Naruto: The Unwoven Threads of Fate

A linear streak of white lightning spears its way directly towards the nameless shinobi with extreme speed. There's no jagged bolt of lightning, Kakuzu is too experience and refined to allow such a waste in one of his top jutsu. This is the pinnacle of the old shinobi's lightning jutsu, it wouldn't do to have an obvious flaw in it.

"False Darkness." It's not Kakuzu who says these two words, rather it's the nameless shinobi. It's his turn to sound cocky because barely a moment after Kakuzu started making hand signs the mystery shinobi prepared a defense. "Been awhile since I've seen that."

As the mystery shinobi stands in the direct path of the devastating lightning jutsu he whips out another scroll strapped to his belt. With practiced ease that only sealmasters can display he flicks open the scroll with one hand and holds it before him.

The powerful lightning jutsu doesn't spear through the paper, instead it's being sucked into it. The seal is eagerly gulping up every volt of the jutsu that's coming its way until Kakuzu releases his jutsu.

"Consider me perturbed." Kakuzu's eyes narrow as the nameless shinobi, with another casual flick, rolls up the scroll.

"The hell does that even mean?" The mystery shinobi mutters just loud enough for everyone to hear and throws the scroll at Kakuzu.

The old man wisely doesn't sit there and wait for the scroll to reach its mark, he's leapt through the air to a new position a good thirty meters clockwise. This nameless shinobi mirrors his clockwise rotation, forever keeping himself between Kakuzu and his goal, as his scroll touches the ground.

With a ferocity that a wild beast can never hope to match the scroll explodes and all the lightning that it absorbed arcs out in unpredictable patterns. Long twisting arcs of electricity drag themselves across the ground leaving behind blackened scorch marks with the scroll at the epicenter. A few arcs forgo the ground and leap to trees that cause a few to catch fire.

"It means that I'm slightly upset that you were able to recognize my jutsu by just the opening hand signs." Kakuzu growls out in his patented deep gravelly voice. "You seem exceedingly perceptive if you were able to read me that easily. Not to mention that you had a lightning seal premade to counter it. Do not think I did not notice that."

"What can I say, I like seals." The mystery shinobi coyly sasses his elder about their trade. "Does it bother you more that you have absolutely no idea what the symbols on my chest are for? Doesn't it bug you, not knowing what something is even though it's dangled in front of your face?"

"Your feeble attempts to rile me up will fail." Kakuzu flatly says to his opponent as he prepares another jutsu. After the first four handsigns his opponent pulls out another scroll and flicks it open. "I am not Hidan, I have a firm grip on my emotions. I am capable of putting my personal wants second for a greater goal."

"Ah shucks. You've seen right through me." The nameless shinobi would be kicking a dirt clod to punctuate his words but it's at this moment that Kakuzu releases his jutsu.

Another bolt of lightning soars out from Kakuzu towards the mystery shinobi. Yet again the devastating attack is sucked into paper, rendering it inert. With another throw the seal sails towards Kakuzu who again dodges.

It's a complete repeat of what just happened, jutsu for scroll for explosion.

"I'm curious, nameless shinobi, answer a question for me. You see seal users have one glaring weakness. It is true that their sheer versatility is incomparable to any other type of shinobi, maybe even above those who can wield all the elements, but there is one very limiting weakness that all seal users - master or not - cannot escape. So my question is this." Kakuzu says with a hint of satisfaction as he flies through the hand signs for a third False Darkness. He stops on the final sign and asks his question. "How many seals did you prepare?"

The smell of ozone fills the air for the third time as another near white bolt of lightning arcs towards the nameless shinobi.

"Well shit. Is it bad that I was hoping you'd not think of that?" The mystery shinobi groans out as he flicks open another lightning seal. "Old man you're good, but I'm not out of seals yet. You have no idea how many I can- OH MY GOD JUST RUN AWAY ALREADY YOU SIMPLETON!"

The nameless shinobi didn't get to use his scroll. Instead of him sealing aways Kakuzu's attack again someone else beat him to the punch. Someone that both of the remaining immortals elected to ignore yet the very same person that both of them are here for.

"This is my fight too." None other than Fuu leapt into False Darkness' path. She raises both her arms - which seem to have some kind of green plate armor with orange trim covering them - and takes the full brunt of the deadly attack. She stands resolutely as the jutsu washes over her but she remains shock free. The electricity is simply incapable of penetrating her armor. "I won't sit back and let others fight my fights."

"You are literally the most annoying person I have ever met." The nameless shinobi growls out in what seems like barely restrained anger. Despite his livid tone he's still remaining calm and collected, his limbs are taut and ready to react to anything Kakuzu throws at him. He's even already grasped another scroll to quickly be deployed. "And believe me, I've met some very annoying people."

"Well you're stuck with me for a little longer." Fuu snaps back with her own edge to her voice. She spreads her stance out, lowering her center of gravity and preparing to take any and all the abuse Kakuzu can dish out. In fact her carapace like armor expands to cover her part of her shoulders in a strange pair of orange and green pauldrons. She's standing between the nameless shinobi and Kakuzu like a shield. "I'll buy you some time to make more seals. We've got to take this guy down then I won't owe you one and you can go back to wherever it is you came from. By the way, where did you come from?"

"Indeed, where did you come from?" Kakuzu says as he springs forwards, nearly instantly closing the gap to Fuu. With an eerily dark gray - borderline black - fist he rears back to land a blow to her chest.

"Just tell me later." Fuu raises both of her arms up in a cross guard to take the hit. She digs her feet into the ground for a sturdier base and braces for the incoming attack. "We're a bit busy - HEY!"

Fuu stumbles backwards as the unknown man harshly yanks on her shirt's collar. Well it's kind of a collar. Ish. Honestly it is closer to a bra strap but the mystery man is doing everything he can to avoid thinking he just saved a girl's life by almost getting her bra off. But hey, it worked out in the end. Kakuzu's deadly blow fell short - barely - of slamming into her face.

"Saved by a bra strap. That's a new one." The mystery man mutters to himself. "I didn't think I could have new ones at this point. Shows what I know."

"Nameless shinobi." Kakuzu glares at him with a rapidly growing amount of disdain. But even though his disdain is growing, the list of people this mystery person could be is rapidly shrinking. "I congratulate you. You've prolonged the fight for a little longer."

"Thank you." Even though the unknown man has his face covered everyone present can feel the smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Fuu, sweetheart - that sounds strange I'm not saying that again. Good God I've had a weird five seconds. Bra straps. Sweetheart. The fuck is going to happen next? MOVING ON! As I was saying, it's best to dodge those blows. He used a jutsu called Earth Spears, it causes his skin to darken and it exponentially increases his defenses and hitting power. Personally I think it is horribly misnamed. Avoid it at all costs, once we remove his earth heart he will be incapable of using it. Then go crazy. Or, by some ridiculous reason, if you have a very high level lightning jutsu you can use to get through it. It's the only way to pierce that tough skin."

"Lightning jutsu?" Fuu racks her brain for a fleeting moment as she and the mystery person use this moment to put space between Kakuzu and themselves once more. "I don't have any of those."

"Oh good. So it's up to me then." The nameless shinobi groans out. "I'm sure I've got something in my bag of tricks I can whip out."

"How do you do it?" Kakuzu turns his irked gaze onto the mask wearing man once more. "How do you know my skills so easily? Even Hidan can't predict them with such accuracy and he's seen them all multiple times, hell he's been hit with them all before. But here you are identifying, countering and discrediting my moves like child's play. No one is that perceptive. It's as if you know me, as if we've fought before and you already know how to react. There is no way you can know my… oh you snake."

"I'm sorry?" The nameless man tilts his head in confusion as he pulls out a scroll tucked away in one of his boots. "Did you want to finish that thought? Also this is for you Fuu."

He holds out the scroll to the jinchuuriki without taking his eyes off of the threat. She, mirroring him, takes it without shifting her eyes. She's wary of this cloud wearing man. If what the mystery man says is true then he's much more dangerous than she gave him credit for.

"What's it do?" She says as she twirls the scroll between her fingers.

"It's a chakra multiplier. It's a conduit that will magnify your jutsu by twofold if it's on your person." The nameless shinobi answers her question. "I'd recommend placing it on your chest over your heart. Someplace vital, Kakuzu wants you alive so he'll avoid attacking any lethal spots and that will make removing it that much harder on him. He'd have to reign in his attack to do barely nothing to you."

"Sweet." Fuu eagerly unrolls the surprisingly short scroll which is barely ten centimeters long. Sparing it only a faintest of glances to make sure she puts it on right side out she firmly plants it right over her heart. "I had no idea seals could do that."

"Seals can do anything, that's what makes seal masters so dangerous." The nameless shinobi says as he steps closer to Fuu. "You have no idea what their seals will do. From sealing away lunatics to explosions to jutsu absorption to paralysis."

As the nameless shinobi says the final word the seal activates.

Inky black lines eagerly spread across Fuu's body like a shattered pane of glass. They cover her from head to toe in a split second, if you blinked you would have completely missed it.

"Unfortunately," The nameless shinobi says as he snags Fuu before her suddenly limp body can hit the ground. "I have no idea how to make a chakra multiplier. Never really needed to if I'm being honest. Shit, now that I think about it has anyone made a chakra multiplier? Maybe I should invest some time into that."

Kakuzu's eyes narrow at the sudden plot twist. A thousand and one thoughts race through his head. Why would this person make the jinchuuriki so much easier to take? Why would he remove one of his allies from the fight, especially the only ally that Kakuzu will not kill? Why would he waste such a seal on her instead of on Kakuzu himself? It's true that Kakuzu would not be debilitated by the seal for long thanks to the Jiongu being able to remove it but there's no way that this seal master could know that.

"I'm getting ahead of myself. Gotta get through the day first then I can think about hypothetical seals." The nameless shinobi says as the unceremoniously throws Fuu's limp body over his shoulder towards Yoro and Kegon before turning his attention back to Kakuzu. "Will you two run away now? Take that with you for me, I'll catch up later. I'm about to be really busy with tall, masked and pissed over there."

"Perhaps you two would like to wait a moment." Kakuzu calls out as Yoro and Kegon's legs tense in preparation for tactically retreating. Okay, for running away because they're out of their league and scared shitless. When they fill out the mission report it's definitely going to say tactically retreated though. "Don't you want to know the name of your savior?"

"I'm sorry?" The nameless shinobi tilts his head in mild confusion. "I haven't told you my name."

"But I've figured out who you are." Kakuzu gloats in victory. He's relishing the moment that he unveils the man's identity who caused him so much trouble. Not to mention that speaking this specific name will surely cause the Taki shinobi to treat him as an enemy too. It's the best kind of feeling. "Your actions have given you away."

"Don't bluff." The nameless shinobi scoffs out. He slides into a combat stance, feet wide apart and fists raised. It's unlike his previous stances, those were centered around defense. This time he's ready to go on the offensive. "You have no idea who I am."

Yoro and Kegon pause. They share a glance between each other and convey an unspoken conversation. They're weighing the pros and cons of sticking around to learn the masked man's name.

"I know who you are." Kakuzu rises up to his full height and starts to gloat once more. "A seal master, someone who has taken an interest in me before, and someone who knows what the Akatsuki's goals are. On top of all that, someone able to stand against two S-rank threats and not tremble in fear or running away without using a single jutsu."

"I don't follow." The nameless shinobi flatly says to the eldest one here. "Are you going senile in your old age? Oh God why do I taunt people? I've got to stop that, it's bad for my health."

"So is having your arms sealed away in the stomach of the Shinigami." Kakuzu twists his face in his own elated grin of victory, distorting his mask with the gleeful grin. "Yet here you are, dispatching Hidan and holding me back. It's been awhile, how have you been Orochimaru?"

All encompassing silence follows the bold declaration. All eyes turn to the masked individual who is frozen to the spot. He's standing stock still and glaring at Kakuzu as a subtle amount of killing intent starts to flow off him.

It's simply cold at first, the temperature feels like it dropped a few degrees. Then the hairs of the back of everyone's neck stand tall and two sets of eyes can't help but to dart to look at the shadows that seem to cling to the edge of their eyes. It gets worse, now it's wafting off the masked man. Everyone present gets the feeling that a beast is lurking just out of sight, greedily eyeing all their vital spots, simply waiting for them to make a mistake. Waiting for a chance, an opening, a reason to go in for the kill.

Only Kakuzu seems unaffected by the oppressing feeling, his elation at guessing the nameless shinobi's identity is too great. Kegon and Yoro are another story. They can't help it as they break out in a cold sweat. They can't stop the slight tremble in their fingers as they feel the presence of something bigger, stronger, and deadlier than them eyeing them like prey. No, it's not eyeing them like prey. It's eyeing them as if they're toys. This beast merely wants to play with them.

The fact that this might be Orochimaru only makes it worse.

"Orochimaru." The nameless shinobi's tone has shifted. Even when battling against Hidan and Kakuzu he retained a sense of lightheartedness, desperation and pride at times, but his voice was always light.

Now it's dark and deep. It rumbles as he speaks, it resembles Kakuzu's own voice. Harsh, grating. Gravelly. "You think… you dare to assume I am someone as despicable as that wretch of a man?"

The nameless shinobi steps forward towards Kakuzu, not hurried. He's taking his time closing the gap one stride at a time. Gone is his sense of urgency. Gone is his sense of worry for the three Taki shinobi behind him. Gone is his playfulness. It's replaced with a cold and dark aura.

"You guess my name, my identity." The nameless shinobi snarls out as he raises his own hands up and soars through hand signs.

Kakuzu's eyes narrow in distrust. He sees the hand signs, he feels the chakra, he sees the bold walk of the man before him. In this moment he seems like Orochimaru, like a snake leisurely closing in on its prey, but Orochimaru is incapable of jutsu.

"And you name HIS NAME!" The nameless shinobi roars, his voice so loud that it quiets the sounds of nature. Birds fall silent, crickets stop chirping, even the wind seems to slow its gentle breeze. "Kakuzu of the Jiongu, you've made a grievous mistake."