BONUS Chapter Twenty: Invasion Begins

Sasuke stood in his rightful place—the spotlight.

Gaara, that good-for-nothing fool, had the misfortune of being his opponent. The crowd was cheering for Sasuke, acknowledging him, basking in his presence. He was the pride of his clan. The elite of the strongest village.

The proctor announced the start of the match, and the young Uchiha wasted no time. He rushed the red-haired boy, flinging a handful of shuriken, well aware the sand would block them. Without missing a beat, Sasuke began sprinting in circles around the Suna Genin at blinding speed. After several leaps, he yanked the chakra strings tied to the thrown weapons.

"Fire Release: Fire Stream Jutsu!"

Flames raced through the wires, but despite the clever tactic, the sand snapped the strings and smothered the fire. Gaara looked utterly bored.

The Jinchūriki raised his hand, and tendrils of sand surged up around him. Sasuke dodged and danced around them, relying purely on speed to gain the upper hand.

In the Stands

Gai's eyes narrowed in fury. Those movements—those attacks—were Lee's. The only way Sasuke could have learned them was if Kakashi had betrayed his trust. He was about to call out his "eternal rival" when the cyclopean Jonin raised his hand in silent surrender.

"Gai… You know me. I'd never betray you," Kakashi said calmly. "Sasuke already copied Lee's hard work the first time he saw it. When I began training him, I only focused on his body—preparing it for your high-speed taijutsu."

Gai frowned. Kakashi had a point… but still, it was disappointing.

"Why, my rival? Why help him master the fruit of another's labor?" Gai's voice was uncharacteristically subdued.

"For the same reason you taught Lee the Eight Gates. So he could survive. You've seen what that Suna ninja can do. If Sasuke has any chance of living, he needs Lee's speed, Lee's movement—and his own jutsu."

Kakashi's gaze turned to the arena, where Sasuke was inching closer and closer to landing a real hit on Gaara.

ZAS!

The punch echoed through the stadium. Kankuro and Temari stared in disbelief. Two Leaf ninja had managed to land hits on Gaara now. Even the redhead himself was surprised—not because he saw Sasuke as a worthy opponent, but because someone touched him at all.

"Well, brace yourselves, boys and girls. The shit's about to hit the fan. Wejejejeje!" laughed Naruko in her seat, grinning like a fox. Gaara didn't hear her, but something deep within him knew the blonde who once intimidated him now had her eyes locked on him.

Back in the Arena

"Uchiha… You're an annoyance," Gaara hissed, staring at the blood trickling down his cheek. "You hurt me. So… you're strong. But you're not worthy prey."

He grinned maniacally.

"I'LL FEED YOUR WEAK BLOOD TO MOTHER!"

His grin twisted further.

"UZUMAKI! UZUMAKI—I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

His laugh echoed like broken glass.

Sasuke's fury ignited. No one was worthier than him. Especially not that Uzumaki whore. Without thinking, he hurled several explosive kunai at Gaara, wasting precious tags. The sand absorbed the explosions and began forming a protective dome, with a small eye-like orb floating above it.

"What a waste of boom-boom paper, I'm lucky I'm not da maker!"

"Suna-one's makin' a bubble—this startin' to smell like trouble! YEAH! Yo, get ready my little ones! Savin' this place is in ya hands! WEEEEEEE!"

Killer Bee's rap boomed through the Bijū link, making his students collectively cringe.

Sasuke leapt onto the wall, feeling bored. But if the fool who dared disrespect him was going to hide inside sand… well, it was a perfect opportunity to test his new jutsu on a living target.

"Yes… This is perfect. Let's see how this works."

He chuckled darkly.

"Itachi… If this jutsu does what I suspect, you'll be tasting it soon enough."

In the Stands

Sakura leaned forward, eyes wide with admiration. "What jutsu is that?"

"That's the Chidori, Kakashi's original jutsu," Gai said gravely. "Named for the chirping sound it makes. I can't believe you taught him that, Kakashi. Are you insane?"

Kakashi sighed, his visible eye tired. "You taught Lee the Eight Gates… but no, I didn't teach Sasuke the Chidori. He saw me use it during a C-rank bandit elimination mission. He copied it. I just… trained him so he wouldn't kill himself using it—or worse, kill one of his teammates."

Hatake Kakashi—the very picture of a tortured man.

"Lightning Release: Chidori!"

Sasuke cried out and launched himself down the wall, gathering speed for the assassination strike. In a blink, he was at the sand dome, lightning-coated hand spearing forward, dodging the sand spikes aiming to skewer him.

"What… is this?"

"Blood?"

"My… blood?"

"WAAAAAAGH! My blood!" Gaara screamed, clutching his side.

"Don't worry, Mother… He'll pay. I'll feed him to you… I'll feed them…"

"I'LL FEED THEM ALL TO YOU!"

Sasuke smirked, about to mock him—until he saw it.

A yellow, cross-shaped iris.

"What the actual fuck is that?!"

Suddenly, the entire arena filled with white feathers. One by one, the audience began to collapse into unconsciousness.

The invasion had begun.

In the Stands

The Jonin of Konohagakure no Sato quickly dispelled the genjutsu and jumped into action.

Kakashi summoned Pakkun and gathered Shikamaru, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino.

"Shikamaru, stop pretending to be asleep. You guys—Sasuke's gone after the Suna siblings alone. I need you to follow him. Bring him back alive. Pakkun will guide you. Move!"

Turning to the other Genin, Kakashi issued orders to assist in evacuation—and to avoid combat unless absolutely necessary.

Before leaving, Shikamaru turned to his lifelong friend.

"Cho… I'm counting on you. Konoha's counting on you. Today's not the day to be afraid of hurting people. Today's the day we protect our home with everything we've got."

He placed a hand on Choji's shoulder.

"I know you can make the difference."

He turned to run, but not before shouting:

"GIVE 'EM HELL, CHOJI!"

Kage Box:

Orochimaru, throwing away his disguise, appeared behind the old Hokage with a kunai at his throat.

"So, this is your grand scheme, Orochimaru?" said Hiruzen, catching his old student off guard. "Do you really think you have the means to put an end to the Will of Fire? Hmph… it seems I still have some lessons to teach you."

The Hokage vanished from his seat and reappeared face-to-face with the traitorous Sannin, clad in his old battle armor. "You truly are a fool, Orochimaru."

The Snake Sannin signaled, and four ninja leapt from their hiding places. The bodyguards moved to intercept, but another four quickly jumped in and trapped the Kage box inside a barrier.

"Ku ku ku ku ku… You amuse me, old fool. Say, Raikage-dono… would you like to help me destroy this pathetic village? Ku ku ku… I wouldn't mind if you took the chance to kidnap a few of their shinobi. In fact, I'd be more than happy to assist you in that endeavor. Ku ku ku ku ku…"

"You dare?! Have you no respect at all?!" shouted an enraged Sarutobi. Meanwhile, the Raikage started to chuckle—softly at first, then louder, until it turned into a booming laugh.

"You really think you stand a chance against Konoha? Wow. No wonder the Yellow Flash was picked for Hokage instead of you. BWAJAJAJAJA!"

Orochimaru was infamous for taunting others, but he wasn't used to being on the receiving end. One of his few weaknesses—and now, he saw red.

"SSSSShut up! Ssshut up, you ussssselessssss gorilla! You and your pathetic village of mussssshcle-headsssh! I AM OROCHIMARU! The immortal SSSsssnake! How dare you?! I sssswear your village will pay for your sssstupidity!"

"Bah. Like you have a chance. KUMOGAKURE, HEAR ME—WE FIGHT FOR KONOHA TODAY!" roared the Raikage. His shinobi scattered, ready to carry out his orders. "Well, Sarutobi-dono, I suppose now you're happier than ever about this alliance?"

"I would make a toast to it, but I don't have any drinks… Water Release: Water Gun!" Hiruzen fired a high-speed projectile of water—no hand seals—smashing into his fallen pupil's face before he could react. It wasn't lethal, but it packed the force of a brick to the skull… a very fast and very hard brick.

"FUCK YOU, Sssssarutobi-sssensssei! THAT FUCKING HURTSSSSH!" Orochimaru shrieked.

Both Kage grinned at the reaction, but their grins faded quickly—Orochimaru's face peeled away, revealing that of a young woman.

"I see… so you finally completed that abomination of a jutsu. It's truly a shame. You had so much potential. But be that as it may, you are not my student. Not anymore. Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu—Monkey King Enma!"

"So… the time has come at last, old friend?"

"Yes. After today, Orochimaru will be no more."

In the Stands

Hanabi was running as fast as she could. Her father hadn't returned after visiting Neji, and the other Hyūga had left minutes earlier, no longer interested in the tournament. Now, she was alone… or not quite. Footsteps pounded behind her. Sound ninja.

Hanabi knew what would happen if she didn't find help fast—what almost happened to her sister all those years ago. She reached the door leading to an exit—only for a Suna kunoichi to swing it open, grinning maliciously.

"Where are you going, darling?" cooed the woman as the rest of the group caught up.

"Wherever she pleases," a voice hissed.

"Way of the River…" the voice whispered, full of venom. "…Wild Rapids!"

A blur shot between the Sound ninja, delivering devastating chakra-infused hand thrusts. Bones cracked. Bodies flew. One ninja tried to weave hand signs—only to find his chakra sluggish and unresponsive. In that instant, a blonde blur appeared beside him, slitting his throat with a tanto.

Two muscular arms pinned the Suna woman before she could retaliate.

"No one. NO ONE TOUCHES MY SISTER!" Hinata roared, standing amid the downed enemies. "NO ONE!" she shouted again, using her Way of the Tides: Undertow to rip her chakra back from the foes she had struck. The resulting backlash shattered their internals.

Karui pierced the kunoichi's chest with her sword and turned to Hanabi with a reassuring smile. "Damn, girlie! You sure are lucky—your sis really is scary when she's pissed!"

Naruko placed a hand on Hanabi's shoulder, smiling too. Hinata scanned the area briefly before turning to the others.

"Alright, gals, time to help your pals, yo! N-chan, go after Mista One. Karui and Haku, go back up the Konoha Genin. Hinata, you're with me—the awesome Jinchūriki. Let's go help my aniki! I need you to be my eyes, Your Majesty! Yeah! Weeeeeeeeee!"

"No," Hinata said, completely killing Bee's vibe.

"Haku, you're taking my Hanabi-imouto-chan to my father and cousin. Protect her. Karui, your choice—go with the Genin or tag along."

No one dared to argue.

"Be safe, my little Hanabi… Haku—"

"I know what to do," Haku interrupted gently, placing a hand on Hanabi's shoulder. "Don't worry, Hinata-sama. No one will touch your sister. Even if I die, I'll protect her until you return."

"Be careful, gals!" Bee called, ready to leap into battle.

"I'll follow you until I'm near the Konoha rookies," Karui added.

"I'll be back before you know it, my love," chirped Naruko, winking. Hinata kissed her cheek and took off, Bee and Karui hot on her heels.

"Well, let's find your father, Hanabi-sama. Ninja Art: Mirror World Passage," Haku said, forming a shimmering ice mirror. "My apologies, Hanabi-sama, but I'll need to carry you for this technique to be as chakra-efficient as possible. This jutsu allows us to open a door to any other reflective surface."

Hanabi's face went bright red as Haku swept her into a bridal carry.

In the Forest Near Konoha

The elder Suna siblings were carrying Gaara to the location where he would transform into the Ichibi. Behind them came Sasuke, and after him, the Genin and Pakkun. Soon, Shikamaru realized they were being followed, so he chose to stay behind and stall their pursuers. Similarly, Kankuro tried to delay the raven-haired avenger but failed, mainly because the rest of the Genin had caught up.

"Go, I'll deal with him… like I should've back in the Arena," said Shino, visibly disappointed for not getting to fight in the tournament.

"You sure? Well, it's your funeral," Kankuro replied, revealing his puppet, Karasu.

As the rest of the group leapt into the trees, Shino let himself fall before rushing at Kankuro, kunai in hand. Kankuro snickered and sent Karasu to impale the boy with hidden blades—only for another Shino to emerge from behind a tree trunk.

"A clone? That's your pathetic strategy?"

"Yes… that's my secret jutsu: Insect Clone."

The impaled body began to buzz and crumbled into a massive swarm of kikaichu beetles.

"Secret jutsu: Insect Ball!" The swarm formed several orbs that shot toward the makeup-wearing teen. Kankuro dodged. His first instinct was to intercept the attacks with Karasu, but the buzzing beetles unnerved him. Fortunately for him, his instincts saved him—the insect projectiles devoured the tree he had just been in.

"What the hell?! Alright, now I'm pissed! Puppeteer Art: Poison Gas!" shouted Kankuro as Karasu released a thick purple mist that enveloped Shino and part of the swarm. He then had Karasu drop four of its hands, revealing senbon launchers, and fired several volleys. Some of the needles struck Shino in the shoulder.

"You're done! Be a good little Genin and I might give you the antidote!" Kankuro smirked. But then, the buzzing grew louder from the body he had just attacked—and it too dissolved into a mass of bugs. Suddenly, he felt weak.

"I admire your skill with puppets. Your reflexes are sharp, and you move Karasu faster than most ninja… but you picked the wrong opponent. Why? After spending so much time with a living poison factory, I've developed some resistance to toxins—and so have my little friends. My kikaichu feed on chakra. When you 'killed' my first clone, they infested your puppet. Now they've reached you through the chakra threads you use to control it. You're feeling weak, aren't you? That's because my soldiers are sucking you dry. I'm not immune to poison, so give me the antidote now and they'll only take your chakra. Refuse… and they'll eat you alive and fetch the antidote from your corpse."

To reinforce his threat, Shino commanded the rest of the swarm to latch onto his prey. Kankuro paled and surrendered.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group reached a clearing where Temari was trying to stall Sasuke. At that moment, Gaara stirred—he had recovered and decided it was time to feed his "mother."

"UCHIHA! You are a worthy appetizer for Mother! COME! MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE! PROVE MY EXISTENCE!" roared Gaara, tendrils of sand lashing out from his gourd, aiming to crush Sasuke.

Sasuke dodged as best he could and fired a low-powered Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu. Gaara's sand shield intercepted the flames as he advanced on the red-eyed boy.

"Yes! YES! Fight me! I'll kill you! I'll feed your red eyes to the sand!" Gaara howled, unleashing his Secret Jutsu: Sand Shuriken. Sasuke parried some with a kunai. Kiba shoved Sakura aside and dodged the rest—being farther back, he had just enough time.

"Gaara, we can't waste time here! We have to follow the plan! Remember the mission!" Temari shouted.

"I don't give a damn about the mission! I'll feed Mother. And if you get in my way, I'll add you to the menu!" Gaara snarled.

Temari flinched. She had always been against the invasion—it was stupid. But she also wanted to protect her baby brother, even if he was a monster. The Uchiha had hurt him before, but now Gaara was losing control. Everyone was in danger—including her. Yet she couldn't abandon him… even if it was the logical thing to do.

Sand began forming a monstrous arm over Gaara's left arm. He hurled himself forward, laughing maniacally. Kiba and Sakura were stunned. What kind of monster were they facing?

"Come on, Uchiha!" Gaara roared, sweeping his oversized arm to crush his opponent. His face was mutating, half of it now monstrous, with drool oozing from jagged, prominent fangs.

Sasuke leapt back and executed a double air kick, aiming for the deformed boy—but a sand tail deflected his attack with ease.

"Don't underestimate me! Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, puffing up before launching six small fireballs that exploded on contact with Gaara's sand.

Elsewhere in the forest, Shikamaru had managed to stop their pursuers by trapping them with his clan's jutsu.

"HAHAHAHA! You're dead, you know that? How long can you hold that technique before you drop? No one's coming to save you!" laughed the leader of the six Oto ninja.

Shikamaru knew the enemy was right, but he had a duty… even if it was troublesome.

"Come on, give up! I'm a Jonin, and even the others are strong enough to defeat you. But if you surrender, I'll keep you as my pet," sneered the only female in the group, sadistic eyes glinting.

"As tempting as that sounds… I'll pass," Shikamaru said calmly. "I have a duty to Konoha—a troublesome duty that'll probably get me killed one day. But I'd rather be known as lazy than as a coward. Come on! If anyone's out there, help me! These guys are trapped, which means any Konoha shinobi could take them down, no matter their rank!"

The Oto-nin laughed, hard. It was obvious from the sweat on Shikamaru's face that he was running out of chakra. Just then, he caught a glint of movement in the woods and released his jutsu from the two Jonin in time for two Narukos to appear, beheading them with one swing each—one wielding a nodachi, the other the Kubikiribōchō.

"Well said, lazy-boy. Spoken like a real ninja," Naruko chirped as four more clones emerged, each armed differently: one with a katana, one with twin kodachi, another with a brutal iron ball and chain, and the last holding a simple kunai.

"Troublesome blonde… Your technique would've hurt me too, had I not seen you coming. I could've died!" Shikamaru mumbled.

"Yo, meet my special clone squad! I call it Secret Jutsu: Uzumaki Legion! These girls are supercharged shadow clones—more durable and specialized in specific weapons. That's Nodachi, Kodachi, Katana, Thunder, and Support. Got some teams in Konoha too! Aren't I awesome?" Naruko grinned. "Support, be a dear and carry lazy-boy. Which way did Suna-suna-redhead go?"

Back with the Kages

Orochimaru wasn't doing well against the combined assault of the two Kage. A wasn't even using his Lightning Release: Lightning Armor, yet his speed and strength were overwhelming. Sarutobi, old as he was, was dealing out punishment with his loyal partner Enma, transformed into a massive bo staff.

"Looks like the snake bit off more than he could chew! Haha! Sarutobi-dono, you're a scary old man!" laughed the burly Kage, impressed by the Professor's skill.

"Orochimaru… look at yourself. You've twisted your body and your soul. Was it worth it? Becoming an abomination just to avoid death? Stealing bodies for a few extra years until the Shinigami comes knocking again?" Hiruzen's glare was full of disgust. "All men must die. Immortality isn't for humans. The only immortality we achieve is in the memories of those we leave behind. You always thought yourself above your kin—and I was a fool to allow it. But today I'll fix that mistake. No old man should bury the young… but for you, I'll make an exception."

"Sarutobi-senssssei, you're just a delusional old fossil! I've transcended death! Forever young and beautiful while you wither!" Orochimaru cackled, stabbing his Kusanagi sword into the ground. "Rejoice, fools! Behold the power of Orochimaru, the ninja who transcended! Forbidden Jutsu: Edo Tensei!"

Three coffins rose from the ground, marked First, Second, and Fourth.

"Quick! We must destroy them!" Sarutobi shouted, hurling explosive kunai at the first two. A, as fast as lightning, kicked a chakra-coated stone through the third coffin, leaving a head-sized hole. But the other two were shielded by an Earth Release: Mud Wall.

The coffins opened, revealing the bound Sound ninja Kin and Zaku, who began to morph into the legendary Senju brothers.

"Hello, Monkey-boy. Kami, you've gotten old," Tobirama greeted—just before Orochimaru slammed kunai embedded with talismans into their heads.

Last Chapter for today.