Author's Note: Made a slight mistake when I updated with the wrong document. Turns out I uploaded some of my notes. My bad. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please read and review. Enjoy.
"Give me some good news," Shikamaru demanded, as he walked past dozens of his men, weary of battle.
A Hyuuga beside him reported sternly. "It is working, captain. It seems as if we are finally ready to break through the fortresses. Fortress Lowland seems weakest. If we press our advantage now, we can take the fortress."
"I'll give you 80 men to breach Fortress Lowland," Shikamaru murmured. "I want you to gather your ten most skilled shinobi. When panic ensues, I will lead the infiltration into Fortress Southguard with ten of your men while you take Fortress Lowland."
"If we take the fortresses on either side, the rest in the middle will fall like dominos," remarked the Hyuuga. "We should report our actions to Konoha before-"
"No," replied Shikamaru. "We move at nightfall. This war has already gone on too long. I want to see the end of it as soon as possible. Alert the men. When dusk settles, we march on the fortresses. Alert the men."
"That will be a problem."
Shikamaru turned around to see a masked ANBU ninja, scroll in hand. The shadow user balled his fists up tightly. The ANBU had been a thorn in his side and a severe nuisance. He had requested for real ANBU soldiers. Instead, he had got ROOT. They didn't seem to acknowledge the chain of command nor did they ever appear to have any respect for him.
"Says who?" Shikamaru replied testily.
The masked ninja held up a scroll in his left hand. "Says the Rokudaime Hokage."
Wordlessly, Shikamaru snatched the message from the ANBUs hands. He unfurled it and slowly began reading the long message before him. His eyes blazed through the words, almost disbelieving much of what he had already read. Finished at last, he put down the scroll and glared at the smug unmoving mask of Danzo's personal unit.
"What is this?" he demanded.
"An executive order," replied the ANBU ninja, simply.
He turned around and walked back to the encampment. Shikamaru swore loudly. The Hyuuga quickly approached him.
"What is it, captain?" he asked.
Shikamaru let out a low frustrated sigh. "The Shadow Summit turned into a battleground. Iwa and Kumo are going to war."
"What's that got to do with us?"
"Ame is one of the northern countries separating Iwa from Kumo," muttered Shikamaru. "The Hokage has ordered us to hold position."
"What?" demanded the Hyuuga. "Why?"
Shikamaru tossed the crumpled message aside. "It makes sense. And it's highly convenient. If Iwa and Kumo are marching to war, they will meet and battle in the Rainy Lands that separate them. If we move forward, we'll force Ame forces back to the capital. But if we hold position, we keep Ame forces occupied at the fortresses and leave the capital undefended. We don't even have to defeat Ame. Stone and Cloud will do it for us. In the crossfire, the defenseless capital will be laid to waste. It's…a perfect plan…"
"So…we've won," concluded his subordinate.
Shikamaru frowned. It didn't feel like a victory.
OOO
His body felt slightly numb. He took off his shoes and walked barefoot down the decorated stony streets of the city. His hand trailed across the walls. He closed his eyes and let his sensory inputs take over. He slowed his breathing and let himself be immersed in the calming silence of the city. The smell of the crisp sea wind filled his nostrils. He sighed happily. Naruto slowly walked down an estranged and familiar street.
If he focused hard enough, he could almost sense the crowds of people making their way through the streets around them. The women were beautiful, often bright crimson in their hair with either children or husbands in tow. They were strong and assertive. The men were cheery but not weak. Their faces and eyes showed an inclination for gentleness but they were not afraid to use the considerable skill they kept behind the radiant atmosphere.
If he focused hard enough, he could almost hear the sweet melodies of women and the complicated polyphonic instrumentation of old men with their accompanying strings and horns and drums and flutes. They would play in the street to the open air and the crowds of the markets.
Some children, young and naïve and energetic, were running across the water, taking advantage of their newfound skills. Some danced delicately across the water's surface as naturally as if it were ground. Others clumsily splashed and fell into the water, their mouths opened with laugher and shock.
Naruto walked over wide stony bridge and saw a more beautiful scene than he could have ever imagined. A group of girls, no older than 16, stood motionless over top the still water lake. They were beautiful, pale skinned and long flowing red hair. Their silky red hair reached the small of their backs. They all stood still as the water. Their delicate hands touching at the fingertips.
It was so quiet. An enormous crowd of eager onlookers had formed and crowded around the bridge. But none of them uttered a word or noise – to do so would disrespect the performance. Naruto eagerly looked forward. He heard the strings, a lonely long A, the ascending chromatics, the harmony with the rising flutes and the dutiful drone of soft oboes amidst the beautiful texture. The music rose and the girls sprung into action.
With unbelievably elegant coordination, the dancers moved in time with the music. The choreography was something of unparalleled complexity. Their red hair spun around them as they twirled over the water's top. As one, with perfect timing to the music, they bent down in one motion, just barely trimming their fingers across the water's surface, catching a few droplets which clung to their fingers. With grace, their hands continued traveling upwards.
Naruto's jaw nearly dropped as he saw the lake's water rise with the motions of the dancers. Streams of water followed the fingertips of the girls as they spun, and danced and flowed. Tiny flows of water surrounded and flowed through and around the dancers with their precise, beautiful motions. Around Naruto, the crowd was silent but no less in awe than he. The water dance he had been privy to was a thing of sheer beauty.
The red jewels of the city danced on clear water stage. And all was quiet, save for the mesmeric music echoing down the grand stone arches.
Naruto didn't know how long it went on, but he felt he could have watched them forever. When at last, the last girl stopped and the last thread of red hair returned calmly to its owner's slender back, the music ended and the water, now idle, drifted and sunk slowly back into the lake. Naruto had scarcely known that humans were capable of such things. How magnificent.
Was this the Uzumaki? Was this the unmatched rich culture of his people. The most beautiful of women, the strongest and gentlest of men. The innocence and energy of the young, heart aching music in the streets and the most beautiful of performances he had ever seen. He could see Uzugakure for but a moment. But this mere fraction of his people was something more sublime than any land, face or image he could have imagined.
The tiniest of sounds, the caws of a nearby bird, broke his intense concentration. Naruto, furious, looked around at his surroundings. He was on the bridge again. But there was no water dance before him, no music in the air, no children in streams, no life in the streets. He didn't even realize he was crying until salty tears reached an vacant open mouth. It was so amazing, what it had been, what Naruto saw. And so painful now, as he stood lonesome in this grey city, silent and forever mute.
Naruto closed his eyes and let tears flow free. Here on the bones of his people, without the comfort of their presence, he felt no shame, held no qualm in the tears he spilt over the life he'd never have, the family he'd never meet.
"Naruto?" came a voice.
Naruto turned his head, trying to wipe the moisture from his face. To his left, he saw Haku, wide-eyed with hands covering her open mouth.
"Naruto!" she cried, leaping and throwing herself into him.
The pair of them tumbled to the stone floor. Haku buried her head into Naruto's chest. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She was wet and her clothes, damp. Her chest was heaving from her running. The embrace was cold and warm. Naruto let himself be picked up to his feet by Haku, who looked at him sternly.
"Where have you been?" she shouted. She looked down. "Your seal, Naruto! Is it…"
"It's fine," affirmed the blonde Jinchuuriki. "I met…the old man that the Mizukage was talking about. He…he helped me."
"Helped you?" Haku asked, quickly. "How? Who was he? What did he do?"
Naruto held up his hands in defense. "I-I don't know. But I feel…much better than I did before. I'm pretty sure my seal's back to normal. So…wait a minute…where have you been? Where were you when the old man took me into the temple?"
"I tried to go find the temple myself," Haku told him. "You were…you were in bad shape, Naruto. I tried to go find the temple. When I returned to check on you, you were gone. You have no idea how much I panicked! My heart nearly stopped. I've spent the past two days looking for you. But this city is gigantic!"
"I was out for two days?" Naruto murmured aloud.
Naruto kept wiping his face. He tried to turn from Haku to hide it. His voice was still somewhat shaky. Haku looked at him closely. She knew something was wrong. He wasn't angry or confused or frustrated. There was no fire in his spirit to coax him to any of his normal dispositions. Haku had seen him only once like this before.
Haku cupped his face and stared at him caringly. "Naruto...are you really okay?"
Naruto took a shaky breath. He looked around. The city, his city, was dead. He looked back at Haku, shaking his head. "No," he whispered. "No I'm not."
OOO
Neji read his scroll one last time. "Our objective is simple. It's a reconnaissance mission. We are to head into Hot Water Country and report the size and strength of Kumo deployment. We will relay all information back to Konoha and to Shikamaru on the northern front."
In front of him, Shino nodded immediately. Kiba showed no signs that he had even listened. He put his hands in his pocket and walked off towards the gates. Neji looked at the Inuzuka, unsure of what to make of it. Shino approached him, silently.
"A mission like this, it was tailored made for our team," Shino confided. "Bringing on another pair of Byakugan eyes, it just reminded him of the pair we lost."
Neji nodded. He admitted, it felt weird. Hinata had gladly been absent from his thoughts. He had been so focused on his own endearing problems. He almost preferred it that way. But leaving the walls of Konoha, even if only for a bit, gave him a wave of relief. He was free from the watchful eyes of Konoha. For once, he could sleep easy, free of any fears at night. This might do him good, to clear his head. Maybe things would make more sense, outside of Konoha.
OOO
"Mizukage-sama, we should rest!" cried Ao. "Your wounds are serious. You need to tend to them before-"
"No!" yelled the Mizukage, pushing forward. Her ocean blue dress had been stained with red and it was spreading further. "We must make it to the coast. By the Sage's word…this whole thing has been a disaster."
"What was the Raikage thinking?" Ao bitterly criticized. "Calling a Kage Summit turned out to be just as bad as it sounded. Did he think that everyone would just get along and fight the Akatsuki united? Damn him and his naïve actions!"
"What of Danzo?" panted the Mizukage, her wounds giving her great pain. "Did he…"
"No," replied Ao confidently. "My Byakugan was fixed on Danzo through the entire session. His chakra was completely static and calm. As much as a mess this is, at least we didn't have Danzo to make it worse."
"I still can't believe what happened," the Mizukage muttered.
FLASHBACK
The Mizukage made to speak, but a loud thunder cut her off. Above them, the high ceiling exploded into debris and dust. From the exposed hole, two objects, almost too quick for the eye to perceive, flew down. She began forming seals in her hand before she realized these two things were not headed for her. She looked at the Raikage. Even in such a short span of time, he had stood up and his body was covered in…lightning. His hair stood up like the thick mane of a wild lion. And his eyes bore ferocity greater than the beast. He moved fast, even after all the stories she had heard of the famous Fourth Raikage.
From the corner of her eye, she saw sand pouring from the Kazekage's gourd and the boy whispering words beneath his breath. The Raikage leapt from his position, which was now a neat crater thanks to the two new assailants. He held out a great arm.
"No Kazekage!" growled the Raikage. "Do not intervene. These two are after me. They are MINE!"
"You know them?" asked the Mizukage.
"They are the lone blemishes on the history of Kumo. They are fiends, embarrassments and traitors!" the Raikage growled once more.
The smoke had parted and all Kage saw the two figures quite clearly. They were large men, muscular, brandishing cruel weapons. What was most noticeable of them, was simply their expression. It wasn't one of a man. It was one of a beast, a wild animal, and a crazed one at that. Their chakra was sinister and their smirks, unnerving.
"Ginkaku," said one.
"Kinkaku," said the other.
"The Gold and Silver Brothers," smirked the two.
It seemed as if they had more to say, but the Raikage would hear none of it. He launched his huge figure towards the pair, almost with reckless abandon and a guttural cry. The madness continued. The Mizukage abandoned her close and anxious observance of the ensuing battle to see the boy Kage similarly fixed, but none were more so fixated on the battle as the Tsuchikage, who scarcely blinked, even with the kicking up of dust around the room. On the other hand, she saw Danzo, who looked almost as if he was ignoring the situation entirely.
An enormous rumble was heard and an adjacent wall toppled over, courtesy of the Raikage's gargantuan fist. The Mizukage saw the blood dripping from the Raikage's right arm. These Gold and Silver Brothers were taking advantage of their numerical advantage. That and their strange weapons, the likes of which even the Mizukage had never seen, inflicted strange and unknown injury. The Raikage roared and ignored his wound, charging at the two brothers again.
"Do not break your focus, Ao!" the Mizukage spoke instantly.
Ao, on the rafters dutifully followed his leader's command. Though very curious, he forced his eye unto the crippled Kage, following his every motion, looking for the slightest flux in his chakra flow. Chojuro, the young and meek second retainer of the Mizukage, leapt down from his elevated position and landed next to his Mizukage.
"Mizukage-sama," he whispered. "It's become dangerous, we should leave now."
"Slip away during the chaos?" the Mizukage said. "And if that happens, you do you think looks most guilty? If one party mysteriously vanishes, doesn't that look suspicious? I don't think so, Chojuro. We stay. I will not risk Kirigakure's safety for my own. Tell Ao…"
Her voice faded and her throat couldn't utter another sound. Even she, the mistress of Ice, felt herself freeze up. She sensed two chakra presences. She knew them, she recognized them and she hadn't felt it in many, many years. Slowly as she could, she drew her eyes towards a spot over the ceiling that she could sense these two.
She had to be quick.
In blinding speed, her fingers snapped to each other and formed signs. "Wind release: Vacuum Spheres"
Concentrated parcels of air flew from her mouth with great speed. So concentrated, they was almost visible, they smashed into the ceiling, creating a second hole, this one much larger. The Mizukage sensed the chakra signatures moving away. She bit her lip and leaped through her created hole, not willing to let them escape.
"Mizukage-sama!" cried Chojoro.
"Stay!" barked the Mizukage, in mid air. "Ao! Keep your charge! Chojoro will protect you!"
The Mizukage tossed her hat aside as she landed on the smooth stone surface of a grand hall. Huge pillars sustained the large hall and its floors were red with the blood of fallen samurai. She followed the trail of bodies to two figures, clearly swordsmen by their stances and achievements.
"So the last of the Swordsmen have assembled," grinned Kisame, widely.
"Don't you remember what Yagura-sensei always said?" spoke Katsurou, in monotone. "Be wary of engaging a foe of superior numbers."
"Somehow, I doubt you of all people should be reminding me of sensei's teachings," the Mizukage growled, angrily. "Yagura-sensei taught justice. And mercy. And loyalty. Were you following his teachings when you convinced swordsman to turn on swordsman? Were you following his teachings when you maimed Zabuza? When you killed a man and woman you had once called sword siblings? Or when you turned on your master, kage, and village?"
"Ah, Mei-chan," commented Kisame. "Always so elegant with words."
"There are a million words I wish to impart, but none will do it justice," hissed the Mizukage. "For my fallen sword siblings, I will finish the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, here and now."
From her palm, a thick pillar of ice emerged. She grabbed the base of the ice and it began to take form. It shaped itself, carving a delicate handle and a translucent sharp long tip. The Mizukage brandished it, one of the treasures of the East, Water's Blight.
The determination in her eyes told the opposing swordsmen that this wasn't a fight they could avoid. Katsurou of the Kaguya drew his Marrow Blade and Kisame unsheathed his massive Samehada. Kisame felt oddly reminiscent of a time over 20 years past.
"I haven't had a decent fight with another swordsman in years," Kisame chuckled.
"And this will be your last!" cried the Mizukage, swinging her sword as if it held a feather's weight. "I'll defeat you both!"
Katsurou and Kisame clashed swords with the pushing Mizukage, the sudden clang of blades rung throughout the empty hall. The ferocity she channeled into her strikes made the slices more dangerous than the pair had first assumed. They leapt back, regaining their position. Katsurou signaled to Kisame to go on the offensive but looked at his blade shocked. Ice was growing from its tip and encasing the entire blade at a speedy rate. Kisame looked at his encased Samehada, grinning before the ice shattered, and his Samehada looked much larger.
Kisame laughed. "I forgot about your blade, Mei-chan. The edge which freezes all it touches. A shame it does nothing but feed my own."
Katsurou smashed his sword into the ground, shattering the ice. But within seconds it had reappeared and threatened to cover the blade entirely. The Mizukage wasted no time. Blade forward, she pushed towards a distracted Katsurou. Taken aback, he was forced to draw twin blades from his forearms to parry the Mizuakge's brutal strike. Those blades quickly turned to ice and he was forced to throw them aside. The Mizukage didn't let up. She was unrelenting in her strikes, pushing Katsurou back, giving him a harder fight than he had faced in a long time. She was freezing his blades faster than he could produce them. His back was almost against the wall.
From the corner of her eye, the Mizukage detected Kisame, flying through the air, smashing his Samehada at her. She ducked and the pillar behind her exploded into shards of debris. She looked at the Samehada in disgust. Kisame grinned wildly.
"Do you like my new blade?" he asked her.
The Mizukage looked at the discarded Marrow Blade, which was a short distance from Kisame. The ice covering it shattered.
"That blade…" she thought. "From what pit of hell did he find it? It's countering my blade's effect. And my other jutsu isn't working…"
She repositioned her grip on her sword and launched it, tip first at Kisame, who held his sword up as shield. It struck the Samehada with much forced and shattered on impact. Kisame, unprepared for the power, was sent off balance. The Mizukage was whispering words as this happened.
"Ice release: Avalanche Flow"
Seemingly out of nowhere, an unquantifiable amount of snow and ice and debris poured from the high ceiling of the hall and with ungodly speeds, struck a surprised Kisame. It tossed him like a doll around the room, eventually pinning him against a wall, where it began to pile up, solidify and freeze.
"That should hold even him for a while," muttered the Mizukage, now turning her attention back towards her bony former teammate.
Katsurou was already on the move. He whispered quietly: "Skeletal Dance."
He began spinning rapidly, in forms and ways, the Mizukage had not seen for some time. From his elegantly whirling limbs, streaks of white emerged and Katsurou began launching sharp bones at the Mizukage. She held her blade tight and began anticipating their trajectories. She parried several and dodged others. A sting her leg caused her to wince. She had been sliced by one of his ribs. She looked at her wound closely.
"He must be able to control the movement of his bones, even after they leave his body," the Mizukage told herself. "Well that's new."
Another barrage was incoming. The Mizukage let her blade dissolve into shards once more as she raised her left hand and began orchestrating one-handed seals. Once finished, she raised her hand at the incoming attack.
"Wind release: High Currents"
An unfathomable gust of wind blasted from her hand and it sent Katsurou's projectiles flying harmlessly back to him, like toys. She moved almost as quickly, closing the distance between them. Katsurou held his sword, ready, now reminded of his teammate's unique abilities. He could no longer touch her blade. He was, with great effort, dodging all her strikes, while trying to land one of his own that would not be parried. What was happening was a great swordplay from two of the world's masters. They jabbed, sliced and slashed their respective swords with discipline, neither touching the other or the wielders themselves. Their blades were missing by inches, finding only air where they longed for flesh…flesh and bone.
Gradually, Katsurou began to slow. His movements were forced and sluggish. He breathed in and felt ice cold air fill his lungs as he struggled to keep up with Mei's furious pace. He cringed slightly as he felt his right arm, cleanly sliced by the Mizukage's blade, followed by his right leg and torso. He collapsed, on one knee. The pain wasn't as bad as the ice which, at once began to creep up from his wounds and spread.
"How…how did you…" Katsurou croaked.
"Can't move as fast when it's so cold can you?" said the Mizukage. "Hard to parry or block when each movement has to fight against the cold, isn't it? As you fight, you grow colder, and slower. And I press my advantage."
She held her blade, leveled at Katsurou's chest, frost already beginning to creep its way there. He snickered at her. "You can't pierce me, you know that."
"I don't need to run you through," she responded coldly. "I merely need to touch you."
With a violent jab, she sunk her blade into Katsurou's chest only two inches before his hardened skeleton stopped the blade in its path. Regardless, ice froze his skin and within seconds, enveloped him whole, leaving only his frozen figure as a memento.
"Burn in the deepest of hells," she whispered at it.
"Not yet, Mei-chan," spoke Katsurou.
Mei whipped around but Katsurou was already upon her. With an iron and unbreakable fist, he smashed the sword out of the Mizukage's hand and laid several hard blows to her body. The resounding crack in her knee from a kick was very satisfying. He grabbed her wild jab and launched a firm strike to her midsection. She spat out blood painfully. The bones in his body were hardened beyond diamonds and he struck her with every once of force he had to muster. It was such that she was launched several feet back, out of breath, out of mind almost.
Blood trickled from her mouth. She rose unsteadily. She saw her blade, discarded nearby. It shattered and reappeared in her hand instantly.
"I have full control over my bones, Mei-chan," declared Katsurou. "Their size, their density, even their numbers."
"Are you telling me I was fighting one of your…skeletons?" she hissed.
"Yagura-sensei always did tell you never to engage a foe of superior numbers."
She wiped the blood from her face. "This one is definitely the real one. I used up a lot of chakra to contain Kisame. And now Katsurou knows not to engage me at arms length…"
She wobbled on her damaged leg for a moment. And then…her leg shattered, revealing a new and more wholesome limb underneath it. The leg was unbroken, if not a bit bruised.
"She encased herself in ice?" Katsurou analyzed.
He held his Marrow Blade outwards and it extended. Mei held out her Water's Blight and it did similarly. The pair now brandished swords of immense length. Standing dozens of feet back, they fought with extended blades, each now requiring more strength and precision. Every time her blade clashed with his, Katsurou broke the bone off and let a new one grow, to avoid the spreading of the ice.
The Mizukage shattered her blade, giving Katsurou a moment of pause. She then launched an enormous brick of ice at the boned assailant. Katsurou readied himself. Before the mass of ice reached him, it exploded into a thousand shards. His eyes vigorously tried to follow every shard. He also saw Mei's lips move and he at last remembered her signature move.
"Ice release: Demonic Ice Mirrors."
In horror, he looked at the shards of glace, falling almost in slow motion, and saw the Mizukage's face in each one. Time seemed to have drastically slowed as he saw all the shards of glace surrounding him, each containing a reflection of the Mizukage.
"Remember what Yagura-sensei said?" she asked him. "Never engage a foe of superior numbers."
In the blink of an eye, Katsurou Kaguya had been stabbed a thousand different times in a thousand different angles. He fell to his knees, blood seeping from every wound, so many he thought it might have covered his whole body. The pain was intense, even from one who hardly ever felt it. It washed over him numbingly, though he was still alive. The slashes could not pierce him. But the ice grew from his wounds again. Before they had a chance to fester, they all shattered, causing Katsurou quite a bit more pain, but gratitude as well. He looked over and saw Kisame standing beside him, brandishing his increasingly growing sword.
"It appears your freezing technique relies on static chakra," Kisame grinned. "Too bad my Samehada is quite hungry today."
The Mizukage bit her lip. She had revealed more of her techniques than she had hoped. She shouldn't have expected any less, though. Easily the strongest of her village, it was foolish to think those taught side by side her did not carry similar faculty. For better or for worse, they were still the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. They had been raised together, they had fought together, served together, triumphed together and cried together. And because of Katsurou Kaguya, they had been pitted against one another. She tried to forget all memory of them. It was too painful to be reminded of the friends, now turned sworn enemies and murderers.
Those days when she was young and energetic under her master, were long gone. They brought the painful memories of Zabuza, so idealistic and proud before Ichiku maimed him near death, and traumatized him beyond the point of return, sending the youngest swordsman back into his bloodlust and insane period. It brought back the memories of the boy who mastered sight and the girl who mastered light, both of which fell to Kisame and Ichiku. And it brought back the terrible memory of a girl, able to control the ice, who was bleeding out and on the verge of death after failing to stop who would become the number one enemy to Kiri, the last of the Kaguya.
She was in trouble. With coordination reminiscent of prior days, Kisame and Katsurou fell upon her. With Kisame and his monstrous blade returned, Mei's static technique was rendered useless. She was pushed back at alarming rates, trying to combat both Kisame and Katsurou at once. It was too much. Kisame had always been the more skilled bladesman, even accounting for his gigantic sword. She found her self twisting around to block a lunge by Katsurou, only to cry out in pain as her back was sliced by the Samehada, leaving a trail of blood to seep from the shallow but painful wound. Without time to recover, Katsurou extended a sharp bone from his elbow and tried to impale the Mizukage.
She painfully blocked it but this now left her wide open. Katsurou hardened his bones to indestructible levels and launched another kick at the Mizukage's knee. This time the crack was real and the pain on her face was genuine.
"I have to use it," the Mizukage thought.
Before either of the swordsmen could react, the Mizukage had clamped her hands together. Kisame reacted immediately. He lurched back upon recognition.
"Get back," he yelled.
Katsurou showed signs of recognition. He battled his urge to finish the battle, but realized it was over. He retreated. He bolted as fast as he could, as far away from her as he could get. Mei grimaced but was not concerned. They wouldn't be able to escape it. Cold winds and frosty tendrils swirled around her figure. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She regretted that the others Kage were so nearby. They would be undoubtedly caught in it. But she had to stop those two. And she had already started her technique. There was no stopping it now.
"No, Mizukage-sama!" cried Chojuro, appearing behind the injured Mizukage.
"I can't let them leave," she muttered. "I'm sorry Chojuro."
"I'm not concerned for my own life, Mizukage-sama," Chojuro spoke bravely. "There is hardly a greater service than to die serving a Mizukage. But that technique, Mizukage, it will kill everyone here."
"I am a Swordsman of the Mist," she spoke. "It's my duty…"
"No, you are the Mizukage!" Chojoro shouted. "Your duty is to your people! Not to your former teammates! How do you think your people will fair when the other nations realizes that the Mizukage killed all her fellow Kage? Please Mizukage, let them go! Kirigakure wouldn't survive the consequences of your technique."
He held out both his hands, palms upwards, to the Mizukage as she looked up shocked. He smiled at her sadly. "Let me absorb your technique. I'll take it for you, Mizukage-sama."
"Chojuro…" she whispered softly.
Before she could react, he grabbed both her hands and his back straightened instantly, his eyes closing in pain and his mouth screaming a silent cry. She felt her technique leave her. Chojuro's hands slacked. Mouth agape, he fell over, dead, taking the brunt of her technique with him to the grave.
The Mizukage stood still, allowing herself a few moments pause. With great pain, she knelt beside the young fallen boy and closed his eyes. "You died for the Kages" she murmured. "If only they were men worth dying for."
She began her steady march back to the conference room, dragging her broken leg in great pain. She didn't have to look for it. The dust and smoke and carnage led her back to the others. A strange silence was in the air as she returned to the room. The Hokage and Kazekage had retreated to the rafters with their retainers. The Tsuchikage was at a far corner, watching the situation closely. And the Raikage, stood atop the dead bodies of the Gold and Silver Brothers, breathing heavily. Half of his face was covered in blood and he was missing his left arm.
Mei remembered having faced the Raikage in battle once before. He had never been as weak then as she saw him now. His was fierce persona was now battered and weary. It looked as if he was barely keeping himself on his feet.
"You fool, Raikage!" chastised Gaara, sharply. "We'd have saved your arm if your pride hadn't dominated the fight!"
"It was my fight to fight!" the Raikage responded, kneeling down and turning one of the bodies over. "In Kumo, we deal with our own mistakes."
"The Gold Silver Brothers have been dead for years," the Mizukage breathed, labored.
Gaara's mouth opened to ask the Mizukage about her situation, but Temari shook her head.
The Raikage grunted painfully as he knelt down. He noticed something on the back of Ginkaku's neck. He brushed the blood and the cloth that obscured it and looked at the symbol in confusion.
"Earth?" he whispered.
Everything happened so fast. The Mizukage couldn't even react. Gaara managed to yell in protest but it was vain. The Tsuchikage was now floating in the middle of the room. He put his palms together.
"If you want something done right…"he growled. "Dust release: Atomic Dismantling."
A semi translucent cube materialized and zeroed in on the Raikage. But the Raikage was already moving. Even while wounded and dangerously weak, the Raikage let out a savage cry as he sped towards the Tsuchikage's small floating form. Even near death, he was still astoundingly fast. The Tsuchikage concentrated and his translucent cube followed the Raikage's trajectory closely.
The Raikage was almost within striking distance. But the Tsuchikage had centered his jutsu. He collapsed it and all within the cube turned to an impenetrable veil of dust, save for the Raikage's outstretched right arm, which had escaped the cube's containment.
Free from its master, but still sailing with force, it struck the Tsuchikage with crushing force. The Tsuchikage was sent flying back, hastily caught by one of his retainers.
"No!"
"Raikage-sama!"
All turned to chaos. Retainers armed themselves, prepared for a deadly fight. The Tsuchikage painfully muttered to his own, and together, they flew off, exiting the room from the destructive holes left it the ceiling. The Kumo retainers, furious, leaderless and lost, screamed curses at the fleeing figures.
"Iwa bastards!" screamed a dark skinned, blade wielder. "This means war Tsuchikage! Do you hear me! We will raze your village and hang you from its tallest tower!"
FLASHBACK
"Why would the Tsuchikage have the Raikage killed?" Ao asked.
"I don't know," panted the Mizukage. "I need time to think. With…with Chojuro gone…we need to get back to Kiri."
Ao frowned. "Well at least we didn't have the Akatsuki to make things even more hectic."
Ao stopped abruptly and held out his hand for the Mizukage to halt. An indescribable vortex appeared and from it, emerged a masked man, donning black robes with red clouds.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that."