Fwoosh…
A gust of wind blows Izuna's hair and A's robe. Both of them confront each other in an open field.
A has a tense expression on his face. He is seriously contemplating a way to beat Izuna.
'Since it is a bet, I have to propose something which will give me an advantage. But he has to agree with my condition and allow me to state the terms of the bet.'
A's head is drenched in sweat as he glares at Izuna.
'I have to save Karai at all costs. Even if I have to lower my head and abandon my pride.'
Izuna nonchalantly stares at A.
'I know he wants to save his comrade, but we aren't allies. Konoha and Kumo only signed a peace treaty. I don't care about his comrade.
But if we want to save his friend, then he better get ready to pay a hefty price. I will give him a chance to fight.'
"Since you proposed a bet, then it is only fair for me to pick up the terms of the bet. But I am a generous guy, I won't bully you. Just pick up and condition and I will play along." Izuna calmy looks at A.
"Your conditions aren't… wait, what? You are allowing me to pick up the conditions." A look at Izuna with wide eyes.
Izuna nods his head in affirmation.
'I can't ask for anything better. Now, I have to just think of something in which I can defeat him.'
A ponders on his strengths and weaknesses.
'Ninjutsu! No, Izuna Uchiha is a genius if it comes to ninjutsu, he has the fabled Sharingan. He can easily overpower anyone. In terms of speed, I am no match for him. He has learned the 'Flying Thunder God' Jutsu of Fourth Hokage.
Wait… Physical strength and endurance.'
A look at the lean and compact body of Izuna.
'He doesn't have much of a muscle mass. I doubt his endurance is higher than me. I should propose a test of endurance.'
He stares Izuna in the eyes and speaks in his hoarse voice.
"Very well then, it will be a contest of Endurance. Both of us will punch each other. The one who could stand after taking a hit would be the winner."
A smirk at Izuna while flexing his large muscles.
"…"
'He is too desperate to dig his own grave.'
Tsunade and Shizune silently stare at A and closes their eyes to pay their respect.
'I have punched this guy multiple times with my full strength. But he just stands up and swaggers away with no hint of any pain or injury.'
"Good, I have no qualms with your condition. Why don't you punch me first? I will just stand at a spot and take a hit from you." Izuna curls his fingers and taunts A.
A's blood pressure shots up.
"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!" A remove his garb and clenches his fists tightly.
Haah…
A's entire body is covered in a lightning cloak. His hairs stand up from electricity and he continues to pump more chakra in his lightning cloak.
"I will make you regret your decision."
He bends a little to gather momentum in his attack.
'This lightning cloak provides enhanced strength and speed. The absolute defense is a bonus. With this, I would be able to easily win against him.
Even if I am not as strong as him, I will show him not to underestimate the strength of a Raikage.'
Haah…
A riles up his chakra. Dust and debris rise in the air.
Whoosh…
A disappear from his position and appear right in front of Izuna.
"Lightning Straight"
'Let me see how long you will be able to maintain that uncouth smirk on your face?'
BAMM…
A punch Izuna right into the gut.
BOOM….
The ground beneath Izuna crumbles and creates a small crater.
'Metal Release: Adamantine Skin'
'Shock Release: Force Transfer'
Izuna's skin turns black at the point of impact. He transfers the shock from the punch to the earth. The ground beneath him crumbles from the attack.
'Damn! He hit like a car, though I don't know how hard does a car hit. If he hit like a truck, then I would have reincarnated.'
Haah…
A continue to apply more force to his punch.
'I will see how long you would last. My speed and physical strength far surpass anyone else.'
He riles up more chakra and his muscles inflate.
'What… what's going on? He should be sent flying from my attack, but he isn't even budging from his position.'
A notice the peculiarity as his momentum slowly dies down.
"I think you had enough."
Izuna cracks his neck and stretches his muscles.
Izuna wipes his clothes.
"No way…"
The rest of the Kumo ninja look at Izuna with wide- eyes.
'That didn't even make him flinch, much less sent him flying.'
A look at Izuna with disbelief.
As if sensing A's dilemma. Izuna slowly walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder.
"That was quite a punch. I felt it, it was able to loosen up some of my stomach muscles. Maybe next time, I should book a special message from you.
Now prepare yourself, it's my turn next."
Izuna cracks his knuckles and flexes his arm.
'I don't know how he managed to take that hit, but I won't allow him to win in terms of endurance.'
A coat his body in Lightning Cloak and increases the density of the cloak near his stomach.
'A is giving his all, I won't disappoint this guy. I will also enhance my physical strength to the maximum. His body is tough, right?… he should be able to handle the punch.'
Izuna clenches his fist.
Haah…
"Eight Inner Gates… Seventh Gate of Wonder… OPEN!"
A blue aura surrounds Izuna's body. The opening of the gate releases a shock wave that pushes the nearby Kumo ninjas.
"This… what kind of technique is this? I can feel a large amount of pressure from him." One of the Kumo ninjas gulps his saliva.
"Raikage-sama will be fine, right?"
Another Kumo ninja question.
"Raikage-sama has the strongest defense in the Shinobi World. Nothing will happen to him. That Shinigami may be proficient in Ninjutsu but he is not a match for Raikage-sama in physical strength." Togai assures his fellow Kumo shinobis.
Haah…
"Power Release: Asura's Robe"
Dark red flames surround Izuna's body. Red lightning flickers from his eyes and zooms around him.
"This is… it is the same… it is that technique…"
Amai panics.
"It is the same technique he used against us. This devilish cloak, there is no mistake in it."
"Raikage-sama, please back down. You can't fight against him." Amai yells in fear.
'I won't use Senjutsu. It will be an overkill. I just want to rough him up a little, I have no intention of killing this guy.'
"Are you ready, Unruly A of the cloud?" Izuna taunts A.
"I was born ready. Let's get it down. Karai can't wait for long."
Swoosh… whoosh…. Bam…
Izuna flickers towards A. His speed creates a supersonic wave that split apart the ground and sends Kumo ninja flying. Shizune takes cover behind Tsunade.
"This kid has improved a lot. He has long surpassed me. I had some confidence with Sage Mode but now when I look at him like this… sigh.."
Tsunade shakes her head and sighs.
'Guess he won't leave my side until my death. I don't want to see another important person pass away.'
Izuna appears in front of A and gets ready to punch him.
"Fast, he is so fast. I can't catch up with his speed. He is faster than me."
A's eye widens. He folds his arms to brace himself.
BAAMM…
Izuna punches him right in the gut. A feels dizzy and the inside of stomach churns.
Puchi…
He throws out a mouthful of blood and passes out.
'Even Pops punch did not hurt this much.' These were A's last thoughts before he passes out.
BANG…
A is sent flying by the punch. He rams through multiple walls and slams into a large boulder. His body lodges itself deeply into the boulder.
"Raikage-sama…" Kumo ninjas hurriedly run towards A.
"So, I guess it's my win."
Izuna whistles and walks towards Karai.
"So, you are the patient who needs help." Izuna notices a large spider-shaped bug lodged in Karai's chest.
"I will relieve your condition now. We will proceed with matters after your Raikage wakes up."
"I don't need your help… Augh…" Karai grimaces in pain as he struggles to even breathe.
"Let him help Karai." Amai convinces him.
Chirp… chii…
Izuna gathers lightning chakra in his palm.
"What… what are you trying to do?" Togai asks fearfully.
"I am treating him. If you make as much as a squeak then I will first chop off your tongue." Izuna is annoyed with the constant blabber of this guy.
He makes an ultra-thin senbon using the lightning chakra and stabs it in Karai's chest.
Bzzzt…
The lightning zaps the large insect.
Wriggle…. Wriggle…
The insects wriggle in pain before it stops completely.
"I have neutralized the 'Exploding Insect'. It won't suck your chakra anymore, you need surgery to remove the insect. But keep in mind, one slight error in operation and you will blow up."
Karai gulps his saliva and lays down on the bed.
Huff… Huff…
A retains hisconsciousness after a while. He takes a deep breathandfeels dizzy.
Cough… cough…
A coughs up some blood and the dizziness in his head slowly fades away. He suddenly recalls the memories of the previous bet.
"Karai… where is Karai?"
A grab the collar of one of the medic-nin of Kumo and question him.
Gulp…
The medic-nin gulps his saliva and points beside him. A calms down and looks around. He is sitting on a bed and Karai is lying on another bed beside him.
"We are in the inn, Raikage-sama. You passed out after taking a hit from Izuna Uchiha." Amai informs him.
"So… I lost after all. I am sorry, Karai! I wasn't able to fulfill my promise." A clench his fist.
A's eyes tear up. He wipes them and solemnly looks out of the window.
"Uhh! Raikage-sama, Karai is fine. He isn't dead yet." Amai tries to calm A.
"Yes… Karai isn't dead yet. He will forever remain in our heart." A closes his eyes.
"Raikage-sama… I am still alive." Karai opens his eyes and groans in pain.
"Don't push yourself too much, Karai." Amai supports Karai.
"Karai… you are fine." A turns towards Togai for an explanation.
Togai explains everything to A.
"So, this is what happened Raikage-sama."
Humph…
"Those Konoha ninjas are still as soft as ever. Let's take Karai to them. We have to deal with Nokizaru Group too. Those bastards dared to lay a hand on Kumo."
A scoffs and walks out of the room. The rest of the Kumo ninjas follows him.
Knock… knock…
A knock at the door of Tsunade's room.
"Oh! It is the unruly brat of Kumo." Tsunade sneaks a glance at A and ignores him.
Humph…
A tick mark appears on A's forehead.
Cough… cough…
Izuna coughs to gain his attention.
"Let's talk about the business before we move on. I don't want to do a favor to Kumo. We aren't allies and if Konohashows any weakness, Kumo will be the first to strike."
"What do you want to talk about? Let get it over, Karai is still in pain." A snort.
"Ok then! Here is my first condition. I need 10 tons of chakra ore you mined from the Land of Hot Water. It should be of first-grade." Izuna raises his index finger.
'This amount should be enough to forge first-grade weapons for members of the Uchiha clan and my future team. I would store the remaining amount in the clan's stock.'
"Go and rob a bank instead. Do you think a single shinobi's life has this much worth?" A scoffs at Izuna.
"No… No… No! I am not talking about your subordinate. I am talking about them."
A swirling portal opens in front of them and five people drop out from it.
A's eye widens as he notices the Nokizaru group members.
"What?... Nokizaru group. How did you capture them? They are a group of S-rank ninjas with quite a bounty on their heads. As a squad, these are almost unstoppable?" A point at the Nokizaru members.
"You don't have to ponder on such minor details. I am talking about their value. This bunch has done quite the damage to your Kumo. Also, I sell them to Bingo Book bounty hunters then I would get 500 million Ryo for the entire group." Izuna states their value.
"What 500 million Ryo?"Tsunade sobers up and stares at the Nokizaru group with a fervent gaze.
The Nokizaru group members turn into a stack of cash in Tsunade's eyes and she drools while looking at them.
Gulp…
Tsunade gulps a mouthful of saliva and starts to imagine what she could dowith such great wealth.
'I can drink premium boozeevery day. I don't have to worry about money while gambling for a while.'
She turns towards Izuna.
"Izuna! Instead of handing them over to this ungrateful A, why don't you give them to me?" Tsunade waves her hand.
Izuna senses Tsunade's intention and ignores her.
Stab…
An imaginary arrow pierces Tsunade's heart, and she sulks in a corner.
"So.. where were we? Ah! Yes, these Nokizaru ninjas. What do you thinkshould I do with them?" Izuna grins at A and questions him.
'This bastard. He will rob Kumo at this rate. But I have to capture this bunch. They have stolen the secret technique of Kumo, and I can't allow them to sell it to other nations.
If other nations found out that technique then another weakness of Kumo will be pried open to the world.'
"Fine! I will take them from you. 10 ton of chakra ore it is. It's a deal, I will ask someone from the cloud to fetch it over. But I will take all the belongings of this group withme." A demand.
"It's fine with me." Izuna shrugs his shoulders.
A signals one of his subordinates and whisper in his ears. The Shinobi nods his head and searches through the clothes of the Nokizaru group.
'Damn! This Konoha bastard. We were supposed to kill the Raikage and enjoy the rest of our life in leisure. But now we have become a piece of tradeable goods in their hand.' Himushi curses in his mind and struggles to get free.
Slap
"Don't move around too much." The Kumo ninja slaps Himushi and inspects his clothes.
'Damn! I can't handle it.' Himushi tries to yell in anger, but no sound comes out of his mouth.
The Kumo shinobi searchesfor a while but finds nothing. He reports it to A.
A frowns and angrily glaresat Izuna.
"Oh! You might be looking for this." Izuna takes out a scroll from his pocket.
"Ah! The secret technique of Kumogakure. I wonder how much money Iwould get if I sell it to the right buyer. I am sure that fence-sitter Onoki of Iwa will pay a hefty price to get his hands on this technique."
Izuna twirls the scroll in his hands.
"That geezer Onoki was nevera match for Third Raikage because of this technique. I am sure he would go to any lengths just to get his hands on the weakness of this technique." Izuna smirks at A.
"State your price!..." A slowly mutters to Izuna.
"Ah!... I can't hear you. Can you speak a little louder?" Izuna perks up hisears.
I said, STATE YOUR PRICE!..." A yell in fury.
Lightning starts to crackle from his arms.
"That's more like it."
Izuna nods his head.
"I don't want anything extravagant. Just give me the blueprints of Chakra Cannon." Izuna calmly states his condition.
"What?" A yells in surprise.
His lightning cloak fadesaway, and he warily stares at Izuna.
'Chakra Cannon issupposed to be a secret weapon of Kumo. No one… No one besides father, me, and someof father'strusted subordinates knew about it. Even B isn't aware of its existence.
Then… then… how come… how come does he know about it?'
A gulps a mouthful of saliva and looks towards Izuna in dread.
'He… he even infiltrated and stole such top-secret information right under our nose. I still don't know how much intel hehas on Kumo. I have to tread carefully around him in the future.'
A closes his eyes and ponders for a while.
'The chakra cannon isstill in its elementary stage, it will be awhile before it will take its final form. During this time, I am sure Kumo will be able to modify it further.
Thus, there is no harm in handing over the blueprint of elementary chakra cannon. That's it, I will hand over the elementaryblueprint.'
A makes up his mind.
"Fine, I agree with your condition. You will get your blueprint. Now can you hand over the technique?"
A demands Izuna. His expression is bitter at this moment.
"Here, you can have it? It is not much of a use to me." Izuna throws the scrolltowards A.
He didn't care much about A.
'If he goes back on his word, then I will just barge in Kumo and kidnap both of their tailed-beast. Besides, I doubt A will pull back from the agreement.'
Humph…
A harrumph at Izuna and points towards Karai.
"Now would you mind treating him?"
"Oh! I totally forgot about that." Izuna scratches his head. He turns towards Shizune and prompts her.
"Shizune! Go ahead and operate on him."
"Yes, Izuna. Shizunenods her head and lifts her right leg to draw out somevials and syringes from her holster.
A frowns at this and looks towards Izuna.
"Shinigami! This wasn't the part of the deal. Why is this little girl operating on Karai? I want Tsunade to do the operation."
Swish… swish… swish… stab… splurge…
Shizune manoeuvres her hand and cuts open the skin around the insect. She stabs in the dead body of the insect and throws it away.
Swish… swish… swish…
She skilfully sews thewound and patched Karai.
Haah…
Shizune wipes the sweat fromher forehead and walks in front of A.
"For your kind information, I am the successor of Tsunade-sama. She hadtaught me all of her skills and has passed her legacy to me. Humph!"
Shizune harrumphs and walks away.
Oink… oink…
She picks up Tonton and sits beside Tsunade.
"Hu!... Hu! Well done, Shizune. You did quite well for your first real on-field surgery."
Tsunade praises Shizune.
Upon hearing these words,the skin of A and Karai turns pale. Karai faints from shock and A staggers back while pointing a finger at Tsunade.
"…"
He is at a loss for words.
Gulp… gulp… gulp… Haah…
Tsunade chugs down another bottle of sake.
Hicc…
"I like this journey. I getto drink lots of booze and gamble. I hopesuchdays will last forever."
Tsunade turns to Izuna.
"You made quite the haul. I bet that A would be cursing you right now."
Haha… haha…
"It was worth the effort. Kumo's ego has inflated a lot in these past few years, I have to tone them down a little.
Besides, I didn't really likehis rude behavior. So, I have to bleed him a little."
Izuna takes out a scrollfrom his pocket and flips it up. He opens the scroll and skims through it.
There is a blueprint of chakra cannon drawn on it.
'Humm… this design is quite basic. Well, to be honest, I didn't expect much from Kumo. But it is enough, I can use some civilian engineers and build it secretly for our organization.
There will be a large scale war in the future. I have to prepare every countermeasure for it. These things can easily obliterate the moon when fired at full power.'
Izuna tucks away the scroll and turns to Tsunade.
"Tsunade! What is your plan for this journey? When will you return to Konoha?"
Hicc…
Tsunade drinks another mouthful of sake and throws the cup away.
"Returning to Konoha is such a pain. I want to wander the world a little more. So, I won't return to Konoha anytime soon."
Tsunade uses the Mystic Palm technique on herself and sobers up.
"I know you and the Uchiha clan aren't satisfied by Third Hokage and want to replace him.
I have no interest in that position. Only fools and naïve people chase after that position. I won't hear any request fromyou."
Tsunade senses Izuna'sintention and denies him before he could ask her.
'Guess only Naruto canuse the Talk-no-jutsu to convince her. But at least she is not weak like before. Sigh…'
Izuna shakes his head andsighs.
"Since you don't want to be Hokage, then I have another request for you."
"Speak!" Tsunade stares himin the eyes.
"I want you to find a cure for Itachi. He is fine for now, but his condition willescalate quickly." Izuna replies to her.
"I have done a diagnose of his body with my Sharingan and here is the report." He passes a scroll to Tsunade.
"As far as I know, it seems to be a lung disease which feeds on the user'schakra and grows with time. I will transfer memories of what I saw with my Sharingan to you."
"Ok! Let me see them."Tsunade nods her head.
Izuna places his right hand on Tsunade's forehead and uses his Sharingan to cast a genjutsu and simulate his memories.
"Tsunade, as you can see the diseases, is in the preliminary stage."
Tsunade points at a lumpofstrange cells.
"We have to find a curebefore it reaches the next stage. It will be harder to cure it in the future."
Hum…
Tsunade ponders for a while and shakes her head.
"I have never heard or seensuch a disease before. But from the inspection, I can see that it is a new type of Chakra disease which is blocking the chakra network from passing through the lungs.
It is indeed lethal, and if itcovers the entire chakra network in the lungs, then the patient will certainly die. I will try my best to search for a cure for this."
Tsunade assures Izuna.
"You have my gratitude,Tsunade."
"Of course, I will do this foryour sake. You are my apprentice after all." Tsunade smiles at Izuna.
"Then I will have to return to the village. I have left the village for a week or so. It is time to return, but I will keep visitingyou. Till then, Farewell!"
Izuna waves his hand andwalks out of the inn.
Oink… Oink…
Tonton jumps from Shizune'sembrace and waves her legs.
"Seems like Tonton is saying goodbye to Izuna." Shizune chuckles and picks her up.
Swoosh…
Izuna teleports from the spot.
"Shizune! Let's go and visita gambling den. I have been craving to gamble in this past week. Izuna won't allow me togamble."
Tsunade withdraws a stack of cash from her purse.
"That unruly A sure had lots of money. He couldn't swallow his pride,so he repaid the favor with money."
Tsunade counts the stack of Ryo and laughs hysterically.
"It's not like I am complaining though."
"Tsunade-sama!!..." Shizuneclutches her forehead and sighs.
'I am sorry, Izuna. I can't stop Tsunade-sama.'
"OYE! Is there a woman called Tsunade staying here?"
"The one with the huge jugs!"
Tsunade and Shizune hear someone yelling while talking to the landlord.
"Crap! These are the debt collectors. They have found me out."
Tsunade shouts in panic.
"Shizune quick hide yourself. I will somehow deal with them. Just hide."
"Hai! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune uses transformation jutsu and hides.
"Time for me to do the same." Tsunade transforms into her child version."
'I hope they will fall for the bait. I don't want to return the money which I got just now.'
--
Swoosh….
Izuna teleports inside the village.
"Let me check on Shisui, Kakashi, Guy, and Itachi. They must have recovered by now." Izuna flickers towards the Konoha hospital.
He meets up with Sayori and asks her about the gang.
"I have discharged them yesterday. Most of their injuries were already treated because of the preliminary treatment." Sayori informs him.
"Thanks, Sayori-san." Izunathanks Sayori and flickers out.
'I guess they must be in training ground or else in the Anbu Headquarters.'
Izuna flickers towards the training ground and notices the bunch training with each other.
Kakashi and Guy are sparring in Taijutsu with each other while Shisui and Itachi are engaged in a Ninjutsu fight.
'I will let them train for a bit. Since I plan to form a team, the members need some teamwork.
Kakashi and Guy had greatsynergy. Shisui and Itachi enhance each other's abilities to another level, too.
Now, I have to just search forother members. I will operate solo. Fighting in a team isn't my style, and I don't want my partner to get caught in cross-fire.'
Screech… screech…
Izuna raises his head and notices a hawk flying over the training ground. He frowns and mutter,
"A summon from Hokage-office. Since I have nothing better to do, I will check it out."
Izuna flickers towards the Hokage's office.
Knock… Knock…
Hiruzen raises his head and quickly hides the crystal ball inside his drawer.
'That's enough research for today.'
He clears his throat and speaks in a hoarse voice.
"Come in!"
Izuna enters the office and stands in front of Hiruzen.
"It has been a while, Izuna Uchiha. I have a suitable mission for you. You can accept it if you feel like it." Hiruzen takes out a scroll from the drawer and places it on the table.
"Can I hear the details first? I don't want to needlessly take a mission and waste my training time." Izuna calmly replies tohim and grabs the scroll.
"I wonder why this kid istraining so hard? I am unsure of his exact prowessbut from what I saw during the Uchiha incident; he is probably closer to Madara Uchiha's level. What a scary kid!'
Ahem…
Hiruzen clears his throat and explains.
"You must have heard about the recent unrest in the Land of Mist.
Third Mizukage was assassinated after the Third Ninja War, leading to a power struggle in Kirigakure. Kirigakure has a barbaric academy graduation ritual where academy students are forced to kill each other.
So, the new Fourth Mizukage also graduated this way. His name is Yagura Karatachi."
Hiruzen shows a profile picture of Yagura enlisted in Bingo book.
"250 million Ryo! He has quite the high bounty on his head." Izuna whistles, looking at the bingo book bounty.
"It is nowhere close to your bounty though." Hiruzen remarks.
"Is that so? I never checked my bounty. Well, if somebody tries to claim my bounty, I will just kill that guy instead." Izunanonchalantly replies.
"…"
Hiruzen slowly rubs his forehead and sighs.
"You have a bounty of 400 million Ryo on your head."
"That's a lot of money. It is almost equivalent to 40 top S-rank missions.
Probably, I should kill myself to get that much money." Izuna chuckles and grabs the scroll.
"I will take this mission."
He flickers out from the Hokage's office.
'Obito is manipulating Yagura in the Kirigakure. Yagura is massacring various Kekkei-Genkai users in mist. It would be a waste if I couldn't copy them before they die.'
"Wait… your mission is to…"
Hiruzen shouts to inform Izuna, but Izuna had already flickered away.
"… is to infiltrate Kirigakure and spy on Fourth Mizukage." Hiruzen finishes his sentence.
'Well! I think he is smart enough to understand the intricacies of the mission. But I never expected him to accept thismission.'
Hiruzen takes out his crystal ball and starts his research again.
'Fufu… those are quite good indeed.'
--
Huff… Huff…
'Kill…'
Huff… Huff…
'KILL'
Huff… Huff…
'KILL… KILL…'
'KILL… KILL… KILL…'
A pale-skin kid in purple yukata is running away from his pursuer.
"He is the last one. Hurry and capture him. We have suffered many casualties in this fight, we can't allow our enemy to escape. Even if it is a kid!"
"Kill him."
The kid continues to run as he avoids one attack after another from his pursuer.
'KILL… KILL…KILL… KILL…'
Various voices continue to haunt him as he continues to run away.
One of the pursuing ninjas throws a chained metal bola towards the kid.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The metal bola spins in the air and hits the legs of the kid and ties around them.
Bang… Slid… Bam…
The kid loses his balance and topple. The momentum of the dash causes him to slide.
Skid….
He skids over and stops in front of a red flower.
"Aah!.."
He weakly stretches his hand and grabs the flower.
"You are just like me… a stray flower with no home. Blooming in the middle of this winter with no place to belong.
The darkness was where I was brought up…"
He weakly mutters to himself as the enemy ninja closes on him.
"Is there really a God…? God, if you are real then save me! Save me from this darkness and relieve me from my sufferings."
The kid closes his eyes.
"You have quite the legs, kid. You made us run quite a distance just to chase you down."
One of the enemyninjas takes out a kunai from his holster.
"It's time to end this farce. He had given us enough trouble during this time. Let's kill and bring his body to the village."
"Be careful! Wedon't know what kind of abilities this kid is hiding. He could survive all on his own during this war, he must have aces up his sleeves." Another ninja reminds his teammate.
The ninja carefully treads towards the kid, taking one step at a time.
'Hurry up! Reveal your final trump card. So, I can kill you quickly. I have to return to the village.'
'KILL… KILL… KILL… KILL… KILL…'
Various loud yellserupt in the kid's mind as he clutches his forehead. A tendency to slaughter and murder starts to slowly take him over.
'I must kill. I must survive. I don't want to die here.'
The urge to survive takes over him.
The kid raises his head and looks at his pursuers. He raises his fingers and points them towards the enemies.
"Finger Drilling Bullet"
The skin from his fingertips parts away to reveal an opening. The exposed holes reveal hardened finger bones that start to spin rapidly.
'I won't die here. I will find meaning in my life. Even I die I will die fighting.'
Whoosh… Whoosh…
A spatial disturbance occurs in between them and a figure pops out of nowhere.
"Damn! It seems like I still can't control the direct teleportation. My understanding of 'Space' is still lacking.'
A figure clad in black clothes, spiky black hairs with a blue tint to them appears in between them and are tiedin a ponytail. His bangs parted down the center of his face to frame both sides to it.
He wore a high collared black shirt with a fan shape crest on his upper back and black pants. Some bandages are wrapped around his arms and a belt is tied around his waist holding a sheathed sword in place.
The figure looks around and notices the Ninjas with their guard up.
"It seems like I am in the right place."
He notices the Kiri headband on their head.
"He is…"
The Kumo Ninja warily looks at the newcomer.
"RUN! We are no match for him. He is the 'Shinigami'." One of the Kiri ninjas recognizes Izuna.
"What?... He is 'Shinigami'. RUN!!" The Kiri Ninjas panics and retreats.
"Now! Now! It won't be much of infiltration if I revealed myself."
'Genjutsu: Sharingan'
Izuna cast a genjutsu on the Kiri ninjas to erase their memory.
He turns towards thekid and inspects him. The kid stares at Izuna and passes out.
'I am saved.'
--Flashback- No- Jutsu--
Inside a dark prison room,
Scratch… Scratch…
A kid is carving something on the wall with a bone.
"Why? Why… am I in a place like this?"
Scratch… Scratch…
"Why I have to suffer in this hell?"
Scratch… Scratch…
"Why?... Why… no one caresabout me? Why?"
KILL… KILL… KILL...
"This darkness haunts me. These noises they are… they are… Aaaah!"
He clutches his ears to block the noises.
KILL… KILL… KILL…
The noises continue to haunt him.
"God! If there is a God,then save me!"
Knock… Knock… Creak…
The door creak opens, and a figure enters the prison room.
"The time has come to put you to some use…"
"Huh?"
"Yes, you have to fight. For our sake, for the sake of our clan. Fight!"
The man drags out the kid from the prison.
"Fight!... Fight!... Fight!"
A group of people is gathered in front of a cavern as they yell in delight.
"Let us make them realize the ferocity of our Kaguya Clan." The clan leader raises his hand in the air.
"Fight!"
"Fight!"
"Fight!"
The Kaguya clan members continue to shout as they yell frantically.
"We will show Kirigakure how powerful our Kaguya clan is."
"Let's go!"
"KILL!... KILL!..."
The Kaguya clan members dashes in direction of Kirigakure. The clan leader turns towards the kid and speaks.
"Show them your power, Kimimaro!"
He taps Kimimaro's shoulder.
"Show them your worth as a weapon. Show them how ferocious our Kaguya clan is. We are the most powerful clan ofthe entire Shinobi World. Haha!!..."
The Clan leader yells and follows the rest of the group. Kimimaro silently stares at the back of the clan leader and followshim.
"So, I am just a tool, a weapon born for fighting."
He chases after his clansmen and disappears into the forest.
--
At the borders of Kirigakure,
A bunch of Shinobis is guarding the border while talking among themselves.
"I heard the elder of one of the noble clan is opposing the Mizukage-sama. Apparently, he isn't satisfied with the current ruling of Tsuchikage-sama." One of the ninja mutter to another.
"Those nobles and their power struggle. Middle caste people like us are dumped at borders and are forced to guard the asses of those nobles." Another ninja shakes his head.
"No matter, who becomes the leader; we will be forced to serve them. We have to pass the brutal training of the academy and serve those nobles." Another ninja joins their conversation.
"You bunch! Be grateful for what you have? Can't you see the miserable state the Low Caste people are in? They are forced to slaughter each other during the academy to lower their number.
And if somehow theymiraculously survive, then they are cast out of the village to deal with the most dangerous mission where the mortality rate is as high as ninety percent." A large bearded man rebukes them.
"Captain!"
The bunch of shinobis stands up and salutes to captain.
"Now get back to your patrol duty. I don't want those nobles to grab my neck again."
"Hai! Captain!"
They quickly disperse and returns to their duty.
"This bunch…" The Captain shakes his head and returns to camp.
"FIGHT!... FIGHT!... FIGHT!"
"KILL!... KILL!... KILL!"
The patrol guard shinobis are startled by a loud yell.
"What's going on?" One of the patrol guard questions his partner.
"Let me check." The ninja makes some hand signs.
"Water Release: Water Mirror Magnification"
The shinobis generate a small water mirror in his hand and use various puddles of water to generate an image in the mirror.
"These are… wait a sec! They are Kaguya clan members. What are they doing there?" The sensor ninja frowns.
"What, those bunch of maniacs? What are they doing at Kiri borders?" His partner frowns.
"Quick! Inform the Captain. We can't allow them to approach the village."
The ninja makes some hand signs and his body turns into a puddle of water.
Swoosh…
The sensor ninja continuesto monitor the Kaguya clan.
"I don't have a good feeling about this. The Kaguya clan seems a bit more aggressive than usual."
He gulps his saliva and takes out a picture from his pocket.
"Yui! If I survived this, then we will move away from Kirigakure. I can't stay in this bloody village any longer."
He gently caresses the picture of a girl and puts it back in his pocket.
"KILL!... KILL!... KILL!"
The Kaguya clan members arrive near the border of Kirigakure.
"Show them the power of our Kaguya clan."
"FIGHT!... FIGHT!... FIGHT!"
Crack… crack… snap…
The Kaguya clan members snap their legs and draw the large thigh bone from their legs.
They form a spear from the bone and throws it towards the Kirigakure ninjas.
"Let the slaughter begin."
KILL… KILL…
The Kaguya clan members throw their bone spear one after another.
"It's an enemy attack. Quick defend." The Kiri Patrol Guards quickly informs their comrades.
"We can't allow these maniacs to enter inside the village." One of the Kiri ninjas makes some hand signs.
"Water Release: Hiding in the Mist"
The Kiri ninja opens his mouth and releases a pearly white mist that covers the entire area.
He turns towards his teammates and makes some hand signals. His team members nod and enter inside the Mist.
"Let's stall them until our reinforcement arrives. We won't be able to hold back against their number."
The Captain directs his subordinates and all of them enter inside the mist. He makes some hand signs
"Water Release: Rising Water Slicer"
He slams his palm on the ground and releases a linear wave of water. The water wave slices through the rocks and collides with Kaguya clan members, sending them flying away.
The rest of the Kiri ninja follows his lead and throws various kunais, shurikens, and jutsus at Kaguya clan members.
"KILL… KILL THEM. Show them the power of the Kaguya clan."
The clan leader shouts at his clan members.
The Kaguya clan members fold their arms in front of their chest.
"Dance of the Larch"
Various sharp bones sprouts from their body.
Clang… clang… clang….
The bones easily block the projectiles. Kaguya clan members point their fingers towards the Kiri shinobis.
"Finger Drilling Bone Bullets"
They fire multiple bone bullets from their fingers.
"Block them. These bone bullets are lethal."
The Captain shouts at his subordinates. The Kiri ninjas make multiple hand signs and slam their palm on the ground.
"Water Release: Water Wall"
Multiple water walls block the bones and slow down their momentum.
Phew…
'We blocked them.' The Kiri Ninjas sighs in relief.
"Watch out!"
The sensor ninja yells to his teammates.
"Too Late! Kuku…"
The Kaguya clan leader slams his hand on the ground and yells.
"Dance of the Seedling Fern"
Multiple bone spear erupts from the ground and quickly engulfs the Kiri ninjas, forming a sea of bones.
Stab… Stab… Stab…
The spear pierces through various Kiri ninjas, killing them in the process.
Whoosh…
The leader jumps up and avoids bone spears.
"Water Release: Scattering Water Bullets"
He fires a volley of high-speed water bullets at Kaguya clan members.
Pew… Pew… Pew…
The bullets pierce through some Kaguya clan members, killing them in the process.
Haha…
Kaguya clan leader laughs hysterically.
"Entertain them more. Kill! Slaughter! Let Kiri bath in blood. Haha…"
"KILL… KILL… KILL…"
The Kaguya clan members continue to march forward, slaughtering Kiri Shinobis one after another.
'Shit! At this rate, we won't be able to last long. The reinforcement hasn't arrived yet.'
Kiri Captain frowns and looks at his fallen subordinates.
"Damn! I have no choice."
The leader bites his thumb and makes some hand signs.
"Summoning Jutsu: Conch King"
He summons a giant conch with many large protruding out from its spikes.
"Conch King, Go!"
He makes some more hand signs and infuses chakra in Conch King's giant shell.
"Water Release Genjutsu: Demonic Phantom Fog Prison"
The Conch king opens its giant shell and releases a pearl white mist. The mist covers the entire Kaguya clan members, putting them in a genjutsu.
Guffaw…
He pukes out a mouthful of blood and keels down.
"This jutsu takes a toll on my chakra and vitality."
"Haha… Kill…"
Kaguya clan members continue to swing their bones inside the genjutsu.
"This genjutsu won't be able to hold them for long. These maniacs are mentally unstable. So this genjutsu won't have much of an effect on them."
"Captain! We can't hold them for long. When will our reinforcement arrive?" One of the Kiri shinobi questions him.
"They must be on their way." Captain weakly replies to his subordinate before closing his eyes.
Crack… Crack…
Some cracks start to appear on Conch King's shell.
"They are about to dispel the genjutsu. Get ready to fight again."
Captain warily stands up and holds a kunai in his hand.
Crack… BOOM…
The shell of the Conch King explodes, clearing away the mist.
Poof…
The Conch King disappears in a large puff of white smoke. Another round of fight starts between them.
--
Inside a small Mansion In Kirigakure,
A middle-aged man with auburn hairs and green eyes is sitting on the floor in Seiza position with his eyes closed. A ninja flickers in front of him and places a scroll in front of him.
"Fuji-sama! This is a message from Mizukage-sama. The Kaguya clan members have attacked Kiri at borders. Our Patrol team won't be able to hold them for long."
Huh!...
Fuji opens his eyes and looks at the shinobi.
"So, the Mizukage wants my faction to handle this matter."
He picks up the scroll and reads it.
"One hundred Kaguya clan members. Things aren't looking good." He frowns and folds the scroll.
"Tell to Mizukage Yagura, we won't participate in this war. We don't have enough people on our side to participate in this war."
The elder closes his eyes.
"Fuji-sama! You don't have a choice. This is the decision made by the rest of the elders of the village council and the Mizukage-sama. If you don't participate in this war, then Terumi clan together with its subsidiary clan will be kicked out of the Kirigakure."
"WHAT!! Are you threatening me?" The elder opens his eyes and riles up his chakra, pressuring the shinobi.
"Tell them, their tricks won't work on Fuji Terumi. We will participate in this war if the elder council reserves another seat for my faction or else we are ready to leave Kirigakure for another village." Fuji Terumi threatens the shinobi.
"Yes, Fuji-sama!" The Kiri shinobi bows before Fuji before retreating.
'Damn! Those crafty noble foxes. All they do is sit in their luxurious mansion and scheme.'
Cough… Cough…
Fuji coughs out a mouthful of blood. He quickly wipes the blood.
'My old injuries flared up again, and this disease is silently killing me. Sigh…'
He sighs and looks out of the window.
'I can't allow Mei to see me in such a condition. She will unnecessarily worry about me. I don't even know how long will I live? I have to at least make things easier for Mei.
Her mother died when she was still a child. Paired with all the struggles and brutal training she went through as a child, I don't want to live in constant suffering. Sigh…'
Fuji sighs and affectionately looks at the picture of a woman.
'Miko, our Mei has grown into quite a beauty. She has taken your looks. Hopefully, I will be able to see our grandchildren before I die.'
A teardrop drips from his eyes.
"Father!... Father! You called for me... Father?"
A sweet voice enters Fuji's ears. He quickly wipes his tears and puts on a stern expression.
"You are here, Mei. I have a mission for you."
A tall, slender girl with fair skin enters the room. She has green eyes, ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a dark blue band with four bangs at the front.
Two bangs are short, with one covering her right eye, and the other two long crosses each other on her chest, just below her chin.
Flutter…
A breeze of wind enters through the window, fluttering her long hairs.
Mei has a smile on her face as she approaches Fuji. She bows in front of Fuji and flashes a smile.
"You looking for me... Father!"
Fuji nods his head. A gentle expression replacing his frown.
"Yes, Mei. I have a mission for you. The Kiri is under attack from the Kaguya clan. The village has asked our Terumi clan to handle the situation.
I want you to take care of this situation as an experience for the incoming power struggle. After I pass away, you will become the next leader of the Terumi clan and thus our faction. I don't want the prestige of Terumi clan to fade away after my death."
Shh…
Mei places a finger on Fuji's lips.
"Don't speak such words, Father. Nothing will happen to you. You will continue to lead the Terumi clan in the future."
Hah… Sniff…
Fuji's eyes tear up. He gently hugs Mei and pats her back.
"Yes, don't worry. Nothing will happen to Father. after all, I have such a loving daughter taking care of me.
Now, all I want is to find a suitable candidate for you and marry you off. I just want to play with my grandkids in my old age."
"Ma… Ma... Marriage… It is still soon for that." Mei flusters and her face turns red in embarrassment.
"No… no, I won't leave you, alone. I will take care of your father." She tightly hugs Fuji.
Sigh…
Fuji hugs Mei and pats her back.
'Can you see Miko? Our Mei has grown up.'
Don't even think about uttering these words again." Black Zetsu warns White Zetsu.
Swoosh…
Zetsu enters into the ground.
--
AtKiri borders,
The Kaguya clan members continue to slaughter the Kiri shinobis.
"KILL them!... Haha… We Kaguya clan members are the most powerful clan of the shinobi world. Haha…"
They relentlessly kill one Kiri shinobi after the other.
"Captain! We are sorry... We can't hold for long. These Kaguya clan members are way too powerful."
Kiri members desperately block one attack after another while maintaining their formation.
The remaining Kirishinobis gather around the Captain.
"BLOOD… Let us see some blood. Haha…"
Kaguya clan members surround them while Kiri members are barely holding to their life.
The Kaguya clan leader walks towards them.
Crack… crack… snap…
He dislocates his shoulder and pulls out the arm bone from his shoulder. The arm bone turns into a bone sword and he swings the sword at them. The rest of the Kaguya clan members raise their arms and launch multiple bone spear at Kiri Ninjas.
"Time to die! Kiri Weaklings!"
Slash…
He slashes the bonesword at the Kiri Captain.
'Looks like this is the end for me.'
The Kiri Captain closes his eyes, waiting for the death.
'Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique'
A corrosive cloud of mist appears in front of the Kiri Ninjas and blocks the bone spears. The acidic Mist melts the bones.
Swoosh… Swoosh…
Multiple ninjas clad in Kiri outfits surround Kaguya clan members.
Sigh…
'Looks like we are saved.'
The Kiri Captain heaves a sigh of relief. Multiple medic-nin starts to assist the injured and provide first-aid treatment.
Phew...
"We made it on time." Mei heaves a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay?"
She walks towards the Kiri Captain. Kiri Captain notices her and nods his head.
"It was thanks to you... Miss Mei. If not for your timely arrival... we would have died by now."
One of the medic ninja tends to him.
"All units in formation. The enemy is quite troublesome. Avoid engaging in close range with them. Use ninjutsu to push them back." Mei orders her team as she surveys the situation.
'These Kaguya clan members are skilled in Taijutsu. Paired with their Kekkei Genkai... they are almost unstoppable.'
Mei looks at the large number of Kaguya clan members and frowns.
'The intel from the village is incorrect. With our numbers... we will be barely able to hold against these many Kaguya clan members.'
Kaguya clan members silently look at the Kiri Ninjas. There is excitement on their face as they look at the reinforcement of Kiri.
Slick…
The Kaguya clan leader licks his lips in excitement.
"More Kiri fodder has arrived. I can't wait to bathe in their blood."
There is no sign of fear on Kaguya clan member's faces despite surrounded by multiple enemies.
"Show them the true ferocity of the Kaguya clan members. Haha…"
--
In a meeting room in Kirigakure,
Multiple elders clad inluxurious clothes are seated around a round table. One of the elders places a scroll in the middle of the table as he addresses other elders.
"All of you must be already aware of the attack on borders by the Kaguya clan."
All of them nods to him.
"We are aware of this attack. It is nothing but a futile attempt by those mentally unstable maniacs of the Kaguya clan. It was because of the blood-shedding tendencies that we have to station them away from the village." One of the elder remarks.
"But to think that they will attack the village directly. They havecompletely lost their sanity this time." Another elder frowns and looks at the report.
"Don't you think it is an opportunity for our High-Class Noble Faction…" The elder in the middle cunningly looks at the rest of the elder.
"What do you mean, Akifumi? State it clearly." One of the older council members frowns.
Haha… haha…
Akifumi slowly stands from his seat and calmly looks at the rest of the elders.
"… All of you must be aware of the power of the Terumi and its ally clan." Akifumi smirks.
Other elders frown and enter in deep contemplation.
"Terumi clan might be part of the Middle class in the Kiri village... but their strength can't be denied. Most of them possess powerful Kekkei Genkais." One of the elder remarks.
"During the Second Shinobi War, Kiri came on top of the other villagesmostly due to the power of these Kekkei Genkais." Another elder agrees with him.
"But haven't their ambition on the rise lately." An older elder frowns.
"Terumi clan is vying for more power in the elder council. We might not be a match if Terumi clan attacked us with all of its ally clans." The older elder continues.
"Wasn't this the very reason we orchestrated a scheme and annihilated the Yuki clan? That move dealt a deadly blow to Middle-Class Faction, greatly decreasing their power and influence." Akifumi has a sly smile on his face.
"So… so you mean to say that, we can use this as an opportunity and further weaken them." The older elder smile and strokes his beard.
"But what about Mizukage-sama? Will he agree with our decision?" Another elder frowns and questions them.
"That Mizukage brat is still too young. He doesn't have much influence on the politics of the village. It was us who made him the Mizukage, so he won't interfere with this matter." Akifumi chuckles and returns to his seat.
"Then, let us proceed with our plan. Prepare a team of skilled ninjas. When the Terumi clan members return from the fight with the Kaguya clan; ambush them and finish them off.
With this, we will be ableto deal a heavy blow to the Terumi clan." The old elder suggests.
"Then, we will send some of our elite shinobis for the mission." All the elders agree with him.
The meeting continues as they discuss various matters.
--
Later, after the meeting,
Akifumi walks out of the building and warily looks around. After making sure nobody was following him, he flickers towards the forest.
After reaching near a waterfall, he makes some hand signs and taps on the water-screen.
Whizz…
A sealing formula appears on the waterfall and the water screen parts away, revealing a secret cavern.
Akifumi surveys his surroundings and enters inside the cavern.
The water screen closes behind him. He reaches the center of the cavern. There is a pedestal with some seals at the center.
Akifumi bites his thumb and makes some hand signs. A small summoning formula appears on the ground.
A greenish-blue apparition with a one-eyed orange mask appears in front of him.
Akifumi bows his head and greets the figure.
"Madara-sama! I have fulfilled your order."
Akifumi eyes have a Mangekyo pattern inside them.
"Well done!" A raspy, hoarse voice greets him.
"Thank you for your praise, Madara-sama." Akifumi bows his head and waits for further order.
"For your next task, I want you to manipulate the elders of the Village Council and spark a revolt in Kirigakure." The voice continues.
"Yes, Madara-sama." Akifumi nods his head and walks out of the cavern.
Kuku…
The masked figure laughs wickedly.
"Why do I only need to control the Mizukage when I can make the entire Kiri dance on my whims? I won't spare any elder of Kiri council."
Crack…
The figure tightly clencheshis fist.
"Ten years!... It has been ten years since Rin was captured by these Kiri shinobis. The Kiri village elders ordered her capture and turned her into a jinchuruki to rampage in Konoha."
The memories of the incident flashes in his mind as his right eye turns into a Mangekyo Sharingan.
"They will pay for their crimes. I don't want them to be a part of my Ideal World."
Swish… Fwish…
The projection fades away, leaving the empty cavern.
--
Inside an underground hideout,
Tobi turns towards Zetsu and orders.
"It's time for the next phase of the Eye of the Moon Plan. Akatsuki has already recruited ten members. I will monitor the progress from shadows and look over other members."
"Then what you want us to do next?" White Zetsu questions him.
"For now, keep an eye on Orochimaru. He is a snake in disguise, I don'twant any unstable factor to interfere with our plans."
Swirl….
Tobi disappears in a swirling portal.
"I wonder what will be hisreaction when he learns about the truth of that incident." White Zetsu mutters to himself.
"Remember, we are the product of Madara-Sama's experiment. His command is our will. Don't even think about uttering these words again." Black Zetsu warnsWhite Zetsu.
Swoosh…
Zetsu enters into the ground.
--
AtKiri borders,
The Kaguya clan members continue to slaughter the Kiri shinobis.
"KILL them!... Haha… We Kaguya clan members are the most powerfulclan of the shinobi world. Haha…"
They relentlessly killoneKiri shinobi after the other.
"Captain! We are sorry... We can't hold for long. These Kaguya clan members are way too powerful."
Kiri members desperately block one attack after another while maintaining their formation.
The remaining Kirishinobis gather around the Captain.
"BLOOD… Let us see some blood. Haha…"
Kaguya clan members surround them while Kiri members are barely holding to their life.
The Kaguya clan leader walks towards them.
Crack… crack… snap…
He dislocates his shoulder and pulls out the arm bone from his shoulder. Thearm bone turns into a bone sword and he swings the sword at them. The rest of the Kaguyaclan members raise their arms and launch multiple bone spear at Kiri Ninjas.
"Time to die! Kiri Weaklings!"
Slash…
He slashes the bonesword at the Kiri Captain.
'Looks like this is the end forme.'
The Kiri Captain closes hiseyes, waiting for the death.
'Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique'
A corrosive cloud of mistappears in front of the Kiri Ninjas and blocks the bone spears. The acidic Mist melts the bones.
Swoosh… Swoosh…
Multiple ninjas clad in Kiri outfits surround Kaguya clan members.
Sigh…
'Looks like we are saved.'
The Kiri Captain heaves a sigh of relief. Multiple medic-nin starts to assist theinjured and provide first-aid treatment.
Phew...
"We made it on time." Mei heaves a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay?"
She walks towards the KiriCaptain. Kiri Captain notices her and nods his head.
"It was thanks to you... Miss Mei. If not for your timely arrival... we would havedied by now."
One of the medic ninja tends to him.
"All units in formation. The enemy is quite troublesome. Avoid engagingin close range with them. Use ninjutsu to push them back." Mei orders her team as she surveys the situation.
'These Kaguya clan members are skilled in Taijutsu. Paired with their Kekkei Genkai... they are almost unstoppable.'
Mei looks at the large number of Kaguya clan members and frowns.
'The intel from the village is incorrect. With our numbers... we will be barely able to hold against these many Kaguya clan members.'
Kaguya clan members silentlylook at the Kiri Ninjas. There is excitement on their face as they look at the reinforcement of Kiri.
Slick…
The Kaguya clan leader licks his lips in excitement.
"More Kiri fodder has arrived. I can't wait to bathe in their blood."
There is no sign of fear on Kaguya clan member's faces despite surrounded by multiple enemies.
"Show them the true ferocity of the Kaguya clan members. Haha…"
--
In a meeting room in Kirigakure,
Multiple elders clad inluxurious clothes are seated around a round table. One of the elders places a scroll in the middle of the table as he addresses other elders.
"All of you must be already aware of the attack on borders by the Kaguya clan."
All of them nods to him.
"We are aware of this attack. It is nothing but a futile attempt by those mentally unstable maniacs of the Kaguya clan. It was because of the blood-shedding tendencies that we have to station them away from the village." One of the elder remarks.
"But to think that they will attack the village directly. They havecompletely lost their sanity this time." Another elder frowns and looks at the report.
"Don't you think it is an opportunity for our High-Class Noble Faction…" The elder in the middle cunningly looks at the rest of the elder.
"What do you mean, Akifumi? State it clearly." One of the older council members frowns.
Haha… haha…
Akifumi slowly stands from his seat and calmly looks at the rest of the elders.
"… All of you must be aware of the power of the Terumi and its ally clan." Akifumi smirks.
Other elders frown and enter in deep contemplation.
"Terumi clan might be part of the Middle class in the Kiri village... but their strength can't be denied. Most of them possess powerful Kekkei Genkais." One of the elder remarks.
"During the Second Shinobi War, Kiri came on top of the other villagesmostly due to the power of these Kekkei Genkais." Another elder agrees with him.
"But haven't their ambition on the rise lately." An older elder frowns.
"Terumi clan is vying for more power in the elder council. We might not be a match if Terumi clan attacked us with all of its ally clans." The older elder continues.
"Wasn't this the very reason weorchestrated a scheme and annihilated the Yuki clan? That move dealt a deadly blow to Middle-Class Faction, greatly decreasing their power and influence." Akifumi has a sly smile on his face.
"So… so you mean to say that, we can use this as an opportunity and further weaken them." The older elder smile and strokes his beard.
"But what about Mizukage-sama? Will he agree with our decision?" Another elder frowns and questions them.
"That Mizukage brat is still too young. He doesn't have much influence on the politics of the village. It was us who made him the Mizukage, so he won't interfere with this matter." Akifumi chuckles and returnsto his seat.
"Then, let us proceed with our plan. Prepare a team of skilled ninjas. When the Terumi clan members return from the fight with the Kaguya clan; ambush them and finish them off.
With this, we will be ableto deal a heavy blow to the Terumi clan." The old elder suggests.
"Then, we will send some of our elite shinobis for the mission." All the elders agree with him.
The meeting continues as they discuss various matters.
--
Later, after the meeting,
Akifumi walks out of the building and warily looks around. After making sure nobody was following him, he flickers towards the forest.
After reaching near a waterfall, he makes some hand signs and taps on the water-screen.
Whizz…
A sealing formula appears on the waterfall and the water screen parts away, revealing a secret cavern.
Akifumi surveys his surroundings and enters inside the cavern.
The water screen closes behind him. He reaches the center of the cavern. There is a pedestal with some seals at the center.
Akifumi bites his thumb and makes some hand signs. A small summoning formula appears on the ground.
A greenish-blue apparition with a one-eyed orange mask appears in front of him.
Akifumi bows his head and greets the figure.
"Madara-sama! I have fulfilled your order."
Akifumi eyes have a Mangekyo pattern inside them.
"Well done!" A raspy, hoarse voice greets him.
"Thank you for your praise, Madara-sama." Akifumi bows his head and waits for further order.
"For your next task, I want you to manipulate the elders of the Village Council and spark a revolt in Kirigakure." The voice continues.
"Yes, Madara-sama." Akifumi nods his head and walks out of the cavern.
Kuku…
The masked figure laughs wickedly.
"Why do I only need to control the Mizukage when I can make the entire Kiri dance on my whims? I won't spare any elder of Kiri council."
Crack…
The figure tightly clencheshis fist.
"Ten years!... It has been ten years since Rin was captured by these Kiri shinobis. The Kiri village elders ordered her capture and turned her into a jinchuruki to rampage in Konoha."
The memories of the incident flashes in his mind as his right eye turns into a Mangekyo Sharingan.
"They will pay for their crimes. I don't want them to be a part of my Ideal World."
Swish… Fwish…
The projection fades away, leaving the empty cavern.
--
Inside an underground hideout,
Tobi turns towards Zetsu and orders.
"It's time for the next phase of the Eye of the Moon Plan. Akatsuki has already recruited ten members. I will monitor the progress from shadows and look over other members."
"Then what you want us to do next?" White Zetsu questions him.
"For now, keep an eye on Orochimaru. He is a snake in disguise, I don'twant any unstable factor to interfere with our plans."
Swirl….
Tobi disappears in a swirling portal.
"I wonder what will be hisreaction when he learns about the truth of that incident." White Zetsu mutters to himself.
"Remember, we are the product of Madara-Sama's experiment. His command is our will. Don't even think about uttering these words again." Black Zetsu warnsWhite Zetsu.
Swoosh…
Zetsu enters into the ground.
--
In a small mansion in Kiri,
An elderly man with a bald head walks inside a room. The elder wears a brown Kimono with a yellow scarf draped over his shoulders. There is a wooden staff in his hand. The pommel of the staff has a carving resembling a demon-like creature with red-eyes and a mouth with sharp teeth.
The elder slowly crawls into the room. Fuji opens his eyes and welcomes him.
"Elder Genji! How is the situation? Have you investigated it?"
Fuji politely bows to Genji.
"Hmm... I secretly ordered some of my trusted personal anbus to follow the Mei girl. They would report soon."
Genji slowly crawls to mat and sitson it.
Knock… Knock…
Someone knocks on the door.
"Come in."
Elder Genji replies in his frail voice.
A ninja completely draped in blue garbs enters the room. He bows in front of Genji, awaiting his orders.
"You may report." Elder Genji nods to him.
"Genji-sama, after the Terumi clan princess left the village with her subordinates, a group of shinobis from various other noble clans followed her.
I am unsure of their intention but I doubt it to be friendly."
Fuji frowns and turns towards the ninja.
"Tell me everything in detail." His expression turns gloomy.
Gulp…
The ninja gulps his saliva and fills Fuji in detail.
"Damn! Those High noble clans."
Fuji quickly walks out of the room and gathers a squad of ninjas and sends them to the borders.
Sigh…
Genji sighs to himself as he remembers his past days.
"Byakuren-sama founded the Kirigakure. I got the fortune to be one of his aides and stand alongside him. Byakuren-sama worked tirelessly to establish the village as one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations."
Sigh…
"Since then, Kiri has continued to degrade, and it has reached this state of infamy as the 'Bloody Mist'. Sigh…
If only Third Mizukage-sama was still alive, then he would have sorted out this situation."
Genji continues to contemplate the future of Kirigakure.
Cough… Cough…
Fuji coughs slightly to get Genji's attention. His emotions have calmed down a little.
"Elder Genji, what are your thoughts on this move by the Noble clans? I can see they want to weaken our power and influence in the village.
But if they do so and create unrest in the village, then Kirigakure will be open to other villages. Kirigakure will be engulfed in the flames of the war."
Fuji ponders over the intention of the Noble clans.
"Those power-hungry people are only seeking their benefit. The citizens of the village worship them because they are the descendants of the First Mizukage.
I can't see the legacy of First Mizukage-sama degrading in their hands. It was the part of the reason I joined your faction."
Genji calmly explains to Fuji.
"As for your daughter, don't worry about her. I will summon one of my most trusted and skilled ninja and make him her bodyguard."
Fuji skeptically looks at Elder Genji.
Elder Genji makes some hand signs and taps his staff on the ground. A strange sealing formula appears on the ground. The eyes on the staff lit up.
Shortly later, a middle-aged man enters the room.
"You summoned me, Genji-sama." The newcomer bowed to him.
The newcomer has blue hair styled in a moused-up manner. His left eye is blue and the right-eye is covered with a black eye-patch. He wore large Talismans with the word 'To Hear' in kanji on both of his ears.
The rest of his outfit includes a standard striped grey suit with a green haori that had white trimmings till halfway down. He wears the standard shinobi sandal with a Kiri forehead protector tied on his forehead.
"You came right on time, Ao. I have a mission for you. But first, let me introduce you to the Terumi clan leader." Elder Genji introduces Ao.
"He is Ao. One of the orphans I picked up during the Second Shinobi War. His skills speak for themselves.
During the Third Shinobi War, he defeated the main branch Hyuga clan member of Konoha and stole his Byakugan as a spoil of war.
Later, I implanted this eye in his right eye-socket."
Elder Genji points at the eye-patch. Ao removes the eye patch to show his byakugan.
"What if Konoha tried to retrieve the Byakugan? Many powerful shinobis in Konoha are capable enough to overpower Ao and steal his Byakugan." Fuji points out.
"Haha… you don't have to worry about that."
Elder Genji chuckles and points at the Talisman on Ao's ears.
"You can see those large talismans hung around his ear."
"Yes, what's so special about them? I can see some sealing formulas on them. Though I am not a sealing expert, but I have never seen such strange seals before." Fuji curiously looks at the seals.
"Those seals aren't the ordinary sealing seals. They are special talisman seals created by me. Even the most famed Uzumaki clan known for their Fuinjutsu capabilities won't be able to decipher these seals." Elder Genji proudly stares at the seals.
"These seals are my masterpiece, and I am very proud of them." Elder Genji chuckles.
"Now, as for their abilities. When Ao's Byakugan is under any kind of threat, the seals will cover his right eye and destroy the Byakugan.
No one… no one beside me is capable of removing these seals." Elder Genji strokes the pommel of his staff. The eyes on the staff lit up.
"So, that's how it is." Fuji nods his head.
"I am always surprised by your capabilities, Elder Genji." He praises Elder Genji.
"Enough chit-chat… Ao quickly departs for the Kiri borders. Your sole task is to protect the Lady Mei of the Terumi clan. She will be the future leader of the Terumi clan and would play an important role in the future." Elder Genji orders Ao.
"Yes, Genji-sama." Ao bows his head and flickers out of the room.
--
At Kiri borders,
Huff… Huff…
Mei is breathing heavily as she confronts the Kaguya clan leader. Most of her subordinates and teammates are either dead or are not in a condition to continue the fight.
'I severely underestimated their abilities. Their Bone Manipulation ability is very hard to fight against.'
Swish… Swish…
Mei jumps back and avoids various bone bullets launched at her.
Huff… Huff…
'I can't get hit by those. These bones can easily penetrate my defenses and decalcify my bones.'
Mei warily stares at the Kaguya clan leader.
'We have whittled down their number, but the loses are unbearable.'
The Kaguya clan members turn to his remaining clan members.
"Are we the only survivors…?"
He notices around twenty to thirty of his clan members standing behind him.
"We have no choice… make them pay with their blood. Haha…"
The Kaguya clan leader laughs maniacally.
"Hanh… KILL… KILL… KILL…"
Kaguya clan members raise their hands and shout in excitement.
"We will have them entertain us as long as possible! Hanh!…"
Another round of slaughter starts as Kaguya clan members go into a frenzy.
KILL… KILL… KILL…
Huff… Huff…
Kimimaro weakly stares at the back of his clan members.
'Is this my worth? I am a weapon meant to be used on the battlefield to slaughter my enemies…
Is this how my life will come to an end?... if so, then I won't go down without a fight.'
Haah…
Kimimaro yells and dashes towards the Kiri ninjas.
Slash… slash… slash…
He continues to attack one Kiri ninja after another.
"Look out for that kid. That kid has killed many of our comrades, we can't allow him to rampage on the battlefield. Surround him and kill him."
A small group of Kiri shinobis surrounds Kimimaro.
Kimimaro emotionlessly looks at the group of Kiri shinobis.
'Dance of the Willow'
Various long hardened bones sprout out from his entire body.
'Carmilla Dance of Death'
Kimimaro sways his body like the branch of a willow and easily parries and evades the attack of the Kiri shinobis. He counters their attacks with bones sprouting from his palms.
One of the Kiri shinobis tries to sneak attack him from his blind spot.
'Got you!' The Kiri shinobi smirks in delight.
'You have killed my friend. Now join him in the afterlife.'
Stab… Puchi…
The Kiri shinobis throw out a mouthful of blood. He looks at Kimimaro with wide eyes.
A long hardened bone is protruding from Kimimaro's neck. The bone punctures Kiri shinobis heart instantly killing him.
Plop…
His body falls lifelessly on the ground.
Swoosh… Swoosh… Swoosh…
The rest of the Kiri shinobis jumps back to avoid the attacks.
"This kid is even more dangerous than the rest of the Kaguya clan members. Quickly deal with him."
Slash… Slash… Slash…
The fight continues as more and more people fall in the battle.
'Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique'
Mei makes some hand signs and spews out lava from her mouth.
Sizzle… Sizzle…
The lava melts the bones shielding the Kaguya clan leader.
Huff… Huff…
'I am running out of chakra. They already outnumber us, and with their tenacity, it is getting even harder to get rid of them.
I don't want to disappoint father and shoulder some of his burdens.'
Mei resolutely looks at the Kaguya clan leader.
Gulp…
She swallows a chakra pill and takes out a kunai from her holster.
'I have no choice but to fight in close range until my chakra recovers.'
Slick…
The Kaguya clan leader licks his tongue and looked at Mei like a predatory wolf.
Snap… snap… crack…
He twisted his left arm at a weird angle. The bones of the arm snapped and cracked detaching from the shoulder.
Pop… snap
He pulls the bone from the hinge of his shoulder and waves it to straighten the bone.
Clank… clank…
He blocked all of Mei's kunai and shurikens.
Clank…
Mei engages the Kaguya clan leader in close combat.
"Let me see how long will you be able to handle my attacks. Kuku…"
He launches one heavy attack after another.
Chip… chip...
Mei's kunai continues to chip away from the attacks.
'My kunai isn't as durable as his bone... and the force of his attack is pushing me back. In terms of Taijutsu, I am not his match.'
Mei continues to stall time to recover chakra. She monitors the remaining members of the Kaguya clan.
'They have twenty people remaining on their side and we have seven. Things aren't looking good for us. I have enough chakra for one or two jutsu.'
Mei looks at the Kaguya clan leader.
'I guess, he doesn't have enough chakra either. I have to kill him to lower their morale and make them lose their will to fight.'
Swish… swish…
Mei throws two more shurikens at the leader and jumps back.
She makes some hand signs and opens her mouth.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu"
Mei releases a pearly dense mist around her and the Kaguya clan leader. The mist fogs the leader's vision, who continues to swing the bone sword around.
"Using this technique again,... you Kiri weaklings won't be able to escape death by such means. Haha…"
The Kaguya clan leader makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.
"Dance of the Seedling Fern"
He summons multiple bone swords from the ground.
Stab…
The bones pierce through Mei's body.
"Huff… huff… Kiri shinobis are mere weaklings. They feared our abilities and isolated us from the village.
Now we will have our revenge."
The leader falls on knees. He has a smirk on his face as he looks at Mei's body.
Burble… burble…
The body turns into water and disappears.
Swish… Stab…
A kunai pierces the Kaguya clan leader's throat as Mei appears behind him.
Keuk…
The leader looks at Mei with wide-eyes before dropping on the ground. His body lifelessly falls on the ground as blood splatters on Mei's clothes.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The mist clears away to reveal the scene of the Kaguya clan leader's death.
"LEADER… LEADER… DIED…"
The excitement of the Kaguya clan leader dies down as fear encroaches their heart.
"How… how can the invincible clan leader fall in battle?..."
The Kaguya clan members drop their bone weapons as they silently look at their leader's corpse.
"We… we lost. Our LEADER… he just died in battle… No… no… I don't want to die too. No… don't kill me."
One of the Kaguya clan members comes to his senses.
"No… no... I don't want to die here."
He immediately turns around and dashs away from the battlefield.
The rest of the Kaguya clan members sobers up and follows his lead. All of them flee from the battle.
--
At a nearby cliff,
Slick…
Orochimaru licks his lips as he stares at the slaughter happening below him.
"Kaguya Clan… A bunch of fools who can only find their path of life by fighting…"
Flick… flick…
Orochimaru tosses a test tube in his hand as he continues to monitor the Kaguya clan.
"They live through their instinct of fighting. Blood craving is infused deep down in their genes… with a body like that…"
Flick… Flick…
"They make the perfect test subject for my new research. With such an unstable mind... it is quite easy to manipulate them through a simple genjutsu."
Hissss….
A small white snake wraps around his arm and slithers near his right ear.
Hisss….
The snake hisses near his ear, relaying a message.
"So, it seems like the rat has fallen into the trap. Then I need to quickly finish this matter off."
Hiss…
The snake slithers and wraps around his arms. Orochimaru gently strokes the snake's head, as he watches the massacre.
"Oh! Interesting."
He stares curiously at Mei, who uses Lava Release and Boil Release to repel the Kaguya clan members.
"She is almost a perfect candidate for my new body with two Kekkei Genkai. But unfortunately, I can't lay a hand on her."
He notices the 'Terumi Clan' insignia on Mei's clothes.
Slash… slash…
One by one all the Kaguya clan members fall in battle as Orochimaru rests against a tree. The fire of slaughter and massacre burning in his eyes.
Slash…
"Oh! It seems like the death of their clan leader affected them to a great extent. It dispelled my genjutsu and now they are fleeing away from the fight. Kuku…"
Orochimaru chuckles and makes a hand seal.
"I can't allow my precious lab rats to flee from their experiments, can I?"
"Release"
A small curse marking appears in Orochimaru's palm.
Ba-dump… ba-dump…
The curse marks infuse some chakra and turn orange and spread over his hand before turning into black markings.
Similar marking appears around Kaguya clan member's necks who are fleeing from the battlefield.
Kimimaro who is running with his clan members feels a suffocating sensation at his neck as something tries to choke him.
Cough… Cough…
He coughs violently and infuses chakra in the bones around his neck.
Snap… snap… crack… fwoosh…
The bones around his neck absorb the orange chakra and turn black.
Cough… Cough…
Kimimaro coughs again and continues to run away from the battlefield.
"Oh! Interesting. This kid has an affinity for Nature energy. He could be a candidate for my new body. Slick…"
Orochimaru licks his lips as his eyes follow Kimimaro's trails.
--
At Kiri borders,
Mei and the remaining Kiri shinobi look at Kaguya clan members in surprise.
"This... they are fleeing from the battlefield. Their clan leader is dead and now there is no one to command them." One of the Kiri ninjas looks towards Kaguya members as he speaks.
"What should we do... Captain Mei?" He turns towards Mei for her orders.
"I won't spare them. They killed my brother. Aahh…"
One of the remaining Kiri ninjas chases after the fleeing Kaguya clan members.
"Stop it, Taro! It's dangerous to leave the formation and chase after them." One of the older shinobi tries to talk sense to Taro.
Taro ignores him and continues to chase after them.
Sigh…
The older shinobi sighs and turns towards Mei.
"Captain… Taro grew up with his brother. His parents died early in the Third Shinobi war, orphaning him. His elder brother fostered and raised him. He was a father figure to Taro. Taro is unable to handle the loss of his big brother. I will bring him back."
Mei nods her head in understanding.
"It's ok. All of you bring him back. I am fine by myself." Mei rests against a tree.
"Yes, Captain"
They yell and chases after Kaguya clan members. Mei looks at their back.
Sigh…
She looks at her hands drenched in blood.
"I have shed more blood than tears in my life. Sometimes the blood is of my enemies and sometimes my own."
Keuk…
Mei spits out some blood. She wipes her lips and stares at the moon.
Flutter…
A gentle breeze flutters her hair.
'I wonder if someday true peace will exist in this world. A time when there is no bloodshed, no cruel training, a world where children could live and grow peacefully.'
Clench…
Mei clenches her fist tightly.
'I might not have the power to change the world. But I will definitely wash the infamy of 'Bloody Mist' from Kirigakure.
--
The squad of four Kiri shinobi chases after Taro to bring him back. One of them clenches his fist in anger.
"No matter what! I can't forgive these bastards. If I get the opportunity, I will kill them."
"Yes, they killed our friends and family. I can't forgive them." Another ninja agrees with him.
Sigh…
The older ninja sighs at them.
'Ah! Youth. Reckless as always.'
They spot the back of Taro who is standing motionlessly at a place.
Swoosh… swoosh… swoosh…
They quickly flicker towards him and one of them pats Taro's back.
Taro turns around and notices them.
"What's the matter, Taro? Why are you spacing out like that?" The ninja frowns and questions him.
Taro silently points at a direction. All of them towards the pointed direction and notices Kaguya clan members falling one after another.
"This is… what's happening?" The ninja frowns and turns towards the older shinobi.
"Do you have any idea, Ji-san?"
"No… I have never seen such a thing. Maybe it is an aftereffect of their jutsu or some sort of Forbidden Technique." Ji-san frowns and inspects the body of Kaguya clan members.
"Look! Over there. Someone survived this jutsu." The ninja points at the back of Kimimaro.
"He is… wait… he is that kid who killed my brother. I won't spare him. I will kill him. Argh…"
Taro chases after Kimimaro. The rest of the Kiri ninja follows after him.
--Flashback Ends--
