Descent Into Hell
"Well, you gonna call or not?" The guard looked down at his hand, keeping his features smooth. The pool had gotten large, either someone had a good hand, or wanted people to think they did. His hand wasn't terrible. Neither was it particularly good. He was saved from giving an immediate answer when he heard the door hinges begin creaking.
"You smoked that pretty fast…" The man said looking up just in time to for a sandaled heel to smash his face in.
His head snapped back and he tumbled from his chair. Reacting as fast as he could he tried to scramble to his knees, but his assailant was faster. Before he could get his feet under him he was placed in a sleeper hold. Trying to fight back he managed to get a glimpse of the guardroom before he blacked out. He saw all his fellow guards in situations similar to his own, and shinobi flooding into the building. His consciousness began leaving him, replaced by despair as he saw the leaf insignia on their headbands. Konoha had found them.
Ziren hit the sitting guard heel first. He rolled across the ground before leaping to his feet and rushing for the door. Others would take care of the guards, his team had another mission. He burst through the door and ran down the white, antiseptic corridor. He was coming up fast on a T intersection with an elevator across from the hall way. Ziren sensed chakra in the elevator shaft rising. He motioned with his hands to the shinobi behind him letting them know there were three hostiles in the elevator.
Ziren turned down the hallway as the elevator dinged open. Two Konoha shinobi leapt in and a scream was soon muffled. At the end of a hallway stood a door that lead to the stairwell. According to their reconnaissance it was locked and reinforced against intrusion. Ziren grabbed the hilt of his sword and fell into himself. A flash of black and the ring of steel saw the door fall from its hinges. Ziren sheathed his sword as he pulled out a fuuinjutsu tag. He threw at the ceiling where it stuck to the stone before a rope dropped from the sealing matrices.
Leaping from the landing Ziren hooked his repelling gear to the chakra enhanced rope and slid down at dizzying speeds. More ropes appeared around him as he heard others repelling after him. He gave a new signal and a shinobi swung from the rope onto one of the platforms taking down a researcher who was getting his cardio. Ziren realized they had improperly measured the rope and that it ended seven feet above the bottom floor. Nothing for it now, Ziren braced himself and fell free of the rope. He tucked in and rolled with the impact. Once back to his feet he quickly took in the area. A small dark landing with two doors leading in opposite directions.
He covered the door closest to him while he waited for the rest of his team. The plan was to have as many teams of shinobi penetrate as far in to the lab as they could. Hopefully by the time the alarm was sounded the enemies in the lab wouldn't be able to put up a unified front against the invaders. The leader of the team going through the door opposite Ziren's landed, he was quickly followed by Anko, Shinobu, and Kō. Giving more silent hand gestures Ziren nodded to the leader of the other team before opening the door and moving farther into the laboratory.
The corridor they found themselves in seemed to have been carved from the mountain. The walls were unworked stone and the only light was a weak bulb every few feet. Moving as quickly and as quietly as a shadow, the shinobi made their way down. Ziren stopped at the first door, but it was only a storage room. They continued when Kō tapped Ziren on the shoulder. He signaled that there was a turn up ahead and that three figures were approaching them. Ziren signaled to Shinobu then to Anko, nodded once and the four took off running down the hall way.
They were coming up on the bend quickly. Ziren could sense them now. Their chakra signatures were weak, not much of a threat. Still, they could sound an alarm, quick and quiet. Shinobu began crawling up the wall until she was on the ceiling. Just then three researchers rounded the corner. Anko punched the first one in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She then grabbed his head and smashed it into the wall. He dropped like a sack of rocks as Kō knocked the second one out with a few well-placed hits. The third turned and tried to run away, but Shinobu dropped down on top of him forcing the older man to the ground. She pricked his neck with a needle hidden up her jacket sleeve. The poison worked quickly and the man soon fell unconscious.
Once they were out Ziren restrained them with chakra-resistant zip cords. They were about to begin making their way down the corridor again when alarms began blaring. "Seems they finally caught on," Anko said.
"Too many teams have infiltrated the base. Resistance at this point would be futile," Shinobu said reapplying poison to her needle.
"Be sure to tell them that as they fight us. I'm sure they'll listen. We should hurry, they probably won't be expecting us to have gotten so far. We may still have surprise on our side."
"Come in, Black team. Come in." The radio in Ziren's ear crackled to life with Shikaku's voice.
"Black team here. I assume you've captured the communications center?"
"Correct. But they're not letting us have it that easily. What's your status?"
"On schedule. We have three packages ready for delivery in sector 28."
"Excellent. Continue with the mission." The earpiece quieted as Ziren motioned for his team to move on. They came to another door and got into position.
"There's five," Kō said peering through the solid door. "One of them is armed, with higher chakra levels."
"Okay here's what we'll d-"
"Wait," Kō whispered, interrupting Ziren. He pulled his hand back and began gathering chakra in his palm. "Get ready to move. An opportunity has presented itself. Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!" Air blasted from Kō's palm sending the door flying across the room. The scientists in the room had half a second to act surprised before they were on the floor. Once that was taken care of Ziren walked over to the wreckage that was the door. Heaving the twisted metal out of the way Ziren looked at the corpse of the guard, human necks weren't supposed to twist that way. He had been standing behind the door when Kō blasted it.
"Hrgghhhk!" Ziren turned to see Kō pulling his hand out of one of the captured scientists mouth. "Bastard had a cyanide capsule in a false tooth. So do the rest," He said after glancing at the other three unconscious bodies.
"Take care of it. I'm calling in the new packages," Ziren said. Once that was taken care of they continued down the corridor. The hallway terminated at another locked and reinforced door. "Kō, report."
"Six inside. All are armed with crossbows. Split into three teams of two. They're hiding behind tables, but they haven't overturned them. They have equipment and other things on them." Ziren was silent for a moment, staring at the crude map Kō had drawn. Those crossbows plus the choke-point were going to be a problem. Their chain mesh wasn't going to stop a bolt to the chest.
"I have an idea. Anko, I need something with pit organs."
"Got it. Summoning Jutsu." Anko slammed her hand on the floor. Smoke billowed from the spot where her hand touched the ground and from within the cloud Rassuruhisu slithered.
"Ssso the attack began?" The snake asked.
"Figured you wouldn't want to miss it," Anko said.
"Missss a chanssse to ssstick it to the Warmonger? Never."
"Glad you're on board, here's the plan. I'll fill the room with mist. When I do that Kō you take out the group on the right. Rassuruhisu, the left. I'll take the enemy straight up the middle. Wait on my signal. Shinobu, can you get that door unlocked?" The Aburame nodded before taking out a set of lock picking tools. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu." Mist began rising around the swordsman. Ziren inhaled deeply before blowing mist through the crack under the door.
A clang sounded as an excitable researcher let loose their crossbow too early and the bolt bounced off the door. "It is unlocked." Shinobu announced stepping back.
"Watch out, they're going to start firing wildly." Once everyone had taken cover Ziren kicked in the door and stepped aside. It banged against wall with a clangorous ruckus. Five crossbow bolts went whizzing past the shinobi's position, skittering harmlessly down the hallway. Rassuruhisu and Kō made ready to charge in but stopped when Ziren held up his hand. One beat, two, the sixth bolt went flying past. Someone inside was keeping their head about them.
Ziren brought his hand down and went charging into the wall of mist. Halfway across the room Ziren dropped down and went sliding across the mist-soaked floor feet first. The light changed as he slid under the table and his feet hit someone's legs. The man yelled out and stumbled. Reaching out Ziren felt a flapping length of fabric, just what he was looking for. Using all his might Ziren pulled on the lab coat and was rewarded with a loud crash and a crack as the researcher went limp after meeting the metal lab table nose first.
"What was that!?" Shouted the unconscious man's partner. Surging to his feet Ziren grabbed his crossbow and twisted it out of the scientist's hands. "One's over here! Helggghh!" His cries for aid were cut off as Ziren wrapped an arm around the man's neck and squeezed. The researcher put up a valiant effort at trying to break free, but Ziren's grip was steel. His struggles gradually lessened and lessened before he went limp in Ziren's arms.
Ziren lowered the man to the floor and remained crouching. There was a strange sound and an unusual chakra emanating from inside the room. No need to tempt fate to send a crossbow bolt his way. "Sound off!"
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
Ziren dismissed the mist and took stock of the situation. Kō stood over two immobile bodies. Ziren could see that one of them was still conscious by the fear-crazed eyes darting back and forth, but his body didn't seem to be listening. Looking over to Rassuruhisu Ziren found out what those weird sounds and chakra were. The snake had extended its tail to head height and was shaking the rattle on its end to and fro. The sound had created a genjutsu that left the two scientists staring dumbly at the ground. Anko moved forward with a blackjack in hand and knocked the two men unconscious.
Confident in their relative safety Ziren looked around the lab. Counters ringed the wall holding all sorts of scientific gear and chemicals. At the back of the room stood another door. This one seemed more reinforced than the others. His eyes finally fell on the table in front of his and he almost took a step back. On the metal table was a partially dissected praying mantis. Many laboratories studied insects he was sure. He was working with an Aburame after all. But he was pretty sure that they weren't studying praying mantises that were five feet long.
"Hey, uh Shinobu? Can I get your professional Aburame opinion on this?"
"It is a giant praying mantis."
"Really? I hadn't figured that out yet," Ziren said sarcastically.
"It is obviously unnatural," Shinobu continued ignoring him. "How they grew them to this size will only be known once a full inventory of this lab has been completed. I recommend we continue our mission."
"Very well. Finish securing the prisoners, I'm going to ca-"
"Black leader come in! Come in black leader!" Ziren's radio came alive with the voice of Shikaku.
"Black leader here."
"Red team needs reinforcements. You're the closest team to their position."
"Where are they, and what's their status?"
"Sector 24. Their status is unknown. We lost communication with them. Proceed quickly, but with caution."
"Roger. Look lively people. We've received an SOS," Ziren announced turning to his team. "Red team is in trouble and we're closest. Let's go."
"What's their status?" Anko asked as she followed Ziren back through the hallway they had come from.
"Unknown. We're jumping into the fire blind here. Prepare yourself accordingly," Ziren ordered his team. The group came out into the stairwell they were in before. "Kō you're on point. Shinobu bring up the rear. They're in sector 24. Our comrades are in trouble. Move it!"
The team went through the new corridor, identical to the one before. They passed a few doors and a few captured scientists. The sound of battle reached their ears as the Konoha shinobi came to an open doorway. They went though and found themselves in an amphitheater of some sort. They were at the top of a row of tiered seats. At the center of the stage sat a large operating table that was used for demonstrations. At least there should've been. It was currently being used as a bludgeon by a giant of a man fight two Konoha shinobi.
He was clothed in only boxers showing the world the myriad of scars and chemical burns covering his skin. He was bald and close to seven feet tall. But what drew the eye was the…
"Curse mark," Anko breathed. His body was covered by what looked like writhing, thorny black plants. They terminated at his shoulder at a mark that was identical to the mark on Anko's neck. The chakra radiating off him was going to make Ziren sick. One of the shinobi fighting the man took the operating table to the chest and skidded across the floor.
"Rassuruhisu, Anko, Kō, you three engage the man. Shinobu provided back-up. I'll see to the survivors."
Rassuruhisu was the fastest down the steps and lunged at the cursed man. The giant was fast and caught the snakes jaw on one of the tables legs. "Bah! Thijs wake up, fight Konoha. Now Thijs fight snake big?!" The giant roared, his voice halting and heavily accented. He then grabbed Ras' head and held his jaw closed as he swung the snake like a whip at the approaching Kō. The Hyῡga had ducked down to avoid the reptile as Anko released a hail of shuriken. Thijs released Ras and brought the table back up as a shield.
Meanwhile, Ziren had made his way to the shinobi that had been knocked back. His breathing was ragged and his color pale. "Stay with me," Ziren ordered the man as he looked him over. He had a few broken ribs, but didn't seem life threatening.
"P-poison," The shinobi wheezed indicating a senbon needle in his shoulder.
"We'll get you out of this, hang on."
"W-watch out f-for the oth-ther one."
"Other one?" Ziren's head snapped up to see an angry, black, chittering cloud rushing towards him. A second, identical cloud clashed with the first. Ziren shook his head to make sure what he is seeing was real. Yep, that was a cloud of Kikaichῡ beetles, fighting another cloud of Kikaichῡ beetles. Ziren followed the cloud back to its source and cursed loudly. He wore neither the trademark coat or the iconic sunglasses, but he was most certainly an Aburame.
Ziren looked at Shinobu to see her reaction. Her face was set in concentration as she controlled her insects, but Ziren could sense the turmoil within. But for the third time that moment Ziren found himself caught off-guard, Anko's chakra was filled with more confusion than Shinobu. "I-Itaro?"
"I am surprised they allowed you to come on a mission like this Anko," Itaro said as he swept his hand at her sending a second swarm at the purple-haired shinobi. Shinobu intercepted them with a swarm of her own.
"Itaro know pests Konoha?" asked the large man swatting aside Rassuruhisu.
"Of course I do, you oaf."
"Thijs not oaf! Thijs clever!" Thijs shouted as another black tendril wrapped around his torso.
"Itaro, I-I don't understand," Anko said.
"Despite your obvious skills you can be surprisingly dense. I was honestly a little disappointed with how easy it was to extract intel on Orochimaru from you."
"You mean you…"
"The entire time, yes."
"Bah! Itaro talk too much. Thijs kill leafs!" Kō dived back as Thijs slammed the table where he had been standing.
"He has the vocabulary of a five-year-old, but he is right. Time to di-" Itaro backflipped as Kikaichῡ burst from the ground beneath him.
"This is Aburame business. You and the rest take care of the giant," Shinobu said to Ziren as she ran after her wayward cousin.
Ziren turned his attention back to the man on the ground in front of him. The poison was continuing to do its work, and his chances weren't good. Ziren shoved a piece of leather into the man's mouth and pulled out the senbon needle in his shoulder. "Bite down, this is going to hurt. A lot." If the man could hear, he didn't show any sign. Placing his palm over the wound, and Ziren fell into himself. "Void Arts: Purge." Black chakra welled up on Ziren's hand before flowing into the open wound. The shinobi's body tensed up and his back arched as he bit deeply into the leather, stifling a scream. Ziren guided the chakra, searching for the impurities, and destroying them.
Ziren finished as the man's body went limp. His color was still pale, but not sickly. Ziren turned the mans head to the side as the man voided his stomach. He had done all he could. Getting to his feet Ziren drew his sword and headed towards the battle brewing with the man who called himself Thijs. "You okay?' Ziren asked to the other Konoha shinobi still standing.
"I'm alive."
"The rest of your team?"
"Dead."
"Get the other one and get to safety. We'll handle things here." Having no energy to argue the shinobi agreed.
"Be careful. That one had a few poisoned needles hidden in his underwear. I don't know what other tricks he might have." So that needle hadn't come from the Aburame. The unknown shinobi ran over to his teammate and pulled him towards the door.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!" Ziren shot a sphere of water at the large man. He brought the table up to block the jutsu and ripped off one of the legs to use as a bludgeon to make Kō keep his distance.
Anko had snuck around and whipped her sleeve out sending a snake at Thijs. The serpent bit into the man's forearm and began wrapping itself around his arm. Not to be outdone Thijs bit the snake and ripped it from his arm before spitting it out. Ziren came in sword leading. Thijs danced back deflecting the blows before lashing out with the table leg. Ziren dodged then feinted right. Thijs blocked right and Ziren lashed out for his left. But Thijs saw through it and rewarded Ziren with a kick to the gut.
The swordsman fell back to regain his breath as Kō stepped in to continue the fight. But his efforts were harried by the ever-present metal table. Anko waited, looking for the opportunity to jump in. The moment should have come by now, but the man was very large. "The oaf knows how to wield a table," Ziren said to himself, though not quietly enough as Thijs turned on Ziren rage in his eyes.
"Thijs not oaf!" The giant yelled as the black thorns covering his body continued to grow. Pulling his arm back the giant hurled the table leg at Ziren. He ducked the whirling metal easily enough as an idea formed in his head.
"Anko follow my lead," Ziren said planning his attack.
"No need, I got this. Ras cover me," She said as she rushed Thijs. Anko had seen the signs she was waiting for. She moved closer a kunai in hand, this battle was over. Thijs turned to face Anko and raised his table to attack. He then swayed and took a step back as his eyes became unfocused. Anko smiled and moved in to slit his throat. Thijs' eyes focused and he gave Anko a smile of his own as he grabbed her by the neck, fast as a viper. He lifted her from her feet and slammed her into the ground.
"Snake poison strong. Thijs fighting stronger!" Thijs shouted slamming her into the ground again.
He then lifted the table and brought its edge down, intent on decapitating the Konoha-nin with its blunt edge. "Missstresss!" Ras hissed. He wrapped around Anko and pushed her out of the way. But he wasn't fast enough and took the attack himself. The air filled with the sound of cracking bones followed by a pop as the rattlesnake disappeared in a cloud of smoke. With the snake out of the way Thijs advanced on Anko again.
"Hey stupid!" Ziren shouted getting Thijs' attention. "That the best you got? I've fought rocks with more brains than you!" A spectacular vein throbbed on Thijs' bald head as he turned towards the swordsman. His eye twitched twice before he charged. Ziren danced back as Thijs made a valiant attempt to splatter his brain across the ground. Ziren twisted and weaved but couldn't get past Thijs' defense. "Come on ya dumb brute, I'm embarrassed to be fighting someone who failed remedial elementary."
"Raaarrrghhhhhh!" Thijs roared bringing the table down. Ziren twisted around it and scored a shallow cut across his arm. Anko and Kō moved in from behind. Thijs wrenched the twisted slab of metal that used to be a table out of the crater. He twisted to and fro, trying to keep all keep all three shinobi in view. They had managed to corner him, and a cornered beast was a dangerous one. One mistake and they could overtake the giant man. One mistake, and their corpses wouldn't be identifiable.
Buzzing filled the air as Kikaichῡ fought against Kikaichῡ. The beetles flew in formation, retreated, used pincer tactics and attempted to outflank the other side. It was an all-out-war in miniature. And standing behind their respective armies the generals plotted and schemed. Itaro swept his hand and to the right and a swarm of his Kikaichῡ crashed into the flank of Shinobu's main force. This wasn't how he had planned his family reunion. No matter, his Kikaichῡ had advanced leaps and bounds thanks to Lord Orochimaru's help. A single Aburame Jonin was no match for him. Already he could tell that Shinobu's beetles were dwindling.
She must have realized this too as she sent the bulk of her insects straight at him. He brought his own swarms together to form a wall. Shinobu's insects crashed into it, but his defenses held. Shinobu burst through the veil of chittering chitin and hit Itaro with a flying kick. He skidded back and brought his arm up just in time to block Shinobu's follow up attack. Kikaichῡ began crawling from her sleeve and leaping onto Itaro. Beetles crawled from his skin and the insectoid war continued to wage on. "How could you have betrayed the village? The clan?" Shinobu asked amid a flurry of punches.
"Do not judge me, Shinobu. What I did, I did for our clan," Itaro replied blocking Shinobu's attacks. He kicked up, knocking her arms up before spinning and kicking her in the chest. Shinbu rolled with the hit and sprung back up to her feet ready to continue, but Itaro wasn't pressing his advantage. Instead he plucked one of Shinobu's Kikaichῡ from his arm. The rest had all been killed. It was a new sub-species; its hind legs had been replaced by the legs of a grasshopper. "I see the Aburame Hatchers have been hard at work," Itaro said crushing the beetle. "When people hear the name Aburame, what comes to mind?"
"I will not play your games, traitor."
"I am no traitor! I have heard what people say when they hear our name."
"It is not your name anymore."
"'Creepy bug people', 'monotonous and boring', 'a minor clan'. These are what people think of us," Itaro continued on, ignoring Shinobu's comment. "They do not give us the respect we deserve. And do you know why?" Shinobu circled remaining wary. While he was going on she was slowly pulling a scroll out of her sleeve. "It is because we allow them! We are smarter than the other clans, more organized, more skilled. We are as great as the Uchiha, the Hyῡga. Why, we even as great as the mighty Uzumaki at the height of their power. But we are held back by the others. When the other members of Konoha insult us, call us creepy. It is because they fear what we could become if given the chance. But we remain held back by the ignorant masses, and the leaders of the Aburame allow it!
"But I knew Lord Orochimaru would agree with me. Would see how we could be so much greater. Perhaps a demonstration is in order." Itaro crouched down and placed his hands on the floor. Larvae crawled from his skin and began burrowing into the stone.
"You were always an odd one, Itaro. But I never thought you an idiot. Do you really think you would obtain anything by working with the likes of Orochimaru? He would dispose of you the moment it was convenient."
"You underestimate me Shinobu. Once my research is done even the likes of Orochimaru wouldn't be able to stand in my way. And besides, do you think I've been doing nothing but talking this entire time?" A shadow fell over Shinobu as Itaro's Kikaichῡ moved in. Shinobu unrolled her scroll and placed her hand on the part labeled sub-hive.
"Summon!" Kikaichῡ beetles poured from the summoning matrix. The two swarms clashed and the miniature war raged to new levels. Shinobu's beetles outnumbered Itaro's, but he had done something to his insects and they were faster and stronger.
"In over my head, need back-up," Shinobu whispered into the radio in her ear.
"Summoning the sub-hive, when did they figure out how to do that? No matter. Count yourself honored, Shinobu. I will show you the future of the Aburame." Itaro flung his arms out wide. "Rise my new comrades!" The ground cracked and stones flew as what Shinobu could only call abominations burst from the floor. They dragged themselves up with forelegs shaped like the scythes of a mantis. Their long centipedal body slithered forward as their oversized mandibles clicked menacingly. Shinobu counted about six of the things, each at about seven feet long. Their heads twitched to and fro as they analyzed Shinobu with their compound eyes.
"Beautiful are they not? Go, my Chimera, kill her." The beasts crawled across the ground on their centipedal legs at surprising speed. Her Kikaichῡ were busy keeping Itaro's swarms at bay. She knew one or two fire jutsus, hopefully they would be enough. She stepped back to prepare her technique when her foot slipped on a loose pebble sending the Aburame tumbling. The abominations were fast and Shinobu could see the venom dripping from their spider-like fangs.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" The Kikaichῡ scattered and the creatures burrowed into the ground as fireballs rained down. However, one of the chimeric monsters wasn't fast enough and was consumed in the conflagration. Anko landed next to Shinobu and helped her to her feet.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," Anko said turning towards Itaro while cracking her knuckles.
"Are Kō and Adair all right?" Shinobu asked.
"They got things in hand."
"If you were twice as smart, you'd still be stupid."
"Rrrrarrrghhh!"
"Come on you half-witted ignoramus!"
"Half-witted ignoramus?"
"I'm not used to this."
"Obviously. Watch and learn. Hey ugly, I'd ask what troll had his way with your mother, but trolls have higher standards than that!"
"Thijs kill!"
Itaro's beetles circled back around and hovered over the traitor, awaiting orders. "I did use you Anko, and I am sorry. I truly enjoyed the time we spent together. It is not too late for you. Orochimaru will still welcome you ba-"
"SHUT UP! You traitors are worse than scum! There is no level in hell low enough for your kind! But I'll send you there anyway." Anko brought her hands together in a sign and began gathering her chakra. Itaro pointed at the pair and his Kikaichῡ beetles swarmed forward. Shinobu summoned every insect at her disposal and sent them to intercept. The two clouds clashed in a deafening clash of buzzing and clicking. Anko turned as the giant bugs emerged behind them. The Konoha shinobi were trapped between the Kikaichῡ and the chimera.
"Cover me, I need to focus on my Kikaichῡ."
"Got it." Anko sent a hail of shuriken at the creatures. They covered their eyes and the shuriken bounced off their chitinous hide. Anko drew and threw another kunai, this one with an explosive tag attached. The lead chimera lunged forward and grabbed the kunai with its mandibles before tossing the knife aside where it exploded harmlessly. So they were trained…great. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu." Anko spit fire out in a fan formation creating distance between Shinobu and the creatures. Rushing into the gap Anko vaulted over the clicking mandibles of a creature, and took one of its eyes with her.
It released a shrill keening as it, and its fellows rounded on her. 'Okay, I got their attention. What was step two again?' While thinking of what to do Anko continued dodging and backing away. One of the chimeras burst from the ground behind her and lunged. She grabbed its mandibles and struggled to hold it at bay. The others were coming up on them fast. She stopped holding the monster back and it shot forward now that it had no opposing force. She ducked under its attack and as it went past she placed both her hands on its soft underbelly and threw it at the approaching group. Before the chimera she threw could get back up she threw another explosive laden kunai at it. It cut into its soft underbelly and the monster began flailing around trying to dislodge the knife.
The creature exploded as the others rushed out of the way before continuing their advance. Now that she had space she began preparing another fire jutsu. The chimeras burrowed into the ground before she could finish. Though now she finally figured out her step two, as she bit her thumb. She twisted around and kicked the chimera that had just burst from the ground. They may be smart, but they were still just bugs. The others emerged from the ground and surrounded Anko. Two were dead and a third was half-blind.
They circled her, waiting for an opportunity. The first one charged forward. Anko turned to face it when two others rushed in. Anko drew a kunai and began fighting the three creatures off. Snapping jaws went for her throat and Anko was barely able to fend them off. The ground shook beneath her feet as the one-eyed creature exploded from below her and wrapped around her legs before sinking its mandibles into her side. She tried to take the other eye with her kunai when a second creature bit into her arm. The combined weight of the beasts bore the purple-haired kunoichi to the ground. She struggled and thrashed trying to break free, but it was no use. "Checkmate," Anko smirked as her body dissolved and dozens of snakes slithered away. The real Anko jumped into the air from below ground and drew a deep breath. "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!" Flames erupted from Anko's mouth. A dragon of fire roared as it crashed onto the chimera, immolating them. Anko landed, blowing the remaining smoke from her mouth. She looked at the smoldering remains of the creatures. She hoped Itaro put a lot of work into them.
No more tactics or strategies were left. The two swarms of Kikaichῡ clashed in one giant, chittering mass. The beetles clashed in mid-air grabbing and biting at each other. Insect corpses rained upon the ground, carpeting it. Shinobu outnumbered Itaro, but his insects were of a higher quality. She was pouring everything she had into controlling her swarm, but at this rate her forces would be decimated. "Even if you kill me. The clan will find your insects. They will know of you, and you will be hunted. To the ends of the Earth if that is what it takes. You have no longer have a place in this world."
"You still don't get it, Shinobu. Konoha is no place for the Aburame. Insulted, ostracized, misunderstood. We deserve so much more. I will carve a new place for the Aburame at the top of the world. I will not let anyone stop me. Not even another Aburame." Shinobu gritted her teeth, at this rate her swarm would be gone. What could she do without a swarm? There was another option, but it was risky. Very risky. But maybe…not quite that risky. Shinobu breathed in deeply. If the Aburame elders knew what she was about to do they would have a stroke.
She extended her arm as she did something almost no self-respecting Aburame would ever do. Her hand felt like it was on fire. She hadn't felt this pain since she first began practicing with her hive. An Aburame's pain sensors became dulled to the sensation of Kikaichῡ emerging through their skin. But then, this was no ordinary Kikaichῡ. It was large, much larger than the others. Its mandibles were small, too small for battle. Its wings began beating and it slowly lifted itself from the Aburame's palm. It took extra effort to get its egg-engorged abdomen into the air. And the queen flew to battle.
Itaro's eyes flew wide. The entire swarm of beetles seemed to freeze for a split second before shuddering. Shinobu's insects flew into a frenzy, ascending to new heights of power by the proximity of their queen. Some of Itaro's own Kikaichῡ came under the queen's sway and began attacking their comrades. What the hell was Shinobu thinking? While true that Kikaichῡ went into frenzies and tripled their combat power in the presence of the queen, it was way too risky. The Aburame protected the queen as much as held her hostage. Without being able to exert direct influence on the queen they could easily lose control of the entire hive. And if the queen died, so did the hive.
Itaro focused all his chakra on his hive, trying to fight the queen's influence. His beetles were faster and stronger than Shinobu's, he could still overcome this. He commanded his swarm to focus attacking the queen. If he could kill it he won. But it took all his will to prevent his Kikaichῡ from going over to the other side. Even if he did manage to win here, there was still a small army of Konoha shinobi between him and escape. Thijs was useless, and if he expended his entire hive in this battle he would be helpless against the others. That left him only one option. His palm burned with pain as his own queen emerged. He sent it into the battling swarms. The Kikaichῡ threw themselves at each other as the two queens clashed for control of the insects.
Shinobu had no idea what she was doing. She had completely relinquished control of her swarm to the queen. While their control was limited, they could still influence the queens, and therefore the hive's, actions. It took him a great deal of effort, but he managed to aid his insects in surrounding Shinobu's queen. "Victory is mine," Itaro whispered. Heat exploded around him and he had to shield his face with his arm. Looking over his arm he saw a pillar of flame where the two warring swarms fought. The fires died down and Itaro stood there in complete shock.
Smoke rose from where the ground had been scorched by the flames. Itaro looked up at Shinobu, his mouth hanging open. Shinobu stilled her shaking hand and met the traitor's eyes. "My queen…your queen…wha...how…?"
"You are intelligent Itaro, and arrogant. The idea of sacrificing your own queen would never have occurred to you. And so, you did not think it would occur to anyone. Now both our queens are dead. But know this. I can return to my family and get a new one. That option is forever closed to you, traitor!" Shinobu began performing hand seals, preparing another fire ninjutsu.
"DAMMIT!" Itaro shouted throwing a barrage of shuriken at Shinobu. He didn't bother to see if they hit, he turned and ran. He made for the door but Anko intercepted him. Cursing to all possible deities he ran back into the room.
Thijs was breathing hard. The thorns that emanated from his curse mark had grown and covered most of his body. And under those his face was a remarkable shade of purple. He was sporting multiple bruises and small cuts. While he had gotten sloppy in his anger Ziren and Kō still had to be careful. One wrong move and they'd be pancakes. Thijs' head whipped back and forth trying to keep both Konoha shinobi in sight. Ziren could hear him gritting his teeth. "How'd you end up with Orochimaru? Oh, I know. Your family got tired of seeing your ugly mug and sold you to the circus." A screech filled the air as Thijs twisted what was left of the metal table with his bare hands.
He threw the twisted metal lump at the ground as he turned towards Ziren. "THIJS NOT SOLD! THIJS WANTED! THIJS CRUSH HANDS BARE!" Thijs charged Ziren intent on squeezing the life out of him. Kō pulled out a bola and got the three weights spinning. He sent the weapon whirling across the ground where it wrapped around Thijs' legs. He fell forward, not caring that he was falling. So long as he was falling close enough to get his hands on Ziren. The giant fell towards Ziren, murder in his eyes. Ziren ducked under one had twisted around the other. He twirled around the back of the strange man as his sword sang.
Thijs collapsed to the ground as Ziren flicked the man's blood from his blade. He had cut a straight, clean line through the back of Thijs' thighs. Thijs roared as he tried to climb to his feet, but his legs weren't obeying. With his hamstrings severed he wasn't going anywhere. "Thijs not abandoned. Thijs not sold. Thijs kill leafs."
"Think I hit a particular nerve on that one. But we got him," Ziren said stretching his shoulder.
"Incoming!" Ziren turned at Kō's warning to see Itaro land next to Thijs. Anko and Shinobu were right behind him.
"Get up you incomprehensible lummox. We need to go!"
"Thijs hurt. Not move."
"I don't want excuses you idiot! Orochi-"
"THIJS NOT STUPID! THIJS NOT TALK GOOD!" Thijs surged to his feet somehow and caught Itaro in the chest with the backswing. The Aburame traitor was sent flying across the room where he slammed into the wall, imbedding him in the stone. The wall cracked as blood flew from Itaro's mouth. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body slumped. The curse mark had completely covered Thijs' body. The sick sound of twisting flesh and cracking bones filled the air as Thijs' body began changing.
"Anko?"
"Don't ask me."
An enraged, inhuman roar rent the air as Thijs flesh became the sickly green of diseased plants. His hands became claws, his canines became fangs. Spines grew from his arms, back, and neck. A scorpion tail burst from his backside, the tip dripping poison. He…It roared again. All signs of intelligence were gone from its eyes, replaced with primal, animalistic rage.
Ziren threw himself back as Thijs slammed the place he had been standing. The ground cracked and stones flew from the impact. He was fast. "Forget capturing. Take him out!" Thijs tail shot out trying to impale Ziren. He parried Thijs' new tail, desperately avoiding the deadly stinger.
"I have an idea, we need to get his attention. Kō cover us," Shinobu said to Anko and Kō. The two kunoichi released flurries of shuriken at the transformed giant. Every single one hit their mark, embedding themselves in his back. Unfortunately, the raging beast took no notice of the razor-sharp metal lodged in his flesh. Steam began rising from Thijs' back as the shuriken began plinking down onto the floor and his skin knit itself back together.
Ziren was still desperately avoiding the stinger and Thijs' claws. "A little help guys!"
"Try this," Anko drew a kunai and threw it. It cut into Thijs as the explosive tag began glowing. "Ziren, get down!"
"Hope you know what you're doing!" Ziren dodged under another fist as he threw himself at the floor. The tag exploded ripping Thijs' back apart. The flesh began healing as Thijs turned and charged.
"Now Anko," Shinobu said performing hand seals. Anko saw what she was preparing and mirrored her. Thijs stopped short and brought his arms up. His muscles bulged and the spines covering his skin shot out at the Konoha shinobi. Kō interposed himself between the oncoming spines and his teammates.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!" Air shot out of Kō's palm blasting the spines away. The Hyῡga crouched down as Anko and Shinobu finished their jutsus.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
The two kunoichi brought their hands to their mouth and released great gouts of flame. The two techniques combined into a singular massive conflagration that consumed Thijs. "Got him!" Anko shouted.
"Get back! He's still coming," Kō said gathering chakra into his palm. Thijs emerged from the fire roaring. The fire had taken its toll, but he was already healing. "Eight Trigrams: Mountain Crusher!" Kō shouted bringing both his palms forward. The blast was so powerful that Thijs went flying back while Kō skidded back several feet.
Thijs jabbed his tail into the ground allowing him to flip around and grab onto the ground with his claws. The ground broke apart as Thijs continued sliding back, but was slowing down. Ziren was waiting and flipped over the skidding Thijs bringing his sword down on his tail. The giant roared as the stinger was severed and Thijs went tumbling back. The cursed man roared in pain as he climbed to his feet. "Kō, with me! Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu." Mist rose up surrounding the two combatants.
Thijs turned this way and that looking for something to destroy, or kill. He wasn't particularly picky. Thijs roared as a sword cut into his back. By the time he turned towards the source, Ziren was already gone. His leg burned in agony as his chakra points became inflamed. Again, and again Ziren and Kō attacked from the mist. By the time he turned to attack they had already vanished back into the impenetrable fog. But no matter how many times he was hurt the wound healed almost instantly.
"How long do you plan on this? We're not hurting him," Kō said.
"Pay attention, Kō. That healing of his takes a lot of chakra. And he's running out." Now that Kō was looking closer he could see that Ziren was right. Thijs' remaining chakra was low. If they continued like this they would bleed the monster dry.
"RRRAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!" Thijs roared and began pounding the ground around him, attacking randomly.
"What's he doing?" Kō asked.
"Getting frustrated, would be my guess. Sit back, let his tantrum run its cour-" The ground shifted beneath their feet suddenly. Ziren and Kō looked up at each other as cracks snaked their way across the floor. "Run!" The two turned and ran as fast as they could from Thijs.
Cracking filled the air as the ground fractured beneath their feet. Fissures ran out from where Thijs was attacking the ground. The cracks were outpacing the shinobi and Ziren feared they weren't going to make it. He felt the ground fall away from below him. He pumped chakra to his legs and leapt for it. But the ground was falling away too fast. He managed to catch onto the edge of the expanding chasm scrambled for purchase. He used chakra to adhere his hand. But the stone he was holding onto broke away. And Ziren fell into the abyss.
