CHAPTER 8
Final Parting
The sound of Ittou's feet scarcely made a sound as he darted from rooftop to rooftop. The words of the council still echoed in his head.
"Cowards." ,he said to himself as his attention was drawn to a quick flash of light to his left.
He came to a screeching halt and pulled a kunai from his holster. In a single, elegant arc of his hand, a shuriken was deflected to the earth below. He could not see his attacker, but he could feel the chakra pulsing from him. Two of them? He thought as he quickly sprinted to the adjacent hotel building. He began again to dart away, but his feet began to sink into the roof. He looked down and pulled with all his might, but to no avail. From the roof, which now was damp like mud, he saw a pale hand reach out with a poison senbon. The hand reached back then arced forward to pierce his ankle. He put both hands to his face and executed a tiger seal. He channeled a small amount of chakra and released it suddenly.
"KAI", he said loudly as the dispel Genjutsu spell took effect. Yuuhi Kurenai lay on the roof still aimed to stab Ittou in the leg. He dropped quickly to his back as he kicked upward, striking her in the wrist- forcing her to drop the needle. Both of the ninja sprang up and leapt away from each other. In a second attack, Kurenai expertly performed a few hand seals and upon command four clones of her darted away from the rooftop. Ittou drew out two kunai and spun them at a blinding speed in his hands. Just as the kunai came to rest in his hands, Kurenai had already begun her second Jutsu. One of her shuriken exploded into a barrage of a few hundred. As if by reaction, Ittougigei sprang upward dodging the massive assault. Before he could land, the 4 clones of Kurenai were sailing through the air with their kunai drawn, aiming to stab Ittou. The first thrust forward, which he deflected with a downward stab of his kunai. It tore through the clone's wrist, forcing her to drop her knife. He released his and caught hers in one motion. From this same deflection he slashed backwards with his newly acquired kunai which tore through her throat. The clone disappeared in a burst of smoke. The second came from above with her knife blade pointed downward. He swung his arm upward and the sound of metal on metal contact echoed across the rooftop. This clone was simply blocked away from him. He reached the apex of his jump and began to fall as the third clone was upon him. From behind, it attacked with a downward stab with the left hand and a sweeping slash with the right. He spun expertly, mostly avoiding both attacks, receiving only a small cut across the front of his flak jacket. A tiny trickle of blood dripped out. He sensed another beneath him and glanced down the instant before he landed. His eyes grew wide as his feet bore down on the caltrops placed by his second attacker. Pain shot through his feet as the tiny points of metal pierced his sandals and dug into his feet. He stumbled to his side, rolling across the roof to safety. He sprang up and winced again as he pushed the caltrops further into his flesh. As he fell to a knee he felt the rooftop rumble as a familiar voice called out.
"Kuchiyose!!- Tracking Fang No Jutsu!!"
The roof split apart as a pack of ravenous hounds darted out, grasping onto Ittou's body. The weight of the animals combined with the strength of their jaws held him firmly in place. The final clone of Kurenai dashed forward and thrust her kunai straight into Ittou's face. He closed his eyes and expected to feel the cold steel pierce his body. A moment passed. He opened his eyes.
"Come now Ittou- I am an expert at Genjutsu. We all know how poorly you are at channeling chakra! You incorrectly placed your index fingers when you performed your tiger seal!" Kurenai said matter-of-factly.
Another chuckle came from behind him.
"And what a reckless decision that was to jump into the air to dodge such an attack. How many years has it been since we learned that leaving our feet make us vulnerable from many angles?" Sharingan Kakashi questioned with a jovial smile on his face.
The dogs disappeared in a cloud of smoke, as the jounin Ittou collapsed to his knees. He removed his sandals and began to pluck the caltrops from his feet. He did not say a word, perhaps his bruised pride prevented him from doing so.
Kurenai spoke again. "You said earlier that you didn't care if the hunter ninja came for you. But what can you hope to do if you cannot even escape us in this village?"
The utter rage could clearly be seen in Ittougigei's eyes. He looked directly into the woman's eyes as he pulled the last caltrop from his feet and slipped his sandal back on. Kakashi stretched his hand out to the man, offering help getting up. Ittou turned away and rose to his feet on his own. As he shook himself off he spoke.
"In the future, I will not hesitate to use my weapons against you two. I do not intend to kill you here- let me pass."
Kurenai became stern and spoke again.
"COME TO YOUR SENSES!! You will not leave this place and shame your family while there is so much to be done! You have become blind by your anger! With such hatred clouding your judgment, you are no match for the enemy that you face!"
Ittou walked directly before her and stared deeply into her eyes. "Answer me this once- you will never see me again. You speak as if you have some knowledge of who this enemy is. If you have seen this face or heard this name, speak now. I feel that this pain inside of me will not allow me to distinguish between friend and foe for long."
Kakashi stepped forward and placed his hand upon Ittou's shoulder. "You have always done everything you can to make things right. You must trust that your destiny is not to die far away from your home. Your father needs your strength…this village needs your strength.
Ittou turned. "I will never call you friend again. That is certain. But you must understand that I am past the point of redemption. No words will change my decision."
Kurenai swung a punch at the back of Ittougigei's head, which he reached back and caught in his palm. She began to softly cry as she spoke.
"Will you never rid yourself of this pain? Are you lost to this madness forever? We wish to see you smile again! If you are to die in battle- it should rightfully be by our side!!"
He gently touched her chin with his hand and raised her head to his eyes.
"On the day that I have slain that person, I will leave one of these blades behind. If destiny is that I am to leave behind Odayaka, my serenity, then my thirst for revenge will never be quenched. But if it is fated that I leave Gekido, my fury behind, then I will let go of my rage and walk with a clear conscious. That is my only promise. Regardless, I am doomed to never call this place home again."
Kakashi beckoned for Kurenai. She walked sadly over to him. The copy ninja reached into his pocket and pulled from it an intricate shuriken. It had the kanji for revenge inscribed on it. He stretched out his hand and placed it before Ittou, who stood there staring at it intently.
"There was a day long ago when I went to your father to have this made. I took this weapon and hid it away until the day that I would come face-to-face with the one who slew my comrade, Obito. I swore that I would use this shuriken to take that life and be done with my suffering."
He dropped it into Ittou's hands and put his hand back into his pocket. "But I realized that my duty was not to myself- but to my village. Maybe the day will come that you will do the same. Should you discover that you don't need that suffering anymore- I wish for you to return that to me. And if what you say is your promise is truer than what I said was my word- then I can only hope with all that I am that it will be Gekido buried in the Sand."
Sand? Ittou thought to himself. Kurenai turned to Kakashi stunned. The copy ninja smiled again and turned away with Kurenai. Ittougigei stood motionless on the rooftop. His eyes fell upon the shuriken from Kakashi, and a thin smile came to his lips.
Final Parting
The sound of Ittou's feet scarcely made a sound as he darted from rooftop to rooftop. The words of the council still echoed in his head.
"Cowards." ,he said to himself as his attention was drawn to a quick flash of light to his left.
He came to a screeching halt and pulled a kunai from his holster. In a single, elegant arc of his hand, a shuriken was deflected to the earth below. He could not see his attacker, but he could feel the chakra pulsing from him. Two of them? He thought as he quickly sprinted to the adjacent hotel building. He began again to dart away, but his feet began to sink into the roof. He looked down and pulled with all his might, but to no avail. From the roof, which now was damp like mud, he saw a pale hand reach out with a poison senbon. The hand reached back then arced forward to pierce his ankle. He put both hands to his face and executed a tiger seal. He channeled a small amount of chakra and released it suddenly.
"KAI", he said loudly as the dispel Genjutsu spell took effect. Yuuhi Kurenai lay on the roof still aimed to stab Ittou in the leg. He dropped quickly to his back as he kicked upward, striking her in the wrist- forcing her to drop the needle. Both of the ninja sprang up and leapt away from each other. In a second attack, Kurenai expertly performed a few hand seals and upon command four clones of her darted away from the rooftop. Ittou drew out two kunai and spun them at a blinding speed in his hands. Just as the kunai came to rest in his hands, Kurenai had already begun her second Jutsu. One of her shuriken exploded into a barrage of a few hundred. As if by reaction, Ittougigei sprang upward dodging the massive assault. Before he could land, the 4 clones of Kurenai were sailing through the air with their kunai drawn, aiming to stab Ittou. The first thrust forward, which he deflected with a downward stab of his kunai. It tore through the clone's wrist, forcing her to drop her knife. He released his and caught hers in one motion. From this same deflection he slashed backwards with his newly acquired kunai which tore through her throat. The clone disappeared in a burst of smoke. The second came from above with her knife blade pointed downward. He swung his arm upward and the sound of metal on metal contact echoed across the rooftop. This clone was simply blocked away from him. He reached the apex of his jump and began to fall as the third clone was upon him. From behind, it attacked with a downward stab with the left hand and a sweeping slash with the right. He spun expertly, mostly avoiding both attacks, receiving only a small cut across the front of his flak jacket. A tiny trickle of blood dripped out. He sensed another beneath him and glanced down the instant before he landed. His eyes grew wide as his feet bore down on the caltrops placed by his second attacker. Pain shot through his feet as the tiny points of metal pierced his sandals and dug into his feet. He stumbled to his side, rolling across the roof to safety. He sprang up and winced again as he pushed the caltrops further into his flesh. As he fell to a knee he felt the rooftop rumble as a familiar voice called out.
"Kuchiyose!!- Tracking Fang No Jutsu!!"
The roof split apart as a pack of ravenous hounds darted out, grasping onto Ittou's body. The weight of the animals combined with the strength of their jaws held him firmly in place. The final clone of Kurenai dashed forward and thrust her kunai straight into Ittou's face. He closed his eyes and expected to feel the cold steel pierce his body. A moment passed. He opened his eyes.
"Come now Ittou- I am an expert at Genjutsu. We all know how poorly you are at channeling chakra! You incorrectly placed your index fingers when you performed your tiger seal!" Kurenai said matter-of-factly.
Another chuckle came from behind him.
"And what a reckless decision that was to jump into the air to dodge such an attack. How many years has it been since we learned that leaving our feet make us vulnerable from many angles?" Sharingan Kakashi questioned with a jovial smile on his face.
The dogs disappeared in a cloud of smoke, as the jounin Ittou collapsed to his knees. He removed his sandals and began to pluck the caltrops from his feet. He did not say a word, perhaps his bruised pride prevented him from doing so.
Kurenai spoke again. "You said earlier that you didn't care if the hunter ninja came for you. But what can you hope to do if you cannot even escape us in this village?"
The utter rage could clearly be seen in Ittougigei's eyes. He looked directly into the woman's eyes as he pulled the last caltrop from his feet and slipped his sandal back on. Kakashi stretched his hand out to the man, offering help getting up. Ittou turned away and rose to his feet on his own. As he shook himself off he spoke.
"In the future, I will not hesitate to use my weapons against you two. I do not intend to kill you here- let me pass."
Kurenai became stern and spoke again.
"COME TO YOUR SENSES!! You will not leave this place and shame your family while there is so much to be done! You have become blind by your anger! With such hatred clouding your judgment, you are no match for the enemy that you face!"
Ittou walked directly before her and stared deeply into her eyes. "Answer me this once- you will never see me again. You speak as if you have some knowledge of who this enemy is. If you have seen this face or heard this name, speak now. I feel that this pain inside of me will not allow me to distinguish between friend and foe for long."
Kakashi stepped forward and placed his hand upon Ittou's shoulder. "You have always done everything you can to make things right. You must trust that your destiny is not to die far away from your home. Your father needs your strength…this village needs your strength.
Ittou turned. "I will never call you friend again. That is certain. But you must understand that I am past the point of redemption. No words will change my decision."
Kurenai swung a punch at the back of Ittougigei's head, which he reached back and caught in his palm. She began to softly cry as she spoke.
"Will you never rid yourself of this pain? Are you lost to this madness forever? We wish to see you smile again! If you are to die in battle- it should rightfully be by our side!!"
He gently touched her chin with his hand and raised her head to his eyes.
"On the day that I have slain that person, I will leave one of these blades behind. If destiny is that I am to leave behind Odayaka, my serenity, then my thirst for revenge will never be quenched. But if it is fated that I leave Gekido, my fury behind, then I will let go of my rage and walk with a clear conscious. That is my only promise. Regardless, I am doomed to never call this place home again."
Kakashi beckoned for Kurenai. She walked sadly over to him. The copy ninja reached into his pocket and pulled from it an intricate shuriken. It had the kanji for revenge inscribed on it. He stretched out his hand and placed it before Ittou, who stood there staring at it intently.
"There was a day long ago when I went to your father to have this made. I took this weapon and hid it away until the day that I would come face-to-face with the one who slew my comrade, Obito. I swore that I would use this shuriken to take that life and be done with my suffering."
He dropped it into Ittou's hands and put his hand back into his pocket. "But I realized that my duty was not to myself- but to my village. Maybe the day will come that you will do the same. Should you discover that you don't need that suffering anymore- I wish for you to return that to me. And if what you say is your promise is truer than what I said was my word- then I can only hope with all that I am that it will be Gekido buried in the Sand."
Sand? Ittou thought to himself. Kurenai turned to Kakashi stunned. The copy ninja smiled again and turned away with Kurenai. Ittougigei stood motionless on the rooftop. His eyes fell upon the shuriken from Kakashi, and a thin smile came to his lips.