Pseudo Styles: A Naruto Fanfiction

by Alpha Vii

[Undergoing retrofit] Clan desolation reduced. Development heavy plot line where the canon generation is privy to the cloth they are cut from. Rapid growth, and... escalation prone events.

13. Volume 13

Pseudo Styles: A Naruto Fanfiction: Volume 13 Rebels Wrath And Mist Arc Conclusion Chapters: 1-3

[Important Notice: Retrofit pending. If you are reading this, the chapter has yet to be overhauled. Plot and character points subject to dynamic change. Chapters that have had this message removed have been - for the most part - resolved.]

Alright guys by now you've heard the rules and they haven't changed. Unfortunately I messed up the last volume and I want to apologize for that. I write the chapters from top to bottom and in doing so the first thing I write is the chapter title and the objectives I planned to write. In the last volume the title read 'Boss fight' and my intent was to have Phantom fight Yagura. That is a mistake I can no longer allow myself to make now that the series has gone public. For such a blunder I will not allow myself to post again until I've written that fight that I promised in the last chapter. Again I'm sorry that I let that slip and I hope this makes up for it.

===Volume 13===

—Chapter 1: Warships On The Waves—

Phantom watched the life rafts depart the shipwreck with a calculative look.

Mei arrived at the railing and asked, "Two shots? That must be a record somewhere. Why the iron look?"

Phantom sighed, "That ship wasn't ready to fight us. Also that record doesn't belong to us. I've seen things you wouldn't allow in any of the great villages. No matter how long it takes Yagura will prepare ships to fight such a devastating force." He shook his head and grinned, "So what do you say to some hunting?"

Mei raised an eye in query, "How would we defend the camp?"

Phantom looked like he was evaluating something, "How many people reside in that camp at present?"

Mei furrowed her brow at the request. After two minutes she answered, "Just shy of four hundred shinobi. Why?"

Phantom shook his head, "Civilians?"

Mei narrowed her eyes, "Just over five hundred when counting the whole population. Why are you counting them?"

Phantom smiled, "To know how big a boat you're gonna need. If you have over a hundred from the surrounding area and some from travels then…" Phantom stood, "Can you manage without me for now?"

Mei nodded, "For the time being. We'd need Enigma for his familiarity with the ship though."

Phantom nodded but hesitated, "You know what? I'll stay behind. The boy's got more energy than I do and he'll need that for this."

Phantom tapped a mark on his belt and moments later Enigma ran up, "What is it sensei? I was in the middle of a poker game!"

Mei raised her brows, "You didn't teach the kids to gamble did you?"

Enigma waved his hand, "Nah, I just like the sport of it. No money's changing hands."

Phantom turned and asked, "Do you think you're ready to build a fleet?"

Enigma's eyes sparkled, "Please tell me thats not just a statistical request!"

Phantom rolled his eyes, "Don't mess up the island kid. Go have fun."

Enigma took a running start and leapt off the boat towards the island shouting, "SHOW TIME!"

Mei glanced at the man and asked, "Mess up the island?"

Phantom shrugged, "Has yet to happen but the material must come from somewhere right?"

—Rebel Controlled Island—

Enigma cracked his knuckles and shouted the chant, "WATER; FIRE; EARTH; METAL; OIL; SAGE; SEAL: ANCIENT ART: SHIPMASTER'S GLORY!"

After the replica of the first ship was complete Enigma wiped his brow and shouted, "WATER; EARTH; METAL; OIL; CRYSTAL; SEAL; SAGE: ANCIENT ART: RENEGADE VILLAGE!"

Enigma watched as a much broader ship's hull was formed and hundreds of windows were left in the hull. The same troughs formed on the sides however these used seals instead of pipes. On the deck several turrets formed and this time the large ship received six large masts in two rows with beams connecting them at intervals and a catwalk between the lookout sheds. The rudder formed and Enigma began focusing on the interior of the ship. Several minutes later he was done and soaked with sweat, "That was a piece of work! Alright time to gather the rest of the shinobi and civilians." Enigma turned to the forest before saying, "Don't go anywhere!"

—Lone Rebel Battleship—

Mei immediately decided to go after the ships Yagura sent to perform the lower half of the pincer attack. She had the crew switch cannoneers as they approached the lead ship. Mei looked to Ao as he signaled their identities before she shouted, "Load the cannons! We'll show them how outdated the kraken was!"

Phantom asked, "Should your shinobi be loading the shells, or warning shots?"

Mei steeled her gaze, "Warning shots first. After each cannon has launched one fill the barrels with the hull busters."

Phantom nodded and shouted down the well, "Warning shots for all initial rounds! After that let 'em have it!"

There were cheers from below deck from those that enjoyed the big guns but a few groaned at the thought of hauling those massive shells around.

Mei waited until she could count the cannons on the lead ship before shouting, "Fire forward cannons when ready!"

In two seconds the first cannon ball flew like a glorious bullet and wood was seen flying off the lead ship.

Ao shouted, "DIRECT HIT! We got the upper hull!"

Mei nodded, "Load the hull buster and wait for my signal!"

Phantom shook his head, "I still can't believe you're calling them that."

Mei looked at him weirdly, "What's wrong with the name?"

Phantom sighed, "Lack of subtlety."

Mei watched the ship to see if they changed coarse before sighing, "FIRE!"

The ship shook violently as the massive projectile took off.

—Kiri Flag Ship—

The cannoneers were horrified when one of their cannons was ripped from the ship by a screaming projectile. One of the men looked out the port hole to see what was going on and nearly fell out from shock, "INCOMING!"

The others braced for another flying round when the bow of the ship snapped before a massive metal log skidded onto the deck and stopped when it reached the rear hull.

One of the men looked at the hole it left and with a scream-like whimper he asked, "Through the ******* bow?"

Another reached the intruder and shouted nervously, "Where did they get this kind of munition?! No cannon could fire THIS!"

One of the shinobi ran down and asked, "What happened down here?"

The majority of the cannon crew pointed at both the projectile and the whole in the bow.

The chunin paled, "Kami! That…That's from the strongest trees in Kiri! How did they…?!"

Suddenly the starboard wall was pierced by a cannonball that entered like a damned bullet. The chunin ran to the upper deck leaving the panicked cannoneers to their theories.

—Captains Quarters—

The captain growled, "Where is that boy? That's the third round to hit the ship!"

His door burst open and the chunin scrambled in, "The ship is crippled! A massive column of metal has destroyed the forward bow! The projectile is lodged in the hold and I suggest we get it to the Mizukage so he can prepare his fleet! If we take a hit any lower on the ship we're sunk!"

The captain scowled before he took a seat, "Relay the order to retreat. Signal the other ships to hold their position. I need to inform the Mizukage." The captain reached for his messenger bird except that it was already delivering his previous report, "Damn it. I need a messenger bird."

The chunin groaned, "Again? Alright Captain Shizumeru."

—Rebel Battleship—

Phantom lowered a spyglass and said, "That ship was finished by the second shot!"

Mei looked down toward him, "What do you mean by that?! They're escaping quite smoothly!"

Phantom shook his head, "That second round went through the bow. Once a part like that is damaged to such an extent the ship is essentially a dying one! It's like obliterating a human's spine! Once that happens everything connected is ruined! That ship won't be coming back to fight again…ever!"

Mei cocked her head, "Shouldn't we armor the bow if it's such a vulnerable location?"

Phantom chuckled, "This ship doesn't have one. It's a solid piece. That's why ships like these are special. A normal carpenter can't get a tree large enough to carve a battle ship so they resort to several pieces of sturdy lumber connecting to the bow. I'm surprised that the hull buster could destroy such a sturdy piece of lumber though." He looked again before groaning, "Actually I think it might still be on the ship! This isn't good! When Yagura sees our ammo he'll be hell bent on armoring those ships. Granted he doesn't have the resources to match this one in strength but that doesn't matter if he can stop the shells."

Mei narrowed her eyes, "What kind of armor would stop that kind of shell?"

Phantom hesitated before grinning, "Something Kiri can't afford."

Mei had the rebels turn back to base to recuperate from the battle.

About halfway Ao shouted down, "We've got two ships dead ahead! They bear the same sails but have no markings! One of them is significantly larger than our own!"

Phantom grinned, "That would be Enigma and the rest of the rebels. You sure you left something behind or are you prepared to go mobile?"

Mei glanced at him, "The larger ship?"

"Yeah."

Mei looked in the distance, "We need to gather the rest of the outcasts first. We don't have enough man power to retake the village yet. I suggest we head to Sakuru(Improvised) Island and gather the kekkei wielders from the village there. They've been rotating our people between four other villages to avoid being targeted for harboring them."

Phantom smiled, "Leave it to civilians to have the most devoted hearts."

—Sakuru Island—

The ships arrived near the dilapidated port and Mei led a group of four to gather the bloodline wielders on separate landing craft. When they reached the shore two shinobi exited the forest and the first reported, "Leader. Yagura's troops have begun visiting the villages in the surrounding islands at random. The villagers are becoming nervous with the increased patrols and request permission to have hidden shelters built to hide their charges during these patrols."

The second man asked, "Since when did we have ships?"

Mei turned to Phantom and signaled he explain.

Phantom nodded and turned to the guards, "Recently the Leaf village sent troops to support this rebellion. My student apparently convinced the previous Hokage to take action and has taken an oath to prove his commitment to your cause. My initial contribution was the first of this fleet. Those warships were made with a technique that only the two of us have been able to recreate and my student designed the last two."

Mei continued, "We are now capable of protecting hundreds of kekkei genkai wielders as well as transporting a huge number of forces against Yagura and his men. We came to gather every able bodied individual who are ready to make a stand as well as anyone seeking our protection. Let the villagers know we have arrived. We don't want to create an unnecessary stir."

The two chorused, "Yes ma'am!" before disappearing in a swirl of mist.

Mei noticed a look from Phantom and asked, "What?"

Phantom grinned, "I knew you were sensitive but that's an impressive length to ensure your people feel safe. This war hasn't hardened your heart like most veterans. Instead you've made everyone your family instead. Yagura calls that weakness, but he's already made himself vulnerable with the shell he's made."

Ao scowled, "You're saying our kage is weak?! That's absurd!"

Phantom shook his head, "I said he's vulnerable. Not weak. A king that denounces that much of his empire has reduced his distance from an enemy's noose."

Chojuro raised an eyebrow, "A philosopher huh? No wonder you never became a shinobi."

—Sakuru Village—

A village weaver looked up a she heard a group coming down the road. She smiled and ran outside, "They're back! Mei and the rebel army have returned at last!"

In moments the roads were flooded with citizens who wanted to welcome their heroes at the village gates.

Mei looked on with pride at the openness of the villagers. She paused when she felt a tap on her arm. Mei turned to Phantom and asked, "What is it?"

Phantom had his gaze locked onto something when he answered, "Trouble. I'll be back in five."

The man vanished in a blur and Mei wondered, 'Was that a shunshin?' She turned to the village, "Our cause has been acknowledged by the village of Konoha. They have supplied us with additional manpower as well as skilled specialists such as the famous assassin Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye. A genjutsu specialist know a Kurenai Yuhi. A summoner of the snake clan by the name of Anko Mitarashi and several other jonin have been sent as well as dozens of chunin."

Suddenly Phantom appeared behind the other three and a restrained man toppled onto the dirt, "Man I hate spies, but planting moles in civilian villages is just pathetic. Please tell me Yagura isn't wasting more than a genin on something as trivial as this."

The man scowled, "I'll never talk you bewitched filth!"

Phantom scoffed, "I don't care about your villages propaganda. I'm just asking if your Kage is so ill that he'd really waste the manpower of a jonin on civilians. Granted you hadn't been caught earlier but that's just wasteful. Besides, jonin are terrible at playing civilian. Admittedly an anbu would be like sending a clown into town with throwing knives in his act."

The man lunged a whole two inches off the ground before falling with a dusty thud, "You coward! Our Mizukage is the strongest man to ever live! I dare you try and fight him!"

Phantom grinned, "Don't worry it's already on my to-do list. However you are severely disillusioned as to his strength. I know of a particular shinobi in Kumo who would already give that man the fight of his life if he was serious about it. I don't plan to end his life but whatever happens his reign of fear will end. I just want to know how hard I have to fight to reach him. If you don't mind hearing that man wail for hours then you're beyond entitled to seal your jaw…thing is Anko Mitarashi is from Konoha T&I and she savors the art of physical torment."

The man cackled, "I've trained my whole life to keep my secrets. You won't get anything from me!"

Phantom grinned maniacally, "Then you're her favorite kind of person." Phantom turned to Mei, "Permission to deliver a captive to the ship? I think I found some fresh meat."

Mei looked over at the man, "Alright. Get him to Anko and see what she can pry from him."

Phantom chuckled and responded, "I hope you don't mind but she tends to take her prey in one bite so there won't be much left to squeeze out later."

Mei sighed, "As long as he's alive when I get back."

Phantom nodded and disappeared in another blur.

===Chapter 1-2 Bridge===

—Chapter 2: Shell Breakers—

Three weeks had passed and the Renegade was loaded to the majority of it's capacity.

Mei entered the war office when she heard Phantom and Enigma arrive. She nervously asked, "Are you sure we're ready?"

Enigma eagerly answered, "If you guys can't take the village like this then you over invested in your borders even more than the leaf. That's a frightening thought after a bunch of kids managed to repel a boss summon."

Phantom nodded calmly, "It would take two jinchuriki to stop this fleet. Granted I wouldn't tell the troops that since a few are bred to get cocky. Yagura isn't going to be your concern for the majority of the battle but his troops will go after any stragglers so you must remain unified."

Mei nodded, "How long till we reach the mainland?"

Phantom cocked his brow, "It's referred to as a mainland? That's awkward. The whole archipelago has more mass than that patch."

Enigma rolled his eyes at his mentor's addiction to detail, "We'll be within range by morning."

Mei glanced at the map and pointed at a segment of the map indicating something, "We'll enter here and here. There a weapon depots that we should cut off as soon as possible. Afterwards we carve the enemy out of the surrounding compounds and establish a foothold in the compound between them."

Enigma cracked his knuckles and sighed, "Barrier defense! I love that game! Permission to mess up some shinobi?"

Mei smiled, "Let loose kid."

Phantom quickly countered, "Absolutely not. Never let Enigma cut fully loose! It's like setting an army of wolves to corral sheep!"

Mei rolled her eyes, "Fine, have fun. As if war is a game."

—Kirigakure Waters 0600—

Kakashi stretched as he walked onto the surface deck. He looked around briefly before deciding to check in with one of the towers. He began a casual hike up the mast and was almost to the shed when he saw a head poke out.

Enigma called, "Huh, guess your lateness wasn't do to being a late sleeper. You haven't been avoiding me have you?"

Kakashi moaned, "What gave you that idea?"

Enigma narrowed his eyes, "It's a ship. Granted you could have been on any one of them but after this long and no contact? That's about as plausible as your lady crossing every street in Konoha twice excuse. Any particular reason for that?"

Kakashi sighed, "Because you unnerve me kid. If it came down to it I'm worried I couldn't get you under control."

Enigma scratched his head, "My father used to say the same thing when I started to figure out how to avoid a military restraining hold. He figured the best solution for any confrontation was that same damn hold. Thing is, human's don't belong in cages or on a leash. You have to learn to read them and adapt for them. My sensei figured that out fast. Sometimes I just need to let stuff out in a controlled fashion. If you can let my tidal wave wash around you then I cool myself down. Same with most normal beasts. If you tie them down but don't respect them they get angry and look for an out. If you learn what they want and expect from you and show them you're worthy than they'll trust you with everything."

Kakashi asked pensively, "What is it you need Vii?"

Enigma chuckled, "As long as you treat my comrades with respect AND hold their faith then you have nothing to fear from me. Just don't treat them like toddlers or I might mess you up. One thing to remember; I may be wild, but I'm a child at heart. That means killing is a repulsive notion to me and I'd like to keep it that way."

Kakashi sighed, "You realize that I'm an assassin right?"

Enigma smiled, "More than any other genin does. I also know why you carry two coffins on your shoulders. Thing is, your students know better than most how messed up the world gets. You're not sparing them by withholding your feelings. Your denying them a friend. Kakashi Hatake has a powerful origin that provided more lessons than any other jonin. You're wiser than some Kage and more creative than many chunin. That's someone they'd be proud to know."

Kakashi was about to ask something when a shout caught his attention.

"KIRIGAKURE WITHIN RANGE!" 0630

Mei arrived on the deck and called, "ALL CANNONEERS TO STATIONS! Civilians take shelter below! ENIGMA!"

Kakashi saw a blur fly past at terminal velocity and widened his eyes as the boy maneuvered back to the mast to skid to a decent landing.

Enigma ran up to the rebel leader and asked, "Yes ma'am?"

"Contact Phantom and tell him it's time."

Enigma tapped a seal on his shoulder and spoke, "You ready old man?"

Mei heard a voice return, "You just call me old?! I'm only twenty brat!"

Enigma chuckled, "That still makes you outdated!"

A brief pause endured for whole seconds, "I've still got a few good years left!"

Mei's eyebrow twitched, "What was that kid?"

Enigma paled, "Oh Kami a woman scorned! I'm pavement!"

The boy booked a few meters before Mei decided there were more important matters to attend too than an indirect age jab, "Kakashi prepare the landing craft to deploy the genin!"

Mei turned when a presence appeared, "What is it Phantom?"

Phantom looked almost excited, "I've managed to perfect a variant of the hull buster that I'd love to shove in those prejudice faces. It would be a slap in the face of a lot of people!"

Mei sighed, "Alright, have the left ships load the ammunition in their first volley."

Phantom actually hopped a bit, "Yes ma'am! I'll head to the island to set it off. I've got some choice words to have that thing drive home."

—Village Patrol 0700—

The village guard was on high alert as the two battle ships entered the waters.

Suddenly Phantom appeared in the middle of a patrol and shouted, "BONZAI!"

One of the new versions of ammunition slammed into the village wall. Due to the stone inside the projectile didn't make it through. The guards turned to Phantom with victorious grins.

The lead man asked, "Is that all you've got?! You scum are out of your league!"

Phantom laughed, "That one isn't for penetration. Here's a trick that many assume is a kekkei genkai." He grinned like a madman and held a single handsign, "EARTH STYLE: DETONATION!"

The group halted their approach as a tremendous explosion blew a colossal hole in the wall. One of them shouted, "He's a blast style user! Kill the defiler!"

Phantom pulled out a pair of pouches and shouted, "NOPE! HAVE SOME C4 YOU ASSHOLES! EARTH STYLE: DETONATION!"

The explosion was strong enough to send the men flying.

Phantom pumped energy into his legs and ran up the wall old school. When he reached the top he used his kinetic ability to send a message at tremendous volume exceeding detonation limits, "EAT YOUR DET CORD LOVING HEART OUT DEIDARA! THIS ONES FOR MAKING SUCH A HYPE OVER YOUR NERDITY!"

—Rebel Ships 0708—

Mei narrowed her eyes, "Nerdity? Is that a thing?"

Ao shrugged.

Enigma was rolling around in a fit of laughter, "Why does he get all the good ones?! I wanted to waste that asshole!"

Mei asked quietly, "Was that a kekkei genkai?"

Enigma quickly got to his feet, "Not really. Technically it's not even a legitimate element. Blast style is what people assume the hybrid of earth and lightning would be. Thing is lightning ruins this particular technique rather than set it off and even if it did that's not how binary elements work. It'd have to fuse the elements as they're cast. Thing is you can't cast this jutsu without a special mix of chemicals handy. regular dirt just doesn't have enough kick…Actually I should probably teach this to the C.O.P. It would be like inventing pranks all over again!"

Mei grinned mischievously, "So any earth user can cast it?"

Enigma shrugged, "More like provoke it, but yes."

—Shoreline 0720—

The first wave of landing craft arrived on the island and Kakashi shouted, "Alright troops! The ships have opened breaches in the wall in front of both of our targets! Get yourselves situated in the nearest supply depot and drive out the enemy however you can. We've got plenty of supplies so worst case; get everyone clear and blow the shit out of them! NOW GET MOVING!"

The troops that hadn't landed ran across the water and the legions of shinobi piled through the walls.

Kakashi noticed hull busters flying parallel to the wall and wondered aloud, "What are they shooting at?" He turned and joined the invasion teams as they poured into the breach. Before he did he noticed some of the rebels placing tags on the wall as they ran to the breaches.

—Mist Village Abandoned Compounds 0730—

The rebels began to spread throughout the streets while the heavy hitters swarmed the depots. In seconds the sounds of explosions and multi natured chaos became the norm as the garden variety shinobi were chased from the surrounding areas.

Enigma arrived at the compound border and began to run around the perimeter occasionally tapping the wall and leaving barrier and reinforcement seals in quick succession. Once he reached the other end of the surrounding wall he shouted, "SEALING ART: REPULSION SHIELD!" The wall glowed a dark violet before a barrier projected two feet from it and extended an extra three feet into the air, "I hope these guys try to jutsu the hell outta this!"

Several of the genin were still messing up the outermost shinobi but very soon reinforcements would be arriving. Enigma heard the rebels begin setting up the catapults and grinned, "Oh this should be FUN!"

—Reinforcements 0800—

One of the chunin shouted, "Captain, the rebels have installed a barrier in front of an abandoned complex!"

The leading jonin shouted, "Ignore it. Yagura had tunnels built between those tainted areas. We can't allow those demons to feel at home in our village!"

Three of their group shouted, "Yes sir!"

The chunin from earlier asked, "WHAT ABOUT BOULDERS?!"

The other turned in time to see a giant stone flying towards their route.

The jonin smirked, "Looks like those filth have resorted to primitive methods! Show them how little they matter to our Mizukage!"

The group sprinted to intercept the boulder.

—Rebel Held Compound 0810—

One of the scouts smirked, "Imbeciles. Their correcting our aim for us! Fire at will!"

The moment the first stone landed there was an explosion and massive crystals formed from the road.

Another scout shouted, "Group sighted at 10 o'clock!"

On the ground Enigma asked, "What's there?"

One of the genin glanced at a map before smirking, "They're on a lake! This should be messy!"

Enigma slapped four tags on the boulder. He watched the boulder fly and shouted, "FOR HAKU AND THE YUKI CLAN!"

—Lake—

A group of eight shinobi was crossing the lake when one of the chunin voiced, "Umm…AH!"

A second followed his gaze and elaborated, "Incoming boulder! How do we respond Captain?!"

One of the two jonin glanced at the crystal from earlier and groaned, "Put a few more feet between us and that disaster's course."

While the group diverged one of the chunin asked, "Is this not excessive sir? That stone is already extremely far from our path."

The stone plunged into the water and immediately began to turn the water to ice.

The second jonin narrowed his eyes, "They're giving us a platform to cross on?"

The first one paled, "You fool! We must get off the water now! Don't let the ice catch up with us!"

The first chunin soon noted, "Uh…A bit late for that captain!"

The ice quickly preceded the group and in moments ran into the shore.

The first Jonin immediately braced, "TOO LATE!"

The surface of the lake began to crack as the expanding water forced its way out from it's natural bed. Sheets of ice became burgs is seconds and the escaping water sent hail at them. In seconds the terrain became the freakin arctic.

===Chapter 2-3 Bridge===

—Chapter 3: Eternal Battle of the Mist—

Phantom walked strait through the heart of the village as he approached Yagura's aura. The Kage was like a beacon of fear and turmoil in Phantoms eyes and the sight disgusted the man.

Meanwhile dozens of shinobi attempted to slay the man as he stalked through the village. Several Anbu attempted to impale him with their swords but there was no contact from their strikes.

Phantom glared at them, "Space time jutsu. My fight isn't with you." Phantom had employed his natural interdimensional ability but it worked exactly the same as Obito's ability.

He arrived at Yagura's home and knocked on the door, "Come out jinchuriki. I've got a complaint to file with the manager." Phantom noticed a jutsu build up from across the building and decided to make a point.

As the giant wave collided with the door Phantom held out a hand and a minuscule purple ball formed. As the water approached the orb it was repelled around the man in an oblong dome. The water eventually tore down the wall which allowed the deluge to become a tidal front. The dome narrowed but Phantom held his ground with a steel gaze.

As the water subsided Yagura finally saw the man's face. But when he saw the purple orb he felt his Biju become restless.

Yagura narrowed his gaze, "Why does such a minuscule technique upset a biju? What is that technique?"

Phantom held his gaze and answered, "Because all biju recognize the amount of power this orb contains. This is known to a small few as a bijudama or tailed beast bomb." Phantom dispelled the sphere and added, "Admittedly no other sage has access to enough of natures chakra to do this. However It's against my nature to destroy people. I'm here to unveil your true nature from this mess a doujutsu user brought upon you. I challenge you to a duel Yagura. If you win I will leave you to try and survive what Mei and her peers consider justice. If you lose you will abdicate as Mizukage and trust in your people to keep you safe from people like the man that sabotaged your faith."

Yagura growled, "You intend to fight a jinchuriki? You better have made peace with this world!" The man drew a sword and tackled Phantom into the yard.

Phantom managed to parry a sword strike with a golden staff before he pulled out a luminous dagger and thrust it into Yagura's gut, "My goal isn't currently peace with this world. It's peace with YOU!"

Yagura shouted in frustration at the unexpected weapon before jumping back. He felt for the wound but found no blood. His jacket was torn but otherwise he was unscathed. The man glared at the weapon Phantom held before going through a series of handsigns and summoning a set of heavily plated armor. The set appeared on his body and he snarled, "That's a nasty weapon you've got. However despite leaving no wound it appears to be hindered by armor. I won't lose to such a weapon!"

Phantom smirked, "We'll see about that."

He ran up to Yagura before the man scowled and pulled out a rather dense halberd. The armored man attempted to impale Phantom as he approached but when Phantom evaded he jumped back to maintain a constant range. The water around the compound swarmed around him.

Phantom tensed before he dispelled the weapons he was using and held a single handsign, "ICE STYLE: LEECHING WIND!"

Yagura stiffened before snarling, "You're a member of the Yuki? You seem different than I remember them." He unleashed the giant vortex on Phantom but the water froze once it hit an unseen dome of swirling wind. Yagura narrowed his eyes, "That's not a clan technique."

Phantom faulted from behind the wall of ice, "You forced the clans to scatter! Why would you expect a Yuki to know any of their old techniques? Anyway how would a Yuki do this?" Phantom leapt at the wall of ice and shouted, "SECRET ART: METAL STYLE: MOBILE CORE!" He kicked the blockade and the brittle structure absorbed the technique aggressively and divided into two dozen rectangular bricks that flew at Yagura.

The man jumped to the side and slammed his arm into one of the bricks to create an area to avoid the barrage. Though it mostly worked he was shocked by the amount of force with which the ice traveled the brick he used as cover nearly crushed him as it slammed into the building.

Phantom walked over to the rubble and shouted, "Take your time Yagura. I won't hit a man whose down."

Yagura grunted at he threw several pieces of collapsed lumber to the side before he flew at Phantom at blinding speed.

Phantom was a tad late to dodge and received a huge gash through his abdomen. He choked out, "Well played. (Hurl) Now we c-can truly begin."

PHAZE

Phantom appeared to the side and spoke in a mix of voices, "By slaying this host body you have entered into an eternal death-match to be judged by strength of will. The terms of this battle have been set." A massive dome appeared around the estate as Phantom continued, "None may perish until the battle is decided. We will begin once the barrier is complete."

Yagura decided to make a preemptive strike but his spear passed through Phantoms body. He looked up an saw the field close overhead and snarled, "You coward! You fight with tricks and deny me my people!"

Phantom scowled, "FOOL! Your true enemies have convinced you to deny your people their heritage and their citizenship! You have already refused your people's strength out of desperation! We're doing this to protect them from our power. What kind of Kage have you chosen to be Yagura? A leader? A tyrant? A dictator? Whatever it is show us why your enemies would need to sabotage you to take you down! Prove yourself as having earned that title before it is taken from you!" Phantom turned to Yagura and waited for him to initiate the duel.

Yagura growled, "I won't fall to those demons! I will eradicate every one of them to keep my village safe!"

Phantom smiled proudly, "Progress."

Yagura leapt at the man and swung his halberd in a massive arc to sever his target's head. However he was irked when Phantom pulled out a rapier and narrowly ducked under the bludgeon-grade staff. He resorted to attempting squash the man under the massive weapon's shaft. Yagura quickly raised a leg and buried the lower hilt in the ground however he was shocked when blade end shot into the air due to a tremendous source of leverage.

As the weapon was deflected Phantom was seen holding a clawed hand to the sky, "Ancient art: Kinetic palm!" Phantom's speed was temporarily crippled as his body had still been forced under an immense pressure. His body had adjusted for power but that meant the spring he was used to was sacrificed. Still he managed to get close enough to lunge the blade between two large plates of armor.

Yagura groaned in irritation and attempted to grab Phantom to force him to remove the blade, however when Phantom dodged his grip the sword he had released dissolved into nothing. Yagura smirked, "So your blades require a supply of chakra to maintain." He jumped back and added, "Since you don't carry any other weapons on your person that means range is your weakness."

Phantom groaned as he faulted, "We really hoping to save this for later but if it's a ranged battle you want then we'll use a different spirit's techniques." Phantom held his hands open in front of his chest and shouted, "ECHO ART: HARBINGER!"

Yagura narrowed his eyes as a thundering hum reached his ears before a distortion in the air flew towards him. He was sent flying and when he landed some of the rubble was knocked aside. The jinchuriki scowled and tossed a dozen kunai at the man before shouting, "What unholy brand of trickery is that?! That's not a jutsu at all!"

Phantom drew a golden sword and with a massive swipe the kunai were knocked to the ground by an unseen force. Phantom answered, "You heard us before. We fight as one in this form. You've seen the abilities of our energy spirit. Now you fight our skill spirit."

Yagura scowled before shouting, "Figures Mei would send a specialist to do her dirty work!"

Phantom sighed, which sounded more like a howling wind in his state, "Mei desired to end you to free her people from your desperation. We fight you to determine weather you will allow yourself to be healed of your wounds. It was our condition that we fight you first. To that end we will fight with everything we have to free you of your captor. That goes for both of you as too many of your kin have been manipulated already!" A deep green aura bled from Phantom before he appeared behind Yagura with his arms and fingers extended forward and shouted, "ECHO ART: HARPOON!"

Before he could dodge Yagura felt two impacts in his shoulders. When he landed he glanced at his armor. This time there was no visible damage taken but he felt something had been drained. Granted it wasn't much but to a seasoned Kage it was worrying. Yagura decided to pull out the stops and allowed the chakra of the three tails to flood his body, "You want a fight?! YOU GOT ONE!"

Yagura disappeared from Phantoms normal sight and even by tracking the trail of chakra Phantom was still too slow to keep up with Yagura's actual position. Phantom sighed and closed his eyes, "How many swordsmen have you met Yagura?"

The man grinned, "Dozens. The land of iron hosts the Kage summit regularly. Those samurai don't compete with ninjutsu though." Suddenly the man slammed into something and staggered back as a stone wall sank into the ground. Yagura narrowed his eyes and ran to see his opponents eyes. He reach Phantom's front as the man opened his eyes. Yagura paled when he saw the markings in the man's iris'.

Phantom grinned, "Turns out that while our eyes only fire occasionally, the ability to detect KI is a constant one. This would normally be identified as the minds eye. Unfortunately for you fast doesn't mean unpredictable. If your running in circles, however, there's no technique to blocking you."

Yagura growled, "Let's see you react to this!" Yagura pulled a handsign.

Phantom looked around and noticed a number of tags light up, "Oh."

BOOM

Yagura grinned before he heard the sound from earlier and turned to see Phantom in tact. He scowled and asked, "How is this a battle of wills? You can't even be killed!"

Phantom dusted his cloak before answering, "Since when does a battle of wills require someone to die? Besides…"

Yagura felt a metal blade pierce his chest before the world warped around him. He grabbed his chest but there was no sign of the mortal wound he was sure he felt. He looked up at the barrier and asked, "I assume this dome is cursed?"

Phantom laughed, "From many perspectives yes." He held a handsign and asked, "How superstitious are you anyway? Is it a natural feeling that your enemy preyed on? That would be more interesting than some theories."

Yagura narrowed his gaze, "What enemy are you even talking about? The rebels have no such abilities among them!"

Phantom's gaze grew mildly intrigued, "We are referring to a group of mercenaries. Our student sent a messenger to warn you not to affiliate with them not two months ago. If you didn't reject the rebels because of their abilities then you must not remember why you came to hate them so much." Phantom rubbed his chin before transforming into the masked figure, "Do…"

On instinct Yagura threw a kunai at a speed that cracked the sky before it impaled Phantom in the forehead.

Phantom appeared an instant and shouted, "You DO remember! Whether consciously or not you remember that man wronged you." Phantom's gaze turned feral as he shouted, "This has gone on long enough. THAT MAN WILL HAUNT THIS NATION NO MORE!" Phantom lowered his gaze and his presence became volatile. His hands glowed with a flame that was barely visible to Yagura. He held his hands together and a vibrant pointed sword five feet long and one and a half thick carved into the air before he shouted, "LET'S SEE WHO'S IRE IS STRONGER FOR THAT MAN!"

Yagura watched the air around Phantom shimmer with a blazing intensity that already scared him. Suddenly Phantom reappeared halfway through a downward strike. The sheer amount of energy in the glowing blade nearly cause him to fall over.

Phantom swung decisive strokes twelve times before he suddenly stopped, "We think we may have over done it just now. Your anger and resentment had already been slain by our fifth strike. Was your trauma truly due to mere confusion?"

Yagura attempted to stand to his feet but he felt like he was hit by a tsunami throughout the attack, "That rush. Was that truly the ire you have for that man? I'm not sure I understand how he warrants such intense emotions but after seeing your commitment I remember feeling something of a similar nature a number of years ago." Yagura reached for his gut before he chuckled, "I think you just terrified my biju with that attack. I didn't realize they COULD be afraid."

Phantom sighed, "Every creature feels fear. Eventually you have to discover why that fear exists in order to conquer it. Sometimes you need to conquer a great fear to find an equally worth aspiration. That is what many call glory." Phantom turned to the village and asked, "Can you have faith that someone who has conquered her own fears can help you do the same? That is why Mei desires the title of Mizukage. To conquer fear is her ambition and she has already proven to be a gentle giant. Mei Terumi has surpassed you in your illness and yearns to see her people safe. This applies to all the people she meets, even those who don't trust her. Will you allow her to heal the Mist in your place?"

Yagura looked into the village and saw that the fighting had calmed down. He also saw Mei approaching in the distance. He sighed before nodding, "Very well. If she can indeed earn the people's faith then she deserves my trust."

A few minutes past after the barrier collapsed before Mei arrived. As she did she looked around and whistled. She turned to Phantom who was resting on a piece of lumber before asking, "You're as bad as your student. This place is a mess!"

Suddenly movement caught her eye as Yagura stood from against a tree. His armor was left against the trunk and he stood before Mei. He removed his hat and spoke sternly, "Make sure our people don't suffer my mistakes ever again." He knelt to the ground and raised the symbol of the village leadership to Mei.

Mei smiled sympathetically and answered, "You have my word." She took the hat and asked, "How was Phantom able to convince you to stand down?"

Yagura stood and answered, "Conviction. He fights like vengeful demon but has a vision that surpasses anything I could have seen. He spoke of your nature and clearly you were born a better Kage than I was ever going to be."

Mei raised her brows at that and turned to Phantom to see him nearly ready to pass out. She grinned, "Those two are a mystery alright."

===Volume 13 End===