Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 240 SAFE

I ran through the camp. Moving passed people as I gained speed. Chakra in every part of my body I thought on the girls. They were far enough away that I couldn’t feel them from this distance, but there was something. An idea of a direction that I had to go to reach them. 

Distracted, I hadn’t felt it before. I’d beat myself up later not understanding this quirk fully before I risked this. Only an hour had passed since I sent the clones out but 1 had gone at top speed straight North. I’d have to do the same. 

I left the large clearing where the Konoha people had been staying at. Jumping up to a tree it was apparently the only way to travel in Naruto World. My chakra pushing me further, I was clearing 2 to 3 trees as I jumped to each branch. 

My mind focused, this wasn’t the time to dawdle as I ate away the miles. I reviewed what I knew of Orochimaru as I did. I was honestly curious if he was actually dead. From what I remembered, Orochimaru had escaped the cursed seal from Sasuke, and attacked Itachi during the brotherly spat. 

I was pretty sure Itachi had extended the fight to make that happen, thus freeing Sasuke from Orochimaru. Then he absorbed Orochimaru into a sword or something? Orochimaru made an appearance later when the dead Itachi came back to life, I knew that much. 

Orochimaru had also left fail safes in Kabuto. His will trying to take over Kabuto’s body, Kabuto had fought back. Having his own will for the first time in his life. I couldn’t remember what happened to Kabuto in canon, but I knew he had to go. 

The man was a medical ninja genius. I’d have to stay away from his hands. He could probably use all of Orochimaru’s attacks as well. Summoning the dead. That snake/sword attack. The Rashomon gates. 

Itachi had beaten Orochimaru with a Genjutsu though. I had trapped Sasuke in a Genjutsu as well. Granted he probably could have escaped given more time, but still. 

“Shit, he has the girls,” I mumbled. He probably knew the trick to Lust Element already. He most likely knew of the Makuramoto too, so catching him off guard with a Genjutsu wasn’t an option. 

“Quirk, Haki, Nen, and Devil Fruit, it is.” I would have to stick with those 4 skills. I could channel chakra into my body for strength, maybe add some shadow clones. But to really catch him off guard I had to kill him quick and clean. 

I came within a certain distance of the girls and felt them pulse in front of me from my quirk. I felt Reina, Nina, and Shinju. All weak but there. I did not feel Tayuya. I hoped that meant she was fine, but a few I had met during the Hunter Exam had died and they felt the same way. Simply gone from my Search quirk. 

I sped up more. Worried that the killing had already started. A green blur of leaves on either side of me, I moved faster than ever as my muscles propelled me forward to save those I cared for most in the world. 

I had a little less than 10 hours left to save them when I arrived close to where they were. The area was a large valley with lots of boulders and stone outcroppings all around me. I had no time to wait to find them. 

Finding the closest spot to the girls  they were only about 12 feet under me. I walked a little away and closed my eyes. 

My Tremor Devil Fruit had been hard to grasp at first. Like my quirk it was a special part of me that I couldn’t explain. There was no special energy inside me that I could manipulate to use it. There was simply a strength that my body instinctively knew how to bring out. 

I latched onto the part of my mind that could control it. Ready to break everything in sight. The air around me vibrated as it began to build up. Branches from trees rattling. Tiny pebbles breaking away from boulders fell away as energy filled the air. The ground at my feet began to quake slightly. 

I let it build up more and more until I was stopped as someone yelled, “Weston!” 

I turned to see Hinata coming up from behind me. I internally cursed as I dropped the power. Unsure what to do, I didn’t need this distraction. I had been too focused on the girls and hadn’t bothered looking for anyone else I knew with my quirk. Since I hadn’t bothered to meet Kabuto I wasn’t able to focus on him, I was paying for it now.  

“What are you doing here?” I asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice. 

“I-I was coming to talk to you,” she said, stopping a few paces away. “I saw you run and…followed.”

“Well stay close,” I said. “No time to explain. I have to save my maids.”

“I heard. I’ll do any-“ I raised my hand, cutting her off. 

Bringing the power back up the tremors started around me. I roared and hit the ground hard. As I did the Earth shattered underneath me in a huge rift. The power of the Tremor Devil Fruit was legendary for a reason. I hadn’t grasped the full strength of it. For now I could do major tremors, but I knew Whitebeard could literally destroy islands with it. Cause tsunamis, fight with it somehow. It was an awesome power that I needed to master, but that could happen later.  

I didn’t stop hitting the ground. Yelling again and again as I hit the same spot. Each time, the rocks below cracked and split. With one final blow the ground split fully apart. The Earth rending in half 2 sides pried open revealing a hallway underneath me. 

Jumping down I landed on a tiled floor. I used my Haki to the max as I felt all the Spiritual Energy around me. Hinata hesitated but followed. The area was dark, but enough for my eyes to see as I moved toward where I felt the girls. Dark halls split off from where I was, leading to doors in whatever the hell this underground hideout was. 

I knew that Orochimaru had been obsessed with learning all the jutsus in the world. The 3rd Hokage himself chased the creepy snake man away after finding a secret hideout where Orochimaru conducted experiments on Konoha villagers. I really wanted to know how many of these hideouts he had spread across the area. They could be useful for my own future plans in Naruto World. 

The girls drew ever closer as I kicked in a door. Finding another large room there was a door opposite me with a bright light illuminated behind it. Whatever was going on, Kabuto had electricity at least. 

Rushing forward I kicked in the door with all I had. A metal bar groaned and gave way behind it. I moved in to find an operating room. White tiled floor, there were bright lights above me as they focused on a body strapped to a table. I recognized the body as Reina. 

“Weston!” Someone yelled from the side but my eyes were only for my head-maid. 

She was cut up from torso to neck. As if I had interrupted mid-surgery the middle of her abdomen was cut down the center and pried open. I didn’t have the heart to look at the gore revealed inside of her. I moved on instinct. Feeling a slight pulse I released the surgical tools keeping her insides up. Moving the skin together I didn’t hesitate to use my trump card. 

“Reina,” I whispered. The screen disappeared. At first nothing happened, but then she was coated in a white light. The light was so bright it was blinding. Encompassing her body so brightly that I couldn’t watch. For 3 long seconds the light radiated out from her then dimmed. I opened my eyes to see her all back together again. No blemish or mark on her. 

My hand moved to her neck, feeling a strong pulse already. I let out a long sigh as her eyes fluttered. It took her a moment to get her bearings. As she did so I leaned over her face. 

“Did I die?” She mumbled. 

“No, you’re alive,” I said. A tear leaked out of her eye. Sobbing she grabbed onto me, babbling as I pulled her up. 

“He killed her! It was so awful. And and he kept trying drugs on us. I don’t know what’s going on,” were the only sentences I could understand as she continued on. I patted her back, picking her up in a princess carry as I let her continue on. 

Scanning the room I noticed Hina and Shinju in a cage against the wall. The girls stared at me wide eyed as I approached them. Both were nude. Some marks on their bodies as well I guessed that they were next on the docket for being tested on. I moved to the door of their cage. My hand heating up I pushed it into the lock, melting it with ease as the cheap metal turned to liquid. 

“Weston!” Hina yelled, her eyes wide as she grabbed onto me. Reina between us I patted her back as well. Dropping Reina’s legs she didn’t release me. I had to pry her hands away. She reluctantly let it happen. Her big eyes still filled with tears, her mouth was scrunched up as she held back sobs. 

“I am here. You are safe,” I assured over and over. She bit her lip to prevent her from sobbing more, but nodded. I pulled out Gantz suits from my Status Screen. “Put these on. Then we leave.” Reina gripped my shoulders but slowly released me. Her hands shaking as the girls began to put on the tight black suits. 

“Walk me through what happened,” I ordered. 

“It was awful-” Reina said. 

“You, calm down and dress,” I ordered. She was still blabbering with every other word. I turned to Shinju. The ever bored looking maid nodded. 

“We evacuated the city with the others,” she said in a calm tone, but I could tell she was hurting from whatever had been done to her. Moving slowly as she put the clothes on my rage boiled more as I pictured what I would do to Kabuto. “Everything was fine for a day, but then we were all knocked out. We didn’t come to until a couple of days ago, but by then…Tayuya was dead.”

“How?” 

“That white snake guy had no interest in her,” Hina said. “She had come to and tried to break us out. That’s when he killed her.”

I nodded slowly. Letting out a sigh, it was upsetting. I felt bad for questioning Tayuya, but also I was happy that it was her and not one of the others. From how it sounded, the girls had been in danger no matter what. I was going to have to rethink some things, but I would get revenge for Tayuya as well. Following Orochimaru, this was most likely the only path set for her. At least that was what I told myself. A small part of me knew that I had brought her down this path, but I pushed that part away. 

“Let’s go,” I said, making a shadow clone. 

“What are you doing?” Hina asked as she stepped out of the cage. 

“You’re going with Hinata and my shadow clone,” I said, pointing to the door. 

“No! Weston-” Reina said as she moved to me. I grabbed onto her, hugging her as she stopped talking. 

“It will be alright,” I promised. “No one does this to those I love and lives. Trust me.” 

“You can’t-” 

“I can,” I promised. “And in the off chance I can’t, then I will run.”

She chewed her lip but my shadow clone grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Hina and Shinju hesitated but followed. Hinata still stood at the door as the trio and my clone moved out. 

“I should stay with you,” Hinata said after a moment of hesitation. 

“I would prefer you didn’t,” I admitted.

“I am a ninja, just like you,” she said, more firm with her words than I expected. In all honesty I had forgotten that she was. Chewing my lip I didn’t want to risk her either. I could tell she was confused, and most likely saw that there was something between my maids and I. However, right then she was a Chuunin. Ready to help protect the village at any time. 

I didn’t like it, but nodded anyway. The room was a dead end. Heading out we went back to the main hall. My clone was already running the girls down the hall to where light leaked in from the crack I had made in the ground. Hinata and I headed in the opposite direction. Coming to an intersection I made 3 clones and we headed off in different directions.