The group from Suna continued their journey back home after leaving Takigakure. As they moved back towards Suna, Shota immediately noticed one of the boys with Pakura tensing up.
The young genin was walking a short distance ahead when his body suddenly went stiff and his eyes widened. He was the genin with Pakura who was a natural sensor and was one of the reasons that he accepted the genins coming with her.
He immediately wrapped Fū in his binding cloth safely. Fun fact, with seals placed on them, sensors cannot tell whether someone was a jinchuriki or not until the seal was removed or the chakra leaks out from the jinchuriki.
The seals on both Shota and Fū hid the tailed beast energy completely. Even a skilled sensor could not detect the power inside them as long as the seals stayed strong and no chakra leaked out.
Pakura made a quick hand motion that only the team understood. Shota reacted at once. He used the Body Flicker Technique to move at high speed, carrying the baby safely with him. His goal was to put distance between him and whatever threat the sensor had detected.
But he had to stop as the ground in front of him was covered with lava... literal molten lava. Thick molten rock spread across the ground and blocked the way completely.
"Oh boy, Please do not tell me, it is who I think it is." Shota murmured as he turned to see the person he was dreading to see perched on one of the tree branches. He spoke the words under his breath while looking up.
There on a thick branch sat a familiar figure. It was Roshi of the lava release as well as the jinchuriki of four tails. His presence explained the sudden lava that now blocked the road.
"Hello Shota Aizawa." Roshi said.
"Hello my friend, I am running a little late. Would you mind letting me pass?" Shota answered in a polite tone.
"I am afraid we cannot let you pass." Another group of six Iwa jonin surrounded him from all sides. Six more shinobi from the Hidden Stone Village stepped out from the trees and rocks.
They formed a tight circle around Shota and cut off every direction. Their faces were serious and their hands were ready for combat.
"Never!" one of them shouted as the group prepared to attack. At the same moment Pakura moved into action. "Scorch Style: Super Steam Kill."
She formed her hands into seals and created several glowing balls of intense heat. The orbs floated around the group and made the air extremely dry.
The trees started drying up. Even Shota felt his lips cracking from the heat.
Before she could move further, Roshi appeared with lava armor covering him and intercepted Pakura. Thick layers of hardened lava formed armor over his body.
"Go for Shota Aizawa, I will handle her." he shouted. He ordered the other Iwa shinobi to focus on Shota while he dealt with Pakura himself.
Shota immediately used Erasure on him. His eyes turned red and the special power of his Dojutsu activated. The lava armor started cracking as soon as the chakra supply cut.
Without chakra the lava could not stay solid. But then one of the Iwa jonin raised an earth wall blocking Shota's sight of Pakura, her genin, and Roshi.
A tall wall of hard earth shot up from the ground and completely hid the other fight from view.
"You do not have anywhere else to escape, Shota Aizawa." The one who looked the youngest said. He looked about sixteen or seventeen.
Someone who is extremely talented and motivated can only become a jonin at that age. The young man stood at the front of the remaining Iwa group and spoke with strong confidence.
"Did I somehow offend you, Iwa shinobi? As per our deal Suna would be getting the seven tails. And Iwa were the ones to broker this deal themselves between Suna and Taki." Shota said trying to reason with them.
"Did you think Lord Tsuchikage and Iwa forgot how you waited to use your ability on the third Raikage and only used it after Raikage had killed a good number of Iwa men?" One of the Iwa jonin said.
Shota had a hurt expression on his face. "Your words wound me. I would never let our allies, Iwa shinobi die for some reason. It is just that the Raikage was very fast for my eyes to track."
Another Iwa jonin said, "Did you think we forgot how you were the one responsible for the annihilation of the Explosion Corps of Iwa?" The second accusation came quickly.
How could Shota have forgotten that mission. The one where he barely made it out alive and his first S rank mission. Shota remembered the dangerous fight clearly. It had been his first mission of the highest rank and he had nearly died while facing the powerful Explosion Corps.
"Like hell we would let Suna get seven tails after all you have done in the previous war against us." Another jonin said. The group made it clear that old hatred from the war still burned strongly. They refused to allow Suna to gain more power through the seven tails.
The young Iwa jonin chose to speak up. "And do you know what makes it even better?" He asked with a sharp smile. Shota asked,"what?"
"Do you remember Kurogiri Tetsu the leader of the Explosion Corps?" Shota nodded as he was the leader of the Explosion Corps, the one who killed half the Suna shinobi that were with him on the mission.
The young man continued,"I get to take revenge for his death. I get to take revenge for my father's death."
Fire sparks flew from his hands. "I am Gaku Tetsu, the last of the Tetsu clan and the last with the Explosion Release."
The young jonin revealed his full name and his personal reason for the fight. He was the son of the man Shota had faced years ago and he wanted to settle the score himself.
Shota thought, 'Well there goes negotiations.'
"It was not me that killed your father. It was the other guy, the vice commander of the Puppet Corps. Come with me to Suna and I will take you to meet him." Shota said in an attempt to shift the blame.
"Do you take me as a fool!" The man shouted as he jumped at Shota. Gaku Tetsu refused to listen and charged forward with explosive energy building in his hands.
"Why do you want to end your bloodline man? Enjoy your life." Shota said.
Shota activated his erasure and cut off the young man's chakra. The explosive attack failed before it could fully form. Then Shota used the opening created by the anger to land a solid kick that sent Gaku flying backward.
"You did not let me enjoy my life. You killed my father!" The man shouted rushing at him again.
"Teens, so easy to rile up to make bad decisions." Shota thought with a smirk.
--------Author Notes---------
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