Disclaimer: No I do not own Naruto.
Wings of the White Angel
Chapter 21: Mysterious assailant
Immediately, Kin, Kai, and Yurei all were up front. Kin and Kai both drew kunai, while Yurei tugged on the linens of Shadow Goddess to loosen them. Ayumi drew a kunai too, but knew that the boys would probably fight this guy, whoever he is…
Silently, the man swept his cloak back to reveal a single arm wrapped in black silk. Then he charged at all three of them with incredible speed.
Kai's eyes widened from behind his sunglasses. "Scramble!" Then he began a long chain of back-flips, while Yurei ran right and Kin ran left.
The man landed where they had been, his revealed hand touching the ground. "Hakai." An explosion shook the ground as a huge crater was torn in the earth from the force of his touch. Standing, he stood in the wind of his own blast quietly.
Yurei slid to a stop and propped Shadow Goddess against a tree. "For now, let's see what this guy really has." Charging, his hands quickly formed the seals for his technique of choice. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In a burst of smoke, there was now twenty different Yurei charging towards the man.
The man's hand flexed a couple of times and then slid back underneath his cloak.
Two of the Yurei leapt towards the man in a suicide strike, but both froze and grunted as something struck them hard enough to dispel them immediately.
("What was that?") Yurei glanced at the other remaining seventeen replications. "Let's go, formation three." Nodding, five of them charged towards the man while the others ran out to form a loose circle a safe distance away from him.
The man stepped forwards and the five charging replications as gasped as the air was blown from their lungs by an invisible force that instantly forced them to dispel. As he walked, one by one the replications were struck by this force. Finally Yurei was the only one left, but the man did not attack him with the method used to break the replications.
"My turn." Kai appeared right behind the man, using the speed training he had achieved under Kai to the best of his advantage. "Let's see what you've got." Snapping his hands up, he formed a quick series of seals. "Katon; Honoo Bunshin no Jutsu!" Exhaling four puffs of flame, he blurred out of sight.
The man stomped his foot once and four cloud of embers appeared around him, indicating the immediate defeat of the four fire replications.
"All according to plan." Kai was in the air above the man, his technique seals complete. "Katon; Hantei Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Opening his mouth wide, he exhaled a flaming cloud that swallowed up not only the man but also the surrounding fifty feet of woodlands.
Yurei frowned as the fire finally died down. ("What was that attack he used against my replications? Despite my connection to them mentally, I'm still not sure what it was.")
The man walked out of the fire, not a single scorch mark on him.
Kai appeared next to Yurei. "Is he another of the Seven Sins?" Yurei's response was to walk over and remove the linens from Shadow Goddess.
Kin stepped in front of the man. "Fuuton; Shirakaze Tenshi no Jutsu!" White wisps of silk appeared around his body. "Let's see what you've got, trying to act all cool…" He disappeared, and a second later he was flying through the air face-first, a bruise on his right cheek.
Kai sweat-dropped, while Ayumi face-fell. ("How did he beat Pride anyway?")
The man's calm expression turned into a frown. "Sad." Then Kai and Ayumi were both flying as something invisible slammed into both of them, sending Kai into a tree trunk and then Ayumi into Kai. "Barely worth it."
"Don't underestimate us." Yurei had Shadow Goddess hefted over one shoulder, holding the weapon one-handed. "Let's see what you can do against us when we're serious." White energy flared along the blade's edge.
Kai ignored the slap he got from Ayumi for apparently touching her when not allowed, though he didn't argue that he had no choice in the matter. Adjusting his sunglasses, he momentarily revealed a pair of silver irises. "So we have to all go at this one full power, hmm? I guess he must by a Sin."
The man stopped and tilted his head back as he felt a tingle of gathering chakra in the air.
"Kagayaki Rakuen!" Kin's body disappeared in a momentary halo of golden chakra, and then he emerged from it in the form Ayumi had so strangely called the Golden Retriever. "So, you want to push us around? Well then how about we remind you Sins that we aren't so easily bullied."
Ayumi stared at each of the three, one after another. ("Incredible…and they're only Genin level…")
Yurei grasped Shadow Goddess with both hands and charged, dragging his blade along the ground as hard as he could. "Kage Mangetsu!" Leaping into the air, he drove his now shining sword blade down towards the man's head.
Parting his cloak, the man's silk-covered hand shot up and caught the weapon by the blade. Unfocused chakra from the powerful attack washed over him, but he seemed unaffected. "Slightly less dull."
Kai appeared right behind the man at that moment, his right hand glowing red. "Let's find out whether Sins have hearts or not…" He jabbed his hand towards the section of the man's chest containing the heart, but was stopped by the same invisible force from before. And this time it held him in mid-air, refusing to release his hand.
Kin appeared right in front of the man, golden chakra emitting from his body to the point he was nearly invisible within it. "Rakuen Boufuu!" Then he was a comet of energy that slammed into the man at full speed.
The man seemed vaguely surprised by this, and let himself roll backwards rapidly until he had some distance between himself and apparently the strongest member of the group. ("So…he is the one that killed Pride?") Standing, the man flexed his free hand. The black silk around it moved with its shifting, and he tilted his covered face to look at Kin. "Who are you?"
"Kin Watanabe…" Kin cracked his knuckles. "Now let's go!" Then he disappeared.
The man suddenly turned, his legs sliding out so that he was in a crouching position when he finished the turn. His free hand was touching something for a second, and then Kin appeared ten feet away gasping for air. "You're not exactly skilled, even considering the power you are giving off."
Kin snarled, showing off a single fang. "I'll show you skilled!" Then he disappeared.
The man disappeared, and Kin appeared where he had been standing with his fist out in a punching motion.
"Speed is nothing if you cannot control the power you use it with." The man whispered into Kin's ear, and then pressed the flat of his hand against the boy's back. "Hakai. Reiki." Then he removed his hand and turned to calmly walk away.
Kin didn't move, his eyes quivering and his body starting to shake. ("What was…") He coughed up blood. ("But…") His hair and eyes both flushed back to their normal colors. Then he coughed up more blood.
"Kin…" Kai couldn't believe that Kin, who had the power of an elite Jounin, had just been damaged by a touch.
Yurei growled and gripped the handle of Shadow Goddess tighter. "Here we go, Sin!" The blade started to glow white. "Kage Mangetsu!" He began to charge…
Ayumi grabbed his shoulder. "Are you insane?"
Shoving her back, he roared out and charged towards the man's retreating back. "I'll show you that you can't just push people around like that!" He slammed the glowing sword towards the man's back and then they both disappeared within the howling blast of white energy that was created.
The man appeared a few feet away and kept walking. Yurei leapt from the crater he had made, sword white again, and tried the Shadow Full Moon again.
Again the man appeared a few feet away from the crater.
Kai's hands were trembling as he stared at the man. ("I…I can't track…I can't even detect his normal movements. They're like trying to catch a shadow with your bare hands…an impossible event.")
"So you want to teach me a lesson for attacking your friend like I did." The man turned to face Yurei. "I'll make you a deal…one attack."
"What?" The boy blinked in surprise.
"I'll do nothing against one of your attacks. I'd like to see just how strong you are." The man's hand fell back under his cloak.
Yurei's eyes hardened and he gripped Shadow Goddess as tight as he could. "You insolent bastard…" White chakra flowed from the sword's blade. "I'll show you the mistake you just made…by cutting you apart!" He charged, raising the sword behind him and preparing to put all of his strength into this strike. "Taju Kage Mangetsu!" The blade suddenly flared to life, so bright that even in the day's light it was blinding. Then he dropped the blade towards the man and everything within a mile's radius was momentarily illuminated as the energy of the super Shadow Full Moon released itself.
As the light cleared, it revealed Yurei's astonished face. He watched as the slivers of metal that had been Shadow Goddess' body fell to the ground around him. "But…that can't be…I…"
"My chakra protects me regardless of what I wish. And apparently even when not trying I can overwhelm your sword." The man turned and continued walking away.
Yurei's hands started to tremble. Something was wrong here…completely wrong. This was an opponent beyond Pride…far beyond… "We…we're out of our league…"
Kai growled and his hands were about to move, but Aiko grabbed his arms to stop him. "No…don't…"
The man stopped suddenly now that he was thirty feet away, and turned to face Kin's still quivering form. "I'll be taking my prize now." Then the boy was moving, yanked through the air like he was on a string. He slid to a stop next to the man, who revealed his left arm. The silk around the arm moved back to reveal a single black tattoo on the underside of his arm. "Inu no Kahou…" He slapped Kin's back roughly and then turned, walking away again. "Come."
Kin's body stopped quivering, and he turned to stumble after the man.
"Kin!" Aiko yelled, hoping to snap the boy out of it.
The man turned to face Aiko. "You wish to stop me? Have you learned that much in Konoha?"
Aiko's whole body was trembling as she slid into a fighting stance. "I…I'll stop you…I will…"
He calmly reached up towards his visor. "Is that so?" Slowly it started to come off. "Then let me 'see' what you can do."
Aiko grimaced. "Everyone…look away..." Sweat slid down her face. ("Is this where I die? After avenging Kane, will I find death through this fight?")
The man removed his visor fully and opened his eyes, revealing a pair of blood red irises. But the wrong thing about it was the shape of his pupils…they were shaped like skulls. "Shinagan…"
Suddenly an explosion of dust filled the area. "Good thing I arrived just in time...and good thing I had a couple of ANBU follow these guys out of the country."
The man smiled slightly. "Kakashi…is that you? I missed you…"
Strolling out of the dust cloud, Kakashi smiled slightly through his mask. Brushing back his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan, his eyes looked happy. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Though honestly…" His expression turned cold. "It hasn't been long enough."
Yurei stumbled out of the cloud, his arm up over his eyes. "Who is this man, Hokage-sama?"
"Kakashi-sama!" Ayumi came flying out of the cloud and latched onto Kakashi.
Paying the girl no mind, Kakashi and the man met eyes. "A self-proclaimed Kage…and despite such a thing he deserves the title. This is Kemukage…this is Death, the leader of the Seven Sins."
Death lifted up his left arm and the tattoo glowed a deep red light momentarily. "Hakai!"
Yurei and Ayumi suddenly found both of themselves in the air, each one under one of Kakashi's arms. Kakashi looked down at the man and frowned. "You're awfully eager to begin." Landing, he dropped them both. "Ayumi, go check on Kin. Yurei, watch her back."
Death's rough features smiled slightly in anticipation of what was coming. "Does that mean we can fight, Kakashi? Does that mean I can experience the pleasure of fighting someone like you again so soon?" His hand started to twitch.
Yurei managed to stifle his trembling and followed Ayumi as she ran right past Death. The Kage didn't even notice her passing, and he didn't notice Yurei either. His attention was solely on Kakashi.
Kakashi had to admit he actually felt just a little bit happy at the turn of events. ("I expected another Sin to come for the disposal of Pride's body…but instead 'he' came out. I suppose it makes sense so, since this demon is so important to him.") A sharp wind blew through his grey hair.
Death flexed his free hand again. "Now then, Hokage…let's see if fire can quell smoke."
Meanwhile, Ayumi was sitting down with Kin lying on the ground in front of her. ("Something is very wrong here…very wrong. His chakra circulatory system is completely messed up. That touch from before crossed everything up…his chakra is swirling out of control.") Her eyes widened as a dark aura started to build around the boy's body. ("No! The demon is using this moment to try and free itself again…") She extended her energy to the jewel, trying to force it to begin healing the damage caused by Death's attack.
Kin's right face twitched, revealing a long fang. "No…keep away from me…." He started to tremble. "Where is the path? Where is…" His voice broke away and his movement stopped.
Ayumi continued to focus on using the jewel to heal the damage done to him. "Fight it..."
Kin tossed back and forth, his entire body burning. "Please…someone help me…"
Ayumi's arms started to tremble. Nothing was happening… ("I can't help him…I can't do anything for him…")
Yurei kneeled down next to her and looked down at Kin worriedly. "Can't you do anything for him?"
Her face shifted to determined. "I can try…"
To be continued…