NARUTO: LIGHTNING AND ROSES CHAPTER 46 (Patreon)

Chapter 46

SHINSO KEN

I was alert as the atmosphere thickened with the clash of chakras, my own chakra screaming and rushing in my coils. Ready to be let out, but I held myself back as I stood behind Tsunade-sama. My eyes went around as I saw the hoard of shinobi surrounding us. Many of them were from ROOT, and some from Oto.

Tsunade-sama had let go of all her precise control, and one could see why she was regarded as the strongest kunoichi. Despite the presence of both Danzo and Orochimaru, her presence dominated the whole area.

“What have you done to yourself, Orochimaru?” she spoke up, and I could spot a hint of sadness in her tone. I looked towards Orochimaru and thought the same, though I did recognize the body. It was different, though. The main look resembled Kimimaro.

“Ahh, well, you must be impressed. What can I say? After my battle with sensei, I had to settle for this. But don’t worry?” he said as his tongue slithered across his face.

“I am gonna have a much worthier specimen for me after today?” he added in his eery voice. Tsunade shook her head at that. Her eyes then focused on the traitor of their village, whose game was finally up.

“I told you, didn’t I? I am the one who shall lead this village, both in light and in shadows. You should have listened to me?” she said in an angry tone. Though, Danzo just scoffed.

“Your sensei, Hiruzen, my teammate, could not carry them both. You are naïve if you think you are ready to lead the village. The gap left behind Lord Second can only be fulfilled by someone who truly embodies his philosophy,” and Lady Tsunade was gritting her teeth at that.

“Someone like me!” he finished in his old voice.

“DO NOT BRING UNCLE TOBIRAMA INTO THIS! IF HE WERE ALIVE, HE WOULD HAVE GUTTED YOU HIMSELF! YOU ARE A TRAITOR TO THE LEAF AND HIS WILL OF FIRE!” she snapped at the old man.

WHOOSH.CRACK.

Her chakra exploded and sent a ripple through the area. The ground beneath her feet crumbled beneath her feet.

“But since he is not here. I shall do it myself!” and I saw her eyes sharpen. Danzo just looked at Orochimaru for a second, and then he tapped his cane onto the ground.

“Well, you overestimate yourself, Princess. Don’t worry, I will take good care of the village,” and the masked shinobi surrounding us rushed at us at once.

I finally let go of my own chakra, finally letting it flow freely as I molded it and the spatial seal spread around the whole area.

“Lightning Style: ABYSS PRISON!”

And with that I morphed into lightning itself as I cut through the hoard of the incoming shinobi. Some of them screamed, while other did not even register the pain until their head had been cut clean off. But some had gotten through and few were now approaching Tsunade-sama.

But none would reach her as they would die in the blink of an eye. A burst of lightning rushed across the field. The all too familiar voice of birds chirping could be heard.

“Maa. Maa. Why are you all in such a hurry? I haven’t even begun playing yet.” And now Kakashi had taken off his mask. The Sharingan shined bright red as his hand held a massive amount of lightning.

“Impressive! I must say you have improved greatly since the tournamenShinso-Kunun,” and shivers went down my spine as Orochimaru complimented me.

“You have changed a lot as well. Lord Orochimaru. You seem to have changed your gender along the way as well,” I snarked and Tsunade-sama smiled as she heard my words. Orochimaru’s slits narrowed in my direction.

“Ohh! So you recognized me. You must have read a lot about me to recognize me with so little information.” He commented as he cracked his neck, and then in a blur, he was in front of me, a bone protruding out of his hand as it headed straight for my head.

“Perhaps, you should have studied a bit more,” but I did not flinch. My heightened senses were already processing everything. And before the attack could connect.

KRICHK. BOOM.

There was a shockwave with the sound of bone breaking. Tsunade-sama stood in front of me. Her punch had made a mess of Orochimaru’s whole right arm.

“I have not forgotten you. You slimy bastard.” And she kicked him in the gut, and he was thrown back. Crashing loudly into a tree in the forest.

THUMP.

“Shinso! Go and help Sasuke,” she commanded. I nodded and turned in the other direction, but a group of shinobi blocked my way.

The sworreturnedck to the sheath, and lightning begao thrum over my whole body. My sword had huge bolts of lightning zipping over it.

“You should have brought more.”

“Lightning Style: Thunderous Calling!”

And in the blink of an eye, I was gone. Vanished. Blurring past them all as I jumped into the forest. And with the next blink. Most of them dropped dead with their head separated from their body.

“AGHHHHHH!” the shouts reached my ears even at all this distance.

0000

SASUKE UCHIHA-ANBU CROW

Eerily calm. Sasuke Uchiha stood in the center of the encirclement as more and more shinobi surrounded him. Their masks showed their affiliation with ANBU. But Sasuke could feel something was off. So, he remained alert.

“Crow. You are to submit yourself to the ANBU. You have been called in for an inquiry.”

One of them spoke up, and Sasuke frowned at that. It was a good thing that he had studied all the regulations.

“What inquiry? And such a request is to go to my commanding officer. You should talk to ‘hound,’” and one of them tsked at that.

“Any retaliation will be seen as treason. You are ordered to stand down ‘Crow’!” said the leader once more. Sasuke looked around, his Sharingan blazing as he analyzed everything. But just then, there was massive explosion of chakra at some distance.

BOOM.

And the ripples could be felt even at all this distance. His eyes widened as his Sharingan recognized the faint signature.

"Get him! We don’t have much time!” came the shout, and some of the shinobi from the encirclement rushed in. And Sasuke just avoided the initial strikes, his Sharingan allowing him to read the attacks and, with a quick speed, use his sword to retaliate.

“AGHHH!” they screamed as he pushed his blade into the neck of another shinobi.

“Since I am sure that you people aren’t leaf ANBU, can we drop this farce!” he said, his voice laced with chakra. His hold over his chakra was gone, and it came off him in waves.

“Who really are you, people!” he asked as he twisted his blade, making the shinobi scream.

But no reply came. Instead, he heard the sound of clapping, and his head snapped toward the source. And he saw four shinobi standing there on a tree. All four of them dressed in grey-white jackets, with Sound hitai-ate on their bodies.

Otogakure. Orochimaru. His mind made the connection.

“Orochimaru-sama must have seen something special in you! So, say, why don’t you come in peacefully, and we can spare you all the pain? Orochimaru-Sama has a proposition for you.”

Sasuke frowned at that. He had researched Orochimaru after their first interaction. If what they were saying was true, then he had survived the fight against Lord Third. But why was he approaching Sasuke the second time at that?

“I am afraid I am not available. Perhaps he should get an appointment?” Sasuke said as he plucked out his sword and cleaned off the blood.

“Well, then it seems we will have to drag you there.” One of them said, and then the bulky one rushed at him.

“With force!” Sasuke jumped back as he avoided the punch.

BOOM.

Though he was amazed by the sheer destruction caused by the punch. However, he had no time to be surprised as he felt someone else appear beside him. The one had darker skin and hair similar to Shikamaru, and he opened his mouth and shot out what seemed like a sticky web.

Sasuke was caught in it momentarily, and then he was punched in the gut pushing him back.

“Well, this will be easy,” came the reply from the girl still standing far away. And then Sasuke felt his consciousness slipping as he momentarily lost control of his body. But before any of it could continue, he pushed out the foreign chakra from his system.

“KAI!” and his vision sharpened up once more. But by then, he was covered up in the web-like material.

Sasuke closed his eyes, his chakra molding into lightning as he slashed his blade, freeing himself. And then before they could react, he was in front of the red-haired girl. He saw her eyes widen as she stopped playing on her flute.

He pushed his chakra into his Sharingan and stared her straight in the eye.

“This is how you do genjutsu,” and he saw her eyes faze out as his chakra invaded her brain. The fat guy tried to attack him, but Sasukt kicked him and began molding his chakrare.

“Fire Style: Great Fireball!” and massivege ball of flames was headed towards the guy who used those weird nets.

He saw his eyes widening at the sheer speed of the attack. His Sharingan gave him an advantage with his heightened perception. And now Sasuke was standing with one of them standing in front of him. Staring at the last remaining member of the four.

“Get him!” came the shouts as the gathered shinobi rushed towards him. And as the hoard of shinobi headed straight for him. Sasuke felt the environment shift as lightning arched across the field.

A bolt of very familiar lightning. And he smiled slightly as he saw blood erupt as lightning arched past the hoards of shinobi before it crashed right in front of him.

“Don’t you think we are making a habit out of this at this point?” came the voice of his usual sparring partner.

And Sasuke smirked as he saw the shinobi surrounding them back off as they recognized his face. Shinso stood tall, lightning still buzzing over his body as he stood in front of him. His signature sword was in his hand.

“I didn’t need you to intervene. I had it in hand,” Sasuke commented. And then he saw the four Oto ninjas gather up once more.

But this time, something was different, as he saw their bodies shift as they gained a slight grey tinge. What was this?

“Well, we don’t have much time? So, lets wrap this up quickly.” Said Shinso and Sauke nodded as he began making hand seals himself, and Shinso summoned another one of his swords.

The big guy rushed towards him, and Shinso got out of the way, vanishing in a blur, and the punch was headed straight for him. Sasuke did not move, and it hit.

And he saw their eyes widen once more, as Sasuke’s body morphed into a storm of crows.

CAW.CAW.CAW.

They shouldn’t have looked him in the eye.