The Mad Sage Of Uzushio, #TheMadSageOfUzushio , A Naruto Fan Fiction, Chapter 24: Lost In A Maze Within A Maze! And That's Just For The Tourists
Chapter 24: Lost In A Maze Within A Maze! And That's Just For The Tourists
Chapter 24
Lost In A Maze Within A Maze!
And That's Just For The Tourists
In a major shopping hub of the Sky Lantern Flotilla, next to the botanical maze, Katasuke and his assistant Kakei Sumire peruse the offerings available within it, under the protection of their shinobi escort. They move wide eyed among the wide array of exotic goods and technology, from space ships to robot space drones, to exotic herbs and spices of other worldly origin. Iwabe, Denki, and Metal notice a young couple shopping for baby supplies, as the couple kiss and hold hands.
Yuino Iwabe:
Hey Denki… It might interest you to know… that Metal here… has a girlfriend now…
Kaminarimon Denki:
Nani?!?…
Lee Metal:
So… so… sodesuka?!?…
Yuino Iwabe:
Hai… Hai… Sodesune… And she’s a rogue ninja… or formerly rogue… depending on who you ask… Right Metal?…
Lee Metal:
I… I…
Kaminarimon Denki:
Who is she?… And when did this happen?…
Yuino Iwabe:
It happened while we were working with the Kiri shinobi… against the pirate Funato Clan… You may not remember her… because you weren’t a part of that fight that we had before… back during the academy field trip to Kiri… she was one of the rogue ninja who tried to pass themselves off as the new Seven Swordsmen of the Mist… and tried to kill the mizukage… among other things… Her name… is Hebiichigo… She was given a work release to help out against the Funato… much to the delight of Metal here…
Kaminarimon Denki:
Sodesuka?…
Yuino Iwabe:
Hai… Hai… There was even a farewell kiss when we left… It was just a peck on the cheek… But Metal’s head nearly exploded!…
Denki and Iwabe bust out laughing at Metal’s romantic condition.
Kaminarimon Denki:
Sodesuka?!?…
Lee Metal:
Hai… So… Sodesune… But she’s reformed!…
Yuino Iwabe:
If you say so… lover boy…
Lee Metal:
Sodesuyo!…
Kaminarimon Denki:
Well… It could be worse Metal… You could have a crush on your fiercest rival… and be in complete denial about it… like Iwabe and Wasabi…
Kakei Sumire chuckles slightly at overhearing the guy talk involving her former teammate, and fellow kunoichi, Izuno Wasabi.
Yuino Iwabe:
Eh!?!… Nani?!?…
Lee Metal:
Sodesuyo!…
Yuino Iwabe:
Sodesuka?… In that case Denki… when exactly are you going to confess to that samurai girl?… whom you’re always talking about?… just not to her necessarily?…
Kaminarimon Denki:
I… I only have the utmost respect for Tsubakisama!… and her abilities!…
Yuino Iwabe:
Right… Her abilities…
Lee Metal:
And her eyes...
Yuino Iwabe:
And her hair…
Lee Metal:
And the cute little hair tie she wears in it…
Kaminarimon Denki:
Urusai!…
His teammates continue to give Metal and each other a hard time, while the demon raccoon with the black furred demon spider on his shoulder takes notice of them, as the demons continue their stakeout of their hunting ground, waiting for another shot at Uchiha Sarada and her father.
Demon Spider:
That looks like the same sort of headband as the Uchiha girl… Sodesuka?…
Demon Raccoon:
Hai… Sodesu… They’re no doubt from the same village back on their planet… They might make for some fairly good bait for the Uchihas… But there are too many of them to take quietly… It looks like it’s time for another flash mob… Now that Gamera and his rookies have cleared out the dregs and gone back to dispatch… we should be able to cause enough trouble to keep even the guild busy… But we have to be able to move things over to the maze… as bait for the trap… Let the others know… Send out the word to all our friends… It’s time for another round of havoc in the shopping hub…
Demon Spider:
Hai… Sodesune…
Gamera and his rookies from Konoha return to the guild dispatch, accompanied by Karui and her daughter Cho Cho, with sealed away demons from the previous demon flash mob as trophies, additional guild memberships secured as a result. Yuntaro, Mirai, and Jugo, are waiting for them in the flesh when they get back, along with Karatachi Kagura, Shinki, and Shinki’s team from Suna.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Gamerasama!… You’re back!… I have my registration scroll for you… and some new recruits… How did things go with you guys?…
Darui:
Your father will be proud of how his students did… We made out like bandits… But it was a target rich environment… what they call a demon flash mob… premeditated all out random mayhem… concentrated in one time and place… to overwhelm security and the guild… because they can’t catch everyone… It’s all so tedious and tiresome…
Gamera:
Hai… Sodesune… But they all did quite well… But I don’ think we’ve seen the last of flash mobs for now… Something’s brewing… no doubt because of your father’s return to the flotilla…
Akimichi Karui:
Hai… The combination of a media mob… and a demon flash mob… is just too much of a coincidence… I have no doubt that we were targeted… And I’m sure that we will be again… The only thing I’m unsure about is whether or not it was us… or the Uchihas… that were targeted… or both…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Do you mean… that they could be after Sarada?…
Akimichi Karui:
Hai… and her father… Demons have attacked them before… because of the bounty on Sasuke’e head…
Gamera:
You’re probably right…. But that’s verging on a political discussion… which would need to be taken elsewhere… But watch your backs… Because I have no doubt you’re right…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
That’s not all… We’re after a demon possessed shinobi from back home… who made it to the flotilla through a stable portal… No doubt connected to the politics that we can’t talk about here… But we do need to talk about it somewhere… Gamerasama… We need to know if this is common in the flotilla… and what leads there may be to track this down…
Gamera:
Ai… It is common… all too common… We’re constantly sealing up portals that lead elsewhere… escape routes for demons to avoid the demon hunters…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Is there anyway to track these portals themselves?… Or do you just have to seal them as you come across them?…
Gamera:
It’s seal as we go… Because portals are not against the rules of the flotilla… There are endless portals to and from the flotilla… But the demons like to hide their portals in the mix… with gateways masked by various means… The politics of it is your problem… But if you have a lead on this shinobi… your new recruits could demonstrate their abilities with a hunt…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
I may… But we kind of need to save this one… if possible… Besides the politics… the shinobi in question is of great personal importance to some of us… But any demon capable of possessing a shinobi is bound to be an older and more dangerous prey… in general… or just more reckless and stupid… either way… very dangerous…
Darui:
Hai… Sodesune… I can vouch for that personally…
Gamera:
Very well then… Let’s get the applications for your new recruits started… And you can sort out your own politics and personal issues later… once the hunt is done… one way or the other…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Fair enough Gamerasama… Oh… And Raikagesama… The other kage are waiting at father’s design school for you and Kakashi to join them for their summit…
Darui:
Hai… As soon as we have our prizes… I believe that we have some medallions coming to us… Gamerasama…
Gamera:
Hai… Hai… Sodesune…
Gamera hands the new guild members their medallions with their registration scrolls, and begins the applications and demonstrations for the other new recruits, as the new guild members shimmer away with Karui and Cho Cho back to Shintaro’s design school. At the design school, they catch Shintaro in mid explanation as they arrive, with Orochimaru and company having joined them once the media mob went away.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
So… we have to keep production moving as much as possible… in anticipation of demand that often comes out of nowhere in waves… We like to make a lot of basic but modifiable and upgradable designs… and have them on standby ready to go… Otherwise… there’s just no way to keep up when the waves hit… And I anticipate the need for multiple sky lanterns for the alliance… with portals connecting them back to our planet… I would have done so already… But any such portal is potentially a security hazard… as was the case in the fate of Uzushio…
Darui:
Like the security concern that we just heard about?… from your son Yuntaro?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Hai… We just learned of that too… But it’s not all that surprising… That just means that the emperor is keeping a closer eye on his experiment than I anticipated… The only shocking part for me… is the involvement of my little brother Toshiro… and what’s left of Uzushio…
Nara Shikamaru:
And how much do we have to pay for these sky lanterns?… and in what form exactly?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
I need no monies from you people… at least not at first… I can afford to grant several of them initially… at my own expense… After that… things may get more expensive… and may take longer… depending on demand… But hopefully I can also get some recruits from our planet to attend my design school… so that they can make their own… And I can always make more myself… if a more custom job is required…
Uchiha Sasuke:
Then I’ll go first… I’m already planning on spending a good deal of time here in the flotilla… And the Uchiha University will need it’s own lantern anyway… especially if you want more students for your design school… We should secure that one first… then build out from there…
Nara Shikamaru:
Hai… That sounds like a decent enough plan… But how do we secure them exactly?… better than Uzushio?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
There were none better than Uzushio… But there are never any guarantees… But measures can be taken during the creation of the portal… since it has to be established at both ends before it will be stable anyway… Someone will have to go back to establish the portal on the Konoha end… and arrange for additional security at the same time… If my son Yukai can manage just a little more in the way of his starlight taxi service… he can take someone back and help them set it up in Konoha…
Uzumaki Yukai:
Hai… No problem pops… I’m ready to go anytime… I still have plenty of chakra left from the last trip…
Mere seconds before the alarms are set off back at the shopping hub, next to the botanical maze, Metal starts to react to something he can’t see or understand, but still feels, triggering a major anxiety response, forcing open the first gate of the eight inner gates technique.
Lee Metal:
Nani?!?… Nan… nan… nandesuka?…
Yuino Iwabe:
What is it?… Metal?… Nandesuka?…
Kakei Sumire’s kept yokai Nue is instinctively summoned unintentionally, seemingly in response to whatever is bothering Metal.
Kakei Sumire:
Nue?!?…
Just then, all hell breaks lose in the shopping hub, with numerous creatures coming out of nowhere, seemingly from every direction all at once, randomly attacking everyone and everything, including Metal, his team, and Sumire and Katasuke’s window shopping expedition. Konohamaru and Ishitara’s guild medallions begin to glow red.
Sarutobi Konohamaru:
Nani?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
It’s a red alert for the guild… That means that it’s all hands on deck for the guild… Which means that there must be some major demon flash mob underway… somewhere in the flotilla… effectively a mass demon terrorist attack…
Uchiha Sarada:
But why aren’t ours glowing?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
That just means that your registration isn’t complete… the additional functions of the medallions themselves only work once that’s finished… If you grab hold of the medallion when it’s flashing red… and infuse your own chakra into it… you… and anyone in contact with you… will be instantly transported to the sight of the incident in question… We’d better go… The timing of this can’t be a coincidence… It may even be a trap… But a lot of people are most likely already caught up in that trap…
Back at the guild dispatch, all kinds of alerts sound off in the middle of preparing for tests and processing the demons already sealed from the first wave, as virtually every guild medallion in the place begins to glow red.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Nani?… What does that mean?…
Gamera:
It means that all hell’s breaking lose!… And we all have to go knock it back down to hell again!… Infuse your chakra into your own medallion if it’s glowing… and you’ll be transported instantly to the sight… Otherwise… grab onto someone who can… and hitch a ride… Everyone goes!…
Demon hunters start popping in from other places in the flotilla in response to the attack, and begin to engage and seal many of the demons. Gamera and the rest of the demon hunters from guild dispatch appear along with the others, as Gamera takes charge on sight, and they begin to seal away demons. And then they begin the exorcisms of some of the demons already sealed, using medical senjutsu to help the afflicted, as much as is both necessary and possible, demon flash mob allowing. Yuntaro, Jugo, and Mirai, accompanied by Kagura as well as Shinki’s team, pop in as well. Yuntaro takes command of his group out a sense of responsibility to shepherd them through the process of joining the demon hunter guild, as the expert of the group when dealing with demons.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Oi!… Every of one of you stays with me!… No wondering off!… And no fighting alone!… No separation whatsoever!… Defend the innocents!… But chase nothing and no one!… Not even if Matsuri is among them!… Wakarimasuka?…
Shinki:
Hai… Yuntaro sensei…
Sarutobi Mirai:
Hai… Otaku sennin… Hai…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Jugo… Accompany me… Let’s see if we can bait these monsters… and lure them in for sealing…
Jugo:
Hai… Yuntaro sensei…
Gamera:
Can you actually do that kid?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Unknown… But I have to try… Mirai… This technique is at least partially genjutsu based… See if you can piggyback on my jutsu and help lure them in… Remember… demons do not fear pain… or any other physical sensation… They fear it’s loss… They fear oblivion… And that fear rules their very existence… And they crave all intense sensations of life… We have to give them a taste… and lure them in with that… and be ready for them when they come after us…
Sarutobi Mirai:
I’m ready when you are boy toy!…
Shinki:
Yosh!…
Yuntaro and Jugo begin to play, just as the new guild members pop in to the fight from Shintaro’s design school, hitching a ride along with Konohamaru and Ishitara using their guild medallions, along with non guild members Shintaro, Yukai, and Sasuke, with Sasuke’s protege Boruto, tagging along for the fight as well.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Everyone stick together… No one fights alone…
Uchiha Sarada:
Hai… Shintaro sensei…
Yuntaro and Jugo’s music begin to work on the lesser demons in the mix of the flash mob, as they begin to rapidly converge on the source of the music, and numerous other guild members converge on them as well, including Gamera, in order to take advantage of the bait. Shintaro joins in on Yuntaro and Jugo’s jutsu, amplifying it, intensifying the effect, and augmenting it’s draw. The majority of the weaker demons are drawn up into the artificially induced frenzy, and get sealed up by the waiting demon hunters. A relative handful of the demons remain in control of themselves, and keep a keen watch for any moment of opportunity. Nue takes off after some of the fleeing demons, and Nue’s keeper Sumire starts to chase after Nue, providing just such an opportunity. A yellow velociraptor with red eyes, and a large green rhino with black eyes and red fur, both rush Nue and Sumire, with the velociraptor grabbing Sumire, and the rhino grabbing Nue. And they both disappear, popping over to the adjacent sky lantern of the botanical maze, in order to get lost in it.
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Class Rep!?!…
Uchiha Sarada:
Cho Cho!?!…
Cho Cho starts to chase after the class rep Sumire, and starts to shimmer away after her with her Starlight Rinnegan, just as Sarada leaps after her to grab her shoulder and stop her from running off after Sumire, only to be caught up in Cho Cho’s jutsu, and being taken along with her for the ride over to the botanical maze. The Jougan in Boruto’s right eye begins to change it’s appearance resembling that of a Byakugan, but glowing, allowing him to see the invisible portal being formed by Cho Cho’s jutsu. And so he follows after it, entering into the same portal independently, following in the wake of Cho Cho’s justu.
Akimichi Karui:
Cho Cho!?!…
Uchiha Sasuke:
Sarada!?!… Boruto!?!…
Akimichi Karui:
They’ve been taken off to the maze!… That place is nothing but a death trap during a demon flash mob!… We have to go after them!…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
It’s also an escape route!… and a good place for an ambush!… Gamerasama is always complaining about it!… We can’t leave here in the middle of a flash mob of this size!… But somebody’s going to have to go after them now!…
Uchiha Sasuke:
Sakura!… Come with me!…
Uchiha Sakura:
Hai!…
Akimichi Karui:
You too Choji!… You’re coming with me!…
Akimichi Choji:
Yosh!…
Deep inside the heart of the botanical maze, Sumire and Nue are wrapped up in a spider’s web up against the flowering ivy covered walls of a dimly lit part of the maze, with a pulsating red glow emanating from the webbing. Nue moans, and Sumire slowly rises to consciousness, only to be greeted by an assemblage of large black furred spiders speaking in unison.
Demon Spiders:
Welcome… to my favorite place in all the flotilla… I would live in here all the time normally… if it weren’t for the demon hunters… But they’re all busy right now… So you’re all mine now… and your little yokai too…
Kakei Sumire:
Nue!… Nue!…
Demon Spiders:
Your pet can’t help you now… I’m draining the life out of you and your pet yokai… And your pain is delicious… almost as much as your fear… Your friends are no doubt delicious as well… But they’re for the others… You and your pet… are all mine… But you’re just bait for the others…
Kakei Sumire:
Nue!?!…
A woman wearing a hooded tan duster, with her face covered in a tan mask covering the lower half of her face, leaving only her dark eyes showing, glares out of the shadows, then steps into the dim light of the maze near the demon spiders and their prey.
Masked Woman:
You’d better be right about that… The master will not tolerate continued failure… Pursue whatever personal indulgences you like… But if you fail in delivering the master’s prize again… you may have to run from the empire yourselves… just to make an example out of you for the other demons… a lot of whom have been sealed away for the sake of this attempt… The patience of the empire is not unlimited… the patience of my master even less so…
Demon Spiders:
We already have them!… They’ve already entered the maze… our hunting ground… They’re as good as ours Rieitu!… Your idle threats are just noise at this point… Why don’t you make yourself useful?… and get yourself sealed away with the rest of the guild fodder?…
Rieitu:
Not all of the the master’s puppets are equally expendable… I will remind you of that… if you fail… and yet somehow manage to escape sealing… A word to the wise… you’d better run… and run far and fast… and never slow down… or we will catch you…
Demon Spiders:
Buzz off with your threats Rieitu!… If you’re not here to help… then just slag off!…
Rieitu:
Very well miscreant… We’ll see who catches whom…
Rieitu walks into the walls of the flowering ivy covered walls of the maze, and oozes into it, disappearing into the shadows of the maze.
Elsewhere in the maze, Sarada and Cho Cho shimmer into view within a well lit open garden area within the maze, filled with tourists enjoying the maze, and various baca paparazzi seeking refuge from the demon flash mob, having foolishly fled into the demon trap, and huddling together for safety, largely in vain. The media reflexively begin taking pictures of the demon hunting royalty, and some begin to stream live to the rest of the flotilla. The live stream pops up on a holographic display back in the design school, as Naruto is fit to be tied for being left behind.
Uzumaki Naruto:
Dammit!… Even if I can’t seal all that well… I can still fight!… Ya know!…
Nara Shikamaru:
You know why you and the others can’t all go!… We have to keep watch here in case they choose to use the opportunity to divide our forces… the timing is too coincidental… Let Shintaro and the guild sort this out…
The baca paparazzi explode with flash bulbs nearly blinding Cho Cho and Sarada after they arrive in the open garden area.
Uchiha Sarada:
Urusai bacas!… Don’t you know that there’s a demon attack happening right now?…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Where’s Sumire and Nue?…
Uchiha Sarada:
Don’t be silly… The maze randomizes entry… remember?… Even the Starlight Rinnegan isn’t entirely effective here… because Shintaro sensei wanted to make it more challenging!… I think he may have overdone it… We’re going to have to search the old fashioned way… Shintaro sensei said that we weren’t to reveal too much of our power without cause… But I don’t think that we have a choice now…
Cho Cho transforms into her butterfly form, conjuring her ocarina into waiting hands as she does so. And Sarada transforms into her humanoid steam dragon form, with her fake leather jacket and red hakama skirt, and her wide brimmed wicker hat with the drape hanging down the back and sides, as she materializes her blackened steel kusarigama right into her waiting dragon lady hands. Both of them are still wearing their guild medallions, with Sarada still wearing Shintaro’s messenger bag, as the baca paparazzi launch another salvo of flash bulbs at the spectacle, the transformations caught live on the local TV.
Uchiha Sarada:
Urusai bacas!…
Sarada uses her shadow clone jutsu to make about forty or so clones of her steam dragon form, before they take off, spreading out through the maze. But Cho Cho stays with Sarada’s main original body, under a similar barrage of flash bulbs as they take off into the maze.
Uchiha Sarada:
This maze is confounding to our eyes… thanks to our learned ancestor… But I think that scent tracking should still work… My dragon form has a very keen sense of smell… And I think I know Sumire’s scent… Icu!…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Hai!…
Boruto shimmers into a nearby adjacent passageway of the maze, dimly lit with flowering ivy covering the walls.
Uzumaki Boruto:
Class Rep!… Sarada!… Cho Cho!… Dammit!… How the hell did I get separated from them?!?… I was right behind them!… Where the hell is this?… What is this place?… And why am I talking to myself?… Stupid eye!…
Boruto transforms into his lightening monkey form, with it’s black fur and tail, and with his Jougan glowing in his right eye socket. Then he uses his shadow clone jutsu to make twelve identical lightening monkey Boruto’s.
Uzumaki Boruto:
Wow!… Twelve!?!… That’s a new record!… Time to make short work of this!… Icu!…
The Boruto and his twelve lightening monkey clones disappear in a flash of purple lightening, as they rapidly spread out searching the maze for Boruto’s friends.
A portal is formed in another passageway of the maze by Sasuke’s Rinne Sharingan, with Sasuke and Sakura coming through the portal to find nothing but an empty passageway, dimly lit with flowering ivy covered walls.
Uchiha Sasuke:
Dammit!… Where are they?!?… I was homing on Sarada’s chakra!…
Uchiha Sakura:
That’s your grandfather’s fault I’m afraid… Karui was telling me that he made the maze with extra barriers to confound people with fancy eyes… to make things more interesting for them… I suspect that when Cho Cho jumped them over here… her fancy eyes were most likely confounded too… They probably didn’t end up anywhere near Sumire… And there’s no telling where Boruto ended up… How did he even follow them?…
Uchiha Sasuke:
With his Jougan… It can see though the barriers between realms… It’s not as powerful as the Starlight Rinnegan in that regard… But he probably just saw an opening in Cho Cho’s jutsu… and just followed along recklessly in it’s wake… It would serve him right if he ended up on the other side of the metaverse… If I ever see him again we’re going to have a long talk about his careless and reckless leaps of faith…
Uchiha Sakura:
You’re one to talk… But we’ll have to have that same talk with Sarada and Cho Cho too…
Uchiha Sasuke:
Ai… If they survive their carelessness… And then I’m going to have a long talk with my grandfather… about how he likes to make things ‘interesting’…
Karui and Choji shimmer into view in another open garden area different from the one that Cho Cho and Sarada shimmered into, this one empty of tourists and baca paparazzi.
Akimichi Karui:
Dammit father!… Those stupid barriers of yours are going to get Cho Cho killed!… or worse!…
Akimichi Choji:
Aw… Surely you don’t think…
Akimichi Karui:
Ai Choji… Yes I do… And there will be hell to pay if I’m right…
Back at the shopping hub, the last few of the demons are finally sealed away, with exorcisms and medical treatments beginning immediately for the most severely afflicted.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
We have to send search parties into the botanical maze as soon as possible…
Gamera:
Oh?… Do we now?… And why is that?… Could there be a problem with your prize creation?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
We don’t have time for this now Gamera…
Gamara:
Oh?… And when will we have time for it?… At the moment I don’t have guild members to spare… So take your shinobi… and your rookie demon hunters… and sort your own mess out for a change… We’re busy… The rest of the guild will follow when possible… and not before… Yuntaro!… You’re in charge of the guild members in the maze… I think I trust your judgement better than Shintaro’s…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Uh… Hai… Gamerasama… Well… If we only have a few people to work with… to search for a few specific people… in an actual maze… then we’re going to need trackers!…
Yuntaro sits down on the floor of the shopping hub in a seated meditation posture, then he pulls out the flotilla map that he got from the Raikame, and lays it out on the floor in front of himself. He transforms one of his hands into a white furred cat’s claw again, and extends the claw on his index finger, and pricks the fingertip of his other index finger. Then his claw hand transforms back to human form, and presses one hand on the icon on the map for the botanical maze sky lantern. He creates a new mostly blank sheet of glowing white paper, with nothing but the icon for maze, and smears his blood on the sheet. Then, with an electric purple flash engulfing everyone present, the sheet of paper starts to multiply into multiple identical sheets of paper, which then fold themselves into paper crane after paper crane, until a veritable swarm of paper cranes are hovering in the air around Yuntaro and the gathered shinobi. Then Yuntaro puts his map away, and transforms back into a white long haired house cat, with two purple Rinnegan for eyes, before he addresses the group.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Okay… Listen up!… I can already tell… with my fancy eyes… by just glancing over at the maze… that fancy eyes are going to be of no use whatsoever… So we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way… in a manner of speaking… Since most of the people we’re looking for are related to me… I’ve used my own blood to make what’s known as tracking crane… keyed to my own blood… to seek out anyone related to me… who isn’t me… or here with us now… But even the ones who aren’t related… are more related than anyone who isn’t from our planet… This combined with my own tracking abilities… via scent… should help find everyone we need to…
The Yuntaro cat then begins to shed endless bits of additional paper, that peel off and form a paper clone Yuntaro cat.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Everyone follow me… or… one of me… And stay with at least one tracking crane at all times… We’ll just start with two teams for now… and we’ll deal with what we find as we find it… Wakarimasuka?… Father… I’ll take Miraisama… Jugo… Kagura here… and the Suna shinobi with me… You should take the Raikage and the rest with you…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Ai… Ai… You’re quite skilled young monk… I haven’t seen technique like that since Uzushio… Not unless I was doing it… Where did you learn that trick?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
At the monastery where I was raised… There were three old Uzumaki refugee monks from Uzushio there… They taught me a lot… including senjutsu…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
So there are other survivors of the tradition…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai father… When this is all over… I can introduce you… or reintroduce you… They told me they knew you… back in Uzushio… But for now… we have to get going…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Hai… Icu!…
One of Boruto’s lightening monkey clones finds Sumire and Nue first, then grins a mischievous grin before drawing his sword and slashing it in the direction of the spiders on the ceiling above where Sumire and Nue are webbed up.
Lightening Monkey Boruto:
Chidori Stream!…
He extends his shadow lightening chakra through his sword, and incinerates a number of spiders with it, as some others escape and skitter off into the shadows. The lightening monkey sheathes his sword, then transforms back into his human form. Then Boruto’s black diamond mark in the palm of his right hand turns blue, and the pattern extends itself outward along the surface of the skin. Other blue marks extend the pattern up his right arm and the right side of his neck to his right eye, which turns clear like a Byakugan again, and starts to glow as his Jougan is reactivated. Boruto holds up his right palm in Sumire and Nue’s direction, then his blue diamond begins to glow, and absorbs all of the webbing, converting it back to chakra, absorbing the energy, and freeing Sumire and Nue. Boruto’s clone walks towards Sumire, and a groggy and and weak Nue tries to raise it’s head and growl at Boruto’s clone.
Boruto Clone:
Easy there… I don’t think that your pet yokai likes me… I don’t blame it… But I don’t care… Urusai!… Baca yokai!… Sumimasen… Sumirechan… I didn’t want to introduce myself like this… But demons will be demons…
Kakei Sumire:
Boruto?… Is that really you?… Are you… trying to tell me that you’re… a demon?…
Boruto Clone:
I am no mere demon!… I… am Otsutsuki Momoshiki!… presently deceased… for now… and forever obsessed… with you…
Kakei Sumire:
Obsessed!?!… with me!?!… What do you mean deceased?!?… Have you gone mad?… Have demons gotten to you somehow?…
Otsutsuki Momoshiki:
Demons are no threat to me… And no… I have not gone mad… I was born by the tremendous energy of the jutsu that destroyed me… into the chakra network of my very own assassin… But my will is older and stronger than his… Eventually… I will control this vessel… this vessel that you seem to admire so much from afar… while this baca notices nothing… But I noticed… I noticed you watching him attentively… I even got to play hero… and saved you once… as I’ve slowly come to master this vessel… by seizing control of one of his clones whenever he uses this jutsu… which is virtually all the time for his one… while he remains oblivious… or has until now… Is it this vessel that you admire so much?… or the fool born to wear it?…
Kakei Sumire:
What do you mean?… obsessed with me?… Why do you care how I feel about Boruto?…
Otsutsuki Momoshiki:
Because I love you… Sumirechan… Boruto’s chakra network may have captured me.. But you have captured my heart… and broken it at the same time… with your affection for my killer…
Kakei Sumire:
I don’t know what you’re talking about!… Boruto and I are just good friends!… And you are clearly the result of some sort of genjutsu!…
Otsutsuki Momoshiki:
Can a genjutsu do this?…
Momoshiki kneels down to embrace a weakened but recovering Sumire, and kisses her on the mouth, as Nue extends it’s tail to affix the sucker on it’s end to Momoshiki’s back, and starts to drain chakra from him. Momoshiki winces slightly at first, then continues with his make out tactics, pressing his lip smack attack. Just when Momoshiki can’t bear any more, he reals up slightly before speaking.
Otsutsuki Momoshiki:
Argh!… Worth it… Sumirechan… Sayonara… my love…
The Momoshiki clone goes poof and disappears, leaving Sumire and Nue behind, newly invigorated by chakra drained from Momoshiki.
Kakei Sumire:
‘My love’!?!…
Just before Boruto’s Momoshiki controlled clone goes poof and disappears, Boruto’s main body in lightening monkey form comes across dragon lady Sarada’s main body and butterfly Chocho, searching for Sumire.
Uchiha Sarada:
Boruto?… What are you doing here?…
Uzumaki Boruto:
I followed you over… But then we got separated on the way over somehow… This stupid eye is acting wonky again… just when I think I know how to use it… Did you find the class rep?…
Uchiha Sarada:
Iie… We landed no where near Sumire…
Akimichi Chocho:
I tried!… But it’s like mama said… granpa made this maze to hard for that… to make it more interesting for people like us…
Uchiha Sarada:
It could be terminally interesting!…
Just then, the Momoshiki clone goes poof, and all of it’s accumulated experience and memories are absorbed by Boruto, as Boruto takes notice of Momoshiki’s presence for the first time, and recalls the conversation he had with Sumire.
Uzumaki Boruto:
Nani?!?… I just found the class rep!… or one of my clones did… But… I must be losing my mind… But… I could swear that Otsutsuki Momoshiki just took over one of my clones!… And kissed the class rep!…
Uchiha Sarada:
Otsutsuki Momoshiki!?!…
Akimichi Chocho:
Sounds more like an excuse to me… Did you get a little too frisky with the class rep?… so that you need a cover story now?…
Uchiha Sarada:
If he needed one… he could have done better than Otsutsuki Momoshiki!… Even he could do better than that…
Uzumaki Boruto:
Exactly!… Hey!… What’s that supposed to mean?…
Uchiha Sarada:
It means that you’re most likely in some serious trouble!… Are there any more clones of yours running about in this maze?… You should cancel them all… just in case… Do you remember where the class rep was?… relative to here?…
Uzumaki Boruto:
Hai… I think so… Let me cancel my clones and absorb their knowledge of the maze so far…
Uchiha Sarada:
Ai… I’ll do the same… We should stick together and not divide our energies in this maze…
Uzumaki Boruto:
It looks like we didn’t land that far off from where the class rep was… or from each other… We we’re just thrown off a little… When Momoshiki rescued her from some sort of demon spider’s web… the spiders that survived his attack fled in the direction of some open garden area… One of my clones ran through there looking for you guys… It's filled with innocent civilians and media… They’re sitting ducks… Sumire wasn’t that far from where they were…
Akimichi Chocho:
I think we just came from there…
Uchiha Sarada:
That sounds like where we came in… But why was Momoshiki rescuing the class rep?… not to mention kissing?…
Uzumaki Boruto:
I don’t know!… Wakarimasen!… Let’s just get going!… Icu!…
Sarada/Chocho:
Hai!…
Just moments before Sarada cancels all of her shadow clones, one of them runs into her father and mother, Sasuke and Sakura.
Uchiha Sarada:
Mama!?!… Papa!?!… What are you doing here?…
Uchiha Sakura:
We could say the same for you… What were you and Chocho thinking?…
Uchiha Sasuke:
And with Boruto following right on after you… on top of all that…
Uchiha Sarada:
Boruto’s here too?… I’m just a clone here… The real me is with Chocho… But I haven’t seen Sumire or Boruto since we…
Just then, Sarada cancels all of her shadow clones, and the one in front of her parents goes poof out of existence, seemingly in mid sentence.
Uchiha Sasuke:
Sarada!?!… Enough of this damn maze!…
Sasuke unleashes the black unquenchable shadow flames of his Amaterasu against the nearest wall of the maze, then punches a hole through the flames with the cool blue lightening chakra of his Streaming Chidori, as he begins to make his own passage ways through the maze, followed by his wife Sakura. Elsewhere, Karui races through the maze with seeming careless abandon, as if completely without fear of getting lost, with Choji struggling to keep up with her pace.
Akimichi Choji:
Do you know where you’re going?…
Akimichi Karui:
Hai… I know this maze like the back of my hand… When I was little… I would always love to ditch my father in here… and then run circles around him in it.. until I got tired or hungry… or both… This was always my favorite part of the flotilla… My father’s barrier renders teleportation useless and unreliable… But my starlight gaze could always see well enough into adjacent passages to give me an advantage here… But it’s been a while… I can’t believe that this is what’s become of the place… It’s nothing but glorified demon’s nest now… a demonic people trap… Wait!… I can see the Uchihas!… Their burning their own passage way through the maze… But I know where they’re going… Come on!… Let’s head them off and join up!… We’re better off with strength in numbers in here…
Akimichi Choji:
Hai…
Elsewhere in the maze, Yuntaro’s main body in cat form leads Mirai, Jugo, and the others, through a different part of the maze. Then an apparition of Yuntaro’s mother Yugito appears before him in the passageway ahead of them.
Nii Yugito:
Yuntaro!… Wait!… Stop!…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Mother!?!… What is it mother?… We’re in the middle of a demon flash mob attack!…
Nii Yugito:
Ai son… And Matsuri is here too!… Here within the maze!…. But she keeps giving me the slip… It can’t be a coincidence… You have to stop what you’re doing and go after her… Let the others deal with the rest of the flash mob…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Time for a change in tactics… and techniques…
Yuntaro changes back into his natural human form, then snaps his fingers, causing all the flying paper tracking cranes in the passageway with them to burst into harmless multicolored flames and disappear.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Tracking by scent won’t do us any good here… I don’t even know Matsuri’s scent… And we’ll need new tracking cranes… with a much more specific target… Shinki…
Shinki:
Hai… Wakata…
Shinki steps closer to Yuntaro in order to offer him his hand. Then Yuntaro transforms one hand back into his cat’s claw, and pricks Shinki’s finger with one of his retractable claws. Yuntaro’s claw changes back to a hand, and he places it on top of the palm of his other hand, and uses the Skin Paper Peel jutsu again to form another blank sheet of paper in between his hands, forming it out of his own chakra and the surface layer of his skin. Then he takes Shinki’s bloody finger and smears some of the blood on the sheet. Yuntaro uses the Blood Ink jutsu to form additional writing and seal formula on the sheet, before the sheet pf paper folds itself into a new paper tracking crane, with a new more specific target. The crane flies up off his hand, and starts immediately to fly off back down the passageway in the direction they had just come from.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Follow that crane!…
As Yuntaro starts to run after his tracking crane along with the others, he begins to form another matte black truth seeker orb in the palm of his hand, then reforms it into a matt black six ring shakujo, a staff with one matte black ring at the top instead of a spear head, containing six additional matte black rings within it, and a dull pointed matte black stud on the bottom. Just as the matte black shakujo completely forms, the rings become engulfed in electric purple aura of sparks, arcs, and discharges, providing additional light for the passage as a side benefit.
Sarutobi Mirai:
Do you even know how to use one of those?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai Miraisama… And I am quite expert with it… even if I do say so myself…
Sarutobi Mirai:
But I thought that you said that you didn’t know any real fighting skills outside of taijutsu…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Sumimasen Miraisama… But I tend not to think of it as a weapon… so much as a tool of spiritual power… as well as discipline… especially discipline… the Uzumaki way… according to the Uzumaki elders that helped raise me back in the monastery where I grew up…
Back in the open garden area where the tourists and the baca paparazzi gather together for the protection of strength in numbers, Sumire and Nue enter the garden, causing the huddled potential victims to recoil in horror at the shock of seeing Nue coming towards them.
Random Baca Paparazzi:
A demon!…
Kakei Sumire:
Wait!… Nue isn’t a demon!… We’re not demons!…
Demon Racoon:
Hai… Sodesu… You are no demons… But we are!…
The demon racoon with one of the demon spiders still on his shoulder, casually strolls into the garden area from one of the other of it’s four entrances, while the yellow demon velociraptor, and the green demon rhino, enter the garden area from the entrance directly opposite from the demon racoon’s. The black demon boar enters into the garden from an entrance opposite from where Sumire and Nue came in. Then the giant demon rattle snack emerges from a pond in the middle of the garden area, where it was clearly lying in wait. Sumire turns to exit the way she came, as others then try to follow suit, only to be blocked by the rest of the demon spiders that had held Sumire captive before, as the spiders fill the entrance with their webbing. The demon rhino makes a charge at Nue. And the demon rattle snake begins to spit venom at some of the tourists, turning them on contact into stone, as the rest scream in terror. One of the baca paparazzi gets turned to stone with his camera still streaming a wide angle view, capturing almost the entire garden, and streaming it to the rest of the flotilla.
Kakei Sumire:
Nue!…
Sumire sends as much of her own chakra as she can spare, transferring it to Nue, causing Nue to grow rapidly, doubling in size, until standing six feet tall on all fours. Nue and the demon rhino tussle, tumble, and tear into each other, as Sumire throws several shuriken in rapid succession at the giant demon rattle snake, causing the demon rattle snake to submerge itself into the pond again, more from the annoyance than the threat. Sumire throws a kunai throwing dagger at the demon racoon still standing in one of the entrances, with a paper bomb attached to the ring on the bottom of the handle by a string. The demon racoon dashes away from the entrance, dodging the flying kunai, as the attached paper bomb detonates on impact, missing the demon racoon, but serving it’s intended purpose of clearing an exit for the innocents trapped in the garden.
Some of the innocents bystanders make their way for the newly cleared exit, even some of the baca paparazzi, while Sumire launches another kunai born paper bomb at the entrance opposite from her position, forcing the demon boar to dash away for cover from the paper bomb detonation, clearing another exit for all the remaining innocents and baca paparazzi. The demon velociraptor takes off and charges at Sumire, clearing another exit for escape. Before the demon velociraptor can reach Sumire, a few of the demon spiders closing off the entrance behind her, jump her from behind, and begin to web her up again.
Uchiha Sarada:
Fire Ball Jutsu!…
The dragon lady Sarada unleashes a red and orange fireball at the webbing barring the entrance behind Sumire, burning it all away, and bursting through it, then traveling harmlessly through the garden just past Sumire. Boruto, in his lightening monkey form, and with sword in hand, appears in a flash of purple lightening in between Sumire and the demon velociraptor, just before the creature can reach Sumire, blocking it’s claws with his sword, and just dodging it’s snapping jaws as they snap at his face.
Kakei Sumire:
Water Spike Sea Urchin!…
Sumire uses her water nature chakra to form unnaturally hardened spikes of water, protruding out from her body, tearing the webbing away, freeing herself, and destroying some of the demon spiders in the process.
Kakei Sumire:
Boruto?… Is that really you?…
Uzumaki Boruto:
Hai!… Sodesu!… Sumimasen!… But can we talk about the other thing later?… Agh!…
The velociraptor snaps at Boruto’s face again as he addresses Sumire.
Kakei Sumire:
Boruto!… Water Whip Jutsu!…
Sumire unleashes a water style whip formed of unnaturally cohesive water, forming out of her right hand, and animating itself like an actual whip, as she whips at the velociraptor’s snapping jaws. The velociraptor dodges Sumire’s water whip, just barely escaping. Chocho comes in from behind them still in her human butterfly form, playing her ocarina, and using it to amplify her wind nature chakra in order to blow away the remaining demon spiders from their immediate vicinity.
Akimichi Chocho:
Uggh!… I hate spiders!…
Kakei Sumire:
Nue!?!…
Sumire sees her yokai Nue lying bloody on the floor, and barely breathing, having been gored by the demon rhino’s horn, with the demon rhino standing over Nue and leering. Then she runs over to Nue, followed by Boruto. Boruto then uses his shadow lightening style to jump ahead of Sumire in a bright electric purple flash, and engage the demon rhino directly, clearing the demon rhino away from Nue, just before Sumire reaches him. She desperately begins to infuse more chakra into Nue, trying to save the creature’s life.
Demon Raccon:
She’s here!… We’ve got her!… Time to spring the trap!…
The demon raccoon touches his hand against a wall enclosing the garden area, revealing a hidden piece of paper with seal formula on it. The seal formula of the seal paper begins to glow red, as a red barrier seal encloses the entire garden, cutting off all exits, but opening a single swirling red portal in the wall of the garden, as an express trip to hells unknown.
Uchiha Sarada:
Chocho!… We have to work quick!… Back me up on your ocarina!…
Akimichi Chocho:
Hai!… But what do we play?…
Uchiha Sarada:
I may know something we can use!… Just follow along!…
Akimichi Chocho:
Hai!…
Sarada conjures forth two crow form clones, one with a biwa in her hands, and another holding a copy of Chocho’s ocarina. Sarada’s main body disappears her kusurigama from out of her hands, and materializes another biwa into her main body’s hands. Then the three Saradas begin to play some unfamiliar tune, as her crow form clone with the biwa begins to whistle along as well, and Chocho begins to follow along on her ocarina. Boruto starts to whistle along as well, as he continues to engage directly with the demons while standing guard over Sumirei and Nue.
As they play, seal paper begins fly out of the three Sarada’s bodies, then converge on a point near the center of the garden, next to the pond in the middle hiding the demon snake. The pits of seal paper coalesce and form a small gourd, about the size and shape of the gourd that Shintaro used a vessel for his jin, the enslaved demon Raja. As the gourd fully forms and solidifies, it begins to emit brilliant multicolored sparkles all over it’s surface. The brilliant sparkles act as an enticing lure for the demons, as the demon snake emerges from the pond. The other demons engaging with Boruto and Sumirei, disengage with them, and begin to make their way over to the sparkly gourd, as if in a mild trance.
All the while, everything is being caught live on the camera frozen into place in the hands of the dead baca paparazzi, who had been turned to stone while live streaming the scene. The Akimichis catch up to the Uchihas, just as they arrive at one of the blocked gates, just behind where Sarada and Chocho stand playing.
Akimichi Karui:
Chocho!… Chocho!… Are you okay?… Chocho!…
Chocho uses her jutsu to superimpose the sound of her voice over her playing so that she can continue to play uninterrupted.
Akinichi Chocho:
With all due respect mama… damarei!… I’m trying to concentrate!… And I don’t know this song!…
Uchiha Sasuke:
We’d better let them deal with it… not unless your Starlight Rinnegan can get us in there… I can’t seem to form a portal into that space… not through this barrier…
Akimichi Karui:
I can’t!… Dammit father!… This trap might as well be of his making!…
Uchiha Sarada:
Damarei!…
Shintaro and his party arrive at one the other entrances to the garden, only to be blocked by the red barrier seal of the demons. Shintaro begins to closely examine the barrier seal with his own unique insight via his chakra sense, as he simultaneously observes Sarada and Chocho’s performance with the demons. Karui takes out her flute and begins to accompany her daughter and Sarada, as Shintaro then does the same with his ocarina suddenly conjured into his waiting hands. The demons make their way over to the rainbow sparkly gourd, being enticed them with intense sensory stimulation, as the music intensifies with the addition of Karui and Shintaro in the mix, led by Sarada and her clones. Then Sarada begins to repeatedly sing a few improvised lines.
Uchiha Sarada:
Come dance with me… Come along and play… Come fly with me… Come fly away… Come and taste the rainbow… Forget everything you know… And let it all go… Follow the rainbow…
As all of the demon spiders skitter up to the gourd, the demon possessing the spider hive is exorcised from the hive on contact, and the spiders crumble to dust, having been completely used up by it’s demon parasite. The demon possessing the spiders is sucked into the top opening of the gourd, and disappeared. The demon spider hive is followed by the demon snake, who is exorcised and sucked up into the gourd, leaving the husk of the snake to crumble to dust as well. The demon raccoon resists and hesitates on his way to the gourd, dragging his feet, as the demon boar makes his way to the gourd and gets exorcised and dusted likewise.
Demon Raccoon:
You think you can seal me?!?… I’ll make you my host!… Uchiha gaki!…
The demon rhino and the demon velociraptor then take their turns at getting exorcised, but the the host beasts survive the process, then begin to scurry about the garden area in the frantic mindless panic of trapped animals.
Demon Raccoon:
You can’t do this to me!… I will have my revenge!… I will have you for myself little girl!… You and everyone you love will pay dearly for this!…
Uzumaki Boruto:
Urusai!… Baca oni!… Just turn to dust already!… Demon rat!…
The demon raccoon finally makes contact with the gourd, and is exorcised and dusted, causing the red barrier seal enclosing the garden to be cancelled out, letting the observing shinobi enter. The velociraptor takes the opportunity to flee into the maze, followed by the rhino, as they flee the garden in a blind trauma as mindless beasts. Sarada and her clones stop playing, as her clones are cancelled out and disappear, followed by Chocho, Karui, and Shintaro ceasing their playing as well, as Shintaro begins to clap.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Excellent!… Perfect execution!… Exorcism and sealing in one step!… You even managed to save a couple of the hosts!… But what was that jutsu that you just used?… Was that… Yuntaro’s jutsu?…
Uchiha Sarada:
Hai… But I had to modify it… with a few other things from your demon scroll… Honestly… I had no idea if it would work or not… I just had to try something… to buy time if nothing else…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Excellent… But I must help out with the final step… It’s an optional step… But necessary in your case… Especially if we are to properly interrogate these demons…
Uchiha Sarada:
Interrogate?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Hai… I do not believe that these are ordinary demons… You were clearly targeted… Which means that the empire may be involved… These may even be the same demons that attacked you before… Sumireichan… Your yokai will recover… I will assist you myself momentarily… But you needn’t worry… You have already saved it’s life… But further treatment will be necessary… Wakarimasuka?…
Kakei Sumire:
Hai… Wakarimasu… Domo… Shintaro sensei…
Uchiha Sarada:
What exactly is this last step for interrogation?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Creating jinn… enslaved demons… Once under proper control… then and only then can we begin the interrogation… Come with me… and observe carefully…
Shintaro walks over to the gourd lying on the floor of the garden, and sits down next to it, as Sarada follows suit, with the others beginning to crowd around as they do so.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Now before we begin… there are some things that you must understand… about taking on the responsibility… and the burden… of mastering jinn…
Uchiha Sarada:
The burden?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Hai… The jinn has no real power of it’s own save for what you give it… But it has an unlimited thirst and desire for it… And if you are not careful… you can end up being drained of your own life essence… or even becoming possessed yourself… To the extent that demons possess any power of their own… it is only the power of knowledge and experience… they know how to use the power of their host better than their host does… And don’t kid yourself… the same most likely holds for you as well… You can’t allow for carelessness with the handling of jinn…
Uchiha Sarada:
Do we really need to interrogate them that badly?… Why not just leave them sealed?… It seems to me that they’re more trouble than their worth…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Perhaps… But they are also a potent and versatile weapon… A weapon that you may need in your arsenal for this war…
Uchiha Sarada:
Hai… learned ancestor…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
First… take the gourd and fill it with water from the pond… Then slice open your palm and squeeze as much of your own blood into it as you can…
Sarada grabs the gourd and fills it from the pond next to them in the center of the garden. She sits back down, sets the gourd down in front of her, than digs one of her dragon lady form talons into her other hand, and begins to squeeze her palm’s blood into the top of the gourd. Sarada sets the gourd down in front of Shintaro once her palm has stopped gushing,
Uzumaki Shintaro:
There are many methods of creating jinn… This one will be especially powerful for you in your steam dragon form… as it is a shadow mist technique… Observe me and copy my hand seals…
Shintaro performs a quick sequence of hand seals, then Sarada performs a dry run of sorts, performing the same hand seals without infusing chakra at first, just to get the form down.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Correct… Now perform them for real this time… then clasp your hands onto the gourd… and infuse your chakra into it to finish the seal…
Sarada performs the task as instructed, then her palms begins to emit a green glow before she presses them to the gourd, and transfers the glow to the gourd, as she infuses her chakra into it.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Excellent… Now the last step will be the most difficult… Because it’s very demanding of chakra at first… You will need my help to start… But you should be able to manage on your own normally… but only little at first… Your dragon form has the most chakra and stamina of all your forms… and the eventual mastery of senjutsu will open up new possibilities for you when it comes to using your jinn as weapons… But for the time being only use your jinn while you’re in your dragon form… You must use a firm hand… and maintain firm resolve… something that cannot be done if your too exhausted or weakened by some other means… Never take any unnecessary risks with the jinn… Wakarimasuka?…
Uchiha Sarada:
Hai… Wakata…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Have you been practicing your steam dragon breath?…
Uchiha Sarada:
Hai…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Good… Now take big sip from your gourd… but don’t swallow… then spit it out along with your steam dragon breath… and visualize what form you want the jinn to take as they appear… I’ll supplement your chakra for your first time…
Uchiha Sarada:
Hai…
Shintaro creates a paper clone of himself to aid Sumirei in healing Nue, as his main body places his hand on Sarada’s shoulder and begins to transfer his chakra to her. Sarada gathers her chakra for her steam dragon breath, then takes a swig of her gourd, and spits it out in the form of green flame, targeting a clear area of the garden floor. The green flames behave unnaturally, flowing and pooling on the floor as if made of liquid, then rising up and forming a number of small animal shapes made of green flames, before they cool and solidify, as the green flame dissipates entirely, leaving behind a number of small plushies, as if made for a child.
Among the jinn plushies are a green and white raccoon, a blue spider with pink eyes, and a purple dinosaur, along with a red and white candy cane striped snake, a pink pig with a yellow bow, and a black and white rhino with zebra stipes. The jinn plushies begin to scatter in all directions once they regain consciousness.
Akimichi Chocho:
Plushies?…
Uchiha Sarada:
It was all I could think of!… I just wanted something innocuous and inconspicuous…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
You’d better reign them in before they get up to no good…
Uchiha Sarada:
How do I do that?…
Uzuamki Shintaro:
Command them!… Firmly… Remember… a firm hand…
Uchiha Sarada:
And a firm resolve…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
And no signs of weakness… Wakarimasuka?…
Uchiha Sarada:
Hai!… Wakata!… Heel!…
At the utterance of her ‘heel’ command, all six jinn plushies rush to sit at her feet, eyes at attention.
Uchiha Sarada:
You belong to me now… I am your master now… And you will obey… or you will be punished… just as soon as I know exactly how to do that… I’m sure my learned ancestor here knows all sorts of methods to teach me…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Like the Fade To Black seal… I suspect you may be familiar with that one… Aren’t you?…
Plushie Racoon:
No!… Wait!… We’ll do whatever you say!… We’re team players!… Right guys?… Go team Sarada!… Right guys?…
The assembled jinn plushies all nod and bow their heads in abject submission.
Uchiha Sarada:
That’ll do plushies… That’ll do… for a start… You were right in a way however… I did provide you with new host after all…
Viewing this all in a live stream back at the design school, Naruto and company are somewhat relieved at the resolution of the crisis, and are glued to the live stream, as the spirit messenger Yugito shimmers into view, appearing before Naruto and the rest.
Nii Yugito:
Hokagesama… My son Yuntaro needs your help… He needs back up and no one else is available… Everyone else has their hands full with one crisis or another…
Uzumaki Naruto:
What happened with Yuntaro?…
Nii Yugito:
He’s tracking demon possessed shinobi… the one that I tracked from our home planet to the flotilla… But there’s no telling what or who he’ll find when he catches up with it…
Nara Shikamaru:
Naruto can’t go… But he could send a clone or two without problem… You should take some of the remaining genin with your clones… along with my son… Maybe your stone toad form might be prophetic enough to help find them…
Uzumaki Naruto:
Yosh!…
Nara Shikamaru:
Shikadai… You’re Naruto’s second on this mission… Grab Mitsuki and take Inojin too…
Nara Shikadai:
Hai… But where is the stone toad?…
Kurama:
He’s been hanging out with Mitsuki and Orochimaru back on board the Raikame… They went out below deck ever the demon flash mob started… They followed the stone toad down there… Who knows what they’re up to now…
Deep inside the storage area of the Raikame, the stone toad sits perfectly still and silent, surrounded by small bamboo shoots springing up unnaturally from the deck surface. Orochimaru and Mitsuki observe the stone toad with fixated fascination, as if waiting for prophecy of some sort, while Yamato and Orochimaru’s security detail watch with tense concern, as if waiting for the other sandal to drop.
Stone Toad Naruto:
It'll be great to see Neji again… I miss Neji…
Mitsuki:
Neji?… Hyuga Neji?… Boruto’s dead uncle?…
Stone Toad Naruto:
Silly bucket head… Neji lives ya know… Neji is here… But Neji is not home… And Neji is scared… We to need to help Neji!…
Orochimaru:
Help Neji how?…
Stone Toad Naruto:
Gaara’s girlfriend!… She’ll lead us to Neji!…
Mitsuki:
Who is Gaara’s girlfriend?… Does he even have one?…
Orochimaru:
Is this supposed to be the past or the future?…
Stone Toad Naruto:
Present and accounted for in the garden…
Mitsuki:
What garden?…
Stone Toad Naruto:
The garden that the grey fox and the rainbow boy are going to take us to of course…
Orochimaru:
Grey fox?… Rainbow boy?… Are those some new code names for shinobi in Konoha?…
Mistuki:
Not that I know of…
Shikadai and Inojin make their way down to the stone toad and the others, accompanied by one of Naruto’s clone, fully masked up and hooded anbu style.
Nara Shikadai:
Mitsuki… We have to go… You and the stone toad have to come with us on a mission to provide backup in a demon hunt… But we can only spare a few of us to go… And we have no way of knowing what we’re going to find… So we can’t pull any punches… I know you don’t completely trust your transformation yet… But me and Inojin and going to have change and power up as a precaution…
Shikadai transforms into his shadow wind fox form in a whirling dust cloud, as Inojin transforms into his shadow mist ink form, colored by the palate of the rainbow.
Mistuki:
Oh… I forgot about that… He also calls Boruto the sparkly monkey when he’s in his lightening monkey form…
Orochimaru:
Ha ha ha ha… Omoshiroi…
There Is No Alone!
Forever Never Ending!
There Is No Escape!
There Is No Point In Pretending!
For compilations of previous chapters in paperback hardcopy:
The Mad Sage Of Uzushio, A Naruto Fan Fiction: Volume 1: Chapters 1-17 Paperback On Amazon.com