Oniki paled as he recognized the technique, his eyes dashing to her form as she walked in the middle of the formation.
"Uzumaki…" He muttered under his breath, his eyes widening further as information poured into his thoughts.
Her eyes, her form, and her closeness with the former Hokage's Guards. The way that she calmly calculated the situation and the way she worked with Seals.
Had she been born with golden hair, the Tsuchikage was certain that Uzumaki Akihane Naru would have looked exactly like the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
The girl flashed through hand signs and her chakra wound with those around her as the three men activated the joint Flying Thunder God technique, their figures blurring out of existence in a flash of yellow.
I~~~~I
Akihane dropped down and drew her Katana in a swift arch. The blade collided with the edge of Orochimaru's extended blade.
The Snake Sannin's eyes widened a fraction at the appearance of not only the Jinchuuriki but also the three Guards that soon descended upon him.
Akihane settled on her haunches and eyed the dangerous Nin as he avoided the strikes of her Brothers and landed several feet away. His eyes glanced at the barrier around them to make sure that it was still up, confusion playing over his features.
The three Guards jumped back and landed beside Akihane, standing as shields before their Hokage.
The Sandaime let out a heavy sigh at their appearance, the tension in his shoulders lessening a fraction.
"Jiraiya?" The man questioned, earning a reply from his granddaughter.
"Dealing with Yin. Same with Kakashi-Sensei."
He nodded at her and settled into a stance as the four of them faced Orochimaru.
The Sannin was glaring at them all with an unamused, rather furious actually, stare.
"How did you get past the Four Flames Barrier?!" The Sannin hissed at them.
Akihane tilted her head and raised her blade squarely against her opponent and his words.
"Hmm…What did you say?" The girl retorted in a fashion similar to her Sensei.
Had the men around her not being serious about facing Orochimaru they would all act in exasperation at the girl's blatant taunting of a Sannin.
"You Brat…" Orochimaru hissed at her with rage in his eyes, his lips curling into a snarl while he shot forward with the intent to gut the Jinchuuriki.
As he did, Akihane shifted and flashed through a series of one-handed seals.
"Water Style, Water Trumpet!" The girl shouted the jutsu Kakashi had taught her over the month break.
Raidou followed behind and raised a bolt of lightning from the air to slam into the trumpet as it barreled toward the Sannin.
The Sannin stopped and raised a mud wall to block the attack, shooting out from the side while flashing through hand signs.
The fire erupted from his mouth and Genma launched forth with a controlled Wind Jutsu that reversed the currents and set the jutsu at a stalemate. Iwashi joined in and cracked the earth beneath Orochimaru's legs while Sarutobi shot at his student with kunai and shuriken flowing with him.
Akihane spawned in multiple clones and they all fell in the Sandaime's Shadow. Another quick pulse of chakra had the shuriken and kunai duplicating, ninja wire extending with several of her own weapons as she pulled off the Combo she had first used against Shisui in her match. The tags pulsed and activated around the Sannin as Hiruzen attacked him with Taijutsu.
The Sannin snarled and fought back just as hard, their movements far too advanced for Akihane to even witness correctly.
A sharp burst of snakes sent them both back, Akihane landing with her clones beside Raidou and Iwashi while Genma and the Sandaime stood together.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Orochimaru's voice called out before Akihane was suddenly faced with several larger than normal snakes. Two went after her and two others shot toward Raidou and Iwashi.
Genma tensed beside the Hokage and summoned a large wave of fire to take care of the smaller snakes building on the rooftop.
Hiruzen drew more Shuriken from his pouch as Orochimaru started to run forward.
The aged Kage launched through hand signs and duplicated his weapons once more, just in time for Orochimaru's second attack.
"Summoning Jutsu, Edo Tensei!"
Horror sparked deep within the Sandaime, his eyes widening as three coffins started to rise up.
'I can't allow the third one to rise!'
The Hokage thought as his Shuriken embedded into the two already risen coffins. His fingers smashed into a symbol and he concentrated his chakra on the last coffin trying to come to life.
I~~~~I
Akihane grunted and slashed through one of Orochimaru's summons, bringing the earth upward in the same manner as she had with Shisui in order to impale the second. The two vanished in puffs of smoke, the one facing Iwashi and Raidou disappearing in the same manner. Her eyes adjusted and she looked up in time to hear and witness Orochimaru's next attack.
Her blood ran cold as she saw the three coffins rising, pain and horror in her chest as her sensory abilities, unstable as they still were, recognized the chakra inside of one of them.
Tobirama's chakra was a beacon to her own after she delved into his studies, possessions, and visited his home. His blade still held traces of his chakra and left her with the knowledge of his formidable presence.
She activated Shuinshin without recalling it, landing beside the Hokage with her blades aimed to defend.
Ahead of them, Orochimaru smirked from behind the two coffins that had risen. The third receded back into the roof, leaving him to sigh and offer them a condescending smile.
"The Third One failed…Oh well."
Akihane's heart lodged in her throat and she struggled to breathe as the coffins fell open.
Inside were two figures of her heritage, two men who held her past.
"The Nidaime and Shodaime Hokage, respectable men who created the foundations of our village…"
Orochimaru prattled on, his smirk not only smug but also proud.
The two Kage stepped forward, their glassy eyes shifting over their surroundings as they took everything in.
"Hiruzen?" The First spoke up before anyone else could comment.
Akihane's blood heated and she let out a feral snarl of rage.
"You…You bastard of a man!" She shouted stepping forward as her hands shook. The blade held in her right hand whistled gently, though it failed to calm her.
Orochimaru stepped forward as the coffins fell to either side of him. He stood directly behind Hiruzen's teachers.
"Really, child? Must you concede to such vulgar words and foolhardy displays?"
He questioned in a mocking drawl. He seemed rather amused at her emotions.
Akihane clenched her teeth, stepping forward again.
A hand pressed at her back, the firm but frail form of her Hokage keeping her from acting stupid for the third time that day.
The man was silent, and when Akihane glanced back she noticed how he was waring within himself over the appearances of his teachers.
"Brother…What are we doing here? I was under the impression that we were both dead."
Akihane looked back to the two Kage, her eyes narrowing on the Shodaime so she didn't have to gaze at the near copy of herself beside him.
"We seem to have been brought back with my jutsu…" Tobirama spoke, drawing an unwilling Akihane to face him.
Their eyes met and the man's gaze drifted down to her exposed blade, the maroon hues of his lighting with recognition.
"You wield that blade. How?"
He questioned her sharply.
Hiruzen tightened his grip on her shoulder while Orochimaru laughed.
"Oh yes, I forget that neither of you would know, Lord First even less so… You see, this child, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki of Konoha, happens to be your relative. Dear Senshi's only grandchild, in fact." Orochimaru informed the two.
Tobirama stiffened and snapped his gaze back up to Akihane's face.
Akihane settled back into her stance and tried to control her emotions as Orochimaru tried to instill Psychological warfare. He was a master at it, poking at the history that she barely learned while also confusing his two summons.
"Senshi? Tobirama, what is he talking about?"
Hashirama spoke up as he turned toward his brother.
The Nidaime was processing everything faster than normal, his mind working overtime to piece things together.
The girl had to be of relation to him or a friend of his relations to hold his blade. Her appearance could be linked to the recessive gene within his line for albinism, though her eyes held traces of the Uzumaki's Violet. Her facial structure was reminiscent of his own, while also holding the softness of Michiki's. Her stance resembled a meshed version of Mito's, Senshi's, and parts of Kagami's own if the placement of her limbs was indication enough.
He derived that this girl was indeed of close relation to him.
"How fitting is it that you shall perish at the hands of those you're called your Senseis, at the hands of Akihane's relatives," Orochimaru spoke to his own Sensei, drawing a glare from the aged old man.
"Raidou, Iwashi, Genma, prepare formation Z!" Akihane suddenly shouted, dragging her emotions under wraps. She pushed the thoughts aside into a far corner of her mind, for the time being, waiting for a time when she could go over them.
The three snapped into place, Akihane grabbing a surprised Hiruzen and flashing away.
Orochimaru glared and raised his hand. As he did, Kunai rose up from behind him, rushing forward in a surge.
The kunai seeped into the bodies of two shaken Hokage, removing the light in their eyes and the will from their bodies.
Raidou brought forth Three Earth dragons from Orochimaru's earlier mud wall in front of the Konoha Party, their mouths opening in an imposing stance to shoot small earth pellets at Orochimaru and his puppets.
Iwashi and Genma aided the onslaught by setting fire to the dragons, and therefore their pellets. Akihane brought up their rear with well-placed Wind Bullets.
Hiruzen snapped from his daze as the Jutsu hit.
A wall of water rose upward wordlessly as the Nidaime raised his hands into a single sign.
Following the Jutsu the two shinobi of legend rushed forward, Tobirama taking to the top of the roof while Hashirama went for the straightforward approach.
"Y Formation!" Akihane commanded.
"Right, Raidou!"
Genma shouted as he rushed forward with his partner. Iwashi split off with Akihane and the two dropped down in front of the Second Hokage while their comrades took the First.
Hiruzen quickly joined Genma and Raidou as Genma used Raidou as a springboard to get higher in the air and send a volley of poisoned weaponry at Hashirama.
Raidou backed the weaponry with his own jutsu, shadowing them before activating several Genjutsu.
Hiruzen filed behind the weaponry and prepared to handle his Sensei in Taijutsu.
Off to the side, Akihane sheathed her blade and worked through the Second Hokage's blows. She struggled to block everyone, dropping her weights and the restrictions she had on her chakra immediately just to keep up with the esteemed Shinobi.
Iwashi broke through and blocked several blows for her as the two both faced the Hokage, each struggling to withstand the man's perfect form.
Akihane shifted and rolled to the side so Iwashi could strike with his enhanced fists, his body dissolving into the earth as a blow landed and shattered his body.
Chakra thrummed beneath the surface and Akihane called forth earth chakra to liquefy the ground below her ancestor.
Iwashi took note and appeared behind their opponent, a roundhouse kick aimed at the Hokage's back.
Tobirama blocked the strike and his footing slipped backward.
Akihane quickly flipped back and reached down to her sealing pouch to pull out three tags with triangle-cut borders. She brought the tags to her lips and breathed on the surface before slamming one into the ground below her.
Her two clones from earlier flashed into existence beside her, each of them taking one tag before vanishing in swift shuinshins.
Akihane rose up and flashed through hand signs while channeling chakra into the tag at her feet.
Iwashi backed away as the clones dropped their tags as well.
"Shadow Sealing Jutsu!" Akihane called out, her legs shifting as three more of her appeared in a formation around Tobirama.
The Nidaime tensed and looked ready to spring for her when the copied and original tags lit up in sync with one another.
"Release-Lightning Field!"
The tags sparked to life and dangerous bolts of electricity crossed through the indicated space, slamming into the figure in the middle.
Iwashi dropped beside her as she worked through more hand signs.
His fingers flashed alongside hers and he summoned fire to mesh with the lightning.
"Fire Style, Firestream Jutsu!" He shouted.
Akihane followed behind with an enhanced wind jutsu.
"Wind Style, Wind typhoon!"
The Jutsu mixed together in an explosive manner. Only Iwashi's quick thinking dragged them out of the line of fire, their feet landed several meters away from the rising column of energy.
The tags started to burn away as the lightning grew stronger and blended with the swirling Fire Tornado.
The two remained tensed and ready for the next attack, wary over their strong opponent and the damage he could cause.
Just as they were about to separate and try to meet with their comrades the inferno started to implode, a large swirl of water growing from within.
Akihane cursed the fact that Tobirama was known for his water affinity.
"Water Style, Exploding Water Shockwave!" The shout came from within the blaze, lightning racing across the surface of the rather large typhoon that built inside. Tobirama's imposing figure became visible while the water around him shot out toward Iwashi and Akihane.
The two both clapped their hands together and slammed them onto the tiled roof at the same time.
"Earth Style, Mud Wall!"
They called in sync, their chakra pushing forth a large and imposing barrier as tall as most two-story buildings.
The water smashed into the barrier and cracks could be heard as the two shinobi shot backward and away from the large wave. They landed at the edge of the roof together, Akihane's hands grabbing several tags before handing them to Iwashi.
Ahead of them Tobirama's jutsu overpowered their wall and caused it to fall over. The water poured over the roof and washed down into the Village and arena in a large gush.
Tobirama stood at the other end of the roof, his body burned and littered with sparks of lightning working off of the water around him. He flicked his wrist and the lightning glided across his arm to form a sharp blade before growing into an imposing weapon.
"Shit." Iwashi cursed under his breath. Akihane had to agree with the man.
"Well here goes nothing…" Akihane told her brother, gripping the tags she had pulled out and wrapped around several already tagged kunai.
She was quite certain that Genma's ban on the tags could be put aside in these extremely dire circumstances.
"Get him up in the air or away from the roof…I'm not certain how these will react together since I've only seen two at once," Akihane informed Iwashi, drawing a sharp nod from the man.
"Right…"
He commented before they both set after their target once more.
I~~~~I
Genma cursed as he twisted under a blow to his face, falling back into a handspring as Raidou pushed past him to hit Hashirama in the chest. Hiruzen followed and engaged the Shodaime in a bought that sent the man flying across the roof.
Quickly drawing the kunai he had pilfered from Akihane's armory before the invasion, Genma channeled chakra into the custom tags and tossed them forward. As he did so he carefully tossed his poisoned Senbon and several bits of ninja wire for good measure.
Raidou seemed to understand where he was going with his attack and nodded at him before flashing through hand signs for a particularly nasty lightning jutsu.
Hiruzen dropped beside Genma and sent the concentrating Nin a careful glance.
"We'll need a barrier. Strong, soon."
Genma bit out quickly as Hashirama rose and prepared to attack.
Lightning sprouted from Raidou's fingertips and shot at the ninja wire, lighting it with brilliant blue sparks.
As he did so, the tags attached to Genma's kunai activated.
The kunai flew right past Hashirama, the tags burning quickly. Genma tugged with his fingers, using a technique Akihane taught him while training with the Nara Heir. Strings of chakra formed and drew the two kunai he had thrown together, forming a circle directly around the Shodaime.
Hashirama became engulfed in a large explosion as the tags burnt out and the lightning linked together, melding with the compounded-chakra seals that Akihane had created for situations such as these.
Hiruzen flashed through hand signs and formed a barrier just as Raidou landed at their heels.
The sound was nearly deafening, a sonic boom ending with the scraping of chakra on tiles and the implosion of the lightning Raidou had used mixing with the compounded chakra.
Genma had to admit, the three days Akihane spent recovering the amount of chakra she pumped into the seals was well worth the effect.
They stood behind the barrier as the explosion started to die.
As it did a shockwave swept over them.
Genma turned sharply to witness Akihane's activation of the Lightning Field seal-combination Jutsu she and her Uchiha friend had created.
The display was rather extravagant and reminiscent of the Jutsu that Kushina had preferred.
Hiruzen gripped his arm suddenly and they dove to the side to avoid a tree growing from their feet. Hashirama landed seconds later. His body was torn in pieces and sparked every so often. His torso was torn through, and yet he stood.
Around him papers made of ash suddenly formed from the air and patched up the 'wounds', leaving behind a seamless figure.
"That is not good." Raidou let out with a hint of displeasure in his tone.
"I second that." Genma followed up, bracing himself for the Shodaime's next attack.
As he did so, water suddenly rushed down the roof and drove them all to higher ground, in this case, the barrier Hiruzen had created.
The water poured down the sides of the roof, veering over another slightly larger barrier formed by Akihane and Iwashi. The two were backed against the edge of the roof, near the imposing purple barrier that had seared anything that came into contact with it.
Tobirama stood in a worn state before the two, though Genma knew it wouldn't last.
It was strange that the 'healing' ability seemed to not be nearly as quick as Hashirama's, despite the wide-spread damage dealt by Aki and Iwashi.
Genma's eyes widened as she recognized the kunai Akihane had just added more damned explosive tags onto.
"Genma!" Raidou shouted, dragging Genma into his own battle in time to lessen a blow to his side. He gasped and fell to the ground, slamming into the tiled roof with a resounding crash.
Raidou managed a chakra-enhanced punch to the Shodaime's gut before he dropped to make sure Genma was okay, Hiruzen taking control once more.
"Wood Style-!" A shout called from above, the words drowned out by another explosion higher in the air.
The purple barrier flickered as the explosion slammed into the top of it, smoke rising as Tobirama's body was taken apart by a massive burst of Akihane's custom Explosion Seals.
"I am so glad you limited her use of those things…" Raidou whispered to his partner as he pulled him up from the crater and helped him lean on his shoulder.
The explosions were far too strong for being used in seals, the flowing swirls expanding outward before sweeping back into the seal, taking all the air and chakra surrounding them inside before exploding outward tenfold.
Akihane's designs were terrifying in battle, the carefully crafted works instilling fear into the hearts of even those she cared for with their capabilities.
Tile exploded around them and branches burst forth. Raidou cursed and launched away, trying to avoid being caught even as roots tangled around his limbs.
"S-Shit!"
I~~~~I
Akihane let out a silent scream of pain as she was slammed into the ground, her eyes wide and afraid.
After her explosive display, she had thought they'd be okay to go after Raidou and Genma, only to get distracted and end up paying for it.
Tobirama, reforming before her eyes through ash strips of paper, had taken her by surprise and knocked her to the ground.
His hand clenched around her throat and she choked as the pressure cut off air-flow. Iwashi's call for her echoed at the back of her mind while her right hand reached up to stop the fingers around her neck from choking her to death.
Tobirama's eyes were hallow and held none of the earlier analytical light, blocked by the Snake Sannin's twisted seal.
She felt fear creeping up within her as she gasped and tried to breathe only to have her chest burn in retaliation.
Black spots dotted her vision as she looked up at Tobirama, trying to think of a way, anyway at all, to get out of the situation.
Her left hand clenched on the ground, the wrist sprained no doubt, blood seeping from the spot where Tobirama's force had driven her palm into the tiles and cut it open.
She channeled chakra, hoping that this once her will was enough to get a Jutsu to work without the proper hand seals or words without proper training. While she had managed to perform the Jutsu a multitude of times in her training, she had never attempted it while under such stress.
Pushing more chakra than what was necessary for a bling hope to make it work, Akihane forced the Summoning Jutsu to work.
Smoke appeared and a moment later Tobirama's hand left her neck, his body launched across the field.
Akihane turned on her side, coughing heavily as tears fell over her cheeks. Her right hand rubbed her aching throat while she struggled to see or breathe correctly.
Her body burned and her head pounded with a fuzzy feeling. Despite that, she was alive. She had managed to summon without hand signs or words, simply through sheer will alone.
Her gaze drifted upward and she took in the imposing form of a familiar toad. Not one of the Boss Toads, she wouldn't waste chakra on that, nor was it one of the main Boss' kids.
Instead, she had summoned one of Jiraiya's favored summons. The toad was blue and yellow and a bit smaller than most toads. It had shot an oil bullet at Tobirama and sent the man down near Hiruzen's battle.
Akihane looked around for Iwashi, her eyes landing on the man under fire from Tobirama's clone.
"T-Thank you…" She offered the toad in a hoarse voice.
The toad nodded at her. "No thanks are needed, Akihane-Hime."
Aki tried not to let the title get to her, despite the fact that she had already asked several of the toads not to refer to her as such. They were a respectful bunch, even Gamabuta, despite his dislike of Jiraiya.
Carefully Akihane stood, the toad stepping back to steady her with its body. She nodded in gratitude and prepared to fight as Tobirama's reformed body stood up.
Suddenly, the roof she stood on shook and Akihane looked on in surprise as she witnessed the formation of Hashirama's Wood Release.
She witnessed Genma and Raidou being swallowed in the growing branches, a cry dying in her throat as she turned sharply to Tobirama.
Anger still stirred in her veins, only to be pushed aside as she grabbed her blade and prepared to attack Tobirama head on.
"Please go assist Iwashi-Ni. He's fighting the clone of this man. I'll handle it from here." Akihane ordered the toad, earning a nod before the amphibian bounced toward her brother.
She calmly let out a breath and straightened as she adjusted her grip on her blade. As she resettled her breathing she brought out Michiki's blade and took her stance.
Tobirama paused and settled into his own stance. She shot forward and struck swiftly, the Shinobi blocking her blow with his bare hand.
Akihane forced herself into an unrelenting onslaught. Her blades wove together and she worked as best she could around Tobirama's defense while cataloging his reactions.
She just needed to hold him off long enough to get Iwashi to join her. Then they'd go after Raidou and Genma. She could do this.
Her blade snapped against Tobirama's forearm bracers, a sharp clang ringing around them as she saw an opening and stabbed the Nidaime through his armor. Her hand released the blade long enough to form hand signs, wind funneling down the Wakizashi before expanding to slice clean through Tobirama's torso.
Akihane drew back, pulling the blades with her as she landed several feet away. Two shadow clones appeared at her sides with their own blades before they all started the Dance of the Leaf.
Tobirama's body was cleaved in two at the waist, his balanced shot and his body falling due to the broken connection.
Akihane's next blows struck with little thought to the man's predicament, each swipe cutting through his limbs and turning his fake body into ribbons.
She quickly backed away and studied her opponent. She was about to head toward Iwashi when she heard a shout, her gaze turning sharply to view Hiruzen trapped at the top of Hashirama's twisting forest.
In the wake of the forest, the barrier surrounding the shinobi wavered further and started to decline.
Akihane tried not to call out, though it was almost impossible considering the fact that Hashirama was far too close to her grandfather for him to be safe.
Her figure vanished, her feet kicking off as she channeled enough chakra into her limbs to send her Shuinshin into a frenzy.
Faster than she had ever moved before Akihane slammed into the imposing figure of Senju Hashirama. She grunted as her vision slammed, reaching to dig her blade into the trunk of a tree while Hashirama flew to the side.
She heard an outraged cry as her arm jerked and a small cry left her lips. Her body wavered before she settled, her arm nearly jerked free from its socket. Her sprained wrist ached in protest and she barely pulled herself up onto the large branch she had just stabbed.
Hiruzen gazed at her in shock as she pulled onto the branch that held him captive.
"Stay the hell away from my Jiji!" Akihane hissed, her pupils twisting into slits as she snarled out the words.
Her chakra lashed out, the imposing force weighing down even as Hashirama rose and his brother joined him.
Off to the side, Akihane realized Iwashi was kneeling by her summon, his eyes on her.
Orochimaru's gaze was also leveled on her in annoyance, his distaste clearly displayed.
"You stupid brat!" The man shouted at her.
She grits her teeth and tensed when she heard Hiruzen strain to break his bonds behind her.
Orochimaru threw out his arm in a dramatic gesture and shouted to his puppets.
"Grab her and drag her down here now!"
The Hokage launched up the branches.
As they did so, Akihane bit her lip and turned to her grandfather.
The man gazed at her in worry and fear.
"Akihane, get away! You don't need to get caught, so go!" He tried to ward her away, only to succeed in garnering a glare from his granddaughter.
"In all due respect Hokage-Sama, those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."
The man's eyes widened and Akihane closed her eyes while folding her hands into a simple seal. She concentrated and winced as chakra flowed down her damaged wrist. She nearly cried out as the duel signatures burned her limb.
"C-Can't do it that way…" She whispered, instead focusing the two separate natures to different palms. The chakra came easier and didn't put as much strain, allowing her to ignore the pain more readily than before.
"A-Akihane…" Hiruzen tried to speak, cutting off when the Uzumaki breathed out steadily.
Tobirama and Hashirama were nearly upon them, their bodies strengthened and prepared to take down the Uzumaki for good.
Akihane's eyes snapped open, the orbs maroon with slit pupils. Chakra forced through her palms, colliding and mixing together through her will.
"Wood Release-!" She shouted, stunning all those present as she reared back her palm.
The Nidaime and Shodaime jumped up behind her, Orochimaru's shout reaching their ears as Akihane slammed her hand into the branch holding Hiruzen.
"Living Tree Jutsu!"
The branch released the Sandaime Hokage, its copies shooting out behind them at Hashirama and Tobirama.
The assault knocked the Hokage away, leaving Akihane to pant and fall to her knees. Sweat slipped down her brow and she controlled her breathing to push past the amount of chakra she had just used.
All the training over the month had helped greatly with her secret ability, with the technique she had only ever managed because of Shisui's adoration of her.
Hiruzen fell beside her and gazed at her in wonder before he straightened and slammed his hand to the branch below them. Hashirama had cut off Akihane's control to his branches and Tobirama was standing beside him further down. Orochimaru was gazing at her with a look of annoyed consideration.
"You have his ability…how?" The man wondered aloud as he looked back and forth from Aki to the branches.
Beside Akihane two furred feet appeared through a haze of smoke, leaving her little guesses as to who was there.
Akihane rolled over onto her side, her breathing still erratic as she rested on the branch behind her. Her gaze shifted to the figure standing beside her Grandfather, relief drifting down her spine.
"Enma-Sama…" Akihane whispered, coughing slightly as her aching throat worked its way around her words.
The Monkey King glanced down and her with an incline of his head, pausing on her shaking limbs to ensure she wasn't about to pass out before looking back down at Orochimaru in contempt.
"You…" He growled lowly, disgust and hatred in his tone.
Akihane closed her eyes and carefully drew up a sharper breath before letting it out slowly. She pushed against the branch below her and struggled to stand.
As she did, Hiruzen called to his summon.
"Enma, Adamantine Staff. It's time I ended this."
The King nodded sharply and in a burst of light transformed from his human-like monkey form to that of a large black staff.
Akihane gazed in wonder as Hiruzen gripped the staff in a familiar way, his form accommodating to the staff automatically.
The Sandaime looked down at the Nidaime and Shodaime Hokage's as well as his student, his shoulders squared as he prepared to attack.
"You have been allowed to cause havoc for long enough Orochimaru!"
The God of Shinobi shot toward his student in a blur, staff in hand and mind settled on a single outcome.
Orochimaru's head on a platter.
I~~~~I
Oh dear, this is getting good. Too bad I wanted to end it here. I enjoyed writing this and have to admit I'm glad about how it went. I'm uploading this on mobile too, so if you see any mistakes I apologise in advance.
On another note, I hope your holidays were good and that you enjoyed yourselves. Happy New Year, and may 2018 bring you great things!
Thank you for reading and reviewing, I appreciate so much!
Drabble- The Work of a Shinobi
The first time she had ever used Mokuton was after Shisui had first told her she was his little sister.
She had been so pleasantly surprised that flowers had grown around her and the Uchiha hugging her.
Shisui had sworn to not tell anyone and made her promise to not try and replicate it without him around.
After he died she struggle to replicate that instance, right up until her first C-Rank mission with Team Ten.
She had created a single sapling unlike the field of flowers when she was young, but it was enough.
Following that day she pushed herself and continued to create large and larger constructions of nature.
When Hiruzen was trapped she thought only of how to get him out, thought of the only way to remove the branch thicker than her body.
She had no time to cut him out, nor did she have the time to use a Jutsu without harming her grandfather.
Mokuton was the answer, so she decided to put her practice to good use.
She regretted not telling Hiruzen about her ability, though she didn't regret the surprise on Orochimaru's face.
It felt nice to one-up the man who was so intent on ruining her life.
