"Oh? After I stomped you to the ground earlier, you can still stand there and say those big words?" Tsunade taunted the three Konoha shinobi. Naruto just grinned.
"Just you wait baa-chan! We are not the same people you used to punch around a few days ago!"
Next to him, Sakura and Naruto also smiled, Sakura putting on her gauntlets, Sasuke unsheathing his swords. Jiraiya stood at the edge of the battlefield, looking at the two sides with an amused grin.
Tsunade's face twisted into a menacing grin. "Good! Then let's see how well you fare against me this time! Bring it on!"
The three children looked at each other and nodded.
Then, with a loud "whoosh" and a puff of smoke, Sakura disappeared from her place, and suddenly, she was in front of Tsunade, her fist cocked back.
'Sakura, your Jet Step is good when fighting at close range, but when you need to approach the enemies quickly, I don't think it is very good. The Body Flicker technique is better in this case, in my opinion.'
'Yes, it definitely is! Thank you, Sasuke-kun!'
"SHANNAROOOOOO!"
Sakura yelled out her signature battle cry, and launched her fist forward. Upon the command, a cartridge was immediately loaded into the gauntlet, and the punch exploded with power and speed from the boost of the tiny device.
So she has mastered it, huh...
Tsunade leaned aside to dodge the punch of the girl. The fist soared across her face, and she could feel the rush of wind sweeping pass her nose. She immediately turned on her feet, and delivered a chop at Sakura's neck.
But she had underestimated the growth of the Haruno girl. Her skill in Jet Step, after a week of training nonstop in every possible situation they could think of, had advanced to the point it became like her reflex. Seeing the deadly hand aiming at her neck, Sakura immediately pushed chakra out of her feet and detached herself from Tsunade, and the hand only scratched her neck a little bit. And immediately when her feet touched the ground, she sprung up and sent a spinning kick on Tsunade's exposing left side.
But Tsunade didn't even bother to block. She reached out her right hand, and pushed at Sakura's chest.
The push didn't seem to be anything special, but Sakura was thrown away violently like a ragdoll. The girl flew across the air, but immediately backflipped and landed on the ground gracefully like a dove.
Strangely, on her face, a smile bloomed.
What...?
Then Tsunade realized. Behind her, Sasuke had appeared since god knows when, and was now swinging his katana on her waist. But it was still too easy; she could avoid it with only a step...
Too easy.
Oh crap!
And it seemed her instinct was not wrong at all, because right then, lightning chakra burst out from the blade, lengthening it. She wouldn't be able to sidestep it. There is only one way...
She jumped up, and the lightning blade just soared harmlessly below her feet.
"Naruto, now!"
What now...?
Then she saw it. The blonde boy, son of Minato, Naruto, was holding a blue sphere of chakra on his hand. The Rasengan... But it is a melee attack; he won't be able to reach me...
Then he threw it.
Tsunade's eyes widened when she saw the chakra sphere advancing towards her. Oh now that's just fucking cheating...
She immediately coated her hand with as much chakra as she could, and backhanded the deadly attack. The Rasengan was bashed aside; it flew to a cliff nearby and took out a chunk of it.
What, do you think they would bring a fight like this to the middle of a town?
"Aw, that's so unfair!" Naruto complained. "The Rasengan is not supposed to be stopped like that! This is not Dragon Ball!"
"I'm impressed," Tsunade said. "Your teamwork has become better than before. But you have to do better than that to defeat me!"
Well, that's only what she said, though. Despite being able to deflect the Rasengan like that, her hand still felt a little bit numb.
"Tch..." Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"What's the matter?" Tsunade taunted again. "Is that everything you got?"
"Heh," Naruto grinned, "that's only the beginning! Today we are not the Team 7 of one week ago! That's not even half of our tricks!"
"All right," Tsunade taunted again. "Then show me what you got!"
The two sides lowered their stances, ready to charge at each other again...
Then an explosion shook the ground.
Everyone froze in place, looking at each other in horror.
"What the hell, Naruto?" Sasuke looked at Naruto. "What have you done this time?"
"What?" the blonde protested. "I didn't do anything!"
Sasuke, Sakura and Jiraiya raised their eyebrows.
"Oh come on! Stop treating me as if I'm the God of Destruction, you guys!"
Somewhere across the multiverse, a purple cat-like creature sneezed.
"That explosion was from over there," Jiraiya pointed at a range of mountains about three miles from where they were standing, at the other side of the town. "It seems someone is fighting there."
"But who?" Shizune, who was standing next to Jiraiya, asked worriedly. "That explosion was not normal at all..."
Then suddenly, an incredibly huge chakra spiked up from where the explosion was from.
Naruto paled. There is only one person here with chakra like that...
Chakra suddenly exploded from Naruto's body. The other people were nearly thrown off their feet when the blonde jinchuriki disappeared in a flash of yellow light, leaving a loud "boom" and a cloud of smoke behind.
"What...?"
That was the only word Tsunade and Shizune could utter seeing what happened.
Tsunade turned to Jiraiya. "Is that...?"
"Yes Tsunade, that's the power of the Kyuubi," Jiraiya nodded. "Naruto has mastered it to a level no jinchuriki could have ever done before. He has, not only tamed the beast, but also managed to befriend her; that's why he's so powerful. Had he used that power from the beginning, you would have lost for sure, Tsunade."
"Then why..."
"...didn't he use it?" Jiraiya cut her short in a sharp tone. "Well, it is I who forbade him from using it. But even if I didn't, he still wouldn't use it. Unlike most shinobi, Naruto is not someone who uses people for his own benefit. Rather, he fights for the sake of people, to protect them with his own power. You might think that he is foolish... but no, I think he is the most admirable person in the world. There is almost no person in the world that can be ready to give up even himself for other people... and Naruto is one."
"Give up... himself?" Tsunade mumbled. Jiraiya nodded.
"That's right. And that's why he so hastily rushed to the explosion site as you have just seen. It was a friend of him who was in danger, and he couldn't just stay there and watch his friend go into danger. To him, other people are always more important than himself."
Tsunade grimaced. What kind of human has that kind of ideal? That was completely stupid! Throwing his own life for other people...
She was going to open her mouth to protest, but then hesitated. She realized saying anything now was useless.
Because isn't that what Nawaki and Dan, as well as all Hokage, even her grandfather and granduncle, believed in? The Will of Fire?
And hadn't she also believed in it, some time ago?
No, she has abandoned it long before, when her last hope in life, Dan, was killed...
Then why... why is she feeling so... so weak, so ashamed right now?
"Let's go help Naruto, then!" Sakura yelled, and Sasuke and Jiraiya nodded.
The Sage turned back to Tsunade the last time. "Tsunade, it's alright if you won't come. But remember this: we Konoha shinobi won't ever abandon a friend in need, no matter who they are. Yeah, even you, Tsunade."
And the three shinobi of Konoha leapt away, leaving Shizune and Tsunade alone in the clearing.
"Tsunade-sama..." Shizune reached out worriedly, tut Tsunade was too busy thinking to hear her.
Damn it... What should I... What should I do now...?
The streets of Takayama Town felt a gust of wind rushing across them when a golden figure blurred through them to the other side of the town.
No no no... Why is this happening...? Fuu-chan...!
Naruto cursed under his breath while running with all his speed to the site of explosion. That huge spike of chakra could be of no one else but Fuu. It was tailed beast-level chakra. But what kind of enemy did she have to fight that was able to force her to use Chomei's power...?
What if it was... what if it was the Akatsuki...? He still hasn't warned Fuu about them yet...
Naruto cursed himself, and pushed even more chakra into his feet.
Then the powerful chakra suddenly, abruptedly vanished.
Naruto's heart dropped like a rock. That could only mean...
No...!
His legs moved even faster, and five seconds later, he burst through the tree range, and arrived at the scene of the battle.
The grassy clearing Fuu liked to hang out in was completely wrecked. The waterfall and the pond were destroyed, and craters had formed on the ground. And in the middle of the largest one...
In the crater, the familiar form of Kakuzu, the one who was supposed to be killed, wearing the Akatsuki symbolic cloak, towered in front of Fuu's body, which was impaled everywhere with the black tendrils coming from his arms.
Seeing Naruto arrive, the Akatsuki member sneered.
"So the Nine-Tails is here too... Very good... I was looking forward to another chance to kill his sensei... and now they come to me on their own will like this, eh?"
But Naruto didn't hear anything the man had just said. The rage from seeing his friend lying near death on the ground had exploded from inside his brain, muffling his ears from every other sound. He could hear the Tailed Beasts inside him yelling something, but he didn't care. Right now, his only concern was only the girl lying on the ground, and the bastard who had done this to her...!
It's just like that time...
"Naruto-kun... Because I... love you..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Red chakra exploded from Naruto's body like a bomb. With an air-rending scream, Naruto shot towards the now-Akatsuki member like a cannon ball, his chakra blazing out like a raging flame. He launched a punch at Kakuzu; the fist, enhanced with Tailed Beast chakra from Naruto, could only be described as a mini ballistic missile. With that speed and that power, even without any explosion, a normal person would have been squashed by the sheer force the punch delivered.
But unfortunately, Kakuzu was not someone who could be considered "normal".
He spun on his heels, and instead of dodging, or the normal cliché fist catching, he did something no one could expect. He met Naruto's punch with his own.
What...?
A shockwave erupted from the point of collision between the two fists. The force was so great the air around the two shinobi seemed to ripple upon impact with a loud "boom". Naruto jumped back a few steps; his right arm, cloaked in the chakra shroud, still felt numb to the shoulder.
What the hell...? How could he...?
But he didn't have the time to hesitate anymore, because right at that time, the masks on Kakuzu's back burst out of his body. Two of them turned and aimed at Naruto, their mouths gaping wide.
Fire.
Lightning.
"Double Style: Lightning Blaze Cannon."
The combination of fire and lightning rushed out towards Naruto in an incredible speed and force. Unable to avoid, Naruto could only form an arm of chakra to shield himself before the deadly blast reached him and created a violent tornado of fire, drowning him inside it.
Naruto burst out of the firestorm, coughing violently. Even with the chakra cloak protecting him, a few red patches had still appeared on his skin. The power of that jutsu was so incredible... unlike any fire jutsu he had ever seen. It might even match the destructive power of the jutsu Madara used before...
"I have to thank you, Nine-Tails," the voice of Kakuzu reached his ears. "Thanks to you and your blasted sensei, I had to restock my storage of hearts... And thanks to the Akatsuki, I was able to acquire the most powerful hearts possible... Not Kage-level ones, but still good replacements until I can get those of Kages to replace... A shame I cannot take the hearts of those jinchuriki; they are very good, with all those chakra and elements..."
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THINGS LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF ME!" Naruto bellowed in utter rage; chakra exploded from his body even more, and a blood red Rasengan started forming in his palm...
Then he felt something coming from the left. His instinct screamed at him to dodge, and luckily for him, he had done that before a big three-bladed scythe soared over his head.
"Tch, missed."
Shit... that's his partner...
With a flick of his hand, the scythe returned to his hand, and Hidan grinned nastily.
"You have played enough with the Seven-Tails, Kakuzu. Now it's time for me to have a sacrifice for Jashin-sama."
"You cannot kill him, Hidan," Kakuzu reminded him. "He is the jinchuriki; we cannot kill him until he is extracted. You don't want to anger Leader from that. And Itachi won't be happy if you do that."
Hidan laughed. "Ha! Screw Itachi; who cares what he thinks? Even if I cannot kill him, I'm always allowed to play with him a bit, eh?"
Then with a surprisingly quick movement, he swung the heavy scythe at Naruto. The blonde was caught off guard; he didn't think something that big and heavy could be swung that fast. He pushed chakra out of his feet and rolled away, and the three blades of the scythe stabbed into the ground.
"What's wrong Nine-Tails?" Hidan laughed gleefully with a mad expression. "So you're just a fucking pussy after all? Cannot do anything but run away?"
That scythe is dangerous... I must destroy it!
Naruto immediately spun chakra in his palm. In three seconds, a big Rasengan formed on his hand, and with a kick to the ground, he launched himself at Hidan, who raised his scythe to block. The spiraling sphere slammed at the blades mercilessly; for a second, it seemed Naruto had got an edge, but...
"Haaaaaa!"
Naruto was thrown away when Hidan grabbed the handle of the scythe and swung hard, and the Rasengan was dissipated violently into a burst of chakra. The blonde crashed on the ground painfully, his mind spinning; how could a mere scythe withstand the power of a Rasengan of that scale?
"You think destroying a weapon made of adamantine is that easy? Think again, little fucker!"
Had Naruto been researching more, he would have known that adamantine is the mythical material which is said to be the hardest material in the surface of the planet, harder than even diamond, and blah blah blah. But there was no time to worry about that, because the scythe made of that material was now aiming for his head, despite the warning of Kakuzu not to kill him. The only thing Naruto could do was swerving out of the way in reflex.
Goddamnit... What is happening to me...?
But he didn't care. If he couldn't destroy them with power, he would destroy them with a lot more power...!
He screamed out in rage, pulling out even more chakra from inside him...
Then abruptly, all the powerful chakra he was building up vanished.
What the...!?
And the next thing Naruto knew was he was pulled into his mindscape.
Naruto opened his eyes to see the Tailed Beasts sitting around him, staring down at him from above.
"What are you guys doing? Why did you retract the chakra like that? I need it to fight them!" Naruto snapped angrily.
'Naruto, calm down! You are letting anger cloud your mind! You cannot fight in this state!'
Naruto blinked. What...?
'Your rage for Fuu has made you blind, Naruto!' Isobu's voice boomed across his mindscape. 'You have just pulled on our chakra without any control of yourself; had we not held the chakra back, you would have lost control, and things are just gonna be worse! You didn't even remember that we were here!'
'Naruto, I understand you are angry, but you are facing two Akatsuki members!' Goku also added. 'They are not someone you can face with a hot head. Remember what I taught you about fighting? You cannot let anything cloud your judgement; especially in a battle like this! If you do, you won't be able to rescue Fuu from them! Calm down, and focus on the fight first!'
Naruto gritted his teeth. "But... How can you expect me not to feel rage about this? They have come here to take Fuu-chan, right after she managed to find a friend in her life! And just listen to what they said about her! They treated her just like a... no, not even a tool, not even a monster, just an object they can go and pick up like some kind of junk whenever they want! How can I not angry about that?"
The beasts had allowed Naruto to explode everything he wanted to say. Then when he finished, Kokuoh said.
'Naruto, your anger was righteous and honorable, and we admire that noble intention of yours. But how many times do we have to remind you Naruto, that mindless rage is not going to help anyone with anything? The burning soul motivating one to strive for power is important, but the clear mind allowing them to focus on what is the best is something only the strongest people could have."
Naruto bit his lip. "But..."
Then suddenly he felt Saikyo wrapping around him in an embrace.
'Onii-chan, calm down,' she said quietly.
And Naruto found that he couldn't protest anymore. Or more exactly, he didn't want to protest. Being in the embrace of Saikyo's... well, tails, or tentacles, whatever... somehow felt great to him. It was warm, and soothing, and somehow, his mind felt at ease and calm.
After all, that was Saikyo's power; calming people down was her specialty. And Naruto wasn't an exception.
"Thank you, everyone..."
He opened his eyes, and saw himself back in the real world again, with Hidan in front of him, ready to strike. But now, with his mind calmed down, avoiding him was just like a piece of cake.
Naruto backflipped a few times, landed some distance away from his assailants. He took a few deep breaths, and was relieved to feel his mind clearing.
They're right... I have lost myself for a while there, Naruto thought. But now things will change. I will save Fuu-chan, no matter what!
And the chakra coming from Naruto had also changed. It was no longer the mad dangerous flare raging around. It had returned to the form everyone knew: the sleeveless golden cloak with shoulder pads and nine splitting tails, and except for that, there was no other sign of the Tailed Beasts' incredible chakra; it was so calm, so gentle... but Naruto could still feel it running strong and warm inside his body...
The now calm Naruto raised his hand, and pointed at the two Akatsuki members. "Prepare to have your ass kicked, bastards."
Hidan burst out laughing. "Oh, the little fucker wants to die! Then I'll let you have it!"
He leapt at Naruto, his scythe raised high, ready to plunge into Naruto's body...
Then he felt himself being kicked in the chest. He flew back like a ragdoll, his body skidded on the ground painfully.
"What are you motherfucker doing..." he snarled, "...Kakuzu?"
Kakuzu, the one who had just kicked him, snorted. "Look where you are charging head on to first, idiot."
Hidan looked. And he snarled again.
"Motherfucking reinforcement..."
From the place where Hidan had been charging to, now a smoking, gaping crater on the ground, Jiraiya stood up, grinning at Naruto.
"Well Naruto, next time don't run away alone like that, will you?"
Pervy Sage... Sasuke... Sakura...
"So baa-chan didn't come, huh..."
Naruto murmured. He had expected that he could somehow change her mind with his action, by showing her what might happen when fighting together, to protect others... But it seemed he had failed. It's just... not like that time. There was no way...
He felt Sasuke's hand grasping his shoulder.
"You don't have to worry about her," the Uchiha said in disdain. "We don't need her for this fight. And we'll find another way to heal Hinata; I'm sure there will be someone else who has the ability to do that. To be honest, I don't like her much, even if she is a legendary Sannin."
Naruto winced. That actually wasn't the only reason he wanted to bring Tsunade back. In his previous... life, Tsunade had been one of his most important people. She was like a grandmother... no, a mother to him, closer than anyone else before. And she was the first person who really acknowledged his dream...
Yes, he knew that he was being selfish. But still...
But was this the time to worry about things like that? What's done was done; and now, they were facing two dangerous S-ranked criminals. They didn't have the time to think about anything else, even with the assistance of a legendary Sannin.
All right. Let's deal with this problem first.
"Jiraiya of the Sannin... One of the people with the highest bounty in the whole shinobi world, reaching billions..." Kakuzu grunted.
Jiraiya smirked. "Well thank you, I'm flattered. Being known by someone from the age of the First Hokage is not a small thing, eh?"
"What do you mean he is from the age of the First Hokage?" Sasuke asked, startled.
Jiraiya nodded, his eyes didn't even leave the two men in front of him. "That's right. I have heard about him; he was one of the people who tried to assassinate the First Hokage during his reign. Of course, he failed, but people said that he had given even the legendary First Hokage a hard time during their battle."
"Hmph," Kakuzu snorted. "Indeed. But outside of the fight with that Kakashi brat, that was the battle I have suffered the most humiliation in my whole life."
"Goddamnit!" From the side, Hidan brandished his scythe and yelled. "Less talking, more killing, Kakuzu! I cannot kill that jinchuriki fucker, but at least I can have those three as sacrifices!"
"Don't be a fool, Hidan," Kakuzu glared at his partner. "We have completed the mission; there is no reason for us to stay here any more. After all, the Nine-Tails is not our mission."
Then suddenly, a giant shadow descended from above them. Kakuzu and Hidan had to jump aside when a giant toad appeared from nowhere and fell onto their heads.
Even with immortals, having a hundred ton toad falling on top of them is not anything comfortable at all.
"It seems we won't be able to get out of here without killing all of you first, huh," Kakuzu grunted in annoyance. Jiraiya grinned; his hands were on the ground for the Summoning Jutsu he had just performed.
"Of course. And I won't let you bring any jinchuriki out of here today."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Yup, matching his power in range attacks is impossible, Sasuke grimaced when scrambling out of the way, dodging another deadly lightning jutsu coming from Kakuzu.
He and Jiraiya were facing the Takigakure missing-nin. Despite knowing how powerful the rogue shinobi might be, Sasuke still couldn't help but shudder when the jutsu shot pass him at the edge of his ear and obliterated the cliff behind him.
The air around him reeked of ozone smell. His lightning jutsu cannot even compare to that in terms of power, even the Chidori.
"Earth Style: Rock Spike Barrage!"
From the other side, Jiraiya bellowed. With some quick hand signs, he slammed his foot on the ground, and a line of sharp, big spikes of rock shot up in from of him from the ground. In midair, they turned, and launched themselves towards Kakuzu like a storm of missiles launching from a turret. It was a jutsu designed for fortress bombardment, and right now it was pummeling Kakuzu from every direction.
But...
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
The stone spikes were stopped dead in place before they could even touch the missing-nin by a wall of wind blowing in front of him. Then, with a loud "whoosh", the projectiles were all sent back to Jiraiya and Sasuke.
But Jiraiya was ready.
"Sasuke! Aim your strongest fire jutsu into my jutsu at him!"
Collaboration, eh?
"Secret Toad Art: Oil Blast!"
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The collaboration jutsu melted the rain of spikes like butter thrown into a blast furnace. It rushed towards Kakuzu like a volcanic torrent, but Kakuzu easily blocked it with another wind – water collaboration jutsu. The two forces collided, and a loud hiss and steam immediately covered the air.
"Oh?" Kakuzu quirked an eyebrow. "It seems the Uchiha brat has an increase in power, eh? I haven't seen that jutsu since Madara Uchiha."
"Heh," Sasuke grinned. "Don't ever underestimate an Uchiha."
But inside, Sasuke was sweating bullets. That jutsu was one of the most powerful techniques he had in his arsenal. And that monster of a man had just stopped it, like that... even when he combined it with something from the legendary Jiraiya.
No... it can never work... We can never match his power if we use ranged jutsu. Only someone of Naruto's caliber might have a chance to do that. But...
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura were struggling with Hidan.
'Naruto-kun! This man is a practitioner of the Jashin cult!" Matatabi warned Naruto. 'He uses the victim's blood to perform a curse or something on the victim's body, so that whenever he takes any damage, it will be transferred to the body of the victim! Don't ever let him hit you!'
'That's easy to say, but...'
It seemed the duo had managed to figure out the problem in Naruto's party right now. Naruto is the powerhouse of the team, but Sakura's skill, experience in battle and power are just not enough to even think of facing an S-rank missing-nin. Maybe that's the reason why they had separated them like this; they wanted to force Naruto to focus on protecting Sakura to fight effectively.
And it seemed their strategy was working, at least for now.
Since the start of their fight, the zombie Jashinist had only focused on attacking Sakura. Whenever the girl tried to make some distance between them, he would immediately close in and attack her in close range. Naruto gritted his teeth; he couldn't use his more destructive jutsu without getting Sakura caught in it. He could try to throw the Rasengan just like he had done when fighting Tsunade, but that would risk hitting Sakura instead, considering they were too close to each other...
Plus, his adamantine scythe was incredibly dangerous. Not only was it absurdly sharp and hard, the range it could cover was also very broad, and with the chain at the tip of the handle, the scythe was effectively turned from a close-ranged weapon into a mid-ranged weapon. And as Sakura and Naruto couldn't let it touch them if they didn't want it to draw blood... It was surprising that Sakura still hadn't got hit by that dangerous weapon.
Besides, that strange sensation he had felt under his feet since the beginning of the battle intrigued him so much. But he couldn't understand what it was.
But even if that's the case, if this continued, there was no choice for him but to fight him in close range. Making a Rasenshuriken still cost him at least twenty seconds. But when he finished that, Sakura might have been...
He would have to separate him from Sakura first...
Right when Sakura pushed herself backward with a Jet Step, Naruto rushed in with his chakra cloak, and he delivered a punch at Hidan's face. If this punch cannot pulverize his head, then at least it will be able to send him away from Sakura...
But Naruto had underestimated someone like Hidan too much. S-ranked shinobi aren't just for show; even the weakest of them has abilities exceeding that of a normal human. Therefore, it wasn't anything surprising when he dodged Naruto's punch easily by leaning his head aside.
Or had he...?
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three shadow clones popped into existence in front of Hidan, who was too surprised to react.
"NA! RU! TO!" the three clones chorused while kicking Hidan in the chest, sending him flying backward, towards where another clone was waiting.
"UZUMAKI..."
The waiting clone was ready. When the ragdoll named Hidan arrived, he backflipped, and delivered another kick to his exposing back. The kick enhanced by Naruto's chakra cloak had enough power to launch the Jashinist to the sky. Not wasting a second, the real Naruto leapt after the flying man in a yellow flash...
"...RASENGAN BARRAGE!"
...and thrust the Rasengan on his hand into the man's stomach. The man was shot to the ground like a cannonball; even if that couldn't kill him, it would still give him a whole world of pain...
POP
...or not.
It turned out the Hidan Naruto and Sakura just fought was just a shadow clone. The real Hidan popped out from behind Naruto, and swung his scythe with the intention of decapitating the boy. Luckily, Naruto had managed to sense his intention and ducked right before the blades could touch him.
"See that, Nine-Tails?" Hidan laughed and boasted loudly. "No matter how powerful you monsters are, you will just be my sacrifice for Jashin-samaaaaaargh!"
That last scream was because Sakura had just slugged him in the face.
Let's just say eating a fist enhanced with chakra bullets to the jaw hurts. Apparently, the bones in Hidan's lower jaw were all shattered, and the trees at the end of the clearing shook dangerously, sending a rain of leaves down on the missing-nin, who was lying on the ground dazely.
'Ouch. I doubt even the most fanatic masochist could enjoythat,' Gyuuki said with a wince.
'Yeah. Somehow Sakura is even more dangerous to me that in our timeline,' Naruto agreed, and shuddered. He would never dare to annoy Sakura again... ever...
"Uguhbuhguhguhbuhguhguh," was the only thing Hidan could croak out with his broken mouth. Maybe he was complimenting Naruto and Sakura for the hit. Or maybe he was cursing the two shinobi.
Naruto sweatdropped. "I can't understand what he was saying..."
But Hidan suddenly made a quick movement with his hands. Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened; that was...
Oh crap...!
From the ground, pillars suddenly erected around Sakura and Naruto. And before the two Konoha shinobi could even react, they had felt thousands of volts of electricity arching through their bodies. They had been trapped inside Hidan's ninjutsu from the start...!
The two children screamed out in pain; even under the protection of his chakra cloak, Naruto could still feel the arcs of electricity rushing through, spearing into his heart. His body felt numb, and when the jutsu finally stopped, he slumped to the ground, his chakra cloak dissipated.
But his mind didn't have anything but the girl beside him. Sakura... her body was weaker than him, and she didn't even have anything protecting her. And now, she was lying on the ground, not moving anymore.
"Sa...kura..."
Numb with the shock, Naruto couldn't even move when Hidan descend down on his head, his scythe raising high, ready to take his life, despite whatever order his leader might have given him...
Then suddenly, Naruto felt his body being shoved aside violently. He glanced down, and saw Sakura's body slamming into his waist, pushing him away from the deadly slash coming from Hidan. Even when she couldn't move her body, she still forced herself to use Jet Step to help him...
The scythe soared passed their heads, and nicked Sakura's arm.
No...!
Naruto wanted to scream out, but it was too late. Before he could realize it, Hidan's skin had turned black, and the ritual had been ready. Forgetting all pains in his body, Naruto leapt up and charged at Hidan. He needs to stop him before...
The blades of the scythe buried themselves into Hidan's stomach.
Immediately, blood spewed out of Sakura's mouth with a loud gasp. She lay motionless on the ground, her body spasmed slightly with each of her breaths. Naruto could only stare in pain when Sakura's chakra started fluctuating like crazy, just like with Hinata when struck by Neji in the preliminary.
Hidan glared at Naruto. He couldn't say anything, but the intention his eyes was showing was too clear it didn't even need a genius to understand the meaning.
Don't you dare move, or the bitch will get it.
Naruto gritted his teeth. What could he do now? He couldn't attack Hidan; that would just harm Sakura even more. He also couldn't leave her and run away.
As if taunting Naruto, Hidan aimed another stab at his stomach. Sakura's body jerked up slightly upon the sudden contact, then fell back to the ground as lifelessly as before. Naruto's eyes widened in horror when the girl's breath became weaker and weaker.
"No..." he choked out. "Please, stop hurting her..."
But the Jashinist didn't have any intention to stop. Now, the blades of the scythe were aiming for his heart.
"NO! STOP!"
But it was too late. The blades sunk into Hidan's chest with a loud "SQUELCH".
Just like looking at the video of an old nightmare; Sakura, being impaled at the heart, and he could only stay there and watch without being able to do anything. Naruto slumped to the ground; it's happening again, his friend was once again dying in front of him, and he couldn't do anything... again...
"Give up so soon? After all big things you have talked about? I shouldn't have come here after all."
"Huh?"
Naruto snapped his head back. Standing there was no one else but Tsunade, whose finger was now drilled into the ground, making a fissure on the surface which ran through the ritual circle on the ground. Without the circle intact, the ritual had failed, and Sakura's life had been saved in just that critical moment.
"Baa-chan...!"
Faster than Naruto could even see, Tsunade literally disappeared from where she had been standing. Before Hidan could even react, she had been squeezing his neck with one hand and lifting him up from the ground. He tried to slash her, but he couldn't even move a single muscle.
"A Jashinist, huh?" the legendary medic snarled at the missing-nin. "You are so proud of your immortality, am I right? Let's see how your immortality will help you without your head."
Hidan could only widen his eyes in shock and fear before the fist of Tsunade blew his head to smithereen. The headless body twitched one, two, and three times before Tsunade released it to the ground, blood pouring out of the gaping hole on its neck.
The female Sannin turned her back, not even bothering looking at the corpse on the ground anymore and jumped to where Sakura was lying. She turned the girl on her back, her hand started glowing green when scanning the body for damage.
'I don't get it. She still has her fear of blood right? So how did she...?'
'Hey Naruto, look at her forearm.'
Naruto followed the direction he had just been told. Tsunade's arm, from her elbow to the hand, was full of blood, and there was a very new long scar lying on her bicep. But a mere punch cannot cause so much blood and damage... unless...
'She cut her own arm off to force herself out of her phobia!?'
'Yes. I think she already realized the mistakes of her life... You have succeeded, Naruto. Congratulations.'
"What are you waiting for?"The voice of Tsunade woke Naruto up from his stupor. "I and Shizune will take care of this girl! Go and help Jiraiya and the other brat!"
"Ah... uh... yeah, okay! And you better come back to Konoha with us, baa-chan, believe it!"
"Hmph," Tsunade chuckled. "Just keep yourself from dying first, brat."
"Hrgh!"
Sasuke grunted in pain when he was sent to the ground after a vicious blow from Kakuzu. He bounced like a ragdoll one, two, three times on the ground and landed with a "thud".
He still remembered that battle of the monster in front of him with Kakashi. Both Kakashi and Zabuza together could barely defeat him, and that's with a power Sasuke hadn't seen his teacher using before. But now, the surprise element was gone, and he had no way to counter that monstrous power the missing-nin possessed. Sure, it was thanks to his body armor jutsu, but still...
The fact that he just left Fuu's body alone, exposed, without any protection like that made Sasuke worry even more. If the one they were fighting was someone else, it could be dismissed as an amateur mistake, but with someone like this monster, it could only mean that he didn't have anything to worry about losing the body. If someone managed to take it, he would just retrieve it later after killing everyone here.
With a very fast movement, Kakuzu appeared in front of Sasuke, his armored fist raised high.
What...? That was impossible! How could someone with that much mass on his body move so fast? It defies physics!
Ninjas are the ones who always defy physics, Sasuke.
But Kakuzu couldn't strike Sasuke down, because Jiraiya had appeared and thrust a Rasengan at Kakuzu's side. The jutsu, bigger than the normal ones Naruto usually used, managed to push the Taki missing-nin away, but couldn't even make a dent on his skin.
"Your power if very impressive for a brat of this age," Kakuzu remarked.
"Heh, thanks for the compliment,"Jiraiya grinned. "The youngsters now are not as bad as you think, eh?"
"Indeed," Kakuzu nodded, his eyes didn't leave Jiraiya and Sasuke. "I have learned that the hard way when underestimating that Kakashi brat. But this time... it will be different!"
He jumped at Jiraiya in a blindingly fast speed just like before, but Jiraiya wasn't Sasuke. He had foreseen the attack before Kakuzu even started the attack and had already completed his hand signs before the missing-nin could reach him.
"Needle Jizo!"
The Toad Sage's hair lengthened immediately upon command and wrapped around him like a spike armor. The fist of Kakuzu crashed against it, sending the Sage stumbling back a few steps, but didn't harm him much.
Although, it couldn't be said that the punch didn't hurt.
But a little bit pain couldn't stop the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku.
"Wind Style: Hair Needle Rain!"
The very long mane of Jiraiya, after fulfilling its protection duty, immediately shot up and launched a barrage of very hard needles at Kakuzu. The spikes, enhanced with wind chakra, rained down on Kakuzu's head with incredibly deadly piercing power.
But Kakuzu just snorted, and instead of doing anything to defend himself, he charged right through the needle rain.
"What the fuck...?"
CRASH!
The deadly fist of Kakuzu buried into Jiraiya's stomach.
Then the Sannin's body exploded into smoke. The smokescreen immediately engulfed Kakuzu, blocking his view completely. But of course, someone as experienced as Kakuzu, who had suffered from this trick once, wouldn't let it happen again.
"Wind Style: Erasing Wave!"
The wind mask opened its mouth, and before anyone could do anything, a big gust of wind had swept around Kakuzu, erasing all trace of smoke which was hiding Jiraiya from the missing-nin's view.
"Found you."
The tentacled mouth of Kakuzu twisted into a strange, disgusting kind of smirk. He lowered his body with the attention of leaping towards the Sannin again...
...and found out he couldn't move his body from the place he was standing.
"What...?"
He looked down, and saw that his legs were buried to the knee in the ground. In just one second, Jiraiya had managed to make a swamp under him and immediately make it solid to bind him in place...
"Sasuke now!"
From behind, in Kakuzu's blind spot, the Uchiha rushed in, his katana was glowing brightly and screeching with Chidori. The only weakness of Kakuzu's defense jutsu was lightning, which meant this hit should be fatal...!
The lightning-charged sword thrust into the missing-nin's body mercilessly...
CRACK!
...and shattered upon contact.
"What the...?"
And Sasuke was sent flying with a backhand from Kakuzu.
"Fool," grumbled Kakuzu. "Did you really think I would let something like that happen again? With this Diamond Armor jutsu, even lightning is useless against me."
Dia...mond...!?
Almost everyone knew that diamond is made from carbon, just like graphite. But different from graphite, diamond is one of the hardest materials the world has known, and it can withstand incredible heat and is impervious to electricity, too. If it really was like what he claimed, then Kakuzu was having a nigh invulnerable defense together with his already massive power...
How are they going to defeat something like that?
Kakuzu turned, ripping his legs from the ground on the way, and Sasuke felt a chill running down his spine.
"Eat this, bastard!"
The air was suddenly filled with loud screeching. Kakuzu turned his head towards the direction of the noise, and was immediately engulfed in the tornado coming from Naruto's Rasenshuriken colliding with his body.
"Naruto!" Sasuke blurted out. Never before had he felt so relieved seeing the blonde than right now.
"Why didn't you rescue Fuu-chan?" Naruto whispered when he landed next to Sasuke. "She was just lying over there!" he pointed at her, who was lying motionlessly a few feet away.
"It's not that easy..." Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Then I'll go save her!" Naruto exclaimed, and jumped towards where Fuu was lying.
"Wait, Naruto...!"
Then a fist smashed at his side, launching him away.
"Ack! What the...?"
From inside the tornado, Kakuzu emerged. His Diamond Armor was cracked in many places, but there wasn't any harm to his real body inside. And the damage was immediately repaired as they were looking.
"I'm impressed," the missing-nin remarked. "That jutsu was definitely on a different level. This is the first time I've seen such a powerful wind jutsu like that."
"What the fuck?!" Naruto gaped. "He could tank a Rasenshuriken just like that? How is that possible?"
"You really think it's that easy?" Sasuke scowled, facepalming.
"But that also means I cannot go easy on you anymore," Kakuzu continued, "I will have to finish you fast!"
Two of the masks on Kakuzu's back burst out when the Taki missing-nin was weaving through hand seals, and aimed at where Naruto and Sasuke were standing.
"Crap..."
"Triple Style: Delta Stream Cannon!"
From before, it had been two; but now, it was three. The blast of three chakra elements rushed toward Sasuke and Naruto, and with this, even if they dodged, they would still be caught in the splash damage. And with this level of power, it seemed Kakuzu didn't have any intention of holding back, even with Naruto, the jinchuriki, as his enemy.
"I won't let you!"
From nowhere, Jiraiya suddenly appeared in front of the two boys and held out his hands. From his palms, ten layers of transparent chakra barrier manifested, protecting the Sannin and the two boys from the raging elemental blast coming from Kakuzu. The blast hit the barrier, making an earthshaking explosion, and sending embers and debris everywhere.
"What can we do now?" Sasuke whispered panickingly. "Even your strongest jutsu cannot do anything to him. We're dead."
"Actually..." Naruto bit his lip, "I still have another stronger jutsu. If that jutsu hits, he will be finished for sure... But the problem is, I need at least two minutes to prepare it, and I only have one shot at it. If it fails..."
"It is possible?" asked Sasuke, his eyes widened. Naruto nodded.
"Yes... but how can I find even one minute in this fight? The moment I take my eyes off him, he will pulverize me!"
"Consider it done."
Naruto blinked. "Eh?"
"You need two minutes, right?" Sasuke said confidently. "I will buy you twenty minutes if you want. Just use your strongest technique and blow that bastard to bits for us."
"Oy, if you brats are planning anything, you should do it now, because this barrier won't hold out for much longer!" Jiraiya screamed out, and the two boys turned towards him. The ten rings from before were reduced to only three rings now, and even those three rings would not be able to take much more damage.
"Alright," Naruto nodded. "I'm counting on you. I'll try to be quick. Be careful."
Sasuke grinned. "Then..."
He reached up the locks on his jacket armor, his arm and leg protectors. With loud "click"s, the locks opened, and they fell down from his body.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The noise coming from the fall of the equipments to the ground was so loud even Jiraiya, who was holding the barrier protecting them, nearly jumped and dropped it.
"Holy shit...! Is that... lead?"
"Yes," the Uchiha smirked. "And now..."
He disappeared from view with a remarkable speed, much faster than what he had shown before, not unlike Lee when he opened the first two Gates, sending debris flying everywhere, and reappeared right next to Kakuzu, who was too shocked from the burst of speed to even react.
"Eat thiiiiiiiiiiiis!"
Sasuke's fist crashed into Kakuzu's cheek. It wasn't strong enough to send him away, but still managed to break his concentration on the jutsu he was using. The big jutsu fluctuated and eventually faded away, just as the barrier Jiraiya was holding collapsed.
"You brat..." Kakuzu gritted his teeth and spun, launching another deadly punch at Sasuke, but...
I can see it!
Chakra burst out from Sasuke's feet, pushing him away from the punch, and even before he could land on the ground, the chakra had already pushed him back to deliver another kick to Kakuzu's head.
"That is Sakura's Jet Step!" Naruto gasped. "She taught Sasuke that!?"
'Impressive thinking,' Kokuoh commented within Naruto's head. 'That technique, using together with the speed he has trained himself to be and his Sharingan, will make him near untouchable. And at that distance, Kakuzu won't be able to use his more powerful ninjutsu without being caught up in them too. Even if he cannot deal damage to Kakuzu, he can still keep him busy just by staying close to him.'
"Naruto! What are you waiting for? Do what you have to do! I'll go assist him!" Jiraiya yelled, and Naruto snapped out of his trance.
Alright, then it's my time to shine...!
'Do you really want to do this, Naruto?' Kurama asked worriedly. 'I can provide you with the chakra for that, you know...'
'No, I have to do this. Sooner or later, I will have to manage it alone. If I just rely on you every time, I will never be able to do anything in the future, so why not now?'
'Stop being a fool!' Shukaku roared. 'Training can be left until later; this is a matter of life and death now! There is no time for stupid chivalry!'
'Yes, I think so too,' Isobu also said worriedly. 'You didn't have absolute mastery of that chakra, I think you should just leave it to...'
'No, just believe in me,' Naruto cut them short with a confident voice. 'I have prepared it to fight those Akatsuki; I will be able to perfect it by myself, no matter what! And I'll show you all!'
'Ugh, you are the most stubborn person I've ever met in this world!' Shukaku groaned and facepalmed.
Like you're the one to talk, Naruto deadpanned.
'I heard that!'
Okay, now... "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Four clones with chakra cloaks appeared next to Naruto in a puff of smoke. The real Naruto held out his hand and concentrated. In two seconds, a perfect Rasengan appeared on his palm.
"Alright, go!"
Upon Naruto's command, the two clones started molding the elemental chakra from inside their bodies. And then, their hands started moving around the perfect sphere just like before, when they first made the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
But now Naruto had understood. It was not just that simple. "Folding" the two types of chakra into a new element isn't just mixing them together. It needs the right amount of chakra, the perfect ratio of each type of chakra, and the most important, the condition for the new element to exist and the definition of what the new element is. Recreating all those condition is nigh impossible for a normal person without training for hundred of years; that's why those who can use advanced nature chakra are so rare and all considered people with kekkei genkai in the whole Shinobi World. It takes three simultaneous lines of thought to do that; two to create the two elements at once, and one for all those other steps, and most people can only think about two things at the same time at best.
But Naruto is the only ninja who can bypass all those conditions. If he cannot do it all by himself, his clones will do it together with him. If he cannot do it inside his body, he will do it outside.
Creating two elements – Fire and Wind, complete.
Hypothesizing the concept of Scorch Style chakra, complete.
Recreating the condition for combination of the chakra, complete.
Mixing the two elements in perfect ratio and condition inside the Rasengan, complete.
Maximizing the density of the chakra inside the Rasengan, complete.
Applying advanced Shape Transformation to the Rasengan, complete.
"All right. The ultimate jutsu... has been perfected!"
What the hell is that jutsu? It's different from that jutsu from before...
The jutsu Naruto was holding right now was definitely not the same Wind Style: Rasenshuriken from before anymore. Instead of the four sharp blades usually seen in the normal Rasenshuriken, there were ten flame-like blades covering the edge of the Rasengan just like the sun. And instead of the white color and the deafening screeching noise, it had a reddish yellow color and made sounds just like thousands of mini explosions were happening inside it.
Cannot let it hit me... even with this armor, I will be killed...
Meanwhile, the Uchiha was making him frustrated and annoyed. He couldn't land a big hit on him, but yet Kakuzu couldn't touch him, either. That accursed Sharingan had allowed the brat to see all of his movement, and now he was dancing around him like a stupid pirouette with that chakra jet technique of him...
"Sasuke, Pervy Sage! Get away from there, or you will be caught in it!"
The voice of the jinchuriki rose from afar, and Kakuzu knew immediately what was going to happen.
"As if I'll let you!" he roared, and stomped hard on the ground. Sasuke, who was moving too fast to react on the sudden action, was caught off guard and lost balance, and that moment of slight stunning was the very thing Kakuzu needed. His hand lashed out, grabbing Sasuke's neck in midair.
"Ack...!"
"Now let's see if you dare throw that thing at me," Kakuzu growled, squeezing the Uchiha's neck a bit harder. Jiraiya and Naruto cringed.
"Damn... it...!" Sasuke gasped out in pain, struggling hard to get out of the vicegrip which was Kakuzu's hand. The missing-nin turned his head, and slugged his stomach, hard.
"Gah...!" Saliva and blood spewed from the Uchiha's mouth. His eyes widened, bore at Kakuzu's own eyes before closing when he fell into unconsciousness.
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed in rage and horror.
"Don't worry, he is not dead yet. Now, unless you stay there and dispel that jutsu..."
"Damn you!"
Kakuzu's eyes widened when he saw the jutsu leaving Naruto's hand and flew towards immediately let go of Sasuke's neck and jumped hard into the sky to avoid the deadly disc raging across the air towards him.
But right after his feet left the ground, he knew immediately that there was something wrong. Everything was still there, the brat lying on the ground, the Sannin and the other brat still standing over there... except for the fact that the jutsu was still on his hand, not thrown anywhere.
Fuck...! Genjutsu...!
Now, he understood. Before being knocked out, the Uchiha had used a genjutsu with his Sharingan to trick him into releasing him and jumping up. He had forgotten, for a very brief moment, that the Sharingan can put enemies into a deep, powerful genjutsu with only a quick eye contact. That moment of carelessness had cost him everything... And right now, being on the air, he had no way to avoid the jutsu, now soaring through the air towards him.
It's just like that time... just like that inescapable vortex jutsu of that Kakashi brat... he had no way to prevent it from happening...
Then the jutsu collided with his body.
The scream of Kakuzu was drowned inside the incredible explosion the collision had made. Everything faded inside the blinding light the gigantic fireball, with the energy of a mini sun, emitted. The incredible heat swept through the air; even Naruto, who was standing very far away, still felt it burning harshly on his skin. There was no way someone can be alive when caught in this jutsu... even if he had diamond as skin.
The fireball died down, and there was no trace of Kakuzu anymore; not even a tiny speck of dust. Everything of him had been atomized by the extreme heat and energy the jutsu emitted. Even the odor had been erased. If the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken can be considered thousands of blades that shreds everything, then the jutsu Naruto had just used, Scorch Style: Rasenshuriken, can only be treated as an atomic bomb which pulverizes, decimate, erases everything on its way.
Naruto slumped down to the ground. Tailed Beast chakra be damned, he was completely exhausted from using that jutsu alone. But anyway...
"So it's all over, huh...?"
Jiraiya, who had come and sat next to him for a while, grinned.
"Yeah, it's over... for now, at least."
"...And that's basically what happened, yeah."
Naruto's party, including Tsunade and Shizune, was now sitting in the small study in the residence of the leader of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. Facing them was Shibuki, the young leader of the village.
After rescuing Fuu from the two Akatsuki members, Naruto had insisted that they escorted her back to Takigakure in case someone else attacked again. Fuu hadn't felt too comfortable about that, but before the (kinda) annoying protectiveness of the male jinchuriki, she had had to agree reluctantly.
"We would like to thank you, Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama, for rescuing Fuu from those Akatsuki," the village leader got out of his seat and bowed deeply. Jiraiya hastily leapt out of his seat and pulled the man up from the ground.
"Please, don't say that, Shibuki-sama. Besides," he jerked his finger towards Naruto, "it was that brat who insisted on helping her, not us. He is also a jinchuriki; he understands her better than us."
"He is also a jinchuriki?!" Shibuki gasped. "Then maybe..."
He stopped in the middle of his word, and bit his lip. Then, he looked at Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Can we talk alone a bit, Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama? Oh, and please stay here too, Fuu-chan."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, but still nodded, and waved Team 7 out of the room. After the Konoha shinobi had already been out of ear reach, the young leader went straight to the point without any hesitation.
"Jiraiya-sama, can you bring Fuu together with you to Konoha?"
The question startled everyone in the room.
"Shibuki-niichan..." Finally, Fuu was the one who spoke up first. Her eyes were full of tears. "You don't want me to stay here...?"
"No Fuu-chan, don't think of it like that," Shibuki shook his head. "You're just like a little sister to me, but other people in this village don't think like that. You have already known what they treat you as here. After seeing you finally have some friends like that... I really don't want to see you go back to your old life, alone without anyone loving you... except for me."
"Yeah," Shibuki nodded when seeing Jiraiya and Tsunade's expression. "Even the shinobi here hate her. If those Akatsuki attack again, I don't think we can protect her... if the shinobi force doesn't want to, like that. Fuu-chan, I really don't want to see the day you are captured and killed without being able to do anything. I was entrusted with the position of village leader after my father died, yet I'm just a coward, an incompetent who cannot even protect my village from invaders, cannot even stop my sensei from defecting..." he added miserably.
Silence filled the air after Shibuki's word. Then Jiraiya said.
"Well, Konoha is honored to fulfill your request, Shibuki-sama. Naruto would love to have a new friend like her. But we will have to see if she has any problem with it first. What do you think, Fuu?"
Fuu swallowed when the three other pairs of eyes bore into her face. This was too big a decision for her to decide...
"I... I agree," Finally, after a lot of thinking, she nodded, but still hesitated. "But that means I have to leave Shibuki-niichan, right...?"
"Hem, hem."
The two men and Fuu turned back to Tsunade, who was grinning cheekily.
"About that... I have an idea..."
"EEEEEEEEEEEH?!"
That was the shared reaction of the three members of Team 7 when hearing the announcement from Jiraiya. The man nodded with an ear-splitting grin.
"That's right! She will go back to Konoha with us to join our rank of shinobi, and Takigakure has agreed to become Konoha's ally and trade partner, and will open their embassy in Konoha for the first time in years!"
"That's incredible, Fuu-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "In Konoha, there are many people; you will have a lot of friends! I'll introduce you to everyone!"
"Yeah, including your girlfriends," Sasuke snorted. Naruto snapped his head back.
"Why are you so insistent on me having a harem, teme?"
"Because you really have one, that's why," Sasuke put on his "troll face" again.
"Why you...!"
BONK! BONK!
"Be nice to each other, you two," Sakura's shadow loomed above the two boys. It was amusing to see the two powerful boys being scolded by a little girl like that.
While the children were bickering with each other, the grown-ups just stood there quietly, observing them. Finally, when Naruto declared it's time for them to go back and pulled Fuu's hand and ran away, with Sakura and Sasuke chasing after him to get him to slow down, Tsunade spoke up.
"So that boy Naruto is the child of destiny in the Toads' prophecy huh? He surely has potential, I admit. I kinda like him. He has managed to change me after all..."
"Really?" Jiraiya answered her with a smile. "I actually don't know about that, Tsunade. Naruto is a special boy, indeed, but he cannot come so far without his friends. I'd say that they all deserve the name 'Children of Destiny"... if you know what I said."
"Yeah," Tsunade smirked. "If you say it like that, I kinda understand it."
The future of Konoha, and of the world, gonna lies within the hands of those children...
"Wait a sec," Jiraiya suddenly pondered. "Why do I have a feeling that we are forgetting something...?"
They looked back, and saw Shizune and Tonton, her pig, sulking on the ground with tiny ominous rain cloud above their heads.
"No one bothers remembering us..."