50. Yagura: The Yondaime Mizukage

"What an inspiring speech! You have some charisma, Kyūbi jinchūriki. You nearly convinced me that I was possessed or something." Yagura stated as he reached for his staff. "However, I know better. I am the same person I've always been. I am Yagura, the Sanbi jinchūriki and Yondaime Mizukage. And, in the name of Kirigakure, I will strike the three of you down!"

Upon grabbing his staff, Yagura proceeded to swing it forward in front of him at the air: "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The water in the air around him began to change shape, resembling a giant, serpent-like dragon made of water. With another swing of his axe, Yagura directed the giant water-dragon forward, directly at his opponents. Mei, however, responded with her own jutsu.

"Water Style: Water Formation Pillar!"

Mei expelled water in the form of a dense, curved torrent that surrounded her, Naruto, and Utakata. The torrent created a barrier that prevented the water-dragon from colliding against with any of them.

"Naruto-san, you and I should be using our bijū for this fight." Utakata stated sharply as he made a hand sign.

In an instant, a red chakra cloak began to surround Utakata's body. Six tails of chakra developed from the cloak. His eyes narrowed and picked up a reddish color and his skin started to appear slimy.

'Whoa… Utakata can use all six tails of chakra from the Rokubi? He can use all of its power?' Naruto questioned in surprise.

"He's only in the version one form, so I doubt he can use of all of Saiken's power." The Kyūbi commented.

'Version one? Saiken?' Naruto shook his head as he started to make a hand sign and close his eyes. 'Whatever; Kyūbi, I'm going to use as much of your chakra as I can handle! I should be able to use four tails now, right?'

"You used three against that damn Uzumaki at the temple and you've grown stronger since then, so you should be at a point where you can use four. However, I reserve the right to send you more chakra if I think your life is on the line. I'm not letting my container die to the Sanbi's jinchūriki!" The Kyūbi replied.

Naruto's body was surrounded by the same red chakra cloak that surrounded Utakata's body. His physical features changed as well; his eyes became red in color and narrowed, his whisker marks became more pronounced, and his fingernails developed into claws. Four tails of chakra developed around the blonde.

As Naruto and Utakata finished channeling their bijūs' chakra, Mei canceled her jutsu. The water barricade that had surrounded them fell to the ground, causing water to drench the soil of the cemetery. With the water no longer surrounding them, Yagura was able to give a hard look at his opponents. A small look of amusement crossed his lips as he noticed the chakra cloaks surrounding Utakata and Naruto.

"Is that all of the chakra you two can channel? You both can't even enter version two without losing control of your bijū, can you?" Yagura questioned – almost in a taunting fashion – as he raised his staff upwards. He then quickly slammed the end of the staff with the shorter hook into the ground. "Coral Ripples Rising!"

A series of coral spikes began to rise from underneath the earth. They rushed forth from the ground in a row directly towards Mei, Utakata, and Naruto. The three shinobi jumped out of the way before the coral could reach them. Yagura pulled his staff out of the earth, causing the coral to explode, launching various coral spikes to shoot outwards.

"Don't let any of those hit you!" Mei shouted at the jinchūriki.

She, Naruto, and Utakata proceeded to jump around, dodging the various coral spikes that flew towards them. One coral spike, however, managed to make contact with Naruto's leg, piercing it. He winced, resisting the urge to shout in pain. He reached over to pull the coral out of his leg, but he stopped as he noticed the coral starting to grow in size, spreading further up his leg.

"What the-" Naruto mumbled as he tried to move his leg. The coral was making it harder to move it and, at the pace it was growing, it seemed as if it was going to make him unable to move at all.

"Dammit, Naruto!" Mei hissed as she rushed to his side.

The leader of the Kirigakure rebels proceeded to spit out a lava-like acid from her mouth directly onto the coral. The coral melted, freeing Naruto's leg from its grasp and allowing him to move his leg freely.

Mei opened her mouth to say something to Naruto, but she stopped herself as she turned her body just as Yagura was rushing her, gripping his staff tightly. She side-stepped, avoiding a swing of his staff. Mei then opened her mouth, releasing a thick cloud of mist from her lips. Yagura responded by spitting out a bullet of water from his mouth, intercepting the mist before it could hit him. He then quickly slammed his right hand on the ground. Both Naruto and Mei jumped away just as coral rose from the ground underneath their feet. Yagura turned his head towards Naruto and Mei, watching their movements.

"Water Style: Bubbles Technique!"

Yagura turned his head towards Utakata just in time to see the Rokubi jinchūriki release a barrage of bubbles from his pipe towards him. The bubbles quickly made contact with the Sanbi jinchūriki's body, causing them to light up and explode. Immediately after Yagura was struck, the coral proceeded to fall apart before dissipating. Utakata, not waiting for the dust clouds to scatter, took in a deep breath.

"Acid Scattering!"

Utakata breathed out a massive burst of liquid corrosive acid towards the dust clouds and Yagura's original position. The dust clouds scattered instantly, revealing Yagura, seemingly unharmed and gripping onto his staff tightly.

"Water Style: Water Mirror Jutsu!"

A circular pool of water developed directly in front of Yagura's body. The water made a perfect reflection of Utakata's corrosive acid, causing the reflection to emerge from the mirror and launching a steam of acid at Utakata. The two acids collided against each other, canceling each other out. Utakata's acid proceeded to fade away while Yagura's acid reflection dispersed into water.

"So that's the famous water mirror technique you are known for." Utakata noted, his eyes glancing momentarily at the water that had created a perfect copy of his jutsu.

"That it is." Yagura replied with a chuckle. He lightened his grip on his staff as he looked at Utakata with a small smile on his lips. "Utakata-san, correct? May I ask you a question?"

Utakata's response was to bring his pipe to his lips and blow another series of bubbles directly towards Yagura. Both Naruto and Mei joined in, releasing a major gust of wind and a thick cloud of mist respectively.

"I'll take that as no." Yagura shook his head in frustration.

Seeing the three jutsus approaching, Yagura bent down slightly before jumping high into the air, avoiding the three different attacks. The Mizukage continued to float in the air momentarily above his opponents before he began a rapid descent downwards towards Utakata. As he continued to fall, chakra, shaped in the form of a turtle shell, surrounded his body.

"Leaping Bullet Shell Tower!"

Utakata jumped away just in time as Yagura's body made contact with the earth, creating a massive crater in the ground and forcing dirt and stone upwards at a rapid rate. Nearby tombstones were shattered, causing chunks to scatter as well. The various dirt-stone mixtures collided with Utakata as he tried to get away, momentarily stunning him. Yagura took this moment to rush towards the Rokubi jinchūriki and grab his body, preventing him from moving.

"Utakata-san!" Mei shouted.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to me?" Yagura questioned as he tightened his grip on Utakata, causing him to choke. Utakata, however, did not verbally respond to Yagura's question, causing him to sigh. "Oh well. I was just going to ask why you would want to side with Mei over me, a fellow jinchūriki. I thought you and I would understand each other. I don't understand why you chose to side against me, but I don't really care anymore. You clearly made your bed." Yagura proceeded to loosen the grip on Utakata ever-so-slightly as he reached for his staff. "Now, lay in it!"

"Leech Gap!"

An alkaline liquid began oozing from Utakata's skin. The liquid made contact with Yagura's hands, causing them to burn. The Mizukage hissed as he let go of his grip on Utakata and jumped away. He took a moment to look at his hands and arms and noticed burns that pierced his clothes. The burns were deep and causing him incredible pain. He then turned his head back to Utakata. The black-haired man's body was still oozing the alkaline liquid, but the liquid was slowly starting to fade away.

"Interesting jutsu, you clever slug." Yagura hissed his praise.

"Thank you." Utakata replied with a smug smile. "By the way, to answer your questions and help you understand, your regime in Kiri is precisely why I became a missing ninja. I may have had grievances with humans and the leadership after the experience with my former sensei, but I still had some faith in a government with a jinchūriki in power. You destroyed that faith, Yagura."

"How? I haven't done anything wrong! Stop believing that rebel propaganda!" The Yondaime Mizukage demanded.

"You've been against people with kekkei genkai with the same hate that people have against us jinchūriki. I'd actually say you approach them with more hate, since you have actually advocated for genocide!" Utakata answered angrily. "As a jinchūriki, you should never go against somebody based off something they were born with! You of all people should know better!" A bitter chuckle left his lips. "I suppose if you really don't understand that thought, then Mei-san and Naruto-kun must be right; you must be under someone's control that is making you this way."

"You believe that too?" Yagura rolled his eyes.

"Just look around you, Yagura-kun! Look at the cemetery." Mei called out.

Yagura did as she asked and gazed around at the cemetery around them. He noticed many of the graves were now ruined, torn apart by his last jutsu.

"The Yagura I knew wouldn't have used a jutsu like that in a place like this, regardless of any battle he had here. He would have been respectful in fear of damaging the graves. Hell, you probably would have tried to force the fight away from here in the first place!" Mei shouted.

"Mei, shut up!" Yagura hissed, dropping the honorific. "I don't know who you think I am, but you clearly need to get over the past. I'm obviously not who you think I am; just like you aren't the loyal shinobi I thought you were. You're a traitor and the punishment for treason is death!"

Yagura quickly brought his hands together and started channeling his chakra. His eyes started to change-color, morphing into a pure red. A crater began to develop underneath his feet, as more-and-more chakra began to surround the Mizukage.

"You all deserve death! And I'm going to come at you all with every bit of strength I have!" He declared.

Dark-red, almost black, chakra began to completely encase Yagura's body. He started to slouch over slightly as his back began to almost harden, producing a shell of chakra around it. Spikes developed on the shell and Yagura's limbs. His fingernails developed into claws and his facial features became more pronounced. The Mizukage promptly grinned, revealing his teeth that were now more akin to fangs. Three tails of dark red chakra developed and began swaying behind him.

"Okay, kid; you wanted to know more about versions of jinchūriki forms? Well, that's version two." The Kyūbi snarled within Naruto's mind. "In that state, he's using all of Isobu's chakra without actually releasing him. His speed, strength, and power is going to completely outclass what he demonstrated a moment ago." The fox proceeded to shake his head. "In a state like that, he should be at the whim of the bijū inside of him, but if the rumors are true, than this Yagura should still retain full control."

"Damn…" Naruto mumbled to himself.

"He just skipped the first version and went straight to using version two. And he wasn't even forced into this position; he's doing it strictly to kill us." Utakata shook his head at the sight of the transformed jinchūriki in front of him.

"Yagura-kun…" Mei frowned at the sight of Yagura.

A memory began to develop in Mei's mind…

"AHHH!"

After a few moments, the red-black chakra that had surrounded Yagura's body began to fade. The teenager fell to his knees as his physical features began to change shape, turning back to their former, more human appearances.

"Yagura-kun!" Mei quickly rushed over to her teammate to help him up.

She grabbed Yagura's hand and helped him up. The grey-haired boy shook his head slightly, as if adjusting to his surroundings. He was breathing and sweating heavily, but had a triumphant look on his face.

"Well? How was your mind?" Mei questioned.

"G-Great." Yagura replied between his breaths. It took him a few more seconds to calm down before he could speak properly. He promptly started speaking again as his face morphed into a happy smile. "I was aware and in control during the transformation."

The auburn-haired girl smiled brightly as she quickly brought Yagura closer to her, enveloping him in a hug. In the process, she forced his face into her developing chest, instantly creating a bright red blush on his cheeks.

"You're training has paid off, Yagura-kun! Great job!" She told him cheerfully.

"Th-th-th-th-thanks, M-Mei-chan." Yagura stammered in response.

Mei looked downward, wondering why Yagura was acting so shy. Seeing his face directly on her chest caused a playful smirk to develop on her face. She pushed him away slightly.

"Did you like that Yagura-kun?" She asked flirtatiously. "I've been told they're developing quite nicely for a fourteen year old. Some say they're going to be huge in a couple of years!"

"I, um, I-I have n-nothing to contribute to th-this discussion!" The Sanbi jinchūriki managed to say.

His reaction caused Mei to giggle.

"I'm just saying. It's important that at least one of us is physically developing, little turtle." She said, still giggling, as she pat Yagura's head.

Yagura's blush vanished and a scowl developed on his face.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm short! I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet." He exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just you wait! By the time I become Mizukage, I'm going to be a giant and I will totally tower of everybody!"

"That'll be the day, little turtle!" Mei continued to giggle, much to Yagura's chagrin.

Once Mei's laughter stopped, the two remained quiet. They lay down on the ground, looking upwards to the sky and watching the clouds together. A minute passed by before Mei turned her head towards the boy next to her.

"Yagura-kun?" She questioned.

"Yes Mei-chan?" He turned his head towards her.

"I was being serious; you did a great job. You are really getting better control of the Sanbi. And, if you keep it up, you'll be able to use all of its chakra and still stay in complete control." Mei informed him, smiling. "I don't think I could do that if I was the one with the Sanbi inside me. You're really cool, Yagura-kun."

"I…" Tears threatened to fall down Yagura's face after Mei's praise. He quickly shook his head, doing his best to resist the urge to cry. Despite his attempts, he began to tear up. A smile joined the tears as he looked at his teammate. "Thanks Mei-chan. Thanks for always believing in me."

"Of course I believe in you! We're teammates and best friends! And nothing is going to ever change that!" She said as her smiling became wider.

"That makes me happy…" Yagura's smile grew wider as well, developing into a grin.

Mei proceeded to shake her head, forcing the memory out of her head. She focused her attention solely on Yagura in front of her.

"I have to admit, it's been a while since I've used this form." Yagura commented, his voice notably darker than it had been previously. "It feels absolutely invigorating!"

Yagura gripped his staff tightly in his left hand, now able to effortlessly swing it with one hand. He tightened his right hand into a fist. A few seconds passed by before the Mizukage charged forward. Mei and Utakata jumped away in time, but Naruto was unable to get away; Yagura punched him hard in the stomach. Naruto was sent flying backwards.

'Sh-shit! He's so fast!' Naruto hissed in pain.

He tried to adjust himself so he could land on his feet, but he felt himself having difficulty moving his body. His eyes then noticed a small piece of coral that had developed on his stomach, where Yagura had punched. The coral was starting expand, moving through its body.

'What? He can create the coral now with just a punch?' The Konoha shinobi's eyes were wide in fright.

Before the coral could expand too far, Naruto quickly reached into a pocket on his pants and pulled out an explosive tag. He slammed it on the coral and activated it, causing it to explode. The Uzumaki winced in pain, being close to the explosion, but he destroyed the coral before it could develop further. Now no longer restrained by it, he proceeded to land on his feet on the ground.

Yagura charged forward again, moving at the same speed towards him. This time, Naruto managed to side-step in time, barely avoiding another punch.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

As Yagura swung at Naruto once again, Naruto quickly sunk deep into the earth. The Sanbi jinchūriki focused his eyes on the ground and raised his staff, preparing to stab the hook into the earth. Utakata, however, released a barrage of bubbles at him, exploding on Yagura's back and interrupting his attack. The Mizukage turned his focus to the Rokubi jinchūriki, who slammed his palms together.

"Water Style: Bubble Hell!"

Utakata breathed out a singular, large bubble from his pipe directly between himself and Yagura. The bubble quickly reached Yagura's body before erupting, launching Yagura backwards slightly. The explosion caused the large bubble to develop into hundreds of smaller bubbles that surrounded Yagura's body. These bubbles quickly moved in on the Mizukage.

In response, Yagura slammed his right palm onto the ground. A coral formation rose up from the ground that surrounded his body. The spikes of the coral made contact with the bubbles, popping them before they could explode. Yagura lifted his hand off the ground, dissipating the coral. Seeing the Mizukage still for a moment, Mei quickly ran through a series of hand signs.

"Lava Style: Expanding Flame Rings!"

A ring of melting flames surrounded Yagura's body and closed in on him. Yagura jumped into the air in time to avoid the flames. Mei made a hand gesture, causing the flames to rise in the air under his body towards him at a rapid rate. The Mizukage proceeded to point his staff downward at the approaching flames.

"Water Style: Water Mirror Jutsu!"

A circular pool of water developed underneath Yagura's body and created a perfect reflection of the approaching flames. Yagura then, using the hook on his staff, spun the mirror at a ninety degree angle, pointing it at Mei's body. Another barrage of melting flames was released from the mirror towards Mei's body. After launching the attack at her, the Mizukage opened his mouth and released a torrent of water from his mouth, completely consuming the flames approaching him, destroying them. Now safe, Yagura proceeded to descend downward towards the Kirigakure rebel leader. He turned his body around, causing the shell to face her.

Mei moved out of the way, avoiding the melting flames Yagura sent at her. She then briefly looked up in time to see the approaching Mizukage skyrocketing towards her. The Kirigakure rebel leader moved away just in time as Yagura made contact with the earth. His impact created a massive crater, with the force created knocking Mei backwards. She was sent flying towards the golden gate to the cemetery, causing her to cough up blood after the impact.

"Was hoping that would have actually hit you, Mei-chan. That was probably one of my most powerful impacts I've done." Yagura commented with a frown as he looked over to Mei. He then briefly looked downward to the ground. "Pretty big crater created, too. Wonder if that may have killed the Kyūbi kid under the ground?"

As if responding to his question, Naruto jumped out from the earth directly underneath Yagura. He swung upwards, attempting to punch the Mizukage in the face. The Sanbi jinchūriki, however, managed to move his body backwards slightly, avoiding the attack. He then grabbed Naruto's neck, gripping it tightly. Coral started to develop on his neck and began to grow downward.

"Did you honestly assume that work? You should know by now that any physical contact with me will just get you stuck in a situation like this!" Yagura asked, almost in disbelief. "This is the third time! What kind of shinobi are you?"

Despite the hand on his throat and the coral developing, Naruto managed to grin in response: "I'm… the unpredictable kind!"

Yagura tightened his grip on Naruto's neck, which caused Naruto's body to disappear in a poof of smoke. The Mizukage's eyes narrowed in surprise.

"A shadow clone?" He looked in confusion.

Hundreds of Naruto clones jumped from underneath the earth directly under Yagura's body. One of them punched him under his chin, knocking him upward into the air slightly. Multiple clones of Naruto proceeded to grab Yagura's body, holding him in place. The original Naruto proceeded to hold out his right hand and channeled chakra into it carefully. An orb of chakra began to develop in his right hand.

"Rasengan!"

Naruto attempted to slam the orb into Yagura's chest, but Yagura managed to pull the Naruto clones holding onto him away from him. He then grabbed Naruto by the wrist, stopping his jutsu from connecting and canceling it. Naruto struggled to free himself, but he couldn't pull himself away.

"That jutsu… that wouldn't happen to be the original technique invented by the Yondaime Hokage, would it?" Yagura questioned Naruto curiously. "I admired him. We were the youngest Kage to have ever come to power. I really wished I got the chance to meet him."

"Y-Yeah?" Naruto grumbled as he pulled out a kunai with a sealing tag attached to it with his left hand. Immediately as he pulled it out, Naruto's left wrist was grabbed by Yagura.

"Come to think of it, you look like him." Yagura noted as he tightened his grip on Naruto's wrists, causing him to close his eyes in pain.

"H-He was my father!" Naruto replied, resisting the urge to shout. Despite the pain, he maintained his grip on the kunai.

"Oh, interesting. Very interesting." He said. "Do me a favor and put in a good word for me when you see him in hell!"

With what little control and feeling he had in his left hand, Naruto tossed the kunai into Yagura's face. The Mizukage acted quickly; letting go of Naruto's right hand so he could catch it before it could him. With his hand free, Naruto quickly made a hand sign. The seal attached to the kunai started to glow a bright green color.

"Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hurricane Manifestation!"

A tornado-like wind storm developed directly in front of Yagura. The sheer force of the storm sent him flying backwards, letting go of his grip on Naruto. The Mizukage was sent backwards into a tombstone, smashing through it. He continued to fly through the air until the wind storm began to fade, causing him to fall to the ground.

Utakata quickly rushed over to Yagura's side as he was pulling himself off the ground. He then blew on his pipe, creating a large bubble. The bubble moved towards the Mizukage's body, completely engulfing him. Yagura, now standing up in the bubble, began to try and punch his way out of the bubble. He then swung the hook of his staff to puncture it. None of his attempts worked, however, causing Utakata to smirk.

"You were mocking Naruto-san and I for not being able to enter a version two form, but you should not ignore the fact that we are jinchūriki as well with just as much chakra. Actually, I would say more, since the two of us have bijū with more chakra than the Sanbi." Utakata informed him sharply.

A scowl developed on Yagura's face as he continued to free himself from the bubble. A moment passed before he stopped trying. A smug grin then developed as he slammed his hands together. Multiple coral spikes rose from the underground at a rapid rate. It pierced Utakata stomach and shoulders, causing him to immediately choke out blood. The coral also punctured the bubble around Yagura, freeing him.

"That is true; you and… Naruto-san, was it? You both have stronger bijū inside of you and more chakra. However, that's not talking about your individual strength levels." Yagura commented smugly. "I am the Mizukage for reasons other than my chakra; I earned the title with my own skill and battle experience. Neither of you could hope to match up to it."

Utakata could not verbally respond; he was too busy resisting the urge to scream in pain. The Rokubi jinchūriki began secreting acid from his skin, melting the coral spikes that had pierced him. A moment passed by before he managed to destroy the spikes inside of him. He proceeded to fall to the ground and began pulling himself up.

Yagura raised his staff and prepared to stab Utakata one more time, but he was stopped as a torrent of water was sent flying towards him. He turned his attention towards it and cut through the oncoming water with his staff.

Mei jumped in, landing between Yagura and Utakata. She opened her mouth and released a thick white mist. Her attack connected this time, hitting Yagura in the face. The Mizukage hissed in pain as he inched backwards. She then rushed forward at him and tried to land a punch at his face, but Yagura recovered in time and dodged the attack. He swung his staff at her, but she jumped into the air and avoided it. Mei landed directly behind him and spat out another cloud of mist from her mouth. This time, Yagura managed to turn around and release a torrent of water, connecting with her attack and canceling it out. Both shinobi jumped backwards, creating distance between themselves.

Utakata, seeing that Yagura was no longer focused on him, proceeded to move away as he channeled more of the Rokubi's chakra in an attempt to heal his wounds as quick as possible.

"You Mei-chan, unlike the jinchūriki you brought with you, are a Kage-level shinobi. You're the only one here that I'd consider legitimately dangerous." Yagura noted with a small chuckle. "I don't really know why you brought these jinchūriki with you. You and I should have been fighting this alone. I believe our history would suggest that to you."

Yagura's statement caused a memory to return to Mei's mind.

Mei and Yagura attacked each other with a different jutsu; Mei released a blast of lava-like acid from her mouth while Yagura let out a large torrent of water from his. Both attempted to dodge each other's attacks, but were unable to get away and were both hit.

"Oomph!"

Both shinobi were sent backwards. The force of the water caused Mei to collide against a nearby tree, causing her to shout in pain and fall to the ground. She struggled to pull herself off the ground, but found herself unable to do so. Yagura, on the other hand, was screaming due to the acid. He quickly channeled chakra into his hands, making them completely damp, as he tried to force the acid off his face and end the burning.

"Seriously?" Kisame looked back-and-forth between the two shinobi and sighed. "You both KO'd each other. That's lame. I wanted to actually see which one of you two was stronger!"

"I-I'm not knocked out yet!" Mei replied defiantly as she attempted to stand-up again. Like previously, she fell back to the ground. "Sh-Shit!"

"Yeah, you are. You can barely move." Kisame snickered.

He then turned his attention to Yagura. The Sanbi jinchūriki had seemingly got all of the acid out of his face and was no longer burning. The grey-haired boy, however, was now lying on the ground, panting heavily.

"And you aren't any better either, Turtle." Kisame stated with a loud laugh.

"Shut up, Kisame." Yagura grumbled in response. "I'd like to see you try and handle fighting her in a fight."

"I probably could've crushed her. And you, for the record. I'm going to be the best swordsman Kirigakure's ever seen!" Kisame exclaimed. "Suikazan Fuguki-sama, after all, recruited me as his apprentice. I'm going to be in the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure in no time!"

"Yeah, you're right; you will." Mei said as she finally pulled herself off the ground. She then began to walk over towards their teammate. "But either Yagura-kun and I will be the Mizukage by then, and you'll be taking orders from us!"

"Ha! Yeah, right!" The shark-like boy snorted in response. "One of you may become Mizukage, but I'll definitely be in the swordsman before then!" He then started to walk off. "Anyway, I actually have training with Fuguki-sama soon. If you all are done fighting, then I'll just head over there early!"

Mei and Yagura watched their teammate walk off. The Sanbi jinchūriki had a frown on his face while Mei was openly scowling.

"Does he really have to be such a fucking jerk?" She grumbled, closing her arms over her chest.

"Mei-chan, please don't swear like that. It's not proper speech." Yagura was now frowning at her. "And Kisame-san isn't that bad. He can be nice when he wants to be."

"Yeah, whenever that is." Mei shook her head in frustration. She then turned her head and focused back on Yagura. "Well, whatever. Screw him anyway. That was a good fight Yagura-kun! I thought I had you!"

"And I thought I was going to win. You took me by surprise." The grey-haired boy chuckled. "If we keep sparring like this every day, I think the two of us will be nearly invincible!"

"Fuck yeah! … er… heck yeah!" Mei amended her speech as Yagura started to frown at her. "We can be unstoppable and make sure that at least one of us becomes the next Mizukage!"

"And it's going to be me." Yagura chuckled.

"No way! It'll be me! I'm going to be the first woman Kage." Mei grinned.

"And I'll be the first jinchūriki Kage!" He grinned back.

The two teammates laughed together for a moment. Mei held out her hand and helped Yagura up off the ground. They then started to walk away from the training ground, heading towards Kirigakure.

"You know Mei-chan, we should keep sparring like this, but I think we should end up having a big fight later on. To see which one of us should become the next Mizukage." Yagura commented.

"Heh, you want to have a battle to see which one of us will be in control of the village?" Mei questioned with a laugh. "I'm fine with that! Just expect me, when we finally have that battle, to win it!"

"Yeah right!" The Sanbi jinchūriki shook his head in response, laughing in unison with Mei.

Mei shook her head, forcing the memory out of her head. Her eyes narrowed as she looked the Mizukage in the eye.

"I stand by what I said; you are not the Yagura I know. You are just the Mizukage that's under the control of someone else." She spat out. "And while I have a history with Yagura-kun, I have no history with you."

"You know, this 'being controlled' theory you keep talking about is really starting to anger me." Yagura's face developed into a scowl as he started making hand signs.

"Really? Then why don't you do something about it?" Mei taunted, making similar hand signs.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" / "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Both Mei and Yagura, using the water in the atmosphere, created large, serpent-like dragons made of water. The dragons flew forward and collided against each other, cancelling each other out and causing rain to sprinkle down over the cemetery around them. Mei began making hand signs with one hand before stomping her foot on the ground.

"A Thousand Needles of Death!"

The rain drops in the air changed shape, resembling needles. The needles all faced Yagura before rushing forward toward him. The Sanbi jinchūriki began quickly moving his body, side-stepping and avoiding all of the needles. As each needle made contact with the ground, they formed a small puddle on the ground. Mei then ran through the same hand signs as before.

While needles were still falling at Yagura, the puddles on the ground quickly changed shape into another water dragon. The Mizukage quickly jumped back to avoid getting struck by the dragon. In the process, he allowed himself to get struck by several of the rain needles on his shoulders, causing him to hiss slightly. He quickly pulled them out before turning his attention back to the water dragon.

Yagura held out his staff and generated another pool of water in front of himself. The pool made a perfect reflection of the water dragon. Using his staff, Yagura changed the angle of the mirror, causing it to face Mei. The pool of water released another water dragon directly towards her. He then slammed his right palm on the ground, creating a giant coral spike that pierced Mei's dragon, preventing it from attacking him.

Mei attempted to move out of the way the water dragon reflection, but she was unable to get fully away in time and the dragon managed to connect. She was dragged backwards slightly as the water began forcing itself on her. Despite the pressure of the jutsu and the pain, she remained on her feet, not allowing her feet to leave the ground. She quickly ran through a series of hand signs before extending out her right palm. The gesture completely split the water pounding onto her in half, causing the water dragon to turn into a giant puddle that completely surrounded her.

With the attack unsuccessful, Yagura charged forward at an incredible speed to her. In moments, he was directly in front of her. Instead of trying to jump away from the attack, Mei started making another set of hand signs.

"Boil Style: Steam Rising!"

The giant puddle underneath her and Yagura was instantly transformed into steam. The steam rose upwards at a rapid rate, completely consuming Yagura's and Mei's bodies.

"AHHH!" Yagura shouted in pain as the steam collided with him.

Despite the pain and burns Yagura was experiencing, the steams had seemingly no effect on Mei. She was grinning smugly as she watched the man in front of her scream. She extended her fist backwards before delivering a strong punch to his face, knocking him backwards and out of the steam. Yagura landed hard on the ground.

Naruto, now seeing an opportunity to get involved and attack, pointed his index finger directly at Yagura, signaling for his remaining clones to charge at the jinchūriki. The clones rushed him, each having their fists extended to punch him. Just before the first clone reached his body, however, Yagura extended his body into the shell on his back. The shell grew in size and formed a giant, spiked ball.

"Shell Tower Falling!"

The spiked ball began rotating before rolling forward, piling through the Naruto clones and destroying each of them. Still remaining in his shell, Yagura rolled directly towards the original Naruto. The Uzumaki jumped into the air to avoid the attack, but the shell bounced upwards towards him and slammed into him. Naruto hissed in pain as the weight of the shell forced him to the ground and the spikes on the shell pierced his skin. The shell then started to roll in place, digging itself further into the ground, and by proxy, into Naruto. More weight was applied to Naruto's body and the spikes began digging deeper into his skin, causing him to shout in pain.

"E-Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

Naruto quickly pulled his body further underground, getting him out from underneath Yagura. Now that the blonde was no longer under him, Yagura, still in his spiked shell, jumped upwards onto the earth. He proceeded to roll in place for a few seconds before rushing towards Mei.

"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"

Mei released lava-like acid from her mouth that quickly expanded around her body and formed a wall between her and Yagura. The spiked shell made contact with the wall. The shell ended up crushing the wall, much to Mei's surprise.

'That shouldn't happen! My wall should have stopped him!' Her eyes widened as she watched the shell come closer to her. 'Dammit!'

The Kirigakure rebel leader jumped away, but Yagura's shell moved too fast and slammed into her, running her over. The Mizukage, as he did with Naruto, proceeded to roll in place, forcing Mei further into the earth and digging the spikes on his shell further into her.

'L-Let's try that again!' Mei told herself, ignoring the unbelievable pain resulting from being crushed by Yagura's shell. 'Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"

Lava-like acid was released from her mouth directly onto Yagura's spinning, spiked shell. Lava continued to pour from her mouth, completely coating the shell with it. At first, the technique appeared to be doing nothing and Yagura continued to roll, applying more weight onto Mei. After a few seconds, however, the lava proved too much; the shell's speed began slowing exponentially. The rolling stopped completely and the shell jumped off of her. Mei forced herself out of the ground in time to see Yagura pulling himself out of his shell.

Despite the fact that his body was covered in the reddish-black chakra of the version two jinchūriki form, she could tell that her jutsu burned Yagura's skin greatly. A scowl was on his face as he glared in Mei's direction.

"What's wrong, little turtle? Can't take a little heat?" Mei taunted.

"D-Damn you…" He hissed. "I wouldn't be so smug if I were you. You're not in much better shape! And unlike me, you're not a jinchūriki; your body won't heal those wounds so easily!"

Yagura was right; his last attack had caused many spikes to pierce various parts of body. She was bleeding heavily in different areas. Mei shook her as she started channeling chakra in her right palm. Her hand turned green in color as she started to touch some of her wounds gently.

"Medical ninjutsu? Since when did you learn that?" Yagura questioned.

"I don't know much; just enough to treat a few minor wounds, or at least patch up major wounds in a way that they won't impact a battle." Mei replied dismissively as she focused on healing herself.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. It's not going to save you!" The Mizukage hissed as he charged forward at the woman.

As Yagura attacked Mei, Naruto dug himself out of the ground, slightly away from the battlefield. The blonde was breathing heavily as his body was trying to rapidly heal the wounds he received from Yagura's last jutsu. Despite that, his eyes were focused solely on the Mizukage and the Kirigakure rebel leader.

"They're relentless." Naruto mumbled to himself.

"I agree."

The blonde turned his head and saw Utakata approaching him. The Rokubi jinchūriki was also breathing heavily, but not nearly at the rate Naruto was. Naruto noticed that many of the wounds he had last seen on Utakata were now cleared up.

"Were you healing back here?" He questioned.

Utakata nodded his head in response: "I would have been a hindrance in the battlefield in my previous condition. I simply moved away when I saw the chance to heal. I'm going to go back out in just a moment, but I'm trying to think of a proper plan of action."

"I hear ya." Naruto sighed. "We need to think of something to do. Yagura is pounding into us and it's three on one! This is ridiculous!"

"Yagura's the Mizukage for a reason; he's in a different level of fighting than us, Naruto-san. I may be closer to his level than you are, but it does not matter overall. Mei-san is the closest to his level and it's why she's able to fight against him continuously, but I think even she isn't as strong as him." The Rokubi jinchūriki answered with a sigh. "The trick we need to think of, however, is to find a way to work around the difference in our strengths."

"That's what I'm trying to think about." Naruto mumbled in response.

'It's easier said than done, though.' The Kyūbi jinchūriki admitted internally. 'Yagura's tough. The only techniques that have seemed to do really any damage to him are Utakata's acid and Mei's lava. And the only thing I managed to him with really was after hitting him underground and landing my fūinjutsu on him in surprise.' Naruto's eyes widened as he repeated that last thought. 'Wait a second!'

"That's it!" He declared.

"You have something? Already?" Utakata turned his attention to Naruto in surprise.

"Uh huh! But quick question; do you have any jutsu that could maybe force Yagura to remain in one place for an extended period of time?" Naruto questioned. Utakata nodded in response, causing Naruto to grin. "Great! Alright, then I'm going to get started on the prep! Utakata, please; I'm going to toss a kunai onto the ground in a little bit. When I do, please make that area sticky or something and make it so that way Yagura will not be able to move if he lands in it. Do that for me!"

Before the Rokubi jinchūriki could actually respond, Naruto made a quick series of hand signs before his body sank deep into the underground. Utakata stayed still, looking at where Naruto had been standing, for letting out a small smile.

"I'm going to trust this plan of yours will work, Naruto-san." Utakata spoke to himself.

With that thought in mind, the Rokubi jinchūriki started to rush over to the battlefield. His injuries, for the most part, were healed and he would be able to contribute again. He had a role to play and he had to make sure that Yagura would be defeated.

"Rasengan!"

Jiraiya shoved his Rasengan straight into Itachi's back. The force of the attack caused Itachi's body to go limp before it exploded. The Sannin braced himself for the blast just in time to avoid taking damage from the blast.

'His damn exploding clones. Then where's the real one?' Jiraiya questioned as his eyes started to wander throughout the battlefield.

The Sannin noticed a small black crow flying above him. He made a series of hand signs before releasing a large fireball from his mouth towards the crow. The flames immediately consumed the crow, causing its body to disappear. A second passed before Itachi reappeared directly behind Jiraiya's body. He attempted to deliver a kick to Jiraiya's back, but the Sannin turned around in time and caught his foot with his left hand. Jiraiya then held out his right hand, channeling an orb of chakra into his hands. Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan eye widened.

"Rasengan!"

"Amaterasu!"

Just as Jiraiya attempted to slam his Rasengan into Itachi's chest, black flames developed in between Itachi and Jiraiya, stopping the jutsu. The black flames then started to spread, moving towards Jiraiya's body and trying to burn him. Jiraiya jumped backward, avoiding the flames.

'That was close.' Jiraiya sighed in relief. His eyes narrowed on Itachi. 'This has been going on for over five minutes. I need to get back to focusing on the invasion!' A scowl started to develop on his face. 'Itachi, what are you doing here already?'

"You seem troubled, Jiraiya-san." Itachi commented emptily.

The Uchiha charged forward directly at Jiraiya. The Sannin opened his mouth and released another large fireball towards Itachi. The fireball connected, causing Itachi's body to explode.

'Another clone!' Jiraiya realized.

Before he could do anything about it, Itachi appeared directly in front of Jiraiya. The two shinobi locked eyes with each other.

"Tsukuyomi!"

The world around Jiraiya began to vanish. The sky was painted a reddish-black color. The battlefield had been replaced with an empty, open space. The only things present in this world were Jiraiya and Itachi.

Upon entering this new world, Jiraiya's and Itachi's body language shifted. Both shinobi appeared to relax slightly, as if they had not been previously fighting.

"Tsukuyomi, huh?" Jiraiya took the moment to look around at the area around him.

"I apologize for taking this long to use the jutsu, Jiraiya-san." Itachi bowed his head and got on one knee in front of him. "I had to wait for even the smallest of openings to arise to not look suspicious."

"Don't apologize. It's fine." The Sannin replied with a slight chuckle. "Although, I'm surprised you actually have to use Tsukuyomi on me in order to give me information."

"I can't risk talking about information aloud, even in an environment like this where most would be unable to listen. I'm certain that Zetsu is somewhere observing. In this world, he cannot observe our conversation. You are also one of the few shinobi who I could use this technique on where it can be guaranteed that you would not be too damaged from it to continue fighting. It will not be suspicious that once this jutsu ends, you'd still be able to fight and defeat me." The Uchiha informed him. "When the conversation is over, I suggest you summon either Gamabunta or something. Put me into a position where I am forced to retreat and you can focus back on your mission."

"Yes, of course." Jiraiya nodded his head. "So, since you came out of this way to fight me during the invasion, I assume you have something interesting to report."

"I do." Itachi nodded his head. "Sasori had a mole in Kirigakure that informed him about Konoha's involvement in the Civil War. There was a prediction that an invasion like this would happen, so Kisame and I were sent to get involved and capture the Mizukage once Konoha and the rebels defeated him." The Uchiha then looked Jiraiya in the eye. "Once we realized you were on the mission and found out that you were not going to be involved in the fight with the Mizukage, we realized the mission was going to have complications. Therefore, I volunteered to fight you and keep you distracted so you would not intervene in Kisame's mission."

"So Kisame is going to get involved with the fight?" Jiraiya questioned. "He's after Yagura?"

"Correct. Right now, he should be biding his time, waiting for the fight to exhaust all of the combatants. Once everything is done, he will intervene, kill everybody else, and take the jinchūriki with him."

"Shit." Jiraiya cursed, scowling slightly. "I'm going to have finish you off quickly and rush over there, perhaps with a small squad. I trust Mei, Utakata, and Naruto together could finish off Kisame normally, but if they are exhausted from a fight with Yagura…" The Sannin's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. "Wait, were you two aware of the presence of Utakata and Naruto?"

"Originally no, but once we realized, Kisame started planning to take all three of the jinchūriki." Itachi admitted.

'This is bad. This is very bad.' Jiraiya started shaking his head. "Itachi, do you have anything else left to report? If you do, say it now and get it over with. We need to finish our fight and force your believable retreat so I can rush over and help fend off Kisame!"

Itachi nodded his head briefly in understanding before continuing with his report on Akatsuki.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"

Yagura released a giant cascade of water at Mei while she breathed out a massive blast of lava-like acid of the same size. The two jutsus collided with each other, the water cooling the acid. The water continued to rush forward at Mei, causing her to jump away to avoid the attack.

Utakata moved directly behind Yagura and blew on his pipe, launching multiple bubbles towards him. The Mizukage, however, reacted in time and released another giant cascade of water towards Utakata's body, coming into contact with the approaching bubbles and popping them before they could reach him. Utakata blew another bubble downward, encasing his body in one. The bubble then started to move rapidly upward, avoiding the cascade of water approaching him.

While still in his bubble, Utakata created a small hole in it for him to stick his head out of. He spat out a quick-moving acid directly for Yagura's body. Mei also took the chance to spit out another blast of her lava-like acid towards Yagura. The Sanbi jinchūriki quickly slammed his staff onto the ground, creating two water mirrors between himself and the incoming acid attacks. The reflections from the mirrors created two separate bodies of acid that were sent forward, colliding with Utakata's and Mei's attacks, canceling them out.

Yagura's eyes moved back-and-forth between Utakata and Mei for a moment before he looked downward to the ground. He immediately slammed his right hand to the ground, causing coral to rise upward. The coral managed to capture Naruto, who was underneath the ground, by piercing him in both of his shoulders.

"AH!" He yelled in pain, closing his eyes slightly.

"Did you really assume I wasn't aware you were down there? I don't know what you were trying to accomplish, but if it was to sneak up on me, you failed. Miserably." Yagura noted with a smirk.

Naruto gave no verbal reply. Instead, he opted for pulling out a kunai and tossing it directly on a patch of ground. Utakata immediately started making hand signs.

"Soap Bubble Slime!"

Utakata blew another series of bubbles directly at the spot Naruto signaled for him to hit. The bubbles made contact with the ground and popped, coating it with a thick, deep blue-green colored slime.

Due to Utakata's bubbles, Yagura had turned his attention back to him, taking his eyes off Naruto. Mei took the moment to rush over to Naruto's side and release another blast of lava-like acid on the coral. The acid instantly melted the coral, freeing Naruto. The Uzumaki exchanged a look with the rebel leader then looked at the slime Utakata created, giving her a signal.

Force Yagura to move there!

Yagura, still focusing on Utakata, jumped into the air towards him and his bubble. Utakata's bubble floated sideways, avoiding Yagura's attack. The Mizukage then started to make a series of hand signs.

"Water Style: Stormy Blockade!"

A massive amount of water rained down from the sky directly above Utakata's bubble. The downpour came to fast for Utakata to react and made contact. The bubble was popped and the Rokubi jinchūriki was forced into the earth as water continued to pound into him.

Mei started to make another series of hand signs: "Boil Style: Steam Rising!"

The downpour of water Yagura was using to crush Utakata was immediately transformed into steam. The steam then changed targets and moved directly at Yagura's position in the air. The Mizukage quickly forced his body to float downward, avoiding the attack.

Seeing his opening, Naruto looked at Mei. She nodded her head. Naruto then hopped onto her back and used her as a springboard, allowing him to flip upward directly to Yagura's position. He got directly above him before he started to channel chakra into his right hand, creating another spinning orb.

"Rasengan!"

Yagura, this time, was unable to dodge Naruto's attack. The Rasengan made contact with the jinchūriki's chest, forcing him downward to the ground and into the slime. Yagura's body hit hard, landing on his shell. He attempted to pull himself, but the slime that Utakata had created forced him to remain still.

"What the hell?" Yagura hissed as he began applying more effort to pulling himself up.

His attempt was working, as he was starting to get up, but he was still in the position. Naruto immediately started making hand signs.

'Okay, I don't have much time. I need for this to work!' He told himself. "Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hurricane Manifestation Barrage!"

In the earth, underneath Yagura and the slime that forced him still, ten separate seals were present. Each seal started to grow a bright green color before each of them released its own tornado-like wind storm upwards. Each storm pierced the earth and crashed into Yagura, cutting into him.

"UGH!" Yagura hissed.

Unlike the previous time, Yagura was not moving upward with the storm; he was remaining still, suck to the ground, as each wind storm cut into his skin. Naruto then looked at both Mei and Utakata, who nodded in understanding.

"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"

"Acid Scattering!"

Mei breathed out her lava-like acid that quickly surrounded the wind storms. Similarly, Utakata released a white corrosive gas of acid that made contact with the tornadoes. Their techniques caused the giant wind storms to glow red in color and increase in heat and acidity.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Yagura's demonic-like scream was heard throughout the battlefield for a few seconds before it got quieter. Eventually, it came to stop and he produced no noise. Naruto took this as a sign and made another hand sign, canceling his jutsu. Mei and Utakata followed his example. With the acidic wind storms gone, Yagura's body immediately collapsed to the floor. The reddish-black chakra that surrounded his body began to fade and his body returned to it's normal, human-like appearance. He remained still on the ground, unmoving.

Mei immediately rushed over to Yagura, with Naruto and Utakata following behind. She checked his pulse and checked to see if he was breathing. He still was.

"Okay, he's unconscious. Good." Mei sighed in relief. She then turned her attention to Naruto and Utakata. "Now, it's up to you both. I would love to try and get the real Yagura back. Do you still believe you can do it?"

'We can, can't we?' Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, questioning the fox.

"We should be able to try. We need to enter the mindscape between bijū and see if it's possible." The Kyūbi answered.

Naruto opened his eyes after his answer and looked Mei in the eye and nodded: "I'm willing to try. I can do it, dattebayo!"

"I'm counting on you." Mei told him with a small smile. "I'm… willing to kill this man if it's needed for the good of Kirigakure, but I really want my Yagura-kun back. Enter his mindscape and try and let me know the results."

"Understood!" Naruto nodded his head as he walked over to Yagura's body. 'Okay, Kyūbi, so I need to enter the mindscape. How do I do it?'

"Do you remember when Kokuō's bijū made the mental connect with you when we fought those cloaked figures at Tenchi Bridge?" Kyūbi questioned. Naruto, recalling the mission where he met Han and fought those 'Akatsuki' guys, nodded his head. "You're going to do what he did to you. Place your hands on him and focus on channeling both your chakra and my chakra into your hands. The connection should be created and you should be able to enter his mind and enter his mindscape with Isobu."

'Okay.' Naruto nodded his head in understanding as he placed his hands on Yagura's head.

"Just a warning, though; since this Yagura reeks of Madara's influence, the man's essence should be in his mind, controlling him. You'll have to destroy that essence, meaning you'll have to fight it. Even if it's just an essence and Madara will not be at his actual strongest, this will not be an easy fight. You must be prepared to fight immediately, Naruto." Kyūbi stated.

"Understood." Naruto verbally replied as he began channeling his chakra.

In an instant, Naruto made his mental-link and entered Yagura's mindscape.

Mei and Utakata looked at the Uzumaki intently. He was not moving either and seemed completely focused. Mei then turned her attention to join Utakata.

"Are you going to help him?" She questioned.

"Yes." Utakata nodded his head as he started to walk over to Yagura's body.

"Don't do it, Utakata-san." A voice called out inside Utakata's mind.

The black-haired man stopped walking. 'Rokubi, what do you mean? Why should I not be helping Naruto-san?'

"I sense a person coming: a person with nearly as much chakra as yourself." The Rokubi replied, causing Utakata's eyes to widen. "Their presence feels hostile. It'd be best if you focus your energy on them."

"Mei-san, prepare to fight!" Utakata replied as he turned around and brought his pipe to his mouth.

Mei's eyes also widened in surprise before she nodded in understanding. She quickly channeled chakra into her hands again and started healing some of her wounds in preparation for an attack.

As the Rokubi had predicted, another figure landed in the cemetery directly in front of Utakata and Mei. It was a tall, muscular man with blue skin and shark-like physical features, such as gill-like facial features under his eyes and sharp, triangular-shaped teeth. He had blue hair that was stylized to resemble a shark's fin. He wore a black cloak with a red-cloud pattern on it and had a giant sword wrapped in bandages tied to his back. He wore a Kirigakure forehead protector over his forehead with a slash through the emblem, signifying himself as a missing ninja.

Mei blanked at the sight of the man. A moment passed before her eyes narrowed and a scowl developed on her face.

"You… You… Kisame!" The rebel leader hissed at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Mei-san, it's great to see you again. Looks like you and your buddies managed to give Yagura-san a good beating." The man, Kisame, commented with a snicker. He grinned, showing off his shark-like teeth. "I didn't realize that we were having an old team reunion and fight, so I'm sorry for showing up late. I'm here now, though, so let's get this reunion started!"

Before Mei could respond to his statement, Kisame was already reaching for the sword on his back.

Quick Notes:

1: It is canon that Itachi gave information regarding Akatsuki to Konoha. As the spymaster of Konoha, I am making the authoritative assumption that it is Jiraiya who he reports to. I have seen this before in multiple fanfics and I feel like it works with my image of the canon material. I know a lot of people were expecting a legitimate fight between Itachi and Jiraiya and wondering who would beat who, but it's actually more an information de-brief. Sorry for those excited for it, but I hope this at least makes sense! I really hope Itachi's reason for using Tsukuyomi (as well as Jiraiya's reason for letting him hit him with it) make sense.

2: The Thousand Needles of Death is not an ice-related jutsu. I realize that it is strictly used by Haku, but it is not an ice style technique. I made the decision that, therefore, someone like Mei would know it.

3: Mei knowing medical ninjutsu was never seen in the canon, but I do believe that it would make sense for any shinobi of a certain rank to at least be familiar with the art to some degree in order to self-heal wounds and keep themselves from fighting. She is nowhere near a proper medic ninja (let alone someone like Tsunade), but she has enough to just heal and keep herself fighting against Yagura. Just wanted to explain that. My belief on medical ninjutsu being knowledge that every shinobi should know will actually come up later in the fanfic, believe it or not, so I just wanted to explain it here real quick!