“M-man it’s really g-getting cold out.” Suigetsu complains, shivering as the Taka and White Zetsu both tree hop through a forest covered in snow.

He’s right, it is cold, I’ll just activate sage mode aa~nd… Jin thinks to himself, activating his sage mode. His body begins to warm up and ignore the weather. AAHH… That’s much better.

“That Land of Iron is just a stone’s throw away from here...” White Zetsu announces to the group.

“Hmm? Hold on--there’s something just up ahead!” Karin warns the team.

“What?” Sasuke asks.

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The Taka have hidden themselves in a crevasse behind a tree due to there being many armed samurai guards in the area. Suigetsu has just returned from scouting the area.

“Well…?” Karin asks her begrudging ally.

“They’ve fortified their defenses because of the Five Kage Summit.” Suigetsu reports to the team.

“Jugo, listen, you have to use the animals and scout out the least defended route you can find to the summit site.” Sasuke orders Judo.

Jugo simply responds with, “Right, I’m on it.”

While the team discusses how they're going to infiltrate the summit, Jin pulls Rito to the side.

“You want me to wait here, don’t ya?” Rito sighs, aware of what’s about to happen.

“Yeah, pretty much--this fight truly is out of your league, sorry...” Jin replies in a whisper. “We’ll be back soon.”

As Rito watches the team headout, he can’t help but feel frustrated despite understanding why he can’t come. Thirty minutes later, as Rito sits down and prepares to tinker with his devices, he hears a twig snap.

“Who’s there?!” An on edge Rito demands as he uses crystal style to create a pair of crystal daggers. “Show yourself!”

“Well, hello, Rito.” Says a voice from behind.

Upon hearing the voice, Rito quickly spins around while throwing one of his daggers. However, the cloaked figure simply catches the dagger between the index and middle fingers on his left hand. The cloaked figure tosses the dagger away and another person walks out from the brush. The 2nd figure’s robotic features makes Rito’s jaw drop open.

“You should be more quiet and subtle. Afterall, you’re deep in enemy territory.” The cloaked figure says, brushing off Rito’s failed attack.

“A mechanical ninja? Or an advanced puppet…?” Rito asks aloud with so many questions running through his head.

“MASTER, CAN WE PLEASE HURRY THIS UP? ALL THIS COLD AND SNOW IS CAUSING MY SYSTEMS TO MALFUNCTION.” The robotic man begs.

“We’ll leave when we’re done.” The cloaked figure reassures his partner.

“Just who in the hell are you guys?” Asks a suspicious Rito with narrowed eyes.

“Think of us as friends.” The cloaked figure says as he holds out his right hand. “Now come with me if you want to live.”

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After the Taka successfully infiltrate the summit, they hide in the shadows, behind pillars, waiting for a chance to ambush Danzo. White Zetsu has already left the group several minutes ago.

There’s that itch again… Thinks a shuddering JIn as he examines the architecture of the summit building while still hiding. He stands on the ceiling, behind a column in the shadows. I should take out Cee first and I think I can get Temari to get mad and make mistakes if I act like a pervert…

Moments later, a squad of samurai enter the chambers that the Taka are currently in and begin to search it for intruders. Sasuke walks out into the open revealing himself.

“I’m very irritated right now… attack and I doubt I can hold back.” Sasuke warns all of the samurai before him.

“I could say the same to you!” One samurai says as he swings his sword at Sasuke after coating it in chakra, releasing a sharp crescent of chakra in the arc that the blade was swung, the Flash technique.

Sasuke casually blocks the attack by swinging his Chidori Blade upward.

We already became international criminals the instant we broke into the place, so it doesn’t really matter if we kill off some of these stormtrooper wannabes… A somewhat guilt ridden Jin reasons with himself as he jumps down to aid Sasuke. ...and I don’t even know who’s under all these samurai masks, so that’s a good thing… I guess…?

While descending, Jin does a flip and cuts down a samurai with his Vacuum Blade. Jin and Sasuke cut down samurai left and right, Their blood splatters on the ground with each swing. With one swing, Jin kills two samurai and kills another by stabbing him. Three samurai jump into the air and they each perform the same long-range attack as the first samurai that Sasuke had killed. As the three Flashes fly at Jin and Sasuke, Jugo activates his sage transformation, jumps out of his hiding place, and blocks the attack for them.

Even with sage mode, I have to use kenjutsu to deal with these fodder characters. Jin broods as he pulls his Vacuum Blade out of the dead samurai. I need to conserve chakra for the fight with the two of the five kage, Gaara and Ay…

The ceiling shatters, forcing Jin, Jugo, and Sasuke to jump back. The dust clears to reveal a dark-skinned man with a large muscular build, blond hair combed back, and a small moustache and goatee. He’s coated with lightning chakra and has two subordinates at his sides.

Naruto in sage mode was able to react and keep up with the Third Raikage and beat him with a well placed Rasengan. A determined Jin thinks, psyching himself up. I have sage mode, the Rasengan, the Body Flicker, and a Gelel Stone in my chest, so that should be more than enough…

“Hey, kid?! *I* am gonna teach you the fear of true fury…!” The Fourth Raikage, Ay declares as he pulls off his white haori.

Sasuke charges at the Raikage, prepared to swing his Chidori Blade at him, but is stopped due to one of the Raikage’s guards, Darui countering with a combination of Water and Lightning Style jutsu. Sasuke is knocked back by the combination jutsu to his allies.

“I’ll stop them…!” Cee, the other guard mutters in declaration. He weaves several signs and a blinding light emanates from him. “Lightning Illusion: Flash Pillar!”

Sasuke was going to take Cee out of the fight with a genjutsu anyway… JIn thinks to himself as he breaks free of Cee’s genjutsu. The red-haired rogue blitzes to Cee’s location and punches him through a column, knocking the cloud ninja unconscious. “No genjutsu for you!”

“CEE!” Darui calls out to his ally.

Suigetsu jumps at Darui and the two engage in a swordfight and Jugo fully transforms and blasts the Raikage with many jet booster-like appendages. The dust dissipates, reveal the Raikage is no longer there.

“YEAHA HA HA HA! I JUST KILLED HIM, I JUST KILLED THE BIG GUY!!!” Jugo cackles menacingly in celebration.

Even though Jugo is crazy, I still think his full transformation looks pretty badass. Jin thinks as he casually stabs, without even looking, a samurai who tried to sneak attack him from behind. I just love how sage mode allows me to passively sense chakra all around me!

“NOW, WHO’S NEX--AARRGH?!!!” Jugo yells as Raikage Ay elbows him from the side, sending him flying into the wall, causing a crater to form.

Sasuke tries to swing at him with the Chidori Blade, but not only does it not work, the blade is knocked out of Sasuke’s hand due to the strong defense of the Raikage’s Lightning Cloak. Sasuke then charges at the Raikage with a Chidori and manages to pierce Ay’s Lightning Cloak, but is barely able to get his fingers into Ay’s chest. Raikage Ay then grabs Sasuke by his rope-like belt and performs his Liger Bomb technique, completely shattering the ground where Sasuke made impact.

“Fire Style: Fireball Rasengan.” Jin says as he blitzes to the Raikage and slams the senjutsu enhanced attack into Ay, launching him some distance away. “You okay, Sasuke?”

“I’m fine.” Sasuke replies in an irritated tone as he stands up. Purple chakra comes off him as he opens his eyes, revealing the Mangekyo Sharingan.

More samurai arrive, surrounding Ay, Jin, and Sasuke. Jin creates six shadow clones to deal with the samurai reinforcements. Sasuke uses Amaterasu on Ay, but the Raikage dodges the attack and a samurai that was standing behind him gets hit instead. The Raikage suddenly appears at Jin’s side and performs the Lateral Bolt of Pain attack.

Wind Style beats Lightning Style…! Thinks a smug Jin as he narrowly avoids the attack and counters with his Vacuum Blade, severing the Raikage’s left arm.

“Don’t underestimate the Raikage!” Yells an enraged Ay as he punches Jin into Sasuke.

“You’re finished now!” Raikage Ay says while jumping into the air and prepares to finish the two off with by performing a powerful downward kick. “Guillotine Drop!!”

“Inferno Style: Flame Control!” Sasuke says, coating his susanoo ribcage in black flames and has the flames change shape into spikes.

C’MON, SHOW YOURSELF GAARA!! Jin thinks while he looks on in horror as he has been caught in the middle of Sasuke and Ay’s game of chicken.

Just before the Raikage can even make contact with Sasuke’s spikes of black flames, sand appears and separates them.

“Gaara of the Sand…” Sasuke mutters as he and Jin get to their feet.

Oh, thank God… Thinks a relieved Jin as he begins to weave signs. Just a little longer and then I’ll be free to make my getaway…!