THE HIDDEN SAND
Pagoda, Nirvana and Tantra cornered Hikaku and separated him from his students. Monzaemon had probably dispatched these puppets because they were the worst match-up for Hikaku. Hikaku was introduced to Tantra in their last fight and was well aware of the futility of his visual prowess on the puppet. Hikaku was still unsure of how many other abilities Tantra possesses; in addition, he was yet to discover the abilities of the other two.
Nirvana was a special puppet with a red, spherical face with white hair and yellow eyes; Pagoda was a white puppet with black hair and was way taller and broader than its partner. As Hikaku made these observations and looked for possible hidden weapons attached to their wooden body parts, he thought of a strategy in his head. Theoretically speaking, a complex genjutsu of mine would work on any of the nine puppets since the puppet is connected to Monzaemon's fingers via his own chakra. Hence, placing any of these puppets in a genjutsu would effectively place Monzaemon in a genjutsu as well. However, that master puppeteer could evade it if he snapped his chakra threads in time, which breaks the link in chakra. As of now, I am faced with three and it is my rotten luck that Tantra is one of my opponents. It's simple – I take him down first. But Monzaemon is no fool; the other two puppets should be strong in some way.
Hikaku decided to stay in his Susanoo and held his golden trident, ready to strike. When one does not know the abilities of their opponent, one must wait for them to attack instead.
The puppets formed a triangular formation with Tantra behind. Monzaemon was wise to protect the one puppet that could counter genjutsu behind the two powerful ones. All of a sudden, a central, circular panel projected from Nirvana's head.
Hikaku could not see what was so special about this reveal but he could feel a great force of wind blasting on his face. He tried to move his head against the pressure of this sudden tornado but could not search for a single source. His Susanoo was unable to withstand the high pressure and was disintegrating into flakes. The wind is affecting my Susanoo as well?! What kind of technique is this?! He trembled to think what it would be like for a man without an armour like the Susanoo. Slowly, it began to feel like a cactus brushing against his face. Through the haziest of sights, his Sharingan could capture little specks of red liquid flying in the air. Blood! As Hikaku examined his body, his ever-vigilant eyes noticed minute cuts on his hands and felt them on his face as well. Amidst the pressure of the wind, he brought his head up and picked up a shard of glass on the ground and placed in front of his pair of eyes. This action seemed to reduce the impact of the wind, allowing Hikaku to observe the real cause of this tremendous jutsu through the transparency of the glass shard. As his Sharingan slowed down the time of everything around him, he noticed that there were four chakra blades revolving around the projected face of Nirvana. Impossible! Those blades were the cause of such a tornado?! Even my Sharingan could not capture it instantly! That was how fast they spun! Nirvana restricted Hikaku's movement immensely but it still had no effect on his Susanoo whatsoever. Hikaku, now aware of Nirvana's ability, mustered up enough chakra for a special Susanoo ability – an ability applicable to Hikaku's Susanoo only. It would deplete a fair amount of his chakra but it would atleast save him from this quandary. Hikaku's great golden Susanoo roared as it held its trident firm and straight with its bottom tip lodged into the ground. Monzaemon's attention turned to the splendid grandeur of the Uchiha, whose Susanoo could make an ordinary man appear as a god. Behold! The power of the Uchiha!
"Kami no mitsu no sabaki!"
Hikaku increased the size of his overpowered armour by almost forty percent with developed cartilage and muscle; it was undeniably the third stage of his Susanoo. With a blinding light, three surges of golden electricity discharged from each of the trident's three prongs. As Danzo, Kagami and Torifu covered their eyes with their arms, Monzaemon fell to his knees in awe. His eyes feasted on the flaming celestial whose trident wreaked havoc on the mortal world. Is this...the power of a god?!
Monzaemon quickly connected Pagoda to Nirvana where Pagoda connected a metallic rope to Nirvana and rotated furiously. Hikaku frowned upon seeing this counterattack. This combination attack seems like...a yo-yo...?
As Pagoda spun in its own axis, Nirvana and its blades were launched into the air, bounded by its cord. The three surges of thunder from Hikaku's trident were immediately nullified by the sheer repulsion force of Nirvana's blades. As Hikaku focused more energy in his Susanoo jutsu, he was hit by a massive blast of golden electricity that penetrated through the tough Susanoo hide and stabbed Hikaku in the abdomen. This caught Hikaku completely by surprise as he clutched his bleeding stomach. How?! How did my Susanoo jutsu injure me!? He quickly stopped his technique and wiped the blood of his mouth as he coughed it out. The wound was deep. So Nirvana never did nullify my jutsu, it absorbed it! However, it can only absorb one jutsu at a time! Hikaku finally confirmed that Nirvana's blades served two purposes: two generate high- pressure winds with its speed and absorption of elemental ninjutsu. But on closer inspection, he noticed that Nirvana is not so big to reciprocate the attack itself. Damn it! It's Pagoda! When Nirvana absorbs my jutsu, Pagoda receives the energy through the cord attached to it and amplifies it back to me!
How do I defeat an opponent who can use my own attacks against me?
"Alright, we need a plan. There are three of us and five of them. And you have seen what just one of them can do to us. We need a plan that can smother most of the out at once while defending ourselves.", Danzo propounded. All of them witnessed their teacher's technique used against him. And by the looks of it, it looked like Hikaku was gravely injured.
Kagami nodded. "Danzo is right. A diversion would most likely be the answer here. Monzaemon's attention is divided among nine puppets and not to mention, sensei has done us a favour by distracting Monzaemon..."
Torifu agreed. "...which leaves us unattended."
"Not exactly, the puppets can still sense our movements through their puppeteer's chakra. That doesn't change. However, Monzaemon won't put in extra effort to kill us since he is preoccupied with sensei and more importantly, he wants me alive.", Kagami explained as he felt his Sharingan in his sockets.
"So how do we go about this?", Torifu asked as he fought hand-to-hand with a puppet called Mandala – a puppet modelled after a redhead who swiftly fought with long, twin swords.
"Like I said we need a diversion. After we get their attention, one of us can smoke them out.", Kagami grunted as he and his clones were battling Dharma's and Sangha's Wind Release.
"In that case, you and me shall be the diversion. And then, Torifu can slam his fat fists on them!"
"A sound plan. But how do we go about distracting these puppets? All of them would not be distracted by just two of us."
"Oh, that is simple. Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
Several clones appeared in the smoke.
"Smart lad.", Kagami muttered under his breath. By delivering various attacks, we can find out our opponents' powers as well!
Kagami cloned himself as well. The puppets immediately dove for the clones while Kagami and Danzo made hand seals for their respective jutsu.
"Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!"
Kagami and his clones lit their flying shuriken on fire creating a rain of fire.
"Futon: Shinku Taigyoku!"
Danzo blew out a giant sphere of his compressed breath which he had previously inhaled. The sphere which spewed from Danzo's mouth was crushing sphere of Wind chakra.
Buddha, Sangha and Dharma opened their mouths and a gust of air streamed from each of their mouths, extinguishing Kagami's Fire Style. Danzo's technique, on the other hand, worked on Mantra whose entire body felt the impact of the invisible vacuum sphere. Mantra was still functional but severely damaged. Kagami grinned.
"It's time. Torifu! Now!"
"Nikudan Hari Sensha!"
As the clones of Kagami and Danzo disappeared, the puppets looked up to see a massive spiky ball falling from the sky.
Torifu crashed into the ground, confident that all the five puppets had been crushed. A massive crater was made where Torifu was fell. Once the dust and smoke cleared, Kagami and Danzo waited to see who emerged victorious. Unfortunately, Torifu was thrown from the pit into the sky and crashed to the ground. Danzo hurried to Torifu's smoking body covered with bruises.
"What happened?!"
"T-They somehow threw m-me off! I couldn't even c-crush them in t-time...!"
Kagami saw him bleeding from his mouth. He had taken the full force of the puppets' counterattack; but Kagami was unsure of what it was. What jutsu did Monzaemon's puppets have that could batter and repel an expanded Akimichi? And which puppet was it?
A moment later, a damaged Mantra, Mandala, Dharma, Sangha and Buddha were dragged from the pit and clacked.
"Don't tire yourself too much, young Uchiha. You can never win; I would be merciful if you could surrender. Plus, my puppetry exceeds your ninjutsu, taijutsu, bukijutsu and genjutsu!", Monzaemon teased as he turned his attention to the young children. Kagami suddenly noticed that Tantra was battling Hikaku on the other side.
Kagami's eyes widened. Genjutsu! I completely forgot! I can trap them in my genjutsu! I have a plan! But we need Torifu. C'mon, old friend! We need you for this more than ever.
Hikaku groaned as he placed his hand over the gash in his abdomen. He had just enough chakra to hold his Susanoo. But his mind wandered in a direction he did not wish to pursue. I have two Mangekyou abilities in my eyes. I am unsure if the Tsukuyomi from my right eye would work...but should I use the other – no, I cannot! I can do this without it.
Monzaemon sneered.
"Enough of this. Finish him."
Instead of sending Pagoda and Nirvana, Monzaemon sent Tantra to finish the job. Hikaku was perplexed. Don't tell me...this wretched puppet has ANOTHER technique up its sleeve!?
The one-eyed puppet tore off the piece of cloth covering its mouth. A grey aura began to shine from its purple mouth and its chest opened up. Inside, Hikaku saw a yellow shell...like that of a turtle. On the back, it bore the same symbol as that on Tantra's head.
Monzaemon snickered as he saw Hikaku's expression. It's a good thing that he did not discover my trump card until the very end. And now, I shall see him perish with confusion on his face. He shall die forever wondering how I killed him.
"Fuinjutsu: Shishi Heiko!"
Suddenly, a sealing formula was etched onto Hikaku's massive Susanoo and the shell shot out of Tantra's chest.
The shell flew and latched itself onto Hikaku's golden Susanoo whose giant flaming arms, with all their strength grabbed it and attempted to pull it off.
Monzaemon laughed.
"It's fruitless, Uchiha! Once the shell has latched on, the sealing jutsu is inevitable. This is one of the most powerful sealing jutsu in the world! Almost comparable to that of the Uzumaki! You see, once the shell has latched on, it would seal you into Tantra forever. There is no escape."
Hikaku panted as he crushed the shell with all its might. But Monzaemon was faster. The jutsu activated and the Hikaku, along with his entire Susanoo was sucked into Tantra and gone within the blink of an eye. Tantra had exhausted his only sealing jutsu, making it clear that Monzaemon could never use it again; atleast, Hikaku was gone.
The aura was so bright that Danzo and Kagami turned their eyes to the light. The green in Danzo's eyes left as he saw Monzaemon victoriously laugh. Kagami shivered as he saw no signs of his teacher anywhere. Is sensei...dead? Where is he? My Sharingan cannot sense his chakra close by!
Monzaemon turned his attention to the three children who quivered at the loss of their sensei.
"Well now, I have no distractions separating me from you now...Kagami Uchiha."
THE HIDDEN SAND GENERAL
Chiyo saw the people rushing into the village from the theatre. Her eyes turned to the direction of the theatre and to her shock...there was no theatre. None of her patients who were hurriedly admitted to the hospital could accurately tell her what was going on. The theatre was completely destroyed by an attack from an enemy. However, as her eyes glimpsed the smoke and fire far beyond, her thoughts lingered on the well-being of one person in particular. Kagami...I hope you aren't THERE of all places. With the stressful influx of patients coming in, she was losing chakra fast. Shamon's team was not sufficient to heal the wounds of everyone trying to squeeze their way into the hospital. Not to mention, there were foreigners who were severely injured by the debris.
The rest of the Hidden Sand's ANBU were currently tracking the traitors who snuck the puppeteer into the Hidden Sand's festival. The 'presenter' was one of Monzaemon's closest friends and followers. The ANBU found out that he was Shinku Sureiya, a mercenary from the bounty guild in the Hidden Grass. He killed the original speaker and copied his chakra perfectly enough to throw the Hidden Sand of his scent. Shinku then sealed Monzaemon in a scroll disguised as an ordinary cheque to avoid detection in any way. It was a wise move; even if Monzaemon could disguise himself, the Hidden Sand ANBU would identify his chakra immediately.
Chiyo made her way out of the hospital and towards the Kazekage's tower where she saw him observing the battle from afar. Chiyo leapt to his side much to his frustration.
"Chiyo! Get back! Medics are not supposed to be in the open! Plus, there are patients who need your help! Go back to Shamon and await further instructions."
"No! Who is behind this attack?! I can help!"
"No, you can't and I have no time to discuss this!"
"Lord Reto, you haven't answered me! Who is behind this attack!?"
"I cannot tell you! Now go back!"
Seeing as she was powerless in front of her Kage, she was about to head back when an informant appeared beside the Kazekage.
"My Lord! Monzaemon defeated Hikaku Uchiha! This is the time for reinforcements! Let's head out, Lord Kazekage!"
The Kazekage cursed under his breath since he took it upon himself to intervene if things started to get ugly. But little did he notice Chiyo's reaction to the news. His eyes stumbled upon the embodiment of fear itself.
Chiyo froze where she stood and it felt like her heart had just stopped beating. Her motions had ceased completely as that very name resonated in the walls of her mind. Her fists were clenched and blood trickled as her nails dug deep into her palms. It was a name she had not heard in a long time. Her thoughts traced back to what she said to Kagami when they met.
"I am a medical ninja and have been learning under Shamon, the aide and student of the First Kazekage ever since my sensei disappeared from the village about five years ago."
The Kazekage could feel her rage and grabbed on to her wrist before she could do anything rash.
"Listen to me, Chiyo! We will handle this! I beg of you to not go there and fight him!"
"I cannot just avoid him again! I want to ask him everything about that day! The day he killed my teammates and fled the village! That day, I was too scared to do anything about it and bring him back! I need to find him and kill him!", Chiyo screamed.
"I cannot possibly imagine how you feel but please let us handle this!", the Kazekage pleaded. But instead, she began to cry and thrash about. Her happy and cheerful demeanour was completely taken over by rage and suffering.
Without any further argument, she wriggled her arm from the Kage's wrist and took off on her own towards the theatre that was now a battlefield. The Kazekage gritted his teeth.
"Damn it. We cannot let her go on her own! Squad A and B, follow me!"
Within a minute, the Kazekage and his teams were not far behind Chiyo.
Chiyo fastened her only kunai in her fingers as the intent to kill boiled in her blood. You shall pay for what you did that very day...Monzaemon-sensei...!
Monzaemon menacingly stepped forward as his three young adversaries stepped backwards. Torifu moved sluggishly as smoke still effused from his burns through his sleeves.
"It looks like your precious sensei isn't here to save you three. My job is easier now, eh?"
They were cornered by nine puppets who formed a circle around them. Kagami had to do something, anything that could delay their deaths until reinforcements arrive.
"Katon: Katoheki!"
Flames surrounded them which created a separation between them and Monzaemon's wooden army.
Monzaemon chuckled like the devil from hell.
"Wrong move, boy. It seems that you are unaware of what Nirvana can do."
Nirvana rotated its blades and opened its hatch where it began to suck in Kagami's flames.
"Now, you shall see what Pagoda can do..."
Just as Pagoda began to open its mouth to reflect Kagami's jutsu back at him, it burst into flames and turned into a pile of ash and grey, flaky wood.
"What the hell?!", Monzaemon shouted as he glanced every angle available to his eyes.
He saw a flash zoom towards him with a kunai its tip. He brought Mandala forward just in time to block the sharp edge of the knife with its twin blades. As the blades screeched and scratched, Monzaemon took a good look at his assailant. No doubt! Those eyes...
"I thought I killed you...how did you–"
Hikaku chuckled as he watched the light return to his students' faces.
"You underestimate the Uchiha too much. You think our eyes are just trophies. None other than an Uchiha can use the Sharingan with pride and honour!"
"Jeez. Stop with the narcissism! Tell me how you did it, goddamnit!"
"When you reflected my Susanoo technique back at me, you didn't injure me. "
Monzaemon looked at his opponent's stomach and was shocked to notice that his ghastly wound had disappeared completely. But was it even there in the first place?
"What you injured was a clone of mine. The impact of the reflected jutsu was distraction enough for me to escape; and your sealing jutsu was useless as well since it sealed my Susanoo. When you dragged your puppet army farther away, it could no longer sense my chakra. So I took advantage of your carelessness and placed an explosive kunai on Pagoda. Should I explain further?"
"Impossible! I'm down to eight puppets... You wretch! You shall pay for this...YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS INSULT TO ART!"
Hikaku yelled, "Kagami! You know what to do!"
Kagami smirked. His crimson eyes were focused on Nirvana.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"
A huge fireball made its way to Nirvana.
"You stupid little shit! Don't you get it?! Your pesky flame spit wad won't work against Nirvana!", Monzaemon bellowed.
"This technique of mine might actually work to my advantage!", Kagami replied. His smile bore confidence of the highest degree.
Monzaemon laughed as Nirvana sucked in the flames with its whirring blades. Little did he expect Kagami's follow-up question.
"Did you even bother to check what Nirvana is connected to?"
Before Kagami could complete his sentence, Monzaemon realised his carelessness and drowned in his frantic thoughts. Damn it all! Pagoda can only hold one jutsu at a time! But why would it...? Holy shit, Pagoda absorbed the Uchiha boy's previous fire jutsu as well. It can't hold all that energy! Without its reciprocator, Nirvana will...!
"Kaboom."
Nirvana exploded and Monzaemon, who was in the closest proximity to the blast flew three feet backward and crashed into the ground. He coughed as he inhaled the dust. He quickly looked at the sky and saw a huge, bulky figure scream as he dove for Monzaemon. It was none other than Torifu Akimichi.
"Choharite!"
Torifu's palms had enlarged to a staggering length of five feet and a width of two and a half feet. But Monzaemon still had an old friend for Torifu. Before Torifu could flatten Monzaemon with his powerful hands, he was blocked by Karma. Karma threw Torifu off but the plump boy landed on his feet. He noticed its large wooden fists that got the better of him in their last encounter. His fists still enlarged, he blocked its incoming kick and dodged Karma's punch that would have shattered his skull. He bent and gave Karma a right uppercut and punched a hole through its chest which was left unguarded. It was still not enough to take him down. Karma blocked Torifu's kicks with its fists and managed to sock Torifu in the stomach which sent him rolling over the sandy terrain with pain. Before Torifu could cough up blood, Karma lunged into the air and sent a devastating blow to Torifu's back, shattering one of his thoracic vertebrae. If not for his Akimichi fat reserves, Torifu would have died instantly. As he laid groaning in pain, he felt the presence of another puppet beside Karma. Torifu's flickering eyelids allowed him to identify a puppet with a blue face and several wires wriggling around its head. Mantra...has come to finish the job.
His body could not move and there was nothing he could do about it. As Mantra's poisonous wires darted for Torifu, it was suddenly blown away.
Danzo had pushed Mantra with his great vacuum sphere technique.
"No one bullies Torifu…except me."
With his Wind Style, it was evident that Mantra had no chance of coming near Danzo. Danzo took out his kunai and added his Wind Style element to it. By doing this, his chakra would elongate the blade giving it more precision and reach.
"Now, I'm ready to fight dirty too."
Danzo manipulated his wind to block Mantra at each point and his wires were barely able to touch him. The puppets were fast so predicting where they could appear next was tough. Before Danzo could block yet another of Mantra's advances, he was pushed into a sand dune by Karma. With Karma's back turned, Torifu saw his chance. I started out as a loser...but now...I shall prove to them all that...I am not weak anymore! Excruciating was a word too mild to describe the young Akimichi's pain. Yet, he planted his fingers into the ground and used his knees to bend and hoist him self up. He wiped the blood off the sides of his lips and stumbled as he tried to keep balance. I am going to destroy you for what you did to me. With every ounce of energy in his legs, Torifu leapt forward with his enlarged palms. He could feel the satisfaction as he felt Karma's wooden body crumble into splinters. Karma was crushed as Torifu wrapped his palms around Karma and squeezed him tight. As the last of his energy left the tip of his fingers, he collapsed out of exhaustion and just laid there as he embraced the moonlight. He had done something amazing for once in his life.
Monzaemon growled as he felt another chakra thread disappear. He had to change his strategy. Fighting them all at once was not working out. He instead forced all his puppets to destroy one at a time. As he gazed upon Danzo's unconscious body lodged in the rock and sand, he knew exactly who to kill first. Without a word, he redirected his remaining six puppets who flew to Danzo with their weapons out. In the nick of time, Hikaku's Susanoo had blocked them for a minute, fast enough for Kagami to rescue Danzo's numb body from the sand.
As Hikaku struggled with several puppets trying to break through his legendary armour, he needed a plan. There is no way that we can break that link without stopping Monzaemon's flow of chakra. As I noted before, the link between him and his puppets is only as strong as the amount of chakra flowing through his system. Now I am no Hyuga, but his chakra reserves are not normal for an average jonin-level ninja. His seemingly everlasting amount of chakra was initially divided between ten puppets. Now, it is down to six, making each link more stronger than before. And the only way to stop chakra flow...is genjutsu. That means we have to focus on destroying Tantra first while defending ourselves. We need to make use of both pairs of Sharingan here. It worked out the first time we all fought Monzaemon.
"Go Kagami! Take Danzo and get far away!"
Monzaemon chuckled as he cornered Hikaku with all his puppets.
"How about I finish you off for good this time? My art shall not fail me again!"
Hikaku saw a new trio within the puppet army with similar designs. Oh great, another combination jutsu...
"Let me introduce you to Dharma, Sangha and Buddha. Well, you might as well say goodbye to them anyways."
The three puppets began to spew small twisters in sync.
"Sanbo Kyukai!"
"ENJOY THE PERFORMANCE! I doubt your Susanoo can hold it up! You know why?"
As the tornadoes grew bigger and stronger, they whirled towards Hikaku who suddenly felt his golden armour disappear piece by piece.
"It is because you are out of chakra."
Hikaku was completely powerless as his ultimate defence merged with the wind. But this wind was ten times worse than the ones concocted by Nirvana. As he felt the blades of the winds near his unprotected body, he felt a cushion of warm, soft sand encase him like a shell whereupon it hardened. Hikaku could no longer feel the pressure of the tornadoes. Who was his saviour?
"WHAT THE HELL NOW?! YOU HAVE TO BE OUT OF TRICKS; EVERYTIME I COME THIS CLOSE TO KILLING ANY OF YOU, YOU ARE SOMEHOW MAGICALLY SAVED! WHAT KIND OF CRAP DO YOU HAVE UP YOUR SLEEVES THIS TIME?!", Monzaemon screamed till his hoarse voice cracked.
"Oh, it was not his technique, it was mine.", replied a mysterious voice.
Monzaemon suddenly found himself at the centre of a bunch of furious gazes from Reto, the Kazekage, and the Hidden Sand's ANBU.
"More back-up, I see! How is the wife, Lord Kazekage?", Monzaemon snickered. Sixteen regular ANBU. Not even the elite. They mock me!
"You are clearly out-numbered, Monzaemon. I don't want to kill you."
"Let's be real: you can't. I am stronger even with six puppets."
Hikaku thanked the heavens for this timely reinforcement. He was out of chakra and Torifu and Danzo were down as well. Kagami was the only one who was in condition to fight.
As Hikaku rested, he allowed the Sand to take over. Reto gave the order and his soldiers clashed their swords against the puppets. The ANBU, however, were losing their duels and fell within a minute of each other. This gave Kagami enough time to sneak behind and write his plan on a piece of paper. He then, tied the paper to a kunai and aimed it beside Hikaku's foot. Hikaku read it and gasped at the genius of the plan. He leapt next to Reto who oversaw his warriors' defeat and told him of Kagami's strategy.
"I see." was all Reto said in response to the plan.
As the final ANBU agent fell, Reto came down to fight him with his sand instead. This is according to plan.
Monzaemon pointed his middle finger to the Kazekage.
"Did you even train these bastards?! Do you not appreciate my art enough to send me these fools?!"
Without a word, he suddenly moved the sand from underground and caught all six puppets within his grasp. He then covered Tantra's eye with more of his sand to block his vision entirely. Kagami leapt out and activated his Sharingan.
"Sharingan: Genjutsu!"
Monzaemon was put in a small genjutsu which would recover from very shortly. The puppets freed themselves from Reto's sand and dashed towards Kagami who took advantage of the broken links and reattached his own chakra to all the puppets. Monzaemon broke out of Kagami's genjutsu and felt the emptiness at the tip of his fingers. He opened his eyes and saw Kagami controlling his own puppets.
"YOU DARE USE MY ART AGAINST ME!"
"This pile of junk was art. Now, it shall be your death."
Kagami manoeuvred all six puppets to fight Monzaemon who defended himself the best he could. Hikaku grinned as he saw his student take control. It was their first mission and they have already outlasted me...
However, Monzaemon's reflexes weren't fast enough to dodge Mandala's twin blades which drilled their way into upper abdomen. He coughed as he felt the blades rush out of his body. His death was inevitable now.
"Alright, alright...y-you win...just answer me this...h-how did you get...the better of m-me...?", he said as he choked between pauses.
Reto answered, "It was Hikaku's and Kagami's idea to break the link of chakra between you and your puppets; I helped by holding down your puppets for a few seconds. In doing so, the young Uchiha was able to trap you in his genjutsu. In this quick interval of distraction, he stole your art and used it to kill you."
Monzaemon chortled.
"B-But I am not dead!"
Before his opponents could deliver the quick death blow, Monzaemon ignited several smoke bombs that allowed him to escape behind the dunes. When the smoke cleared, Monzaemon was no where to be seen. Only a puddle of blood and his footprints were all that remained. Imprinted on the sand. Hikaku wheezed as he picked himself up.
"Where the hell did he go!?"
"No reason to worry, Master Uchiha. It is finally over. He will die shortly.", Reto replied with his usual sense of calm. Hikaku, however, was puzzled. He walked towards his students and enveloped them in a hug.
"The medical team is on its way.", assured Reto who noticed the severity of Torifu's injuries in particular.
Hikaku loosened his arms and patted Kagami's head.
"You did exceptionally well. Your father would be proud."
Reto noticed the puppets lying in the sand. Some were broken and some were in good condition. But what good is their power if they have no user to wield it?
That question was already answered. There is only one person I can think of who can inherit these puppets: Chiyo.
BEHIND THE DUNES, THE HIDDEN SAND
Monzaemon was pleased to know that there weren't any enemies following him. He was incandescent about losing Kagami's Sharingan. But more importantly, his wounds required immediate attention. The least he could do would be to sneak behind the dunes and call Shinku to his aid. Unfortunately for him, Shinku was already arrested by the Hidden Sand's ANBU. As he staggered onward with his hands clutching his chest, he noticed a young girl in front of him. Dull lavender hair and fair skin. On closer inspection, it was someone who he recognised immediately.
"I never thought I w-would see you again...Chiyo. Jeez, I thought you were dead."
Chiyo was silent and walked towards him with a scalpel hiding under her sleeves.
"F-For old time's sake...come and help your poor, old t-teacher!"
Chiyo finally decided to speak.
"You killed my friends. Do you remember that? How we tried to stop you from leaving the village...and to cover your tracks, you slit my teammates' throats. I was lucky to have escaped then!"
"B-But I didn't kill you! You see...I saw great p-potential in you which is why I let y-you live!", Monzaemon said as he collapsed. His speech was starting to slur and he found his words being spoken faster than usual. His heart as beating slower.
Chiyo could see through his lies. He was going to die anyway. But she needed revenge.
"So w-why don't you s-spare my life? Like h-how I spared yours...?", he said as his eyes began to close forever.
His last sentence enraged Chiyo who grabbed her scalpel and plunged it into his heart, killing him for good.
"...this is what you deserve...", she said between breaths.
Her one nightmare was finally put to an end.
A DAY LATER
THE GATES OF THE HIDDEN SAND
"I, on behalf of our village, am grateful for your bravery...", Reto said as he smiled at Torifu, whose back was taped to a wooden board.
"...your companionship...", Reto continued as he smiled at Danzo, who woke up that very morning covered in bandages and what not.
"...and your wit.", Reto ended as he smiled directly at Kagami.
"Let this be a testament to the strong and growing relationship between the Hidden Sand and the Hidden Leaf. May I wish you the very best on your future endeavours and I hope to meet again some day."
Team Hikaku blushed when the Kazekage bowed. He then whispered into Hikaku's ear.
"Take care of them, Master Uchiha."
The daimyo shook hands with the Kazekage and joined his bodyguards.
Just before Team Hikaku and the daimyo could turn back and leave, a young cheery voice called out for Kagami.
It was none other than Chiyo.
Kagami blushed even more than before on the account of the close proximity. He had never been this close with a girl he had feelings for and it was giving him cold feet.
"So...um...be safe, okay?"
Kagami was dumbfounded. Is that all she had to say to me?! Nothing else?!
Danzo nudged Hikaku.
"Awkward."
Hikaku flicked Danzo's ear and signalled them to walk forward and give Kagami some time alone.
"Sure, um, uh, bye then, I guess!", Kagami continued with a fake smile. Just before he turned around to follow his teammates, Chiyo grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. She gave a quick peck where she began to blush as well. In his mind, Kagami was somewhat satisfied with the elder girl's response. I knew she had something more for me...
Kagami proudly caught up to his teammates and disappeared into the sandy valleys. Back to the Hidden Leaf.
Kami no mitsu no sabaki — THE THREE JUDGEMENTS OF GOD
Baika no jutsu — MULTI-SIZE TECHNIQUE
Kage bunshin no jutsu — MULTIPLE SHADOW CLONE TECHNIQUE
Katon: Hosenka no jutsu — FIRE STYLE: PHEONIX FLOWER TECHNIQUE
Futon: Shinku Taigyoku — WIND STYLE: VACUUM GREAT SPHERE
Nikudan Hari Sensha — SPIKED HUMAN BULLET TANK
Fuinjutsu: Shishi Heiko — SEALING TECHNIQUE: LION CLOSING ROAR
Katon: Katoheki — FIRE STYLE: FIRE WALL
Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu — FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL TECHNIQUE
Choharite — SUPER OPEN HAND SLAP
Sharingan: Genjutsu — SHARINGAN: ILLUSION
AUTHOR'S NOTE #1
Sorry for updating so late. With exams 'round the corner, it was hard to type. But now, the first arc is finally over!
I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed, read and supported me on this wonderful fanfiction writing journey! Fear not, for this is not the last of Team Tobirama and Team Hikaku. There are more arcs and stories coming and I am excited to write them all. A quick word of advice would be to read the chapters again since I have updated certain chapters multiple times.
Special shout-outs to Cranesbill, Overture OSTW, Sara Nero, HyperboreanRealist, bruh ok, JubeJube-Bird and all the 'guests' for their reviews that motivated me to write every week(or every month – excuse my irregularity).
If you, as a reader, have any concern/suggestion, please review or privately message me. I would be happy to consider your input!
With Chapter 10, Teams Tobirama's and Hikaku's first mission along with my very first arc come to a close. Like I said before, the adventure doesn't stop here. Peace out!