AN: Hey hey hey happy campers, sorry for the wait in updates! this chapter is Rated M for Gore and character death, some parts of this chapter are disturbing! So heads up!
Also! With this chapter, we made it past 150K! Another milestone! PH just keeps getting bigger, and I'm reminded every day of that fact as I worry and grow anxious about going back and fixing parts of it as it gets more bloated and unmanageable. But hooray! I'm still happy for getting this far!
Words: 11, 420
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Chapter 25 - The Unrelenting Storm
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Two hours earlier, Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze were on the verge of becoming parents.
"Listen, just breathe, in and out—do as I do. In and out, in and out. You're doing good, Just a little while longer."
The coaching did not ease Minato's nerves at all as he checked and quadruple checked the security seals he placed around the room. Kushina was in the next room preparing for her surgery and being tended to by the Third Hokage's wife and a dozen Anbu, but the single, flimsy wall separating them put his teeth on edge.
Minato dragged a hand through his hair, sighing deeply as he collapsed into a chair next to Shikaku. "Were you this nervous before Shikamaru was born, or am I just overcomplicating things?"
The Nara snorted and leaned back in his seat thoughtfully. "Well, Yoshino and I didn't have the luxury of a pending assassination attempt hanging over our heads…" He chuckled when he saw Minato slump a little in his seat. "Look—with the months of planning you've put into this—you have a better shot of things turning out in your favor, so long as you keep an even head."
Minato winced. "Do you think I'm overreacting too much? I mean… with the stakes so high… I can't stop thinking about what might go wrong."
"Then don't think about it. Listen—this is just another kind of battle," Shukaku said, staring the blonde straight in the eyes. "Kushina might be the one carrying the weight, but you have to be there for her. If I learned anything after Shikamaru was born, it's that she's a whole lot more terrified of things going wrong than you are. Don't think about what you might end up having to do—just do it. And, hell, I don't know. Bring your wife some ice chips or something. I hear they're great."
"I'll keep that in mind…" The Yondaime shook his head and slowly got up from his seat as he felt Kushina's chakra slowly glide towards the door separating them. He gently pressed a chakra-laced fingertip to a security seal to allow them access, and a disgruntled Biwako came strolling out, Kushina right behind.
"Teal really does not look good on me," Kushina murmured, picking awkwardly at her hospital gown.
"It's not about looking good, it's about functionality," Biwako replied, her arms neatly tucked into her billowing sleeves.
She turned to Minato with a curl in her lips, and it took a monumental effort from him not to flinch away like a scared schoolboy. There was an air about Biwako Sarutobi that that told him that she was not to be messed with.
"You should be on on your guard Namikaze-san, if you feel that rushing a jinchuriki's pregnancy is the only feasible option. I would tell you off a second time about the possible side effects of not allowing the child another month to gestate, but…" She sighed and turned her gaze back to Kushina, her eyes softening somewhat. "Stress can be damaging for the child. You both know what you'll be doing; I cannot stop you no matter how much I protest to this."
"Thank you for your understanding, Biwako-sama." The two women clasped hands in an affectionate manner, but once they broke apart, Kushina sighed. "I wish the baby's godparents could be here. I'm worried what Mikoto must be thinking right now, barred from being here on my big day."
Biwako scowled. "There's no use crying about it—she can visit after the baby is born. When both of you are safe and healthy, and this whole affair can be put to bed once and for all." She cast a side-eye at Minato. "I understand that the baby's godfather is unavailable, correct?"
"Yes…" Minato groaned and rubbed his temples. "I've been trying to contact him through frog-mail, but the last I heard he's relocated to the Land of Hot Springs again. It's—well, it's complicated."
"Complicated," Biwako repeated, her voice flat, "Is one word to describe my husband's student. I would have gone with bull-headed, or hedonistic." She shook her head. "I don't know how he ended up with a student like you. When he's back in the country, make sure he gets an earful for immediately dropping the ball, or I'll happily in to step in and really let him have it."
"I'm sure he has a good enough reason not to answer. He's probably up to his shoulders in spies and assassination attempts," Minato argued weakly.
"What, like the kind you're dealing with now? You don't think this would take priority?" Biwako shot back, unamused. She gave Minato a level stare. "If you don't have the guts to confront him like a man, send him my way. He knows when to respect me, at least."
Kushina hid her laughter behind her hand, and her shoulders shook even harder when Minato visibly deflated. "I-I'm sorry Minato, It's just so funny to see you get chewed out like this when you're the Hokage. God, what have I been missing by keeping you away from Biwako-sama for so long? You two are amazing."
Biwako looked at the jinchuuriki with confidence. "It's good to see you laugh, child. Are you ready?"
Kushina's laughter immediately died, and she shuffled her feet anxiously. "W-well, I mean, uh, better late than never, I guess?" She reached out to squeeze Minato's hand, and he returned the gesture. "I think so, Biwako-sama."
"Good, then all we have to do is wait for the arrival of my husband," the elder said, tucking her hands back into her sleeves. The Anbu hovering around the room shifted in position, awaiting the chakra signature of their previous Hokage, while Minato and Kushina traded a few more words and parting gestures.
A seasoned group of medical nurses and doctors filtered in through the door, carrying equipment and medical materials. By the time the more Anbu guards began filtering in—planting themselves in strategically important places in the room—Kushina had already been walked down the hallway by the hand of Biwako, her husband close on her heels. Shikaku conferred with one of the Captains stationed for last minute information, and the Captain saw the Third Hokage first before Sarutobi met the rest of the party
A nod passed between the two men before the Anbu disappeared, and Shikaku inclined his head in respect despite how limited their time was.
"Danzo's defense team is in position outside." Sarutobi held himself steady, no inclination of stress despite the heavy stakes. On his back, he carried a large, red sealing scroll, though the weight didn't seem to bother him, despite him shifting his weight from foot to foot as they stood and talked. "I take it everything so far is going to plan? have there been any detections of outside forces?"
Shikaku let out a steady breath and resisted the urge to put his hands in his pockets. "Not at present, but the minor flicker in chakra we detected hours earlier has raised some more suspicions. Trackers confirm that before the small spike, there was no possible trace to where the source came from. On all accounts, it basically appeared out of thin air and vanished just the same."
The Third pursed his lips and gestured for the Nara to continue following him down the hall as they approached the party preparing for the following sealing procedure. "As much as my experience in the field would like to argue that chakra doesn't simply appear and disappear, we're operating at a disadvantage. There's no telling if the information we've gathered is legitimate or not, or if the small, random spikes our border patrol are picking up are even worth anything. But it is worrisome. If it's an individual capable of completely blocking out their chakra signal, then a dangerous technique may allow someone to infiltrate the village—there's no telling how serious that may end up being."
Shikaku nodded, a grave expression on his face. "It's troublesome, though the few units we've been granted by the Hyuuga and Inuzuka have been more than helpful. Our sensors have been practically pulling their hair out trying to locate a place where the spikes would originate, though even after several months of investigation, only a few hot spots have emerged. Namely, within the village itself."
Sarutobi was silent for a moment, thinking deeply. "Having my student here would have been an advantage... Still no word from him?"
"Radio silence."
They reached the rest of the group, and Shikaku signaled to several Anbu a couple discreet hand signs before the units disappeared into the background of the medical room. Two large hall doors closed behind the men, with several final seals coming to life as the circuit around them was finally completed. The hairs on the back of Shikaku's arms stood on end, but he ignored it as the Hokage approached Kushina, Minato, and his wife, before getting to work and unrolling his massive sealing scroll.
...
"Glad you could make it," Biwako said in passing to her husband, her smile tight with unbidden anxiety. "I suppose it's time to get to work then."
The air grew tighter in the moments that passed. Kushina removed her hand form her stomach and laid back on the bed provided for her and medical officers moved in.
A sweet young nurse with bright blue eyes stood at Kushina's side, squeezing the Uzumaki's shoulder with her gloved hands. In her other hand, she took out a needle and held it up for Kushina to see. "This'll hurt for a moment, but try not to focus on it or let yourself get spooked when the epidural kicks in. After that, you'll lose feeling from about your chest downwards, but everything will be fine so long as you keep your chakra moving and let your body lay naturally as we proceed. The doctors will only take about five minutes during the actual procedure, but if you feel any pain or discomfort, tell us immediately and more medication can be administered. Got that?"
"Y-yeah." Her free hand shot out to capture her husband's, and after squeezing it for some last reassurance, she let go and let him continue setting up with Hiruzen. "I'm ready."
...
A bead of sweat dripped down the side of kushina's temple as she clenched and unclenched her hands by her sides. She could feel the tumultuous swell of chakra within her pitch inside her system and felt the seals on her stomach break with every bit of resistance shown by the Nine-Tailed Fox inside her.
She would not falter. She couldn't let the beast win—not this time. Not now.
...
Minato's fingers burnt with excessive use of chakra. He could taste copper in his mouth as he furthered his output and willed his arms to stay steady as Hiruzen, beside him, continued his lengthy battle replacing and stabilizing the network of seals on Kushina. The energy from the fox was almost solid and freely floating in the air as each person within the room fought the heavy overlying presence emanating from the pregnant woman on the operating table. Though the midwives seemed to have the hardest amount of difficulty, Biwako stood with her head held high, and her expression only slightly pained as she nevertheless brushed of the demonic chakra trying to throw her off balance. As Minato tensed and endured as another swell hit him first before leaking out into the rest of the room, he took a moment to look at Kushina's face as she battled just as hard to keep herself steady.
After fighting for so long, they were just at the tail end of the surgery, and even through all the people crowding around Kushina's form, Minato could see the clear outline of something being gently pulled out with gloved hands, and focus of the room behind drawn upon a single, tiny body with a tuft of red hair.
Biwako swaddled the tiny infant in her arms, and carefully took a warm towel to the child's face, wiping his face of fluids and shielding him from the demonic energy in the room with her own chakra. She locked eyes with both parents and a triumphant smile spread over her face.
"It's a boy," She said, her eyes crinkling.
Minato could hear Kushina's breath hitch, and she stretched out her arms. "C-can I see him? can I see my baby?"
Minato switched his chakra output into one hand so he could softly rest his hand over his wife's to stop her struggling. "Just a few more tests—they need to make sure he's healthy." He looked to the midwife for confirmation. "Right Biwako-sama?"
She nodded, and Minato could almost feel Kushina's disappointment. "...His airways seem to be developed nicely. Though a diagnostic Jutsu seems to show a weakened chakra system to the effects of the Kyuubi's chakra, we anticipated this since you delivered a month ahead of schedule, so there's nothing out of the ordinary about... that..."
Kushina struggled to sit up, and looked at the older woman in confusion as her expression went slack. "Biwako-sama?"
There was a small, tiny spike of chakra in the room—undetectable through the demon's chakra in the air—but Minato caught it. As he sprung to his feet, all he could do was witness as Biwako slid to her knees, and a masked man plucked the bundled infant out of her arms with a rough, uncaring jerk.
Part of him felt like he recognized the intruder, and his grip on the Kyuubi slipped.
"Fourth Hokage Minato, get away from the Jinchuriki. Otherwise, this child's life will end in one minute."
…
He got past the barrier. Past the guy… who the hell is he?
Behind him, medical officers swarmed around the body of the third wife and her assistant, while Hiruzen struggled to keep the seal steady despite the tears in his eyes as Biwako lay dead on the floor.
Only space-time ninjutsu could have let someone inside. But that was impossible—there were only a handful of people on the continent were capable of such a technique.
"Minato," Kushina pleased, inky letters bleeding across her face with every moment he spent sizing up his opponent, frozen with inaction as the man held his infant son ransom. "Save him—don't let him take Naruto!"
Sarutobi's arms shook with force as he pushed the Kyuubi back into submission. The old man's chakra reserves were dipping dangerously low. "They aim to disrupt the seal, you are their Hokage, It is your duty the village to not allow this to happen! Thousands could die at the cost of your decision!"
"Your minute is up," the masked man said, hands flipping through several hand signs. By his side, two perfect shadow clones sprung to life, and the original masked man handed baby Naruto to his copy. "Don't you care what happens to your kid? Your choice."
"Please, please please—" Kushina was panting, tears sliding down her face. "Don't let him have Naruto. Don't do this!"
The shadow clone carrying the baby cocked his head to the side. "Your son, or your village. Will you turn your back on your people? Or be the heartless, cold ruler who stands aside and allow your infant son to die at the hands of a stranger?" The clone began to fade away, taking Naruto with him, but Minato could still feel the man's chakra relocate a small distance away, taunting him.
Where were the guards? Where were Danzo's men?
Minato had been backed into a corner; he was damned no matter what he did.
A hand clapped down on his shoulder. Shikaku looked the Yondaime in the eyes. "You're not going to make me repeat myself from earlier now, are you?"
"Just do it." Minato breathed, recalling his words from earlier. He glanced between the Masked Man, Kushina, Hiruzen, and sighed. He could feel their eyes on him as he made his decision. "I'm sorry, guys."
And then he was gone.
~X~
Walking back home to the Uchiha compound with Shinko, Izumi, and her dad, Itachi found himself worrying about Hana and Fu, and about the fate of their future friendship if the two of them really did end up getting in a fistfight. He trusted Hana to do the right thing, but part of him still feared that their group of friends would be pulled in different directions if the two of them ended up going different ways. He had only had a real big group of friends for little more than a year, the thought of them turning on eachother made the young heir incredibly uneasy.
"Keep your chin up Itachi-san, they'll be fine," Shinko said, trying to reassure him. But he could tell that her smile seemed weaker and a little forced even under the dim glow of the overhead streetlights. She was worried about them too.
Izumi sighed and brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Hana can handle him—I have complete faith in her ability to take down Fu. I just wish I could've gone with her."
"I should be worried how gung-ho you are about getting into fistfights," Izumi's father muttered, shaking his head. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair and an aged, yet still conventionally attractive face. Under his eye (like his daughter) he sported a small beauty mark. "But then again with what you've told me about this Yamanaka boy, he sounds like trouble."
"Does this mean you support me fighting people? Kicking butt and taking names?!" Izumi said excitedly, latching onto her father's arm. "Only if they deserve it, of course."
Kotaru Uchiha sighed and seemed to wilt under the wide, puppy dog eyes of his daughter. "I doubt anything I say will make you listen—you and your mother are too much alike. I keep seeing more and more of her in your each day."
"Aww, dad~" Izumi shot him a bright, close-eyed smile. "You're such a sap."
"Izumi don't be rude to me in front of your friends," Kotaru said, feigning being hurt. "They might think I'm a pushover."
Shinko skipped up to his other side and shot the man a warm smile. "It's okay Uchiha-san, I think you're cool." She glanced at Izumi and her eyes narrowed. "And I'll make sure to keep Izumi-chan out of trouble for you if she knows what's good for her."
"Is that a threat?"
Kotaru smiled and ruffled the top the Suna's girl's hair. "See, this is why you're my daughter's favorite friend. You lead a good example."
Itachi winced slightly as Izumi squawked and immediately started to argue, but he froze in his tracks when the older man leading them immediately stopped, acting as if his whole body had been jolted by a current of electricity. After a few confusing moments, Itachi understood why.
"Daddy? what's wrong, what happened?" Izumi's voice was several octaves higher as she seemed to recognize the defensive posture and expression on Kotaru's face.
The older man turned around as if searching for something, his mouth a deep set frown. "Something's wrong—I can feel it."
As the three children watched with a rising sense of anxiety, several dark cloaked figures darted from the rooftops towards the Hokage monument, and all four of them could tell by their demeanour that whatever was going on involved the Hokage's personal guard. Three whole units of Anbu weren't just meant for decoration, and more streamed in after that. Itachi watched them with a furrowed brow, and he wished (once again, as it was not the first time) that he had his Sharingan to track the shinobi's trajectory, it was a rare moment to ever see an Anbu with the naked eye- whatever caused so many to drop their concealment and sprint across the rooftops of the village obviously meant a great deal.
Kotaru's frown was even more severe, and he began to usher the children in the direction of the Uchiha compound with his hands. "Kids, we should start moving and stay out of the way if it's something bad. I'm sure whatever's happening the Hokage has it under—"
Ka—BOOM!
With an explosion that lit up the fading twilight sky, the party of four watched in horror as the side of the Hokage monument, and several medical buildings under it were engulfed in a blue-green fireball of summoning smoke and flames.
"—Control." Kotaru's sudden loss for words was mirrored but the other three children standing beside him.
"Yeah, I'm sure the Hokage has everything under control, right?" Izumi's face was pale white and she had latched onto her father's arm unconsciously. "What the fuck was that?!"
Kotaru stared down at her, appalled. "Izumi, is that the sort of language your mother and I raised you on?!"
"Hana says it all the time!" she shot back, defending herself. "And now is a pretty damn good time to swear!"
"W-what… what was that?" Shinko stood, shaking like a leaf as a large cloud of smoke and debris spread out over the site of the initial blast. Around them, outcries of other people reacting to the sound of the explosion rang out and a few moments later alarms went off throughout the surrounding area. "What are we going t-to do?!"
"Stay calm—we need to evacuate to a safer area for now. We don't know the full story," Kotaru said, steering the children back towards the Uchiha clan compound gates. They still had several dozen blocks left before even approaching relative safety.
Itachi was still looking in the direction of the blast. Despite the cloud of dust, he could faintly make out flashes of light and the presence of elemental Jutsu being thrown around at high magnitude, even from so far away. "There's something big going on… I can't tell what's happening from this distance."
"You don't need to Itachi-san." Kotaru was urging him and the rest of the children to follow him as other panicked people ran by. "Please, before I have to do something drastic and carry you to your parents, start moving before the situation escalates."
A village-wide siren rang out, louder than ever—reporting that the village was under a class three attack of some sort and for all individuals to relocate to the nearest safehouse.
Itachi tensed—was this an attack on the village? Were they going to war again? Before a hand descended from above to start pulling him along, and the sound of Shinko panicking brought him back down to earth.
"—My mom and dad, oh my god what about them?" The Suna girl had tears in her eyes and was nearly fighting for Izumi's dad to let go of her arm. "What if they aren't safe? What if they're looking for me? I need to go home right now, please Uchiha-san let me go!"
"I'm sorry Shinko, but your parents trusted me with your safety and this is the best option right now, we can look for your parents after the alarm stops and the village is safe again, but right now you need to stop fighting me." Izumi's dad sent a meaningful stare down at Itachi, who he still had a grip on the back of his shirt. "You understand me?"
Izumi was trailing behind them only a few steps and had her eyes planted on where the explosion took place, just below the Hokage monument. "G-guys can you feel that?"
"Feel—?" Itachi stopped in his tracks, ignoring the sudden jerk from Kotaru still trying to tug him to safety, before he felt it. A weak stinging sensation on the palms of his hands as he reached out to try and gauge what Izumi was talking about. It started off weak, like the beginning of pins and needles, and then erupted into harsh insect-like bites across his skin—like some sort of invisible force trying to eat him alive. He hadn't ever experienced anything like it before, the closest he could describe similar would have been concentrated killing intent, but there was no reason for this feeling to even occur, and Izumi felt it too…
None of them could recall who said what at that moment, but their thoughts were basically the same.
"Oh my God."
A second explosion so much more powerful than the first, blasted away the lingering smoke and debris with a resounding shockwave, sending dirt and wind in every direction—
KA—BOOM!
—A large heavy mass rose from the surrounding buildings, gaining height and stature and forming like a mountain crest, shoulderblades and limbs stretching out under the pale night sky, dark in colour but more luminous every gaining second. It took only a moment for everyone to stop what they were doing and simply watch in horror as a behemoth grew from nothing but rubble and ash clouds in the middle of their village, but within that time the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox grew tall enough to stare into the faces of founding fathers of the village and look into the eyes of their Yondaime.
The beast's nine gargantuan tails spread out before him, whipping around the scenery with increasing ferocity as the monster recognized his surroundings, and in a single moment, his fat black gums peeled back to reveal skyscraper-like-teeth, and he threw back his head and screamed into the open air.
"KyyyyaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
All four party members were thrown backwards with the sheer power of the Fox's chakra. Itachi could barely bring himself to breathe through the oppressive energy coming off in waves from the other side of the village, and he struggled to find his bearings. Numbly, he could feel the hands of Izumi's father bring him back up to his feet, and the sound of the man doing the same for Shinko and telling them to run, but his mind was racing with the sight of the Nine-Tailed Fox being set loose in the village.
There were so many things that could go wrong—he couldn't process it all. Amongst many thoughts and people racing through his mind, making his sense of dread worsen, he realized Hana and Fu had left school somewhere in the direct area of the blast, and that terrified him more than any Bijuu combined.
~ X ~
Chaos. Complete chaos.
The two of them were crouched in their little alleyway, trying desperately to shield themselves from the fire and demonic chakra threatening to cook them alive from the inside out. There was very little protection to be found after part of the building next to them was blown apart, and debris tore chunks out of the building next to it and dug into any soft material nearby.
Fu had his sleeve up to his face to keep the smoke and dust out of his mouth. "We won't survive long hiding here—we'll be crushed!"
"Better that than getting killed by friendly fire!" Hana yelled back, trying and failing to hold onto her ninken for dear life,They were just too big and squirmed too much for her to keep a good grip on them. They were just as terrified as she was. Shinobi of all ranks were throwing everything they could at the fox to keep it distracted, but just as much blew back in their face and threatened to mow down innocent bystanders. She held onto her ninken as another hail of rock came down on all of them, and prayed that they wouldn't end up dead in the gutter somewhere.
"We can't stay here forever, come on!" He grabbed her arms and pulled her along the side of the wall, keeping low to the ground and making sure she kept her head down and her dogs on a tight leash.
The Haimaru Brothers followed slowly behind, disoriented and wobbly from the massive, ever present chakra force throwing off all of their other senses. After Kemuri stumbled and tripped, proving that he couldn't be trusted to move on his own, Hana took the initiative and zipped him up into the front of her jacket to keep him safe, but she was terrified the same thing would happen to Sekimaru or Misuto once they got into the open.
"Come on, come on," Fu murmured, watching for a break in the dust and debris clouds crashing past them. They had to squint to keep the dirt out of their eyes, and could only make out shapes and the rough outline of objects in the dark—most street lights or power from buildings had been shut down or disrupted, and the only light came from emergency lamps on the corner of the street and from Jutsu being thrown around...
...and the Kyuubi, which was the entire sun anthropomorphized and given fox ears and shitty personality, but Hana really wasn't the position to argue at the moment.
Fu was still gripping onto her wrist when they made a break for it— Between the onslaught of energy being thrown around, a small opening emerged and the two of them shot out of the alleyway and vaulted over a pile of rubble, the two remaining Haimaru Brothers right on their heels. They shuffled from one outcropping to another, never daring to hang around wide open areas for long, always making sure to keep their heads down and mouths covered.
At some point, Hana stumbled—Her knees skinning against the ground as she fell forwards, and she looked back for a moment only to stare into the wide, glossy eyes of half of a human corpse laying on the side of the street. The other half had been bisected and his legs were on the other side of the road.
Hana could see signs of struggling in the dust around the top half of the man's body, indicating that the man had been alive and trying to get to safety before bleeding out. He had a bloody Chunin vest on, and she wondered if she could have recognized his face beneath the soot and grime—
"Keep going!" Fu's grip on her arm pulled her out of spiraling out of control and he dragged her further down the street, refusing to let her slow down until they were back into relative safety and they could catch their breath.
"T-This is—" Hana painted, coughing out some of the dust from her lungs. She looked back in the direction of where they left that poor man's corpse. "—A Fucking nightmare."
A tiny, shrill voice in the back of her mind told her that the man wouldn't have died if she didn't mess around with the Kyuubi attack, making it happen a month early. It was because of her doing. She was the one responsible.
"Just keep it together." Fu wiped dirt out of his eyes with the back of his hand. He still had a hard grip on her arm, but she wasn't about to bring up the fact that he was shaking and seemed to need an anchor just as much as she did at that moment.
Kemuri wriggled in her jacket, and she readjusted the zipper to let the dog have more air. "What are we going to do? There's no safe place to hide out in—the nearest bunker is ten blocks away, and t-the fox is in between us and the Hokage monument."
Fu pursed his lips. "I think I might know a place."
"I doubt it's as safe as you think, if the place gets stepped on—"
"It has a bunker, but I don't know how deep down it goes." He seemed to think it over heavily, before making a decision. "If I bring you there, it'd be a gamble if we'll even make it in alive. I might even end up dying in the process."
"You think it's even worth it?"
He scowled. "We're going to die out here if we don't get shelter, this place is close. But you can't ask any questions when we get there. Promise?"
Hana held her breath. If this place was what she thought it was... "Which way do we go?"
"Down the street and to the left, when it's clear again..."
They made their way through the dust clouds, keeping an eye on tripping hazards and the Haimaru Brothers, until they eventually made their way onto the next street. There were bodies further down, littered amongst fallen buildings and old brickwork, and Hana recognized a single, still standing structure in the middle of all the carnage, likely still standing from support seals stuck to the thick beams holding the building up after so many years. It was a ninja structure but disguised to look like an old smoke shop. And it was a giant target standing out in the middle of an open area.
The two of them could still hear screams further down the street, and they looked at each other, trying to decide if making a break for the building was really worth it in the end.
"It'll be suicide, there's no cover for us." Hana kept her back to the building they were huddled up against, and she had one eye on the Kyuubi as it thrashed around and batted shinobi out of the sky like flies. It didn't seem like anyone was capable of handling the fox at its most enraged, it was like fighting a vengeful god, and she just came back to the fact that it was all because of her. The guilt was eating her alive.
Fu kept his eyes on the building, waiting for an opening that wouldn't come. "We can make it. I know we can."
"Yeah, if someone gave us a miracle—" Hana pulled Fu back the same time giant chains lashed out from nowhere, lighting up the street below and blinding them with their brilliance.
"What the hell was that!?" Fu exclaimed, shuffling back as the two of them watched with a horrified awe as more Adamantine links filled the air and wrapped around the Kyuubi's legs like sentient vines, locking it in position.
"I take back what I said!" Hana blinked back tears. "Oh my god, those are from Kushina. she's still alive and fighting like a champion, I don't know how but goddamn—!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Fu interrupted, elbowing her in the side. "But stay focused, we need to get inside that building!"
"R-right!"
She let Fu drag her to the edge of their shelter and readjusted her hold on Kemuri in her sweater. They continued to watch as the Kyuubi struggled against his restraints, tails lashing out and striking the ground with deadly force, nails digging into cement and topping buildings, sending hot flaming debris in every direction as the beast wrestled for control.
Demon chakra in the air doubled and forced them onto their stomachs as the air went past boiling, and bare skin turned red and burnt on contact. The two of them could barely withstand the pressure the fox's chakra was putting on their systems, and inside Hana's jacket, Kemuri went limp and unresponsive as the small dog passed out and resembled closer to a beached and dying fish than a canine. On the ground, the two larger puppies barely fared any better.
"Shit—!" Fu pulled back as a piece of stone flew out and hit his shoulder dead on, bouncing back after it came in contact with bone and sending blood and pebbles in every which direction. Hana shielded her face in time not to get any in her eyes (once was enough).
"Are you okay?" Hana gently peeled back the sopping wet cloth around Fu's shoulder, and winced as she saw bone and muscle moving in the gash on his shoulder.
"It's bad, right?" Fu's eyes were fixed on the ground as he gently cradled his bad arm to his chest. His face was pale, even though it was caked with dirt and sweat.
Hana shuffled closer to him and tore at the remaining part of his sleeve, tearing a strip off and winging it around in her hands, before tying it around the crook of his armpit, stemming the flow of blood. "Sorry I don't know any healing Jutsu."
He hissed as she tied the knot, and blinked away tears as he shook his head and tucked his arm into his robes, keeping it secure. "I-It's okay. It's not like you could've seen this happening."
Hana recoiled as if struck, an icy ball forming in her chest. "G-god, this is a nightmare. "
"You said that," Fu murmured, pulling himself back up and shuffling to a safer spot behind cover. Hana sat down next to hm, and the two of them could see the Smoke Shop and the Kyuubi fighting dozens of glowing adamantine distance between their cover and their potential way to safety felt like a million miles away.
Hana wiped her cheek with the palm of her hand and watched with a growing sense of dread as the Kyuubi encroached closer to their hiding spot. She glanced at Fu's shoulder, and then her Ninken trying desperately to hide in the folds of her jacket, their noses pressed into her side.
They were doomed. Hana cursed and shielded her head as bricks went flying as another building toppled over nearby. She made eye contact with Fu as she shielded him and the Haimaru Brothers with her body as rock scattered in their direction.
Wincing through the pain, Hana sniffled and bit her lip. "This never should've happened, I'm so sorry."
Fu swallowed and watched over her shoulder as the Fox lingered closer. He lowered his gaze and sighed once the rocks stopped falling, helping her sit back down with his good arm. He nodded in agreement, his eyes heavy. "I'm sorry too."
~ X ~
"The Y҉e͞l̛low F̛lash͠ ̧o̵f̛ ̨the̛ hidden le͏av̡e̶s͠, too slow̛ ̛to catch a̸ ̶si͏m̕ple kidnapper. I'm getting secondha͟n͡d͠ embarrra͡ss҉m̛ent just looking҉ ͝a͘t̀ you."
Minato tore after the man the second the orange, spiral mask disappeared from his line of sight, and they were speeding across Konoha's rooftops with enough velocity to make the skin on Minato's face burn. "Get back here!"
"How di̕s̷appo̴int͝in͡g." The orange mask phased out of existence a second before Minato could reach him with a carefully timed Hiraishin, and Minato could feel his hands shake with uncontrolled frustration. Thirty yards away, the black cloaked man appeared again, with a sobbing baby in his arms, and the clone waved a hand in front of the child as if the sound seemed to annoy him. "I guess 'like father҉ ͝li͝ke son' really doȩs̡ ͝a͞p͠p͘l̨y ͜h̨e̕r̀e. You're both so annoyin͟g̴ an̴d unneces͢s̀a̷ry͝"
The pitch of the man's voice was warbled and awkward, youthful at some times and deep and guttural, like that of an old man at other moments. Minato couldn't get a grasp on how some part of this person was worth recognition. There had to be something though, what was it?
Behind him, the Kyuubi thrashed around Konoha with an unfocused aggression; there were security seals set up through the area to contain the Bijuu to only a third of the village, including the Hokage monument, and there were teams set up and specially trained for this exact scenario, but part of Minato curled in shame. Even with months of preparation and word detailing what would happen thanks to an informant, the number of lives lost weighed heavily on his shoulders. At least he knew with certainty that the Third was prepared to deal with the Bijuu and he trusted Shikaku to keep the situation under control—at least until he got back to them.
Minato approached at a slower pace, he had to find out who this one-eyed, teleporting Shinobi was. Something didn't set well with him. "Tell me who are you are."
"Minato, plea̕s͡e, ̢h̡a͠ve some self̡-r̢es̴p̶ect." The man slowed to a stop as if to humor him, holding baby Naruto in the crook of one arm. "Have ͘you̵ g͜iven up already? F͘i̢ǹąll̴y̨ met someone too ff̢as̵t ̴f̛o҉r you to catch up͟ t̕o̡? What a s̡h̴ame."
"You hold all the cards here, Shinobi-san," Minato's fingers twitched, a thunder god kunai flipping between each digit, ready to be thrown. He curled his anger in on itself and let it grow cold and heavy in his chest. His eyes stayed fixed on his son. "There must be a better name for me to call you."
"You mis҉und͡erstand our͞ r̢ela͞t̢i͜onship her͟e ͘ Minato. ̶I̛'͜m ńot ͠h͏e͟re to talk." He shifted the weight of the infant in his arms and knew exactly the focus of Minato's attention. He tilted his head to the side, inquisitively. "Do͞ y̵o͟u ͏k̨n̡ow ẃhat the sound of a bab̀y h̷ittin̸g cement sounds like?"
Minato's blood went cold. "Don't."
"A quest̨i̴o̵ń ͟fo̧r ̧a q̷uesti͡ion, it's fair game," despite the changing pitch of his voice, the mask man's persona almost seemed to get more childish in appearance, he tiptoed along the edge of a tall building and seemed to take pleasure in needling Minato with pointless, playful dialogue. "I m͡e҉a͡n͞,̀ ͘y̷ou're probably f͢a̛st enơugh to catch ̢l̵it͞tle m̀in̷-min jr. he̡re̢ b͝efore he hit t͜h̶e̕ groúnd,̛ but th҉er̛e҉ ͘h̛a̧ve ̀b͜een o̧t͜h͟ȩr̸ t͡im̀e̛s ̶w̷he̢n th͡e ͏Y҉e̕ĺl̕òw ͝F͟la͝sh w͠a̶sn't fas͏t͟ enough to make a difference, hasn't he? How͠ t̴rągi̧c ̢w͠o͠ul͝d it̸ ͜ be for him to look h͜ìs ͞ẃįfe in the eye̸s ͞a҉nd tell her he didn't m̶ak͝e i͢t in ̸ti̛me͜."
Any argument died on Minato's lips as the masked man held up the little bundle in his arms and held him threateningly over the ledge, pretending to lose his grip only to regain it again with a laugh whenever Minato tensed to jump after it.
"You really are real͘l̴y ar͝e r̢e̸a̵dy̵ ́t̨o br̷eak yo͡ur necķ lea̴ping ̕a̢f̡t͞er this guy, aren't you͢?" the bundle was safely brought back the to stranger's arms and he looked pitifully down at Minato with his one eye.
Minato's voice was desperate, pleading. "Why are you doing this?"
"W͜hy a̵r̷e̴ y̕o̶u do̵i͝ng thiś?" the clone parroted back, but to the gurgling infant in his arms instead. "You s͢h́òu̢l͟d͢ ̕k͘n͡ow this guy has a raṕ s͟heet-͞ I bet ͞h͟e͡'̢d bé ́à ̢t̕errible father. He c̕ań't̷ táke͢ c͢are ͢a ͠vil͘l͏ag̨e, you think he can ͜ta̧ke̶ c͜ar͡e of ̨hi͟s ͏ķìds? I thi̢nk not."
Minato threw a Hiraishin and teleported behind him, only for the clone to disappear and pop up another thirty feet away again. "Why are you targeting the hidden leaf?"
"I could s̀a̛ý I͡ d̵i̢d̴ i̕t o͏n ̀a͟ w̨him, or that I planne̷d̨ ҉it̕,̡ ̶or th̴at it's war." The clone reappeared further away from him, drawing him closer to the Kyuubi wreaking havoc in the village, and bringing the small bundle in his arms up higher, with each building he appeared on. "O̷ŕ ͡t̷h̨at it's̵ ͞for peace."
Minato flew after him, right on his heels, and the two of them soon found themselves running across the side of the Hokage monument perpendicular to the ground, while the Nine-Tailed Fox's tails carved gouges in the hardened stone beneath them.
The masked man stopped as he reached the second Hokage's chin, and Minato stared him down. "Well? What is it then?"
In the single eye of the shadow clone, Minato swore he saw a single crimson eye smile back at him. "I ̼̝̣̤̦̙̰r̙͙̪̮̦̯eal̨͕͍̙ḽ̦y̘̬just͉̞̞̞ w̞̘͉͉̱antt́ ̫͓̯̩̙t͉̭̼̼o͈̫̘̘̯̠ see̛̪ you ̣̫̖͢s҉̫ṵf̪̞̻͍́f̴̜̹͙̳er̶."
And then the clone dissipated, and the baby slipped from his arms, falling hundreds of feet down below.
Minato dove after him. "NARUTO!"
~ X ~
There were frogs and animal summons guiding people to safe houses. The sight would have been almost comical if the giant fox standing over them didn't make Izumi shake with fear. Her father was the only lifeline her, Shinko and Itachi had, and he pulled them down the street, past smoldering buildings and corpses with a single minded focused.
"Da-Daddy, please, slow down, you're cutting off the circulation of m-my arm."
Shinko and Itachi were right up again, urging them forward, both children suffering small cuts and abrasions. Kotaru shook his head at his daughter and continued on. "We can't slow down, we're still in the path of the fox. Any moment we could—"
CRASH—!
The nearest building blew apart from a single glancing contact with one of the Kyuubi's tails and wrought iron and debris flew through the air.
"Run, run!" Izumi felt a tendon in her wrist snap as her father pulled her forward, pushing her with all his might as telephone wires and poles rained down upon them. There was a sickening squelching sound, and the dust cleared, Izumi was on her knees and wiped the dirt out of her eyes when she heard Shinko's sharp intake of breath, and a deep retching sound come from the back of her throat.
Itachi's' eyes were fixed on Izumi's face, and his skin was pale white as he bent down to try and help her up. His hands were shaking. "D-don't look behind you."
Her head was spinning, and she could feel the sensation of warm liquid seeping through her shoes and into her socks from behind. "W...what? B-but my dad—"
Itachi took another forceful step towards her, and at this point, she could make out the image of Shinko crying and looking like she was on the verge of throwing up. "Don't. Look. Back."
Izumi's face went blank, and everything came back to her. She turned her head—
"Izu...mi…."
"DADDY!" Her breath came in shortened gasps as she crawled as close as she could to the bloody heap of metal poles and torn flesh in front of her. His chest was bleeding profusely, there were wood splitters and wires tearing through his limbs, searing through muscle and brickwork half burying him into the ground, but Kotaru's eyes stayed fixed on his daughter even though he should have been long past dead.
Oh God, how was he still alive?!
Izumi screamed, her hands flitting from each object pinning him to the ground to the other, desperately trying to free him. "No, no, no, no, nO NO NO!"
By some miracle, or curse, his consciousness had not given way and he was still able to draw breath, through his throat gurgled and each breath down his lungs only seemed to make the gaping wound in his chest weep even more. He wasn't thinking enough to even notice it.
His fingers—the wrist broken and the meaty flesh of his arm partially missing— twitched as if he attempted to move it again, but the limb would not listen to him. "Izu...mi…"
"This can't be real, Daddy plEASE NO!" Itachi and Shinko desperately tried to drag her back, to keep her from staying out in the open in case something else fall on them, but Izumi wouldn't let them. She shook Shinko off and elbowed Itachi in the gut, and when he caught her arm and still tried to keep his grasp on her, she punch him in the face and scrambled back to her father, tears in her eyes. "He's my dad! He's my dad! We can't leave him! I won't let you!"
A deep, guttural groan left Kotaru's blue tinged lips, and his chest shuddered around the pole that impaled him. His mouth moved but no sound came.
Izumi crawled closer to him, ignoring the debris falling down around them as people ran and hid for cover. Her tiny pale hands reached out to touch his face. "I'm here Daddy, I'm here— I'm not leaving without you. I won't, I swear, I love you, I love you so much."
Another rattle, this one seemed to bring him great pain, and he winced and closed his eyes. Izumi cupped his face with her hands, ignoring how much blood and gore seemed to soak into her clothes.
She could hear Shinko and Itachi shouting at her as another building collapsed nearby, but ignored them and endured the debris that rained down on her, desperate to stay with her father. "What are you trying to say? I'm here, I'm here."
A single eye fluttered lazily open, and with the last air in Kotaru's chest, he spoke. "K…eep… G..o...ing..."
"W-what? No, no, I don't want to leave, I—" Izumi's sobbed, her hands falling to her lap as the light faded from her father's eyes, and she was left staring into the face of a corpse. She shook her head vehemently, and desperately clawed at him, pawing at his face, hoping, desperately hoping for him to come back to her. "NO! You can't do this! Please, dad, what about me? What about mom?! You can't do this, it's not fair!"
She fought as Itachi and Shinko pulled her away and down the road to safety, but her eyes stayed wide open and she stared at the last spot she saw her father. Dozens of corpses passed her vision, but all of them blurred in comparison, and the world went red as her vision spun with a newly awakened Sharingan. It was only after she couldn't see him anymore that did she finally stop struggling and gave into the tears spilling over her cheeks.
~ X ~
"Shit, sHIT." Hana spat out part of a tooth and immediately lost sight of it as it got picked up by the wind and carried off who knows where. The side of her face was numb after being knocked to the ground, but she spat the remainder of the molar out and swallowed the spit and blood in her mouth like it was a regular occurrence.
They were completely exposed and the wall they had been pushed up against had crumbled over the tremors and wind blasting down on them from above. The Kyuubi thrashed and howled, and compared to it, the shinobi desperately attempting to combat it were like ants nipping at the heels of a god. She could hear it's every breath, in and out, hot and heavy, and the blistered skin on the one side of her face nearest to the demon was wrinkled and taut. She could feel her hair curl and smoke, the leather of her jacket cooking her from the inside out.
"Come on, Come on, further! We have to make it now!" Hana urged Fu forwards, one arm above her eyes to shield her face from the heat coming off the demon fox. She kept her gaze down on the ground, keeping an eye on her footing.
The smoke shop, the safe haven that still somehow remained standing despite all the abuse it had gone though; It was a couple yards away from them, safety was just within their grasp. It felt like miles with the wind battering them from every angle, making each step take a battle and each moment out in the open a risk.
Kemuri lay listless in her jacket, and she held Misuto under her other arm, but Hana turned her head back and saw her third Ninken struggle against the force of the wind, pushing him back in the opposite direction, too small to fight against it.
"We won't make it if we go back!" Fu shouted at her, his voice carried away by the galeforce. "Leave him!"
"You better be fucking kidding me!" she snapped back, and though she was so close to safety, and Fu had only just reached the edge of the shop, she started to turn. "There's no way in hell I'd abandon one of the Haimaru Brothers. No way!"
Fu held his bad arm close to his chest and leaned up against the side of the building to shield himself against the wind. "He' not going to make it Hana, you'd rather take the other two dogs down with you, trying to save the third? Be more objective!"
"I'd be leaving him for dead—I'd rather die than do that, you heartless prick! Sekimaru depends on me!"
He was shouting his voice hoarse to combat the sound of the wind. "You aren't thinking rationally! We'll all fucking die if you stay out there and draw attention! You're a freaking walking target!"
"Who fucking cares! You don't even know if we'll be able to get inside anyway!" She yelled back at him at the top of her lungs. "I'm not going to die knowing that Sekimaru bit the dust knowing that I turned my back on him like some spineless coward! I don't care if you're against me! I'm not leaving my dog behind."
"Fine! Oh my god, I'll do it, just get over here!" Fu pushed himself off the wall, ignoring the trail of blood he left behind, and grabbed the front of Hana's jacket and pulled her towards the safe shelter of the building, rocketing off with a small boost of chakra in the direction of her dog.
Hana set down Misuto as she huddled under the doorway of the shop, bracing her shoulder against the building's tall, sturdy doors. They wouldn't budge. "Fu? How do you plan on getting in again?"
"There's a seal hidden under one of the panels!" he called back, a small, shaking dog clutched to his chest as he slowly made his way back to them. The two of them huddled in the small enclosed shelter of the doorway, and the Haimaru Brothers pressed their heads against their legs and closed their eyes.
"Come on, come on." Her fingernails scratched against the wood of the door, until they clipped the hard edge of a loose panel and she frantically tore it off. Underneath, the Kanji for 'penitence' was painted on the old wood foundation in black, faded ink. Knowing ahead of time that some seals could be rigged to blow up if the wrong person tried to use them, she made sure to keep her hand far away from the Kanji in case she accidentally triggered it. "Okay, what do I do now?"
"Give me a second," Fu panted, clutching his bad arm with his good one. There was more grime in his hair and on his clothes than before, and Hana swallowed and tried to keep her gaze focused on his face instead of the bloody, open wound on his shoulder. He motioned for her to scootch over and let him by, and she pressed herself up against the doorway as much as she could to let him past. The foundation of the building shook with the sheer force of the wind howling around them, pressing down on them from above.
While the overpowering feeling of demon fox energy completely blocked out any other trace of chakra, Hana saw, rather than felt, Fu press a chakra-laced finger to the kanji, and the doors swung open.
She stumbled forward, and it took a moment for Hana's eyes to adjust to the light inside the smoke shop. There was tiling from the ceiling broken and scattered around, parts of the second floor had already caved in and smashed aisles of strongly scented herbs scattered across the ground, making it hard for Hana and her ninken to breathe. Fu left the door open behind him, and limped into the middle of the room, barely bothered by the heavy, overpowering scent of sage and pepper making Hana's eyes water.
The building shook around them, parts of the ceiling falling as it grew more intense. Hana held onto her dogs for dear life. "This place could come down any minute."
"Help me move these shelves then!" With a grunt, Fu began pulling cedar boards and drywall one handed. "Underneath the floorboards is a hatch to a tunnel, I open that and we're set."
Hana got to work next to him and did what she could to lighten the load, taking out heavier beams and supports, but each time she did, more roofing and debris came down on them. she coughed until she could taste drywall in her mouth, and she wiped the white powdery material out of her eyes. "It's too much, we won't be able to clear it out in time."
"Will you just keep working?" Fu snapped, chucking a piece of stone behind him, not caring where it landed. The Haimaru Brothers jumped and skirted around the moving piece of stone, eyeing Fu with wary eyes. "I get that you might be tired, but some of us actually want to stay alive."
"Yeah okay, sure," Hana muttered, digging around with her bare hands, dragging chunks of ceiling out of the rubble.
The more she watched the caved in roof, the more she felt uneasy about the whole thing as the roof continued to cave in, the Kyuubi outside shaking the whole building with the massive tremors it was causing. She could feel it's chakra move lazily towards them, the two of them working as if their backs were to a massive glowing sun.
"I just don't think we're going to make it to that hatch in time before the building comes down or the Kyuubi steps on us. It's getting closer."
Fu whirled on her, fists clenched by his sides. "Then we're dead, Hana. We're dead. Do you want that?"
"Of course not!" she shot back defensively. "But we could always make a break for it and try somewhere else! We aren't going to get anywhere here, chucking around rocks like this."
Fu growled in frustration and ignored her, going back to work with a frenzy, using his bad arm to pull heavier pieces of ceiling out of the way. "Fine, forget it. Go on your own if you want to, but I'm staying here."
"Stop it, you're just going to hurt yourself more," chided Hana, wincing as the torn flesh in his shoulder moved in all the wrong ways as he struggled on his own to lift part of a broken shelf. She moved in to stop him before he bled everywhere. "Come on, let me handle that before you make a mess."
The Haimaru Brothers whined and watched out the open door as the Kyuubi moved closer to them, it's tails lashing behind it as it took a step backward, closer to their building.
He glared at her and refused to hand it over. "No, I've got it. Take your stupid dogs and get out of here if you're so terrified, I shouldn't have even brought you to this building in the first place."
Hana gaped at him. "That isn't fair and you know it! I want you to live just as badly as you do! I just don't think this place is an option anymore." She took the shelf out of his hands before he ended up hurting himself, but he struggled to let go. "Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere, I'm sorry your idea didn't pan out, but so long as we have some time left we should use it while we still can."
BO—OM!
The two of them yelped and fell to the ground as the massive back paw of the Kyuubi stomped down right next to the front door, blocking off their escape. The building shook with an almighty roar as the beast's tails brushed over the roof, knocking the second story off its support and shaving the walls down with ease.
Hana and Fu stared up and saw the moon,, in all its brilliance, dwarfed by a glowing hot fireball of demon chakra and hatred, ensnared by hundreds of links of adamantine chains, digging into its fur and choking the life out of it as it struggled for dear life. So close up, the two of them were knocked aside by the sheer power and into a crumbling wall, dirt and drywall flying in every direction, blinding them to the vibrant red inferno of energy struggling to maintain superiority over its chains.
"Fuck, fuck!"
Hana desperately clung onto the Haimaru Brothers for dear life as more of the building came down around them. The wind battered her from all sides and twisted her in every direction, forcing her down until she was tossed outside with an uncaring ferocity. She raised her head a moment later to look for where Fu must've landed, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Hana!"
There—! His orange hair was swallowed up by the light of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and she reached out to grab him once he cleared the remains of the building, but he was taking so long, and couldn't maneuver right with that bad shoulder of his, and—
"No, no, no, you can make it, come on!"
Hana was on her feet, but another blast of wind sent her to the ground again, tasting dust as the Kyuubi's tails lashed out behind him, striking the building and sending bricks falling everywhere, in every direction.
The last thing she saw was orange hair and falling bricks before she too was swallowed up by falling debris.
The back of her head met hard cement and her world...
went...
dark.
~ X ~
"G-God…Damnit minato, I swear to Amataseru, if you don't end up with Naruto in your arms I will haunt you from beyond the grave until my spirit gives out!" Kushina grit her teeth and forced whatever chakra was still in her system into her legs, pulling on the adamantine sealing chains wrapped around the torso of the Kyuubi.
"Kushina, just hold it for a little longer!" Sarutobi seemed to be just as poor off as she was, Kushina had just had a small human being pulled out of her and then sewn back up again. Was he asking her to hold on? Hiruzen was pale enough to be a corpse already.
Kushina shifted uncomfortably and watched out of the corner of her eye as Anbu fell against the two cloaked figures phasing through them. At this point, it would just be the two of them, Shikaku, their masked attackers, and the fox. Whichever one held out the longest would be the winner, but not by much.
"Come on! Give up already!" Chakra chains wrapped around her arms, Kushina took the last of her energy and pulled the Kyuubi closer to her with all her might, tearing the stitches in her side to smithereens, but gaining ground as the beast slid onto his knees and lurched forward. His eyes glowed with a manic, crimson light, but whatever Shikaku had done to the masked man moments before had broken whatever hold the Kyuubi had been under. This anger was all its own.
By her side, Hiruzen stiffened. "I may not have enough chakra to seal the full Bijuu back inside you."
"That's fine!" she answered, jerking her chains with a tone that implied that no, it really wasn't, but she wasn't about to elaborate because she had her hands full at the moment."Just do whatever you can to get most of him back in me and I can sort the rest out!"
A heartbeat- then two, passed. Hiruzen's chakra swelled and burnt as he guided the demon chakra back into the half-ruined seal on her stomach, and the Yin half of the Bijuu was torn from its body and pulled inside her with an ear piercing screech.
Kushina was panting, curled in on herself and her white hot seal. The Third's arms were shaking, burnt beyond recognition, his fingers blackened and barely looked recognizable. The old man's eyes shone with unshed tears, and the two of them made eye contact as the Kyuubi screamed and lashed against its restraints, half of it missing. Their only saving grace were the Shinobi distracting it and using their own jutsu on it to keep it secure at ground zero, and the two of them owed those men and women more than just an accommodation. They were running on fumes, any little bit helped them in the end.
Kushina grunted, holding the stitches on her side with one hand. Hiruzen pulled himself back to his feet, and he nodded at her. "One-half down, another half left."
"Sorry, b́u̶t͝ ͞I c̷a͡n't let you g͡o͠ ̴any͝ further," a voice right behind her said, before she was punted across the open area and her chains immediately dissipated, breaking up around her as Kushina went flying through a wall and came out the other side, dazed and profusely bleeding from the torn stitched in her abdomen.
"You!" Hiruzen dove towards the Masked man with a vengeance, Nine tailed fox forgotten, as the man responsible for his wife's murder stood in his direct path towards saving the village. His stance was weak, desperate, but determined as he lunged toward his attacker head on.
Shikaku had broken the hold the man had on the Kyuubi and had dissipated his second shadow clone so only one target remained, but he phased through each attack Hiruzen unleashed upon him. Clipping through jutsu after jutsu, punch and kick, he was a wraith, constantly moving, dodging and weaving through attacks, even as Kushina brought herself back to her feet and turned her Adamantine chains on him.
"Do̧ y͘ou̕ ͡kno͘w҉ ͘h͏ow ͡l̕on҉g͘ ͟ I've waited for thi̢s̡ ̶m͘o͜m̵ent?!" the masked man's voice pitched from high to low, always unstable and unrecognizable, but even more so as he gained momentum, swinging around and kicking the Third in the back as he dodged a blow that phased though his shoulderblade a second too late.
Kushina dragged herself out of the rubble, clutching her weeping side with her arm to keep herself from falling to pieces. "What is your problem?! Why us?? Why attack our village?"
The masked man twisted Sarutobi's arm until it audibly popped, and shoved the old man to the ground, kicking him in the side until he stayed down. He turned to Kushina, and looked her in the eyes with his single, burning red iris. "Of al͜l̛ the ͟p͝e͡oplé who forgot, I expecte̡d͞ mơr̴ȩ fr̢om you ku͞s͡hi̶na͜."
She could feel reality bend in on itself. Oh god—Sharingan? How?! She recognized the feeling instantly, but she didn't have the chakra to shake it off. Not now, not now!
"Wh...why?" It was like she was floating away from her body, a ghost occupying a liminal space as the masked man walked towards her. His cloak filled the entire night sky, and the sounds around them faded into obscurity. She felt her limbs moving on their own accord and was powerless to stop them. Her hand no longer pressed against her town stitches, and if she were more lucid, she could have sworn she could feel blood drip down her legs onto the hard pavement. "What have we ever done to you?"
"Wh͠at h̶av҉e̡n't you do͠n͘e?" The words echoed around her without a source, working its way into her brain with a cold-edged fury. She could feel the stranger's bitter resentment in her chest, and when she stared forward where she expected to see that damnable familiar mask, she saw twisted skin and an empty eye socket staring back.
The face of her husband's student bared his teeth at her, tears dripping down his chin, his arms soaked with the viscera of the men he had just murdered in cold blood.
Her heart stopped dead in its tracks. This was a genjutsu, it could be real, and yet—There was no denying how the village had been infiltrated so well. "Obito, what happened to you?"
A manic, chilling smile spread across his lips, pulling at the fresh scars on his face. "I'm͘ ͠no͟t t́hę ͝kid you conveniently remember fo̢ur years too late. You hav̛e ab͜solu̕tely no fuckng͝ ͜id́ea. "
"T-this isn't you, Obito doesn't sound like that," Kushina pleaded, falling to her knees. The genjutsu was slowly squeezing the life out of her, making it difficult for her to breathe, her vision swam. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, but this isn't right, Obito, you should know that, please." She was desperate, staring up at a stranger as the sky bled red and the moon shone with the light of the sharingan. "You were better than this."
From his eye, a deep and endless whirlpool pulled reality itself in as he reached for her, light and darkness bending to his will, and Kushina found herself staring into a never ending abyss as she fell, deeper and deeper.
She felt herself being pulled forward, and her hair whipping the side of her face, even as the Genjutsu broke and she felt the distant pull of her husband's chakra appear seconds too late to tear her away, Obito's voice rang in her ears, clear as a bell in her mind and sharp as a jackhammer, chipping away at her.
"You̡ t̀houg͡ht ͘w͢ơng̷."
~ X ~
An: End of chapter 25.