Disclaimer: No I do not own Naruto.

Wings of the White Angel

Chapter 8: Face-off

Taking the machete, Pain looked at the blade and his smile turned from dark to sick. "Perfect…the perfect setting. Don't you think it's a work of art?"

"What are you…doing?" Yurei clutched at his face and stumbled to his feet, dizzy from the force of his own blows.

"It's simple…" Pain lifted the weapon back, its blade pointed at his chest. "I'm going to die."

Yurei felt cold as he watched the weapon rocket towards Pain's chest. ("If he dies…I die…") His feet were moving him towards the other boy, but he already knew that it wasn't going to matter. He wasn't fast enough…

Pain tilted his head back and smiled calmly. "To die is to live, no?" Then he plunged the weapon right into his chest.

Yurei dropped to his knees and screamed…and then he exploded into a burst of white smoke.

Pain froze, eyes wide. ("No, it can't be…")

"Kage Ningen no Jutsu…" Yurei grinned as he stepped out from behind a nearby bush. "So tell me, what do you think? By manipulating my chakra I can create a clone that I can extend my will into. I can keep supplying it chakra to keep it from dispersing. So your tricks are useless against me." His upper lip lifted up into a sneer. "For all you know, I could be a replication as well. Give up, your technique is useless against me."

Pain gritted his teeth and removed the machete from his chest, blood spraying out and down his black clothing. ("His techniques involve his ability to create shadow replications. And my technique attacks those who I fight with a powerful curse which binds them to me. All I did was bind his replication to me…it is useless.") "I see." Coughing up a gob of blood, he ran the blade of his weapon across his clothing to clean it. "Then let's try this…another technique…another voodoo…" His hands began to move rapidly, forming seals.

Yurei scoffed and threw a kunai right at the center of Pain's chest. "I'm not coming near you, but that doesn't mean that I can't stop you from performing another cheap little trick. How about you fight using your fists instead of your voodoo?"

As the weapon flew between Pain's hands and right into his ribcage, he snickered coldly. "Unfortunately, my talents reside in that which you dislike…so sorry." Forming the last seal, he started to walk towards Yurei. "Now come here…"

"You must be out of your mind…" Yurei took a few steps back. "I'm not coming near you."

"Oh? Why not?" Pain continued to stumble towards him. "I just wish to speak with you…"

"You must think I'm stupid…" Yurei didn't know what to do. It seemed like this guy couldn't be injured by normal attacks. ("Other than pounding him with a huge number of shadow replications, which I'd rather not expend the chakra to do, I have only one other option. Run away.") Frowning, he dispelled himself in a burst of white smoke.

Pain wasn't surprised…in fact he was pleased. ("The 'technique' I had planned was nothing. Good, he left.") Coughing up some more blood, he collapsed face-first to the ground. ("Now to sleep…to…") His heartbeat slowed to a crawl. And then it stopped completely.

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"Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" A fireball shot out of the smoke cloud and swallowed up Pride. Kai stepped out of the smoke calmly, already making the seals for his next technique. His sunglasses and clothing were charred slightly, but otherwise he was fine. "Don't think me that easy to beat! Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

As more fire washed over him, Pride sighed mentally. ("Well, it looks like I'll actually have to try this time.")

Kai stopped his fireball technique to give himself a breather. He was tired already. ("I need to practice that technique more often, because it is already draining my energy by far too much.")

Pride stepped out from the fire, revealing a young body much like Kai's. "It's interesting really…don't you think?"

"Interesting?" Kai held back his concern. Something about this felt wrong…

"Interesting how you expect to defeat me with such a pitiful technique…but what's even more interesting…is that I've been hunting you for so long." Brushing back his charcoal-colored locks of hair, Pride's golden eyes locked on the shades of Kai's sunglasses. "Kai Otogi? You and I know the truth, don't we? Don't kid me about who you are." He began to walk towards the boy slowly. "All of this time…and yet we meet again." Drawing another katana from out of nowhere, his white teeth glittered against the dark hue of his skin. "Your true identity is no secret to me."

Kai growled and drew a kunai, forming the seals for his fireball technique once more. "Katon…"

"Kage Tsuki." Pride disappeared, like a mirage.

Kai widened his eyes and felt a tingle along the back of his neck. Spinning around, he began to finish the technique. "…Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Pride appeared right in front of him, amusement across his face. Even as the fire of the technique warmed his skin, he decided against pretending that it hurt at all. ("No…let's see how well he does if I remind him that my level is far above his own.") Strolling out of the fire, he lifted the katana and pointed its blade right at Kai's head. "Kage Tsuki no mai."

Kai felt tingles run all along his body. ("I can't block this…") Dropping to his back, he gasped as he saw six different after-images of Pride standing over him. ("Too many…it can't be…") Then all of the afterimages became real to his sight, and they brought their swords flying down towards his head. Snapping up his kunai, he blocked one blade aimed for his eyes. Then the others came flying in…

Pride smiled coldly. "How…" He felt something, a slight tingle of chakra. ("Oh? He's getting stronger already? Interesting…considering that I'm still not using anything more than a dance…")

"Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" All of the Pride shadows were consumed in a blast of fire that plumed high into the sky. Kai stood up, the flames wreathed around him. ("Damn you…you want to play?") He knew that he'd need a different technique to win this. And he had the perfect ability in mind. "Katon…"

"Again with the fireball?" Pride got ready to move. If the boy actually thought to trap him with the same tired old technique, then he was wrong.

"…Hayabusa Koukyuu no Jutsu!" Kai spat out another fireball, but this one shot straight into the air. It quickly took the form of a bird in flight and then dove towards Pride rapidly.

("An adjustment to his old technique?") Pride sighed. ("Still not enough…") Swinging his sword up to point at the approaching fire blast, he closed his eyes. "Kage Tsuki no Iwaiuta!" His hands moved, spinning the sword around him in a rapid dance of light and steel. Even as the fire bird got closer, it began to show the signs that it was being attacked somehow. Inches before it reached Pride, it disappeared in a burst of embers. "And so your technique has been defeated by my carol of steel. Care to attempt something else?"

"There's no need." Kai spoke quietly into Pride's ear, standing behind him. "Or have you forgotten that I can see right through your technique?"

"I haven't forgotten at all. Your abilities are very impressive…aren't they?" Pride didn't even bother looking behind him. He knew that as close as Kai was, there was little the boy could do other than talk trash. ("I'm sure he understands that it is pointless to try and fight me seriously.")

Kai looked through his sunglasses…and smiled coldly. "I'll get you back for what you did…I'll make you pay…right here, right now." His hand shot upwards and slammed into the back of Pride's head. "And I'll pay you back for every second I've lived knowing that you were alive!" His other fist crashed into Pride's temple, and then he just started hitting wildly. "I'll make you regret what you did! I'll kill you!"

Pride's head snapped back and forth wildly, its movement being controlled by the wild punches of his foe.

"What gave you the right? What gave you the right to do what you did?" Kai kept punching, his hair flapping around him wildly. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Pride stumbled back a few more steps, though it didn't give him any leeway. He was still getting pounded over and over again.

"What you did to him…what you did to him…I won't let you escape this time!" Kai's right hand kept striking, but his left hand remained at his side. It began to glow with a faint red light. "No matter what you say…no matter where you go…I'll…"

Pride ducked the next punch and casually stabbed his katana right into Kai's side. "I've heard enough of your childish whining, brat."

Kai tried to ignore the pain, but the metal was red hot. "Damn…you…"

"All this time has passed and you still think that my killing of your father is a big event in my life?" Pride smirked and leaned his head in to whisper, "It was nothing. For all of his special skills and techniques…even his best attack…he was weak. And to think I actually removed my limiters just for him. It was such a waste of effort. If I'm correct, I killed him in three hits right? The first one took off his right arm…the second separated his torso from his legs…and the final took off his head. He couldn't even realize what I had done."

Thin lines of tears slid down Kai's cheeks, his eyes still hidden behind his sunglasses.

Pride removed his sword from Kai's side and slapped the wet flat of the blade against the boy's cheek, leaving him with a welt covered in his own blood. "All choked up? That's such a shame, because I was hoping that by leaving you alive I'd eventually create an opponent capable of being a challenge. But instead I wind up with a little boy who can't even hurt me in my normal state."

Kai clenched his fists tighter. "Shut up…"

Pride stood up and placed the edge of his katana against Kai's neck. "Or you'll what? I've already measured your skill…and it is lacking to the point of being useless. Now be a good boy and die…because I've grown sick of letting you live." The weapon's edge pressed in against Kai's throat. "Join your father…perhaps he'll teach you a thing or two…"

A kunai shot through the air and hit the hilt of the katana. It vanished into black mist. "That's enough, Pride."

"Oh? What's this?" Pride's hair parted as he looked over to his right. "Is that you Aiko? It's been so long since I've seen you, dear girl. Tell me, how is Kane?"

Aiko began to form a set of seals.

"Not a word hmm? Well that's such a shame…of course I suppose it makes sense. You wouldn't want to talk about the dead, would you?" Pride touched a finger to Kai's forehead and the boy slumped to the ground, unconscious. "So…let's begin. I've always wondered how far you could push me before I killed you…"

"I'll make sure that you never get your goal…I'll make sure you never succeed! Niji Bunshin no Jutsu!" Aiko's body shimmered and split into seven parts, each one having a different hair color. "And I'll kill you all the same."

"That's my line." Pride pulled a katana out of nothingness.

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Kin kept striking, because he was sure he wasn't doing any damage at all to the child with his normal attacks. ("I didn't need the White Wind Angel though; I just needed a single feather of the angel's wings. A single burst of speed for a surprise attack.") As the boy began to fall towards the ground he snapped his foot up and kicked the child in the stomach, sending him up to eye level with him. And sure enough, his eyes reflected no true pain. ("This kid is incredible…it looks like I'll have to take him down with full power!") Winding up a punch, he caught the boy on the chin and sent him careening into another boulder. "Sorry, but I don't have time to play! Fuuton; Shirakaze Tenshi no Jutsu!" ("Now to test my new limiting abilities…let's see if I can shut it off before it burns me completely!") As wisps of white silk began to float in the air around him, he locked his eyes onto the boy's body. "Here we go! It's time for the ten thousand hit combo!"

Hate stumbled to his feet, not even a bruise on him.

Kin bent at the knees. ("One hundred!") He disappeared and one second later was standing the same distance from Hate, but on the opposite side. ("Three hundred!")

Hate tilted his head to start to look where Kin had been.

("One thousand!") Kin appeared a few inches from Hate's face. "Yo." His fist arched up and slammed into the boy's chin, landing a hundred strikes in the time it would take one person to land a single punch. Even as the hundred hit uppercut finished, his other fist drove into his opponent's gut as hard as he possibly could. ("Two thousand…")

Hate began to move now, the force of the blows actually taking effect in real time.

Kin knew his time was slower than normal, but he attributed that to the fact he wasn't in top running form. ("Five thousand!") He completely vanished, while Hate was catapulted upwards by the force of three thousand punches to the chin. Even as the pale child somersaulted through the air, he blinked for the tenth time since he had been attacked. And then he was sent into the ground instantly, dust and smoke rising up from the force that had been used against him.

Kin appeared in the same spot he had been standing. ("Ten thousand…") Snapping up his hands, he concentrated all of his will into his chakra circulatory system. "Stop self!" Everything slowly returned to normal speed for him, and he smiled. Though it had burned more chakra than necessary to do so, he had stopped the White Wind Angel. "Alright Eribisumaru-san, let's…" His eyes widened at what he saw emerging from the huge crater his final five thousand punches had created.

Hate stumbled out of the crater, his eyes and hair burning red. "That hurt…that actually hurt…" His eyes bored right into Kin's. Letting out a roar of rage he charged full speed towards the green-haired boy.

Kin grimaced and his hands moved as quickly as possible. "Ju Shirakaze Hane no Jitsu!" His legs cramped for a moment and then he charged towards the small boy. "I'll show you hurt…" He disappeared right before Hate's fist could hit him. Then he appeared behind the boy. Kicking with all of his strength, he drove his next White Wind Feather right into the boy's side with all of his strength.

Hate turned, his eyes still like those of a demon. "I'll kill you!"

"You have to catch me first." Kin disappeared again and appeared right behind his opponent. "And I promise you that will never happen!" His foot snapped up and kicked another White Wind Feather into Hate's side. Then he disappeared and appeared with his foot driving another feather into the boy's head. ("Six….four left…") He lumped the energy together and kicked full strength into Hate's stomach, letting all four feathers loose at once.

Hate gasped and bent forward a little…and then snapped his head up a couple of inches from Kin's.

("He's fast…") Kin began to slip into guard position. He was going to take the hit and then he'd counterattack with a kick to the side of the head. After that he'd be best off reactivating White Wind Angel. He'd break this kid's toughness.

Hate's fist rocketed in and struck his stomach. For a few moments there was silence, and then a sound like a gunshot rang across the area.

Kin stared at the ground, his body hunched over Hate's fist. ("Why do I feel so cold? Why do I…") Then time caught up to him and he was propelled thirty feet into a boulder. That boulder exploded into powder and he kept going, hitting another boulder. Ten boulders later he finally stopped. ("No one is…that strong…") Kin saw the earth rushing up to him…but by the time he touched it he was dead, spine shattered and internal organs demolished.

Hate tried to control his breathing…and then slowly his hair and eyes returned to normal. Looking the damage he had caused over, he whimpered. ("Master Pride isn't going to be happy…")

Kin's dead eyes had nothing to say in response.

To be continued…