Naruto:A New Path

Sound's Melody

Neji watched as Tayuya put a flute to her mouth. He looked at her oddly before leaping towards her, whatever it was she was preparing, he would stop it. The Sound ninja smirked when she saw the Hyuuga get close. She quickly ran through hand signs before slamming her hands on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!" she exclaimed as three ogres appeared in front of her.
Neji stopped dead on his tracks, narrowing his eyes at the three ogres that towered over him. It seemed that she was starting big, quite literally, which would be a problem to him. He suddenly heard a soft tune coming from the Sound ninja's flute. He briefly wondered why she had suddenly decided to play her flute before he was forced to jump away, watching as an ogre landed where he had just been.
He caught movement to his right and quickly twisted his body in the air, dodging a punch from one of the ogres.
'Damn,' he cursed himself for letting them attack first. He landed on a branch just as another ogre leapt at him with a club on hand. The ogre brought the club down on the Hyuuga, who easily sidestepped the attack before striking the ogre on the chest.
The tune the Sound ninja played became more chaotic as the three ogres all jumped at him at the same time. "Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!" the Hyuuga began rotating and releasing chakra at the same time. The ogres crashed against the dome before being knocked away. Neji instantly stopped his attack and leapt at the nearest ogre.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" he began his attack on the ogre before it suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. His eyes widened as the other two summons leapt at him once more. One of them took hold of his right leg before hurling him through the air. Neji sailed through the air before crashing against a tree, letting out a grunt of pain. He slowly rose to his fee, his back aching from the impact.
Tayuya smirked as she played her flute, this time playing in a faster tune. Under her command the two ogres charged at the Hyuuga once more. The Leaf ninja jumped away from the two ogres in a poor attempt of losing them. It was amusing to see him try so hard, her ogres were controlled through her music meaning that as long as she could see him the ogres could too. This made any attempt at losing them futile.
Neji gritted his teeth as he continued to dodged the ogres' attacks. 'I have to think of something or I'll be killed,' he growled before reaching for a couple of kunai. He hurled them at the two summons but they simply bounced of off them, not even leaving a scratch. The Hyuuga heard the tune of the flute change once more just as the two ogres began to charge at him, 'She controls them.'
Neji jumped over them before reaching for two more kunai. He flung one through the air before landing on a tree branch, he focused his gaze on the area before throwing the other one. Not missing a beat, Neji reached for more kunai, if he wanted to get rid of the ogres it would have to be while they were separated.
The first kunai sailed through the air before being hit on the handle by the other, changing its course of direction. Tayuya's eyes widened before jumping away from the incoming projectile, this proved to be a mistake since a wave of kunai headed straight for her. Cursing under her breath she quickly called one of her nearby ogres to block the attack.
' Now's my chance!' Neji ran at the lone ogre and struck it in the heart with a hard palm, instantly making it disappear in a cloud of smoke.
"That wasn't bad," Tayuya smirked from her spot on a tree branch. With her flute on hand and her last remaining ogre next to her she knew that she was still at the advantage. "But it all ends now," black marks spread through her face as she began to play her flute once more,
The remaining ogre opened its mouth, making a gagging noise. Neji watched as an odd plasma-like substance emerged from the ogre's mouth. The odd creature floated in the air with its attention on Neji. It screeched, revealing its sharp set of teeth, before charging at the Hyuuga.
Neji threw a kunai at the creature but it went through it without any sign of hurting it. He cursed before kicking off the branch he had been standing on and running up a tall tree with the creature following close behind. The Hyuuga was at a loss, if a solid object had simply phased through the creature he couldn't hurt normally, he would need a powerful impact to get rid of it.
He reached into his kunai pouch once more, taking out an explosive tag along a kunai. Kicking off the three he quickly wrapped the seal around the kunai's handle and dived towards the ground head-first. He flicked his wrist as soon as the creature was in front of him. The kunai entered the creature's body before lighting up and exploding. Neji was hurled through the air, getting caught in the explosion, before slamming against the ground.
"Damn…" Neji groaned in pain as he rose to his knees. With his byakuugan active he could see Tayuya playing her flute while the remaining ogre was heading his way. This wouldn't be too much of a problem though he had been slammed on the ground countless of times.
He slipped into his taijutsu stance, he still had a lot of charka left. He could do this.
Shizune entered the Hokage's office with a nervous expression on her face. She could tell that the Hokage was not in the best of moods. She was probably worried about Naruto going after Sasuke with only a few Genin. Disturbing her now would be a bad idea. But, nevertheless, the Hokage needed to hear the latest news.
"Lady Tsunade," Shizune called, getting a look from Tsunade, "There's a bit of a problem."
Tsunade frowned, just what she needed at the moment, "What happened now?"
"The Sand representative is gone," the young medic informed, instantly getting a surprised look from the Hokage, "There's a few ninja looking around the village but he's nowhere to be found."
Tsunade nodded absently. She had a good idea of where he had gone. From what she had heard from Kakashi, he had a kind of friendship with Naruto. It had been the reason she had asked for him to come to the Leaf. It was obvious that if he had found out that Naruto had gone out on a retrieval mission he would tag along.
"Don't worry much about it Shizune," Tsunade waved her off, "Gaara was sure to follow after Naruto. In fact, I'm kind of glad he did."
Shizune nodded before laughing nervously, "Then, Kiba breaking out of the hospital and leaving the village should be good news, right?"
"What?" Tsunade growled in annoyance.
Lee kept his exited grin as he stood in front of the Sound ninja, it wasn't every day that he could test out his skills and make Gai-sensei proud. "Alright then, I'll start things off!" the Genin instantly charged at the unnamed enemy ninja.
The Sound ninja's eyes widened slightly before jumping out of the ninja's way. Lee stopped on his tracks before turning to the enemy and charging once more, this time at a faster speed. The Sound ninja jumped over Lee once more before suddenly doubling over in pain.
Gritting his teeth he looked down to see Lee's fist on his stomach. The Genin proceeded to pull down the enemy ninja before spinning in the air and delivering a hard kick to his back. The Sound ninja let out a grunt of pain as he crashed on the ground, kicking up dirt.
Lee frowned once he landed on the ground. For some reason the Sound ninja wasn't fighting back, as if he was trying to avoid fighting. The Sound ninja rose to his feet once more and simply looked at him with calm orange eyes.
"I don't want to fight…" the ninja muttered, getting a surprised look from Lee.
The Genin suppressed a disappointed sigh before reaching into his kunai pouch. It was no use fighting with someone like him since it wouldn't be honorable to attack someone who wouldn't fight back. Lee took out a pair of smoke bombs and threw them on the ground, the black smoke instantly shielding him from view.
The Sound ninja watched as the smoke dispersed with no sings of the Leaf ninja. It was apparent that he had simply left after their little exchange of words.
"I don't want to fight… but," the Sound ninja could still clearly see his friend's face when he explained the mission. Kimimaro didn't want any errors on the mission and he didn't want to let him down, "But, I have to stop him."
The ninja nodded to himself before giving chase, following the light sounds of retreating footsteps and the occasional foot imprint on tree branches.
Jirobo charged at Choji with rage-filled eyes. The Akimichi was taken aback by the speed and was struck in the stomach. He coughed up blood as the fist dug into him before receiving another hard blow to his face. Choji fell on the ground before quickly getting to his feet and jumping away from his opponent.
His eyes widened when he found no sign of Jirobo before feeling something hard impact his head. He cried in pain as he was thrown towards the ground. Choji managed to spin his body and land on his feet. He quickly moved towards one of the nearby trees, not wanting to be caught in surprise by the Sound ninja.
"Not good enough Leaf trash," he heard Jirobo's voice behind him.
Much to Choji's shock, Jirobo was standing behind him with a smug expression on his face. The Sound ninja grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before slamming him against a tree. Choji struggled against the hold, feeling his remaining chakra disappear.
Jirobo smirked as blue chakra trailed up his arm, "It was a good thing you were here. I was getting a little hungry." His eyes narrowed when the steady flow of chakra stopped all-together. He threw the Leaf ninja away with a snarl, "That was it! I'm still hungry!"
Choji's eyelids grew heavy as he fought to stay conscious. Things were looking dire at the moment and, unless he did something drastic, he would end up dying. He dug into his pocket and took out the last pill, looking at it in deep thought, 'If I eat this, I'll die but… at least I would take him down with me.'
Jirobo neared the fallen ninja. "I'll just kill you and take the chakra of the ninja that deserted you. They're nothing but cowards," he raised his right arm before bringing it down on the helpless ninja. The ground trembled from the mighty punch but only that, there was no sign of the Leaf ninja that should be dead at the moment. Seeing a bit of movement out of the corner of his eye, Jirobo turned around to see Choji standing there with his back to him, "How did you dodge that?"
Choji said nothing as he turned to see his opponent eye-to-eye. His face was sharper and his clothes seemed to be too big for him. "They didn't desert me. I chose to stay here," he glared, balling his hands into fists. Chakra flared around him, settling on his back and taking the shape of butterfly wings, "I won't forgive you for talking like that about my friends!"
He phased form view before reappearing in front of Jirobo. His fist met his stomach in a devastating blow that made him double over in pain. The Sound ninja gagged as he staggered backwards with a few tears rolling down his face due to the strain on his throat. Choji followed with a kick to the Sound ninja's chin, sending him flying through the air.
' This is impossible! How can he be this strong?' Jirobo tried to spin in the air but froze when seeing a shadow above him.
The Akimichi twirled in the air before delivering a powerful kick to the back of Jirobo's neck. With a loud snapping sound the Sound ninja's body went limp as he fell through the air. His lifeless body crashed on the ground with his Curse Seal disappearing.
Choji landed on the ground with wobbling legs. He let out a hiss of pain as he fell to his knees with sweat rolling down his face. the effects of the pills already taking effect no doubt.
"I did it…" he muttered to himself with a small smile. His eyes began to close as he laid down on the ground, "… I did it."
Lee made his way through the forest at a steady pace. It had been only a few moments ago that he left the odd Sound ninja. Part of him wished to have fought him but he knew that his friends came first and, judging from the faraway explosions, he knew that they really needed him.
He continued to make his way through the woods before hearing a branch snap. Lee turned his head to see the Sound ninja from before chasing after him. He scowled in confusion as the ninja landed in front of him with an odd look on his face.
"I came here to stop you," the Sound ninja stated.
Lee couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement as he slipped into his taijutsu stance. "Let's go then," he instantly leapt towards the ninja. His hair swayed with the wind as he brought his right fist back in preparation. The Sound ninja seemed to freeze up before receiving a punch to his stomach.
The Sound ninja doubled over in pain just as Lee spun in place to deliver a kick to his ribs. Lee followed up with a series of kicks. The Sound ninja could only moan in pain from Lee's restless attack. Lee ended his assault with a final kick to the ninja's chest. The Sound ninja crashed against a tree before quickly getting back on his feet. There was a bit of blood on the side of his mouth but otherwise, he was fine.
"I do not wish to fight if you continue to just stand there," Lee frowned. He could see the hesitation in the Sound ninja and didn't understand why he was pushing himself so hard. They were from Sound, a place controlled by Orochimaru, why would they show such loyalty to it?
The Sound ninja clenched his fists. He couldn't let Kimimaro down. He was the only person he had, his only friend. Now that he depended on him for this mission, he couldn't let him down.
Lee's eyes widened in shock. Purple chakra flared around the Sound ninja, his orange eyes glaring at him in pure rage. The green-clad ninja took an involuntary step back just as the ninja shot off the tree. The Sound ninja raised his right fist, ready to strike the enemy as soon as possible.
Years of training with taijutsu told Lee to duck just as the fist zoomed past him. The green-clad ninja raised his head before pushing against the ground and delivering an elbow to the Sound ninja's stomach. The enemy ninja merely grunted before raising his right knee and meeting Lee's stomach in a hard blow.
Lee gritted his teeth before jumping away from the ninja, wanting to put a bit of distance between them. His stomach ached in pain but he ignored it as he charged at the enemy once more. Once close enough he threw a punch that was easily knocked aside by the Sound ninja's right hand. Using the momentum Lee twisted his body to the right as he brought his left arm forward, delivering a hard punch to the ninja's face.
The Sound ninja glared as he sailed through the air before landing on a tree without much trouble. He watched as the Leaf ninja leapt at him once more. He took in a deep breath before jumping towards the Leaf ninja, he hoped that getting serious wouldn't cost him his sanity.
Lee neared the Sound ninja, his eyes widening when the Sound ninja's right arm suddenly turned dark and grew in shape. With a sudden flash of blue, the Sound ninja's fist dug into Lee's stomach. The green-clad ninja let out a choked scream as the Sound ninja brought his arm back before delivering another powerful punch to his chest.
' What was that?' Lee flipped in the air and managed to land on a tree branch safely. He looked at his opponent in wonder. His right arm was going back to normal which meant that he had just used some kind of jutsu. Whatever it was, he would make sure to win, 'Then I'll get serious too!'
Lee took off the weights on his legs, holding them on his hands while keeping his eyes on the Sound ninja. He ran at the enemy at a much faster pace, before swinging one of the weights at him. The wight stuck the ninja on the side. The enemy winced in pain before Lee swung the other weight.
Now knowing just how heavy the weights were, the Sound ninja took a quick step back, effectively dodging the heavy object. His arm changed once more as he threw another enhanced punch.
Lee dropped both weights on the branch, instantly breaking it from the impact. The Sound ninja's punch lost its trajectory, giving him the chance he needed.
"Leaf Hurricane!" he exclaimed as he kicked the Sound ninja in the face. He followed with a kick to the stomach that was immediately followed by another kick to the ninja's face. Lee continued his assault before kicking him away and dropping on one of the branches in his taijutsu style, an exited glint on his eyes.
The Sound ninja landed on the ground without much trouble. He turned his attention to the Leaf shinobi, wondering just how much faster he had gotten. It was almost impossible to keep up with him. The left side of his face turned darker as he came to the conclusion that he wouldn't be able to beat the ninja without getting serious.
Kakashi and Pakkun sped through the woods. So far they hadn't run into anybody but, according to the ninja hound, there were several battles going on. Since they were Sound ninja, obviously trained by the likes of Orochimaru, Kakashi knew that they would be in trouble. He didn't exactly know just who had gone on the mission but he hoped that they would be able to hold on.
"There's somebody up ahead," Pakkun broke the silence with a sharp voice, "We better hurry. I smell a lot of blood."
The two continued to speed through the woods before arriving on a large clearing. It was easy to see that a battle had taken place due to the broken ground and many broken trees. Kakashi's visible eye widened when he noticed the Genin unconscious on the ground. He was at his side in a second, recognizing the young Genin almost instantly.
' This is bad,' he looked over the condition of Choji. His body was way too thin for an Akimichi, he could almost see the bones underneath his skin. 'Most of his body fat is gone. This could only mean that he used all of the pills,' he had met his fair amount of Akimichi on his days and had seen what those pills could do. They turned body fat into chakra. An incredibly dangerous thing to do. In fact, some had even died from using all three.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," he muttered as a clone appeared at his side. "Go back to the Leaf and take him to a hospital," the clone nodded before picking up the young Genin and taking off. "This is bad…" he muttered to himself, if Choji had been pushed this far then what was of the rest of them, "Let's keep going Pakkun."
The ninja hound nodded as the two broke into a run. Kakashi followed after him with a worried gaze, he hoped that the rest of the team could hold on long enough for him to arrive.
A single eye made of Sand could be seen in the sky. From the trees, Gaara scanned the whole area. His arms were crossed with his usual gourd on his back.
He had been able to hear of Naruto's pursuit of the Uchiha due to the pink-haired kunoichi. It was by pure coincidence that he happened to walk by the village when he heard her conversation with a scarred Chunin.
His decision had been almost instant. He would offer any kind of help to Uzumaki, it was the least he could do for him. The blond jinchuuriki had helped him begin to turn his life around after all.
Gaara kicked off the tree, having found what he was looking for, two blondes standing in front of a white-haired ninja. His expression remained unchanged as he sped through the trees, he would make sure to get there in time to help.
Kiba smirked as he kicked off a tree, Shino's scent was near. Akamaru barked as the two grew closer. The Inuzuka was dressed in his normal attire, managing to change after leaving the hospital. It wasn't that he didn't think the situation was urgent, there just was something unappealing about fighting in a hospital robe with his backside visible.
He had heard from Hinata that Shino had left on a mission with Naruto. He hadn't thought much of it until he heard that Sasuke had defected and Naruto had put together a team consisting of the first ninja he saw.
News traveled fast in Konoha, the details of the mission obviously coming from a ninja, but he decided to go help out. He wouldn't abandon his friends and comrades.
"Let's kick it up a notch Akamaru!" Kiba grinned as he sped his pace. Akamaru barked and followed after him.