Namikaze Legends

Chapter LXV: Old Rivals

To fight a battle from inside of the enemy's home base of operations was not an impossible task, especially when one had someone on the inside. This was far more possible thing than could first be thought, even against Root. After all, Team 10 had something of a body snatcher on the team.

That was more effective than Menma's use of Henge no Jutsu that they'd used to take out the other strongholds in the past. A loss of concentration for even a moment wouldn't screw up Ino's jutsu.

Either way, attacking from the inside was usually their operational method of dealing with troublesome armed numbers in a well-guarded area, and an explosion was their 'go' sign.

*CLANG*

The door to their cell was ripped off by a kyuubi-enhanced Naruto, allowing Menma and Shikamaru to head on through, "Alright, you've got Ino's body Menma?" Shikamaru asked, mind racing as he peered down the dark hallway of the small cell block.

"Yeah."

"You and Naruto stay back for just a second," Shikamaru said, dropping to a single knee and forming a rat and bird seal, seemingly waiting on the door at the end of the hallway to open. Eventually it swung open as three Root ninjas rushed in, "Kage Nui no Jutsu (Shadow Sewing Jutsu)!"

Violent as it was, Shikamaru had killed his fair share of people over the years, and his aim with his shadow tendrils on his unsuspecting targets struck true, as he ran them all through and let them drop to the floor. They did not get back up.

The first course of action for anyone stationed near a containment center would always be to check on any prisoners. They rushed in so that they could confirm that they were still captured, not expecting a fight, but only doing so because it was their assignment.

Apparently even emotionless ninjas could be caught with their pants down.

"Alright," Shikamaru said, standing up and ignoring the blood pooling on the floor, "Let's go."

With no time to dwell on the dead foes, all three chunin scrambled out of the cell block and made their way upstairs to come out on a bridge separated from the rest of the underground compound. Smoke rose and billowed up from several different places in the facility, all the while dark blurs flittered all about trying to run damage control and see to the threat.

Unfortunately they didn't know what the threat was.

"You're on Menma," Shikamaru told Menma who walked forward and cleared his throat before yelling at the top of his lungs.

"That's right!" Menma shouted, still holding Ino on his back to transport, "The jinchuuriki of the Juubi did this, so line up single-file for an orderly surrender or prepared to get your collective asses handed to you!"

...They knew what the supposed threat was now.

Every single Root ninja in the underground compound stopped where they were and stared at the four interlopers, Naruto especially, as if they were insane. They didn't move to attack, or even seem to put themselves on the defensive.

Menma sighed and rolled his eyes before a cloak of blue surrounded his entire body, "Okay, how about now!?" He yelled once more with gruffer voice, "Is it serious enough for you now!?"

Upon watching the teen then vanish in a Shunshin that took the shape of a wolf's head taking a single snap of its jaws, yes. Yes it was. The Root ninjas immediately began to panic and pursue Menma to defend their secret base.

Apparently panic could still set in whether one was conditioned to be 'emotionless' or not. Survival instinct wasn't really the sort of thing you could train away.