I do not own anything.
Poison Dove & Maelstrom Fox
Chapter 16 - Weed Whacking, Ninja-Style
"You can come in."
Naruto was silent as he moved out of the shadows into the light. His face was a grim frown, something he'd learned how to hold since they came to the Hidden Vine Village and laid eyes on the…source of the village's current problems. He'd seen dead bodies before, but he'd never seen sheer mutilation and dissection of the dead. Not like Semiramis had. That's why she'd taken up the job of examining those affected by the Blood Grapes, dissecting their bodies and the grapes themselves to find some sort of weakness or way to neutralize them.
She'd been both impressed and slightly disgusted by what she'd found.
As she'd learned, the human body was an amazing thing. The humans of her world were strong, but those of this world, those able to wield this source of power called chakra, they could do things that the mortals of her homeworld could only dream of. And that too came with its fair share of problems.
Some could have said she'd made herself too comfortable in the lab that had been used to house the bodies of those used as lab rats for the Blood Grapes. Semiramis wouldn't deny it, the entire room reeked of blood and gore as a result of the half-dozen bodies that had been cut open and examined. Though the villagers' doctors had already done that, Semiramis was a different story. Though she was no healer, she had a long-running association with death which made her suitable to perform her own private autopsies. Again, what she'd found had impressed and slightly repulsed her.
Naruto held his tongue as he came over to stand beside her while she worked on the latest body. If anything, she gave him credit for having a high tolerance for gore and violence. "First off, the grapes allow one to control an increased amount of iron-ore in their bodies."
"But wouldn't an increase lead to something like metal poisoning? I'm no doctor, but I remember Granny Tsunade and Sakura telling me that too much metal in the body can be dangerous."
"Normally, yes, but as with all things - these grapes have altered the human body structure. I won't bore you with the details, nor will I tell you to look at something that clearly disgusts you. In short, ingesting these grapes greatly rewrites the workings of the body, allowing for greater strength and abilities that I take it your world considers…out of the ordinary. I've found that some of them can actually manipulate their own bone structure, quite fascinating." Spoke the black-haired woman in an almost scholarly tone.
The blond was far less impressed. At the mention of bone manipulation, he bristled in open discomfort. "Bone manipulation...great, as if this wasn't creepy enough." Eyes focused on her, Naruto asked the question that had been on everyone's minds since Semiramis introduced herself. "Can you…reverse the effects?"
A long sigh flew past her lips and reverberated through the lab. She'd worked in darker and more cramped places, reluctantly of course. Surrounded by corpses that had been cut up and dissected as if they were frogs or animals bagged on a hunt. There were some that didn't even look human anymore, blacken skin resembling steel and some having twisted growths along with them that gave the impression that the person in question had died in extreme agony. Semiramis tried to decipher their stories as best she could. For some of them, surgical tools hadn't been enough so Semiramis had to use her own powers to cut them open. She held little discontent in doing so. Organs that had been twisted beyond recognition, a handful of them looking less like something from a human and more like something out of a beast. Curiosity had led her to package some of them for future study, and usage. She'd already filled up containers of the mutated and contaminated blood.
All of her research had led her to a number of answers that she knew weren't going to be entirely satisfying. "For some…I may be able to reverse the damages. It depends on the state on the subjects in question." Blood stained her gloved hands, which she crossed while giving him a sideways glance. "As I suspected, these grapes are like enhancement drugs in a sense, with the expected side effects. Goichi had spoken truly: once consumed, these berries do begin to rot away the human brain." Snapping her fingers, one of the containers on the shelves levitated over. Predictably, Naruto cringed in seeing the mish-mashed lump of flesh that used to be a human brain. "Mental degeneration mixed with the strain that the grapes put the bodies under and the results are quite unsightly, though from what I've gathered, it's because our enemies are working with a flawed formula."
"Do I even want to know how you ended up coming to that conclusion?" Groaned the blond ninja.
The Servant's lips twitched upward in a slight smirk. "No, you probably don't. You'd lose sleep and be unable to eat coming morning, which wouldn't bode well for tomorrow's mission. Speaking of which, why aren't you sleeping? You're heading out tomorrow with Han to sabotage one of the farms. Even for you, it's not going to be an easy task."
He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep, and it's not because I'm…grossed out by what I've seen. I came because I…wanted to talk to you."
"You chose a marvelous place to have a conversation."
"And you're being awfully nice about me coming to bug you late at night."
Her smirk grew into a soft smile. "Come with me, there are some things I've cooked up with Tsukino that might be a help to you when you go out tomorrow." The gloves came off, literally. They were added to a small stack that had accumulated in the trash bin. Bodies were pushed back and the lights were turned off, leaving the dozens of corpses in total darkness. Hands in his pockets, Naruto followed his Servant down the hallway to another room, a massive lab that had seen heavy usage. Rows upon rows were illuminated upon the lights being turned on. Containers and boxes, several of them having seals on them. The resistance hadn't forgone the possibility of their base being raided and the enemy taking their research, or destroying it.
Finding a table, she ordered him to summon his Kitsune-ken, which he did then laid them flat on the wooden surface. He waited while she moved back to the shelves, gathering up materials in her arms and even magically levitating them over. Little over a minute later and the table had become practically become a workbench for the Assyrian Servant. Pulling up a chair, Naruto silently watched her work, a thin smile slowly forming on his lips. He remembered when Semiramis had given her a rough layout of her abilities; he was beginning to believe she hadn't been giving herself enough credit. Secretly, he was overjoyed at the fact that in spite of the situation around them, they could still find quite some time for the two of them. Semiramis seemed to enjoy it as well, while she worked, an ethereal glow fell over her face. For such a delicate-looking person, he couldn't help but admire the iron-willed determination that glistened in her eyes.
Hands moved about in maniac order, her mind racing with calculations. "Do not hesitate to destroy whatever you find, even if you find people tangled in the vines. Actually, you must especially kill them then. They are beyond your help and all you may offer them is a swift death as a release from a lifetime of suffering."
His face fell like a stone. The question he'd been holding off on vocalizing had just been answered, and of course, he didn't like the answer. "So there's…nothing you can do if it's…"
"These grapes mutate the body beyond what my magecraft can reverse. Naruto, I am a poisoner, not a healer." The irritation in that statement was fading, being replaced by…something else. Dare she say it, regret almost. For the first time in a while, she was beginning to see the value in healing rather than destroying. At least being able to do so with her own hands. "After a certain point, one can't go back. Based on what we've been told, a good number of this village's ninja have crossed that point. After examining their brains, I can say some of them will be little more than animals, mindlessly lashing out once realized onto the battlefield. Even if they still possess a human face, cut them down without hesitation. It is the best service you can do for them."
There was a heavy silence that ended with a deep-hearted sigh of discomfort. "I was hoping you…wouldn't say that."
Semiramis met his sigh with one of her own. "Naruto, you can't save everyone…but you can…try as hard as you'd like. Just don't overdo it. There are still people back in your homeland who need you, not to mention if the old pervert returns and you're missing…well, I do believe he'd take great pleasure in separating my head from my shoulders using his bare hands."
The sadness quickly morphed into humor in the form of a grin. "Woah, it almost sounds like you're acknowledging Pervy Sage can step up when he wants to."
Naturally, Semiramis' face fell. "Repeat what I just said or anything of the like and you'll be waking up with the most painful stomach pains imaginable. Who knows, I may even decide to burn out your taste buds so you'll never truly be able to enjoy a bowl of ramen again."
Jumping out of his seat, the blond shrieked with a look of shock-horror dawning his face. "You wouldn't dare!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Do you wish to test that assumption, Master?"
Silence met her question, which she took with a smug grin before going back to work. Thankfully, their discussion hadn't alerted anyone who might have still been prowling the halls late at night. Semiramis knew Naruto wasn't the only one who'd been having trouble sleeping. Her supernatural pointed ears had picked up over twelve people walking the base's halls, some of them she knew important and others were mere grunts suffering from pre-battle anxiety. Though no warrior, Semiramis could understand their feelings. She knew without a doubt that some of them weren't going to be coming back, but at the very least they would be dying for their home. She always believed that thought should have been enough for soldiers to go into battle carrying.
Her only duty was making sure that her goofball of a Master wasn't laying down his life for this village in the middle of the nowhere. Semiramis didn't deny there was a bit of selfishness in her motives as well. If Naruto met his end here, then so would she. Fading away here in some off-skirt village that wasn't even a major player on this world's world stage, it made her brow knit in annoyance and even slight anger.
Tapping her finger on the base of each blade, she caused it to rise into the air, the magical orb which contained her poisonous power glowing with an unearthly red light. The liquid drained out of the sphere and floated in the space between the two. It was her specially crafted toxin in its purest, unrefined form. Should it be ingested, death would be anything but painless for the unlucky fool. Stepping back, she shut her eyes and began to speak in her native Assyrian, a language that was hers alone in this world of ninja. At her words, the multi-colored liquids in the other containers she'd been mixing and pouring rose upward and began to take form - semi-solid liquid orbs that gently rotated on their axis. Semiramis brought both her hands together, causing the orbs to truly solidify. In total, there were three of them not counting the red one.
"The blue one you will use to destroy the gardens when you find them. I've created the toxin to react violently when they come into contact with the grape vines, their juices even." Started the black-haired woman.
"When you say that, do you mean as in explosively?" Naruto questioned.
"Yes, I do. Is that going to be a problem?" Swiftly, he shook his head in response. "Moving on, the green one is more acidic. I created it as a means of countering the powers brought by the Blood Grapes. You mentioned earlier users were able to harden their bodies into steel? A result of increasing the iron-ore in the body then molding it using chakra. Speaking of which, does such a technique exist in this world naturally?"
"Um…I think so." Mouthed the blond, getting a thoughtful expression. "Pervy Sage mentioned something about a Steel Release kekkei genkai or something." There was no need to add that after that part he pretty much tuned out the rest of the conversation.
"Well, ordinary kunai and weapons will likely break against the reinforced steel bodies of your opponents. To get around that will require immense physical strength such as what Han and Ontake can produce using their Earth Style. Since you do not have that boon, I compensated." He looked like he wanted to say something, but Naruto held his mouth. Whatever it was, she deemed it to be unimportant and moved onto the next subject. "The purple is pretty much a tranquilizer. I know in spite of everything I've listed, you're still going to try to save those that you can. Should they not be too far gone, use this to subdue them. If captured though…I make no promises, but I believe the doctors here will try their best alongside Tsukino."
He took a moment to absorb the information before asking. "How do I know what…too far is?"
Semiramis retuned his stare with a shrug. "That'll be up to you to figure out. I won't be there with you for every second so you will have to use your own judgment. You've survived this long using your instincts, so continue to do so. I…have confidence in your abilities."
"Thank you." Naruto grinned.
"You're welcome, and before you ask, worry not for me. For I will have my own party to play in all of this. I will meet you back here after we've dealt the enemy a hard-enough blow. After that, we can plan our next move and hopefully have this little mess wrapped up in a day or two." Semiramis spoke, pointing her finger directly at his chest while she began another incantation.
"Someone sounds impatient."
"No, I merely wish to settle matters as quickly and directly as possible." There was a pause as she looked to the side with what seemed to be an annoyance. It didn't go unnoticed as Naruto tilted his head in curiosity. Her defenses quickly crumbled after that. "Fine, I wish for us to be back before that fool of a sage returns and we have to deal with all of his priding."
"You know, I'm pretty sure he's going to get the story of what we did one way or another. You're kind of swimming upstream with that one. When Pervy Sage wants to know something, he tends to find it out. I'm still trying to figure out how he does that."
Odds are you won't until you're twenty or thirty years older. What a time that will be. Her fingers spread out as her spell reached its final stages. The three liquids that had been hovering before the table condensed into solid spheres that lined up in a circle above the Kitsune-ken. A red arc of lightning connected them all to the empty slot at the base of the blade, at Semiramis' direction the spark stretched out to connect to Naruto. He remained remarkably calm throughout the entire process, though she could still feel some of the hairs on his back standing on end. His wrists lit up with ethereal light, the same light that had enveloped the blades. Semiramis snapped her fingers to finish the ritual. Each solidified toxin descended downward, phasing into the orb slot ending with the original red orb. "I've armed you best I can, the rest will be up to you."
"That's all I can ask for, thanks again, Semi-chan." Chuckled the ninja, reaching for the weapons. "You make sure to watch yourself too, alright?"
"I believe I already answered that question, now go get some rest. You're going to need it, greatly if what my doves have shown me is any indication" Snorted the older woman, causing his expression to darken.
"…Can you give me a hint?"
"Do you want nightmares when you go to sleep?"
"Do I look like the type that'll get scared by some spooky story?"
"Yes, yes you do."
She was happy she was able to get one last laugh in. Seeing he'd reached an unpassable wall, Naruto rose from his seat and began making his way out. Briefly, he looked back to Semiramis to see if he could wrangle any more information out of her - no such luck. Sighing in partial resignation, he left her, finally leaving Semiramis in the dark silence she'd practically made her home in. Falling back into her chair, she glanced at the wall-mounted candle that they'd used to illuminate the workspace. Semiramis let the candle flicker on for a moment longer before she psychically snuffed it out, allowing complete darkness to take hold. She felt at home, in fact, she felt a rush of malefic pride at the thought of being back in the shadows. This was the darkness she was going to be pulling quite a few people to come together.
The inner sadist in her could hardly wait for the battle to begin.
One could have argued that Kinuko had a very good reason to be shedding a few tears no matter how hard she tried to fight them. Almost every reason possible was enough to crush one's soul. As she was being led to her place of death, the young kunoichi couldn't help but look back to recall how she'd ended up in this situation.
First, she began with the academy. It'd been the proudest day of her life when she graduated and was able to wear the Vine Village headband with pride. Her mother had tears falling nonstop from her eyes, tears of pride. Kinuko preferred them to the tears she shed the day her father died. That had been the worst day of her life, or so she'd thought. Life had a funny way of one-upping a person's perceived misery rating.
She'd known that the village was changing, she'd known it yet pushed it all to the back of her mind. The Hidden Vine Village was small and far outside the scoop of the Five Great Nations, but they still had their pride, and even they could contribute to the larger scene from time to time. That quiet pride had been enough to keep those like her going and have them raise their heads as high as any Leaf, Stone, Sand, Cloud, or Mist Shinobi. But it hadn't been enough for some others. No, some desired more. That chatter had always been there, but it had never gone anywhere. That was until a "miracle seed" sprouted somewhere in the village.
Miracle seed, Kinuko had found the name funny, now she found it a term for disaster and destruction. The seed had sprouted and infected almost half of the village with its poisonous roots driving them to madness. Gripped it in, they'd turned on their fellow villagers, especially if they spoke out against pulling out the root of the infection by the base. Those were the first ones to go. Kinuko tried to hold back a sob at the memory of her mother, her body torn apart by the inhuman monsters that used to be their fellow villagers. Never had she felt a sense of rage like that - finding her remains and the monsters laughing over her corpse. She remembered screaming at them until her lungs threatened to explode. Had it not been for her teammates, her friends, there was a very real chance she would have died that day.
As it turned out, dying there might have been preferable to living through the hell that followed. The peaceful little village she'd grown up in and wanted to defend had slowly but surely transformed into something hideous, like a pitch-black flower blooming under a blood-red moon. Afterwards, her former neighbors had proceeded to feed it all they could. Kinuko couldn't fight the sob as she remembered the dozens of their own they'd slain to nurture the vile fruit's growth. Worse yet, they'd taken others from faraway lands, "war prisoners" they'd been called. Yes, war, that word was getting tossed around an awful lot, and everyone was reacting with the appropriate feeling - dread. Or, almost everyone.
Her guards, no, her executioners, joked amongst themselves on how long they were going to last. It was absolutely revolting to hear, more so considering that they were wearing the same headband she'd fought so hard for. That was yet another reason for her slow-falling tears; when she'd be captured, they'd yanked the headband off of her, saying she "didn't deserve it". Kinuko knew this was their plan for all the ninja that didn't submit to their lunatic ambitions.
Daishin had enjoyed the spectacle. Watching the headband removal and mocking them all as if they were common criminals instead of fellow Vine shinobi. Though he'd always been a bit of a sadist, he'd reached a new low since the introduction of the Blood Grapes into the village. The man who'd merely been an asshole to sixty-percent of the people he knew had transformed into a cold-blooded monster, quite like those now running the village. Perhaps it was no surprise that the veteran ninja had been put in charge of "feeding time" and "garbage disposal". He enjoyed the job way too damn much.
"Attention, traitors and soon-to-be-departed, these are your last moments so I'd advise you to get your affairs in order as quickly as possible! Make peace with whatever demons you have left, or even curse yourselves for not being able to accept the fact that our village is moving in a new direction!" His jubilant voice was like listening to a cat scratching on a chalkboard. He'd cleaned himself up nicely for this moment, his bark-brown hair being freshly washed and his usual scraggy beard trimmed as if he were heading to some formal occasion. It really hammered home just how demented he was on the inside. Kinuko didn't even bother to wonder if it was the berries or just him, it really didn't matter in the long run.
He wasn't alone in his dark glee either. The guards escorting them down the hallway were giddy with anticipation as well. They'd come to see this as some sort of sick form of amusement, often placing bets on how long each of them would last before they became "fertilizer". What Kinuko wouldn't have given for the chance to wipe the grins from each of their faces, perhaps by feeding them to the grotesque monsters they'd taken to worshipping. Alas, she lacked that power, and so too did almost everyone else who'd chosen to take a stand against them. It was over, it was all over.
The end of the hallway came into view, and with it the end of their lives. At the very least Kinuko wasn't the only one crying; again, she felt she and everyone else had every right to be. It helped that almost a quarter of the thirty or so people being escorted weren't even ninja. Civilians and people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now their lives were about to come to an end in the most horrid way possible.
Against their will, the group crossed over into a section of the wall marked by a red line of paint. Once the last person crossed, jet-black thorns shot out from the walls cutting them off from the outside. Anyone who thought of tearing into them had to rethink the idea as arcs of bright blue lightning jumped between the thorns like an electrified fence. They were boxed in completely. Daishin stepped forward, taking in the glares and frightful gazes of the soon-to-be-executed.
"If it makes any of you feel any better, know this - you are contributing to the village's prosperity. Once upon a time, we were a regional power, but then we fell to internal weakness. No more, with a gift from the heavens, we have reclaimed the power to take back our proper place on the world stage." Was he thinking that was going to put them at ease or make them feel better? Maybe even motivate them to meet death with a brave face? "Just as a fire burns down a forest so that it can begin anew, think of this as simply your lives transitioning into the next phase. Your souls shall live on in the roots and soil of the Hidden Vine Village! You shall spread far and wide, just as our ancestors did! Know this and hold your heads high!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kinuko couldn't hold it in anymore, she lashed out like a wild animal. Her already worn fingers screamed in agony as they came down upon the thorny vines separating her from her traitorous superior. Though her voice cried out, she kept on trying, pulling at the vines until a pair of hands clapped down on her shoulders. Had her fellow prisoners not pulled her back, she might have fried her own arms. Given what was coming, that would either be a blessing or a hindrance. On one hand, she was going to need them for fighting, but on other, fighting would only prolong the misery. Though tasting blood on her lips, she managed to look up and glare at Daishin. "This…this isn't what the village is supposed to be doing! This is wrong! This is insanity, Daishin!"
"This is the way the world works, Kinuko!" Shouted back the jonin. "You either step over others or you get stepped on! That's how it's been since the olden times and that's how it'll be until there's only one power left standing! Show some dignity, for your father's sake!"
"Don't you dare mention him!" Screamed the teenage brunette. The rage fueling her gave her the strength to clench her scorched fists. While she wasn't about to try another stunt like before, she could at least convey all the malice she was feeling through a glare. "He wouldn't have wanted this! Your wife wouldn't have wanted this!"
Now it was Daishin's turn to lash out, literally. His right wrist flew outward, a dark-green vine shooting from his palm and wrapping itself around Kinuko's neck. "Shut it, you stupid bitch! You have no idea what it's been like! Once upon a time, we were powerful, feared, but now look at us! Part of it is because of little shits like you, you brats could never measure up to your forefathers, and that means the village is going to be spending the rest of its existence as nothing but a footstool! I won't let that happen; we won't let that happen! Now, shut up and make your miserable life useful!"
He let go, and with his release came the shaking of the end of the hallway. Kinuko coughed and coughed while those around her stumbled as they felt the ground beneath their feet beginning to move. Indeed, the section of the hallway they'd been forced into was sliding downward. With the last of her strength, she directed her emerald-colored eyes toward Daishin. There was a good chance it would be the last time she ever saw him so she wanted to make her hatred known.
All around her, fearful whispers rose like a set of morbid flowers blooming. No one harbored delusions about what was going to happen in the next several minutes. She knew the resistance didn't have nearly enough power to mount a rescue even if they knew their location. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, their number was up. Kinuko wasn't particularly religious or spiritual, but even she couldn't help but mutter a prayer hoping that death would come quickly for her and that in her possible next life, she'd have better luck. At heart, all she could ask for was another chance to be a ninja instead of a civilian.
And perhaps meet a better end, somewhat reluctantly, she added that too. Death on the battlefield was preferable than being executed by her own people.
And dying at the jaws of some monster plant from a bygone era.
Suddenly, the room came to a stop, causing the lights to flicker on. The door before them slid open into a dimly-lit hallway that leads onward to set of double-crested doors. From all the way on the other end, Kinuko and the others could hear the locks clicking open. Several looked upward and to the walls believing there was some form of escape. The various claw marks on the walls showed others had thought the same and attempted to do so, to no avail. Knowing their time had come, a handful began to walk forward. In time, a few became all.
Kinuko was sweating bullets as the double doors were pushed open, allowing light to strike the eyes of the prisoners. Artificial light of course.
Once upon a time, the massive room would have been used as an emergency shelter. That was in times of war, but they weren't at war, yet danger was still very real and very present. Since the "hostile takeover" of the village by extremists, the gigantic auditorium had been converted into a massive garden suited with artificial lights and soil imprinted from the surface so plants could be grown. Indeed, plant life had grown, and better yet, it was feeding time.
Illuminated by the luminous bulbs above, the giant vines and stocks began to literally twist and squirm. It was truly magnificent and terrifying. As if torn from the pages of an ancient novel, the flowers stretched over twenty-feet high, casting shadows over the lowly humans that dared to step into the chamber. Now they knew what it felt like to be ants, and it was not a pleasant feeling. Beneath the light, the colors of the giant plants stood out in sharp contrast to the dull gray and black stone and steel that made up the room. Multi-colored flower buds bristled as if being stroked by an invisible wind as did the dozen or so leaves that sprouted from the stems. Truly, it was all wondrous…at least until one took note of the countless blood stains all over the place. The walls, uncovered parts of the ground, and even along with the roots themselves. Some of it was dried while some of it was fresh. Speaking of which, the smell still hung in the air along with the almost pleasant scent that the flowers gave off.
Life and death, the two hung in the air as several took a few more cautious steps into the chamber. Stories had been told that the old shelters had been refitted, but for many, this was their first time seeing them. Even Kinuko couldn't help but marvel at the size of both the chamber and the plants that now inhabited it.
In seconds, the beauty completely vanished.
"AHHH!"
"WHAT THE-"
Coherent words degenerated into panic-stricken yelps as bodies left the ground and rose into the air. It was all for not as no one had the power to rescue them. The unfortunate victims barely had time to comprehend what was going on as some were slammed face-first or back-first into the stone walls. Their fragile bodies broke apart like glass, leaving new bloody imprints on the chamber sides. It was horrific, but compared what came next their deaths might have been considered a blessing.
Others were ensnared by the roots and literally dragged across the ground. Unlike the others, they had more time to scream and question what in the hell was going on. They got somewhat of an answer when they rose and dangled in the air, right above a set of hungry jaws that opened up from the flower buds. All of them screamed and begged seconds before the roots released them, down they went into the hungry maws like helpless prey before a predator's might. Either thankfully or not, their shapes disappeared, though some weren't swallowed whole. The ravenous plants rose up and even bit off the lower or upper bodies of those caught in their roots and vines. Blood gushed from the severed bodies spraying everywhere, including onto the survivors.
They all broke ranks, fear having completely overridden anything resembling self-restraint or composure. It was like a dinner bell had been rung, roots and vines with spike-like points jetted outward impaling them all. Those hit in the stomach or brain got lucky and died instantly saving them from the horror that was to soon come, the rest wasn't so likely. They kicked and screamed all the way as they were dragged into the now shifting mass of roots. What had been a collection of giant plants had now transformed into a near living thing, a blood-thirsty demon that wasn't going to stop until it had eaten its fill of human life.
Kinuko sat back, paralyzed until a nearby vine missed her by just barely an inch. Blood trickled down her dirty cheek. It filled her with a strange sense of…exhilaration almost. Suddenly, everything came into crystal clear focus. Death was going on a mad harvest all around her, and she was well within its reach.
She knew it was pointless, but she decided to resist anyway, if only for the sake of her pride.
First, she dodged to the right just narrowly avoiding a massive lash-like vine ready to come down atop of her. Hands weaving needed hand signs, she continued to move, doing her best to stay alive through the mayhem. With the last one finished, she slammed her palm into the ground, focusing her chakra into it to shape the minerals and stone into the required shape. Another vine came at her, thorns protruding from its side that would dig into her flesh and no doubt suck up all the nutrients in her body.
SLISH!
After three days of feeling fear and shame, pride finally returned to the soul of the seventeen-year-old kunoichi. Bright green and blue-colored fluids gushed from the slashed apart vine, staining her dirt-sullied pants and shirt. It wasn't much, but it was a start. More roots and vines came at her, and she used her make-shift sword to cut them apart as well. Ahead of her, the monstrous flowers roared an unearthly howl as if annoyed by her defiance. Quickly, it spread to some of the other prisoners.
Rather than randomly fleeing, a few decided to fight back with what little strength they had left. Hand signs were woven and makeshift weapons were picked up and used to beat back the evil vines and roots.
Alas, it was a battle that was doomed to end in their defeat.
Legs were quickly crushed or ran through while bodies toppled to the ground, if they were lucky. Thicker, stronger roots broke through the ground and coiled around the prisoners. In seconds, their screamed died out as their bodies were crushed and their internal organs absorbed by suckers and vines that pierced the skin. A handful at least got a dying wheeze in before the life left their bodies. Against these stronger tentacles, none of their weapons could measure up. Even Kinuko found that out when rather than a severed root, all she did was make a foot-long gash.
CRA-ACK!
She cursed realizing her stone sword was breaking faster than she would have liked, or hoped. Still, she wanted to resist as long as she could, hacking and slashing at anything that came near her. In doing so though, she'd lost sight of her surroundings. Namely, she forgot that she was fighting an enemy that had more limbs than she could hack off. That fact returned to her as she felt something cool and wet snake its way around her right ankle. By reflex, she stabbed her blade downward. Though she'd caught the vine, the next second showed it was only a diversion.
Kinuko screamed in agony as pain shot through her entire right side. Daring to open one green eye, she saw her right shoulder had been pierced, run completely through like an arrow. The numbness was spreading through her fast, it mattered not if it was a drain of chakra or simply poison. Her stone sword, her one tool of survival was shattered with lashing of another vine. A second wrapped around her left ankle, squeezing it to the point Kinuko was sure the bones were going to break. Quickly enough, she felt her body being lifted off of the ground like so many others.
It took all of her remaining willpower to keep from screaming in horror as she stared into the face of a maw full of saliva and blood-coated teeth. Had it been a wild animal, it would have been different. But this was plant life, flowers, the very lifeblood of her village. Cruel irony was the only description for things ending this way.
The vine yanked her forward, bringing her closer to the jaws of the green monster.
CRA-AAACK!
Something split the air, something metallic. Then came the scream, not of a man, but of a plant. The sudden stop and lack of mind-breaking pain caused Kinuko to crack one eye open to see what had happened. Green fluid gushed from the side of the monster flower that had been about to eat her for lunch. A sound caught her ears, earth cracking. Quickly looking upward, she saw a long dark-gray chain protruding through the ceiling, quickly, she realized someone or something had saved her. Alongside the chain protrusion was a spider-web of cracks, all spreading out in a way that made Kinuko's hair stand on end. She sensed chakra.
And a moment later, her suspicions were proven right as the ceiling exploded into a rain of earthen shrapnel that pelted the monstrous plants. The power of the jutsu was on a completely different level than hers, which made Kinuko wonder just who had come to her unwitting rescue.
"HEY! ANYONE STILL ALIVE?!"
Genuinely surprised by the voice, she did a double-take. Of all the things she'd been expecting, a blond-haired kid almost two or three years younger than her busting through the ceiling wasn't it, far from it. A second later and she was ready to grab the kid and kiss him until he was blue in the face. In his right hand lay some sort of over-sized kunai, it glowed with blue and left a trail as he swung it. A similarly colored wave of chakra flew from the blade, impacting the nest of ruins. Jaws split opened in ear-rattling screams as blue fire exploded from the point of impact. Kinuko felt herself shake, the vines around her growing slack as the pain was transferred throughout the plant's entire nervous system. He pulled his other arm back withdrawing his second blade. Where it had landed an azure-colored blaze was now burning.
Above them all, the ceiling cracked open revealing a hole, one almost eight feet in diameter and seven feet in height. What stood out was the man, perhaps the hole-digger, a giant in red armor and a straw hat. He looked upon the scene with mild interest before stepping aside to allow the rest of the team to jump in, literally. Kinuko looked them all and felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized some of them, one in particular.
Tears spilled down Kinuko's cheeks as she spotted the mob of dark red hair on the youth descending from one of the ropes. "Hidemi!"
"Kinuko! Stay right where you are, I'll be there in a second!" He shouted back. "Naruto, clear me a path!"
"Coming right up!" Declared the blond. Two blue flashes and the plants were howling in further agony. There was a puff of smoke then several more blondes, shadow clones, were slashing at the roots with everything they had. It was a one-man assault that Kinuko had never seen before, and it was doing more damage than anything she and her fellow resistance members had been capable of. It seemed as if the blond known as Naruto was wielding poison as the roots and vines that had once ensnared them all outright began to dissolve and even disintegrate under their touch. Azure flames were spreading like a wildfire, quickly consuming the monster plant that had once seemed so imposing. Naruto cut and cut, a goal in mind. He caught sight of Kinuko, still held up in one of the roots and took aim at the latter.
"Gotcha!" Shouted one of his clones as he caught her in mid-air.
"W-W-Who are you? W-Wait, t-that headband-"
"Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village, at your service!" He happily declared as they landed. "Hey, Han, how's it looking?!"
The now-identified giant in armor was weaving hand signs at speeds Kinuko could only dream of. Ending with the snake sign, he shouted back, "Just hold that thing off, and don't go overboard! We can't bring this place crashing down on us yet!" Pieces of the ground and ceiling broke off and levitated into a pathway in front of him. Quickly, its purpose became obvious. Those that came with him quickly grabbed the survivors, cutting them free if they had to and moving them toward the stony pathway leading upward. It took a bit of effort from the rescuers to keep their charges from tripping over their own feet or falling off of the path to salvation.
Meanwhile, the blond horde had practically turned the battle against the monster plant into a game. It was clear who was winning. Blue flames were quickly beginning to consume the chamber, burning away the vile plant that had been planted there and feed a continuous stream of human life so that it could bear fruit.
"Hidemi! Who are these people?! Where'd they come from?!" Shouted Kinuko as she and the clone regrouped with the others.
"Later, for now, know that they're here in to help!" Shouted back the redhead, taking her by the hand. "Naruto!"
"Get them all out of here! I'll catch up with you guys!" Stated the blond clone, spinning on its heel to intercept an oncoming root.
"Trust me, he can handle himself. For now, we're getting out of here!" Hidemi kept his word and began pulling her along. Given the severe lack of energy, both physical and spiritual, it was taking everything Kinuko had just to stay upright and not trip over her own feet. Still, the sight of freedom, of escape and possibly reclaiming her village, gave her the strength to competently put one foot in front of the other.
Another tremor shook the now inflamed chamber, but this one felt different. Kinuko snapped her head to the entrance that she and the other prisoners had come in through.
The doors exploded outward as of they'd been blasted off. Stepping through the doorway, his rage face half black and his teeth having been replaced by sharpening canines, was Daishin. His transformed black and red eyes scoured the azure inferno that the garden was becoming. First, he looked to Han high up, guiding out the prisoners. In turn, he merely tipped his hat to him. Daishin looked back across the ground, finding Naruto standing amidst a circle of burning roots.
"You, Leaf Village scum!" He shouted.
"Says the guy trying to feed his own people to some monster plant, and using them as fertilizer! You guys are the worst gardeners I've ever met!" Shouted back the genin with an angry scowl.
There were no more words beyond that point, only speaking down with blades. Naruto saw the attack coming and parried it just in the nick of time. Daishin sneered seeing his claws being deflected as if they were simple kunai or shuriken. Since ingesting the blood grapes, he'd found his Black Tiger Claws able to shred just about anything that got in his way. He obviously didn't like the fact he'd just met something that he couldn't cut. Letting out an animalistic snarl of annoyance, he tried again, and again he was denied the sight of blood and bones splattering across the ground. What he got were sparks born from his steel-like claws sliding against Naruto's blades. After that, the blond went on the attack, him and his clones.
Onlookers felt their mouths drop as they watched bloody wounds open up in Daishin's hardened skin. Those captured had either seen or heard of how conventional weaponry had been little use against the enhanced radicals. What they'd just seen was proof that they weren't invincible, far from it actually.
Naruto and his clones pulled away as their adversary made a three-sixty spin using his claws, hoping to catch at least one of them. Failing to do so, he lashed out at the nearest clone, who responded accordingly. Seeing an opportunity, the second drove his blades deeply into Daishin's exposed backside, causing him to howl in pain.
"What the hell…is that?!" Screeched the bearded man as he struggled to contain the supernatural power within him. It felt like every nerve in his body was being pressed with a hot poker! Strength was fading fast, leaving him close to wobbling on his legs. "You…little shit, what the hell have you done to me?!"
Both clones broke away and joined the others, who all stood in a semi-jagged line. It was a wall separating Daishin from the rest of the prisoners, most of whom had been evacuated and were now busy climbing up the hole Han had made. "Well, we did use the two days we got here to do some planning. You guys are done!"
"Shut the hell up, you little rat-faced bastard!" His face contorted into a feral snarl, he charged straight for the blond, his black claws humming with chakra.
Being blinded with rage was something Naruto knew quite a bit about, perhaps too much about. Even if it could be measured in inches, he was growing. He'd grown enough to recognize the trait in others, and know how to use it to his advantage. As Daishin came charging at him, his claws skimming across the ground, that's exactly what he did. Behind him rose several burning green tentacles, all of which dove for him and his clones like hungry vipers. He, the original, dodged at the last second alongside another, the rest turned back to the oncoming attacks and held out their blades. They stabbed them down just as they were impaled, the specifically crafted toxin within entering the vines and reacting with the juices inside. Meanwhile, Daishin found himself on the receiving end of yet another unwanted surprise.
Explosions lit up the area, temporarily blinding and deafening the veteran ninja. A number of things ran through his mind, namely what he would do to the blond once he got a hold of him. That train of thought was disrupted as a pair of sharpened objects slammed into his chest, filling his entire body with a nail-biting pain he could barely hold off. Eyes turning completely red, he gripped the chain blades, believing brute force would be enough to break them.
He was wrong.
Green light shined through the smoke and moved along the chains, ending at the blades currently impaled in Daishin's body.
"AARRGGGHHH! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUUUCCKK!"
Quickly as they were inserted, the blades were removed, though the pain they'd caused lingered, and lingered. It was magnified when two Narutos, each curled into a ball, slammed into Daishin knocking him backward toward the doorway. It just so happened that several more guards came rushing through them, their eyes blazing with fury close to their leader's. Naruto readied himself to face them, but his partner had decided he'd had his fun.
"Look out below!"
By the time Naruto registered what had happened, Han had already started on his rampage. And by then, it was already too late. Punches and kicks carrying the power to split open bedrock, too much for the once laughing guards to handle, even with their enhancements. They quickly joined their fallen leader in nursing their wounds.
"Hey! I had that one!" Cried the Leaf ninja, waving his arms in irritation.
Han chuckled. "Sorry, I got a little excited watching you and decided to jump in. Next time, be faster."
"Maybe I will." Grumbled the blond, clearly showing his discontent with things.
Daishin was not amused, not in the slightest. "You…you…scum, you stupid, self-righteous shits! I'll kill you all for this!" Any minute, it seemed he was going to collapse. Vile smoke rose from the injuries on his front and back. Red mixed with sickly green in foul streams that touched the ground. "You won't…you bastards just want to keep us oppressed-hold onto the monopoly you've had for the last twenty years…fuck it! Fuck all of it! I won't let that happen!" His arms spread out, his clawed fingers extending like vipers. Their targets were Daishin's fellow ninja.
"Hey, wait!"
"Gah!"
"Dai! Dai! Stop, you're-"
"Like hell I'm gonna let you do that!"
Naruto sprinted forward, his Kitsune-ken glowing with green light starting from the base. He moved fast showing his youth and drive. Han was impressed.
SLIIISHHH!
He may be a little slow on the uptake…but the kid got promise, real promise. Heh, he looks just like his old man when he's like this.
Blood poured from Daishin's lips and literally gushed from the x-shaped wound freshly inflicted upon him. Stumbling backward, his attempted absorption of his allies had been stopped stone cold, though the men were too stunned to really give much input on their leader's behavior. And still struggling to recover from Han's bone-breaking blows.
"You guys! Come on, we're on a timer, remember!" Shouted Hidemi from their escape hole. His voice was almost lost over the roar of the azure flames now consuming the chamber.
"Good point, time to go!"
"Wha-hey, put me down! Han! I can get there on my own!"
Clearly he was carrying him under his arm for his own amusement. In a blast of explosive steam, the armored ninja soared with impressive speed, leaving their enemies bleeding out before a chamber of burning plant life and bloodied remains. They would be joining the deceased soon. Normally, he felt next to nothing when it came leaving enemies for dead, but this time was different. Han wasn't the type to get emotionally riled up; however, this operation was bringing something out of him that he hadn't felt in a while - anger.
Focus it, Han. Chided the inner demon within him as they came upon the hole. He released Naruto, who still grumbled even as he began to climb. You'll be needing it for later on.
Isn't that always the case? Through his hands, he felt the tremors, the sounds of war. The underground had been bad, but Han knew once they got to the surface, things would get worse. They were attempting to retake an entire village from a sect of radicals who'd gotten a hold of something they shouldn't have. Such a thing could only end with bloodshed.
For better or for worse, bloodshed was something he'd grown used to. He was a jinchūriki after all.
The question was, would the young blond in front of him be able to cope with the carnage as well?
To be continued…
The battle for the Hidden Vine Village has begun starting with an underground rescue, some weed-whacking, and heroism courtesy of a hyperactive blond and a walking steam-engine. Not a bad start but I'd like your honest opinions. Next chapter will see Semiramis earning some of her chops as a member of the Assassin-class so look forward to it!