Disclaimer: No I do not own Naruto.
Wings of the White Angel
Chapter 14: The Genius of Shadows; Yurei
"You wish to fight?" Pride closed his eyes. "Sorry, but I'm taking you now…you don't need your legs or arms…not for what we desire…" He disappeared, appearing inches from Kin. His sword poised to strike. "This will only hurt for a moment."
Kin couldn't believe it… ("He's too fast…I can't track him…I can't…")
The sword fell….
Kin squeezed his eyes shut. ("I'm sorry father…") A loud clang filled the room.
Pride growled in anger. "Aiko…how annoying of you to always break my sword…"
Aiko stood between Kin and Pride, holding half of the shadow katana's blade in her hand. Dropping the blade to the floor, it dissipated instantly. "I knew you couldn't resist the chance to scare the child." She casually removed her forehead protector, revealing a pair of empty prismatic eyes. "Hikarigan!"
"You want to…" Pride gasped in pure surprise and pain as she flat-palmed him once, and sent him shooting into the back wall.
Aiko cracked her knuckles and turned to look at Kin. "Go make sure the others are alright. Pride's disciples have to be stopped before they kill anyone else. Go!"
Kin was snapped out of his shock and saluted. "Yes Ma'am!" Turning on one heel, he ran full speed for the bedroom.
Aiko turned her head to look at Pride, who had walked back into the living room. "This is the last time we'll see each other." Her eyes shimmered. "Niji Bunshin no Jutsu!"
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Kin kicked the bedroom door open. "Guys?" There was no one in the room. "Where'd they…"
"Suiton; Yuki Hari!"
Kin turned and saw someone right outside the window. "What in…" Then the glass of the window shattered inward and he was pelted by hundreds of cold needles that punctured his flesh.
Frost stepped through the shattered window casually. "You're still standing? Good, then I get to play." Her hands began to form seals.
Kin growled and with one flex forced the needles back out the way they had come. "Fuuton; Shirakaze Tenshi no Jutsu!"
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Kai had agreed with Yurei's plan to hide outside as soon as they saw the three disciples, but now they were in trouble. They had gotten separated, and now Kai was trapped within the black cloud that had formed around the house before. ("It's being controlled by someone…") Snapping out his sunglasses, he slid them onto the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.
"I want to see…let me see through your eyes…by removing them from your head." The darkness closed in around Kai's body.
("He's gathering chakra for some kind of strange effect? What is the effect though?") Kai back-flipped a few times to get out of the cloud. But no matter how far he went, he couldn't get out of it. ("He's tracking me with it. Where-ever I move it will move.") Grimacing, he widened his eyes and began to search for some kind of weakness in this move. ("He wants me blind, but why? So far he hasn't attacked me at all, which leaves me to wonder what exactly he has planned for me.")
"I suppose by now you are wondering what exactly I intend to do to you." Blind's gruff voice echoed out into the cloud. "You will see very soon. Are you ready to face your darkest fears?" Standing right outside of the cloud, he sneered. "Welcome to the Nightmare Cloud! Akumu Moyamoya!" Seconds later Kai's screams of fear echoed from inside the cloud. ("The illusion that will pitch you into your darkest fears…")
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Yurei stood at the end of one street, and Pain at the other. "I've been waiting for you to show your face." Ayumi stood behind him, kunai in hand.
"Is the girl really necessary?" Something about Pain seemed different to Yurei. It was the fact that the first Pain he had met had acted frail and weak, while this one carried himself with the kind of strength that radiated off of him like the stink of a corpse.
"Ayumi-san, please let me fight him." Yurei dropped the bundled item from his shoulder into her waiting arms. "I have to settle a score I have with him." Sliding into a Taijitsu stance, he took a deep breath. "Pain, let's finish it here."
"Deal." The gaunt ninja slid into a similar fighting stance. And then at once they charged towards each other at full speed.
("Why do I feel the need to end him? Why do I feel the need to finish this fight right now?") Yurei already knew the answer to that question, and it flashed in his mind right before his fist crashed into Pain's face. ("It is because he is wrong...he is what I could have become.") Pain's fist cracked into his face roughly. ("But I did not succumb to the darkness…I fought it…") Their fists scraped down each other's face, and Yurei slammed his other fist into Pain's chin. As Pain was forced backwards, he slid into a spread crouching position and sprung like a wild animal, his first fist hitting the underside of Pain's chin and forcing him to straighten out. The second blow slammed into the gaunt ninja's throat, pushing his Adam's apple so far back it touched his spinal cord for a moment. And then they broke away, Pain already dead before he touched the ground.
Ayumi stared in complete amazement. She had never seen someone strike like Yurei did. It was like watching a wild animal at work.
Yurei looked at the fallen Pain calmly. ("You're not dead for real…stand up and let's continue.")
A loud crack came from Pain's neck, and then he stumbled to his feet, head hanging at a strange angle. His lips curled up slightly into a sick smile. Then he charged full speed towards Yurei again.
Yurei snapped his arm out and almost through Pain's gut, sending the boy sailing backwards another ten feet. "It's not really you…is it?" Sure enough, Pain disappeared in a flash of smoke and the corpse of a villager took its place. "It was never you. That's a sick technique…beyond sick in fact…"
Ayumi realized what Pain had done. ("He…he used his chakra to transform a corpse into a copy of himself…") Bile started to rise in her throat. That was…
"You like it?" Pain stepped out from behind a building, followed by another Pain. Both of them smiled at the same time. "Shi Bunshin is a technique I rarely use, but in your case I have to make an exception. Though it isn't so much fun, because I don't get to feel that lovely pain that you inflict, it is necessary to beat you. Your ability to create shadow replications is dangerous…very dangerous…"
Yurei turned to face them both. "Don't compare my technique to yours. How can you defile the dead so?"
"Defile? They should be exalted for being allowed to serve me in this way." Both of the Pains separated, approaching Yurei's front from different angles. "I am the god of death, or don't you know that?"
"If you were the god of death, then I would feel fear. However…" Yurei barely moved in response to their approach. "You are not. Death is not a toy, like you treat it. Haven't you ever lost someone important to you?"
"Never…" Both Pains slid into a weird stance, their arms dangling limply at their sides and their bodies nearly collapsing from the loss of effort to stand. "Shi Ninpou!" Then both bodies began to flail insanely fast, their arms, legs and joints making impossibly loud crack noises as they popped out of their sockets. Now both of them hovered in the air motionlessly.
Ayumi had already vomited onto the street, the sounds too much for her.
Yurei stood there, and other than his nostrils flaring he didn't move.
One of the Pains lifted its head up on its now rubbery neck. "Here we go…" Then they both shot forward.
Yurei closed his eyes. "We'll see how powerful you are…" His eyes snapped open and he was moving, right before he was suddenly assaulted by eight different attacking body parts. Repeatedly he had to throw his arms up to block, and as he was forced back he understood why Pain had popped the joints out of the sockets of his puppets. ("They no longer have to follow the limitations of the body's reach. Each limb of the puppet can now attack me unabated by what the rest of him is doing.") His speed increased slightly as the puppets fell into an insane dance of attacking, neither of them striking with any sort of rhythm. ("However, I am a user of Taijutsu, and as such you won't be able to hit me so easily.")
Finally the assault stopped, and both puppets floated back a few feet from him. Then one of them lifted its head at a jaunty angle and smiled insanely. "And here I thought you were clever…such a shame a genius fell for such a simple attack."
"What are you talking about?" Yurei narrowed his eyes, becoming more aware of everything around him now. ("Is he going to attack me again with more puppets than just those two?")
"You don't get it, do you?" The puppet started to laugh hauntingly. "Take a look at your arms."
Yurei glanced down at his arms…and saw dozens of darkening black bumps all along his body. ("What…what is this?")
"Every human being has 361 points on their body known as the Tenketsu." The puppet floated a little closer to Yurei. "They are needle-width spots all over the body that when hit properly allow me to manipulate your flow of chakra. Well…"
"You attacked my Tenketsu? But…" Yurei couldn't believe he didn't feel the touch to those spots. "That can't be…you're lying. If you had hit the Tenketsu, you could have shut down the flow of chakra to my body…"
"What's the fun in that?" The puppet licked its lips. "I gave each Tenketsu a small sample of the unique death chakra that runs through my body. Just enough that…" Yurei gasped as his right arm fell limp to his side. "…I can kill you, piece by piece."
Ayumi stared at the puppets in fear. ("This kind of ninja…how could he exist. Could anything human actually enjoy death this much?")
Yurei gasped in pain as his left arm fell limp to his side. ("I was careless…I should have used Kage Kifuijin immediately. It's too late now…I don't have arms to fight…") His right leg went numb, and he dropped to one knee. ("I'm sorry…I'm sorry father.")
Ayumi clenched her fist and began to form seals as quickly as she could. ("I have to help!")
One of the puppets turned around to look at her with bulging eyes. "What are you doing? Are you going to fight too? You want to play with me that much? Okay…let's play…" It began to float towards her slowly.
Ayumi knew that her best technique would have no effect on such an opponent. ("I need to heal Yurei before he dies…I have to…I can't let him die!") "Doton;…." Her eyes widened and she fell to her knees, screaming and clutching her head.
"Ayumi-san!" Yurei tried to stand up, but collapsed to his knees again. "What did you do?"
"It's just a little death illusion…don't be so afraid for her. She'll be fine…" The first puppet turned to look at him with an amused expression on its face. "Well…she'll be fine for as long as you keep me entertained."
Yurei felt his chest grow cold and started to have trouble breathing. ("No…I'm dying…and I can't let that happen. Stand up…stand up!") He felt another cold wave across his chest and he felt his heart slow to the point of nearly stopping. His consciousness began to waver. ("No…she won't die because of my mistake…") A low growl came from his lips.
"It looks like you're done…how sad…" The puppet began to turn to look at Ayumi. "Maybe she'll last longer…though I doubt it…"
Everything started to get dark for Yurei… ("Ayumi…I'll protect you. I won't let anyone die…no one will die…") His head drooped as he ran out of air.
"Looks like it is just you and me…dearie…" The puppet reached out slowly to rub Ayumi's face.
"Don't touch her…don't touch her you disgusting…beast…" Yurei slowly stood up. His eyes opened to reveal the slits that were his pupils now in much more definition. Lifting his upper lip, he revealed a pair of elongated canine teeth. "Ichiji-teki Kyoki!"
Both puppets turned to look at him. "What's this? You can stand?" They both launched at him full speed.
His eyes widened slightly and he dove past both puppets, avoiding their attacks easily. Then he picked up into a run down the street. ("I can see through you…I can see through it!") Skidding to a halt, he charged full speed for a nearby house door. Slamming shoulder-first into it, he shattered the wood and flew into the living room. Standing there was Pain and another puppet. The puppet launched right at him and struck him numerous times across the body. Then he brushed past it without a thought. His target was set.
Pain didn't panic. Instead he moved his hands as quickly as he could to perform the seals for the Resurrection technique. ("If he kills me before I accomplish it, I'll…")
"That's the way you return to life, right?" Yurei was already holding both of Pain's hands to his sides. "It's too late for that…it's the end!" His forehead struck full force onto Pain's nose, shattering it instantly.
Pain tugged his arms away and started to form the seals again. ("I will not die!")
"No, you won't die…I won't kill you!" Yurei's foot slammed into Pain's midsection, and then his elbow struck his back, forcing Pain to his knees. "But I will make sure you don't hurt anyone ever again! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Four copies of himself appeared in the four corners of the room. "My final attack!" Each of the replications ran at Pain and grabbed either an arm or a leg. Then they, as one, ran outside and leapt as high as they could into the air.
Pain looked at each of them in confusion. "What are you doing?" The real Yurei stood underneath them. Then all four of them hammer-fisted him straight down into the real Yurei, who stopped him with full force punch to the gut.
Ayumi slowly lifted up her head, the horrible nightmare that she had been in now over. "Yurei…Yurei…" She turned around, and stared in amazement. ("He's standing…that can't be.")
Yurei dropped Pain to the ground. "You won't hurt anyone else ever again."
Barely conscious, Pain heard these words. But he couldn't believe them. ("Pain is my name and my life…you cannot expect me to…")
"If you hurt anyone ever again, I'll kill you for real." Yurei cracked his knuckles. "Got it?"
Pain stared at him for a few moments, and then passed out.
Ayumi couldn't believe Yurei had actually expected someone like Pain to mend his ways…
"Are you coming?" Yurei was standing next to her, the bundle over his shoulder. "Aiko-sensei probably needs our help."
She stood up and nodded resolutely. "Let's go."
To be continued…
Author's Notes: So how am I doing so far?