Chapter 6: Awakening - 3
Kakashi ran from the bridge. He picked up on Gai's scent and knew that his rival would get there before anything bad could happen. He had also picked up on another scent however, a scent he hadn't smelt in years. The scent of Itachi Uchiha.
I haven't heard anything about Itachi since he murdered his clan. I knew he was troubled in ANBU but I never expected that. Such a waste.
Kakashi sped towards Itachi's scent, but he didn't notice that it was heading towards him until it was too late.
Damn, he's good at that! Kakashi cursed himself for teaching Itachi that specific wind style jutsu.
"Lightning Blade!" Kakashi shouted, covering his hand in lightning as he ran towards Itachi, shattering the ground underneath him. Within seconds Kakashi saw his old ANBU teammate. The black haired Uchiha was running forwards with a kunai in either hand, Leaf headband scratched through and black cloak billowing. The red clouds adorning it shimmered, changing color rapidly.
His Genjutsu won't work that easily Kakashi blinked, the clouds returning to red. Kakashi met Itachi in a clash of lightning and metal, Itachi's kunai were glowing orange, protecting the metal from the electricity and pushing Kakashi back.
"Kakashi, it's been a while." Itachi said, slashing both blades and sending the silver haired ninja flying.
Kakashi landed, lightning fading from his hand as he skid along the ground, "I could say the same to you, Itachi." He flipped his hands and kunai appeared in them. "I hope you've been practicing."
The two met in a clash of blue and orange glowing kunai, waves of heat shimmered around Itachi as lightning crackled around Kakashi. Clangs rang out around the middle of the small town.
"Kisame, go ahead to the bridge." Itachi said.
"You got it." A deep voice said, it came from a blue skinned man with gills on his face and sharp teeth. He had a Hidden Mist headband on, though it too was scratched through the middle. He wore the same cloak as Itachi.
Kisame then took off.
Damn! Kakashi began slashing faster, hoping to get a lucky hit on the clearly superior shinobi.
"Kakashi, I'll see you at the bridge." Itachi said, inhaling and then suddenly exhaled a large gust of wind, sending Kakashi flying away.
Crap Kakashi pulled himself out of the debris from the house he had crashed through. He dropped a large wad of ryo on the ground Hopefully that'll cover the damage.
-DATTEBAYO!-
As Naruto was becoming familiar with Gai's team, Kisame appeared, pulling a large sword from seemingly nowhere.
"Now where is that Jinchuuriki?" Kisame's voice rang out, alerting the two teams to his presence.
"Everyone step back" Gai stepped forward, "Who are you?"
"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki." Kisame said, "Monster of the Hidden Mist." Kisame grinned, "And I'm here for Namikaze." He spun his bandaged sword, unwrapping it as he did, revealing a crude serrated, something.
Gai's eyes widened, "Samehada!" The green clad jonin tapped his hips, unsealing a pair of nunchucks, "Everyone behind me!"
Gai spun the nunchucks, catching the downward slash of Kisame's sword with the chain and lashing out with a kick, sending Kisame towards the edge of the bridge. Gai seemed to disappear, somehow in front of Kisame and already kicking him high into the sky, knocking the missing-nin into the sky. Gai then appeared in the air above Kisame and axe-kicked the large man into the bridge, sending him crashing through to the water below.
"Naruto, I'm leaving you in charge. Bring Tazuna to a secure area, my team will go with you." Gai shouted as Kisame launched himself back onto the bridge.
"You're pretty good, I'll enjoy slicing you up." Kisame grinned.
"I'll stay and help your Jonin." Haku said, putting her mask on and creating senbon from nothing.
"You'll just get in his way Haku, plus you would be super helpful in securing an area." Naruto said, "Gai-sensei can handle himself. Believe me."
Haku's senbon disappeared, "Fine." She complied, running back to land. Lee picked up Tazuna and followed along with the rest of the genin. They were stopped however, by a rather imposing figure.
"So you're on Naruto's team eh little brother?" Itachi asked, peering down at the group of genin. He looked towards Haku, "And you must be Zabuza's apprentice, the Ice Style user." He clicked his tongue, "It'll be a waste to have to kill you." He said, "But I must accomplish my mission." Suddenly Haku was sent flying, Itachi standing where she was a moment before, putting his leg to the ground.
"ITACHI!" Kakashi's voice rang out, he appeared in the air beside his old ally, kicking Itachi in the face and sending him skidding along the ground towards the bridge. "Naruto, get everyone out of here, NOW!" Kakashi ordered. "Tell Zabuza to come to the bridge, I'll need his help."
Itachi slammed a knee into Kakashi as he was yelling at the genin, "Don't forget about me, Hatake."
Kakashi pulled down his mask as he slid back, revealing his Sharingan, "I won't. I'll go all out on you Itachi!" Kakashi spun through hand seals "Water Style: Torrent Drill Jutsu!" water condensed around Kakashi, forming into a series of drills that flew towards Itachi.
"Earth Style: Stone Wall Jutsu!" Itachi slammed a hand onto the ground, creating a wall of stone that absorbed the drills. With his other hand he made a couple hand seals, "Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!" Itachi exhaled a dozen balls of wind towards Kakashi, who was rushing the black haired ninja.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Kakashi shouted, exhaling a ball of flames that met the air bullets in a stalemate. Kakashi then engaged Itachi in a bout of taijutsu, where they were evenly matched.
"Water Style: Raging Waves Jutsu!" Naruto's voice rang out.
"Wind Style: Air Bullets!" Another Naruto.
"Wind Style: Devastation!" A third Naruto called out.
Kakashi jumped back, leaving Itachi to get hit by a pressurised stream of water and a dozen bullets of wind that were being pushed by gale-force winds. Itachi stumbled back and cursed, flicking three shuriken and dispelling all three of the clones.
"You're student is quite adept at both stealth and Shadow Clones Kakashi." Itachi said, "You taught him well. I thought you would slip up after Minato's death."
"It was Naruto that helped me stay sane. He taught me as much as I taught him." Kakashi said, "Now how's about we call this a draw and you leave?"
"Unfortunately I have to capture Naruto before he becomes too powerful." Itachi said, "He's growing quickly and it'll make my job much harder later on if I don't take him now."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes and jumped to the side as he saw Gai's form fly by, holding a blue skinned man in his hands. A blue aura surrounded Gai as he flew by.
"Your partner is as good as dead, Gai's opened the Gate of Wonder." Kakashi said.
"You called?" Zabuza asked, appearing beside Kakashi in a blur of mist. "Itachi Uchiha, that's considerate of you Kakashi, I've wanted to cut him for a while."
Itachi readied himself as Zabuza slashed downwards toward his face, blocking the massive blade with a single kunai, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi bellowed out an enormous fireball that engulfed Zabuza, leaving deep scorch marks along the man's torso. A kunai was tossed towards Zabuza's chest, however it was stopped by a wall of ice.
Haku stood with Team 7 behind her. She held a sword made from ice in either hand, "I won't forgive you for hurting my precious person." Haku said, tears along her eyes.
"Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry. Gai's team is protecting Tazuna and his family. We'll help you here." Ino said.
"ITACHI!" Sasuke shouted, filled with rage. He ran at his older brother, "I'LL AVENGE MY CLAN!" Suddenly Sasuke's fists and feet erupted in electricity, "Lightning Style: Lightning Fists Jutsu!" He shouted. He jumped and kicked at Itachi's face, missing by a hair. Itachi punched Sasuke in the chest, sending him flying away.
"Wind Style: Air Bullets!" Naruto shouted.
"Thorn Bed Jutsu!" Ino shouted, creating a circle of thorns around Itachi, Sasuke, and Haku. Naruto's air bullets slammed into the distracted Itachi and pushed him back, a spike stabbing into his foot.
"Ino, once he's got a second foot stuck use part 2!" Naruto said through their mental link. Ino nodded.
"Ice Style: Dancing Swallows!" Haku shouted, creating five birds from ice and sending them towards Itachi, who palmed two kunai and cut through them easily. He pulled his foot from the spike and rushed Haku, though Kakashi appeared before him and kicked upwards, knocking Itachi into the air.
"Lightning Tiger's Kick!" Sasuke shouted from above Itachi. He kicked with his lightning infused feet, leaving deep cuts in Itachi.
Sasuke landed outside the ring of spikes, panting for air as his jutsu deactivated. Itachi landed on his feet, blocking Haku's ice blades with invisible blades of wind he created.
Itachi kicked Haku away, blitzing behind her and slashing her, leaving a deep gash in her back as she fell unconscious.
"HAKU!" Naruto shouted.
"Lightning Style" Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!" Kakashi shot two wolves made of lightning towards Itachi.
"Wind Style: Devastation!" Itachi waved a hand, casually dispersing Kakashi's wolves and sending the jonin flying.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto ran to help his brother figure. "INO STAGE 2 NOW!" He sent through their link.
Ino nodded and made another hand seal, "Thorn Launching Jutsu!" She shouted. Chakra enveloped the thorns she had made prior as they launched themselves towards Itachi, who used is invisible blades to block as many as he could, though some still got through his guard and stabbed into him.
Naruto reached Kakashi, who was unconscious but still alive.
Itachi appeared in front of Naruto and booted him in the face, "I'm going to take you with me now. I'm not putting up with this anymore." He grabbed the unconscious Naruto and slung him over his shoulder, strolling away. As he walked he bit his thumb and pressed the blood to a ring he wore on his right ring finger. A crow appeared, "Go and tell Kisame that I'm leaving now."
"PUT HIM DOWN!" Sasuke screamed, his eyes flashing red as a Stage 2 Sharingan appeared in either eye. He appeared in front of Itachi, slamming a foot into his brother's gut and grabbing Naruto before he jumped back. "Naruto wake up!" He growled, palming two kunai and running towards Itachi.
Sasuke slashed like a mad man, but Itachi weaved through each slash like it was nothing.
Ino ran to Haku's side, her hands glowing green as she tried her hardest to close her fellow kunoichi's wounds. "Come on Haku pull through." She grunted.
Naruto stirred as he saw Itachi slam a knee into Sasuke's face and break the boy's wrist in one fluid movement. He then threw his brother to the side, hitting Ino with the living projectile and interrupting her healing jutsu.
"SASUKE!" Naruto growled as red chakra began to seep out from his pores. His nails grew and his eyes became red.
Itachi quickly rushed the boy, appearing behind him and knocking him out with an elbow to the head.
Just as the elder Uchiha went to grab Naruto once again the boy rose. His eyes were now black and his hair a blood red color. He looked at himself, "So this is a human body." he squeezed his fists and looked at Itachi, "I'll practice on you!" The demon controlling Naruto rushed forwards, easily blitzing Itachi and kneeing the man in the chest, causing him to cough up blood.
'I guess I can't hold back any longer' Itachi told himself as he released his chakra. "AMATERASU!" He shouted, black flames shrouded Naruto's form. 'I hope this doesn't kill him'
"Dark Style: Aura!" The demon shouted, the Amaterasu flames seemed to coalesce into a black aura around the boy, "You think I, the great Kyuubi no Yoko, Kurama - King of Foxes, will be hurt by your weak black flames?" The demon, his name revealed to be Kurama, asked mockingly, "I will show you what a true demonic flame is! Dark Fire Style: Hellfire Bullets!" Kurama shouted, creating seven green balls of flames around his outstretched finger and fired them towards Itachi.
Itachi's eyes widened as he dodged the seven small fireballs. They had burnt him even though they didn't touch him. "Tsukuyomi!" He shouted, his strangely shaped Sharingan spun as he made eye contact with Kurama.
Naruto's body was hung up on a cross as Itachi stood in front of him. Itachi stabbed Kurama. "I control this world." The Uchiha said. Kurama just laughed as nine blood red tails grew from his back and slapped Itachi away.
"I CONTROL EVERYTHING!" Kurama laughed as the genjutsu shattered.
"Well that was interesting." Kurama picked at his nails, "If you were trying harder or had a bit more chakra I wouldn't have been able to do anything. As it is however you'll be dying now. Goodbye Itachi Uchiha. Dark Style: Shadow Shape - Fangs of the Fox." Kurama turned his black aura into twin hunting daggers. "Goodbye Uchiha."
As Kurama ran towards Itachi, the Uchiha shook his head, "That aura was your best defense fox! AMATERASU!" The black flames engulfed Kurama, causing him to scream out in pain. "Tsukuyomi!" Itachi called out, dispersing his black flames and trapping the demon in his genjutsu world. "Now experience three days of torture."
A few seconds passed as the red seemed to recede into Naruto's head, his eyes now purple and his hair orange. His whisker marks were still darkened and his nails and teeth still sharp.
"I'm impressed that you are still standing Naruto." Itachi said, "You were moving almost as fast as your father."
"Thanks for waking me up Itachi." Naruto grunted, his voice was ragged, "Now I can take you out myself instead of letting that stupid fox do it."
"Naruto, let me help." Sasuke stood beside his teammate, his right arm hanging low and a kunai in his left hand, "You aren't strong enough alone."
Naruto smirked, "Ino, how's Haku?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of Itachi, who stood there watching.
"She's stable, it all depends on her now." Ino shouted.
"Good, can you go make sure Zabuza is ok?" Naruto asked, "We might need his help."
Ino nodded, "I guess." she ran over to the missing-nin and her hands began to glow.
'Brat, take my chakra again!' Naruto heard a guttural voice in his head, 'I wanna eat this Uchiha so badly I'll lend you as much power as you want!'
'I'm ok thanks. I'll take him myself.' Naruto thought, shaking the kyuubi out of his head, "Ready Sasu-teme?" he asked Sasuke.
Sasuke grunted, "Let's do it dobe." they bumped knuckles and rushed the weakened Itachi. Sasuke activated his Shocking Hands jutsu and Naruto made three Shadow Clones.
Naruto landed will his three clones and the four of them all lashed out at Itachi, each of them performing a different combination. One kicked high, another low, one punched at his solar plexus, and the real Naruto stabbed a kunai towards his spine. Sasuke was above him, coming down with an ax kick and holding a ball of lightning in his good hand.
Itachi's Sharingan spun, the strange shape glowing as an orange shell of chakra pushed Naruto away and nearly broke Sasuke's leg as the genin bounced off.
"This is Susanoo." Itachi said, "The Sharingan's most powerful ability." the large construct raised an arm, a large blade sprouted in its hand, "And this is my Totsuka Blade, a blade which will seal anything it hits." the sword swung towards Naruto.
"KAMUI!" Kakashi's voice rang out. His Sharingan appeared similar to Itachi's with a different shape but just as strange. A rippled appeared in the space around Itachi's Susanoo, destroying the arm that held the sword.
"A Mangekyo Sharingan Kakashi? Amazing." Itachi said, "To think that the eye of another could evolve in a non-Uchiha's hands. But how good are you with it?"
"I would think I'm better than you'd think, considering my eyes aren't bleeding." Kakashi said, his eyes showing the smirk that his mask hid.
Itachi cursed under his breath, "I will retreat for now I suppose." Itachi said, his body turning to crows, leaving no trace behind.
"Well, that was fortunate." Kakashi said as he collapsed.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto ran over to him, but fell half way, smashing his face into the concrete.
"Kakashi-sensei! Naruto!" Ino shouted. She ran to them, forgetting about Zabuza as she slid along the ground to check on her best friend. Naruto's nose was broken, and he was missing a tooth. He was beaten up and burnt all over.
"Naruto..." Ino began to cry. Sasuke hobbled over, putting his good hand on her shoulder.
"He'll be ok." Sasuke said, "He has that damned fox healing him. Just give him some time." Sasuke then walked to Kakashi, covering his Sharingan. "Thank you sensei." Sasuke smiled, "I have to get stronger now, to avenge my clan."
-DATTEBAYO!-
A few weeks passed and everything was peaceful as the bridge was being rebuild. Zabuza and Haku took their leave, thanking the group for everything and waving Tazuna's fee.
Naruto helped rebuild the bridge, using his clones he moved things along greatly. Sasuke and Ino trained with Gai's squad while Kakashi recovered from using the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Yes Sasuke, again!" Gai shouted as Sasuke sparred with Lee, "Show your youth! You too Lee!"
Lee was currently slamming into Sasuke from every side, throwing the junior genin around almost effortlessly.
"Sasuke you are good, a true genius, but I too am a genius, a genius of hard work!" Lee shouted as he kneed Sasuke in the gut, knocking him high into the air. Lee jumped, ax kicking Sasuke into the ground.
"Lee is the winner!" Gai shouted. "Great job my student!" Gai shouted, tapping Lee on the shoulder, "You did great as well Sasuke, not many fresh genin can keep up with Lee for that long in a taijutsu spar."
"Yosh, you did wonderfully Sasuke, I hope to spar with you again soon." Lee said.
"Yeah, me too." Sasuke said with a pant as he stood up, "Next time it'll be different though, I'll be faster than you."
Lee nodded, "I look forward to it."
Ino was sparring with Tenten, trying out a new clan technique known as the Astral Clone Jutsu. A jutsu which creates clones that only the enemy can see, effectively creating the perfect diversion for Ino to sneak up and assassinate her opponent. So far Ino had not managed to erase her presence from the jutsu, so Tenten kept tagging her with shuriken.
"Damn, when will I get it?" Ino shouted in frustration.
"Hey don't worry too much about it. You've only been practicing for a week now, it's not like you're expected to master it." Tenten reassured her, "Why don't we try it's other uses, like using them to collect and transfer information?"
Ino nodded, "Okay I could do that I guess." Ino said, "Astral Clone Jutsu!" She shouted. It appeared as if nothing happened but in reality there were three intangible and invisible clones of Ino.
And there's the land of waves arc! Sorry it took so long again, not sure when I'll update next but I haven't abandoned this story. My break from Fanfiction is mostly over now, I've been working on each story more and more lately, whether it be planning or writing I've finally mostly gotten my groove back so hopefully I'll keep it this time. Thanks for reading.
just for those who are curious I've decided to push back Naruto's Kekkei Genkai for now, I felt the Land of Waves is just too cliche. It'll be soon though don't worry.
End chapter 6