Planting her feet to the ground in the middle of a snowy clearing high up on the mountains, Kisa reached up to move the hood covering her face a bit to look around her surroundings for Akito, who had gone ahead of the group to scout the road ahead of them for any signs of the Naito trio. They had been on the hunt for their targets now for several days, leading them to climb a large mountain range near the border with the Land of Iron as they moved towards a small town at its peak. This high up on the mountain there were few trails and even less civilization, making the industrial village their best bet to try and locate the three before they could escape once again.
Darting her eyes across the quickly whitening landscape, Kisa searched for the boy for a moment or two before finally spotting him not far from where she was; his maroon pants and dark head of hair sticking out from beneath their white cloaks sticking out against the pale backdrop as he stood atop a small rise in the field staring up at the falling snow.
"Any sign of them?" She questioned as she came to a stop beside him at the crest of the small hill, bringing the boy to look at her with a kind smile before shaking his head and returning his eyes to the snow clouds above.
"I haven't seen anything and neither have my clones, but if they were here I still think Chikara Village would be our best bet to find them." He replied, to which Kisa nodded in agreement before turning her own eyes to his eyes as they stared up into the darkening sky. The way he was watching the snowfall made it seem as if he hadn't a care in the world despite the danger of the task at hand, causing her to grow curious as to why.
"What's wrong? Haven't you ever seen snow before?" She teased with a smile as she moved a bit closer to him and Akito laughed.
"It's not that, I just love the snow. I like the rain too, but the snow is just so peaceful and calm, and when it falls it's almost like a whole new world." He replied, causing the girl's smile to grow at what she found to be a rather cute sentiment to match his already heartwarming expression.
"I do as well. I look forward to winter's first snowfall every year. Have ever since I was small. It's amazing how much snow is up here. Down in Konoha it's still pretty warm, even in Iwa, but up here… it's like winter never even left." She replied as she looked around as Akito turned to her with a smile at the discovery of yet another thing that they both had in common.
"With how close we are to the Land of Iron's border I'm not entirely surprised, though. I've never been there, but from what I've been told, it snows nearly all year round, regardless of the season." The boy said, peaking Kisa's interest for a moment before her eyes shot up to the next set of mountains they would need to climb to reach the village at mountain's peak; it's top hidden by what he could tell was a rather violent iteration of the peaceful snow they stood in now.
"I guess that's where that is coming from, then." She stated aloud, bringing the boy to turn and look at the same storm for a moment before returning his eyes to his friend just in time to watch her rub her arms in a soothing motion that indicated she was cold. Temperatures on the mountain were already below freezing and would certainly dip lower the higher they climbed and further they traveled into the coming storm, and although they had all been given a cloak to shield them from the cold, he couldn't help but feel concerned for her well being.
"Are you alright?" Akito asked after a second of staring worryingly as she warmed her hands with her breath, bringing the girl to look at him and smile with a short nod.
"I'm alright. When we left for Iwagakure I never thought to pack cold-weather clothing, so I'm just glad the Tsuchikage provided us with what me and Takao have." She replied, though it offered little ease to Akito's worry. It was getting colder with every quarter mile they walked and snow was already beginning to build up on her beanie, prompting him to reach up and take the scarf he had been wearing around his neck in his hands.
"Here." He said softly as he pulled it from beneath the collar of the cloak and held it out for her to take in her hands.
"It's not much, but maybe it will help keep you a bit warmer." He added as the girl looked down at the hand scarf in his hands with widened eyes; it's black striped pattern on a maroon cloth clearly handmade specifically for his clan. She had seen him pack it in his bag before they left his house, but until now she hadn't really thought of it as anything significant. Was he really willing to give it up so that she could be warm?
"You brought that for yourself, Akito. I can't take it off of you." She replied with a bit of embarrassment as she shook her head, bringing Akito to smile.
"I'll be alright with just my forehead protector, I promise. Besides, my mother made this for me when I was small, and I'm pretty sure she would kill me if she knew I kept it and let you freeze." The boy replied with a small smile to reassure her that it was okay as Kisa bit her lip; the blush on her cheeks darkening past the already deep red color brought on by the cold air.
This sort of offering would have surely offended her when they first met, but with how drastically their friendship had developed since then she couldn't help but reach out to take the scarf in her hand before wrapping it snugly around her neck; his scent almost immediately ushering in the same calming sensation she felt in his bed.
"Thank you." She replied softly with a smile as her hands returned to her arms, bringing the boy to display his own timid grin for a few seconds before his smile slowly faded and his eyes drifted down to the ground between them with what she could tell was a heavy thought.
"Kisa… if something happens up there on that mountain today..." He began to say softly, though as he did so the girl immediately shook her head and reached forward to place a hand on his left arm. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn't have the heart to hear it.
"Nothing is going to happen to us, Akito. Everything will be alright." She stated as they stared into one another's eyes for a moment before turning to watch as Takao flickered to their side and slid to a stop in the fresh snow.
"You two see anything?" He asked as Kisa let go of the boy's arm and shook her head.
"No, nothing." She replied, bringing Takao to look up at the mountain in the distance as the large blizzard surrounding it continued to swirl above their heads menacingly.
"Well, that sucks. Looks like we are heading into the belly of the beast then after all, eh?" He questioned, to which Akito nodded.
"Seems so. We're about an hour away from Chikara from here, maybe two, so we will need to watch for any sign of them on the way up the mountain. From what information we've gathered it seems like there is only one path up to the village, making it the perfect place to ambush us if they've somehow caught on to us following them." He replied as Takao chuckled to himself.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. We Kiri ninja are superior trackers, so I'd know if they knew that we knew where they were heading." The man rambled back, bringing Kisa to sigh in exasperation at his overconfidence.
"Just keep your eyes open, Takao. We can't afford to let them catch us off guard." She warned as Takao scoffed and began to make his way towards the storm, leaving Akito to look at Kisa with a soft smile.
"Was he like this when you were hunting me?" He questioned as the girl laughed under her breath and shook her head.
"No, he was too busy arguing with Koji the entire time." She replied, again causing Akito to grin as his eyes set back on Takao as he walked off a bit in the distance, though as he came to the pathway they had been following up the mountain he stopped. Looking down at the snow, the man then knelt down and placed his hands to the footprints below before looking ahead to each of the possible paths they could take.
With the falling snow it was hard to determine which path lead towards the village as opposed to continuing on towards the Land of Iron, though from what he could tell by the compaction of the snow it appeared there was far more activity leading to the left, bringing him to determine this to be their best chance of finding the village.
"To the left. That appears to be the path with the most foot traffic… some carts too." He stated aloud as Akito nodded and turned his shrouded face towards the path in question. He too could see the significantly greater amount of movement in that direction, leading him to agree with Takao's statement.
"Alright." He stated as he reached into his cloak and unzipped his clay pouch to prepare himself for what was to come.
"Radios?" Takao questioned in reference to the wireless radios they had brought with them from Iwagakure, though Akito hummed.
"We can try, but they may not work in this storm. I don't want any of us out on their own though, Takao. These three are too dangerous for that." He replied, looking to Kisa for a moment as she nodded in agreement before continuing.
"If anything does happen however, if anyone becomes separated from the group and the radios don't work, we will meet back here." He added, to which Takao acknowledged before looking back towards the path ahead.
"Lets go!" He exclaimed before beginning to make his way up the mountain, causing Akito to look back at the girl beside him with a somewhat nervous smile that she could tell right away was due to the vast amount of uncertainty.
"Ready?" He asked as their eyes locked to one another for a moment or two, bringing Kisa to nod before moving to his side and following Takao towards the path that would lead them back into the forest and up the mountain towards what she hoped would be justice.
It wasn't long after they started their climb that they began to notice the changes in the climate around them. As they predicted the storm did increase in intensity though not as drastically anticipated, but it was clear by the depth of the snow on the ground that it was at one point snowing quite heavily, only furthering the unfavorable conditions of their climb towards the mountain's summit.
Eventually, however, the group came close enough to the small mountain village to see it's terraced, somewhat decrepit form through the veil of falling snow, leading them to stop once more in the road as their eyes scanned over the terrain.
"Looks like there's one main road leading down the center of the village." Takao stated aloud as he hummed to himself before motioning his head towards a rather large building that sat on a sort of plateau at the top of the village nearest the foot of the final range of hills leading to the top of the mountain.
"What's that?" He questioned as the two looked to where his eyes were pointing.
"A coal fired power plant. This town's whole economy operates around that facility. Coal is brought in by railway from the Land of Iron to the north and burned in that plant which, in turn, provides a sizable portion of the southern half of the Land of Iron with electricity." Kisa replied as she looked to Akito then diverted her eyes back towards the village.
Unlike Takao who apparently had not touched the information Iwa's Anbu had provided to them, she and Akito had spent quite some time by the fireside the night before going over the details of this place, most notable of which was the makeup of its inhabitants.
Many of the residents here were said to be thugs from around the world who, for one reason or another, had found their way to this mountain peak; some of whom were even suspected to be former shinobi from various shinobi nations. This, coupled with no apparent form of official authority on behalf of the town itself, presented them with a possibly volatile situation that they needed to be mindful of as if something went wrong, they were on their own.
"Huh. If that's true, and that's the only reason for this place to exist, then what could those three possibly want up here?" Their large, blonde friend questioned as Akito hummed to himself under his breath and looked down at the snow.
"I'm not sure, but we have to find them. They came all this way for a reason… we need to know why." He said before looking back up at the village and continuing to walk towards with his friends closely behind.
Making their way into town the cloaked trio made sure to keep their attention on their surroundings at all times. Because of the storm many of the residents of town seemed to be confined within their homes with only several hooded figures scattered here and there across the village's streets, though one thing that seemed very common amongst those they did see was the look of disgust on their faces.
"Seems these people are even less happy to see us then the folks from Kinzoku Town." Takao said under his breath as they continued to progress further into the heart of the village, to which Kisa agreed.
"They see us as hostiles, not just as outsiders." She added as Akito scanned the same faces they were referring to with hesitation, gripping the handle of the lone chokuto short sword he had kept on the back of the vest from his time as Ibaraki as he did so. He did not understand completely what Takao was referring to about the citizens of Kinzoku town since he had only had one encounter with another person in the brief time he was there, but he could see just what they meant, leading him to take a turn into an alley before hopping up to a rooftop above.
"I think we are drawing too much attention walking through the should probably stick to the rooftops. It's not ideal under normal circumstances, but with evening approaching and the storm as cover I think we will be able to remain somewhat concealed." He said softly as the others landed on the roof beside him, bringing Takao to look back down to the street below as several of the citizens who had been seeking shelter under a nearby canopy nonchalantly stepped out into the street to check as to where the trio of strangers had gone, signaling that they indeed had been watching their entry into town.
"Looks like they really don't like strangers after all." He chuckled under his breath as Kisa looked down at the street as well.
"So they really were sentries, then. Something definitely isn't right here. It won't be long before they send someone to find us… we need to keep moving." She added as Akito motioned his head in agreement and moved towards the next rooftop without a word, bringing the girl to feel a bit uneasy and her mind to replay the words he was attempting to get out earlier in the clearing.
Given Akito's normal demeanor he probably seemed calm to Takao, but she had grown close enough to him to know the differences in his often suppressed emotions. He was scared, worried about what was to come. But why? Was it because he feared failing the Tsuchikage and the village, or was he really that scared of losing her like he said he was?
Occasionally glancing back to the boy with worry amidst her nearly endless bouts of scanning the horizon for any sign of the target, Kisa continued to follow Akito until finally coming to a stop just shy of a large building that sat near the center of the town overlooking a major crossroad. For whatever reason it appeared that there were far more people gathering in this place than anywhere else in town despite the storm, warranting a closer look, though they would need to be careful not to be spotted.
Coming to a stop near the edge of the rooftop to watch over several cloaked strangers moving throughout the streets, Akito looked over to the last building in the lince closest to the square and motioned towards it with his head.
"You two go first, I'll make sure they don't spot us." He said softly as the two agreed and made their way one at a time across the opening, starting with Takao. Waiting for him to slide to a stop on the snowy sheet metal, Kisa looked to Akito momentarily to make sure they were still in the clear before following in Takao's path across the opening, at which point she made sure she was steady on her feet before turning back to boy and waving for him to take his turn.
With a nod the boy did as he was instructed, silently making his way to the ledge and jumping over to the roof they both stood on. However, in his haste to make it across the alley without being spotted he hadn't taken into account the fact that both Kisa and Takao had reduced the snow at their landing spot on the roof to a slippery sheet of slush, causing him to slide backwards towards the nearly fifty foot drop.
Seeing his error, Kisa let out a small gasp of panic as she quickly reached towards him and grabbed his outreaching arm in order to prevent his fall, bringing him to teeter over the alley. His heart racing, the boy couldn't help but look down at the sharp drop below for a moment before returning his attention to his savior who, despite being equally as jarred, held a small relieved grin on her face.
"I've got you." She whispered softly in a reassuring tone as the boy smiled a bit as well, leading them to stare at one another for a moment before, much to her dismay, she too began to slide forward towards the edge of the roof, forcing Takao to reach forward and yanked her back onto the rooftop by her cloak with enough force to pull Akito along with her; the two falling to the snow covered metal beside one another with a muffled thud.
"Can we not do this right now?!" He questioned in a quiet yet irritated fashion as the two looked at him with a tinge of embarrassment, though before either could say anything a loud voice echoed through the streets below; a voice the three of them knew well.
"Alright you rats, what was so important you summoned us?!" The voice called out in annoyance and with little regard for whoever may have been listening, bringing the three to creep forward to the edge of the roof facing the intersection below, instantly causing their eyes to grow wide as the sight of three cloaked figures; figures that, by the sound of one voice alone coupled with the size of the massive, metal-studded kabano the largest of three carried on his shoulder, could be none other than the three they had been looking for.
"Well?!" Togusa questioned again when those around him failed to reply, prompting one of the men to speak up in fear that the already irate behemoth may lash out.
"W-We spotted a group of outsiders entering the village, my lord. They came in from the south along the main passage." The man replied as the smallest of the three shapes, who the group could only assume was the young woman named Miyuki, to step forward.
"Outsiders? Where are they now? Are they shinobi?" She questioned rapidly in a nervous manner, bringing the man before them to shake his head.
"We're not sure. Their faces and clothing were hidden beneath cloaks, and with this storm they were able to disappear into an alleyway before our lookouts could identify them." He replied as Togusa scoffed and slammed his kabano into the ground in anger, causing the three onlookers to take note of the man's fully functional right arm; a grave diversion from the mangled, bloody stump his battle with Akito in the Land of Sound had left him with.
"You lost them? Are you fucking kidding me?!" He scolded, bringing several of the men who had gathered around them to step back as Saburo held his hand up to calm him down.
"Enough, Togusa. You can be mad about this all you want later, but right now we need to keep our heads on straight." He said aloud as he took a step towards the man who had informed them of the strangers' arrival, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before, bringing Kisa to swallow nervously as she looked towards her friends.
"That's them." She whispered quietly as Takao nodded in agreement, though her attention once again focused on Akito as he continued to stare down at the group in the streets; his eyes locked to the man who he knew to be Saburo as the memories of his bloody stare and what he had done to Jun flooded through his brain, subconsciously bringing him to reach up and grab his neck where that man's teeth had torn into his flesh.
"We need to initiate the plan… now." The cannibal below added after a moment or so, causing Miyuki to audibly gasp.
"Now? You promised that man two hundred able-bodied men and h-he made it very clear not to return to him without our end of the bargain, don't-" She began to whine in response as Saburo turned back to her with an irritated scowl on his face; his sudden movement briefly revealing the glow of his left eye from beneath his cloak.
"If these people travelled all the way up here in a storm they have come for a reason; a reason we cannot risk being to gather information on what we have been doing here. He will have to make due with what we have already provided for him." He stated as he cut Miyuki off, bringing Togusa to laugh.
"You mean, we're finally getting the fuck 'outta here? That's what I like to hear. Besides Miyuki, that man is not one to fear… at least, not for people like us to." The monster stated aloud before Saburo once again spoke up.
"Take these men and go ready the others, Miyuki. Togusa and I are going to go find our mysterious guests before they can learn anything of value." He ordered, prompting the girl to hesitantly nod before turning to walk back in the direction they came from with her now twenty-man strong escort as Togusa and Saburo began to head towards the entrance of town, leaving Kisa, Akito and Takao in silence on the rooftop.
Waiting for the now two different parties to walk well outside of earshot, Kisa turned to the two boys beside her with a hint of confusion.
"Plan? What plan could they be talking about? Do you think that they succeeded in brokering a deal with the Akatsuki?" She questioned as Akito shook his head.
"It seems that way. This isn't good… we need to make sure that we don't lose them this time as there's no telling what they are planning." He added as Takao, who had been watching Miyuki and her escort walk away in the distance, hummed. Seeing her again brought back what he viewed as one of the greatest mistakes of his life, filling him with both the desire to rectify what he had done as well as seek vengeance for the death of his best friend.
"Alright. I'll take the girl and her battalion over there." He said aloud, instantly causing both Kisa and Akito to turn to him as he looked back at their confused faces with a raised brow.
"What? You said we can't let them get away." The man added as Akito shook a bit in opposition to Takao's plan.
"We can't split up. These three are extremely dangerous and we still don't know anything about them. Their abilities, whatever makes them so resistant to damage and pain; none of it. The last time we fought I severed one's arm and he barely flinched, and from the injuries on Saburo's body in the aftermath of his fight against Jun, it appears it wasn't just one of them who is capable of this feat." He replied as he looked towards Miyuki in the distance.
"Whatever it is that gives them this power is strong and based on what Togusa said just now it is obviously significant enough that they hold little fear of even the Akatsuki… we can't overlook that as just arrogance." The boy contested as Takao chuckled under his breath and turned back towards the grey haired girl in the distance.
"Not that one. She's afraid, I can tell… just like last time." He responded, bringing the two to look at him in silence as his vision lowered a bit out of what they assumed was shame.
"Last time we fought, I let her live. She pleaded with me not to kill her and agreed… and Jun died. I don't know for certain that she had anything to do with his death, but I can't allow her to escape." He stated without looking at his friends, bringing Kisa to bite her tongue for a moment before finally nodding her head.
"Alright." She said aloud, bringing both men to look at her in surprise.
"Kisa…" Akito muttered in opposition as the girl narrowed her eyes on her longtime friend.
"Follow her and do what you need to in order to make sure she doesn't escape, but be careful. Don't risk your life just to avenge Jun." She warned, bringing the blonde man to form a wide grin as his hand lifted to his forehead to salute her.
"Yes ma'am!" He exclaimed as his hand cast off towards her before turning and heading out on his own after the girl and her entourage, leaving Akito staring at him running off in the distance out of concern. It wasn't more than an hour or so before that he warned them not to become separated from one another at any costs, so seeing Takao run off on his own was quite an unexpected departure from the plan.
Seeing his growing concern and worry for his friend, Kisa gently nudged him with her elbow, bringing him to look back to her just as she formed a half hearted yet confident smile across her lips.
"Don't worry, he'll be alright." She said as the boy stared into her eyes. It wasn't just Takao he was worried about, however. Saburo and Togusa had already proved themselves to be ferocious opponents and losing Takao's abilities in order to get Miyuki was a large knock to their strength, leading him to secretly worry about how well they would fare. Before they would have outnumbered the two but now they were on even grounds, increasing the difficulty of their fight as well as the chance that Kisa could be severely injured, and with it, the knot in his stomach.
"I hope so. We don't know what she's capable of." He replied as Kisa's smile grew a bit more.
"I know, but don't underestimate Takao. He's never really talked to me about it but I know he's held his decision to allow her to escape over his own head ever since that day, and this is what he needs; a chance to fix what he believes he did wrong. I know you understand that." She added, bringing his eyes to widen a bit in surprise of her understanding of his emotions before looking down at the scarf around her neck to hide any look of embarrassment that may be visible in his eyes from staring into hers too long.
"You're right." He replied as Kisa reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment before turned back towards the path Togusa and Saburo had taken moments before.
"C'mon. We better make sure they don't get away or we'll never hear the end of it from Takao." She replied jokingly, bringing the boy to laugh before both heading off to follow their targets through the streets of the small mining village.
Keeping their distance, Akito and Kisa continued to follow Tongusa and Saburo as they made their way across the industrial town, carefully making sure to remain hidden from the two as they twisted and turned down the tight streets. At first the two cannibals had been heading towards the entrance to town that they he entered through not long before in an effort to locate the village's intruders, but now it appeared they were heading back inwards towards the large power plant at the top of town with little reason as to why, causing both pursuers to become a bit wary.
"Somethings wrong. They are heading back towards the center of town, but they've barely said anything to one another." Kisa muttered out loud as the two followed their prey from a distance, bringing Akito to narrow his eyes on the two shinobi below with a thoughtful hum.
"They know something is up… we will have to act soon." He replied as the two stared into one another's eyes, causing Kisa to nod in agreement as they continued to chase Togusa and Saburo until coming to a stop near the village's power plant as the two men below came to a sudden halt. Watching as Togusa held up his hand to silently stop his brother, Kisa and Akito neared the edge of the rooftop they stood on and watched intently as the monster below looked around.
"What is it?" Saburo questioned after a moment or two of silence, bringing Togusa to slowly pan his head around as he sniffed the cold blizzard air feverishly until he finally stopped with his nose pointed towards the building Akito and Kisa watched them from. Seeing his glowing eyes focus directly on them as they peaked up over the roof's facade, Kisa quickly pulled Akito and herself back down behind cover in the hope that the man had not seen them, though after a moment it became clear to them both that wasn't the case.
Forming a wide, toothy grin as his both hands reached up, grasped the handle of his large, wooden weapon of war and swung it around, using his chakra to cast a large blade of wind directly towards the rooftop he had spotted the two shadows hiding atop.
"I knew it!" He snarled with a blatant bout of enthusiasm as his attack struck the metal structure with such sheer force that it instantly collapsed in on itself and pushed a large cloud of dust and debris into the street.
Standing still as his brother unleashed his violent and rather unprovoked attack, Saburo watched the scene unfold before him for a moment in silence before turning back towards his cousin in annoyance at his action.
"Well? Did you get them?" He questioned, only to find his answer a moment later as from the billowing smoke cloud emerged several dozen kunai, shuriken and senbon, forcing the two to dodge backwards and placing them on the defensive as both Akito and Kisa dashed forward to meet them; the former embedding his single short sword into the large wooden Kabano as the latter clashed against Saburo's katana with a blade of her own made of ice.
Holding his attacker back, Togusa let out a heavy grunt and pushed the still disguised boy backwards, opening him up to swing his Kabano and forcing the two to fall back in turn.
"Ha! I knew I smelled something!" The giant amongst them exclaimed as the two hooded shinobi slid to a stop amongst the settling debris, allowing Saburo to analyze their opponents. With the already dim sky growing darker as the sun set behind the storm it was hard to see their faces, though it was clear by the clothing worn by at least one of them beneath their cloaks that at least one of them was from Iwagakure, peaking his interest.
"Iwa ninja, huh? I wonder what's brought you all the way up this mountain to meet your fate." He stated aloud as he pulled his hood down to reveal his stern, seemingly emotionless face, bringing Akito's eyes to narrow on him in silent anger.
"Saburo and Togusa Naito. Your involvement with the Akatsuki has labelled you wanted men, and as such are to be apprehended and brought back to Iwagakure for questioning." He ordered, causing Togusa to laugh out loud once more.
"You're joking, right? They sent three shinobi to bring us down? Seems like their information wasn't all that good, eh?" He jokingly questioned his brother, though Saburo found little humor in the situation and instead continued to stare at the two invaders before him.
"Your leaders sent you on a fool's errand, shinobi. As my brother so childishly pointed out, it would have taken far more of you to achieve the goal you seek, even if there were really just three of us. But as you can see, there are far, far more." The man began to explain as from the shadows of the alleys around them more figures began to appear from the darkness, causing Akito to take a step closer towards Kisa as she looked around at the amassing group.
Based on their appearance it seemed as if the vast majority of them were from various corners of the world with some hold slight clues about their former affiliations, though it was hard to clearly make out which were shinobi and which were common thugs, prompting her to prepare for combat against unknown enemies.
"They've sent you to your death… and I'm more than willing to be the one who provides it for you." He added as smirk formed across his lips, leading to a short lived silence and tense staring match between the two and their nearly fifty-strong opposition for a moment before finally coming to an end at Saburo's words.
"Kill them." He ordered, simultaneously causing the members of his private army around the two shinobi to dash forward towards them and forcing Akito into action.
Sprinting forward to meet them the boy quickly formed the signs necessary to summon rock from the ground and slammed his foot to the dirt, causing a rock to fly up before him. Waiting for it to reach about chest height, he then struck the stone with his right fist and activated his kekkei genkai, sending it flying into two of the men in front of him before turning on a third.
Ducking to avoid the swing of his blade, he placed both hands the thug's chest and blasted him back in time to counter another man's fire ninjutsu with his own before pelting the caster with shuriken as behind him Kisa launched her own attack, tossing two full handfuls of senbon into a target before flicking directly up to another. Taking an attack of opportunity, the man attempted to slash the girl as she appeared, though she easily deflected the attack with a kunai and grabbed ahold of the man's arm, promptly breaking his right humerus with her knee.
Screaming in pain, the man attempted to break free as another foe tossed a large spear directly towards Kisa, causing her to use the man in her grip as a shield before tossing his lifeless body to the ground. Inhaling sharply, she then set her eyes on the man who had thrown the weapon as he prepared to attack again and exhaled a short burst of water towards her foe with enough force to send him flying backwards into the crowd of gathering enemies, allowing her watch as Akito slashed an assailant across the chest with his chokuto before driving the blade deep into his body.
Kicking the man away from him to free his blade, Akito turned to face another foe just as the man's blade neared his head, forcing him to quickly parry the strike away as another of the group's ninja flickered up to Akito and prepared to strike him down.
"You're wide open!" He exclaimed as the kunai in his hand neared Akito's ribs, though before he could deliver the crippling blow Kisa intervened, summoning a razor sharp sheet of ice from the ground that severed the ninja's arm from his body and allowed Akito jump away from the conglomerating foes back to Kisa's side as he quickly scanned the horizon. There were too many of them to fight one-on-one in a traditional manner, so it appeared he would have to resort to something else; something far more brutal.
Averting his eyes towards a group of hostiles that rushed forward from the circle around them, Akito quickly rushed out to meet their charge, planting his right fist into the first man's gut as he slid past and blowing him into pieces before moving on to the next who, unlike the first, moved to evade the fatal blow. Shifting his blade, the man dodged Akito's swing and sunk his blade deep into the boy's chest, seemingly claiming a short-lived victory that ended as the boy's body exploded moment's later, taking both remaining men with it.
Staring in awe at the boy's seemingly suicidal attack, the horde was even more surprised when from the smoke flew a rod of what appeared to be clay, piercing deep into the chest of one of their own before splintering out of his body in all directions, snagging several more men and women before blowing the lot of them to pieces.
Shocked by the brutality of his attack, Kisa watched as Akito emerged from the smoke and directly engaged several more of them with both taijutsu and his kekkei genkai combine, leaving her in disbelief. She had never seen Akito commit such a brutal attack, even with his kekkei genkai, projecting an almost malicious side of him that she had never before witnessed. Was this because of something that had happened while they were away from each other? Had what had happened somehow caused him to grow darker?
Swallowing nervously at the thought that this change in demeanor could have somehow been her fault, Kisa's attention shifted to the side as the ring around them began to collapse in, pitting her against those who were not trying to engage Akito and forcing her to resort to her own tactics to combat multiple assailants.
Stepping forward, Kisa raised her left and then right hand up from the ground to summon ice spikes from the snow below, spearing two men before forming a single hand sign to create multiple ice walls between her and the mob of approaching attackers, as well as one directly before her. Her mirror-like slabs formed, she then stepped inside of mirror she had made before her, projecting her image onto the others and allowing her to spew handful after handful of ice senobon onto her foes, killing several and critically injuring many more as in the distance Saburo's eyes narrowed on their opponents. The fight had only just begun and he could already count nearly thirty bodies belonging to his soldiers spewn across the ground as well as numerous men fleeing past them in fear, causing him great irritation.
"These rats are pathetic. How is it possible that despite a nearly twenty five-to-one advantage that they can't take out two lone shinobi?" Togusa questioned as he too watched the massacre before looking to the side as more of their forces began to assemble around them to join the fight.
"Maybe with a fifty-to-one handicap they will do better!" He laughed, causing Saburo to look at the men around them. It seemed this duo were rather skilled and quite dangerous with the use of their kekkei genkai, forcing him to speak up against his brother's remarks.
"No Togusa, they won't. We were already below our promised quota and we can't allow our numbers to be diminished any further… we will have to do this ourselves." He stated, instantly causing the giant beside him to look at his brother in surprise momentarily before replacing his expression with one of joy.
"That is what I want to hear!" He chuckled loudly before following his brother up into the air above the fight. Taking his club with both hands, the man then swung downwards and flushed his wind-nature chakra through the weapon, causing him to spin violently like a wheel as he targeted Kisa's mirrors and slammed down atop them, smashing them and throwing the girl into the air towards the powerplant in the distance.
Flying over the plant's fence and skidding to a stop on her side in the middle of the coal storage yards, Kisa lifted her head up in time to watch as the goliath next charged directly towards her with his kabano in hand with the intent of splattering her across the ground. However, before he could deliver his blow Akito flickered in front of her, intercepting the man and driving his sword deep into his skull before unleashing his kekkei genkai with enough power to knock the man off course, causing him slam into the building next door as Akito landed on a knee beside his friend.
"Are you alright?" He questioned as he helped her to her knees, bringing her to grab in to his arm to lift herself that far. The impact seemed to have knocked the wind out of her and shaken her up a bit, but it didn't appear she was badly injured, much to the boy's relief. He knew what the end of that weapon felt like, and it wasn't fun.
"Y-Yeah, I'm okay." She replied as she looked him over to make sure that he was okay thus far, just as Saburo walked towards them with his blade at his side.
"That was impressive. It takes a bit to push Togusa around, that's for sure." The man stated as he approached the two of them, bringing both of them to stare him down before averting their gaze to the building beside them as Togusa rolled on to his back and sat up with a discombobulated grumble; Akito's sword still lodged into his skull.
Standing to his feet, the man looked around for a moment to find his Kabano before dusting himself off and stepping forward, at which point he finally took notice of the sword protruding from his head. Looking at it's handle for a second, the man simply let out a short laugh before reaching up and ripping it from his head.
"Haha, that tickled!" He exclaimed as he tossed it to the side, causing both Kisa and Akito to shutter at the man's resilience. Much like when he severed the man's arm it seemed that he was greatly unaffected by pain nor injury, leading Kisa to shake her head in shock.
"He's completely unphased, just like last time… how is that possible?" She questioned as Akito helped her the rest of the way on to her feet, forcing a laugh to emerge from Togusa's mouth.
"Apparently you two are not familiar with the term immortal, eh?" He taunted sarcastically, bringing both shinobi to grunt under their breath and leaving Akito to look back at their previous fight in doubt. Was that really why they seemed to be so hard to kill? Could they really be some kind of godly being? No, that couldn't be true. Immortals were the talk of legends and fairy tales, not reality, and if they truly believed themselves immortal, they would be the ones to set them straight.
"You're not immortal. I proved that when I took out your eye." The boy snarled in irritation at Togusa's claim, prompting Saburo's eye to again narrow on the boy as he too recalled the battle he fought in the Land of Sound; specifically the loss of his eye to the hands of Iwagakure shinobi held captive by the group of Kiri shinobi they used to clear out a Otogakure bunker. He had noted several similarities to the cloaked man and that boy, although out of lack of true interest he hadn't given it much thought.
"My eye, hm? So you really are that brat from the Hidden Stone who intervened with the spoils of my kill that day. I knew your pathetic display of skill seemed familiar to me." The cannibal replied to which Togusa laughed as he turned his eyes towards the cloaked woman beside him.
"So that means that you must be the girl from day as well; the one with the Ice Release kekkei genkai. I thought you smelled familiar!" He bellowed menacingly, causing the girl to scowl with clenching fists.
"Keep laughing, because soon you're going to pay for what you did to Jun." She responded as Saburo huffed.
"Ah yes... Jun. I'm surprised you would go through so much trouble to avenge that pompous loud mouth. Hardly worth dying for, if you ask me." He replied as both Kisa and Akito snarled in anger, the former of which then proceeded to form two ice blades in her hands in preparation of the attack she knew was coming, leading Saburo to smirk in anticipation for a brief moment before he flickered forward towards the girl with his sword ready to strike.
Focusing in on the man as he quickly appeared before her and honed his weapon in to strike her neck, Kisa quickly lifted her ice up to the man's blade and parried it away before slashing towards him in retaliation, though before she could land a hit the man flickered back away from her, stopped on the heel of his right food and charged right back into her.
Shocked by his rapid movement, Kisa quickly summoned an ice wall to stop the blade of his sword as he jabbed it towards her, allowing Akito to dash forward towards him with his first reared back to strike.
Before he could blow the man to pieces however, Togusa appeared beside Akito to intervene. Sliding his kabano forward head-first until it stopped beneath Akito's stomach as he was in mid swing, at which point the man used the chakra-infused bat to send the boy flying high up in the air with a powerful wind-based strike, causing the girl before them to gasp as her eyes followed him up into the snow.
"Akito!" She exclaimed as Togusa laughed in excitement at the boy's flight while beside him Saburo planted his foot to the ice, retrieved his sword from her shield and swung it back towards her. Using his own chakra to slice through the ice with ease, forcing her to once again block his sword as he quickly redirected it back down upon her with great enough force to almost touch her forehead with its edge.
"You see, that's why you shinobi are weak… you care too much about him to know that your own life is in danger!" He taunted as she struggled to hold him back, furthering her anger.
"Caring for someone doesn't make me weak… it makes me stronger than you could ever imagine!" Kisa exclaimed as she reared back to gain enough momentum to turn the tide, knocking Saburo back and allowing her a chance to strike, though before she did so something above her caught her eye; a large fireball coming down from the darkening sky.
Knowing this was Akito's retaliation to Togusa's strike, Kisa quickly dove backwards from the two cannibals as they looked up at the coming fireball with little concern.
"Huh! That little brat thinks that a little fire scares us?! He really hasn't learned anything!" The giant claimed out loud as he swung his kabano around to a stable starting position in his hands and stepped forward. Eyeing up the incoming fireball, Togusa rapidly spun himself around with assistance from the wind until he had built up enough momentum to unleash a blast of air straight up at the incoming fire to extinguish it.
"Aha!" He exclaimed as the fire disappeared from the sky above into a flush of smoke that quickly dissipated into nothing, though instead of celebrating Togusa's eyes widened as from the remnants of the smoke flew several large fuma shuriken. Stepping to the side and hobbling to a stop on one foot to avoid one of dozen or so shuriken aimed directly at them, Togusa inhaled sharply to laugh at the ease of his dodge as Saburo's turned towards one of the large weapons and let out a short snarl as one of them disappeared into a cloud of smoke, revealing the boy himself as he flickered forward.
Snarling under his breath, Saburo swung his sword to decapitate the boy as Akito quickly shifted below the blade and behind the man before smashing his fist into the samurai's chest, activating his kekkei genkai and sending him flying backwards into a large pile of coal in distance with a large flash and a loud boom, instantly prompting Togusa to strike back.
"You little shit!" He exclaimed as he reared his kabano over his head and smashed Akito into the ground, only to have his body turn white as it returned to clay. Sticking to the bat, the clay then rapidly slithered up the kabano and onto Togusa's body before detonating, sending him flying through the air into the side of the powerplant as Akito slid to a stop beside Kisa.
Letting out a sigh of relief that he was alright, Kisa frantically checked him over for injury for a moment before redirecting her eyes to where Togusa once stood.
"Did that have any effect on them?" She questioned, to which Akito shook his head as the smoke settled around them, allowing clear view of the two Naito brothers as they began to stand up in the distance. They had clearly been thrown quite the distance away from the center of the explosion, but aside for damage to their clothing and armor they seemed greatly unscathed.
"No, I don't think so… it wasn't enough." He replied as around them several more of Saburo's men now gathered, again forcing them to stand back to back in preparation for another swarm of their mob, though they remained stationary as their leader began to walk towards them; his face clearly irritated the boy's attack. Coming to a stop just short of a wall of his men keeping watch over their leader, he twisted his right arm back into place before turning his attention towards his left shoulder which, much to his surprise, had been pierced by the now bent metal chest plate of his armor.
He had previously been impervious to the boy's explosive attacks thanks to his heavy armor the last time they fought, but it appeared that with his opponent in much better shape than last time that would not be the case anymore, prompting him to remove the metal from his skin before untying the armor plate and allowing it fall to the ground with a loud clang.
"I've grown tired of this game already, boy. You may be stronger than before, presumably because of the fact that you are not yet worn down, but I can assure you that you won't be strong for long." He stated as he then dropped the armored bits covering his shoulders to the ground as well, causing Akito's eyes to narrow on the man as he tried to determine what Saburo was hinting at.
"That armor wasn't for my protection as much as it was for yours. Someone like me, someone of… limitless power, doesn't need protection from people like you. If anything it will just be easier to cut that head of yours clear off your shoulders without it." He continued to taunt, prompting Akito to growl under his breath.
"You don't scare me." The boy replied as Saburo laughed.
"Well that's unfortunate because I most certainly should." The man replied as his sword began to glow blue with chakra that, after a moment, arced wildly from his blade as it emitted a horrendous, high pitched squeal. Forming a small, malicious smirk, the man then dashed straight towards the two shinobi, slaughtering two of his own men that stood in his way as the lightning shooting from his blade dug into the ground violently, forcing Kisa to act.
Stepping slightly ahead of Akito, Kisa formed and signs and took a deep breath before exhaling a large amount of water towards the man that she then froze into ice to create large barrier laced with razor sharp spikes, though it did little to stop the man who, without much effort, bisected the wall with his chakra blade and continued forward towards them with murderous intent; the lightning now arcing into neighboring structures with enough force to mar the surface with powerful chakra.
"It's useless!" He exclaimed as Akito let out a loud grunt and dashed forward to meet their aggressor, though before the two could connect the ground between them split, revealing a large stone golem that emerged fist-first from Saburo's left.
Seeing the incoming strike but unable to dodge in time, Saburo let out a loud grunt as he shifted to protect himself from the giant's fist as it struck him with extreme force, sending him careening straight towards the large coal fired power plant in the distance with his dangerous weapon still fully charged with chakra.
Knowing the danger this possessed but unable to stop it, both Kisa and Akito watched on in horror as Saburo neared the plant, forcing the girl to wrap her arms around her friend to protect him as the lightning pierced the steel boilers at the back of the plant.
"WATCH OUT!"