Disclaimer: No I do not own Naruto.
Wings of the White Angel
Chapter 9: Pride's Purpose
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.
The red-haired and purple-haired Aikos stepped forward. They both began to perform two different sets of seals. Then the rest of the replications began to form different seals.
After a moment Pride knew exactly which one to start with. "Foolish girl…Kage Tsuki no mai." He disappeared.
Each of the replications gasped as a phantom katana stabbed into their chest. A rainbow plume of smoke filled the air as each one dispelled immediately.
Pride reappeared where he had been standing before. "It's pointless. You were no match for me two weeks ago…you needed the help of the Hokage to get rid of me. This time he's not here, and in two weeks you couldn't have improved enough to become a threat for me." Snapping his katana up to point up into the noon sky, a dark smile appeared on his face. "Ah yes, just two weeks ago…it was such a nice day, right up until he died…"
"Shut up!" Aiko appeared in front of him, a kunai in each hand. "Don't even speak of him." She dove in, both blades coming in at angles that made it impossible to block them with one weapon.
Pride sneered as he was slashed by both blades. "You still haven't learned, have you?" He disappeared in a burst of black smoke.
("A shadow replication?") Aiko turned to see the blade of Pride's sword a few inches from her forehead protector. But it stood their, unmoving.
"Don't you get it yet? I'm one of the seven Sins." Pride withdrew his blade. "You can't match my power. I owe him a debt for saving my life once…and in return I'll spare you this one time."
She threw the kunai away and leapt at him, trying to drive the flat of her right palm into his chest. ("Taijutsu should work…")
Pride snapped a hand up and grabbed her wrist, twisting it painfully. "Aiko, stop. It's useless to try and beat me…you know that. I won't kill you if I can avoid it. You're like Terubisu though…to think that you believe yourself a true Jounin." He yanked her in a little closer. "Don't you get it? Despite all of your training you still don't have the experience necessary to truly earn the title."
"What do you want with him?" She tried to tug her wrist away, but his grip was like iron.
"He has something that we've worked too hard for. And thanks to your sacrificial lamb we can get this prize with next to no effort. I owe you so much for sealing it away…" His katana blade lowered and he twisted her wrist even harder. "Now go already…before I change my mind…"
She pushed in closer, forcing her wrist to an angle that was nearly breaking it. "I'm not running! Tell me the truth…what do you want it for?"
"For its power, what else?" Pride sighed. "Not since the Kyuubi's emergence has the opportunity for such power shown itself…"
"Don't you understand yet, that power won't obey anyone!" She felt her blood run cold. It was useless…he was set on this task.
"Aiko, that's enough. It will belong to the Seven Sins. You know this…"
"I do." She tilted her head down and sighed in defeat. "So I wish this could be some other way. Forgive me…" Her body disappeared in a burst of white smoke.
("A replication?") Pride felt her now…right behind him. He began to turn…
"Too late…" Aiko's hands touched his back. "Nijiryu no Jitsu!"
Pride's eyes widened as a dragon-shaped blast of rainbow energy blew a huge hole in his chest. He started to lean forward… "No…" His body disappeared.
Aiko gasped as she felt a sharp edge of steel press against her neck from Pride's katana. "…You're too late…for all of your skill, you're still blind. Don't ever forget that…"
"How could I forget?" Aiko smiled. "But honestly, you're blinder than I could ever be." Her rainbow colored hair faded to green.
("Another rainbow replication?") Pride felt chakra building around him from six different points.
"Ninpou Nijikiri no Jitsu!" The other six rainbow replications finished their seals and a rainbow-colored mist formed around them, encasing Pride. "Now you're trapped Pride. The power of my Rainbow Mist Genjutsu will lock you in an eternal state of stupor."
"Is that so?" Pride's voice echoed out of the mist. "You fool, it's not that easy to stop me. A simple Genjutsu like that cannot…will not…"
"Stop bluffing, you're trapped." All six of them smiled calmly. "We've stopped you…"
"I'm immune to the stupor part, but yes I am stuck. However, you cannot attack me while I am in here, so what's the point? You will run out of chakra sooner or later, and once you do it's the end. Debt or not, I have to kill you now." Pride's voice echoed out of the mist. "Perhaps you should dispel the technique and run?"
"I can't beat you in a fight…I know that…" All of the Aikos tilted their heads down. "But I won't let you do what you wish! I shall stop you with my last breath."
"Suicide is unbecoming of you, dear Aiko…"
"And insanity is unbecoming of you, but that hasn't stopped you in the past from going after foolish goals!" The legs of the Aikos began to tremble. ("What's wrong with my chakra?")
"Oh yes…I forgot to mention…Kage Tsuki Tate." Pride began to laugh. "A special technique I developed specifically to combat illusion ninjas such as yourself. Quite simply, I'm dispersing your illusion and consuming the power for myself…" Even as he spoke the rainbow mist started to grow thinner.
One of the Aiko replications dispelled. "I'll buy as much time as I can…"
"I'd say ten seconds…" Another Aiko dispelled, and Pride's body started to come into view. Two more of the replications disappeared. "Maybe five?"
The two remaining replications looked at each other and then one broke off into a run away from the mist. ("I'll lead him away…") Even as the remaining replication disappeared and this replication's hair turned to rainbow, indicating it was really Aiko, she ran for all she worth. ("I'm not afraid to die, but these boys under my command trust me to keep them alive. I can't let a monster like Pride harm…") Right before she ran into the brush, her legs froze as she sensed who had emerged from them. "How?"
"I'm too smart for you." Pride tapped the side of his head with his katana. "I left a shadow in the mist to suck up your chakra and siphon it to me. I'm completely recharged now, while you are at less than twenty percent strength." Off in the distance thousands of birds broke into wild chirping.
"You've always been good at gauging the strengths of your opponents…haven't you?" Aiko stumbled back a few feet, drawing a kunai. It wouldn't do any good, but she would buy the boys all the time they needed.
"I'm done playing cat and mouse…die." Pride split into eight copies, each one a few inches from her and now forming a ring to cut off her escape. "You can't block us all and no one can tell who is the real me." The birds chirping got louder, an omen of the coming death.
"You're wrong, there's one." Aiko smiled slightly and wiped some dirt from her cheek.
"But he's not…" Pride heard the bushes behind him rustle. ("I didn't hear anyone approach…I just heard…birds…") His heart stopped in his chest. ("Impossible…why would he come here?")
"I suggest you drop your sword, Pride," A calm voice whispered in the Sin's ear. The figure held a crackling ball of lightning in their hand. It was just a few inches from his back and was making a noise like thousands of birds chirping.
Pride glared at Aiko. "You wench…you knew you couldn't beat me."
"That's right. Aiko's job was simply to alert me to your position and then buy time." The hand lifted the ball of lightning up towards the section of Pride's back closest to the Sin's heart. "Now then Pride…it's the end. Aiko, go make sure that the target is alright."
"Yes Hokage-sama." Bowing her head, she turned and ran right past the shadow, knowing they only moved like their original did. And if he attacked then he'd be killed instantly.
Pride watched her go for a few moments and then started to laugh. "So, what do I owe the honor of this visit by you? It isn't every day that a ninja gets to meet the great Hokage."
"Crack all the jokes you want Pride…but first dispel your illusions and come out. I know where you are, but I wanted to make sure Aiko thought I had you beaten."
"Of course…being the sensitive guy you are." All eight of the Pride clones vanished, and the real one appeared just a few feet away from the Hokage. "To think I'll get to fight the legend himself. It's a dream come true. So, let's begin…"
The Hokage brushed some leaves off his Jounin vest and clothes, the lightning ball long gone. "I know you think…" His hand reached up and grasped his forehead protector, which was hanging over his left eye. "…that you will be fighting…" Pushing the protector up onto his forehead fully, he revealed a red eye with three black stars surrounding the pupil. "…but the truth is…" The stars turned for a few moments around the pupil in a wheel motion and then settled, reflecting Pride within the pupil of that eye. "…death is your only option."
Pride tried to ignore the droplets of sweat on his face. ("The Sharingan…") "Oh? So you immediately unleash your best ability? I thought that the famous sixth Hokage would start with something else instead."
"You killed my apprentice's fiancé…" Hatake Kakashi met Pride's eyes with both his normal eye and the eye that reflected the power of the Sharingan bloodline limit. "And your future is death. Raikiri!" Cupping his right hand, Kakashi growled out as lightning developed within his palm.
("I didn't even see him perform the seals…") Pride stepped back, unable to take his eye off of that single Sharingan-strengthened orb. ("I must retreat…I have to run…this is too much for even me…")
Kakashi bowed his head. "May you find peace in death, coward!" Charging, he extended his hand out and drove the lightning ball right into Pride's chest in the blink of an eye.
------------
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.
Hate whimpered a little louder. "He's going to hurt me…master Pride is going to hurt me so much for breaking the target…" Sitting, he clutched as his head and started to rock gently.
Eribisumaru stared in horror at Kin's crushed form. ("What…what terrible power…") He'd been amazed and relieved when he had seen Kin's speed, but now there was nothing left for him but fear. ("I don't even know who these people are…why are they targeting me?") But even as he thought this he remembered what Hate had just said. ("He broke the target? What a moment…the boy he killed was the target, not me?")
Hate whimpered louder and rocked a bit faster. ("I don't want to be hurt again…please don't hurt me, master Pride….") He was so absorbed in his mental nightmare that he didn't even notice the fact that red chakra was coming off of Kin's body in waves.
Kin's eyes slowly opened and he clutched at his skull. ("Oh man…did I oversleep again?") Memories flashed back to him and he snapped his head up to look at the rocking Hate. After a quick check of his body, he breathed a sigh of relief. ("Wow…I'm amazed that blow didn't do more damage to me. I don't even have a scratch on me…")
Hate heard the breath and looked up at Kin. ("He's alive?") Stumbling to his feet, he wiped his eyes free of tears and started to walk towards the green-haired boy slowly. "Let's fight…"
Kin growled and danced back, trying to keep the maximum distance between himself and his opponent. ("This guy is a monstrosity. He hits so hard…") Clenching his jaw, he tried to ignore the throbbing in his skull and kept retreating. ("I need to think of a way to match his strength…but my Red Fire Devil technique is nowhere near strong enough to make me a match for him…") White Wind Angel wouldn't do any good, because his blows weren't anything to this kid's defense. If five thousand hits didn't leave more than a bruise, it was pointless to push himself more. ("Blue Water Dolphin and Grey Iron Knight would be pointless here. And that's it…I don't have any abilities besides replacement and transformation techniques…crap…")
Hate kept moving toward him, smiling weakly. ("Master Pride won't hurt me…I just have to immobilize this guy…")
"I don't suppose we can talk about this, can we?" Kin felt sweat pouring down his face. He'd never met an opponent that his speed couldn't defeat…but here he was…in that situation. ("My lack of Ninjutsu skills make it impossible to win…") All of his effort to learn the Taijutsu of his clan didn't mean anything here. ("Attack and face death…or run and face dishonor…or…") He grimaced and pushed his feet into the ground to keep himself from moving at all. ("I'm sorry father, forgive this foolish son of yours.") His hands started to move, forming an incredibly complex set of seals.
Hate kept moving towards him, smiling tiredly.
Kin felt the building chakra deep within every muscle of his body. ("At my current level the chances of achieving it are less than one out of a million, but I have to try and activate Radiant Paradise. It's my only hope. Of course if I fail I go up like a firecracker, so please work…") "Kagayaki Rakuen!" Finishing the last seal, he closed his eyes and prayed with all of his heart. ("Please don't blow up…please!")
Hate stared at the rapidly building aura of chakra in slight amazement. ("Wow…such strange colors…white, now black…white, now black…black…")
Kin felt joy running up his spine as he realized he had done it. ("Radiant Paradise…I'll…") The throbbing increased in intensity. ("What's going on? What's…what's…") Screaming, he clutched at his skull as his body was consumed by a pillar of black chakra.
Hate stepped back a couple of feet in confusion. ("What's this? Where'd this power come from?")
Kin's lips curled up into a dark smile. "Kurohakai Sabaku!" The aura settled down around him. "So child, you made a mistake…reaching for the sun and finding nothing but ash." His eyes lifted to meet Hate's, the irises now a molten red. "And now…" His pupils contracted to slits, and a bright crimson light came from his chest. "Not only have you given me free reign over your body…but I get this strange source of dark energy to play with. I'm not sure what technique you were trying to use, but it doesn't matter." His arms lifted up and he slid into a strange Taijutsu stance. "As for you…I want to see what you can really do…"
Hate tilted his head to the side. "What I can really do?"
"Oh yes…I want your full strength…I want to feel alive again!" Kin charged, disappearing and appearing a few inches behind Hate. "Tell me, what does your blood taste like?"
To be continued…