Naruto: Mind over matter

-one month later-

Amighty now has metal plating and Yamato-sensei is finally relieved at not having to reshape it anymore, I should be able to refit any new metal plates for repairs at a later date by myself.

The poison? Yeah that's locked and loaded, I have all the necessary ingredients in my garden now- made sure to buy many seals just so someone didn't accidentally inhale something bad in there. The Almighty now has a considerable poison that makes one slow and tired, meaning that It is an actual valuable and useful part of Almighty.

That also means that Anchor is up next for upgrades and I have a few idea-

*slam*

"Sasuke is in the hospital! His curse mark just went haywire and started eating him alive!" Naruto slams my door open as I am making tea and I drop everything and run with him to the hospital.

When we arrive we can see a whole dedicated team with Lady and Sakura at the helm trying to keep Sasuke alive, Anko and a few people from R&D are here as well trying to seal the curse mark.

Me and Naruto can only watch from the outside in hopes that he makes it.

---

Pov: Sasuke Uchiha

I am currently in my mindscape and the black snake that hangs from my ceiling like wires is growing longer and longer, the snake has begun to eat at the wooden hall and take chunks of my mind with it.

I imagine my Tanto and brandish it before slashing at the snake, attempting to kill it.

And like usual, I am unable to make a dent. But the snake changes targets from the floor to me, I make a split second decision and Jump out the hallway into the great lake just outside.

I land with a splash and start rolling on the water like it was concrete, I flip into a standing position before jumping backwards as the snake launches out the hallway and at me, its head splashes into the water and it rises to attack again.

I continue to jog backwards and I attempt to jump and chidori the water, in hopes of frying the snake.

*chirp* *splash*

It of course is unaffected and leaps out from the surface of the water and slithers across it as if it were a jab- one quick punch the snakes head flies faster than ever and it manages to bite my ankle.

I shake it off and sprint away... the bite felt wet, and not water wet either, like a thicker substance... ink? Ink.

The snake is made of ink, is there any known weakness to ink that is very bad for it...? If there is I have no clue.

It clearly is a physical form and is unaffected by the water... its not actual ink, it is a representation of the curse seal, but nit my interpretation- its Oorochimaru imbuing his will into my mind, yes, I can see it now- feel it. His chakra is trying to invade my reserves and take over my body, that is a fragment of his soul.

What can kill a soul? I feel like Riku would know... but he is not here.

I look towards the wooden hallway, which is actually a wooden house on the water, made to look exactly like my family home.

The snake lunges and lunges again as I wonder... I might have the answer but I am in need of Ino's help, I disappear from my mindscape and I exit into tremendous pain.

I grit my teeth and I hold my knuckles so tightly my hand goes white.

"Get... Ino... Enter Mindscape... Snake eating me"

I black out from the pain and re enter my mindscape, the snake who bites into a rooftile and swallows it looks back at me, it seems the primary target has returned.

I leap away as it shunts violently from the roof and launches itself frantically at me.

---

Pov: Ino

I have just been called to the hospital and after hearing that Sasuke is need of my help I run as fast as possible, skipping the stairs me and the messenger flicker to the upstairs windows and jump through into the hallway, we find Sasuke's room and I walk in.

"What do you need me for?" I ask without hesitation.

"Wanted you to enter his mindscape, something about a snake eating him, get to it quick and makes sure to be careful and not touch any of his chakra near his neck, heart or upper back" Sakura responds and I nod my head seriously before gathering chakra and moulding it into the right shapes- I use a set of hand signs to help and I am suddenly dragged from my body.

My mind rushes into Sasuke's and I am greeted by a partially destroyed wooden house and a great lake with his mangyeko sharingan in the sky.

"Ino!- Snake is the curse mark! We need to remove it!"

I watch the black snake elongate and snap at Sasuke who seems to only have one leg at the moment.

"How!?" I respond with a yell.

"I have an idea! Go into the first door and find a black and red book with the Uchiha symbol on it! Make sure it has chains binding it shut!" He yells back and I nod my head before opening the first door on my left and being greeted by a library.

I launch into the bookshelves trying to find the correct book, shelf by shelf, the number of books dwindle and after a total of ten minutes and on the twenty second shelf I find the book.

Rushing out with it I scream to Sasuke.

"I got it!"

"Open it and aim at the snake!" I look at the book and try to grip at the chains but it wont come off.

"It wont work! The chains bind it shut!"

"... tch- plan B! Throw it at the snakes mouth when it goes to bite me!" I do as he says and I wait for the right opportunity... Sasuke creates one by running towards me and slowing down enough for the snake to attempt a lunge, he suddenly jumps up and I throw the book with all my might!

*fwoosh* *chomp!*

The book lands in its clutches and Sasuke lands next to me and watches the snake tussle and try to break the book open in an attempt to eat it.

*snap*

The chains snap and Sasuke lunges at the snake and pries the book from its mouth, it takes the chance to bit Sasuke's neck and it succeeds... Sasuke starts to fall backwards and goes prone on the water, the snake rises and loosens its jaw ready to devour his self.

Sasuke instead of running or dodging flips through the book at an astonishing speed and struggles to open it, he then rips out a page and when the snake lunges at him he flashes the paper in front of its eyes- the snake stops as if suddenly being turned into a statue.

"What was that?" I ask.

"My repressed memory of getting put into the tsukoyomi, we have three days till the snake starts moving again... till I am eaten by the underdeveloped curse mark"

"Okay... what do we do with that time"

"..."

"Sasuke?"

"I don't know, but we have it now... go outside and let everyone know, Lady Tsunade might have some idea of what next"

I nod and leave the mind instantly, every second counts... I awake in my body and speak to the group, telling them the situation and its details.

---

Pov: Tsunade

This isn't something I can do... there may be a medical way to remove this mark but I don't have that information- even if I did it would take time to learn it...

"Call team Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, Kakashi and Yamato & Anko to my office I will give a debrief on your next mission, Anbu panther send for Jiraiya as soon as possible"

I start speed walking to my office and the teams necessary run out of the hospital to get there equipment, Riku however follows behind me as Jewel is probably grabbing his stuff.

We enter into my office and I ask Shizune to grab as many of the files compiled by Jiraiyas recent messages as possible, I wait and in ten minutes every team is here and the leaders are helping me go through the documents, we have Shikamaru and Riku helping as well.

Any more and there would be too many chefs in the kitchen.

*slam*

Jiraiya kicks the door down.

"I just left like twenty minutes ago Hime, why are you calling me back?"

"Pervy sage you where here?"

"Yeah, yeah, only for a an hour though, I have to get to the land of rivers in a day or two- you didn't call me for something personal~ did you H-"

Tsunade interrupts Jiraiya before he can say something ridiculous.

"We need all the information you have in Oorochimaru's bases and sightings, Sasuke has three days to live before his curse mark devours him"

Jiraiya dons a rare serious expression before frowning and speaking.

"Nothing you don't already have, but Oorochimaru wants the boy and he will not let him just die... he will be waiting for us at one of the bases we know... there is nine possible locations"

"We don't have the time to scout them one by one... we will split the teams, we only have three days" Asuma adds.

"Even if we split the teams into the original five we still need four more, and team seven is down a member" Shikamaru also adds.

"Five of them are closer together, if we split the teams further we can have scouts that rally the rest when we find the target"

"What about the other four?"

"Send the heavy hitters and try our luck"

"Okay, gather around the table, I will be placing your names on the bases you will scout out"

---

Base one: Shino and Choji.

Base two: Kiba, Shikamaru and Ino.

Base three: Hinata and Kurenai.

Base: four: Sakura and Asuma.

Base five: Anko, Sai and Wakana.

--- ungrouped bases below ---

Base six: Gai and tenten.

Base seven: Neji and Lee.

Base eight: Yamato, Kakashi and Naruto.

Base nine: Riku and Jiraiya.

---

"Me and the kid?" Jiraiya asks.

"This is luck based- I'm sending you with the highest chance of finding him we got, Yamato and Kakashi need to go with Naruto and the rest are an easy split between the teams, if anyone has any complaints or has better teams in mind let me know now"

No one speaks up and Tsunade nods her head before giving everyone the related documents for there base, we head all head off for the gates immedietly and after showing our mission statements and headbands we rush off into the forests of Konoha, four teams heading in seperate ways while the other five sprint east.

Me and Jiraiya are heading north.

As we run Jiraiya glances over to me and asks a question.

"We haven't talked that much"

"You were there when selecting my fiancé and when Sasuke ran after his brother... huh, we haven't at all"

"You faced Oorochimaru before have you not? Its the big thing in your rumours, having faced Oorochimaru alone and without your arms?"

"I am certain you know that story is exaggerated"

"But the truth is just as impressive, if we do meet him and get into combat- I will keep him busy as you deal with any tricks he has prepared, allies, summons and if it is seal work leave them to me- take this toad and keep it on you at all times"

He places a toad on my shoulder and I nod to him and the toad, the toad nods back and crawls into my shirt... guess he will sit in there...

"We have the furthest base, it will take two days to get there and I will reverse summon us back, alternatively we can jump on that wolf of yours or we can see if any toads are willing to give us a lift... that might attract Oorochimaru away from us and to a weaker team however- he will get a better deal if he doesn't deal with me"

"Jaunt is only fit for one I am afraid"

"That's fine, I will reverse summon myself with the toad, I should be able to keep up enough to stay in range of that at least"

I nod and [Summoning Jutsu]! A wolf appears and I jump on him, Jaunt speeds up and takes me down the road, I turn back to the slowly depleting figure of Jiraiya... very slowly. He is fast for an old guy.

I pass through the forests of Konoha and I travel down the road north, I pass many merchants and travellers only taking brief breaks along the way, eventually the sky changes from a light blue to dark, with a moon and various shining dots above.

I camp for four hours and power nap- making sure that I am rested enough to keep travelling and maintain power through any encounter I may face.

I travel for the next half a day and arrive at the town an hours run from the base, I pull out the toad and place it on the ground before I tap it once... twice...

"Wait how do I tell him to reverse summon?"

"You could just ask" the toad responds.

"... you can talk?"

"Yeah"

"The more you know, huh"

"Want me to reverse summon him?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!"

*puff*

The toad disappears and is replaced by Jiraiya who was leaning forward and gracefully falls flat on his face. I watch his book fall out of his hand and it depicts two people in a very intimate position.

I raise my eyebrow as Jiraiya gets up and pats himself off.

"Are we close?"

"We going to ignore what you were doing?"

"Yes"

"Then the answer is the same, an hour that way"

I point north-east of the town and Jiraiya nods his head.

"Then lets get prepared, you need any rest or water before the fight?"

I shake my head and Jiraiya starts checking over his ninja tools and scrolls, making sure his bracers and such fit snugly, I do the same and button up my vest fully, it is a full button vest kind of day.

We walk into the creepy woods and rush to the location, an hour later and we stop before a cave mouth... its always a cave mouth with this snake guy...

We enter into the darkness, the toad sage taking the lead.

---

-half a day later-

Pov: Yamato

We arrive at the hole that drops into the ground, supposedly a base that is around a hundred meters deep, hopefully not a trap.

"You sure this is it? It looks just like a normal hole?... that goes way too deep" Naruto says, a little creeped out.

"Yes Naruto, now lets head in one at a time and climb the walls, I will go first then you Naruto and finally Yamato" Kakashi-senpai tells Naruto before jumping in the hole.

"Alright..." Naruto grumbles.

"Go on, I will be right after you"

Naruto nods and jumps down, before stabbing a Kunai into the wall and slowing his descent, I jump in and do the same.

After five minutes of slow falling we all land in a giant dome like stone room with tunnels leading out in every direction... luckily, or unluckily we don't need to go any further, as Oorochimaru stands in front of us and stares intently.

"Brought me the nine tails did you? I don't have any current interest in it, but maybe down the line..." the sannin licks his lips and lowers his eyes.

Naruto- the worst person to bring to bargain with the sannin shouts.

"Remove Sasuke's curse mark!"

"Oh? Is he dying? Shame... quite liked that boy.." the sannin responds sarcastically.

"You-" Naruto goes to yell but Kakashi cuts him off.

"What do you want Oorochimaru" Kakshi says coldly and lowers his eyes.

"Beating around the bush...? I suppose we can cut to the deal part.." he then chuckles a laugh that makes my skin crawl.

"State your terms" Kakashi declares.

"Fine. I will remove the curse mark on Sasuke... but in return I require two things... Riku's blood, enough to fill this canister, I will collect my payment before I remove Sasuke's curse..." He throws a small tube of metal about the size of my forearm... that's a lot of blood.

"RIKU!? WHY-" Naruto's whiskers sharpen and Kakashi covers his mouth before asking his next question.

"And the second thing?"

"One of his split selves to co-operate with my tests... I heard that he can 'disconnect' and all I want is a rock with his mind in it..."

"We agree" I say, gaining a curious glint from the sannin.

"So quick? Perhaps Riku will not like this deal we have struck..." the snake asks with curiosity shamelessly pouring from his face.

"Riku would give his entire being to save another... " the snake frowns as I state that.

"Then lets go see him... Jiraiya is running here as we speak after all"

The three of us frown at that... they found him here? Weren't they supposed to be at the northern base? Why did they come here?

"He will be here soon... let us rise to meet them" the snakes arms squirm as a tattoo moves and shuffles before [Summoning Jutsu]! A giant snake slams through the ceiling and rushes to the surface.

The three of us climb through the hole and after five minutes we reach the top and see that the giant snake is waiting and with Oorochimaru resting on top.

We look to our left and see Jiraiya has arrived.

He looks out of breath and covered in sweat, I see that he ran all the way here... thats a half day trip from the base they were at...

I look to Oorochimaru and wait to see what happens.

"Where is Riku?" Naruto asks and Jiraiya frowns... oh no.

---