Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He was surrounded in all directions by five individuals who remained perfectly still and inexpressive, were he not their target Neji would actually feel a little bit of respect to their demeanor. They did not show any sort of reaction when he channeled chakra to his eyes and used the Byakugan to observe them either; he wasn't sure if it was overconfidence or really good training.

His teammates looked tense, Lee in particular looked like he was fighting the urge to speak up and command them to fight them head on, there was none of that usual eagerness and carefree attitude on his face though, not after what they did.

They were outnumbered and while his and Lee's supplies were almost unused, Tenten had completely depleted her own, safe for the weapons she uses herself, so no cover fire would be provided from a distance, ruling out their go to strategy in almost every single scenario they've ever faced.

Had it been a good idea? Specializing in weapons? She finds herself asking the same question over and over again ever since the Chunin Exams, it had always been enough, sometimes better than enough for most of her Genin career up until the exams, where she was constantly forced to fight on her own and she lacked the ability to do so.

She’s going to start learning a few more tricks after this, if she survives that is.

The enemies started moving, all at once having apparently grown tired of waiting for them to make the first move, it had been a weird strategy now that she thinks about it. Why reveal themselves in the first place instead of attacking while they still remained undetected?

Only one of them went after her while each of her teammates was attacked by two, and she was both offended by it and extremely grateful.

His eyes can't be deceived, “Lee, open the Gates now! There is no time to waste.” Though yelling his instructions Neji was unable to pay his teammates any attention, whoever these people are they clearly understand the Byakugan, know exactly how to best attack him while keeping him focused solely on them.

They weren't succeeding in actually hurting him - not yet at least - but they were able to keep him focused by attacking from close and long range at the same time, it is one thing to be able to see what's going on all around you and another to be able to comprehend everything that you see, and it bothered him to not be able to provide any sort of support to his teammates.

To think he did not particularly care for them just a few months back.

Tenten was having the easier time out of the three, her opponent was good, and looked not too different from the other attackers, just a young shinobi wearing clothes exactly like those of the bandits that lay dead not too far away from them, she was keeping up with him so far, his opponent having taken to fighting her on a Kenjutsu battle after she unsealed her sword - one of the few remaining weapons she had.

Lee wasn't enjoying his fight, he had been hit on multiple occasions already and it was all because of his lack of focus, he knew realistically that what they did was right, what was expected of them, but ideally? Is this truly what being a shinobi means? Were they really following Gai’s teachings when they mercilessly slaughtered hundreds of men just because they-

He was sent flying and crashing against a tree, both of his opponents studied him carefully but still made no move against him, choosing instead to watch as he stood back up. Both of his teammates heard the impact and were not too pleased, Neji started getting frustrated, sure he had been in a coma for a while but this was almost ridiculous, he found a second to take a breath in between the attacks and focused.

The next coordinated attack came not a second after, the close range fighter jumped and tried to hit him with an ax kick from above just as an earth bullet aimed at his midsection closed in on him at incredibly high speeds, without missing a bit Neji sidestepped to the right just enough to avoid the impact of the bullet, while he did so he extended his left arm and redirected the kick coming at him, pushing forward and making it so his opponent started falling face first, with him still in the air he moved quickly and shut down various tenketsu alongside his body, raising his right leg with as he did so.

In a matter of seconds Neji completely out maneuvered the enemy and did not flinch when the jaw of the close range fighter met his knee, shattering on impact. The long range fighter showed little concern for his conscious but incapacitated partner and shot another jutsu of a totally different element - had he not been a proud and collected Hyuga, he might’ve groaned in annoyance - forcing him to use his ultimate defense against the onslaught of flame projectiles coming his way.

Reciting the name Hakkeshō: Kaiten!

mentally he started spinning fast, forming the legendary protective barrier of the Hyuga around him, making his defeated opponent fly away from him and absorbing the impact of the incoming projectiles. As soon as the barrage stopped Neji rushed his opponent, masterfully using the momentum of his jutsu to push himself forward his opponent and did to him the same thing he once did to Naruto, placing his extended palm right on the center of his chest and channeling his Hakke Kushō in close range, making his body absorb the full force of the attack before being sent flying yards away from him.

He relaxed his stance and allowed himself to start studying the battles going on around him, Tenten was being matched evenly by her opponent while Lee was totally unfocused and fighting the worst he ever had, it didn't seem right. Since the moment he started observing their fights carefully Neji counted 7 different occasions in which Lee could've been killed and though he wouldn't have allowed it the enemy didn't try.

They were being stalled? But why not kill them? Wouldn't it be the same?

He quickly jumped in on Tenten’s fight, closing numerous tenketsu on the back of her opponent and immobilizing him, nodding to her and pointing at Lee. She knew as well as Neji did that Rock Lee would not take kindly to their interference - as stupid as that is - so she did what Neji asked of her instead.

“What are you doing Lee?! Is that it?!” She yelled, noting with confusion as the enemy allowed him to stand back up every time they knocked him to the ground. “You knew this would happen eventually, will you really just lose yourself? Do you think Gai-sensei would be doing what you're doing now? How youthful is that?! You're a ninja Lee and ninjas kill, get your gigantic head out of your ass already and beat those two assholes now!”

Lee stood up shakily and took a deep breath, trying his hardest to calm his anguish down. She was right, he's over thinking what they did and was being humiliated because of it, he slapped himself twice with both hands and turned around to give both of his teammates one of his classic grins. Tenten sighed in relief and watched as a sudden wave of pressure was ejected out of Lee's body only for him to disappear in a show of pure speed and reemerge just a few meters in front of him, both of his enemies falling unconscious as he did so.

“I’m sorry friends, I should not have done that, I'll see that Gai-sensei gives me the proper punishment when we return to the village.” He bowed his head in shame to both of his friends once they regrouped, receiving a comforting pad in the head by Tenten in response. “Don't worry about it for now, we should go and help Naru-”

“This isn't over yet.” They both turned around and looked over at Neji, his Byakugan active and a confused expression. In the distance he could see the one shinobi he had sent flying standing up and brushing off the injuries he received, readjusting the many bones he had dislocated as he fell without a hint of emotion. The others soon started standing up as well, like the injuries they sustained had been nothing.

“What in the world are these guys?” Tenten asked in frustration and a bit of fear.

“It must be some type of Kekkei Genkai, whoever these people are have no interest in killing us, it seems their only objective is to stop us from aiding Naruto.” He could not stop thinking about the way they had completely ignored every chance they had to take out Lee. “It seems knocking them out won't be sufficient, we need to put them down.”

They jumped to formation at the end of Neji’s instruction, watching as the weird shinobi slowly crept up to them again. Naruto will have to handle his problems on his own it seems.

In the campsite, shortly after Tenten’s attack

There’s an unspoken rule that all shinobi, no matter how serious they claimed to be, loved big flashy moves, it had been hard for him not to chuckle in satisfaction when he saw the scroll he had helped Tenten with unfurl in the air. He did not have time to marvel at his own creation though, so when the sound of weapons raining down on the enemy filled the area he jumped into action.

The plan was quite simple: jump in and stop the pair of chunin from pursuing the team. Just like they expected, the moment the bandits started being taken down both of the chunins started running towards the source of the projectiles to try and stop it, precisely the moment Naruto awaited to make his own move. One of his reinforced clones manifested by his side, twin staffs already fused into their larger counterpart much like the original.

They shunshined right in front of the chunin who stopped their advance and looked at him in shock for a small moment, without giving them much time to think the Naruto clone started spinning his staff rapidly in front of him jumping slightly off from the ground and being batted away by the original and his wind powered staff. Both shinobis were pushed away hard by the force of the impact though they managed to compose themselves in midair and fall safely back to the ground, watching in slight surprise what they assume had been a clone not dispel due to the force of the impact and simply make its way back to his partner.

“I told you that wouldn't be enough to take them down,” The original Naruto looked at the annoyed face of his clone and sighed in exasperation, if his own clone doesn't respect him then what does that say about him?. “Whatever, you're me too idiot, it's also your plan.”

Before he could answer Naruto dispelled the clone - much to the confusion of the slowly approaching chunin - his sharingan eye activating as he did so. “What are you people doing in Wave?!” He yelled.

If the two chunin were at all intimidated by his menacing figure, they did not show it, both of them looked strangely amused, Naruto noted. “Why should we tell you anything? Uzumaki Naruto huh, you sure don't look like much. Is this what the leaf considers chunin material?”

Naruto’s watchful glaze turned into an angry glare as both of his enemies started laughing at his expense, the fact that they know exactly who he is doesn't really help either, though he supposes that's to be expected with his role during the two invasions. “So you’ve heard of me huh?” He asked, his previous glare now replaced with a cocky smirk. “I didn't realize I’m already making fans out in the world. It was bound to happen eventually though, I’m just cool like that.”

“Famous?” One of the chunin asked, smirking. “I guess being known as the ‘Sharingan no Kakashi wannabe’ does count as being famous, I might just ask for your autograph. If you manage to survive us that is.”

The Uzumaki’s smirk turned into a full blown smile, not finding their mocking insulting at all. “I guess I am becoming more like him everyday, he is my sensei after all and I’ve learned a lot from him.” The ground beneath their feet started shaking as he spoke to them. “Like this!”

Two pairs of hands emerged from the ground and grabbed onto their feet pulling them down and sinking their bodies all the way to their shoulders, he smiled and looked pleased as both of them were now trapped, he continued the questioning voice now more menacing and sharingan eye blazing. “What are you doing here?” He asked, trying his best to replicate Kakashi’s methods of questioning.

The two Kumo shinobi simply started laughing. The one on the left, wiry and long-faced rolled his eyes at him. “Is this what they teach Shinobi in Konoha nowadays? Kids these days I swear…”

“Careful,” Interrupted the one on the right, grinning ear to ear, mockingly. “He is a tree hugger after all, wouldn’t wanna provoke a diplomat.” They both started laughing, looking at him and then at each other. Naruto was very confused, he didn’t really understand them and their laughter made his eyes twitch, clearly the intimidation game is not his strong suit.

He stared at them, his knuckles turning white on his staff. “You’re not trying to escape…”

“Nope”

“You’re not worried that you're trapped…” He continued, his tone betraying a bit of annoyance and frustration.

“Why would we?” The bulkier one on the right asked. “You’ve already lost.”

Naruto’s instincts screamed. He leapt back as the earth erupted beneath their bodies not an explosive tag, not chakra… flesh. Their own flesh undulated, forcing its way through the soil as if their muscles had minds of their own.

With a squelch and a grunt, the thin one dislocated his shoulders and twisted his arms upward - the buried elbows snapping backward unnaturally until they slipped free of the ground. The moment they did, his arms began writhing and snapping back into place with sickening pops.

The bulky one simply flexed, and the stone cracked apart like old bark. He rose from the earth with dirt clinging to his skin, his neck bent too far to the left.

He fixed it with a sharp twist.

Naruto looked in absolute shock at the scene before him, not even bothering to hide the surprise from his features, the two chunin started laughing at him again. “What are you?!” He asked, unnerved.

“Uh uh uh,” The bulkier one answered, mocking Naruto as he continued to pop his joints and bones back in place. “That is a very rude question to ask Uzumaki, didn’t your parents teach you any manners?”

He ignored the insult, eyes narrowing and still trying to figure whatever that was out. “You’re… regenerating?”

“You could say that,” The leaner one of the two answered, muscles tensing. “We just don’t like to stay down.”

They moved in tandem.

Naruto barely had time to swing his staff as both enemies rushed at him, not coordinated like a trained squad, but their moves felt in synch - like a reflex. He parried one strike, jumped a sweeping leg, then twisted as the other dove at him like a battering ram. They weren’t particularly fast but they didn’t hesitate. And they didn’t care about damage.

Naruto’s wind-powered staff slammed into the bulkier one’s side, sending him tumbling. He barely flinched. The wiry one caught Naruto off guard and slashed a kunai across his jacket narrowly avoiding flesh.

A shadow clone popped behind him and drove a boot into his spine, sending him flying.

Both stood back up almost immediately after, regrouping and shaking off the inflicted damage like it was nothing. Naruto observed them, his sharingan eye studying their every move trying his best to understand - he was failing miserably. He caught it - something - tiny pulses in their body, following a rhythm, it almost looked like waves extending from the core of their bodies to their skin. “What in the world are you?” He asked again.

“Look at the little genius,” One of them mocked. “Do they let smart kids like you skip school in Konoha?”

He growled in frustration, forming a hand seal. “I don’t need to understand it to break it” He said as three more of his reinforced Kage Bunshin burst into view. He slammed his staff into the ground. Lightning chakra surged through it, the wind-enhanced steel beginning to split with a hiss of pressure release. The weapon broke cleanly into two, forming the familiar twin rods, each humming with energy.

The clones followed his lead, forming identical weapons.

The first clone spun forward, twirling his twin staffs to meet the advancing Kumo chunin. Sparks flying as lightning clashed against his skin, but the enemy allowed himself to be hit, flexing unnaturally with a sickening pop, letting the blow slide off his shoulder, bones shifting visibly on his arm as he kicked the clone in the torso and sent him flying away, following after it.

Naruto and a second clone moved together, shifting from side to side and crossing their strikes mid dashes. The bulkier Kumo shinobi wasn’t skilled enough to avoid the blows, catching one rod across the jaw and another to the gut, both hits discharging a short burst of lightning. The man **screamed. His body jerked as the electrical pulses disrupted his muscle control. He hit the ground face-first, twitching.

But almost as quick as he fell, he was already pushing up again.

‘They just keep getting up’ He thought, gritting his teeth in frustration as he used the Sharingan to study them further, trying his best to understand how to take them down, it’s moments like this that make him miss Sakura and Shikamaru. They would have it figured out already - hell, Shikamaru would’ve drawn a map to tell him where to punch by now. ‘It’s like they just don’t care about what I do to them, but they’ve got to be burning chakra to do that…right?’

The bulkier one of the two finally got up again, his twisted smile not leaving his face, the other one still engaged in combat with the clone further into the clearing. He ducked a swing, struck back with a lightning pulse, and watched him one twitch slower this time. ‘They’re getting slower, not recovering as fast’ He thought, a small smile of satisfaction forming on his face as he confirmed his theory, maybe he’s not as dumb as he thinks he is.

He jumped to the side as a kunai grazed his thigh, the leaner of the two having destroyed the clone it was engaging. His movements were more desperate now. The enemy lunged, and Naruto parried, locking blades with the left rod. Then, with a growl, he slammed the second rod into the man’s exposed ribs and discharged chakra. Not before he managed to land a hammer punch on his left shoulder, the other one managing to stab a kunai on his right leg. He spawned two more shadow clones, each lunging themselves into one the enemies and exploding in a large burst of chakra, sending them both flying and crashing through various trees before finally hitting the ground.

He gritted his teeth, Sharingan spinning as he watched the two of them start to reset their bones like it was nothing again, only this time the process was much slower. A grin tugged at his lips, ‘I don’t need to know how it works. Just need to keep ‘em burning chakra ‘til there’s nothing left to burn.’ He thought, and truly it was a wonderful idea, the two of them together didn’t have half the chakra that he does, if it comes to a battle of attrition he will always come up on top. ‘Fine. Let’s see what you two do when the tank hits empty.’

The two shinobi lunged forward again - one swinging wide, the other low and fast.

But Naruto had already moved.

His Sharingan eye spun in his eye, every move they made tracked, every twitch predicted. He dipped under the first punch, deflecting the second with a quick snap of his left staff, then twisted on his heel and cracked the leaner one of the two across the jaw with the right. The man spun, limbs loose, but still landed on his feet. Naruto exhaled, flipping both rods into reverse grips.

They circled him, moving like a pair of animals too tired to retreat. The bulkier one rushed again, Naruto met him with a strike to the ribs, followed by a fast lightning burst through the rod. The man grunted, knees buckling, but still didn’t fall. He shifted his weight, spinning into a backhand swing that caught the second Chūnin mid-dash and sent him tumbling back through a bush. A few sparks of lightning trailed after the blow, not enough to disable him, but enough to make him stagger when he got up.

From the corner of his eye, Naruto caught a kunai flying toward his side. He turned, let it graze his sleeve instead of his skin, and kept moving. A cut opened across his forearm, shallow but stinging. His right pant leg tore open at the shin from a near-miss but nothing serious. He wouldn’t fall behind, he was in total control, every move he made calculated.

It became clear by now that he could keep on fighting them both like this, the longer the fight drags on the slower they become and the more effective he gets at putting them on the ground, his reserves and energy still nowhere near depleted. The fact didn't change that this fight had gone longer than expected now and it needed to end, his team - because even though he no longer leads the entire operation he is still a team leader, something that's both terrifying and amazing - who should’ve come to him immediately after disposing of the bandit crew are still yet to arrive and most definitely fighting opponents of similar abilities as him.

Neji is smart and so are Tenten and Lee, he fully believes in their ability to figure it out by themselves. But on the off chance that they can't he has to finish and join them immediately, so he thinks hard of what he can do to achieve it while actively fighting them and comes up with a plan. ‘It didn't work on Gaara, but these idiots don't have enough chakra to overpower me like he did.’

The two enemy shinobi stand up and fix their bodies once more, carelessly rushing at Naruto again only to achieve the same result but this time he doesn't just wait for them to get back up. They start getting up again, leaning on each other as their bodies mend the damage that impeded their moment, both failing to realize they had much less to fix this time.

As both of them stand together their enemy simply watches them and doesn't move, for a moment they start thinking he’ll finally give up only for the sound of a thousand birds to suddenly fill the area - next thing they know there's two copies of the Uzumaki, both with a hand through their torsos. They're stuck in place, the clones not moving an inch, feeling in their arms the bizarre sensation of the bodies they pierce trying to fix themselves around them.

A golden chain suddenly surrounds them both and ties itself tightly around their bodies, only then do the clones dispel, and while the two Kumo Chunin expect their bodies to start healing it doesn't happen. Both of them start gushing blood incredibly fast from the gaping holes in their chests and feel something they never had before.

Fear

They watch as Naruto walks towards them, the golden chain extending from his arm and they're terrified. He doesn't mock them, he doesn't talk - he doesn't do anything, he simply stands there and watches as they both die, something they had both thought impossible before. After moments of intense agony their fear gives way to nothing and the chain that suppressed them vanishes as their dead bodies slump together in the ground.

He kneels down and seals them in a stasis scroll, he truly hates that part of the job but knows very well his village will need the knowledge of their abilities, even if he hates disrespecting the dead like that - no matter how annoying and dangerous they had been in life.

Naruto pressed the final seal into place, the bloody remains vanishing into the scroll. He exhaled slowly, then let his smirk creep back. “I hope you took notes,” he said aloud, not looking toward the trees but knowing full well someone was there.

The forest gave no reply. But he didn’t need one. Their silence was the answer. ‘So Tenzo’s team is done with their part. I hope I'm not the only one he gave a babysitter.’

Naruto stood, brushing dirt from his pants, and gave the treeline a cheeky wave. “Thanks for watching. Next time, though, maybe a hand would be nice?”

No movement. No chakra flare. Nothing. But he could feel it, that lingering presence just long enough to know they’d heard him.

That was when Neji’s voice carried into the clearing.

“You look awful, Naruto.”

Relief eased his chest before he even turned, but when he did he was grinning wide as ever. Neji, Tenten, and Lee emerged from the brushes, battered but alive.

“You should see the other guys,” Naruto shot back.

Lee stepped forward immediately. “Naruto, you-”

“I’m fine,” Naruto cut him off quickly, waving a hand. “Just scratches. They had it worse.” He shook the scroll pointedly, then tucked it away.

Neji’s eyes narrowed at the gesture, his Byakugan already telling him what was inside. “Did they also have regeneration abilities?”

“Yeah creepy as hell and weirdly chatty,” Naruto said, his smirk fading a little. “I'm still not sure how it worked, they just kept healing no matter what I did! But it took a lot of chakra though. I just made sure it ran out faster”

Lee’s fists tightened. “They fought without honor. But… I am glad we were able to prevail.”

The bandage wrapping he normally wore around his arms was now gone, both of his hands bruised and bloody like the sword on Tenten’s back and Neji’s clothes. “Guess you went all out huh?”

Lee grinned sheepishly. “It was… necessary.”

Tenten snorted. “That’s one way to say he nearly broke himself in half.”

“To say they were healing would be technically incorrect,” Neji explained, ignoring his teammates’ banter. “they were feeding their broken bodies with enough chakra to push them forward… once I figured out where to strike they collapsed again,” He brought attention back to his battered appearance. “It was rather messy.”

Naruto nodded his understanding and thanked his team for their efforts, after he was convinced they were in good condition and helping Tenten recover some of her lost arsenal and quickly started making their way back to the spot Genma was supposed to engage his own opponent, it would only make sense that he too would be in for a rough fight.

This has been such a weird mission.

He knew everything had been going well ever since taking over Naruto’s operation, almost too well… and Genma is everything but lucky. So it came as no surprise when the Jōnin he had assigned himself to take down turned out to be a very competent shinobi with a very annoying Kekkei Genkai. Metal jutsu? From a Kumo shinobi of all places too.

How annoying.

There is a reason why he's only a Tokubetsu Jōnin, his techniques are highly specialized and mostly meant for covert operations; nothing about this whole thing screams ‘stealth’ to him, why didn't Shikaku send Kakashi instead of him? He tried some fire Jutsu, it's not like he's helpless or anything - he might be a special Jōnin but he still is a Jōnin - but it's not working out great for him, he can't produce flames hot enough to melt the steel armor that guy had created for himself.

Genma spat the senbon lazily from between his teeth, catching it with two fingers. He flicked it once and sighed. “Metal release, huh? And here I was hoping for an easy job. Mind telling me what you were sent here for? Surely there must be a perfectly good reason for Kumo to be stepping on our toes.”

The Kumo-nin smirked, lifting an arm and flexing for Genma to see as it shimmered into gray. Steel scales begun to form on his skin sounding like iron bars grinding.

‘That can’t be good…’ Following the display Genma started testing the waters, quickly spitting three chakra-laced senbon in a sharp spread, a low whistling note following just a beat later. Mid fly, the needles curved and angled in different directions, al aiming for what should be different vital spots. The man didn’t even move. Tink Tink Tink.

“Tch” His lips curved, watching the needles bounce from his skin before promptly returning to his weapon poch after a quick whistle. “Guess I’ll have to work for this one.”

Their small exchange hadn't been completely fruitless, he mused. The steel on his opponent's skin had a scale pattern with small gaps between each segment. While he wasn't sure if that was a quirk of the Kekkei Genkai itself or its user, it was definitely a weakness that could be exploited.

That, however, might be easier said than done.

The gaps didn’t look all that wide, they were miniscule in fact, so much so that most people wouldn’t even realize they’re there. Genma is not most people, he simply needs a chance to strike and make it count. The Kumo-nin allowed him no more time for reflexion and moved to retaliate, slamming a fist on the ground with immense strength. Metallic spikes shot upwards from the ground, following Genma’s every move like sentient spears. He blurred from view, dodging and jumping around all while shooting another volley of needles. They hit, but the man just leaned into them, bending the needles as they made contact with his skin.

“You can’t pierce iron,” the enemy said flatly, stepping forward.

“Maybe not” Genma muttered, sliding another senbon between his lips. “But I wasn’t really trying to.”

He spat again, this time slower. The senbon arced unnaturally wide, not aiming for flesh, but for the ground around him. More followed after, one struck dirt, another buried in a tree trunk, the last pinged harmlessly against a spike. Thin ninja wire unraveling between them. He gave a low whistle. The wires snapped, the clearing suddenly crisscrossed in a web. The enemy tore through one with brute strength, but it slowed him.

Genma pressed the attack, spitting another spread of senbon laced with poison. The needles hit exposed joints, armpit, groin, just below the ribs where armor flexed. The shinobi grunted this time. Not stopped, but slowed. For a moment, he thought he had him. Then the man’s chest expanded and a metallic bulge burst outwards like a spiked shell, shredding the wires.

Genma cursed under his breath, flipping backward to keep distance. “Persistent bastard…”

That was when roots broke the earth. Thick wooden stakes coiled upward, wrapping around the shinobi’s legs and chest before he could finish charging. He snarled, tearing at them with metal-coated hands, but the wood grew faster, knotting tighter with every breath. From the treeline, Tora’s voice carried low and calm. “You’ve wasted enough chakra, Genma. Let’s end this.”

Genma grinned around the senbon clenched in his teeth. “About time captain. Thought you were just enjoying the show.”

With Tora’s wood pinning the enemy in place, Genma whistled one final, piercing note. Every senbon embedded in the battlefield vibrated and tore through the air at once, a storm of needles collapsing inward on the Kumo-nin. They peppered every exposed gap the wood didn’t cover. The shinobi roared, trying to harden more plates but the poison he had laced in his senbon was already in his bloodstream, the wires cinched tighter as Tora reinforced the wood coffin.

The clearing fell quiet except for the sound of the Kumo-nin’s ragged breathing. The steel covering his skin started to collapse, cracking as chakra bled away. His head dropped forward, and he slumped against the wooden bindings. Genma stepped up, flicked the last senbon from his hand into the man’s throat, putting him in a dead-like state… but not quite there yet.

He sealed the body without another word, only giving a sideways glance into the trees where the ANBU lingered. “Appreciate the assist, Tenzo. Just don’t tell the kid.”

“…and that’s when we ran into Izumo and Kotetsu, after that we came here.”

Genma couldn't help but be impressed. He wasn't surprised by Izumo and Kotetsu's success, they worked extremely well as a duo, and he had admittedly given them the easier foe. His assignment choices stemmed partly from trust in Naruto's abilities and partly from wanting to test those abilities. The kid had certainly delivered. None of them had expected the strange Kekkei Genkai they'd encountered, and Genma had momentarily felt guilty; his original intent had been to test Naruto against two regular chunin, not two seemingly unkillable ones. Still, both Naruto and his team had overcome the unforeseen threat.

Naruto had faced arguably the toughest fight (Genma's own wouldn't have been as manageable without assistance), yet emerged practically unscathed. What exactly was Kakashi doing with the kid? Genma knew for a fact that Naruto could defeat Izumo and Kotetsu, perhaps even simultaneously. He had no trouble admitting that experience was now the only advantage he held over the young ninja.

The kid will be terrifying.

"Very well," he said with an approving nod, turning to address Izumo and Kotetsu. "You two, take the Genin and inform Tazuna-san of our success. After that, provide any assistance he needs to dispose of the bandits' bodies. Naruto and I will get our story straight and prepare our report for Hokage-sama, she requested immediate updates on any new developments."

After exchanging a short nod with Naruto, Neji led his team following the pair of Chunin back into the village. Naruto and Genma remained standing on the large tree branch where the team had reunited. Moments later, both looked in the same direction as Tenzo and his squad of ANBU landed nearby.

“So… everything went well on your end?” Genma asked, smiling cheekily at the friend he knew to be annoyed behind the mask.

"That is debatable..." Tora replied cryptically. "The information Naruto and the Genin gathered before our arrival seems to have been mostly correct, if incomplete. The Wave daimyo was apparently being blackmailed by someone. He believed that giving up control over the country in exchange for money would allow him to save his family and escape from this place."

“Save?” Interrupted Genma. “Were they taken by the bandits?”

"Yes, the chunin Naruto fought kidnapped both his wife and daughter," Tenzo explained, handing Genma papers he'd recovered during his infiltration of the Daimyo's court. "They were taken about a week ago, which aligns with Jiraiya-sama's first report about the bandits through his spy network."

Naruto was already sitting on the tree branch, carefully documenting everything Tenzo said to relay to Tsunade. Tenzo continued, "We found them already dead they had been deceased for days and showed signs of extensive torture. It's clear the kidnappers never intended to honor their agreement. Regardless, negotiations have completely broken down."

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked, trying to mask his unease at everything that had been revealed.

“Perhaps is best you see for yourselves.”

They followed the ANBU squad to a hidden safehouse not far from the port town. It appeared to be a refuge for the Daimyo and his family, built for emergencies, though that purpose was now irrelevant. Naruto would never forget the horrific scene he encountered. Blood splattered across every surface, with human remains scattered throughout the room. Fingers, organs, and flesh were strewn everywhere. In the center lay the Daimyo's torso, head, and arms, all separated from his body yet arranged in their correct positions. The sight was nearly as nauseating as the putrid smell that permeated the room.

"He was alive yesterday," said Tora, seemingly unbothered by the grisly sight. He nodded to his squad, who immediately began collecting evidence and cleaning the scene. "We only stopped tailing him today, shortly before your operation began, so we could act as your backup if needed. The shinobi you fought today were expecting more of you, even if they didn't know the specifics"

"But why?" Naruto asked, bewildered, unable to hide the nauseated expression on his face. "Why were they here? Why did they do this?"

Tenzo eyed his young friend through his mask, studying him for a moment before producing one more file from his coat and offering it to him. "Profit," he explained. "It seems Gato's fall left a power vacuum to be filled. Our investigation suggests someone, likely close to Gato, intended to claim this land before it became economically powerful enough to resist another hostile takeover."

Genma quickly grasped the situation and sighed. "The bridge that freed these people also left them vulnerable and now the trouble's right at our doorstep as well."

"Hokage-sama is working on that as we speak," Tenzo said, turning to face Naruto. "Please finish your report of our findings immediately and send it to her. She needs this information urgently."

Not needing to be told twice - and eager to leave this gruesome scene - Naruto promptly complied. He summoned Kosuke and sent the message to Tsunade. She was no longer in the village according to Tenzo, but Kosuke had reliable ways of finding her quickly - if the toad is to be believed -, and if not him, then certainly Jiraiya would. Now Naruto just needed to collect his team and return to the village. He desperately needed rest and to put this whole disturbing mission behind him. “What a drag.”

Genma snorted. “You’ve been hanging around the Nara kid too much.”

The Fire Daimyō’s private chamber was heavy with silence, broken only by the sound of parchment being rolled back up. Tsunade set Naruto’s field report aside, her expression calm, measured. She had left out much, the grotesque details, the strange Kekkei Genkai, anything that might invite questions she and her shinobi weren’t prepared to answer. What she had given him instead was a narrative: a weak and compromised daimyo, a land left vulnerable, and a threat that could easily have spilled into Fire’s borders.

Beside her, Koharu spoke with a clarity born of decades in politics. “Lord Daimyō, Wave has been a friend to Fire for generations. But friendship cannot protect them now, it hasn’t for some time now. Their daimyo has failed his people. Worse, his failure created risk for yours. This is not annexation in conquest it is annexation in protection. For Wave’s survival, and Fire’s stability.”

The old man leaned back, lips pressed into a thin line. He had ruled long enough to know the manipulation, and Nara Shikaku’s hand was all over this arrangement. Annoying as it proves to be, it doesn’t exactly make it wrong. “So be it. Wave shall fall under Fire’s banner. But mark my words Tsunade, its people must believe Fire’s hand is a shield, not a chain. If they rise in rebellion against us, the blame will be yours to bear.”

Tsunade bowed deeply, concealing the smirk that tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Of course, my Lord.”

Days later, back in the Hokage’s office, the sake bottle on her desk remained untouched. Orders were already flying, to Shikaku, to the ANBU commander, to the supply divisions. Rotating detachments of shinobi would be stationed in Wave alongside the Fire Daimyō’s own samurai. Enough strength to protect the new province. Enough eyes to ensure no hidden hand used it against them again.

On her desk lay sealed scrolls containing the bodies of the supposed Kumo shinobi. After extensive examination, they had proven useful despite Genma's captive managing to kill himself before being sealed. Tsunade didn't believe for a second that the Raikage had no involvement, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her doubt. No, she would let her words do the work for her.

Konoha under her rule would not be underestimated.

We return these men to you, Lord Raikage, not as enemies, but as missing-nin whose presence in Wave troubled us both. What you choose to do with them now will speak volumes.

The Raikage’s eyes narrowed as he read, then flicked toward the shrouded corpses laid out before him. With a grunt, he extended a hand.

“Bring me the Bingo Book.”

Mabui hurried it forward, the thick tome cracking open on his desk. He flipped to the entries Tsunade had referenced, lips tightening. The shinobi were there, listed in detail, skills, ranks, bounties. He stared at the pages for a long moment, then shut the book with a snap that made his assistant flinch.

“I have never seen these men in my life,” he said flatly.

“Then… someone-”

“Is using Kumogakure’s name.” His voice rumbled low, dangerous. Lightning chakra snapped faintly across his shoulders, but he mastered it quickly. War over Wave was not worth his time. Whoever had set this up was clever, but they would reveal themselves soon enough.

He waved a dismissive hand at the corpses. “I doubt the Hokage left anything even remotely useful to be learned from their corpses, burn them. And double-check our archives. If someone is forging Bingo Books in our name, I want to know before the rest of the world does.”

She bowed and quickly left the room. Alone, the Raikage scowled down at the Hokage’s letter once more.

“Tsunade,” he muttered. “You’re not fool enough to think I’ll take the bait. But I’ll be damned if I let someone make pawns of us both.”

He tore the letter cleanly in two, sparks hissing faintly in the air, and let the pieces fall to the floor.

AN: Heeeey everyone! Is anyone still even interested in reading this after so long? Hard to tell. I would like to start this first by saying sorry about the extremely long wait for this chapter, like I said last time life has been busy, it’s crazy to think that when I started writing this I was just about to start University and now I will be graduating next year. Anyway, to be completely honest I also lost some motivation to continue writing given the amount of times the story has been stolen by youtube content farmers and AI slops. But I decided to keep going, I recently re-read every chapter I’ve published so far and honestly cringed a little at my writing in the first couple of chapters, especially the prologue… yikes. Not that I’m a writing expert now or anything but I like to think I’m getting better, I even learned new words to write this one, I also realized I need to adjust the pacing a little. I was pumping out 10k words chapters which simply wasn’t sustainable long term, so I’ll start to condense, I put in a lot of effort in it on this chapter and I know I still have ways to go. So I’ll figure out how to condense my chapters and move the story forward at a better pace. The overall plot will remain the same so no re-writes or anything in sight. Though I completely butchered the timeline with how little it took for Lee to recover from his surgery before this mission, or how I totally forgot Tenten had been hella injured during the chunin exams. I’ll try to be mindful of things like that and maybe I’ll go back and edit some previous chapters, don’t expect any major rewrites though.

That’s it for this one folks, I can’t promise when the next chapter will be out but I’ll try to have it soon, given the canon deviances in my story the time jump till the Shippuden era will be different from Canon as well and not a necessarily linear kind of thing, hopefully you’ll like it.

Hopefully some of you still are interested enough in my story to make this far, thanks for reading and as always,

Be safe!