And it looks like our two Anbu know what they should be doing. So, let’s follow their lead and get to work.”

*********

Naruto was running parallel to Hayate as they dashed through the tunnels. Occasionally, they would strike at each other with their swords in a flurry of strikes and parries that left both combatants relatively untouched. Sadly, he couldn’t say the same for some of the dark guild members their running battle had taken them through as Hayate would often strike at him while in the midst of the fleeing men and women, and would take an almost perverse pleasure in cutting through them in order to land a blow on him. From the overwhelming panic he could see etched in their faces, Naruto got the sense from their panicked and hasty exit earlier, that the dark guild members had a greater sense of what was happening to Hayate then he did. Although, as the fight had dragged on and Hayate’s chakra not only continued to grow in power, but also became darker and more sinister, he became more and more convinced that the man was becoming a demon like Mōryō.

With that thought in mind, he wondered if he should just go full out and enter his full Bijuu mode, rather than just having his red chakra cloak up. But he rejected the idea since it would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the city above them. Still, a part of Naruto almost felt envious of Hayate, who appeared to be rather drunk on the power currently coursing through him. He found a small dark part of him envied the freedom that Hayate was enjoying with his indiscriminate killing, since with all the threats he faced, a part of him wished that he didn’t need to take the higher road every time. That just once he could meet the brutality and hatred directed at him with more of the same. However, he quickly silenced those desires within him, since he knew even if he indulged in a situation where everyone would understand, it would leave a taint within that was always looking for the next excuse.

Looking at Hayate, whose bisected mouth was smiling at him with murderous glee, even as his old teeth fell out to be replaced with those similar to a shark, Naruto wondered if perhaps he was not looking at an exterior manifestation to what he believed had become of Sasuke. To which, he pondered what would have happened if he had allowed Hayate to kill Baki. Yet, while he admitted it was possible that Hayate would have found peace and disappeared as the Third Kazekage had when he had learned how Gaara and him had planned to build a peaceful future for both their villages. Naruto highly doubted it would have been the case, as he suspected that as Hayate’s ire had begun to focus on Yuugao as well due to her not siding with him, he would have grown resentful and demanded more in the way of recompense. Similar to how Sasuke’s desire to avenge his clan had continued long after he had supposedly killed his brother and had since been directed at people who had nothing to do with his clan’s downfall.

Naruto’s focus shifted from Hayate as they were nearing the end of the current tunnel, although he doubted that they had traveled far enough that it would lead them out of the city. His instincts turned out to be accurate as they appeared in an opening which resembled a ruined town beneath the Capital City. He suspected the town had been used as a staging area by the dark guild during their operation to kill Baki, since there were signs of people having ransacked it in a hurry. He also had a good idea in which direction they had fled since despite the dark guilders having taken the time to gather what they could from it, there were various trinkets and provisions which had been dropped as they decided to continue fleeing rather than pick up the items that had slipped from their grasps.

Although, he planned to lead Hayate down the same tunnel and hopefully out of the city. He decided to engage Hayate now that he had some room to work with, with the hope of giving the dark guilders more time to flee as he didn’t want to contribute to the slaughter of people who were in the midst of running for their lives.

Taking stock of his opponent, Naruto wondered if the man Hayate still existed, or if he was already gone with all that remained being the dark impulses that had been tied to him which were now being given the chance to be indulged in. It was easy the imagine the latter being the case as Hayate’s body seemed to have almost doubled in bulk, rather than it just being a case of him growing in size. Instead, it was akin to an insect molting as his former self seemed to crack and break as something monstrous tried to shed the human exterior. Where Hayate’s clothes and skin had already cracked and split on his torso, unnatural pale flesh was exposed, some of which had angry red boils also taking shape. From his forehead, a pair of obsidian like horns pushed free of his skull which folded backwards as they each split in two and grew with the lower half of the growing horns running along the back of his skull, before snaking around his neck to come to a stop above his shoulders. With the top half growing until they resembled ram horns as they finished.

Naruto considered one last attempt towards Hayate’s humanity, but seeing none remained in his blazing red eyes, he launched himself forward as he pumped his wind natured chakra into his blade. Hayate smirked as he easily parried Naruto’s strike, as his sword, which now appeared like a short sword due to his size lit up with a dark lightning chakra to prevent his blade from being sliced in half. Naruto’s blade slid against it as he tried to batter it aside to open him up for further attack, but found the blade barely flinched in his steel like grip. He leapt back as Hayate swung at him in turn, and cursed as the length of his opponent’s blade grew almost twice as long. Naruto managed to block it, but as he was still airborne, he was sent flying back until he smashed into the wall near the tunnel they had emerged from. Naruto gasped as his back met stone but managed to catch himself as he slid down it so he didn’t sink to his knees and was thankful he had his chakra cloak up as it had undoubtedly lessened the impact. However, he wasn’t given a moments respite as he rolled forward and past Hayate when he appeared before him, his lighting blade, which now resembled a scimitar of energy sliced through the wall where he had just been standing like it was as insubstantial as air.

Naruto was back on his feet and charging as Hayate turned to face him, the latter smirked as if daring him to try again. He obliged, but this time he came up short as he purposefully missed Hayate’s blade to instead fire a wind scythe at it. This had the desired effect as it seemed to push the lightning blade out of position, but Naruto quickly realized it was a trick as Hayate used the momentum to spin himself around to attack his exposed back. Naruto managed spin enough to bring his blade around, but rather than trying to meet it with strength deflected it up enough that he could rotate beneath it and once it passed over head, sliced his own blade through Hayate’s upper thigh.

Hayate let out a roar of pain and fury as he leapt back to create some room between them. While in the air, he pointed his sword at Naruto, who looked as if he was planning to follow, but at the last moment rolled out of the way as a bolt of lightning erupted from it and exploded the wall behind him. As Hayate landed, Naruto hoped his strike had been a good one, particularly as even with his blade being charged with his wind natured chakra he had felt quite a bit of resistance to his cut, and felt his hope grow as his opponent stumbled for a moment upon landing. But he quickly realized that it had less to do with his strike, as Hayate’s body wasn’t finished changing as his shins suddenly seemed to snap backwards as the bones within seemed to reshape themselves. Despite the pain Naruto would imagine the metamorphosis would inflict on him, Hayate seemed to be enjoying it, as he ripped the remains of his shredded robes away to reveal that his lower half was covered in dark black fur, as his legs looked like they belonged to a goat that had learned to walk upright, which was further exemplified by their terminating in hooves.

Raising his blade up to his chest, Naruto quickly made the hand sign to generate a half dozen shadow clones. But, as soon as he disappeared in the cloud of smoke, Hayate struck, as he thrust his blade of dark chakra forward towards where Naruto had been standing as it suddenly elongated, and felt a feeling of elation as he felt something get impaled on it. As the smoke cleared, it revealed he had impaled Naruto through his red cloak and had pierced his heart while he was in the midst of holding a sign that he was unfamiliar with. Hayate smiled in triumph, as the five clones charged him almost desperately, which he believed was because he had fatally wounded their creator and were hoping to do some damage before poofing into nonexistence. Retracting his chakra blade, he swung it away from his body as it returned, slicing through three of the clones who all burst into smoke as it passed through them. The remaining two clones continued to charge, with one leaping into the air as the other jumped along the ground forcing him to choose which to defend against using his blade. Choosing the one in the air, he thrust his chakra scimitar out catching it in the chest, as the clone on the ground darted to his open left side hoping to bisect him along the waist. However, as its brethren burst into smoke, the clone’s swing failed to reach its target as Hayate caught its sword effortlessly with his bare hand. The clone’s eyes opened wide in surprise but didn’t have long to contemplate its failure as Hayate swung his blade around and removed its head.

“Is that the best you’ve got,” Hayate shouted into the smoke towards where he had first impaled Naruto, although he doubted that he’d receive a response figuring he had already bled out.

However, to his shock, he noticed movement in the smoke, although not in a way a body would have disturbed it. Quickly raising his dark scimitar, he just barely managed to block a wind scythe as it cut through the smoke. However, rather than smashing into it and being cut in half to pass along either side of him, the blade maintained its cohesion as it battered against the energy of his blade like a giant buzzsaw. Slowly but surely, the wind scythe began to cut into it. Hayate tried to push it away, but it only seemed to hasten the demise of his blade which suddenly winked out of existence as the air blade met the solid metal core of the actual blade that he was channeling his chakra through, which upon destroying it caused his scimitar to wink out of existence. The wind scythe then buried itself into his chest, where despite having exhausted much of its strength, still managed to leave a deep jagged wound along most of it. Hayate reached up to his chest, and to his surprise he found actual blood to be flowing from the wound although as he pulled his hand away, he saw that it was a black in color. Although the wound looked angry, it didn’t last long as it began to close, and Hayate’s gaze shifted towards where a dead Naruto was laying, although from the tunnel behind him he noticed the darkness gaining a red tint before Naruto appeared holding his sword at the ready.

Naruto spared a look at the sixth clone he had summoned, who had then turned itself into a more durable K-clone as it converted some of the Kyuubi chakra he had expended in its creation. He disbursed it causing it to also to explode into smoke at which point he created several more clones to charge towards Hayate while he circled around. As he moved, he focused more of his chakra into his blade, and frowned as it seemed thirstier than it had been. However, he couldn’t exactly say that he found it too concerning at the moment considering the strength of the wind scythe he had just let loose far exceeded his expectations. But also, because he got the sense that something may be awakening in the blade, like a presence or purpose which had laid dormant. Mainly as the blade had been used for purposes other than what it had been intended. Recalling Tenten’s tale of how the first sword of Kusangi had been forged through the sacrifice of the blacksmith’s wife to defeat a demon, he wondered if perhaps some component of that need or desire had been ingrained into all the subsequent blades to have been creating in the forge. A purpose, which the blade that he had taken from Sasuke, and Tenten suspected was perhaps one of last of the blades created in the forge before whatever power the sacrifice had conveyed to it had run out, was feeling as it likely faced its first demon since its creation.

Naruto would have loved to ponder the matter more but felt the last of his clones meet its end, and so stopped to fire off another wind scythe hoping the smoke of his clones’ demise would cover the attack. However, just as he was about to fire off the attack, the shadow Hayate was casting on the smoke disappeared suddenly. Naruto noticed the blur of motion, as Hayate charged to him along a circular path. He just managed to face the former jounin, when Hayate reared back his fist in an attempt to knock his head clean off his shoulders. Still, Naruto managed to duck beneath it, and sliding under the demon’s outstretched arm, he began to move behind him while he brought his blade up and sliced along Hayate’s side. Even with the blade being charged with his wind chakra, it didn’t leave much of a wound as it again felt like he was trying to cut through a statue with an unaugmented sword. More troubling however was how the wound began closing up even before he had completed his pass. Turning, he tried to cut along Hayate’s back, but received a kick to the chest which lifted Naruto off of his feet, and carried him over a railing to a level below, where he fell heavily on the stone roof of one of the buildings.

Trying to catch his breath, he raised his free hand to where Hayate had kicked him, and felt the impression on the plate mail where the hoof had made contact, and wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t been wearing the armor, or had his red Bijuu chakra cloak not been up. Hayate was interested in giving him a chance to learn the results of the former as he leapt over the railing and his hooves looked to be zeroed in on his skull. Naruto quickly rolled out of the way, as the creature that had once been a man crashed through the roof like it was little more than a thin covering of ice. He continued his roll until he reached the edge due to the hole Hayate had made, began to expand after him. Upon reaching the edge, he continued over it and reached out for the side of the building using the hand which wasn’t currently busy gripping his sword. Using chakra, he slowed his decent and steadied himself so that he would land on his feet. Yet, as soon as his feet touched the ground, Hayate’s hand burst through the stone wall of the building and grabbed him by the back of his skull. He then him through the wall and tossed him until he smashed into the one on the opposite side of the room creating a sizeable impression within it.

Naruto gasped as the wind was knocked out of him once more but found himself barely feeling the blow in comparison to the kick that he had received earlier allowing him to remain standing. He began to puzzle out why and considered that perhaps whatever material Hayate’s hooves were made of, were either far denser than regular stone, or perhaps charged with the sinister chakra Hayate was giving off, and thus capable of neutralizing his protective cloak to some degree. Deciding to bank on the second idea being the case, as either one effectively meant he should avoid any portion of Hayate’s body the black obsidian like material was coating, which meant his hooves, horns, and the long decidedly sharp looking nails which had grown out of his fingers at some point. Still, even should his theory prove to be correct, and he would be able to avoid taking any real damage, Naruto felt it would only result in a stalemate of sorts as he worried that even a Razenshuriken would fail to deliver any lasting damage considering just how tough his body appeared to be. Not to mention, while the Razenshuriken would deliver almost an untold amount of microscopic attacks which damaged living cells, he couldn’t even be sure if he could classify Hayate as a living being. Even more concerning though, was the ticking clock Naruto felt beginning to countdown, as he could tell Hayate’s chakra was still increasing, and while he still had a while to go before, he would reach his chakra level when going all out. Naruto wasn’t sure if there would be much of a city left should the fight reach such a point.

For a moment, he considered trying to summon Shion, but considering how things had turned out when her mother had confronted a demon, he didn’t want to risk it. Although, he made a small mental note to schedule a study session with her in the future, he smirked slightly as he pictured how such a session would end, causing Hayate to snarl, “It’s good you can smile in the face of your impending murder at my hands.”

“You think so?” Naruto replied in a taunting manner, “I guess you would be the expert.”

The dig worked due to it causing Hayate to roar in anger, as he charged towards Naruto and lowered his head as if to ram him through the wall. However, Naruto slid out of the way at the last moment and bringing his blade around sliced into Hayate’s back just as he crashed through the wall. The blade struck true, although it failed to bite deeply as the wound was already disappearing when Hayate spun to face him. However, as he growled at him with hate in his eyes, Naruto’s own gaze was drawn to a scar on the right side of Hayate’s pale chest. Realizing it was located where his sword had cut him earlier, he noted that unlike where the wind scythe had cut directly into the center of Hayate’s chest, there was at least a marker of some kind that he had taken damage. Naruto wondered if it was some hidden property of the sword, or was perhaps, related to the metal it was constructed of. Meaning that he could leave similar marks using his chakra blades. He considered switching to them as he felt he would be more proficient with them, but quickly rejected the idea since his gut was telling him it was a property unique to the sword of Kusanagi he was using. Moreover, he figured that he would need the greater reach as he intended to stab a vital organ, and hoped at the very least the scaring left behind would begin to weaken him, and it was apparent that extending his reach using his chakra wouldn’t leave any trace of a wound behind. Of course, he realized that he was perhaps getting ahead of himself, since he figured that he should first see if there was a scar on Hayate’s back where he had just cut him to confirm his theory. Although, Naruto quickly realized that truthfully, he could just slice Hayate a few more times to give himself more evidence to work with, and so charged forward.

As Naruto closed the distance, he felt something was off, and quickly attributed it to Hayate, who seemed to suddenly have trouble breathing. Almost like he was choking on something that he was struggling to keep down. Although obviously concerned, Naruto had received enough surprises from Hayate for one day, so pressed on with his attack. But, when he was within a few feet almost instantly regretted it, as the hairs on his body began to stand on end. At which point, he noticed sparks of electricity arcing along the horns which coated the former Leaf-nin’s head, a steady stream arced between the two lower horns, at which point Hayate opened his mouth and spewed forth a continuous stream of lightning.

The electric bolt hit Naruto dead in the chest, and lifted him off his feet, although he noticed that it hadn’t penetrated his chakra cloak. Still, much like he imagined the spray of a firehose would, it pushed him with enough force that he smashed through several of the buildings. Naruto didn’t feel the stream was losing any steam, and so reached out with a chakra claw as he passed through one building to the next and succeeded in pulling him off the tip of the unending bolt. However, he wasn’t given a chance to pat himself on the back, as literal the entire building collapsed on him, which although knocked the wind out of him, was manageable, at least until a moment later, when it felt as if someone dropped several more buildings on top of him, at which point his entire world went dark.

********

As Hayate’s electric beam hit Naruto, he had felt a sort of feedback as if he had fired it at an unbreakable object, leaving him to believe that only the force of it had pushed his foe away. A feedback which suddenly disappeared leaving him to believe the Uzumaki had pulled himself off of it somehow, and so he immediately directed it upwards. At first cutting along the backwall of the area in which they were fighting, before directing it upward towards his true target which were the stone braces along the ceiling which supported the town above. His beam of electricity cut through several, before he closed his mouth causing his jutsu to cease, and watched in amusement as a small section of the city above collapsed onto the ruined buildings that he had sent Naruto into.

Hayate marveled at the destruction he had caused and felt a sense of elation at the power that he now wielded. He tried to get a sense of Naruto but found it difficult as he had never been much of a sensor, and found his new chakra seemed to drown out everything else. A part of him felt that he should confirm the Uzumaki was dead, but he ignored the impulse feeling it belonged to a weaker being. Particularly as a sadistic part of him hoped he was alive, as he wanted Naruto to find him after he had an opportunity to reconnect with Yuugao. He smiled in lust and amusement as he pictured the Uzumaki finding them to discover him wearing her naked body like a chest plate while he was buried inside her. He chuckled to himself as he imagined the horror which would be etched on Naruto’s face, but also from the moans he imagined Yuugao would let out as they fought while the blond tried to rescue his living armor.

Planning to make his vision a reality, he began to climb the rubble that he had created and found it acted as a staircase to his literal ascension from a man whose death hadn’t mattered in the grand scheme of the world to its would-be future Daimyo. After all, having already bested the bastard who housed the strongest of the Bijuu, he almost looked forward to seeing what else the world intended to throw at him as he began to take everything that he believed he was owed.

A wish that was granted as soon as he emerged from the hole that he had created and was asked, “Hold creature, are you behind this destruction?” Hayate turned to face the one who had asked the question, and finding an insect dressed in green standing before him simply began laughing at the joke the universe was telling.

********

Rock Lee frowned as the creature began laughing upon catching sight of him. At which point he stated, “I do not see this to be a laughing matter.”

To his surprise, it responded by stating, “You should try seeing it from my point of view.” Almost immediately it disappeared from his view only reappear to tower over him a moment later with its fist already pulled back to deliver a blow. As such, Lee leapt up in the air, and raised his knees in front of him as the creature struck and smashed its fist into his shins. Lee was sent flying but managed to recover so that he landed on his feet in a low crouch. He winced, as he took a moment to feel glad that he had taken the time to switch back to his usual attire since he had felt the force of the blow even through the steel weights that he wore around his legs. Taking a moment to look down, he saw why as they were all bent and mishappen. Realizing what would have happened if he had taken the blow without them, he hit the quick release on the weights as he figured he would need to go all out from the onset, and so launched himself at the creature.

He enjoyed the brief look of surprise which appeared on the somewhat familiar, if distorted human like features of the creature’s face as he slammed his fist into its cheek, rocking its head back. Upon landing on the other side, and despite it feeling as if he had smashed his hand in solid stone, Lee immediately turned to launch himself at it again to attack while it was off balance. He again scored another direct hit, but nearly cried out himself as the bones in his hand felt like they were going to break. Yet, before he could land and contemplate whether or not to attack again. The creature caught him by the foot as he flew past, and immediately tossed him so that he slammed into a nearby building.

Lee felt something give in him as he hit hard enough to crack some of the stone blocks as he bounced off them. Still, he tried to stand as the creature approached and tauntingly said, “Do you wish to know what was so funny? I just finish burying the Uzumaki bastard who was gifted the strongest bijuu, and is probably fucking my whore of a fiancé. Yet who do I find to challenge me next, you the shinobi that never was.” Lee felt a surge of anger, as he managed to get back to his feet and charged the creature which effortlessly blocked the flurry of attacks that he threw at it. All the while the creature taunted him by stating, “Did you really think you could just become a shinobi while relying on taijutsu alone? You’re a fool, but at least you never truly had a chance of attaining your dreams, and so have no idea of what it is like to have them stolen from you as your body fails you. You were fortunate to be born deficient.”

“Shut up,” Lee shouted angrily, “You do not know…”

Lee didn’t get to finish the rest as the creature easily slipped a punch through his offensive flurry and hit him just below the sternum both stunning him and knocking him up in the air. The creature then launched itself forward catching Lee’s entire chest in the palm of its hand and smashed the chunin back into the wall he had hit earlier. Pinning him against it the creature stated, “I don’t know you. Fool, I know all about what you’re thinking. I thought much the same when they told me the small cough that I had contracted was just the first symptom of a chakra degenerative disease that would eventually leave me nothing but taijutsu to fall back on. Much like you, I thought well that should be enough and then proceeded to watch as each accomplishment of my life was slowly stolen from me. First, my position as an Anbu was taken, then I was told I was no longer qualified at the full rank of jounin so was to be considered a Tokubetsu Jounin for the duration of the Chunin Exams, but the writing was on the wall that soon I’d be demoted to chunin. But the world had other plans as I learned why everyone told me it was best to just drop out as I ended up getting murdered in my first real fight against a shinobi.” The creature brought its face close as it whispered pityingly, “Have you any real accomplishments that you can call your own? Maybe I should just kill you and end the farce you call a dream.”