Chapter 54
Last Stand: A Farewell to Family
Pain. It attacked her eyes in steadily intensifying waves of pain, expanding out from the source to every fiber of her body. If felt like senbons being embedded into her flesh in a sick form of acupuncture treatment.
Kami, why did it hurt so much?
What kind of power was this?!
Haya tried to even out her breathing. She tried to focus on the comfort of her cousin's embrace, to use his warmth and love as a shield against this never-ending agony. Nothing lessened the pain.
She made choking sounds, teeth gnashing together hard enough she might have worried about fracturing a tooth if everything else didn't hurt so bad.
This pain… Who the hell would want to unlock this ability?!
Every pain receptor screamed at her. They demanded to know what the hell was going on when no physical strike ever struck them. Had another poison entered her system? It sure felt that way, yet there was nothing for her body to fight off. No poison responsible for this mountainous climb up her personal scale of pain tolerance.
However, this awakening went beyond physical pain for Haya.
Her heart ached so much.
By witnessing the smallest glimpse of her old life—even with her parents blurred out by the genjutsu—together with Shisui's love for her and his death, it struck at her soul like a hammer meeting an anvil over and over again.
The weapon the hammer was forging was certainly powerful, but it steadily cracked her soul, fragmenting the pieces of her heart she had once forgotten.
"That's it. You've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan," Shisui said.
"Is…is it going to stop hurting?" she whimpered quietly.
If the awakening was over then why didn't the pain retreat? Would activating the Mangekyō Sharingan promise this pain with every single use?
"The pain in your entire body will fade after you deactivate it. After that…" He let out a sigh. "Your eyes will always hurt when using it. The power the Mangekyō Sharingan grants is incredible, and that incredible power comes with a heavy burden of pain those who wield it must endure through.
"It's a double-edged sword. That's why I want you to remember not to use this power as a crutch. The Mangekyō isn't meant to be abused or flaunted recklessly—it's a trump card meant to be used as a last resort. Only use it when your skill alone isn't enough to defend what you hold precious."
The blue-haired ninja nodded slightly, eyes squeezed shut in a futile attempt to repress the pain.
It wasn't very effective.
"My time is almost up, little sis."
Haya's hold around him grew tighter in an attempt to hold her cousin in this world.
"I-…I don't want you to go." She felt tears begin to flow again.
"I know. I don't want to go either…but I promise you this." Shisui forced them apart and met her pinwheel eyes with warm love. "I will always be with you. Through everything." He poked her forehead. "In here." He placed his hand over her heart. "And in here. You'll never be alone, Haya."
She sniffled and wiped her streams of tears on her mesh sleeve. "Promise?"
"I promise."
With that promise, sorrow filled silence replaced their words. Soon he would be gone. Soon this wonderful reunion would be over.
Once he's gone I'll have to fight again.
Even with the Mangekyō, would she be able to make any difference in this battle without knowing its abilities? Her mom's arm was still injured. The threat of Itachi's genjutsu, or even one from Aimi, hovered in the air here. And these three still intended to capture her.
What could she even do?
"You know, you got yourself an interesting pattern Haya. Take a look in the water."
Haya snatched the distraction he provided instantly. Anything to forget he was leaving.
Looking down into the water, she finally witnessed the full transformation of her Mangekyō in both eyes. The black lines took shape in the form of four straight and sharp triangles in both eyes. The points of her pinwheel jutted out in like the four cardinal directions of a compass, or a four-pointed star, and dead center within the pinwheels rested a red pupil in her right eye and a fuchsia pupil in her left.
Even with this new power in her left eye her three hundred and sixty degree, inverted black and white vision remained. The powers of the Byakugan combined together with the Mangekyō Sharingan; she wondered how dangerous it would be to her adversaries.
"They're pretty," she said to herself, deactivating her dōjutsu to return them to onyx and lavender.
Beautiful pain. What an oxymoron.
The pain settled with the advanced dōjutsu deactivated, as did the immense draw on her chakra. It was no wonder Aimi told Itachi he was overdoing it. The fact he still made mincemeat out of her after using an actual jutsu—which guaranteed more chakra to be expended and extreme pain—further proved their vast difference of skill.
But those two were a problem she'd have to confront afterwards. For now…
"I'm going to miss you," Haya admitted quietly. "When I used to think about what I would say to my family if I ever had the chance to see them again, I would always tell myself there was so much I wanted to say…yet all I can think of is telling you that I love you and that I will miss you. It's so troublesome."
She forced humorless laugh and shook her head. "To think I have this once in a lifetime opportunity and I can't put together my thoughts enough to talk to you."
The Nara squeezed her eyes shut as her heart began to ache and tighten in her chest. "I…I want to be able to talk with you more," she said, voice cracking. "I want to be able to walk with you and hear you tell those stories about your missions that I knew were fake but were so fun to listen to."
Haya curled her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms to stave off the tears and frustration. "I- I want to be able to play shogi and train with you so I can show you how much better I've gotten. I want to introduce you to the friends I made and my precious people. I-…I want more time!" she wept.
"Me too." Shisui's grief filled voice broke her a little. "I'm sorry I can't stay, but Haya Uchiha doesn't give up, no matter what she faces."
Those familiar words snapped her eyes open. She remembered them so vividly; it felt like a different life now, years had passed since she heard them, but those were the words imparted to her before waking up in the orphanage.
Shisui… Haya met his gaze with doe eyes. It was you…
"She stands strong against any storm and carries the very best of her family and Clans on within her heart. Even if the road is a hard one, she will always forge ahead because she doesn't know the word quit." Shisui smiled at her. "But even when things get extremely rough she will always remain compassionate and follow her code of honor, love, respect and loyalty."
Stinging tears streamed down her cheeks. Her lip began to quiver. Shisui shared his bright grin with her as he said, "That's who Haya Uchiha is. But then again, I don't have to tell you that," he gave her a closed eyed smile, "you already know!"
"Shisui!" Haya tackle hugged her cousin.
Even all the way back to the orphanage, he was there. He's always been here!
Shisui embraced her in a big, warm hug. Suddenly he lifted her up and spun her around, coaxing a sobbing giggle out of his precious person. She lifted her heels to the sky and held him tight as he laughed, just like he used to.
He began to stop spinning, but she begged through a choked giggle and sob, "One more time!"
One last time they could be here together. One last time he could be her invincible hero. One last time he could be strong for her. He could walk on water and make her feel strong like a dragon this final time.
"You know, I can still get dizzy even in this form," he quipped. "But the wise blue-haired dragon has spoken, and that means I must obey! Here we go!"
He spun her again, both cousins laughing through their grief with inexplicable joy, neither aware of the heartbreak the other five shinobi were experiencing as they witnessed these final moments of love between them.
Shisui stumbled at the end of his final spin, coaxing further laughter from the pair as they simply held one another for these last few moments together.
"You're going to be a fantastic shinobi. And don't worry, you'll hit a growth spurt one of these days. Your parents weren't tiny," he added with a laugh.
"Thank Kami," she breathed out a giggle, nuzzling into him.
"And you don't need to play me in shogi to show me how good you've gotten at it. I already know you'd crush me in it; Mama Nara used to do it all the time, it was embarrassing," he sighed dramatically.
"Hehe!"
"You've got some good friends too. Keep inspiring them to be better than they are."
"I'll try."
"And don't forget to share some of those affectionate thoughts with them. Love can blossom where you least expect, and if it isn't love, then remember it's okay to just have a little fun if you're both up to it."
"Shisui," she whined in his embrace, burying her flushed face into his shoulder. "You're being super embarrassing again! Don't make me poke you!"
"Not the finger of doom!" he teased playfully, making her giggle.
Sooner than she hoped, his physical form began to fade. "Well, looks like my time is at its end," Shisui said solemnly.
She hugged him tighter. "I love you."
She wanted to beg him not to go. To stay a bit longer, even if it got him in trouble. But she didn't have the heart to. This wasn't hurting only her; Shisui was hurting too even if he hid it better than she did, and begging him to stay would make it so much harder for him.
"And I love you, Haya. Know that Mama Nara, Pops and I are extremely proud of you."
"Tell Mama and Papa I love them too."
Shisui set her down and smiled at her. "I will." He then turned to her mother and bowed slightly. "Thank you again for loving Haya as your own child. Words cannot describe what it means to our family to know she has a person like you as a parent."
Her mother smiled gratefully and full of pride. "Thank you for believing I'm worthy enough to be her mother. She's an amazing girl." Her smile faded for a guilt ridden frown. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to defend her here and now."
"Don't blame yourself for anything that happens here," Shisui spoke again. "We Uchiha are a stubborn bunch when it comes to protecting our loved ones. Haya knew what she was getting into when she came looking for you."
Her cousin turned his eyes to her sensei. "Kakashi, keep in mind what I said about the Foundation. Don't act recklessly or alone. Be patient."
"Got it. We'll keep her safe."
"Thank you." Finally Shisui casted his gaze to the two Uchiha. "Well Itachi, Aimi, I guess this is goodbye again. For all that has happened I'm glad I was able to see you two again, even if things didn't turn out the way I hoped. Whenever you two reach the end of this path, I'll be waiting for you." Her cousin's voice turned amused. "And good luck. You're going to need it against Haya this time around."
He turned to face Haya again. "This is it Haya. As soon as I fade away, the fūinjutsu holding everyone here will end and the battle will continue. Protect your comrades and family today, and when this battle is over continue to follow your nindo and your dreams. Live, all right? Find love, start a family, find your peace."
"I'll do my best," she nodded.
"That's all I can ask for." Shisui crouched down to her level and brought his hand to the back of her head. "I'm sorry I can't physically be here for you, but my spirit will always be here to protect you, no matter what it is you face." He leaned his head forward and guided hers to gently rest against it. "You will always mean everything to me, Haya. Never forget that."
Tears pricked at her eyes before cascading over once more. "I won't, I promise. I love you, Shisui," she told him lovingly.
"And I love you, Haya." He wrapped her up in a hug as his transparent form began to fade away. "Walk your path with the courage I know you have. Trust in your heart and your eyes; they'll lead you through the darkness." She nodded and held onto him as her tears fell. "You can do it, I believe in you."
"Thank you, Shisui. I'll make you proud. I promise."
"You already have, Haya." His spirit form was nearly gone but she could still see feel his warmth and his smile. "Of everything I ever accomplished, of everything I ever did, being your hero will always be my greatest achievement. I'm so happy I could be your cousin, little sis."
Haya choked on a sob. "I was happy to be yours too, big brother. I love you with all my heart."
"And I love you with all of mine, little sis. Thank you," her cousin disappeared, the ethereal glow flowing into her with his final words and love entangled in them, "for everything."
Haya shut her eyes, a broken sob escaping her throat as she collapsed to her knees, tears of love and grief streaming down her cheeks. She wrapped her own arms around her body in the absence of his warm embrace.
You'll always be in my heart, Shisui. Thank you for being my cousin.
I love you.
"Somewhere mor— Hey, where'd that guy go?" Kisame's voice met her ears.
He was gone. Shisui was gone, and her heart was breaking again.
"Prepare yourself, Kisame. We're about to be free," Aimi informed.
And yet, with her bandana tied around her forehead and his tantō in her harness, he was still here. In spirit and in her heart.
"All right. So what's the plan?" Kisame asked.
As long as I have my bandana and your tantō, we'll never be separated. We'll be fighting side by side. Right, Shisui?
He couldn't answer with words anymore, however she knew the answer in her heart.
"We capture Haya and then we leave," Itachi answered stoically. "However, we must act quickly. Haya has unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan, and if her power is even remotely similar to her father's or her cousin's, it could end our lives."
Right. Of course. She was still their target. Her failed attempt to be a decoy earned her the full, undivided attention of three S-rank shinobi. And now with these new, far more powerful eyes, she was an even greater trophy to capture.
I've got no choice but to fight…
She slowly stood up, eyes lowered and hidden in the shadow of her hair as the large fūinjutsu seal on the water began to recede towards her.
As soon as Mama's jutsu ends, they'll come right for me. All three of them. In her mind's eye she could see the battlefield layout, her enemies' next moves and her allies all playing out for her.
Kakashi-sensei can't move fast. He breathed heavily, as if having fought a hundred shinobi in the last hour. Willpower alone is what is driving him, but his body isn't able to keep up. Not after the two days of torture he sustained. He'd be an easy target if they weren't so focused on me.
They'd ignore him. He wasn't even on their radar anymore.
She thought of her mother's arm, the deep and bloody wound she tried to staunch the bleeding via tying her headband around it. Aimi stood directly in her path, paralyzed for now but soon to be free to attack again.
The lightning attack damaged Mom's arm badly. I'd bet it's still slightly numb. And if Aimi coats her blade in lightning again, she could disable her or kill her. But Aimi's next move will undoubtedly be an attempt to create distance then capture me.
Her mind's eye locked onto Kisame, his blade frozen on its upward slash as Asuma dodged it. Then it locked onto Itachi, the fear and surprise he showed no longer in his crimson eyes.
The same goes for Kisame and Itachi. As soon as this fūinjutsu ends, they'll ignore the other three just to capture me. Itachi and Aimi know what kind of power I may have unlocked with the Mangekyō Sharingan. They won't risk me unleashing a single move.
Kisame, on the other hand, has been around them long enough to know one Mangekyō Sharingan move could end them.
The slightest of twitches tugged the Uchiha child's salty tasting lips up.
For the first time in this battle, she was the kunoichi to be feared. She had the power to change the course of this battle. She could dictate the pace.
But I can't do it alone, she thought. Before, she acted alone. She took the entire burden of this fight onto her shoulders, believing foolishly she could delay a superior shinobi of Itachi's skill long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
"And most of all don't act alone. That was my mistake. That goes double for you, you stubborn girl. My greatest mistake was trying to do too much on my own, even when I had friends and family who were trying to help. It cost me my life. Don't repeat my mistake," Shisui's lesson reverberated in her mind.
Her allies were injured, yes, but they weren't incapable of fighting. These three were elite shinobi of the Leaf. Far more experienced in battle and far stronger than she was.
Even better, she gained valuable Intel through her meeting with Shisui about the Mangekyō Sharingan. Before she only had theories and fears about what Itachi's eyes could do. Now she understood her opponent's technique in intimate detail.
Itachi won't use Tsukuyomi again in this battle, she concluded.
Kisame said it himself, Itachi wore his eyes out with the first use. The chakra a single Mangekyō jutsu used sufficiently depleted his reserves, on top of causing him pain and wearing down his eyes.
Itachi was smart. He wouldn't risk blinding himself permanently by relying too heavily on his Mangekyō Sharingan in any situation. Just like Shisui and her Papa, he would only use it when his skill alone wasn't enough or when he wanted to end a troublesome fight before it could begin.
Tsukuyomi was off the table, but Itachi wasn't a one trick pony. His normal skills were enough to take on her mother, Asuma and Kakashi without taking a single blow.
Aimi may have the Mangekyō Sharingan too, she considered. But there's no telling what power she may wield, or if she'll grace us with its use. Her skills are great enough to avoid using it completely.
So how did she delay long enough for Atsuko and Guy to arrive? How did she keep her precious people and herself safe?
If I can survive past the first move, if I can figure out at least one of my Mangekyō abilities, we have a shot.
The fūinjutsu released the other shinobi around her. She heard the heavy whoosh of Kisame's blade as he finished his original swing, narrowly missing Asuma. She heard the sharp clang of fierce blades connecting rapidly and that of a solid, physical blow connecting to her mother.
As expected, all three Akatsuki members charged her way. Aimi and Kisame kept their eyes on the two Leaf shinobi while Itachi merely darted right for her, unhindered by any of his enemy shinobi.
Only he saw her create a clone, who quickly transformed into a Demon Wind Shuriken. Only he saw her feet begin to move; right foot moving onto the tips of her toes, left heel lifting just enough to be off the surface of the water.
Even his eyes couldn't see this new trick coming. Not even the Head of the Hyūga Clan had.
From this point forward…
Amari lifted her head up, blue hair falling back into place to reveal her Sharingan and Byakugan activated eyes, paired with a terrifying triumphant smirk she aimed right at Itachi.
I'll be the one dictating the fate of this battle.
"Mom, Asuma-sensei, stay back!" she ordered, upper body twisting right as she prepared her next attack. The two older shinobi hesitated in confusion, but that single movement was enough to telegraph to them her true plan.
Amari could sense their smiles as they too prepared for the second move of this battle.
Shadow Possession wouldn't work against these three elite shinobi. Not for her. Her Uncle could have paralyzed them in close-quarters, though Kisame would have likely had the strength struggle free—his enormous chakra was extraordinary.
Amari couldn't. Even at close-range she didn't have a hope in hell of holding them down for more than a second. She wanted them as close as possible for a different reason.
Itachi's eyes widened a fraction at the last moment as his genius intellect realized her real attack. He thought it impossible at first—surely she couldn't replicate this technique? But he had forgotten one fact: Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja was her sensei.
Copying useful jutsus was one of the tricks she inherited from him!
"Your incredible powers have made you all arrogant," she said, her cousin's will and confidence behind her. "But this is a whole new battle now. Round one is over, and now you're all about learn what happens when you underestimate me!"
Aimi sensed the sudden flare of chakra and power around Amari, as did Kisame. They spun to face the child, red and white eyes wide in surprise at the shroud of green chakra already beginning to rotate around her still body.
It was too late for all of them. They were in her inescapable range.
The child of Uchiha and Nara blood propelled herself with the chakra at her feet into tornado of green chakra.
"Rotation!"
For the first time in the battle, Amari landed a blow on all three Akatsuki members. It wouldn't end the fight. It wouldn't incapacitate them, but that didn't matter.
To her mind, landing this single blow meant anything was possible now. Any outcome she wanted could be achieved if she could land this one blow on three S-rank rogue shinobi.
All because I have you backing me up, right Shisui?
She could feel him there.
The power of the Rotation sent the three Akatsuki members careening away across the river.
Beneath Amari, the water began to rotate counter-clockwise with her, creating a makeshift whirlpool as she spun faster, faster, faster. More momentum, more speed to make her second move mean something.
Through her Byakugan, she witnessed her mother ensnare the other two Akatsuki members within one of her powerful genjutsu's. Asuma weaved handseals she didn't recognize.
"Amari, keep spinning!" he ordered. "The Rotation will keep you protected from this!"
She couldn't verbally answer, but she kicked the whirlpool of water again to increase her dizzying speed. Admittedly, she was getting woozy. It felt like someone strapped her into a revolving chair and decided to spin her mercilessly.
She kept at it, though, hopeful Asuma's jutsu could deal serious damage to their enemies.
Aimi broke herself out of the genjutsu with her Sharingan, though Amari bet her mother anticipated that inevitability. It was likely meant to delay her long enough so she could attack Kisame without restraint, as she was poised to do at the moment.
The Akatsuki kunoichi pointed her finger at Kurenai like a finger gun. The Leaf shinobi's kunai blade was mere moments away from mortally wounding the Swordsman, prepared to slash a massive gash open over the back of his neck where he was most vulnerable.
Focused and intense lightning crackled at the tip of the Akatsuki kunoichi's finger.
Mom! The Demon Wind Shuriken ripped out of the green orb of chakra, sharpened blades spinning at the same speed as its thrower on an express train to impale the Lightning Style user.
"Lightning Style: Sharpshooter!"
"Aimi, duck!" Itachi ordered calmly.
Aimi ducked without hesitation. The blades of Amari's rapidly spinning Demon Wind Shuriken passed over her head, stealing with it a few strands of her waterfall of hair. Amari's clone appeared out of the transformation shuriken, three paper bomb kunais between her fingers.
An intense bullet of Lightning shot through the air, rippling the water in its wake, piercing the clone's heart and shattering the concrete behind her. What power… Amari awed.
Simultaneously a lightning covered kunai flew for Kurenai. The Genjutsu Master dodged away from Kisame, her blade only slicing open a minor cut on the back of his neck.
"Gah!" He ducked forward, one hand reaching up to the wound as he dashed a step forward and spun to face the already disappearing form of Kurenai. He examined the blood on his hand and snarled. "I'm getting sick of these multilayered genjutsus!"
"Then how about this!" Asuma challenged.
Asuma unleashed a bullet of air from his lungs, blasting Kisame in his blindside to knock the Swordsman into a roll across the surface of the water. Tears opened up in his cloak and on his blue skin, cut by the sharpened blades of wind.
The large gale tore past him and over the rotating tornado of green chakra right for Itachi. Without even seemingly moving a hand, Itachi unleashed a Wind natured jutsu of his own.
Together the two jutsus collided in a sharpened storm of wind all around Amari, passing through the gaps of her imperfect Rotation to open up a fresh wound on her right arm as well as through her tank top and mesh top along her lower back.
These jutsus are on an entirely different level than us Genin use, she thought, still spinning like an ice dancer.
The two Wind Natured techniques inevitably canceled one another out. Unable to continue, Amari stopped rotating and disengaged her chakra cloak. That ate more of my chakra than I hoped. Her balance faltered briefly. And I'm really dizzy.
The whole world seemed to be tilting and moving beneath her feet.
"Kisame, behind you!" Aimi tackled her partner down just as Asuma's floating trench knife speared right for him, held up by the owner's precise Wind chakra. The Wind chakra infused blade opened up a surface level cut through Aimi's cloak across her side.
Asuma guided the blade back into his hand, wearing it once more like brass knuckles.
Kurenai appeared behind him. "We almost had him with that combo," she said.
"Yeah. Her Sharingan is a real pain."
"Careful, you're starting to sound like Shikamaru."
"Heh, I guess you're right."
Aimi removed herself from her teammate. "So sorry for pouncing you like that," she apologized playfully, standing to fight once more, "but you were about to take a permanent nap, and I'd miss your charm far too much."
Kisame chortled. "Hehe! Didn't realize you liked to play so roughly, Aimi." She hummed in amusement, rested a hand over the wound on his neck and staunched the bleeding with Medical Ninjutsu. She did the same to her side.
We've made a little ground, Amari noted. More than before. Hopefully we can keep this up.
The whirlpool beneath her feet calmed, bringing her attention back to her opponent at the moment
Itachi met Amari's determined gaze with a blank stare. "The Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation. No Uchiha has ever replicated the Hyūga Main Branch technique. Well done."
"Lord Hiashi would beg to differ," she muttered to herself.
She wasn't looking forward to that talk at all.
Itachi shut his eyes. "It's time we leave, Haya."
Here comes his genjutsu, she predicted, body tensing in preparation of defense.
One more move to get past. Then she could better coordinate this defensive operation.
She pooled chakra into her Sharingan eye in preparation of a counter, left hand moving into her ninja pouch to cup a shuriken in her palm.
Itachi's eyes opened, and Amari's eyes widened as she felt his genjutsu overcome her. Illusionary pain erupted from her spinal cord; a nail, greater in size than her own body, protruded from her back, piercing deep into her flesh to paralyze her.
Amari gagged from the nausea and grunted in agony, chin tucking into her chest causing her hair to cover her eyes again. "I almost…forgot how much illusions could hurt," she said through gritted teeth. "It's been too long since Mom and I trained together, but you know, she taught me all about genjutsu."
"Clearly not enough, otherwise you wouldn't be here, would you?"
"Heh," she chuckled then choked. She wanted to puke. But she couldn't lose focus. Not in this battle. "You foolish boy. I let you do this to me."
Like a game of chicken, she let the herd of bulls stampede as close as possible so she could execute a daring escape.
She lifted her head, a smirk on her lips and right eye shut as she looked up at the floating form of Itachi Uchiha above her, whose body was seemingly made of crows.
"You can't use your special Tsukuyomi genjutsu anymore, can you?" she prodded arrogantly. "Or is it more accurate to say you can't allow yourself to use it. You and your organization have a daring goal, which means if you go fully blind you'll no longer be of any use to them."
Itachi's eyes squinted in a glare.
Her smirk grew. "I hit the nail right on the head, huh?" Kami, that sounded better in her head. "Your genjutsu prowess is greater than my average Sharingan genjutsus. Even if I tried to reflect this back on you, you'd just pin it back on me a hundred times over, which means I'll have to take a gamble."
"Are you almost finished with this bravado? You cannot beat me, Haya."
The Uchiha girl grinned viciously. "Don't underestimate an Uchiha!"
Her right eye flung open, her full pinwheel glowing behind the shadow casted by her disheveled blue hair.
Itachi did appear surprised that time.
"Demonic Dragon: Shadow Checkmate!"
Out of the water below him, an elongated, scaled and cold claw of her demonic dragon erupted forth like the demon he freed in her, clutching around the elder Uchiha's surprised body. The nail in her back vanished, and with it the feeling of nausea went away—thankfully. Another churn of her stomach and she would have puked.
Itachi's red eyes turned downwards to the dragon beneath the surface of the water. Upon meeting its ferocious glare, the crimson, blood thirsty eyes shifted to mirror her pinwheels, giving it an even more frighteningly demonic appearance.
Bubbles boiled and exploded outwards as it let out a terrifying roar from the molten pits of its stomach. Then it dragged the elder Uchiha down into the water, pulling him further and further down into the darkness where he could not breathe or fight back.
Haya's right eye stung and the cells in her body began to flame again, yet not too badly this time. Nothing compared to the awakening itself. So, the Mangekyō Sharingan enhances my original abilities with greater strength, she concluded.
A dangerous gamble that paid off. Now it was time to move. No doubt Itachi would break free any second now.
Amari darted towards Kakashi, pinwheel eye never leaving Itachi and a shuriken still palmed in her hand. The real Itachi stood motionless on the surface of the water, closer to her than he had been before the genjutsu with an even blanker stare on his face than normal.
The clawed hand of her dragon suddenly curled its sharp talons into her body, digging into her flesh with even greater pain than the nail before it. Amari growled through the agony as her body froze but a few feet from Kakashi.
Genjutsu reflection. Just as she expected.
Amari bit her lip as hard as she could. Not enough, she realized as blood dribbled down her chin. This was why Mimi had to rip her own arm up to escape—her Sharingan genjutsu was more powerful than the ordinary genjutsu.
She tightened her left hand around the blades of the shurikens, feeling the sharp and cold blades embed deep into the soft flesh of her palm.
The claw hand vanished, yet she didn't celebrate. She didn't point a finger at Itachi and boast about how she escaped the genjutsu like a moron. She kept moving to her pace, refusing to let Itachi gain the upper hand once more.
Stuffing her left hand back into her pouch, placing the bloody shuriken away, Amari equipped a kunai. I have to get his eyes off me. With a flick of her wrist, the blade flew towards the feet of her opponent, falling a meter short into the water.
An upheaval of water shot towards the sky as the paper bomb attached exploded. Now her enemy's line of sight was blocked, affording her the opportunity to deactivate the Mangekyō back into the three tomoe Sharingan and opening up her next avenue of attack.
Shadow Clone Jutsu! She was joined by a clone, who moved to Kakashi's other side as she slung his arm over her shoulder. First she had to get Kakashi off the main portion of the battlefield. He was a sitting duck out here, and Itachi would dispose of a sitting duck on a whim if he so pleased.
"I don't know what your most recent score is, but after today you may have to work harder to get in the lead," she told him.
Kakashi's eyebrows rose then he chuckled. "I appreciate…the warning."
"An interesting combination, Haya." Itachi's voice was right behind them. She could barely track him in her Byakugan. "You're running out of tricks, though."
The Uchiha girl turned her head to meet his eyes, her smile in place once more. "Am I?" The turn of her head moved her hair off her back, where a paper bomb stared right back at the Akatsuki member. "Boom," she quipped.
Yet another explosion erupted over the battlefield. Heated water flew into the air to rain down on all the combatants once more, their eyes momentarily drawn to the sight.
The real Amari—plus a clone—burst out of the water several meters away, Kakashi's weight braced on their soaked shoulders. "Sorry for the hard tackle into the water, Sensei," she apologized.
The moment her first paper bomb exploded and her clones were created, she Body Flickered as fast as she could into Kakashi to knock them far enough below to escape Itachi's sight. With her clones taking over their position, she was able to safely swim them out of the blast radius and back to their side of the battlefield.
"Don't…apologize. You did good," he congratulated.
Itachi escaped that unscathed though, Amari analyzed through her Byakugan vision. Still, with those explosions and the heightened alert around the Leaf, we may have even attracted more attention to our battle.
A hopeful scenario. Average shinobi wouldn't be enough for these three, but the sight of more numbers could theoretically make them decide to retreat. Kisame wouldn't. From what she gleaned of his personality, he enjoyed the thrill of the fight—something she shared with the Swordsman.
Despite the desperation, despite what failure meant, inside Amari's heart her inner warrior thrummed at this extreme challenge of survival. The thrill kept her heart's fire burning in this seemingly hopeless situation, making her fight and operate at her very best.
I'll make you proud, Shisui.
While Aimi showed playfulness, she and Itachi were levelheaded enough to put their true mission over a full-scale battle against several more Leaf shinobi. Hopefully.
Here's hoping Guy-sensei or someone else powerful shows up soon.
She'd even take Hiashi Hyūga at this point. Even if it meant him seeing her Byakugan eye, at least she wouldn't end up kidnapped and her precious people would still be alive. Dealing with the imposing man wasn't nearly as troublesome as those scenarios.
"Kurenai!"
Amari snapped her head towards Asuma's voice. He used his body to catch her mother, who had been struck by a solid blow from Aimi. As he caught her, the bearded shinobi expelled a cloud of what appeared to be smoke from his mouth to encompass the two Akatsuki members.
"A smoke screen?" Amari wondered.
"Not exactly. It's a cloud of…ash Asuma can detonate," Kakashi corrected.
Her sensei wasn't getting any better.
A sudden gust of wind, sourced from Itachi, pushed the ash off of Aimi and Kisame. Just in time, too, because the loud detonation happened a mere second later.
Hot air pressed against the two Akatsuki members, their cloaks billowing in the sudden roar of air. Aimi lifted a well-manicured hand up to push the strands of her dark hair out of her face, appearing as calm as ever despite the close call.
Asuma and Kurenai rejoined Kakashi and Amari. New and old blood stained her mother's skin, and two streams of blood dripped off her chin; based on her own personal bloody lip, the Nara assumed she too had to break a genjutsu through pain.
Out of all of them, Asuma looked in the best shape, but his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. Something was wrong. Something she couldn't see.
"Asuma-sensei, what's wrong?" she asked.
"It's that sword of his," he breathed. "It didn't even touch me, yet it still drained my chakra."
The Nara bit the inside of her lip in worry; the slight pressure made her punctured lip throb. Not smart, she chastised herself.
Refocusing, this wasn't an ideal situation at all. They were all weakened, nearly immobilized or simply out of their league in her case. That made what they needed to do a hundred times harder.
"These next two minutes will be the most important and incredibly dangerous two minutes of this entire battle," she spoke, somehow sounding more confident and stronger than she probably should have.
Her mother and Asuma peered over their shoulders at her curiously. "Two minutes?" Asuma asked.
She nodded once, settling Kakashi's on the water in a kneeling position with her clone bracing him. She stepped forward between the two elite Leaf shinobi. "Our Village is on high alert because of Orochimaru's invasion, which means our explosions will have drawn the attention of allied shinobi, possibly even Anbu agents. At most it will take them two minutes to get here."
"So, we'll have to hold them here until then," Kurenai said.
"Exactly, Mom. These next two minutes are crucial. But our enemies understand that too," she explained, narrowing her eyes at the three Akatsuki members. "Their next attacks will be even more aggressive than the previous, that's why it'll be the hardest two minutes of this entire battle.
"They're going to do whatever they can to eliminate you guys and capture me, while we have to fight for survival, avoiding death and capture for two whole minutes against these S-rank shinobi in states of exhaustion and injury."
This was a worst case scenario practice battle turned into reality. Her Shika would call it a huge drag, and Amari couldn't agree more.
"In our condition, and with me as our weakest link, our odds of victory are too slim to call it a chance. And reckless attacks at this point will do more harm to us than to them." She glanced up at the two adults. "That's why stalemate is our only option. Against a superior opponent in shogi, sometimes a draw is the closest thing you can get to victory."
They nodded in agreement. "We'll have to be careful of Itachi's jutsu," Kurenai said.
She shook her head. "No, you don't. It's Aimi you two need to worry about most now."
"Huh? What do you mean, Amari?" Asuma said.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan takes a severe toll on our chakra, and it brings with it immeasurable pain in our eyes and throughout the rest of our bodies. It's like having someone claw at your eyes with sharp nails while every cell of your body is on fire."
Her mother's eyes widened in concern for her well-being, but she couldn't waste any time reassuring her. She had to keep talking fast and passing on this information while she could. Any moment now this battle would start again.
"Itachi used the Tsukuyomi, knowing with Kakashi down and out he and his partners could leave without a battle because you two wouldn't be able to open your eyes out of fear the same could happen to you.
"I'm not saying he can't use it, but he knows it wouldn't be wise to at this point. Using the Tsukuyomi again will risk weakening himself further, possibly to the point he can't keep his regular Sharingan activated. Even without Sharingan he'd still be dangerous, but without it he wouldn't be able to counter your genjutsus as easily or read Asuma-sensei's techniques, and I'd bet he only has one shot with it now."
"Which means he'd have to choose between the three of us," Asuma pieced together. "But that'd be risky for him. With your Sharingan you could counter his genjutsu again or capture him in one once his Sharingan is out of commission."
"Right," Amari agreed. "At the end of the day, Itachi has no desire to fight a long, drawn out battle, especially when overusing his Mangekyō Sharingan will continue to deteriorate his vision."
"Shisui mentioned if you used it too much you would go permanently blind," her mother noted. "I wonder how much he's used it since he left the Leaf, and how much his vision has deteriorated in that time."
"There's no way to know, but Itachi can't risk going blind before the Akatsuki's true mission is complete. It'd render him useless, and I doubt this group would carry around dead weight," the Nara explained. "So, like I said, it's not Itachi's special genjutsu you two need to worry about now. It's Aimi and whatever power she may or may not wield."
That didn't include the problem of Kisame's monstrous power or Itachi's general amazing ability, but if it gave them even the slightest bit of hope, then she considered it a mission success.
"I need to figure out one of my Mangekyō abilities," Amari continued. "Whatever it is, it could injure one of them or force them to retreat before the two minutes are up."
And it would hurt so badly. She had a high tolerance for pain, but the Mangekyō wasn't a cut or a stab or poison. If using one of her special jutsus ended up anything like the awakening, she'd be eliminating herself from this battle equation as well.
It won't be my crutch, I promise, Shisui.
"You figure that out, we'll cover you," Asuma said, lifting his blades up once more. "After all, it's you they're after, not us."
"We'll keep you safe, little one."
"How touching," Kisame chuckled darkly. "Too bad for you this fight is already over."
Water splashed up at Amari's feet, and as her eyes snapped down a painful grimace took over her features, left eye shutting and right eye squinting at the culprit.
The sharp teeth of a water formed shark wrapped around her ankle. It didn't bite off the foot it captured—though it could if it wanted, she could feel that much.
Damn it, when did he use that jutsu? Asuma's smokescreen came back into her mind. Wait, the ash cloud. He must have used it then.
She inhaled a large breath just before it tugged her beneath the water. Blood from her wound pooled and floated in around in the river. She hoped it wouldn't entice a feeding frenzy. Quite frankly, that'd be a drag.
Quickly reaching into her ninja pouch, she pulled out a kunai and began stabbing it into the water creature.
The attack seemed to annoy it more than hurt it. Still, the shark released her ankle, tearing it up more as it shook its head mid release. Grimacing in pain, Amari kicked her legs and used her arms to swim towards the surface, ignoring the new pain each kick elicited.
Before she could reach the surface, another shark torpedoed directly into her stomach, almost knocking the air fully out of her as it ascended.
Their path would place her right in the Akatsuki's hands, she could tell. But the shark was moving her too fast. She barely had enough time to equip a second kunai as it broke out of the water, sending her flying into the air towards Kisame.
"Hope my little friends didn't chew any limbs off! Itachi would never let me live it down."
Amari spun her body and threw her kunais at the Swordsman; however the attack was ineffective against the superior shinobi, who dodged them with ease while weaving familiar handseals.
Damn it, not that jutsu again!
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
The orb of water imprisoned her. Unlike Mimi and Zabuza, however, he suspended her within without any oxygen. Once more she was submerged in water with dwindling oxygen in her lungs, at the mercy of their enemies.
Damn it, think, Amari, think. She glanced to her mother and Asuma, but Itachi and Aimi blocked their path in a duel. I have to do something before one of them does something reckless, and before I run out of oxygen.
"Don't worry, I won't drown you. Not completely anyways, hehe!" Kisame clearly had a dark sense of humor. "Itachi and Aimi think you're valuable, which is more than enough reason for me to keep you breathing. You're lucky. I don't make a habit of capturing shinobi alive."
He never once met her eye. He knew. He knew one brief moment of eye contact could mean a Sharingan genjutsu.
He's teammates with Itachi and Aimi, she thought in frustration. That gives him some of the greatest insight to what true geniuses can do with our dōjutsu.
Would he buy an attempt at blowing them both up? Or would he see through her ruse? Would a Concussion Seal work? What if it only temporary broke her free and he recovered fast enough to recapture her?
She had no idea what the effects would feel like. She wouldn't know if she could even keep her feet or move. Gaara hadn't been able to do anything except shout, but had he even realize he was shouting?
I'm almost out of oxygen. She plugged her nose and covered her mouth. I need to breathe. But if I do, I'll only choke on water. Outside of her bubble, her mother and Asuma were almost fully at the mercy of Itachi and Aimi. Mom…Asuma-sensei…
Whether because of the duress of the possibility of drowning or because of a need to protect her precious people, chakra pooled into Amari's right eye almost unconsciously.
I won't…
Her right eye fell shut as more chakra pooled into it.
I refuse to let them die!
The eye snapped open, a black pinwheel accented by red fire.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
Ōkuninushi!
Asuma and Kurenai were almost fully disabled. They still struggled in vain, of course. Leaf shinobi who inherited the Will of Fire did not give up regardless of the odds they faced, nor would this mother abandon her child to the man who murdered the Uchiha Clan.
However, this prolonged diversion had reached its end. It was time for the three Akatsuki members to be on their way.
Itachi disarmed Kurenai seamlessly, forcing her to her knees with a kick as he wrenched her wrist into an awkward position.
"That's quite enough," he commented.
"I won't let you take her," she seethed, her red eyes burning with the will to stop him.
"Struggle all you like, the end result will not change."
A kunai slipped into his free hand from his cloak sleeve. He plunged the blade towards this skilled kunoichi's flesh, intending to end this futile battle here and now before control of its outcome could slip through his fingers again.
Then his hand stopped against his will, the elbow of his arm held in a vice grip by a hand of an unknown origin.
What?
He snapped his eyes to see the perpetrator, expecting a surprise appearance from another Leaf shinobi or perhaps even Kakashi finding the will to stand without support. The surprise was even greater than he could have expected.
His own Shadow held his arm. From the shadow casted by the sun at his feet, a shadow hand extended up off the water like a vine to grip his elbow, clutching the limb in its corporeal clutches. He winced as the hold constricted even tighter; any tighter and his bones might break.
"Whoa!" Itachi looked back to Kisame, who narrowly ducked beneath a far more alarming corporeal shadow. One that stood on the surface of the water, swinging a shadow blade that looked exactly like Samehada in search for his partner's life.
His Akatsuki partner's arm slipped out of the Water Prison. There had been no other choice, unless one considered dying an option. Itachi didn't, and he knew Kisame didn't either.
Haya, released from the water prison, rested on all fours, breathing in heavy doses of oxygen while her Mangekyō Sharingan eye maintained a field of view on the two Akatsuki members.
This is her Mangekyō Sharingan ability, he realized, eyes wide. An ability unique to her bloodline.
The Uchiha once preferred to keep their bloodline pure, believing that any child born of a separate Clan would be less inclined to possess the Sharingan. However, from his current observation, that appeared even farther from the truth than he believed before.
This ability had never been documented before. It was her original jutsu, born from the mixed heritage of her parents.
This jutsu is the highest level of Shadow manipulation possible. She can manipulate our shadows just by looking at them.
Miyako Nara was surely beaming with pride.
He was lucky. Had it been her father's jutsu or her cousin's, he would have met an untimely end just now. Or, perhaps he was lucky her main focus zeroed in on Kisame, otherwise his own Shadow may have been used to kill him before he could blink.
Hopefully that still wasn't a possibility.
"Mom…break free now! Then back Asuma-sensei up!" Haya yelled, voice full of strain.
His momentary distraction presented Kurenai the chance to escape his hold, kicking him in the gut before dashing off to attack Aimi. Itachi moved to follow. He hoped by physically struggling he could break free, as would be possible with the normal Shadow Possession, but the Shadow Claw pulled him back, nearly dislocating his shoulder in the process.
Itachi frowned in silence. He glanced to Kakashi's kneeling form. The Copy Ninja hadn't moved, still braced by the clone of Haya as he sucked in deep breaths of oxygen, eyes squinting in a pointless struggle to stay awake. The Tsukuyomi's toll was finally catching up to the veteran shinobi.
Satisfied, the Uchiha returned his gaze to Haya.
Every Mangekyō ability held great power. However, the cost of this power was its greatest limitation. He could already see Haya straining to maintain both Shadows; blood trickled out of her right tear duct as she grunted and grimaced in tormented distress.
She blinked. His arm came free.
Itachi acted instantly. He burst into a flock of crows, flying towards his kunoichi teammate as tiny shadows leaped off the water in hopes of grabbing hold of a single crow.
None touched him, and as soon as he was out of her field of vision, the attempts to capture him stopped.
So, he thought as he reformed to block one of Asuma's trench knives, she can only maintain the shadow as long as her eye is open.
"Back for more, huh? Fine by me!" Asuma roared. Wind infused chakra cut straight through Itachi's blade as if it were made of butter.
Itachi used his Sharingan to keep sight of the Wind chakra, evading its long reach through well-timed dodges he could only hope to pull off with his dōjutsu and years of experience. His opponent, however, was no amateur. He held more years of experience than the Uchiha prodigy and personalized in close-ranged combat, evidence of which came from the tiny tears made in his cloak.
Dodging his head and neck back, the sweeping attack narrowly touched his flesh, the air of which he felt brush past his collar. Itachi spun on the water, grabbing Kurenai's striking arm and pushing himself up into the air to avoid Asuma's flying trench knife.
Here he was vulnerable, a note made more apparent when he heard the whistling of the thrown blade seeking out his exposed back.
Not a single word of communication, and yet they managed to coordinate this combination attack, he analyzed. These two must be very close. Synchronization of their level required far more than the same headband to pull off.
Unfortunately for them, he also had such a partner.
Aimi's warm hand grabbed his as she vaulted off over Kurenai. He instinctively clutched her wrist back, releasing his grip on the Leaf kunoichi as his partner pulled and swung him up, over and around herself.
"Kurenai, think fast!" Asuma said, tossing his second trench knife to her as he snatched the other out of the air.
Itachi landed on his feet first, pulling Aimi down into a crouch as he did to get her out of range of the trench knife thrown by Kurenai. The blade, no longer channeled with wind, open a warm cut on his cheek.
Instantly his body went rigid against his will. Tree branches lurched out of the water, wrapping around his body. The blade absorbed her Yin chakra, and by opening a single cut she was able to ensnare me in her genjutsu.
Impressive. Most impressive. He had wondered what Asuma hoped to accomplish by giving her his blade. Now he knew.
Before he could break the genjutsu, it dissolved suddenly, and no sooner did his sensations return did he find Aimi's red eyes locked with his. She was arcing her body out of the way of Asuma's strike, a fresh but thin cut on her neck from Kurenai's freshly blood soaked kunai.
Somehow she found it in her to wink at him and smile. "No time for a nap, 'Tachi. Back me up."
Without hesitation he unleashed a storm of shuriken for the Leaf shinobi in rapid succession, more than anyone without a dōjutsu could feasibly block and evade.
"Damn!" Asuma cursed, dodging back as he weaved handseals. Kurenai ran behind him and appeared on his other side. Itachi squinted at the kunoichi but didn't bother with her. Not yet.
"My turn." Aimi's hands moved too fast for their opponents to see her handseals. She inhaled a large breath, and from her lungs she expelled a massive torrent of fire, setting alight his shuriken as she swept the area in front of her.
Flaming shuriken and tendrils of fire raced over the battlefield towards their enemies. Itachi unleashed one last handful while his free hand's index finger twirled a kunai into his grip.
He spun around, and just in time. Metal clanged together in a fierce deadlock. That was their plan, after all. Hold the three Akatsuki members here for reinforcements, and it was working. These Leaf shinobi earned their elite status, he believed.
"Impressive move, Kurenai," he complimented as her determined red eyes met his without fear. "You used the standard Clone Jutsu to draw our attention elsewhere as you attacked us from behind. But as I have told Haya countless times before."
Itachi appeared behind the kunoichi with his kunai poised and ready to strike, his clone still holding her in a deadlock. "You cannot fool these eyes."
As he moved to strike, the kunoichi pivoted her feet and caught his blade with a second kunai. He furrowed his brow as she met his eyes with an intense gaze. "Is that so?" she replied confidently. "Then allow me to tell you what I've told Amari countless times before."
Without preamble, Kurenai twisted her blades, spinning them with impressive skill. Her action took the force he placed behind his blade and used it against him, forcing him to stumble one step forward and for his blade to swing wide of his intended target.
Kurenai ducked low with her kunais still in hand, blood and perspiration mixing together on her wounded arm. Equipping shuriken into his empty hand, he threw them at the crouched form of the kunoichi. They pierced into her back, but a sudden smoke cloud encompassed her body, replacing her with a wooden log.
"Your eyes may be powerful, but relying on them alone will get you killed," she hissed close enough that he could feel her breath on his ear while her blade pressed to his throat.
"A wise lesson," he replied. "But wise words won't save her today."
"No, but my blades will."
"We'll see about that."
Crows swarmed out of his cloak, and with them his body vanished from sight, reappearing a moment later with his back to Aimi.
In the moment of breathing room he glanced to Kisame, who was engaged by his reformed shadow. It seems only the shadows in her field of view can be manipulated.
Good. He knew this jutsu's weaknesses now, and if she kept relying on it to keep Kisame at bay, her chakra would be exhausted in but a few moments. From his observations, the pain and strain made it impossible for her to move while using this jutsu.
He wondered if that would change with more experience then quickly banished the thought from his mind. Questions such as those could be answered later.
Time was running out. They had to finish this before Leaf reinforcements arrived.
It…it hurts, Amari whimpered in her thoughts while commanding her eye to stay open. It felt like someone was hammering a nail into her eye with soft, gentle hits so she could feel every centimeter enter her skull.
Blood drained out of her tear duct, and with that figurative nail poking a hole into her body, her chakra seemed to drain out of the same hole like air out of a popped inflatable castle. With every second she maintained her new technique, she could feel her strength being sapped from her body.
What am I going to do? Itachi and Aimi are out of my line of sight, and if I take my eye off Kisame, he'll imprison me again in an instant.
A massive migraine made her nauseous. She couldn't think straight. How much longer did they have to hold them off for? One minute? Thirty seconds? The two minutes had to be almost finished.
I can't…I can't give up yet. I have to… She growled in pain, hand moving to cup her right cheek, nails digging into her forehead as she peered through the gaps of her fingers at Kisame. I have to make his Shadow move him closer to Itachi and Aimi.
Strengthening her resolve, the Nara commanded the Shadow Kisame to do more than attack wildly. Focus. Focus. Focus, she chanted.
The Shadow Kisame swung its blade one last time before noticeably freezing. Kisame dodged back on the water, skidding along the surface as he kept his eye on them both, waiting for what came next in excited anticipation.
Now… Amari blinked and the Shadow Kisame vanished.
"Done already?" Kisame taunted. "What a shame. I was just starting to enjoy myself."
Amari's eye snapped open again, revealing irritated red lines in the white of her eye.
Now it's my turn to push you!
The Shadow Kisame took form once more, the tip of Samehada resting in the water in a reverse grip. Kisame furrowed his brow at the sight then grinned nastily. "All right, looks like you've still got some fight left in you."
The Shadow Kisame bolted forward with new speed. As it reached the Swordsman, it swung its Shadow blade for a horizontal cleaving strike. Kisame ducked beneath it, his grin still in place. Her Shadow hastily changed grips and swung again for the crouched form of her opponent.
"It's faster this time, and…" Kisame used Samehada to block the strike. The connecting blows sent him sliding on his feet along the water, towards Itachi and Aimi but not enough to see them in her peripheral vision.
She commanded the Shadow to attack again. All Kisame needed was breathing room to realize he could use his Water Ninjutsu attacks to disable her, which meant she couldn't afford to give him a moment to think. He was lost in this battle against the Shadow, likely piecing together Intel on its limitations for the future, if she had to guess.
The two swordsmen dueled with their hulking blades. For the first time since forming the Shadow, the Akatsuki member looked challenged; his Shadow's fierce attacks came faster and harder, controlled and calculated in every single strike to move him exactly as she wanted to.
It didn't take Kisame long to figure out why he was beginning to be pushed.
"It's mirroring my real technique," he analyzed beneath his breath. He brought his sword up to block his enemy's blade again. Once more his Shadow swung for the fences, landing such a severe blow it sent him sliding even closer to the battle between the two Uchiha's and the Leaf shinobi. "It even matches my strength too."
She could almost see them.
The Swordsman grinned. "This Shadow Sharingan technique is pretty dangerous. I have to keep my guard up otherwise my Shadow might actually kill me."
Just…a little…further. Amari winced, eye nearly shutting. No. Not yet. She forced it open against the pain. I'm not done yet.
Closer and closer they moved towards their teammates currently in battle against Kurenai and Asuma.
Aimi rolled back first over Itachi's hunched forward form, her lightning covered blade connecting against the bearded shinobi's Wind chakra infused trench knives.
Lightning Nature's natural weakness was Wind, so when the two natures met, Asuma's blade sliced right through the kunai, opening up Aimi for a devastating blow. The sudden flick of Itachi's wrist sent a blade flying past Aimi's leg to impale into Asuma's thigh.
With her lightning charged broken kunai, and Itachi battling her injured mother towards her defeat, it seemed to be the end for the two Leaf shinobi. These two genius prodigies worked perfectly in synch with one another, covering the other's blind spots as they danced an elegant dance of battle around one another.
Almost…there.
Amari blinked, snarling in agony, but she pushed Kisame exactly where she needed him to be. Far enough away he couldn't capture her, and now with the two Uchiha right in her field of view.
Now!
The order of her brain snapped her right eye open one last time.
Ōkuninushi!
Shadow hands lurched from the abyss to snatch the two Uchiha. Aimi's shadow caught her by her weapon hand, halting the blade before she could finish her swing. Itachi's caught him by the leg to prevent his advance on her mother as she held her gut and tried to regain the air knocked out of her lungs.
"Mom…Asuma-sensei, get away! I…can't…."
Her eye fell shut. With the closing of her eye, the Mangekyō deactivated—far too much chakra was needed to keep it activated a millisecond longer. She ducked her head into her chest, a cry of pain ripping through her throat.
"Fang Rotating Fang!"
Amari couldn't lift her head to see the new arrivals last second save, their buzz saw like attack kicking up water in their wake as they separated the two Uchiha from the two Leaf shinobi.
Her entire body hurt. It quaked and trembled as every cell in her body received the hammer and nail treatment. This was on par with Hisashi's poison, no doubt about it.
"Gah! Grrrraahhhh!" she growled. "Ahhhh! Argghhhh!"
Even maintaining her normal Sharingan became too much to bear. Beneath her, she could feel her knees, toes and left hand sinking into the water from lack of chakra control and dwindling chakra supply.
"Looks like I made it just in time."
The familiar female voice admittedly confused the Nara. Against the pain, she lifted her heavy head, seeing first a full sized dog, bearing a closer appearance to a wolf than a dog if she were honest. Then she spotted another. Then another. They all growled and snarled viciously at the Akatsuki members, ready to tear them to shreds at a moment's notice.
Behind them were her mother and Asuma, alive, awake and safe with Kakashi and her clone.
At the lead of the three hounds was a woman in a beige Konoha medic uniform with long brown hair in a ponytail, two bangs of which framed her Inuzuka fang tattooed face.
"Hana Inuzuka?" she muttered then choked, eyes shutting again as another wave of pain hit her.
This pain… This was the cost of the Mangekyō's power. A power unlocked through the severing of a bond that dealt further pain to its user. It was a double-edged sword. A glass cannon. And it hurt. It hurt so much.
"Not that I don't appreciate you showing up when you did, but what are you doing here, Hana? Did you hear the commotion?" Asuma was the one to ask.
"No, that's not what brought me here," she answered calmly. "I was at work when Amaririsu's clone showed up with one of her crows critically injured. While our bird specialist took him in, I scraped the information on the situation from her. There was no way his injuries were a training accident."
Osamu…Are you okay right now? Are you still alive?
She hoped.
"I learned just enough before she popped mid-sentence. Figured the situation turned ugly and left after sending for backup. Tracked her clone's path back to their separation point then tracked her here."
She couldn't see Hana's face with her eyes closed, but her next words made her expression imaginable. "I didn't want to believe you had returned, Itachi. And Aimi…I can't believe you're here. I mourned you."
Hurt. Confusion. Anger. Amari couldn't blame her. She felt it too.
"I appreciate it. It is nice to see you again, Hana," Aimi hummed. "The Haimaru Brothers have grown so much since I last saw them."
"Spare me the small talk," Hana dismissed heatedly. "We're not here to reminisce."
"No, we're not," Itachi agreed. "Kisame, Aimi, delay them then prepare to leave." She could feel his eyes bore down on her. "I'll grab Haya."
"Heh, you got it, Itachi," Kisame said.
"You won't be leaving on my watch," Hana growled. "And you're not taking Amaririsu."
"Watch me."
In a blink a hand secured it's clutch around Amari's throat. She gasped and choked as Itachi lifted her off the water, her legs dangling and kicking helplessly in the air. His red eyes gazed intensely into her onyx and lavender pair.
"I told you it was futile, Haya."
"I'm…not…through…yet," she choked.
Chakra pooled into her left eye, turning lavender to fuchsia. Veins bulged along her temple as a black pinwheel took form.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
An orb of light, gleaming like a red star, appeared between the two shinobi.
Itachi's eyes widened significantly in horror.
Amenominakanushi!
All-encompassing red light exploded at the epicenter of Itachi and Haya. It's bright glow blinded those outside of the range of attack, which spanned several meters in width and length in the shape of a dome, stretching almost to the top of the nearby tree canopies in height.
Shockwaves of the explosion rattled their bones and made the hearts of all those on the battlefield jump into their throats. Torrents of hot wind seemed to burn their flesh as the gusts ripped past them, rustling the cloaks of the Akatsuki, whipping long strands of hair against the kunoichis faces and gusting through the leaves of the nearby forestry.
Choppy waves swelled on the once calm river as an implosion of water shot high into the sky.
As the initial shockwave faded and the gales of flesh biting wind receded, the water displaced into the sky rained down for the final time in this battle.
Scalding hot water poured onto the bewildered and speechless shinobi gawking at the place the two shinobi once stood, unable to see through the fog of steam created by the blast even with dōjutsu.
"'Tachi!" Aimi cried out in fear.
"Little one!" Kurenai did the same in almost unison.
Itachi did not speak. In fact, he couldn't find his voice to reassure his partner of his safety.
Hidden at the opposite end of the mist, he stood on the surface of the water, red eyes still wide after staring death directly in the eyes. His heart pounded like a hammer against his chest in the truest form of fear he had felt in many, many years.
His skin tingled oddly, his head felt lighter than air, and yet he was hyperaware of every tiny detail about his body and the young kunoichi at his point of focus.
Haya nearly killed them both.
If his reaction speed had been even a fraction of a second later, if he hadn't been able to turn her head to direct her vision to the water below as he dashed them both out of the inevitable blast radius…
Amenominakanushi, he panted in a strange combination of panic and adrenaline. One of the rarest abilities a wielder of the Mangekyō can unlock, just as rare as Kotoamatsukami is.
The technique her father wielded.
The air he inhaled was hot. It burned his lungs, and the droplets of boiling water stung every inch it touched, but he was happy just to breathe.
The attack launched wherever the user directed their point of focus, launching an explosive light mirroring a red star, a yellow star or a blue star—each one greater in strength than the last.
Fortunately for all of them, Haya lacked the chakra and strength to use the other two. Otherwise they'd all have been doomed to death.
"Such power," he murmured.
Raw power, the likes of which he hadn't felt from an opponent in what was surely years now. The kind of power that would entice any and all power seekers to steal it for themselves. He could already think of a few—one was a former member of the Akatsuki, the other was still a part of it and the last was the leader of the Foundation.
They could not be allowed to wield it.
Regardless, this fight was over. If the previous explosions had not drawn attention, this one certainly had.
Far too much attention.
Below him, floating in the warm water, body slack and lifeless of all energy, was Haya. Blood streaked both of her cheeks. She lived, if barely by the threads of what little chakra she had left. The overuse of the Mangekyō left her unconscious, and should she not receive chakra soon she would likely die.
Itachi knelt down, his form still hidden in the mist and covering him as he transferred his chakra to spare this stubborn and foolish girl from death.
"It's time to go, Haya," he breathed out.
"Severe Leaf Hurricane!" a shout came from outside of the steam.
He exhaled a frustrated breath. "So, reinforcements have arrived."
She almost completed her objective. He would be impressed if he wasn't so annoyed.
Kakashi panted heavily as a green blur appeared ahead of him, landing a hard kick to the face of Kisame, who had been intent on eliminating the Leaf shinobi frozen in awe of that incredible power.
Even in his current deteriorating state, he knew the owner of that green spandex and loud voice without even having to think about it.
Kisame skidded back on the water but regained his footing quickly, irritation pulled onto his blue features. "Argh, now who is interrupting."
"The Leaf Villages Fiercest Beast of Battle." Kakashi could practically hear the shine of light off the grin of his rival. "I'm Might Guy!"
Atsuko flew down onto his shoulder and Mimi landed on all-fours next to her sensei.
"Itachi, what have you done…" he swore he heard the crow murmur.
"Hana?" Mimi questioned.
"I'll explain later. We have more important matters to deal with," Hana said.
"Are you okay, Kakashi?" Guy questioned, his voice turning serious.
No, he wasn't. Darkness continued to overtake his vision. The sensations of the Tsukuyomi torture he sustained were still as fresh as ever. Holding on even now took a severe amount of perseverance so he wouldn't fade while his student was still in danger.
He couldn't say that though. His own pain didn't matter to him and was outclassed by his concern for Amari. Her clone had dispelled when that explosion went off. And what kind of power was that anyway? Did they escape it?
The steam made it impossible to know.
"Don't…worry about me. Amari…is in the most danger," he panted.
"You're Might Guy?" Kisame grinned. "More like mighty stupid looking guy."
"Don't underestimate him," Itachi's voice warned from the mist.
A gust of wind from within the mist carried it away to reveal Itachi and Amari to the gathered shinobi. The latter stood above his student's floating form, his right sleeve missing all the way up to his shoulder, the edges tattered and burnt.
Kakashi couldn't make out the intimate details of his state, but he could see severe burns along the entire length of his arm, and what appeared to be blood dripping off his fingertips.
"Amari!" Mimi gasped. Aoko let out a few quiet whines causing her partner to growl. "What did they do to you two? The depths of injuries you two have sustained internally, it's incredible you're even still alive."
Exhaustion consumed Kakashi's body. He felt the darkness starting to take over his vision. Come on. Stay awake. Amari is still in danger. I can't pass out yet.
He had to witness her rescue to know she was safe before letting himself fade into unconsciousness. He needed to know she was going to be okay…that she wouldn't die because of his inability to protect her.
"Mimi, provide long-range support. Asuma, Kurenai, you'll be mine and Hana's support. If any of you see an opening to grab Amaririsu, take it," Guy ordered.
"An interesting plan, but ultimately futile," Itachi reached down and grabbed Amari by her soaked blue hair, lifting her limp body out of the water.
No! Kakashi panicked, heart-rate elevating as his chest felt tighter.
"Kisame, Aimi, we're leaving."
"Got it."
"Okay, 'Tachi."
"Over my dead body will you leave with Amari!" Mimi growled.
Itachi pulled out a kunai and placed it to the throat of the unconscious girl. "On the contrary, you will either let us leave peacefully, or I will kill her right in front of all of you."
"Amari!" Kurenai cried out for her daughter.
There was not an ounce of fight left in the body of his student. Her body was lifeless. Empty of her fiery will. Both of her eyes remained shut with fresh blood dripping out of her tear ducts.
She had no idea what state she was in. She couldn't see their panicked expressions or hear her mother's worried cry for her.
If it wasn't for the small movements of her chest rising and falling, Kakashi would have thought she was already dead.
The two Inuzukas let out ferocious growls as the other three Leaf shinobi stiffened in sudden hesitation to attack.
"You've become a real piece of work, Itachi," Hana spat.
"If you kill her, then we'll attack you mercilessly until all that remains of you are tiny shreds no one will have any hope of stitching back together," Mimi threatened.
Itachi leveled her with an irritated gaze. "No, you won't. Have you ever watched a comrade drown in their own blood?" He pressed the blade harder against her throat to draw a single bead of blood down the onyx blade. "You do not know what the pain of watching a comrade die does to a ninja, especially being a child as you are."
"I'll kil—"
"Spare me your bravado," he cut off the furious Genin. "I'm through playing games and entertaining foolish impulses. Try to attack us and I will kill her. Or do you think you'll be faster than my blade?"
He was met with tense silence.
"As I thought. Kisame. Aimi." The Uchiha and his partners vanished in a flash of speed.
Amari…I'm sorry.
Kakashi's world faded to black.
Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: She will retain the Byakugan vision with the Mangekyo activated, though the drain is significant and because general overuse of the Byakugan can temporarily blind her, using the Mangekyo speeds that up. It's not the permanent deterioration in that case, rest would restore it, but if she started spamming it she would inevitably blind herself permanently.
Nope, no canon Mangekyo abilities for her. She gets her own original techniques, based on shadow and light. Hope you enjoyed their first appearance!
I'd love to see Tenzo react to being called Lord First. He'd probably get all bashful, but we'll have to wait and see what happens on when or if Amari gets to meet our friendly Anbu Wood style user.
A lot of those moments you listed in your second review will show up, but I won't specify which at this moment. I look forward to more than few of them, though.
Thanks again for the reviews!