Author's Note: Hi guys! Once again thank you so much for the reviews, I really can't express enough how nice is it to read what you guys think of the story. Please keep them coming, good or bad!

To address a couple of things:

LongRoadToNowhere I'm glad you felt like the chapter resolved your questions! I'm trying to lay the groundwork for the series to go in a lot of different directions. But we'll see how that pans out! I am also a fan of grey morality rather than everything being black and white.

LevDavid That's a very interesting idea, but I can't reveal too much (:

GinHannelle I'm glad you're enjoying it! It seems we share a lot of the same favourite characters...(: I'd love to write a Harry Potter story with a similar SI concept. However if I started it now it'd eat into the time I have to write this story so I'm a bit torn. I was thinking of progressing this story a bit further then alternating between this and a HP story.

deesis Very good catch...you will see what happens (:

As a general point in an ideal world I'd be releasing chapters daily, however sadly I also have to balance work, gym, going out, playing DnD and writing this! I will try to release at least every few days.

The bulk of this chapter is extremely action/combat focused. It'll be interesting to hear what you guys think of it.

One month later...

People in the ninja world are way too lax on security, I thought to myself as I raced through the trees away from Konoha. Really, getting out of the village had been laughably easy, I was actually disappointed. All it had taken in the end was me using my Henge jutsu and walking out the front gate. I'd felt a spike of chakra directed as me as I crossed through, but it fell apart in the dense chakra field that surrounded me as part of the transformation and whoever it was hadn't said anything as I'd carried on walking. I'd decided to disguise myself as Kabuto again, which probably wasn't the best idea since I had no idea where he was, but it amused me.

I pulled out the bingo book I'd pilfered off a drunk jounin while we were playing cards. I'd played a bit of poker in my old life and it was surprisingly fun brushing off my skills again. At first I'd been worried he'd get suspicious if I asked for the book, but when I casually mentioned I'd take the book in place of the money he owed me after being down 3 hands he'd been tripping over himself to hand it over.

I rifled through the pages until I landed again on the target I'd chosen back at the village, scanning through the information to confirm I'd picked the right person.

Daiichi Ishizuka. A B-rank rogue-nin from Kumogakure. Wanted for weapon smuggling, assault, defection and theft. Primarily uses a mixture of kenjutsu and ninjutsu. Bounty: 200,000 ryo. Last spotted at the border of the Fire Country. No distinguishing physical features or kekkei genkai.

There was a rough sketch of a man scowling up at me. I snapped the book shut and replaced it in my pocket. A B-rank was one grade higher than I'd be planning on taking on but I wanted to push myself. Also the man's profile had stood out to me, depending on how it went down he could prove very useful to me…

His profile didn't offer many clues as to where he might be. However, I hadn't been wasting my last few weeks in Konoha. In the guise of a civilian I'd spent a lot of time talking with the merchants who passed through Konoha while I had some shadow clones devoted to studying the geography and politics of the Fire Country. The results were very interesting, and far surpassed anything I remembered seeing in the anime.

The Fire Daimyo was the leader of the country, who was selected by the consensus of several of the most powerful noble families at the time. What could be considered the Great Noble Houses was in a constant state of flux, and noble houses were constantly vying with each other for political supremacy. The current Daimyo was from the Armcomb House, who owned the majority of the metal mines in the country. Historically the Noble Houses had maintained power by hiring ninja to assassinate their rivals, however as more and more houses had sought the services of ninja the conflict escalated to the point where it was no longer about stealth and subterfuge and was more about ninja clans in open war with each other.

Eventually, the First Hokage had put a stop to that by reaching a historic agreement with the Fire Daimyo. Konoha had been recognised as an official, singular organisation by the Daimyo and was forbidden to interfere with civilian matters of state. In exchange, the Daimyo was not to interfere with ninja affairs and Konoha was allowed to govern itself as it pleased within its walls. One thing I was surprised to read about was how quickly the Daimyo and the First Hokage had used the agreement to their advantage. Now fighting as a unified force, the Fire Country quickly expanded and consolidated its territory, becoming the largest country on the continent. In order to stop their aggressive expansion, other countries eventually followed suit and formed their own ninja villages to combat Konoha.

This eventually lead to the establishment of the Five Great Nations. However, many smaller countries that were swallowed up during this period resented the loss of their sovereignty. In the years that followed there were several uprising and rebellions that were either crushed by the Daimyo's army or stopped by having ninja assassinate the key rebel figures. As the military power of each country and their respective ninja villages grew uprisings became less and less common, almost stopping completely after the First Hokage distributed the tailed beasts during one of the ninja wars, in an attempt to establish peace between the Great Villages.

Rather like giving everyone a nuke, in the hope that everyone will be too scared to used it. Mutually assured destruction eh? I wonder where I've heard that before. And he kept the biggest nuke of all for himself. My mind flashed back to my encounter with the Kyubi.

However, almost stopping wasn't the same as stopping, and I'd noticed a common trend with many of the merchants who had passed through Konoha. I'd paid close attention to anyone who stocked up on a significant amount of weapons, or those who travelled with large groups of mercenaries. Of course they'd been careful, spreading out their purchases, rotating through different people, splitting up their camps, but all of that just made them stand out more to me. They were going through great pains to mask the quantity and contents of what they bought, although I rather suspected it was pointless since I doubted Konoha actually cared too much.

If I could spot it on my own then I'm sure the village is aware of it, but since it's a civilian matter it's not really within their remit. In fact, in a twisted way it benefits Konoha, since we profit from the items sold and the ninja that'll no doubt be hired.

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. The more I learned about the ninja world, the darker it seemed. An image of Itachi flashed through my mind.

Where are you now, I wonder? Do you regret what happened? Or would you do it again for the village you said you loved?

I ducked a low hanging tree branch, narrowly avoiding it was my thoughts distracted me. I was acutely aware that the graduation exam was fast approaching and, although I'd decided to live for myself and not just in Naruto's shadow, I still didn't want to abandon the people around me. The more time I spent with them the more real they became to me, rather than just characters in my head.

I shook my head to clear it. You can worry about this when you get back to the village. Now is not the time.

The place I was heading to, which was creatively named Docktown, was where many of the merchants had been heading (at least according to some of the conversations I'd eavesdropped on). It was also one of the few towns with a large port in Fire Country, as most of the region was landlocked and, more importantly, there had been some reports of civil disturbances after their old governor had been arrested for supposedly speaking out against the Daimyo.

Now, if I was a rogue-ninja with a penchant for smuggling weapons, I can't think of somewhere else I'd rather be. Even if he's not there, there's gotta be someone like him.

I set my jaw as I raced ahead towards my destination.

Docktown was a pretty miserable place. Everywhere I looked the buildings were run-down and patchy, and I had to constantly pay attention to avoid stepping in the numerous pot holes and crevices that littered the streets. The locals eyed with poorly concealed suspicion, looks that I shot right back at them. A feeble mist hung in the air, giving the town an eerie feeling.

I was wearing Kabuto's face again as I walked around. As I'd approached the town I'd rested up and pumped as much chakra as I could manage into the Henge. It was comforting to walk around with the feeling of dense chakra enveloping me. At least this way I shouldn't be able to get caught off-guard, and I could focus on finding where Daiichi was.

Assuming he's here.

So far my plan was to keep walking further and further into the shadier parts of town and see if I could spot anything. Most of the people here moved like civilians, so I was confident that even if I got into a brawl I'd come out mostly unscathed.

"Heeey, have you got any money geezer?" A shabby looking man called out to me drunkenly from the alley. I made to keep moving but then I stopped.

Homeless people will be more willing to talk, and they probably know quite a bit about the local area. I wonder..

I walked towards him, stepping carefully around the broken bottles and spilled liquid around him.

"I might do," I said casually, "But I usually only give money to my friends."

He froze midway through lifting a bottle to his mouth, and looked at me with crafty eyes

"Your friends eh? Well I can be your friend too….how can I help my buddy out?" He slurred his words slightly.

How direct should I be here? I've got by so far by being sneaky, but I'm far away from Konoha now and there's no-one here I need to hide from. Plus I'm not sure how long my Kage Bunshin is going to hold up on its own so I can't afford to waste too much time here…

"I heard what happened to the governor. He happened to be an acquaintance of mine, and I was wondering if there was anybody I could discuss my...grievances with." I spoke lightly, watching his body closely for a reaction.

He jerked slightly, then looked at me as though he was sizing me up. I looked back placidly, until he started to haul himself up,

"Let's talk somewhere away from prying eyes." He started limping back into the alley and I followed, a strange feeling prickling at the back of my neck.

That felt….too easy. Or am I just being paranoid?

We walked deeper into the alley and my sense of unease grew as the noises from the street behind grew fainter and fainter.

"How much further do we need to go?" I asked. The man in front of me stopped, then turned around slowly, straightening as he did.

"This is far enough." He spoke clearly, without any trace of drunkenness. I heard the soft thuds of people dropping down behind me.

"What is this?" I asked, my heart thumping from a strange mix of anticipation and nervousness. I shot a glance behind me and saw two men approaching, crude club-like weapons in their hands. The man in front of me shook his head,

"I don't know who you think you are but you obviously don't know how things work around here. You think you can just walk into this town and start asking questions like that?" He sounded disappointed, "Take him boys, try not to kill him."

Adrenaline surged through me like a lightning bolt as I could feel my fight-or-flight reflex kick in. The movements of the men seemed to slow to my eyes as I released the hold on my chakra, letting it pump fiercely through me. I was still afraid but I buried it deep, forcing it down through sheer, brutal willpower and submering it beneath layers of cold, calculated aggression.

You wanted this, you wanted to fight. This isn't the old world with its sensibilities and modern life, this is the world of ninjas and I need to be prepared to fight.

I didn't add "and possibly take a life."

The two men were flanking me, the one on the right moved first, bringing the club up high above his head. I exploded into motion, leaping backwards and pivoting with my fist, chakra lacing up through my legs and turning me into little more than a blur. He obviously wasn't expecting such a burst of speed because my fist crashed against the side of his head, smashing him into the side of the wall. He dropped instantly, and his companion took a step back in shock. I followed through into the motion, rotating around fully and leaping upwards towards him.

Take him out quickly then take out the leader.

He swung his club wildly but I didn't even move to block it, focusing instead on the point on my body he aimed for. I felt his club push in against the chakra of my transformation, but with the extra chakra I'd used to reinforce it earlier it barely made a dent. I could see the shock plainly in his eyes as I drove my fist forward in a straight punch.

The clang of metal rang out and I felt the cold steel of a blade blocking my punch. I jumped back, watching as the man who had pretended to be drunk, presumably the leader, straightened up from the defensive stance he'd taken up in front of of his friend, the blade of his sword flashing.

His friend, the man with the club, had fallen onto his backside, staring up at me with wild eyes. The leader shifted in front of him,

"Go," he said in a deep voice, not taking his eyes off me, "We've been discovered. Go and inform the others that a ninja has been sent after us. I'll take care of this one."

I raised an eyebrow, "Do you think I'll let him escape that easily?" The initial fear had all but faded now, and there was a roaring in my ears as my blood pumped frantically around my body.

He ignored me, "Go," he repeated. His friend nodded and scrambled to his feet. As he turned to go I flashed through the seals.

"Kage Bunshin!"

Three clones popped into existence around me and immediately leapt to engage the man with the sword. I bent my legs and focussed on the man running away.

Shunshin.

Chakra exploded through my legs like a jet engine and my vision blurred as I was propelled forward. A second later I was just behind the man who turned and cried in fear as he saw me. He panicked and swung at me with his fist but I simply grabbed him by the wrist, forced his arm down and threw him over my shoulder back into the alley, turning his momentum against him. He crashed down onto the floor, stirring slightly before I moved forward and brought my leg down in an axe onto his head. He immediately slumped back into the ground.

It felt weird kicking someone without enhancing the blow with chakra. I hadn't wanted to kill him, I didn't feel like jumping that particular hurdle yet.

However it must have looked like I did to the man with the sword, and my eyes widened and I ducked as a sword passed through where my head had been just a moment before, information from one of my dispelled shadow clones dropping into my head. I crouched down like a spring then uncoiled, lashing out with my right leg aiming at his outstretched sword hand. He managed to snatch it out the way, but I brought my trailing left leg up and hooked it around the underside of his arm, forcing it upwards towards me. I twisted sharply and he let out a cry of pain, the sword dropping from his hand. He swung a fist at me but, again, I barely blocked it, holding my arm up casually and letting the chakra cushion the impact.

The force of his punch pushed me backwards slightly, and I let myself fall back with the momentum, until I was standing opposite him on both feet again. He was nursing his sword arm, staring hatefully at me.

"You're a chakra user," I noted. Barely trained, but he was too fast and strong to be a normal civilian. He spat at my feet,

"You'll get nothing from me. Why don't you kill me now like you killed the other two."

I hummed, "I'm not going to kill you, and I haven't killed your friends."

"Bullshit," he sneered, "You best do me in fast, otherwise I'm going to raise all hell on you. Once the people hear learn what you did you won't last the night."

The slight bending of my knees was all the warning he had, I surged forwards again, my punch colliding solidly in an uppercut to his abdomen. He gasped and dropped to the floor, winded, clutching at where I'd punched him.

I watched him for a moment, the initial buzz of battle fading, feeling slightly uncomfortable for the way I was handling him. The power gap was clear and it felt a bit like bullying to lash out at him like I was. I gritted my teeth, ruthlessly suppressing the feeling.

"I'm not here looking for trouble," the lie came easily to me, "I have my own goals, and I heard that there was somebody in this town who I share a common enemy with." I decided to take a chance, "The Fire Daimyo is a bastard, and Konoha are just as bad for propping him up. Just because I'm a ninja it doesn't mean I'm on board with them."

He glared up at me, still gasping, and I waited impatiently for him to regain his breath. Once he did he spoke again,

"How do I know I can trust you?"

That did make me laugh,

"I think we're past trust here. Either you point me to the man in charge, or I keep going through your buddies until someone talks. I'm not here to get in your way, I want to help you."

He didn't look happy but at the moment the first man I'd taken down groaned and he seemed to make up his mind.

"Ok, I'll take you to where he is."

He took me to what looked like a shipping yard. It was a good thing I'd found him because it was massive, it would have taken me a long time to find the place on my own. After walking quite far in we came across a small warehouse. I channelled some chakra to my ears and I could pick up the faint noises of conversation from within.

As we approached the door he grunted to me, "Wait here, I'll go and speak to him."

"Actually I think I'll stick with you if that's alright," I said pleasantly, "I get nervous when I'm alone."

He eyed me but didn't say anything as we walked up to the door together. He reached out and knocked out a short sequence. A second later the door swung open,

"Rugen! You're early! What-" the man who'd answered trailed off as he saw me standing there. I smiled politely,

"How do you do?"

"Rugen, who's your friend?" He asked uncertainly. The man, Rugen, stomped forwards,

"He's with me. He's here to see Daiichi."

Yes! I thought exultantly, He is here!

Rugen brushed past the doorman and I followed, shooting him an apologetic look.

It was dimly lit inside the warehouse, as we went through I could see crates stacked on top of each other and surprisingly few people. They spoke in quiet murmurs as we passed but didn't do anything more than shoot us a few curious looks as we passed.

Rugen led me to the back of the warehouse, where a man of average height was standing inspecting a crate. As he turned my heart began to beat quickly again.

It's Daiichi. No mistaking it.

I tried to keep my face blank as he walked up to us. Unlike the men in the alleyway, he moved with the careful precision that marked a trained ninja.

Target acquired. Now I need to get him somewhere alone.

As he approached he directed his question at Rugen,

"Who is this you've brought here Rugen?"

His voice carried a dangerous edge to it and Rugen suddenly looked extremely nervous. Ignoring him, I stepped forward and injected confidence into my voice,

"Daiichi Ishizuka. A B-Class rogue-nin with a bounty of 200,000 ryo. I've been wanting to meet you for a while."

Daiichi looked mildly pleased, he waved Rugen away casually and replied after his footsteps has receded,

"Have we met before?"

I shook my head,

"I'm here on behalf of an interested party. We want to make you an offer for your services."

Daiichi's eyes flicked up and down me and I focussed on forcing my muscles to stay relaxed. This was the tricky part, probing him to get enough information whilst also pretending I already knew about him.

I need to get him to agree to meet with me somewhere secluded, preferably out of town. It'd be best if I could catch him off-guard too…

Daiichi nodded thoughtfully, then asked,

"You know it's quite unusual for a ninja to go through civilians. I'm surprised you'd want to meet me here, like this," he tilted his head, "Why not approach me somewhere else, more secluded?"

He spoke the words lightly but it set off alarm bells in my head. Oops, I guess I have a bit more to learn about infiltration in the ninja world. He's suspicious, and he's testing me to see if I have a good explanation. But at the same time he's given me an opening to what I need.

There were a few ways I could play this. Resisting the urge to swallow I replied,

"Time was of the essence, and this location suits me fine. Is there something I should be worried about?"

Daiichi was staring at me.

He's been quiet for too long, he's not buying it! I can't fight him here with all these people around, I need something else that'll convince him...something else…

"Are you interested in the offer or not? My employers aren't known for their patience...you may have heard of them - the Akatsuki?"

Daiichi's posture stiffened, which for a ninja was the same as gaping in shock.

So you have heard of them then? I know they must have be active now because Nagato became Pain after his friend died.

"Akatsuki?" Daiichi said slowly, "I've heard rumours…you expect me to believe you represent them? An amateur like you?"

His question rankled a bit but it also showed me that I still had a lot to learn. I didn't know exactly where I'd gone wrong in approaching him directly like this but clearly to a trained ninja the signs were obvious.

I need to be more careful in future, this was a mistake that could have cost me big-time if I didn't get lucky.

"I don't expect you to believe anything, which is why my partners are waiting a short distance outside the village. Of course they felt it was best to not enter the village themselves, given their...notoriety."

There was a blur of movement and Daiichi appeared behind him, sword pressing against my neck. A bead of sweat trickled down my back as I focussed on maintaining the chakra flow to that area of the transformation. It felt like it was about to puncture from the pressure he was applying.

"If you're lying, I can take your head off with a twitch of my wrist," he hissed, "Take me to them now."

Talking whilst maintaining the concentration was difficult, "You want to go there right now?"

"Shouldn't be a problem if you're telling the truth, let's move."

Dammit, I'd hoped I'd have a bit of time to prepare. He's clearly suspicious so I shouldn't push it, for now I should be happy that he's taken the bait. Once we're out of town I can make my move.

The one thing I had going for me in this situation was that he clearly underestimated me. Which felt like something of a rookie mistake on his part, what if I was someone like Itachi and I was just pretending to be weaker?

Maybe experienced ninja can tell the difference between someone who's faking and someone who isn't? Or maybe someone as powerful as Itachi wouldn't need to pretend...must be a nice feeling.

I nodded slowly, "Ok, I'll take you there."

We'd travelled about a half hour away from the town, although my speed was severely hampered by the blade at my neck. Daiichi had stubbornly refused to move it as we travelled.

Ok, this should be far enough.

My hands were so sweaty that I was sure Daiichi couldn't have missed it. Either way he hadn't chosen to comment on it. I slowly came to a stop as I was walking.

"This is the place."

"Here?" His question came out cold. I raised my arm and pointed off in a random direction,

"Just through that clearing, you should be able to see them from here."

I sensed Daiichi shift his focus to where I was pointing and I knew it was now or never.

Commit. No time to think. Your life is on the line here.

In the split second moment that he looked I jerked my head violently down. As promised, he flicked his wrist and sent it shearing down on my head. The Henge dispersed in a violent explosion of smoke, the chakra slowing down his blade just enough that I managed to twitch my neck out of the way of a fatal injury. I spun away, droplets of blood flying from my neck, as I flashed through the seals.

"Kage Bunshin!"

The smoke pillowed out as a dozen clones sprang into existence, all leaping towards Daiichi. His face was pulled in a twisted snarl as his sword flashed around him, easily skewering the clones around him as he moved economically through them.

And now I put my training into effect, if it wasn't good enough then I die.

I formed the seal again, "Kage Bunshin!" And a dozen more clones sprung into life.

Daiichi's sword was everywhere, piercing and stabbing and slashing at the clones. A few times he put on a huge burst of speed and pierced one of the clones standing further back in the heart, trying to pick the one that he thought was the original.

However I wasn't just standing at the back, I was ducking and weaving in with the clones as I summoned them in waves. Meanwhile in the background I had devoted a couple of the clones to other tasks…

"Come out and fight me you little shit," Daiichi growled, he grabbed one clone by the neck with his free hand and squeezed until it dispersed. I grinned, the thrill of battle coursing through me despite my nerves. There was nothing quite like adrenaline and chakra coursing through you to make you feel alive, I felt supercharged.

Stage 1 - complete.

"Kage Bunshin!"

This time I summoned several dozen clones. A dozen or so immediately rushed Daiichi to engage him whilst the others hung back.

"Henge!"

There was a huge puff of smoke and after Daiichi looked up from clearing out the first dozen, there was a small army of Kabuto's standing back at him.

They all grinned simultaneously, then launched towards him.

"You think that's going to stop me? I know you're just a fucking kid, I'll teach you what happens when you decide to mess with a real ninja."

Daiichi's sword flashed out towards the nearest clone, then his eyes widened in shock as the clone bent completely out of the way of his sword. It swung at him with a heavy punch and he was a fraction too slow in guarding and he took a glancing blow to the temple.

Snarling, he made to swing again but again the clone twisted out the way. From his sides two more clones blurred into range and lashed out with matching kicks that landed like hammers on his chest and back. Jarred, Daiichi coughed and staggered, staring all around him wildly,

"What is this?"

Safe amidst the masses of my shadow clones I smiled.

This is Stage 2.

Naruto had been a great ninja but he'd never fully used the shadow clones to their full potential. He could make a literal army of them in the anime, but all he ever seemed to do with them was mob his opponent until they keeled over.

Stage 1 of my strategy was actually to do just that, to send smaller groups of shadow clones wave by wave at an opponent. They would likely be taken down quickly, as Daiichi had done at first, but each wave that went down gave me a better idea of my opponent's style, speed, strength and range. In fact after a few waves of clones it felt like I had been training with them for months and I knew their capabilities quite intimately. In this stage I favoured Lee's straightforward, powerful attacking style to force an opponent to counter attack without holding back against the clones.

Stage 2 was to move on from information gathering to wearing the opponent down by damaging them. The shadow clones dispersed too easily on their own so I had each of them apply a Henge jutsu around themselves to strengthen them. Depending on the opponent, it made them durable enough to at least take a blow or two before dispersing. I also started incorporating some of the moves I had picked up from Sasuke, switching to a high-speed style that utilised more evades and jabs, then capitalising on larger openings with some of Lee's broader, sweeping moves.

So far it was working brilliantly, as I watched my clones ducking and weaving around Daiichi and scoring several hits on him. My speed had improved by leaps and bounds since I'd started training and it was exhilarating to be able to fully cut loose on an opponent.

Daiichi plunged his sword into one of the clones, his facial expression turning from grim satisfaction to horror a moment later as the clone didn't disperse, grinning at him as it gripped the blade with its hand. A moment later three other clones blurred in and struck Daiichi with powerful punches as the one impaled by the sword dispersed, and he coughed up blood.

This was easier than I thought. Maybe I've been underselling myself, a bit more of this and he's out for the count. Maybe I should have picked a different target?

"Raiton - Tsuinboru!"

Shit.

Twin balls of lightning shot out from Daiichi and whirled around him in a circle, rotating so fast that it looked like a continuous electrical arc around him. Any clones that approached too close were swiftly dispelled as the balls shot out and ran through them, before returning to spin around Daiichi. He blurred and I felt a sudden sense of dread, I had stopped moving.

"Kawarimi!"

"You're finished!"

There was a searing pain down my side before the world twisted and warped around me. A moment later I was on all fours on the forest floor off to the side, where one of my clones earlier had laid down a handy log. The biggest downside of the Kawarimi jutsu was knowing the exact spatial location and size of the object you wanted to swap with, but with my clones that became a minor inconvenience.

"Kage Bunshin! Henge!"

Another dozen clones popped into existence around me, and this time I applied the Henge to myself as well as them.

Stupid, stupid to let my guard down.

I looked up and I saw Daiichi flashing through seals again,

"Raiton - Piasushotto!"

A straight bolt of lightning shot out from his hands and took out a few more of my clones.

Time to throw in some other tactics.

I straightened, ignoring the slick feeling of blood down my side, and formed my seal,

"Kage Bunshin!"

Four more clones popped into existence and immediately shot off into the surrounding trees.

Daiichi's sword was flashing everywhere again, trying to cut through the clones that were weaving all around him. They were trying to fight defensively now, stall him while I came up with a plan.

His ninjutsu gives him the advantage, that's what I'm missing for my Stage 3.

"Kai," I whispered, releasing one of the clones I'd just summoned. In response, the clones that were weaving around Daiichi suddenly launched themselves forward at him. Taken aback, he was a step slow in responding, bringing his sword around in a wide arc that cut them.

However, each clone channeled as much chakra as they could into the transforms, slowing his sword with each pass-through. As he finished the arc, the three clones that were in the trees body flickered forwards, both arms outstretched in front of them into two fists.

Taijutsu - double barreled cannon.

Daiichi managed to jump over one of the clones, planting his sword in the ground firmly beneath him and then using the hilt as a platform to launch himself above the second clone. However the third one had deliberately hung back, and caught him in mid-air. He managed to bring his arms up to bear to shield himself, but the shock of the impact sent him crashing backwards into the ground.

"Kage Bunshin! Henge!" I summoned another dozen clones, then exhaled deeply as my vision blurred slightly. I staggered, clutching my side with a hand that came away bloody.

I'm getting tired, I've expended too much chakra with all these high-intensity techniques and I've been bleeding from my neck and side. I need to wrap this up.

The clones surrounded Daiichi and started attacking him from all sides. Without his sword he found it harder to keep them at bay, and they were landing lots more shots than before.

"Raiton - Tsuinboro!"

"Shit," I growled as the balls spun around him again, blue light reflecting in his face. He seemed to be getting tired as well.

"You put up a better fight than I expected, but not in this world will I let a kid like you beat me."

"Say that after you've won," I shot back. Three of the clones fell back in formation with me and I braced myself.

I didn't want to but it looks like I'm going to have to use that jutsu...he's pushed me into a corner here.

To use the jutsu though I needed to have both hands on his head for a few seconds. It may not sound too long but in a fight like this a few seconds was an age.

I need to immobilise him somehow.

Daiichi blurred towards me and I shouted, "Scatter!" My clones and I flickered away in four different directions and he paused, not sure which one to go for.

"Kage Bunshin!" A clone popped into existence besides me and we both surged forwards. Daiichi gave a primal grin as he launched himself towards us, ignoring the other three clones. I was already flashing through seals though,

"Kawarimi!"

One of the lightning balls, already having shot towards me, smashed through the bark of the log, scattering splinters everywhere. Daiichi reflexively brought his hand up to shield himself, and one of the splinters caught my non-transformed clone, dispelling it in a puff of smoke. #

"Kawarimi!"

Two of my remaining transformed clones launched themselves using the Shunshin towards Daiichi, replacing themselves at the same time, resulting in two large logs being flung towards him at high speed. Again, one of the lightning balls shot out and destroyed them both, spraying chips of wood everywhere.

This is the moment.

I pumped chakra through my legs like a piston, blurring in front of Daiichi. From both sides and his back, my clones blurred into position around him.

I could see him hesitate for a moment, then he flashed through hand seals at blinding speed,

"Raiton - Ko den'atsu basuto!"

Blue lightning arcs crawled out from him like spiderwebs, dispelling the two clones on either side of him instantly. I grimmanced as I felt the lightning arc through me, the smell of burning flesh rising up in my nostrils. White-hot pain lanced through me, but just as I was about to pass out the pain stopped.

I looked up at the tip of the blade that was protruding through Daiichi's chest, coming to a stop in front of me. Behind him, my clone grinned at me.

It's...over? I won?

I sagged with relief, my vision darkening rapidly as I fell to my knees. Behind Daiichi, my clone dispersed in a puff of smoke.

I really hope...there's some kind of ambulance service….in this world…

I snorted with laughter, then regretted it instantly as pain lanced through me again. I held up a shaking hand and noted the pattern of the electrical burn marks.

Fuck, this is really painful, I thought as my eyes watered from the pain.

"As I said, not in this world will a brat like you beat me," a deep voice said maliciously.

Panic stabbed at me like a hot poker as the body of Daiichi in front of me dispersed in a shower of electrical sparks. In its stead, Daiichi stood, looking mockingly down at me.

"L-lightning clone?" I coughed out, he smiled nastily,

"Exactly."

I coughed again, blood spattering down my front, "I've….seen...better."

His hand shot out, gripping around my throat. I gasped, trying to fight against the crushing pressure, but my body was too weak, and his grip felt like an iron vice. I thrashed around, trying to strike him, but he shrugged off the blows, staring intently at me as he choked the life out of me.

No no no, I can't die here, this was meant to be my second chance! What was the point of all my training? To die to a no-name?

My vision was darkening….I could feel my arms hanging limply by my sides. I tried to will them to move but they felt so heavy….I wondered idly what would happen to my clone back in Konoha.

I wonder….if I'll wake up again….I closed my eyes, or was it just that I could no longer see? I'm sorry I let you down...whoever gave me this chance.

There was a deep, ominous chuckling sound.

"Do you want me to lend it to you? My power?"

Chakra surged through me and I gasped, my eyes forced wide open. It felt like I'd been struck by a bolt of lightning. Strength and power flowed through me, and when I looked into Daiichi's eyes I could see his sudden fear, I could taste it.

He released his grip, pulling his arm back but my hand flashed out and I grabbed his forearm in a crushing grip. Grinning, I slowly squeezed.

Daiichi screamed in my face, trying to push away from me. I could hear the bones snapping underneath my grip, feel each crack as I increased the pressure inexorably.

"What did I tell you?" My voice sounded deeper, more feral. I licked my lips, I'd never felt more alive! I could feel my blood pumping relentlessly through my body, my muscles swelling and bulging with delicious power. It coursed through me, red and vicious, and I delighted in the ease with which I brought Daiichi to heel.

"Only speak after you've won."

"R-raiton - Inazuma," he panted, forming seals with his left hand. His hand lit up with a brilliant, white light that forced me to release my grip as I shielded my eyes. I heard him leap backwards and speak again,

"Raiton-"

"No."

I launched myself forwards towards his voice, the ground cracking underneath me from the force of my foot. I grabbed his head with both of my hands and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Genjutsu - Eternal Night."

Daiichi woke screaming.

He'd been trapped, trapped in a nightmare. For how long he couldn't say, perhaps it had been hours, or days, or maybe it had just been seconds. He had no sense of time in that awful place; that place where he could see nothing, feel nothing, sense nothing. He hadn't even been able to feel his own body, he had just been adrift in a void of unending blackness.

The tears felt wet on his cheeks as he looked up, greedily drinking in his surroundings. The chill air on his skin, the pain in his right arm, the bright light that assailed his eyes. He let out a choked sob, nothing had ever seemed more beautiful in his life.

There was a muffled noise to his side and his head snapped round. The boy, no, that monster! The monster was standing right there in front of him! It was staring at him, with blue eyes tinged with red. It walked towards him, shredded clothes hanging off of it, its eyes transfixed on his.

Daiichi shrank into himself, only now realising he was tightly bound to a tree. He let out a small whimper as it walked towards him, hating himself for it all the while.

"Please," he whispered, "Don't send me there again. I'll do whatever you want, just-" his voice cracked. It stopped and seemed to look at him appraisingly, its face oddly blank.

"Kage Bunshin," it said quietly, either side of Daiichi two clones sprang into existence. The ropes prevented him from turning his head all the way but he felt them place their hands on his head. His skin crawled at their touch.

"If you make any attempt to escape, it'll take less than 2 seconds for my clones to send you back to that place," It said, "I'll let you go if you agree to help me with something."

Daiichi tried to nod, "Whatever you want I'll help with, just don't become that thing again, or send me back to that…..place," he couldn't bring himself to describe it, to make it real again.

The monster had a strange expression on its face, but it nodded slowly.

"What I want...is for you to teach me how to mould lightning chakra."