The Hyuuga's Black Eye

by TheParagonPariah

AU POST-EPILOGUE! The war is over, and peace has been introduced to the ninja world. However, one cannot live in a world of light without finding a few shadows. Follow the tales of a young Hidden Mist child named Jiyuu as he slowly becomes a hero for the new generation, and unlocks the unknown powers of the Byakugan! OC CENTRIC, SOME ROMANCE, BYAKUGAN UPGRADES!

62. Violent Schism (Pt 2)

A/N: I know I was late a few days in uploading this, but I was pretty busy and didn't have the time to really sit down and do it. Hopefully the wait was worth it for you guys. Enjoy! :)

---

"It's futile."

Boseki and Suzushi had been attacking Mother for the past ten minutes, yet anything that came close was blocked by a diamond shield, and anything that could potentially break through it was dodged. Mother was hopping backwards, completely aware of her surroundings with her Byakugan flaring. Boseki had a giant steel hammer gripped with both hands, and every missed swing had the potential to topple a building. Suzushi, on the other hand, was attempting a more subtle approach, hoping to sneak in a quick, crippling attack when he found an opening. He was still looking for one.

"She's annoying," Suzushi muttered. He blitzed right behind her and emptied his weapon pouches of all kunai, all shuriken, but while in midair he made a hand sign, and suddenly all the weapons near him were levitating. "Magnetic Release: Iron Storm!" With a wave of his hand, the weapons collecting around him flew towards and around Mother. Of course, her immediate instinct was to cover her whole body in a bubble of diamond barriers.

The moment Boseki saw this, he grinned. So this was your plan, Suzushi? Not bad! "HAAAAAAAAH!" Mustering all his might, the colossus of a man swung his hammer down onto the diamond bubble. There was no real damage other than a few cracks on the surface, but the Family member was sent straight down to the ground below. She impacted the earth like a meteor, and even Mother herself had to admit, she felt slight worry after having landed.

But only slight worry.

Mother was about to release her barrier, but a sudden technique swarmed her within seconds. It was a thick cloud of black ash, something that covered her technique completely. "What's this?"

Boseki knew what this technique was and didn't wait to look around for it's user. He knew a special individual just entered the fray, and he fell down towards his target with hammer raised again. He brought it down below him, and once more, ash and rock flew everywhere upon impact. Chips of diamond flew up from the damaged barrier, and Boseki jumped into the air once more as even more ash seeped onto his target.

Suzushi landed a distance away, and could see what was going on. The Ash Stone Sealing technique? It's being used to prevent Mother from breaking out of her own barrier, and when Uncle Boseki finally breaks through, she'll be vulnerable...

His eyes went to the caster, the esteemed Tsuchikage that was assisting in a counter-attack against the Family members, Kurotsuchi. She unleashed her technique once more after Boseki struck a third time and jumped up. In the instances where her technique was hardening around Mother, the kunoichi would dash in, looking to further close the gap between her and the enemy. "You won't get away with attacking MY village," she shouted out, again seeing Boseki strike the barrier and leap away before she spewed her technique again. "Keep the pressure on, Boseki!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Boseki came down, and this time put all his strength into the swing of his hammer. The diamond shell finally gave way, shattering apart and caving in. The adrenaline coursing through the jounin's body began to flow faster, and he readied himself to bring his hammer down on her skull. Unfortunately, Mother had other plans. A Diamond Dragon sprouted from the barrier, rising up into the air with Boseki in it's jaws. He had been a little late in shifting his arms into steel, and the teeth of the conjuration had already pierced his palms before they shifted. Blood ran down his twitching, muscular arms, and Boseki grit his teeth in pain.

The hammer fell from the sky and dropped beside the hole that Mother emerged from, her haori flowing in the wind as she blitzed away from an incoming Suzushi with multiple weapons following. The jounin had been fast, and his skill with his bloodline limit was certainly impressive, but Mother just would not allow herself to be hit.

"What a pity," she mused aloud, slowing herself down only a little just to taunt Suzushi. "Someone with your talents would have been more than welcome in our village, yet you choose to fight for the losing team."

Suzushi halted his assault for a moment, taking a knee and going through hand signs. "Your words hold no weight in my mind. Attempting to infuriate me will do nothing."

"You misunderstand me. My goal is not to-"

Mother had to pause, as Kurotsuchi ran behind her and got in a defensive stance. The explosions and sounds of constant fighting echoed on in the distance with Pet's battle still ongoing, but they seemed to become more dull as the Family member slowly turned to face the village leader.

"...ah...the Tsuchikage, someone unable to battle an opponent such as myself by their lonesome. How quaint."

Kurotsuchi was sweating a little, eyes focused on the haori-clad kunoichi. "Why bother doing this myself, when I can just have people help me finish this quicker."

"Shouldn't someone as prestigious as yourself be focused on getting survivors medical attention?"

"Our medical shinobi are second-to-none and are doing their jobs...that's their bit." Kurotsuchi stood tall and placed a hand on her hip, thumbing to herself with the other. "Kicking your ass? That's my bit."

Mother seemed to lower her head a little, and a sound akin to a chuckle may or may not have come from her. "I see...fine then, come now."

Suzushi clapped his hands together, pressing his palms together as he focused. "Don't forget that I'm here," he mumbled. Kunai, shuriken, swords, and all manner of metallic weapons began being lifted from the ground, their tips aimed at Mother. She could see in her Byakugan just what the man was doing, and once more, she made a low chuckling sound.

"Both of you are fools," she uttered. She lifted a single hand, putting both shinobi on guard in an instance. "I haven't begun to take this seriously."

Kurotsuchi began weaving hand signs, brow furrowing. "I'll give you a reason!"

"No...no, I don't think you will."

Mother snapped her fingers, and there was a loud shattering sound overhead. Suzushi and Kurotsuchi glanced upwards to see that the diamond dragon that had been carrying Boseki close to the clouds was breaking apart, and they could see the shinobi falling; thankfully, he wasn't too badly injured, as he was still conscious and aware that he was in a free fall. The shards of diamond that cascaded from the heavens were not simply raining down, but were swaying as if they were a long, snake-like entity...and they were all coming for the trio below. Suzushi cursed and sent the weapons he had gathered towards the diamond storm, but they were not effective in the slightest, instead being battered and sent twirling to the ground. The diamond shards began to pick up speed, and were dead-set on hitting Suzushi. The man cursed under his breath again and changed up his plan. He began making hand signs for the Mountain Shield technique, hoping it would provide some sort of protection against what would come...

...and to his surprise, the Tsuchikage had beat him to the punch with her own technique.

"Earth Release Golem Technique!"

Erupting from the very ground itself came a twenty-foot tall golem comprised of stone, it's hollow gaze staring off into the distance. It only sprouted up from the waist, but this was all it needed. It hunched over Suzushi and reached it's arm out at Mother. The rogue kunoichi immediately jumped away, but to her surprise, the technique was not reaching for her. It extended an open hand to Kurotsuchi, who hopped in and was pulled under the cover of the construct's body. The diamond shards began slamming into the golem from all angles, and surprisingly, Mother could see that nothing was penetrating it's surface...

...for now.

Landing, Mother weaved hand signs before holding her hands out to the diamonds scattered around. They floated up to the air past the golem, and the torrent of projectiles that were bombarding to golem soon joined the cluster...the pieces combined, and took on the shape of a gaudy-looking pointed tip.

"Diamond Javelin..."

Mother thrusted her arms forward, and the technique bolted towards the golem. It would pierce, she knew it would pierce, and with her Byakugan active, she could see that it was going straight for the Tsuchikage...a shame, she would never see it coming.

A heavy force came crashing down on top of her, and the impact was so immense that it cratered the ground beneath her. The sound of brutal cracking snapped through the air, and Boseki's pride was restored when he felt that his second hammer had struck true. His whole body was steel, and it was clear he put lots of strength into this one attack. He had been forgotten about, it seemed, but one should never count out the Otoko Clan.

"Sorry missy, but nobody here's got the same love for gems that you do. We ain't interested."

He pulled his hammer up and shouldered the massive thing as he inspected his work. She was...well...lets just say she'd need to be put back together with lots of tape and glue; her limbs were scattered, and her back was mush beneath the cloak. The Diamond Javelin technique deformed in midair, and the diamond shards fell to the ground harmlessly. The golem straightened itself out, revealing an unharmed Suzushi and Kurotsuchi. The Tsuchikage was clearly glad to see that Boseki had brought the battle to a swift end, albeit messy, and Suzushi let out a sigh of relief.

"...we had it covered, Uncle Boseki."

"I can see that," he quipped. The man began walking over to them, slamming his hammer's head onto the ground and leaving it standing upright while he did so. "Gotta admit, not a big fan of skydiving...but I might just take it up now."

"Good work, Boseki," Kurotsuchi added. "Now let's go help your other nephew and niece, it's time to turn that other Family freak into bloody paste."

Of course, Boseki nodded at this. But the moment he and everybody else turned to see where Ikari and Kisu were, a small, fleeting thought passed through his head...

..."bloody paste"...

...

...wait a minute...

Before Boseki could even think about doing anything, it was too late. The sound of flesh being stabbed echoed through the air, fresh crimson blood splattered onto both he and Suzushi, and Kurotsuchi screamed out in pain as she fell to her knees. A large diamond shard had pierced her side.

Boseki swore out loud and turned around, cursing himself for being a fool and not realizing the lack of blood that was splattered about after his attack. Mother was slowly rising from the crater she was smashed in, and small specks of diamond could be seen flowing into her sleeves and hood.

"Better," she said. "But not good enough."

Sweat built up on Bosekii's forehead, and was so stunned that he failed to see just what was going on right after Mother rose from the ground, fully intact. She flung her arm out towards Boseki and a diamond shard was cutting through the air...except, it went right past Boseki. Suzushi, who wasted no time in attempting to aid the Tsuchikage, found his shoulder pierced. He let out a pained gasp, but growled through it and darted his eyes to Mother, then to Boseki.

"GET HER OUT OF HERE!"

The order from his uncle was clear as day. Without question, Suzushi picked up the still-breathing Kurotsuchi and darted for where the medical shinobi were. He was struggling to hold her with his shoulder wounded, but he would manage...his wound wasn't that serious...

...and come to think of it, neither was Kurotsuchi's...at least, it wasn't fatal. If it wasn't treated now, she could bleed out and die...but Suzushi could tell that from the area she was wounded, no vital organs were hit.

...this...wasn't meant to be fatal. What's her plan?

"As I expected, you stayed behind," Mother spoke to the only remaining Stone-nin before her. "Good...I wanted to make an example out of you."

"You ain't leaving here alive, bitch," Boseki spat, turning his body into steel with a hand sign.

"Not after you killed half my village..."

His fists grew giant steel spikes and studs, and his muscles seemed to grow a little.

"...not after you wounded our leader..."

He brought his fists together, and with blind rage, rushed at the Family member like an enraged bull; each time his foot fell, he left the ground beneath him shattered into pebbles.

"AND DEFINITELY NOT AFTER YOU HARMED MY FAMILY!"

The haori-clad kunoichi didn't budge as Boseki closed the gap between them with surprising speed, but the large man didn't think twice about it. As he got in, he lifted his arms up in a hulking attempt to crush her...but, to his surprise, she opted for a fast palm strike to his chest.

And again, to his surprise, he felt it connect. He was shoved back by an immense force, and despite having his exterior become steel, he could feel damage on the inside. Blood was leaking from his metallic mouth, and he grit his teeth at the taste of the liquid.

"I've heard of this kekkei genkai, Steel Release," she stated, palm still extended after her strike ended. "In fact, I've done some research on it. Very difficult to learn to the point of usage, and infinitely harder to master. It's so difficult that many shinobi who have it may never unlock their full potential because they simply cannot use it properly. How unfortunate, that you are one of those people."

Boseki was silent.

"Ah, so you know this. It's easy for me to see with my Byakugan that your technique is not perfect, for the chakra points are still visible. You can only turn your flesh to steel, yet your organs are still vulnerable."

She blurred in closer than he would have liked, and despite him trying to put his arms up in defense, she slipped to the side and slammed her palm where his liver was. This time Boseki fell to a knee, and his Steel Flesh technique began to disappear in various areas of his body.

Mother shook her head. She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to look up at her. "...you're old, too. Much too old to be playing a game like this...though, I suppose I'm not one to speak of age. I have been on this Earth probably as long as you...ohhh, but I'm sure our worlds are vastly different."

"G...Fuck you..."

She shook her head again. "Such profanity is the language spoken by one who was hurt deep and wishes to never show weakness again. I understand. It must have been family that hurt you, yes?"

Boseki yelled out in anger, got up, and swung his fist at Mother, yet she ducked and palmed at his chest. He coughed more blood up and fell onto his back. Things were not good, he was...

...he was beginning to black out...and his skin felt so cold...his body felt so numb...his breathing felt weak...

"UNCLE BOSEKI!"

The man was able to turn his head and see that Suzushi was rushing in, but he didn't know if it was to attack Mother or save him. Boseki felt himself get picked up and forced onto his knees, a diamond kunai pressed against the back of his neck. He wanted to fight back, and he tried moving his body...but her strikes had drained him of chakra and busted up his internal organs. He wasn't feeling at 100% whatsoever...and deep down, he knew exactly what was going to happen to him.

And he was ready to accept it.

Suzushi stopped on a dime when he saw his uncle in such a state. He was clearly terrified, Boseki knew that the young man was never put in a position like this. On missions together, if any danger befell the team, Boseki was the one to save everybody, every single time; in the rare occasion that Boseki needed saving, he was usually just restrained. But Suzushi could see the glossed-over look in Boseki's eyes...how he was bleeding, how he was limp.

"...Suzushi..."

The named individual remained silent, trying to quell the shaking of his body as he stared at his uncle.

"...get you brother and sister, and retreat."

".But uncle, I..."

"That's an order," the older man said. "And...if you can, head to the Hidden Mist. Find my brother, and tell him I'm sorry about..."

"..."

"...that I should've accepted him and his choices."

"..."

Boseki's brow furrowed a little at the sight of his nephew not obeying. "...please, Suzushi...run, so you can fight another day."

Suzushi's body trembled harder, and he could feel his eyes watering up. The man who had single-handedly raised him and his siblings ever since their parents fled the village when they were children, the one who taught them to read, speak, fight, and work together. The man who almost never smiled, but always had the purest of intentions and the biggest heart of almost anyone in this village. The man who had pushed Suzushi to pursue his dreams and become the best he could be...and here he was, at his end because Suzushi wasn't what he needed to be.

Swallowing what he could of his sour emotions, Suzushi nodded to his uncle. The man smirked a little in return, and shut his eyes. Suzushi was gone in the blink of an eye, only a single tear falling in the place he once stood. Boseki watched as the tear fell, like time was going slow for him. Many things passed through his mind in that short instance...his life growing up with two parents that always argued and a younger brother who seemed to be better at everything. They never showed much respect towards each other, not even when the younger of the two got fed up with the village and fled. Boseki remebered that he wanted to chase the man down and kill him at that very instant, but lacked the will to do so...and he has done nothing but spend the rest of his life raising the kids his brother left behind, and pondering just how long it would be until he could sit down and speak with his brother once more.

...sorry, Suchiru. I wish I had been better to you...

The teardrop hit the ground, and Boseki's world went black. Mother had opted to pierce his skull rather than his neck, and let the large man slowly hit the floor with a tremendous thud. Blood pooled around his body, and Mother stood still as she watched his corpse become cold.

"...a noble man, you were, despite fighting like a ruffian. I'll be sure to honor your memory, Boseki." She lifted her head, and stared off into the now-quiet distant portion of the Hidden Stone.

"It's time to finish up and head home."

Suzushi, trying his best to wipe away tears and not think about what just happened to his uncle, raced towards where he left Ikari and Kisu plus whatever Stone-nin were around to deal with Pet. He wouldn't tell them the news until after the battle was over, he understood that they would probably buckle under the pressure more than he did, and the fight would go downhill.

But when he appeared, it was clear that the fight had ended long ago.

Pet was perfectly fine, not a scratch on him, nor a scuff of dirt on his haori. He was sat with his legs folded on the ground, hands in lap as he watched Ikari and Kisu slugging at each other. The twins were bloodied and bruised, and their eyes were glazed over with a distant, furious look as they continued to swing at each other. It was clear by their postures and heavy breathing that they were both exhausted, but they were the lucky ones. Surrounding the twins and Pet were countless Stone-nin littering debris-filled, blood-soaked streets and walkways. Many were dead, some were unconscious, hundreds were wounded.

From where Suzushi stood, it was easy to see that half the village was dead.

Suzushi, a jounin who was used to difficult missions with heavy outcomes, a man who has seen great atrocities in his years fighting against the Hidden Abyss and trying to resolve the Jinchuuriki Crisis, could not handle the weight any longer. He fell to his knees, and continued staring out at the destruction. Not even the Tsuchikage in all her wisdom and might was able to do anything; she entrusted her men to fight the brainless tall skinny guy while she pursued what she perceived to be the more intelligent, dangerous enemy. But in doing so, she not only let Boseki die, but also half of the village...

A burning hatred filled the jounin...for the Tsuchikage, for the Family, for the Hidden Abyss...for the death of people he loved and cared for. He ripped the bandages off and yelled out like a beast released from a cage, and it was enough to make Pet look at him. Suzushi didn't even hesitate, leaping at Pet while both hands made signs independent from one-another. The hand in front formed a Mountain Shield, while the one from behind formed a Thunder Cleaver, both techniques he had taught his younger siblings himself. The lightning technique snapped and cracked as he brought it overhead, and the massive shield before him threatened to crush his enemy before the cleaver could cut. Suzushi wanted blood spilt on the enemy's side for a change, he would have it.

Except, he wouldn't. Mother appeared in front of him, right between him and the Mountain Shield. Suzushi could only widen his eyes before Mother used Gentle Fist to poke and prod his chakra points, instantly dispelling the Thunder Cleaver and making the Mountain Shield collapse into a pile of rubble below. Suzushi's body went limp, and he fell to the ground in a sloppy fashion while Mother had landed with grace. He struggled to move his body, but all he could do was grit his teeth and grunt. His eyes shot over to the Family members, and fury wrinkled his face. "You bastards! I'll kill you!"

"No, you won't." Mother's counter was plain, and she kept her back turned to him as she said it. She stepped over to Pet and placed a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it. "It's time to go. We did what we had to do."

Like a child done playing with their toys, Pet stood and faced the twins one last time before making a hand sign. Chakra pulsed from his body, and the twins regained the normal look in their eyes right before collapsing onto the ground, weak and weary.

Suzushi watched the two look at each other and whisper before Mother patted him on the chest, and the two vanished in a puff of smoke. Suzushi, with the last of his strength, turned his head to see his siblings had both passed out, and then looked towards where the Tsuchikage had been taken for medical aid. The last thing he saw before passing out were frenzied medic-nin running towards everybody with stretchers and supply bags.

---

With the risk of civilian casualties being so high, the shinobi forces within the Hidden Cloud wasted no time in getting evacuations underway. They had been highly successful, getting almost all civilians who had not been claimed by the enemy as puppets onto a ship. With half their village alive and far from danger, the Raikage, Darui, felt it was time he stepped into the fray. He blitzed through the wreckage of his own village with his gaze darting all over, looking for some indication of where the battle was occurring. This whole situation, this whole mess...it was anything but dull. Part of him was wishing that A had been in the village instead of visiting the other retired Kage, he had no doubt that the tides of battle would be in their favor. Unfortunately, this was not the case. He was alone in this battle, save for his jinchuuriki and any shinobi who were still left standing.

A bolt of lightning was hurled towards the village leader, and Darui was more than aware of it. He backflipped away and landed on a lamp post, sword drawn and chakra surging. His gaze followed the trail from where the jutsu had been launched, and saw a Cloud-nin. Rather, he saw the corpse of one that was under the influence of Daughter's Corpse Puppet Technique. And then, by looking around that one individual, Darui saw hundreds more in the same state, and then even more that were plain civilians armed with all manner of weapons and tools. Many of them Darui recognized, and all of them had been taken by The Daughter as her puppets. Darui grit his teeth, for beyond the swarm of Corpse Puppets, he could see blasts of fire and heard the sounds of iron and steel clashing. That was where Netsu and Bee were, in the thick of it all trying to defeat the ones in charge of this assault on the Hidden Cloud populace. Darui looked back to the puppets, and felt a frown come on.

...they intend to keep me from interfering.

More puppets appeared to amass from the rear, and without warning, they all charged. Darui didn't question a thing, he understood these people were dead now...there was no reason to hold back, as there was no way to save the people who were already lost. He tossed his sword into the air and weaved hand signs, spewing both water and electricity from his mouth to suppress the swarm.

And, despite his technique connecting, many of the puppets seemed unfazed. To top that off, only the shinobi had jumped above it, weapons ready in hand. Darui held his hand up and caught his falling sword by the handle.

I see. They retain their memories when it comes to battle, but they don't feel pain due to being dead. Black lightning coated his sword, and Darui got into a stance. So if I want to get to Netsu and Bee, I'll need to fight an army. Fine then.

Darui had gotten to work, trying his best to fight off undead shinobi and villagers alike, but little did he know that the small mass he was battling now was nothing compared to the thousands that Daughter had already risen. She was reaching her comfortable limit without the need to push herself, so comfortable in fact that she was sat cross-legged on the ground in a meditative position with a wall of Corpse Puppets surrounding her, hiding her from the outside. Her job of tiring the jinchuuriki out for capture was slowly, but surely, coming to an end. She could hear Son outside of her little nest trying his damndest to keep anything from reaching her, be it a jutsu or one of the jinchuuriki. Hell, she could see it with her own Byakugan.

Son was getting up-close with Netsu while Bee was being swarmed with Corpse Puppets. She was swinging for the fences, arms transformed into searing brimstone that would make any sort of normal contact that much more severe. Through the slit in his mask, Son could see Netsu's tear-filled eyes narrowed, focused, burning with a desire to hurt him horribly. But she could not hit him, not because he understood how she was fighting, but because he could see all of her movements before she fully committed to them. He hadn't even fought back, instead constantly backpedaling while he waited for the redhead to tire herself out.

As stated before; slowly, but surely.

Netsu cried out as she let loose a wild haymaker, which Son ducked. She then tried slamming both her fists on top of him, which he avoided by leaping to the side. She pursued him with a flying kick, which he avoided by jumping in the air...and then, he saw something he should have anticipated. From the corner of his eye, he could see Bee rushing in, ignoring the Corpse Puppets surrounding him, with a Lariat...oh yes, and his entire body was coated in the signature red chakra of a Tailed Beast.

"...unfortunate."

The Lariat connected and it hit hard, but as both men slammed into the ground and busted open the nest sheltering Daughter, it became apparent that all was not as it appeared. Yes, the incredibly powerful technique was landed, but it didn't make physical contact with Son at all.

No, instead, Bee's arm was pressed up against the rib cage of a Susanoo...a navy blue Susanoo that quickly sprouted a skeletal arm over Bee.

"...that's impossible," Bee uttered, kicking off the ribs of the underdeveloped Susanoo before the hand could slam down on him. Indeed, he had become educated on such things as the Susanoo technique after the war ended, mainly because A never shut up about how he (and sometimes the Five Kage) took on Madara and his army of Susanoo. The color was always brought up, and only now did Bee actually care about that small, unimportant detail. Was this person...

Daughter stood in her nest, shaking her head at Son as he landed in front of her. "Unbelievable, I thought you wanted to keep this a secret."

"Had I not resorted to my Susanoo, you would have had to put be back together. I saved you some time and kept the village's Sharingan safe."

"..." Daughter sighed and began weaving more hand signs, black flames rising from her hands once she was in the thick of it. "Well, so long as the cat's out of the bag, why not finish this up fast? This is what you trained for."

"Yes, I suppose so."

Son made the Tiger seal, and it took only moments before the blue construct began to grow larger, more menacing, more defined. It grew taller, taller, taller still. It began as a skeleton, then a humanoid figure, then it developed layers of what could only be described as 'armor' before it stood upright on two feet. Blue wings sprouted from it's back, and it was armed with glowing katanas in each hand. The appearance was akin to a samurai, and the construct was so colossal that it could very well have been dwarfing the village.

In the distance, Darui saw the complete Susanoo with ease, and his entire body went cold. It was impossible...right? That certainly wasn't...

Bee wasted no time, ignoring any questions Netsu was spouting. Without haste, he entered his Tailed Beast Mode, becoming a copy of Gyuki, the Eight Tails. He took on the form of an octopus merged with a bull, and his first instinct was to punch at the giant being that easily stood over him. Bee was interrupted with a knee from Susanoo into his face, which sent him reeling back. He wanted to charge a Tailed Beast Bomb, he was certain that would end this right here and now...but the amount of destruction it would cause, the ruin it would bring to his village would have been too great. And so, the jinchuuriki found himself digging deep into his brain just to find a solution.

"Most impressive. Just like what it says about you in the bingo books," Son called out from up top in his Susanoo. "I've never had the opportunity to fight with a jinchuuriki before, but I fear that I'll have to cut this moment a bit short."

Bee's first reaction to these words was to just charge at the Susanoo and tackle it's lower body, since that was about shoulder-level with the jinchuuriki in his current form. He burst forward and slammed his shoulder into the construct, hoping to bring Son down fast...but all he managed to do was push Susanoo bit an insignificant amount of space. The Susanoo released the swords it held, causing them to disappear in midair as a plethora of blue embers...and then, it brought both fists down on the Eight Tails Jinchuuriki. A plume of dust and debris shot into the air, and the ground rumbled with incredible force. Son did not let up on his assault, as he began a continuous barrage of lefts and rights, slow but powerful fist strikes that seemed to shove the jinchuuriki further and further to the ground.

Netsu could only watch as this happened, knowing full and well that this was simply too monumental of a task for her to deal with on her own. She hadn't reached the level of transformation capability that Bee had achieved, and even that was shown to be useless. Dread crawled over her, and for a brief moment, she had considered running away. Yes, just running away as far and as fast as she could. She knew why they were here...she understood who they were, what it was like being under their control. She could remember the pain, the exhaustion, how a month of her life disappeared under a hazy blanket of confusion. She didn't want that again...but she didn't want to leave Bee alone either. But what was she to do? Fight that Susanoo alone? Kami knew where the Raikage was, but even with him, they'd have to fend off all these Corpse Puppets too.

The Corpse Puppets around her dropped to the ground, and Daughter flew in at a speed Netsu would not have been able to prepare for. A paper tag was in her palm, and she slapped it onto Netsu's forehead with enough force to knock her off her feet. She was ready to fight back the moment a strike had been dealt to her, but she could feel foreign chakra enter her system through the tag, and the familiar sensation of being swallowed by fatigue, the weakening of her body until she felt unable to do much of anything, overtook her once more.

...no...please...not again...I don't want to be taken away again...

The last thing she could make out was Daughter vanishing into a puff of smoke; it was a Shadow Clone that had performed it's duty without hesitation. After that, the world went black, and the tag's effects were in full force when Netsu passed out.

The Susanoo delivered one heavy punch to the ground, letting it's fist linger a moment before standing upright. Son saw below that Bee, in his transformed state, was spread out on the ground in a bloodied, battered fashion. The beast began to revert back it's normal form, an older jinchuuriki who's glasses were broken and who's headband was lost elsewhere. He was alive, but barely. Son shut his eyes behind the slit mask, and he lowered himself to the ground as his Susanoo disappeared. His feet touched ground, and then, he collapsed to his knees. The heavy breathing of his could be heard through the mask, and his whole body was shaking. Daughter appeared before him, but immediately turned her attention to Bee. She strode over to the older man, and knelt down beside him. She pulled out and pressed the seal tag on his forehead, and his whole body visibly relaxed. There...their task was complete. Rising with a sense of accomplishment, the Daughter turned to the Son, her head slowly shaking with disapproval.

"You're a fool, you understand. Even I could have told you that you haven't practiced with your complete Susanoo enough to use it in battle, you just obtained it. But here you are, exhausted because of all the chakra you threw away to utilize it."

"It helped bring this battle to an end," Son argued through huffs. "Where is the Four Tails..."

Daughter thumbed behind her. "A few meters in that direction. If you have enough chakra to activate your home seal and bring the Eight Tails back with you, I'll grab the Four Tails and leave our parting gift." She paused, and then walked over before placing her hands on her hips and leaning in to be mask-to-mask with her accomplice. "...if, you can handle it."

Son was quiet, only lifting his head to look at the mask staring back at him. "...of course."

"Good," she said. "In that case, let's get out of here. These two need to be branded with a real Caged Bird Seal by Father, and I don't want to wait more than we need to."

Daughter leapt away from Son and landed far, far beyond Bee. She was already knelt down beside Netsu, and after forming the seal of confrontation, her hand was coated in black flames.

"You go first," she called out to him.

Son complied, dragging his weary self over to Bee and collapsing at his side. He pressed a hand on the older man's chest, and with a single hand sign, they both disappeared in a blur.

Daughter took one last moment to examine the Corpse Puppets that stood idle around her, awaiting commands. She smirked behind her mask, and pulsed chakra through her black flame-coated hand. The embers dispersed, and then Daughter grabbed the arm of Netsu before vanishing with a hand sign.

Darui, bruised and sweaty from his battle with an endless swarm of corpse puppets, felt a twinge of confusion when the undead hoard went limp and collapsed, almost all of them at the same time. The village was quiet, so quiet that it was deafening. Only howling wind could be heard...the fight was over.

...but what happened to the jinchuuriki?

Darui looked around at the corpses that lined the road, that blanketed streets and rooftops. He didn't give them a second thought, and blitzed right for where he had seen the Susanoo laying into Bee. Upon getting there, he found...nothing. No Family, no jinchuuriki...just a small gathering of black embers. He stared at them until they slowly faded...

...and then, all the corpses developed a single black flame on their chests. The chakra surging in their bodies was unbelievable, and a wide-eyed Darui's first instinct was to leap into the air as high as he could. He did so, and narrowly avoided a swift death. The corpses exploded in a violent manner, one after the other like a series of mines had been triggered. He watched below as his village became destroyed even further...and yet, he felt no anger. He felt ashamed, hollow...

...defeated.

He, a Kage, let this happen to his own home, his own village and people. What kind of a leader was he? And to top it all off, he let two jinchuuriki get abducted.

As he began to descend, Darui understood that this was time to begin rebuilding, time to contact the other Kage and see just what kind of aid they could provide. The time for loathing over his own failure as the Raikage could wait...and yet, he couldn't help but ponder if he truly deserved his position.

His home was almost nearly obliterated, half his populace wiped out...and he was powerless to fix it.

---

Her whole body shook. It was lost to her whether she shook from fear, disgust, or pleasure, but her body trembled nonetheless. Soaked head to toe in blood of various people, Jari panted as droplets fell from her body and her beloved scythe, Iseki. She had gotten to work as soon as she realized what was underway, killing Jashinist after Jashinist without hesitation. Unfortunately, other Sand-nin only had to see the necklace dangling around her neck, or the symbolic skeletal patterns that formed on her skin when she activated her true Jashinist abilities. On sight, they would attack Jari too, and in pure self defense, she took the lives of those who probably didn't deserve to die at such an age. Now, she was a convict no matter how this all ended. She would be wanted for treason, for conspiring with the Family to bring about an attack on her village, for murder of multiple Sand-nin, for being a Jashinist...and whatever else they could think to add on.

She was stood among the bodies of other Jashinists, ones she reaped herself. She was out in the middle of a street, and small particles of sand were flowing through pathways and over buildings to reach the Kazekage for assistance with his own battle. Only a hop, skip and jump down the road from the blonde kunoichi were her parents, both with their own Jashin symbol exposed on their abdomens and both looking very displeased with their daughter. They, too, were coated in blood, but not of their brothers and sisters of Jashin.

"Though destruction is all Jashin desires, the slaughter of fellow Jashinists can't go unpunished," her father spoke, brown furrowed something awful. "I can't believe you. That scythe is sullied by your hands...to think we all thought you deserving of such an ancient tool that belonged to Lord Jashin himself."

Jari swung her weapon out to the side, flicking blood off it onto the sand. "Oh, I'm very deserving, Father. I'm not afraid to bring chaos where it's needed, including upon brothers and sisters of Lord Jashin. It's not my fault you both lack the guts."

"You little brat," her mother spat back. "Even we have rules, heathen! Don't try hiding your true alliance from us! It's obvious from the way you ran from the family meeting that you didn't want this attack to happen. You would go against Lord Jashin and his children all for some, for some...village! Some run-down, sweltering, dying village!" Her mother grit her teeth, and she pointed at Jari. "I wanted you to have Iseki because I believed you would bring chaos to all your enemies under Jashin's protection. It was the same blessing that your grandmother passed down to me when I inherited the weapon...but you? You're an animal!"

"Perhaps it's what Lord Jashin wants of me, mother." Jari brought the scythe's blade close to her mouth, and a tongue ran along it's surface to lop up droplets of blood still clinging on. A smile curled on the corner of her lips, completely reactionary. "After all, he has kept me safe, and I have brought chaos to this world for my enemies."

"But you choose you enemies poorly! The Family welcomes us into the Hidden Abyss! Jashinists! Free to roam around and do as we please! We can finally pray to Lord Jashin with REAL sacrifices, not these little rodents we find scouring in the streets! Hell, tonight is the night to let loose! You'll throw away this great freedom you could have, all for some idiotic village that isn't EVER going to accept you for what you truly are?!"

"That's right, dear. You killed shinobi tonight, I saw you in action. Even if you do stay, your best case scenario would be getting locked up in a jail cell for life."

Jari chuckled low, gripping the scythe tight with both hands. "Oh, they only attacked me because I'm lumped together with you lot...I only did what I have to do so I could help bring all of this to an end."

Her father returned the sickening smile, the blood dripping from his lips as he did so. "You're not lumped together with us, you're PART of us. Everything is happening as we always wanted it to happen, yet you fight it."

Jari shook her head, and took up a defensive stance with Iseki. "I never wanted this to happen. Everything was fine, we could pray in silence and keep our religion to ourselves. The world didn't need to know what we were, what I was. Even if I have to flee now and live in a cave or something, I'll be happy knowing that I'm the only one who's truly free around here."

Her father let his arms go limp at his sides, and he charged her like a drunken bull, eyes wide and smile splitting his face. "THE ONLY FREEDOM YOU'LL EXPERIENCE IS IN DEATH!"

But, Jari would not. She had been watching her father's anxious actions, his feet shuffling slightly as his fingers twitched. She knew he wanted to attack, and she had been ready.

"Cursed Art: Mortal Draw."

The scythe's head was enveloped in crimson charka that was unlike anything a normal shinobi would ever experience. Jari swung her weapon and leapt out of her father's path, the tip of her weapon just barely grazing his chest enough to draw blood.

But, that was all she needed.

Her father's flesh turned pale as life escaped his body, and all that collapsed behind Jari was a fresh husk of a man. Her scythe now glowed with a bright blue chakra-lit inferno, which the scythe slowly syphoned into her own being. She trembled with delight, an orgasmic delight. She shoved her thighs together and let out a pleasurable squeal, even rolling her eyes up as drool leaked from the corner of her mouth. "Oh...oh, what a sensaaaation...tee hee hee..."

Needless to say, Jari's mother was not happy. She was stone-faced, staring at her dead husband while listening to her own daughter get off on the sensation that the Mortal Draw technique brings. The Cursed Arts are special techniques passed down through Jashinists after they've prayed enough; one could say these are blessings, even gifts, from Jashin himself. The Mortal Draw, her mother knew, was a double-edged sword. The user would place all the chakra their body could physically muster into a bladed weapon, and then swing at the enemy. If it missed, the user was drained of nearly all chakra, and could die from overexertion or minor wounds in a battle, as they'd be unable to fight back or defend. However, if the technique hits and creates even the smallest of wounds?

The user absorbs the soul of the enemy and converts it into raw chakra; the sensation of doing so could bring anybody to orgasm, as can many of the Cursed Arts. She had known the sensation once long ago when she had performed the technique on a helpless enemy.

But this was different, this was her husband that was dead...and by the hand of her own daughter. She was so lost in trying to make sense of all this that she hadn't the time to react when Jari ran at her and used a Smoke Style jutsu. Everything around her was enveloped in black smokescreen, and it was within seconds that she felt something slice at her neck. After that, it all went black, and she was no more.

She collapsed as the smoke cleared, the cold body soaking the sand below with blood as Jari's second Mortal Draw concluded. Again, she went into an orgasmic fit, this time crumpling to her knees and hugging her scythe as the pleasure consumed her. She bit down on her lip and looked up at the sky as the sensation ran it's course...and then, when it was all said and done...

...she cried. Not loud, powerful sobs, but silently allowing tears to roll down her eyes and drip around her smile. She stared at the corpse of her mother, and pictured in her head the remains of her father. She did that, she killed her parents in the name of Lord Jashin. She killed many people tonight in his name, and she wanted none of it. She let out manic laughter towards the moon overhead, not knowing how else to calm herself down. She wasn't calm, she couldn't keep calm at all now. She had to leave, for her sake. She was a good child of Lord Jashin, too good. So good, in fact, that she had failed to realize that she was still in her Cursed Transformation, where her hair went white and her skin turned black with skeletal patterns. Everyone's is different in how it behaves; Lord Hidan from long ago got it by ingesting enemy blood, and could harm their body by harming his own. Jari simply isn't able to die while the form is active...a blessing which she was sure she would lose once killing other Jashinists.

But she didn't! It was still here, on her! Maybe she really WAS the best Lord Jashin could get, and he could see the potential in her.

"...I need to get out of here."

Yes, she did. Iseki found itself strapped to the back of Jari, who quickly gathered up robes and a hood from the bodies around her. She enveloped herself in bloodied cloth and blitzed for the village exit. She could see and hear fighting going on around her, and her attention kept shifting between the Kazekage, and the exit. It seemed that Gaara had captured one of the Hidden Abyss shinobi...wait...there were Hidden Abyss shinobi here? Whatever, it wasn't her problem. She picked up the speed, and not surprisingly, the guards at the village entrance were absent, either fighting somewhere else or dead. Jari broke out into the chilling desert sand, and picked up as much speed as her legs could offer. She didn't know where she would go, how far she would go in the chilled night air, but she knew it would be somewhere far from here...

...somewhere she could be free.

But Tokage, the only Abyss-nin clad in the standard armor, was anything but free. Only his head now stuck out from a floating bed of sand, and he found it very difficult to move around.

Explosions echoed all around them, and Gaara understood that these explosions were happening in specific locations. The prison, no doubt to let dangerous criminals and potentially S-ranked ex-shinobi escape. The Kazekage Tower was hit, so were homes and places where things like emergency food and weapons were stored. Gaara tried his best to remain calm on the outside, but his frown and the growl in his throat gave away his true feelings.

"Sand Coffin..."

Tokage had barely been an issue...hell, he had been running around placing explosive tags or throwing explosive kunai everywhere. Thanks to him, much of the large village was in shambles, but thankfully it wasn't anything that couldn't be repaired with ease. The thing that couldn't be replaced, however, were lives lost...and for that, Gaara would make sure he paid.

"I wouldn't be so quick to act, Kazekage," a voice echoed out. The Three Sand Siblings looked towards the top of the Kazekage Tower in the distance, and could see Elder standing on it's roof. His cloak flapped in the cold desert night wind, and a baby was being carried in his blood-soaked arm. A kunai slipped from the sleeve of his free hand, which he caught and spun around till it's tip was aimed at the infant.

Gaara grit his teeth, Kankuro lowered his arms and the chakra strings attached to his puppets, and Temari closed her fan. "Let them go," she ordered.

All she got in response was a laugh from Elder. "You're in no position to command me. You think I care if that shrimp you hold dies? He's less than expendable, he's nothing...a rookie looking to earn his stripes...but look at him. Captured by only three individuals? Pathetic."

Tokage sunk even lower into the Sand Coffin, turning away as he tried to hide his sour look.

"Even so," Elder continued, "I still want my test subject back. You see, Kazekage, your village has hit rock bottom already. The morale is at an all-time low, I'd say. If you tempt me, this dead infant will be one more thing you simply could not save tonight. Now...release him."

Kankuro's finger twitched, and instantly one of his puppets turned to face Elder. But, the kunai Elder held was flung at Kankuro, who quickly dodged to avoid the weapon. A new kunai slipped from the sleeve of Elder, and once again it's tip was aimed at the now-crying infant.

"If you insist on being a hero, I'll not stop you. Just understand that I possess the Byakugan...I see every move each of you make. The moment you so much as twitch without my command, the child will die. Now...Kazekage...release him."

Gaara was at an impasse...and he knew it. He couldn't let the Hidden Abyss win, but he'd be damned if he let anymore people die tonight. "Call off your assault, and I'll release your shinobi."

"Ah, quite the bold thing to say. You still believe you're in a position to make demands?"

"Yes," Gaara stated. "You said it yourself, you don't care if this one dies, yet you'd hold an infant hostage just to see them released. I don't know why you need this one so badly, but I'm willing to release him if you call off your attack, AND release that child."

"..."

Temari and Kankuro were sweating from the pressure. This was a very bold move to make, even by Gaara's standards. A child's life was dangling in the balance, and he was willing to shake the wire it balanced on.

"...you first, Kazekage. Although it may be favorable for that idiot to stay alive and in my custody, I'll not be made a fool of here. I can live without him."

Gaara...gave in. His outstretched hand relaxed, and the Sand Coffin fell apart into plumes of sand. Tokage broke free and leapt up to where Elder was, though he felt the already-chilly desert night air get colder near Elder.

"Leave this place, and kill any who pursue you. You were not ready for this trip."

The order from Tokage's superior was strict, and there was clearly no room for argument. He only hesitated, and that was enough for Elder to face him, magnifying his killing intent.

"I do not like repeating myself."

Wordlessly, Tokage leapt off into the distance, trying his hardest to leave the village before anybody could pursue him.

"Alright Kazekage...I have good news, and bad news for you." He could see Gaara was not pleased to see that the antics were continuing. "The bad news? I lied, I'll not be calling off my attack yet. The good news? You can have the child back."

The infant Elder held was tossed from the rooftop. A swift cushion of sand safely caught the child and took them away, all in time for Kankuro's puppets, slicing blades of wind, and gigantic sand hands to attack Elder all at once. But, Elder did not attempt to run. He parted his arms and welcomed the attacks. Sand smothered him, crushing everything in his body below the neck. Gaara had initially wanted to keep Elder around for interrogation at a later point, but now he decided the best way to fix the problem was to remove it, starting with him. The head of Elder was exposed, and a deep chuckle could be barely heard creeping out from behind his mask.

"Let's see what the face of a soon-to-be dead man looks like," Kankuro growled through his teeth. Flicking two fingers caused Crow to fly by Elder, smashing it's tendril-like arm against the mask that the Abyss-nin wore. It shattered upon impact, and Elder's head snapped back with a sickening crack from his neck. Only a moment passed where the Sand Siblings believed him to be dead...but of course, things were never that simple. Elder lifted his head again, this time bringing it forward until he was looking down at the trio from his Sand Coffin; surprisingly, he looked quite young, almost younger than Gaara. His red-tinted Byakugan seemed to glow in the moonlight, and his slicked-back hair was a little frazzled from battle. A confident smirk with two protruding fangs was present, as well.

"My, my...for a group of highly-experienced shinobi, I'm rather dumbfounded to see such brash action. It's unwise to spend so much energy on someone like me, after all."

A narrow-eyed Gaara didn't skip a beat. "Perhaps you're right. Temari, Kankuro, kill the Jashinists before they bring more harm to the village."

Neither of them needed to question their brother's order. Looking to each other and nodding, one headed east while the other went west, each looking to tackle one side of the village alone.

Elder had other plans, however. He turned his head to the sky and the veins on his temples seemed to increase as his Byakugan pulsed. "BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JASHIN, PERFORM YOUR RITUALS AND ENTER YOUR CURSED FORMS!"

Elder could see Gaara's body tense up, and his smile grew wider.

"IN TEN MINUTES, WE WILL FLEE FOR OUR NEW HOME! UNTIL THEN, DO WHAT YOU MUST TO PLEASE LORD JASHIN! KILL, DESTROY, RIP AND TEAR ANYTHING AND ANYONE THAT STANDS IN YOUR WAY! THOSE WHO HEAR MY COMMAND, MAKE SURE YOUR FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE AWARE! THIS IS OUR GRAND FINALE!"

Gaara did not dare avert his eyes from the one he held captive, as Elder was clearly not one that should be set free in such a circumstance. He was the big fish in a school of guppies, releasing him would be an idiotic move. And yet, Gaara could hear it down below, behind him, all around. Whooping, cheering, screams of terror and cries of agony from both seasoned shinobi and helpless civilians alike. The assault was swift, and with so many of his own people already dead, Gaara understood just what this all meant.

He had made a tactical error, underestimating just what Elder would do. This whole attack, Gaara believed to be a simple act of aggression brought on by the Hidden Abyss, the first act of a real war. But this was more than that...Gaara had witnessed a real war. And act of aggression usually had some end goal, like when he was abducted by the Akatsuki. The end goal was the One-Tail sealed inside him. But on this night, there was no real goal...it was simply an attack, clearly planned for years. Those Jashinists down below consisted of other shinobi and civilians of the Hidden Sand, not a single one of them donned the Abyss-nin armor. They were Gaara's people...and they wanted to leave, and make sure they left an impact on the village. Elder, of course, fanned the flames.

There was no prize to be seized, no immediate tactical advantage to be had, no desire for the Kazekage to surrender the village. It was senseless destruction, simply because they could do it.

The realization made Gaara's stomach turn, and he made a conscious effort to control his breathing just so he wouldn't vomit. His whole body shook, though barely, and his gaze became distant.

His prisoner held within the Sand Coffin seemed quite comfortable, still grinning. "Finally realized just what's going on, have you..."

"..."

"They'll not die in their Cursed Forms. I'm sure you're familiar with a shinobi named Hidan who was once part of the Akatsuki? He had something similar, though far more advanced. We all may not be perfect like he was, but my brothers and sisters below will survive just about anything you throw at them now. They will stop only after ten minutes is up...or if everyone is killed."

The green eyes of the Kazekage fell on the red-tinted Byakugan of the one who was called 'Elder.'

"Unless," he continued, "you release me. Do so, and I will call them off. From there, we are not to be followed once we leave. If we are followed, we will come back and finish what we started, without any reason to stop. If we are tracked, we will return to finish what we started. If you so much as TRY to figure out where we are headed, we will finish what we started. I'll know if any of these things happen...I've been around long enough to know all the tricks in the book."

"..."

"Tick tock, Kazekage...tick tock."

A village leader never liked being put in situations like this, where their home was destroyed and the perpetrator had to be released. But, if Gaara could save even a handful of lives tonight, then there wasn't a doubt in his mind what he had to do. The Sand Coffin around Elder slowly broke apart, and the Abyss-nin shoved himself out as he leapt to a rooftop. He let out a piercing whistle before giving the Kazekage one last grin, and then darted off past him. Gaara could hear down below the other Jashinists stop their cheering and laughing the moment the whistle hit them, and immediately, a parade of feet pounding the sand sounded off. They were all heading towards the south gate, but Gaara kept his word and did not turn to watch, he did not pay them any mind. He couldn't afford to.

The silent crying of the infant he had caught earlier garnered his attention, and the Kazekage turned his head to see the child still protected by a small sand construct. He carried the child over on the bed of sand, and scooped them up in his arms. The child was still crying, despite being held in a comforting way.

A shinobi landed on a rooftop nearby, and Gaara needn't turn to know who it was. The heavy clanking of plated armor gave him away.

Kyofu was indeed wearing full plate armor, save for a helmet, and he was also donning a cloak his mother used to wear, covering everything on his person save for the greaves on his feet and the massive sword on his back. "Lord Gaara, I-...I needed time to prepare, but I'm ready. Where's the enemy? I'll strike at once."

"The battle is over, Kyofu."

"...but...but, Lord Gaara..."

"Kyofu..."

"..."

"We lost. Now is time to regroup, rebuild...and bury our dead."

Kyofu's stare was distant, and he couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. For them to simply let the enemy walk away was unheard of, yet Gaara seemed like he was certain in his decision. Kyofu looked out to see the mass of killers, psychopaths, running further and further into the desert night. They would disappear soon, and Gaara was not sending a single person to pursue. Kyofu, deep down, understood the reasoning...they already had a massive toll taken on them tonight...to endure any more would be suicide for the village. At least there were some survivors, from what Kyofu could hear from the crying and screaming all around, as well as various medic-nin and shinobi barking orders to each other.

Kami...even late to help fight them off properly. I've been an idiot all my life. Hell, I even had feelings for a Jashinist who probably planned on killing me tonight...the same day she finally dropped a hint that she liked me too. It was all a fuckin' lie, or she just liked me the most for potential prey. No matter where I go or stay...home, missions, other villages...death follows me.

...I'm cursed.

Far off in the distant sands, a kunoichi around Kyofu's age was running, blood-soaked cloak flapping in the freezing air and special Jashinist scythe strapped to her back. She was still smiling wide like a maniac as she got further from her home. It was only now, fifteen minutes after her departure, that her Cursed Form lifted. Her skin became it's usual creamy white, silky soft self, save for the blood and cuts on it. She stumbled in her running, and her smile disappeared entirely. She collapsed to her knees and started bawling into her hands, finally understanding what position she was in...and that she could never live a normal life again.

---

Neither moved from their position, though both were ready to battle. Jiyuu was already in his fighting stance, waiting for Aunt to blitz in and make the first move. Aunt was patient as ever, standing with her arms at her sides while her Byakugan shifted all over Jiyuu. Jiyuu concluded she was either very well-versed in how to fight with taijutsu, as it was usually smart to let the opponent strike first so one could counter, or she was simply too confident in her own abilities.

Jiyuu kept shifting his focus to the friends he could see in his Byakugan, namely Tenshi. That chakra radiating from her eyes, the Rinnegan...this was a dangerous position for Jiyuu to be in. He could potentially land two pairs of sought-after eyes into the hands of this nutcase if he was in over his head, but he had no choice but to stand against his foe.

Aun't smile grew, and she flashed some of her sharp teeth. "In all seriousness, this was a surprise. I didn't come here for you. Hell, part of me didn't even think you'd be here. I figured you would be out of the village, in fact I believed you'd prefer not being here as often as possible." She leaned in a little, hands clasping her hips as a fork-like tongue flailed from her mouth. "After all, who could blame you for not wanting to associate with those who stabbed you in the back, hm?"

Her words didn't faze Jiyuu one bit. He remained in his stance, carefully watching Aunt for even the smallest twitch of a muscle intended for an attack.

"You speak as if you know me, but you don't. Anyone can do a little amateur detective work and find out what happened to me here."

"Oh...so I don't know you?" She stood straight again, smiling even wider before pointing to her right forearm. "I know how you got 'this,' boy."

At first, he didn't understand her...until, she said:

"Must be hard, having to maintain that thing while being a taijutsu-user. Wood can only take so much...and to think she never gave a proper apology. Sometimes 'I'm sorry' doesn't cut it in the world we live in, hm?"

"...I'll admit, perhaps you're a bit more well-informed than I imagined."

She tossed her hair with a hand, and gave off a playful laugh. "Well, I sure hope so! I'm pretty close to her father, you see. He may be better known as 'The Uncle' around here from now on, though. I guess y-"

A Violent Air Palm jutsu was thrown from Jiyuu into the gut of Aunt, clearly surprising her with it's raw speed. The twisting technique spun against her midsection and shoved her back before the whistling jutsu exploded into a burst of vicious lacerating winds. The blast knocked her onto her back, and sent her sliding along the ground...and that surprised Jiyuu quite a bit.

I...I didn't even see a drop of blood. Is she even wounded?

The technique, which Jiyuu developed solely to explode and remove enemies in a quick, yet grotesque fashion, failed miserably. Not only was her body in tact, but she indeed didn't have any damage on her. She was totally fine, simply standing up and dusting her shoulder off. The only thing different about her was that the smile was gone, and only a stiff, business-only expression was present.

"Wow...rude."

"I hate hearing people ramble," he muttered as he tried to keep his cool. She would be more work than he hoped.

"Hm...y'see, I was planning on making this simple. I was going to seal the two of us inside a small area neither could break out of until I dispelled the technique...just to keep you from running away, and all. But perhaps it wouldn't be too bad to just kick your ass all over the village before I rip those eyes out of your bloodied, caved-in skull."

"Does this mean we're finally going to fight, or what?"

"Don't try acting so tough, boy. I can smell your sweat from here."

Indeed, he was beginning to perspire, but he didn't let her observation shake the front he was putting up. She could see he was trying hard to act tough, and it annoyed her. It annoyed her so much that she ran towards him with a hand outstretched. She was very fast, and Jiyuu could tell she didn't believe in 'starting slow;' she was giving it her all, right from the start. The unique doujutsu of the Hyuuga's Black Eye allowed him to see and react in time to her approach, backhanding her arm away and throwing a powerful straight into her face.

She didn't flinch, and her other hand came around to grab Jiyuu by the side of the head. Wide-eyed, Jiyuu went to the floor as she slammed his head against the ground. His world went blurry for a moment, and his head was ringing. She slammed his head down again, and again, and then he felt his entire body get lifted up. He was in a daze, only able to barely pick up chakra signatures around him. He felt his body start to move at a high speed, and could see his friends disappear, though Aunt was beside him.

She was blitzing down a walkway, and threw Jiyuu ahead of her. Jiyuu tried to focus, and his vision began coming back to him. She was approaching with a flying punch, which he was quick to challenge with a kick. The power from the clash was immense, but Jiyuu could feel her strike flow through his entire body. She had insane strength to her attacks, on top of her durability and speed. He pushed off her fist with his foot and began going through hand signs, but she made no attempt to stop him. He used the Mighty Gale technique, hoping to either gain more distance or push her to the ground. Neither happened, for Aunt sped up and burrowed through the blast of wind. She grabbed him by his fishnet undershirt and pulled him in for a lariat, which, admittedly, Jiyuu had no clue how to defend against. It connected with so much force that he felt his head would fly off, and his whole body spun from the impact. He didn't even get to land. Aunt stomped her foot into the ground to halt her crazy momentum, and the stomp was so powerful that she made a hole in the concrete below. She twisted her whole body and delivered a spin kick to the Hyuuga Pariah; this one he managed to block by putting his forearms up, though he was upside down in midair. Again, he could feel the raw power of her strike through his body...and heard his wooden arm crack a little. He was shoved away, but managed to get himself upright in the air and land on his feet.

He rushed in, letting off a battle cry as he closed the gap. He was striking her plenty with palms, knees, elbows, punches, yet she blocked half and seemed to not be bothered by the ones that connected. Jiyuu aimed for her abdomen, fist tight and ready to let loose a powerful Harmony Strike to the coil of chakra points he could see sitting there. Aunt...did nothing. The fist connected, and Jiyuu saw his chakra go through and definitely affect her chakra network in that area...but it was nowhere near as effective as it should have been.

"What?!"

He was grabbed by the throat and hoisted up till he was eye-level with the lizard woman; she was only a little frazzled in the hair and had one or two scratches, but was unharmed overall.

"Why do you think the Hidden Abyss Village wanted me so badly? A village with more than half it's populace being Hyuuga shinobi that only rely on Gentle Fist to win battles...who do you think has to train all those idiots to fight against people who aren't going to be affected as much?"

Jiyuu tried saying something, but she squeezed his neck tighter until he was wheezing and trying to pry her hand open.

"I'm from a clan known as the Sukeringu, and I'm the last of my kind. I joined the village because their 'New Hyuuga Plan' seemed all too appealing to me."

Her captive went quiet, and he suddenly looked very interested. She grinned at this.

"Oh, you want to know what that is, boy? I'm sure you've heard of it."

She slammed her fist into his gut so hard that she swore his eyeballs almost popped out. She did it two more times and dropped him to the ground, where he fought through the pain in an attempt to stand. She shoved him to the ground with the push of her foot, watching him struggle.

"Fine, I'll tell you. It's pretty simple anyway, and it's well into it's final stages."

"..."

"The 'New Hyuuga Plan' is simply that, a plan to rebirth the Hyuuga Clan. Stronger, faster, smarter...better. They take all kinds into the village, so long as they understand that they are all there to be the foundation for a brighter tomorrow." She parted her arms, as if she were preaching. "My clan may be gone, but we will live on through the New Hyuuga...or, the Kanpekina, as Father calls them. It won't just be mine, either...it's all sorts of clans. Hyuuga, Uchiha, Hoshigaki, Nara, Akimichi, even groups like Jashinists are all coexisting peacefully so that we can help create the ultimate clan!"

Gritting his teeth, Jiyuu shoved himself onto his feet. "You're fucking nuts."

"No I'm not, I'm just alone. I want my children to be born into this clan, to be able to use things like the Byakugan or Sharingan, maybe perform some Jashin rituals so they won't die while fighting underwater, or whatever the case may be. Maybe they want to specialize in Nara Clan techniques, or Akimichi Clan abilities, or hell, even Yamanaka if they wanted. They will be capable of using all these things, because it'll be in their genes...they just have to decide what they want to learn." She tapped her temple, and grinned a little wider at the man in front of her. "I'm not concerned with myself, or the people alive today. I'm thinking about tomorrow, and how great of a world we can make if there's no boundaries, no way to segregate shinobi from one another. No clan will ever fade away, never again, no clan will be massacred off like mine was."

"..."

"If there is only one clan around, there will be no war, no hate, no division. True unification will happen under the Kanpekina Clan, but with the choice to be unique. From there, I don't care what happens...but I know my clan will live on, and we won't be feared like we once were...not to the point where they were hunted down."

She pointed to Jiyuu, who seemed to freeze up.

"...but, to make the perfect clan, the perfect group of warriors, we're going to need one more major ingredient...your eyes. Once we get them back and dissect them to learn how they work and how they're achieved, then we'll be all set...well...except for that pair of Rinnegan. That's just something we can't pass up on."

"...you're pathetic. You're doing this because you think your clan will live on?" Jiyuu grunted as he straightened up, and he got into his fighting stance again. "Your clan is gone, you need to move on. Something this...idiotic...it won't work the way you want it to. This all just sounds like a bad science experiment."

"You don't like the idea of having everyone unified?"

"We were all unified...until you bastards started taking jinchuuriki away and making the Five Nations doubt each other." He felt blood dripping down the side of his head, no doubt from earlier when Aunt slammed his head against the ground. He tried his best to ignore it. "We...we don't need to be born into the same clan just to get along. That's stupid, wishful thinking. No clan has ever had internal strife? The Hyuuga don't separate themselves?"

"...it just hasn't clicked with you yet, has it."

"..."

"From what clan do you think the leader of our village, the creator of the New Hyuuga Plan, comes from? What do you think drives them to create a clan, a family, a group of people who will never turn on each other?"

"You choose to follow a Hyuuga with a few screws loose, that's your business. You choose to spit into a beaker to make the ultimate test tube baby, that's your business. But when you come to MY VILLAGE and pick a fight?! That's when it becomes MY business. Right now, I couldn't give less of a shit who you are or what your story is. You killed people that walked around these streets I grew up on, you talk about pulling out the eyes of me and my friend, and you act like you're going to walk out of here in one piece!"

He put a hand to each temple, and forced chakra into his first and second gates until they opened. She seemed impressed, even holding her chin as a small 'oh my' was uttered.

"The only way you're going back to your village is in a body bag!"

"Hm, I knew you couldn't keep up that silent, mysterious front for long." She parted her arms again, and lifted her chin. "Come on, boy. Fight like you mean it."

Elsewhere, the sound of steel clashing against steel cut through the air like a searing knife. Sakana was bruised up, blood leaking from a few very close calls against her father's blade, Widow's Bane. Regardless, she kept on her assault, single eye keen and sharp as it focused on every aspect of her father's fighting form, looking for a weakness. But, she was growing tired from the battle. Sweat dripped from her body as she danced through corpses scattered on the ground, mixing with the blood of the fallen as she would occasionally trip and stand, covering herself with it. She resembled a demon from hell, though it was clear that she was going to run out of gas sooner or later.

Yaju, on the other hand? Not a drop of sweat, not even a scratch on his body. His smile was still there, and he effortlessly swung around the massive slab of jagged, spiked metal that he called a sword. Sakana may have been a fierce warrior and gifted in kenjutsu, but he was older and wiser. He knew what she would go for before she even began an attack. He controlled the flow of the battle, and she was too angry to see it.

She swung again, and this time, Yaju blocked with the edge of his sword. Her katana's blade got wedged between two of the jagged spikes that lined the edges of his flat-tipped weapon, and with a single pull, Sakana found her body moving with the weapon and her footing thrown off. All she could do is brace for impact as Yaju slammed a fist into her stomach, which certainly winded her, but wasn't enough to make her release her sword. With a weak tug utilizing her quivering legs and shaking arms, she tried to free her weapon, but it was stuck good. Her father hit her once again, this time backhanding her across the face. She ignored the shameful hit and tried to pull her sword one more time, but all it earned her was a front kick to the chest. She lost grip of her sword and slid through corpses on the ground, coating herself in drying blood. She shoved herself upright, though remained sat down as she saw her father slam the flattened top of his weapon onto the ground.

His smile was going away.

She clenched her teeth, glaring with her only eye. "Fucking bastard...what are you doing..."

"..."

"Well? Are you going to let me stand up so I can kill you, or are you going to end it?!"

Yaju took Sakana's weapon, and pried it from his own. He saw her body tense up when he held it's handle, and her eye widened when he spun it around into a backhanded grip.

"...no."

He stabbed her beloved sword, the one made with her own hands, blood, sweat and tears, into the earth beside him. His hand clutched the handle still, even seeming to tighten.

"What a useless daughter you are. You can't even give me a good battle? I'll break you down one last time before I decide the world is better off without you."

He twisted the sword from the handle, and snapped her weapon in two pieces.

All of the kunoichi's attention went to her sword, her poor weapon that had been nothing but faithful to her throughout the years. She watched as Yaju tossed the hilted half off the dock, and saw it fly into the mist before splashing in the water somewhere out of sight. Her heart hurt in a way she couldn't really describe, it was similar to a pain she felt a long time ago when Mendona had done the same thing. Though she had loved that sword dearly, this one was the culmination of much work. To gather it's materials, she learned to be more open and communicative with others, rather than scavenging for them alone. To forge her weapon, she had to create a forge from scratch and craft more minor weapons, slowly working her way up until she could afford the most basic of tools. The journey to create that weapon was what truly helped her mature, and then she fought with it, trained with it. That sword had met steel of the Seven Swordsmen in practice, had cut through Abyss-nin with ease, and had been sealed into her body whenever it wasn't in use. It was very much a part of her, like the other sword she had made.

And once again, a part of her had been taken away and broken into pieces.

She was quiet, barely even breathing. Yaju let out a low sigh to himself, and grabbed his own sword before looking out to the water.

"Do you remember that night, Sakana? That night where you killed your mother?"

"..."

"Oh, me and her were arguing again. She was going on about how I was bringing you up wrong, you needed to be shown more compassion on my part. I called her a damn fool for that...and I knew you were watching the whole thing from behind the cracked-open door to your room."

"You made me do it."

"I did nothing." He turned to her, and shook his head. "You made a choice that night, a choice to grab a sword I had given you as a gift and ram it through her back. She never saw it coming."

Sakana didn't respond, but her eye became downcast. She bit on her lip to prevent it from quivering, and her hand that was laid flat on the ground balled into a fist.

"You chose the lifestyle of a warrior over the lifestyle of a fool, and I had so much hope for you on that day. I disposed of your mother's body and made up a story for the Kazekage about how she had run from home. I even disposed of the evidence, tossed it into our furnace and melted the steel down into an ingot. From that day on, you were my beloved treasure, my third pride and joy. Manto may have been more violent and Himeru a better smith, but you took on both worlds without question." He faced her again, and lifted his sword up just to slam the flat top against the ground once more, shaking everything nearby. "You were perfect in my eyes. And then you let the words of some Hyuuga brat infect you, and every day passing made you look more like your mother."

Shoving herself up to her feet, Sakana stood tall with her head lowered. The salty wind from the ocean hit her, and it made her fair flow about in a dramatic way. Her fist tightened more, and blood leaked from her palm from the strain.

"There was nothing wrong with mother..."

"She was insufferable as a Hoshigaki."

"She was better than a Hoshigaki...better than you'll ever be in your miserable life."

In silence, the two stared at one another. The fighting in the distance had quieted down, and it sounded like one battle was being fought. Yaju could see with his doujutsu that Aunt was fighting with Jiyuu, and that she was taking her time with him. That battle would be over soon, and perhaps Yaju should finish up his own.

"The remainder of the Seven Swordsmen are not going to save this village, as they are split up and leading different scouting missions. Your brothers are also out on similar expeditions, as well as Ketsui. The Mizukage is no doubt killing off any Hoshigaki unfit to join me in the Hidden Abyss, meaning he is elsewhere. There is nobody here that will save you, my worthless daughter."

Sakana spat on the ground beside her. "I don't need saving from you."

"Oh, but I think you might."

Throwing off one of his arm warmers, Yaju pressed his forearm, covered in tattooed seals, against the weapon he had been wielding. It vanished with a puff of smoke, and he tightened his fist before taking slow, heavy steps towards his daughter. She bellowed out with a battle cry and ran at him with a fist raised, throwing out a punch as soon as she was close enough. He caught it with ease, and a small shockwave erupted from the impact. Sakana pulled back her other fist, but was backhanded before she could strike. The blow was heavy, and made her stagger around before taking another strike to the face. She fell on her back, and was picked up by the hair. She was held off the ground, and her father's massive fist found itself burying into her face and stomach, over and over again. Blood began to spill from her nose and mouth, and despite her wild swinging, she barely missed each attack. That is, of course, until she kicked him in the family jewels. That was enough to make Yaju release the bruised, battered kunoichi, and she quickly followed up with a haymaker to his jaw.

Surprisingly, his recoil from the strike was minimal at best, and he returned the favor with his own wild swing. Sakana blocked it, but had been sent toppling over bodies littering the ground. Yaju wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and grinned.

"At least you fight till the end. I'll enjoy ripping that head from your useless body."

A shinobi landed behind the large man a few meters away, silently as it were, but had been quickly seen by Yaju's Byakugan. The large man turned where he stood, and faced the man head on.

"The Kazekage's pet? I thought you would have died by now."

Kagura looked furious, armed and in a kenjutsu stance with Hiramekarei, Chojuro's Seven Swordsman weapon from when he was still part of the group. Bandages were unfurled, and rich blue chakra surrounded it's blade. "I had to help put a stop to the Hoshigaki...but it looks like all your people ran away after breaking down half of my village. That only leaves you, and that accomplice of yours."

Of course they all fled, this was part of the plan. To the Hidden Abyss, they would run, and that was where their new lives would begin. Yaju had entrusted them with the location of the village, or at least, only the ones that he knew for certain would side with him. But...it wasn't like this flea before him needed to know this. Making a hand sign and slapping his forearm, Yaju summoned forth Widow's Bane once more, clasping it in one hand and bringing it down to his side.

"Perhaps you could've brought down Aunt, but you chose to come here first. How very unfortunate for you."

Chakra surrounded Yaju and his sword, and his entire body tensed up with ferocious power. Veins protruded from his tightened, massive muscles, and he seemed to grow a little larger. Kagura winced from the sudden rise in energy, in killing intent, and held his weapon more firmly. The sword emitted chakra in the form of a gigantic, eight-foot long two handed sword. Then, with a click, Kagura split Hiramekarei into two separate blades of equal length, holding them at his sides.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." The student of the Mizukage went wide-eyed, his body full of rage. "YOU'LL be lucky to survive this battle IN ONE PIECE!"

He made a single vertical slash from where he stood, and naturally, the blade was long enough to reach. Yaju stepped to the side and blitzed in with so much speed that Kagura had believed he was in an illusion. There was no way someone with that much muscle weighing down on them could move like this. With a single hand, Yaju lifted Widow's Bane overhead. Kagura leapt away rather than attempt to block, and that had proven to be the smarter choice. The sword hit the ground, and it sent debris, dust, corpses and dried blood everywhere. A massive crater formed where he had struck, and Sakana had been shoved away by both the shockwave and what it kicked up. The kunoichi's back slammed against a nearby house, but at least she was on her feet.

She was staring at her father, taking in his bloodlust and raw power. This was something she didn't know he was capable of, such barbaric power on full display. Had he always been capable of this? Was this what he had tried to turn her into?

Yaju pulled his sword from the ground, and looked up to the sky with a psychotic grin. His eyelid was twitching, but his Byakugan was focused. He could see Kagura darting around behind cover with both swords, and saw the man stop on a dime before leaping in through the dust and mist. Yaju spun and swung his sword just as he saw Kagura was attacking, and their weapons clashed. The tang of metal-on-metal exploded through the air along with another shockwave, but this time Kagura had felt the force of the blow. He was sent flying through a block of nearby houses that were still standing, leaving a line of holes before he finally came to a sudden stop against one of them. He felt something broken in his back, and shoved himself to a knee. His breathing was already heavy, definitely not a good sign. It seemed like a direct battle was not going to be a great option in the slightest.

"Pathetic!" Yaju hoisted his sword over his shoulder and held the flat side against his back, waiting for the next strike. "You have the gall to hold Hiramekarei, and you can't even land a single strike? You newer generation types are made softer and softer!"

"...how are you that strong..."

Yaju looked to his daughter, who was keeping her distance, but held her bruised stomach with a single arm. Blood leaked from her mouth, and her face was busted up...this was the first time Yaju really stopped and looked at her in this state. Normally, something would have washed over him, a feeling of regret for having done this to his own child. But all he felt was pleasure, a great happiness that was borderline illegal from finally cutting loose.

"So you want to know," he responded, bringing the sword down and holding it in front of him. "This is the answer, my pathetic child. Widow's Bane, my own personal weapon of mass destruction."

"You would choose to swing that slab of metal around instead of Samehada..."

"This is better than any of the Seven Swordsmen weapons, fool, and I made it with my own two hands...I'm just glad your mother was willing to spare the key piece I needed for this to be finished."

At this, Sakana went silent. Yaju gripped his weapon's handle harder, and swung it out to the side.

"The inside of Widow's Bane houses an artificial chakra network, yet at it's core are eight inner gates that had been extracted from your mother's dead body. Such a smart girl you were, you even avoided hitting one of her gates when you killed her!"

The kunoichi's single, bruised eye darted to the weapon immediately, and her pupil trembled.

No...that's...that's not possible. Parts of mother's...mother is in there?! MY mother?!

"Much like Hiramekarei, this sword can store excess reserves of chakra for later use, already adding the massive chakra pool that us Hoshigaki have access to. But even more than that, your mother's inner gates are the spine of this blade. Normally, one would have to master taijutsu to open more than two of their own inner gates...but with this sword, all I have to do is add a little chakra...like so."

More chakra burst around Yaju's body, more veins sprouted around his slightly enlarging muscles, and his face grew even more psychotic-looking. His raw power was palpable, Sakana could taste the malicious chakra of his in the air itself. But, all she could do was stare at that sword...and what remained of her mother. A tear rolled down her eye, and she followed the motions of the sword as her father brought it up high.

"Four Inner Gates, opened! This type of power is delectable! I haven't had to use this in a long time, but I'm glad I've been given a reason! Now come, Kagura! YOUR NEXT ATTACK WILL BE YOUR LAST!"

As if answering a knock at the door, Kagura had fired forth a gigantic Water Dragon technique. Unfortunately, a single swing from Widow's Bane was all it took for Yaju to dispel it. The jutsu was used as a distraction of sorts, for Kagura tried blindsiding Yaju with an attack from the side with his special sword, once again combined into one piece as it formed a giant mallet. This...was not a wise decision. Kagura was limited in ninjutsu, having put most of his time and effort into kenjutsu in order to become one of the Seven Swordsmen like his mentor. But, it was all in vain. Yaju saw the swift motions and swung his sword again, already knowing where his enemy would be.

The strike was true. Kagura, visibly surprised and in pain, was cut in half with a single swing. His blood splattered everywhere, including onto Sakana who watched as her mother's remains were used to kill one of the men she practiced swordsmanship with while growing up. His top half didn't even hit the floor before Widow's Bane cut him once again, this time splitting the torso in two. His body hit the ground with a meaty thunk, and Yaju stared at the twitching body's pieces with a satisfied look.

At the opposite end of the village, Chojuro cut down one of the last rogue Hoshigaki with a sword. He felt a cold hand touch his shoulder, and immediately looked behind him to see nothing. Just plumes of dust rising and falling from a distant battle...that was where he would head next. But...he knew something terrible had just happened...he felt something odd just now, and it couldn't have just been his nerves.

Sakana wanted to scream out, but she didn't know if it were to be in despair for one of the people she trained with, anger over her father's existence, or agony from the state of her village and the people laying dead around her. She didn't have the chance, because on cue, two shinobi burst through a nearby house. Dust and wall plaster flew into the mist, and Sakana could see Aunt was shoving Jiyuu back with a brutal front kick. Jiyuu had his teeth grit and was covered with sweat and bruises...he looked just as bad as Sakana did.

He fell onto his back, but got up just in time to avoid being stomped on by Aunt. Jiyuu's recover was sloppy though, as he attempt to flip up from the ground and land on his feet, but he tripped and fell flat on his ass. He looked exhausted...he looked like he didn't want to fight anymore, for certain. It was a look that seemed alien on him. His eyelids were low, and his breathing heavy. He glanced at Sakana, then to her father, then back to the lizard woman, too weary to even try piecing together what was happening.

Aunt pulled her foot from where she stomped, and placed her hands on her hips. She saw Sakana, and then looked at her partner. "Baby, you didn't kill yours yet."

"Speak for yourself."

"Well he was a handful. It's like trying to kill a cockroach, he just won't die."

Fighting through pain, Jiyuu pushed himself onto his feet, but it was clear he couldn't keep up the battle. His body was trembling, and his default Byakugan was all he could keep active. He had tried everything in his arsenal against his opponent, from ninjutsu to various forms of taijutsu, but he simply couldn't gain an advantage. Many of his ninjutsu were either dodged or tanked, and she was better when it came to taijutsu only because she was faster, had longer reach, and could not have her chakra system manipulated easily. And, unfortunately, Jiyuu didn't have many opportunities to experiment with new approaches or tactics; she was constantly kicking him around, and any moment where he did nothing was a moment where she blitzed in to attack. He really had been knocked around the village, getting beaten down here and there.

Thinking about it all made him bitter, and he lifted his fists up in a plain old fighting stance. He was breathing through an open mouth, and could barely keep his eyes open, but he wouldn't stop until he was either dead or...

...well, perhaps that'd be the only way Aunt would leave him be.

Sakana took a few shaking steps towards her teammate, keeping an eye on her father and the lizard woman. "Jiyuu, don't-"

"Shut up, Sakana!" Jiyuu shouted, clearly annoyed with everything going on. He could feel the kunoichi frown at him.

"...you'll die, you idiot...we need to-"

"If you even think about running away, I don't wanna hear another word out of you..."

"..."

Furious, his fists began to shake. "Damn it all...I can't just run..." She could hear his breathing flutter some, and there was a gentle shimmer in his doujutsu. "I swore to myself that I'd become a great shinobi, and great shinobi don't run. They survive, they protect, and they do what needs to be done without question. I spent my life trying to be a great shinobi...and if I run now, I'll go against everything I believe in. Either I win...or I die."

Gentle wind swept across the battlefield of a village, and the weakened teammates stood silent. Sakana pulled her vision away from the young man, and stood with a little more newfound resolve; if she was going to do anything here, at the very least, it would be keeping this fool alive. The Aunt smirked at the little speech, and parted her arms. "That's the spirit, boy. Down to the last drop of blood, you'll keep fighting. If anything, you'll have earned my undying respect when I finish with you."

"Go to hell."

"Oh, I'm probably on my way there already, boy. But if I can promise you anything, you'll be waiting there to greet me."

She charged him, and yet something surprising happened. She didn't even get to throw out the first punch. In fact, Jiyuu had beaten her to it, hunkering down low and slamming his knuckles into her stomach; the method hadn't been effective so far, but he was hoping that with this combination attack, he might just make a dent in her.

"Harmony Step: 1000 Fists!"

Needless to say, Aunt was confused, but her confusion was erased when she understood what was going on. A plethora of fists from Jiyuu rained against her entire frontside, pelting her in the gut, chest, sides, and head. He was even striking at her throat occasionally, the cheeky bastard. He was moving too fast in his flurry to be countered, and the force from the blows started pushing her body back.

"250 FISTS!"

Her back was pressed against a wall of a destroyed home, and that was where she would stay. Chakra could be seen bursting out of her back in conical spreads.

"500 FISTS!"

The wall began to crack as she got shoved against it more and more. She did not seem impressed in the least, still staring down at Jiyuu despite being stricken.

"750 FISTS!"

A plethora of heavy strikes slammed against her, heavier than she anticipated. And then, they came to a very sudden, but brief stop. Jiyuu leapt up, and threw a rising uppercut against her jaw. The hit was solid, and Jiyuu could feel the damage he dealt.

"1000 FISTS!"

He landed and hopped back, staying in a fighting stance and trying to control his heavy panting. That series should have gotten through her thick hide and reached her chakra network, it had to. Hell, he could see that he had affected her chakra network more than any of his other attacks had done beforehand.

Aunt lowered her head, recovering from the uppercut. Her smirk was gone...and she rubbed her mouth with her forearm before placing a palm on her midsection.

"...I'll give you credit for being stubborn, but I honestly expected more from such a series."

Swearing out loud, Jiyuu refused to keep his cool any longer. He made a single hand sign, but Aunt was already beside him, throwing out a side kick that must have broken a few ribs. He let out a pained gasp, and got flung against Sakana who was, thankfully, aware enough to catch him. His Byakugan deactivated, and his breathing began to calm...he was on the brink of being unconscious. The kunoichi embraced Jiyuu and growled at the Abyss-nin that put him in this state, backing up as she looked to make an escape.

"You fucking scaly bitch. Next time we see you, I'm gonna march around the village with your HEAD on display."

"Big words from such a disappointment," Aunt retorted. She hoped to get through Sakana's cool and force her to attack, but it seemed the Hoshigaki was being level-headed. Aunt stomped on the ground hard enough to cause a small quake, and it made Sakana fall with Jiyuu to the ground. "Don't think you'll be leaving alive. Plenty of promises of death were made here today, but I actually intend to keep mine."

She rushed in, and all Sakana could do at this point was tighten her hold on Jiyuu and shut her eyes. She had been too weak, and Jiyuu too brash. At least they would have fallen as comrades...

...would have, had a force so fast it was practically unseen not interrupted. Cutting Aunt off completely was a blur, it smacked her so hard that she was flung onto the water past the docks. Yaju appeared utterly confused, and then that blur ran around and clashed against his body. The imprint of a boot was left on his chest, and with a heavy grunt, he slid back from the sudden strike. He growled under his breath, and narrowed his Byakugan to see just who the hell was attacking him. Aunt leapt back onto land, shaking herself to remove the water in droplets.

The individual blurred in front of Jiyuu and Sakana, their back turned to the young shinobi while their attention was facing the two Abyss-nin. Flowing blonde hair blew in the wind, and a stiff, dominating posture kept their body ready to attack at an instant. Sakana knew who it was immediately.

"W...Warai-sensei?!"

"Sakana, you need to get out of here with Jiyuu."

"...you can't fight them alone, sensei. Let me-"

"Please sweetie, do as I ask."

Utter silence fell upon the battlefield. Regardless of how badly Sakana didn't want to leave Warai alone to fight, regardless of how she knew this would be nothing but an uphill battle for the only woman-figure in her current life, the Hoshigaki understood that she would only be getting in the way. And...well...neither of them wanted Jiyuu to get caught up in the middle of this, not in his current state. Silently agreeing, she stood up and held Jiyuu in her arms. She turned about-face and made a break for it. Like clockwork, Aunt tried to blitz after them, but Warai was far too fast for her. She darted in Aunt's way and delivered a palm strike enhanced with electric chakra. The blow was effective, pushing Aunt away and forcing her to take a step back, frowning at the Mist kunoichi.

"Please don't ignore me," Warai requested. She took up the fighting stance that Jiyuu used, but more firm and refined. "I'm your opponent now."

Yaju walked beside Aunt, rolling his neck till it popped and cracked. "Warai, you don't want this."

"You couldn't be more wrong," she responded, tightening her fists. "You assault my baby, and then you harm your own daughter on top of that. I can't ignore these things. Those children mean the world to me, and you two must be brought to justice."

With a low grunt, Yaju figured there was no point in arguing with her. He looked at his partner, and nodded. Aunt, already understanding what this meant, made a hand sign. A gigantic dome-like barrier of purple chakra emerged around them, and they both felt Warai's killing intent rise once she knew she was sealed in.

"If you want this fight so badly," Aunt began, "then we'll make sure you can't run from it. If you want this barrier to be dispelled, you'll have to cease the flow of my chakra. Only way to do that is to kill me." She cracked her knuckles, and gave Warai a small smile. "Hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, hag."

Warai knew full and well what her situation was, but she didn't care at this moment. She just wanted to make sure Jiyuu and Sakana reached somewhere safe, and she'd do everything in her power to see it happen.

Static rolled up and down Warai's body, and she let a slow, focused breath flow from her lips.

"The more you insult me, the less pretty your death will be." She activated her first gate, and her chakra began flowing like mad. Her hair fluttered about, and more static appeared around her body. "Now, let's get started."