Chapter 39

AN: Wow… less than twenty reviews to one thousandish at the time of this writing- thank you so much! And we almost have THREE THOUSAND FAVORITES- Omg wow. I can't believe it. It's really scary that so many are reading this story, to be honest. Real talk though, no matter how much I love your support…

For those affected by the virus that shall not be named (all of us) please know you're in my thoughts and prayers. I would loved to hear from y'all in the comments or pm on how you're coping with the quarantines and stuff. I just like hearing that everyone is okay.

Previously, on "From Academy to ANBU"…

"You… YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU" Tsunade rocketed off the branch, destroying the tree, fist cocked. She aimed at Orochimaru's smug smile, only to have the entire group just disappear, a snake taking the hit instead.

"Ku ku ku, Tsunade. Come to the clearing outside town in two days, alone. Agree to help me and I'll not only give you your brother and lover back, but Shizune-chan will remained unharmed. Decide not to, and… well you know. Oh, and Naruto-kun? I'll see you soon." Orochimaru's voiced echoed from everywhere, before it and his presence vanished once more.

She lost the last link to the living. She lost Shizune.

"Well… perhaps some introductions are in order." The boy from earlier said uncertainly. "I'll go first. Naruto Uzumaki at your service. This is Angel, my partner." In place of the brunette was a copy of the last Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

"The fourth's brat. Hah! I lose Shizune and am stuck with the spawn of a Hokage; oh the irony." And Tsunade broke, crying in the dying light with dust settling around her.

"I suppose this isn't the best time to mention you've been ordered back immediately to the village, huh?"

Immediately after, with Naruto…

When Tsunade didn't respond, Naruto thought it was safe to continue his orders.

"Hokage-sama needs your expertise- your village needs your expertise, Tsunade-sama. We have hundreds dead and injured, and many are facing retirement without you. I have orders to bring you back to the village. However, I understand we have" Here he was cut off from giving the plan to save Shizune.

Tsunade scoffed a bitter laugh. "You, a snot nosed brat, are ordering me back to the village? Don't make me laugh. I've been out of your league since before your parents were tots." Naruto held in what he desperately wanted to say as it would result in his untimely demise.

So instead he bit out a polite "It's not me ordering you back, Tsunade-sama. Hokage-sama- well, the acting one while the third is indisposed- has issued a recall on your absence. You must return, or Hokage-sama and many others will die."

Silence spread between the sannin and ANBU, dust still setting from Tsunade's attacks. Suddenly Naruto found himself becoming very familiar with the tree trunk. He heard the familiar snap of a broken rib but couldn't bring himself to care once he saw Tsunade's face. It looked as if a demon was staring at him.

"You… how dare you" Tsunade seethed. She straightened out from the punch she just sent, and dodged Angel's surprise attack from behind, the feline enraged that her partner was attacked without warning. Instead of digging her claws in Tsunade's flesh she was flung harshly into Naruto, shrinking back from her enlarged size. "I gave up everything for the village! Everything except Shizune- and you expect me to just leave her here and rush off to save an old man already destined to die and some half cocked shinobi too stupid to stop fighting when they're injured?"

Naruto felt his anger rise as she continued her rant about the errors of shinobi and how the Hokage was a fool to even try fighting a younger opponent. It began bubbling over, surprisingly mixed with Kurama's own rage.

"This human is annoying, I vote we kill her and feed her flesh to the crows." Kurama said. His suggestion sounded delightful but they had a mission to complete and Dragon-sama would not be happy if they brought back their only hope dead in a seal.

'We can't kill her and you know it- Dragon-sama would be disappointed in us! Our perfect mission record would be tarnished!' Naruto said mentally.

"It would be so worth it" Kurama said. The petulance was oozing out of every word.

Naruto sent a mental headshake to Kurama and looked at Tsunade's shaking form.

"Watch what you say about our village, Tsunade-sama. However, I would never want you to leave your apprentice, Shizune, behind. But you have to agree to come back."

"Like I could even come back; you heard what I'm going to be doing" She said. Naruto looked at the woman who was supposedly his village's only hope in annoyance. Angel actually hissed. He pet his feline companion to settle her.

"We'll get her back and you will both return," he said. Tsunade scoffed.

"Right, like your sorry little hide has any chance of surviving those minions, much less their master, Orochimaru. What are you, a genin? Chunin?"

"I'm a fully trained ANBU, you know!" Naruto said in protest. He lifted his shirt and showed his tattoo off as proof, knowing that Dragon-sama wouldn't mind if it helped convince her. "And I'd rather help you rescue Shizune than report to the village that our other sannin turned traitor." Tsunade flinched at the biting last word. If there was one thing Naruto hated more than anything, it was traitors. By this point his ribs had fused back together and he was able to stand up. Angel perched on his shoulder.

"Let us help!" Angel said, though she sounded like she'd rather leave Tsunade behind. Only her loyalty to Naruto and team Ro kept her there.

Tsunade let out sigh and finally nodded. "I'll heal Sarutobi-sensei and the injured shinobi, but I'll demand to be allowed to leave afterwards." Naruto stayed silent. He had no say if Tsunade would be released from duty once more though he doubted it. The village needed a better medic program, something only a person of Tsunade's caliber could provide. "But! That's only if I can get Shizune back- otherwise the deal's off."

Naruto nodded. "That is fair" he said. Of course he didn't say that even if Shizune died in the fight (likely outcome) he would have to bring her back. Some things were better left unsaid.

"Now we should get out of the spotlight and discuss strategy" Naruto said. Tsunade snorted and led the way. She pushed past the duo, both holding their tongues from retorting.

With Tsunade….

Tsunade hated the brat in front of her. Or rather, she hated what he represented. A young prodigy, already in ANBU and killing 'for the greater good'. A boy with Nawaki's face and innocence, though tinged with the toil of being on missions no child should ever be on.

Would Nawaki have looked like the ANBU in front of her if he had survived? This boy probably became a shinobi around nine. Based on the Kyubi attack and Minato's death he would be almost thirteen. Barely three years out of the academy and already the Hokage's personal dog. Then again, what could one expect of a Jinchuuriki? They were weapons in every village; Konoha must have decided to use their newest one 'properly'. He probably had a foolish dream to be Hokage with it.

Konoha was her village too, no matter how much she despised the thought of shinobi. She knew if she survived getting Shizune back she would rush back to Konoha to save her sensei- her fear of not reconciling ensured that. That is if her crippling fear of blood didn't get in the way.

Storming thoughts boomed in Tsunade's mind as she led her temporary leech and his flea bag to her hotel. The owners were shocked but happy to have her back so soon, accepting the request for her same room in stride, though charging more for the festival time slot.

"So, talk." Tsunade said as they faced each other, sitting on opposite beds. The brat- Naruto she reminded herself- looked at her evenly. His eyes were a cold blue.

"Angel. Go meet up with Akira and gather information on Orochimaru's movements. Do not get caught or seen," He ordered, still staring at her. The cat huffed and jumped out the window. Once she was gone Naruto flung seals Tsunade hadn't seen since Jiraiya and her fought in the third war. They were high level privacy seals.

"Someone takes after his parents" Tsunade said. "What, is Jiraiya already training you to be his next apprentice?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not at all. While Jiraiya-sama teaches me various jutsu and seals, I am not his apprentice as I already have a contract and have a budding career in ANBU as you have seen. No, my path lies elsewhere."

"You? The fourth's spawn doesn't want to be Hokage? Bullshit" She said.

"So what? You're the granddaughter of our first Hokage and you despise the position." He shot back. "Besides this fascination of yours about my future dreams and the Hokage position has no bearings on our current situation. We must plan to get your apprentice back."

"…You're right" Tsunade said. It pained her to say the brat was right, but Shizune came first. "I will get Shizune back and you can wait here." She said hoping to rid herself of a kid. Even if said kid was fast as hell and talented in at least seals.

"We will not be doing that plan since it would be irrational and lead to your death. Stop acting like a hotshot genin and think like an ANBU!"

"An ANBU? Oh, you mean the guys who rush in for suicide hits and act as a graveyard for shinobi?" She shot back. Tsunade felt she made a big mistake when the previously blue eyes flashed red.

"If you had bothered to come back to the village in the last five years you would have learned ANBU has less mortality than any other rank. We fight together in units and play to each member's strengths while negating the weaknesses. For example, you're low on ninjutsu that would help defeat our enemies and have a non combat oriented summons. However, you're very strong and fast with taijutsu. Meanwhile I am one of the village's top trap makers and my ninjutsu is wide. My kekkei genkai mixed with my offensive summons will back you up."

"Wait, kekkei genkai?" Tsunade asked. She was surprised that he had one, as her grandmother spoke of male Uzumakis- particularly those of mixed blood- having a kekkei genkai less often than the female clan members.

"Chakra chains" He said simply. To demonstrate five chains sprouted from his back, almost glowing. Tsunade's medical mind whirled at the mechanics of the kekkei genkai as Kushina had always protected their secrets. She snagged one in her fingers, marveling in their construction.

"Beautiful" She whispered. And they were. More importantly they were deadly. She had seen Kushina a few times hold off both Jiraiya and the Third with them at her peak, able to create barriers with them.

"Yes, I'm glad I have them. However my weakness is my inexperience" He admitted. Naruto met her gaze, and Tsunade found herself raising an eyebrow.

"Inexperience? Brat you are in ANBU. You have been a shinobi at least three years at this point. Inexperience my ass." She said. Naruto shook his head.

"Less than three years."

"Two and a half?" He shook his head again.

"Lower."

"Two then." She tried.

"Try less than a year. I was promoted to ANBU soon after graduation. Certain circumstances demanded I was trained, you know?"

Tsunade felt her blood chill. A genin ANBU. Sensei really was insane.

And now she had to keep him alive while rescuing her apprentice. Because damn would she be responsible for another child dying, not one that looked so much like her little brother.

Back with Naruto…

Tsunade's silence was scaring him a bit, Naruto would freely admit. Her staring after he admitted his inexperience was not totally unexpected, but still.

Dragon had told him that letting the slug sannin know about his basic past would help in 'gaining sympathy' and build rapport. That rapport could aide in Naruto's mission of getting Tsunade back to the village quietly. Judging by the woman staring at him like he was an infant she saw starving and just had to stop, and help, indicated the story worked.

"Tsunade-sama" He said. She stared at him still. Snapping his fingers didn't work. After several failed methods he sighed and decided to try a method Dragon-sama swore his lucky kunai by.

He chucked a kunai aimed at Tsunade's forehead. Before it connected the kunai was gone and he was held up by the throat.

"What. The. Hell." She growled. Naruto gulped; perhaps Dragon-sama wasn't always the best role model when dealing with psycho kunoichi.

"I could have told you it would fail" Kurama said. "Maybe next time you'll just let me, Kurama the Great, stick some chakra in her."

'Yes, because poisoning our last hope sounds like a fantastic idea. Shut up, Fuzzball.'

"Oi! FUZZBALL? I could eat you like a flea- no, a flea would put up more resistance than you! Naruto, don't you dare close the connection! Naruto! Naru"

Naruto mentally sagged at the peace as he cut the connection off, and turned back his attention to the kunoichi who held his life in her hands.

"You need to get your head on straight" he choked. "I an ANBU- so what? It gave me skills we can use to stop Orochimaru. But only if we work together."

Tsunade loosened her grip slightly and scoffed. "For the last time you're not helping, especially since you shouldn't even be a chunin yet! We'll have to hide you since my ex-team mate wants you for his sick experiments. God, I'll have to call Jiraiya for this!" She ranted. Her words became incomprehensible mutters about Jiraiya's stupidity.

Naruto used her distraction and loosened grip to shunshin to the window. Tsunade looked at him and he gave her his best glare.

"Jiraiya-sama is on an important mission, as are every able bodied shinobi since the invasion! We get no backup, and I am more than capable of helping! I can hundreds of clones, fight dirty- hell, I have a contract with summons specializing in assassination." He was getting fired up as he said this. While he did not believe they could save Shizune, he had to try. If only to prove to yet another person who thought him worthless before knowing him.

"You think you can actually do something?" She said.

Naruto nodded. "Absolutely."

"Fine then, I'll let you help." She gave a smirk as Naruto started nodding relief. "If you can last five minutes against me."

Naruto felt all color drain from his face and Kurama shivered as the connection opened back up. They were dead. So, so dead.

Later, secluded field…

Naruto stood across from Tsunade as the moon rose into the festival lit sky. His clones had set up chakra blocking and barrier seals, hopefully preventing anyone from sensing his demise. Tsunade looked very confident as the wind blew her hair around, smirk set firmly on her face.

"You want to fight? Well fine then. Last five minutes against me before I knock you out and I will let you help. When I beat you, however, you will stay out of my way or I will drug you and stash you in a cellar. Are we in agreement?"

"Yes. I look forward to aiding in Shizune's rescue" Naruto said. The confidence in his voice was undermined by his gulping. If only he could have had Hikaru or better yet, Tenzo, here to help him.

"You wish. Anything goes."

"One" They said in unison. Naruto crouched, Tsunade mirroring him.

"Two" Both combatants began molding their chakra.

"Three." Twin flares of chakra had Tsunade's fist landing where Naruto was less than a second before. His training had him on the other side of the clearing, however, running through hand signs.

"Wind style: Air bullets" He released, lungs belting out chakra infused bullets of air. They cut through the clearing, chopping down grass and trees, But Tsunade flung a chunk of earth in the bullets' path, protecting herself. The chunk landed dangerously close- too close for comfort and Naruto leapt away. He landed in a skid, only to have Tsunade in his guard.

The pair danced, a frenzied ballet of sweat and anger. Tsunade would jab towards his throat and Naruto would dodge and use his palm to redirect her fists. Tenzo's and Hikaru's influence shined through, keeping his movements hard to follow.

Tsunade quickly decided adding in feet and random chunks of the once lush clearing was the way to defeat him. His taijutsu was not enough, forcing him to shunshin multiple times. Tsunade was able to track him this time, however. Naruto felt a knee to his stomach, blood forcing its way out of his mouth as he flew into a tree. Vaguely he noted this was becoming an unpleasant common occurrence with the slug sannin.

Tsunade shuddered at the blood almost touching her, and Naruto eyes widened, remembering her fear of blood. He could use it, but… it had to be planned right.

"Give up?" Tsunade taunted after she recovered. She leaped and came crashing towards him. Naruto bit out the pain and bounded away with back flips. Mid-air he unsealed a water scroll.

"Water style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Echoed as the entire field became a thick fog. He landed silently despite a wince and summoned a hundred clones. Some concealed him, while others became rocks and kunai around the field.

"You think this will stop me, brat? I'm more than capable of getting around in this fog" Tsunade said from wherever she was. Naruto couldn't care at the moment, feeling his torso flare in protest.

'Shit. If I wasn't an Uzumaki or Jinchuuriki she would have landed me in the hospital!' He thought. Kurama sent chakra to him, its healing powers taking effect.

"That was the point. She wants us out of her way." Kurama pointed out. Naruto nodded.

'Well too bad, we can not let that happen. We just have to last three more minutes. Kurama, let's go wild.' Naruto could feel his Biju's glee at the prospect and felt three tails burst forth right as Tsunade appeared from the mist, taking fifty clones who jumped at her out. Naruto met her fist with his Kurama chakra infused chains, watching her wince as the vile chakra attempted to corrode her. He wrapped them around her wrists, hoping to bind her.

Tsunade pulled Naruto close by one of his chains and smacked him back several meters.

'Don't use chains on Tsunade' He noted. Tucking them back in, Naruto held both hands behind his back. Twin swirls of purple rasengan, one for each hand, formed. Tsunade was in his guard again, and Naruto ducked below what was supposed to be a grappling throw.

"Try this on for size!" He called out and took both rasangan out. Looking up from his lowered position he watched Tsunade's eyes widening. He let a feral looking smirk form as he shoved both balls of chakra into her torso. He felt slightly vindicated for earlier as her torso became a mess of chakra burns and she was shot back several meters. The spiral on her stomach instantly started healing.

Tsunade had grazed both hands, however, and made them useless with her medical chakra. She struggled to stand, breathing heavy. Naruto heaved also as the bursts of fighting were intense.

"I will admit you impressed me even if I've slacked off for a decade. But your hands have been rendered useless for at least five minutes, even with your demon. Give up before I hurt you."

Naruto snarled at the accusation that he would give up on such an important fight. Besides, he didn't really have to keep fighting.

"Never. Catch me if you can" he said. With that, Naruto used a kawarimi with a clone and thus began a game of cat and mouse.

As he dodged various rocks, punches, and trees, Naruto couldn't help but send a prayer of thanks to his Dragon-sama. Without the hellish training he would be dead. It really showed how much his commander cared… even if the mad cackling made it feel like Naruto was just there for entertainment at times.

Clones started taking hits left and right, all on close calls with Tsunade's deadly fists. Each time one popped Naruto felt his anxiety grow. Nevertheless he kept dodging.

More time passed, and his hands still hung limp. Naruto saw a stray kunai in a branch, and knowing he needed something, grabbed it with his teeth. There had to be barely any time left, but Tsunade had cornered him to a crater, his chakra beginning to wane with Kurama working on his hands. The ragged knife was clutched in his teeth.

"Really, a kunai? What the hell will that do? It's time for you to go to sleep for a couple of days."

Naruto met her dead in the eyes before stabbing his left shoulder deeply. Blood sprayed out, covering Tsunade who had come close. She dropped to the ground and started shaking.

An alarm clock rang out faintly from a clock, signaling he had done it; he stayed in the fight against a sannin. Tsunade kept shivering but Naruto kept his expression blank.

"You said I wouldn't be useful- yet I'm still able to fight while you're a mess on the ground. Grow up, Tsunade-sama; I may be young but I won our bet. I'm going back to the hotel to rest. Tomorrow we'll plan what to do." With that, Naruto walked away, letting his chakra recede and weariness set in. He let a limp set in and made his way to their room, Kurama's smug cheers his only companion.

With Tsunade…

Tsunade watched the boy who outsmarted her limp away, her hands shaking. She couldn't believe it, her weakness turned against her.

'Well that was his point' She thought ruefully. He did it so she would have to accept his help, now that he knew her weakness.

"Damn you Naruto Uzumaki." She said with no malice. The moon was high in the sky before she managed to stand up and walk back to the brat.

She never noticed the henged clones of Naruto following her to ensure a safe return.

With Naruto and Tsunade, day of the rescue operation…

"This won't work" Naruto grumbled as he was carried without ceremony towards the 'meeting spot' with Orochimaru and henchmen. Tsunade huffed.

"Quiet, it's supposed to buy us time; you have your clones ready?"

Naruto sighed. "Yes. Though why we couldn't have used a clone for this is beyond me."

"Orochimaru would sense that. Now, quiet; we're getting close." He sighed and hung limp, tied up. Tsunade reached back and slapped a gag in his mouth, for good measure. This whole plan made him seriously doubt he would be making it home alive.

Him, captured and being traded by Tsunade for assurance and her dead loved ones? Yeah, right. Over the last two days Naruto had learned two things about Tsunade.

First was that Tsunade was vicious when angry, and wasn't opposed to flicking you into the street if you annoyed her.

The second was that she loved Konoha and everyone in it. Despite her mean exterior and biting tounge, she loved the village.

Even if she didn't seem to know it. Naruto could tell it in every story she used to describe why she would never stay in the village again after doing her job and in every scoff that the village would love her to be back.

They reached the meeting point, Orochimaru already there with his elite guard. His smug smile at seeing Naruto tied up and 'bruised' sent chills down the Jinchuuriki's spine. Shizune was tied up and standing with the Kaguya, her face set in a brave frown.

"Ku ku ku, Tsunade-hime… you brought me more than I bargained for." Orochimaru said. He licked his lips, eyes cold like the snakes they were based on. Tsunade snorted.

"Whatever, Orochimaru; give me my apprentice and I'll heal you. This brat" here Tsunade dropped Naruto harsher than needed, in his opinion, "is so you still give me Dan and Nawaki back. I demand them back."

"Of course, of course. I must say I'm impressed you subdued an Uzumaki; I can't even feel his chakra you have it sealed so well. I would be most delighted to give you your lover and little brother back. First, though, heal my body. Jirobo" Orochimaru said. Jirobo, the giant of the group, stepped forward and grabbed Naruto.

Naruto had to keep himself from impaling the enemy giant with his chains. This whole plan depended on a surprise attack and them believing Naruto was helpless.

He watched through lidded eyes that made them think he was drugged as Tsunade walked over to Orochimaru. She kept a straight face, even as Orochimaru started speaking again.

"I do find it delicious how quickly you turned on our former home, Tsunade; weren't you always on Sensei's side? Oh how the mighty have fallen." He said, half taunting.

Tsunade tensed but kept moving her hands towards Orochimaru's limp ones. This was the moment, when Tsunade would take him out of the game for good and Naruto would attack the others. It had to be timed perfectly.

Of all things, however, they didn't count on Orochimaru leaping back. His elite guard followed, Naruto getting yanked along.

"You dare betray me!" Orochimaru screamed. Naruto took that as a cue he had to get out of there. With a surge of chakra that overrode the drug Tsunade had given him to hide his chakra like it was being bound, Chains ripped through Jirobo's entire form, one of them decapitating him.

The first of their six enemies fell lifeless to the ground. Naruto dodged the four shinobi that verged on him, shunshining to Tsunade's side as she jumped further away from their enemies. Kimimaro still held Shizune, though looked conflicted in if he should move to protect his master.

"Glad you got out" Tsunade told Naruto. She pointedly didn't look his way to avoid the sight of blood.

"Thanks" he said dryly. "Told you the plan wouldn't work."

"Shut up. We killed one. Only five more to go."

"And those five are all A rank or above. This will end so well." He replied. He quickly summoned his chosen fighters and Angel from the spot they were waiting with a sign. They appeared battle ready, a mix of panthers and tigers being backed by an enraged Hellcat.

"Hisoka, Akira; you and half clan take out those twins." Naruto ordered as said twins came in for an attack. They diverted the pair with quick parries and claws laced in stinging poison. "Habiki, take the elites to hold off the spider guy. Angel, think you can handle the girl?"
"Of course!" Angel said and tackled the girl to the ground as proof. It was going to be a fight the cat would remember, Naruto mused.

"Can you take on a Kaguya? They're no joke, Naruto" Tsunade questioned as she punched earth up to stop a torrent of bones. Shizune was sometime tossed to the twins by Kimimaro, who got ready for another attack.

"…Yes." Naruto said finally. He knew it would have ended with him fighting the Kaguya, even if their first plan worked. The Kaguya was too powerful for him if one compared their strengths in a fair fight.

Good thing he was an ANBU who was trained to never fight fair against allies, much less enemies.

"You should surrender." Kimimaro said tonelessly after Naruto led him away from the two sannin, both who summoned their bosses at the same time. Naruto was so glad he didn't have to face that psycho.

"Yeah and you should get some sun; we don't always get what we want."

Wordlessly he summoned clones, his other ones arriving with traps and their jobs ready. Three tails burst out one after the other while Kimimaro dispelled the clones effortlessly. The Kaguya aimed bone missile after bone missile at Naruto, who used both clones and chains to block.

'Okay, how do I defeat this guy?' Naruto thought for the thousandth time since he came across Tsunade. Kurama growled too as they were forced on the offensive.

"I cannot kill you as Orochimaru-sama needs your body, but I will not hesitate to cripple you." Kimimaro informed him while slicing his arm guard off. Blood oozed from the wound but Kurama's chakra forced it closed instantly.

"That's if you get the chance" Naruto countered. He formed a rasangan and used it to splinter a bone sword aimed at his torso. They jumped back from each other and flung weapons at the other. Naruto's wind chakra infused kunai met Kimimaro's bone sword, the latter tearing the other apart.

They launched into another dance, Kimimaro effortlessly tracking and blocking him. Naruto would fling him with a tail or chain and Kimimaro would use it to his advantage.

"Wind style: Great Breakthrough jutsu!" Was released, its powerful gusts pushing Kimimaro away enough for Naruto escape the close combat mess. He noticed Kimimaro coughing up blood and tucked the information away for later.

Naruto knew he had no chance if Kimimaro could see him. So, he once again pulled out his water scroll, his last one after the mess that was the invasion.

"Water style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" The area around Naruto and Kimimaro became the familiar murky atmosphere. Taking advantage of the cover Naruto let Kurama's negative emotion sensing guide him to the still calm Kimimaro. Quietly Naruto summoned more clones who engaged in melee combat, breaking the Kaguya's guard before being dispelled. He took advantage of their distraction and used his "Head Hunter Jutsu" to dive under the earth.

With stealth and luck Naruto managed to grab onto the Kaguya's ankles and drag him under. Leg bones grazed Naruto's palms but he kept going, appearing on the ground while Kimimaro was in the ground looking for murder despite still having a blank face.

Kimimaro sighed. "Very well then." His face became a sea of black and red, then turning a dark color. He erupted out of the earth, thick bones protruding out of his hand and back.

"Shit." Naruto gulped, leaping back into the fog to get away from the now monstrous looking Kaguya.

"Naruto, smell the blood and death on him." Kurama said. Naruto, with his enhanced senses, took a sniff. Despite the fog blurring everything, Kimimaro was reeking of death now that he noticed.

'Yeah I noticed. You think we can take him out using this?' Naruto asked. Kurama seemed to think he was an idiot.

"No you dingbat. We simply have to have him use all his chakra. He's on death's door- probably chakra poisoning from inbreeding, the Kaguya never could get outsiders to sleep with them. Make him expend the chakra he has and the curse seal will do the rest."

Naruto mentally nodded. Expend the chakra. He could do that. Summoning more clones Naruto sent them Kimimaro's way while he prepared his favorite branch of fighting: seal traps.

With Tsunade…

When Naruto had sent his summons off to fight without his input, Tsunade was both shocked and worried; rarely did shinobi trust their summons were powerful enough to take on fully trained shinobi unless it was through combo attacks with their summoners or at least fighting side by side. Especially with smaller summons like the ANBU agent.

Worse was Naruto going after the Kaguya, despite that being the plan. Tsunade knew how deadly the Kaguya Kekkei Genkai was, and one strong enough to be on Orochimaru's elite squad was terrifying.

Hopefully Shizune could free herself with the help of those summons or Tsunade could finish off her ex teammate.

"Ku ku ku, distracted, are we?" Orochimaru laughed from atop Manda. The bastard had promised the snake three hundred sacrifices after it helped Orochimaru win. The snake was more than happy to comply, thus leading to Katsuya being overwhelmed by the snake.

"Katsuya split! Go to Shizune" She ordered after the boss slug was wrapped around her middle, Manda hissing. Katsuya complied, shooting acid at Manda's underbelly while she did it. The snake screeched and reeled back.

"Only because you're not worth my time, Orochimaru." Tsunade said and jumped into his guard. Orochimaru elongated his neck, going for a bite, but Tsunade squeezed his neck and catapulted him off Manda's head.

Tsunade took the chance and grabbed the snake by the tail, flinging it into the sky. Hopefully when it crashed it would dispel. She had more important things to worry about, however.

Orochimaru landed in a crouch and vaulted forward. He opened his jaw and his infamous sword came out. Tsunade did a cross block, long gashes on her arms appearing. She did an uppercut, ignoring the blood in the heat of the moment.

They kept dodging each other after that. Tsunade grabbed the sword at one point and pulled Orochimaru to her. Taking one of his useless arms in her hand she crushed the bones beyond repair, relishing in the anguished screams that followed.

Dark chakra, darker then the kyubi chakra she felt from Naruto hit her from the directions of the various fights. The strongest was in Naruto's misty area, however, and Tsunade made a decision.

"Katsuya!" She called for one of the few slugs that had remained. "Go help Naruto."

It wouldn't be enough. She had to finish this quickly. Thus, she fired up her medical chakra, intending to slice Orochimaru to ribbons from the inside out.

"That won't work, Tsunade- Kimimaro probably has him fighting on his last legs by now! Help me and I'll let him live." Orochimaru said. His breath was labored and pained.

"Never." She spat. Orochimaru used a shunshin into her space and released snakes from his tunic, a testament to his skill that he did not use hand seals. Tsunade ignored the stings of snake bites and activated her seal, feeling its spread across her body. Injuries healed instantly, and Tsunade struck her jutsu at Orochimaru. Various points across his body were struck, tearing a muscle here, breaking a tendon there.

Several seconds later and Orochimaru was starting to feel the effects of his system being torn apart while already weak. He launched his sword, and this time it hit.

Tsunade gasped as her whole body became flames. Being impaled was never fun, especially with poisoned swords.

"This is the same poison that killed Sensei" Orochimaru hissed. Tsunade slid it out with her hand, careful not to rip her spin in half. Her ex teammate didn't give her anymore time and they were back at it.

She healed herself carefully while dodging fangs and kicks. Her ragged breath matched Orochimaru's; they were both too old for this.

"Give it up; I'm able to heal myself. You, on the other hand, are a walking corpse. I can see the rot on your body" Tsunade said as she kicked him in the side while cutting the tendon in his heal. Orochimaru ignored it and sliced her side once more.

"Not until you heal me, Tsunade; I refuse to die." He hissed. Tsunade rolled her eyes as she healed herself again. By this point wrinkles were showing and growing.

"You can't use ninjutsu and you turned your body into an experiment- go, die in peace! For once in your life admit you lost!"

Minutes of combat pass, and Tsunade was becoming convinced they would both collapse dead over each other.

A sea of bones impaling her shoulder and Orochimaru's head was not how she expected the battle to end, however. Several bones were three or four times the size of any human bone, including the one that destroyed Orochimaru's brain.

Blood was everywhere. Tsunade finally broke. Her teammate was gone, and they were both covered in blood. She slowly pulled her shoulder off of the long bone- was it a spine? Hyperventilating, Tsunade justified her cowardice in that she took out the village's worst missing-nin. She could sit here and cry, right?

A burst of Kyubi chakra jolted her out of her stupor. Naruto. When she turned her head, images of Nawaki's corpse flashed through her head; Naruto couldn't become Nawaki.

Back with Naruto moments before…

When ANBU were against the odds, they became their most dangerous. That's what Dragon would tell the corps during inters quad trainings and in his experience that was true. Naruto was hoping it would prove true once more, as Kimimaro had become easily S class with the seal on his neck activating.

No matter where Naruto ran in the mist, the now crazy Kimimaro was able to track him. Several times only clones saved him and Naruto's clothes were resembling swiss cheese. After the third time of narrowly escaping bone pulses, he released a Great Breakthrough and several air bullets, damaging Kimimaro and pushing the basically useless mist away.

Hey, at least it helped him tire the bastard out.

Naruto's chains and tails were working overtime once more, this time fighting against a tail too; Kimimaro somehow grew a physical tail and it was freaking the ANBU out.

"I will overcome you; Orochimaru-sama must have you!" Kimimaro said. Naruto got behind him with a shunshin and kicked hard. Kimimaro was barely phased but coughed up more blood.

"Sounds like you won't 'overcome' anyone- you're dying, aren't you?" He taunted. Naruto jumped over bone spikes that launched at him in retaliation and spun in the air to avoid the finger bullets once more.

"As long as I am serving Orochimaru-sama I will live on! Even in death I will serve him." Kimimaro's eyes had become zealous, and Naruto knew he was almost at a point he could push Kimimaro over the edge.

"Doubt it!" Naruto said. He released another Great Breakthrough to shield him from the bones, blowing the rest of the now fragmented mist away. Kimimaro was sagging, and it looked like he was ready to fall over.

"Orochimaru-sama is my everything." Kimimaro insisted. "Willow dance!" He said and longer spikes than ever grew, as Kimimaro attacked Naruto. Another moment of ruthless fighting happens before an idea struck when he saw Tsunade running Orochimaru into the ground.

"Well then why aren't you helping him?" Naruto asked. "He looks pretty bad over there. If my Hokage was in danger I'd protect him rather than go after an enemy- guess that's the difference between us, huh? I have true loyalty while you're just a rabid dog."

"Be ready, Naruto." Kurama warned. Naruto nodded and prepared a shunshin and clones, his chains going out in front.

"How…" Kimimaro's chakra spiked. "HOW DARE YOU!" He bellowed. If possible, his skin grew darker. A three hundred sixty degree sphere of bones launched out, and Naruto prayed his preparations would be enough. "I'LL KILL YOU IMBECIL."

Naruto used dozens of shunshins to escape the bones and had chains going wild with tails, but he still got torn to ribbons. Eventually the torrent stopped, and Naruto was so adrenaline high he didn't feel any pain. His Kyubi chakra pulsed before receding, his max long spent.

"Naruto" Kurama said. Naruto could barely hear him. Instead he focused on the collapsed form of Kimimaro Kaguya. Grey eyes met red ones and the two opponents knew the end had passed.

"I-I will not." Kimimaro tried. Blood poured from multiple places, both from himself and Naruto's chains throughout the fight. With a final shaky breath Kimimaro died.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on his bottom, intent on getting up to help Tsunade or the other fights.

But he couldn't move. And he couldn't breathe, every intake feeling blood filling his lungs. His now cloudy eyes drifted down to his lungs, where right below his heart a thin spinal column went through to the other side. It missed his heart, the only reason he was still living, but when Naruto tried to raise his arm to grab it he couldn't.

It was like all his strength was sapped out, and his life was fading.

"K-Kurama" he choked.

"Naruto! Naruto, hold on! You have to pull it out- now! Naruto! Don't you DARE pass out! Naruto!"

But Naruto was already falling to the side. His last conscious thought was that Dragon-sama would kill him for dying.

"NARUTO" he heard. But he had no clue what that word meant.

END! Soo, how did you like this revised chapter thirty nine? I took out Shizune's and the others' sections until next time since they kept breaking up the flow, you know? Anyways, what will happen next? Will Naruto survive? Is Orochimaru really dead?

No omake this chapter; Saving it for when there isn't such a serious ending haha.

I also took out the flashbacks written for the chapter since they weren't fitting. They'll have to be dispersed elsewhere!

Hikaru… you poor sap, your scenes are coming later, mainly when we get Naruto there!

For those affected by the virus that shall not be named (all of us) please know you're in my thoughts and prayers. I would loved to hear from y'all in the comments on how you're coping with the quarantines and stuff.

Have a fantastic week,

Riku.

(ps. Join our discord . Shout out to Dragon my beta- may you survive this semester!)

discord .gg / K5C8SYh

(take out the spaces, if you still need help, just PM me and I'll help you out!)

Note: the mini psa below is not geared towards 99.9 percent of you! It is mainly for those through PM and a few comments (most of which I either deleted or didn't allow in the case of guests) who badger about word count with malice. There's a difference between 'this scene felt too short' to 'omg your chapter is too short it's like there isn't any point to reading it' especially on chapters over 4k with fight scenes when I don't get paid for writing. No flames over it, thank you! If you don't agree it's rude to do that… well I guess that's your choice.

Oh, one last thing: I… don't necessarily mind reminds about posting or complaints about word count… but I kind of do (word counts especially), especially if they're rude or that is all you have to say. See, while I can sometimes get out four thousand, five thousand, or even eight thousand words for a chapter, it doesn't always happen. However, for most of my chapters they are over three thousand, and many since chapter thirty something they are over four thousand. Trying to write to a word count actually hurts my writing, and I notice it hurts many others' writing. I'm more experienced now with writing four thousand and above chapters, but it's still hard at times. Just the other day I was writing this chapter and I literally started stressing over how long I could make it.

Not about content. Not about if the story or dialogue flowed. No, I was only stressing about how to make this long enough so people don't PM me with 'well I think it was too short' or ask 'Riku, why can't you write longer'. Sometimes in past chapters I've found myself trying to beef up chapters with unnecessary words or scenes just so it can hit those big numbers. I get it, okay, everyone likes longer chapters (well actually I like short ones since I read on my phone and prefer quick segments). However, word count shouldn't become such a big deal that our whole world starts revolving around it. By 'we' I mean us writers.

Worse is that I don't see such a big fascination with word count on other platforms. I see them more focused on storyline, on getting to the point in scenes. It's mainly here, fanfiction. net that I see this. And that isn't cool. When you begin badgering authors for longer and longer chapters when they don't have the steam for it anymore (or perhaps part of the story/ whole story doesn't need such long chapters) you make us take the focus off our story.

I apologize if this seems harsh. But it just… baffled me this week when I was planning on writing and couldn't think about anything but how to get it to an acceptable word count. My more recent chapters have suffered for it, and you know it. Is the story as good as it began? No, even though I'm a way better writer than two years ago when I began writing.

Despite this I find updating horribly impossible, even on days I have time to write. I just freeze at the word counter.

Many of you might say it's because I have no idea where the story is going. Nope, I do have it planned out, I barely ask Dragon (my beta) for plotting on this story, except with minor details or where to take an aspect to fit it into the main plot.

Others might say I'm just being an angsty, whiny writer who doesn't deserve to share their work if they can't take some criticism. To those… okay fair. I am a writer who is angsty and whining about this issue. But that doesn't make it less true.

I want to throw back to you that readers who say they won't read unless it has 'x number of words' should re-evaluate what makes a good story. Is it word count, or the narration?

Writing should be about the story. I know this, even if for a time I let it become about the numbers on the word counter. But no more.

While I will definitely try to make the word count long, I can't let it dictate my style any longer. If the story demands just two thousand? Fine. If it flows to five, six, ten thousand? That's fine too.

Because I'm writing a story, not a word count.

Thank you,

Riku

p.s Sorry, this is just an issue that's been bugging me even if I didn't know it was for a long time. Anyways it's about six-hundred fifty words that many of you skipped and that's fair. Have a great week.