Naruto of the Seven Swords

Chapter 3

Ao let out a sigh of relief, saved by his comrade's blade. Using the remnants of his chakra, Ao ran across the dock onto the Kirigakure ship. Out of chakra, Ao fainted. Ganryuu and Zabuza drew their blades, Hiramekarei and Kubikiribocho respectively.

'Do you want to duel?' Zabuza asked, a smug grin on his face. 'Water Clone Jutsu.'

Zabuza clones appeared out of the water, surrounding the Konoha ninja. Kisame used this opportunity to get into the boat, protecting the packages that was Naruto and Shikamaru. Kakashi quickly formed the seals for Earth Style: Doom Quake, as the ground began to shake. Some of the clones disappeared, forming a thick mist around the area.

'Kakashi. Tell me where the real Zabuza is.' Guy said, and his partner nodded, Kakashi's implanted Sharingan glowing red.

'There.' Kakashi said, turning his head towards the real Zabuza.

'Hirudora!' Guy said, launching a speedy punch at the real Zabuza.

The attack was too fast to dodge or do a Substitution Jutsu on. Zabuza flew backwards from the impact. Ganryuu used his sword to start fighting Kakashi and Guy, blocking Guy's weaker impacts with his sword and using his own ninjutsu to counter Kakashi's Sharingan and repertoire of techniques.

'The taijutsu user is getting weaker.' Ganryuu thought, before kneeing Guy in the stomach.

Weak from the continous use of the Eight Gates, Guy could not take the hit as well as at the start of the battle. Ganryuu began relentlessly barraging Guy with sword slashes, the master of taijutsu slowly getting pushed back.

'You know, I fought your father before.' Ganryuu taunted. 'I lost, but you're much weaker than him.'

Guy began roaring with anger, preparing to open up the Seventh and Eight Gates, but Kakashi shook his head.

'Don't do it, Guy!' Kakashi berated. 'This mission isn't worth your entire body!'

Guy obeyed. Kakashi continued his jutsu chain, attacking Ganryuu with his near infinite arsenal.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Asuma crept towards the boat where the seal containing Naruto and Shikamaru was held. The former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja's hand reached into the boat, but a sharp blade came coming down on his hand. Just in time, Asuma retracted his arm.

'You forgot I was here, didn't you.' Kisame said, recovering at a fast pace. Even with his abnormal recovery rate rivalling that of the weakest Tailed Beast, the Six Gates attacks had taken a toll on his body. 'They call me the Tailless Tailed Beast for a reason, you know.'

Asuma's mouth morphed into a frown.

'Damn. I thought I could retrieve the jinchuuriki.' Asuma cursed, before grabbing his chakra blades and preparing to fight.

Asuma's chakra glowed brightly around the blades resembling sharp knuckle-dusters. Kisame's hand wrapped around Samehada, ready to trade blows with the Konoha jonin.

'I probably won't even need to enter Shark Mode.' Kisame said, yawning.

Asuma lunged at Kisame, a calm look still on his face.

'If I hit him while he's not focused, I might shift the flow of the battle in my favour.' Asuma thought, as he slashed his chakra blade at Kisame.

'First mistake.' Kisame said, before sidestepping and using the hilt of the blade to hit Asuma.

Asuma quickly dodged the hit, before throwing his blade at Kisame. Kisame dodged again, but the blade veered his direction.

'Wind Style: Jade Hurricane.' Asuma said, before coming in close.

'You're not bad.' Kisame said. 'But nowhere near the level of your comrades.'

'Raigo: Thousand Hand Strike.' Asuma said, as the spirit of Kannon appeared behind him. 'Attack.'

The Kannon turned into a demon-like creature, before launching a thousand fists at Kisame. The speed of the strikes was nowhere near Guy's, but the timing of the punches was near perfect. Even with Samehada, Kisame couldn't dodge every attack.

'Second Form: Kunai Fist.' Asuma directed, the spirit grabbing kunai out of Asuma's pouch and beginning to relentlessly throw the knives at Kisame. 'It's true that this technique is more useful in the hands of Chiriku, but my version is close enough.'

Unlike the last attack, Kisame was able to dodge the kunai. Asuma just smirked, before forming a hand seal. The kunai veered towards Kisame from behind, but Samehada's user just took the hit. The wounds quickly healed, the second impact nowhere near the power of the first.

'Got it.' Asuma said, revealing the scroll with Naruto and Shikamaru sealed in it. 'Let's go!'

Kakashi, Guy, and Eagle nodded, as they took off towards Konoha.

'The scroll!' Ganryuu yelled to Kisame.

Because all four Kirigakure ninja were tired from the long fight, nobody went after the scroll. Ao still hadn't awoken from the chakra depletion. Zabuza and Ganryuu were injured and tired from the fight with opponents at their level, and Kisame... He just wasn't following the Konoha ninja.

Ganryuu and Zabuza prepared to go after the enemies, but Kisame's icy hand stopped them.

'We have a plan.' He reassured his teammates on the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

Both swordsmen knew that Kisame was superior to them, and trusted in him. They didn't chase after the Konoha ninja.

🌊

After a while, when the Naruto Retrieval Squad was gone, the Kirigakure ninja prepared to depart for the village.

Kisame raised his hand, and a water dome arose from under the water. Inside it was Naruto and Shikamaru, as well as the Scroll of Seals.

'So we didn't lose the package.' Zabuza noted. 'It was just a decoy.'

'It was his idea.' Kisame nodded, pointing at Shikamaru. 'When I was recovering in the ship, Ao's seal loosened, and the contents were released. Nobody noticed because they were too caught up in the battle.'

'Oh.' Ganryuu said, his trust and respect of Kisame growing even more.

'He told me to make a fake seal for them to steal, seeing as they already forgot about our ship. I gave him a scroll and he used it to draw a fake seal, and I hid them underwater with the Water Prison Technique.' Kisame continued his explanation. 'I've gotta admit, that idea is ingenious. I get why Mei-sama wants you.'

Shikamaru gave no response.

'Let's go.' Ganryuu said, as the Kirigakure ninja boarded the boat and sailed into the vast waters ahead.

🌊

Kakashi, Asuma, Guy, and their squadmates returned to Hokage Tower, the scroll in hand.

'Naruto and the Scroll of Seals are sealed in this scroll.' Eagle reported to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The old Hokage tried to unseal the scroll, but the scroll wouldn't open.

'This seal is fake.' He said. 'Where are they?'

'Uh, I don't know, sir.' One of the other ANBU replied.

'You guys should have checked the scroll on the way back.' Hiruzen said, disappointed in the Naruto Retrieval Squad. 'Where did he go, and who abducted him?'

Kakashi had an answer in mind to this question.

'I think it was Kirigakure, sir.'

🌊

The boat sailed into the gates of Kirigakure. Kisame weaved a simple seal onto the water, and the gate opened. The boat holding the package that Mei had ordered was here, and the mission was a success. The team got off the ship, onto the village that was Kirigakure.

The bright lanterns hanging on the street illuminated the night, and the tall houses littered the streets. The team walked along the streets, until they arrived right in front of the towering and magnificent residence of the Mizukage: the Mizukage Spire.

'Welcome to Kirigakure.'