I, Your Father, Carry a Big Stick

Though she had wanted to witness Wu's battle with the Raikage, Tayuya obediently waited for him on a mountain peak several hundred kilometers from the battlefield. She wasn't looking forward to returning to Otogakure, but she still had a part to play in the forthcoming invasion of Konoha. Wu had also entrusted her with an important task, so even though she would have preferred never to return to Orochimaru's side, Tayuya was willing to put her life on the line to secure her future... Interrupting the pensive redhead's thoughts, Wu snuck up behind her and gave her meager breasts a light fondling, asking, "Did you miss me~?" in a teasing tone. In response, Tayuya leaned back her head, hitting the tip of his chin as she flatly remarked, "You're becoming more degenerate with each passing day..." Without missing a beat, Wu adopted a cheeky smile, retorting, "That's an interesting accusation, coming from someone who spends nearly an hour a day masturbating..." Tearing herself from Wu's clutches, Tayuya 'glared' back at him, asking, "And whose fault is that...?" with narrowed eyes and an accusatory tone. Pointing to himself, Wu feigned shock as he replied, "Don't tell me...could it have been me...!?" Exhaling loudly through her nose, Tayuya changed topics, asking, "Are we leaving, or what?" in an irritable tone. Nodding his head, Wu replied, "Yeah." before adopting what appeared to be a concerned expression, asking, "Are you sure you're okay with this? I know I was the one to propose making you a double agent, but-" Before Wu could finish, Tayuya's expression became serious as she said, "I don't need your concern, Wu. I've been doing shit like this since I was six years old. Just don't fuck up on your end." Raising his hands in a gesture of mock surrender, Wu replied, "Okay, okay. I just wanted you to have the option to refuse. If this is the path you've decided, I have nothing else to say on the matter. As for Orochimaru...you can just leave him, her, or however else they refer to themselves, to me..." Nodding her head, Tayuya 'almost' responded by saying she trusted him. Instead, she stared into his eyes for a few seconds, the distance between their bodies gradually diminishing until Wu seized the initiative to wrap his arms around her. Only then did she whisper, "Let's fucking do this..." with a look of conviction on her face. ... .. . Upon returning to Kumo, the Raikage, transformed to resemble his older self, had Mabui compile the records of every Kunoichi between the ages of fourteen and twenty-six. The reports he had received from Samui and Yugito mentioned how Saiko Dadi had openly attempted to flirt with them. He had expressed a similar interest in Mabui and Karui, so A had reason to believe the mysterious youth had a penchant for promiscuity. Seeing the Raikage perusing the records of their Kunoichi with a serious expression on his face, Mabui felt compelled to suggest, "If you're going to choose someone for this matter, please delegate it to those of us with more...experience. The younger generation should be allowed to choose their own partners..." Furrowing his brows, the Raikage raised his gaze to meet Mabui's as he firmly stated, "Times may have changed, Mabui, but Kunoichi do not have the same rights as ordinary citizens. If they are not prepared for this kind of responsibility, then the Academy has failed them. If that's the case, we may as well scrap the entire Kunoichi program..." Bowing her head slightly, Mabui closed her eyes and replied, "Forgive me, Raikage-sama...I have spoken out of turn..." Shaking his head, A returned to perusing the files as he appended, "The lives of Shinobi are not meant to be glamorous and filled with virtue. We are liars, deceivers, and killers who train our very children to possess the same traits. Anyone who can readily claim the lives and futures of others but is not willing to jeopardize their own has no place in this field..." Though she wanted to point out that they were slowly making a transition to more 'honest' work, such as transporting cargo and constructing cities, Mabui kept her head low and replied, "I understand, Raikage-sama. I will ensure that the Kunoichi chosen are well acquainted with what's expected of them..." Without raising his gaze from the files, the Raikage gave a curt nod. At the same time, however, he was also considering Mabui's proposal. He would rather not assign one of their few female Jonin to a seduction mission, but mature women had a 'charm' most younger girls lacked. Mabui even had a prior arrangement with Saiko Dadi, so there was always the possibility of entrusting the matter to her. The real question was, who should he assign as her support? Samui? She certainly wasn't lacking in appeal... ... .. . After touching down a few kilometers from the entrance to Otogakure, Wu playfully remarked, "What happened to 'never, ever' doing that again? You seemed to enjoy it quite a bit this time around." Ignoring Wu's remark, Tayuya regained her previous standoffishness as she said, "We should hurry and report to the Otokage as soon as possible. She will be expecting us." Rolling his eyes, Wu replied, "Yeah, yeah..." before shoving his hands into his pockets and leading the way. Shortly after that, he and Tayuya found themselves at the usual entrance, this time being guarded by the man Wu had once given 'wings.' Seeing Wu, the dark-haired, beady-eyed man, one of the many members of the defunct Fuma Clan, visibly tensed. It hadn't even been three days since he was released from the medical ward, so seeing the person that had forcibly pried apart his shoulder blades caused him to feel a mixture of anxiety and rapidly increasing nausea. Feigning ignorance, Wu raised his hand, a friendly smile on his face as he said, "Yo. Did you join Otogakure just recently? I don't think I've ever seen you before." "..." Amused by the man's hateful glare, Wu was tempted to tease him further when Kagero showed up in her hunchbacked disguise, popping up out of the ground as she stated, "Otokage-sama wishes to speak with you..." Nodding in affirmation, Wu replied, "I was planning to head over there in a moment." before asking, "Is she in her throne room or one of her labs...?" Since it was a fair question, Kagero gave a nod of her own before replying, "She's in her throne room. Guren-sama is also present..." Though Tayuya had warned him about flirting with Guren, Wu responded with a fairly cheeky, "Nice." Then, before Kagergo could retreat into the ground, he added, "I might stick around for a bit before heading out in the morning. You should stop by my room when you're off duty..." Hearing Wu's 'proposition,' the green-haired girl concealed beneath the visage of a buck-toothed hunchback visibly reddened. She immediately 'understood' why he was asking her to stop by, so she began to fidget nervously, a rather disgusting sight for Tayuya and the dark-haired man. Then, instead of responding verbally, she sank into the ground and 'swam' away at her fastest speed. Seeing the little mayfly run off, Wu mused, "And there she goes~" in a sing-song tone. Afterward, he casually made his way into the interior of the underground compound, Tayuya following close behind as they made their way to the Otokage's, Orochimaru's throne room... ... .. . "Welcome back, Dadi-sama, Tayuya-chan. Considering how long you were abroad, I trust your visit to the Land of Lightning was eventful? I certainly heard quite a few rumors while you were away..." Since just about everyone throughout the Mainland had heard about the 'disaster' that had befallen Kumogakure, Wu made no effort to conceal his involvement in the matter, casually replying, "The Raikage was quite a bit stronger than I was expecting. If I hadn't thoroughly trained the muscles of my neck and shoulders, that damned ogre would have taken my head off at the start of the fight." Though her breathing became audible when she heard Wu admit to being the culprit behind Kumo's near destruction, the Otokage forced herself to appear calm as she mused, "As expected of the boy who intends to carve his name into the very foundations of the Shinobi World. Well done, Dadi-sama..." Smiling proudly, Wu made a show of raising his chin and puffing out his chest slightly as he retorted, "Was there ever any doubt? I mean, it's not like I refer to myself as the splendiferous Saiko Dadi just because I like how it sounds. I'm fucking awesome." Exhaling a bone-chilling chuckle, 'Otochimaru' was about to stoke Wu's ego further when the latter interrupted her, saying, "Oh, and while we're on the subject of my badassery, you should probably know I'm planning to head to Suna next. I kind of agreed to give the other villages a taste of the same medicine once I was finished with Kumo." Furrowing her brows ever so slightly, Otochimaru wanted to insist that Wu stick around. However, even if she offered him power through the Cursed Seal of Heaven, the odds of him actually accepting it were slim. 'Dadi' was a prideful, borderline arrogant boy who believed in the power he already possessed. He was also capable enough to contend against someone like the Raikage, so if she intended to make him into one of her future vessels, she would need to employ more...subtle tactics. Fortunately, while Dadi's constant wandering was a mild inconvenience for Otochimaru, his next destination actually served her interests. She had spent the last three and a half years ensuring that tensions between Suna and Konoha were at an all-time high. They had already agreed to support her during the crushing of Konoha, but their cooperation could be assured if she sent Dadi to them as a representative of Oto. Having made up her mind, the Orochikage proposed, "How about visiting Suna as my representative alongside Guren and Tayuya-chan? Otogakure and Sunagakure will be cooperating during the upcoming Chunin Exams. I believe the teams participating at the behest of Sun will be 'motivated' to improve once they witness the power possessed by Oto Shinobi similar to them in age..." Though he originally intended to have Tayuya stick back at the base and see if she could convince the other girls to emigrate to Konoha, Wu didn't hesitate to respond, "Sure, sounds like a lot of fun. Just don't get mad if I accidentally beat up their Kazekage, hahahahaha~." Narrowing her eyes in amusement, the Otokage replied, "I would like you to defer to Guren during the mission, but I won't protest if you 'cut loose' a bit. Just be sure to avoid causing too much damage to their village. It's quite pitiful, you see, being constructed in the center of a desert and all..." Providing a thumbs up, Wu mused, "No worries. If it comes to that, I'll be sure to take things out of the village. I wouldn't want to sabotage our little alliance, now would I~?" Believing that 'Dadi' was just fooling around, the Otokage responded with one of her creepier chuckles. Even if Dadi destroyed the entirety of Suna, she actually wouldn't mind. More accurately, it wouldn't matter so long as he went on to weaken or outright destroy Konoha soon after. Both results served her underlying desire to abolish the existing system in its entirety. Then, while the various nations warred against one another, she would have all the time in the world to research Immortality and her other fields of interest. After that, she could finally rid the world of the very concept of mortality...then no one else would ever have to die... ... .. . (A/N: For those of you who are unaware, Orochimaru wasn't always a monster. He just got tired of watching everyone around him die...)

With the Otokage asking him to wait a few days before dismissing him to speak with Tayuya, Wu returned to his room, pleasantly surprised to find no cameras or microphones had been installed while he was away. Those with adequate mastery of the Earth Release could move through walls as if they were immaterial, so planting such devices was easy with someone like Kagero around. Speaking of Kagero... Less than ten minutes after Wu had laid down to relax, the ground a few meters away distorted, revealing the green-haired girl in her thin, single-strap white dress. However, instead of rising out of the earth to join him on the bed, she just stared at him with her bluish-purple eyes and asked, "Why did you ask me to come here...?" Instead of answering the girl's question, Wu's brows perked up slightly as he inquired, "Did you give up on using me to restore your clan? I'm hurt..." Lowering her head, Kagero gave the impression she was in deep thought, her half-lidded gaze directed at the ground for nearly a full minute before she climbed the rest of the way out like exiting a pool. Before Wu could tease her further, Kagero reached up to the metal clasp preventing her dress from slipping from her thin frame. The moment she did so, the garment slipped away from her body like smooth silk, revealing the rather 'modest' physique underneath. She would be turning seventeen in less than two months but could have easily been mistaken for one of the girls that had starved themselves during their fifth and sixth years at the Academy, desperately attempting to catch Sasuke's attention. It was certainly eye-catching, that's for sure... With an utterly relaxed expression, Wu casually remarked, "No tits, and I can clearly see the outline of your ribs. Do you honestly believe you're suited to bearing children? As you are right now, you're more likely to have a stillbirth or die during the delivery..." Hanging her head, Kagero closed her eyes and attempted to conceal her body beneath her hands. She knew she wasn't beautiful, but Wu's words caused her chest to tighten painfully. Before she could retrieve her dress and run away, however, Wu pat the space next to him a few times, saying, "Come and lie down..." in a paradoxically relaxed yet forceful tone. Suppressing her desire to refuse, Kagero took a few tentative steps forward before sitting on the edge of Wu's bed with her back facing him. In response, the latter ran his surprisingly hot fingers along the ridges of her spine, remarking, "I can literally count your vertebrae. You are one seriously malnourished woman..." "..." Feeling even more insecure, Kagero instinctually hugged her body as she attempted to excuse her appearance, stating, "It is my fate to sacrifice and die for the Fuma Clan...the condition of my body never really matt-" Before Kagero could finish, Wu's expression and tone hardened as he asserted, "It's the most important thing. Physical and mental wellness are interconnected. Unless you can look me in the eye and tell me it somehow benefits your Clan for you to be depressed and feeble, I'm calling you out on your bullshit..." "..." Not sure what else to say, Kagero settled on saying nothing at all. Before the Otokage had approached her with the task of getting closer to 'Dadi,' she had never even considered lying with a man. Well, she had, but the Forbidden Jutsu she had inherited meant she was destined to have a very short lifespan. Others with her 'condition' were lucky to make it to twenty, so the notion of having children had only crossed her mind in her dreams. Interrupting Kagero's increasingly depressive thoughts, Wu surprised her by adding, "Yeah, I didn't think so. From now on, you'll be sticking to the diet I assign you. Before putting a bun in your oven, we need to put some meat on your body..." "Ah..." Surprising the green-haired girl even further, Wu punctuated his words by reaching around to the front of her body, his palm caressing her abdomen as he made his way South. The tension in her body increased to the point that she was shivering, but she offered no resistance as his fingers delved into the consecrated grounds between her inordinately white thighs. With his lips close enough to tickle the ridge of Kagero's ear, Wu's voice deepened as he teased, "At least this spot still has a bit of flesh on it...I guess your body still understands its biological purpose, even if you try to deny it..." Biting her bottom lip, Kagero attempted to close her thighs, but the rather prominent gap between them made the action futile. All she could do was endure, her back arching as Wu effortlessly repositioned her onto his lap and just as easily pried her legs open. It was the most embarrassing thing she had ever experienced, but less than two minutes later, it became a lot easier to bear... ... .. . Hearing a knocking at his door, Wu gave the unconscious Kagero's hair one last caress before rising to his feet. The latter was lying face down on his bed, the tension drained from her body so thoroughly she had passed out with her eyes open, absentmindedly drooling on the sheets. Opening his door, Wu was equal parts surprised and unsurprised to find Tayuya standing outside, now garbed in her Oto Shinobi attire. Wu found the ensemble, consisting of a tan tunic and a thick purple rope wrapped around her waist, more than a little ridiculous. However, as the only thing she wore underneath was her usual black spats and black crop top, it was barely tolerable. Seizing the initiative, Wu adopted a cheeky smile as he asked, "Missing me so soon~?" Furrowing her brows into a fierce pout, Tayuya forced her way into Wu's room before pausing when she noticed Kagero, buck naked and passed out on his bed. The latter's presence...bothered her a lot more than she had expected. However, as Wu had already made it 'very' clear he was to have multiple wives, she suppressed her frustration and retorted, "I was going to see if you wanted to sleep together, but I can see that you had 'other' ideas..." Instead of attempting to defend his actions, Wu nodded his head and revealed, "I was actually hoping you would show up a bit sooner. This one could learn a thing or twenty from you..." Turning to meet Wu's gaze, Tayuya's expression remained visibly miffed as she asked, "So, what? Are you expecting me to train 'all' of your future baby factories...?" Shaking his head, Wu replied, "Only those who have value...besides, we both know you're more of a Sadist than a Masochist. So long as you don't take things too far, feel free to 'explore' that aspect of your character. Just remember who's really in charge, got it?" Punctuating his words, Wu gave Tayuya a firm slap on her left ass cheek before squeezing it hard enough to elicit a pained yet distinctly pleasure-tinged moan from her throat. Because of Kaia, Wu had developed a habit of spanking girls who were subordinate to yet disobedient to him. Tayuya had been on the receiving end of his 'disciplining' quite a number of times, so instead of lashing out like she used to, she just stared at him pointedly while massaging her ass and making her way over to the bed. Catching even Wu by surprise, though he also expected it, Tayuya awoke the absentminded Kagero by giving the latter a comparably lighter smack on the bottom, shouting, "Wake up...!" in a barking tone. The green-haired girl instinctually rose to a seated position and recoiled, but upon seeing that her assailant was Tayuya, she began to stammer, "T-T-Tayuya-sama! I-I-I..." Before Kagero could think of an excuse to justify her existence, much less her presence within the room, Tayuya narrowed her eyes at her and said, "Dadi-sama has requested that I show you how to 'properly' perform your functions as a woman. You had better pay close attention because I'm not letting you sleep until you get it right. Understood, stick bug?" As Tayuya was fairly famous within Otogakure for her violent disposition, Kagero found herself swallowing a knot in her throat while simultaneously bobbing her head like a chicken. She didn't like the play on her name, but she wasn't going to talk back, not when she was stark naked and literally with her back to a wall. Snorting through her nose, Tayuya growled, "You better..." before turning to Wu and beginning an impromptu strip tease. She had never performed one before, so she didn't dance or anything. However, using what Wu had taught her, she managed to sell it well by taking her time and maintaining eye contact. According to him, that was all it took for a confident woman to effectively 'ooze' sensuality. It didn't matter if they were eating a meal or doing something as mundane as brushing their teeth. So long as they took their time and maintained eye contact, they could be reading a book on how to perform a vasectomy and still look 'sexy'... ... .. . Though she had wanted to talk to him the previous night, Guren stopped herself when Tayuya informed her that she would be paying 'Dadi' a visit. Now that it was the morning of the following day, however, she was left with no choice but to disturb the young couple as they were supposed to be setting out for Suna. After mentally preparing herself, Guren was about to give Dadi's door a firm knock when it suddenly opened, revealing the aforementioned boy in nothing but a pair of briefs. She really should have controlled herself, but Guren's gaze immediately lowered before widening in shock. Adopting the cheekiest smile Guren had ever seen, Wu crossed his arms and teased, "If that's your reaction to seeing its outline, I can't wait to see your response to its 'Level Two' transformation..." After coughing a few times to try and cover her embarrassment, Guren's expression hardened as she asserted, "It isn't appropriate to answer your door in a state of undress. Please wear your clothes properly, Dadi-kun..." Leaving the door open, Wu turned around, responding, "Yeah, yeah..." as he meandered over to his bed and started picking up his clothes from the ground. Guren briefly followed him with her eyes but quickly stepped out of view when she eventually noticed Tayuya staring at her with a deadpan expression from Wu's bed. She immediately regretted doing so but knew it would only make her look even more suspicious if she stepped back into view and pretended nothing had happened... ... .. . After forcing Kagero to promise she would stick to the meal plan he had 'painstakingly prepared for her, Wu, accompanied by a silent Guren and a stone-faced Tayuya, made their way out of the underground compound. The latter was absentmindedly wondering how they would get to Suna if Wu could only carry one of them, but she quickly realized how ridiculous her concerns were when he promptly manifested one of his increasingly infamous clones. Guren briefly protested the idea of being carried through the sky in a princess carry but soon gave up when Wu put his foot down on the matter, saying she was more than welcome to stay behind if she thought for a moment he would spend four days running when he could save nearly as many flying... ... .. . (A/N: Kagero's situation is pitiful, but it's also one she willfully placed herself into. Wu might be a little forceful, but it's only because Kagero pretends not to care despite clinging to life and possessing considerable power. As for Tayuya...well, just check the image I put in the comments section.)

True to his word, the Raikage arrived at the area where Wu had battled the Two-Tails after putting it off for five days. Accompanying him were Darui, C, and two people Wu didn't recognize. The first was a fairly light-skinned man with deep facial contours, a small goatee, and a dumb hat that vaguely resembled a mushroom or the head of a penis. He also had a weird eyepatch over his left eye, so Wu was significantly more interested in the second person he didn't recognize, a woman with tanned, reddish-brown skin, silvery-grey hair, and a fairly voluptuous figure. Appearing shortly after the group's arrival, Wu playfully remarked, "I was starting to think you wouldn't show up. And I see you brought friends..." Nodding his head, the Raikage answered, "You've already met Darui and C. These two are Dodai and Mabui, my attendants. They will be watching our battle from afar." Exhibiting his lack of fear and practiced shamelessness, Wu responded to the Raikage's remarks by giving Mabui a wink, musing, "Shame. I wouldn't mind if at least one of them got a nice, 'close' look..." Though she raised her brows ever so slightly, Mabui didn't respond to Wu's provocation. Instead, A waved for his companions to back off, his gaze firmly fixed on Wu as he asked, "How do you want to do this, Saiko Dadi? If I go all out, you might die..." Adopting a smile, Wu replied, "Then I'll have died an excellent death. But don't worry. After our initial encounter, I'm just slightly more cautious than before. You won't have to worry about killing me and incidentally leaving the other villages unharmed." "Hmmm..." Not expecting Wu to ascertain the actual reason he was worried about killing him, a thoughtful glint flashed across the Raikage's beady, nearly pitch-black eyes. It was easy to assume Wu was just a madman obsessed with strength, but it was apparent he put at least 'some' thought into his actions. Tearing away his white haori, leaving himself bare-chest, a vibrant blue aura began to exude from A's body, accompanied by bands of bluish-white lighting as he said, "Then let's see what you can do..." Following his words, the Raikage's body appeared to move sideways without any initial movement or changes to his posture, dodging the tip of Wu's staff. One of the many benefits of his Lightning Release Chakra Cloak was the ability to move, attack, and evade without telegraphing his attacks. He could also instantaneously react to anything that came into contact with the lightning cloak, regardless of whether or not he sensed or saw it coming. Seeing the Raikage effortlessly evade his sneak attack, achieved by shrinking his staff down to the size of a toothpick and concealing it within his hand, the smile on Wu's face expanded rapidly. His body was unable to keep up with A's almost ludicrous speed, but he managed to follow the man with his eyes while the rest of his body turned to face him in slow motion. Noticing Wu's eyes shift from gold to a fiery red, A immediately dodged to the side a second time, narrowly evading the laser-like beams of light that had attempted to cut through his left arm. Wu wasn't the only one seeing the world in slow motion right now, so he moved around to the boy's back before charging at him and leaping into a dropkick, thundering, "Lightning Drill...!" Unable to turn around in time, Wu used one of his most convenient and tricky abilities, shrinking his size instantly. The technique always scaled him to where his feet were, so unless someone consistently targeted the ground, he could dodge most attacks aimed at his head or body. Flying through Wu's location, the Raikage's face contorted slightly as he wasn't a Sensor. He was well aware of Wu's ability to change size, but he hadn't been able to come up with a measure to counter it. Trying to keep track of a fast-moving object the size of an ant was easier said than done. Opting for the 'safest' approach, A raised his hands over his head, Black Lightning enveloping his fists before he slammed them into the mountain below, shattering the peak and enveloping the area in a destructive dome of lightning. Seeing the Raikage's attack, Wu, standing far outside the range of the dome, playfully mused ("That bastard intended to trap me...too bad he isn't a sensor...") Feeling a 'little' sorry for the Raikage, Wu alerted the man to his failure by heating his eyes and blasting him from the peak of a mountain more than six kilometers away. As the beams from his eyes traveled at light speeds, however, the attack immediately struck A's back, just below where one of his kidneys was located. Expecting his attack to pierce through A's flesh and bone body like a hot knife through butter, Wu was more than a little surprised when it merely left a nasty burn. He knew the Raikage was durable, but the temperature of his heat vision exceeded 5000&deg;C. Even he couldn't endure those kinds of temperatures... Liberating Wu from his stupor, A turned around with a vicious look on his face, growling, "There you are..." before immediately closing the distance between them. "Lightning Bolt Lariat...!!!" Having yet to learn his lesson, A's attack swept through the afterimage of Wu's head. This time, however, Wu tucked himself into a ball, staff in hand as they both shrunk. His mass varied drastically depending on his size, but the weight of his staff remained the same even when shrunken down to its smallest size. A's body might be durable, but Wu refused to believe the man could withstand a hundred-thousand kilograms of force applied to a point the size of a pore. Feeling a sharp pain in the right side of his chest, A's brow twitched as he looked down to find a tiny hole in his right pectoral. The moment he saw it, the pupils of his eyes immediately shrank to the size of pinholes as the report filed by Yugito surfaced within his mind... Before the Raikage could think to reach into his own chest and pull out a chunk of flesh, Wu allowed his staff to return to its original size. He didn't want to kill one of the only 'fun' opponents he had ever found, so he made sure to control the angle so that it passed beneath A's shoulder blade and avoided anything 'too' important... Seeing a red and gold staff spontaneously 'erupt' from the back and chest of the Raikage, Darui, C, Dodai, and Mabui immediately rushed over to his side, the latter shouting, "That's enough! Please cease your attacks, Dadi-sama!" Though he personally felt as though the Raikage could continue, Wu startled Mabui by appearing atop her cleavage, kicking back and enjoying the softness of her moderately sized mountains in a form roughly the size of a thumb as he replied, "Sure, no problem. It's not like this was a fight to the death, am I right?" Resisting her initial urge to grab and attempt to crush Wu, the tensions in Mabui's body gradually relaxed as she calmly replied, "Thank you for your understanding." Then, as if she didn't care Wu was sexually harassing her, she focused her gaze on the staff protruding from the Raikage's back and chest. Preempting the woman's question, Wu extended his hand, reducing the size of the staff and recalling it to him as he inquired, "I'm assuming at least one of you can use Iryo(Medical)jutsu? If not, I have something you might find useful." Though she was one of the more skilled Medic-Nin in her village, Mabui knew she would be capable of fixing a 5cm hole in someone's lung. They needed to get the Raikage into surgery as soon as possible, but, just to be on the safe side, she replied, "If you have something, we would be in your debt..." Bouncing off the woman's boobs, Wu grew to his full size as he replied, "Sure." before narrowing his fiery eyes and musing, "I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll repay me." Turning away from Mabui before he could see the woman's response, Wu ignored the glares directed at him by Darui, Dodai, and C as he pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary peach. However, the moment he pulled it out, everyone present could smell its rich, revitalizing fragrance. Even A, who was on the verge of unconsciousness, became fully alert in response to the peach's aroma. Proferring forth the peach, Wu's eyes narrowed into amusement as he mused, "It was a good fight. I look forward to many more in the future." Though he would ordinarily refuse his opponents' mercy, A accepted the peach without hesitation. Dodai tried to stop him, but he immediately bit into the indescribably juicy fruit, a refreshing chill filling his throat despite a powerful warmth permeating his body. Then, under the stunned eyes of everyone present, his body appeared to shrink slightly as the hole in his chest immediately closed. Far more noticeable, however, was the fact he seemed to be aging in reverse, going from a middle-aged man in his early forties to a young man in his early twenties. Recovering from the brief euphoria brought by the peach's taste, regret marred A's face as he saw the desiccated remains in his hand. As soon as he had taken a chunk out of the peach's indescribably delicious flesh, the rest of it rapidly withered into a nearly unrecognizable husk. Almost like it had been left out in the sun for twenty years... Interrupting the group's stunned silence, Wu remarked, "The last person I gave something similar to ended up tackling me, kissing my cheek, and nearly suffocating me in her bosom. You have fairly impressive pectorals, but I'd rather not experience them against my face. If you feel inclined to 'thank' me, I wouldn't mind you employing a proxy..." Directing his gaze to Mabui, Wu prompted the woman to return to her senses, her expression morphing between various emotions before she asked the question everyone wanted to know, "What kind of peach was that? I've never seen anything like this before..." Shrugging his shoulders, Wu explained, "Just a neat little fruit that can revitalize a person by twenty years. You can only consume one of each kind, but they're useful for extending or preserving the lives of people I find interesting." Though she took note of the fact Wu had said 'one of each kind,' Mabui didn't press him for additional information. She 'really' wanted to, but A had regained his senses, staring at his slightly thinner arms as he asked, "Did I really just get younger...?" Since no one else was qualified to answer the question, Wu explained, "Not really, but the effects are essentially the same. You certainly appear younger, but the fruit doesn't diminish your power or reserves. You're just as strong now as you were a few minutes ago, so you don't have to worry about 'rebuilding' your strength." Meeting Wu's gaze, A had an expression that was a mix of disbelief and thinly veiled greed. If he were sure he could pull it off without a hitch, he would capture Wu and interrogate him for everything he knew about the peach, their effects, and their acquisition. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I won't thank you. Instead, now that you've returned me to my prime, I'll work hard to get even more powerful. That's what you intended, right?" Adopting a toothy grin, Wu replied, "It's good that you catch on quickly. I don't really mind explaining things, but I prefer people who can figure shit out for themselves." Finished with what he had to say, Wu began his gradual ascent into the sky. Before he could turn around and bound away, however, the Raikage abruptly stated, "Go with him, Mabui. You can return to the village later." Though she was briefly surprised by the Raikage's words, Mabui gave an understanding nod as she lowered her head, calmly replying, "As you will, Rai-" Interrupting the woman's affirmative response, Wu said, "As tempting as the notion is, let's put a pin in that for now. This was the last thing I had on my itinerary in the Land of Lightning, so I'll be departing shortly after leaving here. But no worries. I'll be sure to play with you plentily the next time I visit Kumo." Without waiting for Mabui's or the Raikage's response, Wu bounded into the sky and bounced through the air. Then, moments later, he appeared to vanish, disappearing from the still stunned group's view... ... .. . (A/N: Wu be regretting his promise to Tenten xD...)

Chapter 43: Harsh Reality