I do not own anything.
Chapter 9-Unexpected Reflections Pt.4
Jiraiya would have liked to believe his assailants were incredibly skilled instead of his old age starting to get to him. The last thing he needed was something else weighing on his mind.
Everything had been simple for a time and for a minute he honestly believed he'd be back at the hotel within half an hour. Instead he'd had to climb through almost a mile of rumble and rock, all of which smelled like booze. It was ridiculous how even with almost the entire bar falling into what he theorized to be a massive sink-hole the smell of alcohol still persisted. Some like Tsunade would have said it was a good way to go, but Jiraiya begged to different. He had better things to do than die drenched in liquor.
How long had he been trapped down here in this subterranean prison? What had happened while he'd been trying to claw and dig his way out? Knowing his luck, nothing even remotely good.
It all started mere minutes after he'd walked into the bar where he was due to meet with his contacts. What new information they were going to give him he both patiently awaited and dreaded. Given that Komoki City was a properly cross-road there was no telling what new information they'd be bringing him. He spotted them sitting in a private corner waiting for him, Ujita and Najayasu.
"So, on a scale of one to ten how bad can I expect things to be?" He questioned sliding into the seat beside Najayasu.
"Maybe an eleven, or a twelve." Grunted Ujita. Reaching into the worn brown bag beside him he pulled out a package full of documents then slid them over. The traveling contractor swiftly swung his eyes over the rest of the bar. Normally one could have wrote off the black-haired man's slow-forming sweat as paranoia, but not Jiraiya. He and the contractor had a history that told him when Ujita started sweating it usually meant trouble was nearby.
Nagayasu, being a bounty-hunter with a colorful past of his own took stock of his fellow informant's growing unease. He ordered a round of drinks and upon getting his immediately downed his. "Word's leaked out somehow that you and your little…charge are making the rounds. Watch your step, 'Raiya."
"Hmph, if I'm getting that from you then it must be serious." Answered the toad sage. "How was the information leaked?"
The one-eyed traveler slammed his completely empty glass down. If there was one thing that could be said about Nagayasu, it was he was a damn fine drinker. Of all the people Jiraiya knew he had perhaps the highest alcohol tolerance possible; given what he knew of the swordsman's past he wasn't too surprised. "That's a question you're better off asking your ex, not either of us."
In spite of his nervousness, Ujita laughed with his dark-haired counterpart while Jiraiya soured. Annoyed, he took the set of files in hand and shoved them into the folds of his kimono.
"What Nagayasu means is information about your village's…package," Began the brown-haired man glancing around the bar once more. His sweating was getting worse meaning danger wasn't far. "Information was leaked. I can tell because in the building world word has gotten out that some of the Jinchūriki like Iwa's monkey are traveling the countryside. It's gotten a few people worried and scared since they tend to…"
"People like your little blond tag-along tend to cause a lot of collateral damage wherever they go." Finished the ronin before ordering another round of drinks for them. "On the positive side, it's gotten the insurance companies jumping up and down since 'giant-monster insurance' may end up becoming a thing. Thirteen years ago, I hear a few people cleaned up when Konoha was rebuilding."
"Gee, guys, here I was thinking you'd call me away so I could spend a nice quiet evening away from my troubles." Grunted the Sannin.
"Then find new drinking buddies, or find yourself in a business that runs in good news instead of bad news." Replied Nagayasu.
As much as he hated hearing it Jiraiya knew his old friend was right. If he wanted good news then he should have considered changing job occupations, but it was too late for that. He was on this road and had to see it through to the bitter end, though something told him the road was about to get much bumpier than he was expecting. Thankfully, that was nothing new for him.
To his right he saw the waitress coming toward their table with another set of drinks and a tray full of freshly-cooked food. While Jiraiya generally tried to avoid eating when trouble was brewing, but this was one of those times he'd make an exception. Aside from that, it would be nice to eat some actual freshly prepared food instead of a bonfire meal along with ready and instant-made rations. No sooner did he reach out did the sage feel the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stand on end.
Dammit.
That was all he had time to mentally groan before the entire bar shook like a rubber duck in a bathtub. While others in the bar merely believed it to be thunder for a splint second Jiraiya knew better. Snapping his eyes to Nagayasu and Ujita he registered the knowing readiness in the former's head, and the fear yet iron-fisted determination in the latter's. Not sparing a moment's hesitation he stood up with his hands half-way through the hand signs for the required technique. Cracks had formed in the ceiling and walls while the power was flashing in and out alarming the bar-goers.
"Earth Style-Tortoise Shell!"
What happened next was hard for non-shinobi to comprehend. The ground beneath their feet shook and churned causing several to yelp in shock and fear, most of them either hitting their knees or legs on the tables or hitting each other. If they wanted to blame Jiraiya for their minor injuries then that was fine, but at the very least they'd be alive when this was over. His chakra spread out through the floor and spread through the foundations of the earth, twisting it and molding it to his will. Digging his nails into the floor he caused the bar walls to bend inwards then begin to remodel itself.
"Everyone," Shouted Nagayasu bolting upright while Ujita hugged the cracking table in mortal fear that showed on his face. "If you want to live, don't do anything stupid! Let the man work!"
Jiraiya would have preferred it if he hadn't called attention to him, but oh well. The walls reshaped themselves into a dome-like structure over everyone who'd been inside. It held firm against the cracking, tearing, and outright thundering of the world outside. Though he remained stationary he felt the earthen-dome he'd created falling, sinking into the earth itself. Something hard fell atop of the dome, then another, then another, and then another. Someone was trying to bury all of these people along with him. Forcing more chakra into the dome to keep it from collapsing was child's play for him, but the problem was inside. All around him people were screaming in mortal horror, not that he could blame them. He'd long-since learned not to allow such pity things to break his concentration, and thankfully Nagayasu and Ujita were doing their best to keep the surviving bar-goers calm.
Underground, subterranean, or as some would say, the bowls of hell. Jiraiya didn't blame people for being scared as being buried alive was unarguably one of the worst ways to go. Since the advent of Earth Style jutsu it'd be the fate of hundreds if not thousands of people, and before the birth of jutsu just outright burying people alive by hand and shovel had been a "punishment" reserved only for the worst criminals. While many might have certainly been shady Jiraiya refused to leave these twenty or so people to such a fate.
"J-J-J-Jiraiya," whispered Ujita's frightened voice. "W-We're alive, aren't we?"
"For now, you wanna stay that way make sure nobody moves. I'm going to raise us up."
No sooner had he said the words did he will the earthen dome to move upward. The effects became evident all around the survivors as they heard stone grinding against stone in a twist and nightmare-inducing symphony that would no doubt stick in their minds for weeks and maybe months to come. When he felt them hit a massive "wall" so to speak and the outer layer of the dome begin to crack he knew years might have been a better estimate. Mentally frowning in annoyance Jiraiya pushed the stone sphere upward again, and again he was denied.
"This could be trouble." He whispered in a voice just low enough for his compatriots to hear. How long would it be until panic set in once more inside the stony bubble and someone made a move that threw off Jiraiya's concentration.
"Jiraiya," began Nagayasu realizing they'd come to a stop and was too beginning to break out into a cold sweat." We've stopped."
"While still underground. Buried god knows how many feet beneath the surface." Echoed Ujita attempting to regain some measure of calmness.
The pitch-black darkness only made the chattering worse as Jiraiya knew he had seconds before chaos consumed the survivors. His mouth bent into an irritated frown he summoned almost one-forth of his entire chakra supply and funneled it into the earthen dome. Once more the structure began to move and the sound of stone grinding itself filled the eardrums of the captive bar-goers. For many the attempted shows at bravado had gone as had the desperate clawing and shouting for help. Replacing them was a hushed silence as all waited in darkness for their fate to be decided upon. The cracking and groaning grew louder by the sound causing the repressed trembling of the men and women to grow. At the epicenter of the invisible energy wave animating the sphere the old ninja felt sweat begin to pour down his cheeks. This was turning into a bigger workout than he'd planned.
Eruptions, they were great and powerful things. Some considered them beautiful to look at, those people had the pleasure of watching them from a distance. Those who saw them from up close had a much different opinion.
And those who were literally part of the eruption despised them all together.
The earth blew apart in a great shower of dirt, grass, concrete and steel, all of which cascaded down with the near endless falling rain. Thousands of raindrops collided and slid down the massive brown-shaded sphere almost as massive a building. Inside residents jumped as they heard the sound of thunder and rain pelting the rocky surface. No sooner did some begin to take in breaths to speak did the dome come apart. And that was when the attack happened.
"Water Style-Droplet Spear!"
Hundreds of droplets froze in mid-air where they morphed into double-ended spears that flew in the direction of the dissolving dome. The countless people who'd been enjoying their night had a brief second to scream in terror before their bodies were ran through from head to toe. Death came instantly for all either due to the placement of the wounds or the sheer number delivered in the short span of time, or both. One could have argued it didn't really matter. The Great Toad Sage fell backward, his face and chest ran through by hundreds of needles that protruded from his body like a pin cushion.
Smirking behind his ferret-themed mask the rogue ninja smirked. "Legendary ninja my ass, time got the best of you like everyone else, and like your dear teacher you're dead. Say hi to him in the after life and tell him the Hidden Cloud sends their regards."
"What touching words, but how about you give them to the old man himself, and while you're at it, give our regards to the Third Raikage."
Alert and panicky, the former Anbu bolted out of the window, his back hairs standing up in alertness as death closed in on him.
The window and wall exploded in a burst of azure energy that continued onward, flying off into the stormy gray sky. Hitting the ground in a crouch, the ninja looked back finding three more blue-colored projectiles heading his way. Sprinting forward the masked ninja avoided each attack, taking note of how the ground broke apart once the slashes made contact. One strike and he'd either be dead or in a great deal of pain so caution was a must. Back-flipping into a standing position with a tanto at the ready the would-be mass murdered looked upward at the building he'd been inhabiting barely a second ago.
Cold dark green eyes stared back at the ninja while a shimmering blue blade was slung over the man's shoulders. The bearded-man swordsman chuckled at the venomous glare the ninja shot him from behind his mask. "I thought you ninja were supposed to get your targets on the first go, you know some mistakes can be fatal."
Taking a fighting stance, the shinobi threw away his rain cloud revealing black-colored Anbu uniform. "You really shouldn't be making cracks like, that, especially when I have the-"
Nagayasu laughed as the upstart shinobi learned what it felt like to be a deer struck down by a lunging wolf. His cry of shock and fear was barely a second long yet the sound of earth being plowed seemed to drag on much to his visible joy. Though aging his eyes tracked the colored bowling ball that was the rogue ninja and human-sized toad that had assaulted him. Almost as quickly as it began did the rolling come to a stop, a yellow-dotted red-skinned toad sitting atop the downed ninja, who struggled and cursed in futile attempts at freedom.
"That was a nice back there, cold-blooded, but a nice move none the less. Still, went a little far just to kill one person, don't you think?" Preached Jiraiya coming into view of the downed rogue. His hands carried several bruises and at least two of the fingernails on his left hand were cracked and bleeding. Over all, it seemed he'd paid a small price for his quick-witted escape.
The still-masked assailant snorted in annoyance. Apparently, he was the type that hated being preached to. "You're one of the legendary Sannin, better safe than sorry."
"Oh, so now you're willing to give me the praise I deserve."
"You managed to not only escape my sink hole trap but devise a clever little ruse to go with it." He snorted. "Creating a second earth dome then pushing it directly into my line of sight while bringing the real one and all the people up in a separate location. How'd you do it?"
"Well, let's just say I had a nice little danger detector with me so your plan fell short based on luck. Speaking of luck, yours has officially run out." Thunder echoed the toad-riding warrior's voice as he kneeled before the ex-Anbu. Not missing a beat, he knocked away the mask to reveal a bloody-nosed male face that glared back at him with cold black eyes. "Since you don't seem like the talkative type I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
When the summoning smoke cleared a new toad stood before the rogue, one decidedly smaller and less threatening-looking than the one sitting on top of him. A shaman-like robe covered its tiny green-colored body and blue-marks underscored the amber-colored eyes that stared back at him.
"Am I supposed to be scared?"
"No, you can be that after you've told me what I need to know." Declared the white-haired ninja looking down at his attacker with cold eyes. "Gamatoyo,"
There weren't any more snappy quips after that. The toad glared at the captive then opened its mouth from the pink confines shot an appendage, the tongue, far longer and sticker than it had any right to be. He would have complained, but in seconds the world went dark.
And then hell began to play before him.
"You're pretty maneuverable for a floating and talking head!"
"Or perhaps you're all talk!"
Wearing a half-sneer half smile Semiramis sent her chains back at the Ōkubi, and once again her chains were repelled by the whirlwind barrier that surrounded it. She'd made twenty-two calculated attempts to run the head through and every one of them had failed. The demonic head had grown arrogant in deflecting her attacks which was just what she wanted.
The head's wind attacks had grown wilder and stronger in conjunction with the storm. While most would have been blind to the invisible waves of energy flowing into the demon head Semiramis wasn't. Just as written in old writing the head was a being of disaster and ill-omens, and in the middle of this thunderstorm mother nature had taken its side.
But she hadn't left Semiramis completely in the cold.
With each failed wind blast or whirlwind of blades the Ōkubi head steadily grew more and more frustrated at its inability to pin down its together. Semiramis could see it in the demon's eyes-why couldn't it take this simple woman down? Why couldn't it slice her into pieces then scatter her remains throughout the rest of Komoki City like leaves from a tree. She reinforced that question time and time again with the ever-growing smirk she kept shooting the head. The smirk that remained on her face as she twirled out of the wind of air blasts, sliced through razor winds with her own chains, and then completely blew apart debris hurled her way. The last one she especially found annoying but continued to smile none the less.
Around her formed a ring of dark-green liquid that shaped itself into a snake's head which lunged towards her prey. As expected a whirlwind barrier formed around the target, spraying the poisonous liquid in all directions but forward.
"That's rather cute trick, but it's useless! I thought you would have learned that the first time you tried it!" Barked the demon head. "Try all you want, but you're facing a power far beyond your comprehension, woman!"
Landing on one of the few remaining rooftops Semiramis called once more to her Master and in turn got only static. If he gets too far out I won't be able to track him. I believe the time has come for me to bring this little exercise to an end. Crossing her arms, the Servant stood tall and proud in the middle of the rain. "Then get this over with! I despise those who boost of their power yet when push comes to shove are incapable of utilizing it, that includes pathetic yokai like you! Prove yourself and maybe I'll answer in kind by displaying my full power, at least then you'll be able to die with honor!"
Rather human or monster, when a challenge of pride was issued it was so painfully easy to get the weak and foolish to accept. Sometimes Semiramis thought it ought to have been a crime. "Fine then! Woman! Don't say that I didn't warn you!" Wind began to swirl and gather before the opened jaw of the strange spirit. Azure tendrils coiled together into a barely-compressed ring that cackled with whitish-blue lightning. Drawn by the static charge more arcing volts converged on the building attack causing it to grow in size. Gale force winds swept across the city and surrounding area as a testament that what as coming would not simply be a blast of wind or beam of lightning, it'd be a breath of destruction that would wipe out everything in its path as if decreed by some higher power.
In the face of the attack Semiramis stood tall and proud. "My, that is slightly impressive, if I were hit with that it might be enough to keep me down for a moment or two long enough for a fatal blow to be struck." Murderous joy manifested on her face as she held up her fingers. "A pity you won't be using it."
SNAP!
The closest description that could have been given was like an instant deep-fry. So quick and sudden the Ōkubi didn't fully register what was happening until every supernatural cell in its body was roaring in collective pain. "GAAAAAAHHHHH!" The storm blast broke apart into a scattered collection of gales and sparks. "AAARGGGHHHH! WHAT IS THIS!? WHAT IN ENMA'S NAME IS THISSSSS?!" Acidic fire ate away at the supernatural skin and muscles beneath it.
Semiramis said nothing as the head struggled to remain afloat in mid-air. The more the rain pelted it the worse its agony became as the once pure liquid was transmuted into acidic poison. With a wave of her head she sent out one of her chains towards the demon, and this time it hit home. Crimson blood spilled from the pierced left eye of the head. Motioning with her hand, she pulled the head down, taking grim satisfaction in the blood splatters it left along the rooftop as it rolled along until finally it came to a stop. "You hold dominion over the wind, I, on the other hand, can take any liquid within my mental field of vision and transform it into poison. In my world there are none more skilled in the art of poisoning than I, entire lakes, rivers, and oceans can be turned into death baths at my command. Do you realize what that means? Mother nature was never on your side, it was on mine."
The ruthless stomping actually hurt more than the acid still eating away at the Ōkubi's skin. "W-W-W-Wait, p-please, I-I'll t-t-tell y-you w-whatever y-you wa-want to know." Choked out the head seeing colored dots dancing in its vision. Without a doubt the worst thing was the pain simply dragged on making each passing second seem like an eternity. Gone was the bravado and in its place was only a desperate need to make the agony end by any means necessary.
As much as Semiramis would have liked to prolong the misery of her captive she had bigger things to worry about. "It's your lucky day, I'm in a hurry so I won't be able to enjoy this as much as I would like to." Hope appeared in the red eyes of the demon before her. "So I won't force you to speak to me through the pain, I'll get all I need from your soul."
Survivors of the days' events would all swear they heard an inhuman scream in the moments after the "storm blast" that would have wiped out half the city was avoided. Hundreds of hearts froze in unified fear as the sound filled their ears then was abruptly silenced by chains, countless chains grinding and tearing at each other and possibly flesh. All of it lasted just little over a minute, and as the minute passed a void-like silence fell over the ruins of the city.
"The storm head's gone." Kichiro's sullen and repressed voice sounded.
Sinking into the remaining members of the squadron each rogue ninja processed the information in a different way. Maebara as the leader knew that was a bad sign. A really bad sign. Clenching his teeth, he looked back to Saburo. The round-bounded shinobi held tightly onto their tied-up prize. Thankfully, the boy hadn't stirred or else he would have taken it as further evidence their well-thought out plan was about to go even further off the rails. Looking further back he saw Mineko checking the tree branches and bushes they raced past. She knew something was coming and would be upon them if they didn't pick up the pace.
"Masuyo should have caught up to us by now." The lone female muttered looking downtrodden. As a veteran she knew when one failed to meet up with the group at a certain point it usually spelled bad news. Her declaration made the air they breathed in even staler.
Maebara made the mistake of looking back to see Kichiro looking at him. At the very least the he wasn't shouting how right he was in his face. Kichiro never was the type of person to do that actually, he simply resigned himself to whatever mess Maebara had walked into and did his best to dig them all out.
Including getting cast out of their village and following a fool's errand to earn their way back into the Hidden Cloud's gates.
Tightening his fists, the ex-Anbu captain summoned the remaining three heads. The mountain and rapids heads were still healing from their injuries as evident by the dazed look in their eyes and still-recovering scars. Sneering, he realized at best they'd buy them at least a few seconds at best. Luck hadn't entirely left them though; the fire head was still operating at ninety-percent effectiveness. As his teammates had dubbed her, "Hag Face" was an old wrinkled piece of flesh with protruding fangs and a near permanent angry expression her face. If the stories about their capture were true then he honestly didn't blame her for being so stingy all the time.
"You three, slow her down by whatever means necessary. Put up a wall, flood the forest, burn it down, I don't care." Snarled the rogue ninja giving each head a glare that more than told them what he'd do if they defied him.
Naturally, Had Face was the first to leave, vanishing in a curtain of flames leaving the sibling pair.
"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Snapped the bald ninja. "Get it in gear, now!"
Groaning, the pair flew backward. Loud and clear in their ears was the sound of earth breaking as it rose and broke apart. Saburo and Mineko didn't break their stride as they leaped from tree branch to tree branch, the more distance they put between themselves and the up incoming battle the less they would have to worry about.
"Can we trust those two? They seemed more concerned about saving their nonexistent asses then doing what we freed them to do?" Said Mineko with a scowl.
"As long as I've got the scroll with me they'll do whatever the hell we tell them to, no questions asked if they know what's good for them." Maebara proclaimed. "For now, we focus on getting as far away as possible. Once we do that we get into formation and preform the Thousand Paces Jutsu which well put us out of danger's range. That much we all know for certainty."
Kichiro caught his pointed glare and nodded in silent confirmation. The teleportation jutsu would more than likely be enough to deliver them from harm's hand. He hoped. Something had told him their most dangerous adversary was that black-haired woman he'd encountered in town. That woman wasn't human, not with eyes like hers and the aura of danger that she walked and breathed with.
Almost a quarter mile behind them the sounds of chaos and battle sounded like an alarm. Kichiro had a gut feeling the mysterious woman was the one hot on their tail. Stopping on a branch, he turned his back to his teammates. "Keep going on ahead, you all will have to perform the Thousand Paces Jutsu without me. Just complete the mission."
Mineko and Saburo looked as if they wanted to protest before turning to Maebara, who remained still as a statue facing his old friend. Normally, it would have bene difficult to tell what was going on behind his Anbu mask, but Kichiro had an idea. He could read it in his body language and emotionally aura.
"Good plan, but you're not the leader of this team. I am."
The blue-tinted Anbu mask was removed revealing a face whose right cheek down to the neck had become discolored pink and wrinkled flesh. A pale-blue eyes leered at Kichiro like a predator eyeing its predator before pouncing, only then deciding not to. Ticking the mask into his back pouch Maebara stood beside his teammate, his equally burned right arm held out in front of him.
"Maebara,"
"There's a chance even with Nine-Tails in hand it won't be enough for me, but you three are a different story." He stated. "Now get your asses out of here, there's going to be-"
Kirchiro sensed it before Maebara could, though he caught as the former's arms were violently shoving him away. Deadly poison seeped from the chain that came within a hair's breath of piercing the scar-faced leader's chest. As he fell through the tree tops his eyes met those of Mineko and Saburo; his mouth worded one command they followed with no fuss much to his relief.
"Heads up!" Shouted Kirchiro alerting Maebara to the second chain coming out of the darkness of the forest. Piercing through multiple trees like tissue paper while rotting them from within the two men took a grim minute to note that if they were a second slower that would have been them.
While Mineko and Saburo bolted as fast they could through the tree tops the life-long duo got to their feet and readied themselves for the onslaught they knew as coming. Ultimately, it was the chains they thought they'd dodged that moved to finish them. Hearing the slight tug on them they instinctively moved to the sides as the black-iron weapons moved about at the command of their mistress. Trees smashed against the ground as their trunks and branches became discolored as did the bushes which were unfortunate enough to be in the path of the chains. Finding themselves back to back they performed a unified series of hand signs that ended in the horse sign. Blue arcs spewed from their bodies and joined together into a cackling dome around them that angrily bit and clawed at the chains seeking to tear them asunder.
The chain lashing came to a stop and the iron vipers withdrew into the shadows of the forest leaving the pair to await whatever was going to come after.
"Think she's finished?" Kichiro innocently questioned
"Aren't you supposed to be the 'reasonable' one? You think after that little show she's going to quietly back off?" Answered Maebara.
"At least one of you possesses a working brain, let's test it a bit further."
Once more, the two Cloud ninja broke apart, this time as the ground beneath their feet dissolved into a pool of simmering green and purple-tinted liquid. Rolling through the wet grass both came up in crouches, watching the acid pool grow by reaching and "connecting" with the other puddles that had formed along the forest floor.
"Kochiro, back into the trees! Catch up with the others, I'll handle this!"
"Interesting words, but ultimately pointless."
As his teammate raced off into the woods Maebara took note of the gathering liquid around him. Its clear and blue color was rapidly being replaced by the same sickly shade as the acid pool. Thanks to the storm almost the entire forest floor was covered with water that could potentially be used against him, that left only one option if he had any hope of surviving this mess. Not missing a beat he dashed through the bushes, never once letting the rotting smell of the poison leave his mind as he came upon a tree he rapidly climbed up. Before he was even finished he felt the wooden tower begin to sink and churn as if it were being dissolved. Maebara didn't need to look down to realized the acid pool had grown and was more than likely going to continue growing. Cursing in annoyance he jumped to the nearest tree, then to another, and then another which he used to launch himself into the rain-soaked sky.
Through the watery veil Maebara saw the acid pool-a growing stain of dark green that was spreading out as if it wanted to consume the entire forest. He searched yet there was no sign of the pool's creator, Maebara knew he couldn't worry about her, not when he still had bigger problems to think about. His hands, just finished weaving the required signs, were raised up to the sky which grew angrier by the second. "Lightning Style-Dragon's Thunderclap!"
His hands were brought downward with his palms facing the acid pool. Raijin sounded the prelude before a blue flash illuminated the sky, then the lightning blast burst forward reaching the ground in the time it took one to take a single breath. Moisture was vaporized instantly and anything flammable caught fire and burned itself into ashes in seconds. The acid pool, which had groaned in morbid joy as it consumed bushes and trees alike screamed in horror as the blue bolt strike at its heart and dried it up, along with obliterating the very ground it was building itself on. Far and wide did the cracks and fissures go like a spider-web.
Ozone filled the air along with smoke and ash which fanned outward in an omnidirectional cloud. Up in the sky a circle-like distortion in the clouds remained as the aftermath of the attack dragged on. Maebara covered his nose and mouth as he finally landed on the charred and broken earth. What lay before him was nothing short of ruin, the end result of using an A-ranked jutsu made for killing entire squadrons and scattering armies when used correctly. Truthfully, it had always been one of his favorites, costly in chakra, but usually enough to end whenever battle he was in or bring it close to an conclusion.
"Hopefully, that bought them enough time, and put a nice little scar on that bitch's pretty face." Grunted the rogue ninja wiping some of the sweat from his brow.
"Close, but not quite enough, I'm afraid."
Cursing his lungs out the man swung his eyes over the surrounding area looking for the female voice that had taunted him and his teammates. Just as he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye something, or someone, smacked him hard in the check. Pain flared through his skull and then his body as he went rolling across the charred ground before being stopped by an upturned piece of rock. "What the-gah!"
The chains dug deep into his skin, saturating his body with the paralyzing agent. Semiramis walked up to the now immobile rogue ninja, a dark expression on her beautiful face. Upon seeing it, all Maebara could do was spit at her feet. "Normally, I'd have your head for that, but for what you've put me through today I'm going to make an exception. I'm going to save you for latter."
Just as she turned her back to him Maebara spoke out. "He's a demon! That kid you're trying so hard to get back, do you know what he is?! What he's done?!"
Semiramis stood silent for a moment then turned her head to face the scar-faced kidnapper.
"He's a monster," Maebara began hoping his words would hit a chord. "Lady, I don't know where you came from, but if you stick around that kid it's only going to cause you nothing but pain in the long run. The only thing his kind are good for is hurting others, that's what makes them good at what they do-destroy and ravage. It's what they're born for."
The Assyrian shut her eyes and bowed her head in mock contemplation. Once the moment passed she cracked one eye open to leer at her captured prey. "If so, then the boy and I truly are two of a kind. His purpose is to destroy and so is mine. Once we've dealt with your compatriots perhaps we can decide who'll get first crack at you."
She would have stayed to listen to his ranting and fuming but Semiramis knew time was short, not to mention she was beginning to feel old habits creeping up on her.
Though she knew she'd have to play nice around her Master Semiramis also knew at some point she was going to have to "stretch her legs" to ensure she didn't lose her touch. These people seemed strong enough so perhaps they'd last long enough to give her ample entertainment for a night or two.
Once she saw the trio carrying her Master away Semiramis struck without mercy. Four venomous vipers lunged through the tree-line, practically burning it away trying to get to them. The female twisted her face towards her and fired off a jet of water that clashed against her snakes though ultimately it proved futile. Seeing this the bearded one performed a set of hand signs that ended with him throwing his palm out releasing arcing waves of lightning. Mixing with the water it proved to be enough to disrupt her poison-formed creations, but of course, by then Semiramis was alright within striking range.
The minute she physically caught sight of Naruto she lunged for him, her feet breaking the branch she'd temporarily landed on. Her arm reached out and her fingers flexed ready to grab onto Naruto then slap him awake.
"Not so fast!"
From the left came the female, an electrified katana held tightly in her arms and aimed right at her neck. Sneering, she threw up her arms, her fish-scales manifesting beneath the cloth. They took the attack well even if one or two cracked. Locking eyes with the woman through her mask Semiramis angrily shoved her away while mentally reaching out to Naruto. She screamed his name again and again hoping at some point the blond would hear her voice.
A panicked yelp came from the fat one indicating it'd worked.
"Shit! Guys, he's waking up!" He screamed.
"Saburo, help Mineko while I get him back under!" Screamed the one with the brown beard sprinting towards him.
Her expression turning feral, Semiramis threw out her right hand sending forth a snake-themed chain. Rather than happily tear into the bastard's flesh it was knocked asunder by a tire-sized mound of rock.
Falling to the ground Semiramis brought her attention back to the female. "Release the boy and I may spare some of your lives."
"Like hell!" As she broke away Semiramis realized something was coming. She was proven right when she looked to her right and found a literal wall of earth and rock in the shape of a dragon heading for her. Snarling in annoyance she waved her hand commanding the rain and water around her to turn into acid that moved to intercept it.
"Water Style-Water Fang Bullet!"
Raising her left hand, she created a wall of magical energy that bore the brunt of the four drills that attempted to run her through. Looking back to her right she was somewhat surprised to find the fat one was now rushing her with a pillar-sized lump of earth held in-between his arms. For a man who seemed more fat than muscle he moved surprisingly fast, or maybe there was more muscle than fat in his body make-up. Semiramis would find out one way or another. Her right hand caught the flat-end of the pillar and held it there while she dug her heels in. Annoyance turned into frustration as she surveyed the surrounding area for Naruto.
That accursed hand was latched onto his struggling forehead and that damned golden light was being emitted. To the blonde's credit he was at least putting up a better fight than she did, something that made her actually a little bit jealous. "Naruto! Naruto! Wake-up! Anu-dammit, NARUTO UZUMAKI, I ORDER YOU TO WAKE THE HELL UP!"
From where she stood his struggles grew harsher and more wild. The second male was practically straining to keep him under control, both literally and psychically. "H-He's fighting back! He's fighting the genjutsu! I don't know if I can-"
"Hold him, Kichiro! Dammit, just hold the little bastard!" Breaking off the jutsu the female lunged at Semiramis with her katana.
Narrow-eyed Semiramis pushed aside the pillar of earth and twirled out of the way of the oncoming attack. The female and fat one began attacking in unison, one coming in after the other in a rather well-down and almost admirable tag-team. Against an ordinary opponent it might have been enough to trip them up.
Semiramis readied her chains to bring the battle to a close but someone else did it for her.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD, YOU BASTARD!"
Feral, aggressive, wrathful, and most of all-fear-inducing. The voice carried with it not just a physical promise of death but a spiritually one as well. Semiramis felt her body freeze like the other three, a cold bead of sweat run down her face as she glanced over to her Master. No sooner had the words become audible did a violent gale blow through the forest knocking aside all combatants, including her. Throwing up her arms to shield her face she watched the crimson-colored tendrils of energy swirl around her Master, who by now had gotten back to his feet.
Naruto's eyes, usually blue and serene as a clear sky were now red, red as the blood he was about to spill.
It seemed…wrong, unnatural.
This power, this pressure, it's demonic in nature. Just what in Anu's name is this boy?! That one thought which had been buried now resurfaced with vigor as Semiramis watched Naruto's feral face go from person to person. The three rogues flinched realizing their plan had failed and their would-be-prey was now ready to rip them apart. Not even Semiramis was spared a promise of pain as Naruto's violent gaze fell upon her. No, this…this isn't him. A part of her said. It took only one look to tell the feral beast seconds away from attacking wasn't the goofy but honest Master she'd gotten to know.
As expected, when Naruto kicked off the grounded he created a miniature tremor. Semiramis tracked him with her eyes. It wasn't any of the three he went after but someone, or something, else in the shadows of the trees. A cry of pain went up followed by the flare of flames. Her body tensing up by reflex Semiramis watched Naruto begin wailing into the female head she thought she'd defeated almost quarter mile back like a wild beast. One of his Kitsune-ken came out and impaled itself into the creature's wrinkled forehead, then Naruto pulled his arm back bringing the head with him.
The big one barely had time to respond as a flaming head almost bigger than him slammed into his body and sent him plowing through the trees. Wasting no time, Naruto leaped at the downed demon, his Kitsune-ken now as red as his eyes and screaming for blood as well. Screaming herself, the hag head opened its mouth and met Naruto's attack with a blast of flames that completely consumed the blond. For a moment Semiramis felt her heart skip a beat, then it skipped another when Naruto rolled out of the stream of flames. Rather than his skin it seemed the fire had done nothing but dent a thin-red layer of energy slowly forming around him.
"Lightning Style-Lightning Spear!"
His blades struck out, dispatching several of the spear-shaped lightning rods heading his way. The last one appeared in the arms of the bald-headed leader, his clothing torn and his eyes swollen red.
Perhaps I am slacking off. Semiramis thought realizing she'd failed to kill any of her previous adversaries.
Naruto seemed hell-bent on correcting her mistake as he batted the lighting sphere away while driving his knee directly into the leader's stomach. Air escaped his lungs in a long and painful gasp while he tumbled through the muddy grass. Turning to the head, Naruto held out his right arm, crimson and blue energy began to swirl in the palm of his hand forming into his trademark Rasengan. Except that too had been corrupted by the demonic taint.
The sphere slammed into the flaming head, twisting and tearing through its flesh like a spherical drill. Agony exploded from the creature's lips while its flames shrunk back, as if in fear of the entity before it. Naruto's berserk voice sounded a roar of feral wrath before his arm pushed forward thereby driving the Rasengan deeper into his opponent. Said opponent gave off one last cry of pain before literally vanishing into a crimson ball of energy that rocketed its way through the tree line leaving a smoldering trail along the ground. When the surging mass came to a stop everyone felt it in the shaking of the ground.
Semiramis saw the bearded one, Kichiro, make a futile dash towards the glowing child with his golden arm outstretched. It was pure suicide and he knew that, and yet he still tried. He turned to his comrades, whose mouths were all silently screaming for him to stop. The leader was the loudest, his voice appearing close to tears as his friend neared their target.
She wasn't sure why she acted, but she did so anyway. Her chains flew out slicing through Kichiro's arm like paper, then the second pierced his left-side ribs, and then a third took hold of his legs and rose him into the air then smacked him against the ground in front of her. Blood burst from his lips, his wide eyes swerved over to Semiramis who returned his shocked expression with one of indifference. Her right hand came down upon his chest, penetrating the bone and tissue in a matter of seconds. Withdrawing her hand left a trail of blood in her wake.
Maebara stared at his friend's corpse for a few seconds then set his hate-filled eyes on his killer. Air swiftly came into his lungs. "YOU MURDEROUS BITCH!"
The Servant readied herself to end him as well. Naruto got to him before she could.
His body had become a mass of swirling crimson energy; there was no doubt getting hit by it was like having a hundred bulls slamming into you at once. That's exactly what Maebara experienced as he sailed through a collection of trees, his bones probably breaking along the journey. Eventually he came to a stop somewhere in the forest, broken and bleeding, waiting for the final blow.
Naruto quickly turned his attention from the downed rogue to his newest targets-the last two Ōkubi.
They'd arrived in silence and watched the carnage unfold in silence. At least until Semiramis noticed something change in the spiritual nature of the two beings. In the strange limbo Naruto's assault had created she'd become aware of many things she hadn't noticed before: the falling of the rain, the shifting of the clouds, the skewering of animals miles away, and the breathing of all things. Seconds after his brutal body blow made direct hit the two demon heads gasped in shock, as if they'd been personally affected.
Without a moment's pause the female head moved in front of the male, her eyes shut in preparation for the inevitable. Semiramis too waited for the end to come. There was no doubt in her mind it'd be quick and brutal which filled her with both dread and excitement.
It never came.
Three claps of thunder sounded before she realized the two heads were still…alive. Puzzled, she turned to her Master and found the aura of anger that had consumed him had come to a grinding halt. He was staring at the pair as if he'd just seen a ghost. Seconds passed and the crimson glow of his demonic power faded away until the only signs of his possession were his feral whiskers and his eyes. The crimson orbs examined every inch of the two with emotions Semiramis knew were shock, horror, and sadness.
Naruto's eyes returned to their sky-blue color and the Kitsune-ken in his hands fell to the rain-soaked ground. Finally, he registered her existence as he looked to her with stunned eyes and spoke in a shaken voice. "S-S-S-Semi…ramis…"
She didn't know how to respond to him, and by the gods did a part of her curse herself for that.
The sound of jogging registered in her pointed ears. Glancing to the side she found Jiraiya, soaked down to the bone standing a few yards away from them. His eyes took in the scene of carnage from the craters to the traumatized and comatose ninja, to the two floating heads still hovering in the rain. He took one step forward, then placed his hand to his headband-covered forehead.
"Goddammit, I leave for one afternoon and this happens."
Quite the brutal chapter, huh? It is Chapter 9 so I decided to go big and violent.
Okubi are Japanese yokai that resemble floating heads, either male or female. They usually appear in the sky and are seen as omens of impeding disaster otherwise they're harmless. Obviously, in that isn't the case in this story as these heads were far from harmless. But you can say they do fulfill the omen part given what's going to be happening in the next chapters.