Chapter 75

We'd just finished patching up what wounded we could and I'd downed one of two thermoses of Bala Matcha I still had in order to refill my Chakra Tank some since taking two soldier pills in one day would put me in the hospital for the next few days. The ball Matcha didn't heal any wounds, but it did refill my chakra to roughly a third of my full reserves and I'd only suffer a little bit from the mix of medicines between this and the soldier pill. That had finished up when the rumbling started. It felt like a tremor in the heart, but it was too symmetrical and too rhythmic for any natural earthquake.

"Did some idiot trip a self-destruct seal?" I questioned.

"Can't be. It's not doing anything more than shaking a bit of dust loose." Mused Saisu.

"Whatever it is, it sounds like it's coming from the tunnel ahead." Offered Kibagami.

"Isn't that where the Lab was supposed to be?" Queried Shiori.

"Yeah, actually. Maybe the Samurai from Demon Country got loose and is giving the Oto-nin what-for?" Guessed Fang.

Then the rumbling stopped and an unearthly roar echoed from the corridor. It sounded all wrong, like someone shouting themselves hoarse but also like some sort of bear or lion roaring at the same time. It sounded animalistic, but also weirdly human. It was accompanied by more rumbling, this time in a recognizable pattern. The rumbling sounded like stomping footsteps.

"That doesn't sound like any Samurai I've ever heard, and I've heard a few." Frowned Kibagami.

"Whatever it is, it's getting closer. Those are footsteps." I pointed out.

"Shit, Wonderboy's right. We should get ready to fight." Agreed Fang.

"Shiori, I'm going to need to you to stay back and put up a barrier around the wounded. Whatever's coming this way, they won't be able to deal with it." Ordered Saisu.

"Right, good idea." Nodded Shiori.

Then she moved to the corner where we'd taken our wounded and began casting her strongest barrier, the San Onmyō Kekkai (Three Yin-Yang Barrier), which was a good mix between Yang Barriers and Yin Barriers and took a decent amount of skill with both Yin and Yang Release Jutsu. It wasn't power intensive but chakra control and skill intensive, most people never figured out how to use Yin and Yang Release Techniques, since that was one of the things you needed both perfect control and intensive training to do. After all, no one since the Sage had been born with both inborn Yin and Yang Affinities, and unless you had perfect control, learning to use one when you were born with the other was impossible. My opinion of Shiori had just gone up a decent chunk.

"First and Third Squad stay in reserve. Second Squad, you've been mostly untouched by the fighting, you're with us." Commanded Saisu, snapping me out of my thoughts.

As we moved into position, and I began putting up my various enhancement techniques once more, a sinking feeling caught hold in the pit of my stomach. If my suspicions were correct, then Orochimaru might have been dicking around with Spiritual Energy trying to turn Oni Descendants into full-blooded Oni. The drained Kodama Inoshishi-no-Kami had mentioned would fit neatly into such a thing. As if sensing my questioning, there was a snorting and snuffling in the back of my mind and I heard Inoshishi-no-Kami speak in my head.

"Choji! You need to summon help! That foul Chi, it can only be as you feared. An Oni draws near! A true specimen of that black ilk! Your Platoon may hold him for a time, but none of you have the power to vanquish him at present!" Warned Inoshishi-no-Kami.

"Has anyone tried calling command?" I asked.

"The Radio's dead. Something in the walls is interfering with the signal." Answered Kibagami.

"I don't suppose any of you knows Denshin no Jutsu (Telegraph Technique)?" Questioned Fang.

"I don't think any of us do. I'll send a runner." Offered Saisu.

"Too late! It's here!" Snorted Inoshishi-no-Kami in the back of my mind.

Indeed it was. The form of a True Oni suddenly appeared in the mouth of the tunnel ahead, emerging from the darkness further up the tunnel. It had to be ten feet of rippling muscle, crimson skin, and bony horns. Teeth had become fangs and tusks and eyes had gone yellow and slitted like a cat's. The remnants of what must have once been a Samurai's Dogi and Hakama hung off its frame in tatters, going from a full outfit to a torn, makeshift, loincloth. A waft of tainted Chi and foul Spiritual Energy roiled off its frame in a red haze, almost like an aura. Behind its eyes, intelligence gleamed, turned savage and cruel, but no less deadly.

"What the Hell is that?" Demanded Fang.

"Hell's the right word. That's an Oni." I responded.

Then the Oni roared sonic waves and tainted Chi crashing into us, bursting the eardrums of everyone whose bodies weren't made of steel currently. It charged forth lashing out in a deceptively fast punch catching Fang in the torso. The fist smashed into Fang and blew him back across the room, into the Three Yin-Yang Barrier that Shiori had set up in a display of savage tactics. Fang was seized by the energies of the barrier as tens of thousands of miniature bolts of black and white lightning coursed through his body, frying him from the inside out. Shiori's Barrier weakened and one of our number slain, the Oni let out a short bark of amused laughter.

Then it charged at me and I had no more time for thoughts. . .

XXXX

"Shit! There's no end to these assholes!" Swore Naruto as he plunged a Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere) into the Chest of a Karasutengu.

"Keep fighting! Troublesome as it is, we can't retreat or they'll run us down!" Intoned Shikamaru, frying a pair of leaping Karasutengu with a Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet).

"I know that Shika! I'm not the one who likes giving up!" Snapped Naruto, ducking a slash from a Karasutengu's Katana.

They'd been at this for what felt like fifteen minutes of nonstop fighting and already Naruto could tell he hated fighting these assholes. Every time, they cleared the room, more would just come pouring outta the damned tears in reality! It was like they'd opened up in front of a Tengu Army or some shit, Dattebayo! Not only that but every time Naruto tried to equalize the numbers by making a buncha shadow clones, the Karasutengu would do some funky shit with their feathers and fling a bunch at his clones like throwing Kunai. They didn't do a whole buncha damage, but it was enough to pop a lotta his clones all at once! Using Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) to make more than a couple at a time was just wasting Chakra in this fight!

"Damnit is this what it's like fighting me? I get why you guys were all bitching about my clones in spars now Shika." Huffed Naruto.

As he spoke, Naruto went through the hand seals for the Fūton: Kūki Dangan (Wind Release: Air Bullets). He blasted a trio of Karasutengu rushing at Shikamaru from the flank. Shikamaru, in turn, caught a pair attacking Naruto from behind with the Kage Yari no Jutsu (Shadow Spear Technique) punching through their backs with spears of hardened shadows.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't insisted we race ahead of our platoon!" Pointed out Shikamaru.

"We can handle it, it's just a pain in the ass to do so, Dattebayo! Anyway, you didn't object at the time!" Insisted Naruto, lashing out with a Chakra Flow-enhanced kick that shattered the ribs of an attacking Karasutengu.

"You shouted, 'We can take 'em' and ran off ahead! I didn't have time to object!" Retorted Shikamaru, drawing a Kodachi from a sealing scroll to lop the head off an attacking Karasutengu as his shadow spears skewered two more.

"Well, you didn't have to follow me, then!" Returned Naruto, planting a Kunai in the throat of another Karasutengu.

"And let you get yourself killed?" Demanded Shika, parrying the blade of a Karasutengu on his Kodachi while his shadow spears plunged into its sides.

"Don't be that Guy, Shika. Nobody likes that Guy!" Smirked Naruto, tossing a Kunai before using the Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) to speed it so that it plunged into and through one Karasutengu before burying itself in the throat of another.

"What? The guy that makes sense?" Demanded Shikamaru, parrying a Karasutengu's blade before kicking it away. He went through another set of hand seals before casting Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder) frying that Karasutengu and two others.

"Shut up Shika!" Spat Naruto, tossing a Kunai at a charging quintet of Karasutengu and going through the Hand Seals for the Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Kunai Shadow Clone Technique). One Kunai became a torrent as the five Karasutengu were sliced up and buried in an avalanche of blades which then puffed into smoke.

"Shit, that was my last Kunai!" Swore Naruto ducking a rushing Karasutengu attempting to plunge a tanto into his neck.

As the Karasutengu moved to stab downwards into Naruto's skull, however, it made a strangled sound and fell to the side. A Kunai was lodged in its back, Naruto picked up the Kunai, yanking it out of the corpse, and turned in time to parry a slashing blade from another Karasutengu.

"Thanks, Shika!" Grunted Naruto, headbutting the Karasutengu to break the blade lock and following up with a thrust of the Kunai into the Karasutengu's throat.

"That was my last one too! Make it count!" Cautioned Shikamaru as he ducked an incoming cut of a Karasutengu's blade and planted his Kodachi between its ribs.

"Will do!" Huffed Naruto, tossing the Kunai at the last remaining group of Karasutengu before multiplying it with the Kunai Kage Bunshin to massacre them.

As they sucked down lungfuls of air, Naruto looked around at the area. A couple scores of dead Karasutengu lay piled up in clumps around the room they were in. Broken bodies a mix of blood and feathers. Naruto smirked at it all, served them right for attacking like that. He frowned as he looked around to see the tears in reality still shimmering in mid-air, but nothing coming outta 'em.

"Huh, I wonder what they're waiting for?" Queried Naruto.

"Don't start." Warned Shikamaru.

"Hey, Shika, Maybe they decided we were too tough a target and are cutting their losses?" Asked Naruto.

"Naruto!" Hissed Shikamaru.

It was too late, however, as two, larger, forms were exiting from the tears in reality. A pair of more humanlike, winged, muscular, Old Men with red faces, long noses, and bushy white beards stepped out. One was dressed in Noble Robes that looked more like something you'd see in a play about the old days of the Jade Emperor or something while the other was dressed like some kinda priest. Either way, both of 'em had old-style Tachi Blades and Naruto could tell just from looking at 'em that those blades were packed with Spiritual Energy. Daitengu both of 'em, if Naruto remembered his Yokai right.

"Damnit Naruto, you shouldn't have tempted fate like that!" Snapped Shikamaru.

"So you are the ones who have slain our underlings?" Huffed the Noble Daitengu.

"I sense the power of the Obsidian Empress. A Major Demon is here, though bound in a prison of flesh and ink. A ritually made, living weapon? I see. What folly the Humans have undertaken, perhaps it would be a mercy to kill you now regardless, while you still have yet to succumb to the power of that Particular Minion of the Obsidian Empress'." Mused the Priest Daitengu.

"Hey, fuck you pal! I'm nobody's weapon! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm my own man, Dattebayo!" Spat Naruto.

"Naruto!" Pledead Shikamaru.

"Hah! He's got fire to him, Brother! What shall we do with them?" Laughed the Noble Daitengu.

"If he is that determined to defy his fate, then we'll just have to test the limits of that Determination, Brother." Nodded the Priest Daitengu.

"Know this, you face the Brothers Ushiwaka and Ichiyen, the Daitengu of Mount Sanjō!" Intoned the Noble Daitengu.

Naruto and Shikamaru braced themselves, and then the Daitengu drew their Tachi and took up a stance. For a few moments, nothing happened, Naruto and Shikamaru stared down the Daitengu, waiting for an opening to present itself. The Daitengu didn't budge, which might've suited Shikamaru, but Naruto was never great with waiting. He moved to make hand seals. Then the Priest Daitengu let out a shout before charging him, slashing out with his Tachi and forcing Naruto to abandon his attempt to cast Ninjutsu. His brother did likewise, heading for Shikamaru.

And the fight was on. . .

XXXX

My back slammed into the stone floor once again. I rolled to the side just in time to avoid the Oni's follow-on attack, a stomping foot that cratered the floor from the force of the impact. I reached into a sealing scroll and pulled out an explosive tag, flicking it at the Oni as I got to my feet. It exploded, gouging out a shallow wound on its tree-trunk-like calf but otherwise doing no real damage. It turned, roaring, and charged for me, only for Saisu to flick the weight of his Kusarigama around and wrap the rear leg of the Oni up. The Oni stumbled, allowing me to hit it with an elbow enhanced by the Raigo: Susanoo-no-Ken (Welcoming Approach: Fist of Susanoo). My fist only grazed its cheek, missing with much of the explosive force and only tearing off a thick strip of leathery hide and gouging out a knuckle indent on the steel-hard bone underneath.

The Oni for its part smashed me with its fist and sent me flying back through a solid stone wall. Even with all my enhancements, I was battered and bruised. I forced myself back into the fight just as the Oni yanked on the chain of Saisu's Kusarigama, pulling our Platoon Leader off his feet and swinging him toward Kibagami, who was charging in from the side with his Katana sheathed in glowing red flames. Saisu collided with Kibagami and the pair went flying away, rebounding off each other to smash through a wall.

It'd been going like this for a while. We could deal minor wounds to the Oni, but it didn't slow it down. In the meantime, each blow the Oni landed hurt like a bitch and I knew that if we didn't have our various Enhancement Techniques going, we'd have all been killed a while ago. I'd even tried using the Ura Renge (Reverse Lotus) and landed a blow that cracked one of its horns off but just grazed the skull, doing minimal damage thanks to a last-second dodge from the Oni. The damn thing was a lot faster than anything that large would be if it were at all natural.

Already, the members of Second Squad that had been backing us up were all down. Around half were dead, while others just barely managed to take a soldier pill at the brink of death and would be badly wounded for some time without care from a Tsunade-grade healer. I had my doubts even Shizune could heal them in a short time span, let alone Ino or Sakura.

Gritting my teeth, I realized I had one last trump card to play. Concentrating, I dredged up Chakra into my hand and sparks began to arc in my palm before the technique caught filling the Chamber with the sound of a thousand chirping birds. Kakashi's Chidori (Thousand Birds) had been his initial attempt to mimic the Third Raikage's Ultimate Spear. Nothing else I'd tried was working, but maybe this would. If it didn't, I'd be out of chakra in about ten seconds afterward, though.

As the Oni turned to look at me, honing in on the chirping noise, I struck, dashing forward as fast as my enhancements would allow. I thrust my hand out in an Akimichi-Ryu: Sanbon Nukite (Akimichi Style: Three-Fingered Strike) a Taijutsu technique usually targeted at soft tissues like eyes or the throat that had enough power to blind an opponent or crush the windpipe. Jumping up I attacked the Oni's Right Eye.

There was a crack as if a lightning bolt had just discharged as I plunged my fingers into the Oni's eye. I was flung backward as the Oni roared in anger and pain as the Chidori coursed through its eye and into its brain. Landing Hard on the ground, I was forced to let go of my Enhancement Techniques as I watched the Oni stagger to one knee before slumping down to the floor as the Chidori subsided.

"Now! Finish it before it rallies!" Came Inoshishi-no-Kami's Voice in the back of my mind." With the last fumes of my Chakra, I unsealed the Blade of Inoshishi-no-Kami, dragging myself slowly over toward the Oni raising the Sacred Katana high and cutting down.

Unfortunately, I'd taken too long or misjudged how fast the Oni could recover from having its brain fried like that because the Oni managed to raise an arm in defense. The Blade of Inoshishi-no-Kami stuck in the Oni's arm and a spurt of thick, black, ichor-like blood sprayed as it severed something important and laid open the Oni's arm to the bone. I must have hit whatever the Oni Equivalent of the Brachial Artery was. It'd bleed out, but not before killing me.

it roared in pain as it surged to its feet, raising its good arm high to flatten me and take me with it. Fuck it, I did what I could, but in the end it hadn't been enough. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Who knows, maybe my next life will be in another, less violent, world?

"Not today!" Shouted Jiraya's voice in Triumph. Suddenly, the Oni's chest exploded in a shower of black ichor and viscera as Jiraiya shoved a Rasengan through its back and out its chest. The Oni let out a pathetic whimper, before toppling to the side. I was just barely able to step out of the way in time to avoid it.

Breathing hard, battered, bruised, and exhausted, I slumped to one knee. I was dead tired, so tired, in fact, that I threatened to tip over into the ichor and viscera pooled on the floor. Thankfully, Jiraiya managed to catch me.

"Easy, Kid. I've got you." Insisted Jiraiya.

"Saisu and KIbagami. Help them." I insisted.

"They'll be fine. A bit of time in the Field Hospital and they'll be right as rain." Nodded Jiraiya.

With that, my exhaustion and all the lumps I'd taken finally overwhelmed me and blackness took me. . .

XXXX

All around the Oto Base, portals to the Land of a Thousand Dreams began to close up. Tears in reality re-sealing themselves as the otherworldly presence sustaining so many of them faded away as the Oni that had been Doji died. With Naruto and Shikamaru, the twin Daitengu of Mount Sanjō were forced to withdraw through closing portals after only a mere minute of combat. Elsewhere, Karasutengu frantically stampeded for various portals, often cutting each other down or trampling over each other in order to make it in time.

On one level, a Queen Omukade that Mitarashi Anko was dueling tried to go for the portal it had wriggled out of, only for Anko to cut it off with a Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) and punch a tanto through its eyes, getting washed in acidic saliva in the process that seared through the sleeve of her armor and forced her to use the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique) to avoid being burned herself. She cut away the Kusari Katabira that was busily being melted through and tossed the sleeve to the ground. As the Queen Omukade tried to resume its withdrawal, it was buried in snaked and set alight by a Jonin-level Katon Jutsu, the Katon: Todoroku Honō no Jutsu (Fire Release: Roaring Flame Technique).

Elsewhere, a Giant Hihi that had been eating the corpse of a dead Konoha Chunin dropped the half-eaten corpse and rushed for its portal. As soon as its back was turned, it found itself punched through by Senju Hotaru with Doton: Ressenga (Earth Release: Rending Drill Fang) to launch himself up out of the floor where he'd been hiding using the Doton: Iwagakure no Jutsu (Earth Release: Hiding in Rock Technique). His fist drilled into the Carnivorous Ape-Beast's Back, literally punching its heart out.

In another area, a Squad that had been under assault by four times its number of Karasutengu, suddenly found the Karasutengu retreating back for the Portals, while Nara Yoshino melded out of the shadows where she had been using the Kagegakure no Jutsu (Hiding in the Shadows Technique) and captured the rearmost rank with the Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Technique) which allowed the Squad to butcher those Karasutengu with Kunai and Tanto, getting revenge for their earlier losses.

Within the next ten minutes, all the portals had been sealed, leaving only a few isolated groups of Yokai still inside the base, trapped in the Human Realm. They were swiftly annihilated by the remaining Konoha Forces. The Otogakure base was finally completely in Konoha's hands. The butcher's bill was high, though, much more so than anyone could have predicted.

Of the one-thousand-strong attack force that had assaulted the base, four-hundred-seventy-eight had been killed or wounded, almost fifty percent casualties. Of those, maybe half would be able to return to duty in any appreciable time frame, with rest and the help of Medic-nin. The butcher's bill would have been much worse had Lady Tsunade not insisted on the Medic Corps being instituted or had the Oni been allowed to rampage.

Neither of the other strike forces had nearly as bad a time taking out their fortresses. Maito Gai's team only took a comparatively light twenty percent killed or wounded, while Hatake Kakashi's force took only ten percent killed or wounded. Of course, neither of those bases had housed one of Orochimaru's laboratories and so were not so heavily protected.

In total, Konoha had lost six-hundred-twenty-eight Shinobi out of a Force of two-thousand-seven-hundred-fifty Shinobi deployed. That was just over twenty-two percent casualties for the entire deployed force in Operation Grass Cutter. Purchased with their lives were the borders with Fire Country and Hot Springs Country which were now in Konoha's Hands, along with enemy casualties of one-thousand-forty-nine Shinobi Killed and five-hundred-twenty-four captured, with four-hundred-twenty-seven escaped. Out of a population of three thousand Shinobi in the whole village, that was a hair over fifty-two percent of Otogakure's entire Shinobi Force.

Despite the casualties, it seemed that Operation: Grass-Cutter was a success. Any normal Hidden Village would sue for peace with over half their Shinobi population killed or captured. Unfortunately, with Orochimaru at the helm, that wasn't going to happen any time soon. The fighting would continue.

And the next battle would be for Otogakure itself. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, I managed to get this one out after everyone went to sleep for the night. I'm not sure how many others I'll be able to get out before Sunday, though, if any.

Here we see how the battle ended. Choji almost died, though he would have taken the Oni with him to do so. Thankfully, Jiraiya was on the ball. Meanwhile, Naruto now knows the Kyubi is connected to the vague End of the World Stuff that Choji is dealing with, thanks to the Daitengu brothers. So does Shikamaru, come to that. Expect a conversation on that to happen at some point.

The casualties for Jiraiya's attack force were big, but they weren't as bad as they could have been and half of those will recover to see active duty again with time and care from a Med-Nin. In total, Operation: Grass-Cutter saw just over twenty-two percent of the forces deployed to it killed or wounded. Otogakure's in an even worse spot, though. They're at the breaking point of any hidden village that isn't being run by an insane narcissist like Orochimaru.

Expect most of the people who participated in the Operation to get Promotions and whatnot in the aftermath. Before we get to that point, though, the Battle of Otogakure Proper has to happen. There's still one-thousand-four-hundred-twenty-seven Shinobi in Otogakure Proper, including Orochimaru to deal with. Choji is likely to miss the first phase of that, by the way.

At any rate, the next chapter will be part a record of Choji's time recovering from Stage One Chakra Exhaustion, the effects of mixing Soldier Pills with Bala Matcha, and the beating he'd taken in the battle, and part the first phase of the Battle of Otogakure.

Stay tuned. . .