Chapter 67: Chapter 4: The Power of Supreme Shinobi
AN: Chapter 4 is up today! Now, like I said I don't have a set schedule to release the chapters. So far the first 4 chapters have come pretty quickly, but that remains to be seen for the rest. I'll do my best to keep up with the writing, but I'm also (thinking) about writing another story alongside this one so we'll so how it goes.
And always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading!
Note: Instead of "Taiyougan" I elected to use the name "Sun Sphere" but they are the same Jutsu as before.
Chapter 4
As Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia followed Naruto to the meeting point where Sasuke was Chocho chimed in, "Hey, Sarada. What's your dad like? I don't think I've ever officially met him."
Sarada smiled both happily and sadly as she recalled her dad's face before replying, "Well...I haven't seen papa in about a year. He's...He's quiet. But he's very strong. Right Lord 7th?"
Naruto simply smiled and replied, "Yeah. Sasuke is very strong. And you're right. He's very quiet."
Chocho had an unsatisfied expression on her face as she said, "Oi oi. Lord 7th aren't you just repeating what Sarada said? And Sarada, that doesn't tell me much about your dad. You have to give details like, is he tall? Fat? Short? Brown hair? Is he handsome?"
Sarada gave a deadpanned look at Chocho who seemed lost in her own fantasy world. She then turned her attention to Naruto and asked, "Lord 7th. You grew up together with papa right?"
Naruto nodded as he remembered the old days. "That's right. I even grew up with Iraia's dad, the 6th Hokage."
Sarada seemingly intrigued asked, "Can you tell us more about papa and Lord 6th? What were they like back then?"
Naruto pondered for a bit and rubbed the underside of his chin thinking how to answer. "Hmm...Well. Truth be told both Sasuke and Lord 6th were kind of similar back then. They were both very popular with the kunoichi at the academy...Er, just like me. Mm...they were both very handsome too! Just like me. They both always got the top grades in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Shurikenjutsu. Just like me. Ah but Sasuke was totally anti-social. Rude! Arrogant! Totally unlike me! Er...And Lord 6th was just Lord 6th."
Sarada and Iraia had conflicting feelings at Naruto's description of their dads towards the end as Chocho commented, "Eh? What does Lord 6th being Lord 6th mean? That doesn't make any sense at all. And Sarada, your dad sounds sort of mean."
Naruto laughed awkwardly realizing his mistake and quickly interjected, "Ahem! Um...What I'm trying to say is that at the end of the day. Sasuke was my rival! And to this day that remains true. As for Lord 6th. He's someone I look up to. Even to this day."
"Eh?" Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia exclaimed with interest. Chocho ate a potato chip and questioned, "There's someone even you look up to Lord 7th? Lord 6th is Iraia's dad right?"
Naruto chuckled lightly and nodded. "Well, back in the day I guess you could say that Sasuke and I were sort of in a rough spot. It was Lord 6th who helped us out. So to this day I still really respect him. Sarada, you remind me a lot of Sasuke and Sakura. Your eyes are just like his and your skills with a kunai and use of the Fireball Jutsu remind me of him. But your presence feels just like Sakura's, like you'd be very frightening when angry. As for you Iraia. You're a lot like your mom and dad too. Your hair is exactly the same color as Izaya's and your presence feels the exact same. Calm, cool, mysterious, and sometimes dangerous. And your Taijutsu skills are just like your mom's. Fierce and flawless."
At that moment the sight of a tall tower came into view prompting Naruto to point out, "There it is. That tower is where I'm supposed to meet Sasuke."
As they approached closer and closer, out of nowhere and without warning that strange small creature with one Sharingan appeared out of a spatial distortion and also transported Shin along with an adult version of himself who wore the Akatsuki's cloak and had multiple Sharingans all over his body. Immediately adult Shin threw out several long blades straight at Naruto who quickly activated his chakra mode and created a Kurama tail to deflect all the blades. In the next instant Sasuke dashed out from the tower to intercept both Shins.
Sasuke unsheathed his katana and stabbed right at adult Shin who smirked and gripped the blade ignoring the fact that he got cut in doing so. Young shin appeared behind adult Shin at that moment with a large fuma shuriken in hand, however before he could attack, Sasuke activated the power of his Rinnegan and swapped places ending up behind adult Shin. He then shouted, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Just before the flames reached adult Shin he utilized the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan and controlled the body of young Shin to shield him from the attack as they both fell to the ground. As Sasuke fell he quickly retrieved his katana and landed by Naruto's side who was currently shielding Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia. As adult Shin pushed off the ground he stared at Sasuke and sinisterly smiled. "So, that is the power of your Rinnegan. Uchiha Sasuke. That is certainly a power I would like to have in order to revive the Akatsuki."
Naruto frowned after hearing those words. "Akatsuki? Who are you?"
Adult Shin Smirked. "My name is...Uchiha Shin."
Iraia frowned when she heard that and questioned, "Isn't that the name of the young boy we fought earlier?"
Sasuke frowned and remarked, "Well, it doesn't matter. Once we capture him we'll learn the truth." As he dashed forwards to attack with his sword in hand, adult Shin evilly smiled and activated the power of his Mangekyo causing Sasuke's sword to fly directly backwards stabbing Naruto in the abdomen. Naruto groaned in shock and pain as his protective chakra surrounding Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia came undone. Immediately adult Shin used that chance to control his other blades in the area to attack Sarada.
Sasuke was greatly alarmed and quickly arrived before Sarada shielding her from the attack getting stabbed in the process. It all happened so quickly that Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia didn't even have time to process what had happened. Sasuke groaned in discomfort as he began bleeding in the areas where he was stabbed, however something changed in Sarada's eyes at that moment. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the wounds on Sasuke's body as her vision turned red. The Sharingan. She had awakened the Sharingan at that moment.
Just as adult Shin was about to celebrate his victory a loud shout was heard. The next thing he knew he was punched and instantly crashed into the ground as a large crater was formed. And the one responsible? It was precisely Sakura.
888
Meanwhile Hiroshi paced back and forth during lunch break as he couldn't find his sister anywhere. He ran off to the academy first and thought that she was following right behind him only, when he reached the academy grounds and turned around he couldn't find any trace of her. He simply shrugged it off thinking that she just simply took longer saying goodbye to their dad, however once class actually started he was really confused. His sister had never missed class before. In fact, should anyone miss class it would be him. What threw him off was that Sarada and Chocho were also missing from class and Sarada was another person who he knew would never usually miss class without a good reason. He assumed the three of them must be off doing something so he didn't worry too much. But now it was lunch break and all three of them were still gone. He could have sworn that the three of them would have come to school by this point. Now he was nervous that something was wrong and he wasn't there to protect his little sister.
Boruto, Mitsuki, Shikadai, Denki, Inojin, and Iwabe just stared at Hiroshi pacing back and forth and back and forth over and over and over again before Boruto couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "AHHHHH! Cool it will you Hiroshi! You're starting to make ME nervous. I'm sure they're fine. I mean, it's Sarada, Chocho, and Iraia we're talking about. As long as it doesn't involve food then Chocho's got some self-restraint. And Sarada and Iraia aren't the type to do something rash."
Shikadai smirked and commented, "Right. They aren't, unlike someone we know."
Boruto caught his underlying meaning and replied, "Oi oi, I know you're referring to me Shikadai."
Denki just let out a sigh and said, "How about we just all calm down. It's not like we know where they went anyways so there's no use fretting over it. Plus, this is Konoha. Lord 7th is here isn't he? And from what you told us earlier Hiroshi your dad's back to which means Lord 6th is also here. With both Lord 6th and Lord 7th around I don't think we have to worry about anything bad happening to Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia."
After hearing what Denki said everyone unknowingly calmed down a bit.
Hiroshi stopped pacing and just let out a sigh. "Haaaa...Yeah...You're probably right Denki."
Creak.
The door to the classroom opened as all of their classmates returned along with Shino to resume class. It wasn't until the afternoon that class was finally over with still no sign of Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia. Hiroshi quickly ran back home as fast as he could and dashed into the Hyuga residence. He was running so fast that he didn't watch where he was going and bumped into Hanabi who gave Hiroshi a curious glance and asked, "Hiroshi? Are you okay? You seem to be in a bit of a rush?"
Hiroshi quickly looked up and said, "Mom! Uh, sorry. I'll pay more attention in the future. Where's dad? Or, er, did you see Iraia come by?"
Hanabi tilted her head confused and simply shook her head. "Iraia? No...I haven't seen her yet. Your dad's baking some dessert in the kitchen."
Without wasting any time he dashed towards the kitchen while shouting to Hanabi, "Thanks mom!" As he opened the kitchen door he saw Izaya mixing some batter in a bowl and took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Relax. Relax. It's probably nothing. I'm sure Iraia is fine. It's not like I had a sort of strange feeling or anything...Right? I mean, I am only her twin. And twins don't have that kind of intuition...do they? Forget it, forget it. Damn it. You better be okay little sister!
As Hiroshi was lost in his thoughts Izaya had stopped what he was doing a while ago and simply stared at his son who had burst into the kitchen only for him to fidget in place without saying anything. Izaya simply smirked to himself and took a spoonful of batter flinging it across the room causing it to smack Hiroshi right in the face leaving a trail of gooey goodness. This instantly snapped him out of his thoughts and caused all the worry to leave his body as he shouted, "UGGHHH! DAAAAD!"
Izaya just laughed before saying, "Are you feeling better?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You came bursting in here and then just started fidgeting. Is something wrong?"
At Izaya's words Hiroshi cleared his throat and said in seriousness, "Dad. Um...Iraia wasn't at school today. She disappeared and I don't know where she went. It's not like her to disappear for so long without letting me know."
After hearing Hiroshi's words Izaya immediately furrowed his brow and his expression became serious. He put down the bowl of batter in his hands and closed his eyes as he immediately spread out his senses, but he instantly relaxed as he felt Iraia's presence along with Chocho's and Sarada's by the village gates. He turned to Hiroshi and smiled at him before saying, "Don't worry Hiroshi your sister's fine. I sensed her just now. She's in the village with Chocho and Sarada. But just in case something did happen I'll go check up on her." He then placed the bowl of batter in Hiroshi's hands and said, "While I'm gone can you finish mixing that? Thanks!"
Hiroshi just scratched the back of his neck awkwardly at how everything played out as he watched Izaya disappear in a flash.
Er...Well...Now I feel like an idiot worrying for nothing.
And without even noticing he began stirring the batter involuntarily as the motion was oddly relaxing after his mental rodeo...
A few hours passed as the afternoon turned into evening. At this moment there were two people inside the Hokage's office. They were two of the most powerful shinobi in all of history. Naruto and Sasuke. As they were talking the door to the Hokage's office swung open prompting Naruto and Sasuke to stop mid-sentence in their discussion to see who it was.
"Izaya?" Naruto questioned.
"I heard you got back just in time to stop the Nue." Sasuke commented.
Izaya just stared at Naruto and Sasuke in complete silence. A minute passed. Then another creating an awkward atmosphere for Sasuke and Naruto as Naruto finally scratched the back of his neck in confusion and asked, "I-Is something wrong Izaya?"
Finally Izaya just let out a loud defeated sigh. "How?"
Sasuke and Naruto just looked at each other in confusion at Izaya's question.
"How what?" Naruto ventured to ask.
"How have both of your battle senses dulled so much to the point that you let some random rogue ninja get the better of you? You both are two of THE most powerful shinobi in ALL of history. And you let those three kids see you both in such a sorry state? Please tell me you intentionally let yourselves get injured? And if you did then you better give me a good reason as to why you would want to traumatize our kids into watching you both get stabbed and bleed out."
Sasuke and Naruto immediately felt embarrassed and ashamed after hearing what Izaya said. A few seconds passed and a formless pressure started weighing down on both Sasuke and Naruto as they couldn't find a good excuse. Finally Naruto just let out a defeated sigh and replied, "Uh...Ahahaha...I don't have a good answer. It just sort of happened I guess." However, within Naruto's mental psyche was Kurama as Kurama shook his head and said, "What a shame. He's right you know. Your battle sense has kinda dulled."
Sasuke also just sighed. "I...made a mistake."
Izaya frowned at both of their answers. "Well then. We're going to correct that."
At Izaya's words Naruto and Sasuke raised their eyes in confusion and replied, "What do you mean?"
"I mean since both of your battle senses seem to have dulled we need to resharpen your knife. In this case you need to fight someone whom you can practice your skills on. Truly practice your skills on."
Sasuke furrowed his brow as he said, "Are you suggesting we fight...you?"
Naruto widened his eyes in shock and quickly added, "Wait, hold on! I get that sparring against one another would be a good change of pace since it has been awhile since Kurama and I stretched our legs, but you don't mean to take on BOTH of us at the same time right?"
Izaya simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not the rusty one. I'll admit. It'd be a challenge to take you both on at once...If you were in prime shape. But getting stabbed by a rogue ninja who most likely had barely a hundredth of your chakra Naruto and whose ocular power is obviously worse than yours Sasuke, I think I will manage. I already left a note for Shikamaru and Kakashi to manage things here for a bit. Let's go."
Before Naruto and Sasuke could say anything more Izaya appeared before them and teleported them to a desolate wild area with no sign of life in sight. He then took his time to walk a few dozen paces away from Naruto and Sasuke before turning to face them, and with a simple hand gesture he said, "Whenever you both are ready. Come at me. And come at me with the intent to kill or you'll regret it."
Naruto and Sasuke just turned to each other with a complicated and slightly doubtful expression before they steeled their nerves and geared up for battle.
BAM!
In but a mere second both Sasuke and Naruto appeared on either side of Izaya as Naruto punched towards his face and Sasuke swiped at his feet. Without much concern at all Izaya simply extended out his left arm and caught Naruto's punch in his palm at the same time as he slightly shifted the position of his right foot to block Sasuke's sweep.
Tch! Tch!
The sound of Izaya effortlessly blocking their attacks instantly made Sasuke and Naruto realize the truth in just this one exchange as the same thought passed their mind. We really have lost our touch!
As Izaya stood in place still in the position of blocking Naruto and Sasuke's attacks he merely twitched a shoulder muscle causing Naruto and Sasuke to become alarmed and dash off to the sides to distance themselves, however Izaya simply placed his hand and foot back down and shook his head. "Shameful. Truly shameful. The Naruto and Sasuke I knew wouldn't have moved an inch from a mere shoulder twitch. It seems you both have been out of battle for so long you don't remember how to read the flow of a real fight." Izaya then smirked as a thought came across his mind to make Sasuke and Naruto truly take this fight seriously.
"Oi. Naruto. Sasuke. This is your last chance. Come at me for real. Stop playing around and worrying whether someone will get hurt. Sasuke, once upon a time you were known as The Dark Fire Shinobi! You were called Demon Eyed Sasuke! Naruto you were called The Demon Fox Shinobi! And you are the current Hokage of the Leaf! The 7th Hokage!" He then opened the palm of his hand revealing a silver bell as he said, "Remember this?"
Naruto and Sasuke flinched as they stared at the all too familiar silver bell in Izaya's hands. The same familiar bell that they had once tried to take from Kakashi-sensei when they were Genin. Izaya then continued, "I don't want to, however, if I must I'll bring out the bell. Don't tell me you've regressed back to the days when you were Genin?"
Alright, looks like my plan is working. Bringing out the bell is practically mocking them in the face at how much they've regressed. With this they should no longer have any reservations about holding back. It's time to whip them back in shape. And this is actually great training for me as well. I don't know when I might have to face some overwhelmingly powerful opponent like the Otsutsuki clan members so getting to face off against Naruto and Sasuke will be good for me.
After seeing the bell and hearing what Izaya had said Naruto immediately grinned and felt completely fired up as he no longer had any thoughts of holding back. The same was true for Sasuke as he immediately pulled out his sword of kusanagi and activated his Mangekyo and Rinnegan. Izaya smirked and nodded in approval as he noticed Naruto and Sasuke's newfound resolve and tossed the bell aside as he knew he wouldn't need it anymore. Just as the bell fell to the ground Naruto appeared right in front of Izaya in the blink of an eye completely covered in his chakra mode with his Six Paths power also activated. He threw a punch and then a kick followed by an elbow strike and a series of swipes, thrusts, uppercuts, sweeps, grapples, swings, holds, and gouges. Each of his attacks getting faster and more ferocious than the next, however Izaya expertly followed each and every one of Naruto's movements with his trained Rinnegan eyes allowing him to predict and counter Naruto's every move. It was then that Sasuke appeared behind Izaya whilst he was still engaged in a heated showdown of Taijutsu with Naruto and attacked as he expertly slashed, sliced, cut, stabbed, swept, scraped, diced, swiped, and lunged.
Izaya had been able to sense Sasuke's approach so he had pulled out one of his special kunai blocking and parrying Sasuke's attacks. Just as Izaya took note of Sasuke's sword stabbing towards his leg he expertly moved only as much as he needed to in order to sidestep and dodge Sasuke's attack, however this minimal movement of his prevented Naruto from noticing that while Sasuke's sword would miss Izaya, it was heading straight for his own leg.
Sasuke had used too much power in his thrust that he couldn't stop the momentum from moving forwards so he gritted his teeth and activated the power of his Rinnegan instantly replacing himself and his sword with a giant boulder. Izaya widened his eyes in surprise at Sasuke's move as the giant boulder appeared behind him hindering the space around him. This gave Naruto a chance as he shouted, "Bigball Rasengan!" However, Izaya simply smiled and let Naruto smash his giant Rasengan right into him as he dropped his kunai.
Naruto's grin at his success lasted only for a split second as he realized that Izaya was absorbing his attack with his Rinnegan powers so he immediately cancelled his Jutsu, but in the next moment Izaya gripped Naruto's arm that was still extended outwards and flung Naruto right into the giant boulder by them instantly smashing it to pieces. Sasuke had finally returned to rejoin the battle only for Izaya to shout, "Almighty Push!"
BOOM!
Both Naruto and Sasuke were flung through the air in opposite directions. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and noticed Izaya dash out towards Naruto so he stuck out his hand and shouted, "Universal Pull!" Izaya immediately felt his entire body get dragged through the air over towards Sasuke. Sasuke quickly steadied himself midair and gripped his sword of kusanagi tight in his hand as he prepared to strike. Izaya merely twisted his body in the air to reorient himself so he was facing Sasuke as he gripped the hilt of Muramasa. Just as they were both in range of each other's swords Sasuke slashed downwards, however he widened his eyes in shock as he felt an incredibly murderous aura erupt all around him. Almost as if he were surrounded by raging mad psychotic bloodthirsty beasts. That momentary shock slightly slowed his movements as Izaya unsheathed Muramasa and with a calm steady breath, said, "Kenjutsu: Shadowless." He then slashed out right at Sasuke's sword with a speed so fast that it left no shadow behind.
RRRRIIINNNGGG!
An ear deafening ringing sound could be heard the moment the two blades collided. The impact from Izaya's sword strike against Sasuke's sword not only sent Sasuke flying through the air, it had even completely shattered Sasuke's sword into pieces. Just before Sasuke was about to crash into a large boulder he activated his Susanoo's ribcage to surround and protect him.
BANG!
Instantly the boulder that Sasuke crashed into shattered to pieces from the force of the impact. Izaya slowly landed back on the ground at this moment sheathing his sword and quickly formed some hand signs saying, "Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
3 small puffs of smoke appeared around him revealing three crows with Rinnegan eyes. They quickly flew high into the air giving Izaya a complete view of the battlefield. He instantly saw Naruto flying through the air straight at him with incredible speed and took note of the Lava Style: Rasenshuriken in his hands. Just as Naruto threw it, Izaya quickly stuck out his palm and shouted, "Sun Sphere Beam!" Instantly a dazzling golden beam of dense chakra and chaotic elemental nature's swept through the air and struck Naruto's attack creating a giant blast of pure energy from the collision.
BOOOOM!
Naruto was forced to stop in his tracks so he wouldn't fly straight into the blast radius, however he ended up stopping close to where Izaya had left his kunai from earlier. Izaya instantly appeared behind Naruto and performed a roundhouse kick knocking Naruto right in the head. The kick sent him uncontrollably rolling through the air as Izaya then shouted, "Wood Style: Multi Wood Dragon Jutsu!" The ground shook as 10 giant wood dragons erupted from the earth. 5 aimed right for Naruto and the other 5 straight for Sasuke.
Naruto gritted his teeth and spun to stabilize himself in the air before immediately transforming into a giant Kurama using his tails to deflect the wood dragons. Sasuke instantly activated his Perfect Susanoo and with his two Susanoo blades he successfully destroyed the wood dragons aimed at him.
Izaya smirked and shouted, "Wood Style: Kanzeon Lotus King!" The ground trembled and shook as a giant wooden buddha appeared with 5 faces at the top of its head and a hundred arms behind its back. Izaya controlled the lotus king to engage Naruto's giant Kurama form in battle as he himself dashed straight for Sasuke activating his own Perfect Susanoo. At that moment two incredibly imposing and majestic Susanoo's stood opposite each other. One donned in radiant purple majesty and the other in abyssal dark glory. Without wasting any time for words both sides clashed reshaping the terrain with every move they made.
BOOOOM!
RIIIIP!
CRASH!
BAAANG!
The earth tore apart beneath them, the sky clouded over with chaotic storms, and the wind formed terrible tornadoes. At this moment Naruto frowned as the giant lotus king opened its mouth and blasted a series of all 5 different elemental Ninjutsus at him all at once. As Naruto used his tails to block the attack the lotus king swept out with all 100 wooden hands and smacked the giant Kurama Naruto crashing through the ground and flipping through the air towards Sasuke and Izaya. Just before Naruto's disoriented form could crash into Izaya, he instantly teleported away with his Flying Thunder God immediately dispelling his Susanoo. This shocked Sasuke as Naruto crashed into him instead.
BOOOOM!
The earth shook and quaked at their collision to the ground. Naruto gritted his teeth and shouted, "Sasuke!"
Sasuke nodded in understanding and replied, "Yeah!" Sasuke then placed his hands on Naruto's back immediately cloaking his Kurama form in armor as they both shouted, "Majestic Attire: Susanoo Nine Tails Mode!" In but a mere moment the form of a titanic resplendent Kurama donned in the purple armor of Sasuke's Perfect Susanoo stood with imposing might.
Izaya looked at the sight before him and stared in awe for he could feel just how incredibly powerful the technique Sasuke and Naruto were using.
Mn. This is it. They've slowly been getting back their momentum. I probably won't have it that easy facing them next time now that they're back in the groove of things.
Naruto looked down from the top of their technique and said, "Izaya! Thanks, you've helped Sasuke and I get back into shape, but maybe we should end things here."
Izaya simply smirked and shook his head as he replied, "It's fine. Perhaps I'll surprise you."
Naruto furrowed his brow but heard Sasuke say, "Do it, Naruto."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath before controlling the giant Susanoo Kurama to grip the sword by its side and slash out immediately destroying the wooden lotus king which was just barely half its size. The force generated from this one single motion created a wind so powerful that Izaya was lifted off of the ground and sent rolling through the air uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth and said, "What do you say Senko? Wanna stretch your wings?"
Inside Izaya's mental psyche Senko just let out a sigh and replied, "Oi, it took a long time for me to gather my chakra just so I could prepare to connect to another dimension for us to explore. If I lend you my power now I'd have to start over. It could take a few months before I'm ready to reconnect to a dimension. Are you sure you really want me to lend you my strength? This is just sparring isn't it? Besides, even if I lent you my strength so you could contend with their Jutsu it won't last very long. Furthermore you could already end this fight if you wanted to a long time ago. You marked Naruto multiple times during your exchange in hand to hand combat already didn't you? He didn't even notice. You could just teleport inside their Jutsu and call it a day."
Izaya smirked at Senko's remark. "Come on Senko. It won't be as fun then. Besides, even if it takes longer before we can travel to another dimension it's fine by me. I want to spend more time with my family anyways. I was already gone for a little over 2 months. I miss being with them."
Senko just let out a loud sigh. "Haaaa...Very well….I still think this is a waste of chakra." Senko grumbled towards the end.
This mental conversation happened very quickly as Izaya was still rolling through the air. He then curled his body into a ball and flipped backwards to reposition himself as he turned back to face Naruto and Sasuke, and in that moment Senko unleashed control of his power giving Izaya free reign.
ZIIIIIING!
A burst of majestic crimson aura erupted from Izaya's body as the cry of a loud phoenix could be heard resonating throughout the entire area. Izaya activated his Perfect Susanoo combining it with Senko's powerful chakra as he said, "Majestic Attire: Susanoo Vermillion Phoenix Mode!"
BOOOOOM!
In a mere instant the imposing form of a titanic black armored Susanoo wreathed in burning red crimson flames with giant red crimson wings on its back stepped onto the battlefield no smaller than Naruto and Sasuke's Majestic Attire: Susanoo Nine Tails Mode leaving both Naruto and Sasuke shocked to the extreme. Both sides felt their hearts beat uncontrollably in their chests as they instantly clashed in the center of the battlefield causing a chaotic destruction that seemed greater than even that of the 4th Great Ninja War...
Hours passed by as the sun was just about to disappear from the evening sky. Shikamaru and Kakashi were in the Hokage's office looking over some documents and talking amiably when they nearly had a heart attack. Out of nowhere and with no warning three shinobi instantly appeared inside the office. Their clothes were completely torn and tattered. Hair disheveled. Blood and dirt stains covered their bodies. And they smelled of sweat, iron, steam, and ash. They were precisely three of the world's most powerful shinobi. Izaya, Naruto, and Sasuke.
Shikamaru dropped the pen he was holding and Kakashi dropped the documents in his hands. The only sound was heavy panting as the three supreme shinobi huffed and puffed trying to catch their breath. Shikamaru was the first to snap out of his daze as he rushed to their side in alarm and stammered, "W-What the hell happened?! How did all THREE of you get like this? Was it the Otsutsuki clan? Did more of them somehow arrive on Earth without us knowing?"
While Shikamaru was panicking, Naruto, Sasuke, and Izaya simply laughed as Naruto finally said, "Ha-Hahahaha! Kurama and I haven't fought like that in ages! It seems I really have gotten rusty."
Sasuke also smirked and commented, "Yeah! Ever since Kaguya I don't think I've ever used my powers to that extent. But...Now I need to get another new sword."
Izaya rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and apologized, "Haha, sorry about that Sasuke. I didn't mean to shatter your sword."
Sasuke just shook his head. "It's fine. It's not like it'll be hard to replace. It'll just be a bit annoying because I'll have to visit Orochimaru to get a new one."
Shikamaru and Kakashi were completely baffled at the conversation they were hearing in front of them so Kakashi chimed in confusedly, "So...It wasn't the Otsutsuki clan?"
Naruto just shook his head amiably and replied, "Oh, Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei, you guys are still here. Right, we were just doing some training that's all."
Shikamaru and Kakashi just had their jaws drop in disbelief at their answer. Izaya simply shrugged his shoulders and gave a light stretch before beginning to walk out and said, "Well, I think you both have gotten at least a bit of your groove back so you should be fine going forward. Just remember that from now on you both shouldn't neglect your training. Besides, Naruto, even when I'm not around Haku still is. Pay him a visit sometimes. He still keeps up his training by visiting Kimimaro from time to time in Iwagakure. And Sasuke is traveling around so at least he's getting some experience while out in the world. AND, why does it feel like you're always in your office? You know I put a system in place so the Hokage doesn't have to be cooped up in here all the time right? Stop thinking that you have to do everything yourself. Break that bad habit of yours."
Just before Izaya was about to leave Naruto chimed in, "Izaya. Tomorrow at noon I'm holding a Five Kage Summit meeting at the ASF HQ. Since you're back then maybe you'd like to join us?"
Izaya thought about it for a moment before answering, "Does this have to do with what you and Sasuke were talking about previously before I came in?"
"Mn. It does. It's about the Otsutsuki clan."
Izaya let out a soft sigh. "Haaa...Very well. I'll tag along. Oh, by the way, what happened to all of Shin's clones?"
"Ah, I had Yamato and a team send them to the ASF HQ and placed under Kabuto's watch."
Izaya thought about what Naruto said for a moment before simply nodding his head. And with that he left the Hokage's office.
The next day the ASF HQ was filled with reporters and cameras as these journalists prepared to live broadcast the arrival of all 5 Kage to the rest of the world. Izaya stood off to the side hidden in the shadows as he watched this all play out and sighed to himself.
The world's become modern so quickly. They remind me of my old world a bit. Well, no use in getting sentimental. Since I'm not the current Hokage I won't make a flashy entrance. But seriously, the P.R. trouble that we ninja have to go through.
Izaya simply shook his head before dashing off inside where the meeting would be held. He sat down on one of the couches in the conference room and waited. The first to arrive was the 5th Raikage, Darui. Next was the 6th Mizukage, Chojuro. Then the Fourth Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi. The 5th Kazekage, Gaara was after. And finally, last to appear was Naruto, the 7th Hokage. As they all took their respective seats around the round table as equals Shikamaru walked in and said, "Well, shall we get this meeting started?"
Gaara turned to look around the room and said, "6th Hokage, it's good to see you again. It's been awhile. How come I don't see Sasuke? Wasn't this meeting convened because there was something important to discuss in regards to his mission?"
Naruto chimed in at that moment. "Sasuke already left this morning. As you all already know we've been searching for clues regarding the Otsutsuki clan for many years." He then turned to Izaya and nodded, prompting Izaya to let out a sigh and say, "Well...like Naruto said. We've been searching for traces and clues of the Otsutsuki clan for many years. After I took up office as the 6th Hokage I had a feeling that Kaguya wasn't the only outworlder in the universe that might arrive on Earth. This theory was held true with the moon incident as I'm sure you all recall."
Chojuro nodded and commented, "Right. It was thanks to your action that the moon calamity was avoided, 6th Hokage."
Izaya nodded and continued, "Anyways Sasuke's been searching all this time on the whereabouts of Kaguya's base. This is only possible thanks to his Rinnegan. I too have been searching for traces of the Otsutsuki clan all this time and have been trying to gather as much information as I can to which I have already shared what I know with you all. Now according to Sasuke's findings it won't be long until other beings on the level of Kaguya, if not greater than her will appear in this world. The timeline isn't really specific, but it could be anytime from today to a few several years. The main point is that at most, it'll only be a few several years."
The room went silent for a few moments before all the Kage let out a sigh.
Chojuro frowned and said, "We may be at peace now, but the ravages of the 4th GNW haven't been completely erased. I don't think the people of the world can take another war on the scale of the last one. How are we to explain the situation to them?"
Kurotsuchi massaged her eyebrows as she commented, "This puts us in a tough spot."
Naruto then said with a look of determination, "The future ought to remain bright. That's what Sasuke said to me."
The Kage's just let out another sigh as they began to seriously think about the matter. Darui then chimed in, "So...6th Hokage, you say that these outworlders like Kaguya will most likely appear within our time huh? And in a mere few years at that...I suppose we'd still be around...however…"
Chojuro nodded in seriousness, "Agreed. I wonder how the next generation will fare...If we fail it may truly be the end."
Naruto frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
Kurotsuchi just sighed and said, "Well, the generation after us don't know war. All they know is peace. And they are still young. First off, each village had lost nearly half of their military strength after the war. It takes a long time to try and recover from something like that. The new generation shinobi have filled those spots, but just how many can they fill in such a short amount of time? Not enough. Not only that, in times of peace the level of skill in the newer generation isn't as refined or polished. It was thanks to the 6th Hokage, Izaya who proposed a plan to fix this problem."
Darui nodded and commented, "Right. The Five Great Games! It was a great idea. With this plan in place it helped in many areas. First it helped increase and maintain the friendly relations between all the Great Nations. Second, it kept the Daimyo's occupied with something to look forward to. Something they could spend, waste, and invest their money in for entertainment so they wouldn't try to pressure nation's to go to war for resources or for material gains. Third, because the Five Great Games is held in a different village every two years it helps those village's increase their economic revenue. And finally Fourth, through this competition it would give the shinobi of each nation a reason and a platform to continue to hone and better their skills so they wouldn't remain dull."
Kurotsuchi nodded in agreement and added, "Izaya, your proposal was truly revolutionary, however the problem is that we've only had the chance to hold one competition in all these years. The reason is because it took us a long time to hash out the details of this plan. The very first of the Five Great Games competition was held just 5 months ago in Kirigakure. That means we have another two years before we host another one. Not enough time has passed yet for each nation to feel the positive effects of these games."
Gaara closed his eyes before chiming in, "Unreliable. Making a comparison of how one generation fairs to the next is unreliable. Which era and age did not make a comparison like that and have the results turn out much more different than they had expected? Just because we may not see it now does not mean that the next generation will not surpass us. What we should do and what we only need to do is continue to do our best to guide the new generation. And if this threat comes, then all we need to do is stake our lives on the line to protect that which we must. Just as we did in the 4th Great Ninja War."
At Gaara's words the atmosphere in the room changed to one of a more positive light as Izaya smirked and praised, "Well said Gaara!"
It was then that the Five Kage Summit was adjourned as everyone returned to their villages.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone