Chapter Fourteen: Clash of the Jinchuriki
The Ginkaku Squad has breached the border to the Land of Fire and have finally caught up to Teams Kakashi and Guy. Totaling thirty Jonin and highly-Chunin, this Special Forces group was stationed in the Land of Frost in the case of outright enemy invasion. However, Yugito Nii, the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, was put in charge of all the Hidden Cloud shinobi stationed in the Land of Frost, and she has some different ideas in mind when it comes to using the talents and strengths of these shinobi. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata have been ordered to retreat with Tsuyu, leaving Kakashi, Guy, and the eccentric Taijutsu specialist's team of Genin to take on the enemy. Only when Tenzo and his team of Anbu enter the fray does it become more even - because truthfully, not even Might Guy and Sharingan Kakashi combined can handle thirty well-trained soldiers on their own.
When Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata think they're in the clear, Yugito finally makes herself known and stops their reluctant retreat. The trio is skilled, but they're up against one of the Raikage's best tools - a very skilled Jonin and a Jinchuriki just like Naruto, a fact that has not been explained to either of his teammates yet. Only when Shikamaru and Hinata are taken out of the fight relatively early does Naruto begin to furiously draw on the power of his own Tailed Beast.... Yet is it possible for massive, unfocused power to overcome smaller yet equally potent, more focused power?
Meanwhile, Team Ten has been dispatched on their own C-rank mission, unknowing of the very real, very lethal threat that awaits them on the path to the Hidden Sand......
Chapter Fifteen: The Deciding Factor
The battle between Naruto and Yugito rages on. Naruto somehow manages to add some Wind-style to his 'claws', but the additional power actually does very little in the face of Yugito's Fire-style, relentless assaults. Despite the increasing amount of Chakra Naruto subconsciously draws from the Nine-Tails while still in his feral state, Yugito continues to effortlessly thrash him around without having to go full-Two-Tails on him yet. While the Nine-Tails was admittedly amused at first at his container's reckless actions, taking glee in the amount of Chakra Naruto was drawing upon, it stopped being funny when Naruto eventually can't draw on anymore because of the Fourth's Seal, and Yugito continues to pound away at him mercilessly. The Nine-Tails finally attempts to run damage control, though even the 'almighty' nine-tailed fox finds that to be a challenge in Naruto's current state of mind. All the Nine-Tails can do is patch Naruto up as much as possible, because at this rate, Yugito could kill the blond Uzumaki.....
Kakashi breaks away from fighting the Ginkaku Squad when Tenzo and his Anbu team arrive to help deal with the invaders; it wasn't all that hard to miss the usage of Tailed Beast Chakra, even if the power was being thrown about some distance away. It is up to Kakashi and the Nine-Tails to calm Naruto and take Yugito down, but things look bleak for a while...
Meanwhile, Team Ten is attacked for real, and not by the Sand Siblings... How can one Jonin and a team of Genin hope to compete with two S-rank shinobi...?
Chapter Sixteen: Reinforced and Tested Bonds
Things go great for Teams Seven and Guy's C-rank after it gets resolved. Naruto bravely imparts the knowledge of his Jinchuriki status to his teammates and to Guy's Genin. Feeling at least slightly better with having told people his own age about his secret, Naruto and co. return to the Hidden Leaf with Tsuyu and a prisoner to show for the whole clusterfuck.
Team Eight is revealed to have been sent out on their first C-rank mission as well. In addition, the investigation into the destruction of the Land of Rice Fields' capital city is in full swing after Team Anko arrives. The first task in that mission, however, is to dispose of the unrecognizable group of shinobi that appear to be guarding the ruins, people that Jiraiya has been dealing with already.....
Simultaneously, things are not going well for Team Ten. Asuma is devastatingly injured having tried to keep an eye on his team and fight Orochimaru and Sasori - suffering a potentially fatal wound. Sasuke awakens his Sharingan at last, but they're only at the first stage, and he can't fight as well with them as his clansmen. Team Ten is outclassed and outmatched, yet a surprise party-crasher allows for Team Ten to get away with their incapacitated and dying Sensei.....
Chapter Seventeen: Survival or Starvation?
Team Ten, in their weakened state, are intercepted by the Sand Siblings as they get closer to the Hidden Sand Village. Recognizing the trouble that Team Ten is in, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are all in agreement about putting the spar on hold. The group of seven makes their way to the Hidden Sand.
Upon reaching their destination, Asuma is rushed to intensive care, and a number of people, the Elders known as Chiyo and Ebizo and the Hokage, are contacted immediately when Sasuke reports that they were assaulted by Orochimaru and Sasori, and that they barely escaped thanks to some large shinobi with steam armor. Verbal descriptions confirm that it was the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki that, for one reason or another, saved the trio of Genin, and the Fourth Kazekage appears perturbed about Orochimaru and Sasori. When questioned about it, Rasa reveals the duo approached him a short time ago and proposed an alliance with the Hidden Mist and the Hidden Cloud to take down the Hidden Leaf; a proposal that Rasa turned down to the relief of the Genin.
The Hokage is informed of these developments as well, and it's confirmed that Kabuto, Rin, and Obito are on their way to help the medics with Asuma......
End notes:
Lots of spoilers in this post, but hopefully it will satiate some of your curiosity of the upcoming events. Plenty of things going on at the same time, but after this 'C-rank' Arc is over, there'll be some training before we truly hit the Chunin Exams, which will end around Chapter Thirty or so.
Hope the New Year has gone well so far for you all!
