By RequiemofDementia
Chapter Twenty One: The End
Shinzui leapt to the side once more, as Orochimaru's tongue once again lashed out at him. He no longer created the chakra walls to defend himself, and Orochimaru sensed that his victory was at hand. He laughed in pleasure, as his thick tongue met Shinzui's leg, wrapping around it firmly.
Shinzui straightened slowly, a small smile on his lips as he helped his sister to stand.
"Did I do well, Shinzui?" she asked softly.
With a nod, the boy stepped back from her. "You did very well, Airen."
His sister's eyes rose up, meeting his own, and the smile on her lips warmed his heart. It had only been a few years since the tragedy of their family had happened, and yet already Airen had learned a great deal from her brother.
"I am proud of you."
His ankle shattered under the power of the grip that Orochimaru's tongue had on him. His eyes met Orochimaru's. He knew he had to end this now.
Riki walked, determined, his bag slung over his shoulder. It seemed odd that a young man would need to run away from his police officer father, but there it was all the same. He had left behind everything, and now he was alone.
And that had been when Shinzui had met him. The first person ever to see through the disguise of complete indifference he had set up for himself. The two eyed each other, and Shinzui smiled softly.
"I can't promise you a place in this world," he said softly. "But I can promise you a purpose, and friends."
When Riki smiled at him, Shinzui smiled back. "Let's go."
Orochimaru's mouth opened wider, Shinzui glimpsing a glint of steel, as a sword slowly slipped out from the Sannin's wide open mouth. With a jerk of the tongue, Shinzui was air born, sailing towards Orochimaru.
Little Chie was all alone. He sat, huddled, against the wall, watching everyone pass him by. In his hands, he slowly folded a piece of little paper in his hands. He could not find his parents.
And that was how Shinzui had found him. He crouched slowly, a smile on his lips. "Hello, little one."
Tiny little Chie looked up, his eyes full of hope as they met Shinzui. "Father?"
Shinzui smiled softly, as he reached his hand out towards Chie. "Close enough."
Sailing towards the blade in Orochimaru's mouth, Shinzui smiled grimly. Deep within him, he felt the pain beginning to build.
The body's chakra is regulated by special gates to prevent the circulation of more chakra then the body can safely handle. Sometimes, a ninja can open one or two of these gates to give them more chakra, and more power. Shinzui, however, was going further then that.
"What is the lesson, Shinzui-sama?"
"I am going to give you all a secret today," he said softly, as he slowly sat. "I am going to tell you how to be the most powerful ninja in the world."
Even Riki looked a little shocked at that, as he leaned closer to listen.
"A ninja is most powerful when he has found something or someone very, very precious to them, and is protecting them. That is when they can perform truly great feats."
"Shinzui-sama," came the soft, timid voice of Chie. "Do you… have someone or something special?"
Shinzui nodded slowly, his lips holding a gentle smile. "I have you three."
Orochimaru's eyes widened, as he felt the chakra within Shinzui. He had thrown open all of the chakra gates, a suicide attack, the rasa upon his forehead blazing painfully. "No!"
Kabuto's foot met Kakashi's chest, knocking the other ninja back. And then it came. The ground rocked, as a deafening explosion sounded. Kabuto spun quickly, looking up to the building that Orochimaru and Shinzui had been fighting upon. His eyes widened, as a powerful explosion blew the roof away.
"Orochimaru-sama!"
So preoccupied was Kabuto by the danger to his master that at first, he could not hear the sound behind him.
Chi. Chi chi. Chi. Chi chi chi. Chi. Chi chi. Chi. Chi.
It was coming closer, up behind him. He spun quickly, as he finally noticed it. His eye met Kakashi's Sharingan eye, his senses for a moment dulled. And then came the stinging pain.
Kabuto gasped, as his eyes widened. Kakashi's hand was straight through his neck, the power of the Chidori having easily split Kabuto's skin, muscle and even bone. His body slumped to the ground, the head rolling away from it.
"Shinzui!" Airen screamed, leaping up against the wall of a near by building, and then up to the shattered remains of the roof, carefully avoiding the flames that still blazed, left over from the massive explosion. She was so busy with that, she did not notice the thick tongue, until it was too late. It slammed firmly against her chest, knocking her back off of the roof again.
Airen landed on her feet, looking up, as Orochimaru dropped down as well. His clothing was burned and shredded, large gouges in his flesh from the power of the explosion. His blood dripped down, as all of the ninja below confronted him.
Weakened as he was from Shinzui's attack, he knew he could not face them all. That would have to be Kabuto's job. And that was when he noticed Kabuto's condition, his eyes widening in shock.
Kakashi stood before Orochimaru, a smile on his lips, the Sharingan eye meeting Orochimaru's. Sasuke stood by him, a look of calm concentration on his face. Both had their hands by their side, blazing with the power of the Chidori.
In the confusion, Gaara had disappeared.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, as even Chie began to rise up, trying to keep his weight off of his broken leg. He could not win here now, he knew that, especially as he could sense both Tsunade and Jiraiya both approaching.
With a grimace, Orochimaru was gone once more. He would have his revenge however.
Author's notes.
:( It is sappy, I know, but I got upset writing this. See, Shinzui is not only a character I really like, but he was supposedly the character in my sisters story that was loosely based on me. I found this piece to be rather touching, which was kind of the point.
Read and review, let me know what you think.