Author's Note: Well, not much to say here other than enjoy the second part of the first day of battles:
Chapter 102:
Battle Among the Flames
or
The Land of Fire, on fire
Forests of the Land of Fire
The first battle of the ninja war continued, with neither side appearing to gain advantage over the other. Akatsuki had superior numbers, but most of the Allied ninjas were individually stronger than the white Zetsu clones. Plus, the Allied ninjas also had the Chakra Golems, whose armor resisted all but the strongest of the physical attacks, and their seals allowed them to absorb elemental ninjutsu. And thus, they were excellent at dealing with the White Zetsu clones.
At least the normal ones. Some Zetsu brutes noticed the Golems, and went to destroy them. While the golems were strong, the mutant Zetsu had enough muscle to tear their armors apart.
"These pieces of scrap will help the Allied Ninja no longer!" a Zetsu brute yelled, as he was about to trash yet another golem.
"Wood Release: Wood Binding Jutsu!"
Suddenly, multiple vines emerged from below the giant Zetsu, and tightly wrapped around his arms, legs and body, leaving him completely immobilized.
"What the...?"
"I'm sorry, but dad said those golems are quite expensive," a white haired girl said, just as she landed in front of him. "And dad says that we must take care of expensive stuff."
The Golem wasted no time, and slammed its fist into the Zetsu's head, blowing it into multiple chunks of white flesh. The rest of the body lifelessly fell back on its back after the girl undid her jutsu. Nodding to herself in satisfaction, Kaida went to look for more targets.
...
"Lava Release: Scorching Rocks jutsu!"
Kurotsuchi expelled a large amount of lava from her mouth, which took the shape of multiple burning boulders, spreading in an arc towards the enemies surrounding her. Some found their marks, while others missed, before falling to the ground below. However, while she was casting the jutsu, she felt a foot smashing against her back, and talons trying to pierce her flak jacket, interrupting her attack and sending her tumbling down.
"SHIT!" Kurotsuchi loudly cursed as she tried to regain her balance mid air. As she did, she saw more aerial enemies diving at her.
Right now, the Tsuchikage was fighting against yet another type of White Zetsu, one that had leather wings instead of arms, which allowed them to fly. On top of that, their feet ended in long and sharp talons, which was their main method of attack, but it wasn't the only one.
"Yes, you dumbasses, come to me if you dare!" Kurotsuchi said as she started to make hand seals before she clapped her hands together When she brought them apart, a cube made of white light appeared between them. "Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
Kurotsuchi send the cube towards the incoming Zetsu, which increased its size tenfold in less than a second, catching the flying Zetsu within. The cube then flared with white light, and the Zetsu were no more.
"That takes care of that group," Kurotsuchi said, panting a little. Looking around, she saw dozens of those flying Zetsu converging upon her. "A shitload of them remains. And they can attack me from pretty much any direction. Time to break out that jutsu then," Kurotsuchi said, as she started to make hand seals. "Lava Release: Lava Chakra Armor!"
The air around Kurotsuchi started to ripple as heat build around the young Kage, before her body flashed with a bright red light. The next instant, her whole body was covered in an armor made of molten rock, leaving only her eyes exposed.
"All right, all set! Come on assholes, come here and see if you can touch me!" Kurotsuchi taunted. Much to her surprise, the flying Zetsu did so. Kurotsuchi merely raised an eyerbow, and smiled under her mask of lava. "Your doom, then."
…
"Plasma Release: Light of Death!"
Once again, Akashi fired his destructive orange beam at the Uchiha brothers, who dodged it by jumping in opposite directions. The beam carved yet another furrow as it moved, but this time it didn't kill anybody as collateral damage. Both the White Zetsu clones and allied ninjas learned to get away from the Sutoku clan head, and let Itachi and Sasuke deal with him.
"Sasuke, I'm going in!" Itachi said, as he rushed forward, katana in hand. "Cover me!"
"You got it!" Sasuke replied, as his hands flew through hand seals. "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Sasuke exhaled a volley of fireballs in a wide arc forward, which forced the reanimation to jump back in order to avoid them. Taking advantage of that moment, Itachi Body Flickered next to him, and brouht his sword down. However, Akashi was fast enough to block it with a kunai.
"You're fast, Uchiha, but you won't catch me off guard so easily!" Akashi boasted, as he pulled another kunai and swung it at Itachi.
The older brother parried it, before delivering another swing that was dodged. The two of them exchanged blade swipes, though it was clear that Itachi was the superior swordsman, and slowly pushed Akashi back.
"Your Plasma Release jutsu have an impressive destrctive power, but they have a glaring weakness: they can't be used in close range!" Itachi said, as he pressed his attack with more powerful sword swings.
"Don't you dare underestimate me, Uchiha! We of the Sutoku clan aren't one trick ponies reliant on our Bloodline Limits!" Akashi boasted.
Akashi delivered a swipe with one of his kunai, which Itachi was ready to parry. However, in the last second, the kunai started to crackle with electricity as lightning chakra was channeled through it, allowing it to cut Itachi's katana as if it was made of paper. Even if Itachi was able to dodge the electric kunai, the second kunai, wreathed in flames, plunged into his chest, just below the neck.
"Got you!" Akashi said with a sadistic smirk, as he dug the kunai even deeper.
"Itachi!" Sasuke yelled, as he rushed to aid his brother.
Itachi, however, smirked, much to the reanimation's confusion, before the older Uchiha burst into a murder of crows that started to fly around him, cawing loudly, and pestering him with pecks.
"What the... oh, I get it, this is a fucking genjutsu!" Akashi said, as he dispelled it.
"Too late!" the real Itachi said, as he appeared behind him, his Susanoo already formed. A sword of golden flames appeared in one of the red chakra construct's arms. "Sword of Totsuka: Seal!"
As he delivered a swing of his flaming sword, Akashi turned around, revealing an orange ball of energy that crackled with chakra.
"Plasma Release: Light of Judgement!"
Akashi tossed the sphere at Itachi, which exploded upon touching the Uchiha's Susanoo. The chakra construct managed to absorb most of the blast, but it was shattered to pieces, and the resulting shockwave hurled Itachi agianst a nearby tree.
"You think you can catch me off guard with one of those accursed genjutsu of yours, Uchiha?" Akashi said, angrily boasted. "We know how to deal with your kind! That's why your miserable clan had to ally with your longtime enemies in order to-"
"Lightning Release. Thunder Blade!"
Crackles of electricity alerted Akashi of Sasuke's attack, and he turned around just in time to parry Sasuke's swing of his electricity-enhanced sword with a kunai empowered the same fashion.
"Ah, the runt," Akashi said, rolling his eyes. "So, you don't want to see your brother die? Do you prefer if I kill you first, then?"
That moment, Sasuke's Sharingan morphed into their advanced form, as the air around them started to become much hotter.
"Amaterasu!"
Akashi burst into black flames, and the youngest Uchiha jumped backwards in order not to be burned by them, as he flinched when the memory of his near-kill of Naruto washed over his body like a blanket of anguish. However, before he could cry victory, there was a small burst of smoke, and the black flames weren't consuming the Plasma Release user, but a mere log.
"A Replacement? Shit!" Sasuke cursed, as he looked around, lamenting having to force himself to relieve that trauma for nothing.
"Sasuke, to your right!" Itachi called.
Sasuke turned to said direction, just in time to see an orange light glowing brighter.
"Plasma Release: Light of Judgement!"
Once again, Akashi threw a sphere of plasma at Sasuke, who dodged it the best way he could. Unfortunately, just like his brother a moment ago, he was unable to avoid the ensuing shockwave, and was hurled away. Through rather than smashing against a tree, the younger Uchiha landed on the ground on his back, bouncing multiple times before.
"Shit... that was..." Sasuke grunted, as he tried to shake away the pain from his body. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to have time to nurse his wounds.
"Plasma Release: Light of Death!"
Ssauke's Sharingan watched in horror as another orange destructive beam carved a furrow in the ground as it moved towards him, leaving a trail of flames. Even if caused him no small amount of pain, Sasuke made a hand seal and molded some chakra, and was able to use Body Flicker to dodge the attack before it could reduce him to cinders.
"Dammit... I could use Sakura or Karin right now..." Sasuke complained, as he held the left side of his body. He swore he would never take his teammates for granted ever again.
"Sasuke!" Itachi said, as he landed besides him. "Are you okay?"
"I've been better," Sasuke replied, coughing some blood. "If just one guy can do so much damage, I can't imagine a whole clan of them."
"There's a reason as for why they were extermintaed," Itachi pointed out.
"We can't beat this guy on our own. We better fall back and get some help from the main body of the division," Sasuke suggested.
"We can't do that. His jutsu are incredibly destructive and have a very wide area of effect. We would risk causing even more casualities to our side. We have to defeat him ourselves," Itachi stated.
"You're very confident in our chances, Itachi," Sasuke dryly said.
"I am. I know your potential, Sasuke, and if we fight together, that reanimation won't have a chance against us," Itachi assured. "Can you use Susanoo?"
"A little. I still haven't mastered it yet," Sasuke replied. "I can use it, but I won't be able to keep it for long."
"In that case, save it if you're unable to dodge that man's jutsu. I'm alive thanks to my Susanoo cushioning the blast of that attack," Itachi said. "I can end this fight in one hit. If I can stab him with the Sword of Totsuka, I can seal him permanently, and won't come back even if he's a reanimation."
"I don't think you'll be able to get close enough to him for that," Sasuke observed, "At least not before he obliterates your Susanoo like he did before."
"No, if he doesn't see me coming," Itachi said.
"So, that means I'm going to be the distraction, don't I?" Sasuke asked. It was something he wasn't looking forward to.
"No. Both of us will be," Itachi cryptically said. "Confusion will be our greatest weapon, and his downfall."
…
Not far away from there, Maki continued the battle against her resurrected sensei, who now had the help of another reanimation. Despite trying to fall back and ask for help, the zombies wouldn't let them go much further. The Suna Jonin decided it was for the best to go all out.
"Selaing Art: Cloth Binding Armor!"
Whips of cloth wrapped around Maki's limbs and body, covering it completely, and leaving only her eyes visible.
"Huh, what's that?" Gari asked, cocking his head in mild annoyance. "You plan to copy the Second Tsuchikage's style or what?"
"See if your Tsuchikage can do this!" Maki boasted, though she immediately realized that trying to compare herself to a Kage would make her sound ridiculous. "Multiple Cloth Razor Whips!"
Many whips made of cloth emerged from under Maki's bandages, and lunged themselves at the two reanimations, like a bunch of angry snakes hungry for their prey. Pakura and Gari were able to dodge the attack, yet Maki was able to redirect half of the razor whips towards Pakura and the other towards Gari, and this time they were unable to dodge them.
"Yes!" Maki cheered.
However, victory was still far from her reach. Even if she aimed at their vital spots, zombies had none, and could still go on. Pakura grabbed the cloth whips, and focusing her chakra, used them to channel a stream of fire that spread through the cloth whips towards Maki. Realizing she made a mistake, Maki broke the whips that tied her to both Pakura and Gari, and jumped backwards in order to avoid being burned.
"Too late, mummy gal!" Gari said, as he leaped towards her, glowing fist reared back. "Explosion-"
"Lightning Release: Thunder Blade!"
A white and dark blue blur crossed between the two of them, acompained by the sound of crackling electricity, and Gari saw how his arm was cut away from the rest of his body.
"Got you!" Ran said, gripping her electricity-infused tanto.
"Shit!" Gari said, as he broke his momentum for the sake of jumping back. He looked at his sliced arm, which was starting to slowly regenerate.
"Quickly, let's try to overwhelm him now that I crippled him!" Ran called, as she and other nearby ninja went to chase him. The reanimated Explosion Release user ran away.
Maki sighed in relief, as her eyes focused on pakura. "Good. With that Iwa ninja out of our hair, our chances of sealing her are all the greater."
While Maki's reasoning was right, "greater chances" didn't necessarily translate into "good chances". And Pakura, weaving more hand seals, was about to show that. Several flaming orbs appeared around her, and start to spin around her body, their speed progresively incresing. Maki and Raku adpted defensive stances.
"Ruka, let's counter this! Together, like we did before!" Maki said, as she started making hand seals.
"You got it!" Ruka replied.
"Scorch Release: Blast Wave Ring!"
The orbs spun so fast, they almost looked like a ring of fire. Said ring then exploded outwards in a wave of blazing winds. However, the two kunoichi were ready to counter this.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Once again, the combination of wind and water created a powerful torrent that managed to stop Pakura's jutsu from advancing, creating yet another cloud of steam result of the heated air coming in contact with the cold water, blinding all combatants.
"Ruka, get close to me! Back to back!" Maki called, pulling the other kunoichi towards her. "She'll take advantage of the cloud of steam to ambush us! We can't let our backs exposed!"
"You got it!" Ruka said, as she obediently rushed to Maki's side.
"Knowing sensei's hatred of Kiri ninja, she'll attack Ruka first," Maki thought, as she looked around. "The moment she makes her move, I need to act quickly if I want to catch her before Ruka is injured. Sorry for using you as bait like this, Ruka, but this is our best chance to beat her."
Long seconds passed by, and Pakura didn't seem to make any attempt at attacking them. The cloud of steam started to slowly dispel, restoring their visibility and depriving Pakura of a chance to ambush them.
"Don't lower your guard, Ruka. That's what Pakura-sensei is expecting us to do," Maki whispered. Ruka merely nodded.
Then, it happened. The sound of footstepts. Light and soft, but still audible. And just like Maki was expecting, they came from the direction Ruka was facing. It was now or never.
"I got you sensei!" Maki triumphally thought, as she made a hand seal. "Multiple Razor Cloth Whips!"
More whips made of cloth emerged from under Maki's bandage, and circling around Ruka, lunged themselves at the attacking Pakura. The bandages stabbed themselves into the undead kunoichi, stopped her on her tracks just before she could get close to the Kiri kunoichi.
"We caught her! Attack now, Ruka!" Maki commanded.
"Understood!" Ruka said, as she hastily made several hand seals. "Water Re-"
But then, much to the two kunoichi's shock, Pakura exploded in a fierly blast, violently hurling both women into the air, while burning their clothes and some their skin, before they fell back into the ground with a loud thud. Maki's Cloth Armor protected her from the blast, and while injured, she could continue fighting. Ruka couldn't say the same. Even if the Kiri kunoichi was still alive, the injuries caused by the explosion were too grievous to allow her to continue fighting.
"An explosive clone. Pakura-sensei knew that I would expect her to attack from Ruka's side, and send a decoy to bait me," Maki frustratingly realized, as she fought off the pain and battled to get back on her feet.
However, Maki didn't have time to contemplate on her blunder, as she saw in horror Pakura –this time the real one, she presumed– leaping at her with three flaming orbs spinning around her body. She couldn't fight and protect the injured Ruka at the same time. In their current situation, she could only think in one course of action.
"Sealing Art: Protective Cloth Dome! Sealing Art: Hardening Seal!"
Whips of cloth shot from Maki's body, and wrapped themselves forming a dome around her. As the dome formed, glowing seals started to appear on the pieces of cloth, solidifying and hardening it in order to resist external attacks. One of Pakura's orbs smashed against the cloth dome, making the seals to glow even brighter, but it was unable to breach it. Not that it was going to stop the reanimation from continue attacking.
"I'm sorry, Maki, it pains me to be the one to end your life," Pakura sorrowfully said as she continued bombarding the barrier with more scorching orbs. "But I have no choice in my actions."
…
Meanwhile, not far away from that, Maki's students, Matsuri, Yukata and Mikoshi, following their sensei's orders, stayed away from the zombie ninjas, and resigned themselves to fight against the White Zetsu clones exclusively.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!"
"Wind Release: Wind Scythe!"
"Manipulated Attack Blades!"
Streams of fire, blades of wind, and flying kunai and shuriken all found their mark, killing or severely maiming many of the White Zetsu clones. Though, no matter how many of them took down, more rose to take their place. It felt like their numbers had no limit.
"I'm starting to get a little tired..." Yukata complained.
"I know, but we have to keep fighting! The more of these things we kill, the easier time will have sensei and the stronger ninjas fighting the zombies!" Matsuri encouraged, as she kicked a Zetsu clone coming close to her. "And if we can beat them, then getting rid of these things will be much easier!"
Mikoshi was going to say something, but the bespectacled youth then saw something through the corner of his eye. He looked up, and saw a multitude of greenish-yellow projectiles arcing towards them.
"Everybody, take cover!" he shouted.
"Get close to me!" Matsuri said. As Yukata and Mikoshi did, Matsuri pulled out her johyo, and made it spin above her and her teammates head as she channeled chakra through it for added power.
The next second, a rain of projectiles that appeared to be made of concentrated powder peppered the area, hitting Allied ninja and White Zetsu clones alike. While the projectiles had a corrosive effect on the human ninja –and the ground as well, as multiple holes were opened by the missiles that missed their mark– the White Zetsu clones were unaffected.
Thanks to Matsuri, thought, both her and her teammates avoided being hit, as Matsuri's spinning johyo deflected a couple of missiles that would have hit them.
"What kind of jutsu is that?" Matsuri asked, as she shook some of the corrosive poweder from her weapon.
"I don't know, but it was like nothing I've seen before," Mikoshi said, quickly adjutsing his glasses. "It came from the west. And I'd say it was cast by more than one ninja."
"Maybe we should try to find the enemy who used that jutsu and get rid of them," Matsuri suggested. "Otherwise, it's going to make fighting these creatures all the harder."
Yukata and Mikoshi nodded. However, before they could move, the ground started to shake, and a Zetsu Brute emerged from underground. He let out a powerful, inhuman roar, while raising his four muscular arms in an intimidating pose, making Yukata to let out a high pitched shriek.
"It seems the enemy read our minds, and didn't want us to interfere with their snipers," Mikoshi dryly noted.
"Let's get rid of this guy as well," Matsuri said, unimpressed. "Come on Yukata-chan, between the three of them, it will be piece of cake."
"I-If you say so, Matsuri-chan..." the terrified raven haired girl whimpered.
The Zetsu Brute made the first move, and charged towards the trio of Suna ninjas, each of his steps making a booming noise. Closing the gap in less than two seconds, he tried to smash Matsuri with a vertical slam with two of his arms, but both she and her teammates jumped backwards, and the giant Zetsu's fist only hit the ground, cracking a crater of moderate size open.
"Such strength! If that thing hits us, we're done!" Mikoshi observed with some unease.
"Agree! Let's keep our distance and fight from afar!" Matsuri said, as her hands flew through hand seals. "Wind Release: Breakthrough!"
Th brown haired girl exhaled a powerful gust of wind at the large Zetsu variant. However, much to her surprise, the mutant Zetsu made a couple of hand seals as well, before opening his mouth and breathing a stream of fire at her. The fire was magnified by Matsuri's wind jutsu, and soon the brown haired girl saw a massive wall of fire ready to engulf her.
"Matsuri-chan!" Yukata yelled.
However, Matsuri already found a way out. Rather than cancel her jutsu, she aimed it towards the ground. The stream of wind she was blowing propelled her upwards, elevating her above the torrent of flames just it passed under her position. Howveer, before she could sigh in relief, she saw much to her horror that the mutant Zetsu was also in front of her, one of his fists reared back.
"When did he jump-"
Her thoughts were interrupted by the incoming punch, which send her flying back against the ground. She managed to cover herself with her forearms just in time, and the armored vambraces on her forearms prevented her bones from breaking. Still, that didn't made the fall any less painful. The mutant Zetsu landed with a loud boom, and dashed towards the fallen kunoichi.
"It's time for you to die, Suna scum!" the giant Zetsu roared.
That moment, several kunai with explosive notes attached to them landed around the mutant Zetsu, detonating a second after that, engulfing the large creature inside a chain of explosions. As this happened, Mikoshi and Yukata rushed to aid their unofficial leader in their sensei's absence.
"Matsuri-chan, are you okay?" a worried Yukata asked.
"Let me heal you," Mikoshi said, as he placed his hands over Matsuri's worst bruises, and applied the Mystical Palm jutsu.
"Yes... I think so..." Matsuri said, as, Mikoshi's healing slowly alleviated her pain. She looked at her vambraces, which had been completely shattered, and removed them completely, leaving her arms bare. "But yes, that guy is as strong as his appearance suggest."
"Not to mention resistant. Look!" Mikoshi said.
When the clouds of dust and smoke raised by the chains of explosions dispelled, the Zetsu was still there. There were some wounds and burns across his body, but not only did they barely affect the monster, but were slowly beginning to heal.
"Nothing but a direct hit with powerful attacks will bring him down," Matsuri deduced, as she stood back on her feet once Mikoshi finished patching her up. "Maybe a combination between more explosioves directed with Mikoshi-kun's Blade Manipulation and Yukata-chan's fire jutsu, aimed for the head."
"Easier said than done. That guy's as fast as he's strong," Mikoshi pointed out.
"Then I'll force him to stop. When I give you the signal, attack," Matsuri said, as he pulled out something from her ninja toolm pouch and put it inside her mouth.
"Matsuri-chan, what do you plan to do?" Yukata asked.
Matsuri didn't reply. She pulled out her johyo once again, and started to spin it as she run towards the giant Zetsu. The mutant creature smirked widely upon seeing the Suna kunoichi running towards him.
"What, you didn't have enough? Hehe, very well, if you're so eager to die..." the Zetsu Brute said, as he took a fighting stance.
Matsuri threw her weapon at the giant Zetsu, the dart at the end of the rope easily stabbing into the Zetsu's surprisngly soft flesh. The giant Zetsu, however, grabbed the rope, and pulled Matsuri towards him with all his might. Something that Matsuri already expected, as the force of the pull didn't offset her balance, while pulling out a kunai with her free hand.
Once she reached close combat distance, Matsuri brought the kunai down at the Zetsu's head. Unfortunately for her, the Zetsu was quicker, and grabbed her wrist with one of his arms, while using his two lower arms to grab Matsuri's body.
"That was a mistake, little girl," the Zetsu said with a grin. "Now die-"
However, before the mutant creature could tear the Suna kunoichi in half, Matsuri spat what she holding inside her mouth, hitting the Zetsu's left eye, before said object exploded into a cloud of smoke.
"AAAAARRGGH! MY EYE!" the giant Zetsu screamed as he unwittingly dropped Matsuri.
The Suna kunoichi quickly pulled out two more kunai, and stabbed them on each of the Zetsu Brute's knees, forcing him to fall on them.
"Mikoshi-kun, Yukata-chan, now!" Matsuri called.
"Blade Manipulation!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!"
Multiple kunai with explosive tags attached to them flew towards the Zetsu, before finding their marks, sinking themselves into either his face, or around his head. It was then followed by a stream of fire that detonated said explosives. Multiple chunks of white flesh were splattered everywhere, signaling the fact that the giant Zetsu had indeed been destroyed.
"Yes! We brought him down!" Mikoshi shouted, pumping his fist in triumph.
"Matsuri-chan! That was so brave!" Yukata said, as she rushed towards her friend. "I don't think I would have been able to do that without freezing completely!"
"Thanks. Though, I was quite terrified,. That thing could have ripped me in half easily," Matsuri replied. "Not to mention, I had to make sure the smoke bomb didn't burst inside my mouth and-"
Matsuri's words were interruped by yet by the sound of nearby explosions. It wasn't less the explosions themselves –which happened quite often around them– and more where said explosions came from.
"That's where Maki-sensei is fighting..." Yukata said in a whisper.
Turning at said direction, they recognized their sensei's protective cloth dome, with Pakura relentlessly bombarding it with her orbs of heat.
Maki's students didn't need to speak. A shared look and a nod is all what they needed before the three of them headed to assist their sensei.
…
Maki was resisting as best as she could her former sensei's onslaught. So far, her defensive seals were resisting, but she could feel them eating more and more bits of her chakra each time Pakura hit the cloth dome. And while Maki would eventually run out of chakra, Pakura didn't have to worry about that.
"Come on... somebody! I need some help!" Maki cried, hoping a nearby ally could lend her a hand. Said cry for help was going to be addressed.
"Don't worry sensei, here we are!" a female voice said.
"Matsuri...no!" she cried. This time, she no longer feared for her life, but for her students' lives instead.
"Wind Release: Wind Scythe!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!"
Ignoring her own safety (and that of Ruka's) Maki undid the dome, and saw her three students facing one of the most dangerous ninjas Suna had ever produced. Making a couple hand seals, Pakura generated three of her scorching heat orbs, which started to spin around her body. Maki's eyes widened in horror.
"Get away from her!" Maki shouted. "Come close to me, now!"
Thankfully for her, her students listened, and fell back to their senseiís position.
"Are you okay, sensei?" Yukata asked a bit worried.
"I am. But Ruka isn't," Maki replied, as her eyes drifted towards the fallen Kiri kunoichi. "Mikoshi, can you help her?"
"Her wounds appear to be much more serious than what I'm capable of healing, but I'll do my best," the bespectacled boy said, as he kneeled besides Ruka and started to treat her wounds. Meanwhile, Matsuri and Yukata placed themselves at each side of Maki, and adopted fighting stances.
"So, what's the plan, sensei?" Matsuri asked.
"So, your students returned," Pakura observed, and fixed her eyes on them. "You should have listened to your sensei. This fight is too big for you."
"Maybe. But we aren't going to fight alone! We're going to help Maki-sensei to beat you!" Matsuri proudly stated.
"Like, totally!" Yukata added, her love and pride in her sensei overcoming her fear, even if barely.
"You better take them away from me. I don't want kill the next generation of Suna ninjas, and I don't think I'm able to hold back," Pakura warned them.
"I did try, but they're way too stubborn for their own good," Maki replied, as she inched closed to her two students.
"Too stubborn for their own good? Why does that sound familiar to me?" Pakura asked, sending Maki a tautning look. However, said look was replaced by one of worry and even horror. "Maki, watch out, I'm going to attack again!"
Pakura leaped forward, her three orbs of heated air spinning around her. Maki didn't have to tell Mtasuri and Yukata to put some distance.
"Beware of her jutsu. Scorch Release is nothing like any other elemental combination. It works by boiling the water in your body, leaving you a mommified husk," Maki warned them.
"Don't worry, sensei, we will be okay!" Yukata assured her.
"Being confident is good, but this is Pakura we're talking about. Even without her Bloodline Limit, she is still one of the most powerful ninjas Suna has ever produced," Maki insisted. "I will fight her head on. You two cover me and attack when you see any openings."
"Understood," Matsuri replied.
"You got it, sensei!" Yukata added.
"Alright," Maki took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a second. After opening them, she shoot her former teacher a determined stare, and charged forward. "Here I come, sensei!"
Pakura didn't reply, and merely summoned another two orbs of heat on each hand. Just like how Maki was expected. And now that Pakura had her hands occupied, Maki send several whips of cloth at the undead kunoichi's ankles, which tightly wrapped around them. However, Pakura quickly infused one of the orbs into her hand, and making a chopping motion, the cloth whips were swiftly cut. Pakura repeated the process with the other hand, and tried to punch Maki.
"Aiming for my legs when my arms were busy," Pakura recollected. "Smart, but you aren't the first one to try that!"
Even if Maki managed to jump aside just in time to dodge the fiery punch, she could feel the unpleastant heat warming her skin way too much. Her Cloth Armor wouldn't prove much protection for such attacks.
"Our turn, Matsuri-chan!" Yukata said, the ditzy kunoichi realizing that Pakura was wide open, as she formed hand seals as fast as she could. "Fire Release: Flame Cannon!"
"Certain Kill Treasure Tool Meteor!"
Matsuri launched her johyo at Pakura once again, while Yukata exhaled a fireball in tandem. It didn't appear that the undead kunoichi was in position to dodge, but just like Maki said, Pakura didn't become one of Suna's finest by relying exclusively on a powerful bloodlimit.
"Scorch Release: Heat Blast!"
Aiming one of her hands aside, Pakura released the heated air infused into her hand in the form of an explosion that propelled her sideways, avoiding both attacks.
"No!" Matsuri cried.
"Not bad, girls, not bad," Pakura praised. "Maki trained you good. But-"
Pakura was interrupted when Yukata's fireball, just before passing her, split into three smaller fireballs, two of them turning to each side, and another turning upwards. One of those smaller fireballs managed to hit Pakura in the legs, blowing one of them.
"YES! Direct hit!" Yukata cheered, pumping her fist into the air.
Pakura made a backflip, and landed on her good leg, while waiting for the other to regenerate.
"Now that she can't move as good, we should press the attack!" Matsuri urged.
"Agreed," Maki said. "But let not change the strategy. I'll deal with her directly. And when I tell you, attack again. Use those very same attacks."
"The same? But Pakura-san will be ready for-"
"Do not question me, just do as I say!" Maki insisted. "I know how to defeat her!"
"I hope whatever plan you have, Maki, it will be good to bring me down," Pakura said, still standing on one leg. "And honestly, you should listen to your students. The same attacks won't work twice."
Maki didn't reply. She generated two whips of cloth from the bandages under her wrists, and channeled chakra through them, making them rigid, solid and sharp, like blades of cloth that could be used as if they were swords. Maki engaged her former sensei in close combat, harrasing her with powerful and fast swipes, not letting her use ninjutsu.
"She will try to hit my other leg in order to make me lose my balance completely," Pakura thought, seeing through her former students' movements. "I'm sorry Maki. I thought I taught you not to use the same strategy on the same opponent more than once."
And indeed, just like she foresaw, several whips of cloth appeared from under Maki's bandages, and lunged at her good leg. However, this time Pakura was ready. Rather than aiming for the whips, she changed her target. She brought her hands together, and made several hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!"
Maki jumped backwards while covering behid her arms, but she was too close to Pakura, and was unable to dodge the wall of fire, which quickly engulfed her. All she could do was channel even more chakra through her Cloth Armor in order to make it sturdier.
"Maki-sensei!" Matsuri cried.
"Don't worry about me! Attack, now!" Maki urged, as she fell to the ground on her back, her Cloth Armor being on fire on multiple spots.
Matsuri and Yukata followed her orders, and ignoring her sensei's plight, unleashed their attacks once again.
"Fire Release: Flame Cannon!"
"Certain Kill Treasure Tool Meteor!"
Once again, Matsuri's dart and Yukata's fireball flew towards Pakura whom, at that moment, her leg finished regenerating.
"I can dodge the johyo easily. And the splitting fireball, while clever, has a glaring flaw in its design," Pakura thought, as she placed herself in front if the fiery projectile. "The fireball will split in three, two projectiles going sideways and the other upwards. Meaning that the best way to dodge it is standing in front of it!"
And Pakura's prediction turned to be true. When the larger fireball split into three smaller ones, they changed their course and passed her by harmlessly.
"Just as I expect-" Pakura was about to say, when she caught something from the corner of her eye. "What?"
From the ground, Maki launched yet another whip cloth at her. However, probably due her current position, Maki's aim was a little off, and Pakura only needed to sidestep in order to dodge the attack.
"So, you were using your students' attacks as distractions, and tried to catch me off guard," Pakura noted. "Not bad Maki, but-"
"I wasn't aiming at you!" Maki furiously replied.
"Huh?"
That moment, Maki's cloth whip wrapped itself around Matsuri's johyo, who was still moving pass Pakura. Maki then pulled the cloth back, making the johyo spin around Pakura, wrapping the rope against her, pinning her arms against her body, before maneuvering it back towards Matsuri, who caught it expertly, and pulled with all her might.
"What the-?" Pakura asked, as she tried to break free.
"Sorry, sensei, but this is the end. Cloth Binding Jutsu!"
Wasting no time, Maki generated even more whips of cloth, which wrapped themsleves around Pakura, starting from her legs, before moving upwards, until the undead kunoichi was completely trapped inside a cocoon of cloth. As the final touch, Maki placed a chakra suppresing seal on the cloth prison, making sure Pakura wouldn't be able to escape.
And then, Maki fell on her knees.
"Don't worry, sensei," she sorrowfully said. "Soon you'll go back to your eternal rest."
The solemn moment, predictably, didn't last, as Maki heard her two female students rushing towards her.
"SENSEI!" Yukata cried in joy.
"We did it!" Matsuri shouted, elated. "We beat Pakura of the Scorch Release! They won't believe when we tell them."
"Yes, we did. Good job, girls," Maki congratulated her students. "However, this battle is far from over, and we can't let the enemy free Pakura-sensei. Now go and take her to the rear guard for safekeeping. The ninja there will know what to do with her."
"You got it, sensei!" Yukata said, still high from the victory rush.
"We'll come back as soon as we can," Matsuri promised.
The two girls grabbed the bandage-made cocoon, and leaped away. Maki meanwhile decided to return with her remaining student, and check how Ruka was doing.
…
"Plasma Release: Light of Death!"
The head of the disappeared Sutoku clan fired his signature jutsu at the Uchiha brothers. However, rather than a straight line, he instead moved it in a wide arc, in order to hit both Sasuke and Itachi. Both brothers used the Body Flicker to quickly evade the attack, which carved another furrow into the ground, brurning the grass around it.
"The creepy voice in my head told me to decapitate you and collect your Sharingan!" Akashi gleefully said. "And you know what? I agree with him!"
"Many were the fools who tried to steal the Sharingan for their own," Itachi replied. "So far, none of them had succeeded!"
Technically speaking, one man did,. The very same man that was now controlling Akashi like a puppet. But Itachi doubted that Orochimaru would have been able to get his hands on a Sharingan without taking advantage of some chaotic event like the Uchiha insurrection. Still, Itachi hoped Orochimaru wasn't listening at that point.
"There's a first time for everything!" Akashi replied, and Itachi had to supress a flinch. The undead Sutoku clan head made more hand seals, before firing one of his signature jutsu. "Plasma Release: Light of Judgement!"
Itachi pumped chakra into his legs, and leaped into the air just as the orb of plasma hit the ground where he had been standing on, resulting in another explosion. The shockwave pushed Itachi higher into the air. Something the Uchiha was counting on, but his enemy saw as a mistake. Itachi bit his thumb and started to make hand seals.
"You can't dodge while you're in mid air!" Akashi boasted, as he pointed his index and middle fingers at the older Uchiha. "Plasma Release: Light of Death!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Itachi thrust his hand down, creating a sealing array mid air, followed by a burst of smoke, just before the destructive beam pierced it. After a couple seconds, Itachi emerged from said cloud, riding the back of a giant crow.
"Sasuke, now is your chance!" Itachi shouted from the sky.
"I'm way ahead of you!" Sasuke said, as he appeared right behind Sutoku, ready to deliver a swing from his electrified katana to the undead's neck.
Akashi, however, proved once again to have excellent reflexes and reaction time when he turned around and parried the blow with an electrified kunai.
"Trying to catch me off guard won't-"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Scarlet Claw!"
Alerted by several whirring noises coming from above, Akashi jumped back just in time to avoid a flurry of fire-infused shuriken from pelting him. He gritted his teeth and looked at the flying Uchiha with eyes full of hatred.
"Oh, so you plan to blindside me from above. You think you're so smart, don't you?" Akashi growled, as he started to make hand seals. Another sphere of plasma appeared between his hands. "Plasma Release: Light That Burns the Sky!"
Thursting both arms upwards, he tossed the sphere into the sky in Itachi's direction. The giant crow managed to evade the attack easily, and it lost between the clouds. Panic creeped through Sasuke after his Sharingan analyzed that jutsu.
"Itachi!" Sasuke warned.
"I know," Itachi calmly replied, as his eyes drifted towards the clouds above him. "He didn't hit me because I wasn't his target. Get ready, whatever comes now, it's not going to be pretty."
…
Not far away from there Natsu Hyuga was fighting alongside other allied ninjas against a large group of White Zetsu. Her lack of power meant that she wouldn't be of much help against the stronger reanimated ninjas, so she had to deal with the Zetsu clones and made sure they wouldn't get in the way of the ninjas fighting the undead.
She lamented not being able to fight at Itachi's side, but she tried to find some confort in the thought that what she was doing was also important as well. Still, she couldn't help but worry about Itachi –and Sasuke, to some extent–, and take advantage of her Byakugan in order to steal a peek at how the Uchiha Brothers' battle was going on.
So far, what she saw didn't fill her with hope. The reanimation Itachi and his brother were fighting not only possessed a ridiculously destructive jutsu, but the man seemed to be motivated by an intense hatred towards the Uchiha, which made the fight rather difficult for the brothers. She saw him prepare an attack that carried an absurd amount of chakra, and tossed it towards Itachi, riding on a giant crow. Much to her relief, Itachi evaded the attack.
"Good," she thought. "Come on Itachi, I know you can defeat this opponent. I have faith in-"
However, Natsu's thoughts were interrupted when her Byakugan noticed something. The last attack the undead ninja had used against Itachi didn't merely disappear into the sky, but its chakra spread evenly among the clouds above them. Her already naturally pale face lost all trace of color when she realized what was going to happen.
"EVERYBODY, TAKE COVER!" she warned.
Sadly, not many people heard her among the chaos of the battle, and the few who did simply asked her what was going on. The answer came in the form of the dark blue and gray clouds turning reddish orange, before golden beams of energy started to rain down from above, creating huge blasts upon impacting.
The golden meteors and the explosions they caused didn't seem to discriminate between Allied ninjas and White Zetsu clones, catching both of them in their blasts. Soon, most fighters were more converned with dodging the lethal attacks rather than fighting the enemy.
"What the hell is this?" an Iwa ninja asked.
"Who cast this jutsu?" a Kiri kunoichi cried.
"Who cares, run for your lives!" a Konoha ninja shouted in desperation.
Some ninjas with Earth affinities tried to create protective domes made of rock in order to shield themselves from the rain of fiery death, but the meteors blasted through them as if they were nothing. Others tried to use fire, water and lightning ninjutsu to counter the meteors, to varying degrees of success. Even making them detonate prematurely was better than letting them land.
"From what I can see, the meteors have a mix of fire and lightning chakra, meaning that water jutsu are the best way to counter them," Natsu thought. "Unfortunately, unlike Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama, I don't know how to use elemental ninjutsu. Maybe Hinata-sama should try to encourage our clan to stop looking down on traditional ninjustu and relying on the Gentle Fist exclusively."
Her thoughts were interruped when her Byakugan caught another meteor that was about to land close to her. She ran away as fast as her legs brought her, seconds before the meteor crashed where she stood seconds before. Even if she managed to avoid the initial explosion, she was caught in the shockwave, which violently hurled her forward, crashing against a small group of Allied ninjas. Thankfully, neither she nor the ninjas that unwillingly cushioned her fall were hurt from the hit.
"If we survive this battle, that's it," the former Branch House member grimly thought.
…
"THE FUCK'S GOING ON!?" Kurotsuchi yelled.
On the good side, the firestorm coming from the clouds was doing a magnificent job clearing the sky out of those annoying flying Zetsu clones. On the bad side, Kurotsuchi risked sharing their fate. She was trying to dodge the incoming meteors, but was having a hard time maneuvering.
"I need to get rid of the Lava Armor, it's hindering my moves!" she thought in realization, and with a single hand seal, the lava armor clinging to her body fell apart, and dropped to the ground below.
Even if she could fly more freely now, the short distance the meteors were coming from also made dodging them much harder, forcing the Tsuchikage to return to ground level.
…
Needless to say, Sasuke and Itachi were also taking the brunt of what was Akashi's most powerful jutsu. And given that they were closer to the reanimated ninja than the rest of the army, more meteors were landing around them. Thanks to their training, skill and the Sharingan, they were able to predict the trajectory of the meteors and jump to a safe place. However, they were nearly caught by the explosions more than once.
The explosions dug multiple craters into the ground, spread flames, and brought down trees struck by the meteors. Soon, Sasuke and Itachi were surrounded by fire and falen trees, with no place to escape.
"This is your end, Uchihas!" Akashi boasted, before letting out a sadistic laught. "Now disappear the same way my clan did!"
Sasuke and Itachi continued their deadly dodging game, as the two of them tried to desperatedly come up with a plan to stop the deranged and powerful undead ninja.
"Given his jutsu, he created the perfect conditions for my Kirin. However, as long as his jutsu is active, I won't be able to use it," Sasuke thought, as beads of thought trickled down his face. It was hard to tell if it was due the increased heat or his growing desperation. Probably both. "And to add insult to the injury, the guy didn't even move. Given that it's his jutsu, maybe the meteors won't hit him... hey, that's it!"
Knowing what to do, Sasuke gripped the handle of his katana, and rushed towards the enemy, dodging the incoming meteors as best as he could. Itachi saw what his little brother was doing, and chased after him.
"Sasuke! What are you doing? This is no time for such reckless actions!" Itachi called him.
"We already tried caution, and it didn't work!" Sasuke shouted back, as he slowly bridged the gap between him and the enemy. His Sharingan gleamed in anticipation upon seeing how close he was.
"And this won't work either, brat!" Akashi shouted.
Suddenly, a meteor landed in front of Sasuke. Even if the Uchiha managed to stop in time to avoid the initial blast, the shockwave hurled him backwards. Itachi managed to grab Sasuke, but the force of the impact made him drop on his butt. His Susanoo quickly formed around the two of them, the Yata Mirror appearing on the left arm raised upwards to shield themselves from the falling rain of fiery death.
"Dammit Sasuke, what the hell are you thinking-" Itachi was about to ask, before he noticed something with his Sharingan. "Oh, I see. Very smart, Sasuke," he whispered.
"You must be a truly exceptional Uchiha in order to master Susanoo to such degree, Uchiha," Akashi said, as his tone seemed to reflect genuine admiration. "That will make my victory over you all the sweeter! And no, that jutsu won't save you from the destructive power of my Bloodline Limit!"
"Destructive indeed. Be careful you aren't hit by your own attack," Sasuke taunted.
Akashi laughed uproarously. "Hahaha! You dumb Uchiha! My jutsu won't target me! The area of effect around the initial casting point is completely safe! I knew you guessed that, given that you were trying to get close to me, but I shouldn't have expected so much from your clan."
"Are you sure about that?" Itachi asked, smirking confidently.
Akashi knew the Uchihas were trying to play a mind game on him. Still, he couldn't repress the urge to look up and prove the Uchihas wrong. He was confident he could spare a quick glance, since his hated foes weren't close enough to attack him. So his eyes moved up...
"WHAT!?"
...and much to his shock, he saw a meteor that was about to land right on top of him,
Akashi let out a yell and jumped away just in time to avoid being obliterated. However, there was no explosion when the meteor hit the ground, much to his confusion. It took him a couple seconds to relize what had happened.
"A fucking genjutsu! I knew it was a trick!" He shouted in anger, before making a hand seal, and send a burst of chakra through his body.
However, as he was doing that, he didn't realize that he had jumped out of the safe zone, and another meteor landed near him. This one did result in an explosion that send him flying away. However, his flight was interrupted when he saw a blade made of golden flames erupting from his chest.
"Wh..what the...?" he babbled, as he turned around. He saw that Itachi's Susanoo was now holding a sword made of golden flames in one of its right hands. A gourd formed in the other right hand, as he felt pulled towards it. "H-How...?"
"Yes, I figured out how your jutsu worked," Sasuke explained. "Though I didn't want you to get close to you in order to get away from the meteors, but to put you under a genjutsu. Whose purpose was to make you leave said safe zone."
"That's how you used that jutsu of yours, right? You stay in one spot and watch how the meteors burn everything else to ashes," Itachi continued. "But if somebody made you leave that zone... you aren't used to dodge your own attacks, are you?"
"S-Shit...!" Akashi cursed, as he was slowly absorbed into the gourd.
"Don't worry, your suffering will end soon," Itachi said, as he stood up. "In the meantime, you shall be sealed."
Once the deranged undead ninja was completely sealed, his jutsu was cancelled, and meteors stopped falling from the sky.
"Finally. His constant yammering was even more annoying than those meteors," Sasuke said, as he got back on his feet, and shook his clothes from possible dust.
"This fight is over, but the battle is far from being won," Itachi said. "Come on, I'm sure there are far more reanimations out there that need to be sealed."
Sasuke nodded, and the two brothers returned to where the main battle was taking place.
…
Meanwhile, back in the thick of the battle, Ran and a few other Allied ninjas were trying to beat Gari. Bodies kept piling around him the longer the fight went on. Some tried to overwhelm him with numbers, but such tactic didn't work given the former Iwa ninja's Bloodline Limit, whose jutsu had a wide area of effect.
This didn't go unnoticed to the undead ninja's enemies, as the Allied ninjas were becoming more and more hesitant to attack him, given the sheer power of his jutsu.
"What's wrong, guys? Don't tell me you're afraid of me?" Gari mockingly asked. His taunt only made the ninja around him take a step back. "Well, if you're not going to move, don't mind if I take the initiative! Explosion Release: Devastating Napalm!"
Gari slammed both hands into the ground, generating a row of explosions in a straight line, killing the ninjas directly caught in the explosions, and tossing those near them around the place, Ran among them.
The Kumo kunoichi tried to get back on his feet, but much to her horror, Gari had decided to target her as his next victim.
"Don't think I forgot about the arm you sliced off!" Gari shouted, ignoring the fact that said arm grew back shortly after, as he prepared another explosive jutsu. "Explo-ACK!"
Suddenly, Gari was yanked mid air by an invisible force, pulling him towards an unspecified point, until he felt a strong hand clamp over his neck.
"W-What...?" Gari asked, realizing that the one holding him by his neck was an attractive blond woman with a piece of cloth covering her left eye. It didn't take him long enough to recognize her. "Tsunade...?"
"Ding ding ding, winner!" Tsunade mockingly said, before placing her other hand on Gari's head. "Ningendo!"
Using her Rinnegan powers, Tsunade ripped Gari's soul out of his body, which started to fall apart into dust and ashes the moment she dropped it. Satisfied with her one hit kill, Tsunade looked around, seeing Allied ninjas fighting White Zetsu clones and reanimations. Soon, she was joined by more ninjas, all of them medics, such as Shizune and her female students.
"It seems that we arrived just in time, Tsunade-sama," Sakura mentioned.
"Not in time. I can see quite a lot of dead bodies littering the battleground," Shizune pointed out.
"Yes. However, that doesn't mean we can save those who are still alive. Spread out, and help those groups who are having the more troubles!" Tsunade ordered. Her subordinates nodded, and did as she asked. "Now, let's see what else I can do. Shurado!"
Tsunade pointed her arm at an incoming group of White Zetsu clones. Said arm morphed into a mechanical cannon, which started to gather light particles, before it fired a powerful blast of chakra at the group, instantly obliterating the White Zetsu directly hit, and greatly damaging those around them, sending them in every direction.
"Damn, that was even better than during the training!" Tsunade cheered, as her arm morphed back to normal. "Though this Rinnegan shit consumes quite a lot of chakra. Fortunately, there's plenty of food around here. I'm not much of a fan of vegan buffetes, but guess I can't complain. Bansho Ten'in!"
Tsunade spread her arms outwards, as she used the Deva Path to telekinetically pull two normal White Zetsu clones to one of her arms each, just like she did with Gari. The moment she touched them, she started to quickly drain their chakra. The more chakra they were drained of them, the Zetsu started to wither and shrink as if they were plants that have been deprived of water for far too long, before they were reduced to piles of dust.
"Ah, that hit the spot," Tsunade said with a smirk of satisfaction. "Oh look, there's a tormented soul that's in need of salvation! And a good beating since we're at it!"
…
With Tsunade's arrival, the tide of the battle was turned in the Allied Ninja's favor. The reanimations and White Zetsu clones, even the stronger variants, were simply no match for the power of the Rinnegan. Once all reanimations were destroyed by Tsunade, the remaining White Zetsu decided to flee. Or were ordered to flee. Not that it made any difference.
And thus, the first battle of the Fourth Ninja War came to an end with a victory for the Allied Ninja Forces. Despite the victory, it left some people with a bittersweet taste in their mouths, wondering if they would have been able to win had Tsunade not showed up for help.
After that, Kurotsuchi ordered for her division to set up camp in the middle of the battleground –given that the battle has cleared most of the trees and rocks– so the medics of Tsunade's division could start properly healing the wounded.
Meanwhile, at the Mounain Graveyard, Obito didn't say anything or react in any way when one of the Zetsu informed him about their defeat. He merely teleported away, leaving Orochimaru alone in the cave they were using as an improvised command center.
Though, despite being on the losing side and losing all the reanimations he had deployed for the battle, Orochimaru was nothing short of exciet due the discovery he had made.
"Kukuku... so they gave the other Rinnegan to Tsunade-hime," the Sannin said to no one in particular. "That may complicate things... but also simplify many others. If I play my cards right, I might be able to get my hands on not just one but both Rinnegan!"
Author's Note: Well, here's the end of the first batle of the Fourth Ninja War, with a victory for the good guys. Though, can you call it a victory when they needed reinforcements so soon? Well, maybe future battles will go better. Or not, who knows what kind of aces under the hole bot Akatsuki and Orochimaru have...
I just hope that you enjoyed the battles nontheless. I know that, with the exception of Sasuke and Itachi, and Tsunade towards the very end, most of the battles were focused on minor characters, such as Maki and her students. There are many characters, both major and minor, that I like and I want to give them some moment under the spotlight. Worry not, I can assure you that every character will have their chance to shine during this war.
Next chapter will be the aftermath of the battle, as members of the Second Division relax and reflect on the battles they fought, as well as the challenges that fate is saving for them. Not everything is going to be fighting, or else this story would be exhausting to both write and read.
Thanks to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to share yout thoughts in a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!