Chapter 171: Struggle - 6
"And also, what happened to the others? You were once part of the Sound Five…now those numbers are dwindling." Kimimaro added to Tayuya, his face stoic.
"Why are you…?" Tayuya didn't understand how he could still function as a ninja, "Your body…your body was wrecked by illness…"
"I am no longer moving by using my body." He replied, "I am moving with the power of my spirit."
"Jeez, you're living beyond your time…" She muttered, amazed at how long he'd lasted.
"I am beginning to understand. It is the feeling of only existing with the mind, without the bondage of a body." Kimimaro patted the top of the barrel, "It is like touching a part of Orochimaru-sama's dream."
"Orochimaru!" Naruto growled. The mere mentioning of the name made him furious, wanting to tear into the bastard for how he had tortured his friends.
"These containers are essential to that dream. The bodies that Orochimaru-sama truly wants…but you all were a bit too late."
A look of failure descended upon Tayuya's face. She knew that a reprimand was imminent after not having delivered the specified bodies to Orochimaru before he had to switch bodies. He had to resort to taking someone else's, and not one of the two he'd long been interested in.
'Another dangerous foe has arrived…and this feeling…he's not just anyone.' Shikamaru thought to himself, 'Anyway, I have to assess the situation. If we are careless and attack without thinking…' He didn't want to think about what could happen.
Naruto stood silently beside Hinata, awaiting Shikamaru's orders. He too could tell that Kimimaro was no foe to be underestimated.
Kimimaro spoke to Tayuya again, "Tayuya, the reason why I have not killed you is that you must survive to accomplish a mission. And my mission is to take that to Orochimaru-sama." He gestured to the barrel.
"Isn't it too late?" She asked again, wondering if it was worth the effort.
"I told you, these are the bodies Orochimaru-sama truly wants." He answered.
"So…they're containers for the future, then…" She understood and turned her gaze to the four Leaf ninja watching her.
"These pieces of trash I leave to you." Kimimaro announced and then turned, taking the barrel and moving ahead through the canopy.
"We can't let him get away," Shikamaru growled in frustration, "Listen, Naruto. You and Hinata track him and get the barrel back. Chouji and I will hold off the girl."
The blonde boy nodded and then turned to the kunoichi of the team, "Ready, Hinata?"
"Of course!" She followed after him as he made a dash to pursue Kimimaro, and Tayuya immediately tried to intercept them, "Don't even try it you worthless pieces of shit!"
"Chouji!" Shikamaru was counting on his friend and was not disappointed when the Akimichi summoned a monstrous strength and hurled a tree at the last sound ninja, forcing her to dodge and preventing her from stalling Naruto and Hinata.
Shikamaru watched the divided half of his team until they disappeared into the forest ahead, then turned to Chouji who was on the branch beside him, "Why is it that I'm always stuck fighting some girl anyway?"
*
Naruto moved swiftly, following Hinata as she led the way with her Byakugan. Though it was currently two against one, he hoped the rest of the team would catch up to them soon, 'If it's just me and Hinata-chan going after this guy it could be bad. Something about him is giving me this awful feeling…'
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata paused on a branch and he did the same, giving her his attention.
"He's stopped moving. There is a large clearing ahead of us where he is waiting and I…" Her voice became quiet, "I think…he expects us to fight him."
"Does he, eh?" Naruto wasn't threatened by the idea, "We better not disappoint him then!"
Fearlessly he moved out into the opening in the forest: a wide, grassy meadow and at its center stood the final Sound ninja, guarding the barrel.
His blank expression made the blonde boy uneasy. If he couldn't read his opponent's emotions it would make a fight more difficult. Hinata stood beside Naruto and deactivated her bloodline limit, trying to remain calm. It was their last chance to retrieve the barrel, and if Kimimaro continued ahead she was sure they wouldn't be able to stop him.
"Just two left," The white haired man spoke, "Two mice run to the falcon. They cannot see that what they seek is lost."
"Give Haku and Sasuke back!" Naruto yowled, his features beginning to sharpen, "I won't let you take them!"
"They are not yours to have. These vessels belong only to Orochimaru-sama," Kimimaro's voice was dreamy, "Do not interfere. If you chose to stand between Orochimaru-sama and his dream, I will kill you."
Naruto's expression darkened. Clearly this ninja was obsessed with serving his master. He had to approach the situation cautiously if they were going to succeed with their skins intact.
"Hinata, you're going to have to stay back while I take this guy," The blonde boy said softly, "Look for any weaknesses he might have, and if you see an opening, take the barrel and go."
"But I won't leave you behind!"
"Please…don't wait for me. If you fight him too and get hurt then…I don't know what I'd do. Just go ahead without me, okay?" Naruto was not giving her an option.
Reluctantly, she agreed, "…yes."
With no further preamble, Naruto sent a number of kage bunshin to test Kimimaro's defenses, curious as to how he fought. In a matter of seconds he was shredding them with a bone protruding from his palm that was sharpened to a point.
'Yeesh he's fast! He can take out my clones without even trying!' Naruto resorted to his newest tactic and detonated his last remaining clone, catching Kimimaro off-guard in the explosion.
Hinata observed with her Byakugan and was shocked to see that the Oto nin shook off the blast easily, though it had burnt his hair and clothes, 'His skeletal structure is so dense…he was barely scathed!'
Kimimaro brushed flecks of dirt from his jacket, "So hasty…"
He looked up to see the blonde ninja charging at him with a fully-formed Rasengan. From an instant analysis of the technique, he decided that he wouldn't weather it if he didn't counter, and drew out the humerus bone from his left arm, "Tsubaki no Mai!"
Naruto met him head on, grazing his arm with the spiraling sphere. Kimimaro countered, slashing downward with his bone sword and cutting a vertical mark down the boy's chest.
They pulled away from each other and where the Rasengan had torn away much of Kimimaro's skin bone plating was visible beneath it. Naruto covered the bloody gash with his arm, 'Shit, if I get too close with the Rasengan he'll just slice me up! How am I supposed to-?'
Kimimaro was moving again, unaffected by Naruto's earlier attack, intending to flay him.
Hinata joined the fray, unwilling to wait any longer. She and a trio of shadow clones surrounded the Oto nin, all combing forces to inflict 64 points of damage.
"Yanagi no Mai!" He moved with untraceable speed, moving away from the Jyukken strikes and impaled the three doppelgangers with bones protruding from his arms and back. The real Hinata fell back and ended her assault, kneeling down beside Naruto.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata felt her resolve weaken at the sight of his jacket dripping with blood, "Let me see it! I can help you-"
"It's fine. It's healing up pretty fast anyway," He was smiling at her consolingly and upon letting her view the wound, she was surprised to see that his rapid healing ability was already sealing up the gash, "We're going to have to keep our distance for a while. He just shrugs off whatever you throw at him!"
Nervously she nodded, wondering how they'd manage it, 'If we get too close, he won't hesitate to kill us…'
Kimimaro raised his bone sword into an offensive position, "My next dance will finish the both of you at once, and then Orochimaru-sama's dream can finally become a reality."
In the background on the opposite side of the meadow the barrel gave a great shudder and then violently burst apart, releasing dark purple smoke that had been contained within it.
Kimimaro paused and looked back to the emerging Leaf ninja curiously, staying silent.
Naruto watched as well as the smoke began to slowly dissipate. He could hear laughter, which unnerved him further, and only caught a short glimpse of Sasuke rushing ahead once the smoke had cleared.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone