The tree that bites back
"He predicted that. Well that's annoying, though, not unexpected." Natsuko said tsking as they pushed forward, Kurama's chakras taking care of the attacks being lobbied at them.
"Twin style! Giant Rasengan!" Naruto and Natsuko said, pushing the ball chakra forwards into Obito's shield. Cracking the black mass, but not breaking it.
"Let's do tailed beast bombs next, sis you see an opening?" Naruto said and Natsuko hummed, looking over the battle field as she created a tailed beast bomb.
"Two… no three different ones, right as he casts a jutsu, his body is left unprotected. While he protects his torso he leaves the ground under and directly above him, out in the open." Natsuko said before her eyes widened a moment,
"There's something coming. We need to do the tailed beast bombs now Naruto!" Natsuko yelled from inside the other Kurama, a tree sprouting a moment later. Knocking the kurama's off balance and causing the tailed beast bombs to miss their target.
"Wait it's what? Kurama.. You cryptic old fox!" Natsuko said waving her fist a moment, before going back into tailed beast state, putting her four fingers under her chin
"Stay away from the tree! I'm gonna use Kurama's chakra that's residing in the ninja to get them away from the tree as well" Natsuko said, as confusion rang throughout the crowd of Shinobi who'd been getting closer to the tree, suddenly father away on the battlefield, the 9tails cloak Naruto had shared with them completely activated once more, though it was a slightly darker red than before.
"...If the tree catches you iit steals chakra. The ninja… should be out of range… You know…" She said before her eyes rolled, and she fell forwards, Tobirama catching her, as she passed out.
"We should take our leave as well, Naruto. We need to rethink our plan." Tobirama said, hoisting Natsuko onto his back, her headband slipping from her forehead, Tobirama catching the material before it could hit the ground Naruto putting his hand forward before branches wrapped around his waist, hoisting him up as he yelled, Tobirama tsking, attempting to slice through the tree, though having little luck, especially with Natsuko on his back as Sarutobi cut the branches around Naruto, Tobirama meeting him where he jumped down, as Natsuko slowly opened her eyes,
"What happened?" she said, noting she now being carried piggyback by Tobirama, as Sarutobi held Naruto.
"Let us teleport away." Tobirama said, teleporting the four of them, away from the tree, Tobirama setting Natsuko down,
passing her headband back to her, which she tied around her forehead, thanking Tobirama
"That thing.. That tree.. It's called the divine tree. If it catches you, it steals your chakra, it's the final form of the ten tailed beast. It's the final preparation in the infinite Tsukuyomi, tonights a full moon. We have until it rises… based on the… research. We did before the war…" Natsuko said, sitting on the rubble, looking at the tree across the battlefield, before looking around the battlefield, as she spoke, glancing briefly at Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato, before looking back to the front. Not noticing the shinobi yet as she tried to discern the range to the tree, as it had finally stopped attacking willy-nilly and had instead calmed down. A massive plant stock standing in the midle of the battlefield with a sprout facing towards the moon. The roots snaking over the battlefield like an unwanted presence, taking anyone it could grab and stealing all of their chakra.
"It doesn't seem to target reanimations though, and there seems to be a range…" Natsuko started, as Naruto gasped looking out at the battlefield where while it wasn't a large amount it was still a good amount of shinobi laying dead under the branches, at least one hundred shinobi. Who were unable to get away from the roots quick enough, their bodies resembling that of skeletons than people who were alive only moments before
"I… I teleported who I could, out of the way.." Natsuko said looking at the battlefield as well, as tears of anguish and anger streamed down Naruto's cheeks, Natsuko glared at Obito who floated over them, gloating.
"I'll never let a comrade die. That's what you both said, right? Look around. That was nothing but talk, These are your comrades aren't they?" Obito yelled, Natsuko standing shakily, her hair what was left of the hokage cloak moving in the wind alongside her hair. Hashirama making an attempt to bring up morale. Natsuko humming, glaring at Obito. As she stood in front of Tobirama and Minato. Her feet together as her arms shook. She looked to the ground as tears of frustration ran down her face, Gaara and the other kage reacting to Hashirama's voice as well, alongside Tsunade who was shocked a moment. Before Natsuko's voice began filtering through, the efforts Hashirama was putting forth seemed to be fruitless, when Natsuko looked up.
'I have learned… from my time in the AnBu, and then as the fifth Hokage.. Despite planning, and training… Despite everything. some things happen that are beyond our control, as humans it's natural. But even still…There. There is nothing that hurts more than seeing something happen and being powerless to stop it.' Natsuko's feelings and Memories of Naruto being pushed from shops, bullied. Natsuko, powerless to stop it from happening. The attack on the chunin exams, specifically when the reanimation jutsu was cast, the sound ninja's attempted kidnapping of Sasuke, the fight with pain of the akatsuki, the village completely decimated in the attack, Jiraiya almost dead from a recon mission on the Akatsuki. The fight with a reanimated Kushina, The fight with Kimimaru, Her unwavering conviction, guilt, her want and need to protect the entire shinobi force, as well as her happiness as her memories from being chosen as Hokage after the attack also filtered through. As did voices of shock and confusion throughout the shinobi forces. Calls for lady hokage ringing out as well as the violet tactiction, and red flash in various places. Ignoring the calls, or possibly not hearing them, Natsuko continued. As she looked up towards Obito, her hair falling over her back,
'But we are not powerless here. We are ninja. Shinobi from the five great nations. We are all here, because despite our fear, we could not sit back and allow the akatsuki.. Obito Uchiha, and Madara Uchiha, to win. I would be worried if you weren't scared, it means you're human. But sitting back and doing nothing when we all could do something is cowardice! Do not forsake yourselves! Being fearful and doing something in spite of that fear is what makes courage and what makes each and every one of us shinobi!' She said discussions with the clans in the village filtering through, a mission in the Anbu where they faced an incredibly powerful enemy, a bandit of rogue ninja almost equal to the akatsuki maybe a step below in terms of power. The research she'd done into the Akatsuki, the masked man specifically. The fight with Deidara. Natsuko's arm shook with emotion before bowing her head
'Think of why you're fighting in this war. Your families left at your homes. The people in our villages, they are all counting on us. You know, we can't throw in the towel now! We can't make everyone's sacrifices up to this point become meaningless. I refuse to let it be for nothing. After all… A ninja is the one who has the guts never to give up, no matter the circumstances. No matter what. We. Don't. Give. Up!' She said, memories of the last night in the leaf filtered through, everyone gathered around laughing, eating, talking and overall just enjoying company. Kushina's, Minato's face, Naruto's face alongside Kurama's filtering through as well as her hair moving in the wind as her hokage cloak did the same her hair which flowed past her short hokage cloak moved to the left as she looked towards Obito, a determined look on her face
'I always thought I should reach out to him. All the time. He was alone, like I was. Like Natsuko. But I never did.' Naruto started, his past at the academy, the twins too busy to hang out together, as they followed separate paths, Naruto finding his team, enjoying the company. While he watched Natsuko's back, while also watching Sasuke's back, as he never had anyone to hang out with.
'I don't… I don't want to regret anything.' He said the deaths of 3rd Hokage, Asuma, Neji's close call with death his inability to help Natsuko with alot of the responsibilities she held as Hokage, his emotions filtering through as well, as his feelings during the mission to stop the sound ninja, as he stood in front of Sasuke, not moving from guarding Sasuke while everyone else fought.
'Besides. I can't make everything we've done up to this point..' Naruto said bumping fists with Natsuko before jumping off,
doning a tailed beast cloak as he jumped forward, borrowing chakra from Natsuko
"Meaningless!" He said, as he jumped beside Sasuke. Natsuko grabbing her katana, lighting it up with chakra, jumping into the air, throwing her kunai at the base of the tree in one shadow, the exploding tags attached to the hilt, exploding on impact.