Notice: I do not own Naruto, and make no claims of copyright on the
characters who are not my property. Original characters, however, are mine.
Author's Notes: And it continues, I've finally revealed my nasty villain who was much foreshadowed, and all sorts of destruction have been unleashed. So, here comes the progression forward.
Thanks to all those who find a moment to review!
To the Edges of the Storm
For five miles Gosain could comprehend only one thing, proceeding away, getting closer to Konoha, to the only place where he might find Xi. Five miles, the fastest he had ever run, careening headlong through all of the village that he had thought of as his home for eighteen years of life, the place he had held to the ideals he had constructed as his core when the people around him faded into the dark. This place that now felt foreign and wrong, that had turned black in his vision and crumbled under an endless swath of black tendrils, clouds of the Dark Storm's power, the horrifying weapons of her influence.
After five miles he stopped, and he recognized what was going on, seeing through the mass of confusion and torment that had overcome him, even while he had acted automatically, directing the genin to run, to find the borders, the ANBU there, the commanders of distant outposts, anyone who might be loyal, hoping that Raikage had scattered those he trusted throughout the country. Shu he had sent south, depending on the genin to go all the way to the islands, to run the gauntlet that would surely follow to try and block away the ninja stationed there, those who would surely never follow the Dark Storm. Gosain realized he had almost surely sent the genin to his death, but that it had to be done.
Everything is terrible, and we have no choices, we are slaves to our own self-destruction, trying to react and save something, anything. Gosain pulled his chains tight in around his body, wrapping the heavy metal he had carried so long like a protective covering. I am the bearer of Raikage's last command, I must not fail. It was a directive Gosain fully intended to obey, but he knew that it might well be impossible. They are already coming, surely. Even if he stopped her, and Gosain had to believe his Raikage had, knew he was dead if not, she will send minions.
He had seen them, the ninja clad in midnight blue, the cold killers who served the Dark Storm directly, her minions. He had seen them, and fought them, and killed them, and they were tough. I have strength, but I have been fighting, and now I cannot rest, but I must run. So he stood up and ran, dashing from tree to tree, not pausing, though his breath was short and he had little energy. Not enough rest, fighting all night long, and now I must run all the way to the border and farther, I must get to Konoha, Xi was going to return there, he must be there.
Though he ran through the dark with all his focus, as the rain pelted down and the storm gradually moderated, the thought came creeping up in the back of Gosain's mind. They are already coming.
Dawn came crashing in from the east, as if the brightness attempted to make up for the darkness of the night before, and Gosain noted it only as the brightness crept over his back. He was headed southwest, and refused to stop. He had discarded many things already, his shuriken and kunai, his medical supplies, his flak jacket, his climbing tools, all his implements except his chains, which he refused to forsake. It will come to battle yet, and I must have these. For water Gosain had filled his bottles from a fountain as he ran through a town, and as dawn broke he stole drying bread from a baker's window, to eat as he ran, in a desperate attempt to acquire the strength to keep going.
All through the course of the night Gosain had stopped only twice. He had not slept, but he sat grasping water and resting his aching legs. His muscles moaned and his body ached, it burned with every step, but he refused to stop running. The battle is my only margin and it ended moments after Raikage fell, my only lead is the time it took orders to be relayed and others to depart, and my lack of caution.
Indeed Gosain was being reckless, and as he slashed away his pant legs while moving he realized just how reckless. A ninja running through the trees in broad daylight, watching for nothing, listening only for the approach from behind. If there are warders ahead of me I will likely die in their ambush. Despite this, Gosain kept running as fast as he could manage, the miles pounding away under his feet, his endurance thankfully hardened by so many missions and his years of desperation and carrying many pounds of heavy chain constantly. I can make the border, tired as I am, I can make the border, if I run the entire day and into tomorrow I will reach the border by midday, I must keep running. I must depend on Raikage, that the Dark Storm was not strong enough to leave anyone behind in her attack.
Throughout the day then, Gosain ran, and ran, pausing for breath ad ease of the pain in his side and legs, while every part of him screamed to stop, but he was obstinate, and would not stop. I learned the hard way that you cannot stop, in the winter in Stone, I did this, and I carried a comrade up the mountainside. I made the trek then and I shall do so now. If I can run straight I will succeed. Despite this run, my chakra is stable, I can fight if I must, but if I must it will get harder after that, I must postpone battle as long as possible.
The day passed in the agony of running, until even the pain bled away from Gosain's feet and he knew recovery from this would not be easy. Still, they are not behind me yet. My trail is easy enough to follow, but if they are too far behind they will not be able to catch me overnight. I will make the border. I can!
At midnight luck was upon Gosain, and he hit a familiar location, and found an ANBU cache. There was food there, and water, and most importantly. A soldier pill! Gosain secreted the pill beneath his forehead protector, knowing that he must save it; it would not increase his pace now. I will need it when battle comes, I will need it desperately.
When dawn broke again Gosain felt his endurance hit a wall, and he collapsed to the ground. Only a few more miles, he thought through the haze of exhaustion that had enveloped his mind. I can rest a bit.
Then he heard them.
It was a quiet thing, the tread of a ninja's sandals on packed earth, but it was enough for Gosain, the sound he had anticipated for many hours of frenzied near madness. He reached up with his left hand and grabbed the soldier pill. As he swallowed the powerful stimulant and nutrient package, knowing that it would do further damage later, he listened for how many were coming. One, two, three, four pairs. A platoon. Wait, again, another platoon, and then again, three platoons, coming from different directions. Well, it seems she really does hate Xi. Time to go.
Commanding the pain in his legs to be silent, Gosain stood. I have to separate the platoons, put some distance between them. That means I have to head southeast sharply, make a turn. More miles, his mind balked, but his will held on. I am cursed, but I know how to keep fighting a curse!
Getting up and running was enough to alert the ninja behind him shortly, and he could tell that it had become a race, but Gosain recognized that they were not truly gaining on him. They are going a reasonable pace, to avoid tiring themselves, after all, they have come as far as I. They have to wait for me to tire or they won't have the strength to overtake me. The problem was that regardless of how fast he ran they would overtake them. I can make the border, but no father, even with the soldier pill; it will come to battle soon. In fact, I cannot beat this first group to the border.
An hour in the hot sun Gosain ran on, his quickest pace now little more than a slow jog, but his pursuers did not that much better. There were four miles between him and the border when Gosain turned. Time to face the traitors. Anger was dangerous at this point, with his mind in the state it was, but Gosain needed that anger, needed the strength it would give him.
Time to die you four bastards! Gosain surprised them.
He came in from below, charging up from the ground, his chains whirling about, and they were caught off guard, they had not expected that he would have the strength to fight them. Fools! Now I must strike quickly. Gosain reached into the hooks on his pole, and ripped out both chains suddenly, letting them fly freely toward his opponents.
The two ninja in front of him were caught off guard and dodged aside and sharp lengths of chain came flying past their bodies. The third ninja had no time to react when Gosain simply slammed into a tree, grunting with the pain it caused to strained bones and muscles, and feeling something pull in his right shoulder, but he was able to push off and change direction. "Die traitor!" The ninja, not expecting an attack, watched blankly as Gosain's pole slammed into his chest, the hook penetrating and ripping into his heart.
There Gosain stood exposed and vulnerable, and a kunai slammed into his right side, taking him in the stomach, but he was past pain anyway, and so he simply turned and formed a seal. "Seeking Chains of Charge." He whispered. The hooks on his pole took on opposite charges as he converted chakra into electricity, and his chains, standing behind two ninja, glowed in tandem.
The two ninja had no time to do anything but scream and flailing chains ripped through their bodies and slashed their way back to Gosain, kunai heads whirling about like unleashed tornadoes.
The fourth ninja looked at Gosain and watched the battered ninja, holding whirling chains, turn toward him. The man managed to form slow seals, despite his fear at this inhuman runner who had attacked them. "Lightning missile!" It was a simple jutsu, a blast of lightning that attacked the enemy. Gosain didn't bother to dodge, but simply took the hit with his right shoulder, and felt the whole arm go limp, but he stepped forward and whirled his pole around with his left hand.
Chains wrapped around the vulnerable ninja's neck, and they squeezed closed as electricity pulled them together. There was a sharp crack, and it was over.
Four miles, only four miles to the border. Gosain turned around, and with one hand secured his chains on his good shoulder. He was bleeding and battered, if he did not get to shelter before the day ended he would surely die, but none of that mattered to him. I can't die; I'm cursed to always be the one who comes back. I'll make the border, and someone will be there, I'll survive this yet.
So Gosain ran on, and eight lightning ninja tracked him, and these would not be surprised.
"Rend!" The blades of chakra cut into the tree trunk, slashing and cutting, making a mess of the bark and ripping it all about, but the cuts were not clear, and they grew shallower as they went, until the final upstroke was little more than a scratch on the bark.
"That's a bit better I think Dar." Shiren remarked. "It would certainly hurt."
Dar pointed to the mark Shiren had made on the other side of the tree, and to all the series of marks he had made going around next to it. "Not good enough though." Her marks were perfect, straight cuts that proceeded all the way through the tree, enough to easily kill a man. "I still need to do it some more."
"Alright," Shiren said. "But don't go too far. That's only part of our mission here."
They stood in a wooden grove on the edge of the Lightning country border, far northeast in Fire country. It was their third such site, they had chosen a different one each day, and this was the furthest south of any they had chosen, but they had found nothing. It was confusing, especially for Shiren, who had expected to find someone, she knew the patterns of Lightning ninja, and their actions should have attracted some watchers. I don't like this, something has happened, and I don't know what it is. "Well Dar, I suppose you might as well go again. There's nothing I can tell you, except keep doing the move."
"Damnable precision." Dar muttered. "Everything has to be done the hardest possible way." He turned to face the tree again. This is the last open area; I'll have to pick a new tree afterwards. Dar focused his chakra and strength, focusing on the image of blades of chakra, feeling the power, and channeling the energy. I will use as much as I can this time, no holding back. He decided.
"Rend!"
The word hung clear and crisp in the air for a moment, and it reached for some distance through the woods, with few leaves now as winter was still slowly fading. Creeping through the woods holding chains over his shoulder with his good hand, and holding back the blood with the arm he could no longer feel a ninja heard the word. Rend? Dimly Gosain remembered that word. Rend? Yes, rend, a...a jutsu! Why was it important? I wonder...oh, yes, Xi used that jutsu. Xi and that boy, Neji.
Xi!
Gosain was dimly aware that the voice had not been one he recognized, but regardless he knew the term meant people, and it didn't mean the people pursuing him. All that was left was to reach them. Not far, a few yards, just a few more steps.
Dar's lines cut deep into the tree this time, completing the whole move. They were ragged around the edges still, chakra leaking and dulling the blades, but the rend was enough to kill a ninja easily. As he finished the move Dar wobbled. "Whoa, takes a lot of chakra, doing that." He gasped in a deep breath.
"Be careful Dar," Shiren said. "We need to be able to react quickly." Then, almost as if her words called it up, she heard a noise. "What was that?"
The two dragon ninja's heads turned, and from behind a tree they saw a figure emerge, stumbling forward, putting one foot and then another before him. A ninja, carrying long chains over his left shoulder, and bleeding seriously from a gash in his right side, the kunai still protruding from it. The only moderately clean thing on him was the forehead protector, bearing the lightning symbol.
"Gosain!" Shiren gasped in shock, and was at his side in moments. She grabbed his wounded side. "This is bad. Gosain, why are you here? What's happened?"
"Raikage...orders..." Gosain mumbled, his eyes barely seeing what was in front of him. "Shiren? Find...Xi, tell him...Dark...Storm. Dark Storm." A twig snapped in the distance. "They're...coming?" Gosain fell over into Shiren's arms.
"Gosain? Gosain?" Shiren grabbed his face. "He's alive." She told Dar. "But I can't believe what happened to him. We have to get word to Xi now."
"He is pursued." Dar said, frowning. "We're in trouble. I've used up too much chakra to fight heavily, and we can't carry him in his condition. How do we protect this ninja?"
"Xi." Shiren said firmly, and she stood up. "Xi has to know, he can get here. Neji too."
"But how?"
Shiren's hands were already forming the seals. "I don't care what it costs me, I won't let Gosain die." Claw, Fang, Gaze, Breath, Spirit, Dragon, and Circle. She bit her left index finger and slammed her hands down. Something fast, please, however it is judged, a fast one. "Dragon summoning no jutsu!" She did not put all her chakra into the summons, but a great deal, enough so that she could not fight long past this.
The leaves flashed around them, and the air swirled, and then a dragon floated before Shiren. The dragon was short and red in color, with short whiskers and a high fin on its back, perhaps eight feet long, a different type than she had seen before, but Xi had told her, a Shen Lung. "All honor to thee Shen Lung." Shiren said, even as those eyes bored into her. She refused to even give them her time, pushing aside fear for action, demanding to be heard. "I have no time, I must ask you to take word to Draci Xi and Draci Neji in Konoha. Tell them that Gosain is with us, pursued and terribly wounded. Tell them he said the Dark Storm." Shiren did not know the name well, but she knew rumors, she remembered vaguely. It is important, Xi will come. "Go swiftly please, I will honor you suitably later."
"I am Weshiri Draci Shiren." The Shen Lung replied as it spun in midair. "Your need for haste is known." And then it was gone, flashing through the air like a great bird.
"Just in time." Dar said from beside her. "There are ninja coming. Four of them."
"Protect Gosain, Dar." Shiren told him. "I will do this."
Half my chakra, and four enemies. This is my first fight as a dragon ninja. I must strike hard and remember how Xi fights, strike to kill. Shiren took position in a tree away. I am sorry Dar, but it seems you are the bait.
They came in swiftly, in two groups, two lightning ninja landed in front of Dar, who in turn stood in front of the collapsed Gosain. "Get out of the way Stone ninja." One of them spat. "This is not your business."
"It is mine!" Shiren shouted. "Dragon Wind!" Let this work, it must! She gathered together as much of her chakra as she could manage, forming the knots of it, feeling them press against her fingers. Then she pushed them out and let the blast loose.
Shiren's aim was not sure, but her technique was effective anyway.
The tree in front of Dar exploded, sending shards of wood everywhere, blasting horizontally with enough force to strike like arrows.
"Flat Facet Strike!" Dar whirled his sword and deflected those darts coming at him and Gosain, though he almost lost his grip on the weapon as his chakra slipped slowly away.
The other two ninja were not so lucky; a blast of spines slammed into them, slashing apart the front of their bodies, and driving them to the ground.
Shiren did not wait, but spotted one of the other midnight blue ninja standing in the trees, and flipped up two kunai, dropping into her stance as she took the first step forward. One kunai raised and the other down.
The ninja at which Shiren charged did not try to dodge, but jumped forward, undercutting her move and moving toward Dar. It would have worked, if he had been her target.
"Thunder and Lightning Strike!" The other ninja, pulling shuriken to throw when Shiren went flying past, was so shocked at the sudden attack, which required a turn he didn't believe possible, that he raised only an arm to block.
Thunder struck the arm and slammed it aside, bloody, then Shiren pivoted and the lightning drove the kunai into the ninja's heart.
That left the final ninja, staring at Dar. His hands flashed through seals, and Dar grabbed Gosain quickly. This is the last of my chakra, but I have to jump!
Focusing his energy Dar launched himself and Gosain upwards, so that the blast of black lightning struck the tree behind him.
The lightning ninja turned to strike again, and then screams as shuriken and kunai slammed into him, a trio of Shiren's spark stars taking him to the ground, cutting and burning. He gasped, and then lay still.
Dar landed next to Shiren, and put Gosain down. The two dragon ninja were gasping for breath, and Gosain moaned in pain from his semi-conscious state. "Is that it?" Shiren gasped. "I haven't much more energy to fight."
"I cannot fight." Dar said quietly. "I doubt I could do more than stand. I can't carry Gosain."
Cocking her head Shiren heard a sound in the distance. "Dar, dodge!" She grabbed Gosain and jumped away, hiding behind a bush.
Dar stepped aside as shuriken rained down, raising his blade, but he could not run far.
Four ninja landed in front of him. They were clad in midnight blue, and had dark eyes. A woman led them, and she looked at Dar contemptuously. These four seemed hardly tired at all. "What a mess." The servant of the Dark Storm said. "Eliminate this one."
"Lightning Element: Charged Spark Missiles!" Shiren threw two kunai at the weapons the other ninja had left on the ground, betting on a chance to strike at them, even though she revealed her position.
"Thunderclap no jutsu!" One of the dark ninja countered, and a blast of shocking wind blasted aside the kunai.
Shiren went to dodge, but the others were already acting. "Thunderclap no jutsu!" Two more blasts of thunder, and these struck in front of her, slamming her into a tree trunk. Shiren slid to the ground, grunting in pain. She tried to get up, but saw the ready hands holding seals over her. I can't get up fast enough; I don't have enough chakra left to fight.
"You seem strong, but your chances have run out." The female leader mocked. "There is nothing else you can do. Hand over Kabure Gosain and perhaps I'll let you live a while."
"No!" Shiren raised her head and retorted. "We'll not treat with you!"
One of the ninja kicked her in the head then, and she collapsed to the ground, ears ringing and pain breaking apart her thoughts.
Dar looked on as the ninja turned back to him. "Quite a nice sword you have." She commented. "But even that is useless to you now, there is nothing you can do, put down your weapon and surrender Gosain." That she was even treating with them at all was a sign this ninja respected Dar and Shiren's efforts. "I have no quarrel with your country, this is over, give up."
Dar shook his head. I cannot surrender Gosain, I cannot let Shiren fall. It is my fault, I spent too much chakra or we could have fled, this fight is my fault, and I must take whatever steps are required to fix it, even is I damn myself to do so. "There is one thing I can still do." Dar said slowly. He took his sword and brought his left hand to the blade, making a long cut along his palm.
"What are you..." The ninja's eyes narrowed. "Stop him!"
Too late now...Dar spun the sword in his hand, pointing the blade downward, and then with a single motion he drove it into the ground, making a sign on the ground with his bloody palm. "Blood and Earth Unsealing!"
Three kunai were thrown at his head.
The crystalline sword glowed fiercely red, and blood seemed to seep into its blade. Dar's eyes went blank, empty and crystalline, the same structure as the sword. The kunai came in, and he flipped.
A full backflip, and the blade came around, slicing through each kunai in turn, leaving perfectly sundered metal pieces on the ground.
Dar stood straight, and his empty eyes looked at all four ninja at once. The sword moved perpendicular to the ground, held at his right shoulder high, as a samurai might hold a katana before he charged, even though it was not a katana.
Looking at him the four ninja cringed, for Dar's eyes narrowed past the point when he should be able to see, but he was still somehow looking at them. His mouth moved in a mechanical fashion, and he spoke in a voice that came from no human tongue, but seemed squeezed from the earth. "My bindings are broken, and it is time to kill."
"Kill him!" The Dark Storm's ninja shouted.
"Futile." Dar moved forward, though he did not seem to move so much as he was dragged forward by the sword. Regardless, he advanced upon his foes.
Weapons came at him, and a blast of thunder exploded at his head. Dar's face bruised, but his motion did not stop. "Heart Piercing Cut!"
The lightning ninja carried swords, and one had drawn his, but that crystalline blade slashed straight through it, its point splitting it apart without any resistance at all, and then it sank into his chest. "My how it is to taste blood again." The inhuman voice spoke.
Then the slaughter began.
The three remaining ninja dodged and circled, but Dar moved with inhuman speed and power, a strength not his own, and nothing, not blade nor jutsu could stop those cuts. The Crystal the Pierces the Heart of the World hummed in his hands, and he cut through two ninja with spinning strikes and slashes, leaving only pieces of men behind.
The female ninja who had commanded them did not try to fight Dar, but fell back, and was about to turn and run, when Dar appeared next to her. "Foolish."
She spun away, dodging and weaving through the trees.
The sword raised high into its samurai downcut form once more. "True ninja strike!"
The intervening distance between Dar and the Dark Storm's servant seemed to vanish, and that crystalline blade chopped down and through her body from a grand distance away, leaving a slashed and destroyed body as Dar turned around.
Then the air stirred and wind blasted, and two dragons crested the treetops. Shiren, who had seen the slaughter in a strange detached state, now saw the arrival of Neji and Xi. Two Shen Lungs, different sizes but equally impressive, carried the other two dragon ninja. Neji rode Weshiri, and Xi Sirachi. Neji, seeing the situation, leapt off the dragon's back and landed in the clearing, standing in front of Dar. Weshiri disappeared the moment he did so.
Xi catapulted off Sirachi, to land on the branch of a tree above, suspicious, his ready eyes scanned the battlefield.
Neji looked and saw Shiren and Gosain, and Dar standing over the dead bodies of the lightning ninja, still holding his crystalline blade in both hands, and needed to know what was happening. "Dar, what happened?" He demanded.
Dar spun about, and Neji saw those strange crystalline eyes for a moment, and so did Xi.
Dar's sword came up.
"Neji, Kaiten now!" Xi barked, and he leapt down.
Neji knew to obey Xi's command, he knew the older ninja's experience, and he trusted Xi in that moment.
"Kaiten!"
Chakra spun around, and Dar's sword was brushed aside, unable to penetrate that blast that blew it back. Dar skidded to a stop a distance away, his arms bruised, but his movements were unaffected.
"Dar, what's going on?" Neji shouted.
"You can't fight him Neji." Xi replied, landing in front of him. "He unsealed his sword, it is acting through him now. Get back and protect Gosain and Shiren, it will try and kill anyone it can."
"What makes you think you can fight me?" The strange voice, which Xi immediately recognized as the sword's, spoke.
"You are burning through his blood to power your motion." Xi replied. "Only Dar allows you to live, if he dies you are banished back to dormancy." Xi gave Dar a half-smile. "I learned all about that weapon since I suspected you would find me." Xi put his hands through seals, and then his palms together. He separated them, and they were covered in lightning. "Lightning Swords no jutsu. With this, I can fight you."
The sword raised itself in Dar's hands. It said nothing more.
Xi raised the blades of lightning that projected from the triangles formed by his hands. "Dar!" He shouted. "I can fight like this, but I cannot stop you, only kill you. I am a dragon ninja; it is all I can do. If you want to live you must stop the blade yourself. Listen Dar, you will have to defeat it!"
"Silence!" The sword spat, and it attacked.
They spun about each other, crackling blades of lightning holding off the blade of crystal, dancing about, and leaping from tree to tree. Xi's precision matched the sword's perfect execution, and there were no openings, any strike would be mutually lethal.
Xi slammed down into the dirt, rolling upright and around, bringing his feet into striking range, but he did not hit, only dodged aside. "Dar, help me!" He ordered. "Don't make me kill you!" Xi's thoughts were bitter as he forewent using back rake. For the second time I am fighting to save my student from himself, but I can only offer opposition, Dar, remember Neji's struggle, save yourself. You are not the sword's slave, you are a dragon ninja!
Neji watched the fight through Byakugan, though what his eyes showed him horrified him. Red energy, the color of blood mixed with dirt, a chakra no human possessed, streamed out from Dar and into the sword. Then it was pumped back into his chakra circulatory system, manipulating his body like a puppet. If this keeps up, Dar will die no matter what Xi does, his tenkentsu will burst. Neji stood back, however, knowing he had to honor Xi's request. Without those blades I could not match the reach of that sword, since no weapon can block it. He could always cut me.
Xi dodged aside from another fierce attack, and jabbed the lightning swords back to force the sword a distance away. Then Dar's foot struck one of the fallen lightning ninja. It would have meant nothing, the sword did not depend on his balance, but his foot hit a shuriken pouch, and four smoke bombs ignited.
Instantly Xi took advantage of the chance. He slammed his lightning swords across Dar's hands, burning the sensation from the nerves, knocking them limp and empty.
The sword continued its cut without Dar's hands to guide it.
Xi jumped away as the blade pivoted in midair, and Neji watched as those streams of red chakra continued to flow from Dar's body to the blade without physical contact, but he also saw the crystalline clouding clear from Dar's eyes. "Dar!" Neji shouted. "You must help Xi!"
Freed of its human baggage, the sword spun ever faster in midair, whirling like a shuriken, but a thousand times as lethal.
Xi spun away, flipping through the air, dodging back as fast as he could, but the sword pursued him. Xi jumped away, leaping for the trees, and the sword streaked up after him.
Now, perhaps a chance. "Aerial Reversal!" Xi shifted in midair, and came back down above the sword, not bothering to throw weapons at it. The sword pivoted, nicking Xi's flak jacket, and pursued him down.
Xi passed over Dar's head by less than a foot, and the Crystal that Pierces the Heart of the World followed. "Dar!" Xi screamed the order at the last moment.
Dar's hands reached up and his palms caught the sword between them. That merciless edge slashed his hands, but Dar's gaze held firm. "Enough." He said. "Enough." He repeated. "Go back to sleep, beast." He moved his hands, and the sword slid into his scabbard.
The moment the weapon hit that hole and slid into it, though it scrapped the edge in protest, Dar fell to the ground.
Xi did not bother to catch him, but ripped the scabbard off his belt. "Neji, get bandages and contain the cuts to his hands." He told him. "Then treat Gosain. I will deal with this."
A pity I do not know seals, Xi thought as he held the weapon in its scabbard. Still, this thing's power flows from blood. Xi took his nekode and pulled the blade free of its scabbard, hanging it up the tines. He did not touch it, or let it fall to the ground, but carefully ran bandages down its entire length, cleaning off the blood that had stuck to it, Dar's blood, the only blood that could cling to that blade of crystal. When that was done Xi put the blade back in the scabbard, and he placed the weapon back on Dar's belt. Since he has beaten it, perhaps it will stay quiet for the remainder.
"What just happened?" Neji asked Xi.
"A complication we did not need." Xi replied. "But I think that has handled it. Are the others alright?"
"I am okay." Shiren answered for herself, standing somewhat groggy beside Neji. "Gosain needs healing soon, he is barely conscious, he looks like he's run forever."
"Only Dar's hands are injured, he seems tolerable otherwise." Neji replied, and he pointed to Dar slowly standing.
"Then help Dar and Shiren." Xi told them. "I will get Gosain. We will bring him back to Konoha and Tsunade." Xi's face grew grim, but he was silent. You had best be all right Gosain; I will need your words. I will know them now!
Author's Notes: And it continues, I've finally revealed my nasty villain who was much foreshadowed, and all sorts of destruction have been unleashed. So, here comes the progression forward.
Thanks to all those who find a moment to review!
To the Edges of the Storm
For five miles Gosain could comprehend only one thing, proceeding away, getting closer to Konoha, to the only place where he might find Xi. Five miles, the fastest he had ever run, careening headlong through all of the village that he had thought of as his home for eighteen years of life, the place he had held to the ideals he had constructed as his core when the people around him faded into the dark. This place that now felt foreign and wrong, that had turned black in his vision and crumbled under an endless swath of black tendrils, clouds of the Dark Storm's power, the horrifying weapons of her influence.
After five miles he stopped, and he recognized what was going on, seeing through the mass of confusion and torment that had overcome him, even while he had acted automatically, directing the genin to run, to find the borders, the ANBU there, the commanders of distant outposts, anyone who might be loyal, hoping that Raikage had scattered those he trusted throughout the country. Shu he had sent south, depending on the genin to go all the way to the islands, to run the gauntlet that would surely follow to try and block away the ninja stationed there, those who would surely never follow the Dark Storm. Gosain realized he had almost surely sent the genin to his death, but that it had to be done.
Everything is terrible, and we have no choices, we are slaves to our own self-destruction, trying to react and save something, anything. Gosain pulled his chains tight in around his body, wrapping the heavy metal he had carried so long like a protective covering. I am the bearer of Raikage's last command, I must not fail. It was a directive Gosain fully intended to obey, but he knew that it might well be impossible. They are already coming, surely. Even if he stopped her, and Gosain had to believe his Raikage had, knew he was dead if not, she will send minions.
He had seen them, the ninja clad in midnight blue, the cold killers who served the Dark Storm directly, her minions. He had seen them, and fought them, and killed them, and they were tough. I have strength, but I have been fighting, and now I cannot rest, but I must run. So he stood up and ran, dashing from tree to tree, not pausing, though his breath was short and he had little energy. Not enough rest, fighting all night long, and now I must run all the way to the border and farther, I must get to Konoha, Xi was going to return there, he must be there.
Though he ran through the dark with all his focus, as the rain pelted down and the storm gradually moderated, the thought came creeping up in the back of Gosain's mind. They are already coming.
Dawn came crashing in from the east, as if the brightness attempted to make up for the darkness of the night before, and Gosain noted it only as the brightness crept over his back. He was headed southwest, and refused to stop. He had discarded many things already, his shuriken and kunai, his medical supplies, his flak jacket, his climbing tools, all his implements except his chains, which he refused to forsake. It will come to battle yet, and I must have these. For water Gosain had filled his bottles from a fountain as he ran through a town, and as dawn broke he stole drying bread from a baker's window, to eat as he ran, in a desperate attempt to acquire the strength to keep going.
All through the course of the night Gosain had stopped only twice. He had not slept, but he sat grasping water and resting his aching legs. His muscles moaned and his body ached, it burned with every step, but he refused to stop running. The battle is my only margin and it ended moments after Raikage fell, my only lead is the time it took orders to be relayed and others to depart, and my lack of caution.
Indeed Gosain was being reckless, and as he slashed away his pant legs while moving he realized just how reckless. A ninja running through the trees in broad daylight, watching for nothing, listening only for the approach from behind. If there are warders ahead of me I will likely die in their ambush. Despite this, Gosain kept running as fast as he could manage, the miles pounding away under his feet, his endurance thankfully hardened by so many missions and his years of desperation and carrying many pounds of heavy chain constantly. I can make the border, tired as I am, I can make the border, if I run the entire day and into tomorrow I will reach the border by midday, I must keep running. I must depend on Raikage, that the Dark Storm was not strong enough to leave anyone behind in her attack.
Throughout the day then, Gosain ran, and ran, pausing for breath ad ease of the pain in his side and legs, while every part of him screamed to stop, but he was obstinate, and would not stop. I learned the hard way that you cannot stop, in the winter in Stone, I did this, and I carried a comrade up the mountainside. I made the trek then and I shall do so now. If I can run straight I will succeed. Despite this run, my chakra is stable, I can fight if I must, but if I must it will get harder after that, I must postpone battle as long as possible.
The day passed in the agony of running, until even the pain bled away from Gosain's feet and he knew recovery from this would not be easy. Still, they are not behind me yet. My trail is easy enough to follow, but if they are too far behind they will not be able to catch me overnight. I will make the border. I can!
At midnight luck was upon Gosain, and he hit a familiar location, and found an ANBU cache. There was food there, and water, and most importantly. A soldier pill! Gosain secreted the pill beneath his forehead protector, knowing that he must save it; it would not increase his pace now. I will need it when battle comes, I will need it desperately.
When dawn broke again Gosain felt his endurance hit a wall, and he collapsed to the ground. Only a few more miles, he thought through the haze of exhaustion that had enveloped his mind. I can rest a bit.
Then he heard them.
It was a quiet thing, the tread of a ninja's sandals on packed earth, but it was enough for Gosain, the sound he had anticipated for many hours of frenzied near madness. He reached up with his left hand and grabbed the soldier pill. As he swallowed the powerful stimulant and nutrient package, knowing that it would do further damage later, he listened for how many were coming. One, two, three, four pairs. A platoon. Wait, again, another platoon, and then again, three platoons, coming from different directions. Well, it seems she really does hate Xi. Time to go.
Commanding the pain in his legs to be silent, Gosain stood. I have to separate the platoons, put some distance between them. That means I have to head southeast sharply, make a turn. More miles, his mind balked, but his will held on. I am cursed, but I know how to keep fighting a curse!
Getting up and running was enough to alert the ninja behind him shortly, and he could tell that it had become a race, but Gosain recognized that they were not truly gaining on him. They are going a reasonable pace, to avoid tiring themselves, after all, they have come as far as I. They have to wait for me to tire or they won't have the strength to overtake me. The problem was that regardless of how fast he ran they would overtake them. I can make the border, but no father, even with the soldier pill; it will come to battle soon. In fact, I cannot beat this first group to the border.
An hour in the hot sun Gosain ran on, his quickest pace now little more than a slow jog, but his pursuers did not that much better. There were four miles between him and the border when Gosain turned. Time to face the traitors. Anger was dangerous at this point, with his mind in the state it was, but Gosain needed that anger, needed the strength it would give him.
Time to die you four bastards! Gosain surprised them.
He came in from below, charging up from the ground, his chains whirling about, and they were caught off guard, they had not expected that he would have the strength to fight them. Fools! Now I must strike quickly. Gosain reached into the hooks on his pole, and ripped out both chains suddenly, letting them fly freely toward his opponents.
The two ninja in front of him were caught off guard and dodged aside and sharp lengths of chain came flying past their bodies. The third ninja had no time to react when Gosain simply slammed into a tree, grunting with the pain it caused to strained bones and muscles, and feeling something pull in his right shoulder, but he was able to push off and change direction. "Die traitor!" The ninja, not expecting an attack, watched blankly as Gosain's pole slammed into his chest, the hook penetrating and ripping into his heart.
There Gosain stood exposed and vulnerable, and a kunai slammed into his right side, taking him in the stomach, but he was past pain anyway, and so he simply turned and formed a seal. "Seeking Chains of Charge." He whispered. The hooks on his pole took on opposite charges as he converted chakra into electricity, and his chains, standing behind two ninja, glowed in tandem.
The two ninja had no time to do anything but scream and flailing chains ripped through their bodies and slashed their way back to Gosain, kunai heads whirling about like unleashed tornadoes.
The fourth ninja looked at Gosain and watched the battered ninja, holding whirling chains, turn toward him. The man managed to form slow seals, despite his fear at this inhuman runner who had attacked them. "Lightning missile!" It was a simple jutsu, a blast of lightning that attacked the enemy. Gosain didn't bother to dodge, but simply took the hit with his right shoulder, and felt the whole arm go limp, but he stepped forward and whirled his pole around with his left hand.
Chains wrapped around the vulnerable ninja's neck, and they squeezed closed as electricity pulled them together. There was a sharp crack, and it was over.
Four miles, only four miles to the border. Gosain turned around, and with one hand secured his chains on his good shoulder. He was bleeding and battered, if he did not get to shelter before the day ended he would surely die, but none of that mattered to him. I can't die; I'm cursed to always be the one who comes back. I'll make the border, and someone will be there, I'll survive this yet.
So Gosain ran on, and eight lightning ninja tracked him, and these would not be surprised.
"Rend!" The blades of chakra cut into the tree trunk, slashing and cutting, making a mess of the bark and ripping it all about, but the cuts were not clear, and they grew shallower as they went, until the final upstroke was little more than a scratch on the bark.
"That's a bit better I think Dar." Shiren remarked. "It would certainly hurt."
Dar pointed to the mark Shiren had made on the other side of the tree, and to all the series of marks he had made going around next to it. "Not good enough though." Her marks were perfect, straight cuts that proceeded all the way through the tree, enough to easily kill a man. "I still need to do it some more."
"Alright," Shiren said. "But don't go too far. That's only part of our mission here."
They stood in a wooden grove on the edge of the Lightning country border, far northeast in Fire country. It was their third such site, they had chosen a different one each day, and this was the furthest south of any they had chosen, but they had found nothing. It was confusing, especially for Shiren, who had expected to find someone, she knew the patterns of Lightning ninja, and their actions should have attracted some watchers. I don't like this, something has happened, and I don't know what it is. "Well Dar, I suppose you might as well go again. There's nothing I can tell you, except keep doing the move."
"Damnable precision." Dar muttered. "Everything has to be done the hardest possible way." He turned to face the tree again. This is the last open area; I'll have to pick a new tree afterwards. Dar focused his chakra and strength, focusing on the image of blades of chakra, feeling the power, and channeling the energy. I will use as much as I can this time, no holding back. He decided.
"Rend!"
The word hung clear and crisp in the air for a moment, and it reached for some distance through the woods, with few leaves now as winter was still slowly fading. Creeping through the woods holding chains over his shoulder with his good hand, and holding back the blood with the arm he could no longer feel a ninja heard the word. Rend? Dimly Gosain remembered that word. Rend? Yes, rend, a...a jutsu! Why was it important? I wonder...oh, yes, Xi used that jutsu. Xi and that boy, Neji.
Xi!
Gosain was dimly aware that the voice had not been one he recognized, but regardless he knew the term meant people, and it didn't mean the people pursuing him. All that was left was to reach them. Not far, a few yards, just a few more steps.
Dar's lines cut deep into the tree this time, completing the whole move. They were ragged around the edges still, chakra leaking and dulling the blades, but the rend was enough to kill a ninja easily. As he finished the move Dar wobbled. "Whoa, takes a lot of chakra, doing that." He gasped in a deep breath.
"Be careful Dar," Shiren said. "We need to be able to react quickly." Then, almost as if her words called it up, she heard a noise. "What was that?"
The two dragon ninja's heads turned, and from behind a tree they saw a figure emerge, stumbling forward, putting one foot and then another before him. A ninja, carrying long chains over his left shoulder, and bleeding seriously from a gash in his right side, the kunai still protruding from it. The only moderately clean thing on him was the forehead protector, bearing the lightning symbol.
"Gosain!" Shiren gasped in shock, and was at his side in moments. She grabbed his wounded side. "This is bad. Gosain, why are you here? What's happened?"
"Raikage...orders..." Gosain mumbled, his eyes barely seeing what was in front of him. "Shiren? Find...Xi, tell him...Dark...Storm. Dark Storm." A twig snapped in the distance. "They're...coming?" Gosain fell over into Shiren's arms.
"Gosain? Gosain?" Shiren grabbed his face. "He's alive." She told Dar. "But I can't believe what happened to him. We have to get word to Xi now."
"He is pursued." Dar said, frowning. "We're in trouble. I've used up too much chakra to fight heavily, and we can't carry him in his condition. How do we protect this ninja?"
"Xi." Shiren said firmly, and she stood up. "Xi has to know, he can get here. Neji too."
"But how?"
Shiren's hands were already forming the seals. "I don't care what it costs me, I won't let Gosain die." Claw, Fang, Gaze, Breath, Spirit, Dragon, and Circle. She bit her left index finger and slammed her hands down. Something fast, please, however it is judged, a fast one. "Dragon summoning no jutsu!" She did not put all her chakra into the summons, but a great deal, enough so that she could not fight long past this.
The leaves flashed around them, and the air swirled, and then a dragon floated before Shiren. The dragon was short and red in color, with short whiskers and a high fin on its back, perhaps eight feet long, a different type than she had seen before, but Xi had told her, a Shen Lung. "All honor to thee Shen Lung." Shiren said, even as those eyes bored into her. She refused to even give them her time, pushing aside fear for action, demanding to be heard. "I have no time, I must ask you to take word to Draci Xi and Draci Neji in Konoha. Tell them that Gosain is with us, pursued and terribly wounded. Tell them he said the Dark Storm." Shiren did not know the name well, but she knew rumors, she remembered vaguely. It is important, Xi will come. "Go swiftly please, I will honor you suitably later."
"I am Weshiri Draci Shiren." The Shen Lung replied as it spun in midair. "Your need for haste is known." And then it was gone, flashing through the air like a great bird.
"Just in time." Dar said from beside her. "There are ninja coming. Four of them."
"Protect Gosain, Dar." Shiren told him. "I will do this."
Half my chakra, and four enemies. This is my first fight as a dragon ninja. I must strike hard and remember how Xi fights, strike to kill. Shiren took position in a tree away. I am sorry Dar, but it seems you are the bait.
They came in swiftly, in two groups, two lightning ninja landed in front of Dar, who in turn stood in front of the collapsed Gosain. "Get out of the way Stone ninja." One of them spat. "This is not your business."
"It is mine!" Shiren shouted. "Dragon Wind!" Let this work, it must! She gathered together as much of her chakra as she could manage, forming the knots of it, feeling them press against her fingers. Then she pushed them out and let the blast loose.
Shiren's aim was not sure, but her technique was effective anyway.
The tree in front of Dar exploded, sending shards of wood everywhere, blasting horizontally with enough force to strike like arrows.
"Flat Facet Strike!" Dar whirled his sword and deflected those darts coming at him and Gosain, though he almost lost his grip on the weapon as his chakra slipped slowly away.
The other two ninja were not so lucky; a blast of spines slammed into them, slashing apart the front of their bodies, and driving them to the ground.
Shiren did not wait, but spotted one of the other midnight blue ninja standing in the trees, and flipped up two kunai, dropping into her stance as she took the first step forward. One kunai raised and the other down.
The ninja at which Shiren charged did not try to dodge, but jumped forward, undercutting her move and moving toward Dar. It would have worked, if he had been her target.
"Thunder and Lightning Strike!" The other ninja, pulling shuriken to throw when Shiren went flying past, was so shocked at the sudden attack, which required a turn he didn't believe possible, that he raised only an arm to block.
Thunder struck the arm and slammed it aside, bloody, then Shiren pivoted and the lightning drove the kunai into the ninja's heart.
That left the final ninja, staring at Dar. His hands flashed through seals, and Dar grabbed Gosain quickly. This is the last of my chakra, but I have to jump!
Focusing his energy Dar launched himself and Gosain upwards, so that the blast of black lightning struck the tree behind him.
The lightning ninja turned to strike again, and then screams as shuriken and kunai slammed into him, a trio of Shiren's spark stars taking him to the ground, cutting and burning. He gasped, and then lay still.
Dar landed next to Shiren, and put Gosain down. The two dragon ninja were gasping for breath, and Gosain moaned in pain from his semi-conscious state. "Is that it?" Shiren gasped. "I haven't much more energy to fight."
"I cannot fight." Dar said quietly. "I doubt I could do more than stand. I can't carry Gosain."
Cocking her head Shiren heard a sound in the distance. "Dar, dodge!" She grabbed Gosain and jumped away, hiding behind a bush.
Dar stepped aside as shuriken rained down, raising his blade, but he could not run far.
Four ninja landed in front of him. They were clad in midnight blue, and had dark eyes. A woman led them, and she looked at Dar contemptuously. These four seemed hardly tired at all. "What a mess." The servant of the Dark Storm said. "Eliminate this one."
"Lightning Element: Charged Spark Missiles!" Shiren threw two kunai at the weapons the other ninja had left on the ground, betting on a chance to strike at them, even though she revealed her position.
"Thunderclap no jutsu!" One of the dark ninja countered, and a blast of shocking wind blasted aside the kunai.
Shiren went to dodge, but the others were already acting. "Thunderclap no jutsu!" Two more blasts of thunder, and these struck in front of her, slamming her into a tree trunk. Shiren slid to the ground, grunting in pain. She tried to get up, but saw the ready hands holding seals over her. I can't get up fast enough; I don't have enough chakra left to fight.
"You seem strong, but your chances have run out." The female leader mocked. "There is nothing else you can do. Hand over Kabure Gosain and perhaps I'll let you live a while."
"No!" Shiren raised her head and retorted. "We'll not treat with you!"
One of the ninja kicked her in the head then, and she collapsed to the ground, ears ringing and pain breaking apart her thoughts.
Dar looked on as the ninja turned back to him. "Quite a nice sword you have." She commented. "But even that is useless to you now, there is nothing you can do, put down your weapon and surrender Gosain." That she was even treating with them at all was a sign this ninja respected Dar and Shiren's efforts. "I have no quarrel with your country, this is over, give up."
Dar shook his head. I cannot surrender Gosain, I cannot let Shiren fall. It is my fault, I spent too much chakra or we could have fled, this fight is my fault, and I must take whatever steps are required to fix it, even is I damn myself to do so. "There is one thing I can still do." Dar said slowly. He took his sword and brought his left hand to the blade, making a long cut along his palm.
"What are you..." The ninja's eyes narrowed. "Stop him!"
Too late now...Dar spun the sword in his hand, pointing the blade downward, and then with a single motion he drove it into the ground, making a sign on the ground with his bloody palm. "Blood and Earth Unsealing!"
Three kunai were thrown at his head.
The crystalline sword glowed fiercely red, and blood seemed to seep into its blade. Dar's eyes went blank, empty and crystalline, the same structure as the sword. The kunai came in, and he flipped.
A full backflip, and the blade came around, slicing through each kunai in turn, leaving perfectly sundered metal pieces on the ground.
Dar stood straight, and his empty eyes looked at all four ninja at once. The sword moved perpendicular to the ground, held at his right shoulder high, as a samurai might hold a katana before he charged, even though it was not a katana.
Looking at him the four ninja cringed, for Dar's eyes narrowed past the point when he should be able to see, but he was still somehow looking at them. His mouth moved in a mechanical fashion, and he spoke in a voice that came from no human tongue, but seemed squeezed from the earth. "My bindings are broken, and it is time to kill."
"Kill him!" The Dark Storm's ninja shouted.
"Futile." Dar moved forward, though he did not seem to move so much as he was dragged forward by the sword. Regardless, he advanced upon his foes.
Weapons came at him, and a blast of thunder exploded at his head. Dar's face bruised, but his motion did not stop. "Heart Piercing Cut!"
The lightning ninja carried swords, and one had drawn his, but that crystalline blade slashed straight through it, its point splitting it apart without any resistance at all, and then it sank into his chest. "My how it is to taste blood again." The inhuman voice spoke.
Then the slaughter began.
The three remaining ninja dodged and circled, but Dar moved with inhuman speed and power, a strength not his own, and nothing, not blade nor jutsu could stop those cuts. The Crystal the Pierces the Heart of the World hummed in his hands, and he cut through two ninja with spinning strikes and slashes, leaving only pieces of men behind.
The female ninja who had commanded them did not try to fight Dar, but fell back, and was about to turn and run, when Dar appeared next to her. "Foolish."
She spun away, dodging and weaving through the trees.
The sword raised high into its samurai downcut form once more. "True ninja strike!"
The intervening distance between Dar and the Dark Storm's servant seemed to vanish, and that crystalline blade chopped down and through her body from a grand distance away, leaving a slashed and destroyed body as Dar turned around.
Then the air stirred and wind blasted, and two dragons crested the treetops. Shiren, who had seen the slaughter in a strange detached state, now saw the arrival of Neji and Xi. Two Shen Lungs, different sizes but equally impressive, carried the other two dragon ninja. Neji rode Weshiri, and Xi Sirachi. Neji, seeing the situation, leapt off the dragon's back and landed in the clearing, standing in front of Dar. Weshiri disappeared the moment he did so.
Xi catapulted off Sirachi, to land on the branch of a tree above, suspicious, his ready eyes scanned the battlefield.
Neji looked and saw Shiren and Gosain, and Dar standing over the dead bodies of the lightning ninja, still holding his crystalline blade in both hands, and needed to know what was happening. "Dar, what happened?" He demanded.
Dar spun about, and Neji saw those strange crystalline eyes for a moment, and so did Xi.
Dar's sword came up.
"Neji, Kaiten now!" Xi barked, and he leapt down.
Neji knew to obey Xi's command, he knew the older ninja's experience, and he trusted Xi in that moment.
"Kaiten!"
Chakra spun around, and Dar's sword was brushed aside, unable to penetrate that blast that blew it back. Dar skidded to a stop a distance away, his arms bruised, but his movements were unaffected.
"Dar, what's going on?" Neji shouted.
"You can't fight him Neji." Xi replied, landing in front of him. "He unsealed his sword, it is acting through him now. Get back and protect Gosain and Shiren, it will try and kill anyone it can."
"What makes you think you can fight me?" The strange voice, which Xi immediately recognized as the sword's, spoke.
"You are burning through his blood to power your motion." Xi replied. "Only Dar allows you to live, if he dies you are banished back to dormancy." Xi gave Dar a half-smile. "I learned all about that weapon since I suspected you would find me." Xi put his hands through seals, and then his palms together. He separated them, and they were covered in lightning. "Lightning Swords no jutsu. With this, I can fight you."
The sword raised itself in Dar's hands. It said nothing more.
Xi raised the blades of lightning that projected from the triangles formed by his hands. "Dar!" He shouted. "I can fight like this, but I cannot stop you, only kill you. I am a dragon ninja; it is all I can do. If you want to live you must stop the blade yourself. Listen Dar, you will have to defeat it!"
"Silence!" The sword spat, and it attacked.
They spun about each other, crackling blades of lightning holding off the blade of crystal, dancing about, and leaping from tree to tree. Xi's precision matched the sword's perfect execution, and there were no openings, any strike would be mutually lethal.
Xi slammed down into the dirt, rolling upright and around, bringing his feet into striking range, but he did not hit, only dodged aside. "Dar, help me!" He ordered. "Don't make me kill you!" Xi's thoughts were bitter as he forewent using back rake. For the second time I am fighting to save my student from himself, but I can only offer opposition, Dar, remember Neji's struggle, save yourself. You are not the sword's slave, you are a dragon ninja!
Neji watched the fight through Byakugan, though what his eyes showed him horrified him. Red energy, the color of blood mixed with dirt, a chakra no human possessed, streamed out from Dar and into the sword. Then it was pumped back into his chakra circulatory system, manipulating his body like a puppet. If this keeps up, Dar will die no matter what Xi does, his tenkentsu will burst. Neji stood back, however, knowing he had to honor Xi's request. Without those blades I could not match the reach of that sword, since no weapon can block it. He could always cut me.
Xi dodged aside from another fierce attack, and jabbed the lightning swords back to force the sword a distance away. Then Dar's foot struck one of the fallen lightning ninja. It would have meant nothing, the sword did not depend on his balance, but his foot hit a shuriken pouch, and four smoke bombs ignited.
Instantly Xi took advantage of the chance. He slammed his lightning swords across Dar's hands, burning the sensation from the nerves, knocking them limp and empty.
The sword continued its cut without Dar's hands to guide it.
Xi jumped away as the blade pivoted in midair, and Neji watched as those streams of red chakra continued to flow from Dar's body to the blade without physical contact, but he also saw the crystalline clouding clear from Dar's eyes. "Dar!" Neji shouted. "You must help Xi!"
Freed of its human baggage, the sword spun ever faster in midair, whirling like a shuriken, but a thousand times as lethal.
Xi spun away, flipping through the air, dodging back as fast as he could, but the sword pursued him. Xi jumped away, leaping for the trees, and the sword streaked up after him.
Now, perhaps a chance. "Aerial Reversal!" Xi shifted in midair, and came back down above the sword, not bothering to throw weapons at it. The sword pivoted, nicking Xi's flak jacket, and pursued him down.
Xi passed over Dar's head by less than a foot, and the Crystal that Pierces the Heart of the World followed. "Dar!" Xi screamed the order at the last moment.
Dar's hands reached up and his palms caught the sword between them. That merciless edge slashed his hands, but Dar's gaze held firm. "Enough." He said. "Enough." He repeated. "Go back to sleep, beast." He moved his hands, and the sword slid into his scabbard.
The moment the weapon hit that hole and slid into it, though it scrapped the edge in protest, Dar fell to the ground.
Xi did not bother to catch him, but ripped the scabbard off his belt. "Neji, get bandages and contain the cuts to his hands." He told him. "Then treat Gosain. I will deal with this."
A pity I do not know seals, Xi thought as he held the weapon in its scabbard. Still, this thing's power flows from blood. Xi took his nekode and pulled the blade free of its scabbard, hanging it up the tines. He did not touch it, or let it fall to the ground, but carefully ran bandages down its entire length, cleaning off the blood that had stuck to it, Dar's blood, the only blood that could cling to that blade of crystal. When that was done Xi put the blade back in the scabbard, and he placed the weapon back on Dar's belt. Since he has beaten it, perhaps it will stay quiet for the remainder.
"What just happened?" Neji asked Xi.
"A complication we did not need." Xi replied. "But I think that has handled it. Are the others alright?"
"I am okay." Shiren answered for herself, standing somewhat groggy beside Neji. "Gosain needs healing soon, he is barely conscious, he looks like he's run forever."
"Only Dar's hands are injured, he seems tolerable otherwise." Neji replied, and he pointed to Dar slowly standing.
"Then help Dar and Shiren." Xi told them. "I will get Gosain. We will bring him back to Konoha and Tsunade." Xi's face grew grim, but he was silent. You had best be all right Gosain; I will need your words. I will know them now!