Chapter 89
Worst Case Scenario: Team Mimi Assemble!
The five man squad of Leaf shinobi pursued the Sound Four under the early morning veil of darkness.
A twitch of impatience and anger prickled beneath Anko's skin, like an Aburame had their insects crawling all over her flesh. Her hairs stood on end. She clenched her jaw and tightened her fists as she leapt from tree branch to tree branch, trench coat rustling with each renewed leap.
He was back. Her mentor. Her once-idol. The bastard who placed the Curse Mark on her neck. The traitor responsible for Lord Third's demise.
Orochimaru.
It happened earlier than anticipated, but he was making his next move, preparing to ensnare Sasuke Uchiha's body for his own nefarious purposes. Only, to her eyes, nothing seemed to be proceeding quite the way her former mentor planned. He desired both Uchiha's, his obsession for the Sharingan insatiable. Yet his little underlings nearly killed Amaririsu, eliminating the possibility of Sasuke ever willingly devoting himself to Orochimaru.
If her former mentor was there to witness their unmitigated ignorance, if he had seen how far off course they diverted from his well-devised plans, he would've slain them on the spot.
Amaririsu's 'death' must have awoken the Sound Four from their stupor of arrogant stupidity. Like droplets of hot wax dripping onto nude flesh, or a bucket of ice water dumped onto an unaware individual, the sudden failure startled them, sent their neurons haywire and left their hearts racing.
So, after Sasuke emerged playing the role they hoped, they fled without ever looking back, fleeing back to their master in hopes they could amend their failure by arriving on time with at least one of the Uchiha's.
The Leaf shinobi didn't encounter a single trap. Their enemies were clearly overconfident. Arrogant bastards. Did they really think the Leaf would just give Sasuke away? Or not monitor his every move after hearing their plan?
They must think we're incompetent idiots, Anko grit her teeth. Or scumbags like them and Orochimaru who callously throw away the lives of others when they outlive their "worth" or become inconvenient. Bastards.
They'd soon learn what it meant to go against Leaf shinobi.
"Anko."
The Snake Mistress cocked an eyebrow up at Genma, who had fallen in beside her.
"Yeah?"
"Keep a level head."
"I am."
"No, you're not. You've been riled up since we left the Leaf." Genma cast a long look her way. "I understand how personal this is for you. But don't forget: it's personal to me, too."
Without another word, Genma jumped to the front of the squad. Anko flattened her lips in a tight frown. Though she hated to admit it, Genma was right. Every cell in her body burned, demanded her to rush off without thinking, screamed to kill these four shinobi where they stood. The dark feeling in her gut, the tightness in her chest, only her shinobi training kept it contained.
Orochimaru's involvement in this entire fiasco, and her failure to stop him in the Forest of Death, whipped her into a bloodthirsty frenzy. They had to rescue Sasuke before he reached the border; for Anko there was no other option, and every second that passed intensified her swelling impatience.
Yet…she'd forgotten Genma's personal attachment to Amaririsu and Miyako Nara, forgotten how he stood at her bedside after Shikaku's debrief and stared openly at the girl's unconscious body, rolling his senbon around in silence before ruffling her hair gently.
She'd forgotten how close they came to losing the Shortcake all over again.
When she heard what happened, Anko had been pissed for Kurenai, Shikaku and Yoshino, intended to extract revenge on their behalf, all but failing to remember that Genma, too, cared a great deal for his fallen comrade's daughter.
Unlike her, though, Genma was cool as a cucumber. His emotions were kept in check, in spite of what had to be roaring waves of anger boiling inside of him.
I won't do anyone good being pissed off.
Anko sighed. She couldn't help it. Lord Third consistently reminded her she wasn't responsible for Orochimaru's actions; Kurenai, too, tried to usher her away from blaming herself. Yet it never really stuck. Maybe she wasn't responsible, maybe as his student she was just another naïve victim who had fallen prey to his otherworldly charisma, and this guilt she harbored fed into his power and granted him control in her life.
But, in the end, that control he held refused to wane. Guilt had dug its venomous fangs into her heart; it coiled around the organ and constricted it tighter and tighter with every life his evil intentions stole, branding her soul with an invisible Curse Mark she couldn't remove.
As his pupil, bearing the knowledge and jutsus he provided, it was her duty to stop him.
Genma gestured a silent command with his hand. The group, in synchronicity, halted within the trees, hidden among the foliage and silent night. An owl, somewhere deep in the forest, hooted. Below she heard the scurry of small, foraging animals.
Though hard to see, Genma lifted a finger to his lips to indicate silence, then pointed to Anko and Raidō, motioning them to follow. To Shizune and Iwashi—his fellow Hokage Guard—he commanded for them to hold position at this location.
Anko felt the pleasant tickle of anticipation rush thoroughly over every inch of her body.
The Sound Four were up ahead, according to Genma's silent gestures. On the move, slowly. Unaware of their pursuers, so far.
Good. The element of surprise remained in their favor; their enemies weren't even halfway to the border yet, by her estimations.
Anko and Raidō joined Genma, flanking his sides.
"Raidō," he began in a whisper, "you and I will cut off their frontal escape. Anko, cut off their retreat. It's likely they'll start this battle with their Curse Marks, so keep in mind the Intel gathered by Sasuke and Amari." Genma cast a look down the dark path ahead. "We'll be outnumbered—there's no getting around that. But if we keep our heads, and work together, we'll eliminate these four and recover Sasuke before the sun rises."
"Right," Anko nodded.
"We're with you," Raidō said.
"All right. Be right back." Genma retreated to Iwashi and Shizune to pass along quiet orders for them as well. It took but a moment and then he was back.
"Let's go," he ordered.
The three Leaf shadows vanished into the darkness, Body Flickering through the forest to surround and cut off the four Sound shinobi. Sensing the dangerous newcomers at the final moment, the four made to dart away, but it was too late. Genma cut off Kidōmaru and Sakon. Raidō blocked the passage of Jirōbō and Tayuya.
Anko appeared behind the four, body prepared to strike at the drop of a dime.
Where's Sasuke? She wondered, examining the group. He didn't stand among them. They hadn't come across any signs of an assassination or battle on the way here, so where was he? Did they send him ahead?
Her brown eyes flitted to the cylindrical coffin tied to Jirōbō's back by his giant purple rope belt, and sealed shut by fūinjutsu she'd never seen before.
This has Orochimaru written all over it.
Was Sasuke still alive in that coffin? Or in some state of half-death so Orochimaru could steal his body without a fight? Did they call his bluff and Seal him away?
"So, it's you four again," Raidō stated. "They were with Orochimaru during the Invasion."
"And judging by the path they're taking I'd bet they've just come from Konoha," Genma said.
Of course they already knew that, but Shikaku told them to keep up the ruse of running into them by coincidence, for Sasuke's sake. On the chance this all fell apart, Sasuke's cover had to be maintained for his safety.
"What's in that coffin?" Anko demanded.
"Fighting three Jōnin at once? I'm trembling at the prospect!" Kidōmaru grinned.
Markings colored like flaming embers began to spread over all four of the Sound shinobis bodies. Anko narrowed her eyes. Those markings are different than mine and Sasuke's. Is this a different variation of our Curse Marks?
The thought made her mark itch. It, too, wished to be released. To fight dark power with dark power.
The Snake Mistress refused it. Her willpower overwhelmed the tiny itch that she didn't need scratched.
"You four should think this through. This won't be like last time you jumped us all by surprise," said Raidō.
"Yeah, you're right, scum. You won't survive this time!" Tayuya shot back.
"Trust me, pawns of Orochimaru, you don't want to mess with the Leaf shinobi," Genma said.
Genma darted in after Sakon, spitting out the senbon he chewed on to deflect the kunai thrown by his enemy. Raidō leapt after Jirōbō, who retreated into the air with the coffin; Kidōmaru joined his teammate in an effort to cut off the Leaf shinobi. Tayuya bolted in for Genma, a flanking maneuver meant to overwhelm the man.
Anko cut her off, appearing in front of her with a sadistic grin.
"Forgetting someone?"
Then she crashed her fist into the kunoichi's face. Her follow up strike kept Tayuya on her back foot, reeling from the repeated blows.
The way Anko saw it, better to eliminate the unknown before they learned the hard way what her specialty was.
The Sound kunoichi caught Anko's fist, a mistake the Snake Mistress capitalized on. Scaled serpents slithered out from trench coat sleeve, hissing and baring their fangs. Tayuya grunted, annoyed from the sound of it, and made to recoil away, but she was too slow. Spinning a kunai into her free hand, Anko slashed her blade for Tayuya's gut.
Fresh blood coated her kunai, splattering crimson droplets onto the shadow covered grass below them. Anko spun low, unrelenting in her assault, and made to sweep the kunoichi's legs out from beneath her. She found only air. Tayuya leaped into a graceful backflip, dodging up and away towards the branch of a tree.
"Striking Shadow Snake!"
The snakes lurched out of Anko's sleeve after the evading kunoichi, but their fangs only found bark as her enemy gracefully dodged out of range.
Slowly, the snakes returned to Anko's sleeve. Tayuya touched her hand to the slash through her shirt and the surface cut to her stomach. She looked at the light staining of blood on her hand; her lips curled into a furious snarl.
"You scum! I'll make you regret that!"
Anko grinned and brought her blade to her mouth, drawing her tongue across the cool metal, flushing a metallic taste across her tongue.
"Try to excite me," she taunted.
Sudden movement in her peripheral vision snapped her attention. Above! Jirōbō was flying down towards her, his one fist cocked back.
"Rrrgghh!"
The earth cracked and shook as he landed, a crater forming at the point of impact. Anko finished her flip and landed on a tree branch above the giant, multiple shuriken and kunai equipped in her hands. The ninja tools hissed through the air for his exposed opening. Pivoting his body, Jirōbō used the coffin to shield himself.
A mistake.
Anko was already zipping through the air. Her hands gripped the top of the coffin as her feet planted against the giant oaf's head. With flourish, she pulled the coffin free from the giant and jumped into the air, farther away from her enemies.
"Jirōbō, you fat idiot!" Tayuya seethed.
The kunoichi jolted after Anko, but was met with a kick to the gut.
"Hey, Genma, think fast!"
She swore she heard him chuckle. The elite Leaf shinobi vanished in a plume of smoke just as Sakon appeared to land a fatal blow. A severed log replaced him, and her squad leader appeared behind her, a series of kunais whizzing past her towards their enemies. Anko kicked the coffin towards him then began to weave handseals as three of the four charged after them.
Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!
A wide berth of flames erupted from her lips, casting a warm orange light into the cold blackness surrounding this battlefield. It'd only separate them for a moment, but that was all they needed.
"Raidō, regroup!" Genma called.
His partner was at his side before Anko landed.
"Nice work, Anko," Raidō complimented.
"Heh," she breathed a rough laugh, "this isn't over yet. Things are about to heat up."
"Yeah," Genma agreed, nodding once. "Whatever this coffin's for, we can't let them retrieve it from us."
But it also provided an advantage, one the trio of Leaf shinobi was acutely aware of. This was the prize for both teams, after all. With it in their possession, the Sound Four would be solely focused on ensuring it was recaptured, presenting the possibility of reckless actions like the one Anko had taken to steal it from them.
Unlike her, however, these four weren't self-declared badasses, possessing several more years of experience and training than them. Now it became a game of defense. The Leaf shinobi weren't the desperate ones in this battle any longer.
The Sound Four, in the light of the few flickering flames still burning the grass, looked murderous. Good. Their focus was drawn away. Just a little longer…
"Multiple Striking Shadow Snake!"
All four Sound shinobi stiffened as multiple, thick and long serpents coiled around their legs, torsos, arms and necks. Anko, the one standing among Genma and Raidō, vanished. The real kunoichi emerged from the shadows behind the Sound shinobi.
She grinned. "Got you."
"A Shadow Clone?" Kidōmaru gasped.
"Heh, no. Just a regular old Clone Jutsu." The thick serpents drove their fangs into the four and constricted their bodies further. "Funny thing the way light works; when you're surrounded by light, it's almost impossible to see into the darkness. But when you're in the dark, you can see everything clearly."
"The Fire Ball, you used it to disappear into the shadows!" Tayuya realized.
"Exactly, my little Spitfire," Anko cooed menacingly. "And now it's time for you to die!"
"Absolutely…not!" Tayuya growled. Anko felt a sudden wave of killing intent and dark chakra flood off them. The air of the battlefield grew tense, so tense even she could feel a bundle of tightness grow in her chest. "I refuse…to lose to scum like you!"
Anko, Genma and Raidō bit back grunts and gasps as the four shinobi caught in their grasps began to transform right before their eyes.
The skin of the three males turned an angry shade of red; Tayuya's shifted from fair to a dark shade of brown. Demonic horns grew from their heads; ugly warts grew on Jirōbō's arms and shoulders; their eyes turned a golden yellow, almost glowing in the dark. And their strength, they were forcing her serpents to loosen their constriction.
"They're monsters," Raidō gasped in shock.
"What power," Genma muttered.
Her serpents tore apart, splashing blood and gore over the enemy shinobi and the grass.
Anko could only stare in horror.
What the hell are they?
"They've been gone too long," Shizune whispered to Iwashi.
She'd done as Genma asked and patiently waited ten minutes, but every second to tick by now urged her to act. If Anko, Raidō and Genma were critically injured, seconds was all that stood between saving a life and losing it. She tried to rationalize the delay—these four enemy shinobi wielded Curse Marks, and the abilities a few of them possessed were unlike any she ever encountered before.
The battle could still be happening. Genma, Raidō and Anko were elite shinobi, wielding far greater experience than their adversary's…
Which was exactly why they should be here already.
"Do you think we should go check on them?" Iwashi asked.
The youngest member of this entire team. Least experienced, however still worthy of his title as Hokage Guard. How did she act here? Approaching a battle would mean fighting it. She could handle herself, but as the sole medic-nin on this squad it was her duty to avoid conflict if possible. Who would be able to heal the injured if she was incapacitated or killed?
That was the first lesson Lady Tsunade ever taught her. No matter how skilled she was, the most important skill she possessed was her ability to heal her allies. Without it, shinobi would die. And if she jumped into a battle recklessly, getting herself injured or killed in the process, she'd be not only dooming herself, but the people depending on her.
But ten minutes was a long time for elite shinobi to battle.
No. Something wasn't right.
"Yes," she nodded in the dark. "We'll approach carefully, Iwashi. Hopefully, if their still fighting, the Sound shinobi will be too distracted to notice our presence."
Hopefully they ran into them on the way.
Hopefully she hadn't waited too long.
Shizune and Iwashi followed in the footsteps of their comrades. Silent as the foreboding silence encircling them. The absent presence of any sounds of battle or the Sound Four quickened her dash through the trees. Iwashi kept pace.
Then they came upon the battlefield. The two Leaf shinobi froze on the forest floor, eyes wide at the carnage left behind. Series of craters dotted the landscape like detonated mines; entire chunks of trees were missing, as if someone had used Wind Style: Air Bullet to punch holes into trees at random.
Moonlight reflected off scattered ninja tools punctured into the trees and grass. The permeating smell of blood and guts filled her nostrils with every breath. Her stomach didn't churn; as a medic-nin she'd grown used to the odor.
Worst of all, there were no Sound shinobi lying on this battlefield.
"Wh- what happened to them?" Iwashi gasped.
Shizune couldn't form a word. For a brief moment her body refused all commands—Lady Tsunade would've scolded her for that if she were here. But her comrades, her friends, they were…
"Genma, Raidō, Anko!"
Full control came swarming back to the medic-nin. She dashed forward first to Genma—he was the closest. The squad leader was seated against the trunk of a tree, kunai punctured into his flak jacket, chin tucked to his chest and arms slack. Blood trailed down from the corners of his lips.
Raidō laid face down, his upper half inside a crater and lower half out of it. Kunai and shuriken protruding out his back, and his left arm was twisted at an awkward angle. Broken.
Anko was the furthest away from her, also lying face down. Her trench coat hung from a nearby tree, ripped, torn and bloody. Pierced into the ground in front of her was a golden arrow, attached to a strange white string.
Shizune rushed into a crouch and placed her ear to Genma's chest, shutting her eyes to listen to his heartbeat.
Three rapid beats. Then a single beat. Slower. Slower. Weaker. Quieter.
Shizune gasped. "This isn't good!"
As quickly and gently as she could, she moved Genma from a seated position into a supine one, legs and arms straight. Bringing her hands up, the long sleeves of her Konoha uniform—which hid her hands completely from sight—fell below her wrists as she slammed her palms together to mimic a praying monk, focusing her Medical Ninjutsu to her hands.
The green chakra was like a campfire in the night. If their enemies were lying in wait, they'd be able to see her perfectly. But Shizune couldn't worry about that. Her quick actions here and now would dictate whether or not her comrades survived to see the sun rise.
"All three of them taken down? That's impossible!" Iwashi's bewilderment showed his inexperience against the likes of Orochimaru.
She placed her hands onto Genma's stomach, doing all she could to stabilize his condition. These three, they needed more than she could provide in the field. They needed the full medical treatment only the Konoha hospital could provide.
I should have come sooner.
Once Genma was stabilized, she rushed over to Raidō, who Iwashi had shifted to lie flat on his back after removing the ninja tools. The arm was bad, as were his internal injuries. And his chakra, he's near absolute zero.
Raidō's face twisted into a grimace.
All I can do is try to stabilize them and numb the pain.
What sort of power had the second-stage Curse Mark given those four? To do such extensive damage, and to leave them so close to death?
When she placed her green glowing hands to Anko's stomach, Shizune became immediately aware of how soaked her fellow kunoichi's stomach was. And of the gaping hole through her side responsible for it.
Oh no, her eyes widened.
The golden arrow. It was shot right through her, with enough force to leave a golf ball sized hole straight through the kunoichi's gut. This was bad. Anko needed immediate surgery. Now!
"I'm going after them, Shizune." Shizune bit back a hiss and glanced over her shoulder at Iwashi. Young and full of fire. Fist clenched and features set in fury. "I'm going to find them and make them pay for what they've done!"
"No, you won't!" Shizune spoke with authority.
"She- she's right, Iwashi," Genma wheezed. "They- they were using jutsu…beyond the powers of mere shinobi!" Rough, bloody coughs tore through Genma's throat. "If you go after them…you'll only be killed."
"Genma! That's enough talking," Shizune ordered.
The sudden wheezing of Anko drew her eyes back to the boisterous kunoichi. Brown eyes barely creaked open, face twisted in agony, and struggled to focus on Shizune.
"Shi- Shizune," she breathed out.
"Don't try to talk, Anko."
She expected argument. Or a chuckle paired with a joke about it being only a flesh wound. Anko gave her neither. She shut her eyes again and grimaced. The painful wheezing sounded like a dying animal.
We have to get her back to the hospital, and fast.
Shizune briefly glanced up towards the border.
I'm sorry, Sasuke.
This whole situation is a real pain in the ass.
Shikamaru frowned as he stared down the main road leading out of the Leaf. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, and yet he was already up and awake, dressed in his ninja gear—plus his new flak jacket—and preparing to embark on a dangerous mission. As a squad leader, no less.
How troublesome.
He'd spent the night before piecing together a plan in case this happened, but he hadn't wanted it to. He hoped the Jōnin squad would handle it, rendering all the energy he spent thinking pointless. But, as he feared, this new enemy—the Sound Four, they called themselves—wielded inhuman power because of those Curse Marks.
And now he, a newly promoted Chūnin, along with his Genin comrades were meant to attempt a recovery their superiors failed to accomplish. Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Akamaru and Chōji were his backup on this one. If they were lucky, Genma's team weakened the Sound Four significantly in the battle to take place a few hours ago, allowing for an easier time.
Shikamaru hoped, but he wouldn't ignore the possibility of facing these guys at full power. A miscalculation like that would cost lives. Still, he'd have felt more comfortable if he'd been able to speak to Genma's team about what they encountered—they were all either still in surgery, like Anko, or asleep.
Guess we'll have to hope these guys underestimate us.
From the personality profiles he constructed based on his talks with his dad, Sasuke and 'Risu this morning—troublesome girl, you're going to give me a heart attack if you keep this up—the Sound Four had all the signs of overly arrogant enemy's. The kind that underestimated prey they perceived as weak.
But he'd already ran through the scenario this ended in every single one of them battling the Sound Four one on one to the death, and the probability of it was unnervingly high. That's why he couldn't bring Sakura or any of the kunoichis. If this went south for his squad, Mimi was next in line to pick up what pieces of them remained.
Whenever she finally returned.
The Inuzuka would need all the help she could get. And 'Risu, Lee and Shino weren't among the choices available to her. Two of them were restricted to the hospital, and Shino was still out of the Leaf on a mission with his father.
Taking a powerhouse like Sakura, or a long-range specialist like Tenten, would severely weaken Mimi's limited pool of shinobi to pick from.
Damn Stone Village. You've made this even harder than it already is.
Oh well. What could he do about it? Complaining wasn't about to change anything. It was unbecoming of a squad leader to whine and moan about tough odds.
"All right," he spoke up, "with our formation settled and all of us familiarized with what ninja tools we're carrying, there's one final thing I have to say."
Shikamaru shut his eyes and lowered his chin. Motivational speeches were such a pain.
"For as long as I've known him, Sasuke and I haven't exactly been close pals. In fact, I don't really like him; he crossed a line that seriously pissed me off."
He let that sit. For a moment anyways. Shikamaru opened his eyes and met the gazes of his comrades.
"All the same, Sasuke is a shinobi belonging to the Leaf Village. He had the choice to hold the battle within these walls, where he'd be safe while others risked their lives, yet he chose to put himself in the gravest of peril for the sake of our people. And when these guys tried to kill 'Risu, he did everything he could to get them away from her. Whether or not I like him personally doesn't matter. Sasuke is a comrade, and I'll put my life on the line to help him. That's the way of our Village.
"I know I usually seem like a pretty lazy guy. But not today. Because now I'm responsible for your lives too. I won't sit in the shadows and let my comrades be taken or killed."
What can I say? I guess you rubbed off on me, 'Risu.
Amari watched the sun rise. She watched as Anko was carted into her room to join Genma and Raidō. She watched the clock keep ticking, and still there was no sign of Shikamaru's team or Sasuke.
What a mess this all was. If she'd only been at full strength, if only she'd been faster on her feet and with her mind, none of this would be happening. But the Sound Four, those bastards, they struck them while they were weak, and now she was stuck in this hospital room while her friends were in danger.
She was worried for them. She was irritated the Sound Four had killed her. It made sitting here all the harder to bear. If they killed her on accident, and they defeated Genma, Raidō and Anko, what would be left of her friends in the end?
Would they successfully bring Sasuke to Orochimaru, placing the power of his newly acquired Mangekyō Sharingan in the traitor's hands?
Amari shook her head. She couldn't accept that. She refused to let that happen. Sasuke was coming back home. Her friends were coming back home.
I will come for all of you. I promise. And if they hurt any of you…
Crimson flooded onyx.
I'll slaughter them all.
Chōji marched menacingly towards the downed form of Jirōbō. Sky blue chakra butterfly wings sprouted from his back, surrounding his skinny frame—the result of eating the Chili Pill. All his fat reserves had been converted into chakra, making him a hundred times stronger than before.
"You're all better off ditching this lazy shadow user. An inexperienced and weak leader like him will only get you killed. He's not a leader, he's a fool. A weakling. A little snack for me to devour."
Chōji snarled.
"Want to know something, you little Leaf weaklings. I'm the one who killed Amaririsu Yūhi. Yep. I crushed the life out of that annoying brat. Wasn't she supposed to be tougher? Lord Orochimaru was convinced she was the strongest shinobi out of all of you, yet she was more fragile than a potato chip. It's no wonder you're all so weak if she's the one you all aspire to be.
"Oh, what's wrong? Why the angry faces? Did she mean that much to you? Heh, pathetic. Little Amaririsu crushed to death by a giant. I'm sure her mother will be heartbroken. Maybe I'll come back and kill her, too."
"I'll kill you before you lay a hand on anyone else," Shikamaru declared coldly. "'Risu isn't here to finish you off, but I am."
"Is that so? Right, now I remember. Your cousins, aren't you? How about I reunite you with her. I'm sure she's lonely in hell!"
"I can handle you calling me names," Chōji hissed, "but what you've done is unforgivable! You insulted my best friend. You tried to kill Amaririsu, and then you mocked us with it! How dare you!"
Jirōbō's eyes widened in horror. "Tri- tried? You mean—"
"Amaririsu is alive." Chōji glared through the man. "Do you remember the promise I made Shikamaru before he left?"
"Shikamaru, don't lose focus because of his taunts!" Chōji yelled as he held Jirōbō back with physical strength. "If you do, if we fail to save Sasuke, then we'll be exactly what he said we are! Losers and weaklings led by a fool leader! I know how you feel, how you all feel! Amaririsu is important to all of us; she's our friend, comrade and family!
"But we aren't kids anymore, Shikamaru. We're shinobi. And it's your duty to save Sasuke! That's what Amaririsu would want us to do! Leave this one to me. I'll make sure he never hurts someone we care about again!"
"…Are you sure, Chōji?" his best friend asked.
Chōji grinned fiercely in the face of his enemy. "You bet I am! It'll be just like old times, only this time I don't have to hold back! Now go!"
"All right. We'll see you soon, buddy."
It was clear by the terror growing on Jirōbō's ugly face that he recalled the same promise.
"You can steal the very last bite of my very best food, you can mock me all you want, but when you hurt my best friends…" An enormous surge of visible sky blue chakra covered the Akimichi's left hand. "I will obliterate you!"
In futility, the Sound shinobi tried to move his arm, but Chōji stamped on it and his chest to hold him in place. All of my chakra…to my left hand!
He clutched the chakra covered hand into a fist.
"This last attack is worth my whole life!"
Cocking his fist back, shards of rock dotting the earth around them lifted up with the surge of power caused by the movement.
"W-Wait! No! No! Please don't do it!"
With a fierce roar, Chōji slammed his fist into the chest of his enemy, crushing his chest cavity and all his organs in a single blow. The earth beneath him shook, shards of rock whistled past his ears as a large crater formed beneath them.
Then all was silent. The Curse Mark that had turned Jirōbō into a monster faded in death, returning him to his human state. Chōji's chakra vanished. He wheezed. Air was almost impossible to inhale through the internal damage done by his special food pills.
He collapsed back onto the dirt spread eagle.
"I…I did it. I won," he choked. A guy like me…I beat him!
Chōji rolled onto his stomach and, on quivering limbs, struggled to his feet. Stumbling, tripping, with one eye shut in pain, he lumbered towards his lost headband, picking it up by the edge of the cloth and continuing towards a nearby tree. He slammed back first into it, sucking in oxygen into his steadily dying body.
My friends…
The sight of a blue butterfly woke him up as darkness crept into his vision. As if possessed, he followed after it. Step by lumbering step. Tripping now and then, but still pressing on despite being out of breath.
He followed it as far as he could. Then, as he nearly tripped into another tree, it flew off. Chōji clutched a hand to his aching chest and tried to breathe. He knew it was futile, knew the cost of the Chili Pill. But still, even though that final attack was worth his life, he…wanted to live a little longer. He wanted to see Shikamaru and Amaririsu and his friends again.
He wanted more time, with his family and his friends.
When Chōji lifted his eyes to the tree, he felt the burn of tears sting at his eyes and his throat tighten in emotion.
"Let me tell you something, son…" he recalled his father's warm voice from…a long time ago. Before Shikamaru. Before Amaririsu. Before he had friends. "None of those boys have as kind of a heart as you do. And someday you'll have a group of real friends who see that quality within you and respect you for it. You'll find friends who believe in you, who trust you with their lives. Cherish those friends, Chōji."
Tears streamed down the Akimichi's cheeks. Quiet sniffles escaping him.
There, carved into the trunk of the tree, was an arrow pointing in the direction his friends had traveled. Along with…
"'Hurry up slow poke,'" he read out, laughing lightly through his tears. "Naruto wrote that. 'We're all waiting for you.' Kiba. 'See you soon, buddy.' Shikamaru."
They'd believed in him. They…really believed in him.
Warm tears streamed freely from his eyes, nose running as he wept in joy.
"Dad," he sobbed. "I made…some really great friends!"
Stinging, piercing pain attacked his heart. Chōji braced himself on the tree and slowly sank down into a seated position, head tucking into his chest and arms going limp.
Bright blue butterflies gathered around the stilled body of the Akimichi.
The peaceful state of the Leaf contrasted the chaos Mimi found herself steeped in.
Amari died, but was brought back; Broody took one for the team and gave himself up to Orochimaru's men to keep another attack from happening on the Leaf; the Jōnin meant to save Sasuke were hospitalized; Shikamaru and all the boys, except Shino, were out trying to rescue him, and to top this chaotic cake off, Lee went chasing after them two hours before she returned.
Mimi had been full of pent up nerves and aggression since Osamu first showed up on the border to retrieve her. Even now, as she listened intently to Genma and Raidō recount every detail they'd manage to acquire about the Sound Four's second state Curse Mark abilities, her foot tapped impatiently on the floor. Her gloved fingers curled into her biceps. Her sapphire eyes kept flicking over to the sullen form of Amari—a dangerous air permeated off of her.
The Inuzuka left her flak jacket open as a style choice, but now it cooled the heat coursing through her body. Good thing for the cold front, too. Being in a blue V-neck and her mesh long sleeve allowed the cool air to caress her warm skin.
The Old Hag and Shikaku Nara joined the briefing, while Anko lay almost entirely still on her bed. She was breathing—thankfully.
"These jutsus, they sound unreal," she murmured. "Those twins separating their bodies at will. That kunoichi's flute controlling her summoning creatures." Mimi shook her head, sighing. "And the Slacker has no idea about the second state abilities. While Lee decided to head out despite needing more time to recover."
This was bad.
"I have to get moving," she stated firmly. "At this point, I have to assume they've caught up to those bastards, and every second from here on out may determine who lives and dies."
She sensed Amari stiffen. Mimi hated saying it, but it was the truth. The Sound Four were clearly Jōnin leveled enemies, and that was without their Curse Marks. If it came down to one on one battles, every battle could easily end in double fatalities.
No way will anyone on Shikamaru's team let themselves lose. Which means they'll do whatever is possible to kill their enemy, even at the cost of their own life.
Her fingers curled tighter into her biceps. Anger. Fury. Fear. As a leader, she couldn't let it show beyond that. She couldn't be run by her emotions, as her heart desired to do.
Tsunade and Shikaku nodded in agreement.
"My son already spoke to Sakura. She's gathered your kunoichi peers."
"Got it," Mimi nodded. She flicked her eyes to the Hokage. "Lady Hokage, please have an emergency medical team ready."
"Of course. Now get going."
Mimi, with Aoko propped on her head, headed for the door, but veered off to Amari's bed.
"Hey." Her sister slowly drew her gaze from her lap to Mimi's eyes. Atsuko hovered above her shoulder. "I'm gonna bring back everyone, all right? So don't worry."
The Inuzuka placed her fist out. Amari reached an open hand forward and tugged her into a one arm embrace. The hand used to tug her in opened Mimi's fist then closed it, out of sight of the adults.
Off-balance by the interaction, Mimi didn't have time to hug her back before Amari relinquished her hold. She offered a weak smile—a mask to hide the swell of fury vibrating through her muscles—and bumped the Inuzuka's fist.
"I believe you. Be safe. Take care of your squad."
"Mimi?" Aoko sensed the hidden exchange.
Mimi ignored her ninken and grinned at Amari. "Didn't I already tell you not to worry? I'll be seeing you soon. Count on it."
With that, she turned and left the hospital room behind. She paused only once outside the door, opening her gloved hand to look at the shogi piece now in the palm, designated as a King piece. Mimi turned it around and furrowed her brow before stuffing it away into one of her flak jacket pockets.
Right. Time to get moving.
She found Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten all gathered together, solemn and nervous expressions on their faces. She couldn't blame them. As far as worst case scenarios went, they were at the summit of an unstable volcanic mountain.
They quickly mobilized to the front gate. After familiarizing herself with Sakura's, Ino's and Hinata's ninja tools—she already knew Tenten's—she set up their formation.
"Normally I'd prefer to be somewhere between the middle and the front, that way I can communicate with all of you, but that isn't much of an option," Mimi said with a shake of her head. "The only one's here capable of tracking our comrades down are me and Aoko, so I'll be leading from the front."
She flicked her eyes to Sakura. "Sakura, you'll be behind me as a physical enforcer. You and I can head off any frontal assault."
"Okay."
"Tenten, you're in the middle. In the case of an ambush, your range of tools will allow you to immediately defend from any direction. I trust you to pick and choose what's appropriate at the moment."
"Right," Tenten nodded.
"Next up is Ino. I know you've been training with Sakura and Amari, but I'm placing you in this position for the sake of your Clan jutsus. From the rear you'll have a better sight of the overall battlefield. From there you'll be able to better position yourself for your jutsus. All right?"
"Yes," Ino gave her a sharp nod.
"Finally, Hinata, you'll finish our formation. Your Byakugan will give you the greatest oversight of our entire formation and all of our blindsides. If you see anything, anything, let it be known. My senses are sharp, but we could be dealing with shinobi who can conceal their scent. Also, should Ino have to use the Mind Transfer Jutsu, your taijutsu places you in the best position to defend her body. Sound good?"
"Ye- yes!"
Mimi nodded. "All right. We don't have time for a long speech, so listen up! Time isn't on our side. We've gotta stick together and move fast. Keep your eyes open, watch each other's backs. Nobody except the Sound Four is dying today, understood?"
She received affirmatives from her team. "Good. Now let's move!"
And hope we aren't too late.
Mimi took the lead and picked up the scent of the first team with ease. As her team of kunoichis dashed through the forest, she thought of the shogi piece in her flak jacket and her interaction with Amari.
"Keep this on you at all times," she had whispered.
In her mind's eye she visualized the shogi piece, turning it over again to examine the fūinjutsu painted on it.
I've never seen anything like it before, but…
She had a feeling.
I'll be seeing you soon, Amari.
Sapphire eyes sharpened on the path ahead.
Nobody's dying today except the Sound Four. I'll make that a reality. Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Naruto, Chōji, Lee, Neji, Sasuke, just hang in there. We're on our way.
Neji struggled to breathe. Throbbing pain clawed at his left shoulder and right side from the holes drilled straight through him. He braced his back against the trunk of a tree, a single white thread dripping with blood—his blood—threaded all the way through his abdomen, through the trunk of the tree and attached to the golden arrow piercing the ground behind him.
His enemy, Kidōmaru, had figured out the secret of the Byakugan just by fighting him. He fought at a distance to disable Neji's Gentle Fist, and now he had delivered what would be his final blow of this battle.
Despite his pain, despite knowing he would likely die from his wounds, Neji smiled and huffed a short laugh.
"Here…" he whispered. Body trembling, he reached his right arm forward and clutched the thread within a weak fist. Blue chakra formed around his hand. "Gentle Fist!"
The thread Kidōmaru used to guide his arrow, it was a chakra made substance. That meant the Gentle Fist was its greatest weakness. Neji funneled the last of his chakra through the thread, hoping, praying, Kidōmaru wouldn't sever it yet.
I…won't let you…win this battle!
The chakra flowed along the entire length of the thread, and when it reached its end, Kidōmaru's body fell from the tree. Not dead. Not yet. But many of his internal organs had been severely damaged.
Neji deactivated his Byakugan at the sight of a flock of birds flying out of the canopy.
There were eight birds, and again I couldn't see one of them.
The blindspot of the Byakugan. His enemy may have learned the secret, but Neji understood his weakness far better than him.
A rough, bloody cough tore at his throat. Neji panted heavily, exhausted by the battle. He was past his limit. Mortally wounded and ready to be finished. As he stood there, feeling the spike of adrenaline falling, he recalled his quarrel with Naruto and Amaririsu.
"I told you already, I just don't know when to quit."
Why? Why did he try to fight a hopeless battle, trying to defy his preordained destiny as a failure?
"Because people called me a failure. I'll prove them wrong."
"It may be the Hyūga way to cave into destiny, but it's not mine! If you think it's futile to fight, then don't! Just stand there and take it! I'll change the way of the Hyūga Clan! After I become Hokage!"
He'd been so frustrated to lose to Naruto. The Clone Jutsu, it was his specialty. Yet he hadn't seen through that final trick.
"My clones were pathetic. That's right, I flunked the Shadow Clone Jutsu every time. So don't come whining to me with this destiny stuff. And stop trying to tell me you can't change who you are. You can do it too, because unlike me you're not a failure."
And Amaririsu. They'd spat their venom over his horrid treatment of Hinata. He insulted her time and again as a half-breed, and as a bottom-feeder parasite. For his transgression, he'd seen his death in her burning eye, and the demonic dragon spirit she harbored within her heart.
Yet, despite his disrespect, despite his treatment of Hinata—who Amaririsu so clearly adored—she still came to his aid in their defense against the Cloud shinobi. Why? The Cloud shinobi had asked the same question he wondered.
"Neji and I aren't what anyone could consider friends. He's insulted me and I've threatened him, but despite all that he is still my comrade. My fellow Leaf shinobi. That bond, as simple as it might seem to an ignorant brute like you, is what binds all of us of the Leaf together. Even if he despises my existence, even if he insults me, I'll still rise above it and fight to protect him, because that's what Leaf shinobi do. You will die before you're able to lay another finger on them. I promise you that."
Mimi and Hinata both thought the world of Amaririsu. Mimi saw her as a rival, certainly, but the sisterly bond between them since the Exams couldn't be denied. And Hinata, it was the cheers of Amaririsu and Naruto that set a fire in her eyes. She'd been extremely driven ever since, even asking him to help train her, in order to become a kunoichi of Amaririsu's caliber—a kunoichi who inspired not only Lee, Mimi and Tenten to train their hardest, but all of their peers.
Himself included.
But what drove Amaririsu to reach her level? She was prodigious talent, with a genius intellect, yet he knew better now than to believe prodigious talent and genius intellect alone were enough to excel. The drive to succeed, the passion to never give up were also required. So where did she find hers?
"Amari's lost a whole lot. She lost her friends, she lost her real family. She…she carries a lot of pain within her heart. Mimi too. They may not act like it, they may smile and laugh still, but that's because they fought really hard to be able to smile and laugh again."
She'd lost her entire family in the Uchiha Massacre and held her friend in her arms as he died. She'd nearly lost her life in the Forest of Death. Had pushed through the agony of poison in the preliminary rounds against Hisashi. Lost to Mimi in the Exams, yet still set out in a state of exhaustion to stop the Sand Genin, fight on the front-lines of the Invasion and save Hinata.
Then she battled a hopeless battle against three S-rank rogue shinobi. Why? Why did she push herself so hard? What was she fighting for?
"To see a better future for them. So don't go thinking she stole it for power or secrets or anything like that. If it was up to her, she'd give it back in a heartbeat and remain half blind if it meant she could hold Ryu in her arms one last time. But since she can't she's fighting hard to make him proud, to let him see through his own eye the future he didn't get to see in person, you know?"
For the future her family and friends couldn't see. To defend her comrades and loved ones, even if it meant sacrificing herself.
I…
Neji's Byakugan activated one last time. Adrenaline fueled his resolve to see this fight through, to the very end!
Chakra flowed around his right hand, and with his pointer and middle finger, he severed the thread pinning him to the tree. Then he dashed forward, eyes locked on his enemy.
I cannot lose…
Teeth clenched together, he kept running, kept pushing.
Even if my enemy is far stronger, even if my body should fail me, I cannot lose! Pain surged from the hole in his abdomen. Gah! He winced, placing his hand to it as he pressed ahead.
There is a reason I cannot lose!
Thirty meters. Twenty-five. Twenty. Closer. Closer. Closer! Adrenaline raced through his body, heart slamming against his chest as his opponent swung from the branches with his spider-like web attached to the soles of his sandals.
Neji leapt into the air, his attacks primed and ready to finish this battle once and for all. He struck his helpless enemy with quick Gentle Fist strikes. Kidōmaru howled in agony. Spinning in the air, Neji landed a final palm to the monstrous second state Curse Mark form of his enemy. The force of the blow sent him shooting towards the earth, his web snapping as Neji continued his spin after him.
Kidōmaru rolled and tumbled hard, skidding to a painful stop. Neji spun on his toe, graceful as he could in his state to a halt right at his opponent's feet. Kidōmaru's Curse Mark faded. Sweat built on his brow as his internal injuries left him in trembling agony.
"But how?!" he demanded. "How are you still alive?!"
"I couldn't have evaded you anyway," Neji explained, panting in effort. "So I decided to take the hit deliberately. And I know my weakness much better than you do. The Byakugan does have a blindspot, but knowing the direction your strike was coming from, I could release chakra just to that one point and watch for your attack. Moving just a few inches to evade the worst was no great feat; I'm seriously hurt, but I'm still alive."
Kidōmaru took in two heavy breaths then let out a sadistic chuckle.
"Hehehe! So you did it on purpose, huh? Knowing you were going to die anyway. Why would you go that far?"
Neji peered over his shoulder at his downed enemy. "You are the strongest enemy I have ever fought. But…there is a reason why I cannot lose. Once, not so long ago, the strongest person I ever fought out of everyone said to me, 'You can do it, too, because unlike me you're not a failure.'"
The Leaf shinobi collapsed to his knees and braced himself on a single hand.
"Those were his words. All this time I have been called a genius, so I cannot lose! I can't let down those who believe in me! Because that's what Leaf shinobi do."
Kidōmaru looked on the cusp of death. He was trembling more than Neji, trying to sit up with the aid of his six arms, and failing.
Neji exhaled a humorless laugh. "Heh. The weakest one in the game always goes down first, that's what you said, wasn't it?" His enemy coughed, viscous red splattering onto the dirt. "Well, look where we are now. Fate," Neji grit his teeth as his body began to collapse forward, "isn't something you get to decide!"
He had to brace himself on his forearms. The spark of adrenaline had cooled, bringing with it waves of pain from the holes in his body, the cut on his cheek and the punctures in his back. Every inch of his body trembled.
Neji raised his lavender eyes to the grass in front of him, drawn to his forehead protector, the cloth tattered and severed during their fight.
With a trembling hand he reached forward for it. It took all his willpower to grab it.
"I don't know," Kidōmaru taunted. "You look like you're on death's doorstep, too."
Neji curled his fingers around it and shot a determined look at his enemy, accented by blood dripping from the corner of his lips.
"But I will not die as easily as this," he declared.
Again his enemy laughed. It was beginning to annoy him.
"Go ahead. Try all you like. There's no way you can stop it! It's too late!" Kidōmaru began to speak faster, fanatically even. "Sasuke Uchiha has fled to the Sound Village on his own free will!"
The Hyūga barely heard him. The exhaustion and pain clogged his senses. He just wanted to lie down. To sleep. But…as one last act, he would ensure Kidōmaru died knowing the truth.
"Heh," he laughed beneath his breath. "Is that what you think he's done?"
"With Amaririsu Yūhi out of the way, there's nothing tying him to your pathetic Village!"
Neji looked at Kidōmaru, amused.
"Amaririsu Yūhi…is still very much alive, you fool." The look of absolute shock to cross Kidōmaru's face was gratifying. "And Sasuke knows it. He only left with you to draw the fight away from the Leaf, to spare the innocent lives you and your comrades would have so callously stolen. And when he wakes up from the state you've put him in, with the new power you've granted him, who do you think he'll turn it against? Us? Or the people who nearly killed his clan-sister?"
It was amusing. Kidōmaru's attacks and body modifications made him appear like a spider, yet his look of horror and disbelief at being duped made him look more like a surprised toad.
"No. No. No! I don't believe you!"
His state of denial was even sweeter.
"You couldn't kill Amaririsu Yūhi on your best day," Neji panted. "She has a strength you will never understand. She refuses defeat. She refuses to die, even when the odds are stacked against her. And she will continue to fight to see a better future for the people she lost."
In doing so, inspiring all of them to follow her.
"Sasuke has battled with the darkness. I know, because I, too, was saved from it by another." By you, Naruto. "Amaririsu saved him. She's shown him a new path, and should she ever fall in battle, Sasuke will inherit her Will. It's their bond, as clan-siblings, and as Leaf shinobi."
He chuckled. "But whether you believe me or not doesn't matter, because you'll be dead in a few moments. Die knowing you've failed your mission."
Neji leaned back on his heels, smiling up at the cone of sunlight surrounding him in the dark forest. This wasn't such a bad place to die. Birds chirped and flew from their nests, free of any cage. Free of destiny.
Yes. He understood now the final words his father wrote to him. Just like his father, he'd chosen his own fate. His own path. To save the lives of his comrades. His friends.
He was content.
Collapsing to the dirt, Neji lay on his side, eyes closing as Kidōmaru used his last breath to curse him. He lay there in the grass, bathed in light, in pain but slowly feeling at peace. He thought of everything; the day he'd been branded, his hatred for the Main Branch, his battles with Mimi, Lee, Amaririsu, Hinata and Naruto. His uncle's heartfelt apology as he bowed his head to the floor, asking for forgiveness for being unable to save his father.
He thought of the Invasion and protecting Hinata; of Amaririsu's vow of protection, as well as his uncle's affectionate words; he remembered the Third Hokage's funeral and the days of training he'd spent with Hinata. He hoped she kept at it. Kept aspiring to be better and reach her goal of becoming a kunoichi like Amaririsu and Kurenai Yūhi; they were tremendous role models.
Everyone…the rest, I leave to you…
The golden feather of a bird slowly fell into the open, stilled palm of Neji Hyūga's hand.
It took thirty minutes for the hospital room to be cleared of people who could stop her. But when Amari sensed her opening, she didn't waste a single second to begin preparations. She shifted to sit on the edge of her hospital bed, grabbing her shinobi sandals placed on the counter nearby and beginning to slip them on.
"Young Haya—"
"Please, don't argue, Atsuko," she interrupted sternly.
"I won't, as long as you answer one question." Amari nodded. "Are you seeking vengeance or are you seeking to protect your comrades from death?"
The question gave the Uchiha pause. Her heart was on fire; she sensed the darkness permeating off of her, but failed to rein it in. Until that very simple, yet very meaningful question.
Was she giving into her Curse of Hatred? Or was she acting because of her Will of Fire?
Amari slipped her second sandal on then exhaled a sigh. Genma and Raidō were watching her now. It didn't matter. They couldn't stop her, not in their conditions.
"…I just want to bring everyone home," she admitted quietly. "I can't…I can't sit here and wait and pray that the Sound Four don't succeed when I know I can help." Amari looked up to Atsuko. "I know the Foundation is a threat to me—to us. I know the whole reason Lady Tsunade hasn't 'cleared' me is so I'll be restrained to this one location, protected on all sides by you within our walls.
"For all I know, the Foundation could be watching me right now, and I don't care. What I do today isn't for personal pride, it isn't for vengeance or darkness. I'm doing this to save my comrades. I'm going into battle as a Leaf shinobi."
Atsuko nodded once. "Good. Otherwise I wouldn't let you leave this hospital." The Head of the Crows smiled at her. "Shall we go join Mimi then? I am most intrigued to see how she and your peers react to our little secret."
Somehow, Atsuko found a way to make Amari smile.
"Thank you, Atsuko. For everything you do."
"Ah," the Crow hopped to her shoulder, "you need not thank me, Young Haya. It will always be my honor, privilege and pleasure to guide you. We are in this together, to whatever end awaits us. But I assure you, whether our foes are Orochimaru, the Akatsuki or the Foundation, it will always be their end."
Amari grinned and got onto her feet. "There wasn't a doubt in my mind. They're facing an Uchiha and the Crows, after all."
"Hmhm! Too true!" Atsuko hummed in laughter.
All of her gear—pouch, ninja tool box, forehead protector—were gathered together on the same stand her sandals had been placed on. Amari made quick work of placing her pouch and tool box in their places; she pulled her bandana up to uncover her left eye then tied her forehead protector over the purple cloth.
There was one last final step to do. Amari slipped a kunai knife out of her pouch and walked towards the far wall, opposite of the door.
"Amaririsu, what are you doing?" Raidō asked.
Amari ignored him and crouched down below the window. Bringing the blade of her kunai to her left palm, she opened up a cut along its length. The pain was warm, as was the blood already dripping onto the floor. It was okay. Without ink or a pencil on hand, blood was the next best substitute to do what needed to be done.
Genma watched her, a pensive expression on his face. She could feel him suppressing his questions. Amari buried her right pointer finger into her bloody palm then began drawing on the wall. It wasn't a pretty sight painting blood on a sterile white wall, but pretty wasn't in her equation. Only functionality.
The fūinjutsu Seal was quite large, a purposeful design this time so it could be seen. From an outsiders perspective it would appear as a random assortment of kanji, Hindi script and other symbols that made up the Seal's formula, but every piece had purpose. Every nuance important to the overall function.
When she finished, she stood up and placed her left palm to her shirt to staunch the bleeding. Raidō's and Genma's sharp intake of breath curled a smirk onto her lips.
"That Seal!" Raidō sounded as if he was seeing a ghost.
"How did you…" Genma trailed off.
Amari stiffened. The chakra signature of her uncle and the Hokage was on its approach to the room. She had to hurry.
"Genma-sensei, tell my uncle and Lady Tsunade not to touch this Seal. And if my Aunt Yoshino shows up to yell at you, tell her Shika and I will be fashionably late for dinner. Also," she peered over her shoulder to him, a smile on her lips, "to answer your question, I'm my Mama's daughter. That's how."
Genma's shock faded for a warm smile. "Heh, that you are, kiddo. That you are."
"Shortcake…"
Amari turned to look at Anko, still lying on her side, holding her oxygen mask off of her face. The Snake Mistress grinned weakly at her and gave her a thumbs up.
"Give 'em hell, kid."
Amari nodded. "I will."
She created the Seal of Confrontation and shut her eyes, focusing solely on her chakra. This technique, it required all of her focus to use. In the future it may be combat ready, but right now it didn't need to be combat ready. It just had to get her from point to point.
In her mind's eye she could see two doors—one led to the hospital, the other to Mimi. She opened the second door in her mind, 'seeing' the forest, the trees and foliage as the shogi piece traveled farther and farther from the Leaf.
Everyone…
The door to the room slid open.
"Genm— Hey!"
"'Risu?"
I'm coming.
Amari jumped through the door.
In a sudden flash of violet, Amaririsu Yūhi vanished from the hospital.
Flying Raijin!
Review Response to Guest: The Sound Four aren't Kage level, it was a figure of speech. He was saying they act like arrogant children because of the power they wield. Sasuke will still get a summoning animal, but I'm not sure when or what yet. I don't really know if other summoning animals can use natural energy. Most of your questions, though, I can't answer because of possible spoilers. Sorry. Still, I'm happy you're enjoying the story.
Thank you for the review!
Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Hey, hope everything is going well for you. Yep, a lot has changed since your last review. This arc is definitely where a lot is going to happen.
I can't say much on what will happen with Tayuya going forward without spoilers, but I'm interested to see how everyone reacts to what will happen. Sasuke, at the moment, has no recollection of really activating the Mangekyo Sharingan due to his concussion, but we'll have to see how that evolves going forward. Orochimaru has his schemes, but I won't spoil what they are. It'll be revealed soon.
I won't be able to do more frequent updates more than what I'm doing at the moment. I'm using this situation right now to gain a bigger backlog of chapters so I can continue my current schedule, while also juggling writing a real novel and this weird and stressful situation we're all in at the moment. I wish I could update more frequently, but if I started doing even two chapters a week I'd likely catch up to where I'm currently writing within two months, and I don't know if I'd be able to maintain my normal schedule then. It could end up effecting the quality of what I write and cause the frequency of my posting to drop.
The good news, however, is that every chapter from this point until the end of this arc are ten thousand words and upwards. A lot is about to happen. I'm sorry I can't update more frequently, but I hope the quality, the action and length of the chapters make up for it.
Yep, there will be arcs from the more serious filler arcs that will happen, plus new original arcs. I don't remember all of them off the top of my head right now, but I know the Kurenai arc from the anime, Kosuke at the border, Jiraiya's trip to the Land of Sound in search of Orochimaru's hideout, the one where the Leaf was wired to blow up by that old spy and the final arc where the Sand and Leaf worked together are in it. And, as I said, new original arcs. There will be differences from the anime, but I can't say much without spoiling why. It'll be clear by the end of this arc.
The arc after this one will actually be a sort of flashback to Amari's trip to the My Hero Academia world she mentioned; it's meant to let us all breathe a little lighter after the serious nature of what's coming. It's an interesting idea how to introduce Yugao, but I've already written out something I hope everyone ends up liking to bring her in to the story after this arc.
Thank you for the review!