N&H Uzumaki

Inside the Barrier

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Bee roared as he successfully punched Tobirama into his brother.

"Fool ya fool! Trappin' my brotha and the old man ain't cool!

Your barrier's weak, Lady's fire is peak!

Your zombie Hokage? They ain't even sleek!

The AB Combo's gonna kick your ass—

Turn your head into awesome cash!

Fool-ochimaru! Pedochimaru! YEAH!"

"Bee-san, take care of Tobirama-sama while I punish my traitorous student!

A-dono, be careful with Lord First's Mokuton. It can suppress your brother's Bijū chakra," said Sarutobi, spinning Enma in staff form.

Without waiting any longer, the AB Combo launched into action, dashing toward the Edo Tensei zombies and engaging them in a brutal taijutsu brawl. With Lightning Armor and Bee's Bijū cloak, they tore their opponents apart—only for them to regenerate instantly. Thankfully, these resurrected Hokage were mere shadows of their true selves.

A dodged a Mokuton barrage and caught Hashirama off-guard, grabbing him and executing a devastating Nintaijutsu: Liger Bomb. The impact sent both reanimated Hokage crashing into the ground in a lightning-charged explosion. As the zombies began to reform inside a smoking crater, the Kumo brothers regrouped and planned their next move.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was having a harder time than expected battling his old sensei. Hiruzen Sarutobi was still absurdly strong for his age—and "strong" for Hiruzen meant monstrous strength. Orochimaru wasn't foolish; even if he believed he had surpassed the old monkey, Sarutobi was still a formidable force. His plan to use the other Hokage for assistance—and demoralization—was falling apart.

"Sssshit! Those brutessss weren't ssssupposed to help you, Sarutobi! How are you ssstill this physically strong in your late yearssss?!" Orochimaru hissed in frustration.

"It doessssn't matter what you do, Sarutobi-sssensei. I am immortal! The Leaf will burn! I've made arrangements to ensure it! Kukukuku! You're old and ugly—while I… I'll remain young and beautiful forever!"

"So… you really completed that monstrosity of a jutsu?" Hiruzen muttered, eyes downcast.

"I should have ended you years ago…"

"Hiruzen! Now is not the time for regret! Pull yourself together and let's end this mistake!" roared Enma, still in staff form.

"Do not worry, old friend.

I AM HIRUZEN SARUTOBI! Sandaime Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!

You dared to attack my home, to threaten my people! I may be old… I may not survive this… but I don't care! I will fall defending the Will of Fire! And if I must—I'll take you with me!"**

With a furious cry, Hiruzen surged forward, swinging Enma with unrelenting force. Orochimaru tried to maintain distance with the Kusanagi blade, but each time he parried a blow from the adamantine staff, his grip nearly gave out. Sarutobi managed to slip a punch through, sending the Snake Sannin crashing backward.

"Check that dude—sure, he's old.

But those hooks? Man, they're gold!

Yeeeah!" Bee rapped, dodging a sudden Water Release: Waterfall Impact attack.

The geysers that rose around Tobirama backfired as Bee electrified them with his lightning chakra.

"BEE! It's time to step up our game! Ready?"

"You know it, bro!"

Both brothers increased the output of their chakra: Bee entered his second-level cloak, four tails flaring. Together they roared:

"LARIAT!!!"

Tobirama's body was decapitated and dismembered, his head and arms torn away. In a flash, Hashirama raised a wooden wall to buy his brother time to regenerate.

"Nintaijutsu: Full Body Tackle!"

A smashed through the barrier like a cannonball. Bee leapt through the opening and quickly drew a seal using Gyūki's ink.

"Bijū Ink: Paralysis Seal!"

"Thank you, young man. I hope your seal holds long enough," Tobirama muttered.

"Don't worry, yo! This is Bijū ink—

Stronger than chain, it won't ever sink! YEAH!"

Bee returned to his base form, then launched into another rap:

"I seal with ink the old Kage Tobirama,

I'd use a Bijuudama, but I got more drama.

I got a plan for famous Hashirama—OH YEAH!

I'm more than Bijū, I'm Jinchūriki!

I bring the skills, don't need no clique!

I rock headbands like bandanas,

Now feel the bite of my eight katanas!

You're in for the worst beatin' you ever had,

'Cause Killer Bee's gonna make you real sad! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Taking two swords, Bee charged forward with a mighty war cry. A struck Hashirama midair, launching him upward. Bee took the opportunity to leap up a tree, positioning himself under the airborne First Hokage.

"Be careful, young warrior! Wood Release: Wood Ram!"

Hashirama slapped the tree beneath him, creating a massive wooden ram with a bull's head that launched straight at Bee.

Bee grinned, caught a sword in his mouth, and launched himself forward by springing off the ram's horns. He delivered a double aerial kick, blocked by Hashirama—only for A to follow up with a devastating tackle.

"Mokuton: Bamboo Spears!"

Spikes erupted from the floor, targeting A, but Bee intercepted. He grabbed one sword in his free hand, and another with his leg behind the knee. Spinning, he shredded the wooden spears with ease.

"Fly like a butterfly, sting like a Bee—

Eight blades and the Eight Tails make me Killer Bee!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

He threw four blades at the reanimating Hokage, then charged again, drawing the other four mid-run. The brothers coordinated their strikes to overwhelm Hashirama before he could fully regenerate. Even at reduced strength, the First Hokage was still a terrifying opponent. But his loyalty to Konoha and refusal to harm its protectors slowed him. If Orochimaru suppressed his mind to increase combat effectiveness, he risked getting sealed. It left Orochimaru alone to face the Monkey King.

"Orochimaru… you're a fool," the Professor declared.

"You performed abominable experiments to learn every jutsu in the world. Yet I, without such cruelty, mastered all within this village—except those tied to bloodlines. I let you escape because I was sentimental…

But you dared to bring war to our gates. You never learned the true lesson, Orochimaru.

So allow me to give you a final masterclass:

NEVER underestimate your opponent.

You think you can defeat me?

I—Sarutobi Hiruzen—the God of Shinobi?

Very well.

I'll show you why I was chosen as the Third Hokage."**

A fierce fire ignited in his eyes.

"I may be old… but that just means I have more experience.

The strength I've gathered—

Is the will of the people who believe in me.

The power of my comrades, my students, my allies."

The old Hokage drew a seal on his chest and swallowed a strange chakra pill.

"Seal of the Monkey King!

Power of the Uzumaki!

Force of the Akimichi!

Fury of the Inuzuka!

Now… prepare yourself, Orochimaru!"**

Hiruzen's body began shaking and the old man crouched down. For a moment, Orochimaru wondered if the jutsu had backfired. But when the Third Hokage rose, his face was feral—monkey-like fangs bared from his lips. Not only that, his feet had burst out of his sandals, now hairy and beastly. The old man grinned before howling and thumping his chest vigorously.

"What issss that, Sarutobi-sssensssei? Have you gone sssenile at lassst?"

"Fool. This is the power of my people! With their permission, I developed jutsu similar to those of the clans of this village. Ready for the afterlife?" growled the Hokage, his voice deep and animalistic.

Fast as lightning, the monkey-man launched at his former pupil, slamming his staff into Orochimaru's chest. The snake Sannin felt his insides rupture, bones cracking under the blow. He immediately shed his skin to escape fatal injury.

"Ojojojojojojo! Tell me, little snake… how many times can you do that before you run out of chakra?"

Orochimaru retaliated with his sword, but Hiruzen parried the strikes and punched him several meters away.

"This is from the Uzumaki and Senju clans! Secret jutsu: Fuuma Shuriken Shadow Clone!"

The monkey unsealed two giant Fuuma shuriken and hurled them using his hand-like feet while swinging from a tree branch. Both massive weapons split into a hailstorm of razor-sharp metal.

Orochimaru burned a huge chunk of chakra on an extra-thick Earth Release: Mud Wall, but the wind-empowered shuriken passed through it like paper. The old shinobi didn't let him recover, engaging again in vicious close combat.

"Ssssupid old basstard! Die already! Secret jutsu: Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Dozens of snakes erupted from Orochimaru's sleeves, but they were incinerated by the Hokage's Fire Release: Great Fireball—an Uchiha-like technique in both scale and heat.

Sarutobi charged in, spinning his staff, feinting Orochimaru, and catching him off guard. Enma returned to monkey form, chopped the traitor's wrist to make him drop his sword, then headbutted him. Grabbing Orochimaru's shoulders, the summon launched himself behind him and double-kicked his back. The snake Sannin now found himself caught between the enraged Monkey King and his angrier summoner.

"Uoh! Uoh! Uooooooh!" howled Hiruzen, lost in primal rage, as he and Enma rained down a storm of brutal taijutsu.

"You always disrespected taijutsu… Let's see how you cast your precious jutsu now!" roared Sarutobi as he caught one of Orochimaru's hands with a hand-like foot and began pounding his face without mercy.

Orochimaru managed to use substitution and launched a Fire Release: Fire Dragon, but it was completely drowned out by Water Release: Inverted Waterfall Torrent, which erupted from the ground as a massive column of water. Before he could recover, Enma appeared behind him and struck with Earth Release: Ascending Stone Fist, a man-sized rocky fist smashing into the Sannin's spine and ribs from behind. Orochimaru was forced to shed his skin again.

"Yo bro, what a twist! The snake is getting the angry fist! Old man the Hokage sure it is—yeah!"

"Oh, you like to rhyme? I don't recognize the style, but I used to write poetry when I was alive… Sadly, people tended to look down on my skills," lamented Hashirama.

"DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM!" shouted A and Tobirama in unison, making the others sweat-drop.

"Anyways, what a frightening old man the Hokage turned out to be!" said the impressed Raikage. "He may be past his prime, but those seals helping him mimic the clans' jutsu really give him an edge."

"Sarutobi wasn't the most powerful candidate to be the Third," said the Nidaime, a rare glint of pride in his eyes. "But I chose him because of his morals and creativity. When he couldn't do something the conventional way, he found a way to cheat and achieve the same result—like now, using basics from the Akimichi and Inuzuka to compensate for his age."

Back on the battlefield.

Orochimaru was being pushed harder by the minute.

"For all your clever tactics, this one was your worst. Trapped in your own cage, cut off from your summons and pawns… Je je je. You've always been too cocky."

"Ninja Art: Great Punishment of the Monkey King!" shouted Hiruzen, throwing Enma—transformed into a staff—like a javelin. Orochimaru tried to dodge, but the weapon curved midair, impaling him through the stomach.

He tried to puke himself out—but failed.

"What issss thisss? I can't sssscape! Why'sss it not working? Unlessss… Genjutsu?!"

Orochimaru broke the illusion and the scene shifted. There was no staff—just Hiruzen, wild and furious, driving clawed fingers into his stomach as a seal bloomed across his navel.

"Yes, Genjutsu. To think you were once my best student, and yet I caught you with such a basic trick... Prepare yourself. It's time for some well-deserved punishment."

"With this seal, I trap you. With the power of the Aburame and Nara, I bind you. You're not escaping. Chakra-Binding Shadow Seal—ENMA, NOW!"

Enma grabbed Orochimaru as the old man laid into him with fists and fury.

"Uoh! Uoh! Uoooooh!" Sarutobi roared while punching, kicking, and clawing Orochimaru. The Sannin tried to flee via Shunshin and Kawarimi, but the seal anchored him. Desperate, he started spitting snakes and controlling the Kusanagi sword with his mind, but Hiruzen crushed snake after snake, while Enma deflected the blade.

Knowing he was outmatched, Orochimaru signaled his underlings to retreat. The barrier dropped and the casters began the reverse summoning.

"HIRUZEN! You're running low on chakra—end this NOW!"

"You're lucky, Orochimaru. I can't kill you… but I can punish you forever. Young Bee—lend me your chakra!"

Hiruzen held Orochimaru's arms wide open with his left hand and foot, placing his right palm on the traitor's chest. A second seal spread across the pale skin.

"Bee-kun, fill the seal with Bijuu chakra!"

"Wrath of the Fire Shadow Seal!"

"WHAT ISSSS THISSS?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME, YOU WORTHLESS MONKEY?! SARUTOBI-SSSENSSSSEI!"

"This is my final punishment. You can always find new bodies… but without arms, you can't use jutsu. The seal uses the knowledge of the Uzumaki, Hyuga, and Yamanaka, and Bee's chakra to destroy your nerves and tenketsu. I'm even making sure your brain knows your arms are dead. Shed skin all you want—your arms are gone! No more jutsu! RUN, you filthy snake! But remember it was this old man who beat you—the Monkey King of Konoha!"

"DAMN YOU, SARUTOBI-SSSENSSSSEI! GIVE ME BACK MY ARMS!" Orochimaru howled as he was reverse-summoned.

A group of ANBU arrived as Hiruzen sat heavily on the ground.

"I'm too fucking old for this shit. I need a vacation," he muttered, grinning as his features returned to normal.

Tobirama stepped forward. "Don't worry, Hiruzen. We'll release our souls and prevent them from being used again."

"Monkey-boy, maybe it's time to retire?" teased Hashirama as both brothers began to glow.

"Fuck you, Hashirama-sensei," Hiruzen shot back with a smirk.

The previous Hokage laughed heartily as they faded away.

"Yo, Brokage! Once we clean up this mess, can I visit the Leaf for vacation? I wanna spar and train with the Lord Monkey! He's as awesome as he is old / the living proof that experience is gold—YEAH!"

A sweatdrop appeared on A's temple, but the old Kage only laughed harder.

The ANBU helped the weary Sarutobi to his feet. The invasion was nearly over. Konoha had survived—stronger than ever.

Meanwhile, near the hospital:

Hinata was leading the Kumo ANBU against enemy ninja targeting the medical center. With her Byakugan, she spotted infiltrators.

Suddenly, a snake summon rampaged through the street.

"ANBU! We're taking it down. I'll trap it—Red1 and Yellow7, destroy it!"

"Water Release: Furious Geyser!" Hinata slammed her palms to the ground. Water erupted from underground pipes, stunning the beast. Then she activated her Ninja Art: Medusa's Mane.

"Water Release: Water Dragon!"

The water in her mane twisted into a coiling dragon that wrestled the giant summon. The ANBU decapitated the snake in one synchronized slash.

"Take prisoners. If they're no use… dispose of them," ordered Hinata coldly.

"Hinata-chan… Are you sure?"

"Kurama-oka-san… let me do this. I could never hurt just anyone—but these people? They attacked a hospital. No, I won't feel remorse."

"Thank you, my little vixen."

Hinata held the hospital until the battle ended. Word spread quickly of the Kumo kunoichi with Byakugan-like eyes and water powers rivaling the Nidaime.

Sakura awoke being carried by Kiba. A freaky Kumo blonde led the way. Clones walked beside each downed ninja—Sasuke still unconscious on Shikamaru's back.

"So… the rumors about Kumo are true?" Shino asked. "Your loyalty is real. H-san isn't a prisoner. What's your goal?"

Naruko smiled. "What do you really want to ask, Shino-kun? I know yours and Lazy-kun's minds are in overdrive."

Shikamaru sighed. "Tch. So troublesome. Is it true Kumo knows how to train people like Gaara and you to their fullest?"

"Yes! It's simple. Understand yourself and your partner. The moment you realize they're living beings, not power sources, you've already done half the work!"

"Could… could you teach me, Uzumaki-san?" Gaara asked shyly.

"Whoa, Uzumaki-san? That's way too formal. Call me N-chan or N-san. I'll help you with the basics. Once you understand your seal, the spirit inside you will teach you the rest."

Naruko shivered. "I hope no Sand ninja attacked near my love… She gets scary when she's in mama bear mode."

Kankuro blinked. "You fought me, but you're afraid of your girlfriend?"

Everyone who had seen Hinata in the Forest of Death shook their heads.

"My wife can liquefy your brain with a slap. She's gentle—but don't make her angry."

Shikamaru mumbled about troublesome blondes. Shino added:

"You should reconsider your view of kunoichi, Kankuro-san. Your sister ranks at the top of the Genin in this exam—right behind the Kumo team and Gaara. She's also a promising leader. Only strong women attract Nara men."

Shikamaru and Temari both blushed furiously.

Naruko and Kiba laughed. Gaara looked lost.