I finally got it done! Whew, this one was real pain to get through. I hope everyone reading enjoys and I promise to be, or at least try, to be better about uploading chapters. Without further ado, on with the show!
Jaku POV
I know it's crazy, but I saw them as one and the same. The dirty blonde hair, the structure of their faces, the red eye. However, some part of me willed itself to find their differences: The fact that this stranger had two red eyes, not one white and one red. That his Sharingan had three tomes instead of two. The lack of blue beads Seibyo always wore around his neck. How this stranger was years older than him. The way the stranger's face was sharp and lacked Seibyo's roundness. How Seibyo's smile was warm and kind, but this man's was twisted and cruel.
These contrasts stood out clear as day, but my mind kept seeing Seibyo in him. I tried to shake him away, but his image flickered like a reflection over the stranger's figure. How could I fight him when I only saw my best friend?
"You got here sooner than expected," The stranger said.
A chill ran down my spine. Even though it was deeper, it still rang like Seibyo's voice.
"I honestly didn't think that I would meet you for a while. Guess I was wrong about how long that tunnel actually was. This just means I get to have fun a whole lot sooner!"
My throat was dry. I spoke, my voice cracked. "Who are you?"
His twisted smile grew. "Me? Well, I guess you could call me Seibyo's brother." I flinched. " At least, half brother. If that doesn't fit to your liking, you can call me Helios."
"Helios?" I sighed. I was worried that their names would be similar, too.
"Yeah, pretty crappy name. It was originally going to be Seibyo's." My heart dropped into my stomach. "Helios, the Greek god of the Sun who could see all and knows all. Nothing could escape his magnificent vision. A fitting name for someone with Seibyo's eyes. I only have it because the Professor didn't have a name to call me when I was born."
My lungs froze. My blood ran cold. A scream echoed in my head, driving out any thoughts of contrasting the brothers. When he moved, Seibyo moved. When he inhaled, Seibyo exhaled. As Helios smiled, Seibyo smiled, too.
Seibyo seemed confused. "You don't have anything to say?" Seibyo's voice filled my ears, battling with the scream. My friend sighed. "No point in wasting time."
Seibyo walked towards me. The sight made my knees go weak. I stumbled and my legs gave out. Seibyo was standing right in front of me. He drew a kunai and laid a hand on my head. He smiled warmly. "Make sure you don't move. Can you do that?" He raised the blade.
Reality came crashing down on me. I sprang upwards, delivering a punch to the imposter's chin. He stumbled back. I put distance between us. "Release!"
The genjutsu was shattered. Seibyo's form disappeared completely. Helios's scowl was nothing like anything I had seen on Seibyo. With that look, they looked like completely different people.
"How?" He asked through gritted teeth. "How did you break free?"
At this, I gave a small laugh. "I'll admit, you had me for awhile. I completely forgot the power of a genjutsu from a person with a Sharingan. However, you made one huge mistake."
"What?" Helios growled.
"You didn't know about Seibyo's habit. Anyone who met him would know that Seibyo always ends a question by meowing like a cat."
"Seriously!?" Now he just seemed baffled. "Why?"
I shrugged. "He's a weird one."
"It doesn't matter," Helios said. "I'll just kill you a different way."
I smiled. "I'd like to see you try."
Helios snarled. He lunged at me, the kunai slicing through the air.
In less than a second, I had drawn my own and parried his slice. He was relentless. Anytime I blocked, Helios's blade was already swinging at me again. I had no time to counterattack or form any hand signs. His next onslaught broke through my defense, slicing open my right shoulder. Blood poured down my arm, slickening the hilt of my kunai and making it difficult to keep my hold. I threw the soiled blade, which he deflected, and drew a fresh one with my left hand.
The fight had come to a halt. I had managed to put some space between us, and we were anxious to see who would be the first to act. It was Helios. His hands flew into action, mine following suit.
"Crimson Flame!"
A ball of fire flickered above Helios's outstretched palm. With a grunt, he threw it at me.
"Wind Release: Air Bullets!"
I inhaled deeply, my chakra building in my lungs. The air swirled and became ferocious. I opened my mouth, releasing six bullets of wind.
The sphere met my bullets and exploded in a brilliant flash, immediately followed by a cloud of smoke. The cavern and candlelight were obscured, leaving me blind. Cursing, I ran aimlessly through the cloud. If I had Ayato's or Mushi's sensory skills, this smoke wouldn't be a problem. However, Helios had the same problem as me. Even with the Sharingan's visual power, it still can't see through a cloud of smoke this thick. All I have to do is keep my distance before it clears.
Meanwhile, I was faced with a different problem. My shoulder was bleeding profusely, and each beat of my heart sent agonizing pain through my body. I could hardly move it or any part of my right arm. I had barely been able to complete the hand signs. If this battle gets drawn out, I won't stand a chance.
Flickering lights start to glow through the cavern once again as the smoke settled. I scanned the floor, but Helios had disappeared. I stopped abruptly, straining my ears to hear anything to indicate where he was hiding. With Helios gone, it would be more dangerous to keep moving recklessly. The best option was to let him make a sound that gives up his hiding place. Minutes passed by in silence. My nerves were shot as I tried to resist to urge to jump at every little sound I heard. I forced myself to focus on any sound that was out of the ordinary.
I waited and waited. Time continued to stretch on as I listened to the flicker of the tiny flames and the dripping of water somewhere farther down the exit. A new sound reached my ears, a fierce crackle and a swish of air from above. I jumped to my left just a moment before a ball of fire, singeing a lock of my hair as it descended, exploded on the spot where I had been standing.
Quick as a whip, I pivoted on my foot and threw my kunai upwards at my attacker dangling from the cavern wall. Helios dropped as my blade harmlessly struck stone and fell to the ground with a clatter. He stood straight and gave me a cocky grin. Looking down, I saw to my horror a paper bomb directly under my foot. I tried to get away, but the blast threw me before I had taken more than a step.
I flew through the air and landed sprawled on the ground. I let out a strangled groan as a searing pain tore through my left leg.
Helios was approaching. I drew a kunai, but I wouldn't be able to put up a fight without my arm and leg. I steadied my nerves and reached out for the power that was locker away inside me. I grabbed for it, seeing the brief image of a lustrous jungle, and pulled it from its seal. As I did, I pushed against the bulk, directing only trickles of the beast's chakra to my leg and arm.
Helios pounced, kunai slicing threw the air. At the last second, I threw myself upwards. His knife cut through my tricep, but mine lodged itself in his bicep. He quickly backed away as he made familiar hand signs.
"Crimson Flame!"
Once again, he threw the ball of fire at my head. I threw myself to the ground as it streaked overhead. I got to my feet and ran at Helios. Another kunai in hand, our blades clashed in a shower of sparks. We paused, pushing against each other. Helios, trying to caught his breath, asked, "How did you heal yourself so quickly? You had no time to do so." His red eyes flashed with surprise. "So that's how!"
I felt a smirk play on my lips. "Figured it out, uh?" The damage to my leg and gash in my shoulder had been almost completely repaired. The only evidence that I been hurt were some faint bruises, which were quickly fading as well.
"Well, I'm impressed. Let's see how long that will last." Helios pulled away. I drew three shuriken from my pouch. I sliced down my arm, screaming, "Wind Release Slash!" The shuriken were blurs as they were propelled by the strong blast of wind. Helios blocked one with his kunai, but one cut his cheek and the other embedded itself above his right hip.
"Gah!" Helios's hand pressed against the blood staining his tan shirt. "Damn it! Enough of this!" He looked at me with fury blazing in his eyes, making them shine brighter than the hundreds of candles in the walls. As I watched, the tomes began to move and elongate. They formed two black lines crossed like an 'x' and a thin circle wound its way through the four sections.
A shudder ran over my skin. Seibyo warned me about this during training, a dangerously powerful form of the Sharingan. The Mangekyo Sharingan.
I drew more shuriken, but my hand started to shake. No matter how hard I tried, my hand would not stop shaking. My hand grew weak and the shuriken slipped from my fingers. The shaking spread up my arm and to my chest. It travelled up my neck and down my legs. My knees failed and I fell onto my side. I couldn't control my body. Every part of me was shivering and flailing at their own will.
This is his Visual Prowess: disturbing the signals your nerves send to your muscles. It was similar to a medical ninjutsu I had heard about, but that one randomized the signals to different limbs. This power completely distorts them.
I dug down for Chomei's Chakra again, this time I focused a faint amount of Chakra throughout my entire body. The shaking subsided. I slowly got back to my feet. Sweat had broken out on Helios's forehead. The anger in his eyes only grew deadlier.
"You little bitch!" He spat. "Just lay down and die already!"
I laughed at myself. I can't believe that I had seen any resemblance between Seibyo and Helios. Seibyo might get annoyed, but he doesn't take the effort to get angry like Helios.
I could still feel his Prowess trying to take control, but the Chakra kept it at bay. Helios tore his eyes away. I stumbled as the strain was lifted off my body. Helios took this moment to stab me in the gut.
I had seen it coming, so I managed to escape without a mortal wound, but I ran away from him as quickly as I could. Helios was panting hard. Seibyo had explained that using the Sharingan can drain your Chakra, but even more so with the Mangekyo Sharingan. If this keeps up, I could take him down.
I made Chomei's Chakra diverge to the stab wound. The skin and muscle began to stitch back together. As the blood flow was quenched, the strain of Helios's power returned. I fell onto my back, unable to resist his power until my wound healed. My hands bled as they smashed themselves against the stone, my arms became covered in cuts. The wound, now just a scratch, finally closed over.
I pushed all the Chakra I was drawing against Helios's control. Slower this time, my limbs were freed. Helios was panting like a dog and sweat drenched his shirt. I was just as bad, if not worse than, Helios. I tried to stand, but my legs still hadn't regained feeling. All I could do was lie on my back and try to catch my breath.
Helios started towards me once again. Chomei's Chakra was rejuvenating my body. Feeling returned to my limbs. Helios was a few feet away. I tried to get up, but Helios moved with speed I couldn't imagine he could still have. He was over me, his hands closing around my throat.
I tore at his hands and kicked out, but I couldn't break his grip. Helios's eyes were shining brighter than ever. His voice, broken and rough, barked through our struggle. "You thought you had me with that medical technique of yours, huh?" Heat rushed to my face as blood roared in my ears. "Using only the smallest fraction of your tailed beast's Chakra to heal your wounds. However, since you had to shut down your own Chakra channels to control it, you couldn't use any genjutsu or ninjutsu while you were using it. It was such a pain in the ass!" Stars danced in my vision. "But what are you going to do now? That technique doesn't stop you from suffocating! Now be a good little bitch and shut up!"
I kept kicking as my vision wavered. I dislodged his left hand, but the right was still tightly around my throat. I tried to get my legs in the air, but he pushed them away. Finally, I got my left leg in front of his face and in the dip between his left shoulder and neck, and my right leg in his armpit. The awkward position made him lose his grip around me neck. I grabbed his wrist. He struggled to grab me again, but I had him trapped. Pushing against his neck with my legs, I pulled his wrist down.
Helios let out an animalistic howl. He struggled harder, but couldn't break my hold. With one final pull, a series of sounds similar to strings snapping were followed by a sickening SNAP!
Helios's scream echoed off the cavern walls and grew worse as I released him. He rolled away, cradling his right arm. I sat up, coughing and spitting. Helios's arm was bent the wrong way at his elbow and he could not move it whatsoever. The rage in his eyes had reached an indescribable level. I got to my feet once again, rubbing my sore throat. Chomei's Chakra was already restoring my injuries. To my amazement, Helios also got to his feet. He had let go of his right arm, which flopped uselessly, and had a kunai in his left. I drew my own.
I looked at him and sighed. "If you do this, you won't like what happens."
"SHUT UP!" He shrieked. He stabbed carelessly. I knocked his attack away with my free arm and cut him right hip to left shoulder with my kunai. Blood flew, splattering me and the ground. Helios gave a choked gasp and collapsed at my feet.
As I stared at the man on the ground, two options came to mind: kill him here and now, or let him live. Killing him might save problems later on, and I would never have to let Seibyo know about him. If I let him see what his brother is like, I don't think he could handle it. I didn't want him to have another burden on his shoulders.
However, as I looked at this pitiful man, I knew I couldn't do it. However terrible he might be, he is still Seibyo's brother. My best friend's brother. He had a right to know about this. If I told him that I killed Helios… I wouldn't be able to bear the look on his face. No matter how much it will hurt, Seibyo would want to meet him. And I'll be standing by his side.
I crouched behind Helios and pulled him into a sitting position. He was breathing hard, but continued to struggled feebly against me. I wrapped my arm around so that the middle of his neck rested in the crook of my elbow.
"Do you know the difference between a choke and a strangle?" I asked. Helios growled as a response. "A choke is when you restrict the airway. It could take over a minute for someone being choked to pass out. However, a strangle cuts of the blood flow to the brain. It takes a much shorter time to make someone pass out." I locked my hands and squeezed against his neck. He fought for about ten seconds before he fell unconscious.
I laid him down, patched up the worst of his wounds, and set off down the exit at a tedious pace. I was so tired and I had used up a lot of Chakra. Twice I fell, but I got up and continued. It was hard to tell how much time passed, but eventually I heard footsteps coming my way. I was expecting a fight, but it was Ogoi. Relief flooded me, and he ran to catch me as the world went dark.
Next Time: Artemis's Revenge
