Saruto | The Bloodline Prophecy (Part 1)

Chapter 28: The Shadow Hokage

"Shikadami," I whispered, "make sure you stick to your wind style techniques."

She nodded before catching up to Kakashi and Naruto. Wouldn't want my grandfathers picking up on her unique shadow possession style jutsu.

"And Inojou..."

He was quick to acknowledge, "Yeah, yeah I know."

Right, if they saw his mind transfer and ninja art techniques, that would for sure give it away. He will have to stick to water-style techniques. While they refrained from using their clans notable techniques, mine would prove a little more difficult for obvious reasons. Both my Sharingan and Byakugan abilities were already dangerous enough but my immense chakra reserves would resemble Naruto's too much as well as my fire-release with Sasuke. My chidori and lightning release as well would show a connection to Kakashi's fighting style. Connections to my predecessors were infamous during this time as well as my own time. My best option would be refraining from my ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques, sticking to my taijutsu and fuinjutsu.

It really was dangerous at the proximity I was with Sasuke and Naruto.

Reaching the clearing, Inojou and I were met with an unknown mist cloud that plagued the valley. Shikadami, Naruto and Kakashi were nowhere to be seen. All we could hear were the sounds of clashing swords and fists. Murmurs of jutsus being activated filled the air as well but the thickness of the fog masked their purposes.

Signalling Inojou, he immediately nodded and then used his mist technique to separate the fog. Shit.

I was horrified to be met with a hoarding of zetsus fighting back against them. The Otsutsuki. This wasn't good. Inojou ignored my distress and joined the fight as I hung back. What if they picked up on my scent. That would signal the Otsutsuki off world no doubt. My apparent dismemberment, little did I know that a zetsu soldier was lunging itself at my direction. Shikadami was the first to notice.

"Saruto!" she screamed but it was too late.

I narrowly avoided the attack before it could shallowly cut through my shirt. I winced at the cut before Kakashi rushed over, he could tell something was wrong.

Noticing the blood, he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Shaking it off, I toughened up and ignored him starting for the center for the clearing. Taking out every zetsu in my path, I swiftly unarmed all of them. My arms linked and unlinked in their paths, sending them off their feet. Soon Sasuke came into view as he noticed my struggle, we were just outmatched.

He wore a black high-collared shirt, a midriff-exposing , and light blue pants. Most of this goes unseen, as he wears a tattered light brown poncho over it. He wraps bandages around his ankles and a blue sash around his head during this appearance. In his dark grey fingerless glove on his remaining hand he carried his double grip sword. What caught me by surprise was a forehead protector, hanging from his left hip. Sasuke was also significantly tall, standing slightly taller than Naruto, who is one of the tallest amongst his graduate class. With his middle part hanging partly over his face, his Rinnegan was present in his left eye and Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan activated in his right. This appearance of his was legendary in the history books.

Covering my flank, he noticed that I had come with Naruto and Kakashi, seeing my place amongst them.

Slipping four kunais from my pouch and then putting two in each finger, I twirled them around and slit each approaching zetsu in the throat. Sasuke seemed unnerved as we covered each other's backs. The most surprising thing was that our choice of fighting style was similar.

"Amaterasu!" He shouted before incernerating every zetsu in a half mile radius in a guld of seeing black flames.

Acknowledging his help with a nod, I separated from him to join the rest of our group in the fight. I observed how Naruto ran in a wall line with his shadow clones, taking every zetsu in his path. He spared no lives. Kakashi was no different as he activated his chidori and impaled a dozen of them in one blow. Throwing himself up in the air, Inojou flooded the field of zetsu in front of him and drowned them all in a powerful wave. Assisting him was Shikadami who conjured up a hurricane that wiped the remaining zetsu in their vicinity.

As Naruto collectively offered the last dozen, all of them were dead besides one. Standing by each other's side, I watched in awe as Sasuke and Naruto displayed their combined power. In the academy, fighting dynamics were often deriving from the example of these two. Throughout the shinobi world, it was infamous. No one dared to challenge the Hidden Leaf because of this as well as our tight connection to the Hidden Sand and their kazekage, Gaara. As Naruto held the zetsu for questioning, Sasuke began to interrogate it. I knew how against Naruto was with torture, but something about Sasuke presence reassured him.

We all watched as the zetsu hissed and growled in an inhuman manner.

"What is this?" Naruto questioned, "I thought we killed them all during the Fourth Shinobi War?"

How was I supposed to tell them that this nest that had awakened was one of many that were laying dominant across all five nations. All preparing for the arrival of the Otsutsuki. Of course, they had no idea that there were more surviving members of that clan and that in time they were coming here. But I was forced to stand there quietly, waiting for them to make conclusions on their own.

"If I had my suspicions while investigating the outer lands," Sasuke casually remarked as he stared down at the zetsu with disgust.

Sasuke was ruthless and cunning. You did not want to get his bad side

Kakashi then turned to me, giving me a look to see if I knew what this was. I nodded. Acknowledging that he turned back to Sasuke and Naruto who were questioning the zetsu. Time went by and Kakashi said nothing. It seemed as though he joined in our plan to say nothing.

"Sensei?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shook himself out of his daze to answer him.

"Maybe some survived the war and have been hiding in the valleys."

Good excuse I rolled my eyes. As the silence grew longer, Sasuke scuffed up air before tearing the zetsu from Naruto's grasp, catching him by surprise.

"Sasuke! Wait!" Naruto blurted out.

Throwing the limp and white pale body to grow, Sasuke his foot down to break his neck, killing it. Naruto spreaded his hand out and then stood there frozen and in shock out how fast Sasuke made the decision to kill it.

"Why did you do that?" Naruto demanded before Sasuke turned his back on him to walk towards the forest line.

"It had nothing more that it could give us," Sasuke revealed.

"But-"

Immediately Sasuke turned around to meet the glare that Naruto was giving him. The tension was surprising and easily set Inojou to run for the hills. They weren't going to kill each other, right?

"It's getting dark," Kakashi broke the tension, "Let's set up camp in the next valley and revisit this tomorrow."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and scuffed. Turning his back towards Naruto again, he seemed on edge and annoyed that Naruto was here. I guess he had only planned on rendezvous with Kakashi or facing this mission alone. But wasn't Sakura supposed to be with him. Where was she?